Hossein Vafaei’s quick exit following their World Grand Prix second-round match confused Mark Williams. After much drama, the Welshman prevailed 4-1. In addition, he was given a seven-point penalty for concealing the cue ball in his pocket while the official changed the balls after a foul, and he profited from his opponent’s error that cost the Iranian the second set.
Drama abounded in Mark Williams’ World Grand Prix second-round encounter as opponent Hossein Vafaei stormed off without shaking hands and he was given a seven-point penalty for hiding the cue ball in his pocket.
He won 4-1, and the event occurred in the fifth frame
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Twice the Welshman missed a tiny cut on a red to the left of the pack, setting up a difficult safety for him to escape from.
The 48-year-old accidentally hit the pink on his second try, much to the amusement of the spectators, and when referee Olivier Marteel was changing the balls, he placed the white in his pocket.
The official from Belgium was not as impressed. He responded, “You know that’s a penalty seven,” which made Williams laugh a little incredulously. “You touched the ball during a consultation period, it’s in the rules.”
“After the match, a bewildered Williams said, ‘World Snooker say ‘have a bit of fun, try and show your character’ and stuff like that.”
“You do something like that, just to have a bit of fun, because it took him a while to get back, so I just picked it up and put it in my pocket, and I got fouled seven for it!”What are their desires? They want you to be yourself and enjoy yourself a little. I promise not to do that again because doing so earns you penalty points.”
Fortunately for him, the three-time world champion managed to win the frame and the match with a break of 75.
That was far from the end of the drama, though, as Vafaei stormed out of the stage without flinching after conceding after Williams had missed a long pink.
I asked him, ‘What’s your problem?’ and he replied that it’s because I smacked my leg when I prevailed,” the Welshman went on.
“I shouldn’t have gone for the pink, so I slapped my leg at the end. I ought to have been cautious.I had assumed he would have returned to the table to continue playing snookers. It’s the reason I was a little angry. If that’s the reason, I don’t care; he simply stormed off.”
Vafaei had been left red-faced earlier in the evening after a calculation error cost him the second frame.
The Iranian was already behind 1-0 and about to lose it by one when he tied the score at 57-57 with only
