UK Championship snooker 2020 LIVE - Judd Trump storms through: As it happened

ByDaniel Harris

Updated 26/11/2020 at 21:30 GMT

UK Championship 2020 - It's the final day of the first round in Milton Keynes and the big names kept on coming. World number one and the man to beat, Judd Trump, took centre stage in the evening session as he faced Paul Davison. Watch the event live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app.

Judd Trump

Image credit: Getty Images

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So there we go

Thanks for your company - there's no snooker tomorrow, so we'll be back on Saturday with the last 64.

World Championship

'Superhuman' O'Sullivan, 'indestructible' Trump - White and McManus preview World Championship

4 hours ago

Around the tables

Kurt Maflin 2-3 Aaron Hill

Anthony McGill 4-1 Steven Hallworth

Jimmy Robertson 5-2 Igor Figueiredo

Elliot Slessor 3-1 Mitchell Mann

Trump beats Davison 6-1!

On 95, he doubles the penultimate red to keep the break going and makes yet another ton - 103 in the end. He's quite good.

Trump 5-1 Davison (81-0)

The top players have been absolutely dominant this week. I wonder if they're more relaxed, knowing their opponent needs six to beat them, or if they're just in nick because the last tournament was last week.

Trump 5-1 Davison (48-0)

Trump tries for another long red and makes it this time, then sinks the black and everything's open. He's racing about the table now, and cueing absolutely beautifully. Dominic Dale has been really good on commentary, but he'll need to be better than good when he plays Judd on Saturday. "I know I can cause him problems," he says.

Start

Trump 5-1 Davison

Davison goes in-off and Trump tries for a ridiculously difficult red, eager to get his man out of here and in the knowledge that he probably won't get punished if he misses. He does, and leaves nothing.

Ding

Around the tables

Kurt Maflin 2-3 Aaron Hill

Anthony McGill 3-1 Steven Hallworth

Jimmy Robertson 4-2 Igor Figueiredo

Elliot Slessor 3-1 Mitchell Mann

Trump 5-1 Davison

A run of 72 secures the sixth frame and Trump is one away. It took him a while, but the last two frames have been pretty good - though he can and will get better.

Scoreboard

Trump 4-1 Davison (46-0)

This is hard work for Trump, as pink and black are otherwise engaged. He takes a succession of red-blues, brings the pink into play and pots it, then following another red nudges into the pack off the yellow. That's beautifully played.

Trump 4-1 Davison (24-0)

Yeah, time's up Paul old mate. Trump crumps home a red to the top left and flows about the table in the usual style. He wants to watch Thanksgiving ball.

Around the tables

Kurt Maflin 2-3 Aaron Hill

Anthony McGill 3-1 Steven Hallworth

Jimmy Robertson 3-2 Igor Figueiredo

Elliot Slessor 3-1 Mitchell Mann

Trump 4-1 Davison

Trump played that frame well. He's not far off round two now; he knows it and so does Davison.

Trump 3-1 Davison (69-0)

A kick throws Trump off line just before he can clinch the frame - the red jumps on its way into the corner, so the black is no longer on. Davison is quickly put in behind it and his escape leaves one; that'll be 4-1.

Trump 3-1 Davison (40-0)

Trump gets in off the break and picks around the fringes, but we're getting towards crack the pack time. He then runs out of position so tries a speculative red to the yellow pocket; Paul has a got himself, and misse, leaving a double that's drained in short order and followed down by a black.

Around the tables

Kurt Maflin 1-3 Aaron Hill

Anthony McGill 3-0 Steven Hallworth

Jimmy Robertson 2-2 Igor Figueiredo

Elliot Slessor 2-1 Mitchell Mann

Trump 3-1 Davison

That's the midsession; we'll be back in 15.

Trump 2-1 Davison (79-7)

Trump runs out of position on 75 with four reds left on the table so Davison plays on with three snookers required. But Trump pots the next red, so pots a few more balls to emphasise his superiority.

Trump 2-1 Davison (57-7)

Trump makes this look as easy as you'd expect, and he'll soon be two in front again.

Trump 2-1 Davison (8-7)

The scoreboard situation seems to have disturned Trump's concentration, and trying for a thin contact he misses red and hits black. But he has another go and playhs something decent, setting himself away when Davison takes on one he was never getting and leaves one - with awkward bridging, but nevertheless.Down it goes, and off we go.

Around the tables

Carrington 6-5 Pinches (finished)

Kurt Maflin 1-3 Aaron Hill

Anthony McGill 3-0 Steven Hallworth

Jimmy Robertson 2-2 Igor Figueiredo

Elliot Slessor 2-1 Mitchell Mann

Trump 2-1 Davison

That was very happy but Davison won't mind; he's on the board, or would be if it was working.

Trump 2-0 Davison (55-56)

Trump lays a fine snooker, hiding both remaining reds. Davison then plays what looks to be a decent escape, nestling against one of them ... but a closer look shows that he's left it, and Trump sends it thunking into the middle. He needs up to and including the pink for the frame, but there's no reason to think that's not what'll happen. Except he's feart about a cannon on the brown so almost misses the green - it wobbles hard, then goes in - and he gets nowhere the the brown, just about leaving it, though the pink covers most of the ball. Davison sees it away, and needs blue and pink....

Trump 2-0 Davison (17-52)

Davison must've feared for the frame but when Trump runs out of position he returns to the table still in front.

Trump 2-0 Davison (17-52)

Ach. Davison misses a straightforward red into the top left and Trump cuts it home then rams in the black, taking the white around the angles to crack the pack. But he clips the brown and it looks like end of break ... so he spots a three-ball plant and then sticks yerman in behind the green. The resultant escape sets Judd away, and he holds for the black too. He's now favorite to win the frame.

Trump 2-0 Davison (0-38)

We're back. Davison rolls in a deadweighter and gets himself onto the black as the scores disappear again. At some point he'll have to go into the pack, but there are points out there to be had before that time comes.

We take a break

While they try to fix the scoreboard.

Around the tables

Carrington 5-5 Pinches

Kurt Maflin 0-2 Aaron Hill

Anthony McGill 2-0 Steven Hallworth

Jimmy Robertson 2-1 Igor Figueiredo

Elliot Slessor 1-1 Mitchell Mann

Trump 2-0 Davison

Davison had plenty of chances to win that frame. He might find losing it hard to tolerate.

Trump 1-0 Davison (48-43)

Davison gets a double kiss and leaves the blue as a consequence. Down it goes.

Trump 1-0 Davison (43-43)

Davison leaves himself with a harder blue than necessary - he'll need to take the white around the angles - except he msises the pot! Dearie me, it was dead straight into the centre, and the cashe is on again.

Trump 1-0 Davison (43-39)

Trump leaves a thin cut to the middle, ball over pocket, but Davison gets just too much of it on his way up the table and clips the knuckle; he's relieved not to have left it. But he's less relieved when he misses another thin one, this time from more central to the corner, and then Trump misses the green! The way the balls are, it looked certain that the yellow would decide this frame but no, and Davison, who pots the green, is now favourite to steal it.

Trump 1-0 Davison (41-36)

But he can't, attempting a long pot when he runs out of positon, missing, and allowing Davison to get off. The ref disappears to resolve the scoreboard situation and it's clearly not an easy fix because we cut to the Maflin-Hill match I mentioned earlier - Maflin leads 1-0 - but now we're good to go again. We still can't see the score - the one on the screen is linked to the one in the arena - and one of the old school snooker club scorebaords is out! That takes me back. Anyhow, we're all back in working order again, and Trump, back at the table, leaves the final red. But the yellow, stuck on the bottom cushion, will be the key ball here, and Davison misses the final red. Trump shuld pot this ... but he can't disturb the aforementioned. He then misses the pink and the chase for the yellow is underway.

Trump 1-0 Davison

But Davison then misses a pink to the middle and Trump shows him how it's done, getting away with two into that hole. The scoreboard is on the blink, by the way, so you'll have to believe me when I tell you that the world number one is looking likely to make a winning contribution.

Trump 1-0 Davison (5-16)

Davison floats in a long red giving the impression that he'd have left it if he could, but with no position he plays safe off the pink and gets a decent length. A protracted safety exchange doth ensue, then Trump finds a glorious red, clipping it slowly from centretable to the top left corner. But then after a brown, he misses a straightforward one to the centre and lets Davison in.

Trump 1-0 Davison (0-7)

Davison plants a red into the top left but then misses the black in fairly mortifying style, then when Trump leaves him another, a blue follows and a red is missed. You get chances whoever you play, but if you can't take them it's going to be problematic.

Around the tables

Carrington 5-5 Pinches

Anthony McGill 0-0 Steven Hallworth

Kurt Maflin 0-0 Aaron Hill

Elliot Slessor 0-0 Mitchell Mann

Jimmy Robertson 1-0 Igor Figueiredo

Trump 1-0 Davison

That was extremely Trump.

Trump 0-0 Davison (58-0)

Trump is totally in control here, so confident and smooth about the table. He's my dark horse for the title.

Trump 0-0 Davison (35-0)

Dominic Dale is in co-commentary, and he plays the winner of this in the next round. He notes that Trump practises really hard, so deserves all the success he gets, and notes that Davison is a very careful player which might be an ok style match for an opponent who likes to keep things moving. In the meantime, Trump cuts home a decent red following the break-off and gets to work potting balls. He struggled at the beginning of the English Open before winning it, looked better in winning the Northern Ireland Open, and looks in pretty decent working order here.

Right, off we go.

Also tonight

Anthony McGill v Steven Hallworth

Kurt Maflin v Aaron Hill

Elliot Slessor v Mitchell Mann

Jimmy Robertson v Igor Figueiredo

The Maflin v Hill match could be a really good one.

Gosh

Carrington v Pinches is one for the purists. Just the 4 hours 55 minutes they've bee going.

This afternoon's classified results

Carrington 4-5 Pinches

Lisowski 6-2 Ajaib (finished)

Ning 6-4 Doherty (finished)

Selt 6-0 Amine (finished)

Evening all

That wasn't too painful was it? We're back, and we'll be underway again in 15 minutes or so.

The afternoon session is in the books

Join me again at 6.45pm GMT for Judd Trump v Paul Davison.

Around the tables

Carrington 4-2 Pinches

Lisowski 6-2 Ajaib (finished)

Ning 2-3 Doherty

Selt 6-0 Amine (finished)

Ding beats Curtis-Barrett 6-1!

He plays David Grace next. Grace made the semis of the Northern Ireland Open last week, so is in decent touch, and that shou;d be a much better match.

Ding 5-1 Curtis-Barrett (66-1)

Ding will come out of this feeling just about alright with himself, because he's finishing with two decent contributions. But if he plays like this against David Grace, there's a strong chance he loses.

Ding 5-1 Curtis-Barrett (15-1)

Ding misses with a plant, just, leaving Jamie with an easy starter ... then he vaults the white over the pink because that's a wrinkle of terrible we've not yet seen this afternoon and we're running out of time. Ding then finds a starter, adds a black to it, and he's now in prime position to clinch frame and match at this visit.

Around the tables

Carrington 3-2 Pinches

Lisowski 6-2 Ajaib (finished)

Ning 2-3 Doherty

Selt 6-0 Amine (finished)

Ding 5-1 Curtis-Barrett

A clearance of 132 sees Ding turn back into himself and he's one away from putting this horrific match out of its profound misery.

Ding 4-1 Curtis-Barrett (59-0)

This is a bit better from Ding, starting with red-blues before moving to red-blacks. He's nearly done.

Ding 4-1 Curtis-Barrett (16-0)

It doesn't last long, Jamie presenting Ding with another chance and he can work with this, the reds reasonably spread and black going to both pockets.

Ding 4-1 Curtis-Barrett (1-0)

"That's a terrible shot from Ding," says Neal when Ding can't get any sort of position off an opening red. He ends up nestled in the pack so goes back up to baulk and we're all set for another thrilling bout of poor safety.

Around the tables

Carrington 3-2 Pinches

Lisowski 6-2 Ajaib (finished)

Ning 2-2 Doherty

Selt 6-0 Amine (finished)

Ding 4-1 Curtis-Barrett

Jamie hangs in there out of self-respect and respect for the game, but eventually the inevtiable demands he acknowledge it.

Ding 3-1 Curtis-Barrett (55-11)

Jamie pots yet another solitary red then ploughs on for snookers we all know he's not getting. 55 plays 11, one red left, tells you all you need to know about the quality we're enjoying here. "Staccato snooker," says Phil.

Ding 3-1 Curtis-Barrett (55-10)

Ding does have a poor performance like this in his locker, but it's surprising that his potting has deserted him because he's so easy and natural with it. But he eventually gets in again and cobbles together what'll probably be a frame-winning advantage; there are two reds left, both on cushions, likewise pink and black.

Ding 3-1 Curtis-Barrett (25-10)

Elsewhere, Matt Selt has beaten Amine Amiri 6-0, making five centuries. That equals the record for a best of nine, held jointly by Fergal O'Brien and Judd Trump. Meanwhile, the oppposite of that is going on on our table, Ding getting in and missing a regulation blue to the middle. So Jamie has a go and goesd in-off; "This is one of the lowest-quality matches I've commentated on in some time," says Phil.

Ding 3-1 Curtis-Barrett (0-10)

Ding has not decided to start playing, following a poor miss from Jamie with a poor miss of his own, along the top cushion. Jamie sinks it, but the white gets lost in the pack with the black over the opposite hole. "A terrible shot," surmises Neal.

We're back

Can Jamie build on that final frame, or will Ding decide to start playing?

Around the tables

Carrington 2-1 Pinches

Lisowski 5-2 Ajaib

Ning 2-2 Doherty

Selt 4-0 Amine

Ding 3-1 Curtis-Barrett

Jamie pots the blue and is on the board. Well done him; a whitewash looked extremely likely previously. He'll be feeling better as we go into the mid-session interval.

Ding 3-0 Curtis-Barrett (37-63)

Ding pots to the bown and lays a snooker - two five-pointers along with the remaining balls will win him the frame. But Jamie escapes, then again when put in another, and back round we go.

Ding 3-0 Curtis-Barrett (30-63)

Come on Jamie! A decent safety shot gives him a chance to get on the board and he does just enough, getting a 42-point lead with one red left on the table.Ding is then forced to pot it with a pink, so needs two snookers plus everything that's left in order to tie.

Ding 3-0 Curtis-Barrett (21-25)

Oh my days! Ding has yet another go at the table but, using the rest, can't get the black even in the same postcode as the pocket. I'm not sure what happened there, but I am sure it was very poor. And you can probably guess what happens next: Jamie musters a few points then plays a frankly dreadful positional shot so has to play safe. The standard here is Ron Gross's snooker club in Neasden low.

Ding 3-0 Curtis-Barrett (14-8)

Jack Lisowski, who can be watched on the Eurosport app, is absolute flames this afternoon; he's 5-0 up, but it's the manner really, breaks rattling in this way and that. Back on our table, Jamie pots another good long red that he parlays into precisely zero more points . So Ding glides home one of his own, but shortly afterwards he smacks a black home along the top cushion only to send the white down after it, seeking to wobble it in the jaws and out into the middle of the table. It's not great, isn't this.

Around the tables

Carrington 2-0 Pinches

Lisowski 4-0 Ajaib

Ning 2-1 Doherty

Selt 3-0 Amine

Ding 3-0 Curtis-Barrett

Ding playing poorly is still far too good for Jamie, I'm afraid.

Ding 2-0 Curtis-Barrett (59-28)

More poor safety until Ding graps at a chance, clearing the last two reds and the yellow. Jamie needs a snooker, and blue, pink and black are on their spots, which should be helpful (in theory).

Ding 2-0 Curtis-Barrett (46-28)

He's making hard work of it but Ding's inching nearer to making it 3-0 ... but as I type that, he jawses a red with the rest. Jamie sees it off with a little swerve, but position on the final two, close to the side cushion, will be harder. Jamie tries to get behind them off the black only to miss the pot; "Embarrassingly bad," says Phil Stud in commentary, as we learn that he's a single dad - his wife passed a few years ago - with two kids. Goodness me, that must be hard. Respect.

Ding 2-0 Curtis-Barrett (15-27)

Ding manages two individual reds and then Jamie gets in, compiling a few before asking that the black be respotted as it'd moved slightly. And it's not the only thing - he's struggling to stay stil when down on his shott, eventually ceding the table to Ding. The reds are not as invitingly arranged as in the last frame, but there are still plenty of points out there.

Ding 2-0 Curtis-Barrett (0-4)

Ding isn't firing at all, and he misses what looks a regulation long red, so we enjoy some not especially penetrating safety.

Around the tables

Carrington 2-0 Pinches

Lisowski 3-0 Ajaib

Ning 2-0 Doherty

Selt 2-0 Amine

Ding 2-0 Curtis-Barrett

Jamie is 2-0 down and Ding hasn't started playing yet. Essentially, he needs to refrain from missing simple pots.

Ding 1-0 Curtis-Barrett (67-8)

There are only so many chances you can give a player of Ding's class, and the frame is settled via blue forced into the green pocket.

Ding 1-0 Curtis-Barrett (44-8)

But he loses concentration and Jamie pounces ... briefly. He misses a regulation red to the corner and this could be one of those matches where the better player plays badly because he knows his misses won't punished and the lesser player plays badly because he knows the other guy knows.

Ding 1-0 Curtis-Barrett (37-1)

Jamie isn't bad at potting long, but he struggles either to get position or to commit to his shots. Ultimately, though, there aren't many rewards for frequent breaks of one and Ding gets in next, cracking the pack off a black. The shot takes him back to baulk but he's soon back at the business end and this is now a framewinning opportunity - he's so good in the balls - Ronnie is the best, but after him, when you're talking break-building there aren't many others whose short game compares.

Around the tables

Carrington 1-0 Pinches

Lisowski 1-0 Ajaib

Ning 1-0 Doherty

Selt 2-0 Amine

Ding 1-0 Curtis-Barrett

Let's be real, that frame was a mess. But the champion takes it in the end.

Ding 0-0 Curtis-Barrett (61-38)

Ding see off the final red and that'll be the frame.

Ding 0-0 Curtis-Barrett (58-38)

A poor safety allows Jamie a starter and this is a really good chance for him now ... but he jawses a straightfroward red ... but Ding goes in-off! That is amateurish from the champ and he can have nae complaints if he loses this frame. Jamie, though, misses his pot and by plenty, leaving nowt ... except Ding then flukes the penultimate red off the top cushion and into the green pocket. Rather than attempt a difficult colour, he lays a snooker, and when Jamie escapes, he lays another that works. Jamie finally hits on his sixth go.

Ding 0-0 Curtis-Barrett (37-22)

As I was saying, Ding lands the cue-ball right up tight to a red, so has to play safe. This is really scrappy stuff from both players.

Ding 0-0 Curtis-Barrett (32-22)

Ding leaves Jamie a nice starter which he can't parlay into much more, likewise a really good pot on a long red. And this time, Ding looks likely to punish his infractions; though pink and black are on opposite cushions, the reds are very nicely spread and I'd be surprised if a potter of Ding's calibre failed to win the frame at this visit.

Ding 0-0 Curtis-Barrett (14-15)

Curtis-Barrett dropped off the tour a while ago and Ding is 1/200 to beat him. But he puts Ding in a snooker first up and it somehow requires three goes for an escape off the side cushion to hit the pack. Curtis-Barrett then pots a nice red but then my screen crashes, returning in time to see Ding miss a blue into the midde.

Off we go....

This morning

Xiao Guodong 6-1 Brandon Sargeant

Tian Pengfei 6-0 Jamie O'Neill

Mark Allen 6-1 Jamie Wilson

Liang Wenbo 6-3 Allan Taylor

Mark Joyce 6-1 Eden Sharav

Alexander Ursenbacher 6-3 Nigel Bond

Ding

After a difficult period, he now looks to be on his way back, reaching the semis of the Northern Ireland Open and generally looking like his old self. It's great to see.

Afternoon all

Today sees the final raft of first-round matches, and for its first part we'll be focusing on the defending champion, my friend and yours, Ding Junhui. He takes on Jamie Curtis-Barrett, and they'll be underway in about 15 minutes.

'He had the world in his hands' - O'Sullivan pays tribute to 'iconic' Maradona

Ronnie O’Sullivan has paid tribute to Diego Maradona, saying the “iconic” Argentina legend "surpassed what was humanely possible".

Maradona died on Wednesday at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack in Buenos Aires. He is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, but was also known for his colourful life off the pitch.

O'Sullivan has also made headlines away from the table during his career and was full of praise for Maradona after his rapid opening-round win at the UK Championship.

"He’s iconic,” O’Sullivan told Eurosport. "Maradona, Muhammad Ali, Ayrton Senna, they left their mark on the world. They had the world in their hands. He was incredible. I have always said I would prefer a short and exciting life rather than a long and beige life. Maradona definitely had an exciting life.

“There’s probably 200 billion people that have come and gone in this world and there’s 10 people in the sporting world that have surpassed what we thought was humanely possible and Maradona was one of them.

"It wasn’t just the way he played, it was the passion and emotion, you just couldn’t help but get sucked into the energy he brought onto the football field, let alone the skill and the mesmeric way he did it."