In an incredible aligning of the sporting stars Nike Epic React Black , Leicester's Mark Selby clinched his second snooker World Championship just minutes after his town's soccer club had defied odds of 5,000-1 to win the English Premier League title for the first time.


Selby's win over China's Ding Junhui was by far the more predictable of the two events, but the fact that the bookmakers had considered the unseeded Ding equally as likely to win the final as the world's top-ranked player is testament to the remarkable run he has had over the past few weeks.


Forced to go through three rounds of qualifying after dropping out of the world's top 16, Ding regained his -fluency when it mattered most and was arguably the tournament's best player over the two-week period.


But a disastrous start for Ding in the final's opening session when he lost the first six frames - despite having made a habit of starting well in Sheffield this year - left him too high a mountain to climb and Selby, whose playing style was dismissed by some as "anti-snooker" due to his grindingly effective safety play, closed out the match 18-14.


While no one could have predicted this from Ding just one month ago Nike Epic React , it was a classic case of what might have been. His road to the final had been made easier when many of the top seeds, -including his nemesis and five-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan, lost in the early rounds, and Ding was undoubtedly playing well enough to take down Selby.


Too many close frames went to the 2014 champion, however, and Ding was unable to capitalize on numerous chances as he attempted to mount a comeback. But Nike Epic React Triple White Shoes , at 29, Ding has enough time to regroup and take one final step at the iconic Crucible Theatre venue - -unless, that is, the tournament ends up in -China, as has long been rumored over the years.


His work with Welsh snooker legend and 1979 champion Terry Griffiths, especially on the mental side of his game Nike Epic React Triple Black Shoes , has started to pay dividends.


If he can continue to pair his new-found level-headedness with the natural talent that has long seen him touted for global glory, Ding has the potential to be China's first world champion.


That, of course, could open the floodgates.