World Snooker Championship 2014 live on BBC & Eurosport – Sport On The Box 3 The snooker season reaches its climax with 32 of the world’s top players battling over 17 days for the title of 2014 World Champion and BBC Sport and British Eurosport will be screening daily coverage from Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. The top 16 seeds plus 16 qualifiers will be competing for one of the most famous trophies in sport, as well as a record top prize of £300,000. The World Championship has always been the most prestigious tournament on the snooker calendar and this year boasts the biggest prize fund, as well as offering important ranking points for the following season. World champion and snooker’s biggest name Ronnie O’Sullivan will be defending the title he won for a fifth time last year, with the likes world number one Neil Robertson, Chinese ace Ding Junhui, Judd Trump, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy among the other leading contenders for the crown.

O’Sullivan is looking to win the tournament for the third consecutive year, a feat that has not been achieved since Stephen Hendry did so in 1994, during the Scotman’s undisputed reign as the king of snooker in the early 1990s. ‘The Rocket’ has had an impressive season, winning the Masters, Champion of Champions, Welsh Open and Paul Hunter Classic and the 38-year-old will be aiming to hold onto his title again this year, which would put him level with the legendary Steve Davis on six world titles. Having remarkably won in 2013 after taking a nine-month break from competition, O’Sullivan is favourite to claim an historic six world title after a strong showing this season, though ‘The Rocket’ is not the only player looking to rewrite the record books in Sheffield. China’s Ding Junhui has been the season’s star-man and victory at the Crucible will make him the first player since Stephen Hendry in 1991 to win five ranking titles in one season.

Ding will also be keen to avenge his 9-3 defeat to O’Sullivan in the Welsh Open final, a match that saw the latter record a 12th competitive 147 break to seal the title. Other contenders at the Crucible include current world number one Neil Robertson, who became the first Australian to win the world title in 2010, and Leicester’s Mark Selby, who will be eyeing a first World Championship title having won virtually every other major televised tournament going. The 17-day World Championship will again provide an unmissable feast of top class snooker and will be televised in over 70 countries worldwide to a global audience of over 300 million. World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said: “This is truly one of the great events on the sporting calendar and there are hundreds of millions of fans across the planet eagerly awaiting the moment when the defending champion steps out on the first morning. “The atmosphere at the Crucible is unique in sport and those lucky enough to be inside the arena are going to experience something truly spectacular.

“We have increased the prize money this year to £1,214,000 with the winner to receive the biggest cheque in the history of snooker. With so many top players in form and in contention, it’s going to be an incredible 17 days.” Follow the 2014 World Snooker Championship on BBC Sport & British Eurosport: . The BBC will bring snooker fans the very best action from the 2014 World Championship with over 150 hours of TV coverage on BBC One and BBC Two, as well as live action via Red Button and online. All 17 days of the slow-burning tension and drama of the sport’s biggest tournament will be shown live on BBC Sport via TV and online, with daily TV coverage from Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre – from the opening frames to all four sessions of the final. Hazel Irvine will lead again lead BBC Sport’s presentation team throughout the event alongside Jason Mohammad. The presenting team will primarily be based in a studio inside the ‘Cue Zone’ located within Sheffield’s Winter Gardens, directly opposite the Crucible Theatre.

They will be joined by an expert team of guests and commentators, including snooker legends Steve Davis, John Parrott, Stephen Hendry, Ken Doherty, Dennis Taylor, Terry Griffiths, John Virgo and Willie Thorne. All network television coverage on BBC One and BBC Two will be broadcast in high-definition, bringing the vibrant colours and sounds of the sport’s showpiece event to life. Once again this year, BBC Two will have live coverage of the morning sessions on weekdays, in addition to a further five hours of action in its usual afternoon programme. From Saturday, April 26, the first hour of each evening session will be covered on BBC Two, while BBC Red Button will broadcast further live action throughout the tournament, including the majority of evening sessions and those sessions not covered on BBC One/Two. Snooker fans can watch live and uninterrupted coverage from both tables during each day of the tournament via the BBC Sport website or the BBC Sport app on internet-connected TVs, consoles and mobile phones. The BBC Sport website will also provide all the scores, schedules and latest news from the Crucible Theatre.

Viewers can catch up on each day’s play with regular nightly highlights programmes on BBC Two, followed by a further two hours of coverage in Snooker Extra. All of the BBC’s live TV coverage will be available to watch online via the BBC Sport website and full programmes can be viewed again on-demand via the BBC iPlayer . BBC Radio 5 live will also broadcast daily updates from the Crucible, while social media updates can be found via @BBCSnooker , ensuring coverage across all BBC platforms during the event. Scroll down below for the full BBC TV schedule for the 2014 World Snooker Championship. . British Eurosport will also broadcast extensive live coverage of the season-ending World Championship from the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Its two channels – British Eurosport and British Eurosport 2 – will screen full live high-definition coverage from all 17 days of the entire championships. The pan-European broadcaster’s commentary line-up includes former world champion Joe Johnson, former world number three Neal Foulds, Mike Hallett, Dave Hendon and Philip Studd. Eurosport has also signed up five-time world champion Ronnie O’Sullivan to contribute a blog on the Eurosport.com network of websites during the tournament.

Highlights programmes will air at various times throughout the fortnight while all the action will be available to watch via the online subscription service Eurosport Player . World Snooker Championship 2014 Final: Scores, Results, Schedule and More | Bleacher Report World Snooker Championship 2014 Final: Scores, Results, Schedule and More By Gianni Verschueren , Featured Columnist May 4, 2014 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow Gareth Copley/Getty Images 1 Comment Two players are left standing in the 2014 World Snooker Championship, as Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Selby will square off in a best-of-35 final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. "The Rocket" will be defending a title he has won in back-to-back years and has looked like his usual dominant self throughout much of the tournament. Selby, however, will play without any pressure as O'Sullivan is widely expected to make it three in a row. He showed everyone he was in superb control of his game with his thrilling semi-final win over Neil Robertson, holding off the world No. 1 to win 17-15.

The final will start with two sessions on Sunday, and the first player to reach 18 frame wins will be crowned World Champion. May 5, Evening Session Gareth Copley/Getty Images Mark Selby produced an incredible display in the last session of the World Snooker Championship final to defeat defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan 18-14 and lift the famous trophy. There was just one frame in it going into the evening session, with Selby 12-11 ahead, but that lead did not last long at all. The Rocket came out and knocked in a break of 100 to level the game up in no time at all. Selby showed that he was not to be worried, though, as he battled hard to win the next three frames and go within three of victory. This epic tussle continued to swing to-and-fro, however, as O’Sullivan proved he was still up for the fight with dogged displays in the 28th and 29th and frames, both of which he won.

The score stood at 15-14 to Selby, and many would have made The Rocket the favourite at that point, but this is where the Jester from Leicester really proved he is now the best in the world. He chose this point to make his highest break of the match (127) and then made a superb 87 in the next to go just one frame from victory. O’Sullivan had the chance to wrap up that 32nd frame but missed the yellow to clinch it. Selby stepped up needing all the colours to win the title, most of which were tricky, but he showed no nerves as he cleared the table and became world champion. The new champion told the BBC : It was amazing. It could not be better. There's no better way than beating Ronnie in the final. I dug in, I did not play pretty snooker early on but as it wore on I thought I did well. It was a tough day yesterday and the last two games were huge. To get back into 10-7 gave me a chance. It's not really sunk in but my father passed away when I was 16 and I always said I wanted to win the world title for him.

O'Sullivan proved a gracious loser in his first World Championship final defeat, saying: I want to congratulate Mark on a fantastic tournament he's been the best player over 17 days, that was tough he had me in all sorts of trouble. In the end I was numb as he was too strong. Selby's achievement does not end at winning the world title for a first time. He returns to the world No. 1 spot and becomes only the ninth man to win snooker's Triple Crown of the World Championship, Masters and UK Championship. The new champion takes home a mammoth £300,000 for his efforts—the greatest single winner's prize in the history of the sport. The penultimate session of the final belonged to Mark Selby. Mark Selby 12-11 Ronnie O'Sullivan Ronnie O'Sullivan took the initiative right from the off in the first frame of the afternoon. 10-7 up overnight, you sensed that the defending champion wanted to get things over with as quickly as possible. A lack of concentration saw him down the cue ball and Mark Selby took full advantage, a break of 55 taking him back to within two frames.

At 73-22 up in the second, Selby needed just a red to leave O'Sullivan with snookers, but a missed pot let the latter back in. Fortunately for Selby, O'Sullivan couldn't take advantage. The five-frame advantage O'Sullivan held from the previous evening was gently but very definitely being eroded by Selby. The confidence of the "Jester from Leicester" was clearly sky high as he strode confidently around the table and a well-built break of 74 took him level, and the Crucible erupted as he took the last frame before the mid-session break. During live commentary, BBC TV's John Parrot noted: If you're Ronnie O'Sullivan what do you do [...] since the first frame he's been outplayed. Every time he comes to the table he's been outplayed [...] there's always a problem, something to solve, lots of snookers. Things were that bad for the "Rocket" that a sports psychiatrist was summonsed to his dressing room where he stayed throughout the mid-session break. Both players suffered unbelievably from nerves in the first frame back, missing colour after colour. Even the simplest of pots seemed beyond them.

Selby took the chance to go ahead and things began to look anonymous for O'Sullivan. In a sign of his character a 50 break saw O'Sullivan draw level, taking the frame 76-38. At 11 frames apiece, the tournament director took the decision in the middle of the next frame to make it the last, and give the player a rest before the final evening session. It ended up being the longest frame of the day as the advantage swung back and forth, both players careful with their safety shots. At 58-57 to O'Sullivan, it looked for all the world as if the defending champion would go into the final session ahead. A missed pink astonished the entire crowd and the commentary team who noted "even a pub player could've potted it. Unbelievable." It allowed Selby the chance to nick the frame on a very difficult black and go into the final session ahead. Only one frame in the afternoon for O'Sullivan really puts him under pressure for the evening session. Where O'Sullivan looks erratic, Selby by contrast has looked confident and assured. It will be the first time O'Sullivan has gone into the final session at the Crucible behind.

Only four people in the Crucible's illustrious history have managed to win the title from that position. Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-7 Mark Selby Ronnie O’Sullivan takes a lead into the second day of the World Snooker Championship Final on Monday after finishing Sunday evening’s second session 10-7 ahead of Mark Selby. The Rocket led 5-3 after the afternoon session and kicked-off the evening session in fine style as he claimed the first three frames on the players’ return. A half-century in both the tenth and eleventh frame from the defending champion saw him open up a commanding five-frame lead. Selby was struggling to find his best form and was missing a number of chances; however, he dug in to win the next two frames and reduce his deficit to three. This seemed to spur on O’Sullivan, though, as he then produced his best form of the match as yet. The Rocket knocked in a stunning break of 131 and followed that with an 87 to reopen his five-frame advantage. The Jester from Leicester was in danger of being left for dead by the five-time winner of this event.

However, he once again proved his mettle by claiming the final two frames of the day. This leaves him as a significant underdog, but also very much in the match going into the second day. Play will resume at 2 p.m. BST on Monday with two more sessions scheduled on Monday. Gareth Copley/Getty Images Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-3 Mark Selby The Rocket dominated the opening session of this match before the interval, but Selby fought back from a 3-1 deficit and looked to tie things up at four frames each headed into the evening. A crucial miss on black with no reds left on the table proved decisive, however, and as O'Sullivan cleared the table and grabbed the win on the very last shot, it became clear Selby would have to be at his very best to stop The Rocket from winning his third consecutive title at the Crucible. The 5-3 score looks quite misleading, as O'Sullivan outscored Selby 398 to 171 points during the first six frames.

The sport's biggest star was clearly feeling his shot-making, but his opponent seemed to have the advantage in safeties and fought himself back into the match by exploiting O'Sullivan's aggressive nature. Consistency has often been a problem for Selby, though, and after a fluky red in the final frame, a bad miss on black gave The Rocket a two-frame lead after the first session. O'Sullivan would match legends Steve Davis and Ray Reardon by winning a sixth World Championship should he win this match, just one shy of Stephen Hendry's record. As he told the BBC , it's a record he'd love to share, even if the record itself is not the end goal for the Rocket: I would be lying if I said if I didn't think about reaching six and then seven and breaking Hendry's record. But it wasn't a goal I set myself - sometimes I think it is a long way to go and it doesn't sit well with my mental preparations. If it happens, great, if not, I've got five already. When I got to four I knew I was up there with the legends of the game so to have got five is great.

To get to six would be fantastic but I still look back on my career and it is something to be proud of. Play will resume later in the evening, and after a somewhat sloppy opening session, look for O'Sullivan to continue attacking as he starts to build a rhythm. If The Rocket can get back to the form he displayed before the interval, there seems to be little Selby could do to stop him. "The Jester From Leicester" will have to polish his game fast, as any mistake will prove to be costly against a player like O'Sullivan. His safety game has worked well so far, but at some point, Selby will have to start matching O'Sullivan for pots.

Snooker World Championship 2014: Ronnie O’Sullivan on course for sixth title with 10-7 lead over Mark Selby - Telegraph Snooker Snooker World Championship 2014: Ronnie O’Sullivan on course for sixth title with 10-7 lead over Mark Selby Defending champion soon hits the front in his third consecutive final but is made to fight by stubborn opponent in the best-of-35-frame contest Ronnie O'Sullivan plots another winner Photo: ACTION IMAGES By Jim White , at the Crucible 12:31AM BST 05 May 2014 Follow Ronnie O’Sullivan on Sunday night took a stride towards picking up his sixth world snooker title. Easing into a 10-7 lead at the halfway point of his final against Mark Selby, he treated the Crucible crowd to a couple of breathtaking century breaks on his way to what looks like the inevitable. The champion arrived for his third world final on the bounce refreshed after a day off. By contrast, Selby had spent his Saturday engaged in a draining, 12-hour semi-final against Neil Robertson.

As he stepped into the Crucible, Selby appeared to be suffering after his marathon. Sitting in his chair watching O’Sullivan race into a three-frame lead, he was hollow-eyed, sallow, the stubble blooming across his chin. He looked finished. But the Jester from Leicester, as he is somewhat incongruously known, has a firmer constitution than to crumble. Despite a highest break of just 58, he tried manfully to halt O’Sullivan’s acceleration. Related Articles Neil Robertson near century of centuries 28 Apr 2014 Selby finished the afternoon session but 5-3 down. He might have gone into the interval tying with the champion had he not fluffed a red when poised to clear the table. Unfortunately, when he emerged for the evening, it became immediately apparent Selby had not exhausted his bad luck. He began the session with two unforced errors, then potted the white after sinking his first red, before hitting the pink illegally. So his ill fortune continued as he missed several pots, one in the 11th frame so straightforward it drew an incredulous ooh from the crowd. O’Sullivan does not shy from taking advantage of such slip-ups.

Dressed entirely in black like a cue-wielding Johnny Cash, he seized on every opportunity to move relentlessly towards victory. It is 10 years since O’Sullivan first won this title. He has never lost a Crucible final and now bestrides his sport with a totality that should alert the Monopolies Commission. Yet, every frame he got closer to joining Steve Davis and Ray Reardon in the pantheon as a six-times world champion was greeted with rapturous applause. O’Sullivan is an unusual British sportsman in that his mastery is celebrated rather than scorned. Although Selby had his supporters, there was no overwhelming enthusiasm for the underdog; how they love O’Sullivan at the Crucible. Mind, he had to fight for it. Obliged by his stubborn opponent to take longer over his frames, required to play more tactically than is usual in his rocket-powered delivery, he was nonetheless mesmerising. One zigzag shot to escape a snooker displayed PhD levels of geometry; another to leave Selby horribly snookered a masterpiece of fiendish intent; his shot to drop a red in the middle pocket during a stunning 131 break in the 14th frame defied physics.

It was a battle of attrition rather than a barnstorming romp, yet, watching him negotiating his way past as sizeable an obstacle as Selby, is to see the game as it should be played. His inner chimp pacified by the psychologist Steve Peters, he finished the evening looking utterly relaxed, utterly in control. As if he knows destiny awaits. World Championship Quarter-Final Preview – SnookerHQ • ( Leave a comment ) We’re into the final week of the 2014 World Snooker Championship and the field of 32 players has been whittled down to the last eight. There were a few upsets in the opening few days but most of the encounters went true to form and the remaining octet are merited quarter-finalists. The defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan remains the favourite but he is joined by two further former world champions, a trio of previous runners-up, a former Masters champion and a two-time ranking event winner. To say that the tournament boasts a collection of players who garner plenty of experience in the big moments is an understatement. That, then, should result in a thrilling climax to this year’s event at the Crucible in Sheffield.

Let’s have a look at the four quarter-final ties. Quarter-Final #1 Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Shaun Murphy Reigning champ Ronnie O’Sullivan was given his sternest test at the Crucible in years as he came through a titanic tussle with fellow Englishman Joe Perry a 13-11 winner. The ‘Rocket’ had been 11-9 down at the final mid-session interval but refused to let his chances of a sixth crown, equaling the greats Steve Davis and Ray Reardon, go at such an early stage. Not many would have expected Perry to have wilted under the pressure of facing O’Sullivan but even fewer would have predicted how grueling a contest he provided the 38 year-old with. There were long periods of the match in which it looked like O’Sullivan’s 11-match unbeaten streak in the arena was coming to an unlikely end. For long periods the Chigwell cueist was not at his best, struggling particularly with his safety and long potting. However, resuming 9-7 down, he managed to turn things around in the last session and was at his vintage best at the death as he fired in consecutive century breaks to seal the comeback victory.

O’Sullivan’s fist pump reaction to the delight of the crowd reflected what the win meant to him and his ambitions of a third title on the trot live on strongly. It doesn’t get any easier, though, with 2005 champion Shaun Murphy his upcoming challenge. Murphy had a slightly easier time of it in his last 16 clash with Hong Kong’s Marco Fu. This affair was expected to be close from the beginning and so it proved as it stood at 9-7 in favour of the Englishman at the end of the second session. Many still thought it could go all the way to a decider but a couple of close frames went in favour of Murphy early in the third session and when he went 12-7 ahead the writing was on the wall. Fu mounted a mini comeback but it was always going to be a lot of work to get back on level terms and Murphy progressed with a 13-8 success. It’s been a good second half to the season for Murphy, having emerged with titles in the Gdynia Open and Hiakou World Open – his first pieces of silverware in almost three years.

The 31 year-old and O’Sullivan actually haven’t met all that many times outside of the Premier League but their last meeting in a ranking event came over the best-of-25 frames in the second round of the 2011 World Championship. O’Sullivan won that duel 13-10 and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it go that close, or even closer, this time around as well. One feels that Murphy has to pound O’Sullivan early just as Perry managed to do and perhaps the ‘Magician’ will be bettered equipped to maintain a lead if he can attain one. Yet, O’Sullivan will be full of confidence again with the manner of his latest victory and he may begin to play with a renewed sense of freedom – an ominous sight for any opponent. Predicted Winner: Ronnie O’Sullivan Quarter-Final #2 Barry Hawkins vs Dominic Dale This was the quarter that everyone expected to be dominated by five-time ranking event winner this season Ding Junhui. However, the Chinese was sent crashing in the first round in a deciding frame thriller with debutant Michael Wasley.

Wasley’s heroics, having come through four rounds of qualifying to even get to the Crucible for the first time, spent his energy and it was always going to be difficult for him to continue his run even longer. Dominic Dale, thus, was able to capitalise and inflict a heavy 13-4 defeat on the Gloucester ‘Gladiator’ to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years. Dale has been a solid professional for more than two decades and is in an elite band of players who have won a ranker – in fact, he’s won two. Unbelievably, for a player of obvious ability, the Welshman has never featured inside the world’s top 16, surely making him the best player never to do so. The 42 year-old, dubbed the ‘Spaceman’ for his eccentric manner both on and off the table, is a likable guy who has a good affiliation with many fans the world over. After winning the Sky Shoot-Out in January, Dale has enjoyed a return to form and his place in the last eight is deserved given the hard graft he puts in.

Whether or not he can go on to feature in the one-table set-up of the semi-finals remains to be seen, but it is fair to label him as the second favourite in his encounter with Hawkins. Last year’s runner-up looked excellent in his first match with David Gilbert but needed all of his recently acquired mettle on the circuit to overcome common rival Ricky Walden 13-11. This pair had already fought out a couple of tight battles in the last year, with Hawkins coming out on top in Sheffield at the semi-final stage 12 months ago and Walden coming from 5-2 behind to edge the ‘Hawk’ 6-5 in this season’s Masters. It was Kent player’s turn this time again as the PTC Grand Finals champion came from 9-5 down to just pip his friend at the death. Hawkins has been one of the most improved players on the Main Tour over the last couple of seasons, funnily enough since he himself collected the Shoot-Out trophy in 2012.

The 35 year-old will therefore start this match as favourite but it would be foolish to rule out Dale completely as he is the type of player who can conjure up fantastic snooker from almost nowhere. In addition, this may be his last chance he will have to get this far in the big one again, so he will certainly be giving it his all, but Hawkins definitely has the edge on paper. Predicted Winner: Barry Hawkins Mark Selby wins the 2014 World Snooker Championship - Yahoo Sport Mark Selby wins the 2014 World Snooker Championship By Steven O'Rourke 5 May 2014 22:35    Mark selby has won the 2014 World Snooker Championship after an 18-14 win over defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Crucible this evening. Selby – who trailed 8-3 and 10-5 at different stages Sunday – won five of the six frames on offer in Monday’s afternoon session and took a 12-11 lead into tonight’s final session.

With O’Sullivan looking to become just the fifth man in history to win while trailing in the final session, it didn’t take the Rocket long to level things up, his 100 break coming in just seven minutes 38 seconds. However, Selby again showed the grit that has defined him in this final and took the next three frames to lead 15-12 and ensure O’Sullivan had lost more than 14 frames for the first time in a World Championship final. After a mid-session break, five-time winner O’Sullivan bounced back again, a remarkable yellow in the 29th frame helping him cut the gap to just one frame at 14-15. However, that prompted Selby’s best snooker of the match with a wonderful break of 127 followed by 87 to restore his three frame lead and, though O’Sullivan went 56-0 ahead in the 32nd frame, Selby chipped away and nailed all the colours to win. Selby returns to world number one with the win.

Ronnie O'Sullivan races into world championship final | Sport | The Guardian Ronnie O'Sullivan races into world championship final • Defending champion beats Barry Hawkins 17-7 in quick time • Mark Selby leads Neil Robertson 9-7 in other semi-final Ronnie O'Sullivan, the defending champion, concentrates in his semi-final against Barry Hawkins at the world championship. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images Press Association Friday 2 May 2014 18.08 EDT First published on Friday 2 May 2014 18.08 EDT Close This article is 2 years old Ronnie O'Sullivan booked his place in the final of the World Championship after he defeated Barry Hawkins 17-7 in their semi-final on Friday . The defending champion had stretched his lead to 11-5 after the morning session and, despite his opponent going close to winning the three frames he needed to force the match into a deciding session on Saturday, O'Sullivan was always in control.

'The Rocket' punished the mistakes made by Hawkins to give himself a day off as he recorded breaks of 76, 55, 103 and 84 in the evening session on the way to setting up a final showdown with Mark Selby or Neil Robertson. It means O'Sullivan will compete in his sixth World Championship final. At one stage it seemed to be becoming a formality for O'Sullivan to win a second match in a row with the added humiliation for his opponent of failing to go the distance, as he burned to a 10-2 lead after breaks of 83, 53, 112 and 106. Shaun Murphy had suffered a snooker annihilation at the hands of O'Sullivan in the quarter-finals, taking a 13-3 pasting. Hawkins finished for lunch with a terrific 106 break but could only take two frames in the evening session, one with a break of 67, as he again struggled to find the groove.

Against O'Sullivan, the man who beat him in the final last May, the 35-year-old Kent potter needed to pull out his best form, but in the end his opponent had too much for him and came through with a session to spare. Hawkins was out of sorts as they began the morning, gifting O'Sullivan openings and having to stay seated while the five-time world champion scoffed down the chances. O'Sullivan, remarkably, had potted his first 100 balls of the morning in the time it took Hawkins to sink just five. The 20-minute mid-session interval allowed Hawkins to regroup, and he took two of the next three frames before making it three from four with the century break as O'Sullivan lost some of his sparkle. Yet with Robertson and Selby contesting the other semi-final - a match that is guaranteed to finish on Saturday - the chance to take a day-long breather between matches was appealing and in the end achievable for the man chasing a hat-trick of consecutive titles in Sheffield, as he claimed the six frames he needed to progress.

The world No1, Robertson, and 2007 Crucible runner-up, Selby, were engaged in a gripping contest and their second session came with a late twist.Having looked like remaining close all the way through to Saturday evening's scheduled final session, Selby pulled away from 7-6 and appeared certain to seize an overnight 10-6 advantage. But having reached 53 on a brisk visit in the 16th frame, Selby missed an easy black and presented Robertson with a chance he could not afford to refuse. Duly the Australian rifled in a break of 61 that meant he halved the session and will resume in the morning just 9-7 adrift. The session had begun rich in promise for Robertson, as he buzzed from 5-3 behind at the start to 5-5, reaching parity with a break of 113, the 102nd century of his record-breaking season. Robertson had fought from 5-1 behind to beat Selby in the final of December's UK Championship, but this time the Leicester potter was not proving so easy to swat aside.

Out went Selby's lead to two frames again at 7-5, and despite Robertson punching in a break of 72 to cut the gap, the 2010 world champion soon found himself staring at a probable four-frame overnight deficit. From his seat Robertson would have feared the worst as Selby piled on the points, but the blunder on the black allowed the 32-year-old back in, and his classy clearance to the pink brought a satisfying reward. They return at 10am on Saturday, before playing to a finish at night. World Snooker Championship 2014 Final: Date, Time, TV and Live Stream Info | Bleacher Report World Snooker Championship 2014 Final: Date, Time, TV and Live Stream Info By Stuart Newman , Featured Columnist May 3, 2014 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories Warren Little/Getty Images 0 Comments After two weeks of thrilling tournament action, Monday will see the rightful king of snooker crowned at the famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

All the best players in the world have travelled to South Yorkshire to show their skills on the baize and now just two remain: defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan and world number three Mark Selby. The bookies have made O’Sullivan the clear favourite having won five world crowns in the past, whilst Selby is the underdog as he is yet to lift the famous trophy. Below, we assess the Rocket's chances of making it six; followed by the Hester from Leicester’s hopes of upsetting the odds. Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Date: Sunday, May 4—Monday, May 5 TV Info: BBC 2 (UK Only) Live Stream: BBC 2 website (UK only), Eurosport (mainland Europe) Ronnie O'Sullivan Gareth Copley/Getty Images The Rocket has produced the kind of dominant performances that only a player of his mind-blowing calibre is capable of in this year’s World Championship so far, disposing of Robin Hull, Joe Perry and Shaun Murphy to reach his semi-final against Barry Hawkins. O'Sullivan picked apart Hull and Murphy with minimal fuss, surrendering just seven frames across the two matches but looked out of sorts against Perry in his second-round match.

At 11-9 down and looking shaky when in the balls, the Rocket suddenly decided to spring to life and end Perry's crucible dreams. The 38-year-old chalked up four frames on the spin to take a 13-11 victory, with two impressive centuries in the final two frames—a beautifully crafted 124 followed by a 113 haul. Amazing stuff from Ronnie O'Sullivan, what a player. — Richard Osman (@richardosman) April 26, 2014 Going for his third successive World Championship title, it was as if O'Sullivan said to himself after frame 20 that he wasn't going to give up on his dreams of a hat-trick just yet, and he produced his very best when it mattered most. He continued his strong form against Murphy in the quarter-final, where he took 13 of the final 14 frames to record a convincing victory.

A player of Murphy’s ability would usually have given O’Sullivan a scare, but he appeared intimidated against the Essex cueman throughout the match; and that's something that O'Sullivan enjoys when he’s at the table— per Hector Nunns of the Mirror : I do feel like I intimidate people and, if I get going, I put pressure on my opponent. It’s not the name, it’s what you do on the table. That’s what can happen as a top player and, as Stephen Hendry used to say, it is an advantage. The Rocket had the beating of Hawkins in his semi-final, meaning that it'll be three finals on the row for O'Sullivan, but will it be three Crucible crowns? Mark Selby Matthew Lewis/Getty Images The world number three may not have the World Championship pedigree of his opponent, but he certainly knows how to win big tournaments. Selby is a three-time Masters champion and added the UK Championship to his trophy cabinet in 2012. Other ranking title victories include the Welsh Open, Shanghai Masters and Wuxi Classic, so he certainly knows how to get over the line.

Interestingly, two of those finals have been against O’Sullivan; the 2012 Welsh Open and the 2010 Masters. Every player knows they are in for a tough match against the Rocket, but Selby may just be more confident than most in claiming victory. Selby said of O’Sullivan, in a press conference: "Ronnie's a genius and doesn't fear anyone. He's played some great snooker in patches and he's missed a few balls and people haven't punished him. I know I'll get my chances, but it's a matter of whether I take them or not." Michael Regan/Getty Images The Jester from Leicester may not have been entirely inspiring in the early rounds of this event, but he came to life in a thrilling semi-final victory over Neil Robertson. It was an epic battle against the Aussie, but Selby prevailed 17-15, closing it out with a nerveless break of 74.

Question: What was the nickname of the defending champion in the 2014 World Snooker Championship?
Answer: The Rocket