FORMER World Snooker Champions Kyren Wilson and Steve Davis were involved in an awkward gaffe while attempting to demonstrate a new snooker innovation.
Kyren Wilson, Steve Davis and Hazel Irvine were cracking up at the Crucible after a demonstration went awry Credit: BBC
The two snooker champs were trying to demonstrate a new break off being used by Shaun Murphy Credit: BBC
Wilson and Davis were providing punditry on the at the Crucible when they tried to break down
But things took an awkward turn when Wilson was unable to recreate the break twice in a row with cue in hand.
Davis first set up the table and asked Wilson, currently No2 in the world rankings, to hit the third red too thin.
But he clearly wasn’t happy with the result of the break, hesitantly saying: “Okay, well, that wasn’t bad.
“It didn’t quite catch the second red, but it could catch it if you played it thin.”
Things got no better after Davis deftly reset the table, before asking Wilson to try again but catch the ball thick.
The English potter tried his best to follow instructions, but the table still didn’t look at all like what Murphy has been managing at the tournament.
Davis sarcastically quipped: “Okay… we’re doing well with this demonstration!”
And Wilson commented: “I actually hit that thick, but it didn’t throw off like we expected, did it?”
The new break is being used by Shaun Murphy to bamboozle opponents Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
A bemused Davis then joked: “We could say try and hit it perfectly, but I think what we need to do is ask Shaun Murphy how he’s doing it… because I don’t know now.”
The comment cracked up Wilson and presenter Hazel Irvine, before the former threw down his cue and chuckled: “It’s been a long week, I’m not even bothering anymore.
The break off is based on shunning the accepted wisdom of striking the last two rows of reds.
Instead, Murphy has been striking the third row, opening the pack up far more and forcing his opponents to try and make a pot.
“We both just were in the snooker room at the house a few weeks ago, before the Tour Championships, and we said let’s go and do a few hours practice.
“And I just said as we went in: ‘I’m convinced there’s a better shot than the one we’ve been playing for 100 years.’
“It’s 100 years of professional snooker this year, and the break off hasn’t changed.”
He went on to say that he had not invented the trick, and that Davis himself had actually played the shot during his prime.
But the six-time world champ revealed that he cannot remember playing it at all, explaining: “Shaun said that I played it once or twice, but I don’t ever remember playing third red, it’s dangerous.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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