Stuart Bingham is back to winning ways - 658 days after he won the World Snooker Championship in 2015 at the Home of the sport.

The 40-year-old Essex cueman had a drought during that time struggling to claim another ranking event title after his great World Championship performance at the Crucible.

Now he has claimed his fourth ranking title at the Coral Welsh Open in Cardiff.

Bingham was overcome with emotion as he lifted the Ray Reardon trophy from the living legend himself, the six-times Welsh World Champion.

"Living Legend" Ray Reardon

Basildon's Bingham told the crowd Reardon was a "living legend" and said he was the guy who inspired everyone to play snooker in the 80s.

He then paid tribute to Judd Trump, his opponent, whom he narrowly beat 9 - 8 by saying from 4 - 0 down Trump had outclassed him and Bingham added after: "I don't know how I won that."

It was Trump who came out in the second session firing, but Bingham nicked three key frames in the match to get him back to 8 - 8 after Trump had gone ahead 8 - 7 - the first time he had a lead in the match.

Ballrun, as he is nicknamed on the circuit, continues the trend of older snooker players who are dominating the circuit at the moment - despite 22-year-old Scot Scott Donaldson making his first ranking semi-final in Cardiff.

So far this season, it has been seven ranking events since the English Open since a player under 30 has won a ranking tournament - that was China no 2 Liang Wenbo in Manchester.

Ballrun pocketed £70,000 for his win - but still remains at World no 2.

That concludes the four Home Nations events - with the run up now of just four ranking events until the big one - the World Championship in Sheffield.

This week sees the return of the Snooker Shootout - held in Watford, and it's a ranking event - plenty of points up for grabs in the one frame extravaganza - let it roll.

Will we see the older guard dominate this event, or will a young face like Donladson, or Bingtao or Yuelong surprise ?

It was Trump's third final this season, and Bingham's second time in a final of the Welsh Open since 2013, where he lost to Scot Stephen Maguire in Newport 9 - 8 - ironically.

There's been seven 9 - 8 finishes in its 26 year history.

So far, there's only been two overseas winners of the event, - Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui.