SHEFFIELD, (AFP) - Graeme Dott won the 2006 world snooker championship final at the Crucible Theatre here Tuesday, surviving a fightback from former champion Peter Ebdon for an 18-14 victory to take the first professional title of his career. Dott, 28, the losing finalist against Ronnie O'Sullivan two years ago, had built up a 15-7 lead in the best of 35-frame contest.
But Englishman Ebdon, world champion in 2002 and famed for his resilience, won the first six frames of Monday's evening session to spark thoughts of an unlikely comeback.
However, his Scottish opponent belatedly found his form in a match that beat Dennis Taylor's 18-17 win over Steve Davis back in 1985 as the latest finish to a Crucible final by not concluding until 12:52 am local time Tuesday (2352 GMT Monday).
Dott, who had struggled with his positional play as Ebdon recovered, produced arguably the best break of his career to go to 17-14 up and just one frame away from victory after a clearance of 68, his highest of the match.
Ebdon seemed well on the way to making to 17-15 only to break down on 31 and let Dott in.
But Dott faltered only for Ebdon in turn to jaw a long-range red. Dott compiled a break of 24 only to be forced into a safety after a kick left the frame score level at 31-31.
However, Dott left the cue ball tight on the top cushion and Ebdon's miscued reply gave him a chance to take the title.
But needing a red and either pink or black for victory, Dott missed after the white was left on the rail after he had developed the final red.
Ebdon though left the final red over the corner pocket and Dott made no mistake to gain the credit he felt he had been unjustly denied for so long after losing his four previous professional finals.
Ebdon, famed for his mental resilience, desperately needed a good start to his evening's work Monday and a clever shot to pot one red in off another sent him on his way to a break of 117, the only century contribution of a 32-frame final where both players had struggled to win frames at one visit.
In the next frame Ebdon let Dott in after missing a red to the corner with the rest. But, as he had done several time before, Dott failed to kill of the frame when, having made a break of 51, he missed a black off its spot.
The difference was that on this occasion Ebdon, now based in Dubai, did not give him another opportunity and reduced Dott's lead to 15-9.
After two quick frames in what had been an otherwise drawn-out contest, the match reverted to type in the 25th frame but Ebdon still took it as he reeled off three frames in succession for the first time in the match.
Dott looked like stopping the rot in the next but on 38 yet another poor positional shot led to a missed pot and let Ebdon in again, a fluent break of 66 reducing Dott's advantage to 15-11 come the mid-session interval.
The rest period could seemingly not have come at a better time for Dott, who beat O'Sullivan in the semi-finals, and when play resumed he initially gained the upper hand, going 40 points up.
But as he became increasingly tense with every shot, a dour 27th frame lasting an hour and 14 minutes - a record since the world championship was first staged at the Crucible in 1977 - was eventually won by Ebdon after Dott jawed the final brown.
Ebdon, who had scraped past Hong Kong's Marco Fu in a final-frame semi-final thriller, then made it six in a row with a break of 84.
Incredibly Dott, who had been eight frames in front and on top for three of the final's four sessions, was now just 15-13 ahead.
Dott though replied with a break of 66 although it needed Ebdon's in-off to give him his first frame in five-and-half-hours, including intervals.
At 16-13, Dott was just two frames away from the title.
Ebdon's resolve, though, was unimpaired and as the clocks struck midnight local time he won what turned out to be his last frame.
Dott, 60 points behind in the next, was given an unexpected chance after Ebdon lost position with just 75 left on the table.
After a magnificent 68, including a difficult red on the rail, Dott's shout of "come on!" as the final black went in was entirely understandable as he went one frame away from victory.
On Sunday, Dott - who was seen yawning at one stage - established an 11-5 lead by the time play ended at 2345 GMT after a lacklustre day's play.
History was against Ebdon as no-one had ever overturned such an overnight deficit to win the world final and with Dott taking four of Monday's first six frames chances of the record books being rewritten appeared remote.
But Ebdon, who beat Stephen Hendry in a final-frame decider to win the world title four years ago, so nearly did exactly that.
