Higgins claims Irish title

Higgins was in commanding form against Ebdon

John Higgins took his second Irish Masters title in three years after beating Peter Ebdon 10-3 in the final.

The world number three, a 9-4 winner against Stephen Hendry in 2000, won this season's first three titles but suffered a decline in form when he took time off from the game.

Higgins had opened up a 7-2 after the opening session in the best of 19-frames final and although Ebdon battled back to 8-3 Higgins coasted to the 24th major title of his 10-year career.

He won the first frame of the final with a break of 91 and added the second before missing a tricky blue using the rest in the third, leaving Ebdon to steal it for 2-1.

Higgins controlled the next and fired in a break of 109 to lead 4-1 but again missed the blue in the sixth frame and Ebdon sunk it before adding the pink to reduce his arrears to 4-2.

Ebdon, the 1995 champion, was in first with 62 in the seventh but missed a pink and Higgins made no mistake in completing a 69 clearance to extend his advantage to 5-2.

A run of 78 then put the 26-year-old from Wishaw 6-2 ahead and he cleared with 55 to the brown in the last of the opening session to secure his five-frame lead at the break from where he coasted home.