Here is the report shared by WST:

Bingham And Vafaei Reach Winners’ Week

Stuart Bingham and Hossein Vafaei booked their winners’ week sports, topping Group 11 and 14 respectively, at the BetVictor Championship League Snooker in Leicester.

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Things didn’t go to plan for the top seeded Bingham in the opening match, who found himself on the receiving end of a 3-0 Peter Devlin whitewash.

Bingham rectified those wrongs by handing out a whitewash of his own to Peter Lines in his next match, breaks of 65 and 55 were enough to secure his first three points of the group.

The snooker gods were on the 2015 world champion’s side as all other matches in his group ended in draws, meaning victory in Bingham’s final match against Cao Yupeng would earn him a place in winners’ week.

At 2-0 Bingham looked to be cruising to his second whitewash victory of the day, but a routine green rattled the jaws of the pocket, allowing Cao to get back to the table and steal the third with a breaks of 38 and 25.

Clearly stinging from his prior mistake, Ball Run composed himself in the deciding frame and secured victory with a 56 break to top Group 11.

Speaking with Phil Yates afterwards, he said: “That was hard work today, I didn’t get off to a good start against Peter Devlin, but credit to him he played well.

“I gave myself a stern talking to, took myself out the venue and tried to calm myself down, it worked as I ended up producing some good snooker in the end.

“I never make things easy [missing the green], I had one similar in the final frame that I made sure of making. It’s all a learning curve at this point in the season.”

Vafaei, fresh off the back of making his first career maximum break in BetVictor European Masters qualifying, started the group in strong fashion by beating Australia’s Ryan Thomerson 3-0 with breaks of 55 and 70.

The Iranian star then followed that up with another comprehensive 3-0 victory over Hong Kong’s Ng Ong Yee with breaks of 48 and 69 to set up a group decider against China’s Tian Pengfei. Vafaei only needed a draw to top the group.

Pengfei started in fine form, and led Vafaei 2-0 with breaks of 30 and 39. The reigning Shoot Out champion came out firing and secured the point needed, a crucial snooker in the third frame was key in his quest for group-topping glory. He went on to take the two frames he required.

Group 2 headlines Table 1 on Tuesday, 19 July live on FreeSports, DAZN, Viaplay, and Matchroom.Live with Judd Trump, Jamie Clarke, Sean O’Sullivan, and Yisong Peng with Group 7 live on YouTube from midday with Shaun Murphy, Liam Highfield, Xu Si, and Ben Mertens.

And the table

Peter Devlin played very well in the afternoon session. He was invited “last minute”, he hadn’t practiced, he had been on holidays when called, he had no expectations. Everything was a bonus. But that changed going into his last match, knowing that awin would see him top the group and go to the next stage. Tension crept in, and with it, mistakes. Credit to Peter, having lost the first two frames he regained his focus and secured a draw. It wasn’t enough but it was good to see.

In group 14, On Yee won just one frame all day. In that frame she scored a 94 … which is great but, obviously, that’s not good enough and I’m afraid that giving tour cards to the top women players might backlash, “bringing water to the mill” (that’s a French expression: “apporter de l’eau au moulin”) for those who see women as “inferior” and definitely unable to even get close to the men’s level. It’s a number game, and until snooker manages to attract both young girls and boys in equal number, and clubs make gils feel welcome and safe, it won’t change.

Today we have Group 2 with Judd Trump, Jamie Clarke, Sean O’Sullivan, and Yisong Peng, and  Group 7 with Shaun Murphy, Liam Highfield, Xu Si, and Ben Mertens.

Day 3 at the 2022 European Masters qualifiers brought us the second maximum of the season, and the 178th in competitive snooker. Other than that it threw a few surprises as well.

Here is the report by WST:

Robertson Wins From 4-0 Down

Jimmy Robertson enjoyed one of his best ever fight backs as he came from 4-0 down to beat Zhao Jianbo 5-4 in the qualifying round of the BetVictor European Masters.

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Robertson won this event in 2018 and will have the chance to compete for the title again at the final stages in Furth, Germany, which run from August 16 to 21.

His chances looked slim when China’s Zhao reeled off the first four frames with breaks of 82, 53, 63 and 69. But opportunities to seal the result came and went for Zhao, as Robertson battled back to take the next four frames with top runs of 65 and 51. The decider lasted 43 minutes and came down the colours, Robertson clearing from green to pink for victory.

Hossein Vafaei made his first official 147 in a 5-1 defeat of Ng On Yee – for more on that story click here.

Stuart Bingham came from 3-2 down to beat Michael Holt 5-3 with a top break of 69, while amateur Daniel Wells top scored with 85 in a 5-3 victory over Peter Lines.

James Cahill fired runs of 75, 94, 55 and 90 in a 5-1 thrashing of Adam Duffy, while Anthony Hamilton’s top break of 86 helped him beat Mark King 5-2 in a match between two players with 62 years of experience on the pro tour.

Turkish Masters runner-up Matthew Selt suffered a surprise 5-1 defeat against amateur Haydon Pinhey, who made breaks of 65, 70, 68 and 74. Jackson Page made a 76 in the decider to edge out Hammad Miah 5-4. Rory McLeod recovered a 4-1 deficit to beat Elliot Slessor 5-4.

And here is the account on Hossein’s 147:

Maximum Joy For Prince Of Persia

Hossein Vafaei became the first player from Iran to score an official 147 as he fired a maximum during his BetVictor European Masters qualifying match against Ng On Yee.

Vafaei’s 147 came in the last frame of a 5-1 victory. After losing the opening frame, the BetVictor Shoot Out champion made breaks of 70 and 62 in taking a 4-1 lead before finishing the match in the perfect way. His previous high break in professional competition was 146.

It’s the second maximum in two days in Leicester, as Zhang Anda also made his first 147 on Saturday. They will share the tournament’s £5,000 high break prize as long as the maximum is not equalled.

It’s the 178th 147 in snooker history and second of the season.

 

How Jimmy Robertson won that match, I dont know. Actually, that’s not true, I do know how it happened: he battled back, tried very hard, and was massively helped by his opponent mistakes after the MSI. I can’t help to wonder what would have happened if there had been no MSI and my feeling is that Zhao Jianbo would have won the match 5-0. Zhao had plenty of chances to finish it off, he had chances in every frame after the MSI, he had multiple chances in the decider. This was a meltdown if I ever saw one and  it ptobably only happened because he had 15 minutes to ponder on what he was about to achieve. Jimmy has loads of experience in pro and amateur competitions, he knows how to handle such situation. This has not always been the case, he had to learn it. It took him more time  than most expected to fulfil his potential. Zhao is only 18. I hope he has the right people around him, to help him learn from this bad experience so that he is better equipped when he finds himself in that situation again in the future.

There is no mention of the match between David Grace and Ben Mertens. Why? David Grace won that one by 5-2, It was a painful match to watch. Both struggled. Ben went 2-1 up and didn’t win another frame. Although neither player was “slow” going by their AST, it was a slow, fragmented match. The only “telling” break was a 51 by Ben in frame 3. There was no fluency at all: countless mistakes and ball running awkward. I like both players but I didn’t enjoy the match at all.

No mention either of Si Jiahui’s good win over the experienced Tian Pengfei BUT there is a report on the Hamilton vs King match that was actually played the previous day!

Don’t ask (I won’t).

WST report on day 2 at the 2022 European Masters is short and mainly about Zhang Anda’s 147:

Zhang Joins 147 Club

Zhang Anda made the first maximum break of his career during a 5-1 victory over Anton Kazakov in the BetVictor European Masters qualifying round.

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After losing the opening frame, world number 87 Zhang enjoyed his perfect break in the second, potting 15 reds with blacks and clearing the colours. The 30-year-old from China will earn the tournament’s £5,000 high break prize if the 147 is not equalled. It’s the 177th maximum in snooker history and first of the 2022/23 season.

Zhang went on to take the next four frames with top breaks of 91, 80 and 72 as he secured his place in the final stages in Germany next month.

Marco Fu scored his first win in a ranking event since the 2020 European Masters, beating David Gilbert 5-1 with top breaks of 69, 67 and 115. Fu has spend most of the past two years at home in Hong Kong due to travel restrictions, but having returned to the UK this season he is looking to resurrect his career.

Cazoo UK Champion Zhao Xintong eased to a 5-2 success over Fraser Patrick, knocking in breaks of 132, 63, 56, 67 and 70. Barry Hawkins top scored with 106 in a 5-1 defeat of Gerard Greene.

Xiao Guodong made four centuries as he beat Xu Si 5-4 in an enthralling Chinese derby. A run of 103 from Xiao made the score 1-1 then he lost three frames in succession. He hit back to take the next four with runs of 106, 103 and 115.

Remarkably, Zhang’s highest break in a professional match was “only” 140 before yesterday…  Anton Kazakoz, Anda’s opponent, very sportingly showed his appreciation for some of the difficult shots And had to play, notably on the colors.

Marco Fu certainly did put the work in because the improvements in his game, as compared to his recent CLS outing, are massive. The only obvious remaining weakness yesterday was his long potting.

Lyu Haotion played well again, which is nice to see. Chang Bingyu had four breaks over 50 in his demolition of Ian Martin. Ian himself made a 96 in the only frame he won.

Maybe it’s because it was the last match of the day, but there is nothing here about Antony Hamilton’s 5-2 victory over Mark King. It was 2-2 at the MSI. After that Mark only scored 4 points, and I’m not sure if he potted a couple of ball or if he was awarded a 4 points penalty following a foul by Anthony… What happened there???

We are taking a break from the Championship League Snooker as we turn our attentiom towards the 2022 European Masters qualifiers, and it’s a nice change. Best of 9 matches have a differenr feel.

Here is WST report on what happened yesterday:

Williams Through With Superb Clearance

Mark Williams snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a brilliant clearance in the deciding frame to beat Liam Highfield 5-4 in the qualifying round of the BetVictor European Masters.

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Three-time Crucible king Williams admits he had a poor record in deciders last season, but this time he rose to the challenge to avoid a surprise defeat against world number 39 Highfield. Welshman Williams goes through to the final stages in Furth, Germany, next month and will face Louis Heathcote or Sanderson Lam in the last 64.

In a high scoring contest, Williams made a break of 105 in frame four, while Highfield knocked in runs of 99 and 100 in taking a 4-2 lead. World number seven Williams hit back with 56 and 94 for 4-4. Highfield had two chances in the decider but ran out of position on 41 then missed a red to top corner when he led 61-0. The five remaining reds were awkwardly placed for Williams but he picked them off then cleared the colours in a break of 62 to win by a single point.

Tour rookie Oliver Brown knocked out six-time ranking event winner Stephen Maguire by a 5-4 scoreline. Maguire made 107 and 105 to go 4-3 ahead, but Brown made a 57 for 4-4 then got the better of a scrappy decider.

Another promising rookie, Dylan Emery, gave more evidence of his potential in a 5-1 win over Peng Yisong, compiling runs of 79, 84 and 80.

Dominic Dale came from 3-2 down to beat Joe Perry 5-3, making breaks of 50, 65 and 50 in the last three frames. Yan Bingtao recovered a 2-0 deficit to beat Pang Junxu 5-2, firing breaks of 83, 96 and 74. Kyren Wilson top scored with 100 in a 5-2 defeat of Stephen Craigie.

Mark Williams clearance was indeed sensational but you have to feel for Liam Highfield. He played a very good match and he will get nothing for his efforts at all. He wasn’t “mediocre” at all, far from it. The match was streamed and I’m certain that a lot of fans enjoyed it. It would only be right for him to get something out of it, that it doest cost him to do his job and do it well.

Yan Bingtao is a bit of a “diesel engine”. Sometimes he needs time to get going … like yesterday. Once he found his game there was only one winner.

I also watched the Wu Yize v Jenson Kendrick match and I enjoyed it. Two talented young players going for their shots, playing at a nice pace and  showing some decent tactical nous when needed. Wu has one year on tour under his belt and that experience was telling at crucial moments of the match but Jenson really impressed me. Unlike some other young players(*), he didn’t throw his cue at everything.

(*) some of them have been on tour for two years or more and haven’t learned a thing from the countless defeats they faced.

This is the report shared by WST:

Success For Carter And Pang

Ali Carter and Pang Junxu won their respective groups to reach Winners’ Week of the 2022 BetVictor Championship League Snooker at the Morningside Arena, Leicester live on FreeSports, DAZN, Viaplay, and Matchroom.Live around the world.

Scores and Tables

Carter was in imperious form, opening with a rapid 3-0 victory over Robbie McGuigan. The nearest competition for Carter came last season’s Rookie of the Year, Wu Yize, who started the day with a 3-1 victory over Louis Heathcote. The Chinese ace then drew 2-2 with McGuigan.

Into the evening session and Carter returned to dispatch Heathcote 3-0. The Captain knew he needed just a point against Wu in his last match of the day. The Essex man took the opening frame with a break of 70, before a fantastic 120 from Wu brought the pair level at 1-1. Carter’s efforts were rewarded in the third thanks to a break of 50 to take him over the line and secure top spot in the group. Wu took the last frame for 2-2 but it wasn’t enough.

Carter said: “I had two good performances early on today. It’s a long day. I felt a bit tired in the last match. What a great player Wu is. He hits the ball well. He’s just a kid running around potting everything. It’s pleasing to get through and it’s job done. It’s such a big event now. It’s the first event of the season, David Gilbert won it last year and it got him into everything. It’s a great opportunity to get the season off to a good start.”

Over on Table 2, Pang started with a 3-1 win over Reanne Evans, making breaks of 81 and 108. The Chinese cueman then saw off Dylan Emery by the same scoreline, firing runs of 136 and 137.

Heading into his last match against Ryan Day, Pang needed just a draw to top the group. He took the opening frame with a run of 53 then Day hit back to lead 2-1, leaving the fate of the group on the last frame of the day. And it was Pang who took it with an excellent break of 63 to secure the 2-2 draw he needed and seal his passage.

and the table

Yesterday was a very interesting day, with five young players in action.

Pang Junxu was tipped by Neal Foulds for great things this season, even, possibly, a maiden ranking title. The way he played yesterday, the way he battled when things weren’t going his way, totally vindicated Fouldsy’s opinion. He fully deserved to top his group.

Wu Yize came close to cause a surprise in group 17 as well. Ali Carter was playing well and yet, Wu ran him close. Ali said he felt tired at the end of the day, I had the feeling that Wu was tired as well in the last match.

I said beforehand that I wasn’t expecting much from Reanne,  still hoping to be proved wron, but … no.