Hossein Vafaei got his new year off to the perfect start after winning Group 1 of Championship League Snooker on Saturday in Leicester.
The Iranian experienced a difficult calendar year of 2024 in which he failed to reach the business stage of any tournaments.
Vafaei had been ranked as high as number 15 in the world rankings towards the end of 2023 but ended last year down at number 26.
This version of Championship League Snooker won’t provide the 30 year-old with any boost in the rankings with it being an invitational competition.
Yet the former Shoot Out king will be buoyed by a strong outing over the last couple of days at the Mattioli Arena.
Vafaei won four out of his six round-robin fixtures to comfortably qualify for the knockout stages in second place.
A 3-1 semi-final victory over Ryan Day followed before contributions of 117 and 77 helped him to a 3-1 triumph against Jak Jones in the group final.
Prize Money
Groups 1–7
Winner: £3,000
Runner-up: £2,000
Semi-final: £1,000
Frame-win (league stage): £100
Frame-win (play-offs): £300
Highest break: £500
Winners’ Group
Winner: £10,000
Runner-up: £5,000
Semi-final: £3,000
Frame-win (league stage): £200
Frame-win (play-offs): £300
Highest break: £1,000
Hossein Vafaei is the first to advance to the Winners’ Group of Championship League Snooker, which will take place at the start of February.
As usual, a spot in the prestigious Champion of Champions will be up for grabs for the eventual winner.
Jones, Day, and Pang Junxu – who had topped the league phase before losing in the first knockout round – will have another opportunity to progress from Group 2.
Chris Wakelin will additionally be given a second chance after finishing fifth, with the returning quartet to be joined on Monday and Tuesday by three newcomers.
Ali Carter, Si Jiahui, and Robert Milkins will all enter the fray in the behind-closed-doors tournament.
Carter won the ranking event edition of Championship League Snooker that was held at the same venue at the beginning of the campaign.
Elliot Slessor and Gary Wilson have both been eliminated, however, having finished at the bottom of Group 1.
Schedule
Group 1: January 3–4
Hossein Vafaei
Jak Jones
Pang Junxu
Ryan Day
Chris WakelinElliot Slessor
Gary Wilson
Group 2: January 6–7
Jak Jones
Pang Junxu
Ryan Day
Chris Wakelin
Ali Carter
Si Jiahui
Robert Milkins
Group 3: January 8–9
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Kyren Wilson
Mark Selby
Group 4: January 10–11
Barry Hawkins
Stuart Bingham
Jackson Page
Group 5: January 20–21
Judd Trump
Tom Ford
Neil Robertson
Group 6: January 22–23
David Gilbert
Jack Lisowski
Noppon Saengkham
Group 7: January 24–25
Xiao Guodong
Zhou Yuelong
Matthew Selt
Winners’ Group: February 3–4
Featured photo credit: CLS / Zheng Zhai
