Robertson's big gamble pays off with world crown. LIAM FITZGIBBON reports from Sydney. WHEN Neil Robertson quit school as a teenager to pursue his dream of playing snooker professionally, even his own mother thought it was a mistake.

But his gamble paid off big time yesterday when he became only the second Australian - and the first in 58 years - to be crowned world champion of the sport.

The 28-year-old Victorian, sporting platinum blond hair, accounted for Scotland's Graeme Dott 18-13 in a marathon best-of-35 frames final that lasted more than 12 hours and spread into three days at The Crucible Theatre.

It was both an emotional and historic triumph, coming after the success of Australian Horace Lindrum who beat a field weakened by a player boycott in 1952.

Robertson is the first world champion from outside the British Isles since Canada's Cliff Thorburn in 1980.

"Oh my God, absolutely incredible, I just can't believe it," said Robertson, who picked up a $411,000 first prize.

He described his win as a triumph for persistence after past unsuccessful attempts to establish himself in England as a world- class player.

"I had three goes at it and didn't do any good and there's no way in the world any of the guys who beat me would have thought I could do what I've done.

"I just kept persisting with it.

"I came over to Cambridge with 500 pounds in my pocket and I had to borrow a waistcoat off another Australian player.

"I couldn't afford to buy one but I could probably buy a few more now."

Robertson's win came as his Norwegian girlfriend Mille was due to give birth at any minute and capped a remarkable personal journey.

He packed his bags and moved to London to turn pro at just 16.

Robertson had to come home when the financial strain became too great but returned to the UK in 2004 before working his way inside the world's top 70.

He continued to improve and his first professional win came in October 2006 before going on to win three more main tour events before yesterday's ultimate triumph.

Fittingly Robertson's mother Alison - who admitted she once "wasn't so sure" about her son's snooker dream but ultimately helped fund it with credit cards - was there to watch her son's triumph after making a surprise dash from Australia.

She took a gamble by hopping on a plane while Robertson was still contesting the semi-finals.

"That meant absolutely everything to me," said Robertson, whose ranking shot up to No.2 in the world following the triumph.

"These are the moments you want to spend time with your family.

"Even if I'd lost I would have been really happy that she'd seen me play, because she'd never seen me play professionally and she'd always wanted to do it."