David Gilbert has established an early advantage in the race to qualify for the Cazoo Series thanks to his victory in the BetVictor Championship League.

Gilbert beat Mark Allen 3-1 in the final to land the first ranking title of his career, and the £33,000 prize puts him top of the 2021/22 season one-year ranking list.

The top 32 on that list will qualify for the Cazoo World Grand Prix in Coventry (December 13-19), then the top 16 go through to the Cazoo Players Championship in Wolverhampton (February 7-13) and only the top eight make it to the Cazoo Tour Championship in Llandudno (March 28 to April 3).

Last season, three players qualified for the World Grand Prix with a tally of £26,000, so Gilbert may have already done enough to book his spot in Coventry.

Allen is in second place with £23,000, followed by Ali Carter and Tom Ford on £11,000.

On the official two-year list, Gilbert is up from 23rd to 19th, while Allen moves from 12th to tenth.