I said ahead of the match that I would probably not watch it “live” and I didn’t but Phil Haigh has published a good account of the encounter that ended with Ronnie leading by 5-4.

Ronnie O’Sullivan leads Ali Carter as both struggle for their best at the Crucible

Phil Haigh

Ronnie O’Sullivan has taken a 5-4 lead over Ali Carter in their first round clash at the World Snooker Championship, although neither could find their best form with any regularity at the Crucible.

The Rocket was playing his first competitive match since January and is using a new cue, so it is perhaps not surprising that he looked rusty at times.

The Captain won a couple of games to get through qualifying, but did so while struggling with a neck problem, so he too had a reason for not performing at his peak.

The pressure of the occasion and the intense gaze of the world on the Crucible may have also got to both men as we saw plenty of mistakes from the two players.

The old rivals may have been frustrated with themselves, but to their credit they did play the game in good spirits, shaking hands to commence the contest and bring the session to a close.

There were plenty of chances for both over the first three frames, with Carter taking the first and O’Sullivan grabbing the next two.

Then the Rocket fired up for the first time, knocking in a break of 107 to go to the interval 3-1 up and with some sort of confidence behind him.

The Captain won the first frame after the interval and really should have levelled the match after making a break of 60 in the sixth, but O’Sullivan eventually pinched it.

While both would say they played poorly by their own high standards, there was some quality and the next two frames were good.

O’Sullivan went 5-2 ahead with a break of 85 before Carter made a 107 to get back within two.

The last frame of the session felt significant and O’Sullivan was in early with a brilliant long red but was unfortunate to knock in a red when going into the pack after potting the blue.

There were more chances for both but it was Carter who made an impressive clearance to take it and remain within one frame.

Neither will be delighted with how they played, but they won’t be disappointed with the scoreline given the standards they were producing.

‘Really hard fought,’ six-time world champion Steve Davis said on the BBC. ‘I think considering the fact it was the first session of their campaigns.

‘Even though it wasn’t absolutely the best snooker we’ve seen this week, it was still important stuff. I think they can both be pretty proud of their performance.’

He added: ‘I think every player is quite pleased to get the first session of the World Championship out of the way. But especially Ronnie, it’s been a while since he’s been on the competitive stage.

‘I’m not saying he’ll be breathing a big sigh of relief, but, ok we’re in the tournament now and let’s look forward to the second session.’

The second session is at 2.30pm on Wednesday as they battle it out to be the first to 10 frames.

Some people eagerly anticipated a “grudge match” judging by what happened at the start of the match, both opted for good sportsmanship over personal feelings as reported in this article in “the Mirror”.

Ronnie O’Sullivan and rival Ali Carter appeared to have squashed their beef during their World Snooker Championship clash at the Crucible. The pair are battling for a place in the competition’s second round and ahead of their meeting, the Rocket offered a handshake, which was quickly accepted by his opponent.

There was a degree of anticipation surrounding how the pair would greet each other given the close proximity snooker stars operate within. Seated together ahead of the 2.30pm start, the camera cut away as O’Sullivan moved to join Carter.

But after the seven-time world champion earned the right to break, he offered his hand to The Captain, before a small exchange of words as he checked his surroundings. It was a rare moment to see before the opening break, and perhaps all the more surprising given the words the duo have shared in recent years.

Commentator and ex-world champ Stephen Hendry said: “Yeah, one of the opening exchanges has already happened. They actually shook hands at the chair, not the normal fist bump that Ronnie gives.

“It was actually quite a warm handshake, and that’s good to see. We want to see a classic match at the table, and it has all the ingredients of being so.“

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