Here are WST reports on yesterday action in Belfast:

Morning and afternoon sessions

Teenage Ace Moody Keeps Run Going

Stan Moody took his biggest scalp so far as he beat former Crucible semi-finalist Gary Wilson 4-2 to reach round four of the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open.

After a slow start to his debut pro season, losing his first five knockout ranking event matches, 17-year-old Moody is now starting to live up to his potential. Breaks of 63 and 61 helped him to beat world number 18 Wilson and make it three wins in a row in this event. He will meet Jordan Brown or Yuan Sijun in the last 16 on Thursday afternoon.

“Out on the TV stage, to get over the line I was very pleased,” said WSF Junior Champion Moody, who could meet mentor Shaun Murphy in the quarter-finals if they both keep winning. “I missed a chance at 3-1 but then I regrouped and won the next frame. I made silly mistakes during the match so I need to improve. I am learning loads from being here and just trying to enjoy it.

“It was frustrating for me losing matches before this tournament, but I am viewing my first two years as an apprenticeship and accepting whatever happens. I had felt for a while that I was going to start winning matches because I have been playing well in practice and working with my coach. A few months ago I would have lost this match 4-3 because my head would have gone after missing the chance at 3-1, but today I stayed calm.”

Not even a fire alarm could stop Robbie Williams knocking out his namesake Mark as the world number 51 sprung a surprise with a 4-2 victory in the second round.

The closing moments of the match were interrupted by the alarm at the Waterfront Hall, which led to the whole building being evacuated while local fire-fighters investigated. Within 15 minutes the all-clear was given and play soon resumed inside the arena. Williams had been on a break of 53 and that proved enough to cross the winning line before they left the arena.

Merseyside’s Williams had earlier compiled breaks of 87 and 55 as he came from 1-0 down to take four of the last five frames. The result builds on a strong start to the season for Williams, who beat John Higgins on his way to the last 32 of the Cazoo British Open. He is into the third round again and will meet Zhang Anda next.

“I still needed match ball when the alarm first went off, but I wasn’t sure what it was so I just carried on, and thankfully did enough to get over the line,” said Williams. “Mark shook hands and said he wasn’t coming back!  It’s got to be one of my best wins, along with beating John Higgins last month, they are two legends of the game.

“This season my belief and concentration have really improved, especially out there on the TV table. I fully believe I can win a tournament and that’s my biggest ambition, to pick up a trophy.”

Hossein Vafaei top scored with 86 as he beat Anton Kazakov 4-0. “I’m feeling great,” said Iran’s top player, who meets Joe Perry next. “I see a good future for Anton, he’s a talented player, I love watching him. My target is just to be happy and play well. I love Belfast and Irish people, they are treating me really well. I used to live in Ireland so it’s like my second home.”

Cork ace Aaron Hill was a quarter-finalist at the recent Wuhan Open and he got another win under his belt with a 4-0 whitewash of Dylan Emery, while David Gilbert came from 3-2 down to edge out Matthew Stevens 4-3. BetVictor Shoot Out champion Chris Wakelin top scored with 79 in a 4-1 win over Martin O’Donnell.

BetVictor English Open runner-up Zhang Anda top scored with 131 in a 4-1 defeat of Thor Chuan Leong. He said: “I was joking with friends the other day in Wuhan saying I’ve been very busy recently, and that’s perhaps because I kept losing back then! If you lose your first match in tournaments all the time then you are supposed to be pretty free and you can have a long rest. I’ve won quite a few matches lately so it feels like there’s not much time between events. Hopefully I can win a few more rounds in every tournament.”

Late afternoon and evening sessions

Murphy And Lisowski Into Last 16

Just five of the world’s top 16 players remain in the field at the BetVictor Northern Ireland Open, and both Shaun Murphy and Jack Lisowski look like title contenders after emphatic wins on Wednesday night.

World number seven Murphy, the highest ranked player left in Belfast other than Judd Trump, eased to a 4-0 success against Sean O’Sullivan with top breaks of 80 and 70. He meets Chris Wakelin in round four on Thursday afternoon.

“We both played to a very high level tonight,” said 12-time ranking event winner Murphy. “The Home Nations events are not always won by the favourites. They have the essence of surprise because they are best of seven frames. It’s all about who has the right attitude, it’s great to see these opportunities for all the players.”

If Murphy and Stan Moody both win tomorrow then they will clash in the quarter-finals on Friday, and the former World Champion is pleased to see his young protégé showcasing his talent this week. “It’s fabulous to see the next group of players coming through,” said Murphy. “I’m in camp Moody, I was asked by the family some time ago to get involved and help. I was delighted when he got his first win to qualify for this event and now he is on a run. The likes of Stan, Liam Pullen and others are the names for the future.”

Lisowski saw off Matthew Selt 4-1 with top runs of 55, 57 and 73, setting up a match with Aaron Hill. “I had a bit of luck tonight and I made a good clearance in the last frame when I got my chance to win,” said Lisowski. “The way I feather the cue ball is a bit different this week, I am trying to give myself more time on the shot.”

Northern Ireland’s hopes of a home winner ended with Jordan Brown’s 4-2 defeat against China’s Yuan Sijun, who fired breaks of 100, 97 and 77. Stephen Maguire top scored with 73 in a 4-2 win over Sam Craigie, while Ricky Walden beat Stuart Bingham 4-1 with a high score of 102.

I didn’t watch any snooker yesterday and I’m not sure I will watch any today or in the coming days. I feel that the way it’s going is really bad, despite having some very good youngsters progressing well. It’s not at all like Mark Allen to back off the way he did. I can’t help to think that he must have been threatened with some very serious consequences for expressing his feelings. The way his apology was phrased, it’s obvious that there was nothing untrue in what he said, it was just deemed “damaging” by WST. That’s a dangerous precedent and totally wrong in my book. How do you objectively assess “damaging”?

On a more positive note, there are a lot of very good youngsters coming through. Stan Moody needed a bit of time to find his foot but he’s truly excellent. The Chinese rookies have impressed me. The young Europeans are progressing. WST isn’t doing everything wrong, notably they have given the young ones more exposure on their social media, including to the Asian and mainland European ones.

But I stand by my opinion that players, who are self-employed, should have no restrictions. Hearn, back in the days, grew snooker by touring with his stable around the world. High profile exhibitions give the sport visibility and grow its audience. WST should embrace them, they should work with the top players and try to make it a win-win collaboration rather than threatening them. That’s especially true for the older ones. If top players decide to skip an event, WST should see it as an opportunity for less known players, younger players, to shine. They are the future. As much as we love them … Ronnie, Willo, John Higgins… they are at the end of their career. They won’t be there forever. WST should allow them to make the most of it, and, at the same time, invest more in the younger talents.