Stephen Maguire and Ali Carter every progressed to the subsequent section of Championship League Snooker after topping their teams in Leicester on Saturday.
Maguire received his seventh profession rating title final yr along with his victory over Joe O’Connor within the last on the Mattioli Area.
The Scot has struggled for kind in 2026 thus far, and it didn’t look significantly promising when he started Group 19 with a 3-1 defeat to Anton Kazakov.
However the former world quantity two bounced again to file a brace of 3-0 triumphs over Ng On Yee and Robbie Williams.
The second of these proved to be essential as Williams had solely wanted a draw from the end-of-day fixture to advance as a substitute.
Group 12 was even tighter, in the meantime, as Carter edged a intently fought contest with Jamie Jones.
The Captain emerged because the Championship League Snooker winner two years in the past, touchdown his sixth rating title with a win over Jackson Web page within the last.
Carter might as soon as once more problem for the season-opening rating occasion after nearly managing to prevail in opposition to Jones.
The previous World Championship runner-up headed into his last group sport with the Welshman needing a 2-2 draw to pip his opponent on body distinction, the pair having already crushed each Leone Crowley and Patrick Whelan.
That’s precisely what transpired, with the body Jones misplaced to Whelan earlier within the day in the end proving to be the deciding consider who went by means of.
There are only some extra days of Stage One earlier than the complete lineup for the final 32 can be confirmed.
After a short respite on Sunday, it’ll be again to the baize on Monday when Stuart Bingham enters the fray in Group 11 alongside Jordan Brown, Mateusz Baranowski, and Mark Joyce.
Group 13 pits Zhou Yuelong in opposition to Ben Mertens, Liam Graham, and Allan Taylor.
Championship League Snooker represents the opening rating occasion of the fledgling 2026/27 snooker season.
The general winner on July fifteenth will take house £33,000 value of prize cash and rating factors, plus a ticket to the profitable Champion of Champions invitational later this yr.
Reside protection is offered for Eire and UK viewers on the Matchroom Multi Sport and Matchroom Pool YouTube channels.
Saturday, July 4
Group 12 Outcomes
Ali Carter 3-0 Patrick Whelan
Jamie Jones 3-1 Leone Crowley
Jamie Jones 3-1 Patrick Whelan
Ali Carter 3-1 Leone Crowley
Patrick Whelan 3-0 Leone Crowley
Ali Carter 2-2 Jamie Jones
Group 12 Desk
1. Ali Carter – 7 factors
2. Jamie Jones – 7 factors
3. Patrick Whelan – 3 factors
4. Leone Crowley – 0 factors
Click on right here for extra details about the match.
Group 19 Outcomes
Anton Kazakov 3-1 Stephen Maguire
Robbie Williams 2-2 Ng On Yee
Robbie Williams 3-0 Anton Kazakov
Stephen Maguire 3-0 Ng On Yee
Ng On Yee 2-2 Anton Kazakov
Stephen Maguire 3-0 Robbie Williams
Group 19 Desk
1. Stephen Maguire – 6 factors
2. Robbie Williams – 4 factors
3. Anton Kazakov – 4 factors
4. Ng On Yee – 2 factors
Featured photograph credit score: WST
