John Higgins conquered the world again but there were plenty of other top snooker performers in 2009.
Higgins on top of the world, Murphy's Premier success in 2009
2009 started in usual fashion with Ronnie O'Sullivan making a winning start to the year, but it would be John Higgins who conquered the world again at the Crucible as the two men battled for supremacy throughout the campaign.
The Scotsman won his third world title at the Crucible against Shaun Murphy as defending champion O'Sullivan suffered a shock defeat in just the second round against Northern Irishman Mark Allen.
Snooker legend Stephen Hendry showed he is still as good as anyone on his day as he became just the second man to make two maximum 147s at the Crucible during his run to the quarter-finals, while the veteran also passed the landmark of winning his 1000th frame at the World Championship.
O'Sullivan had started the year in style by beating defending champion Mark Selby 10-8 in the Masters at Wembley, in a victory he labelled as his greatest achievement after winning the event with a brand new cue he only picked up the week before.
A thrilling Premier League season on
Sky Sports saw 'The Rocket' finally dethroned as king of the tournament as Murphy won his first Premier League title by beating O'Sullivan 7-3 in November's final.
Higgins had topped the league stands before losing in the semis in his Crucible final rematch with Murphy, while O'Sullivan strangely had to scrape into the last four on the final night of league action before ousting Judd Trump.
Aussie left-hander Neil Robertson became the most successful player from outside Great Britain and Ireland as he claimed a fourth ranking event win with a second Grand Prix success in Glasgow in October.
Higgins was again in form at the year-ending UK Championship, but he had to settle for second place this time around as Ding Junhui returned to top form to win the second biggest tournament of the year.
Player of the Year
World champion John Higgins gets the vote after claiming his third Crucible title and producing some superb snooker throughout the year to rise to the top of the provisional world rankings.
Shaun Murphy has also been ultra-consistent and Ronnie O'Sullivan remains a constant danger, but Scotsman Higgins is the ultimate match-player and proved his toughness during his Crucible run as he twice won thrilling final-frame deciders en route to his final win over Murphy.
Higgins also made the China Open final just before the Crucible, while his consistency saw him make the semi-finals of the Masters, Grand Prix and Shanghai Masters as he made himself the toughest draw on the circuit in 2009.
The tough Premier League on
Sky Sports saw Higgins go unbeaten through the league stages to top the table, but he came unstuck in the semi-finals as he was beaten by eventual champion Murphy, who will run Higgins close throughout the season if he maintains his own fine form.
Match of the Year
World champion John Higgins won two thrilling final-frame deciders on his way to lifting the trophy at the Crucible and the second of them, a monumental duel with Mark Selby, was an absolute classic.
Two fans fainted in the crowd as Higgins beat Jamie Cope 13-12 in the previous round, and Higgins again frayed the nerves of his followers as he came from behind again to beat Selby by the same scoreline.
Selby hit five centuries in the high-quality quarter-final but still found himself heading home as Higgins came back from 11-10 and 12-11 down to force a nail-biting final frame decider for a place in the semi-finals.
And what a final frame it was! With two re-racks just adding even more to the tension before Higgins eventually came out on top in a win he described at the time as his best ever.
Break of the Year
Stephen Hendry notched one of the two 147 maximum breaks scored during the year, and it was a landmark break for the snooker legend at the World Championships in April.
Hendry's 147 against Shaun Murphy was his second at the Crucible as he became just the second man to hit multiple maximums in the sport's showpiece event, while he also matched Ronnie O'Sullivan after bagging his ninth 147 in competitive action.
The veteran seven-time world champion reached the quarter-finals in Sheffield as he showed he can still mix it with the younger breed, while he also won his 1000th frame at the Crucible in another notable landmark.
Hendry's first Crucible maximum came back in 1995 and his second in 2009 thrilled the knowledgeable Sheffield crowd lucky enough to be present to see a master of his craft operating at the top of his game.
Controversy of the Year
Referee Alan Chamberlain stole the headlines at the Crucible during Mark Selby's match with Graeme Dott as he made a controversial ruling that left both players and the crowd scratching their heads.
Former world champion Dott made a mistake and sent the cue ball towards the pocket for an in-off and a foul - and the Scotsman put his fist in the pocket in frustration to prevent the white going down.
With the foul being called, Selby stepped up to take his shot and moved the white into the D as normal following an in-off, but referee Chamberlain called a foul on him for moving the white as it had not left the table.
Although technically the correct decision within the rules, Chamberlain's call was a bit on the pedantic side and he could have allowed Selby the chance to play on. With both players confused discussions commence until eventually a sheepish Dott was convinced to play on, but Selby went on to win the match.
Breakthrough of the Year
Referee Michaela Tabb did her bit for girl power during 2009 as she became the first female referee to take charge of the World Championship final at the Crucible.
Tabb has become one of the most respected referees amongst the players on the circuit and the former women's pool champion achieved her ultimate goal by pulling on the gloves as John Higgins beat Shaun Murphy in Sheffield.
Adding a touch of glamour to the occasion at the Crucible, Tabb has been leading the way for women in the sport ever since becoming a snooker referee in 2002, and that culminated with her achievement in May.
