After watching Mark Selby and Judd Trump lift up the European Masters and English Open trophies respectively, it’s easy to lose track of the current Championship League.
Here is where we are, starting Monday 26th October:
- STAGE TWO (October 26-29) sees the 32 group winners split into eight further groups of four, with two groups per day played over two tables.
- STAGE THREE (October 30) will see the eight Stage Two Group Winners battle it out over two final groups. The two group winners will battle it out in a rip-roaring best-of-5 FINAL played on the same day.
You got that? Good.
How important is the Championship League right now?
I understand I bang on about what should be a ranking event and what shouldn’t. But the Championship League shouldn’t be a ranking event. The frames played are too few and the event doesn’t take place in a single leg. It isn’t too exciting when there are draws as well. Because it doesn’t take place in a single leg, Some fans complained that the 16 days of group snooker felt like a complete drag. The never-ending round robin does encourage viewer apathy because it doesn’t have the pizzaz of a great final. The high standard of the European Masters and English Open finals will be hard to follow up to.
But it is very important for two reasons. The obvious one is winning a ranking event. Robert Milkins, Zhou Yuelong, David Gilbert and Mark Davis are players who topped lists of the best players never to win a ranking event. This is something to salivate over. A ranking event finally.
The other reason is to win the final place in the Champion of Champions. This event is quickly one of the fan favourites and most important events in the calendar. The Champion of Champions are already filling the draw with the highest ranked players because very few players have won so many trophies. If someone who already has a Champion of Champions place wins this Championship League, then David Gilbert gets the nod being the highest ranked player. Otherwise, the winner will play in the Championship League.
Stage 2 Groups
Group A
Judd Trump, Ryan Day, Robert Milkins, Barry Hawkins
Group B
Dominic Dale, Zhou Yuelong, Matthew Selt, Shaun Murphy
Group C
Luo Honghao, Zhao Xintong, Alexander Ursenbacher, Stuart Bingham
Group D
Rory McLeod, Graeme Dott, Jamie O’Neill, Mark Selby
Group E
Ken Doherty, Xiao Guodong, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Jordan Brown
Group F
David Gilbert, Scott Donaldson, Mark King, Kyren Wilson
Group G
John Higgins, Martin Gould, Tom Ford, Jamie Clarke
Group H
Joe Perry, Mark Davis, Tian Pengfei, Li Hang
Stage 3 Groups
Group 1
Group A Winner, Group B Winner, Group C Winner, Group D Winner
Group 2
Group E Winner, Group F Winner, Group G Winner, Group H Winner
Final
Group 1 Winner vs Group 2 Winner
The 2020 Matchroom Multi Sport Championship League Snooker will still take place in Ballroom, Stadium MK in Milton Keynes. The rest of the tournament will take place between Monday 26th – 30th September.
Please note that I do not own the images used in this article.
