2021 Championship League (invitational)

The 2021 Championship League Invitational was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament, that took place from 4 January to 2 April 2021 in the Ballroom, Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England.^[1] It is the 16th staging of the tournament.

BetVictor Championship League Invitational

Tournament information
Dates	4 January – 2 April 2021 (2021-01-04 – 2021-04-02)
Venue	Ballroom, Stadium MK
City	Milton Keynes
Country	England
Organisation	Matchroom Sport
Format	Non-ranking event
Total prize fund	£182,700
Winner's share	£10,000 (plus bonuses)
Highest break	Stuart Bingham (ENG) (147)
Final
Champion	Kyren Wilson (ENG)
Runner-up	Mark Williams (WAL)
Score	3–2
← 2020 (ranking) ←2020 (invitational) 2021 (ranking)→ 2022 (invitational) →

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.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.^[4]

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.^[5]

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

Pos	Player	Pld	W	L	FF	FA	FD
1	John Higgins (SCO)	6	5	1	15	8	+7	Qualification to Group 1 play-off
2	Zhou Yuelong (CHN)	6	4	2	16	10	+6
3	Stuart Bingham (ENG)	6	4	2	16	11	+5
4	Graeme Dott (SCO)	6	4	2	15	13	+2
5	Gary Wilson (ENG)	6	2	4	12	15	−3	Advances into Group 2
6	Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA)	6	2	4	10	15	−5	Eliminated from the competition
7	Michael Holt (ENG)	6	0	6	6	18	−12

Source: Championship League Snooker

Play-offs

	Semi-finals Best of 5 frames				Final Best of 5 frames
	John Higgins (SCO)	3
	Graeme Dott (SCO)	1
					John Higgins (SCO)	2
					Zhou Yuelong (CHN)	3
	Zhou Yuelong (CHN)	3
	Stuart Bingham (ENG)	0

Group 2

Group 2 was played on 6 and 7 January 2021. Graeme Dott won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.^[6]

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

Pos	Player	Pld	W	L	FF	FA	FD
1	John Higgins (SCO)	6	5	1	15	11	+4	Qualification to Group 2 play-off
2	Matthew Selt (ENG)	6	4	2	14	9	+5
3	Scott Donaldson (SCO)	6	4	2	14	10	+4
4	Graeme Dott (SCO)	6	3	3	14	12	+2
5	Kyren Wilson (ENG)	6	2	4	11	15	−4	Advances into Group 3
6	Gary Wilson (ENG)	6	2	4	9	15	−6	Eliminated from the competition
7	Stuart Bingham (ENG)	6	1	5	11	16	−5

Source: Championship League Snooker

Play-offs

	Semi-finals Best of 5 frames				Final Best of 5 frames
	John Higgins (SCO)	2
	Graeme Dott (SCO)	3
					Graeme Dott (SCO)	3
					Scott Donaldson (SCO)	1
	Matthew Selt (ENG)	0
	Scott Donaldson (SCO)	3

Group 3

Group 3 was played on 8 and 9 January 2021. John Higgins won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.^[7]

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

Pos	Player	Pld	W	L	FF	FA	FD
1	John Higgins (SCO)	6	4	2	16	10	+6	Qualification to Group 3 play-off
2	Kyren Wilson (ENG)	6	4	2	13	12	+1
3	Zhao Xintong (CHN)	6	3	3	13	15	−2
4	Tom Ford (ENG)	6	3	3	12	12	0
5	Mark Selby (ENG)	6	3	3	11	12	−1	Advances into Group 4
6	Scott Donaldson (SCO)	6	2	4	12	14	−2	Eliminated from the competition
7	Matthew Selt (ENG)	6	2	4	10	12	−2

Source: Championship League Snooker

Play-offs

	Semi-finals Best of 5 frames				Final Best of 5 frames
	John Higgins (SCO)	3
	Tom Ford (ENG)	2
					John Higgins (SCO)	3
					Kyren Wilson (ENG)	0
	Kyren Wilson (ENG)	3
	Zhao Xintong (CHN)	1

Group 4

Group 4 was played on 8 and 9 February 2021. Judd Trump won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.^[8]

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

Pos	Player	Pld	W	L	FF	FA	FD
1	Judd Trump (ENG)	6	4	2	15	8	+7	Qualification to Group 4 play-off
2	Mark Selby (ENG)	6	4	2	12	10	+2
3	Mark Williams (WAL)	6	3	3	12	12	0
4	Kyren Wilson (ENG)	6	3	3	11	11	0
5	Barry Hawkins (ENG)	6	3	3	11	12	−1	Advances into Group 5
6	Tom Ford (ENG)	6	2	4	13	14	−1	Eliminated from the competition
7	Jack Lisowski (ENG)	6	2	4	8	15	−7

Source: Championship League Snooker

Play-offs

	Semi-finals Best of 5 frames				Final Best of 5 frames
	Judd Trump (ENG)	3
	Kyren Wilson (ENG)	2
					Judd Trump (ENG)	3
					Mark Selby (ENG)	0
	Mark Selby (ENG)	3
	Mark Williams (WAL)	2

Group 5

Group 5 was played on 10 and 11 February 2021. Kyren Wilson won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.^[9]

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

Pos	Player	Pld	W	L	FF	FA	FD
1	Ali Carter (ENG)	6	5	1	16	8	+8	Qualification to Group 5 play-off
2	Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)	6	4	2	14	8	+6
3	Kyren Wilson (ENG)	6	4	2	13	13	0
4	Mark Williams (WAL)	6	3	3	12	13	−1
5	Joe Perry (ENG)	6	2	4	11	13	−2	Advances into Group 6
6	Barry Hawkins (ENG)	6	2	4	10	15	−5	Eliminated from the competition
7	Mark Selby (ENG)	6	1	5	10	16	−6

Source: Championship League Snooker

Play-offs

	Semi-finals Best of 5 frames				Final Best of 5 frames
	Ali Carter (ENG)	1
	Mark Williams (WAL)	3
					Mark Williams (WAL)	2
					Kyren Wilson (ENG)	3
	Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)	2
	Kyren Wilson (ENG)	3

Group 6

Group 6 was played on 12 and 13 February 2021. Ali Carter won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.^[10]

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

Pos	Player	Pld	W	L	FF	FA	FD
1	Ali Carter (ENG)	6	5	1	17	6	+11	Qualification to Group 6 play-off
2	Anthony McGill (SCO)	6	5	1	16	12	+4
3	David Gilbert (ENG)	6	3	3	12	13	−1
4	Mark Williams (WAL)	6	3	3	11	13	−2
5	Joe Perry (ENG)	6	2	4	12	13	−1	Advances into Group 7
6	Liang Wenbo (CHN)	6	2	4	12	15	−3	Eliminated from the competition
7	Li Hang (CHN)	6	1	5	9	17	−8

Source: Championship League Snooker

Play-offs

	Semi-finals Best of 5 frames				Final Best of 5 frames
	Ali Carter (ENG)	3
	Mark Williams (WAL)	2
					Ali Carter (ENG)	3
					Anthony McGill (SCO)	2
	Anthony McGill (SCO)	3
	David Gilbert (ENG)	1

Group 7

Group 7 was played on 30 and 31 March 2021. Mark Williams won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.^[11]

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

Pos	Player	Pld	W	L	FF	FA	FD
1	Yan Bingtao (CHN)	6	6	0	18	7	+11	Qualification to Group 7 play-off
2	Mark Williams (WAL)	6	4	2	15	10	+5
3	David Gilbert (ENG)	6	4	2	14	11	+3
4	Joe Perry (ENG)	6	3	3	14	13	+1
5	Anthony McGill (SCO)	6	3	3	12	13	−1	Eliminated from the competition
6	Neil Robertson (AUS)	6	1	5	9	17	−8
7	Kurt Maflin (NOR)	6	0	6	7	18	−11

Source: Championship League Snooker

Play-offs

	Semi-finals Best of 5 frames				Final Best of 5 frames
	Yan Bingtao (CHN)	0
	Joe Perry (ENG)	3
					Joe Perry (ENG)	1
					Mark Williams (WAL)	3
	Mark Williams (WAL)	3
	David Gilbert (ENG)	1

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.^[12]

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

Pos	Player	Pld	W	L	FF	FA	FD
1	John Higgins (SCO)	6	5	1	16	5	+11	Qualification to Winners' Group play-off
2	Graeme Dott (SCO)	6	5	1	16	9	+7
3	Mark Williams (WAL)	6	3	3	14	12	+2
4	Kyren Wilson (ENG)	6	3	3	12	15	−3
5	Judd Trump (ENG)	6	2	4	10	13	−3	Eliminated from the competition
6	Ali Carter (ENG)	6	2	4	7	14	−7
7	Zhou Yuelong (CHN)	6	1	5	9	16	−7

Source: Championship League Snooker

Play-offs

	Semi-finals Best of 5 frames				Final Best of 5 frames
	John Higgins (SCO)	2
	Kyren Wilson (ENG)	3
					Kyren Wilson (ENG)	3
					Mark Williams (WAL)	2
	Graeme Dott (SCO)	0
	Mark Williams (WAL)	3

Century breaks

Total: A total of 147 century breaks were made during the tournament.^[13][14][15]

• 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	Kyren Wilson (ENG) (5)		1,100	4,200	2,700	6,100			15,200	29,300
2	Mark Williams (WAL) (15)				2,800	4,700	3,200	6,800	9,300	26,800
3	John Higgins (SCO) (6)	5,000	3,100	6,400					6,800	21,300
4	Graeme Dott (SCO) (23)	2800	6,200						6,200	15,200
5	Ali Carter (ENG) (22)					2,900	6,500		1,400	10,800
6	Judd Trump (ENG) (1)				6,300				2,000	8,300
7	Zhou Yuelong (CHN) (21)	6,400							1,800	8,200
8	Joe Perry (ENG) (19)					1,100	1,200	4,600		6,900
9	Mark Selby (ENG) (4)			1,100	4,100	1,500				6,700
10	Anthony McGill (SCO) (17)						5,100	1,200		6,300
11	Scott Donaldson (SCO) (24)		4,600	1,200						5,800
12	David Gilbert (ENG) (13)						2,500	2,700		5,200
13	Tom Ford (ENG) (29)			2,800	1,800					4,600
14	Stuart Bingham (ENG) (12)	3,100	1,100							4,200
15	Matthew Selt (ENG) (26)		2,400	1,000						3,400
16	Zhao Xintong (CHN)(a) (28)			3,100						3,100
17	Ronnie O'Sullivan (ENG)(b) (3)					3,000				3,000
18	Yan Bingtao (CHN) (11)							2,800		2,800
19	Gary Wilson (ENG) (20)	1,200	1,400							2,600
20	Barry Hawkins (ENG) (23)				1,100	1,000				2,100
21	Liang Wenbo (CHN) (29)						1,200			1,200
22	Thepchaiya Un-Nooh (THA) (16)	1,000								1,000
23	Neil Robertson (AUS) (2)							900		900
=	Li Hang (CHN) (30)						900			900
25	Jack Lisowski (ENG) (14)				800					800
26	Kurt Maflin (NOR) (25)							700		700
27	Michael Holt (ENG) (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.