Day 8

:01:43. > :01:47.Well, we certainly hope this year's BGC Masters final lives up to that

:01:47. > :01:53.particular billing, and so indeed does this very lively and

:01:53. > :01:58.boisterous sell-out crowd at Alexandra Palace! Oh, yes! You know,

:01:58. > :02:04.it was here in 1936 that the world's very first regular

:02:04. > :02:08.television service began broadcasting from the BBC studios,

:02:08. > :02:12.and 76 years on, we have got another significant occasion on the

:02:12. > :02:18.television as we prepared to salute a brand new Masters champion. This,

:02:18. > :02:21.of course, is the most significant Invitational event in snooker. But

:02:22. > :02:26.will it be Australia's Neil Robertson, going for a magnificent

:02:26. > :02:30.seven tonight? He has not been beaten in any of his previous six

:02:30. > :02:36.major finals. Or would be England's Shaun Murphy, going for the Korea

:02:36. > :02:39.Triple Crown this evening, the world, UK and Masters titles? It is

:02:40. > :02:47.anything like this afternoon's opening session, it is going to be

:02:47. > :02:53.We expected a tense and exciting final, and the first session live

:02:53. > :02:56.up to all expectations. With just pink and black on the table, a

:02:56. > :03:02.loose safety shot from Shaun allowed Neil Robertson to clear the

:03:02. > :03:09.table and take the opening frame. Murphy levelled in a frame two, a

:03:09. > :03:13.great opening red led to a century break and a lead. Robertson

:03:13. > :03:23.responded immediately, and attacking blue split the pack, and

:03:23. > :03:25.

:03:25. > :03:35.With one red left on the table, another careless safety from Shaun

:03:35. > :03:38.

:03:38. > :03:44.allowed Neil Robertson to clear the Murphy then levelled at 3-3, but it

:03:44. > :03:49.was a Robertson's missed pink that let the Magician in again. But the

:03:49. > :03:56.Melbourne Machine bounced back, a great 72 lidded with superb pots

:03:56. > :03:59.gave the Australian the lead. He was starting to stamp his authority

:03:59. > :04:09.on the session, and more great tactical play led to another Murphy

:04:09. > :04:11.

:04:11. > :04:21.5-3, Neil Robertson, after the first session, and tonight a

:04:21. > :04:27.

:04:27. > :04:37.maximum of 11 frames to decide the Ladies and gentlemen, please

:04:37. > :05:16.

:05:16. > :05:21.welcome the 2005 world champion, And please mark than his opponent,

:05:21. > :05:31.one of Australia's finest exports, 2010 champion of the world, the

:05:31. > :05:53.

:05:53. > :05:58.Thunder from Down Under, Neil You get the feeling everyone is up

:05:58. > :06:01.for this, first to 10 will become the new champion, and all set in

:06:01. > :06:04.the commentary box for the first part of the evening is six-times

:06:04. > :06:10.Masters winner Stephen Hendry and former UK champion John Virgo. That

:06:10. > :06:15.evening. JOHN VIRGO: Good evening, Hazel,

:06:15. > :06:19.and what an atmosphere, the luck on Neil Robertson's face as he came

:06:19. > :06:25.out, gasping for air! The crowd were on their feet before the

:06:25. > :06:30.players came down the stairs, amazing. Thank you, ladies and

:06:30. > :06:34.gentlemen, the 9th frame, Shaun Murphy to break. Of course, that is

:06:34. > :06:40.the trophy they are playing for, as Shaun Murphy gets this evening's

:06:40. > :06:48.session under way, trailing by 5-3, and it is not the best of brakes.

:06:48. > :06:53.The first to 10 will take that But what a reception for both

:06:53. > :06:56.players! Yes, this is why we all play the game, to come out and play

:06:56. > :07:02.in an atmosphere like this, the final session of the Masters, that

:07:02. > :07:12.is what it is all about. And there it is, and we couldn't have a finer

:07:12. > :07:51.

:07:51. > :07:58.He needs a good kiss somewhere, and And there is a legend in the

:07:58. > :08:08.audience, Jimmy whirlwind White, he won this title in 1984? He doesn't

:08:08. > :08:08.

:08:08. > :08:14.look that told to me! -- that old. Yes, a few great battles with Jimmy

:08:14. > :08:24.in front of 80,000 people at the Old Conference Centre at Wembley,

:08:24. > :08:34.

:08:34. > :08:39.that was an experience! Yes, I can He played that shot nicely, a nice

:08:39. > :08:49.angle on the black here. He may have to play a little cannon just

:08:49. > :08:54.

:08:54. > :08:59.to hold the cue ball, but perfect The reason he did not hit it harder

:08:59. > :09:03.than that was there was a space between the loose red and the pack,

:09:03. > :09:11.so he was not guaranteed to get a good split. And it is the first

:09:11. > :09:15.frame, he needs to get his cue arm Yes, and I got the feeling from the

:09:15. > :09:21.start of the evening, Stephen, that these first two frames would be

:09:21. > :09:28.very, very important. All week we have seen that whoever builds up

:09:28. > :09:38.that lead has taken some pegging back. He took the chance there, but

:09:38. > :09:45.

:09:45. > :09:49.He would like to take this red one that he is looking at, to the left

:09:49. > :09:56.of the blue spot, but the red over the right middle is going to stop

:09:56. > :10:06.him doing that. He could screw down to the black end. He is looking at

:10:06. > :10:15.

:10:15. > :10:19.cutting this read in, it is a fine Well, he was not good on the red,

:10:19. > :10:29.but I thought he would have got closer to the pot than that, so a

:10:29. > :10:43.

:10:43. > :10:53.It needs to slow up. He just overran it. I suppose it could have

:10:53. > :10:54.

:10:54. > :10:58.been worse, he could have been Tricky little cut back early on,

:10:58. > :11:08.but right then the heart of the pocket, that will make him feel

:11:08. > :11:43.

:11:43. > :11:53.Well, he is on his red with an angle to come back down for the

:11:53. > :11:59.

:11:59. > :12:07.The red thought about it! But right in the heart of the pocket with the

:12:07. > :12:11.I am not certain before whether the red he played in the middle,

:12:11. > :12:15.whether he actually played for that red. I would have thought he would

:12:15. > :12:25.have played a cannon and tried to stay at this end. No problem, now

:12:25. > :12:38.

:12:38. > :12:44.Well, I think he would have rather been on the red that is near the

:12:44. > :12:49.top cushion, but he has got second prize here. But the problem is,

:12:49. > :12:59.with the blue not being on its spot, does he play for a baulk colour?

:12:59. > :13:02.

:13:02. > :13:12.Just seeing if the pink is potable It is, and he may be able to stun

:13:12. > :13:15.

:13:15. > :13:25.He played it nicely. But we know that the pink does go to the left

:13:25. > :13:41.

:13:41. > :13:51.I was thinking the pink did go, but... Well, he can certainly clear

:13:51. > :13:56.

:13:56. > :14:00.But once you go up for the baulk colours and the cue ball starts

:14:00. > :14:05.travelling, then it is not that easy to get good position on the

:14:05. > :14:09.next shot. No, and he wanted an angle on the green to play for the

:14:09. > :14:19.red next to the pink war, off 1 cushion and disturb the five reds

:14:19. > :14:21.

:14:22. > :14:31.that are in the pack. -- or come up We know he is pretty good with the

:14:32. > :14:51.

:14:51. > :14:58.He cannot get better than that, rare success, 100% for Shaun Murphy.

:14:58. > :15:03.It has just got a little bit There was always a danger that he

:15:03. > :15:13.could push a red down to tie the black Cup. He is on the blue in a

:15:13. > :15:31.

:15:31. > :15:41.fashion, but where does the next Well, is there enough room to get

:15:41. > :15:50.

:15:50. > :15:54.to the red just below the pink? It No, he could not do anything, just

:15:54. > :16:00.settling for the extra five points on the blue and gone for the safety.

:16:00. > :16:10.And a good length it was, 28 points lead, he will feel a little bit

:16:10. > :16:10.

:16:10. > :16:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:16:56. > :17:02.I think he can get through to clip Well, a few boos and ours, but

:17:02. > :17:06.Shaun is well aware that the pink was not set for the corner pocket.

:17:06. > :17:16.There is a little tap on the table there from Neil Robertson, which

:17:16. > :17:33.

:17:33. > :17:38.tells me he could be snookered on Well, according to that shadow, he

:17:38. > :17:43.is no good on the reds. There is certainly no pat back to baulk. He

:17:43. > :17:49.could only get that off the red in the middle of the table. A spot of

:17:49. > :17:54.bother here, he can think, OK, it is an easy enough escape route, but

:17:54. > :18:04.if he comes down the left-hand side of the table, he will have to be

:18:04. > :18:08.

:18:08. > :18:16.Well, he'd just missed it, I thought he'd judged it to

:18:16. > :18:21.perfection, but it was a little bit wide. If he wants to com off the

:18:21. > :18:25.two cushions, Stephen, I think that pink could be in the way. If he

:18:25. > :18:32.hits the same line but a little bit harder, he could leave this bottom

:18:32. > :18:42.red on. Yes, his intention is to come off the side cushion, top

:18:42. > :18:48.

:18:49. > :18:58.cushion and hit the red, but the Well, he found at that time, but

:18:59. > :18:59.

:18:59. > :19:05.once again that was better, but He will not be warned, of course,

:19:05. > :19:15.because he is no good on all reds, and he can have as many snookers as

:19:15. > :19:26.

:19:26. > :19:33.he likes until we get to the In doing that, surely he has left

:19:33. > :19:43.Dave red. Shaun Murphy is 36 points in front, and he looks to have a

:19:43. > :19:58.

:19:58. > :20:08.reasonable angle on the red to get A great chance now, this is a

:20:08. > :20:16.

:20:16. > :20:24.massive frame for Shaun Murphy, the Red, Kohler, red would be more than

:20:24. > :20:33.enough. -- colour. As you see, first to 10th. Yes, it was really

:20:33. > :20:37.important that he won this first frame. Both of these players are

:20:37. > :20:47.winners, and if they get a three or four-frame advantage, they are not

:20:47. > :20:55.

:20:55. > :20:59.That pink puts in 57 in front with just 43 remaining. I would be

:20:59. > :21:05.surprised if Neil Robertson came back to the table. Well, he will

:21:05. > :21:15.not now, because this red goes. So just the start Shaun Murphy was

:21:15. > :21:19.

:21:19. > :21:24.Neil Robertson does concede, so the first frame we said was important,

:21:24. > :21:29.probably more important to Shaun Murphy. He wins it and just trails

:21:29. > :21:33.by one, 5-4, Robertson. For company in the studio, two men

:21:33. > :21:38.who have graced five Masters finals and are now part of Masters's

:21:38. > :21:42.folklore in their own special way, Ken Doherty and Steve Davis. A

:21:42. > :21:46.terrific start for Shaun Murphy, really important to have done so.

:21:46. > :21:50.Yes, in the situation he found himself in, I do not think he

:21:50. > :21:54.probably felt he deserved to be 5-3 behind, it was a close-fought

:21:54. > :21:58.session. What can you do? You have got to hope you win the first. It

:21:58. > :22:02.never normally goes that way, when you are hoping, but it is a nice

:22:02. > :22:08.start for him. What about the reception for both players?

:22:08. > :22:12.Amazing! As Stephen said, that is what you play snooker for, to have

:22:12. > :22:17.a feeling of that. Even watching it, watching it here, it makes the

:22:17. > :22:22.hairs on my neck stand up. The crowd has been brilliant all week.

:22:22. > :22:25.As the said, a great start for Shaun Murphy. Towards the end of

:22:25. > :22:29.the session earlier, he was losing his way a little bit, he should

:22:29. > :22:34.have won that last frame to level at 4-4, but he did a really good

:22:34. > :22:37.friend there and his back in the game. Reality hits, it is a

:22:37. > :22:41.different feeling from the afternoon session. Yes, but

:22:41. > :22:45.sometimes a session with no finish can go that way. I think the

:22:45. > :22:49.adrenalin will kick in a couple of notches, and the standard will

:22:49. > :22:59.potentially be better. You cannot guarantee have the balls will go,

:22:59. > :23:06.

:23:06. > :23:09.but I think they will rise to the JOHN VIRGO: Yes, applause for the

:23:09. > :23:18.good-length off the break-off shot. It doesn't seem to mean a lot these

:23:18. > :23:28.days. I had seen these rolled in a And there you go, we did not have

:23:28. > :23:28.

:23:28. > :23:35.Yeah, it just seems to be a shot that is just normal for people to

:23:35. > :23:41.take on these days. A really tough pot from the baulk quotient. --

:23:41. > :23:51.cushion. That is a good shot. He played the cannon perfectly to

:23:51. > :23:59.

:23:59. > :24:03.The red over the middle will help him if he comes out of position.

:24:04. > :24:13.This is a terrific chance, but when you pot an opening red like that,

:24:14. > :24:18.

:24:18. > :24:28.He may choose to screw through the gap. He has played the more

:24:28. > :24:45.

:24:45. > :24:55.cautious shot, but still a good Two straight this time to go into

:24:55. > :24:56.

:24:56. > :25:06.He will be going for the loose red to the left corner. Yes, and he

:25:06. > :25:07.

:25:07. > :25:17.The red to the left middle will be the only available red after this

:25:17. > :25:22.

:25:22. > :25:32.Well, I suppose he is left with an opportunity to knock one red 1 to

:25:32. > :25:35.

:25:35. > :25:39.the other here. I do not think he As you say, he played a little bit

:25:39. > :25:49.more conservatively a couple of blacks argot, and it can catch you

:25:49. > :25:51.

:25:51. > :25:56.The red looks as if it is right in the jaws of the middle pocket, but

:25:56. > :26:04.it is not quite. I always think these shots are made easier if you

:26:04. > :26:14.do not have to do a lot with the There you go, you say! Take nothing

:26:14. > :26:18.

:26:18. > :26:22.Shaun could count himself pretty unlucky that that was all he had to

:26:22. > :26:27.go at after splitting the pack really well. He played it with a

:26:27. > :26:34.degree of safety. He knew where he was leaving the white, only leaving

:26:35. > :26:44.the two red he was playing. Neil is certainly not looking at any pots

:26:45. > :26:45.

:26:45. > :26:55.Yes, he has had a look at the red on the side cushion. I do not know

:26:55. > :27:01.

:27:01. > :27:11.if you could play the double as a Assuming that was the only red he

:27:11. > :27:44.

:27:44. > :27:50.Well, he played the pot, and whenever you are that far away from

:27:50. > :28:00.potting it, that red is going to run loose, and it has knocked a red

:28:00. > :28:09.

:28:10. > :28:13.Now, Izzy on a colour? That was the danger with that red. Because it

:28:13. > :28:23.was a finish contacts, he was not quite certain of the line of the

:28:23. > :28:24.

:28:24. > :28:34.He has only got the green, really, if he is going to play any kind of

:28:34. > :28:42.

:28:42. > :28:47.This will certainly show us how confident he is feeling, or whether

:28:48. > :28:57.he wants to take a risk. The green has potable into the left pocket as

:28:58. > :29:17.

:29:17. > :29:27.we look at it, but it is putting Tremendous! And courageous, and he

:29:27. > :29:37.deserved a better result than he has got. He is nestled on the red.

:29:37. > :29:37.

:29:37. > :30:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:30:47. > :30:57.He played that well. If the pink He played that nicely and just

:30:57. > :30:59.

:30:59. > :31:09.about got the right angle on the The black's available to the right

:31:09. > :31:47.

:31:47. > :31:52.STEPHEN HENDRY: They are so closely matched, these two players, in

:31:52. > :32:02.terms of break-building, potting. Unless somebody plays incredible

:32:02. > :32:06.

:32:06. > :32:10.snooker, you can see us going all The thing is, when you get chances,

:32:10. > :32:20.and Shaun may be sitting in his seat thinking he is unlucky, but

:32:20. > :32:24.

:32:24. > :32:34.when you have got chances, you must But this frame it isn't over by a

:32:34. > :32:52.

:32:52. > :33:02.long chalk. Just seeing if the red A good shot there, but now the hard

:33:02. > :33:23.

:33:23. > :33:32.I don't think the red pots to the left centre. A couple of options.

:33:32. > :33:42.My preferred one would be to follow the two cushions, but I am right

:33:42. > :34:04.

:34:04. > :34:14.In the end, he chose neither. don't think that red, as it lies,

:34:14. > :34:27.

:34:27. > :34:37.Once again, he is having a look. It doesn't look available to me. I

:34:37. > :34:54.

:34:54. > :35:00.don't think that is on. Well, he He still needs two reds and two

:35:00. > :35:10.colours. And there you go. They say the camera never lies. It didn't

:35:10. > :35:33.

:35:33. > :35:43.look on but he couldn't have hit it The plan would be OK, putting him

:35:43. > :35:47.

:35:47. > :35:57.in front. But he can spot the blue And this all came from plain that

:35:57. > :36:08.

:36:08. > :36:18.tremendous long green. -- from Yeah, you said, Stephen, it was

:36:18. > :36:25.

:36:25. > :36:28.putting all his eggs in one basket. Since then, because the balls

:36:28. > :36:38.weren't perfect by any means, but he has played absolutely

:36:38. > :36:46.

:36:46. > :36:53.You could say Shaun Murphy was unlucky. But at this level, when

:36:53. > :37:03.players are at the top of the game, you might get one, if you are lucky,

:37:03. > :37:13.

:37:13. > :37:18.two chances. Now we have pink and And that's the third century in

:37:18. > :37:28.this match so far. Great standard! And that was a tremendous break

:37:28. > :37:30.

:37:30. > :37:34.from Neil Robertson. That green was 2012 - the year sport gets serious.

:37:34. > :37:38.Sport Relief is back and it is your chance to be part of the UK's

:37:38. > :37:43.biggest fear of sport. We want the nation to get together, get active

:37:43. > :37:49.and raised a whole lot of cash. can get behind it, really changing

:37:49. > :37:54.lives across the world's poorest countries by doing a run on Sunday

:37:54. > :38:02.March 25th. And this year, we want a one million people to take part.

:38:02. > :38:06.Why can't I be in front? It is a horse! You can get these T-shirts

:38:06. > :38:15.and we will have claw -- claw dropping celebrity challenges as

:38:15. > :38:25.well. However you decide to do it, go the extra mile for Sport Relief.

:38:25. > :38:28.

:38:28. > :38:32.HAZEL IRVINE: Ken and Steve have already pre- ordered their socks! I

:38:32. > :38:37.am sure you will be running. In terms of this match, these two

:38:37. > :38:43.players, so evenly matched in so many ways. If popular cat a graphic

:38:43. > :38:48.that compares their respective careers, -- if you look at a

:38:48. > :38:54.graphic, in terms of their ranking titles, well, the Aussie is one of

:38:54. > :39:00.the most decorated players outside these shores. Not too much between

:39:00. > :39:04.them at all, Steve? Not at all. The differences between the players in

:39:04. > :39:08.this final will be decided on perhaps who is the most aggressive

:39:08. > :39:13.and gets the results because of it, because the game is becoming a case

:39:13. > :39:18.of percentages that are changing, and the first chance you get, even

:39:18. > :39:22.if it is risky, has to be taken. You cannot sit back and wait for

:39:22. > :39:26.your opponent to make mistakes. Both trying to establish themselves

:39:26. > :39:33.as the winners in the next phases of their careers. Absolutely. And

:39:33. > :39:38.what a great game at Neil Robertson took on. But very little between

:39:38. > :39:48.these two. They really are going at it and it will be a tough one to

:39:48. > :39:51.

:39:51. > :40:01.JOHN VIRGO: That was very similar to the one Shaun Murphy world in in

:40:01. > :40:05.

:40:05. > :40:10.the last frame.Just could not find I know you changed the attitude of

:40:10. > :40:19.players, Stephen, with this attacking approach, but it has

:40:19. > :40:29.become even more so now. Yeah. All the top players play a very similar

:40:29. > :40:34.

:40:34. > :40:44.Players of the likes of Judd taking it to extremes now. But very few

:40:44. > :40:55.

:40:55. > :41:00.defensive players. A good safety Couldn't have been any closer. In

:41:00. > :41:10.fact, he is probably thinking if he had his time over, it could have

:41:10. > :41:17.

:41:17. > :41:27.gone in, played a bit softer, I am surprised he didn't do that.

:41:27. > :41:42.

:41:42. > :41:52.If you are going to go for it full- Disappointed with that. Not unlucky.

:41:52. > :42:06.

:42:06. > :42:14.That middle pocket is always there. Hmm, that is a mistake. Will the

:42:14. > :42:24.yellow rescue him? No. I am sure he played to hit that red onto the red

:42:24. > :42:24.

:42:24. > :43:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:43:08. > :43:14.A great shot. That wasn't easy. He Something has put him off playing

:43:14. > :43:20.that. Whether he felt there was a plant somewhere and he was

:43:20. > :43:25.frightened of knocking it in. I couldn't see one myself, but there

:43:25. > :43:35.you go. That can be the only reason because you will never get a better

:43:35. > :43:50.

:43:50. > :44:00.I suppose if Bock he thinks there is a plant there, maybe he can play

:44:00. > :44:05.

:44:05. > :44:12.the blue and avoid the kiss on the He did play on the pink and nothing

:44:12. > :44:16.went in, so it does make you wonder why he didn't play it previously.

:44:16. > :44:26.Maybe he is just more comfortable putting the blue into the right of

:44:26. > :44:36.centre than the left. Or maybe he thought, I will get the blagging

:44:36. > :45:01.

:45:01. > :45:11.interplay before the cannon. -- get He didn't catch the cannon as he

:45:11. > :45:48.

:45:48. > :45:52.would have expected, but no Could play another little cannon

:45:52. > :46:00.similar to the one before. Just looking to see what else is

:46:00. > :46:10.available. But he might well be able to roll the black in and find

:46:10. > :46:25.

:46:25. > :46:35.But he will be seeing this as an opportunity to win the frame and

:46:35. > :46:36.

:46:36. > :46:46.this visit, no doubt about that. Is there a red goes to this left

:46:46. > :46:59.

:46:59. > :47:02.He will be disappointed there. He He is well on his way to making

:47:02. > :47:12.another century and you don't like to be interrupted when you are in

:47:12. > :47:17.

:47:17. > :47:24.That is all he had left, the safety, so he will be very disappointed.

:47:24. > :47:34.Very similar to the last frame. But in the last frame, Shaun Murphy

:47:34. > :47:47.

:47:47. > :47:57.made a break of 32 and never got Tremendous pot! Needs to be on a

:47:57. > :48:16.

:48:16. > :48:26.colour. A flick on the blue will be He decided to play the cannon, for

:48:26. > :48:49.

:48:50. > :48:55.some reason. Just about on the Well, it looked as though it could

:48:55. > :49:00.be a replica of the last frame, but just looking at that, I am not

:49:00. > :49:10.certain whether that red would have gone because it seemed to rub off

:49:10. > :49:10.

:49:10. > :49:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:49:52. > :49:58.Just look at this. Maybe it didn't World... Unbelievable! And of

:49:58. > :50:03.course, because they have set such a high standard in this match and

:50:03. > :50:13.the tournament, it is a shock for us and for them when they miss

:50:13. > :50:20.

:50:20. > :50:26.Of course, the way the reds are situated, it is difficult to

:50:26. > :50:36.envisage Shaun winning this frame in one visit. But, while he wore at

:50:36. > :50:45.

:50:45. > :50:49.the table, there's always a chance. That has gone wrong. I think he

:50:49. > :50:59.perhaps thought he could screw back and disturbed two of the reds, but

:50:59. > :51:06.

:51:06. > :51:16.just hitting one full in the face Could disturb both, he would have

:51:16. > :51:29.

:51:29. > :51:34.He would be too happy with that. -- he won't. He has got to find the

:51:34. > :51:44.baulk cushion. Can't afford to leave Neil Robertson long pots like

:51:44. > :52:09.

:52:09. > :52:19.He doesn't let you down very often with his long potting game. 73% -

:52:19. > :52:34.

:52:34. > :52:44.The cue ball need to run on, and a lot at that. Certainly not on the

:52:44. > :52:49.

:52:49. > :52:53.He might have this red on the left- hand side cushion that will cut

:52:53. > :53:03.down the cushion into the pocket, but he was looking for something

:53:03. > :53:03.

:53:04. > :53:13.But he might be forced to play it, because I don't see an easy save t

:53:14. > :53:18.

:53:18. > :53:28.I think he's just looking where he can leave the white should he miss

:53:28. > :53:43.

:53:43. > :53:49.Not such a positive safety, and he gives Shaun the upper hand here.

:53:49. > :53:59.Shaun will be mighty relieved to come back to the table. That safety

:53:59. > :54:26.

:54:26. > :54:36.shot he played last visit didn't He has put another red safer. But

:54:36. > :55:07.

:55:07. > :55:11.Well, nobody could clear up from Good length, but only the one loose

:55:11. > :55:21.red, so you wouldn't think this puts a lot of pressure on the

:55:21. > :55:21.

:55:21. > :56:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:56:35. > :56:42.safety shot for Neil. That 25-point You can only sit back and admire

:56:42. > :56:52.his potting ability! I just looked at his face. Great pot... He may

:56:52. > :56:56.

:56:56. > :57:06.not be on the pink. Certainly, the Guess who that little one belongs

:57:06. > :57:11.

:57:11. > :57:21.to. Alexander Robertson. He is That is definitely a case of like

:57:21. > :57:26.

:57:26. > :57:36.father, like son. The Stephen's son had a shock of blond hair as well,

:57:36. > :57:42.

:57:42. > :57:48.That is his wife. You always get embarrassed having to watch this. I

:57:48. > :57:55.am talking about her. And trying to put his way out of trouble here. He

:57:55. > :58:05.has been a little bit fortunate. He could have left that red near the

:58:05. > :58:05.

:58:05. > :58:09.yellow and it would have been an But there on reds to the left

:58:09. > :58:19.corner but they are a bit more difficult than the one next to the

:58:19. > :58:40.

:58:40. > :58:50.yellow would have been. He just has That was so far away from the

:58:50. > :59:10.

:59:10. > :59:17.intended pocket, it could have gone This time, he has left the easy

:59:17. > :59:27.starter for his opponent. 26 points is the lead. He still needs three

:59:27. > :59:31.

:59:31. > :59:40.of these remaining reds, so it is Bake at contact. -- a bad contact.

:59:40. > :59:45.He played to take third yellow or green, but we saw the cue ball

:59:45. > :59:50.leave the bed of the table. If he is going to continue this break, he

:59:50. > :00:00.will need a thin cut on the green. It is fine for him, being a left-

:00:00. > :00:22.

:00:22. > :00:29.hander, it is not a problem. The Yes, nicely played. There was not

:00:29. > :00:33.as much pressure on that shot, just by virtue of the fact that he was

:00:33. > :00:37.left an easy starter, all right, but you would not fancy your

:00:37. > :00:42.opponents to possibly win the frame if you missed the yellow. But it is

:00:42. > :00:52.certainly a chance for Neil to clinch the frame now. He just wants

:00:52. > :00:54.

:00:54. > :01:04.I do not know about the potting angle on this, he can possibly

:01:04. > :01:06.

:01:06. > :01:10.avoid the green. Can he avoid the Well, in the end he used the green.

:01:10. > :01:15.He has not judged the cannon as well as he would have liked, and he

:01:15. > :01:25.will do well to keep it going now, 30 points is the lead, but still 43

:01:25. > :01:34.

:01:34. > :01:42.They could possibly play the pink, stun the white in behind the blue

:01:42. > :01:48.for a snooker on both reds. Alternatively, just roll to the

:01:48. > :01:58.blue, a certain snooker. You are right, John, that is a better one.

:01:58. > :02:00.

:02:00. > :02:10.I was thinking to put the pink saved us are, you see. Yeah!

:02:10. > :02:12.

:02:12. > :02:18.safe as well. I will not commentate But he is in a spot of bother here

:02:18. > :02:28.now, because, well, you would think if the hit this red full, you would

:02:28. > :02:30.

:02:30. > :02:34.If you just miss it, as he has done, missing it like that, Neil

:02:34. > :02:39.Robertson I do not think he will have it replaced, but he will be 35

:02:39. > :02:49.points in front with 35 remaining if he can pot this red and get

:02:49. > :02:56.

:02:56. > :03:06.position on a colour. That is all Well, you could hear the sigh, he

:03:06. > :03:10.

:03:10. > :03:20.And why would he be happy with it? It left off the table. He obviously

:03:20. > :03:24.

:03:24. > :03:27.has not run through far enough to You see, he is not on the pink.

:03:27. > :03:32.Without the heavy contact, he may have been able to run through. Yeah,

:03:33. > :03:36.I can understand in not wanting to take a chance on the green, because

:03:36. > :03:45.if he missed it, there is an easy safety shot for Shaun Murphy.

:03:45. > :03:50.Remember, he can still tight. -- tie. If he comes off the yellow

:03:50. > :03:58.half-ball, right-hand side, there is a big blocking area behind green

:03:58. > :04:01.and brown. He will be disappointed He will be disappointed he hit it

:04:01. > :04:05.like that, and if he got the snooker with the yellow, stopping

:04:05. > :04:15.Shaun hitting the left-hand side of the red, he has been very lucky. He

:04:15. > :04:24.

:04:24. > :04:33.He played that cue ball behind the You cannot beat a bit of luck that

:04:33. > :04:43.this game, for the skill that is I think he can get through the gap

:04:43. > :04:47.

:04:47. > :04:51.and hit the red, but can he get it REFEREE: Foul. He has hit the black,

:04:51. > :04:56.hit the black, so just that the moment the run of the ball his

:04:56. > :05:06.favourite Neil Robertson. The hit the black on the way up. -- is

:05:06. > :05:13.

:05:13. > :05:22.And that red means that this train is now well beyond the reach of

:05:22. > :05:26.After the next frame, there will be a midsession interval, and Shaun

:05:26. > :05:31.Murphy has conceded. He will need to get that one, he would have

:05:31. > :05:36.thought. Neil Robertson will leave the arena, built himself up for the

:05:36. > :05:41.last frame before the midsession interval, but he leads 7-4.

:05:41. > :05:43.Two in a row for Neil Robertson, and you get the feeling that

:05:43. > :05:48.chances for Shaun Murphy are not being taken. It seems to be

:05:48. > :05:52.slipping away from them. Slightly, yeah, he is not taking full

:05:52. > :05:57.advantage of the chances he is getting. This is a massive frame

:05:57. > :06:02.for Shaun Murphy. He must win this, I feel. We have seen some good

:06:02. > :06:07.breaks from him, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, you feel

:06:07. > :06:11.Neil Robertson has... Not that he has more experience, but he is more

:06:11. > :06:15.astute in that department. His winning a lot more of these

:06:15. > :06:19.craggier frames than Shaun Murphy. What have you noticed about Shaun's

:06:19. > :06:22.strengths and weaknesses this week? It is something that he has tried

:06:22. > :06:26.to work on the past, talking generally about safety play, and I

:06:26. > :06:30.do not think it was mentioned earlier in the week, is much more

:06:30. > :06:35.free amongst the balls, and John Virgo has said in commentary that

:06:35. > :06:39.he prefers to see Shaun knocking them in. You cannot force that,

:06:40. > :06:42.otherwise you are playing kamikaze snooker, so hard you get in amongst

:06:42. > :06:48.them we are playing against someone like Neil Robertson, who can score

:06:48. > :06:52.as well as you in the open frames but can keep it tight when needed?

:06:52. > :06:55.That is difficult, and that is the problem the top players face, shot

:06:55. > :07:00.selection and how they Gallard playing the stylish new get that

:07:00. > :07:05.John Higgins has done so for many years. -- how they go about. You

:07:05. > :07:10.try to become more attacking? It is a tough one, but everyone has to

:07:10. > :07:14.try to improve themselves. We had seen John Murphy as a renowned

:07:14. > :07:18.front-runner, brilliant when he is ahead. -- Shaun Murphy. He said he

:07:18. > :07:22.was inspired by the way that Judd Trump has come to the fore, that he

:07:22. > :07:26.was going to go for more shots, but you cannot just keep going for them

:07:26. > :07:31.all the time. Sometimes you have to know when to tighten up and play

:07:31. > :07:34.the safety, because it is not just pots that win frames, because a

:07:34. > :07:39.clever safety shot can win in a frame. We saw a clever Neil

:07:40. > :07:44.Robertson was. When the opportunity came about, he knew when to snooker,

:07:44. > :07:47.went to wait, and he is winning a lot of these frames. It is a bed

:07:47. > :07:52.like people that are streetwise compared to people that are

:07:52. > :07:56.slightly naive. -- it is a bit like. I'm not saying that he is naive, we

:07:56. > :08:00.are talking about the top level, being Coldra critical. Some people

:08:00. > :08:05.have a sense of how to play that type of game, and others seem to be

:08:05. > :08:08.a little bit more open, and that is the problem. How to improve

:08:08. > :08:13.something that is not necessarily anything you can grasp as a

:08:13. > :08:17.concept? Neil Robertson has led to do that, because a few years ago he

:08:17. > :08:21.was going for everything, and many people were saying, you have got to

:08:21. > :08:25.tighten up, changed the way you approach the game. There is a

:08:25. > :08:29.difference between tightening up and having a sense of danger. It is

:08:29. > :08:34.a fine dividing line. I do not think Shaun Murphy can win is by

:08:34. > :08:39.tightening up now, but at certain stages in certain frames, he has to

:08:39. > :08:45.be aware that going for the pot is not always the right shot, do you

:08:45. > :08:49.know What I Mean? He has to be more clever. Neil Robertson has learned

:08:49. > :08:53.that, and Shaun Murphy has to learn it against players like this.

:08:53. > :08:57.Murphy came in and joked that one of the key moments in the last

:08:57. > :09:01.frames of yesterday's match, one of these huge career defining shots,

:09:01. > :09:05.and I missed it! He laughed at himself, but you have got to learn

:09:05. > :09:09.from these things. He has also got to keep his game together, and the

:09:09. > :09:13.way for him to go forward is to keep going for the shots, because

:09:13. > :09:23.that is the way he can play his best snooker. And he can overpower,

:09:23. > :09:28.

:09:28. > :09:34.if he gets a roll-on. Last one JOHN VIRGO: Yes, very interesting

:09:34. > :09:38.analysis from fees and Steve. I think it is too late now for Shaun

:09:38. > :09:43.to tighten up, he has got to play his attacking game, but he has to

:09:43. > :09:48.improve his poor success, which is down at 87%. It needs to be at 90%

:09:48. > :09:53.and above. Yes, he has had chances, it is not that he has not been at

:09:53. > :09:57.the table. In the last frame, he potted a yellow and chose to play

:09:58. > :10:01.the cannon when there were open reds, and it did not work out. But

:10:01. > :10:11.there is another example, he says he has not been tight enough either,

:10:11. > :10:12.

:10:12. > :10:18.he keeps on leaving Neil these long He has got to improve 50% sign if

:10:18. > :10:28.he wants to win this match. Yes, he had the start he wanted, winning

:10:28. > :10:30.

:10:30. > :10:38.the first frame, but he has not Well, that is a bonus, flicking

:10:38. > :10:48.that red away from that black. It Trying to swim around but black and

:10:48. > :11:05.

:11:05. > :11:12.red, that little flick, that was a He is the cue ball going to run?

:11:12. > :11:16.Just about. The problem is with it, although he is on his red, the

:11:16. > :11:26.black, I do not think it is available to the left corner, so

:11:26. > :11:36.therefore he will have to go up for a blue wall baulk, off this red. --

:11:36. > :11:37.

:11:37. > :11:46.DNA, it seems that it is every other shot at the moment! -- dear

:11:46. > :11:51.me. Mind you, it is the jumps Well, that is amazing, but we were

:11:51. > :11:55.talking the other day, Stephen, sometimes you feel these bad

:11:56. > :12:00.contacts but just because you have not hit the ball smooth enough.

:12:00. > :12:10.think the vast majority are caused by that, not during it as smooth as

:12:10. > :12:15.

:12:15. > :12:25.you can. But as players, we always Well, he will be claiming that miss

:12:25. > :12:26.

:12:26. > :12:36.on the kick, but has been lucky and not got on the red? No, he has not.

:12:36. > :12:40.And he missed that by quite a way, probably disappointed that he was

:12:40. > :12:50.not better on the blue. Shaun, you have got to take these

:12:50. > :12:51.

:12:51. > :13:01.You are playing catch-up, and this Shaun will kiss the right hand side

:13:01. > :13:04.

:13:04. > :13:08.of those two reds that are just He just caught it slightly less

:13:09. > :13:15.than half for, that is why he has lost the right up to the baulk end

:13:15. > :13:25.of the table. -- half-ball. He needed to catch that red pick-up.

:13:25. > :13:26.

:13:27. > :13:36.little bit of unintentional side as He needed to get that, well played,

:13:37. > :13:39.

:13:39. > :13:49.well played! There was extra And again, a lovely angle on the

:13:49. > :14:04.

:14:04. > :14:09.black. I feel sure Shaun will play He did not do as you suggested, but

:14:09. > :14:14.he cannot afford, particularly in the frame score position he is in,

:14:14. > :14:24.to miss the black off the spot. Particularly after the red he

:14:24. > :14:29.knocked in, he could not have had Perhaps he had his eye on the

:14:29. > :14:34.cannon more than the pot. He took his eye off the pot, it is easy to

:14:34. > :14:39.do. We are seen it many, many times, but he is in the position now where

:14:39. > :14:43.he cannot afford too many mistakes, and this red that is closest to the

:14:43. > :14:46.cue ball, I'm sure Neil Robertson is considering whether he can play

:14:46. > :14:51.the pot here. It might be that close that he feels he would get a

:14:51. > :15:01.push shot, but it is certainly an opportunity. If he potted it, would

:15:01. > :15:15.

:15:15. > :15:19.There is no easy path back to the Well, he just decided to merge into

:15:19. > :15:29.it. If it is a touching ball, the referee will declare it, but he

:15:29. > :15:39.

:15:39. > :15:46.I used to hate playing these little shots, I just felt there was no end

:15:46. > :15:50.to it. That is a touching ball now, I think. A little bit careless,

:15:50. > :15:59.that is, to leave a touching ball there. Oh, it is not a touching

:15:59. > :16:06.As I say, if it isn't that Trimble, then the referee will always

:16:06. > :16:16.declare it. -- if it is touching ball. It looked to be certain, but

:16:16. > :16:25.

:16:25. > :16:30.It is an easy safety to leave the But players are reluctant to do

:16:30. > :16:36.that because it has the advantage to your opponents. Shaun can now

:16:36. > :16:46.play a shot to the baulk, thin off the red to the furthest right on

:16:46. > :16:47.

:16:47. > :16:52.Well, as he spotted something to the left middle? I don't think so,

:16:52. > :16:55.just a safety. It is the type of safety you would like to stop the

:16:55. > :17:01.escape route down the right hand side. The reason I say that, if

:17:01. > :17:04.Neil Robertson, as he possibly has to do here, plays down the left-

:17:04. > :17:14.hand side, there is a chance of pushing something towards the right

:17:14. > :17:17.

:17:17. > :17:22.The court it that a key Neelie hit the black. -- the court it. -- he

:17:22. > :17:27.courted that thick that he merely hit the black. It is easy, playing

:17:27. > :17:37.the safety down the right-hand side, because there is no path to the

:17:37. > :17:40.

:17:40. > :17:43.The last thing either player needs is for red to get congregated

:17:43. > :17:53.around the black. If it looks like getting that way, I will let you

:17:53. > :18:12.

:18:12. > :18:22.know and you can go and make a cup Snookered on all riots, he has got

:18:22. > :18:34.

:18:34. > :18:39.This is what Hawk-Eye confirms, that he is no good on all reds, and

:18:39. > :18:43.they are loose enough for it not to be a formality just to come off a

:18:43. > :18:50.couple of cushions and nestle into them. If you misjudge its likely,

:18:50. > :18:57.you could leave a red one. He is in a spot of bother here, Shaun.

:18:57. > :19:07.think he would like... The ideal shot would be to land on the red

:19:07. > :19:10.

:19:10. > :19:19.He could not have played it better, could not have put that any better!

:19:19. > :19:27.And if he has covered the escape down the right-hand side of the

:19:27. > :19:37.table with the blue, he deserves it. And the blue could be blocking the

:19:37. > :19:46.

:19:46. > :19:52.run back to baulk down the right He might just be able to bend that

:19:52. > :20:00.pupils likely to get a thin edge of the red. -- that cue ball slightly.

:20:00. > :20:07.If he cannot, he is in a spot of But he plays with a trace of left-

:20:07. > :20:17.hand side on that cue ball to swerve around two hit the red that

:20:17. > :20:23.

:20:23. > :20:28.is on the right-hand side of the Yeah, he just had that option. But

:20:28. > :20:38.I tell you what, he played it superbly. And Shaun Murphy once

:20:38. > :21:11.

:21:11. > :21:15.That is sorely felt they could do, he could not find a path back to

:21:15. > :21:24.baulk, played the containing safety, but is there now a red that will

:21:24. > :21:31.tempt Neil Robertson? Easy safety shot. But his there a red that of

:21:31. > :21:39.pot that he feels is worth the risk? -- but his there a red that

:21:39. > :21:49.will pot that he feels is worth the risk? He is looking at this great

:21:49. > :21:53.

:21:53. > :22:02.red to the middle. These need good What a pot! What a pot that was. He

:22:02. > :22:06.has potted some tremendous balls He is on the black. He will be

:22:06. > :22:12.running into the red after he has potted the black. It depends if he

:22:12. > :22:15.can judge it now to get onto the next red, because the way they are

:22:15. > :22:25.situated, with all the colours in play, this is an opportunity to go

:22:25. > :22:29.

:22:29. > :22:39.into the midsession interval with a Well, he could easily avoid that.

:22:39. > :22:41.

:22:41. > :22:51.I think it may still just be available, but he has got the pink,

:22:51. > :23:04.

:23:04. > :23:10.the blue is adjacent to a pocket, Well, since losing the first frame

:23:10. > :23:20.tonight, Neil has really stamped his authority on this match now.

:23:20. > :23:26.

:23:26. > :23:36.A tremendous record in finals, six out of six. Yeah, that is an

:23:36. > :23:56.

:23:56. > :24:06.Yes, it is something you cannot teach, the ability to feel

:24:06. > :24:14.

:24:14. > :24:19.comfortable under the most That is certainly going to help his

:24:19. > :24:26.cause in winning this frame, the black available into both corners.

:24:26. > :24:36.He will be surprised if he does not take the post of this opportunity.

:24:36. > :24:36.

:24:36. > :25:18.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:25:18. > :25:23.The kiss on the red has not If you were in Shaun's position,

:25:23. > :25:31.you would be looking at your opponents saying, are there any

:25:31. > :25:41.weaknesses in his game? Unfortunately, on three counts,

:25:41. > :25:49.

:25:49. > :25:55.He looks 100% focused on what he Yeah, as I said, I think in the

:25:55. > :26:03.last frame, when Shaun won the first frame this evening, I felt

:26:03. > :26:07.that was a chance, and in that all- important next frame, he made a

:26:07. > :26:13.break of 32 in the 10th frame, a break of 32, went into the reds,

:26:13. > :26:17.went a little bit awkward. There was a red over the middle, he

:26:17. > :26:27.played the plant, it did not going, and he has never really had a

:26:27. > :26:32.

:26:32. > :26:39.chance since then. Neil won that And he got a 35 break in the last

:26:39. > :26:44.frame, a scrappy affair. As the guys were saying in the studio, you

:26:44. > :26:54.just feel that he can play the scrappy frames a little bit better

:26:54. > :26:57.

:26:57. > :27:01.So this puts him 57 points in front with just 51 remaining. Shaun

:27:01. > :27:11.Murphy will go to the midsession interval with an awful lot to think

:27:11. > :27:19.

:27:19. > :27:25.And I think what Shaun will be thinking, have to do better, can do

:27:25. > :27:35.better, must do better! You never know, sometimes the interval can

:27:35. > :27:42.

:27:42. > :27:51.change things, and if there was no Yes, nice shot to develop the red.

:27:51. > :28:01.Every possibility now of another He has already made two in this

:28:01. > :28:02.

:28:02. > :28:12.Well, just a flick on a blue that he did not need. Snookered by the

:28:12. > :28:13.

:28:13. > :28:15.Well, no century, but Neil Robertson will not mind that. Shaun

:28:15. > :28:19.Murphy and Neil Robertson go back to their dressing rooms with

:28:19. > :28:25.different degrees of thought. Neil Robertson will be delighted, four

:28:25. > :28:29.frames in front, 8-4, the need two more for the title.

:28:29. > :28:33.Yes, he is edging very much closer to his first Masters title. As he

:28:33. > :28:37.goes through to the media room for a cup of tea, I'm sure it will

:28:37. > :28:42.taste rather sweet at this point in time. Assess how the men have

:28:42. > :28:46.attacked the first part of this final session. Well, Shaun Murphy

:28:46. > :28:51.started off free-flowing, but all the sudden Neil Robertson put the

:28:51. > :28:56.brakes on that very quickly, and he has given Shaun Murphy a master

:28:56. > :29:00.class in all departments, and particularly in match play. But his

:29:00. > :29:05.parting, his safety has been superb. I mean, Shaun Murphy had him in a

:29:05. > :29:09.lot of trouble, but have a look at his pot to the middle. You have got

:29:09. > :29:19.to be so accurate with this, cueing right beside the black, and he went

:29:19. > :29:25.

:29:25. > :29:29.Can you see any way back for Shaun at the moment? Anything can happen,

:29:29. > :29:35.but what is interesting is which of these players threatened to win

:29:35. > :29:39.this Masters. Not just this final, but the season so far. And no

:29:39. > :29:44.ranking event, but also what has happened is, Shaun Murphy has won

:29:44. > :29:50.in Brazil at his small invitation event, but Neil Robertson has been

:29:50. > :29:54.pretty devastating in the PDCs. So I always felt he was in good form

:29:54. > :29:58.and threatened to be doing something this season. Shaun Murphy,

:29:58. > :30:02.on the other hand, has been getting himself a bit fit, and that helps

:30:02. > :30:08.the situation. So it was interesting to see who would come

:30:08. > :30:13.through but it just might be on the day but Neil does look very strong.

:30:13. > :30:19.Neil Robertson has amassed more ranking points than anybody, so

:30:19. > :30:23.effectively he is number one of above anybody? He is, and he has

:30:23. > :30:27.been one of the hardest players to beat now. It has given him that

:30:27. > :30:31.aura of confidence. Shaun is similar in that respect but they

:30:32. > :30:36.seem to have a great aura of authority when they are going

:30:36. > :30:41.around, but his improvement in all aspect of the game has been

:30:41. > :30:46.remarkable over the last two seasons. Shaun Murphy is still in

:30:46. > :30:51.this match. The interval has come at a good time for him. He could

:30:51. > :30:54.come out and win a couple of good frames in succession but every

:30:54. > :30:59.single shot he plays now matters. This is a great occasion for both

:30:59. > :31:05.players and they will have to go somewhere in their careers to match

:31:05. > :31:10.the titles of Stephen Hendry, but second is Ronnie O'Sullivan. Like

:31:10. > :31:14.Stephen, he has appeared in 19 finals. Four titles and five

:31:14. > :31:19.defeats in finals. But Ronnie is looking a bit precarious at the

:31:19. > :31:25.moment in the world rankings. And don't forget, it is only the top 16

:31:25. > :31:28.who are invited to play in this event. He is always a huge

:31:28. > :31:34.favourite with the London crowd, but is it inconceivable, I don't

:31:34. > :31:39.think so, as to whether he might earn an automatic invitation at

:31:39. > :31:49.here next year? It is the Rocket, Ronnie

:31:49. > :31:52.

:31:52. > :31:58.He is probably the best player I have ever played. A one-off, really.

:31:58. > :32:03.He will always be loved how he plays the game. As far as I am

:32:03. > :32:09.concerned, Ronnie is the best out there. It might not be on stats or

:32:09. > :32:18.titles, but in terms of talent and the ability to play snooker, she is

:32:18. > :32:23.the best. -- he is the best. He has rarely achieved what a lot of other

:32:23. > :32:27.players would give their right hand for, so in many ways, he might be

:32:28. > :32:37.flawed, but overall, I would say he is very proud of what he has

:32:38. > :32:42.

:32:42. > :32:52.achieved. A wonderful, wonderful His first ever major tournament and

:32:52. > :33:03.

:33:03. > :33:08.I have had to look after the family, and that is something that is

:33:08. > :33:14.important to me. When my dad does come home, everything will be there

:33:14. > :33:20.for him. He put everything in front of me when I was a kid. Losing, it

:33:20. > :33:30.was a horrid, horrid feeling. And I missed him. But I know one day, he

:33:30. > :33:41.

:33:41. > :33:47.I would like to thank the WPBSA for giving me the opportunity to

:33:47. > :33:53.continue playing the game that I love. I give them my assurance that

:33:53. > :34:03.from here on, I will use my very best endeavours to be a model

:34:03. > :34:28.

:34:28. > :34:32.# I'm a rocket man... When I was a kid, I used to love

:34:32. > :34:36.playing games and used to get enjoyment out of it. I just don't

:34:36. > :34:46.seem to get the enjoyment out of it and I would give everything to

:34:46. > :34:46.

:34:46. > :35:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:35:34. > :35:44.I'm seriously thinking about having a year off and if I am quite happy,

:35:44. > :35:50.

:35:50. > :35:56.I might have another year off. We Shock! It is the last thing you

:35:56. > :36:01.expect somebody to do but I think Ronnie's appeal is... He obviously

:36:01. > :36:11.comes over as a fragile character who wears his heart on his sleeve

:36:11. > :36:34.

:36:34. > :36:39.and that appeals to the public. It is nice to get a trophy. It has

:36:39. > :36:43.been a long time, three years. But I was never bothered about it! I

:36:44. > :36:52.wasn't because the standard is so good and I just enjoy competitive

:36:52. > :37:00.matches. I think winning... If you like the game, it is over. He has

:37:00. > :37:10.done it! What an unbelievable break that was! It just doesn't get any

:37:10. > :37:28.

:37:29. > :37:33.better than that! The man is a That cost me �250 and a letter

:37:33. > :37:43.through the letterbox. But I have had a few of those! They can keep

:37:43. > :38:19.

:38:19. > :38:26.Come on, Ronnie! Pot the black! Unbelievable! Have you ever seen

:38:26. > :38:36.anything like that in your life on a snooker table?!

:38:36. > :38:46.

:38:46. > :38:52.Does the sport need Ronnie O'Sullivan? Absolutely it does.

:38:52. > :38:56.Does Ronnie O'Sullivan need the sport? I believe so. Sometimes it

:38:56. > :39:02.is very difficult when there are lot of tournaments nowadays, and if

:39:02. > :39:06.you don't play in 80% of them, you cannot qualify, and that was

:39:06. > :39:11.pressure on me but I have accepted I will have to qualify and if that

:39:11. > :39:16.is the way it goes, as long as I am enjoying it and playing, I will be

:39:16. > :39:23.doing it. With somebody of immense ability, natural ability, that

:39:23. > :39:28.Ronnie possesses, I am sure that he will come back. Ronnie O'Sullivan

:39:28. > :39:34.at his best mentally was many years ago, and coming to terms with how

:39:35. > :39:39.he feels now has been quite tough for him, but when he gets that

:39:39. > :39:44.right, and he is close to getting it right, he is dangerous again.

:39:44. > :39:48.You know, when you have got family and it stuff like that, when you

:39:48. > :39:52.have a normal job, they feed your soul when you get home, but when

:39:52. > :39:57.you're in a hotel run, you don't get to see much of them anyway and

:39:57. > :40:02.that plays on your mind. Everyone is different but I have realised

:40:02. > :40:05.that will not make me happy and content. It is just about managing

:40:05. > :40:10.my time and getting a bit of everything, and you know, as long

:40:10. > :40:20.as that means you are happy doing what you're doing, that will equal

:40:20. > :40:23.

:40:23. > :40:27.HAZEL IRVINE: The Life and Times of Ronnie O'Sullivan. When he came

:40:27. > :40:32.here last Sunday with his son, Ronnie junior, I thought he seemed

:40:32. > :40:38.more at peace with his game than ever, which was great to see. He

:40:38. > :40:43.also seems content to drop down the rankings, if indeed it will happen,

:40:43. > :40:48.and deal with it. What is your view? The most important thing

:40:48. > :40:53.foreign name is to be happy, and being happy helps him play better

:40:53. > :40:56.snooker. -- the important thing for Ronnie. He has two young children

:40:56. > :41:01.so he wants to try and spend quality time with them and you can

:41:02. > :41:05.understand that. I understand that being a parent myself. But he is

:41:05. > :41:09.the most naturally gifted player that has ever played the game and

:41:09. > :41:14.possibly ever will. We love watching him play and playing him.

:41:14. > :41:18.It is an experience and we certainly hope he will be back.

:41:18. > :41:23.Barry was quoted the other day as saying his snooker is like Frank

:41:23. > :41:28.Sinatra. There is always another game in him! And if he does drop

:41:28. > :41:32.out of the top 16, and nobody is suggesting he will, were he to, how

:41:32. > :41:38.do you feel his path will be through this very difficult

:41:38. > :41:43.process? The answer is, as difficult as you want to make it.

:41:43. > :41:47.If he went into the next bracket down, he would have to play one

:41:47. > :41:50.match extra to get to the television stages of ranking events.

:41:50. > :41:57.That is not too parable as long as you are prepared for the battle

:41:57. > :42:03.ahead. -- too terrible. You have got to fight your cause against

:42:03. > :42:07.somebody else. For Ronnie as a player, probably, he values as a

:42:07. > :42:12.commodity himself. So he is not prepared to play for us more money.

:42:12. > :42:17.But snooker is not yet big time. So if he decides to play those events,

:42:17. > :42:24.it is down to how much he values that performance. But how much he

:42:24. > :42:31.plays for the season is important as well. And his new schedule for

:42:31. > :42:36.players is very testing? Yes. Particularly the PGCE. It is one

:42:36. > :42:40.man and his dog, and sometimes even the dog doesn't turn up! But that

:42:40. > :42:45.is what you have to do. You have to go through that, and for Ronnie,

:42:45. > :42:53.that will be a real tour. Let's hope he does stay in the top 16

:42:53. > :43:00.because otherwise he will have to forego playing the championship.

:43:00. > :43:10.Alexandra Palace was built as a people's Palace in the 1870s have.

:43:10. > :43:26.

:43:26. > :43:31.We have been very aware of his role The Alexandra Palace first opened

:43:31. > :43:35.in 1873 as a people's Palace to provide the Victorians with a

:43:35. > :43:39.recreation centre on a monumental scale. Covering seven acres in

:43:39. > :43:46.total, it included exhibition rooms, a theatre, banqueting and concert

:43:46. > :43:53.areas and a great hall, which can seat at 12,000 people. In 1935, the

:43:53. > :43:58.BBC least the eastern part of this building, from where their public

:43:58. > :44:08.transmissions were first made. It is really like stepping back in

:44:08. > :44:12.

:44:12. > :44:16.time from those first pioneering Hello! Welcome to the BBC! This

:44:16. > :44:23.television thing is a kind of purr, though I don't think it will ever

:44:23. > :44:31.replace the wireless! Snooker will now be on the television. It is a

:44:31. > :44:37.poor man's billiards played by riff-raff.

:44:37. > :44:45.Robert is head of BBC history and a lead the -- leading experts on the

:44:45. > :44:51.BBC's ventures into new areas. Nobody quite knew if the television

:44:51. > :44:54.would work. Let us catch a brief glimpse of the studios and

:44:54. > :45:04.television walls and see what television can do and how it does

:45:04. > :45:05.

:45:05. > :45:09.it. The radio frequency power is converted and produces the waves.

:45:09. > :45:12.The transmitter mast that needed to be built, you only have to build a

:45:12. > :45:19.bit more on top of the building already there in order to reach the

:45:19. > :45:23.relevant hide. Alexandra Palace is the home of the first ever

:45:23. > :45:27.continuous, high-definition television in the world. Vision and

:45:27. > :45:32.sound are on... The station goes on the air. A so, for the first time

:45:32. > :45:35.you had a real service, so you could look in the Radio Times of

:45:35. > :45:45.the day and see the hours of broadcasting and make a date to

:45:45. > :45:45.

:45:45. > :45:54.watch it. Now, we might well see some backstage scenes as these. Our

:45:54. > :46:04.visit to her is captain of the English Ryder Cup team of last year,

:46:04. > :46:05.

:46:05. > :46:11.1936. -- our visitor. A beauty! Before you know where you are, you

:46:11. > :46:19.have opera, ballet, first outside broadcast, boxing on air and

:46:19. > :46:28.snooker. Snooker! How will we broadcast this? I think I will

:46:28. > :46:35.leave it to the boffins. They will call P fools on their health. They

:46:35. > :46:40.were a bunch of boffins developing this strange magic. -- on the hill.

:46:40. > :46:46.Having said that, only a few people could afford to buy a television or

:46:46. > :46:51.access it. About 400 people, and that was within a radius of 10

:46:51. > :46:55.miles or so of the transmitter, so it was a real luxury item of its

:46:55. > :47:01.stable stop so within a year of broadcasting starting, television

:47:01. > :47:09.starting, we have the first snooker game. Looks easy enough, doesn't

:47:09. > :47:13.it! It was a real winner for the BBC. Good afternoon, everybody. How

:47:13. > :47:18.are you? It was captured in a very formal way, so the presenters of

:47:18. > :47:23.the day would whether Classic dicky bow for the men, and the women were

:47:23. > :47:28.all in evening dress, and it was very much a tone that the BBC was

:47:28. > :47:37.delivering in a quality, appropriate service of the nation.

:47:37. > :47:41.Quite right up, old boys! We can't have those Irish, Scots and,

:47:42. > :47:46.goodness forbid, Liverpudlians in front of the camera! It wouldn't

:47:46. > :47:50.do! Television left Alexandra Palace in the end because it was

:47:50. > :47:53.not a bespoke building. The television mast was built right

:47:53. > :48:00.next to the studios, so you had constant interference with the

:48:00. > :48:03.signal. From early post-war, there was a Hunt on for an appropriate

:48:03. > :48:07.new venue to build a bespoke television centre, and that

:48:07. > :48:14.eventually happened with the creation of Television Centre,

:48:14. > :48:19.which was opened in 1960 in Shepherd's Bush. So it seems the

:48:19. > :48:24.Ally Pally, television and snooker have all changed quite a bit over

:48:24. > :48:30.the last 75 years. But some things remain the same. Just check out

:48:30. > :48:34.Hazel's first screen test. We found this in the archives. And so,

:48:34. > :48:39.ladies and gentlemen, Ensis first television transmission from

:48:39. > :48:49.Alexandra Palace. We will be on again at the televised time. Until

:48:49. > :48:56.

:48:56. > :49:00.HAZEL IRVINE: ah, yes! Scots, Liverpudlians and riff-raff from

:49:00. > :49:06.Romford all representing us on broadcast. It will never catch on,

:49:06. > :49:12.Willett, Steve? And who would have known that snooker would be used to

:49:12. > :49:17.promote colour television. It has been fascinating. And how important

:49:17. > :49:21.has this been as a venue? It can host a lot of different things and

:49:21. > :49:26.have facilities are good for everybody. As a venue, it has

:49:26. > :49:29.potential. Not just for one table, but for more than one. It might not

:49:29. > :49:33.have the character of the Conference Centre, which was a

:49:33. > :49:37.totally different shape and was in the round, to some degree, but it

:49:37. > :49:43.still has a lot going for it. A great view for everybody in this

:49:43. > :49:49.room. Yes. And watching a 40-inch plasma screen these days, things

:49:49. > :49:55.have changed since 1936 or stop in a players' room, Ken has managed to

:49:55. > :49:59.find some rather nervous players! Yes. I am joined by Neil

:49:59. > :50:05.Robertson's better half and young son, Alexander, who seems to be

:50:05. > :50:10.enjoying the experience. Yeah. So far, so good. As long as he has

:50:10. > :50:15.somebody to play with, he is happy to run around. It is the first time

:50:15. > :50:25.he has been to see his father. is he coping? He is quite happy,

:50:25. > :50:30.

:50:30. > :50:37.You must be very happy with Ben Neil -- with the way Neil has

:50:37. > :50:45.played so far tonight? Very good. You off from Norway. How is the

:50:45. > :50:49.popularity of snooker in Norway? is definitely growing, and it is

:50:49. > :50:59.getting more and more popular. chance of young Alexander following

:50:59. > :51:02.

:51:02. > :51:07.in his father's was debt? Maybe! We Alexander doesn't seem too bothered.

:51:07. > :51:11.Just playing around in a players' lounge. I am sure he will be

:51:11. > :51:21.watching. Certainly, his wife will be watching as we get down to the

:51:21. > :51:22.

:51:22. > :51:32.nitty gritty of this year's final. John has managed to get rid of that

:51:32. > :51:34.

:51:34. > :51:44.achieve tweet suit and has joined Dennis indie commentators' box. --

:51:44. > :51:49.

:51:50. > :51:59.DENNIS TAYLOR: In other good boy, shot from Shaun. -- another good

:52:00. > :52:14.

:52:14. > :52:21.That has gone a little awkward. The blue up the other end of the table

:52:21. > :52:31.and a black off this back cushion. But there is a shot for Shaun. But

:52:31. > :52:46.

:52:46. > :52:54.Definitely a must-win frame for Shaun. Neil Robertson has been

:52:54. > :53:03.sensational this evening. A century break, a terrific match play, had a

:53:03. > :53:13.76 match before the interval. has bream pretty solid all week. --

:53:13. > :53:17.It is not always winning the frames you should do, it is winning the

:53:17. > :53:27.frames you shouldn't. And he has certainly competed brilliantly this

:53:27. > :54:06.

:54:06. > :54:16.You can see there's a long, straight red there but not an easy

:54:16. > :54:19.

:54:19. > :54:29.With the back but being on its spot, not the greatest shot in the world.

:54:29. > :54:50.

:54:50. > :55:00.If the pink pots into the left corner, he can leave the wide where

:55:00. > :55:09.

:55:09. > :55:19.the red is, or screw it back a If the pink goes on to the black

:55:19. > :55:26.

:55:26. > :55:36.He could play on the black even if the pink it goes back on the spot

:55:36. > :55:59.

:55:59. > :56:09.He could do with a sizable contribution here, just to get that

:56:09. > :56:19.

:56:20. > :56:29.It is nice to win these back quickly, see the scoreboard change

:56:29. > :56:39.more quickly. It might just be OK, that. Does it pass the pink? If it

:56:39. > :56:42.

:56:42. > :56:47.doesn't, he has got a bit of a The one to the left of the cue ball,

:56:47. > :56:57.he has had a look to see if that goes into the left corner. It might

:56:57. > :57:14.

:57:15. > :57:19.pot. Much easier if he was directly When you are cutting them back like

:57:19. > :57:26.that, it is very difficult. He was very close to the pot and I thought

:57:26. > :57:36.it was in. It just caught the jaw, and that is what happens on these

:57:36. > :58:03.

:58:03. > :58:07.It will probably be easier to get He had to be a little careful with

:58:07. > :58:17.that shot in case the red went into the path of the black, so he

:58:17. > :58:17.

:58:17. > :59:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:59:08. > :59:18.Well, there is Alexander, there's son, with his lovely mum, Mille. It

:59:18. > :59:54.

:59:54. > :00:02.is time for bed, by the looks of He has got a little bit of sorting

:00:02. > :00:08.out to do here. A lot of those reds of locking each other. -- are

:00:08. > :00:11.blocking. It shouldn't be a problem from this position. Yes, you would

:00:11. > :00:15.need a little half-ball angle on the black to cannoned into the

:00:15. > :00:25.three reds on the left, and that would leave the other two into the

:00:25. > :00:31.

:00:32. > :00:36.He is one good cannon away from That is the cannon that John is

:00:36. > :00:46.talking about. If he can get nicely on the black, he will open all the

:00:46. > :00:51.

:00:51. > :01:01.That is just about perfect. If he hits that metal red of the three,

:01:01. > :01:04.

:01:04. > :01:12.he should leave all those red Maybe just a little bit more pace

:01:12. > :01:15.Funnily enough, either one or the other, a little softer or a little

:01:15. > :01:25.bit more pace. Where he has finished here is a little bit

:01:25. > :01:31.

:01:31. > :01:36.He has to be careful with his That was very well played, that,

:01:36. > :01:41.you could see the way he moved his cue away as quick as possible.

:01:41. > :01:51.how close he was to the red! It shows you the precision of this

:01:51. > :02:09.

:02:09. > :02:15.He really has played superbly well Yes, he plays superbly well in

:02:15. > :02:20.every final, he has been in six of them so far and never lost one.

:02:20. > :02:23.that is a great confidence booster, isn't it? When you know that you

:02:23. > :02:32.have won all six finals that you have competed in. That is quite a

:02:32. > :02:42.The kick did not affected this time, I will show you the shot again. You

:02:42. > :02:42.

:02:42. > :03:29.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:03:29. > :03:39.He is not going to need the difficult reds, just these two Liz

:03:39. > :03:54.

:03:54. > :03:59.reds with colours will leave the Yes, his good friend Joe Perry, who

:03:59. > :04:02.has been driving Neil into the tournament this week, good to see

:04:02. > :04:07.him back in form, he told me earlier in the week that he had

:04:07. > :04:10.never seen anything like Anne practising, that he was in

:04:10. > :04:17.unbelievable form, and he has brought it to the match table all

:04:17. > :04:21.week. -- Neil. The art is the secret, John, isn't it? Not many

:04:21. > :04:31.players can bring their practice game on to the match table. Neil is

:04:31. > :04:32.

:04:32. > :04:36.53 ahead, just glancing around to confirm that. She must be

:04:36. > :04:46.absolutely delighted, she is very nervous, but her husband is doing

:04:46. > :04:50.

:04:50. > :04:53.Good effort, Shaun Murphy does not get out of his seat, so the Thunder

:04:53. > :05:03.from Down Under continues, and he takes that frame with a fabulous 76

:05:03. > :05:04.

:05:04. > :05:09.Well, JP, that was a big, big frame for Shaun Murphy. He got in first,

:05:09. > :05:14.and he just finished a little bit awkward. If he had been behind his

:05:14. > :05:18.red, he would have spotted it. Cutting it into a blind pocket,

:05:18. > :05:23.very difficult, and he just catches the top jaw. On these match tables,

:05:23. > :05:27.that is not going to go in. He is unlucky, because he would have

:05:27. > :05:33.taken the other red into the corner, but he was hampered. After that,

:05:33. > :05:36.what can you say about Robertson? He has just minded his work, as Mr

:05:36. > :05:41.Pullman used to say, and of course he has made frame-winning

:05:41. > :05:46.contributions. Shaun is a model professional, he still looks fairly

:05:46. > :05:54.relaxed, looking around there, and he certainly will not give up, that

:05:54. > :05:58.is for certain, but what a tall order. Well, he looks in good mood,

:05:58. > :06:02.doesn't he? Can he get a chance, and can he string a few frames

:06:02. > :06:09.together and fight his way back into this final? It is going to be

:06:10. > :06:15.tough. That is the beautiful water that crystal trophy for the winner.

:06:15. > :06:18.-- Waterford. Yes, I think it has been great year this week in the

:06:19. > :06:24.intervals, people have come down and had their photograph taken with

:06:24. > :06:34.the trophy. It has been a good idea, and innovation. Some nice

:06:34. > :06:35.

:06:35. > :06:45.So Neil gets this frame and a wave. He will be hoping it is the last

:06:45. > :06:54.

:06:54. > :06:59.Well, just listen to the crowd! Well, they certainly appreciated

:06:59. > :07:03.that long pot. They want some more of this final, they do not want it

:07:03. > :07:13.to finish just yet, and maybe Shaun will relax a little bit now and

:07:13. > :07:52.

:07:52. > :08:02.show us what he has shown us all It needs to run, that cue ball,

:08:02. > :08:33.

:08:33. > :08:43.Well, that is a pretty positive Andy has got to play near-perfect

:08:43. > :08:46.

:08:46. > :08:56.snooker. He cannot afford many He did not want the kiss there, but

:08:56. > :09:17.

:09:17. > :09:21.he has got that one up near the Well, a little further back, he

:09:21. > :09:31.would have taken the yellow and gone straight into the red behind

:09:31. > :09:41.

:09:41. > :09:45.Mark, it is a pretty good start, but it looks like he's going to

:09:45. > :09:51.have to play a safety. He looked at the potting angle, it is a very

:09:51. > :09:58.thin one. 33 in front, stick a good safety in, but that is not a good

:09:58. > :10:02.safety. He should have been over behind the green or brown there.

:10:02. > :10:05.Sometimes, if you leave your opponents at the side of the pack,

:10:05. > :10:11.you might get him to knock one over the corner, but the way Neil

:10:11. > :10:16.Robertson has played today, that has not happened very often.

:10:16. > :10:26.Neil needs the reds opened because he is 33 behind, so he will risk

:10:26. > :10:38.

:10:38. > :10:43.That has certainly opened a good Has he nestled on to that yellow to

:10:43. > :10:53.prevent Shaun getting to the red down the left side of the table?

:10:53. > :11:09.

:11:09. > :11:19.Another test for his cueing action, You cannot hit them any better than

:11:19. > :11:28.

:11:28. > :11:34.that. Two fracking pots in this His nickname is the Magician, Rob

:11:34. > :11:44.Walker introduces him as the Magician. Can he weave a little bit

:11:44. > :11:44.

:11:44. > :11:50.of magic with that one in his hand? He is on the march, that is for

:11:50. > :11:56.sure. He does march around the table when he gets going, Shaun.

:11:56. > :12:04.Yes, just wondering whether this is an attempt just to try and get

:12:04. > :12:07.himself into a better rhythm, try to knock a few frames off quickly.

:12:07. > :12:12.It really is more or less desperation stakes at the minute,

:12:12. > :12:22.he cannot afford a mistake, as he said. He may be deciding to play as

:12:22. > :12:44.

:12:44. > :12:49.quickly and fluently as he can, to Yeah, you're a bit of pride kicks

:12:49. > :12:55.in when your back is against the wall, 9-4, you want to go out there

:12:55. > :13:00.and show the audience what you can do. He is certainly doing that here.

:13:00. > :13:10.He is hitting the ball as well now as we have seen in the whole of the

:13:10. > :13:12.

:13:12. > :13:22.Yes, cueing really well. When it has come to the tactical and safety

:13:22. > :13:30.

:13:30. > :13:36.battles today, Neil Robertson has He has already made two centuries

:13:36. > :13:46.in his final. Shaun has had one. And this could be his second. Well,

:13:46. > :13:49.

:13:49. > :13:59.there's not enough on to make a Well, just enough if he can clear

:13:59. > :14:30.

:14:30. > :14:40.The Little cannon has not worked out, so it will have to be a double

:14:40. > :14:41.

:14:41. > :14:46.to continue the break. He may even No double, no treble, he has done

:14:46. > :14:54.what he had to do. Shaun Murphy, with breaks of 33 and 52 in quick-

:14:54. > :14:58.fire time, of course one frame back, He has certainly speeded it up a

:14:58. > :15:01.bit, you were reflecting on a match in days of yore when actually

:15:01. > :15:06.speeding the pace up might have helped. I remember watching Steve

:15:06. > :15:10.Davis play against Eugene Hughes in the Grand Prix, he was four-to-one

:15:10. > :15:15.down or something, and all of a sudden Steve was running around a

:15:15. > :15:20.table. When it got to 4-4, he slowed right back down and lost 5-

:15:20. > :15:24.4! But it was the psychology, as John said in commentary, he is

:15:24. > :15:30.trying to get into a little red and. When he gets in and around the

:15:30. > :15:34.ball's like that, he can really speed up and pot them fluently. He

:15:34. > :15:37.has to score quickly, get frames on the board, and then try to exert a

:15:38. > :15:43.little bit of pressure on Neil Robertson. He has got nothing to

:15:43. > :15:47.lose, he has got to go for it. but no point in plain totally

:15:47. > :15:51.outrageous shots, because he knows that if he plays a decent game and

:15:51. > :15:57.gets his rhythm, he can still turn over a few frames on the trot. The

:15:57. > :16:02.problem is that the guy in front is playing great stuff, so it needs

:16:02. > :16:07.him to completely seize up, effectively. Back we go, is this

:16:07. > :16:17.the frame that will clinch it? Thank you, frame 15, Shaun Murphy

:16:17. > :16:32.

:16:33. > :16:38.Not a bad break-off. This red to the right of the blue does not look

:16:38. > :16:48.to be a good ankle to try and pot to get on to the black. As a shot

:16:48. > :17:04.

:17:04. > :17:08.It is totally the wrong angle to And that is coming up short, and we

:17:08. > :17:17.know what Shaun Murphy did in the previous frame with this type of

:17:17. > :17:27.Yes, Neil will be very disappointed with that. He will be playing a

:17:27. > :17:34.

:17:34. > :17:42.rock-hard if frame of matchmaker to So he has had a reprieve there,

:17:42. > :17:52.Neil Robertson. Well, from Shaun's point of view, at least that red

:17:52. > :17:52.

:17:52. > :17:57.went into the bunch and kept Once again, he has not really

:17:57. > :18:02.played a good safety, a good telling safety. It is looking for

:18:02. > :18:12.one good chance, that is all he is looking for. But Shaun will make it

:18:12. > :18:23.

:18:23. > :18:27.Not the best. Neil Robertson special coming up, but not

:18:27. > :18:37.guaranteed to get nicely on a colour. I think he can get around

:18:37. > :18:44.

:18:44. > :18:47.the back of the two reds and the I could see him missing that, there

:18:47. > :18:57.was a little bit more to that than first thought. It was not one that

:18:57. > :19:15.

:19:15. > :19:19.He wanted to play it with a little Just enough of the red sticking out

:19:19. > :19:29.to pass the yellow and get back down to the left of the bunch of

:19:29. > :19:35.

:19:35. > :19:40.reds. Let's see if Neil can get in He has pushed the red over the

:19:40. > :19:45.corner. But Shaun will have to get up on to the blue. Pink and black

:19:45. > :19:55.are tied up, but I think he has got the angle to do that. He still

:19:55. > :19:55.

:19:55. > :20:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:20:40. > :20:45.Beautifully cued yet again, and he deserves to be on something. That

:20:45. > :20:55.was a great shot. Do you know, there might be a shot on, a shot to

:20:55. > :20:56.

:20:57. > :21:00.pot this red and leave himself on No, he could not play the cannon

:21:00. > :21:05.that I thought. He tried to develop the black, but it was always going

:21:05. > :21:15.to be difficult. This will be a test of cue action if you take the

:21:15. > :21:38.

:21:38. > :21:41.blue. He knows full well there is a Some of the hot sea has not been in

:21:41. > :21:45.the last couple of frames, quite incredible under these

:21:45. > :21:49.circumstances, and he played to get on the red above the black. He

:21:49. > :21:53.looked at it before he took that difficult blue on, because he was

:21:53. > :22:03.trying to leave the black, but he has over screwed it slightly. But

:22:03. > :22:05.

:22:05. > :22:15.Well, the black must go past that red, amazing, it does not look like

:22:15. > :22:20.

:22:20. > :22:25.That makes that blue even more of a Well, he deserves everything he

:22:25. > :22:35.gets for this break. Two fabulous shots on the blue. The second one

:22:35. > :23:08.

:23:08. > :23:18.Shaun Murphy has always been a big occasion player. He just loves

:23:18. > :23:21.

:23:21. > :23:28.When they had the school of excellence, when he first turned

:23:28. > :23:34.professional, he was one of the players there. He has always worked

:23:34. > :23:40.very hard, not only on his game, but on everything connected with

:23:40. > :23:50.the game, interviews. He has been a model professional throughout his

:23:50. > :23:51.

:23:52. > :23:59.And one of the finest cue actions in the game, and he is proving that

:24:00. > :24:03.Yes, the long blue he not been before, most players would have

:24:03. > :24:11.been happy to stun, never mind the screw back five football whatever

:24:11. > :24:16.it was. -- foot or whatever it was. He is worth another look, have a

:24:16. > :24:26.look at the cue ball, it stopped and then spun back. Beautiful

:24:26. > :24:32.

:24:32. > :24:39.Well, he won the last frame in just over eight minutes. This frame has

:24:39. > :24:48.just been going 80 minutes, and he is almost at the winning line. -- 8

:24:48. > :24:58.Neil cannot do anything about this. He is still waiting for that one

:24:58. > :25:01.

:25:01. > :25:05.Mille there, I am sure she will still be as excited as she was. In

:25:05. > :25:13.fact, it is worse for the people watching than when you are out on

:25:13. > :25:18.the table, John, isn't it? Yes, This is great stuff at the moment

:25:18. > :25:22.from Shaun Murphy. He made his mind up to be positive, and it is one

:25:22. > :25:30.thing being positive, it is another thing knocking in blues like that.

:25:30. > :25:40.And it looks like, in the space of something like 20 minutes, he is

:25:40. > :25:54.

:25:54. > :26:01.going to have won a couple of Neil Robertson has not had a pot

:26:01. > :26:11.for nearly 90 minutes. He has not been at the table, that is why. --

:26:11. > :26:38.

:26:38. > :26:46.Have a look at his shot. Oh, that is unlucky again. He almost had a

:26:46. > :26:55.century in the previous frame, and but for that unfortunate cannon, he

:26:55. > :27:05.would have had won here. That is two quick-fire famously has won,

:27:05. > :27:09.

:27:09. > :27:13.that one with a break of 86, and he Suddenly we are thinking of great

:27:13. > :27:18.comebacks, let's not get too excited, but two very quick frames,

:27:18. > :27:24.and deftly done by Shaun Murphy. He has consciously speeded things up,

:27:24. > :27:28.and it has worked. So exciting my microphone fell off! It crossed my

:27:28. > :27:32.mind, sometimes when you play, this might come out wrong, but you

:27:32. > :27:36.brainwash yourself into playing the part of a hero. It can happen at

:27:36. > :27:40.the end of a session, but it looks like Shaun was trying to convince

:27:40. > :27:46.himself that he was playing the part of the underdog, the civic

:27:46. > :27:53.hero, and all of a sudden he has talked himself into this.

:27:53. > :27:57.telephone boxes in sight! He looks more free, the way he is cueing.

:27:57. > :28:01.did say that, but he took on a tremendous blow. Most players would

:28:01. > :28:08.probably just try to stand it in. Just look at how well he cued this,

:28:08. > :28:12.just look at the reaction he gets on the cue ball. Just exactly what

:28:12. > :28:16.he needed, a couple of quick frames, and he needs another one. Do you

:28:16. > :28:26.can sense this crowd beginning to think that they might be on to

:28:26. > :28:30.

:28:30. > :28:40.It is amazing, every frame this red seems to finish up this side of the

:28:40. > :28:44.

:28:44. > :28:48.table, and this time Shaun can have That red has finished in a nice

:28:48. > :28:53.spot. The one he had missed, if it had not stopped, Neil Robertson

:28:53. > :28:57.would have had a free shot to pot the one just above the white, but

:28:57. > :29:02.that red has covered it. And he cannot play down into the baulk

:29:02. > :29:12.area for a safety shot high enough. The cue ball will get left at this

:29:12. > :29:31.

:29:31. > :29:41.Shaun does have a chance to play into baulk here. He will be leaving

:29:41. > :29:49.

:29:49. > :29:55.Neil the chance if he is going to Yes. He didn't want to get one of

:29:56. > :30:05.those funny frames. The moment he is on a roll, he just wants to get

:30:06. > :30:19.

:30:19. > :30:24.the balls into the open. Keep Shaun knew he was handing the

:30:24. > :30:29.advantage to Neil there, but it was purely to get the came back to

:30:29. > :30:39.normal. He needs a good save here, and would be cue ball close to the

:30:39. > :30:55.

:30:55. > :31:03.cushion, he has got to be careful. DENNIS TAYLOR: He has hated much

:31:03. > :31:09.too thin. -- hit it. He has been kept off the table for 20 minutes

:31:09. > :31:19.and this is a Neil special coming up here. Let's see how well he cues

:31:19. > :31:31.

:31:31. > :31:41.That will do. When you haven't pot of the ball for 20 minutes, that is

:31:41. > :31:49.

:31:49. > :31:59.a pretty good one to come out with. That has come up a bit short but he

:31:59. > :32:06.

:32:06. > :32:16.could bring other reds into play Not sure if he has to nudge them

:32:16. > :32:21.

:32:21. > :32:31.He didn't want to stick in the reds, and I don't blame him for that.

:32:31. > :32:52.

:32:52. > :32:58.Pretty prudent. When in doubt, come That has just spoiled it a little

:32:58. > :33:08.bit, that. He still has the red to the left of the pink. But it you

:33:08. > :33:12.

:33:12. > :33:19.want to make it as easy as possible, It looks as if he is back, cueing

:33:19. > :33:29.well again. Played for the middle pocket but may have to take it up

:33:29. > :33:37.

:33:38. > :33:47.Reporting at the minute. An excellent red across the cloth. --

:33:48. > :34:03.

:34:03. > :34:13.He is one shot a way here from having a great chance to win the

:34:13. > :34:15.

:34:16. > :34:25.frame. It has turned out very nicely! As you said, John, one good

:34:26. > :34:26.

:34:26. > :35:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:35:17. > :35:21.shot and he has got a chance to Ooh! He hit that thicker than he

:35:21. > :35:26.intended with a lot of drag and he is now hampered on that side

:35:26. > :35:33.cushion. OK, he can drop the back in and come to the left of the red

:35:33. > :35:43.with the pink. But caught that on the thick side. Just show you that

:35:43. > :35:43.

:35:43. > :36:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:36:41. > :36:51.He's going to have to disturb the The pack store remains pretty solid,

:36:51. > :37:09.

:37:09. > :37:19.so he might have to play this again. He can't do much about this. He has

:37:19. > :37:21.

:37:21. > :37:27.played two perfect frames to keep Oh! What a beautiful shot! But

:37:27. > :37:35.where is the red going?! 4 all the world, it looked as though that red

:37:35. > :37:40.would drop in after that beautiful shot! -- for all the world.

:37:40. > :37:50.Everybody thought the red would go in. He must have died a 1,000

:37:50. > :37:57.

:37:57. > :38:07.The chance is there. He has got a pink, the black. He has looked at

:38:07. > :38:25.

:38:25. > :38:35.Good shot. The right shot as well. And he's got things to do here. It

:38:35. > :38:41.

:38:41. > :38:48.He was the 2010 world champion, the 2010 World Open champion. He is on

:38:48. > :38:58.the verge now of adding the Masters to his CV. The one that everybody

:38:58. > :39:03.

:39:03. > :39:07.This year has been Shaun Murphy's vest here at the Masters. Shaun

:39:07. > :39:17.probably played the best snooker throughout this year's Masters, but

:39:17. > :39:28.

:39:28. > :39:38.it is the Australian that has been There is 67 left on the table, he

:39:38. > :39:39.

:39:39. > :39:46.is 70 points behind, he needs one Yes, he will be pretty frustrated

:39:46. > :39:49.he did not get that. The red over the centre pocket was not a great

:39:49. > :39:59.shot, but he left himself mid- range with the rest and did not get

:39:59. > :40:11.

:40:11. > :40:16.He needs the brown to cover this It must be pretty tight if Neil is

:40:17. > :40:26.around looking from this end of the table. What was he looking at? That

:40:27. > :40:36.

:40:36. > :40:45.This will secured the final. Well done. He knows it! He has played a

:40:45. > :40:51.fabulous final, has the Australian, It was always going to be a great

:40:51. > :40:59.final between these two players. Shaun Murphy has played exemplary

:40:59. > :41:06.But there is no better feeling in the world, when you are walking

:41:06. > :41:10.around the table and you know you have won your first Masters title.

:41:10. > :41:15.Well, he deserves it, Dennis, the quality of his match play all week

:41:15. > :41:19.has been superb. He has competed as good as anybody. That was nice to

:41:19. > :41:29.see, Shaun Murphy having hair little smile. He knows what this

:41:29. > :41:30.

:41:30. > :41:35.I am sure Shaun Murphy will win this great title, but at the moment

:41:35. > :41:43.the arena belongs to Neil Robertson. It is a superb feeling, it really

:41:43. > :41:49.He cannot but the balls back on as parts quick enough? Well done to

:41:49. > :41:59.the referee, his first Masters final. This is what we love to say,

:41:59. > :42:00.

:42:00. > :42:03.it really is. He might as well And this Alexandra Palace crowd

:42:03. > :42:08.have enjoyed every minute of this. They have been fabulous throughout

:42:08. > :42:12.the week. Shaun Murphy, the gentleman that he is, comes forward

:42:12. > :42:18.to congratulate Neil Robertson. A super final, but the Australian was

:42:18. > :42:28.too solid, and doesn't he looked delighted! It is he who let the

:42:28. > :42:41.

:42:41. > :42:50.2012 BGC Masters title. Well done Two wonderful players. And a family

:42:50. > :42:54.Well, we are not going to interrupt this family gathering right now,

:42:54. > :42:58.but I will have a word with the run-up, Shaun Murphy. I know this

:42:58. > :43:01.was such a special occasion for you to be involved in, I know you are

:43:01. > :43:07.disappointed, but can you explain what the difference was this

:43:07. > :43:11.evening? Yeah, the lad is class! He is a credit to his family, his

:43:11. > :43:15.country and a credit to our game. We are lucky to have somebody like

:43:15. > :43:21.Neil involved, he is a true pro, and he was better than me on the

:43:21. > :43:25.day. Shaun, you have shown tremendous class all week, though,

:43:25. > :43:33.that night before you came out and rattle of two very quick frames,

:43:33. > :43:37.did you think you were on to something? Yeah! But he stuck one

:43:37. > :43:41.of his trademark long reds in, and that was my last shot. He is very

:43:41. > :43:46.difficult to keep off the table, as he has proven, very good in all

:43:46. > :43:50.departments. He is a worthy winner. I am sure you can take a huge

:43:50. > :43:53.amount of confidence going forward, but what you make of Alexandra

:43:53. > :44:01.Palace and in particular the support you have received all week?

:44:01. > :44:05.It has been amazing, absolutely It has just been... It has been a

:44:05. > :44:09.first rate. We get to play in some fantastic venues around the world,

:44:09. > :44:14.and this is right up there with the Crucible, the crowd have been

:44:14. > :44:21.absolutely amazing. It is just fantastic. I know the Korea trouble

:44:21. > :44:30.town is on hold for now, but you will get it,. Congratulations, Our

:44:30. > :44:32.Up, Shaun Murphy. Well... Congratulations, Neil, and

:44:33. > :44:36.congratulations to your dad, Alexander, this is a very big day

:44:36. > :44:40.for the family. First of all, very many congratulations on the way

:44:40. > :44:44.that you have played. I know this is a special day for you, the 2012

:44:44. > :44:50.Masters champion, only the 4th overseas player to do this, what

:44:50. > :44:54.gave you the edge today? I think that, you know, a good start was

:44:54. > :44:58.really important. I think that Shaun dominated the early stages of

:44:58. > :45:04.the first session. He had a bad run of the ball, so I was quite lucky

:45:04. > :45:08.to be in mayor at 3-3. And then after that, I think I played really

:45:08. > :45:12.good match snooker, scored heavy when I was in, and you have to do

:45:12. > :45:16.that against Shaun, because if you let him in front, he runs all over

:45:16. > :45:20.you. Seven wins out of seven in major finals, that must give you a

:45:21. > :45:27.lot of confidence. Alexander wants to grab the microphone. I could not

:45:27. > :45:30.agree more! How special is its title for you? It means a lot.

:45:30. > :45:33.After the World Championship, this is the tournament I really wanted

:45:33. > :45:38.to win. You have to beat all the top players in the world, and my

:45:38. > :45:42.path to the final has not been easy, but I have stuck at it and played

:45:42. > :45:46.some really good stuff. Yeah, I am absolutely over the moon. Everybody

:45:46. > :45:56.in Australia will be watching this now, so thank you to all the

:45:56. > :45:58.

:45:58. > :46:00.support I get, and the crowd was You have shown such consistency,

:46:00. > :46:06.Neil, and I wonder if you knew something like this was coming

:46:06. > :46:09.around the corner for you? At the start off the season, I started to

:46:09. > :46:15.get to the later stages of the events, and they did a bit

:46:15. > :46:19.disappointing in the UK and a couple of BGCs. But the master has

:46:19. > :46:23.made this season for me and I can't wait to build on this and go

:46:23. > :46:27.forward to other championships. think Alexander would like to save

:46:27. > :46:32.a few words. What do you think of your daddy? I think that means a

:46:32. > :46:37.pretty blooming good! Neil Robertson is a Masters champion and

:46:37. > :46:47.we salute you. It is an earlier Australia Day present for your

:46:47. > :46:47.

:46:47. > :46:55.country. Congratulations. Well done. And now, pay-day! Ladies and

:46:55. > :47:05.gentlemen, please welcome at your presentation party. Welcome Barry

:47:05. > :47:10.Hearn, the chairman of World Snooker. Ladies and gentlemen, the

:47:10. > :47:20.run up, he has had a magnificent week, Shaun Murphy!

:47:20. > :47:38.

:47:38. > :47:48.And the winner, receiving a cheque for �150,000, the trophy and the

:47:48. > :47:54.

:47:54. > :48:04.title BGC e Masters champion 2000 wealth, Neil Robertson! -- 2012.

:48:04. > :48:11.

:48:11. > :48:17.Your champion, Neil Robertson! HAZEL IRVINE: Neil Robertson it is,

:48:17. > :48:21.who, as I said earlier, is the 4th overseas player to win this and he

:48:21. > :48:26.just has to claim the UK Championship title to get the

:48:26. > :48:32.triple crown. One piece of a puzzle missing for him, just as there is

:48:32. > :48:37.for Shaun Murphy. But, as we said, the Robertson family are now able

:48:37. > :48:46.to get together to celebrate. And, Ken and Steve, we have seen these

:48:46. > :48:51.family gatherings with the players and they are so special? Yes. They

:48:52. > :48:54.are beautiful. Perhaps off to both players. It has been a fantastic

:48:54. > :49:00.final. And both players, particularly Shaun Murphy,

:49:00. > :49:03.magnanimous in defeat. A great player on top of his form in every

:49:03. > :49:07.single department and a worthy winner was Neil Robertson, who

:49:07. > :49:12.played two per snooker. What can we expect from Neil for the rest of

:49:12. > :49:17.the season? We are into the ranking events. I think he will probably

:49:17. > :49:22.feel he is in very good shape going into the World Championship. Of

:49:22. > :49:30.course, remember, you lost to Judd Trump in the World Championship

:49:31. > :49:37.last season and who knows what could have happened if he had won

:49:37. > :49:40.that? Neil is one of the most accomplished players in the game.

:49:40. > :49:46.The best all-rounder alongside John Higgins and that is the kind of

:49:46. > :49:51.snookered you have to play to win championships. He says he feels he

:49:51. > :49:57.is a 50% better player than when he even won the world title. I would

:49:57. > :50:00.agree. Particularly in this match but also against Judd Trump. His

:50:00. > :50:09.overall matchplay snooker has risen considerably and he has become so

:50:09. > :50:13.tough. His safety was spot on and every time he got a head, Shaun's

:50:13. > :50:16.safety has to get up to the Neil Robertson standard, because he was

:50:17. > :50:21.spot on with the safety and kept the pressure on. And when he got

:50:21. > :50:25.the opportunities, he took them with aplomb. He really deserves to

:50:25. > :50:30.be champion. Would you agree that might be the missing ingredient for

:50:30. > :50:34.Shaun Murphy? Only might be. I don't think Shaun should well too

:50:34. > :50:38.much on edge. The way he plays snooker is fantastic and while he

:50:38. > :50:43.will be disappointed, he should not start analysing too much. He plays

:50:44. > :50:49.a great game and on his day, he is unbeatable. The trouble is, there

:50:49. > :50:53.are many other players good on their day these days. We have had

:50:53. > :50:57.judged from winning the UK, Neil Robertson coming back to win this

:50:57. > :51:01.one. Snooker is in pretty good nick? Absolutely. And so many

:51:01. > :51:04.players playing to a pretty good standard. And it will be

:51:04. > :51:09.interesting as the season comes to the World Championship and close

:51:09. > :51:12.with the World Championship, who will be the guys are vying for that

:51:12. > :51:17.championship? Great to see so many of them playing at the top of their

:51:17. > :51:21.form. And we will be with you back again at The Crucible. 21st April,

:51:21. > :51:25.I believe it starts. A few months to get ready for that. Thank you

:51:25. > :51:30.very much for your company this week. It's been a great success, a

:51:30. > :51:33.rip-roaring success! We're looking forward to coming back here to Ally