Day 1

:00:07. > :00:13.Hallo. Happy New Year. What a year 2014 will be for sport with the

:00:14. > :00:18.Winter Olympics, World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup all

:00:19. > :00:24.on the horizon. Before all of that, an annual favour that never

:00:25. > :00:28.disappoints. Here at Alexandra Palace in north London, we have

:00:29. > :00:29.another week-long masterclass in the company of the best snooker players

:00:30. > :00:59.in the game. MUSIC. It's a great one by John

:01:00. > :01:56.Spencer. This is the second oldest event in

:01:57. > :02:03.the sport. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Truman. A certain

:02:04. > :02:17.member of our team should just about remember that. Steve Davis, you

:02:18. > :02:21.might remember the UK tournament in York was missing him because he was

:02:22. > :02:29.you're Gillian Jungle. Software else would you look for him other than in

:02:30. > :02:36.the jungle? I am pleased to be back in the world of unreality! I did

:02:37. > :02:47.miss you. I was thinking all the time about what was happening in

:02:48. > :02:57.your. -- York. I did not get the results. When you came back, you

:02:58. > :03:04.were straight into snooker with some success? That's correct. And I even

:03:05. > :03:08.got to eat some normal food in between games! You won the Masters

:03:09. > :03:14.three times in your career. The desert debate about whether this is

:03:15. > :03:22.the second or third title in the world? I think The Prestige makes it

:03:23. > :03:28.the second event. The kudos of being one of the elite few that is allowed

:03:29. > :03:34.to play this event makes it the second most important. Only the top

:03:35. > :03:48.16 in the world get to play in this. In 2014, these are then. Mark Selby

:03:49. > :03:56.takes on Mark Davis of Sussex. Stuart Bingham is a genuine

:03:57. > :04:07.contender, seventh in the world. Judd Trump will take on former

:04:08. > :04:14.finalist Marco Fu. Ding Junhui will take on his fourth title against

:04:15. > :04:28.Shaun Murphy. Neil Robertson loves Ali Pali. -- Ally Pally. It has been

:04:29. > :04:38.four years since we have seen Joe Perry at the Masters. Ronnie

:04:39. > :04:49.O'Sullivan returns to the Masters. He did not play last year. Robert

:04:50. > :04:53.Milkins makes his debut. Let's give you the guided tour. The

:04:54. > :05:04.spectators come in through the Palm Court. Let's go and see where the

:05:05. > :05:12.matches take place. What games are they stand out matches for you? Neil

:05:13. > :05:16.Robertson. Also Shaun Murphy. Stuart Bingham against John Higgins as

:05:17. > :05:31.well. Nobody knows who will win matches. 128 players were in York.

:05:32. > :05:37.But only 16 play here. With a couple of rounds against weaker opposition,

:05:38. > :05:45.you can really get yourself going. But you can't do that here. You

:05:46. > :05:53.might think the winner here would come from the big four. What is your

:05:54. > :06:00.view? Players in form have a good chance. But John Higgins and Judd

:06:01. > :06:08.Trump and Shaun Murphy, if they are the dark horses, what a standard!

:06:09. > :06:12.You can win a ranking event, but I think it takes something special to

:06:13. > :06:21.win a Masters. It is for the big occasion players. The true

:06:22. > :06:28.performance. Did this event ever inhibits you? I think it can inhibit

:06:29. > :06:38.every player. I won the event three years. -- three times. I think it

:06:39. > :06:43.can inhibit the players. Few can match the record of Mark Selby, the

:06:44. > :06:50.defending champion. He has made the final in four out of six

:06:51. > :07:00.appearances. He seems tailor-made for this.

:07:01. > :07:03.He beat Stephen Lee in 2008. He came storming back in 2010 beating Ronnie

:07:04. > :07:11.O'Sullivan in a dramatic decider. Last year, he saw off Neil

:07:12. > :07:22.Robertson. Quite a pedigree. What about his opponent today? Mark

:07:23. > :07:28.Davis. After the age of 35, people could say you are coming to the end

:07:29. > :07:34.of your career, but Mark Davis is playing some of the best snooker of

:07:35. > :07:41.his life in his 40s. . Although he has got, the better he has got. Mark

:07:42. > :07:44.Davis is an example to anybody thinking of turning professional.

:07:45. > :07:57.His technique has stayed the same. He has always been a great potter.

:07:58. > :08:03.He is a master with the stick. It doesn't have to a good technique,

:08:04. > :08:10.stick with it and you will get the reward eventually. Mark Davis has

:08:11. > :08:15.saved his best snooker for his 40s. You have to have a good temperament

:08:16. > :08:22.to be able to do that. He has battled away for all those years.

:08:23. > :08:26.Now he is reaping the rewards. He has become very consistent. He gets

:08:27. > :08:31.to the latter stages of virtually every tournament he plays an. He is

:08:32. > :08:41.one to watch. His weakness is his cue ball control. I don't think he

:08:42. > :08:45.makes as big a break as he showed. You only get one chance. Can he do

:08:46. > :08:54.it consistently with one terms? I am not too sure. It is a great turn on.

:08:55. > :09:04.It is a privilege to be in an. You just want to make sure you can play

:09:05. > :09:11.well. I am playing against someone who has won a lot of titles. But I

:09:12. > :09:15.will concentrate on what I am doing. I will do the best I can and

:09:16. > :09:20.hopefully if I play well I know I am good enough to beat anybody on the

:09:21. > :09:26.day. But you have to go out and do it. And admirable achievement for

:09:27. > :09:30.Mark Davis to be here for only the third time in 13 years. He is yet to

:09:31. > :09:37.win a match at this stage of the Masters. People who make their

:09:38. > :09:50.living from trying to predict sporting outcomes might be

:09:51. > :09:58.interested in backing Mark Selby. He feels comfortable here. A lot more

:09:59. > :10:05.money would go on him as he is a form horse. Why do you think Mark

:10:06. > :10:09.Selby has been so successful? Some players are far more suited to

:10:10. > :10:16.one-table set-up than others. You can't hide out there. When there are

:10:17. > :10:21.four tables, you can sleep through. But this magnifies things. Can you

:10:22. > :10:26.liken it to your love for one particular tournament? For me, the

:10:27. > :10:35.Irish Masters which I won several times. Mark Davis has to do face

:10:36. > :10:40.demons of not being found out today. If you can overcome them, he

:10:41. > :10:47.can look forward to being champion. Let's meet some other members of the

:10:48. > :10:54.team who are full timers, not a part timer like you! Happy New Year,

:10:55. > :11:02.gentlemen. It is an honour to be there with former Masters champion

:11:03. > :11:08.is. Dennis has won once. Stephen was very greedy and won six times. This

:11:09. > :11:16.was the one I always wanted to win. You're putting up against the other

:11:17. > :11:22.best players in the world. Packed house already. The atmosphere will

:11:23. > :11:28.be fantastic. What a change from the UK Championship. Mark Selby plays

:11:29. > :11:37.well here because there is one table with no distractions. Mark Selby has

:11:38. > :11:45.not been at his a game for a while. He got to the final in York through

:11:46. > :11:52.his battling qualities with a magnificent 147. Apart from that,

:11:53. > :12:00.his scoring was not there. It will be interesting to see how he comes

:12:01. > :12:07.out today. Mark Davis is competent. He will have to go out there. He is

:12:08. > :12:12.playing his best snooker in his 40s. There is only one player can play on

:12:13. > :12:20.the table. He will hope that he is playing on it more than Mark Selby

:12:21. > :12:31.is. We look forward to your pearls of wisdom later. Our master of

:12:32. > :12:36.ceremonies, Mark Walker, became a father for the first time, so

:12:37. > :12:45.congratulations to him. Thank you. We are all set for the most

:12:46. > :12:50.prestigious snooker judgement here at Alexandra Parade. The crowd or on

:12:51. > :12:55.top voice. We have top quality entertainment for you every step of

:12:56. > :13:02.the way. Please welcome, first of all, a player flourishing into his

:13:03. > :13:04.40s. Twice a winner of the World Championship and showing the best

:13:05. > :13:13.form of his life over the last couple of years, the Renaissance man

:13:14. > :13:38.from Hastings, Mark Davis. MUSIC.

:13:39. > :13:42.And his opponent, a player who in recent years has made this

:13:43. > :13:47.tournament his own. One of the most colourful characters on the

:13:48. > :13:50.circuit, with three titles here in the last six years, he is your

:13:51. > :13:58.defending Masters champion, here's the Jester from Leicester, Mark

:13:59. > :14:20.Selby! MUSIC.

:14:21. > :14:28.A bit of a change in dress code this time. Normal ties for the afternoon

:14:29. > :14:36.sessions and bow ties in the evening. We have gone all Downton

:14:37. > :14:38.Abbey for you. Best of 11 frames. Let's get into it with Dennis and

:14:39. > :14:56.Stephen. Happy New Year to everyone watching.

:14:57. > :15:16.The usual handshake. Mark Davis has won the toss.

:15:17. > :15:23.Pretty good break. You want to try to get the quite as close to the

:15:24. > :15:41.ball cushion as possible. -- baulk cushion. That is not a good

:15:42. > :16:06.shot. The red is right over the corner pocket.

:16:07. > :16:33.Almost fold it in. -- followed it in. The crowd is fabulous.

:16:34. > :16:36.If you cannot play well in this atmosphere, you should not be

:16:37. > :17:41.playing snooker. He has got away with that. Red is

:17:42. > :18:11.not set up for the middle pocket. He needed a thin edge. He might just

:18:12. > :18:26.be OK. The pink might just be blocking that corner pocket. Foul.

:18:27. > :18:31.It should not be a problem for Mark Davis to get some safety there. He

:18:32. > :18:36.was disappointed with the UK Championship. He lost in the last

:18:37. > :19:13.frame. He will want to make amends. He was a long way off. Quite a big

:19:14. > :19:19.distance. He doesn't have to hit it flat then. But he has to hit up this

:19:20. > :19:48.time otherwise he loses the frame. The cannon on the brown has left

:19:49. > :20:19.possible pot, but not easy. Mark Selby played a lot of matches

:20:20. > :20:22.not on top form. He got to the final against Neil Robertson. Great

:20:23. > :20:41.performance from yours truly and come back and defeat him.

:20:42. > :21:00.-- from the Australian. He thought he had that. It looks in from this

:21:01. > :21:22.angle. The red beside the paint is on if he misses it.

:21:23. > :21:32.-- beside the pink. I always found it difficult to play in the normal

:21:33. > :21:44.type. It got in the way of the smoke a few. -- snooker cue.

:21:45. > :21:58.We stopped wearing ties in the commentary box several years ago. I

:21:59. > :22:14.was nearly strangled live on television.

:22:15. > :22:21.Couldn't do much. He had to rely on the cannon. He was hoping to hit the

:22:22. > :22:34.pink a little thinner. That was awkward.

:22:35. > :22:44.Slightly cagey. I thought the blue was on to the right-centre. Doesn't

:22:45. > :23:03.want to take undue risks at this stage.

:23:04. > :23:13.Has that ran far enough? Mark having a look to see if he can get to the

:23:14. > :23:23.potting angle. There are a lot of balls in the way to get the white

:23:24. > :23:39.background the table. He could play slowly and go for the pink.

:23:40. > :23:44.Mark Davis is a good tactical player. You would have to put Mark

:23:45. > :24:07.Selby slightly ahead in that department.

:24:08. > :24:17.Mark Davis' tactical play has forced that error. He gets a decent chance.

:24:18. > :24:39.It jumped, but I don't think you would have potted that.

:24:40. > :24:50.You can clearly see the red left the bed of the table. Not an easy

:24:51. > :24:55.chance. The reds are nicely spread, but the colours are a little Oxford.

:24:56. > :25:26.-- code. -- awkward. I don't think he has angle to come

:25:27. > :25:35.back for the green. He has lots of choices. It would help to develop

:25:36. > :25:41.the reds and the green. It is whether it is worth the risk. He

:25:42. > :26:11.doesn't have to play the cannon. If he is dead straight on this, the

:26:12. > :26:40.only colour he can play for would be the yellow.

:26:41. > :26:48.He has the yellow available. Calculated risk but quite a good

:26:49. > :27:21.one. Positive shot. He cued that well. He is having a

:27:22. > :27:27.long, hard look at it, but he will finish on a colour because if he

:27:28. > :27:46.heads up into the baulk area, the brown is available. He could leave a

:27:47. > :27:54.lot year. This needs some good luck. I think he can get between the reds

:27:55. > :28:10.to pop is in the left corner. -- pot.

:28:11. > :29:53.He doesn't want to be straight on this one. He has a slight angle.

:29:54. > :30:02.He has two easy reds left. Then two difficult ones near the green. Not a

:30:03. > :30:10.formality to clinch the opening frame. He will cannon the two reds

:30:11. > :30:35.and bring them into play. That is virtually a frame clincher,

:30:36. > :30:57.you would say. He doesn't need a difficult one near the cushion.

:30:58. > :31:06.Mark Davis did the hard work. It will be about bringing the black

:31:07. > :31:13.into the open. He has taken these well. He looks comfortable now. He

:31:14. > :31:20.just loves this tournament, Mark Selby. Mark Davis can only sit, and

:31:21. > :31:26.I'm sure he knows the frame has slipped away. But he had his

:31:27. > :31:32.chances. Oh, that has come of the cushion quite quick. He needs this

:31:33. > :31:49.red. Shouldn't be a problem. Just a bit of background noise

:31:50. > :32:27.putting Mark off there. Always nice to start with a decent

:32:28. > :33:00.break. This looks like a frame-winning effort.

:33:01. > :33:11.Doesn't matter about the green. That was a pretty good effort. Mark Davis

:33:12. > :33:16.stays in the seat. The defending champion gets the first frame. He

:33:17. > :33:19.leaves 1-0. HAZEL IRVINE: The defending champion off and running.

:33:20. > :33:25.Let's show you how the bookmakers rate the favourites for this event.

:33:26. > :33:29.You can see Ronnie O'Sullivan, despite not playing last year, is

:33:30. > :33:37.the favourite. New Robertson is the second favourite after his victory

:33:38. > :33:42.in York. -- Neil Robertson. A good price for Judd Trump. Maybe one of

:33:43. > :33:48.the most generous prizes is for Marco Fu. If former finalist and

:33:49. > :33:53.already a winner this year, and a cake he is playing Judd Trump in the

:33:54. > :33:59.first round, but you never know. -- and OK come he is playing Judd

:34:00. > :34:03.Trump. They don't make many mistakes, that is for sure. They may

:34:04. > :34:09.think the winner will come from the bottom half. Neil Robertson has got

:34:10. > :34:15.the knotty problem of Mark Allen in the first round, which will not be

:34:16. > :34:20.easy. His price is built into that. A couple suck out for me. John

:34:21. > :34:33.Higgins, that is unusual. The real dark horse is Ricky Walden. 50-1? He

:34:34. > :34:38.is not even favourite. Stuart Bingham has improved so much that he

:34:39. > :34:43.is now favourite for that matter. John Higgins playing Stuart Bingham

:34:44. > :34:47.this evening. I'm told we have a bit of a problem here, a problem with

:34:48. > :34:51.the ear pieces, and usually. They are having to swap them all. I don't

:34:52. > :34:57.think they have to pay for them again. Those of them that have the

:34:58. > :35:01.earpieces, and that will be the majority of the audience, I'm going

:35:02. > :35:08.to have to swap. There is interference. We did have a bit of

:35:09. > :35:14.commentary coming through earlier. It is a New Year, you know, one or

:35:15. > :35:25.two of these things are sent to haunt us. In the meantime... That is

:35:26. > :35:31.fantastic! I can bore you with where I have been. Tell us about the ties.

:35:32. > :35:39.There's obviously a policy decision at head office. As soon as you go

:35:40. > :35:48.away, the things they do. Daytime ties, nightmare. It gets in the way

:35:49. > :35:54.of your cue action. They come out nice and smart and the first thing

:35:55. > :36:01.they is yanked it across. Why does the not get in the way? It is an

:36:02. > :36:05.awful thing to have wrapped around your neck at the best of times. At

:36:06. > :36:12.least a bowtie is elasticated. But this big fat knot has got to be

:36:13. > :36:17.yanked. I have been told that the audience have been asked to turn

:36:18. > :36:22.back to their seats again. They are going to try to swap some more of

:36:23. > :36:25.them at the end of the next frame. This is not exactly as planned, it

:36:26. > :36:32.has to be said, for the opening day of the Masters. I think they bought

:36:33. > :36:42.a dodgy lot of tea from a bloke in Romford. -- dear. Barry Hearn was

:36:43. > :36:51.going past, he said, I will have some of that, a of person, 3000

:36:52. > :36:57.dodgy earpieces. It is a nervous occasion for this man. He has been

:36:58. > :37:02.here for 13 years and this is his third appearance. And he can't do

:37:03. > :37:08.what he has just done, give away an easy opportunity. Mark Selby

:37:09. > :37:13.sometimes takes time to settle down. He gave him an opportunity and Mark

:37:14. > :37:14.Davis didn't make the most of it. Checking, checking, are you hearing

:37:15. > :37:20.us? Checking, checking, are you hearing

:37:21. > :37:29.At least everybody at home is hearing us. Dodgy earpieces. Is Del

:37:30. > :38:43.Boy around? The corner of the middle pocket came

:38:44. > :38:49.to his rescue there. He hit it too hard. It may not have left anything,

:38:50. > :39:01.but it is better there than where it would have finished. A bit thick on

:39:02. > :39:07.that safety shot. Looks as if the blue might come to his rescue. Or is

:39:08. > :39:11.there a gap tween blue and black? Oh, it is tight. In fact, it is too

:39:12. > :39:21.tight. He would need to bend it slightly. Looks to be in a room

:39:22. > :39:26.there to play a bit of right-hand side. But he doesn't fancy it. This

:39:27. > :39:40.isn't a safety shot that is easy. I think Mark can get past the blue

:39:41. > :39:53.quite comfortably. A bit fortunate to have this blue in

:39:54. > :40:36.the far corner. Reds are not too badly placed. The

:40:37. > :40:40.pink is a bit awkward. Back for the blue and see what he can manage. The

:40:41. > :40:48.pink is available. We know it will go into the right corner.

:40:49. > :40:52.He has got the perfect angle on the blue. He has got a choice of shots

:40:53. > :41:35.now. The fact the pink is available into

:41:36. > :41:40.the right corner, that was the reason he didn't bother playing a

:41:41. > :41:42.cannon into the reins there. But has he got a good enough angle to get on

:41:43. > :41:55.the pink? That is not the best. He would have

:41:56. > :42:01.to force that. It is just off the straight. Watch what he can do with

:42:02. > :42:06.the cue ball and the anger he can create. He hasn't created the ankle

:42:07. > :42:13.he thought he was going to do. So that is a slip from the ending

:42:14. > :42:21.champion. -- defending. He can play for the red next to the black. He

:42:22. > :42:35.can stun the cue ball, leave it close to where the blue is.

:42:36. > :42:41.It is worth having another look at that. Those are what you would call

:42:42. > :43:17.little confidence boosters. He has still got a possible one

:43:18. > :43:23.there. He played it perfectly. Let's have a look at the White. One it

:43:24. > :43:31.looked like it might get a favourable cannon. Didn't quite work

:43:32. > :43:34.out as nice as it could have done. He has still got his red available.

:43:35. > :43:51.One more positional shot needed. That was OK. He played around for

:43:52. > :43:54.the blue, but he will take that. I think the pink will go in the black

:43:55. > :44:08.spot, which is not a problem, either.

:44:09. > :44:15.When you are playing well and cueing well, you always get the nice little

:44:16. > :44:19.flick 's and everything just seems so easy. When you are struggling,

:44:20. > :44:26.you get the wrong cannon and you are out of position. It is an example of

:44:27. > :44:33.how good Mark Selby's temperament is. There was a long break between

:44:34. > :44:41.frames. His mind is still on the job. It has not interrupted him at

:44:42. > :44:42.all. I would have been very irritated with the break between the

:44:43. > :45:33.first two frames. He is not doing much wrong at the

:45:34. > :45:44.moment, Mark Selby. He is fully focused, cueing nicely.

:45:45. > :46:01.A bit short this time. It just means he will leave the next pot slightly

:46:02. > :46:07.more difficult. A bit surprised he has taken the black to the right

:46:08. > :46:12.corner. It is a trickier shot. But the weight he is cueing, it will be

:46:13. > :46:21.no problem. This is a little tester now.

:46:22. > :46:37.There is another example of his cue action and how well he is cueing.

:46:38. > :46:40.This table, it has to be said, is playing beautifully. He hardly

:46:41. > :46:46.touched that and look at the action he got off the cue ball without

:46:47. > :46:57.hardly hitting it. He is timing the ball perfectly.

:46:58. > :47:09.He is playing at a nice pace as well. That equalled his break in the

:47:10. > :47:14.opening frame. He had a break of 59. More to come here. It is going to be

:47:15. > :47:22.another framework in break from Mark Selby. And Mark Davis, well, he had

:47:23. > :48:05.a few chances, but he can't do much about this.

:48:06. > :48:17.Might risk developing one of the reds.

:48:18. > :48:31.That wasn't very nicely played. Just lost his concentration for a moment

:48:32. > :48:36.there, but it is another splendid effort from the defending champion.

:48:37. > :48:41.He took the opening frame with one chance. He has done the same in the

:48:42. > :48:46.second frame. He now leads 2-0. Where are we going, boys? How we got

:48:47. > :48:50.an interval coming up? What we are going to do is these fellas are

:48:51. > :48:54.going to take a quick break. We are going to swap over the

:48:55. > :48:57.remaining earpieces. We have got to the bottom of this. Some of them

:48:58. > :49:03.were not transmitting the commentary from Dennis and Stephen. I'm not

:49:04. > :49:08.sure if it is not a bargain! They couldn't hear the guys, and now they

:49:09. > :49:12.are swapping them over. It will take a couple of minutes. That process is

:49:13. > :49:14.underway. In the meantime we shall find out about Mark Selby's perfect

:49:15. > :49:27.player. Cue action, I would have to pick

:49:28. > :49:38.Shaun Murphy. He hits the ball really well. Ding Junhui is a great

:49:39. > :49:48.builder. He has got many 147s in the past year.

:49:49. > :49:56.Neil Robertson. Ding Junhui, when he makes breaks, the white ball is

:49:57. > :50:02.never more than four inches behind the object ball, which is the object

:50:03. > :50:09.of the game. Steve Davis, a legend. Neil Robertson, his temper and is

:50:10. > :50:12.great. You don't ever know if he is winning or losing. He always gives

:50:13. > :50:18.it his all and his hunger is second to none.

:50:19. > :50:24.Judd Trump. The amount of times he parts a long ball and screws it back

:50:25. > :50:29.ten times up the table. I don't think many players can play that

:50:30. > :50:36.shot. Shaun Murphy. He is good with the rest. We are more or less the

:50:37. > :50:41.same age, and in junior days, neither of us was so tall and we

:50:42. > :50:45.were using it a lot. He would never miss a pot. Even now, he is very

:50:46. > :50:51.good. I would have the say Mark Allen. In the World Championships,

:50:52. > :50:54.when he played O'Sullivan, it is not easy to beat Ronnie at the best of

:50:55. > :50:58.times, but to beat Ronnie at the best of times, but he beaten at the

:50:59. > :51:02.Crucible, it showed great courage. Stephen Hendry. The amount of times

:51:03. > :51:10.he used to do that when his back was against the wall is phenomenal.

:51:11. > :51:19.O'Sullivan for that. He gets in front, he steam-rolled zoo. --

:51:20. > :51:23.steam-rolled you. Ken Doherty. He gets his nickname for that reason.

:51:24. > :51:31.He is good at pinching the scrappy frames. His awareness around the

:51:32. > :51:34.table is great. Interesting to hear that Mark Selby

:51:35. > :51:41.picked Mark Allen for bottle. Surely, he has got to be up there in

:51:42. > :51:45.terms of mental toughness. He was, let's be honest, very good about

:51:46. > :51:50.that, very modest. Surely he is right at the top of the game where

:51:51. > :51:56.that is concerned. He could have been in a lot of those categories.

:51:57. > :51:59.He is very modest. I'm being very critical, but I don't think we have

:52:00. > :52:05.seen his best game for Wales. When he was winning properly come he was

:52:06. > :52:07.winning with 100 breaks. It has morphed into a game that is

:52:08. > :52:15.difficult to beat. I haven't seen him play his best game. He's getting

:52:16. > :52:22.to the finals without winning at his best. That must be frustrating at

:52:23. > :52:25.the moment. He has been struggling to find another gear. That is a

:52:26. > :52:30.problem for all of the players, that is, how do they improve to the next

:52:31. > :52:35.level is there is another level for them. They have reached such a

:52:36. > :52:39.level, to ask them to do it again is tough. They are all having to

:52:40. > :52:43.question themselves. It might to be a case of going back to what they

:52:44. > :52:46.have done all right in the first place. In that situation, you are

:52:47. > :52:53.trying to improve yourself. It doesn't actually work. Sometimes

:52:54. > :52:59.there is no answer to that. One or two people have chipped away at him

:53:00. > :53:01.and his reputation. Some have said perhaps he lacks the natural talents

:53:02. > :53:08.they might have over the past few weeks. But they have elevated this

:53:09. > :53:15.mental toughness to appoint where it is the best part of his game. Is

:53:16. > :53:22.that fair to him? It is fair in the way he is playing. Because he is not

:53:23. > :53:27.making it breaks, when he won it he did not just take a long time doing

:53:28. > :53:32.it, just blew everybody away. It was 100, 100, 100. It was fantastic to

:53:33. > :53:36.watch. It is not a criticism. He has just found our way to win on his

:53:37. > :53:40.way. I'm sure he would like to be out there for as little time as

:53:41. > :53:46.possible. It just hasn't happened. OK, right, as we analyse the merits

:53:47. > :53:51.of these players, we shall head back. I'm sure everybody can now

:53:52. > :53:57.hear Bennett and Stephen. What have they missed, gentlemen? -- Dennis.

:53:58. > :54:10.Not a lot! The earpieces have been around for

:54:11. > :54:21.awhile. We never used to have like that in the game. People somehow

:54:22. > :54:30.want to listen to the commentary. I would rather just watched the

:54:31. > :54:40.snooker. Both players seem very relaxed about having that

:54:41. > :54:46.unscheduled interruption. I don't know if he has copy or tea in there.

:54:47. > :54:57.Mark Davis works with Terry Griffiths. Good to see Terry back.

:54:58. > :55:06.He is in fine health. He famously once had a cup of cocoa in his

:55:07. > :55:55.match. But it was about 3.30 in the morning.

:55:56. > :56:04.It is touching. That is useful for Mark Selby. He can even try and get

:56:05. > :56:20.up behind the green. He can sort things out. He has got a

:56:21. > :56:25.path past the green to get back down the table. Had a quick glance there

:56:26. > :56:53.to make sure he wasn't knocking one over the left corner pocket.

:56:54. > :57:16.He has to go thin if he is going to miss the red.

:57:17. > :57:34.He just hit that a little thinner than intended. That is why there is

:57:35. > :57:56.a possible pot for Mark. A bit of background noise, I don't

:57:57. > :58:02.know where it is coming from but that is twice it has made Mark

:58:03. > :58:08.getaway from the shot. It is certainly not in the audience. It is

:58:09. > :58:15.backstage somewhere. There is a door that keeps banging somewhere. It is

:58:16. > :58:33.just out of the arena. Who used to say that? Shut that

:58:34. > :58:40.door! Larry Grayson, that is it. Younger ones won't remember. That

:58:41. > :58:49.time, he wasn't able to keep his temperament in check. He will be

:58:50. > :59:25.annoyed by that. I think he would have fancied that at the beginning.

:59:26. > :59:38.Just a slight adjustment so that he doesn't hit the pink. He certainly

:59:39. > :59:45.doesn't want to slip past the reds, all you can leave the one to the

:59:46. > :59:48.left of the black. -- all he can. Good judgement this time. Touching

:59:49. > :01:01.ball. Good shot. Pushed one over the

:01:02. > :01:07.corner, but the green is on the way. Davis is in a spot of bother. He

:01:08. > :01:17.might have to, some cushions and nestle in the reds.

:01:18. > :01:28.-- come off some cushions. If he plays it at pace, he could be on the

:01:29. > :01:44.black in the right corner. He has taken the safety option.

:01:45. > :02:10.Just about OK, but he could be back in trouble again.

:02:11. > :02:14.He is looking at the alternatives. It is all about covering the red in

:02:15. > :03:09.the left corner pocket. Sometimes you can stand at the

:03:10. > :03:11.bottom of the table and you just can't see a shot. You can see a get

:03:12. > :03:45.out shot. That is OK. There was no way back

:03:46. > :04:06.into the all? -- baulk area at that time.

:04:07. > :04:21.Not the easiest of pots. But he made that looked easy. Doesn't matter

:04:22. > :04:29.that he hasn't dropped on a colour. He can put Mark back in trouble.

:04:30. > :04:59.Good cueing. He is in control of the match at the

:05:00. > :05:16.moment. He has had a couple of chances. I don't where they can get

:05:17. > :05:27.twice across the table to land on the redeye mentioned earlier. -- the

:05:28. > :05:39.red I mentioned. Even if he hits this, he could still leave a pot on.

:05:40. > :06:37.He didn't even look at the red car was closest to the black spot. Kept

:06:38. > :08:17.that tight. Mark Davis leads to try and make

:08:18. > :08:23.something happen. Without pushing the boat out too much. He won't get

:08:24. > :08:27.many chances against Mark Selby because he will keep things tight

:08:28. > :08:56.and just feed off Mark' mistakes. The one you're the green will pot.

:08:57. > :09:08.-- near. Plenty of action on the cue ball. The red is available.

:09:09. > :09:42.Not easy with the black on the side cushion.

:09:43. > :09:57.I don't think the pink will go on its own spot. It does. Looks like it

:09:58. > :09:59.may be pots to the right corner. Mark Selby is getting the best

:10:00. > :11:27.chances in these frames. He has spotted some mark on the cue

:11:28. > :12:00.ball. Perhaps getting the ball clean has

:12:01. > :12:35.put him off as that was a poor positional shot.

:12:36. > :12:50.I am not sure which of the reds is in play. He made a mess of that

:12:51. > :14:03.position. There are a few possible path is

:14:04. > :14:19.backed in the table. -- paths back down the table.

:14:20. > :14:55.A little unlucky. Hasn't left anything for Mark Selby. Do you take

:14:56. > :15:20.the chance? He might get an advantage if he misses the long one.

:15:21. > :15:41.Playing ball striking made the pot slightly easier.

:15:42. > :15:54.I think he hits screw shots better than anyone in the game. Times them

:15:55. > :15:57.so well. The secret is the timing. The acceleration of the cue ball is

:15:58. > :16:16.tremendous. Mark Selby is well over six feet

:16:17. > :16:20.tall. Using his height advantage. Always looks elegant around the

:16:21. > :16:54.table. He would look elegant in a bin minor. -- bin liner.

:16:55. > :17:44.That was not a deep screw. Was very low on the white.

:17:45. > :17:59.Beautifully controlled shot. Could quite easily have covered the pink

:18:00. > :18:13.when he screwed into that red. It was not an easy chance.

:18:14. > :18:25.The kick through it off on a different line. Took the pace out of

:18:26. > :19:01.that. Change of plan because of that heavy contact.

:19:02. > :19:15.That did not work out. He has misjudged the cannon. I think he

:19:16. > :19:42.played to cannon both the reds. Barring a smoker, it will be 3-0 to

:19:43. > :20:34.the defending champion. -- barring a snooker.

:20:35. > :20:42.Four frames to be played before the mid-session interval. Mark Davis

:20:43. > :20:58.will have to find something for the next frame. You badly need sit. --

:20:59. > :21:06.he badly needs it. The defending champion leads 3-0. As you said,

:21:07. > :21:14.Stephen, he looks comfortable and relaxed. Nothing is phasing him. He

:21:15. > :21:22.is not doing much wrong. Mark Davis is not getting many chances. Mark

:21:23. > :21:34.Selby looks quick around the table. More confident. This deep screw shot

:21:35. > :21:47.is perfect to avoid the middle pocket. Tremendous timing. The angle

:21:48. > :21:55.on this is so acute. Incredible timing. The normal angle would have

:21:56. > :22:06.taken him into the brown. He looks focused. He has won the Masters

:22:07. > :22:19.three times. Stephen, you hold the record of six which will take some

:22:20. > :22:24.beating. You have the original trophy. Is it on the mantelpiece? I

:22:25. > :22:33.am not telling you! Obviously that was a special moment to be given the

:22:34. > :22:43.trophy. That was in the old Wembley conference Centre. Great camera work

:22:44. > :23:04.on the trophy there are! It has not been much fun for Mark

:23:05. > :23:07.Davis so far this afternoon. Unless something magic happens, his record

:23:08. > :23:19.of not winning a match here not going to change.

:23:20. > :23:43.He desperately needs to win this frame.

:23:44. > :23:58.Mark Davis lost last year? Alan, 6-2. You need to go back to 2003

:23:59. > :25:52.when he lost the wild card round 6-5 to Alan McManus.

:25:53. > :26:02.The red to the left of the green is the one they need to keep covering.

:26:03. > :26:41.That is why they are leaving the cue ball in that corner.

:26:42. > :26:54.What about the pace of that short? The fact he is on the cushion means

:26:55. > :28:19.he is restricted. That was such a good shot from Mark Selby.

:28:20. > :28:35.Didn't think he had to play that as hard as that. Pushed a lot of reds

:28:36. > :28:39.into the left cushion at that pace. What a great crowd we have here.

:28:40. > :28:48.Response he got from the crowd with this full house was fantastic. They

:28:49. > :29:27.are appreciating every shot that is played.

:29:28. > :29:30.Mark Davis hasn't had many opportunities to improve his hot

:29:31. > :30:10.success. -- pot success. It is a tough day at the office so

:30:11. > :30:20.far for Mark Davis. He has lost eight times against this opponent.

:30:21. > :30:27.He does work so hard at his game, Mark Davis. He is reaping the

:30:28. > :30:31.rewards. He is in his 40s and playing the best snooker of his

:30:32. > :31:06.career. But you can't play much snooker from your seat.

:31:07. > :31:16.This looks like a much more confident Mark Selby. It doesn't

:31:17. > :31:20.look to have any doubt in his mind at all in the shots he is playing.

:31:21. > :31:26.Apart from at the end of the frames, when it doesn't matter, he has

:31:27. > :31:32.missed an easy ball today. He is sending a message here to all the

:31:33. > :31:40.players that he is going to be the one to beat. He is not going to give

:31:41. > :31:47.up this Masters crown very easily. He pushed a lot of the reds towards

:31:48. > :31:53.the side cushioning earlier. He hit it harder than he needed to. Now he

:31:54. > :31:54.is just having to work out how he can bring a few of the reds back

:31:55. > :32:07.into play. He seems to have the angle to screw

:32:08. > :32:14.into them. He could develop something.

:32:15. > :32:23.He has played for the one loose red, and he is OK. This was the shot

:32:24. > :32:30.Stephen said. He didn't want to stick in the reds. That is the one

:32:31. > :32:37.that knocked a few of them into the side cushioning.

:32:38. > :32:49.A slight problem now. He is straight -ish on the black. He has got the

:32:50. > :32:56.pink giving him a better position. Not much of an angle there. He could

:32:57. > :33:02.possibly force the black in and play for red to the right centre. The two

:33:03. > :33:14.are close together. I don't think it has got the angle to do that.

:33:15. > :33:23.Looks like a double if he is going to keep this break going. Yeah, he

:33:24. > :33:34.wouldn't leave a great deal if you double the red. He is just making

:33:35. > :33:55.sure that one isn't available. He is making sure the right one isn't on.

:33:56. > :34:07.To disturb something here was excellent.

:34:08. > :34:14.Normally when you play doubles come you concentrate so much on the shot

:34:15. > :34:22.that you forget the position. He is pretty good doubles. He had a bit of

:34:23. > :34:25.pool experience. He was a world pool champion as well, Mark Selby full --

:34:26. > :34:52.Mark Selby. That was amiss hit. -- a mishit. He

:34:53. > :34:56.didn't get the side on it. Normally that would have cannoned into the

:34:57. > :35:03.four reds. That is why he had a little quip with the crowd. It is

:35:04. > :35:07.not going to be a framework in break but it is 58 and it puts him well in

:35:08. > :35:30.control. Mark Davis, every time he comes to

:35:31. > :35:42.the table the ball seems to be on but caution. -- that cushion.

:35:43. > :35:57.58 minutes since his last pot. Can you believe it?

:35:58. > :36:06.But you can't park then if you can't see them. -- pot them. A good cue

:36:07. > :36:12.ball, but as is usually the case when you are struggling, that is the

:36:13. > :36:18.sort of thing that happens. He gets a good cue ball. There's a path

:36:19. > :36:20.through to one to the pocket. If this goes in, it could be the end of

:36:21. > :36:36.this fourth frame. Oh, phone the police! Mark Selby has

:36:37. > :36:44.missed an easy ball. There was a bit of pressure. He had brought all the

:36:45. > :36:53.reds into play. You wouldn't expect him to miss it.

:36:54. > :37:17.Got to make something of this opportunity.

:37:18. > :37:25.First chance for quite some time. Just coming on to an hour since he

:37:26. > :37:33.potted a ball. Can he pot a few more? Is asking a lot. There are

:37:34. > :37:35.three difficult to read. He might try to develop the one near the

:37:36. > :37:42.middle pocket here. He doesn't have to. He has played for the blue. He

:37:43. > :37:50.could have screwed that in and played the red into play. I agree.

:37:51. > :37:59.That is why he played the black as he did to leave the angle. We never

:38:00. > :38:07.see the same situation the players see.

:38:08. > :38:12.You want to be leaving the parts as easy as possible. Now he has got a

:38:13. > :38:27.medium-range pot. -- departs. He knows that if there's 11 mistake,

:38:28. > :38:31.it will before -0 it adds some pressure. -- one more mistake, it

:38:32. > :38:45.will be 4-0. It adds some pressure. It would be some achievement if he

:38:46. > :38:54.could somehow pull this frame out of the bag.

:38:55. > :39:16.I think he will be playing the shot this time.

:39:17. > :39:26.Played it beautifully. Any harder and he would have knocked it safe.

:39:27. > :39:36.He judges into perfection. -- he judges it to perfection. You take

:39:37. > :39:37.the easy ones first. If he was 3-0 up, he would have played the shot

:39:38. > :39:55.between green and brown. It looks as if he might be able to

:39:56. > :39:59.drop-in behind the red that is to the right of the pink. Not sure.

:40:00. > :40:09.Maybe he hasn't got the angle to do that now. He may have to move it.

:40:10. > :40:13.And he has removed it. He has done as horrific job with it. -- H

:40:14. > :40:37.horrific job. -- a great job. Normally you would rather be on a

:40:38. > :40:45.baulk colour. He has got angle here. I'm wondering if he can screw up

:40:46. > :40:53.past the pink. It definitely won't pot into the middle pocket. He had

:40:54. > :41:06.and it -- look at the angle. It was too cute. He -- to acute.

:41:07. > :41:12.He doesn't want to go around the back of it. That was so unlucky.

:41:13. > :41:17.That was a great effort. Now he is left with a bit of a dilemma. He has

:41:18. > :41:23.got back double he can take on. But he knows it will be too risky. Have

:41:24. > :41:28.a look at this here. He is so unlucky not to develop the red. He

:41:29. > :41:34.is thinking about the double, but maybe a good safety here would give

:41:35. > :41:49.him a chance. Oh, he hasn't hit it hard enough.

:41:50. > :41:57.Mark Selby cannot this read up and down the table. He has a lot of

:41:58. > :42:08.balls to snigger behind. -- Mark Selby can not this read.

:42:09. > :42:18.That is exactly what he did. He shouldn't have had the chance to do

:42:19. > :42:26.that. It was Mark Davis who played a poor safety shot. He acknowledged

:42:27. > :42:33.the FAQ -- the fact. Now he is going to need a bit of luck to knock this

:42:34. > :42:39.safe. And he hasn't. The red will pass the yellow. It would have gone

:42:40. > :42:46.over the corner pocket if it didn't catch the jaw of the middle pocket.

:42:47. > :43:16.It will pass the yellow, I feel. Just enough room.

:43:17. > :43:35.A quick glance at the scoreboard. Just the yellow and green needed.

:43:36. > :43:45.He got a kick and nearly missed the pot.

:43:46. > :44:05.It's straightened up slightly and he was a bit anxious.

:44:06. > :44:12.It is the first to 6 who goes through. Mark Davis, when we said he

:44:13. > :44:19.needed the frame, he had a chance and played a poor safety shot at the

:44:20. > :44:22.end of his effort. It is also comfortable for the defending

:44:23. > :44:23.champion. A lot to think about at the mid-session interval for Mark

:44:24. > :44:47.Davis. Well, I don't know why they do that.

:44:48. > :44:52.He has had breaks of 59, 80, and 59 in that frame. Mark Selby goes to

:44:53. > :44:56.the interval and he has won all four friends. 4-0. HAZEL IRVINE: Be the

:44:57. > :45:04.offending champion is starting the New Year in solid form so far. --

:45:05. > :45:11.the defending champion. He is starting the New Year in solid form.

:45:12. > :45:16.So often, the first frame can be the most important from your

:45:17. > :45:22.perspective. If it goes wrong, the whole you dig for yourself can get

:45:23. > :45:26.deeper. Mark Selby has done a good job in making it a difficult

:45:27. > :45:29.prospect for Mark Davis. Mark Selby has prayed that matter played

:45:30. > :45:37.brilliantly. He has been so accurate. -- Mark Selby has played

:45:38. > :45:43.brilliantly. He didn't make enough of his first opportunity, Davis. It

:45:44. > :45:47.wasn't clear cut but he didn't score enough points. When you look at Mark

:45:48. > :45:53.Davis in career terms, we said this earlier, he has made such wonderful

:45:54. > :45:58.progress in his late 30s and all the -- early 40s. You might have

:45:59. > :46:05.expected more after a brilliant season last time. Competitive

:46:06. > :46:09.momentum comes into it. Selby looks to have continued with his form.

:46:10. > :46:15.Mark set -- Mark Davis has had problems in as much as he hasn't had

:46:16. > :46:19.competitive results recently. OK, he got a few -- through a couple of

:46:20. > :46:23.qualifiers before Christmas but he hasn't excelled in the big event. He

:46:24. > :46:31.is probably lacking a bit of confidence. And indeed, he is

:46:32. > :46:36.playing a guy he has had two victories against in 15 matches.

:46:37. > :46:40.That has got to be part of the equation. If you weigh up the things

:46:41. > :46:45.that are problems for Mark Davis in this particular match, form, the

:46:46. > :46:51.player he is playing, the fact he hasn't done well in this venue, the

:46:52. > :46:56.scales look uneven. That is when you need a good start. And you haven't

:46:57. > :47:05.got it. We are just getting started here this year in the Masters. The

:47:06. > :47:09.finish line is on site in the PDO World Darts Championship. The final

:47:10. > :47:17.is just some three hours away. We are going to be on the key. We'll be

:47:18. > :47:26.be breaking out the bunting? -- will we be.

:47:27. > :47:44.For a place in the World Championship final... He has done it

:47:45. > :47:50.in! He has finally cracked it! Over the moon. That was a really tough

:47:51. > :47:53.game against a good friend and fellow Scouser. So glad to be into

:47:54. > :48:17.the final. For the match... He wins and takes his place in the

:48:18. > :48:24.final! The ambition is to lift the trophy at the end of the day and get

:48:25. > :48:33.some spray to keep it clean for the rest of the year. Everybody says I

:48:34. > :48:39.am a nice guy to be around. Two hours before the match, I will get

:48:40. > :48:44.my game face on. You have got to do that. I have got a massive task. But

:48:45. > :48:55.I do believe I can beat him. Why not? It is what the play for all

:48:56. > :49:00.year. Form goes out of the window. If you don't have this title on your

:49:01. > :49:08.resume, it is not worth having. I have got to get him back and keep

:49:09. > :49:11.him under pressure. I still don't like I have played my best on the

:49:12. > :49:19.stage. There is more to come from Stephen bunting. Hopefully I can

:49:20. > :49:24.produce my best in the final. You are talking about all the

:49:25. > :49:32.champions. It is just an awesome achievement. The first one to get 21

:49:33. > :49:41.in doubles, that is it, mate, tell you. You'll occur if I become world

:49:42. > :49:48.champion, it will sink in then. 5.45 is when it gets underway. It is all

:49:49. > :49:53.there in buckets at Lakeside. It is on BBC Two. It must be about 12

:49:54. > :49:58.years ago that we first witnessed John Parrott try his first live

:49:59. > :50:02.snooker demonstration as an analyst. It was an attempt to show us the

:50:03. > :50:08.best way to break off. John broke off and missed the pack of raids

:50:09. > :50:14.completely. Have we let him forget it? We have not. Therefore we

:50:15. > :50:18.introduce a series of demonstrations that he volunteered for this week

:50:19. > :50:26.called Masters class. No pressure, John. All yours.

:50:27. > :50:30.Thank you for reminding me. People often say, John, safety play. We

:50:31. > :50:36.don't like it, what can we do about it? We are going to get a routine.

:50:37. > :50:44.You can play against a friend in the club. You can play for a cup of tea,

:50:45. > :50:48.chocolate, whatever. You get a bit of tape. That is going to be the

:50:49. > :50:52.scoring zone. We are going to play a safety shot, get the ball between

:50:53. > :50:58.the commission and the tape. Thank you, Charles. We put a red behind

:50:59. > :51:02.the pink on the outside. The idea is that the first player is good to

:51:03. > :51:08.play for macro shots, one from there, two, three, four. The second

:51:09. > :51:12.player will play the next four shots. The priority all the time is

:51:13. > :51:18.to get the cue ball behind here. The score really should be committed to

:51:19. > :51:25.pot the red, you get another point. -- should be, if you plot the red,

:51:26. > :51:33.you get another point. The idea is to try and clip the red in. A bit

:51:34. > :51:43.thin on the red, how is the cue ball going? Marvellous. Thank you, that

:51:44. > :51:53.will do. Not perfect. I missed the red. Same thing again. Nice and thin

:51:54. > :52:00.on the red. Not going to score anything with this one. The beauty

:52:01. > :52:07.of this is, when you are the first player, you don't want to play all

:52:08. > :52:11.16 shots one after the other. Then you will go to the right-hand side

:52:12. > :52:16.and play the same thing and keep the scoring going. When you get really

:52:17. > :52:20.advanced, start to pot the red and do it in areas like this. What you

:52:21. > :52:25.have got to do with the cue ball, you put it in the same positions,

:52:26. > :52:29.you have got to play the cue ball around the left-hand side and keep

:52:30. > :52:33.inside the blue and get back. It is a difficult shot around the ankles.

:52:34. > :52:38.If you hit the blue, you are penalised three points. Whatever you

:52:39. > :52:39.do, don't hit the blue. Placing of the red, inside the blue and back

:52:40. > :52:58.down here. -- plate fin off the red. It is looking good. It is looking

:52:59. > :53:04.good. Bingo! Can you believe it? There you go. Still available for

:53:05. > :53:10.exhibitions. Fantastic, John. He has had the cue out over Christmas.

:53:11. > :53:16.Probably too sturdy pudding with. These classes are for people who

:53:17. > :53:21.have played a bit of snooker. We always getting e-mails saying, how

:53:22. > :53:25.can I improve this or that. That is for those with a modicum of skill.

:53:26. > :53:34.Is it a good idea to practice like that with other people? Solo

:53:35. > :53:36.practice or not just frames of snooker, would you have got to do is

:53:37. > :53:45.make your practice routines enjoyable. -- what you have got to

:53:46. > :53:49.do. You can put in an element of competition, you can make practice

:53:50. > :53:54.less boring. You can do more hours. You are concentrating for longer.

:53:55. > :53:58.Therefore you can improve your play. There is no point in practising if

:53:59. > :54:04.you are not concentrating. What John has there is a clever way to work on

:54:05. > :54:09.safety play where there is something at stake. We see this more and more

:54:10. > :54:17.in a lot of sports. In Gulf they are chipping and parting with -- in

:54:18. > :54:24.golf, they are chipping and putting with particular goals in mind. So

:54:25. > :54:28.important. It is OK for a top-class player to just scatter a few balls

:54:29. > :54:32.on the table and get their arm going before a match. If you're looking at

:54:33. > :54:37.proper practice, you would just put the ball is on the table. There's

:54:38. > :54:45.nothing else going on. You need to think about potting a ball and

:54:46. > :54:50.potting them in the right place. It is the same for any type of play in

:54:51. > :54:58.the game. There has got to be a purpose. Otherwise, anybody cannot

:54:59. > :55:01.ball in. -- anybody can knock the ball in. It is a wait for the

:55:02. > :55:06.players to get the best out of themselves in the shortest time.

:55:07. > :55:10.There is your homework. Crack on with that at home or in the club. We

:55:11. > :55:15.are going to get back to the action. There is only 16 players who

:55:16. > :55:22.have qualified to come to this tournament. It feels like an elite

:55:23. > :55:26.event. We do have a match that has the look and feel of a final this

:55:27. > :55:30.evening. It features a four-time world champion and a double Masters

:55:31. > :55:35.winner, John Higgins, who hasn't had a great deal of success in recent

:55:36. > :55:39.months. He is taking on Essex pro Stuart Bingham, who is getting

:55:40. > :55:41.closer to one of these big titles. Let's tell you more about the world

:55:42. > :55:57.number seven. When I was younger, I remember

:55:58. > :56:02.watching the 1985 final. Mum and dad got me a table when I was seven or

:56:03. > :56:08.eight. I had it. I didn't have to run about like in football or

:56:09. > :56:15.squash. I just loved it. It went from there. In an individual sport,

:56:16. > :56:21.it is just you and the balls. You are not playing the player at the

:56:22. > :56:26.end of the day. I just love it. When you get to a certain level, you have

:56:27. > :56:36.to play it like a seriously. I go and play with my mates but I've read

:56:37. > :56:40.you do it now. It ain't fun for me. It is a job, not in that way, but I

:56:41. > :56:48.can't just get down and hit and hope. My mind fix on and I have got

:56:49. > :56:57.to do that. They want to play me at pool, and I can't help it. With

:56:58. > :57:02.having a young son now, I find it hard to get out the house. I prefer

:57:03. > :57:12.to play with him a bit more. I still look forward to practice. Having a

:57:13. > :57:18.family, it means so much more. What a great job we have got. I did lose

:57:19. > :57:26.a few dreams over the years because it wasn't happening. It has made me

:57:27. > :57:30.a bit more realistic. I have got to a few finals now. It can happen. I'm

:57:31. > :57:38.chasing the dream with every tournament. He has to be one of the

:57:39. > :57:43.most improved players in the game. Steve, you will have missed this,

:57:44. > :57:47.that he had a wonderful run at the UK Championship. He put out Ronnie

:57:48. > :57:50.O'Sullivan in a very composed fashion in what was a very good

:57:51. > :57:56.performance and got so close to putting out Neil Robertson. He seems

:57:57. > :58:04.to need one of these big titles to cement his reputation. Yes, but he

:58:05. > :58:08.is an optimist. Even though we have now got a full calendar, we have

:58:09. > :58:16.still heard players complaining about their lot. You don't hear that

:58:17. > :58:22.from Stuart Bingham. He has grafted. He says, have cue, will travel. He

:58:23. > :58:25.says, I am going to make the most of it. I don't know how long I have

:58:26. > :58:29.lived in my career but I'm having a wonderful time. You can't beat

:58:30. > :58:33.having a wonderful time. If you start to look at the negative

:58:34. > :58:40.things, that is when the problems start. He has got a young baby. That

:58:41. > :58:44.can, if you go the wrong way, make him less happy about the way things

:58:45. > :58:48.are going. He is not thinking that way. He is thinking, I will go to

:58:49. > :58:51.work for my family. You can't beat that. It is a great example to the

:58:52. > :58:58.players coming into the game. Treat it like he does. And indeed,

:58:59. > :59:02.passion. I read recently that he was at the Legends event a couple of

:59:03. > :59:08.weeks ago just to watch, and loving being there and watching you guys

:59:09. > :59:11.playing. And not complaining about practice. You can't beat it as an

:59:12. > :59:17.attitude. That is a work ethic everybody should have if they can.

:59:18. > :59:22.That work ethic has got him here. Who knows where it can get him. If

:59:23. > :59:26.he is playing players who are not as happy with their situation, he is in

:59:27. > :59:32.a better frame of mind coming into the matches. Talking of work ethic,

:59:33. > :59:40.Mark Selby has got that men this work ethic. He is the top seed. He

:59:41. > :59:43.is at the top of the draw. The man at the bottom is the World

:59:44. > :59:47.Championships Ronnie O'Sullivan. If the draw were to work out, those two

:59:48. > :59:53.would meet one another in next Sunday's final. In fact, Selby is

:59:54. > :00:04.trying to equal Ronnie's total of four Masters titles this year.

:00:05. > :00:13.What a way to win your first major tournament. He wins the 2008 Masters

:00:14. > :00:26.championship. Absolutely brilliant from Mark Selby. Just to win any

:00:27. > :00:34.tournament is a big achievement. Having Vicky and my friends and

:00:35. > :00:39.family there makes it more special. The following year, you were beaten.

:00:40. > :00:53.Then this amazing run continues in the Masters. You look back and get

:00:54. > :01:06.to that final against Ronnie. I still remember walking down the

:01:07. > :01:18.stairs. I had a good break to go 9-8. I thought he had a chance right

:01:19. > :01:27.until the end. That was asking a bit too much. I can't believe he has

:01:28. > :01:37.taken that short on. It was such a big occasion to play left-handed. I

:01:38. > :01:41.knew I had one chance. The rivalry has remained pretty intense. How

:01:42. > :01:51.would you characterise the nature of your rivalry? Ronnie is so naturally

:01:52. > :02:01.talented. Then I really have to work at the game. There are two different

:02:02. > :02:04.strategies. Every time I go to play Ronnie, you always know you're in

:02:05. > :02:11.for a tough game. You have to be at your best or you will not win. I

:02:12. > :02:17.have respect for him as a player. I'm sure he has respect for me. It

:02:18. > :02:24.seems to bring out the best in both of you. The UK semifinal a few years

:02:25. > :02:29.ago and he pulls out a maximum break in particular circumstances. That is

:02:30. > :02:35.probably the best match I have played where I have lost. I thought

:02:36. > :02:41.it could be my year to win the UK. Then he did something special like

:02:42. > :02:46.that. The boy is a genius. He is one of only a few people who can do

:02:47. > :02:53.that. New talks about different philosophies. Ronnie sees the

:02:54. > :03:00.philosophy different to you because he says about your game that you

:03:01. > :03:07.play and negative game with long bouts of safety. Is that accurate? I

:03:08. > :03:13.try to work out percentages while I am playing. Same as everyone else.

:03:14. > :03:17.If I am struggling, I might revert to that because a few are

:03:18. > :03:24.struggling, I don't see the point of keeping playing long balls. I don't

:03:25. > :03:30.think the percentages they are. With him coming out with that comment, I

:03:31. > :03:34.know that is how he is thinking so I would be wrong if I wasn't playing

:03:35. > :03:39.that kind of game against him because I know it is getting into

:03:40. > :03:44.his head. I have one turn a month and achieved what I have achieved. I

:03:45. > :03:51.must be doing something. What are you on track for? People ask me if I

:03:52. > :03:56.would like to get back to number one. That is a name, but it is not

:03:57. > :04:00.as much of a goal as it was before. At the back of my mind, the only

:04:01. > :04:07.thing missing is a World Championships. Have you peaked? What

:04:08. > :04:19.are you doing to make sure you haven't? The travelling comes to it

:04:20. > :04:25.a lot now. You need to balance it a lot more for when you go to the

:04:26. > :04:30.major treatments. All I can keep doing is put the hard-working. You

:04:31. > :04:41.can play well but you are not guaranteed to win turn on is. --

:04:42. > :04:47.tournaments. He has a very healthy work ethic. It was a pleasure to

:04:48. > :04:58.speak to him and his lovely wife, Vicki. She is here today to support

:04:59. > :05:04.him. Not sure whether he is drinking coffee, tea or water. Back to

:05:05. > :05:15.Stephen and Dennis. Mark Davis is really up against

:05:16. > :05:32.that. He was unfortunate in the fourth frame. Cameras away, please.

:05:33. > :05:39.I can't see a comeback, but you never know. If he wins a couple of

:05:40. > :06:10.frames quickly that will put pressure on Mark Selby.

:06:11. > :06:31.These are key shots in the modern game.

:06:32. > :07:00.That can give you an early chance if you can knock in a shot like that.

:07:01. > :07:11.He is going to make Mark Davis work for every pot. Mark Davis has to

:07:12. > :08:01.take more risks. Perhaps take on the board 50-50 ball. -- the odd.

:08:02. > :08:20.The red on the left side of the table is a distraction.

:08:21. > :08:47.I think the green has come to his rescue.

:08:48. > :08:50.You never seem to get an advantage from playing the containing safety

:08:51. > :09:16.shot like that. That was pottable. Didn't even look

:09:17. > :10:17.at it. Total mishit from Mark Selby, but he

:10:18. > :10:20.might have got away with it. One of the reds is available. The plant

:10:21. > :10:47.would be a bonus. That is a bad misjudgement. He

:10:48. > :10:58.needed to give more thought. Not a natural plant. He played at as if it

:10:59. > :11:04.was not direct line. Didn't just enough. -- as if it was in a direct

:11:05. > :11:20.line. Has he screwed it back far enough to

:11:21. > :11:51.leave it safe? I think he has. Good length of the cue ball. No

:11:52. > :12:05.problem, off two cushions and everything you see.

:12:06. > :13:01.-- everything is safe. Foul and a miss. This should not be a problem.

:13:02. > :14:01.The frame score and the match score is the same.

:14:02. > :14:08.The cannon didn't help. Left a path through for the one to the left of

:14:09. > :14:27.the black. Could part, but not the cannon he

:14:28. > :15:12.desired. That is the last read that Mark

:15:13. > :15:26.Davis. Mark Selby would finish on, but the cannon worked out well for

:15:27. > :15:27.him. -- last red. When you are confident, these things happen for

:15:28. > :16:01.you. Know, has he left along a red? --

:16:02. > :16:02.now, has he left a long red? This is the first obvious red he has missed

:16:03. > :16:28.in the match. Come on, Mark. Let's see if you can

:16:29. > :17:20.knock in a few here. Good shot to get the far side of the

:17:21. > :18:01.blue. He could do with a sizeable

:18:02. > :18:33.contribution here to get some confidence going.

:18:34. > :18:40.It is the first time he has been around the black spot area with a

:18:41. > :18:45.chance. Sometimes you can go frame after frame of vote a chance. It is

:18:46. > :19:04.what you need and he has got it this time.

:19:05. > :19:59.Wanted to be playing for the black but might have to go for the blue.

:20:00. > :20:08.I am just wondering if there is a possible plant on. If this shot

:20:09. > :20:24.works out, he could give himself the first frame. It slipped away towards

:20:25. > :20:41.the cushion. He wanted to hit the pink little fuller than that.

:20:42. > :20:53.Good recovery. Never easy when you have to cannon into the reds, but he

:20:54. > :20:59.played that well. He is marching round the table now. He knows he is

:21:00. > :21:15.a couple of pots away from getting his first frame on the board.

:21:16. > :21:22.As long as your opponent needs a couple of frames to clinch a match,

:21:23. > :21:48.you have a chance. This is the start of the comeback.

:21:49. > :21:56.Mark Selby has been well punished for that easy mess. He lost his

:21:57. > :22:06.concentration and was focusing on the position.

:22:07. > :22:16.It was a must win frame for Mark Davis and he has done it in style.

:22:17. > :22:23.Always nice if you can win a frame with one visit. He will be feeling a

:22:24. > :22:33.little better, but it is only the start of the long haul back. Doesn't

:22:34. > :22:43.matter about that. Mark Selby made one mistake. Mark Davis took full

:22:44. > :22:50.advantage. A real relief for him to finally get

:22:51. > :22:56.on the board. We almost here is a great player. Sometimes you have to

:22:57. > :23:01.do is change things a little and step it up and tried to take a few

:23:02. > :23:13.risks and get yourself involved in the match. Thankfully he is now. Did

:23:14. > :23:18.you notice his differing approach? You have to take the opportunities.

:23:19. > :23:25.It was an excellent opening shot. He made it pay. He kept it in position

:23:26. > :23:31.even though it was out fractionally. That is the sign of a good

:23:32. > :23:35.professional. Even if you're not feeling 100%, you can still play the

:23:36. > :23:38.right shots and give yourself a chance to make a break. He will be

:23:39. > :23:45.sitting in his chair much more comfortably. How difficult is it to

:23:46. > :23:53.be out there and remind yourself you are a brilliant player when things

:23:54. > :24:00.are not going well? Everyday I need to remind myself. It is horrible. We

:24:01. > :24:03.can all play when it is going well. It is the champions who can dig it

:24:04. > :24:28.out when they are not 100%. He has finished up tight against the

:24:29. > :24:58.yellow. There is not an easy out where he

:24:59. > :25:02.can leave it safe. If you can guarantee that shot, you would try

:25:03. > :25:07.it all the time. It is very difficult to land on anything and

:25:08. > :25:37.leave it safe. Now read your cushion. -- no red near a cushion.

:25:38. > :26:24.You are right, Stephen. There was no get out shot there.

:26:25. > :27:14.He hit that a little harder than intended. Slight change of plan.

:27:15. > :27:23.An unexpected chance for Mark Davis who could not wait to get out of his

:27:24. > :27:28.chair. Are read into either corner pocket that Mark has missed. That

:27:29. > :27:53.one more difficult than the mess in the previous frame. -- the miss.

:27:54. > :28:13.This has to be struck well with left-hand side.

:28:14. > :28:51.He has overrun that by 12 inches. Shouldn't be a problem.

:28:52. > :29:01.He wants to punish Mark Selby and get another sizeable break like in

:29:02. > :29:28.the previous frame. The cannon was a little thick.

:29:29. > :29:38.He jabbed a little bit of that one and didn't get the action. He had to

:29:39. > :29:39.be a bit careful. A bit more screw and he would have been perfect on

:29:40. > :30:04.the black. He has made sure of the pot. He was

:30:05. > :30:11.hoping the fight would slip past the red, but it has not. He has a choice

:30:12. > :30:28.of reds to the left corner. This is Oxford. -- awkward.

:30:29. > :30:44.He is having to bridge over the three beds. -- reds. That was a good

:30:45. > :31:14.recovery. One of his great strengths. He has a

:31:15. > :31:20.very good temperament. It is standing him in good stead. He has

:31:21. > :31:22.given himself a chance. He is not that far in front in this frame that

:31:23. > :32:21.he is doing well. There is one loose red. There is the

:32:22. > :32:27.pot success rate. He was down to 77% that he did not have any chances

:32:28. > :32:34.earlier on in the match. He needs a bit of luck. He needs a bit of luck

:32:35. > :32:41.and the red has come off the cushion and blocked the path to the pocket.

:32:42. > :32:48.How unlucky was that! He did not get the run of the ball. He could not

:32:49. > :32:57.have played that much better. He was very unlucky to finish like that.

:32:58. > :33:08.Sometimes you do not play a good shot that he played that perfectly.

:33:09. > :33:12.That was painful when that happened. Another tricky one bridging over the

:33:13. > :33:52.reds. Not this time. All of a sudden, Mark Selby, surely

:33:53. > :33:58.he has not landed tight on the brown and covered everything. There is a

:33:59. > :34:05.red to the tight corner pocket. How close is he to the brown? Have a

:34:06. > :34:13.look at that! Mark Selby missed another sitter. He was near the

:34:14. > :34:23.cushion but he would have knocked that in eight, nine out of ten.

:34:24. > :34:30.Well, it was an easy pot. In the circumstances, it should have been

:34:31. > :34:39.much easier until the white landed on the brown. The fact that Selby

:34:40. > :34:42.had been so lucky was probably preying on his mind. He should have

:34:43. > :35:06.had it much easier shot. That might just be the big turning

:35:07. > :35:15.point in this match now. He had a great chance to get just two behind.

:35:16. > :35:19.Surely do miss again. As I say, there were a couple of other easy

:35:20. > :35:29.options until Mark landed on the brown.

:35:30. > :36:25.This is probably what Selby needed after the Mrs. An easy opportunity.

:36:26. > :37:12.There is only the one red. That is not too badly placed.

:37:13. > :37:46.He did not hit that one well. It is still not a problem.

:37:47. > :38:00.It just depends on the angle. It is all about the bread to the right of

:38:01. > :38:08.the pig. -- the red to the right of the pink. He has other options. It

:38:09. > :38:15.is about where he places the cue ball after this pot. It is a big

:38:16. > :38:17.target to hit the pink and red together. It may be too straight to

:38:18. > :38:39.do it here. It is going to be awkward now. You

:38:40. > :38:46.cannot take the green and screw the cue ball off to conditions. -- two

:38:47. > :39:16.conditions. 23, the difference. As we show you

:39:17. > :39:27.this shot he played. The one that Steven mentioned. It is a thin snick

:39:28. > :39:33.this. This red. It probably is the pacey play it at. -- the pace you

:39:34. > :39:51.play it out. He played it with a bit of pace and

:39:52. > :39:56.he only needs the blue. Mark Davis is seeing this frame slip away. It

:39:57. > :40:23.looks like he was going to take it. He has left himself a long yellow.

:40:24. > :40:31.He is just 19 in front. He needs the yellow and green. A similar shot to

:40:32. > :40:38.the one he played previously. He must pot this yellow and screw off

:40:39. > :40:48.to commissions and onto the green. -- two cushions and onto the green.

:40:49. > :41:26.Psychologically, this would be a great frame for Mark Davies to take.

:41:27. > :41:32.He thought he had been unlucky when he went into the pack. All that will

:41:33. > :41:44.be forgotten if he can clear up and win the frame here.

:41:45. > :41:51.He had to win the first two frames to get himself back into it. He will

:41:52. > :41:58.not be happy with that shot. It is on the wrong side of the blue. He

:41:59. > :42:12.had to play a longer pink to get back to the black.

:42:13. > :42:27.That was the one. A bit of screw on the right-hand side.

:42:28. > :42:36.He is coming up a bit short. In fact, he potted the pink into the

:42:37. > :42:43.right side of the pocket. That is why he did not get onto the black.

:42:44. > :42:50.He potted that too thick. He has almost missed it.

:42:51. > :43:11.I think I would have tried to stun the cue ball of two cushions.

:43:12. > :43:30.You cannot beat the excitement of it black ball finish.

:43:31. > :43:53.He needs to be careful of the double-kiss. I'd agree he might have

:43:54. > :44:00.to double it up towards the right corner pocket.

:44:01. > :44:10.He has played it well. He has made a very good job of that.

:44:11. > :44:18.Just watched the black ball go all the way around the angles and finish

:44:19. > :44:28.somewhere close to the cushion. All the way around the angles. That is

:44:29. > :44:33.near the middle pocket. He did not play it in there. He played it round

:44:34. > :44:39.behind the black spot. He mishit that's likely. Can Mark cut the

:44:40. > :44:49.black in? A big shot for the player here. In it goes. Well done, Mark

:44:50. > :44:59.Davies. He keeps his hopes alive. It looked as if Mark Selby was going to

:45:00. > :45:05.make the frame but he did not. This big audience of 1500 people at Ally

:45:06. > :45:09.Pally loved that. There was one incident in that particular frame

:45:10. > :45:14.that had the two of these guys in the studio talking and debating

:45:15. > :45:18.whether one's glass is half full or half empty. Mark Selby has the red

:45:19. > :45:23.in the corner pocket which you would expect him to knock in. He did not.

:45:24. > :45:30.He queued badly and missed it. He has left a plant on the top. The cue

:45:31. > :45:36.ball went down the table and is glued to the side of the brown. He

:45:37. > :45:41.has covered both. He left Mark Davies the long red. That was

:45:42. > :45:47.unlucky for Mark Davies. As a club player, that happens a lot of time.

:45:48. > :45:51.The way to look at it, consider yourself lucky that the guy has

:45:52. > :45:55.missed a shot and be prepared to play any type of shot that comes.

:45:56. > :46:05.Getting down for the next shot should have been full of positivity

:46:06. > :46:12.instead of negativity. I could not agree with you more. If you had done

:46:13. > :46:17.at against me... Honestly, that is one of the biggest pieces of luck I

:46:18. > :46:21.have ever seen, to be glued next to the brown. You know you should have

:46:22. > :46:27.an easy shot and you have got a longer one instead. From the

:46:28. > :46:31.perspective of Mark Selby, that that is firmly off the Gas. Mark Selby is

:46:32. > :46:48.struggling a bit to keep the pressure on Mark Davies.

:46:49. > :47:05.Not a bad break of shot from Mark Davies. He is back in this match.

:47:06. > :47:10.It looked as if Mark Selby was going to win the frame. It would have been

:47:11. > :47:24.match over. There were signs in that frame where

:47:25. > :47:29.Mark Selby missed a few balls. This was the first of them. Normally he

:47:30. > :47:33.would have put that in. This is another one he would normally have

:47:34. > :47:39.knocked in. The boys were talking about where he had that slice of

:47:40. > :47:42.good fortune to freeze the cue ball on the brown. That will cost him

:47:43. > :48:51.four points. He needed a thin snick. Just past the two hours for this

:48:52. > :49:20.opening round match in this year's Masters.

:49:21. > :49:28.That was an excellent long pot. A bit unlucky to not to land nicely on

:49:29. > :49:45.a colour. Back for the blue. Try to get on the

:49:46. > :50:01.red to the right of the black. He does not have to get on that

:50:02. > :50:13.thread but it is hampering the black somewhat. -- that read.

:50:14. > :50:33.It looks like he has lost some composure.

:50:34. > :50:45.He cannot quite get through to the one I mentioned.

:50:46. > :50:51.He played it nicely. If the red to the right of the black is

:50:52. > :50:55.available, he might just screw in behind that of the cushion and get

:50:56. > :51:12.it out of the way. Sometimes you need your opponent to

:51:13. > :52:00.wake you back up again. He has left an angle to go into

:52:01. > :52:02.them. Topspin and a bit of side. He stuck a bit on that red. He is just

:52:03. > :52:14.about OK. He played the shot so well, you can

:52:15. > :52:16.see the arc on the cue ball. I think he is still OK even though he is

:52:17. > :52:32.touching the red. He is not OK. He has not left

:52:33. > :53:04.anything. Mark Davies will be pleased to be back at the table.

:53:05. > :53:15.I did not fancy that shot at that pace. If he was going to take it

:53:16. > :53:21.on, why not play for the black and go 100% all out for it?

:53:22. > :53:27.If you play it slow, you are giving the ball a chance to drop into the

:53:28. > :53:41.pocket. As you said, it would have been

:53:42. > :53:56.better going full blow. In the first match of the

:53:57. > :54:37.tournament, the cloth is brand-new and there is a bit more give.

:54:38. > :54:49.He could not really take that shot on both side to get to the blue. He

:54:50. > :55:05.made sure of the pot. He did not put any side on the cue ball whatsoever.

:55:06. > :55:15.That was a good shot. I say that... How close is he to the black? He was

:55:16. > :55:23.lucky previously. He is not lucky this time. He thought he was OK. He

:55:24. > :55:30.thought he had a nice easy read. All of a sudden, the White has landed on

:55:31. > :55:41.the black. Have a look at this! He is walking round the table. All of a

:55:42. > :55:46.sudden, he thinks, maybe not. If he comes off the side cushion, this

:55:47. > :55:49.will be some shot. If it was over the pocket, I would have fancied it

:55:50. > :56:02.but this is so difficult to judge. We cannot believe the red has stayed

:56:03. > :56:22.there. What a great effort! Mark Davies, if you ever needed a

:56:23. > :56:28.break, it is now. That was so close.

:56:29. > :56:34.Could he possibly pinch this frame and get back to just one behind? He

:56:35. > :57:23.has the ability, the talent. This was the only read that was

:57:24. > :57:34.slightly difficult. The other four are perfectly placed. Oh, Mark! You

:57:35. > :57:43.took your eye of that. You took your concentration of that pot. What a

:57:44. > :57:45.chance he has let slip! Nothing to do with pressure. That was just a

:57:46. > :58:06.lapse in concentration. It looked like he was trying to get

:58:07. > :58:23.the perfect position. He was always going to have an angle on the black.

:58:24. > :58:32.You always get lots of turning points in matches. That is

:58:33. > :58:35.definitely going to be one of them. He will have to do something very

:58:36. > :58:48.careless not to win the frame. It looks like it will be 5-2 and

:58:49. > :59:55.Mark Selby will just need that one frame for victory.

:59:56. > :00:06.Mark still moves about a bit on the shot. You can still see that little

:00:07. > :00:07.bit of movement. It is something that is probably natural to him. He

:00:08. > :00:27.has learned to play with it. Look at the side he had on that. It

:00:28. > :00:35.was an exhibition shop. -- shot. He won't bother about the yellow. Mark

:00:36. > :00:43.Selby extensively. He is only one frame from victory. -- extends his

:00:44. > :00:48.lead. What a turning point in that frame. Mark Selby looked as if he

:00:49. > :00:54.would be comfortable and take the frame quite easily. All of a sudden,

:00:55. > :00:58.he played a shot. He had his extension on. He parted the blue. He

:00:59. > :01:03.thought, well, I played that perfectly. He glanced at the white

:01:04. > :01:12.and then suddenly it nestles onto the black. He made a brave effort to

:01:13. > :01:21.pot this read off to cushions. -- two cushions. He tried to get it

:01:22. > :01:26.perfect. He didn't want to leave the cue ball too close to the cushion.

:01:27. > :01:30.Look at the chances to pinch frames. That is what separates the top

:01:31. > :01:37.players from the rest, to be able to rely on doing that every time. He

:01:38. > :01:46.will be disappointed. That was the only read that was difficult. --

:01:47. > :01:51.read. He tried to get absolutely spot on the black, which meant he

:01:52. > :01:56.took his concentration slightly off the pot. He was thinking more of the

:01:57. > :02:01.cue ball. That is a stonewall chance that he threw away. There we go.

:02:02. > :02:04.That is history. He has got to do it all now. He has got to win all of

:02:05. > :02:31.the remaining frames. You have got to give it your best

:02:32. > :02:43.shot now, Mark. He will hopefully not it in. -- not.

:02:44. > :02:52.His back is against the wall. All you can do is go out there and give

:02:53. > :05:37.it your best shot. Sometimes your arm frees up a bit.

:05:38. > :05:43.As you can see, there is still another red available at the back of

:05:44. > :05:51.the bunch. He doesn't necessarily have to go into them. They are not a

:05:52. > :05:59.good pack to go into. In fact, it has left an angle. This is a key

:06:00. > :06:07.shot coming up. He has to make sure he gets enough action on the white

:06:08. > :06:13.to come away from the reds. Always feel better screwing back on this

:06:14. > :06:26.kind of shot. You can get the blue and possibly the pink.

:06:27. > :06:33.Always difficult to judge when you play that kind of shot. He got into

:06:34. > :06:46.that well. You can see he is hitting the cue ball right on the bottom. He

:06:47. > :06:56.got hold of that too well. He opened the red is beautifully. -- the reds.

:06:57. > :07:02.This is such a delicate shot. He knows this could be his last shot in

:07:03. > :07:09.this year's Masters. This has got to go in because look at where the reds

:07:10. > :07:19.are sitting. Is it there? Well played.

:07:20. > :07:31.So difficult to judge when you are so close to the ball like that. This

:07:32. > :07:37.is great stuff from Mark Davis after what happened in the previous frame.

:07:38. > :07:39.It looked like he had a chance to get back to just one behind and he

:07:40. > :07:51.missed that easy read. -- read. This is the reason he is number 14

:07:52. > :09:04.in the world. Both players' highest break is 80 at

:09:05. > :09:28.this point. This might supersede that.

:09:29. > :09:40.He is taking these really well, though. Sometimes when your back is

:09:41. > :09:48.against the wall, you just relax a bit, play your natural game. It is

:09:49. > :09:52.nice for Mark after being 4-0 down. He would have been a bit

:09:53. > :09:59.embarrassed. Now he is showing us what he is capable of. He is a very

:10:00. > :10:14.fluent break-builder once he gets among the balls.

:10:15. > :10:22.He can't do anything more than this. It is perfect snooker.

:10:23. > :10:26.It would be nice if you could make a century. It is a great way to keep

:10:27. > :11:27.yourself in the match. A great reception from this big

:11:28. > :11:33.crowd in the Alexandra Palace for the first century in this year's

:11:34. > :11:39.Masters. It comes at just the right time for Mark Davis. He is marching

:11:40. > :11:52.around the table now. You would think he was leading 5-2. Another

:11:53. > :11:56.small step and another comeback. Mark Selby is still the strong

:11:57. > :12:16.favourite, but you just never know with this game.

:12:17. > :12:35.That is a fabulous clearance from the likeable Mark Davis. He keeps

:12:36. > :12:41.itself in this year's Masters. That was a superb century break. He

:12:42. > :12:48.cleared the table with 136. But he is still 5-3 behind. HAZEL IRVINE:

:12:49. > :13:00.The 100 and TH century of his career and it has come in the nick of time.

:13:01. > :13:04.-- the 158 century. You have got to go and do it. After the red he

:13:05. > :13:09.missed in the last frame down the right-hand side, it is a good

:13:10. > :13:14.response. I'm sure some people are thinking it is all too late. He is

:13:15. > :13:18.still in this match, however. At this point, Mark Selby must be

:13:19. > :13:23.thanking his lucky stars he had such good cushion early on in the match.

:13:24. > :13:27.All the time you are keeping yourself in contention, you have got

:13:28. > :13:33.a chance. It is easy to win three frames on the spin. He is up against

:13:34. > :13:36.a player who you need to make mistakes. But Mark Selby in the

:13:37. > :13:48.second half of this marriage has made mistakes. It seems like he is a

:13:49. > :13:56.different player after the interval. If you are Mark Davis, you have to

:13:57. > :14:06.forget that you should be doing more of the same. He has got to try in

:14:07. > :14:08.one visit. I can imagine Selby thinking, I am going to make it

:14:09. > :14:14.difficult for him to get back into this. But they won 36 does the

:14:15. > :14:21.confidence a power of good. It is good to see -- a 136. It is good to

:14:22. > :14:27.see him showing the skills on television.

:14:28. > :14:35.He is still here, Mark Davis. But for how much longer? That is the big

:14:36. > :14:43.question. Can he win three frames in a row. Steve Davis said it has been

:14:44. > :14:46.done before. But he is up against the defending champion. He is one of

:14:47. > :15:59.the ultimate Masters. There is a prize of ?10,000 for the

:16:00. > :16:05.highest break this year's Dafabet Masters. He is certainly leading the

:16:06. > :16:18.way. You wouldn't think it would stand. It is a good target.

:16:19. > :16:27.I will bet you a fiver it gets beaten.

:16:28. > :16:57.You're not going to get an easy fiver that way!

:16:58. > :17:05.Bit unlucky not to have a colour on that. Was it my eyes or did the

:17:06. > :17:11.white ball go a bit to the right at the end? Let's have a look here.

:17:12. > :17:31.Yeah, it turns right angles there. Could be a problem under the cloth.

:17:32. > :17:37.Just as it finished, watch here, all of a sudden... It is not going to

:17:38. > :17:46.make a lot of difference in that part of the table. If you had to

:17:47. > :17:53.play a part slowly along that bowl cushion, though, it could be a

:17:54. > :17:54.problem. -- if you had to play a part slowly along that baulk

:17:55. > :18:22.cushion. They do check the table before play.

:18:23. > :18:36.They make sure there is no turns. Now, this is a test of cueing. Not

:18:37. > :18:46.bad, is it? Once again, the action he gets into it and the timing... He

:18:47. > :18:54.delivers the cue. It all looks so easy. He has got a slight angle on

:18:55. > :19:01.the brown to get up to the reds. He is playing with top spin. It is the

:19:02. > :19:10.opposite shock to the previous one. -- the opposite shot.

:19:11. > :19:27.Not a lot of angle to work on there. He is not playing it with top spin.

:19:28. > :19:32.Another test coming up. Once again, striking down on the autumn of the

:19:33. > :19:41.cue ball because he was straight on the brown.

:19:42. > :19:55.Might just have enough angle to stun the cross for the black.

:19:56. > :20:03.Look where the cue ball has finished up. He missed that completely. He

:20:04. > :20:13.was trying the shot. He nearly fluked the red into the corner

:20:14. > :20:17.pocket. Has he covered this one? Does it even going past the reds? --

:20:18. > :20:40.go in. Has he covered the black? I think he

:20:41. > :20:44.might have. Even if he could bend that around and make the pot, there

:20:45. > :20:58.is no red available. It looks like the yellow and trying

:20:59. > :22:05.to get this cue ball tight on the baulk cushion.

:22:06. > :22:15.Well, Mark can't believe that one not going in.

:22:16. > :22:25.He is just apologising. It will not make Mark feel much better,

:22:26. > :22:45.especially the slots the brown in on a red. -- if he slots.

:22:46. > :23:35.How many is he going to make from but fluked? -- from fat fluke?

:23:36. > :23:40.Would be good to get the green out of the way. He would be straight on

:23:41. > :24:09.this red. That is what helps the black.

:24:10. > :24:26.It would be unfortunate for Mark Davis to go out like this, if Mark

:24:27. > :24:32.Selby were to go on to win through that outrageous fluke to plant. But

:24:33. > :24:36.you have got to take advantage. If you have some luck, capitalise on

:24:37. > :25:08.it. You don't always get the run of the ball.

:25:09. > :25:19.It is staying at 147. Another lapse in concentration. Does he all of a

:25:20. > :25:59.sudden see the winning post? Don't think it was a bad contact.

:26:00. > :26:08.I think he finished up getting a little bit of unwanted side on that.

:26:09. > :26:10.That is the reason he's missed the black. He got a bit of left-hand

:26:11. > :26:40.side on the cue ball. That is all I can think of. There

:26:41. > :26:47.was a bit of deceleration with the cue. It is amazing how the top

:26:48. > :26:54.players, the letter of Sadat happen in some frames -- the let office

:26:55. > :27:46.that sometimes happen in some frames. -- the let offs.

:27:47. > :27:56.A key shot coming up. He is 41 ahead. He is going to need one of

:27:57. > :28:00.those difficult reds. He is going to have to do it off one of the baulk

:28:01. > :28:08.colours because of the way he has finished on this red. Blue is

:28:09. > :28:16.slightly in the way of playing a cannon in a couple of shots' time.

:28:17. > :28:19.He is just about OK. He might be able to take the yellow and missed

:28:20. > :28:23.the middle pocket and come straight up onto the three reds. I think he

:28:24. > :28:34.can do it from the yellow. I'm not sure if he has got the angle

:28:35. > :28:42.to do that. It is difficult from the brown. He may have to go twice

:28:43. > :28:48.across the table. That is even more difficult.

:28:49. > :28:58.A good effort but not quite good enough.

:28:59. > :29:10.He just needs one will read to leave Mark Davis needing a snooker. -- one

:29:11. > :29:33.more red. He has gone too far of the yellow. -- off the yellow.

:29:34. > :29:44.It is a touching ball which gives Mark a few more options. If he can

:29:45. > :29:49.find a spot-on the table which will leave things safe. He cannot move

:29:50. > :30:07.the bread otherwise it will be a foul. -- the red.

:30:08. > :30:31.He only needs this red. He had a look at the possible pot into the

:30:32. > :30:42.middle but it is quite an acute angle.

:30:43. > :31:02.That was a bit too hard for the Celica. -- the Celica.

:31:03. > :31:07.He would like to play the red but the cue ball will be canning into

:31:08. > :31:29.them. -- can he would like to bring the two reds

:31:30. > :31:39.into play. That is what he will try. He needs to be so precise. He needs

:31:40. > :31:46.a good cue ball. I do not think he has it. It was a brisk heater. He

:31:47. > :31:52.has opened the game up completely. -- risk he took. He has left the

:31:53. > :32:19.long red fork Mark Selby. It could be the frame-winner.

:32:20. > :32:38.There is a lot more pressure on this shot.

:32:39. > :32:46.He made a magnificent clearance in the last frame. Can he pull off a

:32:47. > :32:48.clearance that would be just as good as the previous one to keep himself

:32:49. > :33:02.in the match? I thought we were in for an early

:33:03. > :33:47.afternoon at 4-0. Mark Davies had other ideas.

:33:48. > :33:55.He played it well and made sure he left enough angle to get on the

:33:56. > :34:01.yellow, anywhere between the brown and the yellow would be perfect.

:34:02. > :34:23.He had a quick glance at the scoreboard but he needs to pop them

:34:24. > :34:59.all to get himself just one frame behind.

:35:00. > :35:06.He has underscrewed it slightly. He has given himself a problem and he

:35:07. > :35:10.needs to go all the way around the angles. It should have been

:35:11. > :35:16.straightforward. Now he has quite a bit to do with the cue ball. Here we

:35:17. > :35:20.go. Keep your eye on that white ball.

:35:21. > :35:37.It looks good. That was a terrific shot. Superb!

:35:38. > :35:45.Can you believe it? Mark Davis is not finished yet. Mark Selby let him

:35:46. > :35:54.off the hook. Didn't people love a fantastic clearance! He is just one

:35:55. > :36:01.frame behind now at 5-4. We have a proper match on. Wasn't he composed

:36:02. > :36:06.and calm! Even though Mark Selby had the controlling safety, Mark Davis

:36:07. > :36:11.eventually got his chance. A half mistake in the safety led to the

:36:12. > :36:16.mistake from Mark Selby. That is the nature of snooker. Nothing is as

:36:17. > :36:20.clear cut and black and white as one player making a correct shot

:36:21. > :36:26.totally. Mark Davis must be feeling very excited. He has got himself

:36:27. > :36:32.back into it. We were just talking during that. Mark Selby, you just

:36:33. > :36:39.wonder if the UK final last month my be playing on his mind. Suddenly he

:36:40. > :36:45.has had this 4-0 lead. Do you think he is the kind of person who would

:36:46. > :36:51.go into that sort of thinking? I do not think he is that battle scarred

:36:52. > :36:56.yet. It may play on his mind. I agree with what Steve said in

:36:57. > :37:00.commentary. If the two red had been saved, he would not have missed the

:37:01. > :37:05.long red. It would have gone straight into the pocket. He knew it

:37:06. > :37:13.was a massive shot with extra pressure and he missed. It is now

:37:14. > :37:16.looking like a proper street fight. A fantastic performance by Mark

:37:17. > :37:23.Davis. He was not feeling good at the start. Given equal play, a few

:37:24. > :37:30.chances at the table, he has started to show what he is capable of. Mark

:37:31. > :37:35.Selby knows he has it chance to finish this off and get himself into

:37:36. > :37:50.the quarterfinal. -- he has a chance.

:37:51. > :37:57.Not a bad break-off shot from Mark Selby. We are looking at a man who

:37:58. > :38:05.has so much experience in this Masters. He will be tested here.

:38:06. > :38:14.That has just nudged a read. He might think about taking that on to

:38:15. > :38:26.the middle, maybe not. It is tight on the cushion. It is just a safety.

:38:27. > :38:30.That is pretty good. He has covered the path down the left side of the

:38:31. > :40:53.table. He let the white just slipped closer

:40:54. > :40:54.to the cushion than he intended. It means the next positional shot, he

:40:55. > :41:08.must be a bit careful. He played it well. What a great

:41:09. > :41:09.chance! He has the red to the left of the black which could be

:41:10. > :41:29.available. I will show you where he is striking

:41:30. > :41:33.the cue ball to play that shot. All of a sudden, there is the

:41:34. > :41:39.possibility that in the opening match of this year's Masters, we

:41:40. > :41:44.could have a deciding frame and the defending champion, well, what a

:41:45. > :41:54.deciding frame that would be! A long way to go but he has another fall

:41:55. > :42:01.red is available to him. -- four reds available to him. He has

:42:02. > :42:06.produced some great snooker. It has to be said that Mark Selby has let

:42:07. > :42:11.standards slip since the interval. He has missed a lot of easy balls.

:42:12. > :42:18.Mark Davis still has to do it when he comes to the table. Selby will

:42:19. > :42:25.not be in a good state of mind, sat in his chair at the moment.

:42:26. > :42:38.He has played Mark on eight occasions. He has won all eight of

:42:39. > :42:54.them. All the eight victories, none of

:42:55. > :43:43.them went to a deciding frame. A key shot coming up now. This could

:43:44. > :43:47.pave the way to winning the frame. It is an awkward pack to go into

:43:48. > :44:02.with the pink sitting at the back of the reds. There are two loose reds.

:44:03. > :44:12.That is not a give me. He played the right shot. He missed the pink with

:44:13. > :44:20.the cannon. He could have finished a lot easier than this.

:44:21. > :44:34.You want to drop the reds in that he will not get position with that.

:44:35. > :44:51.He could play a cannon to the red on the right of the red he is potting.

:44:52. > :45:00.He almost missed the red. That is why he has lost position. He missed

:45:01. > :45:07.the cannon will stop that is why he is faced with a very difficult pot.

:45:08. > :45:12.He has a difficult blue to cut in. He has a 50 point lead. What a key

:45:13. > :45:50.pot coming up! He is going to be hampered, is he?

:45:51. > :46:02.The reds will be a distraction for him.

:46:03. > :46:28.Just a fraction and it would have been straightforward.

:46:29. > :46:39.That was all he could do because he was in such an awkward spot. 62

:46:40. > :46:47.ahead. There he restricted with the cue ball.

:46:48. > :46:59.-- very restricted with the cue ball. He needs a red and anything

:47:00. > :47:20.from the blue upwards and Mark Selby would need a snooker.

:47:21. > :47:30.That was able pretty good effort. He was perfectly on the Black hand he

:47:31. > :47:32.knocked the Black had he not read would not leave anything easy. -- on

:47:33. > :48:12.the black and he knocked the black. He did not intend to cannon the

:48:13. > :48:18.black with the red. It is still possible. He wants to keep all the

:48:19. > :48:53.balls in open play. Mark Davis would love to get them near the cushion.

:48:54. > :49:04.If that keeps going, he has him in a spot of bother. Having said that,

:49:05. > :49:14.you can see the one to the left of the blue.

:49:15. > :49:23.If he takes this on, he is in a similar position to Mark Selby. All

:49:24. > :49:30.the reds are in a good position to make a clearance. You cannot screw

:49:31. > :49:44.the cue ball back to baulk because the blue is in the way.

:49:45. > :49:58.He only just missed the double-kiss. He did not hit it as he

:49:59. > :50:02.intended. The only thing with this, I do not think it is natural enough

:50:03. > :50:04.to the middle pocket. If he cuts this in, I think he will go between

:50:05. > 3:43:10the green and the brown. I