Championship League
Neil Robertson continued his excellent form of late by claiming Group Three of the Championship League with a 3-2 defeat of Mark Selby in the final.
The Australian joins Judd Trump and Shaun Murphy in the Winners’ Group later in the season and has the relief of a couple of days off before the Sky Shoot-Out at the weekend.
Robertson must be absolutely exhausted after two long days of hectic action at Crondon Park following his maiden Masters triumph on Sunday.
However, it just shows the true professionalism of a player that many bestow the honour of being the best in the world.
The 30 year-old finished the group in third place with four wins out of his six matches before seeing off defending champion Matthew Stevens in the semi-final and Selby in the final.
Selby topped the round robin phase for the third time in a row but must go on to Group Four which starts tomorrow to try and force his way into the Winners Group where the overall champion gains an invitation into next season’s Premier League.
Not to worry for Selby, though, because with £100 earned for each frame won during the event, the Englishman has accumulated a small fortune over the course of the three groups so far.
Joining the world number one tomorrow will be Stevens, Mark Davis, Jamie Cope and newcomers Mark Allen, Stephen Lee and Peter Ebdon.
Martin Gould and Stephen Hendry have been eliminated from the tournament having finished in the bottom two positions of Group Three.
China Syndrome
As reported over on Snooker Scene Blog, China will boast an incredible five ranking events in the 2012/13 campaign.
The China Open, Shanghai Masters and Haikou World Open will be joined by the Wuxi Classic, which has gained an upgraded status, and a new ranking event in October with a winner’s cheque of £125,000.
This news is not exactly a huge surprise as everyone at this stage knows all about the potential for huge growth and success in the Far East and, by all accounts, it is great news for the development of the game.
Some will voice concerns over the amount of time spent away from the UK but, to put it bluntly, live with it if you want your sport to go global.
WPBSA Statement
Finally, WPBSA has released the following statement. No further comments will be made on SHQ at this point.
WPBSA Chairman Jason Ferguson said: ‘Maintaining the integrity of snooker is essential to protect the sport. Working with our partners we will take all necessary steps to establish what has taken place and take appropriate action.'”
