2020 Matchroom Championship League – Group Stage 10 Preview & Prediction

THE FACTS

What is the 2020 Matchroom Championship League? The Championship League is a non-ranking event that has taken place since 2008 and, while being a sought-after title in its own right, also serves as a qualifier for the Champion of Champions.

It will be the first competitive snooker to take place since the tour was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic and there will be several safety measures in place such as social distancing and virus-testing.

When is the 2020 Matchroom Championship League taking place? The 2020 Matchroom Championship League will take place June 1-11.

Where is the 2020 Matchroom Championship League taking place? The 2020 Matchroom Championship League will take place at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England.

What is the prize fund for the 2020 Matchroom Championship League? The total prize fund amounts to £200,000 with all competitors guaranteed at least £1000 and the winner pocketing £30,000.

Who is taking part in the 2020 Matchroom Championship League? All 128 World Snooker tour card holders were invited to take part in the 2020 event, with the final line-up consisting of the top 64-ranked players from those who registered their interest. Many of the world’s top players are involved, although there are some notable absences such as John Higgins, Mark Williams and Shaun Murphy.

What is the format of the 2020 Matchroom Championship League? The 64 entrants will initially be split up into 16 groups of four. Those groups will be played in a round-robin format with two groups to be played to completion on each day from June1-8. Matches will be best of four frames, with three points for a win and one for a draw. If players are tied on points, then frame difference, head-to-head result and highest break will be the separators (in that order).

The 16 group winners will advance to the Group Winners’ Stage, consisting of a further four groups of four. These groups will take place June 9-10.

Those four winners will then compete in the final group – the Tournament Finals – on June 11 where the 2020 Matchroom Championship League winner will be crowned.

Where can I watch the 2020 Matchroom Championship League? Both ITV4 and Eurosport will be providing daily televised coverage from the event for viewers in the UK, with live streaming available on ITV Hub and Eurosport Player.

Free streaming is also available across the Americas, Asia and Africa on MatchroomLive – a new sports streaming platform.

Where can I get tickets for the 2020 Matchroom Championship League? No tickets are available for the event as it will be taking place behind closed doors.

When is the 2020 Matchroom Championship League Group Stage 10 taking place?
Friday 5th June, 2020

GROUP STAGE 10

PLAYERS
Kishan Hirani
Michael Georgiou
Chris Wakelin
Ronnie O'Sullivan

FIXTURES
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Chris Wakelin
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Michael Georgiou
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Kishan Hirani
Chris Wakelin vs Michael Georgiou
Chris Wakelin vs Kishan Hirani
Michael Georgiou vs Kishan Hirani

PREDICTION
No denying who the favourite is here and it will really just be a question of whether the short format can prevent O’Sullivan from finding his game. This will in fact be only the Rocket’s fourth appearance in the Championship League with the closest he’s come to picking up the title being when he was runner-up to Judd Trump in 2016.

As always, much will depend on O’Sullivan’s mentality going into the group, and if he’s not at the races then Chris Wakelin would appear to be the most likely player to capitalise as he has enjoyed the most consistent season of the remaining three participants. This is O’Sullivan’s to lose, though.

BETTING TIPS
Ronnie O’Sullivan to win the group

Chris Wakelin to beat Kishan Hirani

Michael Georgiou to win the first frame against Kishan Hirani