Trump impresses but Hendry endures a poor day - 18/01/2010

JUDD Trump inched closer to a return to the Premier League after a fine opening day in Group Three of the Championship League. Trump, who reached the Premier League semi-finals after winning the 2009 Championship, won all four of his matches to top the latest league table.

At 30th in the world rankings, Trump is the lowest ranked player in the competition but he made a mockery of that stat with victories over Neil Robertson, Marco Fu, Ali Carter and Joe Perry. It means Trump is already guaranteed a semi-final place in this group, while seven-time World Champion Stephen Hendry is battling to avoid an early exit after losing three times – against Mark Allen, Robertson and Perry.

Each match of the Championship League is broadcast on a number of betting websites and features seven of the best players in the world. After the round-robin phase, the top four meet in the semi-finals with the winners meeting in the final and the player who triumphs advancing to the Winners’ Group.

There they will join Stephen Maguire and John Higgins, winners of groups one and two respectively, and the players who win groups four, five, six and seven.
The overall champion from the Winners’ Group will qualify for Matchroom Sport’s prestigious Premier League, which begins in September.

Working in partnership with Perform, the world’s leading internet sports specialist, the following international betting sites will be streaming 2010 Championship League Snooker;
Bet365 – Global
Betfair – Europe
Ladbrokes – UK/Nordics
William Hill – UK
Paddy Power – Ireland
Skybet – UK
Sportingbet – Europe (Excluding UK &Nordics)
Unibet – Europe (Excluding UK)
188bet – Asia
IBC Bet – Asia
Digibet – Germany
Betboo – South America

DAY ONE RESULTS
Ali Carter 1-3 Marco Fu, Judd Trump 3-1 Neil Robertson, Stephen Hendry 2-3 Mark Allen, Joe Perry 3-1 Ali Carter, Marco Fu 1-3 Judd Trump, Neil Robertson 3-2 Stephen Hendry, Mark Allen 3-2 Joe Perry, Ali Carter 0-3 Judd Trump, Marco Fu 3-1 Neil Robertson, Stephen Hendry 2-3 Joe Perry, Judd Trump 3-1 Joe Perry, Mark Allen 3-2 Neil Robertson.