John Higgins causes chaos at Scottish Open as referee Colin Humphries struggles to re-position balls - only for frame to end in a re-rack

John Higgins' match against Noppon Saengkham at the Scottish Open unofficially launched the pantomime season with referee Colin Humphries cast as the unfortunate comic character unaware of where the pink and reds ought to have been re-positioned. Following 20 minutes of the second frame, both players eventually agreed to a re-rack at Meadowbank Sports Centre following expert safety play.

‘We could be here a while…’ - Higgins appears exasperated as referee struggles to reset reds

Video credit: TNT Sports

The second frame between John Higgins and Thailand's Noppon Saengkham at the Scottish Open descended into a farce on Wednesday as the referee's valiant efforts to re-position the pink ended up counting for nothing.

The opening frame took 36 minutes before Saengkham prevailed, but Higgins faced an even more frustrating second frame that showed no signs of ending after his marginal miscalculation in the early stages.

The 50-year-old Scot kissed the pink in his attempts to catch the edge of a long red, forcing referee Colin Humphries into a long and arduous bid to place the colour, along with the scattered reds, in their original spots.

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Staring above at the assistant screen, Humphries was heard on the microphone asking, 'was it this red?'. His anguish was felt as he continually gloved the wrong ball, moving the original layout further out of place.

John Higgins eventually conceded that a re-rack was needed in frame two

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The referee is then heard in lengthy discussions with the marker over where precisely the balls should be placed, with the TNT Sports commentary team reacting each time the wrong ball was manoeuvred.

"I'm sure this wasn't on your Christmas list, Colin," said commentator David Hendon as the restoration project commenced. "We could be here a while. That's not the right red, I'm afraid."

Higgins, the perpetrator, was sat down throughout the entire fiasco with his head bowed - no doubt wishing he could have been anywhere else.

Once Higgins rose to take the shot again, Humphries is heard asking him: "Are you okay where the reds are, because I haven't got a clue!"

Once play resumed, unsurprisingly, Higgins opted to play a different shot.

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Video credit: TNT Sports

Both players continued to return the cue ball safely back down the table but soon lost their appetite for the frame, especially after Higgins forced the black over the bottom right pocket with almost all the reds lined up on that side.

After 20 minutes of the frame heading nowhere, it was effectively stricken from the record with a re-rack required.

Both Higgins and Saengkham had shown their safety play pedigree, much to the irritation of poor referee Humphries but amusement of onlookers at Meadowbank Sports Centre who settled in for a lengthy contest.

In the end, many of the fans will have left disappointed as Saengkham claimed a 4-0 win over home hope Higgins, wrapping up his victory with a break of 100.

Catch every second of the 2025 Scottish Open on TNT Sports and discovery+. Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Masters.

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