2 weeks ago
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JUDD TRUMP ended a 13-year wait to lift the UK Championship as he banked a sweet £1million Christmas bonus.
The Juddernaut has been the sport’s standout performer this term but he was forced to work hard for this latest triumph as he beat Barry Hawkins 10-8 in front of 1,200 fans at the Barbican.
Judd Trump has won the UK ChampionshipPA
PAThe world No.1 will now collect a £250,000 cheque and he has won more than £1million in prize money from just ten events since the summer.
Kyren Wilson is the reigning world champion and Ronnie O’Sullivan remains the greatest cueist ever but Trump, 35, is unquestionably the best on the planet right now.
This represents his 30th ranking tournament title – only 11 fewer than the Rocket – and his parents were present in North Yorkshire to witness this latest triumph.
York has not always been so kind to Trump since his maiden success in 2011.
But he will have fond memories now as he lifted a fifth Triple Crown title, which brings him level with the late Alex Higgins.
This has been an emotional week for Hawkins, who skipped his club-room mentor’s funeral last Wednesday because he was scheduled to face David Gilbert in the second round.
It has been a tiring week, too, and twelve hours after his marathon 1am semi-final win – which started in November and ended in December – a bleary-eyed Hawk was back on the table for 1pm.
Given his disrupted sleep, the question was how much that last-four slugfest with Mark Allen would impact his chances on one of the biggest days of his career.
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As he walked down the steps of the arena, he was given a standing ovation and the lack of shuteye did not influence him in frame two as he knocked in an eye-opening 116.
There was also nothing that looked tired about his involvement in frame four when he launched a ruthless counter-strike.
The Kent potter thrillingly came from 69-0 down – Trump’s attempt to split the reds failed – and made it 2-2 with a superb 70 break.
What made it more impressive was the fact his back arm was trembling with nervous energy as he made the clearance.
Trump reacted by winning the next three frames in a row and his break of 102 was his TENTH century of the tournament.
Hawkins ensured he would only be two frames behind, at 5-3 down, heading into the evening activities when he responded to Trump’s 51 with a 81.
The qualifier gave a commendable account of himself but every time he closed the gap to one frame, Trump would respond.
Frame 15 saw a 133 break from Trump – an 11th century of the event and his biggest score – and though Hawkins made it 9-8 with breaks of 75 and 82, a missed red to the middle in frame 18 stopped his flow.
PA
PAA tense safety battle did ensure, with Hawkins needing two snookers, but Trump kept his composure throughout a 34-minute frame to avoid it going to a final-frame decider.
Hawkins’s Triple Crown misery continues, adding this final loss to defeats in the showpiece occasion of the Worlds and twice at the Masters.
And if he was not already sick of Trump, then he was drawn earlier in the afternoon to face him in the first round of the Masters at Ally Pally next month.
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