By Phil Harlow BBC Sport at the Crucible

Parrott is hoping for a change in luck

Former world champion John Parrott was relieved to have escaped with a 5-4 deficit at the end of the opening session of his first round clash with Quinten Hann.

Some outrageous flukes from his Australian opponent left Parrott looking well out of the match at 5-1 down.

But the 38-year-old battled away to win the final three frames and stave off the threat of an immediate return to the BBC commentary studio.

"I'm just glad to still be in it," he said.

"I wasn't playing that bad, but I was 5-1 down.

"I've lived to fight another day, and maybe the luck will be with me on Sunday."

A snooker landmark was reached on Saturday when Michaela Tabb became the first woman to referee a World Championship match at the Crucible.

The 35-year-old took control of 11th seed Mark King's first round match against Drew Henry in the evening session.

And Graham Poll may be relieved to hear that her biggest fear was probably the same as his.

"I'm worried that they might show the same action from 12 different angles and come to a different decision than I did," she said.

But as long as she doesn't obstruct one of the players while his opponent nips in to score a match-winning century (a la Poll's block in Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United), everything should be fine.

Bookmakers Ladbrokes will have mixed feelings if pre-tournament favourite Ronnie O'Sullivan goes on to lift the trophy.

The betting firm sponsor the world number one, but have also accepted a �10,000 ante-post bet at odds of 5/2, meaning a potential payout of �35,000 should O'Sullivan go on to repeat his 2001 success.

"The �35,000 will certainly be at the back of my mind if our man lifts the trophy," said Ladbrokes spokesman Balthazar Fabricius.

Journalists have seen their supplies of free fags cut

If media comment from the Crucible seems more acerbic than usual this year, there could be a straightforward explanation.

Imperial Tobacco, sponsors of the Embassy, are no longer allowed to give their products away to the hoardes of nicotine-craving journalists working behind the scenes.

The ban on handing out samples of cigarettes is another example of the government's squeeze on tobacco advertising and sponsorship.

The World Championship has been given special dispensation to continue to be supported by Embassy until 2005, but other tobacco-sponsored events such as the B&H Masters or the Regal Scottish Open will be no more next season.

Five snooker stars have been lined up to undergo a "Big Brother"-style elimination trick-shot contest with BBC viewers deciding who should go.

Crowd pleasers Steve Davis, John Parrott, Dennis Taylor, Willie Thorne and John Virgo will go head-to-head in a battle to impress the public.

And later in the tournament, BBC viewers will get the chance to vote who goes, one by one.