:00:34. > :00:56.It's a great win by John Spencer. He becomes the first Benson and hedges
:00:57. > :01:03.Masters. Terry Griffiths, shot to the top of World Snooker. The first
:01:04. > :01:12.man to have his name twice on the Masters trophy. Alex "Hurricane"
:01:13. > :01:20.Higgins. And extraordinary young snooker player. 24-year-old Steve
:01:21. > :01:29.Davis finally has the one he wanted. And just look at that board.
:01:30. > :01:47.LAUGHTER words escape me. It was Canadian Cliff Thorburn who
:01:48. > :01:54.became the master of 86. Still the Masters champion.
:01:55. > :02:09.CHEERING A tremendous cheer for young Mark
:02:10. > :02:13.Williams from Wales. Congratulations to Paul Hunter. He wins his third
:02:14. > :02:26.Masters title. It's Ronnie Sullivan or Joe Perry
:02:27. > :02:29.for the Paul Hunter trophy. Good afternoon Alexandra Palace has been
:02:30. > :02:32.pulling in the crowds for over 140 years. Have another full house here
:02:33. > :02:40.for one of the great occasions in snooker. Masters Sunday. The final
:02:41. > :02:45.of the Dafabet Masters. Last week has absolutely flown after a quite
:02:46. > :02:50.brilliant tournament so far. Ronnie O'Sullivan defending champion got
:02:51. > :02:54.the party last Sunday. Stillbirth. The Rocket still on a trajectory
:02:55. > :02:59.that could give him the outright record seven Masters titles.
:03:00. > :03:11.Ronnie O Sullivan, playing his best of the week to take the Masters
:03:12. > :03:13.title, 1995. Amazing, being in London, being a Londoner. Looking
:03:14. > :03:23.forward to the future. This has been awesome. No other
:03:24. > :03:46.word. It looks like his fourth Masters
:03:47. > :04:27.title now... I love it! Well O'Sullivan was the pre-event
:04:28. > :04:34.favourite and is now odds-on to be the least fancied player this week,
:04:35. > :04:40.Joe Perry. But the 42-year-old from Cambridgeshire, gentle man Joe, has
:04:41. > :04:45.defied all expectation to reach this, one of the finals of snooker's
:04:46. > :04:48.three majors. But the first time in his 26 year career and for Murphy
:04:49. > :04:51.showed to come back against good friend Barry Hawkins to win a
:04:52. > :04:58.decider as we rolled towards midnight. Their previous results
:04:59. > :05:02.don't make pretty reading for Joe, he's won only two of the matches in
:05:03. > :05:05.the previous 15 against Ronnie and none for nine years but he will
:05:06. > :05:11.remember a World Championship classic if you seasons ago when he
:05:12. > :05:19.took O'Sullivan very close indeed. Perry seems determined not to settle
:05:20. > :05:23.for second place today. We all take up snooker from watching these
:05:24. > :05:26.events today, it's going to be an unbelievably difficult task. Just
:05:27. > :05:30.the fact that I'm Ibe are playing Ronnie in the final of the Masters
:05:31. > :05:35.is a dream come true. I like to play Joe, he plays the game the right
:05:36. > :05:41.way, tapping the ball is in, play a bit of safety. He is not a jot
:05:42. > :05:47.trump, taking about five minutes. He's not a Selby that is going to
:05:48. > :05:50.tie you up and keep you under wraps, he wants to get amongst the balls
:05:51. > :05:56.but play safety. You can get involved in the match. Everyone that
:05:57. > :06:01.plays Ronnie at the Masters is the underdog, nothing new, not going to
:06:02. > :06:05.be a surprise. I've always spoke highly of Ronnie, I think every
:06:06. > :06:09.snooker player has the utmost respect for his ability, the
:06:10. > :06:15.greatest ever in my opinion. But he is beatable. You know. That's what
:06:16. > :06:18.you have to take into the match, believe you can win, otherwise I
:06:19. > :06:23.might just call it a day now. Some great matches with Joe, Plato in the
:06:24. > :06:28.World Championship, 13-11, in the semis of the Welsh last year, 6-3,
:06:29. > :06:33.one of the best I've played, played so well against him. Played almost
:06:34. > :06:38.to the very best of my ability, producing something special to beat
:06:39. > :06:43.him 13-11 on his way to winning the world title. I need to play close to
:06:44. > :06:48.that again. I just bring my game to the table. I let them worry about me
:06:49. > :06:52.and if they can play well enough to beat me I shake hands and say you
:06:53. > :06:58.know what, well done. Otherwise I go there and then, you know what, I am
:06:59. > :07:02.going to be tough to beat today. I started playing snooker at ten years
:07:03. > :07:09.old, all I wanted to do was placed in a living. To achieve that would
:07:10. > :07:13.be the absolute icing on the cake. One day, all my cue up and say, I
:07:14. > :07:20.had a great career as a snooker player. This afternoon six time
:07:21. > :07:25.Masters champion Stephen Hendry is facing up to the possibility that
:07:26. > :07:31.the joint record may be overtaken, how do you feel? Not great, I must
:07:32. > :07:35.admit. It was inevitable. This tournament has become Ronnie's home.
:07:36. > :07:39.Ronnie against Joe, tell me what there's been to admire about Joe's
:07:40. > :07:45.amazing run. Two incredible victories against Bingham and Ding
:07:46. > :07:49.Junhui, coming back from the dead, 5-2, needing a snooker to clear up
:07:50. > :07:56.and potting what was the part of the tournament. The favourite against
:07:57. > :08:00.the man who was the joint outsider, 80-1, we remember the victory did
:08:01. > :08:05.Ronnie made over Barry Hawkins, what percentage of the snooker world
:08:06. > :08:14.thinks Joe Perry will win today? Zero, to be blunt. Possibly even Joe
:08:15. > :08:19.himself, he has got to trust his ability today. Perhaps his family
:08:20. > :08:24.will believe, obviously. But the snooker world, 0%, will think. Going
:08:25. > :08:28.to trust his ability and believe in his ability and come out and try and
:08:29. > :08:32.enjoy this occasion and play his best snooker, if he does that, he
:08:33. > :08:37.has a chance. With so much expectation on Ronnie does that ring
:08:38. > :08:41.its own pressure? He has expectation on himself, he wants to win,
:08:42. > :08:46.tremendous desire to do it, but he will want to do it with style and
:08:47. > :08:51.that brings its own pressure. A 41-year-old against a 42-year-old,
:08:52. > :08:55.who said it was a young man's game? It's getting like that. Maybe Steve
:08:56. > :09:00.Davis will even win. You are getting your QR at for the world stage, but
:09:01. > :09:06.it might be slightly late for John Parrott and Steve Davis. You know
:09:07. > :09:13.the stick we get from that woman. Doesn't she know who we used to be?
:09:14. > :09:18.Once upon a time we were marvellous. After tip gate, how well did he
:09:19. > :09:24.play? Ronnie O'Sullivan realised he had control of the Kubot and he
:09:25. > :09:29.upped the play, positional play perfect, he outclassed Marco Fu who
:09:30. > :09:32.up until then had been the classiest player in the tournament. His focus
:09:33. > :09:37.for me, you could see the determination, he relished that. I
:09:38. > :09:41.haven't seen his adrenaline pumping as much as that. The only thing,
:09:42. > :09:48.might be an anti-climax, if it's possible. You have a theory about
:09:49. > :09:53.this match today, expand. It's only a theory, Stephen said about 0%,
:09:54. > :09:57.there was a match in the 80s, it might have been 85, someone was
:09:58. > :10:04.given no chance and it was a bad outcome! Let it go, Steve. You like
:10:05. > :10:08.this. We have found interesting -- someone interesting for Ken to talk
:10:09. > :10:13.to. I am down in the queues, Peter
:10:14. > :10:21.Terry, the father of Joe, your nerves must been jangling. Really.
:10:22. > :10:25.When he made that snooker, got that clearance to win the frame, I
:10:26. > :10:30.thought, he has a chance, he said to me afterwards, if he could do that
:10:31. > :10:35.and make a big break to go through 5-4, he thought he was back in the
:10:36. > :10:40.match. But what about that clearance in the last frame? The brown along
:10:41. > :10:45.the baulk cushion, would you have gone for that? No. I spoke to him
:10:46. > :10:49.afterwards, he said he had no choice, if he tried to play safe, or
:10:50. > :10:55.the other balls was, trying to get that safe, go for it, when, or go
:10:56. > :11:00.home. He saw his chance and he took it. What was he like when he came
:11:01. > :11:06.off? Must have been buzzing. Electric, couldn't believe it. I
:11:07. > :11:09.think he had a tweet from Barry this morning, saying... I ain't going to
:11:10. > :11:17.go into that one. I could only imagine. They are still mates. What
:11:18. > :11:21.about today. A big occasion. The biggest of his life. How is he
:11:22. > :11:24.feeling and how are you? I am feeling great, he's had some great
:11:25. > :11:30.matches with Ronnie over the years, Ronnie come out on top most of them,
:11:31. > :11:36.but Joe has beaten him. In the USA some years ago, he can do it. He
:11:37. > :11:41.starts producing what he'd done in the first and second match, the end
:11:42. > :11:47.of the match, he can win. I hope the nerves hold-up, best of luck.
:11:48. > :11:51.Cheers, thank you. Peter Perry certainly believe that history is in
:11:52. > :11:55.the making, Ronnie going for a record seventh Masters title and Joe
:11:56. > :11:58.hoping to become the oldest first-time winner of this event
:11:59. > :12:06.since Ray Reardon in 1976. Fascinating. Settle down, here we
:12:07. > :12:10.go. Rob Walker, it is all yours. Good afternoon, ladies and
:12:11. > :12:16.gentlemen. This is it, the big one. We started with 16, only two remain.
:12:17. > :12:20.Welcome to the 20 17th Dafabet Masters final, this could be epic.
:12:21. > :12:25.They are ready, we are ready. Let's get the boys on the baize.
:12:26. > :12:47.Please welcome a player who after 26 years as a professional finds
:12:48. > :12:52.himself in a Triple Crown final but the very worst time. What a way to
:12:53. > :12:55.do it. From 5-2 down and needing a snooker he climbed back from the
:12:56. > :12:59.brink with that emotional victory last night and he said in a press
:13:00. > :13:03.Conference after, standing on this tour is today and hearing his name
:13:04. > :13:08.being called as a finalist would be the best moment of his career by
:13:09. > :13:11.far. Ali Talley, let's remind him this is more than a dream, for the
:13:12. > :13:47.gentle man Joe Perry! And his opponent, a player who has
:13:48. > :13:51.been snooker's box office draw for more than two decades. His
:13:52. > :13:54.celebration at the end of the match against Marco Fu yesterday proves he
:13:55. > :14:00.cares as much about the Sport Today as he did when he first won the
:14:01. > :14:01.title in 95. Will it be magnificent seven for the Rocket, Ronnie
:14:02. > :14:38.O'Sullivan? This is one of snooker's three major
:14:39. > :14:42.titles, the final, the best of 19 frames, eight of them this
:14:43. > :14:44.afternoon, 11 tonight, Ken Doherty and John Fergal already. One of the
:14:45. > :14:53.great occasions Good afternoon, Hazel, and good
:14:54. > :14:58.afternoon everyone. You can tell from the reception both players got,
:14:59. > :15:05.there is a tremendous atmosphere at Alexandra Palace. It gets you
:15:06. > :15:10.jangling. Absolutely. The heroes at the back of the neck of both players
:15:11. > :15:11.must be standing up. Coming down those stairs, what a fantastic
:15:12. > :15:22.reception. Joel mentioned the biggest match of
:15:23. > :15:26.his life. How will he hold himself together? That is the big question.
:15:27. > :15:38.First frame, Ronnie O'Sullivan to break.
:15:39. > :15:46.But the cameras away, please. Playing for the Paul Hand Trophy, in
:15:47. > :15:54.memory of the greater champion himself. His mum and dad are here.
:15:55. > :16:00.-- Paul Hunter. Ronnie has lived about six times. Going for the
:16:01. > :16:07.magnificent seven. Yes, when Stephen Hendry won it six times, you wonder
:16:08. > :16:12.whether that could be bettered. -- lifted it. Joe will have something
:16:13. > :16:15.to say about that. I feel he's got nothing to lose, he may be able to
:16:16. > :16:26.relax and produce his best snooker. Ronnie will get the first
:16:27. > :17:07.opportunity. He's just refusing. Didn't think he
:17:08. > :17:35.would be able to get on a colour. You would have to field, it's an
:17:36. > :17:40.important start, more so for Joe, to get off to a good start, settle his
:17:41. > :17:58.nerves. His first major final. One of these big BBC tournaments.
:17:59. > :18:06.Ronnie was hampered by the yellow, did well to get Kubot bad for back.
:18:07. > :18:11.I think Stephen Hendry alluded to it, he has got to try and enjoy the
:18:12. > :18:22.occasion and if he can, then it can bring out the best in you.
:18:23. > :18:47.Pots like that will certainly settle him down quickly.
:18:48. > :18:52.Purposely getting on the red below the black, that will free up the
:18:53. > :19:08.black into the bottom left pocket. Just concentrating a little bit on
:19:09. > :19:14.the cannon from the red. Unforgivable. Playing the cannon
:19:15. > :19:16.don't take your eyes off, it was a natural cannon. Cannot afford to
:19:17. > :19:48.miss. That is for sure. Just played a little cannon, into
:19:49. > :19:55.the cue ball too much. This is not the red he wanted to be on. A little
:19:56. > :19:59.work to do with the cue ball. Stunning around the back of the
:20:00. > :20:01.black. As to find the gap between the red at the top cushion and the
:20:02. > :20:19.black. The red immediately above the black
:20:20. > :20:25.is available. Slight angle on the black, can play for that.
:20:26. > :20:47.Deciding to play for the red along the top cushion.
:20:48. > :20:55.He has to judge this well. Got to be careful with the split. Played it
:20:56. > :21:31.superbly. Just had a word with the referee. I
:21:32. > :21:51.don't know what that was about. Tried to pinch a bit of the pocket.
:21:52. > :22:05.Joel was trying to avoid the case on the second red. A little bit of a
:22:06. > :22:08.balance. Whenever he missed it Joe has to take full advantage. When he
:22:09. > :22:10.missed his red in the corner, he may have thought it cost him the frame
:22:11. > :22:28.but it hasn't. Just thought I heard Ronnie
:22:29. > :22:31.mentioned something to Paul Collier about the practice table. Maybe just
:22:32. > :22:36.the sound of the bolts on the practice table may be to kiss
:22:37. > :23:16.concentration of slightly. -- may be took his.
:23:17. > :23:38.That little cannon on the red makes this black more awkward.
:23:39. > :23:49.Excellent part! As long as he got bad, it was always the red, close to
:23:50. > :23:54.the yellow pocket, top left-hand corner pocket, was always there.
:23:55. > :24:01.Under the circumstances, very, very good. Just got to be careful here.
:24:02. > :24:09.Control the cue ball off the baulk cushion. May have to use a little
:24:10. > :24:13.bit of left-hand side. But that camera away, please. There is a
:24:14. > :24:26.light on the front of it. Probably more difficult than this red.
:24:27. > :25:18.The flick on the brown hasn't hindered him too much.
:25:19. > :25:31.Concentrate on the pot. He's done, but not perfect on the pink. Can't
:25:32. > :25:32.play yet to the far right corner or right middle, the right middle is
:25:33. > :25:41.the easier. Good opportunity. To take the first
:25:42. > :26:21.frame. Nice angle on the black if he wishes
:26:22. > :26:31.to disturb the two reds. Get the points on the board.
:26:32. > :26:42.Leading by 27. He is going to need three more reds with colours.
:26:43. > :26:47.Another opportunity to play this little cannon. Just looking at the
:26:48. > :26:51.scoreboard, this will put him 35 points in front. Played the cannon.
:26:52. > :26:57.Worked out. APPLAUSE
:26:58. > :27:22.You wouldn't expect a mistake now. Actually looks a bit more relaxed
:27:23. > :27:25.than he did last night in parts of the match. Started off a bit
:27:26. > :27:33.nervously, rallied a very, very well.
:27:34. > :27:39.Looks very, very good this afternoon, relaxed walking around
:27:40. > :27:42.the table, confident stride. Would be a real confidence boost if he
:27:43. > :27:55.could make a century. Ronnie now needs two snookers. This
:27:56. > :28:00.would really be eight secular if he could make a century. -- a secular.
:28:01. > :28:35.Still a possibility. Ronnie O Sullivan missed an easy
:28:36. > :28:40.read. Joe Perry gets a frame-winning 72.
:28:41. > :28:44.Studio-macro Ronnie just having a chat with the referee about
:28:45. > :28:49.something, fantastic start from Joe and he said last night my plan is to
:28:50. > :28:54.get in front and stay in front. Go positively and believe I can this.
:28:55. > :29:00.Mission accomplished. Great theory. It's great. Good to get your hands
:29:01. > :29:05.on the table and it is nice to see your opponent miss. His contribution
:29:06. > :29:08.will have settled him right down and let's face it, we're not talking
:29:09. > :29:14.about someone who has just come off the streets. He is world number
:29:15. > :29:20.nine, Ronnie is 13. He might be an 80-1 outsider and he's been around
:29:21. > :29:23.the block a long time. Talking about her special occasion this is but
:29:24. > :29:28.this is an adept and comparable player, when he's in a positive
:29:29. > :29:31.frame of mind. Steve... The bookies made Ronnie a strong favourite and
:29:32. > :29:35.everyone is thinking it will be a one-sided match but you're talking
:29:36. > :29:41.about this, a player who has quality, class, experience, been on
:29:42. > :29:44.the road and the ropes plenty of times, played at the World
:29:45. > :29:49.Championships. Done everything to withstand what is going to be thrown
:29:50. > :29:53.at him. Interestingly, I don't know... I was putting my head
:29:54. > :29:56.around, trying to work for the conversation about, rather than
:29:57. > :30:01.might Ronnie wasn't upset, but he was concerned, Paul Collier has had
:30:02. > :30:04.a word with one of the organisers, it's something backstage. It appears
:30:05. > :30:11.to be the noise on the practice table. Ronnie is properly a little
:30:12. > :30:14.bit worried, who is knocking balls around on tables that are supposed
:30:15. > :30:19.to be for professionals? I am sure we will get to the bottom of it.
:30:20. > :30:22.Contrast and start from Joe, he lived ten to did against Barry
:30:23. > :30:26.Hawkins. For more is a dearth from him.
:30:27. > :30:33.Absolutely, he needs to get in front. All the players know when you
:30:34. > :30:38.play Ronnie, if you get behind him, he just runs away from you. You
:30:39. > :30:42.don't get a foothold in the match so that's why it's so important, the
:30:43. > :30:48.opening session. In terms of its comfort levels, even the memory of
:30:49. > :30:52.that brown Joe Perry sank last night to beat Barry Hawkins will give him
:30:53. > :30:56.confidence because was a very late finish for him. He's not had a huge
:30:57. > :31:00.amount of time to turn this around. This is a different day and Joe
:31:01. > :31:06.Perry, chance to get in the final and he may have frozen a bit. He got
:31:07. > :31:09.over the line in the end. This is different, he is the underdog. It's
:31:10. > :31:18.a lot easier playing as the underdog. Frame two.
:31:19. > :31:32.Decent length. Ronnie will take on that red.
:31:33. > :31:51.At least he stopped short of the baulk line. A fraction too far.
:31:52. > :32:01.That the idea where he wanted to play that shot. Get it really tight
:32:02. > :32:07.to the snooker ball. Cut out the easy one-cushion escape and when
:32:08. > :32:29.he's done that... A delicate touch particularly on these superfine
:32:30. > :32:31.clots. -- cloths. . Foul and miss. That was a bad misjudgement from
:32:32. > :33:11.Joe. May elect to take the green here,
:33:12. > :33:22.screw off the left-hand side cushion if you can. Just two reds above the
:33:23. > :33:30.pot. Still not going into the pack. Playing the loose one. That is inch
:33:31. > :33:36.perfect. Couldn't place that much better with his hand. Fantastic
:33:37. > :33:50.shot. Bringing a couple more reds into play here.
:33:51. > :34:05.Just hampered slightly with the red. Made it more tricky, particularly
:34:06. > :34:18.when they are playing with a new tip.
:34:19. > :34:21.The first round would have irritated Ronnie, missing that straightforward
:34:22. > :34:41.red. Now Joe is just going to come around
:34:42. > :34:44.and look at the red above the black spot. Will pot into the bottom
:34:45. > :35:03.right-hand pocket. I'm sure it will. Now he will pot this and leave a
:35:04. > :35:13.nice angle on the black. Into the pack here. Good pace.
:35:14. > :35:25.That's pretty good. It was always going to be on that
:35:26. > :35:42.red. If you can avoid the blue when he's
:35:43. > :36:11.plotting this, he could go for the baulk colours, he's OK.
:36:12. > :36:18.He knew he would always have a chance at the black. Straightforward
:36:19. > :36:27.pot. A bit of work to do with the cue ball.
:36:28. > :36:38.Settled for that. That's worked out perfectly. Obviously the priority
:36:39. > :36:50.was to pot the black. Look at that, inch perfect on this red.
:36:51. > :37:03.Wiped its feet, that. Into the middle of the pocket.
:37:04. > :37:13.That could've been a bit better. He's got the red on the left centre
:37:14. > :37:19.but has been hampered slightly. He can only drop it in. He's got the
:37:20. > :37:26.blue and black afterwards. No. Just hampered slightly. Made it a bit
:37:27. > :37:35.more difficult than it could have been. I still fancy him to pot it. I
:37:36. > :38:11.don't think he has left anything. No attempt at the pot. A very good
:38:12. > :38:15.cue ball. On the baulk crush on. Although Joe Perry has a 22 point
:38:16. > :38:21.lead, he's got to be very careful here. He may play the pot here if
:38:22. > :38:29.you can find a path back to the ball. I don't think he played the
:38:30. > :38:31.pot in the end. Just concentrating getting the cue ball back to the
:38:32. > :38:43.baulk and. -- end.
:38:44. > :39:30.APPLAUSE You've got to be careful if you play
:39:31. > :39:31.safe down the right-hand side of the table.
:39:32. > :39:38.There's one or two obstacles in there. But it's natural to play safe
:39:39. > :39:46.down the right-hand side rather than the left-hand side as we look.
:39:47. > :39:51.Played it well, but there's a red going towards the corner. And it's
:39:52. > :40:03.not covered. Now will try to get the red out into
:40:04. > :40:52.the right That was a nearly one. The red
:40:53. > :40:56.didn't go into the heart of the pocket. The green is not on the
:40:57. > :41:03.spot. Makes this a little bit easier.
:41:04. > :41:46.The problem is, with this red, the left corner Ronnie is looking at, I
:41:47. > :41:51.don't think the black goes into that same pocket. The black in the
:41:52. > :42:07.opposite corner, it's not an easy task.
:42:08. > :42:37.Yeah, didn't have the greatest angle on the blue. Tried to power it
:42:38. > :42:56.through the baulk area and the kiss on the greenhouse cup is
:42:57. > :43:01.chance. Ronnie has to show a bit of patience as well. He doesn't want to
:43:02. > :43:12.force the issue much and give Joe too many easy chances to get
:43:13. > :43:17.settled. A bit thick with that one. That's why he's not gone past the
:43:18. > :43:26.baulk line. Slightly awkward cueing for Ronnie here. There is another
:43:27. > :43:31.red, but his playing this one. Can eat you pass the yellow? If he
:43:32. > :43:39.can't, he will have to put some side on their yellow. That's why the
:43:40. > :43:44.straight one... There's a bit more pressure on this one. He would like
:43:45. > :43:49.to play the one in the middle of the table but the yellow is helping him
:43:50. > :43:55.slightly. He's playing this one. Good cueing.
:43:56. > :44:42.So things not working out quite as planned for Ronnie at the moment.
:44:43. > :44:46.Just a couple of reds, a couple of colours away from winning the second
:44:47. > :45:18.frame, Joe Perry. If he parts of this red now, he will
:45:19. > :45:22.go 44 ahead with just 43 remaining. -- if he pots this red now, he will
:45:23. > :45:44.go 44 ahead with just 43 remaining. That should mean that Ronnie should
:45:45. > :45:50.not bother coming back to the table. You have to say, this is just the
:45:51. > :45:58.start that Joe needed. Yes, absolutely. Settling in nicely.
:45:59. > :45:59.Looks to be enjoying himself at there. It's very important for him
:46:00. > :46:08.to get off to a good start. This final, of course, two sessions,
:46:09. > :47:40.best of 19, first to 10. He's not bothered about the black.
:47:41. > :47:45.43 from Joe Perry there. He now takes a 2-0 lead over defending
:47:46. > :47:51.champion Ronnie O'Sullivan. Last year we were remembering that Barry
:47:52. > :47:55.Hawkins won the first frame last year and an winner frame afterwards.
:47:56. > :47:58.Already has great friend Joe Perry has made great strides against
:47:59. > :48:04.Ronnie than he did at this early stage and this is good stuff from
:48:05. > :48:10.him so far. With hindsight, this many certainties in sport but before
:48:11. > :48:13.the start, there's not many at all and the history of sports betting I
:48:14. > :48:17.would imagine is littered with people who've put all their eggs in
:48:18. > :48:22.one Ascot, lumbered on a very short priced and lived to tell the tale a
:48:23. > :48:31.lot poorer. You mention that betting for this. 10-3 for Ronnie was the
:48:32. > :48:35.most popular punt outside. Absolutely it was. Most people seem
:48:36. > :48:38.to think it was going to be a cakewalk but it's not prove to be at
:48:39. > :48:42.the moment but the funny thing is, I'm always into these things, how
:48:43. > :48:47.people get to the final. Last Sunday, Ronnie O'Sullivan should not
:48:48. > :48:52.be here. Remember this one? I hope Liang is not watching because this
:48:53. > :48:55.was to knock him out last week. Frame ten and Ronnie came back and
:48:56. > :49:00.made a century to knock him out but the margin is terribly small. Joe
:49:01. > :49:05.Perry last night with probably the sort of the tournament. He makes a
:49:06. > :49:12.clearance after being 50 behind and potted a brown which was superb.
:49:13. > :49:26.Back we go. Ronnie, 2-0 behind. Break up shop. Leaving that
:49:27. > :49:36.obligatory red in the right corner. It's a nice angle to get round the
:49:37. > :49:41.back of the black. Courted to fix. If you are going to miss them, don't
:49:42. > :49:57.catch them thick. This is a chance now for Ronnie.
:49:58. > :50:05.First frame, he missed the black, that frame he was hampered.
:50:06. > :50:17.A little bit too far. Two straight on the blue. He will have two stun
:50:18. > :50:23.it in. He found an angle. To get closer to the red. This is what he
:50:24. > :50:29.was always going to play for. That pink is not available. Back-up for
:50:30. > :50:33.blue. He did have a look. He's always looking to get the black into
:50:34. > :50:44.play. I'm wondering whether that read to the left of the black and he
:50:45. > :50:54.can get on it? If, of course, he gets that red, it could go both
:50:55. > :51:01.corners. Just a cannon, though here. Without moving the black.
:51:02. > :51:16.Purposely staying low on this red now. He's going for the top this
:51:17. > :51:39.time. Bringing two reds into play. He struck that absolutely
:51:40. > :51:46.beautifully. When you consider he had a new tip on yesterday, there
:51:47. > :51:56.didn't seem to be anything wrong to me. A bit of left-hand side now.
:51:57. > :52:03.Lovely angle. Getting through the cue ball beautifully. No problems
:52:04. > :52:10.getting through the black here. OK, he's not entered up in the left-hand
:52:11. > :52:11.corner pocket, but he was knocking one or two reds towards the right
:52:12. > :52:40.centre. They both pot. He will be very eager to try to win
:52:41. > :52:46.this frame from this visit, just to settle his own nerves he may be
:52:47. > :52:52.feeling. It would have been a shock to the system to miss in the first
:52:53. > :53:00.round. The Blackie missed the second frame. -- black he missed in the
:53:01. > :53:28.second I think he played for a choice of
:53:29. > :53:35.two reds there. Just to the left of the pink. If you can kiss on the
:53:36. > :53:46.black, it shouldn't be a problem. Full stretch, though. Yes, stop
:53:47. > :53:55.himself. . The extension. -- yes, stopped himself. Got the extension.
:53:56. > :54:04.Played the soft screw. Could be the pink goes in. Definitely the red to
:54:05. > :54:09.the left as you can see. So he will play for that red. He needs to get
:54:10. > :54:38.into this, though. Offer side cushion. -- off the side cushion.
:54:39. > :54:43.He would like the cue ball to travel into the middle of the table six or
:54:44. > :54:55.eight inches, but he is still OK. Now he needs an angle. Doesn't have
:54:56. > :55:01.it on the green. Doesn't have it on the brown. And looks like he doesn't
:55:02. > :55:07.have it on the yellow. It's not great. They're still 75 points
:55:08. > :55:18.remaining. He will have to disturb something to keep this break going.
:55:19. > :55:27.He's got a slight angle on the green but to put top spin, come off the
:55:28. > :55:36.side cushion into the reds, that's a big ask. Don't get me wrong, he's
:55:37. > :55:41.got the cue power to play it. Is there any value in potting one of
:55:42. > :55:46.these baulk colours and playing a safety shot? I'm not sure here. He
:55:47. > :55:49.has got the rest out which tells me is going to play the brown. Is not
:55:50. > :56:07.going to play the pot. Yes, clever shot. No real value
:56:08. > :56:13.potting the green there. Wasn't going to get any more points so have
:56:14. > :56:17.a bit of insurance, put the brown say. He knows if Joe Perry is going
:56:18. > :56:18.to win this frame commies going to need that brown, so made it more
:56:19. > :56:38.difficult. What has he spotted here, a
:56:39. > :56:53.three-ball plant? I think it might push to the left as
:56:54. > :57:11.we look. Oh no it didn't. Into the pocket.
:57:12. > :57:22.He might not have got tight, as we watch that plan to gain. Well
:57:23. > :57:26.spotted. It will be difficult for Joe Perry to get this say. There's
:57:27. > :57:33.always a gap. Between the yellow and blue. He can't get the cue ball back
:57:34. > :57:42.to the baulk and. Is got to somehow that it say. And he needs to get it
:57:43. > :57:49.say. Ronnie is only looking for one more red.
:57:50. > :58:07.There is a read up into the green pocket here. He only needs one red.
:58:08. > :58:18.He decided against it. Nice shot. And beautiful. Lovely control. Yes,
:58:19. > :58:21.I think you alluded to it before, he's got to play at right.
:58:22. > :58:28.Obviously, is never going to panic. He's got to treat Joe with respect
:58:29. > :58:48.here. That is a good escape. Well played. Good shot.
:58:49. > :58:55.Yes, he was a bit disappointed with that.
:58:56. > :59:10.He was up straightaway. This is a chance for Joe. Close.
:59:11. > :59:26.But he's not left an easy chance for Ronnie to close the frame.
:59:27. > :59:34.Is Ronnie thinking of a possible plant? The only needs a red. Only 59
:59:35. > :59:46.remaining. No plant. Just a safety and a pretty
:59:47. > :00:21.good one. When you look at the table now.
:00:22. > :00:34.A couple of interesting spectators. The keyboard players of the Kaiser
:00:35. > :00:38.Chiefs. -- player. And of course Paul Martin from flog it, kept his
:00:39. > :00:55.tickets, obviously didn't flog it. Ronnie's attempt didn't go in. Now
:00:56. > :01:04.the chance for the counterattack, not an easy one, he made the save
:01:05. > :01:07.shot a few ago, got red leather side cushion, particularly by the right
:01:08. > :01:18.hands so a lot of work to do for Joe here. He's just about on this
:01:19. > :01:24.thread, 53 points behind, 59 available, he has points to spare
:01:25. > :01:30.but doesn't want to be playing too many low value colours. Just about
:01:31. > :01:52.on the green. Play that nicely. 49 behind, 51
:01:53. > :02:21.remaining. Off these last three reds he can afford one pink.
:02:22. > :02:27.Now he has a slight angle on the black, you try to disturb the red
:02:28. > :02:36.will try to dropping behind it? His choice. Disturbed it and it couldn't
:02:37. > :03:05.have worked out much better than that.
:03:06. > :03:13.A little bit low on the black, if it was a bit slower it'd be easier than
:03:14. > :03:17.this but if you swing sets roundabout to conditions then he's
:03:18. > :03:32.not certain to finish that good on the yellow. Forgot the black.
:03:33. > :03:44.Didn't see that one coming. I think that will secure this first frame
:03:45. > :03:49.for him and reduce the deficit. That was a golden opportunity for Joe
:03:50. > :03:59.Perry. Because that is what joker played had he had that opportunity.
:04:00. > :04:06.-- Joe could have played. I think he over contemplated that black. Just
:04:07. > :04:09.confuse himself a little. Was thinking about how he can get
:04:10. > :04:11.perfect on the yellow but you never take your eyes off the pot which is
:04:12. > :04:31.what he did. He played it very well but Joe Perry
:04:32. > :04:35.will be very disappointed that he had the chance to take a 3-0
:04:36. > :04:42.advantage. STUDIO: O'Sullivan off the mark in
:04:43. > :04:48.his fourth Masters final which is an extraordinary record in itself. Joe
:04:49. > :04:52.Mr black and seem to second-guess himself? And nightmare shots for
:04:53. > :04:57.Joe, he had a few ways to get on the yellow but this is the classic
:04:58. > :05:01.example of somebody who as a coach you would say right OK before you
:05:02. > :05:06.get down to play the shot, make sure you know what shots you're going to
:05:07. > :05:10.play. They teach every golfer in the book, before you go to the routine,
:05:11. > :05:15.you know exactly what you're going to do. Snooker is not like golf
:05:16. > :05:19.stopping and starting, it is more fluid so sometimes you think on the
:05:20. > :05:24.hoof so to speak. On a shot like that you have to stand up again,
:05:25. > :05:28.make your mind up and then get down. Impression so far, it's not gone the
:05:29. > :05:34.way many people anticipated and as a spectacle it is all about it for
:05:35. > :05:39.that? It is intriguing. You couldn't really expect him to play to the
:05:40. > :05:44.standard of yesterday. It's interesting, that was a very big
:05:45. > :05:51.mess on the black, a bit of indecision and Steve said it. Your
:05:52. > :05:59.routine is your routine, you have to stick to it and if it's not right
:06:00. > :06:04.get back and start again. Mentioned rawness performance yesterday and
:06:05. > :06:08.the Peak performance and how much it takes out of you, could that be a
:06:09. > :06:15.factor? The only thing I would say is Joe had the same thing us last
:06:16. > :06:20.night. He knows the situation, I don't think in that one today, if it
:06:21. > :06:26.had come after two or three performances like Neil Robertson a
:06:27. > :06:31.few years ago where he played unbelievable snooker but not after
:06:32. > :06:36.one performance. Almost got to the final and had nothing left and was
:06:37. > :06:41.beaten 10-2 by Shaun Murphy. In terms of Joe's performance so far, I
:06:42. > :06:45.know Stephen Hendrie along with many people had much of a chance, it's a
:06:46. > :06:49.positive thing for him and he appears to be in a positive frame of
:06:50. > :06:52.mind as he attacks this. That's the first thing that went wrong all day
:06:53. > :06:57.long so I suppose of somebody said three frames you would be 2-1 in
:06:58. > :07:00.front, he would've bitten the handoff because you don't know what
:07:01. > :07:08.will happen at start of a match. Joe has done that and now we are in the
:07:09. > :07:11.second phase of the match really, we passed the part of the manoeuvring
:07:12. > :07:19.part in getting down to seeing who has the bigger guns. You made a
:07:20. > :07:24.point about a certain 1985 and final but being in a World Championship
:07:25. > :07:29.final in 2015, Stuart Bingham had a fairy tale together and many people
:07:30. > :07:30.thought Murphy would have the better of him but fairy tales definitely
:07:31. > :07:51.happen in the sport. The mid-session interval will come
:07:52. > :07:57.after this frame. It's an important one. Joe would love to have a two
:07:58. > :08:12.frame advantage going into that mid-session interval.
:08:13. > :08:21.For someone who has had a few bets over the years, the only uncertainty
:08:22. > :08:22.I know is after the one. He was 80-1 before the beginning of the week Joe
:08:23. > :08:41.Perry. Try to hold for the black but at
:08:42. > :08:45.that distance playing below centre, it gets off-line. Ronnie had a look
:08:46. > :08:50.to see what he's got left, he hasn't left an individual pots but is there
:08:51. > :08:59.a plant? A bit of distance between the two reds but one he could
:09:00. > :09:06.certainly make. There is a gap to go off the pack as well to get the cue
:09:07. > :09:14.ball back up in the middle as well. Very well played.
:09:15. > :10:22.That's a poor shot. He really wanted to be up higher on the cue ball.
:10:23. > :10:37.Just dropping it in for the black. The previous shot was a very poor
:10:38. > :10:48.positional shot and he had so much room for error here.
:10:49. > :10:54.You don't get many opportunities against the likes of O'Sullivan but
:10:55. > :10:59.he is in top form, when you do get the easy chances you have to make
:11:00. > :11:11.more of them. And as you said no excuse for coming up short. Plenty
:11:12. > :11:16.of margin for error. I don't think he can miss going back to the ball
:11:17. > :11:31.unless he decides he has seen enough of the red to pass the pot. Decides
:11:32. > :12:15.to play the containing safety. Safe enough.
:12:16. > :12:28.That was a magnificent shot. He has had a bit of trouble there. The
:12:29. > :12:40.judge has perfectly missed the black on the way down. Back up towards the
:12:41. > :12:44.ball cushion behind the green. Always a possibility when you hit
:12:45. > :12:50.the pack that hard that something will go over a corner pockets, has
:12:51. > :12:59.he covered it? This looks like a certain plant into this pocket.
:13:00. > :13:08.You think it's a plan to put if it was a straightforward plant I would
:13:09. > :13:14.play the one near the middle pocket on to it. Because then he would be
:13:15. > :13:19.guaranteed position on the blue. If he comes off the side cushion and
:13:20. > :13:25.makes the plant then he's not certain to be on a collar. It's
:13:26. > :13:30.something like that the angle, that's what he'll try to achieve, a
:13:31. > :13:40.cushion first -- colour. Let's see how this looks. It's not bad.
:13:41. > :13:47.CROWD CLAPPING I wondered how he would get off the
:13:48. > :13:54.colour on that. He will be pleased with the outcome. Looks like one of
:13:55. > :14:01.your trick shots that John. He will be very pleased with that.
:14:02. > :14:04.Absolutely. Now the position at the moment, the black is not available
:14:05. > :14:13.to either corner pocket you would've thought. See you would think the red
:14:14. > :14:18.over the right corner, gets rid of that but it's one of those when it's
:14:19. > :14:21.close to the cushion like that, you can't inject a lot of place so he
:14:22. > :14:34.may just settle for a few blues here.
:14:35. > :14:47.I think now he would play for the red over the right corner.
:14:48. > :14:52.Definitely play for it now. It's one of these, because he's so close, you
:14:53. > :14:58.don't have to hit it hard, you can hit it harder than half and the way
:14:59. > :15:03.to play it is to play below centre, just strike it below centre. Play
:15:04. > :15:07.with top and you can banana the shot. He will settle for that. He's
:15:08. > :15:33.on the green. The pink I'm sure is available into
:15:34. > :15:34.the bottom right-hand corner pocket, he has to be pretty precise with his
:15:35. > :15:57.position. He is held at nicely. The little kiss on the road, trying
:15:58. > :16:05.to get the red in the same pocket as the pink. I suppose he'll is new he
:16:06. > :16:10.had the left corner but surprised it is not still in play for the red in
:16:11. > :16:12.the middle. Andrew with the blue not being on its spots, wasn't that easy
:16:13. > :16:28.to get a good position. A good shot here on the green. He
:16:29. > :16:46.can cut the blue, a lot of work to do with the cue ball. Does he flick
:16:47. > :16:56.it off on the red? Not quite. Because of the fin contact he needed
:16:57. > :17:37.the pace. Just came a little bit narrow. Got the flick on the pink.
:17:38. > :17:48.He will be disappointed with that safety. This thread just below the
:17:49. > :18:08.pink does pot. -- Reid. The chance now for Joe
:18:09. > :18:35.Perry. A big frame this now. Both players have chances.
:18:36. > :19:26.This black will take Joe Perry four points in front. Leave this for
:19:27. > :19:37.remaining reds with high values, it doesn't look too difficult. Just has
:19:38. > :19:48.to keep the cue ball under close
:19:49. > :19:49.control here. Ronnie will be kicking himself that he didn't make that
:19:50. > :20:09.opportunity. A good performance so far with Joe
:20:10. > :20:16.Perry in this first session. He has held himself together very well.
:20:17. > :20:31.This frame would be a great steel. The great confidence booster.
:20:32. > :20:34.This black will put 28 points ahead so we just need the red after this
:20:35. > :21:05.black. Wonderful. Good stuff. You get the feeling he
:21:06. > :21:09.would always get a chance or two, that's the nature of the game but if
:21:10. > :21:15.he would take them. Honestly I didn't see him getting this many
:21:16. > :21:21.chances. Fair play and he will go into the interval on a high you
:21:22. > :21:44.would think. Not many people gave him a chance in this match.
:21:45. > :22:25.74 break from Joe Perry. And now leads the defending champion 3-1.
:22:26. > :22:34.Fascinating story and not the one many predicted. 3-1 to the underdog.
:22:35. > :22:39.In terms of the break, 74, 72 and this is much better than what we saw
:22:40. > :22:45.from Joe in the final. I agree with commentary, I didn't think you'd be
:22:46. > :22:49.getting this many chances. Ronnie is not there, but difficult two days on
:22:50. > :22:56.the spin. Joe will be sitting there are very happy with a 3-1 lead. How
:22:57. > :23:01.big a task is this for people just coming into this match, objectively
:23:02. > :23:05.speaking, for Joe Perry to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final
:23:06. > :23:10.today? The task gets greater as he gets closer to the finishing line.
:23:11. > :23:15.These are the early exchanges so he has done as well as he could ask for
:23:16. > :23:22.and I think from Ronnie O'Sullivan's perspective and Joe's, its levels of
:23:23. > :23:26.expectation, where does he go after this performance after Marco Fu, Joe
:23:27. > :23:31.can't do any worse than the last, he scraped over the line, he can't play
:23:32. > :23:34.any worse than that really. Therefore perhaps the writing was on
:23:35. > :23:39.the wall that Joe would play with more freedom and perhaps that Ronnie
:23:40. > :23:43.Wood possibly have too much expectation on himself and there is
:23:44. > :23:50.the possibility that this is Ronnie's 12 final at the Masters and
:23:51. > :23:56.he has won six, if he would lose this, his strike rate of finals is
:23:57. > :24:00.50% which is not as good as normal champions so it's a strange
:24:01. > :24:03.situation. It is and even stranger when you think about the levels of
:24:04. > :24:08.belief that Joe Perry will have to summon today. As we said at the
:24:09. > :24:13.start, he has only beaten him twice in 15 attempts and not since 2008 so
:24:14. > :24:18.we are going back an awful long time to summon that feeling again. The
:24:19. > :24:23.last seven matches have all been Ronnie. I don't understand where it
:24:24. > :24:27.has come from. This is why as a snooker player just punch and hang
:24:28. > :24:33.on in. He turned up and I think he lost his last five matches turning
:24:34. > :24:37.up, he won a 6-1, got against Barry Hawkins and a couple of weeks ago he
:24:38. > :24:41.was thinking about packing in, you have to keep playing and practising
:24:42. > :24:47.and sometimes when you least expect it it goes your way. Funnily enough
:24:48. > :24:53.he said it had stopped his thoughts of quitting the game after beating
:24:54. > :24:56.Bingham, he said he fell out of love with the game and suddenly as John
:24:57. > :25:03.said this comes out, and incredible patch. If you think about what
:25:04. > :25:07.happened to Mark King recently. You get somebody bashing against a brick
:25:08. > :25:11.wall for seems like a long time having some success but failure as
:25:12. > :25:20.well. Then down the line it all clicks into place. As long as you
:25:21. > :25:24.are optimistic enough then you have a chance and that is what has
:25:25. > :25:31.happened today. It doesn't sound like Joe Perry has tweaked anything
:25:32. > :25:37.in his game, he has just plucked away. He sure is and has produced a
:25:38. > :25:41.trickle to this week. Speaking of tricks, you probably remember last
:25:42. > :25:46.Sunday when we showed you one of the most incredible trick shots we have
:25:47. > :25:51.scenes. We've edited this upper bits because it does run over two
:25:52. > :25:58.minutes. It was at the all stars club in Bristol. This took four
:25:59. > :26:02.hours to set up. It was set up at closing time in the club and they
:26:03. > :26:07.kept tinkering until about dawn when the cleaners were about to come in.
:26:08. > :26:11.It involved stairs and snooker tables and two American pool tables
:26:12. > :26:15.and 60 notable tables and it's definitely worth seeing again
:26:16. > :26:19.because it's an extraordinary thing. It is nice to know there's a level
:26:20. > :26:22.beakers that cue ball could have rolled off early and we would have
:26:23. > :26:33.to get the fitters in and all sorts. Great use of all of these. And it's
:26:34. > :26:37.obviously not the same ball that goes into the hole at the end that
:26:38. > :26:41.started out but is nonetheless a feat of engineering and here it
:26:42. > :26:48.comes. The ball has travelled over 500 feet. I believe they are already
:26:49. > :26:53.planning on topping that the man responsible for that, Shane O'Hara
:26:54. > :27:01.from Bristol is with Dennis trying to pass on some tips. That is one of
:27:02. > :27:05.the finest trick shots I have ever seen, how long did it take you to
:27:06. > :27:09.set that up? I will never get tired watching it that's for sure. It took
:27:10. > :27:14.me nine hours start to finish. I used to manage a snooker club, you
:27:15. > :27:18.close at 11 and open at half mindset how did you manage it? That was
:27:19. > :27:22.pretty much it, you can see the clean air in the background waiting
:27:23. > :27:31.to claim and I to shove out the way and get finished. Where was the
:27:32. > :27:35.club? All-stars in Bristol. To be fair the lot of reason why it works
:27:36. > :27:40.is because it is a spectacular venue. If it was a bit rougher it
:27:41. > :27:45.might not work. Are you a snooker player or a bit of pull? I'm a bad
:27:46. > :27:52.pool player and it even worse snooker player. How did you even
:27:53. > :27:56.think about the shot? Just a bit of marketing and it was a slow news
:27:57. > :28:01.week so it has taken off because there wasn't a lot of going on in
:28:02. > :28:05.the world. To get over 100 million people watching it is something
:28:06. > :28:10.special. I'm going to put you under real pressure here because I've
:28:11. > :28:18.trick shot setup and its live so you can't not, you have one go at it.
:28:19. > :28:24.You can borrow my cute. No pressure here. Live is not my friend but I
:28:25. > :28:40.will have a lash at it. I'm shaking, is that normal.
:28:41. > :28:45.What about the 80 cakes do I get them? You only get the one it take
:28:46. > :28:55.for that. You show me how to do it. Have we got the white ball? Here we
:28:56. > :29:20.go. There will be 100 million people
:29:21. > :29:33.happy to see me niss that up. Well done guys. We've had 23 centuries,
:29:34. > :29:37.five final frame deciders, two near misses in maximums and in other
:29:38. > :29:38.words, plenty of opportunities and indeed contenders for the shot of
:29:39. > :29:58.the tournament 2017. What is he going to attempt here on
:29:59. > :30:03.the green? Something special? He is. Look at the action on that cue ball.
:30:04. > :30:09.What a positional shot that is, by the way. Oh my goodness. What a
:30:10. > :30:23.shock but is. To get the work on that around the angles, what a shot.
:30:24. > :30:35.He has got it this time and he has got away with it.
:30:36. > :30:48.Easy safety, but the pot wins you the frame.
:30:49. > :31:00.What a pot that was! Listen to the raw.
:31:01. > :31:09.A little bit strange. He's got the wrong angle on the yellow. One thing
:31:10. > :31:16.he has got is an abundance of cue power, Stuart Bingham. Watch the
:31:17. > :31:33.white spin. Well played. Unbelievable amount of side on that.
:31:34. > :31:44.Come on Ding. There is the cue ball. Flicked on the brown. It looks
:31:45. > :31:46.really good. What a shot! He couldn't have put it better than
:31:47. > :32:14.that. A big smile. Look at this for a shot. Absolutely
:32:15. > :32:19.delightful. He knew he could not force that one in because of the red
:32:20. > :32:22.on the cushion, but we have seen him knock a few of those in but that
:32:23. > :33:09.cannon was exquisite. I tell you what, what an effort to
:33:10. > :33:13.that is. I mean, that is as good a positional shot as you will ever
:33:14. > :33:28.see. Loads of top spin there. That was a bit special.
:33:29. > :33:32.Not often Ronnie thinks about a shot this length of time, but it very
:33:33. > :33:47.understandable here. It was worth waiting for. I said he
:33:48. > :33:53.would do well to find a path down the table, and he found a pot and
:33:54. > :34:00.he's on a brown to get back up to the reds.
:34:01. > :34:10.Even if he got to the right-hand side he has got the blue to miss,
:34:11. > :34:17.the green, to miss, good luck. Good luck. Good luck with this one! Great
:34:18. > :34:35.shot! What a shot! To vote for your favourite, go to
:34:36. > :34:55.the website. We will announce the winner
:34:56. > :34:59.receiving. That escape was part of the high drama last night in the
:35:00. > :35:03.semifinal win over Barry Hawkins and it's the underdog who holds a 3-1
:35:04. > :35:08.advantage and let's get the view from the Kerry camp at the moment.
:35:09. > :35:15.Great excitement, I'm sure. I'm here with Joe's father Peter, and his
:35:16. > :35:19.good friend Barry. What a fantastic start from Joe Perry. Brilliant,
:35:20. > :35:28.yet. To be quite honest, he was pretty nervous, but he's not firing
:35:29. > :35:31.as well as he did in his first two matches but he's getting there. He
:35:32. > :35:36.looks a lot more calm and confidence and more sure of himself, even
:35:37. > :35:43.walking around the table. The semifinal in his eyes is the match
:35:44. > :35:46.to the final, win it, brilliant, come second, brilliant. You know
:35:47. > :35:51.what I mean? That's why he is a lot,. Is that what you would have
:35:52. > :35:56.said to them, he's got nothing to lose? Everyone is expecting Ronnie
:35:57. > :36:01.to win but he is the underdog and he's got nothing to lose. No, he's
:36:02. > :36:06.made a great achievement to get this far. He's got to go out there, enjoy
:36:07. > :36:10.it, try and relax, and played the best he can. And hopefully that will
:36:11. > :36:19.be good enough. Peter, tell me about Joe's mother. She can't watch it.
:36:20. > :36:23.She won't even be watching at home? She works at Barnardos, she works
:36:24. > :36:30.there during the day and recorded obviously live. She won't watch it.
:36:31. > :36:36.If I ring up and give her a good result, she might watch it because
:36:37. > :36:41.she knows the result, but she said give Hazel ring because anybody will
:36:42. > :36:45.know I gave birth to him. His younger brother is coming down
:36:46. > :36:51.tonight. OK, the nerves will be jangling but a great start for Joe
:36:52. > :36:55.Perry. Lots to look forward to in the second half of the match. And
:36:56. > :36:59.there's lots of work forlornly to do at this stage. The best of 19, the
:37:00. > :37:06.first 210 and this evening's session to come. He's got some work to do to
:37:07. > :37:09.change the order in terms of snooker 's majors. We've been showing you
:37:10. > :37:14.this graphic over the last couple of days which indicates the state of
:37:15. > :37:19.play in snooker's three major titles, and O Sullivan has a chance
:37:20. > :37:23.to get the most number of wins in the Masters, he currently shares
:37:24. > :37:30.with Stephen Hendry, but for the first time in 18 years, there could
:37:31. > :37:37.be a revision of the record books in snooker's record books because not
:37:38. > :37:41.since Stephen Hendry overtook Steve Davis and Ray Reardon has somebody
:37:42. > :37:46.set a new benchmark in these events, and you have been in this situation,
:37:47. > :37:52.Steve, and I wonder how significant it could be in terms of snooker? I'm
:37:53. > :37:55.not too sure the players, when they're competing in the tournament
:37:56. > :37:59.at that moment, think about it, but when you look back over your career,
:38:00. > :38:06.it's something to be proud of so it matters. As we know full well, from
:38:07. > :38:09.the amount of disappointment Stephen Hendry has felt when some of his
:38:10. > :38:15.records have been broken, it does hurt. It shows they are far too
:38:16. > :38:20.greedy. You wanted all of those tournaments, let someone else when.
:38:21. > :38:24.We have got another four frames this afternoon in the final of this
:38:25. > :38:30.Masters. Lets remind you of what the story has been in the first four so
:38:31. > :38:37.far. At the start of the 2017 final, odds-on favourite against 8-1
:38:38. > :38:46.outsider, Ronnie missed this in frame one and Perry grabbed the
:38:47. > :38:53.lead, 72. A foul from Ronnie gave Joe another chance and he stepped in
:38:54. > :38:59.for a second frame. 53. A 2-0 lead for the outsider. In frame three,
:39:00. > :39:04.Ronnie made a 58 break that Joe was on the chase with a chance of a
:39:05. > :39:12.steel before missing that black and Ronnie wins his first frame and his
:39:13. > :39:18.12th final. And then, in frame for, another clearance of 72 for Perry
:39:19. > :39:22.with this long red has given Job and unexpected very, very unexpectedly
:39:23. > :39:30.-- Joel. Four more to play this afternoon and
:39:31. > :39:34.we will enjoy them in the company of Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry now
:39:35. > :39:42.in the commentary box. Good afternoon, Hazel. Great reception
:39:43. > :39:48.for both players. A lot of this Alexandra Palace crowd went
:39:49. > :39:54.expecting to see 3-1 to Joe Perry, but Joel and his fans will be quite
:39:55. > :40:01.pleased forth I spoke to his dad before the interview, and he was
:40:02. > :40:12.very optimistic. He's hoping for great things from his son. Ronnie
:40:13. > :40:28.O'Sullivan to break. As we always know, things can be changed around.
:40:29. > :40:39.Yes, Joe has got to be expecting an onslaught at some stage. He's got to
:40:40. > :40:46.keep believing. I think, if he can keep unforced errors to an extreme
:40:47. > :41:03.minimum, when he's got the lead in a match, it could happen.
:41:04. > :41:17.Four more frames in this afternoon's session. He could have a lead going
:41:18. > :41:26.into tonight 's session. If he keeps saying good safety shots like that,
:41:27. > :41:31.he will get chances. We know Ronnie is a terrific tactical player as
:41:32. > :41:37.well, but he needs a good return here.
:41:38. > :41:48.That's not the return he was after. The cannon on the yellow has left a
:41:49. > :41:52.straight red for him. A slight angle. It looks to be dead straight.
:41:53. > :43:00.Now you see it. It's been interesting in the first
:43:01. > :43:01.four frames, his body language, complaining about things, getting
:43:02. > :43:33.agitated. Is almost trying too hard. That's a very good point, Stephen.
:43:34. > :43:39.He would take a record away from you, second Masters title, looking
:43:40. > :43:43.forward, but sometimes if you do try that little bit too hard, it makes
:43:44. > :44:13.things much more difficult. Just lost the cue ball. Depends on
:44:14. > :44:23.the angle he has got on the Akrotiri.
:44:24. > :44:58.He will have to come in and out of baulk.
:44:59. > :45:06.Enough left-hand side to avoid coming back and catching the green.
:45:07. > :45:12.Played that very nicely. Something very, very relaxing about Joe out
:45:13. > :45:17.there this afternoon. Beautiful touch player, Joe Perry. Very rarely
:45:18. > :46:04.see him hit the ball too hard. Carrying on from where he left off
:46:05. > :46:15.before the mid-session interval. He had a break of 74 to go into a 3-1
:46:16. > :46:51.lead. Every chance now of clinching this fifth frame with this visit.
:46:52. > :47:06.Got enough angle on the blue, not a problem. For the next red. I say no
:47:07. > :47:16.problem, he could've played that better. He's hampered this one to
:47:17. > :47:18.the left corner. A slight lapse therein concentration. He's got to
:47:19. > :47:35.be careful with this one. Doesn't matter how good you are. If
:47:36. > :48:08.you are sitting in the seat, you can't do much about it.
:48:09. > :48:17.Not going to be easy to make a century break, the way the balls
:48:18. > :48:27.have situated. Disturb the two every chance of doing that. This will be
:48:28. > :48:37.the 24th century, 28 if he can get one. This is tricky. If it's tight
:48:38. > :48:47.on the question, a better chance of rolling it into the pocket.
:48:48. > :49:01.Just about. He hit the cushion halfway.
:49:02. > :49:10.This is a fantastic performance in this frame. And never looked in any
:49:11. > :49:18.danger from the first pot. Absolutely fantastic. Joe Perry.
:49:19. > :49:30.Terratec reception in this packed audience here. # terrific reception.
:49:31. > :49:45.That was Joe's fourth century in this year's Masters. Good timing.
:49:46. > :50:02.141 is still the highest. Marco Fu have that. Doesn't matter about the
:50:03. > :50:13.cannon on the brown. Can clear the lot. He has done more than enough.
:50:14. > :50:20.Surely he couldn't cut this in? Not quite. A good start after the
:50:21. > :50:24.mid-session interval. Joe Perry got one chance. He made a century break
:50:25. > :50:30.and he now leads Ronnie O'Sullivan by 4-1. If it hadn't been for that
:50:31. > :50:35.on the brown, you might have had a better angle on the yellow because
:50:36. > :50:41.he was on for 142 and the highest break of the championship so far. It
:50:42. > :50:48.is the 24th of the week, and in this current format of the Masters, a
:50:49. > :50:53.wild card round, 28, so will it be beaten? We shall see. I'm sure Joe
:50:54. > :50:59.was absolutely delighted with his fourth century of the week. This is
:51:00. > :51:03.great stuff from Joe. Yes, it is. I'm not going to disagree with what
:51:04. > :51:05.Stephen Hendry said at the top of the show because a lot of people
:51:06. > :51:11.felt there was only one winner today. But I would be interested,
:51:12. > :51:16.I'm not having a laugh, but what Stephen thinks. What percentage of
:51:17. > :51:21.people now think Joe has a chance? It has gone up a bit. A fair bit I
:51:22. > :51:25.would imagine. We were discussing the fact that Ronnie has, by his own
:51:26. > :51:32.admission, being in a losing habit in the final. Since October, is lost
:51:33. > :51:41.three finals. The cell B1 was an unbelievable match. You don't want
:51:42. > :51:48.that to become habit -- Selby one. It wouldn't be the seismic shock of
:51:49. > :51:54.Leicester win the Premier League. But it would be a shock if he won
:51:55. > :51:58.because one is the favourite. Joe Perry is a very accomplished player
:51:59. > :52:02.full of confidence at the moment. Steve made a very good point.
:52:03. > :52:07.Sometimes being the underdog takes the pressure off. More cliches
:52:08. > :52:13.coming out as well. Everyone has got a marathon in them. A good book in
:52:14. > :52:21.them, whatever, and maybe this is Joe's moment. Expected nothing of
:52:22. > :52:29.himself this week when he came to Ally Pally. He beat Stuart Bingham,
:52:30. > :52:33.6-1 and struggled to get past John Higgins, 6-5, but he is flying here
:52:34. > :52:49.in this final. Just picking up from what Steve
:52:50. > :52:54.Davis was saying, I don't think the snooker world expect him to win.
:52:55. > :53:09.Some of those people will certainly be having doubts. Even at 4-1 down.
:53:10. > :53:20.If Joe can just believe in his ability, he can win this match.
:53:21. > :53:51.This will really open up the frame, this next shot. Careful on the cue
:53:52. > :53:56.ball. He has hit it far too hard. If it goes to the middle, that would be
:53:57. > :54:02.a bonus, but a little bit of adrenaline there. He misjudged that
:54:03. > :54:10.one completely. If it goes to the middle, it will get him out of
:54:11. > :54:14.trouble here. Is it there? It is not. A little bit of frustration
:54:15. > :54:30.that there. The shot from the black to the red
:54:31. > :54:41.he was disgusted with, a very loose shot. That screw shot, he's
:54:42. > :54:54.brilliant at, Ronnie O'Sullivan. I mean, this was clumsy, really.
:54:55. > :55:15.The black is their easy enough. That was a wee bit careless.
:55:16. > :55:31.You can't let up for a minute in this competition. Unforced errors,
:55:32. > :55:37.you can't afford any. If he's going to win this match. The only
:55:38. > :55:43.consolation for Joe there is that the black one is safe and he did not
:55:44. > :55:48.get on the red as he intended. Having a 4-1 advantage, he's knows
:55:49. > :55:51.he's going into this evening 's play, you can't be behind. Anything
:55:52. > :55:56.else now would be a nice bonus for Joe. And keep the pressure on his
:55:57. > :56:16.opponent. A little bit of an awkward frame
:56:17. > :56:18.with the pink tied up and the black certainly tied up on the side
:56:19. > :57:39.question. Joe would love to bring the black
:57:40. > :57:46.into play here but if you place off that red and he's got to be careful
:57:47. > :57:55.he doesn't get the double-kiss on the way back down, change of plan. A
:57:56. > :58:02.change of plan. But wasn't the plan that he had in mind. He planned to
:58:03. > :58:07.screw their white back into the baulk area. Just wobbling in the
:58:08. > :58:23.jaws is what he was after. He's doing remarkably well, Joe, a
:58:24. > :58:30.player after 25 years going for his first major title. His one ranking
:58:31. > :58:39.event, 2015. But this would be some win for gentleman Joe.
:58:40. > :58:47.An awful long way to go. You can see Ronnie's plan there. Get the black
:58:48. > :59:53.back up on its own spot. Never looked like missing anything
:59:54. > :59:58.like that in the semifinal against Marco Fu. There's a little bit of
:59:59. > :01:12.pressure on the six time champion here.
:01:13. > :01:18.You play the cue ball into the area, he could play for one of the two
:01:19. > :01:21.ripples the right side corner or the left. He played for the one read to
:01:22. > :01:51.the left corner. -- Reid. That one John to Little but it's OK.
:01:52. > :02:18.Just giving the black a clean there. It's not a straightforward run to
:02:19. > :02:19.the winning line in this frame, they are not completely out of position
:02:20. > :02:33.these last two reds. That's pretty good. Just drop on the
:02:34. > :03:00.pink here. Joe Perry 33. As soon as it hits the
:03:01. > :03:14.cushion you know it's not going to drop. You can see it's just going to
:03:15. > :03:15.the right slightly. The little head movement there, not the smoothest
:03:16. > :03:36.stroke in the world. In the best of 19 there is going to
:03:37. > :03:43.be little twists and turns in turning points. And this could be a
:03:44. > :04:13.big one. Joe had a chance there to go 5-1 in front.
:04:14. > :04:18.Just needs the blue to make absolutely sure but that's unnatural
:04:19. > :04:30.angle to come back out for the pink anyway.
:04:31. > :04:37.This might just relax Ronnie O'Sullivan this. He looked a little
:04:38. > :04:48.on edge. And he looked as though he could lose the frame. I opened the
:04:49. > :04:53.door for Ronnie O'Sullivan and he walked right through it. That was a
:04:54. > :05:00.frame he badly needed but is still two behind. 4-2 to Joe Perry. A
:05:01. > :05:03.couple of loose shots and that when you are saying perversely the
:05:04. > :05:08.realisation of the scoreline kicks in at this point. It's a funny
:05:09. > :05:13.thing, he would just think give me a good start, he goes for - one ahead
:05:14. > :05:17.and he has that red. You have to hit the file draw with those, if you
:05:18. > :05:22.don't hit the near one they don't go in and I hate to be pernickety about
:05:23. > :05:28.it but when you get the best players, they know a part of the
:05:29. > :05:32.match that is so important that they jump over the chance that is given.
:05:33. > :05:36.There is weakness being shown by Ronnie today, he's not playing his
:05:37. > :05:39.best and you can bet your bottom dollar that Stephen would be all
:05:40. > :05:44.over that knowing it was the chance drive home. In agreement with that
:05:45. > :05:48.because it difficult part of the match, you have a healthy lead and
:05:49. > :05:53.feel good and then suddenly you know who is behind you. Going back to the
:05:54. > :05:58.levels of expectation, it's easy to play as the underdog and 4-1 looks
:05:59. > :06:04.like 5-1 and you think you are the favourite and clinching it is a
:06:05. > :06:07.different matter. The finishing line for Joe Perry has come a lot earlier
:06:08. > :06:11.than we would have expected that that is the sign of what can happen
:06:12. > :06:17.when you see the potential for a massive lead. The other thing is you
:06:18. > :06:21.know you will be in front for the evening session, that's why it is
:06:22. > :06:26.more important, you go five and you know you are into the night with a
:06:27. > :06:33.lead. How vulnerable is O Sullivan today? Not so vulnerable now he won
:06:34. > :06:37.the frame but that can change because a player in the ascendancy
:06:38. > :06:43.doesn't take much before one relaxes and the other freezes or stalls.
:06:44. > :06:47.They bit of panic sets in and so many things happen when you sit in
:06:48. > :07:06.that chair. All of the twists and turns.
:07:07. > :07:12.People like Steve Davis, Stephen Hendrie, they are used to winning,
:07:13. > :07:17.this is the biggest day of his professional career Joe. If he could
:07:18. > :07:19.lift the Masters. It is putting that in the back of your mind and getting
:07:20. > :07:40.on with the game. He's caught that all wrong. An early
:07:41. > :07:48.chance for Ronnie. Although saying an early chance, as we showed you
:07:49. > :07:51.the safety shot, the black is available into the left corner and
:07:52. > :07:57.of the White was a little bit of a left it would be easy to hold for
:07:58. > :08:03.the black. He had to go all the way around the back there because he
:08:04. > :08:10.didn't have the angle to hold for the black to the left corner so it
:08:11. > :09:42.wasn't straightforward. In fact it might only be a safety shot now.
:09:43. > :09:55.Good shape the shots from both players. -- safety.
:09:56. > :10:02.That is coming up a bit short but looking at the red to the left
:10:03. > :10:06.corner, he could cannon into the black so not a lot of value in that,
:10:07. > :10:24.can find another way back down the table again.
:10:25. > :10:50.The excellent length of the safety shot from Solomon. -- O'Sullivan.
:10:51. > :11:08.He could drop this dead weight and finish on the black, this is a tough
:11:09. > :11:12.shot. Brilliant pot. It didn't look as though that was on but the pace
:11:13. > :11:18.he played attacks, he made the angle, just a little trace of the
:11:19. > :11:25.right-hand side helped. What superb cueing that was. It's not going to
:11:26. > :11:29.be easy to get in here with the awkward pink, the black fairly
:11:30. > :12:10.awkward. If you can find a way to get on the
:12:11. > :12:13.black then you can play the black and play for the red closest to the
:12:14. > :12:22.black now and then you don't have too played black at any pace. So
:12:23. > :12:32.possibly has been thinking about that for two or three shots time,
:12:33. > :12:39.this red isn't a gimmick. Wide. Disappointing visits to the table
:12:40. > :12:46.for Joe Perry. As some boys were saying in the studio this is such an
:12:47. > :12:55.important time in the match for Joe Perry. He doesn't want to get in the
:12:56. > :13:01.mindset that it can be 4-4, he has to keep lead. I think you mentioned
:13:02. > :13:07.Ronnie was trying a bit too hard, I think it's a case that Joe is trying
:13:08. > :13:27.a bit too hard at the moment. And Ronnie is looking much more relaxed.
:13:28. > :13:41.One could split her. He could be in business. If this red comes past the
:13:42. > :13:46.green it might block the path up into the right corner, he was
:13:47. > :13:49.looking at that, the one between the pink and the blue would pot up into
:13:50. > :13:54.the corner but that red has come off the cushion and block the path for
:13:55. > :14:05.that. So the cannon didn't work at this time.
:14:06. > :14:16.Just a little screw on it that brought it backwards. That been that
:14:17. > :14:22.horrific shot had he picked it off but it was a bit of a free shot,
:14:23. > :14:46.this red cuts into the right middle but that was very difficult.
:14:47. > :15:25.Should be easy enough not to leave anything here.
:15:26. > :15:34.The first four frames set the target, possibly winning 3-1 and if
:15:35. > :15:41.you can get that advantage you would look at the second mini-session at
:15:42. > :15:49.3-1 but if you share that and you know you're still in the driving
:15:50. > :15:53.seat. Joe knows if he can get to five NES lead going into this
:15:54. > :15:58.evening and that adds a little bit of pressure. Certainly to the
:15:59. > :16:36.players who are not used to winning the majors.
:16:37. > :16:41.Wants to avoid the double case, the red has turned out as a pretty
:16:42. > :16:57.decent safety shot. He is looking at the possibility of
:16:58. > :17:01.cutting this into the middle pocket and finishing on the black believe
:17:02. > :17:05.it or not, he has to be careful who doesn't leave that one almost near
:17:06. > :17:07.the middle but this would be some shot if he could put this and get on
:17:08. > :17:22.the black. Without the cannon of the blue he
:17:23. > :17:26.would have finished on the black, he thought he would slide past the blue
:17:27. > :17:28.puts what a great opening pot there, is he going to be taking on the
:17:29. > :18:48.pressure green? Now he has a chance. Just making absolute certainty what
:18:49. > :18:50.he wants to do, no point playing the shots when you have a little bit of
:18:51. > :19:21.indecision. Struck that well. Best break so far for Ronnie
:19:22. > :19:23.O'Sullivan 58, not many finals he has played six frames and that is
:19:24. > :20:24.his highest break. This could be a frame when the next
:20:25. > :20:31.shot. Already 40 in France. -- front. A couple of the reds are
:20:32. > :20:36.available so no need to play a cannon there. Just be careful you
:20:37. > :20:40.don't screw back to the middle pocket.
:20:41. > :20:54.Has he got enough angle? He's pretty straight on this.
:20:55. > :21:11.That might be tight. Just enough room. A bit of distance between the
:21:12. > :21:31.reds but I think he could make it. That was a nice little bonus to have
:21:32. > :21:51.that available to him once he got straight on the blue. One more frame
:21:52. > :22:01.to be played in the session. Doesn't matter about that.
:22:02. > :22:07.That would have made absolutely sure of the frame but Joe is still in
:22:08. > :22:15.with a glimmer of hope. A couple of snooker is needed
:22:16. > :22:35.though. Not often you get a snooker with
:22:36. > :22:36.three reds on the table spread out like that but he is snooker on them
:22:37. > :23:02.all. -- snookered. I didn't see the match last evening
:23:03. > :23:07.but neither did Barry Hawkins otherwise he would have gone out
:23:08. > :23:09.6-2, he got the snooker and went on to win the match, what a win that
:23:10. > :23:25.was for Joe. I was in studio for that match and
:23:26. > :23:28.had never seen such a change in body language in a player, it was
:23:29. > :23:59.phenomenal once he pinched the frame to go 5-3.
:24:00. > :24:36.Still needs to snooker so he's OK taking the pink there.
:24:37. > :24:48.Joe needs to four point snooker is, to reds, to blacks, a tall order
:24:49. > :25:13.when the black is out of commission. He needs to get up to the pink here
:25:14. > :25:53.from this red. Only 35 remaining as you can see, 44
:25:54. > :26:24.behind. That's one way of getting four
:26:25. > :26:37.points. Very unlucky there. You could stand there all day and
:26:38. > :26:50.not get that shot again. He has miss it this one completely,
:26:51. > :27:02.should have been tight in behind the brand. -- brown. But he did bring
:27:03. > :27:08.the black interplay which may help his cause. But still two snooker is
:27:09. > :27:24.needed. This is a good one. That's a little
:27:25. > :27:29.beauty that is. He would have loved that red to come a bit further away
:27:30. > :27:35.from the cushion though. This is still a very tough snooker to hurt.
:27:36. > :27:43.At least three cushions he would think. Might be able to achieve it
:27:44. > :27:46.off to. If he goes all the way around its three cushions, has to go
:27:47. > :27:51.around the back of the green then. It might even hit... What an escape
:27:52. > :28:00.that is. He would do well to find another
:28:01. > :28:27.snooker as good as that one. He has to be a bit careful coming
:28:28. > :29:20.off the side cushion, it's so easy just to clip the green. Well judged.
:29:21. > :29:25.That seemed to jump a little bit otherwise, about halfway through the
:29:26. > :29:44.next frame. He knew Ronnie Wood pot the red.
:29:45. > :29:52.Ronnie O'Sullivan on his way back. 4-1 down and now just 4-3 and one
:29:53. > :29:56.left to play. STUDIO: Two on the bounce for Ronnie O'Sullivan and
:29:57. > :30:03.great tactical stuff. Enjoyable when you have clever snookers and
:30:04. > :30:08.fantastic escapes. Ronnie O'Sullivan had more adrenaline in the early
:30:09. > :30:17.part of the frame and smelt a bit of blood. A little nick from Joe Perry
:30:18. > :30:22.and pounced more. He will be feeling happier and the favourite to win the
:30:23. > :30:27.last frame, not a massive favourite, but the favourite. A very important
:30:28. > :30:32.frame. If you are Joe Perry and you come out of this 4-4 after leading
:30:33. > :30:36.4-1 and your opponent is off his game you will be kicking yourself
:30:37. > :30:44.because the opening session has been a chance to stamp his authority. If
:30:45. > :30:49.you come with it, great, if he doesn't, he will be disappointed.
:30:50. > :30:58.The heavy scoring from Joe Perry making a century and a couple of 70
:30:59. > :31:05.plus breaks. 58 the high break from Ronnie. Is he just warming up? What
:31:06. > :31:13.is your take? He had a tough start to the match and he has played catch
:31:14. > :31:18.up, which is not easy when you are. He is doing his job well. He has not
:31:19. > :31:22.shown frustration, he has waited for chances and they have started to
:31:23. > :31:26.come and if he comes out for - for he will be philosophical. He has
:31:27. > :31:31.passed the point of trying to win looking pretty only more, he enjoys
:31:32. > :31:37.different challenges in the game. He has talked about being a fierce
:31:38. > :31:41.competitor and he has worked on mental skills with Dr Steve Peters
:31:42. > :31:45.and seems to enjoy the fight. Against Marco Fu, perhaps this
:31:46. > :31:51.trying to come back from a position of adversity, particularly with the
:31:52. > :31:56.tip against Marco Fu and this situation, 4-1, seems to be grist to
:31:57. > :32:02.his mill. Sometimes you need to challenge. He has been around a long
:32:03. > :32:06.time. Sometimes you need something different, a challenge, and he has
:32:07. > :32:09.not been great today but his matchplay has been fine, he has
:32:10. > :32:15.played the right shots. You cannot have your best form every session
:32:16. > :32:25.you play. He is hanging in. Will it be 5-3 to Joe, or will it be for-
:32:26. > :32:28.four? Let's find out. DENNIS TAYLOR: Once again, a very good length of
:32:29. > :33:09.the break-off shot. I agree with John Parrott. Joe Perry
:33:10. > :33:16.has missed an opportunity this afternoon. He may still win the
:33:17. > :33:22.frame and have a lead. But maybe his lack of experience in big finals,
:33:23. > :33:28.not recognising that you can win long matches in the afternoon
:33:29. > :33:36.session, or go a long way towards winning them.
:33:37. > :33:45.When you have your opponent down, Dennis, you stamp on them.
:33:46. > :33:55.Yes, I could not agree more. Joe needs a thin contact here. Well,
:33:56. > :34:14.that is a thin contact. The days are long gone when Ronnie
:34:15. > :34:21.O'Sullivan loses his cool, he has not done that for a number of years
:34:22. > :34:25.and as Hazel said, he works with heaters, a sports psychiatrist, who
:34:26. > :34:33.keeps him in quite a happy place mentally.
:34:34. > :34:41.I have never seen Ronnie... Well, he was buzzing after the semifinal. You
:34:42. > :34:46.have a highlys and come-down after the match, and you have to get
:34:47. > :34:51.yourself up for the next match. It is a tough old game. It looks like
:34:52. > :35:02.his will to win has overtaken the need to entertain. Winning has
:35:03. > :35:03.become the most important thing. Even over playing well, just get the
:35:04. > :35:17.result. This is a gem of a shot he has
:35:18. > :35:33.played here. Almost got in behind the green, but
:35:34. > :35:40.that was a tough shot. He hit it thin, and also finding the gap.
:35:41. > :35:46.There is a gap for Joe. He has hit this a bit too thin. He might be OK
:35:47. > :35:52.and might have covered the one to the left corner. Maybe he has not. I
:35:53. > :35:58.think Ronnie has the angle to swing it around the table and get onto the
:35:59. > :36:34.blue. Pink might be available but that is the gap for this one.
:36:35. > :36:44.Again, not pinpoint position. The positional play we have come to
:36:45. > :36:58.expect. But still on the red. That is a terrific recovery shot. It
:36:59. > :37:05.is worth another look. I think the pink might also now be available.
:37:06. > :37:10.He's on the red to the left of the pink.
:37:11. > :37:17.Not available to the left corner, the pink. Might be available into
:37:18. > :37:21.the right corner. Clearly enough room.
:37:22. > :37:27.If he does not have a good angle to stay on the pink, no problem getting
:37:28. > :37:54.back for the blue. Looks almost the natural angle to
:37:55. > :37:56.follow through to the black and red, but you are not guaranteed a red
:37:57. > :38:18.after that shot, so... Not 100% guaranteed where the cue
:38:19. > :38:26.ball is going. He would settle for that.
:38:27. > :38:34.Have a look at the reds, where they finished.
:38:35. > :38:43.What a chance now to knock a sizeable contribution. It always
:38:44. > :38:50.looked inevitable, as soon as he got in in this frame, what was going to
:38:51. > :38:55.happen. You get a sense, when a player is upping his game, finding
:38:56. > :39:13.another gear. The players will have about three
:39:14. > :39:21.hours to get themselves ready for this evening's session at 7pm. Joe,
:39:22. > :39:27.well, he will be a bit disappointed if it is four each, that is an
:39:28. > :39:33.understatement, after leading 4-1. Ronnie is not safe in this frame
:39:34. > :39:45.yet. All it takes is one little lapse in concentration.
:39:46. > :39:54.That is a little further than he intended. He will have to cannon the
:39:55. > :39:55.pink. If he had not been straight on the red, it would have been
:39:56. > :40:10.straightforward. He is all over the table with this
:40:11. > :40:45.effort. Keep getting position. Has he got the right side of the
:40:46. > :40:53.blue? I think he is straight again. Absolutely dead straight! This has
:40:54. > :40:58.been hard work, but a very important visit to the table. It is a frame
:40:59. > :40:59.that will get them all square at four frames each after being 4-1
:41:00. > :41:35.down. That helps. The cannon on the yellow
:41:36. > :41:39.has left him perfectly on the brown. He would have been on the green
:41:40. > :41:41.without the kiss on the yellow but that was better, easier to get these
:41:42. > :41:51.two reds. I suppose you would have to say it
:41:52. > :41:53.is an all-round good break that will take him level because he has been
:41:54. > :42:12.all over the table with this effort. Oh. Why did he hit it so slowly? I
:42:13. > :42:15.know he was near the cushion, but that is the first real bit of
:42:16. > :42:23.frustration we have seen this afternoon. After working so hard. He
:42:24. > :43:19.is still a strong favour at the way the reds are, but...
:43:20. > :43:28.If you have the angle to you risk going into the pink and still hoping
:43:29. > :43:45.to be on the black? He has done. Good shot.
:43:46. > :43:55.Ronnie was odds-on to level at 4-4 and now there is a glimmer of hope
:43:56. > :44:01.for Joe Perry. To take a 5-3 lead, but an awful lot to do. The angle is
:44:02. > :44:08.there and he can move the difficult last red. He does not want to hit it
:44:09. > :44:12.too hard, does not want to send it past the middle pocket if he gets
:44:13. > :44:18.the cannon, but keep your eye on the black. He didn't. He put everything
:44:19. > :44:22.into the cannon. He hit the red perfectly but forgot to keep his eye
:44:23. > :44:31.on the black. Amazing the number of times that happens. He concentrated
:44:32. > :44:40.solely on the cannon. What a chance he has let slip. As I mentioned he
:44:41. > :44:45.has three hours to recover, and if someone said you will be 4-4 with
:44:46. > :44:50.Ronnie O'Sullivan at the mid-session, he would have taken
:44:51. > :44:57.that, but to show you the black again, he missed it by a long way.
:44:58. > :45:08.He has to take the positive out of this session. For- four with the six
:45:09. > :45:10.times Masters champion. For - one up, he had a golden chance to extend
:45:11. > :45:27.his lead. Not bothering with the black. Not
:45:28. > :45:32.the best session Ronnie O'Sullivan has ever played with his highest
:45:33. > :45:41.break 58, but he will go to the interval delighted, from 4-1, he has
:45:42. > :45:46.got him back to all square. STUDIO: There will be positives to take out
:45:47. > :45:51.of the first session from Joe's perspective, but will he be ruling
:45:52. > :46:00.the miss in frame six which might have given him a 5-1 lead? The red
:46:01. > :46:04.down the rail was the first sign of Joe seeing the winning line and not
:46:05. > :46:08.pulling the trigger as he would have liked. We have all been in that
:46:09. > :46:14.situation. He let a big fish off the hook. He will never see him again,
:46:15. > :46:20.is sometimes how it pans out. Stephen Hendry said if your opponent
:46:21. > :46:25.is down you had to stamp on him. You know as a player, you know when your
:46:26. > :46:29.opponent is struggling, you think it is time to press home the advantage
:46:30. > :46:34.and a chance comes up and you don't take it. We had a black off the spot
:46:35. > :46:38.in the last frame, which he would never miss in practice, but he
:46:39. > :46:46.looked at the cannon, took his eye off the black. The expectation of
:46:47. > :46:51.being in front and doing damage to Ronnie in that session. For- four,
:46:52. > :46:57.two or three hours to wait and walk out again as the underdog. He is
:46:58. > :47:00.back to square one. It is not terrible because he will probably
:47:01. > :47:05.play with more freedom at the start of the next session. He has to take
:47:06. > :47:10.heart in the way he has played. The people around him, they have to say
:47:11. > :47:20.that is a great start, you are for- four with Ronnie O'Sullivan. They
:47:21. > :47:26.have to forget he was 4-1 up. They have to say, it is a good start in
:47:27. > :47:31.the final, you are in there. It is a good final. It has been interesting.
:47:32. > :47:36.I am not sure Ronnie will see it in those terms because he has not got
:47:37. > :47:40.into his scoring group. But he will have been mentally stimulated by the
:47:41. > :47:45.session, because it is not always about breezing through the frame is,
:47:46. > :47:50.different mental challenges the players get. He was alerted the end
:47:51. > :47:55.of that. Sometimes we see him in his chair and he looks bored, not
:47:56. > :47:59.engaging, that was not the case. If he comes in after and says it is not
:48:00. > :48:04.the best game he played, he will have enjoyed it in his own way. We
:48:05. > :48:09.spoke about Ronnie's losing habit and he spoke about going deep into
:48:10. > :48:13.tournaments and the satisfaction but he says that nothing brings you the
:48:14. > :48:20.satisfaction of lifting silverware, and he will be hungry after three
:48:21. > :48:25.big losses in three finals. The last final, he lost to Mark Selby, but
:48:26. > :48:29.there is a weight of expectation. Everybody expects him to win. There
:48:30. > :48:34.was merit in his performance, he was nowhere near his best but he has got
:48:35. > :48:40.out level. Before we go off air, because we will come back at 7pm,
:48:41. > :48:42.there is a second chance to mull over options in our shot of the
:48:43. > :49:01.tournament you cast your vote. What was he attempt on the green? Is
:49:02. > :49:09.he going to try something special? Look at the action on that cue ball!
:49:10. > :49:14.What a positional shot. Oh, my goodness, oh my goodness, what a
:49:15. > :49:15.shot Batty is. To get the work on that with the side around the
:49:16. > :49:29.angles, what a shot. He has got it this time and he has
:49:30. > :49:39.got away with it. Easy safety, but the pot wins you
:49:40. > :49:50.the frame. The pot wins you the frame, what a
:49:51. > :50:10.pot that was! He has the wrong angle on the
:50:11. > :50:13.yellow. Too far for the brown into the same pocket. But he has an
:50:14. > :50:24.abundance of Duke Power, Stuart Bingham.
:50:25. > :50:35.-- cue power. Unbelievable amount of side on that.
:50:36. > :50:45.One good shot. Come on, how is the cue ball? It looks very good. What
:50:46. > :51:18.they shot! Look at this for a shot. Absolutely
:51:19. > :51:23.delightful. He knew he could not force that one in because of the red
:51:24. > :51:27.on the cushion. We have seen him knock a few of those in but not so
:51:28. > :51:42.much the pot. The cannon was exquisite.
:51:43. > :52:06.The reason he played for the black to the left corner.
:52:07. > :52:17.I'll tell you what, what an effort that is. That is as good a
:52:18. > :52:18.positional shot you will ever see. Loads of top spin. That was a bit
:52:19. > :52:36.special. Not often Ronnie thinks about a shot
:52:37. > :52:44.this length of time but it is understandable here.
:52:45. > :52:53.It was worth waiting on. I said he would do well to find a path down
:52:54. > :52:57.the table. He found the pot and the way back down the table and he is on
:52:58. > :53:04.the brown to get back up to the reds.
:53:05. > :53:12.Even if he got the right hand side cushion he has the blue to miss, the
:53:13. > :53:23.yellow to miss, the green. Good luck. Good luck. Good luck with this
:53:24. > :53:41.one! Great shot. What a shot! LAUGHTER.
:53:42. > :53:49.STUDIO: That may be your favourite but which ever what it is, go to the
:53:50. > :53:54.website and click on the shot of your choice. The voting closes at
:53:55. > :53:59.7pm just in time to go back on air and we will announce the winning
:54:00. > :54:05.shot in the evening session programme this evening. Interesting
:54:06. > :54:12.to see what you choose. There is a ?200,000 first prize on offer for
:54:13. > :54:18.either Ronnie or Joe. The side issue is the high break prize of ?10,000
:54:19. > :54:22.and that moment Marco Fu is on tenterhooks because he owns it after
:54:23. > :54:26.a superlatives effort in the semifinal against a certain Ronnie
:54:27. > :54:28.O'Sullivan. If you did not see it, it is worth watching in the closing
:54:29. > :54:51.stages and we join now. DENNIS TAYLOR: He is in line for the
:54:52. > :55:01.high break prize in The Masters. He has had five centuries so far this
:55:02. > :55:08.week. STEPHEN HENDRY: I think he made 11, 12 in winning the Scottish
:55:09. > :55:13.open just before Christmas. He is turning into a scoring machine. It
:55:14. > :55:18.is the biggest attribute you can have as a top player to win frames
:55:19. > :55:25.in one visit like this on a regular basis.
:55:26. > :55:35.From a psychological point, after watching Ronnie win the last frame
:55:36. > :55:43.with a 95 break and a new tip, this is what the doctor ordered for Marco
:55:44. > :55:49.Fu. Also, how quickly is he playing? It helps when you are in perfect
:55:50. > :55:55.position every shot. Brilliant. Absolutely superb from Marco Fu. The
:55:56. > :56:23.22nd century so far this week. Look at that. It is not often
:56:24. > :56:28.somebody has a quicker shot time on Ronnie O'Sullivan, but down to the
:56:29. > :56:34.fact he has the cue ball on a string. It is not down to his coach!
:56:35. > :56:41.His coaches Wayne Griffiths, but originally he was with Terry
:56:42. > :56:48.Griffiths, so he did not get the 16 seconds shot selection from Terry.
:56:49. > :57:10.He could beat his own high break by one point. What an effort.
:57:11. > :57:18.He made absolutely sure of the black. What a response from Marco
:57:19. > :57:24.Fu. He quietly gets the ball is out of the pocket but he has just
:57:25. > :57:30.cleared the table with a magnificent break of 141. STUDIO: That is the
:57:31. > :57:34.target. Marco Fu was one of the success stories of the week, a
:57:35. > :57:40.pleasure to watch him play. Not just this week, but the past few weeks,
:57:41. > :57:45.24, 25 centuries in the past few weeks but was not there when Ronnie
:57:46. > :57:50.turned up the afterburners in the semifinal. That is what it took to
:57:51. > :57:58.beat him. 60-1 for the World Championship and backing him for 28.
:57:59. > :58:03.And the Mark Selby slammed that was not to be, he would have been only
:58:04. > :58:09.the fifth man to hold all major titles in snooker at the same time.
:58:10. > :58:13.He hit a brick wall and did not get going in the tournament. For a few
:58:14. > :58:17.players, with the build-up to the World Championship, they have
:58:18. > :58:22.questions to ask. They are not necessarily in the best of form.
:58:23. > :58:28.Lots to come, but the only issue to sort out is who will be the 2017
:58:29. > :58:34.Masters champion? At 5:15pm we have highlights of the Australian Open
:58:35. > :58:46.tennis. Andy Murray and Dan Evans inaction. And we will see you for
:58:47. > :58:48.the final session in this Masters final at 7pm. Goodbye for now.