Mark Allen's British Open hopes ended by Mark Selby at semi-final stage

Mark Selby will take on John Higgins in the final of the British Open in Cheltenham.

Selby battled to a 6-3 victory over Mark Allen in the evening session, quelling an attempted fightback from the Northern Irishman.

Selby opened up a 3-0 lead, knocking in a break of 105 in the second frame, before Allen got on the board.

But 4-1 became 4-3 as Allen, who scored a maximum 147 earlier in the event, fought hard, adding another big century as he racked up a 130 break in frame seven.

However, that was as close as he got, with Selby reasserting his dominance to move through to the trophy decider.

Earlier, Higgins cruised through to the final following a thumping 6-0 triumph over Oliver Lines.

The 49-year-old is looking to become the oldest winner of a ranking event since 1982 and the second most senior after Ray Reardon, who was 50 when he won the 1982 Professional Players tournament.

First-time semi-finalist Lines was on the losing end of a hard-fought 33-minute opening frame, and relinquished his lead in the next after Higgins punished the man two decades his junior for a mistake on the last red.

The younger opponent could not take advantage of Higgins' clipped red in the third frame, one the Scot went on to win after extending his advantage with a break of 57 before making it 4-0 ahead of the interval.
Higgins booked his place in Sunday's showdown with breaks of 64 and 67 in the final two frames.