Re-Spotting of coloured balls

[Nick Waymouth]

I was asked the question about re-spotting coloured balls. The situation being that all the colours are on their spots. You happen to pot the second last red, then blue (then its re-spottied)then red, then yellow............followed by green, brown and just when your about to pot the blue, the mistake of the ref not re-spotting the yellow is discovered!!!! What course of action is now to be taken?

My answer is that the yellow stays down as the sequence has been broken and that the mistake should have been found as it happened. I also said that no foul can be called. I spoke to a guy that said the yellow is re-spotted!!! I said no way, how can the player at the table be penalized!

Anyway, the rule book says nothing about this, it only states that if a coloured ball is incorrectly missing from the table, it will be spotted without penalty to the striker????

[Adam Wyard]

A clarification was issued after the 1995 rule book was published - but somehow still didn't make its way into the rule book they published in 2007.

The answer is as soon as it is realised that the yellow was not potted in sequence is it spotted (without penalty to the striker). The green and brown stay down, and he continues with the break - on the yellow, followed by blue, pink and black.

As for the player at the table being hard done by - well, it pays to be paying attention! Why didn't he play for position on the yellow after potting it from the last red anyway?

[Nick Waymouth]

Ok, how can i get my hands on the 2007 Rule Book? Thanks for the clarification Adam. I cant believe that the yellow is re-spotted after the mistake is realised! It means that the player at the table is technically penalised for the refs mistake!

[Adam Wyard]

There weren't many differences in the rule book, the only significant change was in Section 4 where it talks about the procedure for warnings about unfair conduct, and introduced the concept of conceding without needing snookers being defined as ungentlemanly conduct. The full text of it is here: www.ibsf.info/rules-snooker.shtml

What if the player was 26 points behind after potting the yellow from the last red? If it's not re-spotted at all then surely he is penalised a lot more, because now he needs a snooker!

What else would you do - put the all the balls back on the table where they were and play that part of the frame again? What if 5 different visits to the table had been made before it is realised?

It's important to remember that for the most part this is a hypothetical situation - surely somebody would notice and say something if the referee forgot, especially the player at the table. In the rare instance that it might happen, this rule is about the best option there can be, unless someone has any other ideas.

[Nick Waymouth]

I see your point of view, well said. I would like to know why "similatanous" contact rule is not enforced? I know Dallas used the rule and rightly so, it can be said to give the striker the benefit of the doubt but in all honesty if they are playing balls that are to hard to call, why have the rule? They never call it in pro games, and in ametuer tournaments refs are too scared to call it.

[Adam Wyard]

I'd have to admit I find it difficult to be absolutely sure of a simultaneous contact, and the rule of thumb is to never call a foul unless you are absolutely sure of it. But then I did call one this weekend just gone at our State Ladies.

Paul Cosgriff has some views on simultaneous contacts, if you ever have a spare hour or three you should ask him about it

[Nick Waymouth]

If it is a "Similtanous" contact, its obviously going to be too hard to call, so really giving the benefit of the doubt is going against the rule! The rule was brought in becasue people exploit the rule, they hit it too hard so the fould cant be picked up, but it is actually a foul according to the rule book 1996!.