The second week of the Championship League Snooker tournament concludes inside the Mattioli Arena in Leicester on Saturday when two more groups are played out with eight more players getting their new season up and running.
We are back down to a day where the action is more likely to be competitive instead of headlined by marquee names but that should serve to give us a decent day of snooker with two more players qualifying for the second round.
Day 11 Recap
It was a fairly routine day on Friday as both of the favourites for their respective groups got the job done. On the main table it was something of a breeze for the former World Championship semi-finalist Si Jiahui who won all three of his matches and only dropped one frame in the process. Over on the other table Stuart Bingham put himself under a bit of pressure when he drew his opening match but he came good in the next two to seal his passage into the second stage.
It was a really frustrating day for us betting wise on Friday because although Peter Lines lost the match we took a small bet on him to win against Si Jiahui, he won the other two to kind of justify us taking him but we just picked him out to win the wrong matches. There was some positive news on the betting front though as our main outright bet Stuart Bingham made it into the second stage so he is a step closer to a payout for us.
Group 19
Fixtures
Jamie O’Neill v Alfie Davies
Long Zehuang v Lei Peifan
Long Zehuang v Alfie Davies
Jamie O’Neill v Lei Peifan
Lei Peifan v Alfie Davies
Jamie O’Neill v Long Zehuang
Preview
The action over on table two will see Group 19 being played out where we were due to have Noppon Saengkham as the top seed but he has withdrawn from the competition which makes the line-up look much weaker, albeit more competitive as a result of that. Long Zehuang is now the highest ranked player in the group with his fellow Chinese player Lei Peifan the only other professional in this section. Alfie Davies was the amateur who was originally in the draw and he has been joined by Jamie O’Neill, who has taken the place of Saengkham.
Group 20
Fixtures
Pang Junxu v Gerard Greene
Stuart Carrington v Gong Chenzhi
Stuart Carrington v Gerard Greene
Pang Junxu v Gong Chenzhi
Gong Chenzhi v Gerard Greene
Pang Junxu v Stuart Carrington
Preview
The action on the main table will now be Group 20 after the schedule was switched once Saengkham came out of the other group. That means that headlining the play on Saturday will be the Chinese player Pang Junxu. He is the top seed in this section and he looks to have found a nice spot in the draw. Stuart Carrington is the second seed in this group but he is one of the lower ranked players from that pot while Gong Chenzhi is in the same position as the third seed. The group is completed by the veteran amateur Gerard Greene, who will be hoping to make full use of the chance he has been given.
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Group Betting
We can’t really get involved in the group over on table two because not every bookmaker has reacted to the news that Noppon Saengkham is a late withdrawal in this tournament and still have him priced up in the group. I’m not sure I would have been looking to take him on anyway but that option has been taken away from us with him not in contention. If the market does get priced up again it could be that Long Zehuang is a good thing having come out of his group last year.
The main table group has more betting potential about it in that the market for it is at least priced up but I don’t really need to get involved because just like on Friday, I’m already invested in this group as the top seed in it, Pang Junxu, is one of my outright bets so I am effectively already looking for him to win it. I think he has landed a nice spot in the draw which is why I took him in the first place so I’m happy to leave the group betting alone.
Match Betting
When you consider that Long Zehuang got out of his group last year he clearly should be looked at as someone to go well on Saturday. The question is whether to play him in his first, second or third match and it is the second of them against Alfie Davies that I like him in. He is actually the biggest price to win that match but when you consider that he’ll be on the table for a second match in succession, logic would dictate it is his best chance of winning a match.
Davies played a few tournaments on the tour last season and did ok but then he went to Q-School last month and never really got near getting on the circuit so that suggests that he is inconsistent. He will probably feel he has a chance in this group now that Saengkham is out of the ewuation but that might only add to the pressure. I think it is a decent advantage that the Chinese player plays for a second match in a row here and I’ll take him to come out on top as a result.
Tips
Back L.Zehuang to beat A.Davies for a 3/10 stake at 2.30 with William Hill
Back him here:
