Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy among players to exit in first round of the UK Championship

World number one Mark Selby heads the list of players to suffer a shock first round exit at the 2018 UK Championships in York after losing 6-3 to amateur James Cahill.

Also among those to bow out early was former champion Shaun Murphy who lost 6-3 to Chen Feilong from 3-1 up, while Ryan Day fell 6-2 to Joe O'Connor.

Liang Wenbo and Anthony McGill were two former top 16 players to suffer bad defeats as well in the last 128. Former runner-up Liang was 5-1 ahead of Sam Baird and flying having already made two centuries, but Baird won all of the last five frames to defeat the former Chinese number two 6-5.

McGill meanwhile was also cruising into the last 64 seemingly as he led Lu Ning 5-2, but Lu won the last four frames there with McGill scoring just a handful of points as the Scot was taken out 6-5.

John Higgins just managed to avoid suffering the same fate as he held off a valiant fightback from Thailand's ex-pro Dechawat Poomjaeng to win the deciding frame and advance to the last 64.

Another former champion Stephen Maguire came from 3-1 down against Simon Lichtenberg to rattle off five straight frames and defeat the German 6-3 while Luca Brecel overturned a 3-0 deficit against Fan Zhengyi to win 6-4.

There were simple victories though for the other top players as Kyren Wilson, Barry Hawkins, Stuart Bingham and Judd Trump and Marco Fu all won their opening round ties 6-0 to progress to the TV stages that start on Saturday afternoon. Jack Lisowski, Ding Junhui and defending champion Ronnie O'Sullivan were all 6-1 winners while there were 6-2 victories for Neil Robertson, Mark Allen and World champion Mark Williams.

Joe Perry holds the high break so far at 143 which he made in a 6-0 win over John Astley while Zhao Xintong lost a dramatic tie 6-5 to Daniel Wells in which he chipped the clue off the table when Wells needed snookers at 5-4 down. European Masters champion Jimmy Robertson won his match against Jordan Brown 6-4 after being taken off at 5-4 up and having to wait several hours to close out victory. English Open runner-up Mark Davis won 6-4 against Sam Craigie, while 1997 world champion Ken Doherty won five successive frames to defeat Yuan Sijun 6-2. Jimmy White was not as fortunate though losing 6-3 to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. Northern Ireland Open semi-finalist Eden Sharav fought back from 5-1 down to force a decider only to end up losing it to Akani Songsermsawad, while there were also first round exits for former top 16 players Ricky Walden and Michael White.


Last 128 results:

Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-1 Luke Simmonds
Ken Doherty 6-2 Yuan Sijun
Zhou Yuelong 6-1 Soheil Vahedi
Mark Davis 6-4 Sam Craigie
Marco Fu 6-0 Hammad Miah
Luo Honghao 6-0 Michael Georgiou
Jack Lisowski 6-1 Zhang Jiankang
Mei Xiwen 6-5 Fergal O'Brien
Tian Pengfei 6-4 Lu Haotian
Jimmy Robertson 6-4 Jordan Brown
Martin O'Donnell 6-4 Xu Si
Chen Feilong 6-3 Shaun Murphy
Ben Woollaston 6-3 Alfie Burden
Xiao Guodong 6-4 Sean O'Sullivan
Matthew Selt 6-2 Zhang Yong
Ding Junhui 6-1 Adam Stefanow
Judd Trump 6-0 David Lilley
Dominic Dale 6-4 Gerard Greene
Mark King 6-5 Elliot Slessor
Li Hang 6-3 Lee Walker
Joe O'Connor 6-2 Ryan Day
Andrew Higginson 6-2 Nigel Bond
Joe Perry 6-0 John Astley
Michael Holt 6-1 Chen Zifan
Mark Joyce 6-3 Niu Zhuang
Lu Ning 6-5 Anthony McGill
Liam Highfield 6-4 Robin Hull
Luca Brecel 6-4 Fan Zhengyi
Tom Ford 6-5 Craig Steadman
Robert Milkins 6-1 Sanderson Lam
Alan McManus 6-1 Alexander Ursenbacher
John Higgins 6-5 Dechawat Poomjaeng

James Cahill 6-3 Mark Selby
Akani Songsermsawad 6-5 Eden Sharav
Jak Jones 6-5 Ricky Walden
Joe Swail 6-5 Michael White
Stuart Bingham 6-0 James Wattana
Kurt Maflin 6-3 Zhang Anda
David Gilbert 6-3 Ashley Carty
Peter Ebdon 6-2 Chris Totten
Paul Davison 6-1 Stuart Carrington
Yan Bingtao 6-1 Lukas Kleckers
Mike Dunn 6-4 Allan Taylor
Kyren Wilson 6-0 Andy Lee
Gary Wilson 6-4 Billy Castle
Sam Baird 6-5 Liang Wenbo
Ian Burns 6-5 Robbie Williams
Barry Hawkins 6-0 Jamie Clarke
Mark Allen 6-2 Basem Eltahhan
Rory McLeod 6-3 Peter Lines
Martin Gould 6-1 Harvey Chandler
Hossein Vafei 6-5 Ashley Hugill
Neil Robertson 6-2 Kishan Hirani
Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 6-3 Jimmy White
Graeme Dott 6-2 Oliver Lines
Matthew Stevens 6-4 Ross Muir
Chris Wakelin 6-1 Duane Jones
Ali Carter 6-3 Thor Chuan Leong
Scott Donaldson 6-3 Li Yuan
Stephen Maguire 6-3 Simon Lichtenberg
Noppon Saengkham 6-1 Hamza Akbar
Rod Lawler 6-1 Anthony Hamilton
Daniel Wells 6-5 Zhao Xintong
Mark Williams 6-2 Adam Duffy


That's just the first round at the Barbican so there is plenty more drama to come over the next nine days. The BBC's coverage will begin on Saturday afternoon with the first set of last 64 which again are over the best-of-11 frames, while the event is also broadcast on Eurosport who showed the last 128 round on their online Player service.


Last 64 draw: (Picks in bold)

Ronnie O'Sullivan Vs Ken Doherty
Zhou Yuelong Vs Mark Davis
Marco Fu Vs Luo Honghao
Jack Lisowski Vs Mei Xiwen
Jimmy Robertson Vs Tian Pengfei 
Martin O'Donnell Vs Chen Feilong
Xiao Guodong Vs Ben Woollaston 
Ding Junhui Vs Matthew Selt
Judd Trump Vs Dominic Dale
Mark King Vs Li Hang
Andrew Higginson Vs Joe O'Connor
Joe Perry Vs Michael Holt
Mark Joyce Vs Lu Ning
Luca Brecel Vs Liam Highfield
Robert Milkins Vs Tom Ford
John Higgins Vs Alan McManus

Akani Songsermsawad Vs James Cahill
Joe Swail Vs Jak Jones
Stuart Bingham Vs Kurt Maflin
David Gilbert Vs Peter Ebdon
Yan Bingtao Vs Paul Davison
Kyren Wilson Vs Mike Dunn
Gary Wilson Vs Sam Baird
Barry Hawkins Vs Ian Burns
Mark Allen Vs Rory McLeod
Martin Gould Vs Hossein Vafei
Neil Robertson Vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh
Graeme Dott Vs Matthew Stevens
Ali Carter Vs Thor Chuan Leong
Stephen Maguire Vs Scott Donaldson
Noppon Saengkham Vs Rod Lawler
Mark Williams Vs Daniel Wells


There are plenty of entertaining last 64 matches to follow here starting with Ronnie O'Sullivan against 1997 World Champion Ken Doherty. The Irishman was superb in defeating Yuan Sijun who started really brightly in their match on Tuesday afternoon. Repeating that on the TV table will be a completely different story for Doherty who will be up against it from ball one against O'Sullivan, given the form he continues to show in every event he enters at the moment. If he can get into the sort of groove he did at times against Yuan though, then Doherty has a chance of at least giving O'Sullivan a bit more of a test.

Marco Fu has a huge exam to pass as he takes on exciting Chinese player Luo Honghao. Both players won by a 6-0 scoreline in the last 128 and Luo has impressed me so far. He was of course a quarter-finalist at the English Open and could cause trouble for a player in Fu who has not had many confidence boosting results in the last few months. He should be able to take something from his win over Miah but he certainly has a tough task ahead of him here against someone who like Fu is a quality scorer and will make the most of chances Fu leaves him, as well as having little fear against the top players from the evidence we have so far.

Judd Trump could put a nail in the coffin of Dominic Dale who needs victories to get into the top 64 on the end-of-season ranking list. Trump is making things look easy at the moment and has an excellent record against Dale, who played quite a lot in the period around 2012 and 2013 just after Trump really broke through into the big time. Dale is already threatening to retire, presumably in the event that he does drop off tour and that may take the pressure off of him for the rest of the season and make him less anxious about results. Nonetheless it would be a pretty big upset if he defeated former UK champion and recent Northern Ireland Open champion Trump who I still believe will make the semi-finals of this tournament at the very least, especially now Ryan Day has been knocked out of his section too.

Joe Perry and Michael Holt's match will be one of the picks of the matches that will be played on an outside table over the weekend at the Barbican. Holt had some good results in Northern Ireland to beat Mark King and Stephen Maguire and was an easy 6-1 winner in round one against Chen Zifan. Perry meanwhile was sublime against John Astley, almost strolling round the table like it was a practice session and making a high break of 143 in that whitewash win. Perry was a quarter-finalist here 12 months ago and was in the sort of form on Wednesday that could take him far again this week in York but this is a really tough draw for both players.

Another of the top 16 players who will be vulnerable in round two is Luca Brecel who takes on Liam Highfield. Brecel was really under it in round one as he fell 3-0 behind and against a better player he would have lost that match to continue his poor 2018. Highfield is certainly a player that is good enough to take him out if he gets the opportunity. He was just a red down the cushion from beating Shaun Murphy at this stage last year, and Murphy went on to reach the final. I was impressed with Highfield late on in his victory against Robin Hull which I live blogged on Wednesday morning. His scoring will see him take advantage of Brecel's misses much more than what Fan did on Thursday morning. Brecel will need to be at or very close to his best to get through this one I feel.

John Higgins faces Alan McManus in an all-Scottish battle after just scraping into the last 64. Higgins was well clear of Dechawat Poomjaeng before somehow ending up in a decider and it was just another sign that Higgins is not enjoying his snooker too much since the world final defeat of May. McManus has had success against Higgins before, notably in 2016 when he came from behind to beat Higgins in their Crucible quarter-final which was a stunning result at the time. McManus himself needs wins to ensure his place on tour for next season and his 6-1 win over Alexander Ursenbacher on Wednesday afternoon was a big one given that added pressure. McManus is more than capable of pulling off the upset if Higgins is not on top of his game again here.

Hero of the hour James Cahill will continue his UK Championship against Akani Songsermsawad. Cahill will be flying after beating Selby but may struggle to get up for this one which is likely to be out in the Sports Hall. The style of play that Akani brings does not suit many players either and you would certainly put Cahill in that category, particularly if he starts slowing his own pace of play down and get sucked into a battle. Akani made the last 16 here last year before narrowly losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan and he could become a UK Championship specialist if he takes the opportunity in front of him. The exits of Michael White and Ricky Walden mean the winner of this match will face the winner out of Jak Jones and Joe Swail, making Akani the favourite to reach the last 16 out of the four. If Cahill can bring his best though then he does have every chance of pulling off another big win.

David Gilbert against Peter Ebdon should be another really good match up. Both were quarter-finalists recently at the Northern Ireland Open and have both reached ranking event finals this season, Ebdon in Furth at the Paul Hunter Classic and Gilbert at the World Open. Gilbert finished well against Ashley Carty to win the last three and secure a 6-3 win while Ebdon won comfortably in the back room on Thursday afternoon against Chris Totten and looked in good form in patches there, though the match did go a bit scrappy at times. On overall form you would give Gilbert the edge and if he scores well then Ebdon may struggle to keep up with him as he is very hit and miss in the break building department now, in the twilight of his career.

Barry Hawkins will hope that he can keep his poor UK Championship form at bay when he faces Ian Burns. Hawkins lost in the last 64 in each of 2014, 2015 and 2016 before then being whitewashed in the last 32 last year so he hardly seems to be comfortable in this tournament at the Barbican which is unusual for a player of his high quality. Burns can do damage as well, just ask Neil Robertson about their match in the Welsh Open earlier on in the year and he will tell you what a threat Burns can be on his day. Hawkins was a 6-0 winner in round one though and had a good start to the season, before some recent early exits which could have just damaged his confidence slightly coming to an event that he has lacked success in and he will be fully aware of that.

Neil Robertson is in for a cracking game against Thailand's Thepchiaya Un-Nooh. Robertson is in good form of late beating Mark Selby twice in the last three events and getting to the final of the International Championship and he is certainly a contender for this title, which he has already won twice in his career. Thepchaiya is in good form too at the moment, he reached the quarter-finals of the Northern Ireland Open and had a maximum at the English Open, as well as looking in really strong scoring form against Jimmy White on Wednesday evening. If he scores as heavily as he has been then Robertson won't be able to afford to leave him too many easy chances, making his safety play and long potting really important, especially considering the quality of Un-Nooh's long potting against White on Wednesday. Robertson could be another player under threat of an early exit if he is even slightly off his best in this one.

Graeme Dott and Matthew Stevens should be a really good battle between two quality players. Dott has had a pretty quiet season but was a 6-2 winner in round one against Oliver Lines while Matthew Stevens has been in decent form of late and came through a tough match against Ross Muir 6-4. If this match is in the back room it will not necessarily favour Dott who famously made a point in his autobiography about the disgust that he has not been on the TV table as much as he feels he should have been after winning the World Championship. Stevens looked like his old self in the recent run he had to the semi-finals of the International Championship and he reached the last 16 here a couple of years ago which was one of the highlights as he fell down the rankings. This shapes up to be a really close tie but on recent form you would probably give Stevens the slightest of edges.

Finally, Mark Williams will need to be on the ball against Daniel Wells in their second round tie. Wells will be delighted just to be here after the fortune he had against Zhao Xintong but he is not to be underestimated. In the first half of that match he scored excellently to take a 4-1 lead and was the better player on the night in my view, despite the narrow victory margin. Williams has not been in the best of form in the last few tournaments despite starting the season with another title at the World Open to add to his World title win in May. If he is just off here and Wells is able to handle the occasion, which he should be able to having beaten top players in the past on the TV table, then the outsider of the two in this all-Welsh clash could cause another big UK Championship upset.


The last 64 matches will be played over afternoon and evening sessions on both Saturday and Sunday as the field is narrowed down to the final 32 and the money doubles up from the guarantee of £5,000 for reaching round two, to £10,000 for making round three.

LIVE BLOG: Zhao Xintong Vs Daniel Wells

Daniel Wells 6-5 Zhao Xintong - After building a strong early lead with a break of 49 Wells had to sit and suffer as Zhao got back into the frame and snookered him on the last red. He escaped from that one well and then fluked the red the next time he was snookered. Zhao potted the yellow though after some safety and followed it with green, brown and blue but tried to force the pink and missed it. A few shots later he left a cut on for Wells who knocks it in and gives a big shout of "COME ON" before punching the bed of the table. There were also a few more come ons as he walked out and rightly so. From 4-1 up it all went wrong and but for some really poor game management from Zhao on the blue he would have lost 6-4. Have to say that's a real eye opener in terms of the fact that Zhao still has plenty to learn before he wins what a lot of people think he may and rises further up the rankings. An insane match but it's Daniel Wells that comes out on top in the decider and will play Mark Williams in the last 64.

Frame 11 - Zhao pots a great first red in the decider into the middle but then misses the blue to leave Wells in with a nice early opening. You feel there will be more twists yet though here.

Frame Wells - So many chances for both players there but in the end Wells takes it on a re-spotted black so we're going to a decider. Zhao won't be able to believe it having missed match ball red, while Wells then snookered himself on the green looking to clear. Zhao potted the brown to leave Wells needing a snooker only to smash an attempt on the blue and knock it off the table. Wells then pots a great blue and clears to force the re-spot. After some good safety there Zhao leaves it near the corner and despite nearly following it in, Wells pots the black to make it 5-5.

Frame 10 - Wells again has had an early half chance but missed on just 3 and now Zhao is at the table with a chance to close this one out. Reds open but black on the side cushion makes it slightly more difficult but still expected him to make more than 19 before missing himself.

Frame Zhao - From start to finish that frame lasted less than 8 minutes. Zhao has found the extra gear and senses that his opponent is under it now big time. Zhao makes scoring look so easy and that break of 83 took no time at all. Meanwhile, as Zhao potted the final balls of the 83 Wells sat in his chair was putting in some eye drops. Not sure what they're for but they need to boost him as he's now a frame from defeat. 5-4 Zhao.

Frame 9 - Still presumably reeling from the previous frame, Wells after potting the first red misses the blue going into them and now Zhao is right in and looking good to lead the match for the first time as he's flying in this break.

Frame Zhao - How Zhao Xintong had won that frame is beyond me. First Wells nearly goes in off after potting frame ball. Then he concedes the snooker Zhao needed to be able to tie, but then after making a great pot on the last red he attempts to snooker Zhao on the yellow and end the frame but comes up short. After that he accidentally pots the brown in a shot he couldn't pull off once in another thousand goes at it. Zhao gets the final snooker on the green to be able to win the frame, before getting the chance to clear the final five colours which he calmly does to level at 4-4. Unbelievable stuff.

After initially breaking down on 32 and playing safe, Wells gets a big slice of luck to cover reds over either corner after an aggressive safety and when Zhao cannot it's another chance for the Welshman to move within a frame of victory.

Frame 8 - Wells is in first again this time and it will be interesting to see how he responds to losing the last two frames. He's into the reds very early on in the break and will be looking to at least build a good lead here. He will need to get into the bunch again though to win the frame at this visit.

Frame Zhao - I said it was a chance he had to take and Zhao has fully made the most of it and looks to have found his groove. The reds were all open for him but he still made it look effortless and the reward is a clearance of 107 to close the gap to just one now. Wells still leads 4-3.

Wells initially loses position on 32 and plays safe early. Now though Zhao has thundered a long red in and has a brilliant chance with the reds open to make this match a little bit closer once again.

Frame 7 - A mis-judged escape from Zhao into the bunch has left Wells in first again in frame seven as he looks to regain the three frame advantage. He's opened the reds early from a red, leaving a tricky black, but with that in and position on the next red secure this is now a brilliant chance.

Frame Zhao - That could be a huge let off for Zhao. Wells misses the black on 13 with two reds left. Who knows if he would have cleared up but the miss gifts Zhao this frame as Wells immediately needed a couple of snookers. Zhao still in there but Wells leads 4-2.

Inexplicably Zhao loses position just enough to leave frame ball with the rest on 61 and he isn't up to the task. Wells is in now with a half chance of a counter clearance but he should at least get back into the frame here.

Frame 6 - A poor safety from Wells to hit the middle bump has left Zhao in amongst them straight away in frame six. The reds are nicely spread now too so this is a chance he has to take full advantage of to give his comeback hopes some fuel.

Frame Wells - More excellent and clinical play of the highest order from Wells. That's been the difference so far tonight, top quality positional play from Wells allowing him to take his chances better than Zhao. This time it is a simply sublime break of 141 that was world class from start to finish. Properly impressive from Wells and he's well ahead now at 4-1.

Frame 5 - Wells in first again straight after the interval as Zhao misses a long red. Reds already nicely opened up so this is a great chance for him to punish the Chinese youngster even further. He's really looking good tonight Wells.

Frame Wells - A real pendulum swinging end to that frame but it's Wells that comes out on top. His break of 59 built a 33 point lead with one red left but he failed to cannon the pink and free the red. Two good snookers from Zhao then yielded 12 points in fouls before he potted the red in the middle. He got down to the blue on the baulk cushion but had to try and force the angle, missing and double kissing the blue to leave it easily for a relieved Wells. The Welshman leads 3-1 at the break but it could easily have been 3-1 the other way.

After a decent long pot to get in, Wells is now at the table with the chance to punish Zhao for not being more clinical again in this match. The reds aren't badly placed and he's one good positional shot to get on pink or black away from making this a frame winning chance.

Frame 4 - A couple of early chances have gone begging for Zhao as he just keeps losing cue ball control slightly. Feels a big frame for him mentally after the last as well. 3-1 down at the interval and that would be a big blow.

Frame Wells - Thanks to some good positional play from Wells there wasn't a tough ball on the table in that break of 69 to win him the frame. He's pounced on the big error from Zhao to make him feel ten times worse about it. That could be a massive early moment in this match, particularly given how recently Wells beat Zhao. 2-1 Wells.

A really unexpected miss on an easy black from Zhao means this frame is far from over yet. There's plenty on for Wells as he gets in and looks to put together a counter clearance.

Frame 3 - His first chance did not amount to much after landing on nothing when he split the reds but Zhao has been afforded another opening and this is one he will make the most of and I soon expect him to lead 2-1.

Frame Zhao - A great player to watch in full flow but tough to keep up when live blogging his matches. Zhao makes a nice 54 with some good pressure pots, particularly one on the black with the cue ball close to the cushion as he approached frame ball. Could keep tighter cue ball control to not put the extra stress on though. 1-1.

Frame 2 - It's taken a while for the first proper chance of the frame but after dominating the early passages, Zhao is in now and already well ahead as he looks to level.

Frame Wells - Wells adds a further break of 49 to his earlier 41 which is more than enough to clinch the opening frame. The highlight would be a red he rolled in for the black from middle distance on just 3 in his second break. He's clearly cueing well. 1-0 Wells

Wells initially runs out of position on 41 but plays a snooker behind the black and is quickly back in after good cut back into the middle. Another opportunity to close out this opener.

Frame 1 - Zhao Xintong earned the first chance of the match after nonchalantly knocking a tricky red into the middle but then after splitting the reds from a red takes on an ambitious yellow to leave Wells right in with a great opportunity now.

My final live blog of the week is a close looking match up between Daniel Wells and Zhao Xintong.

The pair met just recently at the Northern Ireland Open with Wells getting a 4-1 victory against the odds that day. The Welsh man also scored victories over Joe Perry and Barry Hawkins to reach the last 16 of the English Open so he is in pretty good form of late.

As for Zhao Xintong he has shone since winning back his tour card with the clear highlight a career best semi-final at the China Championship, with wins over Mark Williams, Anthony McGill and Barry Hawkins in the process.

Two heavy scorers and good players to watch so it should be a cracker.

LIVE BLOG: Mark Davis Vs Sam Craigie

Mark Davis 6-4 Sam Craigie - Davis made an additional 21 after Craigie's miss and that is more than enough to win the match. On the day he simply took his chances better than Craigie did in the balls and Craigie missed a couple of long pots as well that allowed Davis chances. All in all he was the deserved winner but Craigie certainly played his part in what was a cracking contest and probably the best I've watched this week so far. Perhaps Davis can get on another big run now.

Craigie wins the safety battle but misses on 6. Davis still ahead by 32 then with five reds left, one of which is hanging over the corner to get him back in. A match winning chance now.

Davis initially missed the black on 30 but wasn't punished as Craigie missed a blue to the yellow pocket on 1. Davis then tries to get into the bunch and misses them though so has to play safe.

Frame 10 - Big moments now in this match as it gets close. Davis is in first and will be desperate to close the match out without the need for a decider. It's a decent early chance but he'll need to promote more reds from the bunch soon.

Frame Craigie - Craigie clinches the frame quickly after getting in. He knew it was a massive chance to close the gap and put his foot down once again. A run of 53 is more than enough to keep Davis seated and claw a frame back. 5-4 now to Davis.

Frame 9 - A must win frame for Craigie and after a couple of early half chances he's looking good here after a pot in the middle to get in with reds spread far and wide. He should take this frame at this visit.

Frame Davis - That's a big moment and could be a killer blow to Sam Craigie. He misses on 29 and leaves the red for Davis who then clears the remaining reds well with good pots along cushions in there and goes on to win the frame at that visit and move two clear again and one away from the last 64 at 5-3.

Davis runs out of position on 50 and misses a double attempt but leaves Craigie a red to the middle and he's now in. Three reds on cushions to deal with though if he's to win this frame from behind.

Frame 8 - Craigie had the first half chance of this frame but missed a tough red to the middle, leaving Davis right in now as a result. A big frame here given the difference between 5-3 Davis and 4-4 so a crucial break in progress.

Frame Craigie - Initially Craigie missed a red down the cushion on 56 and left a possibility of the Davis counter clearance which would have badly hurt. However, Davis potted the red but went too far for the black and took on a tough mid range blue, missing and leaving Craigie in to make an additional run of 41 and clinch the frame. 4-3 now to Davis.

Frame 7 - Behind by two for the first time, Craigie needs a response here and knocks a great red in to get in and has picked up the pace a little in this break as he looks to get it done in one visit. So far so good on that front too.

Frame Davis - In the end he's needed another three scoring visits to pot the reds needed to leave Craigie needing snookers, missing frame ball red initially when he must have been rattled by the amount of people that started coming into the Sports Hall. Another long frame but an important one too as Davis leads by two frames for the first time in this match and he looks more in control now. 4-2.

With pink and black still out of play, Davis takes all seven reds with blues to get to 42 but then with only one of the last four reds open he tries to cannon the red and black but finishes on nothing and plays safe with a 23 point lead.

Frame 6 - A long miss from Davis has let Craigie straight in in the sixth and he opts to break the bunch from the first blue and gets all the reds open. A bit of work to do to get pink and black properly in play though and he misses a pink to the middle and has let Davis off the hook.

Frame Davis - An initial break of 60 left Davis in a strong position but his missed cannon to what would have been frame ball meant the frame was still very much alive when the break ended. A period of safety followed before Davis potted a red from distance and was able to close out the frame comfortably thereafter. He's back out in front. 3-2

Craigie misses a red to the corner on 25 to really let Davis off the hook. Initially he left nothing but then took an all or nothing red on to the middle, missing that too and leaving Davis right in now to try and retake the lead for a third time.

Frame 5 - It was 10 minutes into this frame before a ball was potted, with safety pushing reds open and towards the baulk end. A miss from Davis has left Craigie right in now with the balls at his mercy.

Frame Craigie - That was an excellently crafted break of 60 there from Craigie he had a lot of tricky little shots in there but took them all well and I have to say it didn't necessarily look on that he could make enough to leave Davis needing a snooker. That 60 was enough though and a good long pot shortly after clinched the frame and means this match goes to the interval all square at 2-2.

Frame 4 - Been a bit of a scrappy start to this frame with all the reds being opened early yet neither player was able to get in. Craigie is in now though after a good long pot and has just gotten the pink back on it's spot in order to make this a proper scoring chance. During the safety though a lot of the reds have ended up nearer cushions than he would like so there's work to do.

Frame Davis - Once again Davis looks in superb form here. He was flying around the table and looked really confident in that break. This time he just about gets the century as well, making a flawless break of 101 to retake the advantage. 2-1 Davis.

Frame 3 - Davis in first in the third after a long miss from Craigie left him a choice of reds from distance. He picked one out of the bunch and executed perfectly and is now nicely in with reds open and the colours on their spots to move back out in front.

Frame Craigie - Davis initially breaks down on 27 coming just too straight on a red on the cushion and trying to force it but missing. He left it safe and after Craigie's safety Davis attempts a cross double but ends up getting nowhere near and leaves the red over the middle for Craigie to clinch the frame. 1-1

It was all looking good for Craigie but he just didn't get nicely on the red he played on, on 61, potting it and careering into other reds, knocking one over the corner and moving the black safe. He had no choice really but to go for the blue, but misses and has left Davis a counter chance.

Frame 2 - Craigie is in first this time after Davis left a red into the middle, after four reds were down he got into the bunch to open the rest up and this is now a good looking chance to level the match up.

Frame Davis - A really quick contribution and less than 10 minutes needed for that opening frame. Davis made that look pretty simple and showed the form that took him to that final in Crawley with an excellent opening statement of 85. The century only prevented by a missed red down the bottom cushion. 1-0.

Frame 1 - A missed long red from Craigie has left Davis in and at the same time opened quite a few reds up to for the English Open Runner-up to go at. Good chance this early on in proceedings.

This was one of the matches that jumped out when the draw was made so I'm looking forward to watching and live blogging Mark Davis Vs Sam Craigie this afternoon.

Davis of course reached his first ever ranking final recently at the English Open beating John Higgins in the last 16 and then thrashing Ryan Day in the quarters and Ronnie O'Sullivan no less in the semi-final before losing narrowly to Stuart Bingham. Davis is also a former semi-finalist in York, making the last four back in 2012.

As for Sam Craigie he will want to improve on the thrashing he received at this stage last year against Andrew Higginson. He always looks like he is never too far away from potentially having a big run because of how well he scored and he has had a lot of guys play well against him recently. In Northern Ireland Li Hang was superb against him from 2-0 in the last 64 and in the two tournaments prior to that he lost by the odd frame to Barry Hawkins and David Gilbert.

It should be a great tie so I can't wait to get going.

LIVE BLOG: Yan Bingtao Vs Lukas Kleckers

Yan Bingtao 6-1 Lukas Kleckers - As expected it was an easy kill in the end as a run of 57 to the yellow for Yan leaves Kleckers playing on again for far too many snookers without threatening to get them. You can't deny that it is a struggle for him out there and you have to feel a bit sorry for him because snooker is a tough game when things aren't going your way. Yan meanwhile has looked really solid today. Yes he has missed the odd pot here and there but when his good scoring chances have come he has taken all of them and made break building look pretty easy today. He's certainly a threat of he keeps that level of scoring up.

Just as the lights in the arena start flickering Yan gets himself in after a scrappy period in this frame. With all the reds wide open in the middle of the table this looks like the frame and match in waiting for Yan now.

Frame 7 - Once again an example of where Kleckers struggles. In first but he can only make 23 before an unforced error missing to the middle. It's been another pretty demoralising day for the youngster but on this occasion the miss hasn't cost him.

Frame Yan - Once that second good chance of the frame came it was all plain sailing for Yan. He has made the game look easy this morning amongst the reds and this time produces another 70+ contribution. A 77 clearance puts him four up with five to play at 5-1.

A good long red followed by the snooker behind the brown have produced the next chance for Yan who is not far away at all now from moving four frames clear.

Kleckers has just had a half chance but can only make 13. If you were picking faults with his game you would say he doesn't seem to score heavy enough, though you could say the same for a lot of lower ranked players like him.

Frame 6 - Once again Yan is in first in a frame as he looks to put himself on the edge of the winning line as quickly as possible. Playing a red on 23, he's opened a few more reds out of the bunch but needed to go into them again, does just that off the black but lands on nothing. Kleckers is hanging on at the moment and Yan plays safe on 31.

Frame Yan - The Chinese youngster had really found his stride now in this match which will make a Kleckers comeback really tough from here. Again Yan looked untroubled in that visit to the table and even though the cue ball had to do a little more mileage this time he didn't ever look like missing. A break of 70 left the German needing four snookers once again, which is too big of an ask really. 4-1 Yan now.

Frame 5 - This is really starting to get away from Kleckers now. He just can't keep it tight enough and Yan is taking full advantage. He's in again with reds nicely placed now to increase his lead further.

Frame Yan - After needing three or four chances in the last, Yan never looked like needing more than one this time. He's punishing Kleckers who hasn't really been at the races since that opening frame. Once again he made that break of 75 look easy and Kleckers attempts to play on for four snookers didn't really get off the start line. Been all Yan in the last three frames and he's strolled into a 3-1 interval lead.

Frame 4 - Yan in first once again here and looking pretty good. The black is up on the brown spot for now but he's just opened the pink up by getting that on the black spot for now and there are plenty of reds open and waiting to be picked off to make this a frame winning break.

Frame Yan - He ended up needing another chance to leave Kleckers needing a snooker but without doing anything special in frame three, he's put the frame on the board. Not a frame I'll remember for very long it has to be said. 2-1 Yan.

After a half chance for Kleckers, Yan is back in again but given how the reds are sitting near the bottom cushion, the German mat still have a lifeline in this frame but it looks pretty bleak now.

Frame 3 - A bad miss in the middle for Kleckers has allowed Yan straight back in again but instead of picking up where he left off in the previous frame he can only make 24 from it and now the pair will battle for the next opening.

Frame Yan - It certainly looks like Yan has warned up quickly. Maybe he's been reading my blog between frames. Never looked in trouble really in that break and he ends up with a superb break of 106. Kleckers will be under it if he keeps playing as he did in that contribution. 1-1

Frame 2 - Kleckers leaves a red to the middle for Yan early in frame two and it could prove costly. The youngster is nicely in and has just gone into the reds nicely. A great opportunity now to level the scores.

Frame Kleckers - Yan had a half chance at a clearance but he missed after the first red and allowed Kleckers to get the red and colour he needed to win this opening frame. Not the best start from Yan with a couple of poor shots, so he needs to warm up quickly. 1-0 to the German.

Kleckers initially played safe on 43 but gets back in after a well struck long pot but has just missed the black off it's spot. The lead is 59 but there's still plenty on for Yan to get back in the frame.

Frame 1 - It may have been a fluke that got Kleckers in but that's the sort of luck you need in these matches. After apologising to Yan he's set about his business but needs to get the pack open soon.

One for my German followers this morning as Lukas Kleckers faces a tough tie with Yan Bingtao.

Yan Bingtao hasn't quite kicked on this season just yet as some people might have expected, but he's still always dangerous. This time last year he came to the UK Championship having just made his first ranking final in Northern Ireland, losing 9-8 to Mark Williams. In many ways he's actually in a better place this year because that would have taken some getting over mentally.

Kleckers hasn't exactly had a great 18 months on the tour results wise, but it will have been tough playing on the main tour for the first time. The Riga Masters has been his best result both this season and last season as well, but unfortunately for him we can't play there every week. A win today would probably be the biggest of his pro career, but if Yan isn't on his A game this could certainly be a close contest.

LIVE BLOG: Jimmy White vs Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

Thepchaiya Un-Nooh 6-3 Jimmy White - Un-Nooh didn't end up winning at that visit after missing a red to the middle, but the Whirlwind just couldn't get his own red to fall in the middle either, allowing Un-Nooh back in to pick up the pieces and clinch victory. He really is in excellent scoring form at the moment and is a danger in this draw if he keeps playing like that. If he ever did cut out the odd sloppy error that gets punished against the higher ranked players then he could still make that breakthrough and win a ranking event. For White it's still great to see the passion he has for the game. With the frustration he showed tonight, it's clear he still wants to win every game and it's equally as a good to see he draws such a crowd. People were turned away at the start of the match because the sports hall was full. That sums up Jimmy White and his army of fans.

Frame 9 - A couple of misses from White has allowed Thepchaiya a couple of early chances and after laying a snooker behind the black he has the chance that he needs to close this match out. I don't think there's much life left in this match now.

Frame Thepchaiya - Another rapid contribution from the Thai and another clearance. He's making more clearances than a football defender tonight. This time he gets there with the aid of a fluke on the black once the frame was in the bag and he's fully punished White with a break of 110. He's one away from round two. 5-3.

Frame 8 - White has had a decent opening in this frame after a long range miss from Thepchaiya but the Thai is in now after White missed into the right corner and he's looking good to go one away from the winning line.

Frame White - Just under 11 minutes from start to finish for that frame. The speed snooker continues and this time it's Jimmy White winning the frame at one visit. Thepchaiya's form seems to have inspired White and it's exhibition stuff. Tough to do it justice in words really. A brilliant break of 93 with a failed cannon spoiling the possible century that time. 4-3 still to Un-Nooh.

Frame 7 - White misses a long cut attempt and leaves it in the jaws but has it covered. Thepchaiya tries to come off the cushion to pot it but immediately knows he's missed it. White is taking advantage of that error so far.

Frame Thepchaiya - A decent chance quickly turned into another frame winning break. Absolutely relentless from Thepchaiya there and he'd reached snookers required after just 6 minutes in the frame. Hard to know how you stop him unless he misses an ambitious shot. Another great break and he's doubled his advantage. 4-2 Thepchaiya.

Frame 6 - Another excellent long pot from Thepchaiya gets him in first in the sixth and he's aggressively into the reds straight away to make this a decent early chance.

Frame Thepchaiya - Disappointing for White. An unforced error as he misses one into the middle but at his age now he's going to make the odd error like that. Un-Nooh picked up the pieces once again and with a clearance of 84 in no time at all he's back out in front and this match is flying by. 3-2 Thepchaiya.

Frame 5 - A great long pot from Thepchaiya screwing back for the blue gets him the first good chance of the frame but he soon misses a cut back red into the corner and leaves White in.

Frame White - It was always looking likely after the pack split but White has taken the fourth to level the match up at 2-2. He'll be disappointed to miss the black on 72 and miss out on a possible century break because all the reds were there for one. The fans aren't disappointed about the fightback though after losing the second the way he did.

Frame 4 - White's in first this time after Thepchaiya left a cut on a red to the middle and so far it's been solid from the Whirlwind. He's into the reds as he gets into the fifties and now this should be a level game.

Frame White - White missed a red early on initially to let Thepchaiya off but the Thai couldn't take advantage missing another ball in the middle. That allowed White back with a glorious chance and a break of 55, including some good pots on yellow and green to get the crowd going, puts him on the board. 2-1 now to Thepchaiya.

Frame 3 - There's not a lot that Un-Nooh doesn't take on, I thought he'd broken down a couple of times but a great mid-ranged red kept things going before he misses on 25 with an ambitious red to middle that didn't find the jaws. Thepchaiya has now missed again from range and White is in.

Frame Thepchaiya - Big frame that one. White initially breaks down on 54 after missing a red to middle. Thepchaiya then gets in with a good double and clears to the last red which he misses along the baulk cushion. White then wins the battle on the final red but misses the yellow off it's spot and Un-Nooh clears the colours to double his lead. 2-0.

Frame 2 - Thepchaiya was in first again but after splitting the bunch missed a red at pace into the middle leaving White in. He's up into the thirties and looking good to level.

Frame Thepchaiya - What a start for Un-Nooh. Hard to think of many players that make snooker look as effortless in full flow. As if no thought is required whatsoever. His second chance comes quickly and he has no problem clearing the table with a break of 81 to take the opener. 1-0 Thepchaiya.

Frame 1 - To absolutely no encouragement Thepchaiya is in first and it's tough to type fast enough to keep up with him. The break ends on 43 though as he loses position on a colour but it's a decent lead to have.

Still somewhat reeling from the shock exit of Shaun Murphy this afternoon tonight's match should put a smile back on my face. It won't be slow as Thepchaiya Un-Nooh takes on Jimmy White.

Thepchaiya was flying recently in Belfast making the quarter-finals and getting an incredibly emphatic 37 minute win in his last 16 match with Robbie Williams. At the English Open he made a 147 break and ended up losing to eventual champion Stuart Bingham by just the odd frame in the last 32.

As for Jimmy White it's magical for snooker that he's still playing. It's yet another UK Championship appearance and even if hasn't had as many wins as he would like I'm sure he still loves being out there. Really looking forward to this one.

LIVE BLOG: Hull Vs Highfield continued

Liam Highfield 6-4 Robin Hull - You cannot fault the way Highfield finished that match off. A break of 78 in the ninth and an excellent 96 just now to clinch it. A tough draw for both players and they really showed why that was. Hull had chances early but Highfield deserved the win for closing it out how he has in the end. Having gotten into the fifties in frame ten he had to go into the bunch and didn't land on anything easy but still made an excellent pot to keep the break going. He'll be dangerous again in York this year having previously made the last 16. A shame for Hull though as that may well be his last UK Championship.

Frame 10 - What a red to the green pocket Highfield has potted to get in first in the tenth. He's into the reds on just 12 and is now hoping to make this a match winning break and it's looking good for him so far.

Frame Highfield - Highfield really upped his tempo in that break sensing the opportunity to give himself two bites of the cherry to win the match now. The frame from start to finish lasted less than 10 minutes and a break of 78 is more than enough to put Highfield 5-4 ahead.

Frame 9 - Highfield in first here and buzzing round the table as he looks to get back out in front. He's opened the reds from a pot on a red superbly and looks really well placed to move 5-4 up.

Frame Hull - Highfield built a lead of 34 with two reds left but left himself the wrong side of the black to get on frame ball red. After some safety Hull was then left the chance to clear and did so superbly. The highlight of the clearance was his cannon to pot the brown from near the cushion to over the middle pocket and the remaining colours were on their spots. We have a level game now at 4-4. All to play for.

Hull is not a happy bunny now. Handed a chance by a poor Highfield safety but he squander it by missing the red on the stretch and throws his extension away in disgust. Highfield in now with a great chance to go one away from a place in round two.

Having some technical issues so here's a new post. Frame 8 - A big one now for Hull and he's in first after a good long pot and a brown in the middle straight after. This frame is the difference between a level game and Highfield being two up with three to play so he could have done with making more of this first chance but it looks like end of break on 29.

LIVE BLOG: Robin Hull Vs Liam Highfield

Hull's break was looking smooth until he just came up short on the blue on 59 and didn't land on frame ball red. He led by 59 with 67 left but Highfield has knocked a long one in and has a chance to erode that advantage.

Frame 7 - If Robin Hull has any hopes of winning this match this is a must win frame. He's been handed a lifeline after Highfield has got in and missed a red early on to leave the Finn a chance with the black available and a load of open reds.

Frame Highfield - That's a big chance gone for Hull. He initially gets to 41 before missing the green but leaves it safe. He then wins the battle on the green with a good snooker but misses the brown, leaving it for Highfield who only needs that and the blue to clinch the sixth frame and move two up. 4-2 Highfield now.

One slightly heavy positional shot has cost Highfield here. He's missed a red to the middle on 52 with 75 still on as Hull gets on the counter. This is a definite chance to steal one from behind and Highfield knew it as he kicked his cue in frustration.

Frame 6 - Hull had a half chance just now on a red in the middle but jawed it, leaving it for Highfield to delicately roll into the same pocket. Having done so he now has a great chance to start taking real control of this match at this visit.

Frame Highfield - It was still not an easy chance with reds near the bottom cushion and Highfield needed an excellent positional shot with four reds left from the pink after finishing too low, from there he sailed to the winning line in the frame and now leads for the first time at 3-2. A solid contribution there from Highfield.

Both players made little from their early half chances but Highfield is back in now with another but with black and blue off their spots the cue ball has done some mileage but he's nicely on the pink now so this is a pretty good opening.

Frame 5 - After a good safety battle to start the frame the first chance after the break has fallen to Highfield after Hull left a red on from distance. He misses a tester of a blue on just 8 though and has left Hull in.

Frame Highfield - All square it is at the interval but Hull will rue the missed chances. He just over hit position from the last red and missed the green otherwise he would almost certainly have cleared for 3-1. As it was there was still a good battle on the yellow but Highfield always had a slight edge and a good snooker getting the yellow behind the pink ended up forcing the opening to level the match. 2-2

Hull initially loses his counter chance after a bad kick on the pink causes him to miss. Highfield misses one in the middle though and Hull has a second opening to get back in the frame with nothing safe.

Highfield loses black ball position on 49 and after a great safety from Hull, the Finn has earned the chance to get back into this frame.

Frame 4 - Highfield misses a half chance at a red early on to give Hull the first chance of the frame but he then hands it back by missing a black off the spot on 5. Highfield then gets to 32 before potting a good red up into the yellow pocket to keep things going and now looks good to level this match up.

Frame Highfield - After Hull missed on 16, Highfield failed at an attempt in the middle before Hull went for a tricky one into the yellow pocket. That left Highfield a red at mid-range and this time he gets it and at the third time of asking he's able to put the frame on the board. That could be an early turning point in this one. 2-1 to Hull now.

Have to say it was hard to see that miss coming from Highfield but he does miss an easy enough red on 19. 48 was the lead with 83 left but Hull is eating into that now, before missing on 16 unexpectedly. He points at the red like it was a bad contact but it was hard to tell. Frame still in the balance.

Highfield ended up going for a plant, got it but didn't get on the black so played safe on 29. He's back in now after another long pot and has a good chance of closing the gap after opening the reds up in his previous visit.

Frame 3 - Highfield is in first properly for the first time in the match and he needs to hit back fast. A good long range red got him in but he's gone into the pack on 23 and is in two minds over his next red with nothing easy on.

Frame Hull - This is a really good start here for Hull. Once again he created an excellent chance for himself and took advantage of it excellently. There was a half chance for back to back centuries to start the match but he didn't quite get on the pink nicely from the last red and had to settle for a break of 67. 2-0 Hull.

Not long after that first chance Hull is back in amongst them after a good pot in the middle. Already ahead and with reds spread far and wide this is a golden opportunity to double his early lead.

Frame 2 - Another early miss for Highfield has left Hull in with a good opportunity to pounce again. He goes into the reds on 17 and gets everything nicely open but lands on nothing so the break ends at 24.

Frame Hull - After Highfield let him off the hook he was never going to give him a second chance. He made the rest look easy with all the reds already open and the result was an excellent 106 clearance to give Hull the opening frame. A great start for the Finn.

Frame 1 - Hull has earned the first chance after an excellent long red rolled in for the black. He pots a good blue with the rest and a good mid range red thereafter but misses on 22 and leaves the reds open for Highfield. He can't take advantage though and that could be a big let off for Hull.

Wednesday's play gets underway with two players I always enjoy watching and doing live blogs of. Finland's Robin Hull takes on Liam Highfield.

My twitter followers will know that I'm a huge fan of Robin and his announcement on Twitter that he may retire at the end of the season is part of the reason I'm even in York. Recently in Belfast he reached the last 32 and was one good positional shot away from beating Ryan Day in the decider and going even further into the competition.

As for Highfield, he has had last 64 exits in the last two tournaments. At the International he led Mark Allen 4-0 before Allen made the comeback and ended up winning the tournament, while in Belfast he lost 4-3 to Jack Lisowski, so there's no shame in either of those defeats. Other than a last 32 at the Paul Hunter Classic though, Highfield has not gone beyond the last 64 all season so this will be a really interesting game. Last season in York, Highfield was just one pot short of beating eventual runner-up Shaun Murphy at the last 64 stage so he's certainly capable of big wins.

Really looking forward to this one getting underway at 9.30am.