Tuesday, Quarter-finals, Afternoon Snooker: World Championship


Tuesday, Quarter-finals, Afternoon

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Tuesday, Quarter-finals, Afternoon. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

We are best mates, but you see one Scottish, in the semifinal, but that

:00:42.:00:54.

is great. Sometimes, I look around and I think that is where I want to

:00:55.:00:59.

be. I'm not going to complain about it. I'm going to get on with it. I

:01:00.:01:04.

have good a as any. I need to keep my thinking clear

:01:05.:01:14.

play the shots. All eyes are new if I can get one-table set-up, who

:01:15.:01:32.

knows. Technically, I am a better than I was ten years ago. I will be

:01:33.:01:36.

up for it. Coming here, I thought fresh, but

:01:37.:01:45.

not as much as I would like. That showed in my first two matches. A

:01:46.:01:55.

lot better than two years ago, to go on and qualify and win two matches

:01:56.:02:02.

here is unbelievable. Afternoon. Those are the men that will be in

:02:03.:02:11.

the quarterfinal stages onwards. The big news from last night is at the

:02:12.:02:18.

Crucible is now a rocket free zone. After a thrilling final frame finale

:02:19.:02:27.

against Barry Hawkins, Hawkins finally defeated his nemesis after

:02:28.:02:32.

14 years. It means that our draw looks like this.

:02:33.:02:40.

The fourth all Scottish Crucible contest between McManus and Higgins

:02:41.:02:48.

begins this afternoon. Ding Junhui is one of three qualifiers left. He

:02:49.:02:52.

takes on Mark Williams. Marco Fu takes an eight jubilant Barry

:02:53.:02:59.

Hawkins. New boy Kyren Wilson takes on Mark Selby. One thing is for

:03:00.:03:06.

certain, regardless of all of the exciting play that we have seen in

:03:07.:03:09.

the qualifiers and in this tournament, you needn't pay and be

:03:10.:03:12.

game to play this well. Absolutely. When you look at the 4/4-finals, you

:03:13.:03:16.

would think that all of the quarterfinals have --

:03:17.:03:20.

quarterfinalists have a big game, they have a well rounded game.

:03:21.:03:27.

Certainly, that the game has helped them. Do you think the world

:03:28.:03:34.

champion in the future who could just pop, pop, pop, like Stephen

:03:35.:03:42.

Hendry did? Even Judd Trump has struggled. At this sort of level,

:03:43.:03:47.

yet picked up very easily. We have to back it up. I know that Judd

:03:48.:03:52.

Trump was big trying to add a little bit more safety, but you cannot pot,

:03:53.:03:59.

pots, pot like you may have done. Stephen was the most successful one,

:04:00.:04:03.

without having that back-up kind of game. Nowadays, I think you have to

:04:04.:04:07.

have a little bit more of a rounded game, as well as being aggressive as

:04:08.:04:12.

well. We're not talking defensive or slow. The players are far quicker

:04:13.:04:15.

than they used to be. But they know when to play the right shot at the

:04:16.:04:19.

right time. John Higgins, Mark Williams, they were exceptional in

:04:20.:04:23.

that department. I don't think they push the boat out as well as Judd

:04:24.:04:27.

Trump may have done, or Ronnie O'Sullivan ten or 15 years ago. But

:04:28.:04:32.

yes, if you look down the whole list, they are very good

:04:33.:04:36.

break-builders, you have to be. You have to be very aggressive when you

:04:37.:04:40.

do get the chance. But also, the safety has been top quality. We are

:04:41.:04:44.

in for some fascinating snooker. I think we are. Only two of the

:04:45.:04:50.

world's top eight players have made it through to the quarterfinals.

:04:51.:04:55.

That's only happened a handful of times at the Crucible. It bodes well

:04:56.:04:59.

for some exciting play. It is going to be an exciting afternoon as we

:05:00.:05:05.

have a peek at all four of our quarterfinalists today. I need to

:05:06.:05:12.

qualifiers have gone on to win the title. Could Ding Junhui joint Shaun

:05:13.:05:17.

Murphy and Steve Davis of the next? At 45, Alan McManus is the oldest

:05:18.:05:27.

quarterfinalists in Steve Davis. Startling to think this is Marco

:05:28.:05:33.

Fu's first quarterfinal for a whole decade. He is under way against

:05:34.:05:39.

Hawkins. Kyren Wilson, the line -- the youngest player still standing.

:05:40.:05:42.

I play coming on his progress against Mark Selby.

:05:43.:05:48.

Start beating up those brain cells again. Will you get full marks? And

:05:49.:06:08.

amongst other things, we will be discussing the Crucible's future.

:06:09.:06:15.

This is current Wilson's second visit to the championship. He really

:06:16.:06:17.

has a feel for the place now. And good friends with Peter Ebdon.

:06:18.:06:30.

He gave me tickets, and I went with my dad. There was no unbelievable

:06:31.:06:33.

experience. As soon as I went there to watch, I knew I had to get there

:06:34.:06:37.

and play. I thought I would be a bit more nervous than I was. It felt

:06:38.:06:43.

natural to be there straightaway. But yeah, as soon as you get

:06:44.:06:47.

prepared, you are a bit daunted at how close everyone is to you. But it

:06:48.:06:52.

is a fantastic venue. I went up a couple of days before, and just went

:06:53.:06:56.

into the venue and had a look around, I got my bearings

:06:57.:07:00.

everywhere. It is something I like to do before I play, and try to

:07:01.:07:05.

acclimatise to it. There is so much history and memory is there, you

:07:06.:07:08.

want to make the memories for yourself, and make history yourself

:07:09.:07:14.

there. The atmosphere like it. If you turn around, it feels like it

:07:15.:07:18.

goes for miles, when actually, it is quite small and quite compact.

:07:19.:07:24.

Sometimes, you are close to falling over the barrier when you play a

:07:25.:07:29.

shot. But as so unique and special. There is a possible -- buzz around

:07:30.:07:35.

Sheffield when it is on. We usually have nice weather, and you have

:07:36.:07:38.

everyone out in the back of the Crucible, and you have a big-screen

:07:39.:07:42.

TV up. There is a real buzz, and you get the signs for the snooker, and

:07:43.:07:46.

it is very special. It is the pinnacle of our sport. Everyone

:07:47.:07:53.

choosing to watch the Crucible, and it is somewhere where I would love

:07:54.:07:58.

to win the trophy. I will not stop until I get there. And Wilson takes

:07:59.:08:04.

on the man at the top of the rankings. It is the former

:08:05.:08:18.

champion's 12 championship. Anthony McGill inflicted The Crucible curse

:08:19.:08:24.

last year. Selby has blown hot and cold. This is qualifier number three

:08:25.:08:33.

for him. How impressive has Kyren Wilson been? He is up against it

:08:34.:08:42.

already. We left this match with Selby on his way to the 4-0 lead.

:08:43.:08:49.

This is frame number five, and we rejoin them with Selby six points in

:08:50.:08:50.

front. COMMENTATOR: I think this red near

:08:51.:09:18.

the baulk condition is possible. At 4-0 down, it difficulty of the shots

:09:19.:09:22.

are magnified. He is not taking it on. He is

:09:23.:09:32.

looking to see where he can leave the cue ball as a safety shot. He is

:09:33.:09:40.

confusing me now, because he was going to play the safety, but now

:09:41.:09:41.

he's taking the shot on. It does look as if he is OK out

:09:42.:11:32.

there. He has not missed anything bad as yet.

:11:33.:11:55.

When he puts this pink, when it is re-spotted, I don't think it is

:11:56.:12:36.

going anywhere. So this break is not getting any easier.

:12:37.:12:46.

Just cannon the red away from the pink spot. Another couple of reds

:12:47.:13:05.

that will be... He is desperate to get his first frame on the board.

:13:06.:13:27.

It's not just going to that cue ball. He wants to play the pink to

:13:28.:13:33.

the left corner, you cannot do that now. Still -- still a little bit of

:13:34.:13:39.

tightness in the arm. He played that well. He will play

:13:40.:13:47.

for the red to the right corner. It has been good break-building,

:13:48.:14:08.

these last few shots. This opportunity. Two or three shots ago,

:14:09.:14:12.

the thing did not go anywhere. He will be desperate to win their

:14:13.:14:31.

frame. Each of the pink, because he has for pockets that it goes in, at

:14:32.:14:36.

the black, only two. If there was a frame you really needed to win, it

:14:37.:14:40.

is nice to have the pink in the open.

:14:41.:16:15.

The cue ball just picked up quicker. He has a slight angle. Not a lot,

:16:16.:16:27.

but enough to stun of that cushion if he wanted to go closer to the

:16:28.:16:29.

reds. He has to avoid the pink. There is

:16:30.:16:53.

an obstacle in the way there. A good break this is under the

:16:54.:16:59.

circumstances. Most break so far in the match. He is hoping to win the

:17:00.:17:08.

frame from there. This will be a tough one when it comes to these

:17:09.:17:18.

situations. They can back-up -- they can battle it out and make it

:17:19.:17:23.

awkward for you. In a way, it pushes you a little bit to come and clear

:17:24.:17:25.

when you get the opportunity. He caught that a little bit too

:17:26.:18:18.

thick. He did not leave anything on. 57 points in front -- that would

:18:19.:18:24.

have left him 57 points in front with 67 still on.

:18:25.:18:36.

Just a fraction short of pace. Those shots were awkwardly placed, but now

:18:37.:18:57.

I out into the open. The chance will come along for either player. It has

:18:58.:19:10.

gone far enough past. He can see the red in the right hand side. It is

:19:11.:19:18.

another chance here to put the cue ball possibly behind the yellow. Off

:19:19.:19:21.

three or four cushions. He has courted too thin. Left a read

:19:22.:19:36.

on, caught the blue. The black is available, pink is on the spot. Wow.

:19:37.:19:48.

He looks like he has a nice angle to follow through for the black.

:19:49.:20:18.

It was not the cleanest of hops. But now it has gone in, he is perfectly

:20:19.:20:30.

on the black. I think he thought he missed it. Just flicked a bit of

:20:31.:20:35.

right-hand side on. Perfect now. Cannot see any problems winning the

:20:36.:20:36.

frame from here. This is a big frame. Not so much for

:20:37.:21:43.

Mark Selby, but he knows this can be a big body blow to his opponent,

:21:44.:21:51.

psychological body blow. This is what it is all about at the

:21:52.:21:57.

Crucible. Winning these frames. When you look like you are going to lose.

:21:58.:22:05.

This looks, at first loss, -- first glance, a poor shot. Just got enough

:22:06.:22:18.

and would force it off to cushions. Neither cue ball to stop. That is a

:22:19.:22:25.

poor shot in its own, but that the last one was a shocker to land like

:22:26.:22:27.

this on the red. He will be fuming inside, Mark

:22:28.:22:39.

Selby. Straightforward positional shots,

:22:40.:22:54.

that should have been. He left a good angle on the last

:22:55.:23:08.

thread, but Kyra missed a good chance when he made a good 56 break,

:23:09.:23:20.

but he has to hit this red and get it safe now. He would not think that

:23:21.:23:26.

Mark Selby with this again if he left an easy part.

:23:27.:23:40.

He needs to send it to send the red at the table. That was a good hit.

:23:41.:23:49.

Good shot. This could hit as many as five

:23:50.:24:14.

cushions, this red, trying to get the red in behind the black. He has

:24:15.:24:21.

completely lost the cue ball. But he got the red where he wanted to put

:24:22.:24:25.

it. He wanted the cue ball to be in the middle of the baulk cushion.

:24:26.:25:30.

He needs to get there with a lot of side and keep them were there. --

:25:31.:25:38.

keep the white there. He has courted too thin. He has left

:25:39.:25:47.

it plumb. This is the only problem, not

:25:48.:26:24.

snickering himself behind the brown. He has played that nicely. He has

:26:25.:26:29.

taken it up on a path that was nowhere near the brown. Well played.

:26:30.:26:36.

So it he is needed to the cherry, but it looks like now, he is finally

:26:37.:26:44.

going to pinch this frame. He will play bluetit pink, that is a

:26:45.:26:46.

stumbling block. -- blue to pink. He wants to leave a natural angle on

:26:47.:27:18.

the blue, just before the middle pocket. Pink to the left corner.

:27:19.:27:34.

He will play this with a touch of left-hand side. I don't think there

:27:35.:27:41.

is a natural angle to come from cushion. He is going to have to play

:27:42.:27:47.

tee. As soon as he hits the cushion before the middle pocket, he would

:27:48.:27:48.

be perfect pink. So a body blow for Kyren Wilson. He

:27:49.:28:26.

made a 56 break, and a chance to win that frame, but it is Mark Selby who

:28:27.:28:30.

is now guaranteed a lead going into the second session. He leads 5-0. He

:28:31.:28:37.

has been rather mugged by Selby. This is a dramatic reversal of the

:28:38.:28:41.

situation that Kyren Wilson faced in his last game, against Mark Allen.

:28:42.:28:49.

He has a tough ask now as we head into forensics.

:28:50.:28:54.

COMMENTATOR: Can get his long part in? That was one of his main

:28:55.:29:01.

strength in. That's right main strength in his early matches. A bit

:29:02.:29:06.

of movement. I can understand with the pressure he is under. Why so

:29:07.:29:08.

hard? Surely, this is a nice plain bull

:29:09.:29:19.

shot to go round the back of the black. That is a sign of tension.

:29:20.:29:25.

Desperation, almost. As he mentioned earlier on, things

:29:26.:29:39.

look so much more difficult when you are behind.

:29:40.:29:44.

Not sure whether black is going. But he is having a look there. No spot

:29:45.:29:52.

is available if it is covered. The black spot is not available. The

:29:53.:30:16.

only other one is the brown. That has taken away the chance of winning

:30:17.:30:20.

the frame possibly at this stage early on.

:30:21.:30:24.

I think he will place the back straightaway here.

:30:25.:31:21.

You just don't hit it better than that, I'm afraid. It's kept the cue

:31:22.:32:03.

ball in the middle of the table, but the downside is what has happened to

:32:04.:32:05.

the black and pink. It wouldn't even be said that if you

:32:06.:32:21.

could play for the black and pot it and put it back

:32:22.:32:30.

back on its spot, but it won't even go on the pink spot.

:32:31.:33:00.

Here we can see Mark going into the pack again. The cue ball hits the

:33:01.:33:09.

pink full in the face. The action of the cue ball keeps it in the middle

:33:10.:33:13.

of the table. So often if you don't catch the pink full you can lose the

:33:14.:33:19.

cue ball to the sides or even down to the black cushion. Perfectly

:33:20.:33:20.

played. That wasn't as played, I would

:33:21.:34:10.

think. But in the middle, he will take that. I wonder if he has the

:34:11.:34:14.

angle on the blue to screw back and cannon on the pink.

:34:15.:34:36.

Just played for a fuller contact on the pink. Again, just got so much

:34:37.:34:52.

into the cue ball. It has been noticeable throughout the match.

:34:53.:34:57.

He's getting immediate back spin. He's either hitting the ball very

:34:58.:35:01.

well, or the cloth is a bit more lively today. Or both. It's been

:35:02.:35:13.

hard work, I must say. Just getting position now. Taking on the blue,

:35:14.:35:21.

bridging over the red. It's tough, but made a lot easier by the fact

:35:22.:35:27.

he's 5-0 up. He's moving on to the yellow now.

:35:28.:35:36.

Again, the pressure is off Mark Selby at the moment. You can just

:35:37.:35:44.

relax. Pile on as many frames onto the scoreboard as possible this

:35:45.:35:45.

morning. Back in a good position. May be able

:35:46.:36:29.

to pot one of the top two above the pink spot.

:36:30.:36:35.

Keep potting them, it doesn't really make the difference.

:36:36.:37:05.

As I said already, Kyren Wilson in the last round went 7-0 up on Mark

:37:06.:37:12.

Allen, so he must know how Mark Allen felt at the moment. . It's a

:37:13.:37:18.

horrible place to be, at the Crucible when this is happening. The

:37:19.:37:22.

best place in the world to play when you are playing well. Not in a good

:37:23.:37:29.

place at the moment. It will be a really tough 56 rake

:37:30.:37:54.

for Mark Selby here. Has played a lot of good shots and cannons.

:37:55.:37:59.

Rescue pots, because he has slipped out of position. And at the end of

:38:00.:38:10.

this frame they will add up to the same thing, another frame. If you

:38:11.:38:21.

could play perfect snooker all the time, it would be very boring.

:38:22.:38:38.

This has been far from boring, it has been very skilful. Using all the

:38:39.:38:46.

great assets he's got. Keeping this break going.

:38:47.:40:10.

If he gets a century here, he will be the leading century maker in the

:40:11.:40:15.

tournament with six. APPLAUSE

:40:16.:40:34.

And that would be the 60th of the tournament, quite a lot after three

:40:35.:40:35.

rounds. Didn't have a lot of room there, any

:40:36.:40:48.

further and he would have been snooker to buy the brown. Looked

:40:49.:40:59.

like a kick there, but important step for Mark Selby. Break of 99,

:41:00.:41:07.

leading 6-0. STUDIO: And the youngster won the last frame of the

:41:08.:41:10.

session as well on the pink in frame eight. He would be mighty relieved

:41:11.:41:16.

to take the final two and reduced the deficit to just four. I'm sure

:41:17.:41:20.

he's learned some lessons out there today. Ken and Steve in the studio.

:41:21.:41:27.

For a long time it looked like he would end up in a worse situation.

:41:28.:41:32.

Absolutely, to win the final two frames showed a lot of his

:41:33.:41:37.

character. It will keep him in this match. If you go to 7-1, all lose

:41:38.:41:42.

all the frames, it's very hard to come back. It has given him a

:41:43.:41:46.

glimmer. It was a bit after the Lord Mayor's show. He has to do it all

:41:47.:41:56.

again. It's difficult to keep getting yourself up, particularly

:41:57.:42:00.

against a tough match player like Mark Selby. Winning those last

:42:01.:42:06.

frames will give him a glimmer. It's yet another qualifier he is expected

:42:07.:42:10.

to beat, and he got an almighty fright against Sam Baird in the last

:42:11.:42:15.

round. Having had the experience of going all the way here, he knows how

:42:16.:42:20.

to pace himself. Not that you effectively can, because these days

:42:21.:42:23.

you have to start running as quick as possible, because your

:42:24.:42:27.

first-round opponent will be tough. But to pace yourself mentally, to

:42:28.:42:31.

know you are in the quarterfinals. You have had a hard week but you are

:42:32.:42:35.

still in the event and the quarterfinals is arguably where it

:42:36.:42:39.

all is darts. For Mark Selby, he has gone out there to play his normal

:42:40.:42:43.

brand of clinical snooker. Every day is different on the snooker table.

:42:44.:42:47.

Kyren Wilson will know that but you would like to get off to good start.

:42:48.:42:53.

Starts are so important, even in a best of 25. A lot of people fancied

:42:54.:42:57.

a shop in match, thinking Selby has blown hot and cold. He has not been

:42:58.:43:03.

impressive. Not the Mark Selby of a couple of years ago, but maybe he

:43:04.:43:07.

needed one of these matches to get himself going again. Sometimes you

:43:08.:43:11.

will find over the years, previous world champions like Steve or

:43:12.:43:16.

Stephen Hendry, they have not always been fast starters, building their

:43:17.:43:19.

momentum through the tournament. That Zig Zag the what he's doing. If

:43:20.:43:24.

he comes through this match he will be full of confidence into the

:43:25.:43:27.

semifinals. -- that's exactly what he's doing. It's ladies day here in

:43:28.:43:34.

Sheffield at the World Championships. You'd know that

:43:35.:43:39.

because we are all wearing purple. We have two very special ladies here

:43:40.:43:44.

today, having a knock about. At the table we have Rhiannon Evans, the 11

:43:45.:43:52.

times women world champion, and the original ladies world champion, Vera

:43:53.:44:03.

Selby. And I shouldn't tell you this, but she's 85! Incredible.

:44:04.:44:11.

She's just received an MBE. That was in January, February.

:44:12.:44:17.

Congratulations. Vera, you are the original women's world champion of

:44:18.:44:21.

1976, winning again in 1981. What was the women's scene like in those

:44:22.:44:25.

days for snooker? It was quite healthy. We had women from Canada,

:44:26.:44:32.

Australia, as well as local, Ireland and England. It was quite healthy,

:44:33.:44:40.

really. In terms of when you played against the guys, because you played

:44:41.:44:44.

in quite a lot of the leagues, were you considered a novelty in those

:44:45.:44:52.

days? Possibly, yes. A freak! I'm sure you gave them a very good game.

:44:53.:44:57.

Over the years you have seen the men's game develop. How positive

:44:58.:45:07.

have the women's games become? The very positive. When I first started

:45:08.:45:10.

they wouldn't let women into some of the clubs. I was even barred from

:45:11.:45:16.

coming back here. Really Westwood yeah. -- really? I commentated when

:45:17.:45:30.

Alex Higgins beats Ray Reardon. I have lots of positive comments, but

:45:31.:45:35.

two that weren't so good. One said to get back in the kitchen, and one

:45:36.:45:40.

said I was as out of place as mother Superior. Thankfully it's no longer

:45:41.:45:54.

the case. We are very glad to see you having been rewarded and

:45:55.:45:57.

recognised for all your efforts, proudly wearing your MBE today. As a

:45:58.:46:03.

person who has gone on to win this 11 times, how important are

:46:04.:46:13.

trailblazers like Vera. It's not just now that it's happening, it

:46:14.:46:17.

happened all those years ago. It's fantastic. If she can't get more

:46:18.:46:22.

ladies involved, then nobody can. You lost your title after ten times

:46:23.:46:26.

last year, and you seemed ultra determined on April five to get it

:46:27.:46:30.

back. You've got to come back, haven't you? It shows how champions

:46:31.:46:36.

are champions. You don't like losing. Getting the trophy back

:46:37.:46:40.

meant a lot to me. I'm sure it did. And you had a very good coach, who

:46:41.:46:46.

sadly died last year. He was teaching me from the beginning,

:46:47.:46:56.

showing me know emotion. That was important, not getting upset when

:46:57.:46:59.

you play a bad shot. Put it behind you. You are still playing and

:47:00.:47:05.

refereeing. I am, yes. Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor were playing an

:47:06.:47:09.

exhibition a fortnight ago, just before he retired. I know them all

:47:10.:47:15.

from the old days. I don't know the new guys now! But Steve and Dennis,

:47:16.:47:20.

I know very well. You have a lifetime playing this game and you

:47:21.:47:24.

look fantastic on it. May we all look like you at 85. 86! Fantastic.

:47:25.:47:35.

I was chanted a kind. Please, carry on your game while I get ready. It's

:47:36.:47:40.

Vera's shot. Just hitting the knuckle. I will let

:47:41.:47:53.

you carry on. Vera in full flow to mode in the Winter Gardens. And Mark

:47:54.:47:56.

Williams is also in full float mode. I call him my hero. You couldn't

:47:57.:48:12.

possibly meet a more down to earth guide and Mark Williams. Probably

:48:13.:48:17.

the most relaxed player. He just takes his practice came into the

:48:18.:48:20.

tournament and if it's good enough he wins, if it isn't, he doesn't,

:48:21.:48:27.

but he doesn't mind. Mark Williams... I love him! He's so calm

:48:28.:48:32.

and so laid back. If he was more laid-back he would fall over. Always

:48:33.:48:38.

looks as if the game is so easy to him. Floats about the table. A

:48:39.:48:47.

little bit mad sometimes. Sometimes you can feel under pressure, but he

:48:48.:48:51.

looks like he's having a stroll. Very funny, likes the one-liners,

:48:52.:48:56.

getting involved on social media with a bit of banter with the fans,

:48:57.:49:03.

which I like as a player. Takes life not too serious, doesn't take his

:49:04.:49:07.

game to serious, but probably one of the all-time greats in the game.

:49:08.:49:16.

Great player, but his clothes are not as good at his snooker. The

:49:17.:49:21.

fashionista who is Mark Williams! Good thing he's a good snooker

:49:22.:49:28.

player! Because his dress sense is almost nonexistent. Ding Junhui's

:49:29.:49:39.

sixth match of the championship. He had to come through qualifying after

:49:40.:49:42.

dramatically falling out of the top 16. Strong winds over Judd Trump in

:49:43.:49:49.

around two, he's edging closer to a world title, and a career triple

:49:50.:49:52.

Crown. It's the missing piece of the dig saw for him. They came out for

:49:53.:49:58.

the first of their three sessions this morning, watched by Peter Ebdon

:49:59.:50:03.

and John Virgo. We will pick them up in frame three.

:50:04.:50:15.

COMMENTATOR: Decent pot. But couldn't control the cue ball. He

:50:16.:50:26.

would have liked a bump on the middle pocket so the cue ball ended

:50:27.:50:30.

up in the middle of the table, but it didn't. The brown will pot and

:50:31.:50:32.

there is one loose red. Played with a lot of pace to come

:50:33.:50:47.

off the two cushions. Played it pretty well. And being glow is no

:50:48.:50:54.

bad thing because in potting it he can bring other reds into play.

:50:55.:51:02.

Needs to be careful with his cue ball here, doesn't want to screw off

:51:03.:51:06.

the reds into the middle pocket. Got into that really well.

:51:07.:51:15.

We just look at this, the way he comes off the other reds. He has

:51:16.:51:24.

played that plane ball. Didn't want to be guilty of missing the red. A

:51:25.:51:29.

trace of left-hand side and he would have been better on the blue than

:51:30.:51:36.

this. But right in the heart of the pocket. Good shot. Not a bad chance,

:51:37.:51:40.

this. Played that nicely. After this red,

:51:41.:52:38.

he has one loose red at the top of the cluster. You feel now is about

:52:39.:52:43.

the time to start leaving an angle on the black to try to bring most of

:52:44.:52:52.

the reds into play. But he doesn't have the angle, so looks like he

:52:53.:52:57.

will not play for the open reds. There is the possibility of the

:52:58.:53:01.

three reds above the black, one to the right middle, one to the top.

:53:02.:53:08.

The one at the top is available into both corners. Maybe he's thinking

:53:09.:53:17.

that once he's potted this red, the one to the left will be available to

:53:18.:53:18.

the left corner. If you can win a frame without

:53:19.:53:29.

having to play cannons, because there is always a risk of not being

:53:30.:53:33.

done anything, then I'm all in favour of that. -- not being on

:53:34.:53:42.

struck the red into the middle of really well. Quite an acute angle

:53:43.:53:49.

and he played it with a lot of pace. Had to be absolutely spot on with

:53:50.:53:54.

his judgment. And he was. Really good effort from Ding. The bottom

:53:55.:54:07.

red of the cluster should go into the right pocket if he can play a

:54:08.:54:14.

good positional shot. That looks OK, just. The other thing is, when he

:54:15.:54:22.

has spotted this, the red above it will be available to the opposite

:54:23.:54:23.

corner. A pitch straight on the black, has

:54:24.:54:37.

work to do with the cue ball, forcing it around and missing the

:54:38.:54:43.

pink. -- a bit straight. In an effort to stun past the pink, he

:54:44.:54:48.

took the pace out of the cue ball. 52 point lead. Could be end of

:54:49.:54:57.

break. This is definitely a glimmer of hope for Mark Williams. Decision

:54:58.:55:08.

time for Ding Junhui. A very thin cut on the red. Wouldn't have any

:55:09.:55:13.

idea where the cue ball is going. Looks like he's taking it on.

:55:14.:55:21.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, John, but I don't feel that was the

:55:22.:55:27.

right shot. Yeah, you are right. He probably looked at it and thought,

:55:28.:55:31.

if I knocked it in its A-frame winner. But I'm like you, I don't

:55:32.:55:40.

think it's a shot to play. -- it's a frame-winner.

:55:41.:55:50.

The red to the side cushion is of no use to mark. Ding Junhui needs red -

:55:51.:56:02.

colour- red to clinch the frame. It's not going in! The pockets seem

:56:03.:56:10.

to have shrunk a little this morning.

:56:11.:56:32.

With this unexpected opportunity, you think Mark Williams will take

:56:33.:56:37.

this on, but it's by no means a gimme, it's a tough pot.

:56:38.:56:44.

That's excellent, well played. Yes. And the one thing he is, and I've

:56:45.:56:58.

always said it, one of the best single ball potters the game has

:56:59.:57:05.

ever seen, Mark Williams. Would like to be on the red just to the left of

:57:06.:57:09.

the black. The ball needs to slow up. Just in time.

:57:10.:57:23.

Like Ding before him in the last frame, he has the only red on the

:57:24.:57:29.

left-hand cushion to contend with. Has he got the angle to drop this

:57:30.:57:46.

black in, cannon the red near the cushion, and still be on the outer

:57:47.:57:51.

red for the right middle? That's what he thinks... And he has played

:57:52.:57:55.

it nicely. APPLAUSE Well played, he can probably play

:57:56.:57:57.

the red he can and! -- he can and. Left a nice angle on the black, just

:57:58.:58:15.

as to roll it in-off the side cushion and kick the ball into play.

:58:16.:58:22.

Needs to run. Doesn't want to be short. That's careless. So much

:58:23.:58:32.

margin for error. To not be on the red, it's unforgivable. But at least

:58:33.:58:39.

if you pot the last ball you get to play the next shot. Back to his

:58:40.:58:44.

seat, and he will be disappointed. He's not even played a good safety.

:58:45.:58:53.

It was a good chance, that. It will all add up come the end of this

:58:54.:58:54.

match. Terrific pot. Ding Junhui is now 27

:58:55.:59:12.

points in front with 27 remaining. He just needs the colour.

:59:13.:59:28.

And in goes the brown. Ding Junhui, a 31 point lead with 27 remaining.

:59:29.:59:49.

So, but for once Duca to type, Ding Junhui should have a 2-1 lead. --

:59:50.:00:00.

one snooker to time. STUDIO: And he did, and Ding moves 3-2 in front.

:00:01.:00:06.

It's the Welshman, two points behind.

:00:07.:00:12.

He would have been bound to port it but he got it too thin. Remarkable.

:00:13.:00:18.

Left it on. He needs that cue ball to stop short

:00:19.:00:29.

of the baulk line. It won't. That was a great chance for Ding

:00:30.:00:51.

Junhui. It has to be said, chances coming thick and fast. Yes, most

:00:52.:00:55.

unexpected. Both players are leaving

:00:56.:01:03.

opportunities this morning. He judged that cannon nicely on the

:01:04.:01:24.

blue. Has a good angle for the red. Apart from that frame that lasted

:01:25.:01:28.

just U21 minutes, the rest have been quick firing. Apart from that one

:01:29.:01:37.

that was over 70 minutes... This looks like another one that will be

:01:38.:01:43.

finished in double quick time. -- 17 minutes. The reds are ideally

:01:44.:01:50.

situated for a frame-winning contribution.

:01:51.:01:59.

I have a feeling that that sprung off the cushion. It did. I am just

:02:00.:02:11.

thinking, it is worrying times for Mark Williams. A series of kicks and

:02:12.:02:17.

big bounces, playing with a tip he is not absolutely comfortable with.

:02:18.:02:21.

He is made quite a few misjudgements, especially with side

:02:22.:02:25.

already this morning. But he is an experienced campaigner. He knows

:02:26.:02:30.

that there is a long way to go in this match panic should not set in

:02:31.:02:31.

just yet. He certainly does not look as

:02:32.:02:40.

relaxed and comfortable at the moment as he has done in the

:02:41.:02:47.

tournament so far. I don't honestly believe it is just because Ding has

:02:48.:02:54.

taken a 4-2 lead. As you said, couple of kicks he has had. That one

:02:55.:03:01.

stopped him in his tracks when he had a frame-winning opportunity. A

:03:02.:03:05.

couple of bad bounces. They get your confidence.

:03:06.:03:12.

We talk about Ding Junhui being in the wilderness for quite a while,

:03:13.:03:24.

but Mark Williams was. And did very well to regain his top 16 place. I

:03:25.:03:31.

think Mark actually dropped down to somewhere near 47 in the rankings.

:03:32.:03:36.

To become a top 16 player again after doing that is an incredible

:03:37.:03:44.

achievement. Ding, as expected, making the most

:03:45.:03:48.

of this last opportunity. This frame-mac just short of 14

:03:49.:04:00.

minutes. He was not bothered about the pink. It was well and truly over

:04:01.:04:06.

long before that. I agree with Peter Ebdon. Slightly worrying times early

:04:07.:04:12.

in this match for Mark Williams. Ding Junhui leads 4-2.

:04:13.:05:19.

Ding one frame seven as well with his fourth century break of the

:05:20.:05:25.

match. The Chinese player looking more and more comfortable at the

:05:26.:05:29.

Crucible and leading 5-2 as we head into this final frame of the opening

:05:30.:05:33.

session. Ding Junhui to break.

:05:34.:05:43.

So, Ding Junhui in the final frame of the first session of this

:05:44.:05:56.

quarterfinal match gets under way. He could only push nephew was to win

:05:57.:06:01.

it. Mark will have other ideas, of course. -- he could really push on

:06:02.:06:07.

if he was to win it. You can always depend on Mark Williams knocking

:06:08.:06:11.

these long ones in, but at the moment is big problem is that he is

:06:12.:06:14.

getting chances but not taking them and not scoring.

:06:15.:06:18.

Not quite hard enough. A couple of reds to the right,... He is playing

:06:19.:06:38.

one to the right corner. Make tricky by the fact that the blue is so

:06:39.:06:43.

close to the cue. That was another good pot. He needs to run a bit

:06:44.:06:52.

further than the middle. He is looking at the pink. It just goes.

:06:53.:06:57.

Boy, this is tough. A lot tougher than the blue.

:06:58.:07:06.

Deciding to play the blue. Would have liked the cue ball to be a

:07:07.:07:15.

little further over. You would normally think he has no problem

:07:16.:07:20.

reaching this. Mark is quite tall. But he will be concerned with the

:07:21.:07:21.

yellow. Another tracking pot.

:07:22.:07:32.

APPLAUSE That was a good shot.

:07:33.:07:39.

A nice angle on the blue. It is not a good pack to go into because the

:07:40.:07:42.

pink is slightly separated from the reds. Just played it to try and miss

:07:43.:07:55.

the pink, it appeared. But it looked like he was just trying to miss the

:07:56.:07:58.

pink and run into the reds. Anyway, he is out of position, you feel. Has

:07:59.:08:08.

he spotted a red Eakin pot? -- that he can pot? He did and he is on the

:08:09.:08:14.

black... Look at his body language. He was smiling. I am not sure if it

:08:15.:08:16.

was a good smile or a wry smile. It was a good smile. He was on the

:08:17.:08:27.

black. Well played. Done well to keep this going. It is a big frame

:08:28.:08:36.

early on in a match for Mark Williams, this. Yes, John. You feel

:08:37.:08:42.

that Mark Williams has been so attacking in this break and he has

:08:43.:08:45.

fought himself, right, I am not happy with the way things are going

:08:46.:08:49.

this morning. I will attack and if there is a ball on, I am going for

:08:50.:08:53.

it. And so far... It has been an excellent effort to change the

:08:54.:08:56.

momentum. He needs to fully capitalise now

:08:57.:09:10.

that he has the opportunity. Yes, absolutely. Just stopped slightly in

:09:11.:09:20.

his tracks. If he is dead straight on this red to the left,, no

:09:21.:09:25.

problem. You can drop it in. But this is a delicate shot required. He

:09:26.:09:32.

was able to get below the centre of the cue ball and stun the red in.

:09:33.:09:38.

He's going to have to play the cannon year. Always very weary

:09:39.:09:45.

playing this type of cannon that you don't knock the red to the cushion.

:09:46.:09:50.

You have to play it a little bit firmer than you think to get the red

:09:51.:09:55.

to bounce. He has not done that and this red now is very tricky. Yes,

:09:56.:10:01.

this is missable. He will have to play this dead weight. Perfect.

:10:02.:10:06.

Excellent shot. APPLAUSE

:10:07.:10:13.

That was a beautiful Mark Williams for -- floater. He gives the pocket

:10:14.:10:21.

every chance. But he did not play that well. If you had to be

:10:22.:10:26.

critical, apart from one or two other mistakes and bad kicks, his

:10:27.:10:30.

positional side of his game this morning has not been very good. That

:10:31.:10:32.

was another example. Yes. That has let Mark down this morning

:10:33.:10:46.

and he will be disappointed. But if he finishes this session 5-3 down, I

:10:47.:10:52.

don't think he will be feeling quite too bad. No. Let's not forget, that

:10:53.:11:00.

was a 50 break from nowhere. It is a good start to a frame. But this was

:11:01.:11:11.

the black. He needed to really stun this in.

:11:12.:11:18.

And important safety exchange, this, and if Mark Williams gets the next

:11:19.:11:27.

opportunity, surely he will win the frame. If Ding Junhui gets it, a

:11:28.:11:35.

chance to go four clear. The reds are nicely spread in the middle of

:11:36.:11:39.

the table. The colours are out in the open. Even though you have a 50

:11:40.:11:45.

point lead, it is a dangerous situation. You could clearly hear on

:11:46.:11:53.

Dings previous safety shot that he got a bad contact. Quite a bad kick.

:11:54.:12:01.

Fortunately, the cue ball travel s foot to the cushion but it takes

:12:02.:12:09.

pace out of the red. It would have travelled far that if it had not

:12:10.:12:20.

been for the heavy contact. -- further.

:12:21.:12:26.

He needs a good cue ball here. There is potential that he could leave a

:12:27.:12:34.

red in the middle pocket for Mark Williams. That is not bad. If Mark

:12:35.:12:41.

Williams could play this red to the left middle, and feel that he

:12:42.:12:45.

wouldn't leave anything else, knowing Mark, you would take it on.

:12:46.:12:54.

But I don't think he can play it with that element of no risk. Or can

:12:55.:12:58.

he? And he would not have been on

:12:59.:13:17.

anything at the red dropped. Look where the cue ball finish. Just

:13:18.:13:22.

watch as it runs through. And he has left the chance for Ding Junhui.

:13:23.:13:32.

What a massive turning point this could be. You get the feeling from

:13:33.:13:38.

Mark's body language that he feels that the red just turned to the left

:13:39.:13:47.

towards the near knuckle. Whether it did not, we cannot say for sure but

:13:48.:13:50.

he wasn't happy with his body language.

:13:51.:13:52.

I don't think it is just from missing the pot. That is a very good

:13:53.:14:02.

shot from Ding. When you play that slowly, a finger mark could alter

:14:03.:14:06.

the line of the red. But he try to play it so he could pot it and not

:14:07.:14:11.

get into another red and he got nothing. He got very close to the

:14:12.:14:17.

pot. He misjudged the line of the cue ball. That is very unlike Mark.

:14:18.:14:22.

He is usually very good at picking out a shot that if he misses, he

:14:23.:14:28.

does not leave anything. That was a big mistake that could cost in this

:14:29.:14:32.

frame. As you mention, before Mark made the

:14:33.:14:43.

shot, it did not look as if the angle was the to play the shot he

:14:44.:14:45.

was attempting. No. With these reds nicely open in the

:14:46.:14:59.

middle of the table, I personally would make Ding Junhui slight

:15:00.:15:03.

favourite to take this last frame of the session and got out of it with a

:15:04.:15:08.

four frame advantage. Wouldn't think he would be too

:15:09.:16:14.

interested in playing for the pink here. You will want to concentrate

:16:15.:16:22.

on a black, getting a nice angle. 2-mac of the reds will go to the

:16:23.:16:27.

opposite corner from where he is potting the black. Decided to play

:16:28.:16:34.

for one in the middle. That is OK. But once again, I don't think you

:16:35.:16:41.

would want to play for the pink. He could tie some of the reds up. Not

:16:42.:16:52.

now. He has the pink spot. -- he has cleared the pink spot. I think one

:16:53.:16:56.

of the reds was occupying it somewhat. If he potted the pink

:16:57.:17:03.

beer, it would have tied things up. But he is a very quick thinker and a

:17:04.:17:07.

good brain mine comes to these situations. I have always said, and

:17:08.:17:11.

the pink and black, he is one of the best I have seen. Yes, tremendous

:17:12.:17:13.

break-builder. He has not been at his best this

:17:14.:17:25.

morning. But because Mark Williamson has been way below his best, he has

:17:26.:17:32.

been getting plenty of opportunities. -- Mark Williams has

:17:33.:17:40.

been. You can't keep giving Ding Junhui, someone offers class,

:17:41.:17:42.

opportunity after opportunity. So, just three points behind now.

:17:43.:17:57.

Red, colour, yellow, green, brown and blue would clinch this eighth

:17:58.:18:00.

frame. That is a strange choice of shot.

:18:01.:18:10.

You can only assume you're trying to get back up for the blue to make it

:18:11.:18:15.

easier to get on the yellow. Fortunately for him, he has just a

:18:16.:18:22.

slight angle on the pink. He was trying to get back up for the blue

:18:23.:18:26.

here. Did mean to collide with the black but he is OK for the pink. On

:18:27.:18:31.

it nicely. He is not inch perfect on this yellow.

:18:32.:18:39.

That positional shot from the red is asking him a question or 2-mac. He

:18:40.:18:49.

played that nicely. You try to be too clever and hold for the green.

:18:50.:19:03.

Cued it well. Brown and blue for a four frame advantage.

:19:04.:19:12.

Well, Mark will be disappointed. But he is a realist. He knows that he

:19:13.:19:20.

has had his opportunities. You could put it down to a few bad contacts

:19:21.:19:29.

and the like. The first session goes to Ding Junhui. Another frame in

:19:30.:19:35.

less than 40 minutes. Quick fire snigger. -- 14 minutes, quick fire

:19:36.:19:43.

snigger. He waves to the crowd and back to his dressing room. 6-2 in

:19:44.:19:48.

the first session of the quarterfinal.

:19:49.:19:51.

It was not vintage from either man. But success rate was low for both

:19:52.:20:00.

men. Ding Junhui seems to be able to find a way through now and that is

:20:01.:20:04.

so significant for him. It was evident against Judd Trump mine got

:20:05.:20:07.

to the closing stages of that match and Judd Trump putting pressure on

:20:08.:20:11.

him. He responded with some great breaks under pressure. He has been

:20:12.:20:16.

bereft of confidence in the last 12 months. He has gone off the radar

:20:17.:20:20.

and that is why he slept outside the top 16 and had to qualify. Maybe it

:20:21.:20:24.

has done him good. Winning those three matches now, giving him the

:20:25.:20:27.

confidence he was lacking, he is coming to the Championship under the

:20:28.:20:32.

radar. No pressure. Nobody expects too much from him. But he is

:20:33.:20:37.

starting to find his form. Egypt knocking and 50, 60, 70 breaks and

:20:38.:20:41.

cleaning up when the opportunity presents itself. He is very good at

:20:42.:20:49.

that. How much of that is because he is doing more comfortable the

:20:50.:20:52.

Crucible? It has taken ten years to get to this point. The best he has

:20:53.:20:57.

done here is the semifinal. It takes some players a little bit longer.

:20:58.:21:02.

You looks more confident. He seems a little bit more relaxed. He is

:21:03.:21:05.

smiling a bit, interacting with the crowd. We never used to see that

:21:06.:21:09.

from Ding Junhui. Maybe years more relaxed. But still he is not at his

:21:10.:21:16.

best. But he is in the quarterfinals and looking good against Mark

:21:17.:21:18.

Williams. As fore-mac Williams, you never really know whether he is that

:21:19.:21:23.

bothered or a seething mass of ambition, let's be honest. But do

:21:24.:21:27.

you believe the believes he can win this title this year? Anybody who

:21:28.:21:31.

comes to the World Championship as to believe. Mark Williams will

:21:32.:21:39.

probably say, I don't give myself a chance. "Heidi As a bully. Here's

:21:40.:21:45.

been there and done it, he has won it a couple of times. He has a great

:21:46.:21:54.

record here. -- he has won here couple of times. He is a very late

:21:55.:22:00.

back type of character. But when it comes to the crunch, Mark Williams

:22:01.:22:04.

will be fighting tooth and nail, no matter who his opponent is, and

:22:05.:22:07.

giving it 100%. Don't worry about that. I am sure he will. As Mark

:22:08.:22:13.

Williams played better than Ding Junhui to get to the quarterfinals?

:22:14.:22:16.

Mark Williams was very impressive in his first couple of matches. But

:22:17.:22:20.

Ding Junhui has had a tough couple of games. He is scoring a lot better

:22:21.:22:27.

than Mark Williams. Mark Williams is very good at those scrappy games.

:22:28.:22:32.

Now one better than him or John Higgins, Mark Selby, to win those

:22:33.:22:37.

scrappy games. Scoring wise, making the centuries and one frame visits,

:22:38.:22:41.

Ding Junhui is a lot better in that department and that is exact what

:22:42.:22:46.

has happened in this fast session. When you look at the plus 50 breaks,

:22:47.:22:51.

it is 6-2, reflected in the overall frame scores. They will be back this

:22:52.:22:55.

evening for the second of their sessions. It has been a pretty

:22:56.:23:00.

eventful afternoon in the Winter Gardens here in Sheffield. We have

:23:01.:23:03.

quite a number of people lining up to play here and we have been joined

:23:04.:23:07.

by some of the top female players in the world. They are all supporting

:23:08.:23:19.

Blue Bed -- Bluebell Woods children's charity. We have a great

:23:20.:23:25.

reaction to the SLB. She is the original women's world champion.

:23:26.:23:29.

They are having a few games lining up to play. Good to see them year.

:23:30.:23:37.

Little bit of a photo opportunity. There is the man who runs the

:23:38.:23:46.

snigger blog. It is fantastic. -- snooker blog.

:23:47.:23:50.

We have seen John Higgins got home early from this Championship in

:23:51.:23:55.

recent years ago on to win. Every time he is got to the quarterfinals,

:23:56.:23:58.

the last three games, he is gone on to win the title. Here he is once

:23:59.:24:02.

again in the quarterfinal and this time he plays his great friend and a

:24:03.:24:07.

man that he has come to regard as something of a mental or. Because he

:24:08.:24:11.

used to practice with him when he was 15 years old. -- meant. Let's

:24:12.:24:15.

hear from John and Alan McManus. Floyd Mayweather. From the recent

:24:16.:24:27.

time watching boxing. Celtic were the first British team to one the

:24:28.:24:35.

cup in 1966. -- 1967. The Ryder Cup. Other schools had a penalty

:24:36.:24:40.

opportunity and I was chosen by my school. I wonder the penalty kick

:24:41.:24:44.

competition. I would love to win the world title again. That would be

:24:45.:24:53.

amazing. Crucible. Followed closely by golf's, where we played the Irish

:24:54.:25:00.

Masters. I would have loved to play for Celtic. I have been stopped with

:25:01.:25:07.

people asking if I still play snooker.

:25:08.:25:16.

McGuire, he would bring the alcohol. Ricky Walden, he throws a few

:25:17.:25:22.

shapes. I would make the pockets wait. I

:25:23.:25:28.

think there are little bit tight just now. -- pockets wider.

:25:29.:25:35.

I nipped out this morning and got a couple of bits and pieces. Garlic,

:25:36.:25:44.

chilli, olive oil, white wine, bay leaf, some herbs, Parmesan...

:25:45.:25:52.

I have been big cooking now for probably at least 15 years. So it

:25:53.:26:00.

was nice to do some cooking them year. -- down here. I smell garlic

:26:01.:26:06.

and it feels like being home. That is magic. I love that. I have been

:26:07.:26:14.

away for quite awhile. I not complaining. A lot of people give

:26:15.:26:19.

quite a bit to be in my shoes in these next few days, so I appreciate

:26:20.:26:24.

that. I am quite happy to be here. The disappointing thing, the first

:26:25.:26:29.

few matches, were stable conditions. I am not going to shirk away from

:26:30.:26:33.

the fact that the table was very, very difficult to play on. I don't

:26:34.:26:38.

believe that. I don't think I have ever seen a cushion balance as badly

:26:39.:26:43.

as that. Laughable. There was one point in the last match and I nearly

:26:44.:26:47.

started crying. I've never done that before. But I was really, really

:26:48.:26:51.

down. It was very easy to panic out there. You could be 7-2 up and

:26:52.:26:56.

panic. That's how difficult it can be a clear. I try to look at the

:26:57.:27:02.

matches here as a whole. I do try to get caught up in one little

:27:03.:27:05.

mini-session and whether the go is good or bad. Just try and keep a

:27:06.:27:11.

good standard the whole way through. Whenever that takes us, that is

:27:12.:27:16.

cool. I am cool with that. I know what it is going to take to win. I

:27:17.:27:23.

need to take my chances and play at a high standard. But I have the game

:27:24.:27:27.

plan. I don't think anyone can teach me too much about the actual game. I

:27:28.:27:32.

know plenty about it. I feel fresh as a daisy. I actually feel all

:27:33.:27:36.

right. I would love to go as deep as you can, all the way. That is a long

:27:37.:27:43.

way away, though. By the time someone gets to the semifinals, you

:27:44.:27:45.

are halfway through the event. When I served up to John and Stewart

:27:46.:27:57.

downstairs, I was quite pleased. I don't know if they were giving

:27:58.:28:00.

little bit when they said it was quite good, but big Stewart had

:28:01.:28:05.

about five platefuls so I am pretty surely enjoy that. The best part is

:28:06.:28:12.

the actual cooking. Radio 1, a couple of June... It is two or three

:28:13.:28:16.

Alastair Cook and to three minutes to eat it. -- two or three minutes

:28:17.:28:26.

to cook it. Here's an interesting man and he

:28:27.:28:30.

providing fascinating moments here. He could have brought some of that

:28:31.:28:34.

food here! Here's a fascinating character. I don't think you can

:28:35.:28:41.

tell Alan anything about the game. He is such a snooker historian,

:28:42.:28:48.

aficionado. He lost the game. He has a great all-round game. He is very

:28:49.:28:52.

tough. I played in so many times here. Through the years, one of the

:28:53.:28:55.

toughest players you could wish to play. John Higgins would like

:28:56.:28:59.

playing him because I know that he has a good record against him, Alan,

:29:00.:29:04.

against John Higgins. It is a very tasty record, appropriately. They

:29:05.:29:09.

have played one another feed times here and Alan McManus has had the

:29:10.:29:13.

better of John twice. Not many can say that World Championships. It is

:29:14.:29:18.

difficult for the two players, when you play someone you know very well

:29:19.:29:21.

and you have grown up with and practised with and you travel a lot

:29:22.:29:26.

with. These guys are on the tour together and talk a lot with each

:29:27.:29:32.

other. So, big followings for Celtic as well. They have a lot of

:29:33.:29:36.

interests. It is difficult to play someone like that and maybe that is

:29:37.:29:40.

why John Higgins could struggle. John Higgins is a much more powerful

:29:41.:29:43.

scorer than Alan McManus and that might be the difference in the

:29:44.:29:48.

match. But as regards all-round games, John Higgins is learned so

:29:49.:29:51.

much from Alan McManus all the years. It means a lot to Alan. I

:29:52.:29:55.

know that. He is on record as saying that this is one of the highlights

:29:56.:29:59.

of his career, to play John Higgins in a quarterfinal the Crucible. It

:30:00.:30:03.

will be one for all others enjoy. Steve Davis, this is an afternoon

:30:04.:30:08.

for the more mature player. Hold on, just trying to get my

:30:09.:30:14.

breath. I ran across from the Winter Gardens. I am just a bit out of

:30:15.:30:16.

breath. All of a sudden in the top 16 the

:30:17.:30:41.

average age is going up. But today this is like the Derby and Joan 's

:30:42.:30:48.

club. The youngest player here is 37. But in the second part of this

:30:49.:30:55.

tournament it is all about stamina. I think we are ready, all the

:30:56.:31:04.

players are there. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the

:31:05.:31:09.

start of the second set of fascinating quarterfinals. One all

:31:10.:31:16.

Scottish Derby and on the other side of the Arena one of Asia's binders,

:31:17.:31:23.

against the man who finally ruled against the rocket. This is date 11

:31:24.:31:25.

at the Crucible. Please welcome a player making his

:31:26.:31:44.

first appearance in the quarterfinals for a decade. A UK

:31:45.:31:50.

championship and Masters finalist and a two-time ranking event winner,

:31:51.:31:56.

he is one of the sport's most important global ambassadors. From

:31:57.:31:58.

Hong Kong, here comes Marco Fu. And his opponent, what a night, what

:31:59.:32:24.

a match, what a display of nerve in the final frame decider against

:32:25.:32:29.

Ronnie O'Sullivan, his first win in 14 years over the rocket, securing

:32:30.:32:35.

him a fourth consecutive Crucible quarterfinal. He is right at home

:32:36.:32:40.

here on the spot was my biggest stage. Please welcome Barry Hawkins.

:32:41.:33:03.

On table one please welcome a player who first made a Crucible

:33:04.:33:09.

quarterfinal 21 years ago. This is his fifth in total. The good friend

:33:10.:33:17.

of Stephen Maguire and Ali Carter. A brilliant run, he is the pride of

:33:18.:33:21.

Scotland, he is Alan McManus. And his opponent is also one of the

:33:22.:33:45.

finest sports men his country has ever produced, coming against Ricky

:33:46.:33:52.

Walden in the second round. This is his 11th Crucible quarterfinal, the

:33:53.:33:56.

four-time champion of the world, John Higgins.

:33:57.:33:59.

HAZEL: We can tell you that the Barry Hawkins, Marco Fu match is on

:34:00.:34:21.

the red button and we will catch up with it later. We are starting with

:34:22.:34:26.

table one and the fourth meeting at the Crucible between these two great

:34:27.:34:30.

friends from Glasgow. It is all over to Willie Thorne and Terry

:34:31.:34:38.

Griffiths. It should be a tasty one. Good afternoon, everybody. The

:34:39.:34:42.

battle of the Scots. Alan McManus is going to have to up his game. John

:34:43.:34:46.

Higgins appears to be in very good form. It will be interesting to see

:34:47.:34:49.

how this pans out. These two have had some very good

:34:50.:35:05.

battles over the years. It will be tactical I am sure. Higgins will be

:35:06.:35:12.

the favourite to win this match. But there are no certainties out there.

:35:13.:35:17.

He struggled a little bit against Ricky Walden in parts, but he did

:35:18.:35:19.

enough to win. Not too sure whether he can get

:35:20.:35:41.

through to the red. Alan is struggling a little bit with

:35:42.:37:17.

the pace. That is twice he has not passed the ball Klein.

:37:18.:37:48.

APPLAUSE That is a confidence builder for

:37:49.:37:57.

John. He missed the first long red into

:37:58.:38:02.

this pocket. A bit too far to make it comfortable on the blue.

:38:03.:38:22.

I am not sure if he meant to play it that way. If he did, he has been

:38:23.:38:32.

very unlucky. He has pushed one red out of the way of another one. Can

:38:33.:38:40.

he get into this red on the right-hand side of the black? Play a

:38:41.:38:46.

cannon onto the other red. Can you believe that? He has put the

:38:47.:39:06.

red in the wake of the black now. He could have played its slower or

:39:07.:39:15.

harder. It is not going to be easy to get onto a red. What John Higgins

:39:16.:39:22.

has to do in this match, and he is strong favourite, because he has

:39:23.:39:32.

been playing well this season, is he does not need to get bogged down

:39:33.:39:36.

playing a tactical game. I expect him to play it a bit more openly

:39:37.:39:39.

than he would do normally. Alan has not quite settled yet. A

:39:40.:40:25.

possible 25 frames in this match over three sessions. 28s and one

:40:26.:40:31.

nine. Well, that was a big ask at that

:40:32.:40:50.

pace. The faster you deliver the cue,

:40:51.:41:08.

there is a bigger chance of the white ball going off the line.

:41:09.:41:38.

REFEREE: Fouled. That was a foul apparently, he touched the green.

:41:39.:41:59.

He spotted one the other day and it took us three times to look at it.

:42:00.:42:55.

Clearly not an easy shot to get back to baulk line. He cannot afford to

:42:56.:43:01.

cannon into any baulk colour. He did not need to bring that that

:43:02.:43:19.

far over. Normally if the other three reds

:43:20.:43:42.

were not about, he would be more confident about the red in the

:43:43.:43:48.

centre. He has had a glance to the red into the left centre.

:43:49.:44:08.

That is the one place he did not want to hit it. It could slip

:44:09.:44:22.

through the near knuckle. And also if you hit the near knuckle, you

:44:23.:44:28.

could get away with it. This is one of the first scoring chances for

:44:29.:44:29.

Alan McManus. He misjudged that totally. He

:44:30.:45:01.

misjudged the deflection off the red onto the other one. The players are

:45:02.:45:14.

reluctant to take the blue on. I don't think you can be John Higgins

:45:15.:45:17.

if you play negatively all the way through. He has come back for a look

:45:18.:45:23.

at the blue. There was a bit of clapping on the

:45:24.:45:36.

other table and it may have disturbed his attention. He looks

:45:37.:45:48.

like a fish out of water does Alan. It is a long-time city played in the

:45:49.:45:54.

quarterfinals. Last time he did beat John Higgins in the quarterfinals

:45:55.:45:58.

when he played him before. Those are the shots you are expected to pot in

:45:59.:46:03.

the first frame. He has not settled yet.

:46:04.:46:17.

You never know when you are playing a friend. They have known each other

:46:18.:46:26.

for years. But it all changes when you go out there.

:46:27.:46:52.

He has got an option if he wants to screw back to the pink. But the

:46:53.:46:57.

black is available. He will have to play with a little

:46:58.:47:46.

bit of stunned just to miss the case on the red.

:47:47.:48:29.

One minute he is out of position and the next he has got a chance to win

:48:30.:49:01.

the frame. You do not see John Higgins turning

:49:02.:49:18.

to many down. That is what he has kept in his career. The older

:49:19.:49:22.

players tend to get a bit negative. John Higgins has been the same

:49:23.:49:28.

throughout his career. He wins a frame when he can. He brings out the

:49:29.:49:34.

balls when he can. He does not smash them up like a man be or Judd Trump.

:49:35.:49:41.

He has kept his form remarkably well. -- Murphy.

:49:42.:50:43.

Three more reds to be absolutely certain of taking the frame.

:50:44.:51:23.

Another good pot. It is always difficult when you go around the

:51:24.:51:32.

back of the balls like the blue and the brown bear. -- there.

:51:33.:51:49.

Apparently it is a new set of balls for most matches, I don't know if it

:51:50.:51:54.

is every match. You know that Alan McManus is going

:51:55.:52:15.

to carry on, so you need to make sure you get another two reds.

:52:16.:52:50.

Play the little cannon onto the pink to push the pink to the right-hand

:52:51.:52:54.

corner. John will not be taking any risks on

:52:55.:53:06.

this last

:53:07.:53:09.

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS