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Judd Trump snubbed by Neal Foulds for Player of the Year crown as pundit says '2024 has been Kyren Wilson's'
Snooker's world number No1 Judd Trump hasn't been the sport's player of 2024, according to a pundit.
Trump lifted the UK Championship earlier this month but decided against competing at snooker's Scottish Open to focus on his preparations for the World Championships next year, although he'll play in the year-ending Riyadh Snooker Championship in Saudi Arabia when the tournament gets underway on December 19.
When quizzed on Eurosport for their players of the year at the Scottish Open final between Chinese young guns Lei Peifan and Wu Yize in Edinburgh, ex-pros Jimmy White and Neal Foulds had differing views, with Foulds saying: "It’s not settled for me. He [Trump] is the rightful world number one, I’m not saying he’s not the best player in the world. But maybe 2024 is Kyren [Wilson’s] year. He became world champion for the first time, which is a wonderful achievement. And he went on to win two more ranking events. My counter argument is that Kyren has done enough to be player of the year. I’m not arguing with Judd being world number one, that’s a different ball game."
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Jimmy White disagreed however, quickly selecting Ace in the Pack Trump as his player of 2024 pointing to his nerves-of-steel victory against Mark Williams in the final of the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters. White said: "For me it’s Judd Trump. The way he’s started off and won the UK Championship. He looks so solid and, for me, the match with Mark Williams especially was fantastic - it was a great clearance with a lot of money at stake. So it’s Judd Trump for me."
Wilson and Trump have been snooker's standout performers in 2024 sitting first and second in the world rankings order. Trump, added to his tally of Triple Crowns when winning the UK Championship, to back up victories in the Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters and Shanghai Masters. But it was Wilson who became world champion in May after a dramatic victory over Jak Jones - four years on from suffering heartache against Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Trump meanwhile left Scottish fans gutted when he pulled out of the Open saying: "I don’t think I’m going to play a lot of snooker in the next few months. I would rather be at the peak of my form towards the end of the season. Missing events like the Scottish and the Welsh is probably the best thing for me this season because I’ve potentially got to the World Championship burned out in some seasons.
“The way my seasons have been the last couple of years I’ve faded away at the end of the season. I don’t want that to happen again. The worst thing for me is if you win a small event in the build up than you’re far less likely to win the World Championship, to go 13 or 14 games unbeaten is difficult with the standard where it is now.”
