A 30-foot mural of Ronnie O’Sullivan outside a Sheffield snooker and pool club has attracted widespread online mockery, with critics describing the unfinished portrait as “terrifying” and “zombie-like”. The artist, Chris Ashmore, says further touch-ups are needed, while the club owner has defended the work as distinctive and a worthwhile talking point near the Crucible Theatre.

The mural took more than six weeks to paint and shows the seven-time world champion preparing to take a shot. Ashmore said uneven ground prevented him from using a scissor lift to assess the image from a distance, and scaffolding has been put back up for further work. The reaction comes as O’Sullivan withdrew from the British Open for a fourth consecutive year on medical grounds, following a 6–3 Wuhan Open defeat by Chang Bingyu.