Players Championship snooker LIVE – Mark Selby takes on Barry Hawkins, Zhang Anda v Noppon Saengkham, Judd Trump later

Zhang Anda 1-3 Noppon Saengkham

No ton, but a run of 73 and we’re level at the interval. Missed opportunity for Barry.

Excellent pink to left-middle, then a wed weleases wthe wblack and this frame is more or less over.

It’s Mark who wins it, of course, a red to left corner earning him a chance to level the match. He’ll be delighted if he can get out of this mini-sesh at 2-2; Bazza looks a little peaky.

All the more so when Barry flukes his way out of trouble; he lands on nowt, though, so we have a protracted period of safety.

Mark measures one into left corner and starts picking. As I mentioned earlier, his problem lately has been dreadful shots here and there, rather than uniform poor play, so though he looks decent now, he might not in three minutes. And as I type, he loses hold of the white, so has to play safe. It’s a proper struggle for him at the moment.

Zhang Anda 1-2 Noppon Saengkham

I’m sure Barry would’ve took 2-1 after three, but he’ll be narked it’s not 3-0.

Mark pots a lovely brown and blue, one a cut-back and the other a drill. Lovely stuff.

It’s Mark who lozzes the final red, a blue sent long follows, and he should close out from here.

Mark tries to put the brown safe but instead leaves a double, Barry hits it beautifully and it scuttles straight down. From there, it’s behind the yellow, and the Jester hits second time.

Mark runs out of position so has to play safe; there are three reds left. He doubtless wanted the frame sorted at that visit, but he’ll feel like he’s in the match, perhaps.

He plays it nicely too, liberating a couple of reds, then goes again knowing he’s one in reserve. But … what?! Seeking to stick one in right corner, he catches a different otherone first, leaving Mark a chance, and that is not something anyone wants to do. If he’s down, keep him there.

Mark lamps a tremendous starter into the corner, but a terrible miss on a red suggests a man low on confidence. Barry won’t need asking twice, but there aren’t loads of loose reds so at some point he’ll need to play a big shot.

Zhang Anda 1-1 Noppon Saengkham

Mark needs to find himself, fast.

This is really good from Barry, he nails one with the rest to left corner – he’s so good with that in hand – and if he can nab just one of the next two, Mark is in trouble.

Booooo! Bazza comes up for the blue, rightly so, then off the black a nice little cannon releases another ball or two. If he can get sa pink into left-middle, he’ll feel the frame is nearly his … and down it goes. Very good, as Fouldsy likes to say.

They’re good mates these two, so part of Barry won’t have enjoyed how much Mark struggled in that first frame. But he’s a pro and quickly doubles a terrific starter, then adds the black. Already, this is a good chance – for who knows what?! – because the reds are really nicely spread.

Zhang Anda 1-0 Noppon Saengkham

We get there in the end, Mark leaving yellow over left corner and conceding.

Mark develops reds but the last of them is now on the side rail; he looks to drop in behind it off the pink … does … and misses the pot! Can Barry send it down? Being lefty won’t help, except he uses the rest righty doesn’t he, and strokes down a beauty. When Mark returns to the table, he requires two snookers.

Oh man. Barry seeks a thin contact with the rest, having eschewed a pot, and well, he might as well have tried the pot because his ball entirely, leaves Mark in, and he’ll be concerned.

Poor shot from Mark leaves Barry in, but he barely pots one into left corner – it drags on the near knuckle – and that takes him out of position. He’s not happy with himself stood there, but with four balls above the top rail he looks a warm favourite for the frame.

A terrible shot from Barry means end of break, then Mark goes in-off; no matter, he leaves nowt, pots a long one … and another one, to the opposite corner. But he soon runs out of position, finding a very nice safety shot that allows him a go at a shot to nothing … which doesn’t drop.

Left a mid-distancer to the corner, Barry gets away then breaks the pack, and this is a really good chance to go in front. Neither player is quite playing as they can – Mark has been alternating brilliance and silliness, sometimes in the same frame – but Bazza has been a little more reliable.

I know, the plot-twist no one saw coming. But he’s always right because it always is, so.

Barry Hawkins v Mark Selby, with updates from Zhang Anda v Noppon Saengkham, then this evening it’s Judd Trump v Ali Carter. Amen to all of that.

And welcome to another delightful day of Players Championship snook.

“I’m just trying to get away with playing as least as I can,” O’Sullivan said afterwards.

“I feel happier doing that and, you know, just treat it like a bit of match practice. Take what I can from the tour.”