Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ali Carter LIVE: Score and updates from World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre

Twelve months ago Kyren Wilson emerged from a maelstrom of Crucible criticism to claim his first world snooker title and add his name to the list of those who have picked up the sport’s greatest prize since the tournament adopted its current home in 1977.

It is testament to the Championship’s enduring magic that the respective deaths, since Wilson collected his prize, of distant former champions Ray Reardon and Terry Griffiths should have been greeted with such profound sadness and vivid recollections by so many modern stars of the game.

Ronnie O’Sullivan recalled the unlikely coaching link-up with Reardon that helped him add an extra dimension to his game and sweep to his second world title in 2004, while Mark Williams was among many who owed much of their success to the tireless mentoring of Griffiths.

As the column inches devoted to the 40th anniversary of the famous ‘Black Ball Final’ this year have emphasised, snooker is not a sport that allows its history to fade and such memories are inextricably associated with the compact and, frankly, wholly un-modern venue in which they have been made.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has painted a bleak picture of his chances of clinching a record-breaking eighth World Snooker Championship title and claims first-round opponent Ali Carter will start as favourite when he gets his 33rd Crucible campaign underway on Tuesday.

O’Sullivan has not played on the World Snooker Tour since he stuffed his cue in a bin after crashing out of the Championship League in January, and after a turbulent time on the practice table he left his participation in doubt until the eve of the tournament.

The 49-year-old believes he is still counting the cost of a rash attempt to change his playing style, and says he has come to the “scary” realisation that he might never recover the form that has seen him universally acclaimed as the best player in the history of the game.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has admitted he was scared to approach a snooker table during his break from the game and fears he has lost his bottle, while also acknowledging that he could still pull out of the upcoming World Snooker Championship at short notice.

The World Championship began in Sheffield on Saturday morning, although O’Sullivan’s first-round grudge match against Ali Carter doesn’t start until Tuesday afternoon.

The seven-time world champion hasn’t played in a tournament since snapping his cue in anger and walking out of the Championship League in January. He has pulled out of several events at short notice over the past 12 months, including the Masters at Alexandra Palace, to prioritise his mental health and wellbeing.

Read the full, candid interview with O’Sullivan:

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ali Carter headlines the afternoon session at the Crucible but the morning session began a couple of hours ago, which includes 2005 champion Shaun Murphy in action.

World No 1 Judd Trump is one of the players in action this evening and here’s today’s full schedule. All of these are first-round matches.

Zhang Anda (12) v Pang Junxu

Shaun Murphy (15) v Daniel Wells

Ronnie O’Sullivan (5) v Ali Carter

Ding Junhui (10) 6-3 Zak Surety – to a finish

Judd Trump (2) v Zhou Yuelong

Si Jiahui (13) 6-3 David Gilbert – to a finish

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s snooker return at the World Championship, where he will take on old foe Ali Carter.

The first session of their best-of-19 encounter will begin at 2.30pm BST so stick with us for all the action.