The Group 5 final was competed between two players who weren’t meant to be in the event at all. Scott Donaldson beat Jordan Brown by 3-2. Jordan had been the best player throughout the two days.
Here is the report on WST web site:
Donaldson Wins Group Five
Scott Donaldson won Group Five of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational by beating Jordan Brown 3-2 in the group final at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
Brown was a late addition to the tournament replacing Mark Selby in Group Five and made the most of it in the group stage, racking up 16 frames to top the group and earn a semi-final meeting with Ali Carter. Donaldson had claimed the group’s high break (132) and did enough to clinch a last four clash with Kyren Wilson.
Brown made breaks of 33 and 38 in the opening frame against Carter, before a run of 80 quickly made it 2-0. The job was done for Brown in the third, with a break of 67, to meet the winner of Wilson and Donaldson in the final.
Donaldson fired in a fine break of 130 in the first frame, but was pegged back in the second by Wilson’s 85. Donaldson moved ahead once again with 75 in the third, before Wilson forced a decider. It was Perth’s Donaldson who showed his steel by conjuring a winning contribution of 77.
When it came to the final, the opening two frames were shared to leave the clash finely poised. A run of 64 saw Brown move 2-1 ahead, before Donaldson claimed the fourth with a break of 60 to ensure a decider. He wrapped it up with a break of 88 that started out with a fluked red.
Donaldson said: “I am enjoying being healthy and being able to enjoy my snooker. My game has been good for a while since October. I am relaxed out there when playing. It was a good result for me. I just want to enjoy playing and winning.”
Wilson, Carter, and Gould will all return in Group 6 alongside Yan Bingtao, Ding Junhui, and Ricky Walden who will join the competition. Gilbert and Lu were both eliminated after taking sixth and seventh spots, respectively.
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Scott seems to feel comfortable with this format. He has won this event before: the 2020 Championship League Snooker is his only professional title so far.
Ronnie O'Sullivan 