by elliott west
Here cometh the man! Last night snooker audiences witnessed what can only be described as one of the greatest snooker finals of all time. The once “Doubting Thomas” of this sport was reborn and became the Goliath of the baize in a stunning 18-9 victory. As a blogger I would run out of superlatives to describe Judd’s performance and so will stick to one; mesmerising. After a differing season, Trump has silenced his critics and finally shown them the true genius of his match play. This 29 year old from Bristol who first started playing at a very early age has always been tipped for greatness, but has had to work hard to achieve his ultimate goal. Now part of the elite Triple Crown club, Judd showed over the two day final that he can maintain his game under pressure and has ironed out the school boy errors.
Trump’s success lies in his strong support network; citing his brother, parents and manager as the reasoning behind this wind of change. Unlike 2011 when Judd first met John Higgins in the final his mindset has changed from negativity to positivity. Even when Higgins threw everything at him, including the kitchen sink, he remained calm and composed. Trump waited for his moment in each frame to score heavily and produced excellent safety play when the moment wasn’t right. Higgins had to watch in awe as this sportsman grew in stature through the course of this final, producing shots that were mind blowing and likened to those of Alex Higgins at his best.
Judd has shown that he is now a threat to any player in the sport and is capable of achieving this title multiple times. Having rounded off his snooker CV, Trump now has nothing to prove and so has broken down the mental barriers that once prevented him from believing in himself. Unlike the forlorn state he used to retreat into when he missed an easy shot, Trump’s body language oozes positive vibes and he now walks around the table with his head held high. He will be comforted by the fact that he dominated the two days and strangled Higgins into submission. Both players played out of their skin yet John was the weaker candidate. This said both players had potential 147 attempts and racked up the most centuries in any Crucible final. Not bad for two sportsmen; with one threatening to retire earlier in the season and the other in a state of self doubt.
Trump is now at the pinnacle of his career and can look forward to the start of another season next month. With a 20 event tour promised for the 2019-20 season, Judd will now be hungry for more success. Players who once drew Judd in matches will now be in a state of awe and disbelief before playing him. He had already stamped his mark on snooker but now he has sealed that stamp. Like all greats Trump has created a legacy that will be around much longer than him but will be there for others to enjoy in many years to come.
Snooker history has been made and Judd Trump is the hero and now king of the Crucible!
