• Hi Guest Just in case you were not aware I wanted to highlight that you can now get a free 7 day trial of Horseracebase here.
    We have a lot of members who are existing users of Horseracebase so help is always available if needed, as well as dedicated section of the fourm here.
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    AR

Snooker

Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan favourites for the snooker season’s curtain-raiser.​

The new snooker season is underway and bit names are involved in the very first event, with Judd Trump and Ronnie O’Sullivan the bookmakers’ favourites for the Championship League.


The first tournament of the campaign is a lengthy one, with the Championship League played over three group stages before a final on 29 July.


Dave Gilbert is the defending champion and the short format matches are liable to create unpredictable winners, but it is obviously the sport’s biggest stars who are shortest priced with the bookies.


The men who contested the World Championship final in May have the very shortest prices, although it is runner-up Trump who is favoured ahead of world champ O’Sullivan.
Not every top player is involved, with the likes of Neil Robertson and John Higgins not playing, but Mark Selby, Zhao Xintong and Mark Williams also fancied to do well.


2022 Championship League Snooker draw, groups, schedule, TV channel, live stream and prize money
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Free Sports will be showing the event live on TV in the UK, with streaming available on Matchroom.Live and Table 2 coverage on Matchroom Multi Sport’s YouTube.


Championship League Snooker odds​

Judd Trump 11/2
Ronnie O’Sullivan 13/2
Mark Selby 10/1
Kyren Wilson 14/1
Zhao Xintong 16/1
Mark Williams 16/1
Mark Allen 18/1
Stuart Bingham 22/1
David Gilbert 28/1
Shaun Murphy 28/1
Ricky Walden 28/1
Luca Brecel 28/1
Jack Lisowski 28/1
Barry Hawkins 28/1
Joe Perry 40/1
Ali Carter 40/1
Zhou Yuelong 50/1
Ryan Day 66/1
Graeme Dott 66/1
Hossein Vafaei 66/1
Stephen Maguire 66/1
Matthew Selt 66/1
Tom Ford 66/1
Jamie Jones 125/1
Noppon Saengkham 125/1
Jimmy Robertson 125/1
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 125/1
Robert Milkins 125/1
Cao Yupeng 125/1
Jordan Brown 125/1
Scott Donaldson 125/1 ;)
 

Aaron Hill loving ‘perfect start to the season’ at Championship League Snooker.​

Aaron Hill is loving life on the snooker table again after coming through Q School and topping his Championship League group in stage one of the tournament on Tuesday.


The 20-year-old from Cork dropped off the professional tour at the end of last season but immediately bounced back on and has kept up the winning feeling after dealing with Q School impressively.


He began the day with a 3-0 win over Craig Steadman, including a century, then draws with David Grace and Ben Hancorn were enough to secure top spot in his group.


He’ll be back for stage two, along with 31 other group winners, in late July and the talented young Irishman will be hoping he can keep up his early-season momentum as he attempts to win his first ranking event.
‘Perfect start to the season by topping my group in the first stage of the Championship League, looking forward to final stages!’ Hill tweeted.
Also coming through on the first day of the new season was Robert Milkins, who topped Group 24 thanks to wins over Sanderson Lam and Allan Taylor and a draw with Andy Hicks.




Topping the group sees a return for the next stage, £3,000 and a guarantee of at least £1,000 for appearing in the second group stage, so it’s a very nice start to the campaign indeed.


‘It’s a slow start to the season so it keeps you motivated and keeps you wanting to practice,’ said the Milkman. ‘I haven’t played much, to be honest. My table hasn’t been great. I am getting it re-clothed in a week’s time then I can really start to put some hours in.
‘I played okay today. I played well in patches. I thought I played solid in the first two matches. Overall, I am quite pleased. I have nothing to lose now. I just keep going. Even today, I felt like the weight was off my shoulders.’


It is a long old event to start the season, with the 32 groups of the first stage running until 21 July, then a second stage of groups from 25-27 July.


A third group stage is on 28 July before a winner is crowned the following day, so if Hill or Milkins can go all the way it will have been over a month from start to finish for either man. ;)
 

'It sounds good' – Zhao Xintong targets world No 1 spot after winning start to new snooker season at Championship League.​

​

Zhao Xintong has targeted becoming world No 1 after enjoying three victories at the Championship League in the Leicester, the season's first ranking event. Zhao dropped only one frame to Michael Holt in topping Group 4 at the Morningside Arena. Anthony Hamilton progressed to the last 32 with seven points enough to see him win Group 31.​

Zhao Xintong admits he is dreaming of snooker's world No 1 spot after starting the new season in impressive style at the Championship League in Leicester.
Zhao reached the last 32 of the season's first ranking event by topping Group 4 with wins over Michael Holt (3-1), Adam Duffy (3-0) and Hammad Miah (3-0) at the Morningside Arena.
The UK champion enjoyed breaks of 105 and 60 against Holt, 105 in despatching Duffy before rolling in 56 and 58 to end Miah's hopes.
“This is the first match for me. I don’t want to think too much. I just want to enjoy my matches. I had good food with my friend and I went to the shopping mall," he said.
“I want to be better than last year and I want to do my best. I will try as hard as I can to win the matches and the tournament.
"The idea of aiming to become world No 1 in the future sounds good. Hopefully, I can do it."




Former German Masters winner Anthony Hamilton joined Zhao in the second stage by winning Group 31.
Hamilton defeated Noppon Saengkham 3-1 in a group decider to progress boosted by classy breaks of 130 and 114 after earlier drawing 2-2 with Ashley Hugill before completing a 3-0 win over Steven Hallworth.
32 winners from stage one will progress to contest eight groups in stage two between 25-27 July with the final on 29 July. ;)

​

 

Michael Judge tops Group 6 ahead of Kyren Wilson.​

Michael Judge advanced from Group 6 of Championship League Snooker on Thursday at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.





The veteran Dubliner was the only player among the four to win a match throughout the day’s round-robin competition.


Every single encounter involving the Irishman, Kyren Wilson, Zhang Anda, and Luke Simmonds ended in a draw until the final clash.


In it, Judge won the last three frames to overcome amateur top-up Simmonds with a 3-1 scoreline to finish in first place with five points.
The 47 year-old endured a difficult comeback campaign last year, hardly winning a match in what was his first season on the Main Tour as a professional for a decade.


Judge will be looking to improve on his form this time around if he’s to have a chance of securing tour survival by the end of the 2022/23 season.
It marked a disappointing start to the new campaign for Wilson, meanwhile, with the former Championship League winner unable to find his top form.


Elsewhere, Group 26 saw Chris Wakelin progress to Stage Two of the ranking event.


By the time the Englishman contested his final league fixture against Tom Ford, he was already through having beaten Ian Burns and Anton Kazakov.


It left his 3-0 defeat to Ford redundant, the latter left to rue his 3-1 reverse to rookie Kazakov at the start of the day’s play.
Both Michael Judge and Chris Wakelin will next feature in Stage Two of the event towards the end of July.
On Friday, Stage One of the first tournament of the 2022/23 snooker season continues with Groups 10 and 29.


Luca Brecel fronts Group 10 with Robbie Williams, Oliver Brown, and Zhao Jianbo also in the lineup.


In Group 29, China’s Lu Ning will enter the fray alongside Oliver Lines, Chen Zifan, and John Astley. :)
 
China's Lu fires highest break at Championship League.
Lu Ning got off to a fine start in Group 29 of the 2022 BetVictor Championship League Snooker, beating John Astley in the opener 3-1 with breaks of 97 and 91. He went on to record a 3-0 win over compatriot Chen Zifan with a top run of 54, and he sealed first place in the group in style with a 3-1 defeat of Oliver Lines at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
In the last battle with Lines, Lu even fired a run of 135, the highest break so far at the tournament. The other Chinese player in the group, Chen finished third and didn't make it to the next round. In the group stages of the Championship League, 128 players were divided into 32 groups with the top player of each group reaching the next phase.
n Group 10, China's Zhao Jianbo also bowed out in third place. Belgium's Luca Brecel came up strong in the group alongside Robbie Williams, Zhao and Oliver Brown. The Belgian Bullet looked cool and composed throughout his opening match as he rattled off a 3-0 win in quick time over Zhao, making breaks of 76 and 85.

Williams drew 2-2 with Brown and then beat Zhao 3-1, before Brecel saw off Brown 3-1 thanks to breaks of 89 and 66. Brecel met Williams in the last of the action, with Brecel needing only a draw to top the group. Williams took a 2-0 lead and needed only one more frame to finish the day at the summit, but Brecel hit back with runs of 67 and 98 to secure the 2-2 scoreline he needed. He becomes the second top 16 player to reach Winners' Week after Zhao Xintong progressed earlier in the week.
The Championship League returns on Monday with Ronnie O' Sullivan in action in Group 1 against Alexander Ursenbacher, Farakh Ajaib, and Alfie Burden. :)
 

Luca Brecel through first test in Championship League.​

Luca Brecel held on to finish top in Group 10 of the Championship League on Friday at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.





The reigning Scottish Open champion won his opening two fixtures with 3-0 and 3-1 victories against amateur top-up Zhao Jianbo and Oliver Brown respectively.


That left Brecel on six points from a possible six ahead of a final-fixture clash with Robbie Williams.
The latter’s 2-2 tie with Brown and 3-1 defeat of Zhao meant that a triumph over Brecel would prove to be enough to leapfrog the 27 year-old.


It looked promising for Williams when he established an early 2-0 advantage, but Brecel fought back superbly with breaks of 67 and 98 to maintain his cushion in the league standings.


The Belgian Bullet is a previous winner of the Championship League, albeit he triumphed when it was staged as a non-ranking variation back in 2020.


Meanwhile, Lu Ning progressed from Group 29 with a 100% record after dominating proceedings while losing only two frames.
Lu beat John Astley 3-1 in his first encounter before a 3-0 success over fellow Chinese competitior Chen Zifan took him to within the brink of the last 32.


Lu needed only a point to guarantee moving forward in the competition from his remaining tie with Oliver Lines, but he ended the day in style with a 3-1 win and a top break of 135.


Both Luca Brecel and Lu Ning will next participate in Stage Two of the Championship League later this month in Leicester.
There’s a break for the weekend before the action resumes on Monday, with world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan set to enter the fray.


The Rocket’s first appearance of the 2022/23 snooker season will be in Group 1 alongside Alexander Ursenbacher, Alfie Burden, and Farakh Ajaib.


Group 27 will also take place with Jamie Jones, Sam Craigie, David Lilley, and recent European amteur champion Andres Petrov all involved. ;)
 
After the excitement of Week 1 another 4 days take place this week! Starting today with the World Champion himself. A little late but Groups in day order and the ratings.

1656932898964.png
 
The Hare said:
After the excitement of Week 1 another 4 days take place this week! Starting today with the World Champion himself. A little late but Groups in day order and the ratings.

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..... nicely done again The Hare The Hare . Bit of a surprise seeing Ken Doherty down there on 8.94. Thought that he would have been a lot higher than that, although he has not won many tournaments lately to my knowledge. Mark Selby slipped a little too showing only 18.94. Slipped out of the limelight a bit lately too. Ricky Walden and Barry Hawkins not too high either, but there again they have not done much either so I suppose it is not quite so surprising. :)
 
Delboy99 said:
..... nicely done again The Hare The Hare . Bit of a surprise seeing Ken Doherty down there on 8.94. Thought that he would have been a lot higher than that, although he has not won many tournaments lately to my knowledge. Mark Selby slipped a little too showing only 18.94. Slipped out of the limelight a bit lately too. Ricky Walden and Barry Hawkins not too high either, but there again they have not done much either so I suppose it is not quite so surprising. :)
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Hi Delboy99 Delboy99 yes Selby has drifted down last season after a poor season. Obviously the mental health problems had a serious affect on his game. Would be good if he comes back refreshed this season.

These are Top 16 ratings so would say Walden is highest he has been in a long time and Hawkins usually hovers around 8th, Selby 4th is usual sort of placing. The average of all the ratings on the sheet is 10, so quite a big drop off after first 3,6,8 as a little better. Doherty down at 93rd but he is 53 now and age and other commitments caught up with him. Xintong the riser of all of these though on official ratings Ding is very low.
1657009644476.png
 
The Hare said:
Hi Delboy99 Delboy99 yes Selby has drifted down last season after a poor season. Obviously the mental health problems had a serious affect on his game. Would be good if he comes back refreshed this season.

These are Top 16 ratings so would say Walden is highest he has been in a long time and Hawkins usually hovers around 8th, Selby 4th is usual sort of placing. The average of all the ratings on the sheet is 10, so quite a big drop off after first 3,6,8 as a little better. Doherty down at 93rd but he is 53 now and age and other commitments caught up with him. Xintong the riser of all of these though on official ratings Ding is very low.
View attachment 119884
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...... interesting to see Judd Trump only showing as 3rd. I thought a little while back that he was going to be taking the whole world on and sticking up there in the number one spot. Seems to be up and down and blowing hot and cold currently. Makes you wonder if he has indeed the right temperament. As you say Ding down at number eleven, how the mighty has fallen, could do no wrong prior to lockdown and was always a force to be reckoned with. Mark Allen too has slid down the ranks, was always up among the action. Makes one wonder whether he is suffering after effects of his marriage and monetry problems a little while back. :)
 

O’Sullivan And Jones Through.​

World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and Welshman Jamie Jones got their seasons off to perfect starts, winning Groups One and 27 respectively at BetVictor Championship League Snooker at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
SCORES AND TABLES
O’Sullivan, starting the season as newly crowned seven-time Crucible king, opened his campaign with a quick-fire 3-0 win over Farakh Ajaib, a match in which he conceded just 46 points.
A closer tie against long-time practice partner Alfie Burden saw O’Sullivan concede his first frame of the group, and despite seeing Burden make the highest break of the match (79), it was the world number one who was the 3-1 victor.
Heading into the evening, O’Sullivan required just a point against Switzerland’s Alexander Ursenbacher who had registered 3-1 wins against both Burden and Ajaib. The Rocket defeated Ursenbacher 3-1 with a century break (121) in the final frame, to maintain his perfect win record in the group, booking his spot in winners’ week.
Speaking afterwards, O’Sullivan said: “I just enjoyed playing, it felt good to be out there hitting balls again I suppose.
“Even if I play rubbish, it doesn’t bother me, I can quickly get over it and move on to the things I enjoy.”
It’s the first competitive outing on the baize for O’Sullivan following his historic seventh world title in Sheffield, reflecting on that feat he said: “I felt like my game was ok heading into Sheffield, it was enough to get the job done. The reaction was great, but also wasn’t great as I enjoy going under the radar these days.”
It was even more routine for Jamie Jones in Group 27 who qualified for winners’ week with a game to spare.
Jones started the day with a somewhat scrappy 3-1 victory over Estonia’s first ever professional snooker player Andres Petrov in the opening match on table two.
The Welsh potter found another level against former World Seniors Champion David Lilley, winning 3-0 with a group high break of 134 in the second frame. A break of 54 in the third and final frame enough to complete the win and earn a spot in winners’ week before facing Sam Craigie in what resulted in a 2-2 draw.
On his group victory, Jones said: “I’ve been practising well and playing as much as I’ve ever done in the off season. This year, I’ve done a little bit of coaching where in previous years I’d usually put the cue down for two months. Now, I feel sharp and am glad to get through to the next stage.
“I have been a notoriously slow starter to the season, so I did feel a little bit of pressure coming into today as I didn’t want to start this season how I usually do.
“I’m currently 31st [on the tour] and I’ve given myself the hefty goal of trying to get into the Masters by January. It’s a massive goal, but if you don’t aim high what are you going to achieve? I’d also love to pick up my first trophy this season.”
2022 BetVictor Championship League Snooker continues tomorrow with Ricky Walden in action on Table One in Group 15 live on FreeSports and Matchroom.Live in the UK and networks worldwide with Andy Lee, Jackson Page, and Gerard Greene. Xiao Guodong leads Group 32 with Rod Lawler, Scott Donaldson, and reigning women’s world snooker champion Nutcharut Wongharuthai live on the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube for free. :)
 

'Perfect event' – Ricky Walden makes solid start to new season at Championship League snooker.​

RIcky Walden said he was happy with his form after enjoying a break of 106 on his way to winning Group 15 at the Championship League in Leicester. The world No. 18 was joined in the last-32 group stage by Xiao Guodong, who made two centuries in topping Group 32 with maximum points. Stream top snooker action live and on-demand on discovery+​

Ricky Walden made a winning start to the new season by topping Group 15 to reach the last 32 of the Championship League in Leicester.
Walden made breaks of 71 and 60 in a 3-1 win against Andy Lee to open his account for the campaign.
He drew 2-2 with the evergreen Northern Irishman Gerard Greene before a timely 106 helped him complete a 3-1 victory against Jackson Page to finish on seven points at the Morningside Arena.
“I played well today, your first games since last season are always tricky coming back. I’m delighted to get through," said the three-time ranking event winner.

I've not picked the cue up other than a few exhibitions so this is the perfect event to come back and get some of that rust off.
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“The game against Gerard was a tough one, I think we’d both admit we didn’t play our best, but I knew if I lost it, I was done for the day.
"I said to myself that if I stick in there and get a draw you never know. In the end, it turned out I didn’t need a win in my last game.
“Now I’m in the winners’ group it’s great, it’s only going to set me up for a better season, if I can get to the back end of tournaments like last season then I’m going to be in a strong position.”
Xiao Guodong compiled a break of 112 in a 3-1 victory against women's world champion Mink Nutcharut on his way to winning Group 32.
The former Shanghai Masters finalist also completed 3-1 wins over Rod Lawler – compiling knocks of 103, 83 and 64 – and Scott Donaldson respectively to complete a perfect record in topping the section.
Former world champions Ken Doherty and Graeme Dott are in action alongside 2013 Crucible finalist Barry Hawkins on Wednesday at the season's first ranking event.

Latest Championship League group winners​

  • Group 24: Robert Milkins (Eng)
  • Group 13: Aaron Hill (Ire)
  • Group 4: Zhao Xintong (Chn)
  • Group 31: Anthony Hamilton (Eng)
  • Group 6: Michael Judge (Ire)
  • Group 26: Chris Wakelin (Eng)
  • Group 10: Luca Brecel (Bel)
  • Group 29: Lu Ning (Chn)
  • Group 1: Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng)
  • Group 27: Jamie Jones (Wal)
  • Group 15: Ricky Walden (Eng)
  • Group 32: Xiao Guodong (Chn) :)
 
Well 2 weeks of the longest drawn out snooker event ever completed! Only half way through Round 1 and another 4 days next week. These are the groups and my ratings. Not watched much but the Chinese players seem to be the most ready so far.

1657280673275.png
 
The Hare said:
Well 2 weeks of the longest drawn out snooker event ever completed! Only half way through Round 1 and another 4 days next week. These are the groups and my ratings. Not watched much but the Chinese players seem to be the most ready so far.

View attachment 120067
Click to expand...
.... looks to be a lot of low ranking marks this time around The Hare The Hare . Stevens and Maguire look to be the pick of their group but not much in it as both of these have not reached the dizzy heights for a little while. Mark Williams looks to be a cut above in his group whilst not much worthy of note in the Gary Wilson group either. Ali Carter looks to be in a relative trouble free group, certainly on paper and maybe Ryan Day in that last group shown. Seems to be a tournament where play is rather stretched out and hard to maintain any interest in such an event. ;)
 

Jack Lisowski can win 10 titles, the geezer is great for snooker, says Anthony Hamilton.​

Jack Lisowski can win 10 ranking titles and make the top three in the world rankings, believes Anthony Hamilton, who feels any criticism Jackpot receives is entirely unfair.


The 31-year-old had a fairly quiet season last time round although it ended with his best run at the World Championship to date, memorably beating Neil Robertson 13-12 in the second round, before losing to John Higgins by the same scoreline in the quarter-finals.


It appeared to be something of a coming-of-age for Lisowski who has long been regarded as one of the most talented players in the sport, without having the silverware to show it.




He has made six ranking finals without winning any of them, but Hamilton feels it is just a matter of time until that changes, as he might finally run into someone who has not been number one in the world.
What’s he been to, six finals? Three Trump, two Robertson, one Selby? Cheers! Thanks a lot! And he’s played well in two or three of them, took them close,’ Hamilton told Metro.co.uk.


‘Until he gets a non-genius in the final he might well keep losing them. Certain players have won two or three rankings tournaments and not had to play a top four player in any of them.


‘Until he gets a legitimate chance where he’s about equal favourite then we won’t know if he’s twitched yet or not. He’s doing alright, trust me, a lot of players would want to be doing that bad.’
Lisowski has enlisted the help of Peter Ebdon to help him fulfil his potential, with the former world champ helping him on areas of his game he struggles with.


Hamilton and Ebdon played each other as professionals for for well over 20 years and the former reckons the Force will be a good influence on Jackpot.


‘Why not? Probably the perfect guy to work with him. He doesn’t need anybody to show him how to play,’ said the Sheriff.


‘He just needs someone to maybe talk about mindset and also a bit of shot selection here and there when it comes to the tactical side. That’s all he needs.




‘He’s already got a very good mindset, in my opinion, Jack. It just gets highlighted when you’re at the top of the game if it’s just two per cent worse than John Higgins, or someone.’
Lisowski does come in for criticism, saying in the past that his family even watch his games with the volume off so they do not have to listen to the commentators.


He told the Mirror: ‘My family when they are watching me on TV they mute it and put music on. And when I have listened to it as well I do get a hard time.


‘The style I play is risky, but that has got me to where I am. I am given a hard time when I play certain shots.’


Hamilton thinks the criticism Lisowski gets is unfair and he can’t really see why some pundits seem to target him more than other players.


‘He gets a lot of stick, Jack does, and none of it is warranted, for me,’ said Hamilton. ‘The geezer’s doing really well. He’s doing it a bit more organically than maybe someone like [Zhao] Xintong, but he’ll end up winning five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 tournaments! ;)
 

2022 European Masters draw and schedule announced as Ronnie O’Sullivan faces namesake.​

The draw has been made for the 2022 European Masters, with the vast majority of the first round played this month before the main stages in Fuerth, Germany in August.


The qualifiers will run from 15-17 and 22-25 July in Leicester, before the main stage is played from 16-21 at the Stadhalle in Fuerth.


Four of the qualifiers will be held over to Germany, with these being Ronnie O’Sulivan vs Sean O’Sullivan, Judd Trump vs Noppon Saengkham, Mark Selby vs Yuan Sijun and defending champion Fan Zhengyi vs Michael Judge.


The schedule for those matches and the second round onwards is yet to be revealed, but the qualifiers in Leicester in July run as follows…

European Masters draw and schedule​




Friday 15 July
11am
Peng Yisong v Dylan Emery
Wu Yize v Jenson Kendrick
Yan Bingtao v Pang Junxu
Lukas Kleckers v Ryan Thomerson
3.30pm
Ryan Day v Ken Doherty
Mark J Williams v Liam Highfield
Joe Perry v Dominic Dale
David Lilley v Stuart Carrington
8pm
Louis Heathcote v Sanderson Lam
Stephen Maguire v Oliver Brown
Kyren Wilson v Sam Craigie
Andres Petrov v Ian Burns
Saturday 16 July
11am
Ross Muir v Lyu Haotian
Zhao Xintong v Fraser Patrick
Gary Wilson v Duane Jones
Xiao Guodong v Xu Si
3.30pm
Anton Kazakov v Zhang Anda
Zak Surety v Andy Hicks
David Gilbert v Marco Fu
8pm
Ian Martin v Chang Bingyu
Anthony Hamilton v Mark King
Barry Hawkins v Gerard Greene


Sunday 17 July
11am
Jimmy Robertson v Zhao Jianbo
Tian Pengfei v Si Jiahui
Hossein Vafaei v Ng On Yee
Adam Duffy v James Cahill
2.30pm
Daniel Wells v Peter Lines
David Grace v Ben Mertens
Stuart Bingham v Michael Holt
8pm
Matthew Selt v Haydon Pinhey
Himanshu Dinesh Jain v Elliot Slessor
Hammad Miah v Jackson Page
Friday 22 July
11am
Ashley Hugill v Julien Leclercq
Jack Lisowski v Zhang Jiankang
Zhou Yuelong v John Astley
Robbie Williams v Steven Hallworth
3.30pm
Jamie Jones v Mark Davis
Mark Allen v Farakh Ajaib
8pm
Allister Carter v Reanne Evans
Chris Wakelin v Jamie Clarke
Martin Gould v Michael White


Saturday 23 July
11am
Anthony McGill v Alexander Ursenbacher
Bai Langning v Joe O’Connor
Lei Peifan v Rod Lawler
Mitchell Mann v N Wongharuthai
3.30pm
Shaun Murphy v Dean Young
Barry Pinches v Rebecca Kenna
Robert Milkins v Lu Ning
8pm
Jordan Brown v Cao Yupeng
Ben Woollaston v Jak Jones
Mark Joyce v Stephen Hendry
Sunday 24 July
11am
Luca Brecel v Andy Lee
Craig Steadman v Li Hang
Jimmy White v Andrew Pagett
Chen Zifan v Aaron Hill
3.30pm
Florian Nüßle v Matthew Stevens
Ricky Walden v Alfie Burden
Graeme Dott v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
8pm
John Higgins v Scott Donaldson
Tom Ford v Oliver Lines




Held over to venue


Fan Zhengyi v Michael Judge
Mark Selby v Yuan Sijun
Judd Trump v Noppon Saengkham
Ronnie O’Sullivan v Sean O’Sullivan


For the tournament draw click here.


MORE : Zhao Xintong talks Ronnie O’Sullivan’s guidance, snooker goals and loving life in Sheffield


MORE : Yan Bingtao: Ronnie O’Sullivan winning at 46 is ridiculous, I will have finished with snooker by then ;)
 

Mark Selby crashes out of Championship League.​

Mark Selby was denied by Ben Woollaston in Group 3 of the Championship League on Thursday at the Morningside Arena.





The Leicester pair boasted a 100% record going into the final round of fixtures having both beaten James Cahill and Zhang Jiankang.


With Woollaston possessing the superior frame difference, only a victory for Selby would prove enough to see him advance in this ranking event edition of the Championship League.
But with the scores tied at 1-1, the former world champion lost a crucial third frame before Woollaston completed the triumph with a terrific 127 ton.


In Group 23, Elliot Slessor beat Joe Perry in a similar winner-takes-all encounter to finish in first place and progress from Stage One.


An early 3-1 defeat of Lukas Kleckers and a 2-2 tie with Andrew Higginson set Slessor up, and despite losing the opening frame against Perry the 27 year-old took the next three to move forward.
English duo Woollaston and Slessor will next participate in Stage Two towards the end of this month in Leicester.


There will be a short break from the action of Stage One this weekend before the play resumes with Groups 5 and 28 on Monday.


Mark Williams fronts Group 5 with Li Hang, Andrew Pagett, and amateur top-up Rory McLeod also involved.


In Group 28, Gary Wilson enters the fray alongside Jak Jones, Barry Pinches, and Harvey Chandler. ;)
 
..... sorry to see Mark Selby go out at such an early stage. Looks like he has not got over his mental problems mentioned a little while back. Hope he has a speedy recovery as no one likes to see professionals have a bad time. ;)
 

Williams And Wilson Top Groups.​

Mark Williams and Gary Wilson are into Winners’ Week of the 2022 BetVictor Championship League after topping their respective groups in Leicester.
Scores and Tables
Williams started the day with a 3-1 defeat of Rory McLeod, in which his top score was a run of 65. Li Hang began with a 3-1 victory over Andrew Pagett, before a draw with McLeod left the Chinese cueist top of the group heading into the evening session.
At the top of the evening session, Williams got one over his compatriot Pagett in a 3-0 whitewash win. The Welsh Potting Machine’s six points from two matches put him two clear and ensured he would only need a point against Li to pass through to the second stage.
Williams took the decider by a 3-1 scoreline. The three-time Crucible king fired in a superb break of 140 en route to the win.
“I am quite happy with how the day went with three wins out of three. He hits the ball lovely, nice, and smooth. I don’t know why he hit it so hard. It was a tricky pink that I had in the middle. I am through to the next group now. I am over the moon I got through and I am over the moon with the way I played.”
Group 28 also came down to the last match, with Gary Wilson and Jak Jones battling it out for progression.
It was Wilson who took the initial advantage by claiming the opener to lead 1-0. A break of 62 from Wilson in the second put him one away from the next stage, whilst Jones needed the next two. Wilson kept his cool and wrapped up the 3-0 win with a clearance of 115.
Group 22 headlines Table 1 tomorrow live on FreeSports, DAZN, Viaplay, and Matchroom.Live with Jimmy Robertson, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Marco Fu, and Ian Martin with Group 21 live on YouTube from midday with Stephen Maguire, Matthew Stevens, Mitchell Mann, and Si Jiahui. ;)
 

Robertson And Maguire Progress.​

Jimmy Robertson and Stephen Maguire are into Winners’ Week of the 2022 BetVictor Championship League in Leicester.
Scores and Tables
Robertson was pitted agains Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Marco Fu, and Ian Martin in Group 22. Robertson got off to the best of starts as the former European Masters winner brushed aside Martin 3-0 in under an hour. Thailand’s Un-Nooh got his season underway with a 2-2 draw against Fu.
Un-Nooh then went straight back on to beat Martin 3-1, thanks to breaks of 55, 69, and 51, to sit at the top of the group heading into the evening action.
Robertson drew his first game of the evening, 2-2 against Fu. To leave the group in the balance and set up a deciding tie in the last match against Un-Nooh.
Robertson knew a point would put him into Winners’ Week whilst Un-Nooh needed to win, due to the frame difference between the pair. It didn’t take Robertson too long to secure his spot in the next phase coming from 1-0 down to take the following two frames thanks to breaks of 45 and 66. Un-Nooh claimed the last frame to draw 2-2, but it was Robertson who went through.
“I am delighted. It was tough. Tough conditions with it being so hot. I knew I needed two frames in the last match. It was left in my own hands. I was a little bit rusty; it was a tough group. I am happy to come through.” – Robertson speaking to David Hendon.
“I hope for similar and even better than last season. Hopefully, I can kick on from this and win more matches this season,” added Robertson.
Over on Table 2 Stephen Maguire, Matthew Stevens, Mitchell Mann, and Si Jiahui did battle.
It all came down to the final tie of the day, where Maguire required a 3-0 defeat of Stevens to progress. He won the first two, 56-32 and 69-41 respectively, to leave himself on the verge of progression. The Scot fired in a gutsy break of 39 to clinch the frame and secure the 3-0 win he needed.
Group 20 headlines Table 1 tomorrow live on FreeSports, DAZN, Viaplay, and Matchroom.Live with Zhou Yuelong, Mark King, Chang Bingyu, and Fergal O’Brien with Group 18 live on YouTube from midday with Matthew Selt, Dominic Dale, Daniel Wells, and Duane Jones. ;)
 
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