Day 1

:00:15. > :00:19.How well. It was here in this very room that television programmes

:00:19. > :00:24.first began. This was where the first regular television service

:00:24. > :00:31.began broadcasting for the BBC studios in the Alexandra Palace in

:00:31. > :00:36.north London. The year was 1936 and accents like main wealth and on the

:00:37. > :00:43.ground back then. The way pictures where produce when they are far cry

:00:43. > :00:50.from what we do today. Cumbersome cameras, gigantic valves and sue

:00:50. > :00:57.each generators - it looked more like a power station. But some

:00:57. > :01:04.things were familiar. They are slapping on the make-up! In these

:01:05. > :01:11.early days of TV, even jaw Davis was the young star. He had a long

:01:11. > :01:19.wait until his spot could be seen it in colour. This continued to be

:01:19. > :01:24.a main transmitting Centre until 1956. Now, 76 years on from that

:01:24. > :01:32.first historic transmission we are back in Alexandra Palace. We are

:01:32. > :01:40.going to bring you a transmission, minus the received pronunciation.

:01:40. > :01:50.It is all faster moving and a bit less formal. And there is the Steve

:01:50. > :01:51.

:01:51. > :02:01.Davis, rather than a shot day this. Alexandra Palace marks a brand new

:02:01. > :02:01.

:02:01. > :03:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:03:15. > :03:21.We have swapped one iconic London at one mark a - Wembley, which

:03:21. > :03:27.stage the Masters for 31 years, for one another. The Masters is the

:03:27. > :03:37.most prestigious Invitational event. Only the top 16 players in the

:03:37. > :03:44.world are invited to take part. Here is the full draw. It is

:03:44. > :03:54.raining champion the Ding Junhui, facing four-time winner Ronnie

:03:54. > :03:54.

:03:54. > :04:02.O'Sullivan. The new poster boy of snooker, Judd Trump takes on Stuart

:04:02. > :04:10.Bingham. Aiming to court one better than last month in York, Mark Allen

:04:10. > :04:20.takes on that Neil Robertson. Twice a winner of this event, but not for

:04:20. > :04:22.

:04:22. > :04:25.nine years, Mark Williams plays Stephen Maguire. Mark Selby again

:04:25. > :04:31.Stephen Lee is a repeat of the 2000 in the final and Stephen Lee will

:04:31. > :04:38.be hoping for a different outcome this time. Martin Gould makes his

:04:38. > :04:47.debut in this event against Shaun Murphy. Everyone hopes Ali Carter

:04:47. > :04:52.rediscover some of his snooker mojos soon. He takes on Graeme Dott.

:04:52. > :05:00.Reigning world champion John Higgins takes on the master at --

:05:00. > :05:06.Matthew Stevens, who is back after a five-year absence. This

:05:06. > :05:15.afternoon's opening match is a sell-out by the middle of last

:05:15. > :05:19.month. No wonder. It is a repeat of the 2007 final between it Ding

:05:20. > :05:25.Junhui been comforted by and Ronnie was Solomon after beating him that

:05:25. > :05:35.in an emotionally draining match. Five years on, the fortunes of both

:05:35. > :06:13.

:06:13. > :06:23.I do not think he had to hit it at that pace. He hit it much too hard.

:06:23. > :06:24.

:06:24. > :06:31.Ronnie O'Sullivan wins that on the I think that last frame has not a

:06:31. > :06:41.bit of the stuffing out of Ding Junhui. He really is amazing this

:06:41. > :06:46.

:06:46. > :06:56.He what formwork to shake the hand of Ronnie O'Sullivan. I think he

:06:56. > :07:01.

:07:01. > :07:11.thinks the match is over, but it is He is a class act, this boy. I just

:07:11. > :07:30.

:07:30. > :07:36.Ronnie O'Sullivan wins the Masters! The most talented snooker player we

:07:36. > :07:41.have I ever seen that produces the business. You have to feel sorry

:07:41. > :07:51.for the young man From Shanghai, but what a performance from Ronnie

:07:51. > :07:55.After a few worrying years for Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ronnie

:07:55. > :07:59.O'Sullivan was back to his very best back then. He followed it up

:07:59. > :08:05.at the end of the year with a great performance in the United Kingdom

:08:05. > :08:08.championship. The following year, he won the World Championship in

:08:08. > :08:15.2008. It look like Ronnie O'Sullivan was back to his

:08:15. > :08:22.brilliant best. As for Ding Junhui, he must have turned up thinking he

:08:22. > :08:32.was the best player in the world. To be dismantled so comprehensively

:08:32. > :08:34.

:08:34. > :08:38.must have come as a terrible shock to his system. After that 2008

:08:38. > :08:43.World Championship victory, the Ronnie was a love and the trophy

:08:43. > :08:51.cabinet has late slightly beer. Yes, he did when the 2009 Masters, but

:08:51. > :08:54.the big tournaments have eluded him since. The reason? The standard

:08:54. > :09:02.this and we got a lot better and also, Ronnie has seemed

:09:02. > :09:09.increasingly disillusioned with the game. After that final, Ding Junhui

:09:09. > :09:13.found himself on the slump. In 2009, there was recovery when he reached

:09:13. > :09:19.the final against Neil Robertson. Although he was beaten

:09:19. > :09:29.comprehensively, it was a step in the right direction. Then, he beat

:09:29. > :09:29.

:09:30. > :09:36.John Higgins to beat the United Kingdom championship. And what of

:09:36. > :09:39.Ronnie O'Sullivan this season? He has been beaten more often by it

:09:39. > :09:45.more minor players and opting out of the lot of tournaments. His

:09:45. > :09:54.ranking has suffered. The big question is, is Ronnie has all been

:09:54. > :09:59.going to channel all his energies into the game of snooker? So, Ding

:09:59. > :10:05.Junhui back at the top of his game. He is the reigning champions, but

:10:05. > :10:12.there is one burning question. Can he put the ghost of his past with

:10:12. > :10:21.erroneous of and behind them this afternoon? Since we were with you

:10:21. > :10:26.in your kid last month a lot has been happening. There were four

:10:26. > :10:33.maximums in three competition days, two of them by Ding Junhui. I am

:10:33. > :10:38.joined here by Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry. Yes, he has looked

:10:38. > :10:45.in fine form. To make two maximum breaks is amazing. Ronnie

:10:45. > :10:49.O'Sullivan has 12 maximums breaks. The gentleman behind me has a love-

:10:49. > :10:56.in. Be a miss here this afternoon is going to be incredible. It does

:10:56. > :11:01.not get any better than that. Everyone wants the master spy on

:11:01. > :11:08.their CV. It is the top 16 and the toughest tournament in the world to

:11:08. > :11:15.win. Stephen, this is your first time in 24 years that you're not

:11:15. > :11:20.playing at the Masters. Ronnie O'Sullivan is 16 in the world

:11:20. > :11:26.rankings and only just great an invitation. How big this season is

:11:26. > :11:36.this? I am sure Ronnie will not want to go and have to try and

:11:36. > :11:46.qualify, just like I am having to do. But this is a big one. This was

:11:46. > :11:46.

:11:46. > :11:50.always second on my list to win. Why was that? As Dennis said, it is

:11:50. > :11:56.the best 16 players and the world and you want to prove yourself

:11:57. > :12:05.against the other 15. This is the first time I have been in this

:12:05. > :12:08.venue and it looks sensational. is the sell-out crowd of 1,500 here

:12:09. > :12:17.at Alexandra Palace and I know that a working see Rob Walker is pretty

:12:17. > :12:21.keen to get on with the game as well. Good afternoon. A new name

:12:21. > :12:31.and the new venue. Welcome to the Alexander Palace for the BGC

:12:31. > :12:41.

:12:41. > :12:48.Masters. Let us get the boys on the Please welcome, the most naturally

:12:48. > :12:55.gifted player ever to grace the modern game. He has played in the

:12:55. > :13:05.Masters final four times as a winner. Here comes the Rocket, or

:13:05. > :13:27.

:13:27. > :13:34.Ronnie O'Sullivan it. Ronnie, what a fantastic reception.

:13:35. > :13:38.This tournament has been very special to you in the past? Yes,

:13:38. > :13:48.egg it has and I are looking forward to playing in this new

:13:48. > :13:49.

:13:49. > :13:55.And please welcome his opponent, a national hero in China. The winner

:13:55. > :14:02.of four ranking event titles. He enjoyed the sensational run to the

:14:02. > :14:12.final 12 months ago, please welcome the defending champion, to Enter

:14:12. > :14:29.

:14:30. > :14:34.The Dragon, Ding Junhui! This is what world-class snooker is

:14:34. > :14:44.all about - a world-class opponent and the great reception from the

:14:44. > :14:54.crowd. Are you confident you will be able to live up to this question

:14:54. > :15:04.

:15:04. > :15:14.As is the tradition, the defending champion plays in the first match.

:15:14. > :15:24.

:15:24. > :15:33.REFEREE: Friend No. 1, Ding Junhui What a reception both players got

:15:33. > :15:39.from the crowd. It should be a terrific final in any tournament.

:15:39. > :15:44.Yes, the fact that Ronnie has slipped down the rankings means

:15:44. > :15:54.that Ding Junhui is rather unfortunate to find himself paired

:15:54. > :15:58.

:15:58. > :16:04.with Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first There is the crowd at the Alexandra

:16:04. > :16:14.Palace. I am sure it will be similar set of supporters who used

:16:14. > :16:30.

:16:30. > :16:35.First mistake from Ding Junhui. There was a poor safety shot. They

:16:35. > :16:45.will have to see if Ronnie can knock this first ball in into the

:16:45. > :16:57.

:16:57. > :17:07.Obviously, there was enough room to hold for the pink, so not a mad

:17:07. > :17:17.

:17:17. > :17:23.early opportunity. -- a bad early This is the first time they have

:17:23. > :17:33.seen it either of these days this year. Neither of them played at the

:17:33. > :17:33.

:17:33. > :18:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:18:13. > :18:23.event in Munich at the start of This table looks pretty lively. It

:18:23. > :18:23.

:18:23. > :18:33.always has fairly fast at the Masters. That was the reason for

:18:33. > :18:39.

:18:39. > :18:44.the mess. He ran slightly out of You cannot help but feel a little

:18:44. > :18:49.bit nervous on an occasion like this. But both these players are

:18:49. > :18:59.bigger occasion players. It will not take them long to get into

:18:59. > :19:11.

:19:11. > :19:20.A surprising us from Ding Junhui, but he has not left anything. There

:19:20. > :19:25.is a red up next to the law, but that is very risky. He is looking

:19:25. > :19:35.at leaving the white ball down on the baulk cushion so that he come

:19:35. > :19:59.

:19:59. > :20:05.He has got that in the pocket. The doors open just before midday and

:20:05. > :20:11.the crowd can in quickly - not quite that quickly! Within 20

:20:11. > :20:21.minutes, the place was absolutely full. The first people in get the

:20:21. > :20:24.

:20:24. > :20:34.best seats. There is no speedy boarding here! Now, has he come

:20:34. > :20:40.

:20:40. > :20:50.Nor, at their you can see it. It is a risky one. If he does pot it, he

:20:50. > :20:53.

:20:53. > :21:03.should finish on the black. He has definitely settled the

:21:03. > :21:31.

:21:31. > :21:38.He might have to play a delicate little cannon. But he took his eye

:21:38. > :21:48.off the pot. It is amazing how often that happens. That will annoy

:21:48. > :21:53.a Ronnie O'Sullivan to miss a pot like that. You can count on one

:21:53. > :22:02.hand the number of blacks off the spot that Ronnie O'Sullivan will

:22:02. > :22:07.miss in the course of the season. So, at Ding Junhui has got the

:22:07. > :22:17.first good chance of this frame. He is rather fortunate that he is

:22:17. > :22:21.

:22:21. > :22:29.coming to the table when Ronnie has Yes, if Ronnie had got matt-black,

:22:29. > :22:39.he would be taking all these. It is a terrific chance now for the

:22:39. > :22:44.

:22:44. > :22:51.As we said, he has hit took maximum breaks in the last couple of days.

:22:51. > :23:01.And congratulations to use even, I hear you qualified for the big

:23:01. > :23:06.

:23:06. > :23:15.event in China yesterday? Yes, I did, thank you. Yes, I think these

:23:15. > :23:20.events in Sheffield you can watch on the internet. That is the reason

:23:20. > :23:29.you're seen so many maximum breaks - the players are playing so much

:23:29. > :23:39.snooker. Yes, I think Ding Junhui made them in consecutive days,

:23:39. > :24:17.

:24:17. > :24:24.which I presume has never been done He does not want to be absolutely

:24:24. > :24:33.straight on the black. I think the back red of these the below the

:24:33. > :24:38.pink will call into the right-hand bottom corner. That is OK. He will

:24:38. > :24:48.develop the other two reds off this. It is just a matter of what colour

:24:48. > :24:59.

:24:59. > :25:09.he can finish on here. A prisoner The one on the left side is now the

:25:09. > :25:12.

:25:12. > :25:22.only difficult red on the table. The two up by the yellow are not

:25:22. > :25:41.

:25:41. > :25:47.He looks to be a bit straight on the split. So, he has played for

:25:47. > :25:57.the difficult red and this is now the key ball. He does not have to

:25:57. > :25:59.

:25:59. > :26:03.force the thin, but can just drop it in the softly. Yes, if he did

:26:03. > :26:11.not need all three of the reds he would definitely have played for

:26:11. > :26:21.the easier ones up the table, but he does need all three of them. On

:26:21. > :26:29.

:26:29. > :26:37.a brown new cloth, if you play he's He now has the natural angle on the

:26:37. > :26:47.black and does not have to put it in a spin on the white ball. Yes,

:26:47. > :27:07.

:27:07. > :27:13.it should end up somewhere near the Absolutely amazing. He was thinking

:27:13. > :27:23.about developing the other red and took his eye off the pot. He was

:27:23. > :27:31.

:27:31. > :27:41.concentrating on the cannon on the Although it is the best of the love

:27:41. > :27:46.

:27:46. > :27:55.and frames, thus opening frame He has come up a little bit shot.

:27:55. > :28:05.This is an awkward shot. It is difficult to pick up the angle when

:28:05. > :28:18.

:28:18. > :28:28.you are this close to the object The yellow been off its spot makes

:28:28. > :28:51.

:28:51. > :29:01.He will probably stunner cross for Still glancing around at the

:29:01. > :29:09.

:29:09. > :29:19.scoreboard to see exactly what he Just blue and pink for a frame that

:29:19. > :29:35.

:29:35. > :29:42.I think Ronnie probably thought he Well! Ding missed that very easy

:29:42. > :29:47.one to give Ronnie O'Sullivan the opening frame, and he leads 1-0.

:29:47. > :29:51.HAZEL IRVINE: And here in our bobble studio, we have a Grandstand

:29:52. > :29:55.view of the match table and everything going around. We have

:29:55. > :29:59.been enjoying the pre-match warm-up because you might know that Rob

:29:59. > :30:04.Walker gets the crowd going by having a walk-on rehearsal for the

:30:04. > :30:09.players. And guess who was playing the pot of Ronnie O'Sullivan! Yes,

:30:09. > :30:14.that is Ronnie O'Sullivan. That is Ronnie junior, at Ronnie's young

:30:14. > :30:18.son. And here becomes, editor overwhelmed by the noise. But once

:30:18. > :30:26.he found his bearings, he eventually settled into his dad's

:30:26. > :30:33.chair. There's his grandmother and his sister, Lily, on their mother's

:30:33. > :30:40.need. He has rather upstaged his father already! -- on her mother's

:30:40. > :30:47.knee. I came in very early to see some prix records and the venue

:30:47. > :30:51.looked great but you never get to see the atmosphere, but 1,500

:30:51. > :30:57.people in here is fantastic. What do you think of what we have seen

:30:57. > :31:07.so far, Steve? It is great to see a full house. Obviously, Ronnie

:31:07. > :31:10.O'Sullivan play. And tonight, over 1,000 tickets already sold. It

:31:10. > :31:16.looks good for the future of snooker and events like this are

:31:16. > :31:26.important. I am sure Ronnie appreciate that his family is here

:31:26. > :31:26.

:31:26. > :31:34.to watch him. Back to the table. DENNIS TAYLOR: Just a few people

:31:34. > :31:44.getting back into their seats. A few late comers. That is if they

:31:44. > :31:44.

:31:45. > :31:50.can find a seat this afternoon. It is first come, first served. And

:31:50. > :32:00.there's Ronnie's family, with his mother, Maria. His two lovely

:32:00. > :32:05.

:32:05. > :32:10.A pretty good break-off shot, Stephen? Yes. He has covered it

:32:10. > :32:16.with the brown. He has got a red on the right hand cushion and

:32:16. > :32:21.obviously a very tough pot. If he misses, he will leave Ronnie right

:32:21. > :32:31.in amongst the balls. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and go for

:32:31. > :32:36.

:32:36. > :32:46.The natural angle to come off the cushion and into the bunch, look at

:32:46. > :32:55.

:32:55. > :33:02.the yellow. That is why he is not Groaning from the crowd. He always

:33:02. > :33:05.knew he would leave some pot on for Ronnie. A slight shot to nothing

:33:05. > :33:15.and did not play for position on the black, which would have meant

:33:15. > :33:27.

:33:27. > :33:34.hitting the shot a lot harder to go Didn't even get in the jaws of the

:33:34. > :33:44.pocket. Ding was in trouble and all of a sudden, Ronnie not getting

:33:44. > :34:20.

:34:20. > :34:30.close to that pot and it is Ding Not a guaranteed position here. He

:34:30. > :34:45.

:34:45. > :34:55.will have to play the cannon on the The overhead camera just showing

:34:55. > :35:14.

:35:14. > :35:22.you that cannon, which didn't work It is quite amazing. The players

:35:22. > :35:29.from the Far East are terrific at potting the round -- the balls into

:35:29. > :35:39.the middle pocket. I don't know... They just seem to have no problem

:35:39. > :36:01.

:36:01. > :36:11.A good red to remove here. That He has given himself a bit of a

:36:11. > :36:29.

:36:29. > :36:34.problem here, Stephen? Yes. Again, A little bit of tension out there.

:36:34. > :36:44.Neither player has really settled. A pretty good opening frame but a

:36:44. > :36:58.

:36:58. > :37:07.few easy pots missed by both A good plant there with a fair bit

:37:07. > :37:17.of distance between the reds. And he has judged that pretty well.

:37:17. > :37:19.

:37:19. > :37:29.Slightly hampered but good pace on He looks a bit rusty because he

:37:29. > :37:30.

:37:31. > :37:40.hasn't played since the Second It might take him a bit of time to

:37:41. > :37:52.

:37:52. > :38:01.As we mentioned earlier, that is the reason Ronnie has dropped out

:38:01. > :38:11.of being number six -- in the 16th in the world -- in the top 16 in

:38:11. > :38:28.

:38:28. > :38:36.Not a bad safety shot. No colour to play behind because of the yellow,

:38:36. > :38:46.so you just want to get the white as close to the cushion as possible.

:38:46. > :38:46.

:38:46. > :38:56.He might be able to swing this wide a round the angles. -- this white

:38:56. > :39:04.

:39:04. > :39:14.That might be too close to the pocket. If the red over the pocket

:39:14. > :39:16.

:39:16. > :39:22.were slightly to the left, it would He could quite easily double-kiss

:39:23. > :39:32.this if he doesn't get it right. He has got to get it right into the

:39:33. > :39:46.

:39:46. > :39:56.It looked easy and he got the double-kiss. They are surprised he

:39:56. > :40:06.didn't look at the one near the cushion. He played a nothing of

:40:06. > :40:06.

:40:06. > :40:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:40:47. > :40:53.shot in the end. Yes, and the This is the third time these

:40:53. > :41:03.players have played in the Masters. They were talking in the studio

:41:03. > :41:03.

:41:03. > :41:08.about the 2007 final when Ronnie won. It is 16 frames for warning

:41:08. > :41:17.name and only four for Ding. Not that the players will be thinking

:41:17. > :41:24.about that. But that is what the statistics tell us. Definitely both

:41:24. > :41:34.players will have a lot of respect for each of a's game. -- to each

:41:34. > :41:55.

:41:55. > :42:05.I am sure both of these players will settle down and give us a

:42:05. > :42:16.

:42:16. > :42:26.Sometimes it takes just one player to do something special to spark

:42:26. > :42:29.

:42:29. > :42:39.That is where I went wrong play new, Stephen. I didn't miss enough to

:42:39. > :42:57.

:42:57. > :43:03.Can he get on to the two reds? If the green would go, it would be a

:43:03. > :43:13.better angle to get up to the reds. He has got to it is pretty hard to

:43:13. > :43:13.

:43:13. > :44:01.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:44:01. > :44:11.At present, he is just favourite to Worth a risk, that double. And then

:44:11. > :44:11.

:44:11. > :45:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:45:08. > :45:11.A nice easy red to leave your Ding stays in his seat, so the best

:45:11. > :45:18.possible start for Ronnie O'Sullivan. He can't do any better

:45:18. > :45:23.than winning the two opening frames. He leads 2-0. Both players still a

:45:23. > :45:29.bit edgy and quite understandable with the new venue. Ding has missed

:45:29. > :45:32.a few chances. He had an awkward chance there where I thought he had

:45:32. > :45:38.a bigger pocket, and in the end, this is the situation we are faced

:45:38. > :45:45.with. I thought the red to the cushion would go in. In the end,

:45:45. > :45:51.Ding decided to try to knock the one in over the pocket. And then he

:45:51. > :45:57.got the double a kiss. We will just show you the shot there. Pretty

:45:57. > :46:01.awkward, Stephen? Yes. Both players are making mistakes, but

:46:01. > :46:07.unfortunately for Ding, he has made the last mistakes and it has left

:46:07. > :46:14.Ronnie with the upper hand and able to make the break. Ronnie doesn't

:46:14. > :46:18.look as sharp as he can look. As you said, he had a break over

:46:18. > :46:28.Christmas and the new year and has not played in a championship. Ding

:46:28. > :46:29.

:46:29. > :46:39.has played in the PTC events. He will be wanting to do well. Just

:46:39. > :46:45.

:46:46. > :46:55.getting people into their seats as Of course, there used to darts here,

:46:56. > :46:59.

:46:59. > :47:04.Dennis. -- they are reduced to darts. Quite a bit quieter!

:47:05. > :47:11.terrific crowd here and it always is in London. And a very fair crowd.

:47:11. > :47:16.They tend to favour people like Ronnie, Jimmy White, Steve Davis.

:47:16. > :47:26.But if their opponents produce the goods, they get the respect. And a

:47:26. > :47:33.

:47:33. > :47:43.A Ronnie O'Sullivan special, that. You can't have cue the ball better

:47:43. > :47:56.

:47:56. > :48:01.He can't do better than that with his long pot success rate. Yes. One

:48:01. > :48:11.part of his game that he never seems to be happy with but four out

:48:11. > :48:11.

:48:11. > :48:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:48:52. > :48:57.That red will still pot when the He has done the same as he did in

:48:57. > :49:07.the first frame with that red. He now has a thinner pot than he would

:49:07. > :49:42.

:49:42. > :49:52.Not the best angle to go into them For one to the left of the pink

:49:52. > :50:07.

:50:07. > :50:14.It is not going to be easy. He has made 12 maximum breaks on

:50:14. > :50:20.television. He might be able to get into the angle to take one in the

:50:20. > :50:25.middle but couldn't have finished more awkwardly there. About an inch

:50:25. > :50:35.too straight on the black to make going into the pack easy. Had to

:50:35. > :50:50.

:50:50. > :50:56.force it a bit. But still unlucky If Brendan Moore started the

:50:56. > :51:06.opening match and he will be doing his first ever final. He will be

:51:06. > :51:17.

:51:17. > :51:21.Ronnie will be irritated with this end of break. You can bet your

:51:22. > :51:31.bottom dollar that he was thinking about a maximum and to be the first

:51:32. > :51:44.

:51:44. > :51:54.A 48-point advantage. But the way the reds are, this frame is far

:51:54. > :52:16.

:52:16. > :52:26.He doesn't want to go three down. And that was close to the pocket!

:52:26. > :52:40.

:52:40. > :52:45.Tight on the jaw of the pocket but A pretty good effort it! One red

:52:45. > :52:55.has gone on the cushion, which is a bonus for Ronnie, but the chance

:52:55. > :53:28.

:53:28. > :53:38.What about that for a shot into the middle pocket to get the cue ball

:53:38. > :53:38.

:53:38. > :55:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:55:11. > :55:17.He didn't get into the cue ball as Just finished a little straight on

:55:17. > :55:27.the black. A quick glance at the pink but where the reds are, he

:55:27. > :55:34.

:55:34. > :55:44.doesn't have too much to do with It would be nice for him to bring

:55:44. > :56:17.

:56:17. > :56:27.A little cannon onto the red might The only problem now is the one red

:56:27. > :56:30.

:56:30. > :56:40.we mentioned, near the right hand And a Stephen mentioned, this is

:56:40. > :57:08.

:57:08. > :57:14.such an important frame for Ding to Ding might try to move this off

:57:14. > :57:24.that shot. You would think he would finish on a colour if he didn't

:57:24. > :57:31.

:57:31. > :57:38.move it. Let's see what he decides Not bad. If he can get to the brown,

:57:38. > :57:47.he is OK, but it has dropped right on the yellow. He was so close to

:57:47. > :57:57.bringing it into play. But has it gone too far? I think it might have.

:57:57. > :58:03.

:58:03. > :58:07.If he hits the red full ball, he Other players might think

:58:07. > :58:17.differently but I wouldn't have played that shot. But maybe that is

:58:17. > :58:19.

:58:19. > :58:29.I believe you! Seven-times world champion, six times Masters

:58:29. > :58:51.

:58:51. > :59:01.Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! They don't come any better than

:59:01. > :59:20.

:59:20. > :59:25.It all looked pretty straightforward for Ronnie

:59:25. > :59:33.O'Sullivan. But having said that, Ding Junhui has all were screwed

:59:33. > :59:43.out. Ronnie hit six red and six blacks and was very unlucky to

:59:43. > :59:57.

:59:57. > :00:07.stick on to the pack and not leave The problem was resolved. The brown

:00:07. > :00:30.

:00:31. > :00:36.and blue will give him his first There where a few misses in the

:00:36. > :00:41.opening two frames, but there was very little mist in that frame. It

:00:41. > :00:51.was unlucky for Ronnie O'Sullivan to stick one to the pack of red,

:00:51. > :00:59.

:00:59. > :01:08.but Ding Junhui is on the board. 2- That was terrific cueing. Yes,

:01:08. > :01:13.because if he missed this, he could have gone three frames behind. He

:01:13. > :01:21.deserved what he got there. We can safely say that both players have

:01:21. > :01:30.now settled down in the match. is a new venue and a different kind

:01:30. > :01:36.of atmosphere. In some respects, Ding Junhui was slow off the blocks.

:01:36. > :01:42.Yes, Stephen made a very good point in commentary about match sharpness.

:01:42. > :01:49.You cannot substitute what you do in practice compared to what you

:01:49. > :01:54.can do it in a match. In the first couple of frames, Ding Junhui

:01:54. > :02:02.missed a couple of opportunities. He missed the boat a little bit.

:02:02. > :02:12.But he has settled down a bit. Ronnie was clearly suffering before

:02:12. > :02:12.

:02:12. > :02:15.Christmas. He was suffering from a virus. Yes, we now have gone from

:02:15. > :02:19.player saying they have not got enough match practice a couple of

:02:19. > :02:29.years ago to them now say now that there is far too much tournament

:02:29. > :02:49.

:02:49. > :02:59.DENNIS TAYLOR: There is a little gap to snick off the prick of red.

:02:59. > :03:06.

:03:06. > :03:13.Me think the black is available in to the bottom right-hand corner,

:03:13. > :03:23.but the black ball will not be available. He will have to play for

:03:23. > :03:26.

:03:26. > :03:33.the blue off this one. He seemed to Harley touch that, but the action

:03:33. > :03:43.he got off that was amazing. He put a lot of left-hand side on that,

:03:43. > :03:50.

:03:50. > :03:59.which allowed the weight to spin If he is dead straight on that, it

:03:59. > :04:05.opens the black up. He is perfect. You can see, that the tip of the

:04:05. > :04:15.cue comes back nearly two his thumb when he plays these screw shot. He

:04:15. > :04:51.

:04:51. > :05:01.It looks as if both players have settled down now. In the last frame,

:05:01. > :05:02.

:05:02. > :05:12.there was very little nest by either of them. -- missed. The

:05:12. > :05:14.

:05:14. > :05:21.Masters has always been it the The mid-session interval was coming

:05:21. > :05:31.up after this frame. Ronnie would be very pleased if he could get any

:05:31. > :05:36.

:05:37. > :05:46.There is his pot success rate. Any time you get into the Nineties, you

:05:47. > :06:05.

:06:05. > :06:10.You could hear a pin drop at the moment. There are 1,500 people in

:06:10. > :06:20.here. It is the capacity crowd for the first match of this year's

:06:20. > :06:20.

:06:20. > :07:24.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:07:24. > :07:34.It has just taken over four minutes for this effort. He has almost

:07:34. > :07:39.

:07:39. > :07:43.clinched the frame. He is a few It is not often that you see a

:07:43. > :07:53.frame-winning break without Ronnie doing some sort of shot to develop

:07:53. > :07:54.

:07:54. > :07:59.the reds, but he has not had to do that and this one. There is Ronnie

:07:59. > :08:09.Jnr, who we saw been introduced before play started. We saw him

:08:09. > :08:11.

:08:12. > :08:17.coming down the stairs with his The frame is safe and this could be

:08:17. > :08:26.the first century we have seen at Alexandra Palace. Not now, but he

:08:26. > :08:31.will not bother too much about missing the pink. So, two frames

:08:32. > :08:41.were a bit edgy for both players, but the second to were a lot better.

:08:42. > :08:42.

:08:42. > :08:51.Ronnie goes to the interval leading Who looks the better player in

:08:51. > :08:56.touch? We saw that in that frame. That was a beautifully constructed

:08:56. > :09:01.break from Ronnie. Going back to this venue and the Masters itself,

:09:01. > :09:09.every match is like a final. With the one-table set-up, all eyes are

:09:09. > :09:15.on you. In most other tournaments, by the time you get to one table,

:09:15. > :09:25.you are usually in the latter stages of a tournament. As yet,

:09:25. > :09:28.

:09:28. > :09:33.Ding Junhui has not fulfilled his potential this season. You wonder

:09:33. > :09:43.if it helps that Ronnie is in front of the home crowd. How much do you

:09:43. > :09:47.think key phrase with this sort of support? Yes, I think he likes the

:09:47. > :09:57.fact that he has got a normal routine. He does not have to stay

:09:57. > :10:02.

:10:02. > :10:06.another tell, but simply goes home. We were talking before about this

:10:06. > :10:13.is a bit of the crossroads for Ronnie O'Sullivan in his career. He

:10:13. > :10:20.has now just ranked No. 16 in the world. He was seeing himself that

:10:20. > :10:26.he thinks he has to win that either the big tournaments in Germany or

:10:26. > :10:35.Wales to actually be in the top 16. It would be unthinkable that, after

:10:35. > :10:40.19 years, he might disappear from the top 16, isn't it? Yes, but it

:10:40. > :10:48.is a problem facing a lot of the players now. If you do not playing

:10:48. > :10:52.enough events, then you will have this. If you do not want to stay

:10:52. > :10:56.away from home and do the travelling, you are going to be

:10:56. > :11:05.penalised by the current ranking system. Other players to play in

:11:05. > :11:10.everything, will get the advantages from it. In fact, he was just about

:11:10. > :11:20.one frame away from being knocked out of the top 16. These are

:11:20. > :11:20.

:11:20. > :11:24.challenging times for Ronnie. all I am saying is that he has to

:11:24. > :11:28.qualify for the World Championships, there will be a few people up

:11:28. > :11:37.sitting at home saying to themselves, goodness, I do not want

:11:37. > :11:42.to draw him in the qualifying round! The winner of the last

:11:42. > :11:47.ranking event was Stephen Maguire and he will be in action this

:11:47. > :11:53.evening. He is a player who is coming back to form and is up

:11:53. > :12:03.against Mark Williams, a two-time event of this event, but not since

:12:03. > :12:19.

:12:19. > :12:27.2003. Let us get a bit of I get on with anyone. I just like

:12:27. > :12:33.to have a laugh. Most of the people are all like that. When you are out

:12:33. > :12:43.there playing, it does not make a great deal of difference. I just

:12:43. > :12:49.

:12:49. > :12:52.concentrate on the balls on the table. I liked speed. Nothing gives

:12:52. > :13:00.you the table speed and acceleration that you can get from

:13:00. > :13:07.a motorbike. I used to play a lot of Badminton, three or four times a

:13:07. > :13:17.week. But apart from that, I do not have any hidden talent. And I am

:13:17. > :13:17.

:13:17. > :13:24.not very good at that these days! Their games you're going to enjoy

:13:24. > :13:34.it are against the likes of Ronnie was solvent. These are the ones

:13:34. > :13:49.

:13:49. > :13:53.Getting the balance right between been far too nice to be a top-class

:13:53. > :14:02.competitor and having to go on for anger management sessions is a

:14:02. > :14:06.tough one! Yes, Stephen is a different type of guy. But it

:14:06. > :14:13.definitely works for him. He expresses himself on the table,

:14:13. > :14:18.which is fantastic to see. If he is not happy, he is not worried to let

:14:18. > :14:25.everyone see. He can be intimidating. He is an awesome

:14:25. > :14:30.player. If I like to see people expressing emotion. In the past, it

:14:30. > :14:37.was not the done thing, but as long as they can control it, I have no

:14:37. > :14:41.problem with that. Yes, me personally, I would not want to do

:14:41. > :14:46.that, but it does seem to help him. The last couple of seasons he has

:14:46. > :14:55.not really lived up to his potential. I saw an interview a

:14:55. > :15:02.couple of years ago when he thought he would dominate the spot. He just

:15:02. > :15:10.seems to have lost his way a little bit. Has he lost his way because

:15:10. > :15:15.other players have got better or because he has stagnated? He used

:15:15. > :15:20.to practise for cause and hours. I do not know if he is quite is

:15:20. > :15:28.dedicated. Maybe he is not quite as in love with the game as he once

:15:28. > :15:34.was. When you see his reaction round the table, he must have some

:15:34. > :15:38.sort Buchholz and his cues have taken a bit of abuse! He did not

:15:38. > :15:43.used to do that. Maybe it is frustration with him not winning

:15:43. > :15:53.matches he thinks that he should be. But as regards a powerful presence

:15:53. > :15:55.

:15:55. > :15:58.round the table, there are very few players like him. Yes, a lot of

:15:58. > :16:03.players have come through at the same time and Stephen was leading

:16:03. > :16:09.the race out of all of us. He was the one winning tournaments before

:16:09. > :16:12.any of us. He won the United Kingdom championship and the look

:16:12. > :16:17.like he would dominate the game for 10 years if he kept playing like

:16:17. > :16:22.that. It is probably just finding that balance between getting to the

:16:22. > :16:29.point where it is bad for your game, in terms of temperament wise. On

:16:29. > :16:38.the table, when he was working with Terry Griffiths, Terry seemed to

:16:38. > :16:45.Camb him down. Now, he is perhaps doing it at the wrong time. May be

:16:45. > :16:52.upon us are getting positive feedback from it. -- opponents are

:16:52. > :17:02.getting positive feedback. And that match will be live on the red

:17:02. > :17:08.button from 7pm. You can see highlights tonight at midnight.

:17:08. > :17:16.Stephen Maguire has never made the winner's circle here, but he has

:17:16. > :17:19.got a very good record against Mark Williams. Yes, I do not know if

:17:19. > :17:24.many of these matches were played in the period when Mark Williams

:17:25. > :17:28.was really struggling. Mark Williams is one of my favourite

:17:28. > :17:38.players to watch and if you have got a record like that, you could

:17:38. > :17:38.

:17:38. > :17:42.be proud of it. Now, Mark Williams is number two in the world. The way

:17:42. > :17:52.he has resurrected his career, how would you fancy his chances at

:17:52. > :17:53.

:17:54. > :17:59.Alexandra Palace? He is such a great competitor. A winner of this

:17:59. > :18:05.magnitude would really put him right back in the picture. At the

:18:05. > :18:15.moment, he has yet to confirm himself fully as the best in the

:18:15. > :18:18.

:18:18. > :18:28.world. He is not far from it. should be quite a match? Yes, with

:18:28. > :18:37.Stephen Maguire just winning in Germany it should be good. Now, the

:18:37. > :18:40.Alexander Palace has been a busy place in the past couple of weeks.

:18:40. > :18:48.It hosted the World Darts Championship in the past couple of

:18:48. > :18:52.weeks and one player who was glued to the television screen is Martin

:18:52. > :19:02.Gould. He had even thought of taking it up professionally of

:19:02. > :19:06.

:19:06. > :19:15.things did not go so well on the Isle of darts. I do not play it as

:19:15. > :19:20.much as I like. I get the odd game here and there. I love going to the

:19:20. > :19:29.darts. I love the whole atmosphere and the way the crowd interacts.

:19:29. > :19:39.Whenever it is on the telly, I always make sure I watch it. This

:19:39. > :19:39.

:19:39. > :19:45.is for the title, double Ten. It is they're! Phil Taylor is an awesome

:19:45. > :19:55.sportsman. His will to win is amazing. He still dedicates eight

:19:55. > :20:00.

:20:00. > :20:10.on main cause of the in practice to winning. Double top! Yes! It is

:20:10. > :20:13.

:20:13. > :20:17.that sort of dedication I like to see and a top sportsman. I would

:20:17. > :20:22.say this will like to give the Daks tour in go. I know I would need to

:20:22. > :20:30.put a lot of work in, but I would love to play again some of the big

:20:30. > :20:38.boys. Or fly, Phil Taylor will still be around when I make it. I

:20:38. > :20:44.would love to put myself against Phil Taylor. I have a D cup loss

:20:44. > :20:54.bankings from Shaun Murphy, but I know if I can get on to my game

:20:54. > :21:04.straight away, I should be all right. Martin will be putting the

:21:04. > :21:05.

:21:05. > :21:10.it darts away tomorrow evening. By game is on BBC2 tomorrow. Now,

:21:10. > :21:20.talking of darts, we have the other World Championship final at the

:21:20. > :21:21.

:21:22. > :21:30.Lakeside this evening. So really there Neelie man. Double 10! He has

:21:30. > :21:38.got it! It means absolutely everything for Tony O'Shea. He is

:21:38. > :21:43.back in his second World Championship final. I have got some

:21:43. > :21:50.experience at least in playing at the Lakeside final. Even the life

:21:50. > :21:59.lost, I think I learnt from a drop from it. That semi-final was tough.

:21:59. > :22:09.It was 5-5. I think I learned from it. I think if I am in another

:22:09. > :22:10.

:22:10. > :22:20.final it will be a different story. Game, Short and the match! The coal

:22:20. > :22:24.

:22:24. > :22:29.fire goes all the way to the final! -- the qualifier. The language

:22:30. > :22:36.barrier has been a major bonus for him. No one has been able to get

:22:36. > :22:46.into his head! You can see stuff to other players and it gets under

:22:46. > :22:52.

:22:52. > :23:01.their skin, but not to him. TRANSLATION: I am just going to go

:23:01. > :23:11.out there and be myself. How the crowd are loving this! The crowd

:23:11. > :23:15.

:23:15. > :23:21.are all singing. During the tour, I have lost in everything. I even had

:23:21. > :23:31.any nine dart finish and still lost. To actually win one would mean I

:23:31. > :23:32.

:23:32. > :23:40.could retire happy man. There it is, at quarter to six on BBC2. What a

:23:40. > :23:49.story we have had at the Lakeside this week. I am very looking

:23:49. > :23:59.forward to that. I am sure Steve and John are as well. Yes, I have

:23:59. > :24:02.

:24:02. > :24:09.started playing a bit. I play against my son. Let us get back to

:24:09. > :24:17.the snooker. Ronnie O'Sullivan is in a good position, 3-1 ahead, with

:24:17. > :24:26.the first to six frames the winner. What does Ding Junhui have to do?

:24:26. > :24:30.The alarm bells up are already ringing if you are 3-1 down. He

:24:30. > :24:40.really just has to see her things can go his way. Ronnie O'Sullivan

:24:40. > :24:41.

:24:41. > :24:50.is a good front runner. How would you have been if your children were

:24:50. > :24:54.sitting in the front row? I would not like to have been in that

:24:54. > :24:59.situation. My wife used to come and watch me, but I'm not sure they

:24:59. > :25:09.would have liked the children there. There may be a bit too much emotion

:25:09. > :25:28.

:25:28. > :25:38.I do not think that the plant. I think he is just playing the safety

:25:38. > :25:45.

:25:45. > :25:55.This gives Ding Junhui the have a chance. This is the type of shot

:25:55. > :26:11.

:26:11. > :26:21.He pleaded with the slight element of safety, coming back for the

:26:21. > :26:24.

:26:24. > :26:33.yellow. But he is still a nice The black does not pot into the

:26:33. > :26:43.left corner. He will possibly play for the pink into the left of

:26:43. > :26:52.

:26:52. > :26:56.He is actually going to play from the one and the rate. That is very

:26:56. > :27:06.difficult to screw back of a completely straight ball with the

:27:06. > :27:10.

:27:10. > :27:20.He did not quite get into it. He finished OK. He has got the blue

:27:20. > :27:34.

:27:35. > :27:40.into the bottom -- the top right- If he gets a nice angle off the

:27:40. > :27:50.boat, he could play up for the one next to the black next time round.

:27:50. > :27:55.Has he got the angle? There is just a teeny bit. He has got to be

:27:55. > :28:00.careful of the red just to the left of the pack. In fact, he is just

:28:00. > :28:10.plain for the one next to the pink. He will hope this helps to clear

:28:10. > :28:20.

:28:20. > :28:27.the pink. This is not an ideal That is the much better angle. He

:28:27. > :28:35.played the shot in such a way that he would be all key if he had

:28:35. > :28:39.cannoned the left red of the bunch. But this has gone a little awkward.

:28:40. > :28:49.If he had played this with more pace, he could have cannoned into

:28:50. > :28:50.

:28:50. > :28:57.it. I wonder if he just under threat that. Anywhere up here that

:28:57. > :29:01.red he is going to have to pot no would have been perfect. Yes, you

:29:01. > :29:06.would think without sure you would air on the side of hitting it too

:29:06. > :29:16.hard, because if he ran into it, it would have kept the white any

:29:16. > :29:19.

:29:19. > :29:24.That was the only problem. When you run out of position there is always

:29:24. > :29:34.the risk that this sort of thing can happen. It was the previous

:29:34. > :29:51.

:29:52. > :30:01.shot from the blue to the red that REFEREE: Foul, and a miss. Ronnie

:30:02. > :30:16.

:30:17. > :30:26.This is the shot we we're talking about. He under her at it and

:30:27. > :30:27.

:30:27. > :32:00.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:32:00. > :32:10.There was Neil easy safety shot and you cannot put a ball better than

:32:10. > :32:39.

:32:39. > :32:49.that. -- there was no easy safety Half the average shot time of 17

:32:49. > :32:58.

:32:58. > :33:01.and 18 seconds, that is pretty And look at the average frame time.

:33:01. > :33:11.And this one is not going to last much longer, you would feel, the

:33:11. > :33:19.

:33:19. > :33:29.It didn't matter what angle he finished on the black. Two reds

:33:29. > :33:38.

:33:38. > :33:47.The last red, the one he potted, he switched to his left hand. If you

:33:47. > :33:52.asked if they could have any talent, any other player, that is what they

:33:52. > :34:00.would say, to be able to switch hands like that. It is an amazing

:34:00. > :34:06.talent. Lots of modern players are good with either hand, but going

:34:07. > :34:16.back to my day, no the Fred Davis, could switch hands. -- maybe Fred

:34:17. > :34:24.

:34:24. > :34:34.He looks to be taking complete control of this match. He is doing

:34:34. > :34:34.

:34:34. > :34:42.precious little wrong at this moment. The first long red he

:34:42. > :34:50.potted deserved to win any frame - and on our shot. -- phenomenal

:34:50. > :35:00.shocked. This is the one that Stephen was talking about. That is

:35:00. > :35:04.

:35:04. > :35:14.The blue, and one more red. That will be enough to leave Ding Junhui

:35:14. > :35:21.

:35:21. > :35:26.It has gone wrong. This red doesn't pass the other red into the middle.

:35:26. > :35:33.It is amazing. A shake of the head, it is incredible what can happen at

:35:33. > :35:43.times. Slightly too much to check on the white ball, to square up the

:35:43. > :35:51.

:35:51. > :36:01.That was a frame-winner, if ever you have seen one. That was not an

:36:01. > :36:06.

:36:06. > :36:11.easy shot. That last red that he Gasps from the crowd, but he won't

:36:12. > :36:21.bother too much about that, the difference, 44, Ding Junhui comes

:36:22. > :36:29.

:36:29. > :36:34.to the table, but he has a lot to I don't blame Ding Junhui for

:36:34. > :36:44.carrying on, the way that the balls are situated. If he was able to get

:36:44. > :36:58.

:36:58. > :37:05.a snooker and a free ball art of it. Too much side. I think he will have

:37:05. > :37:11.all look at Ronnie. Ding Junhui concedes the frame, and Ronnie

:37:11. > :37:16.O'Sullivan looking very comfortable as he extends his lead to 4-1.

:37:16. > :37:21.Ronnie, looking increasingly comfortable, and no wonder, because

:37:21. > :37:30.his Achilles heel has been a long potting but that the opening red

:37:30. > :37:34.did not display any of that. That is just absolutely crazy. To knock

:37:34. > :37:39.that in as clean as a whistle, it is a ridiculous pot, and it

:37:39. > :37:43.deserves to win any frame. forget how quickly he can play.

:37:43. > :37:47.Sometimes with all his troubles we have been discussing that, but when

:37:47. > :37:51.he is in the group like this, it is a great pleasure to watch.

:37:51. > :38:00.always chooses the right positional shot and very quickly. The time

:38:00. > :38:05.taken between shots is very quick. He has got such a quick brain. Once

:38:05. > :38:09.he is amongst the balls, no time taken at all to work out the

:38:09. > :38:13.correct positional shot, all the time. We have spoken about the

:38:13. > :38:17.record between these two. Ding Junhui has lost the last four

:38:17. > :38:23.matches against Ronnie O'Sullivan, including that final, but most

:38:23. > :38:29.recently, the Premier League, it was the final and Ronnie O'Sullivan

:38:29. > :38:33.blew him away, 7-1. When back to their opening session, he missed

:38:33. > :38:38.the boat. In the first couple of frames and Ronnie was not settled

:38:38. > :38:41.and he missed a couple balls. He was not that shark. Ding Junhui had

:38:41. > :38:49.a chance to stamp himself on the match and he did not take it. He's

:38:49. > :38:53.now a 4-1 behind, and Ronnie has warmed up. On a one-table set-up at

:38:53. > :39:03.a big venue like this, Ronnie has caught the eagle eye on things,

:39:03. > :39:09.

:39:09. > :39:14.Frame number 6 is a must win frame That is a good break off from

:39:14. > :39:24.Ronnie O'Sullivan, trying to get the cue ball as tightly as possible

:39:24. > :39:27.

:39:27. > :39:37.There was no escape back-up to the safety zone for dinner, there. --

:39:37. > :39:39.

:39:39. > :39:44.for Ding. All three of Ronnie's break-off shots, you could barely

:39:44. > :39:53.get a 10 pence piece between them. It is such an important shot these

:39:53. > :39:57.days, the break-off shot with all these good, long potters. He is

:39:57. > :40:07.looking at the possibility of cutting this in, to the path around

:40:07. > :40:20.

:40:20. > :40:26.the back of the black can reds. -- I don't think the shot is available

:40:26. > :40:33.for Ronnie, the red to the left- hand corner. Maybe he can avoid the

:40:33. > :40:39.red to the left of the black, we will soon find out, well, he could!

:40:39. > :40:43.That shows you how confident Ronnie O'Sullivan is, trying to develop

:40:43. > :40:53.the black, he knew that he could not miss the cannon, but this is a

:40:53. > :40:54.

:40:55. > :40:59.If that black was tight to the cushion it would have made the shot

:40:59. > :41:06.easier. The fact that it was slightly off made a really tough

:41:06. > :41:09.shot. If you hit the ball and the cushion at the same time it has got

:41:09. > :41:19.more chance of clinging to the cushion, but when it is slightly

:41:19. > :41:21.

:41:22. > :41:26.off the cushion, it is a more He could do with getting on to that

:41:26. > :41:31.red that is near the black spot, it is or what, if he wants to pot the

:41:31. > :41:39.black, it could tie things up, but he cannot do much about it at the

:41:39. > :41:47.moment, because he is on the wrong side of the blue at the moment.

:41:47. > :41:57.That flick on the green looks as if its spot of things. -- it spoiled

:41:57. > :42:12.

:42:12. > :42:20.things. If it missed the green, he Some slight desperation playing for

:42:20. > :42:25.an shot of that red, wasn't there? He took a bit of a chance. It

:42:25. > :42:30.wasn't the best shot in terms of results, getting the red away from

:42:30. > :42:40.the black spot, but there were other reds he could have played

:42:40. > :42:43.

:42:43. > :42:48.four, there. -- played for. That was not as risky as it looks. If he

:42:48. > :42:58.drops that red in, the plaque is over the other pocket. There was

:42:58. > :43:06.

:43:06. > :43:10.Pretty good. He can see the reds to the left side of the pink but he

:43:10. > :43:20.would have to hit it then Lee, so that he did not cannon into the

:43:20. > :43:33.

:43:33. > :43:39.black -- have to hit it thinly. Can I think he has covered the black.

:43:39. > :43:45.It was a tough plant. You can see where he has played the cue ball.

:43:45. > :43:54.He couldn't have played it much better. He can just about see the

:43:54. > :44:01.black and going to the reds. Now, the black is going to be tied up.

:44:01. > :44:11.That is the only problem. Did not quite get into the reds as he

:44:11. > :44:17.

:44:17. > :44:27.anticipated. Still pretty awkward, It is even more awkward now, but

:44:27. > :44:27.

:44:27. > :46:03.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:46:03. > :46:13.the black shot was difficult, APPLAUSE that is unlucky.

:46:13. > :46:24.

:46:24. > :46:27.Good pot Mac, could cannon -- good Black's the only colour he can see.

:46:27. > :46:31.I'm not sure he can get past the red to come off the baulk cushion

:46:31. > :46:41.and just come past the green, that would not be a bad choice, but he

:46:41. > :46:45.

:46:45. > :46:48.is swerving, just to play the yellow. Just as good. That is what

:46:48. > :46:58.you call a Chinese snooker where you are in front of the colour,

:46:58. > :46:58.

:46:58. > :47:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:47:44. > :47:50.rather than behind it. Makes it all Hasn't been all that much tactical

:47:50. > :47:56.play. It has been quite an open game. But both players playing so

:47:56. > :48:03.their safety shots. If there is no easy safety shot he might have to

:48:03. > :48:13.have a go. It is a supreme test of cueing, here. Have to keep so still

:48:13. > :48:22.

:48:22. > :48:26.on these shots when you are up That has to go down as another long

:48:26. > :48:33.pot, and what a cracking pot with the cue ball tight to the cushion.

:48:33. > :48:38.He has missed very few long pots in this first round match. And look at

:48:38. > :48:42.the action, never touched the cushion, OK, he has cannoned the

:48:42. > :48:46.blue to spoil it slightly, but it was effortless, how he got that cue

:48:47. > :48:53.ball to come back, with quite some distance between cue ball and

:48:53. > :48:56.object ball. It does not touch the cushion, the white stops, and

:48:56. > :49:06.without the cannon on the blue, it would have been perfect. Left-

:49:06. > :49:31.

:49:31. > :49:36.Just showing you that backspin, when you hit that ball, and the

:49:36. > :49:46.white stops and then spins back. You can see there, with at spotted

:49:46. > :49:49.

:49:49. > :49:59.cue ball, what happens. -- that spotted cue ball. Six-and-a-half

:49:59. > :50:00.

:50:00. > :50:05.feet, without any effort whatsoever, Definitely starting to run away

:50:05. > :50:10.with this match, now, Ronnie. He looks by far the most comfortable

:50:10. > :50:20.among the balls. His positional play is by far the best of the two

:50:20. > :50:31.

:50:31. > :50:39.As I mentioned, each time they have played in the Masters, Ronnie has

:50:39. > :50:45.had the better of Ding Junhui on those occasions. This Gordon knows

:50:45. > :50:55.matches is 16 frames to Ronnie, four frames to Ding Junhui. Has

:50:55. > :51:00.

:51:00. > :51:08.Ronnie O one out of position, here? -- Ronnie run. All is not lost just

:51:08. > :51:14.yet for Ding Junhui. We know that he is a pretty good pressure player.

:51:14. > :51:24.The trainees sensation. Can he pull something out of the bag, here? --

:51:24. > :51:28.

:51:29. > :51:34.And that is what might just be the sort of thing that can turn things

:51:34. > :51:39.around. He still has a difficult red to the left side of the table,

:51:39. > :51:46.but could that be a turning-point? He might be able to bring the red

:51:46. > :51:56.into play. Always a risk that you can leave the cue ball close to the

:51:56. > :52:00.

:52:00. > :52:07.These are tough shots across the table from another cushion. That

:52:07. > :52:11.was a much better shot than it looked. And what a chance. Ronnie

:52:11. > :52:21.will be kicking himself if he loses this frame from that careless

:52:21. > :52:30.

:52:30. > :52:40.There are no problems at any point in this frame, but we know what

:52:40. > :52:45.

:52:45. > :52:55.pressure can do, especially when 4-2, instead of 5-1, that is a vast

:52:55. > :53:03.

:53:03. > :53:13.No problem getting on the yellow as long as she does not overscrew it.

:53:13. > :53:35.

:53:35. > :53:45.A difference of about a millimetre in position from Ronnie between 5-1,

:53:45. > :54:07.

:54:07. > :54:13.Ding Junhui showing how good he is under pressure. That was terrific.

:54:13. > :54:18.He narrows the gap but he still two frames behind. It looked as if

:54:18. > :54:23.Ronnie was walking away with the match and he was in prime position,

:54:23. > :54:27.and this game is all about fractions, at times, and there was

:54:27. > :54:33.a shot where he played the black, you cannot see a problem, but the

:54:33. > :54:38.white just seemed to keep on running. Stephen mentioned mm. And

:54:38. > :54:47.that is what stopped him from winning the frame. Anywhere around

:54:47. > :54:53.where Hawkeye has played the shot and it is perfect. It is incredible.

:54:53. > :55:03.I mentioned that he was going to run away with the match, but could

:55:03. > :55:10.that flick be a turning point? -- fluke. I wonder if that stroke of

:55:10. > :55:13.luck from Ding Junhui could be classified as a turning-point.

:55:13. > :55:18.is funny as a snooker player, sitting in the chair, when that

:55:18. > :55:22.happens, how and why do you get when the crowd clap? You are

:55:22. > :55:27.sitting there thinking, did they clap because they thought it was a

:55:27. > :55:33.good shot or because they are Ding Junhui supporters, or is it just

:55:33. > :55:39.excitement? And you sit there, winning yourself up! What is you're

:55:39. > :55:44.reading of how this match is now falling? I thought at 55 and one

:55:44. > :55:49.that was all over. But, sometimes that can just be a spark to the

:55:49. > :55:59.other player. He still in it, at 4- 2, he is very much in the match,

:55:59. > :56:06.

:56:06. > :56:12.You cannot beat a little flute at the right time. -- fluke. Funny

:56:12. > :56:18.listening to Steve Davis talking about the crowd clapping for a

:56:18. > :56:27.fluke. I think it was just the way the ball went in the pocket that

:56:27. > :56:31.got the band of applause. -- round of applause. Talking about being

:56:31. > :56:35.focused when you are out there, I remember against Steve Davis and

:56:35. > :56:41.the World Championships, he missed a ball which jumped and ran along

:56:41. > :56:44.the cushion and drop into the pocket, the crowd was up in arms,

:56:44. > :56:54.and Steve Davis just walk around the table as if nothing had

:56:54. > :57:04.happened, and cleared up. Focused! He was miserable round the table,

:57:04. > :57:16.

:57:16. > :57:26.wasn't he?! That is rich, coming That is a very good safety shot.

:57:26. > :57:48.

:57:48. > :57:54.Shows the advantage of getting the white tight to the baulk cushion,

:57:54. > :57:57.forcing that mistake from Ding Junhui. If that was a couple of

:57:57. > :58:07.inches of the baulk cushion there would have been no problem getting

:58:07. > :58:11.

:58:11. > :58:15.the white ball back to ball. -- baulk. It has always been the name

:58:15. > :58:21.of the game. There are some fantastic potters and the game

:58:21. > :58:26.these days. But in a good tactical game, it police such a key part of

:58:27. > :58:35.the success of the game of snooker, -- it plays such a key part. And

:58:35. > :58:40.Ronnie has that element to his game. Ding Junhui, from tight on the

:58:40. > :58:50.cushion, try to hit that a little bit the cure. He just caught it too

:58:50. > :58:50.

:58:50. > :59:37.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:59:37. > :59:45.Has he done it again? We are talking about mm and that looks

:59:45. > :59:55.like he has landed on a red again. Once again, frictions make all the

:59:55. > :59:59.

:59:59. > :00:06.difference. I think he was hoping Can he get past the blue to be red

:00:06. > :00:16.it up at the other end? Ronnie did not have any shot on, so that was

:00:16. > :00:31.

:00:31. > :00:41.all he could do. I think he can see The two lapses in positional play

:00:41. > :00:42.

:00:42. > :00:50.from Ronnie O'Sullivan is very unlike him. He is so often in

:00:50. > :00:58.pinpoint position every shot. that will certainly irritate him as

:00:58. > :01:08.well. That was not an easy safety shot, but suddenly, this match is

:01:08. > :01:11.

:01:11. > :01:21.It is not as bad as it looks. He is not fully hampered. He can get past

:01:21. > :01:27.

:01:27. > :01:34.You talk about fractions. Even the air, a fraction made all the

:01:34. > :01:44.difference. If the white ball had just been slightly to the left-hand

:01:44. > :01:44.

:01:44. > :01:50.side, he would have been badly hampered for the pink. Now, we know

:01:50. > :02:00.what Ding Junhui is like when he gets on the run. He can knock off a

:02:00. > :02:20.

:02:20. > :02:25.That is an a shot, Stephen, trying to get the black back into play. He

:02:25. > :02:34.has left himself where he can at Port this and leave the blackthorn.

:02:34. > :02:39.It was definitely a deliberate shot he played there. Actually, Dennis,

:02:39. > :02:47.I do not think he will play for the black. I think the two reds were

:02:47. > :02:53.just hampering that. His prayers break to be is just 58, which is a

:02:53. > :02:58.like Ding Junhui any match where six frames have already been played.

:02:58. > :03:05.I know he has lost four of these frames, but you expect him to have

:03:05. > :03:09.made a bigger break than that. But maybe that last frame will give him

:03:09. > :03:19.a little boost. He certainly looks more comfortable and his striking

:03:19. > :03:43.

:03:43. > :03:53.He just had enough angle. I thought he was straight there. But he was

:03:53. > :04:01.

:04:02. > :04:11.He is having to leave that black alone, because of the red balls

:04:12. > :04:22.

:04:22. > :04:32.Ding Junhui will be celebrating the Chinese New Year at the end of this

:04:32. > :04:35.

:04:35. > :04:44.The do like you in that part of the World, Steven. You are heading out

:04:44. > :04:52.there at the end of the month? Snooker has become a huge spot in

:04:52. > :05:02.China and a lot of it is down to this player we're watching here. --

:05:02. > :05:07.

:05:07. > :05:12.I remember going out for a meal with Ding Junhui and his sponsors

:05:12. > :05:19.and the whole village came out to see him. He got absolutely more

:05:19. > :05:29.bitter. It is a beautiful part of the world that we are taking the

:05:29. > :05:35.

:05:35. > :05:45.World Open to. It is the Hawaii or A I do not know if he can reach

:05:45. > :05:46.

:05:46. > :05:56.round. He need need the extension. He might be able to. It is the

:05:56. > :06:07.

:06:07. > :06:14.He is now 30 points in front. All of a sudden, it is the completely

:06:14. > :06:19.different ball game. Yes, you can just tell by the way Ding Junhui is

:06:19. > :06:29.walking round the table. His positional play has become much

:06:29. > :06:39.better and we suddenly have EDM or on our hands. He puts his head in

:06:39. > :06:49.his hands. He did not intend to come in-off the black. -- can in-

:06:49. > :06:56.

:06:56. > :07:01.Now, this is a big pocket if Ronnie fancies taking the red right up the

:07:01. > :07:06.cushion, because of where the black has finished. It looked as if Ding

:07:06. > :07:12.Junhui was going to take this frame and be only one frame behind.

:07:12. > :07:22.Ronnie has had a look at this red. There is no straightforward safety

:07:22. > :07:29.

:07:29. > :07:39.shot. He has played it. And he has got it. CHEERING & APPLAUSE. That

:07:39. > :07:55.

:07:55. > :08:05.was a big pocket and that is why he Of late has just run it a little

:08:05. > :08:15.

:08:15. > :08:24.bit further to the right hand I still fancied him to get that.

:08:24. > :08:29.But that has handed be framed to Ding Junhui. He will be relieved.

:08:29. > :08:39.He may have felt he had missed the boat, but Ronnie did not take full

:08:39. > :08:42.

:08:42. > :08:46.advantage. I think Ronnie was about to concede, but we all now get the

:08:46. > :08:53.fine if we concede when there are still enough points on the table

:08:53. > :09:02.for a frame to be one, so he did not. I found that to my cost when I

:09:02. > :09:12.played against John Higgins earlier in the season. I heard you got

:09:12. > :09:14.

:09:15. > :09:22.fined 250 quid! A left-handed shot there from Ding Junhui. I do not

:09:22. > :09:27.think he expected to pot it! Quite amazing, that one flick in the

:09:27. > :09:31.previous frame may have turned this match right around. Ronnie

:09:31. > :09:37.O'Sullivan is still in the lead, but it looked for all the world as

:09:38. > :09:42.if he was going to be ahead 5-1, but all of a sudden, there is only

:09:42. > :09:49.one frame of a difference. The opening day of the Masters, the

:09:49. > :09:55.first match and who is to say it may not now call the way? Now, at

:09:55. > :10:04.Ronnie O'Sullivan has seen that a couple of inches have made all the

:10:04. > :10:10.difference in the last couple of frames. It is now 4-3 to the Rocket.

:10:11. > :10:20.Yes, it was looking like a stroll in Alexandra Park for Ronnie

:10:21. > :10:21.

:10:21. > :12:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:12:49. > :12:59.He was a little bit unlucky to find the gap, there, something that

:12:59. > :13:12.

:13:12. > :13:17.might cause Ronnie to lose a little Not so much self-confidence, but

:13:17. > :13:27.his attitude seems to change when he makes a few mistakes. He is his

:13:27. > :13:34.

:13:34. > :13:41.You just get irritated by a little mistakes you make. That last red to

:13:41. > :13:49.the middle that he missed was a little bit reckless. It is so

:13:49. > :13:59.important in snooker to control your emotions. That can give Ding

:13:59. > :14:04.

:14:04. > :14:14.Junhui nothing but confidence to So still not a good chance, by any

:14:14. > :14:42.

:14:42. > :14:52.The pink may be able to go on the He can play for the blue without

:14:52. > :14:53.

:14:53. > :14:58.any problem. But, I think the pink, I don't think that it goes to the

:14:58. > :15:08.left corner. He has had a look at that. It is quite all want. This

:15:08. > :15:39.

:15:39. > :15:49.will need a little bit of sorting He would like to have another go at

:15:49. > :16:01.

:16:01. > :16:07.We clever, if he played it that way. He has left the red near the corner

:16:07. > :16:17.pocket and he has covered it. thinking that was possibly a little

:16:17. > :16:17.

:16:17. > :16:21.bit careless, but that is to his I'm sure he didn't play to leave

:16:21. > :16:31.the red there, you didn't have thought so, but that is how it has

:16:31. > :16:34.

:16:34. > :16:44.turned out. It has made it awkward That is what Ronnie is looking at.

:16:44. > :16:57.

:16:58. > :17:03.He cannot get to that red near the With the safety shot, he has forced

:17:03. > :17:06.the red, and the one you can see over Ding Junhui's right shoulder

:17:06. > :17:16.as the one that this winter have caused the problem with the safety

:17:16. > :17:34.

:17:35. > :17:44.-- that is going to have caused the That is position for you, there.

:17:45. > :17:45.

:17:45. > :17:55.Can he just flipped that without going in-off? -- flick that. That

:17:55. > :18:15.

:18:15. > :18:25.This is a pretty good tactical Ding Junhui has pulled another good

:18:25. > :18:36.

:18:36. > :18:40.He hit that much thicker than intended. He will have to be a

:18:40. > :18:45.little bit careful with the cue ball. If he plays it with a little

:18:45. > :18:55.touch of side, he might go between the gap between the pink and red.

:18:55. > :18:55.

:18:55. > :19:42.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:19:42. > :19:48.So we should finish up between pink Riffing there was probably the

:19:48. > :19:58.loudest easily have of her hair and. There are 1,500 people in there,

:19:58. > :20:00.

:20:00. > :20:10.but when you have to sneeze, you That has just developed a couple

:20:10. > :20:21.

:20:21. > :20:29.I think where Ding Junhui has improved is his temperament. It was

:20:29. > :20:38.suspect for a while. Yes, he has matured a lot as the player and

:20:38. > :20:44.competitor. We talked a lot about a final he lost to Ronnie and broke

:20:44. > :20:54.down afterwards, but he has definitely matured. He did have a

:20:54. > :20:54.

:20:54. > :21:04.but have a reputation as throwing the ball in, but not now. --

:21:04. > :21:06.

:21:06. > :21:12.Can you believe it, the cue ball. It did not go in the pocket, but he

:21:12. > :21:22.was hoping to flick the red next to the black and open things up. But

:21:22. > :21:31.he managed to find the gap. But that is a bonus to knock the pink

:21:31. > :21:38.safe. He is the strong favourite at the moment. But we do know that a

:21:38. > :21:44.frame can suddenly opened up within the space of a couple of shots.

:21:44. > :21:50.This might just be the occasion. What a beautiful shot. Ronnie

:21:50. > :21:56.O'Sullivan could suddenly open up all the game. If this make shot

:21:56. > :22:06.works out, we could have a lot of balls in play. Have a look at that.

:22:06. > :22:21.

:22:21. > :22:27.Suddenly, the game changes with This is a huge frame under the

:22:27. > :22:35.circumstances. Ronnie was all done should have gone 5-1 in front. He

:22:35. > :22:42.has taken the more difficult of the red. This is the sort of situation

:22:42. > :22:47.that Ronnie relishes. We have seen him producing some of his best

:22:47. > :22:57.snooker of when his back is against the wall. It certainly is in this

:22:57. > :23:22.

:23:22. > :23:32.He just under standard that. He wanted to be six inches further

:23:32. > :23:52.

:23:52. > :23:57.This is where his left handed play OK, the red was not easy, but with

:23:57. > :24:07.the type of talent he has, you do not expect him to miss that people

:24:07. > :24:21.

:24:21. > :24:27.He has got a nice angle to come off the top cushion and bring the white

:24:27. > :24:35.between these two reds. He has played it perfectly. Absolutely

:24:35. > :24:45.spot on. Could not have played that better. He left himself on either

:24:45. > :24:51.

:24:51. > :25:01.I am surprised he did not take the red down the cushion, because he is

:25:01. > :25:06.

:25:06. > :25:16.not guaranteed to get on it as But at least he does not have to do

:25:16. > :25:36.

:25:36. > :25:46.anything fancy with the fleet. -- The comeback continues. It really

:25:46. > :25:55.

:25:55. > :26:02.is a terrific performance from Ding Just a couple of little positional

:26:02. > :26:10.shots has caused the problem and of course that lucky sure what he got

:26:10. > :26:18.in frame six made all the difference. Now, it is now down to

:26:18. > :26:28.just been the best of three frames. From 4-1 down, Ding Junhui is now

:26:28. > :26:38.back all-square, 4-4. The boys made a good point in character -- in

:26:38. > :26:39.

:26:39. > :26:49.commentary about Ding Junhui so character. We look back at that

:26:49. > :26:50.

:26:50. > :26:54.final, but he is much tougher nowadays? Yes, if that frame had

:26:54. > :26:59.gone 25-1, it would have been all over. But there is no doubt he is a

:26:59. > :27:05.much tougher character these days. When he arrived, in snooker terms,

:27:05. > :27:13.he was way ahead of his time as regards his age. And at the moment,

:27:13. > :27:19.he is looking the more likely winner. Ronnie has continued to

:27:19. > :27:26.play his game and has looked terrific in the balls, but he has

:27:26. > :27:34.just drifted out of position a couple of times. It must be

:27:34. > :27:44.frustrating, when you feel you're cueing Gorky, but he is now any

:27:44. > :27:44.

:27:44. > :27:54.fight where it could have been an easy canter and a 6-1 victory.

:27:54. > :27:55.

:27:55. > :28:05.difficult is that when you feel you had a much in your grasp? Yes, it

:28:05. > :28:06.

:28:06. > :28:10.can be irritating. How do you assess this match now, John? Well,

:28:10. > :28:20.Ding Junhui is looking the stronger, but you would never write off

:28:20. > :28:29.

:28:29. > :28:36.Ronnie O'Sullivan. Honestly, it is Could we possibly have the deciding

:28:36. > :28:46.frame in the first match ever played at Alexandra Palace? We will

:28:46. > :28:51.

:28:51. > :29:01.Not the best break off shot. Nor, it came up further than I thought.

:29:01. > :29:09.It is the fast cloth. But if he pots this, he will go into the pink

:29:09. > :29:19.and red. That is why he was trying to screw it. It made the pot a lot

:29:19. > :29:21.

:29:21. > :29:31.If he had played it plain that ball, he would have could be up into the

:29:31. > :29:50.

:29:50. > :30:00.Now, how confident its best young The benefits are obvious. Keep your

:30:00. > :30:12.

:30:12. > :30:16.head still and run the cue right That was not easy. It was the

:30:16. > :30:26.correct shot to play and the confidence was there, but it is the

:30:26. > :30:52.

:30:52. > :31:02.tough shot when the white ball is Now, what is the angle like?

:31:02. > :31:41.

:31:41. > :31:51.Not a good chance just yet. The reds are awkward. They will need a

:31:51. > :31:55.

:31:56. > :32:02.He is looking at the possibility of the pink here, because he is

:32:02. > :32:09.straight on the black. He is virtually straight on the pink and

:32:09. > :32:14.will have very little to do with the cue ball. Now, the pink will

:32:14. > :32:24.probably have to go up and the browns bought, as that is the only

:32:24. > :32:32.

:32:32. > :32:36.As you say, it was difficult for the pack to be split. Ronnie just

:32:36. > :32:46.overscrewed it slightly. There is a natural angle to come and behind

:32:46. > :32:49.

:32:49. > :32:59.this red. Has he put it hard enough? He may be able to pot it up

:32:59. > :33:18.

:33:18. > :33:28.into the top left-hand pocket past Good recovery. They are not easy to

:33:28. > :33:38.

:33:38. > :33:48.judge when the cue ball and the He might have to play for the black.

:33:48. > :33:59.

:33:59. > :34:09.As Stephen said, it is much easier It is amazing well that white has

:34:09. > :34:26.

:34:26. > :34:36.finished up. It is almost like Not the best. He needs the yellow

:34:36. > :34:43.to come to his rescue, and it Ding Junhui can get through to the

:34:43. > :34:53.potting angle. If he plays this with a lot of screw, he can stop

:34:53. > :35:00.

:35:00. > :35:04.the white somewhere near where the Similar to the pot that he potted

:35:04. > :35:09.previously when Stephen said keep your head still and pushed the cue

:35:09. > :35:19.for in a straight line. That is the key to knocking that type of shot

:35:19. > :35:41.

:35:41. > :35:48.What a killer blow this will be for Just missed the cannon into the

:35:48. > :35:58.reds. Otherwise, the frame would have been his. It was amazing how

:35:58. > :36:01.

:36:01. > :36:08.that arc around the reds. -- arced. If he had struck the white just

:36:09. > :36:14.slightly lower, that would not have happened. I do not think this red

:36:15. > :36:21.gets up past the brown, and he is completely out of position. No

:36:21. > :36:31.wonder he has scratched his head, that is trouble with -- probably

:36:31. > :36:34.

:36:34. > :36:44.the luck -- the worst shot he has Didn't fancy that. That was a shot

:36:44. > :36:45.

:36:45. > :36:55.to nothing. Be only red he could leave was the one he took on. --

:36:55. > :37:11.

:37:11. > :37:16.That last shot he played was one of the toughest shots in the game. He

:37:17. > :37:22.played it with a lot of screw, and did not let the red run back up the

:37:22. > :37:27.table. Very few players can hit that shot as softly as that and

:37:27. > :37:37.still get the required effect on the cue ball. Tremendous timing and

:37:37. > :37:39.

:37:39. > :37:49.Bit of a three shot, this, he can take on the pot, it would be an

:37:49. > :37:56.

:37:56. > :38:06.automatic safety shot, he would That is just a stunning pot. Under

:38:06. > :38:19.

:38:19. > :38:22.the circumstances. What has gone on Ronnie, if he wins this match, he

:38:22. > :38:27.will have plenty of negatives to say about his game today, but I

:38:27. > :38:31.don't think I have seen him pot as many long balls as this. It has

:38:31. > :38:35.been his Achilles heel for the past couple of seasons, and Ronnie would

:38:35. > :38:45.be a Foster tell you that his long potting has not been up to scratch,

:38:45. > :38:54.

:38:54. > :39:04.but he has something like 77% long He just showing what he has -- what

:39:04. > :39:06.

:39:06. > :39:11.he is made of, as well. Looked like he was going to lead 5-1. Then Ding

:39:11. > :39:21.Junhui took three in a row, but the pressure is now firmly back on the

:39:21. > :39:28.

:39:28. > :39:33.showbiz of Ding Junhui now. -- the That was a frame that Ronnie

:39:33. > :39:39.O'Sullivan needed badly after winning three in a row. He just

:39:39. > :39:43.needs one more frame for a place in the second round. Just one more

:39:43. > :39:48.required, and it seems to have jolted Ronnie O'Sullivan into

:39:48. > :39:52.action, Ding Junhui coming back. Interesting, about for long potting

:39:52. > :39:58.percentage. Ronnie O'Sullivan's statistics very good compared with

:39:58. > :40:03.the last couple of years. To come - - to some degree, the statistics

:40:03. > :40:10.are luck. If you hit the ball well, sometimes it does not going,

:40:10. > :40:15.sometimes it does. The statistics between 90, 70 and 60 can be in the

:40:15. > :40:18.last of the gods because of the type of shot that you get. But

:40:19. > :40:23.Ronnie O'Sullivan's cueing action is excellent, and I know that he is

:40:23. > :40:28.never happy with it, but that type of cueing is of a standard that can

:40:28. > :40:38.win a tournament. The top rate in this match has only been 76, but it

:40:38. > :40:48.has been no less watchable for that. -- the top break. A bit of drama,

:40:48. > :40:48.

:40:49. > :40:58.that is what you want on a Sunday You cannot beat a bit of drama, and

:40:59. > :41:03.

:41:03. > :41:07.we have it on the opening day of Willie Thorne, myself and Tony

:41:07. > :41:17.O'Shea did a thing with Sport Relief, dressed up as rockers,

:41:17. > :41:25.

:41:25. > :41:35.dancing about to enjoy Smith and a c-b C. -- --to Aerosmith and AC-DC.

:41:35. > :41:57.

:41:57. > :42:04.It made a few quid for charity. Ding Junhui knows he may be sitting

:42:04. > :42:07.there for a while because the reds are nicely placed. The black is not

:42:08. > :42:17.tied up. It is available into one corner pocket. This is not a bad

:42:18. > :42:18.

:42:18. > :42:28.chance for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ronnie has always been fantastic at

:42:28. > :42:31.

:42:31. > :42:41.closing a match out when he gets He's just seems to put that little

:42:41. > :43:08.

:43:08. > :43:18.extra amounts of concentration into He has such a quick ring, Ronnie

:43:18. > :43:26.

:43:26. > :43:36.Those are the shots that are key to break-building, delicate little

:43:36. > :44:04.

:44:04. > :44:10.stun and screw shots, and he is a One of the greatest break-builders

:44:10. > :44:16.that the game has ever seen. 660 century breaks. The only person in

:44:16. > :44:21.front of him is the one sitting next to me year, Stephen Hendry.

:44:21. > :44:29.Just over 700, Stephen. Would you know the answer? How many centuries

:44:29. > :44:37.have you made in your career? is round about 760-770, something

:44:37. > :44:42.like that. This is a key shot coming up for Ronnie O'Sullivan, of

:44:42. > :44:52.the cannon works out, we have seen a few missed, when he took his eye

:44:52. > :45:16.

:45:16. > :45:26.What is he looking at, the plant? The alarm bells are ringing now for

:45:26. > :45:36.Ronnie doesn't have to do a lot with the cue ball to open up those

:45:36. > :45:38.

:45:38. > :45:42.It was a great fightback from Ding Junhui, and it is not over just yet,

:45:42. > :45:47.but you always knew that Ronnie O'Sullivan was capable of doing

:45:47. > :45:57.this. He lost three frames in a row, in the last frame he had a 51 break

:45:57. > :46:03.

:46:03. > :46:13.Three more reds available. He does not have to Korea into the reds

:46:13. > :46:19.here. -- career. Doesn't want to risk the cannon when he can win a

:46:19. > :46:29.frame without doing that. The red to the right of the pink is

:46:29. > :46:32.

:46:32. > :46:42.He can play for that red now, just next to the pink. He is just

:46:42. > :46:46.

:46:46. > :46:56.showing us here why he has won this Needs to pull up a little bit

:46:56. > :47:02.

:47:02. > :47:12.calmer and it has, just! This time, the fractions were in Ronnie's

:47:12. > :47:16.

:47:16. > :47:26.favour. This time, it has been a great opening match for this year's

:47:26. > :47:32.

:47:32. > :47:39.Masters. Great venue. And I am sure This is the title that every player

:47:39. > :47:46.wants on their CV. Defending champion Ding Junhui knows that it

:47:46. > :47:51.is the end of this year's Masters, for him. It look like a walk in the

:47:51. > :47:58.park for Ronnie O'Sullivan, until that three frame spell where Ding

:47:58. > :48:04.Junhui got himself right back into it at 4-4, but, in the end, Ronnie

:48:04. > :48:14.O'Sullivan has kept his concentration and focus. He has

:48:14. > :48:20.cued well. He has done very little wrong, after the two opening frames.

:48:20. > :48:24.And, when it be nice if he could go out with the first century ever

:48:24. > :48:34.made at Alexandra Palace? Can he knock this difficult red into the

:48:34. > :48:35.

:48:35. > :48:45.corner? Getting there, please! Well done! The first ever a century

:48:45. > :48:48.

:48:48. > :48:56.break is made at the Alexandra He is doing what all great

:48:56. > :49:01.champions seem to do. Every shot is being cheered, now. That is not

:49:01. > :49:06.taking anything away from Ding Junhui. This crowd have appreciated

:49:06. > :49:16.his play. He has nothing to be ashamed of. He has put up a

:49:16. > :49:34.

:49:34. > :49:39.All the way around the angles to It didn't go in, but what a way to

:49:39. > :49:44.finish, like a true champion! Both players have given us a great

:49:44. > :49:47.opening match in this year's masters. And Ronnie O'Sullivan

:49:47. > :49:57.raises his hand to this affair crowd and goes out a winner,

:49:57. > :49:58.

:49:58. > :50:08.finishing in style with that 125 Great to see the welcoming party

:50:08. > :50:13.there, Ronnie Jnr, giving his father a well deserved hug. Ronnie,

:50:13. > :50:18.a four-time champion of this event was more than equal to it. He has

:50:18. > :50:24.knocked in his 50th century at the Masters. He is about to join us.

:50:24. > :50:30.Impressions of the way that he was able to block one India and finish

:50:30. > :50:37.this at 4-4. He did not look on the pressure. Ding Junhui was under par,

:50:37. > :50:44.but he still thought very well, very hard. Ronnie was cueing very

:50:44. > :50:48.well, generally. There are a lot of things needed to be a top champion

:50:48. > :50:57.snooker player. If you ever want an indication of how to closer match

:50:57. > :51:02.out, particularly the last frame, it was exemplary. Well, it is a

:51:02. > :51:12.great privilege to welcome Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ronnie O'Sullivan

:51:12. > :51:14.

:51:14. > :51:19.Jnr! Congratulations. 4-4, after that amazing fluke from Ding.

:51:19. > :51:21.fought well enough, potted the black, overscrewed, and it was

:51:21. > :51:25.there for, game over, you lose a frame like that to someone like

:51:25. > :51:31.Ding Junhui and he can punish you. And that is what happened, I lost a

:51:31. > :51:39.couple of frames but my head went, really, and when he took it back to

:51:39. > :51:46.4-4, I thought, there is a bit of pressure in there. But after that

:51:46. > :51:52.it was a different game. Almost upstaged by this young man! There

:51:52. > :52:02.you are, can you see the telly? This is you been into just as your

:52:02. > :52:09.dad! I think it got a bit noisy, didn't it? It was really noisy!

:52:10. > :52:18.you get the that of a fright? He is shaking his head. What did you

:52:18. > :52:25.think of his performance, Ronnie? This performance, it is the best

:52:25. > :52:30.feeling in the world for me, to see him. It was nice for him to see me

:52:30. > :52:36.play. It is nice to have him here, I think he enjoyed it. It was a

:52:36. > :52:41.tough match, to be fair. Ronnie Jnr, are you proud of your dad? Did he

:52:41. > :52:48.play well? It is a big season for you, Ronnie, we have been talking

:52:48. > :52:55.about that, coming to Alexandra Palace, brand new venue, and the

:52:55. > :52:59.first of a century here, and you're 58, at the Masters. That is

:52:59. > :53:07.different to Wembley, but it is a great crowd and a fantastic

:53:07. > :53:13.atmosphere. It was good. Have you always felt more at home playing in

:53:13. > :53:17.front of a London crowd? I enjoy playing anywhere, to be fair. If it

:53:17. > :53:27.is a packed audience it is quite easy to get motivated and to enjoy

:53:27. > :53:31.it. Today, it was busy and it help you play you're best snooker.

:53:31. > :53:37.talking to Steve and John about having their family in a front row.

:53:37. > :53:43.It must be a little bit off-putting. They were moving about and laughing,

:53:43. > :53:50.having a jolly day out, and by missed the red in the second frame

:53:50. > :53:58.and all I could see was these, moving. Keep still, I said. Making

:53:58. > :54:05.do a bit of work! Get him up there where I cannot see him! Absolutely.

:54:05. > :54:12.And is there something you are going to keep doing? Today, it is

:54:12. > :54:18.the weekend and they are going back to their mum's tonight. They might

:54:18. > :54:23.come to a final if their mum lets them. Is he a snooker player?

:54:23. > :54:33.not bad at golf. I think he is going to be a bit more of a mark

:54:33. > :54:36.

:54:36. > :54:45.soccer bout, he is a bit of a geek! -- Mark Zuckerberg. It has been a

:54:45. > :54:49.delight to see both here. Come back and visit us again, Ronnie Jnr. You

:54:49. > :54:56.mentioned the next match, either against Judd Trump or Stuart

:54:56. > :55:01.Bingham. It is not getting any easier. The standard is so low!

:55:01. > :55:04.came up against Judd Trump and said he was the most dangerous players

:55:04. > :55:09.who have ever played. How healthy is it for the sport that you have

:55:09. > :55:12.got yourself and people like Judd Trump coming through? He is a

:55:12. > :55:17.fantastic player. I am fortunate enough to practice in the same

:55:17. > :55:21.police that he does, trying to pick up a few things, because I have

:55:21. > :55:30.never seen anyone pot so well, to be honest. You see it now and again

:55:30. > :55:35.but I see every day. Have you been working on your long game?

:55:35. > :55:42.statistics-day were very high. is OK, just from watching Judd

:55:42. > :55:47.Trump, and Neal, and Dean. They are all very open and I get stuck

:55:47. > :55:51.sometimes, and with the long ones, you have just got to pull it back

:55:51. > :55:56.and open your hand, and cue straight through, whereas I was

:55:56. > :56:00.steering it, for years. I'm sure they are learning more from you

:56:00. > :56:05.than you from them, but can you be inspired by the generation of

:56:05. > :56:12.players? They are very committed and dedicated and wake up every day,

:56:12. > :56:22.full of it. I am still dedicated. I still don't see anyone playing as

:56:22. > :56:22.

:56:22. > :56:26.hard as me, practice-wise. Some of them are like part-timers, got

:56:26. > :56:32.their mobile phone on, using Twitter, but funny, it is just this

:56:32. > :56:35.this. All of those days of six years, chained to the table,

:56:36. > :56:40.probably is not healthy. I think they a showing me that you don't

:56:40. > :56:44.have to do that every day, you can have a few days off, just chilling

:56:44. > :56:52.out, and you have just got to trust that it is there or on the day,

:56:52. > :56:56.sometimes. This is an event you have loved over the years, but this

:56:56. > :57:02.is something of a crossroads for you in your career, you have either

:57:02. > :57:07.got to win the German Masters or the world's to get to be going to

:57:07. > :57:13.the Crucible. That situation must be discontented than --

:57:13. > :57:18.disconcerting. I am too good to be playing in the qualifiers, but I

:57:18. > :57:23.was ready to retire last year, this time last year, now I have met

:57:23. > :57:29.Steve Peters, who knew no well, and I didn't think he would be able to

:57:29. > :57:34.help me, but he has, I have had a couple of blips along the way, but

:57:34. > :57:39.I have been honest with him, and I have found out I want to play

:57:39. > :57:43.snooker but on my terms, and not travelling 29 weeks of the year,

:57:43. > :57:48.living out of a suit case, it is quite lonely, especially when you

:57:48. > :57:52.have got these at home. I am not going to do that. If I have to

:57:52. > :57:57.qualify, I have to qualify. That is the nature of how my life is. I

:57:57. > :58:03.still want to play snooker, but on my own terms, otherwise you end up

:58:03. > :58:08.feeling sad and lonely in yourself. If you haven't got children, that

:58:08. > :58:12.is different. I used to love living in hotels, this is what is

:58:12. > :58:19.important, and if I can get a bit of both, that is what I am going to

:58:19. > :58:22.do. I am not going to be playing the circuit, because I could get

:58:22. > :58:27.miserable and go down that route before I have not got certain

:58:27. > :58:33.things in my life. By working with Steve, I still want to play, but it

:58:33. > :58:39.is just getting the balance of everything. You had better get this

:58:39. > :58:45.young man off, I am sure that the swing park or something exciting is

:58:45. > :58:54.waiting. Thank you for coming in, it has been great to meet you again.

:58:54. > :58:58.Thank you. This young man's bad. He is saying bye-bye! Obviously, he is

:58:58. > :59:04.one of the King's of snooker, who has made 12 maximum breaks in his

:59:04. > :59:08.career. We have been going through the statistics. There have been

:59:08. > :59:13.eight maximums made this season, four of them in the last beer for

:59:13. > :59:17.weeks, an astonishing rate of scoring, and, did you know, that is

:59:17. > :59:22.one fewer than in the wall of the 1980s. That shows you the quality

:59:22. > :59:26.there is at the moment. We thought you might Willis a chance to see a

:59:26. > :59:36.match with a maximum break, and who better to show you the art of said

:59:36. > :59:36.

:59:36. > :00:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:00:57. > :01:07.DENNIS TAYLOR: yes, it was just too And that is the the red and the 5th

:01:07. > :01:30.

:01:30. > :01:40.It is important off this red to leave a nice angle on the black...

:01:40. > :01:45.

:01:45. > :01:55.And has t o be done that slightly? Just wondering if he can get that

:01:55. > :02:23.

:02:23. > :02:27.into the left centre... I think he One more red and the frame is safe.

:02:27. > :02:37.But Ronnie has other things on his mind and so does everybody in the

:02:37. > :02:39.

:02:39. > :02:46.John, I know you have commentated on a maximum before but I haven't

:02:46. > :02:56.and I am starting to get very excited here. It is a matter of

:02:56. > :03:04.

:03:04. > :03:14.�147,000 on offer this year for a Yes, and I think those two reds

:03:14. > :03:15.

:03:15. > :03:25.will pot into the left corner. And they will now! It is OK! A great

:03:25. > :03:48.

:03:48. > :03:58.Four minutes for the century. He just have the angle on the black

:03:58. > :03:58.

:03:58. > :04:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:04:51. > :05:00.What a fantastic maximum break that is! Ronnie O'Sullivan is delighted.

:05:00. > :05:04.The crowd is delighted! I am delighted! Five minutes for an

:05:04. > :05:10.unbelievable maximum break. The players are over from the other

:05:10. > :05:16.side of the screen! Sensational! HAZEL IRVINE: Would you believe

:05:16. > :05:23.that was 15 years ago, 1997, and the fastest century ever recorded.

:05:23. > :05:28.It was over in the blink of an eye. Yes. The first thing I said to

:05:28. > :05:32.Steve... How quick he is cueing. So quickly. That will never, ever be

:05:32. > :05:37.beaten. I don't care, as long as I am living, that will never be

:05:37. > :05:44.beaten. I reckon he could have shaved five seconds of pot that if

:05:44. > :05:53.he hadn't been so indecisive about a couple of the shots! -- five

:05:54. > :06:00.seconds off that. I am going for the third red... For that must have

:06:00. > :06:06.been excruciating for those watching. Maybe not. I wonder if

:06:06. > :06:10.somebody still has the chalky threw into the crowd. Yes. Let's fast

:06:10. > :06:15.forward to the Masters at Wembley. Ding Junhui and it was against

:06:15. > :06:21.Anthony Hamilton. And Ding was still a teenager at the time.

:06:21. > :06:31.Remember this? JOHN VIRGO: Can you see enough of

:06:31. > :06:33.

:06:33. > :06:43.this? I would suggest so. He has Beautiful control of the cue ball

:06:43. > :06:43.

:06:43. > :07:54.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:07:54. > :08:01.He checked the cue ball perfectly He knew it was a big ask there. He

:08:01. > :08:11.did cue it perfectly. He just needed an ounce more weight and

:08:11. > :08:15.

:08:15. > :08:19.this black is tricky if he takes it This is a real difficult shot. And

:08:19. > :08:29.I am just looking at the potting angle and I don't think it is one

:08:29. > :08:33.

:08:33. > :08:39.Right in the heart of the pocket and he didn't have to do much else

:08:39. > :08:49.other than concentrate on the pot. A terrific shot. But it did help

:08:49. > :09:01.

:09:01. > :09:11.that he could just play it plain A terrific chance now for Ding

:09:11. > :09:16.

:09:16. > :09:26.Junhui to go one frame a way from a Not a lot Anthony Hamilton could

:09:26. > :09:52.

:09:52. > :09:59.Still a terrific opening red from That was not the intended position

:09:59. > :10:09.he intended to leave from the black. But again, he made light of the

:10:09. > :10:26.

:10:26. > :10:36.difficulty. A little screw on the A precision cannoned. He has played

:10:36. > :10:37.

:10:37. > :10:41.When people talk about him, as you said earlier on in commentary, he

:10:41. > :10:48.is aiming this year to be the youngest ever professional circuit

:10:48. > :10:58.champion. And he is improving every season I have seen him. His choice

:10:58. > :10:59.

:10:59. > :11:03.He probably believes, as most young players do, that he can pot

:11:03. > :11:13.anything on the table. But that dividing line between what is

:11:13. > :11:17.

:11:17. > :11:27.Anthony Hamilton is not bad but this young lad is getting better

:11:27. > :11:35.

:11:35. > :11:41.I can see the possibility of this seal man dominating for many years.

:11:41. > :11:46.I know we have the great talent of Ronnie O'Sullivan, which, after

:11:47. > :11:56.York, are not too certain what will happen in the tournament. It will

:11:57. > :12:03.

:12:03. > :12:09.be interesting to see. -- I am not And I think the Chinese revolution,

:12:09. > :12:17.of which he is the standard bearer, is supported by large numbers of

:12:17. > :12:27.other Chinese players who are developing into top-quality

:12:27. > :12:42.

:12:43. > :12:52.Three already on the world-ranking He made a century break in the last

:12:53. > :12:56.

:12:56. > :13:00.frame and every reason to suspect The only thing I can't fault him on,

:13:00. > :13:10.his positional play. He just couldn't get on the table. But not

:13:10. > :13:32.

:13:32. > :13:42.And now all blacks. He is attempting a 147. If he could make

:13:42. > :13:46.

:13:46. > :13:52.one here, it would be worth Not a bad chance. It is just those

:13:52. > :14:02.two reds on the table together. They don't look available into the

:14:02. > :14:16.

:14:16. > :14:22.A possible stumbling block. He will Once again, not the ideal angle to

:14:22. > :14:25.play the cannon but he might be forced it to play it. He is just

:14:25. > :14:35.looking at them -- the availability of these reds into the corner

:14:35. > :14:54.

:14:54. > :15:04.I didn't think it was a bad choice but the problem is, of the two reds,

:15:04. > :15:41.

:15:41. > :15:48.In the 30 tree-year history of the Masters, there's been only one

:15:48. > :15:58.maximum. -- 33-year. That was down the road at the conference centre

:15:58. > :16:04.

:16:04. > :16:14.He underhit it but it is not that bad. Should have been better, in

:16:14. > :16:20.

:16:20. > :16:30.He played that with a lot of right- hand side and controlled it pretty

:16:30. > :17:00.

:17:00. > :17:10.well. Still not perfect on the He needs an angle on this black and

:17:10. > :17:16.

:17:16. > :17:26.it is straighter than he would like. Perfect from the yellow and this is

:17:26. > :17:31.

:17:31. > :17:41.Couldn't have played it better. It looks like a formality, Clive, but

:17:41. > :17:51.I can assure you, it is anything Yes, it is a test of nerve now more

:17:51. > :18:09.

:18:09. > :18:14.than technique. But Ding's nerve He doesn't want to be the wrong

:18:14. > :18:24.side of this pink but it looks like he's just straight enough to screw

:18:24. > :18:41.

:18:41. > :18:43.A 147 maximum for Ding Junhui. Only the second in the history of the

:18:43. > :18:47.Masters. HAZEL IRVINE: It still makes you

:18:47. > :18:56.smile every time you see one of these. It was considerably harder

:18:56. > :19:06.won that one than Ronnie's. Yes. It is interesting how recently, on

:19:06. > :19:10.some of the blogs, whether they think the 147 is as valued as it

:19:10. > :19:17.was, not just in prize money but in how a dispute. We have many more

:19:17. > :19:22.tournaments and smaller tournaments, and we are getting more 147s. The

:19:22. > :19:29.argument is, that you shoved it back up, you would not see quite so

:19:30. > :19:35.many. But you were amazed by that's that that there was one few in this

:19:35. > :19:38.season than a whole of the 1980s. That tells you how did the

:19:38. > :19:48.tournament is now because you have so many players capable of making

:19:48. > :19:50.

:19:50. > :19:58.them. And there was a question on. Is the other day on maximums.

:19:58. > :20:04.also talk of how it is harder because the pocket a tighter than

:20:04. > :20:09.they have ever been. And before, the pockets were possibly cut

:20:09. > :20:14.differently or slightly bigger, weren't they, John? Yes. And you

:20:14. > :20:20.are talking about the old oak table from 1984 at the Masters at Wembley.

:20:20. > :20:30.And I am sure you remember this one. Very, very famous. Cook Stevens

:20:30. > :20:30.

:20:30. > :21:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:21:52. > :22:02.against Jimmy White in the final A little kick in the side of the

:22:02. > :22:10.

:22:10. > :22:20.table there. He didn't want the That has turned out well. A few

:22:20. > :22:20.

:22:20. > :24:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:24:04. > :24:14.That shot was perfectly straight on And what a useful plant that was to

:24:14. > :24:22.

:24:22. > :24:32.Kirk. It has enabled him to open up Yes. A good shot, Rex, getting both

:24:32. > :24:32.

:24:32. > :25:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:25:41. > :25:51.And this time, a nice angle on the black to go into the pack of reds,

:25:51. > :26:13.

:26:13. > :26:23.He has decided to take that one I think we will see him trying to

:26:23. > :26:35.

:26:35. > :26:43.A very good split. But whether he can get through to the centre... He

:26:43. > :26:53.is having a look now. One good pot here and he will be in with a

:26:53. > :27:09.

:27:09. > :27:19.splendid chance even of a very good This is not an easy black but he

:27:19. > :27:26.

:27:26. > :27:36.has got to be on a red, should he One would have to say this is a

:27:36. > :27:42.

:27:42. > :27:52.definite chance here. For a very, Yes, and he should be aware now

:27:52. > :27:59.

:27:59. > :28:09.that he has won the frame. So it is Make no mistake, he is very aware

:28:09. > :28:32.

:28:32. > :28:42.there is the possibility of a We have seen the maximum made

:28:42. > :28:43.

:28:43. > :28:49.before but I don't think... We have seen any player with a better

:28:49. > :28:59.opportunity than this. The reds, the colours, are beautifully placed.

:28:59. > :29:04.

:29:04. > :29:14.Let's just say good luck to him. And a lovely shot. Beautifully

:29:14. > :29:14.

:29:14. > :31:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

:31:08. > :31:14.He has been set an example by the And he's perfect. He is perfect.

:31:14. > :31:19.Tremendous applause from the audience and, with the best will in

:31:19. > :31:28.the world, me a if only they would give him a little bit of hush, now.

:31:28. > :31:38.A good time to make contact with the pink. And now, he has a tricky

:31:38. > :31:41.

:31:42. > :31:51.shot, with the rest. I think the angle is the main problem, and that

:31:52. > :32:15.

:32:15. > :32:20.he has got to use the rest. And Not quite far enough, so this

:32:20. > :32:25.demands a really good shot. He has got to pot the green and go all the

:32:25. > :32:30.way around the table, so the angle is there, but he will need just a

:32:30. > :32:40.little bit of luck to get on to the brown and enable him to get back on

:32:40. > :32:46.

:32:46. > :32:56.Just look at this! It is almost perfect. And just look at the

:32:56. > :33:10.

:33:10. > :33:20.audience, they are enraptured by And young Kirk will need nerves of

:33:20. > :33:32.

:33:32. > :33:42.He would like to have come forward a couple of inches to make it

:33:42. > :33:46.

:33:46. > :33:56.This is where he wants a little bounce off the cushion. It isn't

:33:56. > :34:12.

:34:12. > :34:20.there, yet. A little pause, for In it in! Lovely, secure! -- Get in,

:34:20. > :34:30.lovely, super! Good heavens above, Rex, isn't that marvellous? I am so

:34:30. > :34:36.

:34:36. > :34:41.pleased for Kirk Stevens. History made at the Old Conference

:34:41. > :34:46.Centre. You boys were smiling all the way through that, you were

:34:46. > :34:50.saying, I would not have played it like that. There is such a

:34:50. > :34:55.difference in the positional play. A couple of times when he did a

:34:55. > :35:00.open the pack first, it is 27 years ago and were digging them up about

:35:00. > :35:06.positional shots. What a lovely piece of furniture that table was.

:35:06. > :35:10.And he still lost. Jimmy White made a 100 break in the next rain. The

:35:10. > :35:15.pockets were not that much bigger. Break-building was not so

:35:15. > :35:20.sophisticated then. It was a brilliant break to make. Giving the

:35:20. > :35:27.referee a cuddle after. Great to see those moments because those

:35:27. > :35:30.were the building blocks for what we see now. And, for one moment we

:35:30. > :35:36.thought they had faded the commentary out, but they did not

:35:36. > :35:40.say much in those days. Completely different styles, in many respects.

:35:40. > :35:46.We have been thinking about this, it is there the years last week's

:35:46. > :35:56.issue made the first televised 147. Do you remember it, vaguely?

:35:56. > :35:58.

:35:58. > :36:02.have seen the video a couple of times! Up it was, before that there

:36:02. > :36:09.had been 147 breaks in exhibition play, John Spencer doing one, in an

:36:09. > :36:13.ITV event, in the 70s, but the camera and went on a tea break! It

:36:13. > :36:18.has been built up to the stage now where we are going to get an

:36:18. > :36:26.abundance of them. Still well worth playing for, as long as you when

:36:26. > :36:29.the frame! You made one in competitive play, John. Thanks for

:36:29. > :36:36.that! I played in the Premier League, and made the maximum. The

:36:36. > :36:42.prize the previous year was a car, but were still �5,000, which is a

:36:42. > :36:49.lot of money, but in the last frame, Stephen Hendry equalled it against

:36:49. > :36:54.Willie Thorne, and took �2,500 off me! It shows you the standard we

:36:54. > :36:58.have achieved that we have had eight of them so far, this season.

:36:58. > :37:02.The defending champion Ding Junhui is out if you're just joining us.

:37:02. > :37:08.How well as that form when to stand Ronnie O'Sullivan for the remainder

:37:08. > :37:14.of the championship? I think Ronnie O'Sullivan looks to be in good nick.

:37:14. > :37:20.He responded well. Cueing action, he has not got a care in the world.

:37:20. > :37:26.This evening? Two very high-quality players. An interesting match, and

:37:26. > :37:33.I am surprised about that statistic with Stephen Maguire and Mark

:37:33. > :37:38.Williams. How do you do this one, Steve? It is nice for Stephen

:37:38. > :37:43.Maguire to get back in form. But Mark Williams, you can never write

:37:43. > :37:52.him off. He has been in the final stages of a couple recently. Thanks

:37:52. > :37:56.very much. I hope you have enjoyed it at home. We will leave -- we

:37:56. > :38:03.will be back at the tonight with highlights of the Williams-Maguire

:38:03. > :38:08.match. So far, at Alexandra Palace, the John belongs to Ronnie

:38:08. > :38:18.O'Sullivan, both of them, in fact. Goodbye from Alexandra Palace, the

:38:18. > :38:42.