Ryan Day hits second career maximum to begin Championship League in style

The Welshman hit 147 to seal a 3-1 victory against Rod Lawler.

Ryan Day completed a maximum 147 break in the opening session of day one at the Championship League in Milton Keynes.

The 40-year-old Welshman made the second maximum of his career in the fourth frame to seal a 3-1 win against Rod Lawler in group two in the second match of the day.

Judd Trump had beaten China’s Fan Zhengyi by the same score in the opening match and followed that up with a 3-0 defeat of David Willey before being held 2-2 by Alan McManus in his last outing.

Day backed up his opening success with a 3-0 win against Paul S Davison but lost 3-1 to fellow Welshman Matthew Stevens in his third match of the day.

Stevens had earlier drawn both his first two games 2-2 against Davison and Lawler, while McManus opened with a 3-1 defeat to Lilley before drawing 2-2 with Zhengyi.

Lawler ensured he won, lost and drew in his first three matches by rounding off the day with a 3-0 victory against Davison.

The Championship League will be played across two blocks of eight days – September 13-20 and September 28–October 5.

Stage one features 32 groups of four players, with two tables per day at Stadium MK hosting one group each. The player who tops each group will progress to stage two.