The Championship League opened the snooker season on June 28 and it finally ended on July 29 with Luca Brecel winning the campaign’s first event.
Let’s be clear, this isn’t anyone’s favorite tournament, not even the Bullet wouldn’t put it in his top five as he takes the trophy back to Belgium.
Matches of a very short format, over a pretty unbelievably long time, behind closed doors and with many players rusting after their summer break.
The Crucible isn’t, but that’s enough of the negatives because despite all that, there are things to take away from the Championship League.
Sure, the biggest names don’t take it as seriously as when they go to Sheffield or York, or even Milton Keynes or Brentwood, but more than a month-long ranking event has turned up enough.
We’ve seen 106 centuries over the tournament as players warmed up to the task and after playing 10 matches to win the trophy, Brecel deserves a lot of credit for emerging from a quality field.
Luca Brecel talks the talk and walks the walk
Brecel announces himself as a regular contender at the top of the sport, both with his words and his cue.
After winning his first group, the 27-year-old made it clear that he expected to do well and we should all prepare to see him win many more matches.
“I’ve practiced a lot in the summer and played really good things in training, so it’s no surprise, but it’s always nice to do it at the game table,” said Brecel.
“I feel like I’m playing a lot better than last season, so hopefully it will be another good season.
“I don’t have many points to defend this season, so the only way is up. If I can get good results like last season, maybe I could finish in the top four by the end of the season, so a lot to play for.”
It’s a huge task for him, but the Bullet climbs to ninth place in the world after lifting the trophy, his best ranking ever. It is his third ranking title and the first time he has won them in consecutive seasons.
Showing great balance under pressure in his third group, he had to beat Zhao Xintong 3-0 in his last game to reach the final, which is exactly what he did. At 1-1 in the final, he made two big breakthroughs and looked incredibly calm to cross the line.
Brecel has always had the talent, but with confidence, experience and a winning habit now added to the mix, he will be a threat in everything this year.
Zhao Xintong is close to the top, but not quite there
Zhao Xintong made the Championship League look extremely easy while many others were not. There were a lot of rusty players on display, but the Cyclone was not one of them.
He flew through his first two groups and started Friday’s final with two wins, meaning he just had to avoid a 3-0 loss against Brecel in his last game to reach the flagship.
Zhao looked imperious and faltered for the first time in the entire competition, missing some balls that he would expect to get when he really needed them.
Zhao won’t lose any sleep over it, but at the crucial point it was a worrying setback. The 25-year-old is heading for the pinnacle of the sport, but he still has a lot to learn and improve.
He showed his talent and work ethic in this event, both of which mean he could dominate snooker at some point, but it won’t quite happen yet, while still being vulnerable at times.
Pang Junxu is going to place
22-year-old Pang Junxu solidified his position as one of the brightest young stars in the sport as he continues his rise in the world rankings.
The Chinese won Rookie of the Year after turning pro in 2020 and he’s improving all the time working hard at Ding Junhui Academy.
China’s greatest ever player has claimed that Pang is the most difficult practitioner in the academy, which is saying a lot, and it pays off when he makes the kind of progress early in his career that so many youngsters find difficult, if not impossible.
Pang led his first group ahead of Ryan Day, Dylan Emery and Reanne Evans, before far more impressively beating Ronnie O’Sullivan, Ali Carter and Yuan Sijun of his second group.
He didn’t come from his last group, but did take draws against gray vets Stuart Bingham and Ricky Walden.
Pang doesn’t burst into the final or anything, but makes some very impressive progress. We can expect him to reach the quarterfinals in the near future and break the top 32 for the first time. An impressive player.
And while we give a nod to young players to impress, a word for Chang Bingyu, Aaron Hill, Yuan Sijun, Ben Mertens and Florian Nuessle, all of whom have caught the eye at times. There’s plenty of up-and-coming talent around.
Mix it up more in the comment box
A treat of the Championship League is the variety of votes we get in the comment box during the Matchroom event.
There were a number of players on the radio including Kyren Wilson, Michael Holt, Joe Perry, Gary Wilson, Fergal O’Brien, Mark Davis, Steven Hallworth, Peter Lines, Rod Lawler and possibly some others that I have forgotten.
It’s great to mix things up and get insights, stories and opinions from players that we don’t necessarily hear all that often. It may not work as much in other events, but it’s great when it does and if players get a chance to comment on the odd frame elsewhere, they should.
Also kudos to commentary heroes Dave Hendon and Phil Yates who worked on that monstrous comp every day. This is nothing new to learn, but they do an excellent job almost year round these days.
Ronnie O’Sullivan can really make a head out of nothing
The world champion and number one in the world has found all kinds of ways to make headlines during his long career and he still does at the age of 46.
O’Sullivan soared through his first group stage in Leicester but then suffered shocking defeats to Pang and Yuan when he fell in stage two.
With little at stake against Ali Carter in his final game, the Rocket brightened up in the final frame and made the break a bit more spicy with loud breaking winds.
It’s not the first time the Rocket has done this and he seems to find it very funny, which the referee did to be fair, as did a lot of people on social media.
Depressingly, the clip I posted on Twitter of the incident was far more popular than anything else I’ve ever pasted on that website.
The sport’s biggest star really draws attention, even for a fart.
Bonus thing we learned…
Some fans may not like the Championship League, but the players don’t mind at all.
Here’s Anthony Hamilton: ‘It’s a good tournament. It’s a good time of year to play it.
‘Not too much pressure, not too much money to lose, if you know what I mean. Just get people back on track, I think it’s good timing.’
LAKE : Luca Brecel ensures the perfect start to the season by winning Championship League Snooker
LAKE : Ronnie O’Sullivan the latest Championship League Snooker big name as Zhao Xintong shines
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