Day 1 Masters Snooker

How well. It was here in this very room that television programmes

first began. This was where the first regular television service

began broadcasting for the BBC studios in the Alexandra Palace in

north London. The year was 1936 and accents like main wealth and on the

ground back then. The way pictures where produce when they are far cry

from what we do today. Cumbersome cameras, gigantic valves and sue

each generators - it looked more like a power station. But some

things were familiar. They are slapping on the make-up! In these

early days of TV, even jaw Davis was the young star. He had a long

wait until his spot could be seen it in colour. This continued to be

a main transmitting Centre until 1956. Now, 76 years on from that

first historic transmission we are back in Alexandra Palace. We are

going to bring you a transmission, minus the received pronunciation.

It is all faster moving and a bit less formal. And there is the Steve

Davis, rather than a shot day this. Alexandra Palace marks a brand new

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

We have swapped one iconic London at one mark a - Wembley, which

stage the Masters for 31 years, for one another. The Masters is the

most prestigious Invitational event. Only the top 16 players in the

world are invited to take part. Here is the full draw. It is

raining champion the Ding Junhui, facing four-time winner Ronnie

O'Sullivan. The new poster boy of snooker, Judd Trump takes on Stuart

Bingham. Aiming to court one better than last month in York, Mark Allen

takes on that Neil Robertson. Twice a winner of this event, but not for

nine years, Mark Williams plays Stephen Maguire. Mark Selby again

Stephen Lee is a repeat of the 2000 in the final and Stephen Lee will

be hoping for a different outcome this time. Martin Gould makes his

debut in this event against Shaun Murphy. Everyone hopes Ali Carter

rediscover some of his snooker mojos soon. He takes on Graeme Dott.

Reigning world champion John Higgins takes on the master at --

Matthew Stevens, who is back after a five-year absence. This

afternoon's opening match is a sell-out by the middle of last

month. No wonder. It is a repeat of the 2007 final between it Ding

Junhui been comforted by and Ronnie was Solomon after beating him that

in an emotionally draining match. Five years on, the fortunes of both

I do not think he had to hit it at that pace. He hit it much too hard.

Ronnie O'Sullivan wins that on the I think that last frame has not a

bit of the stuffing out of Ding Junhui. He really is amazing this

He what formwork to shake the hand of Ronnie O'Sullivan. I think he

thinks the match is over, but it is He is a class act, this boy. I just

Ronnie O'Sullivan wins the Masters! The most talented snooker player we

have I ever seen that produces the business. You have to feel sorry

for the young man From Shanghai, but what a performance from Ronnie

After a few worrying years for Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ronnie

O'Sullivan was back to his very best back then. He followed it up

at the end of the year with a great performance in the United Kingdom

championship. The following year, he won the World Championship in

2008. It look like Ronnie O'Sullivan was back to his

brilliant best. As for Ding Junhui, he must have turned up thinking he

was the best player in the world. To be dismantled so comprehensively

must have come as a terrible shock to his system. After that 2008

World Championship victory, the Ronnie was a love and the trophy

cabinet has late slightly beer. Yes, he did when the 2009 Masters, but

the big tournaments have eluded him since. The reason? The standard

this and we got a lot better and also, Ronnie has seemed

increasingly disillusioned with the game. After that final, Ding Junhui

found himself on the slump. In 2009, there was recovery when he reached

the final against Neil Robertson. Although he was beaten

comprehensively, it was a step in the right direction. Then, he beat

John Higgins to beat the United Kingdom championship. And what of

Ronnie O'Sullivan this season? He has been beaten more often by it

more minor players and opting out of the lot of tournaments. His

ranking has suffered. The big question is, is Ronnie has all been

going to channel all his energies into the game of snooker? So, Ding

Junhui back at the top of his game. He is the reigning champions, but

there is one burning question. Can he put the ghost of his past with

erroneous of and behind them this afternoon? Since we were with you

in your kid last month a lot has been happening. There were four

maximums in three competition days, two of them by Ding Junhui. I am

joined here by Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry. Yes, he has looked

in fine form. To make two maximum breaks is amazing. Ronnie

O'Sullivan has 12 maximums breaks. The gentleman behind me has a love-

in. Be a miss here this afternoon is going to be incredible. It does

not get any better than that. Everyone wants the master spy on

their CV. It is the top 16 and the toughest tournament in the world to

win. Stephen, this is your first time in 24 years that you're not

playing at the Masters. Ronnie O'Sullivan is 16 in the world

rankings and only just great an invitation. How big this season is

this? I am sure Ronnie will not want to go and have to try and

qualify, just like I am having to do. But this is a big one. This was

always second on my list to win. Why was that? As Dennis said, it is

the best 16 players and the world and you want to prove yourself

against the other 15. This is the first time I have been in this

venue and it looks sensational. is the sell-out crowd of 1,500 here

at Alexandra Palace and I know that a working see Rob Walker is pretty

keen to get on with the game as well. Good afternoon. A new name

and the new venue. Welcome to the Alexander Palace for the BGC

Masters. Let us get the boys on the Please welcome, the most naturally

gifted player ever to grace the modern game. He has played in the

Masters final four times as a winner. Here comes the Rocket, or

Ronnie O'Sullivan it. Ronnie, what a fantastic reception.

This tournament has been very special to you in the past? Yes,

egg it has and I are looking forward to playing in this new

And please welcome his opponent, a national hero in China. The winner

of four ranking event titles. He enjoyed the sensational run to the

final 12 months ago, please welcome the defending champion, to Enter

The Dragon, Ding Junhui! This is what world-class snooker is

all about - a world-class opponent and the great reception from the

crowd. Are you confident you will be able to live up to this question

As is the tradition, the defending champion plays in the first match.

REFEREE: Friend No. 1, Ding Junhui What a reception both players got

from the crowd. It should be a terrific final in any tournament.

Yes, the fact that Ronnie has slipped down the rankings means

that Ding Junhui is rather unfortunate to find himself paired

with Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first There is the crowd at the Alexandra

Palace. I am sure it will be similar set of supporters who used

First mistake from Ding Junhui. There was a poor safety shot. They

will have to see if Ronnie can knock this first ball in into the

Obviously, there was enough room to hold for the pink, so not a mad

early opportunity. -- a bad early This is the first time they have

seen it either of these days this year. Neither of them played at the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

event in Munich at the start of This table looks pretty lively. It

always has fairly fast at the Masters. That was the reason for

the mess. He ran slightly out of You cannot help but feel a little

bit nervous on an occasion like this. But both these players are

bigger occasion players. It will not take them long to get into

A surprising us from Ding Junhui, but he has not left anything. There

is a red up next to the law, but that is very risky. He is looking

at leaving the white ball down on the baulk cushion so that he come

He has got that in the pocket. The doors open just before midday and

the crowd can in quickly - not quite that quickly! Within 20

minutes, the place was absolutely full. The first people in get the

best seats. There is no speedy boarding here! Now, has he come

Nor, at their you can see it. It is a risky one. If he does pot it, he

should finish on the black. He has definitely settled the

He might have to play a delicate little cannon. But he took his eye

off the pot. It is amazing how often that happens. That will annoy

a Ronnie O'Sullivan to miss a pot like that. You can count on one

hand the number of blacks off the spot that Ronnie O'Sullivan will

miss in the course of the season. So, at Ding Junhui has got the

first good chance of this frame. He is rather fortunate that he is

coming to the table when Ronnie has Yes, if Ronnie had got matt-black,

he would be taking all these. It is a terrific chance now for the

As we said, he has hit took maximum breaks in the last couple of days.

And congratulations to use even, I hear you qualified for the big

event in China yesterday? Yes, I did, thank you. Yes, I think these

events in Sheffield you can watch on the internet. That is the reason

you're seen so many maximum breaks - the players are playing so much

snooker. Yes, I think Ding Junhui made them in consecutive days,

which I presume has never been done He does not want to be absolutely

straight on the black. I think the back red of these the below the

pink will call into the right-hand bottom corner. That is OK. He will

develop the other two reds off this. It is just a matter of what colour

he can finish on here. A prisoner The one on the left side is now the

only difficult red on the table. The two up by the yellow are not

He looks to be a bit straight on the split. So, he has played for

the difficult red and this is now the key ball. He does not have to

force the thin, but can just drop it in the softly. Yes, if he did

not need all three of the reds he would definitely have played for

the easier ones up the table, but he does need all three of them. On

a brown new cloth, if you play he's He now has the natural angle on the

black and does not have to put it in a spin on the white ball. Yes,

it should end up somewhere near the Absolutely amazing. He was thinking

about developing the other red and took his eye off the pot. He was

concentrating on the cannon on the Although it is the best of the love

and frames, thus opening frame He has come up a little bit shot.

This is an awkward shot. It is difficult to pick up the angle when

you are this close to the object The yellow been off its spot makes

He will probably stunner cross for Still glancing around at the

scoreboard to see exactly what he Just blue and pink for a frame that

I think Ronnie probably thought he Well! Ding missed that very easy

one to give Ronnie O'Sullivan the opening frame, and he leads 1-0.

HAZEL IRVINE: And here in our bobble studio, we have a Grandstand

view of the match table and everything going around. We have

been enjoying the pre-match warm-up because you might know that Rob

Walker gets the crowd going by having a walk-on rehearsal for the

players. And guess who was playing the pot of Ronnie O'Sullivan! Yes,

that is Ronnie O'Sullivan. That is Ronnie junior, at Ronnie's young

son. And here becomes, editor overwhelmed by the noise. But once

he found his bearings, he eventually settled into his dad's

chair. There's his grandmother and his sister, Lily, on their mother's

need. He has rather upstaged his father already! -- on her mother's

knee. I came in very early to see some prix records and the venue

looked great but you never get to see the atmosphere, but 1,500

people in here is fantastic. What do you think of what we have seen

so far, Steve? It is great to see a full house. Obviously, Ronnie

O'Sullivan play. And tonight, over 1,000 tickets already sold. It

looks good for the future of snooker and events like this are

important. I am sure Ronnie appreciate that his family is here

to watch him. Back to the table. DENNIS TAYLOR: Just a few people

getting back into their seats. A few late comers. That is if they

can find a seat this afternoon. It is first come, first served. And

there's Ronnie's family, with his mother, Maria. His two lovely

A pretty good break-off shot, Stephen? Yes. He has covered it

with the brown. He has got a red on the right hand cushion and

obviously a very tough pot. If he misses, he will leave Ronnie right

in amongst the balls. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and go for

The natural angle to come off the cushion and into the bunch, look at

the yellow. That is why he is not Groaning from the crowd. He always

knew he would leave some pot on for Ronnie. A slight shot to nothing

and did not play for position on the black, which would have meant

hitting the shot a lot harder to go Didn't even get in the jaws of the

pocket. Ding was in trouble and all of a sudden, Ronnie not getting

close to that pot and it is Ding Not a guaranteed position here. He

will have to play the cannon on the The overhead camera just showing

you that cannon, which didn't work It is quite amazing. The players

from the Far East are terrific at potting the round -- the balls into

the middle pocket. I don't know... They just seem to have no problem

A good red to remove here. That He has given himself a bit of a

problem here, Stephen? Yes. Again, A little bit of tension out there.

Neither player has really settled. A pretty good opening frame but a

few easy pots missed by both A good plant there with a fair bit

of distance between the reds. And he has judged that pretty well.

Slightly hampered but good pace on He looks a bit rusty because he

hasn't played since the Second It might take him a bit of time to

As we mentioned earlier, that is the reason Ronnie has dropped out

of being number six -- in the 16th in the world -- in the top 16 in

Not a bad safety shot. No colour to play behind because of the yellow,

so you just want to get the white as close to the cushion as possible.

He might be able to swing this wide a round the angles. -- this white

That might be too close to the pocket. If the red over the pocket

were slightly to the left, it would He could quite easily double-kiss

this if he doesn't get it right. He has got to get it right into the

It looked easy and he got the double-kiss. They are surprised he

didn't look at the one near the cushion. He played a nothing of

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

shot in the end. Yes, and the This is the third time these

players have played in the Masters. They were talking in the studio

about the 2007 final when Ronnie won. It is 16 frames for warning

name and only four for Ding. Not that the players will be thinking

about that. But that is what the statistics tell us. Definitely both

players will have a lot of respect for each of a's game. -- to each

I am sure both of these players will settle down and give us a

Sometimes it takes just one player to do something special to spark

That is where I went wrong play new, Stephen. I didn't miss enough to

Can he get on to the two reds? If the green would go, it would be a

better angle to get up to the reds. He has got to it is pretty hard to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

At present, he is just favourite to Worth a risk, that double. And then

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

A nice easy red to leave your Ding stays in his seat, so the best

possible start for Ronnie O'Sullivan. He can't do any better

than winning the two opening frames. He leads 2-0. Both players still a

bit edgy and quite understandable with the new venue. Ding has missed

a few chances. He had an awkward chance there where I thought he had

a bigger pocket, and in the end, this is the situation we are faced

with. I thought the red to the cushion would go in. In the end,

Ding decided to try to knock the one in over the pocket. And then he

got the double a kiss. We will just show you the shot there. Pretty

awkward, Stephen? Yes. Both players are making mistakes, but

unfortunately for Ding, he has made the last mistakes and it has left

Ronnie with the upper hand and able to make the break. Ronnie doesn't

look as sharp as he can look. As you said, he had a break over

Christmas and the new year and has not played in a championship. Ding

has played in the PTC events. He will be wanting to do well. Just

getting people into their seats as Of course, there used to darts here,

Dennis. -- they are reduced to darts. Quite a bit quieter!

terrific crowd here and it always is in London. And a very fair crowd.

They tend to favour people like Ronnie, Jimmy White, Steve Davis.

But if their opponents produce the goods, they get the respect. And a

A Ronnie O'Sullivan special, that. You can't have cue the ball better

He can't do better than that with his long pot success rate. Yes. One

part of his game that he never seems to be happy with but four out

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

That red will still pot when the He has done the same as he did in

the first frame with that red. He now has a thinner pot than he would

Not the best angle to go into them For one to the left of the pink

It is not going to be easy. He has made 12 maximum breaks on

television. He might be able to get into the angle to take one in the

middle but couldn't have finished more awkwardly there. About an inch

too straight on the black to make going into the pack easy. Had to

force it a bit. But still unlucky If Brendan Moore started the

opening match and he will be doing his first ever final. He will be

Ronnie will be irritated with this end of break. You can bet your

bottom dollar that he was thinking about a maximum and to be the first

A 48-point advantage. But the way the reds are, this frame is far

He doesn't want to go three down. And that was close to the pocket!

Tight on the jaw of the pocket but A pretty good effort it! One red

has gone on the cushion, which is a bonus for Ronnie, but the chance

What about that for a shot into the middle pocket to get the cue ball

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

He didn't get into the cue ball as Just finished a little straight on

the black. A quick glance at the pink but where the reds are, he

doesn't have too much to do with It would be nice for him to bring

A little cannon onto the red might The only problem now is the one red

we mentioned, near the right hand And a Stephen mentioned, this is

such an important frame for Ding to Ding might try to move this off

that shot. You would think he would finish on a colour if he didn't

move it. Let's see what he decides Not bad. If he can get to the brown,

he is OK, but it has dropped right on the yellow. He was so close to

bringing it into play. But has it gone too far? I think it might have.

If he hits the red full ball, he Other players might think

differently but I wouldn't have played that shot. But maybe that is

I believe you! Seven-times world champion, six times Masters

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! They don't come any better than

It all looked pretty straightforward for Ronnie

O'Sullivan. But having said that, Ding Junhui has all were screwed

out. Ronnie hit six red and six blacks and was very unlucky to

stick on to the pack and not leave The problem was resolved. The brown

and blue will give him his first There where a few misses in the

opening two frames, but there was very little mist in that frame. It

was unlucky for Ronnie O'Sullivan to stick one to the pack of red,

but Ding Junhui is on the board. 2- That was terrific cueing. Yes,

because if he missed this, he could have gone three frames behind. He

deserved what he got there. We can safely say that both players have

now settled down in the match. is a new venue and a different kind

of atmosphere. In some respects, Ding Junhui was slow off the blocks.

Yes, Stephen made a very good point in commentary about match sharpness.

You cannot substitute what you do in practice compared to what you

can do it in a match. In the first couple of frames, Ding Junhui

missed a couple of opportunities. He missed the boat a little bit.

But he has settled down a bit. Ronnie was clearly suffering before

Christmas. He was suffering from a virus. Yes, we now have gone from

player saying they have not got enough match practice a couple of

years ago to them now say now that there is far too much tournament

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

Me think the black is available in to the bottom right-hand corner,

but the black ball will not be available. He will have to play for

the blue off this one. He seemed to Harley touch that, but the action

he got off that was amazing. He put a lot of left-hand side on that,

which allowed the weight to spin If he is dead straight on that, it

opens the black up. He is perfect. You can see, that the tip of the

cue comes back nearly two his thumb when he plays these screw shot. He

It looks as if both players have settled down now. In the last frame,

there was very little nest by either of them. -- missed. The

Masters has always been it the The mid-session interval was coming

up after this frame. Ronnie would be very pleased if he could get any

There is his pot success rate. Any time you get into the Nineties, you

You could hear a pin drop at the moment. There are 1,500 people in

here. It is the capacity crowd for the first match of this year's

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

It has just taken over four minutes for this effort. He has almost

clinched the frame. He is a few It is not often that you see a

frame-winning break without Ronnie doing some sort of shot to develop

the reds, but he has not had to do that and this one. There is Ronnie

Jnr, who we saw been introduced before play started. We saw him

coming down the stairs with his The frame is safe and this could be

the first century we have seen at Alexandra Palace. Not now, but he

will not bother too much about missing the pink. So, two frames

were a bit edgy for both players, but the second to were a lot better.

Ronnie goes to the interval leading Who looks the better player in

touch? We saw that in that frame. That was a beautifully constructed

break from Ronnie. Going back to this venue and the Masters itself,

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

on you. In most other tournaments, by the time you get to one table,

you are usually in the latter stages of a tournament. As yet,

Ding Junhui has not fulfilled his potential this season. You wonder

if it helps that Ronnie is in front of the home crowd. How much do you

think key phrase with this sort of support? Yes, I think he likes the

fact that he has got a normal routine. He does not have to stay

another tell, but simply goes home. We were talking before about this

is a bit of the crossroads for Ronnie O'Sullivan in his career. He

has now just ranked No. 16 in the world. He was seeing himself that

he thinks he has to win that either the big tournaments in Germany or

Wales to actually be in the top 16. It would be unthinkable that, after

19 years, he might disappear from the top 16, isn't it? Yes, but it

is a problem facing a lot of the players now. If you do not playing

enough events, then you will have this. If you do not want to stay

away from home and do the travelling, you are going to be

penalised by the current ranking system. Other players to play in

everything, will get the advantages from it. In fact, he was just about

one frame away from being knocked out of the top 16. These are

challenging times for Ronnie. all I am saying is that he has to

qualify for the World Championships, there will be a few people up

sitting at home saying to themselves, goodness, I do not want

to draw him in the qualifying round! The winner of the last

ranking event was Stephen Maguire and he will be in action this

evening. He is a player who is coming back to form and is up

against Mark Williams, a two-time event of this event, but not since

2003. Let us get a bit of I get on with anyone. I just like

to have a laugh. Most of the people are all like that. When you are out

there playing, it does not make a great deal of difference. I just

concentrate on the balls on the table. I liked speed. Nothing gives

you the table speed and acceleration that you can get from

a motorbike. I used to play a lot of Badminton, three or four times a

week. But apart from that, I do not have any hidden talent. And I am

not very good at that these days! Their games you're going to enjoy

it are against the likes of Ronnie was solvent. These are the ones

Getting the balance right between been far too nice to be a top-class

competitor and having to go on for anger management sessions is a

tough one! Yes, Stephen is a different type of guy. But it

definitely works for him. He expresses himself on the table,

which is fantastic to see. If he is not happy, he is not worried to let

everyone see. He can be intimidating. He is an awesome

player. If I like to see people expressing emotion. In the past, it

was not the done thing, but as long as they can control it, I have no

problem with that. Yes, me personally, I would not want to do

that, but it does seem to help him. The last couple of seasons he has

not really lived up to his potential. I saw an interview a

couple of years ago when he thought he would dominate the spot. He just

seems to have lost his way a little bit. Has he lost his way because

other players have got better or because he has stagnated? He used

to practise for cause and hours. I do not know if he is quite is

dedicated. Maybe he is not quite as in love with the game as he once

was. When you see his reaction round the table, he must have some

sort Buchholz and his cues have taken a bit of abuse! He did not

used to do that. Maybe it is frustration with him not winning

matches he thinks that he should be. But as regards a powerful presence

round the table, there are very few players like him. Yes, a lot of

players have come through at the same time and Stephen was leading

the race out of all of us. He was the one winning tournaments before

any of us. He won the United Kingdom championship and the look

like he would dominate the game for 10 years if he kept playing like

that. It is probably just finding that balance between getting to the

point where it is bad for your game, in terms of temperament wise. On

the table, when he was working with Terry Griffiths, Terry seemed to

Camb him down. Now, he is perhaps doing it at the wrong time. May be

upon us are getting positive feedback from it. -- opponents are

getting positive feedback. And that match will be live on the red

button from 7pm. You can see highlights tonight at midnight.

Stephen Maguire has never made the winner's circle here, but he has

got a very good record against Mark Williams. Yes, I do not know if

many of these matches were played in the period when Mark Williams

was really struggling. Mark Williams is one of my favourite

players to watch and if you have got a record like that, you could

be proud of it. Now, Mark Williams is number two in the world. The way

he has resurrected his career, how would you fancy his chances at

Alexandra Palace? He is such a great competitor. A winner of this

magnitude would really put him right back in the picture. At the

moment, he has yet to confirm himself fully as the best in the

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

Stephen Maguire just winning in Germany it should be good. Now, the

Alexander Palace has been a busy place in the past couple of weeks.

It hosted the World Darts Championship in the past couple of

weeks and one player who was glued to the television screen is Martin

Gould. He had even thought of taking it up professionally of

things did not go so well on the Isle of darts. I do not play it as

much as I like. I get the odd game here and there. I love going to the

darts. I love the whole atmosphere and the way the crowd interacts.

Whenever it is on the telly, I always make sure I watch it. This

is for the title, double Ten. It is they're! Phil Taylor is an awesome

sportsman. His will to win is amazing. He still dedicates eight

on main cause of the in practice to winning. Double top! Yes! It is

that sort of dedication I like to see and a top sportsman. I would

say this will like to give the Daks tour in go. I know I would need to

put a lot of work in, but I would love to play again some of the big

boys. Or fly, Phil Taylor will still be around when I make it. I

would love to put myself against Phil Taylor. I have a D cup loss

bankings from Shaun Murphy, but I know if I can get on to my game

straight away, I should be all right. Martin will be putting the

it darts away tomorrow evening. By game is on BBC2 tomorrow. Now,

talking of darts, we have the other World Championship final at the

Lakeside this evening. So really there Neelie man. Double 10! He has

got it! It means absolutely everything for Tony O'Shea. He is

back in his second World Championship final. I have got some

experience at least in playing at the Lakeside final. Even the life

lost, I think I learnt from a drop from it. That semi-final was tough.

It was 5-5. I think I learned from it. I think if I am in another

final it will be a different story. Game, Short and the match! The coal

fire goes all the way to the final! -- the qualifier. The language

barrier has been a major bonus for him. No one has been able to get

into his head! You can see stuff to other players and it gets under

their skin, but not to him. TRANSLATION: I am just going to go

out there and be myself. How the crowd are loving this! The crowd

are all singing. During the tour, I have lost in everything. I even had

any nine dart finish and still lost. To actually win one would mean I

could retire happy man. There it is, at quarter to six on BBC2. What a

story we have had at the Lakeside this week. I am very looking

forward to that. I am sure Steve and John are as well. Yes, I have

started playing a bit. I play against my son. Let us get back to

the snooker. Ronnie O'Sullivan is in a good position, 3-1 ahead, with

the first to six frames the winner. What does Ding Junhui have to do?

The alarm bells up are already ringing if you are 3-1 down. He

really just has to see her things can go his way. Ronnie O'Sullivan

is a good front runner. How would you have been if your children were

sitting in the front row? I would not like to have been in that

situation. My wife used to come and watch me, but I'm not sure they

would have liked the children there. There may be a bit too much emotion

I do not think that the plant. I think he is just playing the safety

This gives Ding Junhui the have a chance. This is the type of shot

He pleaded with the slight element of safety, coming back for the

yellow. But he is still a nice The black does not pot into the

left corner. He will possibly play for the pink into the left of

He is actually going to play from the one and the rate. That is very

difficult to screw back of a completely straight ball with the

He did not quite get into it. He finished OK. He has got the blue

into the bottom -- the top right- If he gets a nice angle off the

boat, he could play up for the one next to the black next time round.

Has he got the angle? There is just a teeny bit. He has got to be

careful of the red just to the left of the pack. In fact, he is just

plain for the one next to the pink. He will hope this helps to clear

the pink. This is not an ideal That is the much better angle. He

played the shot in such a way that he would be all key if he had

cannoned the left red of the bunch. But this has gone a little awkward.

If he had played this with more pace, he could have cannoned into

it. I wonder if he just under threat that. Anywhere up here that

red he is going to have to pot no would have been perfect. Yes, you

would think without sure you would air on the side of hitting it too

hard, because if he ran into it, it would have kept the white any

That was the only problem. When you run out of position there is always

the risk that this sort of thing can happen. It was the previous

shot from the blue to the red that REFEREE: Foul, and a miss. Ronnie

This is the shot we we're talking about. He under her at it and

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

There was Neil easy safety shot and you cannot put a ball better than

that. -- there was no easy safety Half the average shot time of 17

and 18 seconds, that is pretty And look at the average frame time.

And this one is not going to last much longer, you would feel, the

It didn't matter what angle he finished on the black. Two reds

The last red, the one he potted, he switched to his left hand. If you

asked if they could have any talent, any other player, that is what they

would say, to be able to switch hands like that. It is an amazing

talent. Lots of modern players are good with either hand, but going

back to my day, no the Fred Davis, could switch hands. -- maybe Fred

He looks to be taking complete control of this match. He is doing

precious little wrong at this moment. The first long red he

potted deserved to win any frame - and on our shot. -- phenomenal

shocked. This is the one that Stephen was talking about. That is

The blue, and one more red. That will be enough to leave Ding Junhui

It has gone wrong. This red doesn't pass the other red into the middle.

It is amazing. A shake of the head, it is incredible what can happen at

times. Slightly too much to check on the white ball, to square up the

That was a frame-winner, if ever you have seen one. That was not an

easy shot. That last red that he Gasps from the crowd, but he won't

bother too much about that, the difference, 44, Ding Junhui comes

to the table, but he has a lot to I don't blame Ding Junhui for

carrying on, the way that the balls are situated. If he was able to get

a snooker and a free ball art of it. Too much side. I think he will have

all look at Ronnie. Ding Junhui concedes the frame, and Ronnie

O'Sullivan looking very comfortable as he extends his lead to 4-1.

Ronnie, looking increasingly comfortable, and no wonder, because

his Achilles heel has been a long potting but that the opening red

did not display any of that. That is just absolutely crazy. To knock

that in as clean as a whistle, it is a ridiculous pot, and it

deserves to win any frame. forget how quickly he can play.

Sometimes with all his troubles we have been discussing that, but when

he is in the group like this, it is a great pleasure to watch.

always chooses the right positional shot and very quickly. The time

taken between shots is very quick. He has got such a quick brain. Once

he is amongst the balls, no time taken at all to work out the

correct positional shot, all the time. We have spoken about the

record between these two. Ding Junhui has lost the last four

matches against Ronnie O'Sullivan, including that final, but most

recently, the Premier League, it was the final and Ronnie O'Sullivan

blew him away, 7-1. When back to their opening session, he missed

the boat. In the first couple of frames and Ronnie was not settled

and he missed a couple balls. He was not that shark. Ding Junhui had

a chance to stamp himself on the match and he did not take it. He's

now a 4-1 behind, and Ronnie has warmed up. On a one-table set-up at

a big venue like this, Ronnie has caught the eagle eye on things,

Frame number 6 is a must win frame That is a good break off from

Ronnie O'Sullivan, trying to get the cue ball as tightly as possible

There was no escape back-up to the safety zone for dinner, there. --

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

get a 10 pence piece between them. It is such an important shot these

days, the break-off shot with all these good, long potters. He is

looking at the possibility of cutting this in, to the path around

the back of the black can reds. -- I don't think the shot is available

for Ronnie, the red to the left- hand corner. Maybe he can avoid the

red to the left of the black, we will soon find out, well, he could!

That shows you how confident Ronnie O'Sullivan is, trying to develop

the black, he knew that he could not miss the cannon, but this is a

If that black was tight to the cushion it would have made the shot

easier. The fact that it was slightly off made a really tough

shot. If you hit the ball and the cushion at the same time it has got

more chance of clinging to the cushion, but when it is slightly

off the cushion, it is a more He could do with getting on to that

red that is near the black spot, it is or what, if he wants to pot the

black, it could tie things up, but he cannot do much about it at the

moment, because he is on the wrong side of the blue at the moment.

That flick on the green looks as if its spot of things. -- it spoiled

things. If it missed the green, he Some slight desperation playing for

an shot of that red, wasn't there? He took a bit of a chance. It

wasn't the best shot in terms of results, getting the red away from

the black spot, but there were other reds he could have played

four, there. -- played for. That was not as risky as it looks. If he

drops that red in, the plaque is over the other pocket. There was

Pretty good. He can see the reds to the left side of the pink but he

would have to hit it then Lee, so that he did not cannon into the

black -- have to hit it thinly. Can I think he has covered the black.

It was a tough plant. You can see where he has played the cue ball.

He couldn't have played it much better. He can just about see the

black and going to the reds. Now, the black is going to be tied up.

That is the only problem. Did not quite get into the reds as he

anticipated. Still pretty awkward, It is even more awkward now, but

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

the black shot was difficult, APPLAUSE that is unlucky.

Good pot Mac, could cannon -- good Black's the only colour he can see.

I'm not sure he can get past the red to come off the baulk cushion

and just come past the green, that would not be a bad choice, but he

is swerving, just to play the yellow. Just as good. That is what

you call a Chinese snooker where you are in front of the colour,

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

rather than behind it. Makes it all Hasn't been all that much tactical

play. It has been quite an open game. But both players playing so

their safety shots. If there is no easy safety shot he might have to

have a go. It is a supreme test of cueing, here. Have to keep so still

on these shots when you are up That has to go down as another long

pot, and what a cracking pot with the cue ball tight to the cushion.

He has missed very few long pots in this first round match. And look at

the action, never touched the cushion, OK, he has cannoned the

blue to spoil it slightly, but it was effortless, how he got that cue

ball to come back, with quite some distance between cue ball and

object ball. It does not touch the cushion, the white stops, and

without the cannon on the blue, it would have been perfect. Left-

Just showing you that backspin, when you hit that ball, and the

white stops and then spins back. You can see there, with at spotted

cue ball, what happens. -- that spotted cue ball. Six-and-a-half

feet, without any effort whatsoever, Definitely starting to run away

with this match, now, Ronnie. He looks by far the most comfortable

among the balls. His positional play is by far the best of the two

As I mentioned, each time they have played in the Masters, Ronnie has

had the better of Ding Junhui on those occasions. This Gordon knows

matches is 16 frames to Ronnie, four frames to Ding Junhui. Has

Ronnie O one out of position, here? -- Ronnie run. All is not lost just

yet for Ding Junhui. We know that he is a pretty good pressure player.

The trainees sensation. Can he pull something out of the bag, here? --

And that is what might just be the sort of thing that can turn things

around. He still has a difficult red to the left side of the table,

but could that be a turning-point? He might be able to bring the red

into play. Always a risk that you can leave the cue ball close to the

These are tough shots across the table from another cushion. That

was a much better shot than it looked. And what a chance. Ronnie

will be kicking himself if he loses this frame from that careless

There are no problems at any point in this frame, but we know what

pressure can do, especially when 4-2, instead of 5-1, that is a vast

No problem getting on the yellow as long as she does not overscrew it.

A difference of about a millimetre in position from Ronnie between 5-1,

Ding Junhui showing how good he is under pressure. That was terrific.

He narrows the gap but he still two frames behind. It looked as if

Ronnie was walking away with the match and he was in prime position,

and this game is all about fractions, at times, and there was

a shot where he played the black, you cannot see a problem, but the

white just seemed to keep on running. Stephen mentioned mm. And

that is what stopped him from winning the frame. Anywhere around

where Hawkeye has played the shot and it is perfect. It is incredible.

I mentioned that he was going to run away with the match, but could

that flick be a turning point? -- fluke. I wonder if that stroke of

luck from Ding Junhui could be classified as a turning-point.

is funny as a snooker player, sitting in the chair, when that

happens, how and why do you get when the crowd clap? You are

sitting there thinking, did they clap because they thought it was a

good shot or because they are Ding Junhui supporters, or is it just

excitement? And you sit there, winning yourself up! What is you're

reading of how this match is now falling? I thought at 55 and one

that was all over. But, sometimes that can just be a spark to the

other player. He still in it, at 4- 2, he is very much in the match,

You cannot beat a little flute at the right time. -- fluke. Funny

listening to Steve Davis talking about the crowd clapping for a

fluke. I think it was just the way the ball went in the pocket that

got the band of applause. -- round of applause. Talking about being

focused when you are out there, I remember against Steve Davis and

the World Championships, he missed a ball which jumped and ran along

the cushion and drop into the pocket, the crowd was up in arms,

and Steve Davis just walk around the table as if nothing had

happened, and cleared up. Focused! He was miserable round the table,

wasn't he?! That is rich, coming That is a very good safety shot.

Shows the advantage of getting the white tight to the baulk cushion,

forcing that mistake from Ding Junhui. If that was a couple of

inches of the baulk cushion there would have been no problem getting

the white ball back to ball. -- baulk. It has always been the name

of the game. There are some fantastic potters and the game

these days. But in a good tactical game, it police such a key part of

the success of the game of snooker, -- it plays such a key part. And

Ronnie has that element to his game. Ding Junhui, from tight on the

cushion, try to hit that a little bit the cure. He just caught it too

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

Has he done it again? We are talking about mm and that looks

like he has landed on a red again. Once again, frictions make all the

difference. I think he was hoping Can he get past the blue to be red

it up at the other end? Ronnie did not have any shot on, so that was

all he could do. I think he can see The two lapses in positional play

from Ronnie O'Sullivan is very unlike him. He is so often in

pinpoint position every shot. that will certainly irritate him as

well. That was not an easy safety shot, but suddenly, this match is

It is not as bad as it looks. He is not fully hampered. He can get past

You talk about fractions. Even the air, a fraction made all the

difference. If the white ball had just been slightly to the left-hand

side, he would have been badly hampered for the pink. Now, we know

what Ding Junhui is like when he gets on the run. He can knock off a

That is an a shot, Stephen, trying to get the black back into play. He

has left himself where he can at Port this and leave the blackthorn.

It was definitely a deliberate shot he played there. Actually, Dennis,

I do not think he will play for the black. I think the two reds were

just hampering that. His prayers break to be is just 58, which is a

like Ding Junhui any match where six frames have already been played.

I know he has lost four of these frames, but you expect him to have

made a bigger break than that. But maybe that last frame will give him

a little boost. He certainly looks more comfortable and his striking

He just had enough angle. I thought he was straight there. But he was

He is having to leave that black alone, because of the red balls

Ding Junhui will be celebrating the Chinese New Year at the end of this

The do like you in that part of the World, Steven. You are heading out

there at the end of the month? Snooker has become a huge spot in

China and a lot of it is down to this player we're watching here. --

I remember going out for a meal with Ding Junhui and his sponsors

and the whole village came out to see him. He got absolutely more

bitter. It is a beautiful part of the world that we are taking the

World Open to. It is the Hawaii or A I do not know if he can reach

round. He need need the extension. He might be able to. It is the

He is now 30 points in front. All of a sudden, it is the completely

different ball game. Yes, you can just tell by the way Ding Junhui is

walking round the table. His positional play has become much

better and we suddenly have EDM or on our hands. He puts his head in

his hands. He did not intend to come in-off the black. -- can in-

Now, this is a big pocket if Ronnie fancies taking the red right up the

cushion, because of where the black has finished. It looked as if Ding

Junhui was going to take this frame and be only one frame behind.

Ronnie has had a look at this red. There is no straightforward safety

shot. He has played it. And he has got it. CHEERING & APPLAUSE. That

was a big pocket and that is why he Of late has just run it a little

bit further to the right hand I still fancied him to get that.

But that has handed be framed to Ding Junhui. He will be relieved.

He may have felt he had missed the boat, but Ronnie did not take full

advantage. I think Ronnie was about to concede, but we all now get the

fine if we concede when there are still enough points on the table

for a frame to be one, so he did not. I found that to my cost when I

played against John Higgins earlier in the season. I heard you got

fined 250 quid! A left-handed shot there from Ding Junhui. I do not

think he expected to pot it! Quite amazing, that one flick in the

previous frame may have turned this match right around. Ronnie

O'Sullivan is still in the lead, but it looked for all the world as

if he was going to be ahead 5-1, but all of a sudden, there is only

one frame of a difference. The opening day of the Masters, the

first match and who is to say it may not now call the way? Now, at

Ronnie O'Sullivan has seen that a couple of inches have made all the

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

Yes, it was looking like a stroll in Alexandra Park for Ronnie

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

He was a little bit unlucky to find the gap, there, something that

might cause Ronnie to lose a little Not so much self-confidence, but

his attitude seems to change when he makes a few mistakes. He is his

You just get irritated by a little mistakes you make. That last red to

the middle that he missed was a little bit reckless. It is so

important in snooker to control your emotions. That can give Ding

Junhui nothing but confidence to So still not a good chance, by any

The pink may be able to go on the He can play for the blue without

any problem. But, I think the pink, I don't think that it goes to the

left corner. He has had a look at that. It is quite all want. This

will need a little bit of sorting He would like to have another go at

We clever, if he played it that way. He has left the red near the corner

pocket and he has covered it. thinking that was possibly a little

bit careless, but that is to his I'm sure he didn't play to leave

the red there, you didn't have thought so, but that is how it has

turned out. It has made it awkward That is what Ronnie is looking at.

He cannot get to that red near the With the safety shot, he has forced

the red, and the one you can see over Ding Junhui's right shoulder

as the one that this winter have caused the problem with the safety

-- that is going to have caused the That is position for you, there.

Can he just flipped that without going in-off? -- flick that. That

This is a pretty good tactical Ding Junhui has pulled another good

He hit that much thicker than intended. He will have to be a

little bit careful with the cue ball. If he plays it with a little

touch of side, he might go between the gap between the pink and red.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

So we should finish up between pink Riffing there was probably the

loudest easily have of her hair and. There are 1,500 people in there,

but when you have to sneeze, you That has just developed a couple

I think where Ding Junhui has improved is his temperament. It was

suspect for a while. Yes, he has matured a lot as the player and

competitor. We talked a lot about a final he lost to Ronnie and broke

down afterwards, but he has definitely matured. He did have a

but have a reputation as throwing the ball in, but not now. --

Can you believe it, the cue ball. It did not go in the pocket, but he

was hoping to flick the red next to the black and open things up. But

he managed to find the gap. But that is a bonus to knock the pink

safe. He is the strong favourite at the moment. But we do know that a

frame can suddenly opened up within the space of a couple of shots.

This might just be the occasion. What a beautiful shot. Ronnie

O'Sullivan could suddenly open up all the game. If this make shot

works out, we could have a lot of balls in play. Have a look at that.

Suddenly, the game changes with This is a huge frame under the

circumstances. Ronnie was all done should have gone 5-1 in front. He

has taken the more difficult of the red. This is the sort of situation

that Ronnie relishes. We have seen him producing some of his best

snooker of when his back is against the wall. It certainly is in this

He just under standard that. He wanted to be six inches further

This is where his left handed play OK, the red was not easy, but with

the type of talent he has, you do not expect him to miss that people

He has got a nice angle to come off the top cushion and bring the white

between these two reds. He has played it perfectly. Absolutely

spot on. Could not have played that better. He left himself on either

I am surprised he did not take the red down the cushion, because he is

not guaranteed to get on it as But at least he does not have to do

anything fancy with the fleet. -- The comeback continues. It really

is a terrific performance from Ding Just a couple of little positional

shots has caused the problem and of course that lucky sure what he got

in frame six made all the difference. Now, it is now down to

just been the best of three frames. From 4-1 down, Ding Junhui is now

back all-square, 4-4. The boys made a good point in character -- in

commentary about Ding Junhui so character. We look back at that

final, but he is much tougher nowadays? Yes, if that frame had

gone 25-1, it would have been all over. But there is no doubt he is a

much tougher character these days. When he arrived, in snooker terms,

he was way ahead of his time as regards his age. And at the moment,

he is looking the more likely winner. Ronnie has continued to

play his game and has looked terrific in the balls, but he has

just drifted out of position a couple of times. It must be

frustrating, when you feel you're cueing Gorky, but he is now any

fight where it could have been an easy canter and a 6-1 victory.

difficult is that when you feel you had a much in your grasp? Yes, it

can be irritating. How do you assess this match now, John? Well,

Ding Junhui is looking the stronger, but you would never write off

Ronnie O'Sullivan. Honestly, it is Could we possibly have the deciding

frame in the first match ever played at Alexandra Palace? We will

Not the best break off shot. Nor, it came up further than I thought.

It is the fast cloth. But if he pots this, he will go into the pink

and red. That is why he was trying to screw it. It made the pot a lot

If he had played it plain that ball, he would have could be up into the

Now, how confident its best young The benefits are obvious. Keep your

head still and run the cue right That was not easy. It was the

correct shot to play and the confidence was there, but it is the

tough shot when the white ball is Now, what is the angle like?

Not a good chance just yet. The reds are awkward. They will need a

He is looking at the possibility of the pink here, because he is

straight on the black. He is virtually straight on the pink and

will have very little to do with the cue ball. Now, the pink will

probably have to go up and the browns bought, as that is the only

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

overscrewed it slightly. There is a natural angle to come and behind

this red. Has he put it hard enough? He may be able to pot it up

into the top left-hand pocket past Good recovery. They are not easy to

judge when the cue ball and the He might have to play for the black.

As Stephen said, it is much easier It is amazing well that white has

finished up. It is almost like Not the best. He needs the yellow

to come to his rescue, and it Ding Junhui can get through to the

potting angle. If he plays this with a lot of screw, he can stop

the white somewhere near where the Similar to the pot that he potted

previously when Stephen said keep your head still and pushed the cue

for in a straight line. That is the key to knocking that type of shot

What a killer blow this will be for Just missed the cannon into the

reds. Otherwise, the frame would have been his. It was amazing how

that arc around the reds. -- arced. If he had struck the white just

slightly lower, that would not have happened. I do not think this red

gets up past the brown, and he is completely out of position. No

wonder he has scratched his head, that is trouble with -- probably

the luck -- the worst shot he has Didn't fancy that. That was a shot

to nothing. Be only red he could leave was the one he took on. --

That last shot he played was one of the toughest shots in the game. He

played it with a lot of screw, and did not let the red run back up the

table. Very few players can hit that shot as softly as that and

still get the required effect on the cue ball. Tremendous timing and

Bit of a three shot, this, he can take on the pot, it would be an

automatic safety shot, he would That is just a stunning pot. Under

the circumstances. What has gone on Ronnie, if he wins this match, he

will have plenty of negatives to say about his game today, but I

don't think I have seen him pot as many long balls as this. It has

been his Achilles heel for the past couple of seasons, and Ronnie would

be a Foster tell you that his long potting has not been up to scratch,

but he has something like 77% long He just showing what he has -- what

he is made of, as well. Looked like he was going to lead 5-1. Then Ding

Junhui took three in a row, but the pressure is now firmly back on the

showbiz of Ding Junhui now. -- the That was a frame that Ronnie

O'Sullivan needed badly after winning three in a row. He just

needs one more frame for a place in the second round. Just one more

required, and it seems to have jolted Ronnie O'Sullivan into

action, Ding Junhui coming back. Interesting, about for long potting

percentage. Ronnie O'Sullivan's statistics very good compared with

the last couple of years. To come - - to some degree, the statistics

are luck. If you hit the ball well, sometimes it does not going,

sometimes it does. The statistics between 90, 70 and 60 can be in the

last of the gods because of the type of shot that you get. But

Ronnie O'Sullivan's cueing action is excellent, and I know that he is

never happy with it, but that type of cueing is of a standard that can

win a tournament. The top rate in this match has only been 76, but it

has been no less watchable for that. -- the top break. A bit of drama,

that is what you want on a Sunday You cannot beat a bit of drama, and

we have it on the opening day of Willie Thorne, myself and Tony

O'Shea did a thing with Sport Relief, dressed up as rockers,

dancing about to enjoy Smith and a c-b C. -- --to Aerosmith and AC-DC.

It made a few quid for charity. Ding Junhui knows he may be sitting

there for a while because the reds are nicely placed. The black is not

tied up. It is available into one corner pocket. This is not a bad

chance for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ronnie has always been fantastic at

closing a match out when he gets He's just seems to put that little

extra amounts of concentration into He has such a quick ring, Ronnie

Those are the shots that are key to break-building, delicate little

stun and screw shots, and he is a One of the greatest break-builders

that the game has ever seen. 660 century breaks. The only person in

front of him is the one sitting next to me year, Stephen Hendry.

Just over 700, Stephen. Would you know the answer? How many centuries

have you made in your career? is round about 760-770, something

like that. This is a key shot coming up for Ronnie O'Sullivan, of

the cannon works out, we have seen a few missed, when he took his eye

What is he looking at, the plant? The alarm bells are ringing now for

Ronnie doesn't have to do a lot with the cue ball to open up those

It was a great fightback from Ding Junhui, and it is not over just yet,

but you always knew that Ronnie O'Sullivan was capable of doing

this. He lost three frames in a row, in the last frame he had a 51 break

Three more reds available. He does not have to Korea into the reds

here. -- career. Doesn't want to risk the cannon when he can win a

frame without doing that. The red to the right of the pink is

He can play for that red now, just next to the pink. He is just

showing us here why he has won this Needs to pull up a little bit

calmer and it has, just! This time, the fractions were in Ronnie's

favour. This time, it has been a great opening match for this year's

Masters. Great venue. And I am sure This is the title that every player

wants on their CV. Defending champion Ding Junhui knows that it

is the end of this year's Masters, for him. It look like a walk in the

park for Ronnie O'Sullivan, until that three frame spell where Ding

Junhui got himself right back into it at 4-4, but, in the end, Ronnie

O'Sullivan has kept his concentration and focus. He has

cued well. He has done very little wrong, after the two opening frames.

And, when it be nice if he could go out with the first century ever

made at Alexandra Palace? Can he knock this difficult red into the

corner? Getting there, please! Well done! The first ever a century

break is made at the Alexandra He is doing what all great

champions seem to do. Every shot is being cheered, now. That is not

taking anything away from Ding Junhui. This crowd have appreciated

his play. He has nothing to be ashamed of. He has put up a

All the way around the angles to It didn't go in, but what a way to

finish, like a true champion! Both players have given us a great

opening match in this year's masters. And Ronnie O'Sullivan

raises his hand to this affair crowd and goes out a winner,

finishing in style with that 125 Great to see the welcoming party

there, Ronnie Jnr, giving his father a well deserved hug. Ronnie,

a four-time champion of this event was more than equal to it. He has

knocked in his 50th century at the Masters. He is about to join us.

Impressions of the way that he was able to block one India and finish

this at 4-4. He did not look on the pressure. Ding Junhui was under par,

but he still thought very well, very hard. Ronnie was cueing very

well, generally. There are a lot of things needed to be a top champion

snooker player. If you ever want an indication of how to closer match

out, particularly the last frame, it was exemplary. Well, it is a

great privilege to welcome Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ronnie O'Sullivan

Jnr! Congratulations. 4-4, after that amazing fluke from Ding.

fought well enough, potted the black, overscrewed, and it was

there for, game over, you lose a frame like that to someone like

Ding Junhui and he can punish you. And that is what happened, I lost a

couple of frames but my head went, really, and when he took it back to

4-4, I thought, there is a bit of pressure in there. But after that

it was a different game. Almost upstaged by this young man! There

you are, can you see the telly? This is you been into just as your

dad! I think it got a bit noisy, didn't it? It was really noisy!

you get the that of a fright? He is shaking his head. What did you

think of his performance, Ronnie? This performance, it is the best

feeling in the world for me, to see him. It was nice for him to see me

play. It is nice to have him here, I think he enjoyed it. It was a

tough match, to be fair. Ronnie Jnr, are you proud of your dad? Did he

play well? It is a big season for you, Ronnie, we have been talking

about that, coming to Alexandra Palace, brand new venue, and the

first of a century here, and you're 58, at the Masters. That is

different to Wembley, but it is a great crowd and a fantastic

atmosphere. It was good. Have you always felt more at home playing in

front of a London crowd? I enjoy playing anywhere, to be fair. If it

is a packed audience it is quite easy to get motivated and to enjoy

it. Today, it was busy and it help you play you're best snooker.

talking to Steve and John about having their family in a front row.

It must be a little bit off-putting. They were moving about and laughing,

having a jolly day out, and by missed the red in the second frame

and all I could see was these, moving. Keep still, I said. Making

do a bit of work! Get him up there where I cannot see him! Absolutely.

And is there something you are going to keep doing? Today, it is

the weekend and they are going back to their mum's tonight. They might

come to a final if their mum lets them. Is he a snooker player?

not bad at golf. I think he is going to be a bit more of a mark

soccer bout, he is a bit of a geek! -- Mark Zuckerberg. It has been a

delight to see both here. Come back and visit us again, Ronnie Jnr. You

mentioned the next match, either against Judd Trump or Stuart

Bingham. It is not getting any easier. The standard is so low!

came up against Judd Trump and said he was the most dangerous players

who have ever played. How healthy is it for the sport that you have

got yourself and people like Judd Trump coming through? He is a

fantastic player. I am fortunate enough to practice in the same

police that he does, trying to pick up a few things, because I have

never seen anyone pot so well, to be honest. You see it now and again

but I see every day. Have you been working on your long game?

statistics-day were very high. is OK, just from watching Judd

Trump, and Neal, and Dean. They are all very open and I get stuck

sometimes, and with the long ones, you have just got to pull it back

and open your hand, and cue straight through, whereas I was

steering it, for years. I'm sure they are learning more from you

than you from them, but can you be inspired by the generation of

players? They are very committed and dedicated and wake up every day,

full of it. I am still dedicated. I still don't see anyone playing as

hard as me, practice-wise. Some of them are like part-timers, got

their mobile phone on, using Twitter, but funny, it is just this

this. All of those days of six years, chained to the table,

probably is not healthy. I think they a showing me that you don't

have to do that every day, you can have a few days off, just chilling

out, and you have just got to trust that it is there or on the day,

sometimes. This is an event you have loved over the years, but this

is something of a crossroads for you in your career, you have either

got to win the German Masters or the world's to get to be going to

the Crucible. That situation must be discontented than --

disconcerting. I am too good to be playing in the qualifiers, but I

was ready to retire last year, this time last year, now I have met

Steve Peters, who knew no well, and I didn't think he would be able to

help me, but he has, I have had a couple of blips along the way, but

I have been honest with him, and I have found out I want to play

snooker but on my terms, and not travelling 29 weeks of the year,

living out of a suit case, it is quite lonely, especially when you

have got these at home. I am not going to do that. If I have to

qualify, I have to qualify. That is the nature of how my life is. I

still want to play snooker, but on my own terms, otherwise you end up

feeling sad and lonely in yourself. If you haven't got children, that

is different. I used to love living in hotels, this is what is

important, and if I can get a bit of both, that is what I am going to

do. I am not going to be playing the circuit, because I could get

miserable and go down that route before I have not got certain

things in my life. By working with Steve, I still want to play, but it

is just getting the balance of everything. You had better get this

young man off, I am sure that the swing park or something exciting is

waiting. Thank you for coming in, it has been great to meet you again.

Thank you. This young man's bad. He is saying bye-bye! Obviously, he is

one of the King's of snooker, who has made 12 maximum breaks in his

career. We have been going through the statistics. There have been

eight maximums made this season, four of them in the last beer for

weeks, an astonishing rate of scoring, and, did you know, that is

one fewer than in the wall of the 1980s. That shows you the quality

there is at the moment. We thought you might Willis a chance to see a

match with a maximum break, and who better to show you the art of said

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

DENNIS TAYLOR: yes, it was just too And that is the the red and the 5th

It is important off this red to leave a nice angle on the black...

And has t o be done that slightly? Just wondering if he can get that

into the left centre... I think he One more red and the frame is safe.

But Ronnie has other things on his mind and so does everybody in the

John, I know you have commentated on a maximum before but I haven't

and I am starting to get very excited here. It is a matter of

�147,000 on offer this year for a Yes, and I think those two reds

will pot into the left corner. And they will now! It is OK! A great

Four minutes for the century. He just have the angle on the black

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

What a fantastic maximum break that is! Ronnie O'Sullivan is delighted.

The crowd is delighted! I am delighted! Five minutes for an

unbelievable maximum break. The players are over from the other

side of the screen! Sensational! HAZEL IRVINE: Would you believe

that was 15 years ago, 1997, and the fastest century ever recorded.

It was over in the blink of an eye. Yes. The first thing I said to

Steve... How quick he is cueing. So quickly. That will never, ever be

beaten. I don't care, as long as I am living, that will never be

beaten. I reckon he could have shaved five seconds of pot that if

he hadn't been so indecisive about a couple of the shots! -- five

seconds off that. I am going for the third red... For that must have

been excruciating for those watching. Maybe not. I wonder if

somebody still has the chalky threw into the crowd. Yes. Let's fast

forward to the Masters at Wembley. Ding Junhui and it was against

Anthony Hamilton. And Ding was still a teenager at the time.

Remember this? JOHN VIRGO: Can you see enough of

this? I would suggest so. He has Beautiful control of the cue ball

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 74 seconds

He checked the cue ball perfectly He knew it was a big ask there. He

did cue it perfectly. He just needed an ounce more weight and

this black is tricky if he takes it This is a real difficult shot. And

I am just looking at the potting angle and I don't think it is one

Right in the heart of the pocket and he didn't have to do much else

other than concentrate on the pot. A terrific shot. But it did help

that he could just play it plain A terrific chance now for Ding

Junhui to go one frame a way from a Not a lot Anthony Hamilton could

Still a terrific opening red from That was not the intended position

he intended to leave from the black. But again, he made light of the

difficulty. A little screw on the A precision cannoned. He has played

When people talk about him, as you said earlier on in commentary, he

is aiming this year to be the youngest ever professional circuit

champion. And he is improving every season I have seen him. His choice

He probably believes, as most young players do, that he can pot

anything on the table. But that dividing line between what is

Anthony Hamilton is not bad but this young lad is getting better

I can see the possibility of this seal man dominating for many years.

I know we have the great talent of Ronnie O'Sullivan, which, after

York, are not too certain what will happen in the tournament. It will

be interesting to see. -- I am not And I think the Chinese revolution,

of which he is the standard bearer, is supported by large numbers of

other Chinese players who are developing into top-quality

Three already on the world-ranking He made a century break in the last

frame and every reason to suspect The only thing I can't fault him on,

his positional play. He just couldn't get on the table. But not