The Championship League Snooker tournament continues on Tuesday when another two groups at played out inside the Mattioli Arena in Leicester as another eight players get their new season underway.
We had one big name on show on Monday and we have another on Tuesday as Mark Williams will get his campaign underway on the main table with all eyes on him to see how he shapes up for the new season.
Day 1 Recap
It was a rare day to open up the competition in that both of the group favourites made it through. That doesn’t happen very often but both Ryan Day and Neil Robertson are the first two men through to the next stage. Both actually could have finished second heading into the last game of the group but Day beat Marco Fu 3-0 to win Group 11 when a 3-0 defeat would have handed it to Fu. Robertson was involved in a straight shootout with Jamie Clarke for Group 21 and came out on top.
It was a profitable betting day for us to get the tournament underway even though we lost out with our bet on Fu to win Group 11. That had a chance going into the last game and he wasn’t nearly as bad as the results suggested but ultimately he didn’t get the job done. The profit was already secured by the time that the final Fu match came along because Ka Wai Cheung had beaten Zack Richardson at a decent enough price. He won 3-0 so it was a small profit to get us underway.
Group 4
Fixtures
Mark Williams vs Connor Benzey
David Grace vs Yulu Bai
David Grace vs Connor Benzey
Mark Williams vs Yulu Bai
Yulu Bai vs Connor Benzey
Mark Williams vs David Grace
Preview
All eyes will be on Mark Williams on the main table on Tuesday as he is an overwhelming favourite to make it through to the second stage. We know he isn’t always a great practiser in the summer but he couldn’t really have asked for a better group as David Grace is one of the lower ranked second seeds while the women’s world champion Bai Yulu is probably going to need some time to find her feet at this level. The other player in the group is Connor Benzey who is an amateur having failed to come through Q-School earlier in the month.
Group 17
Fixtures
Chris Wakelin vs Rory McLeod
Ian Burns vs Liam Pullen
Ian Burns vs Rory McLeod
Chris Wakelin vs Liam Pullen
Liam Pullen vs Rory McLeod
Chris Wakelin vs Ian Burns
Preview
The former Shootout champion and finalist in the Northern Ireland Open last season, Chris Wakelin, is the main draw in Group 17 which will be played out on table two on Tuesday. On the face of it Wakelin looks to have a decent draw too because Ian Burns is among the lower few second seeds that he could have drawn. Liam Pullen is the third seed in this group and this is a big year for him with it being the second year of his tour card while once again Rory McLeod gets in as the fourth seed as an amateur having failed to make it back on the tour through the various ways of doing so.
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Group Betting
I took a favourite on in the group stage on Monday and came up short but I really can’t see who to take either on with on Tuesday. My instinct is always to oppose Mark Williams at this stage of a season because we know he rarely practises in the summer months but it is just about two months ago that he won the Tour Championship in incredible style and we know he has the natural talent to win a poor group which contains David Grace, Bai Yulu and Connor Benzey. It would be a massive shock even without practice if Williams doesn’t qualify.
The other group looks a little more even but even then I think Chris Wakelin is a good thing, largely because I don’t really see who to take him on with. Ian Burns is solid but he isn’t anything spectacular and with no disrespect you’re not unhappy if he is the second seed in your group. Liam Pullen is ranked as one of the better third seeds but he hasn’t really broken through at this level and while we all know what we’re going to get from Rory McLeod, I just don’t see him coming through over the three matches so I’ll leave the group betting alone.
Match Betting
There isn’t a great deal which gets me going in the match betting on Tuesday either in truth although there is one which I can’t turn down and that is Liam Pullen as an outsider against Ian Burns. Burns is the second seed in this group but you have to go back to the 2020 competition for the last time he beat someone in his first round section that wasn’t the bottom seed. He has never come out of his group so either the time of the season this tournament is played or the format doesn’t agree with him.
Pullen goes for a second spin in this tournament and he picked up a win and a draw in his first outing in it which having just come through Q-School and being his first day on tour wasn’t a bad effort. Pullen scored pretty well last year and I’ve said relentlessly when I bet on this tournament that I want to be with the scorer. Remember ties in the table are sometimes settled on the highest break so scoring is a big thing here. Burns won 27 frames in World Championship qualifying at the back end of last season and made just eight breaks of 50 or more in them which suggests he isn’t as good a scorer. The draw is a runner here so I’ll keep stakes slightly smaller than usual but I think as an outsider Pullen can get the job done here.
Tips
Back L.Pullen to beat I.Burns for a 2/10 stake at 3.00 with Sky Bet
