Championship League
Encyclopedia
Championship League is a non-ranking
snooker
tournament, devised by Matchroom Sport
. All tournaments have been held at the Crondon Park Golf Club since its debut in 2008.
by Barry Hearn
to provide additional competition and a qualifier to the Premier League Snooker. 25 professionals take part, there is no audience and every match is broadcast via internet
only. Players earn money for every frame won and there are also prizes for being a semi-finalist, runner-up and winner of each group, with more money involved in the winners group.
In the first two years all matches in the group stages were the best of four, meaning that the matches could ended in a draw as all the four frames were played, and the semi-finals and final was best of five. From 2010 all matches are best of five.
The competition runs over eight group, each consisting of seven players. From the league stage of the first seven groups the top four qualify for a play-off, the winner of which qualifies for the winners group. The bottom two players of each league are eliminated and the remaining four moves to the next group, where they are joined by three more players until the seventh group. The winners play in the final group with the overall winner taking a place in that years Premier League Snooker.
Snooker world rankings
The snooker world rankings are the official system of ranking professional snooker players to determine automatic qualification and seeding for tournaments on the World Snooker Tour. They are maintained by the sport's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association...
snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
tournament, devised by Matchroom Sport
Matchroom Sport
Matchroom Sport is a sport event promotions company founded by the English entrepreneur Barry Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool, bowling, golf , fishing, darts and poker...
. All tournaments have been held at the Crondon Park Golf Club since its debut in 2008.
History and format
The event was introduced in 20082008 Championship League
-Group two:Group two matches were played on 27 and 28 January 2008. Ken Doherty was the second player to qualify for the winners group.-Matches:* Ali Carter 2–2 Joe Perry* Ken Doherty 3–1 Mark Williams* Joe Perry 1–3 Anthony Hamilton...
by Barry Hearn
Barry Hearn
Barry Hearn is an English sporting events promoter, and the founder and chairman of promotions company Matchroom Sport. He is currently the chairman of Leyton Orient F.C., and the Professional Darts Corporation and was also until July 2010 chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker...
to provide additional competition and a qualifier to the Premier League Snooker. 25 professionals take part, there is no audience and every match is broadcast via internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
only. Players earn money for every frame won and there are also prizes for being a semi-finalist, runner-up and winner of each group, with more money involved in the winners group.
In the first two years all matches in the group stages were the best of four, meaning that the matches could ended in a draw as all the four frames were played, and the semi-finals and final was best of five. From 2010 all matches are best of five.
The competition runs over eight group, each consisting of seven players. From the league stage of the first seven groups the top four qualify for a play-off, the winner of which qualifies for the winners group. The bottom two players of each league are eliminated and the remaining four moves to the next group, where they are joined by three more players until the seventh group. The winners play in the final group with the overall winner taking a place in that years Premier League Snooker.
Winners
| Year | Winner | Opponent | Final score | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 2008 Championship League -Group two:Group two matches were played on 27 and 28 January 2008. Ken Doherty was the second player to qualify for the winners group.-Matches:* Ali Carter 2–2 Joe Perry* Ken Doherty 3–1 Mark Williams* Joe Perry 1–3 Anthony Hamilton... |
 Joe PerryJoe Perry (snooker player) -External links:*... |
Mark Selby Mark Selby Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007, he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open and the Shanghai Masters... |
3–1 | 2007/08 |
| 2009 2009 Championship League -Group two:Group two matches were played on 7 and 8 January 2009. Mark Allen was the second player to qualify for the winners group.-Matches:*Stephen Hendry 1–3 Joe Perry*Ali Carter 1–3 Ding Junhui*Peter Ebdon 1–3 Mark Allen... |
Judd Trump Judd Trump Judd Trump is an English professional snooker player from Bristol. He enjoyed considerable success in youth tournaments before turning professional in 2005. On 3 April 2011, Trump won his first ranking title, beating Mark Selby 10–8 in the final of the China Open... |
Mark Selby Mark Selby Mark Anthony Selby is an English professional snooker and pool player. Runner up in the World Snooker Championship 2007, he was the 2006 WEPF World Eight-ball Champion. Selby has won the Masters on two occasions, the Welsh Open and the Shanghai Masters... |
3–2 | 2008/09 |
| 2010 2010 Championship League -Group two:Group two matches were played on 6 and 7 January 2010. John Higgins was the second player to qualify for the winners group.-Matches:*Ali Carter 3–1 John Higgins*Mark Selby 1–3 Judd Trump*Neil Robertson 0–3 Marco Fu... |
 Marco FuMarco Fu Marco Fu Ka-chun , commonly known as Marco Fu, is a professional snooker player from Hong Kong. He currently resides in Happy Valley. He is best known for winning the 2007 Grand Prix, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final, and for being runner-up in the 2008 UK Championship... |
 Mark AllenMark Allen (snooker player) Mark Allen is a Northern Irish professional snooker player. He won the World Amateur Championship in 2004. The following year he turned professional and took only three seasons to reach the elite top 16... |
3–2 | 2009/10 |
| 2011 2011 Championship League -Group two:Group two matches were played on 5 and 6 January 2011. Mark Williams was the second player to qualify for the winners group.-Matches:*Ali Carter 1–3 John Higgins*Mark Williams 3–0 Shaun Murphy*Neil Robertson 0–3 Ronnie O'Sullivan... |
 Matthew StevensMatthew Stevens Matthew Stevens is a Welsh professional snooker player. Stevens has won two of the game's most prestigious events, the Benson and Hedges Masters in 2000 and the UK Championship in 2003. He has also been the runner-up in the World Snooker Championship on two occasions, in 2000 and 2005... |
Shaun Murphy Shaun Murphy (snooker player) Shaun Murphy is an English professional snooker player, who won the 2005 World Championship. Nicknamed "The Magician", Murphy is noted for his straight cue action and his long potting. He is known for his dedication and for being a devout Christian.Born in Harlow, England, Murphy turned... |
3–1 | 2010/11 |