:00:37. > :00:42.Hello again from Alexandra Palace. As the winter is biting across the
:00:42. > :00:46.United Kingdom, this Betfair Masters is surely the antedate to
:00:46. > :00:53.the cold. You can feel the reflected heat and tension to this
:00:53. > :00:57.prestigious event. We were doing exactly that today and in the first
:00:57. > :01:02.of the matches this year, it featured the last two men to lift
:01:02. > :01:07.the sparkling crystal trophy. Neil Robertson, defending champion, and
:01:07. > :01:12.stayed last person to win the trophy when it was at Wembley, Ding
:01:12. > :01:22.Junhui. We can remind you of the key moments in this match, when the
:01:22. > :01:28.
:01:28. > :01:34.We could not ask for a better start to the match than this. And Neil
:01:34. > :01:42.Robertson looking very good as he takes the opening frame. Looking to
:01:42. > :01:48.go across the double on three red. Just the start the defending
:01:48. > :01:56.champion was looking for and his fists are pumping. This will test
:01:56. > :02:05.his action. Well played. He is great when he gets going. Century.
:02:05. > :02:15.Brilliant. He could not have played it better. It is all square.
:02:15. > :02:15.
:02:15. > :02:25.Nothing between them. He is just sublime. He is back in front.
:02:25. > :02:26.
:02:26. > :02:36.exceptional, playing these types of shots. Absolutely superb. And he
:02:36. > :02:41.
:02:41. > :02:49.has levelled again. 3-3. And it is there. He is leading 4-3. He almost
:02:49. > :02:56.avoided that and what a kiss on the black. He has got to play the
:02:56. > :03:00.cannon. He needs it to break nicely and that looked inch-perfect. For
:03:00. > :03:05.that trophy is still within reach. that trophy is still within reach.
:03:05. > :03:10.He is trailing 5-4. That was his highest break of the match when he
:03:10. > :03:14.needed it most but he is clinging on by his fingertips, as we pick it
:03:14. > :03:20.up in frame ten. Ding Junhui looks up in frame ten. Ding Junhui looks
:03:20. > :03:24.favourite for the frame and match. But he has hit the pink and ran out
:03:24. > :03:34.of position and it is back to the table for Neil Robertson. Can he
:03:34. > :03:36.
:03:36. > :03:46.extricated itself from this one? -- He played it and he has done it
:03:46. > :03:56.
:03:56. > :04:06.pretty well. Not completely safe, He could not have done much better.
:04:06. > :04:06.
:04:06. > :05:00.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:05:01. > :05:08.He got very close to the pot. It A tremendous pot. But he has been
:05:08. > :05:16.unlucky. It looked certain he was going to be on the black, possibly
:05:16. > :05:26.the blue, but that kiss on the pink has given him a big pressure pot.
:05:26. > :05:41.
:05:41. > :05:51.You feel he has got to take it on. His hopes of retaining this title R
:05:51. > :05:56.
:05:56. > :06:01.Orme this shot. -- are almost this Fabulous pot. And the other thing
:06:01. > :06:07.was when he played that screw back into baulk and the red in the top
:06:07. > :06:17.cushion got removed and everything is in a possible position, if he
:06:17. > :06:42.
:06:42. > :06:52.We saw him earlier doing a fist pump. I do not know what he is
:06:52. > :07:19.
:07:19. > :07:29.That was earlier. In the second The shot here, if he can play it is
:07:29. > :08:03.
:08:03. > :08:13.Well, that tells us that he is He is just having a look to see if
:08:13. > :08:14.
:08:14. > :08:24.he is leaving the cue ball high. That is where he is leaving it now.
:08:24. > :08:26.
:08:26. > :08:36.And what an opportunity this is. Taking it to 5-5 and into a decider.
:08:36. > :08:52.
:08:52. > :09:02.And he holed it together here? -- Just five behind. Ding Junhui had
:09:02. > :09:08.
:09:08. > :09:15.his chance. But just finished a bit short. If he had got on one of
:09:15. > :09:23.those reds, it would have been over by now. But Neil Robertson is on
:09:24. > :09:31.the wrong side of the blue. We were going on about it earlier about
:09:31. > :09:41.being on the correct size but that was a poor position. He might be
:09:41. > :10:19.
:10:19. > :10:27.able to stun this and leave the cue This plea to go 15 in front. Well
:10:28. > :10:32.played, Robertson. He is putting Ding Junhui under pressure. The
:10:32. > :10:42.title that he holds is still within his grasp of. We are going to a
:10:42. > :10:59.
:10:59. > :11:09.REFEREE: The deciding frame. Ding Both players shook hands as they
:11:09. > :11:10.
:11:10. > :11:20.came out. Has he left a possible red into the middle? The audience
:11:20. > :11:23.
:11:23. > :11:26.are certainly up for the decider. Yes, but the top 16 players into
:11:26. > :11:33.the melting pot and they do not like this. You will get lots of
:11:33. > :11:43.final frame deciders. We have had lots of close matches this week.
:11:43. > :11:46.
:11:46. > :11:53.There is little between the quality A kiss on the yellow will help.
:11:54. > :12:03.That will help even more. He is nicely on the alive. First chance,
:12:04. > :12:19.
:12:19. > :12:29.His brother, Mark, he will be getting excited. It is even worse
:12:29. > :12:31.
:12:31. > :12:35.watching than playing, sometimes! He is playing better than he has
:12:35. > :12:45.done. For quite a spell, in the last couple of frames he has been
:12:45. > :12:48.
:12:48. > :12:58.excellent. 62 from know where to get the last decide it. -- nowhere.
:12:58. > :12:58.
:12:58. > :13:42.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:13:42. > :13:52.He has got a chance with the angle that he has got, to play for the
:13:52. > :14:12.
:14:12. > :14:16.It depends how he feels. Maybe one more. Just trying to kick away.
:14:16. > :14:26.think he was trying to play for an angle and got hold of the cue ball
:14:26. > :14:30.
:14:30. > :14:40.a bit too much. He has ever done it. If you have a good angle once, he
:14:40. > :14:41.
:14:41. > :14:51.But of course this going into the middle, releases the red just above
:14:51. > :15:12.
:15:12. > :15:22.into the left corner pocket. It is I think that red is also available
:15:22. > :15:35.
:15:35. > :15:43.into the bright medal. -- right That has amazed me. He has got a
:15:43. > :15:52.red to play for, and coming off the top cushion... Willie Thorne used
:15:52. > :16:02.to say, it was always going to be awkward and I thought, get on that
:16:02. > :16:05.
:16:05. > :16:15.red and leave a nice angle on the It is a long pot up into the yellow
:16:15. > :16:20.
:16:20. > :16:29.And when you can do that, what is there to worry about? Absolutely
:16:29. > :16:39.beautiful. I agree with you. That was the one I least expected. But
:16:39. > :16:41.
:16:41. > :16:48.he has recovered with a brilliant At the way he played it makes you
:16:48. > :16:57.think that he will not be wilting in sight of the finishing line. It
:16:57. > :17:03.is hard to see Ding Junhui getting back to the table. The match has
:17:03. > :17:13.been swinging and it looks like the defending champion is getting very
:17:13. > :17:31.
:17:31. > :17:41.That has got a massive bounce. Neil Robertson was stunned to see that
:17:41. > :17:53.
:17:53. > :18:01.happening. It came off at nearly And under the circumstances, from
:18:01. > :18:11.Hyde -- from 5-3 behind, he has been very positive. All of his pots
:18:11. > :18:33.
:18:33. > :18:40.have been with a purpose. That is It has been a terrific match. We
:18:40. > :18:50.have had a few mistakes but that is what makes it exciting. But we have
:18:50. > :18:59.also had quality breaks. Mainly from Ding Junhui. A fraction one
:18:59. > :19:09.way or the other, and Ding Junhui could have won this match. Neil
:19:09. > :19:18.
:19:18. > :19:28.Robertson is just a couple away The defending champion looks like
:19:28. > :19:37.
:19:37. > :19:41.he has got over this very big first You beauty! Everybody was asking
:19:41. > :19:51.what he was going to do after that fist palm, and I think we have
:19:51. > :20:03.
:20:03. > :20:08.found out. -- pump. There is And in a way, I suppose you can
:20:08. > :20:13.imagine the relief, because they were obviously times, particularly
:20:14. > :20:23.5-3 behind, when you thought that his reign was over. But it was not
:20:24. > :20:24.
:20:24. > :20:34.to be. And there is no stopping him now. He has even got a perfect
:20:34. > :20:39.
:20:39. > :20:49.He missed but Ding Junhui will shake his hand. He looked down and
:20:49. > :20:54.out. He has got nothing to be upset about. Look at the delight from the
:20:54. > :21:00.Australian. Absolutely over the moon. He is in the quarter-finals
:21:00. > :21:04.for the title that he is defending. for the title that he is defending.
:21:04. > :21:09.He has beaten Ding Junhui 6-5. knew that if I could get a chance I
:21:09. > :21:16.was going to go for it. He had quite a bad break and he left me
:21:16. > :21:20.with a chance in the middle and I made 90. I thought I maybe had a
:21:20. > :21:28.made 90. I thought I maybe had a chance to win 6-4. And then I hit
:21:28. > :21:32.the pink. There was not enough power to open the red. Sometimes
:21:32. > :21:37.you get a bit unlucky. I do not you get a bit unlucky. I do not
:21:37. > :21:41.know but it is all right. I am playing one of the best players in
:21:41. > :21:44.the world and you have got to play well from the start. It is a great
:21:44. > :21:47.audience and this is the second biggest tournament we have got by
:21:48. > :21:54.some distance. This is the tournament everybody looks thought
:21:54. > :21:58.to. It is great to be in the next round. I have got a few days off
:21:58. > :22:04.and I can watch other players twitching under pressure. As what a
:22:04. > :22:11.start. You beauty, indeed. It was Acis Doric match. That was the
:22:11. > :22:15.first match of that type ever witnessed. -- a historic match. His
:22:15. > :22:20.hopes of becoming the 4th man to defend his title is still intact.
:22:20. > :22:26.He has got a chance to relax and he can watch the form of his next
:22:26. > :22:36.potential opponent. He knew he would be playing mark, but which
:22:36. > :23:12.
:23:12. > :23:17.pretty solid after four previous visits. But for Mark Davis, this is
:23:17. > :23:23.his first time in this event since 2003. Mark Allen started in
:23:23. > :23:27.exceptional style with a break of 136 on the way to a 4-2 advantage.
:23:27. > :23:37.And that is where we will join them now in frame seven with Ken Doherty
:23:37. > :23:45.
:23:45. > :23:50.DENNIS TAYLOR: He missed that completely. He was hoping to leave
:23:50. > :24:00.himself a chance with the black. But he went across slightly and he
:24:00. > :24:00.
:24:00. > :25:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:25:06. > :25:13.And he has not needed many chances I think he said something to the
:25:13. > :25:17.referee. I think he said that he could do with being 6 ft tall. He
:25:17. > :25:23.will need everything for this and he has asked for the biggest thing
:25:23. > :25:29.that they can produce. And here is the extended rest coming out. It is
:25:29. > :25:39.the full length of the table. It is not often you see players needing
:25:39. > :25:59.
:25:59. > :26:07.the full 12 feet. He could probably You do not see that very often but
:26:07. > :26:17.he had to get away from the rest very quickly! Sooner or later, it
:26:17. > :26:37.
:26:37. > :26:47.He is still smiling. He cannot believe what just happened. He has
:26:47. > :26:47.
:26:47. > :28:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:28:13. > :28:23.It is worth another look, I I am just wondering if that red at
:28:23. > :28:23.
:28:23. > :28:33.the back is possible? He is looking at that. He did not finish as he
:28:33. > :28:33.
:28:33. > :29:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:29:45. > :29:50.intended but he should be all right He might not take the black because
:29:50. > :30:00.he will have to get back through the cap. Pink to the left centre
:30:00. > :30:32.
:30:32. > :30:42.The red closest to the pocket will He just got but little kiss on the
:30:42. > :30:51.
:30:51. > :31:01.red which it made it a little bit awkward. -- that little case. --
:31:01. > :31:15.
:31:15. > :31:25.Without the kiss on the red he would have been nicely on the blue.
:31:25. > :31:52.
:31:52. > :32:02.It is not straight forward for Mark The red next to the green may be
:32:02. > :32:13.
:32:14. > :32:23.available to the same pocket that If the red would cope in to the
:32:24. > :32:40.
:32:40. > :32:50.right corner, that would be a bonus. It could be made into a plant but
:32:50. > :32:58.
:32:58. > :33:08.he will not necessarily play for If he thinks the plant is tricky he
:33:08. > :33:20.
:33:20. > :33:30.can play across the table for the He has to be careful because the
:33:30. > :33:39.
:33:39. > :33:49.plant is pointing to the left of He just squeezed the second red
:33:49. > :33:50.
:33:50. > :34:00.slightly. No problem. Well negotiated for the planned but he
:34:00. > :34:19.
:34:19. > :34:29.did not get the desired position on He could have easily played for the
:34:29. > :34:53.
:34:53. > :35:03.He took the yellow to try to get into perfect position. That is a
:35:03. > :35:31.
:35:31. > :35:41.fabulous positional shot. He could He played it to try and cover it if
:35:41. > :35:41.
:35:41. > :36:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:36:22. > :36:32.He has left a great chance here. There was just a little bit of
:36:32. > :36:34.
:36:34. > :36:44.tension there on that shot for Mark It will be a bit of a body blow if
:36:44. > :36:44.
:36:44. > :37:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:37:39. > :37:49.he loses this frame and falls 3 He could not have played that any
:37:49. > :37:59.
:37:59. > :38:04.better. Just for the blue and pink It was a frame that Mark Davis
:38:04. > :38:09.badly needs it. He had a chance but he missed that red along the
:38:09. > :38:19.cushion and Mark Allen took full advantage. Just one more frame
:38:19. > :38:19.
:38:19. > :39:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:39:05. > :39:15.needed to go through to the next An excellent pot and he is on the
:39:15. > :39:43.
:39:43. > :39:53.The an excellent opening red from Mark Davis. He must hit the pink
:39:53. > :40:07.
:40:07. > :40:15.It is one of those situations where you completely take your eye off
:40:15. > :40:25.the blue, concentrating so much on going into the pack. Just take your
:40:25. > :40:37.
:40:37. > :40:47.He has left an easy starter for Mark Allen, but no easy colour. The
:40:47. > :41:07.
:41:07. > :41:17.fact that the blue is off its spot He did not cannon the red that he
:41:17. > :41:27.
:41:27. > :41:37.The chance is there now. This is the weight you would set them up
:41:37. > :41:49.
:41:49. > :41:59.for a little practice session. -- It is only the second time that
:41:59. > :42:00.
:42:00. > :42:10.these players have played each other. Mark Allen once 13-5 in the
:42:10. > :42:46.
:42:46. > :42:56.He just lost cue ball closer slightly. The fact that he is a
:42:56. > :43:04.
:43:04. > :43:13.He cannot get the bridge of the rest in the position that he wants.
:43:13. > :43:23.Who put that cushion there?! If he pause right handed, and they would
:43:23. > :43:53.
:43:53. > :44:03.not be a problem. -- there would It was tight on the cushion and he
:44:03. > :44:14.
:44:14. > :44:24.put it in the heart of the pocket. He has had a couple of quarter-
:44:24. > :44:29.
:44:29. > :44:34.finals in the Masters, and a semi- The Masters is without doubt one of
:44:34. > :44:44.the most difficult tournaments to win because it is the top 16 that
:44:44. > :44:44.
:44:44. > :45:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 54 seconds
:45:27. > :45:37.That seemed to set him up and he has looked pretty comfortable ever
:45:37. > :45:39.
:45:39. > :45:49.In the last frame, Mark Davis had a chance to get back to just one
:45:49. > :46:09.
:46:10. > :46:19.frame behind, but I think he fears We have not been playing two hours,
:46:20. > :46:36.
:46:36. > :46:41.so it has been pretty could so There were no ranking points
:46:42. > :46:47.available in the Masters, it is just the top 16 that's take part.
:46:47. > :46:53.It is one of the majors that everybody wants on their CV. No
:46:53. > :46:57.century break but it is a very accomplished performance. He
:46:57. > :47:02.started the night with a total clearance and finish with a break
:47:02. > :47:07.of 80 and in the end it was quite a comfortable victory. He goes
:47:08. > :47:12.comfortable victory. He goes through to the next round.
:47:12. > :47:17.thought I was dominating early on but I could not really pulled away.
:47:17. > :47:27.After the interval I continue to play pretty well and Mark Mr couple.
:47:27. > :47:30.
:47:30. > :47:35.That is the difference, only a few shots. Consistency just is not
:47:35. > :47:40.there and it is something I need to work on. There are only eight
:47:40. > :47:49.players left when I come to play my next match. They're all good
:47:49. > :47:55.players and anyone is capable of winning. There is no one left in
:47:55. > :48:00.the Tom and that I have not beaten before. I have avoiding to pay for
:48:01. > :48:08.an do not have that much money in the bank! Pink a snooker tournament
:48:08. > :48:15.-- being a snooker player is not as cumbrous as it seems. These
:48:15. > :48:25.weddings can be quite expensive! He will be playing Neil Robertson in