ALAN McManus is a proud Scot, having once emerged for a Crucible semi-final against compatriot Stephen Hendry to the sounds of a piper.
So it was perhaps not a complete surprise when he came out for his first-round match with close friend John Higgins resplendent in Mackenzie tartan trousers and matching bow tie.
What was more unexpected was to see a World Snooker official dashing in to the media centre after the first frame of the afternoon, won by Higgins, and asking if anyone could lend the world No35 a belt as his strides were too loose for comfort on their debut showing.
A potentially embarrassing incident on live television was avoided when scoreboard operator Geraint Phillips obliged, and armed with the lucky accessory McManus embarked on a winning streak of six frames to take control of the match before Higgins closed to 6-3.
The 43-year-old McManus said: “I am very patriotic, and to be honest it was a bit of a dare between me and Anthony McGill if either or both of us got to the Crucible.
“It is Mackenzie tartan – but they were a bit loose as I forgot to bring my belt with me. My shirt was coming out, and that can happen with new trousers you have never played in.
“I suppose they could have fallen down, I don’t think so but you never know what could have happened out there in the arena.”