Graeme Dott Qualify For Championship League Winners’ Group

 
Graeme Dott topped Group 7 to become the final player to make it to the Championship League Winners Group.

Group 7 games held at the Motorpoint arena was the final opportunity for a seventh player to make it to the Championship League Winners Group. The Scot came out tops in four of his six games to qualify for the semi-finals. He topped the table alongside John Higgins, in a group that also had Mark Williams and David Gilbert.

With that group finish, the 2006 world champion set up a final meet with Mark Williams after humbling Gilbert in a whitewash win in the last four. Dott racked up a result against his Welsh Open, posting a 3-1 scorecard in the process, and smiling to the back after winning the top prize of £3,000.

Dott rounded up the list of players in the Championship League Winners Group. Alongside Dott, the league would also feature Scott Donaldson, Gary Wilson, Anthony McGill, world number one Judd Trump, Neil Robertson and Stuart Bingham. With the action set to begin on Wednesday, the 2020 Champion is set to be crowned on Thursday.

The tournament designed to be played indoors is aimed at providing a market for betting stakeholders and investors. The invitational tournament is an opportunity for its qualifiers to earn sums of money in between the bigger tournaments. Interestingly, prize money is accrued for every frame won during the course of the tournament.

It’s designed to be the best of five frames format. However, that format makes it look like a game of luck as five frames is just not enough time for a winner to emerge.

World number one and winner of the 2020 Players’ Championship, Judd Trump is a serial winner of this tournament and could extend the current record to four titles should he win this year’s edition. In all its 12 years of existence, no player has won beyond three titles. Trump is in fine form this campaign and could break that age-long record.

Other than an attractive sum of £10,000, the likes of McGill, Wilson, Donaldson and Dott could be invited to the Champion of Champions scheduled for the first half of the coming season should they emerge victorious.

Written by:  Roland Arum