Now then, we’ve already seen a record 16 147s this season but will we get any more during the televised stages of the UK Championship?

And what’s behind snooker’s 147 boom?

Have a read of this piece from BBC Sport’s John Skilbeck, who has watched more than a fair few during his time covering snooker.

One foot in the last 16 for Mark Selby? He reels off his fourth consecutive frame and is two frames away from a whitewash and match against Ronnie O’Sullivan or Zhou Yuelong.

Stephen Hendry
Seven-time world champion on BBC Two

The dangerous thing when you are playing Ronnie is that you can become a bit hypnotized by it because it is so good to watch.

You find yourself admiring it. There is nobody who can make breaks like he can. To control the cue ball at that speed is genius.

Mark Williams
Three-time world champion on BBC Two

Unbelievable. You are sat in your chair two nil up and you are 2-2 in 10 minutes.

He’s had a 70 and a hundred. It’s frightening how quickly he can make them. When you are sat there watching you can’t believe he can do it so fast and make it look so easy.

Ronnie O’Sullivan compiles 123 and gets back to all square as the players head for a little break.

Dennis Taylor
1985 world champion on BBC Two

Zhou Yuelong will be pleased the interval is coming along now.

This is vintage stuff from Ronnie O’Sullivan. He is up to 80 in no time at all and is still at the table.

Zhou Yuelong leaves Ronnie O’Sullivan a long red to the bottom right corner. How many can the Englishman make from here?

On table two, Mark Selby who has looked close to his best recently is now three frames clear.

With a break of 82, the Englishman is halfway to the last 16.

Ronnie O’Sullivan takes the third frame.Zhou Yuelong is heavily punished for a miscue.

A break of 71 gets him back to within a frame.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at York Barbican

It is not often when you get to see multiple-time world champions on both sides of the arena divide in the same first-round session.

Mark Selby has twice picked up the UK title in this venue, beating Shaun Murphy 10-6 in the 2012 final and then Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 four years later.

The two winners from this afternoon’s session will meet each other in the last 16 on Thursday so it could be O’Sullivan v Selby, a pair who have 11 world titles between them.

Alternatively, it could be a match-up between two Chinese players in Zhou Yuelong and Lei Peifan.

There is a record 12 players from China in the UK Championship, the highest figure at a Triple Crown event, and six of that dozen have already booked their spots in the last 16.

This is more like it from Ronnie O’Sullivan. The Englishman has an average shot time of 11 seconds at present and is 70 points to the good.

Zhou Yuelong wins a safety battle on the yellow and goes on to take the second frame.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has work to do.

Mark Selby is not havging around in the second frame and gets enough points on the board to ensure their is no need for Lei Peifan to get out of his chair.

Zhou Yuelong is having problems with the bottom right corner. That’s three balls he’s missed there already today and by doing so he leaves Ronnie O’Sullivan in.

The Englishman misses a sitter but gets another chance and knocks in a 47 before things go pear shaped.

Zhou has a great chance of going two frames to the good but then can’t get position on the yellow.

Over on the other side of the auditorium, Mark Selby is doing Mark Selby things.

He is just the 44 points down so comes to the table and makes a 51 clearance to take the first frame. Granite.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport at York Barbican

The match could not have started any worse for world number 29 Zhou Yuelong as he fouled before a ball had been potted, but Ronnie O’Sullivan failed to take his chances and Zhou gets the opening frame on the board.

There were some interesting comments from O’Sullivan in his interview with BBC TV yesterday, which was broadcast at the top of the programme.

He said: “I’m just enjoying life ingeneral. I have to rely on maybe 12 other players not playing better than me.Maybe four, five or six years ago I would’ve come here and fancied my chances.I have got to hope a lot of people do not perform well to maybe win but it’sjust where I’m at at the moment.

“I’ve won a lot of tournaments playing poorly but I feel I’veplayed really well this year at every tournament I’ve played.

“If you have to be the best you have to grind it out andthat’s not easy to do – but to be a champion you have to learn how to do that.

“He [Zhou] is probably favourite to beat me because he is sharperand played more but we will see what happens. I don’t have anything to prove as in winning tournaments,but I would love to win more tournaments.”

Mark Williams
Three-time world champion on BBC Two

There is always more of a buzz when Ronnie O’Sullivan is playing. It puts his opponent under pressure straight away because you know you have to get off to a flyer otherwise he will steamroller you.

Ronnie O’Sullivan has four opportunities to win the frame but Zhou Yuelong takes the opener.

Zhou misses another red to the bottom right corner. A decent chance for Ronnie O’Sullivan, who rolls in the ired left by his opponent, followed by a black and another red before missing a pink to the left corner by a fair distance.