Barry Pinches and Andrew Pagett clash over coughing and cue-chalking incidents at 6 Red World Championship
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Updated 08/01/2023 at 17:04 GMT
Barry Pinches beat Andrew Pagett in qualifying for the 6 Red World Championship in Barnsley on Saturday afternoon, but that was not the big story as a row broke out during the contest and continued on social media as both players gave their views on the incident. Stream top snooker action including the 2023 Masters live on discovery+ and Eurosport.
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Barry Pinches and Andrew Pagett were involved in a spat during their meeting in qualifying for the 6 Red World Championship on Saturday, and the row continued on social media.
Pinches claimed a 6-2 win to advance to the second round, but the match was not without incident.
The veteran Pinches took to social media to give his side of the story.
“Quite frankly, I’ve never been close to being so angry during my entire life,” Pinches wrote on Facebook. “I am carrying a cold… and was coughing a lot during our game.
“After being 2-0 down and making a couple of 40-odd breaks to virtually draw level, Andrew Pagett said to me something like: “do you know you didn’t cough once during those two breaks?
“I replied: ‘what are you trying to say and do you know how long I’ve been playing this game?’
“I was then about to say I have NEVER been pulled up for any kind of unsportsmanlike conduct in 40 years but before I could finish he said: ‘I don’t care how long you’ve been playing.
“I had a discussion with our referee after the game and I asked him if I’d coughed while my opponent was on the shot and he confirmed that I hadn’t.”
Pinches continued by referencing two incidents before and after the altercation over “coughgate”.
He wrote: “To add to the drama of the day during the match before ‘coughgate’, Andrew Pagett chalked his cue while I was down on the shot but I let it go.
“A few minutes after the coughing argument, he chalked his cue again while I was down on the shot!
“I immediately got up absolutely seething and said something like: ‘don’t you ever chalk your cue while I am down on the shot.
“I’ve marked his card regarding chalking his cue while I was down on the shot, so future opponents be wary.”
Pinches concluded by apologising to other players in the arena in Barnsley who may have been disturbed by the incidents.
Pagett did not respond directly to Pinches, but took to Twitter on Sunday to air his side of the story.
“This is the first time I’ve said anything about this," he wrote. "All I know is that he’s in the wrong and will be fined.”
Pinches is back in action later on Sunday against Peng Yisong.
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