(Best of 35 frames)
JOHN HIGGINS (2) beat JUDD TRUMP 18-15
Session One: 4-4 64-19, 76-1, 38-73, 54-74 (61), 5-115 (64), 113-0 (102), 68-69 (Trump 64), 56-19
Session Two: 6-3 20-64 (60), 67-45, 68-0 (58), 127-0 (103), 38-63, 25-64, 77-18, 60-9, 69-36
Session Three: 2-6 8-64 (59), 113-0 (104), 0-97 (97), 99-0 (99), 55-65, 35-93 (93), 1-113 (113), 8-77 (57)
Session Four: 3-5 38-66 (62), 78-0, 60-38, 52-64, 35-64, 75-52 (70), 44-64 (50), 61-62
JOHN HIGGINS capped a rollercoaster 12 months by winning a fourth world title against snooker's new sensation Judd Trump.
Higgins won four of the last five frames to prevail 18-15 but only after being given one of his toughest ever matches by the 21-year-old left-hander.
Resuming 13-12 ahead this evening, Higgins won frame 26 with a 62 break after Trump had gone in-off in the middle pocket on 38.
That moved Higgins to within four of victory but, despite having lost five frames in a row, Trump was not about to give up just yet.
The Bristol potter took the next two frames to level the match again but it was frames 29 and 30 which were hugely important in deciding the course of this match.
Trump began frame 29 well and led by 51 points when he was unlucky to leave himself without a pot on a colour after a cannon into the pack.
Higgins won the ensuing safety battle and made a 44 break but he then broke down on the final red. Though Trump potted that red, he missed the next black leaving Higgins to clear the colours to go ahead 15-14.
Frame 30 was tighter still and again looked like being won by Trump after he fluked a red in the far corner having missed a really tough plant with the rest.
However, he then missed another black and Higgins almost made him pay by compiling a break of 45.
That was not enough to take him over the line, though, and it took neat safety play on yellow and then brown in order for the Scotsman to win the frame and move within two of victory.
If Higgins thought he had finally killed off any chances of a Trump comeback, he was wrong, as the youngster won frame 31 to close the gap back to a single frame at 16-15.
This time, Higgins looked set to win the frame and go three clear after Trump's double kiss left the Scotsman in the balls to make a break of 46.
But he broke down when a cannon into the pack only left him with a difficult long red and Trump took advantage with a nerveless 70 break.
Despite this, Higgins had kept his nose ahead throughout the evening session and he went two clear again - and within one of victory - thanks largely to a beautiful 50 break in frame 32.
None of four reds remaining was particularly easy when he came to the table but, having cleared those obstacles, he then missed the brown with the rest.
However, the Scotsman was able to lay a full-ball snooker and, once Trump missed the brown, Higgins was in full control of the frame, winning it by potting a long pink.
That left Higgins one frame from victory but it was typical of the drama of this Final that frame 33 did not look like being Higgins' crowning moment until a cruel end for Trump.
The left-hander dominated the early part of the frame, leading 60-0 at one stage after having laid a tough snooker behind the yellow and then made a 36 break.
A simple miss on the pink belied the tension which Trump had been put under, and Higgins closed the gap before surprisingly taking on and unsurprisingly missing a difficult final red.
Trump potted the red to leave Higgins needing two four-point snooker. The sign of a true champion, though, is to never give up and the Wizard from Wishaw was soon back at the table.
Higgins reduced his chances of getting a snooker by potting yellow, green, brown and blue but had worked out that by gaining six penalty points he would win the frame.
With the cue ball placed tight behind the black, Trump knew he had to hit the pink on the far rail. He failed and Higgins punished the miss by doubling the pink magnificently into the middle pocket.
All that was left to do for Higgins was to put the simple black and he had won the frame by a single point for a fourth world title.
Only Steve Davis, with six titles, and Stephen Hendry, with seven, have won more often at the Crucible - and this title perhaps means more than the other three for Higgins after his tough past year.
This time, 12 months ago, Higgins had been caught on camera in a tabloid sting by the News of the World seemingly admitting that he could throw away frames for money.
After an investigation by an indepedent inquiry, Higgins was cleared of match-fixing but banned for six months for bringing the game into disrepute.
The 35-year-old returned to the tour in November but, less than three months later, his father John Senior - who had played an important part in his career - lost his battle with cancer.
Nevertheless, Higgins had performed admirably since returning to the game, winning the UK Championship and the Welsh Open.
Unsurprisingly, then, the serial winner arrived in Sheffield as one of the favourites - but, once he reached the latter stages, it was never going to be easy with Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark J Williams lying in wait.
O'Sullivan was beaten 13-10 in the last eight but Higgins had been 8-5 down at one stage and the semi final against Williams was similar.
New world number one Williams had led 9-5 but Higgins has become renowned for finishing his matches stronger than his opponent and he came through that one with a 17-14 win.
Of course, Higgins made his latest comeback this afternoon, overturning Trump's overnight 10-7 advantage to take a one-frame into this evening.
It was a tough session for Trump, who never got back into the lead, but he retained his enthusiasm throughout and it looks like he has a never-say-die attitude to go along with his exciting style of play.
Despite needing to refine some of the rougher edges of his game, most notably to do with positioning, the Bristol left-hander has already now moved to number nine in the new rankings.
If he truly does represent the future of snooker, then the relative popularity of this game looks safe for years to come.
The present, though, is once again about John Higgins. And the question must now be just how many of these Crucible crowns he might end up winning - it is unlikely he wants to stop at four.
--
EARLIER REPORTS
End of session three: Higgins 13-12 Trump
JOHN HIGGINS made a fine comeback this afternoon in the Crucible Final to take a 13-12 lead into this evening's final session.
The Scotsman, who is looking for his fourth world title, reeled off four successive frames after the mid-session interval to overturn Judd Trump's 12-9 advantage.
Before the mid-session interval, Trump had continued to go toe-to-toe with Higgins in a high-quality contest but the youngster felt the pressure thereafter as his vastly more experienced opponent finally began to hit top form.
Higgins got the start to the day which he desired by taking frame 18 with a 59 break after Trump had missed a thin cut on a red to the middle pocket.
But the left-handed Bristolian gave an immediate response with his third century of the Final and 10th of the tournament to win frame 19.
Higgins won frame 20 with his highest break of the match up until that point, an exemplary 97, which at one stage looked as if it might be the highest in the tournament.
Then, remarkably, in the next frame, Trump also missed a chance to beat the tournament high break of 138, which is currently shared by Mark King and Ding Junhui.
Trump's run of 99, though, meant he had retained a three-frame advantage from the opening four frames of the day.
Higgins needed to step it up and he did but only after Trump had let him in by missing a blue down the cushion in frame 22.
Trump missed another blue in frame 23, leaving Higgins in the balls and the Scotsman took advantage by knocking in a 93 clearance.
And another big break followed for Higgins in frame 24 as he levelled the match at 12-12. Indeed, Higgins' 113 was the first century of the Final, though it was his ninth of this year's tournament.
By now, the momentum was well and truly with Higgins and, despite giving his opponent a chance only 20 points ahead, Trump could only make a score of eight before missing a red. Higgins did not offer another chance as he knocked in a frame-winning 57 break.
Altogether, it meant that the Scotsman had won the session 6-2 and he has now given this match a completely different complexion.
Trump need not despair too much, though. At just one frame behind, he is still in with a big chance of this title and he already has had the experience of recovering from a poor session after falling behind to Ding in the semi final.
Hopefully, then, Trump can still push Higgins all the way - but, to stand any chance, the 21-year-old needs the momentum to swing back in his favour early on tonight.
End of session two: Trump 10-7 Higgins
JUDD TRUMP has given himself a huge chance of winning an extraordinary world crown after he produced another exhilarating display on the first day of the Final at the Crucible.
The 21-year-old from Bristol is aiming to become only the third qualifier after Terry Griffiths and Shaun Murphy to win the title and, with a 10-7 overnight lead, he is more than halfway there.
Higgins has been kept largely quiet with a high break of 64 so far - as compared to Trump's two century breaks - but there is an expectation that the Scotsman must surely play better on day two of the Final.
In a certain way, Higgins will not be too disappointed to have played below-par but still put seven frames on the board.
And the three-time champion will hope that his greater experience eventually begins to tell so that he can impose some pressure onto Trump.
But that is by no means a likely outcome as Trump has never seemed fazed by any situation throughout this tournament against bigger names and higher-ranked players than himself.
After all, his first match was a tense 10-8 win over defending champions Neil Robertson before he swept past Martin Gould and Graeme Dott to reach the last four.
In the semi finals, Trump suffered his first really poor session of the championships, losing it 6-2 to go 9-7 down, but he bounced back to beat Ding Junhui 17-15 in the end.
Trump's flowing confidence showed straightaway in the Final as he took the first two frames but the 35-year-old Higgins hit back and a break of 61 squared the match at 2-2 at the mid-session interval.
The momentum appeared to be with the Scotsman when he took a 3-2 lead with a run of 64 but Trump responded with a knock of 102 to win frame six.
Then, in frame seven, Trump was briefly eyeing up a maximum break. However, he missed on 64 - after potting eight reds and blacks - and it proved costly as Higgins won on the final black.
Rather than wallowing in self-pity, though, Trump responded immediately again to win frame eight and level the match at 4-4 going into the second session.
Trump was forced to come from behind again as Higgins took the ninth frame but it worked out that the two players shared the opening six duels of session two, making the score 7-7.
Frame 15 was won by Trump after another magnificent long pot set up a frame-winning contribution before the youngster guaranteed himself a lead going into the second day by winning frame 16 as well.
Oddly, Higgins conceded despite the fact that there was enough points on the table to have still won and, as a result of his unusual choice, he will be fined £250.
But, perhaps more importantly, Trump clearly felt this was a chance to seize the initiative and he made Higgins pay for missing an easy black on 35 in frame 17.
And so, Trump takes a three-frame lead into the second day but the chances are that he will need all the advantage he can get against a champion like Higgins.
EARLIER MATCHES
SEMI FINALS
(Best of 33 frames)
(Best of 33 frames)
Judd Trump beat Ding Junhui (5) 17-15
John Higgins (2) beat Mark J Williams (3) 17-14
QUARTER FINALS
(Best of 25 frames)
(Best of 25 frames)
Judd Trump beat Graeme Dott (9) 13-5
Ding Junhui (5) beat Mark Selby (4) 13-10
Mark J Williams (3) beat Mark Allen (11) 13-5
John Higgins (2) beat Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) 13-10
SECOND ROUND
(Best of 25 frames)
(Best of 25 frames)
Judd Trump beat Martin Gould 13-6
Graeme Dott (9) beat Allister Carter (8) 13-11
Ding Junhui (5) beat Stuart Bingham 13-12
Mark Selby (4) beat Stephen Hendry (13) 13-4
Mark J Williams (3) beat Jamie Cope (14) 13-4
Mark Allen (11) beat Barry Hawkins 13-12
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Shaun Murphy (7) 13-10
John Higgins (2) beat Rory McLeod 13-7
FIRST ROUND
(Best of 19 frames)
(Best of 19 frames)
Judd Trump beat Neil Robertson (1) 10-8
Martin Gould beat Marco Fu (16) 10-8
Graeme Dott (9) beat Mark King 10-7
Allister Carter (8) beat Dave Harold 10-3
Ding Junhui (5) beat Jamie Burnett 10-2
Stuart Bingham beat Peter Ebdon (12) 10-8
Stephen Hendry (13) beat Joe Perry 10-9
Mark Selby (4) beat Jimmy Robertson 10-1
Mark J Williams (3) beat Ryan Day 10-5
Jamie Cope (14) beat Andrew Pagett 10-7
Mark Allen (11) beat Matthew Stevens 10-9
Barry Hawkins beat Stephen Maguire (6) 10-9
Shaun Murphy (7) beat Marcus Campbell 10-1
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Dominic Dale 10-2
Rory McLeod beat Ricky Walden (15) 10-6
John Higgins (2) beat Stephen Lee 10-5
Tournament Centuries (73)
138 Mark King, Ding Junhui
137 Mark J Williams
135 John Higgins
134 Stuart Bingham
133 Stephen Hendry
132 John Higgins
131 John Higgins
129 Mark Selby
128 Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan
127 Neil Robertson, Mark Selby
125 Mark Selby, Mark J Williams
124 John Higgins, Mark Selby
123 Judd Trump, John Higgins
122 Judd Trump, Graeme Dott
121 John Higgins, Ding Junhui
120 Graeme Dott, John Higgins
119 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ding Junhui
117 Ding Junhui, Stephen Hendry, Barry Hawkins, Mark Selby
116 Ronnie O'Sullivan
115 Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Allister Carter, Mark Williams
114 Mark Allen, Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui
113 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark J Williams, John Higgins
112 Allister Carter
111 Graeme Dott
110 Judd Trump
109 Mark J Williams
108 Judd Trump, Mark Selby
107 Mark Selby
106 Mark J Williams
105 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark J Williams
104 Allister Carter, Judd Trump (twice), Mark J Williams
103 Mark Allen, Mark J Williams, Judd Trump
102 Graeme Dott, Mark Allen, Ding Junhui, Judd Trump (twice)
101 John Higgins, Stephen Lee, Stuart Bingham
100 Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Marco Fu, Mark Selby, Mark Allen
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