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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
Topics: Snooker
Tom Jenkins