Ronnie O'Sullivan under fire for refusing to complete 147 break

Ronnie O'Sullivan found himself at the centre of controversy on the first day of the Welsh Open after he deliberately refused the chance of a maximum break in protest over prize money.

O'Sullivan was on course to complete a 147 break in the concluding frame of his 4-1 victory over Barry Pinches.

But the five-time world champion opted to pot the pink instead of the black following the penultimate red.

O'Sullivan explained afterwards that he felt the £10,000 on offer for completing a maximum break at Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena was not enough.

The prize for a 147 is calculated on a rollover basis, with £5,000 added to the pot in each tournament.