Fri Feb 05 09:14AM

Looking back at my exit from the Welsh Open, while it was disappointing it was always going to be tough to stop John Higgins the way he was playing.

He didn't play as well against me as he did in the final, and I don't think I played that bad either, but there were a couple of decisive frames where John came back from 60-odd points down to win and they eventually proved key.

You could debate whether John is the best player in the world, but his results over the last 12 months definitely show that he is the most consistent. He is just a superb all-round player and very tough to beat.

I've had some good battles with him in the past - he really is a fantastic match player. Even when he's struggling a bit he has such a fantastic safety game that he is always going to provide you with a tough test.

The Welsh came so soon after the Masters that I didn't get a proper chance to celebrate my success at Wembley, but I have been able to do that a bit this week.

Last Wednesday there was a reception for me at the Town Hall in Leicester with the mayor. Lots of friends turned out and many of the local councillors were there too.

Then last Saturday I got to go out on the pitch at the Walkers Stadium and parade the Masters trophy at the Leicester City v Newcastle match.

It's always a buzz to go out on the pitch there. The match finished 0-0, but it was an enjoyable game and Leicester did well to get a point after going down to 10 men. There was a great atmosphere too with 29,000 watching the match.

I can't say I have ever dreamt of playing football for Leicester though - I've never been good enough!

There are a few snooker players who can play a bit. Mark King is a decent player but the best is probably Alfie Burden, who was with Arsenal as a youngster and could have made it as a footballer but for a broken leg. Mark Williams also plays a bit.

There is a bit of a gap now until the next tournament but I'm off to Austria this Sunday for an exhibition event with Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Steve Davis.

Then I'll be back to fully prepare for the next ranking event, which is the China Open.

Finally, it's great to see that my fellow Leicester native Willie Thorne will be competing in Let's Dance in aid of Sport Relief.

It keeps his profile up and is great for the city. I've never seen Willie dance in person but I did watch him on Strictly Come Dancing and he managed to get through a few rounds even though at times it looked like he was dancing with a wardrobe!

I've said in the past that I wouldn't mind doing a reality TV show in the future, but Strictly wouldn't be the one for me.

Let's just say I'm no Michael Jackson!

Have a question for Mark? Leave it in the comment box and he will try and answer it next time.