After a brief break professional snooker returns next week for the first event of the 2023-24 season. The year will kick off with a bang as the Morningside Arena in Leicester, England hosts the 2023 Championship League Ranked Event. With big names like Ronnie O’Sullivan, Judd Trump and Neil Robertson going head-to-head for the first time in 2023-24, strap in snooker fans because this one’s going to be good.
While the Championship League 2023 lasts for almost a month, several of the top 10 have opted to sit out the first event of the year. Having the likes of Luca Brecel, Mark Allen and Mark Selby on the sidelines makes this the perfect opportunity for Ronnie O’Sullivan to win his first ever Championship League title. Can the seven-time world champion go all the way in Morningside or will someone else steal the show?
We break down the answer to this question and more with the latest odds from bookmaker William Hill.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: June 23rd, 5:00 A.M. (GMT)
It’s no surprise that world No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan yet again leads the outright odds heading into the 2023 Championship League. Bookmaker William Hill has O’Sullivan at 8.00, marginally ahead of Judd Trump who sits at 9.00. Behind these two, Neil Robertson sits as third favourite on 11.00 before a three-way tie for fourth sees Kyren Wilson, Mark Williams and Shaun Murphy all sharing odds of 13.00. Rounding out the betting favourites, a big drop in the odds occurs to Stuart Bingham on 21.00.
The first event of the season is always tough to call. One has to think that Ronnie O’Sullivan will be motivated to tick off the Championship League as an event he’s won, particularly after his season was ended early in April via a quarterfinal loss to Luca Brecel at the World Championship. In fact, O’Sullivan has managed to go all of 2023 so far without lifting a trophy, last winning an event in November 2022 at the Champion of Champions.
However, considering O’Sullivan’s caliber as the undisputed best snooker player of all time, it’s hard to see the Englishman not making a determined start to the 2023-24 season and beginning with a win here.
One of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s big threats in the draw could be Shaun Murphy. The world No. 7 has been playing some good snooker, with the exception of an early exit at the World Championship as well. Most recently, he won the Tour Championship defeating Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby en route. Backing Murphy to win Group 4 at 1.50 could be a conservative bet to make, while a wager for the Englishman to go the distance at 13.00 would be more lucrative and risky.
