Ding Junhui inflicts maximum punishmenton Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronnie O’Sullivan denied he snubbed the chance of a maximum break as he crashed out of the Betfred World Championship to Ding Junhui.

Chinese superstar Ding brilliantly saw off the five-time champion, winning through 13-10 and setting up a clash with Mark Selby in the semi-finals - a repeat of last year’s final.

O’Sullivan made a thrilling 146 break - just the third in Crucible history - as he battled in vain to stay in the tournament. And by taking pink from the 13th red when a perfect 147 looked a formality, O’Sullivan sparked debate over whether he had spurned the opportunity because of the low prize-money on offer.