UK Championship snooker 2020: Neil Robertson and Ronnie O'Sullivan settle pundit vs commentator rift
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Updated 28/11/2020 at 22:46 GMT
Neil Robertson took issue with a potted black being described as a fluke on commentary, saying that he played the shot intentionally. The Australian's comments settled a disagreement between Eurosport commentators and the studio pundits.
Snooker UK Championship: Interview of Neil Robertson after his win
Image credit: Eurosport
Neil Robertson was happy to settle a Eurosport dispute over a 'fluked' black during his 6-1 win over Chris Wakelin at the UK Championship.
"You’ve got to clear up a commentary box versus studio divide, a rift I’d almost call it," presenter Colin Murray said as Robertson joined Eurosport in the studio after his match. "Philip Studd and Peter Lines in the commentary box said fluke, Ronnie and Neil in the studio said you meant it."
The shot in question was this black, which found the corner pocket to put Robertson 3-0 up in the match.
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'Talk about rubbing salt into the wound!' - Robertson 'flukes' black to go three frames up
And Robertson says he was surprised to have seen Eurosport tweeting out the shot and describing it as a fluke.
"Look what I’ve done to the white, I’ve looped the white," he explained. "The black’s too close to the cushion to play the up and down off two cushions and leave the black on the side cushion. There’s no other shot.
"If I risk playing that I’m going to get a double kiss on the black.
I’ve played that 100%. Worst-case scenario I was thinking I’d get close enough to the double that it would draw and go across to safety, but I’ve got the good white in the corner of the table.
Ronnie O'Sullivan, who initially had said he thought the pot was intentional, responded with a joke, saying:
"There you go, that’s why the experts are in here and the amateurs are in the commentary box."
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'I played that 100%' - Robertson talks to Eurosport about that 'fluked' long black
Robertson added that he was surprised that Peter Lines thought it was a fluke, being a top former player himself. To which Ronnie replied:
That’s just a bitter snooker player who’s had a bit of bad luck over the years. And every time he sees something like that it’s ‘oh that’s a fluke, that’s a bit of luck’.
In the match itself, Robertson made three 130-plus breaks as he breezed into the last 32.
The two-time champion opened with back-to-back breaks of 135 and 130 before knocking in another 135 in the fourth frame as he beat Chris Wakelin 6-1.
Robertson will face Li Hang in the next round.
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Robertson opens up with classy century in opening frame against Wakelin
Zhou Yuelong also enjoyed a comfortable win on Saturday afternoon as he made two centuries in a 6-1 win over Jimmy White.
SECOND ROUND
Saturday, 28 November
Afternoon (1pm)
- Ding Junhui 5-6 David Grace
- Luca Brecel 5-6 Xiao Guodong
- Jimmy White 1-6 Zhou Yuelong
- Lu Haotian 5-6 Anthony McGill
- Chen Zifan 6-5 Yan Bingtao
- Li Hang 6-3 Zhao Xintong
- Chris Wakelin 1-6 Neil Robertson
- Stephen Maguire 6-4 Stuart Carrington
Evening (7pm)
- Oliver Lines 1-6 Xu Si
- Chang Bingyu v Mark Allen
- Jak Jones v Simon Lichtenberg
- Gerard Greene 3-6 John Higgins
- Michael Holt 4-6 Hossein Vafaei
- David Gilbert 4-6 Robert Milkins
- Barry Hawkins 6-1 Robbie Williams
- Judd Trump 6-3 Dominic Dale
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