Thursday 5 May 2011

World Number One, John Higgins, admitted on Sunday that the 2010 frame-fixing scandal that nearly pulled the breaks on his career will be difficult to forget


The Scottish professional, Higgins, was accused of losing the frames intentionally. The news that Higgins lost frames intentionally rocked the world of snooker in 2010 during the Betfred.com World Snooker Championship final.

Higgins was banned for six months with a heavy fine for bringing the game into disrepute. However, the 35-year-old was cleared from all the charges.

John Higgins, who has recently won his fourth Crucible Crown, has become the third player after Stephen Hendry (seven) and Steve Davis (six) to win more than three World Championship titles.

However, he was reminded of  last year's frame-fixing scandal, when a spectator stood up and called him a ‘disgrace’ during the 28th frame of his semi-final match against Mark Williams in this year’s World Championship. The heckler yelled at Higgins by saying, “How did you swallow 300,000 John?” Though the person was removed immediately from the crowd, there was a drama in the Theatre which went on for a while.

Higgins, who was disturbed by the controversial remarks, did win the frame with a classy break of 128, but afterwards said to the media, "I think that showed that there are always going to be people that think certain things about me. I have to accept that I will have to contend with that for the rest of my life, something I will have to put up with."

Higgins further added, "I have just been totally focused on every shot I play since I came back, that has been my approach."

The four-time Crucible winner broke into tears when he was reminded of his father, who passed away in February 2011 due to cancer. He was then consoled by his wife, Denise and his children who certainly brought a cheerful smile on Higgins by celebrating his victory.

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