John Higgins makes ‘criminal’ comment immediately after losing to Shaun Murphy | Other | Sport

John Higgins lamented his own ‘criminal’ errors in the closing stages of his defeat to Shaun Murphy in the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship. The veteran Scot had high hopes of securing a fifth Crucible triumph but fell at the penultimate hurdle. He found himself on the wrong end of a 17-15 scoreline as Murphy dug deep to book his place in snooker’s showpiece match.

Higgins went into the final day of the match with a 13-11 lead but crumbled under pressure as Murphy took control. In a nerve-shredding final frame, he broke down on 50 with a missed black which allowed his rival to finish the job. Speaking afterwards, a frustrated Higgins reflected on the missed opportunities that saw him miss out on a place in the final.