AS JOHN HIGGINS LINED UP THE fifteenth black of what had been a flawless frame in Riyadh, the Scottish snooker player’s attention was distracted by the arrival of a group of Arabs in flowing white robes and head-dresses. They had drifted into the auditorium not, one suspects, out of any particular desire to see a four-times world champion in the second round of the World Masters event, but because they had heard that someone was seven pots away from making a stonking pile of cash.
For this competition in Saudi Arabia, the sponsors had come up with a gimmick. As well as was worth 20 points, though since the frame would have been long won by the time it could be attempted, it may as well have been a billion. However, its financial value would be more than winning the whole tournament.
