Snooker: Shaun Murphy was setting set out to rewrite snooker's record books today after allowing John Higgins to move within sight of Crucible glory.
Higgins had a lead of 11-5 to take into this afternoon’s third session of the Betfred.com World Championship final, after winning seven out of eight frames last night.
No player has ever come back to win from 11-5 down in a Crucible final, however the overnight scoreline set up the possibility of a rare afternoon finish.
Higgins was left needing another seven frames to clinch the third world title of his career, after previous triumphs in 1998 and 2007.
The Scot made two brilliant breaks of 128 in the 14th and 16th frames, plus a run of 95 in frame 12.
Murphy may take some small consolation from the fact Higgins led 13-3 against Mark Allen in the semi-finals and was pegged back to 15-12 at one stage.
However the Wishaw cueman is not the sort to lose his focus in a final of such
magnitude, so it required an exceptional performance by the Northamptonshire born 26-year-old to salvage his title chance.
Although Higgins may have another glorious Sheffield night ahead of him, he is not convinced the World Championship should stay in South Yorkshire on a long-term basis.
An agreement between World Snooker and Sheffield City Council to keep the tournament at the Crucible until 2014 has been brokered, but Higgins suggests taking it to mainland Europe afterwards.
The 33-year-old Scot co-promotes the World Series of Snooker, the body which runs several non-ranking tournaments overseas.
He said: “We’re taking (snooker) to countries where 10 years ago they wouldn’t really have been interested.
“It’s the European countries that are really up for the game of snooker, whereas in Britain just now we’ve maybe been here too much and it’s maybe
stagnated a little bit in the last few years.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme, Higgins said: “Hopefully we can be going to different countries and telling them they could have a chance in five years’ time to hold the World Championship, and let these different countries get their infrastructures ready so when the current deal finishes in 2014 they can put in a bid.
“If we have got to leave it would have to be a good offer.”