Championship League Snooker

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It's another bout of Championship League Snooker starting today. Now it's ranked though, so it should provide abit more competitiveness and perhaps may slow down the big scorers at the latter stages. I like this tournament, I've managed to get both winners in Donaldson and Brecel at huge prices of 66 and 125/1 as it's normally a wide open event.

128 players in this, split into groups of four. There are 32 groups. You can win, lose or draw in the group matches which are a "first to 4" structure. 

picks (10pts staked)

0.5pts E/W G.Wilson to win CL 50/1 paddypower
0.5pts E/W A.McGill to win CL 50/1 paddypower
0.5pts E/W Un-Nooh to win CL 50/1 paddypower 
0.5pts E/W S.Donaldson to win CL 75/1 paddypower
0.5pts E/W L.Brecel to win CL 75/1 paddypower
0.5pts E/W Xintong to win CL 75/1 paddypower
0.5pts E/W K.Maflin to win CL 125/1 paddypower 
0.5pts E/W Yuelong to win CL 150/1 paddypower 
0.5pts E/W Holt to win CL 175/1 paddypower
0.5pts E/W E.Slessor to win CL 225/1 paddypower 

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I'll put up the groups and winners in here also as there won't be much match betting in these small formats :

Winner Group 1 - J.Trump
Winner Group 2 - R.Day
Winner Group 3 - R.Milkins
Winner Group 4 - B.Hawkins
Winner Group 5 - D.Dale
Winner Group 6 - Z.Yuelong
Winner Group 7 - M.Selt
Winner Group 8 - S.Murphy
Winner Group 9 - L.Honghao
Winner Group 10 - Z. Xintong
Winner Group 11 - A.Ursenbacher
Winner Group 12 - S.Bingham
Winner Group 13 - R.McLeod
Winner Group 14 - G.Dott
Winner Group 15 - J.O'Neill
Winner Group 16 - M.Selby
Winner Group 17 - K.Doherty
Winner Group 18 - X.Guodong
Winner Group 19 - T.Un-Nooh
Winner Group 20 - J.Brown
Winner Group 21 - D.Gilbert
Winner Group 22 - S.Donaldson
Winner Group 23 - M.King
Winner Group 24 - K.WIlson
Winner Group 25 - J.Higgins
Winner Group 26 - M.Gould
Winner Group 27 - T.Ford
Winner Group 28 - J.Clarke
Winner Group 29 - J.Perry
Winner Group 30 - M.Davis
Winner Group 31 - T.Pengfei
Winner Group 32 - L.Hang

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I'm going to take Heathcote to win group 5. He has the easiest of his matches are the start and plays Maguire last and Maguire is very much a hit and miss kind of player so if he isn't up for this, I think Heath has a great chance at a big price.

In the other group i will take outright pick, Yuelong. A player I rate quite highly.

5pts Yuelong to win Group 6 7/5 bet365
2pts L.Heathcote to win Group 5 6/1 paddypower
1pt double on both above 14/1 bet365

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Yuelong wins group 6. Heathcote didn't really turn up. He should have gone 1-0 up against Dale and after losing that frame, it all went abit south. +4pts

Championship League +4pts
Snooker 2020 bets +139.75pts

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I'm going to take Ben Woollaston to win Group 7 tomorrow. He is in a group with Gao Yang (16yr old from China), Jiahui (18yr old from China) and Matthew Selt, who is bang out of form. Selt has only won 1 from his last 6 whilst Woollaston managed to get to the final group in the last Championship League event. 

In the other group, I'm going to take a gamble on Jimmy White. I'm not sure what Murphy will turn up for this but even when he is playing well this kind of event isn't really suited to his style. In reality, even O'Donnell is more likely than Jimmy to qualify, but when you don't need to win every match in these groups anything can happen. We've seen players top the group with just one win. 

5pts B.Woollaston to win Group 7 7/5 bet365
2pts J.White to win Group 8 10/1 betfred

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My word, Woollaston was pathetic. Todays groups are group 10 and 21. I can't see past wins for Gilbert and Xintong today so it's a no bet.

Championship League -3pts
Snooker 2020 bets +132.75pts

 

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Gilbert and Xintong through. Groups 12 and 18 get going this morning. I like Guodong in group 18. Vafaei is a good player but we haven't seen him win since October 2019. He's had a couple of tough opponents but that's a 9 match losing streak. We saw Guodong make the semi-finals in his last event and push Trump to a decider. He also made the Last 16 of the Grand Prix.

In the other group, you'd have to think Bingham should get through that group but it's a tricky one. Sijun is a really good player and although Cahill is bang out of form he could easily strike up some form for this. I think it's worth a small punt on Cahill.

5pts X.Guodong to win group 12 11/10 unibet
1.5pts J.Cahill to win group 18 7/1 betfred
 

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Guodong wins Group 12. Cahill gave us a run for our money but needed to win that first frame against Bingham. Bingham ends up winning all 3 matches 3-0 and looks on form. One to keep an eye on. +4pts

Championship League +1pt
Snooker 2020 bets +136.75pts

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Nothing I really liked yesterday. I was tempted by Ian Burns and he ended up 2nd so glad I left that alone. McLeod wins the group along with Dott. Wenbo was also tempting but the favourite wins the group. It's similar today in that I think Haotian is tempting but it's a no bet for me today

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Straight back into this tomorrow morning and Group 11 & 17 play. Group 11 has Ant McGill as a favourite and I feel he is probably playing well enough to win that group. It's one of the reasons I've put him up as an outright tip for the whole competition. However, I thought in the European Masters that McGill looked abit tired when he lamely went out to Kyren Wilson and I think at 33/1 Riley Parsons is worth a cover bet. 

In the other group Neil Robertson will be the big favourite to win the group and he's playing well enough to justify that but I do think Ken Doherty could cause abit of an upset. He is playing really well at the moment and you really can't look at the 5-0 loss to Mark Allen. Mark Allen scored 4 centuries in that match. Doherty was 2-1 up against Neil Robertson in their last Championship League match and it ended up 2-2. I'll take the 8/1 on another outsiders chance.

1pt R.Parsons to win Group 11 33/1 paddypower boosted
1pt K.Doherty to win Group 17 8/1 betfred

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Stage 2 (so far) - basically, if you're following this, winner of each group goes into these 8 groups. Winner of each group makes up two "final groups" in which the top 2 qualify for the final. Winner of that wins the event. Simplez!

Group A :               

• Trump                        
• Day                            
• Milkins
• Hawkins

Group B :

• Dale
• Yuelong
• Selt
• Murphy

Group C :

• Xintong
• Bingham
• Ursenbacher
• Honghao

Group D :

• McLeod
• Dott
• O'Neill
• Selby

Group E :

• Guodong
• Doherty
• Un-Nooh
• Brown

Group F :

• Gilbert
• King
• Donaldson
• K.Wilson

Group G :

• Higgins
• Gould
• Clarke
• Ford

Group H :

• Perry
• Davis
• Pengfei
• Li Hang
   

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Ken Doherty wins the group with a game to spare for an 8/1 winner. Parsons has given us a run for our money. If McGill beats Ursenbacher 3-0 and Parsons wins 3-0 or 3-1 then he can nick it or Ursenbacher loses 3-1 and Parsons wins 3-0 then could also steal it but assuming that wont happen. +7pts

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Fair play to Kendo. He must have got over his Seniors horror show.

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Groups 9 and 19 play today. Mark Allen and Un-Nooh being the two short odds favourites. Mark Allen looked in top nick last week and I'm not interested in that group. The other group, also, has no value for me. Perhaps Akani vs Un-Nooh final match will be the decider but the value just isn't there today. No bet

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Allen goes out as Honghao wins 2 and draws. Good to see Un-Nooh make it through as he is on the outright bets. I like an outsider in both groups today. It's group 22 and 23 today. I've got outright bets on Donaldson for group 22 and I think he should see that through but I do like Ash Carty as a player and I think he is worth an outsider punt today. I also think Taylor is worth a shot in the other group after his good form at the European event. Grace is another that is tempting at a similar price.

Group 22 - Donaldson / Carty / Wakelin / Pinches
Group 23 - J.Robertson / Taylor / Grace / King

2pts A.Carty to win Group 22 5/1 betfred
2pts A.Taylor to win Group 23 5/1 betfred

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No winner yesterday but atlleast it's Donaldson through who we've got on the outright, if you followed. Today's groups have quite small value. I like Gould in his group as he will be full of confidence but him and Maflin are both pretty much evens and that price doesn't interest me. In the other group Higgins is the favourite but there could be some value with O'Connor. He's 3/1 thought and it's probably just alittle bit skinny for me. Higgins played well in the Euro event, when he was leading Gould for much of the match. It's a no bet today, for me.

cl bets +3pts

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Gould through along with Higgins. No big shocks there. Today we have a group with an outright pick in Luca Brecel along with Tom Ford, Mann and Ashley Hugill. I can't see any value in it as Ford and Brecel are both close to evens. In the other group though, I will take the favourite in Jamie Clarke. He has a group with Mark Joyce, Lei Peifan and Pinhey. 

I'll take a double with Brecel to etch some value

1pt L.Brecel to win his group & J.Clarke to win his group 4/1 bet365

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Jamie Clarke wins group 28. Brecel had his group in his hands. All he had to do was draw against Ford. 1-0 up and loses the next 3 in a row like a complete melt. Ford wins the group.

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Tomorrow sees group 24 and 30. Group 24 involves favourite Kyren Wilson. Also in the group is Daniel Wells, who missed the European Championships, Kudesh Johal and Duane Jones. In the other group Ali Carter is the favourite along with Mark Davis, who was going well in the European Championships until his cue got nicked, Jamie Curtis-Barrett and Chang Bingyu. 

I'm taking a couple of outsiders once again here. I'm going to take Duane Jones in group 24. He is a big price thanks to big favourite Kyren Wilson. Kyren played really well in the European Championships but that doesn't always move over to these kind of events. Duane Jones played well in beating Higginson. If Kyren Wilson isn't on song, I feel like 9/1 is decent value.

In Group 30, I'll take a chance on Bingyu. He scored well last time we saw him and players who are scoring well is key.

1pt D.Jones to win Group 24 9/1 paddypower
1pt C.Bingyu to win Group 30 4/1 paddypower

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No luck with Jones or Bingyu. Just two more groups to play in Phase One. Both of those groups are played tomorrow. Group 31 and 32. Pengfei, Saengkham, Oliver Lines & Robbie Williams in one group and Boiko, Borg and Li Hang in the other,

Group 31 has Saengkham as a favourite. I can see why as his form is pretty good. I'm going to take a punt on Pengfei though. He has a good record against Saengkham and has won all 3 of the head-2-heads. I like Li Hang as a favourite in the other group. The other two players are pretty weak.

2pts T.Pengfei to win Group 31 9/4 betfred
7pts Li Hang to win group 32 4/7 bet365
 

 

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Hang wins the group and Pengfei wins the group thanks to a lovely last frame highbreak +8.5pts

CL bets +8.5pts
Snooker 2020 bets +174.5pts

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This continues in an hour with Group A and C. Group A has recent English Open winner, Judd Trump. He faces Ryan Day, Barry Hawkins and Robert Milkins. We're unsure as to how Trump is going to play despite the rest. Alot of the time after a big ranking event win a player will drop off somewhat. This is very short game snooker though, but either way I like the like of Day as an outsider.

Group C has Bingham as a favourite. Xintong is second in the betting along with Ursenbacher and finally Hongho. I like the form of Ursenbacher here and I'm not sure Bingham can be an odds on favourite here.

1.5pts R.Day to win Group A 6/1 betfair
2pts A.Ursenbacher to win Group C 11/2 bet365

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No luck yesterday but a 2nd prize in that Xintong goes on to the next round (75/1 outright pick). I have Yuelong in the same vein. Today, Murphy, Dale, Set  and Yuelong make up Group B whilst McLeod, Selby, O'Neill and Dott make up Group D. We'll have half the last 8 sorted by end of play.

I'm going to take a punt on McLeod coming through group D today. 16/1 is just too big for what I see as a winnable group. In the other group, I think Yuelong has a great shot but 3/1 is a correct price in my eyes

1pt R.McLeod to win Group 16/1 bet365 

 

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Yuelong goes through along with Selby. Such a group of death for Group 1 of the final two groups :

Selby / Trump / Xintong / Yuelong

today and tomorrow we’ll know the second group of the finals. 

i have Un-Nooh as an outright today. He will be up against Guodong, Jordan Brown and Ken Doherty. In the other group I have Scott Donaldson, who isn’t playing very well atall but he is up against Gilbert, Kyren Wilson and Mark King

It’s not the sexiest price but I’ll go with Kyren Wilson to get through today 

4pts K.Wilson to win group evens bet365

 

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Wilson wins the group and becomes in with a great shout of making the final. He will be in a group with Ken Doherty, who rather annoyingly beat Un-Nooh to first place with a bigger break. Today's final 2 groups are G and H: 

I like the chances of Mark Davis in Group H. He has Joe Perry, Li Hang and Pengfei in his group. He's been playing well recently and Li Hang can be very up and down. In the other group, I like the chances of the big outsider Jamie Clarke. He has an awful group in Martin Gould, John Higgins and Tom Ford and if he can get out of that he would have every chance of making the final.

2pts M.Davis to win Group H 3/1 bet365
1pt J.Clarke to win Group G 10/1 paddypower
1.5pts double - Higgins and Davis double 8/1 bet365
1pt e/w J.Clarke to win Championship League 66/1 bet365

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Higgins and Perry win the group and we're down to the final 8. Here is today's final groups. The actual final will also be played tonight.

Trump
Selby
Xintong
Yuelong

K.Wilson
Doherty
Higgins
Perry

The winner of each group will play in the final. I have Xintong and Yuelong in an outright pick. They're going to have to really perform to get the better of Selby and Trump. I'd be happy with either of those two making the final. The bet i'm going with on the side though is Kyren Wilson to win the event. I think he wins his group today and that puts him into a final with most likely Trump. Kyren Wilson isn't 5/1 to beat Trump in such a short format.

4pts K.Wilson to win Championship League 5/1 betway

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Kyren Wilson beats Judd Trump 3-1 in the final +20pts 

Championship League tips +21.5pts
Snooker 2020 +187.50pts