Crucible latest: Higgins beats Trump in final thriller

Higgins returned for the final day in Sheffield trailing 10-7 to 21-year-old rookie Trump.

That soon became 12-9, but a missed blue proved costly for Trump to let Higgins in and the three-times winner reeled off four successive frames to go 13-12 in front.

At 10-7 Higgins missed the first opportunity at Sheffield’s Crucible theatre, failing to pot a long red, yet Trump failed to capitalise and the Scot nipped in to reduce the arrears with a 59 break.

The duo then traded the next two frames with some excellent snooker. Trump smashing in a 104 break, before Higgins responded with a 97 - his highest of the final - to make it 11-9.

A 99 clearance restored Trump’s three frame advantage in frame 21 at 12-9 but it was only the calm before Higgins’s storm.

He reeled off the next four frames with breaks of 47, 93, 113 and 57 to go into Monday evening’s final session leading 13-12 - needing five more frames for a fourth world title.

And he opened the evening session, which was started by a tremendous standing ovation from a packed Crucible, by pinching the opening frame. Trump had a 38 break, but after potting a red he saw the white drop into the centre pocket. Higgins replied with a match-winning 62.

Trump at last stopped Higgins’s five-frame winning run with a 41 break to bring him back to 14-13 in their best-of-35 frames contest.

Frame 28 was a case of the missed black. Both players had chances to win the frame, and yet both floundered when they missed a simple black off its spot.

Trump eventually scrambled over the line with a break of 35 to level the match at 14-14.

And the 21-year-old was in the points in the next frame, scoring 42 before running out of position after splitting the pack of reds.

Higgins responded with a 44 break, but missed the final red. Trump dropped the red but then left the black hanging over the pocket to leave the frame in the balance. It was costly as Higgins cleaned up to go into the mid-session interval leading 15-14.

And he extended that lead to 17-15 with breaks of 45 and 50, Trump responding with a 70, to leave Higgins just one frame away from victory.

That came in the very next frame although Higgins had to eke out a snooker on the pink, then sink the last two balls to clinch his fourth world title.