Day 5 Masters Snooker Highlights

You've got to play well from the start. Playing one table is a great

crowd, which makes it the second biggest tournament we've got by

some distance. I give myself a good chance. There's no-one in the

tournament I have not beaten before. There's no reason why I cannot beat

them again. It's the elite beating each other up for the week. It has

produced some of the best matches in history. 1999, the first time

2006. 2013 - it will sound good to do the hat trick. When you are

winning it is good. It's a tournament I've never done well in.

Most years I done bad in it. Hopefully this may be the year that

I play better. Obviously I would love to win this. I definitely know

there's a tournament or two left in me. It is a huge tournament. It is

one of the biggest we play in. It would have been disappointing to go

out in the first round. I still have a chance.

Hello. It is quarter-finals time at the Betfair Masters here in London,

the most exclusive event in snooker. Since 1975 has had the happy habit

of producing some of the most memorable matches we have ever seen

in this sport. We had another one in the first of our quarters

between Neil Robertson and Mark Allen, of Northern Ireland.

Could be in for another thrilling match here with these two left-

handers. He had a chance to pinch that frame

after making a break of 66. That's the highest break in this

The standard continues and Neil Robertson puts himself one frame

We've got a decider. Cracking stuff It was Neil Robertson that gets

himself into the semi-final. He takes the match 6 six frames to

five. We played well. Overall, I think 80% of the match

was fantastic. It is hard to take positives right now. Maybe I will

look at it later and see where I went right and where I went wrong.

It good to know I am competing with top players. There's a little step

extra I need to take. It was great stuff.

The fifth final frame decider of the week. Robertson and Allen put

on a show. Top that Higgins and Murphy. That is what they attempted

to do this evening. They have squared up on numerous occasions

When it comes to every event, he's one of the favourites.

Probably the best we've had in the game.

It's only the best players in the world in this event. This

tournament has such a history. Probably second only to the World

Championships that make it so important. We're all trying so hard.

I think it was obviously 2006. 2013 - it would sound good to do that -

the hat trick. I like to think there's a chance

that some day I could hold all three BBC Majors. I've got another

Higgins leads by eight to six, including that world final. 30-

year-old Murphy is the benefit of a special memory here 12 months ago

when he beat the Scot in the semi- finals. Tonight Higgins moves into

a 4-1 lead. Things were looking good for the

Scot, but Murphy claimed frame six to move two of his lead. Murphy on

a break of 40. It is Hendry alongside John Virgo in the

I don't know! That was ambitious to say the least.

I can only assume Murphy doesn't think there's a plan. If he did,

there's no reason to play that shot I have been comment taiting now on

the snooker for too many years to He's got a lar type of angle. Will

he play for the plant? It can't go If you hit the first red, as we

look on the right-hand side, it will push the second red over to

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Didn't want the kiss on the blue, He wanted to be near the side

cushion to play that. Didn't like the way he finished.

Shaun Murphy will get another I don't believe what I'm seeing

really. It's not unlucky. Those pockets are always in the same

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They have to raise their game considerably if they have a chance

of winning this competition. A gap again, John. I told you,

The brown might just make it As I say, the brown was just about

where he wanted to put his bridge hand. Not only has he missed it,

he's stuck it up. That could be his They won't be happy with that shot.

The shot for the red was a terrible shot. Yes, it really was. He has

knocked the brown in a more awkward position. He's not got the perfect

He held it somewhat. When he attempts to pot the green - the

It was in, it was out, it was in - it stayed out! Just have a look at

this. I think a lot of people on the right-hand side thought it was

If that cue ball had just stopped four inches short, John Higgins

would have had a big problem here. It's still not straightforward

safety. This is a massive frame for Shaun

Murphy. As you say, as long as your opponent is two frames away from

the winning line, there is a margin of error. Once they get within one

frame, well, you just can't make any more mistakes. This brown will

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It was OK hitting it. He could not John Higgins is still fuming from

He has come too far. The only good thing is he does not meet the black.

Good shot! Excellent pot! There was pressure on that. John Higgins will

be kicking himself. He had a chance on the last red. It cost him and

Shaun Murphy is back in it although he still trails, 4-3.

HAZEL IRVINE: with a break of 77, from 1-4 behind, Shaun Murphy has

climbed back to 4-4, so it is the best of the grief. It is Higgins,

the double Masters champion, who is He will be looking at an angle on

He needs the other reds into play. I wonder if John has worked out the

pink will not go back on its pot but might go on the blue spot so he

might use it to bring other reds interplay? Interesting to see you

where the ping goes. Will it go on the blue spot? It does. He is

He used the pink to go into that He had to play this with lots of

pace to make sure the cue ball came away from the reds. I don't think

the black pots to the left corner. It makes this positional shot a lot

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He played for the pink left centre As John has done so many times in

his career, he has looked down and out last couple of frames,

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Now he seems to have come to life That was a poor shot. He didn't get

into the cue ball enough. Question is, has he got second prize? Can he

cut it into the right corner beyond the pink? If he can, it is not as

bad as we thought. And I think he But he has overcome tip, has see?

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So, he is going to need after this black and other two of these

The fact he is using the extension on his cue, his position is not

He chose to go for the blue, but I thought that was a more difficult

As soon as it jumped into the air, he wasn't going to have enough pace.

Now, can he had enough, no red? -- Is it too sick? Amazingly enough. -

- is it too thick. It is unbelievable sometimes, the run of

To hit the yellow and sneaked And there is nothing you can do.

That air of resignation on his face because he knows that is the end of

Shaun will be sitting in his chair This red will keep Shaun in his

seat. And it is there, so there will be no return to the table for

John Higgins now one frame away from applies in the semi-final.

Disappointed with that shot, but 47 in front with 27 remaining, I am

sure there will be a concession and there is. Shaun Murphy, he missed a

blue, that is what pressure can do and now John Higgins has taken

advantage and he is one frame away from a place in the semi-final.

HAZEL IRVINE: Even though this has not been a vintage display by John

Higgins, he finds himself in sight of an 8th Masters semi-final of his

career. Can he get over the line? A poor safety shot can cost either

player the frame. To make things about that shocked - took the safe

red off the cushion and also there That red has gone into the middle!

John Higgins has the chance to win Just has to sit there now up and

wonder if he is going to get back In an ideal world, he'd love to pot

the red next to the pink and bring for pink into play, but I don't

He could do just that. A quick That was just a bit of movement in

Even though there are three reds in the open, John will be planning the

way he is going to move the red by He would like to play it when there

is another red available. So if the cannon doesn't come off, he has

Well, would you believe it! How many times do we see it?

Concentrating so much on the cannon, take your eye off the pot.

Unbeliefable! That is something we're not used to see --

unbelievable! That's not we're used to seeing with John Higgins. Very

unusual. It's his time to sit there and wonder whether he's going to be

take on the a decider. It could be Played nicely. Won't need the

awkward black. A quick glance at It's all about pace. Just got to

Well, you would be surprised if he's not punished for that now and

we'll go into a decider. Murphy, who keeps looking at the score

board, as snooker players do, but he needs up to the blue to take us

It's unlike John Higgins to let someone off the hook. Again, he

looks at the score board. You're They have not put the yellow and

And John Higgins had his chance to clinch this. 13 remaining. He needs

to pot this pink and he does. We're going to go to a decider and John

Higgins will be disappointed. He had his chance. Will he get a

Well, a warm handshake between the two players, as is customary before

a deciding frame. You can never predict a deciding

frame. It is one pot, one little bit of

Murphy, having been down will be the happier of the two to have this

I think he hit red as he wanted to hit it, but put too much pace on

the ball. He's left a chance of a pot to the

left corner. The problem is, where does the colour come from? It's a

risky pot. As you say, I think he's going to be the more positive of

the two. Now, does the yellow come to his

rescue? It has for the one in the baulk area. Is there another one

APPLAUSE Cue ball. Oh!

Well, good pot. Didn't go in the heart of the pocket. That's high he

didn't catch the pink, as he expected and nearly went in the

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It's unlike John to react like that. He obviously put him off. He's

having to play this one with the It looks like he'll run into

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Back in prime position. What a He has a nice angle here.

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I think he'll take it - it's a big The position cost him. It would be

a bonus now for Shaun Murphy if he could get past the blue in the

baulk end. He'd like to get to that one and he can get to it.

It's the one I favour myself, but... He's going for this one. Can he

There's a lot of pressure on this one.

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Isn't it incredible, this game, It's all about fractions. Now, is

he going to play for the red along the top cushion now? He's going to

It was the positional shot before off the red that created that

problem. It's in your mind that it should

never be there. I think here he got a big bounce

off the cushion. He was telling me in the interval that the cushions

Wouldn't surprise you, would it, John Higgins doesn't want to look

at the table now. There's nothing APPLAUSE

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He'd like to be straight on the He can get past the yellow, I think.

He has, he has pleaded inch- He would have liked to have been on

the brown and he will have to roll He needs up to and including the

pink for a famous victory. Against one of the hardest men in the game.

John Higgins has missed a few chances that will really hurt. They

say the key shot is from brown to blue but that is when you need the

black. Surely, he is not going to Just slightly the wrong side of the

Yes! It is there! It was not the match we expected. There wasn't

vintage, there aren't the highlights, but, boy, didn't they

give us the drama? John Higgins is disgusted with what he has done but

Shaun Murphy, thumbs-up. He is over the moon! He is in the semi-final.

He looked down and out at 4-1, but he wins, 6-5. I wasn't massive lump

-- massively disappointed 4-1 down. I felt my mistakes were magnified

because he had me in trouble all the time. It is difficult playing

shots from the long grass. I've seen so many matches of the great

players. I walked to the table and I thought, right, son, let's see

what you've got. Tonight was enough, fortune at leave.

HAZEL IRVINE: This is the year of the comeback. Yet another never-

say-die performance. This is our semi-final line-up. That bears an

uncanny resemblance to last year's final. Neil Robertson takes on the

man he beat in the final, Shaun Murphy. Whilst we sort out the

other semi-final line-up tomorrow, the world No. 2 Judd Trump will

have to chip away at the lump of Scottish granite that is Graeme

Dott. Whilst Mark Selby, fresh from that astounding comeback last night,

takes on Mark Williams, who had an equally improbable Inst -- escape

in his opener. Snooker extra will be well worth watching after this.

It is Robertson this is Alan. Otherwise, we will be on later