Day 6

:00:37. > :00:41.Good afternoon, welcome to Palm Court, just outside the main arena

:00:41. > :00:46.here at Alexandra Palace, and this is where the spectators who will be

:00:46. > :00:49.going in to watch will be gathering, having a bite to it on drink, then

:00:49. > :00:54.collecting their commentary headsets, maybe even buying a

:00:54. > :01:01.souvenir of tier, a T-shirt that. Some of the players' names

:01:01. > :01:05.emblazoned on those T-shirts, Whirlwind, Rocket, and the thunder

:01:05. > :01:11.from down under. That is Neil Robertson, and he will be starring

:01:11. > :01:15.in the third of our BGC Masters quarter-finals today. As for his

:01:15. > :01:19.opponent, Mark Williams, the Welsh potting machine does not quite fit

:01:19. > :01:25.and eight T-shirt, so he is not there, but if you have a pithy one-

:01:25. > :01:30.liner, send it in, keep them clean! But of course he is one of only

:01:30. > :01:35.three former champions left in this year's Masters draw, along with

:01:35. > :01:40.Mark Selby and of course John Higgins. As for Mark, he might be a

:01:40. > :01:47.two-time winner, but not since 2003 has seen lifted the trophy, and

:01:47. > :01:52.went the Welshmen love to put that right this year! -- wouldn't. The

:01:52. > :01:57.world number two has hit top gear a few times this season with somewhat

:01:58. > :02:01.tips along the way. He will be read up this afternoon, though. Can

:02:01. > :02:11.former world champion Robertson finally get past the quarters here?

:02:11. > :02:12.

:02:12. > :02:20.We will assess the repercussions of Judd Trump's emphatic win over

:02:20. > :02:27.Ronnie yesterday, has the torch Freewheeling through his quarter,

:02:27. > :02:30.that is what Shaun Murphy hopes as the Look ahead to his match against

:02:30. > :02:33.friend and Master specialist Mark Selby. -- as he looks ahead. An

:02:33. > :02:39.ambitious players from around the world are preparing as we reveal

:02:39. > :02:44.details of the new improved cue School, a passport to

:02:44. > :02:48.professionalism. Our game this afternoon is, at least on paper,

:02:48. > :02:52.the most closely matched of all the quarter-finals, because it features

:02:52. > :03:02.Williams, the world number two, against Robertson, four in the

:03:02. > :03:10.

:03:10. > :03:14.world at the moment. Let's hope it Mark is world number 2 at the

:03:14. > :03:17.moment, he has got to a couple of quarter-finals this year, so we has

:03:17. > :03:21.been consistent, although in the last couple of months he has not

:03:21. > :03:26.played as well as he would have liked. He looked pretty solid

:03:26. > :03:36.against Stephen Maguire, he is a very tough player, very good safety,

:03:36. > :03:42.

:03:42. > :03:46.so you have to work hard to get a I think Neil Robertson is probably

:03:46. > :03:56.one of the best cueists and strikes the ball better than anyone at

:03:56. > :04:03.

:04:03. > :04:08.there. It is just a fantastic Yes, and someone who knows all that

:04:08. > :04:13.winning the Masters is Stephen, six of them? A bit greedy! This is a

:04:13. > :04:17.very attractive match. Yes, when you get to the quarter-finals and

:04:17. > :04:24.the semi-finals, in the first round no-one sparkled, but this is a

:04:24. > :04:28.really tough match to call all stop in 2007, Neil Robertson won 6-0.

:04:28. > :04:34.Mark was on the edge of dropping down the rankings. Obviously, he is

:04:34. > :04:38.back now, an established player. They played a few weeks ago in

:04:38. > :04:43.Shanghai, Mark turned it around. I say, he has got back to number

:04:43. > :04:48.one in the world, and it is such a hard match to call. They are great

:04:48. > :04:53.players, Neil Robertson has never won this event, so will he be

:04:53. > :04:59.determined. Mark has been using a new cue since the beginning of the

:04:59. > :05:05.year to improve his long game. Talking about a long games, Neil is

:05:05. > :05:09.down to 40 per so -- 44%, very unusual for him. You would expect

:05:09. > :05:14.in do not in closer to 90% of them. But nobody play their best in the

:05:14. > :05:20.first-round. What is your gut feeling? He is a friend of mine, I

:05:20. > :05:24.am saying Williams. No, Stephen Hendry goes for Mark Williams,

:05:24. > :05:27.whatever next?! That is what friends are for, loyalty to the

:05:27. > :05:31.last. We shall see how that progresses, and they are playing

:05:31. > :05:38.for the right to face Judd Trump in the semi-final tomorrow, a very

:05:38. > :05:43.intriguing match. The players are ready for anything. Good afternoon,

:05:43. > :05:47.ladies and gentlemen, it is day two of the quarter-finals here at the

:05:47. > :05:51.BGC Masters, and a match of truly international flavour now. Will it

:05:51. > :05:58.be Wales or Australia into the semi-final against Judd Trump

:05:58. > :06:03.tomorrow afternoon? Please welcome one of the best long putters in the

:06:03. > :06:07.game, he is six out of six for ranking event finals, including the

:06:07. > :06:10.2010 world championship, beating Mark Allen in the first round, the

:06:10. > :06:20.Aussies in the crowd are licking their lips in anticipation, because

:06:20. > :06:35.

:06:35. > :06:39.here comes the thunder from down And his opponent, one of the finest

:06:39. > :06:45.Welsh players over the last two decades, twice a world champion and

:06:45. > :06:48.twice a winner of the Masters in 1998 at 2003, beating Stephen

:06:48. > :06:54.Maguire in the first round here, he is one of the most laid-back

:06:54. > :07:04.players you could meet, the Welsh party machine, Mark Williams! --

:07:04. > :07:17.

:07:17. > :07:22.Mark shaking the hands of one of our regular visitors to the snooker,

:07:22. > :07:26.great to see Tom here again. This afternoon we welcome a few have

:07:26. > :07:32.raised a few finals in that time, it is our All-Ireland combination,

:07:32. > :07:36.Ken Doherty and Dennis Taylor. afternoon, Hazel, good afternoon to

:07:36. > :07:41.everyone at home, and we are really looking forward to this battle of

:07:41. > :07:45.the left-handers. Two of the greatest potters the game has ever

:07:45. > :07:50.seen, and we have got another left- hander in the semi-final in young

:07:50. > :07:57.Judd Trump, so it seems to be the left-handed players Bill are the

:07:57. > :08:07.best potters. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, third frame. Neil

:08:07. > :08:16.

:08:16. > :08:20.So it is Neil that gets his quarter-final under way. And just

:08:20. > :08:24.looking at the break, look where he has got the cue ball. They were

:08:24. > :08:31.struggling to get it behind the yellow, and now it is behind the

:08:31. > :08:34.brown. Is this a new cloth? I don't think so. I think the cue ball had

:08:34. > :08:44.a lot of spin on it. The ASLEF they have a chance here for Mark

:08:44. > :08:47.

:08:47. > :08:52.Williams. -- he has left a half Well, this red is coming back out.

:08:52. > :08:56.It needed to go to let Mark Williams off the book there, and it

:08:57. > :09:06.has gone safe. I am not sure whether Neil Robertson will attempt

:09:07. > :09:29.

:09:29. > :09:33.to take it to the bottom corner It is certainly a part of his game

:09:33. > :09:38.that has improved over the last couple of seasons, Neil Robertson,

:09:39. > :09:44.fantastic parter but it has become quite astute in the safety

:09:44. > :09:54.department. Not too many better safety players and Mark Williams,

:09:54. > :09:56.

:09:56. > :10:00.either. He has got a great snooker Yeah, I mention the cloth. In fact,

:10:00. > :10:10.they are going to change it after this evening's play, so we will

:10:10. > :10:33.

:10:33. > :10:38.have a brand new plot for the semi- That is absolutely spot on there,

:10:38. > :10:42.and he might have evening, the poorly reds. I do not know if there

:10:42. > :10:48.is a little bit sticking out down the right-hand side. -- he might

:10:48. > :10:52.have even covered all the reds. I am just looking at the natural

:10:52. > :11:02.escape into the right side of the pack there, the green is in the way

:11:02. > :11:06.

:11:06. > :11:10.to come off the side cushion and He has a slight problem. If he goes

:11:10. > :11:15.to the left side of the table, he will leave a pot on. He might have

:11:16. > :11:25.to go twice the cross for com off the right hand side top cushion,

:11:26. > :11:34.

:11:34. > :11:44.Pretty good attempt. One day the double shot that was what the

:11:44. > :11:49.

:11:50. > :11:57.swerve. -- What a beautiful shot. I tried to demonstrate that on the

:11:57. > :12:04.practice table, and I could not do it! But that was a perfect example

:12:04. > :12:09.This is showing you the swerve shot, striking down, loads of sight, it

:12:09. > :12:19.bounces before you get to the red. You cannot jump it over the object

:12:19. > :12:25.

:12:25. > :12:31.Another very clever shot, wasn't it? Yes, he has got the path into

:12:31. > :12:41.the bunch this time passed the brown. This is a very clever shot

:12:41. > :12:47.

:12:47. > :12:52.It looks as if he is going to play a similar shot again, just

:12:52. > :13:00.depending on the yellow. Yes, the two commissioners gave, as I

:13:00. > :13:10.mentioned, the outside cushion and the top cushion, he has not four or

:13:10. > :13:22.

:13:22. > :13:28.five red he could possibly clip. -- Yes, we are having a Mini Master

:13:28. > :13:32.Class and how to swerve your way out of a snooker. We talked about

:13:32. > :13:42.two of the greatest long potters in the game, 5 1/2 minutes and we have

:13:42. > :13:45.

:13:45. > :13:49.not seen a ball potted! But we have Not quite this time. Yes, it was a

:13:49. > :13:58.good attempt. He was not happy putting the cue ball on the top

:13:58. > :14:08.cushion and wanted to try to get it Just a fraction harder and it would

:14:08. > :14:23.

:14:23. > :14:33.He would love to be able to hit the reds on the right hand side of the

:14:33. > :14:33.

:14:33. > :14:38.As you see there, he would have to swerve to hit the outside of that

:14:38. > :14:48.red there. He is a little bit concerned about coming down the

:14:48. > :14:57.

:14:57. > :15:07.Well, he has played that very, very Well, he is looking at this one up

:15:07. > :15:23.

:15:23. > :15:27.We thought he would leave that red safe, screwing the cue ball back to

:15:27. > :15:32.the baulk area, but he did not anticipate that cannoned into the

:15:32. > :15:42.brown, so the first chance goes to the Welshman. After a bout of

:15:42. > :15:52.

:15:52. > :15:58.safety, he would want something Well, I think this is the longest

:15:58. > :16:08.we have been this week without the first red being parted, coming up

:16:08. > :16:15.

:16:15. > :16:19.It was worth waiting for, Dennis! Yes, a nice round of applause, I

:16:19. > :16:26.think the crowd were relieved to see a red go in, but it has been

:16:27. > :16:32.good tactically. One or two of the frames might be over in eight

:16:32. > :16:36.minutes. Great to see the big breaks, but remember we did a

:16:36. > :16:46.little survey, and a lot of people enjoy the tactical side of the game

:16:46. > :16:55.

:16:55. > :17:05.That is a mistake, though. He should have had a nice easy one,

:17:05. > :17:12.

:17:12. > :17:22.Just getting a little bit messy at the table, only the green and blue

:17:22. > :17:22.

:17:22. > :18:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:18:34. > :18:44.on their own spots, which is quite There is not a lot to play behind

:18:44. > :18:57.

:18:57. > :19:01.with the yellow and brown off their Bringing the pink back up onto it

:19:01. > :19:11.spot will certainly help the situation, but that was a good pot

:19:11. > :19:12.

:19:12. > :19:18.Funnily enough, Neil Robertson had a look at that red before just to

:19:18. > :19:28.see if it was on. He got a good pupil, 10 out of 10 for that cut. -

:19:28. > :19:42.

:19:42. > :19:52.Well, that is pretty poor, I think, if he is straight. I do not think

:19:52. > :19:52.

:19:52. > :19:56.he can bring anything into play. There might be a planned honour.

:19:56. > :20:02.There is a little bit of distance between them, but that could be

:20:02. > :20:12.made. -- a plant on there. It is the two to the left that he is

:20:12. > :20:30.

:20:30. > :20:35.Well, those last two read at the bottom of the pack, you can make

:20:35. > :20:45.these into a possible plant onto the red over the corner pocket. He

:20:45. > :20:49.

:20:49. > :20:52.is just having a look at the angle But he can play it in such a way

:20:52. > :21:02.that he would have the pink into the right centre and still

:21:02. > :21:02.

:21:02. > :22:01.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:22:01. > :22:07.Do you think you'll take the opportunity to go into the reds?

:22:07. > :22:17.would not be a bad idea, it will be interesting to say what he does

:22:17. > :22:19.

:22:19. > :22:25.That is OK with the red going up over the other corner pocket. He

:22:25. > :22:30.can pot the pink, and that will be available. He did not quite get

:22:30. > :22:40.into the red, as you suggested, but he was hoping to finish on the

:22:40. > :22:40.

:22:40. > :23:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:23:35. > :23:44.He just floats the ball into the He has purposefully left a nice

:23:44. > :23:48.angle on the blue. He can go in and disturb the pack of reds year. --

:23:48. > :23:53.here. I thought he was going to hit it with a lot more pace, and that

:23:53. > :24:00.is very surprising, because he could have gone in with more pace

:24:00. > :24:04.than that. He obviously thought he was nothing that red that came over

:24:04. > :24:13.towards the black towards the pocket, but I think he should have

:24:13. > :24:23.gone in with a lot more pace than Yes, it certainly has not worked

:24:23. > :24:24.

:24:25. > :24:32.As I say, there's nothing over the left-hand side of the table to play

:24:32. > :24:42.behind. The yellow is too close to So that is a good chance that has

:24:42. > :25:03.

:25:03. > :25:13.Yes, he is a bit concerned about leaving that red that is just to

:25:13. > :25:52.

:25:52. > :25:58.A little thin one to get the cue ball somewhere near the yellow. The

:25:58. > :26:08.only problem with that is he might cut this red over the left corner

:26:08. > :26:10.

:26:10. > :26:20.pocket if he plays that shot. He If he got the white near the yellow,

:26:20. > :26:37.

:26:37. > :26:47.He wanted it tight on the cushion. He has got a couple of options. He

:26:47. > :27:03.

:27:03. > :27:07.could take this red on the left- He might just play over to the

:27:07. > :27:17.yellow. I do not think he can get in behind it, and it is too risky

:27:17. > :27:19.

:27:19. > :27:22.to try to nestle in behind the It is touching a yellow, but that

:27:22. > :27:32.won't matter, because Neil Robertson is playing away from it.

:27:32. > :27:32.

:27:32. > :28:33.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:28:33. > :28:40.In fact, it is not touching. It It is amazing, Dennis, isn't it? We

:28:40. > :28:50.spoke of these two lives, but it has all been about safety so far in

:28:50. > :29:09.

:29:10. > :29:19.this frame. It is amazing how a Leaving the cue ball close to the

:29:20. > :29:27.

:29:27. > :29:31.yellow has made this more awkward He has come up a little bit short,

:29:31. > :29:39.so will Neil Robertson be tempted? We have seen a lot of tactical play,

:29:39. > :29:43.so the players are not fully in their stride just yet. I am not

:29:43. > :29:47.quite sure what this red is touching the cushion, the one

:29:47. > :29:53.nearest the black. If it is touching the cushion, it makes this

:29:53. > :30:03.pot a little bit easier. If he were to hit the cushion just before the

:30:03. > :30:08.

:30:08. > :30:16.ball, it would take him by the Well, that is unlucky. If he has

:30:16. > :30:21.covered the black, he is very It was a good pot, and without that

:30:21. > :30:31.little cannon on the red, he would have been on the black. Very

:30:31. > :30:31.

:30:31. > :31:24.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:31:24. > :31:30.He is just a little concerned that if he plays off either of those

:31:30. > :31:40.rents he could leave one over the left side. That is why he is giving

:31:40. > :31:52.

:31:52. > :32:02.We have mentioned that red on the left of the table a few times. If

:32:02. > :32:06.

:32:06. > :32:14.he did potter, he would slipover What a great shot that was.

:32:14. > :32:24.Fantastic judgment. It was the gentlest of shots. He played it to

:32:24. > :32:40.

:32:40. > :32:50.It is amazing. It looked as if that was a snooker. The pink has covered

:32:50. > :33:00.

:33:00. > :33:10.the red down at the spot rate and This opening frame may turn out to

:33:10. > :33:43.

:33:43. > :33:53.What a beauty that was. There is certainly nothing wrong with his

:33:53. > :34:06.

:34:06. > :34:16.eyesight. He hardly moved the red. That is pretty good as as well.

:34:16. > :34:26.Excellent shot. Mark is coming around to see if this goes into the

:34:26. > :34:27.

:34:27. > :34:37.bottom right-hand pocket. It certainly does. Excellent pot. But

:34:37. > :35:03.

:35:03. > :35:13.Kneelers coming around to have a look. If he could hit this cushion

:35:13. > :35:14.

:35:14. > :35:24.first, he could possibly pot this red. Having said that, if he took

:35:24. > :35:30.

:35:30. > :35:36.this on, the white would head-on He has played that well, but having

:35:36. > :35:46.said that, there is one sticking out. A little bit more pace would

:35:46. > :35:56.

:35:56. > :36:06.He is probably the best we have ever had in the game at that table

:36:06. > :36:08.

:36:08. > :36:16.shot. He yes, it is a trademark shot. He is playing with a new cue.

:36:16. > :36:26.He felt his old one was not up to scratch last season. He is using a

:36:26. > :36:26.

:36:26. > :38:10.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:38:10. > :38:14.Could not do much more than that. It is not easy to pot the yellow

:38:14. > :38:24.and get up for these two reds, which is why he is looking at the

:38:24. > :38:24.

:38:24. > :39:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:39:45. > :39:55.He has left this red. Excellent pot again. He has spotted five or six

:39:55. > :39:59.

:39:59. > :40:09.reds today and not once has he been Excellent cueing. The scheme is

:40:09. > :40:32.

:40:32. > :40:36.possible but it comes with a high That is a surprise. I think he

:40:36. > :40:46.thought he could roll in the game and it would leave that red next to

:40:46. > :40:50.

:40:50. > :41:00.the pink available. But there is not enough of that red sticking out.

:41:00. > :41:10.

:41:10. > :41:20.It has actually turned out to be Clova shot from Neil Robertson,

:41:20. > :41:25.

:41:25. > :41:35.bringing the black into play. Mark will not want to get the red so

:41:35. > :41:46.

:41:46. > :41:56.close to the black or else we might I am sure Mark Williams will

:41:56. > :42:03.

:42:03. > :42:08.attempt the double. It was worth the risk. Now, I wonder if Neil

:42:08. > :42:18.will return the compliment and try and get closer to the double on the

:42:18. > :42:18.

:42:18. > :42:28.other side of the table. There is every chance that the red will go

:42:28. > :42:37.

:42:37. > :42:47.safe even if he does not get the The only problem with this is that

:42:47. > :43:00.

:43:00. > :43:04.he has once again left Mark The fact that the brown is no for

:43:04. > :43:14.the middle means that with one chance, Neil Robertson could win

:43:14. > :43:29.

:43:29. > :43:39.Good shot. Mark Williams well trained players are more shot. That

:43:39. > :44:09.

:44:09. > :44:13.has not worked out so well. He has That is probably one of the worst

:44:14. > :44:22.shots Neil Robertson has ever played. He had a lot of options and

:44:22. > :44:32.made a mess of it completely. It looks a natural to come in the pink

:44:32. > :44:44.

:44:44. > :44:50.if he pots this, so he has to watch Yes, he avoided the pink. I thought

:44:50. > :45:00.the only thing he could leave there was a double on the red. To try and

:45:00. > :45:11.

:45:11. > :45:16.move from that position was highly At the moment, Neil Robertson needs

:45:16. > :45:23.a red, the black and all the colours to win by one point. Mark

:45:23. > :45:33.Williams has given him the opportunity to do that. But he does

:45:33. > :45:35.

:45:35. > :45:45.not want to hit this pink. I thought he could have snookered

:45:45. > :45:45.

:45:45. > :45:55.himself on the black if he did, but in fact, this is just as tough. He

:45:55. > :46:04.

:46:05. > :46:14.should finish on the yellow if he Now, if he is really Street, how

:46:15. > :46:27.

:46:27. > :46:37.The he is blessed with tremendous cue power and needed at all of it

:46:37. > :46:38.

:46:38. > :46:48.there. He forced a little angle there and used all of the pocket.

:46:48. > :47:00.

:47:00. > :47:05.What a chance the snow was for him It is amazing, Mark has dominated

:47:05. > :47:15.the play and to lose a frame which is going to last almost 40 minutes

:47:15. > :47:20.

:47:20. > :47:30.Been the left-hander, if he drops the ball and, they will be no

:47:30. > :47:39.

:47:39. > :47:43.I do not think they will be showing too many re-runs of this frame. But

:47:44. > :47:53.Neil Robertson will be delighted. He just needs pink and black to

:47:54. > :47:59.

:47:59. > :48:09.We keep seeing how cool customer Mark Williams has, a very laid-back

:48:09. > :48:25.

:48:25. > :48:35.The balls went rather awkward. But in the end, that poor safety shot

:48:35. > :48:38.

:48:39. > :48:44.from Mark Williams cost him. Neil It was not quite what we expected.

:48:44. > :48:48.At 40 minutes, it was the longest frame of the tournament. In fact,

:48:48. > :48:57.yesterday, the first four frames of the Judd Trump against Ronnie

:48:57. > :49:02.O'Sullivan actually took two minutes longer than that frame.

:49:02. > :49:12.was strange. Market dominated the frame. There where a lot of great

:49:12. > :49:14.

:49:14. > :49:19.individual pots, but Ma played a Yes, he was trying to get the

:49:19. > :49:26.snooker behind the pink, but the priority always has to be to get

:49:26. > :49:36.the object ball safe. Mark Williams as one of the best players have a

:49:36. > :49:40.

:49:40. > :49:50.it winning a scrappy frames, but not there. We are off and running.

:49:50. > :49:50.

:49:50. > :50:43.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:50:43. > :50:53.It has taken some time, but here we DENNIS TAYLOR: That tells you how

:50:53. > :51:05.

:51:05. > :51:15.Now, this will clear approve for two other reds into the bottom

:51:15. > :51:21.

:51:21. > :51:31.left-hand corner. This is a decent In the opening frame, it was eight

:51:31. > :52:02.

:52:02. > :52:12.minutes before a ball was even He is coming round to have a look

:52:12. > :52:17.

:52:17. > :52:27.at these two reds at the bottom of He may try and get on the red at

:52:27. > :52:35.

:52:35. > :52:44.A that looks about perfect. This will certainly bring a lot more

:52:44. > :52:54.reds into play. I am a little surprised he did not play there

:52:54. > :53:05.

:53:05. > :53:15.He has played that perfectly. He is terrific to watch when he is break-

:53:15. > :53:51.

:53:51. > :54:01.building, Mark Williams. He will go If this is a new cue he is playing

:54:01. > :54:11.with, he looks very comfortable with that. There are not so many

:54:11. > :54:28.

:54:28. > :54:35.A little bit disappointed with that. He was hoping for a better angle on

:54:35. > :54:45.this black. He is going to play with deep screw off the side

:54:45. > :54:49.

:54:49. > :54:59.cushion. Good effort. Excellent shot. He absolutely threw himself

:54:59. > :55:04.

:55:04. > :55:14.That is enough to Secure this second frame and what any for this

:55:14. > :55:22.

:55:22. > :55:32.Excellent pot and the black to keep the break going. There is a

:55:32. > :55:42.possible 144. Ronnie was of any 141 in his match against Judd Trump

:55:42. > :55:47.

:55:47. > :55:52.yesterday. So far, that is the Well, he got slightly out of

:55:52. > :56:02.position. But good response from Mark Williams. That frame just

:56:02. > :56:03.

:56:03. > :56:09.lasted six minutes. It is 1-1. The first frame, the balls went very

:56:09. > :56:13.awkward indeed. There was a lot of tactical play. But it did not

:56:13. > :56:23.affect Mark Williams. The way he started as rain with this long

:56:23. > :56:46.

:56:46. > :56:54.opening pot. Yes, beautiful, wasn't At the end, he was looking at a

:56:54. > :57:04.possible plant just after he missed that black. He was clearly thinking

:57:04. > :57:23.

:57:23. > :57:29.about trying to overtake that 141 People all watching the awning

:57:29. > :57:39.frame may be went and made a cup of tea and came back to find that the

:57:39. > :57:39.

:57:39. > :58:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:58:27. > :58:33.Can you boil a kettle and six-and- New Robertson just has to avoid the

:58:33. > :58:43.black here and the way back down the table. We know, he could not

:58:43. > :58:53.

:58:53. > :59:03.avoid it. But I'm sure he will have Because he has the red close to the

:59:03. > :59:03.

:59:03. > :59:13.right town-centre, he just has to concentrate on the pot. That was

:59:13. > :59:20.

:59:21. > :59:30.the blue you would have expected I like this shot. He could have

:59:31. > :59:32.

:59:32. > :59:36.potted the other one, but was keen to get the blue back on to its spot.

:59:36. > :59:44.I thought he might try and develop something there, but instead he

:59:44. > :59:50.just played for the single red into the middle. But he has left himself

:59:50. > :59:57.little awkward on it. He was wanting to leave a good angle on

:59:58. > :00:07.the Bluetooth going to the pack. But he is going to have to come in

:00:08. > :00:09.

:00:09. > :00:17.and out of baulk. There was a pretty good effort. But look where

:00:17. > :00:27.the cue ball finished. He is virtually snookered. But unlucky

:00:27. > :00:27.

:00:27. > :01:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:01:22. > :01:32.Kick, all of reds he can go at here. -- a car or of reds. The one

:01:32. > :01:38.

:01:38. > :01:48.He has played that well. He forced He would love to get top side of

:01:48. > :01:54.

:01:54. > :02:02.this blue, a nice angle on the blue, He just did not get into it enough,

:02:02. > :02:12.did he? From me, that was quite quo. He did not get any action. He was

:02:12. > :02:20.

:02:20. > :02:25.hoping to leave the blue into the And he could have done with

:02:25. > :02:28.bringing it a little bit further up the table to pot this red and

:02:28. > :02:36.develop the black. He could still do that, but he might have to use

:02:36. > :02:41.the rest. I do not know if he can reach over to this. No. If the pots

:02:41. > :02:51.this red and screws into the reds just below the pink, he can hold

:02:51. > :02:56.

:02:56. > :03:06.the cue ball for the black into the He just did not get enough screw on

:03:06. > :03:31.

:03:31. > :03:36.the cue ball. That is the end of I am just wondering if he can take

:03:36. > :03:46.a pot on to the left corner and find the gap between the black and

:03:46. > :03:53.

:03:53. > :04:03.red. There is a red just two from Well, he got the main part of the

:04:03. > :04:14.

:04:14. > :04:19.shot, but he did not find the gap Oh, dear me! Well, he was hitting

:04:19. > :04:23.very low on that, and he seemed to have a little touch of left hand

:04:23. > :04:26.side on it. On that type of shot, you want to be hitting the white

:04:26. > :04:36.right at the centre and the bottom. I do not know whether the site

:04:36. > :04:44.

:04:44. > :04:54.affected that shot. It could well I think some players do not realise

:04:54. > :05:01.

:05:02. > :05:08.they are playing with a touch He may be just prefers to play

:05:08. > :05:18.those shots with a little bit of side, but it pushed the cue ball

:05:18. > :05:31.

:05:31. > :05:35.Well, that was a good attempt, but Sometimes you can squeeze them if

:05:35. > :05:40.they are touching. If he hits the first red on the left-hand side as

:05:40. > :05:50.we look at it, it could straighten the second red up, believe it or

:05:50. > :05:51.

:05:51. > :06:01.not. The plant does not look on, Just a little bit of a gap there,

:06:01. > :06:01.

:06:02. > :06:05.It is going to the left side of the pocket as we look at it. He would

:06:05. > :06:15.have been hit the first red on the right hand side, but it has the

:06:15. > :06:15.

:06:15. > :07:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:07:05. > :07:15.opposite effect. Maybe it is not on. Yes, time for a little read, read

:07:15. > :07:37.

:07:37. > :07:47.His dad is certainly listening to me. Not quite. It was worth taking

:07:47. > :08:17.

:08:17. > :08:26.Well, he looks like a young Neil Robertson, doesn't he? Still

:08:26. > :08:36.Now, this is a chance for Neil Robertson, and it is a good chance

:08:36. > :08:51.

:08:51. > :08:56.He needed absolutely perfect cueing He has let that due ball run just a

:08:56. > :09:01.little bit too far. It just means if he cuts the yellow in, not as

:09:01. > :09:09.easy to control the cue ball. just wondering whether he will take

:09:09. > :09:15.the chance... Well, he is refusing the pot, that is surprising. I

:09:15. > :09:20.thought he might take the chance to go into the pink and reds. Yes, if

:09:20. > :09:24.you are this side of the Bach line, you can always spot one of the

:09:24. > :09:34.baulk colours, the green or the yellow in this instance, but he

:09:34. > :09:54.

:09:54. > :09:58.Yes, that is where he was. The white is just this side of the

:09:58. > :10:08.baulk line, but he thought the snooker might pay better dividends,

:10:08. > :10:12.

:10:12. > :10:22.I do not know how he does this, he holds the rest off the table. That

:10:22. > :10:30.

:10:30. > :10:35.takes a bit of strength in your Well, maybe he has covered that red.

:10:35. > :10:45.The Blue has come to the rescue, as you can clearly see, so that was a

:10:45. > :10:53.

:10:53. > :10:59.Neil is maybe thinking he should have potted the yellow. It did not

:10:59. > :11:09.seem that difficult, he was above the baulk line. Certainly worth

:11:09. > :11:29.

:11:29. > :11:37.We have not really seen a Neil Robertson special in this match

:11:37. > :11:47.shed. We have seen a few long pots from Mark Williams. Let's see how

:11:47. > :11:58.

:11:58. > :12:01.close he can get to this type of That is a bit more like the Neil

:12:01. > :12:11.Robertson we have been watching for the last few seasons, brilliant

:12:11. > :12:31.

:12:31. > :12:38.He got the spring off that baulk cas and there, but it has worked

:12:38. > :12:42.out OK. -- baulk cushion. He would love to get on the blue after

:12:42. > :12:52.potting his red, because it would open up the two reds at his bottom

:12:52. > :12:53.

:12:53. > :13:03.corner pocket. Well, another surprising is from Neil Robertson.

:13:03. > :13:18.

:13:18. > :13:21.Has he got it? Good shot, excellent pot! He just felt the one of the

:13:21. > :13:28.right hand corner pocket was difficult to cure over the reds.

:13:28. > :13:38.Excellent pot from Mark Williams. That required a lot of skill just

:13:38. > :13:54.

:13:54. > :14:03.That is perfectly played. It is worth another look. Look how close

:14:03. > :14:13.he was, he had to get the cue out of the way quickly. And he did! So

:14:13. > :14:42.

:14:42. > :14:52.he is a floater and now he is a Not the best angle, he would really

:14:52. > :14:52.

:14:52. > :15:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:15:34. > :15:42.have to power this to move the red, That is a good hit. It is even

:15:42. > :15:51.I wonder if there is a little bit sticking out there, because if

:15:51. > :16:01.there is, it might be a guide to Well, there was another sticking

:16:01. > :16:05.

:16:05. > :16:09.out, and he wasn't far off potting Well, it is a red ball fight, you

:16:09. > :16:19.would have to say. Whoever pots this last red, the way the colours

:16:19. > :16:26.

:16:26. > :16:36.are situated, you would think would It can just about see the outside

:16:36. > :16:43.

:16:43. > :16:48.Now is the pace on this? It could be in behind the black... Not quite,

:16:48. > :16:58.and a chance for Neil Robertson for another one of his long specials.

:16:58. > :17:24.

:17:24. > :17:27.He knows how close that was to That is about the best he could do,

:17:27. > :17:35.but I think he is about straight enough on the other to drop it into

:17:35. > :17:40.the middle pocket. -- the yellow. Oh, he has missed it! I do not know

:17:40. > :17:50.whether it kicked or whether he just cued it poorly. Maybe he did

:17:50. > :17:52.

:17:52. > :17:56.Yeah, it looked like the yellow it did lift off the bed of the table

:17:56. > :18:00.there, didn't it? Neil Robertson is getting the cue ball cleaned, an

:18:01. > :18:08.indication that it got a kick. Very unfortunate for Mark Williams,

:18:08. > :18:13.because it looks like it may have handed the frame to Neil Robertson.

:18:13. > :18:23.Yes, he handed him the first frame with a poor safety shot, but on

:18:23. > :18:41.

:18:41. > :18:46.that occasion it was unfortunate to It does not want to be straight on

:18:46. > :18:56.his blue. He will have to come in and out of baulk. We will see some

:18:56. > :19:06.I'm not sure whether he will screw back to leave the long pink here,

:19:06. > :19:13.

:19:13. > :19:23.but he has the cue power in his For a big shock for Neil Robertson.

:19:23. > :19:33.

:19:33. > :19:37.-- a big shot. He must get on the Well, believe it or not, it could

:19:37. > :19:42.be 3-0 in favour of Mark Williams, but Neil Robertson will be

:19:42. > :19:48.pleasantly pleased with what has happened at there, and he leads 2-1.

:19:48. > :19:52.Once again, a very nice little steel from Neil Robertson, and that

:19:52. > :19:57.is getting costly for Mark Williams. He must be stewing in his chair

:19:57. > :20:02.when that happens. Yes, given the benefit of the doubt, it was a bad

:20:02. > :20:07.contact, because Neil had the white cleaned, so a little bit

:20:07. > :20:11.unfortunate, but it could have been 3-0. We have had a couple of e-

:20:11. > :20:17.mails. You mentioned that Mark Williams is playing with a new cue.

:20:17. > :20:21.One from Alexander Williams in Edinburgh, hello, can you tell us

:20:21. > :20:27.why he might be playing with a new cue? What effect will it have on

:20:27. > :20:30.him? It taught me that he was not happy with his long game.

:20:30. > :20:35.Everything over six foot, he said he could not pot. His old quay was

:20:35. > :20:40.a little bit thicker. If you have got any side, with these parts, it

:20:40. > :20:45.pushes the white to the side a bit more. -- clots. I said to him, he

:20:45. > :20:50.went from 47th up to number one and now you want to change your cue? I

:20:50. > :20:57.was quite surprised. Do think it will play dividends? His long game

:20:57. > :21:01.has been quite good today. He missed a long blue, and every

:21:01. > :21:06.player uses a little bit of side, but he missed it by a long way into

:21:06. > :21:09.the yellow pocket, I think. It will take a bit of getting used to.

:21:09. > :21:15.does that decision say to you, John? What does that decision tell

:21:15. > :21:17.you? It is like golfers, there is always something different. He

:21:18. > :21:22.might have had a session where he missed a couple of balls and

:21:22. > :21:26.decided that was it. Ace in the cue has been a living thing, it is

:21:26. > :21:30.timber, and they all played differently. -- a snooker cue. You

:21:30. > :21:35.have had enough in the last few years. I am constantly searching

:21:35. > :21:39.for something to match my original cue which was smashed. I had my

:21:39. > :21:42.best on stolen and never really replaced it. A couple of good cues

:21:42. > :21:47.were made for me, but they were never as good as the one I had. You

:21:47. > :21:53.have the utmost trust in it, faith in it, you know every shot you play,

:21:53. > :21:56.it is capable of doing it. At his trial and error. He may try three

:21:56. > :22:00.or four before he got the one he wants. You have got our faith in

:22:00. > :22:05.what you are using. And they then the airlines that you travel with,

:22:05. > :22:10.because yours was smashed coming through an airport. 4th that got me

:22:10. > :22:15.a few quid! You are not doing too badly, whichever cue you use. We

:22:15. > :22:19.are going back, but the last one before the interval here, and just

:22:19. > :22:22.assess from Neil Robertson's perspective, the way he is playing,

:22:22. > :22:26.because he has had to be sharp about the final stages of the

:22:26. > :22:32.frames we have seen so far. In general terms, how does he look

:22:32. > :22:37.today? He has competed, which is the big thing. He missed a long red,

:22:37. > :22:41.I am harping on about it, but it is so unusual for him. I am looking at

:22:41. > :22:44.that and thinking, I do not know whether I fancy him at the minute.

:22:44. > :22:49.Against Mark Allen, Mark but the few opportunities from businesses

:22:49. > :22:54.on long parts, so that is one department he will have to improve

:22:54. > :22:59.on, but his overall competitive instinct is very solid. Did you

:22:59. > :23:04.notice that efficiency, Stephen? Yes, he missed a long red in that

:23:04. > :23:09.frame and he did not play it positively. When he pots balls, the

:23:09. > :23:13.really hits the back of the pocket with a thud. It is a big part of

:23:13. > :23:17.his game. If he is not happy, it will affect him, but he is

:23:17. > :23:22.competing well. He must be delighted at 2-1 up. Against Mark

:23:22. > :23:26.Allen, he was absolutely pin-sharp when it came to clearing up. His

:23:26. > :23:31.competitive instincts were not dulled, for all of the prospective

:23:31. > :23:34.deficiencies. His short game is spot-on. His cue-ball control was

:23:35. > :23:38.fantastic, and when he had the chance to win, he did that. It

:23:38. > :23:42.drains are new. If you feel there is a department that is not working

:23:42. > :23:47.properly, you have to be strong mentally to put it to one side. You

:23:47. > :23:52.can bet your bottom dollar, if there is a Shaji do not fancy, that

:23:52. > :23:56.is the one that is in front of you. -- a shot you do not fancy. Talking

:23:56. > :24:03.about intervals, Neil Robertson had quite a long interval there, four

:24:03. > :24:06.minutes he was out of the arena. Quite unusual. Maybe just composing

:24:06. > :24:16.in tsar after winning that frame that he thought he was going to

:24:16. > :24:31.

:24:31. > :24:35.Not a bad break-off shot from Mark Yes, the break in this match has

:24:35. > :24:45.been very good. We have seen some matches during the week when they

:24:45. > :24:48.

:24:48. > :24:54.have not hit the left-hand side of In fact, Neil Robertson said it is

:24:54. > :25:04.almost like a poisoned chalice, the break-off, because he puts his

:25:04. > :25:09.

:25:09. > :25:14.But here, I totally agree with John Parrott. He is competing. He is not

:25:14. > :25:21.playing that well in the frames he has won, but he has made two good

:25:21. > :25:28.clearances. Sometimes that is something you just have Dudu. --

:25:28. > :25:32.half to do. Yes, it is amazing, his highest break is only 35, and he is

:25:32. > :25:42.leading 2-1, but he has not really been in amongst the balls with a

:25:42. > :25:54.

:25:54. > :25:59.A possible pot here, but I do not think he can avoid a cannon on the

:25:59. > :26:05.reds, so he may play it in such a way to stay on the black. And that

:26:05. > :26:10.is what he has done. He has spotted two reds, he needs that to go in.

:26:10. > :26:15.If that a state over the pocket, it would have blocked it, but what a

:26:15. > :26:25.great shot to start with. -- if it had stayed over the pocket.

:26:25. > :26:33.

:26:33. > :26:43.Terrific shot, terrific cannon, and That is not too bad. He has got a

:26:43. > :26:45.

:26:45. > :26:51.Well, that is a surprise. I am not sure if that jumped or not. Maybe

:26:51. > :27:01.it is just bad cueing. Let's have a look at this. The white definitely

:27:01. > :27:15.

:27:15. > :27:25.He could get in behind the yellow here. He will have to get it just

:27:25. > :27:25.

:27:25. > :27:29.I think he was just plain to leave it on a cushion and cover this red

:27:29. > :27:39.with the blue, rather than risk the snooker on the yellow. I do not

:27:39. > :27:39.

:27:39. > :29:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:29:22. > :29:32.The judge that very well, Neil He has not another red on his left

:29:32. > :29:32.

:29:32. > :30:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:30:32. > :30:37.hand corner pocket. I think he has He would like to take the red that

:30:37. > :30:45.is closest to the black spot, but on this occasion, there is an

:30:45. > :30:55.easier red to the middle pocket. Topside, or the blue, imperative.

:30:55. > :31:15.

:31:15. > :31:21.There are a couple of reds around The it is a clever shot. -- that is.

:31:21. > :31:31.Maybe that other red does not go. I thought he could pot the red past

:31:31. > :31:40.

:31:40. > :31:44.the black also he still can get on That frees the black up into that

:31:44. > :31:54.left hand corner pocket now, as well. It is a good opportunity for

:31:54. > :31:56.

:31:56. > :32:02.Neil Robertson. A frame-winning chance, at this visit. He is on the

:32:02. > :32:12.red nicely to the middle pocket. He will try and hold for the pink to

:32:12. > :32:24.

:32:24. > :32:29.He looked away, after playing that shot, more or less as if to tell us

:32:29. > :32:39.that he did not catch that as intended. He is a little straight,

:32:39. > :32:43.

:32:43. > :32:53.Just those four reds, all covering each other into the right hand

:32:53. > :33:07.

:33:07. > :33:11.He has a choice of three reds to play on. The one next to the pink

:33:11. > :33:18.would not be a bad one to get out of the way, but he does not have to

:33:18. > :33:28.play for that. He has a very good chance to go to the mid-session

:33:28. > :33:33.

:33:33. > :33:39.He didn't play for this one, it came up a little bit short, but it

:33:39. > :33:49.is one of those situations where you have got options. There are

:33:49. > :34:03.

:34:03. > :34:13.always other reds available in a Already his highest break. Coming

:34:13. > :34:19.

:34:19. > :34:22.at the right time for Neil The red nearest the bottom right-

:34:22. > :34:32.hand corner pocket, he would love to get on that and free the black

:34:32. > :34:59.

:34:59. > :35:09.Just about perfect. Maybe a little It is a good break, so far, from

:35:09. > :35:16.

:35:16. > :35:26.He has certainly opened things up. A 44 point lead. Just needs another

:35:26. > :35:54.

:35:54. > :36:04.couple of reds and high value Both players are cueing quite well.

:36:04. > :36:05.

:36:05. > :36:11.Having had a couple of awkward Mark Williams will be going into

:36:12. > :36:21.the mid-session interval 3-1 down, and it could easily have been 31 --

:36:22. > :36:25.

:36:25. > :36:35.3-1 ahead. This has been terrific, from the Australian. He has made

:36:35. > :37:06.

:37:06. > :37:16.We have had 12 centuries so far in Just showing you what sort of

:37:16. > :37:20.

:37:20. > :37:30.Seems to be pretty straight on this yellow, so you will be trying to

:37:30. > :37:55.

:37:55. > :38:00.screw back. A little bit further He didn't cue that the very well,

:38:00. > :38:03.so he didn't get the century break but we have had two tactical frames

:38:04. > :38:12.and one frame with one visit, and the Australian will be delighted to

:38:12. > :38:17.go to the mid-session interval You wonder how Mark Williams is

:38:17. > :38:24.going to you that part of the session. What is your opinion?

:38:24. > :38:28.Robertson is reaping his benefits from the previous two frames which

:38:28. > :38:35.she pinched at the end. His safety play has not been as sharp as it

:38:35. > :38:38.normally is. He has put reds over the pocket as he didn't that frame.

:38:38. > :38:44.When you look back at Neil Robertson's history in this event,

:38:44. > :38:47.he has never managed to get past the quarter-final. He would say the

:38:47. > :38:51.opponents he came up against her managed to raise their game at the

:38:51. > :38:56.right time. What is your view of that record as a man who has won it

:38:56. > :39:00.six times? He will be disappointed he has not done better. He has been

:39:00. > :39:03.world champion, he likes the big stage. He will want to prove

:39:03. > :39:09.himself against the other best players in the world, so he will

:39:09. > :39:13.want to improve that record quickly. In terms of consistency this season,

:39:13. > :39:17.he reckons he is 50% a better player than he was 12 months ago.

:39:17. > :39:21.How do you rate the way he has gone about his business over the last

:39:21. > :39:26.few months? He has become a fantastic competitor who gives

:39:26. > :39:35.every match 100%. He never seems to lose a match that you would expect

:39:35. > :39:39.him to lose. The people he loses to our other top players, as it were.

:39:39. > :39:43.He is a fierce competitor. He's giving the PTC tournaments 100% as

:39:43. > :39:48.well. He's quite an analytical character. After he was beaten by

:39:48. > :39:54.Judd Trump in the UK Championship, Judd Trump commented that Neil

:39:54. > :39:57.Robertson had played quite slowly. I think he is determined to speed

:39:57. > :40:01.up and play his natural game against opponents. He seemed to do

:40:01. > :40:05.that against Mark Allen in the first round. I would not say that

:40:05. > :40:10.he is a slow player, but he does give the game respect and he is

:40:10. > :40:14.always looking at ways to improve his game. He's very knowledgeable

:40:14. > :40:20.about snooker, all the results and statistics. There is nothing

:40:20. > :40:24.lacking, in respect of getting to the top, where he wants to be.

:40:24. > :40:29.looking to continue his form in this one, 3-1 up against Mark

:40:29. > :40:34.Williams. This time yesterday afternoon we watched a devastating

:40:34. > :40:44.performance by Judd Trump against his idol, Ronnie O'Sullivan. What

:40:44. > :40:54.will be the repercussions, do we think, of this? It is the Rocket,

:40:54. > :40:59.

:40:59. > :41:09.Ronnie O'Sullivan. He's the ace in Judd Trump takes the opening frame,

:41:09. > :41:30.

:41:30. > :41:38.The great Ronnie O'Sullivan looks a What a Fabulous clearance from

:41:38. > :41:48.young Judd Trump. He leads Ronnie O'Sullivan 4-0. This is a tough.

:41:48. > :41:48.

:41:48. > :41:58.That is sensational. This is a big, He needs this to come away from the

:41:58. > :42:12.

:42:12. > :42:18.He has conceded, so Judd Trump now leads by five and one. -- 5-1. What

:42:18. > :42:28.an effort from Ronnie O'Sullivan - she is 5-1 down, and what does he

:42:28. > :42:33.do? He makes the highest break in That is careless. Judd Trump was

:42:33. > :42:38.looking for one chance, to close this match out. It has been a

:42:38. > :42:44.fabulous display of snooker from this young man, the rising star of

:42:44. > :42:54.snooker, gets himself into the semi-final of this year's Masterson,

:42:54. > :42:55.

:42:55. > :43:01.When I go one or two frames ahead I have the confidence to keep

:43:01. > :43:05.knocking balls in and scoring over and over again. And did you make a

:43:05. > :43:10.good that in the past four frames. Even then second session I hardly

:43:10. > :43:14.missed a ball, so I think that is all part of the confidence.

:43:14. > :43:21.credit has to go to him, he played a good game. There is nothing you

:43:21. > :43:27.can say. That 60-odd break in the last frame put me under pressure.

:43:27. > :43:36.He played a good match. Ronnie O'Sullivan went down fighting and

:43:36. > :43:40.there was no disputing the quality of that 141. A respected snooker

:43:40. > :43:46.journalist we did after that match, torch passed. I think we know what

:43:46. > :43:49.he meant. Was that a significant result for the game of snooker?

:43:49. > :43:55.was significant for Judd Trump, beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in front

:43:55. > :43:59.of a big London crowd. But I thought Ronnie O'Sullivan looked a

:43:59. > :44:03.little bit flat. He missed an easy black in the first frame which must

:44:03. > :44:08.have given Judd Trump confidence. The speed and fluency with which

:44:08. > :44:14.Judd Trump played, 42 minutes, it was quite extraordinary to watch,

:44:14. > :44:20.those first four frames. confidence is using out of them. No

:44:20. > :44:23.fear whatsoever. He just went from strength to strength. In terms of

:44:23. > :44:28.the Masters and favourites in London, you would have the likes of

:44:28. > :44:33.Alex Higgins passing the mantle to Jimmy White, who passed it to

:44:33. > :44:36.Ronnie O'Sullivan, visit the being passed to Judd from? He has a run

:44:36. > :44:39.the gauntlet down to the rest of them. He is saying that I am going

:44:39. > :44:46.to try and win every single tournament, and you guys have got

:44:46. > :44:53.to try and stop me. How do you guys in the Media Room assess the super

:44:53. > :44:58.the King's of that victory? Hector, is at the changing of the Guard,

:44:58. > :45:02.the way that Judd Trump has come along? It has felt like that since

:45:02. > :45:08.the World Championships. He's backing it up with a great run at

:45:08. > :45:12.the Crucible, then the UK, then another good run here. It seems to

:45:12. > :45:16.be a real opportunity. Ding Junhui is a couple of years older but

:45:16. > :45:20.there is no problem winner around in his age group, and he has got

:45:20. > :45:24.every chance of doing great things over the next few years. You have

:45:24. > :45:28.seen a few snooker balls over the years. This boy is very impressive

:45:28. > :45:33.and has had a rapid rise. It is less than one year ago that people

:45:33. > :45:38.were beginning to wonder whether Judd Trump would realises huge

:45:38. > :45:42.natural talent on the big stage, and then, suddenly, it all clicked

:45:42. > :45:46.and China where he won the China Open. And that seemed to give him

:45:46. > :45:49.the match play confidence he was lacking, and he has dazzled

:45:49. > :45:54.everyone with his sporting at the World Championship, and came within

:45:54. > :45:59.an ace of winning it, and has gone from strength to strength. Twice

:45:59. > :46:04.beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in major events, back-to-back. The world is

:46:04. > :46:09.his oyster. He has back it up, here, and he seems to bring his practice

:46:09. > :46:14.game to the main table which is an art in itself. He plays without any

:46:14. > :46:18.fear. That is the audacity of youth. He has played really well, played

:46:18. > :46:21.incredibly well to beat Mark Allen in the UK Championship. What is

:46:22. > :46:26.exciting about them is that he knows he can still improve and he

:46:26. > :46:30.wants to do that, he does not want to win just a couple of titles, he

:46:30. > :46:35.wants to be a legend, and I think there are exciting times ahead for

:46:35. > :46:39.him. Is heavy best player in the world and can he won the World

:46:39. > :46:43.Championship? In terms of confidence, he is the best player

:46:43. > :46:48.in the world, but I still think John Higgins could stop him winning

:46:48. > :46:52.the World Championship. The way that Judd Trump attacks the game of

:46:52. > :46:57.snooker is going to inspire youngsters to take up this sport.

:46:58. > :47:02.Just as he was inspired by the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and icy

:47:02. > :47:07.up and Stephen Hendry! There are lots of avenues opening up into the

:47:07. > :47:11.professional game for youngsters, not least the finding -- the

:47:11. > :47:14.founding of the qualifying school, which takes place each year after

:47:14. > :47:20.the World Championships in Sheffield. Ambitious players from

:47:20. > :47:24.all round the world are buying for a place on the main snooker tour.

:47:24. > :47:28.The model a similar to that of professional golf, which has been a

:47:28. > :47:32.terrific success. And the graduates are going to earn a two-year

:47:32. > :47:39.exemption to play on the tour, and the size of the tour is going to

:47:39. > :47:45.increase significantly from 96-128 players. The chairman of the

:47:45. > :47:49.governing body, Jason Ferguson, is with us now. It is great to have a

:47:49. > :47:56.success story to reflect upon. Tell us why you have decided to expand

:47:56. > :48:00.the exemption from one year to two years? It is down to players having

:48:00. > :48:04.a settling-in period. A large number of players have come on to

:48:04. > :48:08.the tour over the years to a plate for one year, perhaps not quite

:48:08. > :48:12.settled in, there's lots to think about, there is the number of

:48:12. > :48:17.players travelling around the world, living away from home, all these

:48:17. > :48:20.things have affected people, players playing on the tour, so the

:48:20. > :48:24.two-year exemption means a player has won here to settle down and

:48:24. > :48:28.will not fall off the tour if he does not get ranking points. He was

:48:28. > :48:34.the onto an extra season and after that his place will come up for

:48:34. > :48:41.renewal. I mentioned the golf model, and it is rather similar. But you

:48:41. > :48:45.are having to expand the tour, 128 players. If we look at the

:48:45. > :48:49.expansion of snooker worldwide and look at the numbers, 96 players on

:48:49. > :48:56.the tour currently, to increase the opportunity for players not just

:48:56. > :49:01.from England but from overseas, we have to make more in roads. 128 is

:49:01. > :49:06.the next step. Fascinating to see people from all over the world with

:49:06. > :49:09.great interest in this game coming to take part. What was there for

:49:09. > :49:15.this one place you have had applications for? It is incredible,

:49:15. > :49:25.it is very strong in the Far East. You lying last year qualified and

:49:25. > :49:27.

:49:27. > :49:35.make his debut at the has a place in the top 64 and the world -- Yiu

:49:35. > :49:41.Liang. These opportunities were not open to you when you came through

:49:41. > :49:44.as a young player, Stephen. It is a fantastic opportunity. It is

:49:44. > :49:48.difficult for players to come from other countries to a strange

:49:48. > :49:53.country to play snooker, but the opportunities are phenomenal.

:49:53. > :49:59.terms of the number of applications you have had for the last two you

:49:59. > :50:04.schools what was it by the end? is in the hundreds. Anything is

:50:04. > :50:08.possible this year, with the growth that we have seen. In terms of the

:50:08. > :50:16.country producing most numbers of applications, what would it be?

:50:16. > :50:22.Good question. China, probably, India is also strong, particularly

:50:22. > :50:27.the Far Eastern nations, but snooker is very popular here in the

:50:27. > :50:29.UK. Just when you have been thinking about taking a break after

:50:29. > :50:39.the World Championships at the Crucible, you plough on for another

:50:39. > :50:43.month. 13th May is the start of cue school. We will be taking entries

:50:43. > :50:47.for the event. Stephen knows what a tough schedule it has been this

:50:47. > :50:56.year. That has left him quite ball at times. It is quite a gruelling

:50:56. > :51:03.schedule. -- quite vocal. If you want to take part in the cue school,

:51:03. > :51:07.you can do so through the World Snooker website. Look out for the

:51:07. > :51:11.opportunities in that. That is something special coming your way

:51:11. > :51:19.in May, but something very special us coming your way in March. This

:51:19. > :51:24.is it. 2012, the you that sport gets serious. Sport believe his

:51:24. > :51:28.back and it is your chance to be part of the UK's year of sport. We

:51:28. > :51:32.want the nation to get together and get active, and raise lots of cash.

:51:33. > :51:38.You can get behind it, changing lives across the world's poorest

:51:39. > :51:45.countries by doing the Sport Relief march on March 25th. We want 1

:51:45. > :51:49.million people to take part. can't I be in the front? Ear is a

:51:49. > :51:54.horse. A you can raise money by buying these lovely socks or one of

:51:54. > :51:57.these lovely teachers. There are jaw-dropping celebrity challenge is

:51:58. > :52:02.leading up to an unmissable star- studded night's entertainment,

:52:02. > :52:12.kicking off Sport Relief weekend. However you decide to do it, go the

:52:12. > :52:15.

:52:15. > :52:19.extra mile for Sport Relief. thought that went all right. Argh!

:52:19. > :52:26.Sport Relief - who will be your other half? Back to the matters in

:52:26. > :52:36.hand. West discuss the fortunes and the frame of a certain well-known

:52:36. > :52:56.

:52:56. > :53:03.Australian a bit more, shall we? -- It remains me of... Stephen? It is

:53:03. > :53:09.a complement. He has definitely got an all around them, when he walks

:53:09. > :53:13.around. And Neil has become quite a prolific winner. The days of us

:53:13. > :53:18.winning five or six or seven tournaments a season have long gone.

:53:18. > :53:24.If you 11 or two, you have had a fantastic season. He is such an

:53:24. > :53:28.improved player from five or six years ago. He is a proven winner.

:53:28. > :53:31.When you're playing him, you not necessarily going to be playing in

:53:31. > :53:36.the final stages of events, you know that he is not going to

:53:36. > :53:40.crumble. I have known Neil for quite a few years. He came to

:53:40. > :53:50.Leicester 10 or 11 years ago agree with together for a period of time

:53:50. > :53:54.

:53:54. > :53:57.when he was forced on the tour. -- and we lived together. The first

:53:57. > :54:02.season he said to me that was why he fell off the tour, because he

:54:02. > :54:06.was taking on too many shots. In the last few years he has proved

:54:06. > :54:11.what a class player he is, winning the World Championships. You can

:54:11. > :54:19.switch the TV on, you wouldn't know if he was winning or losing, he has

:54:19. > :54:25.got a great temperament. Dropping of the tour at of times, you were

:54:25. > :54:32.on your uppers, but what happened that change your game around?

:54:32. > :54:36.some ways, I was a late developer. One of the problems I had was

:54:36. > :54:40.living in Australia and not playing with a lot of world-class players,

:54:40. > :54:43.although the standard of amateur snooker is very high, it is a

:54:43. > :54:47.completely different level to playing top professional players.

:54:47. > :54:52.Something I always lacked was that I was always flying from Australia

:54:52. > :55:00.to the UK, to play in tournaments, with very little match practice. It

:55:00. > :55:04.seemed to change for me when I moved to Cambridge in 2003. Seeing

:55:04. > :55:12.players like Mark King, every day, and learning a lot of good match

:55:12. > :55:17.play snooker, and building on that. It is all positive in interviews.

:55:17. > :55:24.There is not much morning. When I am playing him I am most jealous

:55:24. > :55:28.because you think you have played a decent safety shot, and he plays a

:55:28. > :55:35.poor and screws that white all the way back to the baulk area. It is

:55:35. > :55:42.fantastic. What part of your game which you try and improve? Probably

:55:42. > :55:46.my biggest focus this season was to improve my consistency. Watching

:55:46. > :55:56.somebody like Mark Tapley the last few seasons, he is always in semi-

:55:56. > :55:56.

:55:56. > :56:06.finals and finals -- like Mark play. This season was just to practise

:56:06. > :56:07.

:56:07. > :56:15.hard, and get to the later stages It is fair to say that Neil

:56:15. > :56:21.Robertson has achieved sustained excellence, all season long. Mark

:56:21. > :56:27.Williams has treated at the interval, 3-1 down, could have been

:56:27. > :56:35.3-1 up myself. We asked you to come up with a one-word nickname for

:56:35. > :56:41.Mark Williams that could be put on a teacher. When you're has said,

:56:41. > :56:50.the floater, but another has said the wall, because he is hard to

:56:50. > :56:56.break down and he does not crumble Players back from their mid-session

:56:56. > :57:06.interval. The photo? The wall? I think we can find something better

:57:06. > :57:09.

:57:09. > :57:14.than that. -- The Floater. Yes, he is 3-1 down, Mark Williams, he

:57:14. > :57:22.could easily have been 3-1 ahead. But Neil Robertson has got stronger

:57:22. > :57:29.as this match has unfolded. He had a slight problem with the tip of

:57:29. > :57:34.his cue. I was in the tournament of this. Mark and Gary were doing a

:57:34. > :57:44.little bit of work on the tip. It has just split at the bottom, but I

:57:44. > :57:48.

:57:48. > :57:57.It was split at the lip. He said that he missed the green for the

:57:57. > :58:01.100 break because he was looking at it, and it distracted him a little.

:58:01. > :58:11.Mark Clarke and Gary Wilkinson both former professional snooker players

:58:11. > :58:41.

:58:41. > :58:47.who went for the association now. - We mentioned at the start of this

:58:47. > :58:50.match, two of the greatest long potters and the game, but the long

:58:51. > :59:00.pot success rate, I would have thought Mark Williams would be

:59:01. > :59:04.

:59:04. > :59:08.slightly ahead, but usually at 60%. -- he is only at. Make that 61!

:59:08. > :59:18.That is more like it. He has given himself a great chance, with four

:59:18. > :59:28.

:59:28. > :59:38.You get 4% for one good pot! Beautifully cued and will help, for

:59:38. > :59:47.

:59:47. > :59:52.That is a nice angle on this black. Just nudged the red up and to the

:59:52. > :59:55.right of the black. If he can nudge that one added the way, the two

:59:55. > :00:00.there is there are close together, the bottom one will pot to the

:00:00. > :00:10.bottom left-hand corner pocket. He doesn't have to take it this time.

:00:10. > :00:20.He still has the loose red. Just wasn't perfect on the black, so

:00:20. > :00:38.

:00:38. > :00:48.again, try to get a nice angle from Well, he came around to see if the

:00:48. > :00:53.

:00:53. > :01:02.pink pots into the bottom right- It is so useful, that extension to

:01:02. > :01:07.the cue. It has been around quite some time now. And there is working

:01:07. > :01:11.on the tip again. That is his past to get into Alexandra Palace that

:01:11. > :01:16.he is using, it is shiny, he does not want any sandpaper on the tip,

:01:16. > :01:26.because where it is split, he could really damage it. That is why he

:01:26. > :01:29.

:01:29. > :01:34.It is not even his pass, Dennis! is Gary Wilkinson's pass, who fixed

:01:34. > :01:44.the tip for him! He played in the world seniors, is still playing a

:01:44. > :01:52.

:01:52. > :01:59.little bit. He was a World At least he found some news for

:01:59. > :02:02.those passes, Dennis. It came in handy. Sometimes, when the tip

:02:02. > :02:12.phrase, it just sticks out, and that is maybe what was catching his

:02:12. > :02:37.

:02:37. > :02:42.A missed opportunity there. There And really this is the first decent

:02:42. > :02:45.chance that Mark Williams has had for quite some time. He made a

:02:45. > :02:55.frame-winning 78 break in the second frame, and if he can get

:02:55. > :02:56.

:02:56. > :03:04.into the bar and sheer, plenty... Into the bunch here, he has let

:03:04. > :03:08.himself low on it. He can pot it and run through the red, bring a

:03:08. > :03:13.few more into play. He is going to run out of options very shortly. I

:03:13. > :03:18.thought he might have gone into then a couple of shots ago. He had

:03:18. > :03:23.the opportunity, even off the first red, a nice angle on the black. He

:03:23. > :03:28.chose to take the open red, and as he said, if you do not take the

:03:28. > :03:31.opportunity when it presents itself, that is what happens. You come

:03:31. > :03:41.straight and the black and you have no angle to split the reds. A

:03:41. > :03:42.

:03:42. > :03:45.missed opportunity. OK, he may keep the break going here... A beautiful

:03:45. > :03:55.little shot to bring the pink into play, it really was, have a look at

:03:55. > :03:59.

:03:59. > :04:07.OK, the blue was available. That pogo, Mark, I think. -- that will

:04:07. > :04:17.He is coming around to have a look from this side. Our camera clearly

:04:17. > :04:26.

:04:26. > :04:31.He is looking again. They were talking about cues, and there was a

:04:31. > :04:35.gentleman that used the same cue for 50 years, the great Fred Davis.

:04:35. > :04:40.He used to do this, and you would think the ball would not go, and

:04:40. > :04:48.then fed would get down, knock it in and clear it up. You would be

:04:48. > :04:58.stewing in your seat! But he feels that pink does not pot. It is

:04:58. > :05:00.

:05:00. > :05:04.always difficult when there is a He has played that beautifully.

:05:04. > :05:14.That was an excellent shot, and a lovely angle on his red to develop

:05:14. > :05:17.

:05:17. > :05:21.Well, that last shot was a beautiful shot. Well, you cannot

:05:21. > :05:31.believe that, can you? Look at the gap the cue ball has come through

:05:31. > :05:41.

:05:41. > :05:51.Quite amazing that he could get the Well, as the underhit this? Is it

:05:51. > :05:51.

:05:51. > :05:57.going to reach? REFEREE: Foul. think it is a free ball. Free ball.

:05:57. > :06:05.It is a free ball. The one to the right of the bunch, he cannot hit

:06:05. > :06:09.both sides of that, so it is a free ball. The first red you are looking

:06:10. > :06:14.at, he would have to hit that on the left side to contact the pink

:06:14. > :06:18.or plume. He could roll up to the brown. You cannot snooker behind a

:06:18. > :06:22.free ball, but you can push it to one side and leave the cue ball

:06:22. > :06:25.behind the yellow. There may be value in taking the blue one. He

:06:25. > :06:29.could leave the cue ball down their left hand side of the table. He

:06:29. > :06:39.definitely would not be leaving a red. There is plenty of value if he

:06:39. > :06:49.

:06:49. > :06:55.Great shot! Excellent pot. And he has got the perfect angle on the

:06:55. > :07:05.black. That was well worked out. Excellent shot. Now he needs a good

:07:05. > :07:12.

:07:12. > :07:18.He got a lot of power on the cue ball, but everything seemed to be

:07:18. > :07:24.covering each other here. Yeah, when they are flat like that, the

:07:24. > :07:29.reds, it is tough to get the cue ball into a good spot. He could not

:07:29. > :07:38.have played it any better, really. Now, are we going to see a Neil

:07:38. > :07:48.Robertson special? His ego to play the safety shot? -- Is he going to?

:07:48. > :08:07.

:08:07. > :08:12.Well, the green, brown and the yellow are not a bad target now to

:08:12. > :08:22.try to get in behind, and Neil cancelling the cue ball off a

:08:22. > :08:23.

:08:23. > :08:31.couple of cushions over towards the He called it a little bit thin. --

:08:31. > :08:34.Court. -- he caught it. Still looking at the tip, but sometimes

:08:34. > :08:44.you are better just to try and forget all about it and decide

:08:44. > :08:44.

:08:44. > :08:54.after the match what you are going REFEREE: Foul. That is a couple of

:08:54. > :09:21.

:09:21. > :09:26.rolls now from Mark Williams. -- Problems now. That is two misses,

:09:26. > :09:35.and he will be warned. If he does not hit it this time, he will lose

:09:35. > :09:41.the frame, so it will definitely be a little bit thicker this time.

:09:41. > :09:51.have got to warn you, Mark. You have got to hit it this time.

:09:51. > :09:53.

:09:53. > :10:03.Yes, a little bit thicker! It shows you the importance of catching the

:10:03. > :10:03.

:10:03. > :11:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:11:08. > :11:14.Well, this match is just slipping And it is one of those situations,

:11:14. > :11:24.the first four frames, it could have been 3-1 the other way. It is

:11:24. > :11:35.

:11:35. > :11:39.He has had three quarter-finals in the Masters, Neil Robertson, never

:11:39. > :11:49.been to a semi-final. He is on his way here, but there is still quite

:11:49. > :12:00.

:12:00. > :12:05.Yes, I think he is definitely a Your lovely wife is from Australia,

:12:05. > :12:15.isn't she? Yes, from Melbourne, where Neil Robertson is from, a

:12:15. > :12:23.

:12:24. > :12:27.We heard the voice talking at the Forum in between this session, when

:12:27. > :12:34.they were talking about what a great time romance Neil Robertson

:12:34. > :12:39.has, both these players. -- a great temperament. He has certainly

:12:39. > :12:44.improve the lot, as Stephen Hendry has said, in-form over the last few

:12:44. > :12:48.years. He has become so much more consistent, and winning the World

:12:48. > :12:52.Championships certainly gave him an extra aura of confidence as well.

:12:52. > :13:00.He does walk around the table, doesn't he, with a sense of

:13:00. > :13:04.authority? But he has become very consistent over the last few

:13:05. > :13:08.seasons, even though he has missed that red, because he will not mind,

:13:08. > :13:16.that is another frame on the board. Mark Williams has got problems at

:13:16. > :13:24.the moment, as Neil Robertson goes into a 4-1 lead now. Yes! That is

:13:24. > :13:29.Gary Wilkinson, not Neil Robertson. At least I got that one right! I

:13:29. > :13:33.was talking to Patsy Fagan in the audience, but it was not him! We

:13:33. > :13:38.had a bit of a laugh about that afterwards in the players' room.

:13:38. > :13:43.But Mark has got a few problems now, 4-1 down, but he could quite easily

:13:43. > :13:48.have been leading. That is just how the friends have gone, a couple of

:13:48. > :13:52.tactical frames, but both players starting to cue well now. It is

:13:52. > :13:55.Neil Robertson who is taking control slightly. I was a bit

:13:55. > :14:00.surprised with Mark Williams. He had a couple of opportunities to go

:14:00. > :14:05.into the pack, a perfect angle on the black, and he just chose to

:14:05. > :14:15.take the loose reds first, and sometimes he must take the

:14:15. > :14:23.opportunity when it presents itself. He has ruined that now. It is 3-1

:14:23. > :14:26.there, but it is actually four-to- one. That beautiful Waterford

:14:26. > :14:36.crystal trophy just disappearing out of your picture, that is for

:14:36. > :14:45.

:14:45. > :14:53.Along with the small sum of Yes, that is the new trophy, isn't

:14:53. > :15:03.it? The old one had been there for quite a few years, Stephen Hendry,

:15:03. > :15:13.won it six times, was given the trophy to keep. But it is this new

:15:13. > :15:20.

:15:20. > :15:26.Made in the old Emerald Isle, Oh, what a shot that was! Look at

:15:26. > :15:28.where he has got the cue ball, that is amazing. That is why they call

:15:29. > :15:38.in the thunder from down under, because of the way he knocks these

:15:39. > :15:56.

:15:56. > :16:00.I would rather you say that than They were talking at the midsession

:16:00. > :16:04.interval about Neil, you know, travelling from Australia. It took

:16:04. > :16:09.him a while to settle down. The other great Australian player,

:16:09. > :16:15.Eddie Charlton, made over 100 ships back and forwards from Australia to

:16:15. > :16:19.play this great game of snooker. -- trips. In fact, in the 1940s, the

:16:19. > :16:24.great Joe Davis, there is a lovely photograph of him having to play in

:16:24. > :16:32.Australia, catching the ship. It took six weeks to get there, no

:16:32. > :16:42.practice for six weeks? Well, I suppose you could have a snooker

:16:42. > :16:42.

:16:42. > :17:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:17:41. > :17:45.table on the ship, but everything This is definitely a must when

:17:45. > :17:55.frame for Mark Williams, 5-1, he would not be out of it completely,

:17:55. > :18:30.

:18:30. > :18:34.but what a mountain to climb that Both players and certainly that the

:18:34. > :18:44.pace of the table. They have got the cue-ball tight on the baulk

:18:44. > :18:48.

:18:48. > :18:52.That last shot is the key to playing snooker, you pause with the

:18:52. > :18:58.cue and deliver it in a straight line. That was a perfect example of

:18:58. > :19:08.it there. Let's have a look at this. Fall the cue back, stop, straight

:19:08. > :19:09.

:19:09. > :20:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:20:16. > :20:23.He needs another thin on here, and a half for contact to take the cue

:20:23. > :20:28.ball away from the pocket. -- half- ball. He caught it a little bit

:20:28. > :20:31.thick this time. So a chance for Mark Williams, and the black is

:20:31. > :20:39.available into the left corner. This is the best chance that Mark

:20:39. > :20:44.Williams has had for quite some He could do with a sizable

:20:44. > :20:54.contribution here. They are all there for him. They are nicely

:20:54. > :20:54.

:20:54. > :21:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:21:49. > :21:59.Just coming around to see what kind And again, it looks very, very

:21:59. > :22:00.

:22:00. > :22:07.That is a poor shot by Mark Williams' standard. He needed to be

:22:07. > :22:17.a little bare lower for a nice, straightforward black. -- a little

:22:17. > :22:32.

:22:32. > :22:37.bit lower. Oh, that has worked out He has got a perfect angle if he

:22:37. > :22:47.can just nudge the red that is closest to the black out of the way.

:22:47. > :23:04.

:23:04. > :23:09.Here is an opportunity now into the He does that quite a lot, he likes

:23:09. > :23:19.to pick them off. He could have developed some more reds there, but

:23:19. > :23:21.

:23:21. > :23:25.Yes, I think maybe the fact that he is now 40 points in front, he

:23:25. > :23:35.thought he could clinch the frame without risking a cannon. That

:23:35. > :23:40.

:23:40. > :23:50.He is just struggling a bit now for position. He will have to go back

:23:50. > :23:51.

:23:51. > :23:55.up for blue. Or can he holed and You see, this is the problem,

:23:55. > :24:00.Dennis, it was the wrong shot. He should have opened the reds with

:24:00. > :24:03.the black. As in the last frame, it is costing him frames, and these

:24:03. > :24:07.are positions that normally you would see him make a frame-winning

:24:07. > :24:16.break, but he is not taking the opportunities to split the reds,

:24:16. > :24:21.That is second prize, he has got a 46 point lead, but he will be very

:24:21. > :24:25.disappointed with that contribution. This was a shocker, wasn't it? As

:24:25. > :24:35.you said, he could have played up for the blue and eliminated the

:24:35. > :25:01.

:25:01. > :25:04.possibility of sniggering himself Hull, he has just... He has just

:25:04. > :25:14.jammed a little bit at that one. OK, it was always going to cover the

:25:14. > :25:19.

:25:19. > :25:26.A problem for Neil. He is so close to the red he cannot come across

:25:26. > :25:36.the cushion and try to pot the red. He has got quite a problem here.

:25:36. > :25:40.

:25:40. > :25:50.How does he cover that red that is Even though Mark Williams would

:25:50. > :25:55.

:25:55. > :26:04.like to have seen the red drop, he That is touching. That might just

:26:04. > :26:09.help Mark Williams. He can pot the red with the black, because he is

:26:09. > :26:15.touching. Not often you see that, but added that turnout for Mark

:26:15. > :26:20.Williams? He was on a straight away, a lot of people were working out

:26:20. > :26:24.what was going on. He was hitting the red, a clever shot. I do not

:26:24. > :26:34.think I have ever seen that before in that sort of a situation, so

:26:34. > :26:45.

:26:45. > :26:48.I bet Neil Robertson never thought It is funny, that, Dennis, in all

:26:48. > :26:58.the years I have been playing snooker, I do not think I have ever

:26:58. > :27:01.

:27:01. > :27:09.seen that before. He knew straight Well, we said it was a frame that

:27:09. > :27:16.he badly needed. He has got it, and he is doing it in style. An earlier

:27:16. > :27:20.47 break paved the way, and he didn't even bother there. He knows

:27:20. > :27:25.that Neil will stay in his seat, so Mark Williams won the frame he

:27:26. > :27:30.badly-needed, and now he is just two frames behind, still 4-2 in

:27:30. > :27:34.favour of the Australian. Yes, a rather unusual situation in

:27:34. > :27:38.that last frame, but Mark Williams alive to it right away. For years I

:27:38. > :27:43.have played the game and watched it, I have never seen that happen, and

:27:43. > :27:48.there! Most unusual, Neil Robertson had no choice so he decided to roll

:27:48. > :27:52.up to the red. It's just rolled back on to it, touching ball. He

:27:52. > :27:56.knew straightaway what the situation was, because Mark looked

:27:56. > :28:00.down, played the black on to the red, knocked it in and won the

:28:00. > :28:03.frame. Have you seen it before? have never seen it before, it will

:28:03. > :28:08.be interesting to see how many players would have been alive to

:28:08. > :28:13.that. None of us in the commentary box have seen it happen. It shows

:28:13. > :28:18.he is still alert and focused. still end the match after that, he

:28:18. > :28:24.badly needed that one. He will not go away, he is a great competitor,

:28:24. > :28:29.he laughs and jokes, scrappy frames, but they all count the same to Mark

:28:29. > :28:32.and he tries as hard as he can. has been there or thereabouts in

:28:33. > :28:37.the main ranking tournaments. He was run up in the first couple in

:28:37. > :28:41.Australia and Shanghai, but you know him very well, how

:28:41. > :28:44.disappointing will those performances have been to him?

:28:44. > :28:49.would not show it, they would try to give up the bravado that he

:28:49. > :28:54.normally does, but he will have been gutted to lose in Australia,

:28:54. > :28:58.the UK against John Higgins where he was 8-5 up as well. Those ones

:28:58. > :29:03.hurt, when you should have won. first time it happens to you, when

:29:03. > :29:06.it has never happened before, when you do not worry about it, you

:29:06. > :29:10.start waiting for the second and third time. It does prey on your

:29:10. > :29:14.mind, it is one of those ridiculous times. The first time it happens,

:29:14. > :29:18.you do not believe it, but then you start looking in the rear-view

:29:18. > :29:22.mirror. Whereas the reverse is probably true of Neil Robertson, we

:29:22. > :29:27.are getting ahead of ourselves, but he has been in six world-ranking

:29:27. > :29:33.finals and won the lot. He has not gone through that self-doubt thing

:29:33. > :29:40.so far. A tremendous conversion rates. OK, here we go, not in the

:29:40. > :29:45.final, a long way to go before that. There certainly is, Hazel, and this

:29:45. > :29:55.could develop into a fascinating tussle here. You have had a good

:29:55. > :30:02.

:30:02. > :30:12.conversion rate as well, Dennis, The old euro is everywhere. It used

:30:12. > :30:41.

:30:41. > :30:51.to be the punt where you came from. The dreaded double-kiss, there. He

:30:51. > :31:04.

:31:04. > :31:08.didn't get close to that attempt at I think he puts all his

:31:09. > :31:18.concentration into trying to cut that in and didn't anticipate the

:31:19. > :31:19.

:31:19. > :32:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:32:52. > :33:01.white disappearing, also. Who put Surely that is not a plant that

:33:01. > :33:09.Mark Williams has left you Robertson here? -- Neil Robertson.

:33:09. > :33:18.Not only did he get the plant, but the cue ball coming off the knuckle

:33:18. > :33:24.of the middle pocket has certainly He probably had enough pace on that

:33:24. > :33:34.to come in and out of all, but that was a useful bottle knuckle, as you

:33:34. > :33:37.

:33:37. > :33:43.said, Ken. -- little knuckle. Williams will be sitting in his

:33:43. > :33:46.chair, kicking himself for leaving that straightforward plant. He did

:33:46. > :33:56.not see himself or otherwise he would not have put the cue ball up

:33:56. > :34:17.

:34:17. > :34:22.Just a delicate cannon needed here It's straightforward here, just to

:34:22. > :34:30.drop the red in and finish on the black. His natural angle would take

:34:30. > :34:40.him into the gap between the reds to the left of the bunch. But he

:34:40. > :34:45.

:34:46. > :34:55.might get himself onto the blue. It looks like the pink also pots.

:34:56. > :35:03.

:35:03. > :35:13.He has the wrong side of the blue. That was an excellent shot, the

:35:13. > :35:25.

:35:25. > :35:35.He has a couple of options. He can play for the black or back up, for

:35:35. > :35:41.

:35:41. > :35:51.the blue. That looks just about He may not elect to go into the

:35:51. > :36:00.

:36:00. > :36:05.pack, he could go for those two He wanted a slightly fuller contact,

:36:05. > :36:13.but he has got a couple of ways to get an angle on the black. He might

:36:13. > :36:23.just stun it in-off the top cushion. That is the shot that he could play.

:36:23. > :36:49.

:36:49. > :36:53.Well, he's made a mess of it. That That the average shot, there, with

:36:53. > :37:03.Mark playing the screw with that little bit of side. Stephen Hendry

:37:03. > :37:14.

:37:15. > :37:19.was talking about that in the Not only a terrific double but a

:37:19. > :37:29.good angle on the black to get the pink and reds I it. That is good at

:37:29. > :37:34.

:37:34. > :37:44.all. -- beautiful. What a chance. It has worked out at root, and I

:37:44. > :37:51.

:37:51. > :38:01.think the pink pots as well. -- it Those two reds bought into this

:38:01. > :38:15.

:38:15. > :38:25.That miss from Neil Robertson might prove to be a turning point in this

:38:25. > :38:35.match, if this man can close it down to just one frame in it. I

:38:35. > :38:54.

:38:54. > :38:59.Points all level. The black to follow, here. Mark will not need it

:38:59. > :39:06.that red that is closest to the left-hand cushion if he can get the

:39:06. > :39:13.next four reds and high value colours. Just concentrate on the

:39:13. > :39:23.open reds. When he pots this, he's going to clear the other to the

:39:23. > :39:33.

:39:33. > :39:43.opposite corner. There is no need He is showing what he's made of

:39:43. > :39:45.

:39:45. > :39:55.here, the Welshman. 4-1 down. Looked as if Neil Robertson was

:39:55. > :39:59.

:39:59. > :40:03.It just came off the cushion further than he intended. This red

:40:03. > :40:07.is a little more difficult. He's looking at the one up the cushion

:40:07. > :40:10.but he played for the one to the right of the cue ball and it should

:40:10. > :40:20.have been comfortable for the middle, but he's going to have to

:40:20. > :40:32.

:40:32. > :40:36.take it up into the corner. It is No heroics, just leaving the

:40:36. > :40:42.possibility of taking on the double. He doesn't have to play a snooker.

:40:42. > :40:49.That is what he is just thinking about. He has gone for the double,

:40:49. > :40:59.but he's not quite safe. 38, the difference. Neil Robertson only

:40:59. > :41:09.needs one snooker. That is why he was debating whether to play the

:41:09. > :41:13.

:41:13. > :41:23.snooker behind the black or take One for. Snooker, red, black and

:41:23. > :41:27.

:41:27. > :41:33.all the colours required for Neil. -- one four point snooker. He has

:41:33. > :41:38.floated a few of these pots in, and he could do with another, to secure

:41:38. > :41:45.this frame. Where is it going to finish? Is he going to fluked a

:41:45. > :41:49.snooker? He is, but there is a possibility there is a slight

:41:49. > :41:54.chance if he catches the red correctly off the cushion, he could

:41:54. > :42:04.finish in behind the brown, but he would have to be spot-on, so

:42:04. > :42:04.

:42:04. > :42:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:42:46. > :42:56.That is a bit of a one! Look at that. Has he fluked a snooker back?

:42:56. > :43:30.

:43:30. > :43:36.He has won two in a row, and from 4-1, you suddenly one frame behind,

:43:36. > :43:40.at 4-t. Memories of the opening day with Ronnie assault and against

:43:40. > :43:44.Ding Junhui, we had a grandstand finish in that game as well. This

:43:44. > :43:51.is a great comeback from Mark Williams, made by a terrific long

:43:51. > :44:01.red. Surprised at nil lead in this, this is a cracking shot, cue the

:44:01. > :44:07.beautifully, straight into the pocket. He came back and went on in

:44:08. > :44:11.float mode. Typical Mark Williams break, something out of nothing.

:44:12. > :44:16.was going to say that he looked focused, but he never looks so

:44:16. > :44:23.focused, Mark Williams! Terrific break and he has got himself right

:44:23. > :44:26.back in it. You have played him on a number of occasions and it is

:44:26. > :44:32.tricky, being a friend of us, but there are many points you can gauge

:44:32. > :44:39.from his body language about how he is feeling out at the table?

:44:39. > :44:48.more calm that he looks, the better he is playing. When he is showing

:44:48. > :44:58.no emotion, that is when he is better. The machine is ticking

:44:58. > :45:00.

:45:00. > :45:10.along will now. Expressionless. -- And he has got the snooker from a

:45:10. > :45:18.

:45:18. > :45:28.break-off shot. That will never REFEREE: file, and a miss. -- Foul

:45:28. > :45:34.

:45:34. > :45:44.and a miss. There is another photo from the Welshman. -- floater.

:45:44. > :45:47.

:45:47. > :45:57.There was a little bit of noise in the crowd there. How well cap that

:45:57. > :46:10.

:46:10. > :46:16.little beauty. -- have it look at Could have done with a little bit

:46:16. > :46:26.more backspin to get that wiped away from the reds. This is awkward,

:46:26. > :46:52.

:46:52. > :46:55.now. -- that white. He has overcut The split didn't work out for him.

:46:55. > :46:59.There is a possibility that he could play that as a plant and

:46:59. > :47:07.bring more reds into play, but it is a little bit risky from that

:47:07. > :47:17.That is not the best rest shot he has ever played. This is a tricky

:47:17. > :47:29.

:47:29. > :47:39.black. Going into a blind pocket, These are no gimmes. Played it well,

:47:39. > :48:00.

:48:00. > :48:07.pleaded very well. -- played it Has just got a slight angle on the

:48:07. > :48:17.blue. I think the red that is on the pink spot will pot. Just

:48:17. > :48:17.

:48:17. > :49:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:49:06. > :49:16.We spoke about Neil Robertson's temperament. He is just showing how

:49:16. > :49:29.

:49:29. > :49:39.His pot success rate is up to 90%. That is what you want to be, into

:49:39. > :49:54.

:49:54. > :49:58.There is no need to cannon into that bunch of four. They will all

:49:58. > :50:08.clear each other as he pots this. There is also one that is available

:50:08. > :50:24.

:50:24. > :50:31.That is good thinking, to play for the pink. Getting on this red was

:50:31. > :50:38.much more comfortable than having to do it from the black. He will

:50:38. > :50:48.have to get high and the pink because then he can develop the two

:50:48. > :50:51.

:50:51. > :50:58.which to the left of the red below It does not look like he has the

:50:58. > :51:08.angle for the pink at this time. These to be a few inches higher up

:51:08. > :51:26.

:51:26. > :51:34.I think that heavy contact has spoilt it for him, and the one you

:51:34. > :51:40.suggest it is a change of plan. That is nicely played. Certainly,

:51:41. > :51:50.one of those reds is available to the left middle. The one furthest

:51:51. > :52:01.

:52:01. > :52:06.Now, the one that he played to get on previously is still available.

:52:06. > :52:16.I'm not sure if there is enough angle to do it from the brown. He

:52:16. > :52:19.

:52:19. > :52:26.might have to take the yellow. He He is on that red. He couldn't have

:52:26. > :52:29.hit that much better. Nice angle on the red, as well. Stun into those

:52:29. > :52:39.two reds and screw back and stay on the pink, also bringing these reds

:52:39. > :52:50.

:52:50. > :52:57.That is not the best shot he has played. He wanted to be doubt

:52:57. > :53:02.straight on this pink, just to drop it in. He might have to play or for

:53:02. > :53:06.that red on the left hand side of the table and being left handed, he

:53:06. > :53:16.can just stun or work for that one. It is a delicate little screw shot,

:53:16. > :53:21.

:53:21. > :53:31.to get himself over for that red. Played beautifully. He is going to

:53:31. > :53:36.

:53:37. > :53:42.need red-collar-red. -- red-colour- red. Being a left-hander, this is

:53:42. > :53:52.perfect for him. Egg right response from the Australian. Mark Williams

:53:52. > :53:53.

:53:53. > :54:03.closing the gap from 4-1,-4-t, -- 4-3. And Neil Robertson shows why

:54:03. > :54:13.he is a great champion. This is one title he would love to have on his

:54:13. > :54:16.

:54:16. > :54:21.CV, as most players would, the Masters. Lots of players outside

:54:21. > :54:28.the UK feel that this is the second biggest. I know that Stephen Hendry

:54:28. > :54:38.always thought it was the second biggest. The 16 best players in the

:54:38. > :55:02.

:55:02. > :55:10.world, every year. It is a tough Every chance of making a century

:55:10. > :55:17.break now. We have had 12, so far, this year, in the Masters. Neil

:55:17. > :55:27.Robertson has had one up until now. And look at the reverse side,

:55:27. > :55:27.

:55:27. > :56:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:56:15. > :56:18.He has already made 34 centuries He has done it in style with that

:56:18. > :56:23.might have a son century brick, and lots of variation with the colours

:56:23. > :56:29.he has potted, but he has potted a lot, Neil Robertson, after losing

:56:29. > :56:39.two frames, takes that frame and prison cell just one frame away

:56:39. > :56:48.

:56:48. > :56:54.from a place in the semi-final. -- I think I'm quite a nice person. I

:56:54. > :57:01.am a good listener, Alan to listen to people and give people advice

:57:01. > :57:05.and stuff like that. My mum always caused me before every match. That

:57:05. > :57:15.is my thing. It does not matter what time it is, she will always

:57:15. > :57:17.

:57:17. > :57:22.leave a message for me. You want me to do it, studiously? OK. My friend

:57:22. > :57:27.and I work but how to do it when we were eight years old, in school. I

:57:27. > :57:36.am quite lazy. I forget to do things. I don't do it on purpose, I

:57:36. > :57:46.just forget. I love playing computer games. Just escaping. I

:57:46. > :57:49.

:57:49. > :57:53.can play games for 10 are straight, no problem. -- 10 hours. I had the

:57:53. > :57:56.all country phoning me up, it seemed, that was a lot of

:57:56. > :58:06.expectation to career and my showbiz, before the World

:58:06. > :58:08.

:58:08. > :58:12.Championships. -- expectation to He carried the pressure of that

:58:12. > :58:18.world title a couple of years ago, Neil Robertson, and since then, has

:58:18. > :58:21.been very consistent, six out of six in major finals. One of the

:58:21. > :58:26.most successful players from outside the British Isles who has

:58:26. > :58:30.ever played the game. He's just one frame away from a breakthrough in

:58:30. > :58:40.this tournament. He has never got past the quarter-final stage in the

:58:40. > :58:40.

:58:40. > :58:48.Masters before. Is he about to take Yes, Hazel, he has put himself in a

:58:48. > :58:52.great position to do that, but his opponent, Mark Williams, we know

:58:52. > :59:02.what he is capable of. He will never give up, that is for sure.

:59:02. > :59:14.

:59:14. > :59:21.But he has got to win three frames I don't know whether he has seen

:59:21. > :59:27.one of his friends up there, he was having a little smile at him. Where

:59:27. > :59:34.is this red going? I thought it was going to spin across into one of

:59:34. > :59:39.the corner pockets. It just shows you how laid back Mark Williams is.

:59:39. > :59:49.He's 5-3 down in the Masters, and he is having a little smile at one

:59:49. > :59:49.

:59:49. > :00:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:00:46. > :00:51.of his friends and the audience. -- Good shot from R Williams. My was

:00:51. > :01:01.just coming round to look and see if these two reds down former plant

:01:01. > :01:12.

:01:12. > :01:22.into the bottom right-hand pocket. There is no easy safety shot, which

:01:22. > :01:34.

:01:34. > :01:42.He did make it into a plant. The cue ball was dangerously close to

:01:42. > :01:46.the middle pocket. But look at the angle he has and the blue now. He

:01:47. > :01:56.could play for a loose red, but it is the perfect angle to split the

:01:57. > :02:01.

:02:01. > :02:11.A little bit surprising. He would love to get that black back on to

:02:11. > :02:28.

:02:28. > :02:33.Just over stretching full little bit. I thought he could have held

:02:33. > :02:38.for the black and just shouldered them along the cushion. But he

:02:38. > :02:48.decided to Forcett and going for the blue. It was an interesting

:02:48. > :02:48.

:02:48. > :03:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:03:46. > :03:56.Good pot, but just the wrong side That cue ball needed to slow down.

:03:56. > :04:04.

:04:04. > :04:14.Just about OK. He will play this He played it straight up and down

:04:14. > :04:18.

:04:18. > :04:27.and that was very unlucky. There He was very unlucky not to have an

:04:27. > :04:35.easy red to go at. But I am surprised he took the double on. He

:04:36. > :04:44.had a straightforward shot to get a snooker. You see, there is an easy

:04:44. > :04:50.snooker in their behind the brown. Annual has not the staple shot and

:04:51. > :05:00.in many occasions. But he has been a little bit off with some of his

:05:01. > :05:34.

:05:34. > :05:44.long potting. That was not as He is still doing a little bit of

:05:44. > :05:47.

:05:47. > :05:55.work on the tip of his cue. There was a little bit sticking out any

:05:55. > :06:01.is just making sure he does not see that when he looks down the cue.

:06:01. > :06:11.The players will be due in exactly the same position each time. The

:06:11. > :06:43.

:06:43. > :06:53.use the same part of the cue every Mark was shot with that cue ball.

:06:53. > :07:05.

:07:05. > :07:15.Beautiful shot. It was a good example of Neil Robertson's cue

:07:15. > :07:18.

:07:18. > :07:28.You see the cue ball stopping for a second and then the screw back

:07:28. > :07:29.

:07:29. > :07:39.takes effect and he came back for the blue. This is an example of the

:07:39. > :07:43.

:07:43. > :07:53.screw shot, hitting down on the Now, the snake shop will certainly

:07:53. > :08:01.

:08:01. > :08:11.open up the red. -- this next shot. There was every chance he could of

:08:11. > :08:11.

:08:11. > :10:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:10:13. > :10:23.develop the pink, but you have to He has lost his little extension.

:10:23. > :10:25.

:10:25. > :10:29.He was at the wrong end of the table. That is the one he wants.

:10:29. > :10:39.This won just six into the cue. A lot of players have ones which

:10:39. > :10:40.

:10:40. > :10:50.actually screwing. It is much better to use your own Pep. -- you

:10:50. > :10:57.

:10:57. > :11:07.You can see the half but there, but there really just for sure nowadays.

:11:07. > :11:17.

:11:17. > :11:27.Beautifully played. The soft stone shot on the blue. He avoided going

:11:27. > :11:29.

:11:29. > :11:39.It is just a serious offer little stunner shots and beautiful control

:11:39. > :11:47.

:11:47. > :11:54.This is where he is probably at his best. He is not having to do much

:11:54. > :12:04.with the cue ball. But he has put a fantastic touch around the pink and

:12:04. > :12:06.

:12:06. > :12:16.But he has come up shot. That is careless. That is very careless

:12:16. > :12:35.

:12:35. > :12:45.remark. -- From mark. How is this That shot was what we call around

:12:45. > :12:47.

:12:47. > :12:57.the houses. And he judge it to perfection. That was another lovely

:12:57. > :12:59.

:12:59. > :13:07.shot, wasn't it? The break now goes to 47. It is typical of Mark

:13:07. > :13:12.Williams. He has seen a break of 119 from his opponent to go 5-3

:13:12. > :13:21.down. And this is the way he responds. He has done it so many

:13:21. > :13:27.times. Now 54 points with only 51 remaining, but he just has to be

:13:27. > :13:37.careful that this red does not mess. But that is a good shot. This has

:13:37. > :13:46.

:13:46. > :13:56.He is letting Neil Robertson know that he is still in this match and

:13:56. > :14:06.

:14:06. > :14:12.is not going to go down without a He has made 285 century breaks

:14:12. > :14:15.during his career. He would have made a lot more, but often, when he

:14:15. > :14:24.has got a free one, he does not appear to be particularly bothered

:14:24. > :14:29.about reaching three figures. But this has been good to give Neil

:14:29. > :14:37.Robertson something to think about. And look at how they played at!

:14:37. > :14:40.That was a shame, it would have been nice to have seen a century.

:14:40. > :14:50.But there was a great seven-day break, which brews are now just one

:14:50. > :14:51.

:14:51. > :14:59.frame behind at 5-4. A that underlined Dennis's.. What do you

:14:59. > :15:09.make of his response to this pressure situation? Neil Ashley had

:15:09. > :15:09.

:15:09. > :15:18.a couple of half-chances. It amazing how often someone does not

:15:18. > :15:22.take their chance when they are only needing one frame. But this is

:15:22. > :15:29.a marvellous shot. He had to take their cue ball writer around the

:15:29. > :15:37.table. You could not have played this better. For cushions. Great

:15:38. > :15:44.shot. The chances you have to go over the line 10 to diminish when

:15:45. > :15:54.again gets as tight as this? you're hoping for is just one good

:15:55. > :15:55.

:15:55. > :16:04.chance. That is all you are looking for. It certainly has. It is going

:16:04. > :16:13.Mark Williams may have in the back of his mind and Neil Robertson has

:16:13. > :16:23.never been beyond the stage in the Masters. But you have to just play

:16:23. > :16:33.

:16:33. > :16:41.the frames as they come, frame by That is a pretty good shot. The

:16:41. > :16:47.snooker was a bonus, but it was a good cue ball. Mark is looking to

:16:47. > :16:50.come down the right hand side of the table. It should be pretty

:16:50. > :16:58.straight for words. But obviously he does not want to slide off the

:16:58. > :17:08.pack, as there are a couple of reds below that, which will pot. He

:17:08. > :17:23.

:17:23. > :17:33.could leave one of the mourned, so There was no touching ball called

:17:33. > :17:37.

:17:37. > :17:47.by Jan Verhaas, or referee. Market may be able to get away up the

:17:47. > :17:52.

:17:52. > :18:02.table. Look at the way he is And what a good shot it was. Look

:18:02. > :18:16.

:18:16. > :18:26.You will not see it in the coaching manual, Dennis! Of course, Mark can

:18:26. > :18:26.

:18:26. > :19:07.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:19:08. > :19:14.That is perfectly played and has given Mark something to think about.

:19:14. > :19:24.At first glance, I am not sure if he can come off the side cushion

:19:24. > :19:29.into the red, because he would probably leave a pot on. He might

:19:29. > :19:36.have to try and nestle on the one to the left of the black, but that

:19:36. > :19:46.also is difficult. Failing that, it may have to be a to cushion escape

:19:46. > :19:56.

:19:56. > :20:05.to lean on their red he's just This has got to be absolutely spot

:20:05. > :20:15.on. He was thinking of nestling into the red near the pink, but it

:20:15. > :20:23.has changed his mind. That is pretty good. He thought for a long

:20:24. > :20:33.time about it, but I tell you what, surely this red does not pot at the

:20:34. > :20:34.

:20:34. > :21:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 71 seconds

:21:20. > :21:30.back of the pack? Can he see enough Good shot, pushing the raid to the

:21:30. > :21:30.

:21:30. > :21:33.side of the table. As you can see, this is very difficult. Made even

:21:33. > :21:43.more difficult by the fact that he can only just see the top of the

:21:43. > :22:09.

:22:09. > :22:14.I am not sure he actually meant to go down the up side of the red.

:22:14. > :22:24.Neil Robertson is now looking at this long pot. But that is very

:22:24. > :22:24.

:22:24. > :22:29.risky, under the circumstances. He has seen a 4-1 lead and the 5-3

:22:29. > :22:39.lead reduced to just one frame. I think that was the correct choice.

:22:39. > :22:47.

:22:47. > :22:51.I think he has managed to cover this red down the right-hand side.

:22:51. > :23:01.He may be able to just catch the outside edge with a little bit

:23:01. > :23:04.

:23:04. > :23:13.We have seen some very good tactical play. In the safety

:23:13. > :23:21.success, there is just a tiny margin between the two players. Has

:23:21. > :23:31.he done many but damage or got away with it? There may be one available

:23:31. > :23:44.

:23:44. > :23:49.into the middle and the left corner. If he takes this into the corner,

:23:49. > :23:59.he is going to have to push right through the red. Or is he going to

:23:59. > :24:00.

:24:00. > :24:04.screw back? Yes, he avoided the bunch. They do not think the blue

:24:04. > :24:14.will actually pass that red into the middle. I think he will have to

:24:14. > :24:17.

:24:17. > :24:27.He thought of a couple of options, such as playing it with top spin

:24:27. > :24:37.and pushing right through the pack of red. He is very close to that

:24:37. > :24:44.

:24:44. > :24:54.It did not ball into the heart of the pocket, but was a good pot

:24:54. > :25:15.

:25:15. > :25:18.He is looking a couple of shots ahead. I am not sure if that red at

:25:18. > :25:28.the bottom of the bunch will pour into the bottom right-hand corner

:25:28. > :25:31.

:25:31. > :25:41.We can see the raid near the cushion is available, but it would

:25:41. > :25:42.

:25:42. > :25:52.be a bonus if that red at the back of the pack was born. If not, he

:25:52. > :26:01.

:26:01. > :26:10.I do not see any possible plants. That red is going towards the

:26:10. > :26:17.pocket. He should have checked that. I just spotted one just before he

:26:17. > :26:21.played the shot. It is a bit unlucky, but it is always worth

:26:21. > :26:31.having a look around if you're going to go into the pack at that

:26:31. > :26:46.

:26:46. > :26:55.Now, is that going to turn things right around? Neil Robertson had

:26:55. > :27:02.the great chance to clinch the match. And he still has a chance.

:27:02. > :27:12.That is a bad miss from Mark Williams. He has missed precious

:27:12. > :27:16.little like that. Yes, very surprising. You do not see Mark

:27:16. > :27:26.Williams miss many blacks like that. There was a lot of pressure on it,

:27:26. > :27:37.

:27:37. > :27:47.He has now drifted Neil Robertson a great chance to close out the match.

:27:47. > :27:52.

:27:52. > :28:02.That was very surprising. Normally, He possibly just took his eye off

:28:02. > :28:08.

:28:08. > :28:18.it slightly. He was concentrating Meanwhile, Neil has left himself

:28:18. > :28:19.

:28:19. > :28:23.hampered slightly. The fact that this frame could take him into his

:28:23. > :28:33.first Masters semi-final against a certain amount of pressure to the

:28:33. > :28:39.

:28:40. > :28:49.That was a good shot. Never easy when you're having to bridge over

:28:50. > :28:56.

:28:56. > :29:04.The black does going to this bottom right-hand corner pocket. He would

:29:04. > :29:13.like to have been straight to run this red. Yes, the black is only

:29:14. > :29:23.available into one of these two pockets at the bottom of the table.

:29:23. > :29:33.It is not straightforward. Let us see if he can avoid the cannon on

:29:33. > :30:10.

:30:10. > :30:15.to the other balls. Yes, well A little bit of adrenalin creeping

:30:15. > :30:25.into Neil Robertson's game. He should have been on the blue there.

:30:25. > :30:32.

:30:32. > :30:42.Yes, it is all about keeping close control and keeping things as easy

:30:42. > :30:58.

:30:58. > :31:08.He might have to play a little can in here, so he will have to be

:31:08. > :31:17.

:31:17. > :31:21.careful. He would prefer to have The gentlest of cannons. Making

:31:21. > :31:28.sure that did not slip out of position. Can he hold himself

:31:28. > :31:38.together and get himself into his first ever Masters and the final? -

:31:38. > :31:38.

:31:38. > :31:46.- semi-final. The winner of this match will play the sensational

:31:46. > :31:56.Judd Trump, so we'll have two left- handers in that semi-final,

:31:56. > :32:06.

:32:06. > :32:16.Just looking at the score, there, he wants the blue, and at least two

:32:16. > :32:31.

:32:31. > :32:35.Mark Williams can only sit there and hope that something will go

:32:35. > :32:42.wrong. He had a spirited fightback to get himself to just one frame

:32:42. > :32:49.behind, and he was looking good until he missed that comfortable

:32:49. > :32:54.black. Neil Robertson has just slightly ran out of position.

:32:54. > :33:01.Digging than on the cue ball. Just makes this pot a little bit more

:33:01. > :33:05.difficult. Yes, he only needs one more red after the blue. You see,

:33:05. > :33:10.if he rolls the blue to try and get on this red to the left of the

:33:10. > :33:15.black, he has got to be careful, but I don't think that it is an in-

:33:15. > :33:24.off, and I don't think that he would cannon the pink. We will find

:33:24. > :33:31.out, it was an in-off, and that is what he was worried about. No

:33:31. > :33:38.wonder he is puffing out his cheeks. A quick glance at the scoreboard.

:33:38. > :33:44.He knows that one more pot could see him through to the semi-final.

:33:44. > :33:52.Not easy, the cue ball in the jaws of the pocket, playing a red into a

:33:52. > :34:02.blind pocket, as he looks than his cue. Well played. Make sure of the

:34:02. > :34:03.

:34:03. > :34:11.red. He relied on his technique and smooth cueing, and it could be end

:34:11. > :34:18.of the Masters now for Mark Williams. That definitely feels --

:34:18. > :34:22.seals the match. Started with at tactical opening frame that lasted

:34:22. > :34:30.40 minutes, but there has been some great snooker, and a great

:34:30. > :34:34.fightback from 4-1 down, and from 5-3 behind, it look like he could

:34:34. > :34:39.take it to a deciding frame. It is a great feeling when you're walking

:34:39. > :34:44.round knocking the balls in, and you have clinch the match. That

:34:44. > :34:49.will be his first Master semi-final, and what a mouth-watering prospect

:34:49. > :34:53.that will be. Mark Williams comes forward and congratulates Neil

:34:53. > :34:58.Robertson, the gentleman that he is. So the battle of the left handers

:34:58. > :35:08.goes to the Australian. It was a tough battle, but he is through to

:35:08. > :35:08.

:35:08. > :35:13.the semi-final, winning 6-4. Thank you, Gary. I am not quite sure who

:35:13. > :35:23.that was, it was Gary Wilkinson! I am not sure what he's doing with

:35:23. > :35:28.Gary's I d. Neil Robertson, through at last to a Masters semi-final. He

:35:28. > :35:34.was made to work all the way, even in the final frame, the position

:35:34. > :35:39.just a fraction off. It was a great break, he was never right, all the

:35:39. > :35:44.way through it, the first seven aureate positional shots, all just

:35:44. > :35:49.slightly off her. It was a very high-quality break in the

:35:49. > :35:52.circumstances to win the match, exceptional. How did you rate his

:35:52. > :35:56.performance when Mark Williams was beginning to creep back into it?

:35:56. > :36:01.was a great break to get over the line. You have to keep your

:36:01. > :36:05.concentration and focus in that position. Mark had a great chance,

:36:05. > :36:08.a tricky black, but one you would expect him to get, and Neil

:36:08. > :36:14.Robertson was quick to get out of his chair, and focus his

:36:14. > :36:17.concentration on it. When you are playing as good as Neil Robertson

:36:17. > :36:27.is playing, when the Maxwell a chance to get over the line, they

:36:27. > :36:33.

:36:33. > :36:42.Well done, congratulations. At 3-1, I made a 90 break to go 3-1 up, but

:36:42. > :36:49.in practice before the match, it just flared up. Cannibal Kinson had

:36:49. > :36:55.to try and repair the to put the cue as well as he could. He must

:36:55. > :36:59.have been difficult seeing that. He has come I could see the to put the

:36:59. > :37:05.cue going hello! I am relieved but I am going to have to change the

:37:05. > :37:13.cue tip tonight. A have you got any old ones order you have to put a

:37:13. > :37:19.new one on? I think I should have won ready. But I haven't done it.

:37:19. > :37:24.We know what you're going to be doing tonight, then. Yes, I'll get

:37:25. > :37:29.someone to put one on. Hopefully, I can play it in before tomorrow,

:37:29. > :37:36.because it is hard playing with a new tip it is a player's worst

:37:36. > :37:42.nightmare. You have got that work to do, regardless. That has got to

:37:42. > :37:46.be a source of satisfaction, region that semi-final. Like I said in the

:37:46. > :37:50.interview before the tournament, I have lost to Mark Allen last year,

:37:50. > :37:56.he played great against me, I have lost to Stephen Maguire when he was

:37:56. > :38:03.at his best, and Ronnie O'Sullivan in an unbelievable Mall --

:38:03. > :38:08.unbelievable match at couple of years ago. That was one of the best

:38:08. > :38:14.matches I saw last year. Unbelievable. And the one against

:38:14. > :38:20.Stephen Maguire was five centuries in a row, between us. He pushed you

:38:20. > :38:26.all the way, you had gone from 4- 1,-5-3, what did you think when he

:38:26. > :38:30.began to claw it back? I had a couple of chances. He made a break

:38:30. > :38:35.in about three minutes. I had a good century, I potted some good

:38:35. > :38:42.balls under pressure during that century break. From there, you

:38:42. > :38:49.expect to have one decent chance at 5-3, and it came. He missed the

:38:49. > :38:53.black after I potted the blue, so why was very fortunate to take that.

:38:53. > :38:59.We're looking forward to your match against Judd Trump. How much are

:38:59. > :39:05.you looking forward to a repeat of the UK semi-final? That was a

:39:05. > :39:08.cracker. Judd Trump said that I was trying to slowing up, but that was

:39:08. > :39:13.not the case. I am not going to play attacking stuff when I am not

:39:13. > :39:18.playing very well, just try to get back into the match, which I did.

:39:18. > :39:28.Tomorrow, it did then so my cue to his. I would to have to graft you

:39:28. > :39:33.down, Judd Trump! I like to play attacking snooker. I thought I

:39:33. > :39:39.played reasonably quick, but there you go. If I get amongst the balls

:39:39. > :39:44.I will play quickly, I will take as long as I want if I need to.

:39:44. > :39:48.being well with the cue tip, providing things are going well in

:39:48. > :39:51.that department, what is the best way of playing Judd Trump? Too many

:39:51. > :39:56.neutrals, he seems to be unstoppable at the moment, because

:39:56. > :40:03.of the confidence he has acquired. You have won a big championship, it

:40:03. > :40:07.does help, doesn't it? I won the World Open after the World

:40:07. > :40:14.Championship, so one three out of five BBC tournaments and nine

:40:14. > :40:19.months. I thought, I am going to win everything, the UK, the Masters.

:40:19. > :40:24.But, he is playing really well and is full of confidence, but getting

:40:24. > :40:31.opportunities against him. Ronnie O'Sullivan had opportunities. The

:40:31. > :40:37.early part of the match is key. He's not known to come back from

:40:37. > :40:42.behind in a match. Judd Trump is just annihilating everyone by

:40:43. > :40:47.getting out in front, a great front-runner. Watching the match

:40:47. > :40:51.against Ronnie O'Sullivan, the funny thing is, you don't want to

:40:51. > :40:54.walk away from the match thinking you played the defence of stuff, to

:40:54. > :40:58.try and win. Ronnie O'Sullivan could have played more safety shots

:40:58. > :41:04.and the Judd Trump in more trouble but he kept playing attacking shots,

:41:04. > :41:08.aggressive shots. That is the thing. Ronnie would not want to walk away

:41:08. > :41:17.from that match as the one he tried to slow down or play the majority

:41:17. > :41:22.of the safety shots. You have to play your own game. Judd Trump is

:41:22. > :41:26.obviously on the crest of a wave, but, as Neil says, the start of the

:41:26. > :41:32.match is very important, and I can remember Judd Trump coming from

:41:32. > :41:37.behind in many matches. I looking forward to. Which makes the opening

:41:37. > :41:42.few frames absolutely critical and a match like this. My advice is, if

:41:42. > :41:49.there is a local snooker club, I bet there is asked that you can

:41:49. > :41:56.nick, someone logo will give you a tip that has been broken in. --

:41:56. > :42:01.someone wall. It is not the worst idea. A you said before this match

:42:01. > :42:06.that if anybody comes along winning the Australian colours... I was

:42:06. > :42:12.going to buy them a pint and there was hardly anyone there! It will

:42:12. > :42:17.you extend the invitation tomorrow? Yes, I will, I will. I promise I

:42:17. > :42:26.will put money behind the bar, and you can all flood to, but you have

:42:26. > :42:30.got to wear an Aussie shirt. Or a Chelsea Jersey. I and you very much,

:42:30. > :42:35.Neil. I hope you get successful with the grafting tonight on that

:42:35. > :42:40.cue tip. Well played again, to date. But Portugal, we can reflect on

:42:40. > :42:45.last night were recorder failed between two scores, John Higgins

:42:45. > :42:52.and Graeme Dott, both former world champions. This was a hard-fought

:42:52. > :42:56.encounter. It was not slow, as some people might up thought, it rattled

:42:56. > :43:03.along at quite some pace, but it was John Higgins who established a

:43:03. > :43:13.5-3 lead, including a break of 109. Could this be the concluding frame

:43:13. > :43:14.

:43:14. > :43:19.John Higgins breaks off in frame nine. He probably feels he should

:43:19. > :43:29.have won this match by now. He had chances than the last rain,

:43:29. > :43:42.

:43:42. > :43:46.particularly on the yellow. -- He tried to play it, and the only

:43:46. > :43:56.red he could leave is the one that he tried to play. It rattled the

:43:56. > :44:08.

:44:08. > :44:14.jaws, hit the black. And an ideal This already looks like a good

:44:14. > :44:24.chance. He would like to have been further down for this red. Once he

:44:24. > :44:50.

:44:50. > :44:57.That is as good a positional shot He wanted to be straighter after

:44:57. > :45:01.that blue, but what a good recovery that was. Just wonder whether he

:45:01. > :45:11.will play the shot where he can cannon into the reds and screw it

:45:11. > :45:11.

:45:11. > :45:15.of the pack, tried to develop a couple of reds. -- screw out. He

:45:15. > :45:24.decided to wait, and plea of this one. There is a choice of the pink,

:45:24. > :45:34.if he wants it. -- play off. He's going to have to move the reds and

:45:34. > :45:50.

:45:50. > :45:56.The referee asking John Higgins to give him a second. The pink spot is

:45:56. > :46:04.not available, and he is trying to find a space for it in a direct

:46:04. > :46:14.line between the spot and the top cushion. He can just about get

:46:14. > :46:15.

:46:15. > :46:25.And that little nudge off the second red letter nicely on the

:46:25. > :46:36.

:46:36. > :46:46.black. -- left him nicely. He could play the run-through and flicked

:46:46. > :46:46.

:46:46. > :46:50.off the back. The choice is up to That has the advantage of that shot,

:46:50. > :46:57.he can clear a nice, full-blooded screw back, and all the reds will

:46:57. > :47:02.open up. Well played. Or he can play it with a slight amount of

:47:02. > :47:12.left-hand side to check it, to stay on the black. And he has played

:47:12. > :47:13.

:47:13. > :47:20.that inch-perfect. Just watch the cue ball, he just check it. --

:47:20. > :47:24.checked it. If you have got a nice angle on the ball, you can do

:47:24. > :47:28.anything. It is when you keep running out of position that it

:47:28. > :47:33.finds you out, as it has done a few times for John Higgins this evening,

:47:33. > :47:39.but, in the main, for Graeme Dott. That has been the main difference

:47:39. > :47:46.this evening. Cue ball control. When John Higgins has made a break,

:47:46. > :47:52.it has been far better than Graeme Dott's. It is just the way it

:47:52. > :48:02.happens on certain evenings. He has not been at his best, where the cue

:48:02. > :48:04.

:48:04. > :48:14.These balls could not be sitting better. Graeme Dott will be

:48:14. > :48:16.

:48:16. > :48:26.thinking he is out of this you's Masters. --this year's. John

:48:26. > :48:31.

:48:32. > :48:36.Higgins is going to keep this break He decided not to play the cannon

:48:36. > :48:43.into the pink and two reds. I thought that would have left them

:48:43. > :48:49.on the red to the left middle, that is now on, to the left corner. No

:48:49. > :48:54.problem, he has played it well enough. We said at the start of

:48:54. > :49:04.this match that Graeme Dott has never been further than a quarter

:49:04. > :49:07.

:49:07. > :49:11.final. He is going to have to try Of course, this Masters tournament,

:49:11. > :49:17.the top 16 players in the world, the last few seasons we have had

:49:17. > :49:27.some wild cards, but usually, it was a reward for players being in

:49:27. > :49:36.

:49:36. > :49:43.Another example of why John Higgins is the great champion he is. They

:49:43. > :49:48.know how to close matches and it. An opportunity presented itself.

:49:49. > :49:58.Has he ever looked like missing? I don't think so. That puts him 72

:49:58. > :50:08.ahead with 67 remaining. And an easy red coming up. It looks like

:50:08. > :50:14.

:50:14. > :50:19.the an Dott will not come back to We mentioned and there this evening

:50:19. > :50:28.that all we needed was some heavy of scoring, and John Higgins has

:50:28. > :50:38.provided that, 7-5, 6-4, 109, and the ninth frame, 80, and counting.

:50:38. > :50:48.

:50:48. > :50:54.He has certainly turned it on. He Just misjudged the case, as we look,

:50:54. > :51:03.there was a great black. We could have the second century of the

:51:03. > :51:09.evening. It is always the same. When you pass the winning line, the

:51:09. > :51:13.pockets, but they get bigger? That is a pity, but John Higgins will

:51:13. > :51:18.not be concerned about that. Graeme Dott shakes his hand. He will be

:51:18. > :51:21.disappointed. He had a chance early on in the match but did not score

:51:22. > :51:31.heavily enough, and the world champion goes through to the semi-

:51:32. > :51:33.

:51:33. > :51:38.final, a comfortable winner in the I was lucky that Graeme Dott did

:51:38. > :51:42.not play his best. I thought it was going to go 6-4, 6-5, either way,

:51:42. > :51:46.but he missed a couple and their manage to get in and get a couple

:51:46. > :51:54.of decent breaks. I had a few chances when I went in front and I

:51:54. > :51:58.was getting a little bit anxious. But when Graham won it to go 5-t, I

:51:58. > :52:03.thought, here we go. He missed a long red at the start, and I

:52:03. > :52:10.managed to do a good break in the last frame. Very happy to get to

:52:11. > :52:18.the semi-finals. The venue is great. Just looking forward to it. Clean

:52:18. > :52:24.on the Saturday night, so I am looking forward to it. -- plain on

:52:24. > :52:32.-- plain on. He never got on with Wembley, but he is loving it here

:52:32. > :52:36.at Alexandra Palace. He seems to be warming up. He has always a quiet

:52:36. > :52:40.periods and seasons where it does not go missing, but he is not in

:52:40. > :52:45.the semi-finals and finals. But he can come good and could go through

:52:45. > :52:53.to the end of the season at the World Championships, winning two of

:52:54. > :52:59.three tournaments. He did say he has trying to get that lucky blue

:52:59. > :53:04.sure of his dry cleaned. His wife brought him two black shorts, too

:53:04. > :53:11.thick and heavy to play in, sole he has been struggling in the clothing

:53:11. > :53:18.department. I think it is the least thing he has got to worry about.

:53:18. > :53:22.But what a consumer professional. When he has a chance to finish off

:53:22. > :53:27.the match, the percentage of times that he does it, is unbelievable.

:53:27. > :53:32.He simply knows how to win, even when he is not at his best. He is

:53:32. > :53:37.not quite at his best at the minute, but he still won that match last

:53:37. > :53:42.night. That match rattled along and it was enjoyable for that. I said

:53:42. > :53:46.it would be hard and gruelling, but as ever, it was quick and they both

:53:46. > :53:51.got on with it. John Higgins through, and he will play the

:53:51. > :53:57.winner of the match between world number one Mark Selby, and Shaun

:53:57. > :54:01.Murphy. Shaun Murphy is attempting to become only the eight player to

:54:02. > :54:11.win the Korea Triple Crown, the world title, the UK, and the only

:54:12. > :54:22.

:54:22. > :54:31.one that is missing, the Masters. - - Career Triple Crown. MUSIC: The

:54:31. > :54:35.Kinks - Days. I must have been 10 or 11 when I first met Mark at the

:54:35. > :54:40.Willie Thorne Snooker Club. All the junior players would meet weekly,

:54:40. > :54:47.and give each other a good kicking. Mark and myself half board become

:54:47. > :54:52.good mates. -- have both become. Looking back at my life as a junior,

:54:52. > :54:55.I missed out on being at school and developing those long-term

:54:55. > :55:00.friendships, but I don't think I could have done all my education

:55:00. > :55:09.and all of that, and carried on to become a snooker player. I do not

:55:09. > :55:16.think I could have done both. I think, in any deeply competitive

:55:16. > :55:21.environment, it is hard to be good friends with people who are, at the

:55:21. > :55:30.end of the day, trying to take your livelihood of you, but I am pleased

:55:30. > :55:35.to say that Mark is a person who will be a friend were long time. --

:55:35. > :55:40.for a long time. Me and John go back a long way, through the junior

:55:40. > :55:44.ranks. We seem to make each other quite a lot in the last few years

:55:44. > :55:48.at the senior tournaments and we always joke that we will meet in a

:55:48. > :55:53.big final but it never seems to work, with the way that the door

:55:53. > :56:03.pans out. But that is that way it is. We're good friends. But we're

:56:03. > :56:09.

:56:09. > :56:14.both going out there, we both want He is such a good player. You do

:56:14. > :56:18.not become number one in the world, winning this tournament ways, other

:56:18. > :56:24.events as well, with that being a class act and very good in all

:56:24. > :56:33.illness. I hope that he has a bad day, and I can exploit whatever

:56:33. > :56:39.witnesses he shows on the day. great friends and some fantastic

:56:39. > :56:48.haircuts from the past, particularly from Mark Selby! So

:56:48. > :56:55.far, Shaun Murphy has the better record, 5-4 in terms of victories.

:56:55. > :56:58.And that includes the final that he beat him and last week in a small

:56:58. > :57:04.tournament. It gives him a bit of confidence coming into this one.

:57:04. > :57:07.How do you see this match going this evening, Stephen? The bookies

:57:08. > :57:16.make Mark Selby a strong favourite but I cannot separate them. I think

:57:16. > :57:20.it is going to be very tight. Two great cueing actions,

:57:20. > :57:26.especially Shaun Murphy, he seems to have been born with it and it is

:57:26. > :57:32.exemplary, but Mark Selby also has a great, compact cueing action.

:57:32. > :57:37.Shaun Murphy has gone through in straightforward terms, but it was

:57:37. > :57:44.against the believe that Mark Selby was for hiding 0, and by five and

:57:44. > :57:49.one up and then still conspired to be pushed hard, 6-4 in the end.

:57:49. > :57:53.will want to prove himself after that. What kind of match I'll be in

:57:53. > :57:57.for this evening? It will be top quality. I think there will be

:57:57. > :58:01.heavy scoring. They will not get bogged down that long safety

:58:01. > :58:07.battles. I think it will be a really good match. I am sure that

:58:07. > :58:14.you'll be watching it at some point. I will indeed. 7 o'clock, John

:58:14. > :58:18.Parrott will be here with Rishi Persad. I hope you can join them

:58:18. > :58:22.for that one. 7 o'clock is when they get going with the last of the

:58:22. > :58:26.quarter-finals. Mark's will be against Shaun Murphy. If you have

:58:26. > :58:36.other of things to do on a Friday night, then don't forget, the

:58:36. > :58:38.

:58:38. > :58:44.highlights are on little bit her Mayor this evening at a little 5pm.