Higgins in the frame after he takes early lead against Wilson

JOHN Higgins took an early lead against Kyren Wilson as the fourtime champion looks to reach another Betfred World Championship Final.

The 42-year-old, runner-up 12 months ago, will take a 5-3 advantage into the second session against a man who was just six when Higgins lifted his first world title in 1998.

Wilson started slowly in his first semi-final appearance at the Crucible but fought back from 4-1 down and will rue a missed opportunity to level in the final frame of the session.

Higgins forged ahead with breaks of 57, 65 and 77 before Wilson finally got on the board before the mid-session interval.

The Scot restored his advantage after the resumption with a frame-winning clearance of 69 but the 26-year-old found his form to claim the next two, including a brilliant break of 140 in the seventh.

But Wilson missed an inviting red in the final frame of the day and Higgins took advantage, clearing to the pink, as he aims to reach a seventh final in Sheffield.

In the second semi-final, two-time champion Mark Williams’ century in the final frame of the day kept him within two frames of Barry Hawkins, who leads 5-3.

Hawkins, who finished as runner-up in 2013, started with a brilliant break of 129 and followed it up with 74 before Williams responded with an 88 that included a clever three-ball plant.

The big breaks then briefly went missing, with three successive scrappy frames ending with Hawkins enjoying a 4-2 lead.

Williams then missed a tricky shot — using one rest balanced on top of another — at the start of the seventh, which gave Hawkins the opportunity to make a frame-winning 90.

But Williams responded with a fine 110 to close the gap back to two. Both matches resumed today. GARY Anderson is in pole position to seal the final Premier League play-off spot next week despite losing to Raymond van Barneveld in Birmingham.

The Scot, outclassed 7-3 by the veteran Dutchman, heads into the final night of the regular season in Aberdeen two points better off than fifth-placed Daryl Gurney with a superior leg difference.

Anderson takes on defending champion Michael van Gerwen next in his homeland while Gurney, having produced checkouts of 147 and 167 in a 6-6 draw with Michael Smith, faces second-bottom Peter Wright.

Anderson and Gurney are in a battle to join Van Gerwen, Smith and Rob Cross at the O2 Arena on May 17.