Michael Emons
BBC Sport at York Barbican

Image source, BBC Sport

Ding Junhui is aiming for his fourth UK Championship and if he beats Mark Allen he will become the fourth most successful player in the tournament's history - behind only Ronnie O'Sullivan (seven titles), Steve Davis (six) and Stephen Hendry (five).

You have to go back to 2005 when 18-year-old Ding beat Davis here for his first success before the Chinese player picked up his second four years later with a 10-8 victory over John Higgins in Telford.

Ten years passed before he got his hands back on the trophy in 2019 thanks to a 10-6 win over Stephen Maguire back in York, but he has failed to win any event since then.

The Covid-19 pandemic saw him miss a number of events and then after returning to England for the delayed 2020 World Championship, he couldn't return to his home country for the rest of that year and beginning of the next, unable to see his wife and young child.

But this tournament has seen the Ding of old - and a win today would see him back in the world's top 16 and earn him a place in January's Masters. He fought through two rounds of qualifying and then defeated Barry Hawkins, Jamie Clarke, O'Sullivan and Tom Ford to get to the final - and it was the 6-0 thrashing of world number one O'Sullivan that really caught the eye.

"He played fantastically well and it's brilliant to see Ding play like that. He's so good for the game and just a class act - I would like to see him go and win it," said O'Sullivan.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the UK Championship final where the destiny of one of snooker's most coveted titles will be decided across two sessions this afternoon and tonight.

For the fourth successive year, we are guaranteed a non-British winner as China's Ding Junhui takes on Northern Ireland's Mark Allen over the best of 19 frames at Barbican in York.

Ding has lifted this title on three occasions in 2005, 2009 and 2019 - winning all three UK finals he has played in - while Allen has twice been a runner-up but never a champion here.

Can Allen be a "Dragon" slayer or will Ding deliver a "Pistol" whipping? You'll find out right here on this page.