World Snooker Championship LIVE -Judd Trump and John Higgins in action after Ronnie O’Sullivan storms through

John Higgins – Jamie Jones

Join me again at 6.30pm BST for John Higgins 5-4 Jamie Jones (round one) and Judd Trump v To Ford (round two).

Fantastic delivery from the Milkman, a dish served steaming hot and burning Dave’s intestines something fierce. These two return tomorrow, and what a lot of fun that’ll be; remember this is round two, so it’s first to 13.

Now then! Rob doubles one red and develops another; the last is on the baulk line, near the side, and he plays up to it beautifully off the black! Lay over the table, can he force it down the rail into the yellow bag? YES HE CAN! But he’s the wrong side of the blue, meaning a longer yellow than anticipated, and he cuts home a banger! What a steal this is going to be, goodness me. THIS GAME!

Yup, he’ll know his opponent’s struggling, but of course as soon as I’ve said that he runs out of position, trying a double to sink frame-ball … and missing. Rob returns to the table 47 behind with 53 left.

If Dave hits stride, he’s a proper threat here, and as iI type, he slides a nice black into the corner. I expect him to do enough from here, and leave Robert needing a colossal final session to get back at him.

Contemplating a cut-back black, Dave steers it in dead slow, is on a red to middle, and that might just be the back of the frame, broken.

Dave has a good, long think: dare he attack a diagonal red to corner? Who dares wins! He smokes at home an absolute beauty, is on the green, and can he force passage through balls which look nicely spread but are still difficult to navigate.

However we slice it, Rob is playing poorly, a bad miss saved by a double-kiss that leaves a much harder chance for Dave than seemed likely; he misses to right corner, but so does the Milkman to right-middle, a cannon off the green keeping the white in baulk. So far, he snooker gods are supporting him in this frame.

Looking to land on a loose red coming off the rail, Dave clips a totally different one and Rob gets away then plays a poor shot that means he’s to smash a red down left corner … which he does really well, sending balls all over . He’s not playing anywhere near well enough to mark this down as a gimme chance, all the more so given black and pink are hard to get at.

Rob must win the next; if he doesn’t, he’s in big trouble.

Dave secures the frame and I wonder if this is how the match will go: each playing well briefly, with the match taken by he who made the superior start.

Dave laces a cut to the corner, breaking the pack too. But, as Dom notes, the recovering means the cushions are playing a little slow and the fan-out isn’t as pronounced as planned. But he keeps the run running then, after a bit of thinking, sends a pink long to the green knowing he’s in all sorts if he misses … and he doesn’t! Beautiful pot, and the frame is at his mercy.

Rob gets in off Dave’s break, clipping to right-middle, only to ram green into the jaws and out. What an oversight that is! So Dave gets away, and if he can take the frame he’ll be assured of a lead when they return tomorrow.

that’s the thing with these two, just when you think they’re settled, they turn out not to be.

Yup, the green is rifled in, the brown too, and it’s blue, off its spot into left-center to re-establish a two-frame lead.

Dave leaves a decent angle on the black to get down for the red but misses the cannon; will he try another double or play a snooker? It’s the latter, but he can’t quite get the white below the black – the red’s above the blue – so the escape isn’t as fiendish as planned. Rob, though, leaves the pot on and Dave has the chance to steal!

Rob’s playing much better now though, sinking a deft starter to right-middle and augmenting his lead before running out of position and playing safe. But Dave thunks down a signature starter – he’s such a beautiful technician – and the steal is there for him, despite a red in baulk and on the side.

Breaking the pack – or, as it turns out, seeking to – off the black, Rob ends up stranded in the middle of it, so plays safe with a shyer lead than anticipated.

Dave misses to right corner by a way and something these two share is the ability to get down on themselves when it’s not going well. And currently it’s Rob at the table, cleaning up a simple starter before getting to work.

Slowly, Robert – who played poorly in winning his first-round match – is improving. The way he’s played, 2-3 will be a satisfactory return for the first five frames.

Dave clips to the corner then snuggles in behind the brown; Rob makes a decent effort at escaping but misses his red by a fraction then, when he hits well, his opponent slots a starter. A poor safety on the yellow, though, offer a chance… which Rob can’t take. No matter, he soon seizes control of the exchange via fluked snooker behind the brown; Dave’s second escape leaves a simple starter, and that will surely be the frame.

Nope, he has to take a blue though he attempted a trickier red to try and stay on the black, then misses a cannon, misses the next ball to right-center, and leaves a potential double. Will Dave take it on? Yes he will, and he strokes it down very nicely, has an angle on the green to ram the pack … plays it nicely … and is out of luck. Will he try one to the right corner with the spider? Yes he will, but he can’t force down what was a nasty one even without the awkward bridging; can Rob capitalize? There not right now, missing a starter to left corner by a fortnight.

Four red-blacks for Rob and nothing out of commission, but a cluster that’ll need breaking. Come on Rob!

Dave can’t chip in to left corner so Rob gets away, then cues right across a red … and as a consequence gets a better angle on the black. This game! he quickly builds a lead and could really use a decent run here.

You can play well and find yourself down 1-3 but Rob hasn’t. There’s plenty of time to go, but he’s in a spot of trouble already; join us again in 15 for the remaining four frames.

Dave sends a red long to the yellow and that secures his interval lead.

Just as the frame looks to be his, Dave runs out of position, and in comms Dave notes that Si Jiahui only qualified because he got a snooker with five reds left against Ben Mertens; Rob needs one here.

Ohhh David; ohhh maaaate. Just as he’s flowing he misses when he shouldn’t – I feel I’ve written that of him more than once before – but Rob can’t punish, takes on a second longun to right corner, and when he can’t drain that Either, he leaves a frame-clinching opportunity that I’m pretty sure will be taken. He’s not feeling himself at all at the mo.

It’s Dave in first and I quite fancy him for this one because it’ll be an open game and he is, in my opinion the better potter with the higher top level. so, given he’s also come through qualifying, meaning he’s in form, I think he’s a strong favorite.

And trails the Angry Farmer 2-1. We’ll now bring you the rest of their sesh.

Robert Milkins 0-2 Dave Gilbert

He’s into round two for the 28th time, not bad. He meets Ryan Day next and looks very nice though able to play loads better; but also, Jackson is properly good and let’s hope he takes it on from here.

Ronnie misses the green, so Jackson returns to the table needing two snookers.

Here we go, black to left corner, slotted gently, and he’s got a little angle to caress in behind the difficult ball; he sinks it, adds the black, and this is all she wrote.

Nope, not this time, but Jackson knows it’s done and soon gets in and out, leaving a diagonal starter to right corner; if Ronnie can remove the one red that’s on a rail, he’ll win this here and now.

A poor shot from Ronnie allows Jackson in, but he then opts not only to take on a nasty pink but to play it at pace, it stays out for that reason, and despite the difficulty of the reds, this could be curtains.

Ronnie eases a tester to left-center, but he plays a really poor positional shot, missing everything bar a stray red on the side, which refuses to roll over right-middle, and this frame is getting messy, balls blocking each other and near black cush. Ah, but Ronnie strokes a decent cut-back starter … then finds that indeed, the table is unpleasant so it’s back to baulk.

Jackson drains a starter to right corner coming off the side, a cannon liberates the black, and he’s desperately trying to force something to happen on a difficult table, but he can’t, conceding defeat; Ronnie lays a snooker, doesn’t have his opponent replaced when he fouls, and we’re back playing safety.

Ronnie gets close to a ludicrous plant into left corner but has to make do with a 78, Jackson’s error punished with due prejudice.

There are two reds on the side but Ronnie won’t need them and I wonder if the tables, recovered overnight, surprised Jackson with their fresh pace hence the error that’ll cost him the frame.

Ronnie is just so damn… competent. He so rarely misses silly balls or plays silly shots, so to beat him you’ve got play seriously well and even then you still probably won’t.

Jackson gets in by way of lovely cut-back, but off his second black he winds up on the baulk rail after skimming balls he hoped to cannon, plays a poor safety, and off goes Ronnie.

Is the favorite to win this and rightly so; he’s started superbly too, against Jackson Page – a huge talent who hasn’t quite established himself at the top of the game. Last time he qualified he was rinsed by Mark J Williams, his friend and mentor, having beaten Barry Hawkins – that’s how good he can be – but this term, the jig looks up.

Are we into the tournament yet? We’re getting there, right? That moment when time passes in matches not days. Let’s dig in.

• Ronnie O’Sullivan 8-1 Jackson Page

• John Higgins 5-4 Jamie Jones

• David Gilbert v Robert Milkins

• Kyren Wilson 10-1 Dominic Dale
• Ding Junhui 9-10 Jack Lisowski

• Ronnie O’Sullivan 8-1 Jackson Page
• Mark Allen 10-6 Robbie Williams

• John Higgins 5-4 Jamie Jones
• Barry Hawkins 8-10 Ryan Day