Carter is through with final pot-shot at Trump

The 22-year Bristol potter has won legions of fans over the last 12 months with his breathtaking long potting game and risky brand of snooker.

It won him the China Open, runner-up spot to John Higgins in last year’s World Championship as well as being crowned UK Champion in York in December.

But his hopes of going one better at the Crucible this year – and in doing so being crowned world No 1 – came to a dramatic end yesterday as he let a 12-9 lead slip to lose 13-9 against world No 17 Carter.

It was a contest of differing styles, flamboyant Trump against old school Carter, 32, who was left frustrated that Trump’s continual eye for an adventurous shot did not hand him more chances in the game.

At one point, trailing 12-10, another long-range pot was missed by Trump, only to leave the white tucked up behind the yellow and brown and a snooker, and prompted sarcastic applause from Carter for another fluke.

“If he wants to do that, then it’s up to him, but he’s 30-odd years old and it’s a bit childish,” said Trump.

But Carter was unrepentant afterwards and said Trump’s attacking play was ‘one-dimensional’ and there was more to snooker than “just potting balls”.

“I have played this game for a lot of years, I just felt when it really mattered at 12-12 it was going to turn for me, and it did,” said Carter, who lost out to Ronnie O’Sullivan in the 2008 final at the Crucible.

“Judd just pots them from everywhere but there is more to this game than just potting balls, and I have proved that.

“He has three or four lashes in the whole frame – like he did the entire match – and got away with it. He just did not stop getting away with it, the whole time.

“Some of the shots he played – granted he potted most of them – but you cannot keep potting balls like that, I don’t care how good you are.

“If he carries on going for them like that, I am glad I was strong enough to stand and beat him, but he will be getting beat.

“I have been on too many wrong ends of matches like that, so now he can feel what it feels like to have a nasty scar in your career. It’s not easy to get over.

“There’s no needle between us,” he insisted. “I just think he genuinely doesn’t realise how much luck he gets, some of the shots he gets away with, how lucky he was in that match.

“At the end he got me in snooker after snooker after snooker, he knows his way round a table, he’s a great player, he’s achieved more than me in the game already.

“He’s great for the game, the new kid on the block, like a young Ronnie.”

As for the sarcastic applause at Trump’s fluke in frame 23, Carter added: “Sour grapes? I don’t think that’s the way forwards. If Judd wasn’t playing me I would love to be sitting at home and see him win it. He’s great for the game. I just wanted to win the match and I just wanted to loosen myself up, show the crowd that I have got a personality as well.”

Resuming overnight with a 9-7 lead, Trump looked set for a 147 – and a share of the £50,000 prize with Stephen Hendry, who has already chalked up a maximum – but after potting 12 reds and blacks, he failed to break up the remaining trio of reds.

It left a smash-and-hope effort, but nothing dropped and the break ended on 96 which was enough to take an 11-8 lead.

Carter responded with a 94 clearance as the pair shared the opening four frames of the afternoon.

Carter then knocked in 10 reds and blacks as he eyed a 147 himself, but again fell short when he enjoyed a cannon on two reds but snookered himself on the black.

His 80 break though was enough and he clawed back the following frame to leave Trump just 12-11 ahead.

And it was soon all-square. Carter faltered on a 53 break as he missed a black to the corner, but Trump was unable to capitalise and it went to a deciding frame.

What followed was a mammoth 45-minute last frame, a fist-thumping Carter thinking he had secured a winning lead only for Trump to claw back three of the four snookers he needed but was unable to grasp the final one. Trump, who struggled with food poisoning last week, said he had struggled to settle at the Crucible and bemoaned his failure with his potting.

“I probably missed more balls in that match than I missed all season. My concentration levels were low and it’s disappointing to go out like that.”

Elsewhere, an all-Welsh quarter-final was secured as Matthew Stevens – twice a losing Crucible finalist – beat Barry Hawkins 13-11 to set up a meeting with Ryan Day this morning.

Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Mark Williams at the Crucible for the fourth time in seven years. The three-time champion finished off Williams 13-6, and faces 2010 Crucible winner Neil Robertson next.