The shoulder bump incident

i know its all over now

To be fair, they've both reacted well to it afterwards.

Press conferences out. Here's what both players have to say on the incident. This is the stuff that won't make the papers:

Ronnie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNKJGD9_Wpk


Press Reporter: What happened then in Frame 19 when you seemed to sort of just bump into eachother?
Ronnie: I think you know there's not a lot of space out there, you know I think if the crucibles 3 inches smaller you wouldn't be able to have the event here. You know there's not a lot of space and you know there's a couple of collisions out there, and sometimes you know, you know you just touch each other. You know Formula 1 has it all the time, they have contacting cars we have contacting humans. But it was nothing, just heat of the moment stuff and as far as I'm concerned it was forgotten about. I wish Ali best of luck in the rest of the tournament.

Reporter: Are you going to apologise to Ali?
Ronnie: I don't think there's anything to apologise about.

Reporter: Are you embarassed?
Ronnie: No, I don't get angry about anything unless there's justification for it.

Ronnie: I don't really want to get too friendly with my competitors.

Reporter: Do you think you'll have gone down in some people estimation?
Ronnie: Listen, your never going to please everybody.
Reporter: Was it justified.
Ronnie: We all sort of get angry. If someones going to shoulder barge into me what have I got to keep walking around a tip-toeing do a little curteosy as if he's the queen or the king, sometimes you just have to stand your ground. You barge someone once I'm not going to keep (shoulder movement), I'm not a limbo dancer.
Reporter: How many times did he barge you?
Ronnie: It hapenned a little bit earlier in the game, but like I said it's not that important. [Ronnie then starts talking about how the press should be highlighting people being bombed to death every day in Syria rather than talking about a shoulder barge (not sure if he gets they can do both)] I'm not going to apologise, if you want to ask me another question go for it, we can go all day with this.

interview ends

He also goes on to say that he sees where Ali comes from with the Ronnie O'Sullivan show and puts it on the press that it's the press who makes it the Ronnie O'Sullivan show. He also says he thinks that the press should focus a bit more on other players.

Ali Carter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkm_Q001thc

Reporter: Obviously the big talking point in terms of the match is going to be Frame 19 was there a barge how did you see it?
Ali: Well it was a barge wasn't it, but at the end of the day I'm walking to the table he's walking away from the table, I was looking at the snooker table he might have invaded mine. It's just heat of the moment stuff there's not a lot of room out there, we had a bit of a shoulder barge and had a bit of a laugh about it. But there's no malice there, i've every ounce of respect for him.
Reporter: So when he said or appeared to say that's because you Mr Angry you took that as a joke?
Ali: I didn't take it as anything, he's obviously picking up my vibe, I'm not their to be Mr Angry I'm just there to win. At the end of the day I was putting on him big time and Ronnie's very clever in all aspects you've got to be to be as succesful as he has. It put a bit of spice in it. You know it was great to be involved, it might have been easy to sit back and think I need to be the little boy in the corner, but know it was my day today. I'm delighted.

Reporter: As far as your concerned frame 19 heat of the moment stuff, move on?
Ali; yes.

Ali: It's tit for tat. He didn't exactly headbutt me and put me on the floor, so it didn't go to far at all. The crucibles very tight. We brushed shoulders, that's all there is.

Ali: I'm not interested in being friends with anyone on the tour.

He points out the spat over the dressing room wasn't his fault and points out that it was to the press.


Both players seem to just see it as "small crucible, oops moment" not malicious. Or have been told to say that to the press by world snooker for damage limitation given the fact neither would apologise. As they point out they are competitors not mates, and what happened their is not important to them personally.

Ali claiming he was looking at the table

From what I remember he was looking straight at Ronnie and smiling at him. Could be wrong.

Rest of the comments fair enough from both players I think.

I’m actually surprised players don’t bump more often. They often come within inches of each other and have to move out of each other’s way last second etc.

To be fair to Carter and believe me im not his biggest fan Ronnie definitly had more room to manover Carter was virtually touching the table when passing each other so unless he went on to the table dont really know how he could have got out of Ronnies way.

It will all be moot when Willo beats Ali.

vodkadiet wrote:What would have happened if Bill Werbeniuk had ever played Stephen Lee?

They'd have played a match.

Is it time players wore hi-vis jackets so that they are more visible to their opponent?

Player leaving the table has the priority.

I like a bit of needle in a match, this was really a nothing moment but will get talked about for years. Think it’s taken some of the shine off a great win for Ali who, if he keeps playing like that has to be a real contender now that Ronnies out. Please make that not happen snooker!!

Ronnie getting ready for his next match with Carter:

Ayrshirebhoy wrote:I like a bit of needle in a match, this was really a nothing moment but will get talked about for years. Think it’s taken some of the shine off a great win for Ali who, if he keeps playing like that has to be a real contender now that Ronnies out. Please make that not happen snooker!!

Having seen the replay, it was nothing. The way people were going on, I thought it was brutal. Like they nearly came to fists.

TheRocket wrote:

Look at them two.

The bird in the middle looks the hardest of the three.

I just saw their exchange of words afterwards. Didn't realise that happened.

Thought we were losing our rubbish solely based on two people's shoulder's touching.

My God, Carter SMILED at him?!?

The man should be horsewhipped.

SnookerEd25 wrote:My God, Carter SMILED at him?!?

The man should be horsewhipped.

No, he bumped into him.

SnookerFan wrote:I just saw their exchange of words afterwards. Didn't realise that happened.

Thought we were losing our rubbish solely based on two people's shoulder's touching.

If it had just been bumping into each other no one would care. Arguing at the table, even briefly is a much worse thing.

snookerguy wrote:

SnookerFan wrote:I just saw their exchange of words afterwards. Didn't realise that happened.

Thought we were losing our rubbish solely based on two people's shoulder's touching.

If it had just been bumping into each other no one would care. Arguing at the table, even briefly is a much worse thing.

It's Ronnie. He could scratch his nose and people would care.

Did yous see williams shoulder barging his ref last nite with a dodgy snooker? Legend!

Ayrshirebhoy wrote:Did yous see williams shoulder barging his ref last nite with a dodgy snooker? Legend!

Fantastic

Ayrshirebhoy wrote:Did yous see williams shoulder barging his ref last nite with a dodgy snooker? Legend!

He should be charged with GBH.

Ayrshirebhoy wrote:Did yous see williams shoulder barging his ref last nite with a dodgy snooker? Legend!

Did the referee feel inferior?

Ayrshirebhoy wrote:Did yous see williams shoulder barging his ref last nite with a dodgy snooker? Legend!

It was genius

Interesting that Ronnie admits that he gave Carter the shoulder. It was inconclusive for me from the TV.

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Interesting that Ronnie admits that he gave Carter the shoulder. It was inconclusive for me from the TV.

Well as Wildey says and as I said yesterday, only Ronnie had enough room to get out of the way, so it makes sense.

Iranu wrote:

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Interesting that Ronnie admits that he gave Carter the shoulder. It was inconclusive for me from the TV.

Well as Wildey says and as I said yesterday, only Ronnie had enough room to get out of the way, so it makes sense.

I agree but it is interesting how different perceptions can be. Some people had said it was clear that Ali barged into ROS.