JUDD TRUMP dismantled John Higgins 18-9 to claim his maiden Snooker World Championship title Monday in one of the most breathtaking Crucible finals ever witnessed.

In a classic contest, the two shared a record 11 centuries and brought up the 100th ton of the tournament. Trump took total control at 12-5 after the first day in Sheffield, helped by a run of winning eight straight frames.

Both missed chances of maximum breaks as Trump went 16-9 up, a lead he did not relinquish in the final session.

The Englishman has long been touted as a world champion, previously regarded as one of the best players never to win in Sheffield, but now he has finally fulfilled his potential and moves up to second in the world rankings.

“It is incredible achievement for me from where I was,” Trump, 29, told BBC Sport.

“I have worked so hard for this. For the people around me this is so special. It was an amazing final, the standard was so high from the very first ball. That is probably the best I have ever played in a major final.”

In a remarkable exhibition of potting from both players, they took the standard of snooker to another level, making frame-winning breaks of 50 or more in 23 of the 27 frames played.

(SD-Agencies)