The top seeds prevailed in both groups yesterday at the 2022 ranking CLS.
It was in many ways an interesting day.
It marked the return od Marco Fu and it wasn’t a happy one. The weird thing is that Marco played decent stuff at the start of the day but looked completely out of sorts by the end of it. He finished last in his group. He looked exhausted actually. He wasn’t thinking clearly. It was very hot and humid and it was a very long day. He’s probably no more used to playing so much in a day. Losing 3-0 to Ian Martin, an amateur, was the final blow…
Si Jiahui impressed. He was the lowest ranked player in his group. He finished second, on same points as the winner, undefeated, with one win and two draws. He lost one more frame than Maguire. That’s what made the difference. It was a tough group too with Maguire, Stevens and Mann …. but not a word about his performance in the report!
So, from me , its “Very well done Si!”
Here is the report shared by WST:
Robertson And Maguire Progress
Jimmy Robertson and Stephen Maguire are into Winners’ Week of the 2022 BetVictor Championship League in Leicester.
Robertson was pitted agains Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Marco Fu, and Ian Martin in Group 22. Robertson got off to the best of starts as the former European Masters winner brushed aside Martin 3-0 in under an hour. Thailand’s Un-Nooh got his season underway with a 2-2 draw against Fu.
Un-Nooh then went straight back on to beat Martin 3-1, thanks to breaks of 55, 69, and 51, to sit at the top of the group heading into the evening action.
Robertson drew his first game of the evening, 2-2 against Fu. To leave the group in the balance and set up a deciding tie in the last match against Un-Nooh.
Robertson knew a point would put him into Winners’ Week whilst Un-Nooh needed to win, due to the frame difference between the pair. It didn’t take Robertson too long to secure his spot in the next phase coming from 1-0 down to take the following two frames thanks to breaks of 45 and 66. Un-Nooh claimed the last frame to draw 2-2, but it was Robertson who went through.
“I am delighted. It was tough. Tough conditions with it being so hot. I knew I needed two frames in the last match. It was left in my own hands. I was a little bit rusty; it was a tough group. I am happy to come through.” – Robertson speaking to David Hendon.
“I hope for similar and even better than last season. Hopefully, I can kick on from this and win more matches this season,” added Robertson.
Over on Table 2 Stephen Maguire, Matthew Stevens, Mitchell Mann, and Si Jiahui did battle.
It all came down to the final tie of the day, where Maguire required a 3-0 defeat of Stevens to progress. He won the first two, 56-32 and 69-41 respectively, to leave himself on the verge of progression. The Scot fired in a gutsy break of 39 to clinch the frame and secure the 3-0 win he needed.
…
and the table:
Today we have Group 20 with Zhou Yuelong, Mark King, Chang Bingyu, and Fergal O’Brien and Group 18 with Matthew Selt, Dominic Dale, Daniel Wells, and Duane Jones.
I must confess that I have very little interest in Group 18. Group 20 features two very experienced hard match players and two young Chinese players. Zhou though is solid tactically. We could have long matches here today!
Ronnie O'Sullivan 
That is the drawback of such tournaments and always has been.
I managed to see the conclusion of the groups after finishing work. By that time, Matthew Stevens could no longer qualify. He played the entire match half-heartedly, taking minimal time and playing without discipline. I don’t blame him so much for that, as he had no incentive. But in effect he handed a 3-0 win to Maguire, which was crucial (3-1 would not be enough unless he beat Si Jiahui’s 93 break). This is unfair. It was all very predictable. It was also avoidable, with a bit of thought.
If snooker is serious about avoiding suspicion of collusion or corruption, they need to consider situations like this, when players have differing incentives or loyalties. It’s all very well banning players like Thanawat, but they also need to look to themselves and improve their structures.
I didn’t see that match, I was watching the other table, but you are absolutely right here.
Yes, this has gone on for a long time. The 1983 Yamaha tournament was frustrating for the same reason; if I remember correctly, Cliff Wilson didn’t seem entirely ruthlessly focused against Ray Reardon in the group stages, with Wilson knocked out already and Reardon needing a win. Reardon went on to win the whole tournament.
True, and it’s also the reason why many players didn’t like the format of the Grand Prix when it was still a BBC tournament. At times it produced weird results and raised suspicions during the group phase when one player needed a win and the other was already “through” or already “out”, especially when the players involved were close friends.