Mark Allen makes winning start to new season at Championship League snooker

Mark Allen enjoyed a perfect start to the new snooker campaign by winning all three matches to top Group 12 at the Championship League in Leicester.

The Northern Irishman – who lost last year’s final 3-1 to David Gilbert – started his day with a 3-0 win over Himanshu Jain before two 3-1 victories over Jenson Kendrick and Stuart Carrington respectively secured his progress.

Allen made breaks of 97 and 142 against Carrington after losing the first frame at the season’s first ranking event.

He will face UK champion Zhao Xintong, Chang Bingyu and Gary Wilson in Group D on Wednesday.

Michael White contributed two 68 breaks in a 3-1 win over Mark Joyce.

He lost 3-1 to group top seed Jack Lisowski, but a 3-0 defeat of Julian LeClercq boosted by runs of 68 and 69 sealed his qualification with Lisowski slumping to a 3-1 loss to Joyce.

White joins Gilbert, Robert Milkins and Xiao Guodong in Group H on Tuesday.

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)
• Group 7: Shaun Murphy (Eng)
• Group 2: Jamie Clarke (Wal)
• Group 16: David Gilbert (Eng)
• Group 19: Jordan Brown (NIr)
• Group 12: Mark Allen (NIr)
• Group 8: Michael White (Wal)

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