Blatant push foul (double contact) in Snooker World Championship semi-final, referee oblivious

In snooker, push shots and double contacts are not allowed. This particular double contact was performed by Jak Jones in a recent 2024 World Snooker Championship semi-final. The referee was unaware that a foul had been committed.

There is a very simple technique that all referees can use to anticipate and identify a double contact. Quite simply, if the distance that the cue travels through the white is greater than the distance between the two balls then it has to be a double contact. This is because the white will always slow down when it meets the object ball and this allows the cue to catch up for a second contact. (This all happens in a split second of course.)

From the video clip, we can see that there is perhaps only 1cm separating the two balls yet the cue clearly travels at least half way through the white. The diameter of a snooker ball is 5.25cm. Half of this is 2.625cm. 2.625cm is greater than 1cm. This is an obvious push.

Also, we can see that the white gives a little jump after contacting the red. This is from the second contact when the white and the angled shaft of the cue meet (ramp effect).

And finally, Jak withdraws the cue very quickly after the shot. This is a very unnatural movement and is usually only done when trying to disguise a push (double contact).

This situation highlights the fact that even the top referees do not have a great understanding of push shots and double contacts.

This video is for educational purposes only.