International Championship Final

Judd Trump today topped off the week where he became the official world no.1  by claiming the inaugural International Championship as well as the top prize of £125,000 defeating Neil Robertson 10-8 in a thrilling final..

As seems to be becoming the norm for tournaments staged in China the packed house in Chengdu were treated to a final full of drama as the pendulum  swung both ways throughout the day.

The scene for what was to come was set in the opening session as Trump took the opening two frames only for Robertson to reel off the next four in a row to take a 4-2 lead.Trump leveled at 4-4 but Robertson took the last of the session to lead 5-4 going into the evening.

Robertson would say afterward he felt he should have lead 6-3  going into the second session and perhaps that was on his mind as Trump again won the opening two frames to take the lead again at 6-5.The next produced what seemed at the time to be a pivotal moment as Trump took on a needlessly difficult red right handed and missed allowing Robertson the chance to regain a foothold in the match which he duly took full advantage of the scores now level again at 6-6.The next again looked to be going Trumps way but an unfortunate miscue when among the balls left the door open for Robertson who again showed his class by clearing to take the frame and retake the lead at 7-6 going into the mid session interval.

Things now seemed to be well and truly going the way of the Australian who has a remarkable record in tv finals.He won the next to go 8-6 and now seemed in total control.Trump though as I've said already this week became world no.1 and the one thing all men who have held that position have in common is an ability to produce their best when their back are to the wall.That would again prove to be the case here

The turning point came in a scrappy 15th frame where helped by a fluke Trump won to close within one at 8-7.This seemed to switch the momentum again in his favour and he produced his best snooker of the match to level at 8-8 with a break of 96.Trump was well and truly motoring now and moved within one of victory with a stylish 119,The first century of the final at the perfect time.

The question now was could Robertson again reply but sadly for him he could not as Trump did enough to seal the win and lift the third full ranking title of his career.10-8.This was the perfect end to a perfect week for Judd and I think few would argue that he was a deserving winner based on his form throughout the tournament.The tournament itself has also been a great success with the longer framed matches a welcome feature.You have to feel this event will only grow in stature in coming years and rightfully take its place along side \the UK,The Masters and the Worlds as the sports Majors.

It is of course following a few PTC events in the coming weeks that attention will again turn to York and the UK Championship where Judd will be defending champion.He will go there full of confidence but uneasy rests the head that wears the crown and he will have plenty of the sports big guns lining up to knock him off his perch.That is in the future though for now he can relax on the long flight home and look back on a job well done

The final of the International Championship in Chengdu will see two of the games big guns slog it out as Judd Trump takes on Neil Robertson in search of the title and the top prize of £125.000.

Trump reached the final with a one sided 9-1 victory over Peter Ebdon.This had looked a potentially tricky match for Trump but Ebdon looked  strangely nervous early on and never got going.That said you still have to pot the balls and Trump did this with aplomb as he reeled off frame after frame to record an easy win.

 This match was also significant for the fact that in victory Judd officially became the new World no.1.When you consider only 18 months ago he had yet to win a ranking title it shows how quickly his star has grown and I will be writing about this in more detail in the coming week..

Judd would no doubt love to top off his week by claiming the trophy but Neil Robertson will have a thing or two to say about that.

Robertson reached the final with a 9-5 victory in a match that never lived up to its potential. It was Murphy who made the early running taking a 3-1 lead but producing the best snooker of the match Robertson took four in a row to lead 5-3 going into the second session.It might have been expected at that stage that both players would come out all guns blazing in the evening but it was not to be the case as both struggled to produce any degree of fluency in their play.As often seems to be the case when players are struggling the balls seemed determined to run as awkwardly as possible and frame after frame became a slog.To the credit of both men they each kept their discipline but it was Robertson who potted the balls when they were needed and it was he who was to be victorious.

On to the final we go then and it does promise to be an extremely interesting  and potentially explosive one. These men have had a few tight battles in the past like their semi final encounter in last season UK Championships where Judd won 9-7  but of course the one people will be remember most is their clash in the semi final of The Masters.This was memorable not only for the result (a 6-3 win for Robertson) but also for the comments afterwards which may provide a bit of needle in this one.

Whether or not that is the case the one thing I do believe is that Neil really did do a number on Judd that day and this had a bearing on Judd for the rest of the season.He would go on to lose a number of match's from seemingly winning positions.and It has only been in the last month that he has finally seemed to find his groove again.In Shanghai he lost nothing in defeat to Higgins in the final and this week has looked supreme among the balls,never more so then in his quarter final with Mark Allen.

Robertson on the other hand I'm sure would be the first to admit, has reached the final without playing at his best.,That in many ways though is the measure of the man who has become a match player in the Higgins mode in recent seasons.You practically have to scrape him off the table.That doggedness may will not be enough against Trump and Robertson will know he will have to be playing at his best to deny the World no.1 rounding off the week in style.

Personally I think Judd will have too much for Neil in this one and will crown a memorable week by lifting the trophy and claiming the inaugural International Championship.

International Championship QF round up

Day 5 at the International Championship in Chengdu China and we now know the identity of the four player who will battle it over the next two days in the best of 17 frame semi finals,all in the hope of reaching Sundays final and claiming the £125,000 top prize.

The first semi final tomorrow throws together one of those fascinating clashes of style you only get in snooker when Judd Trump takes on Peter Ebdon.

Judd who will become the new World no.1 if he reaches the final here moved one step closer to that dream with a narrow 6-5 victory over Mark Allen.This was a match of the highest quality with two of the games most exciting players playing at their fluent best.The first four frames were shared to leave it 2-2 at the interval before a 107 helped Judd go 4-2 up.A 121 form Allen closed it 4-3 but when Trump then made it 5-3 it looked like it might be the decisive move.Allen to his credit though was not for giving up.Another century this time a 104 made it 5-4 and when Trump failed to make the most of his chance in the next Allen won it to force the decider.In the 10 months since The Masters in January Trump has found himself in this position on more then one occasion with a match seemingly in his grasp only to let it slip away but today he gave those who have questioned his temperament the perfect answer taking his chance to win 6-5.This really was a superb match and without doubt in these two we have a rivalry that will only grow in the years ahead.

On the other table we had a match that was the total opposite to this thrill a minute stuff but none the less produced an equally impressive winner as Peter Ebdon beat Ricky Walden 6-0.Walden may still have been feeling the effects of his marathon 321 minute match with Selby the night before but whatever the reason he couldn't get going against Ebdon who has now reached the semi final only dropping one frame along the way.

The second semi final will be a battle of two former World champions as Neil Robertson play Shaun Murphy.

Robertson never looked at his best but his experience showed as he beat the young Chinese star Lu Haotian 6-2.The crucial frames in this one came when Robertson already leading 3-2 took the next two on the black to go 5-2.He then made most of his chance in the next to seal the win.Robertson was full of praise for his young opponent in the post match press conference  and no doubt this teenager will be a featuring in the latter stages of tournaments again sooner rather then later.

Shaun Murphy booked his semi final place with a 6-4 win over Marco Fu.In this one Murphy despite winning the opening frame found himself trailing 3-1 at the interval before he visibly upped a gear to take four frames in a row and lead 5-3.Fu did manage to close the gap to 5-4 but Murphy was not to be denied and won the next to secure the win.

As someone who has always favoured the longer format match's I am really looking forward to the novelty of semi finals been played over two sessions.I know its probably to much to wish for that these might become the norm again but at the very least they provide a welcome break from the bitesize format of other tournaments.

International Championship Last 16 round up and QF preview.

It may only have been the round of 16 but today saw another great day of action at the International Championship which included among its headlines,. mixed fortunes for the home players,a couple of former world champions showing good form,a few results that could have a major bearing on the world rankings and the continued rise of a young sensation.

Perhaps the story of the week so far has been the progress of 14 year old Lu Haotian who has once again shown what a raw talent he has. Today he once again came through  a final frame decider this time against the ultra experienced Dominic Dale and even at this early age has shown he has nerve to go with the ability.No doubt we will be talking about this kid for many years to come.He now faces his toughest battle to date in the quarter final where he meets Neil Robertson.Robertson has been quite impressive this week and booked his place with a 6-2 victory over Matthew Stevens.

It was of course as a 14 year old we first saw Ding Junhui when he played as a wildcard in the China Open many moons ago. He would go on to win that tournament a couple of years later but in the time since he has often struggled under the pressure of the expectant home crowds. Those fans were once again left disappointed today when he went down 6-4 to Shaun Murphy.This was a top quality game where the momentum swung both ways before Murphy showed his class winning the last two frames comfortably having earlier let a 4-1 lead slip.

Murphy will now play Marco Fu who came through following a long tense battle with Mark Davis 6-4,One has to feel sympathy for Davis who had he won would have secured a place in the top 16 for the first time in his career but now finds himself agonisingly in 17th place.

Elsewhere Mark Allen defeated Cao Yupeng in a rematch of their controversial Crucible encounter 6-2 to continue his recent run of good form and he will need to be at his best when he once again tackles Judd Trump in the next round.Trump had a straight forward victory 6-0 win over Aditya Mehta who failed to reproduce the form that saw him beat Suart Bingham yesterday.This promises to be a mouth watering clash between these two young guns and if it lives up to their clash in last years UK final the crowds in Chengdu are in for a treat.

An added incentive for Trump will be the knowledge that reaching the final this week will see him become the new World no.1.This is due to the fact that our current no.1 Mark Selby bowed out in a marathon match today with Ricky Walden going down 6-3.

Walden would want to recover quickly from that gruelling encounter as he is not likely to get any respite tomorrow when he face Peter Ebdon for a place in the semi's.Ebdon made short work today of Stephen Maguire recording a comprehensive 6-1 win..

We are really now at the push coming to shove stage of this tournament with every game from now on been played on a televised table .Each of the eight players who are left will feel they are well capable of lifting the trophy come Sunday but if I was to pressed to tip someone I would slightly favour Judd Trump.I feel the extra incentive of the no.1 spot been up for grabs will give him the drive he needs.I have of course often been wrong before!!

International Championship. The story so far

We may only be three days in but the inaugural staging of the International Championship has already provided plenty of thrills and spills as well as a few shocks.

Firstly lets get the old chestnut of the Wildcard round out of the way.Much has been written about this over the years and on the face of it it does seem grossly unfair that professionals having come through the qualifiers have to go play an extra match to get to tournament proper,but rightly or wrongly thats the way it is.As the old saying goes the man who pays the piper calls the tune and as long as those promoting these tournaments remain insistent on this it is the way things will stay.

As always these rounds do claim some main tour pro's and here was no exception.Ken Doherty fell 6-5 to Zhao Xintong, and Michael White went down by the same scoreline to the young sensation Lu Haotian who had the added bonus of going straight into the last 16 following Ronnie's withdrawl and will face Dominic Dale,Cao Yupeng, Aditya Mehta,Fergal O Brien and Jamie Burnett did manage to make it through some tricky ties to make last 32 but the shock results didn't end there.

The first upset in the last 32 was the exit of John Higgins who fell at the first hurdle as he attempted to make it back to back ranking victories follow his recent Shanghai Masters win.He started well in his match with Cao Yupeng but his form dipped completely after a game changing fourth frame and although he did rally late on he went down 6-3. Cao's reward is a Last 16 clash against the impressive Mark Allen who put his travel problems behind him to beat Robert Milkins 6-2.

Another man who experienced travel problems was Neil Robertson .but he produced a solid display against Ryan Day beating him 6-3.He will play Matthew Stevens next.

Ding Junhui has not always produced his best in his homeland but can be happy with his display in beating his fellow countryman Zhou Yuelong 6-1 to set up a clash with Shaun Murphy who also eased his way through with a 6-0 crushing of Andrew Higginson.

Judd Trump started his quest to go one better then his runners up spot in last months Shanghai Masters with a decent display that hinted at better to come in his 6-3 win over Fergal O'Brien and will face India's Aditya Mehta next.Mehta in what is surely his biggest victory yet beat the man in form Stuart Bingham 6-4.He had at one stage lead 4-0 and managed to hold his nerve to hold off  the Bingham comeback.He will no doubt be relishing the chance to play Trump tomorrow.

In other matches World No.1 Mark Selby negotiated a tricky last 32 encounter with Ali Carter to progress 6-3 and will play Ricky Walden who came through a long gruelling battle with Lu Ning 6-4.Stephen Maguire beat Jamie Burnett 6-3 to set up a rematch with his China Open conqueror Peter Ebdon and Marco Fu scraped through in a decider with Martin Gould.He will face Mark Davis who beat an obviously under the weather Mark Williams 6-4.

Tomorrow will see all eight last 16 matches taking place so by this time tomorrow we will know who the Quarter finalists will be.By then I may even get off the fence and try predict a winner!

International Open preview

This Sunday will see what is no doubt the biggest tournament to take place outside the UK when the first staging of the International Open kicks off in Chengdu China.With a top prize of £125.000 it is not speaking out of turn to suggest that this tournament will if not rival the UK Championship in the years to come it will certainly sit along side it in terms of prestige.

The other element of this tournament which is to welcomed is the fact that the whole way through the matches will be over the slightly longer format with all matches to the semi best of 11 and the semi's best of 17 over two sessions.This is a format I have always liked as the difference between best of 9 and best of 11 is massive especially from a psychological .point of view to a player trailing 3-1 at the interval.In this era of everything been turned into bitesize it's nice to on occasion have a bit of slow burning drama.

Of course this tournament was to have seen the return to action in a full ranking event of our reigning World Champion Ronnie O Sullivan for the first time since that victory in the Crucible but he much to the disappointment of the organizers and fans withdrew at the last minute on medical advice.This came on the back of an article earlier in the week where he was quoted as regretting entering this run of tournaments and again talking about retirement.AS I have said in the past lets hope Ronnie does return to health soon and gets back to the level he displayed in lifting the World title as Ronnie in top form is still the most breathe taking sight we will ever see in snooker.

Of the player who have made it there will be plenty who feel they have a real chance of lifting the top prize. Among these will be John Higgins who play superbly in lifting the Shanghai Masters last month and indeed the man he beat in that final Judd Trump who di very little wrong.Another man in form is Mark Allen who showed his wellbeing in Antwerp with a fine display to win that EPTC event.

If we are talking about players in form you can't but mention Stuart Bingham who produced on of the evenings of his life on Thursday night when he withewashed both Mark Selby  and Neil Robertson 6-0 in the Premier League. If the saying is true that success breeds success then he surely must be on a high coming in here and will take someone playing well to beat him. 

You can't preview a tournament in China without mentioning Ding Junhui despite his poor record in his homeland but surely he will put this to right at some stage and there would never be a better week then this.

I could go through maybe another half dozen names and not mention the winner here but I'm not going to.Instead I will lokk forward to some early mornings this week and the excellent coverage on Eurosport of a tournament that could herald a major change in the way snooker is seen in Asia.Keep an eye out for my daily updates from Tuesday on.

Reardon at 80 and Paul Hunter remembered

For all the bad press that social networks get these days and perhaps rightly so at times their are instances where they prove their worth by allowing people the chance to mark certain events.That was the case this week as Snooker fans paid tribute to two men whose contribution to the game will never be forgotten,

The first of  these is Ray Reardon who on Monday celebrated his 80th birthday. I am of course too young to remember Ray in his prime so my memories are of him towards the end of his career but his record speaks for itself. You don't win six World Championships beating the players he did without been an excellent player  .

Like all great champions he knew how to win and didn't wilt when the pressure was on.He was the best player in the world and carried himself as such.He was also it seems not adverse to using a little bit of psychology.In Steve Davis's autobiography from 1981 he tells the story of a match he played against him as a teenager in a round robin pro/am.By the time these two had met Davis knew he only needed to win one frame of the four in the match to advance but having lost the first two Reardon had a heated argument with the ref about the position of the reds for the break off.This resulted in the balls been re racked a total of six times before Reardon eventually broke.By this stage the young Davis's concentration had completely gone and he exited the tournament losing the match 4-0.but with a valuable lesson learnt.

Of course Davis would go onto dominate the game in the 80's and I think perhaps unfairly the achievements of Reardon became quickly overlooked by the new generation of snooker fan much in the way Davis's achievements are by the current generation.

Regardless of this I think whenever snooker minds meet to discuss the games greatest players Ray Reardon deserves his place near the top on every list.

Unfortunately the other player remembered this week would not get the chance to fulfill his undoubted destiny in the game. I refer of course to Paul Hunter. Tuesday. marked the sixth anniversary of his passing and it is still a day no snooker fan will forget,

My first memory of seeing Paul play would have been an early round UK Championship against Hendry at the top of his game. I can't remember the year but I do remember Paul lead after the first session before Hendry asserted in the night session.The result didn't matter though,it was the style of this kid still in his teens that caught the eye.He seemed to have that rare ability to flow around the tables that only the very best possess.

He will rightly be remembered for his three final frame victories in the Masters where he first became the darling of the red tops with his infamous "Plan B" victory over Fergal O Brien as well as his three ranking event victories but the memory of him that will always stick with me came in the 2003 World Championship.In his semi final with Ken Doherty he lead 15-9 going into the last session but in one of the most extraordinary sessions ever seen at the Crucible  Doherty fought back to win 17-16.Anyone would have forgiven Paul for wanting the ground to open up and swallow him and probably inside he did as well but outwardly he gave Ken a smile and took the defeat with grace and dignity.

This told me all I needed to know about the character of the man.Of course its impossible to predict how his career would have panned out I find it hard to believe he wouldn't have at least challenged for the games top honours.

Lets take a moment this week to reflect on what these two great men have done for the sport we love.

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