Steve Davis
Six-time world champion on BBC Four

Some of those balls Chris Wakelin knocked into the middle pockets from the baulk cushion this morning were amazing, and then when throwing caution to the wind, what did Mark Allen do?

Chris was willing him to make [the 147]. It was a great atmosphere out there, but Mark had lost his way a bit in the match.

To make a 147 under those circumstances, it's perhaps the most bittersweet 147 he's ever going to make in his life.

But if he gets another one he gets £147,000. It seems like everyone's sort of cracked the code of making them now.

Image source, Getty Images

After a spot of food, we're back for more live snooker. It's night seven of the 2025 World Championship.

Mark Allen will need perhaps the greatest comeback in Crucible history tonight if he is reach the quarter-finals.

Northern Ireland's leading player trails England's Chris Wakelin 12-4 so is just one frame away from defeat.

Allen needs all nine tonight. He'd probably trade you that 147 from this morning for a slot in the last eight, because it looks like the world title he has been so often tipped to win will again prove beyond him.

If he gets on a roll, though, you never know. He could still worry Wakelin, but it is the qualifier who starts as a clear favourite, aiming to add to his first-round scalp of Neil Robertson.

On the other side of the curtain, Mark Williams and Hossein Vafaei continue their match that began at 10:00 BST.

Williams, 50, has been struggling with his eyesight in recent months, while Vafaei is battling a shoulder injury.

It should perhaps be no surprise, therefore, that this morning's play was not the most free-flowing snooker this famous theatre has ever seen.

That can make it dramatic of course - misses and tension are as much a part of what makes this game so absorbing as the big breaks.

Let's hope it perks up a little though and gives us plenty to enjoy. They play eight frames tonight and resume at 4-4.

John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two

Poetry in motion from the 'Wizard of Wishaw' who finished that frame at his absolute best. Boy, have we got a final session to look forward to tomorrow morning. You can't separate these two.

Image source, BBC Sport

John Higgins is probably glad he abandoned any thoughts of time-wasting tactics in the previous frame as he finishes the afternoon session in style.

The Scot produces a break of 129 - the 1,038th century break of his career - to restore parity in his match with Xiao Guodong of China.

Honours even at the end of a topsy-turvy session which had a bit of everything. The pair will be back tomorrow morning to resume this one.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion on BBC Two

The mindset is so much more different if you have a lead going into the third session. You feel so much more relaxed. You don't want to be the one chasing.

The late David Vine made it a tradition to announce 'It's pay day' when it came to presenting the cheques on the final night of the World Championship.

But what are the players left in the tournament this year able to earn while in Sheffield?

Here is the rundown on the round-by-round rewards that are up for grabs:

Champion: £500,000

Runner-up: £200,000

Semi-finals: £100,000

Quarter-finals: £50,000

Last 16: £30,000

A bit of scrappy frame goes the way of Xiao Guodong as the session ticks over the three-hour mark.

With a 41-point difference and just 27 left on the table, John Higgins fouls but curiously decides to continue playing.

Was Higgins thinking about playing for time and ensuring this would be the final frame of the session, knowing the evening session is coming up? Mind games from the Scot, perhaps?

Either way, Higgins eventually does concede and with sufficient time for play to continue.

Mike: Why does snooker have such a large proportion of left handers compared to other sports?

Thanks Mike. I've yet to see any serious research on this subject, but you're right to note the remarkable number of left-handers at the top of the sport. In the top 10 alone we have Judd Trump, Mark Williams, Mark Allen and Neil Robertson. Other notable left-handers include Jimmy White, Jack Lisowski, Zhao Xintong and Thepchaiya Un-nooh - and Ronnie O'Sullivan can play to a high standard with his left hand. Hossein Vafaei also switched up and made a terrific left-handed pot in his match on Friday, but perhaps we're veering off topic. Is there any science behind the success of the left-handed cuemen, considering only about 10-12% of the population is believed to be left-handed? Please tell us if you're out there and have any expert insight.

Rob Walker
Snooker commentator on BBC TV

He is just fantastic to watch around those long pots - he makes those look absurdly easy when they're absolutely not.

He really showed his class in the sixth and the seventh frames, breathlessly quick at the table.

But Lei Peifan is certainly not out of this. He's given a good account of himself in their first session.

From the sublime to the ridiculous from John Higgins.

Xiao Guodong twice falls victim to a superb Higgins snooker with just the blue, pink and black left on the table. Having chipped away at Xiao's lead Higgins clears the table to draw level on 67 all.

The black is re-spotted and Higgins cuts it into the top corner pocket thinking he's got a two-frame lead...only to see the cue ball disappear into a pocket down the table instead to hand Xiao the frame.

Higgins affords himself a bit of a chuckle and a glance to the heavens. Seven frames all.

Blink and you'll miss him! Zhao sprints to 61 in about the time it takes me to write this paragraph.

He misses a red to the right centre pocket though and the counter-attack is on from Lei.

Can he steal this last frame of the session? Not like that - he's stalled on 18, barely laying a glove on Zhao at that visit.

It's just turned midnight in Beijing and a late-night audience at home must be lapping this up, excited by China's growing ranks of potential future world champions.

Zhao, who is competing again this year after serving an 18-month ban for his involvement in snooker's biggest match-fixing scandal, looked the business when he won the 2021 UK Championship.

He takes this frame to make it three in a row - a tremendous long red effectively seals it - and leads 5-3 overnight.

Remember, it's a best-of-25 match, and this one finishes across morning sessions (10:00 BST) on Saturday and Sunday.

The winner will probably - barring a stunning Mark Allen fightback - face England's Chris Wakelin in the quarter-finals.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Image source, Michael Emons

Even if you have not got a ticket for a session at the Crucible, there are still plenty of fun things for snooker fans to do.

The plaza has mini tables to play matches on with friends and you can watch the action on a big screen and sit in a deckchair outside.

Alternatively, you might want to head to the nearby Winter Garden and entertain yourself at the WPBSA Cue Zone.

There is a full-sized table and a number of qualified coaches to give you tips on how to improve your game and play a variety of snooker-based games and challenges. It's also where our BBC TV studio is so you can watch the team as they are broadcasting to the nation.

If you fancy something a bit less strenuous, you can pretend you're a competitor and take a selfie in the players' seats.

Image source, Michael Emons

Image source, Michael Emons

John Virgo
1979 UK Championship winner on BBC Two

John Higgins was not too bothered about getting a century break in the 13th frame. He just wanted to get the balls racked up for the next frame now he's in front.

That stunning finish before the interval has given John Higgins a bit of momentum here.

A break of 45 is stymied by a poor positional shot by the Scot but Xiao Guodong cannot get a foothold in the frame.

When he returns to the table Higgins cannons the cue ball into the pack to leave himself four reds. He cannot produce a clearance but a 41-point break is enough to force Xiao to concede the frame.

Higgins edges himself into the lead.

This is great post-interval entertainment.

Zhao reaches 97 and there's a possible 140 break in the offing, but he then misses a cut-back red. Not that it really matters. The frame is secured and he's ahead again.

"This has been fabulous for the crowd to witness. What a magnificent break, and what a talent" says BBC TV commentator Rob Walker.

Or is this already snooker's present? Could whoever wins this match be a serious title contender?

It's a contest that is really heating up now, with Zhao sprinting through frame six following an early break of 53.

Rob Walker, commentating on BBC TV, says: "He's sending a little message to Lei Peifan: 'Just give me one chance and I can be on you.'

"This is such an intriguing match. It's a really interesting encounter."

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Image source, Michael Emons

Right by the entrance of the Crucible (and again in the nearby Winter Garden) there are graphics showing the draw, giving you the chance to plot a player's path to glory.

The Lei v Zhao match is in the top half of the draw and Higgins v Xiao is in the bottom half so the only way the winners of the ongoing matches could meet is in the final.

If eighth seed Mark Allen loses one more frame against Chris Wakelin later on today, it will mean that only one player in the top 12 in the world rankings would be left in the top half - that would be Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Lei and Zhao both dumped out last year's finalists with Lei beating champion Kyren Wilson and Zhao eliminating runner-up Jak Jones.

Image source, Michael Emons

Mark Allen might be staring at a probable early exit from the World Championship, but he dazzled with a 147 maximum break during this morning's action against Chris Wakelin.

He ended the session 12-4 adrift, one frame away from going out in round two, but this break was ever so special.

You can watch it in full here now (UK only).

Shaun Murphy
2005 world champion on BBC TV

Well played. Excellent way to restart the match after the interval.

It's just what he would have been looking for. And he's really putting it up to his opponent.

All the talk has been about Xintong in the lead-up to this match after he blew Jak Jones away in the first round.

Lei Peifan says 'hang on, I beat the world champion and I'm here to play as well'. He starting to go through the gears.

Image source, Getty Images

That's a marvellous way to return to the arena for Lei - a break of 120 and he leads now.

Whatever he had during the interval, can we all have some?

That was supercharged snooker from a special player.

The 21-year-old won the Scottish Open in December and looks to be such an exciting prospect. Wonderfully fluent stuff from the young man.