The World Championship final will be a Class of 92 remake as two men who turned professional in 1992 but who are still performing to an amazing level meet for the massive first prize and the title when John Higgins faces Mark Williams.
The final will be played over the best of 35 frames over four sessions of play across Sunday and into Monday and it promises to be a tantalising match up between two of the best players to have ever lifted a cue.
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John Higgins
The four time world champion John Higgins will look to write his name into many more record books by winning a fifth world title here. The big question is whether he has enough left to do that because he has been put through a tough test on three occasions in this tournament so far. He did have it easy in the second round but every other match has been a real battle.
The Scot has showed his class in the pressure moments though. He has delivered some sensational clearances with his back against the wall and when he has got in first he has scored big when the time has needed it. This is Higgins’ second final in as many seasons so he will know what it takes to get over the line.
Mark Williams
The best player in the tournament doesn’t always make it into the final of these lengthy events but in the case of Mark Williams he has. He has been terrific so far. The only match of his which got very close was his semi-final against Barry Hawkins and that was just down to the sheer quality of the Englishman’s play.
Williams has scored terrifically throughout the competition and he has produced some eye catching shots when he has had to pull them out. We know the Welshman has a terrific snooker brain so he will fancy his chances here and if he can play four more sessions in keeping with the ones he has played in the tournament already he will be tough to beat.
Head to Head
If you include all the lesser competitions then these two will know all about each other as this will be the 56th time they have met officially. Higgins has 31 wins and Williams 20 with four draws but it is much closer in finals. They have played in seven of them in the past with Higgins leading those 4-3. It is Williams who leads their Crucible meetings. He has won two of their three matches at this famous venue.
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Betting
I’m going to see how both approach the opening day of the final because I fancy fatigue could hit both at some point after gruelling semi-finals. Once I’ve seen how it is shaping up I might look to get involved in the winner market overnight.
I will go with one from the beginning in this final though and that comes in the form of Mark Williams’ centuries where his personal line is 2.5. Williams has been scoring brilliantly in this tournament and I expect him to go on the attack a little more in this final as he is unlikely to match Higgins in an all-out safety battle. I fancy a close final so it might well be that Williams only needs a ton every five frames he wins to cover this line. That feels acceptable to me.
Tips
Back M.Williams – Over 2.5 centuries for a 4/10 stake at 2.10 with Bet365
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