World Snooker Championship - 'Screams in the audience' - Mark Selby stuns fans with ferocious shot

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 01/05/2021 at 16:45 GMT

Former world champion Mark Selby produced quite a reaction from fans inside the Crucible Theatre as he produced an unbelievable shot under the most enormous pressure during his tension-filled semi-final against Stuart Bingham. The match has already hit classic status at the World Snooker Championship with barely anything to choose between the two players.

Mark Selby found himself 13-11 down in his semi-final against Stuart Bingham when a quite magnificent shot changed the momentum of the match.

The Jester from Leicester was 41-1 down in the 25th frame of the finely-poised encounter at the Crucible and the tension was palpable as he lined up an absurdly difficult long pot on a red.

Indeed, the shot was all the more difficult given that the cue ball was up against the cushion at the far end of the table to the red, but Selby somehow managed to make perfect contact.

World Championship

'Snooker gods for you having their fun' - Bingham pots red and goes in-off

00:00:30

|

03/05/2024 at 18:20

As the ball rocketed into the far corner pocket, the crowd let out a huge roar of approval and Eurosport commentator and former world champion Joe Johnson was left as stunned as everyone else.

"Oh, what a beauty!" Johnson exclaimed as Selby hauled himself back into the contest with the wonder shot.

• 'He's not amused!' - Bingham fury as Selby gets away with wild fluke

"Didn't he strike that well! Brilliant, and he hardly seemed to hit it, you know, and that's what we call timing.

What a shot that was, and there were actually screams in the audience there.

'You need to consider taking a stroke' - Selby told to speed up by referee Williams

The three-time world champion ended up taking the crucial frame to reduce the deficit to a single frame at 13-12, with Bingham holding only a slender lead in the enthralling contest.

In the other semi-final, Kyren Wilson held a commanding 10-6 lead heading into the third session, but Shaun Murphy fought valiantly to make sure the scores were level going into the evening decider at 7pm UK time.

Wilson drained a long red to give himself a five-frame lead on Saturday morning, but then began the incredible Murphy comeback as he scooped up the next three frames.

Selby can't believe his luck with 'spectacular' fluke against Bingham

- - -

You can watch every match of the World Snooker Championship live and ad-free on the Eurosport App and eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android.

World Championship

Bingham makes first century of semi-final against Jones

00:02:29

|

03/05/2024 at 17:19

World Championship

'Fly-gate' strikes again as Bingham squashes insect pre-shot

00:00:28

|

03/05/2024 at 14:07

World Championship

'Loving every second of it' - Bingham on battle with 'best player ever' O'Sullivan

01/05/2024 at 21:59