Judd Trump hits 900 career centuries in snooker
Judd Trump has joined Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins in the exclusive club of snooker players to have scored 900 career centuries, after his opening-round victory against David Lilley at the WST Classic in Leicester. Trump’s break of 113 put him ahead of Lilley at 2-1 and saw him join the two legends of the game. He further enhanced his reputation by making a 131 in the last frame to bring his tally to 901.
The Bristol native turned professional in 2005 and has averaged approximately 50 centuries per year over his 18-year spell. With this feat, he is on track to potentially surpass O’Sullivan as the all-time heaviest scorer by the end of his career.
Meanwhile, Steven Hallworth scored one of his best career wins by beating Ryan Day 4-1 with a top break of 72. Hallworth, who had spent the opening day in the commentary box broadcasting for Matchroom.Live, showed his quality on the table as he reached the last 64 of a ranking event for the fourth time this season.
“I hit the ground running in the first couple of frames and let Ryan know he couldn’t walk over me,” said Hallworth. “He has had an incredible season, winning the British Open. But I knew if I played my best I would have a chance. I really enjoy the commentary and hopefully, I can offer insight because I’m a player, so I know what the others are going through. But what I want to do is to get back on the tour and play snooker, that’s what I practice hard for every day.”
Haydon Pinhey was another amateur to register a surprise win as he beat Luca Brecel 4-2 with top runs of 115 and 113.
The seven-time world champion, Ronnie O’Sullivan, won two invitation titles this season but is yet to win a ranking event. He needs to win the trophy this week to qualify for the Duelbits Tour Championship later this month. The Rocket started strongly as runs of 137 and 104 helped him to a 4-2 victory over African champion Mohamed Ibrahim.
Jackson Page came from 3-1 down to beat Anton Kazakov 4-3, making a 56 clearance in the decider, and he now meets close friend Mark Williams, who edged out Sean O’Sullivan 4-3.
Kyren Wilson compiled runs of 105 and 101 in a 4-1 victory over Dean Young, while Jimmy White added another notch to his impressive season by beating Graeme Dott 4-2. Gary Wilson boosted his hopes of a top-16 seeding for the Crucible as he saw off Lei Peifan 4-0.
