Ronnie O'Sullivan v Barry Hawkins, 2013 Snooker: World Championship

Hello again.

In 2013, Ronnie O'Sullivan was attempting

to do something pretty remarkable.

The defending champion had taken a break from the game,

a sabbatical, if you like, and hadn't played

a single competitive match since the previous September.

And yet here he was back at the Crucible,

normal service quickly resuming.

In fact, he didn't lose a single session

on his way back to the final.

There, he would meet left-hander Barry Hawkins

whose progress was remarkable for other reasons

because in seven previous attempts

the man from Ditton had never made it past round two.

At the time, I didn't feel intimidated at all.

I felt confident and, um...

we had a fantastic final, I thought.

Some people say it's probably one of the best standard of finals

they've ever seen.

My memories of the match is it's probably the best snooker

I've played in a long-format much. You know, where I was just

consistently making 80s, 90s, 100s.

I think I had six centuries in that match.

If this was all new to the modest Hawkins, it didn't show.

He certainly wasn't overawed.

In fact, they shared the first six frames in fine style.

There was a break of 50 or above in each one of them.

Let's pick them up in frame seven.

Thank you, frame seven. Ronnie O'Sullivan to break.

Ronnie breaks off.

Looks to be a pretty good break-off shot.

He now knows he's got a match on his hands.

He's got the file there just to rough up the tip.

The tip can get a little bit shiny.

Oh, too thin, and look what he's done.

-AUDIENCE:

-Come on, Ronnie.

I say, look what he's done.

Maybe there's no easy pot.

Mm, that's...very tight.

He's not directly in behind it.

This is the error of the safety shot.

Ronnie's playing the more difficult of reds.

He feels if he was directly behind it, he could pot the red.

We showed you it did go off one cushion.

But he decided to play the more difficult red

and played it nicely.

There's Ronnie, just roughing that tip up.

I remember Ray Reardon used to give him a tip, or a file,

he could put it in his pocket.

He couldn't put that file in his pocket.

The great Ray Reardon used to always carry a little file

that he kept in his waistcoat pocket.

14.

Seems like only five minutes ago that Barry Hawkins led 3-2.

There's a chance now he could be going behind again.

But I think having trailed 2-0, I think the key thing was

just to get a foothold in the match.

He wouldn't have minded obviously,

as long as he won at least three frames of the session.

He's looking at a lot more, obviously,

but just stay with Ronnie, put him under a bit of pressure.

And this is the first time

-Ronnie has been put under pressure in this tournament so far.

-22.

23.

Still plenty of loose reds,

there's six reds still available.

That's why Ronnie's not playing any cannons at this stage.

30.

Well, there's a charming gentleman there,

Huw Edwards, the BBC news presenter, and his son Sammy

who I met in the corridor at the interval.

He loves to come along to the Crucible, a big snooker fan.

Won't be enjoying this attacking play then, will he?

-31.

-He's engrossed, isn't he?

This developing into an excellent chance again for O'Sullivan.

Obviously with his great pal here, he's been here for the 17 days.

The renowned artist Damien Hirst is in Ronnie's corner,

and there he is.

Looking very intent, isn't he?

He's probably a little bit nervous for the first time for his pal.

38.

44.

You could hear a pin drop in the Crucible at the moment.

You mentioned earlier, most of this crowd thought it was going to be

one-way traffic, the way Ronnie O'Sullivan has been playing.

But that man in the background there, Barry Hawkins,

has got other ideas.

And he's played three terrific frames.

52.

It's all about the little cannon this time

as to whether he clinches the frame with one visit.

Yes, it could definitely go wrong, couldn't it, this cannon here.

He could stick on the pack,

so he has to hit the red on the left half-ball.

Hit it half-ball. Made sure he didn't stick on the pack.

OK, he wouldn't have known

he'd be pushing that the red over the middle.

-He'd have expected to be on one in the corner, but he'll take that.

-59.

-The standard continues. 50 or above in every single frame.

-60.

66.

67.

APPLAUSE

-72.

-The frame safe.

Ronnie can concentrate on making another century.

He's made seven so far this year.

We've had 47 in total.

Just listen to this - this man has made 689 century breaks.

-81.

-Incredible.

Crucible centuries, Willie, he's made 125.

Well, there's some players in the top 60 at the moment

-that haven't made 125 centuries in their career.

-88.

And he's made 125 here at the Crucible.

95.

96.

That's a fabulous response from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

103.

Terrific century break. The first of this year's final.

-And how well did he cue that with the rest?

-104.

Where's that cue ball going?

111.

-Surely even Ronnie O'Sullivan can't pot the green.

-113.

Don't put it past him, though, it's a thin one.

Not quite.

He won't bother about that, that was a magnificent century break.

What a response from the Rocket.

In a matter of no time at all,

he's back into the lead with the aid of that century break.

Four frames to three.

Well, absolutely, the way he's played so far.

But he's obviously got Ronnie O'Sullivan

in the same form he's played at throughout the last 16 days.

I mean, Barry has already made breaks of 88, 81, 45 and 50.

But O'Sullivan has bettered that with 74, 92, 76 and 113.

So both players in great form.

It'll be interesting to see how this pans out.

APPLAUSE

Ronnie just doing a little bit more work on the cue tip there

in between frames.

That is a big file. Where's he got that from?

Close, it's close...

it's in.

Only going to cost him four points though.

Last frame of this session.

Ronnie won't be taking any careless shots on.

He'll want to win the session 5-3,

that's what you set out to do over a long match.

Look at the average frame time, under 14 minutes.

Terry Griffiths there that was talking with Jason.

Used to take Terry 14 minutes to break off sometimes.

Harsh, but true.

Well, Barry can get through to the potting angle of this red,

but there's no value in potting at all.

He's just thinking if he just pushes it towards the black cushion,

leave the cue ball very near this cushion.

But the way Ronnie's cueing at the minute, he might take the red on

that's behind the black, so he's got to be careful here.

If he just drags it, he'll be leaving that red on.

Just try to slow the cue ball down,

or that red will be on at the back of the cushion.

A tempter.

It's a tempter, but he's got to get over for the blue.

If he pots it...

APPLAUSE

-One.

-Well, you could say he got over for the blue.

And he got perfectly on the blue.

You won't see many better shots than this. Have a look at this.

Powered it into the pocket.

The pot was difficult enough, but to finish the correct side of the blue,

well, that was even better.

Six.

Seven.

This was this pot. Have a look at the white.

He hit it that hard, the white bounced right in the air.

It just shows you how accurate the players are with their cueing.

Look at that, it bounced at least three or four times.

-The red bounced.

-Absolutely.

But he's just cueing so well.

His position throughout this tournament

has been as good as it's ever been.

OK, his long potting wasn't as good in the early matches,

but that's started to come back now.

And there's another wonderful shot.

He's got the pink in play now

so he doesn't have to worry about the black.

15.

I just wonder when the pink goes back onto its own spot,

whether there'll be enough room for the pink to be available.

There's bringing the pink into play.

Always thinking all the time, just needs one other colour in play.

It doesn't matter if they're both not in play as long as one is.

Now, when the pink goes back up to its own spot,

it'll definitely be available in the right-hand corner,

but is it available into the left-hand middle?

And there's your answer - freely.

So this is an excellent chance now for Ronnie to open up

a two-frame lead for the second time in the match.

23.

As the frames have gone so quickly,

the players will have a couple of hours,

two and a half hours or so, to relax before this evening's session.

35.

-36.

-Kind of come up a little bit short on the blue.

But he has got the loose red.

He's got a choice of shots here -

he can go into the bunch, which he probably will do.

Watch the side when it hits the two cushions.

No, didn't catch it as he wanted.

-He might still be on this red so a little bit of good fortune.

-41.

Oh, very much so. Once he's caught the jaw,

the cue ball could have finished anywhere

and Barry, as you see there, just dropped his head.

He was playing two cushions into the back of that cluster of six,

but now he's on this red, he could get an angle on the colour.

He'll still have to play a cannon.

Now, where's the cue ball going to finish?

Half-ball green would be nice.

It's amazing, isn't it?

When you're playing well, it's amazing, isn't it?

Everything finishes perfect.

Half-ball yellow or green could take you into the pack.

That's the angle he's looking at.

And that's freed the black, also.

44.

That's a bonus, but he played the shot beautifully

and now he can just cannon the red, leave the black on.

So, it was a bonus when he freed the black,

-but he deserved it because he played the yellow so well.

-It's amazing.

He played three shots on the trot where a little bit of fortune

was involved and, every time, it finished perfect.

I'm sure when Barry sat down,

he thought, "Well, he can't clear up now

"with the pack all tied up, the black all tied up."

Two shots later, everything's in open play.

I'll tell you what, for a table that's not supposed to be

playing all that well, have a look at the breaks the players have made.

It looks to be beautiful from my point of view.

61.

Barry's had 88, 81, 45 and 50.

Ronnie's had 74, 92, 76, 113

and this is some standard, Willie, isn't it?

Well, we were thinking that Barry could possibly take a lead

into the session when he led 3-2 for the first time

and we thought, "Well, can Barry win the session 5-3?"

All of a sudden, Ronnie O'Sullivan seemed to change gear,

one of the few players in the game who can do that.

72.

73.

This break has just been absolutely perfect.

Well, we told you in the last frame, 48 centuries we've had.

Ronnie's had eight.

It looks like a certain century here, Willie.

Terrific to watch, isn't it?

Well, this crowd have been absolutely thrilled

the way that both players have played, not just O'Sullivan.

We keep saying everybody's worried about how Barry Hawkins would play,

having struggled yesterday, but the standard of this session

has been probably one of the best we've had at the Crucible this year.

95.

97.

Back-to-back centuries for The Rocket!

Well, what a shame! What a wonderful session of snooker,

most of the Crucible audience standing.

An excellent session from both players.

O'Sullivan in great form, two centuries to finish

and O'Sullivan goes into the second session this evening

leading by five frames to three.

Every time it got a bit close, I kept pulling away

and he'd get it close and I kept pulling away

and I thought, "I know I'm going to win frames in one visit."

I felt that good.

He made me play that well and I knew I had to play well.

He played a lot better than I expected in many ways.

Although I know he's a great, great player, he is a great player,

I didn't expect him to be that good.

APPLAUSE

Tried to get the outside edge of that red. No real danger, of course.

He's just come round to have a look.

Is there a possible shot or nothing on?

No, nothing on, so back to its original position.

It's quite a tough shot, this, Willie, cos as we said

he's got to almost take the paint off this red here.

Yes, he'll risk it once more, won't he?

He'll risk the thin cut again and then he'll be warned

should he not hit it, so he'll have one more try at this

then play an alternative.

That's where it was, that's where it is now. Pretty good.

Yeah, Ronnie just having a look.

There's a couple of reds, one of them could go close to the pocket

so that's why he's taking an alternative safety shot here.

That's an excellent return.

That's one of the great things about Ronnie O'Sullivan's safety game.

He purposely wanted to keep the cue ball down behind the green

on the right-hand side of the table

because of the red that's close to the right-hand side cushion.

It's a little bit more difficult to get it back to safety here.

If you leave the cue ball down the left-hand side of the table,

there's a straight path back,

but this makes it a little bit more awkward.

He's played it well.

Yes, the red that's behind the black

is in the way to play the thin cut into the corner.

He'd play it if it wasn't.

So, he's only playing a safety shot here.

There's a perfect angle if that red wasn't there just to pot it

and go round the back of the black, but he can't play it so he may

just have to play what Barry did on his previous shot, a very thin one.

This is bringing the black into play so whoever pots the next red,

they would get a sizeable lead in this frame where the balls are now.

Well, Barry's won that safety battle and won it well

because he put Ronnie in trouble on three occasions

and, on the third occasion, he played a poor safety.

Now, pink and black in play - Barry will be disappointed

if he doesn't get at least 40 from here.

Whether he goes on to make a frame-winning break,

we will know in about seven or eight minutes.

Things couldn't be any better, Ken, could they?

Yeah.

Nicely placed and he doesn't have to worry about going into any reds

for the foreseeable future.

He wants to get this black open into both corner pockets.

-Potting this red now will do that.

-Eight.

Nine.

Yeah, I think if he can pot that black and just disturb that red

that I have a little circle around

cos I think if he nudged into that red,

he's got the red just to the left of that open

and back into the corner pocket.

He can just play a little stun shot into that red

if he feels it's the right shot.

Well, it didn't go for him on that occasion and that may tell us

that that red may be a little awkward,

the one just to the left of it,

but this one on the pink certainly pots.

17.

You couldn't believe this was the same player

that was playing in the first two sessions of the semifinal.

He looked almost frightened to play.

He looked anxious when he got in the balls.

He missed probably 30 or 40 balls

that I'm sure all the snooker players in the audience

would have thought, "Well, I could pot those,"

but he's certainly a different player now.

He looks in total control of his emotions.

And make no mistake, the way Ronnie's played,

he knows he's going to have it all to do, but, let's not forget,

Ronnie was a pro player two years ago

and he wasn't winning every tournament.

We know he's the best player when he's playing well,

but, like every player, he's vulnerable. He's beatable.

Yeah, I suppose what Barry has to do is just worry about himself

and his own game, not really worry about who's in the other chair,

because once you're sitting in that chair, there's nothing you can do

when you're at the table, that's the most important thing to understand.

29.

The one thing he does very well, he takes what's on.

He's always looking,

mops up the easy ones, gathers up a good lead.

-35.

-He's running out of reds now, though, Ken, and I agree with you.

When you talked about that little stun on that red,

if he'd have played that early,

he wouldn't have been drifting around the blue spot area now.

He can get into that loose red and play for the gap in between

that cluster of three and cluster of four and that's what he's playing.

So, getting rid of this one now opens another red into the corner,

so that's a pretty good shot.

40.

41.

I'm sure that red just to the left of the black

that's in the pyramid goes into this bottom left-hand corner pocket.

He needs a nice cannon on these reds here.

That looks perfect.

48.

I'm just wondering when he runs this in,

he can miss the kiss on the red that's on the cushion.

That's what he needs to miss.

Maybe screwing it in so he's going across the face of the black,

which could put the cue ball near the pink,

which would make things awkward.

He's played it nicely.

-He didn't want to be hampered by the pink.

-49.

He just needed to get hold of that cue ball enough to slide it

past the pink there to save him cueing over the pink.

This now an excellent chance to level the match for the first time

since the fourth frame.

56.

There you see 52 ahead.

He's still going to need a few more reds and colours yet,

but the way the balls are positioned,

you'd have to say he's going to win the frame here

and this is extremely impressive stuff from Barry Hawkins.

He looks very composed.

He's got a nice pace around the table.

Controlling the cue ball very well.

63.

I think he's actually playing better now than when he beat Ding

and Mark Selby, Ken, isn't he?

Well, there's no doubt that beating the world number one Mark Selby

and then beating Ding would have given him great confidence

and I think maybe the occasion of the semifinal,

playing Ricky Walden and knowing what was at stake -

getting into the final and playing Ronnie O'Sullivan.

There was a lot of pressure on both players

and there's no doubt it got to them a little bit,

but once they settled down into that match, he played his best snooker.

He's continuing on with that now.

He's got to be a little careful here. He still needs the red.

I just wondered if he might snooker himself there,

but it's played in nicely.

He just tried to drift by those two reds

and he's got an angle on the black to get onto the one

just below the pink in the same pocket, just screw through the gap.

77.

78.

84.

-85.

-A lot of people were talking about the fact

that Ronnie O'Sullivan could outscore Barry,

the fact that he's been playing so well,

but this next little caption we're going to show you after this black

just shows you how well he's competing with Ronnie,

not only on the frame scores.

There he is, he's only one point behind so he's scoring

with exactly the same strength as Ronnie

and Ronnie's had two centuries.

93.

So, the points now are identical,

but the key thing is Barry Hawkins is levelling the match

and what an amazing stat that is as well when this ball is potted.

They've pocketed exactly the same amount of balls.

What a fantastic break!

His fifth century of the tournament and it's a milestone, really,

cos it's the 50th century of the tournament as well.

101.

106.

111.

115.

120.

126.

Wait for the noise when this black goes in.

-APPLAUSE

-An excellent break of 135

from Barry Hawkins.

He levels the match. It's now seven frames each.

He's left a red on this time, I think.

Can he see the one to the left of the pink?

APPLAUSE

Wonderful shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan...

..particularly when you're bridging over that middle pocket.

Difficult hitting down on the cue ball, of course, as well.

The perfect side of the blue now.

Six.

Seven.

14.

15.

And it's a very important time in the match, this.

He doesn't want to go behind for the second time.

He was behind at 3-2. He's been in front ever since.

22.

23.

Yeah, getting the awkward red out straight away,

the one close to the back cushion.

Just frees up the black and particularly the cue ball,

using that back cushion for positional play.

30.

31.

38.

39.

Going to need one good...

..split on the reds.

A possible break on of 145.

Ronnie won't be worried about that just yet.

He wants to win the frame in this position first.

He needs one good split to get ready to counterattack,

-and that looks OK...

-APPLAUSE

..as long as he's not too straight on this red into the right centre.

Does he have an angle to get up topside of the blue?

-Cued it nicely.

-APPLAUSE

It's perfect.

That's a wonderful camera angle.

52.

Looking to see if he can get through the gap of these two reds.

It will be the easier of the reds.

But as you can see there, it's tight.

Have a look at this little picture here. It's very, very tight.

I thought he'd play that red. He's got work to do with this cue ball

just to send it round the back of the red.

And the reason it's a bit of work is it was easy to overscrew that.

As it happens,

he's left a perfect angle to kiss onto the red next to the pink.

Well, he's playing to hold it, but that's the same thing.

He just played up into that area.

Beautiful break, this, Ken, isn't it?

Yes. He's playing absolutely inch-perfect.

Average frame time less than 15 minutes.

61.

68.

-APPLAUSE

-69.

The round of applause from this knowledgeable Crucible audience

tells you that Ronnie O'Sullivan has just passed

the snookers-required stage. Now, how big can this century be?

133, the last frame from Barry Hawkins,

the biggest of the match so far.

-This could be eclipsed in about three or four minutes' time.

-75.

A possible 141, but he'll be taking the pink, so a possible 140.

81.

-82.

-APPLAUSE

89.

90.

There you see it, eight blacks, one pink, three blues.

This has been absolutely top-quality stuff.

97.

98.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Yes, a great cheer from the Crucible crowd.

Ronnie's tenth century of this tournament so far.

CROWD GASP

Well, what a shame. He didn't eclipse the previous break of 133.

But Barry Hawkins missed one long shot. It cost him the frame.

The standard is superb. It's O'Sullivan now leading 8-7.

Clearly there he made sure he hit the safety shot a little bit

harder, and, unfortunately for him, it's stuck a red over the corner...

albeit dead straight.

Now, Barry has not potted one of these long, straight ones

for two or three shots. This is a tough one.

Yes, always missable, those. Always missable.

Just lost his way for a second.

Having made 133, Ken,

you thought he'd really got a foothold in this final

and a chance to put Ronnie under pressure, and he hasn't done it.

Yeah, he's normally so good at that shot. He stays so still.

But you saw from his back arm just a little bit of movement there.

And that's why. He's trying to put a bit more pace into the cue ball,

just to bring it back a couple of inches to be high on the black.

One.

Just have a look at his back arm.

Yeah, you just see a little bit of movement,

and that's why he's just come across the cue ball.

And that's why he subsequently missed that red.

Another excellent opportunity now for Ronnie.

Seven.

Well, this is where Ronnie is...

-..really good. Puts the heat on his opponent.

-15.

And once he gets his nose in front in a couple of frames, he's very,

very difficult to stop.

22.

23.

Well, there's another one that's just slightly got away.

Is he on this red? It's very close.

-Oh, great shot.

-APPLAUSE

Excellent shot. But again short of pace on the blue.

Going to need another good shot here

to get back on one of these loose reds.

APPLAUSE

36.

That's not bad.

37.

Not absolutely perfect.

There, you see he's a bit straight on this black.

He needs a lot of power again.

Needs to slow up.

Just.

44.

-45.

-APPLAUSE

Everything's going into the heart of the pocket at the moment.

52.

53.

APPLAUSE

60.

61.

67.

68.

Yeah, now, you see the break, six blacks, one pink, two blues.

-This has been superb, because he's had to go in and out of baulk.

-75.

He's had to pull out a couple of...

tough pots and tough positional shots.

-76.

-APPLAUSE

But he's kept the break going wonderfully.

And at the moment, well, he's just moving through the gears.

83.

Still a few sighs and moans and groans.

He's still not completely happy!

-But at the moment...

-APPLAUSE

..everything he's looking at is going into the pocket.

84.

APPLAUSE

86.

88.

Well, this has been an incredible standard so far.

This is going to be three centuries in a row.

And there's a little exhibition shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

95.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Century number 52 at this year's World Championship.

Number 11 for Ronnie O'Sullivan.

106.

-MURMURING IN AUDIENCE

-Shh!

Well, he misses the black, but he won't be bothered.

APPLAUSE

106 break from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

He puts another frame on the board and now goes into a two-frames lead.

It's nine frames to seven.

You can easily get carried away just watching him

and enjoying the way he plays,

thinking, "I wish I could make it look that easy."

The frames go by quickly, especially when he's banging in big breaks.

Before you know it, you've lost three or four on the spin

and you haven't even done much wrong, really.

So, yeah, you've got to compete with him in all departments.

Yes, 9-7 to O'Sullivan.

He's produced some quite flawless snooker.

And yet Hawkins is competing very ably here.

He'd come to the Crucible that campaign

ranked as the world's number 14 player

but was full of confidence after a bit of a breakthrough -

a first major title had come his way the previous

summer in Australia.

So, back we go. This is the last frame of the first session,

Ronnie leading by seven points, one red remaining.

WILLIE THORNE: Decided to risk the slow shot,

but, as I said, he's going to be virtually straight on this pink.

I didn't see the value of playing for the pink there at all.

Eight.

Bemused.

Trying to get the cue ball...

just three or four inches to the right of the black.

Oh, listen, how's he played that?

APPLAUSE

Well, you won't see many better safety shots than that.

Played to perfection.

Well, as JV always says, it's not hitting 'em, it's getting 'em safe.

He's hit it. Has he got it safe? APPLAUSE

Has he got it safe? He needs to pull up.

We haven't seen Ronnie play too many of these deep-screw shots.

Judd Trump would love this shot. But how's Ronnie going to play it?

Well, he decided not to screw back but to run through.

APPLAUSE

-Two.

-Almost perfect, but the green doesn't look on.

Yeah, he hasn't had a look at the score,

but this green is very important.

He didn't go for that.

He was trying to get a snooker behind the pink and black,

and he may have played another absolute...

-APPLAUSE

-What a shot he's played there.

A lot of oohs and aahs in the crowd, but he didn't play the pot there.

And that's a fantastic snooker.

Well, no wonder Barry is scratching his head. I mean, goodness me.

Two of the best safety shots we've seen in the whole

tournament in the last ten minutes.

This is by far and away the longest frame, coming up to 28 minutes,

but in some ways it's been the most exciting.

APPLAUSE

KEN CHUCKLES

Well, would you believe it?

Three.

Well, it's Barry's turn to try and get the cue ball in.

His target would be to kiss the black, so he can play twice across.

The brown's going to be safe.

It's just missing the blue. He's got to miss the blue

by an absolute fraction to get this shot right.

Yeah, I'm not too sure it was on, because the blue was in the way.

But he's got plenty of distance between cue ball and object ball.

And there's only seven points in it.

Hmmm... This is cuttable,

but I'm not too sure he can hold for the blue.

Is it there again, for the third time in this frame?

Is it there again for the third time in this frame?!

Wow. Good effort. APPLAUSE

Good effort, indeed!

Well, is there a gap? Can he get...?

Can he see this brown and even pot it?

This would be unbelievable.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

What a shot!

He just had enough gap.

-Four.

-And he has a quick look at the scores.

He's 11 ahead and just needs the blue.

Yes, a massive four points, that, for Ronnie,

because obviously Barry needs the three balls.

Even if he leaves this blue on, he's going to have to play a good

shot to get the angle on the pink to get on the black.

So it was a massive four points, that was.

Brilliant shot on the brown.

Now, the little tinker's trying to knock the pink safe.

-But he's not hit it hard enough.

-Ronnie O'Sullivan four.

Well, will he play the roll and try

and drop this blue into the corner pocket?

He could try and play the snooker, of course, as well, but...

..will he try and take this blue on?

Decisions, decisions.

Well, he did play it, Ken, but you know what's going to happen here.

The white will be kissing the black, and he'll be behind the pink again.

Ooh, he's underhit this.

Ooh, that was careless from Ronnie. This is cuttable in the middle.

He had so much margin of error, Ken, didn't he?

With the black where it was, he could play the cannon on the black.

It was bound to be the snooker.

Yeah, just got too much side. But, as you said, this blue is cuttable.

Definitely worth having a go at this.

It's a tough safety shot, isn't it, to play it any other way?

Well, if he plays it hard,

the cue ball will definitely be coming down close to the pink, so...

as long as he doesn't undercut it...

If he undercuts it, he'll definitely leave it up. If he overcuts it...

-..it may still come out safe.

-Mm. Good thinking.

APPLAUSE

How's the cue ball? He needs it to bounce about eight or nine inches

so he can get onto the black.

Oh, it's tough. The pink he can pot,

the black probably not.

Well, there's Barry's friends and family - mother, father, sister.

They've got their fingers crossed here, because this is a huge frame.

The pink's there.

Well, it's decision time.

Do you play the kiss along the cushion

or the guaranteed safety shot?

-MURMURS IN AUDIENCE

-Quietly, please.

It's the safety.

-Oh, he's overhit it.

-Barry Hawkins, 11.

-He's overhit it.

The crowd knew it straight away.

Ronnie knew it straight away. He was up out of that chair.

Settle down, please. Thank you.

Black for the frame.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well, what a tremendous black, what a tremendous frame.

Both players will be very pleased with their night's work.

The crowd - standing ovation for these two great players.

They've treated us to some fantastic snooker

but it's Ronnie O'Sullivan who takes a three-frame lead

into our afternoon's session.

What a game.

When play resumed on the Monday afternoon,

they shared the first couple of frames.

Ronnie 11 frames to eight up now.

Into the next we go, and it's Barry on a chunky break here

and needing just one more red to take the frame.

He's missed it. He's missed it.

FROM AUDIENCE: Go on, Ronnie.

Yeah, he just got too close to the cushion there.

Now, 54 points behind,

59 remaining on the table.

Yes, he's not got many points to play with here, Ronnie,

so this is the big problem he's got.

The reds are in reasonable position

but they're at the wrong end of table for him.

Trying to force the cue ball.

Unless he gets a good kiss,

he's not on anything.

-Eight.

-Nothing easy anyway.

He may have this red to this left corner pocket but...

he needs pinks or blacks.

APPLAUSE Oh, marvellous shot.

Not perfect on the black.

Yeah, nice pot, wasn't it? Just a little bit low on this black.

If he can get close to this red on the left-hand side of the table -

anywhere in behind it, close to the cushion...

Try and get it into the right centre.

Yeah, needs to go in a little bit, get behind it,

and he's got it into the right centre.

APPLAUSE

-He's had to play that...

-16.

-..almost perfect.

I'm just calculating the scores.

He can possibly take a brown, he's 38 points behind.

Red and brown, left...

needing the last red with a pink or black.

That's why he's gone up for the blue.

-Hits the run.

-17.

He can't get close to this red.

Well, that's what he's thinking of now.

As I say, it was always going to be difficult

because he didn't have that many points to play with.

He's looking at the scoreboard now.

Pots the blue, he'll go...

32 points behind.

So, off this last red,

he's got to be blue or above...

..if he's going to win the frame at this visit...

22.

..and what a clearance this would be.

APPLAUSE

-What a shot he's played there.

-23.

Absolutely fantastic shot.

Have a look at this.

That's cueing...

at its finest.

Round the angles here.

Well, he's going to leave the long yellow. It's hard.

He might go around...a few cushions trying to get close to this yellow

-but he's going to require, now, another good pot.

-28.

There you see it, 26 behind, 27,

and Barry, of course, will be sitting in his seat

suffering because he only needed that one red...

..and he missed his chance.

Will he get another?

APPLAUSE

30.

Well, has he got an angle on this green?

What a shot he's just played there.

Cued that in so nicely.

Needs side. Watch the side.

Absolutely perfect...

-APPLAUSE

-..on the very first shot.

He's pulling them all out of the fire here.

This will hurt Barry Hawkins.

This could be the turning point...

-37.

-..in this final.

Barry Hawkins led by 54 with 59 remaining.

-What a clearance this would be.

-42.

He's not come perfect on the pink, a little short.

Played that with a tremendous amount of right-hand side.

And now the black to win the frame by one point

and make Barry Hawkins really regret missing the frame ball red.

In it goes.

It doesn't get much better than that, believe me.

That was a sensational clearance.

No points to spare.

Absolutely brilliant.

Barry Hawkins had his chance.

He missed one red

and that was enough for Ronnie O'Sullivan,

now, to go four clear.

12-8. What a frame.

Well, a superb contribution of 90 in frame 21 from Hawkins

reduces arrears to 9-12 now

as we head into the next.

That's a pretty good length

for the break-off shot

but it leaves a red for Ronnie to take on.

Now, can Ronnie knock a long pot in here?

APPLAUSE

-Of course he can.

-One.

It just shows the importance, Willie,

of break-off shot. He got a good length,

but nothing safe when the players with potting like this.

You've got to find the top cushion, don't you?

And he was very close to finding the top cushion there but...

Ronnie was able to play the shot to nothing.

He's on the choice of green or yellow.

The green would have held better position.

The two reds to the right of the pink

look easier to get onto from the green.

He's actually looking at playing the deep screw now

and trying to get him to the two red above the black, which

you wouldn't blame him because, if he gets on those nicely...

Well, still playing the same shot to run through this time,

but left-handed, running through.

Not been able to get perfect position...

..but that's OK.

APPLAUSE

Three.

Four.

APPLAUSE

When he switches hands,

it's quite amazing.

He just looks so comfortable.

Few players, in years gone by -

people like Fred Davis...

Well, myself, I used to switch hands

because I didn't like the rest

but, I'll tell you what, I couldn't...

I could only play some shots left-handed.

12.

This fella can make century breaks with his opposite hand.

And you're coming right in behind Ronnie O'Sullivan

as he slots that black in.

19.

20.

27.

Ronnie, as ever, leaving the angle on the black -

albeit, there is a loose red he can play for in the middle

if he wants but we know...

The key is, here, to not hit one of those reds full ball

but he's playing for the loose one.

Unlike Ronnie to do that.

He probably feels there's a better opportunity

-from possibly the blue or the yellow...

-35.

..to go into the bunch.

Probably cos that pack was a little bit flat at the back there,

didn't feel like sticking on one of those reds.

He didn't drop on this red as he intended.

He's got a little bit more to do with the cue ball

to get a good angle on the blue.

-36.

-APPLAUSE

He made that look easy.

APPLAUSE

Well, that's a terrific shot.

As Willie said, it is difficult to go into them from the black...

but to come in off two cushions

and open them like that

is a bit special.

Already 41 points in the lead.

It doesn't take him long to win a frame.

42.

47.

48.

-55.

-Already 55 ahead.

Not that many more pots needed

to open up a four-frame advantage.

56.

We talk about Ronnie being such a natural player,

in not only the way he pots balls,

he just seems to fall into position.

As he walks round the table he just seems to...

be absolutely perfect. Doesn't need to do any shuffling around.

62.

It's possible Ronnie has probably played better at some time

or another here at The Crucible but I think, this year especially,

a lot of players have been struggling with their position

but Ronnie's position all this two weeks of this

Betfair World Championship has been pin-point.

-APPLAUSE

-I think that's the key difference.

We know he's a great player but the cue ball control has been immense.

70.

76.

77.

If he could make a century here he would equal the highest number

of centuries made in a final - that'd be five.

He's got a difficult red, though, near the cushion.

84.

85.

92.

93.

And he's absolutely potted on the difficult red.

APPLAUSE

99.

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-100.

That is unbelievable.

His 12th century in this year's World Championship.

He made 12 last year when he lifted the crown.

108.

And what a sensational break this has been.

Not a lot Barry Hawkins could do about this.

-111.

-He got a reasonably good break, all shot close to the cushion,

Ronnie knocked a long red in,

end of frame.

115.

This could equal Barry's high break of the match, 133.

-120.

-And another record is taken away from Stephen Hendry -

he's made the most centuries here at The Crucible.

And now he's made more centuries in a final than Stephen Hendry.

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-It doesn't get any better than that.

He just got half a chance and he knocked the lot in.

That was a fabulous 133 break from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

He's back to four in front again,

at 13-9.

Ronnie would also win the next with a knock of 67

to lead by 14 frames to nine.

But he just couldn't shake this man, Hawkins, off.

He took the 24th frame to reduce his arrears

and this now is the last frame of the afternoon session.

That's what it's all about.

The lady early on top of the World Championship trophy

that's been around since 1927.

Who's going to get their name on it this year?

Will it be Ronnie for the fifth time?

Or will we see a new name on there?

This last frame could tell the story.

Because if Barry can take it,

and get back to 14-11,

there'd be a lot of snooker to be played this evening.

18 is the magic number.

And you can see all the famous names on there.

-APPLAUSE

-What a shot he's played there!

Trying to just nestle on the red

that's just to the left of the black.

Looks good to me.

Looks very good to me.

APPLAUSE

He might be back in a similar position again.

Not this time.

No snooker. And a path back for Barry.

Slightly misjudged safety

but no red pottable that he can get on to a colour,

so he'll be playing back into the baulk area again.

Both underhitting that kind of shot

when they're playing two cushions back in the baulk.

There were suggestions the table was playing a little bit slower

yesterday but...

it appears to be playing a little bit slower today, I think,

the way they're playing the safety shots.

Yeah, there was a lot of talk about the table and the new cloth.

This was Ronnie yesterday, just checking to see

if the cloth was maybe a little loose there.

But I think when they're in the balls there's no problem.

He was checking both sides of the table.

They still get the reaction out of the cloth,

it might just be slightly slower but not necessarily a bad thing,

and I think the breaks that have been made have proved that.

Yes, I think the standard has been absolutely fabulous.

I mean, both players have been scoring pretty heavily.

Both had a break of 133.

Well, this is one of those he can definitely take on, Barry.

Just looking to see if he can screw back off the cushion,

just before the middle pocket, and be nicely on the pink.

But he can't afford to come too far over, just in case he misses it.

I think he's looking at this red and it looks to me that he would

cannon into the black and maybe bring it into play, if he pots it.

APPLAUSE

He's freed the black.

He was hoping to knock the black towards the pocket -

he made a pretty good job of it, deserves to be on the pink,

but it's not a gimme.

APPLAUSE

He's unlucky with the kiss there.

Mind you, I think at one stage,

he would have been concerned about the pink.

Looked as if it was going to hit the jaw of the pocket there,

but not a favourable kiss on that red.

If you miss along the cushion...

Dear me, this is difficult

for the one next to the black he's looking at.

If it's tight on the cushion...

..he could take it on, but...

He's looking for something else, but there is very little else

available, only the safety, and not easy to get a good safety shot.

Well, that really is unlucky.

I mean, OK, the pink didn't go in the centre of the pocket,

which has made the position slightly more difficult,

but it's very unlucky not to have some sort of pot on here.

He's almost on two reds, into the left-hand corner,

but not nicely on either of them.

He looks like he's found one onto the...

Doesn't look like it passes the green, but I presume it must do.

It's amazing, he's awkward on all three reds that are pottable,

and he's looked to the one past the green,

the one past the black and the other one past the black.

He can play this one, but will he play it with a bit of pace,

or try and drop it in and get a bit of safety if he misses?

Played it with the pace, nothing wrong with that,

-as long as it doesn't go over the middle pocket.

-Barry Hawkins, seven.

He's got a good cue ball, as you can see.

APPLAUSE

If you are right in behind that red, you can pop it into

the left middle pocket, but close to the cushion.

Still tried it, but that was, er...

..near enough impossible, from that position.

A nice angle to get onto the black, but it's too dangerous,

that's the reason he's cueing back.

Cueing with bottom on the ball to take the ball back into baulk.

And the easier pot would be to roll it in,

but if he had missed it, it would have left the two reds

that are behind the black spot in the right-hand corner.

Lovely angle there, but it was risky to get onto the black.

APPLAUSE

Very rarely these days do you see top players play a double,

but that's a double

that could be the catalyst of making a rather large break in this

last frame of the afternoon session.

Funnily enough, that double was his first pot for 18 minutes.

And he's got an angle to get up to the red above the blue.

Three.

The last frame of the last session.

I've never seen Ronnie concentrate so hard.

To take it, he played some unbelievable tactical play

and little snookers, and he knew the importance of opening up that

three-frame advantage.

He's doing the same here.

Four.

-APPLAUSE

-He's going to be hampered.

APPLAUSE

Now, the black may be tied up.

And the way he's finished on this red,

he couldn't do anything else, he just dropped that in.

He's just looking to see if he could possibly pot the black,

what a bonus that would be.

We'll find out shortly whether it pots.

-12.

-Ronnie thinks it will.

Just enough room to hit the red that's directly above the black.

APPLAUSE And that's turned out to be perfect.

And this looks like a chance now to win the frame.

Just moved that red just above the black, just by a fraction,

which made the black easier to get onto now.

Ronnie is shaking his head,

maybe he feels that the angle he has on the red is not perfect.

I think he's worried if he cannons the other red,

he'll go out of position, but it should be OK.

He didn't risk playing for the black, so...

He's perfect on the blue,

so he took the element of risk out of it there, Willie.

Great shot, wasn't it?

I've got to be honest, I thought he'd play for the black,

but he thought he could flick that red towards the black,

and maybe not on it, but he's absolutely perfect on the blue.

It's taken Ronnie over three and a half minutes for this break,

because he's taking his time, he knows the importance of it.

Which is incredible, when you think back to that maximum

break in 1997, when he made it in five minutes and 20 seconds.

It'll never be equalled in the history of the game, that.

Slightly... He would have liked to be exactly straight on this red,

but there is a gap in between the two reds to screw across

and play the black into the right-hand corner.

I presume it pots in there.

Not too sure whether he can get onto it in the same pocket.

No, could hold it for that pocket, too.

This is a great chance now to win this frame

and take a five-frame lead.

94% pot success rate, that is...

..going some, I can tell you.

39.

40.

Because of the angle he has,

he may risk playing the cannon onto the red and pink at exactly

the same time, which pushes them both out of the way.

There it is, little cannon to bring them both out of the way,

perfect on the red.

47.

Looks like he may have to go for the blue here,

but that shouldn't prove a problem.

48.

When we talk about his positional play,

again, he's just absolutely perfect every time.

53.

54.

-59.

-He's going to need one more red to make absolutely certain

of this final frame of this session.

-APPLAUSE

-60.

And the red above the two is available.

So, it's going to be 15-10, but I'll tell you what,

-it's far from finished.

-65.

Barry Hawkins will have something to say this evening, you would feel.

-If he gets the chance, that is.

-66.

Once again, this break didn't look on when he started.

The black was pretty surrounded by a lot of reds,

he finished low on the first two or three blacks, the pink was

out of commission because the reds were around it as well.

And he's made 73 and counting, which could possibly end up being

the 54th century of the tournament and the 13th for Ronnie O'Sullivan.

APPLAUSE

Another exhibition finish and start, the break goes to 81.

82.

It's all about the tricky red along the cushion,

as to whether he gets another century.

If he does, of course,

it would extend the winning centuries in a final to six.

-APPLAUSE

-90.

Mind, he's got to get nicely on the green.

Has he got an angle to get over in behind it?

-97.

-It doesn't appear so, does it?

So, the green at distance for a century.

99.

APPLAUSE Well, stand by, genius at work!

Another excellent century break from Ronnie O'Sullivan,

his sixth in this final.

And he looks totally zoned in.

Well, we've seen Stephen Fry there,

we've seen Damien Hirst with a big smile on his face.

This is fabulous to watch.

-117.

-This has been a wonderful session of snooker.

Barry Hawkins would be sitting there, thinking,

"How on earth have I only won three frames? I've played great!"

But that's what happens

when you play a player at the top of his form.

The audience stand up,

a standing ovation from this packed Crucible crowd.

Ronnie O'Sullivan taking what could be an unassailable lead

into the final tonight.

He leads by 15 frames to ten.

When you look at the three sessions,

Ronnie has won two of them 5-3 and the other one 5-4.

So, mathematically, it has not been easy.

But the way he's gone ahead of Barry

whenever he's been in trouble has looked easy.

-AUDIENCE GASP

-Foul.

Well, the first mistake of the evening has gone to

Ronnie O'Sullivan, but he doesn't appear to have done any damage.

Missed the long pot by quite a long way, but unlucky to be going off.

This is just a case, Stephen, isn't it, to just play

no-miss snooker, really, for Barry to get back into the match?

Yeah, I must admit, this first frame is huge for Barry if he wants to...

..at the very least, take this final into the second session tonight.

I feel if Ronnie wins the first frame,

he might go in and win the next two.

-APPLAUSE

-That's an excellent safety.

He's loved this final, he's really enjoyed it.

I'm so pleased for Barry, though, it was his family,

we saw a shot of them, father Steve, Caroline the mother,

sister Tanya, and they've absolutely been enthralled,

the way Barry has...

We've all known that Barry has been a great player for a long,

long time, but after the semifinal, he must have been a little bit

embarrassed, the way he played, but this final,

he's proved to everybody that he is a force to be reckoned with.

Well, that's an excellent reply from O'Sullivan.

Taking this pot on, the one that's just below the pink spot there.

There is the pot success rate,

Barry over 91%.

Normally, that would be enough to be in front in a match, but when

you are playing O'Sullivan, things are not quite normal sometimes.

APPLAUSE

When you think they've played 25 frames

and he's still got a 94% pot success rate, incredible, really.

Red going over to the corner,

needs the blue or yellow to come to his rescue.

And there may be a gap... Not quite, though.

Well, obviously no problem getting it back into baulk,

but he feels it's too risky to try and cover the red, so he's

just playing the roll-up here, got to be careful he doesn't go in off.

Because if he doesn't push the red safe and goes in off,

he'll be in trouble.

Well done. APPLAUSE

Excellent pot. Excellent pot.

And perfect on the green, or the brown.

These give you so much confidence, Steve, don't they,

when you knock one of these in?

Yeah, you would think if he missed that,

the cue ball would be careering into the reds

and it would be certain to leave a frame and an opportunity on,

but just here, it gives you great confidence to pot them.

Perfect angle on the green.

Can virtually put the cue ball where he wants from that position.

And he's not done very well, to be honest.

He'd have liked to have been on the two reds

to the right-hand side of the pack.

The red in the middle, hampered cueing is not straightforward.

APPLAUSE

Five.

In the end, he did well to pot this.

But he was only able to concentrate on the pot.

He couldn't play position.

Couldn't get the right side of the blue.

So this is a tester.

-As you screw back for the blue, you've got to hit these right.

-Ten.

11.

And it all depends about the red above the black.

If that pots in the corner pocket,

you've got every chance in a few seconds or a few shots' time

of bringing that black into play.

But he'd need to be on the blue, though, to get onto that red.

Mind you, it looks like he's played for it now.

It needs to slow up a little bit.

Need to put the brakes on.

It just got the wrong angle.

He's seeing if he can finish on the black. There you can see

the angle is not good.

If that cue ball had stopped two or three inches before that,

he'd have been able to get onto the black.

He still feels as though he might be able to.

15.

APPLAUSE

Done very well there, looked as if he didn't have the angle

to get this close to the black.

Really had to nip the cue ball there.

I think that was a prime example,

Stephen, of a player pinching the pocket, playing it off the jaw,

that's how good these players can be when they're in stroke,

and Barry Hawkins obviously cueing very well now.

Had to get the black back into play. He's done that.

Well, he's perfect on the red in the right-hand corner,

but obviously the black's not available into the left-hand corner,

so he's looking for a chance to go topside of the blue again.

-Well, didn't quite get it just right.

-23.

So unless he pots a good yellow, that could be end of break.

Got to swing it around

in between brown and pink and off two cushions

and back on a red in the left-hand corner,

because that's the way he can get onto the black,

if he gets onto one of those reds.

He needs to miss that blue.

25.

APPLAUSE

That really is a fantastic shot with the rest.

To control the cue ball,

you've got to keep so still.

The cue's got to go in such a straight line,

and now this is a frame-winning opportunity after that shot.

I guess the only department that Barry's not competing

is the break-building department, winning frames at one visit.

He's had more table time than Ronnie O'Sullivan in this match.

He's had 51% of the table time,

-so he's been on the table more than Ronnie.

-34.

Just got to start making every chance a frame-winning chance,

and this is the one.

He'd be very disappointed if he didn't win the frame from here.

41.

42.

-49.

-53-point lead.

So, two more reds, two blacks at least

and he'll have done what Stephen suggested he needed to do,

just let Ronnie O'Sullivan know he's not going to lie down,

take the match beyond the interval.

And there is the magnificent view from this packed Crucible crowd.

That's what they're seeing.

Looking good, Stephen.

Yeah, this is fabulous.

As we've seen before, a fantastic long red.

And he's capitalised on that superbly.

58.