SNOOKER star John Higgins was uncertain today if he will be able to make it to York in time for his opening match tomorrow in the Travis Perkins UK Snooker Championship.

Higgins, who won the British Open title on Sunday, is back home in Wishaw with his wife Denise, who is now four days overdue.

The 29-year-old former world and UK champion wants to be present at the birth even if it means him having to withdraw from the UK Championship.

And there is no possibility of his first round match against Michael Holt or Ricky Walden starting at 2.30pm tomorrow being rescheduled. The tight playing programme makes that impossible. He will have to pull out if he can't make it in time.

World number 19 Allister Carter, from Essex, battled against illness as he struggled to beat world number 74 Tom Ford 9-8 last night for a second round match against Jimmy White.

Carter was 6-2 up but Ford pulled level at 8-8 before a deciding frame break of 59 took the Essex man into the next round.

Carter was taken ill yesterday with stomach problems. He had only an hour's sleep before his match.

Barry Pinches, the world number 21 from Norwich, beat former world finalist Nigel Bond 9-5 in a marathon duel lasting over seven hours.

Pinches, who scored the only century of the opening day, with 101 in the fifth frame, won four frames in a row to clinch a second round match against UK defending champion Matthew Stevens in front of the television cameras on Saturday.

Table toppers and losers

Travis Perkins

UK Snooker Championship

(at Barbican Centre, York)

First round: Barry Pinches bt Nigel Bond 9-5, Joe Perry bt Marcus Campbell 9-7, Allister Carter bt Tom Ford 9-8, Quinten Hann bt Shokat Ali 9-6, Andy Hicks bt Anthony Hamilton 9-5.

Latest positions (best of 17, finishing late this afternoon): Joe Swail 4, Neil Robertson 4; Tony Drago 3, Mark Selby 5; Ian McCulloch 3, Barry Hawkins 5; Mark King 4, Robin Hull 4; Drew Henry 4, Ryan Day 4.

Next in frame fixtures

Tuesday's matches (7pm start)

First round (final session of matches started this morning): John Parrott v James Wattana, Michael Holt v Ricky Walden, Robert Milkins v Sean Storey, Gerard Green v Jimmy Michie, Dominic Dale v Ding Junhui.

Wednesday's matches

First round (10am and 7pm): Stephen Maguire v Mark Davis, Chris Small v Joe Perry, Jimmy White v Allister Carter, Paul Hunter v Quinten Hann, Ken Doherty v Andy Hicks. 2.30pm: Graeme Dott v Joe Swail or Neil Robertson, David Gray v Tony Drago or Mark Selby, Alan McManus v Drew Henry or Ryan Day, Marco Fu v John Parrott or James Wattana, John Higgins v Michael Holt or Ricky Walden.

Updated: 09:48 Tuesday, November 16, 2004