Higgins maintains unbeaten start to Premier League - 29/10/2009

John Higgins 4-2 Neil Robertson (best of six)
Higgins' scores first
69-51 (Higgins 31, 38, Robertson 39), 41-66 (Robertson 33), 62-28, 73-34 (Higgins 73, Robertson 34), 80-28 (Higgins 63), 8-65 (Robertson 49)

JOHN Higgins maintained his unbeaten record in the 2009 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker competition with a 4-2 victory over Neil Robertson.

Higgins, the current World Champion, stayed on course for a play-off place as he moved on to six points, the same as league leader Ronnie O'Sullivan.

"Every game is difficult but it's always nice to win. You don't want to start up a losing streak against any player and Neil has won the last few so it's nice to end that run.

"We both struggle in this format with the shot clock but it was important to try and get something out of this match."

The latest round of matches in the PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker season came from the Guild Hall in Preston.

The first encounter was between World Champion John Higgins and Grand Prix Champion Neil Robertson.

These two players had met earlier this month at the Grand Prix in Glasgow and Robertson clinched a black-ball thriller to win 6-5. A large crowd in Lancashire were hoping to witness another exciting match.

Robertson had poor preparation for this match as he got stuck in traffic and only arrived at the venue five minutes ahead of the start.

However, Robertson had the first chance but missed a black off the spot after scoring 39. A later poor safety shot was then punished as Higgins, thanks to breaks of 31 and 38, clinched the opener.

The next two frames were both scrappy with the highest break in those two being Robertson's 33 in the second. The Australian levelled the match by winning the second match but Higgins reclaimed his lead by claiming an error-strewn third.

Higgins claimed the fourth with the highest break of the contest of 73 after Robertson had missed a black after leaving himself too straight on the ball after a red.

Robertson was making a few errors and a different type of misjudgement in the fifth, when his shirt brushed against a red as he was cueing over it, proved costly as Higgins then made 63 to guarantee victory.

Australian Robertson won the last frame, mainly thanks to a break of 49, but it was a case of too little, too late.