Fu Wins Premier League Spot
Marco Fu won the 2010 Championship League Snooker at Crondon Park in Essex and qualified for Matchroom Sport’s Premier League Snooker competition.
Hong Kong’s Fu recovered from 2-0 down to beat Mark Allen 3-2 in the final.
Allen missed a shot at the blue in the third frame that would have given him the title. In fact, Fu needed a snooker to stay in contention, which he duly got and went on to record an impressive win.
‘Qualifying for the Premier League is a very special moment for me as everyone wants to play in the League,’ said Fu. "Only the top players can play in it and with it being live on television it is a very prestigious competition.
‘I was very lucky to win the third frame and when you're one snooker down you don't expect to win. I was lucky I got the snooker, he surprisingly missed it and I made a good pink to win the frame.
‘That was the turning point in the whole match as Mark was a little bit disappointed. He was expected to win but he didn't play that well from then on and I made two good breaks to win the match. Sometimes you need a bit of luck and not only play well.’
Allen took the opening frame by 75-31 but had some nervous moments when he missed a frame-winning pink into the centre pocket. However, that error did not prove costly as Fu’s failure to pot the green handed the frame to the 23-year-old from Northern Ireland.
It was a similar story in the second as Allen was not punished when he potted the blue ball but then saw the cue ball vanish into a pocket. The frame ended 72-35 in Allen’s favour and he was now only one frame away from the trophy.
Allen stormed to a break of 53 in the third and was in sight of the title, but a loose shot let in Fu, who made 38 before he lost position and had to play safe. A fine long pot on the green put Allen back in pole position but the potential match-winning pot, a slow-rolled blue, was left hanging in the jaws of the pocket.
Fu needed one snooker, which he got and he stole the frame by 64-61 to keep his hopes alive. He then made a break of 94 to take the match to 2-2 and leave a one-frame shootout for the title.
Allen again had another opportunity but was left slumped in his chair after missing a straight-forward red. He did not get back to the table as Fu’s break of 134 gave him the victory.
Earlier, Fu had made light work of group winner Stephen Maguire in what could have been a tough encounter. He rattled in consecutive breaks of 111, 94 and 95 to complete a quick 3-0 win. The Scottish, world number two could manage only seven points in the three frame.
Allen, by contrast, endured a real struggle with Neil Robertson. The Australian came out the traps with a break of 116 but the Northern Irishman stuck with him and a run of 51 in the decider saw him over the line.
Championship League Snooker, which has been broadcast live on a number of betting websites, featured 25 of the game’s best players competing over three months. Seven qualifying groups took place with the winners of each one advancing to the Winners’ Group.
Played at Crondon Park Golf Club in rural Essex, Championship League Snooker is produced exclusively for live streaming on internet betting sites throughout the world, with players competing for over £200,000 in prize money.
Fu joins 2009 Premier League Champion Shaun Murphy in the 2010 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker competition along with the 2010 World Champion. Four further players will be awarded Premier League wild cards.
The Premier League will return on September 2, and will run over ten weeks [Thursday] before the finals at the end of November with each match broadcast live on Sky Sports.
