Higgins comeback ends in defeat

Alex Higgins was beaten 5-2 by Garry Hardiman on his professional comeback in the Irish Professional Championship in Dublin today.

Higgins, 56, had not played in a major event for eight years and failed to find the form which saw him capture the world title in 1972 and 1982.

The Hurricane, cheered by a sizeable crowd at the Spawell Club, won the fourth frame to make it 2-2 after Hardiman had missed the green off its spot.

However, this did not act as a springboard for greater things as Hardiman won three scrappy frames to deny Higgins any further progress.

The largely disjointed match lasted close to four hours and did not contain a single half-century break.

Higgins, a four times winner of the Irish event, which has been revived after 12 years, was given a wildcard by tournament organisers.

He last played on the world ranking tournament circuit in 1997 and has recently recovered from throat cancer.

Higgins was infamous as snooker’s leading wild child for three decades. In 1986, he was banned for five tournaments after headbutting an official.

Four years later he received a season’s ban for threatening to have his compatriot Dennis Taylor shot.

Fergal O’Brien, the 1999 British Open champion, advanced to the quarter-finals with a 5-0 victory over Robert McCullough.