Quarter-Final: Selby v O'Sullivan

:00:34. > :00:39.We are heading into deep freeze territory outside where the weather

:00:40. > :00:44.is concerned but here in north London things are just beginning to

:00:45. > :00:48.heat up from the quarterfinals onwards of the Masters. Let me give

:00:49. > :00:53.you a quick tour because that is the entrance. Some 2000 people for every

:00:54. > :00:59.single session since last Sunday have been making their way in here

:01:00. > :01:01.into the darkness for a good view of one table. That is the special thing

:01:02. > :01:06.about the Masters. With one one table. That is the special thing

:01:07. > :01:19.every match as a look and feel of the final. Last night we completed

:01:20. > :01:19.our third round and what a four days we have in front of us now from

:01:20. > :01:20.our third round and what a four days quarterfinals on word. Take a look

:01:21. > :01:30.our third round and what a four days at this for our line-up.

:01:31. > :01:41.In it goes. Barry Hawkins has won a match at the Masters for the first

:01:42. > :01:49.time. It has been a fantastic match. Judd Trump beat Steve Maguire

:01:50. > :02:02.success four. A nice easy evening for Neil Robertson. He runs out a

:02:03. > :02:09.winner, 6-0. It has been a fabulous match. O'Sullivan is back and he

:02:10. > :02:16.takes the match 6-5. What a fantastic game of snooker. A

:02:17. > :02:21.fantastic result for John Higgins. 6-4. Get in there, get in. Stuart

:02:22. > :02:22.Bingham will be over the moon having won his first match here in the

:02:23. > :02:28.Masters. Down to the quarterfinal won his first match here in the

:02:29. > :02:31.stages and before we talk about the match this afternoon, tonight we

:02:32. > :02:35.have Mark Allen against Barry Hawkins.

:02:36. > :03:03.have Mark Allen against Barry Robertson. The Masters does throw up

:03:04. > :03:09.mouthwatering matches. All the matches are at great quality. We

:03:10. > :03:14.have had plenty of plumage with peacocks strutting round the table.

:03:15. > :03:21.Robertson's matchplay is bullet-proof. If anyone can turn him

:03:22. > :05:08.over it is Judd Trump. Then we have taken is against Bingham.

:05:09. > :05:16.over it is Judd Trump. Then we have experience. I was 9-6 down and I

:05:17. > :05:21.clawed my way back. It is right in the middle of the pocket. Ronnie

:05:22. > :05:28.must be in total shock but he will have to admire what his opponent has

:05:29. > :05:39.done here. I would rather play badly and lose than play... Play well and

:05:40. > :05:50.lose rather than play badly and win. That is just the player I am.

:05:51. > :06:00.In past matches when I have played I have not played fantastically and

:06:01. > :06:05.have doubted a bit. He beat me eight years ago and he played

:06:06. > :06:06.fantastically. Ronnie O'Sullivan playing some of the best snooker of

:06:07. > :06:23.his career. What I noticed about Mark is that

:06:24. > :06:27.you never get a good opportunity amongst the balls, you have to fight

:06:28. > :06:31.your way to get a chance. He leaves you in awkward situations. You'd

:06:32. > :06:41.never have a straightforward opening. He is tough for anyone to

:06:42. > :06:51.play. He has been absolutely awesome.

:06:52. > :06:59.He plays really quick and is such a natural player. I am so -- fire from

:07:00. > :07:05.natural. I enjoy a challenge when I play him and I will do the same this

:07:06. > :07:11.time. He is the hardest match player on the circuit and the only player

:07:12. > :07:15.who doesn't have to play his best to win tournaments. They were

:07:16. > :07:24.practically drawing lots to see who would get the commentary gig today.

:07:25. > :07:30.Dennis, when these to play one another why is it so special? They

:07:31. > :07:37.are so evenly matched and such a complete contrast of styles. Mark as

:07:38. > :07:42.it were Ronnie a little bit. I think Ronnie himself knows how tough it is

:07:43. > :07:52.against Mark Selby. Your players talking about their game and Mark

:07:53. > :07:59.Selby has a great plan B. I didn't see any rust in Ronnie's game. He

:08:00. > :08:05.made two centuries, that doesn't look nasty to me. The last time they

:08:06. > :08:10.played was the Crucible final, become before that was the Masters

:08:11. > :08:12.played was the Crucible final, final, but this is the 50th match of

:08:13. > :08:21.the season for Mark and Ronnie's 11th. He ready? Ronnie has brushed

:08:22. > :08:26.away the cobwebs. He was down on himself even though it was a great

:08:27. > :08:30.performance coming back. As he brushed away the cobwebs? As the

:08:31. > :08:35.rust gone? Were behind the scenes is that he is really up for this match

:08:36. > :08:39.and that is a good sign. That is the question, is running up for it after

:08:40. > :08:48.such a long time out. We can't wait for it. We hope it will be close.

:08:49. > :08:52.Ronnie referred to mark as the torturer. He has got into his head.

:08:53. > :08:58.Did you think he enjoys playing him as a consequence or not? You enjoy

:08:59. > :09:04.playing anybody? He is the greatest player, so you will enjoy your

:09:05. > :09:10.opponent is. He knows Mark is one of the toughest match players in the

:09:11. > :09:14.game and he will have to be playing well or he could go out. He looked

:09:15. > :09:20.good in the last round. For you, what is the deciding factor? I think

:09:21. > :09:24.Ronnie has two score a bit more heavily and get off to a good start

:09:25. > :09:28.and start knocking in the long balls. The safety you would expect

:09:29. > :09:38.Mark Selby to come out on top, but Mark Selby, the way he plays, he is

:09:39. > :09:48.scoring heavily. The two legends of this Masters event. 2000 people here

:09:49. > :09:56.ready for this sure you are as well. Thanks. Good afternoon ladies and

:09:57. > :09:57.gentlemen. What a match in prospect. This is good enough to be the final

:09:58. > :10:01.of the Masters and on three occasions it has been. We are about

:10:02. > :10:05.to introduce two men who have dominated this tournament for a

:10:06. > :10:10.decade. Yet they do again. The crowd cannot wait. This could be

:10:11. > :10:24.sensational. Please welcome arguably the greatest

:10:25. > :10:29.player in the modern game has ever seen. He won the first of his five

:10:30. > :10:34.Masters titles 21 years ago and he is still going strong. Five times a

:10:35. > :10:39.champion of the world. Blink and you will miss him. Ronnie was a loving.

:10:40. > :11:13.-- Ronnie O'Sullivan. His opponent, a player who has

:11:14. > :11:16.thrived in this tournament. He completed the triple crown when he

:11:17. > :11:19.won the world title two years ago. He is the current world number one,

:11:20. > :11:57.Mark Selby. I don't know whether you are

:11:58. > :12:02.watching this fantastically in work or do it at home. It is good to have

:12:03. > :12:09.you with us. -- clandestinely. That is the beautiful trophy that is for

:12:10. > :12:23.the winner on Sunday night. It would be fascinating to see how this

:12:24. > :12:33.starts off. Ronnie has won the toss. He is going to get this opening

:12:34. > :12:41.frame under way. That is a better break-off shot. He hit the blue on a

:12:42. > :13:02.couple of occasions. Of course, it was Mark Williams I

:13:03. > :13:09.meant to refer to when Ronnie, the blue on a couple of occasions. This

:13:10. > :13:19.is a tough half chance, it has to be said. The key, of course, and key

:13:20. > :13:27.question, is has Ronnie shaken off the cobwebs against Mark Williams.

:13:28. > :13:31.He has been out of the game since the World Championship and that is

:13:32. > :13:35.not the greatest safety shot he has played. He has refused the pot on

:13:36. > :13:38.the red which is a surprise in itself. They have a chance now for

:13:39. > :14:01.Mark Selby. The black may look as if it is tied

:14:02. > :14:03.up and there is one shot and Mark may have seen that. If you can get

:14:04. > :14:07.on the red above the black decompile it and move the other one out of the

:14:08. > :14:10.way. I am not sure if he can get up to that letter from the brown. He

:14:11. > :14:19.might just be able to miss the yellow. In fact, he has changed his

:14:20. > :14:28.mind. No, he has got the angle and he has dropped on that perfectly. He

:14:29. > :14:33.can pot this red and freed the black with a little cannon. The yellow

:14:34. > :14:38.wasn't in the way. Should he execute this shot it will open things up. He

:14:39. > :14:54.doesn't want the red to cover the black. The thing will come to his

:14:55. > :14:54.rescue. Will the pink spot. If the big spots it will certainly block

:14:55. > :15:05.the red to the left corner pocket. The first sign of nerves. A little

:15:06. > :15:34.bit concerned with the not. We used to wear a normal type many

:15:35. > :15:42.moons ago and changed it to bow ties because some of the matches were

:15:43. > :15:44.played in the afternoon, but sure in the evening and that was the reason

:15:45. > :15:47.we wore bowties. I don't know when they changed back to this, a couple

:15:48. > :16:02.of seasons ago, normal ties. He started off slow against Mark

:16:03. > :16:10.Williams, but in the middle of the game he found his form. We will see

:16:11. > :16:13.what sort of form he is in here. Important for both players to stamp

:16:14. > :16:26.their authority early on in this match.

:16:27. > :16:34.Just came back a little further than he wanted. When you played that shot

:16:35. > :16:46.with a cannon it is hard to judge the face. It has gone a little

:16:47. > :16:57.further than he wanted. I'd just be OK. Can get to the one at the back

:16:58. > :17:03.of the triangle of reference. He will be brushing off the bottom of

:17:04. > :17:16.the pack hopefully bringing another one into play. Nothing goes into the

:17:17. > :17:23.left centre. He is coming around to have a look. Only the bottom red.

:17:24. > :17:29.That is pretty good. Excellent, in fact. That was the only red he could

:17:30. > :17:30.get on, the one directly above the black. He couldn't have played that

:17:31. > :18:21.much better. That was a lovely shot. The only

:18:22. > :18:24.part in the red blood watch the red he kissed off, it brought it into

:18:25. > :18:35.play and notched another one into play as well. This is the key

:18:36. > :18:45.shortcoming appear. He has got to can be read again. -- cannon the

:18:46. > :18:52.red. If the yellow goes past the green he is OK. I think the blue

:18:53. > :19:09.will still pass that read, but he may elect the yellow.

:19:10. > :19:20.We know that Ronnie is doing very well. Mark missing a pink in the

:19:21. > :19:27.middle pocket. Looks as if it is going to cost in this opening frame.

:19:28. > :19:38.He was unlucky not to be on the black when he freed it. There is a

:19:39. > :19:42.gentleman who knows a little bit about the game of snooker. Jimmy

:19:43. > :19:55.White has been here from the start. Great pals with Ronnie.

:19:56. > :20:02.He has just come short of the blue. He is 52 points ahead. Blue will be

:20:03. > :20:13.57. 59 left on the table so he will need one more table. -- one more

:20:14. > :20:20.red. Red to security first frame. There is a bit of pressure on this.

:20:21. > :20:30.Bit of pressure on that one. Where will the red finish?

:20:31. > :20:40.It was just a little bit more pressure than he wanted. This red

:20:41. > :20:50.does cut in. It is a thin one. Up until that the break was superb. He

:20:51. > :20:54.can put the red in but he will need a pink or higher. That is why he is

:20:55. > :20:59.having a link to see if there is a pink passed the yellow into the

:21:00. > :21:07.corner pocket. He may even have to try, if he does go past the yellow,

:21:08. > :21:21.which it does, he may try to get into that yellow pocket. He is on it

:21:22. > :21:25.nicely. He is going to need this pink and three raids and three

:21:26. > :21:28.blacks. It is a tall order. What an opening frame this could be. Ronnie

:21:29. > :21:43.was just one part away from securing it. -- one pot.

:21:44. > :21:50.This looks pretty good. He would like to be a bit straighter on this

:21:51. > :22:03.red but he can drop it in, miss the two reference. He can get on the

:22:04. > :22:05.black. I think you can part the red and miss the raids, hip of the

:22:06. > :22:15.condition. He will still be on the black. He needs three reds and three

:22:16. > :22:23.blacks. He has got a tricky little shot but he can get to the two reds

:22:24. > :22:24.that are available into the left-hand corner. He needs a little

:22:25. > :22:35.bit of side to pot this black and drop in beside them. Just change

:22:36. > :22:39.your plan. Maybe he would need too much on the shot. He needs to get

:22:40. > :22:48.over to the right side of those two reds, that is for sure. He hasn't

:22:49. > :22:55.got the required side and he didn't seem to hit it hard enough. A little

:22:56. > :23:00.bit tentative. He was making sure the black wedding, that was his

:23:01. > :23:05.primary concern. Just didn't quite hit it enough and get enough side

:23:06. > :23:10.spin to get it by those reds and have the two reds into the left-hand

:23:11. > :23:25.corner pocket. No reprieve for Ronnie O'Sullivan. 42 behind.

:23:26. > :23:32.You can see his tie there. He has had to pull it to decide and it was

:23:33. > :23:48.putting him off. Mark Selby is usually immaculate.

:23:49. > :23:57.That was an excellent shot. A lot of club players would have tried to put

:23:58. > :24:00.that into the Balkan area. He knew anywhere around the yellow pocket,

:24:01. > :24:12.the group was a cover for the two reds. A very good shot. Ronnie

:24:13. > :24:14.O'Sullivan must hit those reds. He has the advantage that Mark Selby 82

:24:15. > :24:21.reds and to blacks. He doesn't want to give the four points away. It

:24:22. > :24:32.will be interesting to see what pacey plays the site. He chose the

:24:33. > :24:40.right shot, but that ain't quite a difference. He doesn't have to take

:24:41. > :24:48.two reds and to blacks now. All of a sudden, it is only one possible crew

:24:49. > :25:14.frame here. Ronnie's I feel was right. -- idea.

:25:15. > :25:24.He has left a free ball. It could put him back, Mark Selby, because

:25:25. > :25:32.the yellow is not straight forward into the right centre. These points

:25:33. > :25:36.are added up and it is going to make Mark Selby's job a lot easier should

:25:37. > :25:51.he get a chance at a part of the red. -- part. You can see what he is

:25:52. > :25:55.trying to do. It is a tough shot. He has got to just glance of the reds

:25:56. > :25:57.and once he missed the first escape it turned the whole frame around

:25:58. > :26:02.really and all of the sudden you it turned the whole frame around

:26:03. > :26:07.would have to say that Mark Selby is it turned the whole frame around

:26:08. > :26:12.favourite for the first frame. Can he get enough side to just click the

:26:13. > :26:19.reds on the way back? No, even further away this time. This could

:26:20. > :26:27.play an important part in this match because Ronnie lived in terrific

:26:28. > :26:30.form. If he knocks that one read in, week could be halfway through the

:26:31. > :26:46.second frame. Mark Selby is happy to keep having this bike. He has got to

:26:47. > :26:55.get closer. This looks a bit better. It is getting closer. He has almost

:26:56. > :26:56.got to swerve around the blue and get close to this bottom right-hand

:26:57. > :27:03.corner pocket. He is just not getting enough side on the ball. If

:27:04. > :27:33.he hits this food ball he is handing the frame to mark. That is why he

:27:34. > :27:37.he hits this food ball he is handing shot. He just got the side required

:27:38. > :27:44.but not too bad. It has left Mark Selby a half chance. I am just

:27:45. > :27:49.looking to see if he has an angle to part this. This could be a free

:27:50. > :29:35.winner. I think he may have to play it that way. I am not sure.

:29:36. > :29:44.winner. I think he may have to play have pinched. It is a frame that

:29:45. > :29:56.would have really hurt Ronnie. Brown has got out of that, but what a part

:29:57. > :29:58.on the red. -- part. It is worth another look. The screw and

:29:59. > :30:12.controlled he had on that was magnificent. We want a lot more of

:30:13. > :30:18.this. He almost lost the frame but he will be delighted he leads a 1-0.

:30:19. > :30:22.This is the earliest these two have ever faced one another at the

:30:23. > :30:28.Masters. A career head to head. Ronnie ahead.

:30:29. > :30:43.There have been seven major finals between these two. And it is Selby

:30:44. > :30:46.who has the edge. Ronnie, however, just in front in terms of the

:30:47. > :30:53.head-to-heads. You cannot guarantee to clear up the balls every time

:30:54. > :31:02.head-to-heads. You cannot guarantee go to the table, so there was some

:31:03. > :31:07.tactical play. Ronnie was prepared to sacrifice a lot of points to make

:31:08. > :31:08.sure that he did not just to sacrifice a lot of points to make

:31:09. > :31:12.the Reds willy-nilly, and it paid off in the end. Although he did not

:31:13. > :31:17.get ideally on the black. And that last red which Ronnie potted was a

:31:18. > :31:25.real test of his cueing. You cannot hit this any better. Pot it on that

:31:26. > :31:31.angle, and to hold the cue ball for the black was a magnificent shot. It

:31:32. > :31:35.has everything, this matchup. Until now they have always happened in the

:31:36. > :31:39.latter end of Championships. What do you think we are in for, in terms of

:31:40. > :31:50.performance levels from both of them today? The only thing we can

:31:51. > :31:51.guarantee from this much today is that it would be a draw. Anything

:31:52. > :31:51.else could happen. You that it would be a draw. Anything

:31:52. > :31:56.if Ronnie is going to fly, Mark will pull him back. Honestly, this is so

:31:57. > :31:59.hard to predict break after Ronnie's match, he was talking quite a bit

:32:00. > :32:04.about the fact that he is a different animal to Mark Selby. It

:32:05. > :32:06.could have been construed that he was laying the foundations for an

:32:07. > :32:12.excuse should it all go wrong, that that is the type of player, who

:32:13. > :32:15.might be able to find him out. Perhaps he was trying to make

:32:16. > :32:21.himself a bit more the underdog for this match. Indeed, that could very

:32:22. > :32:29.himself a bit more the underdog for well be the case. Mark Selby this

:32:30. > :32:30.season has not got a title yet. But his long potting was described by

:32:31. > :32:34.Stephen Hendry against Ricky Walden as incredible. So, he has come here

:32:35. > :32:41.on a hot streak. Let's see how this one goes.

:32:42. > :32:48.DENNIS TAYLOR: You never want to catch the blue from the break-off

:32:49. > :33:04.shot. But he has not left anything. Yes, there was a little gesture,

:33:05. > :33:11.when Ronnie knocked in the last red, and Mark Selby was in his seat. And

:33:12. > :33:13.this was his gesture. As if to say, what a shot that was. That was nice

:33:14. > :33:18.to see. KEN DOHERTY: Yes, because a lot of

:33:19. > :33:26.players would have played that red just with topspin and come back down

:33:27. > :33:34.to the baulk. Trying to stay on the black there... Well, he is very

:33:35. > :33:39.unlucky. He would have expect could to be on Adobe colour at least. But

:33:40. > :33:41.just look where that red has come, blocking the path down to the baulk

:33:42. > :34:21.colours. So, just a safety shot now. You can see it here. He could have

:34:22. > :34:23.made that a lot easier by going back up to one of the baulk colours. It

:34:24. > :34:44.was magnificent. Does not want this to bounce too

:34:45. > :34:50.high of this cushion. Because I think the red just below the

:34:51. > :34:51.black... Certainly the one above it, will go. It is quite tight, but it

:34:52. > :35:19.will go. Bit unlucky. You are never sure

:35:20. > :35:27.where they are going to go when you cannon into the red is like that.

:35:28. > :35:41.So, it has made it a difficult table now. There is no safety zone, with

:35:42. > :35:45.the two reds at the other end of the table. I think a re-rack would be in

:35:46. > :35:53.order, Dennis. The players will not like this. We might see a nod to the

:35:54. > :36:03.referee in a couple of shots' time. I think that has solved it now. He

:36:04. > :36:04.can possibly get in behind the black here and put Ronnie in a spot of

:36:05. > :36:33.bother. Well, has he left the red to the

:36:34. > :36:34.left-centre? Ronnie having a look. He might be able to play it with

:36:35. > :36:59.swerve. Good pot. That is a very

:37:00. > :37:00.uncharacteristic mistake from Mark Selby, it has to be said. One of

:37:01. > :37:03.uncharacteristic mistake from Mark best safety players in the game. But

:37:04. > :37:17.a big mistake. What will it cost him? Yes, I think the fact that Mark

:37:18. > :37:23.had the bot of the cue up in the area, it was difficult to control.

:37:24. > :37:32.This was it. Just hit it a little harder. On these lively costs this

:37:33. > :38:54.and that can happen. -- on these lively cloths, that can happen.

:38:55. > :39:01.There is Patsy Fagan. He is always at the Masters. In fact, he was

:39:02. > :39:07.doing a bit of coaching with Jimmy a couple of seasons ago. Former UK

:39:08. > :39:31.Champion. Kevin Kelly next to him, who looks after Jimmy.

:39:32. > :39:46.He played that cannon very nicely. Back up for a baulk colour now. As

:39:47. > :39:52.you can see, those reds around the pink are now all open. He has taken

:39:53. > :39:54.these very, very nicely. He looks to be on better form and a lot sharper

:39:55. > :40:00.already this afternoon than he was against Mark Williams. Found a bit

:40:01. > :40:07.of form in the middle of that match, when he was 4-2 down. Produced a

:40:08. > :40:15.couple of centuries. He is looking pretty good. He was not happy with

:40:16. > :40:24.his performance, of course. He never is! But he certainly looks a lot at

:40:25. > :40:30.this afternoon, Dennis. Yes, I did not think he did a lot wrong against

:40:31. > :40:37.Mark. In the end I thought Ronnie's performance was fantastic. To make a

:40:38. > :40:58.couple of centuries and a 60-odd, you have got to be cueing well.

:40:59. > :41:20.Wiped its feet! It looked like it was going to hit the near jaw. So,

:41:21. > :41:27.just this red panned another colour. -- justice red and another colour.

:41:28. > :41:34.Isn't it amazing, Kenlooked around at the scoreboard and saw that he

:41:35. > :41:41.only needed a red panned a colour. I think it took his concentration

:41:42. > :41:42.away. What a miss. Now, similar to the opening frame, Mark Selby has a

:41:43. > :41:48.chance. He is giving himself a good telling-off there, Ronnie. Guess

:41:49. > :41:51.that will really annoy him. Especially frame ball. He nearly

:41:52. > :41:57.missed the previous red into the opposite middle pocket. Looked like

:41:58. > :42:02.he just chewed it a bit. Just like in the last frame, missing the frame

:42:03. > :42:03.ball. This could work out just nice. What

:42:04. > :42:34.a shot that is! There is one red which will not be

:42:35. > :42:47.straightforward - the one which is closest to the cue ball. So he has

:42:48. > :42:49.got quite a lot to do here. But just a minute or so ago, he would have

:42:50. > :42:54.been in his seat getting himself ready for the third frame. He did

:42:55. > :43:00.not expect Ronnie to miss a sitter into the middle pocket. But this is

:43:01. > :43:07.not a straightforward clearance, by any means. Yes, go up for the red

:43:08. > :43:14.near the green... The problem ball as you say is the one closest to the

:43:15. > :43:18.left-hand side cushion. But if he gets a nice angle on green or brown

:43:19. > :43:29.here, in putting this red, he will get right up close to that red. So,

:43:30. > :43:35.important that he does not come to straight on the brown or the

:43:36. > :43:41.Greenhill. Looks like he is screwing back up for the pink... I thought it

:43:42. > :43:48.might have been better to go for a baulk colour. And he has now ended

:43:49. > :43:50.up too straight on the pink. Yes, in an ideal world, he would love to get

:43:51. > :43:58.the white somewhere around there. He might be able to do that from the

:43:59. > :44:10.pink. But anywhere over the side of the table. He is not sure if he can

:44:11. > :44:22.do it from the pink but I think he can just about do this. That is

:44:23. > :44:27.still OK. As long as he got over that side. It is a little more

:44:28. > :44:36.difficult now - he will need the extension on the rest and on the

:44:37. > :44:41.cue. This could be a big moment in the match already, Dennis. He does

:44:42. > :44:46.not have to do much with the cue ball, he knows he will be on the

:44:47. > :44:47.black. So, give the red a chance to get into the pocket, just play it

:44:48. > :45:10.dead weight. He now has the angle on the black.

:45:11. > :45:16.It is not the best angle in the world. Yes, that's why he had a

:45:17. > :45:21.quick glance at the pink. Now, he has got tremendous cue power. Watch

:45:22. > :45:28.this, with topspin and side to try and get round for the yellow... !

:45:29. > :45:39.Fantastic shot, it really is. From that angle, it is

:45:40. > :45:51.fantastic. Did not play that too well. Wanted to get away from the

:45:52. > :46:08.cushion. This is a key shot. The brown, swing

:46:09. > :46:16.it around the angles. Anywhere close to this blue and he will have it

:46:17. > :46:31.into the corner pocket. Big shot, this.

:46:32. > :46:46.Needs to pull up a little bit. That has gone a little bit too far for

:46:47. > :46:50.the middle pocket. He can still put it, but had he been straight on

:46:51. > :46:52.this, it would have been no problem. Now, he has to go in and out of the

:46:53. > :47:06.baulk. Well, that easy red which Ronnie

:47:07. > :47:11.missed, as you said, Ken, this could be quite turning point in this

:47:12. > :47:23.match. Yes, he had a chance in the first frame to steal it. Oh, he has

:47:24. > :47:26.got a... Well, I thought the cue ball was going to be up against the

:47:27. > :47:29.cushion. So, Blackford brilliant steel...

:47:30. > :47:52.-- so, black for a brilliant steal. Two fantastic frames, and both

:47:53. > :48:00.following a similar pattern. , but Ronnie, well, I don't know what that

:48:01. > :48:01.will do for his focus. He took his concentration of this red, and

:48:02. > :48:05.looked at the scoreboard beforehand. How many times would you miss a shot

:48:06. > :48:11.like this? He only needed this and the black and he was 2-0 up. He just

:48:12. > :48:16.lost that little bit of focus, Ken. He did indeed. The previous red he

:48:17. > :48:24.almost missed as well. Should have taken a bit more time. Just seemed

:48:25. > :48:31.to rush it a bit. It was frame ball. As in the previous frame, he missed

:48:32. > :48:36.frame ball. That will really annoy him and what it does to him remains

:48:37. > :48:44.to be seen. Look at Mark Selby. His focus is always there. He is a

:48:45. > :48:47.tremendous competitor, unbelievable determination and dedication. He has

:48:48. > :48:52.worked so hard on his game over the years. And now, probably the

:48:53. > :48:56.toughest player in the game. Yes, what he has, Dennis, he has got

:48:57. > :49:00.tremendous bottle, tremendous character. And that was shown in

:49:01. > :49:05.abundance with that clearance. Absolutely top-quality. Great match

:49:06. > :49:07.so far. REFEREE: Third frame, Ronnie

:49:08. > :49:45.O'Sullivan to break. That is a pretty good break-off

:49:46. > :49:59.shot. He frees up four or five reds. You are looking to try and get the

:50:00. > :50:01.white tight on the cushion. That kiss on the red has left Ronnie with

:50:02. > :50:10.a chance to this into the middle pocket. OK, he is almost tight on

:50:11. > :50:11.the cushion, but... In fact he is refusing it listen playing the

:50:12. > :50:38.safety shot. So, decided on that occasion not to

:50:39. > :50:42.risk that red. We will find out if it was a good choice, because this

:50:43. > :50:47.is what he is looking at. One of those reds would pot, but he is

:50:48. > :51:03.coming off the side of the pack for his safety. Same thing, just playing

:51:04. > :51:07.off the loose red. Yes, not the best safety shot from Mark Selby. Ronnie

:51:08. > :51:16.has a chance into this left corner pocket.

:51:17. > :52:03.has a chance into this left corner and open the black up. Especially

:52:04. > :52:05.those two reds above the black as well.

:52:06. > :53:38.those two reds above the black as this red to stay on the black.

:53:39. > :53:44.He has got this easy red, but there might be another one available at

:53:45. > :53:50.the back of the bunch. He has looked at it a few times to see if it would

:53:51. > :53:54.go. I don't think the two reds Ira plant. Yes, you can see clearly,

:53:55. > :54:39.there is enough room there. DENNIS TAYLOR: He has looked a few

:54:40. > :54:44.times at this red here. It looks as if it goes. He has had two or three

:54:45. > :54:49.looks at it. He is back looking at it again. He is not quite sure. From

:54:50. > :54:52.this side it looks as if it goes. But from the other side, you can see

:54:53. > :54:55.much better. KEN DOHERTY: It is one of those, you

:54:56. > :55:02.need to be almost dead straight behind it. Now, the problem with

:55:03. > :55:08.this is, you are looking away from the pocket. It is tight enough, this

:55:09. > :55:15.red. He is looking at the plant now as well. I don't think the plant

:55:16. > :55:16.goes. He could squeeze the plant into the pocket if he hits the first

:55:17. > :55:38.red correctly. And he did. Yes, played it lovely. Did not look

:55:39. > :55:42.on from that angle. As you said, Dennis, kind of squeezed it. It was

:55:43. > :55:47.almost like a reverse plant, wasn't it?

:55:48. > :56:06.Again, beautifully cued. As you said, Dennis, no better way to

:56:07. > :56:18.eradicate the bad memories of the last frame. If he could win it with

:56:19. > :56:20.one visit... It has been good stuff, great response so far.

:56:21. > :56:39.Yes, you just sense that this is going to go very close, this match,

:56:40. > :56:46.because they are both cueing well. They have both made a couple of

:56:47. > :56:55.Little mistakes, but not that many. And look at pot success rate of

:56:56. > :56:59.Ronnie. Does not matter about the blue. He has made more than enough.

:57:00. > :57:26.Mark comes to the table, but barring snookers, Ronnie has gone into the

:57:27. > :57:32.lead again. At the moment, he needs three four point snookers. I can

:57:33. > :57:35.tell you one thing - Mark Selby has won a few frames with needing three

:57:36. > :57:50.snookers. But it is a tall order. Yes, I suppose when you come to the

:57:51. > :57:53.table in this sort of situation, one snooker, and possibly if you can

:57:54. > :58:00.leave the red on the table, maybe a free ball, that was as a possible

:58:01. > :58:06.eight points. One snooker and a free ball would be enough. And that red

:58:07. > :58:14.next to the pink, he could get in behind that red and get tight in

:58:15. > :58:17.behind the pink. And he could make the first snooker very, very

:58:18. > :58:22.difficult indeed. Because he could hide that red up the table and get

:58:23. > :58:33.tight in behind the pink in a couple of shots' time. Can't do that now.

:58:34. > :58:39.He is not on the black to be able to leave that shot.

:58:40. > :58:54.He has played that very well. Now, if he can try and knock the red off

:58:55. > :58:58.the side cushion, try and get it close to the blue, and try and get

:58:59. > :59:05.that cue ball in behind the pink. Not only does he have to try to get

:59:06. > :59:08.the snooker, but put red in a difficult position. Oh, just

:59:09. > :59:14.decelerated on the backswing there. And did not get anywhere near where

:59:15. > :59:25.he wanted! That cue ball was supposed to go behind the pink! He

:59:26. > :59:28.is having a little smile to himself. He has finished up getting the

:59:29. > :59:34.snooker behind the brown, which was the last thing he felt would happen.

:59:35. > :59:54.Just took the paint off it. Yes, he played it that way, Ronnie, he did

:59:55. > :00:25.not want to miss the red and leave a free ball.

:00:26. > :00:59.Maybe not a bad ploy from marquee. Ronnie was in terrific form and

:01:00. > :01:06.rather than conceded he thought maybe I will try to get the sneakers

:01:07. > :01:11.but get him out of his rhythm a bit. It is energy that Ronnie did not

:01:12. > :01:15.want to be using. He would have loved to part the blue and win the

:01:16. > :01:35.frame and get on with it. He will not be enjoying this.

:01:36. > :01:38.We have the situation where both players will be trying to get

:01:39. > :01:50.sneakers. Ronnie will be trying to get one here. That has put the pink

:01:51. > :01:55.in a better position, next to the black, for the sneakers that market

:01:56. > :01:59.needs. I don't think he can see enough of the road to screw a cross

:02:00. > :02:03.of the cushion into the pink and black. He would have avoided the

:02:04. > :02:18.pink with the red. He might just be able to do that. Just played the

:02:19. > :02:25.delicate one. He has still got the snooker though. Is there a little

:02:26. > :03:07.gap? There is always a gap, for some reason.

:03:08. > :03:17.That has knocked the green into a better position for the sneakers

:03:18. > :03:21.that market needs. A bit surprised from Ronnie there. I thought he

:03:22. > :03:25.might have played the red into the black and tried to split the red and

:03:26. > :03:29.black away from each other. Now a chance for him to knock this red

:03:30. > :03:59.into the left centre. We all have one more frame before

:04:00. > :04:10.the mid-session interval. It is an intriguing encounter already. Both

:04:11. > :04:27.players cueing very well. Both just making the odd mistake.

:04:28. > :04:35.A little bit of power needed here if you want to get on the pink. Doesn't

:04:36. > :04:40.matter about missing the blue. So, it was the early break that paved

:04:41. > :04:48.the way for Ronnie O'Sullivan to take this third frame and he now

:04:49. > :04:56.leads 2-1. Mark Selby inflicted the wind in the second frame to level

:04:57. > :05:02.things. The opening red told us a lot about how he is feeling. You can

:05:03. > :05:05.hit this any better. His actual action with the cue and how he

:05:06. > :05:11.delivers it threw the ball, but was superb. Will he be concerned that

:05:12. > :05:15.that is two frames where he has had in the palm of his hand and he

:05:16. > :05:21.missed the penultimate ball? Players don't like that to happen but with

:05:22. > :05:22.missed the penultimate ball? Players positional play being so critical,

:05:23. > :05:27.you have got to expect that it will go that way. It was interesting when

:05:28. > :05:32.Ronnie came in after his first match since he didn't play great, whereas

:05:33. > :05:36.we were saying he was hitting the ball beautifully. He is such a hard

:05:37. > :05:45.task master on himself. If anyone can have a lay-off and come back, he

:05:46. > :05:50.is the person. He has proved it before. It is astonishing how he can

:05:51. > :05:58.do it. In our day, in the modern-day game, very few players take that

:05:59. > :06:03.much time off. It was as if you lost ground on everyone. At the World Cup

:06:04. > :06:09.it is the best of 19. Here it is the best of 11 and the best player is

:06:10. > :06:18.right off the bat. He makes it difficult for himself sometimes. To

:06:19. > :06:23.come straight in under the microscope of the Masters, it is a

:06:24. > :06:26.huge ask. Perhaps that gives him the challenge he needs. If you played

:06:27. > :06:32.the whole season he would be bored or he would be flat. Therefore, he

:06:33. > :06:37.is putting himself right on it and that is how he likes to perform.

:06:38. > :06:45.These are the greatest events. These are the ones people want to win. It

:06:46. > :06:52.is living up to its billing. This is the last frame before the interval.

:06:53. > :07:04.That is the wonderful Waterford Crystal trophy they are playing for

:07:05. > :07:12.this week. Beautiful, isn't it? That is the second time markers hit the

:07:13. > :07:27.blue from Dibrugarh. -- from the break off. It could be costly.

:07:28. > :07:41.What ever you do, don't hit the blue, as John Virgo would always

:07:42. > :07:47.say. Maybe in the past, Ronnie O'Sullivan has let himself down with

:07:48. > :07:55.his long game. At first glance, in this match, it has been top-quality.

:07:56. > :08:10.He has knocked in a couple of quarters in this match already. Very

:08:11. > :08:20.short indeed now. -- very sharp indeed now. If you questions are

:08:21. > :08:24.posed about his rustiness. After not playing for almost eight months,

:08:25. > :08:36.coming back into the cauldron here against the best players in the

:08:37. > :08:42.world, but it is a great setting, great crowd, great atmosphere. He

:08:43. > :08:46.has been practising on match tables. If you were just playing exhibitions

:08:47. > :08:52.on club tables it would be much more difficult that he has put the time

:08:53. > :09:01.in on the title pocketed tables. -- tight pocketed. The matter how long

:09:02. > :09:05.you have been out, it is the matchplay, the competition you miss.

:09:06. > :09:09.No matter how much competition you do, it is no substitute for playing

:09:10. > :09:15.matches against top-quality opposition and those with questions

:09:16. > :09:29.everybody wanted answers to and he is answering them so far.

:09:30. > :09:53.I go along with Steve Davis. He does get a little bit bored at times and

:09:54. > :09:59.the fact that he hasn't been playing, he relishes this. It was

:10:00. > :10:05.difficult to spit the reds there. They were not a good bunch to go

:10:06. > :10:13.into. Very difficult to develop them when they are like that. Once again,

:10:14. > :10:16.he has got to 50 in front. It happened in the two opening frames,

:10:17. > :10:25.so they are following a similar pattern. That has put a red safe as

:10:26. > :11:03.a little bit of insurance. They have had some great battles in

:11:04. > :11:15.the Masters, these two players. Ronnie leads to -1 in their

:11:16. > :11:21.encounters at the Masters. When Mark one in 2010 on the deciding frame

:11:22. > :11:29.was very special. Ronnie's two wins were also special. Quite comfortable

:11:30. > :11:40.in 2014. 10-4. The other was 10-8 in 2009. All the matches have come in

:11:41. > :11:48.the final, haven't they? Quite incredible. It Masters titles

:11:49. > :12:00.between the two of them. Another test for a long part from Ronnie. --

:12:01. > :12:18.pot. Something on the tip just distracted him. Beautiful. He has

:12:19. > :12:36.hit if you like that and he makes it look so easy. His long play has been

:12:37. > :12:45.good so far. He just accuse them in absolutely beautifully. He needs one

:12:46. > :12:49.more red after the black. That road next to the bank looks as if it goes

:12:50. > :12:56.into the corner, or does one at the back? There must be one. Yes, the

:12:57. > :13:24.one next to the point. This will give him a 3-1 lead if it goes in.

:13:25. > :13:33.I thought when Mark Selby won the second frame it might have unnerved

:13:34. > :13:40.Ronnie O'Sullivan, but in fact he has actually gone up a gear. As all

:13:41. > :13:45.great champions do, he has responded superbly well in these couple of

:13:46. > :13:54.frames. Winning the third frame virtually with one visit, eradicated

:13:55. > :14:08.that frame before. He does look very focused now. It is the best of 11,

:14:09. > :14:13.so 3-1 is a nice lady to have but there is an awful long way to go. --

:14:14. > :14:27.a nice lead. You know what Mark Selby is like, he can come storming

:14:28. > :14:32.back. It is good all round snooker we are watching from both players.

:14:33. > :15:11.There is an all round positional shot.

:15:12. > :15:19.He says it is enough for me. They go off for a mid session interval. The

:15:20. > :17:05.O'Sullivan goes the lead and leads 3-1. He really

:17:06. > :17:11.O'Sullivan goes the lead and leads 17 frames. With this best of 11 you

:17:12. > :17:15.really need a good start because there isn't that breathing room to

:17:16. > :17:23.come back. You have more breathing space is done in a best of them. One

:17:24. > :17:27.you are really under it. From my angle, the white that Mark Selby

:17:28. > :17:32.gets back into the game, he has the ability to forget about the standard

:17:33. > :17:36.of the first half, regardless of what it was to be optimistic, to

:17:37. > :17:41.look forward. They Ronnie O'Sullivan, if he got off to a poor

:17:42. > :17:46.start would be dwelling more on it. Mark Selby is in the vein of John

:17:47. > :17:51.Higgins who can turn a match around. How will he go about this? Would he

:17:52. > :18:00.change tactics? Is there anything he can do? No. He hasn't had a lot of

:18:01. > :18:03.table time. His break off need to get better. He has put himself

:18:04. > :18:08.behind the 8-ball in almost every frame. He needs to tighten up a

:18:09. > :18:13.little bit and hope Ronnie misses one or two because at the minute

:18:14. > :18:18.O'Sullivan looks like the winner. He has started off beautifully. Mark

:18:19. > :18:23.Selby has shown a love for this event since he turned up at the

:18:24. > :18:27.Wembley Arena in 2008, won it on his debut, it is the final the next two

:18:28. > :18:32.years, played Ronnie O'Sullivan and lost in 2009 and beat him in a final

:18:33. > :18:38.frame decider in 2010. He came back in 2013 and won it again. He loves

:18:39. > :18:41.this event. The world number one hasn't won a title this season yet.

:18:42. > :18:49.He would love to start here and Ken has been giving him the treatment in

:18:50. > :18:55.the big interview. First of all, welcome. A fantastic venue. Since we

:18:56. > :19:01.moved to the Wembley Arena, what are your thoughts on the Alexander

:19:02. > :19:06.Palace because you like I think it is the better venue. At 12 times at

:19:07. > :19:11.Wembley Arena and it is a great venue but I thought it was too big.

:19:12. > :19:18.The atmosphere got lost, where is it is more compact here. I prefer it

:19:19. > :19:25.here, I think. Great crowds. They have increased capacity as well

:19:26. > :19:29.which brings the whole arena into an amphitheatre. They have increased it

:19:30. > :19:33.by 500 seats. As you say, you watch it every much and video are playing

:19:34. > :19:40.a final with the one-table set-up. It is like watching into a lion's

:19:41. > :19:45.ten. Up to now, a couple of semifinals, not what you would

:19:46. > :19:51.expect from a champion, you have won the triumvirate. It has been

:19:52. > :19:56.disappointed not to win anything this year, but the standard is high.

:19:57. > :20:01.Nobody has a divine right to win anything. It is not like I have

:20:02. > :20:06.played drastically bad. John Higgins played great. I lost to need and

:20:07. > :20:11.they think is the best player on the tour at the moment. I am not too bad

:20:12. > :20:16.but it would be nice to turn a semifinal into a win. Ronnie

:20:17. > :20:22.O'Sullivan, you have played many times, she called you a torture.

:20:23. > :20:27.What did you think of that? I think it's how he sees me. In past matches

:20:28. > :20:31.when I played him I have not played fantastically and doubted myself a

:20:32. > :20:34.little bit and slowed my game now and on playing the way he does he

:20:35. > :20:40.plays really quick and is such a natural player. I am far from

:20:41. > :20:44.natural, I think. I enjoyed the challenge planktonic and I will do

:20:45. > :20:50.the same this time. I remembered the final when you were 9-6 down and

:20:51. > :20:55.came back to beat him. I have had great matches. He has beaten the

:20:56. > :20:58.year before. Even the year I beat him was a great final.

:20:59. > :21:02.year before. Even the year I beat that he beat me 10-8 and I played

:21:03. > :21:06.well in that. As good as I can and compiled on the losing side. I

:21:07. > :21:14.always enjoy playing him. It is different playing him here compared

:21:15. > :21:27.to London. 20% of the crowd were against you before. -- 90%. It is a

:21:28. > :21:33.great feeling to beat him in front of that crowd but I remember I was

:21:34. > :21:44.9-6 down and a couple of people in the crowd, 95% were for him, some

:21:45. > :21:52.were calling a taxi for me. It was good banter. How about your life

:21:53. > :21:57.away from the table? You have a little girl. Has that changed you,

:21:58. > :22:03.can you don't work giving you more perspective and drive as regards

:22:04. > :22:06.snigger? It has in a way. Over the years I had a tough upbringing with

:22:07. > :22:10.my father passed away when I was really young and a lot of things of

:22:11. > :22:14.the table which I have not been happy with but getting with Vicky

:22:15. > :22:21.was a good thing and she is a great person and having my daughter which

:22:22. > :22:27.gives me a different look at snigger. I was playing as if it was

:22:28. > :22:32.life and death and now I go home and she runs up to me and it makes it

:22:33. > :22:37.all worthwhile. It is nice to go back to the atmosphere away from the

:22:38. > :22:42.travelling that you can relax and be yourself and forget about the

:22:43. > :22:46.snooker circuit. That is right. Family comes first. It should come

:22:47. > :22:53.first in anything. Snigger, I have done well in my career. If anything,

:22:54. > :23:05.it gives me more of a motivation, to give Sofia a better life as well.

:23:06. > :23:15.Are we likely to see them down at the final? I think so. With the

:23:16. > :23:18.tournament as big as what it is they don't think it is the right decision

:23:19. > :23:22.to bring her that early and put too much pressure on myself. We may see

:23:23. > :23:27.her at the end of the week. Your record here is very impressive. You

:23:28. > :23:34.won three times. It is almost like a second home to you now. I can't

:23:35. > :23:39.complain. A lot of it is because it is one-table set-up you get more

:23:40. > :23:42.assumed in. Every time I got out my focus is on the match, nothing else

:23:43. > :23:49.matters because there are no other cables around you to distract you.

:23:50. > :23:55.It is tunnel vision on one game. You want to talk about your team as

:23:56. > :24:00.well. They are above my team in the late. Leicester City are doing so

:24:01. > :24:05.well. They have started this season they were the finished. 11 games to

:24:06. > :24:10.go, nine points behind, looked dead and buried, turned it around, stayed

:24:11. > :24:14.in the league and Ranieri has done a fantastic job. A lot of credit has

:24:15. > :24:21.to go to Nigel Pearson because the team we have now is similar to what

:24:22. > :24:24.Nigel left. We are playing great, playing good attacking football and

:24:25. > :24:32.it is the first time we have ever been above your team. Hopefully just

:24:33. > :24:38.for this season. Wouldn't it be nice, taking the Masters and

:24:39. > :24:44.Leicester City in front? It would. I want to parade the trophy the first

:24:45. > :24:48.game of the lake. If I could do that with a masters as well, as well as

:24:49. > :25:01.finishing top four, it would be a great feeling.

:25:02. > :25:10.He is a triple Crown member, he has done all the big events, what is

:25:11. > :25:18.next for Selby? I suppose it is longevity. In a way, that becomes

:25:19. > :25:20.the game, the long-time game. It requires a different mindset from

:25:21. > :25:29.getting there in the first place. You have to be prepared to graft

:25:30. > :25:31.very hard and keep you focus and motivation firmly placed on the

:25:32. > :25:35.practice table to not be involved in such activities, I am not talking

:25:36. > :25:41.about family, but business interests that might excite you more. You have

:25:42. > :25:45.to be focused and be excited by the game. You have to have the raw

:25:46. > :25:49.talent, which Mark Selby does have. Is it a harder phase of your career

:25:50. > :25:57.to do that than getting there in the first place? Arguably, yes. When you

:25:58. > :26:01.look at the players you have won the championship only once, it is more

:26:02. > :26:06.likely that that happens. Multiple winners of the World Championship,

:26:07. > :26:09.you could argue, are a different breed, but I would put Mark Selby in

:26:10. > :26:15.that breed. The only trouble is breed, but I would put Mark Selby in

:26:16. > :26:19.timing is everything. If you look at certain people within a game who

:26:20. > :26:22.have won multiple World Championships like me, Stephen

:26:23. > :26:28.Hendry, perhaps we had the best that. I am not saying the players at

:26:29. > :26:34.that time were mass of but we perhaps worked head and shoulders,

:26:35. > :26:40.37. Now a days, it is hard to be head and shoulders above anything,

:26:41. > :26:45.because the standard is bunched up. Look at the people who have won it

:26:46. > :26:49.once, they are desperate to do it again, not for validation because

:26:50. > :26:53.they are already validated, but it is the next stepping stone in their

:26:54. > :27:00.career. Snooker players are unfairly judged because we have won the

:27:01. > :27:04.championship as opposed to the majors in golf or tennis. You get

:27:05. > :27:07.one crack per year. Think about some players who are desperate to get

:27:08. > :27:11.their name on a trophy once and think they are running out of time.

:27:12. > :27:17.At least people like Mark Selby and Shaun Murphy have won it. It is a

:27:18. > :27:27.great generation. We are enjoying it. Anything could happen. We picked

:27:28. > :27:34.out a couple of shots from this opening session. People ask

:27:35. > :27:35.out a couple of shots from this a reverse planned? If we watch the

:27:36. > :27:40.situation with Ronnie O'Sullivan plan, you can see he has a plant in

:27:41. > :27:45.the pack. It is just slightly off straight. You know what a plan is.

:27:46. > :27:50.If we won the cue through the centre of both reds. You will get down no

:27:51. > :27:55.problem, in who is your plan. What happens when you run the cue through

:27:56. > :28:05.the centre of the two beds and in a line taught before John, you have to

:28:06. > :28:09.do the opposite. He actually hit the right-hand side of this and it

:28:10. > :28:14.depends how much angle you have, how thin you had the first poll. This is

:28:15. > :28:16.just off slightly. Play to the right-hand side, straighten it up

:28:17. > :28:22.and bingo goes in. I don't know right-hand side, straighten it up

:28:23. > :28:26.quite that works. Physics was my first subject. You can be a long way

:28:27. > :28:31.off from the pocket sometimes. The more the angle is off the pocket,

:28:32. > :28:35.the thinner you hit the first red. The second one, Mark Selby played a

:28:36. > :28:48.fantastic black with top spin to get onto the yellow. Watch this. OK,

:28:49. > :28:53.what do you have to do to play a shot like that. We will play it the

:28:54. > :28:58.other way round. Make sure you have plenty of cue. Raise the pot and

:28:59. > :29:03.slightly and your bridge and which would be there, pictured and raise

:29:04. > :29:11.it to the top of the table. He want to make sure you have a nice bridge

:29:12. > :29:19.length. Let the cue to the work. Slack off. Top of the ball, back,

:29:20. > :29:25.miss the black and come round the angles and go down there. I have to

:29:26. > :29:32.have another go, it was that bad. I am doing it. She has put me off.

:29:33. > :29:42.Here we go. Top spin again. Top of the white. Both concentrate. Through

:29:43. > :29:53.the ball. I told you anything could happen. It is all very educational

:29:54. > :29:54.on this programme. We will talk about the quarterfinal this evening

:29:55. > :30:03.and it features two men, the only two, who have not won yet. As you

:30:04. > :30:10.know, Mark Allen and Hawkins have both come close.

:30:11. > :30:16.They also happen to be the lowest ranked players left in the draw this

:30:17. > :30:21.year. Now, both of them have the same coach, Terry Griffiths. It is

:30:22. > :30:27.going to be a very busy night for the 1979 World Champion, I suspect.

:30:28. > :30:34.I have started again now, and I have got six players who are with me this

:30:35. > :30:36.year, which I am really enjoying. Of course, Mark was always going to be

:30:37. > :30:41.one of them. He said to me, is there any chance of me joining up? I said,

:30:42. > :30:47.you are number one. You will be the first on the list. And I meant it.

:30:48. > :30:50.We have a good bond. We get on very well together. We have a similar

:30:51. > :30:55.sense of humour and we know when to be funny and when to be serious. It

:30:56. > :31:00.has always worked very well. We did a bit over the summer. I had not

:31:01. > :31:06.seen him in a year and I got a few bad habits which I always seem to

:31:07. > :31:11.fall back into and I had to iron them out. Even though I have had a

:31:12. > :31:17.decent start to the season, however, I feel my technique is as bad as

:31:18. > :31:19.ever. You can only do so much over the phone. Getting on the table is

:31:20. > :31:24.good. Hopefully we can learn a few things out come Thursday. The two

:31:25. > :31:27.players playing each other, I suppose people will say, at least

:31:28. > :31:32.one of them will be in the semifinal. But I hate it when any of

:31:33. > :31:36.my players lose. We have been working the last week or so and we

:31:37. > :31:40.will try and get a lot of hours in. Try to get the right attitude in,

:31:41. > :31:44.like I had a couple of years ago. It will be really tough, but I know I

:31:45. > :31:49.have got a chance if I can play well. I just want them both to play

:31:50. > :31:56.well. But what I know all the way through is, one of them is going to

:31:57. > :31:57.be hurting at the end. So, it is not the same as when one of my players

:31:58. > :32:04.beats a player who is not in the stable. I am pleased for the one

:32:05. > :32:09.that wins, but I get the devastation when one of them loses. I always get

:32:10. > :32:17.it. That must be really tough. Well, it is interesting. There are coaches

:32:18. > :32:21.within the game, and in general sport, who have a professional

:32:22. > :32:25.attitude but do not get emotionally involved with their players. But

:32:26. > :32:30.Terry has always been such a lovely guy. If I think about myself being a

:32:31. > :32:35.coach, or Stephen Hendry, we are a lot of nasty, I believe. We could

:32:36. > :32:39.not have done that. But Terry is such a nice guy, he really feels for

:32:40. > :32:44.them. He is out there playing every ball with them. From that to he is

:32:45. > :32:47.the ideal person to have in your corner. He has studied the game, the

:32:48. > :32:51.technique as well as the mental side. You could not wish for a

:32:52. > :32:57.better person. That is for tonight, but back to the present. It is

:32:58. > :33:03.O'Sullivan 3-1 in front. First to six goes into the semis.

:33:04. > :33:11.DENNIS TAYLOR: Yes, first to six. It is going to be so interesting to see

:33:12. > :33:14.how this first frame pans out. Mark was in the practice room brushing up

:33:15. > :33:20.on his cue action. He did not get a lot of table time. The players just

:33:21. > :33:24.getting their drinks together. Ronnie just making sure the hands

:33:25. > :33:29.are nice and dry, otherwise the cue would be sticking in them.

:33:30. > :33:40.So, it is Ronnie who is going to get this first frame after the interval

:33:41. > :33:42.under way. And it has to be said, his break-off shot has been much

:33:43. > :34:03.better than Mark Selby's. Mark has caught the blue on two

:34:04. > :34:09.occasions, which is unlike him. KEN DOHERTY: This is a massive frame

:34:10. > :34:12.for Mark Selby. To be 4-1 down, should he lose this frame, would be

:34:13. > :34:20.a big deficit to claw-back. It has not been his potting which has let

:34:21. > :34:26.him down so far. If anything, it has been the safety, something normally

:34:27. > :34:32.he is very good at. It has been a bit loose. A couple of break-offs, a

:34:33. > :34:47.couple of safety shots, allowing O'Sullivan to get his hand on the

:34:48. > :34:56.table. Is pot success is 94%. Ronnie O'Sullivan's is 95%. So it is not

:34:57. > :34:58.like he has missed a lot of balls. Ronnie's long ball game has been...

:34:59. > :35:16.There you see it. And straightaway here with the red

:35:17. > :35:22.up to the right of the green, it has made it a little bit of couple

:35:23. > :35:27.awkward frame. Mark is just looking to see, he has got to be a wee bit

:35:28. > :35:34.careful here. If he just goes up into the corner with a safety shot,

:35:35. > :35:36.Ronnie cannot red back up the table. So, let's see where he puts this cue

:35:37. > :35:47.ball. So, a chance to get the frame back

:35:48. > :36:20.to normal here. Well, not sure if he attempted the

:36:21. > :36:25.double there or just the safety. Because there was very little chance

:36:26. > :36:29.of finishing on a colour. That tells me that maybe he was just playing

:36:30. > :36:35.the safety shot. Anyway, we are back to normal with the frame - all the

:36:36. > :36:41.Reds up at this end of the table. Now, these have to be hit correctly.

:36:42. > :36:44.So easy to hit it too thin or too thick when you are tight on the

:36:45. > :36:55.cushion. But that one was just right. He could not have hit that

:36:56. > :37:04.much better. That is a bit more like it from Mark Selby.

:37:05. > :37:11.He has booked everything down the left-hand side. He can have a go at

:37:12. > :37:13.this red into the right-hand corner pocket, but very difficult and very

:37:14. > :37:30.dangerous. Trying to lay on the red which is

:37:31. > :37:34.closest to this black cushion. Well... That is not very good. He

:37:35. > :37:58.has left Mark Selby a chance now. He has got a nice angle to run into

:37:59. > :38:07.those reds around the black spot. Hopefully try and clear the black

:38:08. > :38:17.spot this time. Is there enough room? Yes. Oh, is there a? Just

:38:18. > :38:21.about. Otherwise the black would have had to go up on the green spot.

:38:22. > :38:49.He is just OK here. It has been awhile since Mark has

:38:50. > :38:51.had a chance in amongst the balls. You are always after a chance in and

:38:52. > :38:56.around the black spot area. He is You are always after a chance in and

:38:57. > :39:00.quite tall lad, Mark, about 6ft to, 6ft 3. But the extension will make

:39:01. > :39:46.it more comfortable. The balls are very nicely situated

:39:47. > :41:56.for him. He has got about four or five reds

:41:57. > :41:58.Well, what a camera angle that was, watching the cue action of Mark

:41:59. > :42:17.Selby. I like that shot. Well, you could hear up in drop at

:42:18. > :42:24.the moment in Alexandra Palace. Big house here, and it looks as if they

:42:25. > :42:32.are going to have a classic here. The way Mark has set off after the

:42:33. > :42:43.mid-session interval... Oh, what has he done here? Needs to keep going.

:42:44. > :42:49.And if the green doesn't go... Can he just get past the red? Just.

:42:50. > :43:18.Now, was that a kick? I am not quite sure. , but you would think Mark

:43:19. > :43:29.would not miss a shot like that when he was flying along. Yes, the red

:43:30. > :43:37.straightened up. He was only a few more pots away from taking this

:43:38. > :43:44.fifth frame. Yes, he only needed red and black. Shaking his head - very

:43:45. > :43:57.disappointed. It just sort of went straight, didn't it?

:43:58. > :44:09.He is reluctant to play a safety shot of the pack. The only other

:44:10. > :44:12.alternative is to try and clip the red which is close to the bottom

:44:13. > :44:23.corner pocket. But it is dangerous and could go wrong. He has caught

:44:24. > :44:33.that quarter ball, and he has left Ronnie. OK, this is a difficult red

:44:34. > :44:34.into the corner pocket. But the way he has been playing, you would have

:44:35. > :44:49.to fancy he is going to get this. And the red at the bottom of those

:44:50. > :44:54.four reds goes into the corner pocket. And he is perfect on the

:44:55. > :44:58.blue. Well, this could be a huge turning point in this match, because

:44:59. > :45:03.Mark Selby, without that heavy contact, would certainly have taken

:45:04. > :45:08.the frame. Now, he has got to sit and wait and see what this man can

:45:09. > :45:16.do. One good cannon here can open everything up.

:45:17. > :45:27.Hasn't worked out unless there is a plant there. You could play that

:45:28. > :45:30.nine times out of ten and they would split better than that. It was only

:45:31. > :45:31.the green which seemed to move. He is trying to force the plant... And

:45:32. > :45:48.he has got it! Path of the cheeks after pulling

:45:49. > :45:53.that one off. But the red and green are awkward. Now, that was not a

:45:54. > :45:56.kick. That was a lapse in concentration. I think he was way

:45:57. > :46:19.ahead of himself. Up until that shot, Ronnie's focus

:46:20. > :46:35.has been superb. Just took his eye off the pot.

:46:36. > :46:45.Yes, you did not see that one coming.

:46:46. > :46:52.Yes, I think Ronnie was way ahead of himself, thinking about red and the

:46:53. > :46:58.green and bringing them into play, and then gets down and misses a

:46:59. > :46:58.sitter. That's one way of ringing the

:46:59. > :47:14.difficult red and green into play! Yellow only available into one

:47:15. > :47:30.corner because of the pink. Doesn't really matter about the

:47:31. > :47:37.yellow. Ronnie stays in his seat. He had a bit of a chance there are, but

:47:38. > :47:41.what a sitter he missed. Mark Selby might be relieved that Ronnie did

:47:42. > :47:49.not pinch that frame and he is only one behind now.

:47:50. > :47:58.And some of the shots Mark is striking, it is breathtaking at

:47:59. > :48:01.times. Yes, it is a slugfest, in a class way. And Ronnie O'Sullivan,

:48:02. > :48:06.the first sign of bad cueing. You could see afterwards, his reaction,

:48:07. > :48:12.as if his elbow had gone one way compared to where he wanted it to

:48:13. > :48:15.go. And that is never nice, to missable when you feel the technique

:48:16. > :48:22.has let you down. You know you can missable with pressure and things

:48:23. > :48:25.like that. Being a hard task master on himself, it might play on his

:48:26. > :48:34.mind, whereas another player would just get on with it. Who looked all

:48:35. > :48:35.set to do a Selby in that particular frame, didn't he? There is a lot of

:48:36. > :48:43.pressure, we forget that. It is massive. And it has become really

:48:44. > :48:49.difficult. The higher you go up, the more important those clearances are.

:48:50. > :48:53.I am not surprised he broke down. How did you read that missed pink?

:48:54. > :48:59.He is in two minds for he plays the shot. He has got in between two

:49:00. > :49:04.shots without actually stepping back, which my friend here used to

:49:05. > :49:09.do quite a lot of, stand up, step back and prepare again, which is

:49:10. > :49:12.what you have to do sometimes. When you are in doubt, stand back and

:49:13. > :49:19.start again. The gap is now one as we head into frame six.

:49:20. > :49:26.DENNIS TAYLOR: That is a better break-off this time from Mark. But

:49:27. > :49:29.that was a good point. Remember Ronnie jumped over the black against

:49:30. > :49:36.Mark Williams. He was in two minds there as well. And he did not do

:49:37. > :49:43.what you guys were just saying, get up and step away and come back.

:49:44. > :49:45.KEN DOHERTY: Absolutely. Another test here. He has not missed one of

:49:46. > :50:03.these yet. And he has not missed that one. He

:50:04. > :50:09.has been superb. 100%. 100% from both players, which is unusual after

:50:10. > :50:12.five frames. I just said it was a better break-off shot from Mark

:50:13. > :50:35.Selby because he did not hit the blue! The way Ronnie is going...!

:50:36. > :50:40.Nicely positioned to get down on this red immediately and get around

:50:41. > :51:28.by the black. It might be an idea to try and get

:51:29. > :51:40.on the pink office red, to clear the path to the red to the left of the

:51:41. > :51:47.black. -- off this red. He has played a lovely cannon there. He had

:51:48. > :51:58.a beautiful angle to play that delicate little cannon.

:51:59. > :52:11.Again, a wonderful little shot, very nicely controlled.

:52:12. > :52:15.He is going to need one more good split on the reds if he is to win

:52:16. > :52:39.the frame from this position. Yes, he lost the second frame after

:52:40. > :52:44.making a 50-odd break, but he bounced straight back with a six T9

:52:45. > :52:55.in the frame after. You can see him just practising his back on. Yes, he

:52:56. > :53:04.is obviously contemplating putting the red. He is going to have to go

:53:05. > :53:10.into them at some stage, and he is absolutely perfect on the blue in

:53:11. > :53:17.order to do that. Got to be careful he does not hit them too hard and

:53:18. > :53:25.send a red in. Well, it could finished a little better than that.

:53:26. > :53:27.I'm not sure if one of the two reds goes. He is OK, just about.

:53:28. > :53:56.Gravity took over there, Dennis! Yes, we will show you that one

:53:57. > :54:02.again. Just over four minutes to get to this stage. We always give it a

:54:03. > :54:08.mention, when he made that maximum break way back in 1997 - five

:54:09. > :54:13.minutes and 20 seconds. He is just the wrong side of the blue line, as

:54:14. > :54:18.you can see. But he has already got a substantial lead. So it did not

:54:19. > :54:25.really matter all that much. He is 69 ahead, with 67 remaining. It

:54:26. > :54:27.looks like, from the break-off shot, as I said, and he is sat in his

:54:28. > :54:50.chair. He has made a 70 break in over five

:54:51. > :54:58.minutes. He must be slowing down, Dennis! He has been superb. When you

:54:59. > :55:01.think about that maximum, how did he do it in five minutes and 20

:55:02. > :55:10.seconds?! It was just out of this world. It may never be beaten, that

:55:11. > :55:12.record. It used to take Terry Griffiths that amount of time just

:55:13. > :55:45.to break off, didn't it? Well, a nice little kiss on the red.

:55:46. > :55:45.The only thing that has been missing here is a century break. Black for

:55:46. > :56:04.it... A wonderful, magnificent century

:56:05. > :56:12.from O'Sullivan secures the sixth frame.

:56:13. > :56:19.And that century is yet another milestone, it is his 60th he has

:56:20. > :56:24.ever made in the Masters. Once again, he continues to push those

:56:25. > :56:28.records. As Dennis was saying, the 805th of his career. He went past

:56:29. > :56:35.800 last week in the Championship league. And he just keeps producing.

:56:36. > :56:40.Your impressions of Masters century number 60? Just completely fluent,

:56:41. > :56:43.and what you would expect. Unfortunately for Mark Selby, he

:56:44. > :56:49.looks like he is flooring his way back into the match, and there it is

:56:50. > :56:52.again, a two frame gap. To be honest, it just looks so simple.

:56:53. > :56:57.That is the class of the man. Everybody watching that break would

:56:58. > :57:01.think, I could pop that one, I could pop that one, because the

:57:02. > :57:04.positioning is so good. And importantly, it is a response once

:57:05. > :57:11.again to Selby winning a frame, Steve? Yes, and Ronnie O'Sullivan

:57:12. > :57:16.has never been short of bottle, from in front or from behind. One of the

:57:17. > :57:20.greatest pressure players we have ever seen. He let's his talents do

:57:21. > :57:27.the talking. Does not get his brain in the way of shots. He plays with

:57:28. > :57:30.fluency. If there was any tip to the club player, don't doublethink

:57:31. > :57:34.yourself, in a way, let your natural ability shine through. But don't

:57:35. > :57:39.play too quickly that you are rushing the shots. Fine balance.

:57:40. > :57:43.Ronnie O'Sullivan is not fast as much as he is clear thinking and

:57:44. > :57:47.plays with rhythm. You think he needs the challenge of a Selby,

:57:48. > :57:52.something we have been talking about, to bring out the best in him?

:57:53. > :57:58.Yes, I do. The trouble is, we say that and he will come in here and

:57:59. > :58:01.say, no, not really. You know what he will be like, sometimes he comes

:58:02. > :58:08.in and says he has not played well. But I do, especially when he has won

:58:09. > :58:19.as much as he has. He relished it coming back. He absolutely did. As

:58:20. > :58:19.soon as some body says, he cannot do it, that is another hurdle to get

:58:20. > :58:24.over, for him. And I think he has done the same this week. But he

:58:25. > :58:28.really puts himself through it, in order to get himself up for a match.

:58:29. > :58:34.It is operating at a pretty high-level, isn't it? It is, but he

:58:35. > :58:39.is such a talented player that he is going to push the boundaries back in

:58:40. > :58:43.many ways. I do feel he is the first player who could possibly, should he

:58:44. > :58:49.so wished, when major events at the age of 50. Seriously, you think he

:58:50. > :58:54.can go that long? If he should so wish, because he has got the talent.

:58:55. > :59:00.This is a massive frame, by the way. I cannot see Mark winning this match

:59:01. > :59:06.unless he wins this frame. Back we go...

:59:07. > :59:19.DENNIS TAYLOR: Could not agree more. Great length with the break-off, but

:59:20. > :59:24.the black is out of commission. It is unusual from Ronnie's break-off

:59:25. > :59:28.to send that red next to the black and tie it up. We see it happen

:59:29. > :59:37.quite a bit, but very rarely with the way Ronnie breaks off.

:59:38. > :59:45.It seems pretty straightforward just to run up between the green and

:59:46. > :59:50.brown off this red. Well, he is going to hit the green, which he did

:59:51. > :59:57.not intend to. This red into the right corner, with the black tied

:59:58. > :00:03.up, is very difficult indeed. He is just having a look to see if he

:00:04. > :00:14.could find a if he took that pot on. And if he did find a gap, he would

:00:15. > :00:19.finish on blue or a baulk colour. That is what he is look at. But the

:00:20. > :00:31.more important part of this shot is the pot.

:00:32. > :00:39.He has got away with it. He's been rather fortunate, once he missed the

:00:40. > :00:44.pot, he could have put Ronnie Wright in amongst the balls, look at the

:00:45. > :00:47.outcome here... He's got too much on that, but with all of those series

:00:48. > :01:12.of kisses, he left it safe. You can just see the white glove and

:01:13. > :01:14.the finger waving, telling someone to put their camera away. Let's have

:01:15. > :01:47.a look, suddenly it appears! The Now, that is not his best safety

:01:48. > :01:59.shot. If the router next to the green goes... Well, then maybe it

:02:00. > :02:02.doesn't. He has a couple of other roads in the corner. One good pot

:02:03. > :02:46.here, you can see how the reds are, and the pink and blue is available.

:02:47. > :02:53.I wondered when he got down, I thought it looked tight. Why did he

:02:54. > :02:59.cut one in if he wasn't sure? Take one into the corner. The shot

:03:00. > :03:05.before, when he can a red intentionally, put it across it. You

:03:06. > :03:07.can see from that angle, it looks very tight. Maybe he

:03:08. > :03:57.can see from that angle, it looks enough room. He just did not cue it

:03:58. > :05:19.well. He was well away from it, without

:05:20. > :05:30.that extension. He would have been on top of that red.

:05:31. > :05:36.He's a little short of pace, that was a poor shot. He could easily

:05:37. > :05:45.have come off the side of the cushion. He's a little annoyed with

:05:46. > :05:48.himself there, those three reds, nearly potted into the right-hand

:05:49. > :05:56.corner pocket. Now, he has two negotiate the cue ball off of those

:05:57. > :06:01.rights. Back-up for a pink or blue. Such a poor shot commit

:06:02. > :06:10.-- such a poor shot, disappointing for Mark Selby. He needs a couple of

:06:11. > :06:15.lies on those errors, from O'Sullivan. He will be kicking

:06:16. > :06:37.himself inside. Look at this, there are two options

:06:38. > :06:40.commit you can have it in, or off the cushion. Those three reds,

:06:41. > :06:58.though. It is a no man's land. It's quite a clever shot, he took

:06:59. > :07:07.the double on, he knew he would not leave anything. He could be in a

:07:08. > :07:11.little spot of bother here. The risk he took on the double was worth it,

:07:12. > :07:23.if it had not come off, she could have finished on the brown.

:07:24. > :07:30.I would not go too far away, Ronnie, you will be right back there again!

:07:31. > :07:44.Cannot see the red this time. That is a little risky, to come off

:07:45. > :07:49.the side cushion and nestle into the red, he has two B spot on here. That

:07:50. > :08:05.is spot on! This is a first in snooker, I've

:08:06. > :08:08.never seen a player play this before, safety shots of three close

:08:09. > :08:13.balls together like that. It is before, safety shots of three close

:08:14. > :08:18.quite unusual, to pay a delicate little shops... He's not scared of

:08:19. > :08:29.the per shot here. He would love to be able to push the red in towards

:08:30. > :08:37.the brown. He could easily push it, he does not want to leave a touching

:08:38. > :08:47.ball here. Not to the red. It is not touching. A very unusual pattern of

:08:48. > :09:08.play, like watching them play little cannons in billiards.

:09:09. > :09:19.Never have I seen this before, it is quite amazing!

:09:20. > :09:31.Can he pot this? That is the question. Is the red available? I'm

:09:32. > :09:38.not sure. Maybe just enough of a gap now, if the road is unavailable, he

:09:39. > :09:47.could just put it past the green, move the cue ball closer to the

:09:48. > :09:48.green. -- red. I looked at move the cue ball closer to the

:09:49. > :10:09.of the red, he is In close, making sure there is no

:10:10. > :10:13.push, there is not one there. The per shot is where the tip of the

:10:14. > :10:19.cue, and the cue ball and object ball are all close together

:10:20. > :10:23.cue, and the cue ball and object contact at the same time. Playing

:10:24. > :10:27.that nicely. The only problem is he has left

:10:28. > :10:46.Ronnie a red just above the pink spot. He can have a go at this...

:10:47. > :10:53.That was a nice kiss on the blue with the rate, it was gone towards

:10:54. > :11:00.the green pocket, it certainly would have been on for Mark Selby, he's

:11:01. > :11:04.covered the red, it is in the Diaz Wheeler, into the top pocket,

:11:05. > :11:18.perhaps nipping the red onto the top cushion. It makes it more difficult.

:11:19. > :11:30.Just going a little awkward, this frame. Both players missing attempt

:11:31. > :11:34.at long pots here. Ronnie, I cannot remember him missing a long pot.

:11:35. > :11:45.Because of the safety, you get out of your rhythm slightly.

:11:46. > :11:50.But, these games are just fascinating, when it is like this.

:11:51. > :11:56.It is nice to see a player running a frame with one break. That, I think

:11:57. > :12:06.people also enjoy watching a good tactical battle at times.

:12:07. > :12:15.The great John Pullman, the BBC commentator, he used to say that

:12:16. > :12:54.sometimes this game was like chess with balls.

:12:55. > :13:00.Just talking about multiple world champions, Ronnie, a a few years

:13:01. > :13:06.back, was working with the great Riordan, I'm sure he learned a lot

:13:07. > :13:12.from him in the tactical Department of the game. This man is as good a

:13:13. > :13:23.safety player as any, when he needs it.

:13:24. > :13:40.That's OK, it has just cost him four points. Everything is safe. Catching

:13:41. > :13:47.him a bit on the thick side. Just talking about Ray Reardon, he

:13:48. > :13:52.still plays. He has turned 80. He looks just the same, he never seems

:13:53. > :14:03.to age! He plays snooker still, he likes his golf.

:14:04. > :14:12.I'm sure that he is glued to the television this afternoon as well.

:14:13. > :14:23.Yes, he's down in a nice part of the world, Torquay.

:14:24. > :14:34.He probably does not get enough credit, Ronnie O'Sullivan. I've

:14:35. > :14:40.noticed quite a bit, between his breaks and fluency, the safety game

:14:41. > :14:46.is up there with the best. I'm not sure, someone said something in the

:14:47. > :14:51.crowd as Mark was getting down to the shot. He did not have... He

:14:52. > :14:58.looked around, at whoever it was. The audience are fantastic here,

:14:59. > :15:17.packed houses, it is just... Well, whatever it was, it may be

:15:18. > :15:18.just distracted Mark slightly. Look where the black and the pink

:15:19. > :15:35.ears. -- and the pink is. It could

:15:36. > :15:41.eventually get the pink and those two reds into play, in a few shots

:15:42. > :15:50.time. That is as well as he could have finished. Having to power that

:15:51. > :16:02.tend to get back around the table. He does not want to nestle on this

:16:03. > :16:03.road... He's just about OK -- red. This is where switching hands is so

:16:04. > :16:29.useful. I don't know how he plays those

:16:30. > :16:39.shots, I really don't. Always the red. Where is the red?

:16:40. > :16:56.Just hit that too hard. He did not quite get into that, Mark. He is the

:16:57. > :17:01.wrong side of the blue, make that rednecks to the pink, he is going to

:17:02. > :17:09.have two power it right around the table. Look at the top spin, is he

:17:10. > :17:13.going to miss that green? No. A scrappy frame. An awkward frame, but

:17:14. > :17:18.as the boys in the studio said, you expect so much from these but there

:17:19. > :17:25.is a lot of pressure on the top players in the world. It is a huge

:17:26. > :17:34.frame, as we mentioned, at the start, 5-2. Mark, with very little

:17:35. > :17:47.chance. At 4-3, and it is game back on again.

:17:48. > :17:53.The other thing about this kind of frame is that it will help Mark

:17:54. > :18:03.Selby. It slows down Ronnie's rhythm at the moment. It gives Mark Selby a

:18:04. > :18:07.chance, to get his arm going a little, playing some decent safety

:18:08. > :18:22.shots, that has let him down so far this afternoon. This game is top

:18:23. > :18:23.quality. This man's longbow game has been top-quality this afternoon as

:18:24. > :18:25.quality. This man's longbow game has well. If you leave the ball short

:18:26. > :18:36.from that, you are going to be in trouble.

:18:37. > :18:46.The fact that there was so much safety played, when he got the

:18:47. > :18:52.chance, he has knocked a long one in. That is key in being able to do

:18:53. > :18:57.that, sometimes, having long putts at safety, then when you get the

:18:58. > :19:06.chance, get a long one in. There is one where it might just go here...

:19:07. > :19:15.That is why he is playing the pink left-handed again. I mean... He

:19:16. > :19:21.measured it too well. This will certainly open things up, what a key

:19:22. > :19:43.shot. Not an easy pot, he could free a few more here.

:19:44. > :20:00.Now, what a shot he has played here. That is an absolute gem. Good shot.

:20:01. > :20:03.Look at the position. He has potted most of these balls with his

:20:04. > :20:11.opposite hand in this effort. Another left-hander coming up. That

:20:12. > :20:17.is not what he intended, it was tough to get into the black and reds

:20:18. > :20:21.from the blue, he decided to leave a nice brown, but there is still

:20:22. > :20:26.enough for him to pot the blue, and come up past the pink, if he gets a

:20:27. > :20:41.good angle on the brown, he could get to the red, but he cannot now.

:20:42. > :20:52.A free ball. What a careless mistake that is. He was just taking the four

:20:53. > :20:56.points, and going to play a safety shot. To screw into the middle

:20:57. > :21:13.pocket, and leave a free ball... That was amazing. He was not doing

:21:14. > :21:15.anything with the white, he was going to play a safety shot. He

:21:16. > :21:41.could have put it anywhere. Every chance for Mark Selby and a

:21:42. > :21:52.couple of shots in, he could get those reds interplay. -- in to play.

:21:53. > :22:00.He has got an angle on the brown to come off the side cushion, straight

:22:01. > :22:03.into thereds. That is the kind of line he would be looking at if he

:22:04. > :22:13.could part the brown with a little right-hand side, he could bring the

:22:14. > :22:21.red and the black interplay. -- into play. Did he try to screw directly

:22:22. > :22:26.into them? It looked like that. Trying to go around the blue here.

:22:27. > :22:36.He did not get enough on it. He tried to mark the cue ball around

:22:37. > :22:43.the blue. He has left himself with the blue here, he is going to use

:22:44. > :22:47.the spider. He has to be very careful here. Trying to keep the red

:22:48. > :23:00.beside the black. Always difficult, he does not want

:23:01. > :23:13.to leave the free ball here as well, that is what he has done.

:23:14. > :23:23.Quite an incredible frame, what an important frame, just one point is

:23:24. > :23:31.the difference. As we mentioned a few times, a huge frame.

:23:32. > :23:36.I think both players know that, that is why we are having a few mistakes

:23:37. > :23:43.here. They know the importance of this frame. Vicky certainly knows

:23:44. > :23:56.the importance, she knows the game as well as Mark does. A great pool

:23:57. > :24:06.player, is Vicky. The pink is going to come to mark's rescue here.

:24:07. > :24:06.Ronnie has to bring the red tide into this black

:24:07. > :24:08.Ronnie has to bring the red tide He has to be careful with this

:24:09. > :24:25.safety shot. Not the first red on the way down,

:24:26. > :24:35.but certainly the second one. It is a bit of a guide to get to the

:24:36. > :24:38.potting angle here. I think he can definitely save enough of it, and

:24:39. > :24:41.you would think, if he misses the blue and red, he would go close to

:24:42. > :25:13.cutting their sin. You can just about see the edge of

:25:14. > :25:20.this brown here. That is a beauty. An excellent shot. A nice gesture.

:25:21. > :25:28.From Mark Selby, tapping the table. In appreciation, a great safety

:25:29. > :25:40.shot. A gesture from the Jester. That's easy for you to say! It

:25:41. > :25:52.really is such a tense affair, this frame.

:25:53. > :26:03.Well played, I say that, but... A good escape, but we've seen Ronnie

:26:04. > :26:03.not quite a few long balls in. Can good escape, but we've seen Ronnie

:26:04. > :26:22.he get another one? -- knock. It wobbled a few times,

:26:23. > :26:28.but he had another cracking long part, by far the longest frame of

:26:29. > :26:36.the match. 27 minutes. This is not easy -- pot. But he made it look

:26:37. > :26:43.easy. That was a much better shot than his previous. That was good,

:26:44. > :26:58.but that was better. A lot more pressure on it.

:26:59. > :27:04.but that was better. A lot more to take on the mid range yellow.

:27:05. > :27:10.Putting the greenback on its part. Making life a bit easier, but this

:27:11. > :29:23.is a virtual, you would say, shot for the frame.

:29:24. > :29:27.has seen by quite a way. He has raised his performance by some level

:29:28. > :29:31.for the match against Mark Williams -- cueist. There was clearly every

:29:32. > :29:35.mission from both of them, as to how important the frame was, an

:29:36. > :29:41.interesting tactical tussle, particularly that three balls

:29:42. > :29:45.situation? He over thought himself, it was awkward, if the pink was off

:29:46. > :29:50.the spot, it would not have been a problem, but because it was, it was

:29:51. > :29:57.awkward. A stray shot to leave himself on the brown. It was more

:29:58. > :29:59.awkward. Obviously, there is the possibility that when your back is

:30:00. > :30:05.against a wall, you aren't thinking clearly. His choice was to play off

:30:06. > :30:09.the brown. But he is not looking as comfortable as he has done at the

:30:10. > :30:23.moment, here, Mark. He's up against it now. Ronnie is in the set.

:30:24. > :30:28.KEN DOHERTY: Another possible long red to get on the black here.

:30:29. > :30:46.Similar to the previous frame. Oh! OK, not on the black, but it is

:30:47. > :30:50.another great pot. When your opponent is knocking these long

:30:51. > :30:52.balls in, it puts so much pressure on you, safety-wise. It is very

:30:53. > :31:25.unnerving. DENNIS TAYLOR: He was just looking

:31:26. > :31:31.to see if he could get to the potting angle, but because it is

:31:32. > :31:35.touching, he can't. Twice across the table and down to the baulk cushion

:31:36. > :31:48.is possible. If there is anyone in the game who

:31:49. > :31:51.could come back against qualy O'Sullivan in this situation, it is

:31:52. > :31:59.this man here, Mark Selby, because he will never, ever give up. He has

:32:00. > :32:05.done it so many times. Yes, and he has done it so many times to his

:32:06. > :32:07.opponent, and Ronnie will be aware of that he is and wide he is trying

:32:08. > :32:34.to keep the pressure on. REFEREE: Touching ball. He will go

:32:35. > :32:39.back to the memories of the great matches he has had with O'Sullivan,

:32:40. > :32:43.where he has been in similar positions. Or other matches he might

:32:44. > :32:49.have played. You try to give yourself a bit of confidence. You

:32:50. > :33:21.say to yourself, you have done it before and you can do it again.

:33:22. > :33:26.That is just OK. He is coming up short with some of his safety,

:33:27. > :33:34.leaving it near the baulk colours rather than the other cushion. And

:33:35. > :33:36.Ronnie was playing to get on the cushion here, but this might be a

:33:37. > :33:53.bonus, coming up behind the brown... When you get in behind a colour like

:33:54. > :33:59.that, it is a bonus. And the fact that there is reds either side of

:34:00. > :34:09.the bunch gives Mark something to think about, to try not to leave

:34:10. > :34:13.anything on. That's why he is having to think of another escape route. If

:34:14. > :34:27.anybody can find it, it is Mark Selby. He is just looking to see, if

:34:28. > :34:27.he was to leave it in the reds, it would be awkward cueing but he would

:34:28. > :34:37.still be leaving the red on for the middle pocket. He will do well to

:34:38. > :34:46.judge this and keep them safe. He will have to have another go at

:34:47. > :34:57.that. REFEREE: Foul, and a miss. . It

:34:58. > :34:58.looked as if he was just trying to land on the red to the right of the

:34:59. > :35:11.black. He does not want to slip past this

:35:12. > :35:29.red. He has played it well. I say that, but there is still a

:35:30. > :35:31.possible pot on. He was in quite a spot of bother there, was Mark

:35:32. > :36:28.Selby. That was a wonderful shot. Purposely

:36:29. > :36:51.screwing back and bringing the pink towards that right centre.

:36:52. > :37:00.He just did not hit that last shot as he intended. But there looks to

:37:01. > :37:02.be a nice plant here. It is right in line for the pocket.

:37:03. > :37:15.It is amazing the number of times you play a plant and seem to forget

:37:16. > :37:20.about the cue ball. He has got a long way to travel here he is and he

:37:21. > :37:29.has got to be very precise in and out of the baulk area. How is your

:37:30. > :38:11.luck, Ronnie? Not very good. The frames have all been very open,

:38:12. > :38:16.but just the last two frames, the high-value colours have got tied up.

:38:17. > :38:27.And that is the case here. Think and black are very awkward. Yes, in

:38:28. > :38:31.fact, I don't think the referee would have seen that. We could see

:38:32. > :38:39.it, and Ronnie knew he had touched the ball and he immediately declared

:38:40. > :38:52.a foul. He just brushed the brown. That is the great thing about our

:38:53. > :39:05.sport. Players will own up to it. Yes, a great bit of sportsmanship.

:39:06. > :39:12.But one has gone astray. Well, will he risk putting this and cannoning

:39:13. > :39:17.into the pink and black? He might just do, because it will certainly

:39:18. > :39:21.open things up. What a shot this would be if he could... Well, he is

:39:22. > :39:27.taking the other red. He is coming round for the blue.

:39:28. > :39:39.And he has got a lovely angle on the blue. He could play that little

:39:40. > :39:47.cannon, as you said. Bring the pink and black into play. Oh, he has not

:39:48. > :39:57.played it well. He just wanted to nudge into that pink. Well, he will

:39:58. > :40:03.get another opportunity. The only problem, if he does it this time off

:40:04. > :40:07.this red which is near the pocket, it is not a certainty as to whether

:40:08. > :40:22.he would not one of those colours into play. -- not.

:40:23. > :40:30.He has come off a long way short this time. But there are still reds

:40:31. > :40:37.available, even though he has got to avoid the baulk colours. Those two

:40:38. > :40:41.reds just above the pink avoid the baulk colours. Those two

:40:42. > :40:42.open to the corner pocket. And he has played that very, very well. He

:40:43. > :40:56.needs a good angle on the blue. That sounded like a little bit of a

:40:57. > :41:05.kick. I'm not sure. Yes. And that's why he is the wrong

:41:06. > :41:29.side of the blue. He is blessed with a lot of cue

:41:30. > :41:31.power, and he is going to have to call on it here to get back up to

:41:32. > :41:45.the other side of the blue. Yes, that is better. Lovely. Perfect

:41:46. > :41:54.on the blue. Now a real chance. And it is a bigger target this time.

:41:55. > :42:12.He might just be OK. He can drop this in and get on the black. It is

:42:13. > :42:41.there. And he is on the back. Never any doubt! The crowd really

:42:42. > :42:50.get involved here and the Ally Pally. And that's the beauty of this

:42:51. > :42:56.venue. We used to go to the Wembley conference on to, which held up to

:42:57. > :42:59.nearly 3000 people, but they are a long way from the table, a lot of

:43:00. > :43:12.the spectators. Here, they are so close.

:43:13. > :43:40.You would not think he was 5-2 behind. No. Nice positional shot.

:43:41. > :43:48.So, the black puts him 30 points ahead. Two reds, two blacks, he is

:43:49. > :43:55.going to need one of those reds on the left-hand side cushion. He will

:43:56. > :44:07.have a quick look at the scores if he has not already done so.

:44:08. > :44:16.He is just having a look at the furthest one out. I think it does

:44:17. > :44:26.pot, so he will not have to disturb any reds. This is typical Mark Selby

:44:27. > :44:37.- back right against the wall and all of a sudden, he produces this.

:44:38. > :44:42.He is going to need the extended rest and the extension on his cue,

:44:43. > :44:52.but he is 46 ahead. So, just make sure of the red and he has got one

:44:53. > :44:54.frame back. Still a long way to go. But he is on the first rung of the

:44:55. > :45:35.ladder. That puts the frame beyond doubt.

:45:36. > :45:43.Nicely developing that red. If he could just drop this one in... It is

:45:44. > :45:55.tight to the side cushion, which makes it a bit easier.

:45:56. > :46:06.Ronnie having a look at the scores. He is 54 behind with 43 remaining.

:46:07. > :46:09.He says that is enough to the referee. That was a wonderful 68

:46:10. > :46:23.from Mark Selby. It is a long way back, but you can

:46:24. > :46:24.usually rely on Mark Selby at least to take you part of the way there in

:46:25. > :46:30.this situation, can't you, John? He can't do it again! He just cannot,

:46:31. > :46:39.it is just impossible. He can't, can he? If anybody can... But he has

:46:40. > :46:42.pulled the something out there. From probably not feeling great about his

:46:43. > :46:49.game, he has produced an excellent break? That is one of his strengths,

:46:50. > :46:53.as we said at the start. I have detected, and it may just be that I

:46:54. > :46:58.have not noticed it, fractionally he is getting off the shot a bit more

:46:59. > :47:03.than normal. Just a bit of head movement afterwards, hitting up a

:47:04. > :47:07.bit quick. As if he is not finishing the shot completely. Just from what

:47:08. > :47:14.I have seen in this match. I am splitting hairs. He is getting up

:47:15. > :47:18.for the next shot marginally quicker than I remember from watching him

:47:19. > :47:30.previously. But the climb has begun. DENNIS TAYLOR: And it is Ronnie's

:47:31. > :47:41.turn to make a poor break-off shot. But he has not left anything. And

:47:42. > :47:44.now, the blue has finished up down there, giving a big target to get in

:47:45. > :47:58.behind. Well, let's keep an eye on Mark

:47:59. > :48:03.Selby's head. Steve Davis was talking about it, maybe just letting

:48:04. > :48:11.up a little bit sooner than he normally does.

:48:12. > :48:16.He always moves around a little bit on the shot when he is addressing

:48:17. > :48:31.the ball. It is something he has always done. Not as much as he used

:48:32. > :48:31.to. Now, this would be a confidence booster if he could punch this one

:48:32. > :48:38.in. This was a superb shot, at that

:48:39. > :49:01.pace. He is quite remarkable when he is so

:49:02. > :49:21.far behind. You can see his head just moving

:49:22. > :49:33.around slightly - but he has always done that.

:49:34. > :49:46.What an opening red. He has done it so many times from this position

:49:47. > :50:01.that it almost becomes second nature to him. If he could somehow win this

:50:02. > :50:09.framing one visit, well... That would certainly put a few doubts

:50:10. > :50:17.into Ronnie's mind. He has not done much wrong.

:50:18. > :50:23.Yes, he is sitting there and just thinking, all I want is one chance,

:50:24. > :50:27.the way I am playing, and I am in the semifinal. But you cannot pop

:50:28. > :51:09.balls if you are sitting in that seat.

:51:10. > :51:16.That is five reds, five blacks already. But I'm sure Mark Selby

:51:17. > :51:33.will just be thinking about winning the frame

:51:34. > :51:37.will just be thinking about winning playing for the pink there. The pink

:51:38. > :51:43.will go on the blue spot. He will be back up for the pink with a nice

:51:44. > :51:52.angle, hopefully, to split the reds. One good split off this, Dennis, and

:51:53. > :51:54.we may be looking at 5-4. Yes, you would think he was leading 5-3, the

:51:55. > :53:53.way he is playing would think he was leading 5-3, the

:53:54. > :54:01.has been a bit unfortunate for the white to go tight on the side

:54:02. > :54:08.cushion. This one needs good cueing. He is only a couple of pots away

:54:09. > :54:19.from getting another frame back. And he is coming across the nap as

:54:20. > :55:09.well. Oh, he didn't quite get the cannon,

:55:10. > :55:12.and he is not safe just yet. He is a strong, strong favourite in this

:55:13. > :55:24.frame now. But if that cannon had worked, it was in the frame. -- it

:55:25. > :55:34.was end of frame. This was the one. He just caught it a bit thinner than

:55:35. > :55:37.he wanted. But as I mentioned, those colours with a blue up there, it is

:55:38. > :55:49.quite good target to try and get in behind.

:55:50. > :56:19.Well, look how the reds are now. So, Ronnie O'Sullivan is not quite out

:56:20. > :56:22.of this frame just yet. One mistake from Mark and there is a

:56:23. > :56:29.counterattack on. There is not a ball safe on the table at the

:56:30. > :56:36.moment. He may be able to have a go at this red into the corner pocket.

:56:37. > :56:42.There is a gap between the black and red to get back down the other end.

:56:43. > :56:54.He needs a bit of luck here... Well, he has not so many long balls

:56:55. > :56:57.in, because he is so far behind, he will take this on. If it goes in, he

:56:58. > :57:17.What a shot that is. has got a bit of a chance.

:57:18. > :57:26.Just look at the kiss he got on the red as well. Purposely played.

:57:27. > :57:29.Freeing up the pink. That one close to the side cushion will not be a

:57:30. > :57:36.problem for Ronnie O'Sullivan, because he is so good that handed.

:57:37. > :57:42.Surely Mark Selby can't make a 70 break and lose a frame? And of

:57:43. > :57:48.course, not only the frame, it would be the match. But you would not put

:57:49. > :57:58.it past Ronnie O'Sullivan. He relishes this sort of situation.

:57:59. > :58:06.Oh, didn't want the kiss on the black - but he is OK. He can drop

:58:07. > :58:51.the pink in. Oh, that is a great shot. Fantastic

:58:52. > :58:59.shot. Well, what a climax we could have to this match. Because the red

:59:00. > :59:06.is OK. Ronnie can switch hands if he drops in behind it - and he has got

:59:07. > :59:12.the perfect angle to do that. Well, what a finish this could be...! Mark

:59:13. > :59:17.knows that this has finished a little awkward, however.

:59:18. > :59:41.The blue, which was knocked up there at the start of the frame, could be

:59:42. > :59:49.a little awkward. This next shot. He has got to make sure he does not

:59:50. > :59:51.snooker himself with the blue. Oh, this has been absolutely sublime so

:59:52. > :00:07.far. This could be one of the best frames

:00:08. > :00:11.ever seen. Having said that, he has not got on the brown as he wanted.

:00:12. > :00:17.He has got to go all the way around the table now. Where is the cue

:00:18. > :00:26.ball...? Keep your eye on the cue ball!

:00:27. > :00:41.Where does he play at, in the middle? Into the corner? -- where

:00:42. > :00:46.does he play it? It is there. He still has a little to do. Another

:00:47. > :00:52.good shots needed. Mark made a 70 break.

:00:53. > :01:11.Can you believe it? Ronnie O'Sullivan has pulled off one of the

:01:12. > :01:18.finest clearest says you could ever wish to see. Mark Selby made a

:01:19. > :01:28.magnificent 70 break, that brilliant clearance, Ronnie O'Sullivan takes

:01:29. > :01:31.the match, a fantastic match, 6-3. STUDIO: Absolutely pulsating finish

:01:32. > :01:39.to a quite brilliant match, I'm sure you enjoyed its just as thoroughly

:01:40. > :01:43.as we have. What a clearance to end a match like that, at 73?

:01:44. > :01:48.Unbelievable, the opening red, that he potted, sublime. He has cued it

:01:49. > :01:55.so well. He landed on the pink, but the rest, superb. 11 points to play

:01:56. > :01:59.with, he had to move it around. I would say that is one of the

:02:00. > :02:06.greatest clearances of all time. I know that we've seen some amazing

:02:07. > :02:07.ones. He lost the position a fraction, but the way he knocked

:02:08. > :02:13.those balls in, that striking, if ever there was a doubt about his

:02:14. > :02:17.pressure plate... Congratulations, we were saying that was one of the

:02:18. > :02:22.best clearances we've ever seen in all time, how did you rate it? It

:02:23. > :02:28.was there, a good first red, but under pressure, it was all right. I

:02:29. > :02:32.would never refuse the shot, I thought, there was a chance. You

:02:33. > :02:37.look and seem a lot happier about that performance than what we saw

:02:38. > :02:42.the other day against Mark? I don't feel great, to be honest, but I'm

:02:43. > :02:47.trying to kid myself that I'm confident, you know? I'm trying to

:02:48. > :02:53.play with confidence, even though I'm not confident... It shows! Just,

:02:54. > :02:57.unbelievable. I could sit here and lie, but I won't. You aren't

:02:58. > :03:00.unbelievable. I could sit here and to win this tournament by playing

:03:01. > :03:04.negative, playing bad... Digging yourself in a whole, I had to try to

:03:05. > :03:12.find something. Unless I start playing as if I'm confident,. Just

:03:13. > :03:17.look down there, we have a scoresheet, those blue numbers are

:03:18. > :03:23.what you scored. Including your 60th Masters century since 1994, the

:03:24. > :03:27.milestones keep coming. 5-2 up, did you expect the Selby onslaught?

:03:28. > :03:33.Where you prepared? Absolutely, it was weird. I did not play in the UK,

:03:34. > :03:38.I was working on it, I watched a lot of snooker. I watched every one of

:03:39. > :03:44.his games, he plays like run it against everybody. I stopped taking

:03:45. > :03:50.it personal after that! He never gives you an easy opening. He is the

:03:51. > :03:56.hardest match player on the circuit. I thought, you know, keep trying to

:03:57. > :04:00.pot balls and see what happens at the end. Was it easier to get up to

:04:01. > :04:06.face mark than it is to face anyone else because you know what he is

:04:07. > :04:09.capable of? Not really, anyone in this tournament is capable of doing

:04:10. > :04:14.unbelievable things on the table. There are no easy matches in

:04:15. > :04:18.unbelievable things on the table. tournament. I might have to play

:04:19. > :04:21.John. He's on fire! John Higgins play Stuart Bingham on Friday night

:04:22. > :04:27.comedy window until late on Friday night who would will be, where you

:04:28. > :04:33.prepared for this one, compared to Mark Williams the other day, did you

:04:34. > :04:38.feel more comfortable today? I felt a bit more relaxed. I felt a bit

:04:39. > :04:43.more comfortable out there. That standard you produced, you are

:04:44. > :04:45.more comfortable out there. That that most of the players in the game

:04:46. > :04:50.come into the studio and said that was one of the best matches they

:04:51. > :04:54.played, you are a hard task master, what we saw was brilliant. Not

:04:55. > :04:58.really, you know when you are playing well and you try to squeeze

:04:59. > :05:03.past the title, when you play well, you're flying, but when you are

:05:04. > :05:08.struggling... What were you most happy with today? My attitude, it

:05:09. > :05:16.was fantastic. For five years ago, I would have been out at 6-1, 6-2.

:05:17. > :05:23.Thinking about how rubbish I felt at the table. But today, keep... Keep

:05:24. > :05:26.your foot to the pedal, see what happens. It can turn around, I know

:05:27. > :05:35.that. I tried to hang in there. How far away from you at playing? Essex

:05:36. > :05:40.is not that far! I feel like I'm struggling with my technique, I'm so

:05:41. > :05:44.off-line in my shots, it is the occasion and competitive instinct

:05:45. > :05:48.that makes me try and find something from somewhere. I'm not cruising,

:05:49. > :05:54.where you are flicking through the gears. I'm at the well every time,

:05:55. > :05:59.giving everything I've got. A nice want to win though, if you can do it

:06:00. > :06:02.in that respect... Of course, but it is nice to cruise through! A match

:06:03. > :06:07.like that, it has really entertained us and bought us thrills, brought

:06:08. > :06:12.out great form in you, your decision to come back, you talked about not

:06:13. > :06:15.being able to defend a couple of titles, does it indicate your

:06:16. > :06:20.decision to come back and keep playing? Do you get a buzz out of a

:06:21. > :06:24.day like today? It's fantastic, a great occasion and tournament, if

:06:25. > :06:29.you cannot enjoy this, you should not be playing the game, really.

:06:30. > :06:35.There are hundreds outside of the window here, all waving! It is

:06:36. > :06:43.unbelievable! They loved it, as did we. A fantastic afternoon.

:06:44. > :06:49.Rest up and we will see you in the semifinals.

:06:50. > :06:52.Barry Hawkins has waited a long time to get to the quarterfinals, but

:06:53. > :06:58.Mark Allen has been around the block in this championship. He turns 30 in

:06:59. > :07:05.a few weeks, he is the lowest ranked player left in the draw. Mark

:07:06. > :07:09.Parrott has had a word with him. If you were doing a school report

:07:10. > :07:14.for the season so far, what would it say?

:07:15. > :07:26.Probably satisfactory! But could do better. I think the results have

:07:27. > :07:30.been decent. I don't feel like I'm anywhere near my best yet, exciting

:07:31. > :07:37.times ahead. You've mentioned that you had a win. That was in Sofia? It

:07:38. > :07:41.was. Just as well that you remembered it! Brilliant to be back

:07:42. > :07:44.in the winner 's circle, good for your confidence? Nothing gives you

:07:45. > :07:49.confidence like winning does. You think you are playing well in later

:07:50. > :07:54.stages of the event, but if you keep losing, you will be doubting

:07:55. > :07:56.yourself. Winning is great, backing it up, into the champion of

:07:57. > :08:04.champions. I played my best in the tournament. I did pretty well. A

:08:05. > :08:08.sign of good things to come, hopefully. You got through to play

:08:09. > :08:12.Neil Robertson. He's been man of the season so far. It is taking the best

:08:13. > :08:18.to beat you? I think it is taking really good performances to beat me

:08:19. > :08:23.at the European Championships, Martin Gould played like a man

:08:24. > :08:27.possessed. He played brilliant against me, I was not overly

:08:28. > :08:31.disappointed, my safety was one downside, but I don't think I

:08:32. > :08:33.disappointed, my safety was one bad. I know my game is in good shape

:08:34. > :08:41.all in all, it takes monumental performances to beat me. Terry

:08:42. > :08:48.Griffiths is back in the camp. Why? I feel I need him. I had a season

:08:49. > :08:54.without him. Obviously, for contract issues, I was not able to work with

:08:55. > :08:57.him. I had a good season, it sounds strange to say I needed him, but I

:08:58. > :09:02.needed him for big events more than anything else. In the tournaments,

:09:03. > :09:07.the later stages. I felt I was not quite right in myself, the mindset

:09:08. > :09:08.was not quite right, Terry is good at saying the right things at the

:09:09. > :09:14.right time, getting you at saying the right things at the

:09:15. > :09:17.prepared. He is a good man to have in the corner, definitely good to be

:09:18. > :09:21.back working with him. Are you happy with what you've achieved in the

:09:22. > :09:25.game? Do you think you have more to offer? More to offer. I say that

:09:26. > :09:36.every time I do an interview. I'm not happy just winning PDC is, I

:09:37. > :09:43.want to win the big events -- PDCs. A particular quote in the bank, but

:09:44. > :09:46.I want to win the majors, I want to be the world champion.

:09:47. > :09:52.They are the ones that I aspire to be. I feel I have the game to do it,

:09:53. > :09:55.it is just producing them at the right times consistently. You have a

:09:56. > :10:01.decent record, some semifinals, you've never quite got to the

:10:02. > :10:07.finals. There is no one in the game I have not beat. Why would I be

:10:08. > :10:11.afraid? If I play well, I expect to win. I probably know the answer but

:10:12. > :10:22.if you don't win, who will? I don't care! Exactly right! I don't care, I

:10:23. > :10:23.if you don't win, who will? I don't don't watch a lot of snooker when

:10:24. > :10:23.I'm beaten, especially if I've just don't watch a lot of snooker when

:10:24. > :10:26.tournament. They are all good players. Thank you.

:10:27. > :10:29.He knocked out the defending champion, Mark Allen, up against

:10:30. > :10:35.Barry Hawkins this evening. These are the head to heads. In the

:10:36. > :10:40.major matches, Mark Allen has a 4-3 advantage, it is more emphatic when

:10:41. > :10:44.you think about the exhibitions, 9-3 he leads. A considerable advantage

:10:45. > :10:49.in all matches played against Barry Hawkins. How do you see this one

:10:50. > :10:54.going to night? These are two fellows who are yet to

:10:55. > :10:57.make it in terms of winning one of snooker's big three. It's the last

:10:58. > :11:01.thing they want to achieve? I think probably, like a lot of these

:11:02. > :11:06.matches, it is best of 11, they have more meat on the bone. It is so

:11:07. > :11:11.close to call, we know full well the top players are so tightly bunched,

:11:12. > :11:16.it seems to be who happens to hit form on the night, on the day. Barry

:11:17. > :11:25.Hawkins is interesting, three years ago at the Crucible, he'd never been

:11:26. > :11:26.past the last 16, but suddenly, passed that hurdle, he's in the

:11:27. > :11:32.final. Three semifinals, bang, bang, one after the next, this is the

:11:33. > :11:35.first time he's passed the last six? He's not played particularly well

:11:36. > :11:41.here, and he wins his first match... Who knows? It was an incredibly

:11:42. > :11:46.tough match to pick the winner, both players have good qualities. Hawkins

:11:47. > :11:53.is a good match player. You say 9-3, the last few matches have been very

:11:54. > :11:56.close, even Stevens. I thought out of all the matches, this was the

:11:57. > :11:59.hardest to pick the winner. There is a recent memory they have at the

:12:00. > :12:06.Crucible last year, in the last 16 they faced one another. Allen had an

:12:07. > :12:11.11-8 frames lead. Hawkins came and won the last five. A stinging

:12:12. > :12:15.memory? Yes, Mark Allen has some attitude around the table. That

:12:16. > :12:21.counts. Bling. Barry Hawkins is quite unassuming, and quiet,

:12:22. > :12:27.assuming he is too nice to be a winner. There are many ways to play

:12:28. > :12:34.this game of snooker. Barry goes about his business, he can be very

:12:35. > :12:35.effective. He can indeed, I should remind you that Jason and John will

:12:36. > :12:41.be in the studio at 7pm for the start of the match. You will see it

:12:42. > :12:45.via the BBC sport app and on the red button after 8pm.

:12:46. > :12:49.We will leave you with a couple more thoughts about what we've seen

:12:50. > :12:52.today. Surely, one of the greatest clearances we've ever seen in the

:12:53. > :12:56.long history of the Masters. The other players left in this draw,

:12:57. > :13:01.what message will it send out to them? They will have been watching,

:13:02. > :13:05.you can guarantee that, his long game is devastating and it will be

:13:06. > :13:08.frightening to play safe against. I agree, if you're long game is in

:13:09. > :13:13.good shape, you went make many mistakes in your short game. You are

:13:14. > :13:18.cueing accurately indeed, that is enough to give you confidence.

:13:19. > :13:22.Thank you for a fantastic afternoon, sharing it with you and at home, I

:13:23. > :13:25.hope you've enjoyed it. We've had some e-mails and tweets in saying

:13:26. > :13:34.you secretly been watching it at work, so well done!

:13:35. > :13:34.We will see you at 7pm this evening... A breathtaking afternoon.

:13:35. > :13:48.Goodbye for now. So, no-one pays tax here?

:13:49. > :14:17.No-one pays taxes. All you need to know

:14:18. > :14:33.about tax avoidance