Betfred World Championship qualifiers: betting preview, tips and event details

Betfred World Championship qualifiers
10am Wednesday

The main event starts on April 20 but there's a pretty tasty undercard when the Betfred World Championship qualifiers begin in Sheffield on Wednesday.

There are 128 players, in what are effectively 16 mini-tournaments of eight, bidding to book their places at the Crucible Theatre and there could be some decent bets to be had.

Group 1
Ryan Day is a 10-11 shot to qualify from Group 1 and while it's difficult to oppose a classy and experienced cueman such as Dynamite he is in a tough section.

The capable Chris Wakelin heads the resistance and two-time World Championship runner-up Matthew Stevens is also in the mix.

Group 2
Liang Wenbo and Gary Wilson head the market and despite his indifferent form Wenbo is favourite to come though. The Chinese potter kicks off against Basem Eltahhan and will take on either Rory McLeod or David Grace if he makes the second round.

Wilson should get past Sanderson Lam but could face a tough task against Dominic Dale and that could swing things in Wenbo's favour.

Group 3
In-form Sam Craigie is rated the favourite to come through one of the toughest qualifying groups, but the section includes Marco Fu, Tom Ford, Robbie Williams and Sam Baird. It wouldn't be a shock to see any of those five cuemen reach the Crucible.

Group 4
Betfred make Anthony McGill their even-money favourite in Group 4 with Robert Milkins a 9-4 shot and it isn't crazy to believe those prices should be the other way round.

McGill is a tough match-player but Milkins has the scoring power and looks to have the better end of the draw.

Recommendation
R Milkins
3pts 9-4 Betfair, Betfred, Power

Group 5
Graeme Dott is the headline act in this section but the 2006 world champion could be eclipsed by Kurt Maflin. Getting past Hamza Akbar may be no easy task for Dott and Maflin could be a bit of value.

The Lewisham-born potter opens against Mitchell Mann and he looks the better bet at the prices.

Recommendation
K Maflin
1pt 4-1 Betfred

Group 6
Li Hang, Ben Woollaston, Ian Burns, Mike Dunn, Elliot Slessor and even Nigel Bond have realistic claims and it looks best left alone from a punting perspective.

Group 7
Martin Gould is the classy operator in this line-up and there doesn't seem much to stop the Pinner potter progressing.

Gould has a lovely draw and his biggest dangers, Hossein Vafaei and Zhang Anda, face each other in the opening round. Betfred's offer of 11-10 looks generous.

Recommendation
M Gould
3pts 11-10 Betfred

Group 8
Yan Bingtao is yet to consistently deliver on his undoubted talent and he could struggle to justify favouritism in a competitive group.

Peter Ebdon, world champion in 2002, is second in at 5-2 and looks set for a big run. With Lee Walker also in this section it could be one for the night owls.

Group 9
This looks a match between Ali Carter and Yuan Sijun. The pair won't clash until the final qualifier should they both make it through to that stage and it looks unlikely that out-of-form Michael White or snooker legend Jimmy White will stop them.

Group 10
Alfie Burden and Eden Sharav could prove difficult for Ricky Walden to crack and it could pay to side with Zhou Yuelong.

The Chinese youngster has bags of talent and is fancied to open up in style against Robin Hull. Liam Highfield is not discounted but Yuelong looks the value.

Recommendation
Zhou Yuelong
1pt 5-2 Betfair, Paddy Power

Group 11
Classy cueman Mark Davis is the leading light in Group 11 and the Sussex star certainly has the game to return to the big time.

Lyu Haotian is rated his biggest rival, with Fergal O'Brien, Alexander Ursenbacher and Rod Lawler all serious contenders.

Group 12
This looks likely to be one of the most entertaining sections with Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Jimmy Robertson heading the line-up and young potter Joe O'Connor in the mix. Un-Nooh and Robertson can be expected to come through and produce a showstopping Sheffield showdown.

Group 13
At first glance even-money favourite Xiao Guodong looks worth opposing but it's difficult to find a value play against him.

Peter Lines is likely to cause the Chinese potter problems in the first-round but with the other fancied runners Andrew Higginson and Michael Holt likely to clash in round two it's a tough section to crack.

Perhaps the 7-2 on offer about Holt is a little generous and you could even make a case for 14-1 shot Lines.

Group 14
Former world champion Ken Doherty last graced the Crucible in 2014 and he may have to wait another year to return to the home of snooker.

The Darlin' of Dublin is housed in a teak-tough group containing the likes of Mark King, Scott Donaldson, Lu Ning and Craig Steadman.

Group 15
Despite some quality performances on tour this season Noppon Saengkham seems to fly under the radar. However, that's good news for punters, who can back the Thai at 11-5 in a group he should probably be jolly for.

It may not be easy with Zhao Xintong, Anthony Hamilton and Matt Selt in the section but Saengkham looks the value bet.

Recommendation
N Saengkham
1pt 11-5 Betfred

Group 16
Last but certainly not least is Group 16 where top-quality operator Joe Perry is the leading light.

It's difficult to see anything other than a comfortable qualification for Perry in a group containing Alan McManus, Martin O'Donnell and top women players Reanne Evans and Ng On-Yee.

That hasn't escaped the layers' attention, in terms of the group betting, but perhaps quotes of 125-1 outright underrate the Gentleman's chances of at least making the Betfred World Championship final.

Recommendation
J Perry to win the Betfred World Championship
0.5pt each-way 125-1 general

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport