The Championship League Snooker tournament finishes on Friday when the two final groups are played out to determine the two men who will meet in the final for the third ranking event title of the season.
Eight men remain going into the final day of the event at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes and the two group winners will progress to the best of five final where the title and a place in the Champion of Champions is available should the winner not already have his spot there.
The Format
The whole tour were invited into the tournament with it now getting ranking event status. The 128 man field have been split into 32 groups of four in the first round. Each group is a round robin with everyone playing everyone else over the best of four frames with two points for a win and one for a draw. The player who tops the group goes through to the second stage where the 32 remaining players are split into four more groups of four over the same format. Those eight winners then go into two more groups where the winner of each will battle it out in a best of five frame final for the title. Two groups will be played on each day until the final day when the Championship group and final is played. The final day of the tournament is on Free Sports.
Day 20 Recap
We expected a competitive day on Thursday and that is exactly what we got. What we didn’t expect was for both favourites to come through and take their place in the final group but that is what happened. John Higgins needed Martin Gould to slip up in his last game which he did and the Scot took full advantage of that to progress. On the other table Joe Perry was in much more control of proceedings. He actually qualified before he played his final match so he was on easy street from early on.
We went into the day with one bet and it was about as emphatic a winner as we have had in the tournament as Martin Gould thrashed John Higgins 3-0. Their first frame was a pretty even one but once Gould got over the line in that he soon moved clear and delivered the goods without too much fuss for a very nice 6/4 winner. Hopefully we can finish the tournament with another winning day to take plenty of form into the Champion of Champions next week.
Final Group 1
Fixtures
Judd Trump vs Zhao Xintong
Mark Selby vs Zhou Yuelong
Mark Selby vs Zhao Xintong
Judd Trump vs Zhou Yuelong
Zhou Yuelong vs Zhao Xintong
Judd Trump vs Mark Selby
Preview
The group on the main table on the final day is the one that involves the world number one Judd Trump and the winner of the European Masters in Mark Selby. They are clearly the standout acts in the group and it is expected that one of them will come out of the section but Zhou Yuelong and Zhao Xintong have made careers of upsetting the odds and they will fancy their chances of making it out of the group and getting themselves into the best of five final later in the evening.
Final Group 2
Fixtures
John Higgins vs Joe Perry
Kyren Wilson vs Ken Doherty
Kyren Wilson vs Joe Perry
John Higgins vs Ken Doherty
Kyren Wilson vs John Higgins
Joe Perry vs Ken Doherty
Preview
In terms of the rankings the better group might actually be away from the TV cameras over on table two where three of the top 16 ranked players are on show. John Higgins is the highest ranked of them and he’ll be looking to justify his seeding but Kyren Wilson is more than a huge danger to his chances. Joe Perry is the other member of the top 16 and a very big day for him could see him fill the final spot in the Champion of Champions. Ken Doherty completes the quartet and the opportunity to play next week will provide his motivation after he bombed his best chance when he failed to convert a 4-0 lead in the final of the World Seniors Championship.
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Group Betting
As I’ve said all week, I’m not massively keen on betting on the groups on the last day of action either. I’m certainly not betting on the main table but then I don’t need to because I have already backed Zhou Yuelong outright so I will be hoping that the Chinese ace can negotiate his way to the top of the group and pick up the 150/1 place money before he takes his chance in the final later in the night. Admittedly I’d have liked an easier section for him but this format levels it up enough hopefully.
On the other table I’ve a gut feeling that Kyren Wilson is going to be a tough nut to crack from here on in but how can you pick any of the main three with any confidence? It wouldn’t be a complete surprise if they all beat Ken Doherty and then draw with each other and the group is settled on frame difference or the highest break. I’m not massive enamoured by anything in this section or the other one.
Match Betting
I’ve a feeling Kyren Wilson could dominate proceedings over on table two and I’m prepared to take him to win his match against John Higgins. I wasn’t all that impressed by Higgins on Thursday. He won two of his three matches but Jamie Clarke didn’t show up and missed so many easy balls and Tom Ford never really fancied the job once he lost the opening frame which meant that he couldn’t win the group. I think Higgins might just have been flattered by those results.
There was none of that for Wilson. He pretty much controlled his group with two wins and a draw on Wednesday and the match he drew he was unlucky not to win. I never thought this format would suit Higgins and I still don’t if I’m honest. Wilson is a little more suited to it and the fact he hasn’t won a title in a while will spur him on to deliver the goods here. Whether it is good enough to progress or not remains to be seen but I think the 10/11 on Wilson to win this one without the draw in play looks a fair investment here.
Tips
Back K.Wilson to beat J.Higgins (DNB) for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Coral
Back him here:
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