Trump beats Hawkins to win second UK Championship crown

Judd Trump claimed his second UK Championship title with a hard-fought 10-8 victory over Barry Hawkins at the Barbican in York.

Only Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and John Higgins have won more than the 35-year-old’s tally of 30 ranking titles.

Trump had to endure a stirring fightback from Hawkins, who fought back from 9-6 to 9-8 and almost got the two snookers he required in a dramatic 18th frame to force a decider.

“It was such a hard game. The way Barry battled today considering what happened yesterday was incredible really,” Trump told BBC Sport.

“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, who won his previous UK crown in 2011, now has five Triple Crown titles – the same number as Alex Higgins but 18 fewer than O’Sullivan – having also won the Masters twice and the World Championship once in his career.

The world number one led 5-3 going into Sunday evening’s concluding session and knocked in two half-century breaks to retain his two-frame advantage at 7-5 going into the interval.

Hawkins, 45, searching for his first Triple Crown title 28 years after turning professional, took the next and looked well-placed to level the match at 7-7 before running out of position, allowing his opponent to pull clear again.

Trump compiled a sublime break of 133 – his highest of the tournament – as he opened up a 9-6 lead but a gutsy response saw Hawkins enjoy runs of 75 and 82 before his resistance was finally broken as he narrowly missed out on a deciding frame.

With Trump securing the £250,000 top prize, he has now tasted success at the two most lucrative ranking events on the Tour this term – having also triumphed at the Saudi Arabia Masters – to cement his status at the top of the world rankings.

Hawkins, who earned £100,000 as runner-up, had been bidding to become the oldest first-time winner of a Triple Crown event.

However, just pushing Trump close was quite a feat, given the 45-year-old began Sunday’s final barely 12 hours after concluding his semi-final win over Mark Allen.

Hawkins, who came through the qualifiers in Leicester to reach the televised stages, had already defied the odds with victories over defending champion O’Sullivan, David Gilbert, Shaun Murphy and Allen.

“I’m still fighting. Days like this make it worthwhile,” said Hawkins, who has reclaimed his place in the top 16 and gained a spot at the Masters thanks to his run in York.

“If someone had told me I’d get to the final, I’d have taken it. Once I was in the final, you want to win. Today was a great game. I’ve lost to the best player in the world.

“He’s number one for a reason. Just a fantastic player. It’s no disgrace losing to that man there. I missed the boat a bit. I wasn’t clinical enough in the balls.”

Those missed opportunities included a red that appeared to roll away from the middle at 9-8 but there were also several in the first session, that may have allowed him to cause Trump even more trouble.

While Trump took the opening frame of the match with a break of 73, he was twice hauled back by Hawkins, who made a superb 116 and produced a 70 clearance to level at 2-2.

Trump then accelerated clear, enjoying a run of 102 as he reeled off the next three frames in a row.

Hawkins displayed great resolve to reduce his arrears with a break of 81 but his failure to convert chances to score heavily – when he missed a black to the left middle in the fifth frame and a green to the top left corner – proved costly.

Trump has now won three tournaments in total this season while reaching two other finals.

And his earnings were already guaranteed to tip over the £1m mark even if he had been defeated on Sunday.

“It is still a long way to go from where I want to be in my career,” Trump said.

“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.”