The 2021 Championship League Invitational was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament, that took place from in the Ballroom, Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England. It is the 16th staging of the tournament.
On the first day of the tournament Stuart Bingham made the eighth career maximum break. He accomplished the feat in the second frame of his Group 1 win over Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
Kyren Wilson was the defending champion, having defeated Judd Trump 3–1 in the final of the ranking edition of the tournament.
Wilson successfully defended the title, coming from 0–2 down in his last Winners group game, the semi-final and the final to win all three matches 3–2. He defeated Mark Williams 3–2 in the final to win the tournament.
Tournament format The Championship League event sees 25 professionals take part, with players earning prize money for every frame won. Matches are best of five frames, and the league is played from January to April 2021.
The competition runs over eight groups, each consisting of seven players. From each group the top four qualify for a play-off, and the winners of the first seven play-offs qualify for the winners group. The bottom two players of each group are eliminated and the remaining four move to the next group, where they are joined by three more players until the seventh group. The winners play in the final group, and the winner of the Winners' Group play-off takes the title and a place at the 2021 Champion of Champions.
Prize fund The breakdown of prize money for the 2021 Championship League is shown below.
Groups 1–7 Winner: £3,000 Runner-up: £2,000 Semi-final: £1,000 Frame-win (league stage): £100 Frame-win (play-offs): £300 Highest break: £500
Winners' Group Winner: £10,000 Runner-up: £5,000 Semi-final: £3,000 Frame-win (league stage): £200 Frame-win (play-offs): £300 Highest break: £1,000
Tournament total: £182,700
Group 1 Group 1 was played on 4 and 5 January 2021. Zhou Yuelong won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.
Matches
John Higgins 3–2 Stuart Bingham Michael Holt 1–3 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh John Higgins 3–0 Gary Wilson Zhou Yuelong 2–3 Graeme Dott Stuart Bingham 3–2 Michael Holt Gary Wilson 2–3 Graeme Dott John Higgins 3–1 Michael Holt Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 2–3 Zhou Yuelong Michael Holt 1–3 Gary Wilson Stuart Bingham 3–0 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh Gary Wilson 3–2 Zhou Yuelong John Higgins 3–2 Graeme Dott Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 2–3 Graeme Dott Stuart Bingham 2–3 Zhou Yuelong Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 3–2 Gary Wilson Michael Holt 0–3 Zhou Yuelong Stuart Bingham 3–2 Gary Wilson Michael Holt 1–3 Graeme Dott John Higgins 0–3 Zhou Yuelong Stuart Bingham 3–1 Graeme Dott John Higgins 3–0 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Table
Play-offs
Group 2 Group 2 was played on 6 and 7 January 2021. Graeme Dott won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.
Matches
Kyren Wilson 3–1 Scott Donaldson Matthew Selt 3–1 Gary Wilson Kyren Wilson 0–3 Graeme Dott Stuart Bingham 2–3 John Higgins Matthew Selt 1–3 Scott Donaldson Graeme Dott 2–3 John Higgins Kyren Wilson 1–3 Matthew Selt Gary Wilson 3–1 Stuart Bingham Matthew Selt 3–1 Graeme Dott Scott Donaldson 3–0 Gary Wilson Graeme Dott 3–2 Stuart Bingham Kyren Wilson 2–3 John Higgins Gary Wilson 1–3 John Higgins Scott Donaldson 3–1 Stuart Bingham Gary Wilson 1–3 Graeme Dott Matthew Selt 1–3 Stuart Bingham Scott Donaldson 3–2 Graeme Dott Matthew Selt 3–0 John Higgins Kyren Wilson 3–2 Stuart Bingham Kyren Wilson 2–3 Gary Wilson Scott Donaldson 1–3 John Higgins
Table
Play-offs
Group 3 Group 3 was played on 8 and 9 January 2021. John Higgins won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.
Matches
Mark Selby 3–1 Zhao Xintong Tom Ford 1–3 Kyren Wilson Zhao Xintong 3–2 John Higgins Matthew Selt 0–3 Scott Donaldson Mark Selby 0–3 Tom Ford John Higgins 3–1 Scott Donaldson Zhao Xintong 2–3 Tom Ford Kyren Wilson 3–2 Matthew Selt Tom Ford 2–3 John Higgins Mark Selby 3–0 Kyren Wilson John Higgins 3–0 Matthew Selt Zhao Xintong 3–2 Scott Donaldson Kyren Wilson 3–2 Scott Donaldson Mark Selby 0–3 Matthew Selt Kyren Wilson 1–3 John Higgins Tom Ford 0–3 Matthew Selt Mark Selby 3–2 John Higgins Tom Ford 3–1 Scott Donaldson Zhao Xintong 3–2 Matthew Selt Mark Selby 2–3 Scott Donaldson Zhao Xintong 1–3 Kyren Wilson
Table
Play-offs
Group 4 Group 4 was played on 8 and 9 February 2021. Judd Trump won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.
Matches
Judd Trump 3–0 Mark Williams Mark Selby 3–1 Jack Lisowski Judd Trump 3–2 Tom Ford Kyren Wilson 3–1 Barry Hawkins Jack Lisowski 1–3 Mark Williams Kyren Wilson 2–3 Tom Ford Judd Trump 2–3 Jack Lisowski Mark Selby 0–3 Barry Hawkins Jack Lisowski 0–3 Tom Ford Mark Selby 3–2 Mark Williams Barry Hawkins 3–2 Tom Ford Judd Trump 1–3 Kyren Wilson Mark Selby 3–0 Kyren Wilson Mark Williams 1–3 Barry Hawkins Mark Selby 3–1 Tom Ford Jack Lisowski 3–1 Barry Hawkins Mark Williams 3–2 Tom Ford Kyren Wilson 3–0 Jack Lisowski Judd Trump 3–0 Barry Hawkins Kyren Wilson 0–3 Mark Williams Judd Trump 3–0 Mark Selby
Note Zhao Xintong, who had qualified from group 3, withdrew from the tournament prior to group 4 play.
Table
Play-offs
Group 5 Group 5 was played on 10 and 11 February 2021. Kyren Wilson won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.
Matches
Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–0 Joe Perry Barry Hawkins 1–3 Ali Carter Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–0 Kyren Wilson Mark Selby 2–3 Mark Williams Joe Perry 2–3 Ali Carter Mark Selby 2–3 Kyren Wilson Mark Williams 3–1 Barry Hawkins Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–1 Ali Carter Barry Hawkins 1–3 Joe Perry Kyren Wilson 1–3 Ali Carter Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–1 Mark Selby Kyren Wilson 3–2 Mark Williams Mark Selby 2–3 Barry Hawkins Mark Williams 0–3 Joe Perry Kyren Wilson 3–1 Barry Hawkins Mark Williams 1–3 Ali Carter Kyren Wilson 3–2 Joe Perry Mark Selby 0–3 Ali Carter Ronnie O'Sullivan 1–3 Mark Williams Mark Selby 3–1 Joe Perry Ronnie O'Sullivan 1–3 Barry Hawkins
Table
Play-offs
Group 6 Group 6 was played on 12 and 13 February 2021. Ali Carter won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.
Matches
David Gilbert 3–0 Liang Wenbo Anthony McGill 3–2 Joe Perry Liang Wenbo 2–3 Li Hang Mark Williams 0–3 Ali Carter David Gilbert 2–3 Anthony McGill Mark Williams 3–1 Li Hang Anthony McGill 1–3 Liang Wenbo Joe Perry 0–3 Ali Carter Anthony McGill 3–1 Li Hang David Gilbert 3–2 Joe Perry Ali Carter 3–1 Li Hang Mark Williams 3–2 Liang Wenbo Mark Williams 0–3 Joe Perry David Gilbert 0–3 Ali Carter Joe Perry 3–1 Li Hang Anthony McGill 3–2 Ali Carter David Gilbert 3–2 Li Hang Mark Williams 2–3 Anthony McGill Ali Carter 3–2 Liang Wenbo Mark Williams 3–1 David Gilbert Joe Perry 2–3 Liang Wenbo
Note Ronnie O'Sullivan, who had qualified from group 5, withdrew from the tournament prior to group 6 play.
Table
Play-offs
Group 7 Group 7 was played on 30 and 31 March 2021. Mark Williams won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.
Matches
Yan Bingtao 3–1 Kurt Maflin Neil Robertson 1–3 Joe Perry Mark Williams 3–1 Kurt Maflin David Gilbert 3–1 Anthony McGill Neil Robertson 2–3 Yan Bingtao Mark Williams 2–3 Anthony McGill Neil Robertson 3–2 Kurt Maflin David Gilbert 3–2 Joe Perry Neil Robertson 0–3 Mark Williams Yan Bingtao 3–1 Joe Perry Mark Williams 3–1 David Gilbert Anthony McGill 3–1 Kurt Maflin Anthony McGill 1–3 Joe Perry Yan Bingtao 3–1 David Gilbert Mark Williams 3–2 Joe Perry Neil Robertson 2–3 David Gilbert Yan Bingtao 3–1 Mark Williams Neil Robertson 1–3 Anthony McGill David Gilbert 3–0 Kurt Maflin Yan Bingtao 3–1 Anthony McGill Joe Perry 3–2 Kurt Maflin
Table
Play-offs
Winners' Group The Winners' Group was played on 1 and 2 April 2021. Kyren Wilson defended his Championship League title, defeating Mark Williams 3–2 in the final.
Matches
Judd Trump 1–3 Zhou Yuelong John Higgins 3–1 Mark Williams Zhou Yuelong 2–3 Graeme Dott Kyren Wilson 1–3 Ali Carter John Higgins 3–1 Graeme Dott Judd Trump 3–0 Ali Carter John Higgins 3–0 Zhou Yuelong Kyren Wilson 3–2 Mark Williams Judd Trump 3–1 John Higgins Mark Williams 2–3 Graeme Dott Judd Trump 2–3 Kyren Wilson Zhou Yuelong 1–3 Ali Carter Mark Williams 3–1 Ali Carter Kyren Wilson 2–3 Graeme Dott Judd Trump 1–3 Mark Williams John Higgins 3–0 Kyren Wilson Judd Trump 0–3 Graeme Dott John Higgins 3–0 Ali Carter Kyren Wilson 3–2 Zhou Yuelong Graeme Dott 3–0 Ali Carter Mark Williams 3–1 Zhou Yuelong
Table
Play-offs
Century breaks Total: A total of 147 century breaks were made during the tournament.
147 (1), 136, 132, 127, 112 Stuart Bingham 144 (5), 137, 137, 133, 109, 108, 101 Mark Selby 144 (3), 110, 104, 100 Zhao Xintong 143 (W), 142, 142, 136, 135, 133, 132, 130, 129, 128, 126, 126, 124, 123, 121, 116, 113, 110, 107, 105, 103, 100, 100 Kyren Wilson 143 (2), 138, 103 Gary Wilson 142 (4), 131, 131, 113, 101 Tom Ford 142, 104, 104 Matthew Selt 141, 135, 106, 103 Graeme Dott 141, 115, 111, 109, 106, 104, 102 Ali Carter 140, 132, 125, 124, 122, 114, 102 Ronnie O'Sullivan 139 (7), 138 (6), 134, 133, 131, 127, 127, 122, 120, 114, 114, 110, 108, 106, 106, 105, 103, 102 Mark Williams 138, 137, 131, 131, 120, 116, 115, 108, 102, 102, 100 Judd Trump 137, 131, 127, 119, 112, 112, 105, 105, 104, 103, 101, 100 John Higgins 133, 118, 111, 105, 105, 101, 100 David Gilbert 133 Kurt Maflin 131, 131, 125, 113, 110 Zhou Yuelong 130, 122, 103 Scott Donaldson 128, 125 Yan Bingtao 123, 116, 113, 110, 109, 101 Anthony McGill 120, 114, 109, 107 Joe Perry 114 Barry Hawkins 107, 106, 105, 105 Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 105, 104, 100, 100 Neil Robertson 104 Jack Lisowski
Bold: highest break in the indicated group.
Winnings No. Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 W TOTAL 1 (5) 1,100 4,200 2,700 6,100 15,200 29,300 2 (15) 2,800 4,700 3,200 6,800 9,300 26,800 3 (6) 5,000 3,100 6,400 6,800 21,300 4 (23) 2800 6,200 6,200 15,200 5 (22) 2,900 6,500 1,400 10,800 6 (1) 6,300 2,000 8,300 7 (21) 6,400 1,800 8,200 8 (19) 1,100 1,200 4,600 6,900 9 (4) 1,100 4,100 1,500 6,700 10 (17) 5,100 1,200 6,300 11 (24) 4,600 1,200 5,800 12 (13) 2,500 2,700 5,200 13 (29) 2,800 1,800 4,600 14 (12) 3,100 1,100 4,200 15 (26) 2,400 1,000 3,400 16 (a) (28) 3,100 3,100 17 (b) (3) 3,000 3,000 18 (11) 2,800 2,800 19 (20) 1,200 1,400 2,600 20 (23) 1,100 1,000 2,100 21 (29) 1,200 1,200 22 (16) 1,000 1,000 23 (2) 900 900 = (30) 900 900 25 (14) 800 800 26 (25) 700 700 27 (27) 600 600 Total prize money 20,100 19,900 19,800 19,600 20,300 20,600 19,700 42,700 182,700 Green: Won the group. Bold: Highest break in the group. All prize money in GBP. Parenthesis: Ranking prior to tournament start, 4 January 2021. Notes (a) Zhao Xintong withdrew from the tournament prior to group 4 play. (b) Ronnie O'Sullivan withdrew from the tournament prior to group 6 play.
References
External links Matchroom Sport Championship League Snooker World Snooker Calendar 2020/2021