Hawkins Takes Group One Crown
Barry Hawkins was in fine form as he booked the first place in the Championship League Snooker Winners’ Group with a Group One victory at Crondon Park in Essex.
The Ditton-based potter defeated Stuart Bingham in the group final 3-1 with breaks of 67, 110 and 66. He also made a second career 147 in the round-robin league phase on Monday.
Hawkins had seen off Neil Robertson 3-1 in the group semi-finals, but his highlight was undoubtedly the 147 achieved against Stephen Maguire.
“I played quite well and it is nice to get through,” said world number five Hawkins. “It is a perfect warm-up for The Masters next week. The last two matches, against Neil and Stuart, were probably the best I played in the group so I am pleased with that and I am delighted to win such a high-quality group – it bodes well for next week.
“I have only just started playing again after the Christmas break but the standard was good. Winning against that field gives me a bit more confidence, because I haven’t been too happy with my form over the last four months.
“The 147 was nice. Not many people can say they have had two 147s in their career and it shows that I am hitting the ball quite well if I am able to do that.”
Bingham had beaten Judd Trump 3-2 from two frames down in his group semi-final. The recent UK Championship finalised missed a red down the rail which he would usually expect to make, putting an end a break of 56 in the deciding frame. The Basildon potter took full advantage with a 72 clearance to seal his place in the final.
Marco Fu completed the group in fifth place and proceeds to group two along with Bingham, Robertson and Trump. Mark King and Stephen Maguire finished sixth and seventh respectively and are eliminated.
Group two commences on Wednesday at 11.00am.
Championship League Snooker is a joint venture between Matchroom Sport and Perform Group. Taking place from January to February, the event features 25 of the world’s best players and is streamed exclusively to www.liveworldsnooker.tv plus major betting sites around the world including:
188 Bet; Bet 365; Coral; Fonbet; K8; Ladbrokes; Olimp; PaddyPower; PMU; Sansabet; Spingol; Sportsbet Australia; STS; Unibet; Vivarobet; William Hill
Results
The Final
Barry Hawkins 3-1 Stuart Bingham
13-75 (67), 134-0 (134), 0-110 (110), 0-75 (66)
Semi Finals
Neil Robertson 1-3 Barry Hawkins
5-89 (89), 69-76 (Robertson 64, Hawkins 35), 74-7 (74), 0-118 (118)
Stuart Bingham 3-2 Judd Trump
42-67 (41, 66), 5-77 (46, 31), 76-75 (75, 59), 116-17 (108), 72-56 (72, 56)
Tuesday, January 6 Group matches
Stuart Bingham 3-1 Neil Robertson
4-62 (38), 125-1 (34, 91), 137-4 (57, 68), 77-5 (76)
Barry Hawkins 1-3 Mark King
43-57 (Hawkins 43), 63-45 (52), 4-77 (77), 23-50 (33)
Marco Fu 3-1 Stephen Maguire
62-57, 79-41 (79, 37), 17-76 (67), 77-7 (64)
Mark King 1-3 Judd Trump
0-67 (67), 57-3, 28-85 (67), 35-73 (52)
Mark King 0-3 Stephen Maguire
13-94 (94), 0-83 (66), 17-69 (53)
Barry Hawkins 3-2 Marco Fu
66-16 (64), 91-38 (Hawkins 32, Fu 38), 0-82 (82), 0-65 (51), 62-22 (40)
Stuart Bingham 0-3 Judd Trump
44-69 (Bingham 30, Trump 42), 26-105 (105), 0-85 (85)
Mark King 1-3 Neil Robertson
25-67 (49), 6-123 (123), 86-46 (86, 46), 23-79 (34)
Barry Hawkins 3-2 Judd Trump
25-65 (46), 0-136 (136), 109-0 (109), 67-62 (67, 61), 67-28 (67)
CENTURY BREAKS
147 – Barry Hawkins v Judd Trump
136 – Judd Trump v Barry Hawkins
134 – Stuart Bingham v Barry Hawkins
125 – Judd Trump v Marco Fu
123 – Neil Robertson v Mark King
118 – Barry Hawkins v Neil Robertson
110 – Barry Hawkins v Stuart Bingham
109 – Barry Hawkins v Judd Trump
108 – Stuart Bingham v Judd Trump
105 – Judd Trump v Stuart Bingham
100 – Neil Robertson v Stephen Maguire