Snooker - Trump thumps Higgins wins first world snooker title

(Reuters) - Judd Trump won his first world snooker championship with a comprehensive 18-9 win over John Higgins who was beaten in the final for the third year in a row on Monday.

Leading 12-5 overnight, the Englishman kept up the pressure with three century breaks in the afternoon session, taking the total count for the match to 11 -- a record since the event moved to Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in 1977.

The 29-year-old, beaten by Higgins in the 2011 final when the Scotsman won the last of his four titles, went into the evening session needing two more frames for the title which he polished off in 22 minutes.

It was the biggest winning margin in a final since Higgins beat Shaun Murphy by the same score in 2009.

"It was an amazing final, the standard from the very first ball," said Trump. "I always raise my standard against John... that is probably the best I have ever played in a major final."

Higgins admitted he had no answer to Trump's flawless display. "It will be the first of many I am sure, to produce a standard like that is incredible," said Higgins. "He was unplayable."

(Writing by Brian Homewood, editing by Pritha Sarkar)