The opening stage of the Championship League Snooker event continues on Tuesday when two of the more competitive and high standard groups we have had in the tournament so far take place inside the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
Eight players get their campaign underway over the course of a day where Stephen Maguire is probably the headline attraction but where seven of the eight players are more than capable of progressing through.
Group 21
Fixtures
Stephen Maguire vs Si Jiahui
Matthew Stevens vs Mitchell Mann
Matthew Stevens vs Si Jiahui
Stephen Maguire vs Mitchell Mann
Mitchell Mann vs Si Jiahui
Stephen Maguire vs Matthew Stevens
Preview
Even though the star player is on show in this group, Group 21 will be the one on Table Two where Stephen Maguire is the top seed. He might be the top seed but he has landed himself with a dog of a draw. Matthew Stevens is the second seed in this section and he needs a big campaign to stay on the tour at the end of it. Mitchell Mann is the third seed in the group and he is another who will be looking for a big season. This group is so good that the lowest ranked player in it is Si Jiahui, a player who could take the tour by storm this season.
Group 22
Fixtures
Jimmy Robertson vs Ian Martin
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Marco Fu
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh vs Ian Martin
Jimmy Robertson vs Marco Fu
Marco Fu vs Ian Martin
Jimmy Robertson vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Preview
The action on Table One sees the British Open semi-finalist Jimmy Robertson as the top seed and the man expected to make it into the second stage. Like Maguire in the other group, he too has a bit of a horror draw. The second seed in this section is Thepchaiya Un-Nooh who talent wise is a lot better than his ranking and the same goes for Marco Fu who is only ranked as low as he is because he has only played one tournament since the pandemic. If either or both of those are on song then this group is wide open. Ian Martin completes the quartet but having failed to win his tour card at Q-School you’d have to think he’s up against it.
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Group Betting
This is a rare day where there is no odds on favourite in either of the two groups. They both look wide open on paper and the odds reflect that. On Table One Jimmy Robertson and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh are the joint favourites. I have to say I think this format is perfect for the Thai because he has shown his liking for the fast formats in the past. I also have a hunch that Marco Fu is going to return to form this season while Robertson is a class act and picking between the three is tough.
If that group is tough the other one is near impossible to call. There is a case to be made for all four players in that section, particularly as the top two seeds are known for enjoying themselves and it could be questioned how seriously they will take this group, at least in the early stages. Mitchell Mann and Si Jiahui are the other two in the group and I’ve a feeling that Jiahui will take it but I don’t see this as a group where anyone will win three matches so the value is cramped really.
Match Betting
I am going to take one in the match betting though and that comes in the form of Si Jiahui in his match with Matthew Stevens. It isn’t completely ideal that Stevens stays on from the match before this one but there is no guarantee that the Welshman a) wins that first game, or b) has a strong interest in this group. Jiahui faces Stephen Maguire in his opening match and then after a break he’ll play this one and if he has got a result out of Maguire he’ll be double motivated for this one.
We’ve seen the Chinese players go very well in this tournament already and the reason for that is because they are relentless on the practice table rather than have time off. Jiahui is a really talented player and he has beaten Stevens in their only previous meeting and done it 4-1. Stevens did make it through to Sheffield at the end of last season which helped his ranking a tough so there is no need for this to be a big priority for him whereas Jiahui starts his two-year tour card here so he will be up for making a big impression. I’ll take the Chinese player without the draw here.
Tips
Back S.Jiahui to beat M.Stevens (DNB) for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Coral
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