The UK Championship final takes place inside the Barbican Centre in York on Sunday as the biggest tournament of the season concludes with two former champions meeting each other. Ding Junhui meets Stephen Maguire over the best of 19 frames for the title.
Both these men have played some good snooker this week and seen off some established opponents so they will both be confident of getting their hands back on this trophy and propelling themselves back among the elite as a result.
Ding Junhui
The Chinese number one headed to York looking to come out of a slump which has seen him go without a trophy for far too long for someone with his qualities. There have been many conspiracy theories for the struggles of the man from China, but ultimately it would appear it was simply down to not practicing or playing enough, something he is in the middle of rectifying and reaping the rewards as a result.
Although he has seen off the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan this week, I’m still not convinced this is Ding at his best, and he had a nice draw in the semi-final against a Yan Bingtao who was waiting to be put out of his misery, but he took advantage of that which is never the easiest thing in the world so he deserves cricket for that. I think he will need to engage another gear to win this final but we know he has that in him.
Stephen Maguire
If there was an award for the player of the week in a tournament then Stephen Maguire would comfortably be the recipient of it here. He has been ticking along nicely all competition but he has caught fire in the last couple of matches. He finished his quarter final with Matthew Stevens with three wonderful frames, and then he delivered the best performance of his career in demolishing Mark Allen 6-0 in the semi-final on Saturday evening.
This is Maguire’s first solo 15 red final since the Lisbon Open in 2014 so he is after a first title at this level for five years, which is far too long a break between drinks for someone with the quality that he has. He looks to be getting better with every match though, and assuming he didn’t peak for the semi-final, he is going to be tough to stop here. There was a determination in his manner during his interview after the semi-final so he looks up for this.
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Head to Head
These two sides have met on 13 previous occasions but this will be the first time they have gone up against each other in a final of any kind let alone a Triple Crown one. Maguire has the edge in those meetings with a 7-6 lead although it is Ding who has won their last three, including their meeting in the Championship League earlier in the season. It may not be significant but it is Ding who has won all three of their semi-finals which are the biggest matches they have faced each other in to date.
Betting
Recent history might favour Ding Junhui going into this final but I’m with the form of this week and that is Stephen Maguire. Ding made a string of breaks in his semi-final win over Yan Bingtao but the highest was only 85 which highlights what I’ve said about him improving but not yet being at his absolute best just yet. In contrast in his semi-final, Maguire banged in four 50s and two centuries.
I had this as a 50:50 final with an edge if there was one to Stephen Maguire but then when I reflect on his performance in the semi-final I actually think the 6/4 on Maguire is a crazy price. We should acknowledge that he is unlikely to play that well again but the fact is that there is a margin between his performance there and what Ding has delivered since beating O’Sullivan in the last 16. Maguire is getting better where at best, Ding has plateaued. If this comes down to who handles the pressure I like Maguire so that is where my money is going.
Tips
Back S.Maguire to beat D.Junhui for a 4/10 stake at 2.50 with Betway
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