Carty And Wells Progress In Leicester

Ashley Carty and Daniel Wells got their respective seasons off to perfect starts by topping their groups to make stage two of the BetVictor Championship League in Leicester.

Rotherham’s Carty was forced to take a year out from the World Snooker Tour, after he lost his professional status at the conclusion of the 2021/22 season. However, he regained his tour card thanks to winning the Q Tour Playoff earlier this year. The 27-year-old prevailed by the narrowest of margins over amateur Sean McAllister this evening.

Carty opened his day up with 2-2 draws against Craig Steadman and McAllister. The final match saw Carty crucially whitewash Adam Duffy 3-0. Despite having beaten Duffy 3-1 himself earlier in the day, McAllister could only register a 2-2 draw with Steadman in his last match. That meant that Carty progressed from group 3 on frame difference.

In group 30, Wells had a far more straightforward route through. The Welshman competed last season as an amateur, but his performances earned him a two-year tour card thanks to his position on the one-year list. He made the most of that today, scoring 3-0 wins over David Grace and Andrew Higginson, as well as a 3-1 defeat of 2006 World Champion Graeme Dott.

The action continues on Tuesday with Hossein Vafaei headlining group 11 and Chris Wakelin competing in group 21.