Mark Selby holds off John Higgins to make semi-finals of Champions of Champions event in Bolton

Mark Selby defeated John Higgins 6-4 in their group final at the Champion of Champions on Monday night in Bolton.

Higgins reached the match with a 4-2 win over Hossein Vafaei, having creaked into gear with a century break in the winning frame, a hint that he had rediscovered some decent form.

Selby, who ahead of the match talked movingly about the passing of his father 23 years ago, is well off his best so far this season, but as a former world No. 1 he could not be counted out.

He had made his way to the group final with a 4-0 whitewash victory over Lee Walker.

Needing six frames for victory there was little room for error and it was the Englishman who got off to the better start as he looked to reach Saturday’s action.

A clearance of 140 was an outstanding way to kick off his involvement in the evening.

A superb long pot in the second gave Higgins the chance to build a break of 57 before he was left unrewarded as he attempted to open up the remaining reds, but benefitted from an error from Selby during some safety play to get back to the table, and scrapped to a 72-35 leveller.

The third frame kicked off with eight minutes of frustration, leading to the pair agreeing to a re-rack. The restarted frame ran for longer than half an hour as the pair battled with safety play and an uncooperative table until Higgins came in at 58-45 following a Selby error, taking the frame to go ahead for the first time in the evening.

Higgins kicked off the next frame, the last before the interval, with a three-ball plant, but Selby would not roll over and fought back to go into the break at 2-2.

Selby won the opening frame at the restart but Higgins then added a break of 141 – one better than Selby’s first, and his highest of the season – to draw level once more, only to see the Leicester man retake the lead in the best-of-11 match-up.

A break of 64 from Higgins would see the scores level again at 4-4, but Selby’s105 break meant that his second century of the match had him a single frame from making the weekend’s competitions.

Higgins put 45 on the board and allowed Selby to the table, with a relatively straightforward, if not easy, selection of reds around the black and he held his nerve to secure a first win over Higgins in four years.