World Champion Higgins starts with a victory - 17/09/2009

Final score: Murphy 2-4 Higgins

50-72 (Murphy 38, Higgins 30, 33), 73-24 (Murphy 52), 53-77 (Murphy 53, Higgins 53), 28-69 (Higgins 58), 72-0 (Murphy 72), 23-98 (Higgins 61, 33)

WORLD Champion John Higgins got off to a winning start in the 2009 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker.

Higgins, who did not win a match in the 2008 Premier League, defeated Shaun Murphy 4-2 at the Malvern Theatre in Great Malvern, Worcestershire.

Higgins said: "I'm delighted to get a win on the board so early on. Any win against Shaun is a good win.

"In this competition when you're playing catch up it's harder so it's good to get off to a win and hopefully I can keep it going.

"I've not won many games in this event in the last few years so to get a win under my belt is very satisfying.

"I played ok but the table was quite slow, very reactive, but the balls slowed down quickly and that made it difficult but I'm pleased to win.

"I now play Marco Fu and I've had a few matches with him. He has won some and I've won some so it should be a good match in Southampton.

"Hopefully I can put him under pressure. If I get another win then it puts Marco under pressure early in the competition, but there's obviously a long way to go."

The first match of the second round of the 2009 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker is a repeat of the 2009 World Championship final.

John Higgins defeated Shaun Murphy on that occasion and will be hoping for a similar result at the Malvern Theatre in Great Malvern.

Murphy was making a return to the Premier League after an absence of a couple of years, while Higgins was hoping to perform better than he did last year when he failed to win a match and did not qualify for the top four.

Higgins was first to have a chance in the opening frame with a break of 30 but he then gave his opponent a chance.

Murphy made a break of 38 and looked to be in a good position to win the frame but left a red hanging in the jaws of the pocket. Higgins made a break of 33 to move close to the finish line but had to play safe two pots away from Murphy needing snookers.

But Murphy could not capitalise as he missed the brown ball and Higgins took the opener.

A missed straight blue in the second frame from Murphy with the score at 21-0 may have cost the world number three. Luckily for him, it did not prove critical and he later had another chance and this time a break of 52 won him the frame to level the scores at 1-1.

In the third, Higgins missed a rolled red along the top cushion before Murphy made a break of 53. However, the run ended when he potted the black and came into the pack but got no luck with only a tricky red into the centre pocket on. He missed it and Higgins punished Murphy with his own break of 53 to retake the lead.

Both players made errors in the fourth as Murphy's attacking shot left everything out in open. But Higgins missed a red with a rest before Murphy missed a pink into the centre pocket.

Higgins made a break of 58, the highest of the match so far, and that proved decisive. Murphy needed snookers but continued although it was not long before the frame was over.

Murphy pulled one back in the fifth with a break of 72. He had chances in the last frame after Higgins twice missed long pots at reds but the decisive moment came when Murphy was unsuccessful with an attempt on the red and then went in-off. Higgins' resulting break of 61 led to the World Champion beginning his Premier League season with a victory.