It's Just Like Being In Mass

Higgins is surreal deal at empty Crucible

- NEIL GOULDING

John Higgins is praying for divine intervention after keeping his bid for a fifth world title on course.

The Scot admitted it was just like being in church as he sealed a 10-5 victory over Welshman Matthew Stevens at an empty Crucible.

The Wishaw ace joked: “It was like going to mass out there. It was like a scene from the twilight zone when I was playing, it really was.

“When Ronnie [O’Sullivan] normally walks out the place goes nuts, but when he walked out it was surreal. It was silent, it really was weird.”

A partial crowd was meant to be there to watch the action but new coronavirus guidelines saw them locked out.