Day 5, Part 2 Masters Snooker

You've got to play well from the start. Playing one table, it is a

great crowd. It is the second best tournament we have got, by some

great distance. I am going to give myself a good

chance. There is no reason record beat anybody here again.

The world's elite beating each other up for a week and it has

produced some of the greatest matches in snooker history.

1999, the first time I won it. 2013, it would be nice to win it again.

lot of people say you are only as good as your last resort.

When you stop losing, people start doubting you.

It is a tournament I've never done very well in. Hopefully, this year,

I will play better. I'd love to win. This is the second

biggest tournament we play in. It is a huge tournament, one of the

biggest, so I would have been disappointed to go out in the first

round. I've still got a chance. Good evening. It's not a bad line-

up for this year's quarter-finals of the Betfair Masters at Alexandra

Palace in North London. Five of the eight men through to the quarter-

finals are world champions and only one of them has so far failed to

land one of snooker's three major titles and he is the potting pit

bull, Mark Allen from Northern Ireland. Everybody expects him to

put that right soon. He phantoms of in the first of our quarter-finals

this afternoon up against Neil Robertson and what a quite stunning

match they produced. Could be in for another thrilling

match here with these two left- He had a chance to pinch that frame

after making a break of 66. Neil That's the highest break in this

year's Masters. It is 2-2. Good pot. That will do nicely. The

standard continues and Neil Robertson puts himself just one

And we've got a decider. Cracking Hit it behind the yellow. How well

It was Neil Robinson that gets himself to the semi-final. He takes

the match, 6-5. We both played very well. There was a couple of frames

where the few balls were missed but it was a close match and over all I

think 80% of the match was fantastic. It is difficult to take

positives right now. I need to see where I went right and where I went

wrong. It is good to know I can compete with the top players but it

is that little step extra I need to take.

Not a bad winter warmer in terms of our evening match, but that was the

5th final frame decider of the week! There were none here last

year and how would you characterise no Robertson's victory? Magnificent.

Tenacity, talent, the ability to score when it matters. A dollop of

all secret. It was tremendous quality. What about Mark Allen's

part? He has to patterns of on the back because he played his part in

a magnificent match. He played one of the was magnificent safety shot,

put it behind the yellow and never got back to the table. He is bound

to be in the winner's enclosure at some point made. Can we possibly

top that this evening? You would probably say no on any of that

evening but with Shaun Murphy and John Higgins to step out into their

quarter-final, anything is possible because they have served up some

crackers in the past, most recently last year. It was won by the

Englishman but it was the wily Scot that got better over Murphy four

years ago. Both are world champions but is The Apprentice ready to

upstage the master tactician Sean, he is one of the favourites

to win it. -- Shaun. He is one of There is only the best players and

the world at this event. Probably second only to the world

championships that make it so important and we are all trying so

hard. I think I a won it in 2006 and 2000,

so 2013 would be great for a hat- trick. I would like to think there

is a chance that some day I could hold all three BBC majors. I've got

another chance this year. Well, we will probably be snowed in

by the end of the evening, so we might as well settle in for the

night and watched a superb quarter- final. Rob Walker, get them going.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. The quarter-finals have begun in

earnest at the Betfair Masters and it is a battle of the very best as

two former world champions go toe- to-toe for a place in Saturday's

semi-finals. The stage is set for what could be a great night at Ally

Pally. Please welcome a player who first

appeared at the Masters 12 years ago. He made his first final 12

months ago. He beat Ricky Walden 6- 4 in the first round on Tuesday. He

is a world champion, a UK champion, he is a gentleman on and off the

bays, he is shorn, the magician, Shaun, the quality of this year's

tournament has been outstanding and here is another big test and

opportunity. I watched the match earlier and there is a bit of

pressure on us to follow that so we will have to see how it goes.

His opponent, one of the finest sportsmen Scotland has ever

produced. Two times a winner of this illustrious trophy, he made

the final 18 years ago. Four times a champion of the world, he is one

of the sport's ultimate greats, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Wizard of

John, you've been around at this tournament for a long time and once

again you are still in it, still buying at the crack at the hat-

trick. It is going to be another tough game and you've got to

concentrate on how you play because Shaun is going to play well. Ladies

and gentlemen, John Higgins! HAZEL IRVINE: first to six goes

through. We are all strapped in the commentary box. Stephen Hendry and

John Virgo. Good evening. There is no way I

want to get out of this one I've looked forward to this match all

day. It is set up to be a tremendous battle. I will be very

interested to see what sort of game Shaun Murphy is prepared to play

because in the UK he went for everything, played a very attacking

game, can he afford to do that against John Higgins? He can afford

to do it, but he is going to have it tough. Two of the very best

players in the game at the moment. Fit for a final this game, never

Always the danger you can slide past them and that is what he has

What I will be looking for from him, Shaun Murphy would get in first,

get 40 and then break down. Be the carelessness pot or safety shot, so

he has got to win more from an He is not the type of player when

he is in front, you don't see him He needs to score heavily and when

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it comes to a tactical battle, It could not have worked out much

That split showed what a great cue action for Murphy has. He generates

a tremendous amount of power. It doesn't look like he has had the

Well, has he found a gap? It was That is exactly what I was talking

about. He gets to 30 or 40 and loses position. I was surprised

when he broke them open and played the lead to the left corner -- and

played the red to the left corner, a preference to him playing for the

It is prematurely end of is it. -- He has left a pot but the two reds

that are near the cushion to the That was the safety shot. He played

If Shaun Murphy gets in, it is a frame-winning opportunity. But can

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He played and nothing shot. He's John Higgins is looking to pot that

red! That is very careless from Well, he could get through to it

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but he just caught the far jaw. A Justified applause because that was

an excellent safety. With that black being on the left-hand side

of the table, is he trying to play That is an excellent reply. A

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little tap on the table from John This looks a bit too pacy. Has he

covered the red with the brown? I There is still a red on to the

right corner, but the difficult pot and having to do a lot with the cue

Becoming more and more difficult to find spots that will save on the

table now. Two reds in baulk. If you play the cue ball back to the

top cushion, you need it as tight He has left him a little tempter

here. Purposely, you think? I think It would take a brave man to refuse

it, really. No doubt he wants to Now, where is the cue ball going?

And John Higgins get past the Well, would you believe it? Well,

what an error that was. He thought he could get past the brown,

flicked the brown and went into the corner. Amazing. What has happened

is, I think, he has not deliberately but put a little tiny

bit of side on the cue ball which has poured it towards the Brom. --

This is his second good chance. Not certain about the availability of

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It is available to the middle It ran up the table a little

further than he would have liked but he's got the option of the blue

This could set him up for a frame- Well, he decided to play a lot of

pace rather than the soft cannon. Heat is looking for red, coloured,

So, John Higgins did have one good chance. He made the error of

thinking he could get past the That was a costly mistake. John

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Higgins is going to lose this first This is a good start. He needed to

chances. John Higgins gifted him the second one. It is always nice

in the opening frame to get your And John Higgins will not scorer

point. But apart from that mistake when he flicked the brown, he has

not done a lot wrong so nothing to beat himself up about. The black is

not there, but it doesn't matter. It was a good omen from Shaun

Murphy. John Higgins didn't have many chances.

HAZEL IRVINE: A good start for John Murphy. -- John Higgins. It

betrayed a few nerves for John Higgins. Is he feeling them?

will be definitely feeling the nerves. He will be full of

adrenalin. He will need to settle down. He wants to win this.

Quarter-finals of the Masters and this big stage with he has

struggled with Sims winning the Championship seven years ago, how

well did he come through his first He has won how many tournaments?

How many World Championships? At 25 world ranking event. Every day, it

is a different match, get your cue on and he will have difficult

matches like anyone else. He was the runner-up 12 months ago took

Neil Robertson, and would love to Has he left -- left the obligatory

half ball pot on, or has the green come to his rescue? He obviously

cannot get past the green to the one on the right hand side of the

table. Just playing a containing I never used to like being left

those containing safety is, it is never really a useful short, you

always want to be playing something more positive.

It is also one of those shots, not in this instance, but when the red

goes into the baulk game, you know you're end -- into the baulk end,

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you know you are in for a tapping As I don't know if this red he is

playing goes to the left middle. It Well, another excellent safety shot.

He really put sued to the test, John Higgins. -- really puts cue to

Good safety at Le moment from both 100% for Shaun Murphy, that is not

surprising, John Higgins did not I think there is a gap, I am

wondering if he can make this into a plant and play it with an element

of safety to get the cue ball back up the table. Or does he have to

hit the first red too thick? If you have to fit -- hit the first red

too thick to make the plant, you will struggle to get the cue ball

back to the baulk end. If he is going to go for it, it has to be an

Well, he played it with an element of safety but was not able to get

He had to hit this plant so thick it was always going to take the

pace out of the cue ball. It appears he has been very

fortunate, he could have easily left an easy starter for John

Higgins, which is what John is looking for, having not so far

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I am not certain if he can get past the yellow to hit the edge of the

main bunch of reds. If he can, that is an obvious return back to baulk.

He will try and roll into these, That is one way out of it. Just

trying to nestle into the cluster. There is too many loose reds around

them. For me this is the savour of He just managed to flick a red much

too thin. It could have been worse than this, but it is a chance now

Well, considering he has not potted a ball so far in the match, that

was a terrific pot. Rate in the Has he got an angle on this red

above the black to play a little He played for the one to the right

He is short it with the cue ball. Yes, it is assured, but with the

difficulty of the red, he was making certain of the red. He

wanted to be certain he did not He has missed the green and this

looks absolutely inch perfect. He did not catch them as thick as

he would have liked, that is why he has only destruct two reds.

Whenever you open them like that, you're always looking for an easy

red to continue with, but it does not look as if he can get past the

green to the red at the far right corner. This is tricky, using the

rest into what we call a blind But he has played it superbly. Well,

we were expecting a great match here this evening. Shaun Murphy

started with all guns blazing in the first frame, and John Higgins

looks as though he is on top form, as well. So, we are in for a match,

He has a nice angle to go into the He has played for the loose red,

but he is not in a position where he can pot it and bring others reds

into play. He is too straight, as He will be playing the cannon now,

52 ahead, still a possible 91 on the table, but from John Higgins's

point of view, three reds, three colours will be enough to take the

Well, the red wiped its feet to there. And he has a full-ball

contact on the brown, saw the colour is not as easy as he would

have liked. Just when he is getting near to the winning line the on

this frame, look at this red. I thought it was staying out for a

moment. A tricky yellow. He has overcut it. A good break, but just

a matter one-shot. If at the red went into the heart of the middle

pocket, it he -- he would not have kissed the brown. That is why he

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ran out of position. This would be He will be disappointed he missed

and the cannon on the pink. I think the pink being in play would have

given him more hope and encouragement to win the frame at

this Ms -- visit, but he just He could not have cued it that much

He will be a little bit disappointed with that. He should

have been straight on this red so Well, he got an awful contact on

There, you're never going to miss that blue back that far. That was

really unlucky. If just went straight on, didn't it? No fault of

You would not want to be playing safe of the red but is close to the

middle pocket. Being tight on the cushion, you're worried about a

double-kiss. The red further down... No, he is playing this red. I am

surprised. Sorry, Shaun, but that I don't know if John's got the

angle to screw the ball back for It has just bounced off a little

bit further. These are not easy using the rest. He may be tempted,

because it is only the red that he needs, it would put him 39 in front

Is it worth the risk? The slower he plays it, the more chance of

Fully committed, and gave the ball every chance to go into the pocket,

added that should be the frame- If this red does not going, Shaun

Murphy may carry on. But he will not now. Two very interesting

Neither player winning them in one visit, but both players looking as

if they will score heavily should they get the chance and a fair run

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Well, that was a good frame. As was the first one. Both players have

settled and, they both looked to be in good touch. It looks like being

a great match up. 1-1. He it sure does, John. I remember

2009, after the World Championship final, Shaun Murphy put his hands

up and said, John Higgins tied be up in knots in that final. You just

got a glimpse in that frame of what John is capable of and the tricky

situations he can put people in. He is, a very simple shot potter

Shaun to the side of the table, Shaun tried to play a safety shot

and tripped the red towards the corner, costing him the frame.

Shaun Murphy has to score heavily for two reasons - firstly it get

your opponent getting to the table, but off -- also it stops tactical

battles, which Shaun Murphy his second at. John Higgins would

always get an A-plus to pass tactical battles at a level. It is

difficult to play against, and so far Shaun has not been able to cope

with that type of snooker at the top level. Anyone else he has,

against fantastic. When it is John Higgins, R Mark Selby or Neil

Robertson at their tactical best, he is second best. Even more

important for Shaun to score heavily when he gets the chance.

The best player ever to score heavily is sitting in the

commentary box. Stephen Hendry used to make 100 every frame. He had no

tactics, he was not what it -- worried about the colours, it was

already over. For what is your obedient of this

so far, Stephen? -- what is your reading of this.

Yes, I was not bothered about A great strike there. The red hit

the back of the pocket, right in the middle. You can tell how well

he hit it, because the cue ball got Well, no matter how good you are,

we are going to the cluster you always need a bit of luck, and he

has not had much there. -- when you go into the cluster. He has just

finished up in the worst possible He needs the blue to come to his

rescue. It certainly has. That cue ball, running loose as it was,

could have left something easy for That was slightly careless by John

Higgins. He certainly was not attempting to put this red over the

He found a nice path there to get the white ball back! I don't think

he will be thinking it was a nice path. That was really unlucky. It

looked for all the money it was going to kiss into a second red,

and if he had have gone it would have held at the cue ball in the

middle of the table. He just ran by them and finished on no colour. It

is not easy to nestle up behind the yellow tight. He has done well. At

least he has got the snooker. Not too difficult to escape from.

Although, we saw in the first frame these one cushion escapes you have

He has led by it! Well, that is inexcusable. Not only has he slid

by then, he has less -- left a nice, easy starter. I certainly did not

The cue ball slid off the cushion a lot more than John Higgins would

have planned. If you play the game long enough, you know exactly where

to aim to go into the pack. What a carelessness this is! -- careless

miss. That is unbelievable. A straight red, in amongst the balls,

a good chance to score. There is a bit of tension out there. He did

not seem to show much in the first two frames, but it was certainly

This was a lovely pot. An element of safety to it, leaving the cue

ball to the right hand side of the Amazing. It really is amazing. The

balls that these players pot, the breaks that they make, a straight

forward red, just slightly hit Well, I can only assume he played

to avoid the kiss on the pink. He wanted to be on the blue. That is

This is OK, if he has the angle to run through and play for the black

Well, he will play the cannon, and if he got the cannon he could get a

frame-winning chance. And he will not be scoring any more at this

HAZEL IRVINE: As Shaun studies this one we have a good goal here on BBC

Two. The match continues live on the BBC website and the BBC red