Ebdon edges out Higgins

Peter Ebdon tonight set up a possible repeat of this year’s world title showdown when he reached the Maplin UK Championship final in York.

The 36-year-old, now based in Dubai, won 9-7 against John Higgins and could meet his Crucible conqueror Graeme Dott in the battle for the £77,000 (€114,749) first prize on Sunday.

In tomorrow’s second semi-final Dott meets Stephen Hendry, the man Ebdon beat to capture the world crown himself in 2002.

Ebdon’s victory tonight came in a match of outstanding quality, right from the first red being potted in the opening frame. That led to an attempt at a maximum 147 break by Ebdon which broke down when he missed the 13th black having lost position.

The duo were level at 4-4 after the first session which featured seven breaks over 60, the highlight a 132 from Ebdon, and the superb standard continued in the evening.

In frame 14 came the pivotal moment as, with Ebdon leading 7-6, Higgins missed a straightforward red on a break of 49 and hung his head in frustration for several seconds.

The Englishman stepped in to take a two-frame advantage and although the 1998 world champion kept his hopes alive in the next, Ebdon completed his success with a decisive 43 after both players had missed chances under the increasing pressure.

Despite having claimed snooker's biggest prize four years ago, Ebdon considered this to be his greatest triumph.

“I’ve never been as proud of myself in my entire career,” said Ebdon, who is into his second UK final having lost 10-3 to Hendry in 1995.

“In many ways I have to rate it as the best win I’ve ever had because it means so much to me to beat John in a long match.

“I have so much respect for John. He’s a wonderful human being, a fantastic ambassador for snooker and probably the toughest match player I’ve ever played.

“The quality of the match was mind-blowing. I just felt he wouldn’t crack and I felt strong in myself that I wouldn’t crack either. It was like the irresistible force meeting the immovable object and it was a pleasure to be involved in such a high-quality match.

“You know you have to take yourself to that level when you play John. You have to try to compete with him in every department. He’s like a machine.”

Higgins also acknowledged the excellent quality of the contest and paid tribute to his opponent.

“It just didn’t go my way tonight,” said the world number four.

“My concentration just went out of the window at a crucial time.

“But take nothing away from Peter. He played very well all through the match and thoroughly deserved to win.

“It was a really good game apart from us missing one or two long balls. It was to-ing and fro-ing and just little rubs at this standard can be the pivotal moments.”