I must admit that it wasn’t until late today that I remembered that the Championship League was back on this week but it was and defending champion Judd Trump has made a flawless start to what is the third group…
Day One Results from Global Snooker:
Allister Carter 1-3 Marco Fu
66(66c)-65(33), 43-78(77c), 0-95(95), 58(58)-71(71c)
Judd Trump 3-1 Neil Robertson
0-105(105), 66(43)-34, 108(108)-4, 70(41)-42
Stephen Hendry 2-3 Mark Allen
49-60, 0-77(63), 73(57)-45(33), 78(78)-0, 17-65(65)
Allister Carter 1-3 Joe Perry
6-77(32), 79(51)-1, 8-69(69), 57(48)-70(70c)
Judd Trump 3-1 Marco Fu
55(55)-73(52), 75(32)-0, 70-42, 84(84)-0
Neil Robertson 3-2 Stephen Hendry
102(101)-16, 67(67)-32(32), 66(44)-75(32), 0-99(55,44), 93(87)-20
Mark Allen 3-2 Joe Perry
70(55)-52(48), 0-105(101), 70-50, 9-66, 107(107)-0
Judd Trump 3-0 Allister Carter
103(103)-0, 68(47)-48, 83(74)-41
Marco Fu 3-1 Neil Robertson
91(83)-4, 104(104)-8, 12-75(75), 81-16
Stephen Hendry 2-3 Joe Perry
69(69)-12, 23-61, 34-84(58), 60(52)-23, 47-66
Judd Trump 3-1 Joe Perry
72(66)-16, 119(118)-6, 18-58, 77(77c)-54(54)
Neil Robertson 2-3 Mark Allen7-123(114), 72-6
Having reached the semi-finals of the first two groups, Judd Trump looks certain to make it three in a row having won all four of his group three matches today for the loss of just three frames. It would take a very strange set of results to see him fail to finish in the top four now and it will be interesting to see if he can move into the winners group once again at what is obviously a venue that he feels comfortable in. A word of caution though, neither of the men who topped the first two groups earlier in the month were able to win their play-off matches, indeed one was Judd himself.
Unlike previous groups where there have been a distinct group of players pulling clear at the top however, behind Judd all is to play for as Mark Allen, Joe Perry and Marco Fu are all level on two wins. Furthermore Neil Robertson currently looks set to join that group, leading Allen 2-1 in the final match of the day.
That leaves Stephen Hendry and Ali Carter cut adrift at the bottom with no wins from their matches played. For Hendry it is perhaps not so surprising, though losing all of his matches 3-2 he can consider himself unlucky not to have won at least one match. For Championship League veteran Ali Carter however it was a nightmare day in which he won just two frames! Neither are entirely out of the running but both look likely to exit the competition tomorrow…
EDIT: Well done to Mark Allen, he has won the last two frames against Neil to move onto three wins and up into second place in the group.