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In a hard-fought contest at the Barbican in York, snooker player Judd Trump secured his second UK Championship title with a 10-8 victory over Barry Hawkins. Trump has now amassed 30 ranking titles, putting him behind only three other players: Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and John Higgins. Hawkins fought back valiantly from 9-6, coming close to forcing a decider in a dramatic 18th frame.
Reflecting on the game to BBC Sport, Trump stated: “It was such a hard game. The way Barry battled today considering what happened yesterday was incredible really. He made it so hard. He had a chance to go level and the game could have changed. I was not enjoying myself in the seat at 9-8. I just wanted it to be over with. Every shot I was snookered and I was thinking, ‘this could be the worst loss of all time’. It is pure relief.”
Trump has now secured five Triple Crown titles, having previously won the UK crown in 2011, along with the Masters twice, and the World Championship once. He currently sits at the top of the world rankings.
During Sunday evening’s concluding session, Trump led 5-3, knocking in two half-century breaks to stay two frames ahead at 7-5 going into the interval. The victor had to weather a valiant fightback from Hawkins, who took the next frame and threatened to level the match at 7-7, before running out of position and surrendering the chance to take control.
As the match came to its end, Trump compiled a sublime break of 133, his tournament high. Hawkins’ resistance was eventually overcome as he narrowly missed out on a deciding frame. Runner-up Hawkins earned £100,000 and gained a spot at the Masters due to his performances in York’s UK Championship.
Trump’s overall winnings topped £1m even if he had lost, and he has subsequently won three tournaments in total this season while reaching two other finals. Looking ahead, he told the BBC: “It is still a long way to go from where I want to be in my career. They all mean the same – it doesn’t matter to me. It makes no difference. If I am up there at the end of my career with the all-time greats, then brilliant, but I am just going to try and keep knocking out the ranking events and see where I can get to. If I keep winning them I am sure the Triple Crown events will take care of themselves.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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