O'Sullivan v Trump FINAL 2023 UK Championship

Well, it's expected. The crowd getting very, very excited. Now the referee has got to try and keep control of this. This is pure theatre. Respect for both players. He's playing this red for the black. He doesn't want to miss it. Oh, what a shot. To be picky, he would have loved to have been low in the black there, joined to cannon the reds away from the black spot, but what a shot. Yeah, that is being picky, but... Oh, are they a plant? Maybe not. I think if they had been, he'd have played for them. I think he may have finished low on the black, as you suggested, but the... It's just that the red went in the left-hand side of the pocket as we looked. In the middle of the pocket, he may have had a good angle on the black. But it's first chance to Ronnie. He'll be feeling it now. He's only human. Nine. Yeah, but these are the situations where it separates the best from the rest. He's just been pummeled for five frames. He hasn't got into the cue ball there, though. That's much too thin a cut in this red. It's definitely the most vulnerable I've ever seen Ronnie when approaching a winning line. 15. This cue ball needs to come away from the cushion. Don't see how he's going to get the next red. To be fair, though, we can say that Ronnie's been vulnerable. But at 9-4, it looked like game over. Then it went 9-5. And, of course, then Judge clicked into a gear, which not many could have stopped. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 16. Just trying the cue ball tight on the ball cushion. So Ronnie had his first chance. I think he probably would have rather Judge been able to see the pack there and actually play a safety shot. Shouldn't be any problem just rolling into the pack from the side cushion. If he had to play a safety shot, if he catches it thick, he opens all the reds up. Fathomless, Ronnie O'Sullivan 4. It just shows you how it's quickened up. Judge Trump was at 21 seconds not long ago, every shot time. Every frame time was just below 17 minutes. Now it's 15 and a half, just over 15 and a half minutes. And that's all because Judge Trump has found another gear and good safety from Ronnie. And as you say, Stephen, it's always best if you can find the ball cushion to force your opponent into playing a safety off the reds. They can always leave a pot on. That's okay, but it's not a great length of the cue ball. Ronnie came around to look at the pink. Has he taken the pot on here? No. I know the red's right over the pocket, but this needs good cueing to follow through. Well, I bet Ronnie can't believe that red's gone over the corner. He played it cross-double. He thought the red was going to kiss into the other reds, but it's gone right through the gap. He's got an excellent cue ball, but there's just enough angle here to be able to play this with pace and go back up the table. He's got to be accurate. It was that straight. Now, what a big shot. What this is on the pink, if he decides to take it on. Wouldn't blame him if he didn't, but that's his natural game. Big shot, this. Seven. That was a phenomenal pot. Eight. The pink up into the green pocket here to stay amongst the reds. Can't see where the next red's coming from as he screws into those four reds below the pink spot. Yeah, giving it a bit of thought. I don't blame him, because it's not straight to the far right corner. Could play it to the right middle, but still the problem of getting on the next red. Right middle it is. Right in the heart of the pocket. Now, what's he on? What is he on? Not a lot. Looking at the way he's turned round. If it had just stopped three inches short, he'd have had this red into the right corner. Just three inches too hard. To Trump, 14. Straightforward safety, but Brony is under pressure now with his safety, because he knows how well his opponent's hitting the ball. So he needs a good white cushion, but as I say now, there's pressure on every ball. Yeah, I think when it comes into this situation, as long as you're not leaving pots on, that's a good shot. Mistake. Now, he needs a bit of luck here, and he's had it. He's had it. Could be behind the green here, though, after this shot. Well, it's a problem here. He'll do very well now, Judd, not to leave a pot on. Trying to find a path to a red, and it's not going to be easy. That is one way, but as you can see from the line, he'll have to go very, very close to the blue. But the only reason I picked that red out, the one closest to the top cushion, if he does make contact with that, he will not leave anything easy. But boy, he's got to pick the perfect line and the perfect pace. And in the deciding frame, when nothing looks easy anyway, this is very, very difficult. I think he's got to have one go at this. I wouldn't suggest the hit and hope just yet. So although it looked like Judd, when he played the bad safety shot, got away with it, Ronnie has punished him for that poor safety shot with the snooker behind the green. He may be thinking that red on the right-hand side of the table may just block the three-cushion escape, but I don't think it will. Well, going this way, how does he get it safe? How do you get it safe going this way? He knew as soon as he hit it, he hadn't hit it hard enough, but I still question the line he chose. And here's a chance now for Ronnie, who has had a bit of a scare, so don't take anything for granted. Six. Judd, whether his fight back was in vain. It looks like that. Great effort. 14. 21. It just sort of went along until 9-4, Ronnie picking up the pieces from the mistakes, and then all of a sudden, it's just caught fire. Incredible last hour. Incredible performance by that man. Yes, and if he was to go on to lose this, Judd, he can take a lot from it, because we all saw at 9-4... 28. ..it looked as though he was on the verge of giving up, but he managed to win that frame, and then that just gives him a boost to produce his best snooker of the match and take us to the decider. It was a tricky snooker to escape from, and he didn't do it, and that's why Ronnie's got this chance. But a mistake from Ronnie. 34. Can he just get past the blue? This is the red he played on, but... Yeah, right through the pocket, but not this yellow will put him 47 points in front. So he's looking for one more red and a colour, and it goes. Where's the cue ball going? Oh, absolutely inch perfect. Quick glance at the scoreboard. Red and a pink, and Judd will win the snooker. Points in front with just 51 remaining. Very concerned, and that young man put him under pressure, but that will mean that Judd will not come back to the table. What a piece of snooker they've given us this evening, and it nearly was Tales of the Unexpected, but as I say, Judd will shake Ronnie's hand, and Ronnie will be mightily relieved. Thank you, this tournament, made a maximum run for seven. He now took championship. He beat Pam!