A legendary snooker player ended up with a face full of cake at the , with his rival playing a cruel prank in the middle of the match. Cliff Thorburn was the instigator, with the Canadian gaining a reputation for his colourful antics. He remains the only player from the Americas to win the , achieving the feat in 1980.

On that occasion, he went up against Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins, who is also remembered for being a controversial character. It was never going to be a quiet affair, with a clash of personalities and styles ensuring fireworks on the table and confrontations off it. Their rivalry came to a head in their Crucible final as Thorburn secured a narrow 18-16 victory.

The final was interrupted at one stage as broadcasters cut into TV coverage to show live pictures of the SAS storming the Iranian embassy in London. Higgins led 6-3 at the end of the first session, extending his advantage to 9-5 before Thorburn levelled at 9-9.

It was at this point that tensions began to rise, with each player accusing the other of distracting them. There was little to separate the two players heading into the fourth and final session, leading to a dramatic conclusion.

With the scores locked at 16-16, Higgins had a celebratory cake wheeled into his dressing room. It was never used for its intended purpose, though, with Thorburn later planting the Northern Irishman's face in it.

He went on to achieve Crucible glory, winning the last two frames with breaks of 119 and 51 to win at the expense of Higgins.

The pair clashed again three years later, with a fight breaking out at the Irish Open in 1983. Thorburn punched Higgins to the ground and kicked him in the groin in response to being told: "You're a Canadian c*** who is s*** at snooker."

Reflecting on his bitter rivalry with Higgins in 2022, Thorburn told the Daily Mail: "Alex was a heck of a player, but he knew what he could get away with and aggravation just seemed to follow him around.

"I don't know why he was the way he was and I still wonder how he could play so well. But I think I bothered him. In many ways he was my toughest opponent. I lost a lot of close matches to him, at least it felt like too many."

Thorburn won three Masters titles in addition to his sole Crucible triumph before stepping away from the tour in 1996. He went on to play on the World Seniors Tour and eventually walked away from the sport for good in 2022.