World Snooker Championship 2022 - Mark Selby leads Jamie Jones at interval, Zhao Xintong in control against Jamie Clarke

Mark Selby showed glimpses of his best to lead Jamie Jones 6-3 following the afternoon session of their World Snooker Championship first-round encounter at the Crucible. Defending champion Selby fell behind after a rusty start but, once he found his rhythm, simply had too much for 34-year-old Jones who missed a massive chance to level the score at 3-3, but now faces an uphill battle in the evening session on Saturday. Ad/> Underdog Jones put together a break of 24 in the first frame but could go no further after failing to split the pack.

However a poor safety shot from Selby gave Jones a way back in with the table well laid to take the frame. The frame-ball pink took the break from 35 to 41 and was enough to put the defending champion in some early trouble. /> World Championship‘I am not the player I was’ – O’Sullivan on ‘making it work’ as age begins to catch up on himAN HOUR AGO Another missed red from Selby in the second frame looked ominous for the world No.

2's chances and he could only string together 18 during his second visit after failing to split the pack off a brown. But Selby would then win the safety battle and, with a brilliant deadweight red to middle for the pink, left plenty on to level up the match. A plant to kick off frame three saw Selby perfect on the black.

Another plant and Selby was cruising until a routine blue to right middle stopped the break at 22 and left the table open for Jones. A litany of errors followed as Jones missed a blue to the green pocket, Selby went in-off from a safety and then Jones missed a long red. Eventually the world No.