Day 3 Masters Snooker Highlights

Good evening. It is pretty lively and pretty busy and the players

lounge and before the start of the evening session some 14 centuries

had been carefully crafted and lapped up by record crowd here at

Alexandra Palace in the Dafabet masters. All ten players to have

starred so far in this tournament had made at least one century, so

great quality in great quantities, more centuries than in European

history. Five of those have come in a breathtaking match this afternoon.

Marco Fu, the Boston form player in the game against Judd Trump, this

one promised great things. And how else would possibly start, a century

of course, 1- to Judd Trump. He took the next as well and when Marco

missed this red, Judd got a 67 clearance, 3-0. Marco Fu stopped the

rot by becoming the tenth player at the Masters to record a century this

year. The next two frames were shared and then Marco stole the

seventh on the black adding a century to level at four frames

each. Judd powered Trump back in the lead with his second term, now 5-4

ahead. He missed a crucial black when looking good in the tenth

frame. He survived this click to level the scores again. And then the

decider, luck was smiling on Marco with this outrageous fluke. And he

went on to knock in a third century and claim a famous victory. Much of

the season. I have done at the tough way. First session was hard to take.

After that, I bounced back well and I just needed to be patient, have a

chance to do some scoring and some damage. I felt like I made a lot of

mistakes. I think my safety was very bad. In the end, I didn't play a

great break of and missed the red by so far and Buddha was a great

chance. To see that ball going, -- missed a great chance. Marco view is

still motoring in the form he found just before Christmas. He went all

the way to the semi final there and he kept on driving through, putting

some new changes to his cue action and his site realignment in a

wonderful run that give him the Scottish title. That was just before

Christmas. He lost none of that poise and scoring power over the

Christmas break. He is through to the quarterfinal, what a match. What

next from hour to competence this evening? With the Australian Triple

Crown winner, Neil Robertson and Ali Carter in action, we were always

guaranteed some pretty high-quality stuff this evening. It is a great

tournament. Just like all the BBC events are, I have not had a lot of

success here, but hopefully I am looking to change that this year.

Missing out last year was a bitter pill to swallow and to be back here

at this year is extra special. On paper, probably the hardest draw we

could have got. We could have got good draws in the Masters,

approaching the first-round, it is different, your planar top 16 player

in the first round. A different feeling, you are there straightaway.

I was looking for a draw and I thought who would I want to play if

I could hand-pick my own draw? I was struggling to find anyone. I know

what I will get with Neal and I have to concentrate and know what I am

good and I know what he is good at and you have to play well to beat

him but you never know with this game, sometimes you do not play well

and managed to win. I always enjoy playing Ali Carter. There are no

real weaknesses in his game, you feel comfortable playing him. Really

looking forward to it. It is like a final from the off. It is one table

and write new from the first day. This tends to bring the best out of

me. I glance at their previous matches tells us that Neil Robertson

has the best strike rate. Ali Carter was unceremoniously dumped here 6-1

a couple of years ago but since then he is back to full health, and won

his first major title this season in China for three years. Many expected

this to be far closer tonight. Robertson took the first frame with

an 85 break. Carter levelled it up and now we join them in frame three.

Stephen Hendry and John Bercow have teamed up for this one. -- John

Virgo. When you see this safety exchange

when the cue ball is coming back to the top cushion. The first

opportunity is a very good one. Everything is in the open. Where is

this thread going? No need to tell you, he did not play

that. This needs a good touch. Easy enough to hit the red here for

Ali Carter, he will need to be careful. He needs to nestle into

that bunch. And I mean Nassau, because if he comes away slowly, he

could leave that red to the far right corner. I wouldn't

overcomplicate the issue. I think it is dangerous to try and

hit a single red here, you need to go into the bunch and hope to get a

touch. That is the way I would player but

he is playing for the red above the black and that could go wrong. He

has left a red to the middle, wrong choice for me, that.

Points now are all square and Neil will look to score one. If he gets

most of these reds with colours, he will be able to win the frame. There

are a few obstacles but not that many, once he gets back down at this

business end of the table. Black is available into both corners.

He has played it nicely, in an ideal world, the light would be on the red

and in playing it, he would've not those red cent. The three reds, if

one of them is pottable into the left middle and the reason he is

looking for that, that would mean he does not have to any cannons. He is

playing this red and will look for a nice angle on the black.

Which he has got. This time he will try and leave himself low on the

middle and imparting that red he can bring those three reds into play. --

in parting. That is a little bit careless. He is OK. He has the

perfect angle and those three reds are open. -- potting. Even loosening

that little bit means that red staff. The available. As it turns

out, the right corner. 42 points the lead, 75 remaining so three of these

remaining reds would put him into the required state.

Quite a brisk pace, Neil Robertson. The reds have been in a decent

position. Eight seconds they shot quicker than Ali Carter and that is

quite a lot. This red will now put Neil 57 ahead

with 59 remaining and with every red you part, eight points off the

table. No problem. You talk about the pace of the way he has played

and he seems to be a better player when he is playing quick. He seems

to think too much about the game rather than let his natural ability

come to the fore. He is a much better player when he is being

aggressive. Sometimes when he plays, he changes

how he plays depending on who his opponent is. He should stick to his

own strengths. He is not touching the ball that he is trying to pot.

He has played it nicely. We were saying at the start that the

quality is so far from all the matches has been superb. So far,

this is the third frame and nothing has changed. He has just missed the

cannon which might stop us seeing the fifth 18th century of this

year's Dafabet masters. We will not be seeing the 15th. Good

standard, Neil Robertson. A break of 78 and now leads by 2-1. The former

Masters champion pushed on and won the frames either side of the

interval as well to move into a commanding lead but Carter summoned

some resistance in the sixth frame and we appear to have a match on as

we head into the seventh frame, Robertson to play, no score yet.

He missed the red and I would not have pushed the cue ball that far

up. The black is available here. He should have held the cue ball level

but the black. He just came off making a break of 73, Ali Carter, he

gets first chance here for me. Again, no hundred percent guarantee

where the cue ball will end up. He made sure he got the cue ball out.

If the yellow does not pass the red, he could be on nothing here. Surely

he is an yellow or green? When the cue ball was travelling, it appears

that the yellow does go. He could have expected to be on something

easier. Only the yellow. Got to get this. Good shot, right in the heart

of the pocket. He has got a good chance now.

Neil Robertson must be fuming in his chair. It was pretty simple to leave

the cue ball safe. Very careless. There has been a few tonight. He has

had a few careless ones. He has got to leave the cue ball,

stop now, that little chalk mark to the left of the black, let that cue

ball run a foot too far. There are a couple of cannons that

Ali Carter has played and he seems to be getting into the cue ball a

bit too much. He would be nicely onto the red at the right corner

pocket. If he can just drop it in and get position on the black, OK,

but you get the feeling that he may be running close to the back. --

black. Never easy using the spider, you always have to put that little

bit of extra concentration into the pot and give it a little extra bit

of elevation. He is trying to stun it in and come around the back of

the black, the black into the same pocket. Played it well. Played it

very well. 18. Still on track to win the frame at

this visit. Little shake of the head, a little

bit straighter than he would like. He has a few loose reds to play for.

He may have to be using the rest. I don't think he is too bad with the

rest. Maybe he feels he can reach this with the extension but I think

he will be at full stretch. I was just thinking earlier on, levy that

is why he's getting the extension, stretching out for this one. -- may

be that is why. He could not have played a much better than that. He

has got the one loose red. The pink is in a pottable position.

Looking at it now I think he played for the red closest to the pink but

he didn't go far enough up the table. He's got this as an

alternative. There's the red next to the pink but he needed the cue ball

to be higher. Nicely played. His potted some good

balls this evening. And the fact that he has three red

in the ball end, it wasn't imperative that he got the right

side of the blue. Always got to be a little bit careful with these type

of blues though, digging down. Don't want to decelerate when you push the

cue through. It's OK. As I say, because that red just

below the pink goes, with a nice angle on the blue, well, he will

have another red just out of the cluster of four so doesn't have to

play any cannons. And this is just what he needed. And he's done it in

the last frame and looks like doing it in this one. One chance and he

will win the frame. And the pot success 95%, that's already very

high. 92% is not bad. So just this red needed to go 66 points ahead

with 59 remaining. In it goes, frame over. Good responses from Ali

Carter. A couple of careless shots, and that

loose shot for nothing in this frame. That's the standard we have

got this week. Some of the best players in the world. You cannot

relax or take anything for granted. It's been a good performance from

Ali Carter the last two frames. Showed good character.

The last red is going to be difficult if he's going to want to

make the century. Cannot move it from this short so he will have to

play it along the baulk cushion. He needs that Kewell 's travel. -- that

cue ball to travel. Yes, he could have done with it a little bit

straighter. The thing is, he has a good angle for position but

unfortunately the rest didn't go in but I don't suppose this time he

will be too bothered. This reduces arrears now to just one. Neil

Robertson is now only one ahead, 4-3.

Thank you, frame eight, Ali Carter to break. Ali Carter was practically

down the break before Neil Robertson had picked his cue off the table, so

got a rush of blood to get this match going. But that's a poor break

off. Yes, let's see how Neil Robertson... You normally expect him

to knock this type of red in, and he does. As you say, it was poor break

off shot and he needs the cue ball to stop short of the baulk line, and

it does so he's on the brown. He will be sitting in his chair

kicking himself. As you say, he had a bit of a rush to the table and he

should have given it a bit more care and attention. As we said in the

last frame, you cannot drop your guard for a second, not with the

standard being so high. I think the plan for meal was to get onto the

red in such a way that he could potted it and then cannon onto the

black. Has he got the angle to do that? He did just about make it.

Good shot, black now in the open. I would suggest an angle on the

black to go into the bunch. With the red closest to the pocket, that's

good insurance to be on. He would prefer to be going into the

reds playing the black into the same pocket as this red. That's what he's

doing. He may have just gone to straight on the black.

As Stephen said, I think you would like to have played the black into

the opposite corner, the right corner, but I think he was feeling

he may be hampered by the red but he's just overdone it. I'm not

certain about the availability of the red just below the cluster.

Obviously it's easy enough to play for this one. He's trying to run

into them, and he's missed it. He's just about OK. Very aggressive shot,

just got some right-hand side on the cue ball. It was a good attempt. On

a bad day you're going off. Not easy to generate the pace on the

cue ball to go into the bunch because the red that's between the

bunch and black is -- makes it difficult to open them up.

They are going to be dislodging some rents, potting this. It's

interesting to see how aggressive he is with this, whether he plays it

back for power on the blue. Yes, back for the blue, he will open the

bunch here. That was a good shot. Turned into a good opportunity now

to win this frame. All from that poor break off.

Here we see, he was so quick to get to the table. That's just poor

concentration. I think the adrenaline was pumping after winning

two frames in one visit. Yes, keen to get on with it. That's what we

are saying, you cannot drop your guard for a second because these

players are more than capable of delivering a knockout blow. Break at

50, just another 19 points to get to the snooker is required stage. He

has just moved another red into play. I wouldn't bet against him

winning the frame at this visit now. 75 remaining. This red, 67 had with

67 remaining so just the red and the colour required. Looks a formality.

He has come on a little bit to straight, needs a good red to get

the cue ball out for the black. In the end decided not to bother. He

knew that if he rolled the red in there's no way Ali would come back

to the table, which I'm sure would be the case but it just means we

won't get to see a century. And that's it, Ali Carter broke off.

It was a loose one and that was the only shot he had and now Neil

Robertson is only one frame away from a place in the quarterfinal. He

leading 5-3. Ronnie O'Sullivan awaits the winner

of this match in the quarterfinal on Thursday evening and it's looking

odds-on to be Neil Robertson unless Ali Carter can change the momentum

once again and quickly in frame nine. Neil at the table here.

COMMENTATOR: Neil Robertson with the first chance in the frame he needs

for the quarterfinal. Yes, played the more difficult

safety shot. He could have just played a shot to leave the cue ball

on the cushion. If you go by the form of the

previous frame, he has a good chance to win the match, Neil Robertson.

Yes, three reds, three blacks but I don't think the maximum will be

entering his head just yet. This is a chance, as you say, Stephen, to

win the match. It's usually when you get to about 64/72 that you start

concentrating on the maximum but there's a few balls to be potted

before we get there. I don't think he's come out perfect on this black.

Now he won't be playing for the lack, he will be playing for the

blue baulk. It wasn't a helpful kiss on the blue

in actual fact. He had rather it had run past the blue and being on

yellow or brown. He's just got to do a little bit with the cue ball now,

taking it out of baulk. And there's only one loose red to play

four-point Maybe he's thinking just stun it in and leave himself the

mid-distance red. He's doing a lot of pointing, I'm

not certain what he's looking at here. You either try to get it in

and out of baulk or you don't. The way he pots, I think that would be

my choice, just to stun it in and leave the cue ball in the middle of

the table. Yes, if the red was on the left-hand side, he would go in

and out of baulk, but where that red is, that's the right shot. It's just

a funny little angle he has on this red. He will have to stun off the

cushion behind the black. Because he was going to be quite close to the

black, this was going to be a problem getting the angle. Yes, and

it didn't help that the red didn't go in the middle of the pocket so he

cannot do much with this so we obviously thinks there is a red

available to the far left corner to keep this break going. It's a second

one in. But who knows if he cannot knock the Swan Inn, this could be

frame and matchwinner. Sweet as a nut, and a nice angle on

the black to stun into the reds. Still needs to open a few more red

if he's going to get over the finishing line here. Well, he feels

as though this bottom one will go to the middle. In potting this, he will

release the red to the left of it for the right corner. Obviously you

see it a lot better when you are down at the table, but just looking

at this black, he will still need a red, colour, and one more red. When

he's in the balls, his playing at a very fast pace. Virtually taking one

or two waggles with the cue and then he's on it, it's a sign of

confidence I think. We commented earlier, 20 seconds per shot is the

average time. You look at Ronnie O'Sullivan, he would be at 17, but

that is quick. And as you say, a sign of confidence. That puts him 70

points in the lead but they're still 75 remaining. He needs one more red.

Is he on it? It looks tight, he's going to have to play with side.

Only the red required to go 71 points in front with just 67

remaining. He's having a play on the left-hand side to turn the red over.

But he's there, it is there, and there's no way back now you feel for

Ali Carter. It's incredible, it has all come from that poor break off.

Yes, Ali I'm sure then thought he had the momentum on his side, but it

is just one loose shot and how quickly it can turn. How quickly it

can turn. They wrote a book and they are entitled it, "It's a cruel

game". It certainly can be. And a possibility now that we will see our

first century break of the match. Just asking what the highest break

is, it is 132, made by Stuart Bingham last night. There's a

possible 145 on. He's going to play for the black.

On for the 145 if he gets blacks off the remaining reds, and that could

take some beating. It has been a pretty impressive display tonight

from Neil Robertson. We wait for the century here.

Now it's a possible 144, still a good target for the high break

prize. He's struck at himself! Would you believe it? -- he has snooker

snookered himself. Give it a whack! What a shame, but what a great match

and what a great performance. Ali Carter said well played. Neil

Robertson is absolutely delighted, but his fist in the air to the

crowd. He led 4-1, Ali Carter pulled him back but he responded like a

true champion and books date in the quarterfinal against the Rockets,

Ronnie O'Sullivan. That is a match up to look forward to. Thursday

afternoon is the date but for the time being Neil Robertson beats Ali

Carter 6-3 in fine style. At 4-3 he hasn't done the best of

break office and left me a long red, but it was still a fantastic pot and

to go on to win the frame with 70 odd, then yes, it's the sort of

performance I was hoping for. With the amount of hard work I've put in

since the UK Championship, so very pleased with myself. I just said to

myself before the match, win or lose, winning is great but you have

put the work in so whatever happens you can be proud with how you went.

And so here is the shape of the quarterfinal draw.

pleased with myself. I just said to myself before the match, win

And so here is the shape of the quarterfinal draw. The master 's

runner-up Marco Fu plays on Thursday night.

Snooker Extra will be reliving that fantastic match this afternoon

between Marco Fu and Judd Trump, well worth staying up for, but one

o'clock this afternoon is when we will be seeing the world number one

Mark Selby as he sets out in his quest for a fourth Masters title

against the laid-back Welshman Mark Williams, the last man to hold all

three triple crown titles simultaneously, something Selby

could also achieve here this week. If the last three afternoons are

anything to go by, is sure to be a final frame decider. We will catch

you at one o'clock in the afternoon. Good night!

Before I met you, I was a civilised woman. Civilised.

Now I don't even know what that means.

CAR TYRES SCREECH, SHE GASPS