Graeme Dott and Rory McLeod both advanced to the next phase of the 2020 Snooker Championship Leagues after coming out the top of their groups.

The qualifiers of the 2020 Snooker Championship League has been going on with so many eye-catching performances so far.

Two strong favourites, Graeme Dott and Rory McLeod, progressed beyond the first group stage of the Championship League with stellar displays.

Graeme Dott experienced difficulty as he barely topped his group in the Championship League, after a narrow a 3-1 win over Liang Wenbo on Saturday.

Liang Wenbo was not a pushover as he came into the game on the back of remarkable wins over Soheil Vahedi and Zak Surety, thus he needed a draw against Dott to progress.

However, The 43-year-old Scottish professional snooker player was the one who won. Liang Wenbo, a former English Open champion lost the opening two frames against Dott, pinched the third frame, and lost the fourth frame to Graeme.

Graeme Dott reached the final of the 2020 World Grand Prix, and in doing so he became the first player to reach a ranking final in four different decades, his first came in the 1999 Scottish Open.

On the other hand, Jamaican snooker player, Rory McLeod also secured his place in the last 32 after his won group with seven points. He defeated Jack Lisowski and Fraser Patrick and needed a draw in his last game. McLeod tied 2-2 with Ian Burns, meaning he came out on top in the group.

McLeod is currently ranked 105 in the world. The 49-year-old suffered relegation from the main tour at the end of the 2018-2019 season and spent the 2019-20 season playing on the World Seniors Tour and Challenge Tour. However, he regained his professional status last month at Q School.

The winners of all the 32 group will face off in the Milton Keynes at the end of October for the tournament’s conclusion.

Written by: Collins Nwokolo