After narrowly avoiding relegation in Group One of the 2024 BetVictor Championship League Invitational, Chris Wakelin returned as the winner of Group Two, sealing a spot in March’s Winners’ Group, live on Matchroom.Live in the UK and Ireland, DAZN in the United States, Viaplay in Scandinavia and the Baltics as well as other broadcasters worldwide.
Wakelin beat local favourite Mark Selby 3-2 in the final in Leicester as he made a fine start to 2024, having enjoyed the best year of his career so far in 2023.
Selby, Wakelin, Kyren Wilson and Ali Carter all won four matches out of six in the group phase, to progress to the semi-finals. Wakelin then edged out Wilson 3-2 while Selby made two centuries in a 3-1 success against Carter. The first four frames of the final were shared, before Wakelin finished in style with a break of 110 in the decider.
He said: “It was a tough match against Mark, but when my chance came in the decider, I took it. I’ve had had time off over Christmas and you can see it in my game – my long game is nowhere near where I’d like it to be and my safety was poor. Sometimes you get away with it but you’ve still got to pot the balls.
“There was a couple times today when I didn’t even think I was going to get out of the group stages, but a couple of big clearances got me into the semis and gave me a free run.
“Every event is a bonus. Compared to where I was 12 months ago, I wouldn’t have dreamt of qualifying for this tournament in the first place. It’s a prestigious event and the winner gets through to the Champion of Champions. Winning takes a lot, especially up against the field we had today – all in the top 16 and well-established winners. To come through, I’m delighted.”
Wakelin joins Stuart Bingham in the Winners’ Group on March 1st-2nd. Selby, Gary Wilson, Kyren Wilson and Ali Carter will return to join Barry Hawkins, Tom Ford and Neil Robertson in Group 3 at the Morningside Arena, Leicester on February 5th.