Interesting touching ball situation

[ferret]

Nic Barrow just posted this video up on Facebook, thought I would share it.

[Neil Taperell]

Wow . Never ever thought about that .

Very quick minded of Williams .

[Souwester]

Nice one. I could see that coming a mile off though. I bet a lot of players wouldn't have thought about that option though.

[DandyA]

it seemed obvious to me ... and I think Robertson saw the danger too ... I think I'd have had to lift the butt of my cue and masse the cueball into the red to avoid any chance of a touching ball ...

the other shot that looks possible is thin off the pack to the green side cushion with loads of left hand side to leave the white in baulk covering the red over the pocket with the blue and pink ... presumably not on as Robertson didn't play it ...

[ongkia]

I believe the minute Neil hit the cue ball n it stayed touched, he knew straightaway he's in trouble!!

[the montrealer]

HI Never thought about this rule when you are frozen on a red you can shoot away thus shooting on the Black Ball and potting the red in the corner pocket. When i play a snooker match next time i will know what to do. Maybe my opponent will not know this rule. Cheers Leonard

[The Statman]

Martin Gould did the same thing on match ball in the 2011 World final qualifying round - see my report here.

[tedisbill]

Interesting touching ball situation

It's funny they way Dennis Taylor clearly doesn't notice, but because Williams gets down so quick he goes "he can play the black into the red here". Lol. Dennis - you didn't notice.

[Inoffthered]

It's funny they way Dennis Taylor clearly doesn't notice, but because Williams gets down so quick he goes "he can play the black into the red here". Lol. Dennis - you didn't notice.

Yup. Just another example of where he ( in the absence of Willie, Virgo & Co. ) he tries too hard.

[damienlch]

I seem to recall a similar situation like this when Williams was playing Maguire some time back, maybe ast year or the year before.

Can't for the life of me recall which tournament was that but I could have sworn Zhu Ying was refereeing the match... Williams was using the rest to hit the black to pot a red over the same corner pocket... Anyone have any recollection on that match?

[wlorcb]

Hi there, just getting back into playing, and there are some rules that just do not make sense when reading them. The above video is very illuminating.

So if the cue ball is touching a red, you HAVE to play away from the red, or it is a push stroke. But, as I interpret reading the rule there are several possibilities of what can happen next.

If red is on, you can either hit or not hit another red, and there is no foul(I guess the interpretation is that you have already contacted the touching red ball, satisfying the requirement for hitting a red), or do you have to hit a red? The video above does not show that.

If the cue ball is touching a colour, then after playing away from it you do have to hit a red if red was on or it is a foul-is this the correct interpretation?

If the cue ball is touching a colour, then after playing away from it you do NOT have to hit another colour if a coloured ball is on-is this correct?

thanks in advance and sorry if these sound like simple questions

[jrc750]

Hi there, just getting back into playing, and there are some rules that just do not make sense when reading them. The above video is very illuminating.

So if the cue ball is touching a red, you HAVE to play away from the red, or it is a push stroke. But, as I interpret reading the rule there are several possibilities of what can happen next.
Yes you have to play away
If red is on, you can either hit or not hit another red, and there is no foul(I guess the interpretation is that you have already contacted the touching red ball, satisfying the requirement for hitting a red), or do you have to hit a red? The video above does not show that.
You do not have to hit another red
If the cue ball is touching a colour, then after playing away from it you do have to hit a red if red was on or it is a foul-is this the correct interpretation?
Yes you have to hit a red
If the cue ball is touching a colour, then after playing away from it you do NOT have to hit another colour if a coloured ball is on-is this correct?
Correct, but best to nominate the touching colour to eliminate any confusion, but if you want you can still play away and pot a different colour as long as you nominate it
thanks in advance and sorry if these sound like simple questions

See answers in red

[Souwester]

Hi there, just getting back into playing, and there are some rules that just do not make sense when reading them. The above video is very illuminating.

So if the cue ball is touching a red, you HAVE to play away from the red, or it is a push stroke. But, as I interpret reading the rule there are several possibilities of what can happen next.

If red is on, you can either hit or not hit another red, and there is no foul(I guess the interpretation is that you have already contacted the touching red ball, satisfying the requirement for hitting a red), or do you have to hit a red? The video above does not show that.

If the cue ball is touching a colour, then after playing away from it you do have to hit a red if red was on or it is a foul-is this the correct interpretation?

If the cue ball is touching a colour, then after playing away from it you do NOT have to hit another colour if a coloured ball is on-is this correct?

thanks in advance and sorry if these sound like simple questions

1. Yes, you have to play away. If the red moves, then it will be deemed a push stroke UNLESS the referee is satisfied that any movement of the ball is due to the vagaries of the table, such as falling into a divot.

2. It all depends what is the ball on. If you're 'on' a red, and the cue ball is touching a red, then yes, you are deemed to have first touched a red, and can, therefore just play away OR you can play at another red, or indeed a colour! There is no need to nominate in any wayu shape or form if this is the scenario.

3. If red is the ball on, the fact that the cue ball starts off by touching a colour is immaterial, and the cue ball must first make contact with a red. In this scenario the referee will not call a free ball, because it isn't one *as defined by the rules*. He will, however, *if asked* answer as to wehther the balls are touching, but will simply say something like 'yes, they are touching', rather than 'touching ball'.

4. If you've potted a red and the cue ball comes to rest touching a colour, then, since the touching ball is a ball on or could be on, then it is possible to simply play away and not hit any other ball. However, since this is an option along with playing any of the other colours, then it is sensible to declare what ball you're on for the avoidance of doubt. In fact the referee should ask you to declare, because he can't foul you if he's unsure what you were going for.

[wlorcb]

thanks guys, seeing that video and your explanations has really helped a point that I have had trouble understanding since reading the rules.