The former world champion is the second player through to the Winners’ Group.
Graeme Dott won the battle of the Scots as he qualified for the Championship League Winners’ Group by claiming the spoils in Group 2 on Thursday.
The 43 year-old only squeaked through the round-robin phase with a record of three victories and three defeats proving to be just enough to edge out Kyren Wilson into fifth place.
Dott subsequently fought back from 2-0 behind to beat compatriot John Higgins in a deciding frame with breaks of 135 and 79 in the semi-finals.
It set up a repeat of last March’s Winners’ Group final when Dott missed out on glory to Scott Donaldson – the last time the tournament was last staged under this format.
However, Dott wasn’t to be denied on this occasion and a 3-1 victory, boasting contributions of 103, 86, and 75, sent him through to the latter stages at his countryman’s expense.
The former world number two joins Zhou Yuelong in the Winners’ Group after the Chinese competitor came through Group 1 unscathed earlier this week.
Donaldson, Higgins, Matthew Selt, and Wilson will have another opportunity to join them when they compete in Group 3 on Friday and Saturday.
Mark Selby, Tom Ford, and Zhao Xintong are the newcomers who will enter the fold in Group 3.
Meanwhile, Gary Wilson and former champion Stuart Bingham have been eliminated from this edition of the Championship League after placing in the bottom two positions in Group 2.
After temporarily being staged as a ranking event earlier this campaign, this Championship League reverts back to its original non-ranking status with invites to players based on their ranking.
There are various prize-money bonuses on offer for the players, from winning frames, reaching the play-off stages of each group, and for achieving the highest break.
Live coverage of Championship League Snooker is available throughout this week via several platforms, which you can check here.
Click here to view the 2021 Championship League Snooker draw.
Graeme Dott is happy to get one over compatriot Scott Donaldson 😅
🗣 “He’s had my number in this Championship League”#ChampionshipLeagueSnooker pic.twitter.com/eSkIrwDHzb
— Championship League Snooker (@CLSnooker) January 7, 2021
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