Mark Selby, the first Triple Crown trophy after 4 years! Victory with Judd Trump and a moment of extraordinary fair play at the table
Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Monday, December 08, 2025, 10:23 / Updated Monday, December 08, 2025 10:25
Britain's Mark Selby, 42, withstood a brave comeback from world leader Judd Trump, 36, to claim his third career UK Championship title 10-8.
Selby, who has battled depression for a year, got off to a blistering start, leading 5-0 in the first session before Trump twice cut the deficit to one frame, threatening to shatter his rival's dream of winning the first of the 2021 “Triple Crown”, made up of the London Masters, UK Championship and FIFA World Cup.
During the week at York, Selby showed flashes of his former form. The British 4-time world champion even managed to give a test of fair play, at 7-3 for him. Trump made a mistake out of snooker, the referee dictated a free ball, but the Briton did not agree.
Selby came to the table and checked the position as well and ruled Trump right, who replayed the shot and unwittingly put in the red ball! Trump made it 7-4 and it looked like things were getting tough, but Selby held the lead.
Selby twice missed the black ball on her point, allowing Trump to close at 8-7, and then again at 9-8 after Selby missed a simple red ball, with the title in hand. But this time, the four-time world champion could not be stopped and closed out the match.
It is the third UK Championship trophy that Mark Selby has ticked off in his career.
Trump suffered his third defeat of the season in a final, having been beaten in the deciding frame by Jack Lisowski at the Northern Ireland Open in October and by Selby at the Champion of Champions.
With him out of competition until the Masters in January, his record of winning at least one trophy every year since 2013 ends, the BBC notes.
Trump has been open about the need to change tack again and admitted his training regime has suffered, in part due to visa issues with his brother, who has been unable to join him at his training base in Dubai. “It was a struggle, honestly. I didn't play great the whole tournament, and Mark was the much better player,” Trump said. “I'll definitely train and get back to normal with my brother back in Dubai. I wasn't as ready going into the tournaments. I'm still waiting for that match, that spark. Now I'll take a break, regroup, work in training and look forward to the rest of the season.”
