A few laughs in the auditorium as Luca Brecel has a foul given against him for a push shot trying to nudge the white about one millimetre into a red.

David Gilbert is now eyeing up a tough red to the middle and rolls it in. With the reds all over the place this is a very good chance to mop them up and get a frame back.

Luca Brecel is in first but it's just a 32-point lead for the Belgian to sit on while he waits for another chance.

Right, back to the action...

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at the Crucible Theatre

Image source, Michael Emons

Four-time World Championship winner John Higgins thinks it is "inevitable" that the competition will move away from its Crucible home.

The Sheffield venue, which only has a capacity of 980, has held snooker's biggest event since 1977 and its current deal expires in three years, with speculation the tournament will then be moved.

"Thirty years coming here from the first time to walking in now, it's still the same buzz," said the Scot. "The history, the special moments, the tears, the heartache, the joy, spending it with my family, the Crucible has been a big part of my life and I will be sad when it goes."

Higgins, the 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011 winner added: "I think it's inevitable it will be move. The landscape of snooker might look different in three or four years. We just need to move with the times. It has been an unbelievable place to play snooker and I've been lucky enough to win the event. It just feels like the sport is bigger than one venue to hold the World Championship.

"People will be looking at the bottom line, whether it's Sheffield City Council giving more money or Saudi Arabia or China, it will come down to who offers the most."

Image source, Michael Emons

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Eddie Hearn says snooker must "embrace" investment from different parts of the globe as the debate over whether the World Championship should leave its iconic Sheffield home continues.

The Crucible Theatre has hosted snooker's flagship event since 1977.

However, with a capacity of just 980, calls to move the event have grown louder, with the venue's contract set to expire in 2027 on its 50-year anniversary.

"The problem is the Crucible is very small," Hearn told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Hearn, whose Matchroom company own a majority stake in the World Snooker Tour, added: "The tickets sell out instantly - you could sell it out four or five times, so it is difficult.

"We look at things that can continue to provide opportunities for our players, increase prize pools, grow and keep on evolving while also remembering the history of the sport, but that does not mean standing still."

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Now while we grab a brew during the break in play the World Championship's future at The Crucible has been up for discussion this week...

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Four

Luca just lost his concentration and lost his way a little bit. You need to stay in the moment and not think about the result, just go frame to frame.

He needs to play the simple shots, he is playing too loose.

Be interesting to see just what impact the mid-session interval has on both players.

Over on table two Tom Ford looks like he is edging towards a 3-1 lead over Ricky Walden.

Ken Doherty
1997 world champion on BBC Four

It's been a comedy of errors and a lot of missed chances for both players. There is no other venue in the world that does this to you apart from the Crucible.

Would you believe it? Luca Brecel completely flukes the final red into the right middle, much to David Gilbert's disgust. Frame over.

Luca Brecel is playing some strange shots here but is still at the table.

He's up to 43 with three reds remaining but two are close to the side cushions. He should only need one if it's accompanied by the black. And it is.

David Gilbert is coming back to the table 36 points behind with 35 remaining.

Miss after miss. It's David Gilbert's turn to leave his opponent in now. This has the feel of a final-frame decider in the later stages of the competition.

David Gilbert fluffs his lines but has a handy 30 points to his name.

The Englishman now takes on a long red but that's a long way off, although Luca Brecel can't quite believe that he has been left with nothing.

Luca Brecel has stalled here. A glorious long red is followed by a black but he then comes up two inches shy of the middle bag with an attempted pot.

Big chance for David Gilbert to get another frame on the board.

David Gilbert wins the sort of frame you'd see down your local snooker club.

The Englishman nearly goes in off while potting the pink but has no pot on the black. Rather than playing safe Luca Brecel goes for an inadvisable double and leaves the black up near the top corner pocket.

It took a great pot to knock it in but crikey bot players had about five chances to win that frame.

David Gilbert needs blue, pink and black but the blue is a horrible shot along the top rail so he plays safe and puts Luca Brecel in serious trouble,.

The Belgian can't hit the blue first time around but then gets it safe.

The Englishman remarkably goes in off the blue and hands the frame to his opponent, or does he? Brecel pots the blue but then leaves the pink. This is remarkable.

David Gilbert could steal this frame as he knocks in a brilliant red that just, and only just at that, passes the pink to the top right corner pocket.

He has work to do but is on the colours.

Luca Brecel is smiling after clumsily conceding a foul and then blasts a red towards the bottom corner pocket. It was never dropping at that pace.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion on BBC Two

That was a horrendous miss. There is a bit of tension out there.

Luca Brecel's counter amounts to eight points before he fails to knock an easy red into the corner.

The only consolation for the 29-year-old is that the black is covering it.