World champion John Higgins has urged snooker firebrands Mark Allen and Judd Trump to cut out the sniping.

World champion John Higgins admits he “needs to knuckle down” after his shock first-round elimination from the Australian Goldfields Open in Bendigo today.

World champion John Higgins crashed out of the Australian Goldfields Open in Bendigo today.

Ronnie O’Sullivan heads into a titanic Crucible quarter-final with John Higgins today insisting he is the underdog.

STEPHEN HENDRY was not quite ready for his carriage clock and farewells yesterday but Scotland’s seven-time world snooker champion has retirement on his mind.

John Higgins hauled himself level at the mid-session interval of an arduous battle with Rory McLeod at the Betfred.com World Championship.

JOHN HIGGINS finished off Stephen Lee last night to pass his first test at the Betfred.com World Championship.

John Higgins finished off Stephen Lee tonight to pass his first test at the Betfred.com World Championship.

John Higgins began what could be an emotional journey to a fourth Crucible title with a hint of early anxiety followed by a masterclass this evening.

Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins were today handed tough-looking first-round draws for this year’s Betfred.com World Snooker Championship.

Six-time winner Steve Davis tonight failed to qualify for the World Championship after he was thrashed in the final round of qualifying by Stephen Lee.

John Higgins admitted he was "all over the place" after returning to action for the first time since his father's death with a workmanlike 4-3 win over youngster Jack Lisowski today.

Veteran Nigel Bond proved himself a champion sprinter as he triumphed at the Snooker Shoot-Out in Blackpool tonight.

John Higgins made a winning return to competitive action in Britain today with a 9-6 victory over Stephen Lee at the UK Championship in Telford.

Shaun Murphy could not hide his delight after dumping six-time champion Stephen Hendry out of the Masters at Wembley with a 6-4 triumph.

Jimmy White has been given a wild card for the Masters at Wembley and will take on Mark King on the opening evening of the 18-man event on January 10.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has extended an enthusiastic welcome to Barry Hearn, revealing the promoter’s proposed involvement in snooker is likely to extend his own career.

Stephen Hendry believes leaving the Crucible on a permanent basis should be out of the question as the Betfred.com World Championship organisers consider the future of their event.

The North's Mark Allen had one foot in the second round of the Betfred.com World Championship after tearing to a 7-2 lead over Martin Gould.

Ronnie O’Sullivan squandered the chance of a lucrative maximum break on day one of the Betfred.com World Championship as he began his quest to become the first back-to-back winner since 1996.

Ronnie O’Sullivan missed out on a possible £157,000 (€177,000) jackpot but still clinched a commanding lead over Stuart Bingham in their first-round match at the Betfred.com World Championship.

Stephen Hendry began his new snooker campaign with a fortuitous win in Preston tonight.

Rory McLeod set up a dream meeting with his idol by beating Malta’s Tony Drago 5-3 in the first round of the £597,200 (€86,500) Regal Scottish Open in Edinburgh.

John Higgins’ winning streak came to an end at the hands of Stephen Lee in the quarter-finals of the £597,200 LG Cup at Preston Guild Hall today.