World Snooker Championship LIVE: Latest scores and results

The World Snooker Championship 2023 resumes on Thursday with Robert Milkins and Joe Perry poised to conclude their unforgettable contest at the Crucible.

The tournament has bounced back following the chaotic scenes on Monday when Milkins and Perry’s match was suspended when a Just Stop Oil protester covered a table in bright orange powder. While a second protestor was seen attempting to climb onto the adjacent table where Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi were playing, apparently attempting to affix themselves to it.

Judd Trump, last year’s beaten finalist, suffered a first-round shock at the hands of Anthony McGill, while Mark Selby has shown ominous signs of form in the early stages of his match against Matthew Selt.

While Shaun Murphy is back in action and hoping to hold off the spirited performance of China’s Si Jiahui.

Friday has a cracker of a match between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Hossein Vafaei, with extra spice after the Iranian’s criticism of the seven-time champion - follow all the latest scores and results below:

World Snooker Championship 2023 - Day 6

• Morning session: Robert Milkins vs Joe Perry

• Afternoon session (from 13:00): Mark Selby v Matthew Selt

• Luca Brecel 4-4 Mark Williams after closely fought afternoon session

Mark Selby 9-6 Matthew Selt

16:47 , Mike Jones

Selt has to take on a long pot but misses. The red rattles back and clatters into the rest of the balls leaving Selby with one on.

Selby slides it into the bottom right but the backspin on the cueball is too much and it drops into the middle left pocket for a foul.

What is going on? Selt leads 36-1.

Mark Selby 9-6 Matthew Selt

16:44 , Mike Jones

Oh that’s not good.

Selby pots his first red of the frame and leaves a straight shot on the pink into the middle left pocket. He goes for power to screw the cueball back down the table but kisses the lip of the pocket and the pink flies out.

He could have closed out the match with that visit but has handed a lifeline to Matt Selt.

Mark Selby 9-6 Matthew Selt

16:42 , Mike Jones

32. That’s the break that Selt can manage. He’s faced with a simple pot to the bottom right - using the rest - be is worried about the finishing position of the cueball.

He tries to spin it into the gap at the cushion but takes his eye off the pot. The red bounces away and Selt’s visit is over.

Mark Selby 9-6 Matthew Selt

16:37 , Mike Jones

Matt Selt hasn’t been rocked by the previous frame. Mark Selby leaves him with half an opening and Selt cuts the first red into the bottom right pocket.

Selt needs to take advantage here. If he can’t win the frame on this visit he needs a big break to put the pressure on.

Mark Selby 9-6 Matthew Selt

16:31 , Mike Jones

Can Mark Selby reach the second round? He’s one frame away but is stuck in a testing encounter against Matthew Selt.

Luca Brecel 4-4 Mark Williams

16:29 , Mike Jones

Luca Brecel’s storm has been weathered by Mark Williams. After taking three frames in a row, Brecel moved ahead of the Welshman only for Williams to finish off the afternoon session on table one with a frame of his own.

This second round match is well poised at four frames all.

Mark Selby 9-6 Matthew Selt

16:27 , Mike Jones

Mark Selby takes the frame! He tidies up the reds, pots all the colours, racks up a 130-1 win after a break of 73 and moves within one frame of a place in the second round.

Matthew Selt cannot lose another frame.

Mark Selby 8-6 Matthew Selt

16:23 , Mike Jones

Mistake from Selt! Perhaps that was a momentary lapse in concentration but Selt’s soft safety shot down the line just leaves a red open to the bottom right corner.

Selby obliges and rolls it in before following up with the black. He’s 64 ahead with 67 left on the table.

Mark Selby 8-6 Matthew Selt

16:22 , Mike Jones

This is a tense match. The last pot was over 10 minutes ago and neither player wants to take the risk of going for a red that may or may not drop.

It’s been impressive from Selt. Selby is known for his solid safey play but Selt is matching him shot for shot.

Mark Selby 8-6 Matthew Selt

16:12 , Mike Jones

Lovely shot! Seven reds remain with Matt Selt stuck against the top cushion. He blazes one down the table and cuts a red into the bottom left pocket.

That’s where his luck runs out as the cueball bounces back and hits the green flush on leaving Selt without a shot on a colour to follow up.

Mark Selby 8-6 Matthew Selt

16:10 , Mike Jones

Every time it looks as though Mark Selby is controlling the frame a slight error leaves him with a tricky shot. After notching up a near flawless break of 57 the cueball finishes out of position and doesn’t set him up for any of the other reds.

Matthew Selt has another sneaky chance to get back into the frame. His safety game will need to be on point though.

Mark Selby 8-6 Matthew Selt

16:05 , Mike Jones

A delicate stroke into the middle left from Selby puts him on the board first in the 15th frame. Matt Selt has been winning the big moments in this afternoon session so a lenghty time at the table could do wonders for Selby.

Mark Selby 8-6 Matthew Selt

15:58 , Mike Jones

Matthew Selt gets lucky after a miscue and leaves a potentially tricky pot down the cushion. Mark Selby elects not to go for it and his safety leaves a long pot on for Selt.

The pink drops! Selt goes in front then rolls in the black too to take the frame! Huge moment for Matt Selt, he moves just two frames behind now.

Fantastic scenes.

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

15:54 , Mike Jones

This frame has already lasted over 35 minutes and both players aren’t giving an inch. There are some expert safety shots coming out as whoever pots the pink will take the frame.

The match time ticks over five hours now too.

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

15:50 , Mike Jones

Matt Selt’s break ends at 11. His safety isn’t the best and allows Selby to hide the yellow behind the brown and blue. Wonderful shot from the world number two!

Selt then comes off the cushion and is hoping for a bit of luck with how hard he hits this one. He doesn’t get it get. Selby is on for a long pot on the yellow.

He sinks it! The green, brown and blue quickly follow and the frame stands at 51-47 to Selby with the pink resting on the cushion.

He has to play a safety, this one isn’t over just yet.

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

15:46 , Mike Jones

That’s fine work from Selt. Using the rest he puts too much backspin on the cueball and leaves himself out of position next to the left hand cushion.

A wonderfully worked pot on the brown bounces the cueball back across the table and leaves him on the final red. It’s a lenghty pot but Selt rolls it in easily enough.

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

15:44 , Mike Jones

There a three reds placed in a triangle causing Selby some trouble. He’s tried a few times to separate them to no avail. A difficult cut into the bottom left pocket doesn’t drop and Selby’s time at the table is over.

He leads 37-36 though. What response can Matthew Selt come up with?

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

15:38 , Mike Jones

Selby’s on the board!

A minor positioning error from Selt leaves him with a chance for a long pot into the bottom right pocket and Selby takes the opportunity.

The remaining reds are nicely spread and he just needs to make sure the cueball is place correctly to control this frame.

Selt leads 36-1.

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

15:35 , Mike Jones

As Selby and Selt continue to operate this stalemate, Luca Brecel has edge ahead of Mark Williams. The Belgian has won three frames in a row and now leads this second round match 4-3.

Williams needs to stem the tide.

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

15:31 , Mike Jones

A shake of the head and a sigh from Matt Selt shows how unhappy he is with an attempted safety shot. Mark Selby has a couple of options to close down Selt’s break of 36 but he’s not happy with either.

He sends the cueball back up towards the top cushion and hands the table back to Selt. This is a tactical battle of safety shots right now.

Who will break this deadlock first?

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

15:27 , Mike Jones

Selby thinks he can nestles home a long red but leaves it over the pocket. Selt comes off the cushion and slips it in but the angle for the follow up pink isn’t on.

With the match in the balance Selt plays another safety off the yellow. He’s not taking any unnecessary chances.

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

15:24 , Mike Jones

Selt takes on a risky shot but sees the red drop into the bottom pocket. There are four or five reds in open play and he uses a combination of the blue, pink and black to clean them up for a break of 30.

Nine reds remain bunched in a cluster and Selt looks to break them by side spinning the cueball into them when potting the blue.

The shatter hasn’t worked out too well. Five reds came loose but none are available. Selt plays a nice safety leaving the cueball at the far end of the table.

His break is 35.

Mark Williams 3-3 Luca Brecel

15:16 , Mike Jones

Williams’ response is a paltry break of 8 which leaves Brecel with the chance to level the match at 3-3. The Belgian’s break of 33 is more than enough for Williams to concede the frame.

All square in this second round match as Mark Selby and Matthew Selt come back out.

Mark Williams 3-2 Luca Brecel

15:13 , Mike Jones

Safety it is.

Brecel just dinks the cueball into the blue and leaves it nestling into the colour. Mark Williams pulls out the spider and judges the speed perfectly to slip a red into the bottom left pocket.

He trails by 34.

Mark Williams 3-2 Luca Brecel

15:11 , Mike Jones

As if filled with confidence from the previous frame, Luca Brecel gets on the board first in the sixth frame. He notches up a break of 35 but leaves the cueball in a poor position right behind the blue.

The pink isn’t on either and this will probably have to be a safety shot unless he can pull off a magic moment.

Mark Williams 3-2 Luca Brecel

15:06 , Mike Jones

Over on table one, Luca Brecel is back in the hunt after a spectacular comeback frame against Mark Williams. Needing to close on the Welshman’s 52 break Brecel took two trips to the table and ended with a break of 50 to win the frame 65-52.

Incredible secnes.

Mark Selby 8-5 Matthew Selt

14:59 , Mike Jones

Wonderful! Selt mops up the table with calm composure and keeps himself in the match. What a fantastic frame of snooker with both men getting chances to close it out.

Mark Selby is still in the dominant position but Matthew Selt is hanging in there.

Mark Selby 8-4 Matthew Selt

14:58 , Mike Jones

Lucky!

Matt Selt is just focused on hitting the red after Selby’s shot left the cueball right on the cushion. Selt is thinking safety but the red cannons off the top and right side cushions before rolling across the table into the middle left pocket!

Just the colours to pot now and Selt has the frame!

Mark Selby 8-4 Matthew Selt

14:57 , Mike Jones

Oh no! A break of 38 is all Selt can muster. The last remaining red had to be sent across the table into the top right but Selt nurses the side of the cushion and the ball doesn’t drop.

Selby attempts to thread the cueball past the green which is slightly blocking and he fails to pot it too!

Mark Selby 8-4 Matthew Selt

14:52 , Mike Jones

Selt capitalises!

He needs to sink a long stroke down the left side of the table and manages to pot the red. The cueball finishes slightly behind the black making the angle tricky to deal with.

Selt is up to the task though. This trip to the table hasn’t been easy for him but so far so good, four reds remaining.

Mark Selby 8-4 Matthew Selt

14:50 , Mike Jones

Selby’s taking no time at all to mop up these reds. His break is currently up to 49 and a slice into the bottom left pocket adds another six points when the pink drops.

The remaining reds are mostly well positioned.

Selby cannons a red into the bottom left but the backspin on the cueball takes it into the middle right pocket! Chance for Selt to steal the frame now.

Selby’s lead is 45.

Mark Selby 8-4 Matthew Selt

14:46 , Mike Jones

No he can’t! A simple cut into the bottom right using the rest kisses the pocket and leaves the red in play.

Mark Selby rolls it in and screws the cueball into the rest of the reds leaving himself perfectly on the black. This is already looking ominous for Matthew Selt.

Two shots a Selby has already overturned Selt’s break of 6.

Mark Selby 8-4 Matthew Selt

14:44 , Mike Jones

That’s the start Selt wanted. A long red down the table into the bottom right pocket.

It was Selt’s first pot in 16 minutes and he’s got the first chance to rack up a few points. The blue quickly follows and a pinball off the top cushion leaves Selt on his next red.

Can he make use of this break?

Mark Selby 8-4 Matthew Selt

14:41 , Mike Jones

Back on table two, Mark Selby breaks off for the 13th frame needing just two more to get into the second round. Matthew Selt has all the work to do in the reminder of this session.

This next frame will be crucial for his chances, if he loses he’s staring down the barrel of defeat.

World Championship 2023

14:39 , Mike Jones

Also in action this afternoon are Mark Williams and Luca Brecel. It’s an intriguing contest with Williams edging ahead 3-1 at the halfway point of the session.

Ronnie O’Sullivan set for feisty match with World Snooker Championship rival Hossein Vafaei

14:33 , Mike Jones

Hossein Vafaei is set to discover whether he will be made to pay for his outspoken comments about seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan when the pair start their second-round match in the World Snooker Championship on Friday.

Vafaei hurled verbal barbs at his former friend following his first-round win over Ding Junhui last weekend, accusing the 47-year-old of “disrespect” following an incident in 2021 German Masters qualifying, and adding: “He’s such a nice guy when he’s asleep.”

Opinions are split over whether the Iranian, ranked 23 in the world, made a wise choice in prodding O’Sullivan ahead of their best-of-25, three-day clash that is scheduled to conclude on Sunday morning.

Former world champion Mark Williams said he feared for Vafaei after his comments, asking: “Why would you want to wake up the beast?” but another title rival, Mark Allen, was willing to give the 28-year-old the benefit of the doubt.

Ronnie O’Sullivan set for feisty match with World Championship rival Hossein Vafaei

Mark Selby 7-4 Matthew Selt

14:19 , Harry Latham-Coyle

The first substantial break of the session, Selt clearing to the blue with a break of 74 to take the frame.

Mark Selby 7-3 Matthew Selt

14:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Luca Brecel has hit back against Mark Williams after falling two frames behind, slamming in a lively 103 to secure his first frame of the match.

Also rallying appears to be Matthew Selt, pouncing on a Selby error and starting to score freely.

Mark Selby 7-3 Matthew Selt

14:13 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A thin snick on a red near the cushion enables Selt to swell his tally by one, leading 33-1 in the frame. Then it is back into the safety battle, shepherding the yellow to the side cushion and the white back in baulk.

Mark Selby 7-3 Matthew Selt

14:10 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Selt navigates the back passages and ensures white meets red. This might be another elongated frame.

Mark Selby 7-3 Matthew Selt

14:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Break over at 32. Selt fancies evicting a couple of balls from the base of the clump, but misses the pot.

Selby plays a thin cut to nothing, ending up invitingly behind the brown and creeping up behind it to force Selt to consider escapes.

Mark Selby 7-3 Matthew Selt

14:03 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Selby is a little fidgety in the chair, perhaps not totally pleased to have taken so long to secure that opening frame having been in amongst the balls.

Selt squeezes a red past one of its chums into the left corner.

Mark Selby 7-3 Matthew Selt

14:01 , Harry Latham-Coyle

On the other side of the logo-laden dividing wall, Mark Williams has taken a 1-0 lead in his second round match against Luca Brecel, a break of 68 enough to take an opening frame in which both he and Brecel had chances.

Mark Selby 7-3 Matthew Selt

13:59 , Harry Latham-Coyle

In goes the brown! An error from Selt, trying to trap it behind the black but instead knocking the ball of higher value further towards the centre of the table, and leaving enough of a sliver of space for Selby to access the colour he needs to secure the frame.

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:57 , Harry Latham-Coyle

How’s your luck, Matthew Selt? He makes good use of the blue, first flicking it with the brown and then hiding the white on the other side of it. Selby extricates himself with limited fuss.

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:52 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Another error won’t be easily forced out of Selby, who stays on his feet after contacting the yellow via the left cushion. Selt elects to move on, removing the yellow and then green from the table.

A pause. Pot the brown or try and force a snooker? The former, again trying to find the little bit of space behind the black by the right corner. A decent enough effort at it, but there’s space between the two colours of most value for Selby to slide the cue ball in and keep Selt disappointed.

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:49 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Selt gropes for that second snooker, but the balls never quite fall for him. The yellow biffs into the backside of the brown, spinning into pottable position, but Selby can’t convert.

That’s better from Selt, pinning the cue ball behind the black.

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:47 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Left in the jaws! Selby retrieves the rest and settles down over the last red, but it stays up on the baize after a vibration off the lips of the pocket. Selt knocks it in, followed by the black and then seeks a snooker, hiding the yellow behind brown and blue.

He trails by 35...and make that 31 as Selby’s escape is off line. 27 remaining, so Selt will need at least one more.

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:43 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Selby wobbles home a red into the corner - he’s not quite found his flow in these early skirmishes. There’s one more red left near the pink spot, which is delivered to the pocket more comfortably, and then it is up to baulk to try and deal with the last three.

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:41 , Harry Latham-Coyle

And Selby pays for the error. He forces the shot, over-cutting it after doding around the pink. A rattle of the jaws and out it pops, leaving the rest of them rather better placed, too.

But that’s very, ver poor from Selt. It’s a bright opening for him, so a missed black off the spot won’t please him at all, as a grinding of his teeth suggests.

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:39 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Selt’s opening effort ends at 17, misdirecting his effort towards the green pocket and shaking his head as he paces back to the chair.

Most of the bunch remains clustered south of the pink, but Selby spies two adjacent reds in planting position. In goes the lower of them, but Selby doesn’t quite screw hard enough to get back into ideal position on the blue. The next red will be tougher than it should have been...

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:35 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Selt misses a red to the centre and then Selby does likewise up past the yellow, allowing his opponent to get his scoring started with a simple enough long’un. Selt immediately requests that the cue ball is cleaned - there didn’t appear too much untoward in the manner in which the red was buried but he wasn’t particularly pleased.

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:33 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Another red follows before Selby ends up in a bit of bother, opting to enter the pack but not leaving himself on anything. Break over at just 11 points - a bit of a let off for Selt.

Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

13:31 , Harry Latham-Coyle

We’ll be keeping an eye on events on that table, but for now our more detailed coverage will follow Mark Selby’s efforts against Matthew Selt - and the four-time world title winner has already knocked in a long red...

Also this afternoon

13:29 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Getting underway in this session is the second round match between Luca Brecel and Mark Williams, which is mighty intriguing. The Belgian didn’t quite find top form in his first round encounter with Ricky Walden, which went to a deciding frame, but he and Williams could produce something really fun this afternoon. The winner has a good chance of facing Ronnie O’Sullivan in the quarters, just to whet the appetite a little more.

World Snooker Championship: Afternoon session

13:26 , Harry Latham-Coyle

We aren’t too far away from a resumption at the Crucible. Mark Selby leads Matthew Selt, who has never been beyond the first round at this tournament, 6-3 and will be hoping to continue to build into another tournament challenge after an early exit last year. The four-time world champion spoke candidly this week about needing to get back his belief in his own game after struggling with his mental health last year.

“Mentally I am in a better place than where I was last year because I came out about my mental health,” Selby told the BBC.

“That was tough because, with what I experienced, you just don’t know if you are going to play snooker again and how you are going to cope.

“To get back in that final [at the English Open] and win was huge. You always question yourself, thinking, ‘is that it and am I not going to win another tournament? Am I going to be playing again at the top level’? Those thoughts were flashing back.

“To be back in the winners’ enclosure gave me a springboard and the confidence going forward. You come here [as a former champion] not having to question yourself.”

‘We’re a soft touch’: Former snooker chief wants tougher punishments for protesters

13:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Former World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn has called for tougher punishments for protesters after play was disrupted at the World Championship in Sheffield.

A man wearing a ‘Just Stop Oil’ T-shirt interrupted the match between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry on Monday evening by jumping on to one of the tables and tipping orange powder over the cloth.

A woman was prevented from executing a similar stunt on the other table after being tackled by quick-thinking referee Olivier Marteel.

Play was suspended for the evening on the affected table, while the match between Mark Allen and Fan Zhengyi resumed after a delay of approximately 45 minutes.

South Yorkshire Police later confirmed two people had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

It was the second time in three days that a major domestic sporting event had been disrupted, after 118 people were arrested at Aintree on Saturday as they tried to scale the perimeter fence at the Grand National.

‘We’re a soft touch’: Former snooker chief wants tougher punishments for protesters

Mark Williams questions merit of Hossein Vafaei rant against Ronnie O’Sullivan

13:10 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Hossein Vafaei could be left counting the cost of his rant against Ronnie O’Sullivan when the pair get their World Snooker Championship grudge match underway on Friday, according to three-time champion Mark Williams.

Vafaei launched into a tirade against his future opponent after winning his first-round match against Ding Junhui on Sunday, accusing the 47-year-old of “disrespect” and saying O’Sullivan “is such a nice person when he’s asleep”.

O’Sullivan’s response is not yet on the public record but Williams, who gets his own second-round match against Luca Brecel underway on Thursday, believes the seven-time champion could decide to do his talking on the baize.

Mark Williams questions merit of Hossein Vafaei rant against Ronnie O’Sullivan

Coming up in the afternoon session...

13:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Table 1: Luca Brecel v Mark Williams

Table 2: Mark Selby 6-3 Matthew Selt

Robert Milkins beats Joe Perry 10-9

12:55 , Harry Latham-Coyle

The penultimate red won’t go but that is indeed that - a remarkable comeback victory for Robert Milkins! The two players share a warm handshake.

It is a match that won’t primarily be remembered for the snooker, but that was a performance from Milkins that showed real resolve. He was 7-2 down, of course, but capitalised on Perry’s errors today to progress. Next up for him will be the winner of Shaun Murphy against Si Jiahui.

Robert Milkins 9-9 Joe Perry

12:53 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Is that the moment? After another opportunity goes awry, Perry leaves Milkins a long red that is thumped home, and with the former needing snookers and plenty of easy scoring left available, it would appear we have our winner.

Robert Milkins 9-9 Joe Perry

12:48 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Joe Perry looks downcast, slouching in his chair, knowing his race may be run. Milkins is just taking a little extra time over each pot, making certain that each ball drops.

An error! The black rolls in with a brush of the top lip, but Milkins loses control of the cue ball and runs up against the backside of a red. 63 is his highest break of the match but it will extend no further! A lifeline for Perry

Robert Milkins 9-9 Joe Perry

12:45 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Robert Milkins is first amongst the balls in the decider, a rueful shake of the head from Perry as his cue ball doesn’t get far enough up the table, leaving a pot to the left corner. Milkins obliges.

25 is the break as Milkins is forced to play a tough black, making sure to get the weight right and not run unneccessarily into a scarlet throng on the right of the table. A friendly peck on a bottom of one of the reds leaves one to the opposite corner. A pretty pink to the middle takes Milkins to 39.

Robert Milkins 9-9 Joe Perry

12:41 , Harry Latham-Coyle

It is worth remembering that Joe Perry was 7-2 and 8-4 ahead in this encounter. It feels mighty tense now out there.

Robert Milkins 9-9 Joe Perry

12:34 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Nine apiece. Five hours of snooker and nothing splits them.

Robert Milkins 9-8 Joe Perry

12:33 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Perry does precisely that, rifling home from the rest and then knocking in the pink to move 50 ahead with 59 remaining.

Crucial ball, this, Perry electing not to disturb it from its slumber and instead try to guide home on a narrow angle. It’s..there. We may well be going to a deciding frame.

Robert Milkins 9-8 Joe Perry

12:31 , Harry Latham-Coyle

That’s about the extent of Milkins’s ambitions, a yellow following but not allowing further free scoring.

Back to Joe Perry, looking to force a decider. This is good, clean cueing and some deft positional play. Four of the reds and the black are all reasonably close to the cushion, but Perry should be able to pick off the rest of them and build a significant lead before needing to develop them.

Robert Milkins 9-8 Joe Perry

12:24 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Or not safe, as it turns out. Perry had failed to assess the possibility of a plant when tucking the cue ball up near the blue on the baulk cushion, but Milkins takes the time to have a gander, and likes what he sees. In one goes as the rest of the reds disperse.

Robert Milkins 9-8 Joe Perry

12:23 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Joe Perry immediately disappears at the conclusion of the frame, perhaps to try and cleanse himself after a tough session.

The general sloppiness appears set to continue, though - Milkins’s cue ball slams into the blue as it hurries back towards baulk from the break. 1-0 to Perry, who fails to leave himself cleanly on a colour and opts to play safe.

Robert Milkins 9-8 Joe Perry

12:21 , Harry Latham-Coyle

The brown goes in and out! Perry misses; Milkins strikes! At last, the frame is won, the Bristolian continuing his (rather sedate) charge and needing just one more frame to reach the second round.

Robert Milkins 8-8 Joe Perry

12:19 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Is that a chance? Yes, I think it is! Joe Perry leaves green and black between cue ball and the last remaining red, with Milkins unable to prevent it drifting into pottable position after ensuring a clean connection off a couple of cushions.

In it goes. Clean up the colours and Perry will be just one frame from victory, though they aren’t particularly nicely positioned.

Robert Milkins 8-8 Joe Perry

12:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Scratch that - the gap is now 30 as Perry elegantly glides the cue ball in behind a couple of colours up in baulk to force a miss from Milkins.

Robert Milkins 8-8 Joe Perry

12:13 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Milkins manages to cut in a long red, swiftly knocking in the pink and then another that is left in vacant space. Another pink goes in to leave him 34 ahead with 35 remaining, with the 47-year-old forced to free the last ball from behind the black. Onwards we go.

Robert Milkins 8-8 Joe Perry

12:10 , Harry Latham-Coyle

It seems that if Milkins and Perry do not tie this encounter up soon, there is every chance they will be taken of fthe table to allow the second session of the day to start on time. There appears little sign of this ceaseless seventeenth frame coming to a conclusion, with the pair trading safety’s with Milkins 42-22 ahead and three reds left.

Robert Milkins 8-8 Joe Perry

12:06 , Harry Latham-Coyle

This is genuinely quite tough to watch from Joe Perry. His pot success percentage in this session: 68%.

Robert Milkins isn’t even playing that well, wasting two more opportunities from Perry misses.

Robert Milkins 8-8 Joe Perry

12:03 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Another shake of the head from Perry. A three ball plant knocks in a red over the corner pocket to earn him one point, but yet another missed black ensures he won’t add to that tally.

Robert Milkins 8-8 Joe Perry

11:59 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Four and a half hours of match time since this contest began (albeit briefly) on Monday night and neither player has yet gone beyond a break of 83.

All the momentum seems to be with Milkins now. Perry misses another relative sitter, gesturing in an exasperated manner before settling back into his seat as his opponent finds the heart of the corner pocket.

Robert Milkins 8-8 Joe Perry

11:54 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A break of 72 is good, but not quite good enough for Milkins with five reds still on the table and Perry fancying his chances of forcing a snooker or two.

Not if he misses a black like that. Perry sweeps a couple of reds aside with his hands to indicate the concession. We are back to all square at the Crucible.

Robert Milkins 7-8 Joe Perry

11:46 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Joe Perry looks totally off his game now. He tries to cut a long red into the left corner but misses it by an inch or two. First chance to Milkins with an opportunity to draw level.

Robert Milkins 7-8 Joe Perry

11:43 , Harry Latham-Coyle

And Milkins wastes no time in securing his third successive frame, averaging ten seconds a shot to clear to the brown and close to within a single frame. Joe Perry widens his eyes in disbelief - having surged ahead, he’s back in a real battle.

Robert Milkins 6-8 Joe Perry

11:42 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Joe Perry squanders his chance, too, after leaving his positional shot a little short. A pushed red to the left centre doesn’t drop.

Robert Milkins 6-8 Joe Perry

11:38 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Can Robert Milkins use that as a springboard? Again he looks to be in good touch as he lays the foundations in frame fifteen, skipping spryly around the table. An effective use of the spider takes him into the thirties but he comes a cropper soon after, not putting enough cut on a difficult red to the middle. A disappointed wipe of the brow and down he sits with a frustrated thud.

Robert Milkins 6-8 Joe Perry

11:33 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Onwards we go as the two players trade yet more errors. Robert Milkins sends the final red into the middle pocket but leaves the resultant black clinging on to the cliff face in the right corner.

But, at last, there is is - Milkins takes the frame! A doubled yellow to seal it.

Robert Milkins 5-8 Joe Perry

11:27 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Surely this time Milkins will seal it? Joe Perry starts well as he tries to fight back, but misses a tough red to the left corner with the rest.

Milkins knocks it home...but another basic missed black grants Perry a third reprieve!

Robert Milkins 5-8 Joe Perry

11:24 , Harry Latham-Coyle

That’s a poor miss by Milkins’s standards, again trying to do too much from the black and thus losing his focus on making the pot. A rattle of the jaws and out it pops at real speed.

Robert Milkins 5-8 Joe Perry

11:23 , Harry Latham-Coyle

But just as Milkins looked to be set to secure the frame, he makes an error, leaving himself with the wrong angle to create a shot on the next red from the black and ending up too close to the rightwardmost of a quartet by the pink to continue on. His break ends at 53...though Joe Perry goes in off with his first shot at the table for a while, and Milkins will get another go.

Robert Milkins 5-8 Joe Perry

11:19 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Milkins looks wonderfully fluent here, keeping the cue ball under control to pick off the more accessible reds. A delicate busting of the bottom of the bunch from the black frees a couple more as he ticks up his break to 30.

Robert Milkins 5-8 Joe Perry

11:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Milkins’s potting has ben vastly improved this morning, knocking in three quarters of his long pots so far in this session. He starts the scoring after the interval with a tidily dispatched long red.

He’s a little bit straight on the blue, which means the next red may not come easily. He eyes up a plant...beautifully done, rattling into the right corner with a hint of screw to hold for the pink to the middle.

Robert Milkins and Joe Perry ready to resume

11:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Right, a stern faced Robert Milkins and Joe Perry have just returned to the table, ready to start the final half-session of their match. Can Milkins fight back? Perry needs two more frames to progress.

Ronnie O’Sullivan slammed by snooker rival: ‘He’s a nice person when he’s asleep’

11:10 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Ronnie O’Sullivan and Hossein Vafaei rekindle their rivalry in Sheffield tomorrow, with their second round encounter starting in the second session on Friday. As ever, it’s been a spicy enough build up...

Ronnie O’Sullivan slammed by snooker rival: ‘He’s a nice person when he’s asleep’

Robert Milkins 5-8 Joe Perry

10:57 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Indeed it is. Milkins knocks home another exposed red, securing the frame with the black and back within three at the mid-session interval.

Robert Milkins 4-8 Joe Perry

10:55 , Harry Latham-Coyle

There’s plenty of tension in the Crucible as Robert Milkins pushes into a significant, though not frame winning, lead as he looks to keep his slim hopes alive. An extended battle of safety play ends when Perry leaves a red to the middle having been forced to escape off a couple of cushions, and a nicely struck pot should be enough to allow Milkins to move back within three frames.

Shaun Murphy backs snooker to emerge stronger from match-fixing scandal

10:48 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Shaun Murphy insists snooker will emerge stronger from the match-fixing scandal that is threatening to cast a shadow over the World Snooker Championship.

An independent investigation into betting-related charges levelled at 10 Chinese players, including former UK champion Zhao Xintong and ex-Masters champion Yan Bingtao, is set to start in the second week of the Championship.

All the players, who are currently suspended, face lengthy bans if found guilty of the offences, while another player, Mark King, awaits a separate hearing on similar charges.

Murphy, who is bidding for his first world title since 2005, believes the untimely scheduling can work in his sport’s favour and send a very public message about the extent of its desire to show match-fixing will not be tolerated.

“I think the WPBSA are to be praised for dealing with this matter front and centre and not sweeping it under the carpet,” said Murphy.

Shaun Murphy backs snooker to emerge stronger from match-fixing scandal

Joe Perry extends lead

10:33 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A slightly scrappy 12th frame falls Joe Perry’s way, leaving the Englishman just two frames away from booking his place in the second round.

Perry leads Milkins 7-4 at World Snooker Championship 2023

10:30 , Jack Rathborn

Robert Milkins trails Joe Perry 7-4 in their first-round match.

An unforgettable match since Monday’s dramatic protest.

Perry will hope to finish the job this morning.

Kyren Wilson makes Crucible history with 147 as Judd Trump suffers shock exit

10:18 , Jack Rathborn

Judd Trump became the biggest casualty of the 2023 World Snooker Championship so far after falling to a 10-6 first-round defeat against Glasgow’s former semi-finalist Anthony McGill.

Fifth seed Trump, whose march to his maiden title in 2019 was supposed to herald a new dominant era in the sport, admitted he only had himself to blame after failing to sustain his push for a second crown.

The 33-year-old’s poor form was in stark contrast to the momentum of his fellow seed Kyren Wilson, who earlier compiled the 13th Crucible century in the opening session of his first-round match against Ryan Day.

Trump had threatened a revival when he reduced a 6-3 overnight deficit by winning the first two frames of the day, but he ran aground on a break of 40 in the next, and McGill capitalised to move clear again and ultimately get over the line.

Kyren Wilson makes Crucible history with 147 as Judd Trump suffers shock exit