It was announced on the Championship League Snooker Facebook page that Ronnie has withdrawn from the 2024 CLS and that Group 7 will now continue with 6 players.

I said it before, Ronnie treats this event as paid practice. He doesn’t need to qualify for the Champion of Champions… he’s already “qualified” for it three times this season 😉.

He played four matches yesterday, won two, lost two. He was clearly not trying to win at all cost. He played some very good stuff in the first session, won those two matches in a decider, lost heavily to Jak Jones in the first evening match – Jak whitewashed him – then lost again, in a decider to Elliot Slessor. Jak is a player that Ronnie likes and rates very highly. Ronnie congratulated him warmly and didn’t looked aggrieved at all…

In general, his safety game and break building were excellent. His long potting let him down completely in the second session but he refused to change his approach … unsurprisingly.

During the evening session, Ronnie, who was wearing runners again, was caught on camera removing his shoes and massaging his foot. So, that injury is still a concern…

This is what officially never happened …

Kyren Wilson has booked his place in the 2024 Invitational CLS Winners Group.

Here is how as reported by WST:

Kyren Wilson earned a place in the Winners’ Group of BetVictor Championship League invitational by beating Pang Junxu 3-0 in the Group Six final on Tuesday night.

Click here for group tables and results, and here for details of how to watch. 

Wilson entered the event in Group One back at the beginning of January, and was runner-up to Neil Robertson in Group Four, before finally securing his progress at the sixth time of asking. He goes through to the Winners’ Group which will run on March 12-13, joining Stuart Bingham, Chris Wakelin, Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, John Higgins and the winner of Group Seven.

World number 11 Wilson won four of his six matches in the group phase in Leicester, then edged out Sam Craigie 3-2 in the semi-finals. China’s Pang scored a 3-2 win over Elliot Slessor, but was no match in the final for Wilson, who knocked in breaks of 46, 76 and 89 to take all three frames. 

Wilson said: “The dangling carrot that is the Champion of Champions is always there with this event, I was gutted to miss out this season. I will be trying my hardest to win this to make sure I’m in the hat next year.”

Group Seven gets underway on Wednesday as Pang, Craigie and Slessor are joined by Joe O’Connor, Jak Jones, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jordan Brown.

This season, the event has been “hit” by a serious epidemic of withdrawals. Many expect Ronnie to withdraw as well, but I’m not so sure. Ronnie has often used this event as a good practice opportunity, and withdrawn after one event¹, and he might well be there today considering that the Saudi event is coming next week. Of course, he’s already qualified for the 2024 Champion of Champions and may not be interested in playing in the winners group, but then only the winner will go through tomorrow…

1. Matchroom has maybe told him that this is not great … which could explain why he chose to enter group 7 this time ↩︎

Mark Allen won his 11th ranking title, and became a twice Players Championship Champion, by defeating Zhang Anda by 10-8 in a titanic battle last night.

Congratulations Mark Allen!

Here is the report by WST:

Mark Allen came through a marathon battle with China’s Zhang Anda 10-8 to capture his third title of the season at the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.

The Pistol claimed victory with the clock just shy of midnight and secured ranking silverware for the 11^th time in his career and fifth time since the 2021 Northern Ireland Open.

The 38-year-old was Player of the Season last term and although his 23/24 campaign has been a slower burn, he’s re-affirmed his status as one of snooker’s elite and as a serial winner. Allen won the Champion of Champions and the Shoot Out late last year.

Tonight’s triumph means Allen is now a two-time Players Champion, having claimed the title in 2016 when he defeated Ricky Walden 10-6 in the final.

The £125,000 top prize means Allen shoots from 12^th position on the one-year list to fourth and guarantees his qualification for the Johnstone’s Paint Tour Championship.

Defeat for Zhang means he misses out on a place in the upcoming Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker. The result sees Ali Carter cling on to the final spot in 8^th position on the world rankings.

The afternoon session saw both players emerge locked level at 4-4, following a keenly contested first eight frames.

Allen took the opener this evening to go 5-4 ahead and lead for the first time in the match. Zhang replied with two on the bounce, including a run of 64, to regain the lead and move 6-5 ahead. Despite this, Allen rallied and won the last before the mid-session to restore parity.

Zhang had the first opportunity in the 13^th. He broke down on 30 and a break of 64 saw Allen move 7-6 ahead.

Both players missed final pinks in a dramatic and edgy 14^th, but Zhang’s error left Allen with a gilt edged chance to deposit the remaining two balls and he extended his advantage to 8-6.

The two frames which followed continued to be fragmented, with both players taking one apiece to leave Allen on the verge of victory at 9-7.

A break of 50 helped Zhang to extend the match, but it was Allen who controlled the 18^th to take victory after an epic seven hour and 17 minute battle.

“This is what I’ve always wanted to do. Picking up one tournament every two or three seasons wasn’t where I wanted to be. I’ve made some changes off the table and they have stood me in good stead. I always wanted to be a consistent winner.”

Mark Allen

World Number Three

Allen added: “I’m not quite sure how I won that this week. I started off really well against Williams and just got progressively worse. I hung in there, played some good safety and potted some good balls when it mattered. I was fortunate that Zhang didn’t play as well as he has done, but I’m sitting here with the trophy and that’s all that matters.

“As the match went on he missed a few he hadn’t done and looked a little bit tired. That is understandable. It was a late finish against Mark Selby last night. It takes everything out of you playing him. The way Zhang is playing, he is going to be about for a long time to come. He is a dangerous opponent.

“There is a big six or seven weeks to come. To go in there off the back of another tournament win is something to be positive with. If I can just find a bit more comfort in my technique I can be dangerous in these last few tournaments. Everyone knows that I can win without playing well. It would be nice to find some form.”

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

I only watched the first session. I was far too tired to watch the second, also knowing that I could watch it later on Eurosport anyway. The way the first had unfolded, I always expected the match to go the distance or about and to be a long, hard battle. It was! Both have given it absolutely everything all week. Sometimes I wish players could “share” a title like Olympians can share a medal… Mark and Zhang have been the best, most consistent players all week and Zhang has to be the most improved player of this season surely. So, despite coming second, here is from me a heartfelt

Congratulations Zhang Anda!

The final of the 2024 Players Championship will be played today in Telford and will oppose Mark Allen and Zhang Anda. Both have won tournament(s) earlier this season. Here is the report by WST:

ZHANG STUNS SELBY IN TELFORD THRILLER

Zhang Anda scored a nerve shredding 6-5 win over four-time World Champion Mark Selby to reach the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.

The Chinese cueman thrilled a capacity crowd in the opening four frames, as he blitzed in front with breaks of 129, 80, 69 and 84 to lead 4-0 at the mid-session interval. However, the tide would then turn sharply in the other direction.

When play resumed Zhang had the chance to move just a single frame from victory, but a missed black on 56 allowed Selby into the tie. The Leicester cueman had only scored five points at this stage, but typically he summoned a steely 62 to win on the black and make it 4-1.

A run of 85 in the sixth saw Selby reduce his arrears to 4-2, before he made it three on the bounce to pull within a frame.

Zhang then moved 5-3 ahead and had a chance to win in the ninth, but missed a straightforward red to the top right. Selby punished that with a century contribution of 113. Zhang spurned other opportunities in a thrilling tenth, eventually missing the final blue to ensure the decider.

A break of 50 put Zhang in control of the final frame, but Selby had his chance to counter. He missed a tricky brown to the middle and a relieved Zhang got himself over the line.

Victory means Zhang becomes the first Chinese player to make three ranking finals in a single season since Ding Junhui back in 13/14.

The 32-year-old reached his first ever ranking event final at the English Open earlier in the campaign, losing out to Judd Trump. However, he went on to claim a maiden ranking crown at the International Championship in Tianjin, where he made a 147 during a 10-6 final win over Tom Ford.

Tomorrow Zhang will face Mark Allen over the best of 19 frames, with a top prize of £125,000 on the line and the opportunity to add a second ranking title to his record.

“I’m very happy. I played well during the first half of the match and was in great form. I missed a black in the fifth frame and let him back in,” said world number 13 Zhang.

“He’s a top player and I needed to bring my best to win, which I did before the mid-session. I was chased all the way. We both knew the brown in the last frame was a pressure shot. He could have won by potting it, but it wasn’t easy.

“Mark Allen is a consistent player now. You never get an easy game competing against him. He has an all round game and doesn’t give many chances away. I hope I have a good performance, without worrying about the result.”

ZHANG WINS EPIC SEMI-FINAL

As often, there were all sorts of polls running on social media before the semi-finals and the majority of fans were going for Selby after his brilliant performance against Ronnie. Very few were giving Zhang a chance, which I found weird given the way he had beaten John Higgins. Worse even, as soon as Zhang missed that black in the fifth frame, there were people on X writing that he had already lost the match, there and then! This is daft but unfortunately not uncommon. There is a huge difference being a fan of snooker and being a fanboy/girl of a specific player. No matter how good they are all these players are human, they make mistakes and have lesser days, and all those who have won a big ranking title, as Zhang did this season, can play to a very high standard.

WST has also announced that the 2025 Players Championship will again be played in Telford.

Yesterday was a bit of a transition day in Telford as the last of the quarter-finals and the first of the semi-finals were played, leaving us with just three players still in the draw: Mark Selby, Zhang Anda and Mark Allen. Of those three, Mark Selby is the only one who is yet to lift a trophy this season. Indeed, his best result so far is the 2023 British Open final , an event played en September 2023. But, if he plays the way he did to beat Ronnie this could well change very soon. Anyway … here are WST report on yesterday matches:

Afternoon session: Zhang Anda 6-4 John Higgins

ZHANG HOLDS OFF HIGGINS FIGHTBACK

Zhang Anda edged through to the third ranking semi-final of his career, beating John Higgins 6-4 at the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.

It has been a stunning season thus far for 32-year-old Zhang, who captured his maiden ranking title earlier in the campaign at the International Championship in Tianjin. The Chinese cueman made a 147 in the final, where he defeated Tom Ford 10-6.

That result acted as a platform for Zhang to break into the world’s top 16 and compete at the Masters for the first time in a career which extends back to 2009. His exploits this season, which also include a trip to the English Open final, saw him seeded third for this week’s elite 16-player event.

A frustrating defeat for Higgins sees him miss out on qualification for the upcoming Riyadh Season World Masters of Snooker. However, he remains in a strong position to earn a place in the top 12 on the one-year list and secure a place in the Johnstone’s Paint Tour Championship.

The first frame lasted over an hour, including a delay in play after a member of the audience took ill. Eventually it was Higgins who took it on the pink.

From there the brilliant Zhang made a decisive burst. Breaks of 102, 79, 84, 104 and 95 saw him take five on the bounce and move a single frame from the win at 5-1.

Higgins typically dug deep to claw back into contention. He pulled within a single frame after taking three on the bounce to make it 5-4. The match had looked set to go to a decider. However, Higgins missed a black off the spot with the balls at his mercy and Zhang ruthlessly cleared with 56 to beat his childhood hero

That sets up a semi-final showdown with Mark Selby on Saturday night.

“I played pretty well, because I wanted to show what I can do in front of my hero. I was very dedicated to the job and I was able to concentrate on each shot. Even when he was coming back at me, I wasn’t feeling nervous and I was very much enjoying watching his performance.”

Zhang Anda

International Champion

Zhang added: “I think Mark Selby has always been the toughest opponent on professional circuit. He has the best all-round game and there’s no weakness in his game. It’s a style of playing that is more difficult to deal with, as he’s good at attacking and defending. 

“I was playing better during the International Championship, but I don’t really assess my form like this because nobody can be on his top form everyday. I wasn’t playing great in recent tournaments, like Welsh Open and German Masters, but I have been improving in the first two matches here and I wish to bring my form back.”

It’s always a scary situation when you see John Higgins coming back at you, but Zhang handled it well. Also, I’m glad to see rather extensive quotes from him in the WST report. Only too often, when it’s about Chinese players, quotes are minimal at best and completely missing more often than not!

Evening session: Mark Allen 6-3 Ali Carter

ALLEN OUTLASTS CARTER IN TELFORD

Mark Allen prevailed 6-3 to gain revenge on Ali Carter for a recent defeat at the Masters and earn a place in the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.

The pair have done battle four times already this season, with each player coming out on top twice. Carter won on his way to the Wuhan Open and Masters finals, while Allen was victorious en route to winning the Champion of Champions.

Allen progresses to the 19^th ranking final of his career where he will face either Mark Selby or Zhang Anda. The Pistol is aiming for the 11^th ranking title of his career and third event win of the season, following the Champion of Champions and the Shoot Out.

It’s a disappointing defeat for Carter, but this week’s run has put him in a strong position in the Race to Riyadh. Only Zhang winning the event can dislodge the Captain from the top eight in the world rankings ahead of the cut off at the end of this event.

With the score at 1-1, Allen composed a break of 108, before Carter replied with 106 to head into the mid-session level at 2-2. The next two frames were shared, then Allen crucially claimed the seventh to move 4-3 up.

A break of 65 gave Northern Ireland’s Allen control of the eighth, but Carter had a chance to steal before eagle eyed referee Desislava Bozhilova spotted he had fouled the green with his waistcoat. That proved to be crucial as Allen pounced to move 5-3 up. He then added the ninth to run out a 6-3 victor.

“I don’t want to come here and finish second, that would be disappointing. I’ve ticked a few boxes this week. I’ve tried something different, it wasn’t quite working today but I stuck with it.”

Mark Allen

World Number Three

Allen added: “I was fortunate to be 2-2. I worked on a few things in the practice room very quickly to get my striking back, using the Chris Henry ping pong balls and I feel like that helped. I improved a little. My safety was good and that is probably what got me through.

“From a completely selfish point of view, I’d rather play Zhang Anda. Just because that keeps Selby’s losing streak going a little longer. If he gets on a winning run he is hard to stop, as we’ve seen in the past. Looking at the Tour Championship, China and the World Championship, you want someone like Selby’s confidence to be as low as possible.”

I like it that Mark Allen says it as it is. His quotes about Mark Selby made me smile, although, I wonder how people would react if it was Ronnie saying this. A few would probably be up in arms on social media. As it is, this is actually praise in disguise because it shows how much Mark Allen rates Mark Selby when he’s on form!

We have only one match today: the semi-final between Mark Selby and Zhang Anda. It should be an interesting match. Zhang will not crumble mentally no matter what Mark throws at him … he has all the patience of the East¹ . But, of course, if Mark pots him off the table, there is not much he will be able to do from his seat.

1. Not sure this makes sense in English. It’s a translate of a French “say”: “Il a toute la patience de l’Orient.” ↩︎

Here are the reports by WST on day 4 at the 2024 Players Championship.

Afternoon session: Mark Allen 6-4 Gary Wilson

PISTOL EDGES WILSON IN FIERCE BATTLE

Mark Allen came through a fiercely contested clash with Gary Wilson, winning 6-4 after four hours and 15 minutes of play, to make the semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.

It will be the 37^th appearance in the last four of a ranking event for the Northern Irishman, who has already claimed silverware at the Shoot Out and the Champion of Champions this season.

Victory puts him in a strong position to qualify for the Johnstone’s Paint Tour Championship in Manchester in April. However, first of all, he now faces the prospect of a last four meeting with Ali Carter tomorrow evening.

Defeat for Wilson ends an impressive winning streak, which saw him lift ranking silverware for the third time last week with victory at the Welsh Open.

Before the mid-session Allen asserted his control in a fluent first four frames. Breaks of 84, 63 and 75 helped him to establish a 3-1 advantage.

When play resumed if became more fragmented. They both captured sets of consecutive frames to see Allen move one from victory at 5-3.

The ninth frame came down to the colours, with Allen eventually leaving himself a tricky black to top left with the white frozen to the cushion. He missed it and Wilson pulled one back and made it 5-4. Allen recovered from that set back and a fine break of 69 saw him over the line.

“It wasn’t the nicest shot in the world, but even under that pressure it is one you should still be getting. I hit it pretty well, but I just didn’t pot it. I regrouped, didn’t let it affect me and played some good safety at the start of the next frame and made a good break to win.”

Mark Allen

World Number Three

Allen added: “It was a match which started well for me. I should have pushed on from that. The balls started going scrappy, not from missing but from some good safety. There were some long and drawn out frames. I felt Gary got the better of that. I should have closed it out 6-3, but I made a really good break in the last frame when the balls were awkward.

“Ali has been very consistent, more than me this season. He has been knocking on the door for quite some time. Hopefully his time isn’t this week. He is playing some great snooker and is a great player. I think he has improved on the mental side of the game by working with Chris Henry. He is a match for anyone.”

It was a really good match, a long match too. How Gary Wilson has not had a better career so far is beyond my understanding. He’s a top, top player when on his game and, although he’s an “attacking player” he’s a match for anyone in the safety department. Mark Allen had to be at his best to beat him, and he was.

Evening Session: Mark Selby 6-0 Ronnie O’Sullivan

STUNNING SELBY DEMOLISHES O’SULLIVAN

Mark Selby scored a sensational 6-0 whitewash defeat of Ronnie O’Sullivan and blitzed to a place in the semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Players Championship in Telford.

It was the first ranking event meeting between these illustrious rivals since the 2020 Scottish Open final where Selby scored another emphatic win, on that occasion by a 9-3 scoreline.

However, 41-time ranking event winner O’Sullivan still holds a 17-12 head-to-head advantage in meetings between the pair.

Victory this evening sends Selby into the semi-finals of a ranking event for the 62^nd time in his career. The four-time World Champion will play either John Higgins or Zhang Anda in the semis on Saturday night.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Defeat for O’Sullivan ends a 16-game winning streak. The seven-time Crucible king has been in imperious form this season. He came into this week having won consecutive events at the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Grand Prix. However, the Rocket was brought to a shuddering halt by Selby this evening.

The first five frames were completely dominated by Selby, who fired in breaks of 65, 91 81, 105 and 59 en route to moving one from victory. The final frame saw O’Sullivan establish a 58-0 lead, but Selby clawed his way back, aided by a stunning long range red to top right. He eventually took it on the black to complete the whitewash.

“If you can’t get up for playing Ronnie with a full crowd, which he always brings, then you are in the wrong game. That is where you want to test yourself. You see where your game is at when you are put against the best. At the moment my game seems to be in a good place.”

Mark Selby

22-time Ranking Event Winner

Selby added: “It is incredible really. I’m happy to win of course, but the way I did it was quite pleasing. I felt as though I was in control of myself and felt confident out there. I thought I was going to score when I got the chance and I did.

“Whoever I play, I’ll enjoy the occasion. If I play John, we’ve had so many great battles and I have so much respect for him as a player and a person. Anda has been one of the form players this season. It has been outstanding the way he has played.”

It was really a night to forget for Ronnie, he was poor. He kept trying but in vain. Mark Selby was excellent throughout. He played a positive, attacking game, went for his shots and it worked a treat. Mark scored heavily and, basically, kept Ronnie in his seat, never allowing him to settle or find any rhythm. That’s what he had to to and he did it brilliantly. Bravo Mark.

Ronnie will have no complaints but will be very disappointed. He certainly looked very disappointed leaving the arena and that’s actually a good sign: it hurts because he cares.

Here are the stats and scores, they say it all: