Junhui wins snooker title
Ding Junhui has won snooker's UK Championship after a thrilling, six-hour final in Telford. [caption id="attachment_81969" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Ding Junhui celebrates with his mother Chen XiJuan as he lifts the trophy"][/caption] Ding Junhui has won snooker's UK Championship after a thrilling, six-hour final in Shropshire. Junhui beat John Higgins 10-8 to take the title at the Telford International Centre in a match that went on until after midnight. He said: "It is great to win this title for a second time. I have been a long time not winning tournaments. I am so happy to end that run." For full coverage see today's Shropshire Star.
Snooker sensation Ding Junhui was the toast of Telford today after clinching a famous UK Championship success at the International Centre.
The 22-year-old from China fought off competition from the world's leading stars to become only the seventh player to win the prestigious title more than once.
The 2005 champion clinched the £100,000 top prize - and 276 Pukka-Pies from the tournament sponsors - by defeating reigning world champion John Higgins 10-8 in last night's final, which finished after midnight.
It ended a barren run of four years without a ranking title win for the highly-rated Ding, who defeated four of the top five seeds - Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Stephen Maguire and Ali Carter - at Telford. The victory has taken him up to the sixth in the provisional world rankings, and Ding is now eyeing a first world championship success at the Crucible in Sheffield next April.
"I'm trying every year to win the world championship and I feel I'm a better player now and learning from every tournament," he said.
"It's been a crazy week and I am so happy.
"There was a lot of pressure at the end of last season because I nearly dropped out of the top 16.
"I am enjoying it, I'm concentrating more and I'm confident because I know how to win."
Higgins, who defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-8 in a thrilling semi-final on Saturday, failed to hit the heights in the final and only led once.
And he was left to rue missing a simple brown in the 15th frame, when the chance to go 8-7 clear went begging.
"It was the worst shot I have ever missed in my life and that basically turned it," said Higgins.
"I then missed a red in the last frame which was unforgivable.
"It was one of the strangest matches I have ever been involved in and it was a slog from start to finish.
"But full credit to Ding. His safety was fantastic and he is coming back to being the player we all know he is capable of. It's good to see because technically he is perfect.
"I would be flabbergasted if he finished his career and was never a world champion."
By JAMES GARRISON