:00:34. > :00:41.Good evening to you and welcome to Alexandra Palace and the 2016
:00:42. > :00:45.Dafabet Masters. We have reach the quarterfinals. This evening we shall
:00:46. > :00:48.see England sallied Barry Hawkins take on Mark Allen of Northern
:00:49. > :00:52.Ireland. One familiar name is already through to the semifinals
:00:53. > :01:00.after a fantastic meeting between two former champions this afternoon.
:01:01. > :01:05.DENNIS TAYLOR: It is going to be fascinating to see how this starts
:01:06. > :01:11.off. KEN DOHERTY: What a shot! What a
:01:12. > :01:33.Shokat is! What a clearance from Mark Selby!
:01:34. > :01:40.Beautifully cued. Beautiful. He leads by 3-1. Tell you what, that is
:01:41. > :01:46.something you or myself would not be able to do, Ken! Black for this
:01:47. > :01:55.first century... Fantastic. That is a beauty. Excellent shot.
:01:56. > :02:19.That was a lovely shot. Oh, he did not quite get the cannon
:02:20. > :02:30.and he is not safe just yet. What a shot he has played there. It is
:02:31. > :02:35.there. But he has still got a little bit to do. Can you believe it?!
:02:36. > :02:39.Ronnie O'Sullivan has pulled out one of the finest clearances you could
:02:40. > :02:47.ever wish to see! Ronnie O'Sullivan takes the match six frames to three.
:02:48. > :02:51.It really is something special when Ronnie O'Sullivan performs here
:02:52. > :02:53.It really is something special when Alexandra Palace. John Parrott is
:02:54. > :02:56.alongside me. Mark Selby said he was going to get into Ronnie
:02:57. > :03:00.O'Sullivan's head, but he did not get a chance. He was always playing
:03:01. > :03:05.catch-up. Funnily enough his break-offs were not very good today,
:03:06. > :03:13.so he was getting behind early on in frames. Borneo special -- Ronnie
:03:14. > :03:17.O'Sullivan was special today. Mark Selby just looked like he was
:03:18. > :03:21.getting the bit between his teeth when Ronnie O'Sullivan did that
:03:22. > :03:25.clearance. That first red was superb. To make that clearance in
:03:26. > :03:31.the circumstances, absolutely brilliant. Given the fact that
:03:32. > :03:36.Ronnie sat out the UK Championships in York, do you think he is in the
:03:37. > :03:43.right frame of mind to win this tournament? Absolutely. He was miles
:03:44. > :03:44.better today than he was in his first match. It will be a massive
:03:45. > :03:48.boost to his confidence. There is a lot of rivalry with Mark Selby -
:03:49. > :03:58.that is a big result today. Moving onto this evening now, and Barry
:03:59. > :03:59.Hawkins takes on Mark Allen. Let's find out what our stars think of
:04:00. > :04:16.tonight's competitors. Mark Allen had a few nobles on the
:04:17. > :04:21.door before finally converting in China, and he won the same event
:04:22. > :04:27.again in 2013. Not being disrespectful, not necessarily
:04:28. > :04:28.premiership, but championship material, knocking on the door of
:04:29. > :04:34.the Premiership? Not so sure material, knocking on the door of
:04:35. > :04:38.that. I think when he performs at his best, he can outplay anybody.
:04:39. > :04:44.Just like a tiger, he wears his heart on his sleeve more often than
:04:45. > :04:48.not. What he is great at is his positional play in and around the
:04:49. > :04:53.pink and black. His consistency is not as good as some of the other top
:04:54. > :04:57.players. I can understand that. He can be very inconsistent and
:04:58. > :05:02.sometimes he does not look interested just might throw in the
:05:03. > :05:03.towel too early. But if he is in the mood, he makes some lovely little
:05:04. > :05:08.cannons around the pink and black. mood, he makes some lovely little
:05:09. > :05:15.Evoking the reds beautifully. He plays with a lot of heart. On his
:05:16. > :05:21.day, he is unstoppable, potting balls from all over the place. Very
:05:22. > :05:24.clever, he knows snooker inside out. He is gritty and determined and has
:05:25. > :05:30.a lot of bottle. What all the attributes to make a winner, I
:05:31. > :05:39.think, yet does not feature in the winners' enclosure as often as you
:05:40. > :05:43.would think he would. You are kind of expecting a big run at one of
:05:44. > :05:47.these big tournaments any day soon. As Ken says, we keep saying that one
:05:48. > :05:53.day Mark Allen will win one of these big tournaments. He leads the career
:05:54. > :05:57.head-to-heads between the two. He won the last meeting. But Hawkins
:05:58. > :06:02.has never made the semifinal at the Masters. He will fancy his chances
:06:03. > :06:08.this evening. It is too tight to call, isn't it? Yes, I thought it
:06:09. > :06:12.was difficult to pick the winner in this section of the draw. I think
:06:13. > :06:18.this is a really good matchup. Barry Hawkins is up an exceptional
:06:19. > :06:26.matchplay. Mark Allen likewise. I cannot split them. I did an
:06:27. > :06:29.interview with Mark here last way and he said, he is aware of what the
:06:30. > :06:34.pundits are saying about him. Not being able to deliver on the main
:06:35. > :06:40.stage... He got to the final of the Champion Of Champions a few weeks
:06:41. > :06:49.ago, and it took Neil Robertson to knock him out. So he is very close.
:06:50. > :06:53.Listen, he could go close. One fascinating thing tonight is that
:06:54. > :06:59.Terry Griffiths is in the corner of both players this evening. Steve
:07:00. > :07:02.Davis cracked me up on the earlier show when he said it might be the
:07:03. > :07:05.quickest Terry Griffiths has ever moved if he goes from one to the
:07:06. > :07:12.other. He will have to have two hats tonight. So, was an almost there. We
:07:13. > :07:16.can join our MC, Rob Walker. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the climax
:07:17. > :07:22.of day five here at the Dafabet Masters. We are gearing up for a
:07:23. > :07:24.brilliant climax to this year's Championship. Ronnie O'Sullivan has
:07:25. > :07:28.already booked his place in the semis. But which of our two
:07:29. > :07:33.world-class players will be joining him in the mix come Saturday? It is
:07:34. > :07:34.time for another thrilling instalment of drama here at the
:07:35. > :07:59.always atmospheric Alexandra Palace! Please welcome one of the most
:08:00. > :08:00.exciting break-builders in the modern game. After knocking out
:08:01. > :08:04.Shaun Murphy on Sunday, winner of two renting event titles, some of
:08:05. > :08:07.his friends and his wife have come over from Northern Ireland to cheer
:08:08. > :08:12.him on tonight. Please welcome Mark Allen!
:08:13. > :08:49.And his opponent, a player who won his first match at the Masters on
:08:50. > :08:53.Monday, beating Joe Perry. He has thrived over the last few seasons,
:08:54. > :09:00.winning his first ranking title in Australia in 2012 and adding the PTC
:09:01. > :09:07.Grand Finals two years later. He is now firmly established among the
:09:08. > :09:15.game's elite. Please welcome The Eagle-eyed Barry Hawkins!
:09:16. > :09:38.Great welcome there for the world number eight, Barry Hawkins, but
:09:39. > :09:42.surely Mark Allen will fancy this, having beaten Shaun Murphy 6-4 in
:09:43. > :09:47.the first round. Let's sit back and enjoy this in the company of John
:09:48. > :09:56.Virgo and Stephen Hendry. JOHN VIRGO: Thank you, Jason, good
:09:57. > :09:59.evening, everybody. There is an interesting stat I have seen on the
:10:00. > :10:07.sheet. Barry turned professional nine years before Mark, and yet Mark
:10:08. > :10:12.has made 206 to seven career centuries, against Barry's 196. Do
:10:13. > :10:16.you think that is where it could be decided, on that scoring ability
:10:17. > :10:20.when they get in amongst the balls? STEPHEN HENDRY: Yes, I did not know
:10:21. > :10:26.that start until you mentioned it. But yes, when it comes to this
:10:27. > :10:26.that start until you mentioned it. event, with the best players in the
:10:27. > :10:29.that start until you mentioned it. world, I think it does come down to
:10:30. > :10:33.scoring. Long potting is important when it comes to getting in and
:10:34. > :10:38.getting chances. Safety is always turn a matter somewhat. Not as much
:10:39. > :10:43.I do not believe as some people. But I think it comes down to scoring.
:10:44. > :10:52.That stat you just came out with, John, it could be the difference.
:10:53. > :10:56.Also this season, Mark has made 22 centuries against Barry's six. So if
:10:57. > :11:00.he does get opportunities, you fancy may be Mark Allen will score a bit
:11:01. > :11:06.better. But Barry is a very tenacious matchplay. Sometimes you
:11:07. > :11:19.do not get clear-cut frames where breaks are always on.
:11:20. > :11:45.Much too thin. And a bit fortunate, really. Catching the jaws of the
:11:46. > :12:01.pocket. That slowed the cue ball down and left it in the baulk end.
:12:02. > :12:08.Did not take advantage there, with his hand on the table, should have
:12:09. > :12:17.played a better safety shot than that. Obviously, a little bit of
:12:18. > :12:23.tension out there. Chance of a pot here. As long as he brings the cue
:12:24. > :12:27.ball over to the left-hand side of the table as we look at it, he
:12:28. > :12:37.should not leave anything. A long way off there. As so often happens,
:12:38. > :12:39.the only ball you think you can leave is the one you do actually end
:12:40. > :13:02.up leaving. Those first two potting attempts
:13:03. > :13:09.will not give either player much confidence. As you say, John, a bit
:13:10. > :13:14.edgy. Yes, and I think Mark can get through to this red just below the
:13:15. > :13:15.pink. So that could be costly. This will clear the pink area.
:13:16. > :13:41.So, he will have the pink, which will be available into both corners,
:13:42. > :13:41.and into the middle pocket. The blue is on its spot. It is a decent
:13:42. > :14:58.chance, this. A few little stones and screws.
:14:59. > :15:06.Looks like he has come back nicely for the pink. Yes, I think this is
:15:07. > :15:11.Watkin was on about beforehand. Around the pink and black, he is
:15:12. > :15:25.very good at this type of game. He has got the cue action for it.
:15:26. > :15:29.He does not have the perfect angle on the red, but no problem. He is
:15:30. > :15:52.nicely once again on the pink. It is just what you need, this type
:15:53. > :15:56.of virginity, if you are feeling a bit nervous -- this type of
:15:57. > :16:06.opportunity if you are feeling a bit nervous at the start of the match.
:16:07. > :16:12.Lots of little stuns and screws around the pink. Whenever he pots
:16:13. > :16:19.one red, it seems to release another one, so it is all going to plan at
:16:20. > :16:24.the moment. Yes, just a little shake of the head there. He needed to
:16:25. > :16:26.screw a bit further up the table. But he has got too straight on this
:16:27. > :16:51.one. Should not cause a problem. And once again, he looks as though
:16:52. > :17:03.he has come a little bit too straight. Well, obviously, when he
:17:04. > :17:06.parted that red, as you say, he pots one and it clears the path for
:17:07. > :17:15.another. This one just above the black now goes to the left corner.
:17:16. > :17:28.56 points lead. So, three more reds would do it.
:17:29. > :17:36.When Mark Allen missed his first long pot by a long way, and then
:17:37. > :17:39.Barry missed his chance, perhaps he would not have been expecting to
:17:40. > :17:46.lose the frame from it. But it looks like it now. Yes, he should not have
:17:47. > :17:51.missed that red, Barry Hawkins, but the one he missed came down and it
:17:52. > :18:00.cleared the path for the one just below the pink. And that obviously
:18:01. > :18:10.made it a very good scoring opportunity. Fair play, he has taken
:18:11. > :18:12.full advantage. So, the black would put him 71 points in front with just
:18:13. > :18:35.67 remaining. That was not the cleanest of pots.
:18:36. > :18:43.Just went in off the right jaw. Has a chance now to go ahead and
:18:44. > :18:45.possibly make a century. As we said before, he can be a heavy scorer
:18:46. > :19:27.when he gets going. This red on the left-hand side of
:19:28. > :19:34.the table should not be a problem free left-hand. He just does not
:19:35. > :19:41.want to come straight. Well, he has been a bit careless. Cannot really
:19:42. > :19:42.get the cue ball away from the crushing.
:19:43. > :19:53.-- from the cushion. Well, he can do it like that. He already holds the
:19:54. > :20:00.highest break of the tournament so far, a break of 137. Well played!
:20:01. > :20:50.It looked in! But it did not matter. Barry Hawkins missed a fairly
:20:51. > :20:53.straightforward red, and sat down for the rest of the frame. Good
:20:54. > :20:58.start for Mark Allen, who leads 1-0. Brilliant form from Mark Allen
:20:59. > :21:05.there. 268 career centuries now for him. Well, we said here's a scorer,
:21:06. > :21:09.that is what he is very good at. He has got quite a short cue action
:21:10. > :21:13.compared with a lot of players. It is very useful in amongst the pink
:21:14. > :21:20.and black. But Barry will be disappointed with that opening red.
:21:21. > :21:25.Because he is left-handed, he should still pot it but it is one of those
:21:26. > :21:27.you might put a bit of side on. For a right-hander, that would have been
:21:28. > :21:33.virtually unmissable. But sometimes cueing across, start of the match, a
:21:34. > :21:37.little bit nervous, he will not need to do too many more of those. John
:21:38. > :21:41.mentioned in commentary, a bit of tension for Barry Hawkins? You
:21:42. > :21:48.expect that. Mark Allen also missed his initial red by quite some way,
:21:49. > :21:56.so he would have been delighted to get back to the table. In
:21:57. > :21:57.competitions like this, do you think your previous experience at the
:21:58. > :22:02.Masters counts for a certain amount, given that Mark Allen has got to
:22:03. > :22:06.semifinals in the past? It can do, but in Barry's case, you would be
:22:07. > :22:10.thinking, he has played here six times, and that was the first time
:22:11. > :22:14.he has won in the first round. He spent a few years at The Crucible
:22:15. > :22:17.without getting past the first round, and then when he did
:22:18. > :22:22.eventually, he actually breached the final. Both players have got enough
:22:23. > :22:26.experience to know what big match play snooker is all about. In the
:22:27. > :22:31.Masters, you need to get a good start. You do not get any easy
:22:32. > :22:35.matches. You have obviously come through your first one to get to the
:22:36. > :22:46.quarters. You have got to be right at it from the start.
:22:47. > :22:55.There is the wonderful trophy that somebody will pick up on Sunday
:22:56. > :22:58.evening. He caught that break-off shot a little bit too thick. He has
:22:59. > :23:24.left Barry this red. Right in the heart of the pocket. It
:23:25. > :23:29.is quite funny, Stephen, I was in the press room and the referee Colin
:23:30. > :23:36.Humphreys, because they do the toss backstage, and he said to Mark
:23:37. > :23:42.Allen, I am going to toss the coin. He said, well, if I win it, I want
:23:43. > :23:51.him to break-off. Years ago, if you won the toss, you always broke off.
:23:52. > :23:55.Maybe I can see WHY Mark did not want to break-off. It could cost
:23:56. > :24:05.him. That was a good opening red from Barry Hawkins.
:24:06. > :24:11.STEPHEN HENDRY: Yes, I used to think the only reason you would not want
:24:12. > :24:16.to break-off in the first frame is, should it go to a decider, you might
:24:17. > :24:19.get first chance in the deciding frame. That is the only reason that
:24:20. > :24:34.I could think of for making someone else break.
:24:35. > :24:47.Pity. Good opening red but just overran off the ground. Shake of the
:24:48. > :25:01.head. Disappointed. -- off the brown.
:25:02. > :25:23.Catching the blue. But I don't think it left a pot on.
:25:24. > :25:33.Good safety, though. He would love to get through to the red on the
:25:34. > :25:35.left-hand side of the table. If he tried playing safe down the
:25:36. > :25:40.right-hand side as we look, tried playing safe down the
:25:41. > :25:47.catch it too thick, you could run into the black. Just looking at that
:25:48. > :25:53.red on the left-hand side of the table, he can't get to the rights
:25:54. > :26:10.and -- to the right-hand side of it to get back into baulk. So he has a
:26:11. > :26:16.slight problem here. He has got to catch this very thin.
:26:17. > :26:22.He played it well. Played it very well. Good shot.
:26:23. > :27:08.Just a little bit thick and that safety. With his hand on the table,
:27:09. > :27:25.you would expect a better safety shot from Mark Allen. But he could
:27:26. > :27:29.not avoid the blue. Good target that now, the yellow, blue and brown, if
:27:30. > :28:00.you can get the cue ball somewhere near the baulk cushion.
:28:01. > :28:08.Barry got up off the shot a couple of times, and that was the reason.
:28:09. > :28:08.He knew there was a red going over the corner. The brown might have
:28:09. > :28:31.come to his rescue, though. He might be forced into taking the
:28:32. > :28:37.swerve on here for that red over the corner. I cannot see many safety
:28:38. > :28:43.opportunities. And you could even think, maybe come off the top
:28:44. > :28:46.cushion to nestle on that red. But there is two which would be
:28:47. > :28:53.available into the middle pocket. So, he is in a spot of bother here.
:28:54. > :28:59.I kind of think it is worth the risk. Obviously, you do not want to
:29:00. > :29:06.follow through and pot the white as well. There is a chance of finishing
:29:07. > :29:19.on the black or pink. There is the virtual image. Well, he is just
:29:20. > :29:26.going to come off the top cushion. He decided to hit it firm. But
:29:27. > :29:27.playing it that way, he was always going to leave the chance of a red
:29:28. > :29:47.to the right middle. Well, this is a bit tricky but it
:29:48. > :29:52.would give him position on the black. Good shot.
:29:53. > :30:27.The red he'd love to get rid of is the one to the left of the black. He
:30:28. > :30:31.might have the angle to stun round the back of it. I think it passes
:30:32. > :30:33.the black, so he could play for the red in the same pocket he's potted
:30:34. > :31:05.the black. He's played it nicely. Needs to play a cannon here, the two
:31:06. > :31:10.reds immediately above the black, cannon full into one of those, he'll
:31:11. > :31:11.have a choice of reds. He's overdone it. He needed to catch it fuller
:31:12. > :31:24.than that. It's gone slightly astray. OK, he's
:31:25. > :31:30.still got pots on, but nothing that is guaranteeing him position on the
:31:31. > :31:40.colour. He's going to be running into another red off this one.
:31:41. > :32:13.The red that he missed in the first frame was into that pocket. That
:32:14. > :32:31.might have been at the back of his mind. That was a good shot.
:32:32. > :32:41.He will take the cue ball off two cushions for the pink or black in
:32:42. > :32:44.the left corner. He's chosen to stay up that end of the table for a baulk
:32:45. > :32:58.colour. One good positional shot here and
:32:59. > :32:58.he'll have the red that is closest to the pink spot, I think, to the
:32:59. > :33:35.left corner. He will be very disappointed if he
:33:36. > :33:45.doesn't win the frame from here. Yes. And there is no excuses. He's
:33:46. > :33:46.got reds, the number of reds he requires are all gathered around
:33:47. > :34:25.this area. He judged it well. This is a good
:34:26. > :34:44.response. He decided to play for the red near
:34:45. > :34:47.the cushion. That's OK, as long as he's got a decent angle, and he
:34:48. > :34:51.doesn't want to be too straight on it.
:34:52. > :34:54.He is straight, but he will be able to screw back for the black in the
:34:55. > :35:05.same pocket. He couldn't have cued it much better
:35:06. > :35:07.than that. So, this black to put him 70 points in front with 67
:35:08. > :35:17.remaining. Well played. Sat out most of the
:35:18. > :35:24.first frame when Mark Allen made that lovely break of 109. We could
:35:25. > :35:30.see century here. -- we could see another century here.
:35:31. > :35:35.Considering their first two attempts at pots in the first frame, we
:35:36. > :35:38.thought both players looked a bit edgy. Since then, the standard has
:35:39. > :35:54.been excellent. It will be hard to pick a winner out
:35:55. > :36:11.of this match, John. He's a bit unlucky there. Yeah.
:36:12. > :36:15.Well, there is a possibility he can make this into a plant. That is what
:36:16. > :36:17.he is eyeing up. The frame is well and truly over. He would love to
:36:18. > :36:31.make the century, though. Unlucky. A good response from Barry
:36:32. > :36:35.Hawkins. Winning the frame in one visit. That is what you'd like to
:36:36. > :36:44.do. That is what he's done. We are all square.
:36:45. > :36:49.JASON MOHAMMAD: At this point in the programme, we usually say, what do
:36:50. > :36:51.we know, but it is proving tight out there? He made that miss in the
:36:52. > :36:55.first frame, Barry Hawkins. That break was started with an excellent
:36:56. > :36:59.red. Mark Allen decided to play the stun on the red to leave the cue
:37:00. > :37:02.ball up the table and he left Barry Hawkins this. These are really tough
:37:03. > :37:07.on these tournament tables. He could not hit that any better. It was
:37:08. > :37:11.beautifully cued. The funny thing is, no matter what level you are at,
:37:12. > :37:14.certain shots can go wrong. Barry Hawkins, have a look at the
:37:15. > :37:20.situation here, he has a lovely cannon into the two reds, he can't
:37:21. > :37:25.be on anything else but perfect, and it just sneaks behind the other red.
:37:26. > :37:30.After that, he loses - so a position that looked perfect for him, with
:37:31. > :37:36.one shot, the cannon went wrong and he had to grab his positional shots
:37:37. > :37:39.again. He did really well to keep it. One simple shot like that, if
:37:40. > :37:44.you don't get the cannon right... That long green was a terrific pot.
:37:45. > :37:48.It was something we noted when we saw him have that remarkable run at
:37:49. > :37:52.The Crucible, only to lose to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final. When he
:37:53. > :37:56.finds his rhythm, he is a difficult opponent? He has a wonderful cue
:37:57. > :38:00.ball control. There is an economy of effort with the cue ball when
:38:01. > :38:01.Hawkins makes a break, he keeps the cue ball very tight. She a class
:38:02. > :38:17.act. -- he is a class act. JOHN VIRGO: A couple of years ago,
:38:18. > :38:21.it was like a coming-of-age for Barry. He gave Ronnie O'Sullivan a
:38:22. > :38:34.run for his money, make no mistake about that.
:38:35. > :38:40.STEPHEN HENDRY: A decent break off. The black is tied up. That sometimes
:38:41. > :38:58.can make for an awkward frame. REFEREE: Touching ball. Every player
:38:59. > :39:04.loves to hear the player say that. It enables you to get back to the
:39:05. > :39:07.baulk end with no effort. Touching the red, you fire away, you are then
:39:08. > :39:24.deemed to have hit it. He may have to play a similar type
:39:25. > :39:29.of shot off the side cushion, unless he feels the yellow's in the way. He
:39:30. > :39:31.must do because he's trying to play a thin contact here. He has to be
:39:32. > :39:42.careful with this. Yeah, caught it too thick and that
:39:43. > :40:10.is why he cannoned the red on the right-hand side of the table.
:40:11. > :40:25.But Stephen said at the start off the break-off, the black was tied
:40:26. > :40:29.up. The pink is out of commission. He can play a cannon here on the
:40:30. > :40:34.pink to hold the cue ball, or maybe bring the pink into play.
:40:35. > :40:45.He decided to play for the loose red. I think I might have taken a
:40:46. > :40:54.chance and tried to play the drop cannon on to the pink. I this I the
:40:55. > :41:04.way the balls are situated, it is very tough to make a frame-winning
:41:05. > :41:15.break off the blue. He has a nice angle to go into that pink ball.
:41:16. > :41:25.You can only assume that that is what he was playing for and he
:41:26. > :41:25.underhit it. Considering he was using the spider, he played that
:41:26. > :41:49.well. He's just letting the cue ball run a
:41:50. > :41:52.couple of inches further than he would have liked to make this red
:41:53. > :41:56.completely comfortable. He should still get it, of course.
:41:57. > :42:10.This time he hasn't - he may just have gone past the blue. There you
:42:11. > :42:19.see, just a slight angle. He's running out of loose reds.
:42:20. > :42:29.He would love to have an angle on the blue this time to get on that
:42:30. > :42:36.red above the black. A slight angle to play a cannon.
:42:37. > :42:45.That's not bad. Yeah, looks as though - it is one of those, if you
:42:46. > :42:49.could run the blue in and come off the side cushion, you'd feel as
:42:50. > :42:52.though you could guarantee leaving yourself a nice angle on the red
:42:53. > :42:58.that Stephen has mentioned. If you are playing the stun, then it's a
:42:59. > :43:04.little bit more difficult to judge. I this I the -- I think the
:43:05. > :43:08.follow-through, he is going to be guaranteed a pot on the red. Whether
:43:09. > :43:09.he is going to have an angle to cannon the red to the left of the
:43:10. > :43:23.black is another question. In the end, he chose to play a very
:43:24. > :43:25.positive shot. That couldn't have worked out much better.
:43:26. > :43:33.I think he can still play the cannon to the left of the black. Great
:43:34. > :43:42.shot. Yeah, very well worked out. He's give himself a frame-winning
:43:43. > :43:56.opportunity now. I think when we talk about that run
:43:57. > :43:59.that he had at The Crucible, that's what's improved in his game over the
:44:00. > :44:10.past four or five years, to get him into the top eight in the world is
:44:11. > :44:11.his break-building. He plays the right shot, and the aggressive shot,
:44:12. > :44:14.all of the time. Not many players would have played that off two
:44:15. > :45:11.cushions into the bunch there with a couple of open reds.
:45:12. > :45:16.There's a red in the middle of the bunch here. But he won't get on the
:45:17. > :45:22.black from that. This is the red to take. You can see there is a plant
:45:23. > :45:46.on as well, but he won't be taking that on.
:45:47. > :45:51.In the first frame when he missed the red, you thought there's a bit
:45:52. > :45:55.of tension in the arm - understandable. There is no tension
:45:56. > :46:10.now. He is delivering the cue beautifully.
:46:11. > :46:18.He played for that red that he looked at a couple of shots ago to
:46:19. > :46:22.the same pocket. Again, he's come too short. He's going to go up for
:46:23. > :46:30.the blue. I don't think he can avoid the cannon on the red touching the
:46:31. > :46:35.pink. So, it shouldn't be a problem. You are looking from behind the
:46:36. > :46:41.pocket, that plant looks on. There is a bit of distance between the two
:46:42. > :46:48.balls. He had no need to play it, of course. I think the red two down
:46:49. > :46:53.from the pink is available into the left corner. He is coming round to
:46:54. > :46:57.have a look. When you get to this situation, you are a couple of pots
:46:58. > :47:01.away from winning the frame, you don't, if you can help it, want to
:47:02. > :47:07.risk playing cannons. It could go wrong.
:47:08. > :47:16.He did play the cannon, but no harm done. The only downside is that the
:47:17. > :47:27.black, I don't think is available to the right corner. Just looking for a
:47:28. > :47:29.red and a colour. Playing with topspin so going back up for the
:47:30. > :47:39.blue. Always going to be difficult,
:47:40. > :47:43.particularly using the rest, to generate the pace. He only needs the
:47:44. > :47:45.blue. If he pots the blue, he will be 68 points in front with 67
:47:46. > :48:07.remaining. So, Mark Allen needs a snooker. One
:48:08. > :48:11.snooker, of course, is not impossible. So Barry will be giving
:48:12. > :48:27.this 100%, this pot. A nice break, but, in the end,
:48:28. > :48:30.playing the cannon - it's a pity, if the black had been available into
:48:31. > :48:32.the right corner, he may well have gone on and made a century break.
:48:33. > :49:18.Mark Allen needs a snooker. So, this 67 points that are
:49:19. > :49:26.available, I think he can cue past the brown. He doesn't necessarily
:49:27. > :49:29.need to be all blacks with the reds. He needs a good kiss on the pink -
:49:30. > :49:50.got one, got one! The thing is, he needs to be playing
:49:51. > :49:55.blacks and that last red, the one he'd ideally like to leave is the
:49:56. > :49:58.one below the pink, that would be a simple matter of stunning that up
:49:59. > :50:03.the table and getting the snooker behind the pink, the one snooker
:50:04. > :50:09.that's required. So, he can afford one more pink. I'm a little bit
:50:10. > :50:13.surprised he didn't play for the red to the right middle to get on to the
:50:14. > :50:22.black. That pink goes in this corner. He's not out of this by any
:50:23. > :50:36.means, this frame. He's going to struggle a bit now.
:50:37. > :50:40.You would love to leave that red closest to the pink last, and play
:50:41. > :50:55.the snooker behind the pink. The way he's come now, it's awkward.
:50:56. > :51:14.That was a lot better shot than it looked. And now he's back in good
:51:15. > :51:18.position. As I say, he'll leave that last red, you would have thought,
:51:19. > :51:36.and play the snooker off the last red.
:51:37. > :51:51.He needs to get the cue ball as tight on that pink.
:51:52. > :52:01.That may be a bit careless. That's very careless. I mean, listen, he
:52:02. > :52:05.can pot the red and play for the black and maybe try and get the
:52:06. > :52:06.snooker on the yellow. If he had got this in the right position, this
:52:07. > :52:17.would have been a certain snooker. Just needed to stop an inch or two
:52:18. > :52:30.before then. The problem is, with that shot,
:52:31. > :52:31.that's not difficult to hit. He needed to be tight to the pink and
:52:32. > :52:40.cut off the one-cushion escape. And he's not done that. The red is just
:52:41. > :52:43.a I way from the baulk cushion, wouldn't be the first time we have
:52:44. > :52:51.seen someone go round a ball like that. And maybe the middle pocket is
:52:52. > :52:55.just slightly in the way. Doesn't look as though it is.
:52:56. > :53:04.He can play this off two cushions, you would think.
:53:05. > :53:12.Yeah, it was too easy to hit. Hello! I was thinking he might get another
:53:13. > :53:43.chance here to nestle up behind the green. It's not the case.
:53:44. > :53:49.He needs a snooker, but the prior if you don't fancy getting a snooker,
:53:50. > :53:55.you must get the object ball safe. If you don't, you won't have any
:53:56. > :55:13.chance for anymore snookers. He needs to miss the blue. If he
:55:14. > :55:24.missed the blue, it would have been a certain snooker. There you see it.
:55:25. > :55:29.Barry Hawkins 37 ahead, 35 remaining.
:55:30. > :55:43.That's one way to stop your opponent getting a snooker, snooker him! And
:55:44. > :55:53.this is going to be very difficult to get out of.
:55:54. > :56:00.REFEREE: Foul, thank you. Barry Hawkins five. He fouled the blue
:56:01. > :56:06.when he was striking over - he called it. And I think it's a free
:56:07. > :56:12.ball as well. So, I think that's the end of the frame, as far as Mark
:56:13. > :56:19.Allen is concerned. We saw the blue just move. I'm sure Mark Allen would
:56:20. > :56:23.have liked to have conceded there and then, but it's etiquette, when
:56:24. > :56:44.it is your opponent's turn to come to the table. You don't concede.
:56:45. > :57:01.The first frame took just under 11 minutes. The second frame just under
:57:02. > :57:09.14 minutes. This has only taken a bit longer because of the attempt
:57:10. > :57:14.from Mark Allen to play a snooker, otherwise it's been high-quality
:57:15. > :57:17.stuff. I bet Mark Allen, after making that great century in the
:57:18. > :57:27.first frame, wouldn't have been expecting to be 2-1 down.
:57:28. > :57:43.He tried to get the cannon on the blue. Doesn't matter. Hello! This
:57:44. > :57:46.blue is going close. Where's the blue ball going? Not quite.
:57:47. > :57:49.Impressive. The 68 break early on put him in the snookers required
:57:50. > :57:54.stage. Mark Allen did have a chance but he didn't make the most of it.
:57:55. > :58:02.Barry Hawkins leads 2-1. JASON MOHAMMAD: Very shaky start by
:58:03. > :58:06.Barry Hawkins in that opening frame, but he's settled down. Yes, Mark
:58:07. > :58:09.Allen did miss a trick. Off the black, he will be kicking himself he
:58:10. > :58:14.didn't get there. He had a great chance to lay that snooker there. If
:58:15. > :58:20.he had got an angle to stun in behind the pink, nice and tight to
:58:21. > :58:21.the pink, Barry Hawkins would have been in a bit of trouble. Just that
:58:22. > :58:22.shot off the black has cost him. We know Mark Allen can pot balls. What
:58:23. > :58:27.do you make of his safety game? know Mark Allen can pot balls. What
:58:28. > :58:30.have to get better. He had a chance to get back to the baulk area, hit
:58:31. > :58:36.it too thick and it cost him the frame. His safety will have to
:58:37. > :58:38.tighten up. Thank you very much indeed. This match continues on the
:58:39. > :58:43.Red Button and also on connected devices. We shall be back with
:58:44. > :58:46.highlights at 11.15pm on BBC Two with the best of this match and
:58:47. > :58:50.showing you highlights of Ronnie O'Sullivan's win this afternoon over
:58:51. > :58:51.Mark Selby. My thanks to John Parrott. From all of us here, bye
:58:52. > :59:05.for now. So, no-one pays tax here?
:59:06. > :59:09.No-one pays taxes.