The snooker gods smiled on Kyren Wilson as he pulled off an outrageous fluke shot at the UK Championships.
While trailing Mark Allen 5-3 in the second round but leading 24-0 in the frame, Wilson hammered a black off the jaws and it bizarrely rolled along the top of the rail and dropped into the middle pocket.
The Eurosport commentators were left truly stunned by what they just witnessed as Philip Studd exclaimed: “Wow, would you believe it. Well, that is one for the showreel at the end of the season, isn't it? What on earth has gone on there? Well, Mark Allen doesn’t look overly amused by it. Kyren Wilson looks a little nonplussed as well. Unorthodox but effective, perfectly legal.”
Dominic Dale was very surprised and claimed it perhaps had a negative effect on Wilson, as he missed the very next ball. “Yeah, I mean, we've all seen this happen on the practice table but I've never seen it happen in a match," he said.
"Maybe that extraordinary black flying into the centre pocket along the rail just disturbed Kyren Wilson’s concentration,” continued Studd. Reviewing the replay of the fluke, Studd said: “Let’s have another look at it. Remarkable, but unable to make the most of it.”
Allen went on to win 6-3 and continue his impressive form. He started slowly, but the two-time UK championship finalist took six of the final seven frames to seal his place in the last-eight. Commenting on WIlson’s unbelievable shot, Allen admitted his surprise.
“I couldn’t believe it when that one has gone up the rail,” he said. “You don't see that every day. Luckily it didn’t cost me.” Allen, who has already won the Northern Ireland Open this season, admitted he made a poor beginning to the match but was pleased with how he responded.
"It was another poor start from me to be honest," he said. "I just like giving people 2-0 head starts at the minute! I played pretty well after that, I didn't miss too many balls. Yeah, very happy with the way I played after that.
"I'm just in a good place. If I miss a few shots out there it’s not affecting me at all. I'm just getting ready for the next one. And I wish I could have done this a long time ago. How many times do you beat yourself up? At the minute, I'm just not doing that.
"I know I missed a few balls early on but I know my games in good shape, so I wasn't panicking. I was just looking forward to my next chance." He will face Sam Craigie in the next round.
