Neil Robertson makes decision on rejecting award after World Championship dispute | Other | Sport
Neil Robertson has responded to claims that he shouldn’t have won the shot of the tournament award at the recent World Snooker Championship. Robertson reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, beating Junxu Pang and Chris Wakelin en route to the last eight.
The Australian was ultimately knocked out of the competition by John Higgins, having fallen on the wrong side of a 13-10 thriller. However, he didn’t leave that contest empty-handed, given it was in the match against the Scot where Robertson pulled off what was judged to be the finest shot of the tournament.
With only one red to aim at, Robertson, positioned at the opposite end of the table, fired a long shot which bounced off the cushion before pushing the red into a centre pocket. It was a sumptuous shot, but snooker fans took to social media to bemoan the decision, with plenty claiming Mark Allen’s effort against eventual champion Wu Yize should’ve taken the prize instead.
Posting on X, @TAFKASB posted: “Worst Shot of the Championship choice of all time. Looked great @nr147 but come on mate…..Allen’s snooker???”
@SnookerInfo147 replied: “JP [John Parrott] literally said on commentary ‘that has to be the shot of the championship’ … And that was AFTER the Neil Robertson shot had happened!!”
With @TAFKASB responding: “Robbo needs to make a formal speech refusing the award.”
Robertson, ever a class act, saw the funny side, and said: “I accept the award with grace [smiling emoji].”
He added in another post: “I would also like to make a special mention to my self for winning shot of the championship!”
The Aussie has been rather vocal on social media following the conclusion of the World Championship, with Robertson having chimed in on a debate surrounding whether snooker should introduce a Ryder Cup-style tournament. John Higgins described it as a no-brainer, with Robertson sharing a similar opinion.
He wrote: “It would be absolutely amazing and the rest of the world team would be really up for it too.”
It comes as snooker has enjoyed a boost in popularity following the second consecutive year a Chinese potter took the Crucible crown. It’s led to suggestions that snooker could be considered as a sport at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, with Ferguson, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, pushing for a spot.
He told the Associated Press, he said: “It’s vitally important. China is a very important country to the IOC — it has been a host of the Games on many occasions and they are heavily invested in sports, in IOC terms. So the fact that China is a key market for snooker is a really important part about any Olympic bid.”
