Experience has ruled the baize in recent years, leaving relative rookie Yan Bingtao of China cast in the role of outlier as the World Championship moved towards its business end on Tuesday. Yan was a lone 20-something in the company of quarter-finalists with 15 world titles between them, of which three were held by his last-eight opponent Mark Williams. The Welshman duly schooled him 6-2 in their opening session. Old enough at 47 to be 22-year-old Yan’s father, Williams joined the professional ranks in 1992 at the same time as Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, both 46 and still in the hunt in Sheffield along with Stuart Bingham, 45, and Stephen Maguire, 41. Even the supposedly young and thrusting Judd Trump and Jack Lisowski, who respectively face Bingham and Higgins, are now 32 and 30. O’Sullivan has often signalled his dismay about the lack of a next generation to usurp him. During this championship, Luca Brecel of Belgium, although only 27 himself, has weighed in, claiming emerging British players were too lazy to make it to the top. Based in Sheffield but China’s remaining hope to lift the trophy, Yan is giving it a fair crack this fortnight despite the “Class of ’92” trio all making it to the last eight for the first time since 2011. Two of the veterans continued to set the pace on Tuesday. Yan rallied to level after Williams went two frames up, but it was one-way scoring thereafter. On the other table, O’Sullivan led Maguire, also by 6-2. Late on Monday, Lisowski had knocked out Neil Robertson, the pre-tournament favourite, regathering himself from 11-10 down to win their second-round match 13-12 after a resurgent Robertson notched a maximum 147 break. China’s 4 contenders at 2022 World Snooker Championship and how to watch them “That is on everyone’s bucket list,” said the Australian after becoming the eighth player in Crucible history to record the feat. Naturally, O’Sullivan (three times), Williams and Higgins are also on that list. Ominously, Higgins – who collected his first world crown before Yan was born – said on Monday of himself and his fellow old-stagers: “I don’t see any reason why we might not still be playing at 60.”