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Selby holds off Trump rally to secure UK Championship hat-trick

Jonathan Davies in UK Championship

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Judd Trump v Mark Selby live stream | UK Championship 2025 Final preview

Selby completed his hat-trick of UK titles

Mark Selby won his third UK Championship title on Sunday, after withstanding Judd Trump’s spirited fightback to prevail a 10-8 winner.

The Jester, who also lifted the trophy in 2012 and 2016, became the seventh player to complete a hat-trick of triumphs in the season’s opening Triple Crown event.

Selby surged into a commanding 7-2 lead, but was pegged back to 9-8 by a resurgent Trump, before eventually getting over the line to land the top prize of Β£250,000.

Also a four-time World champion and three-time Masters winner, he became just the fourth player – after Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis – to win 10 Triple Crowns.

“It’s amazing to win another Triple Crown event, they’re not easy to win,” he said.

“Judd put me under pressure, even from 5-0 down. I was a bit all over the place towards the end. I don’t know how I made the [69] break in the last frame because I had to avoid my backside on the floor!

“It’s great to win again here in York. I love the city and I love the venue.

“I set my targets out every year to try and win one of these three [Triple Crown] tournaments. The other tournaments are great, but you’re judged by these Triple Crown events. I’m chuffed to get another one.”

The players were contesting a second straight final on British soil, with Selby having prevailed a 10-5 winner in the Champion of Champions final in Leicester last month.

The Jester set the tone in the rematch by producing a 77 clearance from 53-4 down to pinch the opening frame on the blue.

He then overturned a 41-12 deficit in the second frame with a run of 51, before clearing the colours for 2-0, while a break of 97 stretched his lead.

Reigning champion Trump – aiming to become only the fourth player to successfully defend the title – looked like he would get his first frame on the board with a run of 68 in the fourth. Yet, a missed red to the right centre was pounced on by Selby, who cleared with 70 to snatch it on the black.

The Jester had reeled off each of the last five frames when the players met in the Champion of Champions final three weeks earlier.

He subsequently made it 10 successive frames against Trump courtesy of a wonderful break of 105 in the fifth.

The Ace finally stopped the rot with contributions of 74 and 75, but a 66 from Selby meant he headed into the evening session with a commanding 6-2 advantage.

That became 7-2 after a run of 59. The Jester then threatened to steal frame 10 after Trump broke down on 62 when overcutting a black to the right corner.

However, he ran out of position on 32, with his opponent winning the subsequent safety battle to ensure the final would reach the mid-session interval.

Trump then won a scrappy 11th frame – during which he fluked the final red while escaping a snooker – before a superb break of 105 reduced his arrears to 7-5.

The next two frames were shared with Selby’s 91 cancelled out a brilliant clearance of 125 from the defending champion, who then pounced on two missed blacks off the spot by the Jester to only trail by a single frame at 8-7.

Selby responded with a superb long red that paved the way for a break of 77 and moved him to the brink of victory, which he had the opportunity to secure in the next. Yet, he broke down on 31 after missing a routine red to the left corner, allowing Trump to stay alive.

Nevertheless, the 42-year-old dusted himself down to produce a gutsy contribution of 69 to scrape over the line.

“I could’ve done with him letting me win another frame, to be honest!” Trump joked.

“It wasn’t me playing amazingly, Mark let me back in a little bit. He was brilliant at the start, I just dragged him down a little bit towards the end.

“It’s hard to get over the line in these finals. I think Mark was the best player all week, and he thoroughly deserved his win.”