Second Round: Part 1 UK Snooker Championship Extra


Second Round: Part 1

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Transcript


LineFromTo

Hello again from a busy player's lounge.

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We have already had a couple of shots this week when Neil Robinson

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was booted out by Lines. The world number four, John Higgins fear, as

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enjoyed a fantastic November. He really is flying at the moment. Good

:01:12.:01:19.

24-year-old Noppon Saengkham bring back? This guy has achieved

:01:20.:01:25.

something great this week. He beat Candie D6-

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It will be interesting to see if this red just above the black wool

:01:31.:02:14.

pot into the left-hand side pocket. He is coming around to have a look.

:02:15.:02:20.

It clearly does go, so -- It clearly does go,

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so that will certainly He will be trying to get down to the

:02:31.:02:43.

black as soon as possible. He will not be able to on this occasion.

:02:44.:02:53.

At least three open roads around the black. And the pink...

:02:54.:03:30.

Sometimes when you make a poor break at the table, you leave your

:03:31.:03:44.

opponent with a chance to leave the frame in good succession. He still

:03:45.:03:50.

has a bit of work to do. Yes, you cannot drop your concentration for a

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second. So if John decides to play the low, it is all about line and

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length. It is all about line, but a little bit hard.

:04:03.:04:20.

-- So if John decides to play the yellow,

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Played that nicely. I was wondering if he was going to go into the reds.

:04:30.:04:39.

Perfect on the pink. But decided not to play the canon. It is imperative

:04:40.:04:47.

that he pots this red -- to pot this red that he gets a good angle on the

:04:48.:04:52.

bike. Because this is the last of the open reds.

:04:53.:05:01.

He is low, but can he generate enough backspin with the amount of

:05:02.:05:11.

pace he needs to bring the reds into play?

:05:12.:05:14.

Straight here for the pink as well, I think. Would have loved that

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little bit more of an angle, again. Straighter than he would have liked,

:05:38.:05:45.

so he does not have the proper angle to go into the pack, here. There are

:05:46.:06:02.

you think he would leave yourself a half or green, here, or a half all

:06:03.:06:08.

yellow. Pods the yellow and come off the side cushion. It is a little bit

:06:09.:06:15.

straighter than he would have liked. He has got to bring other Reds into

:06:16.:06:24.

-- He has got to bring other reds into play, now.

:06:25.:06:29.

And that is not going to do it. By the look on Jon's face, you can

:06:30.:07:14.

always tell what mannerisms they have and what it means.

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He is trying to get this in behind the green, I think, but has he

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missed you? -- miscued. He has put its hand in it and

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apologise. That was not the intention. But he will settle for

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it. -- apologised. That was a surprise. It hasn't

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settled just yet, it John Higgins. -- he has not. We haven't seen any

:09:04.:09:16.

of those misses from John Higgins in the last little while.

:09:17.:10:19.

I don't think there is a red available, but he has the perfect

:10:20.:10:32.

angle. He wants to come off that top cushion straight into the that

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cluster. Don't miss the black, though, it never take your eyes off

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the pot. It was half a chance, but he has gone begging. -- and never

:10:44.:10:46.

take. That was a much better shot than it

:10:47.:11:39.

looked. Perfect position for John Higgins.

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Certainly a frame when, right there. 43, black will be 50. One more red

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after this black. You could say he has had a little

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bit of a let off. The young man did not take his chance when he had it.

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Surely this is the second frame sewn up.

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He won't be bothered about missing the red. Noppon Saengkham has

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conceded that. Not one site So John Higgins gets thrown away.

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These matches best of 11. Used to be Best of 17 in the championships, but

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now they are best of 11. The thing is with best 11, if you have a bad

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session, or you can be out. In 17, it you could have a bad session and

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still have a chance of coming back. Now it takes six to win.

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This is the Barbican Centre from the back of the hall. A wonderful view.

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I believe the final has already sold out. That has always been popular

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here in York. Good to see so many people in here today, as well. A

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really great crowd for the afternoon.

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Perfect Snuka weather. There is a chill in the air. You would rather

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be in doors than outdoors. -- snooker weather. I'm a little bit

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mystified by the pace of the table at the

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-- it is not a dangerous shot. Play for the black. Started as a 70. --

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certainty. He has played the same shot again.

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Has he got at this time? He has played exactly the same shot with

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the previous black. You would think that he would learn his lesson.

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And no plant this two countries rescue. Suggest a safety. -- and no

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plant this time to come to his rescue. Just the safety.

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Straightforward, hard back up towards the yellow.

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He could find himself in a little bit of trouble if this cue ball

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moves a little bit more. He looks a little perturbed at the moment, John

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Higgins. Obviously can't get through to the

:18:30.:19:27.

yellow from here, so I can't see a way back. He has got to catch this

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just right. Don't want to hit this too hard. It's in the pink. Those

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that leave a nice easy starter for John Higgins? I think it does. When

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you see a gift... -- that was a nicely controlled

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strike. This is the last of the open reds. He may not have too play into

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the pack, here. -- to play. Either of those two reds, directly above

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the cue ball, as we look now. He just had a quick look to see how

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both of them pot. All the while building a nice

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healthy lead in this frame. 75 still on the table, so he needs one more

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red. He will need the black, first. It is incredible, we have seen a lot

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of balls miss judged in a way we have not seen the last couple of

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weeks. -- misjudge. Some screenshots are being played.

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-- strange shots. The red closest to the cue ball will go to the far left

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corner. I do not know why he is not go to play the pot, here. If you

:24:08.:24:12.

went straight to the question, he would be on the black, but if he

:24:13.:24:17.

trickles off and tries to play safe, he could leave a red to his right

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corner. Or is he paying it to the far right corner than? He must be.

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So close! But the only thing with playing it that way is that if you

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miss it, you leave one. I could not believe he did not get

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the cue ball tighter to the top cushion.

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Once again, a little bit disappointing. He is still looking

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for a another red. Once he pops, Potts

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-- starting to go for the blue. That is the case along as he does not

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come to straight. I think he just has the angle to go to the red along

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the long question. Back to tie up this frame. We will see that. 66, it

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67 with the black over the corner. He has everything worked out, here.

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So this red goes 67 ahead, 67 remaining. As SA, the black is a

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formality. -- as I say. 74 points the lead, 67

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remaining. In four frames, there will be in. -- and interval.

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I have never seen as many plants! It is like Gardeners World!

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John Higgins will be concentrating, here, because he is just not found

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his place in the table, yet. OK, he will have a 2-1 advantage, but this

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is a chance to... And he misses the black, so that is it. That was a bit

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more like it. But still got the odd missing them. And John Higgins now

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leads by two frames to wine. -- two frames to one. Last session before

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the interval. Tao, a short his compatriot would

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have given him some voice. --I am sure his compatriot.

:29:10.:29:23.

What a wonderful player he was from Thailand, and still is, of course.

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The most successful player from Thailand. Still practices at the

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academy. James Wattana. And to a lesser degree Stephen Hendry from

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Scotland. Even said this is how you can do it, guys, you put in the hard

:30:07.:30:09.

work, practice. James Wattana, of course, was a

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fantastic player, I wonder how much he would have passed on some of that

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experience. That is not bad! I thought the red

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was going to go in but the red and black are now a plant. You hit the

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red to the left of the blackspot, at some point or other, and hit the

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black and not the red in. And the black will be over the hole,

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waiting. It could have all gone wrong and it

:31:03.:31:08.

has gone all right. You would love the pink to go to the

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right, that would be a bonus. It looks a bit tight. Maybe half a

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pocket. There is half a pocket but he has decided to play the black

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now. The more pace you pay -- play this shot, the more chance you have

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of missing it. I think the red to the left of the blackspot will putt

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into the bottom right-hand corner pocket. Maybe try to get on that.

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Nicely played. Some nice shots with the reds so far this match. I was

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going to say that. He has not had much to go worn but four from four

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and played some pressure balls. -- not had much to go on.

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A couple of times during this match when he has had these opportunities

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in and around the black. These are the chances you hoped for but a

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couple of times he has missed the black. Got to make the most of this.

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As Ken alluded to, this is a brig -- big frame for him. Two adrift, two

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apiece and will keep the pressure on John Higgins.

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May have got a little strain on the black but still three or four reds

:33:27.:33:34.

to go on. He is looking to the one on the right. An angle to come

:33:35.:33:42.

around, two cushions and put the ball in the middle of the table

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somewhere. You have read either left or right centre. Tried to get on the

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red closest to the ball, tried to force the angle.

:34:02.:34:30.

You would think big yellow, got to get the right line. You would think

:34:31.:35:07.

the red adjacent to the pink, you have got to judge the gap between

:35:08.:35:16.

the red and the blue. Couldn't have played it any better, good shot.

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He needs an angle on this black. Has he got the angle? Perfect angle. You

:35:40.:35:56.

have got to hit it at the centre and cue get smooth. Should have played

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that off two cushions but it only just reached the second cushions so

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that tells me he didn't hit it as sweet as he might have and that is

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not good. If he is straight on the red, fine but to concede off

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straight he will run into the black. The last shot was the poor

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positional one. He just managed to hit the black and

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it is in a good position. He has got to make certain he pots the black.

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Cannot afford to miss this one. Played it well. If he is not on one

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that is very unlucky. Has he got one to the right middle? If he is not on

:37:14.:37:23.

anything he is very unlucky. He couldn't have played it much better.

:37:24.:37:29.

Plenty of pace as well, didn't he? Could easily have been one of these

:37:30.:37:39.

reds right or left centre. He has got to be careful with the cue ball.

:37:40.:37:51.

Playing a delicate little shocked. John Higgins got the cue ball to the

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ball carrier. He would love to take the red to the left-hand cushion and

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bring it to open play. OK, a little bit short of pace. He

:38:00.:38:36.

is going to try to nurse his lead but should he give John Higgins a

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chance, every read in an potable position. The three rents across the

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black and try to get the cue ball across the black but he is not going

:38:55.:39:06.

to play that shot. That looks pretty good. I agree, I don't think he

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could play it any better, really. Higgins not leaving an opportunity

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to win the frame. He tried to finds the bottom

:39:21.:39:55.

cushion. He has knocked the red to the far left corner. He has got this

:39:56.:40:03.

red to the middle and if he can play that and covered red to the pink you

:40:04.:40:09.

would play it. If you cannot, maybe it is too risky.

:40:10.:40:21.

It was too risky. I don't blame him for not taking it but he had to get

:40:22.:40:28.

the snooker and right behind the line of the shot, just about covered

:40:29.:40:30.

the potting angle. Just wondering, can he put a bit of

:40:31.:40:52.

right-hand side to create a bit of an angle to try to pot this. Tried

:40:53.:41:00.

to. Just about enough cover. The chance to go into the midsession

:41:01.:41:13.

interval at two apiece with the world number four.

:41:14.:41:20.

It is all about the pace. Doesn't want to shoot it too hard and not

:41:21.:41:33.

tried to get the black. Maybe a blue. Keeps his options open. He has

:41:34.:41:45.

been very fortunate. How lucky was that? If he doesn't catch the bumpy

:41:46.:41:53.

would be tight against the side and any colour would be difficult. After

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this blue, another couple of reds and colours would be sufficient to

:42:00.:42:01.

take the frame. Straight on the blue. Still got the

:42:02.:42:39.

red that separated to the right of the Peach. Just looking for the blue

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and one more red, which will help the situation. Horrendous kick ex-

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commission mark you heard it and the cue ball hardly moved, I'm lucky. So

:43:06.:43:15.

he has got this red. Under pressure but he is using the red. So far he

:43:16.:43:29.

is 100% success. A few pressure balls with the rest so far and he is

:43:30.:43:34.

going to need another one. 67 on, 65 ahead. Very good shot. Excellent.

:43:35.:43:45.

Under the circumstances. And particularly after you had a bad

:43:46.:43:51.

kick. That to ball looked like it got stuck in some mud. When that

:43:52.:43:53.

happens you can be very frustrated. He will certainly win the frame now.

:43:54.:44:08.

He has held himself together very, very well.

:44:09.:44:18.

Nice shot. I sure his cup of tea will taste a little sweeter.

:44:19.:44:34.

It is good stuff. He has fed off John's mistakes but his solid and

:44:35.:45:12.

looks capable, very capable when he gets in. -- and he is solid. He

:45:13.:45:26.

disgruntled figure a little bit in these first few frames, John

:45:27.:45:32.

Higgins. He is struggling a bit with the pace of the table. The good

:45:33.:45:41.

thing is, it is interval time coming up, a time to regroup and it is the

:45:42.:45:47.

first of six and plenty of time for the players to play to the best of

:45:48.:45:57.

their ability at the moment. Knocking some nice balls in and it

:45:58.:46:02.

will give him a bit of confidence in the second half of the match.

:46:03.:46:44.

He has missed the blue but John Higgins says enough and gets his

:46:45.:46:55.

second frame on the board and levels the match at two frames.

:46:56.:47:24.

More or less forced into playing that. Obviously the black was

:47:25.:47:37.

available. It makes me wonder, I sure there is a pot on here in

:47:38.:47:45.

regards to getting on the colour, I don't think it is a straightforward

:47:46.:47:58.

pot. It seems to be the one below the black he is looking out for a

:47:59.:48:02.

little further up. Can he forced the two ball in? Don't take your eyes

:48:03.:48:15.

off the pot. Want him to play with a bit more pace than that, young man.

:48:16.:48:22.

Not the pot but position. He has played a bit tentatively. Got to

:48:23.:48:31.

push the cue ball. Four, five inches would be nice, the black or the pink

:48:32.:48:36.

into the middle. Definitely the worst possible scenario is being

:48:37.:48:43.

short. He has been very good with the rest but we will see what he is

:48:44.:48:48.

like with the spider. Surely he cannot take the black on. He is

:48:49.:48:53.

looking at the potting angle. This is as tough as it can get.

:48:54.:49:01.

Five out of five with the rest. Too difficult. Has he got away with it?

:49:02.:49:13.

On first glance it is not too bad because he cue ball is close to the

:49:14.:49:17.

left-hand side cushion but John has a bread to the centre here. -- has a

:49:18.:49:27.

red. If he misses it he will be leaving a red, a bit of pressure on

:49:28.:49:38.

this. Will you keep still please. Excuse me? Just a bit of movement.

:49:39.:49:48.

This is a big shot, as you say, he has got to cue this nice, beyond the

:49:49.:49:59.

pink if it goes in. Did not play it as confidently as I would have

:50:00.:50:05.

expected. I thought he might have fully committed to that, hedged his

:50:06.:50:13.

bets, somewhat. Went for ball colour as opposed to just dropping it in.

:50:14.:50:17.

Taking the pink into the bottom left hand pocket he has left it to the

:50:18.:50:27.

corner pocket. The black is waiting for the opposite corner. It needs

:50:28.:50:46.

good two. To eat nicely. -- he cued it nicely.

:50:47.:50:54.

Nicely controlled as well off two cushions, read to the left corner

:50:55.:51:08.

pocket. Must leave himself a nice angle on the black. If you can try

:51:09.:51:21.

and leave somewhere, he cue ball, leave it exactly where the red is.

:51:22.:51:25.

Nice angle on the black, that is perfect. A couple of reds. The two

:51:26.:51:41.

reds below the pink if he wishes. Red into the right corner. Let's see

:51:42.:51:43.

what he chooses here. Again, nice angle. He is coming to

:51:44.:52:28.

look at those two reds above the black to the left. Into the

:52:29.:52:33.

left-hand corner pocket. Played it nicely. Slightly hampered.

:52:34.:52:50.

I don't know whether he can just roll it through and get position on

:52:51.:52:56.

the black. Looks like he will run into the second red so he has to be

:52:57.:53:01.

a bit careful. Played it well. Decent chance, this. There are a few

:53:02.:53:10.

reds covering each other but if he can keep control of the cue ball,

:53:11.:53:15.

this is a chance to build up a useful lead here.

:53:16.:53:23.

It is one of those situations. You take one red and another opens up.

:53:24.:53:35.

The red on the pink spot looks like it pots to the right centre as well

:53:36.:53:40.

as the bottom left-hand corner pocket. He is thinking a few shots

:53:41.:53:45.

ahead, looking to the red to the right of the pink, to the right-hand

:53:46.:53:49.

corner pocket. He has got plenty of options. Going to make sure he has a

:53:50.:53:57.

nice angle on the black, the pink when putting this red. Clement it

:53:58.:54:09.

looks like he played for the pink but he has over screwed that

:54:10.:54:13.

slightly, he needed to be straight on the pink. He has still got the

:54:14.:54:15.

black as a second option. I am surprised he didn't play for

:54:16.:54:29.

the black. This red goes to the bottom, two

:54:30.:54:57.

close together to the bottom left-hand corner pocket and then the

:54:58.:55:03.

other will be open to the right-hand corner pocket so it is unravelling

:55:04.:55:05.

nicely here. He has got a nice angle on the pink

:55:06.:56:23.

but there is no need to go into these reds. Whenever you play a

:56:24.:56:27.

Canon you trust a little bit to luck so if you can avoid the cannon that

:56:28.:56:38.

is the better option. He tried to avoid the cannon and didn't! And now

:56:39.:56:42.

he has got a very tough shot along the top cushion.

:56:43.:57:01.

That was a wonderful shot, got it in beautifully. Not a tricky enough

:57:02.:57:29.

black but 56 is the difference, he will need a black or 63, he will

:57:30.:57:32.

need a red and colour. He is not daunted by the fact that

:57:33.:58:18.

he is playing John Higgins. Just what he was looking for after the

:58:19.:58:38.

interval. And that's yet. That is frame ball. -- that is it. Just 67

:58:39.:58:50.

remaining, 71 the lead. Noel Rhoys Wiggins red, I would suggest. If he

:58:51.:58:56.

drops it in, John Higgins will not bother playing for snookers. He's

:58:57.:59:06.

landed in any way. He has taken it well, very well. The look has come

:59:07.:59:31.

across John Higgins' face. His opponent has settled down. He will

:59:32.:59:45.

have two mind his work. He has a bit of a kick there. It doesn't really

:59:46.:59:51.

matter. He is not at the peak. But he certainly has each as put the

:59:52.:59:59.

blue in the pocket. It would be nice to him to make his century. Hoping

:00:00.:00:04.

this blue goes in, of course. Shot. Yes, he has used all the

:00:05.:00:11.

pocket, but it went in. He left John Higgins with a

:00:12.:00:45.

difficult read, but John Higgins is still fully committed to it, trying

:00:46.:00:50.

to hedge his bat. Mr Hughes red, and has been sat down ever since. He has

:00:51.:00:59.

not been flawless, so far, in this match. And it looks like this young

:01:00.:01:22.

man is growing in confidence, to me. This red and the colourfully

:01:23.:01:23.

century. -- colour for the. Played! Verrer played indeed! --

:01:24.:01:51.

well played! -- very well played indeed!

:01:52.:02:01.

Not sure how many centuries he would have made on TV. He made a century,

:02:02.:02:11.

I think, in the match against you, didn't he? He did. You will probably

:02:12.:02:24.

mention that match if few more times, won't you.

:02:25.:02:36.

He has a good solid cue action, he hits through the ball nicely. He hit

:02:37.:02:48.

a bit of a rocky patch, in the first four frames, after he won the first

:02:49.:02:55.

frame, but it just shows you that frame just before the interval is an

:02:56.:02:59.

important frame for him to win. And he has come out firing.

:03:00.:03:17.

Excellent! Very well played indeed! As you say, that frame before the

:03:18.:03:24.

interval before the midsession is important. He has come out with a

:03:25.:03:32.

wonderful break of 131, and leads, a gain. 3-2.

:03:33.:05:13.

People to the red, didn't do a lot with the cue ball.

:05:14.:05:30.

John Higgins, one. A little shake of the head, again, it is not happy.

:05:31.:05:48.

Purposely playing that read into the blue. And the cueball back to the

:05:49.:06:01.

cushion. That was incredible. It went up the table, down the table,

:06:02.:06:07.

and could have been perfect. John Higgins now shut his Reds back to

:06:08.:06:09.

safety. Well he went for that all out that

:06:10.:07:47.

listed by quite a distance. Worse, he has left Jon Higgins with a nice

:07:48.:07:51.

easy starter. He needs to start scoring heavily from these

:07:52.:07:53.

opportunities. -- John Higgins. Now that read, if it does not pot,

:07:54.:10:48.

but it clearly does. Just put one into play, there. That was a nice

:10:49.:10:54.

little touch, there. This will certainly open things out -- this

:10:55.:11:01.

will certainly open things up. Like with all the great players,

:11:02.:11:14.

when they are under pressure you are expected to respond to the pressure.

:11:15.:11:22.

Maybe this will be the time for John Higgins.

:11:23.:11:29.

Has not really done it in one visit so far in this match. Highest break

:11:30.:11:45.

has only been 44, so far. Nothing can fly you up more than

:11:46.:12:05.

your opponents are on to play well. That certainly sharpens the mind. A

:12:06.:12:11.

little bit straight on this black, but because the reds, I'm sorry, on

:12:12.:12:18.

the raids, but he wants to leave a nice angle on the black, here. I

:12:19.:12:27.

don't think one of these reds plots, but their perfect angle to go into

:12:28.:12:31.

them. Always need a little bit of luck. That has worked out well. I

:12:32.:12:40.

was going to say nicely, but it was not too bad, but it could have been

:12:41.:12:48.

better. One to the right corner. A little bit with the cueball being so

:12:49.:12:53.

close to the red, it is not there to be so easy. He's getting Gabbedy

:12:54.:13:00.

Creek, so you is not too unhappy with the situation. Oh, he has

:13:01.:13:06.

played it nicely. And he just to pass the red to the black. Good

:13:07.:13:15.

reply, there is. -- good reply, this.

:13:16.:13:22.

His opponent has knocked a century. Concentrating on getting the frame

:13:23.:13:29.

over the line first. Lal. A very poor shot there. Easy on

:13:30.:13:49.

the blue? -- wow, a very poor shot there. He might have to take the

:13:50.:14:00.

pink to the left centre. Maybe it was a bad contact, he immediately

:14:01.:14:06.

asked for the cueball to be cleaned. He will certainly didn't want to

:14:07.:14:11.

leave himself in this position. Write in the heart of the pocket.

:14:12.:14:17.

But the position on the red. 66 points ahead. 67 remaining. It is

:14:18.:14:19.

not over just yet. John Higgins has certainly had to

:14:20.:14:56.

work for this. Now, can he go on to make a century, from here?

:14:57.:15:16.

I don't know what they were drinking at the midsession interval, but

:15:17.:15:21.

certainly the players have come out firing. Must have been strong tea. I

:15:22.:15:38.

have to get some of that key! That tea!

:15:39.:15:46.

A good position for John to reply with the century. He played that

:15:47.:15:52.

well. Not the best position of shot on

:15:53.:16:23.

this red to take into the century. Going into what we call a blind

:16:24.:16:25.

pocket. But nicely played! This is more like it, isn't it?

:16:26.:16:54.

Excellent break from John Higgins! That is what you need to do. 104.

:16:55.:17:18.

Certainly responded to his opponent better than the previous frame. 131.

:17:19.:17:42.

I wonderful 126 break. 648 Korea century for John Higgins. The levels

:17:43.:17:45.

at the match once again, 3-3. A good plot. Completed very

:17:46.:18:19.

competently. Didn't try to hide the cueball. Let the cueball in the

:18:20.:18:23.

middle of the table, and that tells you how a player is feeling. He has

:18:24.:18:31.

a straight blue to the bottom right pocket. He doesn't like it, and is

:18:32.:18:40.

going to take the green. More work to do with the cueball, here. Could

:18:41.:18:52.

have played that little better. Yes, I agree with you. Because when you

:18:53.:18:57.

get in this sort of pressure situation, the closer the cueball is

:18:58.:19:01.

to the object ball, the easier The Potters. There is a decent chance if

:19:02.:19:09.

you set about right that the black can get into both corners. Right in

:19:10.:19:23.

the heart of the pocket. Playing is better this time. Playing the red

:19:24.:19:30.

just above the black. Just gently, don't hit it too hard. The problem

:19:31.:19:49.

is if you hit it too hard, you go to knock it out of condition. If you go

:19:50.:19:53.

to play like Matt -- if you can go to play it like

:19:54.:20:05.

that, it you need to play it a little bit harder, phonics. That is

:20:06.:20:09.

part of the art of break building. Just a little delicate touch on that

:20:10.:20:16.

previous shot, as you pointed out. And he would have a read to go out.

:20:17.:20:21.

He has two pot this pink into the right centre, and a couple of reds.

:20:22.:20:30.

A possibility, once he has taken the black, I think. -- another

:20:31.:20:34.

possibility, it is taking the black. A couple of ways to play this.

:20:35.:20:56.

Either play low on the black, or play high on the black with the

:20:57.:21:19.

cueball. There is each as one of those reds would go to the right

:21:20.:21:23.

corner, but you need to be so precise. Maybe there is no chance,

:21:24.:21:29.

but if he's tried to force it into the cluster, he will have two have a

:21:30.:21:38.

bit of luck, here. Oh, well. Dost me down and call me Harry. -- dust. You

:21:39.:22:09.

could not dream of a better result. That has given him a nice angle, and

:22:10.:22:14.

that he has to play it. He has to pot this black and go into the red.

:22:15.:22:20.

As we always say, don't forget the pot. Called it right. He has been

:22:21.:22:43.

very fortunate with the cueball. On those shots, make sure of the black

:22:44.:22:50.

kite like you say. You can take your eye off it so easily. -- make sure

:22:51.:22:58.

you keep your eye on the black, like you say. That is very good.

:22:59.:23:01.

Excellent shot. Tremendous pot. He might have to go

:23:02.:23:18.

in and out of the bulk. Going to miss the yellow, come around,

:23:19.:23:29.

-- come around, and misty blue. -- and miss the blue. John Higgins just

:23:30.:24:11.

look at the scoreboard, he will already have done the calculation is

:24:12.:24:15.

in his head. Seven raids around the pink and black spot. -- seven raids.

:24:16.:24:23.

He will not need the difficult read that is near the middle pocket.

:24:24.:24:26.

-- He will not need the difficult red that is near the middle pocket.

:24:27.:24:38.

That is what the glance at the scoreboard was.

:24:39.:24:48.

-- The balls are certainly perfect here around the pink.

:24:49.:25:03.

Just have to keep a control. There is a fair bit to go in this match,

:25:04.:25:11.

but that is the difference between the two players. The cueball

:25:12.:25:17.

control. You almost feel when John Higgins gets into situations like

:25:18.:25:23.

this that he has tighter control of the cueball than his opponent. As

:25:24.:25:31.

you say, if he can stick to the blacks, in particular, it won't need

:25:32.:25:40.

the red that is near the left-hand side cushion. This black will put

:25:41.:25:42.

him nine points to lead. That is another 32 points. 35

:25:43.:25:57.

remaining after that. It was a tremendous opening raid. --

:25:58.:26:27.

red. Just a little bit short, this time. 46. I think in afford one

:26:28.:26:37.

blue. -- I think he can afford one blue.

:26:38.:26:56.

23 boys to lead. To reds, two pinks. That would be enough. -- 23 points

:26:57.:27:08.

to lead. If he could stop the blacks, there

:27:09.:27:32.

would only be a couple of snooker is Red is in a nice position for a

:27:33.:27:49.

possible double, as well. Anywhere with the cueball just write off the

:27:50.:27:56.

blue ball. And it would be a straightforward, you have to say...

:27:57.:28:03.

Across the double. I heard Stephen Henry say a few weeks ago, he is the

:28:04.:28:11.

best doubler in the game. And he is not wrong!

:28:12.:28:30.

37 points in front. 27 remaining. John Higgins is one frame away from

:28:31.:28:44.

victory. You like the odd double now and again, don't you?

:28:45.:29:12.

Against John Higgins. I don't think so.

:29:13.:29:36.

It is fair to say that he had first chance in this frame, didn't he?

:29:37.:29:46.

Yeah, certainly did. Disappointed he didn't make more of it. That black

:29:47.:30:01.

he just took his eye off. Such a big frame to go one up with two to play.

:30:02.:30:08.

Yes and John Higgins, you can bet your life, in the next frame will

:30:09.:30:12.

use all his experience could try to keep it tight. This looks close.

:30:13.:30:17.

This looks close. (CHEERING).. He has missed the blue but it

:30:18.:30:43.

doesn't matter. Noppon concedes, goes to the dressing room. John

:30:44.:30:45.

Higgins is one frame away. He leads. I was a little surprised he didn't

:30:46.:31:21.

play the run through for the black. Playing for the pink, had to be so

:31:22.:31:27.

precise. I tell you, this is a tough one. He will need the extension. He

:31:28.:31:39.

is going to be playing a difficult pink into the corner pocket. If it

:31:40.:31:49.

goes in, good setup. Possible matchwinner but he could miss this.

:31:50.:31:53.

He could miss it but he hasn't, excellent shot. That was a brave

:31:54.:32:04.

shot. It certainly was. He has not backed off much today. He could have

:32:05.:32:09.

had better position. This red by the green is missable.

:32:10.:32:27.

That would have felt good, right in the heart of the pocket. One good

:32:28.:32:40.

positional shot here. Come down the left-hand side or the right-hand

:32:41.:32:43.

side of the table. Red above the black and a couple of reds above the

:32:44.:32:51.

pink. He needs to slow up the cue ball. How much side he got on that,

:32:52.:33:00.

that was incredible. He certainly has overrun it. Qubit cued it too

:33:01.:33:23.

well. He is looking to see if the Red Bull go to the left frame. -- if

:33:24.:33:34.

the red will go. He needs to pot this. Which he has done. Where is

:33:35.:33:43.

the cue ball going? It is OK, he is on the blue, has not red to the

:33:44.:33:47.

right corner. This is a match-winning opportunity.

:33:48.:34:25.

You don't often see John Higgins lose it like that but he knew that

:34:26.:34:35.

was the chance to put the match to bed. He has never quite got the pace

:34:36.:34:39.

of the table. He is very disappointed. He is looking at the

:34:40.:34:47.

cushions as if he got a big bounce off the side cushion. He is

:34:48.:34:55.

struggling with the table all day. He has been at odds with himself, a

:34:56.:35:02.

lot of frustration. That was a double whack of the table. He is

:35:03.:35:15.

absolutely fuming. Such a frustrating game and he knew that

:35:16.:35:20.

was a chance to put the match, as I said, to bed and now it could still

:35:21.:35:24.

be in the balance. Points all square.

:35:25.:35:33.

That is reasonably safe. OK, this red to the left of the pink but

:35:34.:35:51.

surely you cannot risk playing that. No, he is playing for safety.

:35:52.:36:07.

It is funny, when you see a player is his opportunity and show his

:36:08.:36:15.

emotion, it seems to have had an effect on the match. The crowd has

:36:16.:36:22.

gone a bit quieter. They realise now that anything can happen in the next

:36:23.:36:24.

30 minutes. It is not often you see John Higgins

:36:25.:36:38.

do something like that. Normally very composed. Taking this on. And

:36:39.:36:52.

getting it! And he is going to be on the blue and if it stops short of

:36:53.:36:58.

the cushion, that is nicely done. A chance now to take us to a deciding

:36:59.:37:00.

frame. Can he get a little cannon to the

:37:01.:38:57.

top position for the other red? He has played it well, exceptionally

:38:58.:39:05.

well. Just a bit unfortunate the red carried up on the cushion a bit more

:39:06.:39:09.

than he would have liked but he is still on the red below the black

:39:10.:39:11.

nicely. He has a nice angle on the black,

:39:12.:39:39.

the pink as it turns out to get to the left-hand side cushion for the

:39:40.:39:45.

red. He plays and could get the red away from the cushion. Depends how

:39:46.:39:47.

he sees it. I don't think he played the cannon

:39:48.:40:05.

like that but it could have been worse, just 27 points remaining. He

:40:06.:40:15.

has been very good with the rest today.

:40:16.:40:23.

But not this time. Where is the red going to finish? He has got away

:40:24.:40:32.

with it. I don't think this red pots.

:40:33.:40:50.

John Higgins thinks it does. Where is the cue ball going to go? It

:40:51.:41:03.

looked too thin for the pot for me. Maybe he didn't play the pot in the

:41:04.:41:08.

end, I don't know, it is hard to say but he will be happy with the

:41:09.:41:11.

result. He definitely played the portal right. Someone in the crowd

:41:12.:41:18.

said, good shot, John. I don't think his opponent thinks that. He got

:41:19.:41:24.

very lucky there. The natural right-hand side cushion you want to

:41:25.:41:29.

hit, I think the greenies blocking that so he might have to swerve. It

:41:30.:41:34.

is the age-old problem. He has a 20 point lead but can he hit the red

:41:35.:41:41.

and more importantly, get it safe? This is a big swerve, big swerve

:41:42.:41:56.

this. Well played. Well played. But he could have left the chance with

:41:57.:41:58.

the red and he has done. The brown come to his rescue. I

:41:59.:42:31.

think I saw a little hand up from John Higgins there. The dreaded hand

:42:32.:42:37.

up. Has he covered the potting angle?

:42:38.:42:43.

Yes he has. But this looks good. Is there a gap between green and blue?

:42:44.:43:03.

Out of shot from John Higgins so I can only suggest it is a snooker.

:43:04.:43:08.

Got to get it safe. The frame is still in the balance.

:43:09.:43:25.

That was an excellent shot, very well controlled. A lot of players

:43:26.:43:33.

may have tried to hit that and hope this safe that he was confident of

:43:34.:43:46.

hitting it onto the side cushion. A bit of a nervy one.

:43:47.:44:00.

Just over the three hour mark now. This looks pretty good.

:44:01.:44:13.

Yeah, three hours. The first frame took just over half an hour but

:44:14.:44:21.

since then it has been good snooker. OK, a few mistakes along the way but

:44:22.:44:29.

that adds to the interest. Don't miss the snooker! I am amazed that

:44:30.:44:47.

he is having the balls replaced. If he hits this fall in the face he

:44:48.:44:51.

will send it up the table and might even get a snooker back.

:44:52.:44:58.

It didn't look too difficult to get out of. Two cushions. If you catch

:44:59.:45:09.

the red fall in the face the white. Where the red is and the Red Bull

:45:10.:45:13.

have it up the table. I cannot believe he has had it replaced, who

:45:14.:45:18.

is right, who is wrong? He has hit it the other way but still the same

:45:19.:45:23.

effect. He has got away with it, he has got a snooker. But it was never

:45:24.:45:29.

going to miss the second time around. Very surprised John had it

:45:30.:45:41.

put back. Trying to lay on the red. Which he has done but you just feel

:45:42.:45:53.

now that Noppon Saengkham has the advantage in this important tactical

:45:54.:45:54.

battle. I'm not sure what he is playing

:45:55.:46:18.

here. He has got to control the red, he doesn't want it coming up and

:46:19.:46:24.

down the table. He is lucky it stopped short of the middle. The red

:46:25.:46:28.

could have come up and down the table quite easily. Still a bit to

:46:29.:46:31.

learn, this young man. Couldn't have played that any

:46:32.:47:00.

better. To find the gap of three cushions in between green and blue.

:47:01.:47:06.

Superb and there is no gap. There is always a gap! But not this time.

:47:07.:47:23.

This will be harder to get safe if he hits it with pace. He needs a bit

:47:24.:47:29.

of luck. He has got it. The red down behind the black and

:47:30.:47:44.

cue ball somewhere in the middle of the ball cushion, I would expect. He

:47:45.:47:52.

has gone the other way. He has not got the snooker this time. Yeah and

:47:53.:47:58.

even if he has, it is an easy swerve.

:47:59.:48:04.

I don't think John will be taking this red on. Could get a snooker

:48:05.:48:42.

behind the pink. Just caught it a bit. Safe though. One good safety

:48:43.:48:59.

shot could swing the frame into the player's favour. Behind the black

:49:00.:49:08.

and pink and push the red into the middle of the ball cushion. It looks

:49:09.:49:14.

a lovely line. It looks a lovely line.

:49:15.:49:25.

Got a snooker but again, an easy hit. Good shot.

:49:26.:49:39.

Finally enough this makes it difficult to play a telling safety

:49:40.:49:50.

shot. That is normally when you can leave distance between cue ball and

:49:51.:49:56.

object ball but you can't with this shot.

:49:57.:50:09.

Will he send the red down the table for the cue ball down behind the

:50:10.:50:17.

black? Maybe the red. Well. He hasn't played that very well. He may

:50:18.:50:24.

have left the pot on. He had such margin for error. Very disappointed.

:50:25.:50:34.

Just a lapse in concentration. In an important part of the match, how can

:50:35.:50:40.

you have that? As you get older, that is what happens. A chance now.

:50:41.:50:54.

He is not going to be on the black. John Higgins maybe staring at the

:50:55.:51:02.

deciding frame, in the face now. He is not on the black but you expect

:51:03.:51:08.

him, if he didn't go for the black, to lay a good snooker. 14 points the

:51:09.:51:18.

lead. I don't think he should worry about putting the black safe. He has

:51:19.:51:23.

to make the snooker as difficult as possible. That has cut off the

:51:24.:51:28.

escape of the right-hand side cushion. Surely he is not thinking

:51:29.:51:35.

about the black into the centre pocket. All he has to do is get

:51:36.:51:37.

tight behind the black. OK, he has got him snooker probably

:51:38.:52:01.

but the one thing he had to do is make it difficult to hit. Coming off

:52:02.:52:03.

the right-hand side cushion. Can he get it safe? He can. He made

:52:04.:52:26.

it too easy to hit. If he blocks the right-hand side cushion he has to

:52:27.:52:29.

come off the left-hand side cushion, it is a wider angle and so much more

:52:30.:52:32.

difficult to hit and get safe. That was another superhit from John

:52:33.:53:06.

Higgins. Noppon can get either Brown to keep

:53:07.:53:24.

the yellow. Guaranteed a good safety here.

:53:25.:53:32.

No. The brown and yellow is available to the left middle. He has

:53:33.:53:45.

got to avoid the kiss on the pink and the in off into the right

:53:46.:53:47.

corner. Didn't avoid the kiss on the pink.

:53:48.:54:08.

12 points if he gets into the green. John Higgins behind.

:54:09.:54:39.

Since the first frame it has been quickfire snooker but this is now

:54:40.:54:48.

the longest frame of the match and understandably, the situation we are

:54:49.:54:52.

in, both players have had opportunities. John Higgins the

:54:53.:54:53.

better of the two. Well, would you risk playing the pot

:54:54.:55:22.

on the green? Or do you think, play safe and try to get the snooker?

:55:23.:55:29.

Playing safe, I thought, was the order of the day.

:55:30.:55:49.

Well, that has made it easy for John Higgins to play a lot better safety

:55:50.:55:58.

shot than that. It may even be possible to get the cue ball in

:55:59.:56:03.

behind the brown but close to the cushion.

:56:04.:56:13.

He did not get in behind the brown but the black has come to his

:56:14.:56:24.

rescue. He has got to judge this perfect. The jaws of the pocket with

:56:25.:56:33.

the cue ball. It could be a free ball. This could be a turning point,

:56:34.:56:38.

the chance John Higgins is waiting for. It looks like a free ball to

:56:39.:56:51.

me. What a mistake. In -- his inexperience. The one thing you

:56:52.:56:56.

cannot afford to do is to miss like that and this is John Higgins's

:56:57.:56:57.

chance to clinch frame and match. I think the positional shot from

:56:58.:57:16.

green to brown is the one but perfect angle, just drop the green

:57:17.:57:19.

in from the side cushion and just above the right centre pocket and it

:57:20.:57:27.

will be nicely on the brown. Yes and now just needs the brown, blue and

:57:28.:57:35.

pink. After three hours of play, he has done everything right, just one

:57:36.:57:41.

simple error could have cost him this match.

:57:42.:57:58.

So just the simplest of pinks now to secure his place in the last 32 and

:57:59.:58:06.

I would suggest it will be a very relieved John Higgins. It is in. He

:58:07.:58:19.

had the chance belly up but didn't do it. Showed a lot of frustration.

:58:20.:58:25.

Keep your eyes open, Noppon Saengkham. He is a good player with

:58:26.:58:30.

a lot to learn but John Higgins was just that bit more experienced and

:58:31.:58:35.

he is through to the last 32 with a 6-4 win over the young man from

:58:36.:58:42.

Thailand. Well, the two-time UK champion John Higgins is through but

:58:43.:58:47.

only after an almighty scrap with this young player today. Almost

:58:48.:58:50.

another shock and perhaps we will have a few more close matches when

:58:51.:58:54.

we are back at one o'clock this afternoon on BBC Two with more

:58:55.:58:58.

second-round action. In the meantime get some sleep and catch you soon.

:58:59.:59:02.

Wanting something to be true doesn't make it true.

:59:03.:59:05.

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