It's Showtime

The wait is finally over!

Today sees the start of this year's Betfred.com World Championship.

17 days of hard match snooker awaits, and I can't reiterate enough what an open field it is for the title this time round.

John Higgins goes into the tournament as the favourite, having already scooped five titles since returning from his suspension earlier this season.

It's definitely not a forgone conclusion for the Scot though.

There's world number one Mark Williams also in the frame alongside other form men this season including Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby and Ding Junhui.

Then there's the matter of the defending world champion Neil Robertson. The Aussie is bidding to become the only first-time winner to retain the trophy.

You shouldn't be writing off Ronnie O'Sullivan either. We all know what he's capable of.

Then there's the next band of players. The likes of Stephen Maguire, Matthew Stevens, Mark Allen, Ali Carter, Peter Ebdon and Graeme Dott, all capable of getting their games together for a challenge.

Hand on heart though, I have to back Higgins. He looks like the complete player right now. I fancy him to come through beating Selby in the final. We'll see how that predictions fares as the tournament unfolds.

I'll be keeping you right up to date with the action on my Facebook and Twitter feeds, as well as written reaction on the blog.

But for now, enjoy the snooker!