“Wow, what a catch from Marcel Eckardt!” When the referee made an excellent comeback to take centre stage during the Scottish Open final between Gary Wilson and Noppon Saengkham, commentator Dave Hendon of Eurosport let out an exclamation. As the players and spectators looked on, Eckardt lunged in with his white gloves, and was rewarded with a standing ovation for his intervention.
A fly caused Gary Wilson to halt in the middle of the break during Sunday afternoon’s Scottish Open final, and the referee heroically stepped in to save the day.
When a fly started buzzing around in the sixth frame, Wilson had to halt in the midst of what turned out to be a really amazing century break.
Referee Marcel Eckardt moved quickly to stop a lengthier delay that may have stopped play in the tournament’s championship game. He snagged the fly with one deft move.
The crowd at Edinburgh’s Meadowbank Sports Centre erupted in cheers as the official took a moment to take centre stage. He then grinned as he took in the standing ovation.
The crowd and Wilson’s opponent, Noppon Saengkham, chuckled as Wilson quipped, “He hasn’t paid!” A fly buzzed around the table, bringing the action to a halt.
Commentator Dave Hendon of Eurosport said, “Yes, a fly, there we go.”
The crowd cheered when the official demonstrated his hand-eye coordination under duress, saying, “Wow, what a catch from Marcel Eckardt!”
“He did not expect that to be in his list of duties this morning when he put the white gloves on, but there we go.”
Joe Johnson, a former world champion, said, “What a catch, yeah!”
Wilson, who was on a roll, was unfazed by the stoppage and won the frame with an incredible break of 105.
It was the game’s first century break, and it gave him a decisive 5-1 lead as his opponent found it difficult to stay in the game.
Wilson finished the afternoon session with a commanding 6-2 lead. Wilson won his first ranking title at the 2022 Scottish Open after defeating Joe O’Connor 9–2 in the championship match.
