Astonished John Parrott hit out at the decision to allow spectators to trickle back in while Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stuart Bingham were locked in a quarter-final epic at the Crucible.
The game was momentarily paused in the 21st frame when the Rocket waited for fans to make their way back into their chairs, however, they kept coming and both players were guided by referee Desislava Bozhilova who told hold fire due to the importance of the upcoming shot. O'Sullivan would lose the frame and eventually the match 13-10 as fans were left miffed by the drama stirred up as tensions escalated.
And Parrott – the 1991 snooker world champion – was also agitated by the delay and the BBC legend didn't hold back in his verdict. "I don't know what part of 'close the doors' they (security) don't get. It is absolutely ridiculous, will someone just close that door and stop people from coming in. I mean it's just nonsense, will someone on the door, please close it?
And fellow commentator Ken Doherty – the 1997 world kingpin – admits the farce was new to him. "I've never seen that before at the Crucible, particularly, at such an important stage. I don't blame him (O'Sullivan) for taking his time, there is no rush."
However, O'Sullivan was full of praise for former Crucible winner Bingham and the seven-time world champion insists the right man won. He said: "I'm actually really happy, to be honest, it's just the way it goes sometimes. It's not the win I'd have liked to have had but that's snooker. Stuart played a fantastic match, he deserved his victory. Nobody has any divine right to win any match, that's just sport."
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk
dailyrecord.co.uk
