Day 2

:00:36. > :00:41.Good afternoon and a very wintery one it is in London and probably

:00:41. > :00:47.wherever you are. It brings a whole new perspective to the turn

:00:47. > :00:50.sledging in sport. Drum Higgins and Ali Carter have tackled -- have a

:00:50. > :00:56.told through the snow to get here to Alexandra Palace in time for

:00:56. > :01:06.their opening match in this year's Betfair Masters. For John, he is

:01:06. > :01:06.

:01:06. > :01:12.after a third Masters title, only seven years after his last one. I

:01:12. > :01:20.always found the Masters quite an over boring event. John Higgins has

:01:20. > :01:30.had the same problem. It's not like we can't play here. We play in the

:01:30. > :01:33.crucible where there is the one table set-up. I was over ought with

:01:33. > :01:41.the Wembley Arena. I couldn't settle there. It was too big, too

:01:41. > :01:46.fast. I never felt anything at that event. This particular venue suits

:01:46. > :01:49.John Higgins more because it is more intimate. He hasn't produced

:01:49. > :01:52.like he has in the world championships here and you would

:01:52. > :02:02.expect on the big stage arguably the second biggest tournament of

:02:02. > :02:11.

:02:11. > :02:17.the season that his name would be This board has a lot of great names

:02:17. > :02:23.on it but when I look it, it is not a good viewing. There is me, only

:02:23. > :02:28.three times Masters champion. John Higgins, four times world champion,

:02:28. > :02:34.two-times Masters champion. What went wrong? I would have liked to

:02:34. > :02:38.have won it more times but I never seen to play better. What has he

:02:38. > :02:44.got to do to try to win it for the third time? He's got to get used to

:02:44. > :02:50.the crowd. He's got to win them over. He is playing Ali Carter, a

:02:50. > :02:55.relative local lad. He's got to try to get over to a flying start.

:02:55. > :03:00.Something will not used to. The most important thing, the usual

:03:00. > :03:04.suspects behind him are also trying to win the tournament. Those

:03:04. > :03:09.suspects get better year on year. So, John Higgins, former world

:03:09. > :03:13.number one facing the former world No. 2 Ali Carter, adding up to

:03:13. > :03:18.something special this afternoon. Mind you, they will have to go some

:03:18. > :03:26.to beat yesterday's opening match for pure drama. He may have been

:03:26. > :03:30.watching when Neil Robertson was 3- 5 down against Ding Junhui and

:03:30. > :03:39.staring an early exit squarely in the face. He was all but down and

:03:39. > :03:49.out. The key phrase there - all but. We can start off with a better

:03:49. > :03:59.

:04:00. > :04:07.he takes the opening frame. Look at him, crossed double on the red.

:04:07. > :04:16.Just the start the defending champion was looking for. This will

:04:16. > :04:23.test his cue action. Well played. He is getting there. There is a

:04:23. > :04:33.century. Brilliant. What a chance this would be. Could not have

:04:33. > :04:39.

:04:39. > :04:49.played it better. All square. exceptional player. He doesn't miss

:04:49. > :04:53.

:04:53. > :05:03.many. Absolutely superb! He levels the match once again, 3-3. And it

:05:03. > :05:05.

:05:05. > :05:15.is there... He leads 4-3. He managed to avoid that and what a

:05:15. > :05:16.

:05:16. > :05:23.kiss on the black. 5-3. The cannon... That looks inch perfect.

:05:23. > :05:33.So, that is still within reach. It is 5-4. Well, that is something

:05:33. > :05:43.simple. His seat on the red? He is having a look. Not quite. He is

:05:43. > :05:43.

:05:43. > :05:52.playing safe. His hopes of retaining the title are within this

:05:52. > :06:02.shot. Great and popped under pressure. We are going to a decider.

:06:02. > :06:12.There is nothing like a deciding frame. Absolutely beautifully cued.

:06:12. > :06:13.

:06:13. > :06:18.It was a terrific match. Neil Robertson beats Ding Junhui, 6-5.

:06:18. > :06:23.knew that if I could get a trance at 5-5, I was going to go for it.

:06:23. > :06:32.He had a good break off, and he left to meet red in the middle and

:06:32. > :06:39.I made 90. I had a chance to win 6- 4. I got to the blue and I hit the

:06:39. > :06:49.pink, not enough power to open the red to get another chance so

:06:49. > :06:50.

:06:50. > :06:54.sometimes I needed some luck. I don't know, anyway. You play on one

:06:54. > :07:00.table, it is a great crowd. For me, it makes the second best tournament

:07:00. > :07:05.We've got. This is the tournament that everybody looks forward to

:07:05. > :07:15.apart from the World Championship. It is great to be in the next round.

:07:15. > :07:17.

:07:17. > :07:26.I can watch all the other players First first first round decider we

:07:26. > :07:32.have ever seen at the Ally Pally. Shaun Murphy takes on Ricky Walden.

:07:32. > :07:36.Then we have John Higgins and Ali Carter. Mark Selby plays Stuart

:07:36. > :07:42.Bingham on Wednesday. Then we have Williams against Stevens and

:07:42. > :07:52.Fairless -- fellow Scots Maguire and Dott play each other tomorrow.

:07:52. > :08:02.

:08:02. > :08:07.Then, Judd Trump against Barry One of the great things about this

:08:07. > :08:11.venue is not only is it great for the snooker, you can come into this

:08:11. > :08:14.lounge with your family and relax. Outside in the heat of the battle,

:08:14. > :08:19.the family and friends get more nervous than the players so it is

:08:19. > :08:24.nice to watch it on TV, relax, have a cup of tea and enjoy the

:08:24. > :08:30.atmosphere. You are close enough but you are not getting affected by

:08:30. > :08:39.the venue. Even though it is on the TV, you can still enjoy it. And you

:08:39. > :08:43.can relax in the interval. There are some nice pictures of John

:08:44. > :08:49.Virgo and Taylor. Come on, let's get a cappuccino. There is nothing

:08:49. > :08:54.like the for a year. When you come through the door, it is impressive.

:08:54. > :09:00.Have a look at this. It is beautiful. The last time we played

:09:01. > :09:06.in the Masters, those trees were just shrubs. It is beautiful.

:09:06. > :09:11.Impressive, gorgeous. We have been in a few snooker halls in our time

:09:11. > :09:17.but nothing as impressive as this, first built in 1873, probably when

:09:17. > :09:22.you took up snooker. The footprints of this venue cover 7.5 acres.

:09:22. > :09:29.was built by the Lucas brothers who built the Royal Albert Hall. Look

:09:29. > :09:33.at that, the rose window. Gorgeous, isn't it? It would take some

:09:33. > :09:39.window-cleaning, wouldn't it? this is where the hacks and

:09:39. > :09:46.photographers hang out. This is where the hard work takes place.

:09:46. > :09:56.Down here, this is where the press conferences take place. If you were

:09:56. > :10:01.

:10:01. > :10:06.Stephen Hendry, what would happen? Well, it would be one-word answers.

:10:06. > :10:09.This is where the serious stuff takes place. The walk out into a

:10:09. > :10:15.magnificent tournament. intensity, the pressure, the

:10:15. > :10:20.atmosphere, the crowd, and the beautiful trophy and the Masters

:10:20. > :10:27.champion should. This tournament makes you play well from the start.

:10:27. > :10:32.The cream of the cream, you are playing tough matches every time.

:10:32. > :10:36.One table, no place to hide. Wonderful atmosphere, and this is

:10:36. > :10:42.why you want to be Ursa could play. To come out and play in a beautiful

:10:42. > :10:48.arena of. This is the trophy. There are two players ready to come out.

:10:48. > :10:52.So, it is all yours. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. What a

:10:52. > :10:56.scintillating start we had to Betfair Masters yesterday, a

:10:56. > :11:03.brilliant match in the afternoon, and hopefully we are in line for

:11:03. > :11:08.more of the same today here at Ally Pally. Please welcome a player who

:11:08. > :11:12.had a wonderful run to the UK final last month, a two-time ranking

:11:12. > :11:22.event when and twice a World Championship runner up, The Captain,

:11:22. > :11:41.

:11:42. > :11:47.A warm was set -- reception. You are almost a local lad. A

:11:47. > :11:51.magnificent trophy available here. You are on good form. It has been a

:11:51. > :11:54.good second half of the season so far so hopefully I can do good

:11:54. > :12:04.today. The very best of luck, Ali Carter!

:12:04. > :12:11.

:12:11. > :12:15.And his opponent, one of Scotland's finest exports, winner of 25

:12:15. > :12:19.ranking events in all, four times champion of the world, twice a

:12:19. > :12:29.Masters winner, the Wizard of Wishaw, John Higgins!

:12:29. > :12:44.

:12:44. > :12:49.A couple of great performances from you in previous years but you would

:12:49. > :12:52.love to get your hands on it for of third time. It would be amazing, it

:12:52. > :12:56.is one of the best tournaments we play. It would be great to do it

:12:56. > :13:06.again. Ladies and gentlemen, John Higgins!

:13:06. > :13:09.

:13:09. > :13:14.APPLAUSE Gabius Both of these players have started this season in

:13:14. > :13:17.great show. Ali Carter should be a great handful. Stephen Hendry and

:13:17. > :13:27.Dennis Taylor have backed the commentary box seats this afternoon.

:13:27. > :13:33.

:13:33. > :13:42.Good afternoon took everyone watching at home. A good Brickel

:13:42. > :13:48.shot from John Higgins. -- break off a shot. A very fascinating

:13:48. > :13:56.match. Probably two of the toughest match players we have out there

:13:56. > :14:01.these days. I would expect the all- round standard of play, breaking,

:14:01. > :14:06.potting, brick building to be of the highest quality. That is not a

:14:06. > :14:14.great start from Ali Carter. He has come up a long way short and has

:14:14. > :14:23.left John Higgins and easy start. No pink or black available, but he

:14:23. > :14:29.has handed him the pack of reds. First shot on this table, obviously,

:14:29. > :14:39.you don't know the speed of it. The practice tables are of the same

:14:39. > :14:57.

:14:57. > :15:02.Safely negotiated between green and brown. Just look at that white keep

:15:02. > :15:07.on running. As Stevens says, it takes a while to get used to the

:15:07. > :15:17.speed of the table even though you have a couple of practice tables.

:15:17. > :15:17.

:15:17. > :15:23.The table looked to be playing Straight away, he got a good angle

:15:23. > :15:33.on the blue to get to the pink and doesn't seem to be any plants on,

:15:33. > :15:41.

:15:41. > :15:51.And he has freed the black as well. APPLAUSE That has turned out quite

:15:51. > :15:53.

:15:53. > :15:57.nicely even though he hit the pink It was interesting to hear John

:15:57. > :16:06.saying he couldn't settle in the conference centre. It was a bigger

:16:06. > :16:11.venue. When it was full, even though it was a big venue, it was

:16:11. > :16:20.fantastic to play and I used to think this was the venue which was

:16:20. > :16:25.a little bit more intimate, closer to the table. The old conference

:16:25. > :16:29.centre was one of the great snooker venues, one of the best I have ever

:16:29. > :16:34.played in. It is strange the record he has had in the Masters because

:16:34. > :16:44.he is one of the top 16 players, and he has been one of the toppled

:16:44. > :16:57.

:16:57. > :17:02.the last 20 years. -- one of the One of the greatest venues over was

:17:02. > :17:12.at the New London Theatre in Drury Lane. Now, that was a terrific

:17:12. > :17:32.

:17:33. > :17:42.This is the start you drink of. The roads are placed like a practice

:17:43. > :18:12.

:18:12. > :18:22.session. It lets you get into your Didn't have a good UK Championship

:18:22. > :18:56.

:18:56. > :19:00.John Higgins. I think this weak, he He came up a long way short, this

:19:00. > :19:10.was his first shot. This has been the result of him not hitting the

:19:10. > :19:26.

:19:26. > :19:34.If it was a normal tournament, some of the lower-ranked players might

:19:34. > :19:44.have got away with that mistake. You've got to be on your a game

:19:44. > :20:07.

:20:07. > :20:15.right from the start in this We have had four sentries already.

:20:15. > :20:24.Mark Allen would the Ayerst. -- with the highest in the opening

:20:24. > :20:34.frame. Mark Davis look like he was going to do a very good break of

:20:34. > :20:53.

:20:53. > :21:01.shot, but then Mark Allen pottered Well, he took his eye off a pot of.

:21:01. > :21:08.It is a lack of concentration of. I've seen some easy shots, but John

:21:08. > :21:18.cannot believe it. Mind you, the black jumped a little, maybe it

:21:18. > :21:39.

:21:40. > :21:49.There is enough that for a Ali to It was a careless shot back alley.

:21:50. > :22:16.

:22:16. > :22:24.It was his first positional colour he didn't get on the colour, so he

:22:24. > :22:31.is struggling. He has got to be That is the problem when you have

:22:31. > :22:40.to play the cannon. He is out of position. He needs a good pot to

:22:40. > :22:45.recover. The black is the one that would get him on the red. If he

:22:46. > :22:55.takes the pink, he should drop on the red. It could have been a lot

:22:56. > :23:00.

:23:00. > :23:10.Just. It looked as if it was going to go into the corner. Good

:23:10. > :23:17.

:23:17. > :23:27.I thought it was going to go straight on and hit the jaw of the

:23:27. > :23:30.

:23:30. > :23:40.This would be an early psychological blow. Higgins was

:23:40. > :24:17.

:24:17. > :24:22.This is a nice angle, so he can Peter Ebdon is here this afternoon

:24:22. > :24:32.with Ali Carter. He has been doing a little bit of coaching with him.

:24:32. > :24:37.

:24:37. > :24:41.There he is, always immaculate, Peter looks a bit like a bank

:24:41. > :24:51.manager there. A bit different to the early days when he had a pony

:24:51. > :25:23.

:25:23. > :25:28.He has under done that slightly and now he is going to have to play a

:25:28. > :25:38.good positional shot and he has got to put sight on it and John Higgins

:25:38. > :25:38.

:25:38. > :26:37.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:26:37. > :26:45.He had to use the cushion and he has the pace. That is just about

:26:46. > :26:55.perfect. John Higgins was cruising in this frame and there was a bit

:26:56. > :27:07.

:27:07. > :27:14.of a bad contact, but hasn't he What an opening frame! John Higgins

:27:14. > :27:20.had a 59, but then Ali Carter clears up. We want more of this. 1-

:27:20. > :27:28.0, Ali Carter. We have Stephen and Ken. They have

:27:28. > :27:33.graced five Masters finals between them. Wow, a great start. Ali

:27:33. > :27:38.Carter showing exactly that he means business. You miss one ball,

:27:38. > :27:44.it is all over. John Higgins was cruising in that frame. Dennis said

:27:44. > :27:50.he got it bad contact but I am not sure it affected him that much. The

:27:51. > :27:56.black may have jumped but sometimes if you get a bad contact, it may go

:27:56. > :28:01.thicker, but all power to Ali. A great finish and a great clearer as.

:28:01. > :28:04.We were all excited about the prospect of this match. We saw the

:28:04. > :28:10.two man at the UK Championship last year seemed to be warming up as the

:28:10. > :28:13.season went on. I suffered defeat at the hands of Ali Carter. I was

:28:13. > :28:20.watching for the rest of the tournament with an added interest

:28:20. > :28:26.and thinking he's playing very well. And he got turned over by Shaun

:28:26. > :28:31.Murphy in the end. Ali Carter was the potential winner of that event.

:28:32. > :28:38.He has made a statement here as early as frame one. He could have

:28:38. > :28:46.been forgiven for being a bit cold after a 59 break from John Higgins

:28:46. > :28:56.and to actually now turn that around, that is great form. It is a

:28:56. > :28:57.

:28:57. > :29:07.blow for drawn a gins. If you were wondering about going out for a

:29:07. > :29:10.

:29:10. > :29:14.walk in the snow, forget it and It is the best of 11, the opening

:29:14. > :29:24.frame, it is always nice to win it but not that important over the

:29:24. > :29:31.

:29:31. > :29:35.There is plenty of time in this match and John Higgins is

:29:35. > :29:41.experienced enough to deal with what happened. It is a difference

:29:41. > :29:51.between feeling very comfortable, and having it stolen from you. It

:29:51. > :30:00.

:30:00. > :30:06.John, before the match, we were chatting, and he was on great form,

:30:06. > :30:16.had a great Christmas, and he looked so relaxed. When he started

:30:16. > :30:32.

:30:32. > :30:42.I think he tried to get around the back of it there. I thought, like

:30:42. > :30:47.you, that he would try to hold for the black. He tried to find the gap

:30:47. > :30:57.there. Unlucky that the black didn't pull up a bit short. He

:30:57. > :30:57.

:30:57. > :32:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:32:09. > :32:15.Again, he pushed the red closer to That is very good cueing indeed. A

:32:15. > :32:25.long way from the object ball. From that angle, you have to cue them

:32:25. > :32:34.

:32:34. > :32:41.Just a bit unlucky there. He went too far, stopping him from getting

:32:42. > :32:51.the black on that occasion. If he does play for the black, it might

:32:52. > :32:56.

:32:56. > :33:04.be tied up, so he might leave it If it is available into the left,

:33:04. > :33:14.he will be OK. I think it might be available into the right corner.

:33:14. > :33:36.

:33:36. > :33:46.Let's have a look. It does not go He looks to be cueing great today,

:33:46. > :33:49.

:33:49. > :33:59.It looked as if it might have had a bit of a kick. I think he just took

:33:59. > :33:59.

:33:59. > :34:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:34:39. > :34:49.his eye off the pot. He was He has got the red over the middle

:34:49. > :34:50.

:34:50. > :35:00.pocket. But it might be a time to cannon into the reds. He

:35:00. > :35:25.

:35:25. > :35:31.He put too much on that. He wanted That is ambitious. That was the

:35:31. > :35:36.right decision, too quickly forget about that, cut his losses.

:35:36. > :35:46.Sometimes you do that when you run out of position. You think, that

:35:46. > :36:03.

:36:04. > :36:09.was a bad shot, I am going to try You should know a bit about his

:36:09. > :36:16.game, Stephen. You practised with him. It will be interesting to know

:36:16. > :36:21.how many thousands of frame you have played together. What a

:36:21. > :36:31.training-ground, to have Stephen Hendry to practise with. The same

:36:31. > :36:42.

:36:42. > :36:52.applied to Stephen Maguire. I know Yeah, I practise with John for a

:36:52. > :37:28.

:37:28. > :37:38.Has to be a bit careful there. It is a slight distraction. He is OK.

:37:38. > :37:43.

:37:43. > :37:50.He has got a choice of shots now. He could play a cannon. He can play

:37:50. > :38:00.on to the red and it will open up a few more. That might be worth a

:38:00. > :38:03.

:38:03. > :38:09.risk here. He played for the single red on this occasion. There's not

:38:09. > :38:19.much more available. He is going to have to go into those four reds at

:38:19. > :38:57.

:38:57. > :39:07.He played it beautifully. That red might just be blocking the black.

:39:07. > :39:20.

:39:20. > :39:30.He is up for the blue, but it is a I was just thinking that. It is

:39:30. > :39:41.

:39:41. > :39:45.amazing how the balls don't for Don't know if that red passes a

:39:45. > :39:55.brown into the yellow pocket. But that looks like the only danger

:39:55. > :40:15.

:40:15. > :40:25.That red you mentioned, Steve Higgins' -- John Higgins pushed the

:40:25. > :40:29.

:40:29. > :40:39.That was a bit careless. He has not taking full advantage of his good

:40:39. > :41:16.

:41:16. > :41:25.Wow. He gets a round of applause but that is another fluke. He holds

:41:25. > :41:35.his hand up to apologise. It might be worse for John Higgins after

:41:35. > :41:43.

:41:43. > :41:53.Is there a gap? If there is, he can get back down to the brown and pink.

:41:53. > :42:28.

:42:28. > :42:38.He has to be careful not to push a As you said, if he missed it, he

:42:38. > :43:08.

:43:08. > :43:15.was certain to leave a pot on. That He is going to need the extended

:43:15. > :43:22.rest. Doesn't need the difficult brown. He is already ten points in

:43:22. > :43:32.front. A couple of reds and blacks and a yellow and green would be

:43:32. > :43:47.

:43:47. > :43:51.He might not necessarily play for the black off the last red. He

:43:51. > :44:01.might go for the blue, making it easier to go for the yellow.

:44:01. > :44:04.

:44:04. > :44:14.This makes it pretty straightforward to get to the

:44:14. > :44:23.

:44:23. > :44:33.He will be mighty relieved to get this frame on the board. Allister

:44:33. > :44:38.

:44:38. > :44:44.Carter had a great opportunity to A sign of a real champion, isn't it,

:44:44. > :44:54.when you come back like this after what happened in the opening frame.

:44:54. > :45:09.

:45:10. > :45:15.He has a lot of experience, John Not quite over the line, but two

:45:16. > :45:25.snookers are required, so it should be one each. The pink is in a good

:45:26. > :45:50.

:45:50. > :46:00.Got a good cue ball but the brown Got to be careful here. He could

:46:00. > :46:37.

:46:37. > :46:47.Not the best effort John Higgins has ever made at a pot. I expected

:46:47. > :47:02.

:47:02. > :47:12.A pretty good effort. It is quite difficult to escape

:47:12. > :47:18.

:47:19. > :47:23.He is just looking at the score board to see what would happen. He

:47:23. > :47:33.would still need a snooker. would not want to leave the cue

:47:33. > :47:36.

:47:36. > :47:42.ball close to the brown if he REFEREE: Foul.

:47:42. > :47:46.All of a sudden, Allister Carter is in with a chance. 23 is the

:47:46. > :47:56.difference, which is why John looked at the scoreboard. Sometimes

:47:56. > :47:56.

:47:56. > :48:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:48:56. > :49:04.John Higgins using a bit of experience there. A lot of players

:49:04. > :49:14.would try to pot the brown. He is keeping the cue ball and the object

:49:14. > :49:24.ball, the brown, as far apart as The pink is still in a pretty good

:49:24. > :49:44.

:49:44. > :49:54.spot for a snooker. It was better He almost got a snooker behind the

:49:54. > :49:54.

:49:54. > :50:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:50:45. > :50:55.He played it with a touch of swerve. In this situation, you have got to

:50:55. > :51:05.try to keep the object ball safe as well. Allister knew there was no

:51:05. > :51:30.

:51:30. > :51:40.He has a chance now. In behind the He just came up a bit short. Well,

:51:40. > :51:50.

:51:50. > :52:00.it is a snooker, but I think he can Too much! All of a sudden, it is

:52:00. > :52:03.

:52:03. > :52:13.anybody's second frame. Amazing. That is incredible. Just putting

:52:13. > :52:13.

:52:13. > :52:23.the red next to the brown now. You have got to be able to hit the

:52:23. > :52:31.

:52:31. > :52:41.John Higgins has not played a shot like that since he started playing

:52:41. > :52:44.

:52:44. > :52:54.snooker, I think, Dennis. That was It seemed straightforward, but look

:52:54. > :53:02.

:53:02. > :53:08.at the action he got on it. He just Look at this for a result. What a

:53:08. > :53:18.result. OK, Allister Carter has had some good fortune, but I tell you

:53:18. > :53:20.

:53:20. > :53:26.what, that is as good as it gets, dropping in behind the blue there.

:53:26. > :53:34.O! It is all happening out here at the Ally Pally. He is going to

:53:34. > :53:37.finish on the blue. I can't believe what is happening there. All of a

:53:37. > :53:47.sudden, John Higgins has had some good fortune, and look at what

:53:47. > :53:59.

:53:59. > :54:03.happens. Amazing. He will be Even that is a good angle. The

:54:03. > :54:10.white would have gone up close to the cushion and it would not have

:54:10. > :54:18.been straightforward. Is he going to take full advantage of the

:54:18. > :54:22.couple of pieces of good fortune he has had so far? I bet John is still

:54:22. > :54:32.having a little thought to that black in the first frame. Without

:54:32. > :54:42.that, none of this would be happening. It is going to be good

:54:42. > :54:58.

:54:58. > :55:02.cueing. It is all about delivering I don't know why he hit it that

:55:02. > :55:09.hard. But I think he has got away with it. Look at where the black

:55:09. > :55:19.has finished. Why did he hit it so hard? I think it was tension.

:55:19. > :55:37.

:55:37. > :55:41.That was a pretty good shot under the circumstances. This is one

:55:41. > :55:51.where if you send the black around the angles, there's a chance you

:55:51. > :56:00.

:56:00. > :56:10.can flick it into the left middle. He was looking at the angle of the

:56:10. > :56:16.

:56:16. > :56:26.What did he play there? I think he played the pot, Dennis. He'd mishit

:56:26. > :56:38.

:56:38. > :56:43.Look where he has put the cue ball. That is telling you, right, just in

:56:44. > :56:53.case I miss the black, I am going to get a good cue ball. That

:56:54. > :57:13.

:57:13. > :57:23.thought in your mind takes some Well, early excitement here in this

:57:23. > :57:24.

:57:24. > :57:30.match between these two great players. Playing the black into the

:57:30. > :57:40.green pocket here. You wanted tend to overcut this if you are going to

:57:40. > :57:41.

:57:41. > :57:51.mishit it. You don't want to miss Well, he has missed it thick. That

:57:51. > :58:10.

:58:10. > :58:18.was the worst possible outcome for He has pinched another frame. John

:58:18. > :58:21.Higgins looked comfortable when Allister Carter needed two snookers.

:58:21. > :58:28.He could have been two down but he is two in front.

:58:28. > :58:29.HAZEL IRVINE: It feels like a whole match!

:58:29. > :58:36.match! We are just analysing luck, aren't

:58:36. > :58:44.we? John Higgins has had a chance to win both frames. When he potted

:58:44. > :58:50.the green and had a role down the cushion, not an easy shot but a

:58:50. > :58:55.simple one. He thought, no problem. That was perhaps the shot he did

:58:55. > :59:01.not absolutely commit to. It was the type of shot you wouldn't do so

:59:01. > :59:06.much. From then on, stupid things can happen. If you ask for stupid

:59:06. > :59:10.things to happen in snooker, they Stephen Hendry made a good point. I

:59:10. > :59:14.wonder what part of his brain is going back to the first frame. He

:59:14. > :59:19.missed a straight forward brown then as well. How much can that

:59:19. > :59:27.play on your mind? You always think about blacks he should have potted.

:59:27. > :59:32.Sometimes the balls never for give you. You might take your eye off a

:59:32. > :59:37.pot as you are closing out a frame. You are in coasting mode. That is

:59:37. > :59:42.all it was. It was a lapse of concentration. It can play on you,

:59:42. > :59:49.and it has for John Higgins. Apart from Allister fluking a few balls,

:59:49. > :59:53.losing that with two snookers was criminal, really, from John Higgins.

:59:53. > :00:00.It is interesting. In the short term, we know that lot can happen.

:00:00. > :00:05.Anything can happen. We have seen it before. Over a season, you can

:00:05. > :00:11.dictate how much luck can come into the match. You can cut down on the

:00:11. > :00:14.vagaries of that. Over a career, the more right shots you play, the

:00:14. > :00:20.better your rate is going to be. But you still can't control the

:00:20. > :00:30.balls all the time. Steve is in philosophical mood. Allister Carter

:00:30. > :00:34.

:00:34. > :00:44.This is virtually the identical Breakell shot to the first frame

:00:44. > :00:48.

:00:48. > :00:55.when Ali Carter was snookered. -- This is just a safety leaving the

:00:55. > :01:05.White up the other under-the-table. This is a real test of temperament

:01:05. > :01:08.

:01:08. > :01:15.for John Higgins. He has lost two He needs to get his mind back on

:01:15. > :01:25.where he is supposed to be - winning the match. That is not a

:01:25. > :01:51.

:01:51. > :02:00.That was not well struck. He hit the red on the wrong side. The pot

:02:00. > :02:06.is on his right, he struck it on the left. Once again, that red, he

:02:06. > :02:15.could have left it a lot easier than this. It looked as if it was

:02:15. > :02:25.going to be available for John. A fairly comfortable pot. But it is a

:02:25. > :02:39.

:02:39. > :02:49.How is John's luck this time? It is not bad. He could be so could after

:02:49. > :03:06.

:03:06. > :03:12.this. -- he could be snookered APPLAUSE.

:03:12. > :03:22.He has got to try to get to the red off a couple of cushions but he

:03:22. > :03:52.

:03:52. > :03:57.That is going to slip past it. Does He has two reds in the centre, but

:03:57. > :04:01.it is risky. The beauty of the snooker he played his that he got

:04:01. > :04:07.the cue ball close to the brown which meant John Higgins couldn't

:04:07. > :04:17.come off one side cushion. I think that is sane enough, the same shot

:04:17. > :04:35.

:04:35. > :04:45.I think it cuts. Whereas the cue ball going to finish? -- why it is

:04:45. > :04:45.

:04:45. > :05:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:05:51. > :05:57.He could not attempt a pot here. He might be tight around the yellow.

:05:57. > :06:07.He planned to get it close to the cushion. He has left Ali the chance

:06:07. > :06:32.

:06:32. > :06:38.Now John is in trouble. He can get between the brown and blue, but

:06:39. > :06:48.that as though last thing he wants to do. He is going to have to play

:06:49. > :07:02.

:07:02. > :07:12.this as if he was snookered. And APPLAUSE.

:07:12. > :07:51.

:07:51. > :08:01.John Higgins is rattled after what has happened to him in the first

:08:01. > :08:15.

:08:15. > :08:18.two frames. He caught that safety APPLAUSE.

:08:18. > :08:22.I didn't realise these players have never played each other in the

:08:22. > :08:29.Masters before. They've never even met each other in the World

:08:29. > :08:39.Championship! That is quite an amazing statistics. John has had

:08:39. > :09:13.

:09:13. > :09:23.the better of the matches. He is 8- He knew where that was going to

:09:23. > :09:23.

:09:23. > :10:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:10:17. > :10:25.finish. He can come off the side At the moment, Ali Carter

:10:25. > :10:33.dominating this little tactical battle which is very good plate

:10:33. > :10:37.indeed. At the start of this match, they are both good all-round

:10:37. > :10:42.players, Stephen said. The safety success rate, Ali Carter is well

:10:42. > :10:48.ahead in that department at the moment. John is looking for a path

:10:48. > :10:57.through to that red in a corner pocket. It is not going to be easy.

:10:57. > :11:07.I was waiting to see way you were going to draw your line, donors. --

:11:07. > :11:12.

:11:12. > :11:22.Dennis. There is a line there, but He can't play for the bunch of reds

:11:22. > :11:34.

:11:34. > :11:44.because he would be very lucky to He was in a bit of a hole there,

:11:44. > :11:56.

:11:56. > :12:06.Obviously, this red pots into the right hand corner. It is a little

:12:06. > :12:43.

:12:43. > :12:53.What a chance now to go 3-0 up. Could not have placed the roads any

:12:53. > :13:17.

:13:17. > :13:22.It is amazing what can happen when you start having to cannon into

:13:22. > :13:29.other balls. Just because he didn't get on to the black as he intended,

:13:29. > :13:39.he has made things awkward for himself. He Willmott believe the

:13:39. > :13:44.

:13:44. > :13:54.position the cue ball is him. - Amazing! It shows you want careless

:13:54. > :13:58.

:13:59. > :14:05.positional shot and he has left a This is a little awkward for John.

:14:05. > :14:15.It is a thin cut. I don't think he can hold for the black. He might be

:14:15. > :14:16.

:14:17. > :14:22.able to... Years, delicately played. -- yes. It is a great test of his

:14:22. > :14:26.temperament now. Ali has got to sit there and see what develops.

:14:26. > :14:36.red that Ali missed is one of those shops that if the opponent had left

:14:36. > :14:42.

:14:42. > :14:52.It is not a difficult pot, but he is annoyed with himself, he knows

:14:52. > :14:55.

:14:55. > :15:05.he should have been in an easier Just needs to remove that red to

:15:05. > :15:05.

:15:05. > :16:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:16:22. > :16:32.He did not play for this road. But You want to keep things as simple

:16:32. > :16:48.

:16:48. > :16:58.This is a tricky positional shot. He is playing for the black in the

:16:58. > :17:33.

:17:33. > :17:39.He has landed an awkward angle on He was hoping to be on the black in

:17:39. > :17:49.such a way so he could have played for the red to the right of the two

:17:49. > :17:58.

:17:58. > :18:06.He would like to be able to play on that without playing the cannon. He

:18:06. > :18:16.might be able to. One Celsius Potts this, it clears the path for the

:18:16. > :18:44.

:18:44. > :18:49.He can score enough with the reds just the way they are sitting, he

:18:49. > :18:59.does not have to cannon. Ali Carter missed a golden opportunity of

:18:59. > :19:08.

:19:08. > :19:18.being 3-0 up. This was where he got This has been an important frame

:19:18. > :19:24.for John Higgins. It still is. cause, we already knew what a

:19:24. > :19:34.competitor he is, but this shows what a great champion he is, and

:19:34. > :19:58.

:19:58. > :20:03.That was a lovely shot, screwing a He will not be taking anything for

:20:03. > :20:13.granted here. He lost the previous frame with Aldi needing two

:20:13. > :20:17.

:20:17. > :20:27.You still feel this is going to be a close encounter. Both players are

:20:27. > :20:48.

:20:48. > :20:53.As I mentioned, we have had four John Higgins, one of the greatest

:20:53. > :20:59.break builders of the game has ever seen. He has had 517 centuries in

:20:59. > :21:04.his career. Still a few hundred centuries behind my colleague

:21:04. > :21:14.Stephen Hendry who is wait out in front with something like 750

:21:14. > :21:18.

:21:18. > :21:28.He made 25 centuries last season. He has made 17 sentries so far this

:21:28. > :21:54.

:21:54. > :22:04.season. This one is going to be one That is a wonderful century break.

:22:04. > :22:09.

:22:09. > :22:18.And just an exhibition positional Ali Carter had a golden chance to

:22:18. > :22:27.go 3-0 up. John Higgins with a break of 117 closes the deficit. It

:22:27. > :22:32.The double Masters champion. It is a difficult day. Outside for many

:22:32. > :22:36.of you as well. It has been snowing quite a bit here. It has been

:22:36. > :22:41.pretty wintry. All we do get a pretty good view of the capital

:22:41. > :22:46.from up from the top of Alexandra Park. It is right in the North of

:22:46. > :22:53.the city. Now, inside Alexandra Palace, it is pretty warm and cosy.

:22:53. > :22:59.The weather outside his well, frightful. It is so delightful

:22:59. > :23:08.inside. Since you've got no place to go forth stop watch the show.

:23:08. > :23:13.Did you see what we did there? feeble attempts at song writing. A

:23:13. > :23:18.great century by John. As the guy is said, he does pick his moment.

:23:18. > :23:25.He needed to. Ali Carter was looking in very good form. It was

:23:25. > :23:32.down to Ali he got the chance. The mist on the red. As we have said,

:23:32. > :23:36.that was the cause of a lapse of a positional shot beforehand. With

:23:36. > :23:41.the reds all open, you think you cannot go wrong, but there are all

:23:41. > :23:46.sorts of traps that can mess you up. That is why he has walked out, you

:23:46. > :23:51.can be steaming. He knew he had a great opportunity to put the foot

:23:51. > :23:54.down on John Higgins because he had him in all sorts of positions and

:23:54. > :23:59.snookers. He got out of it but let him that opportunity and that was

:23:59. > :24:04.the time to put his foot to the throw, basically, and when he

:24:04. > :24:09.missed that red, he knew his chance was gone. Still, he is in good form

:24:09. > :24:19.but a good come back from John Higgins. A hugely enjoyable match

:24:19. > :24:20.

:24:20. > :24:25.It certainly is, Hazel. Everyone at home sitting on the settees, away

:24:25. > :24:35.from the weather, will be enjoying this. It is a little bit warmer in

:24:35. > :24:59.

:24:59. > :25:06.the commentary box than it is with He hasn't taken advantage of that.

:25:06. > :25:11.It wasn't a straightforward brown, but I expected him to knock it in.

:25:11. > :25:21.Those shops, you don't want to take them on but you feel you have to.

:25:21. > :25:21.

:25:21. > :26:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:26:06. > :26:13.I think you have always taken the All of a sudden, things have

:26:13. > :26:23.changed around. Has that last frame affected Ali Carter? He is having a

:26:23. > :26:44.

:26:44. > :26:54.He's going to need assistance to get to this. Is he going to need

:26:54. > :27:02.

:27:02. > :27:10.the spider? He's got very little to He's going to need this swan neck

:27:10. > :27:20.or the extended spider. The cloth today on the table is really

:27:20. > :27:37.

:27:37. > :27:47.He has often over screwed and over So easy to put side spin on the

:27:47. > :27:47.

:27:47. > :28:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:28:32. > :28:42.He chose to play for the Open red. That is surprising because he had a

:28:42. > :28:59.

:28:59. > :29:09.That was a bit of a stretch but it was a good recovery. Now he has got

:29:09. > :29:18.

:29:18. > :29:28.He is having a good look. He can screw back and meet the red to the

:29:28. > :30:01.

:30:01. > :30:11.He needed plenty of top spin to make sure it didn't stick in the

:30:11. > :30:14.

:30:14. > :30:24.pack. He is OK although it did The White jumped and took the pace

:30:24. > :30:31.

:30:31. > :30:41.A bit more difficult now, though. He has been left a bit closer to

:30:41. > :30:47.

:30:47. > :30:57.Once again having to play the cannon that he didn't want to have

:30:57. > :31:17.

:31:17. > :31:26.to be playing. Just slightly out of He has left himself with a very

:31:26. > :31:32.awkward green. I don't know what sort of angle he has got. It might

:31:32. > :31:37.be no value. It is dead straight, isn't it? He can't believe the cue

:31:37. > :31:44.ball went through the gap. I think he was expecting some kind of

:31:44. > :31:54.cannon in potting this red. Amazing how it as got between the green and

:31:54. > :32:06.

:32:06. > :32:12.He has got a red safe, which is something of an insurance. That was

:32:12. > :32:22.amazing. He was going to cannon the red or the pink. But to find the

:32:22. > :32:22.

:32:22. > :33:07.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:33:07. > :33:13.That will also help John. That is A pretty good shot there. John

:33:13. > :33:23.Higgins is well ahead on points scored but he is 2-1 down at the

:33:23. > :33:26.

:33:26. > :33:36.He has potted more than twice the number of balls that Allister

:33:36. > :33:59.

:33:59. > :34:09.He is looking at the two reds to see if there's a plant. Yeah, he

:34:09. > :34:09.

:34:09. > :34:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:34:56. > :35:00.could make this. He could An interval coming up after this

:35:00. > :35:10.frame, and you would have to say that John Higgins would be the more

:35:10. > :35:11.

:35:11. > :35:21.pleased of the two players. Carter had a great chance to lead 3-0. He

:35:21. > :35:33.

:35:33. > :35:43.missed a red after going slightly APPLAUSE That is the frame are more

:35:43. > :35:57.

:35:57. > :36:07.Some players go off to the practice table at the interval. Others just

:36:07. > :36:13.relax in their dressing room or in the players' room, chat to friends.

:36:13. > :36:17.Allister Carter has Peter Ebdon in his corner. He will probably have a

:36:17. > :36:27.chat with Peter. But I think he will go to the practice table as

:36:27. > :36:43.

:36:43. > :36:53.well, just to get the cue arm going Allister Carter has dropped below

:36:53. > :37:06.

:37:06. > :37:16.the 90% potting success rate. What about that for a shot to

:37:16. > :37:16.

:37:17. > :37:26.finish off? OK, there's no pressure. A delightful shot there to free the

:37:27. > :37:50.

:37:50. > :37:55.He did well to knock that in at that pace. Just shows you that when

:37:55. > :38:05.the pressure is off, it is funny, the pockets seem to get a bit

:38:05. > :38:09.bigger. He is so relieved now, after the way this match started.

:38:09. > :38:14.Doesn't matter about that. It has been an entertaining four frames,

:38:15. > :38:17.and while it could have gone 3-1 either way, I suppose to happen to

:38:17. > :38:23.either way, I suppose to happen to is a fair result. We shall rejoin

:38:23. > :38:29.you after the interval. HAZEL IRVINE: Enjoy Your t break,

:38:29. > :38:34.Dennis and Stephen. You get the feeling that that comeback has

:38:34. > :38:41.rattled Allister Carter. You saw a small sign of it there

:38:41. > :38:48.when he missed the yellow. John Higgins, we have said many times,

:38:48. > :38:54.after this man he is probably the hardest player to play the game. No

:38:54. > :38:58.matter what sort of state his game is in, you still have to spill

:38:58. > :39:03.blood to win a match! It is his fighting quality and his

:39:03. > :39:07.concentration. Even though he lost those two frames, which he will be

:39:07. > :39:12.kicking himself over, he still battled every frame and every ball.

:39:12. > :39:16.That is what makes him so hard to beat. He will be walking tour into

:39:16. > :39:21.the dressing room. Do you even feel comfortable

:39:21. > :39:26.against John Higgins, even with a comfortable cushion? No, he is able

:39:26. > :39:36.dock. Just a glimpse of an angle, and he sinks his teeth in. -- a

:39:36. > :39:37.

:39:38. > :39:41.bulldog. Steady on! From seemingly bad

:39:41. > :39:47.positions, it looks like he is down and out, and he drags up something

:39:47. > :39:49.from nothing. In the early part of this match, I would imagine John

:39:49. > :39:55.Higgins fans were thinking the worst. But the pressure is on the

:39:55. > :40:03.guy in front to continue, to keep the pressure on. That is what

:40:03. > :40:08.Allister Carter did not do. The whole complexion of the session

:40:08. > :40:13.changed. John Higgins has come out of it with most of the big breaks.

:40:13. > :40:20.Allister, who seemed to be cueing beautifully, hasn't done much wrong,

:40:20. > :40:25.and is now at 2-2. He will be steering in his dressing room.

:40:25. > :40:30.John Higgins has shown a some brinkmanship. His match against

:40:30. > :40:34.Ronnie O'Sullivan would give us a good reminder. That was the second

:40:34. > :40:44.of his masters titles. He was saying earlier that he would love

:40:44. > :40:57.

:40:57. > :41:03.I always looked back at my career and think it wasn't enough to win

:41:03. > :41:12.the Masters. You have done it twice. Are you OK with that? I would say

:41:12. > :41:22.it's OK, I suppose. There's a gap compared to your number of

:41:22. > :41:23.

:41:23. > :41:30.victories. I would like to have won it a more times. But this is not a

:41:30. > :41:37.tournament I seem to play well in it. The why is that? I was over

:41:38. > :41:43.ought -- overawed. I could never settle there. I think it was to big,

:41:44. > :41:48.Wembley Arena. It was such a big venue. I always seemed to get lost

:41:48. > :41:55.in it. Then there was the second phase of

:41:55. > :41:59.the Masters. No, I am not happy at all when you think about it! I

:41:59. > :42:05.thought Wembley Arena was pretty soulless. I was pleased way to move

:42:05. > :42:13.from there and came here to Alexander Palace.

:42:13. > :42:18.Any good memories?! One of my best once was the last final at the

:42:18. > :42:25.conference centre. I played Ronnie O'Sullivan, and it seemed like I

:42:25. > :42:34.was going to lose a straight final against him. I had taken two

:42:34. > :42:38.batteries from him before. He got in right away on the first frame.

:42:38. > :42:46.He was on 60 for something and missed a red that I fancied him

:42:46. > :42:52.getting. I went for a red in the middle and I thought, I have not

:42:52. > :43:00.hit this hard enough. I thought, this is over now. I was about to go

:43:00. > :43:03.and shake his hand. But the red just kept on rolling. My father was

:43:04. > :43:11.in the front row and must have sucked it into the bag. I managed

:43:11. > :43:18.to clear up. That was one of the best memories I will have. Broke a

:43:18. > :43:24.few hearts in London that night. The abuse I was getting... I was so

:43:24. > :43:30.far behind I was able to laugh at some of the abuse. That was a

:43:30. > :43:35.special atmosphere that tonight. When you play well here, they do

:43:35. > :43:41.respect that. They know snooker better than everybody. They have

:43:42. > :43:47.got their favourites, the London boys like you and a Ronnie

:43:47. > :43:56.O'Sullivan and Jimmy White. As a kid, did you watch Stephen

:43:56. > :44:00.Hendry and his golden period? I started watching in 1982 and 1983.

:44:00. > :44:10.I could never remember any of the Masters finals until Stephen Hendry

:44:10. > :44:20.came along. That is when I was beginning to take notice.

:44:20. > :44:20.

:44:20. > :44:28.Seven years between the titles. You have been playing a long time.

:44:29. > :44:33.It was 1999, the first time. Then it was 2006. It would be nice to do

:44:33. > :44:41.a hat-trick. The last couple of years, you have

:44:41. > :44:46.had topsy-turvy form. A fantastic performance in the UK and the World

:44:46. > :44:51.Championships last season. I had put so much into the previous

:44:51. > :44:56.year. My mind was not 100% on the snooker last year. I was doing

:44:56. > :45:03.different things and I got out of the game. This year, I have put an

:45:03. > :45:13.effort into try and get the focus back. I have put a snooker room

:45:13. > :45:14.

:45:15. > :45:21.into my house. You don't get much time to practice at home because

:45:21. > :45:26.you are away so often. It has helped me. I'm practising more on

:45:26. > :45:32.my own, solo, but I was always the kind of player who like to play

:45:32. > :45:37.against people. I can't complain. I have played some good stuff to win

:45:37. > :45:40.Shanghai. I have done well in a couple of other events. But I have

:45:40. > :45:46.gone out in the second round of the two biggest events we have had so

:45:46. > :45:51.far. I want to rectify that in the second half of this season. I want

:45:51. > :45:56.to try and do well before the World Championships.

:45:56. > :46:02.How is your motivation, generally? I still feel fine, I love committed

:46:02. > :46:08.the events. Snooker is all I have ever known. I don't think I could

:46:08. > :46:17.ever put the cue away. I think I will play an till I n your age,

:46:17. > :46:23.Steve! I know it is a long way away. -- until I am at your age, Steve!

:46:23. > :46:28.When you finally hang the cue up, what will you be happy with?

:46:28. > :46:36.Coffee you win the World Championships, you think you won't

:46:36. > :46:42.mind if you don't win again. -- after you. But it is something that

:46:42. > :46:52.gets harder as you get older. The younger players are up for winning

:46:52. > :46:54.

:46:54. > :46:59.it. It is going to get tougher. Maybe one more would do me.

:46:59. > :47:03.Great to hear him talk. Obviously still has a lot more to achieve in

:47:03. > :47:08.the game. What about Allister Carter? You have to say, for a man

:47:08. > :47:12.of his talent, his record in this event is pretty ordinary. Only once

:47:12. > :47:17.in the last seven attempts has he made the quarter-finals, which,

:47:17. > :47:22.when you consider it, is not great for a man who has been to two world

:47:22. > :47:32.finals himself. If you consider his CV, he is capable of landing his

:47:32. > :47:39.

:47:39. > :47:42.A great player. He should have won more. He would say that himself.

:47:42. > :47:47.Winning a couple of tournaments has spurred him on to believe in

:47:47. > :47:57.himself a lot more. He is one of the best strikers of the ball I

:47:57. > :47:57.

:47:57. > :48:04.His attitude and let him down sometimes, if he is not up for it.

:48:04. > :48:10.Other than that, when he is up for it, he is unbelievable. If he

:48:10. > :48:12.believed in himself more, he would do better. There's nothing stopping

:48:12. > :48:17.him from winning any tournament he him from winning any tournament he

:48:17. > :48:18.enters. He has got a great technique.

:48:19. > :48:20.technique. Allister Carter is a great player

:48:20. > :48:30.Allister Carter is a great player but he has struggled with illness a

:48:30. > :48:34.bit. Still to win two well titles, he has done brilliantly. -- world

:48:34. > :48:44.titles. He is a bit quiet, and I think that

:48:44. > :48:49.

:48:49. > :48:56.He has made a maximum at the Crucible, which you have got to

:48:56. > :49:02.have a lot of bottle to do that. It is no longer a question of whether

:49:02. > :49:07.is no longer a question of whether he is a good player. He is.

:49:07. > :49:10.And we have potentially seven more frames to play this afternoon. Well

:49:10. > :49:15.they are enjoying their break, let's think about final frame

:49:15. > :49:25.decider in this event. It has been littered with them over the years.

:49:25. > :49:27.

:49:27. > :49:33.It is amazing to think that the Ding-Robertson match had none. We

:49:33. > :49:43.have had loads since 1975, particularly in the finals. Do you

:49:43. > :50:00.

:50:00. > :50:10.remember this? 15 years ago, Hendry Stephen had dominated snooker. This

:50:10. > :50:11.

:50:11. > :50:21.was his eighth Masters final and he Mark was a rising star at this

:50:21. > :50:24.

:50:24. > :50:34.stage. This was to be a major Hendry contemplating the pink to

:50:34. > :51:08.

:51:08. > :51:18.give him the opening frame. What a This effort has shown what a classy

:51:18. > :51:25.

:51:25. > :51:35.A typical Stephen come back, having looked so out of touch in the

:51:35. > :51:35.

:51:35. > :51:45.Magnificent. A complete clearance by the world number-one to go two

:51:45. > :52:13.

:52:13. > :52:21.He is OK. A great cry from the crowd. Mark Williams, a big smile

:52:21. > :52:31.on his face that he is going to the interval trailing by two frames at

:52:31. > :52:54.

:52:54. > :53:04.There's the 100, and with that break, Mark Williams levels of the

:53:04. > :53:43.

:53:43. > :53:47.The reds have opened nicely. He is right back in again. He would have

:53:47. > :53:54.looked to have made another century. It hasn't happened. The crowd

:53:54. > :54:02.wanted one. But very impressive. He increases his lead. He wants just

:54:02. > :54:12.one now for victory. At 9-6 up, surely Stephen had it in

:54:12. > :54:17.

:54:17. > :54:27.He has gone too far and he is going to have to go all the way around

:54:27. > :54:59.

:54:59. > :55:03.It was a difficult shot. It was a A mighty shout from the conference

:55:03. > :55:13.centre greets Mark Williams. He is still in the match. Still two

:55:13. > :55:27.

:55:27. > :55:35.A tremendous roar by this crowd. They always wanted this, and now

:55:35. > :55:45.they have got it. It is all to play for.

:55:45. > :56:04.

:56:04. > :56:14.Perfect. Listen to the raw -- shouting... A wry smile on Stephen

:56:14. > :56:27.

:56:27. > :56:37.Now the temptation is whether to go for a double or not. Has he got the

:56:37. > :57:15.

:57:15. > :57:23.REFEREE: Put that camera away, It cannot get any closer. Well,

:57:24. > :57:33.this is incredible again. Mark thought he had the black. Stephen

:57:34. > :57:49.

:57:49. > :57:59.That is in. Is it? No! It will be now, surely. Nothing is easy now,

:57:59. > :58:06.

:58:06. > :58:10.A tremendous cheer. Really deserved for young Mark Williams from Wales.

:58:10. > :58:14.He has never been in front in this final against Stephen Hendry until

:58:14. > :58:19.final against Stephen Hendry until this last frame.

:58:19. > :58:29.It was a bitter blow. It effectively signalled the end of an

:58:29. > :58:34.

:58:34. > :58:41.A fantastic victory for Mark. After this, his goals of a World

:58:41. > :58:48.Championship and number one status were soon his.

:58:48. > :58:54.What a match. I do love to relive those matches. Six Masters titles

:58:54. > :58:58.for Stephen Hendry. It is all right, he like to share them out. He had

:58:58. > :59:02.nine finals in all. He didn't mind sharing them with his best friend,

:59:02. > :59:08.Mark Williams. I tell you what, I am sure he reminds you about that,

:59:08. > :59:15.steel? I am so grateful that you have

:59:15. > :59:19.shown it again. He will mention it tomorrow.

:59:20. > :59:27.Do you still think about that final black?

:59:27. > :59:37.I still think, how did I missed that black. I felt like I never

:59:37. > :59:43.

:59:43. > :59:53.twitched it. Dennis, I think people have come to

:59:53. > :59:55.

:59:55. > :00:03.expect that kind of close drama There has always been something

:00:03. > :00:12.exciting over the years. Stephen, that was a nasty little shocked. He

:00:12. > :00:17.thinks he twitched a little bit but it was a tough shot. He beat Alex

:00:17. > :00:23.Higgins will with an 8-5 down the. It was incredible. It was always a

:00:23. > :00:27.great tournament. It is the one everybody wants to win. Absolutely.

:00:27. > :00:32.It sounded like bedlam that night. Just before I let you go back to

:00:32. > :00:36.the commentary, I did read, Stephen, that you had had a chat with Neil

:00:36. > :00:40.Robertson at the UK Championship and he thank you very much because

:00:40. > :00:48.he said that you had called his brick building at his attitude to

:00:48. > :00:52.it amateurish and it has caused him to think about things. He told me

:00:52. > :00:57.his thinking during a break and I couldn't believe the way he was

:00:57. > :01:02.going about making a break and that is why I said it was amateurish. He

:01:02. > :01:07.was not playing pinpoint positional shot but he was hoping to beat in

:01:07. > :01:11.areas. I gave him a couple of tips so I am glad to help. He said he

:01:11. > :01:19.was thinking about that in that final frame decider against Ding

:01:19. > :01:26.Junhui, so he owes you a beer. Get yourselves ready for the end of

:01:26. > :01:30.this match because we are in for a cracker. Steve and Ken, this is

:01:30. > :01:37.littered with great matches, this tournament. What struck me with

:01:37. > :01:43.that particular match, Mark Williams was smiling and joking as

:01:43. > :01:48.if he was a young whippersnapper. It is lovely to see him with hair.

:01:48. > :01:54.That is enough wandering down memory lane. Let's get back down to

:01:54. > :02:04.nitty-gritty of this one. Seven more potentially to play. It is 2-2

:02:04. > :02:36.

:02:36. > :02:46.Ali Carter had this red to the left before but the black cause and open

:02:46. > :02:48.

:02:48. > :02:58.so he couldn't take it on. It is John Higgins just looking to see

:02:58. > :03:17.

:03:17. > :03:27.Terrific shot and terrific cueing. One of the best shots. He played it

:03:27. > :04:02.

:04:02. > :04:12.This raid to the Right Centre is not easy because he has hampered by

:04:12. > :04:17.

:04:17. > :04:22.If the backwards not in the way, he would have spotted that red. -- if

:04:22. > :04:32.the black was not in the way. black cause a distraction and he

:04:32. > :04:32.

:04:32. > :05:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:05:40. > :05:50.could not hit the centre of the cue Has he left this red to the right

:05:50. > :06:20.

:06:20. > :06:25.Great to see one of our best referees back in action. He has had

:06:25. > :06:30.a bit of a rough time since June. He slipped in the bathroom at home,

:06:30. > :06:37.had to have an operation, did his that to break in. When he recovered,

:06:37. > :06:41.he went to China to do some refereeing and ended up with DVT.

:06:41. > :06:51.Deep vein thrombosis. He couldn't fly back from China. He was in

:06:51. > :07:04.

:07:04. > :07:14.He has fully recovered. It is great Unintentional cannon on the brown.

:07:14. > :07:14.

:07:14. > :08:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:08:13. > :08:23.That has gone too far. I thought he He could not have played that any

:08:23. > :08:27.

:08:27. > :08:37.better. This red is just hampering A couple more reds available before

:08:37. > :08:55.

:08:55. > :09:01.He looks in great form today. I know he was 2-0 down, but that was

:09:02. > :09:11.self-inflicted by bad concentration. Apart from that, he is hitting the

:09:12. > :09:16.

:09:16. > :09:26.He wasn't on the black as he intended, he is not on the red,

:09:26. > :09:28.

:09:28. > :09:38.either. This is because of the angle he had on the back. The right

:09:38. > :09:38.

:09:38. > :10:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:10:51. > :11:01.hand side, that made so white spin A bit of a chance for Ali Carter to

:11:01. > :11:19.

:11:19. > :11:22.pot the red and get himself onto It is always a little bit

:11:22. > :11:32.disappointing when you miss that type of shot because you're not

:11:32. > :11:41.

:11:41. > :11:49.leaving anything and you feel you John plate that safety in a more

:11:49. > :11:58.aggressive way. -- John played that. He chose to open it up a bit. He

:11:58. > :12:08.needed to cover the path to the left-hand side of the pack. As you

:12:08. > :12:15.

:12:15. > :12:25.can see, over 23 minutes since That would be a bit ambitious. It

:12:25. > :12:31.

:12:31. > :12:37.I am not sure about that choice of shot from Ali. The other red he

:12:37. > :12:43.could have taken on. He decided not to take it on and I am sure the

:12:43. > :12:53.plant was more difficult than the red to the left of the cushion.

:12:53. > :12:58.

:12:58. > :13:07.plan was to screw the cue ball back That might well be his last shot in

:13:07. > :13:17.this frame. Drum Higgins already 35 again. -- John Higgins already 35

:13:17. > :13:17.

:13:17. > :14:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:14:38. > :14:43.ahead. It could be three in a row As you mentioned earlier on about

:14:43. > :14:48.John not playing so well in the UK Championships, didn't he play well

:14:48. > :14:52.in the Shanghai Masters de trompe Judd Trump? He looked as if he was

:14:52. > :15:02.going to kick on from there but he didn't have a good UK Championship

:15:02. > :15:02.

:15:02. > :15:42.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:15:42. > :15:48.That is incredible. One red away I heard you talking to John in the

:15:48. > :15:54.interval about how likely the cloth was, and that Cannon was an

:15:54. > :16:01.indication of that. He wanted to play that, it three-quarter ball,

:16:01. > :16:11.and it is so lively. A cloth like this, it plays as if the cue ball

:16:11. > :16:17.

:16:17. > :16:27.is lighter than the other balls so It is as if somebody has got bake

:16:27. > :16:42.

:16:42. > :16:52.hands of Polish and polish the cue Don't polish your snooker balls, a

:16:52. > :17:01.

:17:01. > :17:11.I would polish my cue ball to get an extra few months out of my cloth.

:17:11. > :17:24.

:17:24. > :17:33.It is not like you'd to try to You could see the concentration on

:17:33. > :17:43.John Higgins' phase. He keeps his head still. That is the end of

:17:43. > :17:43.

:17:43. > :18:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:18:26. > :18:31.Now, he is going to have another interval here. He has done well. He

:18:31. > :18:35.has won three in a row. It is amazing how the momentum can

:18:35. > :18:38.continue although we have seen that changed around in an interval, but

:18:38. > :18:44.what do you sense about the way John Higgins is playing this

:18:44. > :18:51.afternoon? With great determination. He wants to do well here at the

:18:51. > :18:54.Masters. Perhaps he has got the hunger. It has taken him this long

:18:54. > :18:59.to get back to the position he should have been in before he

:18:59. > :19:04.missed that back in the first frame. He has just about got his lead back

:19:04. > :19:09.again. A lot of hard work has gone into it. We have talked about this

:19:09. > :19:13.venue and how it suits players like John Higgins. He has admitted that

:19:13. > :19:19.just the cavernous nature of the other venues put him straight off.

:19:19. > :19:23.What is the reason for Ali Carter's lack of success is? That is a good

:19:23. > :19:28.question. It is the calibre of players you were coming up against.

:19:28. > :19:33.Ali Carter, his record is not great, but he could be coming up against

:19:33. > :19:40.Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson in the first match of the event. So

:19:40. > :19:46.the Caliber of these great players in this event makes it so prestige.

:19:46. > :19:53.You can be unlucky sometimes. With Robinson having his first round

:19:53. > :19:56.around -- with danger and we, it is very tough. If you can get into the

:19:56. > :20:01.tournament, get through the first round, it gives you confidence but

:20:01. > :20:09.it is a high quality field. In one respect, because of the Standing is

:20:09. > :20:13.very high, the best of the match seems a little bit of a distance.

:20:13. > :20:19.Frames are won a bit quicker full, stock it is so easy to be caught

:20:19. > :20:29.cold. It feels like a final right from the off and you have got to

:20:29. > :21:03.

:21:03. > :21:07.treated like such. Anyway, we will He is going to have to play a

:21:07. > :21:13.couple of good safety shots, Ali, to try to get back into the frame.

:21:13. > :21:23.He hasn't had much to go at. It has been quite some time since his last

:21:23. > :21:46.

:21:46. > :21:51.It is coming up to 31 minutes since That shake-up the head tells you it

:21:51. > :22:01.is a bit of a problem for Ali. No escape back down to the right side

:22:01. > :22:03.

:22:03. > :22:13.of the table. The pot available is If there is no easy safety shot, he

:22:13. > :22:23.

:22:23. > :22:31.may have to take the pot. It is the If he takes the pot on, whereas the

:22:31. > :22:35.cue ball going to go? It wouldn't be such a problem if you put the

:22:35. > :22:43.cue ball summary else on the table. There is a cannon to the left of

:22:43. > :22:47.the black. You have to be very exact in that shop. I mean, if he

:22:47. > :22:53.was to pot the red, he might find that gap, but that would have to be

:22:53. > :22:57.very precise to miss the cannon on the red and the cannon on the black.

:22:57. > :23:07.But that is the possibility. If he puts the red, there is a lot that

:23:07. > :23:17.can go wrong but there is not much Cannot come off the right hand side

:23:17. > :23:29.

:23:29. > :23:34.I'll tell you what, he will settle for the outcome of that. Once he

:23:34. > :23:44.took it on, you would have felt he was going to lead John Higgins in.

:23:44. > :23:51.

:23:51. > :23:58.Didn't get near the pocket, but He might find himself in trouble

:23:58. > :24:03.here, though. And John Higgins will be disappointed with that. The

:24:03. > :24:13.standard of his safety play, that was a comfortable shot to get in

:24:13. > :24:37.

:24:37. > :24:47.I'm not sure if he can get between the green or the yellow or the

:24:47. > :24:53.

:24:53. > :25:01.brown to get to the red behind the It was close. Better to miss it

:25:01. > :25:11.altogether than hit it thick. going to say. A lot of the players

:25:11. > :25:29.

:25:29. > :25:33.He missed it by more that time. don't know if John has looked but

:25:33. > :25:38.there might be a path between the yellow and the brown but John

:25:38. > :25:48.hasn't looked at it. Let's see when the white goes back. It is

:25:48. > :26:27.

:26:27. > :26:37.available to him. He hasn't looked Even though he has hit it thick, he

:26:37. > :26:37.

:26:37. > :27:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:27:32. > :27:42.He can take the red on in the green That particular type of shot, it

:27:42. > :28:10.

:28:10. > :28:20.It is coming up to 38 minutes since Ali's last Testery. -- Ali's last

:28:20. > :28:30.

:28:30. > :28:40.He is not going to get any easy chances of John Higgins. Not with

:28:40. > :29:04.

:29:04. > :29:10.This helped the situation with regards the safety shot. The Green

:29:10. > :29:20.is now near the yellow, meaning it is quite a target to try to get

:29:20. > :29:31.

:29:31. > :29:36.It is going to hit the green so quite a bigger target now. He has

:29:36. > :29:46.knocked the green near the cushion. I think he can get past the brown

:29:46. > :29:47.

:29:47. > :29:57.to the potting angle, but he will I don't think he can get around the

:29:57. > :30:28.

:30:28. > :30:37.It is obviously making the pot more Just look at the way the reds are

:30:37. > :30:43.situated here. What a chance for John Higgins. Has he gone far

:30:43. > :30:53.enough to pot the red that is blocking the black? He certainly

:30:53. > :30:54.

:30:54. > :31:04.has. He has got them all nicely Allister Carter took the two

:31:04. > :31:18.

:31:18. > :31:27.opening frames, but since then he Tell you what, Dennis, if you

:31:27. > :31:37.wanted a maximum, cue could not put the reds in a better position. --

:31:37. > :32:01.

:32:01. > :32:11.Again, he has got into it just a bit too much. That is the end of

:32:11. > :32:11.

:32:11. > :32:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:32:56. > :33:03.It has been an amazing turnaround in this match. Allister Carter was

:33:04. > :33:12.2-0 ahead. He was in a similar position that John Higgins is it

:33:12. > :33:22.now. He missed the opportunity for 3-0, and now, every chance he could

:33:22. > :33:22.

:33:22. > :34:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:34:41. > :34:51.He just stepped back a bit. He thought he was going to nestle in

:34:51. > :35:02.

:35:02. > :35:12.A bit straight on the black but it Screw back with a bit of reverse

:35:12. > :35:47.

:35:47. > :35:54.side. See the white spinning off to He is just starting to dominate the

:35:54. > :36:01.match now. Allister Carter has not potted a ball for something like 45

:36:01. > :36:11.minutes now. But he is not getting any chances. He had a half chance

:36:11. > :36:17.and he missed a long red, and that was his last shot. Stephen mention

:36:17. > :36:21.he could have played it a little easier. He wanted to make something

:36:21. > :36:31.happy and -- happen. But he has been frozen out. He will have to

:36:31. > :36:52.

:36:52. > :37:00.A great shot there. He took the red off the side cushion. Just showing

:37:01. > :37:10.what a tremendous competitor he is. Probably the toughest match player

:37:11. > :37:13.

:37:13. > :37:19.We have had five centuries and we are only in day two. John has had

:37:19. > :37:29.one of those. In frame three, he had 117. Every chance of another

:37:29. > :37:36.

:37:36. > :37:40.Well, what a shame. No century break. He will be a bit

:37:40. > :37:42.disappointed, but not really. You can't do better than win four

:37:42. > :37:52.can't do better than win four frames in a row. He is looking good

:37:52. > :37:58.

:37:58. > :38:07.You feel that people are playing for your team. My team is Glasgow

:38:07. > :38:15.Celtic. My favourite player was a midfielder. Later on, it was Henryk

:38:15. > :38:23.Larsson. He would have to say your heroes are your favourite football

:38:23. > :38:27.team. They are my heroes. I can always remember when I was

:38:27. > :38:34.about to turn professional in snooker. My mother was against it.

:38:34. > :38:38.She wanted me to get my education and everything. I was going to

:38:38. > :38:43.leave school without O-levels or A- levels. But my dad said, just go

:38:43. > :38:52.and do your best. Sometimes you have only got one chance in life.

:38:52. > :38:56.He is a hero and role model. And now John Higgins junior has a

:38:56. > :39:00.role model, I am sure. I'm sure everybody admires the way he plays.

:39:00. > :39:04.We have already talked about a specific characteristics of

:39:04. > :39:14.determination. He never knows when he is beaten, Steve.

:39:14. > :39:22.No, and I suppose well you can coach or teacher technique, -- t h

:39:22. > :39:26.a technique, but the psychology, you are born with it.

:39:26. > :39:31.When did you discover you had it, Ken?

:39:31. > :39:37.I suppose you just grow up with it. I used to watch a lot of the older

:39:37. > :39:44.players play, the way they used to go about the game. Steve, Alex

:39:44. > :39:51.Higgins - they would have been my heroes. You can learn from great

:39:51. > :39:58.prayers -- players. They have an ability, even when the chips are

:39:58. > :40:08.down, that they never, ever lose. Crafty Ken wasn't bad himself, you

:40:08. > :40:15.

:40:15. > :40:25.Good old crafty Ken. Or as I like to call him, Ken Dott. Record in

:40:25. > :40:31.

:40:31. > :40:41.the -- we call him the darling of Allister Carter normally gets a

:40:41. > :40:46.

:40:46. > :40:51.percentage of long pots. That has Another stun run through, which is

:40:51. > :41:01.one of the hardest shots to play in the game. To hit the ball so hard

:41:01. > :41:11.and not to lead the cue ball travel takes a lot of practice to perfect.

:41:11. > :41:33.

:41:33. > :41:43.Even if he is straight on the black, he is OK. He can screw back and

:41:43. > :41:59.

:41:59. > :42:09.there's a couple of reds, as you Just got to be careful he doesn't

:42:09. > :42:38.

:42:38. > :42:48.let this one slip away off the side Just watch the white. How does it

:42:48. > :42:48.

:42:48. > :42:53.find its way back through the gap there? When the cloth is as quick

:42:54. > :43:03.to react as this, departs from the black are going to be tricky this

:43:04. > :43:20.

:43:20. > :43:29.week. -- the pots. They are not He was on four reds and four blacks.

:43:29. > :43:39.But his maiden -- main concern is to win another frame. He needs just

:43:39. > :43:44.

:43:44. > :43:49.one more for a place in the quarter He has got a red to the right

:43:49. > :43:59.middle pocket. If he can cue to the centre of the cue ball, it will be

:43:59. > :44:09.

:44:09. > :44:15.It was enough of a distraction. He put a bit of unwanted side on that.

:44:15. > :44:25.Allister Carter hasn't potted a ball for a long time. 52 minutes,

:44:25. > :44:58.

:44:58. > :45:08.A big moment in this match. Carter needs to find a frame-winning break

:45:08. > :45:39.

:45:39. > :45:44.He needs to start punishing John It wasn't imperative there that he

:45:44. > :45:54.got the right side of the blue. Didn't matter which side he

:45:54. > :46:29.

:46:29. > :46:39.Just a bit careless there. He is Pink is the better ball for a good

:46:39. > :46:59.

:46:59. > :47:06.Struck that nicely. A choice of reds. The one closest to the left

:47:06. > :47:16.pocket is probably the one he is going to play. A touch of right

:47:16. > :47:25.

:47:25. > :47:35.hand side to the white to square A bit of drag on the white there.

:47:35. > :48:00.

:48:00. > :48:04.You can play with a bit more pace, He has played for the only red that

:48:04. > :48:14.was a little bit awkward. Might have finished straight on it, but I

:48:14. > :48:53.

:48:53. > :49:03.think he can still screwed back off Could be a big turning point, as

:49:03. > :49:07.

:49:07. > :49:17.That was the chance that Allister Carter had been waiting for, for

:49:17. > :49:20.

:49:20. > :49:24.just under an hour. All of a sudden Had John continued, and it looked

:49:24. > :49:34.as if he was going to open a three frame advantage, he would have been

:49:34. > :49:56.

:49:56. > :50:06.The reds were in an ideal position He has showed good concentration.

:50:06. > :50:14.

:50:14. > :50:24.He showed a lot of determination, which he is full of. He really is a

:50:24. > :50:53.

:50:54. > :50:58.A good time to make your highest break in the match. Prior to that,

:50:58. > :51:08.he had a 64 in the opening frame, which was a terrific clearance to

:51:08. > :51:26.

:51:26. > :51:33.He has had all the colours. He had a yellow, a green, a full house

:51:33. > :51:37.there, looking at the break. Three browns, four blacks - it has been

:51:37. > :51:47.an all-round good break, you would have to say. And a little

:51:47. > :51:53.

:51:53. > :51:59.exhibition shot towards the end of Won't bother about the pink. It

:51:59. > :52:01.looked as if John Higgins was in control, but all of a sudden,

:52:01. > :52:07.control, but all of a sudden, Allister Carter is now just one

:52:07. > :52:12.behind. Game on again. That could just be the turning

:52:12. > :52:17.point. John Higgins, as I say, had taken complete control of the match.

:52:17. > :52:18.He had won four frames in a row, made 97 in the previous frame, and

:52:19. > :52:26.made 97 in the previous frame, and was in among the balls. He has

:52:26. > :52:31.played a shot here, and he looked to be finishing nicely on a red. He

:52:31. > :52:36.cannoned the reds, hit the pink, and was just a fraction out.

:52:36. > :52:42.Otherwise it was game over. Yes, incredible. A centimetre to the

:52:42. > :52:49.right, and it would have been easy. Earlier in the match, the cue ball

:52:49. > :52:54.was hampered by the black. He has done the same there. When you are

:52:54. > :52:57.aiming at the top of the cue ball, it pulls it over more.

:52:57. > :53:05.It is so easy to do that. Now he has got to get his concentration

:53:05. > :53:09.together again. He has defeated Allister Carter eight times to his

:53:09. > :53:13.two. He will not be thinking about that at the moment. He will put

:53:13. > :53:23.that last frame out of his mind pretty quickly, I'm sure. Allister

:53:23. > :53:28.

:53:28. > :53:38.From looking a bit deflated in his seat area in the frame, he now has

:53:38. > :53:38.

:53:38. > :54:43.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:54:43. > :54:50.Carter might have to play a similar shot to the one John played

:54:50. > :55:00.previously. SEN the red up the table, leave the black at the white

:55:00. > :55:28.

:55:28. > :55:32.You would expect John Higgins to win the tactical battle, or we have

:55:32. > :55:37.said both players have got a great tactical game. But it is Allister

:55:37. > :55:47.Carter who is out during John in the safety Department as far as the

:55:47. > :56:09.

:56:09. > :56:19.That red closest to the cushion is stopping the conventional safety

:56:19. > :56:36.

:56:36. > :56:46.Have to be careful not to catch Caught it a bit thick, which is why

:56:46. > :56:46.

:56:46. > :58:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:58:17. > :58:22.John would love to drop in behind the brown here, off this safety. A

:58:22. > :58:32.bit too thick. He has pushed one towards the pocket. He needs the

:58:32. > :58:34.

:58:34. > :58:44.yellow to come to his rescue. And I think it... Has. A bit of a problem

:58:44. > :58:44.

:58:44. > :58:47.for Allister Carter, at first I can't see a way through to play

:58:47. > :58:57.the red nearest the pocket because the one on the left side of the

:58:57. > :59:07.table is blocking to nestle on to Looks as though he is going to roll

:59:07. > :59:09.

:59:09. > :59:19.on to the bunch here. Nothing else A touching ball would help, but I

:59:19. > :59:43.

:59:43. > :59:50.He needs to miss the yellow to get Has he gone too far? He has the

:59:50. > :00:00.blue covered the red near the corner pocket? Yes. A similar

:00:00. > :00:02.

:00:02. > :00:12.problem for Ali. He has to be This looks at the very good.

:00:12. > :00:20.

:00:20. > :00:30.As they used to say in the club in Blackburn I used to say, it pick

:00:30. > :00:44.

:00:44. > :00:48.He is having to swerve to clip this You always knew there was going to

:00:48. > :00:56.be a lot of reds are covering the red to the left corner. But there's

:00:56. > :01:06.a pot here. He can play it with an element of safety if he wants, take

:01:06. > :01:24.

:01:24. > :01:34.the cue ball behind the brown again. All of those reds are blocking each

:01:34. > :01:34.

:01:34. > :01:44.other. Another chance to get her telling safety. He hit it far too

:01:44. > :01:47.

:01:47. > :01:57.A big margin for error at the moment, isn't there? All of those

:01:57. > :02:35.

:02:35. > :02:40.One player has hit it too thin, the One was too thin come up one was

:02:40. > :02:50.too thick, that one was just right. A little bit like the three there's

:02:50. > :03:14.

:03:14. > :03:18.REFEREE: Foul, and a miss. John Higgins four. Once again, the two

:03:18. > :03:24.cushion escape, a player it will always a on the side of missing the

:03:24. > :03:27.ball rather than going the other way and catching it too thick. Make

:03:27. > :03:37.a slight adjustment, a little bit more side for a little bit higher

:03:37. > :04:03.

:04:03. > :04:10.REFEREE: Foul, and a miss.. John REFEREE: Foul, and a miss.. A John

:04:10. > :04:14.Higgins four for stop-gap -- John Higgins four. He just needs a

:04:14. > :04:24.slight adjustment. At maybe nearer the first line would get into the

:04:24. > :04:25.

:04:25. > :04:29.red. He was closer that time. REFEREE: Foul, and a miss. John

:04:29. > :04:39.Higgins four. As long as he heats hitting it at that pace, the last

:04:39. > :04:44.

:04:44. > :04:50.thing he wants to do is leave a REFEREE: Foul, and a miss.. John

:04:50. > :04:57.Higgins four. John is quite happy to stand Cermak and keep getting

:04:57. > :05:07.four points. -- stand there. He has to get the white nearer to the

:05:07. > :05:07.

:05:07. > :05:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:05:49. > :05:54.You can see him reacting, "at He can pot this direct, but he is

:05:54. > :05:59.looking at cannoning into another red to make a possible plant. That

:05:59. > :06:09.tells me he is going to screw the white back down the table. The

:06:09. > :06:16.

:06:16. > :06:20.He completely missed hit that. -- mishit. He didn't even make contact

:06:20. > :06:25.with the two reds closest to the corner pocket. He would have been

:06:25. > :06:35.better off taking on the direct pot and screwing back down to the baulk

:06:35. > :06:41.

:06:41. > :06:46.area. A strange choice. He very It is still not straightforward.

:06:46. > :06:56.They are all still covering each other. They need a little bit of

:06:56. > :06:58.

:06:58. > :07:02.I would like to play for the red next to the pink. Possibly into the

:07:02. > :07:12.right corner or if the red goes into the left corner, get the pink

:07:12. > :07:20.

:07:20. > :07:24.back on its spot. It would make That is the one he has played for.

:07:24. > :07:34.We will see if he can pot the red and screw back for the pink in the

:07:34. > :07:41.

:07:41. > :07:46.Just as you called it, Stephen. He will get the pink back on its spot,

:07:46. > :07:56.which is what he needed, but it is still difficult with the way the

:07:56. > :08:11.

:08:11. > :08:21.He hasn't left himself hampered, He will be fuming inside at that

:08:21. > :08:22.

:08:22. > :08:32.Needed to stop the cue ball energy before it did. He would have had

:08:32. > :08:39.

:08:39. > :08:49.this red to the left corner. -- Ben It was not the red he played for.

:08:49. > :08:56.

:08:56. > :09:01.Consequently he could not control It is still not straightforward.

:09:01. > :09:06.I'm wondering if he can take the blue on. The only red available by

:09:07. > :09:16.the looks of it... Two by the corner pocket. He could drop on it.

:09:17. > :09:25.

:09:25. > :09:35.Other than that this is pretty That might be on absolutely nothing.

:09:35. > :09:38.

:09:38. > :09:48.The first real scrappy frame we've had, but that is because the way

:09:48. > :10:05.

:10:05. > :10:12.I bet his heart skipped a beat because he almost went in-off. If

:10:12. > :10:22.he had, John would have had a pot. As cities, with the cue ball in the

:10:22. > :11:02.

:11:02. > :11:12.jaws of the pocket, not easy. -- as Eventually that pocket is starting

:11:12. > :11:14.

:11:14. > :11:21.to clear. But he is faced... The black with the rest. He has looked

:11:21. > :11:31.at the yellow, which he can reach without the rest. But you would

:11:31. > :11:31.

:11:31. > :12:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:12:34. > :12:39.He just could not get himself into prime position. It was all a bit of

:12:39. > :12:49.a struggle, the way the balls were. Now he is completely out of

:12:49. > :13:12.

:13:12. > :13:16.Just coming around to have a look, John, to see if he comes off the

:13:16. > :13:24.side cushion and nestles near the red by the corner pocket, what

:13:24. > :13:34.would he leave? He might leave a pot if he doesn't get its spot on.

:13:34. > :13:45.

:13:45. > :13:55.Not guaranteed to get this safe. He That will do. There was a red that

:13:55. > :13:59.

:13:59. > :14:09.The red he could have left, the one in the circle, so he had to make

:14:09. > :14:09.

:14:09. > :15:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:15:04. > :15:14.What a great shot that was. Fantastic safety shot by John

:15:14. > :15:17.

:15:17. > :15:27.For most of this frame Ali Carter has had the upper hand in the

:15:27. > :15:32.

:15:32. > :15:42.safety exchanges, but that has just Yes, there's no path through to

:15:42. > :15:50.

:15:50. > :15:56.land on those two reds behind the He found the gap.

:15:56. > :16:06.REFEREE: Foul, and a miss. John Higgins four. He is hoping to get a

:16:06. > :16:25.

:16:25. > :16:35.glance off a red and hopefully get It is one of those shots, you need

:16:35. > :16:39.

:16:39. > :16:43.a little bit of good fortune to He is unlucky. As I say, you need a

:16:43. > :16:53.little bit of good fortune in a situation like that and he didn't

:16:53. > :16:59.

:16:59. > :17:09.have it. The double-kiss has left That is John's first pot of for

:17:09. > :17:31.

:17:31. > :17:41.Well, are they covering each other? There is only three-quarters of the

:17:41. > :17:42.

:17:42. > :17:52.pocket available. Can he squeeze Yes, just played it in the left jaw

:17:52. > :17:52.

:17:52. > :18:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:18:33. > :18:39.He has an angle to go into the four reds on the side cushion if he

:18:39. > :18:49.wants to. The fact that they are quite far away from the cushion

:18:49. > :19:06.

:19:06. > :19:11.means you are not guaranteed He would like to have an angle...

:19:11. > :19:16.The four reds, screw in the gap between each couple of reds. The

:19:16. > :19:22.two reds furthest away from the cushion will both pot in the right

:19:22. > :19:32.corner. He got into the cue ball too much. He has done that a few

:19:32. > :19:49.

:19:49. > :19:57.Yes, he needed to find the gap and It is a healthy lead, the way the

:19:57. > :20:01.balls are sitting. Normally 25 you would not think was much of an

:20:01. > :20:11.advantage, but the way the reds are situated, it is not a bad lead to

:20:11. > :20:20.

:20:20. > :20:25.Not straightforward to get back down the table if he plays those

:20:25. > :20:30.two reds behind the black. He would have to go the right side of the

:20:30. > :20:35.table, if he went down the left he would cannon into the four reds. If

:20:35. > :20:42.he goes the right side of the table, he has to negotiate the yellow say

:20:42. > :20:52.he has to be precise whichever way he goes here. He has brought the

:20:52. > :20:52.

:20:52. > :21:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:21:49. > :21:56.red up with the cue ball. How's That looked for all the world as if

:21:56. > :22:06.it was going to drop in! Can he get past the jaw of the pocket to catch

:22:06. > :22:22.

:22:22. > :22:32.this red behind the yellow? Just John played his safety shot, he

:22:32. > :22:45.

:22:45. > :22:51.didn't want to open these reds. Ali Yes, Ali needed the reds open, but

:22:51. > :23:01.he cannoned the blue. If he had missed the blue, it was a good idea

:23:01. > :23:10.

:23:10. > :23:15.to open up the reds, from his point We can show you the shot he

:23:15. > :23:25.attempted. He wanted to bring the reds into play and forgot about the

:23:25. > :23:56.

:23:56. > :24:00.cue ball. To cannoned the blue was It looks a bit straight, I don't

:24:00. > :24:10.think he can get the cue ball away from the cushion. He will have to

:24:10. > :24:18.

:24:18. > :24:28.If he pots this black, he will be 49 ahead with 51 on the table. I

:24:28. > :24:37.

:24:37. > :24:45.think the yellow it is covering the Pink ball. Could idea. -- a good

:24:45. > :24:49.idea. Putting the pink safe. And getting a good cue ball. There was

:24:49. > :24:59.much better than rolling the black in and getting seven points because

:24:59. > :24:59.

:24:59. > :25:04.he still needed another red. Once again, not good with the cue ball.

:25:04. > :25:14.It is not good now back bad now, but the double-kiss could have lost

:25:14. > :25:27.

:25:27. > :25:37.Obviously in this situation there's no way John Higgins will be playing

:25:37. > :25:42.

:25:42. > :25:49.That is why it Ali is taking the opportunity to move them. He will

:25:49. > :25:54.settle for that, great cue ball! is amazing that red has finished on

:25:54. > :26:04.the cushion. It went up and down the table and somehow avoided all

:26:04. > :26:10.

:26:10. > :26:18.He did not hit that hard enough. He would have liked the blue to hamper

:26:18. > :26:28.Ali, and it has done. A similar type shot. Can he get behind the

:26:28. > :26:38.

:26:38. > :26:48.John Higgins went mind seeing for blue going on to the side cushion.

:26:48. > :27:22.

:27:22. > :27:27.Well, 33 minutes, almost 34 minutes, the longest frame of this match. In

:27:27. > :27:32.fact I think it is the longest frame in the tournament so far. We

:27:32. > :27:36.are only on the second day, but we've had some great matches

:27:36. > :27:46.already, and more to come. It should be an exciting tournament

:27:46. > :27:48.

:27:48. > :27:58.Knocking the brown on to the baulk cushion, that also helps John

:27:58. > :28:04.

:28:04. > :28:12.Higgins. Becoming more and more That has knocked the brown into not

:28:12. > :28:22.a bad position to get a snooker behind. John just looking for one

:28:22. > :28:26.

:28:26. > :28:36.That helps John as well, can knocking of the black towards the

:28:36. > :28:54.

:28:54. > :29:04.yellow. He is the strong favourite Just a little bit unlucky there.

:29:04. > :29:16.

:29:16. > :29:20.Enough of it gap past the pink to Now then... He can't even see it. I

:29:20. > :29:30.thought he might have been able to clip it in and cannon at the red

:29:30. > :29:36.

:29:36. > :29:41.He is looking at the shot... Even if he plays cushion first to pot it,

:29:41. > :29:51.it is difficult to control the cue ball. Where will the colour come

:29:51. > :29:57.

:29:57. > :30:05.from? View went he is playing for That was a good effort. So much

:30:05. > :30:08.difference between the reds, that was a really tough shot. He may

:30:08. > :30:16.have covered the one near the middle pocket, but he hasn't

:30:16. > :30:20.covered the one to the right of the black spot. He is 42 ahead. If he

:30:20. > :30:29.rolls this income of 43 with a possible 43 on the table. He has a

:30:29. > :30:39.bit of an angle so he can get onto So just the pink needed to leave

:30:39. > :30:49.

:30:49. > :30:59.It was always going to be an awkward frame, the way the reds was

:30:59. > :31:06.

:31:06. > :31:16.situated, they were all blocking As long as you win the frame, cue

:31:16. > :31:24.

:31:24. > :31:29.don't bother - McCready don't I think Ali this time ball just

:31:29. > :31:39.look at the referee, yes, he has conceded. It was a tactical long

:31:39. > :31:45.frame, but in the end, John Higgins It is looking good for John Higgins

:31:45. > :31:48.at this stage. We had earlier about his heroes, Celtic. But whose

:31:48. > :31:58.example might and the Carter draw some inspiration from at this

:31:58. > :32:01.

:32:01. > :32:05.For me, I always wanted to be like a footballer, like George Best. Do

:32:05. > :32:11.it on the pitch and do it in the bar with all the women afterwards,

:32:11. > :32:15.it is my ideal sort of scenario. But unfortunately, we know that

:32:15. > :32:20.doesn't really work long term. You look at someone like Paul Gascoigne

:32:20. > :32:24.and George Best, it is a pity they have gone off the rails. The

:32:24. > :32:30.decisions they have made, things they have done. But for a sportsman,

:32:30. > :32:34.we all like to think he could have it both ways. Mike Tyson, he has

:32:34. > :32:40.done some wrong ones in his time, but when he was a youngster, what

:32:40. > :32:46.an awesome fighter he was. Obviously, he went a bit a wall

:32:46. > :32:51.later on in his career, but him, I used to look up and think, he was

:32:51. > :32:57.the business when he was a young man. He was fighting in a man's

:32:57. > :33:05.world when he was only 19 or 20. will have to come out fighting like

:33:05. > :33:10.a boxer, that is for sure. How are you assessing this match so far? It

:33:10. > :33:15.looks very much like it is going into John's favour. What does Ali

:33:15. > :33:20.Carter have to change it, if anything to get back into this?

:33:20. > :33:24.has to make no mistakes now. John Higgins is going to get chances

:33:24. > :33:29.over the next three frames and he is not the sort of person to wilt

:33:29. > :33:36.when it gets to the finish line. There was a funny incident, John

:33:36. > :33:40.picked up Ali Carter's to you, it might have helped him, but Ali is

:33:40. > :33:47.quite capable. He doesn't have the best record against John Higgins,

:33:47. > :33:52.but he will give it the 100%, as he always does. You can take it frame

:33:52. > :33:58.by frame. It is still far from over. You talk about the record between

:33:58. > :34:07.these guys, John Higgins has one eight -- won 8, compared to Ali

:34:07. > :34:13.Carter, who has won to. He seems to have the age in the significance,

:34:13. > :34:21.he has that to draw on. Absolutely, I cannot remember John losing many

:34:21. > :34:31.matches from this position. Erden has got it all to do. -- so it Ali

:34:31. > :34:42.

:34:42. > :34:47.It is one of those situations, does Ali take the red into the right

:34:47. > :34:57.hand corner? There is a gap around the back of the black. He could do

:34:57. > :35:03.

:35:03. > :35:07.Very good, excellent shot. And played with a lot of confidence,

:35:07. > :35:17.because he didn't play to get the cue ball on to the baulk cushion.

:35:17. > :35:19.

:35:19. > :35:23.So he deserves to knock a sizeable It is the sort of shot that players

:35:23. > :35:33.do practice, because it is a shot that if they can knock in, it can

:35:33. > :35:38.

:35:38. > :35:43.As you say, playing it in a very positive way. You can clearly tell,

:35:43. > :35:50.the pace he was playing that, he was tried to get the cue ball back

:35:50. > :35:54.behind the baulk colours. -- he wasn't trying to. That is the only

:35:54. > :36:00.way he can win this match, by taking the bull by the horns and

:36:00. > :36:04.playing a positive game. There is only one player who can play on the

:36:04. > :36:10.table at this game, that is why it is probably one of the most

:36:10. > :36:20.difficult sport's to play. If you are playing well, your opponent has

:36:20. > :36:56.

:36:56. > :37:06.He hit knows he cannot make any He has got the single red, it is

:37:06. > :37:09.

:37:09. > :37:17.not a good pack to go into off the He couldn't have hit it any harder,

:37:17. > :37:27.he deserves to be on a red, but I don't think he is. Hang on, maybe

:37:27. > :37:29.

:37:29. > :37:39.it does just a pass the pink. It is He couldn't have hit this any

:37:39. > :38:17.

:38:17. > :38:21.Well played. It was slightly more He's a very compact player. You

:38:21. > :38:31.feel not a lot can go wrong with it. He is not the tallest player in the

:38:31. > :38:31.

:38:31. > :39:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:39:20. > :39:30.Getting to that stage in the break way you just need to keep your

:39:30. > :39:30.

:39:30. > :40:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:40:11. > :40:20.concentration. -- where you just Just finished slightly awkward. A

:40:20. > :40:30.little bit more angle on the pink He may follow through into the two

:40:30. > :40:33.

:40:33. > :40:36.reds, play some sort of cannon. Well, that will annoy Ali, that is

:40:36. > :40:43.for sure. He took his eye off the pot, he was thinking more about

:40:43. > :40:47.what is going to happen with the cannon. You just over cut that. If

:40:47. > :40:57.John Higgins can convert this opening red, which is not a gimme

:40:57. > :41:00.

:41:00. > :41:03.by any means, he will have a great Even the great man himself, showing

:41:03. > :41:08.a little bit of tension there, because he knew that was a great

:41:08. > :41:14.opportunity. I expected him to knock that in. But looking at the

:41:14. > :41:21.angle, it was not a gimme by any means, as I said. He missed that by

:41:21. > :41:31.a long way. John Higgins is normally tremendous at taking

:41:31. > :41:39.

:41:39. > :41:49.That didn't look any easier shot, There wasn't a lot of room the

:41:49. > :42:24.

:42:24. > :42:30.What a great chance to take the The balls are there for the taking.

:42:30. > :42:40.Ali Carter knows now that John Higgins has the opportunity. Can he

:42:40. > :42:55.

:42:55. > :43:05.He's used to closing out a match, John Higgins. Shouldn't be a

:43:05. > :43:05.

:43:05. > :43:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:43:55. > :44:05.A important not to get ahead of yourself in the stages, give each

:44:05. > :44:25.

:44:25. > :44:28.He's having to struggle a little bit, because you cannot get into

:44:28. > :44:33.prime position. He has to go for one of the baulk colours again

:44:33. > :44:43.because he has over done that slightly. He is having to work hard

:44:43. > :44:53.Plenty of points available, even though he is taking low-value

:44:53. > :45:01.

:45:01. > :45:07.The only problem you could see, really, would be eventually to get

:45:07. > :45:17.from the pink up to the black, and even that may not -- may prove to

:45:17. > :45:20.

:45:20. > :45:30.He has gone slightly lower on the black than may be comfortable. He

:45:30. > :45:34.

:45:34. > :45:42.may choose to play the cannon on He wanted to leave the red to the

:45:42. > :45:52.He can play this red off three cushions for the pink here, I think

:45:52. > :46:03.

:46:03. > :46:13.And there is the third cushion coming up, just as Stephen Hendry

:46:13. > :46:21.

:46:21. > :46:24.And that now means there isn't a problem that I mentioned earlier,

:46:24. > :46:34.with the pink being at the other end of the table, now it is a

:46:34. > :46:36.

:46:36. > :46:40.straight forward run to the winning And all of a sudden, he has played

:46:40. > :46:46.a very poor positional shot. He is going to have to take the green in

:46:46. > :46:56.the middle pocket. It shows you what can happen even to the best

:46:56. > :47:02.

:47:02. > :47:05.players in the game, that little A quick glance at the scoreboard, I

:47:05. > :47:15.think Ali feels that this is the end of the tournament for him this

:47:15. > :47:20.

:47:20. > :47:30.Has he come up a bit short? Just But he is having the cue ball

:47:30. > :47:46.

:47:46. > :47:56.That was a good shot, wanted to make sure he was high enough in

:47:56. > :47:58.

:47:58. > :48:02.this pink to make it automatic Ali Carter had a break of 54, it

:48:02. > :48:09.looked as if he was going to get back to one frame behind, but in

:48:09. > :48:14.the end, John Higgins, twice winner here, he shouts the match out with

:48:14. > :48:18.that fantastic clearance of 65 committee must be pleased with the

:48:18. > :48:28.way he has performed here after losing the two opening frames. He

:48:28. > :48:31.

:48:31. > :48:34.And it was so close for the first few frames. But then the superior

:48:34. > :48:38.strength of John Higgins started his age him away and it seemed

:48:38. > :48:43.inevitable in the end. I we have seen that with a clearance from him

:48:43. > :48:47.so many times over the years. looked like he was really

:48:47. > :48:52.struggling, I think there was a huge turning point in the match,

:48:52. > :48:58.Ali Carter had a chance to go 3-0 up. When he lost that, who lost his

:48:58. > :49:03.momentum. But a master class from John Higgins in closing out a match.

:49:03. > :49:08.It was a fantastic clearance. quick word about Ali Carter and how

:49:08. > :49:13.he might reflect on that today? will think it is one that got away

:49:13. > :49:16.earlier on. The trouble is, against the likes of John Higgins, he

:49:16. > :49:23.doesn't need much for them to get inspiration enough to turn it

:49:23. > :49:28.around. Against a smaller player, that one of positional mistake and

:49:28. > :49:32.bending missed cut wouldn't have cost us dearly. But he would have

:49:32. > :49:35.sensed again -- against John Higgins that it would be the

:49:35. > :49:40.turning Point macro. Congratulations. We were just

:49:40. > :49:44.reflecting on it and saying, the first four of frames, then suddenly,

:49:44. > :49:49.couple of missed balls, and then a brown in the middle of the second

:49:49. > :49:55.frame. What were you thinking going into the third? I was still feeling

:49:56. > :50:05.OK, I didn't really miss much. I still felt fine, when you have lost

:50:05. > :50:10.two bad frames, I still thought I had the ball OK. When you spoke to

:50:10. > :50:15.Steve, you talked about the last couple of venues, you said you felt

:50:15. > :50:20.overawed, did you feel more comfortable in the surroundings?

:50:20. > :50:23.The Wembley Arena, I didn't really like it at all. It is great when

:50:23. > :50:29.you're doing well at the conference centre but when you are not playing

:50:29. > :50:34.well, it can gobble you up. Surely after losing the first frame after

:50:34. > :50:40.completely missing the black off the spot and then throwing away the

:50:40. > :50:46.second frame with two Snooker's, surely at that stage...? Honest to

:50:46. > :50:51.God, I still felt OK. That is when you know within yourself, it is

:50:51. > :50:57.only you and your mind out there. I still felt OK, I thought I was

:50:57. > :51:01.still in the game, just get on with it. You were playing with a new cue

:51:01. > :51:06.this season, it seemed said you were getting through it and getting

:51:06. > :51:12.a lot of your action on the ball. It was testament to how well you

:51:12. > :51:19.were getting through it. The table was really reactive, even when I

:51:19. > :51:27.was trying to swerve around in the second frame, it proved it. Right

:51:27. > :51:30.away, you knew it was really reactive. I'm playing with my new

:51:30. > :51:34.cue, or I have had some alterations done to it, it feels good.

:51:34. > :51:39.thought you were going to play with Ali Carter's you at one point! You

:51:39. > :51:44.have talked about building a snooker room in the house. Has that

:51:44. > :51:51.made a big difference to you? You feel if you haven't put the work in

:51:51. > :51:58.a day's tournaments, it you don't feel right. You might practice for

:51:58. > :52:02.a bit and then think, I will make myself a cup of tea. My wife has

:52:02. > :52:11.put a kitchen in there for me. But I still made it through. Sometimes

:52:11. > :52:16.it is not great. It is a lot better, I am practising more. And I know

:52:16. > :52:21.you have won this tournament quite, can you feel a bit more, are you

:52:22. > :52:30.getting more back from this event? I am just watching the TV it, it

:52:30. > :52:35.gives you goosebumps, it is a great event, and it is just one of the

:52:35. > :52:38.things, it is so tough. I was expecting Ali to come back, I was

:52:38. > :52:43.beginning to feel the pressure about clearing up, because I

:52:43. > :52:49.thought, I had the clearance against Mark Davis and I marked it

:52:49. > :52:53.up. I nearly did it again there. I'm pleased to get through.

:52:53. > :52:58.mentioned Ronnie, who is not here for the first time in two decades,

:52:58. > :53:06.I know he is working as a voluntary farm labourer in epic Forest, and

:53:06. > :53:11.loving it, apparently. We hope you come back soon! We don't! You are

:53:11. > :53:15.on record as saying, the titles that have been won so far have not

:53:15. > :53:18.been diminished by his absence, but had you feel about the world

:53:18. > :53:25.championship as the defending champion? What would you like to

:53:25. > :53:30.see in April? I would really like him to come back and play, because

:53:30. > :53:33.to have a defending, especially world champion, not to defend it,

:53:33. > :53:37.it has never happened before, I don't think. I don't think it would

:53:37. > :53:43.be good. In the last couple of years, or Ronnie has not really

:53:43. > :53:48.been on the tour as such. It is not really that different just now, it

:53:48. > :53:53.is because he is having an enforced break, you never see a lot of him

:53:53. > :53:59.in the last couple of years, maybe he is wrestling his own demons,

:53:59. > :54:05.does he or does he not want to play? He is having a break, you

:54:05. > :54:08.have just got to take it at his word. As a player, backstage, a lot

:54:08. > :54:13.of the players hang around with each other, or Ronnie was never

:54:13. > :54:20.doing that anyway. We never really saw too much of him at the venues,

:54:20. > :54:23.in between matches anyway, it is like business as usual. The factors

:54:23. > :54:28.de -- the fact that the defending champion is coming back, that would

:54:28. > :54:33.create a buzz among the players. Everybody would love to have him

:54:33. > :54:36.back. You talk about the tour itself, and those who have been

:54:36. > :54:43.there and those who haven't, but from June, things are going to

:54:43. > :54:50.change big-time with his new flat draw. What is your view on that?

:54:50. > :54:54.think there is a bit of discussion that can happen with the players, I

:54:54. > :55:03.don't know that is a starter, but I think there will be some

:55:03. > :55:08.discussions. There are few players who have some ideas about it!

:55:08. > :55:16.keep your powder dry. I can see where you're coming from. Coming up,

:55:16. > :55:22.it will be Shaun Murphy, what you saw of him, he is a man in form.

:55:22. > :55:28.What do you make of the match up? Will obviously come up away Shaun

:55:28. > :55:31.Murphy came back to beat Ali Carter, there are not many who could have

:55:31. > :55:39.done it in that style. So he is obviously feeling good about his

:55:39. > :55:43.game. He has been really consistent, he has been at all the later stages

:55:43. > :55:48.of the events recently. Ricky has been struggling a bit lately. But

:55:48. > :55:54.I'm sure Ricky has been working over the New Year and he will feel

:55:54. > :56:02.like the underdog, and he can play as well as anybody on his day.

:56:02. > :56:07.really enjoyed that this afternoon. Thank you. We have a bit of time to

:56:07. > :56:11.reflect on events last night, it was a match featuring Mark Allen,

:56:11. > :56:16.who one his first major title last April but he would late has been

:56:16. > :56:26.making as many headlines away from the table as he has on it. He is a

:56:26. > :56:30.

:56:30. > :56:35.One criticism of modern-day sport people is a lack personality, but

:56:35. > :56:41.with Mark Allen, you have the X- Factor. Absolutely. One player not

:56:41. > :56:48.afraid to speak his mind, which is good in our game. Snooker has

:56:48. > :56:52.always been a very gentle man's sport, everyone get on with it. But

:56:52. > :56:58.he is open about his opinions, it is refreshing. And a fierce

:56:58. > :57:02.competitor. I must admit, I didn't know where he was going to go in

:57:02. > :57:06.the game, his technique is certainly unorthodox. But he is

:57:06. > :57:14.very accurate amongst the balls. The thing that comes over to me is

:57:14. > :57:19.the aggression. The controlled aggression. A similar attitude to

:57:19. > :57:25.Graeme Dott, intensity, around the table, I love watching him break

:57:25. > :57:29.build. His close control around the pink and black is in the top two

:57:29. > :57:33.all three. And he has plenty of heart when it comes to red. It is

:57:33. > :57:37.hard to know where he's going to end up in the game. He has got

:57:37. > :57:44.further than a lot of people may have thought, whether he can get to

:57:44. > :57:47.the next level is a tough one. Can he win the absolute majors? He will

:57:47. > :57:52.always raise his game for the occasion, now he has one or macro a

:57:52. > :57:57.ranking event, he will win many more -- now he has won a ranking

:57:57. > :58:02.event. It is not guaranteed that his cue action would have taken him

:58:02. > :58:06.to such a great height a made it a strange one, he has a loose grip.

:58:06. > :58:12.His chin goes out to one side to get it on the issue. It is

:58:12. > :58:16.certainly not text book. I love watching him around the pink and

:58:16. > :58:21.black, who plays little cannons, he doesn't spread the pack Open,

:58:21. > :58:27.straight away, he is one of the best in the world at it.

:58:27. > :58:34.Practically? He is as good as anybody. He prefers a game that is

:58:34. > :58:41.open. He has got the all round game if he needs.

:58:41. > :58:45.He was basing Mark Davis, who is enjoying his best season ever. Last

:58:45. > :58:49.night for the first time, back at the Masters for the first time in a

:58:49. > :58:59.decade. We will have a look at this one from the off, it was great

:58:59. > :59:09.

:59:09. > :59:19.Mark Davis get the battle of the marks under way and that looks a

:59:19. > :59:20.

:59:20. > :59:25.pretty good length with a break off shot. There's a spotlight in the

:59:25. > :59:35.players I lie in which the referee is asking to be switched off. --

:59:35. > :59:44.

:59:44. > :59:53.And interesting battle, this. Mark Allen, could the current World Open

:59:53. > :59:58.champion. It has just been switched off. He is up against Mark Davis,

:59:58. > :00:07.who has been showing some terrific form recently. He has really come

:00:07. > :00:14.good in the latter stages of his career. Yes, he has. The first time

:00:14. > :00:19.into the top 16 and automatic qualification for this event. A

:00:19. > :00:25.long red from Mark Allen. Just a little bit low on the black. I said

:00:25. > :00:35.it was a pretty good break shot, but to knock one in with the cue

:00:35. > :00:39.

:00:39. > :00:46.ball on the cushion, you can't hit That was a good shot as well.

:00:46. > :00:53.Controlled it very, very well. As you said, it is going to be an

:00:53. > :01:00.interesting match. A Mark Davis, in the latter part of his career, 40

:01:00. > :01:08.years of age, getting into the top 16. A late developer. But one of

:01:08. > :01:17.those players that has benefited from a lot of the tournaments. He

:01:17. > :01:22.has got confidence from a lot of the tournaments. It has given him

:01:22. > :01:29.confidence on the big stage and in the big tournaments against the big

:01:29. > :01:34.players. And interesting match in prospect. Just this one red that is

:01:34. > :01:39.available, at the one to the left of the bunch is a little open.

:01:39. > :01:43.Imperative that he gets a good angle. Looking at the way they are

:01:43. > :01:48.situated, much better to go into the pink and reds from the blue.

:01:48. > :01:58.For are not too badly place to go into from the black, but let's see

:01:58. > :02:01.

:02:01. > :02:11.He has a good angle so it is all about the cannon. You would not

:02:11. > :02:15.

:02:15. > :02:23.think he would stick in the back of He has stuck in the bunch! He might

:02:23. > :02:28.possibly have the red up into the corner pocket. A little bit unlucky.

:02:28. > :02:32.It was quite an unusual choice, leaving the cue ball quite high on

:02:32. > :02:37.the black. It is obviously something he is quite confident

:02:37. > :02:42.with. Normally players would leave the cue ball quite low on the black.

:02:43. > :02:52.He left it on the high side, off the top cushion. Obviously pretty

:02:53. > :02:56.

:02:56. > :03:04.confident with that particular shot. Just look how will the balls are

:03:04. > :03:09.place now. All of a sudden, it looked like a pretty good break off

:03:09. > :03:19.from Mark Davis, but a few shots later and look at the position of

:03:19. > :03:22.

:03:22. > :03:26.the balls. He couldn't have played We will show you the break off

:03:26. > :03:36.again. He seemed to catch everything nicely, a good pace on

:03:36. > :03:52.

:03:52. > :03:58.it, close to the cushion. But he Mark Allen, one of the top break-

:03:58. > :04:08.builders in the game. 46 century breaks last season. That is going

:04:08. > :04:17.

:04:17. > :04:24.He has had 173 centuries in his career. He turned professional in

:04:24. > :04:28.2005 and has steadily climbed up the world rankings. World ranked

:04:28. > :04:38.number nine at the moment. He would feel he should be a bit higher than

:04:38. > :04:49.

:04:49. > :04:54.He had to play for the loose red. All of those other reds are

:04:54. > :05:01.covering each other. Even though the reds are nicely open, they are

:05:01. > :05:04.blocking each other into the right corner pocket. He might have to

:05:04. > :05:14.play another cannon when potting this red and getting nicely on the

:05:14. > :05:33.

:05:33. > :05:38.black. And then the frame will be If he can and that ball, that is

:05:38. > :05:47.the angle it would take. It would open things up. He could play for

:05:47. > :05:52.the single red. He has misjudged that. He is OK, but it is not the

:05:52. > :06:02.way he intended it. He has one to the middle pocket. He played the

:06:02. > :06:08.

:06:08. > :06:18.cannon on the two reds rather than He has a nice angle, he could go

:06:18. > :06:24.

:06:24. > :06:29.into the middle of those reds, just He decided against it. That's OK.

:06:29. > :06:39.He can pot this red and hit it will open the path for the red in the

:06:39. > :06:42.

:06:42. > :06:48.The black will put him 65 ahead so one more red and a colour. That

:06:48. > :06:52.should be enough to secure this frame. But after potting this red,

:06:52. > :07:02.I'm sure Mark Allen will be thinking about making a century and

:07:02. > :07:02.

:07:03. > :07:10.keeping Mark Davis in his seat for He has always played very well in

:07:10. > :07:16.the Masters. He got to the quarter- finals in 2009 and 2010. Semi-

:07:16. > :07:21.finals in 2011 where he lost to Neil Robertson. He couldn't have

:07:21. > :07:31.made a better start here. He let the white run further than he

:07:31. > :07:34.

:07:34. > :07:44.intended just there. He just needs I'll tell you what, he almost

:07:44. > :08:01.

:08:01. > :08:09.It certainly wobbled a few times. In this position, a player would

:08:09. > :08:15.love to make a century in the first frame of the evening session. Also

:08:15. > :08:22.it is important to keep your opponent in his seat. To be honest,

:08:22. > :08:32.he hasn't really done a lot wrong. His break left an open red. What is

:08:32. > :08:37.

:08:37. > :08:47.the old saying? Show him who's boss He doesn't hang around when he gets

:08:47. > :09:07.

:09:07. > :09:13.You can't do any better than that! You're very first shot in this

:09:13. > :09:23.year's Masters and he has made a century break. -- your very first.

:09:23. > :09:30.

:09:30. > :09:40.Superb. The highest so far is 127 That is a terrific shot as well. He

:09:40. > :09:42.

:09:42. > :09:52.looks very comfortable in this A possible 136. That would set the

:09:52. > :09:55.

:09:55. > :10:02.Well, I didn't think it was going in and Mark Allen didn't think that

:10:02. > :10:06.went in either! Bit is the first day's play on this table, and with

:10:06. > :10:11.the new cloth, it is showing that the pockets are playing quite

:10:11. > :10:21.comfortable at the moment. After a few more days, that type of shot

:10:21. > :10:24.

:10:25. > :10:29.might not go in that when the cloth He just got one chance and it

:10:29. > :10:37.wasn't an easy chance. What did he do? He cleared the table with a

:10:37. > :10:45.magnificent break of 136. STUDIO: That remains the highest

:10:45. > :10:55.break this year so far. Davis won the second frame, Mark Allen went

:10:55. > :11:14.

:11:14. > :11:19.2-1 up and this is the world number We've seen a couple of good break

:11:19. > :11:24.of shots in this match so far, but that is certainly not one. A

:11:24. > :11:34.straight forward opener. He can't get onto the black, so maybe down

:11:34. > :11:51.

:11:51. > :12:01.Didn't go into the centre pocket by He would love to get on to these

:12:01. > :12:11.

:12:11. > :12:15.couple reds into the bottom right Just a little bit short of pace. It

:12:15. > :12:25.is a bit of a squeeze. He would have loved to have been a little

:12:25. > :12:41.

:12:41. > :12:51.There was a great shot. It showed you how everything was in line.

:12:51. > :12:58.

:12:58. > :13:05.Have a look at the elbow, his head, When I used to do a bit of coaching,

:13:05. > :13:10.used to say, treat the cue action like a piston. If you set that up

:13:10. > :13:20.at the table, it would pot the ball 100 times out of 100. That is the

:13:20. > :13:45.

:13:45. > :13:55.secret of your cue action. It Look at that. Both players have 97%

:13:55. > :13:59.

:13:59. > :14:09.He has finished a bit straight on this. He wanted a slight angle to

:14:09. > :14:12.stun over to those reds. Maybe he On these very lively cloths, it is

:14:12. > :14:17.amazing how much you can make an angle when you are just off

:14:17. > :14:24.straight. You could not have done that years ago with for a thicker

:14:24. > :14:29.cloth. Very lively, aren't they? Yes, you can force the angle. The

:14:29. > :14:33.cloths are so lively, the ball will move a lot more. He has got a

:14:33. > :14:40.little straight on this black, though. A little bit awkward, he

:14:40. > :14:50.has to come off the side cushion. A lot of side to get the red into the

:14:50. > :15:04.

:15:04. > :15:09.That is pretty good, well played. Sometimes you can overscrew or

:15:09. > :15:19.underscrew that shot. He has done it very well. Imperative that he

:15:19. > :15:22.

:15:22. > :15:26.leaves himself a nice angle on the We saw Mark Allen with a similar

:15:26. > :15:31.shot a couple of frames ago. He left the cue ball high on the black.

:15:31. > :15:38.There was his choice to split the reds, whereas Mark Davis made sure

:15:38. > :15:45.he left the cue ball low on the black. He needs to stun off it

:15:45. > :15:50.rather than screwed into them. He is a bit unlucky. He played the

:15:50. > :16:00.stun shot, but he got a certain amount of screwed because the white

:16:00. > :16:01.

:16:01. > :16:11.stopped and all of a sudden came It picks up the backspin and he has

:16:11. > :16:23.

:16:23. > :16:28.I say he has finished on nothing, he was looking at a plant. He has

:16:28. > :16:33.an advantage of 43 points. It just play the red between yellow and

:16:33. > :16:43.brown, making good safety shot and wait for another chance. -- make a

:16:43. > :16:56.

:16:56. > :17:02.That has turned out quite good for Mark Davis. He didn't intend to

:17:02. > :17:12.cannon the green, but now he has pushed the green behind the black,

:17:12. > :17:12.

:17:12. > :18:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:18:34. > :18:40.I think he can see enough of this. The mid-session interval is coming

:18:40. > :18:46.up after this frame. I think Mark Davis, if he can carry on and

:18:46. > :18:52.clinch this frame -- frame, will be very pleased with his play, the way

:18:52. > :18:58.Mark Allen started off with a total clearance. Not much to choose

:18:58. > :19:08.between both players at the moment. It has been quite good stuff. Pot

:19:08. > :19:18.success has been 97%, 98% now for Mark Davis. He that is very, very

:19:18. > :19:31.

:19:31. > :19:39.Mark Allen got off to a great start, making that 136 break in the first

:19:39. > :19:49.frame. But Mark Davis hasn't been fazed by that. He has looked very

:19:49. > :19:54.

:19:54. > :19:59.composed and confident. He has APPLAUSE. Acknowledgement from the

:19:59. > :20:02.crowd, that was frame ball. This table looks to be playing

:20:02. > :20:12.beautifully. Neil Robertson and Ding have three centuries on it

:20:12. > :20:12.

:20:12. > :20:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:20:57. > :21:07.this afternoon. The pace of it Mark Allen concedes. Mark Davis

:21:07. > :21:10.

:21:10. > :21:13.HAZEL IRVINE: Mark Davis had only ever played one match in the

:21:13. > :21:17.Masters before this year and that was 10 years ago when he lost in

:21:17. > :21:20.the wild card round. Giving a pretty decent account of himself

:21:20. > :21:30.pretty decent account of himself thus far. After the interval, this

:21:30. > :21:40.

:21:40. > :21:46.He has been very fortunate. OK, there's a red on, but look where

:21:46. > :21:56.the cue ball has landed. This could have been a lot easier for Mark

:21:56. > :21:57.

:21:57. > :22:05.But he only has to concentrate on the pot. If he gets the pot, he

:22:05. > :22:11.will be on the blue. But it is very, very difficult and very missable.

:22:11. > :22:21.Yes, he can put a little bit of unwanted side on it bridging over a

:22:21. > :22:23.

:22:23. > :22:28.Yeah. The harder you play that shot, the more pace, the more difficult

:22:28. > :22:38.the pot is. You could even see the white jumping slightly. He was

:22:38. > :22:45.

:22:45. > :22:55.striking down on it. The chance No problem getting on a red. Have a

:22:55. > :23:24.

:23:24. > :23:29.look at those red balls, the way I'm sure Mark Allen can't believe

:23:29. > :23:35.he is back to the table so quickly. I'm sure when he missed that red

:23:35. > :23:39.into the yellow pocket he thought Mark Davis was going to make a

:23:39. > :23:49.sizeable break, but he was very fortunate where he left the cue

:23:49. > :23:54.

:23:54. > :23:59.Yes, you would think he could cut this red into the right corner and

:23:59. > :24:06.come across and leave the black for the same pocket. It looks as if he

:24:06. > :24:16.could do that. He could also go back for the blue. There wasn't

:24:16. > :24:52.

:24:52. > :24:56.Possibly try and leave the red closest to the right centre. He

:24:56. > :25:03.will not take it on right now. He will keep it there as insurance and

:25:03. > :25:13.try to pick off some of the other loose reds. It is always nice to

:25:13. > :25:21.

:25:21. > :25:31.know you have a red close to the He has overrun that, but this was

:25:31. > :25:38.

:25:38. > :25:48.The bottom red of the four below the pink goes into the left hand

:25:48. > :25:48.

:25:48. > :26:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:26:33. > :26:37.See how he uses the rest right handed. He is a left-handed player,

:26:37. > :26:47.but it is amazing the number of players that do that. They switch

:26:47. > :26:47.

:26:47. > :27:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:27:41. > :27:44.He has had a look at the red directly above the black. He has

:27:44. > :27:54.looked at it a couple of times to see if it goes into the left hand

:27:54. > :28:12.

:28:12. > :28:16.That could have worked out a little He didn't really want to have to

:28:16. > :28:21.play the cannon, but he didn't get onto the black as he intended and

:28:21. > :28:30.he was forced into it. This is a tricky cut into the middle. Right

:28:30. > :28:33.in the centre of the pocket. He has let the right -- let the

:28:33. > :28:43.white run near the cushion, but that was a good pot under the

:28:43. > :28:48.

:28:48. > :28:58.circumstances. Black and one more 64 the difference. A possible 67 at

:28:58. > :28:59.

:28:59. > :29:09.the moment on the table. This red Awkward bridging, he can't get his

:29:09. > :29:46.

:29:46. > :29:56.The high standard continues between these players. Any sort of mistakes

:29:56. > :30:00.

:30:00. > :30:05.No century break, that was always going to be difficult, that pot.

:30:05. > :30:12.Mark Davis stays in his seat and Mark Allen, with the help of that

:30:12. > :30:17.79 break, get himself back into the Another chance to break from Mark

:30:17. > :30:21.Allen, who has performed pretty consistently over the last five

:30:21. > :30:31.years since he started to compete at the Masters. He was a semi-

:30:31. > :30:40.

:30:40. > :30:45.finalist a couple of years ago. He He has left it dead straight on the

:30:45. > :30:55.blue, a little shake of the head. He is still OK, plenty of reds in

:30:55. > :31:25.

:31:25. > :31:29.Shouldn't be too much of a problem, If he could pot the pink and get a

:31:29. > :31:36.red, the pink would go on the black spot and that would certainly help

:31:36. > :31:40.his cause. I'm just wondering if he drops this red in, he could stay on

:31:41. > :31:50.the blue, of course, but if he could get that pink it would

:31:51. > :32:01.

:32:01. > :32:06.certainly make this break an awful You can see the situation where the

:32:06. > :32:16.reds are, they're all in the open. Just keep control of the cue ball

:32:16. > :32:22.

:32:22. > :32:32.It is not imperative he gets the correct side of the blue, because

:32:32. > :32:34.

:32:34. > :32:44.he has got that red on the green He seemed to get a bit of a kick

:32:44. > :32:47.

:32:47. > :32:51.there, he may now have to play for He hasn't played a good shot here.

:32:51. > :32:57.He still on that red, but he should have been allowed further out into

:32:57. > :33:07.the table. -- a lot further out. He just needs one good shot to

:33:07. > :33:09.

:33:09. > :33:12.Now he has got to get the right side of the blue each time to

:33:12. > :33:22.hopefully go on and secured this frame and open up a two frame

:33:22. > :33:22.

:33:22. > :34:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:34:09. > :34:19.Definitely got a kick that time and it has taken the pace out of the

:34:19. > :34:25.

:34:25. > :34:30.This is the heavy contact here. He just means he has got to leave

:34:30. > :34:36.himself a medium part. He has gone round the angles coming doesn't

:34:36. > :34:42.want to hit the brown. Now it is not take full -- straight forward.

:34:42. > :34:49.It was always the problem. Had he got the pink earlier, he had the

:34:49. > :34:53.chance to take the early part of his break. This frame probably

:34:53. > :35:03.would have been over. Now he has to produce a really good pot to keep

:35:03. > :35:13.

:35:14. > :35:23.He has got a 42 point League but he's disappointed he didn't win the

:35:24. > :35:25.

:35:25. > :35:28.He might just be able to see enough of this red, he might be forced to

:35:28. > :35:35.take the pot own but he has got to get a lot of action on the cue ball

:35:35. > :35:45.that he is going to get onto the blue. Worth having a go, because he

:35:45. > :35:54.

:35:54. > :36:04.That double kiss might just have Without the double kiss, he would

:36:04. > :36:24.

:36:24. > :36:28.He may take this red up into the yellow pocket. If he can stun the

:36:28. > :36:38.cue ball somewhere near the right centre pocket, leave it close to

:36:38. > :36:38.

:36:38. > :36:48.the cushion, it is almost like a It may be worth taking on, this

:36:48. > :36:48.

:36:48. > :38:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:38:05. > :38:08.I think the brown goes into the Mark Davis will be very

:38:08. > :38:18.disappointed, he has been a little unlucky, no doubt about that, in a

:38:18. > :38:21.

:38:21. > :38:31.couple of the frames. He potted a He ended up in no-man's-land,

:38:31. > :38:36.

:38:36. > :38:46.really. He's left this opportunity But it has been good stuff. Pot

:38:46. > :38:57.

:38:57. > :39:03.success still well up into the 90s For the first time in this match,

:39:03. > :39:13.there has been a two frame advantage. Frame seven now, it is

:39:13. > :39:17.

:39:17. > :39:25.He missed it that completely. If it had gone to plan, he was hoping to

:39:25. > :39:33.pot that and leave himself a chance of the black. But he cued across it

:39:33. > :39:43.slightly and he has left a chance And he hasn't needed many chances

:39:43. > :39:43.

:39:43. > :40:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:40:46. > :40:50.I think he is saying to the referee, I could do with being taller for

:40:50. > :40:54.the shot. He will have to get everything, he has asked for the

:40:54. > :41:00.longest thing he can produce a! There is the extended rest coming

:41:00. > :41:07.out. This is the full length of the table, it is not often you see this,

:41:07. > :41:17.players stretching nearly the full 12 defeat. He could probably do

:41:17. > :41:39.

:41:39. > :41:49.He had to get the rest out of the way, you don't see that very often!

:41:49. > :42:09.

:42:09. > :42:13.But sooner or later... It had to He still smiling, he cannot believe

:42:13. > :42:23.what just happened there. He has got a good turn to if you know,

:42:23. > :42:23.

:42:23. > :43:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds

:43:49. > :43:55.It is worth another look, I I am just wondering if that red to

:43:55. > :44:05.the back of the triangle of reds goes. He didn't finish on the pink

:44:05. > :44:12.

:44:12. > :44:22.as he intended, but he should be OK, And in turn, it will clear the red

:44:22. > :44:45.

:44:45. > :44:55.He should be OK, even if he has to It took him back across the table

:44:55. > :45:18.

:45:18. > :45:22.in between the pink and reds there. He may not take the black here, he

:45:22. > :45:32.will have to get through the gap to get to the next red, so pink to the

:45:32. > :45:52.

:45:52. > :45:58.left centre may be his best option If he takes this red closest to the

:45:58. > :46:08.pocket, that will open the two reds above the same pocket, so this will

:46:08. > :46:12.

:46:12. > :46:21.Would you believe, he just got that little kiss on the red, a test make

:46:21. > :46:31.things a little bit awkward. -- it has made things. He is still OK, he

:46:31. > :46:48.

:46:48. > :46:53.has got the blue, but it is more Yes, that little kiss, had he

:46:53. > :47:03.missed that, he would have been nicely on the blue. Just stretching

:47:03. > :47:15.

:47:15. > :47:24.It is not straightforward for Mark Allen. Although the two red to the

:47:24. > :47:27.right of the black will be available into the left pocket. The

:47:27. > :47:35.one near the green might be available into the same pocket that

:47:35. > :47:39.he is taking this red here. It doesn't look a decent chance, but

:47:40. > :47:49.the way he is playing, I wouldn't be surprised if he does not a few

:47:50. > :47:57.

:47:57. > :48:00.If the red would go into the right corner, that would be a bonus. He

:48:01. > :48:10.is looking to see if that two reds are re possible plant into the

:48:11. > :48:14.

:48:14. > :48:22.It looks as if the red next to the green goes. That could be made into

:48:22. > :48:26.a plant. But he will not necessarily played for that. He

:48:26. > :48:34.will take the yellow and trying come back across, he is back

:48:34. > :48:37.looking at the plant again, so it just depends how he feels. If you

:48:37. > :48:44.think it is tricky, just play across the table and leave the red

:48:44. > :48:54.in the left corner. So he has got choices. They are close enough

:48:54. > :48:57.

:48:57. > :49:03.together that he could squeeze it He has got to be careful, because

:49:03. > :49:06.it is pointing to the left of the pocket. So he has got to make sure

:49:06. > :49:16.of a good connection, and that will squeeze the second ball into the

:49:16. > :49:27.

:49:27. > :49:37.Well negotiated for the plant. But he didn't get the desired position

:49:37. > :49:44.

:49:44. > :49:54.The black pot into the bottom left- hand pocket, so he just has to

:49:54. > :50:18.

:50:18. > :50:22.He could have easily played for the He is close to the cushion, the

:50:22. > :50:32.blue is the natural angle, but he doesn't fancy that so it is the

:50:32. > :50:33.

:50:33. > :50:43.yellow to try and get into perfect That is a fabulous positional shot.

:50:43. > :51:06.

:51:06. > :51:11.It really is. Could and have played Surprising that he played it like

:51:11. > :51:18.that. He played it to try and coverage, but he has left a chance

:51:18. > :51:28.now for Mark Davis. Surprise he didn't try and drop the red in

:51:28. > :51:38.

:51:38. > :51:43.He has got to get out onto the black, he has a slight angle, but

:51:43. > :51:53.as we have seen, the harder you hit this type of shot, the more chance

:51:53. > :51:57.

:51:57. > :52:02.there is that the pocket will not And he has really left a great

:52:02. > :52:12.chance here. There was just a little bit of tension there on that

:52:12. > :52:19.shot for Mark Davis can he knew the This will be a bit of a body blow

:52:19. > :52:29.if he loses this frame and balls 3 behind. Wanting hit that jaw, they

:52:29. > :52:31.

:52:31. > :52:41.don't tend to going. -- once you He has got to get nicely onto that

:52:41. > :53:18.

:53:18. > :53:28.green, it is not as straightforward He couldn't have played that any

:53:28. > :53:37.

:53:37. > :53:40.better. Just the blue and pink It was a frame that Mark Davis

:53:40. > :53:50.badly needed, he had a chance but he missed that red along the

:53:50. > :53:53.

:53:53. > :54:03.cushion. Mark Allen took full This was the incident that was to

:54:03. > :54:14.

:54:14. > :54:19.That it would be wrong to try and recreate that shot incomplete

:54:19. > :54:24.detail, so let's go through the basics. Every now and then you get

:54:24. > :54:27.a shot that is a total stretch and for right hander, that shot is

:54:27. > :54:37.quite difficult, he has got to go right along the table with his

:54:37. > :54:42.right arm. It makes it even more difficult. A we have got rid of the

:54:42. > :54:46.half Woods, we have the extended it rests, and we had the extension on

:54:46. > :54:55.the bottom of the cue as well but even with this particular shot, it

:54:55. > :55:04.Can you reach that from there? cannot. Left-handed, you could

:55:05. > :55:12.stretch over. If I had a stepladder! Let's make this a bit

:55:12. > :55:17.longer, the extended rest. Surely now you can reach? Let me see now.

:55:17. > :55:22.Because you're going over this side, at the problem is, you cannot

:55:22. > :55:27.actually inside the ball. It is sort of guesswork. You need more,

:55:27. > :55:34.you need this! It is a bit that goes on the end. Where did you get

:55:34. > :55:39.that from? It can make just enough different, trust me! Now surely you

:55:39. > :55:46.can reach this. If not, that means you should need more equipment for

:55:46. > :55:56.the job in hand. Well, it makes it a little bit easier, you are dead

:55:56. > :56:01.right. That is where you went wrong, he didn't have the extra two inches.

:56:01. > :56:04.You see the difference said can make! It was Mark Allen who

:56:04. > :56:09.eventually wrapped up things in the very next frame, despite the

:56:09. > :56:13.hilarity from us all in here. There was no clarity about this, this was

:56:13. > :56:19.a consummate performance by the young Ulsterman. He wrapped his up

:56:19. > :56:25.with a break of 80. He is now through to face it Neil Robertson,

:56:25. > :56:33.the defending champion, in the quarter-final on Thursday. We say

:56:33. > :56:37.He put me under a lot of pressure early on. I thought I was

:56:37. > :56:42.dominating the match early on but I could and Paul away. I was lucky

:56:42. > :56:50.enough after the interval to play well, he missed a couple. It was

:56:51. > :56:55.only a few shot here and there, he could have won 6-2. It shows where

:56:55. > :56:58.my game has been at, I had a few good tournament in the last 18

:56:58. > :57:03.months, but the consistency isn't there, there are some things to

:57:03. > :57:09.work on. There are only eight players left when I come to my next

:57:09. > :57:13.match, they are all good and everybody is capable of winning. I

:57:13. > :57:16.know if I go out and play well, I give myself a good chance, there is

:57:16. > :57:21.no one left in the tournament I haven't beaten before so there is

:57:21. > :57:27.no reason I cannot beat them again. I have a wedding to pay for and I

:57:27. > :57:35.don't have much money in the bank. As people say, it is not all about

:57:35. > :57:38.the money, but for me, it would be! It tonight this place is going to

:57:38. > :57:45.be a little on a Recorder of Scotland, we have Stephen Maguire

:57:45. > :57:50.up against Graeme Dott, and who is your pick for that one? At the

:57:50. > :57:57.moment, four matches apiece between them. I a tough one to call. Both

:57:57. > :58:01.art touch match players, both are gritty and determined. I think it

:58:01. > :58:06.will be a close game. The this is the third time they have met at the

:58:06. > :58:09.Masters, or 1 victory apiece so far. Perhaps at clear that Stephen

:58:09. > :58:16.Maguire is up in his form and Graeme Dott is a little bit going

:58:16. > :58:22.down. From my perspective, it is going to be tough for Graeme Dott

:58:22. > :58:28.and nothing Stephen Maguire will show some class. -- i think.