UK Championship Snooker: New champion guaranteed in 2015

The Juddernaut was runner-up in York last year, putting in a memorable second session comeback, forcing Rocket Ronnie into a final frame decider to take the title.

Awesome feeling picking up my 1st major title since switching to a Vegan diet. So happy I made the choice

— Neil Robertson (@nr147) November 16, 2015

Australia’s Neil Robertson, meanwhile, picked up his first major tournament victory since adopting a vegan diet at the recent Champion of Champions event.

The Thunder from Down Under romped to victory over County Antrim’s Mark Allen 10-5 at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, so starts as 5/1 second-favourite to regain the UK crown Robertson won in 2013.

Selby and Murphy best of rest

Snooker world number one Mark Selby tops the rankings through maintaining a high level of consistency, and every now and then that results in a title. The Jester from Leicester is a dangerous 7/1 shot for a second UK triumph with an easy path on paper to the quarter-finals.

Masters champion Shaun Murphy could easily top and tail 2015 with titles at 15/2, while China’s two-time UK winner Ding Junhui (10/1) will hope to slip under the radar after the exploits of his compatriots at the Champion of Champions.

Veteran Scottish potter John Higgins is 14/1 for a fourth tournament triumph here after two ranking titles this term already, while the aforementioned Allen of Northern Ireland is a 16/1 shot to go one better in York than Coventry. Current Crucible king and World Snooker champion Stuart Bingham completes the list of likely candidates for the UK crown at 20/1.

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Check Coral’s snooker section out regularly throughout the tournament for tips on and previews of the UK Championship.