Event of the Day: World Snooker Championships Final
Our event of the day is the final of the World Snooker Championships played out at the Crucible in Sheffield. Judd Trump was simply too much for John Higgins in yesterday’s evening session as the 29-year-old reeled off eight straight frames to trail-blaze into a 12-5 lead going into today’s action. Though Trump was the overwhelming favourite to lift the title before a ball was potted in this final match, Higgins has seen it all before winning four titles at the world-famous Crucible arena throughout his illustrious career. One such title was won against today’s opponent when in 2011 these two met in the final, on which occasion a highly inexperienced Judd Trump lost out 18-15 and he will be desperate to make the most of this second opportunity to lift the trophy eight years later. Judd Trump’s route to the final was hardly plain sailing, with the Englishman almost suffering a first-round shock against Thailand’s Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. After multiple scares throughout the affair, Trump narrowly prevailed by a scoreline of ten frames to nine which earned him a second-round clash with snooker royalty in Ding Junhui.
Again, the Englishman looked far from comfortable in front of the Crucible crowd and only edged past the Chinese competitor 13-9. At the Quarter-final stage, Trump clearly started to find his feet and thrashed Stephen Maguire 13-6 to reach his third ever Crucible Semi-final. In it, he overcame the stubborn Gary Wilson to fulfil the expectations of the many snooker fans who believed that this could be his year. John Higgins has also done it the hard way this tournament, overcoming some of snookers toughest opponents. After defeating Mark Davis in the first-round, the experienced campaigner was drawn against Stuart Bingham and then Neil Robertson in the ensuing rounds, with many tipping the latter to continue his impressive recent run of form. But, Higgins ultimately prevailed against Robertson and was rewarded with a Semi-final against this year’s surprise package in Dave Gilbert. In the pick of the two Semi-finals, Higgins won a thriller by a score line of 17-16 and secured his spot in his third consecutive World Championship final. Can Higgins fight back against Trump in the best-of-35 frame match today, he has it all to do but it will be worth watching.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Premier League where Manchester City host Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium. After Liverpool continued their winning run against Newcastle at the weekend, the pressure is back on Man City who will feel they have one hand on the trophy should they prevail in tonight’s tricky test. Elsewhere, the NBA playoffs continue tonight with two thrilling contests. In the West, the Houston Rockets host the Golden State Warriors as James Harden and co. go in search of back to back wins to level up the series. In the East, the Boston Celtics welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to TD Garden where the hosts will also look for parity in the series with the Bucks currently leading 2-1. In the NHL, the San Jose Sharks will look to book their spot in the conference finals with a win over the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center tonight. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins will also be hoping to avoid a game 7 in their series against the Columbus Blue Jackets as the former are in the driving seat, leading by three games to two. Finally, there is women’s ODI cricket to watch out for today as Pakistan travel to South Africa for the 1st ODI at Senwes Park.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by World Snooker