Whoever lifts the World Snooker Championship trophy aloft on Monday evening as the confetti streams down around them will have reached the pinnacle of their sport. If it’s John Higgins, it would be for the fifth time, for Shaun Murphy the second and for Mark Allen or Wu Yize, the very first occasion.
It will be a remarkable achievement, the highlight of a career and the fulfilment of a dream that began in childhood. But whoever emerges triumphant will inevitably, sadly, only achieve a fraction of the headlines that frame 14 of the second semi-final did.
