Final Part 1 - Barry Hawkins v Ronnie O'Sullivan

:00:33. > :00:37.That afternoon, winter arrived across the country,

:00:38. > :00:37.That afternoon, winter time for you to shake off

:00:38. > :00:43.That afternoon, winter and settle down to share with us the

:00:44. > :00:48.42nd Masters final, this event has been going here in the capital since

:00:49. > :00:51.1975 foot of this sudden and Ronnie O'Sullivan is attempting to match

:00:52. > :00:56.defeats of the great Stephen Hendrie, trying to win this Masters

:00:57. > :00:59.title for a record equalling sixth time but for his opponent, Barry

:01:00. > :01:04.Hawkins, he is aiming to make a breakthrough at long last and one of

:01:05. > :01:08.snooker's three big major events, this has already been a brilliant

:01:09. > :01:13.event over the last eight days with memories of maximums that might have

:01:14. > :01:17.been and world record-breaking performances and a first ever

:01:18. > :01:28.forfeited frame. It has been quite a week.

:01:29. > :01:38.COMMENTATOR: Would you believe it? What a way to lose a frame.

:01:39. > :01:48.And the defending champion is knocked out by the young man from

:01:49. > :01:56.Northern Ireland. Is he taking this on? Is he taking this on? What a

:01:57. > :02:03.shot. Barry Hawkins, the first time he has won a match at the Masters.

:02:04. > :02:09.He is going for the magical maximum. There will be a raw if this goes on.

:02:10. > :02:14.Get in there. Absolutely fantastic. He has hit it

:02:15. > :02:29.thick. Stuart Bingham will be over the moon

:02:30. > :02:42.having won his first match here in the Masters.

:02:43. > :02:49.What a shot he has played there. It has been a fabulous match. He is

:02:50. > :02:58.back. What a shot. Unbelievable. Has to

:02:59. > :03:17.commit. How did that drop? It has been

:03:18. > :03:18.absolutely sensational. One of the greatest matches you will ever see,

:03:19. > :03:28.Judd Trump wins a classic, 6-5. Tough shot. It is they are, what a

:03:29. > :03:39.shot and he is perfect on the pink. Unbelievable match, that is what it

:03:40. > :04:06.means to Barry Hawkins. You cannot get any better, what a

:04:07. > :04:10.pot that was. What a last red that Ronnie O'Sullivan potted and Ronnie

:04:11. > :04:18.O'Sullivan has beaten the world champion.

:04:19. > :04:22.Both of the finalist Armand on us but nobody feels more at home in

:04:23. > :04:27.this event and Ronnie O'Sullivan, this is his 11th final in 22 years

:04:28. > :04:33.and last night he broke the record for the number of matches played

:04:34. > :04:36.you, 62 and counting, but for Barry Hawkins, he has never really felt

:04:37. > :04:38.comfortable in this event and he has been trying for nine years to

:04:39. > :04:43.finally win a match here, been trying for nine years to

:04:44. > :04:46.he has done so to get to this final, huge stage for both men but they

:04:47. > :04:47.have met on the biggest stage of all, the Crucible final in

:04:48. > :05:06.Sheffield. Ronnie O'Sullivan draws the Cros. It

:05:07. > :05:09.will be a packed arena, cannot expect the better occasion, if you

:05:10. > :05:17.can't enjoy that, you might as well go home. Because of the tournaments

:05:18. > :05:24.I have one compared to Barry, you would say he has more experience in

:05:25. > :05:28.those situations. You don't get any easy draws, they are all tough

:05:29. > :05:32.games. A great relief if you manage to beat the best players in the

:05:33. > :05:36.world. He has great cueing and temperament and a great

:05:37. > :05:44.break-builder, quite efficient amongst the balls. When I played him

:05:45. > :05:46.in the world final, the year before I played a lot of snooker, I had a

:05:47. > :05:52.long lay-off and I still felt I played a lot of snooker, I had a

:05:53. > :05:57.the foundation but the last 18 months, I have taken my eye off the

:05:58. > :06:02.ball. I played really well in the final and if you can take confidence

:06:03. > :06:10.from that or get relief from that, there is something wrong. If you are

:06:11. > :06:14.not firing on all cylinders, you have to make up for it with certain

:06:15. > :06:20.things and it is having the temperament, if I find my dear, then

:06:21. > :06:24.I can apply some sort of pressure to Barry and hopefully have some sort

:06:25. > :06:28.of impact on the game. It will be fantastic if I manage to do it and

:06:29. > :06:32.go on and win one. It is every player's dream apart from winning

:06:33. > :06:38.the World Championship, to win the Masters.

:06:39. > :06:43.Everybody at Ally Pally is anticipating a great final, a great

:06:44. > :06:48.tournaments of, perhaps the only consent, the head-to-head between

:06:49. > :06:53.the two players, quite emphatically towards Ronnie O'Sullivan. Not ideal

:06:54. > :06:56.for Barry playing against somebody you have only beaten once but

:06:57. > :07:00.hopefully the occasion is big enough that they can forget all those

:07:01. > :07:04.defeats. Barry Hawkins one of the most underrated players, been to the

:07:05. > :07:06.final of the World Championship and somewhere down the line he will

:07:07. > :07:11.convert what might you would think so. He is coming against Ronnie

:07:12. > :07:16.O'Sullivan today, so it will be a big test. Let's talk about Ronnie

:07:17. > :07:20.O'Sullivan, he play some of the most amazing shots last night, the whole

:07:21. > :07:27.crowd is an uproar, cheering and standing up and comes into the press

:07:28. > :07:31.room and says, I played rubbish. It is just not going right, I cannot

:07:32. > :07:36.hit two balls the same, what is going on, is he talking himself down

:07:37. > :07:39.for a reason, is that what he feels because you would not have said

:07:40. > :07:47.that, you would have said I am going brilliantly? One of the players pay

:07:48. > :07:55.any attention to what he says any more! They are getting used to that.

:07:56. > :07:57.Ronnie will be up for today, it sparked into life, things like that

:07:58. > :08:13.get him going. The statistics point towards

:08:14. > :08:17.O'Sullivan. Those figures do not reflect just how well Hawkins has

:08:18. > :08:20.performed to get into this final or indeed how much of a struggle Ronnie

:08:21. > :08:24.says he is having with his game right now after taking eight months

:08:25. > :08:27.away from the sport. So what are we going to get from both men, we are

:08:28. > :08:30.about if find out as we get a Masters final underway. MC Rob

:08:31. > :08:37.Walker, over to you. Thanks and good afternoon ladies and

:08:38. > :08:43.gentlemen, this is it, it is the big one, welcome to the final of the

:08:44. > :08:47.2016 Masters, it has been one of the best weeks in the 41 year history of

:08:48. > :08:54.this tournament and now we get to see a finish with a flourish. Ladies

:08:55. > :09:01.and gentlemen, let's get the boys on their base.

:09:02. > :09:15.Please welcome a player who has come of age over the last few seasons, he

:09:16. > :09:18.won his first ranking title in Australia four years ago and has not

:09:19. > :09:23.looked back since, beating Judd Trump to book his place in a maiden

:09:24. > :09:27.Masters final, this is one of the biggest matches of his career so

:09:28. > :09:36.far, so let's hear Ally Pally raw for the eagle eyed Barry Hawkins.

:09:37. > :10:14.And his opponent, a player who has been thrilling Masters crowds in

:10:15. > :10:19.London for more than two Becketts, bidding for a record equalling sixth

:10:20. > :10:22.title in this tournament, five times a champion of the wild, blink and

:10:23. > :10:29.you miss him, the Rocket Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:10:30. > :10:59.The best of 19 friends, played over two sections but it claims this

:11:00. > :11:05.afternoon and spend it in the company of two men no stranger to

:11:06. > :11:09.Masters finals, Dennis Taylor and Ken Doherty.

:11:10. > :11:16.It is cold outside but certainly warm in here. COMMENTATOR: The usual

:11:17. > :11:22.photographs being taken there before the start of the final and what are

:11:23. > :11:27.we in for this afternoon? Can Barry Hawkins reproduce the form he did

:11:28. > :11:36.against Judd Trump? Three centuries and two century breaks. Absolutely,

:11:37. > :11:43.the traditional handshake, the atmosphere is electric, can not wait

:11:44. > :12:00.for this to start. A lot of friends and family in here.

:12:01. > :12:06.What an introduction for both players. That is what they are

:12:07. > :12:13.playing for, who will lift that beautiful crystal trophy tonight? An

:12:14. > :12:19.interesting matchup, Dennis, played each other in the world final,

:12:20. > :12:21.Ronnie has a great record against Barry Hawkins but every single out

:12:22. > :12:42.the window now, it is different. Just look at the pace of the table,

:12:43. > :12:46.he just played that gently and the quite still got up. Not the best

:12:47. > :13:36.take-off shot. -- break off. He might need the extension here to

:13:37. > :13:40.get back on the table, he cannot get off the reds beside the pink. Pretty

:13:41. > :14:08.straightforward safety shot. Good length with the cue ball. And

:14:09. > :14:14.what Barry would give to have a start like he had against Judd

:14:15. > :14:33.Trump, two century breaks in the first two frames.

:14:34. > :15:04.That just got a little glimpse of Steve Peters, who has been working

:15:05. > :15:09.with Ronnie for a few years, sitting next to Jason Francis and that is

:15:10. > :15:22.Steve in the middle there. That was a half chance that Barry

:15:23. > :15:53.let slip there. Ronnie didn't risk the safety shot,

:15:54. > :15:59.but the black has gone over the other pocket. The black will be

:16:00. > :16:03.closer to the red, he has to be careful, he could snooker himself

:16:04. > :16:08.behind a black, decent chance. I'm sure he will played with a lot of

:16:09. > :16:14.pace to get the cue ball up the other side of the table. Little bit

:16:15. > :16:23.of an early start from Barry Hawkins. Not that easy when you are

:16:24. > :16:34.coming up against occlusion but expected to pot it. And the black

:16:35. > :16:40.spot is not covered and it might pot into the bottom corner pocket.

:16:41. > :16:49.Interesting to see, not the best shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan, could

:16:50. > :16:52.have, it another 12-18 inches there. Still on this red, did have his hand

:16:53. > :17:22.on the table. the top of the programme, Ronnie

:17:23. > :17:27.trying to reach six Masters titles to reach Stephen Hendrie's six wins

:17:28. > :17:33.and the greats in the game always seem to start an opening frame so

:17:34. > :17:39.well, the number of times Stephen Hendrie made a century break in the

:17:40. > :17:47.opening frame was amazing. Seemed to have a knack of getting off to a

:17:48. > :18:00.quick start. That was a Filbert Street on the black. Always had a

:18:01. > :18:03.knack of setting their stall out very early and stating their

:18:04. > :18:50.intentions. Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis as well.

:18:51. > :19:14.Going for the red in the middle pocket, was not quite a good angle

:19:15. > :19:20.to nudge the red away, just above the black to open those two up.

:19:21. > :19:35.Just the wrong side of the blue, so he will have a problem here.

:19:36. > :19:46.Medium length pot, not as easy as it would have been if it was the

:19:47. > :20:05.correct side of the blue. 45 break, he will be disappointed he

:20:06. > :20:09.didn't win the frame from that position, just short of the blue, it

:20:10. > :20:43.curtailed his break. It is so important for Barry Hawkins

:20:44. > :20:48.in this final to get a good start, because we know how good a front

:20:49. > :20:52.runner Ronnie is anti-war just steam roller him if he gets a couple of

:20:53. > :20:56.frames. It is important for Barry to set his stall out early in the match

:20:57. > :20:58.and try and put Ronnie under some pressure. Get a couple of frames

:20:59. > :21:19.early on the scoreboard. He is just a little bit out at the

:21:20. > :21:28.moment but he will settle for that. Matt Harrison, his son -- Harrison,

:21:29. > :21:35.his son, he was introduced to the crowd before. Usually bring a couple

:21:36. > :21:40.of youngsters out. Barry kept running out of the practice room to

:21:41. > :21:46.see his son. That was a tremendous shot.

:21:47. > :21:53.Great pace, watch him swerve it defined the angle and then the

:21:54. > :22:07.left-hand side takes off the cushion.

:22:08. > :22:15.He was fortunately because he had to hit that read so thin and he didn't

:22:16. > :22:23.but the other red helped the White to get back down the table. No

:22:24. > :22:35.attempt at the pot there. But the safety is pretty good. If you can

:22:36. > :22:41.get past the green he might be able to sneak this red into the right

:22:42. > :22:43.corner and he can play the safety shot but that will be in the back of

:22:44. > :22:59.his mind. Getting a little bit awkward now,

:23:00. > :23:01.the reds, Barry needs them in open play because he is behind. Not easy

:23:02. > :23:30.to score from. Got to be careful here, that red has

:23:31. > :23:34.just come up above the pink spot, makes things a little bit awkward

:23:35. > :23:43.year, does not want to put the black safe here either. That is pretty

:23:44. > :23:56.good from where he was. One thing about Barry Hoffman 's,

:23:57. > :24:10.his safety play is top quality. -- about Barry Hawkins.

:24:11. > :24:18.He could do with an easy starter just to relax, get a little bit of

:24:19. > :24:20.confidence going, Ronnie is making sure he keeps things tight and

:24:21. > :24:46.protecting the 46 point advantage. That is pretty good if it keeps on

:24:47. > :24:50.running. Another couple of rules and Ronnie would be snookered on the

:24:51. > :24:58.reds on the left side of the table, it has come up a little bit short.

:24:59. > :25:08.Now then, he has put the black safe, that is a bonus, the paint is safe.

:25:09. > :25:13.The first easy chance that Barry has had but there were not going to be a

:25:14. > :25:17.lot available for him. If he could get onto the blue in such a way, he

:25:18. > :25:27.could maybe develop the black and a couple of reds. The main thing is to

:25:28. > :25:35.get a few pots and get a bit of confidence going. Absolutely. A

:25:36. > :25:39.couple of these reds and blues, he has to get them to even contemplate

:25:40. > :25:49.getting the black into play and get it going.

:25:50. > :26:07.Has to try to cut that deficit and take these loose reds here.

:26:08. > :26:14.There's a possibility if he gets on this red the right corner that he is

:26:15. > :26:20.cueing up at it. Maybe he could play at cannon of that and get the red

:26:21. > :26:30.and black into the open but it will be difficult. Let's see how he

:26:31. > :26:35.finishes on this. There is a slight chance that he could play a cannon

:26:36. > :26:40.here. The interesting to see if he does that whether he concentrates on

:26:41. > :26:46.the blue. He has played the cannon and brought the red and black into

:26:47. > :26:50.play. A little bit unlucky, he might be able to cut the brown but a

:26:51. > :26:57.little bit unlucky, he freed the red and the black. Could have easily

:26:58. > :27:06.been on the black into the left centre. This is still cuttable.

:27:07. > :27:23.The fact he was left-handed meant that shot little bit easier but he

:27:24. > :27:30.can't pot this red and get onto the black. -- if he can pot this red and

:27:31. > :27:36.get onto the black, he has a good chance.

:27:37. > :27:44.Amazing from one shot back, he almost opened up the whole game. Try

:27:45. > :28:01.to bring that back into play. You could hear a pin drop at the

:28:02. > :28:05.moment in the Ally Pally. Barry got a fantastic reception as well on

:28:06. > :28:14.this crowd when he got introduced, a very popular player and a very

:28:15. > :28:15.likeable lad. Very laid-back. The players all think the world of this

:28:16. > :28:35.young man. Just coming around to have a look.

:28:36. > :28:40.If you can get the cue ball just above the pink spot he could

:28:41. > :28:43.possibly pot this red on the right-hand side and bring the other

:28:44. > :28:51.one just above it into play. Nice angle. He has gone a little bit too

:28:52. > :28:59.far. Did not want to be using the rest.

:29:00. > :29:18.He can just about reach but a bit awkward reaching over the blue.

:29:19. > :29:27.APPLAUSE That will do. Nicely on the black as

:29:28. > :29:39.well, he can screw back and get behind this red. Into the opposite

:29:40. > :29:47.left centre. It has been a great break so far. Just overscrewed it

:29:48. > :29:50.slightly, he wanted to roll it in and get to the blue and then get to

:29:51. > :29:54.the yellow because if the yellow does not past the pink to the right

:29:55. > :29:56.corner he would have the perfect angle on the blue to bring it into

:29:57. > :30:13.play. He's got that one red that is near

:30:14. > :30:17.the cushion. If he gets nicely on it shouldn't be a problem. The problem

:30:18. > :30:22.will be the yellow that is next to the pink.

:30:23. > :30:31.He will have to play the snooker now. You have to make him slight

:30:32. > :30:42.favourite now, with 46 points each and he has a chance to make a good

:30:43. > :30:52.snooker. Send the red up. The pink should be the snookering ball. Barry

:30:53. > :30:56.Hawkins, 46. APPLAUSE A good 46 break, but he hasn't got

:30:57. > :31:09.the snooker. That was a clever little shot from

:31:10. > :31:13.Ronnie O'Sullivan, purposely using the black to keep the white as close

:31:14. > :32:14.to this top cushion as possible. All you can do is just hit that and

:32:15. > :32:21.hope you can get it safe. Ronnie knocked a long red in against Stuart

:32:22. > :32:29.Bingham last night, and it was quite incredible, to win the match.

:32:30. > :32:35.Just a little bit of tension in this opening frame. You can see the

:32:36. > :32:44.yellow does pass the pink. Just having a good look, Barry.

:32:45. > :32:54.If he can pot this, what a chance. So important to get that opening

:32:55. > :32:56.frame. It is the best of 19 but it is or is good to get the first frame

:32:57. > :33:19.on the board. Not the best from Ronnie. Wanted to

:33:20. > :33:26.get that red somewhere closer to this top cushion. He has the chance

:33:27. > :33:33.at a pot, the only problem is the cue ball might be running into the

:33:34. > :33:35.black. He's come around to look at the angle. Definitely worth having a

:33:36. > :34:30.go at this. Didn't quite get enough side on that

:34:31. > :34:34.otherwise the White would have stayed near the cushion. Another

:34:35. > :34:38.chance of a long pot, he has knocked so many long balls in in the past

:34:39. > :34:45.eight days, and there is another one.

:34:46. > :34:56.But, does the yellow now go, or is the green in the way? The Green must

:34:57. > :34:58.be in the way. He's played to free it. If the yellow doesn't pass the

:34:59. > :35:12.blue... Then it's a safety shot. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 4.

:35:13. > :35:25.A beautifully controlled shot. Beautiful touch, to play it with

:35:26. > :35:49.that dead weight. This looks good, is it? The yellow

:35:50. > :35:53.needs to travel. Well, one good long pot and it will secure the frame.

:35:54. > :36:07.It's not an easy one. It's not there.

:36:08. > :36:11.Should have already been in the second frame, Ronnie ran out of

:36:12. > :36:27.position when he was on 46. Got the main part of the shot, now

:36:28. > :36:48.he has to play hopefully what he would like to see as a snooker.

:36:49. > :37:04.A nice little kiss on the blue to send the green behind the pink. Easy

:37:05. > :37:17.to escape from, but where are they going to finish up?

:37:18. > :37:22.Ronnie could be in trouble here again. Roll the cue ball in behind

:37:23. > :37:53.the blue here. Plenty of tension out there in this

:37:54. > :38:05.opening frame. This is another decent chance for Barry.

:38:06. > :38:15.Needs to travel a bit further. It's not perfect. Just having to come

:38:16. > :38:21.away from the blue, somewhat. Straight on the brown and it would

:38:22. > :38:26.have just been so easy to have clinched the frame.

:38:27. > :38:33.He's got to try around the table now.

:38:34. > :39:05.Good shot, and nicely on the pink. A little close to the cushion for

:39:06. > :39:19.comfort. Just needs the pink. Very well played from Barry Hawkins.

:39:20. > :39:23.Ronnie started with a break of 45 and he got the wrong side of the

:39:24. > :39:27.blue, otherwise I am sure he would have clinched the frame with one

:39:28. > :39:34.visit. Great comeback from Barry Hawkins, takes the opening frame and

:39:35. > :39:38.leads 1-0. We thought it would be short and brisk, very absorbing

:39:39. > :39:43.opening frame. Yes, I think Ronnie O'Sullivan would have been

:39:44. > :39:46.disappointed. He got to 40 points, came wrong on the blue and it all

:39:47. > :39:51.came to an abrupt halt, which are not used to sing study is the first

:39:52. > :39:54.frame. In a way, this session is the first session they are playing where

:39:55. > :39:59.there is no conclusion. That puts a slant on it. Barry Hawkins started

:40:00. > :40:05.so beautifully and crisply against Judd Trump with back-to-back

:40:06. > :40:09.centuries. He was 45 points behind, how much does it give you confidence

:40:10. > :40:13.about the job ahead? I think it will give you great confidence. Ronnie

:40:14. > :40:16.has not had the cue ball under control, maybe because he has not

:40:17. > :40:21.played in many tournaments. His safety play looks a bit ragged. That

:40:22. > :40:27.will give Barry hope. The fact Ronnie was in first, and your so

:40:28. > :40:32.used to him winning frames and one visit. It can only give him

:40:33. > :40:35.confidence. He told about the World Championship final between the two a

:40:36. > :40:39.few years ago to study said he played his very best and at the top

:40:40. > :40:45.of his game, he made six centuries against Barry and Barry made two. He

:40:46. > :40:52.equipped ins after a well in the final. He did. The way Barry Hawkins

:40:53. > :40:55.finally took his chance shows he is up for it. He got the balls out into

:40:56. > :41:04.the open quite nicely. Certainly settled Barry down. Many questions

:41:05. > :42:33.for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Frame number two.

:42:34. > :42:39.Must be a fan of Dennis Taylor and Willie Thorne. Nice classes. --

:42:40. > :43:00.glasses. That will do. That just makes the

:43:01. > :43:02.safety shot little more awkward, when you are striking over a ball

:43:03. > :43:10.like this. That is why Ronnie didn't even

:43:11. > :43:12.contemplate trying to come back down the table, because of that difficult

:43:13. > :43:35.cueing. REFEREE: A foul and a miss. It

:43:36. > :43:40.didn't move very far. He's trying a miscue and he has played it well.

:43:41. > :43:50.You can have fresh air shots at snooker. He purposefully miscued so

:43:51. > :43:56.he didn't miss the shot. This is the first one. That was a good shot to

:43:57. > :43:57.only move it that far. We could do with a touching ball here just to

:43:58. > :44:18.resolve this. Ronnie might be on this red. If he

:44:19. > :44:21.could put it, he can certainly get on the black. Got to be careful of

:44:22. > :44:58.the pink. Yes will Excellent shot. Purposefully using

:44:59. > :45:05.the pack of reds. Is he on this red into this left-hand corner pocket? I

:45:06. > :45:11.think the black is now on the brown spot so he has a bit of a problem.

:45:12. > :45:15.The spot was occupied. It goes to the hide of -- highest available

:45:16. > :45:51.spot. He would like to get the red away

:45:52. > :45:53.from the black spot area, so he might take the yellow and play up

:45:54. > :46:05.for that. How he doesn't mind, if he can get

:46:06. > :46:09.himself onto the black. He doesn't have to play for the black here, he

:46:10. > :46:14.could quite easily get on the blue, but interesting to see how he plays

:46:15. > :46:17.it. He's gone up for the black. Needs to travel a little bit

:46:18. > :46:25.further, though. Coming up a little bit short. Looks to be pretty

:46:26. > :46:30.straight on the black here. Needs plenty of screw back and a bit of

:46:31. > :46:40.side. There's the screw back and a little bit of side.

:46:41. > :46:48.Just got to be careful here, got to find a gap when potting this red to

:46:49. > :46:53.come back for the black. Gone for the blue, I thought that was a bit

:46:54. > :46:59.risky, but beautifully cued. Let's have a look at the action he gets on

:47:00. > :47:29.the cue ball here. Certainly open things up now.

:47:30. > :47:37.Where is that you ball going? This is what happened in the opening

:47:38. > :47:39.frame. He got the wrong side of the blue and then broke down. This is a

:47:40. > :47:51.little bit awkward. He cued that beautifully from where

:47:52. > :47:56.the cue ball was, but still awkward, the blue back on its spot means the

:47:57. > :47:59.red to the left corner is for a difficult, in fact he doesn't even

:48:00. > :48:01.want to know about it. Playing twice across the table to get back the

:48:02. > :48:09.hind the brown. -- behind the brown. He has left this red, and Barry may

:48:10. > :48:36.be forced into having a go at this. The only problem about taking this

:48:37. > :48:55.on, the cue ball may be going into the pack of reds, around the pink.

:48:56. > :49:11.That's one way of playing the safety shot.

:49:12. > :49:32.Looks very focused today, Ronnie, and maybe that is down to Steve.

:49:33. > :49:37.Maybe had a bit of a session before the match because he looks pretty

:49:38. > :49:41.relaxed and pretty focused. Steve Peters, the sports psychologist and

:49:42. > :49:50.Damien Hirst, just in front of him there. A good friend of Ronnie's, on

:49:51. > :50:11.the right, smiling away. A huge fan of Ronnie.

:50:12. > :50:19.He has made a bit of a mess of that, could have been easier than this.

:50:20. > :50:24.The little kiss has just blocked the easy part pot.

:50:25. > :50:41.I thought he'd put it on the right-hand jaw. A great chance now.

:50:42. > :51:36.That was a bad mistake from Barry. This is where he makes the game look

:51:37. > :51:43.so easy. Such rocket speed, average shot time only 16 seconds.

:51:44. > :51:53.But you're right, Dennis, this certainly... He has the look of a

:51:54. > :51:57.focus man this afternoon. -- focused man.

:51:58. > :52:07.At times during the match against Stuart Bingham, he didn't look like

:52:08. > :52:08.he was up for it all the time, but certainly produced some great

:52:09. > :52:21.snooker. 59 head, just this red now and Barry

:52:22. > :52:28.will need snookers. He is cueing beautifully, isn't he?

:52:29. > :52:34.Yes, the opening frame all you did wrong was get the wrong side of the

:52:35. > :52:36.blue and he made a break of 46, otherwise he would have scored

:52:37. > :52:45.enough to win the opening frame. He is looking good here. Barry just

:52:46. > :52:51.misjudged his safety shot. It has proved costly.

:52:52. > :53:02.Wonderful little shot. He had to force the angle, and little bit

:53:03. > :53:04.straight on the black, but forced the angle of the cue ball into the

:53:05. > :53:36.reds and developed them. I tell you what, Dennis, the referee

:53:37. > :53:38.has got his work cut out for him this afternoon. Ronnie is flying

:53:39. > :53:53.around the table. Well, won't be too worried about the

:53:54. > :54:01.red in the right centre. Ronnie O'Sullivan gets off the mark. It is

:54:02. > :54:05.now 1-1. STUDIO: He told us last night it is scary out there, I am in

:54:06. > :54:08.bits a lot of the time and a bit embarrassing about my performances.

:54:09. > :54:13.Those were the words of Ronnie O'Sullivan. How much, does he seem

:54:14. > :54:18.to you this morning? A little bit more composed. Not as much facial

:54:19. > :54:25.expressions from bad shots. He looks quite calm. A nice break at the end.

:54:26. > :54:30.It took him two visits to win the frame, which we are not used to when

:54:31. > :54:36.he is at his very best. But yes, he does look a bit more composed.

:54:37. > :54:40.Perhaps Ronnie was expected, on current form, to beat Stuart Bingham

:54:41. > :54:44.last night. He has had a very rough time this season, by his own

:54:45. > :54:48.admission. But when you look back early in this championship to the

:54:49. > :54:53.game against Mark Selby Ronnie was absolutely flying, at his peak. Does

:54:54. > :54:58.it take a level of opponent who is playing great stuff, to bring that

:54:59. > :55:02.out of him? I think generally Ronnie O'Sullivan responds very well to

:55:03. > :55:06.adversity. Sometimes he has to put it on himself, which is an

:55:07. > :55:09.interesting thing. He needs to kick-start his enthusiasm by playing

:55:10. > :55:13.in less tournaments, telling himself he's not playing great, that he has

:55:14. > :55:17.to be fired up. He was last night, even though he said he didn't play

:55:18. > :55:21.very well. He had a fair bit of resolve, he was digging in. That is

:55:22. > :55:30.what he has to do today. Everyday is a different day. I think he respects

:55:31. > :55:34.Barry Hawkins as a time when he is not as happy as he is currently. It

:55:35. > :55:38.is the final as well. It doesn't matter who you are, you get up for a

:55:39. > :55:43.final, especially the Masters or something like this. That will get

:55:44. > :55:47.his focus today. And he has a target, trying to equal your record.

:55:48. > :55:53.I wonder how you feel about that today? Listen, you want to keep your

:55:54. > :55:58.records but I think it is inevitable that at some point he is going to

:55:59. > :56:08.break the record. We head into frame three. Barry Hawkins to break.

:56:09. > :56:14.Ronnie's nicked quite a few of Stephen Hendry's records. He has

:56:15. > :56:22.overtaken him in the centuries Department. Overtaken him in the

:56:23. > :56:30.maximum stop apartment. -- maximums Department.

:56:31. > :56:45.Great opening plot. He has knocked some great pots in in the Masters.

:56:46. > :56:50.Yes, his long game is good, to be honest.

:56:51. > :56:53.I think over the years they might have been his Achilles heel, but

:56:54. > :57:22.this week it has been sublime. The red at the back of the pack

:57:23. > :57:41.goes. The one just left into the opposite corner.

:57:42. > :57:50.Just watch this split, very good but he has to pull another long pot out.

:57:51. > :58:36.This one going past the blue. Might have to play a little cannon

:58:37. > :58:39.here. Better if you don't have to, but he can just nudge the red in the

:58:40. > :58:51.middle there. That certainly as open things up,

:58:52. > :59:22.just that one cannon has made quite a difference.

:59:23. > :59:30.He just changed his mind, he did it earlier in the tournament, over the

:59:31. > :59:34.black for security. He hadn't quite meet his mind up and played the shot

:59:35. > :59:47.and jumped over the top of the black.

:59:48. > :59:53.That is where you are playing into an area, you go too far for the one

:59:54. > :59:58.he wanted but had a choice of three reds, so you put the cue ball in an

:59:59. > :00:40.area where it sometimes gives you other options.

:00:41. > :00:48.That's not too bad, he has a couple of reds to go out. Stephen Hendry

:00:49. > :00:55.was talking in the studio over Ronnie O'Sullivan, a couple of

:00:56. > :01:03.chances to win the frame and he has set one up now.

:01:04. > :01:22.Amazing that this is his 11th final, going for his sixth but he has been

:01:23. > :01:40.in 11 finals, that is some going. Quite amazing that he has not played

:01:41. > :01:46.in a TV tournament since the World Championships where he lost in the

:01:47. > :01:55.quarterfinals in April. To come back and produced this type of snooker is

:01:56. > :02:03.just incredible. First century of the final beckons.

:02:04. > :02:17.He has already made 806 in his career. Already had 25 centuries

:02:18. > :02:20.this week, the record is 31. Yes, 2009, Kevin. Hill this is for the

:02:21. > :02:39.century. Absolutely superb. We are only six and a half minutes

:02:40. > :02:48.into the frame, it is quite incredible. Look at this shot, watch

:02:49. > :02:56.the side to put it in between the brown on the DLO. Have a look at

:02:57. > :03:02.that. -- and the yellow. Cannot get to the high break. Judd Trump made

:03:03. > :03:07.our magnificent break of 140 against Neil Robertson in that incredible

:03:08. > :03:26.match that had six centuries in 11 frames. But this is superb.

:03:27. > :03:41.He has had 108 in this tournament already, this one supersedes that.

:03:42. > :03:48.Absolutely fantastic from Ronnie O'Sullivan, he only needed one

:03:49. > :03:51.chance and what did he do? He clears the table without magnificent break

:03:52. > :04:03.of 136 and he leads 2-1. We talked about winning a frame with

:04:04. > :04:08.one visit, you cannot do it any better than making 136 and Barry,

:04:09. > :04:14.the mid-session interval coming up, he could still go there all square

:04:15. > :04:23.at 2-2. It is early days, but Ronnie got in there with a fabulous long

:04:24. > :04:32.pot. Here is the break of from Barry Hawkins. It is that red that all was

:04:33. > :04:37.pops its head out on the right-hand side and Barry is trying to get

:04:38. > :04:42.across behind the green and once that red pops itself out it is

:04:43. > :04:44.almost like a shot to nothing, these days you are expecting players,

:04:45. > :04:50.particularly of Ronnie's class to knock that in. A lot of players

:04:51. > :04:54.would have tucked in behind the green because there are a few reds

:04:55. > :04:58.open but Ronnie decided to knock in the long green and it was the right

:04:59. > :05:04.decision because he won the frame from it. You're still right about

:05:05. > :05:06.Barry Hawkins, he is going to expect Ronnie to produce some magic, there

:05:07. > :05:13.is no doubt about that but still just one frame behind, big frame

:05:14. > :05:17.coming up. He has got to stick with Ronnie O'Sullivan, he has got to

:05:18. > :05:21.stick with him all the way through, don't let him get away into an early

:05:22. > :05:40.lead. Whatever you do, do not have that

:05:41. > :05:57.blue. At least he hasn't left one, it has turned out OK.

:05:58. > :06:10.That there is a misjudgement from Barry Hawkins. It has not sneaked in

:06:11. > :06:18.behind the blue. Very proficient in the safety Department. Did not get

:06:19. > :06:21.enough spin on the ball there, wanted to bring it out for the black

:06:22. > :06:27.and isn't on the black. Look at his focus, he has played a poor shot, he

:06:28. > :06:39.is not bothered, just getting down on playing. This is tough. Wasn't

:06:40. > :06:43.straightforward. The first shot, didn't quite get the side and maybe

:06:44. > :06:48.the white drifted a little touch, hitting the red a little bit fuller

:06:49. > :06:53.than he intended. He is doing this with left-hand side. And he hit the

:06:54. > :07:04.full ball, that is why the white did not come away.

:07:05. > :07:16.The referee looking carefully there. APPLAUSE

:07:17. > :07:23.One of the top referees, from Belgium, pretty good at that as

:07:24. > :07:39.well. He works in a hospital in Belgium.

:07:40. > :07:54.Little bit of tension on that one, he didn't miss any of these against

:07:55. > :07:57.Judd Trump. Of course, it puts added pressure on you when you have Ronnie

:07:58. > :08:02.O'Sullivan coming behind you, playing the way he is. You cannot

:08:03. > :08:16.afford to miss too many of those, Barry.

:08:17. > :08:26.Very purposely leaving himself long on this black, will try to go into

:08:27. > :08:32.the reds on his next shot. That is what he has done. He has to generate

:08:33. > :08:39.a lot of power from this just to spin it through the reds. He is OK.

:08:40. > :08:44.The red has come over the left centre. Getting a lot of back spin

:08:45. > :09:18.on it, still OK. Listening to Ronnie's interview

:09:19. > :09:23.after the match, he said the pockets are playing a little bit more

:09:24. > :09:29.generous than usual. Only a fraction but they are so widely, the cloth,

:09:30. > :09:35.the shot you play into the bunch, it is amazing how much the open up more

:09:36. > :09:40.easily with a fast cloth. It still requires a lot of skill to play the

:09:41. > :09:49.shot correctly but look how he has got the reds open now. They seem a

:09:50. > :09:53.lot bigger when you are playing so well as well. When you are not

:09:54. > :10:06.laying too well, that is when the fuel a lot tighter. -- feel a lot

:10:07. > :10:10.tighter. Other moment he is -- at the moment he is making them look

:10:11. > :10:15.like buckets. The referee waving his finger at the audience,, maybe

:10:16. > :10:23.somebody with a camera. He doesn't just concentrate on the match, he

:10:24. > :10:31.has to see what is going on the crowd. Fabulous crowd in again,

:10:32. > :10:36.2000. Magnificent, look at that. Trying to win it in one visit again

:10:37. > :10:45.here. The interval will be coming up after this frame. You set your stall

:10:46. > :10:53.out for many sessions in long matches and Ronnie would be thinking

:10:54. > :10:55.if he can take this 3-1, 4-0 would have been a bonus, but you would

:10:56. > :11:11.take this. He thought the cue ball was going to

:11:12. > :11:21.run on. Just a little bit onto this red. Maybe not. 52 points ahead. He

:11:22. > :11:43.is playing the double here. Probably played that double in

:11:44. > :11:46.frustration more than anything else. It wasn't like it was a shock to

:11:47. > :11:49.nothing because he has left this red. The double again, he has left

:11:50. > :12:16.this red. Great shot. Not that he has run out of position

:12:17. > :12:21.many times. In the opening frames when he ran out of position he has

:12:22. > :12:26.played the straightforward safety shot but Ronnie missed the double

:12:27. > :12:43.and has let Barry back in. A cracking opening red. Very difficult

:12:44. > :12:48.with the awkward reds. But as it -- it is a chance that Barry did not

:12:49. > :12:50.think he was going to get. He won the opening frame after Ronnie had a

:12:51. > :13:10.break of 46. 45 it was. What sort of an angle does he have

:13:11. > :13:32.here? He can screw back behind the red into the corner.

:13:33. > :13:39.He has got a little bit of angle, if you can get on the black in such a

:13:40. > :13:47.way and get onto the red on the left-hand side of the table.

:13:48. > :13:58.He did manage that. Tee shot coming up. If he parts the black he can get

:13:59. > :14:06.the red as, one of those, keep your eye on the black. It can take care

:14:07. > :14:12.of itself and put the red into play. He can get in behind it, being a

:14:13. > :14:18.left-hander. He might take that option. Never really sure you are

:14:19. > :14:26.trained to take the red out, but being a left-hander, it could be the

:14:27. > :14:31.better option. -- not really sure that you are trying. Ilona Key has

:14:32. > :14:42.gone too far to reach it, so has to use the rest, makes this pot more

:14:43. > :14:56.difficult. Great shot. Fantastic shot with the rest.

:14:57. > :15:16.Another very tough one he is faced with.

:15:17. > :15:30.Brilliant. Little bit straight on the black but it was a cracking pot

:15:31. > :15:37.on the red and you can see, almost dead straight. We'll need quite a

:15:38. > :15:41.bit of screw back here. Just going to leave the long yellow, big shot

:15:42. > :16:09.coming up. He did not want that double-kiss

:16:10. > :16:18.there. He expected himself to get that yellow. It was a fantastic rate

:16:19. > :16:24.up until then. And what a frame it will have been to have pinched after

:16:25. > :16:43.Ronnie risked the double, made that break of 52. Nine points ahead. Just

:16:44. > :16:52.brown and blue required. Put that camera away, please. Somebody still

:16:53. > :17:07.with the camera. APPLAUSE He will be disappointed, he had a

:17:08. > :17:10.chance. The pink goes in, Ronnie will not need the black, and other

:17:11. > :17:18.frame on the board, Ronnie goes into the interval 3-1. Worrying times for

:17:19. > :17:22.Barry Hawkins, he looked up for it after the first frame but the yellow

:17:23. > :17:26.cost him in the end in that frame. Fantastic break up to them, didn't

:17:27. > :17:31.look like an opportunity to win the frame, potted two great reds with

:17:32. > :17:36.the rest, but these are the shots you have to make to win finals.

:17:37. > :17:42.Should he be concerned about the score right now, they like this

:17:43. > :17:45.early? It is just the waiters, that is Nagar, on another day you missed

:17:46. > :17:52.the yellow Nichols said, you can't account for how the end up but nice

:17:53. > :17:57.if they go into the pockets,. I was doing some digging as I do in terms

:17:58. > :18:01.of career stats just before we came on air. I was looking at Barry

:18:02. > :18:07.Hawkins and would you believe that it was in 2001, the LG cup, the

:18:08. > :18:11.first time that John, Stephen and I worked together as a commentary team

:18:12. > :18:14.and there was a young 21-year-old, Barry Hawkins made his first

:18:15. > :18:17.breakthrough, got to the quarterfinals, that was the first we

:18:18. > :18:22.had seen of him and taken him such a long time to earn his corn and get

:18:23. > :18:28.through here, but did you spot the Nugget of talent that there was even

:18:29. > :18:33.then? It is hard to predict where everybody was going to be. A player

:18:34. > :18:36.like Barry Hawkins didn't stand out from the crowd for a long time until

:18:37. > :18:42.he started getting to the final stages of the World Championship,

:18:43. > :18:46.argue belief that might arguably he looked like one of many good

:18:47. > :18:49.journeyman and that happens to a lot of those, it is the Robert Huth

:18:50. > :18:54.because we talk about the best players in the world, until recently

:18:55. > :19:00.this stock as a player. 15 years later, he is not flashy, his stock

:19:01. > :19:03.has risen and is held in great esteem with a lot of his fellow

:19:04. > :19:08.professionals. John Parrott had a quick word when he had beaten Judd

:19:09. > :19:11.Trump in a really important semifinal yesterday which he made

:19:12. > :19:14.the centuries to book his place and John chatted to him about the

:19:15. > :19:20.magnitude and achievement of just being here today.

:19:21. > :19:26.We will talk about the final in a minute, let's go back to the start

:19:27. > :19:29.of it, you turn up this week, you have played five times at the

:19:30. > :19:32.Masters and you have never won a match, what were you thinking, what

:19:33. > :19:38.was the expectations at the start of the week? Is to win a game, just to

:19:39. > :19:44.win one game. Every year I have driven across on the day, it is

:19:45. > :19:47.local, it takes an hour, I have driven over every time and I thought

:19:48. > :19:51.I would come over the day before and have a practice on the tables,

:19:52. > :19:57.treated like any other tournament and lucky for me it seems to have

:19:58. > :20:02.worked, I have played pretty solid all the way through. Started off

:20:03. > :20:10.against your friend, he is one of your best mates. That was horrible,

:20:11. > :20:15.not a great draw. Play together all the time on tour, me and Joe Perry.

:20:16. > :20:18.When we both get beaten, we are the first at the bar to have a few

:20:19. > :20:22.drinks, spending a long time with him. Wasn't a great draw but when we

:20:23. > :20:28.are out there, it is business as usual. I was pleased to win that

:20:29. > :20:36.match because Joe Perry is a great player. The second match, against

:20:37. > :20:43.Mark Allen, you match play was good. The difference was my safety was

:20:44. > :20:47.easy. He left me easy chances. Mark was playing really well against

:20:48. > :20:50.Shaun Marsh fake, so I had to keep them off the table because when he

:20:51. > :20:55.gets going he is hard to stop, he scores heavily and he doesn't mess.

:20:56. > :21:00.I didn't set the world alight but I played solid matchplay. The safety

:21:01. > :21:05.was the difference in that match. New got to the world final a few

:21:06. > :21:10.years ago. That must have been magnificent experience for the

:21:11. > :21:16.majors. You cannot buy that sort of experience. The biggest tournament

:21:17. > :21:20.we can play. I played really well in that final. If you cannot take

:21:21. > :21:25.confidence from that or a little bit of belief from that, there is

:21:26. > :21:29.something wrong, it is a great experience and it has stood me in

:21:30. > :21:33.good stead in the last year. New have got Ronnie O'Sullivan again in

:21:34. > :21:38.a major final, what will that be like? Flea doesn't play as well as

:21:39. > :21:42.he did in the final last time! It will be an unbelievable atmosphere

:21:43. > :21:46.-- hopefully he doesn't play. It will be a packed arena and you can't

:21:47. > :21:51.expect a better occasion than playing Ronnie in a major final. If

:21:52. > :22:00.you can't enjoy that occasion, you might as well go home! It is the

:22:01. > :22:04.Masters final, massive occasion, first or second biggest in your

:22:05. > :22:08.Snicko career. What will it mean to be champion? It would mean

:22:09. > :22:21.everything. -- in your snooker career. It would be fantastic if I

:22:22. > :22:25.could win it, to win one, especially a big one, it is every player's

:22:26. > :22:30.dream apart from winning the World Championship is to win the Masters

:22:31. > :22:36.title, so I will try my best. If you have won here, you have beaten the

:22:37. > :22:39.best. , Exactly, you don't get easy draws, they are all tough games, the

:22:40. > :22:45.standard this week has been unbelievable. You get great belief

:22:46. > :22:47.if you manage to beat the best players in the world and lift the

:22:48. > :22:58.trophy. I wish you all the best. , Does Stuart Bingham like Barry

:22:59. > :23:02.Hawkins does he need a major title to validate the work he has put in

:23:03. > :23:06.over the last 20 years? You will have the win tournaments let this to

:23:07. > :23:10.be recognised as a top player, when you talk about winners of the big

:23:11. > :23:14.events, you will never put Barry as one of the potential winners and

:23:15. > :23:18.that is now disrespected him, he is like Robertson, Selby, Sullivan, he

:23:19. > :23:22.will not be there until he went something like this. He has won the

:23:23. > :23:24.players championship and the Australian open, his big break

:23:25. > :23:28.through a couple of years back but same sort of thing, does he deserve

:23:29. > :23:36.to win a major title given his record in the last few years? I dun

:23:37. > :23:40.think anybody deserves, you have to earn it. If you are looking at

:23:41. > :23:47.application, then arguably perhaps more so than others. I don't know

:23:48. > :23:51.his practising routines. Plenty of people in life that worked really

:23:52. > :23:55.hard and get nothing for it and in the end one of the fascinations of

:23:56. > :24:00.sport are the different types of animals that come to the table, some

:24:01. > :24:04.seem to make it look easy, some have to graft their way through, what

:24:05. > :24:08.would happen if Barry Hawkins won a big one, his family, friends,

:24:09. > :24:12.everybody around him would all say the same thing, he thoroughly

:24:13. > :24:15.deserves it because he put everything into it and that is all

:24:16. > :24:20.you can ask. A bit like Stuart Bingham goes it is the same scenario

:24:21. > :24:23.with him, been there, he was the journeyman to use that horrible

:24:24. > :24:27.expression but suddenly it all came together and everybody said, he was

:24:28. > :24:32.a champion in waiting all along. I don't think anyone, I didn't tip him

:24:33. > :24:37.in the last three matches in Sheffield and I still don't tip

:24:38. > :24:41.Stuart Binny and against the top players for that -- Stuart Bingham.

:24:42. > :24:47.It is to his credit what he has achieved. To be known as a top

:24:48. > :24:50.player you have to win these events and repeatedly win them and people

:24:51. > :24:54.can say you are one of the top players. For Barry he has run into

:24:55. > :24:58.Ronnie O'Sullivan in a similar situation the last end the Met in

:24:59. > :25:01.the World Championship final. Ronnie has taken an eight month sabbatical

:25:02. > :25:06.away from the game, not the first time he has done it and in 2013 he

:25:07. > :25:10.practically took the whole year off and turned up at the Crucible to

:25:11. > :25:14.defend six as fully his world title and who did he beat? Barry Hawkins.

:25:15. > :25:18.He doesn't make things difficult for itself, jumping in the deep end once

:25:19. > :25:20.again and Steve chatted to him after he got through to his 11th Masters

:25:21. > :25:31.final. Even though you got over the line

:25:32. > :25:34.relatively easily, it was a struggle out there, the post match interviews

:25:35. > :25:39.you were saying you are struggling to get the shots right. Just

:25:40. > :25:45.struggling to get online and get the cue on the chest and when you are

:25:46. > :25:49.playing normally with the cue on the body usually get unit but just now

:25:50. > :25:54.the not working as a unit, having to fight it out there. Sometimes you

:25:55. > :25:58.have to do that. That is what I did. You are not the type of person to

:25:59. > :26:02.make the numbers up, never been the case, this is the first tournament

:26:03. > :26:08.of the season for you. You have come here to win, it must have been a

:26:09. > :26:13.tough challenge knowing that you're back wasn't perfect. Yes, but I was

:26:14. > :26:18.in the tournament and decided to enter. I am here now. I have to try

:26:19. > :26:24.to forget about all of that stuff about not feeling right and just go

:26:25. > :26:30.with what I have got and hopefully find some spells and moments where I

:26:31. > :26:34.can produce some decent snooker to give me have a chance. New me to

:26:35. > :26:38.fight hard in the first match against Mark Williams, that was

:26:39. > :26:44.tough. Years was going to make it tough, he is a brilliant player, he

:26:45. > :26:48.has the ability to be dog-eared and fight hard as well. One of the best

:26:49. > :26:54.match players we have ever had. -- to be dog-eared. We know each

:26:55. > :26:59.other's game very well. Fortunate to get over the line. In your second

:27:00. > :27:06.match against Mark Selby, did you expect more of him? You talked as if

:27:07. > :27:11.you did. I was that a tough match with Mark but if he scores well, he

:27:12. > :27:15.will win most of the matches he plays because tactically at his

:27:16. > :27:21.temperament, there is nobody better in the game. He just wasn't scoring

:27:22. > :27:27.as much as he was have liked to. If he doesn't score, he is the

:27:28. > :27:31.favourite to win any Trinity prison. -- if he does score.

:27:32. > :27:41.The last time you had a big lay-off you played Barry Hawkins in the next

:27:42. > :27:45.final. Fairway off this time, but once again, Barry Hawkins. He has

:27:46. > :27:49.been the best player in the tournament with Judd Trump for the

:27:50. > :27:56.standard they have produced match after match. Barry has great cueing

:27:57. > :27:59.and great temperament and a great break-builder, quite efficient

:28:00. > :28:04.amongst the balls. Never seems to move the white ball that far. As as

:28:05. > :28:07.they prepare you like to watch somebody like that, when I played

:28:08. > :28:12.him in the world final, the year before I played a lot of snooker so

:28:13. > :28:18.even though I had a lay-off, I still felt I had a good foundation from

:28:19. > :28:22.all the matches I had played in the previous years and may be the last

:28:23. > :28:26.18 months, two news I have taken my eye off the ball and have not played

:28:27. > :28:31.anywhere near as much as I should have done and maybe that is part of

:28:32. > :28:35.the reason why my game is not as strong as it was three years ago.

:28:36. > :28:41.You other favourite coming into the match, in your own eyes, how you

:28:42. > :28:49.experienced enough to have that on your shoulders? I don't get phased

:28:50. > :28:55.by me being the favourite. I know because of the tournaments I have

:28:56. > :28:59.one compared to Barry, people will say that I have more experience in

:29:00. > :29:05.those situations, but if Barry plays how he did today and I played how I

:29:06. > :29:09.did tonight, I know whose corner I would like to be in, I would not

:29:10. > :29:13.discount myself because I can find a gear and if I do find a dear, I will

:29:14. > :29:18.be able to apply some pressure to Barry and hopefully have some sort

:29:19. > :29:24.of impact in the game. Just to allay the fears of snooker fans, your back

:29:25. > :29:28.is not in pain, you will not struggle by the end of it, it is

:29:29. > :29:32.more just the feeling that could go at any moment in the second session.

:29:33. > :29:39.Not at all. I have gone past that stage, it is about starting to know

:29:40. > :29:47.your own body, at the moment I cannot feel where my knee, my back

:29:48. > :29:52.and my arm, I feel very uncoordinated, quite off-balance,

:29:53. > :29:57.every now and then I feel OK and it is not too bad. There are spells out

:29:58. > :29:59.there when I played with Stewart in the semifinals when it was a real

:30:00. > :30:15.struggle. Good luck tomorrow. 11th final for running. A man in his

:30:16. > :30:17.corner as part of his team, is Turner Prize winning artist Damien

:30:18. > :30:27.Hirst. You have been in the dressing room.

:30:28. > :30:34.How is he doing? He is up and down. I was happy in

:30:35. > :30:40.the practice. He is doing good.

:30:41. > :30:47.3-1. He seems a lot more settled than last night. He said he was not

:30:48. > :30:57.feeling good about his game. Do you know some of the underlying reasons?

:30:58. > :31:00.What goes on in his head is not what goes on out there.

:31:01. > :31:07.It is difficult. He watches it back and says he played pretty good but

:31:08. > :31:11.in his mind he is playing terrible. That makes me laugh. I tried to give

:31:12. > :31:17.him constructive criticism. I don't know why I am bothering!

:31:18. > :31:22.You have been a friend a long time, what attracted you to Ronnie and the

:31:23. > :31:31.game of snooker? How much does snooker player in your own work?

:31:32. > :31:39.I love snooker, it seems impossible. It is about that human element that

:31:40. > :31:45.won't let you do it. It has amazed me since I was a kid. I watched it

:31:46. > :31:53.on black and white TV. I remember you!

:31:54. > :32:00.Both of you! Someone said money is not the mercurial flawed genius of

:32:01. > :32:05.the past, he is like a free bird. When did I say that!

:32:06. > :32:09.I can't remember. Do you believe that, it is he a different type of

:32:10. > :32:15.player to everyone else? It is instinct.

:32:16. > :32:22.Trump has a similar instinct but he gets, you he doesn't seem to know

:32:23. > :32:26.where he is. He is the only player I have thought

:32:27. > :32:31.I would love to see through their rise to see what they are seeing

:32:32. > :32:38.compared to normal mortals. Do you think he has something that is extra

:32:39. > :32:43.special in his imagination? Is he getting different signals?

:32:44. > :32:49.It must be. When you watch him, it is almost like being a little bit...

:32:50. > :32:55.He can see the shape of it on the table, what to do.

:32:56. > :33:00.He is not analytical. But then you are a bit like that.

:33:01. > :33:04.In the artistic world, you have people like that who get something

:33:05. > :33:10.other people cannot see. The close word I can think of is

:33:11. > :33:16.instinct. The red, the long wanted a corner pocket, why would you even go

:33:17. > :33:19.for it? To not miss it. Do you talk about snooker in the

:33:20. > :33:27.dressing room? Yes. I said, 137.

:33:28. > :33:32.He said it felt like 337. Last night, it is almost like he can't

:33:33. > :33:35.live with snooker and can't live with it.

:33:36. > :33:41.At the tail end of your career, you cease to be winning like a machine

:33:42. > :33:48.but how can you win the -- but not with as much style, is that enough?

:33:49. > :33:54.Winning was everything for me. That is why I still play, I enjoy

:33:55. > :33:58.playing. Take away the winning, take away the enjoyment.

:33:59. > :34:04.That was a big part of it. I was critical of my own performance.

:34:05. > :34:09.It is a quest for affection, do you identify that as an artist?

:34:10. > :34:14.People say, you must love all the big tanks, building the show, three

:34:15. > :34:18.weeks before people in tanks and suits. I say I hate it. I like the

:34:19. > :34:24.opening when it is finished and perfect.

:34:25. > :34:29.Does he look good for another title? 3-1 makes me feel good. That is all

:34:30. > :34:32.I can say. You can't get nervous, you don't know what will happen.

:34:33. > :34:42.Thank you for popping in. We welcome John parrot and John

:34:43. > :34:50.Virgo. Good afternoon, Hazel.

:34:51. > :34:54.After a very close fought first frame which went to Barry Hawkins,

:34:55. > :35:09.Ronnie has turned on the style with breaks of 70, and 136.

:35:10. > :35:15.The type of red, John, which has been indicative of money in this

:35:16. > :35:19.tournament, he has been knocking them in. It is his long game

:35:20. > :35:26.sometimes which is below par. You are right there, John. This week

:35:27. > :35:32.it has been very good. Damien Hirst mentioned in the studio that long

:35:33. > :35:35.red he knocked in, against Stuart Bingham, something special. It has

:35:36. > :35:42.been a feature all week, pretty good.

:35:43. > :35:44.The last frame with the chance for a clearance if he had got that, who

:35:45. > :35:49.knows. It boiled down to the fact when he

:35:50. > :35:57.potted the good last red, straight onto the black. The problem is he

:35:58. > :36:04.could not get close to the yellow. Not the best safety shot from money.

:36:05. > :36:06.He has left his opponent with a chance.

:36:07. > :36:30.-- from Ronnie. A good, clean pot. A kiss on the

:36:31. > :36:34.blue hasn't harmed things. He could play the blue or yellow being

:36:35. > :36:37.left-handed. Playing the blue he has two avoid the baulk of colours. He

:36:38. > :37:23.has to be a little careful here. Obviously the pink goes to the right

:37:24. > :37:25.corner. He would love to get on that red just above the black sooner

:37:26. > :37:38.rather than later. Yes, and he could do with a sizeable

:37:39. > :37:46.Koch vision in one of the frames, in one visit. To start putting doubt in

:37:47. > :37:50.your opponent's mind, and for your own confidence. He started the match

:37:51. > :37:56.yesterday against Judd Trump absolutely Bentley. Right out of the

:37:57. > :38:03.blocks. He could do with getting back to that scoring level. Changing

:38:04. > :38:06.the scoreline quickly. A little tight. But he feels like it

:38:07. > :38:21.is not a problem. A nice, neat scorer, Barry Hawkins,

:38:22. > :38:26.his cue ball control is very good. Yes, excellent. A couple of years

:38:27. > :38:27.ago when he got to the final of the World Championship, it is like he

:38:28. > :38:42.came of age. Black spots was covered by that red,

:38:43. > :38:45.he did not have the angle. He is not perfect on this red, he hasn't got

:38:46. > :38:53.the angle to go for the black. He might just be able to. He has had to

:38:54. > :38:59.leave himself a thin cut on the blue. He has to get in between the

:39:00. > :39:09.green and brown here. The way he has gone about this, he

:39:10. > :39:16.must have thought this black was going to shot -- spot. It was always

:39:17. > :39:19.going to be tricky for the next colour.

:39:20. > :39:29.Looking at that, you couldn't see the black going on the spot.

:39:30. > :39:37.We have found this little bit last night with Stuart Bingham, it is

:39:38. > :39:41.these mid range shots. They are difficult enough, I know. But at

:39:42. > :40:03.this level, you can't afford to be missing those.

:40:04. > :40:09.No hesitation from Ronnie, immediately trying to get that red

:40:10. > :40:13.away from the black spot. Somewhere down the line, if he can continue

:40:14. > :40:23.this break, try and play position and get the black back up the table.

:40:24. > :40:30.Not ideal there. No, he didn't get into it enough.

:40:31. > :40:37.A nice pot on the blue, though. And another chance now, you would think,

:40:38. > :40:42.to put this red and get position on the black. Black on the spot

:40:43. > :40:47.certainly makes it easier. He needs to slow up a little.

:40:48. > :41:03.Just about OK. He actually got a really nice angle.

:41:04. > :41:08.He could screw in from the left-hand side into the pack. Unless there is

:41:09. > :41:15.a red going. If not, he is certainly on to play the shot to them.

:41:16. > :41:24.This is the line John is talking about. He didn't hit the reds, but

:41:25. > :41:26.the pink. I don't know. He is close to the cushion. A red to the left

:41:27. > :41:37.middle. The good news is that yellow getting

:41:38. > :41:44.knocked off its spot before will come in handy if he can pot the red.

:41:45. > :41:50.It went past the black but being tight onto the site cushion doesn't

:41:51. > :42:07.make the pot any easier. -- side cushion.

:42:08. > :42:16.Well, you would have thought he would run past the black at the

:42:17. > :42:23.back. I don't think he can get more than one point here. There was no

:42:24. > :42:27.way you'd be tempted to take any colour, hampered as he is. The pink

:42:28. > :42:44.and black are not available. An excellent shot he has played. He

:42:45. > :42:50.has covered the red on the left-hand side... It doesn't look like he has.

:42:51. > :42:55.That was very close to being a lot of trouble.

:42:56. > :43:06.What a great reply from Ronnie. It is a good target behind that

:43:07. > :43:24.yellow and brown, that is what Barry will be looking for.

:43:25. > :43:35.Just can't quite get to this colours. He has had a couple of

:43:36. > :43:37.chances. Fine margins. The difference between having your

:43:38. > :43:47.opponent in a lot of trouble, or having your hand on the table.

:43:48. > :43:58.What a flick. What a flick, absolutely. It is the brown full in

:43:59. > :44:01.the face. It is a poor safety. Now it is an excellent one, I am not

:44:02. > :44:06.sure Barry can get through direct past the green, I don't think he

:44:07. > :44:14.can. He will have to play this with a trace of side and if he catches

:44:15. > :44:23.the red too thick, it is danger. He may be choosing to drop on it.

:44:24. > :44:30.Did he hit it hard enough? This is shocking. One thing you couldn't be

:44:31. > :44:36.is short. Could well have cost him the frame.

:44:37. > :45:03.He hit it badly. Meant to go past that red, that is

:45:04. > :45:13.not as planned. A good positional shot from yellow to the next month.

:45:14. > :45:20.-- next one. A good pot. It looks as though it is

:45:21. > :45:24.going on to the red. I was surprised he did not play for the pink in the

:45:25. > :45:33.middle. He will have to go for the blue here.

:45:34. > :45:42.He couldn't have landed better therefrom that yellow. He covered it

:45:43. > :45:59.very well. The first shot wasn't a good one.

:46:00. > :46:09.He overscrewed that slightly. If he is straight enough on the green,

:46:10. > :46:15.good cueing needed here. We can usually rely on money for good

:46:16. > :46:22.cueing, he played that beautifully. -- on Ronnie.

:46:23. > :46:28.To screw back like that so easily and put it exactly in the spot you

:46:29. > :46:34.wanted. The plaque will pot. An example of excellent cueing, perfect

:46:35. > :46:42.control. A pot on this black. He should have done a flick on the

:46:43. > :46:46.red. A misjudgement. He still has this

:46:47. > :46:52.red to the far right corner but he was looking for something easier.

:46:53. > :47:12.We are right behind it, it is fair. -- air. -- there.

:47:13. > :47:17.An excellent recovery. This is worryingly looking like 4-1, four

:47:18. > :47:22.Barry Hawkins. He simply has two school with the chancers, you don't

:47:23. > :47:28.get many. A bad mistake when he was in the

:47:29. > :47:32.snooker, to leave it that far short and gift this opportunity. Just this

:47:33. > :47:51.red to go and 34 points in front, with 27 remaining.

:47:52. > :47:58.39 ahead, 27 remaining, no way back on this table for Barry. He did get

:47:59. > :48:03.a chance earlier. As you said, it needs to be taken, he needs to score

:48:04. > :48:08.from these opportunities. I understand there is a great amount

:48:09. > :48:18.of pressure on him but this is what comes with the territory.

:48:19. > :48:27.It won't matter about the brown, that will be enough. Barry Hawkins

:48:28. > :48:30.stays in his seat. Ronnie was misfortunate to get the snooker

:48:31. > :48:39.behind the green but he should have made a better attempt to make it

:48:40. > :48:46.safe. Only now leads. 4-1. -- Ronnie.

:48:47. > :48:56.There is Ronnie. He liked to have a cup of hot water. He thinks it is

:48:57. > :49:04.good for his digestion. I like his manner around the table today. And

:49:05. > :49:09.through the tournament. I know he has been critical of himself. He is

:49:10. > :49:13.not going too far. Years ago, you felt he would throw his toys out of

:49:14. > :49:22.the pram and not attempt the next shot. I listened to an interview

:49:23. > :49:32.when he said he was Keith with himself. He has exacting standards,

:49:33. > :49:35.when he said he was Keith with high standards for himself. Doesn't

:49:36. > :49:39.like to play anything less. His attitude has been fine. Nothing

:49:40. > :49:47.wrong with that. He is hitting the ball pretty well.

:49:48. > :49:58.A big frame four Barry Hawkins. Like all great players, once they

:49:59. > :50:09.start building up a lead, they don't look over their shoulder too much.

:50:10. > :50:20.He sent a right up to the other half of the table but it is covered by

:50:21. > :50:26.the brown. He can get through to it. Will he take the pot on.

:50:27. > :50:36.Tremendous pot. Needs the cue ball to slow up. A great pot. Tough black

:50:37. > :50:59.if you decide to take it on. Don't blame him for refusing that

:51:00. > :51:03.one. If there was a county position from

:51:04. > :51:12.it, but it was a difficult shot. -- guaranteed position.

:51:13. > :52:16.His safety looks to be improving every frame, which is worrying.

:52:17. > :52:16.A good escape this time. every frame, which is worrying.

:52:17. > :53:05.Catching the baulk colour, leaving the tuple by the baulk of mind. No

:53:06. > :53:10.easy pot to go at for Barry. Now being 4-1 down, brings its own

:53:11. > :53:19.pressure. Don't want to be taking too many risks.

:53:20. > :53:25.When you are playing that type of shot, air being too thin. He did hit

:53:26. > :53:55.that well at all. -- err. Well... That was a long way away.

:53:56. > :54:00.Wasn't great by his standards. But he's not having a bad one of the

:54:01. > :54:06.balls. Putting Barry in all sorts of trouble. Could have left this one a

:54:07. > :54:09.lot easier. Despite the fact he is playing pretty well, the snooker

:54:10. > :54:32.gods are looking kindly on him. A nice pot, just about on the blue.

:54:33. > :54:41.There is not a colour on its spot, not the easiest of chances.

:54:42. > :54:47.Not certain... We have the blue on the spot, not certain why the pink

:54:48. > :54:56.will go. If he eventually gets on the pink.

:54:57. > :55:03.Controlled that nicely. The pink will go back on their, no

:55:04. > :55:10.trouble. Barry, you have got to school. -- to

:55:11. > :55:45.score. That was a bad misjudgement. Run

:55:46. > :55:48.past the pink. OK, he can still put it but it is hampered by the rates,

:55:49. > :56:07.awkward cueing. -- reds. The cue ball has slowed up in time.

:56:08. > :56:13.I don't think it is available into the opposite corner. He will be

:56:14. > :56:19.playing the red on the right with the rest. If you can screw back to

:56:20. > :56:27.leave a half ball on the blue. He can split the pack up.

:56:28. > :56:30.If he could just get it. As ever, difficult to judge with that cue

:56:31. > :56:35.extension, it changes the weight and the feel of the cue.

:56:36. > :56:38.Critically when the balls are close together, Unison have hit it than

:56:39. > :56:44.you need to get the cue out of the way.

:56:45. > :56:49.Doesn't want to catch the bump of the middle pocket. That is not what

:56:50. > :57:21.he wanted. It looks as if he can get through to

:57:22. > :57:29.this red. It is admissible. -- missable.

:57:30. > :57:31.He hit it much too thick. He won't be too unhappy with the way the ball

:57:32. > :57:46.has finished tight to the green. Ronnie won't be too unhappy with

:57:47. > :58:09.that either. Tough cueing, he needs to avoid the

:58:10. > :58:11.cannon. Which he managed to do. About as

:58:12. > :58:31.good as he could do from there. Badly hampered by the brand, he

:58:32. > :58:35.can't play safe on the main bunch of reds.

:58:36. > :58:59.Could not hit a ball on the cushion cleaner than that.

:59:00. > :59:06.Sometimes you had to hold your hand up and say, what a shot that was.

:59:07. > :59:12.Unbelievable cueing, to hit it so well, and to bring the cue ball up

:59:13. > :59:20.to the pink, incredible shot. That is handy for money that the

:59:21. > :59:24.pink won't go on its own spot. You would think he would take the

:59:25. > :59:29.opportunity to cannon into the main bunch.

:59:30. > :59:32.He has played for the loose red. No one ever questions his shot

:59:33. > :59:42.selection when he is in amongst the balls.

:59:43. > :00:12.I think the pink will go on its spot now.

:00:13. > :00:18.I agree with you, it is an interesting way he went about that.

:00:19. > :00:25.I wouldn't have thought that before he got the pack out of the way. He

:00:26. > :00:33.has obviously sorted something else out.

:00:34. > :00:39.It is certainly a more difficult break than it would have been if he

:00:40. > :00:49.had potentially opened those reds up earlier.

:00:50. > :00:56.No, it is not often that I question Ronnie's break-building and shot

:00:57. > :01:02.selection, but that is a strange one, he had a nice angle, he played

:01:03. > :01:06.for the loose red that was occupying the pink spot, and then he was just

:01:07. > :01:11.a little bit short of pinpoint position. It is a unexpected end of

:01:12. > :01:28.visit. He wants the cue ball to bounce. And

:01:29. > :01:36.it hasn't. There is one loose red at the end of the cluster, he can play

:01:37. > :01:42.for it at the opposite middle. Tough shot, this, digging in.

:01:43. > :01:50.That is about as good as he can do with the blue being of its short,

:01:51. > :01:52.because the blue is fairly up towards the baulk end, it was pretty

:01:53. > :02:03.straight. Yellow and brown being of the spots

:02:04. > :02:07.doesn't make the situation any easier for him, even if he drops it

:02:08. > :02:11.in, certainly only the green he can play on. The cue ball is running

:02:12. > :02:20.away. Now, then, has he got the angle of

:02:21. > :02:23.the side cushion with this green into the pack's this is a big shot

:02:24. > :02:39.coming up. He has caught the pink rather than

:02:40. > :02:40.the reds. He may have this red to the right middle, but it is not

:02:41. > :03:13.ideal. It would have been enough to have

:03:14. > :03:19.that cue ball nestled on the yellow committee can just cue pastor, as

:03:20. > :03:26.you can see. It made all the difference -- he can just cue past

:03:27. > :03:30.it. Ronnie hit that a little bit too thin, Barry with his hand on the

:03:31. > :03:31.table, he would expect a better safety shot, eight points to the

:03:32. > :03:55.lead. You have got to be a little bit

:03:56. > :04:01.careful with this one, the one he was lining up, to play the safety

:04:02. > :04:04.shot, he has been knocking the red towards the corner pocket, the two

:04:05. > :04:09.read that as together, if he plays off the right-hand side of one of

:04:10. > :04:11.those, that is what he was looking at initially but he has changed his

:04:12. > :04:21.mind for all the two reds. Yes, a clever shot, he played it in

:04:22. > :04:26.such a way that he knew that he was sending the tube or near the top

:04:27. > :04:31.cushion. The only thing he could possibly leave was the one that he

:04:32. > :04:32.was playing -- sending the cue ball. He wasn't playing the one that he

:04:33. > :04:49.thought. There you see it. Barry can't get

:04:50. > :04:58.through to the potted angle if he went in the baulk end. But he can

:04:59. > :05:02.play this to the far corner. And he played it, thinking the only red he

:05:03. > :05:04.can leave is the one that he's playing, isn't it always the way,

:05:05. > :05:22.that is exactly what he has done. The position wasn't easy to attain,

:05:23. > :05:31.there. This is one big shot coming up on the blue.

:05:32. > :05:43.Played really well. APPLAUSE

:05:44. > :05:56.Just about. As my dad used to say, I hope he wiped his feet! A quick

:05:57. > :06:02.glance at the scoreboard, he is one point in front, sorry, one point

:06:03. > :06:07.behind. So he is going to need the brown.

:06:08. > :06:17.That is fairly good maths. I used to sit in my chair wondering what was

:06:18. > :06:41.needed to win the frame! Ronnie O'Sullivan starts winning the

:06:42. > :06:46.scrappy frames as well, it is going to be a very long afternoon.

:06:47. > :06:55.Expecting Ronnie to win those games with a nice and open. His matchplay

:06:56. > :07:00.is looking very good as well. Yes, you complimented me actually on my

:07:01. > :07:05.good maths. I thank you at the time, but he doesn't need the brown, as it

:07:06. > :07:09.turned out, just yellow and green. Did cueing is needed here. -- good

:07:10. > :07:19.cueing. So, that puts Ronnie 21 points in

:07:20. > :07:25.front. This green to go 24 points in front with just 22 remaining. And it

:07:26. > :07:43.goes! APPLAUSE

:07:44. > :07:49.A brilliant contribution from O'Sullivan, it really has. It is not

:07:50. > :08:02.there, the blue. Barry Hawkins has had enough. It is very worrying for

:08:03. > :08:06.Barry Hawkins' supporters. STUDIO: It is looking ominous for

:08:07. > :08:10.Barry Hawkins. Was he always going to leave that read onto the green

:08:11. > :08:15.pocket? If you are for-1 up you don't leave it, if you are for -1

:08:16. > :08:20.behind you do. He's just not getting any easy chances, Barry, he is not

:08:21. > :08:23.coming to the table, things are not falling into place around the pink

:08:24. > :08:34.and black and being able to put together a nice break. I mean, that

:08:35. > :08:37.was a scrappy frame, there. Ronnie is getting the best of him. It

:08:38. > :08:39.doesn't seem that Barry has been able to find much rhythm. He had

:08:40. > :08:42.more rhythm against Judd Trump yesterday. He needed a bit of help

:08:43. > :08:45.either the run of the ball, it has not been massive but it is enough,

:08:46. > :08:48.and a bit of help from Ronnie O'Sullivan. And when you miss a

:08:49. > :08:54.shot, some days they go safe and others they don't. It is a very big

:08:55. > :08:59.up Telstra call now for him to turn this match run from 5-1 -- it is a

:09:00. > :09:02.very big struggle for him. If he wins the next two frames of the

:09:03. > :09:09.session that would help no end. We have seen one century, 136 from

:09:10. > :09:14.Roddy, and some individual gems from him. There was another one in that

:09:15. > :09:19.frame the with the red in the bottom corner right on the cushion, it was

:09:20. > :09:27.a sparkling shot. I'm not going to say it was an easy shot but it was

:09:28. > :09:30.easier for fact that the red was touching the cushion, but fantastic

:09:31. > :09:35.cueing. That was like last night, the last red of the match. You think

:09:36. > :09:39.he is not on form, then he has this fantastic putt. He is kind of just

:09:40. > :09:44.doing enough, the century in the third frame, but clearly he is doing

:09:45. > :09:48.enough to keep Harry at bay. Are these individual moments of

:09:49. > :09:51.brilliance enough to keep the momentum and the interest and

:09:52. > :09:56.motivation, when you know you camp all the big shots up when you need

:09:57. > :10:02.to? Possibly, but at the moment we do not see Ronnie shaking his head

:10:03. > :10:06.enough. It has been sparkling stuff. It does depend on the day, perhaps

:10:07. > :10:12.winning is more important than we were led to believe. If he were to

:10:13. > :10:16.get over the line very easily, he would be delighted that he had put

:10:17. > :10:24.in a great performance for the whole week. This is his astonishingly 11th

:10:25. > :10:28.final in 22 years. It looks like he could be on his way here and less

:10:29. > :10:34.Barry has something to say in the next couple of frames. Two more to

:10:35. > :10:37.play this afternoon. COMMENTATOR: Just a bit short with

:10:38. > :10:41.the break of shot, and little grimace from Barry that, he knows he

:10:42. > :10:52.has left his reds in the right corner.

:10:53. > :11:11.There are obviously not easy shots, those, but it hasn't been quite as

:11:12. > :11:13.good as it was early on in the week, I think against Mark Selby, he was

:11:14. > :11:26.absolutely sensational. That was an opportunity.

:11:27. > :11:29.APPLAUSE I have been saying it for the last

:11:30. > :11:34.couple of games, watching get it has been awkward for Barry, he hasn't

:11:35. > :11:39.had the cue ball and watching it has been awkward, what can happen. Some

:11:40. > :11:41.afternoons you come to the table and everything seems easy, some

:11:42. > :11:45.afternoons you come to the table and you have to scrap, but this is a

:11:46. > :11:49.good opportunity. If he's in the form he was yesterday against Judd

:11:50. > :11:55.Trump I can see him making a big break. But his 5-1 down in a major

:11:56. > :12:02.final against the best player who has ever lived.

:12:03. > :12:14.He has not made a 50 break yet in this final.

:12:15. > :12:20.Well, he is just about on a red, the one just the right of the pink in

:12:21. > :12:30.right corner. That it is not what he was looking for.

:12:31. > :12:36.Even that shot, I mean, as he played yesterday, it seemed to be landing

:12:37. > :12:39.perfectly after he had played the cannons, a couple of shots ago you

:12:40. > :12:42.wouldn't think you would have needed have to play that, but this has got

:12:43. > :12:49.a greater degree of difficulty than it should have had.

:12:50. > :12:56.It is all just a little bit awkward, just not quite right with the

:12:57. > :13:01.cannon, and it just puts pressure on you, shot after shot. As we say,

:13:02. > :13:05.Stephen Hendry says it on many occasions, when you are not getting

:13:06. > :13:10.the perfect position it just knocks you out of your rhythm. If you are

:13:11. > :13:15.perfect, you go round and marketing, play the next one, but every shot

:13:16. > :13:20.has a little bit more difficulty in it -- go round the table. And it has

:13:21. > :13:25.caught him out. It has caught him out.

:13:26. > :13:57.Cue ball control is so important in this game.

:13:58. > :14:05.I think Ronnie played that in such a way that he wasn't going to leave

:14:06. > :14:09.much if you missed it, the only pottable for Barry is the red to the

:14:10. > :14:11.left of the blue. There is pressure on this, and he has decided to play

:14:12. > :14:25.it safe. This final of course, the best of

:14:26. > :14:30.19, the first to turn. So no real need to start pushing the boat out

:14:31. > :14:33.and start taking too many undue risks -- the first to 10. Good

:14:34. > :14:48.choice of shot, really. I don't fault him in the slightest

:14:49. > :14:51.for that one, this has got a degree of difficulty, it just getting back

:14:52. > :14:56.down to the baulk area is tough with this one. It could easily contact

:14:57. > :15:05.something on the way back if you don't hit this right. Well played.

:15:06. > :15:13.Tap on the table from Barry there. And you don't want to start chasing

:15:14. > :15:17.everything, sometimes you look at the scoreboard and it is 5-1, what

:15:18. > :15:30.you don't want to do is start playing the wrong shots.

:15:31. > :15:39.Is the yellow going to come to his rescue? I think it has. It is always

:15:40. > :15:57.dangerous of course, knocking a red over near a corner pocket.

:15:58. > :16:06.Played that nicely. OK, he did not have the yellow, but he played that

:16:07. > :16:13.one on the right-hand side, giving off the cushion first. -- side

:16:14. > :16:18.cushion. Sometimes you can get down and look at these and think, well,

:16:19. > :16:22.with that red be any closer to the pocket? It makes the pocket look a

:16:23. > :16:28.little bit bigger. Problem ball here of course, for the safety, is the

:16:29. > :16:29.pink, that is what you were trying to avoid. Barry should do it easily

:16:30. > :16:46.here. That was the cue ball. Gave you know, he may have had half

:16:47. > :16:54.the night on knocking that read in -- no, he may have had half a night

:16:55. > :17:03.on knocking that red in. If he is not on the pink, he has got a tricky

:17:04. > :17:14.black. He is not on the pink. This is a tough shot on the black.

:17:15. > :17:22.Goodness me. APPLAUSE

:17:23. > :17:26.That was beautifully cued, a very tough pot indeed. He didn't look

:17:27. > :17:36.anywhere else, did he? That is a lonely seat that Barry is

:17:37. > :17:48.in at the moment. And with the ball spread like this,

:17:49. > :17:52.Barry will be fearing the worst once again. This is a great opportunity

:17:53. > :18:26.for Ronnie. He deserves everything he gets in

:18:27. > :18:29.this break after that wonderful black, that really was fabulous. A

:18:30. > :18:43.little disappointed not to be on the pink, he played that plant.

:18:44. > :18:54.No need to play for that loose red on the top cushion there, why take

:18:55. > :19:00.that risk? The reds is on the open. There is Barry, wondering whether he

:19:01. > :19:02.will get back to the table. He will be thinking, as I am, the odds are

:19:03. > :19:13.that he won't. Because there is only one awkward

:19:14. > :19:15.red, really, the one near the right middle, but if Ronnie can get past

:19:16. > :19:27.without needing that... That is why I like my golf these

:19:28. > :19:31.days, the one thing about golf is that you have your own ball. You are

:19:32. > :19:34.sitting there watching Ronnie O'Sullivan play, you just sit and

:19:35. > :19:39.watch and there is nothing you can do about it. In golf, if somebody

:19:40. > :19:46.makes a birdie, you can do one straight back with your own ball,

:19:47. > :20:07.but not here. He is just sitting there and hoping he going to miss.

:20:08. > :20:11.34 points to the lead, three of these remaining reds would be more

:20:12. > :20:32.than enough. Are two great champions sitting in

:20:33. > :20:35.the studio this afternoon, Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry, will be

:20:36. > :20:41.appreciating those performance. Those two were relentless. They

:20:42. > :20:45.might be nice guys now, John, but they were not when you play them.

:20:46. > :20:51.No, they have mellowed over the years, haven't they?

:20:52. > :20:59.This needs to be a perfect length, because he has got into this too

:21:00. > :21:04.much. 47 points in the lead, he needs this red to go 48 points in

:21:05. > :21:08.front with 43 remaining. He has left this red a little trickier than it

:21:09. > :21:11.should have been. He doesn't have to do much, just pot the red. It's

:21:12. > :21:34.there! He is in the zone at the minute. His

:21:35. > :21:38.cue ball control is pretty much exemplary, Barry is struggling for

:21:39. > :21:47.second position. It is the difference at the moment.

:21:48. > :21:59.Well, if he had just got the right line, he played the perfect weight,

:22:00. > :22:05.double. Anyway, it didn't matter, the frame was over. Once again,

:22:06. > :22:09.Barry, who got in first, has to say that he is just not scoring and he

:22:10. > :22:10.cannot keep the cue ball is tight in position as Ronnie O'Sullivan is

:22:11. > :22:26.doing. And it is 6-1. Once again, John, he was first in

:22:27. > :22:32.there, Barry, is it bad luck or is it just the run of the ball when you

:22:33. > :22:37.keep running out of position? It is a funny one, John, he plays this

:22:38. > :22:42.shot here, the safety is not great, and of course the rest is history,

:22:43. > :22:48.but he was first in. His cue ball control early on wasn't good enough,

:22:49. > :22:51.was it? He let it go. We are making excuses for him because there have

:22:52. > :22:55.been genuine ones, awkward chances he has had this afternoon, but that

:22:56. > :23:01.was not awkward, that was a good chance. The bulls were in position,

:23:02. > :23:04.he missed the cue ball, and it just compounds. Missing chances when you

:23:05. > :23:09.are in amongst the balls with good chances, that is debilitating. And

:23:10. > :23:13.of course, Barry, when he played that safety he left Ronnie the

:23:14. > :23:16.plant. It was one of those that Roddy couldn't really get the cue

:23:17. > :23:20.ball away from the cushion. And then he was left with this very tough

:23:21. > :23:29.play. And, believe me, these are difficult. Look at his head. Still.

:23:30. > :23:33.And that blacks, as John said at the time, never looked anywhere else but

:23:34. > :23:44.right in the heart of it. Intent on winning the frame.

:23:45. > :23:52.He breaks off in frame eight. And at the moment, if you were talking to

:23:53. > :23:56.Barry, and saying, what can you do? You are just playing for a bit of

:23:57. > :24:00.pride at the moment. I just can't see him winning this match. Even if

:24:01. > :24:04.he is 6-2 behind, to get back to playing like he did yesterday, he

:24:05. > :24:07.was fabulous in that match with Judd Trump. If he can just get over

:24:08. > :24:39.momentum going... APPLAUSE

:24:40. > :24:51.Can he just get past the pink to cut this red to the right corner? He

:24:52. > :25:00.must be able to. He did. Good shot.

:25:01. > :25:03.APPLAUSE But wrong side of the blue. He had

:25:04. > :25:16.to put all his efforts into the pot. Well, that's the problem when you

:25:17. > :25:20.are running in at out of the ball, you have got to miss the bold

:25:21. > :25:24.colours. You would suggest that is the end of break. There is a loose

:25:25. > :25:28.red to the right of the main punch for the right corner, but that is

:25:29. > :25:30.much too risky because you could pop the red and not be on a colour. I

:25:31. > :26:32.can only see a safety here. A tough afternoon for Barry. He

:26:33. > :26:37.Well, well. Well, you can't beat a played a good safety there, though.

:26:38. > :26:58.I think he has just about on the red bit

:26:59. > :27:04.I think he has just about on the red here. Maybe Ronnie can just get past

:27:05. > :27:11.the green. He was downplaying as though he could. And he can't.

:27:12. > :27:18.Just trying to nestle on one of those three reds just the right of

:27:19. > :27:22.the black... Oh, he has played completely different shot, I'm not

:27:23. > :27:27.quite sure what that is. Then again, he's lucky that the situation, maybe

:27:28. > :27:31.that red he has just hit went past the yellow into the left middle.

:27:32. > :28:04.Maybe he thought it was dangerous to play that type of shot.

:28:05. > :28:13.Well, the flick on the brown has not affected the safety. And there is

:28:14. > :28:19.lots of pressure now on Barry with the safety shots. The reds spread.

:28:20. > :28:26.Whatever he plays, he has got to catch it just right.

:28:27. > :28:45.Toothache. -- to six. -- toothache. He is playing to survive at the

:28:46. > :28:53.moment. The safety, when he came before he was short, rolling up to

:28:54. > :28:54.the red, that one was far too thick. Just not there at the moment.

:28:55. > :29:07.APPLAUSE Playing the player he is, he is

:29:08. > :29:11.becoming exposed. He is a much, much better player than his performance

:29:12. > :29:24.today, we all know that. He will be disappointed.

:29:25. > :29:35.APPLAUSE He played that pink is very

:29:36. > :29:41.aggressively, trying, I think, to try and loosen the pink spot. It is

:29:42. > :29:45.an lucky he didn't, he didn't want the pink to go up on the brown spot.

:29:46. > :29:47.He was just a fraction away, there you see it. He was making the pink

:29:48. > :29:56.spot available. He needs to pull out another good

:29:57. > :30:25.shot here, pretty thin, this blue. He is doing what is required today,

:30:26. > :30:31.Ronnie O'Sullivan. Good match good attitude.

:30:32. > :30:36.Absolutely, we set out earlier, we have seen that during the week.

:30:37. > :30:41.I have been liking his attitude. I know he comes in and does his

:30:42. > :30:47.press conferences and says how bad he had played.

:30:48. > :30:51.He sets such high standards. Even as watching, we expect those high

:30:52. > :30:56.standards all the time. A little nudge this way or the other

:30:57. > :31:02.can soon spoil your rhythm. He has stuck at it.

:31:03. > :31:08.When you consider, let us not forget, he came into this tournament

:31:09. > :31:16.having had nine months off, he was bound to be a little bit rusty.

:31:17. > :31:24.Nine months off, coming straight into the top 16 tournament. The

:31:25. > :31:34.other time he had 11 months off and won the World Championship. The

:31:35. > :31:39.first match at Sheffield, first to 10, he had the qualifiers. A tough

:31:40. > :31:44.battle with Marcus Campbell, he used that to tune himself up.

:31:45. > :31:51.Right here, off the bat, a top 16 player.

:31:52. > :31:57.A marvellous performance. Just having to drop the pink in and

:31:58. > :31:58.play for the cut on the red into the right corner. You wouldn't think it

:31:59. > :32:15.would cause a problem. To win seven of the first eight

:32:16. > :32:20.frames. With a six frame advantage.

:32:21. > :32:30.A little awkward on the pink. A change of plan. Once again,

:32:31. > :32:31.beautifully controlled, look at that cue ball control.

:32:32. > :32:52.Excellent. Inch perfect on the blue. This was

:32:53. > :32:58.the one that John was saying. 40 points the lead. A red and a

:32:59. > :33:00.colour is all that is required. It has been a bad afternoon for Barry

:33:01. > :33:12.Hawkins. And it looks certain now, according

:33:13. > :33:17.to this evening's final session, he will be six frames behind -- going

:33:18. > :34:10.into this evening's final session. To make the century, he would have

:34:11. > :34:23.too play the pink. He let us down there.

:34:24. > :34:34.It didn't matter. Barry Hawkins out of his seat to shake his hand. Barry

:34:35. > :34:38.will be very disappointed. Not vintage Ronnie O'Sullivan, maybe

:34:39. > :34:46.didn't have to be, but it was good enough. A six frame advantage going

:34:47. > :34:50.into this evening's session. STUDIO: It looking like a sixth

:34:51. > :34:58.Masters title for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Explain the standards he has played

:34:59. > :35:02.to today. He has put in a very effective

:35:03. > :35:05.performance, helped by the fact that Barry is under par which is

:35:06. > :35:12.frustrating. Frustrating for the final. As we know full well, you

:35:13. > :35:17.can't make something happen and can't predict. Especially after

:35:18. > :35:21.Barry Hawkins won the first frame. That peak performance against Judd

:35:22. > :35:28.Trump with three centuries back-to-back and another couple of

:35:29. > :35:35.70s, breaks of 46 and 48. That will be dispiriting.

:35:36. > :35:40.He just seems to be, he did well to win the first frame, he seems to be

:35:41. > :35:46.a little intimidated, whether it is the atmosphere, everyone here to see

:35:47. > :35:51.Ronnie. Ronnie is doing enough. He hasn't been up against much and been

:35:52. > :35:54.put under pressure. Will he have any answers this

:35:55. > :35:59.evening? Possibly. He might come out and if

:36:00. > :36:04.he can win the first frame, get his tail up. So Barry Hawkins, if he

:36:05. > :36:10.loses the first frame, he will unravel. Ronnie will be stronger and

:36:11. > :36:15.stronger. It is a great crowd that comes along. Nobody likes to see a

:36:16. > :36:23.one-sided final and Kopczak other than the hard-core and the fans.

:36:24. > :36:30.Ronnie O'Sullivan, the 9-1 head-to-head tells its own story.

:36:31. > :36:34.He turned 40 in September. This is the 24th season he has been at the

:36:35. > :36:42.top of his game. He has made 13 maximum breaks. You may remember

:36:43. > :36:46.some of those. One stands out, his very first, at the Crucible, it

:36:47. > :37:23.remains the fastest maximum on record. Compared that to then at 21.

:37:24. > :37:31.It was much too thin a safety shot to leave these on for money. --

:37:32. > :38:12.Rahane. -- Ronnie. That is the fifth red and the fifth

:38:13. > :38:48.black coming up. Important now to leave a nice angle

:38:49. > :38:50.on the black. Has he ever done that? Or can he force the cue ball into

:38:51. > :39:05.the cluster? He can. Wondering if he can get that into

:39:06. > :39:36.the left centre, looks as if he can. This is amazing.

:39:37. > :39:43.One more red and the frame is safe. But Ronnie has other things on his

:39:44. > :39:50.mind and so has everybody in the audience.

:39:51. > :39:53.Listen, John, I know you have commentated on a maximum before, I

:39:54. > :39:59.have never and I am starting to get a bit excited here.

:40:00. > :40:17.A little matter of ?147,000 on offer this year for a maximum break.

:40:18. > :40:31.I think those raids below the pink, one will pot in the left corner. --

:40:32. > :40:49.reds. They will now, he needs to be lucky. That is OK, great chance.

:40:50. > :40:57.Four minutes for the century, amazing.

:40:58. > :41:04.This is the key shot, he needs a good angle on the red to get onto

:41:05. > :41:15.the back, he has got it just. -- black.

:41:16. > :42:04.Perfect. Yes, absolutely perfect. I don't believe this.

:42:05. > :42:13.What a fantastic maximum break that is. Ronnie O'Sullivan is delighted.

:42:14. > :42:23.The crowd is delighted. We are delighted. Five minutes. An

:42:24. > :42:27.unbelievable maximum break. The players over the other side of

:42:28. > :42:31.the screen. Poor old Mick Price with his

:42:32. > :42:34.upside-down losses could not believe it.

:42:35. > :42:39.There wasn't even a moment of birth when he realised this is for

:42:40. > :42:43.?147,000, he got down and hit the black.

:42:44. > :42:51.It looked like he was trying to break the record of six minutes.

:42:52. > :42:56.He doesn't look too much difference with the shots, a lazier backswing

:42:57. > :43:00.stop he hits the ball far better. So a player.

:43:01. > :43:07.He has said so many records, trying to equal yours with a sixth win at

:43:08. > :43:14.the Masters. Steve Davis in 1988, your score

:43:15. > :43:19.then. We'll Barry Hawkins have a say?

:43:20. > :43:25.Ronnie O'Sullivan needs three more for another Masters title. Join us

:43:26. > :43:27.at 7pm for the second part of this drama, catch you then.