Lee leads the way at last chance saloon - 21/03/2011

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STEPHEN LEE continued his recent good form as he won all three matches on the opening day to lead Group Seven of the Championship League Snooker.

The tournament, which is being staged at Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, Essex, is broadcast live on a number of betting websites and acts as a qualifier for Matchroom Sport’s Premier League Snooker.

With six spots in the final group already determined, this is the last chance for players to make it through to the big money final stages, which take place over 23/24 March later this week. Lee is the only one of the seven players to have a 100 per cent record as he beat Marco Fu 3-2, Matthew Stevens 3-1 and Mark King 3-2.

At the weekend Lee reached the quarter-final of the PartyCasino.com Players Tour Championship Grand Final in Dublin, where he lost a thrilling match 4-3 against eventual winner Shaun Murphy.

Stephen Lee

The Trowbridge-based potter is now well placed to finish in the top four in the group seven, an achievement that would take him to the play-offs and with it a shot at the Winners’ Group and in with a chance of qualifying for the Premier League.

The draw for the World Championship was made earlier in the day and Marco Fu and Martin Gould were paired together.

They held a mini dress-rehearsal at Crondon Park and Fu made back-to-back centuries of 126 and 102 on his way to a 3-0 victory over a drained Gould.

Gould and Matthew Stevens had to get early morning flights from Dublin after performing well at the PTC Grand Final yesterday where they reached the final and semi-finals respectively, and both players did well to keep it going through a long and at times, gruelling day’s play.

There are seven players competing in each Championship League Snooker Group and they each play the others once, with a point for a win. All matches are the best of five frames.

Play continues tomorrow at 10.30am and there are a further nine league matches before the semi-finals and the final.

Players earn £100 per frame won. The top four players after the remainder of the group matches tomorrow then play in best of five semi-finals. The money increases to £300 per frame won and the winner receives £3,000, the runner-up £2,000 and the beaten semi-finalists £1,000 each.

The winner then goes through to the final group on March 23rd & 24th where big money as well as a spot in the Sky Sports-televised Premier League Snooker is up for grabs. The two bottom players are eliminated from the competition, while the remaining four move forward to Group Three at the end of January to be joined by three new players.

Already through to the final group are Ryan Day, Mark Williams, Mark Selby, Ali Carter, Mark Allen and Shaun Murphy.