Higgins wizardy conjures a 147

Occasionally they live up to their nicknames. The "Wizard of Wishaw" certainly did last night. John Higgins stepped up to the table for only his third time in this year's Benson and Hedges Irish Masters at Goffs and breathlessly shattered the record books.

In 10 minutes 26 seconds, the 24-year-old audaciously pocketed all the reds with blacks and al; the colours as well for the competition's first ever 147 maximum break.

Stephen Hendry and Ireland's Fergal O'Brien each scored 141 playing each other in the 1994 quarter-final, but no one since the inaugural event in 1978 had achieved the maximum until last night.

It is the 1998 world champion's second ever 147, his first coming in January of this year when he was playing for Scotland against Northern Ireland's Dennis Taylor in the Nations Cup. Only two players have now recorded maximums in the same year, Higgins and Stephen Hendry, both of them in 2000.

For his efforts the young Scot earned £27,500 for the maximum and probably another £3,000 for the highest break, becoming only the 17th player to record the feat on television and the 36th ever to have it officially ratified. Seven of those maximums have been achieved this year, indicating the current depth in the game and fashion for attacking snooker.

Needless to say it gave Higgins a wonderful platform, which he used to shoot to a 4-1 lead. Although White had to wait until the third frame to pot his first ball, he doggedly pressurised Higgins and pulled back to 4-3 and then 5-4.

It was clear that Higgins was feeling the strain and when White made a 50 break at 5-4 it looked like he was back in contention. However, after a long red, Higgins cleared for 61-51 and 6-4 for quite the best match of the competition so far.

"It was brilliant. the nerves were jangling. I asked a lady in the crowd what's it worth and she said £7,000. It was only when I came in that I knew she was wrong," said Higgins afterwards. "It was an unbelievable feeling."

Earlier, Ronnie O'Sullivan, responsible for the fastest ever 147 (five minutes 20 seconds), lamented the fact that his picture is not hanging in the Goffs arena with the other champions, having been stripped of his crown when cannabis was found in his urine two years ago.

O'Sullivan appeared somewhat less than contrite, a pull on a spliff seemingly a rather incredible reason to strip him of a snooker title. Voluntarily returning to the subject after beating Wales' Matthew Stevens 6-4 to secure a place in the semi-final against Higgins, the world number four continued his myth building.

"I won here before," he said to some nervous laughter. "I hope to win it again. I mean smoking a joint isn't going to enhance my performance. I know I still won it. But rules are rules. Maybe I'll bring a polaroid and stick it (my picture) on the wall."

O'Sullivan's form oscillated between gasping pots and silly fouls. An outrageous plant without a second's hesitation was inevitably followed by an equally breathless miss. Whirlwind breaks blew out because of reckless pots as he kept inviting Stevens back into the match before firmly snapping the door shut with typical sleight of hand.

Throughout, the crowd's awed silence and enthusiastic applause bore testimony to the man's talent and his roguish attraction.

Breaks of 53, 65 and 82 could so easily have been more as O'Sullivan took a 3-1 lead.

Ironically it was a good, if reluctant, safety shot that forced an error from Stevens in the eighth frame for 5-3. Stevens then clawed back one game with a 92 break for 5-4 before O'Sullivan borrowed from Jack Charlton's philosophy and "inflicted himself on the table" for a final 94 break.