World Snooker Championship 2024: Mark Allen and Ryan Day into round two

Only two places are left to be filled in the last 16 of the 2024 World Snooker Championship following victories for Mark Allen and Ryan Day at the Crucible Theatre on Wednesday.

World number three Allen arrives in Sheffield this year with arguably his best chance yet to claim a maiden world crown. The 38-year-old - making his 18th consecutive appearance in the main draw - got past Robbie Williams 10-6 to set up a round two meeting with either John Higgins or Jamie Jones.

Allen struck breaks of 70 and 80 during Tuesday’s opening session which he won 7-2. Despite the deficit, world number 45 Williams registered more breaks than his opponent with efforts of 86, 68 and 105.

Returning the next day, any hopes Allen had of a quick finish were dashed as the qualifier took the first two frames (frame 10: 77 break), and although the Northern Irishman responded with a brace of frames of his own for 9-4, a mid-session interval was required.

On resumption, Williams, aided by runs of 53 and 86, prolonged the match and threatened an unlikely comeback as he moved in to 9-6, but 11-time ranking event winner Allen ended the contest in frame 16 with a 114.

It has been the most decorated 18 months of Allen’s professional career with five ranking titles and the invitational Champion of Champions all collected within that golden spell. If he were to win snooker’s premier prize, Allen would also go world number one at the same time.

In Wednesday evening’s session, qualifier Ryan Day won his first match at the Crucible in a decade as he defeated former finalist Barry Hawkins 10-8.

They say that intervals change matches, and that was certainly the case here with big shifts in momentum throughout an enthralling contest.

During the opening session on Tuesday night, Day hit a 61 as he won the first frame, although world number 15 Hawkins replied with 108 and 66 to move 2-1 up. Welshman Day then strung together four frames (breaks of 110, 76) to go 5-2 ahead, but Hawkins stopped his opponent’s streak by claiming the final two of the session to only trail 5-4 overnight.

Back the following night, Hawkins continued his run as efforts of 92, 50 and 59 assisted him to a four-frame mini-session whitewash; six in-a-row in total putting him 8-5 up and in control.

However, after the break, proceedings switched dramatically again as Day, the world number 18 who is making his 15th Crucible appearance, pieced together five consecutive frames featuring contributions of 78, 62, 68 and 61 to set up a potential meeting with Ronnie O’Sullivan in the round of 16.

Hawkins’ elimination means that eight seed players have exited the competition in round one, this ties the 32-player main draw record that was set in 1992 and equalled in 2012.