STOP SCROLLING. You are about to witness pure snooker steel under extreme pressure. Hit that full-screen icon and scroll down for the complete, frame-winning shot from Barry Hawkins. This wasn’t just a pot; it was a technical masterclass that secured his ticket to the next round of the 2025 UK Championship, analyzed shot-by-shot below.
This was the deciding frame in a tight Last 32 encounter. Barry Hawkins (The Hawk) was leading David Lilley, but the frame score was close, with only the colours remaining. Hawkins needed a clean clearance to avoid a final, high-stakes safety battle. The score was 52-39 with 27 points remaining on the table after he potted the Yellow. The margin for error was non-existent.
After potting the Yellow, the cue ball settled right on the cushion with an extremely acute angle to the Green ball.
The primary challenge was not potting the Green, but securing position on the Brown ball without giving Lilley a snooker opportunity. The angle required a massive amount of side spin (top-side) to bring the cue ball back down the table and past the Brown.
Hawkins, a left-hander, had to execute a perfect strike:
Target: The Green ball, potted into the corner pocket.
Spin: Heavy top-right spin was applied to the cue ball.
Trajectory Calculation: The force needed to be precisely controlled. Too hard, and the cue ball would crash into the pack. Too soft, and it would not get past the Brown ball. The top-spin was crucial, designed to make the cue ball hit the side cushion and curve back towards the head of the table.
That was not skill. That was pure geometry mastered.
Hawkins made the Yellow, then perfectly executed the difficult controlled top-spin shot on the Green, leaving him a smooth pot on the Brown.
But the real drama came after the Brown. He then played a stunning double on the Brown ball, potting it off the side cushion into the corner pocket (01:35 in the video) – a high-risk shot he needed to commit to. This incredible shot gave him an unmissable Blue. The clearance was essentially complete.
He just ended the frame with that double.
The audience erupted after the difficult positional play on the Green, and again after the stunning Brown double.
David Lilley, who had played admirably, could only scratch his head and watch as Hawkins methodically sealed the deal. The commentators were full of praise, specifically noting the difficulty of the positional shot on the Green for a left-handed player, highlighting the immense control. Hawkins’ clinical, focused demeanour never wavered, confirming his reputation as one of the game’s most resilient players.
Barry Hawkins went on to pot the Blue and Pink, securing the frame and the match with a final score of 6-4. This sequence, particularly the composure and technical brilliance shown in the positional shot and the subsequent Brown double, cemented his place in the next round. It wasn’t flashy theatrics, but a clinical, frame-winning clearance that proved why Hawkins is consistently ranked among the world’s elite—a master of match-play snooker who delivers when the pressure is unbearable.
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