Williams now up to 41 after Higgins' earlier 35 and the Welshman is still going. 35-41

No sleep tonight for seven-week-old Charlie. Not while this is going on.

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That could be costly. John Higgins opts to power in the black but gets it wrong, and leaves a red on. 35-0 up, but it should have been a lot more.

Ed Bridges: Wonderful snooker going on here. Two fantastic players really slugging it out. No idea how this match might go.

Matthew Lester: The casual snooker fans might have thought that the standard of this World Championship final might drop because the pre-tournament favourites are out. I hope they’re watching because whoever was in the final it wouldn’t be any better than this #ilovesnooker, external

Two centuries in two frames. A third coming up? Higgins is already up to 28 and in prime position. 28-0

Steve Davis
Six-time world champion on BBC Two

There was the fear that these two players had punched themselves out and possibly they were going to freeze in the final with the realisation of what they could possibly do.

I think we're now seeing their class. They're starting to open their shoulders out, we're going to have a slugfest, and tomorrow is going to be brilliant.

Top players respond to other players. They can scrap but if one makes a century break then the other is good enough to go out and make a century in the next frame.

Two more frames to go tonight. One of these players will be leading at the end of the day, but which one?

Thomas Frost: Absolutely sensational century from Mark. This is snooker at its best. Like a boxing match this, punch for punch. 8-7 Mark.

Yousaf: This is a pleasure to watch. Two players playing at their best right now. Who will get the overnight lead?

Mark: Such a great level of play from both finalists at the Crucible. Brilliant stuff. 18-17 anyone?

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Two

Williams had to get moving and find something... and boy did he find something.

Williams regains the leadpublished at 21:44 British Summer Time 6 May 2018

21:44 BST 6 May 2018

Frame 15: John Higgins 7-8 Mark Williams (0-123, Williams 118)

A perfect, perfect response from Mark Williams. He lost his lead for the first time in this final in frame 14 and by the end of frame 15 has it back again.

He needed a big break and he gets it with a stunning clearance of 118.

That is his first century break and comes after breaks of 95 and 72 in the sixth and ninth frames respectively. That is also back-to-back century breaks in the match after Higgins' 117 in frame 14.

Mark Williams has only made two breaks of more than 50 in this final, he is up to 44 in frame 15.

Dave Gobbett: Have been to the Crucible lots in the early 2000s, I took a mate for his first match in 2005. We saw Mark Williams’s 147! My mate assumed that kind of thing happened every day—I assured him otherwise. Great to see MJW roll back the years!

John Higgins has claimed four of the last five, but starts frame 18 in his chair watching on. 0-27

Image source, PA

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Two

John is starting to motor a bit more, his tempo has picked up and he's starting to strike the ball with a bit more authority and Mark Williams needs to break that momentum a bit.

Hello: This is a great final, and with hope, a couple of teenagers will be inspired to look at the #class92, external final and think 'i want to be them for 25 years at that level' and pick up a cue and try.

Martin: I’m wondering if Mark Williams is jaded after last night’s epic marathon, and that’s why John Higgins has caught up?

We're levelpublished at 21:30 British Summer Time 6 May 2018

21:30 BST 6 May 2018

Frame 14: John Higgins 7-7 Mark Williams (123-15, Higgins 117)

Mark Williams has been 4-0 and 5-1 ahead, now that lead has evaporated and it is 7-7 after 14 frames. We thought it would be good, and it is.

A third century of the match in frame 14 brings us level. That is a break of 117, after 119 in the fifth and 127 in the 11th - all three coming from Higgins.

Martin Warren‏: As I thought this World Snooker final is going to be close. Despite a slow start John Higgins is finally waking up and I can see Mark Williams maybe only taking this second session by a single frame in to tomorrow afternoon

Gary‏: Already a gripping final, hope it goes all the way.

We could be all level very soon in this final.

Mark Ronquillio: Made my first visit to the Crucible this year after watching the competition on tv for the last 30 years. Hope I can secure tickets for next year, getting this year's was hard enough.

On to frame 14, as John Higgins hopes to end a frame on level terms, something he has not managed so far in this final.

Mark Williams knocks in 15, but bad luck for the Welshman, as the cue ball ricochets off the pack of reds and disappears into the corner pocket. 6-15