Championship League snooker: Judd Trump registers first win of the tournament

The reigning world champion, whose title defence has been delayed until July, was last seen winning back-to-back tournaments in the spring, culminating in a thrilling defeat of Kyren Wilson in Gibraltar.

On Monday, he was first to the table as snooker made its return following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and although short of his best, he nevertheless ran out a comprehensive winner.

Sporting a hairstyle likely found in households up and down the country, a bouffanted Trump didn't look quite himself, missing an easy black in the first frame and firing half a foot wide with an attempted red in the second.

Still, he won both frames, cutting the pink to earn a 1-0 lead before a delicate brown saw him double that advantage, while confirming that his touch hadn't left him completely.

Grace had chances in both, and ought to have won the second, but after forcing a snooker and returning with the balls well-placed, he found himself the wrong side of the black, wound up snookered himself, and duly lost all chance.

Among the balls in frame three, Trump began to look more comfortable with every passing pot and while Grace matched him on that front, his failure to control the cue ball throughout the match made all the difference.

Trump in the end won at a canter, and returns this evening for his final two group games, against Daniel Wells and Elliot Slessor, the latter winning their meeting 3-1.

After Wells and Grace played out a 2-2 draw, Trump all but sealed top spot with a 3-1 victory over Slessor in which he registered a break of 56, his highest across the first two matches.

That left Slessor needing to beat Grace 3-0 and hope for a miracle favour from Jones to keep his fading hopes alive, and when he lost the second frame it confirmed that Trump would win the group regardless of how he fared in his final match. He completed a clean sweep by beating Wells 3-1.

Gilbert glides through

In Group 13, David Gilbert lived up to his tag as favourite as he went unbeaten.

Gulbert signed off with an 89 break in a 3-0 defeat of Jackson Page to get the group under way, while Stuart Carrington beat Jak Jones 3-1 in a good match which produced four half-centuries.

Gilbert went on to draw 2-2 with Jones, apparently leaving the door open for Carrington as he took on teenage prospect Page knowing victory would put him top of the table with one match remaining.

But from a seemingly unassailable position, leading 2-1 and with the Welsh youngster needing snookers, Carrington managed to let victory slip through his fingers as a foul opened up an opportunity which Page gobbled up to force a draw.

That left Carrington needing to beat Gilbert, when a draw would've been enough had he won his second match.

In the end perhaps it didn't matter, as Gilbert produced his strongest display of the afternoon, breaks of 100, 68 and 92 helping limit Carrington to just five points scored in a 3-0 whitewash.

To add insult to injury, Carrington was denied second place in the group when Page beat Jones 3-0 in the final match, a difference of £500 in prize money.

Monday's results and standings

Group 2

1. Judd Trump (Q) P 3 W 3 L 0 D 0 FD +7 Pts 9
2. Elliot Slessor P 3 W 2 L 1 D 0 FD +2 Pts 6
3. Daniel Wells P 3 W 0 L 2 D 1 FD 0 Pts 1
4. David Grace P 3 W 0 L 2 D 1 FD -5 Pts 1

Judd Trump 3-0 David Grace

Daniel Wells 1-3 Elliot Slessor

Daniel Wells 2-2 David Grace

Judd Trump 3-1 Elliot Slessor

Elliot Slessor 3-1 David Grace

Judd Trump 3-1 Daniel Wells

Group 13

1. David Gilbert (Q) P 3 W 2 L 0 D 1 FD +6 Pts 7
2. Jackson Page P 3 W 1 L 1 D 1 FD 0 Pts 4
3. Stuart Carrington P 3 W 1 L 1 D 1 FD -1 Pts 4
4. Jak Jones P 3 W 0 L 2 D 1 FD -5 Pts 1

Stuart Carrington 3-1 Jak Jones

David Gilbert 3-0 Jackson Page

David Gilbert 2-2 Jak Jokes

Stuart Carrington 2-2 Jackson Page

David Gilbert 3-0 Stuart Carrington

Jak Jones 0-3 Jackson Page

Related links

• Championship League: Results & tables
• Richard Mann's group-by-group preview

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