Barry Hawkins was rising to the challenge of his first Betfair World Championship final last night as he and Ronnie O'Sullivan produced a high-class show at the Crucible.

From 5-3 behind going into the evening, Hawkins drew level at 7-7 and the underdog was looking to have shed his early nerves. The 34-year-old world number 14 fired in back-to-back breaks of 83 and 133. The reaction from O’Sullivan to the encroaching danger was dazzling as he surged ahead again at 10-7.

After runs of 113 and 100 in the afternoon, O'Sullivan has taken a place in snooker's record books as the player with the most World Championship centuries, edging two ahead of Stephen Hendry's total of 127.