Ronnie O'Sullivan will tackle a Crucible debutant in the first round of the Betfred World Championship which starts in Sheffield on Saturday . Five-time winner O ’ Sullivan will face Manchester ’ s Craig Steadman , who at 32 is set for his bow at the sport ’ s most prestigious tournament . Steadman visited the theatre to watch his friend Nick Dyson play Ken Doherty in 2001 , but said : ‘ I told myself I ’ d never go again unless I was playing . Ronnie O'Sullivan will play 32-year-old debutant Craig Steadman in the first round of the World Championship . Defending champion Mark Selby will play Norwegian Kurt Maflin at the Crucible on Saturday . Mark Selby v Kurt Maflin . Stephen Maguire v Anthony McGill . Joe Perry v Zhang Anda . Shaun Murphy v Robin Hull . Barry Hawkins v Matthew Selt . Mark Allen v Ryan Day . Ali Carter v Alan McManus . Neil Robertson v Jamie Jones . Ding Junhui v Mark Davis . John Higgins v Robert Milkins . Marco Fu v Jimmy Robertson . Judd Trump v Stuart Carrington . Ricky Walden v Graeme Dott . Stuart Bingham v Robbie Williams . Mark Williams v Matthew Stevens . Ronnie O'Sullivan v Craig Steadman . The tournament runs from April 18 to May 4 . ‘ As a snooker player it ’ s not nice to sit there watching when you could be playing . 'You ’ ve got to earn a right to be there and I ’ ve done that now and it ’ s brilliant . ‘ When you get to the Crucible , I ’ ve heard horror stories about walking down the stairs and your legs start crumbling . ' I wouldn ’ t have minded getting there when I was 18 , when I had a full head of hair and I was better looking. ’ Defending champion Mark Selby will also tackle a debutant in Norway ’ s Kurt Maflin . Maflin came through 10-9 in the final qualifying round against Irish veteran Fergal O ’ Brien . Judd Trump faces another tournament newcomer . Grimsby ’ s Stuart Carrington , a player he faced frequently in the junior ranks , will provide his first opponent . The fourth Crucible novice this year is Scotland ’ s Anthony McGill , who plays fellow Glaswegian Stephen Maguire . The tournament runs from April 18 until May 4 .
mark O'Sullivan , a three - time champion , draws Craig Steadman . The 32-year - old Steadman is competing in the Championship for first time . Defending champions Mark Selby will face Norway 's Kurt Maflin .