The Link below will direct you to the old website where you can look back at forum posts from previous years
http://aberdeensnooker.cmlwebdesign.com/index.php/test
Free Ball rule
just a quickie as this has already come up 3-4 times this season in our matches alone. Still some referees calling it a foul and some not. This is lifted from a Snooker forum with the rule shown underneath. It’s no longer a foul if you don’t nominate your free ball, if the ref is unsure which colour you are playing, he must ask, the same as anytime someone is on a colour.
Just a reminder that if your opponent has fouled and you are left with a free ball;
You do not have to verbally nominate which ball you are playing for if it is obvious to the referee which ball you are aiming for (eg. if the blue is in the middle of the table and there are no other balls near it, it would be obvious that you are playing for that ball).
If the referee is not sure which ball you are aiming for he/she should ask you to nominate in which case you must state verbally which ball you are playing for. If you do not do this when asked by the referee it is a foul.
I hope this makes sense because there are still referees calling fouls on players who are not verbally stating which ball they played for when it is clearly obvious.
To avoid any doubt, I would recommend all players to verbally nominate anyway to avoid any embarassment where referees are not too familiar with the rules.
Here is the rule (note part b):
12. Nominated Ball
(a) A nominated ball is the object ball which the striker declares, or indicates to the satisfaction of the referee, he undertakes to hit with the first impact of the cue-ball.
(b) If requested by the referee, the striker must declare which ball he is on.