‘M: Bond, we have a mission for you. Currently, the circuit is experiencing a monopoly like no other since the 1990s. Before we can allow this to get too far, we need you to intervene and restore the former peace. Do you accept your mission?
Nigel Bond: I accept.’
The World No. 1 was currently on track to be the first person to hold all Triple Crown titles since Stephen Hendry in the 90s; and it seemed that no one was going to stop him from achieving this feat. This was even stated by Hendry himself. If you’re reading this and can sense the tone, you probably already know what happened. But how did it happen?
At first glance, it seemed as if it was another day in the office for Judd Trump. He established a 3-1 lead against 54 year old British Open winner, Nigel Bond. Trump achieved breaks of 114 and 90 along the way. When Trump won that third frame, he probably didn’t expect that it would be the last frame he would win in this year’s UK Championship.
However, whatever Bond does in the mid-session interval should be a continuing event because once play resumed, he was firing on all cylinders, competing with Trump in the scrappy frames and safety exchanges. He then turned up another gear and extended his lead, matching Trump’s 114 break followed by an 85.
The last frame was both the longest and tensest, for both, players. On one hand, you have Bond, who is trying to close out a match that everyone probably discounted him from having any kind of chance of winning; and you have Trump, who is struggling to stay in the match and keep his hope of winning the UK title for a second time alive. This is probably more so for Bond, because he knows he is playing the best in the world and can’t let him have any kind of chance because the result could turn out different.
Despite Trump being in with a chance first, he couldn’t clear up and Bond accumulated enough points to stay in the frame. This included a magnificent pot close to the rail on the penultimate red by Bond, which was acknowledged by Trump and in my opinion, the best shot of the match. The real battle came on the colours and once it got to the pink, Bond was taking any chance of a pot he could to put away the match. Eventually, that chance did arrive and much like his long potting throughout the match, he sunk a beauty.
When fans are thinking about who could potentially beat Trump (or any top player, for that matter), they generally lean towards a young up-and-comer far down the rankings causing a major upset in a short format match. We should have really been looking at the veterans of the sport who have an abundance of experience, and could only be stopped by Hendry at the World Championships from 1993-96.
Trump was just simply having an off day. Normally, even when he is playing relatively poorly he can still get over the winning line but by his recent standards, he wasn’t in-form. His long potting was weak by a fair amount and this was probably the main contributor to his loss. At one point in the final frame his long pot stats were 29% compared with Bond’s 73%. Even his safety was comparatively looser than normal.
Although, it wasn’t all Trump’s fault. Bond was playing tremendously well; in both the potting and safety department. Using a terrific cue action he was able to produce some stellar pots during the match. I wouldn’t be surprised if his coaching inquiries go through the roof following this performance. Given this excellent performance, it wasn’t entirely smooth sailings for Bond. He had to scrap with Trump in many of the frames, which also contributed to Trump not being able to find any rhythm.
I don’t think the argument of Trump not having any bottle or choking when the pressure ramps up is something that can be said about him anymore, particularly after this match. If there’s anything that he has proven this season, it’s that he has no problem getting over a winning line; and that he relishes being No. 1. This has been proven by him in dominant fashion countless times in the past year, against the very best. His main focus now will be starting the New Year as strongly as he did this season.
As for Bond, he will now face either Joe Perry or Gary Wilson next; both players who have had incredible bouts with Trump not too long ago. Victory over the winner of these two players will accomplish Bond’s first quarter-final venture in the UK Championship since 2003. If he can reproduce the form he did against Trump, everyone else should stay alert. Hopefully this win will give Bond a new-found confidence that he won’t be going anywhere and can still give a match to anyone.