Even a 95 average and three out of three on the outer ring from Mickey Mansell was not enough to trouble James Wade on Friday, as the Machine moved smoothly into the Players Championship last 32.

The draw already looked good for Wade before the event, and it is even better now that Damon Heta has gone out of his section. He still needs to get past Peter Wright, but Snakebite’s recent form will not concern him. 

Since the start of August, the two-time world champion has averaged under 88, and Wade should have more than enough to come through this one with ease.

Danny Noppert was one of the standout performers on Friday, averaging 103 as he saw off Ricky Evans.

The Freeze hit three maximums and produced a 164 checkout, carrying on from his Grand Slam run, where he reached his fourth televised ranking semi-final of the season and got ahead against Luke Littler before being pegged back.

Madars Razma’s win over Dirk van Duijvenbode further opens the path for Noppert to make another deep run at a major. The Latvian averaged 89 in the first round, and he will need a major improvement if he is to trouble Noppert, which looks unlikely based on their recent efforts.