Stuart Bingham pots black from break in bizarre incident at UK Championship snooker

Stuart Bingham left spectators in awe as he potted the black off the break during his UK Championship comeback victory over Mark Williams.

Despite a slow start that saw him trailing 4-1 against the in-form three-time world champion, Bingham managed to turn the tables and stage an unlikely comeback. Bringing the tie back to 5-2, the 48-year-old would take each of the last four frames against Williams, securing the world championship semi-finalist 's place in the next round.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing. In the crucial 10th frame, Bingham's break resulted in an unexpected potting of the black - a feat described as "never before seen".

This unusual occurrence not only shocked commentator Alan McManus but also fans on social media, who were left speechless. One fan exclaimed: "That has to be the worst break I've ever seen: how do you put the black in from the break?! Howler from Ball Run."

"While another quipped: "Finally! Something Ronnie [O'Sullivan] hasn't done." Neal Foulds, a former professional snooker player turned commentator for ITV and Eurosport, was taken aback by the incident, stating: "Don’t think I’ve ever seen the black knocked in from the break off before tonight."

McManus, commentating for Eurosport, expressed his astonishment when he saw the black ball pocketed right from the break, saying: "You think you've seen it all. I've never seen that before, ever. Potting the black off the break. That is incredible."

Bingham, meanwhile, shook off a stunning bit of misfortune to win the 10th and 11th frames against a shell-shocked Williams. But the potted black wasn't the sole talking point of the match – the table's quality was also under scrutiny. The same stage saw gripes during the clash between Judd Trump and Neil Robertson, leading Bingham to question if chalk type was to blame.

"I put it down to the two players in the tournament using Triangle [chalk], and they're out now," said Bingham. "I think the conditions will play a lot better now. When the Triangle chalk gets in the cloth it can change the conditions totally.

"With it being reclothed now, I think we'll be in for a scoring fest from the last 16. You see it at the Worlds, the table plays nice, then you follow Ronnie or Luca [Brecel], and the table plays different, but it's up to them what they do."

Bingham is set to go head-to-head with Zhang Anda in the next round, who himself pulled off a remarkable achievement in York, scoring a maximum 147 in his 6-3 first-round triumph over fellow countryman Lei Peifan.