Ronnie O’Sullivan v Pang Junxu LIVE: World Snooker Championship score and updates – UK Times

Pang needs to settle down and quickly get a frame on the board before it gets out of hand.- Seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry, working as a pundit for the BBC, is already talking about the Rocket winning with a session to spare… That’s a shade premature, I’d say, but he is looking fully in stroke to be fair.

Both men miss long reds early in frame three.

Worrying signs for Pang as O’Sullivan ruthlessly punishes his error and wins the frame in one visit.

A couple of clever cannons and nice pots and he’s quickly over the line as he passes 66 points. The century is on here for the Rocket.

But the blue is in the baulk end, he can’t quite get on it nicely, so falls just short of the ton but Ronnie O’Sullivan wins frame two in style

Pang in first again in frame two but he reaches 25 and then an odd shot selection means the break ends with a missed red.

O’Sullivan is straight in and quickly counter attacks. This looks ominous for the Chinese youngster

O’Sullivan nearly gets over the line but a lapse in concentration means he doesn’t get on the final brown. He’s 22 points to the good with 22 left on and he’s forced to play safe.

But it’s a good safety shot and Pang can’t get it safe in return, so Ronnie rolls in the brown to clinch the frame. Pang plays on for snookers for a bit but eventually gives up and Ronnie O’Sullivan takes the opening frame of the match.

Bit scrappy, both men had chances, but it’s lift-off for the Rocket.

Decent start from underdog Pang as he builds up a 44-point lead although it takes him three separate breaks and he can’t kill the frame off in any of them.

O’Sullivan now earns a couple of chances and starts to close the gap. Fabulous shot, potting the yellow and cannoning into the pack. He’s soon just a couple of points behind and still going strong with two reds left

Oh, here we go. Rob Walker introduces the players for the afternoon session and Ronnie O’Sullivan gets a huge Crucible roar from the crowd.

We’re ready to start this second-round match, a best of 25, meaning 13 frames are needed for victory. Pang breaks off in the first frame and immediately tucks the cueball in behind the brown

We may be a few minutes late starting the afternoon session as one morning match at the Crucible overran.

Four-time world champion John Higgins was supposed to complete his second-round match with Xiao Guodong but with the score at 12-11 to Higgins (in a first to 13 contest) , the players have just been pulled off to let the afternoon session (including Ronnie O’Sullivan) start. Higgins and Xiao will return on whichever table finishes first this evening to play the remaining one or two frames.

They’ve got to get the morning session crowd out of the Crucible and bring the afternoon folk in, so Ronnie v Pang Junxu is unlikely to start right on time.

While our focus will be on Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Pang Junxu this afternoon, another member of the Class of ‘92 will also be at the table. Mark Williams resumes his second-round encounter with Hossein Vafaei with the match intriguingly poised at 9-7 to the Welshman – that one will reach a finish before the afternoon is out.

Hearn, a former chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), has been heavily involved in discussions in his role as president of Matchroom Sport, a body that effectively controls the World Snooker Tour.

And Hearn has insisted that facilities must be improved if the tournament is to remain at the venue.

And that followed four-time champion Mark Selby losing to training partner Ben Woollaston to make a shock first-round exit.