Snooker LIVE: Ronnie O’Sullivan beats Anthony McGill in UK Championship

Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his UK Snooker Championship campaign this afternoon as he takes on Anthony McGill in the last 32 at the Barbican Centre in York.

The seven-time world champion remains snooker’s biggest star at the age of 47 and is hunting an eighth UK Championship crown this week, although a first since 2018. Gritty Scotsman McGill will be far from a pushover however, as a two-time ranking event winner and former World Championship semi-finalist, while he also famously beat O’Sullivan 13-12 at the Crucible in the 2021 Worlds.

O’Sullivan returns to the baize after a week of promoting his new documentary ‘The Edge of Everything’, a no-holds-barred, crushingly honest look at his life and career – from his battle with addiction to his father being jailed for murder and his enduring genius on the snooker table. ‘The Rocket’ described watching the documentary as a “harrowing” experience but must now turn his focus back to the baize.

McGill won’t settle for just being a bit-part player in the latest chapter of the Ronnie story though, as he looks to claim a maiden ‘triple crown’ trophy in York this week and return to the world’s top 16. The 32-year-old has recently taken to using a jet-black, carbon-fibre cue in a bid to improve performances and early results have been promising.

Follow the action from the York Barbican with our live blog below:

Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Anthony McGill live

• Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his UK Snooker Championship campaign with comfortable win over Scotland’s Anthony McGill

• RESULT: Ronnie O‘Sullivan 6-2 Anthony McGill

• O’Sullivan is back on the baize after a week spent promoting his new documentary ‘The Edge of Everything’

• The searingly honest doc has been widely praised although O’Sullivan described watching it as ‘harrowing’

Ronnie O’Sullivan on his new Amazon documentary: ‘It was harrowing to watch back’

Tuesday 28 November 2023 17:02 , Harry Latham-Coyle

And at the premiere of the documentary, our Lawrence Ostlere snared O’Sullivan for a typically frank chat:

Ronnie O’Sullivan on his new Amazon documentary: ‘It was harrowing to watch back’

Ronnie O’Sullivan is our greatest sportsman – and the most devastatingly honest

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:55 , Harry Latham-Coyle

So Ronnie O’Sullivan is through to the second round in York, winning his first match since the release of his The Edge of Everything documentary. The Amazon Prime film offers fans insight into a complex character and genius on the baize - Jim White makes the argument that O’Sullivan is the United Kingdom’s current greatest sportsman, and the most devastatingly honest (available to subscribers to The Independent).

In a world of PR sports documentaries, Ronnie O’Sullivan proves he is the real thing

This evening’s schedule

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:37 , Harry Latham-Coyle

And Neil Robertson against Zhou Yuelong is, of course, this evening’s other match as the first round proper reaches a conclusion at the Barbican.

Evening session (from 7pm GMT:

Neil Robertson v Zhou Yuelong

Robert Milkins v Thepchaiya Un-Nooh

John Higgins joins Ronnie O’Sullivan in the second round

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Also through with reasonable ease is John Higgins, taking out qualifier Joe O’Connor 6-3. Solid snooker from the Scotsman - it’ll be Neil Robertson or Zhou Yuelong next up for Higgins.

Ronnie O’Sullivan beats Anthony McGill to reach last 16 of UK Championship

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:28 , Harry Latham-Coyle

So onwards The Rocket flies, putting a slow start behind him to canter to victory despite not, perhaps, finding his full fluent flow. Next up in York for Ronnie O’Sullivan will be either Robert Milkins or Thepchaiya Un-Nooh - they meet in this evening’s session.

Ronnie O’Sullivan reacts to his victory

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:25 , Harry Latham-Coyle

On the 30th anniversary of his maiden UK Championship crown, O’Sullivan says to the BBC: “You get to the point where you think, ‘I’ll just keep going as long as I can now’. At 35, I probably thought I was done and dusted because that is what usually happens, you don’t win so much. But I’ve had my best ten years. Every year is a bonus, and you appreciate it more. It’s like having a second life.

On the attention around his documentary: “I knew I was going to have to do one at some point, and doing a behind-the-scenes one was pretty different. I don’t think many sportsmen have allowed that sort of access. I was trying to give people an insight into what it is like. I wasn’t worried about people seeing me in a bad place - I’ve been like that for 30 years, it’s normal for me. It just comes with the territory. I’m glad it is out of the way so I can focus on playing.

“I found it easier doing it than watching it. I felt a bit gutted for myself, in a way. Poor fella! People come up to me and want to talk about it, but I don’t really want to talk about it because it’s out there. It was fun making it, and I don’t think I’d have won the World Championship if I hadn’t have done it. It gave me the push and motivation I needed.

“I find the matches quite long and hard now. The more I play, if I win two or three matches in a tournament, you get used to it, but I find it harder to concentrate, maybe, and have the hunger. Against someone like Anthony, it’s not about playing well, it’s about digging deep and out battling them. That’s hard at my stage.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan on his new documentary: ‘It was harrowing watching it back’

Ronnie O’Sullivan beats Anthony McGill to reach last 16 of UK Championship

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle

There isn’t a century to finish, but Ronnie O’Sullivan nonetheless seals a 6-2 victory and reaches the second round of the UK Championship.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:14 , Harry Latham-Coyle

In goes frame ball, a blue fired into a centre pocket.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:13 , Harry Latham-Coyle

No century in the match yet for O’Sullivan, but some of his potting has been superb. All but a couple of balls are out in the open here, and the Englishman almost seems to lick his lips as he sets to his work.

A loose positional shot leaves him seeking something funky off the blue. His angles are wrong but the result isn’t - he’s on a red, which is dispatched with the aid of a rest, and The Rocket is motoring onwards.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:10 , Harry Latham-Coyle

It feels a little like the wheels have come off for Anthony McGill. His game looks ragged, another long red remaining on the table and allowing Ronnie O’Sullivan in.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:06 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Also a frame away is O’Sullivan’s long-time rival John Higgins - the Scot is 5-3 up against Joe O’Connor and compiling what could be a match-winning contribution.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:05 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Ronnie O’Sullivan is a frame away from the second round. He clears up to blue to take his fifth successive frame and leave Anthony McGill on the brink.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:03 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Another beauty! McGill tries a red and almost pulls off a tricky shot, leaving a tempter for O’Sullivan. The red has to travel from beyond the blue into the corner pocket, but down the throat it slips after a rattle of the mandibles.

O’Sullivan adds a colour but no more. 65 ahead, 67 remaining.

And McGill strikes! A red to start, but he’ll have to take on the pink rather than the easier blue to keep his chances alive...no dice!

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 16:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Wow. It’s very rare that you see an error like that from Ronnie O’Sullivan, putting on the wrong side and thus bouncing free of the bunch off the side cushion and up past the blue. He shakes his head with break over at 61, a significant, but not frame-winning, total.

Six reds on the table as Anthony McGill unexpectedly returns to the table.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:55 , Harry Latham-Coyle

O’Sullivan is on it now. Another long red is stroked home with efficience and elegance, and the Rocket is up to 35 in an instant with the bunch burst and plenty of balls available.

Ronnie O’Sullivan: ‘My cue is like a wand, I can produce magic with it’

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:53 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Ronnie O’Sullivan: ‘My cue is like a wand, I can produce magic with it’

Ronnie O’Sullivan 4-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:50 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Ronnie O’Sullivan clears the table and extends his lead.

At 31 minutes, that’s the longest frame of the match so far, and that feels another crucial missed opportunity for Anthony McGill.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:47 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Red, black, red, blue. Solid from McGill. Now the tricky final red along the bottom cushion...in the jaws! Played timidly, and it stays up, clinging on by the fingertips.

That should be that for the frame as O’Sullivan knocks it in with the rest.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:45 , Harry Latham-Coyle

McGill weighs up his options and takes on an ambitious plant off the side cushion, trying and failing on two occasions. He’s got a clear sight to a full ball, and is duly warned that another failed attempt will result in concession of the frame.

To Plan B, attempting a double kiss back up the table. How’s your luck? Not great. O’Sullivan has a red to the corner...which doesn’t go!

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:41 , Harry Latham-Coyle

McGill is in all sorts of bother. He tries the same shot several times to hand O’Sullivan plenty of points and the lead, eventually striking with O’Sullivan 46-35 in front. Three reds left on the table.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:36 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Simply sublime! McGill makes a hash of trying to snooker O’Sullivan behind the yellow from a couple of feet away, so his opponent shows him how it is done, coming around off the cushions with laser-guided precision and leaving McGill in real strife.

“Foul, and a miss.” McGill will have to go again.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:32 , Harry Latham-Coyle

McGill reaches 23 and has four reds along the bottom cushion to target, the black off its spot and blocking one of them. McGill, somehow, ends up on none of them - he plays safe with a four point lead.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Suddeny, neither player can build a break. O’Sullivan continues an error-full few minutes by missing another red.

Over on the other table, by the way, Joe O’Connor looks to be moving closer to frame victory and reducing his deficit to a single frame - it is 4-2 to John Higgins for now.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:28 , Harry Latham-Coyle

That’s rather less good - O’Sullivan turns down a simpler red and takes on a toughie to play for better positioning, a decision proved foolish in hindsight when it doesn’t go in.

Can McGill capitalise? Nope. He seems to have just lost his touch since the interval, and forces an attempted pot to the corner. O’Sullivan 25-11 McGill

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:25 , Harry Latham-Coyle

McGill balks at the shot the first time but, granted a second look, gives it a try...not quite. Off the jaws and away.

Magnificent! That’s the best pot of the match from O’Sullivan, another red rattled home from distance.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:22 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Ah - break over. O’Sullivan pots the blue, collides with the pink and rolls up against a red. 19 his tally - and has he left McGill a four-ball plant into the corner?

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:20 , Harry Latham-Coyle

O’Sullivan fancies this now. An eighth long pot out of nine finds the welcoming embrace of a pocket, in at speed past the yellow after Anthony McGill gives him a glimpse.

O’Sullivan will have to open up the pack but this is a promising start.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 3-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A rare miss from Ronnie O’Sullivan, the cut of the black off his spot not quite there, but a break of 66 takes him into his fisrt lead of the afternoon.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

O’Sullivan hits a half century with a delicate cannon into screwback pot to the corner that leaves him perfectly positioned for the black. Up, down and around the table he bounces with minimal fuss between each ball.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:12 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A rueful look at Ronnie O’Sullivan from Anthony McGill as he squanders an opportunity, missing a long red wildly. This looks a decent opportunity for The Rocket.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:09 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A bit of luck for O’Sullivan, missing his pot to the corner but watching it ricochet into the yellow pocket off a similarly crimson clad colleague. That is O’Sullivan’s only addition to his tally, though: 5-0 with this frame still in its infancy.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:04 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Red number one goes the way of O’Sullivan, the seven-time champion burying it in the bottom corner from distance. A green follows but there’s nothing else pottable - back up to baulk with a safety.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 15:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Back underway at the Barbican, both players refreshed after their short break. Into safety play immediately, with Anthony McGill finding a space at the bottom of a still congested pack.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 2-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:41 , Harry Latham-Coyle

The penultimate red stays out but that matters not. Another break of 89 to take the frame and we are back level in York.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:38 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Up into the 40s O’Sullivan accelerates, that potting action in good working order. This should be two apiece.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:34 , Harry Latham-Coyle

O’Sullivan is forced into one - behind the brown McGill traps him and the Englishman’s attempt to escape ends with nno red contacted and a starter to the corner, which McGill duly takes.

His break soon goes awry, though, a deep screw executed well aside from the pot.

O’Sullivan is in and scoring.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:31 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Anthony McGill, who appears to be dealing with a bit of a cold, and Ronnie O’Sullivan trade snookers, using the brown and yellow nicely with both baulk balls off their spots. No errors just yet.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:27 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A controlled opening to the final frame before the mid-session interval from both players. A best-of-eleven match makes this feel pivotal - Anthony McGill will feel he missed a real opportunity to assert his ascendancy in that last frame, but if he can take this one, O’Sullivan will have plenty to mull over in the break.

John Higgins, meanwhile, has consolidated his advantage - the veteran leads England’s Joe O’Connor by three frames to one.

How much is the prize fund at the 2023 UK Snooker Championship?

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:23 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Competing players share total prize money of £1,205,000, with the winner in line to receive £250,000. An additional £15,000 is available to the player who compiles the highest break, while two maximums made across any of the three Triple Crown events this season will be rewarded with a £147,000 bonus.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 1-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:20 , Harry Latham-Coyle

When you have the pure talent that O’Sullivan has, though, ideal positioning doesn’t matter quite as much. Frame ball is the penultimate red, and the last of them is caressed along the cushion, a beautifully controlled shot played with significant screw to get up to the blue.

O’Sullivan adds style points by clearing up. He’s on the board.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:16 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Sharp from Ronnie O’Sullivan - it’s a simple enough pot but there’s no obvious route to a colour. O’Sullivan plays around the bottom cushion, avoiding the reds and running far enough to leave the pink pottable.

How’s his judgement? Good, a red following the pink into the corner. But that’s not ideal cue ball control, running into trouble near the middle. In goes the yellow to the opposite pocket but this is a disorganised contribution.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:12 , Harry Latham-Coyle

McGill doesn’t take the chance - he never quite gets the run of the balls and while a red sprawls away from the pack and into potting position, the Scot can’t get his angle right to the middle. The cue ball runs safe with McGill (21) seven points to the good.

John Higgins has stolen the third frame to lead 2-1 on the other table.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:08 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Nope, it’s not quite clicking. That unhelpful attempted splitting of the pack leaves O’Sullivan trying to do too much off the blue, and the seven-time tournament winner takes his eye off the pot. Break over at 14; antoher opportunity for Anthony McGill.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:06 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Yum! A slightly loose safety from Anthony McGill and O’Sullivan drives home a tasty long red to score first in the frame. He goes into the bunch off the blue - he’s not had much luck but there are three or four reds that might go.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:04 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A slow start, then, for Ronnie O’Sullivan, who needs a route into the match. It’s a cagey opening to the third frame, a red sent up behind the yellow and the two players trading shallow safeties of the bunch. Anthony McGill knocks that errant red up against the cushion and O’Sullivan sends it around the angles to near the blue after retrieving the rest.

Ronnie O’Sullivan on his new Amazon documentary: ‘It was harrowing watching it back’

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:01 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Ronnie O’Sullivan on his new documentary: ‘It was harrowing watching it back’

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 14:00 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Over on the other table, Joe O’Connor has levelled things up at one apiece against John Higgins, and the Englishman is amongst the balls again in frame three.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-2 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:59 , Harry Latham-Coyle

McGill’s control has been excellent in these safety exchanges so far, O’Sullivan again snookered and falling 15 behind with a mess. This time he strikes the yellow...but over the middle pocket it rolls. Yellow, green, brown will do it.

In they go. 2-0 to Anthony McGill!

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:54 , Harry Latham-Coyle

McGill doesn’t even get that far - a collision with the brown leaves no angle on the yellow, and McGill has to be content with an 11-point lead with the colours to be cleared.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:53 , Harry Latham-Coyle

It’s rather scratchier than his opening century, but McGill still manages to de-rouge the table, knocking in the final red along the cushion below the black.

The pink is in an awful spot but McGill won’t need it - the green might pose problems, though, beyond the yellow and about an inch from the side cushion.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:48 , Harry Latham-Coyle

McGill takes on something ambitious, and is incredibly fortunate that the white ends up buried in the bunch with nothing conceivably pottable. O’Sullivan rues his luck and produces another intelligent safety.

Brilliant. That’s a superb riposte from McGill, flicking the leftwardmost red and skirting around the blue to get up in behind the yellow. O’Sullivan escapes but leaves his opponent a red to begin - and McGill will like the spread of the reds...

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:44 , Harry Latham-Coyle

It’s a lively start from O’Sullivan to the break but he runs aground on 49, not quite getting past the brown and having to take it on as a longer pot than the intended blue. He makes it, but bashes the backside of the green as he attempts to navigate back down the table, ending the break.

His safety is a good’un. 45 points his advantage.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:39 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Ronnie O’Sullivan is sporting a pair of trainers this afternoon, and Hazel Irvine informs us on the BBC’s coverage that this is due to a heel problem - O’Sullivan has sought and received the necessary clearance to stray from the dress code.

Eek - O’Sullivan makes a mess after getting his shot all wrong when McGill gets the length of a safety spot on. A foul sends the cue ball spinning into the corner pocket, with the Scot quickly informing a relieved referee that he’s going to take on a long red rather than ask him to replace the scattered bunch.

It proves a mistake! McGill misses; O’Sullivan strikes, amongst the balls for the first time with a red-blue-red combination.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-1 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:34 , Harry Latham-Coyle

A missed cannon aside, this has been a pretty perfect display of break building from McGill, securing the frame before needing to chance a move into a quartet of reds around the pink spot. They don’t fall kindly for the Glaswegian, but a well-judged double drops to keep the scoring going.

In go the colours for a clearance of 116 and the frame. An excellent start from Anthony McGill.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:30 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Mark Allen, last year’s winner, is already out of the tournament, but the Northern Irishman has only nice things to say about the way the tables are playing in York. McGill runs out of position but knocks in a gem of a red from a tight angle, and this looks like it should be a frame-winning visit as he crosses 50.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:26 , Harry Latham-Coyle

O’Sullivan fails again and then tries a different angle, striking a red but leaving a simple starter to the corner. McGill is up and running with a 14-point lead, extended by the first colour of the match. He opens up a couple of reds off the black - this is a good chance.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:24 , Harry Latham-Coyle

Clever! Sharp thinking from Anthony McGill, spotting a two ball plant into the corner and nailing it. Again, the cue ball rolls safe and O’Sullivan is put back into a predicament. This is a bright start from the Scottish player, a 6-1 lead increased by four as O’Sullivan underweights his escape.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:22 , Harry Latham-Coyle

McGill levels things up, dropping a nice red into the middle pocket after O’Sullivan errs in safety play. The white rattles the jaws of the green pocket but ends up in a pleasant enough position, allowing McGill to roll in behind a couple of low-scoring colours.

An O’Sullivan miss off a couple of cushion swells McGill’s tally by four.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:20 , Harry Latham-Coyle

First blood to Ronnie O’Sullivan, rifling home a red left over the pocket as Anthony McGill misjudges a safety. O’Sullivan can’t hold for the black, so plays safe.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:18 , Harry Latham-Coyle

That’s tidy from O’Sullivan, trapping Anthony McGill in behind the yellow. McGill, carbon fibre cue in hand, comes into the bunch off one cushion with a bit of side, judging the pace perfectly. O’Sullivan knocks back up to baulk.

Ronnie O’Sullivan 0-0 Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:17 , Harry Latham-Coyle

O’Sullivan will break - left-handed, and a decent cue ball in behind the green. There’s a red to the corner if McGill fancies testing his range early....off two cushions and away. Close but no cigar, but the Scot ensures he gets the white up against the baulk cushion.

Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:15 , Harry Latham-Coyle

And here come the two protagonists in our featured match, Anthony McGill out with a wave. Ronnie O’Sullivan gets a roar, scratching his head as he descends the steps down to the playing area.

Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:14 , Harry Latham-Coyle

It’s time for action at the Barbican, Rob Walker giving the player introductions his customary gusto. It’s a tasty line-up across the two tables: Joe O’Connor is first out, a rising star who reached the Scottish Open final last season and will be hoping to build more success this campaign. His opponent is John Higgins, still playing mightily solid snooker at the age of 48.

Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:10 , Harry Latham-Coyle

30 years ago today, incidentally, a 17-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan became the youngest ever winner of the UK Championship. There’s every chance he adds to his record tally of seven crowns come Sunday evening, too.

Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:07 , Harry Latham-Coyle

These two have already played once this season, with Ronnie O’Sullivan taking a 6-2 victory in a strong performance at the International Championship earlier in November. Anthony McGill will have fond memories of that captivating 13-12 win at the Crucible a couple of years ago, though - that remains the Scot‘s only win over the seven-time world champion.

WATCH: Ronnie O’Sullivan discusses his mental health in documentary

Tuesday 28 November 2023 13:00 , Luke Baker

Here’s a clip of the Ronnie O’Sullivan documentary, posted by Amazon Prime. O’Sullivan will be heading out on to the baize at the York Barbican to take on Anthony McGill shortly.

Luca Brecel makes winning start in York after spending spree renews title hunger

Tuesday 28 November 2023 12:53 , Luke Baker

World champion Luca Brecel insists splashing the cash has helped restore his hunger for more snooker success after he kicked off his UK Championship campaign with a gruelling 6-4 victory over Yuan Sijun in York.

The Belgian celebrated his shock Crucible success six months ago by spending half his winnings on a £250,000 Ferrari and revealed he drained his bank balance further this week by adding a Range Rover and a Porsche Taycan to his growing garage.

“I bought two more cars this week so I went from a millionaire to a non-millionaire,” said Brecel. “It was a conscious decision to buy the cars and maybe feel that bit of pressure again, to recreate the feeling I had of just starting my career.”

Brecel, who will replenish his ailing balance by a Ferrari-sized £250,000 if he goes on to claim his first UK title next Sunday, said he struggled in the aftermath of his epic triumph over Mark Selby, having achieved a dream that drove him since he first picked up a cue at the age of nine.

Luca Brecel makes winning start in York after spending spree renews title hunger

Judd Trump climbs off sick bed to beat Pang Junxu at UK Championship

Tuesday 28 November 2023 12:46 , Luke Baker

Judd Trump revealed how his unquenchable desire for success helped lift him off his sick bed and into the second round of the UK Championship in York with a convincing 6-1 win over Pang Junxu.

The 34-year-old is the latest top star to arrive at the tournament suffering the apparent effects of flu, after Ding Junhui considered withdrawal before edging defending champion Mark Allen on the opening day. But Trump, who became only the fifth player in history to win three back-to-back ranking tournaments last month, indicated that pulling out was not an option as he targets a title that has eluded him since a solitary success in 2011.

“I didn’t feel great, but I’m always going to turn up and give it my best,” said Trump, who fears he caught the bug after attending rival Ronnie O’Sullivan’s documentary premiere in London last week.

“It’s a big tournament and you obviously want to do well in it. Maybe I had slightly lower expectations, and maybe that helped a bit. It was a decent first-round performance and hopefully I can go away and get a bit better.”

Judd Trump climbs off sick bed to beat Pang Junxu at UK Championship

JIM WHITE: Ronnie O’Sullivan is our greatest sportsman – and the most devastatingly honest

Tuesday 28 November 2023 12:39 , Luke Baker

There is a scene in The Edge of Everything, the new documentary about Ronnie O’Sullivan, that provides as sharp an analysis as you will ever see of the pressures of top-level sport. It is from footage taken in his dressing room during the final of the 2022 World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.

At 46, O’Sullivan is poised to become the oldest winner of the title in history. But as he takes a break in the scrabble to overcome his opponent Judd Trump, he is behaving less like a seasoned veteran and more like a panicked teenager, stomping around the room in total dismay, close to tears in his frustration.

“Fuck me Steve,” he tells his resident psychiatrist coach Dr Steve Peters. “I’m bashed up here mate. What do I do?”

The gap between O’Sullivan’s apparently serene progress to gaining his record-breaking seventh world title and what was going on in his head at the time is what makes him such a fascinating character. Even better, such is his garrulous lack of worldly concern, he has long been more than happy to let us, his army of admirers, get a glimpse of what is happening beneath the bonnet. For much of his extraordinary career dominating and defining his sport, it is almost as if, for this complicated, troubled, challenged individual, we are part of the process of therapy. That he needs to share the burden in order to stay one step ahead.

In a world of PR sports documentaries, Ronnie O’Sullivan proves he is the real thing

Ronnie O’Sullivan reveals he started snooker world championships ‘on phone to Samaritans’

Tuesday 28 November 2023 12:31 , Luke Baker

Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed he started a world championship tournament “on the phone to the Samaritans” as he opened up on his mental health struggles.

In an interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, O’Sullivan said he was “really struggling” at the start of the 2022 World Championships.

The 47-year-old said: “At the start of the championships I was on the phone to Samaritans.”

He added: “I said to them ‘I’m really struggling’, I was having anxiety and panic attacks. They told me to call the doctor and that’s when I was put on antidepressants.”

O’Sullivan went on to win the World Championship that year.

Ronnie O’Sullivan on his new Amazon documentary: ‘It was harrowing watching it back’

Tuesday 28 November 2023 12:25 , Luke Baker

The Independent’s senior sports writer Lawrence OStlere also interviewed O’Sullivan at the premiere of his new documntary:

Through the door of a swish London hotel, held open by a concierge; into the dimly lit lobby, past an open fire and smart dinner guests, into a shiny lift; down a corridor lined with abstract art, around a bend to the very end where the last door waits in semi-darkness; through to a suite with a long table scattered with sandwiches and cream scones – Ronnie O’Sullivan’s favourite food – where his agent and various publicists mill; to a leather sofa at the far end.

This is where O’Sullivan is holed up, an hour before his movie premiere in London’s Leicester Square. He emerges from another room with a smile, offers a fist bump and sits down. He is dressed in a blue jumper, dark jeans and smart shoes. Executive producer David Beckham is among the famous guests coming to celebrate O’Sullivan, journalists are here to ask questions and fans are sitting in cinemas around the country to watch the film and a live Q&A afterwards. And he’s dreading it.

Read Lawrence’s full interview with ‘The Rocket’:

Ronnie O’Sullivan on his new documentary: ‘It was harrowing watching it back’

Ronnie O’Sullivan documentary lays bare his snooker addiction and flaws in stark contrast to Beckham series

Tuesday 28 November 2023 12:19 , Luke Baker

There are a number of eye-opening moments in the new Ronnie O’Sullivan documentary, The Edge of Everything, which lays bare one of the most complex and compelling characters in sport and a lifelong battle with his own genius. But one scene is particularly striking, when O’Sullivan and his parents remember his father’s arrest and sentencing for murder.

“I don’t want to talk about this because it’s not fair on the people that have lost their son,” says Ronnie O’Sullivan Sr, of the night he stabbed Bruce Bryan to death in a club on Chelsea’s King’s Road and injured Bruce’s brother Kelvin. “I know I took that man’s life and I know I hurt the other one ... I’m still alive, thank God, but if I hadn’t done what I’d done, I’d be dead.”

When O’Sullivan’s mother, Maria, found out about her husband’s arrest, she encouraged the management team of a 16-year-old Ronnie to send him away to a tournament in Thailand, so he might be distanced from the news when it broke. When he was eventually told his dad had been charged with murder, Ronnie screamed and collapsed. “I’ve always regretted sending him away, I was just trying to protect him,” Maria says. “I don’t think he’s ever forgiven me.”

Read Lawrence Ostlere’s full review of the documentary:

Ronnie O’Sullivan documentary lays bare his flaws in stark contrast to Beckham series

UK Snooker Championship schedule today including Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 12:13 , Luke Baker

The UK Snooker Championship continues with another intriguing day of action in store at the Barbican in York, including the ever-popular Ronnie O’Sullivan getting his campaign underway.

Judd Trump reached the second round on Monday with a convincing 6-1 win over Pang Junxu, despite suffering the apparent effects of flu and entering the tournament as the fifth player in history to win three back-to-back ranking tournaments last month.

Trump is aiming to win the one title that has eluded him since a solitary success in 2011. “I didn’t feel great, but I’m always going to turn up and give it my best,” said Trump, who fears he caught the bug after attending rival O’Sullivan’s documentary premiere in London last week. “It’s a big tournament and you obviously want to do well in it. Maybe I had slightly lower expectations, and maybe that helped a bit. It was a decent first-round performance and hopefully I can go away and get a bit better.”

O’Sullivan begins his campaign today after a week of promoting his new documentary ‘The Edge of Everything’, and the seven-time world champion battles Anthony McGill, while another legendary player, John Higgins, is also in action early against Joe O’Connor.

UK Snooker Championship schedule and times today

Ronnie O’Sullivan vs Anthony McGill

Tuesday 28 November 2023 12:10 , Luke Baker

Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Ronnie O’Sullivan beginning his UK Snooker Championship campaign in York.

O’Sullivan faces gritty Scot Anthony McGill, who beat him 13-12 at the 2021 World Championship, and heads to the Barbican after promoting his new documentary ‘The Edge of Everything’.

Stick with us for all the latest updates from the best-of-11 clash.