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.

Scores and Standings

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.

Eurosport pundit Neal Foulds reflects on Ronnie’s last win and how it might help him to win the 2022 Masters:

Neal Foulds snooker column: Eurosport and ITV pundit on Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Masters bid

By Neal Foulds

Crowds set to return at the Masters

There won’t be many snooker fans who don’t love the Masters, and I’m thoroughly looking forward to getting back to Alexandra Palace for this special event, one which we welcome back home this year following the staging of the tournament behind closed doors in Milton Keynes 12 months ago.

The Wembley Conference Centre was such an iconic venue with a great atmosphere that it was always going to be hard to replicate that elsewhere, but Ally Pally has managed to make the event its own and in 2020 – the last time we were here before the pandemic – the atmosphere was electric throughout and the venue exceptional, with new additions such as the Century Club adding another dimension for spectators.

I watched a little bit of the darts over Christmas which was staged at the same venue, and while I’m not in any way condoning some of the behaviour from over-enthusiastic fans that met with some stern criticism from some quarters, I would generally be inclined to cut sports fans some slack.

Bad behaviour is bad behaviour, and we don’t want to see it, but we must remember that for many people this week, this will be the first live snooker they’ve seen in two years. The Masters has always been a meeting point for many people in the South and for some, they might be seeing their friends again for the first time in 24 months.

The Masters is always a lively atmosphere and people in London love their snooker. Those people will be desperately excited to have snooker back and sports fans in general have been through a lot through this pandemic, have missed out on a lot, and now must put up with more strict protocols just to see snooker at Ally Pally this week. We thank them for that and I hope everyone has a good time – just don’t be surprised if the roof comes off should Ronnie O’Sullivan find himself in a big match later in the tournament.

I have some great memories of the Masters, from my playing days and afterwards. I think to even play in the Masters, given the draw is made up of the top 16 players in the world, you feel like you’ve achieved something and there is no doubt that even before the snooker begins, this one feels extra special.

Back in my playing days, the event was sponsored by a tobacco company for many years and they looked after us well and made a big fuss of us. It immediately felt different to playing in anything else and add to the mix that the Wembley Conference Centre was such a huge arena with a passionate crowd, you could easily let things get on top of you.

I lived close to the venue in those days and it was only a 15-minute walk from my home. As a local player, I would get lots of support, but that can sometimes work against you and when I made my Masters debut against Dennis Taylor in 1987, I did struggle a little bit. It probably took me a couple of years to really embrace it all – the venue, the atmosphere, the prestige of the tournament – and that can apply to anyone.

It really is your chance to shine or shrink and I think that’s one of the reasons why you don’t get too many shock winners here. It can take some getting used to and this year’s field features 10 previous winners with 20 Masters titles between them – albeit O’Sullivan has won seven of them. Interestingly, despite being defending champion, this will be Yan Bingtao’s first appearance at Ally Pally having won last year when the event was played behind closed doors in Milton Keynes.

Paul Hunter glory days live long in the memory

Away from memories of my playing days, I think the Paul Hunter era, when he won the title three times in four years between 2001 and 2004, is the Masters memory that stands out most for me. He won every one of those finals 10-9, which is quite remarkable in itself, and the match against O’Sullivan in 2004 is particularly memorable given he came back from 7-2 down to win. Nobody beats O’Sullivan from that position, not at Wembley, but Hunter did.

Hunter sadly passed away two years later, and while that final and his run of Masters victories held significance then, if feels even more poignant now when you look back on his achievements and a career, and life, cut short. There are others, of course, O’Sullivan’s final with Steve Davis and the famous streaker incident, John Higgins clearing up in the deciding frame to beat O’Sullivan in 2006, but Paul Hunter’s name will always be synonymous with the Masters.

Looking ahead to this year’s renewal, I think the most interesting match of the first round is the one between last year’s runner-up, Higgins, and UK Championship winner Zhao Xintong. Higgins might have won this event twice, but by his incredibly high standards that’s not actually that strong a record, and last year’s run represented his first Masters final since 2006. It is no surprise that came behind closed doors and I’m not sure this event and its partisan crowd is something Higgins has really enjoyed over the years.

I suspect the crowd might side with Xintong who has looked in ominous form in the Championship League in recent days, not putting a foot wrong and making big breaks for fun. This match will be something of a contrast in styles and it will be fascinating to see how Xintong handles himself on his Masters debut, always a big occasion for any player.

That’s an intriguing match, as is the one between Mark Allen and Judd Trump, winners of this tournament in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Not everyone will agree with me on this, but I think Trump has a little bit to prove right now, similarly Allen, and that adds another interesting dimension to a clash between two players who tend to bring the best out in each other.

Despite dominating the sport over the last two years, Trump hasn’t won a Triple Crown event since the 2019 World Championship and, in fact, he’s struggled in a few of them, while he was forced to miss this tournament last year because of a positive Covid-19 test. I’m sure he’ll be keyed up to do well, but the Champion of Champions apart, he hasn’t really fired with the same consistency this term.

As for Allen, he’s a real Jekyll and Hyde performer at the moment, claiming last season’s Champion of Champions title and then barely winning a match thereafter until prevailing at the Northern Ireland Open at the beginning of the current campaign. Once again, he’s done very little since. I know he’s had his issues off the table but, like Trump, he has a few questions to answer this week. As such, I think this is another really interesting tie.

O’Sullivan back in business ahead of Masters bid

The other match that will have punters rubbing their hands together in anticipation is O’Sullivan’s meeting with Jack Lisowski on Tuesday. I do think, given everything he’s achieved this season, that it’s a great shame Scottish Open hero Luca Brecel isn’t in the Masters this year. He deserves to be. But that is no slight on Lisowski who would have been the one to miss out and is a terrific player in his own right, clearly adding something to every tournament he plays.

Nevertheless, I do believe Lisowski is good draw for O’Sullivan who has dominated many of their past matches and clearly enjoys the open, aggressive way Lisowski plays the game. I think O’Sullivan will have the edge again and he’s my fancy to claim what would be his eight Masters crown.

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His record here is incredible, with those seven wins coming from 13 finals, and the timing is just perfect on the back of winning the last tournament, the World Grand Prix at the end of December. He’ll have taken so much inspiration from his triumph there, overcoming what appeared to be a struggle for his best form when producing a blistering late burst to beat Neil Robertson.

I’ve had my concerns about O’Sullivan of late. He just didn’t look to be playing as well as he can and the results he was getting, he was having to really work for them. But beating a player of Robertson’s class in that manner, and in a big final, will have done him the power of good.

Furthermore, I wonder if the pressure might just be off him a little bit now. He’d lost in his five previous finals before the World Grand Prix, but nothing beats winning and having proved to himself, and a few others, that he’s still one of the top dogs, he can turn up here with a weight lifted from his shoulders and go out and play in front of a crowd that will always be in his corner.

We know the event suits O’Sullivan well, and I don’t mind his draw at all, while in the bottom half, three-time winner Mark Selby will be hoping for a change of luck having done very little in this event since reaching the final in 2014, and now finds himself presented with a favourable-looking draw.

He’ll need avenge last year’s loss to Stephen Maguire, but the Scot hasn’t enjoyed the best of seasons so far and boasts nothing like the Masters record Selby does. After that for Selby it will be either Shaun Murphy or Barry Hawkins, who have hardly pulled up any trees of late.

Selby’s own form is hard to have full confidence in, but before the current world champion started to dominate in Sheffield, this was the tournament that made his career and I’m sure he’ll be desperate to make use of a good draw and kickstart a campaign that has yet to really take flight.

He could prove a live contender, but back at the Masters and in front of what is sure to be so much passionate and loyal support, I’m leaning towards O’Sullivan who has already given us one of the moments of the season and might just be about to write another chapter in the story of this great, old event.

I have nothing to add except a big “Thank you Neal!” for this excellent piece. In many ways, the Masters has always been my favourite tournament: just 16 top players, just one table and great coverage.  It’s luxury. I know that the future of our sport isn’t built through such event, but, somehow, it carries on the festive mood a bit longer and it’s one to savour.

Stuart Bingham emerged the winner of this season “traditional” CLS Group 4.

Here is the report by WST:

Bingham Wins Group Four

Stuart Bingham won Group Four of the 2022 BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational by beating Kyren Wilson 3-2 in the stage final at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.

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Bingham reached the playoffs by beating Scott Donaldson 3-0 in his final game to set up a semi-final showdown with Mark Selby. A fine display from 2015 Crucible king Bingham saw him edge out current World Champion Selby 3-2, with breaks of 137, 51 and 65.

Defending champion Wilson meanwhile had looked imperious all day long and dispatched of Donaldson 3-0 in good time with breaks of 121 and 75 on the way to setting up a final meeting with Bingham.

When it came to the final, Bingham found himself 2-0 up and one away from the Winners’ Group, but Wilson has proven time and time again that he will never give up. The Warrior battled to take the next two with breaks of 71 and 50 to force a decider. The final frame went in Bingham’s favour and he fired in a clearance of 94 to win it and progress.

Bingham, who is set to face Wilson at the Masters next week, said: “I have played pretty solidly since I have been here over the last four days. I am over the moon. It’s a great start to the year. I made a few nice 100s. It was nice to get one over Kyren ahead of next week. He beat me 3-1 in the group stage. I got lucky to beat him in the end. Next week is a different kettle of fish in front of a packed crowd at Alexandra Palace. I felt like my game has been there and not turned up. It’s nice this week to turn up and make a few 100s. Just to hopefully put me in good stead for the rest of the season.”

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Xiao Guodong didn’t win a match, finished last of the group but hit the 200th century of his career, a 101 in the third frame of his match against Lu Ning.

Judd Trump was ingloriously relegated having won just two matches.

Mark Selby withdrew from the tournament. He probably wants a bit of rest ahead of the Masters.

The 2022 Masters is starting on Sunday. Yan Bingtao is the defending champion. He will face Mark Williams in the opening match on Sunday afternoon.

He and his girlfriend, Ada Zang, just moved in their new house in the Sheffield area.

Rob Walker has paid the young couple a visit:

I often struggle a bit with Rob’s over-enthusiastic style, but if this video doesn’t endear Ada and Yan to the fans, nothing will: two unassuming hard-working youngsters speaking about their dreams, projects, hobbies, garden and friends (on two or four legs).

Yan is looking forward to his title defense and looks very happy, but not every player involved in the Masters is in that positive mood as this interview with Kyren Wilson shows. It is a bit of a mixed bag

Kyren Wilson spoke exclusively to Nick Metcalfe

Family man Kyren Wilson admits he finds it hard to prepare for snooker’s Masters

By Nick Metcalfe WED January 05, 2022

Kyren Wilson has admitted that being such a committed family man makes it difficult for him to prepare for one of snooker’s biggest events, the Masters.
Wilson reached the 2018 Masters final at Alexandra Palace, otherwise he’s failed to get past the last eight in his four other January appearances in north London.

And talking exclusively to Sporting Life, world No.5 Wilson said: ‘I must admit, I’ve always found it quite difficult to prepare for the Masters.
‘I’ve got two young children, my birthday is on the 23rd of December, and obviously then there’s Christmas and New Year’s. I am a family man, I like to celebrate with my family as much as I can.
‘I’m trying to bring up two children at the same time as trying to be a selfish snooker player. And sometimes you do think there are more important things than potting balls. But the sort of hungry animal that’s inside me still wants to work hard and wants to put in the time and effort.
‘My wife is fantastic, she always gives me free rein for the World Championship. I think that’s why you see a different player at the Crucible than some of the other events throughout the year.‘

Wilson hasn’t reached a tournament final yet this season, but successive last four appearances at the Champion of Champions and UK Championship suggests that he isn’t far away from adding more silverware to his collection.

However, the Englishman does firmly believe the long seven-week gap earlier this season, between the British Open in August and October’s Northern Ireland Open, adversely affected his campaign.

‘I struggled at that time to tell you the truth,‘ Wilson said. ‘I didn’t really get motivated. I like to know that I’m aiming for something, targeting something, building towards something. When there was no tournament to aim for, I just found it hard to keep motivated, to keep working hard and practising.
‘It felt a bit stop start and I don’t really think that suits me personally. I feel like I improve the more I play and get sharper as tournaments come thick and fast.
‘I’ve got a young family, so I just decided to use that time to be with them. We ended up going away to Portugal, which was amazing. I picked up my cue again two weeks before the Irish.‘

Wilson was beaten 6-4 in the semi-finals of the UK Championship last month, the first Triple Crown event of the season, by an inspired Luca Brecel. Soon after he was knocked out at the first round stage of the Scottish Open and World Grand Prix, by Fergal O’Brien and Anthony Hamilton respectively.

Asked if there was a hangover from York, Wilson said: ‘One hundred per cent. It was a horrible match at the Grand Prix, a really late finish, and I just struggled. I really struggled to get up for it to tell you the truth.
‘It was a massive comedown. You go to York with the one table set-up and I absolutely loved that experience. It was amazing, the transformation from four tables to two to one. And then you go to these other venues, its not discrediting them but and they’re not in the same class as that venue.
‘At the Grand Prix I’m on table two out of the way and you just can’t really get up for it when you’ve just played at the York Barbican on one table in front of a couple of thousand people. My blood is pumping and my heart is pumping when I know the TV cameras are there and you’re playing to an audience.
‘That’s taking nothing away from Anthony Hamilton, who is a class player. I always really enjoy playing Anthony, it’s always proper match snooker. I just couldn’t get up for that match.‘

The eventual winner of the World Grand Prix was Ronnie O’Sullivan, who saw off Neil Robertson in the final for his first tournament victory since the 2020 World Championship 16 months before.

Asked if he felt O’Sullivan’s win was good for snooker, Wilson said: ‘Not for me. I want to be where he is and I want to be winning. So selfishly no.
‘To be honest I didn’t watch any of it whatsoever. I’m 50/50 sometimes whether I tune in or not bother, and I got to the point where I was just a little bit sick of it.

‘I didn’t watch any of it but obviously you can’t get away from the headlines, and Ronnie has obviously proven again what a great champion he is.‘

Wilson found himself in the headlines earlier this season when he complained to reporters about playing Noppon Saengkham on table two at the English Open in Milton Keynes, while at the same time China’s Ding Junhui – who is lower in the world rankings – was on table one.

Some other players, including Judd Trump, had little sympathy for Wilson’s complaints. But the Kettering man has certainly not changed his views two months on.

‘I stand by what I said 100 per cent,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t coming from a point of view that the players above me shouldn’t be on table one, they’ve earned their place and their right.
‘You were getting players that were lower ranked than me, that haven’t achieved what I’ve achieved in the last couple of years, on table one. I feel like there’s a bit of favouritism in there in who gets picked.
‘There are so many good players and so many entertaining players. I play the game in the right fashion, I try to make it watchable to other people but at the same time there is a fine balance because I’ve got a mortgage to pay, I’ve got two kids to feed and I’ve got a big family to try and look after.
‘I think off the back of certain things, like getting to a world final and playing in a semi-final with some of the biggest viewing figures ever seen in snooker history, I just think sometimes a little bit more could be made of that.

Wilson is now looking forward to the Masters. Despite Covid concerns continuing to plague the country, the prestigious event will be going ahead with crowds.
And Wilson cannot wait to experience the famous Alexandra Palace atmosphere once more, after the 2021 tournament had to be played behind closed doors in Milton Keynes.

‘I believe it’s as good as it gets,’ he said. ‘The only other atmosphere that does come close is the Tempodrom at the German Masters. Obviously I’m from the UK so it’s our home fans and for me it’s extra special, I have a lot of friends and family that come up.
‘I have fond memories of the venue, getting to the final in 2018 and having my son Finley come in for the very first frame. He was far too young to stay in for the whole match.
‘I’ll never forget when he piped up just before we were all about to start. There were a lot of shouts for Mark Allen and a lot of shouts for me in the crowd, and just as we were about to kick off you heard a little noise saying, “come on daddy”. I’ll always remember that and I love Ally Pally.‘

Wilson kicks off his campaign on Wednesday against former world champion, and 2020 Masters winner, Stuart Bingham. And Wilson is full of admiration for his fellow Englishman and the success he has enjoyed over the last decade.

‘What Stuart has achieved in the latter years of his career has been amazing really,‘ Wilson added.
‘To win a World Championship, to win a Masters and other big events is fantastic to see. He plays the game in a nice way. I think he’s very natural to watch, very aggressive, scores very heavily, I think he’s one of the biggest maximum hitters to play the game.
‘It’s just about trying to focus on you and playing the right shots at the right time. We’ve all beaten each other really, everybody knows how to get the W nowadays.
‘I just think you’ve just got to embrace the atmosphere, embrace the arena, embrace the tournament and just accept the best man is going to win on the day.‘

Who is on the main table is decided by WST AND the broadcaster together. Obviously commercial interests come into play. Whether we agree or not, it’s how it is. No matter his current ranking, Ding remains a huge figure in China, and China remains a huge market for snooker.

Zhao Xintong was undefeated in winning Group 3, and also scored his 100th career competitive century during the event! Well done Zhao!

This young man is clearly conquering the heart of many fans, with his attractive brand of snooker, his warm personality and his radiant smile.

Here is the report on WST website:

Zhao Wins Group Three

Zhao Xintong put on a masterclass to become the third player into Winners’ Group of the 2022 BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational, winning Group Three at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.

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Zhao came into the playoffs in fine fettle, after winning all six matches in the group stage whilst only conceding four frames along the way. The 24-year-old overcame Stuart Bingham in the group semi-final with a break of 138, his highest break of the tournament so far, to secure a 3-1 win and face the winner of Mark Selby and Xiao Guodong in the final.

It was Xiao who made breaks of 70, 52, 79 and 89 in a 3-1 defeat of Selby, to set up a clash with compatriot Zhao for a spot in the Winners’ Group.

UK Champion Zhao amassed an early 2-0 buffer with 90 in the first frame and two breaks of 40 and 20 in the second. However, Xiao came back into it with two heavy scoring frames to force a decider. It was Zhao who sealed progression thanks to a run of 66 to join Liang Wenbo and Graeme Dott in the next stage.

Losing semi-finalists Selby and Bingham join Group Four tomorrow alongside Xiao, Lu Ning, Judd Trump, 2021 Championship League Snooker Invitational Winner Kyren Wilson, and 2020 Winner Scott Donaldson. Joe Perry and Ryan Day were eliminated after finishing 6th and 7th respectively.

Zhao said: “I played very well over the two days. I just wanted to play as I do in practice. I am waiting for the Masters and I want to play more. In this final, I played very well. It was perfect preparation. I will practise more now as I wait for the Masters.”

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