A SNOOKER star snapped at a referee for his bizarre decision as a commentator declared “I can’t believe this.”
The shocking incident occurred during Wednesday’s British Open clash between snooker stars Barry Hawkins and Jak Jones.
Barry Hawkins and Jak Jones weren’t happy with ref Ben Williams over a re-rack request[/caption]
The round-of-32 fixture at the Centaur in Cheltenham saw Jones leading 2-1 when a clash broke out.
Both he and Hawkins had been piling reds up the top end of the table.
And the pair decided that they wanted a re-rack to avoid a lengthy battle.
However, referee Ben Williams saw things differently.
He amazingly refused their request, leading to a heated exchange at the table.
Williams said: “It’s not a stalemate, gents, it’s not a stalemate.”
Hawkins replied: “It’s going to be a long frame if we keep knocking balls over there. What’s the point of playing on?”
Jones added: “What, you think that’s not a stalemate?”
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Williams said: “It’s not a stalemate because you’re just playing safety shots. A stalemate is when you’re stuck in one position for a long time.”
This saw Hawkins mutter: “We’re going to be here all night.
“That’s rubbish. There’s loads of people who have re-racks when you know it’s going to be a long frame.”
Williams finally relented and gave the game its re-rack.
But his behaviour stunned an ITV’s match commentator.
Phil Yates said: “My mouth is as wide open as the middle pockets right now.
“I cannot believe he didn’t accede to the players’ request.
“He said you can’t mutually agree on a re-rack. We see that scores of times over the course of a season — scores of times!
“Of course the two players can get their heads together and have a re-rack. What was the problem?”
Fans reacted to the incident online too.
One said: “What was Ben Williams at there? Being a contrarian for no reason.”
Another added: “What is Ben Williams on about? Course if both players agree it’s a re-rack.”
