Higgins races into comfortable lead

JOHN HIGGINS swept into a 6-2 lead over struggling Mark Allen as the pair began their battle for a place in the final of the World Championships.

The 33-year-old Scot dominated the first of the four sessions, making a break of 114 in the sixth frame on his way to gaining a comfortable overnight lead.

Higgins won the final three frames of the session as shock semi-finalist Allen struggled with almost every aspect of his game.

The consolation for the 23-year-old Northern Irish cueman, who knocked out pre-tournament favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan in the second round, is that there are three sessions of the first-to-17-frames match remaining and he has time to recover.

Higgins is bidding for his third Crucible title and before yesterday’s match his experience was predicted to be a telling factor, with Stephen Hendry tipping him to be champion.

And when he lost an untidy opening frame yesterday it seemed that the exertion after his epic win over Mark Selby might have been affecting him.

However steady breaks of 40, 55 and 49 saw the Wishaw man begin to dominate, even though the play remained scrappy. Neither player was particularly fluent before the mid-session interval, and it is believed concerns were raised over the state of the baize during the break.

Both had suffered terrible kicks, and the table, which was re-clothed overnight, was playing slowly.

It was ironed during the interval, and there was a notable change when the players returned.

Allen, bidding to become the first Northern Irish player to reach the final since Dennis Taylor’s 1985 triumph, closed the gap to 3-2 with a break of 41.

But then Higgins’ century break brought the match to life and he also edged a tight seventh frame, before a session-closing 75 left Allen trailing by four.

Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson are determined to disprove Hendry’s theory that the title is heading for Scotland, and they finished their opening session tied at 4-4.

Murphy, the champion in 2005, has been unable to count on the support he used to as a Rotherham resident and a spectator was ejected for heckling the 26-year-old.

Now based in Sale after splitting from his wife, Murphy has brushed off the sporadic abuse he has faced so far.

He gave a composed performance against Robertson but could not shake off the Australian.

Murphy won a pedestrian opening frame, before the audience member was thrown out, and made it 2-0 after a break of 46.

Robertson’s 81 to win the third frame suggested stage fright was not an issue for the Australian, in his first Crucible semi-final.

He drew level at 2-2 but Murphy restored his lead soon after the resumption.

The players returned to their dressing rooms after the fifth frame as officials attempted to detect the source of a buzzing noise.

With that quickly resolved, Murphy knocked in a break of 88 to regain his earlier two-frame advantage.

But Robertson responded with 81 in the next and a run of 46 made sure he took the final frame of the evening.