126-488: John Higgins MBE (born 18 May 1975) is a Scottish professional snooker player from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire . Since turning professional in 1992, he has won 31 ranking titles, placing him in third position on the all-time list of ranking event winners , behind Ronnie O'Sullivan (41) and Stephen Hendry (36). He has won four World Championships , three UK Championships and two Masters titles, for
252-406: A red ball to a baulk pocket while on a break of 60, and Higgins made a clearance of 64 to win 10–9 and claim his second Masters title. At the 2007 World Snooker Championship , Higgins beat Michael Holt , Fergal O'Brien , O'Sullivan and Stephen Maguire en route to the final. Trailing 10–14 against Maguire, Higgins won 17–15, making the 1,000th century to be made at
378-553: A World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) board member, were the subject of match-fixing allegations. They were filmed in a sting operation conducted by the News of the World . On 30 April, an undercover News of the World team, led by Mazher Mahmood , posing as promoters, had met Higgins and his manager in a hotel room in Kyiv under the pretence of organising
504-410: A dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal , whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of, the order. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V , who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition was to be given for services rendered in
630-410: A 68 break in the decider and sealed a 10–9 victory with a double on the brown ball . As a result of his progress in those three events, where he won 18 out of 19 matches, Higgins earned sufficient points to regain his position as world number one under the new two-year rolling ranking system after having slipped to third by missing the start of the 2010–11 snooker season . Higgins lost in
756-543: A GBE (in recognition of his role as chairman of the Scottish War Savings Committee) and the award of medal of the order to Lizzie Robinson, a munitions worker. The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to
882-562: A World final (equalled when Neil Robertson beat Graeme Dott in 2010); and nine years after his first title – the longest time span between successes since Alex Higgins (1972, 1982) and the longest at the Crucible. He regained world number one status. As World Champion, Higgins best performance was only reaching the quarter-final stages in the Welsh Open and China Open tournaments. He helped to establish, and actively promoted,
1008-404: A broad riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male Commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male Officers and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; female recipients other than Dames Grand Cross (unless in military uniform) normally wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. An oval eight-pointed star is worn, pinned to
1134-553: A burning building containing explosives. In December 1922 the statutes of the order were amended; there having been a large number of awards for war work prior to this date, these amended statutes placed the order on more of a peacetime footing. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by
1260-453: A circlet bearing the motto of the Order; the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. (Prior to 1937 Britannia was shown within the circlet.) The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and Commanders are enamelled, with pale blue crosses, crimson circlets and
1386-466: A citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. (An example of the latter is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan , who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship,
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#17327722410771512-540: A comeback by Ronnie O'Sullivan in the semi-final when leading 8–2, to advance 9–8 the previous evening. He also defeated Neil Robertson 9–8 during the tournament. He captured the Welsh Open title by defeating Ali Carter 9–4 in the final, and ended the season as world number one despite an 11–13 loss to Steve Davis in round two of the World Championship. On 2 May 2010, Higgins and his manager, Pat Mooney,
1638-443: A gold central medallion. Officers' badges are plain silver-gilt, while those of Members are plain silver. From 1917 until 1937, the badge of the order was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe being added for the military division in 1918. Since 1937, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges (with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division). Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on
1764-492: A proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in the civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards. With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards 'for gallantry' and awards 'for meritorious service' (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1933 holders of
1890-499: A series of events linked to the World Series of Snooker. The newspaper alleged that Higgins and Mooney had agreed to lose four frames in four separate tournaments in exchange for a total payment of €300,000 and further discussed the mechanics of how to fix a frame, which tournaments and opponents to choose and how Higgins would receive the money. Higgins was immediately suspended from the game and Mooney resigned from his position on
2016-543: A tabloid newspaper carried out a sting operation in Ukraine , in which it claimed to show Higgins and his then-manager arranging to lose specific frames in future matches for money. An investigation cleared Higgins of match-fixing allegations but the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association found that he had brought the sport into disrepute by failing to disclose an invitation to breach
2142-583: A third consecutive ranking tournament quarter-final at the Players Tour Championship Finals , but lost 1–4 to Marco Fu . He suffered a second consecutive first-round exit from the World Championship when he lost 7–10 to fellow Scot Alan McManus . After the match, Higgins described himself as a "journeyman top-16 player now," suggesting that he no longer regarded himself among the top contenders at tournaments. He ended
2268-415: A total of nine Triple Crown titles, putting him level with Mark Selby and behind only O'Sullivan (23), Hendry (18) and Steve Davis (15). He first entered the top 16 in the 1995–96 world rankings and remained there continuously for over 29 years until September 2024, setting a record for the longest uninterrupted tenure as a top-16 player. He reached the world number one position four times. In 2010,
2394-516: Is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions. A lapel pin for everyday wear
2520-973: Is not a member of the College of Arms , as are many other heraldic officers; and the Lady Usher of the Purple Rod does not – unlike the Order of the Garter equivalent, the Lady Usher of the Black Rod – perform any duties related to the House of Lords . Since the Second World War, several Commonwealth realms have established their own national system of honours and awards and have created their own unique orders, decorations and medals. A number, though, continue to make recommendations for appointments to
2646-537: The 1995 Benson & Hedges Masters ) is a professional non- ranking snooker tournament that took place between 5 and 12 February 1995 at the Wembley Conference Centre in London , England. The wild-card players were John Higgins , who had won the 1994 Grand Prix , and Mark Williams , who won the 1994 Benson & Hedges Championship . Both of them were 19 years old. Higgins went on to reach
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#17327722410772772-559: The 1995 International Open and the 1995 British Open , making him the first teenager to win three ranking events in a single season. He reached the finals of the 1995 Welsh Open , losing 3–9 to Steve Davis , and the 1995 Masters , losing by the same score to Ronnie O'Sullivan . His first time playing at the World Snooker Championship in 1995 he lost 3–10 in the first round to fellow Scottish player Alan McManus . Later that year he won his fourth ranking title at
2898-404: The 1997 World Championship , but lost 9–13 to eventual winner Doherty. He won the 1997 German Open , beating Parrott 9–4 in the final, and won his eighth ranking title at the 1998 British Open , beating Hendry 9–8 in the final. At the 1998 World Snooker Championship , Higgins defeated Jason Ferguson 10–8, Anthony Hamilton 13–9, John Parrott 13–11 and O'Sullivan 17–9 in the semi-finals. In
3024-692: The 2001 World Snooker Championship , but lost 14–18 to O'Sullivan. At the beginning of the 2001–02 season , he became the first player to win the opening three tournaments in a season: the 2001 Champions Cup in August, the 2001 Scottish Masters in September, and the 2001 British Open in October. He failed to win a major title for another three years, until the 2004 British Open . Clive Everton later claimed that Higgins "lost his edge" during this period, due to becoming preoccupied with fatherhood; Higgins' wife Denise confirmed that she had to "push him out of
3150-539: The 2014 UK Championship stating that he was struggling for confidence and concerned that a poor result in the championship could cost him his top-16 ranking and his place at the Masters. However, he defeated Lee Walker 6–2, Jamie Cope 6–4 and Matthew Stevens 6–2 to reach the last 16, where he lost 5–6 to Anthony McGill. This was enough to keep him inside the top 16, at number 14. At the Masters , he faced Mark Allen in
3276-495: The 2018 World Snooker Championship , but lost again to Mark Williams. At the 2019 World Snooker Championship Higgins reached the final again, only to be beaten 18–9 by Judd Trump. This was Higgins' third consecutive World Championship final and his eighth overall. Higgins surpassed Stephen Hendry's career total of 775 centuries during the 2019 Scottish Open . He made his 775th century on 11 December during his match against Alexander Ursenbacher and his 776th against Jack Lisowski
3402-602: The 2021 Champion of Champions final 4–10 to Trump, and the 2021 Scottish Open final 5–9 to Luca Brecel. Even though he lost in the round of 32 at the Gibraltar Open , he won the BetVictor Series bonus of £150,000 by winning the most prize money across the series as a whole. At the 2022 Tour Championship , he came from 4–8 behind to defeat Zhao Xintong 10–9 in the quarter-finals, a victory he called one of his "best ever wins", and went on to face Robertson in
3528-426: The 2021–22 season , he lost five major finals, including the 2022 Tour Championship , when he led Neil Robertson 9–4 but lost the match 9–10. Higgins made his 1,000th professional century break at the 2024 English Open , becoming the second player, after O'Sullivan, to reach that milestone. He has made 13 officially recognised maximum breaks in professional competition, second only to O'Sullivan's 15, and holds
3654-466: The Crucible Theatre , Sheffield since the World Championship was first staged there in 1977. In the final, Higgins held a 12–4 advantage over Selby overnight, but Selby reduced his arrears to a single frame on day two. However, at 14–13, Higgins rediscovered his form to win four consecutive frames to clinch the match 18–13 to secure his second World title at 12:54 am, the latest finish to
3780-654: The Hainan Classic , defeating Jamie Cope in the final. Higgins reached the quarter-final of the China Open , where he lost 2–5 against Shaun Murphy. Higgins' next tournament was the Scottish Professional Championship , where he defeated Anthony McGill 6–1 in the final. In the 2011 World Snooker Championship , Higgins defeated Stephen Lee 10–5 in the first round, Rory McLeod 13–7 in the second round and Ronnie O'Sullivan 13–10 in
3906-559: The Order of Canada . On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours . New Zealand continued to use
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4032-528: The Shanghai Masters , after coming back from 2–7 down to defeat Judd Trump 10–9 in the final. He made a maximum break during the final and another in his second-round match against Mark Davis at the 2012 UK Championship . He won the minor-ranking Kay Suzanne Memorial Trophy , defeating Trump 4–2 in the final, also reaching the final of the minor-ranking Bulgarian Open , where he lost 0–4 to Trump. However, Higgins did not enjoy sustained success for
4158-662: The World Series of Snooker – a tour intended to bring snooker to new venues outside the traditional United Kingdom and recently developed Far East markets. He won the inaugural event in St. Helier in June 2008, beating Mark Selby 6–3 in the final. Higgins also devised a new players' union with his manager Pat Mooney, called The Snooker Players Association. He won the Grand Prix for the fourth time in 2008, beating Ryan Day 9–7 in
4284-473: The 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility: with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service. Non-military awards of the British Empire Medal resumed in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . In 2017 the centenary of
4410-421: The 600th century break of his career, but lost the match 5–6. Higgins reached the semi-finals of the China Open , but lost 5–6 after Ricky Walden made a 131 break in the deciding frame. He defeated Ryan Day 10–3 and Walden 13–8 at the 2016 World Snooker Championship , but lost 13–11 to Alan McManus in the quarter-finals, having been 11–9 ahead. He said later that he had "cracked under pressure". Higgins lost in
4536-502: The British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry , rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service . It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or
4662-792: The British Empire . Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George . Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services. Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir , and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame , to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when
4788-494: The British Empire for Gallantry. Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. It could not be awarded posthumously , and was replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM). If recipients of
4914-824: The Military Division of the order from the UK and across the Empire. Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the King's United Kingdom ministers (recommendations for overseas awards were made by the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , the India Office and the Dominions Office ); but in the early 1940s the system was changed to enable
5040-436: The Order of the British Empire for Gallantry received promotion within the order, whether for gallantry or otherwise, they continued to wear also the insignia of the lower grade with the oak leaves; however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade. When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929 mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of
5166-520: The Order of the British Empire. In 2024 appointments to the order were made by the governments of: Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state ; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame . Honorary appointees who later become
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5292-404: The Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters . They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of
5418-485: The UK and overseas. Today the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside the UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state. The five classes of appointment to the Order are, from highest grade to lowest grade: The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use
5544-463: The United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons select committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of
5670-521: The WPBSA board. Higgins issued a statement on the day of the allegations. He denied that he had ever been involved in match-fixing and explained that he had decided to "play along" out of fears for his safety, suspecting the involvement of the Russian Mafia . A full investigation was conducted into the allegations by David Douglas, former Metropolitan Police detective chief superintendent and head of
5796-432: The WPBSA's disciplinary committee. The independent tribunal that followed in September 2010, hosted by Sports Resolutions (UK) and chaired by Ian Mill QC, concurred that the WPBSA was right to conclude that Higgins had truthfully accounted for his words and actions and to withdraw the more serious charges of match-fixing, but found him guilty of "giving the impression" that he would breach betting rules and of failing to report
5922-588: The World Junior Masters Higgins won, while Williams won the British Junior Championship. The following year, Higgins turned professional. He reached the last eight of the 1993 British Open during his first season on the tour, before losing 3–5 to Jimmy White . Aged 19, Higgins defeated Dave Harold 9–6 in the final of the 1994 Grand Prix . This was the first ranking title of his career. The same season, he also won
6048-450: The addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in the centre for awards in the military division). From time to time the order was expanded: there was an increase in the maximum permitted number of recipients in 1933, and a further increase in 1937. During the Second World War, as had been the case during and after World War I, the number of military awards was greatly increased; between 1939 and 1946 there were more than 33,000 appointments to
6174-567: The approach made to him by the News of the World . Higgins received a six-month ban, backdated to the start of his suspension period, and was fined £75,000. Higgins returned to professional competition on 12 November 2010 in the Ruhr Championship – European Players Tour Championship (EPTC) event five in Hamm and went on to win the tournament beating Shaun Murphy 4–2 in the final. At
6300-415: The beginning of the 2021–22 snooker season , Higgins lost a significant amount of weight by taking spin classes . He weighed 15 + 1 ⁄ 2 stones (217 lbs or 98.5 kg) during the 2021 World Championship , but began the new season at 12 stones (168 lbs or 76 kg). At the 2021 Northern Ireland Open , he won six consecutive frames to defeat Yan Bingtao 6–2 in the semi-finals, but lost
6426-613: The campaign as the world number 11, the lowest he has been at the end of the season in 19 years. Higgins continued to struggle in the opening ranking events of the 2014–15 season , losing 4–5 to Alan McManus in the last 32 of the Wuxi Classic , 2–5 to Robert Milkins in the last 16 of the Australian Goldfields Open , and 4–5 to Ryan Day in the last 32 of the Shanghai Masters . He defended his minor-ranking Bulgarian Open title, but lost 1–4 against Judd Trump in
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#17327722410776552-474: The cathedral. That year, Commonwealth awards made up 40% of all OBEs and MBEs awarded (and 35% of all living recipients of the higher awards). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours . The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of
6678-418: The circlet. In 1929, to bring the order into line with the other orders of chivalry, members of the first class of the order (GBE) were provided with mantles, hats and collars. Only Knights/Dames Grand Cross wear these elaborate vestments; the hat is now rarely, if ever, worn. Use of the mantle is limited to important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations ). The mantle is always worn with
6804-444: The collar. Although the mantle was introduced in 1929, very few mantles would have been produced prior to the 1937 design changes, as there were few occasions for wearing them in the intervening years. On certain days designated by the sovereign, known as " collar days ", members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, evening wear or robes of office. Collars are returned upon
6930-479: The country's population". The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued. In
7056-403: The death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. The six office-holders of the order wear pearl-grey mantles lined with rose-pink, having on the right side a purple shield charged with the roundel from the badge. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck. The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse
7182-626: The distinction between ranks in military operational gallantry awards will cease'. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by
7308-520: The final 8–9 to Mark Allen, despite having led 8–6. At the 2021 English Open , Higgins came from 3–5 behind in the semi-finals to defeat O'Sullivan 6–5, but he lost the final 8–9 to Neil Robertson, despite again having led 8–6. This defeat meant that Higgins had lost six of his previous seven major finals. In his post-match comments, he expressed doubt about his ability to compete in ranking finals, stating: "The last two finals I really do think show I've not really got it at this level." Higgins went on to lose
7434-638: The final after answering all of their questions correctly to win £30,000. They donated the money to The Dalziel Centre – a day hospice for cancer patients, based at Strathclyde Hospital in Motherwell , of which Higgins became a patron after they cared for his terminally ill father. In a complex mathematical study conducted at the University of Limerick , Higgins was named the highest performing snooker player from 1968 to 2020, ahead of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and Stephen Hendry. Order of
7560-535: The final in Glasgow – his first ranking tournament win on home soil. At the 2009 World Snooker Championship , Higgins beat Michael Holt 10–5 in round one. His second-round and quarter-final matches both went the full distance of 25 frames, with Higgins overcoming Jamie Cope and Mark Selby, respectively, to win 13–12. He established a 13–3 lead in the semi-final against Mark Allen and progressed 17–13 . Higgins recorded an 18–9 victory over Shaun Murphy in
7686-559: The final of the Players Championship to claim his 31st ranking title and his first ranking title in three years. After his win, Higgins said that was "the best week of [his] snooker career" in terms of the way he played. In his quarter-final against Mark Selby, Higgins outscored his opponent 546–7 in a 6–0 victory. After the match, Selby stated that, "I've never had a match where I had so few chances. John froze me out from start to finish, he played an incredible match.” Before
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#17327722410777812-489: The final to become the ninth player to win the World title three or more times after Joe Davis , Fred Davis , John Pulman , John Spencer , Ray Reardon, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan. In the 2009–10 season , as reigning World Champion, he lost 5–6 on the black ball to Neil Robertson in the semi-final of the Grand Prix; and 8–10 to Ding Junhui in the final of the UK Championship, after surviving
7938-484: The final was the best-of-17 frames. Scottish player and World Champion Stephen Hendry was installed as the favourite to win the tournament. Defending champion Alan McManus was the number 1 seed with World Champion Stephen Hendry seeded 2. Places were allocated to the top 16 players in the world rankings . Players seeded 15 and 16 played in the wild-card round against the winner of the qualifying event , Mark Williams (ranked 58), and John Higgins (ranked 51), who
8064-422: The final, he defeated the defending champion Doherty 18–12 to win his first World Championship and ninth ranking title. He made a then-record 14 centuries during the tournament (Hendry beat his record, with 16 centuries, at the 2002 World Championship , which Mark Williams equalled at the 2022 World Championship ). Higgins' success had seen him advance rapidly up the world rankings. In the 1994/1995 rankings , he
8190-407: The final. Ronnie O'Sullivan defeated Higgins 9–3 in the final to become the youngest ever Masters champion aged 19 years and 69 days. This still remains a record. Stephen Hendry meanwhile failed to make the final for the first time in his Masters career, losing to Peter Ebdon 4–5 in the quarter-finals. The Masters is an invitational snooker tournament that was first held in 1975 , with
8316-463: The final. By winning the UK, Masters and World Championships, Higgins completed a career Triple Crown . He was also the third player, after Steve Davis and Hendry, to hold the three titles simultaneously, an achievement later emulated by Mark Williams . Higgins is also one of six players to have won both the World Championship and UK Championship in the same calendar year; the others are Davis, Hendry, Parrott, O'Sullivan and Mark Selby . Higgins held
8442-415: The final. Higgins established a 9–4 lead, but lost his fifth major final of the season after Robertson won six consecutive frames to win 10–9. Afterwards, Higgins admitted that losing the final from a position of being five frames up with six to play would leave "real mental scars". At the 2022 World Championship , Higgins won his quarter-final match against Jack Lisowski on a deciding frame, but lost 11–17 in
8568-498: The first round of the 2011 Masters 4–6 against Graeme Dott, and withdrew from the German Masters after defeating Robert Milkins 5–3 in round one, to return home due to the deteriorating health of his father, who subsequently died from cancer. A little over two weeks later, Higgins successfully defended his Welsh Open title by beating Stephen Maguire 9–6 in the final – dedicating victory to his late father. Higgins won
8694-420: The first round of the tournament, he came from 6–8 down to defeat Liang Wenbo 10–9. He then played Hendry in the second round, the first time the two players had ever met in a World Championship match, but Hendry won 13–4, with Higgins calling it the worst he had ever played at the Crucible. He finished the season ranked world number five. Higgins started the 2012–13 season by winning his 25th ranking title at
8820-433: The first round. Even though he made three century breaks, Higgins lost the match 4–6. After the match, he said that "I feel my form is steadily coming back – even when I've been losing matches I have still been gaining nuggets of confidence and I thought I played pretty well again." In the 2015 German Masters , Higgins lost 2–5 to Peter Ebdon in the first round, but he at the Welsh Open , he defeated Stephen Maguire 5–1 in
8946-480: The first six frames. Higgins won his 27th ranking title at the 2015 Australian Goldfields Open by beating Martin Gould 9–8 in the final. Later that year, he also defeated David Gilbert 10–5 in the final of the 2015 International Championship . This put Higgins level with Steve Davis in the list of total ranking events won. Higgins started his quarter-final with Neil Robertson at the 2015 UK Championship by making
9072-420: The following day. Higgins made his 800th career century on the first day of the 2020 Champion of Champions , although he lost the match to Ding Junhui. In the 2020–21 season, Higgins reached his first Masters final since 2006 after beating Allen, O'Sullivan and David Gilbert. However, he was defeated by tournament debutant Yan Bingtao 8–10 in the final. On 28 February 2021, Higgins defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan in
9198-529: The former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury ) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award. The office of Dean was added in 1957. The King of Arms
9324-401: The governments of overseas dominions to make their own nominations; Canada and South Africa began doing so in 1942, followed by Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms. In May 1957, forty years after the foundation of the order, it was announced that St Paul's Cathedral was to serve as the church of the order, and in 1960 a chapel was dedicated for its use within the crypt of
9450-450: The highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. The badge is worn by all members of the order; the size, colour and design depends on the class of award. The badge for all classes is in the form of a cross patonce (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end) with a medallion in the centre, the obverse of which bears a crowned image of George V and Queen Mary within
9576-609: The honours system, calling it "a preposterous charade". The order has attracted some criticism for its naming having connection with the idea of the now-extinct British Empire . Benjamin Zephaniah , a British poet of Jamaican and Barbadian descent, publicly rejected appointment as an Officer in 2003 because, he asserted, it reminded him of "thousands of years of brutality". He also said that "it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised". 1995 Masters (snooker) The 1995 Masters (officially
9702-437: The house to practise". In the 2005 Grand Prix final, Higgins comprehensively defeated O'Sullivan 9–2. He became the first player to make four consecutive centuries in a ranking event, with breaks of 103, 104, 138 and 128 in frames 7–10. Higgins also scored a then-record 494 points without reply in the match. Of Higgins' performance, O'Sullivan commented that he had "never seen anything like it", while Everton stated that Higgins
9828-481: The inaugural 1995 German Open beating Ken Doherty 9–3 in the final. At the 1996 International Open he defeated Rod Lawler 9–3 in the final, to retain the championship. Later that season, at the 1996 World Snooker Championship , he defeated Martin Clarke 10–5 in the first round and McManus 13–5 in the second round. Facing O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals, he led 12–10, but lost the match 12–13 after O'Sullivan won
9954-446: The insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch. In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie , John Cleese , Nigella Lawson , Elgar Howarth , L. S. Lowry , George Melly , and J. G. Ballard . In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to
10080-640: The junior post-nominal letters. The British sovereign is the sovereign of the order and appoints all other officers of the order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms ). The second-most senior officer is the Grand Master (a 'Prince of the Blood Royal, or other exalted personage' appointed by the sovereign, who, by virtue of their appointment, becomes 'the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of
10206-475: The last 16 of the 2013 UK Championship . Referring to Higgins' frequent changes of cue, Joe Johnson alleged in commentary that Higgins was "searching for something that is not there" and "looking for someone or something to blame" for his poor form. Higgins retaliated by claiming that players in Johnson's era had struggled to make breaks of 30 or 40 on tables with much larger pockets and by calling Johnson one of
10332-446: The last 16. His Kay Suzanne Memorial Cup title defence ended when he was whitewashed 0–4 by Andrew Higginson in the last 128. He lost 2–4 to Ding Junhui in the last 16 of the 2013 Indian Open , and 2–6 to Matthew Stevens in the last 32 of the 2013 International Championship . In the invitational 2013 Champion of Champions , he lost 3–4 in the first round to Maguire. Higgins called his form "soul-destroying" as lost 3–6 to Maguire in
10458-471: The last 64. At the ranking International Championship , he lost 1–6 to Li Hang in the last 64. He lost 1–4 to Barry Hawkins in the first round of the Champion of Champions invitational tournament, and in the last 64 of the minor-ranking Ruhr Open , he failed to score a single point on his way to a 0–4 defeat by Marco Fu, who outscored Higgins by a cumulative total of 412 points to 0. Higgins arrived at
10584-413: The last three frames. At the 1996 UK Championship , he defeated Tony Drago , Williams and Doherty to reach the final, where he faced the world champion, Stephen Hendry . Higgins trailed 4–8 before winning five consecutive frames to lead 9–8; however, he lost the final 9–10. He won his sixth ranking title at the 1997 European Open , defeating Parrott 9–5 in the final. He reached the quarter-finals again at
10710-528: The latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning
10836-463: The left breast, by Knights and Dames Grand Cross; Knights and Dames Commander wear a smaller star composed of 'four equal points and four lesser'. The star is not worn by the more junior classes. Prior to 1937 each star had in the centre a gold medallion with a figure of Britannia, surrounded by a crimson circlet inscribed with the motto of the order ('For God and the Empire'); since 1937 the effigies of King George V and Queen Mary have been shown within
10962-588: The medal 'for gallantry', which had come to be known as the Empire Gallantry Medal , were given permission to use the postnominal letters EGM (and at the same time to add a laurel branch emblem to the ribbon of the medal); however, in 1940, awards of the EGM ceased and all holders of the medal were instructed to exchange it for a new and more prestigious gallantry award: the George Cross . In 1941,
11088-559: The medal of the order 'for meritorious service' was renamed the British Empire Medal , and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. During the war, the BEM came to be used to recognise acts of bravery which did not merit the award of a George Cross or George Medal , a use which continued until the introduction of the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1974. The designs of insignia of
11214-449: The medal. The colour of the riband was also changed: twenty years earlier, prior to the order's establishment, Queen Mary had made it known that pink would be her preferred colour for the riband of the proposed new order, but, in the event, purple was chosen. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey’ (with
11340-473: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England or the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained) as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters ; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use
11466-478: The next event, the Prague Classic , the sixth European Players Tour event, he reached the final again, but lost 3–4 to Michael Holt. At the 2010 UK Championship , his first tournament on British soil since his return, he reached his third final in succession. He fought back from 2–7 and 5–9 down against Mark Williams, and from 7–9 after trailing 0–61 and needing a snooker to level the match. He made
11592-454: The numbers restricted to the order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British orders of chivalry, with more than 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. From time to time, individuals may be promoted to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of
11718-411: The oldest finalist in 35 years. In a rematch of the 2007 final, he faced Mark Selby. Higgins took a 10–4 lead, but then lost 12 of the next 14 frames, eventually losing 15–18. He won the 2017 Indian Open , defeating Anthony McGill 5–1 in the final. The following year, he won his thirtieth ranking event at the 2018 Welsh Open , defeating Barry Hawkins 9–7 in the final. Higgins also reached the final of
11844-620: The order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. In 1993 the Prime Minister, John Major , instituted a reform of the honours system with the aim 'that exceptional service or achievement will be more widely recognised; that greater importance will be given to voluntary service; that automatic honours will end; that
11970-408: The order and medal were altered in 1937, prior to the coronation of King George VI , 'in commemoration of the reign of King George V and Queen Mary, during which the Order was founded'. The figure of Britannia at the centre of the badge of the order was replaced with an image of the crowned heads of the late King and Queen Mary, and the words 'Instituted by King George V' were added to the reverse of
12096-409: The order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral. The order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to
12222-426: The order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were the same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920 appointment as an MBE 'for an act of gallantry' was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from
12348-456: The quarter-finals of both the 2016 English Open and International Championship , 5–1 to Judd Trump and 6–2 to Ding Junhui respectively. He faced Stuart Bingham in the final of the inaugural China Championship ; with the scores tied at 7–7, Higgins made three successive centuries to claim the title and £200,000, which was, at the time, the highest prize awarded outside the United Kingdom. At the 2016 Champion of Champions , he defeated Ding 6–5 in
12474-506: The quarter-finals of the Scottish Open and then came back from 5–1 down to Judd Trump to win the semi-final 6–5. In the final against Marco Fu, he made three centuries in moving 4–1 ahead, but then lost eight frames in a row to lose 4–9. Higgins won the non-ranking Championship League by beating Ryan Day 3–0 in the final. At the 2017 World Snooker Championship , Higgins reached his first world final in six years. He became, aged 41,
12600-475: The quarter-finals, Luca Brecel 6–4 in the semi-finals and Ben Woollaston 9–3 in the final to claim a fourth Welsh Open title, his first ranking title in two and a half years. In the last 16 of the 2015 Indian Open , he suffered a sixth consecutive defeat to Mark Davis when he lost 0–4, scoring only 38 points in the match. He lost 3–4 to Graeme Dott in the last 32 of the World Grand Prix and lost by
12726-449: The quarter-finals. On the way to a 17–14 victory over Mark Williams in the semi-finals, Higgins was heckled by an audience member who shouted out, "How do you swallow that three hundred thousand, John? ... You're a disgrace to snooker." Higgins went on to defeat Judd Trump 18–15 in the final to win his fourth world title, which prompted Steve Davis to comment "I think John Higgins is the best snooker player I've ever seen in my life". Despite
12852-401: The record as the oldest player to make a professional maximum, achieved at the 2024 Championship League when he was aged 48 years and 268 days. Alongside O'Sullivan and Williams, he is one of the three players known as the " Class of '92 ", who all turned professional during the 1992–93 snooker season . As amateur players, Higgins and Mark Williams faced each other in two finals in 1991. At
12978-494: The rest of the season, reaching only one other semi-final of a major ranking event, the World Open , which he lost 2–6 to Mark Allen. He exited the 2013 World Snooker Championship in the first round, losing 6–10 to Mark Davis. Afterward, he admitted that doubts about whether he could remain at the top of the world rankings after 20 years as a professional had affected his form. He finished the season ranked 11th, slipping out of
13104-603: The same Order'). The position of Grand Master has been held by the following people: In addition to the sovereign and the grand master , the order has six further officers: At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922 the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary:
13230-527: The same scoreline to Stephen Maguire in the last 32 of the Players Championship Grand Final . In the China Open , he reached the quarter-finals, defeating Dott and Trump along the way, but lost 4–5 to Ding Junhui. At the 2015 World Snooker Championship , Higgins won his first match at the event since 2012 with a 10–5 first round victory over Robert Milkins, but he lost 9–13 to Ding Junhui in the second round, despite winning five of
13356-466: The semi-finals despite Ding making four centuries in the match. Higgins defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 10–7 in the final to win his second title in a week. In the second round of the 2016 Northern Ireland Open , he made the eighth maximum break of his career and also scored breaks of 137 and 130 in a 4–1 victory over Sam Craigie . He lost a deciding frame to Selby in the quarter-finals of the 2016 UK Championship . He closed out 2016 by beating O'Sullivan 5–2 in
13482-420: The semi-finals to eventual champion O'Sullivan, finishing the season ranked fifth in the world. Higgins was runner-up at the 2024 British Open , losing to Mark Selby 5–10 in the final. Higgins married Denise in 2000; they have three children. Higgins is a supporter of Celtic F.C. and also follows English club Everton . He enjoys playing poker. Higgins' first child was born in October 2001. In 2006, Higgins
13608-476: The sport's betting rules and giving the impression of agreeing to it. Higgins was banned from professional competition for six months and fined £75,000. After winning his fourth world title in 2011 , Higgins' form became less consistent and he has gone for lengthy periods without title wins. He reached three consecutive World Championship finals between 2017 and 2019, but lost each time, to Selby in 2017 , to Mark Williams in 2018 , and to Judd Trump in 2019 . In
13734-513: The sport's worst commentators. After the UK Championship, he slipped to number 12 in the world rankings, having failed to progress beyond the last 16 of any tournament since the Wuxi Classic in June. Before the 2014 Masters , Higgins revealed that he had reached the "depths of despair" after the UK Championship, after spending months "in turmoil". He also revealed that he had switched to a fourth new cue, had regained his tempo and felt that he
13860-461: The standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear . In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of
13986-506: The title Dame . Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM. Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence . Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of
14112-589: The titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards. King George V founded the order to fill gaps in the British honours system : In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of individuals from across the Empire who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War . From its foundation the order consisted of five classes (GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE) and
14238-465: The top 10 for the first time in 17 seasons. Playing with a new cue, he won the minor-ranking 2013 Bulgarian Open with a 4–1 victory over Neil Robertson in the final, having beaten Shaun Murphy and Ronnie O'Sullivan earlier in the event. He reached the final of the season's first major ranking event, the 2013 Wuxi Classic , which he lost 7–10 to Robertson. He changed his cue again before defending his Shanghai Masters title, but lost 1–5 to Mark Davis in
14364-535: The top-16 players from the snooker world rankings as well as the winner of the Benson & Hedges Championship and a wild card entrant invited to participate for the 1995 competition. It is one of the three Triple Crown events in the game of snooker; the others being the World Snooker Championship and the UK Championship . As an invitational event, it carried no world ranking points. The 1995 Masters
14490-443: The victory, Higgins lost the world number one ranking to Mark Williams. In the 2011–12 snooker season , reaching only two quarter-finals of major ranking events. His season-best performance was reaching the semi-finals of the Masters , where he lost 4–6 to Shaun Murphy. Before the 2012 World Snooker Championship , he admitted that he had not practiced much throughout the season and did not feel confident about defending his title. In
14616-500: The world number one position for two seasons before Williams replaced him at the top of the rankings. Higgins and Williams met in the 1999 Grand Prix final, where Higgins came from 2–6 down to claim a 9–8 victory. They also met in the 2000 World Snooker Championship semi-finals, where Higgins initially led 14–10 but ultimately lost 15–17. They also played again in the 2000 UK Championship final, where Higgins won 10–4 to claim his second UK title. Higgins reached his second world final at
14742-399: Was "back to the kind of form which gave him the 1998 world title". Higgins and O'Sullivan also faced each other in consecutive Masters finals in 2005 and 2006 . Higgins lost 3–10 in 2005. In 2006, he lost the first three frames, but won the next five to lead after the first session. O'Sullivan levelled the scores in the evening session and the match went to a deciding frame. O'Sullivan missed
14868-434: Was 51st; in the 1995/1996 rankings , he was 11th; and in the 1996/1997 and 1997/1998 rankings, he was second. After winning the world title, Higgins became world number one in the 1998/1999 rankings , ending Hendry's eight consecutive years in the top spot. During the 1998–99 season , Higgins won the 1998 UK Championship , defeating Matthew Stevens 10–6 in the final, and the 1999 Masters , defeating Doherty 10–8 in
14994-657: Was escorted off a plane for being drunk after losing the Malta Cup final to Ken Doherty, but he became teetotal in preparation for the 2007 World Championship which he went on to win. Higgins was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours . In January 2010, Higgins appeared on the BBC 's Celebrity Mastermind , answering questions on his specialist subject Dallas . He finished third equal. In February of that year, Higgins and his wife Denise appeared on ITV 's Mr. and Mrs. and reached
15120-402: Was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal . The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin
15246-469: Was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan). Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach
15372-513: Was open to both women and men; provision was also made for conferring honorary awards on foreign recipients. At the same time, alongside the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. The first investiture took place at Ibrox Stadium , as part of a royal visit to the Glasgow shipyards, with the appointment of Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde as
15498-403: Was playing better than he had in some time. He defeated Stuart Bingham 6–2 in the first round, but lost 5–6 in the quarter-finals to defending champion Selby, despite having led the match 5–3. At the 2014 German Masters , Higgins lost 3–5 to Dominic Dale in the last 32. At the 2014 Welsh Open , he defeated Trump 4–3 in the last 16, but lost 1–5 to O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals. He reached
15624-585: Was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips ' review of the honours system in 2004. The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral . It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of
15750-440: Was the 21st holding of the event, and took place at the Wembley Conference Centre from 5 to 12 February 1995. Sponsored by the tobacco company Benson & Hedges , the total prize fund was £435,000 with £120,000 being awarded to the winner. The tournament was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Television . Every match was played as best-of-nine frames , before the semi-finals were played as best-of-11 frames, and
15876-413: Was the wild-card selection. Tony Drago , John Higgins, Joe Swail and Mark Williams were making their debuts in the Masters. In the preliminary round the wild-card players played the 15th and 16th seeds: Mark Williams won the qualifying tournament, known as the 1994 Benson & Hedges Championship at the time. There were a total of 13 century breaks made by a total of 8 players during
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