Championship League
Tournament information
Dates2 January – 29 March 2018 (2018-01-02 – 2018-03-29)
VenueRicoh Arena
CityCoventry
CountryEngland
FormatNon-ranking event
Total prize fund£178,900
Winner's share£10,000 (plus bonuses)
Highest break Martin Gould (ENG) (147)
 Luca Brecel (BEL) (147)
Final
Champion John Higgins (SCO)
Runner-up Zhou Yuelong (CHN)
Score3–2
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Ricoh Arena (Coventry)

The 2018 Championship League was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament taking place from 2 January to 29 March 2018.[1] It was the 11th staging of the tournament.

The defending champion John Higgins retained his title with a 3–2 final win over Zhou Yuelong. As in the previous edition of the tournament Higgins had entered the competition in Group 7 and from there won his way through to the Winners' Group.[2]

Martin Gould and Luca Brecel both made their maiden official maximum breaks in this tournament. Gould achieved his maximum in the deciding frame of his Group 6 round robin match against Li Hang. Brecel achieved his in the third frame of a 3–0 whitewash of defending champion John Higgins in their Group 7 round robin match. These were the 135th and 136th official maximum breaks and the fourth and fifth of the 2017/2018 season. It was the fifth consecutive year that a maximum was made in the Championship League, and the second consecutive year that two were made.[3]

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for the 2018 Championship League is shown below.[4]

Group 1–7
Winners' Group

Group 1

Group 1 was played on 2 and 3 January 2018. Zhou Yuelong was the first player to qualify for the Winners' Group.[5]

Matches

Table

Pos Player Pld W L FF FA FD
1  Stephen Maguire (SCO) 6 4 2 15 12 +3 Qualification to Group 1 play-off
2  Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 6 4 2 14 10 +4
3  Ryan Day (WAL) 6 3 3 12 13 −1
4  Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 6 3 3 12 13 −1
5  Kyren Wilson (ENG) 6 3 3 11 11 0 Advances into Group 2
6  Mark King (ENG) 6 2 4 14 14 0 Eliminated from the competition
7  Michael Holt (ENG) 6 2 4 10 15 −5
Source:[citation needed]

Play-offs

 
Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames		Final
Best of 5 frames
 
      
 
 
 
 
 Stephen Maguire (SCO) 2
 
 
 
 Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 3
 
 Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 2
 
 
 
 Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 3
 
 Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 3
 
 
 Ryan Day (WAL) 2
 

Group 2

Group 2 was played on 4 and 5 January 2018. Mark Selby was the second player to qualify for the Winners' Group, recording his 500th career century in the Group 2 final against Barry Hawkins.[6]

Matches

Note

* Neil Robertson had to pull out of the Championship League due to personal reasons after his fifth match. Results from Robertson's previous matches were removed from the group table.[7]

Table

Pos Player Pld W L FF FA FD
1  Barry Hawkins (ENG) 5 5 0 15 6 +9 Qualification to Group 2 play-off
2  Ryan Day (WAL) 5 3 2 11 9 +2
3  Mark Selby (ENG) 5 2 3 12 10 +2
4  Kyren Wilson (ENG) 5 2 3 9 10 −1
5  Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 5 2 3 8 11 −3 Advances into Group 3
6  Stephen Maguire (SCO) 5 1 4 4 13 −9 Eliminated from the competition
7  Neil Robertson (AUS) 0 0 0 0 0 0
Source:[citation needed]

Play-offs

 
Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames		Final
Best of 5 frames
 
      
 
 
 
 
 Barry Hawkins (ENG) 3
 
 
 
 Kyren Wilson (ENG) 1
 
 Barry Hawkins (ENG) 1
 
 
 
 Mark Selby (ENG) 3
 
 Ryan Day (WAL) 0
 
 
 Mark Selby (ENG) 3
 

Group 3

Group 3 was played on 8 and 9 January 2018. Kyren Wilson was the third player to qualify for the Winners' Group.[8]

Matches

Note

Anthony McGill withdrew before the tournament and was replaced by Tom Ford.

Table

Pos Player Pld W L FF FA FD
1  Mark Allen (NIR) 6 4 2 15 8 +7 Qualification to Group 3 play-off
2  Barry Hawkins (ENG) 6 4 2 14 9 +5
3  Kyren Wilson (ENG) 6 4 2 13 13 0
4  Tom Ford (ENG) 6 3 3 12 11 +1
5  Ali Carter (ENG) 6 3 3 11 13 −2 Advances into Group 4
6  Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 6 2 4 12 15 −3 Eliminated from the competition
7  Ryan Day (WAL) 6 1 5 9 17 −8
Source:[citation needed]

Play-offs

 
Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames		Final
Best of 5 frames
 
      
 
 
 
 
 Mark Allen (NIR) 3
 
 
 
 Tom Ford (ENG) 2
 
 Mark Allen (NIR) 1
 
 
 
 Kyren Wilson (ENG) 3
 
 Barry Hawkins (ENG) 1
 
 
 Kyren Wilson (ENG) 3
 

Group 4

Group 4 was played on 10 and 11 January 2018. Ali Carter was the fourth player to qualify for the Winners' Group.[9] On the first day, Judd Trump made his 500th career century in his match against Liang Wenbo.[10]

Matches

Note

* Mark Allen had to withdraw due to family reasons prior to his second match in the group. The result from Allen's first match in the group was removed from the group table.[7]

Table

Pos Player Pld W L FF FA FD
1  Judd Trump (ENG) 5 4 1 13 4 +9 Qualification to Group 4 play-off
2  Barry Hawkins (ENG) 5 4 1 13 7 +6
3  Shaun Murphy (ENG) 5 2 3 9 12 −3
4  Ali Carter (ENG) 5 2 3 8 10 −2
5  Liang Wenbo (CHN) 5 2 3 7 12 −5 Advances into Group 5
6  Tom Ford (ENG) 5 1 4 7 12 −5 Eliminated from the competition
7  Mark Allen (NIR) 0 0 0 0 0 0
Source:[citation needed]

Play-offs

 
Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames		Final
Best of 5 frames
 
      
 
 
 
 
 Judd Trump (ENG) 0
 
 
 
 Ali Carter (ENG) 3
 
 Ali Carter (ENG) 3
 
 
 
 Shaun Murphy (ENG) 1
 
 Barry Hawkins (ENG) 2
 
 
 Shaun Murphy (ENG) 3
 

Group 5

Group 5 was played on 23 and 24 January 2018. Mark Williams was the fifth player to qualify for the Winners' Group.[11]

Matches

Note

Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy and Liang Wenbo withdrew from the tournament and were replaced by Joe Perry, David Gilbert and Ben Woollaston.

Table

Pos Player Pld W L FF FA FD
1  Judd Trump (ENG) 6 4 2 16 8 +8 Qualification to Group 5 play-off
2  Ben Woollaston (ENG) 6 4 2 15 11 +4
3  Mark Williams (WAL) 6 4 2 13 8 +5
4  Ricky Walden (ENG) 6 3 3 13 13 0
5  Martin Gould (ENG) 6 3 3 12 12 0 Advances into Group 6
6  Joe Perry (ENG) 6 2 4 9 15 −6 Eliminated from the competition
7  David Gilbert (ENG) 6 1 5 5 16 −11
Source:[citation needed]

Play-offs

 
Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames		Final
Best of 5 frames
 
      
 
 
 
 
 Judd Trump (ENG) 2
 
 
 
 Ricky Walden (ENG) 3
 
 Ricky Walden (ENG) 1
 
 
 
 Mark Williams (WAL) 3
 
 Ben Woollaston (ENG) 1
 
 
 Mark Williams (WAL) 3
 

Group 6

Group 6 was played on 25 and 26 January 2018. Martin Gould was the sixth player to qualify for the Winners' Group.[12]

Matches

Table

Pos Player Pld W L FF FA FD
1  Martin Gould (ENG) 6 5 1 16 8 +8 Qualification to Group 6 play-off
2  Judd Trump (ENG) 6 4 2 14 7 +7
3  Ricky Walden (ENG) 6 4 2 12 13 −1
4  Li Hang (CHN) 6 3 3 14 11 +3
5  Graeme Dott (SCO) 6 3 3 13 14 −1 Advances into Group 7
6  Michael White (WAL) 6 1 5 8 15 −7 Eliminated from the competition
7  Ben Woollaston (ENG) 6 1 5 7 16 −9
Source:[citation needed]

Play-offs

 
Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames		Final
Best of 5 frames
 
      
 
 
 
 
 Martin Gould (ENG) 3
 
 
 
 Li Hang (CHN) 2
 
 Martin Gould (ENG) 3
 
 
 
 Judd Trump (ENG) 0
 
 Judd Trump (ENG) 3
 
 
 Ricky Walden (ENG) 0
 

Group 7

Group 7 was played on 26 and 27 March 2018. John Higgins was the seventh player to qualify for the Winners' Group.[13]

Matches

Notes

Graeme Dott and Li Hang withdrew from the tournament prior to Group 7 play. They were replaced by Dominic Dale and Jimmy Robertson.

Table

Pos Player Pld W L FF FA FD
1  Judd Trump (ENG) 6 5 1 16 8 +8 Qualification to Group 7 play-off
2  Jimmy Robertson (ENG) 6 5 1 15 9 +6
3  John Higgins (SCO) 6 4 2 14 10 +4
4  Ricky Walden (ENG) 6 3 3 12 12 0
5  Dominic Dale (WAL) 6 2 4 11 13 −2 Eliminated from the competition
6  Robert Milkins (ENG) 6 1 5 8 16 −8
7  Luca Brecel (BEL) 6 1 5 7 15 −8
Source:[citation needed]

Play-offs

 
Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames		Final
Best of 5 frames
 
      
 
 
 
 
 Judd Trump (ENG) 3
 
 
 
 Ricky Walden (ENG) 1
 
 Judd Trump (ENG) 2
 
 
 
 John Higgins (SCO) 3
 
 Jimmy Robertson (ENG) 1
 
 
 John Higgins (SCO) 3
 

Winners' Group

The Winners' Group was played on 28 and 29 March 2018. In the final, John Higgins defeated Zhou Yuelong 3–2 to retain his Championship League title and win it for the second time in his career.[2]

Matches

Notes

* Zhou Yuelong was awarded the first frame, due to Mark Selby arriving late.

Table

Pos Player Pld W L FF FA FD
1  John Higgins (SCO) 6 5 1 17 8 +9 Qualification to the Winners' Group play-off
2  Ali Carter (ENG) 6 5 1 16 10 +6
3  Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 6 3 3 15 12 +3
4  Mark Selby (ENG) 6 3 3 12 10 +2
5  Kyren Wilson (ENG) 6 3 3 12 13 −1 Eliminated from the competition
6  Mark Williams (WAL) 6 1 5 9 17 −8
7  Martin Gould (ENG) 6 1 5 5 16 −11
Source:[citation needed]

Play-offs

 
Semi-finals
Best of 5 frames		Final
Best of 5 frames
 
      
 
 
 
 
 John Higgins (SCO) 3
 
 
 
 Mark Selby (ENG) 2
 
 John Higgins (SCO) 3
 
 
 
 Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 2
 
 Ali Carter (ENG) 0
 
 
 Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 3
 

Century breaks

Total: 116

Bold: highest break in the indicated group.

Winnings

No. Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W TOTAL
1  John Higgins (SCO) 6,200 1,5200 21,400
2  Zhou Yuelong (CHN) 6,200 10,500 16,700
3  Judd Trump (ENG) 2,300 3,200 4,300 5,100 14,900
4  Ali Carter (ENG) 1,100 5,600 6,200 12,900
5  Kyren Wilson (ENG) 1,100 2,400 6,600 2,400 12,500
6  Mark Selby (ENG) 6,300 6,000 12,300
7  Barry Hawkins (ENG) (3) 4,900 2,700 3,200 10,800
8  Ricky Walden (ENG) 4,500 2,200 2,500 9,200
9  Martin Gould (ENG) 1,200 6,900 1,000 9,100
10  Mark Williams (WAL) 6,600 1,800 8,400
11  Anthony Hamilton (ENG) 4,700 1,100 1,200 7,000
12  Ryan Day (WAL) 3,300 2,100 900 6,300
13  Mark Allen (NIR) (2) 4,700 100 4,800
14  Shaun Murphy (ENG) (3) 4,100 4,100
15  Stephen Maguire (SCO) 3,100 700 3,800
16  Tom Ford (ENG) 2,800 700 3,500
=  Ben Woollaston (ENG) 2,800 700 3,500
18  Li Hang (CHN) (4) 3,000 3,000
19  Jimmy Robertson (ENG) 2,800 2,800
20  Neil Robertson (AUS) (1) 1,700 1,700
21  Mark King (ENG) 1,400 1,400
22  Graeme Dott (SCO) (4) 1,300 1,300
23  Liang Wenbo (CHN) (3) 1,200 1,200
=  Luca Brecel (BEL) 1,200 1,200
25  Dominic Dale (WAL) 1,100 1,100
26  Michael Holt (ENG) 1,000 1,000
27  Joe Perry (ENG) 900 900
28  Michael White (WAL) 800 800
=  Robert Milkins (ENG) 800 800
30  David Gilbert (ENG) 500 500
Total prize money 20,800 19,200 20,000 17,200 19,700 19,200 19,700 43,100 178,900

Green: Won the group. Bold: Highest break in the group. All prize money in GBP.
Notes
(1) Neil Robertson withdrew due to personal reasons after his fifth match in Group 2.
(2) Mark Allen withdrew due to family reasons after his first match in Group 4.
(3) Barry Hawkins, Shaun Murphy and Liang Wenbo withdrew from the tournament prior to Group 5 play.
(4) Graeme Dott and Li Hang withdrew from the tournament prior to Group 7 play.

References

  1. ^ "2017/18 World Snooker Calendar" (PDF). World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Higgins Retains Championship League Crown". Championship League Snooker. Matchroom Sport Ltd. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Gould Makes Maiden 147". World Snooker. 26 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Home - Championship League Snooker". Championship League Snooker.
  5. ^ "Zhou Wins CLS Group One". World Snooker. 4 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Selby Makes 500th Century". World Snooker. 5 January 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Fixtures and results". championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk. Perform. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Kyren Wilson Is Group 3 Champion - Championship League Snooker". 9 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Ali Carter Is Group 4 Champion - Championship League Snooker". 11 January 2018.
  10. ^ "2018 Championship League - Group 4". snooker.org. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Williams Is Group 5 Champ - Championship League Snooker". 24 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Gould Takes Group 6 Honours - Championship League Snooker". 26 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Higgins Takes Final Berth In Winners' Group". Championship League Snooker. Matchroom Sport Ltd. 27 March 2018.

External links

Championship League
2017–18 snooker season
Categories