Higgins gets early lead as he lines up for final

SNOOKER: Fourtimes champion takes advantage of Wilson’s missed red

John Higgins took an early lead against Kyren Wilson as the four-times 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 semifinal 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.

Higgins and Wilson will play the morning and evening sessions on Friday, with Hawkins and Williams resuming in the afternoon.

John Higgins, left, leads Kyren Wilson 5-3 going into the second session.