How 'great honesty' came back to bite Jack Lisowski after calling surprise foul on himself in Northern Ireland Open final with Judd Trump

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Sportsmanship shone through in the Northern Ireland Open final at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast on Sunday as Jack Lisowski called a foul on himself when on a break against Judd Trump, but replays showed he may have been too hasty to declare against himself. Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Northern Ireland Open, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+.

'A little unlucky' - Lisowski calls foul on himself

Video credit: TNT Sports

There was a large slice of snooker intrigue during the first session of the Northern Ireland Open final between Jack Lisowski and Judd Trump.

On the back of a century to draw level in frame six, Lisowski was motoring again in the seventh and looking to edge in front.

After potting a blue, Lisowski saw the cue ball come to rest on top of a cluster of reds. He had a ball to go at, but was severely hampered in his cueing.

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Lisowski potted a red into the left middle, but immediately called a foul on himself and went back to his chair.

"He potted a red but immediately confessed to a foul as he was bridging," Phil Studd said on TNT Sports commentary.

There was a tap of the table from Trump in appreciation of Lisowski’s sportsmanship, but the world No. 1 showed no mercy as he picked off a break of 75 to take the seventh.

'Different class' - Lisowski snatches frame

Video credit: TNT Sports

There were a number of replays of the incident, and it was fair to say they were not conclusive.

Joe Johnson, on commentary for TNT Sports, was of the opinion that Lisowski did not commit a foul, while his fellow commentator Studd offered up the suggestion that the contact may have been so slight that only Lisowski would have known if he had made contact with a red when striking the white.

Lisowski shook off the blow of losing the seventh to take the eighth and level the contest heading into the evening session.

At the end of the afternoon session, Jimmy White, Alan McManus and Rachel Casey picked through the incident in the TNT Sports studio.

"Great honesty if he felt it," Casey said. "We did not see anything move."

McManus offered up his opinion, as he said: "If we see it in close up, does he foul the red? Probably not. On reflection, does he hit the cue ball twice?"

"That’s the one, I think," White said. "I am not 100% sure. But we are proud in our game that we declare our own fouls."

As the analysis continued, Lisowski made his way past the TNT Sports studio and said he called a foul on himself for hitting a red with his cue.

It was still not clear on the replays, and McManus offered up his thoughts about what could have transpired.

"He said he hit the red with his cue, but the plot thickens," McManus said. "Credit to Jack for his honesty as he felt he hit the red, but visually we saw it and could not detect him touching the red.

"Jack is within his rights to ask Rob Spencer the referee to check because when you are aiming down on the ball and striking it you do sometimes get a strange noise from the ferrule.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

"If he asks, Rob can then deal with it. He may not have fouled, we don’t know."

Finely balanced heading into evening

White and McManus feel the shackles will come off in the evening session and that the quality will improve.

"I think 4-4 is fair after that," White said. "It is now all to play for.

"I think now they will go back, have a break and discuss with their corner people.

"I think tonight it will carry on.

"I am just glad Jack competed as there were some shots in there that were a little loose, but he is settled now."

McManus, meanwhile, added: "It is good they have got the first half out of the way, got the feel of the match and the occasion, conditions, everything like that, and I do think the quality will be there tonight.

"At the end of the table will be the crystal for one of them to pick up, and that will incentivise them."

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Watch and stream top snooker action, including the Northern Ireland Open, live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+

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