Selby loses temper in World Championship clash amid tense scenes | Other | Sport

Mark Selby made the Crucible crowd gasp by whacking his cue against the table after missing a routine red in his World Snooker Championship clash with Wu Yize. Selby, 42, would go on to lose to the Chinese prodigy, 22, having led by two frames early on.

With Wu leading 11-9, Selby was on the table and appeared to be on his way to taking the 21st frame. However, he missed a routine red, which ricocheted of the corners of the pocket in the bottom right-hand corner, and handed the advantage back to his young opponent. After his miss, Selby smacked the side of the table with his cue, with the sound echoing around the Crucible.

The thwack, which was clearly audible on the next table where Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins were playing, was so loud it startled some spectators in Sheffield. It also came close to putting off Higgins, who was potting at the time.

Wu went on to take the frame and move within one of victory. However, the Jester from Leicester bounced back in the next frame, putting together a break of 95 to make it 12-10.

It was the kind of frame which proved why he has been the World No. 1 on so many occasions, but Selby would go on to lose 13-11, though, with his tournament now over.

He also has four World Championships to his name, but after winning all of them between 2014 and 2021, Selby has gone five years without lifting the trophy.

With O’Sullivan being beaten by Higgins in their round-of-16 clash and Kyren Wilson being losing to Mark Allen, the competition is looking to be as open as ever added to Selby’s exit.

“I felt like I only played well really in the first session,” he said of his defeat to Wu. “I played good in the first session, then after that I just missed ball-after-ball.

“Wu’s long game was good, I felt like his safety was good but neither of us really scored that well. Just too many silly errors really.

“Whether it was a lapse in concentration, I am not sure, I felt like the conditions were atrocious really in both matches. The cushions were really bouncing, the tale got re-covered last night and I felt like it played no better than the other sessions.

“That is no excuse, I still missed silly balls and didn’t deserve to win, really.”