Ali Carter is the first winner of the new season after emerging victoriously from Championship League Snooker in Leicester on Wednesday.
The Captain beat Jackson Page 3-1 in the final to claim a sixth career ranking title while pocketing a total jackpot worth £33,000.
The final day of a lengthy 21 at the Mattioli Arena began with eight competitors still vying for the 2024/25 campaign’s first trophy.
There were two more group stages played out, with Carter emerging from Final Group 1 thanks to an undefeated record of two wins and a draw.
The Captain whitewashed Scott Donaldson and overcame fourth seed Mark Williams 3-1 either side of a 2-2 tie with Martin O’Donnell.
In Final Group 2, Jackson Page held off former champion David Gilbert on frame difference to reach a maiden ranking event final.
Carter then got off to a clinical start in the title-deciding showdown when he orchestrated a fine run of 116 to take the lead.
Page, still only 22 but for years tipped as a star of the future, responded with a contribution of 83.
But the young Welshman failed to score another point, with Carter compiling breaks of 96 and 50 to seal his latest success on the main tour.
“I got here in the end, I think I’m a stalwart of the Championship League,” Ali Carter, who will receive an invitation to the Champion of Champions, said afterwards.
“I’ve been beaten before in the final of the invitational version to Martin Gould.”
“I’m delighted to get the season off to a great start and pick up another title.
“I’m delighted with how I played in the final. I felt the most comfortable with the most at stake, which is pleasing.
“Jackson is such a great young player with a tonne of potential and was playing great, so I’m delighted to get a victory over one of the young guns.
“It’s great to be involved in another Champion of Champions, I’m not sure how many of those I’ve got left.
“It’s great that I’m playing the best stuff that I’ve ever played. Hopefully there’s a few more big wins still to come.”
Championship League Snooker
Stage One Draw
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
| Scott Donaldson | He Guoqiang | Shaun Murphy | Mark Williams |
| Group 5 | Group 6 | Group 7 | Group 8 |
| Ali Carter | Gary Wilson | Robbie McGuigan | Jak Jones |
| Group 9 | Group 10 | Group 11 | Group 12 |
| Ma Hailong | Jackson Page | Ryan Day | Jack Lisowski |
| Group 13 | Group 14 | Group 15 | Group 16 |
| Si Jiahui | Hossein Vafaei | David Gilbert | Fan Zhengyi |
| Group 17 | Group 18 | Group 19 | Group 20 |
| Chris Wakelin | Stuart Bingham | Long Zehuang | Stuart Carrington |
| Group 21 | Group 22 | Group 23 | Group 24 |
| Neil Robertson | Joe O’Connor | Michael White | Martin O’Donnell |
| Group 25 | Group 26 | Group 27 | Group 28 |
| Matthew Stevens | Alexander Ursenbacher | David Lilley | Wu Yize |
| Group 29 | Group 30 | Group 31 | Group 32 |
| Ben Woollaston | Jamie Jones | Ashley Carty | Thepchaiya Un-Nooh |
Stage Two
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| Scott Donaldson | David Gilbert | Long Zehuang | Mark Williams |
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H |
| Ali Carter | David Lilley | Jackson Page | Martin O’Donnell |
Stage Three
| Final Group 1 | Final Group 2 |
| Ali Carter | Jackson Page |
Final (bo5)
Ali Carter 3-1 Jackson Page
Featured photo credit: CLS
95 centuries during the event. Mark Williams and Dave Gilbert made the most with five each.