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Ronnie O'Sullivan's chalk made a mess of the table at the Crucible during his round two clash with John Higgins. The Rocket raced to an early lead following the opening session, with O'Sullivan boasting a 6-2 lead over his Scottish competitor.

Having shared the opening two frames, O'Sullivan won five of the next six, displaying some masterful snooker and putting himself in a commanding position. However, it was before the contest properly got up and running that O'Sullivan was seen causing a mess of things on the table.

The overhead shots of the table showed white streaks across the pristine green cloth, with the commentators on the TNT Sports coverage explaining it was because O'Sullivan's chalk is different. Speaking on the broadcast, the commentator said: "The camera is just focused on the chalk already on the table.

"That's because O'Sullivan uses a different chalk than everyone else on the tour now, with the odd exception. The chalk he uses still leaves some marks around."

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Higgins was no doubt frustrated by this, given he's previously criticised O'Sullivan and co. for using the old-style Triangle Chalk. Speaking at last year's World Snooker Championship, the four-time winner dubbed it a 'nightmare'.

He told the BBC: "Do you know why I got a kick? Because Luca was on previously. Luca doesn't use the [TAOM chalk]. They brushed [the table] but it's still really messy. It's difficult when you play guys like Ronnie and Luca and they're using the Triangle chalk. It's a bit of a nightmare."

Stephen Hendry, who like O'Sullivan has seven world titles, chimed in with: "I know it's an irritation for all the other players that Ronnie continues to use the old chalk that does give bad contacts and bounces off the cushion.

"Luca Brecel is the other player who uses it. I know from speaking to all the other players it does get very annoying. Because the table starts to play a little bit heavier. Kicks become a factor, cushions become a bit unpredictable, so it's something that Si Jiahui has got to be patient with."

While another former world champion Stuart Bingham said: "I saw Ronnie in the Eurosport studio and I said: 'It's these club players that use Triangle Chalk!

"You see at the worlds, the table plays nicely, and then you follow someone like Ronnie or Luca and the table conditions play totally differently. It's up to them what they do. Ronnie has won seven world titles using that. So, why not? Luca obviously won the worlds with it. The new Taom Chalk is great, it has revolutionised the game. It has made a hell of a difference to the conditions."