After seven groups and nearly three months since the tournament started, we are now down to the winners group where Mark Selby, Mark Allen, Mark King, Stuart Bingham, Joe Perry, John Higgins and Judd Trump will battle it out for a place in the Premier League…
To view the latest scores and group standings, please click here to visit Matchroom Sport.
I will provide some updates on the play throughout the day but I will not be at the computer for the full day so not all matches will be covered.
11am/12:30pm
It has been a great start to the day from 2008 finalist Mark Selby who has won his opening two matches against Mark Allen and Judd Trump by a 3-1 scoreline. With four points he is already in an excellent position to qualify for the semi-finals and should make sure with another couple of wins.
In the other matches, defending champion Joe Perry led Stuart Bingham 2-0 but a good comeback from the man from Basildon salvaged a point, while John Higgins recovered from dropping the opening frame to defeat Mark King 3-1.
2pm
Getting the afternoon session underway are four of the players who are yet to win a match in the competition so they will all be looking to get some points on the board. Mark Allen takes on Joe Perry whilst Stuart Bingham comes up against Mark King…
As was thr case this morning, Joe Perry looks to be heading for a 2-0 lead against Mark Allen…but he’s gone in-off in the right-centre pocket when going from black to yellow and given the man from Antrim a lifeline. Mark misses the yellow into the left-centre though and Joe has another chance, until he misses a tricky blue. Mark looks edgy at the moment though and is not even close with his attempt and it is indeed 2-0 to Perry.
On the other table meanwhile, Stuart Bingham also leads by 2-0 against Mark King.
The first chance in frame three falls to Mark Allen in a frame that he must win to keep his hopes of securing a point alive, what can he make of it? Only 11 is the answer and now he is in all sorts of trouble as Perry plays a brilliant shot to snooker him behind the brown. He escapes but it ultimately gives Perry a great chance to get some points on the board…only 33 though, an unusual bounce off the cushion leaves him out of position on the intended pink and he fails to recover the situation with a long blue. With the seven remaining reds all in the open now, this is the chance that Mark has been looking for…and he takes full advantage with a run of 59.
Following a misjudged attempt to escape from a snooker in frame four, Joe has been
presented with the first chance and from it established a lead of 51-0. With seven reds left however, Mark is in with a chance to make inroads into that lead…but he can only make seven as a blue to the green pocket fails. Though he could still win the frame, Mark has not really looked himself today and Joe will be disappointed if he does not go on to win this match, particularly as he has already let a 2-0 lead slip once today…but he does win as a missed red down the side-cushion gives Joe the chance he needs.
A good start for Joe but with two defeats to his name already, Mark needs to find his form quickly.
Over on table two, Mark King has got one back against Stuart Bingham and has a small lead in frame four…but Stuart has knocked in a great opening red and should now really take the frame and a 3-1 win…but late drama, a huge kick on the final red in baulk has caused him to miss it to the green pocket and given a King a chance to counter. The key shot now will be the brown which is tight to the baulk cushion…and Mark has missed it, playing at pace to come out for the blue. Barring snookers, it looks like 3-1 to Stuart…and it is.
3:30pm
A mouthwatering clash now between John Higgins and Judd Trump in a re-match of their Grand Prix semi-final earlier this season. The other table is not bad either as Mark Selby meets Joe Perry in a repeat of last season’s final!
Both matches are flying along too, already both John and Joe have a 1-0 lead, though Trump is already on a break of 37 and counting in frame two…and despite a great effort from John to get a snooker, he levels at 1-1, as does Mark Selby on table two…
The first chance in frame three falls to Judd but when going into the bunch from the blue, he has been very unfortunate to go in-off in the left-centre pocket. John could not capitalise however and with a terrific plant from distance followed by a tidy pink, Judd is back in with a fantastic chance to take the frame which he again takes with no problem.
In frame four John has the first chance but breaks down on 21 as he runs out of position. Even worse, his attempted double left Judd with a decent chance to the left-centre but surprisingly he missed it and John has taken full advantage with a clearance of 104.
Well done to John not just for securing a point, but for making the 400th century of his professional career, a tally second only to Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Over on the other table, Joe Perry leads Mark Selby 2-1 but it is Selby who is in command of the fourth frame with a 50 point lead with six reds remaining…but well done to Joe Perry who comes back to take it on the colours, thanks mainly to a terrific shot with the rest towards the end of the break.
6pm
Starting the evening session will be Mark Allen and Stuart Bingham in what is already a must-win clash for the world number 16. Over on table two meanwhile, it is a must-win match for another Mark, this time King against Judd Trump…
Well Mark Allen’s nightmare day continues as breaks of 68 and 61 in the first two frames move Stuart Bingham into a 2-0 lead in around 25 minutes. Trump and King meanwhile are also playing out a high quality contest, King going into the lead with a run of 75 before Judd levelled with an 80.
Stuart looked like going 3-0 ahead but he has missed the last red and after a safety exchange, Mark has come back to keep his hopes alive at 1-2. Judd Trump has also come back from behind to lead Mark King 2-1.
And now Judd has completed a 3-1 victory in dramatic fashion following a clearance of 58 to the final pink. It looked for a while like the frame was Mark’s, but Judd dropped a red into one of the middle pockets and it just about dropped and set him up for victory. With no points on the board from his first three matches, it is tough to see Mark qualiying for the semi-finals now…
Things are slightly better for Mark Allen at least, a break of 48 up to the final brown salvages a point and keeps his hopes alive…
7pm
Judd Trump has quickly moved into a 1-0 lead against Joe Perry as he looks for a second consecutive win. It also looks like John Higgins is going to keep up the strong form he has shown so far today by moving 1-0 up on Stuart Bingham, though it has been a close run frame that has gone to the colours…and he does.
Judd racing along now, 2-0 with a break of 57…Stuart had a chance to level with Higgins at 1-1 but could only make 35 and Higgins has responded with a 37 of his own to leave the frame in the balance with four reds left…
Joe Perry is unlucky in frame three, with a 52-0 lead he has missed a red that could not have been any closer to going in without actually dropping. Judd drills in a red down the side cushion and he now has an excellent chance. Unfortunately for him though, on 13 he goes in-off a red and Joe has a second chance…and he does enough to pull one back.
Stuart meanwhile has taken the second frame against Higgins and all is still to play for there…
Judd Trump though has completed an excellent win against Joe Perry, no big breaks in the final frame as it became something of a struggle, but he has done enough to move level with Perry on five points at the top of the league.
Stuart has turned things around against Higgins and now leads 2-1, though Higgins is in with a chance in frame four. With the remaining reds tightly bunched though, it looks like Stuart will get another chance…and he looked like he would take it with a break of 68 but we have late drama as he misses the match-ball green and gives Higgins a reprieve…but he cannot take it and Stuart clinches a 3-1 victory.