Judd Trump was in relentless scoring form as he emerged triumphantly from Group 6 of Championship League Snooker on Thursday in Leicester.
The Englishman won four out of his six round-robin fixtures at the Mattioli Arena to comfortably reach the knockout stages.
Trump then beat David Gilbert 3-1 in the semi-finals before compiling a hat-trick of century breaks in a 3-0 dismantling of Joe O’Connor in the final.
O’Connor had been undefeated in the group, boasting six wins from six in the league phase and then a 3-2 defeat of Noppon Saengkham in the semi-finals.
But the Englishman, who was one of two players to miss the final black for a 147 break in Group 6, was left almost pointless in the final.
Three-time Championship League winner Trump contributed successive runs of 113, 103, and 101 to power through to next month’s Winners’ Group.
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
The world number one made 16 tons in total across his involvement in Groups 5 and 6 this week, which takes his tally for the ongoing 2024/25 snooker season to 65.
For the first time this term, there is a reward for the first player who can reach 100 century breaks during the campaign.
Trump only has to compile 35 more century breaks to reach the target and land the jackpot bonus worth £100,000.
It’s a realistic target given the number of tournaments left on the calendar and the world number one’s consistency of reaching the business end of events.
The 35 year-old is set to participate in six more ranking events this season, including the World Championship in Sheffield where he’ll likely be the favourite.
Trump compiled 102 century breaks during a prolific 2019/2020 campaign, falling one shy of the record of 103 for a single season held by Neil Robertson.
O’Connor, meanwhile, will have a final opportunity at qualifying for the Winners’ Group of Championship League Snooker when he takes part in Group 7 on Friday and Saturday.
Gilbert, Saengkham, and fifth-placed Jak Jones also receive one more chance with Xiao Guodong, Zhou Yuelong, and Ricky Walden entering the fray as newcomers.
Jack Lisowski and Tom Ford finished at the bottom of Group 6 and have been eliminated from the invitational competition.
Judd Trump joins Hossein Vafaei, Si Jiahui, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, and Matthew Selt in the Winners’ Group, which will be held in the first week of February.
The overall winner of Championship League Snooker will receive an invitation to compete at the Champion of Champions next season.
Schedule
Group 1: January 3–4
Hossein Vafaei
Jak Jones
Pang Junxu
Ryan Day
Chris WakelinElliot Slessor
Gary Wilson
Group 2: January 6–7
Si Jiahui
Jak Jones
Ali Carter
Chris Wakelin
Robert MilkinsRyan Day
Pang Junxu
Group 3: January 8–9
Kyren Wilson
Jak Jones
Mark SelbyAli Carter
Chris Wakelin
Robert Milkins
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Group 4: January 10–11
Mark Selby
Jak Jones
Stuart Bingham
Joe O’Connor
Matthew SeltJimmy Robertson
Jackson Page
Group 5: January 20–21
Matthew Selt
Judd Trump
Jak Jones
Joe O’Connor
Tom FordStuart Bingham
Neil Robertson
Group 6: January 22–23
Judd Trump
Joe O’Connor
David Gilbert
Noppon Saengkham
Jak JonesJack Lisowski
Tom Ford
Group 7: January 24–25
Joe O’Connor
David Gilbert
Noppon Saengkham
Jak Jones
Xiao Guodong
Zhou Yuelong
Ricky Walden
Winners’ Group: February 4-5
Hossein Vafaei
Si Jiahui
Kyren Wilson
Mark Selby
Matthew Selt
Judd Trump
Winner of Group 7
Featured photo credit: CLS
Jak Jones second for the centuries this season with 51.
Trump needs an average of five centuries per tournament if he was to reach a 100. It’s certainly feasible but if he was to must out by one or two centuries, Trump might regret not entering the Welsh Open.
I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t do it, particularly if he can go far in both the TC and WSC.
The formats left are favourable as plenty of games in the winner’s group and those two events you mention have long format games.
The counter argument is the Player’s Series event is elite and even Trump could be bundled out early and I’m not convinced he will totally handle the Crucible pressure as he could be a heavy favourite.
I remember one season it looked like he’d break Neil Robertson’s record of 103 and fell one short.