The Hindu : Sport / Billiards & Snooker : Robertson reigns supreme

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Robertson reigns supreme

— PHOTO: AP

AUSTRALIA'S DELIGHT: Neil Robertson of Australia became the first man from outside Britain and Ireland to win the World snooker title since 1980.

SHEFFIELD: Australia's Neil Robertson won the snooker World championship at The Crucible on Tuesday, beating Scotland's Graeme Dott 18-13 in the final.

The 28-year-old from Victoria became the first man from outside Britain and Ireland to win the title since Canadian Cliff Thorburn triumphed in 1980.

Robertson took a 12-10 lead over 2006 champion Dott into the final session on Monday.

At 14-12 ahead with the reds cleared, Robertson missed a crucial brown to the left middle pocket at 57-40 up. But he went on to sink the pink and take the 45-minute frame for a three-frame lead.

Next frame Dott took four attempts to hit a red from a snooker and Robertson missed a black at 53-42 ahead.

Clearing the colours, Dott left the pink over the pocket but Robertson rattled it in the jaws. Dott did not miss it at the second attempt and clawed back into the match at 15-13.

In the 29th frame, both players missed a string of reds with Robertson 40-9 ahead. Robertson blundered, hitting the next shot too hard and allowing Dott in. But the right-hander left a red over the pocket at 53-23 and Robertson took the longest frame of the match thus far, approaching 50 minutes.

Next frame, Dott almost fluked three reds with a hit-and-hope effort at 37-0 down. Robertson broke off in the final frame, in which both players showed their fatigue. Dott missed a red and an unlucky double kiss left a red over the pocket.

Robertson played a plant for a 42-1 lead and the match time rolled past 12 hours.

He sank a pink to leave Dott needing snookers, then blew a kiss to his mother (clutching the Australian flag), who had flown in in time to see her son win the title.

The match won, Robertson completed a break of 53 to take the final frame 94-1. — AFP

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