JOHN HIGGINS (Scotland)

World ranking: 2
Last five seasons: 1-1-2-2-11
Date of birth: 18-05-75
Lives: Wishaw, Lanarkshire
Turned professional: 1992
Ranking tournament victories: 13
Last season’s prize money: £391,641
Career prize money: £2,354,192
Highest tournament break: 147

Celtic supporter John Higgins refuses to settle for second best so despite winning three titles, he will regard the 1999-2000 season as something of a disappointment.

He lost his No 1 spot in the rankings to Mark Williams and then had his hopes of regaining the Embassy World Championship he won in 1998 dashed by the Welshman in the semi-finals, losing 17-15 from 15-11 ahead.

Beaten 17-10 by Williams at the same stage the previous year, Higgins said: “I had chances and bottled it. This has to rank alongside the lowest points of my career - in fact, it’s probably the lowest.”

The highest undoubtedly came at the Crucible two years earlier when the ‘Wizard of Wishaw’ compiled a record 14 century breaks on his way to becoming the third Scottish winner of snooker’s blue riband event.

To become No 1 in the world rankings, Higgins had to win the title and hope that one-time practice partner Stephen Hendry went out in the first round.

That’s exactly what happened as Hendry lost 10-4 to Jimmy White and Higgins went on to defeat Jason Ferguson, Anthony Hamilton, John Parrott and Ronnie O’Sullivan before overcoming defending champion Ken Doherty 18-12 in the final.

Higgins has won 13 ranking tournaments to date - the first coming in 1994 when he beat Dave Harold 9-6 in the final of the Grand Prix. He stands third on the all-time winners’ list behind Hendry and Steve Davis.

As well as capturing the world crown in 1998, he won the UK Championship the same year, overcoming Matthew Stevens 10-6 in the final.

Higgins’ three successes last season came in the Grand Prix at Preston (where he beat Williams 9-8 in the final), the Regal Welsh at Cardiff (9-8 against Stephen Lee) and the Benson and Hedges Irish Masters at Goffs, County Kildare (9-4 against Hendry).

He also made his first maximum break in professional competition for Scotland against Northern Ireland’s Dennis Taylor during the Nations Cup at Reading.

“I’ve waited a long time for a 147 so that was a nice moment for me, but really everything else is forgettable,” he said after Scotland had failed to reach the final.