Snooker referee issues apology after Mark Williams telling off at Welsh Open

Mark Williams received a light-hearted apology from Anastasiya Tuzikova after he jokingly told the referee off during his Welsh Open defeat.

The amusing interaction took place in the three-time world champion’s round of 16 clash, which ultimately saw him lose 4-2 to Barry Hawkins.

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‘Stop moving’

With the score all square at 2-2, Williams lined up a tricky shot on a red.

It was such a difficult angle that he required the use of the rest, and had to add an extension on his cue.

However, the Welshman was then given an extra obstacle to contend with, when match official Tuzikova kept moving into his line of sight.

This prompted Williams to give her a light telling-off, who asked: “Could you stop moving?”

“What?” replied the surprised referee.

Grinning, the snooker star repeated himself: “Stop moving.”

At this point, Tuzikova realised her mistake and immediately apologised: “Me? Sorry!”, before moving away.

The brief exchange left the Llandudno crowd amused, with fans laughing at Tuzikova’s attempts to keep a close eye on Williams for a foul.

After clearing his eyeline, the 50-year-old then made the tricky pot, only for the cue ball to roll into the middle left pocket.

This saw Williams miss the chance to go 3-2 up, with the slice of misfortune leaving many feeling for him.

Reacting to the outcome, commentator John Parrott said: “Where’s the cueball going though?

“Can you believe it? He didn’t deserve that. What a pot that was. Sickener.”

Williams rues ‘fine margins’

Williams never quite recovered from his missed opportunity in the fifth frame, which allowed Hawkins to seize the momentum.

From there, the Englishman cleared to black, before winning the sixth frame with a break of 84 to seal victory.

This saw Hawkins book his spot in the quarter-finals, where he will face Neil Robertson, who overcame Welshman Jak Jones to advance.

The 2018 runner-up also gained immediate revenge over Williams, who had 6-2 in the previous encounter between the pair at the Players Championship just a week earlier.

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As well as Williams and Jones, Jackson Page also exited the tournament on Thursday, meaning there is no more Welsh involvement in this year’s tournament.

Reflecting on his defeat to Hawkins, Williams told BBC Sport Wales: “I thought it was a good match, we both played really well.

“I made some great breaks and just a little bit of luck in the last couple of frames decided the way it went.

“It’s fine margins at this high level and I was just a little bit unlucky today.”