well overdue if he does

Higgins v Selby final! Come on Johnny boy!!! :D:D:D

Higgins dominates Selby in final

 

Higgins stormed towards a second world title with a host of big breaks

 

John Higgins moved through the gears at The Crucible to storm into a 12-4 lead in the World Championship final against an increasingly weary Mark Selby.

Both players were visibly tired, but Selby settled early with a 116 break.

 

However, that only served to inspire Higgins and runs of 97, 75, 70 and 100 helped the "Wizard of Wishaw" take seven straight frames as Selby wilted.

 

The 23-year-old pulled one back in frame 13, but Higgins pulled away again with a 106 to take complete control.

 

It ensures Selby will have to create Championship history to win his first world crown this year as no player has ever come back from a 12-4 overnight deficit in the final at The Crucible.

 

The biggest overnight deficit overturned to lift the title is 10-6 - by Mark Williams (2000) and Shaun Murphy (2005) - both at the expense of Matthew Stevens.

 

The last time a player was 12-4 down going into the second day was Jimmy White in 1993, and he eventually lost 18-5 to Stephen Hendry.

 

That match finished with a session to spare and there is a danger of the same scenario on Monday, unless Selby wins three of the eight frames in the afternoon session.

 

It had started well enough for the "Jester from Leicester", as his 116 break in frame five helped him into a 3-2 lead following a scrappy opening four frames.

 

However, Higgins responded by completely destroying the youngster's game and confidence.

 

A break of 97 in frame six ensured Selby was unable to gain any momentum from his earlier century break and, having edged into a two-frame lead ahead of the second session, Higgins then proceeded to blow the 23-year-old away.

 

The Scot barely missed a pot for three frames with runs of 75, 70 and 100, and even when he did, luck played its part as he built a huge lead.

 

Selby had his chances in frame 11, when he suffered a huge kick on the blue, and 12, when Higgins fluked a red to spark a frame-winning break, but even after pulling one back with a tenacious effort in frame 13, Higgins responded.

 

And when Selby fought back from 63 points down in frame 15 only to lose it on the pink, Higgins ruthlessly rubbed salt into the wound with a century break in the final frame to leave him just six frames away from a second world title.

 

John Higgins (Sco) 12-4 Mark Selby (Eng)

73-25 58-32 19-95 25-76 (67) 10-132 (116) 97-0 (97) 98-11 86-5 75-0 (75) 85-9 (70) 101-24 (100) 70-61 59-75 (Higgins 58) 98-0 78-55 (Higgins 53) 116-0 (106)

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/6630727.stm

Higgins beats brave Selby in epic

 

Higgins last won the title in 1998

 

John Higgins held off a dogged fightback from Mark Selby to claim his second World Snooker Championship title at The Crucible.

Selby began the day seemingly out of it at 12-4 down but won all six afternoon frames to cut the deficit to 12-10.

 

The match became a war of attrition as the players went eight straight frames without a break over 50.

 

Selby moved to within one at 14-13, but Higgins refound his form to claim four straight frames for an 18-13 victory.

 

"I'm shattered," said a relieved Higgins after securing the win. "At 14-13 I was ready to throw the towel in because Mark was coming back superbly.

 

"I don't know how I did it. To come back under that sort of pressure was the best I have played in my life.

 

"I thought I might burst into tears but I feel calm. I might have one glass of champagne just to toast the win."

 

The match produced the latest finish to a world final in history, narrowly beating the 12.52am climax to the Graeme Dott-Peter Ebdon showdown 12 months ago.

 

But at one stage it looked like it could threaten the latest finish to any match at The Crucible - 3.51am for the Cliff Thorburn-Terry Griffiths encounter in 1983.

 

Only six of the eight scheduled afternoon frames were possible because of the slow rate of play, with the players taken off to ensure they had a break before the evening.

 

"I was so delighted," Higgins admitted later. "If we had stayed on, Mark would have definitely made it 12-12 because I was gone at that stage."

 

Selby had breaks of 109, 65 and 62 in three of the afternoon's first four frames, but as the tensioned increased the breaks decreased and the match turned into a marathon.

 

Higgins finally got his first frame of the day as the players returned for the evening session to make the score 13-10.

 

But Selby would not let him off the hook and ground out three of the next four to close within one at 14-13.

 

Higgins won a crucial 28th frame to move two in front once more, and he finally got back into his rhythm as he closed out the match with breaks of 57, 129 and 77.

 

"I played him here two years ago and - he won't mind me saying it - he wasn't that good!" joked Higgins, before describing Selby as "a future world champion" and saying "the sky's the limit for him".

 

Selby, who admitted to fatigue on the first day of the final after his epic semi-final win over Shaun Murphy, said he gave it all he could after starting the day so far behind.

 

"From 12-4 down when I came out this morning, I said to myself I'm going to give it my best shot," he said.

 

"I didn't really think I could win it, but when I got back to 12-10, I was believing I could.

 

"At 14-13 I thought I was in with a chance but I could just never get level. Hopefully I can come back next year and give it a better shot but overall, I am really proud of myself."

 

Higgins, who claimed the £220,000 first prize, will start next season as world number one but was more pleased to have emulated some of his distinguished peers.

 

"To join people like Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams (who have both won two titles) is a special feeling for me," he said. "This is the second one and hopefully there'll be a third and fourth and so on."

 

John Higgins (Sco) 18-13 Mark Selby (Eng)

73-25 58-32 19-95 25-76 (67) 10-132 (116) 97-0 (97) 98-11 86-5 75-0 (75) 85-9 (70) 101-24 (100) 70-61 59-75 (Higgins 58) 98-0 78-55 (Higgins 53) 116-0 (106) 36-73 0-110 (109) 35-65 (65) 4-74 (62) 0-66 48-72 81-40 63-70 75-2 22-82 54-77 71-33 57-43 (57) 129-1 (129) 78-1 (78)

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/snooker/6633177.stm

I watched the whole 12 hours of match,amazing that Higgins have won so early

Watched it to the glorious end...Higgins proves why he is one of the best people ever to pick up a queue. And why it pays tae be a Celtic fan...:D

 

GAN YERSEL' JOHNNY BOY!

Pierce Higgins is cute,oh the photo on worldsnooker :blush:

Ive loved how he ran to John and jumped to teh table yyyyyyyyyyyyyay

I know this is old ,but somebody maybe havent read it yet:

 

 

Ronnie and Jo are pleased to announce that they are expecting another baby, due late spring 2007.

 

Myself would like to offer my congratulations to them both:happy: