UK Championship 2022 snooker as it happened - Ronnie O'Sullivan whitewashes Zhou Yuelong, Mark Allen downs Kyren Wilson
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Updated 16/11/2022 at 22:38 GMT
Welcome to our live coverage from the UK Championship on Wednesday as seven-time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan takes on Zhou Yuelong in their second-round encounter at the Barbican in York. O'Sullivan has seen the draw open up nicely for him with a host of big names having already crashed out of the tournament, including Neil Robertson and John Higgins.
'I don't get it!' - O'Sullivan 'doesn't understand' Brown and Allen practising together before match
Righto, that's us done for today
Join us again tomorrow at 12.45pm GMT
Mark Allen beats Kyren Wilson 6-3!
A really good performance, winning six out of seven from 2-0 down and clearing up with 70. He meets Craigie or Day next; the former currently leads 5-4.
Wilson 3-5 Allen (24-48)
There's a red on the balk cushion, but if Mark can manage some high-value colours with the ones he's address first, he won't need it. He did well to get out of the first mini-sesh 2-2, but he's been the better player since and playing like this it takes a serious effort to beat him.
Wilson 3-5 Allen (24-29)
Hello! A mistake from Mark leaves a tight one to middle ...but Kyren misses it! Surely this is going to be curtains!
Wilson 3-5 Allen (24-21)
Mark, though, can't manufacture the break he's after - I guess with reds everywhere, he's schlepping about the table, so in some ways their more margin for error. But he eschews a cut-back black and plays safe, Kyren returning to a table of which he probably thought he'd seen the last.
Wilson 3-5 Allen (24-13)
What?! Kyren barrels into the pack - is he chancing it or certain one goes? - spreading reds everywhere, none of them going especially close to a pocket! Goodness me, Mark will never, in the entirety of his career, be presented with such a chance to win a match. What was Kyren thinking?
Wilson 3-5 Allen (24-0)
Kyren gets in straight away with a red to right corner and adds a black, then another red-black ... then another red ... then he hammers a black off its sot to right corner, it jumps out of the jaws and ... seriously ... it rolls along the top of the rail and drops into the middle! Perhaps it distracts Kyren though, because he then misses the red and we begin a safety exchange punctuated by both men inspecting the pack for potential plants.
On table two
Sam Craigie 5-4 Ryan Day
Wilson 3-5 Allen
Mark is flying now, and though over a long match you might pick Kyren, it wuold be because he'd make it tactical and Mark can only sustain his best for so long. But if he hits it and Kyren also hits his, he's the better player.
Wilson 3-4 Allen (15-45)
Mark runs out of position, but when he returns to the table he absolutely creams a diagonal red to left corner, then nuzzles up behind the black, which is close to the green spot. And what an escape Kyren plays, off two cushions and off a red near the diagonally opposite bag. So Mark caresses a starter to right-middle, lays a snooker, and though Kyren hits again, this time he catches his chosen ball thick, and leaves Mark bang in there.
Wilson 3-4 Allen (15-9)
"I had no idea Kyren was attempting that pot!" says Dom, when he takes one from near the side rail into left corner. His long game is special, but this run stops at 15 because the black, that he has to pot, has to go on the brown spot, so it's off a red onto the top cushion and go from there ... which is Mark rolling in a red across the table to left-middle, so slowly! He must be confident in the table and his cueing, because that could easily have rolled off. And have a look! A brown follows,then another fine red, to that same left-middle, but from the bottom end of the table. Kyren will be anxious.
On table two
Sam Craigie 4-3 Ryan Day
Wilson 3-4 Allen
An 80 break and Mark leads once more.
Wilson 3-3 Allen (1-65)
Mark times his nudges nicely, clearing reds from the bottom of the cluster upwards. But there's a group of five under the pink that needs breaking up and he closed an eye to see if there's a plant ... there must be, because he plays for it, and there is because he sinks it! It's crazy how many of those we see these days, relative to when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s. Anyhow, Mark clinches the frame, and both players are looking good when they get in now.
Wilson 3-3 Allen (1-12)
Another glorious red to right corner, this time from Mark, followed by a brown and a very good red, get Mark onto the blue. From there, he works his way up to the black spot, and though he'll need a cannon or two, there are points there for him.
Wilson 3-3 Allen (1-0)
Do praises Mark's break ... and Kyren ignores a safety then rams a long, oblique red to right corner. That is beautiful, one of those you know you'd never, ever hit in the club if you practised it for a lifetime. There's a brief pause as someone in the crowd has an issue, but we're soon back under way with a safety off the green.
On table two
Sam Craigie 4-2 Ryan Day
Wilson 3-3 Allen
A break of 72 and we're back level.
Wilson 2-3 Allen (58-0)
Kyren now has the pink going and he's worked out this break really well. He'll have felt a little disgruntled before this frame, but taking it so assuredly will have him right back where he wants to be. Mark, though, will be raging at how easy he made it.
Wilson 2-3 Allen (19-0)
On second glance, though, the black's tied up and the pink, if potted, will go below the black because there's a red encroaching on its spot with the other colours all at home. But the reds are splayed to the extent that taking blues isn't especially problematic.
Wilson 2-3 Allen (6-0)
Oh my days, Mark goes hard at another one to left corner, misses it thick again, and the ball splatters the pack. Kyren could not have wished for a more presentable opportunity.
On table two
Sam Craigie 3-2 Ryan Day
Wilson 2-3 Allen
A run of 84 and it's three in a row for Mark; Kyren has some thinking to do.
Wilson 2-2 Allen (20-63)
I thought - or perhaps I was hoping - we were getting that rare both players playing well stage, but actually we've got both players playing well and poorly. Still, Mark is doing well enough in taking this chance, though he's reaching a bit - and he wont need the two reds on cushions.
Wilson 2-2 Allen (20-0)
Off Mark's break, Kyren, who'll have been exceedingly displeased to go into the interval level, rolls a long one into right corner. But on 16, he can't drain one to left corner - needs to get on the side of it to direct it towards the ball, but the ball adjacent to it won't allow that and he goes for the pot anyway. It doesn't cost him anything though, sand when Mark misses a long red by a way, Kyrizzle takes a while before smoking it against the leather and down. His long game has worked by far the better tonight, but a loose green, followed by a poor safety presents Mark with an opportunity he won't have been expecting.
We go again!
Wilson 2-2 Allen
Mark clears all the balls, finishing with a flourish, and we'll be back in 15 for what should be a terrific second half.
Wilson 2-1 Allen (39-63)
With two reds remaining, Mark gets the wrong side of the blue, so he rolls it in to take on a long diagonal pot to left corner. It's not straight, which probably helps a little, and he knucks it home confidently. This is turning into a very good match.
Wilson 2-1 Allen (39-26)
Kyren runs out of position on 35 then, stuck inside what's left of the cluster, Mark somehow tickles the white so lightly he misses a red millimetres away. But it's nevertheless him who gets in next, and this is a chance to level us up at the interval. Meantime, on the other table, Craigie has just made a total clearance of 130, his second straight ton, and leads Day 3-1.
Wilson 2-1 Allen (13-0)
Trying a long red to right corner, Mark somehow hits the wrong side of it, presenting a grin that Phil describes as rueful, Dominic as embarrassed. Either way, it's going to cost him and, as Kyren accumulates, Dom speculates that next time he'll doubt himself when taking on a similar pot, unable to fathom why he missed it by so much.
On table two
Sam Craigie 3-1 Ryan Day
Wilson 2-1 Allen
A 70 follows that 60 - it turns out Mark missed a red - and we cooking!
Wilson 2-0 Allen (0-74)
This is great work from Mark, whose run finishes on 60 - I don't see why because my wife cunningly arranged for Ocado to come while I was blogging and she was out, so I was opening the door. But he's soon back the table, looking just as good as before my shopping came. One of the reasons I was buzzing for this match is that both these are good, but more than that, there's not much between them and their styles clash in what should make for a fascinating match.
Wilson 2-0 Allen (0-47)
Mark does well to cobble together a run with the pink difficult and black more or less stuck to its cushion. But he continues freeing reds and you almost see the life beginning to flow through him; this is a real pick-em match, and though he'd have had a problem had he lost a third frame, assuming he takes it form here - and the pink is now in the open - I think we'll get the arse-nipper we were hoping for.
Wilson 2-0 Allen (0-7)
A safety exchange to begin frame three, then Mark misses a long red to leave a nasty one to left corner, across the width of the table; Kyren misses it, then Mark drains a starter to the opposite bag, and he really needs to do something with this opportunity.
On table two
Sam Craigie 1-1 Ryan Day
Wilson 2-0 Allen
Sixty-seven and the frame; Mark has some thinking to do - or no thinking to do if we reckon he needs to relax.
Wilson 1-0 Allen (55-1)
This is good stuff from Kyren, who's making Mark pay for that missed red. He's 54 in front with 67 left, so needs a red with a high-value colour to leave Mark needing snookers. He's looking good.
Wilson 1-0 Allen (21-1)
Mark sends a starter to left corner but lands on nowt, then Kyren nails a red to right-middle - he's really good into the centre bags, which made that missed black in frame one all the more surprising. What I would say about him is there's no one hungrier - he'll be desperate to win this competition, and will believe he can. As it goes, it's Mark who's won the bigger pots - the Masters and the Champion of Champions - so he'll know he can take this home too. But in the meantime, Kyren looks the better of the two.
On table two
Sam Craigie 0-1 Ryan Day
Wilson 1-0 Allen
Kyren clears to pink, a run of 40 all-told, and that should settle him down.
Wilson 0-0 Allen (54-26)
Another chance to Mark, another chance not taken, and neither player has settled yet. But an error from Kyren goes unpunished when he has the good luck to go in off, then Mark misses a long red from his restart before Kyren nails one into the green pocket. This is going to be 10 to him.
Wilson 0-0 Allen (40-14)
Eeesh, now it's Mark's turn to miss one he shouldn't a red to right corner; can Kyren cash in? Well, he goes into the reds near black cush off blue and side ... and that's unlucky, nothing much improving for him. But he sinks the next red then takes on a nasty black to left-middle, digging down on it for extra aggro ... and he misses! The frame is still in te balance!
Wilson 0-0 Allen (26-7)
Kyren plays for the blue when he doesn't need to, then misses a tester to right corner, but with five reds gathered near the black and black cush, and three more in each other's way, he's got work to do - lots of it.
Wilson 0-0 Allen (18-0)
I've been proper looking forward to this match, because these are two brilliant and very different players. Mark is a classic lefty, a potter with cue-power and flair, while Kyren is an excellent tactical player, great with the rest and very good from distance, though his cue--ball control still needs work. Anyhow, Mark has a shy at a plant that he's sure goes and it doesn't - it looks set to cost him, but somehow everything is covered. No matter: a further error lets Kyren in, but with the table messy and black tied up, it'll take some work for him to make a telling contribution at this visit.
Ah, but some housekeeping:
Luca Brecel 3-6 Tom Ford
Tom plays Joe Perry or Stuart Bingham next.
Boyz baize and off we go!
Evening all
We go again - and with a belter too. Settle in, mates!
Join me again this evening at 6.45pm GMT
I can't wait for our main match, I must say.
Mark Allen v Kyren Wilson
Sam Craigie v Ryan Day
I've been hoping for a Ronnie interview
But it seems that none is forthcoming.
On table two
Luca Brecel 2-2 Tom Ford
Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Zhou Yuelong 6-0!
He plays Ding Junhui or Jamie Clarke next; good luck, mates. As for Zhou, he just couldn't get going, and he has to find a way of playing these matches - Ronnie might be his hero, but he deserves to play him and has the game to give him grief.
O'Sullivan 5-0 Yuelong (97-0)
"As difficult to beat these days as he was 20 years ago," says Dom, and that seems fair. He's not as devastating from distance as he was, but his bottom level is stratospheric, likewise his modal level, and in the balls he's a joke. Here comes another ton...
O'Sullivan 5-0 Yuelong (65-0)
This is going to be it. We've been playing 82 minutes.
O'Sullivan 5-0 Yuelong (30-0)
"The worst emotion you can feel," says Dom, "is embarrassment. Poor Zhou. Dave Hendon references his 9-0 defeat to Neil Robertson in the European Masters final - I wonder if he needs to get some help handling pressure - and he probably just wants the end, and his mummy, when he misses an easy ball then, a few shots later, leaves Ronnie in. This hasn't been easy to watch, but he's a class player and he'll be back - though he does need to ensure he learns from this. Meantime, the frame is disappearing.
On table two
Luca Brecel 2-2 Tom Ford
O'Sullivan 5-0 Yuelong
On the plus side, Zhou potted some balls in that frame. I don't know what else to say.
O'Sullivan 4-0 Yuelong (69-63)
Can Ronnie get onto that cushioned red I mentioned earlier? Just about! He tickles in behind it from on top and it wobbles home; the colours, all on their spots save the blue - which is near the baulk cushion - are on their spots. Getting position on it, Ronnie only just pots the brown, but they all count and that is going to feel like a heel to Zhou's solar plexus.
O'Sullivan 4-0 Yuelong (9-63)
Ach, he misses a red to left-middle, and he knows what we all know: he's struggling to get back to the table in this frame, not having compiled sufficient points to secure it.
O'Sullivan 4-0 Yuelong (0-56)
Dom reckons that playing that spider shot, Zhou might've struck the white twice, but in the meantime he's sending down red-blacks and there's only one tricky ball - sat on the top cushion. This would be very very special.
O'Sullivan 4-0 Yuelong (0-33)
Come on Zhou! He gets in and looks alright, but an infelicitous split leaves him punkt in the middle of the pack and considering deploying the spider, at risk of a push-shot. He takes it on, down it goes, and can he parlay this into something significant? We know he can play, he knows he can play, so come on lad: play! `The maxi is on...
We go again...
On table two
Luca Brecel 1-2 Tom Ford
O'Sullivan 4-0 Yuelong
Zhou needs to get a hold of himself. Easier said than done, but let's hope the break gives him something.
O'Sullivan 3-0 Yuelong (65-4)
Or is it? Ronnie misses a red, and it will be gnawing at Zhou that he's been far from perfect this afternoon yet is still dispensing a beating. I hope Zhou has someone in his dressing troom who can give him a talking-to - he needs one. But as I type that, he nails a long red ... but misses a double on the black and concedes.
O'Sullivan 3-0 Yuelong (64-5)
O 48, Ronnie misses a delicate cut to right corner, and poor old Zhou, he's somehow on nowt. A safety exchange follows and is Zhou in the match? Well, sort of. He plays his best shots so far but then fouls looking for a thin contact, Ronnie sinks a long one, and this is going to be a mini-sesh whitewash.
O'Sullivan 3-0 Yuelong (16-5)
A slower start to this frame, then Ronnie leaves one which Zhou drains; dare he take on the long yellow? He does, misses, and he's looking down the barrel of 0-4.
On table two
Luca Brecel 0-2 Tom Ford
O'Sullivan 3-0 Yuelong
Course he can, century 131, in this particular competition, total clearance of 137, and he's halfway to the last eight. Zhou needs to find something, quickly.
O'Sullivan 2-0 Yuelong (87-0)
Can he make century 1,187?
O'Sullivan 2-0 Yuelong (24-0)
Ronnie plays an attacking safety, splitting the pack, that leaving Zhou a long one he can't refuse, along with the knowledge that if he misses it or ignores it, it might be end of frame. And he gets close to it ... but not close enough, and shonuff, Ronnie gets to work.
On table two
Luca Brecel 0-1 Tom Ford
O'Sullivan 2-0 Yuelong
Ronnie's not playing especially well but he's playing more than well enough because the occasion has got big on Zhou and he's not settled at all. If he doesn't soon, he'll be on his way hame.
O'Sullivan 1-0 Yuelong (70-5)
Again, Ronnie doesn't finish on a colour, so he plays to baulk ... but has he left a plant? Er, yes ... but trying to hit the first red as thinly as required, Zhou misses it completely and messes up the table. Luckily for the ref, she'll not have to put it all back, Ronnie quickly eliminating balls to secure the frame.
O'Sullivan 1-0 Yuelong (35-5)
Really? Ronnie misses a blue to middle, slapping thigh in frustration even before the in-off that follows. He leaves a longun too, but Zhou can only jaws it,and this will surely mean the frame.
O'Sullivan 1-0 Yuelong (27-0)
Oh, Zhou. Off the break, he leaves Ronnie one to middle, the brown is cut home on the way up the table, a red then moved away from the black, and already it looks like there's a frame-winner in the post. By the way, should Ronnie win this week, he'll become the first player to win a ranking tournament eight times - though his current seven is already a record.
O'Sullivan 1-0 Yuelong
Ronnie now leads Zhou 15-2 in aggregate frames between the two.
O'Sullivan 0-0 Yuelong (61-7)
But it's not ... well not yet. The cluster remains undisturbed so Ronnie plays safe, Zhou then misses a big target behind the brown while splitting the reds ... only for Ronnie to miss his pot. No matter; another error and Ronnie makes things safe.
O'Sullivan 0-0 Yuelong (43-7)
A cunning safety, blocking the route to the reds, forces an error from Zhou, and Ronnie wobbles in a red then a black. 1-0 looks imminent.
O'Sullivan 0-0 Yuelong (30-7)
Watching the ball come slowly back off the side, Dominic reckons we've got a new cloth and word comes back that indeed we have - and new balls too. For all the difference it makes to Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan, who just does what he always does ... until potting black to right corner, he sends a red into the green pocket. But he wasn't going to be on anything anyway, so a safety exchange begins - and that is, I imagine an area in which Ronnie thinks he's got a significant edge.
O'Sullivan 0-0 Yuelong (11-0)
Zhou described Ronnie as "a superhero", and has lost to him each time they've played, one a 6-0 gubbing. He'll need to shed that attitude to do something this afternoon - he deserves to be here - though perhaps he finds it takes pressure off. Anyhow, he soon leaves Snookerman a red, but all Ronnie can do thereafter is nuzzle up to the brown; Zhou comes off the side into the pack, and we begin a safety exchange. Meantime in co-comms, Dominic says he really struggled with Ronnie's aura in his early days, worried he'd not get another shot if he missed, but eventually he learnt to do his own thing and realised he needed to put TMNTPETPUAC under pressure. But when Ronnie misses to left corner, Zhou spurns a much easier opportunity with the rest, and it's going to cost him.
Away we go!
Can the boyz baize?
Yes they can!
Ronnie speaks
He says that form doesn't matter as every day is different, but he's in a good place in his life and doesn't need the money, so he can just enjoy the game. He rates Zhou and knows if he doesn't play well, he'll get beat - but if he does, he does.
Goodness me
We've got a day today. Quite sometime ago now, I heard Mark Selby talking about what a player Zhou was going to be, and shonuff, the Jester knew. He was superb - in a superb match - beating Yan Bingtao in a Monday-afternoon decider, so thoroughly earned his date with genius. Ronnie, meanwhile, just when it finds his best form, we're in for a treat.
Hello, good afternoon and welcome!
To day five of the 2022 UK Championships!
Today's schedule
13:00
Zhou Yuelong v Ronnie O'Sullivan
Luca Brecel v Tom Ford
19:00
Mark Allen v Kyren Wilson
Sam Craige v Ryan Day
Yesterday's results
13:00
Judd Trump 6-5 Xiao Guodong
Jack Lisowski 6-1 Xu Si
19:00
Mark Selby 4-6 Hossein Vafaei
Shaun Murphy 6-5 David Gilbert
Recap
Hossein Vafaei stunned Mark Selby 6-4 to advance to the last 16 of the UK Championship after a thrilling contest at the Barbican.
The Iranian needed to be at the top of his game to knock out the Jester, whose dream of winning a hat-trick of UK Championships is over for another year.
Selby’s exit means six of the world’s top 10 have already been eliminated from the tournament.
A meeting with Jack Lisowski on Thursday is Vafaei’s reward.
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