Championship League snooker: Stuart Bingham wins Group 1 despite late wobbles

The former world champion made his entrance with a 3-0 victory over Clarke, but then had to watch and hope for a favour from his vanquished opponent after only managing to draw his next two matches.

Bingham's blips - he lost the fourth and final frames in 2-2 draws with both Jordan Brown and Ricky Walden - handed Brown an opportunity, but to steal the group he'd need to win 3-0 and register a break of 96 in the final match.

Despite losing his first two matches to sit bottom, Clarke put up a fight and took the first frame to ensure that Bingham's anguish was fleeting as he progressed to join Ronnie O'Sullivan and Harvey Chandler in Group C.

Clarke added further respectability to his efforts by registering the group's first century and going on to win 3-0 to climb to third, ultimately sending Bingham through with more to spare than had appeared likely.

But it was Walden who perhaps should've won the group, on reflection, as the 89 break which came to an end when he missed a tricky black would likely have been a century - had it not been for the fact he'd potted 12 reds and 11 blacks and was determined to play for a 147.

With Bingham's superior high break ultimately the difference, Walden might wish he'd have taken the easier route to a century break - though he could not have known at the time that the margins would prove so tight.

While 'Ball Run' will leave the arena frustrated at his profligacy, particularly against Walden given that he lost the final frame by a single point having led 63-0, there were still some promising signs to take with him into a battle with O'Sullivan.

Breaks of 85 and 69 helped him make light work of Clarke, he added runs of 94 and 57 against Brown, and three more half-centuries against Walden completed a day of solid break-building, undermined by a lack of ruthlessness.

In the end it didn't matter much - though it might when he meets O'Sullivan who, eight days into the competition, remains the only player to have advanced without so much as losing a frame.

On the other table, Ben Woollaston showed what he can do with successive 3-0 wins which guaranteed him top spot before he surrendered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Jimmy Robertson.

Woollaston registered three half-centuries in what had always looked a winnable section. He joins Tom Ford and Liang Wenbo in Group D of the Group Winners' Stage, with Mark Allen seeded to join them.

Saturday's results and standings

Group 1

1. Stuart Bingham (Q) P 3 W 1 L 0 D 2 FD +3 Pts 5
2. Ricky Walden P 3 W 1 L 0 D 2 FD +3 Pts 5
3. Jamie Clarke P 3 W 1 L 2 D 0 FD -3 Pts 3
4. Jordan Brown P 3 W 0 L 1 D 2 FD -3 Pts 2

Stuart Bingham 3-0 Jamie Clarke

Ricky Walden 2-2 Jordan Brown

Ricky Walden 3-0 Jamie Clarke

Stuart Bingham 2-2 Jordan Brown

Jordan Brown 0-3 Jamie Clarke

Stuart Bingham 2-2 Ricky Walden

Group 8

1. Ben Woollaston (Q) P 3 W 2 L 0 D 1 FD +6 Pts 7
2. Jimmy Robertson P 3 W 1 L 0 D 2 FD +3 Pts 5
3. Liam Highfield P 3 W 1 L 1 D 1 FD +0 Pts 4
4. Thor Chuan Leong P 3 W 0 L 3 D 0 FD -9 Pts 0

Ben Woollaston 3-0 Liam Highfield

Jimmy Robertson 3-0 Thor Chuan Leong

Jimmy Robertson 2-2 Liam Highfield

Ben Woollaston 3-0 Thor Chuan Leong

Jimmy Robertson 2-2 Ben Woollaston

Liam Highfield 3-0 Thor Chuan Leong

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