Give Mark a break, stars tell snooker’s rule makers

SNOOKER’S world governing body has denied it has plans to outlaw Mark Williams’ controversial break-off despite consultations with top players and its own rules committee.

Williams angrily hit out at an email sent by the WPBSA’s Players’ Association courting opinion over his shot, in which he plays the cue ball off the bottom cushion and gently into the reds (pictured).

Williams branded the email ‘ farcical’ and said: ‘There are a lot more things to worry about than my poxy break-off.’

Shaun Murphy, who yesterday sealed a 10-7 first-round world championship win over Mark Davis, backed Williams’ tactic and described the governing body’s decision to seek further opinion on the shot as ‘absolutely ridiculous’.

In a statement, the WPBSA confirmed the existence of the email but said following discussions at the behest of some players, it does not intend to pursue the matter further.

The statement read: ‘The issue of the “defensive break-off” was raised by a small number of players to the WPBSA Players Board earlier this year.

‘WPBSA Players sought opinion from the playing membership on this issue.

Following this process, however, it became clear that there is currently no will from either the membership as a whole, or the rules committee, for the WPBSA as the sport’s governing body to embark upon a rule change at this time.’

Judd Trump has described the tactic as ‘just so negative’. But Murphy yesterday insisted: ‘It was an absolutely ridiculous conversation to even get involved in about banning a certain shot.

‘I was part of the rules rewrite a couple of years ago and there’s just no room for stuff like that – it’s a perfectly legal shot.

‘If opponents don’t like it, they’ll have to find a way of getting out of it.’