JUDD TRUMP hopes he can keep his hot streak of form going as he looks ahead to the Betway UK Championship in York.

Trump won last week’s Northern Ireland Open in Belfast, his first ranking title in over a year. He won seven matches, culminating in a superb 9-7 defeat of Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final.

Bristol’s 29-year-old Trump won the UK Championship in York back in 2011 but that remains his only victory in a Triple Crown tournament.

“I need to win the big events,” admitted the world number five. “I have got to the final stages of all of them but getting over the line makes a huge difference. You won’t be remembered for getting to a lot of quarter and semi-finals. Hopefully within the next couple of seasons I can tick off the Masters and the World Championship and then the Triple Crown will be out of the way.

“Everyone has good spells during the season and now that I’m on a roll I don’t want it to stop. My game is improving and everything came together last week. It was the most I have ever enjoyed a tournament. I was relaxed and playing with a lot of freedom. Winning a title was well overdue for me.

“The fans were amazing and their support was massive. In the final it was almost 50-50 between me and Ronnie. Someone would call out Ronnie’s name and then someone else would call back mine which was a nice feeling. People cheering me on really helps when I’m under pressure.”

Trump has now won nine ranking titles. No other player under the age of 30 has won more than two.

He added: “The likes of Ronnie, Mark Selby and Mark Williams have been dominating in recent years, but they are three of the best five or six players of all time, so it’s a tough era to play in now.

"There are good Chinese players coming through but none of them have the full package yet and until they do, it will be the same players winning titles.”

The UK Championship runs from next Tuesday to December 9 at the York Barbican, with 128 players battling for a top prize of £170,000.

Trump faces experienced amateur David Lilley in the first round on Tuesday at 7.30pm. Other top stars in action over the first three days include O’Sullivan, Selby, Williams, John Higgins, Mark Allen, Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy and Ding Junhui.

Local potters Paul Davison (Pickering) and Ashley Hugill (Melbourne) start their campaigns on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.