Impatient Trump unlikely to be overawed by O’Sullivan showdown

Since shooting to fame by winning the China Open, then pushing John Higgins all the way before losing at the Crucible in the World Championship final in May, 22-year-old Trump has been thrust into the limelight and is now seen as a major scalp. Yesterday he struggled to beat journeyman Dominic Dale in their first-round clash at the williamhill.com UK Championship and accepts he will have to improve if he is to overcome O’Sullivan when they meet at the York Barbican.

Dale led 4-2 and Trump looked frustrated at the table with some wild shots, but two massive flukes on the red then pink saw him scramble to an 83 break and stop the rot. He then reeled off breaks of 53, 54 and 62 to clinch a 6-4 win.

“It was a tough match for me, but the conditions weren’t great and there were a lot of kicks which didn’t help,” he said. “I knew Dominic wouldn’t make it easy, but I had to fight and the match turned when I won that frame at 4-2.

“It would be nice to play well in every game and it’s good to put a shot on for the fans, but it doesn’t work like that. I got a little impatient, but I need to cut that out if I’m going to get close to Ronnie.”

Trump and O’Sullivan practice in the same club in Essex, but the Bristol-born potter is not over-awed about playing one of the game’s all-time greats.

“Hopefully, if I can get on top of him he’ll get a little bit impatient, he said. “But the same can be said for me. Two or three years ago I’d have been under pressure against him, but it’s completely changed now. I just enjoy playing him these days, I’m not in awe of him.

“The pressure is still on him. He’s still expected to beat me, he’s expected to beat everyone.”

Elsewhere, Mark Allen eased to a 6-3 win over Adrian Gunnell before launching an unexpected attack on World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn, who moved in at the head of the game 18 months ago.

Allen claimed Hearn, who was voted in by the players, had vowed not to make changes to the sport’s major tournaments and is clearly unhappy that the first and second-round matches of this event – considered to be the second biggest on the calendar – have been reduced from 17 frames to 11.

“I don’t think he’s pleasing too many players,” said Allen. “But anyone who voted for him has only got themselves to blame. I wasn’t one of them.”