Gilbert and Jones Book Stage Three Places as Top-16 Drought Confirmed
Gilbert Tops Group E to Revive Title Hopes
David Gilbert has given himself a genuine shot at a second Championship League Snooker title after finishing top of Group E in Stage Two at the Mattioli Arena, Leicester. The Tamworth-born potter, who claimed the 2021 edition of the event, posted a record of two wins and one defeat across Monday's round of fixtures to book his place in the last eight of the competition.
Gilbert opened his account with a composed 3-1 victory over 2024 champion Ali Carter, a result that immediately established him as the group's frontrunner. He backed that up with a further 3-1 win against Chris Wakelin, and although a 3-0 reverse against He Guoqiang in his final group outing ended his unbeaten run, it carried no consequences. Wakelin's inability to defeat Carter in the concurrent fixture confirmed Gilbert's progression, sealing his place in Stage Three with a point advantage that could not be overturned.
The result marks a significant moment for Gilbert in the context of the wider season. Championship League Snooker operates as the opening ranking event of the 2026/27 campaign, meaning a deep run here carries both financial and psychological weight heading into the months ahead. The winner on 15th July collects £33,000 in prize money along with the accompanying ranking points and, crucially, a coveted invitation to the Champion of Champions later in the year.
Jones Navigates Tight Group F in Unbeaten Run
In Group F, Jak Jones advanced to Stage Three without suffering a single defeat, though his path was far from straightforward. The Welshman, still searching for his first ranking title on the professional tour, began the day with just a single point from a drawn encounter with amateur top-up Mark Joyce — a result that left Jones vulnerable heading into the remainder of his fixtures.
A 3-0 dismissal of veteran former world number three Marco Fu steadied the ship considerably, but Jones still required a positive result in his final group match to guarantee progression. With Chang Bingyu already having beaten both Fu and Joyce, the Chinese youngster entered that last fixture as a genuine threat to Jones's hopes. The Welshman ultimately produced his clearest performance of the group, winning 3-1 to advance at Chang's expense and emerge from Group F with an undefeated record of two wins and a draw.
No Top-16 Players Remain in Contention
Wakelin's elimination carries a broader significance beyond individual disappointment. His exit means that not a single member of the world's top 16 will feature in Stage Three of the Championship League, a development that hands a sizeable opportunity to the mid-ranked and lower-ranked contingent still in the field. For players operating outside the upper tier of the world rankings, a ranking event title in the early weeks of the season can represent a transformative result, both in terms of prize fund accumulation and world ranking trajectory.
Gilbert and Jones join four players who had already secured their Stage Three berths: Noppon Saengkham, Lei Peifan, Hossein Vafaei, and Dylan Emery. That group of six will be completed by the winners of Tuesday's remaining two Stage Two groups — Group G and Group H — before the last-eight phase gets under way.
Tuesday's Groups to Complete the Draw
Group G on Tuesday features Jack Lisowski, currently the highest-ranked player remaining in the competition, alongside Zhang Anda, Jimmy Robertson, and Cheung Ka Wai. Lisowski will enter as the nominal favourite on ranking grounds, though as Gilbert's progression has demonstrated, early-season form in this format does not always follow seeding logic.
Group H presents Elliot Slessor with the opportunity to join the Stage Three contingent, with the Durham cueman facing Xu Si, Jackson Page, and Dean Young in what looks a closely matched section on paper. Page, the young Welshman, and Xu Si will both be eager to stake their own claims to one of snooker's early ranking prizes.
Live coverage of the Championship League Snooker remains available to viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland via the Matchroom Multi Sport and Matchroom Pool YouTube channels throughout the week.
