26/3/00: John Higgins ensured that today's Benson & Hedges Irish Masters final would be an all-Scottish affair for the first time by beating Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-3 at Goffs.

Higgins sprinted into a 3-0 lead and always kept his nose in front to set up a clash with Stephen Hendry, who had earlier beaten John Parott 6-1.

And the world number one is especially excited by the prospect of meeting Hendry in a major final for only the third time.

"It's nice to play Stephen because I've always looked up to him," Higgins said. "We haven't met that much because one of us is often knocked out early in the tournament so it's going to be a very special occasion.

"My confidence isn't totally back and I'm missing a few shots that I shouldn't but reaching a major final may set me up nicely for the rest of the season".

Higgins began the match in determined fashion as breaks of 73 and 42 gave him a 2-0 lead.

He led 47-40 in the third but after potting yellow and green, he missed the brown. O'Sullivan knocked it in but went in-off after doubling the blue and then played a poor safety to let the Scot back in.

Higgins duly potted blue and pink for frame but failed to make it 4-0 at the interval when O'Sullivan cleared with 32 in the next.

Higgins had created all the headlines on Friday night by compiling the first 147 maximum break in the 23-year history of the Irish Masters during his 6-4 quarter final victory over Jimmy White.

It looked as if O'Sullivan might emulate that feat in the fifth frame when he potted ten reds and nine blacks - but the tenth black failed to drop.

O'Sullivan was in on 33 in the next but missed the black off its spot and Higgins went 4-2 ahead.

And although O'Sullivan recovered to 4-3 with a 57, Higgins was just too strong as the 24-year-old from Wishaw - who had twice before lost to O'Sullivan in the Irish Masters - made breaks of 68 and 88 to complete victory.

"I've no excuses," said O'Sullivan. "He won the match and I didn't. I just didn't take my opportunities".

Hendry beat Higgins in the final of the 1995 Grand Prix and again in the 1996 UK Championship. But Higgins won their last meeting in a final when he edged Hendry 9-8 in the 1998 British Open.

Hendry came to Ireland having compiled 497 centuries in his career, chasing an unprecedented 500 to pass another of the game's milestones.

But despite making four breaks over 70 against Parott, he failed to get closer to the magical mark, missing a pink on 94 in the final frame.

"It's starting to get on my nerves," Hendry joked.

"Of course I'm thinking about it but it's not putting me under any extra pressure and it isn't affecting my match play."

Hendry won a scrappy opener with a yellow to pink clearance before the match sparked into life.

The three-times Irish Master champion made 81 to lead 2-0 but, when he went in-off in the third, Parrott made a magnificent 135 total clearance to reduce his arrears to 2-1.

However the match then turned into something of a procession as Hendry knocked in a succession of large breaks to secure victory and a place in his sixth Irish Masters final.

He potted eight reds and eight blacks in the fourth frame but could not emulate the heroics of John Higgins, who made a 147 on Friday night, when two reds cruelly went down at the same time to scupper his maximum attempt.

The break eventually stalled at 72 and further runs of 63 and 73 put Hendry 5-1 ahead before a swift 94 wrapped up victory.

"I got stronger as the match went on," said Hendry. "I missed a few towards the start but got better which is the right way to go." -PA