John Higgins' already strange run at the Scottish Open descended into farce on Wednesday evening, with a bizarre refereeing error causing significant disruption during his second-round match against Noppon Saengkham.
Chaos on the Baize
The incident unfolded during a tense second frame at the Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh. Higgins, the veteran Scottish star, had attempted a delicate shot, using the pink ball to try and reach a distant red. The shot resulted in the pink needing to be replaced, along with a cluster of reds returned to their original positions.
This routine task, however, proved anything but for referee Colin Humphries. As he consulted the overhead monitor to ascertain the correct layout, confusion quickly set in. Viewers and commentators heard Humphries ask aloud, "Was it this red?" as he repeatedly touched the wrong ball, further disrupting the table.
'I Haven't Got a Clue' - Referee's Honest Admission
The situation escalated into a lengthy discussion between Humphries and the match marker, while a frustrated Higgins sat with his head bowed. The frame was delayed for approximately 20 minutes as officials tried to resolve the positioning fiasco.
Commentator David Hendon remarked, "I'm sure this wasn't on your Christmas list, Colin. We could be here a while. That's not the right red, I'm afraid." Eventually, after his attempts to reconstruct the table, Humphries turned to Higgins and made a startlingly honest admission: "Are you okay where the reds are, because I haven't got a clue!"
With the original shot no longer viable, both players played safe, and the frame was ultimately declared void, with a re-rack agreed upon by the two competitors.
Higgins' Unfortunate Tournament Ends in Defeat
The chaotic episode was the latest in a series of odd moments for Higgins at his home tournament. Earlier in the week, during his first-round win over Antoni Kowalski, he had famously snookered himself after a fluked red and then saw his cue slip off the spider rest and crash onto the balls, prompting laughter from the commentary box.
This time, there was no recovery. Saengkham capitalised on the disrupted momentum, sealing a comprehensive 4-0 victory over the four-time world champion. The Thai player signed off in style with an impressive century break of 100 in the final frame.
The Scottish Open second-round match on Wednesday, 18 December 2025, will be remembered less for the snooker and more for the extraordinary refereeing confusion that brought the game to a standstill.
