O’Brien happy to play the villain against champion

MARK SELBY will launch his Betfred World Championship title defence against an opponent accused of playing anti-snooker to reach the Crucible. Irishman Fergal O’Brien was part of a world record on Wednesday night when he won the longest frame in the history of professional snooker. He needed two hours, three minutes and 41 seconds to win a decider against David Gilbert and book his place in the main draw. The frame lasted 44 seconds longer than Kenyan athlete Dennis Kipruto’s marathon world record, and Gilbert was upset by the ponderous tactics employed by O’Brien. ‘The pace of play was diabolical from pretty much start to finish, and it wasn’t me,’ said Gilbert. Asked if it felt gruelling, Gilbert said: ‘It’s worse than that — that’s not snooker.’ O’Brien responded to the criticism by saying: ‘In future would I like to play like that again? Absolutely not. Did I overplay shots, did I double-check stuff? Probably yes, but such was the pressure.’ Five-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan will face Gary Wilson in his opener. Wilson, 31, said: ‘It is a great draw for me. It will be a massive and passionate crowd, millions watching on TV and you couldn’t have asked for a better one in many ways.’ Four-time champion John Higgins begins against Martin Gould, while 2006 Crucible king Graeme Dott is rewarded for qualifying with an opener against two-time former runner-up Ali Carter. An all-Scottish clash sees Anthony McGill set a tough task against qualifier Stephen Maguire, who has lost in the first round in each of the last four years. Maguire said: ‘If I was up practising at home in Glasgow I wouldn’t have this practice to be sharp, and I can always see that when I’ve played qualifiers at the Crucible: they all start off like a train, so hopefully now I can get off to a good start.’