John Higgins encountered a hiccup during his Scottish Open match against Noppon Saengkham when a referee error disrupted the game. The 50-year-old faced off against the Thai snooker player in the second round on Wednesday evening.
In the initial frame, Saengkham secured the lead after 36 minutes, but the match soon spiraled into confusion. Higgins accidentally kissed the pink ball while aiming for a distant red, prompting referee Colin Humphries to readjust the ball and the reds to their original spots. However, the situation took an unexpected turn.
As Humphries consulted the assistant screen, he mistakenly identified the wrong red ball, causing further disarray in the setup. This led to a prolonged discussion between the referee and the marker while Higgins sat patiently. Commentator David Hendon quipped, “I’m sure this wasn’t on your Christmas list, Colin. We might be here for a while. That’s not the right red, I’m afraid.”
After Humphries struggled to realign the table, Higgins prepared for his shot, to which the referee humorously remarked, “Are you okay with the reds’ placement? Because I haven’t got a clue!”
Ultimately, the frame had to be voided after 20 minutes, with both players agreeing to a re-rack. Saengkham went on to secure a 4-0 victory over Higgins, concluding with an impressive 100 break. This incident marked another peculiar moment in Higgins’ recent snooker matches.
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During his previous match against Antoni Kowalski, Higgins found himself in a comical situation after accidentally snookering himself following a fortunate red ball pot. The mishaps continued as his cue fell and disrupted the nearby red balls while using the spider against Kowalski, eliciting smiles from Higgins and laughter from commentators.
“That shot pretty much sums up John Higgins’ start,” remarked Dave Hendon. “It was the opposite of a Christmas cracker.” Fellow commentator Neal Foulds, holding back laughter, acknowledged, “We shouldn’t laugh, but this is one of the greatest players the world has ever seen, ladies and gentlemen.”
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