Higgins relief after ‘hardest six months’

JOHN HIGGINS is hoping the “hardest six months of his life” are behind him after winning his third 12bet.com UK Championship title.

Higgins trailed 9-5 to Mark Williams but recovered to win 10-9 in the final in Telford on Sunday. It was his first major tournament triumph since serving a six-month ban for bringing the game into disrepute after admitting breaching betting rules.

Higgins admits his family helped him through those difficult times and he has won 18 out of 19 matches since returning to competitive action last month.