Yesterday saw the conclusion of the first stage of the 128 men 2020 Championship League Snooker. Tian Pengfei and Li Hang won their group to complete stage two line up.

Here is the report by WST:

Monday 5 Oct 2020 09:59PM

Tian Pengfei and Li Hang are the final two players to advance to Stage Two of BetVictor Championship League Snooker, after topping dramatic groups at Stadium MK on Monday.

Tian made a 122 in the final frame of his last match, against Noppon Saengkham, and that proved to be the pivotal tie-breaker as he finished top of the group with an identical record to Robbie Williams, against whom he’d earlier drawn 2-2 in the Group 31 opener.

Oliver Lines looked in fine form as he sealed a 3-0 win over group seed Saengkham with a 122 break for a 3-0 win. Williams then got his second draw of the group, against Saengkham, and the fourth match also ended with a share of the spoils as Tian and Lines took a point each.

That meant any one of three players could still advance. Lines needed a point, while a 3-0 win would be enough for Williams. In the event that the match ended 3-1 in Williams’ favour, he’d need to equal Tian’s high break of 122 to advance.

The Merseyside man came agonisingly close to doing just that as he levelled the match at 1-1, but missed the yellow on 111. Williams did go on to win 3-1, but without that high break it was Tian who progressed.

On table two, 15-year-old Iulian Boiko became the youngest ever professional to win a frame on tour as he earned a 2-2 draw with John Astley, before Li registered consecutive 3-1 wins; first against Alex Borg before he then defeated Boiko.

That put Li in pole position but when Astley beat Borg 3-1, the north-east man forced the group to its final match, but he’d need to beat Li to progress.

However, the 30-year-old from China took the first two frames against Astley to secure at least a draw and book his place alongside Mark Davis, Joe Perry and Tian in Group H of Winners’ Week, before he eventually won 3-1.

BetVictor Championship League Snooker returns for Winners’ Week from October 26-30. Coverage of both tables will be available at Matchroom.Live, with UK television coverage on Freesports.

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP 31

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
Tian Pengfei	3	1	2	0	7	5	2	5
Robbie Williams	3	1	2	0	7	5	2	5
Oliver Lines	3	1	1	1	6	5	1	4
Noppon Saengkham	3	0	1	2	3	8	-5	1

 

GROUP 32

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
Li Hang	3	3	0	0	9	3	6	9
John Astley	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
Iulian Boiko	3	0	2	1	5	7	-2	2
Alex Borg	3	0	1	2	4	8	-4	1

The format has flaws, but one thing it does – and it’s a very important thing in my opinion – is giving an opportunity to young players and first-timers on the tour to be guaranteed three matches on television/stream  against three different opponents, each with their own style and pace. This is invaluable experience.

Yesterday Iulian Boiko managed two draws, in his last match he came back from 2-0 down to force a point. He took at least one frame in each of his matches, against experienced opponents and he earned his first prize money. This is a much positiver experience, and surely a more instructive one, than being clobbered and humiliated on television by the World number one, a powerless spectator for most of the match, before being sent home dispirited and pockets empty.

It also gives us, fans, the opportunity to watch, and learn about, every player in action, including those who never get to the main table in “normal” tournaments.

It has its faults, but for me, this format brings more positives than negatives and I hope it stays on the calendar once the covid crisis is over, maybe with a couple of tweaks. It may not suit the players best, but the TD should have the power to change the order of play in groups in order to avoid “dead” matches. Also, both tables should be “main tables”, with the possibility for the broadcaster to “prioritise” whichever offers the most interesting match. “Most interesting” isn’t the same as “featuring the highest ranked player”, it could, for example, be the match that promises to be the most competitive, or the one with possibly the stronger impact on how the group develops, or … whatever really that “raises the stakes”.

You can find all the detailed results, as well as the stage two fixtures on snooker.org

I was expecting Joe Perry to go through but didn’t expect the group to be so close. One reason for it to be so close was Kaçper Filipiak’s absolutely dreadful performance; he didn’t win a frame all day. I didn’t see the matches, but I can’t help to think that Kaçper might have performed better in snooker had he not become a professional before being ready.

Kaçper won the EBSA European Under-21 Snooker Championship in 2011, and was awarded a one year tour card. He turned professional at the age of 15, at the time the youngest professional ever.

During his first year as a pro, 2011/12, he beat John Higgins, Stephen Maguire and Marco Fu in individual matches in the Snooker World Cup, but didn’t perform at all in ranking events, or in the PTCs and, having entered all three 2012 Q-school events, he failed to win a single match. He was relegated. He was practicing at the SWSA that year and I remember Janie Watkins expressing concerns about his wellbeing, telling me “He’s a lamb for the slaughter”.

In the other group, that was very close as well, Jordan Brown prevailed. Jordan first turned pro in 2009. He has been around for a long time, but never really impressed. He seems to be improving significantly in recent months. He qualified for the Crucible and gave Mark Selby a game last August. Maybe he’s a late developer and, at 32, he still has a plenty of time ahead of him.

This is WST report:

Sunday 4 Oct 2020 08:22PM

Joe Perry and Jordan Brown are the latest two players through to the second stage of BetVictor Championship League Snooker after winning their groups at Stadium MK on Sunday.

Winning the first frame of his third match was enough for Perry to confirm top spot in Group 29, but Group 20 went right down to the final frame as Brown beat Michael White 3-1 to end the hopes of both White and Yan Bingtao.

Perry had registered 3-0 wins over Steven Hallworth and Kacper Filipiak before meeting Slessor in the final match of the group. Slessor had earlier beaten Filipiak but lost to Hallworth, meaning only a 3-0 win over Perry would deny the ‘Gentleman’ a place in the next stage. However, Perry took the first frame – after Slessor had lost concentration when his mobile phone rang – to seal top spot, despite then losing 3-1.

“I’m pleased to come through today,” said Perry, whose 112 against Slessor was the 50^thcentury break of the tournament so far. “I didn’t know what to expect today, I have struggled as much as anyone since we went into lockdown. I really focused today on concentrating which seemed to work until I had won the group, and then I switched off and could have lost to my dad!

“I know I let that match go, but I got through by a frame. It’s difficult to know the best way to approach the match. I went out and played a best of five in my own mind, but you have to go out there – you can’t try and protect frames, you have to go out all guns blazing for the win.”

Brown’s progression was only confirmed on the pink of the fourth frame of his last match against White, who himself would have qualified had he won. A draw would have seen Yan advance with the highest break, but Brown secured a 3-1 win to take top spot.

This time, the report is missing the tables, so here they are:

source: snooker.org

It’s interesting, and puzzling at the same time, that someone like Joe Perry, who is in his 29th year as a pro, says that he didn’t know how to approach the match.

Yesterday was an eventful day on and off the baize.

On the baize, Kyren Wilson made a flawless course as he won all his matches, whilst Mark Davis who was forced to withdraw from the European Masters after his cue was stolen, made the best possible use of it, after they were reunited, and won his group.

Mark Davis winning yesterday made me happy for two reasons: first because I like him, next … I’ll let you guess.

Anyway, here is the report by WST:

Saturday 3 Oct 2020 08:14PM

Kyren Wilson and Mark Davis are through to Stage Two of BetVictor Championship League Snooker after winning their respective groups at Stadium MK on Saturday.

Wilson didn’t drop a frame as he won four matches out of four, and almost ended the group in style with a 147 before running out of position on the penultimate red of his final frame against Duane Jones.

Daniel Wells had been scheduled to join Wilson, Jones and Kuldesh Johal in Group 24 but was withdrawn from the event after testing positive for Covid-19. Wells was tested on Friday (October 2) and remained in isolation until the results of the test were known, at which point Wells left the venue immediately with no direct contact with other personnel.

Wells had previously tested positive at the European Masters last Tuesday (September 22^nd) and had remained in self-isolation since. In accordance with Government guidelines he was able to re-test on Friday. All other players who were tested on Friday returned negative results.

Therefore, Group 24 proceeded with three players rather than the usual four, each playing each other twice to maintain six matches in the group.

Kettering potter Wilson opened with a 3-0 success over Johal, before beating Jones by the same scoreline. A second 3-0 success over amateur Johal meant Wilson was within touching distance of the next stage, and his position at the top of the group was confirmed when Jones suffered a 3-1 reversal against Johal.

“It was the perfect day’s work,” said Wilson. “It’s a difficult format in the Championship League with the four frames. If you get off to a good start it puts your opponent under a lot of pressure – I think the first frame is huge in this format. Managing to win every first frame, it enables you to go on a bit stronger.

“When you find a recipe for success it’s just about making sure that you do the right things and work hard. I’ve tried to work as hard as I can for the start of this season. I’m looking forward to working even harder and seeing what I can achieve this season.”

On table two, Davis defeated Ali Carter 3-0 in what was each player’s final match of Group 30. Both went into the fixture knowing a win would be enough to advance, but a draw could potentially open the door for Chang Bingyu, who had earlier drawn 2-2 with both Davis and Carter.

“I’m really pleased, because that was a tough group,” said Davis, who won the group having been reunited with the cue which went missing last week. “Chang is a really good player, I’ve played him a couple of times before and knew how good he is. Every group is tough with such short matches and I’m really pleased to get through.

“It was really good to get the cue back. I’d been playing really well since just before the World Championship, so I didn’t want to lose the cue so it was a relief to get it back and obviously it was a good day today.”

BetVictor Championship League Snooker continues on Sunday with Joe Perry, who won the first Championship League Snooker in 2008, among those in action. Coverage of both tables will be available at Matchroom.Live, with UK television coverage on Freesports.

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP 24

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
Kyren Wilson	4	4	0	0	12	0	12	12
Duane Jones	4	1	0	3	4	9	-5	3
Kuldesh Johal	4	1	0	3	3	10	-7	3

 

GROUP 30

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
Mark Davis	3	2	1	0	8	2	6	7
Chang Bingyu	3	1	2	0	7	5	2	5
Ali Carter	3	1	1	1	5	6	-1	4
Jamie Curtis-Barrett	3	0	0	3	2	9	-7	0

Chang indeed did well. He’s one to watch this season.

The other big “news” were covid-19 related.

Ronnie withdrew from the tournament and is now replaced by John Astley

Of course this triggered loads of reactions and comments. Earlier in the week, Mark Williams withdrew as well and no one seemed to care much.

Then came the news that Barry Hearn tested positive for covid-19

Saturday 3 Oct 2020 04:57PM

WST Chairman Barry Hearn has tested positive for Covid-19 and has begun a period of self isolation in accordance with UK government guidelines. Barry feels well and is not displaying any symptoms.

Additional staff and family members have also been tested and all found negative.

Everyone at WST wishes Barry a fast and full recovery.

Hopefully Barry Hearn doesn’t develop severe symptoms because he’s not that young and has suffered heart attacks before. It could be very, very serious. But hopefully also, this will make Barry realise that in the business of sports, there is no such thing as zero risk and he may show a bit more understanding and sympathy to the likes of Anthony Hamilton in the future.

It’s just been announced by the commentators that Ronnie has withdrawn from the Championship League Snooker.

It’s a shame but not totally unexpected.

This is the announcement by WST:

Saturday 3 Oct 2020 02:24PM

Ronnie O’Sullivan has been replaced in Group 32 (Monday, Oct 5) by John Astley. As a result, Group 31 will now be played on Table One that day, with Group 32 now on Table Two.

Updated Schedule

More informations have now transpired about Ronnie’s reasons for withdrawing in an good article by Phil Haigh.

Here are the most important bits

….

The Rocket has changed his mind about playing in the event at the Marshall Arena as he doesn’t want to have to adhere to the regulations of the bubble environment at the tournament.

Players have been arriving the day before they play and they must be tested for Covid-19 before isolating in a hotel room as they await the result.

A statement from Matchroom multi-sport read: ‘Ronnie O’Sullivan has informed us that he wishes to withdraw from Championship League Snooker as he does not wish to enter the event bubble.’

….

It means his next involvement should be at the English Open, where he will play Brian Ochoiski on 12 October, again in Milton Keynes.

….

O’Sullivan played in the bubble environment in the edition of the Championship League in June and was not a fan of it, saying that if those protocols continue he would not play many events this season, as he had planned to do so.

…

My idea of going to a tournament is having comfortable surroundings. If I can’t control the controlables, the time between your matches and how you manage that, if that’s taken away from you, for me, that’s not how I live my life.

…

The six-time world champion also said he was made to feel vulnerable by two players – Gary Wilson and Daniel Wells – testing positive for Covid-19 at the recent European Masters.

…

No real surprise there, and I’m not at all confident that Ronnie will play at the English Open unless the protocol is different.

Yesterday was a strange day in Milton Keynes, and today might be a bit strange as well.

Group 28 was reduced to three players, playing each other twice, because Lei Peifan’s test returned “invalid”, a very rare occurrence. In doubt, he couldn’t be allowed to play and was withdrawn. This is very unfortunate for Lei. who was tested again, and the test returned negative this time. So, really, he missed out on the tournament by sheer misfortune. Group 28 was very much reduced to a battle between Jamie Clarke amd Mark Joyce. Young amateur Haydon Pinhey – who had replaced Mark Williams after he as well withdrew a few days ago – really never was in contention to go through.

Here is the report by WST:

Friday 2 Oct 2020 09:13PM

Tom Ford won the decisive final frame of his match against Luca Brecel to knock the defending BetVictor Championship League Snooker champion out and join Jamie Clarke in the next stage of the event at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.

Ford needed to beat Brecel in the final match of Group 27, having earlier salvaged a draw against Mitchell Mann when he had looked set to suffer a 3-0 defeat. Brecel had earlier beaten Mann and Ashley Hugill to take top spot with a game to play, meaning a draw would have been enough for the Belgian.

The defending champion took the first frame, but Ford turned the match on its head to top the group with a 3-1 win.

“I was trying to play quick out there and it didn’t work in a lot of the frames but in the last two frames it did work,” said Ford.  “The last frame was the best I felt in the three games. Maybe I just needed a bit of pressure to give me a kick up the bum and it seemed to work.

“When Luca was 1-0 up he potted a black and got snookered behind a red. If that hadn’t happened, it probably would have been match over.”

On Table 2, Lei Peifan was withdrawn from Group 28 after returning an invalid Covid-19 test overnight. An invalid test was returned as the sample taken was unable to determine either a positive or negative result.

Players must return a negative test result in order to enter the BetVictor Championship League Snooker event space and unfortunately Lei was therefore withdrawn from his group.  All other players for the day’s play tested negative.

Therefore, Group 28 proceeded with three players, who each played each other twice to maintain six matches in the group.

Clarke and Mark Joyce opened proceedings with a 2-2 draw, before both defeated Haydon Pinhey 3-0. That meant the second clash between Clarke and Joyce would likely be decisive, and Clarke took it 3-1 on the pink. That meant just a point was required for the Welshman and he got that and more with a 3-0 win over Pinhey to top the group.

“The second match against Joyce was really twitchy,” admitted Clarke. “I was 1-0 down and I knew that 2-2 or a win would have probably put me through, so it was quite nervous towards the end.

“I felt sorry for Lei because it’s a rare thing for that to happen but it could happen to any of us. It’s a shame but I had to go and do my job.”

BetVictor Championship League Snooker continues on Saturday with World Championship runner-up Kyren Wilson among those in action. Coverage of both tables will be available at Matchroom.Live, with UK television coverage on Freesports.

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP 27

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
Tom Ford	3	2	1	0	8	3	5	7
Luca Brecel	3	2	0	1	7	4	3	6
Mitchell Mann	3	1	1	1	5	6	-1	4
Ashley Hugill	3	0	0	3	2	9	-7	0

 

GROUP 28

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
Jamie Clarke	4	3	1	0	11	3	8	10
Mark Joyce	4	2	1	1	9	6	3	7
Haydon Pinhey	4	0	0	4	1	12	-11	0

And Lei’s fate is all the more unfortunate because Daniel Wells tested positive again and was withdrawn from the tournament. Had Lei stayed in the bubble, he would have benn able to play today. As it is,  we will have another three men’s group. Lei probably decided to leave the bubble in order to prepare for the next tournament. However there was always a good chance for Wells having another positive test, and that a spot would become available today. I hope that the young Chinese took his decision, knowing all the facts.

Here is WST statement about this:

Friday 2 Oct 2020 10:35PM

Daniel Wells has tested positive for Covid-19 at BetVictor Championship League Snooker and has therefore been withdrawn from the event.

Wells was tested earlier today (Friday, October 2^nd) and remained in isolation until the results of the test were known, at which point Wells left the venue immediately with no direct contact with other personnel. Wells had previously tested positive at the European Masters last Tuesday, September 22^nd and had remained in self-isolation since. In accordance with Government guidelines he was able to re-test on Friday. All other players who were tested on Friday (October 2^nd) returned negative results.

Lei Peifan, who received an invalid result on Thursday, was re-tested with a negative result. However, he opted to leave the event bubble and therefore Group 24 will now proceed with three players, each playing each other twice to maintain six matches in the group.

Since Matchroom Multi Sport events restarted in June, strict Covid-19 regulations have been followed, under UK Government guidance and with approval of the DCMS and the local public health director.

As with all Matchroom events, our priority is the safety and well-being of the players, venue staff and officials.

GROUP 24 FIXTURES – SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3

	Table 1 – Group 24
11am	Kyren Wilson	v.	Kuldesh Johal
	Duane Jones	v.	Kuldesh Johal
	Kyren Wilson	v.	Duane Jones
4pm	Kyren Wilson	v.	Kuldesh Johal
	Duane Jones	v.	Kuldesh Johal
	Kyren Wilson	v.	Duane Jones

Michael White, who had been withdrawn from the European Masters because he had been hanging around with Daniel Wells, was tested negative this time and will be able to play tomorrow.

Also due to play tomorrow, is Elliot Slessor who had been hanging around with Gary Wilson. Now, it will be interesting to see what the result of his test will be. Elliot was furious to have been withdrawn from the European Masters last week, and, going by his social media, he’s stayed in contact with Gary Wilson and is one of those who believe that covid-19 is just a flu and all the precautions around it are unecessary and driven by a polical agenda. Obviously, he’s lucky enough to have had nobody around him who has got it and developped severe symptoms, and may it stay that way, but …

Unsurprisingly, John Higgins and Martin Gould topped their group yesterday, although it wasn’t as straightforward as some would have expected.

Here is the report by WST:

Thursday 1 Oct 2020 09:11PM

John Higgins and Martin Gould, both two-time BetVictor Championship League Snooker winners, topped their respective groups on Thursday to advance to Stage Two of the ranking event, which is being staged at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.

Higgins began his day against French youngster Brian Ochoiski, and the 21-year-old showed his talent immediately with a break of 85. He could have gone 2-0 up, but a missed red on 58 handed the initiative to Higgins, who cleared to level the match before making breaks of 90 and 107 to take all three points.

Joe O’Connor then dispatched Amine Amiri 3-0 before drawing 2-2 with Ochoiski. Higgins then also defeated Morocco’s Amiri, meaning the final match between O’Connor and the Scot would be decisive. The four-time World Champion only needed a draw and was assured of that when he went 2-0 up.

“I was happy to get a couple of wins because confidence is quite low just now,” said Higgins, who eventually drew 2-2 with O’Connor.

“Ochoiski played the wrong red when he was looking really good, and he’d have probably gone on to win the frame. I was thinking at 2-0 down you’re basically out of the tournament because you’d be doing well to come back and win the next two frames, and to get a loss you’d probably be out. I was happy to turn it around.

“I’m using a new tip and a new chalk which all the boys are using. Rob Milkins came up to me at the European and said he was using the new chalk which Neil Robertson uses. Rob likes what I like usually so since he said it to me I thought I’d give it a go and it’s been good.”

On table two, Gould advanced when Simon Lichtenberg failed to beat Igor Figueiredo in the final match of Group 26. Gould had earlier beaten the Brazilian and Kurt Maflin, but a defeat to Lichtenberg meant the German would advance with victory in the last match, but a 3-1 defeat meant he in fact finished bottom of the group.

BetVictor Championship League Snooker continues on Friday with defending champion Luca Brecel among those in action. Coverage of both tables will be available at Matchroom.Live, with UK television coverage on Freesports.

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP 25

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
John Higgins	3	2	1	0	8	3	5	7
Joe O’Connor	3	1	2	0	7	4	3	5
Brian Ochoiski	3	1	1	1	6	5	1	4
Amine Amiri	3	0	0	3	0	9	-9	0

 

GROUP 26

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
Martin Gould	3	2	0	1	7	5	2	6
Igor Figueiredo	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
Kurt Maflin	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
Simon Lichtenberg	3	1	0	2	5	7	-2	3

Brian Ochoiski attracted huge praise from the commentators, and rightly so. He has never competed in professional events until very recently, he’s still learning. He made a some questionable shot selections yesterday and it cost him. But those errors will soon be ironed out as he will gain experience. His break-building skills are already excellent, his potting is very dependable. He goes for his shots and is very exciting to watch. As he is one of the three players who finished with 47 points at the top of the Q-school order of merit, we are likely to see him a lot this season. He should try to make the most of it as he can play without the pressure of having to earn/defend ranking points. Good luck Brian.

Amine Amiri has improved a lot, and should probably have won at least one frame against Joe O’Connor who benefitted from two massive flukes. Only against John Higgins was he outplayed. Still, Amine is not anywhere near the level required to compete as a professional. He got his tour card for winning the African Games. The competition featured only five players, three from Morrocco, two from Egypt. Neither of those countries has a strong amateur scene. All matches were best of 7. Amine won two, lost one. There are surely political and commercial reasons behind this type of nomination, but it’s very unfair on the nomitated player. They stand no chance whatsoever, and to make it worse, in Amine’s case, he can’t afford the costs to live in the UK or to travel to play in every event. It would be far better if they were awarded a one year scholarship, combined with invitations to events as a wildcard/top-up, and have their entry fees paid for the Q-school at the end of that year. It’s obvious that Amine loves his snooker, he deserves better than this.

This is what happened yesterday in Milton Keynes:

Wednesday 30 Sep 2020 09:20PM

Scott Donaldson and Mark King won their respective groups at BetVictor Championship League Snooker on Wednesday to advance to Stage Two of the event at Stadium MK.

Donaldson, who won Championship League in its previous form last season, began the day with a 3-0 win over Ashley Carty. Chris Wakelin was the group’s second seed and beat Barry Pinches 3-0 before drawing 2-2 with Carty.

A 3-1 Donaldson win over Pinches meant the group would go to a deciding match, and when Donaldson went 2-1 up he was guaranteed the required point and progressed despite Wakelin levelling the match in the fourth and final frame.

“It is going to come to an end eventually but I’m happy with the way it’s going, especially in this one,” said Donaldson of his Championship League success.

“I started really slowly; the tables are a little bit different as this event uses Rassons but others use Stars, so it took a couple of frames to get used to it but once I get into a rhythm I feel I can beat most players.

“It was brilliant to win this event in March because I had been on the tour for eight years and hadn’t won anything. The lockdown hit just after I won that tournament and if the World Championship had been played, it might have been different. We’re all glad to be playing at the moment, it’s strange times.”

On table two, any one of three players could still advance with two matches to play. King beat Robertson to knock the former European Masters champion out in match five, meaning David Grace would have to beat Allan Taylor to advance. However, the Leeds potter suffered a 3-1 defeat, meaning it was King who topped the group and took a place in Stage Two of BetVictor Championship League Snooker.

BetVictor Championship League Snooker continues on Thursday with two-time event champion John Higgins among those in action. Coverage of both tables will be available at Matchroom.Live, with UK television coverage on Freesports.

FINAL GROUP STANDINGS

GROUP 22

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
Scott Donaldson	3	2	1	0	8	3	5	7
Chris Wakelin	3	1	2	0	7	4	3	5
Ashley Carty	3	0	2	1	4	7	-3	2
Barry Pinches	3	0	1	2	3	8	-5	1

 

GROUP 23

	P	W	D	L	FW	FL	+/-	PTS
Mark King	3	2	1	0	8	4	4	7
David Grace	3	1	1	1	6	6	0	4
Jimmy Robertson	3	1	0	2	5	7	-2	3
Allan Taylor	3	1	0	2	5	7	-2	3

Also Mark Williams withdrew from the event:

Wednesday 30 Sep 2020 09:43AM

Mark Williams has been replaced in Group 28 of the BetVictor Championship League (Friday, Oct 2) by Haydon Pinhey. As a result, Group 27 will now be played on Table One that day, with Group 28 now on Table Two.

Click here for the updated fixtures

It was a bit strange to see Ashley Carty playing without glasses. I didn’t understand whether he is now playing with lenses or if he had an eye surgery. Whichever, it might take a bit of time for him to fully adapt to the change.

Barry Pinches played terrible yesterday and it pained me to watch him struggle so much. Barry is now 50, he turned professional in 1989, and his love for the game is still there intact. He’s never been a top player, but he’s certainly been a very useful player for more than 30 years. He’s also a lovely person. Barry came on social media to apologise for his performance. There is no need for that Barry, eveyone has bad days.