'Is that alright?!' - Ronnie O'Sullivan complains to referee, pleads with fans at World Snooker Championship

A frustrated Ronnie O'Sullivan ended up complaining to the referee and pleading with fans to stop distracting movements at the World Snooker Championship. The Rocket was settling over a shot when he was clearly disturbed by the behaviour of a fan in the first few rows of the seating at the famous Crucible Theatre during his semi-final clash with John Higgins.

Ad/> The tension was palpable for most of the match as the legendary snooker duo locked horns on the biggest stage in the sport in Sheffield, and O'Sullivan felt as though fans were moving in his eyeline. World ChampionshipO'Sullivan wins final frame of session on a re-spot to take control against HigginsAN HOUR AGO While O'Sullivan kept his composure and did not lose his temper over the incident, his frustration was clear to see as he asked the referee, Marcel Eckardt, to step in and give the fans a warning over their conduct.

«Just maybe mention, for both players, it's quite off-putting,» O'Sullivan suggested to Eckardt. Just the eyeline.

Just the eyeline." Then, turning to the crowd, O'Sullivan asked while smiling and giving a thumbs-up: «Is that alright?!» «It was another phone,» explained Dave Hendon, on commentary for Eurosport at the time. «I'm not sure what more the referees can do apart from making polite requests, and sometimes not-so-polite, just to turn them off.

»It was just a bit of movement that O'Sullivan was noticing in his eyeline." In the Eurosport studio, snooker legend Jimmy White was not impressed with the conduct of the fans in the Crucible and said it should be much better for the sake of the players. 'It's legal' — Unusual O'Sullivan jump shot clears balls in surprise moment 'Like Federer and Nadal' — White compares O'Sullivan and Higgins to