Snooker - No-nerves Bingham wins Premier League

Premier League debutant Stuart Bingham was crowned champion after he dominated world number one Judd Trump 7-2 in the final in Grimsby.

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Stuart Bingham

The victory, aided by six breaks over 50 and one century, meant the Essex player finished the competition undefeated after winning Group A.

Bingham was one of the least fancied of the 10 players at the start of the competition in August but spectacular form carried him to the title.

“I’m over the moon and this means so much. It’s unbelievable and to pick up this trophy means the world,” Bingham said.

“This was Team Bingham getting success and I was fortunate that Judd wasn’t getting the nudges and I was getting the run but when your name’s on the trophy, it’s on the trophy.”

The final was a completely different affair from the two semi-final wars of attrition on Saturday, as Bingham showed ease and poise while Trump struggled for momentum.

Trump did find the scoreboard first, taking the opening frame with a break of 83. But Bingham matched him in the second when he compiled an 82 via a remarkable long-range swerve shot around the green that sunk the red.

He made up for a missed century in the second frame on the fourth-last red by achieving one in the third.

The next frame saw Bingham unlock the reds that had built up on the bottom right hand cushion, countering a poor positional break with a 32 that sealed a 3-1 lead.

Play followed in much the same fashion for the following two frames. Bingham extended his advantage in both - 116-9 and 74-5 respectively - using a solid break of 61 to counter a scrappy start to frame six.

Trump halted his demise momentarily and in fine style with a speedy century for a 101-0 frame seven score, but his opponent wasn’t rattled and owned the eighth with a break of 40 followed by a critical 71.

The final frame was neck and neck, as close scores saw it come down to the final black. What was a chance for Trump became an even more inviting one for Bingham after the Bristol man missed and left it near the centre pocket. Bingham calmly potted on his next shot to secure the championship.

The pair last faced each other in January, when Trump defeated Bingham 6-3 in the 2012 Masters.

Of their eight encounters over the last five years, Trump has won five, Bingham has won two and they have drawn once.

The Premier League is a professional non-ranking tournament played in a round-robin format over a number of months. This is Bingham's fourth non-ranking win, as well as two minor-ranking wins in APTC events 1 and 3 and his sole ranking title at the 2011 Australian Goldfields Open.

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