Cameras catch fans falling ASLEEP while watching the snooker at Sheffield Crucible

It was an exhilarating day at the Crucible in Sheffield yesterday but not every snooker fan thought so.
Snooker fans fall asleep at the Crucible - Simon Cooper/PA WireSnooker fans fall asleep at the Crucible - Simon Cooper/PA Wire
Snooker fans fall asleep at the Crucible - Simon Cooper/PA Wire

World number 51 Jamie Jones pulled off a huge shock and recovered from 8-5 down to beat number eight seed Shaun Murphy 10-9.

The 30-year-old from Neath joins Mark Allen in the last 16, the Masters champion having earlier secured a 10-5 win over Crucible debutant Liam Highfield.

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Thousands of snooker fans have once again flocked to the Crucible to see their heroes in action but it seems some were more enthralled than others.

Cameras snapped two men dozing off side-by-side while Jones completed his comeback; while another man in front of them slumbered.

For those that managed to stay awake it was an action-packed day at the Crucible.

Mark Allen saw off Crucible debutant Liam Highfield 10-5 to move into the second round.

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The Masters champion turned his 6-3 overnight lead into a relatively straightforward victory, even though Highfield produced a 99 break in Monday's first frame.

Allen then rattled through the next three frames, including a seventh half-century break as he secured the win.

The 32-year-old will now meet Joe Perry in the second round, after the world number 22 pulled off a shock victory over defending champion Mark Selby.

"I didn't score as heavily as I would have liked but I did enough to win," Allen told the BBC.

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"It was a good match even though it was not the most free-flowing. Liam pushed me all the way and there were lots of close frames."

Highfield admitted a missed brown in the second frame of the day on Monday proved the turning point in his defeat.

"The brown was really tough and, had that gone in, then maybe it would have been 6-5 and a different match," Highfield told the BBC.

Barry Hawkins beat Stuart Carrington 10-7 to reach the second round, emerging victorious in an evening session that stretched almost until midnight.

Ding Junhui built up a 6-3 lead over Xiao Guodong, with Ricky Walden moving ahead 6-3 against Luca Brecel.

The action continues at the Crucible today and will run until May 7.