Snooker's Biggest Quiz

[Cyril]

ROUND ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE

Which commentator said this during the 1988 Embassy World Championship and which player was he commenting on?

"Well!" [his voice gasping with disbelief] ".... I thinks thats called throwing caution to the wind!!"

[The Statman]

Congratulations Cyril. Indeed, if the referee examines the balls and finds they are not touching, and they are subsequently found to be touching, then the referee can alter their position to his satisfaction.

So here is the scoreboard after round 134:

Pos. . . . . . . . Score . . . . . . Player
..1 . . . . . . . . . 21½. . . . . . . snookersfun
..2 . . . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . . . . Cessy143
..3 . . . . . . . . . 12½ . . . . . . . Robert602
..4 . . . . . . . . . 12 . . . . . . . . Lindea
..5 . . . . . . . . . 12 . . . . . . . . Davis greatest
..6 . . . . . . . . . 10½. . . . . . . Mitsuko
..7 . . . . . . . . . . 8 . . . . . . . . chasmmi
..8 . . . . . . . . . . 7½. . . . . . . Alex0Paul
..9 . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . The Statman
10 . . . . . . . . . . 5½ . . . . . . . Cyril
11 . . . . . . . . . . 4½. . . . . . . Ginger Freak
12 . . . . . . . . . . 4 . . . . . . . . PaulTheSoave
13 . . . . . . . . . . 3½ . . . . . . . JPK123
14 . . . . . . . . . . 2½. . . . . . . hegeland
15 . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . kellie-text
16 . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . April Madness
17 . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . Ellena
18 . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . Obligation
19 . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . berolina
20 . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . Mal
21 . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . JoanneT63
22 . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . In-off
23 . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . mcmanusrules
24 . . . . . . . . . . 1 . . . . . . . . semih_sayginer
25.................... 1 . . . . . . . . Valderie

ROUND ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE (I think I went wrong with the numbering in the last round!)

...anyone?

[Cyril]

If the ref declares "not touching" but then the balls "move" so as they are touching, the ref will move them apart again.

[The Statman]

When a coloured ball is re-spotted it cannot be touching another ball. Sometimes, though, the ref will spot a ball and then it will 'move' slightly on the cloth so that it is touching another ball. The ref will then move them slightly apart again.

You're along the right lines, but that could be ANY ball that is close to the colour's spot, not necessarily the cue-ball.

I feel we will get there soon, the point going to the first person who can be bothered to read throught the rules!

I have never known this situation come up, until Sunday when I was refereeing the Dorset Amateur final.

[Cyril]

When a coloured ball is re-spotted it cannot be touching another ball. Sometimes, though, the ref will spot a ball and then it will 'move' slightly on the cloth so that it is touching another ball. The ref will then move them slightly apart again.

[rambon]

Rambon, your analogy with cleaning (or indeed spotting) the pink, requiring him to remove another ball that is impeding him, is a good one, but not right.

Another clue. It will always be either the cue-ball or a ball that is very, very close to the cue-ball.

I'm out of ideas....

Is it if the cue ball is being touched by balls in such a way that it would be impossible to play a shot without playing a push shot?

[The Statman]

Rambon, your analogy with cleaning (or indeed spotting) the pink, requiring him to remove another ball that is impeding him, is a good one, but not right.

Another clue. It will always be either the cue-ball or a ball that is very, very close to the cue-ball.

[snookersfun]

... what about if the white nearly goes in-off, but doesn't and hangs on precariously for its life. Is it possible to move it a bit then?

[rambon]

Still no correct answer – a clue: the referee would move the cue-ball (most likely), but only a minuscule amount.

Are we back to talking about your woodlouse again??

I think I've seen the referee slightly move a ball to enable him to get to another ball.

i.e. He is asked to clean the pink, which is in the middle of all the reds, so to avoid moving all the reds, he will move one to allow access to the pink through a gap...

A certain amount of straw-clutching going on here now

[davis_greatest]

...can be played from the D in that case, me thinks

after being angled from a foul? No, not in snooker.

[Robert602]

Still no correct answer – a clue: the referee would move the cue-ball (most likely), but only a minuscule amount.

To clean it?

Maybe your often cited woodlouse was underneath the white and the ref wanted to save the animal from certain suffocating?

[Cyril]

If the ref moved a ball by mistake?

[The Statman]

Still no correct answer – a clue: the referee would move the cue-ball (most likely), but only a minuscule amount.

[Cyril]

I am cancelling that round as Cyril's ¼ point is insufficient, I feel.

I feel getting one player correct out of hundreds to choose from was a noble attempt!