Neil Robertson is set to be fined by the World Snooker Tour after accidentally conceding a frame at the World Championship.
Robertson was at the table in the second frame of his first-round match against Pang Junxu, trailing 57-10 with three reds still on the table, when he missed on the black, before telling the referee he was conceding.
Referee Terry Camilleri gave Robertson a warning after explaining that he was 47 points behind and there were still 51 points left on the table. It is against WST rules to give up a frame when it is still alive.
Robertson looked befuddled and explained that he thought he was 47 points behind, having apparently misread the scores.
The referee brought up the score on the screen and Robertson realised his mistake. “Ah, I miscalculated the score,” he admitted.
Robertson will now be fined. “£250, that cost him,” said Ken Doherty, speaking on commentary for BBC Sport, having initially thought the Australian conceded the frame out of frustration. “It was totally out of character, I couldn’t believe it.”
Sixteen years on from his sole world title in 2010, Robertson is back among the favourites for the tournament and arrived at the Crucible ranked No 3 in the world.
Robertson told The Independent before the tournament: “I think this is the most confident I’ve been probably ever coming into the World Championship.”
He leads Pang 5-4 overnight after their opening session on Wednesday. The pair will resume on Thursday, with the winner due to play the 13th seed, Chris Wakelin, in the second round.
