by elliott west
Eyes were all on this special final when two of the greats of the game met to lock horns for the Northern Ireland Open. This was a repeat of last year’s final when Judd Trump met his hero of the sport, Ronnie O’Sullivan. Last year Judd was victorious and spurred him on to a run of victories that included making him World Champion and current number one in the world. This was their ninth meeting and Judd had won five of the previous eight.
Judd dominated the first session, making a century break and nailing Ronnie against the baulk cushion on multiple occasions with his precision use of the cue ball. However, a glimmer of hope held out, a few mistakes were made towards the close of the first session with Ronnie trailing 5-3 to go into the crucial evening session. There was even a potential 147 clearance by Trump but it was denied by a sickening kick in frame seven on a break of 88.
Ronnie opened the evening session with a killer opening frame, a tactic to try and rattle his opponent. Now 5-4 behind Trump initially started to miss a few attempts on reds but for whatever reasons Ronnie started to fall away and Judd zipped into another gear and produced shots from the gods.
Ronnie had to sit in his chair, pondering his match future. No more was this the case in frame eleven when on a 113 break and another possible 147, the black failed to reach the pocket after an acute cut to the left-hand corner pocket. Judd now extended his lead to 7-4.
Frame 12 started with an attempted long red by Judd with the cue ball tight on the baulk cushion. This let Ronnie in and the Essex man started to zip around the table despite being frozen out for most of the evening session. A great plant put him on course for another potential maximum but a red denied him the chance at 72. Now needing only one red he hoofed the needed ball into the left, middle pocket. Judd then conceded frame twelve and so the match became closer again with Ronnie now breathing down Judd’s neck at 7-5 down with Judd needing two more frames for the title. An interval then occurred.
After the fifteen minute break Ronnie was under immense pressure to win the next to claw another back for a real chance to clinch this title. Lose it and his hopes would be dashed for another year. Trump must have been thinking about his previous final at the Champion of Champions when Neil Robertson came back at him in the final and pinched the title. Judd didn’t want the same to happen on this Sunday night. A safety battle off the bunch then ensued in the first frame of the final session. Ronnie made the first mistake, leaving what he thought was a shot to nothing on. Judd potted the acute red to the middle bag and started to build up a head of steam with a break that was fraught with possible errors. A mid-range blue with reds hampering him, hit the back of the pocket and this was followed by a similar red on the next shot to the same pocket. Every shot was difficult and in the end a quick flick on a red on a break of 55 let Ronnie back in.
O’Sullivan then went on to win the frame with a magnificent steal and a break of 76, proving that he wasn’t down and out quite yet, bringing him just one frame behind at 7-6.
Not phased by his opponent’s fight back Judd got back into the next frame and played a frame of recovery shots, absorbing the pressure, making the last frame a distant memory. This was the sign of a great player that could have been mortally wounded but held his nerve. As a boy of eight, his father took him to watch Ronnie O’Sullivan play and he was in the cusp of beating him with a break of 124. Judd needed one more frame with an 8-6 lead.
With the Alex Higgins trophy in the backdrop, Ronnie played a beautiful, long red that could inspire and went on to make a 135 break, his second century of the match and a break that came from nothing. Now 8-7, the pressure was again on Judd with still the risk that this match could go to a decider. The equation could have fallen either way with Judd needing one frame for victory and Ronnie needing two. A blistering opening red by Judd was followed by a fantastic rest shot on the blue. A fortunate red coming out of the bunch when he failed to spilt the pack after potting the black, sealed the frame and match for Judd with a great 84 break and a 9-7 score line.
His third title since winning the World Championship and the first player to achieve such a record since Stephen Hendry in the 1990-1991 season.
A great final and Ronnie despite losing, left the match smiling and threw in an Australian accent with his ranking point chant. Snooker now moves to York for the start of the UK Championship at the end of the month.
