Day 5

:00:33. > :00:39.hello again. There was another late show here at Alexandra Palace in

:00:40. > :00:44.north London in this Masters, when Ricky Walden, the 12th seed, grabbed

:00:45. > :00:51.the last place in the quarterfinals, and, my goodness, he left it late.

:00:52. > :00:55.His match, like another three in the eight first-round matches, went the

:00:56. > :00:58.distance, to a final friend is I'd just it has left us with a

:00:59. > :01:07.quarterfinal line-up which is hotter than an Australian summer. -- a

:01:08. > :01:40.final frame decider. Can, so many close matches in that

:01:41. > :01:44.opening round, is that the shape of things to come for the rest of the

:01:45. > :01:48.tournament? I think so. The top 16 players in the world, up against

:01:49. > :01:53.each other, you are always going to get close ones. Some of them, you

:01:54. > :01:58.just could not call. It is such a toss of a coin at this stage. There

:01:59. > :02:02.is only two players who came through that first round virtually

:02:03. > :02:06.unscathed, Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. John Higgins has come

:02:07. > :02:13.under the radar a bit in this, but he has got a tough match against

:02:14. > :02:18.Mark Selby. Yes, but a massive price on John Higgins to win this

:02:19. > :02:21.tournament. He has won the Masters a couple of times, but he is up

:02:22. > :02:25.against the defending champion. Two of the hardest match players on the

:02:26. > :02:30.circuit. Again, you cannot really pick one. If anybody can blow away

:02:31. > :02:35.the opposition, it is Ronnie O'Sullivan. Some of his fans must

:02:36. > :02:40.have been a bit disappointed to have seen Mark Selby and Neil Robertson

:02:41. > :02:43.scrape through. Yes, Neil Robertson is in the same half of the draw as

:02:44. > :02:48.Ronnie O'Sullivan. And of course, Mark Selby has been Ronnie

:02:49. > :02:52.O'Sullivan's nemesis here a couple of times. Yes, of all of the

:02:53. > :02:58.players, in that first round, Ronnie was the most impressive, demolishing

:02:59. > :03:02.Robert Milkins. His has been the standout performance. But there is

:03:03. > :03:07.an awful long way to go. Two players playing this afternoon who have also

:03:08. > :03:11.impressed, Shaun Murphy and Marco Fu? Yes, fantastic. Rocco food beat

:03:12. > :03:17.Judd Trump in that final frame decider. Shaun Murphy was second

:03:18. > :03:20.favourite against Ding Junhui, who was a massive favourite coming into

:03:21. > :03:24.this tournament. Shaun Murphy once again produced some really good

:03:25. > :03:29.snooker. I think this is going to be another classic, and once again, you

:03:30. > :03:33.cannot call it. It is going to go all the way to six o'clock in the

:03:34. > :03:37.evening tonight, that is for sure. So, this is the line-up, and what a

:03:38. > :03:44.contest, with five Masters titles between them, Selby and begins, in a

:03:45. > :03:53.repeat of that epic final of six years ago.

:03:54. > :04:02.You would not want to miss any of those matches, would you? And you do

:04:03. > :04:05.not have to digest -- you do not have to. We will be showing all of

:04:06. > :04:10.them live over the next couple of days. But the one that this crowd is

:04:11. > :04:16.looking forward to is Shaun Murphy against Marco Fu today. Marco is a

:04:17. > :04:22.snooker star who tends to either fizzle out early or shine long and

:04:23. > :04:27.brightly in major events. He burned with real intensity in his opening

:04:28. > :04:29.match, knocking Judd Trump out. Could it be that the man from Hong

:04:30. > :04:42.Kong is on a roll here? Marco probably lacks a little bit of

:04:43. > :04:46.self belief. He burst onto the scene in his first season, getting through

:04:47. > :04:50.to the final of the UK Championship, and everybody thought, here is a

:04:51. > :04:55.rising star from the East. He is going to get right to the top. Then

:04:56. > :04:59.he disappeared, but he has just got to get that self belief, because he

:05:00. > :05:03.has certainly got the talent. He is another player blessed with

:05:04. > :05:11.exceptional temperament. Not got the greatest of ability. He has hot

:05:12. > :05:15.streaks. I have said on many occasions, I have great respect for

:05:16. > :05:19.the overseas players, who come over to England, the hotbed of snooker,

:05:20. > :05:24.living out of a suitcase, and Marco has been doing that for many years.

:05:25. > :05:29.It is not easy. But now, he is married and settled, living in

:05:30. > :05:34.England, and I think his game will improve. Marco Fu has a very unique

:05:35. > :05:41.technique. There is no real cue action, he just points to cue at the

:05:42. > :05:46.cue ball. He does not further it in and out, he just points the cue, and

:05:47. > :05:50.his head moves slightly, but when he delivers that cue, it goes through

:05:51. > :05:56.in a straight line. It is certainly a technique all of his own. I think

:05:57. > :06:03.the reason he goes in and out of form is because I think he probably

:06:04. > :06:09.needs to further the ball a few more times, and then he can probably be

:06:10. > :06:15.more consistent. One of the nicest players on the circuit, always signs

:06:16. > :06:24.autographs, one of nature's nice guys, a credit to the game. Well,

:06:25. > :06:31.this year, Shaun Murphy's 10th attempt to land the title. He got

:06:32. > :06:35.close in 2012 against Neil Robertson, and losing again to the

:06:36. > :06:41.Aussie last year in the semifinal. He already has a world title and a

:06:42. > :06:46.UK crown on his CV. He claimed that UK title against Marco Fu in the

:06:47. > :06:51.final of 2008, which went down to a memorable final frame decider.

:06:52. > :06:57.Ultimately it went the way of Shaun, who was helped by a fluke

:06:58. > :07:04.pink. Nobody has forgotten that. But the Hong Kong player has won their

:07:05. > :07:08.last two meetings. He went on to win that event, and with it, the second

:07:09. > :07:13.major title of his career. There is a lot to get our teeth into today,

:07:14. > :07:19.Steve Davis. Yes, I am here with our experts in the commentary box.

:07:20. > :07:24.Firstly, John, Marco Fu can break the hearts of snooker players, even

:07:25. > :07:29.if Shaun Murphy seems to be on a mission this week, a keep fit

:07:30. > :07:35.campaign... Yes, Marco Fu just seems to creep up on you, really. I think

:07:36. > :07:38.he will be very relieved to be in this second round, because it looked

:07:39. > :07:44.for all the world he was going to lose to Judd Trump. As far as Shaun

:07:45. > :07:49.was concerned, he started off well against Ding, and then it became

:07:50. > :07:53.scrappy. Of the two, I think Marco will have better memories of the

:07:54. > :07:57.first round. Looking at the head-to-heads, Ed Ling has won nine

:07:58. > :08:02.of them, but more importantly, the big occasions, the World

:08:03. > :08:06.Championship, and a qualifying match here at the Masters. Will that play

:08:07. > :08:11.a part? It should not do. But with Marco, you never know. If he is in

:08:12. > :08:14.the mood, he is a match for anyone. But yes, if you look at the

:08:15. > :08:20.head-to-head, it could be that Shaun has the advantage. Stephen Hendry, a

:08:21. > :08:27.master of the Masters here yourself, a lot of people have fallen over the

:08:28. > :08:31.line this week? Yes, I have been a bit disappointed. A lot of players

:08:32. > :08:35.started off really well in the first few frames, like Barry Hawkins last

:08:36. > :08:39.night. But then they have seemed to go into their shell and they cannot

:08:40. > :08:42.get over the winning line. It is a bit strange to see for supposedly

:08:43. > :08:46.the top players in the world. Two players who did make it look easy,

:08:47. > :08:52.John Higgins and Ronnie O'Sullivan, the old brigade? I could not believe

:08:53. > :08:55.that the other night, John Higgins, second favourite against Stuart

:08:56. > :08:58.Bingham, I could never have that. He is always going to be there or

:08:59. > :09:04.thereabouts in a tournament like this. Ronnie, if he plays, will win

:09:05. > :09:09.the tournament, but it is not as easy as that. Gentlemen, thank you

:09:10. > :09:12.very much. Over to Rob Walker. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It

:09:13. > :09:19.is quarterfinal time here at the Masters, and what a way to

:09:20. > :09:21.kick-start the drive for the semifinals! It is going to be a

:09:22. > :09:29.rematch of the UK Championship final in 2008, and that was an absolute

:09:30. > :09:33.cracker. Please welcome, first of all, a player who very much enjoyed

:09:34. > :09:38.his first Masters match in three years on Monday, beating John Trump

:09:39. > :09:42.in an absolute thriller. He has shot his way back up the world rankings

:09:43. > :09:47.in the last two years, he is firmly back to his best. Please welcome,

:09:48. > :09:50.the reigning Australian Open champion, it is Marco Fu!

:09:51. > :10:02.MUSIC: "I've Gotta Feeling" by black Eyed Peas.

:10:03. > :10:07.You'll return to the top has been rapid, and what a way to start your

:10:08. > :10:13.tournament, beating Judd Trump? Yes, it was a very tough match. He is

:10:14. > :10:18.doing very well, he is a dangerous opponent, so it was nice to win that

:10:19. > :10:28.match against Judd. Best of luck, ladies and gentlemen, Marco Fu! And

:10:29. > :10:34.his opponent, a new slimline physique, and new walk on music for

:10:35. > :10:39.this New Year, and it is working. A tremendous comeback against Ding

:10:40. > :10:42.Junhui on Tuesday, is that a season defining moment critic Mark Lees

:10:43. > :10:45.welcome the former world and UK Champion, The Magician, Shaun

:10:46. > :10:50.Murphy! MUSIC: "Superstition" by Stevie

:10:51. > :11:05.Wonder. In every sense of the word, Shaun,

:11:06. > :11:09.there is a spring in your step. Yes, New Year, new start. Best of luck.

:11:10. > :11:18.They designed and woman, Shaun Murphy!

:11:19. > :11:31.HAZEL IRVINE: Well, both of these men have reached the final before.

:11:32. > :11:35.JOHN VIRGO: So, Shaun Murphy getting the first frame under way. Still

:11:36. > :11:49.best of 11. Marco Fu, well, he looked as though

:11:50. > :11:54.he was on his way out of the tournament at a few stages in his

:11:55. > :11:55.last match against job Trump, but he will be highly relieved to be

:11:56. > :12:09.playing. -- against Judd Trump. We were just saying, he is one of

:12:10. > :12:15.these players, he does not seem to do a lot, but he scores so heavily,

:12:16. > :12:20.sometimes, when he is really on his game? Hendry label yes, he is

:12:21. > :12:27.probably not one of the marquee players, but as you said before, he

:12:28. > :12:28.is a match for anybody, he scores as heavily as anybody when he gets

:12:29. > :12:59.going. Just looking at those two reds, are

:13:00. > :13:05.they in line for the far corner? But he did not think it was worth

:13:06. > :13:08.risking. Even if he potted, he was not guaranteed to be on a colour.

:13:09. > :13:14.But the reds are spread far and wide now. But the black is tied up, so,

:13:15. > :13:18.there is not going to be a great opportunity. But a mistake here

:13:19. > :13:41.could be costly. I will be looking to day for Shaun

:13:42. > :13:43.to impose himself on the match. There is no doubt, he is by far the

:13:44. > :14:00.most attacking player of the two. Well, he has left the pot on the

:14:01. > :14:54.red, but with the black being tied up, Mark O'Meara not attempt it.

:14:55. > :14:59.Just a fraction short, and that makes such a difference. If it had

:15:00. > :15:22.been tight, this would have been a tough safety shot.

:15:23. > :15:33.Well, once again, he has left him a chance on this red to the left

:15:34. > :15:39.corner. STEPHEN HENDRY: Yes, you would see

:15:40. > :15:45.several players going for this, and screwing back. But I do not think

:15:46. > :15:52.Marco Fu has got that shot in his armoury. These tables are so fast

:15:53. > :15:58.and so reactive, the shot is on. Yes, absolutely. You could envisage

:15:59. > :16:04.one of the top players potting that and going up for the blue. But when

:16:05. > :16:05.we see Marco Fu's cue action, it does not generate that type of

:16:06. > :16:41.power. It was important he covered the red

:16:42. > :16:46.which is in the baulk half of the table, which he appears to have

:16:47. > :17:21.done. So, he is calling the shots, so to speak, at the moment.

:17:22. > :17:57.He is just playing one red on to the other. With that red being in the

:17:58. > :18:09.other half of the table, it was not that important which side of the

:18:10. > :18:12.blue he ended up. The way the reds are situated, he obviously does not

:18:13. > :18:15.have to do too much with the cue ball. He would love to have the pink

:18:16. > :18:31.in play. The black is not so important.

:18:32. > :18:40.But this is a nice opportunity to get your cue going. I do not think

:18:41. > :18:46.the pink goes to the left corner, but it might go to the right middle.

:18:47. > :18:51.You can see it there, it does not go into the corner pocket. Or he could

:18:52. > :18:57.pop the blue and play the cannon on the pink to release it.

:18:58. > :19:05.Well, he did play it, I think he did, anyway. Maybe not, maybe he did

:19:06. > :19:06.play for this red. I'm potting this one, he should release the black for

:19:07. > :19:37.the corner pocket. In this situation, where you do not

:19:38. > :19:41.have to play the power shots, you fancy him to win the frame in one

:19:42. > :20:02.visit. He usually keeps the cue ball on a pretty tight leash.

:20:03. > :20:36.He went up for the blue and got the perfect angle.

:20:37. > :20:45.He is very neat and tidy when he is in amongst the balls. Yes, and as we

:20:46. > :20:53.were saying, he has got a nice touch, and if you can keep control

:20:54. > :20:57.of the cue ball, every shot is easy. They are the best breaks, when

:20:58. > :20:58.people watching can say, I could have potted that. That is all

:20:59. > :22:24.because of good cue ball control. This black will put him 54 points in

:22:25. > :22:29.front. After this, he will need probably three of the remaining

:22:30. > :22:35.reds. But the way he has gone about it so far, you would not expect him

:22:36. > :22:45.not to make the most of this opportunity. He won the safety

:22:46. > :22:56.exchange. And he has got this chance.

:22:57. > :23:01.However, he will be a little bit annoyed that he did not get a bit

:23:02. > :23:23.more of an angle on this black. It should not cause a problem.

:23:24. > :23:38.He played for an area where he thought he was bound to be nicely on

:23:39. > :23:41.a red, but he is a bit hampered. He might be able to cannon off the

:23:42. > :23:52.other red and leave himself on the pink. Well, he has left himself high

:23:53. > :23:56.on the black, all with a tricky pink to the centre. But if we look at the

:23:57. > :24:05.school board, if he pops the pink, he will be 69 in front, with just 67

:24:06. > :24:06.remaining. But as I said, when he came a bit too straight on the

:24:07. > :24:24.black, he made things a bit awkward. He played that confidently,

:24:25. > :24:31.considering that was frame ball, he did not hold back on it. So, Shaun

:24:32. > :24:36.Murphy has seen this first frame slip away. He did not have much of

:24:37. > :24:40.an opportunity. You could say the red he attempted was a bit reckless.

:24:41. > :24:53.Sometimes, if you have not got a safety shot on, you have got to try

:24:54. > :25:04.and pot your way out of trouble. It quietly and efficiently, Marco goes

:25:05. > :25:08.about his business. Well, he has missed, but the frame is well and

:25:09. > :25:12.truly over. Shaun Murphy will come to the table, not with any idea of

:25:13. > :28:00.winning the frame, but just for a bit of potting practice.

:28:01. > :28:09.He was talking yesterday, Shaun, about, sometimes he thinks, like

:28:10. > :28:20.they do in tennis, they should have a little practice on the table, and

:28:21. > :28:23.maybe that is what he is doing. Yes, I think, in the first frame, you can

:28:24. > :28:33.definitely get your arm going on the table.

:28:34. > :28:38.He has potted some nice balls. The frame is well and truly over, but he

:28:39. > :28:46.has had his bit of practice, and settled in. But for all the balls he

:28:47. > :28:52.prodded at the end, it was Marco Fu, with a nice break of 76, who

:28:53. > :28:58.clinched the first frame. Let's talk about the shot which let

:28:59. > :29:03.Marco in. It was a tough shot for Shaun Murphy, who was left he thinks

:29:04. > :29:07.he can probably try and pot this red, and round the back of the two

:29:08. > :29:12.reds and the black and somehow perhaps get safe, but what he'd did

:29:13. > :29:18.do was play the shot a bit too thick, colliding with a red, and all

:29:19. > :29:25.of a sudden, he has stuck Marco Fu up with an easy one. But let's wind

:29:26. > :29:31.it back to the shot before. What do you think he could have done, Ken?

:29:32. > :29:36.That was some screw back! Well, a lot of players, particularly in the

:29:37. > :29:41.modern day, they try and pot themselves out of trouble. Irani in

:29:42. > :29:53.an awful lot of trouble. One shot he could have played was a half ball on

:29:54. > :29:56.the plant. But I've think Shaun Murphy is not the type of player who

:29:57. > :30:02.is going to play that type of shot, he just wants to try and pot his way

:30:03. > :30:05.out of trouble. The commentators said that Murphy is the more

:30:06. > :30:11.naturally aggressive player, and clearly, he wanted to try and impose

:30:12. > :30:14.himself, but did it backfire? Yes, sometimes, those 50-50 decisions are

:30:15. > :30:22.tough to get right. Sometimes there is no right answer. And you do not

:30:23. > :30:26.want to let your opponent, we know how proficient Marco Fu is, you do

:30:27. > :30:31.not want to give them easy opportunities. Want to try and make

:30:32. > :30:34.it as hard as possible for him. You keep giving Marco Fu easy

:30:35. > :30:48.opportunities like that, he will win every frame in one visit.

:30:49. > :30:57.JOHN VIRGO: You get the feeling that if there is a long bout of safety,

:30:58. > :31:03.that would suit Marco rather than Shaun and if Marco gets an

:31:04. > :31:06.opportunity, he doesn't have to be opening the reds and power has his

:31:07. > :31:10.way into them to bring them into play.

:31:11. > :31:13.It is quite an interesting tactical affair, the beginning of each frame,

:31:14. > :31:33.to see how it pans out. It is Shaun 's first real chance

:31:34. > :32:04.while the frame is alive. For all that practice he had in the

:32:05. > :32:06.first frame, it didn't help him with that one and I'm surprised he missed

:32:07. > :32:34.that. And by so far. He should have been so tight behind

:32:35. > :32:42.the yellow, there should have been no danger of any swerve or anything.

:32:43. > :32:46.He could be a sloth -- he could play a swerve but it could be a bit

:32:47. > :33:13.dangerous as there are one or two loose ones in that cluster.

:33:14. > :34:37.The aggressive safety would be to try and open these reds up and get

:34:38. > :34:54.the white somewhere between the yellow and brown.

:34:55. > :35:02.He's not got a good white and he's left a red close to the corner

:35:03. > :35:16.pocket, so whatever he was looking at, he didn't see this one.

:35:17. > :36:15.He would like to play the red to the right of the black but I don't think

:36:16. > :36:31.he can put it without kissing the black.

:36:32. > :37:08.That was OK. Already a bit careless to leave him straight on the black.

:37:09. > :37:15.If he had caught that read a bit fuller, it may have been all or

:37:16. > :38:17.nothing. The strike had to be very good there to avoid

:38:18. > :39:42.He has a nice angle on the black and has the pink available.

:39:43. > :39:51.You can always tell when a player has come a bit straight on the ball

:39:52. > :39:59.because if he was perfect on this ball, he would have played it by

:40:00. > :40:05.now. The red he wanted to be on, he was a bit straight. He's had to play

:40:06. > :40:10.that one and he has just overrun it slightly. He's not perfect on the

:40:11. > :40:34.blue. It's just getting more awkward now.

:40:35. > :40:44.He'd be unlucky not to be on any thing there with that shot.

:40:45. > :40:52.I think he's thinking about maybe playing for the brown and a cannon

:40:53. > :41:04.into those rates just below the pink. The pink has just separated so

:41:05. > :41:07.it makes it a bit awkward. Unless you catch the pink full ball, it

:41:08. > :41:20.might not bring the reds into play. The red is in but he is not perfect

:41:21. > :42:17.on the black. Eventually the loss of tight cue

:42:18. > :42:21.ball control caught up with him. When Marco was in, he had good

:42:22. > :42:31.control of the cue ball so every shot was easy. Then Shaun started

:42:32. > :42:39.not getting onto the ball is right and before you know where you are,

:42:40. > :42:50.you are back sitting down. This would be a big ask to win the frame

:42:51. > :42:55.at this visit, but a chance. Since I started commentating and watching a

:42:56. > :42:59.lot of Shaun Murphy's matches, how many times it breaks down. He

:43:00. > :43:09.doesn't win enough frames in one visit for me.

:43:10. > :43:19.He has all the attributes to win frames in one visit. The cue Pat --

:43:20. > :43:20.the power to open up the balls. Just the carelessness of the positional

:43:21. > :43:29.shots. In the modern game, you might only

:43:30. > :44:08.get one chance. You have to take it. He'll be disappointed with that. Not

:44:09. > :44:24.what he played. He is on this yellow but it isn't what he played for.

:44:25. > :45:00.This is the last of the easy reds so it is important it is a good angle.

:45:01. > :45:14.He played for a choice of three reds and he has come a little bit in

:45:15. > :45:19.between. He has won to the left middle and one to this right corner,

:45:20. > :45:27.but I suppose if you are having a choice you would play the one to the

:45:28. > :45:28.left middle. The one to this right corner is what we call playing into

:45:29. > :45:55.a blind pocket. That was more tricky but beautifully

:45:56. > :46:50.played. Shaun Murphy had in his chance and

:46:51. > :46:55.if you lose positional shots caught him out in the end. -- E few loose

:46:56. > :47:09.shots. His cue action is perfect in and

:47:10. > :47:26.around the black. A good safety shot to finish off

:47:27. > :48:24.with. Kissing the yellow wasn't ideal, but

:48:25. > :48:27.when you just flick off it and you are near the baulk cushion, you soon

:48:28. > :49:32.forgive yourself for not hitting it quite right.

:49:33. > :49:40.He thought that was a safety but it has hit the pink and it is a chance

:49:41. > :49:44.now for Marco Fu. He could have got the ball back to cue easily. A

:49:45. > :50:27.mistake. Ideally, three cushions possibly for

:50:28. > :51:02.the blue. I think we have a new favourite for

:51:03. > :51:11.this frame now. Just seven points behind.

:51:12. > :51:19.The only slight problem is the pink not being on its part, but it

:51:20. > :51:20.doesn't look like a big problem. As long as he lands virtually straight

:51:21. > :52:01.on the blue. And the pink for the second frame.

:52:02. > :52:04.He looks in very good touch, does Marco Fu and Shaun will be

:52:05. > :52:14.disappointed with the safety shot at the end. It was a careless mistake.

:52:15. > :52:20.Marco Fu is on really good form and Shaun Murphy is obviously

:52:21. > :52:29.disappointed. It looked like Marco Fu would take anything. He looks in

:52:30. > :52:34.very predatory form today. You were talking about the patient's level he

:52:35. > :52:41.displays out there. What he will try and do is feed of Shaun's mistakes

:52:42. > :52:47.and wait and wait and try and force him into taking that ball that will

:52:48. > :52:51.be quite difficult. As we saw, he is a very accomplished player and has

:52:52. > :52:56.the cue ball on a string at the moment. When he gets those chances

:52:57. > :53:03.and the ball presents themselves, he is very tough to beat. Most people

:53:04. > :53:09.know that sometimes Shaun has do have a go. Is that a potential

:53:10. > :53:14.weakness against a man like Marco? It is if that is the way the game

:53:15. > :53:20.unfolds. Shaun Murphy was in amongst the balls and then the break broke

:53:21. > :53:24.down. Stephen Henry talked about the fact it didn't convert in one visit

:53:25. > :53:27.and then the safety shot that went awry and small things can add up

:53:28. > :53:34.against top players who will take every opportunity and make you pay

:53:35. > :53:39.for it. At this level, every mistake you make can be magnified. Whether

:53:40. > :53:45.we look at the century breaks and how many people make per season and

:53:46. > :53:48.how many you convert, it comes into the equation these days and you can

:53:49. > :53:54.look at how often a player can convert. Mark century -- Marco Fu

:53:55. > :54:07.makes more century breaks on every visit. The figures show you that he

:54:08. > :54:12.is having a terrific season. He might have gone out in the opening

:54:13. > :54:17.round of the UK Championship but that was a blip. And everyone has

:54:18. > :54:23.blips and even at the top level. Shaun Murphy has a real tough match

:54:24. > :54:27.on his hands. He will have to produce some of that really

:54:28. > :54:34.top-class snooker to get back into this match. OK and it is Shaun to

:54:35. > :54:42.play. JOHN VIRGO: Well he missed the part.

:54:43. > :54:58.-- he missed the pot. The first chance to Shaun and he had

:54:59. > :55:02.the same in the last frame and made the most of it. This time. What can

:55:03. > :56:04.he do with this one? The way Shaun has played that, I

:56:05. > :56:19.assume the red to the left of the pink goes into the opposite corner.

:56:20. > :56:28.Well! Borley! You don't miss pinks like that. The way he has played it,

:56:29. > :56:34.that top red must go into the left corner.

:56:35. > :56:42.Would you play pink in and then going to the reds? That looks like

:56:43. > :56:48.the obvious thing and that is what he has played. It is not as simple

:56:49. > :56:53.as it looks because the pink is so far into the jaws of the pocket. He

:56:54. > :57:02.will have to stand into the bunch. He played it well. He caught the

:57:03. > :57:27.pack bit thin. The red to the right corner is not

:57:28. > :57:29.too difficult but getting the position on the colour will be the

:57:30. > :58:03.problem. Not guaranteed. That is his problem and we keep

:58:04. > :58:08.saying about the problem with cue action and when he tries to inject

:58:09. > :58:14.that type of power, he seems to lose rhythm. I think players like

:58:15. > :58:19.O'Sullivan, and Murphy could even have played the black into the same

:58:20. > :58:26.pocket and a slow screw under the black.

:58:27. > :58:44.It is a style of play that Marco doesn't have.

:58:45. > :58:53.But he scores very heavily in terms of century breaks. And the fact that

:58:54. > :58:57.Shaun Murphy had to pay a safety shot there, he was fortunate, Marco,

:58:58. > :59:16.not to leave a pot on. He may try and put the red to the

:59:17. > :59:40.centre dead weight. No, a containing safety. I suppose

:59:41. > :59:42.if the black doesn't put into the left corner, it is difficult to take

:59:43. > :00:02.a read on. -- a red on. The black didn't go into that

:00:03. > :00:11.corner, but it nearly went in the middle. Desperate to get that first

:00:12. > :00:34.frame on the scoreboard, as any player would be.

:00:35. > :00:47.Good line, and, I did not think it was going to get there, but what a

:00:48. > :00:51.beautiful length! Apart from that last pot which he missed by quite a

:00:52. > :00:59.distance, he has hardly put a foot wrong here, Marco. I was just

:01:00. > :01:03.thinking, Shaun was to nail down in his first round, and against the

:01:04. > :01:08.likes of Ding, you always think you will get chances, but against a

:01:09. > :01:19.gallon, it is tough. Full never going to take risks. -- against

:01:20. > :01:21.Marco. If you go behind against more attacking players, at least you know

:01:22. > :01:38.they are going to give you chances. He is in a spot of bother here. The

:01:39. > :01:44.reds are spread, and he has not got an easy return to baulk, if he has

:01:45. > :01:50.one at all. He played the containing safety. Did not hit it as he

:01:51. > :02:18.intended, and he has left a pot onto the right corner.

:02:19. > :02:25.He could not have played that much better. Played it with sufficient

:02:26. > :02:50.pace for the cue ball to come in and out of baulk.

:02:51. > :02:56.You can always tell when a player is cueing well, when the ball goes

:02:57. > :03:10.right into the heart of the pocket, is that brown did. Yes, and they are

:03:11. > :03:15.always in perfect position as well. When you do not hit it well, and the

:03:16. > :03:30.ball does not go into the middle of the pocket, you lose the cue ball.

:03:31. > :03:47.Not certain whether the black, when it is respotted, is not going to be

:03:48. > :03:53.tied up here. There is no other spot available. And now, the black is out

:03:54. > :04:06.of commission, the pink is out of commission.

:04:07. > :04:12.But as we were alluding to, some players, that would bother them. But

:04:13. > :04:17.it will not bother Marco, he will just keep chipping away, going for

:04:18. > :04:21.the blue... In a way, it is quite frustrating when you are sat in your

:04:22. > :04:26.chair, waiting for him to take some risks, but no, he is just going to

:04:27. > :04:29.take care of everything which is available. All of a sudden, you get

:04:30. > :04:37.to the table and you are 50-60 behind. And Shaun already knows that

:04:38. > :04:40.if Marco did make the mistake, the black is tied up, so he would be

:04:41. > :04:48.unlikely to have a frame-winning opportunity. Oh, well, he has missed

:04:49. > :04:56.one. Just playing that little soft stone, and the cue ball can just

:04:57. > :05:10.sometimes slide off. Just a fraction too thin.

:05:11. > :05:56.It is amazing this game, sometimes. You miss an easy ball, and you are

:05:57. > :05:58.sat down, thinking, how did I miss that much of it and then you are

:05:59. > :06:16.straight back at the table! The left-hand red of these three

:06:17. > :06:19.obviously will pot. In doing so, he will bring the black back into play.

:06:20. > :06:49.So this is a frame-winning chance. It is a bit tricky, the black will

:06:50. > :06:51.not go back exactly on its spot. So it goes back closer to the top

:06:52. > :07:14.cushion. He may even choose to play a cannon

:07:15. > :07:26.on the red which is on the black spot.

:07:27. > :07:37.I think that is what he played. Yes, it has gone wrong. The black hearse

:07:38. > :07:46.to go as close to its own spot as it can, in a direct line with the

:07:47. > :07:48.middle of the top cushion. So, it looks as though that is end of

:07:49. > :08:22.break. Well, he has left this red along the

:08:23. > :08:35.baulk cushion. If Shaun could knock this in... He might be able to roll

:08:36. > :08:45.up behind one of the baulk colours. Well, maybe Shaun did not go for the

:08:46. > :09:04.pot. He purposely played it into the jaws and sent it up the table.

:09:05. > :09:15.Caught it too thick. Just avoided the double kiss. He was fortunate

:09:16. > :11:05.there. Well, he did not see a safety, and

:11:06. > :11:11.he took on a very difficult pot. And he missed it, but what was worse

:11:12. > :11:13.than missing it, he has left it up, and also, he has brought the black

:11:14. > :11:28.interplay. -- into play. This is not the easiest starter for

:11:29. > :12:20.Shaun, but at least it is a chance. Well, I can understand him not going

:12:21. > :12:24.for the pot, because he might have thought, I cannot get on a colour.

:12:25. > :12:31.But I cannot believe he would play it like that.

:12:32. > :12:38.STEPHEN HENDRY: You would think the reds have to be coming back up the

:12:39. > :12:46.table. Far be it from me to give advice on safety, but that was a

:12:47. > :12:57.poor one. Pot and cattle springs to mind. But no, it was a very strange

:12:58. > :13:01.choice of shot. -- kettle. And it looks as though it is going to cost

:13:02. > :13:19.him this frame. Worrying times for Shaun and his supporters.

:13:20. > :13:26.Sometimes, when Shaun is playing, his first choice of shot is to go

:13:27. > :13:31.for the pot, then he seems to outthink himself, and he says to

:13:32. > :14:01.himself, I will not go for it. And then he plays the wrong shot.

:14:02. > :14:14.That black puts Marco 54 points ahead, and with the red, it is 55

:14:15. > :14:23.ahead, with only 51 remaining. And it is a simple red, to clinch the

:14:24. > :14:28.third frame. I do not think he was happy with the contact, and he is

:14:29. > :14:30.not the right side of the blue, but once he rolls this blew in, it will

:14:31. > :14:45.be three snookers needed. That last safety shot of Shaun,

:14:46. > :14:56.well, it did not come out of any book I have read.

:14:57. > :15:10.And Shaun decides that is enough. He will be very disappointed.

:15:11. > :15:26.So, let's have a think about this, and think what he is trying to do.

:15:27. > :15:31.If the black had been tied up... Well, fair play, Shaun, I do not

:15:32. > :15:37.think I would have been signing that. I would not have been, either.

:15:38. > :15:42.He looks to me like he has got no fire in his belly. Show a bit of

:15:43. > :15:47.anger. Sometimes you can be too nice in sport. Fair comment. So, if we go

:15:48. > :15:53.back to this safety shot, if the black was tied up, I could maybe

:15:54. > :15:57.understand trying to bring the black into play, but the black is in the

:15:58. > :16:03.open, the reds are portable, why would you want to do that, when you

:16:04. > :16:05.did not know where it was going to finish? Strange. Strange choice of

:16:06. > :16:21.shot. And it cost him. He needs to get something going,

:16:22. > :16:26.Shaun. As I said, Marco is not going to give you chances, he is going to

:16:27. > :16:32.do everything quite well, he is not going to take many risks.

:16:33. > :16:42.APPLAUSE Well, that is a good opening pot. He

:16:43. > :16:52.could've a more advantageous kiss on the blue.

:16:53. > :16:59.He is excellent with the rest, you have to say. If there is anyone

:17:00. > :17:04.better, I have not seen him. He cues up exactly the same way he does when

:17:05. > :17:10.his hand is on the table. Mid-session interval after this

:17:11. > :17:20.frame. He will be desperate to get his first frame on the scoreboard.

:17:21. > :17:32.It goes without saying, it makes a huge difference, two frames behind,

:17:33. > :17:34.or four, which is what it could be. Well, he used all the pocket for

:17:35. > :17:55.that black. Purposely playing that red so he

:17:56. > :17:57.could screw into the cluster. He does not want to be too straight on

:17:58. > :18:16.this black. He played that nicely, he played it

:18:17. > :18:32.beautifully. Yes, that was a very confident stroke.

:18:33. > :18:40.He could've done with another couple of inches on the cue ball there. I

:18:41. > :18:54.don't think he will play for that red now.

:18:55. > :19:23.Well, once again, displaying his cue power.

:19:24. > :19:31.The main reason I think he played that, he did not have to do anything

:19:32. > :19:38.with the cue ball. He was bound to be on the pink. In an ideal world,

:19:39. > :19:41.you would like to be a bit closer to the pink than this. He will be

:19:42. > :20:36.taking nothing for granted. Just a little bit short of pace. Can

:20:37. > :20:42.he pot the red without moving the black? A bit further down, he could

:20:43. > :20:46.just rolled the red in. Now, he will have to the cannon. He did not want

:20:47. > :20:50.to risk playing for the black, so went up the table, and it has worked

:20:51. > :21:11.out nicely. He will not be disappointed with that.

:21:12. > :21:20.Did not get into the cue ball enough there. A little bit mystified by the

:21:21. > :21:27.reaction of the cue ball there. With so much cue power, it is a surprise

:21:28. > :21:33.he did not get far enough into the top cushion. I do not understand

:21:34. > :21:53.that one. 49 points the lead. But there are still 91 remaining.

:21:54. > :22:00.Again, broke down in the 40s, with a careless positional shot. It could

:22:01. > :22:25.have cost him again. Maybe not. This is a thin one, so

:22:26. > :22:34.you are not certain where the cue ball is going to finish. Make

:22:35. > :22:43.certain of the Phancit... Well, that could not have finished much worse.

:22:44. > :22:48.I do not think it is a case of just dropping the black in and being on

:22:49. > :23:24.the red, you have got quite a bit to do with the cue ball.

:23:25. > :23:32.He cued that nicely, but he is not out of the woods yet.

:23:33. > :23:45.APPLAUSE An excellent pot there.

:23:46. > :23:56.So, a choice of yellow or green. When he puts this yellow, he will be

:23:57. > :24:01.60 in front with 75 remaining. So he will still need two more red 's.

:24:02. > :24:12.Which is probably why he did not want to risk playing the cannon. He

:24:13. > :24:14.has played a good positional shot. Stephen was singing his praises for

:24:15. > :24:22.his use of the rest, let's hope it is not the commentator's curse.

:24:23. > :24:28.Right in the heart of the pocket. This lack will put him 68 points in

:24:29. > :24:33.front, with just 67 remaining. It looks as though that first frame is

:24:34. > :24:34.going to go on the scoreboard for Shaun. And he will be mighty

:24:35. > :24:52.relieved. He has needed a couple of chances,

:24:53. > :25:03.that is the worrying thing, I suppose. I do not think Marco will

:25:04. > :25:24.bother coming back to the table. The next time Marco leaves his seat,

:25:25. > :25:34.he will be going to his dressing room. And he does concede. So, at

:25:35. > :25:43.the mid-session interval, Shaun Murphy is on the scoreboard. Perhaps

:25:44. > :25:47.not what we had expected early on in this match, but as the guys said,

:25:48. > :25:54.Shaun will be relieved. I think possibly, they would agree with

:25:55. > :25:58.Stephen Henry that Shaun has looked flat I would not be signing

:25:59. > :26:03.autographs, 3-0 down. You would not want anybody within 20 yards of you

:26:04. > :26:06.when you are 3-0 down! Particularly Stephen Hendry, you would be taking

:26:07. > :26:10.your life into your hands! That he needs something to spark him. He

:26:11. > :26:14.will be mightily relieved to get the first frame on the board, no doubt.

:26:15. > :26:21.At again, 49er head, broke down once again. Bad positional play. If he is

:26:22. > :26:26.going to win this match, he needs to be scoring much more heavily. As

:26:27. > :26:31.Stephen Hendry said in commentary, he keeps breaking down. In glimpses,

:26:32. > :26:38.we saw that against Ding, but he really needs to start producing the

:26:39. > :26:44.70-80 breaks. We know he can do it. He was doing it last week. He is a

:26:45. > :26:48.quintessential confidence player. He is a beautiful Key West, will be the

:26:49. > :26:54.best that we have on the circuit, no doubt about it. And when he is going

:26:55. > :27:01.around the table, he looks superbly confident, every now and again, he

:27:02. > :27:05.will throw in a silly little shot, and it just comes out of the blue,

:27:06. > :27:08.with Shaun Murphy, whether it is concentration or whatever, but that

:27:09. > :27:14.is what is letting him down at the moment, and he needs to eradicate

:27:15. > :27:18.that from his game. 3013 was a lean year for Shaun Murphy, in more ways

:27:19. > :27:22.than one. But he also failed for the first time in a few years to get to

:27:23. > :27:26.a major final. Despite all of that, when you speak to him, he remains

:27:27. > :27:30.cheerful and optimistic that something good is just around the

:27:31. > :27:41.corner. He is just a kind of glass half full person.

:27:42. > :27:49.Eight years ago, it is now. Time marches on. Three world ranking

:27:50. > :27:54.titles since. Is that enough for you? Absolutely not. It is one of

:27:55. > :28:03.the disappointing factors of my career to date. I do not feel I have

:28:04. > :28:07.won enough ranking events. It is something that I am very, very keen

:28:08. > :28:13.to address. I am really targeting those now, that is where I want to

:28:14. > :28:17.have real success. The Masters is high on my list, to complete my

:28:18. > :28:21.triple Crown. Obviously, every year I enter the UK Championship and the

:28:22. > :28:26.World Championships, to win them, not to turn up. So, in your view,

:28:27. > :28:31.that has not been a decent return for the effort you have put in?

:28:32. > :28:35.Absolutely not. But I have to qualify that by saying, probably the

:28:36. > :28:40.last three years, I have got what I deserved out of it. In what respect?

:28:41. > :28:45.I have not worked hard enough. It hit me last year when my manager and

:28:46. > :28:51.best mate called me a part-time snooker player. That hurt. We were

:28:52. > :28:56.in Antwerp for the European Tour event, sat down having a beer, I had

:28:57. > :29:01.just driven over, a long drive from Manchester, checked in, had a beer

:29:02. > :29:08.in the hotel. Things got said, and that really hurt. What hurt the most

:29:09. > :29:14.was, I could not argue back. And I thought, yes, he is right, actually.

:29:15. > :29:18.I am very, very lucky that I am surrounded by people who are that

:29:19. > :29:22.passionate, they care enough, to say stuff like that. Things like that

:29:23. > :29:26.are not easy to hear, but I knew what he meant and I knew he meant it

:29:27. > :29:32.well. And since that, I have changed. Last couple of seasons has

:29:33. > :29:35.seen frustration, with quarterfinals and semifinals, but I just wonder,

:29:36. > :29:40.how frustrating has that been, and what do you do about it? Not to use

:29:41. > :29:45.the same reason for everything, but I feel if I had activist and worked

:29:46. > :29:52.as hard as I am doing now over the last few years, I would not have

:29:53. > :29:56.made those stakes. -- if I had practised. I would have been better

:29:57. > :29:59.prepared to Cope with all of the different things that you have to go

:30:00. > :30:04.through as a sports person. And those mistakes that I kept making

:30:05. > :30:09.would not have happened. I might have made them once or twice, but I

:30:10. > :30:13.would not have made them for two years. Those semifinals would have

:30:14. > :30:17.turned into finals, and perhaps some of those finals would have turned

:30:18. > :30:21.into victories. I have probably been guilty of the last few years of not

:30:22. > :30:22.being the best learner, not being honest enough with myself, and not

:30:23. > :30:36.working hard enough. You'd talked about your team

:30:37. > :30:42.earlier. You are a very good pianist and very few people realise this,

:30:43. > :30:48.but your manager is pretty good as well, isn't he? Chris is the best

:30:49. > :30:53.amateur pianist that I've ever seen, as far as I'm concerned. By

:30:54. > :31:00.amateur I mean someone who doesn't do it for payment. We have a bit of

:31:01. > :31:08.a paid -- game where we try and work out how long we were last on the

:31:09. > :31:14.piano. -- we will last. I once saw a piano in Bahrain a few years ago and

:31:15. > :31:21.I said, how long would I last on there? We didn't last a few

:31:22. > :31:26.seconds. Someone came over and said, excuse me, it is not for people to

:31:27. > :31:30.play on. We were in Shanghai a couple of weeks ago and there was a

:31:31. > :31:37.piano in a restaurant we were in and we jumped on. They said, yes, it is

:31:38. > :31:43.for playing. Don't get me wrong, I am not an amazing pianist, but Chris

:31:44. > :31:46.is an people love to listen to him. Sitting in your beautiful house,

:31:47. > :31:56.looking at you now, how happy are you? Is life good for you? It is the

:31:57. > :32:01.best it has ever been. I have some fantastic people in my life. My

:32:02. > :32:07.girlfriend is amazing. I am so lucky to hate -- have met her it was such

:32:08. > :32:14.a chance meeting. She brings me down when I am upset and when I am over

:32:15. > :32:21.the moon, she keeps me level-headed and I'm very lucky to be surrounded

:32:22. > :32:23.by her and my manager and Chris and the rest of the family. I am a very

:32:24. > :32:42.lucky person. Finally, Celine Dion. I knew I wouldn't get away with

:32:43. > :32:57.that. I have got to learn that. That is my challenge for Sheffield.

:32:58. > :33:05.Get a piano into the Winter Gardens. He has Celine Dion songs to get him

:33:06. > :33:10.riled up four matches. He is a champion person and a champion

:33:11. > :33:18.guide. As Stephen Hendry said, one of lives nice guys. Is the anger

:33:19. > :33:24.necessary and does have it? There is no harm in being a nice guy. You can

:33:25. > :33:27.be nice sitting in a chair or outside but when you are on the

:33:28. > :33:34.table, niceness goes out the window. You have to be as tough as

:33:35. > :33:40.you can be. OK. He has a tough climb on his hands today. He gave me a

:33:41. > :33:44.masterclass in the piano, but we have in other masters class courtesy

:33:45. > :33:50.of Steve Davis and these have been excellent. What have you got for us

:33:51. > :33:55.today, Steve? Welcome to the office. We have been

:33:56. > :34:00.talking all week about how to improve the proficient player and we

:34:01. > :34:01.have talked about tactics. I will continue on the line of positional

:34:02. > :34:10.play. In the last one, I talked about

:34:11. > :34:16.being the right side of the ball so you can play an easy positional shot

:34:17. > :34:21.for the next shot. Before you play a shot, decide where you want the cue

:34:22. > :34:26.ball. Don't just think about the pot, think about where you want the

:34:27. > :34:32.cue ball to be. Let us look at this setup. You have a nice easy read, a

:34:33. > :34:37.black waiting to be parted, but the only other red to put after that is

:34:38. > :34:42.that red. After you have ported that, you come off the cushion and

:34:43. > :34:57.if you leave yourself low on the black, you can get onto the red. I

:34:58. > :35:03.end up dead straight on the black. The worst place. But when you are

:35:04. > :35:09.around this side of the table. Visualise where dead straight days

:35:10. > :35:12.and sometimes that is difficult. You can't necessarily see where the line

:35:13. > :35:17.of dead straight is from this position. So, wouldn't it be nice if

:35:18. > :35:23.you had some sort of guideline and if you could draw a line on the

:35:24. > :35:28.table in practice and extend the straight line so you could see and

:35:29. > :35:33.use it as a training method. You can't draw a line with a piece of

:35:34. > :35:39.chalk. It ruins the cloth and you can't brush it out. You could use

:35:40. > :35:44.tailors chalk and with the permission of the club owner draw a

:35:45. > :35:54.faint line, but failing that, , for the sake of a bit of practice, pick

:35:55. > :35:59.a small item... I have some grapes from Ken. All of a sudden, you now

:36:00. > :36:04.have the straight line. If you play a shot now to pot the red, now you

:36:05. > :36:10.know where dead straight is. If you want to play short of that line, you

:36:11. > :36:14.know where it is. You can put a couple of guides for the dead

:36:15. > :36:33.straight shot for the pink as well and if you have some left over,

:36:34. > :36:36.three second rule! Now, you can play short of the grape. At least you

:36:37. > :36:45.know where the dead straight line is. Obviously, if you're snookered

:36:46. > :36:55.by a great, have another one. That is my lesson for the day. Nicely

:36:56. > :37:00.done. He has been searching Alexandra Palace for Maltesers and

:37:01. > :37:07.couldn't find a single one. We have been joined by the gaffer here.

:37:08. > :37:12.Barry Hearn, lovely to see you. Lovely to be here. How much are you

:37:13. > :37:18.enjoying it? This session was always the one that was slightly down in

:37:19. > :37:22.numbers, but apart from that... It is an iconic venue and has some

:37:23. > :37:28.history with it. The tradition of the Masters over 28 years, this is

:37:29. > :37:34.the best year we've ever had. The whole game and I know everyone

:37:35. > :37:41.expects me to hype it, the whole game is great at the moment. Why

:37:42. > :37:49.shouldn't the people come? Last month, 128 squeezed in. Is there

:37:50. > :37:54.news? There was much debate about whether the championship would go

:37:55. > :37:57.back to the Barbican Centre. We are going back to the Barbican Centre.

:37:58. > :38:02.We love the venue and the people there. We didn't get it 100% right

:38:03. > :38:09.with logistics but we will second time. We are getting there. With the

:38:10. > :38:14.new layout, I think the players will like it. Ford tabled in the main

:38:15. > :38:18.arena and four in the practice all and everybody plays one round

:38:19. > :38:22.outside and then comes into the arena. There is so much competition

:38:23. > :38:25.now and so many kids getting their chances. The top players have upped

:38:26. > :38:31.their game because they need to and we are seeing upsets and we are

:38:32. > :38:36.selling tickets. The greatest the monitor in the health of any sport

:38:37. > :38:40.is, what's the live audience like? The ratings for this tournament are

:38:41. > :38:46.well up and we are getting ready for the big one and that, this year, I

:38:47. > :38:56.promise you now, will be the best World Championships you have ever

:38:57. > :39:00.seen. Why a question me -- why? Simply because of the standard of

:39:01. > :39:05.players. They can show the world their ability. We will change the

:39:06. > :39:11.face of snooker in the first week of Sheffield. It will be spectacular.

:39:12. > :39:17.These kids are like a pet -- breath of fresh air and the top players are

:39:18. > :39:21.on the edge of their seats. I am so proud to hear what Sharon -- Shaun

:39:22. > :39:26.Murphy said because young pros should listen to that. It is about

:39:27. > :39:30.hard work and dedication and application, but on a fair, level

:39:31. > :39:37.playing field. In the first week, you will see some proper drama. A

:39:38. > :39:42.lot of tickets already sold. You mentioned Shaun Murphy and his

:39:43. > :39:45.application. We were chatting the other day with Mark Allen and we

:39:46. > :39:50.have had the conversation several times. With the one-table set-up,

:39:51. > :39:55.why can't we allow the players do have some table time, particularly

:39:56. > :39:59.when there is only the one table in use? It is something that happened

:40:00. > :40:03.at the World Championships when table conditions changed for the

:40:04. > :40:08.final. We should always evaluate these things and try it on and

:40:09. > :40:14.experimental basis. Other players have said they don't want that

:40:15. > :40:17.because of the cloth being be brushed afterwards. Logistically,

:40:18. > :40:23.sometimes you don't get the chance to do that. But it is something we

:40:24. > :40:28.should try. We should never be frightened to experiment. The

:40:29. > :40:32.players don't have to come in when the crowd is there because that

:40:33. > :40:38.would ruin the build-up. When the players coming with the music. But

:40:39. > :40:47.if they came in when there was no crowd, maybe an hour beforehand, and

:40:48. > :40:52.they only need five minutes. Nothing at all wrong with experimenting. We

:40:53. > :40:57.should always be open to change and that is the way this game has been

:40:58. > :41:01.run for the last few years. We have evaluated it over the last few years

:41:02. > :41:06.and we should give it a crack. We will not please all the people all

:41:07. > :41:10.the time. But everyone is working hard. From what you have seen over

:41:11. > :41:17.the last few days, we have had for final frame decider is so far, who

:41:18. > :41:21.is playing the best snooker? They are all playing in patches the best

:41:22. > :41:27.snooker I have seen, but I haven't seen anyone be consistently

:41:28. > :41:33.throughout the entire match... I have seen hiccups. Last night 's

:41:34. > :41:40.match with Hawkins, there is a different level of pressure going on

:41:41. > :41:42.in all of this. It is such a prestigious event, televised

:41:43. > :41:47.globally and there is obviously quite a lot of money. Their prestige

:41:48. > :41:54.is something else as well. The guys want to win. The sadness for sure --

:41:55. > :41:58.Shaun there was maybe he could have won if you Championships. People

:41:59. > :42:02.want their name on a trophy. Which Ronnie turns out, we don't know? And

:42:03. > :42:07.that is one of the reasons people turn up to watch him. I don't think

:42:08. > :42:13.there is one person head or shoulders, there are half a dozen.

:42:14. > :42:17.Thank you for dropping by. Let us get back to the match now featuring

:42:18. > :42:21.Marco Fu and 2013 was a big year for him because he became a dad for the

:42:22. > :42:28.first time and she has been toddling around the venue with her mum,

:42:29. > :42:32.surely. It led to one of the greatest patches of form he has ever

:42:33. > :42:37.produced, and he won one of them in Australia last year. He has been

:42:38. > :42:39.going great guns and it would appear that professionalism and parenthood

:42:40. > :42:48.goes well, despite the lack of sleep.

:42:49. > :42:56.Please welcome, reigning Australian open champion from Hong Kong, Marco

:42:57. > :43:02.Fu! It is great to be back because it is such an important tournament.

:43:03. > :43:09.It is sad that I dropped out of the top 16 two years ago. I had to miss

:43:10. > :43:14.this to -- tournament two years in a row and watched it on TV so it is

:43:15. > :43:20.nice to be back. I have improved a lot as a player in the last 18

:43:21. > :43:24.months. I was changing a lot of things technically. I wasn't happy

:43:25. > :43:32.with my cue action game at all. My coach helped me a lot. My technical

:43:33. > :43:36.expertise is coming together now. Winning the Australian gives me a

:43:37. > :43:40.lot of confidence. I have won a ranking event two years ago, but

:43:41. > :43:47.when you win your first one you really want to win the second one.

:43:48. > :43:52.To see if it is not a one-hit wonder. Mentally, I was prepared

:43:53. > :43:57.coming into this tournament. In the first match, I coped quite well

:43:58. > :44:17.under pressure. It is always nice to beat a player of Judd Trump's

:44:18. > :44:25.calibre. It worked a bit at the beginning, but when you come to a

:44:26. > :44:30.second stage you start to get a few more battle scars under you and you

:44:31. > :44:37.are faced with tough opponents. They know what to expect from you. It

:44:38. > :44:42.becomes difficult and everything has taken so long to get to where I am

:44:43. > :44:47.now. I just want to fulfil my potential. The only difference

:44:48. > :44:57.compared to other players is I never really expect to beat anyone. I does

:44:58. > :45:02.want to fulfil my mental goals, just try to get the best out of myself. I

:45:03. > :45:07.never think of winning or losing like other players do. I just want

:45:08. > :45:10.to play my best snooker. Apart from the World Championship, this is

:45:11. > :45:14.probably the toughest tournament to win. I got to the final a few years

:45:15. > :45:19.ago so I would like to go one further this year.

:45:20. > :45:25.The great thing going for him is his temperament. Nothing seems to faze

:45:26. > :45:31.him. Here they come. Shaun Murphy knowing he has a lot to do. 1-3

:45:32. > :45:38.behind to this man who hasn't played at the Masters since he was in the

:45:39. > :45:43.final in 2011 when he was beaten by Ding Junhui. Back we go to John and

:45:44. > :45:55.Stephen. JOHN VIRGO: Thank you Hazel. Quite

:45:56. > :46:00.an interesting intermission. Always good to hear the views of Barry

:46:01. > :46:05.Hearn. Very positive about the game, as well he might be. A decent enough

:46:06. > :46:28.break of shot from Shaun. It depends if you can get past the

:46:29. > :46:43.brown and to the middle pocket, he could come off a cushion.

:46:44. > :46:58.That is an excellent shot. A little tap on the table from Shaun. As long

:46:59. > :47:00.as the red isn't straight, he'll be taking it on. It is a shot he is

:47:01. > :47:15.really good that normally. He hit completely the wrong side of

:47:16. > :47:29.that thread. He had to cut it to the right and the ended up to the left.

:47:30. > :47:40.That has left Marco with a nice easy starter. Not the start to the fifth

:47:41. > :47:43.frame that Shaun was looking for. So far in this match, we have seen how

:47:44. > :48:01.good Marco is with these opportunities.

:48:02. > :48:10.He just underhit that slightly. He didn't want to be playing the red to

:48:11. > :50:29.the right middle, but it looks like it's the one he'll have to play.

:50:30. > :50:38.If he had nestled on that read full ball it would be very awkward. But

:50:39. > :50:56.he is nicely on the red and he can cue easily enough to the cue ball.

:50:57. > :51:00.In an ideal world, he wouldn't want to play for the red near the top

:51:01. > :51:11.cushion. These are OK if you don't have to

:51:12. > :51:44.play them with too much pace. I was going to say, he'll need an

:51:45. > :51:49.angle on the black sooner or later. He's going to have to disturb

:51:50. > :51:58.something. There is a plant that goes to the left corner.

:51:59. > :52:24.I think that's what he has played for. At -- it looks as though he is

:52:25. > :52:31.just going to the left jaw I don't think he can play the reverse plant.

:52:32. > :52:33.Where it pushes the second red. There is a bit of distance between

:52:34. > :52:45.them so he is playing the one... He didn't play for that. That is a

:52:46. > :53:16.bonus! He had found a gap. I think he's playing the red to the

:53:17. > :53:46.right of the pink spot now. He'll be a bit disappointed he's

:53:47. > :53:50.come straight on the blue. He's just cueing now to show where he wants to

:53:51. > :54:01.leave the cue ball. Absolutely plumb.

:54:02. > :54:05.Maybe could have done with running through an inch or two more. Can he

:54:06. > :54:30.reach it? There are six breads immediately

:54:31. > :54:33.above the black and he can run the cue ball in the gap to open it up

:54:34. > :55:01.perfectly. -- six reds. But he is trying to wheedle the map

:55:02. > :55:07.-- them out because he doesn't possess that cue power. I still

:55:08. > :55:14.think you have to pay -- plague the positive shot. That is why he is a

:55:15. > :55:16.frustrating player because he doesn't take too many risks if he

:55:17. > :55:23.doesn't have to. This black will put him 70 points in

:55:24. > :55:46.front with 67 remaining. He has picked everything off one at

:55:47. > :55:58.a time and it shows the different ways players play.

:55:59. > :56:04.He'll be a bit disappointed with that positional shot, but the frame

:56:05. > :56:13.looks to be well and truly over. There was a bank is there so maybe

:56:14. > :56:40.that affected the positional shot. So, not the start that Shaun Murphy

:56:41. > :56:50.needed in the second half of this match. Marco Fu marches on.

:56:51. > :56:59.What is it about his break-building style that is so impressive, Steve?

:57:00. > :57:06.He controls the cue ball. We were talking about break-building. The

:57:07. > :57:11.years have listed -- experience understanding what is the right and

:57:12. > :57:15.wrong shot. If you learn from those mistakes you become a better

:57:16. > :57:19.break-builder and if you don't, you become the sort of player who is an

:57:20. > :57:23.old dog who can't learn new tricks and you constantly make the same

:57:24. > :57:28.mistakes in your positional play. Over the years, Marco Fu has become

:57:29. > :57:33.a proficient break-builder and keeping in amongst the balls when

:57:34. > :57:40.you have a chance to put a view is a great skill. So he is four - one

:57:41. > :57:43.down, Shaun Murphy. What would you do in his situation? He have to

:57:44. > :57:48.really up his game. He missed a pot by a long way at the beginning of

:57:49. > :57:55.the frame and every time he does that, Marco Fu takes advantage.

:57:56. > :58:00.Shaun has two try and make those breaks because he is getting chances

:58:01. > :58:04.but not making breaks the way Marco is. Up until yesterday, with Neil

:58:05. > :58:10.Robertson, he upped the pace a bit and I am not sure that is Shaun's

:58:11. > :58:15.style to change his game. But you would try and make something work.

:58:16. > :58:17.Try and play more defensively even. I am not saying it is right, but

:58:18. > :58:41.change something. JOHN VIRGO: Now he has a nice

:58:42. > :58:43.opening red. He has done that a feud times in this match, putting in a

:58:44. > :59:02.nice opening ball. He played the cannon on the reds

:59:03. > :59:09.and, OK, but there were a couple of loose reds he could have played on.

:59:10. > :59:27.The green was a bit thinner than was ideal to play the cannon.

:59:28. > :59:31.Marco was a long way off with that one and he has left a red to the

:59:32. > :59:51.middle. He decided to play it into the far

:59:52. > :00:04.left corner. And nicely on the pack to go into them.

:00:05. > :00:13.He went into them and it could have worked out better. There are a

:00:14. > :00:25.couple he can part, but he has a bit of work to do with the cue ball.

:00:26. > :00:32.Played it nicely. He has got a nice angle on the blue,

:00:33. > :00:42.Played it nicely. He has got a nice angle and he seems determined. You

:00:43. > :00:51.feel certain he is going to go into the reds. I think that shows how he

:00:52. > :00:59.is going to change it, he is going to have a go here. Every chance he

:01:00. > :01:03.gets, I think he is going to attack. He has to win the frame at this

:01:04. > :01:14.visit, I feel, in the context of this match. Again, could have done

:01:15. > :01:18.with another couple of inches on the cue ball. He just has not had

:01:19. > :01:25.complete control of his cue ball this afternoon. He will probably

:01:26. > :01:36.play a cannon on the two reds above the back.

:01:37. > :01:49.In an ideal world, he would like to get rid of that red which is near

:01:50. > :01:54.the corner. But as Stephen said, he must win the frame at his visit, you

:01:55. > :02:03.feel, just for his own self belief. This match is slipping away from

:02:04. > :02:55.him. Now, he can get this red out of the

:02:56. > :03:49.way, and make the black available into both corners.

:03:50. > :04:40.He controlled that nicely. This red will take him 60 points in front,

:04:41. > :05:44.with 59 remaining. So, snooker is needed for Marco Fu.

:05:45. > :05:50.We will not see a century, but that was better from Shaun Murphy. Marco

:05:51. > :06:00.Fu did not do a lot wrong, but Shaun looked as though he had improved

:06:01. > :06:04.there. And perhaps he had a direct line to the voice of Steve Davis,

:06:05. > :06:09.but he certainly picked the place up a bit. Much more fluent from him?

:06:10. > :06:14.Yes, it can be the case that the balls dictate what shots you play,

:06:15. > :06:17.but before he got in with that second break, he had potted the

:06:18. > :06:23.green and gone in off, and we were thinking that was possibly the long

:06:24. > :06:30.shot to play. But then, when he got on the blue, it was a completely

:06:31. > :06:34.different break to the way Marco did it. He plays a positive shot here,

:06:35. > :06:42.and just watch the reaction he gets off the blue. The pack splits

:06:43. > :06:47.beautifully. As Stephen said in commentary, it was imperative that

:06:48. > :06:52.he won the frame from that position. If he broke down again, it could've

:06:53. > :06:56.been much over. But this will make Marco think a little bit. We spoke

:06:57. > :07:01.about the way Marco Fu went about his break building - how great is

:07:02. > :07:07.the contrast with the way Shaun goes about it? Shaun likes to get them

:07:08. > :07:12.open very quickly, whereas Marco picks them off one by one. In this

:07:13. > :07:16.match at least, he has got a much better control of the cue ball, and

:07:17. > :07:20.he would rather pick reds off. Shaun on the other hand, like some of the

:07:21. > :07:24.other top players, will just smash them open as quickly as possible and

:07:25. > :07:38.try and win the frame as quickly as possible.

:07:39. > :07:48.JOHN VIRGO: Whenever you play that type of pot, you always try to hit

:07:49. > :08:00.it on the thin side, so that the cue ball can get back to the baulk end.

:08:01. > :08:12.Shaun will be looking at trying to get in behind the green here. Not

:08:13. > :08:15.quite. But I think the yellow made the blocking the path for a safety

:08:16. > :08:19.down the left-hand side of the table. If it is, then Marco could be

:08:20. > :08:42.in a spot of bother here. Normally, you would think, come off

:08:43. > :08:47.the right-hand side cushion, but the brown is covering that path, so it

:08:48. > :09:02.is not straightforward. He tried the thin one. REFEREE:

:09:03. > :09:18.Foul, and a miss. Shaun Murphy, four.

:09:19. > :09:39.No reason for Shaun not to have the ball replaced.

:09:40. > :09:46.Of course, it is a dangerous shot, this. He might give it one more go,

:09:47. > :09:50.trying to hit it thin, but if he misses it, he will be warned,

:09:51. > :09:58.because he can clearly get through to the red. Well, he caught it thin,

:09:59. > :10:00.and he has gone in-off. He will not be too unhappy with that. At least

:10:01. > :10:38.it is safe. Well, that is an attacking safety,

:10:39. > :10:44.which is OK, but it seems every time he plays that type of shot, he sends

:10:45. > :10:46.awry Celts to the corner. OK, he has put distance between cue ball and

:10:47. > :10:57.object ball, but this one is portable. -- he sends a red to the

:10:58. > :11:02.corner. But Marco has not punished him.

:11:03. > :11:07.STEPHEN HENDRY: Marco has scored well today, but his long game has

:11:08. > :11:52.been poor. When you see where the black is, and

:11:53. > :12:04.where the pink is, this could be a long frame.

:12:05. > :12:11.I still think, the weather reds are spread, you would like to get the

:12:12. > :12:51.first chance. -- the way the reds are spread.

:12:52. > :12:59.He is trying to get back to the baulk end. He missed it on the way

:13:00. > :13:07.up, caught it on the way back. A little tap on the table from Shaun.

:13:08. > :13:14.Did he play it like that? Would you play it like that? I mean, OK, at

:13:15. > :13:18.the angle he is coming, you can play to hit it thin, in the knowledge

:13:19. > :13:22.that you will definitely get it on the way back. But I do not think I

:13:23. > :13:31.would have been giving him a tap on the table for that! The red closest

:13:32. > :14:22.to the left corner, I do not know if that cuts in.

:14:23. > :14:34.Just played the red. He was trying to drop it in. But as long as he did

:14:35. > :16:06.not get the double kiss. He knew he would be reasonably safe. And it is.

:16:07. > :16:11.Justified applause for that. He did well to find the gap there. He had

:16:12. > :16:24.to be very precise. That red is still there, close to

:16:25. > :16:34.the left corner. No one seems to want to take it on. From the

:16:35. > :16:41.player's view, it will look thinner than it does on the TV. I think it

:16:42. > :16:47.is worth a go. Particularly, there does not look to be a

:16:48. > :16:51.straightforward safety shot. As Stephen suggested, if he catches it

:16:52. > :16:57.thin, he will come back up the table. But Shaun was not tempted by

:16:58. > :17:28.it, and it does not look as though Marco is, either.

:17:29. > :17:45.That's not bad. The main priority was not to leave a pot on, and it

:17:46. > :17:47.does not look like he has. Must be a good chance to get in behind the

:17:48. > :17:57.green this time. Does this pot go to the corner? Not

:17:58. > :18:11.quite, I don't think. There may be half a pocket. Anyway,

:18:12. > :18:35.change of plan. That's pretty good. But if he had

:18:36. > :18:42.just missed the green, he may have got the snooker.

:18:43. > :18:52.There is a path back to baulk, but it is one of those, you have got to

:18:53. > :19:01.hit it really well. You do not want to leave it short, near the blue

:19:02. > :19:09.spot. I do not think he is trying to get back to baulk.

:19:10. > :19:16.Well, he has left a pot on this time. I am not sure about that

:19:17. > :19:18.choice of shot, but he did not want to risk trying to get back to the

:19:19. > :19:36.baulk end. APPLAUSE

:19:37. > :19:47.He played it nicely. Nicely on the brown. Muck with all that safety

:19:48. > :19:58.that has gone on, they never freed up the pink or black. So, still not

:19:59. > :20:57.the best chance. Oh, that will help! The pink is now free somewhat.

:20:58. > :21:04.He does not want to be playing for the pink until it goes on its spot

:21:05. > :21:13.and at least is available into both middle pockets. It is understandable

:21:14. > :21:17.he is giving this plenty of thought, because it is a tricky situation,

:21:18. > :21:30.shot selection is of paramount importance.

:21:31. > :21:43.Well, I think he has just about got a slight angle on this blue. And

:21:44. > :21:47.obviously that red just below the pink is available to the right

:21:48. > :22:06.corner just and this will really clear the pink spot.

:22:07. > :23:54.He could have done with screwing back another inch.

:23:55. > :24:00.Now, he can play for the red which is blocking the pink into the left

:24:01. > :24:01.corner. This really is an opportunity where he should win the

:24:02. > :24:20.frame. It has to be said, Stephen, and he

:24:21. > :24:26.has played these really well, from the first red he potted, purposely

:24:27. > :24:36.trying to free up the pink, he has had to work hard, and he has done

:24:37. > :24:43.well. Yes, he looks a bit more focused around the table now. It is

:24:44. > :24:45.important to be relaxed when you play matches, but at the same time,

:24:46. > :25:02.I think Shaun was too relaxed. You would not like to wait until you

:25:03. > :25:06.are for-1 down all the time to do it! No, it does not leave much

:25:07. > :25:16.margin for error, does it? So, this pink will put him 73 points

:25:17. > :25:38.in front, with just 67 remaining. So, another frame where he has just

:25:39. > :25:44.needed the one visit. And there are did not look that much on. We were

:25:45. > :25:52.saying that the pink and black were tied up. But a couple of good shots

:25:53. > :25:55.early on to get that pink into the open, and he has made the most of

:25:56. > :26:10.it. Would not normally have played for

:26:11. > :26:12.the black, but as the frame is over, he thinks he may be able to make a

:26:13. > :26:42.century. Oh, that is a pity. I did was an

:26:43. > :26:46.excellent break of 81. There did not look that much on. But well played,

:26:47. > :26:57.Shaun Murphy. Both players are leaving the arena.

:26:58. > :27:07.This one has got to be in, me in my Superman onesie. This one was taken

:27:08. > :27:12.in Shanghai. I cannot walk past a piano and see it free and not try

:27:13. > :27:17.and knock a few Junes out. My coach Chris took that feature. This is me

:27:18. > :27:23.at home, just having run the Manchester ten kilometre race, for a

:27:24. > :27:27.Manchester hospital charity. This is the MCG in Australia. Neil Robertson

:27:28. > :27:34.and his father took me to watch again, and we had a couple of nights

:27:35. > :27:38.in Melbourne. Earlier in the summer, Hazel and the team came to the house

:27:39. > :27:43.to do a bit of filming, and halfway through, I had to excuse myself, and

:27:44. > :27:46.though she was, playing the piano. I have known Hazel for quite a long

:27:47. > :27:53.time and never knew that she could do that. It was a really nice

:27:54. > :27:59.surprise. And that was a surprise to me! I am not all that good,

:28:00. > :28:07.certainly not in Mr Murphy's league. But I did have a go. Hidden talents,

:28:08. > :28:11.which will remain hidden. But that Superman onesie is worth talking

:28:12. > :28:15.about. It looks like he has actually been into the telephone box and

:28:16. > :28:20.changed, because he is suddenly flying. Yes, it seems like he has

:28:21. > :28:25.upped his pace around the table. It could be, if he has potted a few

:28:26. > :28:29.balls, it does help you feel a bit more fired up. The difference

:28:30. > :28:35.between looking flat and looking like you have got a spring in your

:28:36. > :28:42.step, it is a fine dividing line. What would you prefer, onesie or

:28:43. > :28:51.palm skirt? Me? I do not really care, really. That is all in the

:28:52. > :29:00.past! What do you see different about Shaun? It is quite apparent

:29:01. > :29:08.that he has picked up the pace a bit more, just like Neil Robertson did

:29:09. > :29:12.against Mark Allen. The balls seem to be going in a lot sweeter. He has

:29:13. > :29:16.that error of confidence. We said that he had to do something, and he

:29:17. > :29:25.looks a bit more aggressive around the table. Steve, the shape of the

:29:26. > :29:29.match now, suddenly, Marco having been so comfortable, what do you

:29:30. > :29:33.detect about the way he is thinking? I do not think it is necessarily

:29:34. > :29:39.anything to do with Marco dropping his standards, but all of a sudden,

:29:40. > :29:44.it is slowly becoming the tournament of the last frame deciders. There is

:29:45. > :29:51.every chance that this could go to the last frame. Four out of the

:29:52. > :29:54.eight matches which have been played so far this week have indeed gone

:29:55. > :30:03.the distance. Will this be the next?

:30:04. > :30:42.Shaun played the six safely there. I think he was trying to ep up the

:30:43. > :30:47.cluster. Catching the yellow he's left a pot on. This to me has been

:30:48. > :30:54.the key in the last two frames. Marco Fu has had long pots. His

:30:55. > :31:01.long-pot success is very low. Can he knock this one?

:31:02. > :31:09.Close but it didn't go in. That to me is the difference. He's not been

:31:10. > :31:15.getting in amongst the balls but has had a chance of a couple of long

:31:16. > :31:17.pots in the frames and he hasn't been able to knock them in. His

:31:18. > :32:26.long-pot success is down to 25%. APPLAUSE Knocked that one in but

:32:27. > :32:34.needs that cue ball to slow up. Unless he's got a good angle on the

:32:35. > :32:37.brown, he's got a slight angle. He's just looking to see if there's red

:32:38. > :32:48.available to the left corner. If he goes for the brown, there must

:32:49. > :33:00.be a red on. Otherwise you just touch up behind the yellow.

:33:01. > :33:14.APPLAUSE This red, it just goes but it's one of those, if you were right

:33:15. > :33:18.behind it, you couldn't miss it. But with the angle he's at, he's at, it

:33:19. > :33:44.will look a lot tighter than it is. It didn't come far enough. The pink

:33:45. > :33:55.may pot to the left corner. He's going to be disturbing reds

:33:56. > :34:16.here. These aren't easy. As we saw, the pink didn't go in the

:34:17. > :34:22.middle of the pocket. Sometimes that can make the difference between

:34:23. > :34:25.being on the next ball or not. When they go into the heart of the

:34:26. > :34:31.pocket, the cue ball goes where you intended it. You have to say a bit

:34:32. > :34:33.unlucky. He'll be relieved that the pink went in after the wobbling that

:34:34. > :34:47.it did. Just a safety shot left.

:34:48. > :35:10.APPLAUSE He's made a pretty good fist of it.

:35:11. > :35:26.The shaded area is the part that he can't get to because of the yellow.

:35:27. > :35:36.This is dangerous. That was dangerous and he's left the red. I

:35:37. > :35:41.don't think that's the red he intended to hit. I think he tried to

:35:42. > :35:54.hit one of these in the main cluster, probably a quarter ball.

:35:55. > :36:05.Not punished. Just gone slightly off the boil here, Marco. He was

:36:06. > :36:31.punishing Shaun in the early stages of this match every mistake.

:36:32. > :36:42.You would think play for an angle on green or brown to go into the pack.

:36:43. > :36:48.Perhaps more pace. If you go into the pack off the blue, the pink is a

:36:49. > :36:50.fair distance from the bunch, but he's got a loose red he can play for

:36:51. > :37:29.here. He didn't hit it hard enough. That

:37:30. > :37:51.was a poor shot. Trying to create the angle, but when

:37:52. > :37:56.you do that, you don't want to get the pace in the cue ball if you had

:37:57. > :38:02.the perfect angle on the black. He's got this red to the right middle,

:38:03. > :38:20.but it's not certain he can get easy position on a colour.

:38:21. > :38:29.APPLAUSE As I thought, he couldn't do much else but leave himself this

:38:30. > :38:39.thin cut on the black. This is a little bit tricky.

:38:40. > :39:09.APPLAUSE Played it very well.

:39:10. > :39:17.He's using his cue power to screw into the reds.

:39:18. > :39:27.APPLAUSE Couldn't have done much better than that.

:39:28. > :40:57.He's taken a while but he looks to be in full stride now, does Shaun.

:40:58. > :41:13.Nice control of the cue ball. If it nestled on the red that he is

:41:14. > :41:20.closest to there and been hampered, he could have been end of break.

:41:21. > :41:23.Just came into that a little too much. Played the stun run-through,

:41:24. > :41:37.but he's OK. All he's got to do is concentrate

:41:38. > :41:39.and leave a nice angle on the black each time and the frame should be

:41:40. > :42:04.going his way. 55 points the lead now and just 59

:42:05. > :42:06.remaining. Just the one red required to get to the snooker's required

:42:07. > :43:02.stage. That's the highest break of the

:43:03. > :43:05.match. Shaun in the last frame had 81. Frame six an 86 break. Really

:43:06. > :43:20.starting to score now. But you need help from your opponent

:43:21. > :43:28.sometimes. Marco Fu did have a chance but didn't punish Shaun. He's

:43:29. > :43:33.been sat in his seat ever since. From being 4-1 in front it is now

:43:34. > :43:40.going to be all square and the first century of the match, surely. Well

:43:41. > :43:45.played, very well played indeed! APPLAUSE Took his time to get going

:43:46. > :43:50.but he's putting down a marker to his opponent. If you make a mistake,

:43:51. > :44:20.I'm the one who is going to punish you!

:44:21. > :44:30.Playing the exhibition shot. Not quite there, but that was a terrific

:44:31. > :44:34.break. Marco Fu had a chance. Missed a fairly easy red. Didn't punish

:44:35. > :44:40.Shaun Murphy, but Shaun punished him. We are now all square at four

:44:41. > :44:46.apiece. To me, Steven, that's been the difference. Shaun in the early

:44:47. > :44:54.part of the match was making mistakes and Marco was taking

:44:55. > :44:59.advantage. Since the interval, Marco isn't making the most of the

:45:00. > :45:04.mistakes. No, and he's had a few half chances at long balls in the

:45:05. > :45:10.match. You wouldn't think he would miss this thin. But his long game's

:45:11. > :45:14.not been strong enough. I think in the early part of the match when

:45:15. > :45:19.Shaun wasn't on it, Marco was capitalising on his mistakes. Now

:45:20. > :45:26.he's got to force his way in to create a chance for himself, he's

:45:27. > :45:33.not able to do it. Sometimes the balls can dictate. If you are not

:45:34. > :45:36.with the easy starters, you have got to start knocking in a few long

:45:37. > :45:45.balls to create opportunities. Marco is well down in that stat. It has

:45:46. > :45:47.really swung in the way of Shaun Murphy at the moment, big time.

:45:48. > :46:06.Shaun Murphy to break. Shaun gets frame nine under way. It

:46:07. > :46:12.can all swing round so quickly, this game. The chance of a long red here

:46:13. > :46:31.for Marco. At this level, you have to be

:46:32. > :46:36.potting a large percentage of those. He's been fortunate he's not left

:46:37. > :46:42.anything. That's a way in this a frame. Absolutely, otherwise you're

:46:43. > :46:58.waiting for your opponent to make a mistake.

:46:59. > :47:14.I agree, Marco has to up that long game, his pot percentage.

:47:15. > :47:22.A brown's come to his rescue somewhat there. Maybe he can get

:47:23. > :47:28.through to the red closest to the right middle. He'll be running into

:47:29. > :47:36.the second red. He'll have to be careful where the cue ball finishes.

:47:37. > :47:45.Couldn't be certain. Couldn't avoid the cannon. We started off this

:47:46. > :48:02.match best of 11. It is now best of three, and anyone can win a best of

:48:03. > :48:16.You've got to pot the blue first. A strange cue ball. Even if he potted

:48:17. > :48:21.the blue, it was a long way from the reds. I can only assume he missed

:48:22. > :48:34.the blue because he was trying to avoid the kiss on the yellow.

:48:35. > :48:45.Can Marco take advantage of this unexpected chance? No. Once again,

:48:46. > :49:28.unfortunate. He can't beat a bit of luck.

:49:29. > :50:01.Just caught the green, but nevertheless it was a good effort to

:50:02. > :50:55.get that cue ball back to the baulk end. Needed a thin contact.

:50:56. > :51:01.Neither player at the moment seems to be able to avoid running into a

:51:02. > :51:43.baulk colour, so it doesn't make it a good safety shot if you do that.

:51:44. > :51:49.Looks a straightforward safety shot down the left-hand side of the

:51:50. > :51:55.table. Obviously he doesn't want it too thin or too thick and collide

:51:56. > :51:56.into the blue, but red or green are good targets at the baulk end. Too

:51:57. > :52:22.thin. And too much pace. Too thick. Now, a couple of times in

:52:23. > :52:25.this frame already Marco Fu's been fortunate when he's made a mistake.

:52:26. > :52:38.I think Shaun hay have been fortunate here.

:52:39. > :53:02.He's looking at the plant, and that isn't bad.

:53:03. > :53:25.How are you feeling, Marco? Do you fancy the blue?

:53:26. > :53:35.If he potted it, he would be on the red, but there is lots of pressure.

:53:36. > :53:41.He's already seen his 4-1 lead disappear.

:53:42. > :54:24.He could have made a better fist of it than that, but it's OK.

:54:25. > :54:31.You can see there is a red that will go into the right corner, but he

:54:32. > :54:38.can't play it, because it would be too dangerous. Trying to get up

:54:39. > :54:47.behind the yellow again. Just a little too thin. He's left a... I

:54:48. > :55:57.thought Shaun may be able to get past the green. No, he can't.

:55:58. > :56:10.That was adventurous. Decided to go all out for the pot. Maybe thought

:56:11. > :56:15.the only way he could leave was the one he was playing, although that

:56:16. > :56:22.wasn't guaranteed. The one he did play, I think it is cuttable into

:56:23. > :56:28.the far left corner. It is dangerous to play it slowly but you would

:56:29. > :56:30.think it is bound to be on the pink or blue, if he was able to control

:56:31. > :57:07.the cue ball. I would rather pot the one in the

:57:08. > :57:18.yellow pocket than the one in the middle.

:57:19. > :57:23.He's never really looked at the one in the far left corner. It is not

:57:24. > :57:54.that difficult. We are getting to that stage in the

:57:55. > :57:59.match now where every mistake is going to be magnified. I think I've

:58:00. > :58:04.seen a few matches where they get near the winning line and players

:58:05. > :58:06.have clammed up a bit. Look for the negative shot rather than go for the

:58:07. > :58:34.victory. This frame has been going

:58:35. > :58:44.12-and-a-half minutes. Surely not a re-whack?

:58:45. > :58:54.Shaun, do you want to carry on? Not really. Well, there you go. We have

:58:55. > :59:08.a re-rack. 12-and-a-half minutes wasted. I was just getting started.

:59:09. > :59:14.STUDIO: Shaun says he was just getting started, but 12 minutes down

:59:15. > :59:18.the swannee and we start all over again. In some respects, given

:59:19. > :59:24.what's going on, it might not be a bad thing from Marco Fu's

:59:25. > :59:32.perspective to have a little regroup out there? You look at the breaks,

:59:33. > :59:38.so it is probably a good time for Marco Fu to regroup and slow things

:59:39. > :59:42.down a bit. From Shaun Murphy's perspective, no I would want to keep

:59:43. > :59:46.going. I wouldn't want a re-rack. Marco is under pressure and when you

:59:47. > :59:52.have him under pressure, are you want to keep him at it. There's a

:59:53. > :59:56.lot of spectators here today. One we met earlier on. This is Aaron. He is

:59:57. > :00:01.nine years of age. He's here with his mum and dad. This is his first

:00:02. > :00:04.experience of snooker. He is a massive snooker fan. It is his

:00:05. > :00:08.favourite sport. I had a chat with his mum and dad earlier. He is

:00:09. > :00:23.excited to be here and he's been smiling the entire match. Steve, you

:00:24. > :00:29.met him? Yes. He does seem like an big snooker fan. His favourite

:00:30. > :00:34.player is Neil Robertson, I believe. He has certainly got a great match

:00:35. > :00:42.for his first match at a snooker event.

:00:43. > :00:51.There is the possibility of a red to the left corner but no value in

:00:52. > :01:07.taking it on, Marco does not believe.

:01:08. > :01:17.He has played that pretty well. Just a little bit short of pace. The red

:01:18. > :01:46.second from the left does cut. It is amazing how thick he hit that.

:01:47. > :01:50.This is a corner ball pot and he has headed almost three quarters ball.

:01:51. > :02:03.-- he has hit eight. A chance to play for the red next to

:02:04. > :02:22.the black. Get rid of that... I cannot believe he has not played

:02:23. > :03:10.for that. That was difficult. He went all out

:03:11. > :03:16.for it. But as Stephen said, when he was on the blue, white he didn't

:03:17. > :03:23.play for the red alongside the black... Unless it does not go. But

:03:24. > :03:40.I think it goes. Yes, it went. He should have played for that.

:03:41. > :03:53.That was Hawk-Eye showing you the shot that Stephen suggested he

:03:54. > :04:02.played. He overtook that. -- Mcquay overhit it.

:04:03. > :04:12.That could have worked out better. Obviously no problem with the pink

:04:13. > :04:19.but he wanted to be on an easier red than this. Maybe Shaun would have

:04:20. > :04:23.been better playing for the red. The only reason I say that, that would

:04:24. > :04:29.have freed the black and then he could have thought about opening it

:04:30. > :04:41.up. But he has knocked the black of its spot. It is all tied up now.

:04:42. > :04:48.Unlucky not to be on something easier than this, it has to be said.

:04:49. > :05:06.It may be worthwhile just coming off the caution. -- the caution.

:05:07. > :05:26.Unusual to see Shaun miss a shot with a rest.

:05:27. > :05:45.Ain't it goes. He is bound to be on the pink. That was perfect. These

:05:46. > :05:54.are the type of opportunities that Marco was really scoring off in the

:05:55. > :05:57.first three frames. He needs to doing that he needs to start doing

:05:58. > :06:17.that again now if he is going to win this match.

:06:18. > :06:23.He got that all wrong. He did not get enough bottom or left-hand side

:06:24. > :06:49.on the cue ball. I don't think this paint passes the

:06:50. > :06:55.blue. I suppose he could play the cut into the right middle.

:06:56. > :07:29.The easiest ball to get on here would be the black. Just drop the

:07:30. > :07:34.red in and come off the top cushion. He tried to get on the pink. It has

:07:35. > :09:34.not worked out. It is just a safety shot now.

:09:35. > :09:42.Another attempt at a long pot that did not work out. What has he left?

:09:43. > :10:09.At first glance, nothing easy. The red to the left middle is

:10:10. > :10:14.fraught with danger. We're getting into the nitty-gritty of this

:10:15. > :10:44.matter. This is not the time to take any Anju risks. -- any risks.

:10:45. > :10:56.Shaun has got to be very wary when he plays safe. He has got to make

:10:57. > :11:07.certain he covers the path. I think he has used the blue. That has

:11:08. > :11:38.covered the path of the red. That is the danger ball.

:11:39. > :11:48.And that danger ball is now on. The problem is, where the colour comes

:11:49. > :11:56.from is not certain. He is bound to run into the paint. -- the pink. But

:11:57. > :12:04.in these situations, just make certain you get the pot.

:12:05. > :12:16.That just about struggled in and avoided the kiss on the pink.

:12:17. > :12:27.If that red had gone in the middle of the pocket, he would probably

:12:28. > :12:37.have kissed the pink. He hated soulful -- he struck it soulful...

:12:38. > :12:44.He will not be playing the pot here because he is not at a right angled

:12:45. > :12:49.to get a nice position on the red. And having played it like that, he

:12:50. > :12:56.should have got the snooker. A little shade of the head and a raise

:12:57. > :13:03.of the eyebrows. He is not happy. I do not see the value of playing a

:13:04. > :13:05.snooker there. He should have forced Marco into playing a safety shot.

:13:06. > :14:01.Absolutely. It was a tough shot. I think Shaun

:14:02. > :14:06.is just trying to make something happen. He does not really want to

:14:07. > :14:14.get bogged down in this matter. We had nearly 13 minutes and we had a

:14:15. > :14:19.re-racked. Now we are coming up to 14 minutes and still no result

:14:20. > :14:28.inside. It is getting a bit bogged down. The balls keep getting mixed,

:14:29. > :14:49.the game gets scrappy, the balls are not on their spots.

:14:50. > :15:06.He played that well. That has worked out really well.

:15:07. > :15:19.This is not a bad chance, this. He has already got a 22 point lead. If

:15:20. > :15:29.you can make another 30, 40 break here... This could see him home in

:15:30. > :15:43.this frame and put him one frame away from a place in the semifinal.

:15:44. > :15:47.Anything but straight on this red and he will be OK because he will

:15:48. > :16:21.have the brown to the right middle. He just over screwed that slightly.

:16:22. > :16:29.He would like to be able to just run the brown in and run it down to the

:16:30. > :16:33.Reds. He has got to be careful with this. It looks simple. But he can

:16:34. > :16:46.miss this brown. He got into it too much. He did not

:16:47. > :17:09.want the cannon on that red. Is there a bonus here? This red

:17:10. > :17:11.goes. It looks as though it may go but he is refusing it. He is playing

:17:12. > :18:26.safe. He has got a 34 point lead. He just got it wrong. Shaun comes

:18:27. > :18:32.macro to the table 34 points behind. -- Shaun comes to the table. It is a

:18:33. > :18:36.tall order for it him to win the frame at this visit. But whenever

:18:37. > :18:47.you are at the table, there is a chance.

:18:48. > :19:01.It is a decent chance. One more obvious red to the left corner after

:19:02. > :19:13.this one, and that clears the red to the right corner. The red closest to

:19:14. > :19:24.the baulk caution Willie Faloon on the black.

:19:25. > :19:33.He can even play for the black ears if he chooses. -- the black if he

:19:34. > :19:49.chooses. This is not a bad chance to win the frame.

:19:50. > :20:00.He has got an angle on the pink. Maybe he will have to play for a red

:20:01. > :20:02.into the right corner, the opposite corner from the pink. That is what

:20:03. > :20:14.he has played. Just another role of that cue ball

:20:15. > :20:35.would have been perfect. The reason I said that, then he

:20:36. > :20:46.could have parted that red and left the last red, which is nowhere was.

:20:47. > :20:51.It is a little bit awkward. He hit that last shot a little bit hard. He

:20:52. > :21:21.has put the red next to the black spot.

:21:22. > :21:36.I am sure he could get a clearly through to the yellow and bring the

:21:37. > :21:42.yellow into play. He plays a snooker. As we say, it is not

:21:43. > :21:54.getting out of the snooker is, it is playing it safe.

:21:55. > :22:40.Whoever wins this frame is favourite for the match. It is very important

:22:41. > :22:46.now, particularly when you are for-1 in front, to be fooled -- pulled

:22:47. > :22:48.back to four apiece. Michael would love to get his nose in front once

:22:49. > :23:30.more. He needs a good safety here. That was OK. He probably hated a

:23:31. > :23:34.little more thinly than he would have wanted. -- he probably struck

:23:35. > :23:57.it. That has worked out fine. You could

:23:58. > :24:08.save the Black has come to his rescue. -- you could say. Shaun is

:24:09. > :24:20.snookered and he has got to hit it and get it safe.

:24:21. > :24:33.That is not particularly safe. He has not parted a lot of these today,

:24:34. > :24:48.Marco Fu, what a time to get one. -- potted.

:24:49. > :24:54.That was one of those have chances that at this level you have got to

:24:55. > :25:05.be getting more often than not. He has missed it. And he has left Shaun

:25:06. > :25:16.a chance. But he has missed it. Hit it too thick. That was probably a

:25:17. > :25:20.good kiss at first glance. If he did not get the double kiss, I think

:25:21. > :25:24.that red would have been over the far left corner. An easy safety shot

:25:25. > :25:45.but at least he did not leave the red.

:25:46. > :25:51.He is so close to the Queen that he cannot come off the right-hand side

:25:52. > :26:01.cushion. -- he is so close to the green. This is very miscible. --

:26:02. > :26:17.this can be easily missed. It is tough going off the baulk

:26:18. > :26:28.cushion. It looks like a free ball to me. Free ball. If he does decide

:26:29. > :26:39.to take the shot on, he could have it replaced. He does not have to

:26:40. > :26:52.play it. If he is playing the pink, it will count as a red.

:26:53. > :27:55.Those vital balls not going in at the moment.

:27:56. > :28:01.If it was going to be a telling safety shot, he had to avoid the

:28:02. > :28:47.kiss on the black ball. He hit that perfectly. I think you

:28:48. > :28:57.can get through to it without a swerve. But if he swerves it, he can

:28:58. > :29:01.hit it more fully. He has got to get it safe though. OK, there is a

:29:02. > :29:05.little bit of insurance with the yellow being near the left and

:29:06. > :29:09.cushion, but Shaun will be thinking, if he leaves Marco the chance of a

:29:10. > :29:27.pot, it could cost him the frame. At least he has got it safe. But at

:29:28. > :29:32.the moment you would say Marco Fu has got control of this tactical

:29:33. > :29:43.exchange. This looks like a comfortable shot.

:29:44. > :30:34.Just a fraction out. Just a fraction out from being a snooker.

:30:35. > :30:43.APPLAUSE That's a pretty good shot. The important thing is getting the

:30:44. > :31:32.object ball safe. A good pot. A bump on the middle

:31:33. > :31:43.pocket, don't know if it helped him or not. Can he develop this yellow?

:31:44. > :31:53.A good effort. But he's not made it any easier. Ten points behind.

:31:54. > :32:07.Surely this yellow is too risky into the far left corner?

:32:08. > :32:18.He's played the safety. Once the yellow slows up, it will be a good

:32:19. > :32:22.one. He's got the snooker. Although Shaun Murphy's ten points behind, I

:32:23. > :32:34.suggest he's now favourite for the frame.

:32:35. > :32:46.APPLAUSE A good hit. He'll be happy with the outcome. Shaun can get

:32:47. > :32:50.through to the yellow but he can't pot it. That was the priority for

:32:51. > :33:12.Marco. Is there a gap? I think with a

:33:13. > :33:17.little bit of left-hand side he can get through. He's going to play top

:33:18. > :33:27.cushion first here. He's not self to get this safe. I suppose if you hit

:33:28. > :33:31.it absolutely perfect like that you can!

:33:32. > :33:38.APPLAUSE There was no raised hand from Marco, so that is where he was

:33:39. > :33:41.playing, or intending. It is probably 1 or 2 in ten that you

:33:42. > :33:54.would actually achieve it. He'd be a good poker player, Marco.

:33:55. > :34:03.You wouldn't know what was going on in his hand.

:34:04. > :34:09.This is a tough one. If you played it off a couple of cushions you've

:34:10. > :34:19.got the problem that you might just leave it.

:34:20. > :34:31.He wanted to play that with pace. That could be a good hit. Foul and a

:34:32. > :34:38.miss. Marco Fu four. A miss! We all know what happens now with the rule.

:34:39. > :34:50.It's gone a little bill silly to me, but there you go. The problem with

:34:51. > :34:51.playing at this pace, even if he hits it, he's going to be in

:34:52. > :34:59.trouble. That was absolutely amazing. I don't

:35:00. > :35:24.know why Marco keeps walking. He's trying to nestle up. Doesn't

:35:25. > :35:38.want to leave too much distance between the cue ball and the yellow.

:35:39. > :35:59.He's hit it this time. APPLAUSE I think this yellow may go.

:36:00. > :36:07.If it did go, I'm surprised he didn't play it. If you missed it

:36:08. > :36:11.there's a good chance you were snookered behind the green and brown

:36:12. > :36:21.and you would have the green to the left centre.

:36:22. > :36:31.Didn't look like it was straight. If it was straight I'm even more

:36:32. > :36:36.surprised he didn't play the pot. I think he's gone into a bit of a

:36:37. > :36:45.shell at the moment, Marco, hasn't he.

:36:46. > :36:53.Sometimes you've got to play to your ability. If you keep waiting for the

:36:54. > :37:03.perfect chance to win the frame, sometimes it never comes. Shaun

:37:04. > :37:13.looks in a positive mood as he is eyeing up the pot on this yellow.

:37:14. > :37:25.APPLAUSE That's a good one and he's going to be nicely on the green. I

:37:26. > :37:39.bet Marco wishes he had that yellow back now.

:37:40. > :37:47.It is important he gets a good angle on the blue. He's just about got the

:37:48. > :37:49.angle but he doesn't want to be too straight on this pink, even with his

:37:50. > :38:03.cue power. I think he played to hit the side

:38:04. > :38:10.cushion first before the baulk cushion. You can only assume he's

:38:11. > :38:17.tried to force the angle and forced it too much. Does he take this pink

:38:18. > :38:27.on? If you miss it you think you are going to leave it... But in it goes!

:38:28. > :38:45.Good kiss on the black? APPLAUSE Shaun Murphy was 4-1 wine,

:38:46. > :38:49.looked as though he is in real trouble. Marco Fu now trails Shaun

:38:50. > :39:00.Murphy 5-4. What a turn-around this is for this

:39:01. > :39:06.man, Murphy. Sometimes you wait for the right opportunities and they

:39:07. > :39:10.don't come. Marco Fu had two yellow there is. When Shaun Murphy got out

:39:11. > :39:14.of the snooker, like this o, with it is a straight pot. From this angle

:39:15. > :39:20.it looks difficult, but when we saw it from behind the shot, all he had

:39:21. > :39:25.to do was rub that in dead Wight. He could play the snooker on the green

:39:26. > :39:32.or on the brown into the corner pocket. He played the safety shot.

:39:33. > :39:36.He's had a great opportunity there, but there was another yellow

:39:37. > :39:41.straight after that that he refused. Steven is right. Sometimes you just

:39:42. > :39:47.have to take your chance the way Shaun Murphy did. Obviously the

:39:48. > :39:52.problem for players is when to decide to press the go button. The

:39:53. > :39:56.first one looked a bit tricky with whether he was going pot it. Wasn't

:39:57. > :40:00.guaranteed to be perfect on the green. This one no guarantees he is

:40:01. > :40:04.going to pot this yellow or be on the green. But as was mentioned,

:40:05. > :40:09.somewhere down the line at this level of play you've got to take

:40:10. > :40:13.risks. He played a poor safety shot. Shaun Murphy took the risk and even

:40:14. > :40:17.though he looked like he was out of position, he kept going for the

:40:18. > :40:22.shot, because momentum was on his side a bit. Knowing when to push it

:40:23. > :40:26.is an art form in itself. But the whole frame was littered with

:40:27. > :40:31.discussions over tactical nuances. What types of shot to play, what

:40:32. > :40:35.safety shots to play. Did you put the ball back after a miss decision?

:40:36. > :40:41.Players ultimately at this level, they win or lose based on a lot of

:40:42. > :40:47.decision making. Exactly. The match can hinge on a decision like that.

:40:48. > :40:53.Shaun Murphy was much more positive. Even that pink, that was no give-me.

:40:54. > :41:00.It wasn't less tough than the yellow that Marco refused. Resaw Marco

:41:01. > :41:07.against Judd Trump. He potted a great pink. He should have gone for

:41:08. > :41:13.that yellow, no doubt. On that I don't think yellow that Marco passed

:41:14. > :41:17.on, his long potting hasn't been up to scratch today and he's seemed

:41:18. > :41:23.inhibited. Against Judd Trump he was taking them on and indeed potting

:41:24. > :41:27.them. If you get into that frame of mind, that negative frame of mind,

:41:28. > :41:30.that can happen. The telling moment was after Marco played the poor

:41:31. > :41:35.safety shot and Shaun Murphy potted the yellow. The shake of the head

:41:36. > :41:43.from Marco Fu told its own story. He knew he had messed up that frame. He

:41:44. > :41:47.was in that state of mind where his long potting wasn't there today. He

:41:48. > :41:52.isn't very confident with his long pots. Every long pot he went for he

:41:53. > :41:56.was leaving it up. He wanted to hedge his bets but there comes a

:41:57. > :42:01.point where you just have to take that shot on. Funnily enough, Ken,

:42:02. > :42:05.if you are playing on the circuit in the early rounds in tournaments

:42:06. > :42:08.against lesser opposition, is sometimes you can play a more

:42:09. > :42:12.defensive game and it works. But when you start to play against the

:42:13. > :42:17.top players in the world, it is kill or be killed. Yes. You can't wait

:42:18. > :42:21.for them to keep making mistakes. That's a fair point. Marco, who has

:42:22. > :42:26.had to stew on those decisions over the last few minutes comes in and

:42:27. > :42:32.now the shoe is firmly on the other foot. It is Murphy in the driving

:42:33. > :42:33.seat. One frame away and Fu is playing for his place in the

:42:34. > :42:51.Masters. Straight away the chance of a red

:42:52. > :42:56.for Shaun. He'll be playing it in such a way he will hope it will be

:42:57. > :43:07.in a baulk colour. This won't be a shot to nothing.

:43:08. > :43:14.Interesting to hear Steve stay when deciding to push, John, always push.

:43:15. > :43:21.Well, it stood you in good stead, Steven, but not everybody had your

:43:22. > :43:26.ability. But yes, I think Marco Fu if you is in this tournament because

:43:27. > :43:29.he's a great player. He's got the ability. All of a sudden if you

:43:30. > :43:37.spurn those opportunities, the you are not playing to your ability. Why

:43:38. > :43:42.would you do that? Trying to take the easy way out all the time? Where

:43:43. > :43:44.Steve is correct, you can't wait for chances against players in this

:43:45. > :44:04.tournament. That was a poor safety. . Miles too

:44:05. > :44:15.thin. Let's's see what Marco's got left in the locker.

:44:16. > :45:16.Is he going to get past the blue? Good shot. Just about OK. I bet his

:45:17. > :45:21.heart was in his mouth. It looked as though he wasn't going to get past

:45:22. > :45:45.the blue. If he hadn't had done, he would have been snookered.

:45:46. > :45:57.It is a bit look to see if it goes after you've played for it. I'm sure

:45:58. > :46:12.it does go. The highest available is the yellow

:46:13. > :46:28.spot. There's a red at the end of the

:46:29. > :46:54.cluster. Marco's not one of those that goes into the bunch.

:46:55. > :47:05.A little smile from Marco there as Michaela nearly fell over!

:47:06. > :47:10.You would have thought with the angle he had on the red you would be

:47:11. > :47:14.trying to nudge off the other reds rather than trying to avoid them.

:47:15. > :47:23.That's the only reason I can see him missing this pot. You can see

:47:24. > :47:28.physically how Marco Fu lifts his head to generate the power. If he

:47:29. > :47:43.doesn't time the shot right, he misses it.

:47:44. > :47:50.Shaun in the meantime had the cue ball cleaned. He is low on this

:47:51. > :48:00.black, so it is the black that's the problem.

:48:01. > :48:08.Didn't hit it thin enough. There was no problem. Position on the next

:48:09. > :48:25.red, but will to pot the black first.

:48:26. > :48:38.Looking for an angle on the blue, and just about got one.

:48:39. > :48:46.He's played the cannon. He's definitely on one and if he can get

:48:47. > :48:48.through to the one to the right corner, he'll be happy with that.

:48:49. > :49:07.Just about on it. The black is just a matter of a deep

:49:08. > :49:38.screw. The choice of the red to the corner or to the left-centre.

:49:39. > :49:50.He wasn't missing that type of shot early in the match. That's been the

:49:51. > :49:55.difference. Early on every time Shaun made a mistake he punished him

:49:56. > :49:59.to the hilt. But it hasn't happened in the second half of this match.

:50:00. > :50:08.That's why he is 5-4 behind. Shaun Murphy now with a nice easy starter.

:50:09. > :50:41.But he's not good on the blue. Needs a good shot now.

:50:42. > :50:49.The perfect angle. Maybe a red at the top of the bunch goes to the

:50:50. > :50:58.left corner but I think this is the right time to go into the pack.

:50:59. > :51:05.That's not bad. Maybe a little bit disappointed that he knocked that

:51:06. > :51:10.red to the right-hand side cushion. I think he's going to need that. At

:51:11. > :51:35.least he's got a nice easy red to continue with. One to the left.

:51:36. > :51:52.I think he's got a choice of reds into this left corner

:51:53. > :51:57.If he's going to win frame and match at this visit, that's going to be

:51:58. > :52:26.the problem ball. He's going to have to think about

:52:27. > :52:41.moving that red. He may even try it here.

:52:42. > :52:46.I'm surprised he didn't take the chance there. Maybe it wasn't a nice

:52:47. > :53:31.angle. Too much angle on the plaque. On the

:53:32. > :53:35.practise table you float them in the left-hand side but that wasn't the

:53:36. > :53:41.time to play with sides, so a tricky red to the middle, this. But nicely

:53:42. > :53:44.played. And now he would like to leave himself in a position where he

:53:45. > :54:06.could play the second last red. Now he can pot this... I would liked

:54:07. > :54:10.him to leave more angle than this, but I think he's got enough angle to

:54:11. > :54:17.pot this red and remove the red from the right-hand side cushion.

:54:18. > :54:27.APPLAUSE He's done it. But as we always say, when you move a red

:54:28. > :54:34.after potting a red, you're never certain to be good on the colour. I

:54:35. > :54:38.think he never had the ideal angle on the red. That's why he couldn't

:54:39. > :54:49.generate enough pace on the cue ball to get it off the cushion.

:54:50. > :55:02.He's digging in. This makes the blue missable. But in it went!

:55:03. > :55:06.APPLAUSE and Marco Fu must be fearing the worst now. A great

:55:07. > :55:24.performance this by Shaun. 4-1 down. It is not the ideal thing when you

:55:25. > :55:28.are 4-1 down to start producing the best, because you're leaving it a

:55:29. > :55:35.bit too late. But every credit. Just the black needed. Snooker's

:55:36. > :55:42.required. And Marco Fu will be ruing his missed opportunities,

:55:43. > :55:44.particularly his long potting. A few decisions in the last frame may have

:55:45. > :55:54.cost him dear. Misses the yellow. Two snookers

:55:55. > :56:00.required. Marco obviously will play on. He'll be disappointed, Shaun,

:56:01. > :56:04.that he didn't pot that yellow. Then there would have been no way back to

:56:05. > :56:18.the table for Marco. 24-point snookers needed. There's

:56:19. > :56:31.one of them. It is not a bad one if you can put the object ball in the

:56:32. > :56:55.middle of the table -- two four-point snookers needed.

:56:56. > :57:03.It looks as,000 he can get though that, with a trace of side if you

:57:04. > :57:23.need it. No problem. But a little bit of pressure on it.

:57:24. > :57:35.Marco's looked at the scoreboard. There were two four-point snook ers

:57:36. > :57:40.needed. If he potted the green and brown, there'll be one to tie. But

:57:41. > :57:46.he won't refuse the opportunity to screw in behind the brown. He never

:57:47. > :57:47.got any action on the cue ball. He tried to screw in behind the brown

:57:48. > :58:46.there. APPLAUSE That's not turned out too

:58:47. > :59:14.bad. He's not got the snooker. If Shaun

:59:15. > :59:22.knocks this in, that is end of match and end of Marco Fu's Masters.

:59:23. > :59:33.APPLAUSE In it goes. And he's done really well here, has Shaun Murphy.

:59:34. > :59:39.Marco will be disappointed. When he led 4-1, you thought he was in the

:59:40. > :59:44.ascendancy. . Well, he was, but his long game just let him down at the

:59:45. > :59:48.vital time. I think because it was letting him down he started to

:59:49. > :59:56.refuse shots he should have gone for. His race is run.

:59:57. > :00:14.APPLAUSE In goes the black. Marco Fu, gentle

:00:15. > :00:21.man as ever, shakes his hand. A good match. It is Shaun Murphy who goes

:00:22. > :00:29.through to the semifinal of the Dafabet Masters. 6-4.

:00:30. > :00:37.Fantastic performance once again from Shaun Murphy. He left it late.

:00:38. > :00:41.4-1 behind. I'm sure there was some kind of telephone box around the

:00:42. > :00:44.corner. They must have been a superman outfit he changed into. It

:00:45. > :00:51.was a completely different player from that point, Ken? Completely

:00:52. > :01:01.different. He looked a different player. He started to score. Big

:01:02. > :01:04.breaks. That tells the story. A really good performance. He dug deep

:01:05. > :01:17.when he had two and had to score more to win those frames. Here he

:01:18. > :01:25.comes, direct from krypton! A bumpy landing. Fantastic progress. What

:01:26. > :01:29.happened at 4-1? I have absolutely no idea. That is the frustrating

:01:30. > :01:33.thing about snooker. When it is going wrong you have no idea when

:01:34. > :01:41.you are going right, you have no idea either. We are all absolutely

:01:42. > :01:46.clueless. We work talking about increasing the pace. Did you try to

:01:47. > :01:52.do something like that? I just sensed last week in Essex that I

:01:53. > :02:00.tried a couple of different things, and I just found that, yes, I made

:02:01. > :02:08.take a little more damage, but playing my natural aggressive style

:02:09. > :02:17.is where is is at. I have got to play my own game. Watching here, it

:02:18. > :02:21.looked... You cannot look confident if you are sitting in your chair. It

:02:22. > :02:25.looked like you were flat and you hadn't really got your engine

:02:26. > :02:31.started. That is why we were saying you had to do something to change

:02:32. > :02:36.the equation. I was really annoyed to start with. There was really cold

:02:37. > :02:43.air coming into the arena. That has a massive effect on how the table

:02:44. > :02:45.reacts. The ball plays heavy. I was frustrated that something out of our

:02:46. > :02:52.control was affecting the Wii the table was playing. -- was affecting

:02:53. > :02:57.the way the table was playing. Falling behind seems to be the

:02:58. > :03:01.fashion. You did it against Ding. This has been a big turning of a

:03:02. > :03:06.corner for you. How much more confident do you feel about your

:03:07. > :03:11.game? You know, I have been working really hard on my game. I know my

:03:12. > :03:17.game is there. It has taken a while to get used to minute queue. When I

:03:18. > :03:21.made a 147 last week it hit me, yes, you have not forgotten how to play.

:03:22. > :03:27.Get on with it. I game is in good shape. It is my mum's birthday

:03:28. > :03:36.today. If she is watching, she will be made up. She would be very well

:03:37. > :03:43.aware that this is your third semifinal at the youth K Masters --

:03:44. > :03:49.at the Masters in three years. Why do you enjoy it so much? It is just

:03:50. > :03:56.the venue. The conference centre was magnificent. I didn't like one the

:03:57. > :04:01.arena for some reason. I never did well there. I have done well here.

:04:02. > :04:06.Watching the PDC darts over the festive period, the buzz about the

:04:07. > :04:11.place is electric. Once that tournament starts, you cannot wait

:04:12. > :04:17.to get here and play snooker. You are in the semifinal. Is it a case

:04:18. > :04:22.of, keep going how you are going and relaxing? I have to be honest, I

:04:23. > :04:26.have come microglia with no form at all. I did not expect to lose to

:04:27. > :04:31.Ding but had I been deep -- beaten by Ding, I would've gone, fair play.

:04:32. > :04:37.I feel I am a real bonus now and I cannot wait to play again. It will

:04:38. > :04:42.be John Higgins or John Selby. Whichever way it goes, it will be a

:04:43. > :04:47.cracking match? It does not get any easier. I think I played John

:04:48. > :04:51.Higgins last year and came through a really close match. He has had few

:04:52. > :04:56.problems as well. If he comes through, that will be tough. And

:04:57. > :05:05.Mark Selby, what can you say? One of the best players in the game at the

:05:06. > :05:10.moment. It couldn't get any easier! We ran feature at half-time way you

:05:11. > :05:15.showed us the superman onesie. You have now revealed it to the public.

:05:16. > :05:19.I know you have been a massive superman fan since you were six

:05:20. > :05:24.years old. Genuinely, is it really good fun to walk out to the music?

:05:25. > :05:31.Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. It was better yesterday. The whole

:05:32. > :05:34.point of the walk on music is to have a little bit of fun and show a

:05:35. > :05:38.little bit of your character. It hit me the other day, thinking about it,

:05:39. > :05:43.I have been a big superman fan all my life, why have I not got that

:05:44. > :05:47.music? If I had fallen at the first hurdle, I would have looked like a

:05:48. > :05:57.bit of a Muppet. Steptoe and son, me. What about you? Well... Superman

:05:58. > :06:03.is a Man of Steel. He showed a lot of steel out there. We will see you

:06:04. > :06:08.later. Let's move on. We are going to reflect for a little while,

:06:09. > :06:12.because we do have some time in hand, and last night's match between

:06:13. > :06:18.Barry Hawkins and Ricky Walden. This, as you may remember, was a

:06:19. > :06:22.repeat of the world championship semifinal nine months ago. It was

:06:23. > :06:31.won by Hawkins and it was a bruising defeat for Waldon because he was

:06:32. > :06:36.12-8 ahead. -- Ricky Walden. I'm sure a little bit of revenge was on

:06:37. > :06:42.his mind. But it was not going his way early on. Barry Hawkins was not

:06:43. > :06:46.mucking about. He raced to a 4-1 and then a five - three lead. He was

:06:47. > :06:52.playing nearly flawless snooker at times. He looked as if he was on the

:06:53. > :06:55.verge of victory. And Ricky Walden, with memories of that match still

:06:56. > :06:59.smarting in his mind, was trying to change the momentum in the ninth

:07:00. > :07:04.frame. It was Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry you were watching in

:07:05. > :07:15.the commentary box. -- who were watching.

:07:16. > :07:40.Ricky is trying to knock the ball is trying to knock the balls and Barry

:07:41. > :07:47.is trying to bring them back into play. -- knock the ball onto the

:07:48. > :08:33.cushion. That was a very good shot. He has got to get a little closer to

:08:34. > :08:55.the middle pocket. He has gone a bit narrow again, has

:08:56. > :08:58.it? Skidding off slightly. Just a slight adjustment. Just a little bit

:08:59. > :09:10.closer to the middle pocket and he is OK.

:09:11. > :09:29.Just a slight adjustment. I think he can get it this time.

:09:30. > :09:40.I don't know whether he had the knuckle of the middle pocket. It did

:09:41. > :09:53.not need that much of an adjustment. Let's have a look. Well, he did.

:09:54. > :10:08.Just slightly above the pocket and he will get away with it.

:10:09. > :10:22.I cannot believe that was the right shot. The cue ball was always going

:10:23. > :10:27.to go into the three reds. Far be it for me to criticise safety shots,

:10:28. > :10:34.but I did not think that was a shot. Yes, he was always going to disturb

:10:35. > :10:44.the reds and the black. If he had hit the black full ball there, he

:10:45. > :10:48.would have put the game on. Surely he is not looking at putting this

:10:49. > :10:59.red in of the other red? That is a bit ambitious, Barry.

:11:00. > :11:13.He is! He is! And I'll tell you what, not many players would have

:11:14. > :11:23.attempted that. What judgement he showed there. I will tell you what,

:11:24. > :11:29.he deserves to win the match, taking that shot on. An incredible shot. I

:11:30. > :11:37.don't think I have ever seen that in a match before. At such a crucial

:11:38. > :11:41.stage. The Black was not bad either. What a chance he has given himself

:11:42. > :11:48.to win the match. He will not be too happy with that. Yes, even after you

:11:49. > :11:51.take the brown now. He played to get on the yellow. It should not be a

:11:52. > :12:10.problem from the brown. A little bit of tension. Quite

:12:11. > :12:36.rightly so. This is a big, big match for Barry.

:12:37. > :12:44.A bit of a tense one from Barry. After one spectacular shot. He is

:12:45. > :12:58.usually pretty good with the rest. He has got the perfect angle of

:12:59. > :13:23.yellow or green. He had such a margin for error. Why

:13:24. > :13:35.didn't he just play it off one cushion? Yes, I think I would not

:13:36. > :13:36.have played three cautions as well. -- off three of the cushions as

:13:37. > :14:45.well. That was a strange shot. But it was

:14:46. > :14:53.the previous one on the yellow... The only good thing is he has not

:14:54. > :14:54.the black up near the pink. That was the margin of error he had on the

:14:55. > :15:08.previous shot, where the circle is. As I say, he knocked the black save.

:15:09. > :15:10.He had no intention of Canning into the black when he played that safety

:15:11. > :15:26.shot. -- Canon Inc. A little bit too close to the red, I

:15:27. > :15:34.feel. He has got a slight angle. He is ten points behind. Had he

:15:35. > :15:42.finished straight on this red, he can get up the table. Ricky will be

:15:43. > :15:44.very anxious to see the outcome of this shot. This could be a

:15:45. > :16:04.matchwinner. You can expect it to get a bit

:16:05. > :16:05.tense. Both of these boys have not been passed this stage of the

:16:06. > :16:53.Masters. A chance for Ricky. This red will

:16:54. > :17:19.pass the green into the corner pocket.

:17:20. > :17:29.Ricky posed in his footsteps as he played that shot. He just knew

:17:30. > :17:32.straightaway. As soon as he hit the blue, he stood there as if to say,

:17:33. > :18:24.what have I done? 11 in front. He knows that Barry

:18:25. > :18:25.needs a little bit of good fortune. Ricky needs the yellow, green and

:18:26. > :18:45.brown. You are never sure where they will

:18:46. > :18:50.finish up from this position. Not bad.

:18:51. > :19:00.He will have a go at this, Ricky. It is a free shot. He will be heading

:19:01. > :19:06.back up towards the green. If you take the pot on, it is better to hit

:19:07. > :19:08.it slightly thinner. Which is what he has done. The chance of a

:19:09. > :19:44.snooker. Yes, that will do nicely. Is this going to be a free ball?

:19:45. > :19:51.Themis been called. -- the Miss has been called.

:19:52. > :20:06.He will have it put back. REFEREE: I'm not sure how far from

:20:07. > :20:11.the cushion it is. He is just checking the monitor to

:20:12. > :20:20.make sure. They are both happy with it.

:20:21. > :20:38.He is not getting enough on it. No free ball again. 19 is the

:20:39. > :20:42.difference now. What he is trying to do here is get a half ball contact

:20:43. > :20:47.on the yellow rather than trying to hit it full ball. If he can flick

:20:48. > :20:50.off it, he knows he will get it safe. Sometimes you're better off

:20:51. > :21:02.trying to hit it and hope for the best. He is trying for that snake.

:21:03. > :21:12.-- for that torch. Ricky is quite happy to have it put back. 23 is the

:21:13. > :21:14.difference. If he does not hit it this time, he will only be able to

:21:15. > :21:36.type. -- to tie the frame. He will know that he needs to hit it

:21:37. > :21:57.this time. The fourth attempt. He hated a bit thinner than he

:21:58. > :22:09.intended. Oakwood bridging. The blue is going to be a distraction.

:22:10. > :22:52.Well, it's not over just yet, this frame. That was a universal sign of

:22:53. > :23:03.a snooker player when you miss a shot like that. Stick your elbow

:23:04. > :23:08.out. The thing with it here is he can tie at the moment. But if you

:23:09. > :23:13.can pop the brown and the blue, he can play a great snooker in behind

:23:14. > :23:18.the black. -- pot. He does not have to clear up here. Now he has got an

:23:19. > :23:25.angle to pot the blue and free the black. There were a couple of ways

:23:26. > :23:31.he could have done about this. This will certainly open things up.

:23:32. > :23:43.Could we have a re-spotted black in this frame that Ricky Walden looked

:23:44. > :23:46.like he had won? All of a sudden, he may have to see the toss of a coin.

:23:47. > :23:57.He normally stuns them, Ricky. He did not push the queue through in

:23:58. > :24:14.a straight line. It will be a re-spotted black. And

:24:15. > :24:32.he will want to win the toss. That is for sure.

:24:33. > :24:42.Amazing. Ricky Walden had an early break of 46. He looked a strong

:24:43. > :24:51.favourite. Now he has got to suffer a re-spotted black. As I say, you

:24:52. > :24:56.want to win the toss. I am not so sure, Dennis. I think the players

:24:57. > :25:05.are so good at playing this negative safety. Sometimes it's just better

:25:06. > :25:10.hoping for a mistake. Ricky has won the toss and put Barry in. Let's see

:25:11. > :25:17.how he plays it. Not very well. Not very well. Did that turn off

:25:18. > :25:28.slightly? He looks a bit confused. And Ricky Walden, he cannot believe

:25:29. > :25:37.the chance he has got here. He is still in this year's Masters, the

:25:38. > :25:42.man from Chester! Game on. It is 5-4 to Barry Hawkins.

:25:43. > :25:50.Yes, very unusual for a re-spotted black to go as badly wrong as it did

:25:51. > :25:56.for Barry. He lost the next set as well -- frame. We are now into a

:25:57. > :26:10.decider. Hawkins has just given away a 4-point foul.

:26:11. > :26:17.What was that? Barry Hawkins, what have you done here? Look at how the

:26:18. > :26:24.balls are situated. He did not give that enough thought. Well, Ricky

:26:25. > :26:31.Walden, you will never get a better chance than this. Look at this for a

:26:32. > :26:40.misjudgement. That was a lapse in concentration. I don't think you can

:26:41. > :26:49.believe what has happened in this match, Barry Hawkins. It looked for

:26:50. > :26:56.all the world at 5-2 that he was a strong favourite to win. With the

:26:57. > :27:01.winning line in sight, he has tightened up a little bit. Missed

:27:02. > :27:17.the balls that he was not missing in the first-half.

:27:18. > :27:38.Can he hold himself together? The red at the back is available.

:27:39. > :27:50.He has still got another few loose threads before he has to disturb

:27:51. > :28:03.anything. -- loose reds. When you think about what Barry did, breaks

:28:04. > :28:16.of 85, 57, 132, 112, 59... Look where the White has dropped.

:28:17. > :28:20.Amazing. Looking at this... He is very unlucky. But he should not have

:28:21. > :28:26.been anywhere near that red. That is amazing. No, he could have played

:28:27. > :28:28.that another hundred times and he would not have done that. It is a

:28:29. > :28:43.big margin of error. Looking at that last shot, it is as

:28:44. > :28:54.if he did not play it with enough top spin. The anger that it came off

:28:55. > :28:59.as was strange. -- the angle. It was as if he played it as a staunch

:29:00. > :29:03.shot. That was very unlucky. -- stun shot. He had to force the angle a

:29:04. > :29:36.little bit. Barry's supporters cheering him on

:29:37. > :29:41.but there is no pot on here. Yes, it was quite a risky one. It was not

:29:42. > :29:46.guaranteed position. It has to be said, the run of the ball may be

:29:47. > :29:50.starting to favour Ricky. Earlier in this match everything was going

:29:51. > :29:56.against him. I just wonder if he is going to take the double on or is he

:29:57. > :30:01.just plain back on the cushion? There was a possibility he could

:30:02. > :30:06.have had a go at the double and not left a red. He did not fancy it. I

:30:07. > :30:42.thought he might have left this red onto cut into the corner.

:30:43. > :30:47.Touching ball would make a lot of difference.

:30:48. > :31:10.REFEREE: It is a touching ball. There is a bit of advantage of

:31:11. > :31:15.getting in behind the black but it is a bit early to be knocking the

:31:16. > :31:23.black side, he has got a 34 point + to just up if he was a few more in

:31:24. > :31:24.front, he would role off the back and put it tight against the

:31:25. > :31:41.cushion. A bit of a stalemate at the moment.

:31:42. > :31:45.They will be no rerack, that is for sure. Not with Ricky having a 34

:31:46. > :31:56.point advantage. But the way the balls will finish

:31:57. > :32:04.up, with that advantage, it will not be that big a lead.

:32:05. > :32:13.Eventually, they will open up. You can only do this so many times and

:32:14. > :33:05.then it will become more difficult to just roll to a red.

:33:06. > :33:10.So the slight advantage at the moment is with Ricky Walden in this

:33:11. > :33:19.situation. He is doing what you have to do

:33:20. > :34:00.here, that is what is happening. Not quite on the cushion this time

:34:01. > :34:13.so, can Barry somehow reverse the roles here? Will his crew back off

:34:14. > :34:23.those three reds? -- will his crew. -- will he screw. It is tough on

:34:24. > :34:27.these very fine cloth is because the balls tend to bounce around more, it

:34:28. > :34:33.is slightly easier, this type of shot with the old, thicker coughs

:34:34. > :35:07.that they used to use. -- old thicker cloths.

:35:08. > :35:15.He tried the shot I mentioned, but where will the red finish? He is OK.

:35:16. > :35:20.I say he is okay... I don't think there is an easy read to the left

:35:21. > :35:27.middle pocket. But look at the reds now, the way they are spread. There

:35:28. > :35:30.is no pot on, one good shot from Ricky Walden here and he can put

:35:31. > :35:40.himself right in business, it can come of the red that is to the right

:35:41. > :35:45.of the black. A little touch of side off that read, get the white site

:35:46. > :35:55.there, he would have Barry in allsorts of trouble.

:35:56. > :36:06.He could have played a better one than that.

:36:07. > :36:17.A straight red to the left and centre. You fancy if he misses it,

:36:18. > :36:25.it could be his last shot. Well, I am sure Ricky didn't intend to leave

:36:26. > :36:28.him this is a tempting shot. He could have had tight on the cushion

:36:29. > :36:30.behind the black but Barry Hawkins, it is make your mind up time. This

:36:31. > :36:36.is a huge shot. I think it is what he has to take on

:36:37. > :36:49.though. No point in looking at what you

:36:50. > :36:52.might leave, forget about that, concentrate on the part and if it

:36:53. > :36:57.goes in, Barry, you have given yourself a great chance --

:36:58. > :37:12.concentrate on the pot. But there is so much pressure on this.

:37:13. > :37:19.Looks as if he is going for the safety. He should have played it by

:37:20. > :37:47.now if he was taking it on. Well, this is a big shop now for

:37:48. > :37:54.Ricky Walden. -- a big shot. There is so much at stake for these two

:37:55. > :37:59.players. I would much rather have paid for the pot than go for a bad

:38:00. > :38:14.safety, it leaves a bad taste. What a chance. It turned out to be

:38:15. > :38:21.the right shot. There were two ways of playing that, stunning it all

:38:22. > :38:25.rolling the other side of the black. Whichever way, it was difficult but

:38:26. > :38:29.there is nothing difficult at the moment. What a chance, as you said,

:38:30. > :38:42.Stephen. Can he hold himself together?

:38:43. > :38:53.A very similar situation to the match against Marco Fu with Judd

:38:54. > :38:55.Trump. They didn't have to do anything with the cue ball, just

:38:56. > :39:19.concentrate. Now I would be looking to stay

:39:20. > :39:30.around the pink and blue, no need to play for blacks.

:39:31. > :39:37.That is what he is doing. He has got reds either side of the blue,

:39:38. > :39:46.doesn't matter which angle he leaves himself.

:39:47. > :39:52.He has always had a good temperament, Barry but Ricky Walden

:39:53. > :39:53.was a strong favourite to go through to the next round. About five

:39:54. > :40:22.minutes ago. That was a nervous one. DME, no

:40:23. > :40:23.wonder he is tapping his head. Luckily the red still cuts in. --

:40:24. > :40:41.dear me. The cue ball went nowhere. You would

:40:42. > :40:56.think it would be impossible to land awkward but he has managed it.

:40:57. > :41:17.That's gone wrong, I think. It needs to pull up. Oh, it will still just

:41:18. > :41:23.about pot but a fraction harder and he was completely out of position.

:41:24. > :41:31.You can see the tension in both players' faces. The only two reds

:41:32. > :41:40.safe are the two that are together and he made cannon into them. That

:41:41. > :41:45.is it which. -- that is eight twitch. That is pure pressure. And

:41:46. > :41:51.he hasn't dropped on Mairead that he played for. Ricky hasn't got a

:41:52. > :41:57.straightforward shot -- dropped on the red that he played for.

:41:58. > :42:03.He knew he had mishit that. But Ricky has not got an easy opener,

:42:04. > :42:07.the red will pass the black and he needs to . It cleanly into the

:42:08. > :42:33.pocket. Amazing. It is who can just hold

:42:34. > :42:46.themselves together that will go through to the quarterfinal.

:42:47. > :42:53.I know he was worried about leading reds to the centre but I don't think

:42:54. > :42:58.they should be thinking about that at this stage, just get the ball

:42:59. > :43:04.plotted as easily as possible. I am wondering if you can cut a red into

:43:05. > :43:08.the pocket to the right of the two reds and then come back for the

:43:09. > :43:10.black, I think he can, it goes past the pink and red. And he can get on

:43:11. > :43:23.the black. Well, he almost went in-off. He has

:43:24. > :43:28.left it awkward. Ricky has a red now to the middle pocket and he will

:43:29. > :43:36.finish on the black but he is not guaranteed to get it safe. It wasn't

:43:37. > :43:38.going anywhere near the pocket if he potted that read but I tell you

:43:39. > :43:58.what, this is not a gimme. He has overcome it. -- overcut it.

:43:59. > :44:02.He was on the black but it makes you wonder if he wasn't trying to get

:44:03. > :44:07.the white on the cushion as well. Instead of putting everything into

:44:08. > :44:47.the pot. It is understandable. It is so tense out there for these boys.

:44:48. > :45:05.If he was off the cushion, the red to the middle would be pottable.

:45:06. > :45:09.Whichever red he takes, it is difficult. The fact he has no easy

:45:10. > :45:18.safety shot, he will have to take a pot on.

:45:19. > :45:24.That could be the one. He didn't push the cue through in a straight

:45:25. > :45:33.line, he could not see an easy safety shot but Ricky Walden, what a

:45:34. > :45:40.chance you have now to take a match that it looked like you were not

:45:41. > :45:46.going to get anywhere near. Barry was dominating the match but it just

:45:47. > :45:51.shows you what has happened in the last 30 minutes or so. What the

:45:52. > :46:15.pressure of the Masters can do to you.

:46:16. > :46:23.Ricky needs to give himself more time. He tends to rush things, he is

:46:24. > :46:28.very fluent but in these situations, he needs to give himself that extra

:46:29. > :47:01.little second so that you don't make that mistake.

:47:02. > :47:16.Ricky still has a bit of work to do. It is not over just yet.

:47:17. > :47:22.He did not want to be that close to the cushion. He should be OK. That

:47:23. > :47:39.wobbled. He just needs the green and the

:47:40. > :47:43.rednecks to the pink and a high valued, and Barry will need a

:47:44. > :47:54.snooker. He doesn't need to worry about that difficult red.

:47:55. > :48:00.-- and the red next to the pink. He would like to have been closer to

:48:01. > :48:08.this red with the pressure. He is wondering what should have

:48:09. > :48:46.been there. One snooker needed so he will try to

:48:47. > :48:49.make sure that this red will get Ricky Walden into the quarterfinal

:48:50. > :49:02.of the Masters for the very first time.

:49:03. > :49:15.He didn't attempt the pot. So, barring a snooker, Ricky Walden has

:49:16. > :49:28.pulled off a remarkable victory from 4-1 behind to win 6-5.

:49:29. > :49:35.That may be Barry's last shot. It would be disappointing as a way to

:49:36. > :49:51.finish this match. That's the one, roll up to the black

:49:52. > :49:56.and Barry will come forward and shake hands, I feel. He is on his

:49:57. > :50:00.way to shake hands with his good friend Ricky Walden. Barry

:50:01. > :50:08.absolutely dominated the first part of the match, he led 4-1, but Ricky

:50:09. > :50:12.Walden stuck in there and what a remarkable win in the end. He has

:50:13. > :50:15.won the last four frames to put himself in the quarterfinal for the

:50:16. > :50:22.first time, six frames to five, well played, boys. I thought I was out of

:50:23. > :50:26.the tournament so many times there. I hung in there, I wasn't playing

:50:27. > :50:30.very well myself but I tried my hardest and hopefully came through

:50:31. > :50:33.in the end. I know that if you stick in there, things can turn, momentum

:50:34. > :50:38.can turn and you can have look come your way and I thought I did that

:50:39. > :50:42.and stayed with it. Hopefully get a chance in the last which I did. The

:50:43. > :50:45.main ambition is to win it but there are so many good players here, the

:50:46. > :50:51.best in the world so it will be a tough couple of days for me but one

:50:52. > :50:56.game at a time for me. I will beat Ronnie O'Sullivan next.

:50:57. > :51:00.HAZEL IRVINE: He avenges the defeat against Hawkins and now we have got

:51:01. > :51:03.the Crucible final that could have been but never was against Ronnie

:51:04. > :51:08.O'Sullivan. But we are scratching our heads last night, what happens

:51:09. > :51:14.to Hawkins? Will a macro in Sibbald terms, collapse is probably the

:51:15. > :51:19.easiest term to use. -- in simple terms, collapse. Apparently in the

:51:20. > :51:25.first four frames, Stephen was telling me, he had never put a foot

:51:26. > :51:29.wrong, he played superbly well but at the end, he looked like he could

:51:30. > :51:34.not put a ball. Maybe the occasion got to him. It is the year of the

:51:35. > :51:39.flailing front runner. Mark Allen, Ding Junhui, Marco Fu today and

:51:40. > :51:47.Barry Hawkins always healthy leads all overhaul. -- overhauled.

:51:48. > :51:50.Potential for the wheel to come off as the other guy comes through. It

:51:51. > :51:53.could be that there is pressure out there like there has never been

:51:54. > :51:58.before because everything seems more important these days. Or it could be

:51:59. > :52:02.total coincidence that some in the matches have gone that way. We are

:52:03. > :52:05.not complaining, it has been brilliant and exciting. We will turn

:52:06. > :52:10.our attention to a potential blockbuster this evening, we have

:52:11. > :52:12.got Mark Selby up against John Higgins who really was not fancied

:52:13. > :52:17.by the bookmakers in this event after what has been a lacklustre six

:52:18. > :52:22.months in the sport but after a very confident win over and inform Stuart

:52:23. > :52:27.Bingham in round one, he does look like a threat once more. Ken spoke

:52:28. > :52:33.to him earlier in the week. It does paying me to start this interview

:52:34. > :52:38.because it brings back lots of memories, we played in the final --

:52:39. > :52:46.it does cause me some pain. I try to forget about it. We have a close

:52:47. > :52:54.final, 10-8. Tough games, one way or the other, I have won or you have

:52:55. > :53:01.won. It was nip and tuck all the way. It was the will of the best

:53:02. > :53:05.moments in my career, winning that tournament. Your first Masters.

:53:06. > :53:10.Surprisingly enough, 2006 was a fantastic year and particularly that

:53:11. > :53:13.clearance against Ronnie O'Sullivan. One of the best finals

:53:14. > :53:17.we have had at the Masters, particularly that clearance you made

:53:18. > :53:21.in the last frame, one of the best of your career, beating Sullivan

:53:22. > :53:27.10-9 on the black as well. When you look back, the last year we played

:53:28. > :53:34.there, I can remember going into the final and I have lost heavily to

:53:35. > :53:40.him. The adrenaline is running, the match is on a knife edge.

:53:41. > :53:48.If you look at the footage, I played the red in the middle and I didn't

:53:49. > :53:52.think it was going to reach and I was going to go over there because I

:53:53. > :54:00.was at that said of the table, I would have said, "well played". They

:54:01. > :54:06.just fell in. I managed it and I knew I had a tricky double. It was

:54:07. > :54:13.not like a straight double but I decided with a red falling in like

:54:14. > :54:18.that, I thought it was fate and I took the chance. A fantastic

:54:19. > :54:24.clearance. What makes this tournament so special? People always

:54:25. > :54:33.go on about it, to tell you the truth, it is a special tournament.

:54:34. > :54:37.It is because it is the top 16 and a one-table set-up and I didn't think

:54:38. > :54:40.it was that special because I never did that well in it so that is

:54:41. > :54:46.properly why I thought about that. If you managed to win it, it would

:54:47. > :54:49.of course be very special. Nobody is relaxed but the much of you, they

:54:50. > :54:54.are all expecting other people to do well and I was asked to sign a

:54:55. > :55:00.couple of programmes here and I am at the back of the books now! I used

:55:01. > :55:07.to be at the front. A bit of a culture shock? gets, the pictures

:55:08. > :55:13.are getting smaller! At least your picture is in the book! Not in the

:55:14. > :55:17.history books. It is strange because of people now talking about the big

:55:18. > :55:23.four, four, Robertson, Selby, Ding Junhui, and Ronnie O'Sullivan. You

:55:24. > :55:27.are not mentioned. You are like a dark horse in this tournament. Your

:55:28. > :55:31.form has not been great but it is bound to come good at some stage. My

:55:32. > :55:39.form has been terrible in the past few months but I think it will turn

:55:40. > :55:44.round. And I know I can come out and say that now but I have a feeling,

:55:45. > :55:49.people will be thinking after the UK, they will think I have got my

:55:50. > :55:58.head screwed on. I have got a nice piece of wood and I am hitting the

:55:59. > :56:02.ball great. A third Masters title for John Higgins, to be at the front

:56:03. > :56:06.of the programme next year... You won't have to look at the back, your

:56:07. > :56:11.picture will be nice and big, how special would that be? Especially

:56:12. > :56:17.the way things are going this year, it will be great. Wait and see, once

:56:18. > :56:20.you go out there, you play players and sometimes you play well, there

:56:21. > :56:25.is nothing much you can do. Best of luck.

:56:26. > :56:30.HAZEL IRVINE: He could be a dangerous animal and you wonder,

:56:31. > :56:35.Stephen, what that has done for his morale going into tonight's match.

:56:36. > :56:40.It is nice to become a winner at the best of times. Good to get on a

:56:41. > :56:44.winning role and that can help. One win is properly not enough but a

:56:45. > :56:48.couple of wins, that can change the equation. It was not that long ago

:56:49. > :56:53.that we were raving about him as someone you could not play against.

:56:54. > :56:57.I do think a couple of years is good enough to judge form. It comes and

:56:58. > :57:03.goes but certainly a great player like him does not become a bad

:57:04. > :57:07.player overnight. It is four years since he met Mark Selby in a big

:57:08. > :57:11.competition and this brings back the memories of the World Championship

:57:12. > :57:17.final in 2007 and that is when Mark Selby came to our consciousness. Yes

:57:18. > :57:22.and he had John Higgins on the rack. He always comes back, he is a

:57:23. > :57:25.tough match player and Mark Selby is another really tough match player.

:57:26. > :57:30.It will be a fascinating match between the two. I am really looking

:57:31. > :57:33.forward to it. John Higgins needs the win more than Mark Selby just

:57:34. > :57:41.for his own confidence but if he does watch out for the rest of them.

:57:42. > :57:45.So far ahead, that much previously with Mark Selby. His record here,

:57:46. > :57:49.Selby, three defeats in 20 matches in this particular tournament. They

:57:50. > :57:54.both love the one-table set-up and Mark Selby had a scare in the first

:57:55. > :58:00.round, and perhaps he goes on to win the event and we forget about that

:58:01. > :58:07.but Mark Selby is possibly in a different frame of mind now coming

:58:08. > :58:11.to this match when he would normally the end against John Higgins, that

:58:12. > :58:15.may change things. Are given the much, gentlemen, for your

:58:16. > :58:18.contributions, it has been a really interesting afternoon and it will be

:58:19. > :58:21.a great evening as wealth. I hope that you will join Jason at seven

:58:22. > :58:28.o'clock because we will be here as this much begins -- this match. It

:58:29. > :58:32.is Selby against Higgins, ABC two, do not miss it, but we will leave

:58:33. > :58:33.you off memories of more superhero stuff from Shaun Murphy this

:58:34. > :58:35.afternoon. Goodbye.