Higgins stays on cue for third world title

Published on Monday 4 May 2009 00:38

JOHN Higgins set himself on course to join the all-time greats as a three-time Crucible winner as he surged ahead of Shaun Murphy in the Betfred.com World Championship final.

Needing 18 frames for victory, the Wishaw player won seven out of eight frames to establish an overnight lead of 11-5.

No player has come back from 11-5 in the final to be world champion in Sheffield, so Murphy must make history today if he is to add to his 2005 title.

Higgins, the champion of 1998 and 2007, stepped up his performance in the second session of the final and Murphy could produce little by way of a response.

Higgins fired in two breaks of 128, the 82nd and 83rd centuries of a tournament in which the previous World Championship record of 68 has been obliterated. He had gone into the mid- session interval on the back of a break of 95, and it was an ominous sign.

The sudden injection of quality was welcome as the afternoon had suggested both players were exhausted by their efforts to reach the final. The pair were tied at 4-4 and at that stage the close contest which had been widely predicted looked to be materialising. But that was all to change over a remarkable two-and-a-half hours of evening action.

With the trophy, and a 250,000 cheque, now just seven frames away, if Higgins produces a repeat of yesterday evening's session when they resume this afternoon, then there will be no need to come back this evening.

The Scot has 19 ranking titles to his name over his career and another trophy today would see him join Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Spencer on three world titles, with only Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Ray Reardon more successful in the open era, which began in 1969.

Higgins would also be the oldest Crucible champion since Dennis Taylor in 1985 triumphed at the age of 36. He turns 34 on 18 May.

Northamptonshire-born Murphy, now based in Sale, knew victory would make him the fifth player in the history of the game to win the double of UK and World Championship in the same season, after Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams. But unless he starts brilliantly today that chance will fall by the wayside.

But, after coming from behind to defeat both Jamie Cope and Mark Selby by 13-12 scorelines, Higgins had mixed feelings about whether he could tackle another deciding frame.

He said: "If I win of course I could, but if I lost I don't know if I could stand it."

Meanwhile, Higgins has urged snooker chiefs to take the championships to mainland Europe after admitting enthusiasm for the sport in Britain is waning. The Scot believes there are several countries who would be contenders to stage snooker's top tournament. Higgins co-promotes the World Series of Snooker, a series of tournaments which runs alongside the ranking events on the main tour.

He said: "We're taking it to countries where 10 years ago they wouldn't really have been interested. It's the European countries that are really up for the game, whereas in Britain just now we've maybe been here too much and it's maybe stagnated a little bit in the last few years."

Higgins added: "Hopefully we can be going to different countries and telling them they could have a chance in five years' time to hold the World Championship, and let these different countries get their infrastructures ready so when the current deal finishes in 2014 they can put in a bid.

"If we have got to leave it would have to be a good offer."