Mark Allen and Judd Trump were the final two players to make it to the second stage of the 2021 BetVictor League, after Stage one concluded on August 6.

The championship, which is taking part in Morningside Arena in Leicester, is a professional ranking snooker tournament in which 128 players from the World Snooker Tour compete. There are three stages, followed by a final, hosted on Friday 13th August, and the winner is awarded £20,000, as well as the title of 2021 BetVictor League Champion.

Of the 128 players that enter the tournament, only 32 make it to the second stage. Stage two is set to start on August 9 and has the stage one group winners split into eight groups of four, with two groups per day playing over two tables.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a professional snooker player? Getting to the level of expertise as these players takes hours of dedication and practice. How better to achieve this than from the comfort of your own home? At Hamilton Billiards, we manufacture bespoke snooker tables, pool tables and billiards tables to order, to customers specific descriptions and drawings. We also sell snooker balls, snooker cues and other snooker accessories.

Mark Allen is going into the second stage with confidence after beating Daniel Womersley 3-0, with breaks of 137, 103, and 94. This was a well-needed victory after Allen drew against Mitchell Mann at the start of the day. Allen then beat Wakelin 3-0, putting pressure on Mann, who would have to win his last game 3-0 to be ahead of Allen. However, in Mann’s final game, he drew 2-2 against Wormersley, allowing Allen to advance through to the next stage.

Judd Trump started the day strong with a 3-1 win over Rod Lawler, in which he delivered one of the day's best shots in the second frame, a trademark long red that rattled the back of the pocket. With a break of 81 in the last, he beat Lee Walker 3-1, and by this point, he was top of Group 1. In his final match against Hamilton, Judd needed only a draw to advance to the next stage but thrashed him 3-1.

Stage two begins on August 9, with Mark Joyce, David Gilbert, Craig Steadman, and Chang Bingyu on Table 1 and Masters Champion Yan Bingtao, Barry Hawkins, Matthew Selt, and Cao Yupeng on Table 2. Ronnie O'Sullivan was originally due to play on Table 1, but withdrew and was replaced by Mak Joyce.

The top eight players will make it through to Stage three, where they will compete the same day for the title and £20,000.

If you’re thinking of training to become a professional snooker player, or you’re just looking to play as a hobby, why not purchase your own table? At Hamilton Billiards, we have a large range of full-size snooker tables, like this Stevenson Snooker Table and Walter Snooker Table. Perhaps, you prefer pool to snooker. No worries, we’ve got you covered. We manufacture tournament standard, free play and coin-operated UK pool tables and US pool tables, as well as stocking pool cues, pool balls and other pool accessories.

If you have any questions about our products or to enquire about our bespoke, handmade snooker tables, you can call us at 0800 9704455 or email us at [email protected].