Trump offers full value for lead

Judd Trump
12 April 2012

Judd Trump brought power snooker to the Betfred.com World Championship as he blasted out into an overnight lead in his semi-final against Ding Junhui.

The last Englishman standing in Sheffield was almost staging his own 'shot of the championship' competition in the opening session as he built a 5-3 advantage over China's big hope for Crucible glory.

There was a sensational red played at high pace with deep screw along a side cushion which had the audience gasping, a phenomenal long brown, and an exquisite cut red to set up a frame-winning break. The left-hander also played an aggressive pot right-handed, making light of awkward bridging, in the closing frame.

Ding, who knocked out Mark Selby on Wednesday night, had plenty of support. He lives in Sheffield throughout the snooker season, and his break of 102 to take the opening frame indicated he had settled down well.

But then Trump took over, and over the next three frames he delivered a masterclass, the youngster from Bristol playing one stunning shot after another.

He responded to Ding's century with a dazzling 110, featuring his startling side-cushion red and the brown. The break he made to clinch frame three against Ding was just 42, but it was surely as good a 42 as there has ever been at the World Championship.

There were echoes of Alex Higgins' famous 69 break in the 1982 semi-final against Jimmy White about it. He cut in a remarkable red to keep the break going and cleared to the pink to edge ahead.

Ding turned down a long red in the fourth frame which might have given him an opportunity to draw level at the interval, but Trump was not so cautious and rammed in an opener from a greater distance before snookering his opponent behind the pink.

It was the right shot. Ding hit the last remaining red but clipped it over the green pocket and Trump feasted on the leftovers, a break of 32 giving him a two-frame cushion.

Ding won frame five, as the standard slipped a touch after the mid-session interval, Trump responded with 51 in the sixth to restore his two-frame lead, only to have it cut again by his opponent, who was clinging on. It would have been harsh on Trump had he not led after the session, and a break of 59, including his brassy right-handed shot, made sure that he did.

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