2024 Championship League (invitational) explained

Tournament Name:2024 BetVictor Championship League
Invitational
Venue:Leicester Arena
Location:Leicester
Organisation:Matchroom Sport
Country:England
Format:Non-ranking event
Total Prize Fund:£205,000
Winners Share:£10,000 (plus bonuses)
Highest Break: (147)
(147)
(147)
Score:31
Previous:2023 (ranking)
2023 (invitational)
Next:2024 (ranking)

The 2024 Championship League Invitational (officially the 2024 BetVictor Championship League Invitational for sponsorship reasons) was a professional nonranking snooker tournament, which took place from 2 January 2024 to 13 March 2024 at the Leicester Arena in Leicester, England.

John Higgins was the defending champion, having won the tournament for the fourth time after beating Judd Trump 31 in the final of the 2023 event.[1] [2] He was defeated 30 by Joe O'Connor in the Winners' Group semifinals.

There were three maximum breaks achieved during the tournament, by Kyren Wilson in Group 3, by John Higgins in Group 5, and by Joe O'Connor in Group 7. This is only the third time that three maximums have been made in an event, the first being at the 2012 UK Championship, and the second at the 2017 German Masters.

Mark Selby won the tournament, beating Joe O'Connor 31 in the final.[3]

Format

A total of 25 players were initially invited to the event, with the matches played behind closed doors without an audience. Players earned prize money for every won, as well as being semifinalists, runnerup, and winner of each group, with more money involved in the Winners' Group. Since 2010, all matches were played as the best of five frames.

The tournament was played in a roundrobin format, consisted of eight groups of seven players. The top four players in each group qualified for a playoff, with the winner entering the Winners' Group. The bottom two players in each group were eliminated, and the remaining four moved to the next group, where they were joined by three more players. This format was played for each group, from one to seven. In each group, the players were ranked by the number of matches won, then by most frames won, and then by least frames lost. If two players were tied by these criteria, the player who won the match between them was ranked higher in the table. The group playoff semifinals were contested between the 1st and 4th place players in the table, and between the 2nd and 3rd place players in the table. The Winners' Group was played at the end, and its playoff winner became champion of the tournament.[4] [5]

Groups 1 and 2 were played from 2 to 5 January. Groups 3, 4, and 5 were played from 5 to 10 February. Groups 6 and 7 were played from 26 to 29 February, and the Winners' Group was played on 12 and 13 March. The champion takes a place in the Champion of Champions.

The event was broadcast by DAZN in Germany, Spain, the United States and Brazil; Fox Sports in Australia; Nova in Czechia and Slovakia; Premier in the Philippines; Rigour Media in China; Viaplay in the Baltics, Iceland and the Netherlands; Viasat in Scandinavia; and by Matchroom.live in all other territories. It was also streamed live on the MatchroomMultiSport YouTube channel.[6]

Withdrawals

There were a number of players who were originally invited to participate, who withdrew and were replaced by others. Most notable among these were Mark Allen, Zhang Anda, Zhou Yuelong, Hossein Vafaei, Jack Lisowski, Judd Trump, and Si Jiahui. There were other changes as players moved between groups, as noted in the group sections below.

Prize fund

The breakdown of prize money for the 2024 Championship League is as follows:

Group 1

Group 1 was played on 2 and 3 January 2024.[7] There were 19 century breaks made in Group 1, the highest being 140 made by both Chris Wakelin and Kyren Wilson.[8] Stuart Bingham won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.[9]

Group 1 league matches

2 January

3 January

Group 1 play-offs

Group 2

Group 2 was played on 4 and 5 January 2024.[10] There were 17 century breaks made in Group 2, the highest being 142 made by Ali Carter.[11] Chris Wakelin won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.[12]

Note: Matthew Selt moved from Group 5 to Group 2.

Group 2 league matches

4 January

5 January

Group 2 play-offs

Group 3

Group 3 was played on 5 and 6 February 2024.[13] There were 26 century breaks made in Group 3, the highest being 147 made by Kyren Wilson in his league match against Tom Ford, the fifth maximum break of his career.[14] [15] Mark Selby won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.[16]

Note: John Higgins replaced Ali Carter in Group 3. Carter moved from Group 3 to Group 6.

Group 3 league matches

5 February

6 February

Group 3 play-offs

Group 4

Group 4 was played on 7 and 8 February 2024.[17] There were 18 century breaks made in Group 4, the highest being 143 made by John Higgins.[18] Neil Robertson won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.[19]

Group 4 league matches

7 February

8 February

Group 4 table

Note: Barry Hawkins and Neil Robertson finished with equal points and frames after all the league matches were completed. Hawkins won the match between them and so finished above Robertson in the table.

Group 4 play-offs

Group 5

Group 5 was played on 9 and 10 February 2024.[20] There were 19 century breaks made in Group 5, the highest being 147 made by John Higgins in his semi-final match against Fan Zhengyi, the 13th maximum break of his career.[21] [22] Higgins won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.[23]

Note: Fan Zhengyi replaced Matthew Selt in Group 5. Selt moved from Group 5 to Group 2.

Group 5 league matches

9 February

10 February

Group 5 table

Note: Kyren Wilson and David Gilbert finished with equal points and frames after all the league matches were completed. Wilson won the match between them and so finished above Gilbert in the table.

Group 5 play-offs

Group 6

Group 6 was played on 26 and 27 February 2024.[24] There were 15 century breaks made in Group 6, the highest being 142 made by Ricky Walden.[25] Kyren Wilson won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.[26]

Note: Ali Carter replaced John Higgins in Group 6. Higgins moved from Group 6 to Group 3. Carter then withdrew and was replaced in the group by Elliot Slessor. Barry Hawkins also withdrew and was replaced by Pang Junxu.

Group 6 league matches

26 February

27 February

Group 6 play-offs

Group 7

Group 7 was played on 28 and 29 February 2024.[27] There were 16 century breaks made in Group 7, the highest being 147 made by Joe O'Connor in his league match against Elliot Slessor, the first maximum break of his career and the 200th in professional snooker.[28] [29] O'Connor won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.[30] [31]

Note: Ronnie O’Sullivan played in the first day's matches, then subsequently withdrew and did not compete further. He was not replaced by another player, and the group continued as a six-player group with the matches already played against O'Sullivan omitted.

Group 7 league matches

28 February

Results not counted after O'Sullivan's withdrawal:

29 February

Matches not played:

Group 7 play-offs

Winners' Group

The Winners' Group was played on 12 and 13 March 2024.[32] There were 16 century breaks made in the Winners' Group, the highest being 143 made by Neil Robertson.[33] Mark Selby won the group and the tournament.[34]

Winners' Group league matches

12 March

13 March

Winners' Group play-offs

Final

Final: Best of 5 frames. Referee: David Ford
Leicester Arena, Leicester, England, 13 March 2024.
Joe O'Connor
13Mark Selby
Frame scores: 6755, 074, 0137 (137), 3571
(frame 1) 47Highest break137 (frame 3)
0Century breaks1

Century breaks

A total of 146 century breaks were made during the tournament.[35]

Note: Bold = highest break in the indicated group.

Winnings

-- NOTE: FOR GROUP WINNERS GREEN USE style="background:#88ff88;" -->
No.Player1234567WTotal
1 (5)4,9006,30014,40025,600
2 (9)2,8502,6002,7004,7001,0006,1002,00021,950
3 (12)4,5003,1006,7006,40020,700
4 (35)1,1006,9008,40016,400
5 (26)6,1005,60011,700
6 (7)2,3006,0003,00011,300
7 (23)1,4506,1001,6009,150
8 (25)1,1004,6001,3007,000
9 (17)4,4001,2001,0006,600
10 (51)2,9002,8005,700
11 (15)2,2003,1005,300
12 (31)4,3008005,100
13 (41)4,7004,700
14 (32)2,9001,2004,100
15 (20)3,3006003,900
16 (51)2,9005003,400
17 (10)3,0003,000
18 (38)1,2001,2002,400
19 (42)2,0002,000
20 (22)1,3001,300
21 (36)1,1001,100
22 (32)1,0001,000
23 (29)900900
24 (27)800800
data-sort-value=25= (1)800800
26 (18)700700
27 (14)600600
Total prize money:20,00019,30018,70019,40020,10019,80018,50041,400177,200
Green: Won the Group.
Bold: Highest break in the Group.
Numbers in parentheses: World ranking prior to tournament start, 2 January 2024.
All prize money in GBP.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John Higgins defends BetVictor Championship League crown . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 2 March 2023 . 28 January 2024 . 17 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230417091059/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/john-higgins-defends-betvictor-championship-league-crown/ . live.
  2. Web site: Higgins beats Trump in League final . . 2 March 2023 . 28 January 2024 . 28 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240128175647/https://www.wst.tv/news/2023/march/02/higgins-beats-trump-in-league-final/ . live.
  3. Web site: Selby lands Championship League crown . . 13 March 2024 . 13 March 2024 . 13 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240313233549/https://www.wst.tv/news/2024/march/13/selby-lands-championship-league-crown/ . live.
  4. Web site: Championship League Snooker . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 10 August 2024 . 13 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240413151647/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/invitational/ . live.
  5. Web site: BetVictor Championship League Invitational . . 31 December 2023 . 28 January 2024 . 28 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240128122012/https://www.wst.tv/news/2023/december/31/betvictor-championship-league-invitational-/ . live.
  6. Web site: Championship League Snooker – Watch . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 1 March 2024 . 1 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240301211856/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/watch/ . live.
  7. Web site: Championship League Snooker: Group 1 . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 28 January 2024 . 28 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240128134955/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/invitational/2024-championship-league-snooker-invitational/group-1/ . live.
  8. Web site: BetVictor Championship League Group 1 matches . . 3 January 2024 . 10 August 2024 . 10 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240810090853/https://www.wst.tv/matches/d847990d-78d2-44f1-bfc2-da131eebb817 . live.
  9. Web site: Ball-run Bingham seals first spot in Winners' Group . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 3 January 2024 . 4 January 2024 . 4 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240104155345/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/ball-run-bingham-seals-first-spot-in-winners-group/ . live.
  10. Web site: Championship League Snooker: Group 2 . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 28 January 2024 . 28 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240128135424/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/invitational/2024-championship-league-snooker-invitational/group-2/ . live.
  11. Web site: BetVictor Championship League Group 2 matches . . 5 January 2024 . 10 August 2024 . 10 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240810090927/https://www.wst.tv/matches/15879894-572f-4854-bfa5-686bc69b8303 . live.
  12. Web site: Wakelin downs hometown boy Selby to win Group 2 . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 5 January 2024 . 5 January 2024 . 5 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240105212954/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/wakelin-downs-hometown-boy-selby-to-win-group-2/ . live.
  13. Web site: Championship League Snooker: Group 3 . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 7 February 2024 . 7 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240207143900/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/invitational/2024-championship-league-snooker-invitational/group-3/ . live.
  14. Web site: Wilson makes fifth 147 . . 6 February 2024 . 6 February 2024 . 6 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206163242/https://www.wst.tv/news/2024/february/06/wilson-makes-fifth-147/ . live.
  15. Web site: BetVictor Championship League Group 3 matches . . 6 February 2024 . 10 August 2024 . 10 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240810090928/https://www.wst.tv/matches/a38a3b90-2f62-4c44-881a-c9f7b8cb7398 . live.
  16. Web site: Selby wins Group 3 after Wilson marks day with a max . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 6 February 2024 . 6 February 2024 . 6 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240206210646/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/selby-wins-group-3-after-wilson-marks-day-with-a-max/ . live.
  17. Web site: Championship League Snooker: Group 4 . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 10 February 2024 . 10 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240210070356/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/invitational/2024-championship-league-snooker-invitational/group-4/ . live.
  18. Web site: BetVictor Championship League Group 4 matches . . 8 February 2024 . 10 August 2024 . 10 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240810090920/https://www.wst.tv/matches/91cae96b-2fea-44be-aabc-ab37ded524be . live.
  19. Web site: Robbo finds his best form in Championship League Snooker Invitational . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 8 February 2024 . 9 February 2024 . 9 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240209065014/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/robbo-finds-his-best-form-in-championship-league-snooker-invitational/ . live.
  20. Web site: Championship League Snooker: Group 5 . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 11 February 2024 . 11 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240211090833/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/invitational/2024-championship-league-snooker-invitational/group-5/ . live.
  21. Web site: Higgins makes 13th maximum . . 10 February 2024 . 11 February 2024 . 10 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240210221246/https://www.wst.tv/news/2024/february/10/higgins-makes-13th-maximum/ . live.
  22. Web site: BetVictor Championship League Group 5 matches . . 10 February 2024 . 10 August 2024 . 10 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240810091047/https://www.wst.tv/matches/2f028d19-a5cc-40c9-8509-eb9b7a1704b7 . live.
  23. Web site: Higgins hits 147 on way to Winners' Group . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 10 February 2024 . 11 February 2024 . 11 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240211105431/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/higgins-hits-147-on-way-to-winners-group/ . live.
  24. Web site: Championship League Snooker: Group 6 . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 29 February 2024 . 29 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229181634/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/invitational/2024-championship-league-snooker-invitational/group-6/ . live.
  25. Web site: BetVictor Championship League Group 6 matches . . 27 February 2024 . 10 August 2024 . 10 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240810091106/https://www.wst.tv/matches/34ee3927-878f-47a9-8f02-6da402f39615 . live.
  26. Web site: Wilson battles into BetVictor Championship League Snooker Winners' Group . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 27 February 2024 . 28 February 2024 . 28 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240228070550/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/wilson-battles-into-betvictor-championship-league-snooker-winners-group/ . live.
  27. Web site: Championship League Snooker: Group 7 . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 14 March 2024 . 14 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240314071747/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/invitational/2024-championship-league-snooker-invitational/group-7/ . live.
  28. Web site: Joe O'Connor makes snooker's 200th 147 . . 29 February 2024 . 29 February 2024 . 29 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229165216/https://www.wst.tv/news/2024/february/29/joe-o-connor-makes-snooker-s-200th-147/ . live.
  29. Web site: BetVictor Championship League Group 7 matches . . 29 February 2024 . 10 August 2024 . 10 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240810091010/https://www.wst.tv/matches/fd93aac9-2200-467d-a4b0-75110b982f16 . live.
  30. News: Championship League: Joe O'Connor makes 200th official 147 break in snooker history . . 29 February 2024 . 29 February 2024 . 29 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229215057/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/68439752 . live.
  31. Web site: Maximum delight for O'Connor who reaches Winners' Group at BetVictor Championship League . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 29 February 2024 . 29 February 2024 . 29 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240229205901/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/maximum-delight-for-oconnor-who-reaches-winners-group-at-betvictor-championship-league/ . live.
  32. Web site: Championship League Snooker: Winners Group . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 14 March 2024 . 14 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240314074735/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/invitational/2024-championship-league-snooker-invitational/winners-group/ . live.
  33. Web site: BetVictor Championship League Winners' Group matches . . 13 March 2024 . 10 August 2024 . 10 August 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240810091118/https://www.wst.tv/matches/b1c43602-599a-4d89-a527-730f58c76fad . live.
  34. Web site: Super Selby is BetVictor Championship League Snooker champion . championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk . 13 March 2024 . 14 March 2024 . 14 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240314064956/https://championshipleaguesnooker.co.uk/super-selby-is-betvictor-championship-league-snooker-champion/ . live.
  35. Web site: Tournament centuries . snookerinfo.co.uk . 14 March 2024 . 14 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240314080650/https://snookerinfo.co.uk/2023-24-centuries/ . live.