'You just opened your wallet, Barry?' - John Higgins pokes fun at Hawkins after 'alarm' goes off in Masters clash

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John Higgins took time out from the heat of battle to poke fun at Barry Hawkins during their first-round clash at the Masters. Hawkins and Higgins were pulled out together in the first round of the second Triple Crown event of the season at Alexandra Palace in London. Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Masters, live on TNT Sports and discovery+

'Bit harsh' - Higgins pokes fun at Hawkins after alarm goes off

Video credit: TNT Sports

Triple Crown snooker is serious business as the cream of the crop fight for snooker’s biggest accolades.

The Masters is one of snooker’s major events, with the players in the hunt for a winning pot of £350,000 and the Paul Hunter Trophy.

High stakes, yes, but there are still bits of levity to break the tension.

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There was one such moment in the second frame of the first-round meeting between Scotland's John Higgins and England's Barry Hawkins at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday evening.

Higgins had raced into the lead in the second frame but, with the Scottish legend still at the table, play was briefly interrupted by a high-pitched screech.

There was a high probability of it being a malfunctioning earpiece belonging to a member of the audience. But it handed Higgins the chance to take a swipe at his opponent.

With the noise still audible in the arena, Higgins said: "You just opened your wallet, Barry, the alarm’s going off?"

Leaping to Hawkins’ defence, TNT Sports commentator Phil Studd said: "That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?"

In response, Studd’s co-commentator and Higgins’ fellow Scot, Alan McManus said: "Especially from a Scotsman."

‘You could see what was going to happen’ - Higgins with outrageous up-and-down table fluke

Video credit: TNT Sports

Studd flashed back, saying: "I did not want to say that, as an Englishman. I am glad you did."

On the table, Hawkins pinched the opening frame after a Higgins error, but the Scot hit back to take the second and third off the back of mistakes from his opponent.

The fourth went the way of Higgins as well, as he took a 3-1 lead into the interval, with the action continuing on TNT Sports and discovery+.

'I felt really strong out there'

The evening match followed on from Kyren Wilson's win over Si Jiahui.

The 6-2 victory was a welcome return to form for Wilson, following his loss at the UK Championship and subsequent "hissy fit".

Wilson now has a cue he is happy with following months of struggle, and is in the hunt for a first Masters title.

"I felt really strong out there," Wilson said in his press conference. "When you can go out and trust your cue and just play the game, it makes my job an awful lot easier.

"At 3-2 Si was looking dangerous, he has great technique, so it was important to win the next frame."

‘This venue can bring out the best in you’ - Wilson revels in win over Si

Video credit: TNT Sports

Wilson has changed his game to focus on attack rather than defence and is happy with his pace of play.

"In this era you have to play an attacking game, because grinding out frames takes too much out of you," the 2024 world champion said. "So I have wanted to speed it up and play in a natural way.

"I have been playing snooker since I was six so it has always frustrated me when people say I am not a natural player compared to others. It has been nice to put that to bed and play good flowing snooker, and there is no better place to do that than Ally Pally."

Watch and stream the 2025/26 snooker season, including the Masters, live on TNT Sports and discovery+

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