Pigeon Lands On Snooker Table Mid-Match At The Crucible

We're all used to seeing the odd pitch invader in a football game, with that even coming in the form of a cat or a dog on occasion.

However, snooker fans at the historic Crucible in Sheffield were greeted to the remarkable sight of a pigeon interrupting a World Championship game today (22 April). Watch below:

The bird sat perched on the cushion of the snooker table, having fluttered down from the television lights above.

The ill-timed intrusion stopped play momentarily, which had been a tense second-round clash between four-time World Champion Mark Selby and Yan Bingtao.

Selby was seemingly caught unawares of its presence, looking startled as he returned to the venue following an intermission.

It was swiftly ushered out of the arena, though it had already made its mark as being, quite possibly, the first recorded pigeon to have invaded the Crucible during the world championships.

After the conclusion of the afternoon session, the game between Selby and Bingtao is currently all square at four frames each.

A video of the bizare intrusion was uploaded to Twitter by the World Snooker Tour account.

As you might imagine, there wasn't a shortage of bird-related puns in the replies.

"I’ve seen a parrott and a hawk in the crucible to be fair," one user wrote, referring to snooker players John Parrott and Barry Hawkins.

The official Specsavers account meanwhile replied with: "Fowl and a miss."

The arrival of the pigeon didn't seem to dampen the spirit of Yan Bingtao. The Chinese player, currently ranked 16th in the world, could clearly be seen laughing at as it flew away. It was a hoot and a half for all involved.

Selby meanwhile will still harbour hopes of winning the World Snooker Championship title for a fifth time, which would place the man from Leicester two away from Stephen Hendry's all-time record of seven.

To do so, he will likely have to see off the challenge of Ronnie O'Sullivan, who also stands on the brink of history.

The six-time World Champion is currently ranked number 1, but he has been generating headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent days.

The Rocket, as he is nicknamed, could face a punishment after making a 'lewd gesture' in his first round match earlier this week.