The opening day of the Champion of Champions will see Group 4 being played out across the two sessions of play up in Bolton and a day where four players will attempt to seal their spot in the semi-final of the invitational event.
The good thing about this tournament is we have big names on show everywhere we look with everyone in the field having won an event in the last 12 months to make it in here. Two of the best in the game lead off the action over the course of Monday.
Mark Allen vs Jimmy White
The opening match of the tournament looks a bit of a mismatch on paper as the UK Championship and World Grand Prix winner Mark Allen takes on the champion of the World Seniors in the form of Jimmy White over the best of seven frames.
Towards the end of last season, Jimmy White was playing some really good snooker and if this match was around that time then this could have been a really good contest but he hasn’t shown anything like that form this term and you wonder if he can be competitive here. The one thing White might have going for him is that Allen was in China last week but he lost early enough for that not to be an issue. Allen isn’t in the best form at the minute but you’ve got to think that he’ll get the job done here but at 1/7 I’m happy to let him win if he is good enough.
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Mark Selby vs Ali Carter
The pick of the matches in the first stage of the group is the second one of the afternoon as the WST Classic winner Mark Selby takes on the German Masters champion Ali Carter with the winner returning to face the person who won the opening match in the group final later in the evening.
Selby has reached a couple of semi-finals and a final this season but hasn’t claimed silverware yet so he’ll be hoping to put that right here in a tournament which surprisingly he has never won when you consider that only one of the rounds is over shorter than a best of 11. Carter hasn’t won a tournament this year either but like Selby he has also reached a final so he isn’t exactly in disastrous form. Selby did lose in the first round in the English Open and in Wuhan and lost to the first decent player he faced last week too. Carter might have had more to show for his efforts this season if he hadn’t run into Ronnie O’Sullivan in a couple of the Chinese events but the naked eye tells me he is playing ok but isn’t getting the rub of the green. Selby never looks as comfortable in ITV events and Carter is a decent underdog. I think he’s value to get the job done here.
Group Preview
Mark Allen is the favourite to win the group heading into it. I would imagine that is twofold. He is the highest ranked player in the group which in turn would equate to him being the most likely to win it but he also has the weakest player in the section in the group semi-final and of the four men he is the one who has the smoothest path through to the group final, so that too makes him a worthy favourite and I’m certainly working on the basis that he’ll be in the group final.
Who he will play there is the more pertinent question and I have already suggested that it will be Carter who is the man playing the Northern Irishman for a spot in the semi-final. I do think that will happen and I wouldn’t put anyone off backing the German Masters champion but I’m already on him to win his first match and to win the tournament so I don’t think I need to invest anymore on his side at this stage of the competition.
Tips
Back A.Carter to beat M.Selby for a 3/10 stake at 2.38 with Boylesports
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