Aidan O’Brien is keen to see what Chief Little Rock can do back on a decent surface when he contests the Betfred Blue Riband Trial at Epsom on Tuesday.

After winning his maiden on his second outing on good ground, he finished runner-up in two Group races, but they both came with plenty of cut in the ground.

In chasing home Paddy Twomey’s Deepone in the Beresford Stakes and subsequent Group One winner Ancient Wisdom in the Autumn Stakes at Newmarket, he nevertheless sets a very good standard for his five rivals to aim at.

The Ballydoyle handler was last successful in this race in 2019 with Cape Of Good Hope, who like Chief Little Rock was by Galileo and went on to finish fourth in the French Derby before grabbing a Group One win in Australia.

“We’re very happy with him and he showed a good level of form when second in the Beresford,” said O’Brien.

“We like him and we think nice ground will suit him, it was nice ground when he won his maiden and we’re keen to learn plenty about him at Epsom.

“His form from last year looks good now and we’ve been very happy with him this year.

“We always thought he would stay a mile and a quarter and maybe a mile and a half.”

O’Brien, of course, houses the hugely exciting City Of Troy, who despite not running in a trial ahead of the 2000 Guineas, has continually seen his form franked, not least by easy Craven winner Haatem, who was over eight lengths behind him in the Dewhurst.

“All is good with him,” said O’Brien. “It’s a case of so far, so good anyway.”

Ralph Beckett’s Feigning Madness is defending an unbeaten record but has plenty to find on ratings, as does Roger Varian’s Defiance, who stepped straight into Group company after a Sandown maiden win and was not disgraced behind Clive Cox’s Ghostwriter in the Royal Lodge.

Arabic Legend has his first start for Karl Burke after being moved from Andrew Balding by owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, while Balding himself runs Bellum Justum, who beat the promising Inisherin last time out.

Kevin Philippart de Foy’s Bur Dubai completes the field.

Nottingham Forest have asked for the VAR audio to be released concerning three key decisions that went against them in their match at Everton on Sunday.

Forest issued an extraordinary post on social media soon after the final whistle in their 2-0 Premier League defeat at Goodison Park, criticising the decision to reject three penalty claims.

The club said they had “warned” Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that VAR Stuart Attwell “was a Luton fan”, but that the referees’ body did not change the appointment.

Sources have told the PA news agency that Forest’s referee analyst Mark Clattenburg did contact PGMOL chief of refereeing Howard Webb on Friday to share that the club thought manager Nuno Espirito Santo might be asked about Attwell by the media, but insist there was no request to change the appointment.

Forest have now called for the audio between Attwell and on-field referee Anthony Taylor to be made public.

“Nottingham Forest has today submitted a formal request to the PGMOL to release into the public domain the audio recordings between officials during yesterday’s match against Everton at Goodison Park,” Forest’s statement read.

“The club has requested this be shared for three key match incidents – Ashley Young’s challenge on Giovanni Reyna (24th minute), Ashley Young’s handball (44th minute) and Ashley Young’s challenge on Callum Hudson-Odoi (56th minute).

“We firmly advocate for the broader football community and supporters to have access to the audio and transcript for full transparency, ensuring the integrity of our sport is upheld.”

PGMOL has been contacted for comment.

PGMOL did agree to a request from Liverpool earlier this season to release the audio connected to the decision to disallow a Luis Diaz goal at Tottenham.

On that occasion, miscommunication between the VAR and the referee led to the goal wrongly being disallowed.

Audio of other selected incidents has also been broadcast during episodes of the ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’ programme during the season, but the laws of the game prevent such audio being broadcast live.

Forest issued a statement on X on Sunday which read: “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept.

“We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times. NFFC will now consider its options.”

Clattenburg later wrote in a Daily Mail column: “One of these errors would have been bad enough.

“Three was a joke, and that is why Nottingham Forest were left feeling victimised after another defeat in which zero big decisions went their way.

“In a season where they have had to endure some egregious refereeing, this trip to Everton was as grim a game as they have encountered since returning to the Premier League.”

Andre Onana vowed Manchester United will learn from their mistakes ahead of facing Manchester City in the FA Cup final after their late collapse in the semi-final against Coventry almost led to an embarrassing defeat.

United surrendered a 3-0 lead at Wembley and were saved from a humiliating exit in extra time only by a VAR intervention, ruling out for offside what would have been a last-gasp winner for the Sky Blues.

They survived to edge through on penalties and set up a re-match of last year’s final against City on May 25, the first time since 1885 that the same two clubs have contested the final in consecutive seasons.

But after they were ripped into in the closing stages by a Coventry team eighth in the Championship, United goalkeeper Onana indicated radical improvement will be needed if the Red Devils are to avenge the 2-1 loss they suffered against Pep Guardiola’s men last season.

“It’s mixed feelings,” said the 28-year-old. “Of course the most important thing is the victory but the way we won, it’s a difficult situation.

“We had the game under control, then some individual mistakes, gave some goals away. But we will learn from our mistakes. We have to continue working hard.”

The manner in which United allowed Coventry back into the game has increased the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, with the team currently seventh in Premier League and in a fight to qualify for Europe next season.

Should they fail to overcome City in the cup final they face the prospect of missing out on European qualification for just the second time in the Premier League era.

“If you put everything on the table, we can speak about everything; about injuries, bad luck,” said Onana. “We missed a lot of important players, it’s difficult for such a big club to play without such big players.

“I don’t pay attention about how many shots we have conceded, because at the end of the day it’s about winning. We won so we have to look forward.

“It’s a big responsibility and it starts with myself. We are here to take the bullet. When things are not going good, (it is important) not to point fingers.

“Everything was under control and we gave goals away, so it’s more (our responsibility) than other people.”

Asked what United needed to improve in order to overcome City in the final, he said: “Having more possession, being more dominant on the ball.

“We play against a very good team who are very good on the ball. We’re going to make them run.”

Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri says he is on course to achieve both his pre-season objectives with the Turin giants.

The Bianconeri currently sit third in Serie A and take a 2-0 lead into Tuesday night’s return leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final in Rome against Lazio.

Allegri told a press conference: “This year we started with two goals: to qualify for next year’s Champions League – we are currently third in the standings – and to win the Coppa Italia.

“I always say that when you play, the goal must be to go all the way in the competitions, always.

“Our focus now must be to go all the way in the Coppa Italia and that must be our goal. The team will be motivated and I’m sure none of us are thinking about the two-goal lead in the first leg.

“When you are at Juventus you have to play to get results, to win. The ambition must always be to reach our maximum.

“When you play in a great team it’s important to live with the desire and, consequently, the pressure to try to win trophies.”

Allegri is in his second spell as Juve boss after replacing the sacked Andrea Pirlo in 2021.

In his first stint in charge, from 2014-19, he guided Juve to five successive league titles, four Coppa Italias and to the Champions League final twice.

Second-half goals from Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic in the first leg at the Allianz Arena earlier this month put Juve in control of the tie.

But Allegri is not underestimating Lazio, who appointed Croatian Igor Tudor as head coach in March after Maurizio Sarri resigned.

“We will find a Lazio side that will play a very aggressive game, having to come back from two goals down,” Allegri added.

“They are changing compared to the team coached by Sarri, they are much more aggressive. It will be a difficult match.

Allegri said he will monitor Chiesa, who played the full 90 minutes in Friday’s 2-2 draw at Cagliari.

Lazio boss Tudor believes his side must play the “perfect match” if they are to overturn a two-goal deficit.

He said: “It’s an important match because we are playing to get into the final, against a strong team and with a (first-leg) result that isn’t easy.

“We must try until the end with all our strength to pass, we must believe and play a perfect match. Don’t make any mistakes and go with all our strength, this is our objective and let’s see what happens.”

The Brooklyn Nets have a new man in charge, hiring Jordi Fernandez as the 24th coach in franchise history on Monday.

Fernandez spent the last two seasons as the associate head coach of the Sacramento Kings, helping lead them to the Pacific Division title and the third seed in the Western Conference a year ago for the franchise's first play-off berth since 2006.

The Kings finished ninth in the West this season, and went 94-70 in Fernandez's two seasons on the Sacramento staff.

The Nets ended up going 32-50 this season to miss the play-offs for the first time since 2018. They fired Jacque Vaughn at the All-Star break, and Kevin Ollie finished out the season as the interim coach.

A native of Badalona, Spain, Fernandez also coaches Canada's men's national team. He helped Canada to a bronze medal in last year's FIBA Basketball World Cup with a win over Team USA in the third-place game.

"We're thrilled to announce Jordi Fernández as Brooklyn's new head coach," said Nets general manager Sean Marks in a statement. "As we progressed through an extensive search over the past six weeks, it became increasingly clear that Jordi is the best coach to lead our team forward. Jordi brings a diverse set of experiences and basketball knowledge gained over the course of a coaching career that has taken him around the world. Each step of the way, Jordi has consistently demonstrated the ability to implement strong processes and creative systems designed to optimise each team's specific roster."

Prior to his stop in Sacramento, Fernandez was an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets for six seasons, during which the team made the play-offs four times.

In addition to coaching Canada's team, Fernandez has other experience coaching on the global stage, serving as the lead assistant for the Nigerian national team at the 2020 Olympics. He also worked on the staff for the Spanish national team at EuroBasket 2017 and the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championships.

"My family and I are thrilled to join such an incredible organisation and become part of the vibrant Brooklyn community," Fernandez said. "I am eager to get to work with this talented group of players and collectively drive our team forward. Together, we will be fully committed to building something special for Nets fans and the borough to be proud of for years to come."

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler hailed his mental strength after making it four wins in five starts with a rain-delayed victory at the RBC Heritage.

Scheffler returned to Hilton Head on Monday morning holding a five-stroke lead with three holes to play after a storm halted proceedings on Sunday.

The world number one dropped a shot at the last to finish 19 under par, three shots ahead of fellow American Sahith Theegala, with Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark another stroke back.

Scheffler is the first player to win a PGA Tour event the week after claiming the Green Jacket since Bernhard Langer in 1985 and the first to win four times in five starts on the US-based circuit since Tiger Woods in 2007-08.

Each of Scheffler’s last seven wins have come with at least eight of the world’s top 10 in the field and he is the third player in the last 30 years – after Woods and Vijay Singh – to win or finish runner-up in five consecutive starts on the PGA Tour.

“I was able to go home for a couple days and celebrate,” Scheffler said.

“I didn’t really put much thought into it. I had committed to playing the tournament here, it was part of the plan, so we stuck to the plan.

“I talked about it at the beginning of the week – I didn’t show up here just to have some sort of ceremony and have people tell me congratulations. I came here with a purpose, got off to a slow start but after that played some really nice golf.

“I do have fairly high expectations for myself and when I show up at tournaments, I try to do my best.

“I’ve talked a lot about kind of the preparation and what it takes for me to show up on a first tee ready to go, and I feel like I’ve been putting in the work and been playing some good golf, and it’s nice to be seeing some results for that with wins.

“On the course, I think the last month or so I’ve been as good mentally as I have in a long time and I think that’s why I am seeing some of the results.

“This week could be a good example of starting off and looking at the leaderboard on Thursday and everybody is just making birdie after birdie and I’m sitting there over par and I’ve had a shank on the day.

“I just did my best to stay patient and wait until I got hot.

“Had a nice finish to the round on Thursday and then had a really solid Friday where I felt like I played better than I scored, and then I had Saturday where I just played some really good golf.”

Rory McIlroy carded a final-round 74 to slip into a tie for 33rd.

Fabio Cannavaro has been appointed head coach of Serie A strugglers Udinese on a contract until the end of the season.

The former Juventus and Real Madrid defender, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2006 after captaining Italy to World Cup glory, replaces Gabriele Cioffi.

Cioffi was sacked earlier on Monday, with Udinese above the relegation zone only on goal difference following Saturday’s 1-0 loss at relegation rivals Verona.

Cannavaro has six games to save the top-flight status of a club who have managed just four league wins all season.

The 50-year-old, who has previously managed in China and Saudi Arabia, plus Italian club Benevento, will be assisted by his younger brother Paolo Cannavaro.

“Udinese is pleased to welcome the world champion and 2006 Ballon d’Or winner who will lead the team until the end of the football season,” read a statement on Udinese’s website.

“There is no need to recall the exploits on the field of one of the greatest players in the history of Italian football.

“Cannavaro is a young and prepared coach of international stature who has already had the opportunity to test his abilities, also abroad.

“The club has identified in his experience on the field and technique and in his undisputed leadership the suitable figure to lead the team to the goal of salvation.”

Cole Palmer is a doubt for Chelsea’s visit to Arsenal on Tuesday with Mauricio Pochettino confirming the Premier League’s joint-top scorer is likely to miss the game at the Emirates Stadium with illness.

The 21-year-old did not train on Monday following his side’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City on Saturday, a loss that left them needing to secure a top-seven finish in the league if they are to end their year-long absence from European competition.

The England international has been the standout player of an indifferent season for Chelsea, with seven goals in the team’s last two home games having rocketed him to the top of the scoring charts alongside City striker Erling Haaland.

He has frequently been the decisive factor when the team have performed well, helping Pochettino’s side throw off the creative inertia that blunted their attack last season and in the early weeks of the current campaign.

A win against Mikel Arteta’s title-chasers would put the Argentinian’s side level on points with sixth-placed Newcastle, with a top-six finish likely to be enough for a Europa League berth.

However, the size of their task – already a daunting one with Arsenal on a run of 11 league wins in their last 13 – grew on Monday with the fear that Palmer will likely miss out, while full-backs Ben Chilwell and Malo Gusto are also doubts.

“We need to assess (Tuesday) morning,” said Pochettino of Palmer’s chances. “Today, no, I don’t believe he can be involved. Even if he will be good tomorrow, he may not be in a condition to play.

“With and without him, we believe that we can win. The most important thing is the collective. Of course he’s an important part of the team. He’s doing fantastic for us. But we have plenty of players that can perform and do the job.”

Pochettino defended the contributions of striker Nicolas Jackson on his debut season for the club, after he missed multiple opportunities against City to put Chelsea in the final.

The 22-year-old has improved significantly in recent weeks after struggling in the aftermath of his £32million summer move from Villarreal but three times at Wembley he failed to make the most of clear openings.

Pochettino has been forced to rely on the player – who has scored 10 goals in the league – far more than the club had intended, with fellow signing Christopher Nkunku having been limited by injury to a handful of appearances since joining from RB Leipzig.

“First season is always difficult but more when you are a striker and you have to perform and score goals. Everyone expects with every single touch to score,” Pochettino added. “He’s our main striker, the only striker we have fit.

“He’s doing fantastic. He’s doing an amazing job for the team; running, scoring goals, giving assists. His first season, a young guy, came in from Spain, even with not too much experience there.

“If we want the player to match the iconic players here, if we compare him with Drogba, obviously he’s going to lose.

“But he’s going to have all my support. Even if he doesn’t score, the way that he’s fighting for the club and his team-mates, he’s producing chances. He needs time to improve. He’ll be better next season for sure, no doubt about that.”

Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal will “give it a real go” as they look to win a first Premier League title since 2003.

The Gunners celebrated a 2-0 victory over Wolves on Saturday night as they bounced back from their Champions League exit to Bayern Munich and last week’s 2-0 league defeat to Aston Villa.

Arteta talked up the importance of the leaders’ final five Premier League matches, with Arsenal top on goal difference from Liverpool and one point ahead of Manchester City who have a game in hand.

Arsenal face Chelsea on Tuesday night, with the Blues going into the game on the back of an FA Cup semi-final exit to Manchester City on Saturday.

“I have the same message that we need to keep doing what we’re doing, focus on the game and the task, prepare the game well and the boys look ready to go again,” Arteta told a press conference on Monday.

“It meant a lot for us (to win against Wolves). We are in a great position and we have been for nine months. We really want to give it a real go and we are really determined to do what is in our hands to lift the trophy.”

Chelsea, who have been a mixed bag in Mauricio Pochettino’s first season, are undefeated in the Premier League since February’s 4-2 home loss to Wolves.

Arteta reiterated that he thinks Chelsea will “come good” under the Argentinian, and added: “I have a huge admiration for Mauricio because I have known him for 23 years and I wish him nothing but the best.

“He’s an incredible manager and a huge leader, he’ll inspire that club to get them where they want to get to, that’s for sure.

“Whatever team they put out, with the quality in their squad, will be great. They are doing much better than what people talk about and it will be a tough match.”

Chelsea are still bidding for a European spot next season, with the Blues three points behind sixth-placed Newcastle with a game in hand on the Magpies.

Arteta believes their London rivals have undergone a “huge improvement” in recent months and “deserve to be in a higher position”.

He added: “They have been in a final, a semi-final. I think what Mauricio is doing is really impressive and I’m sure he’s going to get them there.”

Patrick Mullins has warned Britain’s leading yards that his father Willie may well aim for back-to-back victories in the jump trainers’ championship if topping the table this term.

The Closutton camp added a rather modest £4,356.80 to their tally when Patrick partnered 2-9 favourite Rath Gaul Boy to an easy success in the Dragonbet Best Odds On Welsh Sport Novices’ Hurdle at Ffos Las.

But that win showed that having already passed the £3million mark with Grand National victories at Aintree and Ayr to build up a sizeable lead over Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls, Mullins is clearly keen to take nothing for granted.

And if he becomes only the second trainer based in Ireland to claim the UK title, the inspiration is there to push on for a second straight success.

“Myself, Ruby (Walsh) and David (Casey) would love it to be the plan from the start of the season, but Willie is always very much like mind your own garden and don’t let anyone get a foothold at home and do your best there,” Patrick Mullins told Sky Sports Racing.

“The only reason this became possible is because I Am Maximus won the National, if he hadn’t won the National, we wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t have been at Ayr. It’s half a million, so we’d be fourth.

“So that changed things and we’ve been blown away by the support. People have been saying if you want to send a horse to Ffos Las or Ludlow or wherever, then do that. We’re very grateful for that.

“But Vincent O’Brien did it in the 1950s and he did it two years in a row, so if we do win it, maybe we’ll have to come back next year and emulate him! Although to emulate anything Vincent O’Brien did would be very special, because he is the legend.”

Manchester United fan Mullins was at Wembley on Saturday to watch the Red Devils reach the FA Cup final by getting past Coventry, but he took note of how they blew a 3-0 lead and came within a whisker of being knocked out in extra-time before prevailing on penalties.

Nicholls famously overturned a big deficit on the final day at Sandown when the Closutton team were last in pole position to top the table back in 2016.

“We went to Sandown before on the last day and we’ve been here before and we didn’t win, but hopefully this time we can,” added Patrick.

“The bid for the English title has really livened everything up for us at Closutton as well and we’re really enjoying it. I’m delighted to be in Ffos Las, I was delighted to be in Ayr and I can’t wait to be going to Ludlow on Wednesday.

“I haven’t seen a lot of these tracks, so it’s exciting and hopefully we can get it over the line.

“People have been very kind, we were up in Ayr and the crowd were so welcoming and very supportive of us.

“I remember when Man United used to win everything and everyone wanted to beat them, so there is that side of things when you’re successful, but Willie’s always said you take nothing for granted and you don’t know when things can change, so enjoy it while you can.

“We got the bounce of the ball in Ayr, where we got two photo-finishes. Macdermott could have been second and Chosen Witness could have been second, so that would have changed the whole thing again.”

Owen Burrows’ Alflaila is pencilled in for a summer comeback after a setback cut short his brief campaign last season.

The entire son of Dark Angel has done plenty to prove his ability in the past, enjoying a successful three-year-old season which yielded four victories.

Amongst them was the Strensall Stakes at York, an eight-furlong Group Three, and the Masar Darley Stakes at the same level at Newmarket.

Those runs were due to lead into a bid for the Bahrain International Trophy, but the bay met with a setback and could not take his chance in the Middle East.

He made a late return to action in June last year to take the York Stakes on the Knavesmire by half a length, and although luck did not favour him in his subsequent start in the Irish Champion Stakes he was not disgraced when coming home fifth.

Alflaila has not been seen since after meeting with another issue, but he has now returned to work and Burrows is hopeful he will make an early summer comeback.

“He’s back with me, he probably won’t be out for another month’s time,” said Burrows.

“In the last couple of weeks he’s started fast work and it’ll be good to get him back.

“He obviously didn’t have the longest of seasons last year, but he won well at York on King George day and then it’d didn’t go to plan in the Irish Champion Stakes.

“That was the case for a lot of the English horses, and then unfortunately he had a little setback and that finished him for the season.

“Touch wood we can get him back soon, I was hoping to start him in the Brigadier Gerard, but that may just come a fraction too soon.

“It all depends how the next few weeks go, but he looks as well as ever, he’s filled out and strengthened up again.

“I’m not going to rush him to try and get to Sandown, if it comes around then it comes around but if not we’ll look to June time, there’s plenty of races for a nice horse like him.

“He was only just over three lengths behind Auguste Rodin (in the Irish Champion Stakes) and so he doesn’t have a huge amount to find to step up into these Group One races.”

Willie Mullins has entered both El Fabiolo and Gaelic Warrior at Sandown on Saturday, as he leaves no stone unturned in his attempt to be crowned champion trainer in the UK for the first time.

With £170,000 up for grabs in the bet365 Celebration Chase, Mullins has every base covered with the winners of the last two renewals of the Arkle at Cheltenham.

Appreciate It, Dysart Dynamo and Saint Sam could all run for Mullins, who has made 25 entries on the card overall, while current champion chaser Captain Guinness holds an entry for Henry de Bromhead.

In what could potentially be one of the races of the season, Jonbon, Editeur Du Gite and Edwardstone are among the 14 possibles, in which Mullins’ nearest rival Dan Skelton has entered Nube Negra and his new recruit from Ben Pauling, Harper’s Brook.

A late decision is expected on Gaelic Warrior, with Joe Chambers, racing manager for his owners Susannah and Rich Ricci, explaining he is unlikely to be supplemented for the Champion Chase at Punchestown.

“We’re crawling forward day by day and fully expected him to be entered. We’ll see how things are looking on Thursday morning,” Chambers told the Nick Luck Daily podcast

“We’re not in the Champion Chase at Punchestown, only the novice race, and it’s 30,000 euros to supplement, which doesn’t appeal.

“Willie has always kept novices to novices, unless there has been the odd exception. I would have thought winning the Scottish National would make him run less rather than more, but I could be absolutely wrong, I haven’t a clue what they are thinking.

“He’d be a fair sight, I’d love to see him personally going two miles there, it’s right-handed but whether he goes there or not, it’s going to be very much later in the week.”

Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon is in at Punchestown but Sandown is his preferred destination.

“We are thinking we’re going to Sandown, that’s the plan at the moment, we’re just a little concerned he’s had to start watering quite early. As long as it is safe,” said Henderson.

“We did the two (Aintree and Sandown) last year, so it pricked our ears to it again. Punchestown is an option but I’d rather not be travelling, as it would be safer to stay in England, to be honest.”

In the bet365 Oaksey Chase, Ahoy Senor is among 17 entries, along with Henry de Bromhead’s Journey With Me and Patrick Neville’s The Real Whacker.

Paul Nicholls’ Threeunderthrufive is left at the top of the weights for the bet365 Gold Cup, as the current champion retains a slim hope of retaining his title.

Last year’s winner Kitty’s Light remains in contention after his brave run in the Grand National, with Le Milos carrying the flag for Skelton.

Mullins has left in four, with Nick Rockett and Minella Cocooner his main hopes.

Impaire Et Passe and Langer Dan could meet again in the bet365 Select Hurdle, in which Skelton has also entered My Drogo.

Shaun Murphy began his quest for a second world title in style as he cruised his way into the second round of the World Snooker Championship with a 10-5 victory over Lyu Haotian at the Crucible.

Murphy started the session with a 6-3 lead and was looking to carry on where he left off when he punished China’s Haotian from 38 points behind to pinch the opening frame to extend his advantage to four.

Murphy secured the next to make it five consecutive frames but Haotian won two out of the next three to extend the tie slightly.

A relaxed Murphy did not sweat and – with the 2005 world champion just needing a solitary frame for the win – he wrapped it up in style with a break of 81 to put himself into the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2021.

Murphy told the BBC: “I haven’t won a match since I beat Kyren Wilson here in 2021.

“It’s such a relief, it’s so rewarding and pleasing, I haven’t won a match here for a few seasons. I’m delighted to have got that win and in the second round of the tournament.”

Stuart Bingham stormed into an impressive three-frame lead to give him a healthy advantage at the end of the first session as he leads Gary Wilson 6-3 at the halfway point.

Bingham started in tremendous fashion, falling just two points short of an opening-frame century break to put his first point on the board and he rattled off the next three before Wilson made his mark on the scoreboard.

Bingham responded straight away with a 117 break to go 5-1 up and already put daylight between himself and and Wilson, who many expected to challenge for the title.

Staring down the barrel of an early exit, Wilson’s session-high 60 break of the match came in the final frame but a missed black pot helped Bingham swoop in and almost clear the table until he himself missed a routine black on the last and his opponent sunk the remaining ball to reduce the deficit to three.