2022 Championship League (invitational)

The 2022 Championship League Invitational (officially the 2022 BetVictor Championship League Snooker Invitational) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament that took place from 20 December 2021 to 4 February 2022 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England. It was the 18th staging of the Championship League.

Kyren Wilson was the defending champion, having beaten Mark Williams 3–2 in the final of the previous invitational edition of the tournament. His defence of the title ended in the Group 7 semi-finals, where he was beaten 3–1 by John Higgins.

John Higgins went on to win the tournament for the third time, beating Stuart Bingham 3–2 in the final.

Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for the 2022 Championship League is shown below.


 * Groups 1–7
 * Winner: £3,000
 * Runner-up: £2,000
 * Semi-final: £1,000
 * Frame-win (league stage): £100
 * Frame-win (play-offs): £300
 * Highest break: £500


 * Winners' Group
 * Winner: £10,000
 * Runner-up: £5,000
 * Semi-final: £3,000
 * Frame-win (league stage): £200
 * Frame-win (play-offs): £300
 * Highest break: £1,000


 * Tournament total: £184,400

Group 1
Group 1 was played on 20 and 21 December 2021. Liang Wenbo won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.

Matches

 * Jack Lisowski 3–1 Zhou Yuelong
 * Graeme Dott 3–1 Tom Ford
 * Jack Lisowski 0–3 Gary Wilson
 * Ryan Day 1–3 Liang Wenbo
 * Zhou Yuelong 1–3 Graeme Dott
 * Gary Wilson 2–3 Liang Wenbo
 * Jack Lisowski 1–3 Graeme Dott
 * Tom Ford 2–3 Ryan Day
 * Graeme Dott 3–1 Gary Wilson
 * Zhou Yuelong 3–1 Tom Ford
 * Gary Wilson 2–3 Ryan Day
 * Jack Lisowski 3–2 Liang Wenbo
 * Tom Ford 1–3 Liang Wenbo
 * Zhou Yuelong 1–3 Ryan Day
 * Tom Ford 3–1 Gary Wilson
 * Graeme Dott 3–2 Ryan Day
 * Zhou Yuelong 2–3 Gary Wilson
 * Graeme Dott 3–2 Liang Wenbo
 * Jack Lisowski 3–1 Ryan Day
 * Zhou Yuelong 3–2 Liang Wenbo
 * Jack Lisowski 1–3 Tom Ford

Group 2
Group 2 was played on 22 and 23 December 2021. Graeme Dott won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.

Matches

 * Xiao Guodong 1–3 Lu Ning
 * Joe Perry 3–2 Gary Wilson
 * Xiao Guodong 3–2 Graeme Dott
 * Ryan Day 2–3 Jack Lisowski
 * Lu Ning 3–0 Joe Perry
 * Graeme Dott 3–2 Jack Lisowski
 * Xiao Guodong 2–3 Joe Perry
 * Gary Wilson 0–3 Ryan Day
 * Joe Perry 3–1 Graeme Dott
 * Lu Ning 2–3 Gary Wilson
 * Graeme Dott 2–3 Ryan Day
 * Xiao Guodong 3–2 Jack Lisowski
 * Gary Wilson 1–3 Jack Lisowski
 * Lu Ning 3–2 Ryan Day
 * Gary Wilson 0–3 Graeme Dott
 * Joe Perry 0–3 Ryan Day
 * Lu Ning 1–3 Graeme Dott
 * Joe Perry 3–2 Jack Lisowski
 * Xiao Guodong 1–3 Ryan Day 
 * Lu Ning 3–1 Jack Lisowski
 * Xiao Guodong 3–2 Gary Wilson

Group 3
Group 3 was played on 3 and 4 January 2022. Mark Williams was due to take part in this group, but withdrew and was replaced by Zhao Xintong. Zhao won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.

Matches

 * Mark Selby 0–3 Zhao Xintong
 * Stuart Bingham 2–3 Xiao Guodong
 * Mark Selby 2–3 Ryan Day
 * Joe Perry 2–3 Lu Ning
 * Zhao Xintong 3–1 Stuart Bingham
 * Ryan Day 0–3 Lu Ning
 * Mark Selby 3–2 Stuart Bingham
 * Xiao Guodong 3–2 Joe Perry
 * Stuart Bingham 3–0 Ryan Day
 * Zhao Xintong 3–2 Xiao Guodong
 * Ryan Day 2–3 Joe Perry
 * Mark Selby 3–1 Lu Ning
 * Xiao Guodong 3–2 Lu Ning
 * Zhao Xintong 3–0 Joe Perry
 * Xiao Guodong 3–1 Ryan Day
 * Stuart Bingham 3–2 Joe Perry
 * Zhao Xintong 3–0 Ryan Day
 * Stuart Bingham 3–2 Lu Ning
 * Mark Selby 3–0 Joe Perry
 * Zhao Xintong 3–1 Lu Ning
 * Mark Selby 3–0 Xiao Guodong

Group 4
Group 4 was played on 5 and 6 January 2022. Barry Hawkins was due to take part in this group, but withdrew and was replaced by Scott Donaldson. Stuart Bingham won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.

Matches

 * Judd Trump 0–3 Scott Donaldson
 * Kyren Wilson 3–1 Lu Ning
 * Judd Trump 2–3 Stuart Bingham
 * Mark Selby 3–2 Xiao Guodong
 * Kyren Wilson 3–2 Scott Donaldson
 * Stuart Bingham 3–1 Xiao Guodong
 * Judd Trump 2–3 Kyren Wilson
 * Mark Selby 3–2 Lu Ning
 * Kyren Wilson 3–1 Stuart Bingham
 * Lu Ning 2–3 Scott Donaldson
 * Mark Selby 3–1 Stuart Bingham
 * Judd Trump 3–1 Xiao Guodong
 * Xiao Guodong 2–3 Lu Ning
 * Mark Selby 3–0 Scott Donaldson
 * Stuart Bingham 2–3 Lu Ning
 * Mark Selby 2–3 Kyren Wilson
 * Stuart Bingham 3–0 Scott Donaldson
 * Kyren Wilson 3–0 Xiao Guodong
 * Mark Selby 3–0 Judd Trump
 * Xiao Guodong 1–3 Scott Donaldson
 * Judd Trump 3–0 Lu Ning

Group 5
Group 5 was played on 7 and 8 January 2022. Mark Selby was due to take part in this group, but withdrew and was replaced by Jordan Brown. Scott Donaldson won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.

Matches

 * Martin Gould 0–3 Scott Donaldson
 * David Gilbert 3–1 Lu Ning
 * Martin Gould 3–2 Ali Carter
 * Kyren Wilson 0–3 Scott Donaldson
 * David Gilbert 2–3 Ali Carter
 * Kyren Wilson 3–1 Jordan Brown
 * Martin Gould 3–1 David Gilbert
 * Jordan Brown 3–2 Lu Ning
 * David Gilbert 1–3 Scott Donaldson
 * Ali Carter 3–1 Lu Ning
 * Jordan Brown 3–2 Scott Donaldson
 * Kyren Wilson 3–1 Martin Gould
 * Kyren Wilson 3–0 Lu Ning
 * Ali Carter 0–3 Jordan Brown
 * Lu Ning 3–2 Scott Donaldson
 * David Gilbert 2–3 Jordan Brown
 * Ali Carter 0–3 Scott Donaldson
 * Kyren Wilson 2–3 David Gilbert
 * Martin Gould 0–3 Jordan Brown
 * Kyren Wilson 1–3 Ali Carter
 * Martin Gould 3–1 Lu Ning

Group 6
Group 6 was played on 17 and 18 January 2022. Ricky Walden was due to take part in this group, but withdrew and was replaced by Matthew Selt. Yan Bingtao won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.

Matches

 * Yan Bingtao 3–1 Ali Carter
 * Martin Gould 3–2 Matthew Selt
 * Yan Bingtao 3–1 Ding Junhui
 * Kyren Wilson 2–3 Jordan Brown
 * Matthew Selt 2–3 Ding Junhui
 * Ali Carter 3–0 Jordan Brown
 * Yan Bingtao 2–3 Matthew Selt
 * Martin Gould 3–2 Kyren Wilson
 * Ali Carter 3–0 Matthew Selt
 * Ding Junhui 3–2 Martin Gould
 * Ali Carter 1–3 Kyren Wilson
 * Yan Bingtao 3–0 Jordan Brown
 * Martin Gould 3–2 Jordan Brown
 * Ding Junhui 0–3 Kyren Wilson
 * Martin Gould 3–1 Ali Carter
 * Kyren Wilson 3–0 Matthew Selt
 * Ding Junhui 3–1 Ali Carter
 * Matthew Selt 1–3 Jordan Brown
 * Yan Bingtao 3–0 Kyren Wilson
 * Ding Junhui 3–2 Jordan Brown
 * Yan Bingtao 3–0 Martin Gould

Group 7
Group 7 was played on 1 and 2 February 2022. Neil Robertson was due to take part in this group, but withdrew and was replaced by Ricky Walden. John Higgins won the group and qualified for the Winners' Group.

Matches

 * Ronnie O'Sullivan	0–3 Kyren Wilson
 * Ricky Walden 0–3 Ali Carter
 * Ronnie O'Sullivan	0–3 John Higgins
 * Martin Gould 1–3 Ding Junhui
 * Ricky Walden 1–3 John Higgins
 * Kyren Wilson 3–0 Martin Gould
 * Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–2 Ricky Walden
 * Ali Carter 1–3 Ding Junhui
 * Ricky Walden 1–3 Kyren Wilson
 * John Higgins 0–3 Ali Carter
 * Kyren Wilson 3–0 Ding Junhui
 * Ronnie O'Sullivan	2–3 Martin Gould
 * Martin Gould 1–3 Ali Carter
 * John Higgins 3–2 Ding Junhui
 * Kyren Wilson 2–3 Ali Carter
 * Ricky Walden 2–3 Ding Junhui
 * Kyren Wilson 1–3 John Higgins
 * Ricky Walden 3–2 Martin Gould
 * Ronnie O'Sullivan 3–2 Ding Junhui
 * John Higgins 3–1 Martin Gould
 * Ronnie O'Sullivan	2–3 Ali Carter

Winners' Group
The Winners' Group was played on 3 and 4 February 2022. John Higgins won the Championship League for a third time, beating Stuart Bingham 3–2 in the final.

Matches

 * John Higgins 3–2 Graeme Dott
 * Stuart Bingham 3–2 Yan Bingtao
 * John Higgins 3–1 Zhao Xintong
 * Liang Wenbo 3–0 Scott Donaldson
 * Zhao Xintong 0–3 Stuart Bingham
 * Graeme Dott 0–3 Scott Donaldson
 * John Higgins 2–3 Stuart Bingham
 * Yan Bingtao 3–0 Liang Wenbo
 * Stuart Bingham 3–2 Graeme Dott
 * Zhao Xintong 3–2 Yan Bingtao
 * Graeme Dott 3–2 Liang Wenbo
 * John Higgins 3–2 Scott Donaldson
 * Yan Bingtao 3–0 Scott Donaldson
 * Zhao Xintong 3–1 Liang Wenbo
 * Yan Bingtao 3–0 Graeme Dott
 * Stuart Bingham 0–3 Liang Wenbo
 * Zhao Xintong 1–3 Graeme Dott
 * Stuart Bingham 3–0 Scott Donaldson
 * John Higgins 3–1 Liang Wenbo
 * Zhao Xintong 2–3 Scott Donaldson
 * John Higgins 0–3 Yan Bingtao

Century breaks
A total of 127 century breaks were made during the tournament.


 * 143 (W), 138, 125, 122, 100 – Zhao Xintong
 * 142, 138, 138, 135, 128, 114, 111, 110 – Yan Bingtao
 * 142 (2), 132, 122, 113, 110, 101, 101, 100 – Ryan Day
 * 141 (7), 140 (6) – Ali Carter
 * 141, 139 (3), 137, 133, 130, 119, 110, 108, 104, 102, 100 – Stuart Bingham
 * 140 (6), 135, 134, 129, 128, 128, 121, 119, 118, 112, 102, 100 – Kyren Wilson
 * 140, 131, 117, 116, 113, 112, 111, 101 – Xiao Guodong
 * 140, 118, 112, 106, 103, 100 – Jack Lisowski
 * 138, 134, 134, 131, 131, 127, 105, 101 – Ding Junhui
 * 138 (4), 114, 111, 104, 101 – Lu Ning
 * 136 (1), 119, 116 – Zhou Yuelong
 * 136 (1), 108, 106, 101 – Liang Wenbo
 * 134, 112, 112, 112, 102, 102, 100, 100 – John Higgins
 * 132 (5), 130, 129, 118, 103 – Scott Donaldson
 * 132, 110, 108 – Ricky Walden
 * 131, 129, 127, 125, 108, 100 – Mark Selby
 * 127 – David Gilbert
 * 123, 123, 103 – Joe Perry
 * 123 – Tom Ford
 * 122, 115, 101 – Martin Gould
 * 118, 117, 111, 105 – Gary Wilson
 * 117, 108, 101, 101 – Jordan Brown
 * 116, 106 – Ronnie O'Sullivan
 * 111, 101, 100, 100 – Graeme Dott
 * 110 – Matthew Selt
 * 107, 103 – Judd Trump

Bold: highest break in the indicated group.

Winnings
''Green: Won the group. Bold: Highest break in the group. All prize money in GBP.'' Parenthesis: Ranking prior to tournament start, 19 December 2021. Notes (a) Mark Selby withdrew from the tournament prior to group 5 play.