Scottish Open snooker 2020: Bizarre scenes over final black between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 13/12/2020 at 16:02 GMT

There were bizarre scenes over a pointless final black between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby with the frame already long since decided in the Scottish Open final. There has long been an edge between the two players and it came to the fore again as a dead frame continued in very strange and confusing fashion.

An irrelevant final black in the fourth frame of the Scottish Open final caused an awkward rift between rivals Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby.

Selby already had a commanding lead of 51 in the frame with just the pink and black remaining when O'Sullivan decided to drag the frame out in strange fashion.

O’Sullivan has defended his recent preference to play on, insisting that he needs the table time, but, with just the pink and black in play, perhaps he wanted to make a point.

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Then in turn, the Jester decided to make a statement of his own as he downed the pink and proceeded to make a play at the black.

Shaking his head in apparent confusion, O'Sullivan lined up to take a shot of his own on the black before a chat with the match referee brought the ensuing farce to an abrupt end.

'Ridiculous' - Watch bizarre scenes over black between O'Sullivan and Selby

Watch the Scottish Open final live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app

Eurosport commentators David Hendon and Neal Foulds made it very clear what they thought of the incident which preceded the mid-session interval.

"The frame is over and Mark Selby is going to make his point by playing at the black," Hendon said on commentary.

It's all part of the little bit of spice that is in this match. It's a strange end. You can't get snookers on the black, it's just a fact!

Foulds took over: "Well, the frame is over. This is ridiculous. There is no more playing on now. There is nothing more to see.

Eurosport presenter Andy Goldstein added: "All very strange. I think Ronnie needed 10 snookers on the black!"

Jimmy White finally added his thoughts: "I don't know what that was all about. It's a bit of a confusing situation.

"I can understand playing on when there's a few reds left, but with just the pink and black left and a long way behind, I don't see the value in that at all."

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