JOHN HIGGINS could not hide his delight after winning the first ever China Championship and said to do it by knocking three consecutive centuries was a dream come true.

John Higgins. Picture by Monique Limbos

The four-times world champion won his first major title in more than a year after he beat Stuart Bingham 10-7 to claim the huge £200,000 prize on Saturday.

However the huge win will not count towards his ranking as this year’s first China Championship was classed as an invitational event. Next year the event will be upgraded to ranking status featuring 128 players on the tour circuit.

Video courtesy of World Snooker

But that did not wipe the huge smile off Higgins’ face who was left delighted after closing the win out in style by making breaks of 134, 100 and 101.

“It’s a dream come true to finish a match off like that with three centuries, especially for such a big prize and a big tournament,” he said.

“I’m definitely taking this trophy home! “It’s unbelievable to win this amount of money.

“In recent matches I have sometimes been guilty of not having the correct mindset, but I was really zoned in tonight. Even when I went 6-5 down I stayed positive and kept concentrating on every ball.

“Time stands still for no one so all you can do is try to fight back as much as you can. This gives me great confidence because I don’t think I’ve ever finished a final like that, so it proves to me that I can still do it under extreme pressure. I’m really chuffed to bits.”