Higgins eyes up title No 5

JOHN Higgins thought his days as a Crucible contender were gone — but a fifth Betfred World Snooker Championship title is in his sights after he secured a t hree-frame overnight lead in the final against Mark Selby.

An agonising first-round defeat to fellow Scot Alan McManus three years ago led Higgins to conclude he had become a journeyman.

However, a spectacular turnaround of fortunes could be capped in Sheffield tonight.

He leads world No 1 and defending champion Selby 10-7, a position which could have been even better for the 41-year-old who left the arena frustrated his opponent had won the final three frames of the day.

A fist-pump showed Selby, despite his threeframe deficit, was t he more satisfied man — but he cannot afford another slow start when the match resumes.

Selby joined this battle late but he trailed Ronnie O’Sullivan by the same margin after day one of their 2014 final and turned the match around to triumph. This ti me he seemed tired.

“I’m only 33 but I feel about 53,” Selby said after a draining semi-final win against Ding Junhui.

And his efforts to come through that high-quality match were a likely factor in his slow start against Higgins, who disregarded his opponent’s struggles and focused on developing as commanding a lead as possible.

Only a Selby revival late in the day denied Higgins a lead from which it would have required an unprecedented effort to overturn.

John Higgins