Does Judd Trump Triumph at Crucible Herald Dawn of New Era for Snooker?
In many ways, the sport of snooker needed its crown prince Judd Trump to win the World Championship at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre this year.
Eight years on from first reaching the final and coming up short as a young pretender, the Bristol native put that 2011 loss to John Higgins behind him and not only beat the four-time champion but annihilated The Wizard of Wishaw.
Trump truly came of age in his 18-9 demolition of Higgins in which both players contributed to a record number of centuries for a Crucible final. It also ended a trend that had seen elder statesmen of the baize winning the World Championship.
Age is only a number of course, but Trump became only the second player in the last decade to claim the Crucible crown in his 20s. In doing so, he completed the final leg of a career Triple Crown that began when he burst onto the scene in 2011 with success in the UK Championship.
Bookies have faith in Juddernaut rolling on
A Masters victory over his fellow elite back in January set the stage for Trump’s coronation in Sheffield. The key question is this; does this now usher in a new era where younger talent comes through and seriously challenges the old guard?
In terms of the bookmakers that feature in FreeBets’ Snooker Betting Guide 2019, they certainly think so. Trump is a standout 4/1 favourite with BetVictor to defy the so-called Crucible curse and successfully defend his world title in 2020.
There is plenty of snooker to be played before the sport’s premier tournament returns to Sheffield, however, and Betway have Trump at 7/2 for the 2019 UK Championship in York come the end of this calendar year.
He alone brings a relatively youthful presence to the market principals on these Triple Crown events though. The usual suspects – Higgins, Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby and Mark Williams – continue to surround Trump as his main betting rivals.
Apart from the Scot, who came up short in a third consecutive Crucible final to as many different opponents when blown away by Trump’s brand of naughty snooker, the old guard and established order didn’t cover themselves in glory in Sheffield. It has to be said that Higgins looks massive each-way value at 20/1 with Paddy Power, who pay half those odds for him to reach another world final.
Golden oldies often tough enough for Crucible test
Defending champ Williams went to hospital with chest pains midway through his last 16 match with David Gilbert, who made it all the way to the semi-finals. Five-time Crucible king O’Sullivan was an even earlier casualty after he bombed out to amateur James Cahill in round one.
Triple world champion Selby, like Higgins, has played some of the most consistent matchplay snooker at the Crucible of recent times, but The Jester from Leicester wasn’t laughing when Gary Wilson sent him packing early. He is 9/1 with most bookmakers for next year’s Crucible tournament.
As the draw developed, it was a world title there for the taking but, despite his maiden success, Trump hasn’t overhauled O’Sullivan as top of the rankings and the pair are also locked together as the most likely UK Championship winners. If the Masters counted toward those though, it’d be a different story. O’Sullivan is rated as a 5/1 shot with Sky Bet for next years World Championship and is always a threat, but it feels like the Rocket’s career might be drawing to a close sooner rather than later.
Whether this is the beginning of a new era for snooker, it’s too early to say. If recent World Championship events overall are anything to go by, then veterans appear better suited to the rigours of The Crucible. Trump’s familiar foes are thus more likely to pick themselves up and give better accounts of themselves next time, and that is what remains a big threat.
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