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NEIL Robertson claimed his second Grand Prix title with a 9-4 victory over Ding Junhui at the Kelvin Hall.
The popular Robertson produced a nerveless display against three time ranking title winner Ding as he prevailed in the 25th anniversary of the tournament- and reminded us that Australians can still win on British soil.
Robertson, the champion in 2006 in Aberdeen opened in emphatic fashion when he pounced on a long red left to the corner and hammered in a total clearance of 124 against Ding, who in his last match lost the opening frame to a Mark Williams clearance.
But Robertson was in far superior form to that of the Welshman as in the second frame showed some tactical nous to put together runs of 22, 46 and 25 to lead 2-0 and up the pressure on the Chinese star who in those two frames had only managed to score the collective total of 25 points to the 218 plundered by his opponant.
Ding though is not easily unnerved these days and with an impassive expression on his face calmy waited for his chance. Keeping it tight Ding was firmly in contention in a scrappy frame as they approached the final red and the colours with the scores at 43-28. Robertson, though still favourite for the frame played a sloppy safety shot leaving Ding a mid length red to the corner. The Chinese star sank it and made 26 before failing on the green along the cushion. Fortunately for Ding the green rolled away to safety, and after Robertson played a loose safety in leaving a straight green to the centre pocket Ding stepped in sank the green, and followed with brown, blue and pink to close to 2-1.
And Robertson would have been kicking himself in the fourth frame as going well on a break of 31 missed a simple blue to the centre, Robertson too busy thiniking about how to engineer perfect position for the next red was forced to sit in his chair as Ding, tucked under the baulk cushion powered in a long straight red to the corner and cleared to the final blue for a break of 80 that levelled the match at the mid session interval.
Neil could perhaps feel that he had let the match get away from him and he would have been far from happy at misjudging a safety when he managed to catch the blue after being under the baulk cushion to leave Ding a cut along the side cushion for Ding. It was by no means an easy pot but Ding planted it straight into the top corner pocket, clipped in the black and rolled in a total clearance of 112 to translate a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 advantage.
And with Neil being confined to his chair he was clearly out of touch- to the tune of catching the pack of reds to gift Ding a good chance of a red along the side cushion to the top corner pocket. Dropping the red in Ding looked set fair with the reds opened nicely with 13 points already in the bank. Sizing up a red Ding was stretching the length of the table- so much so that he missed the straightforward red. Robertson who could have been forgiven for thinking he was going 4-2 down walked to the table and potted a red to the corner to end a streak of 211 points against him in the best way possible - a clearance of 108 to record his 100th century of his professional career.
And Neil was breathing a sigh of relief after the seventh frame as wild slash of a red Robertson left Ding a long stright red. Drilling the ball into the corner pocket Ding followed in similar fashion on the blue- only to knock a red into the corner pocket in the process. Robertson countered with seventeen before a miscue on an easy red looked to have given the frame away to Ding. Ding though could only make four from his opportunity beofre missing a simple red. Robertson, back in a frame that he thought he had kissed goodbye to stroked in a 43 to leave Ding needing snookers. He didn't get them and Robertson had a 4-3 lead at the interval.
Resuming it was Robertson who had first look at the table only to be forced into safety. Trouble was with all the reds scattered around the table his safety had to bang on the money. And as he left the cue ball just shy of the top cushion so he had left a thin cut of red to the centre. Ding took his time cued the shot and delivered the cue poker straight. The red disappeared and he followed up with the pink and then rolled in a 48- only to take his eye off the yellow and miss at short range. A ghastly error but Robertson couldn't take advantage as he succeeded in only scoring seven before the cueball fininshed anchored to the reds. Ding was holding a 48-20 lead and was handed a chance when Robertson caught his safety too thick and brough the red up to the corner pocket. With the white behind it he cut the ball into the centre pocket and followed with the green to take the frame with a run of 47 and level the match at 4-4.
As a tactical battle opened the ninth frame it was Ding who blundered by hitting his safety too thickly as he tried to negotiate a return to the baulk cushion. As the cue ball struck the red the red wobbled in the jaws, shot across the rail to the opposite bag and double kissed the cue ball which had followed it. Left to tap the red in Robertson was only able to make 19 before running into the cluster of reds.
But Ding was berating himself a short time later as he caught his afety far too thick leaving the white to trundle up the table and kiss the blue giving Robertson an easy initial red to the corner but with the colours at the baulk end of the table break building was never going to be easy. Left to work on the blue Robertson couldn't put the frame away despite runs of 30 and 18 it was Ding who banged in a long red and made 32, leaving the final two reds on the table. Robertson sunk the first with a blue but failed on the final red. He was not to be denied for long as Ding left the final red over the pocket. Robertson sank it and then added the frame ball blue leaving Ding needing a snooker. With just the colours remaining Ding knocked in the yellow and then snookered Robertson on the green by leaving the cue ball stuck to the pink. With the green left in a pottable position after a successful escape from Robertson Ding sunk it - and then left the brown tight on the top cushion with the cue ball stuck to the baulk- with the blue in the way. Yet again Robertson escaped only to find himself in a snooker, an exact reverse of Ding's last effort. This time there was to be no escape as the cueball sailed round the front of the brown and in off into the top corner pocket. Four points wrested from the Aussie and there was more to come seconds later as Ding hid the cue ball behind the pink with the black covering the brown- but there was worse to come for Neil as after failing with his escape referee Jan Verhaas awarded a free ball. Taking the pink as his brown Ding potted it only to turn down the brown and then leave Robertson with a chance to cut it in. With a deep breath Robertson sunk it and then negotiated the blue along the baulk cushion followed by the pink to pull the frame out of the fire that he'd tried his best to give away.
And Ding couldn't get it out of his head as he compounded some poor safety with leaving Neil an easy starter allowing the Australian to fire in a decisive run of 36 to go with a couple of early flurries. For the first time since since the beginning Neil now held a two frame advantage at 6-4.
Robertson was first in with 46 in the eleventh frame only to give way to a bit of adrenalin that cost him the opportunity of finishing the frame off in one go. Robertson though was not to be denied as he stroked in a plant from the baulk cushion and added the black to piece together a run of 25 that combined with his previous effort sent him to the interval 7-4.
Trailing 26-1 Ding badly needed an easy chance to try and regain some of the cofidence that had quickly drained away after the ninth frame. Left an easy opening red to the centre he was well placed among the reds on a break of 21- but a calamatous error - this time missing a simple pink resented Neil with the balls at his mercy. Dropping in a simple red the Australian soon strung together a break of 32 that left the Chinese player needing snookers - it was a fruitless task for Ding as Neil dropped in the final yellow to move 8-4 up. It was all over bar the shouting as Neil now needed just the one frame to clinch his fourth world ranking title.
And so it proved as Ding missed a simple straight green to the centre and the cue ball ran away to the top end of the table. With the reds in ideal position Neil was left to complete his final lap be firing in break of 89 to sign off in style, clinch victory and with it the number three position in the provisional world rankings.
As the presentation party arrived to present the trophies Robertson told John Parrott that he was "absolutley over the moon". Dedicated his victory to a young fan called Chloe; Neil was given a round of applause by the Glasgow crowd who saluted a deserving but humble champion.
Suzy Jardine
The popular Robertson produced a nerveless display against three time ranking title winner Ding as he prevailed in the 25th anniversary of the tournament- and reminded us that Australians can still win on British soil.
Robertson, the champion in 2006 in Aberdeen opened in emphatic fashion when he pounced on a long red left to the corner and hammered in a total clearance of 124 against Ding, who in his last match lost the opening frame to a Mark Williams clearance.
But Robertson was in far superior form to that of the Welshman as in the second frame showed some tactical nous to put together runs of 22, 46 and 25 to lead 2-0 and up the pressure on the Chinese star who in those two frames had only managed to score the collective total of 25 points to the 218 plundered by his opponant.
Ding though is not easily unnerved these days and with an impassive expression on his face calmy waited for his chance. Keeping it tight Ding was firmly in contention in a scrappy frame as they approached the final red and the colours with the scores at 43-28. Robertson, though still favourite for the frame played a sloppy safety shot leaving Ding a mid length red to the corner. The Chinese star sank it and made 26 before failing on the green along the cushion. Fortunately for Ding the green rolled away to safety, and after Robertson played a loose safety in leaving a straight green to the centre pocket Ding stepped in sank the green, and followed with brown, blue and pink to close to 2-1.
And Robertson would have been kicking himself in the fourth frame as going well on a break of 31 missed a simple blue to the centre, Robertson too busy thiniking about how to engineer perfect position for the next red was forced to sit in his chair as Ding, tucked under the baulk cushion powered in a long straight red to the corner and cleared to the final blue for a break of 80 that levelled the match at the mid session interval.
Neil could perhaps feel that he had let the match get away from him and he would have been far from happy at misjudging a safety when he managed to catch the blue after being under the baulk cushion to leave Ding a cut along the side cushion for Ding. It was by no means an easy pot but Ding planted it straight into the top corner pocket, clipped in the black and rolled in a total clearance of 112 to translate a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 advantage.
And with Neil being confined to his chair he was clearly out of touch- to the tune of catching the pack of reds to gift Ding a good chance of a red along the side cushion to the top corner pocket. Dropping the red in Ding looked set fair with the reds opened nicely with 13 points already in the bank. Sizing up a red Ding was stretching the length of the table- so much so that he missed the straightforward red. Robertson who could have been forgiven for thinking he was going 4-2 down walked to the table and potted a red to the corner to end a streak of 211 points against him in the best way possible - a clearance of 108 to record his 100th century of his professional career.
And Neil was breathing a sigh of relief after the seventh frame as wild slash of a red Robertson left Ding a long stright red. Drilling the ball into the corner pocket Ding followed in similar fashion on the blue- only to knock a red into the corner pocket in the process. Robertson countered with seventeen before a miscue on an easy red looked to have given the frame away to Ding. Ding though could only make four from his opportunity beofre missing a simple red. Robertson, back in a frame that he thought he had kissed goodbye to stroked in a 43 to leave Ding needing snookers. He didn't get them and Robertson had a 4-3 lead at the interval.
Resuming it was Robertson who had first look at the table only to be forced into safety. Trouble was with all the reds scattered around the table his safety had to bang on the money. And as he left the cue ball just shy of the top cushion so he had left a thin cut of red to the centre. Ding took his time cued the shot and delivered the cue poker straight. The red disappeared and he followed up with the pink and then rolled in a 48- only to take his eye off the yellow and miss at short range. A ghastly error but Robertson couldn't take advantage as he succeeded in only scoring seven before the cueball fininshed anchored to the reds. Ding was holding a 48-20 lead and was handed a chance when Robertson caught his safety too thick and brough the red up to the corner pocket. With the white behind it he cut the ball into the centre pocket and followed with the green to take the frame with a run of 47 and level the match at 4-4.
As a tactical battle opened the ninth frame it was Ding who blundered by hitting his safety too thickly as he tried to negotiate a return to the baulk cushion. As the cue ball struck the red the red wobbled in the jaws, shot across the rail to the opposite bag and double kissed the cue ball which had followed it. Left to tap the red in Robertson was only able to make 19 before running into the cluster of reds.
But Ding was berating himself a short time later as he caught his afety far too thick leaving the white to trundle up the table and kiss the blue giving Robertson an easy initial red to the corner but with the colours at the baulk end of the table break building was never going to be easy. Left to work on the blue Robertson couldn't put the frame away despite runs of 30 and 18 it was Ding who banged in a long red and made 32, leaving the final two reds on the table. Robertson sunk the first with a blue but failed on the final red. He was not to be denied for long as Ding left the final red over the pocket. Robertson sank it and then added the frame ball blue leaving Ding needing a snooker. With just the colours remaining Ding knocked in the yellow and then snookered Robertson on the green by leaving the cue ball stuck to the pink. With the green left in a pottable position after a successful escape from Robertson Ding sunk it - and then left the brown tight on the top cushion with the cue ball stuck to the baulk- with the blue in the way. Yet again Robertson escaped only to find himself in a snooker, an exact reverse of Ding's last effort. This time there was to be no escape as the cueball sailed round the front of the brown and in off into the top corner pocket. Four points wrested from the Aussie and there was more to come seconds later as Ding hid the cue ball behind the pink with the black covering the brown- but there was worse to come for Neil as after failing with his escape referee Jan Verhaas awarded a free ball. Taking the pink as his brown Ding potted it only to turn down the brown and then leave Robertson with a chance to cut it in. With a deep breath Robertson sunk it and then negotiated the blue along the baulk cushion followed by the pink to pull the frame out of the fire that he'd tried his best to give away.
And Ding couldn't get it out of his head as he compounded some poor safety with leaving Neil an easy starter allowing the Australian to fire in a decisive run of 36 to go with a couple of early flurries. For the first time since since the beginning Neil now held a two frame advantage at 6-4.
Robertson was first in with 46 in the eleventh frame only to give way to a bit of adrenalin that cost him the opportunity of finishing the frame off in one go. Robertson though was not to be denied as he stroked in a plant from the baulk cushion and added the black to piece together a run of 25 that combined with his previous effort sent him to the interval 7-4.
Trailing 26-1 Ding badly needed an easy chance to try and regain some of the cofidence that had quickly drained away after the ninth frame. Left an easy opening red to the centre he was well placed among the reds on a break of 21- but a calamatous error - this time missing a simple pink resented Neil with the balls at his mercy. Dropping in a simple red the Australian soon strung together a break of 32 that left the Chinese player needing snookers - it was a fruitless task for Ding as Neil dropped in the final yellow to move 8-4 up. It was all over bar the shouting as Neil now needed just the one frame to clinch his fourth world ranking title.
And so it proved as Ding missed a simple straight green to the centre and the cue ball ran away to the top end of the table. With the reds in ideal position Neil was left to complete his final lap be firing in break of 89 to sign off in style, clinch victory and with it the number three position in the provisional world rankings.
As the presentation party arrived to present the trophies Robertson told John Parrott that he was "absolutley over the moon". Dedicated his victory to a young fan called Chloe; Neil was given a round of applause by the Glasgow crowd who saluted a deserving but humble champion.
Suzy Jardine
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