World Snooker Championship: Stuart Bingham reaches final

Stuart Bingham will face Shaun Murphy in the World Championship final after edging Judd Trump 17-16 in a thrilling last-frame decider.

Trump trailed 13-9 but produced a fine comeback to take an absorbing semi-final to the wire.

Bingham kept his composure to overcome his opponent and book his first Crucible final appearance.

Murphy sealed his place in the final, to be played on Sunday and Monday, after overcoming Barry Hawkins 17-9.

Murphy gets over the line

Murphy had led 14-3 but Hawkins secured six of the next eight frames to frustrate the 2009 finalist.

Resuming Saturday's afternoon session 16-8 ahead, the 32-year-old could do nothing but watch as Hawkins crafted a 103 break to reduce the deficit.

It brought applause from a packed Crucible crowd and 36-year-old Hawkins appeared in control of the 26th frame until a break of 44 ended with a missed black.

Murphy did not look back as a break of 83 finally saw him to victory and a place in the final.

"It's unbelievable, something I never thought I'd do again," added Murphy as he looked ahead to his first World Championship final for six years.

"I'm blown away."

Bingham survives brave Trump fightback

Resuming the best-of-33-frame semi-final 13-11 ahead, Bingham looked in command as he extended his lead by claiming the first frame of Saturday's evening session.

But 25-year-old Trump was at his flamboyant best as he made half century breaks to claim the next two frames.

Bingham, however, showed real character to extend his two-frame cushion at the mid-session interval after a carefully crafted 106 break.

Trump would not lie down, though and a break of 76 by the 2011 finalist pulled it back to 15-14 before Bingham won the next frame after another sparkling break of 102.

In what was a compelling game, Trump produced back-to-back century breaks of 108 and 129 to take it into the last frame.

It was the biggest frame of Bingham's career and the 38-year-old, who defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-final, used all his experience to edge Trump in a cagey decider.

"It's unbelievable, I cant believe I'm in the World final," said Bingham, winner of two ranking events.