It’s Monday and we can all relate to Snooker player Kurt Maflin today.On Sunday night during his World Championship win against David Gilbert, Maflin had enough and stuck his middle finger at the white ball.He was looking for a maximum break during the 16th frame but clearly wasn’t happy with the movement of the white as he potted the penultimate red ball.In a show of frustration, he angrily ‘flipped the bird’ at the white.Eurosport commentator Dominic Dale had to apologise, while Maflin was warned for his actions.Referee Tatiana Woollaston told him that he would lose the next frame if he did it again. "I have to warn you - the next one, you lose the frame," the official could be heard saying.
Explaining his actions, Maflin said, as per The Guardian: "I meant nothing by it - it was purely aggression being taken out on the cue ball. I felt like I'd worked really hard to get into that position... and when the white hit the yellow, it was just one of those reactions.
"She [Woollaston] was whispering and I thought she was telling me to tuck my shirt in, but she told me she had to warn me for the gesture. I wasn't quite with it at that stage."
Brilliant.
While Maflin made headlines with his middle finger, Ronnie O’Sullivan made headlines for his record-breaking start to his World Snooker Championship campaign.
The five-time champion smashed Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 10-1 in the shortest match ever played at the Crucible, lasting just 108 minutes.
O’Sullivan claimed that his opponent made him look good.
"He made me look good really, he missed a few balls that he wouldn’t normally miss," the Rocket said. "It just goes to show, you don’t need a crowd at the Crucible for it to get to you, it’s something about the venue.
"I actually prefer it, so much less is put on my shoulders. It’s how I live my life, I’m very private, I don’t socialise much, this suits my way of life in many ways. It’s all I wanted to do, win my first match, I didn’t have any expectations other than that, so I’m just pleased to get through."