Ronnie O'Sullivan dramatically pulled out of the Championship League before his last group match following a meltdown at the table.

was playing Robert Milkins in Leicester and had one final group fixture against Ali Carter scheduled for the afternoon. However, after a run of disappointing results, which saw him lose three out of four matches on Wednesday, his frustrations boiled over during Thursday's action.

While leading Milkins 2-1, O'Sullivan lost it after missing a simple pink to a corner pocket, smashing his cue into the table. Commentator Dave Hendon remarked: "The cue has taken a bit of punishment there. He's apologising now to the referee and Rob Milkins. Just a rush of blood [to the head]."

O'Sullivan went on to lose 3-2 to Milkins and seemed to have all but given up by the final frame, paying little attention to the game's progress. The Rocket had clearly had enough as he fired the cue ball into the pack at one point.

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Hendon observed during the broadcast on Matchroom's in-house streaming service: "Still anyone's frame though... Well, he's [O'Sullivan] literally just whacked them. He's given up I think."

The commentator later confirmed O'Sullivan had pulled out of the tournament, which is the precursor to the second Triple Crown event of the season, The Masters, which begins at Alexandra Palace on Sunday. The 49-year-old due to face John Higgins in the first match of the tournament.

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Fans were left unimpressed with O'Sullivan's conduct, with some even suggesting he could pull out of The Masters, which he won in 2024 with a stormy 10-7 victory over Carter. One fan posted on X: "I'll be amazed if he plays at the Masters now after binning his cue."

Another said: "Ronnie is done. Doesn’t have the composure required to win another triple crown event. It seems the frustration gets to him too easily, that he’s realised he can no longer do things he once done with relative ease." A third added: "He keeps coming up with creative new ways to withdraw."

O'Sullivan has withdrawn from numerous tournaments over the last 18 months, although it would still be a surprise if he misses the 50th edition of The Masters, where the winner will pocket £350,000.