Matt Selt ‘gutted’ despite reaching Crucible as opponent makes complaint during epic match

Matt Selt made it to the Crucible with an epic come-from-behind victory over Jimmy Robertson, but was left ‘gutted’ after a mid-match complaint from his opponent.

Selt was the final player to come through World Championship qualifying thanks to his dramatic 10-9 win over Robertson, in which he bounced back from 8-3 behind to win the game on the final black.

It was a fantastic effort from the 40-year-old and a painful defeat for Robertson, who missed a brilliant chance to win the match on the final pink.

However, Selt was left not feeling like a winner as Robertson made a complaint to him during the match about his conduct.

‘My emotions are pretty numb, to be honest,’ Selt said after an emotional victory. ‘Jimmy pulled me to one side after one of the frames and had a word.

‘He said: “What are you doing? You’re basically putting me off.” Which I obviously wasn’t trying to do, but obviously got to him.

‘I feel genuinely gutted, to be honest. I’m happy to win but not to the point where my actions may have contributed towards his declining performance.

‘That’s sport, I suppose. I wasn’t doing anything completely out of order. But my feeling is pretty flatline and I just want to send my apologies to Jimmy.’

Asked what he was doing that was bothering his opponent, Selt admitted he is quite vocal at the table, but said he never did anything while Robertson was at the table.

‘I do what I do all the time, commentate on my shots,’ he said. ‘If a ball is going towards the hole, which it did on numerous occasions in this match, I’d say “Oh there’s another one.” I never said anything after the balls came to rest, not deliberately trying to put him off.

‘I show my emotions. I’m not doing it to my opponent, especially someone who I’ve classed as a really good friend since the age of 13. I don’t know how he’s going to feel, but I feel pretty crap.

‘I’ve not done anything when Jimmy’s at the table or anything like that. Maybe I can rein it in a little bit, but then again I didn’t really want to. That’s how I play and that’s how I am.

‘It’s an unfortunate circumstance because Jimmy is one of my closest friends on the tour.’

He added, speaking to WST: ‘This win, there’s no good feeling whatsoever towards it.

‘Great achievement to come back from 8-3 down but ultimately Jimmy is one of my closest friends so for him to feel so strongly to pull me to one side and say something, I feel absolutely dreadful.

‘I’m gutted for him that he didn’t win and be happy tomorrow that I’ve won, but I just want to apologise.’

Asked if the two men spoke at the end of the game, Selt said: ‘No, not yet. I’ll probably leave it till he messages me if he wants to. If he doesn’t I totally understand. I hope he doesn’t take it too badly.’

Selt will head to the Crucible for a fifth time, still looking to win his first match on the sport’s most famous stage, twice losing to Mark Selby and twice to Barry Hawkins in his previous visits.