Alex Higgins

For other people with similar names, see Alexander Higgins.

Alexander Gordon Higgins (18 March 1949 – 24 July 2010)^[4] was a Northern Irish professional snooker player and a two-time world champion who is remembered as one of the most iconic figures in the sport's history. Nicknamed "Hurricane Higgins" for his rapid play,^[5] and known as the "People's Champion" for his popularity and charisma,^[6] he is often credited as a key factor in snooker's success as a mainstream televised sport in the 1980s.^[7]

Alex Higgins

Higgins in 1968
Born	(1949-03-18)18 March 1949 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died	24 July 2010(2010-07-24) (aged 61) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Sport country	Northern Ireland
Nickname	Hurricane^[1]
Professional	1971–1997^[2]
Highest ranking	2 (1976/77 and 1982/83)^[3]
Tournament wins
Ranking	1
World Champion	1972 1982

Higgins turned professional in 1971 and won the World Snooker Championship in 1972, defeating John Spencer 37–31 in the final to become the first qualifier to win the world title, a feat that only two other players—Terry Griffiths in 1979 and Shaun Murphy in 2005—have achieved since. Aged 22, he was then the sport's youngest world champion, a record he held until 21-year-old Stephen Hendry won the title in 1990. Runner-up to Ray Reardon and Cliff Thorburn respectively in the world championships of 1976 and 1980, Higgins defeated Jimmy White 16–15 in the 1982 semi-finals, producing a 69 clearance in the penultimate frame that is regarded as one of the greatest breaks in the sport's history.^[8] He went on to defeat Reardon 18–15 in the final to win his second world title ten years after his first. Images of a tearful Higgins holding his baby daughter after his 1982 victory are regarded as some of the most iconic in the history of British televised sport.^[9]

Higgins won Masters titles in 1978 and 1981 and won the UK Championship in 1983, where he recovered from 0–7 behind to defeat Steve Davis 16–15 in the final. As of 2023, he is one of 11 players to have completed a career Triple Crown. He won the World Doubles Championship with White in 1984 and played with Dennis Taylor and Eugene Hughes on the all-Ireland team that won the World Cup three consecutive times from 1985–87. He won his last professional title at the 1989 Irish Masters, defeating Hendry 9–8 in the final.

Remembered for his turbulent lifestyle, Higgins was a lifelong heavy smoker,^[10] struggled with drinking and gambling,^[7][11] and admitted to using cocaine and marijuana.^[5] He had tempestuous relationships with women—both his marriages ended in divorce, and he had widely publicised altercations with other girlfriends, one of whom stabbed him three times during a domestic argument.^[12] Known as an unpredictable, difficult, and volatile character,^[13][14] he was often disciplined by the sport's governing body, most notably when he was fined £12,000 and banned for five tournaments in 1986 after head-butting an official, and banned again for the entire 1990–91 season after punching another official and threatening to have Taylor shot. Higgins retired from the professional tour in 1997. Diagnosed with throat cancer the following year,^[15] he died of multiple causes in his Belfast home on 24 July 2010, aged 61.

Life and career

Early life

 

Higgins (right) with David Taylor at an exhibition at Queen's University Belfast, 1968

Alex Higgins was born in Belfast on 18 March 1949.^[16] He started playing snooker at the age of 11,^[17] often in the Jampot club in his native Sandy Row area of south Belfast and later in the YMCA in the nearby city centre. At age 14, he left for England and a career as a jockey. However, he never made the grade because he was too heavy to ride competitively. He returned to Belfast and by 1965, aged 16, he had compiled his first maximum break.^[17] In 1968 he won the Northern Ireland Amateur Snooker Championship, by defeating Maurice Gill 4–1 in the final. In doing so he broke two records - he was the first player to win the tournament at his first appearance and, aged 18, became the youngest winner of the tournament.^[18] One week later, he won the All-Ireland Amateur Championship, defeating Gerry Hanway of Inchicore 4–1 in the final at Mountpottinger YMCA.^[19] The following year he lost his Northern Ireland Amateur crown, losing 0–4 to Dessie Anderson in the 1969 final.^[20]

World titles

Higgins turned professional at the age of 22, winning the World Championship at his first attempt in 1972, beating John Spencer 37–31.^[21][a] Higgins was the youngest-ever winner of the title, a record he held until Stephen Hendry's 1990 victory at the age of 21.^[23] In April 1976, Higgins reached the final again and faced Ray Reardon. Higgins led 10–9 but faded over the stretch. In a match marred by erratic refereeing^{[citation needed]} and a sub-standard table, Reardon nevertheless pulled away to win the title for the fifth time, with the score finishing at 27–16. Higgins was also the runner-up to Cliff Thorburn in 1980, losing 18–16, after being 9–5 up. Higgins won the world title for a second time in 1982 after beating Reardon 18–15 (with a 135 total clearance in the final frame); it was an emotional as well as professional victory for him. Higgins would have been ranked No. 1 in the world rankings for the 1982/83 season had he not forfeited ranking points following disciplinary action.^[24][25]

Other victories

Throughout his career, Higgins won 20 other titles, one of the most notable being the 1983 UK Championship. In the final he trailed Steve Davis 0–7 before producing a famous comeback to win 16–15.^[26] He also won the Masters twice, in 1978 and in 1981, beating Cliff Thorburn (a man who, at one point, floored Higgins with one swift punch ^[27]) and Terry Griffiths in the finals respectively.^[28] Another notable victory was his final professional triumph in the 1989 Irish Masters at the age of 40 when he defeated a young Stephen Hendry. This was the last professional tournament he won, and is often referred to as "The Hurricane's Last Hurrah".

Post-retirement

After his retirement from the professional game, Higgins spent time playing for small sums of money in and around Northern Ireland. He made appearances in the 2005 and 2006 Irish Professional Championship, these comebacks ending in first-round defeats by Garry Hardiman and Joe Delaney, respectively.

On 12 June 2007, it was reported that Higgins had assaulted a referee at a charity match in the north-east of England.^[29] Higgins returned to competitive action in September 2007 at the Irish Professional Championship in Dublin but was whitewashed 0–5 by former British Open champion Fergal O'Brien in the first round at the Spawell Club, Templeogue.^[30]

Higgins continued to play fairly regularly, and enjoyed "hustling" all comers for small-time stakes in clubs in Northern Ireland and beyond; in May 2009 he entered the Northern Ireland Amateur Championship, "to give it a crack",^[31] but failed to appear for his match.^[16]

On 8 April 2010, Higgins was part of the debut Snooker Legends Tour event in Sheffield, at the Crucible. Appearing alongside other retired or close-to-retiring professionals, including John Parrott, Jimmy White, John Virgo and Cliff Thorburn, he faced Thorburn in his match, but lost 2–0.^[32]

It is estimated that Higgins earned and spent £3–4 million in his career as a snooker player.^[33][34]

Playing style

Higgins's speed around the table, his ability to pot balls at a rapid rate and flamboyant style earned him the nickname "Hurricane Higgins" and made him a very high-profile player. His highly unusual cueing technique sometimes included a body swerve and movement, as well as a stance that was noticeably higher than that of most professionals.

The unorthodox play of Higgins was encapsulated in his break of 69, made under extreme pressure, against Jimmy White in the penultimate frame of their World Professional Snooker Championship semi-final in 1982. Higgins was 0–59 down in that frame, but managed to compile an extremely challenging clearance during which he was scarcely in position until the colours. In particular, former world champion Dennis Taylor considers a three-quarter-ball pot on a blue into the green pocket especially memorable, not only for its extreme degree of difficulty but for enabling Higgins to continue the break and keep White off the table and unable to clinch victory at that moment. In potting the blue, Higgins screwed the cue-ball on to the side cushion to bring it back towards the black/pink area with extreme left-hand sidespin, a shot Taylor believes could be played 100 times without coming close to the position Higgins reached with cue-ball. He went a little too far for ideal position on his next red but the match-saving break was still alive.^{[35][citation needed]}

Controversy and behaviour

Higgins drank alcohol and smoked during tournaments, as did many of his contemporaries. A volatile personality got him into frequent fights and arguments, both on and off the snooker table. One of the most serious of these clashes was when he head-butted a tournament official at the UK championship in 1986 after an argument. This incident saw Higgins being fined £12,000 and banned from five tournaments,^[36] while he was also convicted of assault and criminal damage arising from the incident, and was fined £250 by a court.^[37]

Another came at the 1990 World Championship; after losing his first-round match to Steve James, he punched tournament official Colin Randle in the abdomen before the start of a press conference at which he announced his retirement, and abused the media as he left. This followed another incident at the World Cup, where he repeatedly argued with fellow player and compatriot Dennis Taylor, and threatened to have him shot. For his conduct, Higgins was banned for the rest of the season and all of the next.^[38]

During the World Trickshot Championship in 1991, Higgins referred to the black ball as "Muhammad Ali" in front of a live audience and TV cameras.^[39] This caused a visibly pained expression from Barry Hearn and an exclamation from fellow judge Steve Davis.

Outside snooker

At the time of his 1972 triumph at the World Championship, Higgins had no permanent home and by his own account had recently lived in a row of abandoned houses in Blackburn which were awaiting demolition. In one week he had moved into five different houses on the same street, moving down one every time his current dwelling was demolished.^[40]

In 1975, Higgins' son was born. Higgins's first marriage was to Cara Hasler in April 1975 in Sydney. They had a daughter Christel^[11] and divorced. His second marriage was to Lynn Avison in 1980. They had a daughter Lauren (born late 1980)^[41] and son Jordan (born March 1983).^[15][42] They split in 1985^[37] and divorced. In the same year, Higgins began a relationship with Siobhan Kidd, which ended in 1989 after he allegedly hit her with a hairdryer.^[43]

Higgins had a long and enduring friendship with Oliver Reed.^[44]

Higgins was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1981 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the Pot Black Club in London.^{[citation needed]}

In 1983 Higgins helped a young boy from Manchester, a fan of his who had been in a coma for two months. His parents were growing desperate and wrote to Higgins. He recorded messages on tape and sent them to the boy with his best wishes. He later visited the boy in hospital and played a snooker match he promised to have with him when he recovered.^[45]

A videogame with his likeness was released in 1986, titled Alex Higgins' World Snooker.^[46]

In 1996, Higgins was convicted of assaulting a 14-year-old boy,^[34] while in 1997 then-girlfriend Holly Haise stabbed him three times during a domestic argument.^[37] He published his autobiography, From the Eye of the Hurricane: My Story, in 2007.^[47] Higgins appeared in the Sporting Stars edition of the British television quiz The Weakest Link on 25 July 2009.^[48]

Illness and death

For many years, Higgins smoked heavily. He reportedly smoked 80 cigarettes a day.^[49] He had cancerous growths removed from his mouth in 1994 and 1996.^[50] In June 1998, he was found to have throat cancer;^[15] on 13 October of that year, he had major surgery.^[51] He could only talk in a whisper in his last years.^[52]

In early 2010 he suffered from pneumonia and breathing problems,^[53] and on 31 March he was admitted to hospital.^[54] In April 2010 Higgins' friends announced that they had set up a campaign to help raise the £20,000 he needed for teeth implants, to enable him to eat properly again and put on weight. Higgins had lost his teeth after intensive radiotherapy used to treat his throat cancer. It was reported that since losing them he had been living on liquid food, and had become increasingly depressed, even contemplating suicide.^[55] He was too ill and frail to have the implants fitted.^[56] Despite his illness, Higgins continued to smoke cigarettes and drink heavily until the end of his life.^[57] He was admitted to hospital again in May.^[52]

By the summer of 2010, Higgins' weight had fallen to 6 stone (38 kilograms).^[34] Despite having once been worth £4 million, he was bankrupt and survived on a £200-a-week disability allowance.^[55] He was found dead in bed in his flat on 24 July 2010.^[4][42] The cause of death was a combination of malnutrition, pneumonia, tooth decay and a bronchial condition, although his daughter Lauren stated that he was clear from throat cancer when he died.^[58] His children survived him.^[59]

Higgins' funeral service was held at St Anne's Cathedral, Belfast, on 2 August 2010. He was buried in Carnmoney Cemetery in Newtownabbey, County Antrim. Among the snooker professionals in attendance were Jimmy White, Willie Thorne, Stephen Hendry, Ken Doherty, Joe Swail,^[60] Shaun Murphy and John Virgo.^[61] Doherty and White were pall bearers.

Legacy

 

Mural of Higgins at the Royal Bar, Belfast

Alex Higgins was an inspiration to many subsequent professional snooker players, including Ken Doherty, Jimmy White and Ronnie O'Sullivan. In Clive Everton's TV documentary The Story of Snooker (2002), Steve Davis described Higgins as the "one true genius that snooker has produced",^[62] although the autobiography of a contemporary leading professional Willie Thorne characterised Higgins as "not a great player".^[63] Higgins arguably fulfilled his potential only intermittently during his career peak in the 1970s and 80s; Everton puts this down to Davis and Ray Reardon generally being too consistent for him.^[64] O'Sullivan has called Higgins "the greatest snooker player I have ever seen" when he was playing at his best, while also acknowledging that Higgins's erratic lifestyle led to a lack of consistency on the table.^[65]

Regardless, Higgins' exciting style and explosive persona helped make snooker a growing television sport in the 1970s and 1980s. Higgins also made the first 16-red clearance (in a challenge match in 1976); it was a break of 146 (with the brown as the first "red", and 16 colours: 1 green, 5 pinks and 10 blacks).^[66]

In 2011, Event 8 of the Players Tour Championship was renamed as the Alex Higgins International Trophy.^[67] In 2016, WPBSA chairman Barry Hearn announced that the trophy for the new Northern Ireland Open tournament would be named after Higgins.^[68][69]

Higgins' professional rivalry with Steve Davis was portrayed in a 2016 BBC feature film entitled The Rack Pack, in which he was played by Luke Treadaway.^[70]

Performance and rankings timeline

Tournament	1971/ 72	1972/ 73	1973/ 74	1974/ 75	1975/ 76	1976/ 77	1977/ 78		1978/ 79	1979/ 80	1980/ 81	1981/ 82	1982/ 83	1983/ 84	1984/ 85	1985/ 86	1986/ 87	1987/ 88	1988/ 89	1989/ 90	1990/ 91	1991/ 92	1992/ 93	1993/ 94	1994/ 95	1995/ 96	1996/ 97	1997/ 98	Ref.
Ranking	No ranking system					2	5		7	11	4	11	2	5	9	9	6	9	17	24	97	120	72	61	48	51	99	156	^[71]
Ranking tournaments
Grand Prix	Tournament Not Held												2R	1R	2R	3R	3R	A	F	2R	A	LQ	LQ	1R	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	^[72]
UK Championship	Non-Ranking Event														F	3R	SF	2R	2R	2R	A	1R	1R	1R	3R	LQ	LQ	A	^[72]
German Open	Tournament Not Held																									LQ	WD	A	^[72]
Welsh Open	Tournament Not Held																					LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	^[72]
International Open^[nb 1]	Tournament Not Held											NR	2R	1R	QF	3R	2R	A	1R	1R	Not Held		LQ	1R	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	^[72]
Thailand Open^[nb 2]	Tournament Not Held													Non-Ranking Event				Not Held		2R	WD	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	WD	A	^[72]
British Open^[nb 3]	Tournament Not Held									Non-Ranking Event					SF	SF	1R	1R	2R	F	A	LQ	1R	LQ	1R	LQ	LQ	A	^[72]
World Championship	Non-Ranking		QF	SF	F	1R	1R		QF	F	2R	W	SF	1R	2R	2R	2R	1R	LQ	1R	A	LQ	LQ	1R	LQ	LQ	LQ	WD	^[72]
Non-ranking tournaments
Scottish Masters	Tournament Not Held											SF	F	SF	SF	QF	F	QF	NH	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	^[72]
The Masters	Not Held			QF	QF	SF	W		F	F	W	SF	1R	QF	QF	1R	F	QF	A	WR	A	LQ	LQ	LQ	A	LQ	A	A	^[72]
Irish Masters^[nb 4]	Not Held			F	F	W	SF		SF	SF	SF	SF	SF	SF	F	1R	1R	SF	W	QF	A	1R	A	A	A	A	A	A	^[72]
European League^[nb 5]	Tournament Not Held													RR	Not Held		A	A	RR	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	^[72]
Pontins Professional	Not Held		A	A	A	A	RR		A	A	A	QF	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	^[72]
Former ranking tournaments
Canadian Masters^[nb 6]	Not Held			Non-Ranking								Tournament Not Held				Non-Ranking			LQ	Tournament Not Held									^[72]
Hong Kong Open^[nb 7]	Tournament Not Held									Non-Ranking Event									NH	3R	Tournament Not Held					NR	NR	NH	^[72]
Classic	Tournament Not Held									Non-Ranking Event				2R	2R	QF	2R	3R	2R	2R	A	LQ	Tournament Not Held						^[72]
Strachan Open	Tournament Not Held																					LQ	MR	NR	Not Held				^[72]
Asian Classic^[nb 8]	Tournament Not Held																		NR	QF	WD	3R	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	NH	^[72]
European Open	Tournament Not Held																		2R	2R	WD	LQ	1R	LQ	LQ	LQ	LQ	NH	^[72]
Former non-ranking tournaments
Park Drive 2000 (Spring)	F	Tournament Not Held																											^[73]
Stratford Professional	A	W	Tournament Not Held																										^[74]
Park Drive 2000 (Autumn)	A	F	Tournament Not Held																										^[73]
Men of the Midlands	W	W	Tournament Not Held																										^[75]
World Championship	W	SF	Ranking Event																										^[72]
Norwich Union Open	Not Held		SF	SF	Tournament Not Held																								^[72]
Watney Open	Not Held			W	Tournament Not Held																								^[72]
Canadian Club Masters	Tournament Not Held				W	Tournament Not Held																							^[76]
World Matchplay Championship	Tournament Not Held					QF	Tournament Not Held																						^[72]
Dry Blackthorn Cup	Tournament Not Held						F		Tournament Not Held																				^[77]
Holsten Lager International	Tournament Not Held								SF	Tournament Not Held																			^[78]
Forward Chemicals Tournament	Tournament Not Held								RR	Tournament Not Held																			^[79]
Padmore Super Crystalate	Tournament Not Held									W	Tournament Not Held																		^[80]
Pontins Camber Sands	Tournament Not Held									W	Tournament Not Held																		^[81]
Champion of Champions	Tournament Not Held								F	NH	RR	Tournament Not Held																	^[72]
International Open^[nb 1]	Tournament Not Held											SF	Ranking Event								Not Held		Ranking Event						^[72]
Northern Ireland Classic	Tournament Not Held											QF	Tournament Not Held																^[72]
Highland Masters	Tournament Not Held											SF	Tournament Not Held																^[72]
Classic	Tournament Not Held									F	QF	SF	1R	Ranking Event									Tournament Not Held						^[82]^[72]
Tolly Cobbold Classic	Tournament Not Held								W	W	SF	A	QF	A	Tournament Not Held														^[72]
UK Championship	Tournament Not Held						SF		SF	QF	F	QF	F	W	Ranking Event														^[72]
British Open^[nb 3]	Tournament Not Held									W	RR	RR	RR	RR	Ranking Event														^[72]
KitKat Break for World Champions	Tournament Not Held															SF	Tournament Not Held												^[72]
Pot Black	A	RR	A	A	A	A	RR		A	A	RR	RR	RR	1R	A	1R	Tournament Not Held						A	A	A	Not Held			^[83]
Belgian Classic	Tournament Not Held															SF	Tournament Not Held												^[72]
Carlsberg Challenge	Tournament Not Held														SF	F	SF	A	A	Tournament Not Held									^[72]
Canadian Masters^[nb 6]	Not Held			SF	W	F	W		SF	SF	SF	Tournament Not Held				A	SF	A	R	Tournament Not Held									^[72]
Hong Kong Open^[nb 7]	Tournament Not Held									A	A	A	RR	QF	A	1R	A	SF	NH	R	Tournament Not Held				A	A	NH		^[84]^[85]
Kent Cup	Tournament Not Held																A	QF	A	A	A	NH	A	Tournament Not Held					^[86]
Hong Kong Gold Cup	Tournament Not Held																			F	Tournament Not Held								^[87]
International League	Tournament Not Held																			RR	Tournament Not Held								^[88]
World Seniors Championship	Tournament Not Held																					1R	Tournament Not Held						^[89]
Irish Professional Championship	W	Tournament Not Held					W	W	W	F	A	F	W	NH	F	F	WD	QF	W	Not Held		A	QF	Tournament Not Held					^[72]
Tenball	Tournament Not Held																								QF	Not Held			^[citation needed]

Performance Table Legend
LQ	lost in the qualifying draw	#R	lost in the early rounds of the tournament (WR = Wildcard round, RR = Round robin)	QF	lost in the quarter-finals
SF	lost in the semi-finals	F	lost in the final	W	won the tournament
DNQ	did not qualify for the tournament	A	did not participate in the tournament	WD	withdrew from the tournament

NH / Not Held				means an event was not held.
NR / Non-Ranking Event				means an event is/was no longer a ranking event.
R / Ranking Event				means an event is/was a ranking event.

1. The event was also called the Goya Matchroom Trophy (1985/1986)
2. The event was also called the Thailand Masters (1983/1984–1986/1987 & 1991/1992) and the Asian Open (1989/1990–1992/1993)
3. The event was also called the British Gold Cup (1979/1980), Yamaha Organs Trophy (1980/1981) and International Masters (1981/1982–1983/1984)
4. The event was also called the Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament (1974/1975–1976/1977)
5. The event was also called the Professional Snooker League (1983/1984), Matchroom League (1986/1987 to 1991/1992), Premier League (1997/98)
6. The event was also called the Canadian Open (1974/1975–1980/1981)
7. The event ran under different names such as the Australian Masters (1983/1984 to 1987/1988 and 1995/1996) and Australian Open (1994/1995).
8. The event was also called the Dubai Masters (1988/1989), Dubai Classic (1989/90–1994/1995) and Thailand Classic (1995/1996)

Career finals

Ranking finals: 6 (1 title)

Legend

World Championship (1–2)

UK Championship (0–1)

Other (0–2)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score
Runner-up	1.	1976	World Championship	Ray Reardon	16–27
Runner-up	2.	1980	World Championship (2)	Cliff Thorburn	16–18
Winner	1.	1982	World Championship (2)	Ray Reardon	18–15
Runner-up	3.	1984	UK Championship (3)	Steve Davis	8–16
Runner-up	4.	1988	Grand Prix	Steve Davis	6–10
Runner-up	5.	1990	British Open	Bob Chaperon	8–10

Non-ranking finals: 51 (24 titles)

Legend

World Championship (1–0) ^[nb2 1]

UK Championship (1–2) ^[nb2 2]

The Masters (2–3)

Other (20–22)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score	Ref.
Winner	1.	1972	Men of the Midlands	John Spencer	4–2
Winner	2.	1972	Irish Professional Championship	Jackie Rea	28–12
Winner	3.	1972	World Championship	John Spencer	37–31	^[21]^[a]
Winner	4.	1972	Stratford Professional	John Spencer	6–3
Runner-up	1.	1972	Park Drive 2000 – Spring	John Spencer	3–4
Runner-up	2.	1972	Park Drive 2000 – Autumn	John Spencer	3–5
Winner	5.	1973	Men of the Midlands (2)	Ray Reardon	5–3
Winner	6.	1974	Watney Open	Fred Davis	17–11
Runner-up	3.	1974	Jackpot Automatics	John Spencer	0–5
Runner-up	4.	1975	Ashton Court Country Club Event	John Spencer	1–5
Winner	7.	1975	Canadian Open	John Pulman	15–7
Runner-up	5.	1975	Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament	John Spencer	7–9
Winner	8.	1976	Canadian Club Masters	Ray Reardon	6–4
Runner-up	6.	1976	Canadian Open	John Spencer	9–17
Runner-up	7.	1976	Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament (2)	John Spencer	0–5
Winner	9.	1977	Canadian Open (2)	John Spencer	17–14
Runner-up	8.	1977	Dry Blackthorn Cup	Patsy Fagan	2–4	^[90]
Winner	10.	1977	Benson & Hedges Ireland Tournament	Ray Reardon	5–3
Winner	11.	1978	Irish Professional Championship (2)	Dennis Taylor	21–7
Winner	12.	1978	The Masters	Cliff Thorburn	7–5	^[72]
Runner-up	9.	1978	Castle Professional	John Spencer	3–5
Winner	13.	1978	Irish Professional Championship (3)	Patsy Fagan	21–13	^[91]
Runner-up	10.	1978	Champion of Champions	Ray Reardon	9–11
Runner-up	11.	1978	Suffolk Professional Invitational	Patsy Fagan	3–7	^[92]
Runner-up	12.	1979	The Masters	Perrie Mans	4–8	^[72]
Winner	14.	1979	Tolly Cobbold Classic	Ray Reardon	5–4
Winner	15.	1979	Irish Professional Championship (4)	Patsy Fagan	21–12	^[93]
Winner	16.	1980	Padmore Super Crystalate International	Perrie Mans	4–2
Runner-up	13.	1980	The Classic	John Spencer	3–4
Winner	17.	1980	Tolly Cobbold Classic (2)	Dennis Taylor	5–4
Runner-up	14.	1980	The Masters (2)	Terry Griffiths	5–9	^[72]
Winner	18.	1980	British Gold Cup	Ray Reardon	5–1
Runner-up	15.	1980	Irish Professional Championship	Dennis Taylor	15–21
Winner	19.	1980	Pontins Camber Sands	Dennis Taylor	9–7
Runner-up	16.	1980	UK Championship	Steve Davis	6–16	^[72]
Winner	20.	1981	The Masters (2)	Terry Griffiths	9–6	^[72]
Runner-up	17.	1982	Irish Professional Championship (2)	Dennis Taylor	13–16
Runner-up	18.	1982	Scottish Masters	Steve Davis	4–9
Runner-up	19.	1982	UK Championship (2)	Terry Griffiths	15–16	^[72]
Winner	21.	1983	Irish Professional Championship (5)	Dennis Taylor	16–11
Winner	22.	1983	UK Championship	Steve Davis	16–15	^[72]
Runner-up	20.	1985	Irish Masters	Jimmy White	5–9
Runner-up	21.	1985	Irish Professional Championship (3)	Dennis Taylor	5–10
Runner-up	22.	1985	Carlsberg Challenge	Jimmy White	3–8
Runner-up	23.	1986	Irish Professional Championship (4)	Dennis Taylor	7–10
Runner-up	24.	1986	Scottish Masters (2)	Cliff Thorburn	8–9
Runner-up	25.	1987	The Masters (3)	Dennis Taylor	8–9	^[72]
Runner-up	26.	1988	WPBSA Invitational – Event 1	Gary Wilkinson	4–5
Winner	23.	1989	Irish Professional Championship (6)	Jack McLaughlin	9–7
Runner-up	27.	1989	Hong Kong Gold Cup	Steve Davis	3–6
Winner	24.	1989	Irish Masters	Stephen Hendry	9–8

Pro-am finals: 4 (3 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score	Ref.
Winner	1.	1975	Castle Open	John Spencer	5–2	^[94]
Winner	2.	1977	Pontins Spring Open	Terry Griffiths	7–4	^[95]
Winner	3.	1979	Castle Open (2)	Fred Davis	5–1	^[96]
Runner-up	1.	1987	Dutch Open	Jonathan Birch	2–6	^[97]

Team finals: 6 (5 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Team/partner	Opponent(s) in the final	Score
Winner	1.	1975	Ladbroke International	Rest of the World	England	Cumulative score
Winner	2.	1984	World Doubles Championship	Jimmy White	Cliff Thorburn   Willie Thorne	10–2
Winner	3.	1985	World Cup	Ireland	England	9–7
Winner	4.	1986	World Cup (2)	Ireland	Canada	9–7
Winner	5.	1987	World Cup (3)	Ireland	Canada	9–2
Runner-up	1.	1990	World Cup	Northern Ireland	Canada	5–9

Amateur finals: 3 (2 titles)

Outcome	No.	Year	Championship	Opponent in the final	Score	Ref.
Winner	1.	1968	Northern Ireland Amateur Championship	Maurice Gill	4–1	^[98]^[18]
Winner	2.	1968	All-Ireland Amateur Championship	Gerry Hanway	4–1	^[19]
Runner-up	1.	1969	Northern Ireland Amateur Championship	Dessie Anderson	0–4	^[20]

Notes

1. The World Championship did not become a ranking event until 1974
2. The UK Championship did not become a ranking event until 1984

1. Some sources give the score as 37–32. The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History (2004) says "Higgins triumphed 37-31 (not 37-32 as so many publications have wrongly printed)"^[22]

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Bibliography

• Burn, Gordon (2008) [1986]. Pocket money. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0571236831.
• Everton, Clive (1985). Snooker: The Records. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives. ISBN 0851124488.
• Everton, Clive (1986). The History of Snooker and Billiards. Haywards Heath: Partridge Press. ISBN 1852250135.
• Everton, Clive (2012). Black farce and cue ball wizards. Edinburgh: Mainstream. ISBN 9781780575681.
• Hayton, Eric; Dee, John (2004). The CueSport Book of Professional Snooker: The Complete Record & History. Lowestoft: Rose Villa Publications. ISBN 978-0954854904.
• Morrison, Ian (1987). The Hamlyn Encyclopedia of Snooker - revised edition. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing Group. ISBN 0600556042.
• Morrison, Ian (1988). Hamlyn Who's Who in Snooker. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 0600557138.
• Morrison, Ian (1989). Snooker: records, facts and champions. Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. ISBN 0851123643.
• Williams, Luke; Gadsby, Paul (2005). Masters of the Baize. Edinburgh: Mainstream. ISBN 1840188723.

Further reading

• Higgins, Alex; Francis, Tony (1986). Alex Through the Looking Glass. London: Pelham Books. ISBN 0-7207-1672-1.
• Hennessey, John (2000). Eye of the Hurricane: The Alex Higgins Story. Edinburgh: Mainstream. ISBN 1-84018-385-3.
• Borrows, Bill (2002). The Hurricane: The Turbulent Life & Times of Alex Higgins. Atlantic Books. ISBN 1-903809-91-6.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alex Higgins.

• Official player profile on worldsnooker.com website
• Alex Higgins: The People's Champion BBC iPlayer. 1 September 2010.
• Alex Higgins 69 Break: Crucible, Sheffield 1982 YouTube. 14 April 20019.
• Higgins and White win the World Doubles Championship 1984 YouTube. 1 September 2009.
• Higgins wins the Canadian Club Masters 1976 YouTube. 26 August 2009.
• Ronnie O'Sullivan reminisces about Alex Higgins BBC Sport. 25 August 2010.