:00:40. > :00:45.Welcome to highlights from the Betfair Masters at Alexandra Palace.
:00:45. > :00:48.We will bring you the best of the actions from the match between Mark
:00:48. > :00:53.Williams and Mark Selby as they battle for the one remaining spot
:00:53. > :00:58.in the semi-finals. We start with a recap of what happened in the match
:00:58. > :01:04.between Judd Trump and Graeme Dott. As the big freeze set in around
:01:04. > :01:14.Ally Pally this afternoon, everyone was expecting the juggernaut to put
:01:14. > :01:14.
:01:14. > :01:21.the burners on with some thrilling snooker. Everyone, that was, except
:01:21. > :01:26.the granite like Graeme Dott. The immovable object put the big chill
:01:26. > :01:30.on the irresistible force in the first two frames. The crowd-
:01:30. > :01:36.pleasing needed to sort out and there were glimpses that the
:01:36. > :01:42.snooker might turn naughty as he pulled one back. Graeme Dott went
:01:42. > :01:48.into the interval 3-1 up. Judd Trump needed to get the snowball
:01:48. > :01:56.rolling, but he continued to struggle. Graham went from strength
:01:56. > :02:04.to strength as he dominated the world number two, and he underlined
:02:04. > :02:08.he is now a serious contender for the title. It was nice to finish
:02:08. > :02:13.the match that way because I never showed that much throughout the
:02:13. > :02:18.match. It was a really bad day, disappointing because it is such a
:02:18. > :02:24.big tournament, but there are still the World Championships to come, so
:02:24. > :02:28.I still have a decent shot so far. Graeme Dott is through to his first
:02:28. > :02:34.ever final and he will play the winner of the match between Mark
:02:34. > :02:44.Selby and Mark Williams, two former champions who have found their best
:02:44. > :02:57.
:02:57. > :03:04.when their backs are against the Will that cue ball go in? Well,
:03:04. > :03:14.would you believe that? Mark Williams still with a lot to think
:03:14. > :03:17.
:03:17. > :03:27.about. He trails 4-1. That was a fantastic pot. Beautifully played
:03:27. > :03:28.
:03:28. > :03:38.and perfect on the black. And the two times champion books his place
:03:38. > :03:43.
:03:43. > :03:51.in the quarter-final, amazing. excellent pot. That is another good
:03:51. > :03:58.pot. He is having a ball at the moment. Stuart Bingham takes the
:03:58. > :04:08.frame and it goes into a 5-1 lead. He has just gone off the boil and
:04:08. > :04:10.
:04:10. > :04:20.the last couple of frames, Stewart. That was an even better blue.
:04:20. > :04:26.excellent shot. We are going into a decider. He said, I told you I
:04:26. > :04:31.could do it. He was 5-1 down and he has come back and won five frames
:04:31. > :04:37.in a row to get himself into the quarter-final. Absolutely fantastic.
:04:37. > :04:41.They have both been Masters champion twice, but Mark Selby has
:04:41. > :04:51.had much more recent success. It was the Welshman who won a tactical
:04:51. > :05:00.
:05:00. > :05:10.first frame. The second frame This is going to be difficult to
:05:10. > :05:24.
:05:24. > :05:30.I am not sure if he can get past the pink to come off a couple of
:05:30. > :05:35.questions. That is a bit of an acute angle. He might have to go to
:05:35. > :05:42.the other side of the pink to swing it around a couple of cushions.
:05:42. > :05:50.Whatever side, he has got to get a lot of right hand side on it. He
:05:50. > :06:00.has gone up the one I mentioned and he was very close to it, wasn't he?
:06:00. > :06:27.
:06:27. > :06:32.That is not going to do his confidence any good at all. He is
:06:32. > :06:42.such a laid-back character, Mark Williams, but a miss like that is
:06:42. > :07:03.
:07:03. > :07:12.You cannot put that down to pressure for someone like Mark
:07:12. > :07:17.Williams. That was just a lapse in concentration. But you have to take
:07:17. > :07:22.full advantage when your opponent is making mistakes like that. OK,
:07:22. > :07:32.it is the best of 11, but worrying times for the Welshman and his
:07:32. > :08:01.
:08:01. > :08:07.Yes, he is not going to bother about the black or the pink, Mark
:08:07. > :08:11.Selby. Mark Williams stays in his chair and ponders that easy missed
:08:11. > :08:16.red into the middle, but it is Mark Selby who takes the frame and goes
:08:16. > :08:26.into a 2-1 lead. The pattern of tactical play continued into the
:08:26. > :08:38.
:08:38. > :08:45.next frame, although this time it It is early stages, but it is such
:08:45. > :08:53.a huge frame for Mark Williams, this. A few chances already in this
:08:53. > :08:58.frame, as indeed in the first couple of frames. Should he go on
:08:58. > :09:04.to lose this frame as well, it would be a long way back for him.
:09:04. > :09:09.This is a dead straight yellow. He is contemplating trying to pot it
:09:09. > :09:14.and may be screwing back into baulk, but he does not like it. He is
:09:14. > :09:24.thinking about how difficult is the safety shot? If it is more
:09:24. > :09:34.
:09:34. > :09:44.difficult than the pot, why not Well, that is unbelievable, isn't
:09:44. > :09:52.
:09:52. > :10:02.it? He has already been fortunate a couple of times in this frame. He
:10:02. > :10:17.
:10:17. > :10:22.is not on the green, but he is on Now Mark Williams is going to need
:10:22. > :10:27.a bit of fortune when coming off the cushion and hitting the green.
:10:27. > :10:37.He has got to make sure he does not hit that green up over the corner
:10:37. > :10:54.
:10:54. > :11:01.Eight dead straight pot with very little to do to get nicely on to
:11:01. > :11:11.the brown, but it is a tough shot. It is the type of shot you have to
:11:11. > :11:31.
:11:31. > :11:41.This will be another body blow for Mark Williams. That was superb
:11:41. > :11:44.
:11:44. > :11:54.cueing from Mark Selby. He has still got to get a good blue and
:11:54. > :12:12.
:12:12. > :12:16.He could easily go 3-0 up and Mark Williams could easily have led 3-0.
:12:16. > :12:26.Seems a bit reluctant to have to use the rest, but he is going to
:12:26. > :12:43.
:12:43. > :12:53.That is not bad at all. Dead straight on the pink would have
:12:53. > :13:14.
:13:14. > :13:20.Not a problem. So far all the world, it looked as though Mark Williams
:13:20. > :13:24.was going to get his first frame on the board, but with a little bit of
:13:24. > :13:30.fortune to get him on his way, it is Mark Selby who goes on to take
:13:30. > :13:34.the frame and he now leads. Each of the opening three frames
:13:35. > :13:44.could have gone either way, yet it is Mark Selby who leads 3-0 and
:13:45. > :13:59.
:13:59. > :14:09.Mark Williams has to respond and I am just wondering if one of these
:14:09. > :14:22.
:14:22. > :14:28.reds pots into the right middle It is more difficult trying to pot
:14:28. > :14:34.it with a stun from that position. That was a good effort, but it was
:14:34. > :14:44.worth taking it on, even though it was more difficult, stunning it. He
:14:44. > :14:44.
:14:44. > :16:28.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 103 seconds
:16:28. > :16:33.kept the white safe. That was tough. I really feel if Mark Williams can
:16:33. > :16:43.start stringing a few bolts together and make a decent break,
:16:43. > :16:51.
:16:51. > :17:01.it will help his confidence and This is what he is best at, in and
:17:01. > :17:08.
:17:08. > :17:14.He needs the opportunity like this, that is what he has been waiting
:17:14. > :17:18.for, to get the cue are ongoing and give him a bit of confidence.
:17:18. > :17:28.has mainly to keep his focus and not lose his concentration because
:17:28. > :17:44.
:17:44. > :17:54.The whole thing can turnaround after the mid-session interval, so
:17:54. > :17:54.
:17:54. > :18:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 103 seconds
:18:39. > :18:46.it is imperative he takes this It is just not happening for Mark
:18:46. > :18:55.Williams. He is not getting close enough. He does not have that usual,
:18:55. > :19:05.close control of the cue ball that he normally has. He is so laid back,
:19:05. > :19:30.
:19:30. > :19:40.but he threw his cue on the floor Maybe it fell on to the floor
:19:40. > :19:40.
:19:40. > :20:28.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 103 seconds
:20:28. > :20:38.because it is very rare that he Every possibility now of Mark Selby
:20:38. > :20:44.
:20:44. > :20:54.going into the mid-session interval Worrying times for Mark Williams
:20:54. > :20:55.
:20:56. > :21:01.and he has got a few friends here with him. A quick glance at the
:21:01. > :21:11.scoreboard. He is working out exactly what he needs before he has
:21:11. > :21:47.
:21:47. > :21:52.to think about the two slightly If he can get a good angle on a
:21:52. > :21:59.colour, he can leave both of those for a pocket, but it all depends on
:21:59. > :22:06.the angle he gets. That looks to be pretty good. He can play to eat the
:22:06. > :22:16.cue ball where I have placed it, or he can play the cannon. It just
:22:16. > :22:37.
:22:37. > :22:47.That is just about perfect. That was a great shot. That was a
:22:47. > :22:52.
:22:52. > :23:02.If Mark Williams does not get on the practice table and pulls his
:23:02. > :23:09.
:23:09. > :23:14.socks up, it is going to be a long night for him. 4-0, the first to
:23:14. > :23:24.six, he is not out a bit by any means, but it is getting more and
:23:24. > :23:55.
:23:55. > :24:04.Mark Williams has had enough and he concedes. It is Mark Selby who goes
:24:04. > :24:09.into the interval winning all four frames. Mark Williams came from 4-1
:24:09. > :24:19.down to win the last frame. He is going to have to produce something
:24:19. > :24:33.
:24:33. > :24:41.even more special. Here is frame He could have played it a bit
:24:41. > :24:51.harder. But he will certainly settle for that. He had to miss the
:24:51. > :25:07.
:25:07. > :25:17.It is all about the yellow. I am not sure if he can get this into
:25:17. > :25:28.
:25:29. > :25:38.He has finished on the pink, but that is not what he anticipated. It
:25:38. > :25:47.must have been very thin because he could not hold it for the pink.
:25:47. > :25:57.cannot get close to the yellow. I am wondering if he can put the cue
:25:57. > :26:04.
:26:04. > :26:14.ball somewhere past the blue spot He has no intention of going for
:26:14. > :26:22.
:26:22. > :26:27.the pot on the yellow, so he is Once again, he has not hit it hard
:26:27. > :26:37.enough. The yellow should have been coming round on to the cushion
:26:37. > :26:45.
:26:45. > :26:55.Good shot, a beautiful shot, and he is on the green. It will get past
:26:55. > :27:12.
:27:12. > :27:19.the blue. That is his best shot It looks like Mark Williams is
:27:19. > :27:29.going to get his first frame on the board this evening. Just making
:27:29. > :27:48.
:27:48. > :27:53.It is not there, but barring a snooker, the Welshman has his first
:27:53. > :27:58.frame on the board. And he did indeed put his first
:27:58. > :28:08.frame on the scoreboard. Could he stayed another remarkable comeback?
:28:08. > :28:08.
:28:08. > :28:58.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 103 seconds
:28:58. > :29:03.Not quite sure if he can pot this He found the gap because he did not
:29:03. > :29:13.take the pot on. If he had taken the pot on, he would have can and
:29:13. > :29:24.
:29:24. > :29:34.the other red, so that was a clever There are not many better in the
:29:34. > :29:34.
:29:34. > :30:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 103 seconds
:30:27. > :30:29.game at that type of shot than Mark Well, how did that stay out? It
:30:29. > :30:39.wobbled two or three times. Difficult to control the cue ball,
:30:39. > :30:55.
:30:55. > :31:05.when it is that close to the pocket. Good chance, plenty of reds
:31:05. > :31:15.
:31:15. > :31:22.available for the positional shot, Not the best shot, he wanted to be
:31:23. > :31:27.straighter on that. The pink is almost straight into the pocket,
:31:27. > :31:37.the red below the pink, but he cannot see it, so he is going to
:31:37. > :31:43.
:31:43. > :31:49.The one he played, he wanted to be straighter on so that he could hold
:31:49. > :31:57.for the pink, but he could see that he wasn't. He's now going to have
:31:57. > :32:00.to play another good shot, OK, there are plenty of reds available,
:32:00. > :32:05.with four reds, going into the right corner pocket? You would
:32:05. > :32:15.think if he potted the brown he is bound to be on one of those. There
:32:15. > :32:36.
:32:36. > :32:40.was a perfect angle to come off the Anywhere in the vicinity was good.
:32:40. > :32:46.They were all lined up to be potted into this bottom right-hand corner
:32:46. > :32:52.pocket. Take your pick. Still could have been a little bit better. He
:32:52. > :33:02.wanted to be straighter on these reds. I am sure the pink pots into
:33:02. > :33:06.
:33:06. > :33:16.That tells us that it does. Those three reds just below the pink spot,
:33:16. > :33:44.
:33:44. > :33:49.or into the corner pocket, all Just getting a little bit awkward
:33:49. > :33:55.again. It would have been so much easier if he had been on the red
:33:55. > :34:04.that is directly in line with the corner pocket from the pink. The
:34:04. > :34:14.pink doesn't go into the right centre this time, so a deep screw.
:34:14. > :34:29.
:34:29. > :34:36.Still plenty of reds available that can go into both corner pockets.
:34:36. > :34:45.That is why he has swung it across to the other side of the table. All
:34:45. > :34:50.was going to be available into the left corner. -- Always going to. It
:34:50. > :34:56.is amazing. He is putting everything into this effort. He
:34:56. > :35:01.knows that this is a key frame in the match for him, now, 5-1 would
:35:01. > :35:11.be a mountain to climb for Mark Williams. At 4-2, he would be right
:35:11. > :35:36.
:35:36. > :35:42.Those reds to the right of the pink I think that the back one of the
:35:42. > :35:52.two is available into the left corner pocket in a couple of shots'
:35:52. > :35:54.
:35:54. > :36:04.time, as long as he gets a good If he plays the cannon now, just a
:36:04. > :36:07.
:36:07. > :36:17.little match will open both reds up. -- little nudge. Nice shot. That
:36:17. > :36:17.
:36:17. > :36:27.certainly opened things up. Just nudged that red at of the way. --
:36:27. > :36:48.
:36:48. > :36:55.It has been well worked. He has had to go on to the brown a couple of
:36:55. > :37:03.times then back down the table, but he has held control. It looks
:37:03. > :37:13.almost certain, now, that he is going to lead Mark Williams 5-1 and
:37:13. > :37:17.
:37:17. > :37:27.he will only need one more frame Would you believe this is the
:37:27. > :37:29.
:37:29. > :37:37.highest break of the match, so far? But it has been a good break.
:37:37. > :37:41.There's no doubt about that. Sometimes, these breaks are just as
:37:41. > :37:47.good as centuries, from a player's point of view, especially when you
:37:47. > :37:57.have a lot of work to do. Going up and down the table with the cue
:37:57. > :37:57.
:37:57. > :38:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 103 seconds
:38:40. > :38:44.He has missed the blue, but a nice break of 73 from Mark Selby, giving
:38:44. > :38:52.him the frame, and he is only one frame away from victory and a place
:38:52. > :38:58.in the semi-final. He beats Mark Williams five frames to one. Mark
:38:58. > :39:08.Selby just one frame away from his 4th Masters semi-final in six years.
:39:08. > :39:47.
:39:48. > :39:54.He needed that white near the He cued that beautifully, and now,
:39:54. > :40:04.he has got a terrific chance, with the way that the reds are open.
:40:04. > :40:04.
:40:04. > :40:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 103 seconds
:40:51. > :40:57.Let's have a look. There are about This is a lovely position to be in,
:40:58. > :41:07.now, isn't it? Going ahead, with a few reds and colours, before you
:41:08. > :41:12.
:41:12. > :41:22.even have to decide to bring some Take the red away behind the black
:41:22. > :41:30.
:41:30. > :41:34.Just makes life a little bit easier for him. He's coming round to have
:41:34. > :41:44.a look at that red. If the black pots into that corner pocket, at
:41:44. > :41:51.
:41:51. > :41:55.This next shot will tell us. He has the perfect angle if he wishes to
:41:55. > :42:00.go into the pack. If this red does pot at the bottom of the pack, I'm
:42:00. > :42:05.not sure if it does, it looks pretty tight, he has a perfect
:42:05. > :42:14.angle to pot the black, at deep screw into the pack and, if he gets
:42:15. > :42:24.a good split, it could be all over. Well, you have got to pot the black
:42:25. > :42:27.
:42:27. > :42:30.He took his eye off the pot, which you can do when you are
:42:30. > :42:40.concentrating on getting a good cannon, and that is a
:42:40. > :42:41.
:42:41. > :42:48.straightforward pot. We have seen it happen so many times. Well, that
:42:48. > :42:58.is not the best. He is faced with the difficult green, now. He is
:42:58. > :43:04.
:43:04. > :43:11.having to stretch over the pack. The first red he played, he thought
:43:11. > :43:19.he could run through and leave the blue, and already 30 points behind,
:43:19. > :43:29.what a chance for Mark Selby. He got away with that nice on the easy
:43:29. > :43:45.
:43:45. > :43:55.black. -- miss on the easy black. REFEREE: can you put that will well
:43:55. > :43:55.
:43:55. > :44:37.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 103 seconds
:44:37. > :44:41.for a way, please? -- mobile phone He is all over the place at the
:44:41. > :44:48.moment, Mark Williams. It has been something of a nightmare, to be
:44:48. > :44:54.fair. He hasn't settle at all, in his quarter-final. I thought, after
:44:54. > :44:59.beating his good friend Matthew Stevens, it looked as if he was
:44:59. > :45:09.going to take a heavy defeat, that he had pulled it out of the fire,
:45:09. > :45:25.
:45:25. > :45:29.but he just hasn't settled in this Not bad, OK, it is the wrong side
:45:29. > :45:34.of the blue, but he could go between the brown and yellow, or go
:45:34. > :45:44.the other way, with the green being off its spot, but look at the side
:45:44. > :45:47.
:45:47. > :45:54.that he's putting on it here. Now, has the jaw of the middle pocket
:45:54. > :46:01.help the situation? I think it has. He can just nudge on to the next
:46:01. > :46:05.red and on to the black. Looks like it is all over here. He's going to
:46:05. > :46:12.have to do something very careless, with the ball sitting like this.
:46:12. > :46:16.Already, 40 in front. I don't know when he will be heading back to the
:46:16. > :46:22.valleys, but the weather is pretty horrendous over that side of the
:46:22. > :46:32.country. He will be just hoping that things clear up tomorrow,
:46:32. > :46:35.
:46:35. > :46:39.because I cannot see Mark Selby It has been a funny game. You are
:46:40. > :46:47.expecting fireworks from these two great players, but it hasn't
:46:47. > :46:53.happened. The highest break from Mark Williams, only 48, and from
:46:53. > :47:01.Mark Selby, the highest frame of the whole match in the last game,
:47:01. > :47:06.73. It tells you that these cloths are so lively, the tables are
:47:06. > :47:14.beautiful to play on, but if you are so slightly off your game, it
:47:14. > :47:17.is so easy to run out of position. When you're playing well they a
:47:17. > :47:27.beautiful to play on, but if you are off your game, they can make
:47:27. > :47:29.
:47:29. > :47:39.you look a little bit silly at That will be the end of Mark
:47:39. > :47:44.
:47:44. > :47:50.He is coming back to the table, but only to shake hands. It was a poor
:47:50. > :47:53.display from the Welshman. He will be disappointed. But in the end
:47:53. > :48:01.Mark Selby goes through to the semi-final, be very comfortable
:48:01. > :48:05.winner, 6-1. I do not think it was a 6-1 scoreline, the first three
:48:05. > :48:12.frames could have gone either way, but fortunately I managed to win
:48:12. > :48:19.all four of them. I thought if it went 2-2-1 he was still in the
:48:19. > :48:23.match, but at 3-0, I felt comfortable. I felt upon it, and
:48:23. > :48:30.I'm sure that Mark did, both of us did not perform like we're capable
:48:30. > :48:37.of, but I am delighted to be in the semi-final. At the end of the day,
:48:37. > :48:47.that has given me a huge amount of confidence. I went to Germany and I
:48:47. > :48:47.
:48:48. > :48:52.wonder, as well. -- won there. here is the semi-final line-up.
:48:52. > :48:58.Defending champion Neil Robertson is up against Shaun Murphy, seeking
:48:58. > :49:00.his first Masters title, and two- time champion Mark Selby will be
:49:00. > :49:05.playing against Graeme Dott, the scores in making his first
:49:05. > :49:10.appearance in the last four of the Masters. Just 10 to remind you that
:49:10. > :49:16.snooker extra follows next, and you can see extend highlights of Judd