Higgins hails 'finest hour'

An emotional John Higgins claimed lifting his third 12bet.com UK Championship crown was his “finest hour” as a snooker player.

Higgins came from 9-5 down to defeat Mark Williams 10-9 in a dramatic final in Telford.

It was his first major tournament triumph since serving a six-month ban for bringing the game into disrepute.

But Higgins had also stated his desire to lift the crown for his dad, John senior, who is losing his five-year battle against cancer – and got his wish.

He said: “I was a man on a mission. I was really determined to try and stop anything which prevented me from winning it.

“Given everything that surrounds it, this is my finest hour on the table.

“It means everything, just to be back playing and winning. It means a great deal.

“Obviously it means a great deal to my family as well.”

Higgins added: “I just never gave up. I thought 9-5 was too big a mountain but each frame was going past and I was still in it.

“It is an unbelievable feeling.”

Williams paid tribute to Higgins’ fighting qualities.

He said: “John done well to come back to be fair to him.

“I felt the gods were against me on a couple of occasions but I have got no complaints overall.

“I have been pretty dreadful all week. That was probably the best match I played all week.

“The best player in the tournament won but I had a chance to nick it and probably threw it away.”

Higgins was on the brink of defeat after trailing 7-2 and then 9-5 in the best-of-19 final.

But he showed nerves of steel in adding to his 1998 and 2000 triumphs in dramatic fashion.

The 35-year-old joined an elite band who have won snooker’s second most prestigious event – after the world championships – on at least three occasions.

Steve Davis (six), Stephen Hendry (five) and Ronnie O’Sullivan (four) are the other members of the select group.

Higgins’ success – his 22nd ranking title – also lifted back to number one in the world rankings ahead of Neil Robertson.