Shaun Murphy eases through to Championship League snooker last 32

Shaun Murphy eased through to the Championship League last 32 by winning all three matches in Group 4 at the Morningside Arena in Leicester. The Players and Tour champion showed he has lost none of his self-belief since losing an epic battle 10-9 to Si Jiahui in the first round of the World Championship in April with a dominant display in his return to competitive action.

Ad Murphy enjoyed wins over Andrew Pagett (3-0), Lukas Kleckers (3-1) and Tian Pengfei (3-1) to claim full points in topping the section. Champion of ChampionsWho has qualified for elite Champion of Champions as O'Sullivan defends title?YESTERDAY AT 09:36 The on-song 2005 world champion is set to continue his title quest on Wednesday in a Group D section that also contains Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and James Cahill.

He was joined in the second group phase – which begins after the first groups conclude on Friday – by Sanderson Lam, who emerged victorious from Group 12. Lam was also unbeaten with a 3-1 win over Jamie O'Neill coming after a 2-2 draw with 2013 world finalist Barry Hawkins and a 3-1 success against Zhang Anda, who made glorious breaks of 112, 128 and 102 in a 3-1 win against O'Neill.

Former Championship League winner David Gilbert takes to the baize on Thursday with Gary Wilson and Ricky Walden in action on Friday. The tournament carries total prize money of £328,000 with the final a week on Friday also worth a spot in the Champion of Champions in November.