PLAYER OF SEASON AWARD FOR HIGGINS

By John Docherty

JOHN HIGGINS has been named World Snooker's Player of the Season but he insists he won't be resting on his laurels.
Scotland's 34-year-old world champion, who completed a famous Crucible Theatre hat-trick following last month's 18-9 final win over England's Shaun Murphy, came out on top of the voting poll comfortably ahead of arch-rival Ronnie O'Sullivan.
FSTC Sports Management star Higgins, who also won the Grand Prix in Glasgow to cap a memorable year, revealed : "I suppose it was going to be between myself and Ronnie because he won a few tournaments himself although obviously, the big one is the world.
"I'm delighted, it's a good feeling to be named the Player of the Year.
"When I won my second world title two years ago, that was the only major event I won that season.
"But last season was really good, I won two ranking events,I lost in another final and did pretty well in the rest of the tournaments as well.
"It was fantastic to win a third world championship but I am aiming for more, definitely.
"I've lifted the world twice in the last three years so I have got to be happy with that although you are always striving to become an even better player.
" What I do think is that there is no-one coming through just now who could totally wipe the floor with me. I'm still playing to a good enough standard which means I am capable of beating anybody. It's just about trying to get your game right and keep yourself focused for the major tournaments. If you can do that, that's half the battle."
Aussie Neil Roberton took third place in the World Snooker's readers website poll while seven times world champion Stephen Hendry, who hit a magical 147 in the world championship, was seventh.

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