• Cahill is first amateur to play at World Championships • John Higgins, Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy all through

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

James Cahill is five frames away from producing one of the all-time sporting shocks at the Crucible. Cahill, the first amateur to play at the World Championship, leads Ronnie O’Sullivan 5-4 at the halfway stage of their first-round match in Sheffield.

The world No 1, O’Sullivan, looked out of sorts throughout and must pick up his game when play resumes on Tuesday morning. Cahill rarely looked in awe of his opponent, who is chasing a sixth world crown.

John Higgins, hunting a fifth title, is safely through to round two after beating Mark Davis 10-7, rattling in breaks of 100, 135 and 132 along the way.

Mark Williams hits out at officials after World Championship win Read more

Three-time champion Mark Selby hit back from 5-1 down in the morning session to finally triumph 10-7 against Zhao Xintong. The Jester from Leicester had battled back to be 5-3 down and continued to recover, eventually hitting three century breaks and five over 50 in his victory. Selby avoided another first-round exit in Sheffield have also bowed out early at the UK Championship and at other notable events during the campaign, including last month’s Players Championship.

While Selby was toiling in the morning, Shaun Murphy condemned Luo Honghao to the heaviest defeat in tournament history. In winning 10-0 Murphy became just the second man to record a Crucible whitewash, while Luo’s 89 points were a record low.

Murphy now faces Neil Robertson and hopes he can make the most of his late-season form.

“After the season I have had, never in my wildest dreams did I think I could come here and win 10-0,” Murphy said. “This has been the worst season of my life, I have been in a daze. Yesterday I felt like Shaun Murphy again.

“In a way I’m looking forward to this season being over, but while I’m here I’ll give it my best. Everyone was talking about the record and it was in the back of my mind that I could make a bit of history”

David Gilbert, competing as seed for the first time, is 6-3 up overnight against Joe Perry.