Chris Wakelin has declined to criticise referee Peggy Li following the snooker VAR controversy. Instead, the English star branded himself 'a berk' after his defeat to Neil Robertson. Wakelin was embroiled in a major incident during the second session of his loss to the Australian at the World Championship.

He was at the table attempting to level the Crucible match at 7-7 when he potted a long red, only for Li to call a foul for supposedly brushing the nearby yellow with his cue on his follow-through, with the decision upheld after a TV review. Wakelin was left marooned in his seat as Robertson capitalised to go on and claim the frame, before maintaining his momentum on Monday to secure a 13-7 victory and book a showdown with John Higgins.

Li's call was regarded as controversial, but Wakelin said: "She was in the best position to see. I was looking at the red because it was a difficult pot anyway, so I wasn't even looking at the white ball or the yellow.

"She was standing in the right place. If she thought it was a foul, then I trust Peggy. I'd watched it back 100 times and I'd have my house that it wasn't a foul, but it's one of them, it's frustrating. The bottom line is I've got nothing against Peggy, she's a brilliant referee, but I just didn't play well enough.

"Me watching it back myself, I couldn't see it. If I'd have had one little piece of evidence that went, there you go, it was a foul, I could have just accepted it. I think we need to get some higher resolution cameras next season so we can check these things out. I played like a berk, that's why I lost. You're playing against one of the best players in the world, you can make all these excuses, but did I play well enough to win? It was my own fault, I lost. I'm not going to blame anyone else.

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Wakelin continued: "If I could have come out today and reeled off three or four breaks and got 10-10 at the interval, I think Neil would have been under a lot more pressure as well. He has struggled here over the last few years.

"It was down to me and it was in my hands. If I came out today and played well, I'd give myself every chance but playing like that, it's not going to happen."

Robertson offered his perspective, saying: "It was a tough one because, when Chris played the shot, Peggy called the foul straight away. Chris didn't really kind of dispute it, he just went: Oh, okay, are you sure, maybe just check, because sometimes that's what happens.

"I came around and had a look at the monitor, but they couldn't really come up with a close-up of what actually happened and Peggy sort of stuck with it. Chris accepted it.

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"In those instances when there's not a conclusive replay available, then you just have to go with the referee's word. She was in the perfect spot for it."