Judd Trump says 100 centuries is ‘way better achievement’ than last time he did it

Judd Trump has made the 100 centuries with time to spare (Picture: Getty Images)

Judd Trump feels his 100 centuries this season is a ‘way better achievement’ than last time he managed it, as he managed it in fewer games and wasn’t actively targeting the huge tally.

The world number one knocked in his 100th ton of the campaign during his World Championship clash with Shaun Murphy on Sunday evening.

The 35-year-old arrived at the Crucible this year on 93 centuries and he has surged to the landmark, landing the £100,000 bonus in the process.

It is only the third time a player has managed 100 centuries in a season, with Neil Robertson the first to do so in 2013/14, while Trump knocked in 102 tons in the 2019/20 campaign.

Trump’s 100 centuries this time round has come in the fewest number of matches, doing so in just 91 games, compared to his 95 before and Robertson’s 115.

Speaking ahead of his last 16 clash with Murphy, Trump said of hitting the landmark this season: ‘It would be way better than the achievement last time because I think I played far more tournaments and far more games [in 2019/20].

‘I don’t know how many games I played this season to make it but it would have to be a record by quite far. I think I have missed three or four tournaments in the season as well.’

The £100,000 bonus for making 100 tons was announced last July, with Trump by far the likeliest contender to win it, but he says it was not a target for him over the campaign.

‘I think the opposite, I didn’t target it,’ he said when that suggestion was made to him. ‘It just so happened that in the Championship League, the pockets were playing very large. I went in the fourth or fifth group, so if I was really trying, I would have gone in the first group

‘As I said, I didn’t target it at all, I didn’t even think it was a possibility. I didn’t even want to be in contention but after the Championship League, I didn’t expect the pockets to be so big, and the centuries were flying in for everyone. If I had known that I would have been playing in the first group.’

Trump already passed the 1,000 century landmark for his career this season (Picture: Getty Images)

After his impressive 10-4 win over Zhou Yuelong in the opening round, Trump was asked if landing the £100,000 bonus would represent a successful World Championship campaign but he dismissed the idea.

‘Nah, I’d pay £100,000 to get to the quarters,’ he said. ‘I would, I would.

‘Luckily, I’m in a fortunate position, I have had a great season, I have had a great couple of seasons and able to go out there and play snooker. Not worry about trying to provide for my family and other things, which some of the other players have to play for.

‘I just want to go out and play snooker. If there was no money on the line I would still want to get to 100 centuries and in snooker you want to break every single record. Those are the kind of things which inspire me nowadays.’

Trump was in tremendous form on Sunday night (Picture: Getty Images)

The £100,000 is another boost to a money-spinning season for the world number one, who has already won over £1.4m in prize money thanks to wins at the UK Championship, Saudi Arabia Masters and Shanghai Masters.

Trump finished Sunday night’s action in a strong position, leading Shaun Murphy 10-6 in a race to 13 for a place in the quarter-finals.

The winner will play the winner of Luca Brecel vs Ding Junhui, which is extremely likely to be the Belgian as the Bullet leads 12-4 ahead of the final session.

The second round matches come to an end on Monday, with Si Jiahui vs Ben Woollaston and Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Pang Junxu also coming to a close.