The pigeon had a bird’s eye view of the game
Play was interrupted at the second round of the World Snooker Championships on Friday in bizarre fashion after a pigeon found their way into the Crucible theatre in Sheffield.
The hilarious moment occurred while Mark Selby was facing Yan Bingtao and Zhao Xintong came up against Stephen Maguire.
The pigeon didn’t bring his own coo
Although harmless, the pigeon did slightly scare Bingtao who flinched as he made his presence known on the table. In all honesty, the pigeon just wanted the best seat in the house.
Commentator Rob Walker was as stunned as everyone else and was given the task of describing the bizarre events and said: “We have seen some things at the Crucible before but we have never seen that. Well I never.
“How on earth are they going to get it out?”
🚨 There is a pigeon on the snooker table 🚨
You read that right. Think it wants a game.#BBCSnooker
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 22, 2022
With no sign of leaving anytime soon, the pigeon instead opted for a stroll down the table – presumably eyeing up which shot to take – leaving both the players and spectators in the crowd laughing and cheering it on.
Eventually the pigeon decided that no shot was on, and without a cue of its own, decided to leave the professionals to it as it eventually flew away and out of the Crucible.
Following a brief delay, Selby and Bingtao were eventually able to resume the game despite clearly being left bewildered by what had just happened.
Social media’s reaction to the bizarre events
Fans were left laughing, even after the pigeon had been safely removed, and took to social media to continue their hysterics.
One person tweeted: “Looks like there’s some fowl play going on here.”
Looks like there's some fowl play going on here
— Danny Lloyd (@Nintendo64Some) April 22, 2022
Another person tweeted: “It actually got a few claps when it landed on the table ffs.”
It actually got a few claps when it landed on the table ffs 😂😂
— Mark. (@therealrash) April 22, 2022
A third person said: “Let’s hope it doesn’t leave ‘50p’ down…”
Let’s hope it doesn’t leave ‘50p’ down…
— Daniel Hutchinson (@dankicks83) April 22, 2022
Bingtao was able to recover and take a 4-2 lead against Selby, with the rest of the game set to be played out on Saturday afternoon.
Related links:
- ‘You have to put people in their place’: Ronnie O’Sullivan on achieving greatness
- Ronnie O’Sullivan slammed for x-rated gesture on live TV
- Snooker player apologises for drunk arrival at Turkish Masters
