Day 4

:00:58. > :01:05.Good afternoon, welcome to Alexandra Palace, Dave four of the 2014

:01:06. > :01:12.masters. Two left-handers going head to head, the fourth time they have

:01:13. > :01:18.met, Neil Robertson against Mark Allen.

:01:19. > :01:31.This should be an absolutely cracking match. Now he is in

:01:32. > :01:43.business. Ding now leads 2-0. He has played that beautifully. It is two

:01:44. > :01:59.each, game on. What a shot he has played there. He needs the yellow.

:02:00. > :02:06.Good shot under the circumstances. He still trails by 4-3 but he is

:02:07. > :02:25.right back in it. Absolutely amazing! He has played it superbly

:02:26. > :02:30.well. Beautifully struck. What a turnaround. Shaun Murphy has won

:02:31. > :02:38.three frames in a row and he leads five frames to four. The red is in

:02:39. > :02:46.and he goes through to the quarterfinal, winning six to four.

:02:47. > :02:55.He is a phenomenal player and that, for me, in the context of my season

:02:56. > :03:07.so far is a massive win. A great atmosphere and what a baptism of

:03:08. > :03:27.fire for Milkins this is. Right in the heart of the pocket.

:03:28. > :03:41.Has he just lost his focus slightly? Just the pink slightly. In it goes

:03:42. > :03:53.and you can see the fist pump. He still trails 5-1. His game just was

:03:54. > :03:58.not good enough. A standing ovation from one of the Rolling Stones for

:03:59. > :04:03.Ronnie O'Sullivan. I made a few mistakes but on the whole I felt

:04:04. > :04:17.pretty solid tonight so I just had to wait and be patient and get some

:04:18. > :04:25.chances. Mark Selby is through and he will

:04:26. > :04:29.meet John Higgins. Marco Fu needs Judd Trump 6-5. He takes on Shaun

:04:30. > :04:38.Murphy after his battle with Ding Junhui. Robin -- Robertson and Allen

:04:39. > :04:43.play this afternoon for the right to play Stephen Maguire. World champion

:04:44. > :04:51.Ronnie O'Sullivan is through after thrashing Milkins. All 1500 tickets

:04:52. > :04:56.were snapped up for Ronnie O'Sullivan's match against Milkins

:04:57. > :05:00.last night. Steve Davis was commentating. Amazing atmosphere for

:05:01. > :05:08.that performance. Marks out of ten for Ronnie O'Sullivan? Ten out of

:05:09. > :05:15.ten for his workmanlike atmosphere -- attitude. He did not get

:05:16. > :05:21.disappointed if he missed shots. He looked very comfortable. Admittedly

:05:22. > :05:26.Robert Milkins was a bit overawed by the situation but I liked how easily

:05:27. > :05:29.Ronnie O'Sullivan scored amongst the balls and he did the hard work in

:05:30. > :05:35.the first session and then coasted into winning. We had the afternoon

:05:36. > :05:44.of Shaun Murphy beating doing some -- Ding Junhui. This could be Shaun

:05:45. > :05:50.Murphy's opportunity. Ding missed one critical shot and Shaun Murphy

:05:51. > :05:54.took his chance. It is a new streamlined Shaun Murphy, paying the

:05:55. > :06:00.price, going through the hardships of getting ready for tournaments,

:06:01. > :06:05.pretending he is Rocky. You need to find an edge and Shaun Murphy looks

:06:06. > :06:09.a bit more hungry. This afternoon it is Neil Robertson taking on Mark

:06:10. > :06:14.Allen. Neil Robertson very much the man of the moment. Is he going to

:06:15. > :06:18.win this tournament? It is tough to do. He has been a winner here

:06:19. > :06:24.before. It comes into the equation. You can't beat good preparation,

:06:25. > :06:27.match practice is the best way and he has had more match practice than

:06:28. > :06:36.any other player other than Mark Selby coming into this. That is good

:06:37. > :06:40.preparation. Crucially, Mark Allen has a pretty poor record at the

:06:41. > :06:47.Marsters. He is backstage now, does it affect his preparation? I think

:06:48. > :06:54.Mark Allen is one of the grittier players on the circuit. You don't

:06:55. > :06:58.expect him to crumble under this setup, like possibly Milkins bid.

:06:59. > :07:03.This is the best matchup we have had so far. Mark Allen, if he is going

:07:04. > :07:11.to become a winner regularly on the tour, if you can win this, you can

:07:12. > :07:14.win the world Championship in a 1- table setup. Mark Allen will be

:07:15. > :07:19.looking for a better performance in tournaments like this. That is the

:07:20. > :07:30.big question, can Mark Allen stop Neil Robertson?

:07:31. > :07:37.Neil Robertson's technique is superb. If you want an example of

:07:38. > :07:44.pushing the queue through a gun barrel straight, that is what you

:07:45. > :07:49.get with him. -- pushing the cue. His temperament is superb. He would

:07:50. > :07:53.have made a great poker player, you don't know when he is under

:07:54. > :07:59.pressure, he keeps the same poker face whether he has missed an easy

:08:00. > :08:06.shot or knocked in a century break. When you talk about Star appeal, he

:08:07. > :08:12.is one of those players, great long pot. That is why the public want to

:08:13. > :08:18.watch him play. When it comes to break-building, his has improved

:08:19. > :08:25.after the -- over the past few years. He certainly has become one

:08:26. > :08:28.of the most consistent players after dropping off the main talk in the

:08:29. > :08:36.early part of the millennium. He came back in the mid-2000s and he is

:08:37. > :08:42.one of the rare players who has won the big three. He will have to play

:08:43. > :08:47.his natural game. Sometimes he goes into his shell and does not play an

:08:48. > :08:51.attacking game. The more attacking he is, the more dangerous he

:08:52. > :08:56.becomes. Mark Allen is making his sixth

:08:57. > :09:02.appearance here. He lost in the semifinals in 2011. He is looking to

:09:03. > :09:08.put an end to a poor run against Robertson. He has been beaten twice

:09:09. > :09:13.by the Aussie in the last two years. He has beaten Robertson in the

:09:14. > :09:17.European tour event this season but Robertson has the upper hand with

:09:18. > :09:20.six wins to three. John Parrott will be in the studio this afternoon but

:09:21. > :09:30.at the moment he is in the commentary box.

:09:31. > :09:35.It is fair to say, John, when this draw was made, this is definitely

:09:36. > :09:41.the match of the first round. We have said throughout the tournament,

:09:42. > :09:45.top 16 players, no easy matches, but this was a standout. Neil Robertson

:09:46. > :09:48.is arguably playing as well as anybody in the world. Mark Allen, I

:09:49. > :09:55.don't know what you expect from him. If you get the good Mark Allen he is

:09:56. > :10:01.capable of beating anybody. He is a player who is not fazed by these

:10:02. > :10:09.situations. Situations like this will inspire him. With a great

:10:10. > :10:14.crowd, he loves the big occasion, Mark Allen. I am all forward to

:10:15. > :10:20.this. He will push Neil Robertson quite close, I think. The Australian

:10:21. > :10:25.has turned himself into some match player. When he first came to this

:10:26. > :10:31.tournament he played Jimmy White and all he was was a potter. He has an

:10:32. > :10:37.all-round game now. I think Mark Allen needs a good start, he needs

:10:38. > :10:41.to start believing in himself. If you are not winning you can soon

:10:42. > :10:48.lose your confidence. Give us a scoreline. I hope if Mark Allen gets

:10:49. > :10:55.a good start he can really push Neil Robertson and maybe six - four, 6-5

:10:56. > :11:03.either way. Let's get them under way. Robin Walker, it is all yours.

:11:04. > :11:06.Just two places undergrads for the quarterfinals of the Dafabet Masters

:11:07. > :11:14.and what an absolute humdinger we have an prospect. The fourth year in

:11:15. > :11:23.a row they have gone toe to toe and last year it was an epic

:11:24. > :11:30.confrontation. Please welcome one of the most exciting players on the

:11:31. > :11:35.circuit. When he is on form he makes it look so easy. Masters

:11:36. > :11:44.semifinalist and twice World Open champion, the pride of Northern

:11:45. > :12:05.Ireland, Mark Allen! MUSIC: "Oh, So Quiet" by Bjork.

:12:06. > :12:13.Mark, by your own high standards it has not been a great season so far.

:12:14. > :12:19.This is exactly the kind of situation in which you thrive. If

:12:20. > :12:22.you can't play well here, you don't deserve to be in this sport. Ladies

:12:23. > :12:35.and gentlemen, Mark Allen is ready! His opponent, a player who is laying

:12:36. > :12:41.down his marker as one of the sport's all-time greats. His victory

:12:42. > :12:48.in the UK Championship last month secured him snooker's hat-trick. He

:12:49. > :12:53.is the world number one. Can you hear The Thunder From Down Under? It

:12:54. > :12:55.is Neil Robertson. MUSIC: "Heart Of Courage" by Two

:12:56. > :13:23.Steps From Hell. Massive reception and well-deserved

:13:24. > :13:27.after the tears and triumph at the UK Championship last month. You have

:13:28. > :13:33.now done the big three, massive motivation to continue winning. It

:13:34. > :13:37.was a great calendar year and no better way to finish it off, winning

:13:38. > :13:44.the UK, to complete the Triple Crown. It is important to stay

:13:45. > :13:49.motivated and keep the run going. I am sure it is going to be a great

:13:50. > :13:56.match. Good luck. It is going to be a cracker!

:13:57. > :14:00.Another great crowd at the 2014 Dafabet Masters. Time to hand you to

:14:01. > :14:10.our commentary team. Good afternoon, everybody. Looking

:14:11. > :14:22.forward to this wonderful matchup, Neil Robertson, UK champion to start

:14:23. > :14:26.off 2014, against Mark Allen, as Steve Davis said, winner of this

:14:27. > :14:35.event and many others. A cracking match, it should be. Absolutely. It

:14:36. > :14:36.will be interesting to see how Mark Allen starts off. Nobody doubts his

:14:37. > :14:56.ability. Just having a quiet word with the

:14:57. > :15:03.referee about something. Everything seems to be in order. Two

:15:04. > :15:06.left-handers as well. Two fantastic potters and break-ball players as

:15:07. > :15:25.well. Well, he was always possibly a ring

:15:26. > :15:32.on the side of safety. But what a fantastic pot. -- erring on the

:15:33. > :15:50.side. Let's have a look at this. Right in

:15:51. > :16:01.the heart of the pocket. Beautiful shot.

:16:02. > :16:18.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. It seemed to come off the cushion a bit

:16:19. > :16:26.straight before the middle pocket. Making a minor adjustment here. With

:16:27. > :16:31.this kind of shot you can make too much adjustment and slide off the

:16:32. > :16:42.pack. You have to be a bit careful. You can over adjust. And that is the

:16:43. > :16:49.case. I think he has left a red on. Not only that, he has left a lovely

:16:50. > :17:06.angle for Neil Robertson. He can get back for the blue or a baulk colour.

:17:07. > :17:17.He will be disappointed with that. He did not get enough side. He

:17:18. > :17:27.wanted a bit more to widen the angle of the cue ball. They are always

:17:28. > :17:32.tricky, these type of shots, particularly when the cue ball is so

:17:33. > :17:37.close to the blue. A couple of inches towards the pink and you

:17:38. > :17:43.would expect Neil to pot this blue but the fact it is so close, it is a

:17:44. > :17:49.bit more difficult to judge. I will be very surprised if he does not

:17:50. > :18:09.take this blue on. He was looking at the baulk vision. -- cushion.

:18:10. > :18:20.He did not take it on, he played a safety, and it is not the best

:18:21. > :18:38.safety. Because he has this red to the right corner here. He may regret

:18:39. > :18:51.not going for the part here. -- the pot.

:18:52. > :19:02.If it was later in the match, I can't see Neil Robertson refusing

:19:03. > :19:12.pots like he did. Perhaps he thought, first frame, just settle

:19:13. > :19:40.in. A bit nervy, this opening frame. He can have a go at this red.

:19:41. > :19:58.Made the pot bit more difficult by using that pace. -- a bit.

:19:59. > :20:12.It is not bad, is it? That is the second prize.

:20:13. > :20:18.Never easy, those type of shots, coming across the nap of the table,

:20:19. > :20:41.trying to hold for the black. It looked like he was getting down

:20:42. > :20:51.to play the red on the left-hand side of the table.

:20:52. > :21:02.He did not fancy trying to screw back and he has hit the red but it

:21:03. > :21:04.is not the best shot by any means. There is the red to the far right

:21:05. > :21:20.corner here. This is an important visit for Mark

:21:21. > :21:26.Allen. You feel at the moment he is lacking a bit of confidence. If he

:21:27. > :21:31.could make a frame -winning contribution at this visit, I think

:21:32. > :21:41.that would really set hit -- settle him down for the rest of the match.

:21:42. > :21:42.He has the chance, can he take it? The reds are wonderfully spread as

:21:43. > :21:54.well. He does not have to worry about

:21:55. > :22:04.going into the pack, at least for a few shots, because there are plenty

:22:05. > :22:06.of reds available. And of course he always has that insurance of the red

:22:07. > :22:54.over the right centre as well. The black is available into both

:22:55. > :23:08.corners. So far helix nice and settled, striking the ball crisply.

:23:09. > :23:17.-- he looked is -- looks. First poor shot, wanted a nice angle on the

:23:18. > :23:41.black to make a cannon of the reds. That is a good recovery.

:23:42. > :23:50.He still always has this red over the right centre. Looking from

:23:51. > :23:55.behind the pocket, if he is going to try and -- try to get the right side

:23:56. > :24:06.of the blue he will have two play it with quite a lot of side.

:24:07. > :24:17.He is a bit straight. It shows you, that careless shot when he should

:24:18. > :24:24.have had a good angle on the black and it has just snowballed. It is

:24:25. > :24:36.not getting any easier. Hawk-eye says he just has a slight angle.

:24:37. > :24:40.Well, if he has a slight angle he could certainly force the cue ball

:24:41. > :24:48.down, but obviously Mark does not think so. If this goes in, he gets

:24:49. > :25:05.the right side of the blue, he should get the frame. Good pot,

:25:06. > :25:09.needs the angle on the blue. A little grimace will tell us it is

:25:10. > :25:18.not the ideal angle. Can he force it?

:25:19. > :25:29.Yes, he can. That is very, very good. Excellent shot. You see, he

:25:30. > :25:51.just rounds the cue ball and forced the angle. -- bounced. 67 points

:25:52. > :25:58.remaining, so this blue, a couple more reds and colours. He has the

:25:59. > :26:16.red to the right middle, but could have been better.

:26:17. > :26:25.He was perfect just to play a bit of screw back for the black. When he

:26:26. > :26:35.came to the table this is just what he needed. This red will put him 58

:26:36. > :26:51.points ahead with 51 remaining. Well played.

:26:52. > :26:57.Yes, this has been a really good break for Mark Allen. He was in

:26:58. > :27:05.trouble a couple of times but pulled out some really good pots. Just

:27:06. > :27:11.looking at his sleeve there, it looks like his cuff link has become

:27:12. > :27:18.undone! This is awkward, could take a while. He could need some help

:27:19. > :27:33.from the referee. No, he has found the gap!

:27:34. > :27:47.Of this red he would like to play up for the pink.

:27:48. > :27:58.Highest break of the Masters so far is Marco Fu. What a good start it

:27:59. > :28:14.would be for Mark Allen to make a century.

:28:15. > :28:30.Never in doubt, was there? ! Excellent break for Mark Allen.

:28:31. > :28:33.Great start. And certainly putting down a marker as he plays an

:28:34. > :28:55.exhibition shot. He has played the double. But not

:28:56. > :28:59.got it! Neil Robertson a little bit tentative for me in that first

:29:00. > :29:04.frame. Nothing tentative about that for Mark Allen, Ben is the frame

:29:05. > :29:11.with a wonderful break of 114. -- he wins the frame.

:29:12. > :29:16.Before this match started we talked about whether his poor record would

:29:17. > :29:24.be playing on his mind against Neil Robertson, but there is your answer.

:29:25. > :29:28.Getting off to a good start means you are focused, not frightened, and

:29:29. > :29:35.ready to rumble. It looks like we are in for a cracking match. John

:29:36. > :29:39.Parrott, when you are playing the UK champion, that is exactly what you

:29:40. > :29:44.need to do, pile on the pressure. Stamp your authority on the Mac. It

:29:45. > :29:53.is important to get a good start for Mark Allen. -- authority on the Mac.

:29:54. > :29:59.It is important that Mark Allen settled down early on. As I said

:30:00. > :30:03.before, I don't think Mark Allen is the type of player you should be

:30:04. > :30:09.worried about as a match player. He has great fighting qualities. He is

:30:10. > :30:14.not frightened of anybody and he is probably champing at the bit to get

:30:15. > :30:18.some results. He has done well on the European tour events but it is

:30:19. > :30:25.the big occasions where everybody wants to win. Steve mentioned the

:30:26. > :30:30.fighting qualities. The one thing about Neil Robertson, he likes a

:30:31. > :30:35.battle. He wants to get into this frame and show Mark Allen that he is

:30:36. > :30:37.here to play. Let's find out if Mark Allen has any further cuff link

:30:38. > :30:52.trouble. A decent break off shot, by virtue

:30:53. > :31:07.of the fact that he has not left a pot on. Can he just get past the

:31:08. > :31:09.blue? That is what he is looking at. If he can't, then he is going to

:31:10. > :31:48.have to play some kind of swerve. He could not have played that

:31:49. > :31:49.better. There is certainly nothing wrong with his eyesight, John,

:31:50. > :32:28.that's for sure. He Has he has got to be careful. He

:32:29. > :32:34.could leave himself open to a very simple snooker here. If he leaves

:32:35. > :32:37.the cue ball near the right-hand corner pocket, that one does go into

:32:38. > :32:41.the left-hand corner pocket. The one which is just next to the black. He

:32:42. > :33:03.has to be very, very careful with this shot.

:33:04. > :33:10.This red does go, but is it a bit risky, and can he hold for the

:33:11. > :33:15.black? I am not sure whether the angle is there, John. It was not the

:33:16. > :33:30.best containing safety, really. APPLAUSE

:33:31. > :33:33.That would have been a lot more difficult had the cue ball being

:33:34. > :33:38.tight against the cushion, which was the aim.

:33:39. > :33:40.This is not the best chance, obviously, with the black tied up

:33:41. > :34:01.and the pink out of commission. This looks good, has he got the

:34:02. > :34:04.angle? He could bring the black into play here. This will be an excellent

:34:05. > :34:18.opportunity, if this goes right. Yes, good shot. Would have liked a

:34:19. > :34:46.little bit more backspin on the cue ball.

:34:47. > :34:58.JP that was the problem, it is very hard to see the angle when the cue

:34:59. > :35:02.ball is so close to the object ball. Yes, I was a bit concerned when he

:35:03. > :35:07.was playing the black. In the first frame, he had the blue but did not

:35:08. > :35:15.want to play the pot. Whether he does not like using the rest so

:35:16. > :35:20.much, I do not know. Oh, but he has been let off the hook. That is

:35:21. > :35:27.something you cannot afford to do at this level. When your opponent

:35:28. > :35:30.misses when he is in, you have after the start he made in the first

:35:31. > :35:37.frame, Mark Allen, he will be very disappointed to miss that. Yes, that

:35:38. > :35:43.was a good opportunity to turn the screw a little bit on Neil

:35:44. > :35:47.Robertson. Now, an excellent chance. Let's see what sort of form

:35:48. > :35:51.Neil Robertson is in. He will not be happy with that contact. A little

:35:52. > :36:25.bit heavy. He wanted to be straighter on this blue.

:36:26. > :36:35.But OK. -- that's OK. He did not have to go into the reds, because

:36:36. > :37:11.there were a couple of loose ones available.

:37:12. > :37:16.JOHN VIRGO: He is a little bit short, but obviously this red goes

:37:17. > :37:37.through the gap. He judged that nicely. Just coming

:37:38. > :37:40.round to see if the red immediately above the black is available into

:37:41. > :37:51.the left corner. If it is, he can just roll it in, the blue.

:37:52. > :38:01.He has overdone it. He is still on the red, but he wanted to be a

:38:02. > :38:09.little bit shorter than that, so he will be going up for the blue

:38:10. > :38:18.again, but he has got to judge the case as the second red. -- the kiss

:38:19. > :38:49.off the second red. Well, that was a wonderful shot.

:38:50. > :38:55.That is what we have come to expect from him, he just strokes them in.

:38:56. > :38:56.That was magnificent. That is pure confidence in your cue action. Just

:38:57. > :39:21.look at that. And that was the difference. He was

:39:22. > :39:29.concentrating so much on position on the black, it just made that pot a

:39:30. > :39:45.little bit more difficult to. He will be disappointed.

:39:46. > :39:53.He has played that nicely. He did not want to risk trying to get

:39:54. > :40:05.behind a baulk colour. You can never discount Neil

:40:06. > :41:19.Robertson from putting anything. It is one of those, if you take it

:41:20. > :41:23.on, you will be possibly going into the red next to the pink, or the one

:41:24. > :41:25.to the left of that. So, not quite sure where the cue ball is going

:41:26. > :41:33.here. Well, believe it or not, you played

:41:34. > :41:57.the pot. Nicely played. Did not have to do

:41:58. > :41:58.much with the cue ball to have position on the black. This is a

:41:59. > :42:49.frame-winning chance. When he missed that black with the

:42:50. > :42:52.rest earlier in the frame, he may have feared the worst, Neil

:42:53. > :43:26.Robertson, but his opponent did not capitalise on it.

:43:27. > :43:32.Overall assessment, John, both players are looking pretty good,

:43:33. > :43:37.they looked to be cueing quite nicely. Yes, it looks set fair to be

:43:38. > :43:45.the match we expected here. Good safety. Both players looking like

:43:46. > :43:58.they can win a frame in one visit, should they get the opportunity.

:43:59. > :44:04.Just trying to nudge that read into play, but there is no way Mark Allen

:44:05. > :44:22.will continue anyway. It does not really matter. Mark

:44:23. > :44:30.Allen concedes. Neil Robertson has got his first frame on the board.

:44:31. > :44:38.Yes, settled in nicely, and JP, at the start, you said this was an

:44:39. > :44:43.appetising drawer. You thought this was going to be one of the

:44:44. > :44:47.highlights of the round. Yes, because it is two top-class players.

:44:48. > :44:51.Neil Robertson will know that this is a tough draw. But I cannot help

:44:52. > :44:55.thinking, he has won the first frame so well, Mark Allen, he has just

:44:56. > :45:01.missed a trick. He had him under pressure. Neil has missed a shot

:45:02. > :45:04.with the rest, but he has left him this into the middle. This was a

:45:05. > :45:09.good chance for Mark Allen. He has got to clip is in. It is a shot he

:45:10. > :45:17.really should get. And not only did he miss it, you put Robertson back

:45:18. > :45:22.in amongst the balls. That's right. Effectively, he has earned the right

:45:23. > :45:27.to have the chance to go to nil up, by winning that first frame. So,

:45:28. > :45:31.there is the first bit of pressure on a player, which comes into the

:45:32. > :45:35.equation. You have got your opponent in his chair, can you keep him in

:45:36. > :45:39.his chair? The pressures on the tensions are there from the start.

:45:40. > :45:43.Now, all of a sudden, it is back to square one for Mark Allen. It shows

:45:44. > :45:48.at this level, JP, you have got to take your chances? There is so

:45:49. > :45:52.little between the two of them. This is the elite, the top 16, in this

:45:53. > :46:02.tournament. Wings like that can change matches.

:46:03. > :46:10.JOHN VIRGO: Not the best break off from Mark Allen. He did not find the

:46:11. > :46:17.baulk cushion. I do not think there is any pot here to attempt Neil. If

:46:18. > :47:13.not, it is a fairly straightforward safety.

:47:14. > :47:21.It was worth the risk. The only red he felt he could leave was the one

:47:22. > :47:45.he was playing. No path back to baulk for Mark

:47:46. > :47:56.Allen. This is why billiards never caught on, you know, Ken.

:47:57. > :48:03.KEN DOHERTY: Yes, we may have a rerack here. Even if you could get

:48:04. > :48:04.back to the baulk, there was the positivity of leaving a red. So,

:48:05. > :48:20.start again. It has been amazing, the turnout, at

:48:21. > :48:26.the Alexandra Palace. Absolutely wonderful to see. Great atmosphere.

:48:27. > :48:31.Not a spare seat in the house. It is a wonderful venue, since we moved

:48:32. > :48:41.here from the arena at Wembley. It has found a new home. Wonderful

:48:42. > :49:40.atmosphere here. He has decided against a possible

:49:41. > :49:45.plant, but he did have a little look at it.

:49:46. > :49:59.Mark just coming to have a look at the same couple of reds.

:50:00. > :50:09.That is careless. You have got to be aware of where the reds are going to

:50:10. > :50:14.finish. To leave and easy starter like this, he may be fortunate that

:50:15. > :50:19.the black does not go to the opposite corner. And it is not going

:50:20. > :50:24.to be that easy to get back up the table for the blue. Easy starter,

:50:25. > :50:41.but what follows? Is he on the black? Well, that is a

:50:42. > :50:46.wonderful shot. Well played. That was the only colour he felt he could

:50:47. > :50:54.get on, and he is on it. Well played. Yes, he has got a lovely

:50:55. > :51:24.angle on the black as well. Natural angle to go into the reds,

:51:25. > :51:42.but again, a very acute angle, these are very tricky.

:51:43. > :51:46.I was a bit surprised he played it that way. He was just making sure of

:51:47. > :52:08.the black, of course. Well, Neil Robertson put his hand up

:52:09. > :52:17.to apologise, but that will not make Mark Allen feel any better. The good

:52:18. > :52:19.thing for Mark Allen is that he did not have the angle to go into the

:52:20. > :53:06.reds. Much too thin. And it is a nice

:53:07. > :53:12.target, behind the green and brown. You would expect him to get close to

:53:13. > :53:18.that target. He has decided to use the yellow. As long as you cover one

:53:19. > :53:22.edge of the reds, that's not too bad. He may just be able to play a

:53:23. > :54:19.swerve here. Good length once again from Neil

:54:20. > :54:24.Robertson, and that is the key to safety. OK, you would like to get

:54:25. > :54:28.some snookers, but if you can get that good length on the cue ball, it

:54:29. > :54:29.makes it so much more difficult for your opponent. And this looks a very

:54:30. > :54:43.good reply. We may see the cue power that Neil

:54:44. > :55:01.Robertson possesses here. It is a great asset to have. Look at

:55:02. > :55:05.the distance he has got on the cue ball. OK, he was nowhere near the

:55:06. > :55:09.pot, but his first priority was getting the cue ball back near the

:55:10. > :55:28.baulk cushion. That was an excellent safety shot.

:55:29. > :55:35.Yes, and at first glance, that is a nice little nudge off the green. He

:55:36. > :55:39.may be able to get through to play to the red close to the top cushion,

:55:40. > :55:46.but you have got to catch these just right.

:55:47. > :55:52.And he caught it too thick. That is one of the hardest safety shots in

:55:53. > :55:57.the game, when the object ball is very close to the cushion. Now, will

:55:58. > :56:14.he take this pot on? It is risky. I suppose what will put him off

:56:15. > :56:18.here, and you can see it is over 25 minutes since Mark last potter the

:56:19. > :56:20.ball, but he is not guaranteed position on a colour. -- potted a

:56:21. > :56:35.ball. He could possibly go for the red

:56:36. > :56:39.down the left-hand side of the table, and try to screw across

:56:40. > :56:50.towards the centre. And he could still have the blue. Well, he went

:56:51. > :56:55.full-blooded for the pink. Not quite sure whether Neil can get through to

:56:56. > :57:26.this red here. Neil can certainly pop the red just

:57:27. > :57:31.to the right of the pink, into the corner pocket, he is not sure

:57:32. > :57:35.opposition on pink or black. When you are going into the other reds,

:57:36. > :57:47.it makes the pot so much more difficult.

:57:48. > :58:04.He may refuse everything here, and try and play a good safety shot.

:58:05. > :58:10.The red which is closest to the corner pocket, he is not on that,

:58:11. > :58:15.but it looks like he is playing a plant. This could go wrong... There

:58:16. > :58:18.was an awful lot of distance between the reds, and I am not sure whether

:58:19. > :58:26.that was the right choice of shot, John. It certainly does not look it

:58:27. > :58:29.now, Ken. That was the problem. If the red did not go in, he did not

:58:30. > :58:38.really know where it was going to finish up.

:58:39. > :58:45.So, this is a nice, easy starter and a decent chance for Mark. It has

:58:46. > :58:52.been awhile since he last potted a ball. But you have got to get your

:58:53. > :59:01.cue arm flowing immediately, that is the nature of snooker.

:59:02. > :59:07.You might be sitting down for half an hour, and then as soon as you get

:59:08. > :59:08.a chance, everything has got to click together. The black is

:59:09. > :59:30.available. He couldn't ask for a better

:59:31. > :00:06.opportunity than this. I'm not quite sure he's on this red.

:00:07. > :00:13.I would be very disappointed with that. He only had to play simple

:00:14. > :00:21.little cannon on the red that he's closest to and he hit the wrong red.

:00:22. > :00:27.He may be able to do just a small swerve.

:00:28. > :00:37.A good recovery. He will be mightily relieved there. We say it is all

:00:38. > :00:42.about fractions. For a fraction of a second it looked as though he was on

:00:43. > :00:44.nothing. Just managed to play a little swerve to get to that red and

:00:45. > :01:07.he's nicely on the black. He messed up again. That was a

:01:08. > :01:14.little bit of a nervy one, John. He could have hit that, he had so much

:01:15. > :01:21.room for error, he wanted to hit that three-quarter ball. Decelerate

:01:22. > :01:27.a little bit. That's where he completed mishit the cannon. Just

:01:28. > :01:34.didn't get the action on the cue ball. It seemed a straightforward

:01:35. > :01:40.cannon. If he hits the red he made contact with, full ball. There's

:01:41. > :01:46.Hawk-Eye. He knows how to play it. But after that bright start in the

:01:47. > :01:52.opening frame, it's been a little disappointing since. He had half a

:01:53. > :01:56.chance in the last frame. Missed the red to the middle and didn't make

:01:57. > :02:02.the most of that opportunity. You could see the head-shake.

:02:03. > :02:38.I'm very surprised that Neil missed this first time around. Doesn't look

:02:39. > :02:45.as though he can leave anything. Just catch the red quarter ball.

:02:46. > :02:51.Shouldn't be a problem. And now it is Mark Allen with the problem. He

:02:52. > :03:15.could be regretting pulling back in there.

:03:16. > :03:23.There's a possible escape just before the riot centre and try and

:03:24. > :03:29.lay on the reds that are behind the black, but the difficulty is if he

:03:30. > :03:39.goes by that red, he will leave it on. That's why he decided to go the

:03:40. > :03:42.other side. This looks, well... That was the problem with leaving that

:03:43. > :04:10.red open. I'm sure the middle of the two reds

:04:11. > :04:15.below the pink in the bottom right hand corner pocket - a decent

:04:16. > :04:56.opportunity for Neil Robertson here. Wow! That's surprising, John.

:04:57. > :05:00.Funnily enough when he played the red to play on the pink it didn't go

:05:01. > :05:04.in the middle of the pocket. I thought well, he nearly missed that

:05:05. > :05:14.one, that will sharpen him up, keep him in focus, but it didn't.

:05:15. > :05:20.He knew he would be on the pink but he should really have nudged the red

:05:21. > :05:24.to the left of the black. Shouldn't have been running into the black.

:05:25. > :05:30.Should have left the black on its spot.

:05:31. > :05:39.Now it is imperative he gets a good angle here. Possibly off the pink.

:05:40. > :05:45.That red that's just in the open that's available into the left

:05:46. > :05:49.corner, he wants to be on that in such a way that he can maybe bring

:05:50. > :05:59.the three reds to play and play on the black.

:06:00. > :06:07.If he is straight, that is a very poor shot. I think he is straight,

:06:08. > :06:12.John. He is dead straight and that's end of break. Can't possibly get on

:06:13. > :06:17.that red that's closest to the black spot. That was extremely careless.

:06:18. > :06:34.He will be very disappointed. It is just pot the six for the six

:06:35. > :07:05.points and play safe. APPLAUSE Good length with the

:07:06. > :07:21.safety. This is a tricky shot. If he decides

:07:22. > :07:30.to try to get the cue ball back to baulk, the problem is that the two

:07:31. > :07:36.reds - the three reds on the top cushion, should he hit the first red

:07:37. > :07:42.on the way down, it is knocking the second towards the right-hand corner

:07:43. > :07:44.pocket. He might drop a dead weight and leave the cue ball down this

:07:45. > :08:09.area. That's an excellent shot. That is

:08:10. > :08:15.the advantage of playing on these tables. That one ran as straight as

:08:16. > :08:17.a die. In the snooker club in Salford he would have been lucky to

:08:18. > :09:01.hit one of them. I don't blame Mark for that. He

:09:02. > :09:08.didn't really want to snooker Neil on these three reds. He wants him to

:09:09. > :09:14.hit them and if he does, as Ken was alluding to, maybe leave one on a

:09:15. > :09:16.pot. He can't drop dead weight into them this time. He's got to try and

:09:17. > :09:35.get back to baulk. Foul and a miss. What's worst, he

:09:36. > :09:42.left the red to the right centre. Mark Allen comes to the table 23

:09:43. > :09:45.points in front. Pot this red, nice angle on the colour. He could win

:09:46. > :10:03.the frame. Doesn't have a problem potting the

:10:04. > :10:08.red but it's the angle. I'm a little surprise he's going to have it back,

:10:09. > :10:12.because even if he doesn't have an angle he could still pot the red and

:10:13. > :10:15.black and maybe get another extra eight points. You can understand he

:10:16. > :10:19.doesn't want to bring the three reds that are safe into play, but he

:10:20. > :10:26.isn't going to gain much of an advantage here. I'm absolutely

:10:27. > :10:30.amazing he's not played the red. You've got a chance to possibly win

:10:31. > :10:38.the frame and you turn it down and have the ball replaced. All Neil

:10:39. > :10:48.Robertson has to do is to play the same shot just a bit harder.

:10:49. > :10:57.Foul and a miss. You said that was dead straight, John, but that

:10:58. > :11:01.drifted a bit. Let's watch the cue ball here. It looks like for all the

:11:02. > :11:12.world it is going to hit the first red, but you see it turn a little

:11:13. > :11:17.bit. Well... When he first played it and left it short I thought he could

:11:18. > :11:24.hit more of the reds than that. I'm not sure, if he can see the red

:11:25. > :11:30.that's closest to the top cushion, if he can see that full ball, then

:11:31. > :11:35.the referee has to warn him. I think Paul Collier said he didn't think he

:11:36. > :11:38.could hit a full ball. For me that position looks like he could hit the

:11:39. > :11:53.red closest to the top position. APPLAUSE

:11:54. > :12:28.Mark Allen may still win this frame but I think he's missed a trick.

:12:29. > :12:32.This red pots and the potting angle, he'll avoid the three reds near the

:12:33. > :12:39.top cushion, so it may be worth taking on. He's one of the best long

:12:40. > :12:42.Potters in the game. I don't see the safety. I think he's forced into

:12:43. > :12:54.taking this on. I think he did take it on and he was

:12:55. > :13:24.that far away he's left the red. That was tight on the cushion.

:13:25. > :13:28.Couldn't do a lot with the cue ball, but he had the perfect angle of

:13:29. > :13:35.coming around the black. You would favour the pink, I suppose. Should

:13:36. > :13:36.have a bit more control of the cue ball, but he's playing the black.

:13:37. > :13:48.Either or really. He still needs red colour red to

:13:49. > :14:08.clinch the frame at this visit. Playing it nicely. A nice angle on

:14:09. > :14:26.the black and one more red needed. This is frame ball. A little bit

:14:27. > :14:36.tricky. It does mean that Neil Robertson

:14:37. > :15:38.will... This frame just coming up to the

:15:39. > :15:43.30-minute mark after the first frame took just less than 15 minutes, and

:15:44. > :15:49.the second just less than 14 minutes. But it doesn't matter to

:15:50. > :15:53.Mark Allen. He's got a two frames to one lead.

:15:54. > :16:00.Fair to say he has found his rhythm after that shaky second frame. Yes,

:16:01. > :16:05.and he seems to have settled down a little bit more. Neil Robertson has

:16:06. > :16:09.missed a couple of balls I haven't seen him miss for a while and

:16:10. > :16:13.doesn't look settled. For whatever reason, maybe he is feeling the

:16:14. > :16:19.tension. He knows how big a match it is. He hasn't settled down, the

:16:20. > :16:24.Australian. Any reason for him not settling down? Sometimes you don't

:16:25. > :16:29.get the right shots. Sometimes you get a nice easy start and other

:16:30. > :16:33.times you have to work for your opportunities. Mark Allen tried a

:16:34. > :16:37.red. Looked like he stuck Neil Robertson up, and Neil Robertson

:16:38. > :16:40.felt forced to play the plant, where he could have been given an easier

:16:41. > :16:44.opportunity. At this level when you are playing against another top

:16:45. > :16:50.class player you sometimes have to perhaps play risky shots to try and

:16:51. > :16:55.get an opening a, even if they are not 50-50 shots. If they don't go

:16:56. > :16:59.right you don't look as right amongst the balls. It is about

:17:00. > :17:06.getting enough table time to feel comfortable and at the moment he is

:17:07. > :17:09.not. I saw Mark Allen on the practise tables last night and you

:17:10. > :17:14.had been to see Mark Allen as well. We'll see that later on. He looks

:17:15. > :17:18.pretty well focused today. Yes, he was in a very good mood, confident.

:17:19. > :17:23.He was looking forward to this match. I don't think he's the type

:17:24. > :17:29.who is fazed by playing anybody. The venue won't be a problem. Robert

:17:30. > :17:33.Milkins last night in his game with Ronnie O'Sullivan, it was new to Rob

:17:34. > :17:39.and he didn't have the experience and was rabbit in the headlights.

:17:40. > :17:42.But this guy isn't like that. You can understand why perhaps Robert

:17:43. > :17:47.Milkins was perhaps caught in the med lights. If you can play in the

:17:48. > :17:53.one-table set-up here in the Masters and be successful, it account be a

:17:54. > :17:57.springboard for bigger things, the one-table set-up in the

:17:58. > :18:07.championship. Can Neil Robertson bounce back? Let's find out.

:18:08. > :18:14.Is it going to be a two-frame advantage to Mark Allen, or all

:18:15. > :18:32.square when they go for their cup of tea? It is a big frame.

:18:33. > :18:44.Hm. A double kiss. It can be costly. I don't think he's left anything too

:18:45. > :19:06.easy for Neil. A few chances. I'm wondering how

:19:07. > :19:13.much that missed pink in the last frame will un Neil Robertson a

:19:14. > :19:17.little bit. It is a shock to the system when you miss a

:19:18. > :19:23.straightforward pink like he did in the last frame. As John said, and

:19:24. > :19:29.here is the pink coming up. A straightforward pot, two reds below

:19:30. > :19:32.the pink, and a shock to the system. You've got to get it out of your

:19:33. > :19:52.mind quickly. Not a bad shot from Neil Robertson.

:19:53. > :20:05.At the moment, he is rocking. Hasn't settled yet.

:20:06. > :20:15.APPLAUSE A good pot. This is a time now, an advantage for Mark Allen to

:20:16. > :20:24.really press on here. This is the occasion where you sense

:20:25. > :20:45.it is time to take advantage. You spoke John about how important

:20:46. > :20:49.it was for Mark Allen to the off to a good start in this match, and

:20:50. > :20:56.should he win the frame from this visit and hold a 2-1 lead, he'll be,

:20:57. > :21:03.it will give him great confidence for the second session. But he must

:21:04. > :21:17.take advantage of these types of situations.

:21:18. > :21:22.He's got a heavy contact there. He must try and get down somewhere near

:21:23. > :21:31.the black and reds there. Taken all the pace out of the cue

:21:32. > :22:04.ball. The red just about went in but it

:22:05. > :22:08.just got a little kiss on that red. Slowed the cue ball on. Is he on

:22:09. > :22:12.this black? I think if he was, Ken, he would

:22:13. > :22:32.have played it by now. APPLAUSE He played it well. Amazing

:22:33. > :22:37.when you play and that time he played the left-hand side and how it

:22:38. > :22:42.can kick the object call to the right. He's just about on this red

:22:43. > :22:46.to the left corner here. I think he's cut a slight angle, so he

:22:47. > :22:56.potted pit automatically on the black, but tricky.

:22:57. > :23:14.Such a big shot wasn't it? When it het, once it het that one it never

:23:15. > :23:22.goes. In sometimes off the fire draw it will drop, but once it hits the

:23:23. > :23:26.cushion, what an opportunity that was for Mark Allen. He was perfectly

:23:27. > :23:29.on the black. Plenty of reds available. Could have won the frame

:23:30. > :23:53.from that visit. Too much topspin, and hitting that

:23:54. > :23:58.red didn't help. A big shot now for Neil Robertson. Red over the bottom

:23:59. > :24:17.left hand corner pocket. Only has to worry about the pot, blue or yellow.

:24:18. > :24:34.A good pot on the yellow. He's on this red, now the last time he had

:24:35. > :24:41.the option of playing this red he was worried about playing for the

:24:42. > :24:46.black. He's got to be precise with his positional shot. He didn't fancy

:24:47. > :24:50.it before. Will he play for the black this time? It is the easiest

:24:51. > :25:01.ball to play for but if he is a fraction hard he will be on nothing.

:25:02. > :25:11.Didn't want to risk it. Where's the pink going?

:25:12. > :25:15.That's not ideal. Once he decided to play the cannon, in all fairness,

:25:16. > :25:20.Ken, he should will have got the cannon on the reds. He had a big

:25:21. > :25:25.target there. I'm very surprised he didn't drop that red. In anywhere

:25:26. > :25:30.low on the black he would say he was going to be on it. He had the reds

:25:31. > :25:36.above the black to cushion for position for the next pot, so I'm

:25:37. > :25:46.very surprised, it was a sort of hit and hope for wasn't it?

:25:47. > :25:52.APPLAUSE the cue ball needs to travel. The red in the middle of the

:25:53. > :26:02.pack does go. An excellent pot. Le my try to deep screw, pot the red

:26:03. > :26:46.into the left corner, Neil Robertson nine. . That was

:26:47. > :26:52.purely and simply bad cueing. He played it with a trace of left-hand

:26:53. > :26:56.side. He pushed the cue ball into the black. Not often he misses a pot

:26:57. > :27:06.by that far. Mark Allen needs to take advantage

:27:07. > :27:09.of these mistakes. He has an opportunity now to have a two-frame

:27:10. > :27:21.advantage. Missed an easy pink in the last

:27:22. > :27:28.frame. Missed that black. Worrying times. Yes, he hasn't settled down.

:27:29. > :27:33.It is also his choice of shots. The red over the corner pocket. He

:27:34. > :27:37.wasn't confident to hold for the black. Even holing for the black

:27:38. > :27:47.when he could have gone for a blue or pink as well.

:27:48. > :28:00.This is amazing what's happening here now. They are complaining about

:28:01. > :28:09.the cue ball. They feel it is probably a little bit light. This is

:28:10. > :28:19.like Wimbledon, "New balls, please." Where's the cue ball going? It's

:28:20. > :28:43.gone back in the box. Where's the referee's assistant

:28:44. > :28:53.going? Neil Robertson missed the black by so far, and that easy pink.

:28:54. > :28:56.There's Michaela. Just got the white out of the tumble drier and back on

:28:57. > :29:11.the table. He just tries to drop this in, so

:29:12. > :29:14.you assume this is a plant. And a plant it was. If he runs past the

:29:15. > :29:49.pink, he's perfect. Well, he found the gap.

:29:50. > :30:12.Unbelievable. So, it started off really well, this

:30:13. > :30:14.match, but it has gone a little bit scrappy now. Big frame, though,

:30:15. > :30:43.nevertheless. Too thin, but he may not have done

:30:44. > :31:16.too much damage, by the looks of it. JOHN VIRGO: You could say there that

:31:17. > :31:35.the yellow has come to Neil's rescue. He needs a good safety now.

:31:36. > :31:39.Needs to missed the brown. But he hits it full in the face. It is not

:31:40. > :31:46.a good safety, and here is a chance for the Australian.

:31:47. > :31:51.KEN DOHERTY: Yes, under normal circumstances, you would expect him

:31:52. > :32:07.to pot this. But as we say, he has been a little bit nervy. But is

:32:08. > :32:11.better. It never changes, this game. Sometimes, you have

:32:12. > :32:25.opportunities, and you keep missing them. This red did not go in the

:32:26. > :32:29.heart of the pocket, Mick -- which is why he got the cannon. He may

:32:30. > :32:38.just try to get in behind the brown. KEN DOHERTY: Not the best shot he

:32:39. > :33:18.has ever played. He has got to be careful here, Mark

:33:19. > :33:24.Allen. He does not want to knock the red over, but he does have a

:33:25. > :33:29.possible pot into the bottom left-hand corner. But that is very,

:33:30. > :34:26.very Quite a way away with that. And we

:34:27. > :34:29.are talking about a player who is regarded as probably the best potter

:34:30. > :34:51.in the world at the moment. Pretty good. Whether it is a telling

:34:52. > :34:53.snooker or not is another matter. It depends how far down the right-hand

:34:54. > :35:14.side cushion Neil can hit. Does it reach?

:35:15. > :35:21.REFEREE: Foul, and a miss. Mark Allen, four. No reason not to have

:35:22. > :35:52.it replaced. APPLAUSE

:35:53. > :36:01.REFEREE: Touching ball. That makes it a little bit easier for Mark

:36:02. > :36:08.Allen, touching ball. The left-hand side of the table is much more

:36:09. > :36:12.difficult for Neil Robertson. It is difficult to get the cue ball back,

:36:13. > :36:27.safety wise. He is trying to get it up beside the

:36:28. > :36:34.yellow. Not wide enough. No, that is a bad misjudgement, really. For a

:36:35. > :36:56.player of his class to be that far out.

:36:57. > :37:04.Now, I think he can pot this black and screw around the back of the red

:37:05. > :37:17.to play for the red in the same pocket here.

:37:18. > :37:26.Yes, he controlled it nicely. That now puts Neil Robertson one point in

:37:27. > :37:30.the lead. It is not a formality to get to the winning line in this

:37:31. > :37:32.frame, the way the reds are situated. He will have to play some

:37:33. > :38:08.good shots. Yes, he is just having a look at the

:38:09. > :38:18.school, doing his calculation is. Three reds, three blacks would make

:38:19. > :38:21.it 33 points ahead, with 35 left on the table. So, he is going to need

:38:22. > :39:04.that red close to the cushion. He is going to leave the angle. I

:39:05. > :39:07.thought he would leave the red close to the cushion till last, but he is

:39:08. > :39:17.taking the opportunity to take it out now.

:39:18. > :39:31.A little unlucky to get the double kiss. But that is end of break. He

:39:32. > :39:37.will go back to his seat with a 23 point lead, but still 43 remaining.

:39:38. > :39:41.Apart from the yellow, the colours are in the open. So, this frame is

:39:42. > :39:54.still very much in the balance. I was just wondering, John, would

:39:55. > :40:02.you have possibly taken the red and black, and left that red till last,

:40:03. > :40:13.in a better position, with just one red remaining? Yes, I suppose it

:40:14. > :40:17.depends how you see it. He was nicely on the red to play for the

:40:18. > :40:22.pink to leave the angle. Maybe he thought he would not get an better

:40:23. > :40:26.opportunity. Maybe a bit unlucky to get the double kiss. It is all about

:40:27. > :40:33.how the player sees it. Not the best safety shot from Mark Allen.

:40:34. > :40:37.Normally, he is very good at ease. If I have one criticism of Neil, and

:40:38. > :40:43.I respect his play very much, sometimes he over thinks a bit. He

:40:44. > :40:47.should be downplaying this. I know he wants to get a good angle on the

:40:48. > :40:58.blue, but just concentrate on the pot. He missed it by a long way. And

:40:59. > :41:03.when you miss it by that far, you are lucky not to leave it. But what

:41:04. > :41:17.he has done is to leave any easy safety shot. -- an easy safety shot.

:41:18. > :41:30.He will try to get that cue ball up near the brown. Well, he decided to

:41:31. > :41:34.go the other way. That, to me, does not give you any advantage. You may

:41:35. > :41:38.have thought he would have got the snooker, but now he hasn't, he has

:41:39. > :41:52.left an easy safety for Neil. He is a bit worried about knocking

:41:53. > :42:13.the red over the corner pocket. In billiards, that would have been

:42:14. > :42:20.very good, he would have got three points for that. Yes, his concern

:42:21. > :42:28.was, the red was going towards the bottom right-hand corner pocket. He

:42:29. > :42:37.did not want to leave it on. Had the cue ball not on in, he would have

:42:38. > :42:57.been leaving a pot on anyway. He is just not all there, Neil Robertson.

:42:58. > :43:05.If it had been going in, I might have said, where's the cue ball

:43:06. > :43:11.going?! But it was nowhere near! But I will tell you what, Ken, it has

:43:12. > :43:15.turned out to be a good safety. He has snookered Neil on both reds. He

:43:16. > :43:22.will do well not to leave a pot on for his opponent here.

:43:23. > :43:32.He may try to swerve it here. He is trusting a lot to luck here.

:43:33. > :43:45.And he hasn't got it. A chance for Mark Allen.

:43:46. > :43:53.There's a few problems to overcome, but the most obvious one is the

:43:54. > :43:54.yellow. It is a chance to take a two frame advantage into the mid-session

:43:55. > :44:27.interval. Yes, if you can get on this red and

:44:28. > :44:31.somehow... OK, it is not going to be straightforward to get on the red

:44:32. > :44:36.from here. The green is in the way. But where the blue is positioned,

:44:37. > :44:41.and I am thinking a few shots ahead, and I am sure Mark Allen is

:44:42. > :44:45.doing the same, the blue is in a nice place to try and bring that

:44:46. > :44:50.yellow out. If he can get the cue ball up close to the blue, in

:44:51. > :44:55.between the blue and the brown, he could have an opportunity to take

:44:56. > :44:59.that yellow off the cushion. That is exactly what he has tried, and the

:45:00. > :45:08.angle is perfect. Excellent shot from Mark Allen.

:45:09. > :45:38.He has got to be careful of going in off in the middle pocket here. Has

:45:39. > :45:48.he snookered himself on the blue? No, it is OK. He had a look at the

:45:49. > :45:56.potting angle. He did not stop, so he must be perfect on this green -

:45:57. > :45:59.and he is. Now, three points the difference. Brown, blue, pink

:46:00. > :46:17.needed. Oh, he has run too far. So, he is

:46:18. > :46:20.going to have to play a good shot. Neil Robertson may see a bit of

:46:21. > :46:25.light at the end of the tunnel. He does not want to leave himself too

:46:26. > :46:39.far from the frame ball pink. So, going round the angles...

:46:40. > :46:46.Getting out the extension. The Australian knows he has not

:46:47. > :46:50.performed in these first few frames. It would be a bonus if it was to

:46:51. > :47:01.each. And it could be 3-1, if this pink drops... Not close! Not close.

:47:02. > :47:03.So, Neil Robertson is still in this frame. Mark Allen has missed his

:47:04. > :47:17.chance. He was concentrating on the cue ball

:47:18. > :47:19.a little bit too much, I feel, though, Mark Allen. But there was a

:47:20. > :47:36.lot of pressure on that pink. He may even get a snooker either

:47:37. > :47:37.side of the black here. No, but good shot. And this is not

:47:38. > :47:59.straightforward. Oh, he has played that well, played

:48:00. > :48:03.it very well. That was a good shot, John if he had picked it up with his

:48:04. > :48:08.hand, he could not have placed it any better than that. The age-old

:48:09. > :48:15.problem, it is not so much hitting the pink, but can he get it safe?

:48:16. > :48:30.Yes, he has got to come off this side cushion.

:48:31. > :48:34.He has caught it to fall, and if it bounces, it will be on. As it

:48:35. > :48:56.bounced enough? Well, he did not want to play the

:48:57. > :48:58.pot, but boy, oh, boy, he could've played better safety than that. He

:48:59. > :49:14.will be disgusted with that shot. A chance for Neil Robertson. Yes, it

:49:15. > :49:22.is there. Where's the cue ball? It needs to slow up. Absolutely

:49:23. > :49:34.perfect. Mark Allen will be kicking himself. Well, and Neil Robertson

:49:35. > :49:38.will not believe his luck. It is amazing how a frame can turn round,

:49:39. > :49:42.and this could be the pivotal framing this match. It looked

:49:43. > :49:47.certain it was going to be 3-1. But now, the black goes in, and they go

:49:48. > :49:51.into the mid-session interval, and the world number one and reigning UK

:49:52. > :49:52.champion will be mightily relieved, because they go into the interval

:49:53. > :50:02.all square! And you can guarantee that Mark

:50:03. > :50:07.Allen will be kicking himself, but that is the reason why this fella is

:50:08. > :50:10.the UK Champion, and why he is ranked number one in the world.

:50:11. > :50:13.Before the tournament, Mark Allen gave an interview, praising Neil

:50:14. > :50:18.Robertson for getting to world number one. And he says he knows

:50:19. > :50:22.which shots to play at which time, and coping under pressure. And that

:50:23. > :50:26.is the reason why he has won that frame? Yes, and you have but to have

:50:27. > :50:33.different skills in your armoury. Being tenacious is one of them. Even

:50:34. > :50:36.though the standard of Neil Robertsons play would have been

:50:37. > :50:39.frustrating for him, he does not lose focus when it comes to the

:50:40. > :50:44.crunch balls. It was an excellent pink repotted. From Mark Allen's

:50:45. > :50:51.perspective, it was a chance to go 3-1 in front. But as it is, 2-2 is a

:50:52. > :50:59.fair reflection on both players not reaching the heights we thought they

:51:00. > :51:04.were going to. Both players have been feeding off each other's

:51:05. > :51:12.mistakes. And of course, there was the cue ball but was changed.

:51:13. > :51:16.Probably, they felt the cue ball was a bit on the light side. At this

:51:17. > :51:20.level, the players are very conscious of the conditions, or the

:51:21. > :51:24.balls playing factually different. The sets of balls we play with now

:51:25. > :51:30.are supposed to be within tolerances of one gram. It sounds fantastic. I

:51:31. > :51:34.do not know if that ball was like or not. It may just have been the

:51:35. > :51:38.humidity, the conditions, we cannot tell, without weighing the ball.

:51:39. > :51:42.They may just have thought it was a rogue cue ball. It is probably the

:51:43. > :51:46.same one which Wally O'Sullivan played very well with yesterday. It

:51:47. > :51:50.could be the cloth, anything. But when both players agree that there

:51:51. > :51:53.is something wrong, but the ball is not playing right, it is time to

:51:54. > :51:59.change it. Given that Mark Allen could've been going in 3-1 up, is

:52:00. > :52:02.that going to affect him in the dressing room? No, I think he will

:52:03. > :52:09.say, let's wipe the slate clean. That is the way to think about it.

:52:10. > :52:14.Let's hopefully just try and ramp up the standard of it and see if I can

:52:15. > :52:17.reassert myself in the next session just as we have seen often in this

:52:18. > :52:23.tournament so far, the interval can change things. Whilst the first

:52:24. > :52:27.session was flat, the interval, reset, start again, and it could be

:52:28. > :52:31.a cracking second-half. For the moment, Steve, thank you very much

:52:32. > :52:37.indeed. So, Neil Robertson is ranked number one in the world. He won the

:52:38. > :52:48.UK championship in York in December, and Hazel has been to meet him.

:52:49. > :52:54.You are held in really high esteem now as an all-round player. So many

:52:55. > :53:00.of the great players have said that. How does that make you feel? When

:53:01. > :53:04.you hear it from someone like John Higgins, Mark Williams, Stephen

:53:05. > :53:08.Hendry, even Ronnie O'Sullivan has been really confident reader what's

:53:09. > :53:13.my game as well, it is just incredible. These were my idols

:53:14. > :53:18.growing up. To hear it from them from a serious point of view, that

:53:19. > :53:27.they do actually mean it, it is just fantastic. I really look up to these

:53:28. > :53:33.guys, because these were the players who inspired me to try and become

:53:34. > :53:37.the player that I am now. So, yes, any kind of praise all recognition

:53:38. > :53:43.from those sort of players is incredible. You have this natural

:53:44. > :53:47.aggression, which you let out, and you go for long pots, and then you

:53:48. > :53:53.take a step back, almost inhibiting yourself a bit, by becoming slightly

:53:54. > :53:57.defensive at times, and then you go back again. Even this season, you

:53:58. > :54:01.have said, after what happened against Robert Milkins, I am going

:54:02. > :54:07.to play more quickly. Yes, when I played that much, I was playing

:54:08. > :54:12.really well. I was-4 up. It was going back and forth. I am thinking,

:54:13. > :54:16.if I tighten this up, I thought I was guaranteed to win if I made it a

:54:17. > :54:21.bit tighter, but the opposite happened, it put me under a bit more

:54:22. > :54:25.pressure. I lost every scrappy frame, it is something that I have

:54:26. > :54:29.never had before, losing every single frame on the pink or black or

:54:30. > :54:35.blue. It was incredible. After the match, I thought, I did not enjoy

:54:36. > :54:40.that at all, even if I had won, I would not have enjoyed it, the

:54:41. > :54:44.strain it would have put me under. I have seen a couple of Ronnie

:54:45. > :54:50.O'Sullivan's interviews during the World Championships, and how he

:54:51. > :54:53.always keeps going for it, not really reckless shots, but he keeps

:54:54. > :55:00.attacking. And when you stop attacking in this game, you stop

:55:01. > :55:06.scaring people. Judd Trump is probably at a bit of a crossroads

:55:07. > :55:10.with his shot selection. When he won the UK, he was going for

:55:11. > :55:13.everything, scaring people. The problem with being over attacking is

:55:14. > :55:16.that you give your opponents lots of chances. You are kind of banking on

:55:17. > :55:23.them bottling it, basically, which is what was happening against Judd,

:55:24. > :55:28.people were getting too involved and bottling it against him. Now, he is

:55:29. > :55:35.trying to win more on the merit of his game, trying to play really good

:55:36. > :55:39.safety. And now, the fear has gone. So, people are not afraid of playing

:55:40. > :55:43.him any more. There are definitely a much better player than when he won

:55:44. > :55:47.the UK Championship, but he is nowhere near as scary to play. So,

:55:48. > :55:52.what does he do, does he go back to being reckless and scaring people,

:55:53. > :55:55.or play a much more rounded game but event it is something that I have

:55:56. > :56:01.had to deal with. You are always adjusting. I have been much quicker

:56:02. > :56:08.this season. I have been thinking more instinctive layabout shots.

:56:09. > :56:14.Just getting down and playing them. -- instinctively about shots. I know

:56:15. > :56:18.that people like Mark Allen have said that I play too slow. It was

:56:19. > :56:23.not through me trying to slow them down, it was just me trying to make

:56:24. > :56:26.the right decision. I have really enjoyed my snooker this season, I

:56:27. > :56:34.have really enjoyed making the centuries. I do not think I have

:56:35. > :56:41.played in enough events to be able to get to 100 centuries. But I am

:56:42. > :56:49.just really enjoying my snooker at the moment, more than I have done.

:56:50. > :56:54.65 but there was a real moment in York, Steve, when we were covering

:56:55. > :56:58.the UK Championship, when Neil Robertson, in the other studios,

:56:59. > :57:03.they come backstage and have a chat with us, and he seemed much more

:57:04. > :57:06.relaxed in December, enjoying his snooker, enjoying the limelight?

:57:07. > :57:09.Yes, it is interesting that he has picked up on the fact that other

:57:10. > :57:15.players were saying he was a bit slow. I do think that every player

:57:16. > :57:21.plays better and enjoys it when they are playing more naturally. Even

:57:22. > :57:24.Peter Ebdon, who is considered to be a player who plays one shot at a

:57:25. > :57:29.time, then resets for the next shot. But when you see a player

:57:30. > :57:36.playing a bit quicker, upping the pace, they probably enjoy it a bit

:57:37. > :57:39.more themselves. Neal Robinson -- Neil Robertson has done something

:57:40. > :57:43.about it, and that is a phenomenal number of centuries in one season so

:57:44. > :57:49.far. It would be amazing if he could get to 100. It shows you that he is

:57:50. > :57:54.on form. For the moment, thank you very much indeed. John Parrott

:57:55. > :57:57.brought his cue into work, so we thought we would make him work

:57:58. > :58:01.during the mid-session interval. So, over to him in the Masters area,

:58:02. > :58:08.where he is going to give us a masterclass, I presume, in choice of

:58:09. > :58:12.shots. Over to you, JP. Yes, we are going to talk tactics today. The

:58:13. > :58:17.other day we did safety. Today, in particular, shot selection. Look at

:58:18. > :58:21.this table here. I have got in first, I am playing against the

:58:22. > :58:27.Australian Neil Robertson. I have potted seven reds and seven colours,

:58:28. > :58:30.but I have lost position. The first thing is, do not get upset with

:58:31. > :58:36.yourself that you have lost position.

:58:37. > :58:45.Do not just put the cue ball on the question. That is not enough. In

:58:46. > :58:49.this situation, you have got to play something which we call a bit of an

:58:50. > :58:56.insurance policy. You need to put the colour on the side cushion,

:58:57. > :59:00.safe. I am going to give you yellow, brown and green. Which one should it

:59:01. > :59:04.be? If you said yellow, go to the top of the class. I am trying to

:59:05. > :59:08.play up, do not be too obsessed about the cue ball in this

:59:09. > :59:15.instance. Play up the table, stick the yellow on the side cushion. I

:59:16. > :59:20.would be fairly happy with that. Why is that a good shot? For three

:59:21. > :59:26.reasons. One, the yellow, which was on its spot, that would have been an

:59:27. > :59:30.easy pot. Secondly, you are playing against Australian Neil Robertson,

:59:31. > :59:35.who is left-handed. Socially he cannot cue it the way he wants to.

:59:36. > :59:39.And thirdly, even if he does pot this, and he screws back, the cue

:59:40. > :59:43.ball is near the side cushion, and he is left with a horrible green

:59:44. > :59:47.across the table, which he has got to control, to get on the brown. If

:59:48. > :59:51.you play off the yellow, and you are right handed, if you have got a

:59:52. > :00:00.right-handed opponent coming up, two of those things apply. So, this one,

:00:01. > :00:04.for a right-hander, is still quite good. The green, you have got to be

:00:05. > :00:10.a bit careful. If you play off the green, against Neil Robertson, a

:00:11. > :00:15.left-hander, and the cue ball finishes over here behind it, he can

:00:16. > :00:19.get out. Another dangerous fact, he does not have to do anything with

:00:20. > :00:24.the cue ball, was the next bold to pot is the brown, which then gives a

:00:25. > :00:28.natural angle to get back on the blue. So basically, the green would

:00:29. > :00:31.leave him with a difficult shot, but the brown would actually be game

:00:32. > :00:38.ball. These are things you have to think about. As for the brown

:00:39. > :00:45.itself, if I was playing against Neil Robertson, I would want to play

:00:46. > :00:51.the brown and stick it over on that cushion. The reason being, he is

:00:52. > :00:58.going to have to hit it very hard to come back and once again, he is

:00:59. > :01:03.going to have to use the rest. Just take a little bit of time to think

:01:04. > :01:07.which ball should I play safe and where should I play it could reap

:01:08. > :01:16.dividends. It could mean you winning the Masters or losing 6-5 and

:01:17. > :01:22.heading up the M1. John, thank you. Let's look ahead to this evening's

:01:23. > :01:31.match, Ricky Walden against Barry Hawkins.

:01:32. > :01:38.Steve, I had a chat with Ricky Walden. They almost met in the UK

:01:39. > :01:43.Championships in December. He said he's got unfinished business with

:01:44. > :01:47.Barry Hawkins, given that Hawkins beat him in the Crucible semifinal,

:01:48. > :01:51.so I'm looking forward to this one tonight. Yes, and they produced

:01:52. > :01:57.fantastic snooker in the semifinal of the championship. From my

:01:58. > :02:02.perspective looking at both players, both brilliant talents, Ricky Walden

:02:03. > :02:05.changed his cue this season and went to a maple cue. It looked a bit

:02:06. > :02:11.under the weather with it for a couple of months but now I think is

:02:12. > :02:16.back to winning ways with it. He is looking to improve his game by

:02:17. > :02:23.changing cues. Barry Hawkins, a soldier ild player. Ricky Walden,

:02:24. > :02:33.very fluent. You say Barry Hawkins is a solid player but this season

:02:34. > :02:37.he's only beaten mark Selby. It is probably so far as yet Barry Hawkins

:02:38. > :02:43.hasn't proven himself at the top class level, even though he is a top

:02:44. > :02:47.16 player. But that is no slight on his ability. It just shows you how

:02:48. > :02:54.many great players are out there. Breaking into the top four would be

:02:55. > :03:00.Barry Hawkins's next milestone, or even the top eight. But top 16 is so

:03:01. > :03:04.difficult in the first place, let alone top eight or top four. There

:03:05. > :03:09.are so many good players waiting to knock you out of the top 16, it is

:03:10. > :03:14.hard enough staying in the top 16 let alone looking at how you will

:03:15. > :03:21.progress. It will be nice for Barry Hawkins. His next job in hand is how

:03:22. > :03:25.does he dominate the likes of a Ronnie O'Sullivan, a John Higgins or

:03:26. > :03:30.Shaun Murphy? Mark Allen is looking to knock out the world number one

:03:31. > :03:35.Neil Robertson, and he's been talking to John Parrott. You just

:03:36. > :03:42.got married. Is that the end of Mark Allen the snooker player? Hopefully

:03:43. > :03:47.also just the beginning. Hopefully I will be more settled and more

:03:48. > :03:52.mature. I'm still 27. I'm quite young, I have a lot of time ahead.

:03:53. > :03:56.Did you have a good day? It was a great day. I had my daughter over

:03:57. > :04:02.for the day and my stepson looked well. A great day with family and

:04:03. > :04:06.close friends. Have you changed yet? Hopefully not. She might say

:04:07. > :04:12.otherwise but I think we get on pretty well. A long future ahead. We

:04:13. > :04:16.are at the Masters this week at Alexandra Palace. For you what does

:04:17. > :04:23.this tournament mean? It means a lot. I think I've mentioned it

:04:24. > :04:28.before. I was here watching Queen I -- I was here watching when I was

:04:29. > :04:34.15. A great atmosphere. I watched lots of the great players and my

:04:35. > :04:42.idol Hendry lost in the final that year. It was great to see what I had

:04:43. > :04:47.to aspire to. I put a lot of work in on the table as an amateur. I feel

:04:48. > :04:51.blessed that I'm here to play in a tournament What for you sets this

:04:52. > :04:56.tournament apart? It is the best players in the world that play it.

:04:57. > :05:00.It is prestigious, a lot of history behind it. For the top 15 and

:05:01. > :05:07.Ronnie. The way it should be. These tournaments are few and far between

:05:08. > :05:11.that are for the top players alone. Lift be a great tournament to get

:05:12. > :05:17.your name on the trophy. How much does it mean to you to add this to

:05:18. > :05:25.your CV? Is I haven't got a great record. I won a lot of tournaments

:05:26. > :05:29.recently. I have won four in 14 months. But there've been smaller

:05:30. > :05:34.events or further afield. It is up for me to put that right. I don't

:05:35. > :05:40.have a good record with the BBC. I would like to do that. Especially

:05:41. > :05:43.being a UK player. All the attention that the BBC tournaments get, it

:05:44. > :05:48.would be nice to get to the final and win the trophy.

:05:49. > :05:52.Do you think it is inconsistency a little bit that have held you back?

:05:53. > :05:56.Without a doubt it is inconsistency that's held me back, throughout my

:05:57. > :06:02.career in general. To be honest it is there is not a lot I can do with

:06:03. > :06:07.that. I've practised very hard throughout my professional career. I

:06:08. > :06:12.can't really put my finger on why I'm inconsistent. It is one of those

:06:13. > :06:18.things I have to live with. If I can get my B game better, I will be here

:06:19. > :06:23.a long time to come. What about your form this season? I normally start

:06:24. > :06:27.slow and what with getting married this year as well, practise wasn't a

:06:28. > :06:32.priority at the start of the year. But I've been working very hard now

:06:33. > :06:36.the last 4 or 5 months and I think my results are short starting to

:06:37. > :06:42.show. Not so much in the major events. I have lost a lot of matches

:06:43. > :06:47.but I won two events and defending my world Open title soon. A lot of

:06:48. > :06:52.positives to take out of the season so far. Hopefully I can turn that

:06:53. > :06:59.around in a major result this week. So for Mark Allen to progress to the

:07:00. > :07:04.next level, Shaun Murphy has said he has become fit and lost weight. Is

:07:05. > :07:09.the there anything you can do to make you a little better? Probably

:07:10. > :07:12.the fitness thing. I have put on weight over the years. Since

:07:13. > :07:17.becoming professional I've been living out of a suitcase, and having

:07:18. > :07:22.a bad die at the time doesn't bode well. I've been practising hard.

:07:23. > :07:27.I've been working closely with Terry Griffiths and may game is in good

:07:28. > :07:32.shape. Maybe the fitness thing. So you don't think you've reached your

:07:33. > :07:37.potential yet? Definitely not. I know how good I am and I want to

:07:38. > :07:42.improve it. There's unanswered questions in my career so far. What

:07:43. > :07:46.a fascinating interview with Mark Allen. He's having a good season.

:07:47. > :07:49.When you look at his record this season he's won two European Tour

:07:50. > :07:54.events back to back. But he's right there. He needs to win one of these

:07:55. > :08:01.big tournaments. That's right, yes. To be a winner a on the circuit, any

:08:02. > :08:04.type of winner is a success story, but everybody's programmed into the

:08:05. > :08:09.three BBC events as being the majors. There are many tournaments

:08:10. > :08:13.in China that are worth winning but being close to home you feel the

:08:14. > :08:18.profile of these events is massive. Has he got enough today? This is the

:08:19. > :08:23.key and fascinating question. Has he got enough to finish the job today

:08:24. > :08:29.and beat Neil Robertson? I think he has got enough to finish off the

:08:30. > :08:32.match. He's got something about him, street fighter qualities. At this

:08:33. > :08:35.level a bit of grit and determination goes a long way.

:08:36. > :08:39.Steve, thank you. So the players are back out. We are all set. 2-2, first

:08:40. > :08:51.of six. Back to John and Ken. Thank you Jason. An interesting

:08:52. > :08:59.interview from Mark Allen. Plenty of belief in his ability. Match evenly

:09:00. > :09:06.poised, two frames all. Mark Allen breaks off this fifth frame. He will

:09:07. > :09:28.be trying to re-establish himself in this match.

:09:29. > :09:33.It is matches like these, John, particularly from Mark Allen's point

:09:34. > :09:38.of view, that would give him a great deal of confidence should he

:09:39. > :09:40.overcome someone like Neil Robertson, the world number one,

:09:41. > :10:00.current UK champion. APPLAUSE I would say that Neil

:10:01. > :10:02.Robertson is certainly one of the men to beat at the moment on the

:10:03. > :10:11.tour. That was not what he was looking

:10:12. > :10:46.for, as in red in the middle. He just stopped in his tracks there,

:10:47. > :10:51.Mark. Played a good safety but you can see the red he played has tied

:10:52. > :10:55.up the black. No player really likes to see that. When you get an

:10:56. > :11:21.opportunity, you want that black in play. It is not now.

:11:22. > :11:31.APPLAUSE Well, Mark just got down really quickly. He thought that red

:11:32. > :12:09.may have been potable into the yellow pocket, but it's not.

:12:10. > :12:17.A missed call. I thought if it potted into the green pocket it may

:12:18. > :12:26.have taken that red on, but it doesn't pot. Just got to make a

:12:27. > :12:36.minor adjustment. A little bit harder.

:12:37. > :12:51.I think this red will pile into the right centre. It is not an easy pot

:12:52. > :12:53.but he isn't going to gain much of an advantage here. It is certainly

:12:54. > :13:07.worth going for. Try and use the yellow to stop the

:13:08. > :13:13.cue ball and that's what he's done. That was a well-worked out shot. A

:13:14. > :13:15.lovely angle on the brown now. Just before the middle pocket. Careered

:13:16. > :13:30.into the reds and the pink. That was unlucky. Now he's trusting

:13:31. > :13:34.a bit of luck and he didn't have it there. On a good day he could have

:13:35. > :13:40.hit those reds and could have brought the black into play. I don't

:13:41. > :13:45.know whether there's a red possible into the far left corner. Maybe it

:13:46. > :14:47.doesn't go. If not, just a safety shot to play.

:14:48. > :14:53.There is a pot on here to the left corner. He can stun around the back

:14:54. > :15:04.of the black. APPLAUSE

:15:05. > :15:12.A good pot and he's nicely on the blue.

:15:13. > :15:20.A decision here as we see this wonderful pot. Well controlled

:15:21. > :15:25.wasn't it? Nicely angled on the blue. A couple of reds he could play

:15:26. > :15:30.on loosely but he could also bring the pink into play. A lovely shot.

:15:31. > :15:38.Didn't have to hit it too hard. Just a nudge on the pink. A wonderful

:15:39. > :15:42.little shot. Look at this. Hit on the left-hand side of the pink.

:15:43. > :15:47.Could bring it into play. You've got to pot the red. Careless of Mark

:15:48. > :16:17.Allen. What a gift this is for Neil

:16:18. > :16:23.Robertson. You can only assume with that red that Mark Allen misthere

:16:24. > :16:28.that he forgot. It is unforgivable really. You forget about the shot

:16:29. > :16:36.and think about position on the next ball. But if you miss the pot, you

:16:37. > :16:41.don't get the play the next shot. I don't believe he missed that red.

:16:42. > :16:49.Particularly as he brought the pink into play. The pot success for both

:16:50. > :16:55.players is poor. 86% and 80% for Neil Robertson. That's very low. It

:16:56. > :17:45.has to be 90% and above to win matches of this standard.

:17:46. > :17:55.That was a well-played shot. A tremendous amount of right-hand side

:17:56. > :18:04.to keep the cue ball down in this area.

:18:05. > :18:13.Excellent positional shot. Not easy to judge when the ball is so close

:18:14. > :18:17.to the pocket. Tremendous backspin here. Let's look at the cue ball.

:18:18. > :18:55.Almost like a drag ster. Would love the move the red that's

:18:56. > :18:58.just below the pink. If you could nudge that out of the way that will

:18:59. > :19:01.open the pink into both corner pockets. Might play a little cannon

:19:02. > :19:39.on it here and pot the pink. I'm surprised he didn't move that

:19:40. > :20:16.red out of the way. This pink will make the points all

:20:17. > :20:25.square. Not an easy run to the winning line with the black tied up.

:20:26. > :20:32.Mark Allen will be sitting there and suffering, because he's already

:20:33. > :21:32.missed an opportunity. He'll be disappointed with that.

:21:33. > :21:36.Needs to run past the pink for the pink in the same pocket as the red

:21:37. > :21:45.and now all he's left with is a long blue. I'm not certain where the next

:21:46. > :21:50.red comes from. I go back to that shot he had 4 or 5 shots ago, John.

:21:51. > :21:56.Hit a simple pink to nudge the red below it out of the way. Would have

:21:57. > :22:07.opened the pink and since even he's been struggling with position.

:22:08. > :22:17.He's not concentrate yet. He's got a simple pit. If he hits the red just

:22:18. > :22:23.below the pink, he opens the pink in both pockets, and the red to the

:22:24. > :22:26.extreme red of the bunch of four pots, and that would have made the

:22:27. > :22:38.break so much easier for himself. Baize he didn't play -- because he

:22:39. > :22:42.didn't play that shot, he's been struggling with position all the way

:22:43. > :22:48.through that break. He doesn't seem to have got any fluency going. He

:22:49. > :22:59.overthinks it sometimes and doesn't get into a good rhythm. He can be a

:23:00. > :23:02.free free-flowing player when he's in the mood, but he's been a little

:23:03. > :23:21.bit tentative. This is a touching ball. If it's

:23:22. > :23:28.the, it is an easy safety for Mark. Touching ball. And it is a touching

:23:29. > :23:30.ball. That was careless. Anywhere up near the blue, he will be in a lot

:23:31. > :24:05.of trouble. That was a country mile away. He's

:24:06. > :24:13.put himself in this position, Neil Robertson, a careless shot leaving a

:24:14. > :24:22.touching ball from a previous shot. He needs to hit this red this time.

:24:23. > :24:28.He can clearly get through to it. He will get warned now. Foul and a

:24:29. > :24:40.miss. Mark Allen four. He will get a warning. I just wonder, will he play

:24:41. > :24:44.the double kiss here, John? I can hear Paul Collier warning Neil

:24:45. > :24:48.Robertson if he doesn't make contact here it will cost him the frame. He

:24:49. > :24:54.could play the double kiss on the red, but again, he's trusting it to

:24:55. > :24:58.luck. I was saying the other day it has happened once in the Masters and

:24:59. > :25:08.it was you that had the three misses. Alright John, thanks! But

:25:09. > :25:12.why? Is he being stubborn and wanting to play the right shot?

:25:13. > :25:22.Whatever a you do, make certain you hit the red.

:25:23. > :25:33.APPLAUSE That was pretty brave and it has worked out a treat.

:25:34. > :25:41.That was a very, very brave shot. If the cue ball had drifted slightly,

:25:42. > :25:45.he was in a lot of trouble. But look at the position of it now. An

:25:46. > :26:30.excellent shot. Foul and a miss. Neil Robertson

:26:31. > :26:35.four. I can't see any reason why Neil won't have that replaced. If he

:26:36. > :26:40.doesn't hit the red on the right-hand side, if he catches the

:26:41. > :26:44.one below the pink, I get the feeling that hitting that thin he

:26:45. > :26:52.would run into the pink. He isn't certain to get this safe. He just

:26:53. > :26:58.managed to miss the pink. APPLAUSE Well, that turned out OK.

:26:59. > :27:12.Just crept past the brown. Well played.

:27:13. > :27:28.I think this is better than a snooker.

:27:29. > :27:41.This is so difficult for Mark Allen. Concentrating so much on hitting the

:27:42. > :27:43.cue ball properly. You take your eye off the object ball, but he will be

:27:44. > :27:59.happy with that outcome. One of the hardest shots in the

:28:00. > :28:07.game, that, transferring the eye line to cue ball to object ball. I'm

:28:08. > :28:09.a little surprised Neil Robertson isn't playing the red to the left

:28:10. > :28:25.middle here. From the opening frame he seems to

:28:26. > :28:32.me to have in his mind not to take undue risks. He doesn't push the

:28:33. > :28:39.boat out, leaves that to his opponent. Whether he's right or

:28:40. > :28:46.wrong we'll wait and see. Too thin. That's why he's got too much pace in

:28:47. > :28:54.the cue ball. Surely he will take this one on. He doesn't have to do

:28:55. > :29:02.anything with it. If he pots the red, automatically on the pink.

:29:03. > :29:18.Well, that wasn't even in the neighbourhood.

:29:19. > :29:27.You can even assume that he isn't finding the middle of the cue ball.

:29:28. > :29:33.He's putting an unintentional sign on.

:29:34. > :29:45.Something disturbed him, so he got up. Can't put me finger on who it

:29:46. > :29:47.was, there's too many people here. But an important pot if he is taking

:29:48. > :29:59.it on. Both players struggling at the

:30:00. > :30:01.moment. Just get the feeling, Ken, that the occasion is just getting

:30:02. > :30:19.the better of them both. Yeah, possibly. Such a big

:30:20. > :30:26.tournament. A big tournament to do well, of course.

:30:27. > :30:37.But we've seen a lot of nerves from a lot of the players this week.

:30:38. > :30:48.Shots you normally would not see them miss. Yes. Only 16 players in

:30:49. > :30:57.it, and then all of a sudden, you are in the quarterfinal. So, this

:30:58. > :31:29.first round takes on that bit more importance.

:31:30. > :31:44.Nice position all shocked. -- positional shot.

:31:45. > :32:00.So, he's come nicely on this thread. -- this red. If he has a nice angle

:32:01. > :32:06.on the pink here, he could play to leave that red immediately above the

:32:07. > :32:14.black, ring that into play. -- bring. Well, you's got the good

:32:15. > :32:26.angle on the red but he's missed the pink! Would you believe that?!

:32:27. > :32:44.If he had parted the pink, all of those balls would have been Neil

:32:45. > :32:59.Robertson's but now a chance for Mark Allen.

:33:00. > :33:15.Just a quick glance at the scoreboard. The black would put him

:33:16. > :33:17.cue points ahead. -- two. So, no matter how he does it, he's going to

:33:18. > :33:39.need the awkward blue. The black putting ten points in

:33:40. > :33:42.front and then yellow, green, brown, another nine points, so that will

:33:43. > :33:50.put him 19 in front with 18 remaining.

:33:51. > :33:54.He's just overrun that slightly, so, yellow, green, brown to leave a

:33:55. > :34:44.snooker. So, say UC it. -- there you see it.

:34:45. > :34:47.And it is in! The frame now is won and Neil Robertson, running that

:34:48. > :34:59.missed pink... And he nods so he concedes, and it

:35:00. > :35:07.was a friend that could have gone either way, but it went the way of

:35:08. > :35:12.Mark Allen. -- A-frame. He now leads 3-2.

:35:13. > :35:19.That shot of Neil Robertson says it all. He misses the pink! And it

:35:20. > :35:25.looked like such a simple shot, but for we run this, what was he doing?

:35:26. > :35:30.Why did he miss it? He is trying to hold the cue ball to finish higher

:35:31. > :35:37.on that red we can see to the left of the black. The reason being, you

:35:38. > :35:44.want to pop that, flick the red off the black, just taking his eye off

:35:45. > :35:48.the cue ball... Missed it there and he has left the perfect angle for

:35:49. > :36:09.Mark Allen. Sticky yellow but the thicker he could pop that,

:36:10. > :36:13.Mark Allen. Sticky yellow but the easier for yourself. And if he had

:36:14. > :36:18.played another positional shot, he would have opened things up and made

:36:19. > :36:24.things a lot easier in positioning. Helix subdued today. He will you

:36:25. > :36:31.does. He is normally walking around the table, strutting like a

:36:32. > :36:37.peacock. -- he looks subdued. The game unfolds because every day you

:36:38. > :36:42.start out 0-0 and the match unfolds in a way you don't have real control

:36:43. > :36:46.of if it goes wrong before you. And we have been talking about the

:36:47. > :36:54.occasion because we did see Neil Robertson miss a long red as well.

:36:55. > :36:59.So who is playing the part today? He just hasn't got going, firing on two

:37:00. > :37:02.cylinders instead of six. Listen, it can all turn around. But at the

:37:03. > :37:15.moment, it's not quite happening. JOHN VIRGO: Well, not the best break

:37:16. > :37:26.of shop from Neil Robertson by any means. -- break-off shot.

:37:27. > :38:48.I'd think he's on the red to the left of the pink. -- I do not think.

:38:49. > :39:06.He needs to pop this, need to be high. -- pot.

:39:07. > :39:13.He had to hit the pink full-ball there. And as you look... Is he on

:39:14. > :39:18.this red to the left-hand corner pocket? It wasn't the best split on

:39:19. > :39:40.the -- in the world. Good pot. Needed the split, hit it

:39:41. > :40:13.with a lot of force, but not many reds moved.

:40:14. > :40:16.Just past the two hour mark in this match. A futile and is, a few

:40:17. > :40:34.misses. -- a few turns. But that's not gone too well. I

:40:35. > :40:38.don't blame him playing the cannon but the red he hit, you need to hit

:40:39. > :40:47.that full ball to keep the cue ball in the middle of the table.

:40:48. > :40:55.Hmm... Well, he had a chance with that red and he missed it. And, of

:40:56. > :40:57.course, missing it when you are in amongst the balls, it's unlikely you

:40:58. > :41:25.were going to leave it safe. Yeah, you felt it was worth the risk

:41:26. > :41:35.taking that red on, but difficult to stay on the black.

:41:36. > :41:41.He has left an opportunity here for Neil Robertson. And he needs a good

:41:42. > :41:49.break now because he hasn't looked settled at all in this match. As

:41:50. > :41:51.John Parrott said in the studio, if he gets one good break, he could

:41:52. > :41:57.sort of get going again. It's just noticeable that he's just

:41:58. > :42:49.starting to pick up the pace here. Just beginning to pick up the pace a

:42:50. > :42:54.bit. Which I feel is what he needs to do.

:42:55. > :43:06.And he does fluctuate in average shot time. Maybe 20 seconds normally

:43:07. > :43:08.for Mark Allen, but with Neil, it can get up to 28, sometimes I've

:43:09. > :43:23.seen him in matches. No more than ten seconds per shot at

:43:24. > :43:28.the moment, so maybe he feels he wants to pick up the pace just to

:43:29. > :43:28.get things going, because he has been stopping and starting

:43:29. > :43:46.throughout this match. And, as you said, John, sometimes he

:43:47. > :43:52.overcomplicate things were taking a bit too much time, looking at too

:43:53. > :43:54.many shots, instead of his first instinct for the shot he sees. Just

:43:55. > :44:01.play it. Just taking a bit of time over this

:44:02. > :44:20.now. He was entitled to think about that.

:44:21. > :44:55.OK, you's not the blue but no problem. -- he's not.

:44:56. > :45:06.That's a big target. Anywhere between those two reds on the

:45:07. > :45:14.cushion and he will certainly have a go. Still this red goes up into the

:45:15. > :45:19.yellow pocket or the left centre. He is 29 ahead, so red and blue or red

:45:20. > :45:31.and black would be enough to leave Mark Allen needing a snooker.

:45:32. > :45:41.Sorry, red and blue would only have been 35. But that was an excellent

:45:42. > :45:46.shot. No how heroic on the black here. Just pot the black. -- no

:45:47. > :46:30.heroics. So, he can make a century now.

:46:31. > :46:41.Wasn't looking likely previously when he was missing so many shots.

:46:42. > :46:49.Mark Allen is a great potter and thought it was worth the risk, but

:46:50. > :46:52.having missed it, as they say, at the time, if you don't get away with

:46:53. > :47:13.it, you are always going to leave your opponent with a chance.

:47:14. > :47:32.Yeah, just what the doctor ordered, isn't it, for Neil Robertson here.

:47:33. > :47:42.Well played! He will feel an awful lot better and he certainly got

:47:43. > :47:47.going there, got a nice rhythm. Mark Allen will be disappointed but it is

:47:48. > :47:52.the Australian now who levels three apiece. That was better.

:47:53. > :47:58.Yeah, much better from Neil Robertson. That is what champions

:47:59. > :48:02.are made of, Steve? Yes, and in the earlier part of the frame, it looked

:48:03. > :48:08.like champions were not made of anything! He was off pace. It looked

:48:09. > :48:13.like Mark Allen fancied the job and was just moving through the gears a

:48:14. > :48:20.fraction, and the next minute, one mistake, that is all Neil Robertson

:48:21. > :48:24.needed. 66 centuries this season. A phenomenal scorer, that is what he

:48:25. > :48:29.is, but that is why he is world number one. A few pots he wouldn't

:48:30. > :48:34.expect this afternoon but that is just like him. He can pick up the

:48:35. > :48:40.mantle, get a century break, and then away he goes. It was

:48:41. > :48:45.interesting that they talked in commentary about how he picked up

:48:46. > :48:49.the pace a fraction. That is said by somebody who understands what it is

:48:50. > :48:53.like to be out there. As we said, it wasn't firing on all cylinders but

:48:54. > :48:57.what is it like if you are out there and you feel that happening? Just up

:48:58. > :49:09.the pace, GU or sell for up, just get it going a fraction and try to

:49:10. > :49:12.make it happen. -- G yourself up. Neil Robertson had been sitting in

:49:13. > :49:18.the chair thinking exactly the same thing, just to get ahead here. But

:49:19. > :49:22.he must forget about it now. He was a frame in front but now he has to

:49:23. > :49:29.forget about it. He just has to forget and play from now. When you

:49:30. > :49:40.see Neil Robertson playing like the number one in the world, and he just

:49:41. > :49:46.got that break, what do that -- what does that do for your confidence? It

:49:47. > :49:52.is like in a football match. If you are 1-0 up and you don't go 2-0 up,

:49:53. > :49:58.that can haunt you. It is the same in snooker. If you get the chance to

:49:59. > :50:10.go two frames clear and you don't take it, it can haunt you. If we

:50:11. > :50:18.need a new pundit on Final Score, I will give you a ring!

:50:19. > :50:22.JOHN VIRGO: Just a containing safety from Neil Robertson. This could

:50:23. > :50:27.spark the match into a life here, Ken, the cars you just feel you are

:50:28. > :50:37.going to get some response from Mark Allen. -- because.

:50:38. > :50:49.A bit scrappy previously but that has liven things up a bit. Yes. He

:50:50. > :50:55.has had his chances, Mark Allen. And he could certainly play the straight

:50:56. > :50:58.pot down into the corner pocket now. The problem with playing this into

:50:59. > :51:08.left-centre is the cue ball could career off into the reds.

:51:09. > :51:16.And exactly that. That was the problem with playing the red like

:51:17. > :51:22.that. He could have played it with so much more pace, forcing the cue

:51:23. > :51:27.ball through the pack a bit more. He played it very, very delicately.

:51:28. > :51:44.Yeah, and he could have played with a lot of side on it.

:51:45. > :51:53.Yeah, with that shot, you could have played it with side, but then it

:51:54. > :51:57.could have been missable. So he thought, I will just trust the lot

:51:58. > :52:05.with position. And he didn't get any.

:52:06. > :52:20.So, you's not put any real pressure on Mark Allen. -- we's not. -- he's

:52:21. > :53:11.not. Careless. Well, this is very unusual for Neil

:53:12. > :53:17.Robertson, isn't it, Ken? He is such a reliable long potter. But not

:53:18. > :53:26.today. His long pot success is way down below his normal average. 50%.

:53:27. > :53:28.Not good for Neil Robertson. They are the type of chances he normally

:53:29. > :53:47.drives on. Not a great kiss on that red. The

:53:48. > :53:49.pink may cut into the left corner but the potting angle is taking the

:53:50. > :54:35.cue ball away from the reds. Rolled it in nicely, but, as I say,

:54:36. > :54:40.because he had the angle on the pink, he couldn't get close to the

:54:41. > :54:44.pink. This looks perfect if he could drop it in and come around the back

:54:45. > :54:49.of the black and play for the lack in the same pocket. It's one rap

:54:50. > :54:53.group you got to play with confidence. -- it's one you must

:54:54. > :55:02.play with confidence. Well, there's plenty of room around

:55:03. > :55:38.the back of the black. Mark Allen, under normal

:55:39. > :55:44.circumstances, a very good long potter in his own right.

:55:45. > :55:47.Neil just having a look if you can leave the cue ball somewhere where

:55:48. > :56:44.the red is. -- he can. No safety shot to the ball end

:56:45. > :56:50.because of that commission. Just has two by the will it hear Bob. -- just

:56:51. > :57:10.has to bike is the bullet. -- white. Doesn't want to get involved in one

:57:11. > :57:16.of these TP Tapie frames but sometimes the balls dictate how a

:57:17. > :58:26.frame is played out. -- tip tap frames.

:58:27. > :58:31.Sometimes under normal circumstances, players may ask for a

:58:32. > :58:35.re-rack, but in this position, Mark Allen is in a better position

:58:36. > :58:48.compared with Neil Robertson. He has just overhit it. If he had

:58:49. > :58:52.been able to stop Neil rolling into the cluster, forcing him to come off

:58:53. > :59:02.the side cushion, he may just leave the pot on. Obviously they could

:59:03. > :59:05.look at one another and say, look, I've had enough of this, can we

:59:06. > :59:09.start the frame again? Nobody would object to that. Unless somebody's

:59:10. > :00:00.booked a restaurant! Ooh, ooh... Well, as I say, if he

:00:01. > :00:05.can cover that main cluster with the black... He has overhit it. But

:00:06. > :00:11.these reds are beginning to open up now. Yeah, and that is the

:00:12. > :00:23.difficulty Neil Robertson will face. Mark Allen will open these reds up a

:00:24. > :00:27.bit more, with the cue ball behind the black again, and it won't be so

:00:28. > :00:32.easy to roll into them. Or it shouldn't be. Just makes things a

:00:33. > :00:39.bit more tricky for Neil Robertson. He has to find a way back himself.

:00:40. > :00:40.And, again, not a good shot. Should really have been tied to the bottom

:00:41. > :00:56.cushion. -- tight. And it just seems he has stopped the

:00:57. > :01:04.roll-up. If he had been tight, that would have been a telling shot. And

:01:05. > :01:11.what is this red doing? He has knocked two on. So he always had the

:01:12. > :01:19.advantage in that exchange and, I, like you, thought when he did not

:01:20. > :01:20.get it tight to the top cushioning, he was giving him a chance but it

:01:21. > :01:54.has not turned out that way. He might have been able to play this

:01:55. > :01:59.red and grey for them blue but he won't mind playing for a baulk

:02:00. > :02:04.collar. The reds couldn't be better spread. If there was one red you

:02:05. > :02:07.would like to get rid of it would be the one next to the right-hand

:02:08. > :02:15.corner. You would like the black available to go into both corner

:02:16. > :02:23.pocket. That is something he will bear in mind. There are so many

:02:24. > :02:28.Brits. People say to you sometimes how many shots ahead does the top

:02:29. > :02:32.player look but you don't have to look that far ahead. As long as you

:02:33. > :02:38.get a nice angle on one ball to get to another, then that is as far as

:02:39. > :02:43.you want to look. The fact that there are so many reds in open

:02:44. > :02:50.play, you have to read yourself options here. In this case, anywhere

:02:51. > :02:51.in the middle of the table, the cue ball is obviously going to be on a

:02:52. > :03:07.red. He is building up a lead. Oh, that is a bit short. He still

:03:08. > :03:15.has the red on the ball. A bit tentative, that one.

:03:16. > :03:21.He has to be careful he doesn't end up straight on this red. He has to

:03:22. > :03:39.have an angle. Anywhere but straight on this red

:03:40. > :03:48.and baulk. Oh, well, he thought it was a little bit too risky. He is

:03:49. > :04:02.just about OK, he can just too past the blue. -- cue past the blue. As I

:04:03. > :04:07.say, you would like to get rid of the red that is closest to the

:04:08. > :04:12.right-hand corner. That way, the black is available to both corner

:04:13. > :04:13.pockets and then you really feel that this is a frame-winning

:04:14. > :04:38.opportunity. He held the cue ball welfare. -- he

:04:39. > :05:05.held the cue ball well, there. The black puts him 50 points ahead

:05:06. > :05:12.now. So, to reds and two colours will be

:05:13. > :05:33.enough. -- two reds. Swansea has secured the

:05:34. > :05:40.frame, he can concentrate on -- once he has secured the frame, he can

:05:41. > :05:46.concentrate on making century break. That should be enough now. A

:05:47. > :05:55.straightforward blue. Now, he can relax.

:05:56. > :06:03.He has already made 114 in the first frame, 101 in the first frame,

:06:04. > :06:08.dashed in the last frame, Neil Robertson. The possible Titov and --

:06:09. > :06:23.another frame here. -- the possibility of another frame here.

:06:24. > :06:30.Well, he will be disappointed about missing that and not making a

:06:31. > :06:35.century but he will be very pleased to get his nose ahead once again in

:06:36. > :06:46.this match. A better break from Mark Allen and he goes into 4-3 lead. It

:06:47. > :06:48.all came down to that little tip tapping around the reds and Neil

:06:49. > :06:56.Robertson have that possible red open to the pocket. He was digging

:06:57. > :07:00.down on it and really want to get this red into the jaws of the

:07:01. > :07:04.pocket, to keep the red up here, but we see what happens. That certainly

:07:05. > :07:09.would have been his intention but he was so far out, the red came down

:07:10. > :07:14.this end and was going to kiss another one, OK, and honoured the

:07:15. > :07:20.day, you would get away with it, and when you look at the way the reds

:07:21. > :07:24.are spread, well, it was short odds that Mark Allen was going to take

:07:25. > :07:29.full advantage. So, Neil Robertson, back to square one, really. He made

:07:30. > :07:34.a 100 a month break in nice, filament style in frame six. But he

:07:35. > :07:41.didn't get much of a chance on that one. And Mark Allen, although he is

:07:42. > :07:46.leading 4-3, he doesn't look that confident when he is in amongst the

:07:47. > :07:54.balls. You get the feeling that both players are capable of missing the

:07:55. > :07:56.unexpected shot which may be exciting but it has made it a bit

:07:57. > :08:14.scrappy. So, eighth frame, Neil Robertson.

:08:15. > :08:15.One frame behind. At the top of this match, we always thought it would be

:08:16. > :08:36.close. As John Parrott said at the top of

:08:37. > :08:39.the show, . But it is there to say that although we have had two

:08:40. > :08:47.centuries, it is a bit below standard. That was a long, long way

:08:48. > :08:50.away and very fortunate, having missed it by such a distance to get

:08:51. > :09:09.it as safe as he has. Nowhere near the jaws. There, you

:09:10. > :09:15.see it. Both players still short of the 90%.

:09:16. > :09:26.That is careless of Neil Robertson, to leave it touching ball.

:09:27. > :09:35.I just feel if one player just raised his game here, the match is

:09:36. > :09:37.for the taking. And I include Neil Robertson even though he is 4-3

:09:38. > :09:48.behind. This red just off the black,

:09:49. > :09:50.normally, you would see him get down and gnocchis in. He is looking at

:09:51. > :10:09.it. He is taking it on. He must be tubing across the ball,

:10:10. > :10:17.he must be. /tubing across the ball. -- he must be cueing across the

:10:18. > :10:28.ball. It is unlike Neal to be so far out with his putting. 45%, 50% for

:10:29. > :10:35.Mark Allen. I will forgive them for mid-60s, 70%, I think that is fair

:10:36. > :10:40.comment because of those long shots, but that is below the required

:10:41. > :10:45.percentage of both players. The worrying thing for Neil Robertson is

:10:46. > :10:50.not that he's just missing the horse, he is missing them by quite

:10:51. > :10:55.some distance. Some of them not even going near the pocket, he is setting

:10:56. > :11:03.the top cushion with some of them. She will have to make some sort of

:11:04. > :11:09.adjustment. Maybe they are just not lining up properly, John. Normally,

:11:10. > :11:12.he is so proficient with his long game, it is a big part of his game,

:11:13. > :11:35.Neil Robertson. In these first round matches, you

:11:36. > :11:43.win it and you are in the quarterfinal, ?200,000 to the winner

:11:44. > :11:46.of this tournament. So, although it doesn't carry any world ranking

:11:47. > :11:50.points, because it is an invitational event, the bank manager

:11:51. > :12:18.will be pleased to see you on Monday morning!

:12:19. > :12:28.He caught the blue. Sheik of the head. He has left a red to the right

:12:29. > :12:33.corner, he has left one to the rest corner -- the left corner. Up at the

:12:34. > :12:40.moment, you just don't feel as though he is certain to put these

:12:41. > :12:45.mid-range walls, Neil Robertson. Choosing this one. She doesn't have

:12:46. > :12:55.to do much with the cue ball to get a position on the black.

:12:56. > :13:04.But it is not happening. It is as simple as that.

:13:05. > :13:11.Of course, what goes on in your mind once you start missing a few, you

:13:12. > :13:15.start to question whether you are hitting the cue ball in the middle

:13:16. > :13:24.and it puts more and more pressure on Emory mid-range point you have to

:13:25. > :13:33.play. -- on a very mid-range point. -- on every mid-range point. Neil

:13:34. > :13:51.Robertson would be having a go at this red. It is certainly possible.

:13:52. > :13:58.Mark Allen once said that Neil Robertson is very vulnerable at the

:13:59. > :14:15.moment. It is time to capitalise on it.

:14:16. > :14:22.He would love to get down from this brown onto the red that is covering

:14:23. > :14:29.the black spot. But he doesn't have to on this occasion. If you reds out

:14:30. > :14:36.in the open that he could possibly play on here. But he has played for

:14:37. > :14:58.the one on the black spot and he has played it that well.

:14:59. > :15:07.I can't believe he played it with so much. He still can put this red. He

:15:08. > :15:12.is lucky to be on it, I tell you. He had as nice angle. He is nicely on

:15:13. > :15:26.the brown. Once again, he is playing for this

:15:27. > :15:28.red and B doesn't give the other one, he is pointing to the cue ball

:15:29. > :15:45.as though he got a kick. If he doesn't kiss that read, I

:15:46. > :15:53.don't think he will do enough. -- such red. The question is is there

:15:54. > :16:02.another red he can put here? I am not so sure. Unless he can get one

:16:03. > :16:04.of these upper left-hand corner. Maybe the one closest to the top

:16:05. > :16:18.cushion he thinks will go. And it did. And that was an

:16:19. > :16:21.excellent pot. But it is when he is having to move the cue ball

:16:22. > :16:26.distances, he seems to have a problem with the pace of the shot.

:16:27. > :16:43.But that was top draw. Playing for the red nearest to the

:16:44. > :16:56.top cushion, he needs an angle. He got one.

:16:57. > :17:06.He is maybe trying to get onto the black here, maybe. That looks pretty

:17:07. > :17:17.good. He doesn't have to worry about it

:17:18. > :17:23.going on the blue. He could play a little cannon and released the spot

:17:24. > :17:39.here if he wishes. He probably felt it was a little bit dangerous.

:17:40. > :17:47.Again, a positional shot that has gone until that are right. But he is

:17:48. > :18:07.still OK, he can put this black into the left centre.

:18:08. > :18:13.Well, we always say that in this game, the most important thing,

:18:14. > :18:22.obviously potting, but cue ball control. The positional play is not

:18:23. > :18:32.the best. Can he keep recovering with good pots? At the moment, there

:18:33. > :18:46.is not much opposition. This is as poor as I have seen Neil

:18:47. > :18:56.Robertson play for quite a while. He is usually so consistent. Was that a

:18:57. > :19:14.fluke? Well, no. It seems that every time you got the

:19:15. > :19:26.table, there is a pot on. He just about left this red on as well.

:19:27. > :19:36.I am not quite sure what he will do here. He has the loose red over the

:19:37. > :19:41.pocket. I am just wondering does he have an angle to try and put the

:19:42. > :19:48.black and go into the bunch? Well, he didn't fancy there. I'm not quite

:19:49. > :19:59.sure... Is he going to be on this red? He is OK.

:20:00. > :20:06.The problem is, it is not ideal to stay on the black. The blue is not

:20:07. > :20:12.on its spot. He will have to go for a baulk colour. He wouldn't want to

:20:13. > :20:22.risk playing for the black here, it could go wrong.

:20:23. > :20:25.He is just about on the yellow but not perfect. He will have to force

:20:26. > :20:37.this in. That has ended the break. Very

:20:38. > :21:43.bitty. It left Mark Allen are pretty

:21:44. > :21:55.forward -- a pretty straightforward safety shot. Another chance the Neil

:21:56. > :22:03.Robertson. It sponsored success is down to a mere 43% now. -- his pot

:22:04. > :22:55.success. That is better. That is better.

:22:56. > :23:02.He needs a good cue ball here. That is pretty good. But he has left this

:23:03. > :23:09.red to the left corner. He couldn't have done much more. This is a tough

:23:10. > :23:16.pot. He has missed easier ones and this today.

:23:17. > :23:24.But that is two in a row, long pulse. And this has given him a real

:23:25. > :23:36.opportunity. There, you see. Over ten foot

:23:37. > :23:43.between the cue ball and the ball. Really well.

:23:44. > :23:53.It is when you are playing the screw shot is, it is more obvious if it is

:23:54. > :23:55.across the brawl. He only had the top of the white to hit and it

:23:56. > :24:19.probably helped in the way. He is looking to see whether he can

:24:20. > :24:23.just drop this in and play for the black in the opposite corner. It

:24:24. > :24:31.wouldn't be a bad idea if he could do it. The pink is easy to get.

:24:32. > :24:42.He needs an angle on the pink here. I don't know if any of those two

:24:43. > :24:44.reds, we are looking at them now, at least one of them can go to the porn

:24:45. > :25:12.a copy -- to the corner pocket. Just getting the cue ball cleaned. A

:25:13. > :25:19.couple of options here as Mark Allen observes from his chair. He would

:25:20. > :26:25.love to get that red closest to the black, he looks to take that away.

:26:26. > :26:34.He is three points ahead. He is going to need the red close to the

:26:35. > :26:43.right-hand cushion. He is only going to need the red. He would love to be

:26:44. > :26:44.another inch high over the cue ball there, get the cue ball closer to

:26:45. > :27:11.the red for his next pot. Well, he has played it that way so

:27:12. > :27:13.he doesn't have to use the rest. The blue will may be coming to his mind

:27:14. > :27:33.as he stretches over here. He just needed to pot the Reg to win

:27:34. > :27:38.the register window frame. But again, anything from distance he has

:27:39. > :27:44.been struggling with and particularly with a bit of pace,

:27:45. > :27:47.John, as you said. Whenever he was playing just middle of the cue ball

:27:48. > :27:50.below centre, that is the one thing is the one seems to be catching him

:27:51. > :27:59.out. One good pot and Mark Allen has a chance. Long, long way away. Has

:28:00. > :28:12.he got a fluke? No such luck. These players, particularly when

:28:13. > :28:16.they have been striking blow on the cue ball, they haven't been getting

:28:17. > :28:21.to the jewels. He just needs the red so you think each would -- he would

:28:22. > :28:34.think of taking it on. He is not playing at his best. He

:28:35. > :28:40.didn't want the red to catch the black. Safe, but this frame still

:28:41. > :28:45.alive. If Mark Allen was to pot this last red, you would think in

:28:46. > :28:53.favourite for the frame. -- make him favourite. And this looks a very

:28:54. > :28:59.good safety. A kiss on the black. He has made it a perfect safety.

:29:00. > :29:16.It could be the turning point in this frame now.

:29:17. > :29:22.You have to be careful, if you missed this, you could leave a free

:29:23. > :29:29.ball, and if you hate it, you could still do well to get it safe. -- if

:29:30. > :29:37.you hit it. Well, he has got the snooker back. Tit for tat. He is

:29:38. > :29:43.very fortunate there. What is worse for Neil Robertson is he has bought

:29:44. > :29:51.that safe blue interplay. -- into play. So, this frame, you would

:29:52. > :30:01.expect will rest on the outcome of who pots that red.

:30:02. > :30:05.He is not snooker at. He has left a half chance for Neil Robertson.

:30:06. > :30:35.There was a bit of pressure here. Where can Mark Allen get a snooker?

:30:36. > :30:45.Can he try to snooker him behind a blue? It's a very tricky shot.

:30:46. > :30:51.Particularly with the pressure that is on now. He knows any chance at

:30:52. > :30:58.that red, he will have a chance at winning the frame. He could play the

:30:59. > :31:09.delicate, soft roll, John, but it is a very difficult shot.

:31:10. > :31:18.Heading towards the far corner... Needs the pink to help him here. And

:31:19. > :31:22.I don't think it has. Neil Robertson just needs the red to go 32 points

:31:23. > :31:46.in front with only 27 remaining. In it goes! So, once again, a frame

:31:47. > :31:54.that could have gone either way, but looks like Neil Robertson is going

:31:55. > :31:59.to level again. He's never been in front in this match, Neil Robertson.

:32:00. > :32:07.But he's never been more than one frame behind.

:32:08. > :32:16.So, two snooker is required at the moment and that's enough for Mark

:32:17. > :32:23.Allen. Puts his cue on the table and Neil Robertson has levelled again.

:32:24. > :32:27.Now for peace. And just remind you, the last time

:32:28. > :32:32.these two met in the Masters, it went all the way until Neal

:32:33. > :32:42.Robertson stole it. And looking at this, it is going same way. -- Neil.

:32:43. > :32:47.I think of the two players, he has been slightly the better, Mark

:32:48. > :32:50.Allen, but Neil Robertson keeps hanging around and getting the

:32:51. > :32:55.opportunities come to him. You just feel as if Mark Allen was hitting

:32:56. > :33:02.the ball sat you better but he has not gone ahead. If you look at the

:33:03. > :33:06.way the Bulls were rolling around the table, and the standard as well

:33:07. > :33:10.hasn't been that high today. We don't need to make excuses for the

:33:11. > :33:14.great players but you try to work out why the standard has been low.

:33:15. > :33:18.It is very hot in here today compared to the first few days. A

:33:19. > :33:23.couple of tweets from people in the auditorium saying it is much hotter.

:33:24. > :33:28.If there is a slight change, perhaps the conditions of the table can play

:33:29. > :33:32.differently. And the table looks a bit sluggish out there. I've will be

:33:33. > :33:43.interested to hear what the players say about the table today. -- I

:33:44. > :33:47.well. -- will. Yes. The conclusion a few days ago from Shaun Murphy was

:33:48. > :33:51.that players should be able to prepare for their match on the table

:33:52. > :34:01.before they come out for their walk on. Well, other players in other

:34:02. > :34:11.sports get to practice. On the oche with the darts, on the court in

:34:12. > :34:16.tennis. Shaun Murphy was saying it happens in other sports, so why

:34:17. > :34:19.can't snooker players go out, have five minutes, then go backstage and

:34:20. > :34:25.come out and play the match. You against the idea? It would take a

:34:26. > :34:39.bit of time for the fitted to come out and buy on the table again.

:34:40. > :34:43.Biden to have a problem with it. -- and iron the table. I am not saying

:34:44. > :34:47.for a minute it is the conditions but it is just my observations,

:34:48. > :34:52.trying to work out why the play has not been so good as we have seen

:34:53. > :34:56.from players earlier in the week. Possibly more moisture in the air

:34:57. > :35:02.because humidity levels are higher. Effectively, it is drawing out of

:35:03. > :35:07.the people in the crowd... Whatever it is, it does not necessarily help

:35:08. > :35:10.that the players know that. It just generally lowers the standard of the

:35:11. > :35:16.cloth is playing a bit heavier than on another day. But, even so, not a

:35:17. > :35:21.bad point to say, have a knock-about on the table to see if the table is

:35:22. > :35:26.playing level. Does it have any significant rolls into significant

:35:27. > :35:32.pockets that you would like to be aware of before the match? But what

:35:33. > :35:37.do you do? Do you do it for only the big events or the televised events

:35:38. > :35:41.or do you do it for every event on the circuit? It would be a bit

:35:42. > :35:47.trickier if it were roll on, roll off. But I don't know. I haven't

:35:48. > :35:54.given it much thought, to be honest. But come back to be later. Watch

:35:55. > :35:58.this space. That is the problem with having

:35:59. > :36:02.youngsters in the studio! It was only in The Crucible where we had a

:36:03. > :36:06.practice table, and when you started the event, you were allowed to 20

:36:07. > :36:10.minutes on the table before you actually played. Each player was

:36:11. > :36:15.allowed 20 minutes on the match table just to have a practice. There

:36:16. > :36:20.were no other practice facilities. The rest of the time, you didn't

:36:21. > :36:25.have a chance to practice. You see, those youngsters, they don't

:36:26. > :36:32.remember! Young Steve Davis! You would have to have a good memory to

:36:33. > :36:47.remember a dung Steve Davis! -- young.

:36:48. > :36:58.Now, has the yellow come to his rescue? It has. You get to you! --

:36:59. > :37:49.bet you. It was a big ask to try to swerve it

:37:50. > :37:54.that much. He didn't see a safety, he didn't see any way he could cover

:37:55. > :38:06.that red. So, first chance, Mark Allen. Keeps

:38:07. > :38:07.getting that one frame in front but Neil Robertson keeps picking him

:38:08. > :38:23.back. -- pegging. Well, that was definitely a heavy

:38:24. > :38:46.contact. Oops! Just think he's close enough to the

:38:47. > :38:51.cushion to put him of taking this red on. Not sure if he can get out

:38:52. > :41:41.for enough for the pink or black here. -- far enough.

:41:42. > :41:51.Little bit thin and the blue's not going to come to his rescue. So the

:41:52. > :42:00.chance of this red... Of course, the black not being on its spot makes it

:42:01. > :42:07.an easy opportunity to score. He forced it through. Nicely on the

:42:08. > :42:11.blue. Now, normally we would suggest playing the cannon but the pink has

:42:12. > :42:14.just separated slightly from the reds and he would really have to

:42:15. > :42:22.catch this pink perfectly to open the reds up.

:42:23. > :42:35.Yeah, I didn't like that shot. Yeah, he could have hit a lot harder than

:42:36. > :42:40.this as well, couldn't he? You would expect him to miss one red, but

:42:41. > :42:46.there is room there to hit an awful lot harder.

:42:47. > :42:53.Don't you think sometimes, Ken, particularly with the black not

:42:54. > :43:00.being on its spot, maybe play for the loose red? Oh! He has got it!

:43:01. > :43:07.Needed a good kiss but didn't get one! I was thinking, play for the

:43:08. > :43:13.open red, try to get the black on its spot, and then open up the other

:43:14. > :43:21.reds. But this is what he played. No lock. A nice snooker but, as they

:43:22. > :43:38.say, it should be easy to come off the side cushion. -- I say.

:43:39. > :44:42.You are right. He has underhit it again.

:44:43. > :45:12.A couple of nice little kisses there.

:45:13. > :45:23.Nice angle on the red just below the pack.

:45:24. > :45:31.Now that has really opened things up. Yeah... Just making sure he is

:45:32. > :45:46.connecting with those reds. From a straightforward escape, you

:45:47. > :45:52.would have to admit Neil Robertson left the cue ball short. He has

:45:53. > :46:04.given an opportunity here to Mark Allen again.

:46:05. > :46:17.That was the swerve from the beginning.

:46:18. > :46:24.To the right side of the blue. Going maybe for the red close to the pink

:46:25. > :46:38.spot. Not absolutely inch perfect with his

:46:39. > :46:44.positional play, and he doesn't really want to be on the black,

:46:45. > :46:48.because that could be missable. He wants to be on the pink. Just not

:46:49. > :46:53.getting into the perfect position on the red. Should be able to hold

:46:54. > :47:03.this, though, for the blue. As we say, whenever you go up for

:47:04. > :47:24.the blue, you need to get the right angle, and he has done that.

:47:25. > :47:28.Again, short of pace. Would have loved to have been closer to this

:47:29. > :47:53.red. No, it's OK. A slight angle on the

:47:54. > :48:03.pink. You will notice we have just passed the three hour mark for this

:48:04. > :48:09.match. Standard, as we've said. A bit below what we have expected. But

:48:10. > :48:17.there might be a few more twists and turns before we know who the winner

:48:18. > :48:21.is. And whoever loses this match will be very, very disappointed with

:48:22. > :48:26.their performance. Neil Robertson went to be happy at all. -- will not

:48:27. > :48:40.be. This is a perfect positional shot

:48:41. > :48:42.and that could be a frame-winner! That is the shot of the match for me

:48:43. > :49:01.so far. Look at that! Inch perfect! As you've said, Ken, it all came

:49:02. > :49:12.about from Stu -- snooker that didn't look too problematic.

:49:13. > :49:16.He left it short and this has been the result. A frame-winning

:49:17. > :49:33.contribution. A bit of a bash on the red but

:49:34. > :49:37.should not make any difference. The referee looks at Neil Robertson,

:49:38. > :49:47.Neil Robertson is looking at the scoreboard, thinking, is it worth

:49:48. > :49:54.carrying on? Still thinking. Well, he has decided to have a go.

:49:55. > :50:15.At the moment, five snooker is needed. -- five snookers.

:50:16. > :50:24.So, a bit more potting practice, as Mark will be preparing now for the

:50:25. > :50:26.next frame. And if he wins that, it will see him through to the second

:50:27. > :50:47.round. Begrudgingly potting these balls! He

:50:48. > :50:59.wants to start the next frame, it appears to me!

:51:00. > :51:09.Yeah, he did not want it to carry on. He has got it, he has got it!

:51:10. > :51:17.That is what happens. You don't want them to go in! There you go!

:51:18. > :51:22.If only it was like this while the frame was alive. If only it were

:51:23. > :51:41.this easy. Amazing when there's no pressure how

:51:42. > :51:48.easy it looks at times. Ooh! I think it went in and jumped out! Anyway!

:51:49. > :51:53.He knew the frame was well over and he is just one frame away now from a

:51:54. > :52:03.place in the second round, as he leads the world number one aye 5-4.

:52:04. > :52:07.-- by. Well, we talk about the old

:52:08. > :52:14.schoolboy error, and if ever there was one, this was it. But one thing

:52:15. > :52:24.he did never want to do was leave a pot on. Yeah, he could have hit it,

:52:25. > :52:28.of course, as I've said, with so much more margin for error. Because

:52:29. > :52:33.the reds are always going to stop the cue ball, but he's left that

:52:34. > :52:37.opportunity for Mark Allen and he will be very, very disappointed,

:52:38. > :52:44.Neil Robertson. But Mark Allen took his chance.

:52:45. > :52:50.This was probably one of the best shots of the match, as you said,

:52:51. > :52:55.John. Looked like he was going to spend too much of the second cushion

:52:56. > :53:06.but absolutely perfect. Couldn't have placed it better. -- off. It is

:53:07. > :53:10.all about holding yourself together now, because he's on the brink of

:53:11. > :53:16.victory. His opponents still struggling. Can he take his

:53:17. > :53:38.chances? Because you just feel he's going to get some.

:53:39. > :53:53.Well, a half chance for Mark Allen already. Not a great rake off for

:53:54. > :53:57.Neil Robertson. -- break off. A good opener. Can't be leaving the cue

:53:58. > :54:06.ball that far off the cushion. Unfortunately, not the right side of

:54:07. > :54:20.the blue. We'll have to put another one here.

:54:21. > :54:35.Only mid-distance this time. -- will.

:54:36. > :54:38.He could have been forgiven for running around off two cushions

:54:39. > :54:52.there. But don't miss the black! Mark Allen

:54:53. > :54:57.has got chances but you've got to take them. No excuse for missing

:54:58. > :55:26.that. Now, he has to play this with a lot

:55:27. > :55:42.of pace. The red has come up over the

:55:43. > :55:45.middle. For a minute there, I thought he wasn't going to be on

:55:46. > :55:53.anything because the cue ball was stuck to the pink. The pace he put

:55:54. > :56:16.on that... Well. But the red to his right has come to the rescue.

:56:17. > :56:20.He would love to get that black back on its spot at some stage, wouldn't

:56:21. > :56:42.he? Couldn't do much with the blue.

:56:43. > :56:47.Could play for this red. But knew there wasn't the perfect angle for

:56:48. > :56:52.it. Don't think the pink goes into the left corner. So not a

:56:53. > :57:02.straightforward positional shot, this.

:57:03. > :57:14.Found the gap. And just did pretty well... Did pretty well there. I

:57:15. > :57:21.don't know whether he can just drop the blue in. Lots of right-hand side

:57:22. > :57:37.on that shot to check it up and keep it from the cushion.

:57:38. > :57:42.Having to run around off two cushions, he is trusting to a bit of

:57:43. > :57:50.luck here. And he hasn't had much. If the pink isn't available, where

:57:51. > :58:08.does the colour come from? Well, I think if he can pop this red

:58:09. > :58:15.and leave the cue ball, almost where it is now, I think the pink will go

:58:16. > :58:28.to right centre. Has he hit it hard enough? Wow! Well, we said earlier

:58:29. > :58:33.in this match that when the balls are so close together, John, it just

:58:34. > :58:39.makes the pot so much more difficult.

:58:40. > :58:48.But how many balls has he underhit? Just not been with it. It is as

:58:49. > :58:53.though his arm is just not in tune with the rest of his body today. It

:58:54. > :59:02.can happen. It can happen to the best of them. So another chance now

:59:03. > :59:06.for Mark Allen. Obviously, if the black were on its spot, you would

:59:07. > :59:16.say it was a frame and match-winning opportunity.

:59:17. > :59:24.How many chances do you need? How many chances are you going to get?

:59:25. > :59:47.Well, that's surprising. A great opportunity for Mark Allen.

:59:48. > :59:52.Now, this is tough for Neil Robertson because I'd think he's too

:59:53. > :00:02.happy playing with the rest. -- I do not think. But he played that one

:00:03. > :00:07.nicely. Probably play the yellow. OK, you might think he would play

:00:08. > :00:10.the black but can he get good position off the black? Not

:00:11. > :00:32.guaranteed. The yellow would bring him down nicely to the reds.

:00:33. > :00:42.He is just coming around to see if the pink can go into the left

:00:43. > :00:43.centre. That was a lovely little cannon, on the red. A beautiful

:00:44. > :01:13.shot. He cleverly held the spot there. He

:01:14. > :01:21.cleverly used to cue ball to hold the pink spot because the pink will

:01:22. > :01:34.go, it should go. It should go on the black spot now.

:01:35. > :01:40.Now, ideally, he would like to be on the pink into the left corner which

:01:41. > :01:48.means he has to use a bit of -- a bit of left-hand side. He didn't do

:01:49. > :01:52.that. The reason I say that is it would have been easier just to move

:01:53. > :01:55.one of the reds out of the way for his next pot. He is having a look at

:01:56. > :02:04.the red macro directly above. Yes, so we know that the pink spot

:02:05. > :02:31.will now be available. The pink does go. I noticed that

:02:32. > :02:35.when he was playing the red. It is a little bit more difficult than the

:02:36. > :02:41.blue, though. Right in the heart of the pocket. He didn't really hold

:02:42. > :02:50.the cue ball as if he would have liked. He still is on the red. It is

:02:51. > :02:51.a must to get. If he plays this well, it'll give him the opportunity

:02:52. > :03:04.to win the frame from this position. It hasn't worked out in the way he

:03:05. > :03:09.would have liked. He is not on anything. I can't believe he paid

:03:10. > :03:14.the run-through. I felt certain he had to play a screw there. At least

:03:15. > :03:21.with a screw, you don't come to this top cushion. He has got a 30 point

:03:22. > :03:26.lead. I suppose he can look on the bright side and say, well, at least

:03:27. > :03:31.I have got the pink say. There may be an opportunity to put the yellow

:03:32. > :03:40.safe as well. That makes the 30 point lead is a bit bigger.

:03:41. > :03:50.He is trying to knock the green on the side cushion. The only problem I

:03:51. > :03:58.would have with that shot is that Mark Allen is a left-handed player,

:03:59. > :04:02.putting the -- putting the green on the other side. I would rather have

:04:03. > :04:03.put the yellow safe. For a left-handed player, it is more

:04:04. > :04:39.difficult. It looks too thin. Neil Robertson

:04:40. > :04:49.has that charge now -- has a chance now. One closest to the right corner

:04:50. > :05:05.is the one he has chosen. Into the heart of the pocket. He

:05:06. > :05:11.will at least be on a baulk colour. He is looking for this colour. One

:05:12. > :05:19.more red. And we will be into a decider. You got the feeling it was

:05:20. > :05:23.always going to go that way. The decay when he went into the

:05:24. > :05:32.midsection -- particularly when he went into the midsection. I always

:05:33. > :05:44.thought this match would go 6-4, 6-5 either way. He still needs good

:05:45. > :05:51.position on this red here. 37 ahead. 51 remaining, so, red and

:05:52. > :06:03.blue, that would put him three ahead with 43 remaining.

:06:04. > :06:11.The reason I am saying it has looked for a while as if it would go to a

:06:12. > :06:14.decider, both players have not played that consistently and they

:06:15. > :06:20.have never asserted themselves, the degree Mark Allen, when he has been

:06:21. > :06:23.in front. He has always been one frame in front that has never been

:06:24. > :06:30.able to capitalise on it. I found that quite strange in many ways.

:06:31. > :06:38.This red will take us to that deciding frame.

:06:39. > :06:48.He missed it but it has run safe but Mark Allen can still win this frame

:06:49. > :06:50.without needing the snooker. I am just wondering, John, does he have

:06:51. > :07:03.the opportunity here? If he can get the cue ball behind

:07:04. > :07:20.the pink, it would be ideal. Well, the one thing you don't want

:07:21. > :07:24.to do when your opponent needs to just pot one ball to win a frame is

:07:25. > :07:34.leave the chance of the pot and that is what he has done.

:07:35. > :07:42.Well, he didn't play it. He didn't play it. He had the pink as an

:07:43. > :07:49.insurance, that green as an insurers and yet, he refused frame ball. --

:07:50. > :07:55.as an insurance. That, to me, tells me that he is not very confident,

:07:56. > :07:57.Neil Robertson, and to be fair, some the balls he have missed, why would

:07:58. > :08:26.he be. But he will go for this one. It is certain now to go to the

:08:27. > :08:31.deciding frame. The snooker has been played and that is enough for Mark

:08:32. > :08:36.Allen. So, Mark Allen has always had his nose in front, Neil Robertson

:08:37. > :08:43.keeps picking him back, 5-5, a final frame shoot out coming up. Yes,

:08:44. > :08:47.incredible what is happening here. The pattern, Mark Allen goes in

:08:48. > :08:53.front, Neil Robertson pulls him back, and again. What is going to

:08:54. > :08:58.happen? It is all in the toss of a coin. Neil Robertson has hung in an

:08:59. > :09:03.stuck in when his game hasn't been anywhere near what he is capable of

:09:04. > :09:07.so that is to his eternal credit because he has kept competing. Mark

:09:08. > :09:12.Allen has refused to win this match. He has had chance after chance. He

:09:13. > :09:20.missed 20 last frame. He should have won by now. You wouldn't put it past

:09:21. > :09:24.Neil Robertson to win this match let's say he does, for arguments

:09:25. > :09:28.sake and it wasn't pretty, it has not been pretty today. But if he

:09:29. > :09:32.then goes on, gets up to running speed later in the tournament, plays

:09:33. > :09:38.poignantly in the final, nobody will ever remember this. So, sometimes,

:09:39. > :09:41.it has got to be ugly but you get a chance to redeem yourself later in

:09:42. > :09:46.the tournament. You have to be in it to win it and all of a sudden, if he

:09:47. > :09:53.gets to this round, he could start again. And you build momentum.

:09:54. > :10:01.Absolute. It is no good improving at the end one. You've got knocked

:10:02. > :10:04.out, you're going home. If can get through it sometimes, just fall over

:10:05. > :10:08.the line, any victory, and then you can sort your game out, it might be

:10:09. > :10:12.a technical thing, it might be the weather, who knows what it is but

:10:13. > :10:16.just get through. The third match that has gone all the way to a final

:10:17. > :10:20.frame decider, an interesting pattern. The player who has drawn

:10:21. > :10:31.level in the tenth frame has gone on then to lose the match. You don't

:10:32. > :10:36.ever want to let it get to 5-5. But if it does, you have to stick in

:10:37. > :10:41.there. Some players have a better record in last frame decider than

:10:42. > :10:44.others. You would expect they are in the top 16 they have good records.

:10:45. > :10:48.If they pit their wits against each other, one of them has to lose but

:10:49. > :10:51.both Mark Allen and your Neil Robertson have got fantastic

:10:52. > :10:55.fighting qualities. You would expect them to try and raise big game in

:10:56. > :11:01.the last. The adrenaline will be pumping for both of them. All you

:11:02. > :11:08.are looking for in this final frame, Jason, is a good chance. What you

:11:09. > :11:14.don't want to do is see your opponent... If you get a chance, you

:11:15. > :11:18.can't complain. Here he comes, the world number one. Just for the

:11:19. > :11:23.record, it was Judd Trump who drew level and then lost. Mark Davis drew

:11:24. > :11:34.level with Mark sale plea and Mark Selby triumphed in the final frame.

:11:35. > :11:45.-- Mark Selby. Who will win it. In 2013, it was 5--5 and Neil Robertson

:11:46. > :11:57.one 6-5. All we have a repeat of that? Who knows?

:11:58. > :12:16.We all love a decider. That is a pool safety shot from Neil

:12:17. > :12:29.Robertson. So, the first half chance to Mark Allen. -- per

:12:30. > :12:49.I think of the two players, John, Neil Robertson will be that a bit

:12:50. > :12:54.more confident. Particularly after the last round. Mark had a couple of

:12:55. > :13:04.chances and really should have put this match to bed.

:13:05. > :13:16.So, a first chance for Neil Robertson.

:13:17. > :13:30.It was quite a good pot, this. It went into a lined pocket, as we call

:13:31. > :13:36.it. This is the ideal opportunity. You have a couple of open reds, a

:13:37. > :13:38.couple of reds below the pack, around the black as well, red up

:13:39. > :13:56.along the middle pocket. Yes, and he is not world number one

:13:57. > :14:03.and reigning UK champion because he is frightened of the winning line.

:14:04. > :14:10.So, he has a lot of things going for him here, Neil Robertson.

:14:11. > :14:31.First opportunity to bring some of reds into play.

:14:32. > :14:44.He wanted that cue ball out in the middle of the table, he got into a

:14:45. > :14:49.too much. -- into it too much. Needless to say, this pressure, if

:14:50. > :14:55.he plays the pot on the yellow, I don't think there was enough to the

:14:56. > :15:03.middle but the yellow was difficult enough in itself.

:15:04. > :15:15.That middle pocket is enough to put you off this shot.

:15:16. > :15:22.He will be looking to make the most of this opportunity. He wouldn't

:15:23. > :15:28.want to play the safety shot and yet, he is having a look at the

:15:29. > :15:45.safety. He will be very disappointed if he stops now.

:15:46. > :15:54.Well, he doesn't want the yellow to go in. It is the safety but he will

:15:55. > :16:04.be very disappointed that he didn't they morph on that opportunity. --

:16:05. > :16:46.didn't make more from that opportunity.

:16:47. > :16:54.Any ideas, Kenneth? I have put a line up there, wondering whether

:16:55. > :17:01.this is possible, inside of the red, trying to hit that cushion and back

:17:02. > :17:10.up the table. That is very, very difficult. It is a way out but if

:17:11. > :17:16.you get the red that then, you may knock the bread towards the right

:17:17. > :17:26.corner. -- you may knock a red towards the right corner.

:17:27. > :17:38.He is looking at a possible plant. It has to be a three ball plant.

:17:39. > :17:44.That is very briskly at this stage. As you say, it will have to be three

:17:45. > :17:46.ball plant and the first one will have to be hit square in the face.

:17:47. > :17:59.It is a tough shot, this. He tried to put his way out of

:18:00. > :18:05.trouble and now will hope for a bit of luck. Certainly, a red will cut

:18:06. > :18:10.to the middle. But if that is the only pot, it could have been a lot

:18:11. > :18:20.worse for -- from Mark Allen's point of view. The fact that the reds has

:18:21. > :18:25.worn over this left-hand corner pocket, the plant is straightforward

:18:26. > :18:31.but I mean, where is this colour going to come from? If he squeeze it

:18:32. > :18:36.directly black, it looks like it will go towards the black. He could

:18:37. > :18:37.take the one to the right of that. But it makes the plant just a little

:18:38. > :18:53.bit more difficult. He might just have a slight angle

:18:54. > :18:59.and be able to play for the pink. Mark Allen could have certainly left

:19:00. > :19:05.something easier than this. He's just try to put his way out of

:19:06. > :19:16.trouble, there. -- he just try to pot his way out of trouble. He could

:19:17. > :19:19.take that red advocate the plant. It is much more straightforward to get

:19:20. > :19:39.the position on your next colour but the dead straight red, it is not.

:19:40. > :19:49.Well, talk about putting all your eggs in the one basket. I thought it

:19:50. > :19:53.wasn't a bad idea if you played it for a baulk colour, but to played

:19:54. > :19:59.for the pink, that was risking it all. A bit of good fortune for Mark

:20:00. > :20:03.Allen. And it has to be said, it was good fortune. It could win him this

:20:04. > :20:22.match. Just like the role of the dice.

:20:23. > :20:31.Well, just when you thought you had seen everything in this match, he

:20:32. > :20:38.screeched that by at least a foot. But forgive me for saying, he didn't

:20:39. > :20:43.have to screw him direct there, he could have used the side cushion.

:20:44. > :20:52.Use the cushion, you've got a bit more control. He had the ankle, just

:20:53. > :21:00.to use the cushion. Sometimes, when you ask growing back without the

:21:01. > :21:05.cushion, that is what can happen. But we can't beat too critical, it

:21:06. > :21:11.is the deciding frame place in the quarterfinal stake. And the thinking

:21:12. > :21:14.isn't always clear. With what has happened early on in the match, you

:21:15. > :21:34.get different thoughts. Yes, and this exactly what he did.

:21:35. > :21:40.Let's see what Hawk-eye would have done off the cushion. The bit more

:21:41. > :21:46.control there. He has to cover this red over the corner pocket and be

:21:47. > :21:52.very careful trying to use the blue. Well, he has gone for the baulk.

:21:53. > :22:03.What a shot that was. What a pot that was. I couldn't have used a

:22:04. > :22:08.better word. Wow. Unbelievable. Just shows you sometimes, in this game,

:22:09. > :22:14.you never know. Somebody so annoyed, frustrated, he will take anything

:22:15. > :22:23.on. And what a pot. Does he set up a batch -- a match-winning

:22:24. > :22:26.opportunity? It could well do. After a pot like that, maybe he deserves

:22:27. > :22:41.it. I think he is just about on this

:22:42. > :23:00.red. I think he can just swerve it. He

:23:01. > :23:01.still has the pink into the right centre but he is going to play the

:23:02. > :23:23.plant. I am just wondering, John, straight

:23:24. > :23:25.on the blue, will the red to the right of the blue pot into the

:23:26. > :24:48.left-hand corner pocket? That wasn't the best positional

:24:49. > :25:04.shot. Just a little stun shot was

:25:05. > :25:11.required. There are nervous out there, for certain. He doesn't want

:25:12. > :25:23.to kiss this yellow. He is nothing if it does. It was a positional shot

:25:24. > :25:28.of the pink, I cannot believe he didn't leave himself straight on the

:25:29. > :25:31.red to the right middle. As we say, it is nervous and we sometimes

:25:32. > :25:40.forget, we all sat in the comfort of the commentary box.

:25:41. > :25:53.As soon as he played that shot, he knew. The problem here, he has to

:25:54. > :26:00.cover the red. OK, he could stun the yellow and leave the cue ball close

:26:01. > :26:13.to the red. But he has got to be careful.

:26:14. > :26:37.Foul. Touching ball. I assume he means touching ball on the red.

:26:38. > :26:45.I think he has made a mistake there, John. I would have definitely made

:26:46. > :26:53.Mark Allen play from the position it was. It is touching ball so what is

:26:54. > :26:59.he going to do? He is touching ball, he has to play away from the red.

:27:00. > :27:06.So, why has he placed it? The deciding frame, your mind doesn't

:27:07. > :27:08.automatically think as it should. But no way should he have had this

:27:09. > :27:31.be placed. It is an easy shot. The fact that it was touching the

:27:32. > :27:37.red, he couldn't nestle on the red because it would have been a pull

:27:38. > :27:41.shot. So, he would have had to come up with, sort of, intuitive shots

:27:42. > :28:46.and now it is touching ball. The only problem with that shot, can

:28:47. > :28:51.Neil Robertson get past the pink? If he could, he would be looking at it.

:28:52. > :28:59.Maybe he is looking at it. He can get through to it.

:29:00. > :29:34.He needed to get it and he has done. Unbelievable turnaround.

:29:35. > :29:44.Slightly hampered by the black here. The pink goes into the bottom

:29:45. > :30:03.right-hand corner pocket. He decided to go for the blue and he

:30:04. > :30:10.has played that very, very well. This blue, Titus calls in this

:30:11. > :30:18.frame. It is all level. -- Titus calls.

:30:19. > :30:21.Mark Allen will have to hope that something goes wrong font Neil

:30:22. > :30:38.Robertson here. Bash goes wrong for there is the first thing. That was a

:30:39. > :30:39.major kick and it may be a lifeline for Mark Allen just yet. Everything

:30:40. > :30:47.is happening in this game. This puts a bit of pressure on the

:30:48. > :30:54.shot. You saw the cue ball jump in the

:30:55. > :31:22.air. Made certain of the red. He's just

:31:23. > :31:47.about OK on this pink. Now a 13 point lead. I don't think

:31:48. > :31:52.the black will come into the equation. Mark Allen, he will have

:31:53. > :31:57.sleepless nights over this match. The chances he has had. It will be a

:31:58. > :32:19.bitter pill to swallow. Now, because the yellow's quite a

:32:20. > :32:23.adjacent to the left middle... He won't be too bothered about thinking

:32:24. > :32:35.about, well, if I'd pop the black now, I am 28 points in front. -- if

:32:36. > :32:41.I pot. The blue and yellow will do. All pink and then the yellow. Red

:32:42. > :32:48.and black would put him 27 points in front. And quite rightly going up

:32:49. > :32:53.for the blue, and it is absolutely inch perfect. Mark Allen has played

:32:54. > :33:07.his last shot in this year's masters. Also it seems for certain.

:33:08. > :33:21.It is a game sometimes. -- a cruel game. Absolutely out of this world.

:33:22. > :33:30.Mark Allen ran out of position and Neil Robertson got his chance. And

:33:31. > :33:38.the brown now means it's a repeat of the result last year that was in the

:33:39. > :33:48.quarterfinal. Gill Robertson beat Mark Allen 6-5. It is deja vu. --

:33:49. > :33:54.Neil Robertson. The chances he had, the balls he missed. Neil Robertson

:33:55. > :33:58.did the same but he can move onwards and upwards, because the world

:33:59. > :34:05.number one somehow is in the second round. He winds 6-5.

:34:06. > :34:10.A sigh of relief from Neil Robertson. Mark Allen will be

:34:11. > :34:23.absolutely gutted yet again that Neil Robertson strikes Mark Allen.

:34:24. > :34:29.Defeated in 2000 one, 2010, 2011. Again 2013. He will be kicking

:34:30. > :34:33.himself. It just seems like the player in form, people trip over

:34:34. > :34:39.themselves. He just cannot believe Mark Allen has thrown away the

:34:40. > :34:43.chances. We have decisions to show you, situations to show you that

:34:44. > :34:48.John Virgo alluded to in the commentary. The first one was the

:34:49. > :34:54.pink Mark Allen had into the middle pocket, and, John, all he had to do

:34:55. > :35:00.was lined the pink, line it up on the red, and he overhit it by a good

:35:01. > :35:04.six inches on such a soft little shocked. There are a few things you

:35:05. > :35:14.can do there. You either drop it in dead weight. You are straight on the

:35:15. > :35:18.red, and all the reds are available. It just shows in those situations,

:35:19. > :35:23.your brain doesn't think, you get fuzzy. Your brain gets adult. I

:35:24. > :35:34.mean, he would never do that in practice. -- your brain gets fuzzy.

:35:35. > :35:39.Join us in this situation. We are talking about some of the situations

:35:40. > :35:43.Mark made at the end. When Mark Allen was left with the shot...

:35:44. > :35:52.Touching ball. Were you thinking he was going to play to the cushion? I

:35:53. > :35:57.was trying to trap it so he would play a really risky cover shot. I'd

:35:58. > :36:08.think he realised he only had to nudge it an inch or so. --

:36:09. > :36:16.identifying. -- I do not think. But we were thinking you could either

:36:17. > :36:23.play at off a side cushion, but to win a game in that way was

:36:24. > :36:27.marvellous for you? The room was so hot. The way the tables played...

:36:28. > :36:34.The balls just spray off all over the place when it is that hot. I'm

:36:35. > :36:39.missed a black there by about six inches and I was pretty much

:36:40. > :36:45.perfect, playing with a touch of side. -- I missed. We had to get the

:36:46. > :36:50.white changed because it was playing like a ping-pong ball and making us

:36:51. > :36:55.look stupid! I was delighted to steal that one on the black to go to

:36:56. > :37:02.-2. Afterwards, things were a bit better but it was still a struggle.

:37:03. > :37:08.-- 2-2. But you are thinking, now I am not sure what is going to happen.

:37:09. > :37:12.Shaun Murphy was alluding to the same thing the other day. He was

:37:13. > :37:18.getting so much work off the cue ball that it wasn't matching up to

:37:19. > :37:22.the other balls. Yes. I'd really hit them the way I would have liked and

:37:23. > :37:31.they came zipping back. -- I did not hit them. At the start, a great red

:37:32. > :37:38.bridging off the cushion. I seal for Mark because it is similar to last

:37:39. > :37:46.year, how he went off for me. -- I feel. He did not really seem to get

:37:47. > :37:51.in... When I've played that shot on the plant, he left me an awful shot

:37:52. > :37:59.and I'm missed. He was trying to deep screw and he was laying on top

:38:00. > :38:04.of things. Playing on the green, that was amazing. He did not look

:38:05. > :38:08.quite like his usual self but it was hard because the conditions were

:38:09. > :38:13.very tough for us both. I think we both felt that green was a key

:38:14. > :38:17.moment. But you know you mentioned the conditions. Shaun Murphy and

:38:18. > :38:20.Mark Allen have been discussing on Twitter the conditions and whether

:38:21. > :38:24.it would help players, and were just like to get your opinion on this,

:38:25. > :38:28.whether it would help you as players to have a practice on the match

:38:29. > :38:38.table before you come out? Yeah, absolutely. Because early in the

:38:39. > :38:42.match, I missed several in a row because it was drifting slightly

:38:43. > :38:47.from left to right. And I got warned because I had to hit a red and I had

:38:48. > :38:51.to play even more of a swerve. So, you know... I said this last year

:38:52. > :38:57.because it cost me a couple of friends last year because the table

:38:58. > :39:03.wasn't quite level. Just six shots. -- a couple of frames. That is all I

:39:04. > :39:10.am asking for. Maybe not right before the match is going to start.

:39:11. > :39:14.Maybe an hour before the crowd gets out. And you want to be with the

:39:15. > :39:21.match balls as well, so you would want your five or ten minutes to be

:39:22. > :39:27.with the match balls. Yeah. I can't see why not. They do in tennis. But

:39:28. > :39:32.then the question was, would that be in every tournament? Yeah, it would

:39:33. > :39:38.be strange, especially if there is a big crowd in there, just watching

:39:39. > :39:45.you practice a bit. For me, just six or 12 shots, just to see how things

:39:46. > :39:57.are rolling. Many congratulations to you. Barry Hawkins up later. We are

:39:58. > :39:58.going to show you the best of the action of Ronnie O'Sullivan against

:39:59. > :40:11.Robert Milkins. JOHN VIRGO: He has misjudged this.

:40:12. > :40:12.It won't be taken because Robert can get through to the red just above

:40:13. > :40:26.the black. And the perfect angle on the black,

:40:27. > :40:31.should he so wished. Could cannon full-ball into the pink and really

:40:32. > :40:38.open up the frame. Could not have played that any better!

:40:39. > :40:51.He hit the pink perfectly. A bit unlucky how the balls were split.

:40:52. > :40:59.But look what he has been left with. That wasn't easy.

:41:00. > :41:06.It wasn't so much the pot. The pot itself was probably OK but he was

:41:07. > :41:11.trying to control it by playing softly for the blue. If he could

:41:12. > :41:19.have hit it harder, it probably would have been an easier pot.

:41:20. > :41:26.A bit of a misjudgement from Ronnie O'Sullivan there. He thought he

:41:27. > :41:30.could get the cue ball further up the table, even though sometimes the

:41:31. > :41:32.cue ball can still have a bit of topspin on it starts to return back

:41:33. > :41:52.down the table, and slows it up. That was a missable blue. At his

:41:53. > :41:54.long potting has certainly come on in the last few frames. It was down

:41:55. > :42:10.at 20% and is now up to 60. He could have played for the black

:42:11. > :42:13.off that red but it is so crowded around the black spot, he's going to

:42:14. > :42:20.try to clear a few reds from that before playing the black.

:42:21. > :42:24.And then even work on the pink, which goes into the middle and the

:42:25. > :42:37.corner. Now a lot of cannon on the red just

:42:38. > :42:49.above the black... Just to clear things a bit more.

:42:50. > :42:56.He will be a little bit disappointed with that, leaving himself hampered.

:42:57. > :43:02.Shouldn't miss the black at... Doesn't want to be hampered. And it

:43:03. > :43:05.has just made him play a poor positional shot. Finn than he would

:43:06. > :43:18.have liked. -- thinner. Just hanging on to position here,

:43:19. > :43:44.trusting to look somewhat. -- luck. The red to the right corner.

:43:45. > :43:51.Worrying times for Robert Milkins. He's on the brink of 5-0 here.

:43:52. > :43:52.Ronnie O'Sullivan needs a couple of positional shots and he is home and

:43:53. > :44:01.dry. He managed to control the cue ball,

:44:02. > :44:20.just stopped it short of the red. And now, as Steve alluded to, in

:44:21. > :44:25.perfect position, and you would expect him to win the frame now.

:44:26. > :44:34.Robert had his chance. He potted the blue, hit the pink really well.

:44:35. > :44:48.He could have been left with an easier red to continue with.

:44:49. > :44:55.That was it. The black got tied up a bit but, as it happens, it would

:44:56. > :45:01.have been available to the corner. But playing the red as he did,

:45:02. > :45:17.slowly with the rest. Just caught it a fraction too thick.

:45:18. > :45:24.Last hope for Robert Milkins that one O'Sullivan was fractionally out

:45:25. > :45:31.of position on the blue. Left it a bit further apart than he would have

:45:32. > :45:36.liked. You wouldn't expect him to miss this. Convert the frame. Hoping

:45:37. > :45:58.beyond hope... Hmm... Well, he will get another

:45:59. > :46:04.chance. So, one O'Sullivan goes back to his seat but still 59 points

:46:05. > :46:10.remaining with his 42 point lead. You just get the feeling if he had

:46:11. > :46:20.gone for it without having the ball cleaned, he would have potted it.

:46:21. > :46:26.Ah! So close! That is the story of the evening. So near and yet so far.

:46:27. > :46:35.So close to getting that. Just ducked into the top cushion. Could

:46:36. > :46:41.have dropped. Pretty tight pockets. End of frame. 5-0 and I don't think

:46:42. > :46:54.there's any way back. Unless one O'Sullivan completely

:46:55. > :47:05.takes his foot off the gas. Dash Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:47:06. > :47:08.And that will just mean that Robert Milkins will not get back to the

:47:09. > :47:20.table. It was a whitewash in the UK. You

:47:21. > :47:28.wouldn't bet against it in this Masters.

:47:29. > :47:40.Just over an hour to get to that 5-0 scoreline.

:47:41. > :47:46.Clever little positional shot he has pulled out there. Deliberately

:47:47. > :48:39.played to the yellow in the middle. So, in goes the black, it is 5-0!

:48:40. > :48:42.Robert Milkins had a couple of chances, didn't make them, and

:48:43. > :48:47.Ronnie O'Sullivan just keeps getting stronger, it appears, and just one

:48:48. > :48:52.frame away now from a place in the second round.

:48:53. > :48:58.The sell-out crowd loving it. Well, there was a well-deserved fist pump

:48:59. > :49:01.from Milkins avoiding a whitewash on his debut but O'Sullivan is back on

:49:02. > :49:15.the table in the next, looking to finish the job leading 51-8.

:49:16. > :49:24.He got enough side spin to play an excellent safety shot back. Robert

:49:25. > :49:31.Milkins may be... I think he was tempted to play this as they safety.

:49:32. > :49:49.Chose the wiser option. -- as a safety.

:49:50. > :49:58.Well, couldn't have been much closer. So a chance now for Robert.

:49:59. > :50:15.Anti-knock is his one in. Not an easy chance, this. -- and he not --

:50:16. > :50:18.knocks. Has just knocked one of the awkward reds into play. At least he

:50:19. > :50:46.is still in there with a chance. Awkward bridging. Odds against

:50:47. > :51:10.clearing up with both those reds on cushions. But not impossible.

:51:11. > :51:16.These are tough shots. Particularly if he has to play them with any

:51:17. > :51:24.pace. And he can't afford to miss this. Well... I think was the old

:51:25. > :51:30.case of throwing your cue at it there. That was asking for the

:51:31. > :51:34.impossible. Even Robert is laughing at that! Don't know what happened

:51:35. > :51:49.there! I've seen some shots but that was way out!

:51:50. > :51:57.Robert Milkins is getting a bit of help to get back into this match.

:51:58. > :52:16.OK, no alarm bells ringing at the moment.

:52:17. > :52:22.19 points, the lead. He is looking for these two reds, two colours. Not

:52:23. > :52:50.tempted by the double that time. I think if Ronnie O'Sullivan plays

:52:51. > :53:00.the correct tactical shots, he will be home and dry, but he has a risky

:53:01. > :53:04.shot here. But that was well played. I think you picked up like guided,

:53:05. > :53:15.Steve, just get the feeling Robert Milkins has run his race here.

:53:16. > :53:21.So, just this red and a colour, and that will be the race run for Robert

:53:22. > :53:46.Milkins. Could have had easier drawls. -- draws.

:53:47. > :53:54.He played it and he tried to play it with pace and cannon off the

:53:55. > :54:01.cushion. And Ronnie had just missed a few. He has missed there but

:54:02. > :54:07.Robert Milkins's game just was not good enough. Standing ovation for

:54:08. > :54:10.Ronnie O'Sullivan, who goes through to the second round. Made a few

:54:11. > :54:21.mistakes but still looked good early on. He runs out winner by 6-1.

:54:22. > :54:25.I've made a few mistakes but, on the whole, I played pretty solid

:54:26. > :54:34.tonight. Ronnie did not play as well against

:54:35. > :54:42.me as he did at the UK. I was quite surprised. Choked a bit really,

:54:43. > :54:45.didn't do myself justice. The atmosphere there or something

:54:46. > :54:52.different. On the table in front of all those people. -- was something

:54:53. > :54:56.different. Just didn't do myself any justice at all. All top quality

:54:57. > :55:01.players in this tournament and, like any tournament, the top players,

:55:02. > :55:05.whoever is on their game will probably go on and win the title, so

:55:06. > :55:11.it is just a matter of coming in on form.

:55:12. > :55:21.Steve, you were commentating on Ronnie's match last night, and

:55:22. > :55:23.probably the first and most enthralling first round

:55:24. > :55:30.performance. Even though Robert Milkins was a bit like a rabbit in

:55:31. > :55:34.headlights, Ronnie looks very focused on the ball and very

:55:35. > :55:37.workmanlike. Yes, he did take his foot off the gas in the second half

:55:38. > :55:41.a fraction but it did seem inevitable in the end he was going

:55:42. > :55:46.to win that match. And he made light work of it. He certainly has a

:55:47. > :55:50.chance and the bookmakers have made him favourite. A lot left to play

:55:51. > :55:54.but you would public make him the favourite with the way here is

:55:55. > :56:00.because he has won the title several times before. Robert should not be

:56:01. > :56:05.so disappointed. Top 16 is his best performance and it is all good

:56:06. > :56:11.experience. For those who have backed Ronnie O'Sullivan and are

:56:12. > :56:19.looking for him to win it, Mark Selby has snuck through so could be

:56:20. > :56:26.in with a shout. I suppose the message to Robert Milkins is, you

:56:27. > :56:32.can't always get what you want! I got that! Steve has his head in his

:56:33. > :56:38.hands! This is what it has come to! This evening's match is Barry

:56:39. > :56:43.Hawkins taking on Ricky Walden. It couldn't be tighter.

:56:44. > :56:58.Their first meeting was at The Crucible. Hawkins won but by 14-7.

:56:59. > :57:04.You can see, yet to win a match here. Does that play on his mind? It

:57:05. > :57:08.could do. You can say most of the matches are tough but this is

:57:09. > :57:12.incredibly hard to pick a winner. If you look at recent form, Ricky did

:57:13. > :57:17.really well in the league thing last week. He is in good form. At Barry

:57:18. > :57:21.Hawkins is such a good match player and so hard to play against that

:57:22. > :57:38.this is a stinking Jihad match to pick a winner. -- but Barry Hawkins.

:57:39. > :57:44.-- this is a stinkingly hard match to pick. When he is on fire,

:57:45. > :57:53.Hawkins, very fluid amongst the balls. Very efficient, very clinical

:57:54. > :57:58.player. It is hard to know which one will excel tonight. I love the way

:57:59. > :58:03.Ricky goes about his business. A really nice guy as well. Yes. We

:58:04. > :58:08.were chatting before talking about the merits of our two brilliant

:58:09. > :58:12.teams, but a terrific player and a heavy score. You can watch that

:58:13. > :58:20.match via the BBC sports website, and if you hit your Red Button as

:58:21. > :58:24.well, highlights with Hazel from 11:20pm on BBC Two. Thank you to

:58:25. > :58:28.John and Steve. Mark Allen will be kicking himself. He had a wonderful

:58:29. > :58:31.chance to beat the world number one, Neil Robertson, this afternoon, but

:58:32. > :58:38.the best player in the world goes marching on, but, boy, was it

:58:39. > :58:40.close! Do join Hazel tonight, 11:20pm, for the highlights. Goodbye

:58:41. > :58:42.for now.