SNOOKER QUESTIONS FOR MARCH 2011
There are several very similar questions, but these have been deliberately included to highlight how very similar situations might give rise to different decisions or penalties.
1. START OF THE FRAME
At the start of the match the player breaking off is careless in placing the cue ball in the D, and it is in fact over the line when he plays his first stroke. What does the referee do?
Answer
The referee should call ‘Foul’ immediately the cue ball is struck and award a penalty of 4 points to the non-striker. The 1995 rule book makes it clear at s3 r3.3(c) that a frame commences “when the cue-ball has been placed on the table and contacted by the tip of the cue, either (i) as a stroke is made, or (ii) while addressing the cue-ball.”
2. WRONGLY SPOTTED COLOURS
Having just broken off the player notices that the green and brown have been put on the wrong spots, and the player asks the referee to switch them. What should the referee do?
Answer
If, within the duration of an opening shot, a table setting mistake is discovered then the frame should be restarted, thereafter it is condoned and the balls would stay where they are.
3. POSITION OF BALLS – PART 1
The striker asks the referee to clean the cue ball, and having placed his ball marker he carelessly moves the marker as he removes the cue ball. He replaces the ball marker to where he thinks it should be but the non-striker says “no ref, it was there” and moves it accordingly. What action should the referee take?
Answer
This is one of just two instances where the rules indicate that the non-striker can be penalised as if he were the striker (s3 r2), the penalty being the value of the ball on in this case (or ball concerned if a colour is off the table for cleaning and of higher value than the ball on). The other instance of penalising the non-striker can be found in s3 r14(h).
4. POSITION OF BALLS – PART 2
Having replaced a ball having cleaned it at the request of the striker, the referee inadvertently knocks the ball whilst removing the ball marker. He repositions the ball to where he thinks it should be, but the non-striker intervenes saying “no ref, it was there” and moves it accordingly. What action should the referee take?
Answer
Rightly or wrongly the non-striker can only be penalised for moving a ball marker whilst on the table (s3 r2) and for moving any ball during consultation after a Miss (s3 r 14(h)). A foul can never be called on the non-striker, so the referee should simply give the player a stern warning never to touch any ball on the table, and then reposition it to where he considers it should be.
5. POSITION OF BALLS – PART 3
The last red is hanging over one of the top pockets. Cue ball is a few inches from the bottom cushion but has the yellow ball tight behind it to hamper cueing.
The striker asks for the yellow to be cleaned, and whilst it is off the table, he plays his stroke, unobstructed by the ball marker now taking the place of the yellow. What action should the referee have taken and what should he do now?
Answer
Since the yellow was not part of the stroke the referee should initially have refused the request to clean it, stating that he would do so at a more convenient moment. Having agreed to clean the yellow, the rules do not provide for any foul to be called, but the player should at least be warned for ungentlemanly conduct, and if such action happened at a crucial point in the frame/match, then the frame may be awarded to the opponent. (s4 r1).If the warning is sufficient then the balls should be replaced and the player asked to replay the shot (with the obstructing ball in place!).
6. FREE BALL
Player has been awarded a free ball, red being ball on. Striker nominates blue but fails to make contact, so a Foul and a Miss is called. Non-striker asks for the balls to be replaced. Does the striker still have a free ball and why?
Answer
Opinion is divided, and an EBSRA meeting of tutors and examiners could not reach a consensus when this question was discussed, being divided almost 50:50! My personal opinion is ‘yes’ as the intention is to put the player back in the same position he was when he took the first shot, with exactly the same choices. S3 r14.
7. FOUL AND A MISS
Two colours are almost 2” apart with the last red sitting behind them and touching both. The cue ball is down the other end of the table and the striker twice fails to make contact with the red, hitting one of the colours instead. The non-striker asks for the balls to replaced once again. Given that the cue ball can strike the red centre ball should the player be warned that a further miss will result in loss of the frame? (Scores are level at this point).
Answer
If the striker has full ball access (i.e. unrestricted) to the cue ball, then YES, because he has a "full ball, centre ball hit" on the red.
8. PENALTY POINTS – PART 1
Yellow, green and blue are all close to one of the bottom pockets and potable with the other colours safe at the top of the table. Striker in placing the rest on the table disturbs a red. Referee calls a foul, but what is the penalty?
Answer
Although strictly the rules state that the penalty when a foul is committed before a colour is nominated is seven points, it is generally accepted that where the player is nominating that (here, by getting the rest out) he is going for a lower value colour, then the penalty should be the highest of any likely balls (here a penalty of five for the blue). s3 r 12.
9. PENALTY POINTS – PART 2
Player is using the long rest to play the last red into a top pocket, with pink sitting near the pocket, blue close to the rest.. Red enters the pocket, and in making a slight adjustment to the position of the rest to play the pink, the rest touches the blue. It is obviously a foul, but what is the penalty?
Answer
The rules are not clear on this, but given that the rest is required for both the previous stroke on the red and the next stroke on the pink, the previous stroke ended with the potting of the red, so the penalty is now six points, pink being the nominated ball.
10. PENALTY POINTS – PART 3
Player has used the long rest to pot the pink, and whilst he’s been removing his cue extension the pink has been respotted. Then in removing the long rest the player disturbs the blue. It is obviously a foul, but what is the penalty?
Answer
The use of the long rest is related to the previous shot on the pink and that shot is not deemed to be complete until any equipment is removed from the table, so the penalty is six points
Clive A Brown, February 2011
There are several very similar questions, but these have been deliberately included to highlight how very similar situations might give rise to different decisions or penalties.
1. START OF THE FRAME
At the start of the match the player breaking off is careless in placing the cue ball in the D, and it is in fact over the line when he plays his first stroke. What does the referee do?
Answer
The referee should call ‘Foul’ immediately the cue ball is struck and award a penalty of 4 points to the non-striker. The 1995 rule book makes it clear at s3 r3.3(c) that a frame commences “when the cue-ball has been placed on the table and contacted by the tip of the cue, either (i) as a stroke is made, or (ii) while addressing the cue-ball.”
2. WRONGLY SPOTTED COLOURS
Having just broken off the player notices that the green and brown have been put on the wrong spots, and the player asks the referee to switch them. What should the referee do?
Answer
If, within the duration of an opening shot, a table setting mistake is discovered then the frame should be restarted, thereafter it is condoned and the balls would stay where they are.
3. POSITION OF BALLS – PART 1
The striker asks the referee to clean the cue ball, and having placed his ball marker he carelessly moves the marker as he removes the cue ball. He replaces the ball marker to where he thinks it should be but the non-striker says “no ref, it was there” and moves it accordingly. What action should the referee take?
Answer
This is one of just two instances where the rules indicate that the non-striker can be penalised as if he were the striker (s3 r2), the penalty being the value of the ball on in this case (or ball concerned if a colour is off the table for cleaning and of higher value than the ball on). The other instance of penalising the non-striker can be found in s3 r14(h).
4. POSITION OF BALLS – PART 2
Having replaced a ball having cleaned it at the request of the striker, the referee inadvertently knocks the ball whilst removing the ball marker. He repositions the ball to where he thinks it should be, but the non-striker intervenes saying “no ref, it was there” and moves it accordingly. What action should the referee take?
Answer
Rightly or wrongly the non-striker can only be penalised for moving a ball marker whilst on the table (s3 r2) and for moving any ball during consultation after a Miss (s3 r 14(h)). A foul can never be called on the non-striker, so the referee should simply give the player a stern warning never to touch any ball on the table, and then reposition it to where he considers it should be.
5. POSITION OF BALLS – PART 3
The last red is hanging over one of the top pockets. Cue ball is a few inches from the bottom cushion but has the yellow ball tight behind it to hamper cueing.
The striker asks for the yellow to be cleaned, and whilst it is off the table, he plays his stroke, unobstructed by the ball marker now taking the place of the yellow. What action should the referee have taken and what should he do now?
Answer
Since the yellow was not part of the stroke the referee should initially have refused the request to clean it, stating that he would do so at a more convenient moment. Having agreed to clean the yellow, the rules do not provide for any foul to be called, but the player should at least be warned for ungentlemanly conduct, and if such action happened at a crucial point in the frame/match, then the frame may be awarded to the opponent. (s4 r1).If the warning is sufficient then the balls should be replaced and the player asked to replay the shot (with the obstructing ball in place!).
6. FREE BALL
Player has been awarded a free ball, red being ball on. Striker nominates blue but fails to make contact, so a Foul and a Miss is called. Non-striker asks for the balls to be replaced. Does the striker still have a free ball and why?
Answer
Opinion is divided, and an EBSRA meeting of tutors and examiners could not reach a consensus when this question was discussed, being divided almost 50:50! My personal opinion is ‘yes’ as the intention is to put the player back in the same position he was when he took the first shot, with exactly the same choices. S3 r14.
7. FOUL AND A MISS
Two colours are almost 2” apart with the last red sitting behind them and touching both. The cue ball is down the other end of the table and the striker twice fails to make contact with the red, hitting one of the colours instead. The non-striker asks for the balls to replaced once again. Given that the cue ball can strike the red centre ball should the player be warned that a further miss will result in loss of the frame? (Scores are level at this point).
Answer
If the striker has full ball access (i.e. unrestricted) to the cue ball, then YES, because he has a "full ball, centre ball hit" on the red.
8. PENALTY POINTS – PART 1
Yellow, green and blue are all close to one of the bottom pockets and potable with the other colours safe at the top of the table. Striker in placing the rest on the table disturbs a red. Referee calls a foul, but what is the penalty?
Answer
Although strictly the rules state that the penalty when a foul is committed before a colour is nominated is seven points, it is generally accepted that where the player is nominating that (here, by getting the rest out) he is going for a lower value colour, then the penalty should be the highest of any likely balls (here a penalty of five for the blue). s3 r 12.
9. PENALTY POINTS – PART 2
Player is using the long rest to play the last red into a top pocket, with pink sitting near the pocket, blue close to the rest.. Red enters the pocket, and in making a slight adjustment to the position of the rest to play the pink, the rest touches the blue. It is obviously a foul, but what is the penalty?
Answer
The rules are not clear on this, but given that the rest is required for both the previous stroke on the red and the next stroke on the pink, the previous stroke ended with the potting of the red, so the penalty is now six points, pink being the nominated ball.
10. PENALTY POINTS – PART 3
Player has used the long rest to pot the pink, and whilst he’s been removing his cue extension the pink has been respotted. Then in removing the long rest the player disturbs the blue. It is obviously a foul, but what is the penalty?
Answer
The use of the long rest is related to the previous shot on the pink and that shot is not deemed to be complete until any equipment is removed from the table, so the penalty is six points
Clive A Brown, February 2011
