Nine-year wait ends on cue

SHEFFIELD – New world snooker champion John Higgins has admitted he never imagined it would take him nine long years to reclaim the title he first won in 1998.

Then only 24, Higgins was expected to go on and dominate the game in the way that his fellow Scot Stephen Hendry had done. But, until this year, he never seemed able to find the sustained form required for victory at the Crucible, reaching the final only once, in 2001, in between his two victories.Nampa-AFPBut, until this year, he never seemed able to find the sustained form required for victory at the Crucible, reaching the final only once, in 2001, in between his two victories.Nampa-AFP