Gary Wilson admits he is “totally gone” following Championship League foul against John Higgins
Gary Wilson looks on (Photo by ChinaImages/SIPA USA/PA Images)
Gary Wilson admitted he is “totally gone” and feels “the worst” he has ever felt following a deliberate foul shot against John Higgins in the Championship League.
Wilson was seen to thrash a red around the table in frustration after missing a straightforward red to the middle pocket during their Group Two fixture in Milton Keynes on Thursday.
This prompted the referee to call a “foul” as opposed to interpreting the shot as a form of concession and awarding the frame to Higgins.
The decision prompted widespread debate on social media, with many fans and pundits believing Higgins should have been awarded the third frame.
The incident occurred shortly after Wilson had won the second frame with breaks of 56 and 64.
He went on to lose the third frame and eventually the match by three frames to one and was eliminated after finishing second from bottom in the Group Two table.
The former World Championship semi-finalist took to Twitter to clarify the situation, stating he had apologised immediately to Higgins and declared a foul rather than a concession.
Wilson said: “I’m just totally gone, including snooker. I can’t play at all.
“I feel the worst I’ve ever felt and can’t see a way back anymore.
“I let John back in and apologised for the foul as he was plumb in. All I could do.”
In another reply on Twitter, he added: “What the video doesn’t show as Dominic [Dale] is still talking, is the ref asked me if it was a concession, I said no a foul, so we carried on and I let John back plumb in next shot like he would have been anyway. Problem sorted.
“I also apologised to John and all was well.”
The Tyneside cueist, who was runner-up in the 2015 China Open, also admitted to struggling with depression, adding: “Although I do feel depressed generally and I’m not one as many will know to play on stuff like that or use those words lightly.”
The 35-year-old, ranked world number 20, reached the Semi-Finals of last season’s European Masters and the Quarter-Finals of the World Grand Prix but has failed to progress beyond the First Round stage in his last five ranking tournaments.
He failed to qualify for the 2020 World Championship after a 6-3 defeat to Switzerland’s Alexander Ursenbacher in the Third Qualifying Round.
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