And when the match resumed he'd made the most of yet another Murphy error to move to within one of the title. But the 26-year-old Englishman, the reigning UK champion, produced a 59 break to keep Higgins at bay.

However, he was merely delaying the inevitable and, after Murphy broke down in the next, Higgins rounded off the match with a break of 73, just failing to add to the record 83 centuries scored at this World Championship.

Scotland's John Higgins kisses his wife in the awarding ceremony after defeats England's Shaun Murphy by 18-9 in the two-day final match of 2009 World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, England, May 4, 2009

Higgins joined Ronnie O'Sullivan and the late John Spencer on three world titles with only seven-times champion Stephen Hendry and six-times winners Steve Davis and Ray Reardon more successful since the tournament reverted to being a knockout event in 1969. The match was all square at 4-4 after the first session but Higgins won seven of the next eight frames in a key burst.

Higgins's win saw him become the oldest Crucible world champion since Dennis Taylor triumphed in 1985 at the age of 36. Higgins turns 34 on May 18.

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