UK Championship Snooker quarters: Higgins a threat to Robertson

Jamie Clark, Sports Editor | December 4, 2015

UK Championship Snooker quarter-finals afternoon session

• UK Championship
• Friday, December 4th
• Break-off: 13:00 GMT
• Barbican Centre, York
• Live on BBC Two

Two of snooker’s elite potters in Neil Robertson and John Higgins have their first meeting in a baize major for six years on Friday afternoon, while there’s an all-Asian encounter between Liang Wenbo and Marco Fu in the second of four UK Championship quarter-finals.

Neil Robertson v John Higgins

Can you hear the Thunder? There could be stormy skies for Coral’s 15/8 tournament favourite Robertson, as he’s 11-8 down on previous meetings with Scottish payer Higgins.

The Wizard of Wishaw’s return to form is most welcome for this sport north of the border, not least because Robertson smashed Stephen Maguire 6-1 in the last 16.

Australian expat Robertson starts as odds-on 4/9 match favourite, then, but he’s up against a wily veteran in Higgins, who is a three-time UK champion and holds an attractive 7/4 price to take the wind right out of the Thunder’s sails.

With a deciding frame at 13/4 a distinct possibility, Higgins is also a nifty 9/1 to replicate his 6-4 victory from the previous round in what is the standout tie of the last eight.