The pair got their campaigns off to a strong opening.
Gerard Greene topped Group 18 of the Championship League on Wednesday, winning two and drawing one of his three round-robin fixtures, while Craig Steadman also advanced in Leicester.
Greene began the day by snatching a point against Zhao Jianbo, which ultimately proved pivotal as he finished above the young Chinese potter in the league standings.
The Northern Irishman followed it up later in the day with victories against Robert Milkins and amateur Haydon Pinhey to set a target of seven points that Zhao was unable to match.
In Group 29, Steadman emerged as an unlikely winner with the Englishman’s low tally of just five points ending up being enough.
Steadman comfortably beat Martin O’Donnell 3-0 in his initial bout before securing back-to-back draws against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Zhang Jiankang.
The 39 year-old finished on the same score as Un-Nooh but placed ahead of the Thai competitor thanks to a superior frame difference record.
Greene and Steadman will next participate in Stage Two of the competition in two weeks at the Morningside Arena.
Meanwhile, Stage One continues on Thursday with Group 16 featuring reigning champion Kyren Wilson, Sam Craigie, Ben Hancorn, and amateur Dylan Emery.
Group 20 takes place too with Graeme Dott, Robbie Williams, Iulian Boiko, and amateur Si Jiahui entering the fray.
What is the Championship League?
The Championship League has been on the calendar in some way, shape, or form since 2008, but it’s only in the last couple of years that it has been intermittently staged as a ranking event.
On this occasion, there are three stages to the month-long competition with 128 players initially split into 32 round-robin groups comprising four players in each.
The 32 group winners advance to Stage Two, before the next eight group winners determine the competitors who feature in Stage Three, with all matches lasting just four frames.
The two players who win their third and final groups will subsequently contest the outright final, with the winner set to earn £33,000 from the total prize fund.
Where to Watch the Championship League
There will be two tables available to watch on each day of the group stages, with the snooker available across Ireland and the UK on FreeSports in addition to the Matchroom.Live’s snooker streaming service.
There are various other TV broadcast options around the world, which you can view by clicking here.
Click here to view the full draw (Times: CET)
