DEBUTANT DONALDSON INTO BETVICTOR CHAMPIONSHIP LEAGUE SNOOKER WINNERS’ GROUP

The Final
Scott Donaldson 3-0 Graeme Dott
79-9, 77-0, 66-30

Semi-finals
Scott Donaldson 3-2 Joe Perry
68-25, 0-61, 75-64, 8-55, 77-0 (77)

Kyren Wilson 2-3 Graeme Dott
101-0 (85), 64-34, 0-71 (70), 0-74 (74), 13-89 (88)

Scott Donaldson is through to the Winners’ Group of BetVictor Championship League Snooker after beating Graeme Dott 3-0 in the final of Group 4 at Morningside Arena, Leicester.

Donaldson was making his tournament debut in this group and raced to a 2-0 lead in the final with breaks of 79 and 77. However, after a re-rack in the third Donaldson felt ill and the final was suspended for 40 minutes.

When play resumed the debutant was able to see out the match and felt that had he not won the third frame, he may not have won the match.

“I have played well all group, but I will remember that final for how I felt after 2-0,” reflected Donaldson, who will join Neil Robertson, Stuart Bingham and fellow tournament rookie Gary Wilson in March’s Winners’ Group.

“I don’t know what happened. I went back to my chair, coughed and I couldn’t breathe. I think I may have eaten something and had an allergic reaction. My throat tightened up completely, I had to step out and get some fresh air. If Graeme had won that third frame I don’t think I would have won.

“It wasn’t pretty in the final frame but that is the only way I could have got over the line. I want to be really happy, I do, because I am delighted at winning this, it is a tough thing to win and I played very, very well for the whole piece but that last hour was horrible.”

Donaldson had earlier topped the group table with five wins from his six matches and then defeated Joe Perry 3-2 at the semi-final stage. Dott had reached the final having also won the deciding frame of his semi-final. He beat Kyren Wilson, who took the £500 high break prize for his 143 against Tom Ford.

Staged at Morningside Arena, Leicester, BetVictor Championship League Snooker is broadcast on a host of betting websites and on zhibo.tv, one of the biggest sports streaming platforms in China.

Dott, Perry, Wilson and Tom Ford, who finished fifth on the group table, will now return for Group Five on Monday, January 6 where they will be joined by Anthony McGill, David Gilbert and Yan Bingtao. Having finished sixth and seventh respectively in Group Four, Ali Carter and Matthew Selt are eliminated from the competition.