World Snooker Championship: Mark Allen leads Scott Donaldson 5-4 in first-round match

Allen (right) is a three-time Crucible quarter-finalist and made the semis in 2009

Mark Allen leads Scott Donaldson 5-4 after the first session of their first-round match at the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre.

Donaldson drew level but a run of 109 in the next saw Allen go into Monday night's second session one frame up.

Also on Monday, Anthony McGill beat qualifier Liam Highfield 10-7.

The Scot will play the winner of the match between England's Judd Trump and Iranian Hossein Vafaei.

The winner of Allen v Donaldson, meanwhile, will face world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan.

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A break of 65 saw Allen clinch the opening frame of the encounter but Scotland's Donaldson took the next two, a break of 78 helping him establish a 2-1 advantage.

Donaldson looked to have extended his lead as he compiled a 60 in the next but a 61 clearance from the Northern Irishman levelled the contest.

Breaks of 55 and 68 by Donaldson made it 3-2 to the world-ranked 49 player but a 45 helped see number 15 seed Allen over the line in the next.

Those two centuries in the final two frames edged Allen ahead, but his opponent remains well in contention to make the second round for the first time in only his second appearance at the event in Sheffield.

Allen's best World Championship performance was a semi-final appearance in 2009 and he has also reached the quarter-finals three times, most recently in 2018.

Last year the 36-year-old exited at the second-round stage, having been beaten in the first round in 2019 and 2020.

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