DING JUNHUI won his first Premier League mini-tournament with a 3-1 win over Ali Carter in the final at the Biddulph Leisure Centre in Stoke-on-Trent, putting him top of the table.

Carter took the opening frame of the final with a superb break of 96, but this was to be his only meaningful contribution in a match which largely failed to live up to its billing.

Ding won the next two scrappy frames to leave him needing just one more for victory, and he completed his win with a break of 66.

After the match, Ding appeared relieved to have got the win under his belt. He said: “I’m just pleased to be at the top of the table. This is a tricky format and it’s important to win your first match, but really I needed to win both games tonight and I did.

“I play Neil Robertson in my final night in Southampton so I must really focus on that one. Winning the Premier League is something that all the top players have done so I want to add my name to that list”