Snooker player Louis Heathcote pulled off an outstanding shot during World Snooker Championship qualifying at the weekend.
Heathcote was leading Ryan Day 4-3 in a third-round qualifier when he was left with a fiendishly difficult snooker to try and escape from.
The cue ball was tied up against the bottom cushion behind the black, with the object ball – the yellow – positioned well up the table.
The world number 67 took a few moments to weigh up his options, before electing to strike the cue ball into the jaws of the bottom pocket.
What happened next was extraordinary.
The cue ball shot up the table and hit the yellow at such an angle that it went straight into the top right pocket.
To make things even better, he landed in almost perfect position for the green as well.
It was certainly one of the shots of the season – and perhaps even further back.
Heathcote unable to reach next round of qualifying
Unfortunately for Heathcote, Day took the last three frames of the match to win 6-4.
The Welshman now progresses to the fourth round of the World Snooker Championship qualifiers.
This year’s qualifiers have seen seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry compete in his second and third matches since his return to the sport.
The Scot initially retired from the sport in 2012, but made a comeback after being awarded a two-year invitational tour card last year.
He defeated Jimmy White in the first round of the qualifiers, before losing to China’s Xu Si in round two.
Hendry and White faced each other in four separate world finals during the 1990s, with Hendry coming out on top on each occasion.
Known as ‘Judgement Day’, the fourth and final round of qualification is set to take place this week. The 16 winners go on to the main event, which consists of 32 players and begins on April 17 at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The top 16 in the rankings qualify for the tournament automatically, meaning that the likes of Judd Trump, Mark Williams and Ronnie O’Sullivan are already guaranteed their places.
O’Sullivan won his sixth Crucible crown at last year’s event, defeating Kyren Wilson 18-8 in the final.
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