Mark Selby delivered a masterclass to win consecutive titles, posting a 147 maximum break en route, at the BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational, hosted at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena.
The mouthwatering final was contested between World Champion Kyren Wilson, fresh from a final-frame deciding victory in the German Masters finale against Barry Hawkins, and the defending Championship League Invitational winner Mark Selby.
Selby secured his path through with a stunning performance on day two in his hometown. His day began with a win over Wilson, following up with a 3-2 victory with Si Jiahui. The highlight came during his third victory against Xiao Guodong, making his fifth-career 147 in magnificent fashion – earning a £1,000 bonus in the process.
Hossein Vafaei awaited in the semi-finals, who had wrapped up a spot in the play-offs with a whitewash against Si. The Iranian, who had been suffering throughout the day with a shoulder injury, came undone in the semi-final as the Jester from Leicester posted breaks of 129, 135 and 65 to reach the tournament’s crescendo.
World Champion Wilson, enjoying the best year of his career, hadn’t looked entirely comfortable throughout the group showing, though a hat-trick of wins against Matthew Selt, Si and Vafaei was enough to take fourth spot in the division.
Giants collided in the semi-final, with World No.1 Judd Trump in the opposite corner. Trump had looked unstoppable throughout his time in Leicester, beating all six opponents to sit top of the table with a perfect record. His dominance came undone however at the hands of Wilson, who scored breaks of 120 and 113 enroute to a dominant 3-0 victory to set up the final with Selby.
The snooker displayed from Selby throughout the day was breathtaking, and that form carried into the final. Breaks of 99 and 100 helped him wrap up a dominant final victory inside an hour, barely giving Wilson a chance, to recapture his BetVictor Championship League Invitational trophy – matching a feat of back-to-back titles only seen by John Higgins.
Speaking to David Hendon following the final, the Jester was delighted with his performance on the final day. “Best of fives are a bit of a lottery, especially with the standard of players in the Championship League. It’s difficult to win, I’d have been happy to win it once but to win it twice is even better!
“I played a lot better than yesterday. Even though I’d lost a couple of matches, I’d lost them 3-2 which was pleasing because I only probably needed to win three games to go through. The semis and the final, I played well. I scored well when I got my chances and it’s nice to beat somebody like Kyren. He’s the man of the moment and you get confidence from it.”
Selby walks away with over £25,000 earned across his time at the Championship League, along with a coveted spot at this November’s Champion of Champions.
“I wasn’t in it up until now,” said Selby of the prestigious invitational. “To win any tournament nowadays is very difficult so it’s nice to get that one in the bag so I don’t have to worry about it.”
Fans will be able to see Selby alongside Kyren Wilson and Judd Trump this November at the Champion of Champions.
Keep an eye across social media and the Champion of Champions website for more details.