Trump claims second UK titlepublished at 22:59 Greenwich Mean Time 1 December
Result: Hawkins 8-10 Trump
Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport at York Barbican
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 although, given his current dominance, the expectation on him now will be to add to his haul in the Triple Crown events.
He is currently joint-eighth on the all-time list with Alex Higgins in fifth position.
However, he 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 before Trump prevailed.
“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.”