Trump wins epic final

The Bristol player, 21, got the better of world number two Selby in a match that finished just before midnight in Beijing, spawning six centuries - three from each player - and another 10 breaks over 50.

Trump collected a £60,000 cheque for claiming the trophy after producing a fearless clearance of 57 in the final frame of what was a classic battle.

The victory is the highlight of Trump's career. He has had to do it the hard way in downing Marco Fu, Mark Davis, Peter Ebdon, Shaun Murphy and Selby after qualifying for the tournament. He is up to number 14 in the world rankings having started the week at 25.

Trump will head for the World Championship in Sheffield among the favourites to lift the title having produced a mature display to resist the prodigious scoring of Selby with a mixture of superb potting and some outstanding safety play.

Trump faces defending champion Neil Robertson on the opening day of the World Championship on April 17 in what should be a stirring contest.

If it is as half as good as this match, it will be worth watching. Selby lost to Mark Williams in the German Masters final in February and now Trump in China, but should not be too disheartened after playing his part in a final that will be remembered as one of the best of the modern era.

Trump held a 5-3 lead from the afternoon session, but was forced to sweat before moving 6-3 to the good in the first frame of the evening.

Having made a 68, Selby needed three snookers on the colours but remarkably got them with some delicious shots.

Trump returned the favour by leaving the white tight on the baulk cushion as Selby hit the blue in trying to nick the edge of the brown.

A relieved Trump sunk brown, blue and pink, but Selby continued to apply the pressure with his usual blend of heavy scoring and sound thought process.

A wonderful 132 followed by a 66 saw Selby reduce the deficit to one frame at 6-5.

Trump heeded the warning signs in the next frame as a run of 113 enabled him to move 7-5 ahead at their mid-session interval.

Selby continued to exhibit some marvellous touches as a run of 134 saw him close to 7-6 only for Trump to edge the next frame for an 8-6 advantage.

Selby came roaring back with a run of 124 before he pieced together enough points in the 16th frame to level at 8-8 despite conceding 20 points in fouls having been left in a tough snooker.

A 57 provided Trump with the platform to win the 17th frame, but only after he was forced to escape from a snooker after Selby had tucked him in behind the black with only the pink and black remaining.

Selby seemed set to force the deciding frame as he built a lead of 41 points only to break down when a brown wriggled out of the jaws. There was plenty of work to be done, but Trump showed his class with a clearance of 57 that was a fitting way to win a match that lasted just under six hours.

Trump had blown a glorious chance to build a 6-2 advantage at the end of an engrossing opening session.

Holding a lead of 61 points with only 67 points remaining in the eighth frame, Trump inexplicably missed a routine red that would have sealed the frame.

Despite being outplayed for much of the afternoon session, Selby showed the skills that has earned him two Masters gongs as he unearthed a fabulous clearance of 66 to pinch the frame by a point.

Trump showed no signs of nerves in the opening frame of his first tour final as a lovely 104 break gave him a 1-0 lead.

He was first at the table in the second frame, but missing a tricky red with the white on the cushion proved costly as Selby contributed 88 to level at 1-1.

The third frame took longer to complete than the opening two frames of the match, but Trump edged a tense and often scrappy affair to move 2-1 ahead in the match.

Trump, the new world number 14, benefited from two outrageous flukes to forge a 3-1 lead at the mid-session interval.

He missed a blue to a middle pocket only to watch it drop in a baulk bag before missing a red with a rest only to split the pack and see another red drop.

There was no red face on Trump's part as another 104 knock saw him open up a two-frame lead.

Trump was first at the table in frame five, but opted to play a tough pink on a break of 34 when a safety shot looked the better option. Selby made him pay as the Leicester player ran in a break of 90 to close to 3-2.

The roles were reversed in the next frame as Selby looked poised to level at 3-3 with a 53, but a poor safety shot enabled Trump to clear with a 55 for a 4-2 lead.

Selby held a 39-2 lead in the seventh frame, but saw a white fly into a baulk pocket after producing a fine cut on a red. If that was unlucky, there was nothing fortunate about Trump's response as a 61 earned him a 5-2 advantage.

That looked likely to quickly become 6-2, but Selby posted the final telling contribution of the session.