The groups for the upcoming Championship League Snooker Invitational have been confirmed and feature a string of the biggest names in the sport.
The event gets underway with Group One on 3-4 January, with seven group winners then competing to be crowned champion in the Winners’ Group on 3-4 February.
Mark Selby won the tournament last season, while the likes of John Higgins, Judd Trump and Luca Brecel have all triumphed since the event joined the calendar in 2008.
With the Masters getting underway on 12 January, a few of the top 16 involved at Alexandra Palace will get some very handy match practice in beforehand.
Chris Wakelin and Gary Wilson are playing in the first group, with Ali Carter and Si Jiahui coming in for Group Two and then a blockbuster trio of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby having a crack at Group Three. Barry Hawkins then comes in for Group Four just before the action starts at Ally Pally.
Championship League Snooker sees the winner of the group book their spot in the Winners’ Group while the players finishing sixth and seventh are eliminated from the competition.
The other four players come back for another go at the next group, where they are joined by three new competitors.
Championship League Snooker Invitational Groups
Group 1 (January 3–4)
Chris Wakelin
Gary Wilson
Jak Jones
Hossein Vafaei
Pang Junxu
Ryan Day
Elliot Slessor
Group 2 (January 6–7):
Ali Carter
Si Jiahui
Robert Milkins
Group 3 (January 8–9)
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Kyren Wilson
Mark Selby
Group 4 (January 10–11)
Barry Hawkins
Stuart Bingham
Jackson Page
Group 5 (January 20–21)
Judd Trump
Tom Ford
Neil Robertson
Group 6 (January 22–23)
David Gilbert
Jack Lisowski
Noppon Saengkham
Group 7 (January 24–25)
Xiao Guodong
Zhou Yuelong
Matthew Selt
Winners’ Group (February 3-4)
The tournament will be held at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, although there will not be fans in attendance.
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On the broadcast details, Matchroom confirmed that for UK viewers: ‘Table One will be streamed live on the Matchroom Pool YouTube channel.
‘Table Two will be streamed live on the Matchroom Multi Sport YouTube channel.’
The Championship League fills a lot of the World Snooker Tour calendar for January, with the Masters running from 12-19 and then the German Masters starting in Berlin on 27 January.
The tournament in Germany ends on 2 February, with the Championship League Winners’ Group straight after.
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