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MARCO Fu has set his sights on competing in the 2010 Premier League Snooker tournament after becoming the latest man to move one step away from qualifying.

Fu, who won the Premier League in 2003, defeated Neil Robertson 3-0 in the final to win Group Four of the qualifying event, Championship League Snooker. Hong Kong's Fu now advances to the Winners’ Group at the end of March where the overall champion will claim a spot in the Premier League in the Autumn.

“Everyone wants to play in the Premier League and it’s one of the biggest tournaments on the calendar,” said Fu. “You need to be a top player to play in the league and its special format makes it more unique.

"I’ve won the Premier League once before and it was one of the most important victories for me. It was my first title and I beat the top players like Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Williams and John Higgins.

“I played in the league last year but didn’t play very well and struggled throughout but hopefully I can play well in the Winners’ Group and get back into it.”

Fu made a stunning start to the group on Wednesday when he won his first two matches 3-0 as he whitewashed Group Three runner-up Mark Allen with breaks of 86, 133 and 120 before claiming a 3-0 victory over Ali Carter with further breaks of 144, 82 and 103.

Robertson defeated Fu 3-2 in the league phase but Fu gained revenge in the final as breaks of 59, 67, 70 and 66 helped him to a 3-0 victory.

Fu, who now joins Stephen Maguire, John Higgins, Judd Trump and three other players in the Winners’ Group at the end of March, added: “I’ve played very well this tournament. I’ve not played well this season so it’s been nice to get some match practice and play the top players.

“Winning is a habit so it’s been a good week for me, especially with the Welsh Open coming up soon.”

Played at Crondon Park Golf Club in rural Essex, Championship League Snooker is produced exclusively for live streaming on internet betting sites throughout the world. Seven players compete in a round-robin basis with the top four advancing to the semi-finals with the two winners meeting in the final.

The winner then advances into the Winners’ Group on March 24 and 25 where big money as well as a spot in the Sky Sports-televised Premier League Snooker is up for grabs.

Ali Carter and China’s Liang Wenbo finished in the bottom two places at the end of the league phase and are eliminated from the competition.

Group Five of the Championship League begins on Monday, February 8 with three new players – Jamie Cope, Dave Harold and Barry Hawkins – joining the competition.

GROUP FOUR - DAY TWO RESULTS
The Final
Marco Fu 3-0 Neil Robertson
126-8 (Fu 59, 67), 71-24 (Fu 70), 66-1 (Fu 66)

Semi Finals
Marco Fu 3-2 Mark Williams
13-82 (Williams 61), 99-9 (Fu 91), 1-94 (Williams 94), 52-33, 110-16 (Fu 110)

Neil Robertson 3-1 Peter Ebdon
68-57 (Robertson 30, Ebdon 50), 82-51 (Robertson 82, Ebdon 51), 4-101 (Ebdon 96), 126-4 (Robertson 61, 65)

LEAGUE MATCHES
Mark Allen 0-3 Mark Williams
0-80 (Williams 35, 45), 24-57, 16-60 (Williams 56)

Marco Fu 3-1 Peter Ebdon
82-35, 84-1 (Fu 42, 42), 29-70 (Ebdon 46), 87-0 (Fu 87)

Neil Robertson 3-1 Liang Wenbo
87-32 (Robertson 49, Liang 32), 1-67 (Liang 62), 126-16 (Robertson 122), 113-0 (Robertson 113)

Ali Carter 2-3 Mark Williams
63-50 (Carter 40, Williams 44), 63-31 (Carter 62, Williams 31), 20-70 (Williams 33, 37), 0-66 (Williams 30, 36), 22-83 (Williams 83)

Mark Allen 3-2 Peter Ebdon
53-76 (Ebdon 67), 98-7 (Allen 32, 62), 73-1 (Allen 64), 24-65 (Ebdon 47), 81-1 (Allen 50)

Marco Fu 3-2 Liang Wenbo
123-1 (Fu 122), 17-67 (Liang 38), 35-63 (Liang 44), 72-37 (Liang 31), 66-55 (Fu 60, Liang 55)

Ali Carter 0-3 Peter Ebdon
8-130 (Ebdon 114), 0-86 (Ebdon 74), 34-82 (Ebdon 50, 32)

Marco Fu 0-3 Mark Williams
33-95 (Williams 88), 0-75 (Williams 36, 39), 0-139 (Williams 135)

Neil Robertson 3-1 Mark Allen
117-6 (Robertson 116), 47-25 (Robertson 36), 62-69 (Robertson 47, Allen 32), 61-38

Date posted: January 21, 2010

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