Impossible escape

[Kootcha]

Black, pink and blue all surrounding the ball on (yellow) against the cushion and there is absolutley no way to hit the yellow.
I purposefully hit the blue and broke up the cluster but we did not know how to call the shot. I could have rolled up to the blue and not allowed a hit and this could have continued for several strokes but that seemed to be a waste of time and effort.
What should we have done?

[Kyra]

Black, pink and blue all surrounding the ball on (yellow) against the cushion and there is absolutley no way to hit the yellow.
I purposefully hit the blue and broke up the cluster but we did not know how to call the shot. I could have rolled up to the blue and not allowed a hit and this could have continued for several strokes but that seemed to be a waste of time and effort.
What should we have done?

It's a foul and the opponent is awarded 5 points (for hitting the blue). The opponent can now choose to either play himself or put you in. According to the rules it's not a miss and therefore the balls will not be replaced:

14. Foul and a Miss

The striker shall, to the best of his ability, endeavour to hit the ball on. If the referee considers the Rule infringed, he shall call FOUL AND A MISS unless only the Black remains on the table, or a situation exists where it is impossible to hit the ball on. In the latter case it must be assumed the striker is attempting to hit the ball on provided that he plays, directly or indirectly, in the direction of the ball on with sufficient strength, in the referee's opinion, to have reached the ball on but the obstructing ball or balls.

[APK]

I agree.

As long as the referee is satisfied that the striker would have struck the ball on but for the obstructing balls not on, it is not a Miss. It is, of course a foul. As you are allowed to play directly or indirectly, you can make sure you foul the least points possible by hitting the lowest valuse ball not on with the first impact of the cue-ball.

It would be futile to roll into the blue, assuming it would have been hard enough to hit the yellow, because the opponent is just going to get a free ball and may ask you to play again which means you have to foul again.

Hitting it hard enough not to leave a snooker is probably the best result.

[csmarkus]

How often does that happen? Very rarely I would say. I can't recall any "impossible to hit" situation.

A quick search on youtube gave this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xNeoUn9gRc (nothing to do with the subject but nice and funny)

[muzicman147]

I've never seen it happen on the colours, but have seen the white end up in the middle of the reds,needing to hit a colour,but totally snookered.
In this case you're surposed to play the colour that you're most likely to be able to hit (none of them, cos your snookered). Funny enough every time i've seen this happen the player always go's for yellow,green or brown !!!!! :snooker:

[Kootcha]

Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I appreciate your comments and the clip of Allison was a treasure! Have been playing for almost 5 years and this is the first time I have seen an impossible stroke.
Thanks again.

[Krypton]

I've never seen it happen on the colours, but have seen the white end up in the middle of the reds,needing to hit a colour,but totally snookered.
In this case you're surposed to play the colour that you're most likely to be able to hit (none of them, cos your snookered). Funny enough every time i've seen this happen the player always go's for yellow,green or brown !!!!! :snooker:

because normally that's simply the best thing to do...!!!

[Souwester]

I've never seen it happen on the colours, but have seen the white end up in the middle of the reds,needing to hit a colour,but totally snookered.
In this case you're surposed to play the colour that you're most likely to be able to hit (none of them, cos your snookered). Funny enough every time i've seen this happen the player always go's for yellow,green or brown !!!!! :snooker:

WRONG. The rule has already been quoted by Kyra and APK made clearer. You are allowed to play for ANY colour, either directly or indirectly, with sufficient strength to have hit it, had the obstructing ball(s) not been there.

If you're in the pack of reds early in the frame, the ball you're most likely to be able to hit is probably black, but, as you say, it makes more sense to play for a baulk colour, thus giving away fewer penalty points, and leaving the cue ball a little less close to any potable reds.

I was at the Home Internationals last week, and one examiner from another country also gave a wrong explanation of what you are allowed to do when the ball on is impossible to hit. His incorrect interpretation of the rules was that if, after potting a red, you land in the middle of the remaining reds, all very close to the cue ball, in a direct line between pink and black (on their spots) then you MUST play either pink or black. His argument was based on the erroneous belief that you have to play with sufficient strength to get through the obstructing balls and that, because of awkward cueing a player wouldn't be able to play with sufficient pace to get through the obstructing balls and down to the baulk colours. This is WRONG: you can play with sufficient pace to have hit the object balls, had the obstructing balls NOT been there.