Mark Selby is hoping to advance into the Winners Group of Championship League Snooker at the fourth time of asking.
Selby has finished top after the league phase in each of the three previous groups but then gone on to lose twice in the group final and once in the group semi-finals.
He is again well placed as he won all three of his matches at Crondon Park Golf Club in Stock, Essex.
A 3-2 win over Matthew Stevens started his day before he claimed 3-0 victories over Peter Ebdon and Mark Davis to end day one as the only player in the group with a 100 per cent record.
Selby is also on course to win the £500 bonus for the second group running as his break of 142 against Davis is the highest of the group so far.
That effort was one of four centuries Selby made as he also scored 110 against Ebdon and 133 and 100 in his match with Stevens.
Welshman Stevens has also appeared in the three previous Championship League Snooker groups and once again, as he had done in two of the three previous sections, lost all of his matches on the opening day.
UK Championship runner-up Mark Allen had a mixed day as he won his first match against Stephen Lee but then lost to Jamie Cope and Ebdon.
No player has made a maximum 147 break in the five-year history of this event and Jamie Cope looked like ending that record but broke down on 96 after he had potted 12 reds and 12 blacks in his clash with Allen.
This event is streamed live on a number of betting websites and also acts as a qualifier for the 2012 Premier League Snooker competition in the autumn.
The winner of this group will join Judd Trump, Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and three other payers in the Winners’ Group in March where the overall champion will qualify for the Premier League.
The losing finalist, two beaten semi-finalists and player finishing fifth in the group will move to Group Five in February where they will be joined by three new players, while the men finishing in the bottom two of the group will be eliminated.
Group Four is played to a conclusion on Thursday with the play starting at 11am.
DAY ONE RESULTS - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25
TABLE ONE
Mark Selby 3-2 Matthew Stevens
29-74, 76-0 (Selby 75), 57-58 (Stevens 33), 144-0 (Selby 133), 125-0 (Selby 100)
Mark Allen 3-1 Stephen Lee
85-0 (Allen 85), 40-74 (Allen 35, Lee 44), 79-46 (Allen 70, Lee 35), 63-1 (Allen 40)
Matthew Stevens 2-3 Mark Davis
72-47, 16-56, 104-10 (Stevens 71), 14-82 (Davis 59), 53-75 (Stevens 38, Davis 53)
Stephen Lee 2-3 Peter Ebdon
42-70 (Lee 39, Ebdon 41), 32-68 (Ebdon 51), 72-0 (Lee 43), 79-45 (Lee 79, Ebdon 45), 16-80 (Ebdon 53)
Matthew Stevens 2-3 Jamie Cope
34-61 (Cope 61), 69-34 (Stevens 53, Cope 32), 5-61 (Cope 54), 66-65 (Stevens 36), 16-100 (Cope 100)
Mark Davis 3-1 Peter Ebdon
38-81 (Ebdon 81), 80-1 (Davis 80), 66-31 (Davis 37), 82-0 (Davis 81)
TABLE TWO
Mark Davis 3-1 Jamie Cope
85-33 (Davis 56, Cope 33), 69-66, 50-63 (Davis 50, Cope 37), 68-17 (Davis 51)
Peter Ebdon 0-3 Mark Selby
5-67 (Selby 56), 17-110 (Selby 110), 0-81 (Selby 81)
Jamie Cope 3-2 Mark Allen
122-7 (Cope 122), 15-70 (Allen 63), 17-54 (Allen 46), 96-0 (Cope 96), 67-17 (Cope 66)
Mark Selby 3-0 Mark Davis
94-14, 142-0 (Selby 142), 64-1 (Selby 38)
Mark Allen 0-3 Peter Ebdon
16-83 (Ebdon 83), 7-82 (Ebdon 80), 20-102 (Ebdon 82)
Stephen Lee 3-2 Jamie Cope
32-53 (Cope 32), 54-66 (Lee 54, Cope 65), 69-0 (Lee 41), 70-63 (Cope 58), 105-0 (Lee 101)
CENTURY BREAKS
142 - Mark Selby v Mark Davis - 25/1/12
133 - Mark Selby v Matthew Stevens - 25/1/12
122 - Jamie Cope v Mark Allen - 25/1/12
110 - Mark Selby v Peter Ebdon - 25/1/12
101 - Stephen Lee v Jamie Cope - 25/1/12
100 - Mark Selby v Matthew Stevens - 25/1/12
100 - Jamie Cope v Matthew Stevens - 25/1/12
LEAGUE TABLE Group Four - after 12 out of 21 matches
Pos / Name | Played | Won | Lost | Frames Won | Frames Lost | Money won | Pts |
1. Mark Selby | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 2 | £900 | 3 |
2. Mark Davis | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 | £900 | 3 |
3. Jamie Cope | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | £900 | 3 |
4. Peter Ebdon | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | £700 | 2 |
5. Stephen Lee | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | £600 | 1 |
6. Mark Allen | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | £500 | 1 |
7. Matthew Stevens | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | £600 | 0 |