John Higgins was on the top after being crowned champion in the early hours of Tuesday, holding off a brave fightback from Mark Selby to win the World Snooker Championships with a tense 18-13 victory.

The 31-year-old Scot, who last won the tournament in 1998, however, had already assured the number one finish in the rankings with his run to the final.

Following are the leading rankings of the world snooker for the 2007-2008 season:

1. John Higgins, Scotland, 42,250 points

2. Graeme Dott, Scotland, 37,775

3. Shaun Murphy, England, 37,700

4. Ken² Doherty, Ireland, 35,800

5. Ronnie O'Sullivan, England, 34,500

6. Peter Ebdon, England, 33,550

7. Neil Robertson, Australia, 33,125

8. Stephen Hendry, Scotland, 32,475

9. Ding Junhui, China, 30,800

10. Stephen Maguire, Scotland, 30,550