Stuart Bingham hits back to reach Championship League snooker last 32

Stuart Bingham lost his first match 3-0 at the Championship League in Leicester, but recovered strongly to win his next two in reaching the last 32.

The 2015 world champion topped Group 11 by making four 50-plus breaks in a 3-0 win over Peter Lines and a 3-1 success against Cao Yupeng at a sweltering Morningside Arena.

Hossein Vafaei – who top scored with a break of 70 a day after making his first 147 at the European Masters – completed two 3-0 victories over Ryan Thomerson and Ng On Yee respectively with a 2-2 draw against Tian Pengfei enough to see him through on frame difference from Tian.

Bingham joins Ben Woollaston and Jamie Jones in Group C of the last-32 stage on Tuesday 26 July with Vafaei facing Michael Judge, Lyu Haotian and Jimmy Robertson in Group F on Monday 25 July.

Judd Trump begins his 2022/23 season in Group 2 on Tuesday in a group made up Jamie Clarke, Sean O’Sullivan and Yisong Peng.

Latest Championship League group winners

• Group 24: Robert Milkins (Eng)
• Group 13: Aaron Hill (Ire)
• Group 4: Zhao Xintong (Chn)
• Group 31: Anthony Hamilton (Eng)
• Group 6: Michael Judge (Ire)
• Group 26: Chris Wakelin (Eng)
• Group 10: Luca Brecel (Bel)
• Group 29: Lu Ning (Chn)
• Group 1: Ronnie O’Sullivan (Eng)
• Group 27: Jamie Jones (Wal)
• Group 15: Ricky Walden (Eng)
• Group 32: Xiao Guodong (Chn)
• Group 9: Yuan Sijun (Chn)
• Group 30: Lyu Haotian (Chn)
• Group 3: Ben Woollaston (Eng)
• Group 23: Elliot Slessor (Eng)
• Group 5: Mark Williams (Wal)
• Group 28: Gary Wilson (Eng)
• Group 22: Jimmy Robertson (Eng)
• Group 21: Stephen Maguire (Sco)
• Group 20: Chang Bingyu (Chn)
• Group 18: Daniel Wells (Wal)
• Group 17: Ali Carter (Eng)
• Group 25: Pang Junxu (Chn)
• Group 11: Stuart Bingham (Eng)
• Group 14: Hossein Vafaei (Ira)

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