IT could be a silver celebration in more ways than one. If John Higgins has his way, he will mark the occasion in the manner he has become accustomed to.

Next year will be the 25th anniversary of Higgins turning professional and his will to win remains as strong now as the first time he stepped up to the table. It is the desire for silverware and his competitive nature that continues to drive him.

His record already places him amongst the greats of the game but the 41-year-old has no inclination to slow down. Higgins won successive tournaments as he lifted the China Championship and Champion of Champions titles just a few weeks ago and only Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham are ahead of him in the rankings.

It is the thrill of competition and the challenge of beating that best that means most to the Wizard of Wishaw, though, as he prepares to return to action on home soil at the Scottish Open this afternoon.

“Having that feeling of winning a tournament keeps you going,” Higgins told SportTimes.

“You can’t beat that feeling of winning and you want to replicate that again and again. I am maybe winning less than I was earlier in my career, but when I do win it is still a special feeling.

“I still enjoy competing and playing against the best players. When you get older, the practicing is the first side of the game that you start to struggle with.

“That has been the case in the last couple of years but it does help you stay fresh. Because you have as much tournament play, maybe you don’t need to put in as many hours as you did 15 or 20 years ago.”

Higgins may not spend as much time on the table to hone his game but the commitment to the sport has never diminished.

The snooker landscape has changed significantly since Higgins first started out and he has already clocked up his fair share of air miles this season.

There have been stops in Latvia and Romania and a couple of trips to the Far East and there are more opportunities than ever before for those that pack a suitcase and take their cue on the road.

Higgins’ appearance in Glasgow this week follows runs to the quarter-finals and last 16 of the English Open and Northern Irish Open respectively.

“You have got to manage it and it is about finding that balance in your schedule,” Higgins said.

“My daughter is actually wanting a puppy for her Christmas but I am allergic to dogs. She is saying it will be fine and that we can still get it because I am hardly ever home!

“When you hear your daughter say things like that, you think it is maybe time to cut back the schedule a little bit. I am away a lot but that is something you have to do.

“It is not going to be forever and you do it while you are still at the top of the game. You put in as much work as you can and then in a few years you take a step back.”

One day, the time will come where Higgins decides hang up his bow tie. There are still matches to be won and trophies to be lifted, though.

A fifth World Championship title is not beyond the Scot and his form this season, which includes a run of three successive centuries to win in Guangzhou and the eighth maximum of his career last month, shows that he remains as competitive as ever.

“I have never been one for aims but I still believe I am capable of winning big tournaments and the last couple of years have proven that,” Higgins said.

“It is very tough to win any tournament now because of the number of people playing at a high standard. I am still loving it, though.

“You don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, do you? I just treat each day as it comes, treat each tournament as it comes and give it my best.

“You don’t know what the future holds for you. I just work for each day and see where it takes me.”

The next title in Higgins’ sights would rank amongst the most cherished. He begins his bid for Scottish Open success against Alan McManus at the Emirates Arena today as he returns to action on home soil.

It is a chance for the crowd to see their heroes in action and an opportunity for Higgins to add to his personal honour roll.

“I have got a couple of wins so I am happy enough with my game,” he said.

“I am going into it with a bit of confidence but I have drawn a tough game first up with Alan.

“It is good for the tournament we are playing in the first afternoon with a big match between two Scots. I think it is a good one to start the tournament with.

“We are playing a lot of the tour in the Far East and Europe now so it is great to have these UK tournaments on the calendar.

“It is good that we don’t have to jump on an aeroplane and that we are playing a bit closer to home, especially coming up to Christmas. It is nice to be back playing in Scotland.”

The return of an event to these shores is a welcome one. As the game grows around the world, the nation that has provided some fine champions is rightly included once again as ten home grown players get set to take to the green baize.

Higgins is pleased to see a Scottish tournament back on the calendar, yet he is fearful about what the future holds for the game and where the next tartan talents are coming from.

“It is tough across the board in Britain and I don’t think the standard of player coming through is anywhere near like it was 20 years ago,” he said.

“That is just life in general, the world is different to it was then. There are not as many clubs and it is a different time.

“Snooker has been well supported by a lot of great people and Scotland has produced great players but it is tough to see where the next champions are going to come from now.

“Maybe after Anthony McGill, there are boys like Ross Muir.

“It is one of those things. A lot of players came through after Stephen and followed in his footsteps and snooker has been good for Scotland.”

“The powers at be aren’t interested in funding it, which is a shame because it does need a bit of help at the grassroots level. It is a shame how it is viewed when you see the players that Scotland has produced.”

* THE Evening Times has a pair of tickets for the Scottish Open final to give away to a lucky reader. The tickets are for both sessions of the final, which will take place at 1pm and 7pm on Sunday, December 18.

For a chance to win, answer the following question: How many World Snooker Championship titles has John Higgins won?

Now, email your name and contact telephone number to sport@eveningtimes.co.uk by midnight on Tuesday, December 13. Editor's decision is final. Only winners will be contacted.