Xiao Guodong reached the Winners’ Group of Championship League Snooker on Saturday by winning Group 7 in Leicester.
This season’s vastly improved competitor from China edged David Gilbert in a close final at the Mattioli Arena.
Xiao led 1-0 and 2-1 only for his opponent to restore parity on two occasions with breaks of 69 and 101.
Yet Gilbert, who had compiled a maximum break during the round-robin phase, could never get his nose in front in the contest.
Xiao scored a run of 59 in the fifth frame to help him secure a 3-2 victory and a place in 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 35 year-old had emerged from the initial round-robin stage with a record of four victories and a single loss to comfortably reach the semi-finals.
In the last four, this term’s Wuhan Open champion destroyed Noppon Saengkham 3-0 with breaks of 75, 100, and 123 – leaving his Thai challenger pointless.
It was a much closer affair in the final, but Xiao managed to get the job done as he continues to threaten for silverware across a brilliant campaign.
Gilbert hit the 147 break during his 3-1 defeat of Zhou Yuelong in the league section, but that will be small consolation as there are no more opportunities left to qualify for the concluding stages of the invitational competition.
Ricky Walden, who had gone through the round-robin undefeated before losing to Gilbert in the last four, has also been eliminated in addition to Saengkham, Zhou, and Joe O’Connor.
Jak Jones withdrew from the event at the beginning of Group 7, ending this edition of Championship League Snooker with a record 32 century breaks.
Xiao Guodong, meanwhile, joins Hossein Vafaei, Si Jiahui, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Matthew Selt, and Judd Trump in the Winners’ Group.
That is scheduled for February 4th and 5th, where the overall champion of the tournament will be crowned.
In addition to the various prize money bonuses that are on offer, the winner will receive an invitation to participate in the lucrative 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
Xiao GuodongDavid Gilbert
Ricky Walden
Noppon Saengkham
Zhou Yuelong
Joe O’Connor
Jak Jones
Winners’ Group: February 4-5
Hossein Vafaei
Si Jiahui
Kyren Wilson
Mark Selby
Matthew Selt
Judd Trump
Xiao Guodong
Featured photo credit: WST