Free Ball Poser

[Bookman]

Boring though it seems to some players, a good knowledge of the Rules will always help strategise a game and gain an advantage over someone who hasn't bothered. So, what do the Rules say about the following?

A foul has occurred and a Free Ball awarded. Red is the Ball On. Pink (in Baulk) is nominated and is potted in the Yellow pocket. Player stuns back for the Blue (over the middle pocket). While the Referee is en route to respotting the Pink on its own spot, the player pots the Blue. What happens next?

[chasmmi]

I would imagine foul 5 away with player getting one point forpotting the pink.

[elvaago]

I second that.

[The Statman]

I'll third that.

[Bookman]

OK. BUT, according to the Rules, the value of the free ball as, in this case, a Red is limited to the ONE STROKE. A stroke ends when ALL BALLS HAVE COME TO REST. So, when the referee took the Pink out of the pocket, in theory it had resumed its proper value of 6. When he played at the Blue, it was not spotted so one could say the penalty was 6?

I'm sure you're both right as to what SHOULD happen in practice but that's not what the Rules say.

[The Statman]

OK. BUT, according to the Rules, the value of the free ball as, in this case, a Red is limited to the ONE STROKE. A stroke ends when ALL BALLS HAVE COME TO REST. So, when the referee took the Pink out of the pocket, in theory it had resumed its proper value of 6. When he played at the Blue, it was not spotted so one could say the penalty was 6?

I'm sure you're both right as to what SHOULD happen in practice but that's not what the Rules say.

Oops!

Yes, you are quite right, we both fell into the same trap.

The foul would be six, playing before the referee had completed the spotting of a colour - for which the penalty is the 'value of the ball on or ball concerned, whichever is the higher'.

[cueman]

I disagree, the foul should be a standard for a foul of the value of the ball on. In this case the ball on was a red, because of the pink being nominated as the free ball, so a foul of four points should be awarded. Whether the pink is worth 6 points because it has resumed its normal value is of no relevance in this case because the referee would only call the value of the ball on prior to the shot being taken.

[moondan]

I would have called 6 because the actual foul is, "The pink not being in play" and it is the players responsibility to make sure the table is in proper order before he takes his next shot and not the referees.
I have seen this happen in professional play, I think it was the green in question then. The green was resting over a pocket and nobody had noticed it had dropped. If I remember rightly the player was on a small break and he lost those points plus the 4 point foul awarded to his opponent. The explanation given was the one above.

[The Statman]

I disagree, the foul should be a standard for a foul of the value of the ball on. In this case the ball on was a red, because of the pink being nominated as the free ball, so a foul of four points should be awarded. Whether the pink is worth 6 points because it has resumed its normal value is of no relevance in this case because the referee would only call the value of the ball on prior to the shot being taken.

No, no. The foul is on the NEXT shot, when he strikes at the blue.

He will get the one point for the 'red' (pink) because as soon as all the balls have stopped moving that shot is completed.

It is when taking the blue that he fouls, and by then the pink is a proper pink.

[Bookman]

I think there's a danger with this sort of query that all the contributors end up totally confused but I was originally trying to illustrate one of the inadequacies of the Rules as they stand.

The Rules Committee (bless them) actually confirmed that the Free Ball keeps its temporary value until it is back on its spot which means the penalty in this case would have been 5 for the Blue.

Let's hope that, in the forthcoming new Rule Book, the mandarins will have added an explanatory note to Rule 3.10.a.ii.

[The Statman]

I discussed this with a friend (who like me is a grade 1 referee) on Wednesday and in the end we could not come to an absolute conclusion as to whether it should be 5 or 6.

I agree that the rule is not 100% conclusive on this. I would still go with 6 away to be honest, but the rule could be interpreted either way and if the Committee has gone with 5, then 5 it is!