World Snooker Championship final 2023 LIVE stream and updates: Mark Selby and Luca Brecel battle it out for world glory

Updated 30/04/2023 at 21:33 GMT

The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield will play host to the World Snooker Championship final between Mark Selby and Luca Brecel. The final is a best-of-35 encounter played over four sessions and two days beginning on Sunday April 30. Selby is chasing a fifth world crown, while his opponent Brecel is after his first world title having never won a match at the Crucible ahead of the 2023 event.

147 in full: Watch Selby's 'wonderful' maximum break in Crucible final

That's us for today

We've just seen one of the great sessions of this championship or any other. We'll be back for the first of the remaining two from 12.45pm BST tomorrow.

World Championship

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01/07/2023 at 08:47

Be well out there until then, night night.

Mark Selby fights back against Luca Brecel

Stand up both players, because that was a quite magnificent session of baize, with everything we love about this game therein. Luca rattled off a couple off gloriously insouciant frame-winning visits, but the trip to the table we'll all remember will be in frame 16, where Mark brought the house down with the first ever maximum in a Crucible final. It crowned a truly special evening in which Luca more than played his part, but how about that fella Mark? He looked shattered this afternoon and came into tonight perhaps lucky to trail by just four; he's now one frame behind and this final could go either way. The man is absolute granite.

I'd suggest you get wired into the rest of this final tomorrow, because it could morph into one of the best we've ever seen.

Selby 8-9 Brecel

We're done now. Mark doubles the pink long into the green pocket, and he's taken this evening session 6-3 to trail by just one frame. What an evening!

Selby 7-9 Brecel (65-48)

Yikes this is tense. Mark almost misses the brown to yellow pocket, drawing 'oohs' all round, but steels himself to dispatch frame ball blue thereafter. Luca needs a snooker, and with the black in the middle of the table that will be beyond tough.

Selby 7-9 Brecel (51-48)

Luca escapes the snooker, but he's left the red on to the bottom left. Mark drops it in, wobbles in a cut on the black and he'll need up to and including the blue on the colours. With no real angle on the yellow to hold for the green he lays another snooker, which Luca bashes his way out of and hopes for the best. He escapes, but it could be curtains; the yellow is on to the left middle.

Selby 7-9 Brecel (43-48)

Mark drops in behind the red on the right rail when he gets the chance, and just about wriggles it in to screw back for the blue. It's an increasingly difficult break though, and ends on 42 when Mark lands on the wrong side of the black and can't find a route to the last red. He's right back in the frame though, and Luca returns to find himself snookered full ball behind the pink.

Selby 7-9 Brecel (22-48)

We're locked in a safety battle for several minutes, as this is a big moment. The reds are set fair and no colours are safe, so these could go if either player can get in. a Poor safety from Luca sees him catch the knuckle of the right middle, and he's given an open look to Mark, who drops a red into the bottom right and starts dismantling Luca's lead. A red over near the right rail is Luca's only potential out ball here.

This could be a crucial break if Mark can craft a frame-winner. It won't be the most remember of today though - please see below.

Selby 7-9 Brecel (1-48)

Luca is locked in here, and as great as a maxi is (he says, highest break 42), the main thing on the table here is the title and 10-7 is a solid potential lead after day one. we've barely come down from frame 16 as Luca approaches a half-century, but have we got a late twist incoming? A red to bottom left coughs out of the jaws and a break Luca was coasting in is suddenly over. Mark drains a red in response and almost goes in-off, before playing safe.

Selby 7-9 Brecel (0-23)

My oh my oh my. That was about as perfect a 147 as you will ever see, he was in complete control throughout and made the odd few difficult pots look basic. Earlier today, Mark looked shot to pieces; somehow, tonight, he's got to get to sleep after that.

Even more pressingly, he's got an important frame on the go here, the last of the night. It's Luca that's in first though, and he's up to 23 in this break already with the Crucible still settling down.

Selby 7-9 Brecel

The colours go like he's mucking about on a computer game. The black is just off-straight to the bottom right...and it's there! MARK SELBY HAS MADE THE FIRST EVER MAXIMUM IN A CRUCIBLE FINAL!

What a break, what a moment, what a player! The roof of this old place damn near comes off as Mark gets a raucous ovation that goes on for over a minute. And so he should - that was absolutely, utterly magnificent. And, footnote - he's within two of Luca with a frame to go tonight!

Selby 6-9 Brecel (120-0)

Mark plays to drop in behind the final red off the black. It's a perfect shot, and he can just roll this to the bottom left with the rest. He coolly drops it in, and he's perfect on the black. All the colours are on, only the pink is off its spot. I can barely type here!

Selby 6-9 Brecel (104-0)

Mark overruns frame ball red, and has to cut it back to the bottom left with the rest. It's such a tough shot, but he's only gone and nailed it to land on the black! The frame is safe, so Luca will be willing him on now too. Mark goes into the pack and he's just about on a red to left middle, which he glides in. The 13th black goes down for the century, but forget that - we could have the first ever maxi in a world final. Come on Jester!!!

Selby 6-9 Brecel (64-0)

He fancies the maxi alright, staying on the black after a red to left middle when it would be easier to go up for blue or pink. The half-century is done, and the right red and black have just gone. He'll want the frame in the bank more than anything but come on Mark, have a yahoo at this! A red near the left rail is the only problem ball here.

Selby 6-9 Brecel (40-0)

Mark leaves a look at a red long down the left of the table. Luca eschews power and tries a drag shot to drop it in and hold for the black. It visits all of the jaws, and stays there; Mark steps in to clear it up, and tidies up the reds in the open before going into the pack off the black. He's on one to the middle, and screws back off it for the black, which disappears too. I will flag up now that it is five reds and blacks so far, with all remaining reds still at the south of the table.

Selby 6-9 Brecel

He just won't go away; a 61 from Mark brings him within three of Luca again.

Selby 5-9 Brecel (68-1)

The spoils do indeed go to Mark, as he calmly picks off everything out there to make another half-century and leave Luca needing snookers. The break keeps on trucking, and Mark is really playing like Mark tonight. He leads this evening session 4-3 and, if he gets out of here having won it, will be very happy with his night's work.

Selby 5-9 Brecel (30-1)

Is this the pot of the match? Luca deep screws in a red to the bottom left, catching it so clean that he overshoots the baulk colours and can only play in behind the yellow thereafter. After a few safety shots each Luca takes on a long red but misses this time, and he's left Mark on a red to right middle. Luca's game is high risk, high reward and the spoils look like going to Mark in this one as the risks haven't paid off.

Selby 5-9 Brecel (15-0)

We've got three frames to go, but frankly I'd watch this standard until the sun comes up. Mark has a yahoo at a red long to the bottom right to start frame 15, which misses by miles and he's so fortunate not to leave it on to the green pocket. Luca then throws - hurls - the cue at a red to the bottom right; it's ambitious, and ultimately reckless as he too misses by a huge margin but his cue ball crashes into the pack, sending reds all over and leaving Mark a practice table. All this needs is a touch of composure, and Mark can win a very quick one. He feels in the match now in a way he didn't this afternoon. What a shocker he's had here though - he's drifted off the line of the black and his break is over!

Selby 5-9 Brecel

Luca makes a half-ton, and in potting the blue he nudges the third to last red on over the right middle. What a shot! Blue to follow is frame ball and that goes too; as an encore, he then doubles another red into the right middle! This is just mesmerising stuff, and as his break curtails on 67 Mark stays in his cheer, as the gap between the two returns to four frames.

Selby 5-8 Brecel (19-26)

Mark takes on a red to the bottom right, a thin cut that will run him through the pack. His target red doesn't go, but what a touch this is, as a stray red drifts into the green pocket! Crikey. He can't cash that fortune in though, missing the pink immediately after, and Luca is in again. Mark's lead is soon gone as Luca tidies up some reds in baulk, and then opens the remaining pack. there's a load on now, and if he can stay on high value colours he'll have a healthy lead before he needs to shift three awkward reds.

Selby 5-8 Brecel (18-0)

There's a couple of wild shots from Luca at the start of frame 14 as he misses two reds, the second of which knocks the green fly into its own pocket and hands an opening to Mark. Only 14 comes from it though, as Mark misses a tough cut on a red to bottom right. For the first time tonight, we get properly bogged down in safety as the players nudge off the pack and play reds up the table.

Selby 5-8 Brecel

What a shot! Luca plays the pink into the left middle, coming off one cushion to make an awkward frame ball red routine. This has been a brilliant effort, and when he runs out of reds on 72 he plays safe and Mark concedes the frame. The ovation Luca gets for that turn is euphoric, and so it should be.

Selby 5-7 Brecel (4-52)

Luca tickles open the pack again, and there's a pathway to winning this frame in one visit. After some intricate potting on the pink and the reds around it, he almost goes in-off in the right middle going back for the blue. That goes for his half-ton, before he drains a tough-looking red to bottom right to hold for the pink. It's a highlights reel of a break so far, and he's not done yet.

Selby 5-7 Brecel (4-25)

We're back, and Luca immediately coughs up four after missing a thin contact safety. After a containing safety from Mark he gets in though, red to right middle, and it's a chance. These two are just going for everything here, and getting most of it. The white is having to do a lot of work here to keep going up for the blue, and after being thrown slightly out of position by the knuckle of the right middle, Luca recovers by hosing a red into the bottom right and landing on the pink. It's a joy to watch this match, it really is.

Selby 5-7 Brecel

Selby picks off the final red after a bout of safety, followed by the blue, yellow and a tough cut on the green with the rest. He needs brown, blue and pink from here, and has to leave the blue long-ish to the bottom right. He's bang on the pink if he makes it so it's frame ball...and it's there! The pink follows and Selby strolls off to the interval having won the mini-session 3-1. We'll be back in 15 minutes.

Selby 4-7 Brecel (41-50)

Luca wildly overcuts a thin red to bottom left - that didn't even look possible - and he's left it and freed up the black to boot. Mark strikes back, opening the final cluster near the pink spot, and although one red runs safe he can get right back in this frame. He duly does, making 32 before taking on and making a red down the rail to bottom right with the rest. He can't bring the final cushion-hugging red out after potting the black though, and it's end of break. Mark plays safe, but what a shocker - he misses the thin contact on the red, hits the black and leaves a free ball! Luca puts him back in, Mark leaves the red safe and this one is wide open.

Selby 4-7 Brecel (1-36)

Luca tries to go into the pack off the green, but he sticks to it and he's on nothing. Safety ensues, but a poor one from Mark leaves a mid-range red to bottom right. Luca booms it in, but a full ball kiss on another red leaves him without a colour to go at. No matter - he's just landed the most fiendish snooker of the day, tight up behind the yellow in baulk! Mark escapes, but he's left a red to left middle. Luca buries it, goes all around the angles, and he's perfect on the black. My oh my, the crowd loved that one!

Selby 4-7 Brecel (1-24)

A shot to nothing from Mark gets a red away at the start of frame 12, but he's not on a colour. He tries another long red a few shots later, thin to the bottom right, but he's not got enough on it and as a result the white doesn't get back up the table either. Luca's in, can he fire back at Mark again in this tit-for-tat session? It's 24 and counting, and he's ticking along nicely. This is engrossing, top level sport, and appropriately enough, the cameras pan to the crowd to find it being watched by one Roy Maurice Keane.

Selby 4-7 Brecel

Mark tries to double the green but he can't quite make it drop, catching the low knuckle of the left middle. That's 96 and the frame though, and he's oozing confidence.

Selby 3-7 Brecel (66-12)

Clickety-click, it's 66 as frame ball red drops into the bottom right. What a wonderful session so far from Mark, who has a yahoo at his second ton of the night here. He'll need the green which is in an awkward spot above the right middle, but the way he's playing here anything looks possible.

Selby 3-7 Brecel (42-12)

Mark makes a quick 30 before going into the pack off the black. They've split, but he's not on anything easy. He takes on a cut on a red to bottom left; as he's on touching ball he has to put everything into the pot, which goes but he's lost position on the blue. Instead, he takes on a tough brown to the yellow pocket and middles it once more to keep his break going. Mark doesn't just look reinvigorated here, he looks like he's changed up his gameplan to boot.

Selby 3-7 Brecel (0-12)

Frame 11 then, and after Luca's break Mark goes full gun at a red to bottom right to hold for the black. It doesn't go, and he's left a red to right middle for Luca. That goes, but when going in and out of baulk off the blue, Luca clangs into the green. End of break, then? No sir! Luca launches a red into the bottom left to hold for the blue! This is breathless stuff, but it's gone wrong now as he misses an off-straight red to the bottom left and leaves Mark in.

Selby 3-7 Brecel

There's only 99 on, but Luca keeps going regardless and empties the table with a run of flamboyant shots that wow the Crucible.

Selby 3-6 Brecel (14-68)

Luca makes light work of what's left. There's one wobbler on a red to bottom right but he goes over the winning line soon after, and he's punished Mark in full for that missed red. His lead will be restored to four frames soon, and if this pace keeps up we're going to fly through this session.

Selby 3-6 Brecel (14-43)

A containing safety from Luca leaves a red on long to the yellow pocket, and Mark absolutely launches it into the heart of the pocket to hold for the black. He's going for his shots here, but he soon misses a red to the bottom right and he's left it for Luca. It's moving at a rate of knots this session, and Luca quickly opens the remaining pack off the black to open the door to a frame-winning visit.

Selby 3-6 Brecel (0-27)

We've got a live one here. Luca drains a long red to start frame 10, and although he overshoots the black he nails a tough pink to the left middle and he's away. Two reds near the black spot are causing a bit of bother, and Luca lands on the black and pots it to try and force them out of the way. The reds move, but he's not on one to the bottom right. Instead he tries to slow roll a tougher one to the right middle, but it veers offline and misses. Luca can't believe that, and he's fortunate not to leave anything.

Selby 3-6 Brecel

Has Mark had a restorative nap? Who knows, but he already looks a different player to the one we saw this afternoon. Mark turns this break into a ton, and eventually a brilliant total clearance of 134. What a start to the evening!

Selby 2-6 Brecel (65-0)

This is rapid stuff from Mark, who banks a half-century in no time. Shortly after he's up into the reds off the black, and he's on frame ball red to the bottom right. That goes, he's on the blue, and that's the end of the opening frame.

Selby 2-6 Brecel (34-0)

Luca almost flukes a red into the bottom right from a safety, and he's left it over the hole so Mark has an easy starter. He's not hanging about either. There's a noticeable zip about his play in this nascent break, and he aggressively opens the reds to open up the opportunity to win this in one hit.

Here we go, again (not on our own)

Rob Walker brings out the players. Mark looks pretty chipper, smiling and waving as he takes his seat. Luca breaks, and off we go.

Where from here?

Mark was noticeably tired earlier today, after that epic battle with Mark Allen that only concluded some 16 hours ago. I thought he did well to blag a couple this afternoon, and as long as he can stay in the match here we know he's got the patience and the moxie to take this as long as it needs to go. Luca will be looking to build an even bigger lead tonight; all frames in a final are crucial of course, but the upcoming nine could shape the rest of it.

We're back

Once more, with feeling. We're back for the second session of this final, with Luca in the lead. We'll have nine frames to get stuck into here, let's get about it.

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That's us for now

Thanks for your company this afternoon, we'll be back from 6.45pm BST tonight for nine more frames of this final.

Luca Brecel establishes early lead

What a fascinating session that was. Luca, who evidently does not do nerves, relished his first session in a world final and really took that to Mark from the off. He's not only scoring big, he's standing up to Mark and holding his own when it goes to the trenches. Mark is noticeably tired after his late, late show with Mark Allen yesterday, and in truth he might be happy with nicking a couple in the circumstances as he could have been truly steamrollered there. He won't stay tired forever, and the nature of four session snooker is that there are multiple shifts in momentum throughout. Can Luca stay on top of him? We're in for another absorbing session later on tonight.

Selby 2-6 Brecel

Fortune favours the brave, and that adventurous shot from Luca to blast the reds open has won him the frame. He signs off with a 70, and has a four-frame lead after dominating the opening session.

Selby 2-5 Brecel (6-52)

A nice shot off the blue, now respotted, sees Luca open a cluster of reds below the pink spot. The white will need to travel a bit, but with the position of the reds Luca can sort this if he keeps landing somewhere north of the blue. He's made a half-century so far, and with what's in the open it looks routine from here.

Selby 2-5 Brecel (6-17)

It's the final frame of the session, and Mark is in first again with a red to bottom left to go up for the blue. It's an early chance, but he soon misses a virtually straight mid-range red to the bottom right, which rockets across the table and back and he's left it over the hole. And here's a shot from Luca - he wallops in said red and goes straight into the pack, which explodes like the toilet in Fatboy Slim's video for Gangster Trippin' (ask a much older person that had MTV in the late nineties). They've gone everywhere, and a good yellow to follow means Luca is up and running. He'll need to relocate blue, pink or ideally both to make it a frame-winning chance as the black is tied up for now.

Selby 2-5 Brecel

Luca takes a red-black before giving away four after a miss from a snooker. He plays on for a bit, potting another red, but when he can't convert a black after that he turns it in.

Selby 1-5 Brecel (62-0)

After finishing the wrong side of the blue, Mark goes in and out of baulk when potting it top open a few reds and move the pink and black apart. He's on frame ball red, and in it goes; this is granite stuff. Immediately though, he makes a careless error; with the pressure off a touch he misses a simple black to bottom left, and needing one snooker only Luca will play on.

Selby 1-5 Brecel (50-0)

Mark's emptying himself on this break, as it reaches the half-century point. He's having to do a lot of work with the white to get it up for the blue each time, because pink and black are tying each other up. It's a gutsy effort, and he's only a few balls away now.

Selby 1-5 Brecel (25-0)

Getting out of here 5-3 or 6-2 down would feel like a stand for Mark here, who's visibly tired and could have easily lost every frame so far. He booms in a long red to start frame seven and goes back up for the green, so he'll get the first chance. A made plant to the bottom right with the rest wobbles violently in the bottom right before it drops, drawing gasps from the Crucible. It's hard work for Selby out there, but he's getting stuck into it.

Selby 1-5 Brecel

Luca finally gets a look at a cut on the blue to yellow pocket, and just about snicks it in using all the jaws. Mark plays on, but only for a shot as he accidentally plugs the pink in that pocket, and a long, absorbing battle in that frame is over.

Selby 1-4 Brecel (49-66)

He loves a cross-double ol' Luca, and he almost puts the blue into the right middle via this method but it catches the bottom knuckle and drifts away. This is a complete stalemate at the moment, as the battle on the blue reaches eight minutes and counting.

Selby 1-4 Brecel (49-66)

Mark cuts in a tough green, but he can't get on the brown from it and we're locked into a safety battle on these last four balls. Luca needs brown and blue, Mark still needs the set. It's Luca that gets the first look as Mark leaves the brown on to the bottom left. Luca drains it, but he catches the black with the white to leave a very tough frame ball blue. Of course he takes it on; it's not close, but it runs safe. As things stand pink and black are safe, so Luca can wait for another opportunity to have a yahoo at the blue.

Selby 1-4 Brecel (44-62)

Here comes Mark, tagging in the loose red before playing in behind the final one off the blue. He negotiates that with the rest, followed by the black. It's all the colours for the frame, but the green and pink are on cushions so it will require some trickery to get it done at this visit.

Selby 1-4 Brecel (30-62)

Luca clears up the easy reds, before trying to shift the remaining two off the blue. Amazingly, with such a big target, he goes between them, landing only a glancing touch on one and ending on nothing. In worse news for him, Luca butchers his safety and he's left a red to the right middle. It's straight, but Mark misses it off the low knuckle; Luca can't clip it into the yellow pocket though, and it's getting nervy in frame six.

Selby 1-4 Brecel (30-49)

Mark goes in front off the black, and drives the white into a cluster below the pink. That only leaves a tough cut on a red to the left middle, and he's rolled it out off the knuckles. It could be a significant early swing in the other direction if Luca can cash in that little slice of luck, and he's setting about doing just that. There are two reds, over to the left and near the rail, that will decide this frame.

Selby 1-4 Brecel (0-27)

Luca trickles in the first red, cross-doubling it into the right middle, and then cracks in a virtually straight brown to the same pocket to come off one cushion and open the pack! That is a quite brilliant shot, and he's carved out another chance for himself. This is fearless stuff, and fantastic to watch. Luca said he'd keep playing his natural game, and that wasn't idle talk. This could be a twist though - he tries to stun a red into the bottom right with the rest and open the pack, achieving the latter but not the former. Mark, who is hanging in a bit here, has been gifted a chance.

Selby 1-4 Brecel

It's done now! Luca cuts in a brilliant red, which wipes it's feet before dropping in the bottom right, and clears up to the blue for the frame.

Selby 1-3 Brecel (23-71)

It's 67 from Luca as he misses a red, though Mark comes back even though he's 70 down with 59 on. After a break off 22 Mark lays a snooker off the final red, but in taking a blue rather than black at the start it's now four snookers to win. I think Mark is just trying to disrupt Luca here, as this is far too tall an order surely.

Selby 1-3 Brecel (1-63)

The half-ton is soon in the books with a black to bottom right. Another red to follow leaves Luca on the blue, but the five remaining reds are all blocking each other so he's going to need to force something out. Sure enough he goes into them off the blue, and he's on a choice of two; I think we're done in this one.

Selby 1-3 Brecel (1-44)

We're back, and let's see if/how that final frame before the interval has affected the mood music. Mark glides in a long red as a shot to nothing, but no more; from the exchange of snookers that follow, he gives away four points. Both players then take on but miss a tight red to the green pocket, but Mark's is more damaging as his effort leaves a red as an easy starter. Luca is in, and quickly buzzing around the black spot.

Selby 1-3 Brecel

Mark will feel better over what will presumably be a very strong brew in the interval. Luca leads it, we'll be back in 15 minutes.

Selby 0-3 Brecel (67-38)

Well now! Luca plays a red slow to the right middle. Somehow it veers off-line - the nap of the cloth maybe - and it curls around the lip and stays out! Oh my, what a break for Mark, who swerves around the blue to pot it and can now nab a frame he looked certain to lose. The remaining reds go and the blue that follows the final one leaves Luca needing a snooker. He won't be coming to look for it though, as these colours are all on their spots.

Selby 0-3 Brecel (40-25)

Mark's break falters on 36, as with no angle on the blue to open the balls he tries to force position on a red below the pink, but doesn't make it. That had to be so precise. safety follows, before Mark has a go at a cut on a red to the bottom left. It doesn't go, and he's left the same shot for Luca, who buries it. Lucan then goes into the pack off the yellow and he's forced a few out, and a brilliant cut back on a red to bottom right lands him on the brown. It's a tough break early on, and needs so many cute shots to keep it going; a brilliant, slow cut on a black to bottom left draws deserved applause, and when he opens the reds soon after and drops on the blue it becomes a frame-winning chance.

Selby 0-3 Brecel (34-0)

It's a chance for Mark in frame four as Luca misses a thin contact safety and leaves the cue ball just above the blue, with a red on to the bottom right. Mark plugs it, and he's on the black. He'll hardly be panicking yet but a good visit here will be a fillip going into the interval, so he's properly locked into his efforts here. Selby's put up 30 in no time, but will need to give the pack a wallop pretty soon.

Selby 0-3 Brecel

Luca empties the table, walloping in the black to finish for a break of 90 and the frame.

Selby 0-2 Brecel (28-59)

It's a swift half-century for Luca, and off the blue he drops in behind two conjoined reds to the right of the pink. If he pots one he'll free the other and duly does; this is a wonderful break, full of deft touch and delicate spin. The last red is frame ball and Luca drives it into the bottom left; what a start for him, he's flying in this final.

Selby 0-2 Brecel (28-31)

Just as it's looking ominous, Mark misses a black off its spot. As he sits back in his chair he rubs his eyes, which are red around the whites; he looks a bit fatigued, understandably. Luca is left with a tough cut to the bottom left to get in and drains it brilliantly, followed by a green that lands him right on his next red. Mark's slender lead has soon gone, and the five remaining reds are in good positions.

Selby 0-2 Brecel (20-0)

Back comes Mark in frame three, snicking in a red to bottom right after Luca's break-off and pulling up before baulk. He's soon down at the south end of the table, and he's got a lot to go at here. In defeating Mark Allen yesterday, Selby scored heavily in patches and a big break looks incoming here as he opens the reds off the black and they split very nicely indeed.

Selby 0-2 Brecel

Mark breaks the deadlock, cutting the red long into the yellow pocket, but he's left with a horrible shot on any colour and he needs one brown or above or he needs a snooker. He tries an ambitious blue, but it misses by a huge margin. Luca doubles the yellow and then clears up the remaining baulk colours, and he's two up.

Selby 0-1 Brecel (38-70)

Given the position of the colours this red feels like frame ball for both, and Luca almost cross-doubles it into the right middle but the red flies out off the bottom knuckle. Luca then misses a thin contact safety to give away four, but outside of that his safety game is holding up well in this exchange. We're over ten minutes now without a pot, as neither player is ceding an inch here. Mark gives the four back when he misses a thin contact safety of his own, and on we go.

Selby 0-1 Brecel (34-66)

Luca almost plants a red into the bottom right but it doesn't drop, and he's left Mark a chance to clear some red-blacks and take charge of the safety exchange. Three of said red-blacks go, before Mark lands a brutal snooker on the final red with the white tight in behind the black. As a representation of what both players are about - the best of their games - we've seen much of it in these two frames alone. Luca can't escape the snooker, and the frame is live again.

Selby 0-1 Brecel (6-66)

If one man knows how to take the sting out of a barrage like this, it's Mark. He lands Luca tight in behind the brown in baulk, from where Luca shorts his escape and leaves Mark a plant to bottom left. Mark makes that, but a poor shot on the black sees it rattle and stay in the jaws of the bottom right and that might be the frame. What's in the open will leave Mark needing a snooker and sure enough, Luca banks three reds and three blacks before laying a snooker on the last four tied-up reds.

Selby 0-1 Brecel (1-42)

Mark drains the red he's been left, but rattles a brown out of the jaws of the green pocket and he's left Luca an easy starter. If he can open up the pack here, another frame could quickly disappear. Luca tidies up what's in the open, but can't get an angle on the pink to open the pack and dumps the white up near the brown in baulk instead. What a pace to this so far, it's don't blink snooker.

Selby 0-1 Brecel (0-21)

Oh, he's flying here! Luca drains a long red after Mark's break, and lands in baulk. From there it's brown to right middle, a mid-range red to bottom left and now he's on the black. Within seconds he's into the pack - of course he is - and then it's a thin red to right middle and a nerveless cut back on a black to bottom left. This is brilliant stuff! All the fun gets nixed when he misses a red long to the yellow pocket though, and he's left Mark a chance.

Selby 0-1 Brecel

I thought he'd need a quick, confident start, and it doesn't get much better than banking the opening frame in six minutes. A total of 77 from Luca leaves Mark in his chair.

Selby 0-0 Brecel (0-70)

The first frame? Gone mate. Luca has fair torn into the table here and the frame is already at the stage where Mark needs a snooker. It's a dream start, and if you've popped out to the kitchen to boil an egg you've probably missed this.

Selby 0-0 Brecel (0-35)

It's Luca that gets the first pot down, and he didn't even mean it. An aggressive safety, opening the pack, sees a red drift serenely into the bottom left and he's on choice of baulk colours to follow. There are a fair few points on here, and what a chance to settle nerves if indeed Luca has any. He promised he'd be aggressive today and he certainly is here, going into the pack again off the black to reach 35 and affecting a split that might well win the frame.

Here we go

Rob Walker, of talking fame, announces the players into the arena. Luca strides in first, Mark follows. Handshakes and pictures with the trophy on the table are quickly sorted, and we're underway. We'll have eight frames this afternoon, with an interval after four.

Late shows

For all the hype, it wouldn’t be a surprise if both players take a little while to warm to this task today. Both were involved in cliffhanger semi-finals that finished 17-15 and have to rouse themselves for 35 more frames to come. Adrenalin will get them through it of course, but they’re bound to be feeling a bit drained; it’s not just the concentration required to win over that distance, it’s dealing with the emotional ringer you go through as fortunes swing wildly back and forth.

Luca had the evening off, while Mark wouldn’t have got his head down until the wee hours and who knows when he had his tea. Let’s hope that the kebab hut in Sheffield that once served Mark Williams so well is still doing trade.

The Bullet

A fortnight ago Luca had never won a match at the Crucible in five attempts. Now he’s won four straight, and two of them have been absolute jaw-droppers. In the quarters he stunned Ronnie, overturning a 10-6 deficit by winning seven in a row, but it was as nothing to what he did in the last four. Yesterday, Luca pulled off the greatest comeback in the history of the Crucible to turn around a nine frame deficit and beat Si Jiahui 17-15. It’s been an incredible run, and confirmation of what’s become apparent since Luca won the Scottish Open in 2021; this guy is a serious talent. If he can win a world title by beating Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby that is quite a statement.

The Jester

If Mark can win his fifth world title today, he’ll have won them all in the last ten years. In terms of condensed success, that’s walking on a similar plateau to Stephen Hendry (seven in ten), Steve Davis (six in nine) and Ray Reardon (six in nine). Not even Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins can take a stroll around up there. Should he win today it surely changes the conversation about how we rank the greats of this game. There are people that don’t like the way Mark plays at times, but the CV brooks no argument. To date he’s won 22 ranking events – inclusive of four world titles and two UK Championships – plus three Masters titles. He’s already one of the best to ever do it, all else is just white noise. And if he wins today…

The Big One

Good afternoon one and all, and welcome to 48 hours of not just the best that snooker has to offer, but sport and life itself. The final of the World Snooker Championship is incoming.

In boxing they say styles make fights, and the same is true in snooker. There’s a lovely contrast between Mark Selby and Luca Brecel, our two finalists today, that could give us an absolute banger of a match. Mark is the ultimate professional, the best player we’ve seen since the emergence of the Class of 92 and arguably the greatest tactician the game has ever seen. He’s seen it all, he’s won the lot.

Luca is one of the game’s true rising stars, a volatile, thrilling player who can be devastating to the point of unstoppable when he gets on a roll. After years of bouncing around the Tour, threatening big things but not quite achieving them, he seems to have now harnessed his gifts to the point where he can apply them consistently.

The key to this final could be the battle between Luca’s natural talent and Mark’s ability to contain it. Luca doesn’t really have the B game to compete with Mark if it gets bogged down and has said already that he’ll carry on doing what he’s been doing in order to win. Mark is a concussive scorer himself when he gets going, if he jumps out to a lead will Luca be able to fashion yet another comeback to turn things around? Four session snooker is a brutal examination of every aspect of your game, and this is Luca’s maiden appearance in a world final.

Nicely poised then, I think you’ll agree. The interface of boys and baize will be just after 1.00pm BST.

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Follow updates live from 13:00 UK time.

The World Snooker Championship will be won by either Mark Selby or Luca Brecel after they emerged from titanic semi-final clashes on Saturday.

Brecel etched his name in Crucible folklore when he came back from nine frames behind to claim a stunning 17-15 victory over Si Jiahui.

Then, later on Saturday, Selby held his nerve to hold off a Mark Allen fightback in the other semi-final, also prevailing by a score of 17-15 after a drama-filled, late night affair.

The final pits the world No. 2 Selby against the world No. 10 in a best-of-35 encounter across two days and four sessions.

Brecel is relishing being the underdog.

“I think I'm ready for it," he told Eurosport.

"It is difficult and it's going to be a mind game. If I stay focused the whole game then I'm going to have a chance, but if I lose focus, he's going to run away with it.

“For me, it's completely new, but he has been here so many times before. I'm going to be the underdog, but I've been the underdog in nearly every game I've played in this tournament, so I'm looking forward to it.”

Exclusive: O'Sullivan breaks down Brecel's ‘best chance of winning’ against 'ultimate test' Selby

Ronnie O’Sullivan has said Brecel faces "the ultimate test" when he takes on Selby, but has exclusively broken down to Eurosport the Belgian’s best chance of beating the four-time world champion.

“Yeah, the ultimate test really, you know, two days, four sessions, final of the World Championship,” he began.

“Selby's proven. It is going to be fun. Last time they played, I think Selby really gave him a good beating in the English Open final, but I think Luca would have learned from that and try to ensure that doesn't happen again.

O’Sullivan predicted more exacting play from Selby, saying: “Selby’s going to try and shut up shop and try and keep Luca under wraps.

“Luca’s got to try and not allow that to happen. It will happen, but he's got to try and limit the amount of time that it happens and just try and impose his own game.

“That's his best chance of winning. Not saying he can't win if it goes tight, but his best chance of winning is getting amongst the balls, scoring, building up momentum, putting lots of pressure on Selby.”

O’Sullivan believes that Brecel certainly has a chance, saying: “Listen, anything can happen, you know, snooker's very fickle.

“Mark could wake up, have a headache, not feel great on the first day. Anything can happen.”