Ball landed on cushion rail and stayed there!

[cueman]

Was playing a club handicap match yesterday and for the first time in my life something happened on a table I've never seen before. My opponent played a shot on the black which was in the jaws of the corner pocket, he was trying to play with a lot of power to split the reds. However the black bounced up off the back of the leather pocket and spun onto the side cushion rail and made its way about half way up towards the blue pocket and just stayed there. There is a slight lip between the cushion and the wood and it just became lodged.

We didn't have a ref but IMO I said that as the ball had left the bed of the table that it was no longer in play and therefore had to be considered a foul shot and replaced on its spot. Fortunately there was no argument from my opponent as we were both laughing as neither of us had ever seen it before, let alone been involved in such an unusual situation.

So has anyone else ever done this and if so or does anyone know if the rules were applied correctly on this situation?

[The Statman]

You were right! Anything other than on the bed of the table or in a pocket is considered to be off the table. So, like you say, just the same as if it had made it all the way to the floor.

[Neil Taperell]

Would a 7 point penalty apply then ?

[The Statman]

Yes, if black was the ball concerned or the ball on - which it was in this instance.

[Souwester]

The important thing is where it lands, so if it had dropped back onto the bed of the table or into the pocket, then it would have been a fair shot.

[cueman]

Thanks for the replies. I just used my own logic in thinking that as the ball was no longer in play that it had to be a foul shot. Its just the surprise element of the incident made me think for a moment, surely the ball couldn't just stay there!

Probably never ever experience it again for as long as I play or watch the game.

[willtyson]

I have seen this a few times, but had never done it myself until a couple of days ago when playing a long red it ran along the rail and went in. Amazing :snooker:

[The Statman]

Yes it doesn't happen very often, but I guess some pocket backs are more susceptible to it - and then if the table has a sort of groove between the cloth and the wood on top of the rail, then you're more likely to see it.

Still, with the shot described in the top post, I'm surprised the black, that close to the pocket, hit at high speed could slow quickly enought to stop. But then, of course, these things do happen!

[willtyson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I-el...eature=related 1.54 shot happens