Day 6 Masters Snooker Highlights

Each match at the Masters seems,

like the semifinal might the final,

but it is what you practice for,

really.

He has won his first ranking

event and that was the first big

monkey off his back. He's a very

heavy scorer when gets going.

heavy scorer when gets going.

I won

in Riga and first competition of the

season and I don't feel any

different because of it but a couple

of close matches and I can pull on

that experience and on that

inability.

inability. He's on a short list for

the best players that's ever played

and it is going to be a great

experience for myself, and one that

I just try and look forward to.

Even

a quarter of a century plane, 24

years, a long time and I have won it

twice, but apart from that I've

never really competed at this event,

so I would love to have a good run,

here.

It's a wonderful place to play

snooker. It is going to be another

packed house.

Delighted to be

through there, and I will try to

play well against Rhein.

Good

evening and Bob McAdoo highlights of

days six at the Dafabet masters.

Coming, John Higgins taking on Ryan

Day who have qualified for this

event the previous eight years.

First we can update you on the match

day between Shaun Murphy and Judd

Trump.

We could be in for a classic.

Just struck that beautifully.

Just struck that beautifully. That

is a pretty good shot on the yellow.

He leads by two frames to nil. What

a wonderful shot.

a wonderful shot.

He has over the

black. He should have played the

positive shot, played it with more

pace. It's there.

He is now 3-2 behind. It is unusual

for Shaun to miss a blue like that.

Couldn't have played it better.

Everything to play for. For- four.

Great shot. First century of the

tournament for Judd Trump, yes!

tournament for Judd Trump, yes! The

frame and match, now at his mercy.

Back-to-back centuries, absolutely

marvellous, Judd Trump runs out the

winner by six frames to four.

Please

do get through, I think. The last

few frames I managed to hold myself

together and make two very good

breaks. I think it gives you just a

little bit of confidence when you

know when you really need it that

you can produce that.

Confirmation

that Judd Trump will meet Kyren

Wilson any semifinal tomorrow. He

leads the headset 3-2, but it is

Wolseley triumphed in the most

significant others, the Shanghai

Masters in 2015.

It is going to be a

very interesting matchup. Shaun

Murphy plays an open an expansive

game which suits Judd Trump, and

Kyren Wilson is not like that.

Kyren

Wilson in a way has got nothing to

lose. He's a much more rounded

player even at a young age than even

Shaun Murphy was.

Tonight who will

face Mark Mark Allen in tomorrow

night's semifinal.

If you were

watching earlier you will have seen

John Higgins taking a 2-1 lead over

Welshman Ryan Day. We will pick up

the match in the fourth frame with

Ryan Day at the table and no score.

Commentators, Dennis Taylor and Ken

Doherty.

He has left one of a pocket. If he

could avoid cannoning into the

brown, that would help. He has still

got to pot the red first, though.

India, you couldn't avoid the cannon

on the brown and it has worked out

just about perfect for him. -- in

the end, he couldn't avoid. So, a

good early chance in this frame

before the mid-session interval.

The choice of pink or black from

this red.

He can stand through the gap for the

couple of reds of the black, now. --

he can stun through.

I've always enjoyed watching this

player break build.

He has made 698 century breaks in

his career. Only Ronnie O'Sullivan

and Stephen Hendry are ahead of him.

Just wondering if he will play a

little cannon and just stun the pink

in for the extreme red on the left

of the pink, there.

This was caused by that bit of a

lapse by the safety shot from Rhein,

he missed a chance of a red to the

middle pocket that he shouldn't

have.

have. -- from Ryan. If I can show

you the red. He should have covered

this one. It was a little bit

fortunate to hit the brown and put

it into the perfect position, but

otherwise, he deserved a little bit

of luck. It was a good pot.

of luck. It was a good pot. It is a

good way to go to the mid-session

interval if you can win the frame

with one visit. It's not going to be

easy.

Purposely, he's left himself a

nice angle on the pink to stun the

pink in, and just clip the outside

red to the left of the bunch of

four, and that will bring that into

play nicely, and that there exactly

what he's done.

APPLAUSE

He knew that he was pushing that red

towards the right corner pocket.

Didn't have to use too much pace.

Just the way he's gone about this

break. That's probably the first

relatively poor shot he's played in

this break. Had to be a bit

straighter on this black.

straighter on this black. Safely,

there are, he has the position.

Didn't bounce the cue ball off the

cushion hard enough. He has lost

position now. He will be kicking

himself. He was just looking for one

more red and a high value, and the

frame would have been saved. And he

definitely needs the spider to get

to this one.

He's making sure of the angle there.

Difficult to judge when you're

backwards, and then when you are

bridging over the other red, that's

doubly difficult. And with the reds

as they are, now he's doing what the

great Ray Reardon used to do, and

putting the rest on top of the

spider. There's going to be a bit of

movement, there. That's not a good

idea. He almost hit the red with the

top of the cue. Just watch the cue,

here, as he was pulling the rest and

the spider away. Oops!

the spider away. Oops!

Needs to be a

bit more prudent, try to keep it

safe.

safe. He's got a good lead.

I think

what it is, you are so disappointed

with the shot you played, now he's

got the extended spider out.

I didn't know that they could adjust

the height. That is a new one for

me. We've had problems with spiders,

we found problems with wasps today!

He is just saying that it's too

high.

high. He says that there is one than

the practice area.

the practice area. This seems like

the equipment they have got. The

rest used to have a higher side and

a lower side, and that has been done

away with, without asking the

players, it has to be said. I find

that rather strange.

REFEREE:

Lower?

It used to be

identical whichever way you hold it

now, but they'd used to be, you had

a little bit more height. They have

got two spiders in, now.

got two spiders in, now.

It would be

funny if he decided to play the

safety shot now, after all this!

CROWD GASPS

APPLAUSE

It was quite a risky one. He did

think about playing the safety shot.

And, with hindsight, we said that

very rarely does he play the wrong

shot, John Higgins, but he thought

long and hard about that, and he has

given Ryan a glimmer of hope now.

The two grist to the right side of

the table... But look at the bounce

he's got off the cushion, now.

he's got off the cushion, now. Just

kept on rolling, that.

kept on rolling, that. As Ken said,

they will be changing the cloth

after this last quarterfinal match.

Now he might try to bring those two

typical blades into play here. --

those two difficult reds. He is just

saying to the referee, these

cushions are springing. It will be

interesting to see tomorrow. He just

said to the referee, you couldn't

bring the table from the back in

here?!

CROWD LAUGHS.

Is seeking to have a go at this red

down the right-hand side of the

table was matter it is very

difficult, fraught with danger.

APPLAUSE

Good shot. Fantastic! Great pot. He

may be able with potting this black

to go into the red in the middle of

the table to try and hold the cue

ball.

CROWD GASPS

Too difficult.

Too difficult. He's been unlucky

when he potted that wonderful red

that the cue ball just drifted

towards this cushion near the black.

That rebels are short of the day and

of the best shots in this year's

Dafabet the Masters and the white

just ran that inch too far.

CROWD GASPS

He won't be bothered about the

red... Going into the mid-session

interval John Higgins Lee's Ryan Day

by three frames to one.

interval John Higgins Lee's Ryan Day

by three frames to one. Into frame

five it is John Higgins at the table

and he leads by 13 points to seven.

A good pot, but he didn't want the

cannon on the red, that's for sure.

And that tells me he's thinking

about the black, here. And he may be

thinking about the double.

APPLAUSE

CHEERING

A bit like yourself, he does like a

bubble, does John! -- likes a

double.

Nicely on this red at the bottom of

the pack, as well. He has just

pushed that red to the right of the

pack on, as well.

LONE APPLAUSE.

Somebody like that

shot!

CROWD LAUGHS.

shot!

CROWD LAUGHS. Is it hampered

slightly? A lovely split on the

reds. I'm sure, yet again, once the

whites started to spin again and it

stopped, then it finished up leaving

him probably needing the spider

again. And it's not a good angle,

that one, so he's taken the more

difficult cutback which will get him

on a baulk colour or the blue.

APPLAUSE

One more good positional shot, and

you'd have to say he has every

chance that this will be a 4-1, once

he's finished at the table.

I think the think pots into the

bottom left-hand corner pocket. He's

just coming around to have a look at

that. -- I think the pink pops.

that. -- I think the pink pops. He

can leave the cue ball somewhere

where the link is, now. The think

out of the way slightly, beyond two

reds into this corner pocket. --

where the pink is now.

You can't really see him making a

mistake from here. A quick glance at

the scores.

Another couple of reds things

following this pink.

And the frame

will be secure.

He's not playing at the top of his

game, but he's very solid. His B

Game is still so good.

Game is still so good.

He started

the match with a 43 break, then a

couple of 60 breaks, 61 and 63 in

the two previous frames, so doing

enough at the moment.

His long ball

game hasn't been the best tonight

but his safety has been pretty good.

Safety success, 82% from John

Higgins, long pot success, 82%.

He

had his chances, Ryan, and he played

a careless positional shot. This was

the one, potting the think, and he

left the white little bit lost,

really. -- potting the pinch. -- the

pink.

The black's not in but that doesn't

matter. Brian stays in his seat and

John King -- John Higgins continues

they left off before the mid-session

interval and then taking that frame,

he extends his lead

interval and then taking that frame,

he extends his lead to 4-1.

Into

frame six and it is Ryan Day at the

table leading by one point to nil.

Oh, just hit a linear jaw, that was

close. It just cut the near jaw, and

the pace, of course, as well.

That was all that kept that are red

out, and now John Higgins with a

delicate little cannon onto the

middle of the three reds, he will be

right in amongst them and it was him

that opened up the reds with an

attacking safety shot, so this is a

great shot, early in this sixth

brain. -- frame.

I tell you what is amazing, Ken,

it's six years since John has been

in the semifinals of the Masters.

That's incredible.

That's incredible.

Yes, for all the

records that he holds, that does

surprise me.

It just shows you how tough this

Masters is. The top 16 players in

the world in every match could be a

final. We have got an intruder back

again, but John is trying to keep

focused. Just flying around, another

wasp.

focused. Just flying around, another

wasp.

Yes, you can see the

determination in John 's face, he

knows the importance of this break.

Putting everything into this break.

He doesn't have to do much with the

cue ball.

cue ball. It is just a matter of

keeping the cue ball on a tight

leash.

Is there enough room for the pink to

go on its own spot? He checked it

with the ball marker and there is

enough enough just Mac there is just

enough room. It puts the pink out of

cushion but that does not really

matter. He has enough loose breads

there without taking blues all

blacks.

He left that a little short of where

he wanted it.

he wanted it. He is just looking to

see if the pink might possibly still

popped.

He feels he can see enough of this

pink.

A bit tight, isn't it? As I

mentioned, he has made 360 plus

breaks on the three previous frames

and he is on a bit of a roll now,

John, and he can do this to you when

we get going.

we get going. I mentioned it the

other day when I was in Poland and

he was playing Stuart Bingham in an

invitational tournament in China and

I was watching it on the television

and he was 8-6 behind and he made

three consecutive centuries to win

the match.

Yes, this is good stuff from John

Higgins.

Higgins. Ryan can only sit there and

just watch on. There is that red, of

course, to the right centre.

course, to the right centre. It is a

frame ball and it is going to be 5-1

to John Higgins. Ryan is going to

have to win all of the remaining

frames.

He has got better and better as the

match has gone on, Ryan -- John

Higgins.

Of course, he was 3-0 down to Ding

Junhui in the first round as he came

back to win that one.

back to win that one. Can we see our

first century tonight? He has a bit

of work to do.

Well, this is a tricky red that he

is faced with if he is going to make

a century. If he makes this one it

is a tough one. He has hit it well.

He has a bit of an angle on the

black to get in behind that

difficult last red.

Well, this is a key shot for the

century. We have had 23 so far this

year. The record is 31.

Very well played, John Higgins. He's

certainly enjoyed that, that is for

sure. That is his 37th century this

season. He made 50 last season, and

in total 699 centuries. Quite

amazing, isn't it?

Yes, incredible.

That is a lovely little shot, just

to bring the brown interplay.

to bring the brown interplay. I

wonder, will he make the 700th

century here at the Masters this

year. I would not put it past him.

He has missed the blue but it was a

wonderful break in the end the John

Higgins. He has another frame on the

board and he is only one more away

from a place in the semifinals.

So that century from John Higgins

was the 24th of this year 's

tournament which is only two behind

last year 's total. He is only one

frame away from a berth in the

semifinal and we pick it up with

Ryan Day at the table and no score.

He has just lost it a little bit and

it is quite understandable, it has

to be said, when he has been frozen

out for the last three or four

frames virtually.

This would be some shot here. He has

to try and make this plant.

to try and make this plant. Of

course, if you miss and bring the

reds interplay you are bound to lose

something. Pushed the boat out a

little bit there.

I think if the

scoreline was different he would not

have taken that plant on.

It did not go cleanly in the pocket,

that one. It just caught the side,

but safely in.

The chance is there for John

Higgins, and he will try to get this

quarterfinal match over with as

quickly as possible and get himself

ready for the semifinal.

ready for the semifinal. That got a

slight kick. It sounded like a kick

but it has not affected things.

If

he pots with black and takes the red

closest to discussion, this will

open the black into both corner

pockets now.

The one thing about great champions

if they are never scared of the

winning line. It is almost as if

they click a switch and they sense

the need when they have two.

the need when they have two. Well,

they are so used to it, Ken. He has

29 ranking titles so he is used to

closing matches out.

He has a bit of work to do here. He

can hold for that red that is near

the cushion there, just above the

white and yellow.

I think he just has enough angle to

get out onto one of the baulk

colours. Yes, throughout the 80s and

90s and with Stephen Hendry in the

90s, he used to finish so many

matches with a match-winning break,

as Steve Davis did throughout the

80s.

He has been unlucky, I think, so he

is not going to clinch the match

with this visit. He played the

attacking shot there. Hang on a

minute. Maybe he still has a pot to

go. If he was right behind the red

it would be pretty straightforward.

He has to cut it back.

He has to cut it back. He was a

little bit unlucky.

little bit unlucky. A glimmer of

hope for Ryan Day.

It is not on the red directly, I

don't think you can see enough of it

there to parted. The referee is

having a look but I don't think he

can put it straight on there, he may

have two then dipped slightly. He

may have to use the cushion but the

problem about the cushion here is

that the cue ball could end up in

the pack of reds here. Oh! How did

that stay out?

I cannot believe that

he has hit that red too thin. This

is quite incredible.

is quite incredible. No wonder he is

sitting there smiling. That was

amazing.

He needed that second one to go in

because otherwise it would have been

over the pocket and the black would

not have been portable. Look at this

again. Two for the price of one.

Anymore pace and the black would

have stayed out.

His second bite of the cherry to

clinch this quarterfinal.

He doesn't have to play the cannon

into the four reds here. The red

next to the pink will pot. He can

just stun across the face of it and

after potting of the red tape the

pink into the corner pocket.

pink into the corner pocket. 53

ahead and the pink will be 59. One

more red will be 60 with 59

remaining.

It has been a good solid performance

from John Higgins.

That should set up a cracking

semifinal against Mark Allen who has

also been playing very well this

week.

week. He has spotted a plant here.

Amazingly enough Ryan Day lost at

this stage last year 6-1 to Stephen

Maguire.

Maguire. He had a good victory over

Ding Junhui. He has had his first

ranking title win so we will be

seeing an awful lot more of Ryan

Day.

Always a nice feeling when you are

potting balls and you know you are

in the semifinal.

He is going to take some shopping --

stopping, isn't he? Mark Allen

playing some great snooker this week

as well. We also have Judd Trump

against Kyren Wilson in the other

semifinal. A great line-up.

Yes,

even though some of the favourites

went out you're always going to have

fantastic matches here in the

Masters.

Masters. He will have enjoyed this

performance because he knows Ryan

Day is a tough opponent. He made an

83 break in the second frame.

John Higgins in the end go straight

to the semifinal, comfortable win by

6-1.

to the semifinal, comfortable win by

6-1.

If he can claim like that most of

the time then he will be happy. I

was happy with how I played and to

get 6-1 against Ryan when he has

been playing very well this season,

delighted. I have not really done

great year so I am buzzing. A great

crowd. I think this is the best

venue that we play in. It is a

packed house almost every match and

that is fabulous. I look forward to

it.

The semifinal line-up is

complete. Tomorrow afternoon world

number three Judd Trump takes on

Kyren Wilson who is appearing in

only his second Masters.

In the

evening Mark Allen in his third

semifinal is against John Higgins

who won the title here in 99 and

2006. These two always have cracking

matches.

Yes, John Higgins is a

great form and you cannot argue with

what Mark Allen has done so far. The

tactics will be very eye and the

scoring very high as well.

Thank you

very much. We will be back tomorrow

here at 1:15pm for the first

semifinal between Judd Trump and

Kyren Wilson.