HOBART'S Les Higgins has successfully defended his Tasmanian snooker championship title, which was played at the Burnie Club over the weekend.

Higgins defeated Launceston's Graeme Pickett 7-1 in the final. 

The win takes Higgins to 16 Tasmanian snooker championship wins, equalling the number of titles won by Launceston legend Ron Atkins, and takes his total number of Tasmanian championships to a staggering 35, including 19 billiards championships. 

Higgins beat Brian Cole, of Burnie, 5-0 and Pickett beat Hobart's Greg Watt, 5-1, in their respective semi- finals. 

In a double blow for the North, Gary Bjarnoe-Elliott lost the consolation plat to Luke Webb, of Hobart, 3-2. Webb is considered by most to be a contender for the championship in future years. 

Greg Watt made the highest break with clearance of 85. Full results are on the TBSA website. 

It has been a year where the Higgins name, and snooker has made headlines around the world, with the death of Ireland's notorious Alex (Hurricane) Higgins and the suspension of world number one, Scotland's John Higgins, for suspected match-fixing, meanwhile, Tasmania's Les Higgins continues a brilliant career, having won the 1981 Australian junior championship, followed by three Australian under-23 championships in succession. 

Higgins won the 1994 Oceania billiards championship at Pukukoe, New Zealand, and was runner-up in the Oceania snooker championship the same year. 

In 1995 he won the Oceania snooker championship in Sydney. At just 46 years of age he has plenty yet to come. 

Northern finals 

IN the Northern A grade snooker competition, Works Black and Exeter played out an epic qualifying final. 

The Swain boys got Exeter off to a good start, Ben Swain beat Rodney Martin 2-0 and Rex won 2-1 against David Bates. Black's Bruce Lockley was too strong for Gary Bakker winning 2-0, with the result then hinging on the battle between Black's Peter Wallace and Adam Bindoff, of Exeter. 

Both known for their calculating play the first frame took 63 minutes, won by Bindoff, however, Wallace steadied to take the next two frames and force a play-off, which Black won 3-0. 

Works Blue ended the Devils run beating them 3-1. Peter Donati beat Heath Rainbow 2-0, John Stevenson was a winner over Wally Sully 2-1 and Rolf Stevenson beat Josh Rainbow 2-0. 

Devils' Andrew Rainbow beat Michael Leslie 2-0. 

This week Launceston RSL v Black, in the second semi-final, at RSL, Exeter v Blue in the knockout semi- final at Exeter. 

In A Reserve, Works Amber progressed to the second semi-final with a resounding 7-2 win over Works Red. Tracey Saltmarsh and John Saggers both won 2-0 for Amber. 

Navy will continue its finals campaign having defeated Exeter 7-5, in the elimination final, Craig Jory and Alan Legg were winners for Navy, Chris Reid was Exeter's only winner. 

In this week's semi-finals Green plays Amber, with the winner going through to the grand final while Navy plays Red, in the knockout semi, both at the Works Club tonight. 

For more information go to the cue sport website, www.nteba.com.au or call the secretary on 0419113528.