John Higgins applauded by crowd for classy act of sportsmanship during Tour Championship snooker match

Snooker legend John Higgins was applauded by the crowd in Manchester after showing a touch of class in his Tour Championship match against Mark Allen.

Higgins was competing against Allen at the event with players vying for a staggering total prize fund of £500,000.

The Scottish hero is widely regarded as one of the greatest snooker players in history, with Higgins currently ranked third on the list of players with the most ranking titles.

He boasts an impressive tally of 31 titles to his name, a record that could have been further enhanced with a victory in the Tour Championship.

During the match with Allen, Higgins demonstrated his amazing sportsmanship by actually hindering his own chances at victory by calling a foul on himself. Higgins brought the incident to the referee's attention during the fifth frame when he inadvertently struck the white ball twice while attempting a safety shot.

It wasn't immediately evident to those watching that Higgins had struck the white ball twice, making it a challenging foul for the referee to call.

Nevertheless, Higgins promptly acknowledged his error, demonstrating his integrity which was appreciated by the crowd who acknowledged his honesty by offering him a round of applause.

At the time of the error, Higgins was cruising ahead with a 4-1 lead, but unfortunately, the mistake in the sixth frame proved to be a turning point with Allen leveling the scores at 4-4 before eventually taking a 10-7 victory.

John Higgins- Getty

Allen, who is ranked third in the world had been on a two-match losing streak prior to the match against Higgins but had been on a sensational five-match winning streak before that.

The 38-year-old will be hoping he can get back to his early-year form ahead of his next match against Ding Junhui in the quarter-finals of the Tour Championship.