Day Two Proves Better For Ryan
Ryan Day remained unbeaten on day two to win through Group Five of the Championship League at Crondon Park in Essex with a 3-0 final win over Mark Allen.
Day came through the group stage in second position winning four of his six matches and overcoming China’s Liang Wenbo in a final frame decider.
Northern Ireland’s Allen had earlier topped the group stages with five wins from six matches before beating local favourite, Mark King in the semi-final play-off.
Day’s campaign couldn’t have got off to a worse start as King opened the group in remarkable style.
The Welshman scored just six points in three frames as the world number 19 made a 136 in the first frame and followed with further runs of 108 and 127.
Things didn’t get a whole lot better in his second match as he lost to fellow countryman, Matthew Stevens by three-frames-to-two.
After that though, the three times ranking finalist, recovered to record wins against Allen (3-1) and Wenbo (3-2) to end day one with his hopes of making it through back intact.
Day two when it came was a different story.
Despite losing the opening two frames against Ricky Walden, who eventually finished in last place, Day managed to recover and win 3-2, and virtually guarantee a play-off place in a group of mixed results.
In his final group match Day sealed the fate of Ding Junhui, beating the Chinese number one by three-frames-to-one sending him out of the competitor along with Walden.
Stevens finished in fifth place and will return to fight it out in Group Six.
Day will return at the end of the month to join Mark Selby, Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy and Allister Carter along with the winners of Groups six and seven to play for a place in the lucrative Premier League later in the year.
