Higgins Wins Number Four
John Higgins won the Betfred.com world championship for a fourth time, beating Judd Trump by 18-frames-to-15 at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre.
The Scot has made a remarkable return to the sport following his six month suspension last year.
He returned to win the game's second biggest title at the UK Championship in Telford, won the penultimate PTC event in Hamm before reaching the ifnal of the last one in Prague to end 2010 on a high note.
He came unstuck at the Masters in Wembley but added the Welsh Open title in February.
Shortly afterwards, he withdrew from the German Masters following the death of his father after John Snr. lost his lengthy battle with cancer.
Higgins never really hit fifth gear at this year's event but also more importantly never dipped below fourth.
Steve Davis hailed him as the 'greatest ever', which is contentious and not easy to define.
But, one of John's biggest strengths is his ability to take his second chance. Throughout this year's tournament, he didn't win as many frames on his first visit as usual, but when given a second chance, he took it.
Trump, known as the 'Ace' was also gracious in defeat, showing a refreshing side to the sport.
He appeared to genuinely enjoy himself throughout the whole of the tournament, and the loss in the final was not going to overshadow the fact.
His aggressive, all-out attack style won the hearts of fans around the world, and if he continues to pot balls the way he did over the past fortnight he had better keep May bank holiday weekend free for years to come.
And so, the curtain draws on Barry Hearn's first full season in charge of the game and the indicators are good.
Players are upbeat, the media is talking positively about a resurgent sport rather than a dying game and with an increased tournament schedule through the 2011/12 season, there is plenty for snooker fans to look forward to before next year's Betfred.com world championship.
