Tour Championship 2024 snooker LIVE – Ali Carter takes on Barry Hawkins, Mark Selby chases comeback

Gary Wilson 6-4 Mark Selby

These two are both playing well, so this match will be decided by odd mistakes here and there. So far, ali’s made fewer.

I did not see this coming: Ali directs a simple red-to-middle into the near knuckle. But Barry then misses to left corner by a way leaving a tight cut, ands this looks like the frame.

Ali accumulates and though the awkward reds will be tricky to pot, they make his lead worth a few more than seems obviously apparent.

Barry jawses a starter and though it doesn’t roll pottable, he leaves a sitter so off the Skipper goes.

Ach, both men sink starters,Bazza making a blue harder than it needed to be and missing the post, Ali landing in the cluster. So we’re back paying safety.

Gary Wilson 5-4 Mark Selby

Ali misses the final black, but a run of 80 levels the match – the winner to face Ronnie O’Sullivan, with whom the Captain has a little bit of form.

Yup, Ali secures the frame, and both players look in form.

Bazza clips a red en route back to baulk, and Ali should polish off the frame from here.

Ali leaves himself a red that’s harder that it needs to be so it’s no great surprise when he can’t get on to a colour when he pots it; he plays safe off the green willhave wanted to make a fair few more there, but he’s a more equanimous individual these days so sits down with no fury discernable.

Barry drills a starter to right corner but on nothing easy, he opts not to take on a cut-back black, playing safe instead then, when he misses to left corner, Ali gets away. He can only manage one, but a roll-up somehow leaves one and this time, it opens up a decent chance.

Gary Wilson 5-3 Mark Selby

A run of 83 and Bazza hits the front.

Barry breaks what’s left of the cluster and that should be enough – the balls he needs to secure the frame are all there for him, plenty others too.

This is a good start from Bazza, one of the nicest men in the game, and he’ll be wanting to convert this into a frame-winner, keeping Ali off the table if he can.

Barry digs into the bunch and doesn’t land on his chosen ball, but a decent cut-back recovery keeps the run going.

Left a simple starter, Barry gets away to left-middle then proceeds up to the business end and slots blacks.

Why Hawkins v Carter is on table one with Selbz v Wilson being played to a finish, but here we are.

And welcome to the 2024 Tour Championship – day two!

A dejected John Higgins has raised fears about his future in snooker following a morale-sapping 10-7 defeat to Mark Allen at the Tour Championship.

Four-time world champion Higgins began strongly in Manchester on Monday, but blew a 4-1 lead in losing nine of the last 12 frames to crash out of the elite 12-man event amid a strong sense of regret.

Despite producing fine breaks of 85, 75, 55, 66, 82, 62 and 86, the 31-time ranking event winner lost three frames on black balls and also watched Allen roll in a pivotal break of 93 leading 8-7 in the 16th frame after Higgins touched a green with his sleeve when lining up a long red from the D.

The Scotsman turned professional in 1992 and has lifted the world title in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011, but admits his 30th trip to the Crucible for the World Championship later this month (April 20-May 6) could be his “final go” at winning the sport’s biggest event for a fifth time.

Speaking after his defeat to Allen, a clearly deflated Higgins said: “I should have been in front today, lost a bad frame when I definitely should have made it 5-2 I think.

“Then it is 4-4, but I think Mark played better tonight. Again, I missed two or three unforgivable balls at this level that you cannot afford to miss.

“My long game was non-existent as well. At this level, it’s not good enough. It’s not good enough against the best players.

“I just need to dust myself down a couple of weeks before the worlds, try to get some good practice in and go there and give it a final go maybe.”