Snooker star Neil Robertson misses World Open match after blindly following his sat nav to the WRONG Barnsley and arriving in small town 170 miles away from destination
- Australian snooker player Neil Robertson was meant to go to Barnsley, Yorkshire
- But accidentally set up sat nav for Gloucestershire village 170 miles away
- By the time he realised it was too late and had to withdraw from World Open match at the Metrodome
- Explained on social media that friend who usually drives him to qualifiers was away
A former world snooker champion was forced to forfeit his World Open match on Friday - after driving to the wrong Barnsley 170 miles away.
Neil Robertson was meant to play a qualifier for the event at the Barnsley Metrodome in the large Yorkshire town.
But setting off from his home in Cambridge, he accidentally typed the village of Barnsley in Gloucestershire into his sat nav.
Neil Robertson was meant to play a qualifier for the event at the Barnsley Metrodome in the large Yorkshire town, but drove to the Gloucestshire village of the same name 170 miles away
By the time the 37-year-old Australian had realised the error it was too late and his withdrawal sent through opponent Ian Burns
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By the time the 37-year-old Australian had realised the error, it was too late and his withdrawal sent through opponent Ian Burns.
'When I realised there was a 2nd Barnsley it was too late to get to the other one,' Robertson explained on social media.
'Hopefully I’ll be able to either play or complete a match this season'.
When someone questioned how the mishap occurred, given the number of times Robertson had been to the Metrodome, he revealed that a friend usually drives him to qualifiers, but was away.
The Barnsley Metrodome, the sports and leisure facility where Robertson was meant to play a qualifier in the World Open last week
The village Barnsley in Gloucestershire which has a population of 209
'A friend always drives me to qualifiers but he selfishly entered a Challenge Tour event this weekend,' he added.
Robertson unluckily also had to pull out of the Riga Masters in Latvia earlier this year when he was stranded by a cancelled flight at Luton airport.
Englishman Burns, 34, will now play in the final stages of the tournament in Yushan, China later in October.
According to the most recent UK census in 2011, Barnsley in Gloucestershire has a population of 209, compared with 91,297 in the more well known Barnsley in South Yorkshire.
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