Day 5 Masters Snooker

Sometimes at major sporting events fate plays its part in bringing

together two opponents in direct competition that excites the senses

of supporters like no other. Today is one such day, and snooker fans

have been desperate to grab a vantage point for today's play at

the Masters. I wonder which two players could have created such

Yes, indeed, we have a great crowd here for the sizzling quarter-final

clash between four time title- holder Ronnie O'Sullivan and UK

champion Judd Trump. When Ronnie first won this title end 1995, Judd

Trump was just five years old, so they are at very stages -- given

stages of their career, but their desire to prove themselves the best

is still the same. I think it will bring the best out of both of them.

It is a fantastic match-up. Ronnie's strengths are just

exceptionally good in everything he does. His match play is of the

highest quality. When he wants to play the safety game, he is as good

as everybody. As an all-round player, As Good As It gets. Ronnie,

I was very impressed with his attitude in a match against Ding,

and he played some very good snooker, and he is going to be a

handful. He has always had a great long game, but he has struggled of

confidence over the past few years, and now he seems to be enjoying

snooker again. Is the best player at there, but when his attitude is

not good, anyone can beat him, because the loses interest. When

his mind is on the job, more often Judd Trump is the new Ronnie

O'Sullivan in regard to box office. Everyone wants to see him. Judd's

biggest attribute is his fearlessness. He does not think of

any negative consequences of what is going to happen if he misses a

shot. Is just enjoying his game, going for shots, not thinking about

what happened if he misses, and that is the best feeling you can

have on a cyber table. -- snooker. I do think he is blessed with a

very good technique, very flat, very straight through the ball. I'm

fortunate enough to be able to watch him in practice, and my long

game has improved as a consequence of may be watching him play and

trying to add that to my game. should be a great match, it is the

one everyone wants to watch. To be honest, I do not like watching

snooker, but I'll be watching as well. Toss a coin to see who will

win. There is an air of anticipation, and considering what

happened in the UK Championship, that is the case. Interestingly,

even though neither of the players are ranked number one, it is like

the king verses the young pretender. Without a shadow of a doubt. Ronnie

has been the people's champion, but Judd Trump is on the precipice of

taking over that mantle. This is Ronnie's home patch, particularly

the Masters, but Judd is the main man at the moment, and it is going

to be a tough one to call. How is it for Ronnie, when someone comes

along and takes excitement away from your own game? Ronnie Lowes

this tournament, he loves to play well in front of his home crowd. On

the strength of the way both players have performed this week, I

think Ronnie has played better, but Judd Trump is looking forward. He

has thrown down the gauntlet to Ronnie. He did not play that well

in the UKs, so he has thrown down the gauntlet to say, I am the one

coming up, you will have to beat me. Nothing more dangerous than a young

whippersnapper enjoying the crest of a wave. At our age, everybody is

a whippersnapper! But yes, it is great, he is refreshing for the

Graeme, great to watch, and even the players would pay to see him.

He has brought a new excitement to the game of snooker, and it is

great they can match up together. It is going to be fascinating, hard

to call, it will go right to the wire, and it will be a great match

with a great atmosphere. Over to Rob Walker. Good afternoon, ladies

and gentlemen. It is quarter-final time at the BGC Masters, and this

is box office every step of the way. The king of the sports entertainers

against the crown prince in waiting, ladies and gentlemen, without any

further ado, let's get the ball is Please welcome the most naturally

gifted player ever to grace the modern game, nine times he has been

in the Masters final, four times a champion, he has been winning

ranking events for 19 years, the three-time champion of the world,

blink and you will miss him, it is And his opponent, a young player

who has been nothing short of a revelation of the last 12 months.

He won the China Open last April, he reached the World Championship

final in May, and he produced his famous brand of noughties snooker

last month, winning the UK title. From Bristol, the case in the pack,

It is definitely buzzing at Ally pally. Judd has been quoted as

saying he wants to be the Mario Balotelli are snooker. I suppose

Ronnie used to be the Eric Cantona of snooker. Which of these players

will strike first? We can join Stephen Hendry and Dennis Taylor.

DENNIS TAYLOR: Good afternoon, what an atmosphere here at the Alexandra

Palace. The players are on their feet for a standing ovation. Thank

you, ladies and gentlemen, the first frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan to

Off we go, then, for this opening frame in what should be a very

Not a bad break of shot from Ronnie. That is the type of pot that Judd

would normally take on, but there was no black available, so there

was no value whatsoever. Tough on to Cork, Stephen. He says, a

fantastic atmosphere. I must admit, I am enjoying commentating and do

my stuff for the BBC, but what I would give to be at there today,

fantastic! Bullnose? You might be back there next year, the web you

There is a path through for this red. He should be able to get back

Just a little bit too much pace. Rolling up to a colour, not easy

for that position. It is a tough brown that he will be looking at

into the middle pocket. But he has That is a pretty good shot, because

that is difficult to judge on these very fast flops. -- cloths. Yes,

the straightforward escape his off one incursion into the left-hand

side of the pack as we look at it. He is playing into the back of the

Well, that is a mistake. It was quite a risky escape, that,

especially when you are bridging over the reds. You tend to get a

little bit of unwanted side on it. The black is only available into

the right corner at the moment, but knowing Ronnie O'Sullivan, within a

few shots, he could be up on those Played very well in his opening

Not a good pink to going to full- He still went into it, but it was

not easy, the way the pink was situated. I thought he might have

The Ed the pink full-ball, but it was always going to hit the other

Of course, these two players are practice partners, but they would

not have been practising together this week, Stephen, I wouldn't have

thought! No, when you know who you are playing with, you tend to stay

away from them for a couple of days. I do not think these two pay too

Screwing back for an angle on the blue. And he will be wanting to

play into the right-hand side of It finished a little awkward for

him. Pink and black are not And now that the red has gone over

the pocket, that has caused quite a problem for Ronnie O'Sullivan, but

the last positional shot did not quite work out for him. But what do

you do now to cover that red that is over the pocket? The only ball

he can play to do that is the pink and leave the white somewhere

I mean, ate the black would go into the middle pocket, he might take it

Yeah, I think he thought the safety was going to be as difficult as

taking the blue one. I thought, if he was going to try to play a bit

of safety today, or take Judd won Yes, I'm surprised he took the pot

on the blue on, because the Blackwood go. If you are going to

put all of your eggs in one basket, the black would have been easier

Judd played very well against Stuart Bingham, but he did make a

few mistakes. Stuart normally would have punished him, but he did not

in the first round here. I think Judd knows that he cannot afford to

make many mistakes against Ronnie O'Sullivan, which all adds to the

I think that red at the back of the bunch is available into the same

pocket that he is taking this red. You can see it there, mind you are,

I do not know if he has let himself I think the problem there was,

Stephen, he did not get on the black as he intended. It was a very

careless shot on the red, but that He will probably play a little

cannon into the two red directly above the black to hold for the red

Yeah, a good chance to take this opening frame, because he will not

need the difficult red near the Oh, he has over cut it! If you put

it on a near jaw, they will not going. Maybe there is a little bit

of tension and there, and that is the type of shot that will annoy

And look at Judd immediately taking the chance to remove the only red

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

It is always difficult to judge the position and the object ball is so

close to the pocket. He might be able to hold for pink or blue. No,

he has had to go up for the baulk colours. I think the green would be

the best, looking at this angle. One more good positional shot and

The natural angle on the black to drop it in a off the cushion. You

will automatically be on the yellow. This will hurt Ronnie. He had the

best chance to win the frame and missed the black off the spot. That

is very rare. That can only give Judd confidence, to see somebody

like Ronnie missing the black off the spot. Yes, I think we all

expected Ronnie to finish the frame off there. It was a very rare miss

off the spot on the black for He may be turned his eye off it,

concentrating on cannoning into the So both players had chances in his

opening frame, but that Mr black proved the one for Ronnie

O'Sullivan. Judd Trump takes the opening frame, 1-0. In the studio

we are enjoying what we have seen so far. Ronnie O'Sullivan, though,

for my money, looks a little bit tight. He looked like he was not

quite flowing yet, but's is off and running. You get the feeling that

Judd is not going to shake his responsibilities today. It does

cross my mind that when you get a player that is coming through, and

you have got Ronnie O'Sullivan, who is excellent in the departments he

is in, and thinking back to my own career, when Stephen Hendry came

through, you get somebody all of a sudden challenging you in that

department, whatever it may be, you do not like it. You might pretend

you do not mind, but actually you do not like it and it puts more

heat are new. It means you are playing with something to prove.

Absolutely, there is a set and add to pressure on Ronnie O'Sullivan,

and he will not like the fact that Judd Trump is stealing his thunder.

-- a certain amount. But O'Sullivan is still, like, you know, the best

player if his mind and his game is right, and particularly his mind

more than anything, but he did look a little bit nervous. He has got

more to prove now, and that puts pressure on him. A new challenge

DENNIS TAYLOR: Pretty good break fait Judd Trump. I think he may

have a snooker or on Wall balls. -- There was not much sticking out!

And this is a free ball also. ball. If Judd is nicely on the

brown, he might elect to take the See how close the why it was to the

brown. The players are struggling to get behind the yellow, but you

have got to hit its slightly thicker, and he made a good job of

The brown counts as one point in a free ball situation, and he is back

on the brown again, at one good positional shot, and what a great

chance with the way the red are spread. Slightly early, but could

we be seeing the first 16 red Yeah, when we talk about the

highest possible break, people think the maximum is the highest,

but there is a possible 155 in this situation, where you get a free

ball and take the colour as an Where is that pink going to finish?

What a bonus that is! He had run out of position, but the pink

The black is OK, and the pink might be available into the right corner.

Meanwhile, he has got to negotiate the baulk colours here. With the

yellow off its spot, it was He might just be able to cut this

one back into the corner. The one That was not the one he played to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

He has settled into his rhythm He is pretty laid-back, Judd Trump.

He was up in the players' room with his friends from Bristol, and his

brother Jake is with them. And he was still in his casual clothes 10

or 15 s before play started, so he is a pretty laid-back character. --

We are looking at a terrific amount He has been a professional now for

six years. It took him a while to get established, but he is one of

the biggest box-office players we I bet he is thinking about that 16

bought clearance, Dennis. The way he plays the game, the buzz he gets

from playing his type of snooker, that is the sort of thing that

would give him a kick, to do it might have happened, I'm not

sure if Kirk Stevens might have Believe it or not, there is a

possible 148 break on at the moment if he were to stay on the black! He

did not anticipate cannoning the He needs another red, and he has

got a colour to negotiate first tour. -- first of all. It looks as

Not a bad shot to play under the I cannot believe he never took the

black or the blue honour. It is incredible! I think he is learning

all the time, and is trying to play the right shot. He might have

thought putting the brown safe was the right shot, but he would have

taken the blue or black. Two fairly safe red on the right cushion. --

reds. I would have needed a gun at my head not to take the pot one,

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

Well, he has more or less to run the gauntlet Stanyer. Ronnie might

The frame is safe now. The best possible start for Judd Trump. That

first frame was important in the context of the match. When it is

the best of 11, it is always nice to get off to a good start. And

with Ronnie O'Sullivan missing the black off its spot, it adds to how

It will be a quick match, At the moment, Judd Trump has got

Always likes to play some entertaining snooker at the end of

a frame. Especially if the frame is He could not do much better than

star like that. Judd Trump has taken the first two frames and got

himself 2-0 in the lead. That has thrown down the gauntlet to Ronnie

O'Sullivan. He looked relaxed and comfortable in his opening match

against a Ding Junhui, but even with all the experience, the black

off the spot hangs around in your mind. It is difficult to get out of

your mind. It is an easy shot. You would have thought you were winning

the frame. He knows he has to make a cannon on the blue. He slightly

took his eye off it. It is a shot you took for granted. The fact that

he has not had an opportunity in the second frame, Judd Trump can

win frames so quickly, he must not let Judd Trump run away with the

match. We know that Ronnie O'Sullivan can win a couple of

He managed to get the wind over there, probably too far. There is a

That is the only problem, if it does not go in. You stick your

opponent up. Is the black If he leaves the white where the

bread is, it would be an easy pink. It is important for Ronnie

O'Sullivan, Stephen, to knock in a He will not be panicking at this

stage. He will know that Judd Trump will get better the more confident

he gets. He will want to make a The black does not pot, otherwise

Ronnie would have played it on the Not the best shot in the world. If

it had been easier he would have cannoned into the pink and reds. He

could do with the cannon on the He played it with side to head

APPLAUSE I think it was good thinking.

You do not want to take risky shots He has an angle to go into the pack.

The reason he did not go into the pack is because there is a loose

That is a tough plaque to split when they are situated like that. -

He has not played the best safety shot in the world. That was a nice

break. The split did not work when This is the one as Stephen said he

Well, that was an attacking shot! Look how the reds have spread.

was a shot to nothing. He has It is not that if it finishes tight

It is a very tough black. The natural angle would take the white

ball into the middle pocket. The pink might go past the reds, which

Suddenly, Judd Trump his in amongst them. He was the one who opened

them up with the amazing attempt to pot the red and split the remaining

He plays it the right way. This is That is what makes that shot in the

last frame, when he turned down the blue, I could not believe that. It

is the only way to play snooker these days. I always thought that

safety was overrated. You were not too bad at the safety game. If you

are an attacking player, you need a It is intimidating when your

Even the great Ronnie O'Sullivan, he looks a little bit intimidated

Watching this young player doing this in the Masters, one of the

biggest events in the game, what would it be like watching him in

I definitely wouldn't want to practise with him. You would not

get many shots. You would be He did not quite stun that through

as he intended and got to the wrong It means he is further away from

his next shot, but the way he pots, The red is on the wrong side of the

table because Judd Trump is a left- hander. He has not quite got the

angle on the pink to get in behind the red to leave it for the corner.

It looks like he might cannon into the black. I am not sure of the

angle. No, he can do it. That was He potted the pink in slightly the

right half of the pocket. He judged You have the chance to see the cue

power of this young player. He had to screw back with reverse side to

get to the yellow. He is looking the angle on the pink. It looks as

He would have to get a lot of reverse side to swing it up past

Striking right down. He could have Not absolutely dead straight. A

tricky shot to judge the angle when you are close. That was right in

He needs the blue to make absolutely certain of the third

It is all Judd Trump at the moment. Trying a trick shot there. Ronnie

O'Sullivan did not split the reds. Unlucky. But Judd Trump is on fire

at the moment. Judd Trump in total control and

Ronnie O'Sullivan cannot get off the ground.

He had a chance. Stephen said he could have gone into the pack there.

That loose red was always going to be on. Steve and I were

flabbergasted here. He is perfect on the blue. The top red is on. But

look at the opportunity. If he goes into the right-hand side of the

pack with a lot of screw, avoid the first red, he is OK. He could have

split the pack and won the frame from that position. A few years ago,

he would have gone into the pack. It is unusual to see Ronnie

O'Sullivan not opening them up aggressively, perhaps there was a

plant on, but he gave himself the chance to fall foul of not coming

to a frame-winning conclusion. That is very unlike him. What a great

performance from Judd Trump to win that frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan is in

all sorts of trouble. Nobody could have predicted this scoreline so

early. Ronnie O'Sullivan needs to get on the scoreboard. And fast.

He has caught the brown again. Against Judd Trump, you cannot

afford to do that. You have to get the cue ball close to the cushion.

This is the last frame before the mid-session interval. The first

chance to Judd Trump. Ronnie O'Sullivan might be sitting

there for a while. Because this We are looking at natural ability

Years of practice, but, this young left-handed player was born to play

snooker. As he overscrews his positional side of the shot. That

is the red he should have been on. He was unlucky to cover the black.

The pink goes, but he will have to go in and out of baulk to get on to

STEPHEN HENDRY: The feeling Ronnie O'Sullivan has, which is what I had

when he came on the scene. You are seeing someone do what you have

DENNIS TAYLOR: I think the fact that he practices with Ronnie

O'Sullivan. I do not think he would have fear if he did not practise

with him. It is like your situation when you played with John Higgins

and Stephen Maguire. I think that helped them tremendously on the big

occasion. You still have to do it out in the, as Cliff for Bourne

said, -- as Cliff Thorburn said, you have to do it out there in the

bear-pit. This looks like a practice session for Judd Trump. He

is very relaxed. He does not look To be fair, he has not been put

Every chance now it will be 4-0. It could easily have been 2-2. Ronnie

O'Sullivan missed that black off the spot and he did not get the

reds open when he had the 49 break. It looks for all the world it will

be 4-0. It could easily have been 2-2. But this young man is

fantastic to watch. You heard Graeme Dott saying he does not

watch much snooker, but he wants to A couple more pots and we will be

It is like a stroll in the park at the moment for Judd Trump. We have

been having a stroll in the park this week down through Alexandra

Park. This magnificent venue, hosting the Masters this year. The

crowds have been fantastic right There will be some shot spectators.

They would not have expected 4-0 to This young player has had 143

centuries and he has been professional for six years. 33

centuries already this year. He is He will know the highest break is

Trust you, Stephen Hendry, to think about that. There is �15,000 for

the highest break. You always like This is the 10th century in this

year's Masters. 140 would take some What is going through Ronnie's

mind? He has a lot of respect and admiration for Judd Trump. This is

the sort of thing he has done on CHEERING Absolutely incredible.

He has made the highest break in this year's Masters. That puts him

forward for the �15,000 break prize. But, he leads Ronnie O'Sullivan 4-0.

Stunning from Judd Trump. Equally stunning in its own sense from

Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has played nothing like what he is capable of.

Is that because a Judd Trump? Absolutely. The last couple of

frames he has not taken his opportunity. This is the standard

that has been set. Ronnie O'Sullivan is shell-shocked. I

think the black he missed of that cost him the second frame, that has

slowed him down. He looks very shaky. You cannot leave half

chances for Judd Trump. Once he gets the a sniff of a long ball it

has gone into the pocket and he will try to win the frame at one

visit. What do you think of Ronnie O'Sullivan so far? From the

commentator's perspective, not going to the pack in the third

frame was a shock. We are used to seeing Ronnie aggressive opening

them up. The rest of it has been Judd Trump. What a fantastic

clearance in the third frame. And to follow it up. He is keeping the

heat on him. He is much during all the time. It is a fantastic session

for Judd Trump. He has to convert it. Ronnie O'Sullivan is not your

normal animal. Some players will world. Do not be surprised if the

Ronnie O'Sullivan who comes out turns it around. He is a special

character. If he does not turn it around, it will be amazing feeling.

Stay tuned for that. He looks as if he is not here. He is shell shot.

The interval will come at a good time -- shell shot. O'Sullivan is

capable of winning frames in ten minutes. He does not want to lose

6-0. There is pride at stake. can he do in the break to shake

this off? It would be worth going to the practice table. He is

unusual. I remember in the final against Graeme Dott, he was 5-0

down. Ronnie O'Sullivan did not bother and he got back into the

game quickly. He always has the confidence in his ability, he might

talk it down, but he knows he can win frame after frame. The biggest

problem would be how many chances he will get. And Judd Trump does

not look like he will falter. He might keep the four frame advantage.

That is the difficult bit. problem for Ronnie O'Sullivan is

that he is end under pressure -- under pressure. You expect him to

get shots all the time. Judd Trump is doing to the Rocket what the

Rocket do to almost every other player. We are now going to look

back on yesterday's match between world number one Mark Selby and a

determined Stephen Lee. Mark Selby led 4-0 at the interval. That

became 5-1 before a fight back from Stephen Lee to bring the score to

JOHN VIRGO: He needed a good cue STEPHEN HENDRY: I think he will

take the red on. It is the only one STEPHEN HENDRY: That was a nice

JOHN VIRGO: That was a tremendous shot. Stephen Lee could not have

done much more. You cannot cater It was a great pot. It was not a

great positional shot after the black. What is he on? I thought he

He did not feel comfortable playing the black at a dead weight,

obviously. Maybe he was looking for something easier after the black.

He is playing this red to the left But he has played it well, every

A couple of good pots he has pulled out now, and he is under pressure,

Handy as played that well as off. He could not have played that any

better if he had put it there with his hand. This match has taken some

twists and turns in the last few frames, but I would say that shot

there is the match-winning shot. I will be very surprised if Selby

does not win the match from here. Yes, a tremendous opening red, and

then that tremendous red into the The cannon has given him that

opportunity... Well, we do not feel he needed a while ago. But things

conspired to open his macho. -- He flicked the near jaw, but it was

well inside the pocket. He is plotting a lot cleaner now. --

potting. But with what has happened before, Stephen, I am not going to

count my chickens just yet. Twists and turns, you cannot believe it.

Will Stephen get back to the table? It is looking doubtful, but

stranger things have happened, and in this match! Yes, even this shot

with the rest, he has not gone past You would have liked to have gone

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

That puts in 51 points in the lead, but he has underhit that by a long

way. He has played for the red to the right corner, but it is a

quarter-ball pot. Stephen Lee may be thinking he could be getting

But he has recovered the situation. OK, it is going to be a little bit

more difficult off a baulk colour to get position on the red, because

This yellow, I assume he will play the yellow, even the brown, it

would not make any difference, he Does he have to disturb something?

That has worked out nice, and that will make Mark Selby mightily

He has put an tsar through the wringer this afternoon. -- he has

put himself. A little wry smile there from Stephen Lee. It looked

for all the world as though he was going to come back and create one

of the biggest upsets I have ever seen on a snooker table, but it was

The jester is not laughing and joking now, is he? No, certainly

not. The rest does not going, but it should not matter. Stephen Lee

shakes his hand and says well played, good luck in the rest of

the tournament. I can only say, Mark Selby put himself through the

wringer, but he scrapes through in the end, and he is in the quarter-

final, 6-4, phew! That match, in patches, I showed some good form,

and then towards the end I started to fade away a little bit. If I am

going to go on and win the tournament, I need to be stronger

and be more clinical and finish the match better. It is early days, I

have got through the first round, which is the main thing. I can just

go back to the practice table and work on my game. Work on his game

ahead of the quarter-finals, and some players are saying the

quarter-final line-up here is as good as they can remember. We have

seen the start of one, Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan, up but that

would be a cracker. A mouth- watering encounter, with two heavy

weights. There are so many great players, great time to be a snooker

player, in that you have as many counters, they are so good that

when they clash against each other, there is potential fireworks.

Selby started brilliantly, but in fairness to Stephen Lee, he took

his chances when he got them. pushed him all the way, and Selby

was 4-0 up, just like Judd Trump is here... It is possible, I'm trying

to recall when someone came back from 4-0 down, and it has been

quite a while, but when you have that extra frame, best of 11, there

is a little bit more room. Even if you are 4-0 up, you need the two

more frames, but I do not think Mark Selby will be happy with how

we played. He was relieved, but like Judd Trump in his first match,

he did enough to win, and then he has up his game. There's more to

come from him. So the, you talk about the different approach these

days, playing tournaments from the old days. You do not get any easy

first-round game. Mark Selby will be pleased he did not play to his

best yesterday but he is still true. Pretty philosophical, how he viewed

it. There is so much analysis now of the players' performances, that

you could be kidded in your own mind to be upset with that, but he

got it right, he got through, bread-and-butter snooker that you

sometimes have to play. Nobody likes it to be so close when it is

a runaway victory, but he is in the next round and everything can

change. You are never delighted when you do not play as well as you

would like, but you have got to say, it is a tough game, you cannot

always be perfect, but they are more perfect now than they have

ever been. Mark Selby, his game is very good, he's a bit like John

Higgins in that respect. Even when he is not on form, he is very

consistent, he always plays the right shots. This safety is always

top-quality, always very hard to beat. He is the world number 1, but

is he the best player in the world? I don't think so. He has been

consistent, but I do not think he is the best player. We have seen

the best player in the world today, Judd Trump, and Mark Selby's

results have been very consistent, and good luck to him, but probably

could say Higgins or O'Sullivan is better than Selby. It is a tough

one. There are a lot of players who could lay claim to being world

number 1, and in a way it will lay testament to whether the ranking

system is accurate enough to be able to pick to his world number 1,

or it just maybe they are too close to call. The thing about rankings,

it is just consistency, do you know What I Mean? It is how good you

really are at the top. I do not think there is ever going to be a

prolific winner like Steve in the 80s, Hendry in the 90s, possibly

Ronnie O'Sullivan. I do not think you will see a player winning five

of six Big ranking tournaments. The game is just too hard. When, at the

end of the season, Judd Trump has won the Grand Slam... I hope I'm

wrong, but I cannot see it. I don't think so. The standard is so high

down the list, but it is very hard to keep winning all the time.

one player who was threatening to delay the game at the moment is

Judd Trump, and he is up against Ronnie O'Sullivan. He leads 4-0.

What we are going to do now is have a look with our experts at the

current state of Ronnie Remember the 1980s, that golden

period of time. You said in an interview, Ronnie O'Sullivan will

be the one that takes over your Mantel. Yes, I think he beat me in

the final of the UK when he was 17, and you can see that he had the

game to take it a stage further. At he has not, and he has said it

himself, won the tournaments he should have done, but in terms of

talent there is no talent greater. Is it all about Ronnie on the

circuit? He does draw the people in. Yeah, he does, he always draws a

crowd, which is great for the sport, to play in tournaments with a great

crowd is what we thrive on, but it is not all that Ronnie. Obviously

there is a great standard of snooker at the moment, but he is a

great talent, in my eyes probably the greatest player to have played

the game. We do not agree, Stephen? Yes! I think, in terms of raw

talent, there is no one better, there is no one I have played, I

have played yourself, Jimmy or through the years, and in terms of

talent there is no one better. He would admit that he has under-

achieved, but that adds to the appeal are watching him. You never

know which Ronnie is going to turn up. What fascinates me as a player,

we can all play the game to such a high level, but more than any other

player, he seems to get the crowd gasping for breath. But his shots

are no different to any others, are they? No, I think it was probably

early in his career when he used to play a rapidly quick. Now he is

still the fastest player in the balls, but back to how he was in

the mid- to late 1990s, that 147 break, five minutes 20 seconds,

incredible. I think that Ronnie is probably the only player who has

mastered all aspects of the game. I watched him in the final of the

Masters when he beat John Higgins, he destroyed him, his long potting,

safety, break-building was perfect. I think probably no-one has played

all aspects of the game as well as running has. Right or wrong,

pulling out of tournaments? I do not think it is good. It is each to

their own, but I do not think I would do it unless there was

something healthWhy's really wrong with me. I think for snooker, it

really needs Ronnie. He does attract a big crowd, which is why

it is important for snooker at his And despite all that under-

achievement, Ronnie still has a tremendous record. Nine Masters

finals, four times the champion. The simple question is, can he come

from 4-0 down against Judd Trump? It is possible, but he has to win

the next couple of frames at least to have any chance. So often we

have seen the interval changed the course of a match, and for Ronnie

O'Sullivan fans and for Ronnie, is hoping it will have done that.

are about to find out, Ronnie O'Sullivan has a mountain to climb.

Let's rejoin our commentators and say happy birthday to Dennis

Taylor! Thank you, 37 today, I Yes, as Steve Davis says, sometimes

the interval can change things around, and Ronnie O'Sullivan and

his fans will be hoping that is the case, but Judd Trump was backstage

there, we were chatting to him, he was tweeting away in the midsession

interval, he is so relaxed. If he carries on as he did before the

midsession interval, it is going to be a famous victory. Ronnie

O'Sullivan has never ever been a Well, the simple fact is that

Ronnie has got to play near-perfect snooker now to come back and win

Now, he has mishit that. He played it with a touch of right hand side

to leave himself an easy pink to the middle pocket, and he hit the

red much fuller than he intended. Oh, this is tough! Now, that is a

From the jaws of the pocket, you cannot cure a ball any better than

that. The pink is tied up, the black is tied up, but what a great

effort that was. If the red above the black is available, he can play

on the blue and get on that. It looks a bit tight, so that might

Well, I say it is too tight. Did he play to get on to it, orders the

one go in the middle pocket? Yes, the one to the left of the pig will

clear the pink. That is good Well, you said it, Stephen, he has

to play near perfect snooker to get back into the match, and this could

He is OK, the red at the back of I think he still feels that one

near the black is on. But that Oh, that will do!, and off de red

near the commission will do, and he has brought the black into play. --

coming off the red near the cushion He queued that one too well. He

played for the Red Duke talked about earlier. You still got the

one to the left. -- the ready you talked about earlier. Now he is in

He would have his say this is a chance to get his first frame on

the board. -- you would have to He started with that magnificent

pink into the middle. 4-0 down, he could easily have been deflated by

the shot he played before that, but Yeah, it is worth another look at

And of course Ronnie O'Sullivan takes a lot of pride in his game,

4-0 down, his pride would have There's not many players who could

come back from 4-0 down against Judd Trump in a form, but this is

one player who could do it. As the boys in the studio said, a long way

Yeah, and the fact we are best of 11, not best-of-nine, as we

normally play in ranking events, it gives you a bit more room to

manoeuvre. Judd needs two more He has finished a little hampered

on the pink here. He is looking at Taking the blue means he need one

more red, still a possible 67 on the table. This red next to the

Why bid it so hard, Ronnie? You only needed the red, Y Hamad it?! -

I think Ronnie prefers to hit down on the white, that is why he played

it so hard. You could see them bouncing around on the slow motion

when he struck down slightly. Meanwhile, Judd has played a pretty

I would not like to think what the And this match has just been going

50 minutes, just over the 15 minutes mark. -- 15. It is fast, it

It does not matter about the pink. Just over 80 minutes, and Ronnie

O'Sullivan gets his first frame on the board. -- 8. That is the start

of the comeback, is there more to come? He is is more like it, Ronnie

O'Sullivan back in the Graeme, and the crowd are really up for it. --

this is more like it, Ronnie O'Sullivan back in the game. He did

not play a good shot on a red, but look at this pink, we would not

have even look at that! It would have been green, up behind the

yellow, but it was a really courageous shot to take on. It was

a potential match loser, capitulation in some respects, but

the situation Ronnie finds himself in, he cannot afford to be throwing

away any type of chance. Fortunately for Ronnie O'Sullivan,

he asked us so much ability, he made that look easy. That was such

a hard shot! Is a different animal to someone else being 4-0 down. If

he wins this frame, suddenly Judd Trump, the feelings swap over.

Particularly because he has got the crowd going. They need to get them

going. This frame is a big frame as DENNIS TAYLOR: Yes, he cannot

afford to miss much, and he is faced with a long red, and the

black is awkward. He refuses very And the crowd, well, that is what

they think of that long pot! And does the pink go? A terrific long

The paint might have to go in behind the reds here, so Ronnie

will play for the blue and then You were mentioning earlier, Dennis,

Judd knows what Ronnie is capable of. If he can string two or three

frames together quickly, this match That is perfect. Do you know, I am

just looking at them, and he could Well, there you go, but he is

unlucky. How has he finished there, tight on the black? He just caught

the red slightly thin, the first Well, that was a terrific effort. I

mean, it was not a risk Ewshot, because he knew he was putting the

cue ball in a position where it was a shot to nothing, but he was on

the black if he had spotted that Of course, Stephen, this is a whole

new experience for Judd Trump. He has played Ronnie before, but not

in the Masters, and it is totally different to any other event.

I remember... Playing Jimmy in front of 3,000 people, as much as

you think the crowd is not going to Yeah, they have their favourites in

London, Jimmy White, Ronnie O'Sullivan, but they are a very

fair crowd. If the opposing player is producing the goods, they would

get a terrific response from them as well. They were not there to me

when I was playing Jimmy! They kept on saying, miss! It might have been

something to do with England versus It is the norm nowadays, a lot of

people have earpieces to listen to the commentary. They are used to

watching the snooker back home, and occasionally we do say the odd

thing where people might laugh, and hopefully it won't put the players

They still need a little bit of sorting out here, it is slightly

congested at the pink and the reds as they are, but this clears the

But it was always going to be difficult to get on to a colour

Oh! He looked at the black, he looked at cutting it in, cannoning

into the red and pink. What a shot That is OK. I think he can get past

the brown to the black. But it is He has got a little bit of work to

Because if he canons that red that is to the right of the black, he is

not guaranteed to be on one. If he misses it, he is still not

It needs to keep going. He is going to have to cut this one into the

Well, that is a bit ambitious, the distance between those two reds!

The one I mentioned is a better If he is straight and a yellow, it

is a case of screwing back directly for a red into the left corner. --

Not the best kiss. If he misses the blue, he is perfect to cannon into

the five reds, but now he has got to go in and out of baulk, and he

has got a long way to travel and play this with a touch of right

He may be can just see the red to We have not seen much tactical play.

It has been potting and break- building. Ronnie O'Sullivan can

It is amazing the number of times he has caught that brown. If he

slide past it, he has Judd Trump in Look where he has got the cue ball.

He has hardly hit that. His timing is unbelievable. How many players

would have taken that last shot on? I do not think he anticipated the

cue ball finishing up on the baulk That was unlucky. If Judd Trump

played with an element of safety, he was fortunate to land tight on

We showed you what can happen with the run of the ball. Ronnie took

the red on to the middle and played it as a shot to nothing, and until

he got a cannon, he would have That is the way he plays the game.

Very few players would have taken on the shot he did. This was a

must-win frame a for Ronnie. -- frame for Ronnie. Will he get

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

He would have to do something They are there for the taking. 4-1

He may make it look so easy, but even these players, and little bit

It did not matter what side of the blue he got because of the red up

He looks to be dead straight. Look at the cue power. He did not mean

Tucking up is the shot. Keep the He will be disappointed not to have

won the frame at that visit. It is difficult to hit the red, but

keeping it safe is even more difficult. He could easily hit the

-- swerving this. Well played. Has He cannot see enough to potted to

the middle pocket. But he is such a He has covered it. There is every

chance that Ronnie O'Sullivan could get the snooker. He has the black,

the blue and the green to cover the one that is over the pocket. If he

can get the white somewhere in where he has the tip of the cue,

Very well played. He knocked the yellow on to the cushion. Judd

Trump is not guaranteed to get this Ronnie can get the white back up

again behind the black off the red in the D area. He could get him

And there is the great Patsy Fagan. He his here for all sessions. It

was his birthday a few days ago. Many happy returns. You do not have

your earpiece in! Probably has not got it turned on. Does not want to

I have to apologise. He looked very like Patsy Fagan, but it was not

Patsy Fagan. He has his double in I do not know whether it is dead

straight, a deep screw to create He will probably play the green

here. Follow-through off the baulk To judge the pace that well was

Attempted to screw and take the yellow off the cushion. Looks to be

dead straight on the blue. The If he takes the blue, he would just

needs the yellow. The green would Even if he does not get on the

yellow, potting the black means that he Ronnie O'Sullivan can only

tie, so he sacrificed that a little bit. That was interesting to see.

You would probably have potted the green and taken the yellow on.

be fair, I did not look at the He will be lucky to get away with

He is worried about pushing the yellow to the right corner pocket.

That was beautifully played. Kissing the brown, that is even

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

Just a little bit sticking out. It is nice to see this tactical

battle after watching the break- And it is tough out there. Sir any

for Ronnie, at the moment. But, he knows the importance of this frame

and that is why he is putting so Has he got a snooker? He had the

cannon on the brown. It worked in Judd Trump's favour. That was a

nice run of the ball, it has to be said. Where is the air going? --

yellow. It was going to go in-off for the brown. Well Judd Trump take

the double on? He only needs the I think he can cue at the side of

the blue and cut this in. I am surprised that Ronnie played that

last shot so hard. The trouble playing it slowly, was taking it

from the green. A little bit of desperation in the last shot for

Ronnie. Just from switch hands and tried the safety shot. I thought he

could cue at the side of the blue - This is tough. Up into the corner,

screw back, leave the white near the cushion. This will bring the

He tried to pot that by the looks And a chance of a snooker here. He

could put the green on the baulk Has it gone too far? Has he missed

I am not sure if he can get tight in behind the brown. If not he

There was a possibility of doubling the green and leaving it safe and

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

That was a good shot. You cannot leave the balls further

apart than that. Look at the green Believe it or not, he looked at the

possibility of doubling the green It was not far away! It is a pretty

good shot. This green does cut. By far the

longest frame of the match, coming up to 27 minutes. Fascinating

You would think Ronnie would have the advantage in this situation. He

is the better tactical player of the two. Judd Trump is still in

experience. He will get better very quickly. -- been experienced. -- in

experienced. He needed that to come away from the jaws. I think he

thought he mite have got the snooker behind the blue if he took

that on, but he has handed the frame to Judd Trump. He changed his

mind on the shot. He was going to play and will turn a safety shot.

He has conceded. Judd Trump, that is a big frame for the young man.

Just one more frame away from a place in the semi-finals.

Things are precarious for Ronnie O'Sullivan. That was a fascinating

safety exchange. Both players were desperate to get to a situation to

win the frame and get the green down or play a good safety. Ronnie

played a speculative long double in the end. It wobbled in the jaws and

the worse thing was the speed of the shot. It was an easy win in the

end. I would say that Judd Trump held his nerve, but he did appear

nervous. He played some rash shocks. It looked like they were desperate

to get that frame -- rash shots. It put more daylight between them. It

would have kept Ronnie O'Sullivan in the match and it would have kept

the heat on Judd Trump. It seems ominous. I would not roll Ronnie

O'Sullivan coming back out, but it seems ominous. That last frame

break the back of it from the perspective of the Judd Trump. It

is just one to get over the line. It made an enormous difference,

that frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan cannot afford any more mistakes. We

can join an ageing Dennis Taylor. DENNIS TAYLOR: By the minute! A

Ageing, but still going to play the game. I will tell you about a

legend' Cup match in May, the 12th and 13th May after the World

Championship in the Bedworth Civic Hall. I will captain a team with

Ronnie O'Sullivan, Jimmy White, John Parrott against a team led by

Cliff Thorburn with Stephen Hendry, Tony Drago and Ken Doherty. That

will be fun. He is definitely getting the run of the ball. Look

at where the cue ball has finished. He hit completely the wrong side of

the red. I thought it 5-1 up, he would have taken a chance to drop

it. He played with an element of safety and he has got it safe.

You always need a run at the ball in this game. It is usually the

player who is playing better. When you have a go at a shot and miss it,

it is amazing how many times you get away with it. Ronnie O'Sullivan.

It is amazing the number of times he has caught the brown when he has

played that particular safety shot. I think the red passes the pink. I

Things like that. When things are not going right for you. He is

hampered on the pink. He is having to take the blue. Can he drop on

He has come up for the one close to the middle pocket. If he could get

on the one above the black, he could open the scoring end of the

table are up. -- table up. He has the perfect angle to drop on that

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

He has gone a little bit too far It can always go wrong when you

have to play a cannon, but he is OK. I think the crowd take it for

granted. He potted that last shot left-handed. I am sure people do

not notice he does it. He looks He could not have the reds in a

You will not see Ronnie using the cushion a lot. His positional play

This is what he needs. He needs to get in first every frame. Just over

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

three minutes, and the frame is The round of applause tells you

that the frame is secure. Not many players in the game could do this

with their back against the wall. He has kept his focus. He has a lot

of respect for Judd Trump. He wants to show the crowd what he can do.

You could never write him off. Every chance that he might get to

get the highest break. Shaun Murphy's 139 was beaten by Judd

Make no mistake, Ronnie O'Sullivan will know if he takes blacks he

could be Judd Trump's break by one And what a way that would be to

keep yourself in the Masters. To CHEERING And there is the century.

Ronnie has made 662 centuries. Only one player ahead of him and he is

sitting in the commentary box, Stephen Hendry. This has been

Just a little bit too much pace. He Ronnie O'Sullivan with his back

right up against the wall, 5-1 down and what does he do? He makes the

highest break at the Masters this year with a medicine break of 141.

It is not over just yet. -- with a I thrive on proving people wrong

and being written off. I find that a great motivational tool. I cannot

ever be defeated, in that way. I am pretty reliant on my own Adrian and

believe you are in control of your own destiny. I was no the most

politically correct guy, and I kind of believe and what he believed in.

I never feel really guilty. Sometimes I wish that I hadn't

eaten that trip and not bar, but I know that I am getting up to train

the next day, so it doesn't matter. I am just doing what I like to do.

I have still got a few more major tournament wins in me. I am quite

proud of my determination. My dedication, my will to succeed, my

ability to get back from adversity. I am quite proud of having those

qualities, I suppose. Ronnie O'Sullivan, very much in this match

was up Judd Trump with the during the interval that it is quick to be

tough from here, need to keep it tight, he can turn it on anything.

Incidentally, Judd Trump is trending on Twitter at the moment

in the UK. This was a fantastic response from Ronnie. Sublime,

Ronnie O'Sullivan in freefall. It is good to see. He is hanging on by

his fingertips. He is never going to throw in the towel, but he

cannot afford to give a Judd Trump even just a half chance, because if

there is a red sticking out, he's going to take it on and possibly

make a frame-winning break. Steve Davis? Ronnie is one of the few

people who could turn this around, As Ken Doherty mentioned, Judd

Trump just needs that one chance, and he is quite capable of closing

the match out. Can he Ronnie prevent him from getting that

I wonder how irritated Judd Trump will be. He has just had 15 Grand

pinched from his pocket. Because 141 is going to take a little bit

of beating. Hawker I can assure you what Ronnie O'Sullivan is looking

at. -- Hawkeye. He did well to miss that red. At this time, he does not

cannon into one of the bulk colours. -- baulk. I think he can get past

the brown to the one at the right side of the table, but if he took

this on, OK, there is a slight angle. He refuses very little, does

Judd Trump. If he has got away with this, I think this red is going to

come up and be comfortable. That was a long way off the pot. Is that

telling a little story? He could have chosen to play for the black,

could have made the pot easier. He does feel better, hitting the balls

harder. But he doesn't want to give Ronnie O'Sullivan too many chances.

Again, Ronnie has got the first As Steve says, not only is he

capable of coming back in this match, he is capable of doing it in

great style minus one-visit snooker - one visit snooker. He might

choose to play for the red below the black here. There is a lot of

cue between the bridge hand and the cue ball, but fortunately it was a

He could do with getting that red to the left of the black poet of

the way in a couple of shots Tyne - - out of the way in a couple of

shots' time. Removing it just The last frame lasted just under

Judd Trump is fantastic to watch when he his break-building. But

this man, it is a dream, watching It doesn't get any better than this,

watching one of the greatest players the game has ever produced,

fighting back, in the way that he Took on a long pot, didn't get

anywhere near it, and now he has got to sit and watch. That came off

the cushion quite fast. I think he played for that red to the right of

the pink. Still might be able to get it, but it is a little bit of a

stretch. The white seemed to come off the back cushion with quite a

bit of pace. That was the problem. Just when he was a few pots

somewhere, he seemed to get a bounce off the back cushion. He

played for the one closest to the pink, and it just seemed to pick up

pace, there. Because he had checked side, it brought him more into the

middle of the table, as well. Unlucky, there. Still, keeps the

heat on Judd Trump. For a 24 point lead. -- 34 point lead. That is a

little bit of insurance, but a Judd Trump was trying to bring that red

into play. That is careless. To catch the blue. It is like the

break-off shot, whatever you do, Comes to the table 54-0 down, great

first red. At least 30 points available, without having to play

We did say Judd Trump was looking for one chance to close this match

out. It is a chance. He is a long He is playing position for these

open reds. Looking for angles and opportunities to take these two

reds of the left side cushion, into pottable possessions. If the pink

goes on the blue spot, he may choose to play the top red and take

the red off the cushion nearest the middle pocket. He has missed the

Being left-handed, one of the reds that is safe on a wet cushion is

not too badly placed for Judd Trump. He can drop in behind it. It is the

other one, near the middle pocket that is the bigger problem. Looking

at the angle potting this red and screwing back, taking the red

closest to the middle pocket of the cushion. The only problem is if the

white sticks on the side cushion, it is going to be tough potting a

colour. I think the shot is to follow through for the black. He's

Well, maybe he should have taken your advice there, Stephen. We will

find out shortly. That is the shot he plays so well. He hardly hits

that, and the reaction he gets from the cue ball, it is effortless.

Looking right down the cue, stop, and then spin back. Now, he can

take the more difficult red off, if he drops the black in, it is a

natural angle just to flick that red out. The previous shot, I

didn't play it, because I do not have the cueing power of Judd

Trump! The one that he has moved does not go past the green. If this

shot at the cushion goes in, it could put Judd Trump into the semi-

final. This is key. And it is there. Up a couple of reds safe, Ronnie

thought there might have been a little bit of insurance. But, when

you have got this young man's talent, even the blue, for a left-

Showing a lot of character here. He watched Ronnie O'Sullivan make a

break of 141 and then start this frame with a break of 54. I like

the way he is taking this trick. Great career instinct. Two suit

reds, half a chance, to start off with, but that was a chance to win

He has just been outplayed to do. He made a great effort. A couple of

frames that he could have won, at 4-up zero down at the mid-session

interval, could have gone to do-to, but you cannot take anything away

from this sensational player, from Bristol, who is based in Romford,

and practises with Ronnie O'Sullivan. Looks like the end of

this year's masters for Ronnie O'Sullivan. It was a spirited

fightback with a magnificent break of 141 to keep him in it, but it is

Judd Trump who is the more consistent player. It has been a

fabulous display of snooker from this young man, the rising star

snooker, gets himself into the semi-final of this you's Masters,

beating Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-2. Ronnie O'Sullivan bows out of the

tournament in which he has a tremendous record, and Judd Trump

continues his rise to the top of World Snooker. He has improved so

much from his first match. Over the last season he has a lot to do with

the World Championship which gave him a lot of experience and

confidence. He has carried on this season, winning the UK Championship,

which lifted him on to the crest of a wave. He has disposed of Ronnie

O'Sullivan with consummate ease, you would say, in the end. Ronnie

O'Sullivan rallied a little in the end but there was never really any

doubt. Fantastic way to finish of the match. Ken has been suggesting

that maybe the best player in the world as Judd Trump. If you are,

then you have a certain air about you. Does Judd Trump have that?

Congratulations. I will not try to embarrass you too much! When you

see Judd Trump playing so accurately and enjoying it, the

enjoyment is a great fun, that you go into the game. You are loving

every minute. You have got to enjoy that. It was a brilliant atmosphere,

even though they were giving Ronnie a lot of support, I just went out

there and played my game. Do you block the crowd out? No, I think

you have just got to enjoy it. Ronnie is from London, he's going

to have the majority of the support. He has done what few in the game

have done before May. You have just got to go out there and if you

cannot enjoy that there there is no point in playing. You said you got

you played OK but could play better after the first round. How does

today compare? Probably at about seven or eight out of 10. I did not

miss many balls. Ronnie was forcing me towards the end, forcing

mistakes, and I was getting impatient and trying to get over

the winning line. Ronnie must if you and ran out of position.

much confidence as winning the UK champion should give you? I came

into it with the confidence, thinking I could win it. The

players are more under pressure playing me now than I am playing

them and they all really want to beat me now. You said you have been

practising with Ronnie, much? have been practising in the same

place, but not against each other. I would not have thought it is a

great idea for Ronnie to practise against you. I always loved to play

him. But we have been meeting each other quite a lot recently so it is

better if we save that for the tables. Is there anything that you

might fear out there, players or situations? Not at the moment. It

would be different, I have controlled all my games, since the

first round of the UK, apart from that I have got in front and they

have not had to come back against anyone yet. Steve, do you remember

it being like that? My memory is like Dennis Taylor's, it was so

long ago. You have been compared to Mario Balotelli and Muhammad Ali.

He would call us all before the event. Is it the sort of thing you

would do? In snooker that would be a little bit cocky, but some people

like that and some people don't. It is not something I would do, but in

other sports, it has a place might. Apparently you are treading on

Twitter. Do you want to explain what that means? I think it is one

of the most popular search has on clipper. One of the top 10 searches

on Twitter. -- searches on to ago - Over to Ronnie O'Sullivan's Pearce

-- press conference now. He played some fantastic snooker, potted some

fantastic balls and I was under pressure. All credit to Judd Trump

because he deserved his victory. You will have to put that down to

experience? All you can do is sit there and hope that you get your

chance but when somebody is playing as well as he is an scoring as well

as he is, full of confidence, it is very difficult to stop Judd Trump.

Are you confident you have made the highest break of the tournament, so

far with that 141? You never know. All you can do is do your best. And

that is all I can do. I have given it 100%, and that is all you can do.

The result was the result, but he played better on that day. We can

talk all we want about how well Ronnie assault and play. If he

played his best and Judd Trump played his best, who would come out

on top? For me, it is a difficult question but Ronnie at his best,

not many players could ever beat him. At the same time, Judd Trump

still has potential to fulfil. There was a lot of potential there

which she has not fulfilled yet, but he is about to. Ronnie

O'Sullivan, at his best there are very few players who could ever

beat him. Going on from here, the future for all the players is how

much they are prepared to commit to the game now that it is more or

less 11 months of the year. That can play its part, as well. If you

are up for that, then you are looking to move on. If you're

looking at other reasons why you don't want to play, you are on the

back foot. But a player like Ronnie was will then probably can opt out

of a few events and still play. Given what we have fared from

Ronnie O'Sullivan this past week, are we saying that we will never

see him up to the level that he used to be? I think that he would

never get to the level when he was making 147s in five minutes and 20

seconds, but he is more a complete player now. But, in flashes, he can

still produce his best. It will difficult -- it will be difficult

for Ronnie to get on the sort of roll that he was on. All the

players are going to have to fight hard for slices of the cake, but to

dominate is going to be even harder. For Ronnie O'Sullivan, perhaps the

fear factor has slightly gone. Judd Trump's point of view, if he

keeps playing in everything, come the World Championships, he could

be drained, he could be overplayed. And maybe the likes of Ronnie

O'Sullivan, his philosophy that is going to save himself for

tournaments, it might be something to look at. Even at the age of 22,

Judd Trump? If you are playing week-in, week-out, at the top level,

you cannot do it, you look at all from us. At certain times you have

to rest and you prepare and you relax. And that is what it has to

be like. A couple of years ago we did not have that worry, but now,

we do. Players have got to come to terms with it and set out their

stall. We're giving ranking points for everything so players are

police to play in everything. That will not always be the case.

Somewhere down the line, it will become more like golf and then

players will have to take a view on things. Judd Trump is certainly on

a roll at the moment. We're going to look back at the match last

night between Ali Carter and Graeme Dott, and Graeme Dott is a player

who has overcome illness of the table to succeed on it. -- off the

table to succeed on it. -- off the table. I have never really done

that well in the UK and the Masters, two of the biggest tournaments. I

do well in the Worlds, but never do well in them. If they mood the

Masters to the Crucible I might do better, but it is not, so I will

have to just go there, and attack and hopefully, the balls going mad.

-- the balls go in. He's obviously not in a good place might just now,

but that can change with a good performance. You can just clipped

and play well, and he could be back to normal again. You can be a

millionaire, and you can have everything you want, number one in

the world, and as happy as you think you should be, but you can

still get depressed, it has nothing to do with that, it is an illness,

mental illness, and people should not think, how can he be depressed?

I don't think people realise that. You still get Eddie is that come up

and say, you cannot be that bad. -- you still get Eddie its. If you

tell people you have something wrong with you, Alzheimer's or

something like that, but depression is a mental illness, and will peak

-- until people realise that, they will have no idea. It is a hard

sport. You are away from home all the time, away from the kids and

family, living out of a suitcase. It is things like that, that people

do not see. People watched us playing on TV, but do not see the

three you mights before that when you are stuck in a hotel, and it

can be hard, sometimes, if you are not cueing right. It is not like a

team sport where you have got someone to battle of, but you can

get sick. It's it is something that has annoyed me for years. Hopefully,

I can do better. It is a tournament that I have never done well in. I

don't know if it is horses for courses but I never seemed to play

Neither one of these players have got past the quarter finals in this

tournament. The match of the opening two frames, so it is 1-1 as

we join it in the third frame. Denis and Ken are commentating on

He is on a straight blue now, and if it goes in, it could pave the

way for Ali Carter to take this He struck it well, with plenty of

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

This red is closest to the cue ball. After the black it clears the path

for the two reds into the opposite corner. That is so careless. How

costly will that prove to be? The frame should have been his. The

And, just occasionally, Ali Carter's temperament can be a

little bit suspect. He has got to He has had a couple of chances in

this frame. That will upset him Missing easy pots like that to

close at the frame, particularly if Graham should come back -- Graeme.

If he can take advantage now, this would certainly how Ali Carter. --

hurt. He is one of those players who shows emotion, and he does let

things like that affect them. Some players have the ability just to

eradicate it from memory, but it is probably one of Ali Carter's

We have seen Graeme Dott look at that difficult red, couple of shots

ago. It is quite an acute angle to leave it like that. He would have

to get pretty close to it, otherwise it is going to be a very

You want to get pretty close. If he was in the circle, there, then he

could just dropping in. I don't know if he can get to somewhere

I think he intended to hit that belittle but her order. Now, he has

to just make sure he does not stay He just had to sacrifice a little

bit of the position. He had to just drop Latin to make sure of the pot.

There is no problem potting the yellow and the green. Once again,

he will want to get quite close to the ground, to give himself a

chance of screwing back from the The angle is very important here.

The angle does not look right. That I think he was just trying to leave

himself the snooker. I would have just dropped it in to leave myself

on the ground. That would have been I think this is a much bigger frame

for away. And Graeme has fought to that. That is very fortunate indeed.

OK, he is not on the brown, but had he left it over the pocket, Ali

would have had that chance of There are a few problems now for

If he doubles the brown back up the table, he could leave it on. That

double-kiss, he has got away with it, but he could find himself in

If he had missed the black, he would have had Ali in all sorts of

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

APPLAUSE. That was an excellent That was a good hit and I think the

brown has gone far enough so we He just hit it a bit too thick.

Graeme is attempting the same shot that awaited, but he has also

The first priority is to get the Very well played. He might have to

risk doubling the brown up into this top left-hand pocket. That is

what he would like to do, and if it does not going, he me get this

That is close to the pocket. But as I mentioned, the blue and pink are

any good spot and surely there is not a gap. There is a gap, but not

quite enough of a gap. What is all Nor, surely he cannot get through

that? It is one of those, where you could end up cutting the blue into

Here we go. Well, that was the smallest gap I have ever seen. How

There is a bit of more been going on out there. Watch the cue ball on

the way back down. Lookout close That is a super shot. Excellent

shot. There has been a number of good shots in this match, but he

has not played one as good as mmac. Under the circumstances, that is as

good a pot as you will ever see. It was a fascinating frame. No big

breaks, but a fascinating finish and Ali Carter takes the 2-1 lead.

So, Ali Carter, who has gone out of the Masters in the first round and

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

five out of six appearances takes a He probably deserved that did

little bit of good fortune, to be He does not have to do a lot with

the cue ball, just make sure of the pink. There are a couple of easy

He is coming round to look to see if the pink goes into the bottom

He would probably like to leave the red it is close to the right centre,

because if he goes into the pack at a future., and it does not work out,

it would be sitting there. But he has decided to take it. He has

decided to just get the points on the board. There is a red in the

middle of the pack that will pot Red, with the black to forelock and

I think that red does spot in the middle of the pack. He was not

happy with the contact. He is asking the referee to clean the cue

ball. You can see there, it just He has got to be careful about this

cannon he is planning to play. This could slip away from the reds. Yes,

he had enough on it to screw it on to that one. This will open up a

few more red. He changed his mind, which ended up been the right thing

to do. Now, he has brought three more reds into play. This is a very

The mid-session interval coming up, after four frames. Every chance now

Before he gets to the three reds next to the pink, he would not need

any of them. He would have enough points. He has actually got the

perfect angle to do it. That is a terrible shot. He did not try to

spot the next -- split the red. He just tried to set on to this open

one. I am not sure exactly what he tried to play. I do not think he

He may take a chance of the red into the green pocket. No, he is

playing his safety shot instead. He will be very disappointed. He

should have won the frame at that visit. He tried to put the red safe,

but of course, Ali Carter will simply try and bring it back into

At this level, a 53 point lead, with five reds remaining, is simply

There is not much sticking out there. That is a good pace. Have a

look at the cue ball. What about that for a beauty? Alley mate have

to go twice across the table to try and rest on this red all right on

top of the cushion at the top end of the table. He is going to slip

past it. There is also a little bit of Anglo for Graeme to get out on

to the black. -- a little bit of angle. He is going to need the

colour. He cannot just bought the I am sure they can get enough piece

We said at the start of a match that there was very little to pick

between these two players. There are no really big breaks just yet.

There are two breaks in the Sixties, He is not really bothered about

that miss. Nothing to pick between both players. It is a fair result

thus far. We got for the interval and the players are all square at

2-2. Earlier today, we saw that Mark Selby won his quarter-final

and will play Shaun Murphy. He is currently down in the cues own with

Steve Davis. Sean, an excellent win for you over Martin Gould in the

first round. I had the great day yesterday. I got a tour round the

Mercedes Benz place. Thank you to the people down there. Last night,

I met a friend in town and we had a wonderful time. We went to see the

stage version of sheet ago. I hear you're running the London Marathon

for the Paul Hunter Foundation? we are doing it for a fantastic

colours. We have got a few questions. Have you played with the

same cue action since you started or do you change it all the time?

It is pretty similar to when I first started. I think I first met

you when I was about eleven years old. I think I have may be

shortened the backswing since I came to play on these professional

cloths, which a lot faster. Apart from that, it has stayed pretty

much the same. Another, what do you think of Judd Trump's chances in

this tournament. Is he ruthless or care less? I think he is ruthless.

But look at the way he plays. I watched him last week up close and

he has such a good style. He is very good to watch, very easy on

the Annie. It seemed like you used to be going for everything and it

seems that that is what Judd is doing at the moment? Yes, I have

actually changed my game in light of what Judd has been doing in the

last few months. I felt I was going and playing a bit too much safety

play and not going for my shots there where I used to. What if