Ben Woollaston and Mark Selby were beginning their second session at about this time last night, and the all-Leicester first-round tussle went the way of the underdog.
A delighted Woollaston faces Si Jiahui next for a place in the quarter-finals, having won a Crucible match for the first time at the age of 37.
Wife Tatiana was watching on proudly, but it was back to her snooker day job this morning.
She is refereeing each session of this Allen-Wakelin match, meaning there are two Woollastons in the second round, and wrote on X that she was “honoured” to oversee Allen’s 147.
We took a look at snooker’s married couple as they both make their mark at the World Championship.
“What a shame! Wouldn’t that have been something,” says 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor on BBC Four.
So no maximum, but that brings Allen back to six behind. Two more frames until the interval.
How will Wakelin respond? He seems to have ice in his veins.
Mark Allen has one 147 to his name today, he is on seven reds and six blacks. Two 147s in this tournament gets him £147,000.
Mark Allen with Chris Wakelin in the background
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.
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.
