Tom Ford and Liu Hongyu both sealed progression to the next stage of the BetVictor Championship League Snooker Ranking Event after topping their respective groups on Tuesday at the Mattioli Arena in Leicester.
Ford emerged from a closely contested Group 8 thanks to superior frame difference. He opened the day with a 2-2 draw against Simon Blackwell, then produced a dominant 3-0 win over Mink Nutcharut. A final 2-2 result against Allan Taylor brought Ford level on points with Blackwell, who also collected one win and two draws. But with just four frames lost to Blackwell’s five, it was Ford who edged through to the next round.
In Group 21, Liu Hongyu delivered a more commanding performance. He began with a 3-0 whitewashing over Ian Burns before defeating Patrick Whelan 3-1. A hard-fought 2-2 draw with top seed Noppon Saengkham in the final group match confirmed Hongyu’s position at the summit, having dropped just three frames all day.
The BetVictor Championship League Snooker Ranking Event is the first ranking tournament of the new season and was won last year by Ali “The Captain” Carter. This year’s event runs until Tuesday, July 23, with 128 players split across 32 groups of four in the opening phase. Only group winners progress to Stage Two.
The competition takes place across three stages, starting on Monday, June 30. Winners’ Week begins on Friday, July 18, with Finals Day scheduled for Wednesday, July 23. The eventual champion will earn £20,000 and a spot in the 2025 Champion of Champions (November 10–16), which will be staged at the Mattioli Arena for the first time.
Today’s action sees Si Jiahui headline Group 4, while Leicester’s own Ben Woollaston competes in Group 30. For details on how to watch, click here.