Stephen Maguire has admitted he ate a fly during his quarter-final loss to David Gilbert at the World Snooker Championship.
Scott Maguire, 43, was aiming to reach his third Crucible semi-final in 12 years.
Gilbert, 42, the qualifier, won 13-8 on Wednesday afternoon.
However, there was one moment in particular that shocked viewers.
Fans watching Eurosport captured the bizarre moment Maguire stopped to see something on the table.
The Glaswegian bent down to examine it before picking it up and popping it into his mouth.
and he later found out that jump.
Asked about the incident, he told journalist Phil Hague: “Oh, it was just a fly. I spat it out when no one was looking.”
This abhorrent incident was not the only topic of discussion at this match.
Maguire was also accused of “jacking in” by former snooker world champion Ken Doherty when he conceded the final frame.
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Leading Gilbert 12-8, Maguire was now 31 points behind with six colors (27 points total) remaining on the table in frame 21.
Needing one snooker, Maguire potted a yellow but unfortunately the cue ball nestled into the pink.
Rather than put it on the green and try to hide it somewhere on the table, he turned around, shook Gilbert’s hand and said, “Good job.”
And Doherty, the 1997 world champion, said: “You need one snooker. Don’t jack in!”
“This is a world championship, anything can happen.
“When you win that frame in snooker, it’s like your opponent is twitching a little bit. Never give up a Sunday in a month!”
Maguire explained the surprise concession considering they were 9-2 behind after a disastrous start with the tie.
The Glaswegian said: “Did you see where the cue ball landed? That was what was going through me the whole game.
“I would have had to get rid of the spider. I never meant to make fun of him with that shot. Oh, there was no point. It was such a waste of time.”
“It’s so disappointing. I thought we just gave him the match. It was like saying, ‘Dave, come on, it’s the semifinals.'” I hate that.
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“I didn’t know what happened in the first session, but then it was a long time ago.
“I don’t take any positives from that game. I wish Dave the best of luck. He’s a good kid.”
Qualifier Gilbert, 42, reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2019, when he lost to John Higgins.
The angry farmer said, “It was great when he shook my hand!
“If I met Stephen, I would buy him a pint. I was as surprised as anyone. I’m a big Stephen Maguire fan. It was his decision.”
“Of course, you want to shake hands and leave as quickly as possible.
“This is a huge achievement. Five weeks ago I didn’t even feel like going into the qualifiers. I was going to go in with £10,000.”