Ronnie O’Sullivan wasn’t happy with himself after messing up a shot (Image: Championship League Snooker)
smashed his cue against the table shortly before withdrawing from the Championship League ahead of his final group game.
He had been taking on Robert Milkins at the event in Leicester, with one final group game against Ali Carter scheduled for later on this afternoon.
Instead, the seven-time world champion has chosen to withdraw from the event, having endured a torrid time at the table.
O’Sullivan lost three of his four matches in the group stage phase on Wednesday, with his frustrations bubbling over to Thursday’s action.
O’Sullivan, who had been leading 2-1 in sets at the time against Milkins, was seen throwing his cue on the corner of the table after missing what he deemed an easy pot in the bottom left pocket.
The pink ball that O’Sullivan was aiming to sink fired back off the cushion, with the snooker star opting to take his irritation out on his no doubt expensive bit of kit.
Reacting to the incident, commentator Dave Hendon said: “That was a concern [that O’Sullivan had an easy pot] but it’s not happened. The cue has taken a bit of punishment there.
“He’s apologising now to the referee and Rob Milkins. Just a rush of blood [to the head].”
Read more… [READ]
Ronnie O’Sullivan struggled for form across Wednesday and Thursday’s snooker events (Image: Getty)
He went on to lose the contest against Milkins 3-2, but not before he appeared to give up on the tie completely.
During the fifth and final frame, O’Sullivan could be seen paying barely any attention to the make-up of the balls on the table.
Instead, he opted to fire the cue ball into a crowded area of balls, with the 49-year-old skulking back to his seat without checking where his shot ended up.
On his final outburst, Hendon added: “Still anyone’s frame though… well, he’s [O’Sullivan] literally just whacked them. He’s given up I think.”
Before later confirming his withdrawal from the tournament: “Ronnie O’Sullivan we saw earlier was clearly getting frustrated against Robert Milkins. He has made the decision to withdraw from the tournament so he won’t be playing his last match against Ali Carter.”
O’Sullivan’s general drop-off in form has led to suggestions his career might be coming towards an end, but snooker rival John Higgins believes the sport is in good hands and is predicting a new rivalry to blossom.
, he said: “Kyren and Judd could be the big rivalry, but it could change so quickly.
“Those two guys will be competing against each other for the next few years, but then you’ve got a lot of the good young Chinese boys. And you’ve got Mark Allen still there and you can never write off Mark Selby, Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy, they’re all unbelievable champions.”