Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

One to mark your card for tomorrow morning, BBC commentator John Virgo will be talking all things snooker on BBC Radio 5 Live at 08:40 BST so don't miss that.

Our schedule for Saturday is as follows...

(all last-16 matches, best of 25 frames)

Morning session (10:30 BST)

• Shaun Murphy (Eng, 8) 3-5 Stephen Maguire (Sco)
• Judd Trump (Eng, 3) 11-5 Tom Ford (Eng)

Afternoon session (14:00 BST)

• Mark Allen (NI, 4) v John Higgins (Sco, 13)
• Jak Jones (Wal) 9-7 Si Jiahui (Chn)

Evening session (19:00 BST)

• Kyren Wilson (Eng, 12) v Joe O'Connor (Eng)
• Stuart Bingham (Eng) v Jack Lisowski (Eng)

That's all for day seven. Thanks for joining us. See you on Saturday.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Wales' Jak Jones, the lowest-ranked player left in the tournament at 44th in the world, enjoyed a fine opening session to lead 6-2 against 2023 semi-finalist Si Jiahui of China.

Si made breaks of 50 and 64 in the opening two frames, only to lose both frames on the black, although Si made it 2-2 with breaks of 62 and 84.

However, Jones - himself a quarter-finalist last year - won the last four frames of the session, aided by breaks of 66 and 71 to gain a four-frame advantage.

But that lead was then cut back to two frames by the end of the evening session. Both players won two of the first four frames to leave it at 8-3 to the Welshman, before Si took four of the last five, including a 40-minute final frame of the day after an excellent safety exchange.

Jones leads 9-7, with that match finishing on Saturday afternoon (14:30 BST).

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

David Gilbert has been talking to the media after his 13-4 win over Robert Milkins to move into the quarter-finals.

He said: "I'm feeling good, building confidence every game and I put in a proper session and nice to know I can still play a little bit - I've been playing shockingly [before the tournament]. If you're going to time it, right, you might as well do it for this one.

"Fitness wise I feel so much better and the lesson I learned from when I got to the semi-final was you have to be as fit as possible. I'm using my time wisely, eating properly and the right things. I'm hitting the gym, pure weights and just trying to lift as heavy as I can. I'm going to smash the gym and keep eating the right stuff.

"I couldn't care less about the money, you can take that half a million. If I won that thing that's my life here. I never think of money, never played for money, I just want to be a winner."

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Robert Milkins said he had been suffering with an injury that hampered him in his loss to David Gilbert, but admitted his overall performance was not good enough.

He said: "I lost a few frames I should never have lost. I woke up in agony at 6am and I've really done something to my back. I get it once or twice a year and normally I take some Ibuprofen tablets and it has gone in a few hours, but not today.

"When I tried to put my chin on the cue it just ached really bad. It was the upper back, right at the bottom of my neck and always in the same place at the same time.

"As soon as I got here I took four tablets in the space of two hours but it didn't work and I just couldn't get down on any shot.

"David played really well in the second session and if he can play like that he might go far. Normally I would be really questioning where I'm going but in practice over the last two weeks I've been doing really well."

On throwing the cue earlier today, he said: "It's the frustration of not being able to have a good crack at it, it wasn't because I was playing badly. I shouldn't have done it, it's just that spur of the moment thing."

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

It took less than 18 minutes of action in the evening session for David Gilbert to wrap up a 13-4 win over 16th seed Robert Milkins,

Gilbert had secured a 12-4 advantage to move to the brink of the quarter-finals earlier on and Milkins was unable to take any of three chances in the 17th frame and did not even pot a ball as Gilbert clinched it 67-0 to cruise into the last eight.

For Milkins, it completes an unhappy exit and after a quick wave to the crowd, he was out of the arena and out of the competition.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Image source, Getty Images

Four-time world snooker champion John Higgins has ruled out retiring this summer, saying he expects to outlast the Crucible and play into his 50s.

Higgins, 48, will play world number three Mark Allen in the last 16 after a hard-fought 10-6 win over Welsh qualifier Jamie Jones on Thursday.

The Crucible has staged snooker's World Championship every year since 1977, but Sheffield City Council's latest contract expires in 2027 and China and Saudi Arabia have shown interest in taking the event.

Earlier this week, former World Snooker Tour chairman Barry Hearn warned the event would leave its long-time theatre home unless the building was redeveloped or a bigger arena was built nearby in the city.

There had been speculation that Higgins, 13th in the world but in danger of dropping out of the top 16, would walk away from snooker if he had a disappointing World Championship.

"No, I won't retire. This venue will be retired before I retire from snooker," said Higgins, the 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011 world champion.

"It's a shame, but with all the noises coming out from important people within the game it seems it will be leaving here in three years' time. I've had tears, joy, everything rolled into one, and your life has revolved around this venue, and it will be a sad day when it leaves."

David Gilbert is a frame away from securing a quarter-final against either Stephen Maguire or Shaun Murphy.

And Si Jiahui will look to make inroads to his four-frame deficit against Wales' Jak Jones.

You can watch those matches from 19:00 BST on the channels outlined below as well as, of course, on BBC iPlayer and right here on this page.

Image source, BBC Sport

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

World number two Judd Trump leads 11-5 against Tom Ford and is only two frames away from making the last eight for the 10th time in his career.

Trump, 34, held a 6-2 advantage and won three of the first four frames as it looked like he might win with a session to spare.

Two players - Kyren Wilson and Mark Selby - made maximum 147 breaks at the 2023 event and Ford was on course to do the same this year as he potted 10 reds and nine blacks before his break broke down at 73.

Breaks of 59 and 50 helped Trump win another two frames, but Ford did enough to take the match into Saturday's morning session before winning the last frame with a break of 83.

Scotland's Stephen Maguire, a two-time semi-finalist, leads 5-3 against 2005 champion Shaun Murphy of England with the next session on Saturday morning.

Maguire made breaks of 50, 68 and 72, while Murphy's best efforts were 56 and 57.

With the morning and afternoon sessions in the books, here's a reminder of how we stand.

Image source, .

Steve Davis
Six-time world champion on BBC Two

Stephen Maguire will be delighted - he doesn't mind playing gritty snooker.

Shaun Murphy will be slightly frustrated that he couldn't really get any open-table play.

It's advantage Maguire for sure.

Admirable effort from Shaun Murphy to get those snookers but he leaves a gimme red over the pocket and just fails to cover it with the blue.

Stephen Maguire sinks it - and the Scot will have a two-frame advantage when these two return on Saturday morning at 10:00 BST.

Shaun Murphy lays a wicked snooker behind the green, touching right up to it, and with the red close to the black down the other end of the table.

Stephen Maguire's escape narrowly fails - but it can't be called a miss with snookers required. One snooker down - but still two needed for Murphy.

Stephen Maguire punishes that Murphy miss with a very impressive visit that leaves his opponent requiring three snookers.

Michael Laverton: Is John Virgo the biggest jinx in sport??

"You'd expect him to pot this blue," says John Virgo on commentary as Shaun Murphy lines it up into the yellow pocket.

Cue ball close enough to the blue to make it relatively routine for a top pro - but Murphy jaws it. This final frame of this first session back in the balance.

Now have the snooker gods repaid Shaun Murphy for that bit of bad run he had in the previous frame?

Stephen Maguire's attempt to screw back into baulk on a shot-to-nothing goes wrong and not only leaves a red on but knocks the black right over the middle pocket too.

Steve Davis
Six-time world champion on BBC Two

It was really unlucky from Shaun's perspective.

That's hurtful when that happens, it feels like you've taken one in the stomach.

The little bits of luck aren't going Shaun Murphy's way.

He leaves a plant on after a safety - and Stephen Maguire pots it en route to a 44 break that puts him back ahead in this match once again.

Maguire can't make too many from that chance, just 20.

He puts Shaun Murphy in a snooker behind the green but a delightful decelerated swerve from the Englishman gets him out of trouble.

Misjudgement from Shaun Murphy, who goes in-off somewhat clumsily from an attempted safety.

Stephen Maguire almost does similar but the cue ball stops right on the lip of the pocket, making things very awkward for the 'Magician'.

Sure enough, Murphy leaves a red up from the tough safety shot that followed and Maguire has the first real chance of frame seven.