Judd Trump emerged as the winner from Championship League Group 6 on Thursday at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.
The world number one, who has won the Championship League a record three times, edged Graeme Dott 3-2 in the final.
Trump was only entering this year’s edition but has great pedigree in the tournament, having failed to reach the Winners’ Group only four times since 2009.
The world champion won his first four encounters in the league phase to guarantee his safe passage through to the knockout stages.
In the semi-finals, Trump overcame John Higgins 3-1 in what was a repeat of their Crucible showdown for glory from last May.
The 30 year-old fell 1-0 down to another Scot in the final, but fought back and eventually clinched the victory over Dott with a neat 120 in the decider – failing an attempted maximum break on the yellow.
After winning Championship League Group 6, Trump joins Neil Robertson, Stuart Bingham, Gary Wilson, Scott Donaldson, and Anthony McGill in the Winners’ Group.
There’s only one more opportunity for the players remaining to book the seventh and last spot in the final group.
David Gilbert, who topped Group 6’s standings only to lose to Dott in the last four, will have another crack alongside the pair of Scotsmen and Mark Williams.
Joe Perry and Mark King have been eliminated with three newcomers expected to enter the fray in early March.
The Championship League is making its return to the calendar for a 13th season.
The format remains the same as usual, with seven groups comprising seven players in each battling it out to become group winners.
Those winners will subsequently contest a final group in March to determine who is the overall champion.
The event is played behind closed doors and is aimed primarily at the betting market, but does provide the players who participate in it with useful match practice, some extra dosh, and a possible ticket through to the Champion of Champions.
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