Day 3 Masters Snooker Extra

Hello and welcome to Snooker Extra, extended highlights of the

first-round Masters match between Trump and Fu. It's -- Judd Trump and

Marco Fu. It's Judd who leads the head-to-heads but Marco will be full

of confidence after a win in December. Your match commentators

are Steve Davies and Dennis Taylor. DENNIS TAYLOR: Judd won the toss and

it's a good break-off. If Marco can see enough of this red

to the right corner, he might attempt the pot.

It takes a while to get used to this table. It's very fast but looks to

be playing beautifully. STEVE DAVIES: Yeah, very responsive. You

don't have to hit the balls too hard to get them where you want. Oh,

straightaway we might have a little bit of an awkward red with that

frame up the other end of the table. Start of an early stalemate it would

have to be said. Looking at the head-to-heads between

these two players, Judd nine, Marco two, trying to work out if there's

any reason for that other than Judd's a great player. Um, yeah,

perhaps Marco doesn't fare as well against an aggressive, bully-type

player? I don't know, really. I haven't got a clue. But obviously

Marco's in form at the moment so that counts for a lot. Well, this

will count for a lot if this goes in. This is a tough shot he's taking

on here. Almost. Now, where's that red going

to finish? Is the green and brown going could tomorrow to his rescue.

It looks like they may have. I think he's covered both those reds.

A bit of a result there. A risky red. He almost pulled it off, as you

can see there, covered both those reds.

And this is a very tricky cutback that Judd's taking on here.

Well-played, though. APPLAUSE

Well, he could have been forgiven for playing some type of containing,

tactical shot there, but he really did play an aggressive shot. This is

no certainty. Red at the bottom of the pack goes

now though, so... I thought he was hampered by it as

well. Well, that was an unexpected mix. He

had to put quite a bit of power on that. He just didn't deliver the cue

there. You can see a -- you can see, as smoothly as he would have liked.

The cue coming off his hand there. Yeah, it's not the greatest part of

his game. No problem for Judd Trump at the

power game. He does get some action on the cue ball, that's for sure.

That was quite a difficult shot he just pulled off there.

I mean the putt wasn't all that difficult, but it's near the pocket

and, you know, the cue action there to draw that cue ball back...

What a fantastic shot that was, and the chance, if he wants to, to go

into the pack here off the side cushion.

APPLAUSE He's got everything he deserved

here. Fantastic shots he's pulled out. I thought for a minute he was

going to go to the far end and stay there.

Well, just with that one shot, he's opened up the whole of the game

here. There's a chance for Judd to knock

in a sizeable contribution here. Quite a difficult thing to do,

especially on a power shot, to keep everything, keep your head,

perfectly still. I think Marco moves a little bit on

the shot when he delivers the cue as well. It's just a mannerism.

He's a pure, natural player, Judd Trump. Just a natural snooker

talent. He's making light work of this,

though. Great to watch. He seems to have got the pace of the

table very quickly. Frame virtually over. Marco, just

that one mistake - you can't afford to miss blacks off the spot. OK, he

was playing it reverse side. There's Judd switching hands. He's very,

very good with his opposite hand as well. Not quite in the league of

Ronnie O'Sullivan, but he is very good with his opposite hand.

Every chance now of making a century. It's going to be very, very

difficult. But it's something he can just concentrate on now.

He's made a few centuries in his career, 422.

He might be able to develop the last red. He could make a century if this

works out. APPLAUSE

Well, what a way to punish your opponent for a basic mistake.

Yeah, the highest break in this year's Dafabet Masters was made last

evening by Stuart Bingham, 132, but he lost to Joe Perry 6-1. But what a

start for the Juggernaut, as they call him. You know, and even though

the game of snooker, you're playing against the table, not your

opponent, it does seem sometimes against certain opponents you have a

good record and some you don't. Perhaps Judd fancies the job today.

That's century Number 10 in this year's Masters.

APPLAUSE Doesn't matter about the blue. He

got one chance and that was all he needed and that magnificent century

break gave Judd Trump the opening frame. It's 1-0.

There might just be a gap between the blue and pink to flick the reds

and get back down the table. He could have left something a lot

easier than this. It's a horrible situation for Marco

Fu. I'm not too sure what he can do, really. Very low value trying to cut

this red and I don't think he can hold for the black. He might, as

long as he can get his cue down long enough, perhaps he's got a chance. I

thought he was going to have to jack up in the air. He's just about done

it. That would have been very difficult,

had he been up in the air on that shot.

We were talking about his Scottish Open win in the final against John

hilliness. 4-1 down and won eight frames in a row to beat John 9-4.

And John, one of the form players of the season, well, he really is a

superb player, Marco. Still a couple of potential banana

skins going about this break. He's had to play two reds on the top

cushion. Not so much of a pocket to aim for along a cushion, obviously.

He'd like to be high on this black. He doesn't really want to be

straight. He's made four maximum breaks in his

career, Marco. I'll never forget his first Masters

in Scotland. The Scottish Open, I think it was. He won a motor car and

he hadn't even got a licence. Once again, he's not greatly on this

black. If he'd been further up the table on a couple of occasions, it

would have helped him out no end. Now he's got to possibly play a

slightly riskier shot. Got a flick on the red but it was difficult to

get high on that red from that position, as you see.

-- as you can see. It's difficult to get speed on the cue ball from

there. He's got the red into the yellow pocket. This would now be a

147 chance if this goes in. Now the crowd acknowledge this is a

potential chance for a maximum with the round of applause they gave him.

He doesn't have to go into the pack that quickly here.

There's a few reds that, when potted, will open up paths for other

reds. He's left himself a bit straight on the black on a few

occasions. I think he knew immediately. Just

watch his head. He knew straightaway. He was up. He knew he

didn't hit that one correctly. And every chance of the counterattack

now. You could see what that miss meant

to Marco there. But he's left himself awkward here.

It looks to be pretty straight. This is the sort of shot Marco missed in

the opening frame, screwing back, reverse side - probably a little bit

more difficult than that. I know it's a very responsive cloth,

but he made that look very easy indeed.

He's obviously cueing well. He's walking around the table, looks very

focused. If that red, the bottom of the four, goes, that opens things up

nicely. A bit too far? He's not... He's got the slightest of angles and

the red he didn't quite get on - he's got to punch it in to get to

the correct angle, which he has done, and he's played that

perfectly. He's on it this time. How well did he strike that? As you

mentioned a long time ago, the reds were all clearing each other, Steve,

and it's proving the case. He didn't have any cannons to play. As one was

potted, it left a path for another. Excellent shot to get high on that

red. Doesn't need to collide with any other balls here.

This could be an early turning point in this match, because Marco looked

to be well on his way to taking his way, concentrating on All Blacks.

Apart from that one shot he played, where he misjudged the pace, most of

the time, he's been very controlled. Now he can be low on the red to go

up the table for one of the Bob Hawke colours. He's a massive

favourite in this frame now. A big steal.

What a frame to pinch this is. He looked so good. Certainly in that

opening frame, he's cueing really well.

Well, what a cracking frame of snooker this second frame is turning

out to be. Marco Fu on all blacks. Missed one and Judd Trump stepped in

and cleared the remaining balls with that magnificent break of 87 and now

he leads two frames to nil. Bit of a weak break-off from Judd

Trump. Got to be a little bit careful though, Marco. He's got to

pot this because there is a gap round the back of the black, but he

could cannon into a red. He has to pot this, you would feel.

He just missed that. You would say he's OK but with Judd Trump at the

table, you're never sure. You can see the red wobble in the jaws. This

one he's looking at is very, very difficult. This red is a long way up

the cushion, really, to be powering it in. He had a little look at it

but I think he's probably choosing the right now now, the safety.

You see that movement to our left, which makes his cue go across to the

left as well, across the face of the ball, amazing how that happens.

Yeah, one of the great Welsh players - we'll just show you the movement

to the side - but one of the great Welsh players used to move forward a

little bit, Doug Mountjoy. He's Welsh players used to move forward a

too well at the moment, Doug. If you're watching, get well soon. I

know he likes to go to Mark Williams's club and practise every

day. He's not the best at the moment. I'm sure he'll bounce

straight back, knowing Doug. I'm not too sure what he was doing

there. Very aggressive. Was he going for the pot? He misjudged it by some

way. He hit it far too thick. Perhaps the yellow was the way

forward. It would be nice if the pink doesn't

spot for Marco. That's his answer.

Mustn't be touching that red. When the balls are set up at the start of

the match with the triangle of balls and the red at the apex of the pink,

that almost mustn't be touching. Interesting, isn't it? You always

are, Steve, very interesting. That was a pretty poor positional shot

from Marco. He was trying to get on the blue but he left himself

straight on the blue. Can he make a better job of it this time? Decides

to roll through for the black. If he has angle, he might get up to

a red but look at that - he's going to have to force this one in. That's

the trap that no snooker player likes. Oh, he did well there.

APPLAUSE We say that sometimes Marco lacks a

bit of power. He got it all right there on that shot.

He's given himself a chance to keep this going.

Albeit with a spider. I think the thing that stands Marco

in good stead and has done throughout his career - he's got a

fabulous temperament. But that's a shocker he's played there. The only

possible way of keeping the break going now is, as we show you the

poor positional shot - in fact, the double is not even on. If he'd had a

chance, he could have doubled the red and wouldn't have left anything.

What has he spotted? Not a plant coming to the rescue, surely? Oh,

what a bonus this is. What a bonus if this goes in.

And there it is. APPLAUSE

A lot lucky, really. I wouldn't have known that plant was on. Now he

looks to be in a nice position to try and make amends for that last

frame. Judd will be sitting in his chair a bit aggrieved, really.

He's got to take full advantage now of that little bit of good fortune

when suddenly the plant appeared. He doesn't want to do what he did in

the previous frame. A nice little nudge with that last

shot to get the pink into the action as well. He's increasing his

positional possibilities. Well, you've got to fancy him in

from -- him from this position, Dennis. He'd have to do something

careless, or have a kick, or be unlucky.

Not hanging about. Just coming up to the half-hour mark and the third

frame is almost over. There you see it. 64 ahead. One more

red and anything above the yellow will be enough to leave Judd needing

a snooker. Just a quick glance at the scoreboard. The white ball

trundled on a couple more rolls than he wanted.

CROWD GASPS He had a bash at that. I don't think

he needed to. It seemed like he hit that harder than he needed to. I

don't... I couldn't agree more, Steve. He

didn't even get enough screw on it. No wonder he was shaking his head.

Is he going to pay for that mistake? It's not as easy this time. He's

still a strong favourite the way the balls are situated, but the frame

should have been over. Well, this would be a steal. Not so bad with

these reds on the left-hand side cushion for Judd Trump being a

left-hander. Obviously, Marco Fu is hoping they'll cause a problem.

He's only one or two good shots away from making this a relatively easy

clearance. Played for the open red there and

probably going to leave himself an angle to knock that second red away.

Well, every ball going into the middle of the pocket at the moment

is looking very confident. And now, as long as he gets a good

angle on this pink, he should be able to swing across nicely for the

red in the corner, screw back for the blue.

He wasn't on the pink properly. He thought he had an angle.

If he can get nicely anywhere near the circle, with being a

left-hander, he'd be perfect and he's got an angle on the brown to

get over to that position. This looks pretty good. It looks

very good. APPLAUSE

Well, I said Marco Fu had a terrific temperament. If he loses this frame,

what a test that will be, because he should have won this frame and he

should have won the frame He's played this very nicely. That

was the only thing that could have gone wrong there, that blue to

yellow. I say the only thing. Other things

obviously can, but the way he's cued so far, he's made very light work of

this. And this is a massive steal, so much more than the last frame.

He looks very comfortable on the table.

There'll be one more frame before the mid-session interval. Marco's

going to need that badly. He hasn't lost this one yet, but you can't see

Judd making a mistake the way he's cueing. It's just straightforward.

Well, knowing the significance of this frame, you could be forgiven

for being a bit nervous but so far not too much nerves, a bit out of

position. Just this black. Well, it's happened again.

Marco Fu had a break of 64, missed a sitter of a red and had to watch

Judd Trump come to the table and clear up and take the third frame.

It's 3-0. I mean, it's been so fluent. Look at

this - average shot time, just confirming it there, 13 seconds.

There's the average frame time, just over 11 minutes.

And Judd's had a century, Marco 64. Five breaks over 50 in three frames.

It's not like Marco's not been at the able. Look at the pot success

rate, Steve. 97%. He's got a bit of a problem here.

It's a double kiss if he plays safe. What a great shot that was - a

fantastic effort. In some ways, you had to sacrifice possibly running

through but there's a lot of pressure on Marco Fu all of a

sudden. So this red, even though on other occasions, it would be pretty

guaranteed, oh, he's made light work of that. Not just potted it, but got

enough of an angle on the blue that should he want, he can go into the

pack right-hand side of the pink, could open them up, or there is the

loose red at the bottom of the pack. His choice. He's playing for the

loose one. I'm not going to start arguing with

Marco. He's a winner. A lot of players would have gone straight

into the pink there. But, as I mentioned earlier, he's

made 435 centuries in his career, so he knows how to break-build.

This is tough, going into them from here. There's another one still

available, so that helps. But after this one, it's going to start

getting more difficult. Yes, quite a tight pack. And whilst

he couldn't have guaranteed a split from the blue, it's not a guarantee

off the black either. I'd be happy to see that red come

over the middle. And he'll be happy to see a little gap to cue between

the reds. He's not hampered. Plenty of action on this one while it kept

spinning. For a while, it looked like he was going to be in trouble.

So what Marco Fu has obviously got to do is try and win this frame in

this visit. Wary of the fact that Judd Trump is

chomping at the bit for a counter-punch. It's nice if this red

goes next to the pink. 3-1 at the mid-session interval. You

know, he wouldn't feel all that bad because he knows he could quite

easily have won the last two frames. I mean, he made a break of 56 and

lost that, and then 64 and lost the previous frame. It's just cutting

out the little mistakes that he's been making. He hasn't made many

mistakes but they've just been so costly the way Judd's playing.

Topspin applied and he's not hampered. He's OK.

This could turn out to be an absolute cracking match.

Yeah, all of that match play temperament that Marco Fu showed in

coming back against John Higgins he's going to need today.

He's showing an awful lot of character here, isn't he? After

what's just gone before in the previous two frames. So he's been in

first in - well, all three frames. APPLAUSE

That's the frame safe and now he can settle down.

It's going to be roughly 45 minutes for four frames. That's going some,

yeah? If someone said, "How's it going,

Marco?" And he said, "I made breaks of 56, 64 and a possible century,

but I'm 3-1 down." Tough game. Yeah. It remains to be seen whether those

two frames that Judd Trump stole will come into the equation at the

end of the match. One thing is for certain, though -

Marco Fu the balls. APPLAUSE

He's looking every bit as fluent now.

Brilliant from this man. He can't beat the highest break of the event

but still nice to clear the lot. Marco playing a bit of an exhibition

shot there. I can't wait for the second half of

this match. Absolutely fantastic from Marco Fu.

And he looks a bit pleased with himself and so he should be. That

magnificent play there takes him to the mid-session interval but he

trails three frames to one. So far in this match, nearly all of

the unforced errors have come from Marco Fu. He's still potting nicely.

APPLAUSE That brown's nicely over the pocket.

Yeah, it was a poor safety shot from Judd, it has to be said.

That's not the best kiss in the world.

I suppose he had to play it that way.

Didn't have to try and shift everything around and these are not

certainties. A bit wider on the blue than he

wanted, so not trusting to luck this time by going into balls. He's going

to try and keep in open play. He's lost the cue ball a bit there.

I'm sure he wanted to be on the one to the left of the table. Perhaps he

was going for these two down the right-hand side.

He'd be short of pace on those. Good recovery pot, but the wrong

side of the blue. But that red to the left of the bunch is on for him,

if he screws back a couple of feet. Beyond that, as you can see, is the

left side of the blue line there so he has to leave

Yeah. The only trouble with this is a cue ball in this break's been

doing a bit more mileage than he would have wanted.

Trying to get the right side of balls from distance is a bit harder

than when you're close in. Once again, looks to be a bit short on

the blue. A worse scenario is straight.

Can he get to the black? Talked himself into playing that

with a bit of right-hand spin, trying to twist the black in, very

tight. Yeah, I mean trying to play that

with a trace of side was very difficult. He could have rolled the

blue in, you know, and left the red between the blackspot and the black

there - he could have left that. It would have been a tricky pot but he

was asking a little bit much to just bend it slightly to create that

potting angle on the black. Not much Judd Trump could do with

that shot other than get it down the table. Got the pace wrong.

Marco doesn't pot it and now, Judd Trump, should he wish to, can open

the reds up a bit more. You get the feeling that -- feeling that Judd

only needs one chance in a frame. This looks like a good safety shot.

I don't know if he's completely carried it.

Marco can come down the right-hand side of

be careful. This red could sneak out over the left corner.

It almost went right over the corner, as you predicted, Steve. But

look at the cue ball. The length on that is terrific. That is a big

pocket, if he can't get through, to cut the one in that's near the

pocket. The other one is a biggish pocket. But look where the cue ball

is. But there's no easy safety, so he'll have to attempt. He's come up

to look at exactly how this red is lying over the pocket. But you feel

as if he's got a big margin of error on that red that's a bit further up.

But he's playing the safety, or possibly the shot to nothing.

He's got a good cue ball if it keeps running. Oh, what a shot this is!

APPLAUSE That's a fascinating situation,

isn't it? Perhaps the Judd Trump of old would have automatically got

down and played the big pocket shot, as we would call it in the game, but

Judd is showing some maturity and perhaps just waiting for a better

chance, not... Panicking at the first opportunity. And he's put the

pressure on Marco here. Can Marco lay on the pack? It's not much of a

pack. difficult to get through to the red

that is over the pocket. He is trying to see if he can come off a

couple cushions but this is so tough here. It is not a bad effort if he

misses the pink, it might be in the pocket though but it is not a bad

effort. How has he not hit the red and knocked on into the pocket. It

is going to be called. The ultimate miss there. If anything wasn't a

miss it was that. Of course, it is a miss. Can he find that angle again.

It is going to be difficult. The referee is allowed to not call a

misunderstooder those circumstances but the modern-day way is that you

automatically call it. He has got it this time and he has got away with

it. Well, almost got away with it. This red will pot. Not easy but it

will go. All of a sudden - I say it wasn't

easy and all of a sudden from being in a terrible position Marco is back

at the table and in with a chance. I think the reason he did get away

with it was Judd Trump was expecting an easy opportunity with that and

all of a sudden he comes to the table with a bit more pressure on

him than he thought was possible. That is the first relatively easy

ball I think Judd has missed. But that escape of Marco's he lad to go

so close to the -- he lad to go so close to the pink to have any chance

of hitting the red. That was pinpoint accuracy. You won't see a

better escape than that. Watch how close he goes to the pink

here. Just slides past the pink. Amazing.

This is his third attempt to win this frame in open play. You'd

expect him to convert this chance. Just about getting the right side of

the colour. Looked a bit lazy that cue ball as it came back.

Well, he's carrying on where he left off before the mid-session interval

is Marco. As I say, he showed an awful lot of character after losing

two frames where he made breaks of 56 and 64 to bounce back with 130.

This is the longest frame of the match so far but the balls did go a

little awkward. I think he didn't panic when he was

3-0 down because of what he did to John Higgins in the Scottish Open

final. That's always going to be in the back of your mind so you don't

tend the panic and he didn't. It's two in a row to just be one behind.

I did mention before the mid-session interval I thought this could be an

absolutely cracking match. It could prove to be because they're both

playing really well. Both 95% with their pot success rate. Terrific

stuff. This crowd's been royally entertained here in the Aly Paly

this afternoon. They've currently got the same pot

success rate, although it doesn't feel like that for some reason. It

feels like Marco has made more mistakes.

That's another fabulous clearance there from Marco Fu. Breaks of 130

and that break of 88 - he is only one behind now and it is 3-2 to Judd

Trump. He hit that so thick, he should have

been behind the yellow again. What damage has he done here? You have to

say even though there is a lot of red clustered at the top of the

table it is a chance for 5-2. Not that. Oh, OK. Marco's hope is

that after messing his shot up - I don't think he even hit the right

red - he's just going to hope that because there is a big traffic jam

up the top that Judd Judd doesn't get a good result off this shot.

Well, there's always plenty of traffic jams around Alship Paly, not

far off the North Circular. He has a red in the top corner and that pink

is begging to be potted so he has an escape route for this jam.

He didn't take any time at all to work that shot out. Looped it around

the black and all of a sudden it has opened up into a genuine

frame-winning chance. Wasting no time at all. Amongst the

balls he seems to be supremely confident.

First minor mistake. That will be a bit further away from this red but

you can't really call it a true mistake. This red is far enough away

from the cushion that he won't have any problems potting it. The

positional play's a little bit more difficult.

Just lost the cue ball. It's the type of situation reminiscent of a

shot Alex Higgins played in that magnificent clearance against Jimmy

White in '82. Pot the blue to the side cushion and then screw back to

the top cushion but he has got a much easier pink. If it goes in

positionally anyway. It goes in, great shot. He's lost the cue ball

though. APPLAUSE

I think that shot wasn't available to him the Alex Higgins special, he

was Hamped by all the other reds and colours. He would have had to lean

over them. Mean while. He only just dropped the pink and because he

dropped it, it hasn't don't far enough. That is very tight. He

talked himself into it. For a minute - I don't think it goes Dennis, it

really doesn't go. I'm telling you it doesn't go. I believe you, Steve,

I believe you. He's never going to play it.

Well - trouble is, I'm not sure what other shots he plays.

He will have a play a safety shot to there. Whatever he decides he is a

strong favourite because he is 59 in front. He only needs a red and any

colour. A bit short paced but... APPLAUSE

Makes it a bit easier for Marco Fu to put in a good safety.

Things in - ooh, a nasty flick. Nice for Marco. Just got to be a wee bit

careful if he is going to land on these reds because he could leave a

pot on. If he plans to just nestle on one of the reds to the left, you

can see that is the snookering shadow you are looking at there. If

he just nestles on one on the left side of the table he can leave one

along the cushion. Just got to be a wee bit careful here.

I think I'd rather play it slow than put any pace in. He has the black

tied up as it is. This way he could shift the black out.

Although he might not be able to control the cue ball. Not to his

liking. That green's a bit of a problem, perhaps. He stunned it

enough to miss the green. The crowd like it. Marco won't. It

came a bit too far. How's your luck, Marco? He could

have done without missing the pink and coming up and just merging the

black, he would have been OK. He looked as if he was going to get

straight down and try and cut this in but he's had second thoughts

because this is just a massive frame for him. He has to win this 5-2,

very little chance. If he is going to play the safety shot he really

should play the one on the left of the table, I think, because that

clears and opens the black a bit better. So the black's availability

to the right corner... I think I preferred the other safety shot.

That's a terrific return from Judd Trump though.

APPLAUSE that's where his game really has

improved, Steve. His safety game has certainly improved. That's

effectively where Marco could have put Judd, I think. It is tough. Can

Marco sort it out? This has got to be thin. There's the danger of the

thin one. Has he got the blue coming to his rescue? Yes.

Judd's seething at the moment thinking he has got away with that.

Judd is actually saying, "That's just lucky." Put the red right over

the pocket. That's a fantastic shot.

APPLAUSE That's a pretty good one as well.

APPLAUSE Exceln't judgment of pace there from

Marco. On these very fast tables the cue ball just lazily gets back

before the ball climb. It's just kept itself away from that

corner pocket enough to at the very least give Marco a problem. Might he

be possibly tempted for the double here? Yeah. It is a thin one, is it?

Good shot. APPLAUSE

What a brave double although he is only -- he is only left the red he

is missing because he played the cue ball in a clever way. We have seen

Judd steal frames, this will be another one.

This is the key shot. He could bring both reds into play. He would

certainly love to develop one of them into a nice potable position

but make sure. Don't take your eye off the

This is a tricky little one. He is close to the red. He can drop it in,

the black is available. He has to fully commit and just roll this

along the cushion. This is such a key shot. This is 4-3 or 5-2

arguably. But this is the important mopping

up, the ones you're expected to get. Well, earlier in the match in frame

two and three Marco had to sit in his seat and watch Judd Trump clear

up and pinch both frames. And Judd Trump will be sitting in his chair

thinking that Marco Fu's got away with this. That one red he left over

the pocket and just got a fortunate snooker behind the blue. Couldn't

have accounted for that. That's the difference. He has got to clear that

from his mind because he is still playing great snooker. Tough at the

top. Well the stand yard continues. He

has just gone a little bit too far. We have taken it for granted they

are potting all these colours but the tension is there. The tricky

little one is the brown to blue. He is leaving himself distance, not

enough angle to go around the table. So lifeline for Judd Trump.

He did pretty good with that but this is still the finish one.

What another cracking frame of snooker! These boys are treating us

to some fabulous snooker here this afternoon. They are keeping

themselves right in this year's masters. Marco Fu is only one behind

now, 4-3 to Judd Trump. I'm certainly enjoying every minute

of this match. The breaks have been fantastic. Judd Trump has had 182,

39, 53 and Marco has had 56, 64, two frames he lost and he has had 130,

88 and 58. Brilliant stuff. He has come up a little bit short and maybe

the red's going to come to his rescue. I don't think he can get

through to the one you can barely see there. He can.

I'm not sure what Marco is looking at here. He has to be careful with

it. I think he is going to play off the side cushion to keep the white

ball in the jaws of the top corner pocket and just checking whether he

fancies Judd's going to go for a pot. He has changed his mind. This

doesn't look very good. He has overhit it, I think. No, he is OK.

He thought he'd overhit it. Perhaps that does go, I don't know. He has.

A genuine chance. It is a bit easier than I thought it was first glance.

Judd will be disappointed he missed that. He has made a great effort to

get position on the black as well. Psychology plays such a big part in

the game of snooker. Judd would have been thinking in the last frame,

"I'm going 5-2 in front here." It looked odds on he was going to do

that and then all of a sudden he is back and he is just one in front. It

is just keeping yourself sitting in your chair in the correct, positive

frame of mind. It needs an awful lot of work mentally to be able to do

that. I'm thinking this whole match,

Dennis, I don't want to bring it up really, but I don't think we have

had one kick. Can't think of one, can you? The balls have been playing

wonderfully. The table is in good condition. I don't think it has been

a problem throughout the tournament so far. Once the players start

trusting the balls to this level the stand yard could go through the

roof. I think the stand yard from all the players has been superb but

they are the top 16 players in the world. You are playing a one-table

venue, no distractions. That's why we're seeing such a high stand yard.

That -- standard. That's why we are seeing some terrific crowds so far.

We are only in day three and the place has been packed most days.

They love their snooker in this part of the world but, of course, we have

met people from all over the country that have attended from different

parts of the world also. A heavy contact there but he is OK.

I told you not to mention, kick. That is the first one, I think.

Obvious ly as the table gets more and more finger marks and roughed up

they may have an effect. The table is brushed and ironed -

well at least brushed - in the interval.

Highest break here of the tournament. He won't necessarily be

thinking about that. He has the frame on his brain.

Didn't get that ideally right but he got the gap. Perfect! Couldn't have

asked for better. Her's a prediction, even with that

red on the side cushion it looks pretty acute into the middle pocket.

Highest break of the tournament coming up now. That's a big

prediction, Steve. The way he is playing you wouldn't put it past him

but the main thing is to secure the frame and get himself back all

square and from 3-0 down. That is quite an achievement. But this high

standard continues. Marco just had a quick glance round

and he knows if he pots this red Judd will need a snooker.

132 is the highest break this year. Stew yart Bingham got that last wake

when he ended up losing 6-1 to Joe Perry.

I don't suppose losing 6-1, you'd be disappointed, but he had a new baby

daughter on Saturday so he would have been glad to get back home,

Stuwart Bingham to see Michelle and Marney Rose, his lovely daughter

that was born on Saturday. Not great on the black.

Best he could do there. So lost ideal position. Can he hold for the

blue? Too wide for that. So a lower scoring colour, dropping a few

points. While he is mopping these up, it is

getting to the stage where he may make the highest break of the event

but it may not end up staying that. A nice little prize for the high

break, ?10,000. Possibly a 136. Well, there is

another mag tiff sent, sentry. It is Marco's second -- magnificent,

century. It is Marco's second. That's not great. Can he recover the

situation? It is going to be difficult now.

That is 12 centuries so far on day 3.

Not quite, what a shame. A fabulous effort and that century break has

got the man from Hong Kong all square. It is 4 frames each. What a

match. REFEREE: Thank you, settle down

please now. It is nice to have the atmosphere

and a bit of noise in between frames but not on the shot. It was tried a

few years ago to play the game of snooker with lots of noise during

play. It doesn't work at this game. I'm not sure what happened there.

Did he just take his eye off it slightly? He was only dropping it in

and walked away very quickly. Let's just have a look. He was

playing a delicate little canon and we have seen that quite a few times,

the player just takes their eye off a the pot. This could really open

this up. There is plenty of loose reds but knowing Judd he will try to

open even more of them up. Just depends. He's certainly done that,

that's for sure. Great shot from Judd Trump there.

Knowing full well it wasn't guaranteed position off a ball in

the jaws of the pocket anyway. Decided to be highly aggressive.et

once again, this shot as well. Opening more reds up and now look at

them. Two shots later he has got the frame at his mercy.

Absolutely dead straight as you can see but not a problem for Judd.

He knew he was going to back contact with that red when he screwed back

but it was thin enough. Judd Trump marks the balls. He looks

to be in fantastic form. We still have no real idea about the outcome

of this match but how often do you play so well? How often do you play

so well with still the potential to come unstuck. I'd have to say I

think he has the edge over Marco Fu today but the frame scores don't say

that. You say that but if you think about

a couple of blacks that Marco's missed that's cost him he could have

already won the match, that is how well he has played even though he

has made a few elementary mistakes. They have both put on an

unbelievable display for us here this afternoon. It really is a treat

to watch and another break of over 50. There has been a break of over

50 in every single flame. -- frame. A bit short of pace but he only

needs this and a colour. He would be delighted with the

outcome of that. It was a little bit risky. Could have easily gone in off

there. If he'd have caught that red a fraction thicker.

That's to win the frame. APPLAUSE

arguably this is to win the frame. Absolutely stunning this snooker

we're watching here this afternoon. It's been a fascinating match in as

much as Judd is just drilling them but Marco has been playing great

rear guard action, really digging in. Even though it has been all fast

and furious it is a clash of styles to some degree. Different storylines

unfolding. Marco's made two centuries in this

match so far. Judd Trump, now that he has moved that red has a chance

to make his second century break. You just run out of words to

describe what we are watching here this afternoon.

Judd made 40 centuries last season and he has made 34 so far this

season. APPLAUSE

That's the 13th century in this year's Dafabet Masters.

There's a bit of naughty snooker from Judd Trump. He is not going to

bother with the black. What a fabulous response from Judd Trump. A

beautiful century break and he gets himself back into the lead but he

still needs one more. It is 5-4 to Judd Trump.

Perhaps he was playing to shift the black. I think he was playing the

big pocket. Is the cross double on? It could

possibly the arm. He is looking at the pot. It is far too risky but the

cross double could be on. He could play the safety shot as well. He is

now coming around to look at that. There you go. Not too sure if that

really helps but he sort of lines to telegraph what I'm trying to do,

just in case it goes in, it's not a fluke.

Here it comes. Yeah, but look at the cue ball. Didn't want the canon on

the brown. Is there a possible long-range

two-ball plant. Has Judd just seen it? There it goes. He has the shot

to nothing and possibly getting in behind the brown.

A bit short of pace. Perhaps he was hoping if he potted it, he'd get

position. That's aggressive. This is a bit dangerous. I thought

he was playing the other red. I take that back. Great shot. I thought he

was playing the red below. That was going to push towards the black.

APPLAUSE Yeah, that's a beauty. He has

blocked off a path back to the safy zone. -- safety zone.

It is not great to have to play into this left-hand corner and leave the

cue ball in the jaw because there are reds that do pot into the right

middle. Not nice. Judd may be coming off the

top cushion here with a bit of side to try and flick a red and get back

down the table. That is an option he has been looking at. He is standing

down the line of this. He can have a couple of goes at it.

He has got a fair chance of getting this right. Excellent job.

APPLAUSE A bit more pace and it would have

been excellent. This is a possibility.

APPLAUSE It has come too far. He couldn't

keep that cue ball from trundling down. Well, the black, Dennis, and

then the white ball is going to do some work. It is going to go up and

down the table, if he makes sure of the pot and doesn't canon the green

it will come back up towards the red but it is a thin one but he will

take it on. He has the easy red behind the brown but he can't refuse

this black. I don't think you can play it slow. He is. Danger. Great

shot. APPLAUSE

Very unlucky with that kiss. That's a tough shot to play that. It could

easily have gone offline that. A nasty kiss has left this shot

missable. APPLAUSE

One could pot here and one good positional shot and he could be

right in amongst them. There is the pot and this looks pretty good. It

needs to pull up a little bit to leave that red straightish. He has

played it perfectly. APPLAUSE

Marco Fu has played some fantastic pressure shots and played them just

stroking the ball in, which is much easier to power or puncture a

pressure shot in. But he is supremely confident coming off the

back of that victory in Scotland. What a match this would be for him

to win. Really up against it for most of the day. Well, what a frame

this would be for him to win to take it into the decider. You just don't

know how it is going to go. A bit fiddly around the back of this

red. Or in between red and black. No, around the back.

I'm not too sure he is ideally placed, is he? Perhaps it is a bit

straighter than it looks. Yeah, he can screw it back in.

APPLAUSE Any wider and he would have

struggled. A great opportunity. Judd Trump first in in this frame.

He messed up an ideal position so he can't complain. It has been punch

and counter punch all day long. Yeah, I thought Judd was going to go

on and clinch the match but he missed the black off the spot. He

hasn't missed many in this match but he got that all wrong.

Just the pace took that into the pocket. Any harder and it would have

wobbled and stayed out. Let's look at this just going in off the jaw

there. It is not a clear run to the winning

post in this frame. What sort of angle has he got on the

black? It looks perfect. He doesn't like it. I thought - I

thought that went but perhaps not. He's not ready yet. I don't think he

is in position yet. He is just judging it. He played one earlier

where he thought he could pot the black but he hit the red before the

black. Well, if it is this tight, it is a big decision to risk playing it

because he ideally would like to play that red by the pink to free

it. This red does pot but not from the

position he was in. If he plays a bit higher up the table he will be

able to pot it easily. It is too difficult to go into the explanation

for that but if he plays it shorter - he decided not to. He's got the

flick. The cue ball has just enough power.

Justice red really. You would expect him to get on a colour.

Oh kick, but he's still got the pot. He is relieved. What a way that

would have been to have lost a match in the masters because that kick

almost spoiled things for Marco Fu but somehow with the kick the red

still managed to get into the pocket. He thought he'd missed it

when he got the heavy contact. The reason why...

APPLAUSE The reason why I think he got the

pot was because he put a bit of right-hand spin on it, which can

sometimes negate the kick, so to speak. That is one of the reasons

why sometimes you don't play cuts with plain ball. I will tell you one

thing, Steve, the two boys in the studio will have a big, big smile on

their face because they both predicted 5-4 either way. One of

them is going to be right. Well, one of these players is going to lose

this match and whichever one it is, is fully justified in going outside

and smashing their head against the wall because it has just been such a

fantastic game. An exhibition-type shot from Marco Fu. This has been a

delight. I have enjoyed every single minute. What a standard they have

produced. They have both had two century breaks. Judd had a chance to

close the match out. Doesn't matter about the pink. It is the man from

Hong Kong is still in it. He takes that frame with that break of 80. We

are all square. 5 frames each. You can't beat a decider.

What a reception both players got when they had the traditional

handshake before a final-frame decider. Not the best break-off from

Judd. Where's the red going? Where is that

red ball? Wow, what a fluke that is.

REFEREE: Settle down please, thank you.

Amazing. That type of shot isn't necessarily Marco Fu's strength. He

had to hit that pretty hard. It was fairly straight and what an

opportunity. Do you remember a shot like that, Steve, many moons ago at

the Crucible Theatre. Chris Thorburn went on to -- played that shot and

went on to make the maximum break ever at the Crucible Theatre. Judd

Trump had first opportunity in the last frame to clinch the match. Now

it is Marco's turn. He has a long way to go. He has only potted a

couple of balls but it is a chance. The cue ball trundled on a little

bit more than he would have wanted. They're certainly not going into the

centre of the pocket. I'm looking at his head and body language, he is

definitely not on it. If he'd been a bit straighter on that black he

could have played it with a bit more force. He chose to play the soft,

controlling canon into the pack but the cue ball just snuck behind the

red. That is the way he likes to do it but most players would have

played it with a lot more pace and that wouldn't have happened there.

No, different styles of break building. You can't say that Marco

Fu is a slouch in the break-building department. He remind me of the

greatray Reardon the way he breaks those. Ray used to be like that,

six-times world champion. REFEREE: Marco Fu 22

APPLAUSE Judd comes back to the table a lot

earlier than we expected or would have hoped for.

I'm just thinking there if Marco had have gone on to win the match after

that fluke, it wouldn't have been very fair really but that is the way

the game can go at times. Marvellous. He didn't waste any

time. Picked out a shot to nothing. Deliberately played short of the

ball climb as well giving himself another opportunity.

He has potted eight out of 10 long pots this afternoon. This red at the

back of the bunch is available. The black's on for the right corner. He

missed a similar one but he was putting more pace into it before. He

has gone fractionally to that left drawer but always in. Can he get

himself on that red next to the black because that would clear the

black spot area completely? Where the white is at the moment, if he

was there he would be on that red and he has an angle to stun in and

leave that red on. He is just looking at other options but he'd

like to get that red out of the way if he could. He is trying to work

out a way he can go about this break without playing a canon into the

pack from the black, I think. Sometimes when the reds are all

apart from each other a canon into the pack is not as easy to predict.

That's not great. He just about got out from that black cushion. So, big

shot. I think he can just drop this in and gate canon and be on one.

Yep. Pretty good. He lost control a little bit but he

has the option of the red into the middle pocket. It is a great chance.

He has certainly gone favourite in the frame.

Very nicely done. That is amazing. I'm looking at Judd Trump's 102, 87,

67, 79, 53, 112 and there's every chance he is going to lose this

unbelievably exciting match. 50 ahead, still plenty of reds

available. He has played superbly well, just that black off the spot

in the previous frame. Right in the heart of the pocket. 58

ahead. He is almost there. Most times in a match the loser goes

back and analyses where they went wrong. Not too sure that man there

has anything to question about his day's play. You can miss balls but

what a great match. Well played.

APPLAUSE Stellar performance, Dennis. That

shot was hampered. That wasn't straightforward. He is such a cool

customer. Amazing. If his name was Luke I'll call him

cool hand Luke. He's just stolen the match away from Judd Trump who

looked to be in, well, you could argue if he kept that form up he

could have won the tournament. What an incredible performance. This is

a... APPLAUSE

You can teach technique all you like but you can't teach match

temperament like this. Judd's a very popular player but this crowd here

give Marco a terrific reception there when he potted a frame ball.

It may be a long time before you see a match of this calibre. It happens

all the time in the Masters. There is always something crops up but

this has been exceptional. APPLAUSE

Could he go on making his third century?

He is a very modest young man, is Marco Fu. His coach will be

delighted. Terry Griffith's son Wayne is here - Wayne living in Hong

Kong and works with Marco out there. He will be absolutely delighted to

see his player performing like this. It is just a great win for Marco Fu

that keeps his momentum going after doing so well in Scotland.

APPLAUSE The crowds absolutely love this. It

is a pleasure to commentate on it and it has just been monumental

standard. I think both players deserve a standing ovation for this

performance. I'm sure they will get it.

APPLAUSE j It just doesn't get any better

than this. Brown and blue for his third century

in the match. That will be the 14th in this year's

masters. Absolutely brilliant from Marco Fu.

It doesn't matter. What a match these two players have treated you

to this afternoon. Both players at the top of their form. One has made

two century breaks. The other has made three, they are getting a

standing ovation and don't they deserve it. In the end the gentleman

Marco Fu win s the match and the deciding frame and it is 6 frames to

five. What a fantastic match. A sensational comeback by Marco Fu and

he will now play Mark Allen in the quarter finals on Thursday. That is

it for now. We are back at 1 o'clock on BBC Two as the two marks go head

to head. Two former champions, sell by and Williams. From all of us

here, bye for now.