Selby forges ahead

Leicester professional Mark Selby took a 5-3 lead over crowd favourite Ronnie O’Sullivan after the opening session of their semi-final at the Maplin UK Championship.

Last season’s World Championship runner-up now needs just four frames for a place in this year’s showcase final at the Telford International Centre.

Victory over O’Sullivan would see Selby meet Scotland’s Stephen Maguire over the best of 19 frames tomorrow.

However, three-time UK winner O’Sullivan is not out of the contest and ’The Rocket’ will fancy his chances of booking a place in this year’s final.

This year’s winner will take home £100,000 worth of prize money while the runner-up will pocket £46,000.

It was Selby who started the better of the two players and with a composed break of 74, won the opening frame.

O’Sullivan, twice a world champion, had a chance in the next frame but broke down on a break of 45 and it was Selby who won it to go 2-0 ahead with a run of 42.

It got even better for last year’s Crucible finalist as he pocketed a 99 break to go 3-0 ahead.

O’Sullivan reduced his arrears by pinching the next frame with an excellent break of 81 to trail 3-1 at the mid-session interval.

The resumption saw Selby pull 4-1 ahead after he won the fifth frame on points, 71-63, clinching the frame and the final pink ball.

But back came O’Sullivan and with a break of 78, made it 4-2.

A break of 51 for O’Sullivan to take the next frame to trail 4-3, but it was Selby who gave himself a deserved lead ahead of the concluding session with a superb 60 break to lead 5-3.