The top 16 on the one-year ranking list head to Telford’s International Centre for the Players Championship.

It’s the first ranking tournament back at this venue in Shropshire since the U.K. Championship 14 years ago. It hosted the triple crown event there between 2007 to 2010. It’s also layed on the 2002 British Open and the 2000 Grand Prix.

To my eye, The Welsh Open that finished Sunday was a touch disappointing in terms of overall quality standard and that’s not just because of no messrs Trump and O’Sullivan.

It certainly doesn’t take away the effort, graft and guile of likeable Martin O’Donnell, a first time ranking finalist in Llandudno. His semi-final win over Elliot Slessor was a ding-dong battle and concluded with a fabulous 126 break in the deciding frame.

The eventual winner on Sunday evening was Gary Wilson - his opening three-frame burst including 372 unanswered points and a maximum 147 in the semi-final win against John Higgins’ was the highlight of the week undoubtedly. Performances of that calibre puts the Geordie well in the World Championship picture in April.

The class of 92 and Ding Junhui who are all in attendance this week, have good memories at the International Centre.

Ronnie O’Sullivan won here in the 2007 U.K. Championship. He also compiled a 147 that year in the semi-final. John Higgins won the last U.K. Final (2010) there with one of his greatest victories over Mark Williams, 10-9.

Ding meanwhile beat Higgins the year previous, 10-8.

Williams’ moment of joy came in his pomp year of 2000, winning the Grand Prix beating O’Sullivan 9-5.

Given Trump and O’Sullivan have won eight events between them this season, and four of the past seven Players Championships, it’s hard to look past the two best players in the world currently especially if they maintain their form. Between them, they have won a staggering 72 of their 80 ranking matches this season.

At cramped outright odds though, I’ll take a punt on two players in separate halves of the draw, starting with the top in Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen.

It’s a little surprising to me Allen isn’t clear third favourite in the betting given he’s captured two ranking titles this season (one was in the Shoot-Out which shouldn’t be sniffed at) plus the Champion of Champions.

Mark Selby, who is above him in the outright betting has won no title this season, opens with a slightly rejuvenated Barry Hawkins then could bump into O’Sullivan if he beats Zhou Yuelong. That’s a harder ordeal in my opinion to Allen’s starter of Williams then onto Wilson or Hossein Vafaei in the quarters.

Furthermore, Selby is bang out of form currently and his ITV tournament record is abysmal.

Compare that to Allen and they are chasms apart. Allen loves an ITV event, especially in recent times. He’s a two-time winner of the Champion of Champions (2023 & 2020), won the World Grand Prix earlier this season on the channel plus was a runner-up in the 2022 British Open, again on ITV.

Since this became a 16 player field in 2016, Allen has made just one semi-final in 2019 losing to O’Sullivan however in 2015, the year before it became the Players Championship, it was called the Players Tour Championship Finals and Allen won the sixth and last ranking final in that beating Ricky Walden 10-6.

Allen has warmed up for this with a quarter-final run at the Welsh Open last week. He was in fine form until he played a bit of a stinker against Higgins. Allen has a healthy 11-4 head-to-head ranking record against first up opponent, Williams and though won’t be looking too far ahead, would be one who will relish a tussle with Trump in the semis who he’s beaten 12 of their last 17 meetings including in two finals this season.

At double figure odds, he’s well worth an investment.

I want to chance Ding Junhui in the opposite half. I say chance because the legend Chinese is without a ranking title since the 2019 U.K. Championship. A player of his calibre, that is obviously disappointing.

He has shown a fair bit of encouragement this season to suggest his turn could be on the way. As usual at his favourite venue of the Barbican in York, he made yet another U.K. Championship final in December after requiring qualifying. He defeated Allen, Tom Ford, Williams and Trump on route to the final, all in this weeks format and all of which are here in Telford. There was no disgrace in losing 10-7 to O’Sullivan in the final as he more than played his part in a thriller.

Ding had another deep run in the World Grand Prix last month (on ITV) where he lost to O’Sullivan again, this time in the semi-final.

Ding faces Higgins tonight in the opening match of the tournament which I feel is pivotal to his chance of a run to at least the semi-final. Higgins comes here on the back of a fifth ranking semi-final defeat on Saturday evening to Wilson so with such a quick turnaround, perhaps it’s a good time for Ding to avenge the 6-1 reverse to John at the Champion of Champions. He hasn’t beaten Higgins since November 2020 in a ranking event so is long overdue.

I would fancy Ding to beat either Zhang Anda or Noppon Saengkham in the quarters given he brushed both aside comfortably last month 4-1 (Saengkham) and 5-2 (Zhang).

Ding has made the quarter-final of two other ranking events this season too in the International Championship and English Open which proves he’s cueing with plenty of purpose and confidence.

If you look back at Ding’s past ranking event wins, he’s very much a ‘horses for courses’ type, thriving at venues or places he’s won at before. The aforementioned Barbican Centre in York he’s won there twice and made four finals. He’s won twice and a made a further final in Beijing. Shanghai is another destination he’s won twice in. Bangkok he’s won a World Cup and 6 Reds World Championship. In these shores, the Newport Centre he’s made two finals, winning once.

It’s just over 14 years since Ding’s triumph here in Telford at the U.K. Championship but he’ll remember it fully. It just might spark him to life like it seems to do in his other winning places.

Selections (each way)

Mark Allen @12/1

Ding Junhui @16/1

Please not the views above are those of George Weyham, snooker tipster and journalist, and not those of Spreadex Sports and as such to not constitute investment advice. Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation. Please gamble responsibly.