Just like the Kyren Wilson and John Higgins, Ronnie failed to reach stage 2 at the 2024 ranking CLS.

Here is the report by WST:

HE MAN POWERS PAST ROCKET

China’s He Guoqiang scored a superb 3-0 defeat of seven-time World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan to top Group Two of the BetVictor Championship League in Leicester.

He made a huge impact in his maiden season as a professional last term, winning the Rookie of the Year award. He appears to have carried his form into the new campaign after earning his progression to stage two at the Morningside Arena. 

Breaks of 80, 57 and 77 saw He score that massive win over O’Sullivan in the last game of the group, which helped him leap from third position into top spot. The 23-year-old did lose out 3-1 in his opening match of the day to Mitchell Mann, but a 3-0 win over Kayden Brierley gave him the opportunity to clinch the group with his win over the Rocket. 

O’Sullivan’s first outing of the season ends with an early exit. He had looked sharp in a 3-0 win over Brierley in his opening game, but let a 2-1 lead slip against Mitchell Mann in his second game to draw 2-2. 

Group 12 saw six-time ranking event finalist Jack Lisowski get his campaign underway with a successful day, which saw him make the second stage. The Englishman was in fine form, top scoring with 138 in a 3-0 win over Ukrainian Anton Kazakov. He then crafted runs of 127 and 106 on his way to scoring a 3-1 defeat of Jiang Jun, before a 2-2 draw with Mark Davis secured top spot. 

Results / Fixtures

Here are the scores for Ronnie’s matches

And Group 2 final standings

Coming into his last match, Ronnie only needed a draw to top the group. But he missed too many easy balls in that match and He Guoqiang played really well. He punished nearly every mistake Ronnie made heavily and had three breaks over 50, one in each of the three frames they played. Ronnie appeared tired and lacking focus by the end of the day and, if I’m honest, I’m not sure really how much, by the end of the day, he still wanted to come back on Friday. I know him well enough to know for sure that he doesn’t like it when he has to hang around at venues for hours and that’s what happens in this format. He played his first match at noon, and it was over in a blitz. Then he had to wait until 7 pm to play the next one and that was a hard fought affair. Ronnie missed a good opportunity to win 3-1 and then, with only three balls on the table, he fought for several minutes needing two snookers on the blue. It was in vain. Had he won that match, he would have gone to his last match already assured to top the group, no matter what. His next match was scheduled at 9 pm but it was nearly 10 pm when Mann and Brierley finished their match and the table became available again. Also, with nobody watching, there is no atmosphere. Those thing are inevitable but they certainly don’t suit Ronnie who isn’t particularly patient and gets bored easily. And this is not to excuse him, it’s the same for all the players and they all have to deal with it. It’s just to explain why the eventual outcome came to no surprise to me.

In the other group, Group 12, all credits to veteran Mark Davis who battled with all he had, managed to win the last two frames of the day and finished the group in second position. I didn’t watch anything of that group but I will do. Knowing that it was broadcast on Youtube, I knew that the opportunity to watch it later was there.

Here is what happened yesterday in Leicester as reported by WST:

SWISS BLISS AS URSENBACHER TOPS GROUP

Alexander Ursenbacher was the only player to win a match in Group 26 of the BetVictor Championship League as he topped the table to reach the second round.

The Swiss ace drew his first two matches 2-2 against Graeme Dott and Matthew Selt, notably making a break of 121 in his opening tie. Ursenbacher then scored a handy 3-0 win over Florian Nuessle which put him top of the table.

Dott and Selt had also scored 2-2 draws in their first two games, and they met in the last match of the evening, both needing a 3-0 win and a break higher than 121. Dott took the opener then missed the final yellow on 106 in frame two, and that proved costly as Selt won the third then made a 119 in the fourth to secure yet another 2-2 draw.

David Lilley dominated Group 27, scoring three wins out of three to book his place in the next phase. A break of 85 helped him to a 3-0 win over Liam Graham, and Lilley went on to beat Paul Deaville 3-0 and Yuan Sijun 3-1.

Results / Fixtures

As you may have guessed, being unwell, I saw very little of the action yesterday. I still watched a bit in the evening and, from what I saw even Florian Nuessle didn’t play that badly. This was a very, very hard group. Dotty is never easy to beat and never knows when he is beaten. Selt is more or less in the same mould. Alex is a bit inconsistent, but on a good day, and with the right mindset and motivation he can beat even the very best. Yesterday was such a day apparently. I’m also always happy to see players from mainland Europe doing well.

I saw nothing of the other group, but David Lilley is a bit of a mystery to me. On his day he can beat the best, on other days he looks very ordinary. Yesterday must have been one of “his” days. I expected better from Yuan Sijun but then, maybe, he’s just back from China after the summer break?

In other news, WST made this announcement about the Masters sponsors

OHNSTONE’S PAINT TO SPONSOR THE MASTERS, PART OF SNOOKER’S TRIPLE CROWN

Snooker’s greatest and most historic invitation event, The Masters, will be sponsored by Johnstone’s Paint for the next three years.

World Snooker Tour is delighted to expand its far-reaching partnership with Johnstone’s Paint to include title sponsorship of The Masters, part of the sport’s Triple Crown Series alongside the World Championship and the UK Championship.

The 2025 Johnstone’s Paint Masters will run from January 12-19 at the fabulous Alexandra Palace in London. The world’s top 16 players will compete for prize money of over £1 million and the famous trophy at a tournament first staged in 1975. Ronnie O’Sullivan lifted the trophy for a record-extending eighth time in 2024, beating Ali Carter 10-7 in a thrilling final.

Earlier this year, WST announced a new partnership with Johnstone’s Paint, a brand of PPG Architectural Coatings, UK & Ireland. PPG’s portfolio boasts a distinguished array of brands within the coatings industry including the prestigious Johnstone’s and Leyland Brands. From a global perspective PPG was originally founded and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and currently operates in over 70 countries worldwide.

Johnstone’s Paint was lead partner of both the Players Championship and Tour Championship, providing a range of themed activations and initiatives for snooker fans. This relationship which will continue to develop at the sport’s flagship invitation event over the next three years. 

Moreover, Johnstone’s Paint will use their new affiliation with snooker to help inspire their community projects. In education, they work with STEM learning and will challenge school children to design a player waistcoat which could be worn during tournaments. 

And snooker projects will be considered for the Colourful Communities programme, where PPG volunteers bring colour and vitality to communities where the company operates around the world. Since the program’s launch in 2015, 500 projects have been completed in nearly 50 countries, involving nearly 25,000 PPG volunteer employees and reaching more than 8.2 million people. PPG’s investment in the project since its inception has totalled $10 million, with a planned additional $5 million by 2030 to further develop the initiative.

New World Champion Kyren Wilson said: “The Masters has grown so much in recent years, many players consider it the best atmosphere on the tour and it is a title that everyone wants to win. Having landed the world title, the Masters is now at the top of my list! It’s fantastic to bring Johnstone’s Paint on board as title sponsor, I’m sure they have great ideas to work together with our sport and help us engage with fans.”

WST’s Chief Commercial Officer Peter Wright said: “We are delighted to build on this exciting partnership and to continue to create a colourful future by working with Johnstone’s Paint.

“In recent years, the Johnstone’s Paint Masters has made huge leaps forward to the extent that every session is packed with an audience of over 2,000, and the experience of coming to Alexandra Palace has become a bucket list item for fans who love live sport.  

“Snooker is enjoying incredible progress in terms of our television audience, live attendance and digital growth and we are pleased to welcome Johnstone’s Paint as part of this journey. We will be working closely with them on a range of initiatives including their outstanding community projects.” 

PPG’s Marketing Director, UK & Ireland Megan Esmond said: “We are extremely excited about the partnership; it’s not only about driving brand awareness but the broader opportunities it provides too. Including driving engagement with our employees and customers as well as opening up doors to make a difference in the snooker community, through our Colourful Community projects.”

I’m always happy to see a sponsor that is not a bookie … so this is good news to me!

I have seen very little of the action over the last two days … some quite uncomfortable health issues coming in the way of snooker and life in general 😞 but nothing that time and patience can’t heal.

Anyway, it is what it is and I’m getting better so here is what happened yesterday and the day before in Leicester.

WST shared an interview with Bai Yulu

China’s Bai Yulu reflects on her World Championship qualifying match, and looks ahead to her first season on the World Snooker Tour…

Bai, you lost 10-7 to Jenson Kendrick in the World Championship qualifiers in April, how do you feel about your performance in that match?
I completely failed to adapt to the conditions, and even the equipment, during the first session so I played badly. I was not able to adjust throughout. In the second session I played with more freedom and treated it as if had I lost already, and I got more used to the conditions. I managed to feel the speed of the table better and control the white more easily. But having got back from 9-4 to 9-7, I got a bit nervous towards the end, when I felt that victory was in my reach. I’d like to think I have a carefree type of personality, and that allows me to not overthink during competitions. But I have certain flaws in power shots and I have to work hard to make up for it.

What’s your ambition for the next two seasons? 
I’m not setting a goal but I do think I can make a lot of progress over the two years. I don’t really think about results.

Who is your favourite player?
Stephen Hendry. I used to watch him play when I first started and everybody said he’s awesome, with all the titles he won. I’ve also played against Ding Junhui and I’ve asked him for advice on shot selection.

You have been playing in CBSA Junior events, including a recent one in Yan’An. The best players from the series are awarded wild cards to WST events. How much does this help young talent to improve?
It’s a great platform for our best junior players to sharpen their games before reaching the professional circuit. There are several events each year and you will see all the best young players competing in one arena. For the players it doesn’t really matter what kind of result you get, but to keep learning in tournaments like this means a lot. It’s never been held at a gymnasium before so I had a great experience in Yan’An. 

Who are the best up-and-coming juniors in China?
Zhou Jinhao, Lan Yuhao and Dong Zihao. We grew up practising together and you can tell they are making rapid progress.

Bai comes across as a very mature and determined young woman. It’s a bit surprising that her favourite player is Stephen Hendry considering that he retired in 2012 and she was still a young child then. But I suppose that the “snooker kids” in China get to watch and study videos of the best players, past and present.

WST report on Day 7, yesterday, in Leicester:

O’ DONNELL EDGES WALDEN WITH STRONG FINISH

Martin O’Donnell won the last three frames of the day to edge out Ricky Walden and finish top of Group 24 of the BetVictor Championship League.

O’Donnell’s fine finish puts him into the second group stage of the opening ranking event of the season, as he looks to build on a fine 2023/24 campaign which was highlighted by a run to the final of the BetVictor Welsh Open.

After a 2-2 draw against Rory Thor and a 3-1 win over Umut Dikme, O’Donnell came into the crucial last match of Tuesday’s play in second place behind group leader Walden, who had two wins under his belt. And when Walden took the opening frame, O’Donnell knew he needed the last three.

He cleared from green to black in frame two to keep his hopes alive, then made a superb 94 to lead 2-1. O’Donnell then dominated the last frame with a top run of 48 to clinch top spot.

In Group 28, China’s Wu Yize scored a trio of 3-1 victories to book his place in the next phase. The talented 20-year-old started by beating Joshua Cooper with breaks of 76, 76 and 83. Wu went on to beat Allan Taylor with top runs of 64 and 86, and in his final match against Ross Muir he made a 142 total clearance, the highest break of the tournament so far.

Results / Fixtures

And WST report on day 6, Monday

MCGUIGAN MAKES FAST START TO PRO CAREER

Robbie McGuigan made a flying start to his rookie season as he topped Group Seven at BetVictor Championship League to qualify for the second stage of the season’s opening ranking event.

Northern Ireland’s promising 19-year-old McGuigan earned a place on the tour by winning the European Championship and hopes to make an impact among the pro ranks.

Top seed Tom Ford withdrew from the group, leaving only three players in contention. McGuigan started with a 3-0 win over Sanderson Lam, and though he lost his second match 3-1 to Barry Pinches, he did enough to top the group on frame difference. 

Crucible finalist Jak Jones was competing as a top 16 player for the first time and lived up to his billing as he finished top of Group Eight. After coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Antoni Kowalski, Jones scored a 3-1 win over Bulcsu Revesz with a top break of 88. 

Jordan Brown had identical results, setting up a showdown to decide the group. Brown came from 2-0 down to tie 2-2 and in the last frame he had the chance to snatch top place if he could eclipse Jones’ top break of 88. But the former Welsh Open champion missed the penultimate red on 87 to lose out by the narrowest of margins. Jones continues the sequence of a Welshman topping a group on all seven days of the event so far.

Results / Fixtures

Tom Ford actually played his first match, but was feeling really unwell and had to withdraw for medical reasons.

Robbie had impressed me winning the EBSA event. He showed a lot of determination out there and played a very mature type of snooker, whilst. at the same time, staying positive and attacking.

WST also shared a video where Mark Allen interviews Robbie. Despite being separated from Robbie’s mother, Mark has a good relationship with Robbie and supports him as much as he can