Snooker legend John Higgins left a commentator bemused following a bizarre incident at the World Open.
The four-time world champion made an impressive start to the tournament in Yushan, China, with a convincing 5-1 win over Mark Davis. But the match featured a peculiar incident, which saw the legendary Scot storm away from the table.
As Higgins attempted to pot the pink, he made contact with a red he was having to cue just above, causing it to roll across the table. As an annoyed Higgins returned to his seat, Eurosport commentator Foulds expressed his surprise, saying: “Goodness me, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that.”
As a replay was shown, Foulds added: “I haven’t seen a red ball move like that after no contact with the cue ball. It just went across the table.”
Higgins, who will turn 50 in May, is aiming to win his first ranking title in four years. Despite still performing at a high level, the Wizard of Wishaw attributes his recent lack of titles to a shortage of practice.
“I’ll be honest, it’s not rocket science,” he admitted via the Metro. “I can do it in fits and bursts, but it’s maybe because you don’t put in the same level of practice as you used to do and that maybe comes back to haunt you at the critical moments in the big, big events.
“I’d love to be able to practice more, but I just can’t. My mind just can’t take it in. I just don’t have the capabilities to do it.
“I still love playing, I still love competing. I want to be competitive when I come to big events, of course I do, but that’s maybe the deciding factor of it. It can be as simple as that really.”
World champion Kyren Wilson and world No.1 Judd Trump are among the stars at the World Open. Ronnie O’Sullivan is again missing after pulling out of the tournament, although the Rocket has indicated he will play at next month’s World Grand Prix in Hong Kong.