UK Championship as it happened – Mark Williams suffers Jamie Clarke upset after Ronnie O'Sullivan beats Matthew Stevens

And didn't he close that out well! He had to hang in there before the interval, but even then he was solid at clutch moments, and he progresses to meet Ding Junhui in round two! Mark isn't well, it's true - well done him for ploughing through - but nevertheless he fully earned a fine win so well done him.

The last red is near the side cushion, Jamie liberates it while potting the pink, and he's nearly there! Down goes that red, spanked to right-middle, he's on the blue with natural position to follow, and the colours off their spots to pink will give him the biggest win of his career and see the fall of yet another seed!

Mark takes these nicely, but on 57 he misses a red he shouldn't to left-middle, and this isn't an easy chance, but it's as good a chance as Jamie can have hoped for. And when he thunks home a starter to left corner, the table suddenly opens up and this is a proper opportunity to seize f&m.

Mark can't tickle a starter to left-middle and leaves it for Jamie! He takes it nicely too, moving up the table and around the black so he can send it to left corner. He can smell the finish line now, which perhaps explains an unnecessary cannon on the red, missing a redemptive double. You get the feeling, though, that Mark has accepted his fate - he tries a Hollywood red to the green pocket and gets nowhere near ... but then is left a much easier one, which he drains. he's not out of this yet.

Jamie buries a terrific long broon into the yellow pocket, and goes two up with three to play!

Jamie leaves the final red in the jaws of left corner so Mark returns to the table needing two snookers. Id he loses this match, it'll be the first session he rues - he should've come out of that 4-0 up not level at 2-2

Mark misses a red, focused on liberating the black, and declares a foul too; he's not feeling himself st all out there, and Jamie will surely secure the frame at this visit, barring snookers...

But again, Jamie's cue-ball control lets him down and he's forced to send a red long to the green pocket, missing even the knuckle. Mark returns to the table with points available.

Jamie eases a fine starter to right corner but can only add a black; no matter, he's soon in again and is cueing nicely now.

This is still anyone's match.

He resolves the two but not the three, returning to his seat with a break of 56 and the frame still in the balance. But an error from Mark soon has him back in, and though he can't make the frame mathematically safe, Mark returns fouls, and that'll be that.

A fine shot on the black splays what's left of the bunch, which is good for the next few balls, but leaves a group of three and two that'll soon need addressing. Jamie, though, looks good for the job.

Ach, Mark misses a red to left corner, just, and this is now a chance for Jamie!

Both men miss a red, Mark from range and Jamie from close; the former takes advantage of the latter, to get in amongst it, the black available to both corners. But as I type that, a poor shot leaves Mark stuck to the bunch - he played it far too slowly to develop anything - and that's end of break.

Yup, Jamie soon concedes and we're back level.

54 in front with 67 left, Mark misses a cannon so runs out of position, laying a snooker behind the black. Jamie fouls, then Mark sends a tremendous long red to the green pocket before missing the blue to the yellow; it goes safe and, with Jamie needing everything that's left, he's now an even stronger favourite for the frame.

Mark has food poisoning, we learn, and isn't feeling well. So it makes sense that he's not playing well, but after sinking a good long red and getting no reward, he does likewise and this time is able to drop the blue into right corner. There are plenty of loose reds knocking about too, so he gets to work picking them off.

Stuart Bingham 6-2 Liam Highfield

Stuart meets Joe Perry next.

Jamie hits the front for the first time and he'll be starting to fancy himself.

Jamie misses a black off its spot, so Mark returns to the table 66 behind with 67 left. That means he needs the black on its spot immediately, and he drills it down the side rail using the rest very nicely, but doesn't get position on the second red, so Jamie returns to polish off.

Jamie plays what looks like a nice shot from black to bunch, but he veers through a gap so his next shot is a safety; unlucky. But no matter - another error from Mark and he;s back in, to make the frame safe and edge in front for the first time tonight.

I hope Mark took the interval to feel better, but as I type that I remember that we saw him practising through it. I guess that means he didn't need a sit-down, which must be good news, but he's sitting down now because Jamie, presumably fortified with confidence, is at the table potting balls, and getting from red to blue much more effectively that before.

Stuart Bingham 5-2 Liam Highfield

Stuart Bingham 4-2 Liam Highfield

A lovely shot from blue to pink - the former is near the green pocket, the latter on its spot - helps Jamie secure the frame, and exit a session he might've lost 4-0 all-square!

Can Jamie steal another frame? Really, he's got no business escaping this session level, but Mark's allowed him back into frames when they should've been over, so is now getting what he deserves.

Mark plays a nice recovery pot to right-middle, but he's not at his best here ... though as I type that, he prods home a nice plant with the rest. But a poor yellow forces another rest-red and this time he jawses it; he leads by 45 with 51 remaining, and this is a great chance for Jamie.

Mark finds a lovely little snooker sending a red up the table and leaving Jamie in the green-pocket jaws, behind the blue; he hits second go, but Mark despatches a very nice cut-back to left corner, and you fancy him for 3-1 given his lead and available reds.

Or not! He's not quite at it here, fighting for rhythm and digging into the reds tentatively, then playing a poor pot to which he didn't really commit. Jamie, though, can't make much of the chance, so we're now playing safety.

Jamie catches a safety thick, but seeing off his starter, Mark gets a kick. Unusually for him, he doesn't just accept the situation and play safe; instead, on top the blue and almost stuck to it, he tries to force it into the green pocket, misses, and Jamie gets away to right-middle ... only to then botch a cut to left corner. I've not seen loads of him, but it's clear he's a fine single-ball potter who doesn't quite have the touch of the best break-builders. Mark might well punish him here.

Mark made hard work of that, but he's back in front.

Jamie's not on the brown, but when he leaves it long to the yellow pocket, Mark can't roll it in! Jamie, though, can, and will now address a long blue into the same hole! He misses it by a way in the end; can Mark snick it in? Yes he can! that'll be 2-1.

Jamie does get the last red but can't add the black. When, though, he plays a clever safety, Mark misses the yellow completely and the frame is alive again!. So Jamie drains it and decides to just knock the green off the side cushion, leaving it ... only for Mark to miss to left-middle! Jamie then flukes the aforementioned green!

Mark runs out of position so has to play safe off the final red - if Jamie pots it with a black, he can tie.

Not quite. One terrific rescue pot,a cut fro middle to right corner, keeps his riposte going, but when he runs out of position Mark is waiting to punish, sending down a starter, and though Jamie is a fine potter, his cue-ball control just isn't as good.. This will be 2-1.

Mark quickly misses a red to right-middle, but Jamie then does likewise to left, catching the near jaw. No matter: he then gets one into right, and is this his way back into the frame?

Stuart Bingham 3-1 Liam Highfield

Mark eases a long red to right corner, dead slow, gets on the black, and he's away again. I don't suppose we should be surprised - his ability to put away disappointment is arguably unrivalled - but still, losing that last frame will have stung. But here he is, playing a one-handed shot with the rest, and he's looking good to restore his lead. Then, on 41, he has to nip off again, the 147 still on.

Superb stuff from Jamie, who tickles the black to right corner and what a steal that is!

Jamie strokes home a terrific pink! He's on the black!

Mark puts a little too much swerve on his escape and slides around the back of the pink! The frame is back in the balance!

Or not. Mark goes via the green, doesn't like his angle - he'd have to jam in behind it, and it's not punkt on the cushion, so he plays safe, then Jamie, who needs two snookers, lays the first, Mark behind the pink. So Mark goes off the side then in and out of the yellow pocket cushions and hits nicely. He worked that out so well - lots would've tried one cushion, the opposite side - then Jamie clears to blue, and will now pot it, trying to get white behind black, still away to the side. He plays it well too!

Mark will, though, need the yellow- marooned in the middle of the baulk cushion - to secure the frame. But the way he's eliminating red-pinks - the black is away to the side - you don't doubt he'll sort it. But pink to yellow will be the key shot...

No, but a 25 and safety gives him control of the frame; a decent red to left corner follows, but he winds up on nowt. This is a problem because shortly afterwards, Mark takes advantage of a lax safety, and having trailed all the way through the early stages of the frame, at the business end it looks like being all him, the reds set like a potting exercise.

A protracted safety exchange ends when Jamie sticks a decent red into right corner; can he parlay it into a serious contribution?

Stuart Bingham 1-0 Liam Highfield

Mark sinks the next red but Jamie still returns to the table, pots a red, misses a blue, and leaves the auditorium.

Methodically as ever, Mark eases his way to frame-ball without appearing to play a difficult shot. Jamie will know that he brought this upon himself with that poor safety shot, but when Mark runs out of position he might come back with two snookers required to get the run of the table if nothing else ... and yup, he does.

Mark returns and continues potting balls. It's a real Mark J table, as it goes, lots of reds at which to pick, no cannons necessary.

In the afternoon's second match, Zhou Yuelong came back from 5-3 down to beat Yan Bingtao in a terrific match. Zhou meets Ronnie next.

Mark J misses a red then Jamie doesn't, but when he runs out of position, he clips the blue en route back to baulk, and that ushers the triple world champ to a nicely-laid table. But he's not there for very long before he lays down his cue parallel to the side cushion and races off to the bog. Godspeed, old mate.

They shall baize.

We go again!

Join me again this evening at 6.45 for:

Mark Williams v Jamie Clarke

Stuart Bingham v Liam Highfield

Yan Bingtao 2-3 Zhou Yuelong

And really, the gap was more chasmic even than that. Ronnie makes a 102 to see himself home and meets Bingtao or Yuelong next.

No maxi - a blue goes to right-middle - and with two reds on corners, maybe not even a big break. But it's game over, and Ronnie has clattered Matthew without getting properly going.

Oh dear. Again, Matthew leaves a red to middle off the break - we know what happened that time that happened - and immediately, Ronnie is on the black, this time with the winning post in sight. He goes into the pack off the black and gets on one, the next red develops four or five others, and this is close to done; the only question is whether there's a maxi out there.

Yan Bingtao 2-3 Zhou Yuelong

On 67, Ronnie runs out of position, so clips a sensational red from middle to right corner - it's frame-ball. A green follows, but that's end of break, so Matthew returns to the table seeking snookers, misses a black, and stalks out of the arena displeased with his behaviour. He needs four straight to progress and knows that the frames he's won were the two scrappy ones of the match.

Ronnie dictates a safety exchange, then gets in and Neal notes that it's a situation he could into a golden chance within about four shots.But he's soon slapping thigh again, a flick he wasn't planning for taking him out of position. Matthew then drains a red but can't add to it, so sticks Ronnie behind the blue, and close to both side cushion and green pocket. And then, well: Ronnie escapes before clipping a red at an acute angle to left corner. He winds up on nothing, but sinks a red next shot, and this time, he's going to dole out proper punishment.

Ronnie brings out a red that makes a ton look imminent, then fails to cut a pink to right corner. Still, that frame took all of four minutes and he only needs two more.

Every time Matthew gets close, Ronnie eases clear again, and that's what's happening here. He just makes it look so simple, which I guess it is ... for him.

All that hard work, potentially undone with a poor break-off: Matthew leaves a red to middle, Ronnie drains it, opens the reds a treat, and already the frame is at his mercy.

Yan Bingtao 2-2 Zhou Yuelong

Matthew gets back to the table and 41 ahead with 43 on, he has a testing red to the yellow pocket ... which he slides home across the table nicely. He can't add any more balls, but he doesn't need to, and he closes to within one again.

I say that, but Matthew ventures down the table, eliminates two reds, then coaxes a long one to right corner. This is terrific stuff; can he develop the three remaining reds of the blue? Ach, he can't - despite a valiant effort - but a fine 38 means he's in control of the frame.

Ronnie gets in, then gets a bad contact playing a black off its spot - it jumps, though perhaps he didn't hit is that well - so Matthew has a chance to build a lead. There are some loose reds, but five very close together near the baulk cushion, so he'll not be winning the frame at this visit.

There are now four reds up in baulk, so we've got ginger safety until someone makes an error or we have a re-rack.We might be here some time.

Ronnie misses two fine cuts to middle, just, the second of them leaving a red stuck to a knuckle; Matthew plays the up-and-down to tickle it home. But, well, he soon misses a simple red, and though Ronnie does likewise, when he pots his next one he's on nothing so can only roll up behind the brown. It's not happening for him and he knows it.

Yan Bingtao 1-2 Zhou Yuelong

Ronnie caresses home a 107 clearance, his first ton of the match, and mooches off for the interval looking good.

Matthew hasn't had to play no-miss snooker - Ronnie hasn't been perfect - but he's botched breaks when in that, against TMNTPETPUAC, he simply cannot. He's in big trouble.

A poor brown to middle leaves Matthew on nothing - what an oversight that is - then from his safety, Ronnie cues beautifully to send a red dead straight to left corner. He's 6/6 on long pots today, and chances are he cashes in again.

Ronnie knucks a starter to left corner, but wanting a full-ball kiss off the yellow he gets considerably less so it's a safety. and it's Matthew in next, a delicious long clip to left corner, and the way the balls are, this is a very presentable opportunity for 2-2 at the interval.

A rapid clearance of 91 and Ronnie is back in front. He's more quietly devastating these days, but no less devastating for that.

And it doesn't take long. A mistake from Matthew allows Ronnie a starter to right corner, and that is going to be 2-1; it almost is in the time it took me to write those words.

Ronnie clips a very nice red to right corner, picks off the loose reds, then slaps his thigh when, after breaking the bunch at the last opportunity, he winds up on nothing and facing a tricky safety shot. He can't manufacture a goodun either, but Matthew can only sink a starter that yields no colour, precipitating a safety exchange you expect Ronnie to win.

Yan Bingtao 0-1 Zhou Yuelong

Yup, Matthew clears up and he'll be feeling much better about life than he did five minutes ago.

Ronnie does all the hard work then, right behind a red, he hits the jaw when sending it across the table to left-middle! Surely Matthew will see this away now?!

Right as Neal's musing that the best-of-seven format doesn't suit Matthew, he misses a black off its spot, forcing the observation that it doesn't matter the length of the match, you can't be missing those - and if he is, it augurs extremely badly for his prospects today. I think the oversight will cost him the frame.

Oh Matthew! How often do we see this: trying to nuzzle into the pack, Matthew takes his eye off a blue to middle ... but when Ronnie takes on a fine one and misses, he leaves a really good chance. If we're to see a contest this afternoon, this has got to be 1-1.

Matthew then cues nicely to send a starter to left corner, only to miss another to right-middle - by a distance, I'm afraid. Still, he doesn't leave Ronnie owt and gets the next chance too, a terrific cut from mid-table to the green pocket which opens things out nicely. He really needs to make the opportunity count.

Oh man, Ronnie gets in then plays a mini-swerve cannon, left-handed while potting a red, to develop the black. That's a gorgeous shot, but he then misses a tricky cut to right corner.

On 81, Ronnie screws back along black cush and drops the white into right corner, so no ton; I fear he'll cope.

Yup, that's exactly what's going on. There are many facets to Ronnie's genius, but my favourite aspect these days is how he navigates a break. this going to be 1-0, and it reminds Matthew that one error and he's in trouble. Not that he needed reminding.

And when Matthew dangles a starter to that same right corner, Ronnie drains it beautifully - he's cueing nicely at the moment - and he's away. The table, isn't easy, but we've said that before only to then see balls vanish in short order.

Amid all the justifiable Ronnie reverence - Ronniverence - we shouldn't forget that Matthew has won both this title and the Masters, as well as losing two world finals. He can play, and Ronnie knows he can. Anyhow, Ronnie catches the blue off the break, though leaves nowt, and when he does Matthew eschews the first opportunity to play safe. He attacks the second though, draining a long red, then rolling in a green ... before jawsing a second red to right corner. Ronnie, though, can only play safe.

And for a little second, all is right with the word (it isn't).

Technically he thinks he's winging it a bit, so he needs to work on the mental side to compensate. He says that sometimes he enjoys it more when he's not winning because he thrives on being written off, but now he's winning and, like it or not, he's firmly re-established as the best player in the game. He's taken home this pot seven times, won it first at the age of 17, and is the most likely to be celebrating on Sunday night.

We've got Yan Bingtao v Zhou Yuelong, the winner to play the winner of our main match. That should be a belter too - they're both fine players and have grown up together - so we'll be keeping you updated on that one as we go.

We've seen Barry Hawkins, John Higgins Neil Robertson and Zhao Xintong - the defending champions - all dismissed, which has made for a lot of fun. We'll not want to see too many more big names go because ultimately, competitions are defined by epic encounters between great players in their closing stages - consider the 2002 World Cup, which had great group stages but not much left at the end - but in the meantime, let's enjoy the fun.

Bit of Monday afternoon genius? Oh go on then!

It is time for Ronnie O'Sullivan to get his UK Championship campaign up and running as he takes on Matthew Stevens in the first round on Monday afternoon.

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Matthew Stevens

Yan Bingtao v Zhou Yuelong

Mark Williams v Jamie Clarke

Stuart Bingham v Liam Highfield

Ronnie O'Sullivan has told Eurosport that he does "not understand" why Mark Allen and Jordan Brown were chatting and practising together before their match at the UK Championship.

The Rocket was not impressed with the pair, who are very good friends, being so jovial and laughing around the practice table just minutes before locking horns in their first-round encounter.

Allen ended up winning the match 6-4 with two impressive century breaks to secure his progression through to the second round, a few weeks after the Pistol triumphed on home soil at the Northern Ireland Open.

Snooker legends Jimmy White and O'Sullivan both agreed that "it is your business" and responsibility to focus on the task at hand during a serious tournament, rather than joking with friends before a key match.

"I don't get it, I just don't get it!" O'Sullivan said in the Eurosport studio while watching footage of the pair joking around at the table.

"I mean, listen, maybe I am just different, but I do not want to talk to anyone, I have got no interest.

"This is what it is all about, competition, this is the most important part. I do not understand it, I really don't. But listen: everyone is different, you know."

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