Following a 14/1 outright winner at the International Championship, Richard Mann has two selections in his preview of the Champion of Champions, which began on Monday.
Snooker betting tips: Champion of Champions
2pts e.w. Kyren Wilson to win the Champion of Champions at 7/1 (Spreadex, Sporting Index 1/2 1,2)
1pt e.w. Gary Wilson to win the Champion of Champions at 25/1 (General 1/2 1,2)
Make no mistake, snooker’s Champion of Champions (live on ITV4, November 11-17) is one of the biggest events on the calendar, and the roll of honour confirms this tournament has year on year been won by the sport's very biggest players.
The list of past winners is littered with star names, Ronnie O’Sullivan’s four wins being the most, while Mark Allen is this year's defending champion having claimed the title 12 months ago as well as in 2020. In the last decade, there have also been victories for John Higgins, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and Judd Trump.
The latter heads the market this time around, around the 7/2 mark, having scooped two big prizes already this term, along with reaching two more high-profile finals, and Trump maintained his remarkable level of consistency with another solid run at the International Championship last week. We shouldn't forget that he was also runner-up here in Bolton last year.
Trump is sure to have his supporters again, but starting off against International Championship hero Ding Junhui is a tough opening draw, before a possible clash with Ali Carter or Neil Robertson to progress from Group Two. He’ll certainly need to earn his place in the semi-finals.
One could argue that O’Sullivan should start as outsider of the quartet in Group Four, with the red-hot Xiao Guodong up first and either old foe Mark Selby or Shaun Murphy to follow.
O’Sullivan’s form just doesn’t look there right now, for all there was no disgrace in losing to Pang Junxu last week, while Xiao and Selby have both won tournaments already this season.
In fact, Xiao might just prove the value to get out of the group, and anything in the region of 5/1 would seem fair enough.
Crucible King Kyren tough to oppose
Xiao doesn’t, however, make the staking plan, which is headed by world champion KYREN WILSON.
Wilson really ought to have had his hands on this trophy when losing to O’Sullivan in a deciding frame to the 2018 final that still lives long in the memory. It was a harsh lesson for Wilson who, having mounted a brilliant fightback, let O’Sullivan off the hook with the winning line in sight.
It’s my personal opinion that it took Wilson a while to recover from that defeat, for all ranking title wins still came along for this very fine all-round player. In the very biggest events, Wilson wasn’t quite able to bridge that gap between high-class and top-class, and he again lost to O’Sullivan in the final of the World Championship in 2020.
But since last spring, when Wilson roared to his maiden world title at the Crucible, the 32-year-old has looked a different animal – an even better player. He beat Trump in the final of the Xi'an Grand Prix and then trounced the same opponent – the world number one no less – in a demolition job in the Northern Ireland Open final.
It was a brutal, fearless display, and as Neal Foulds noted in his latest column, there was a real swagger about Wilson in that match. He clearly feels close to invincible at present, but to do that in a big match against Trump really does speak volumes.
A feature of Wilson’s play this season has been his heavy scoring. He’s always made big breaks, but his cue-ball control – which did need to tighten up – has been immaculate and he’s already up to 29 centuries this term. He managed a very healthy 76 last season, but is on track to beat that number this time around given we are still only in early November.
Even when losing in the quarter-finals of the International Championship to Ding last week, Wilson still won four frames with breaks 98, 70, 69 and 57. Wilson did well to level at 4-4 in that match having trailed 4-1 at one stage, before Ding finished the job with two brilliant centuries.
The form reads even better now, and I certainly wouldn’t be holding the defeat against Wilson who just lost out to an inspired opponent, a top-class performer in his own right who came good in front of huge home support. Let’s be clear, Wilson still enjoyed another solid week in Nanjing.
So, returning home with his game clearly in very good working order, there is much to like about Wilson's chances in Bolton, not least his confidence levels which must be through the roof at present following those early-season wins over Trump in such high-profile matches.
That will stand him in good stead, with the pair on track to meet again in the last four, but Wilson’s path to that stage does look more straightforward, starting off against a struggling Luca Brecel and then likely Mark Williams afterwards.
CLICK HERE to back Kyren Wilson with Sky Bet
At 7/1, Wilson is the bet, with appealing each-way terms meaning I'll be doubling down on my usual stake. 13/2, or even 6/1, is also fine.
Don't underestimate dangerous Gary Wilson
To smaller stakes, I do want to add GARY WILSON to the staking plan.
Wilson has been on my radar for a few weeks now and I fancied his chances of a deep run in Belfast, only to be left disappointed.
However, my suspicion that he was about to find some form was vindicated in China last week as he reached the quarter-finals, eventually losing 6-5 to Xu Si having led 5-3.
A cruel finish which will have stung, but Wilson played fantastically well to beat Mark Selby in the previous round, so really ought to take some positives back to England.
Moreover, it’s worth noting that Wilson earned his place in this select field by virtue of winning two tournaments last season, not just one, going back-to-back in the upcoming Scottish Open before cruising to the Welsh Open title after Christmas.
A real heavy hitter when on song with a terrific all-round game, Wilson has never been afraid of taking down the bigger names, and I thought he was a trifle unlucky when losing 10-7 to O’Sullivan in the semi-finals of the Tour Championship last term. His liking for the ITV cameras was confirmed with quarter-final finishes at the preceding World Grand Prix and Players Championship.
I’m hoping last week’s strong showing signals a return to top form for Wilson, and with Scotland just around the corner that would seem like a fair assumption. If I’m right, he’ll be a live contender here.
With the aforementioned Allen a long way from his best at present, I don’t think Wilson should be far off favourite to win Group One, starting off against Jak Jones and with Allen or Igor Figueiredo to come next.
Things would get much tougher from there, with the winner of Group Four lying in wait, but Wilson has that recent win over Selby to his name, while I’ve already stated why I wouldn’t be surprised to see Xiao, and not O’Sullivan, progress to face the Jester.
Either way, Wilson has nobody to fear in his half of the draw, and nor will he. Therefore, he warrants support at the current prices.
CLICK HERE to back Gary Wilson with Sky Bet
Champion of Champions: Draw & Schedule
- Each of the four groups are played each day from Monday to Thursday, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals on Friday and Saturday. The final is on Sunday.
Monday November 11: Group One
- Semi-Finals, Best of 7 frames (1pm)
Mark Allen v Igor Figueiredo
Gary Wilson v Jak Jones - Final, Best of 11 frames (7pm)
Allen/Figueiredo v Wilson/Jones
Tuesday November 12: Group Three
- Semi-Finals, Best of 7 frames (1pm)
Mark Williams vs Bai Yulu
Kyren Wilson vs Luca Brecel - Final, Best of 11 frames (7pm)
Williams/Yulu v Wilson/Brecel
Wednesday November 13: – Group Two
- Semi-Finals, Best of 7 frames (1pm)
Judd Trump vs Ding Junhui
Ali Carter vs Neil Robertson - Final, Best of 11 frames (7pm)
Trump/Junhui v Carter/Roberton
Thursday November 14: Group Four
- Semi-Finals, Best of 7 frames (1pm)
Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Xiao Guodong
Mark Selby vs Shaun Murphy - Final, Best of 11 frames (7pm)
O'Sullivan/Guodong v Selby/Murphy
Friday November 15
- Semi-Final, Best of 11 frames (7pm)
Winner Group 2 v Winner Group 3
Saturday November 16
- Semi-Final, Best of 11 frames (7pm)
Winner Group 1 v Winner Group 4
Sunday November 17
- Final, Best of 19 frames (1pm & 7pm)
Winner SF1 v Winner SF 2
Champion of Champions: What TV channel is it on?
ITV4 will televise the event, with streaming available on ITVX.
Champion of Champions prize money
- Winner: £150,000
- Runner-up: £60,000
- Semi-final: £30,000
- Group runner-up: £17,500
- Group semi-final: £12,500
Posted at 1825 GMT on 10/11/24
ALSO READ: Nick Metcalfe's latest column
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