Gilbert Grabs Winners’ Week Slot
David Gilbert battled past Yuan Sijun to secure a spot in Winners’ Week of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
China’s Yuan had found himself top of the group after picking up two victories in his first two matches – beating both Sean O’Sullivan and Ishpreet Singh Chadha 3-0. Gilbert trailed in second place, having opened the day with a 2-2 draw against Singh Chadha and disposing of O’Sullivan 3-0.
The two table leaders collided in the final match of the day on Table One. Having picked up the opening frame, Gilbert formed a 69-1 lead in the second. Yuan came back to the table and almost stole it – but a missed pink gave the Tamworth potter the frame and a 2-0 advantage.
Yuan forced a final-frame decider by taking the third, meaning a point would be enough to send him into the second stage. However, Gilbert took the last to ensure his progression.
Cao Yupeng produced a day of dominance, winning all three of his matches to top Group 31. The Chinese star completed the early session with no frames dropped against Steven Hallworth and Ian Burns.
Lyu Haotian sat second in the table, taking four points from a draw with Burns and win over Hallworth. Lyu knew that victory over Cao in the group decider would take him into next week’s second stage, but ultimately fell short at the table.
A monster 145 in the final frame saw Cao record the highest break of the tournament so far. He went on to seal a 3-1 win and secure his place in Winners’ Week.
Scottish Open winner Gary Wilson looks to secure his place in the next round on Friday, 14 July as the final qualifying spots will be filled. He faces John Astley, Nutcharut Wongharuthai and Hai Long Ma in Group 9. Meanwhile Ricky Walden, David Lilley, Yisong Peng and Hongyu Liu are in action on Table 2 – live on the Matchroom Muti Sport YouTube channel.
Watch BetVictor Championship League Snooker – Ranking Edition on Viaplay Xtra – FreeView in the UK and Ireland. Those in Scandinavia, the Baltics, Netherlands, and Poland can watch live on Viaplay whilst Matchroom.Live is available to those without a broadcaster. See where to watch here.
The BetVictor Championship League Snooker –Ranking Edition carries a first prize of £33,000 and the winner also securing aspot in the 2023 Champion of Champions set to take place in Bolton fromNovember 13-19 live on ITV.