Championship League 2012 - Fourth time's a lucky charm for Mark Davis

Mark Davis wins Group Four

Mark Davis beat Mark Selby 3-1 to win this year's Championship League Group Four. Hence Davis got a place next to Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy and Neil Robertson in Winners' Group.

Mark Davis was in the Championship League from day one, which also means Group One. He always qualified for the play-offs but he never reached the final. Until now that is. 

For the last two days he beat Matthew Stevens 3-2, Peter Ebdon and Jamie Cope 3-1 and whitewashed Stephen Lee 3-0 in order to qualify on third place for the play-offs.

He faced the 2002 world champion, Peter Ebdon in the semi-final and found no difficulty in hitting a brilliant series of 40, 43, 54 and another 40 to crash Ebbo 3-0 and book himself a place in the final.
Here, another player who has been with us since Group One and also managed to qualify for the play-off each time (always on first place) was waiting for him, Mark Selby.

Selby so close and yet so far away from victory (again!)

Davis took the first two frames with runs of 59 and 40, but Selby wasn't going to give up without a fight so he hit a great 138 to pull back a frame. However, a strategically placed 72 was closing the deal in Davis' favour at 3-1.

Mark Selby along with his semi-final opponent, Mark Allen but also with Peter Ebdon and Jamie Cope are getting a place in Group Five where they'll try their best to qualify once more for the play-offs and this time even win them.

On the opposite corner we have Matthew Stevens and Stephen Lee, both of them not earning enough points to remain in the competition hence leaving it for good. They could only hope to retain their Top 16 spot until this year's Premier League kicks off.

The next groups (five and six) are starting their matches from February 6-9 at the same snookerish location,  Crondon Park from Essex.