Higgins edges session to hold slight lead over Jones at Crucible

Published 24/04/2024 at 22:04 GMT

There was very little between John Higgins and Jamie Jones as the pair locked horns in the evening session of the World Snooker Championship on Wednesday. The to-ing and fro-ing continued throughout the encounter as Jones threatened to pull away from the Scot on numerous occasions early on before Higgins turned the tables and ended up with a very narrow advantage ahead of Thursday’s resumption.

Watch unusual moment ball drops in without Higgins potting it

John Higgins edged the evening session of a well-matched first-round contest with Jamie Jones at the World Snooker Championship on Wednesday evening with the score left finely poised at 5-4.

A tight and at times edgy encounter stood in stark contrast to the utter dominance of Ronnie O’Sullivan in roaring into an 8-1 lead over Jackson Page earlier on as the evenly matched Higgins and Jones traded blows.

Jones could hardly have started the match in a more impressive fashion as he blitzed a break of 118 to immediately stamp his authority on proceedings at the Crucible Theatre.

Higgins, ever the cool customer, responded by fashioning 70 points in the second frame as he swiftly levelled the scores, a pattern which would repeat itself as the evening progressed. There was also an unusual moment as a red left over the pocket by Jones dropped in just as Higgins was potting on the other side of the table.

A tense third frame followed that quirky moment as Jones edged out the Scot 66-55 before he responded to a break of 68 by racking up 78 of his own in the fourth to establish a two-frame cushion. It did not last long.

Higgins took the fifth frame with a score of 75 as he again found some rhythm around the table, and he followed that with a hugely impressive break of 62 as he posted 119 and got back on terms once more.

The Wizard of Wishaw moved ahead for the first time in the match as he compiled a break of 66 to take the seventh frame, and he consolidated his advantage by taking an attritional eighth frame after a number of safety exchanges.

‘Wow!’ – Higgins apologises for ‘very fortunate fluke’

It looked as though the Scot would proceed to establish a three-frame cushion as he swiftly moved to 38 in the ninth frame, but it was at this point that he faltered as Jones stepped in with a superb break to reduce the deficit.

Just a single frame separated the pair as they departed for the evening, with the contest to resume on Thursday evening with both players hoping the conclusion will go in their favour.

The final frame of the evening could well prove to be crucial with Jones remaining very much in the match despite Higgins finding form after a slow start.

Higgins remains one of the leading players backed for glory at the sport’s biggest event with the four-time world champion looking for his first Crucible crown since 2011.

The 48-year-old is currently ranked at No. 13 in the world rankings but will be hoping to find some special form in Sheffield to add to his tally of major titles.

‘What a turnaround’ – Higgins surprisingly misses swerve shot to concede foul

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