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The Masters Snooker final between Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter was temporarily halted - because a 'whoopee cushion' device was planted in the crowd.

Players were distracted by the noise as they got down to play a shot forcing referee Brendan Moore to halt play to try and find the perpetrator.

Bingham was visibly annoyed and looked towards the crowd along with the referee, pointing in the area which the noise was coming from.

Journalist Shamoon Hafeez, at the Alexandra Palace for the final, said: "Play momentarily stopped at Alexandra Palace.

"Looks like someone has planted a whoopie cushion inside the arena and it keeps going off making a "poooooop" sound.

(Image: Getty Images)

"Crowd laugh, Bingham not happy."

The device was planted under a seat, with the perpetrator sitting elsewhere controlling it.

Essex duo Bingham and Carter split the first four frames to go into the mid-session interval at 2-2.

Carter who only qualified for the tournament as World No.17 due to Ronnie O'Sullivan's withdrawal, took the first frame.

Former World Champion Bingham took the next two to nudge into the ascendancy but Carter hit back to level at two each.

Both players are bidding to win The Masters for the first time after a clutch of former winners fell by the wayside over the course of a dramatic week in north London.

The final will be played to a finish on Sunday evening.