Stuart Bingham dashes off mid-frame as snooker ref jokes ‘if you have to go’

Stuart Bingham was embarrassingly caught short while at the table during his World Championship semi-final.

Ronnie O’Sullivan’s conqueror has been embroiled in a tense Crucible clash with fellow qualifier Jak Jones for the right face Kyren Wilson or David Gilbert in the final. At 11-9 down during the morning session, Bingham was at the table and desperately needed to make some headway.

However, as he pondered a shot, it became clear he was also desperate for a comfort break. After making the referee aware of the situation, the official replied: “Yeah, absolutely. If you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.”

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Bingham then jogged off to the gents to relieve himself. The break did the 2015 champion little good in a scrappy frame, which lasted 50 minutes, as Jones took it to go 12-9 up in the first-to-17 contest. Jones would end the session 13-10 ahead.

Fans weren’t impressed with the attritional nature of the match, with many expecting Wilson, who leads Gilbert 14-10 ahead of their final session, to see off either in the final.

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One said: “Stuart Bingham being dealt with like this by Jak Jones is horrendous. The bloke [Jones] has hardly won a game on tour for 2 years and has rocked up to the Crucible beating World Champions. Would be a real travesty if he makes a World Final.”

Another said: “Jak Jones and Stuart Bingham are playing horrible today. Kyren Wilson will destroy them in the final whoever he gets.”

Another sniped: “This is why I can’t be doing with Stuart Bingham. It’s like having to travel the length of the M5 in first gear.” A fourth moaned: “I like playing for snookers as much as the next guy, but Stuart Bingham is sending everyone to sleep!”