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Ssb - happy higginson
Andrew Higginson’s capture of the fifth Players Tour Championship title of the season in Sheffield tonight was a good win for a good guy.
Higginson defeated the reigning world champion, John Higgins, 4-1 in the final to land the first title of his professional career.
These PTCs are of course tests of skill but also of stamina. Andrew can be very proud of his achievement.
After a decade on the fringes, he broke through at the 2007 Welsh Open by going all the way from the first qualifying round to within a frame of winning the title.
Higginson beat a series of top names and made a televised 147 en route before Neil Robertson denied him 9-8.
He hasn’t done anything as eye-catching since but has quietly worked his way into the top 32 and a top 16 place isn’t out of the question.
The next PTC will be in Warsaw this coming week, after which the ranking list will be used to determine seedings for the UK Championship.
I’m a defender of the PTCs. They have got the professionals doing what they should be doing: playing.
However, it remains to be seen how much longer they can be staged at the academy in Sheffield.
Play on Saturday night finished at something like 2.30am. There are no spare tables and earlier matches overran.
Players attract criticism for complaining about things but they are professional sportsmen and should not be expected to have to hang around for hours – until all hours – like this, especially as they have to be back playing at 10am the next morning.
The current World Snooker regime has been lumbered with the academy premises by the last one.
They want to utilise it, which is fair enough, but most people would agree the South West Academy in Gloucester, where PTC7 will be held, is a better venue for such tournaments.
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Higginson defeated the reigning world champion, John Higgins, 4-1 in the final to land the first title of his professional career.
These PTCs are of course tests of skill but also of stamina. Andrew can be very proud of his achievement.
After a decade on the fringes, he broke through at the 2007 Welsh Open by going all the way from the first qualifying round to within a frame of winning the title.
Higginson beat a series of top names and made a televised 147 en route before Neil Robertson denied him 9-8.
He hasn’t done anything as eye-catching since but has quietly worked his way into the top 32 and a top 16 place isn’t out of the question.
The next PTC will be in Warsaw this coming week, after which the ranking list will be used to determine seedings for the UK Championship.
I’m a defender of the PTCs. They have got the professionals doing what they should be doing: playing.
However, it remains to be seen how much longer they can be staged at the academy in Sheffield.
Play on Saturday night finished at something like 2.30am. There are no spare tables and earlier matches overran.
Players attract criticism for complaining about things but they are professional sportsmen and should not be expected to have to hang around for hours – until all hours – like this, especially as they have to be back playing at 10am the next morning.
The current World Snooker regime has been lumbered with the academy premises by the last one.
They want to utilise it, which is fair enough, but most people would agree the South West Academy in Gloucester, where PTC7 will be held, is a better venue for such tournaments.
More...