EAGLE-EYED snooker fans noticed the funny moment that a referee jumped the gun at the World Snooker Championship.
Mark Allen was on the cusp of booking his spot in the final at the Crucible over Wu Yize, needing to pot a routine black to take the 32nd frame.
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Referee Marcel Eckardt caught fans’ attention with a funny gesture after Mark Allen’s shocking miss Credit: X @tntsports
The Northern Irish potter missed a black to take him to the World Snooker Championship final Credit: Reuters
Official Marcel Eckardt was positioned right behind the Northern Irish cueist to keep an eye on the shot, and could be seen in clear view of the cameras.
Allen ended up fluffing the shot, with the huge pressure of the occasion clearly getting to the World No14.
The miss prompted an audible gasp of shock from most fans, though some seemed to cheer early, thinking the shot had gone in.
And it seemed even Eckardt was convinced that it would drop, as he can be seen reaching up to his glove as though to take it off as the ball is rolling, before stopping as soon as he saw it stayed out.
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Fans noticed the awkward gaffe, with one writing: “Even the referee was about to take his gloves off.”
Another joked: “Didnt even notice that,” alongside a crying laughing emoji.
It was just one of a number of bizarre moments for the referee, who presided over the longest ever frame at the Crucible earlier in the match.
That session also saw him lash out at a fan trying to advise Allen from the stands, snapping back “thankyou for the advice but we can do it without you.”
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Eckardt then had to ask a fan to be removed from the arena after interrupting the final frame decider by shouting about the Epstein files.
Allen will probably have to wait a while before he can find the humour in any of the bizarre interruptions after suffering his heartbreaking miss.
One fan wrote: “That moment will stay with him FOREVER.”
While another added: “Gonna haunt Mark for a while that!”
To his credit, Allen spoke graciously after the loss, saying that Wu would go on to win many World Championships if he continued at his current rate of progression.
He told BBC Sport: “You don’t deserve to be in a world final if you’re missing balls like that. That was pure pressure to be honest.
“Normally I’m pretty good under pressure but I just didn’t handle it well today. I had two or three good chances to close out the match and didn’t do it, so credit to Wu.
“Even though I’m devastated to lose that match, I think the right person is in the final.”
