ROBBIE McGuigan came close to a quarter-final appearance in his first ranking tournament as a professional on Tuesday.
The Antrim man, who turns 20 this weekend, was playing in a four-man group during stage two of the BetVictor Championship League in Leicester, having emerged as one of 32 group winners in stage one last month.
Things were looking promising for McGuigan after he shared four frames with Jackson Page and then beat Page’s Welsh compatriot Michael White 3-0.
He then faced Switzerland’s Alexander Ursenbacher – who had beaten White 3-1 – knowing that even a 2-2 draw would keep him ahead of Ursenbacher and leave qualification between himself and Page ahead of the latter’s final game against White.
However, it was Ursenbacher who claimed a 3-1 win, moving him to six points overall and leaving McGuigan eliminated on four points.
In the event, Page’s 3-0 win over White knocked Ursenbacher down to second and McGuigan to third in the group, but the latter can be very encouraged by his performances and also the fact that he has banked £5,000 in prize money.
The tournament concludes today, with the eight group winners from stage two split into two groups of four and the winners of the two groups playing in the final.
Next up for McGuigan will be the qualifiers for three tournaments - the Xi’an Grand Prix, the Wuhan Open and the British Open – which will take place in Leicester between July 25 and August 3.
BetVictor Championship League (Wednesday)
Winners’ group 1
Scott Donaldson
Mark WIlliams
Ali Carter
Martin O’Donnell
Winners’ group 2
David Gilbert
Long Zehuang
David Lilley
Jackson Page
