The Englishman advances to the second group phase of the competition.
Martin O’Donnell and Lu Ning have negotiated the opening stage of the WST Pro Series after Group G was completed on Wednesday in Milton Keynes.
The pair each boasted 5-2 win-loss records following the round-robin play, but O’Donnell’s slightly superior frame difference meant that the 34 year-old finished on top.
O’Donnell and Lu – a UK Championship semi-finalist from December – will take part in the next league stage in March.
Group G of the Pro Series was the third out of 16 to be undertaken in the first stage, with Joe Perry, Xiao Guodong, Kyren Wilson, and Sunny Akani the others to have progressed so far.
While Gary Wilson’s record of four wins and three defeats proved insufficient to qualify, the 35 year-old did manage to compile a superb 147 break during his fixture against Liam Highfield.
What is the WST Pro Series?
The format for the WST Pro Series is quite similar to that which was unitilised for two out of the three editions of the Championship League that were staged during 2020.
There are 16 groups comprising eight players in each, with a round-robin phase determining the top two who will advance to the second group stage.
Eight groups in the first stage take place this week, while the remaining eight groups are in March.
The 32 players who progress to stage two will be split into four more groups of eight, with the top two again moving forward from each to contest the final group.
That remaining set of eight players will subsequently battle it out in the same fashion to become the overall champion.
There is a total tournament prize fund of £420,500, broken down in various ways through the three group stages.
The winner, however, stands to collect at least £30,000 in an event that incorporates a sprint best-of-three frames format throughout.
Well, what a finish!@TheMOD147 came out the blocks flying, then it got a little nervy, but eventually came out 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙥! 🤑
Watch the full interview here 👉 https://t.co/XjK7L44ELg #WSTProSeries pic.twitter.com/ypsdn3WBIe
— World Snooker Tour (@WeAreWST) January 20, 2021
What’s Next?
On Thursday, Group C takes place with Stuart Bingham, Scott Donaldson, Jamie Clarke, Chris Wakelin, Sam Craigie, Billy Joe Castle, Ashley Carty, and amateur Jamie Curtis-Barrett involved.
Live coverage will be available via an account with several online bookmakers, as well as around the world through the Matchroom.Live streaming service.
Click here to view the full draw (Times in CET)
