First Round: Ronnie O'Sullivan v Liang Wenbo

:00:32. > :00:40.Hello. This is Alexandra Palace. Ali Pali in north London. The PVC darts

:00:41. > :00:44.boys and girls have packed away the arrows, they have had their fun,

:00:45. > :00:48.they have at the moment, and now it is the turn of snooker. The 16 top

:00:49. > :00:54.players in the world have turned up here, hoping for a very happy start

:00:55. > :00:58.to 2017, as the Masters champion, the second longest running event in

:00:59. > :01:02.snooker. And arguably, this is the greatest field we have ever

:01:03. > :01:06.assembled. For the first time, every one of the players involved already

:01:07. > :01:10.owns in major world ranking title. That's the first. But none of them

:01:11. > :01:13.in this field has mastered this great event more offered than the

:01:14. > :01:16.man who will be taking those off this afternoon - the six time

:01:17. > :01:23.champion, the defending champion, the Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:01:24. > :01:33.Ronnie O'Sullivan, playing his best ever of the week to take the Masters

:01:34. > :01:42.title. I'm a Londoner. Being in London, I'm looking forward to it.

:01:43. > :02:11.MUSIC It looks like his fourth Masters

:02:12. > :02:24.title now... I love winning, I love it!

:02:25. > :02:46.and, like running, the only other six time winner of the Masters,

:02:47. > :02:50.Stephen Hendry, is trying to look cool calm and collected at the

:02:51. > :02:56.prospect of perhaps losing that record. Warning on a roll, going for

:02:57. > :03:00.a seven. Steve Davis, he has long since worried about other people

:03:01. > :03:04.making his record! Happy New Year to you both. What are the chances of

:03:05. > :03:11.Ronnie itching himself alone in the history of this event. He has as

:03:12. > :03:14.good a chance of anybody -- Ronnie itching himself into the history of

:03:15. > :03:19.this event. He has been slipping up against the other top players.

:03:20. > :03:27.He has been beating players, maybe not fancying it so much against the

:03:28. > :03:34.top players. He won this last year in superb fashion. Obviously he

:03:35. > :03:37.loves the big occasion,... It's an interesting point. You look back at

:03:38. > :03:42.the last three months. He's been in a big final three times, he lost the

:03:43. > :03:47.Judd Trump, John Higgins, and of course Mark Selby Dustin December.

:03:48. > :03:51.How do you read that form? No disgrace to lose the those three

:03:52. > :03:56.players. -- just in December. It is getting more difficult to guaranteed

:03:57. > :03:59.to win events. All you can really do is get your solving the frame and

:04:00. > :04:10.give yourself a chance. He is getting there. So will get yourself

:04:11. > :04:12.in the frame. It's just getting over the line has always been difficult

:04:13. > :04:15.and will be more difficult. Is he going to be nervous with that record

:04:16. > :04:18.in the last three months, though? I don't think he looks at it that way.

:04:19. > :04:21.He's had lots of match practice. When it comes to this event, this is

:04:22. > :04:25.a massive crowd now. It's like a big auditorium. One table, all eyes on

:04:26. > :04:30.the one match. As Stephen said, a big occasion player. This, I've

:04:31. > :04:33.probably said it before, this is his office, he is harder to beat here

:04:34. > :04:36.than anywhere else in the world. Is going to be fascinating over the

:04:37. > :04:42.next week or so. Ronnie O'Sullivan and the world number one Mark Selby

:04:43. > :04:45.drawn to face each other in the final at the top and bottom of the

:04:46. > :04:47.order. There are a huge number of very capable, very expert players

:04:48. > :04:52.who could take this title themselves.

:04:53. > :05:02.First up it's O'Sullivan against China's charismatic Liang Wenbo, a

:05:03. > :05:11.real firecracker. A home event for the Essex boy. Flamboyant Judd Trump

:05:12. > :05:13.meets Marco Fu, he was informed. World number two Stuart Bingham

:05:14. > :05:19.playing the Gentleman Joe Perry tomorrow. The only debit and this

:05:20. > :05:25.year, Kettering's Ireland Wilson. 2015 winner Shaun Murphy playing

:05:26. > :05:30.last year's for up Barry Hawkins. And the world number one meets Mark

:05:31. > :05:34.Williams. It gets going in a couple of moments when Ronnie O'Sullivan

:05:35. > :05:38.works out to this great arena, 2000 strong, against Liang Wenbo this

:05:39. > :05:42.afternoon. As you know, this time last year he came to Ali Pali off

:05:43. > :05:45.the back of a seven month sabbatical away from the sport, not the first

:05:46. > :05:49.time he's done that. He's also had something of a bit of a love hate

:05:50. > :05:52.relationship with snooker. He's in love with a together the moment

:05:53. > :05:58.because he tells us that he would now love to be viewed as the Lionel

:05:59. > :06:03.Messi of this game. People that are watching, they're saying, he don't

:06:04. > :06:06.just win, but he delivers on it. I think it's very important. Sometimes

:06:07. > :06:10.people say like you can't play like that, but Lionel Messi proves that

:06:11. > :06:16.you can, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer do. I want to try and be one

:06:17. > :06:20.of them. Arguably he has been that, one of those great entertainers all

:06:21. > :06:24.of his career. This is his 23rd campaign in the Masters. Let's meet

:06:25. > :06:28.the man he is going to be playing today. 29-year-old Liang Wenbo. This

:06:29. > :06:31.fella could cause a few problems. The odds have been stacked against

:06:32. > :06:38.Liang Wenbo consider the previous match-ups. Ronnie with five wins the

:06:39. > :06:42.Wenbo's one. The recent contests have been pretty close. Ronnie has

:06:43. > :06:46.reportedly given Liang Wenbo one or two pieces of playing device. It

:06:47. > :06:51.will be interesting to see what difference it makes today. And how

:06:52. > :06:55.about this? Liang getting his big first title in the English open in

:06:56. > :06:59.October, really that. Loved A lot of people will remember he was in the

:07:00. > :07:05.UK championship final two years ago. A quirky character, a heavy scorer.

:07:06. > :07:10.I wonder how many questions he is capable of asking Ronnie today? As

:07:11. > :07:14.you said that, I think his heavy scorer, he is going to have to do

:07:15. > :07:19.that today. You know, Ronnie is going to be well up for this match.

:07:20. > :07:23.Liang has to match in the scoring department. His temperament also,

:07:24. > :07:28.he's got to keep that in check. You know, he concedes a lot of times,

:07:29. > :07:31.Liang, he shows his emotions. He starts swearing, shaking his head,

:07:32. > :07:35.his he smacks himself in the face. He's got to keep his temperament in

:07:36. > :07:37.check as well stop like the crowd will be thoroughly behind Ronnie

:07:38. > :07:41.O'Sullivan. That is a withering experience for a player in the past.

:07:42. > :07:53.Good luck you do well in by the final it is the full crowd.

:07:54. > :07:57.But this is round one, you are right in the deep end. It's a shock to the

:07:58. > :08:01.system for every player that comes here. Usually you is your solving

:08:02. > :08:08.the tournament. Wenbo has a bit about him, though. So you is

:08:09. > :08:11.yourself into the tournament. Perhaps the early start, it would be

:08:12. > :08:16.good for Wenbo to get off to a good start from his perspective. But this

:08:17. > :08:21.tournament is a shock to the system. A blogger made a very good point, it

:08:22. > :08:25.is required reading. Ronnie seems to like playing. If you watch his body

:08:26. > :08:28.language, he is always smiling against Wenbo. Do you get that

:08:29. > :08:33.impression about him? They are very good friends off the table. Liang

:08:34. > :08:37.amuses Ronnie, possibly off the table as well. He likes his antics

:08:38. > :08:41.around the table, he's a breath of fresh. So many of the players

:08:42. > :08:49.nowadays show very little emotion at all, if any. He is different from

:08:50. > :08:51.that, he's good to watch and good to play against. He has a 5-1

:08:52. > :08:55.advantage, he is comfortable with that. From the perspective of

:08:56. > :08:58.Stephen, my perspective from my rack and Stephen's era, we prefer to have

:08:59. > :09:03.an aura around us that we were untouchable. We didn't make friends

:09:04. > :09:10.too much with our opposition, if at all. Do such an extent that we were

:09:11. > :09:14.quite disliked! But it seems different now, the game has changed

:09:15. > :09:20.enough. But I don't like the thought of getting too friendly with another

:09:21. > :09:23.player. Judd Trump did it in the UK championship, he had dinner with the

:09:24. > :09:27.guy who beat him. And suddenly it's a different culture now. You see

:09:28. > :09:31.them before talking to each other before they go out, we would never

:09:32. > :09:37.have done that. OK, I don't know who is buying goods to write, but we'll

:09:38. > :09:46.find out. Liang is -- buying dinner tonight. Ronnie is 13 and Liang is

:09:47. > :09:49.11. But this 2000 strong crowd is already the start. It will be lively

:09:50. > :09:56.and crackling with anticipation. As we get ready to get underway, the

:09:57. > :10:04.honour is being done by the man who won this great title exactly 30

:10:05. > :10:08.years ago, Mr Dennis Taylor. Would you please welcome into the arena, a

:10:09. > :10:15.player who lifted his first title just a couple of months in ago in

:10:16. > :10:18.Manchester. The reigning English professional champion, Liang Wenbo!

:10:19. > :10:53.APPLAUSE And his opponent, would you please

:10:54. > :10:57.give a warm welcome, he is the defending Masters champion. He is

:10:58. > :10:59.five times a world champion, six times in Masters champion, it's the

:11:00. > :11:35.rocking Ronnie O'Sullivan! It's lively, all right! A quick

:11:36. > :11:40.sprint into the commentary box. You have done your Sunday work-out

:11:41. > :11:44.already! Sit back and revel in one of the great sporting occasions of

:11:45. > :11:48.any year, is the Masters, best of 11 frames in the opening round. We'll

:11:49. > :11:53.get a win this afternoon. Dennis on his way to meet three-time Masters

:11:54. > :12:00.champion John Parrott, good afternoon, John.

:12:01. > :12:04.COMMENTATOR: Welcome to a very lively Alexandra Palace. The top 16

:12:05. > :12:08.players in the world put into the melting pot. And usually when you do

:12:09. > :12:21.that combination, it comes out to be very exciting. Away we go for what

:12:22. > :12:32.should be fascinating week of Sugra. -- a week of snooker.

:12:33. > :12:38.I don't think he has covered the outside read here. This is a chance

:12:39. > :12:40.for Ronnie. Not easy of course, first shot in this year's event for

:12:41. > :13:04.him. So, not to be. I agree with the

:13:05. > :13:08.boys, his attempt at the long pot. It's very important to get a good

:13:09. > :13:12.start at any match. Particularly against Ronnie O'Sullivan,

:13:13. > :13:14.ineffectively his own backyard. He has got the score to date, Liang,

:13:15. > :13:27.and heavily. I love watching Liang Wenbo play. He

:13:28. > :13:36.really is very exciting. Bit of a character as well.

:13:37. > :13:43.And he's one of those players who just loves a stage like this. Packed

:13:44. > :13:47.house at the Alexandra Palace. He plays his best snooker under these

:13:48. > :13:52.conditions. What conditions they are. Look at this wonderful venue. I

:13:53. > :13:57.think it was 1500 couple of years ago, now it is 2000 capacity. A very

:13:58. > :14:01.popular event here in London, and why not? We should be in for a treat

:14:02. > :14:21.here this week. The tournament first started in

:14:22. > :14:28.1974-75 season by the late, great John Spencer. He was beaten in the

:14:29. > :14:32.final. It has kept going ever since. From 79-2006 it was a conference

:14:33. > :14:37.centre. The next five years it went to the arena, and then for the last,

:14:38. > :14:41.well, this will be the 60th year at Ali Poly. This was seamlessly taken

:14:42. > :14:47.over as a great host for a wonderful event -- the 16th year at the Ali

:14:48. > :14:51.Paoli. Of course we mustn't forget the New London Theatre in Drury

:14:52. > :14:56.Lane. It was played there. That was a terrific venue. Well-established

:14:57. > :15:02.now, as you say, John, almost packed out here.

:15:03. > :15:09.I always used to love playing this event, Dennis. There's a real buzz

:15:10. > :15:12.about it. It's your reward for playing well throughout the year and

:15:13. > :15:15.being a top player. You know full well you've got to be at it right

:15:16. > :15:20.from the get go. There's nowhere to hide here. You're the centre of

:15:21. > :15:24.attention, only one table, and you've got to bring your stuff with

:15:25. > :15:29.you, no good trying to find it, because you won't win this event by

:15:30. > :15:32.doing this. You've got to win here by bringing to a game. -- your a

:15:33. > :15:45.game. Well, that could be the end of

:15:46. > :15:50.break. He was just a bit unlucky. He didn't get quite enough right-hand

:15:51. > :15:55.side when potting that brown. Justin Gilbert Moorside and he would hit

:15:56. > :16:01.the pink and red. -- just a bit more on the side. He will be

:16:02. > :16:11.disappointed, his first proper visit on the table and it was a big target

:16:12. > :16:15.for him to hit. Liang Wenbo 27. Decided to have a go at the double.

:16:16. > :16:19.The only red he could leave was the one he tried to double. He has left

:16:20. > :16:27.a chance for Ronnie to follow that red. Can you put the camera away,

:16:28. > :16:28.please? They did mention no cameras, please. The referee just emphasising

:16:29. > :16:44.that. I don't know whether he saw the red

:16:45. > :16:54.going and he kept the angle to get into the pack like Liang did. Wow.

:16:55. > :16:57.You know, his angle and that wasn't the same as Liang's, it was more of

:16:58. > :17:09.a difficult shot. Couldn't quite get the side on.

:17:10. > :17:17.Yes, it's so easy to going off that last shot on the attempted. That's

:17:18. > :17:19.the angle he had. You need to hit it at the right-hand side and avoid the

:17:20. > :17:29.middle pocket. Didn't quite manage that.

:17:30. > :17:37.Even though it's the best of 11, it's always nice to get off to a

:17:38. > :17:39.good start. And he's had plenty of good starts in the match, six times

:17:40. > :17:50.in Masters champion. Yes, I think some of Ronnie's best

:17:51. > :17:57.snooker ever has been played at this event. The 10-3 was as close to

:17:58. > :18:02.perfection as you could see. The demolition of Ding Junhui was

:18:03. > :18:09.absolutely outstanding. He has played some great stuff here.

:18:10. > :18:16.Not particularly appetising for Liang. He's just got to be careful

:18:17. > :18:26.here. Probably trying to drop in the back of the pack here.

:18:27. > :18:52.We always talk about Ronnie being the greatest break-builder of all

:18:53. > :18:53.time. He's got a fabulous tactical and safety game, which you have to

:18:54. > :19:10.have. You have to be able to mix it. Not the best safety this time from

:19:11. > :19:13.Ronnie. Liang Wenbo can have a go at this red and get himself onto the

:19:14. > :19:20.black. It's a bit of a free shot. The only ball he can leave will be

:19:21. > :19:24.the red. If he misses it, you can quite easily send it into the pack.

:19:25. > :19:40.It's a half chance. He is pretty good at this type of pot.

:19:41. > :19:46.He concentrated so hard on getting the pot, which was difficult in

:19:47. > :19:50.itself. Straight in the centre of the pocket, but just lost the white.

:19:51. > :19:52.If it stops there, it would have been perfect. Not much he can do

:19:53. > :20:11.here, really. Just going back to the venues, John,

:20:12. > :20:18.the Wembley conference centre. You were so far away from the table.

:20:19. > :20:22.Here you are closer to the table. It was quite a long walk back to your

:20:23. > :20:27.seat, it took a lot of getting used to in that venue. But there again,

:20:28. > :20:33.you would have 2700 people there for the final.

:20:34. > :20:38.Many a time players forgot where they were and tripped over the

:20:39. > :21:03.plants in that place! That's a terrific shot. I think you

:21:04. > :21:04.can take the brown because there is a red just the right of pink that is

:21:05. > :21:21.available. Oh! He didn't see that coming. He

:21:22. > :21:25.was perfectly on the red. A second chance for Liang. Just caught the

:21:26. > :21:37.near jaw. Now, perfect position on the blue.

:21:38. > :21:42.This is a lovely pack to go into. The red next to the pink is making

:21:43. > :21:47.it even better. If he can hit that one, the red and pink together, it

:21:48. > :21:50.should open up lovely. He has just got to be careful that the pink

:21:51. > :21:57.doesn't head towards the left corner pocket when he cannons into them.

:21:58. > :22:01.Well, is he on that red? I thought he would hit them a little harder

:22:02. > :22:05.than that. I think he got a little bit lucky to finish there. They were

:22:06. > :22:15.begging to be hit hard. He is an one.

:22:16. > :22:21.I'll tell you what, this table looks beautiful. I thought he was going to

:22:22. > :22:25.come up short on the blue, but it's very quick and the players like it

:22:26. > :22:34.that way. He has a nice shot here. He pops this blue and leaves it low

:22:35. > :22:37.on the red, he can split the pack up that way. He needs the cue ball to

:22:38. > :22:42.go a bit more. If it does, that's what he's looking for. If it does,

:22:43. > :22:47.what the red and Canada into the pink, quite a few open in the plate

:22:48. > :22:53.-- cannon into. I'd love to have another couple of inches of role and

:22:54. > :22:58.that cue ball, it would have been perfect. With the 34 point

:22:59. > :23:02.advantage, he can win the frame if he can play the shot that John

:23:03. > :23:03.suggested. Is it a little too straight from the red to do that?

:23:04. > :23:16.Not a lot of room there. So, a change of plan. Is he going to

:23:17. > :23:21.go far enough? I think is going to have to take the pink. He's going to

:23:22. > :23:25.split the reds. Straightaway he gets the rest out. It's a natural angle

:23:26. > :23:29.to pot the pink and split those five reds. We have seen it already, but

:23:30. > :23:34.both players have had a go on the brown and in quite get enough of the

:23:35. > :23:37.side of the cue ball in the frame. Sometimes on these new cushions,

:23:38. > :23:44.they throw a little bit different. If he judges this correctly...

:23:45. > :23:52.Well, missed the pack. And this has all come from the one off the blue.

:23:53. > :23:58.If he had just got the right angle on the bottom red, it was from over.

:23:59. > :24:02.Not from as wide as he fought and missed the back. -- not thrown as

:24:03. > :24:13.wide as he thought. He might have a 41 point leave here,

:24:14. > :24:18.Liang. This is a dangerous board. If he hits the roads here, only the

:24:19. > :24:37.brown in an awkward position, he has to be very careful.

:24:38. > :24:44.Well, this will require good cueing. He can only just see enough of this

:24:45. > :24:58.thread. He has had a look at that. -- of this red.

:24:59. > :25:13.Just a safety shot. He needs a good cue ball here.

:25:14. > :25:19.That's not bad, but there is a half chance for Liang. He is a

:25:20. > :25:24.devastating long putter, and runny nose that. He practices enough with

:25:25. > :25:27.this Chinese player. -- and Ronnie knows that. This is not

:25:28. > :25:35.straightforward. He has defined the Gap back around the table. -- he has

:25:36. > :25:39.defined the gap. What damage has he done here? Mis-hit that completely.

:25:40. > :25:44.What a chance for Ronnie to get right back in this opening frame.

:25:45. > :25:51.It's not only the damage of missing it, he flipped the red off the side

:25:52. > :25:54.cushion, a double whammy. He brings the red into play. A good chance...

:25:55. > :26:01.It should have been. Can he just sneak back the yellow

:26:02. > :26:34.enough to pot the green? Just a bit of noise. There is a

:26:35. > :26:40.latecomer coming into a seat, and somebody is making noise there. It

:26:41. > :26:45.has been spotted. Just a couple of flights, I think. They might be the

:26:46. > :26:55.line of sight, which is off-putting -- a of lights.

:26:56. > :27:10.Just reflecting on to the railings. They are catching Ronnie's I.

:27:11. > :27:16.He is going to wait to get the light off. It is putting him. He knows it

:27:17. > :27:23.is quite a good chance to get himself back into the frame. We've

:27:24. > :27:27.got to find the switch that will get rid of that blue light. There is

:27:28. > :27:31.just one red that is safe here that could come to Liang Wenbo's rescue.

:27:32. > :27:37.The one near the ocean, as John mentioned, he knocked the other red

:27:38. > :27:44.red out into the open. -- the one near the cushion. Frank Baker just

:27:45. > :27:52.heading off. The light is safely switched off. I suppose, Dennis, we

:27:53. > :27:56.mentioned the top cushion. Ideally Ronnie would like to get into the

:27:57. > :28:00.black and only dropped the red in to get it back on the spot. In a

:28:01. > :28:05.perfect world, that is what he would like to do.

:28:06. > :28:17.The Wiggo, if you can get on the black now... -- there we go.

:28:18. > :28:28.Change of plan. He did play on the black there.

:28:29. > :28:32.This is a lively cloth. He has overhit that by the way. This is a

:28:33. > :28:43.little cut back. Can he avoid the contact on the

:28:44. > :28:54.brown? Of all he will have to put a little juice on it. Only just.

:28:55. > :28:58.I haven't used that term before, a little bit of juice, another word

:28:59. > :29:12.for a little bit of side. I mentioned earlier, it looked like

:29:13. > :29:17.a dangerous position for Liang, even though he was a few points in front.

:29:18. > :29:21.The ball is in a portable position, with maybe the exception of the

:29:22. > :29:26.brown. You can see Ronnie trying to work out the best way. Ideally, as I

:29:27. > :29:31.say, he'd like to drop the black and play on the loose red. This has got

:29:32. > :29:37.counter clearance by the North Everett. -- written all over it.

:29:38. > :29:42.Liang could kick himself with the chances he has had in this frame.

:29:43. > :29:45.Doing exactly as you predicted, getting the black back on the spot.

:29:46. > :29:51.And he doesn't want to be dead straight, though. And that looks as

:29:52. > :29:59.if it is almost straight. Not much of an angle.

:30:00. > :30:11.Yes, that could always happen. Trying to play the snookering behind

:30:12. > :30:14.the black. -- the snooker in. Very little angle to work with. In fact,

:30:15. > :30:42.the red jumped a few times. Not the best safety Liang Wenbo has

:30:43. > :30:47.ever played. On the other hand, this is far from easy.

:30:48. > :31:05.What a pot! What a cracking pot that is! Ronnie O'Sullivan special. All

:31:06. > :31:20.about brown to blue now, that's going to be the key factor.

:31:21. > :31:29.I agree with you Dennis, this cloth is lively, hardly touched that.

:31:30. > :31:38.Straight back. Perfect angle. Deserves to win the frame. Has he

:31:39. > :31:52.left himself a decent angle or is he a little bit straight?

:31:53. > :32:05.Had that little bit of angle. Is it going to come up a little bit short?

:32:06. > :32:06.He only needs the pink, no problem, doesn't matter about getting on the

:32:07. > :32:25.plaque. -- the black. It has to be said, Liang Wenbo had

:32:26. > :32:30.if you chances to take the opening frame and he didn't, Ronnie

:32:31. > :32:40.O'Sullivan takes the frame and he leads 0- one. The defending champion

:32:41. > :32:46.off and running, effectively a tale of. Yes, one that Ronnie turned

:32:47. > :32:50.down, you can see the situation here, he looked at they read a

:32:51. > :32:56.couple of times and perhaps if he is 2-0 or 3-0 in front he takes it on,

:32:57. > :33:00.but he knows the importance of this frame so he refuses it and place the

:33:01. > :33:05.safety shot and gets in. Looks like he was possibly going to win the

:33:06. > :33:11.frame. The next long red and we are going to see is when you had to take

:33:12. > :33:20.on, there is no safety shot. Hardly hit it, this was just all timing.

:33:21. > :33:23.Also in stroke as well? Yes, came straight at the red on the top

:33:24. > :33:28.cushion but looks to be cueing very nicely on what looks to be a

:33:29. > :33:31.lightning fast piece of cloth, snooker on ice effectively and no

:33:32. > :33:36.better player than Ronnie O'Sullivan per controlling the cue ball on fast

:33:37. > :33:40.conditions. And perhaps that safety shot that Liang Wenbo played, when

:33:41. > :33:47.it rolled a few more inches down the table gave Ronnie the chance. Safety

:33:48. > :33:52.becomes difficult on fast clots, everything is tricky on a very fast

:33:53. > :33:56.cloth. There were a few nervous moments as you would expect from

:33:57. > :34:01.both men and I think that lends to the intensity and intimacy of this

:34:02. > :34:04.venue. Liang Wenbo will be disappointed, he had three or four

:34:05. > :34:09.chances in the frame and if he keeps needing that he will get beaten

:34:10. > :34:17.today so he has to up his game if he wants to win. Back we go, the second

:34:18. > :34:24.frame. COMMENTATOR: I would agree with Stephen Hendry, Liang Wenbo

:34:25. > :34:28.cannot carry on as he did in that opening frame. Had a few decent

:34:29. > :34:37.chances. But he knows that only too well John. Yes. Playing against the

:34:38. > :34:41.very best chances seem to be few and far between and he had enough of

:34:42. > :34:56.them in the opening frame but have to make the most of them.

:34:57. > :35:02.That certainly will help his confidence. It was a long red

:35:03. > :35:05.similar to that that he hit two thick in the previous frame. No

:35:06. > :35:13.problem this time, right in the centre of the pocket. This is a

:35:14. > :35:17.really good chance. Reds spread around, could score plenty of points

:35:18. > :35:19.before you need to get down to the nitty-gritty of opening up the pack.

:35:20. > :35:42.Could score a few here. The pink is out of commission at the

:35:43. > :35:48.moment, but the black has a red either side of it. In a few shots

:35:49. > :35:55.time he could have the black in the open. Got to be very precise with

:35:56. > :36:04.this, needs to pull up a little bit. That looks to be absolutely perfect.

:36:05. > :36:11.Yeah, he is on the black, you can tell by his body language. Looks a

:36:12. > :36:15.bit tight but I think he's OK. If he is on it it's the best shot he has

:36:16. > :36:23.played in the match. Have already mentioned how quick the cloth is.

:36:24. > :36:27.That's a fabulous shot. Excellent control. But his heart was in his

:36:28. > :36:39.mouth when the cue ball was running. And now he has the black in the

:36:40. > :36:54.open, that truly was a superb positional shot.

:36:55. > :37:00.I remember a good few years ago we were in the commentary box and I

:37:01. > :37:04.remember seeing I thought Liang Wenbo was the next big thing. I had

:37:05. > :37:08.seen him play and thought his cue ball control and scoring was

:37:09. > :37:12.absolutely fantastic and I thought this boy would going to win lots of

:37:13. > :37:14.events and it's fair to say he went missing for a few years but

:37:15. > :37:22.thankfully he is back on the big-time here in top 16. Won a

:37:23. > :37:25.ranking event in 2016, he has found something from somewhere and it's

:37:26. > :37:39.good to have him back because he certainly supremely talented.

:37:40. > :37:47.Well, this might have just gone astray. Misjudged the cannon, think

:37:48. > :37:57.his left things very difficult for himself.

:37:58. > :38:03.This is tough, it will just go past the blue up into the corner. A

:38:04. > :38:23.beauty! Yes, excellent recovery. Could have

:38:24. > :38:32.easily been disappointed from the shot he played before. Really had to

:38:33. > :38:38.do so little with the cue ball on this cloth, it is zipping around the

:38:39. > :38:42.angles. Just got to make sure that this next positional shot, it's

:38:43. > :39:17.important, got to get the right angle.

:39:18. > :39:24.Isn't it ironic John, when he played the previous shot in the first frame

:39:25. > :39:27.to split the reds he did not get enough side, that time he got too

:39:28. > :39:32.much side on. He was thinking about the shot he played as we show you

:39:33. > :39:38.out again, this time getting too much side on it. No easy safety

:39:39. > :39:48.shot, has to just roll into them, cannot do everything else. Ronnie

:39:49. > :40:05.cannot run away up the table. Of that red. Closest to the tank.

:40:06. > :40:15.Following a similar pattern to the opening frame here where Liang Wenbo

:40:16. > :40:21.was leading by 40 points. Once again the safety shot has to be very

:40:22. > :40:39.careful. Have to get the cue ball glued to the bottom fusion cushion.

:40:40. > :40:53.That's pretty good but there is an easy safety shot for Ronnie of the

:40:54. > :41:03.reds just to the left of the pink as we look at them.

:41:04. > :41:10.He needs the green to come to the rescue here. It's not. Round of

:41:11. > :41:18.applause but there is a gap through to this red. This would be some shot

:41:19. > :41:25.but knowing Liang Wenbo he will play at. This will be interesting to

:41:26. > :41:28.watch because it was a long part in the opening frame when he was in

:41:29. > :41:37.front and not in much trouble that caused him to ultimately lose the

:41:38. > :41:40.frame. What will he do here? That was not the cue action I'm afraid.

:41:41. > :41:45.Looked like a lot of pressure on that.

:41:46. > :42:09.Let's have a look, the reds sitting on the black spots will have to go

:42:10. > :42:20.directly behind because of the other spots are occupied. I think that

:42:21. > :42:25.last part that Liang Wenbo missed, he's just concerned about who's

:42:26. > :42:28.coming behind him, he's got Ronnie O'Sullivan, the six time Masters

:42:29. > :42:30.champion and that puts a much pressure on a part like that and

:42:31. > :42:36.that's where the mental strength comes in, you have to try to forget

:42:37. > :42:46.what you are playing and think about what you're going to leave. But that

:42:47. > :42:53.is easier said than done. I think the red goes that is closest to the

:42:54. > :42:57.black, but he cannot get on that red, the angle he has left the pink

:42:58. > :43:05.but there is no problem, plenty of other choices. Usually manages to

:43:06. > :43:08.sort out which way to go doesn't he? Adept at seeing the table and

:43:09. > :43:15.getting the computer working, where to leave the cue ball. To make the

:43:16. > :43:17.break as easy as possible. Fair to say he's been fairly useful at that

:43:18. > :43:59.over the years. He can leave that red next to the

:44:00. > :44:03.black for the time being. He played the last red, playing to try to come

:44:04. > :44:06.dead straight on the pink to run through for the red next to the

:44:07. > :44:13.black, did not quite get there are so a change of plan. Just trying to

:44:14. > :44:19.leave himself that angle to run through and get on that red by the

:44:20. > :44:20.black. But if you don't quite manage it you have to change the way you go

:44:21. > :44:42.about it. And he is they are now. -- there

:44:43. > :44:46.now. A couple of tricky reds, the one next to the blue is available

:44:47. > :44:50.only in corner pockets. That one jumped quite a bit but did not

:44:51. > :44:54.affect the shot. The one that is near the right side cushion is

:44:55. > :45:03.slightly awkward, I wonder if he will try to develop that? A little

:45:04. > :45:26.risky. That's what he's played. And didn't develop it.

:45:27. > :45:30.Just having a look to see if the red passes the blue to the green pocket

:45:31. > :45:48.which I think it does. I think that was the table again,

:45:49. > :45:57.the reaction he got. It really is so fast. This is awkward because he's

:45:58. > :46:06.so close to the red. And look at that shot. APPLAUSE

:46:07. > :46:11.Difficult to pick the angle out when you're so close to it and he can

:46:12. > :46:17.take the green here and swing this around the angles to head towards

:46:18. > :46:29.that last difficult red. Here comes the cue ball, where is it going to

:46:30. > :46:31.vanish? Just slipping past it. 15 in front, they are all on. Needs a good

:46:32. > :47:08.snooker here. APPLAUSE I think he'd have to use web around

:47:09. > :47:12.this stick at the edge of it. It's quite tricky to judge with the blue

:47:13. > :47:28.and green playing with a touch of swerve. Where is the red going?

:47:29. > :47:41.Well, this will pot, to take the second frame.

:47:42. > :48:01.For all the world and looks like 2-0 now to Ronnie O'Sullivan. If I was

:48:02. > :48:04.Liang Wenbo I would be sitting in that chair kicking myself because

:48:05. > :48:09.the scoreline at the moment is self-inflicted. Two long reds, one

:48:10. > :48:13.in the opening frame that he missed by a mile and that one there in the

:48:14. > :48:21.last frame that he missed when he was 40 points in front...

:48:22. > :48:28.That's the one in the first frame that he missed by a mile. Cost him

:48:29. > :48:34.the frame. And then this one which was a really good opportunity for

:48:35. > :48:36.someone of his class. Because of those looks like he's going to be

:48:37. > :48:58.2-0 down. Well, no fireworks just yet but

:48:59. > :49:04.Liang Wenbo could have quite easily led 2-0 but the scoreline currently

:49:05. > :50:05.reads Ronnie O'Sullivan 2-0 Liang Wenbo.

:50:06. > :50:12.Defending champion has a 2-0 lead and John Parrott summed it up,

:50:13. > :50:18.self-inflicted he said from the perspective of Liang Wenbo, do you

:50:19. > :50:22.agree? Of course, Liang Wenbo wins his first ranking event, his stock

:50:23. > :50:25.rises and with that comes different problems and one of those is

:50:26. > :50:29.expectation. Now Liang Wenbo possibly going to come into

:50:30. > :50:35.tournaments from now on in expecting it to do better and that puts

:50:36. > :50:40.pressure on. Only his second appearance at the Masters, on his

:50:41. > :50:42.debut last year, this is a 23rd appearance for Ronnie. How

:50:43. > :50:47.intimidating is this place when you're just getting used to it? You

:50:48. > :50:50.are battling against the Ronnie O'Sullivan show when you come here,

:50:51. > :50:55.you have you have to have tremendous mental strength to get through it. I

:50:56. > :50:59.remember when I used to play Jimmy White at the old Wembley conference

:51:00. > :51:05.Centre and it was the same thing. Forget about the surroundings and

:51:06. > :51:09.just, anyone who plays a top player, cut out the unforced errors and

:51:10. > :51:12.you'd be amazed how well you do. It's quite obvious when you are

:51:13. > :51:17.looking at all these factors, he has been caught cold in the first couple

:51:18. > :51:22.of frames, couple of misses that you could put in the easy category, how

:51:23. > :51:27.do you set yourself down? It's just an unforced, it's trying 100%

:51:28. > :51:34.concentration into every shot. He needs to win frame quickly in this

:51:35. > :51:37.match. COMMENTATOR: We always say you never really settle until you

:51:38. > :51:42.get your first frame on the scoreboard. And that is what Liang

:51:43. > :51:45.Wenbo will be thinking about, must get a frame sooner rather than

:51:46. > :52:00.later. Now, has that red cover of the one

:52:01. > :52:06.near the pocket? I don't think so, Liang Wenbo can get through to cut

:52:07. > :52:12.this in. And I think he will avoid cannoning into the bunch of reds and

:52:13. > :52:16.the pink. Even if he did it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world but

:52:17. > :52:18.it's all about making sure of the pot and letting the quite take care

:52:19. > :52:41.of itself. -- the white. Come through a gap that I didn't

:52:42. > :52:45.see. That is what he was looking at, wasn't absolutely certain about the

:52:46. > :52:49.cue ball, but to find the gap was a bonus as we show you the shot again.

:52:50. > :52:58.Not the gap he played for but he'll take it. Just giving himself a

:52:59. > :53:07.little bit of extra time here to make sure that he gets the next shot

:53:08. > :53:09.right because if he can get good position he can give himself an

:53:10. > :53:19.early chance here in this third frame.

:53:20. > :53:25.I think the pink is out of commission looking at it, the black

:53:26. > :53:30.still a little awkward, like it was in the earlier frame. This is a much

:53:31. > :53:39.more difficult chance than the one he had in the second frame, the

:53:40. > :53:46.black is really awkward. Taking his time, I don't blame him. He is 2-0

:53:47. > :53:52.down after all. If it goes 3-0 down I cannot fancy him at all. Somehow

:53:53. > :53:56.he has to get around and under the blue, so how does he find the path

:53:57. > :54:00.round there? He's just checking to see if the pink would possibly going

:54:01. > :54:04.to the right middle pocket. Looks a bit tight. We'll find out shortly,

:54:05. > :54:18.the way he plays best shot. That has been overhit by quite some

:54:19. > :54:28.way. That's just a little bit of tension there. We mentioned how

:54:29. > :54:30.quick the cloth is, that such a difficult shot to play on a really

:54:31. > :54:45.quick cloth, of the side cushion. May have left Ronnie along red on

:54:46. > :54:52.the right-hand side. He's looking at the black, but I don't think it

:54:53. > :54:56.pots. Very tight if he was to leave it where he is cueing, maybe he can

:54:57. > :55:09.get on that if he stuns the white through. He had an angle to come an

:55:10. > :55:19.and off the cushion to get on the black. Unexpected miss from Ronnie

:55:20. > :55:25.O'Sullivan and a chance for Liang. We know the black is available.

:55:26. > :55:29.Little bit street, but looks as if he's going to miss to the right of

:55:30. > :55:33.the pocket as we watch cueing but safely in. This will open the black

:55:34. > :56:09.up. Little run through to land on the

:56:10. > :56:13.loose red. I know we keep going on about it but if you're going to have

:56:14. > :56:36.a future in this match Liang he's got to score now.

:56:37. > :56:47.Need to keep going, he wanted to have an angle. Looks of it straight.

:56:48. > :56:57.We'll have to power this through with lots of side. Going to be a bit

:56:58. > :57:05.close to the condition but he's got the red lives near the right corner.

:57:06. > :57:08.Quite cleverly played. Often say to people how do you make a break, you

:57:09. > :57:13.try to leave yourself in positions where there are a couple of options

:57:14. > :57:15.so that was well played, knew he didn't get on the other red near the

:57:16. > :57:33.black he still had this one. APPLAUSE

:57:34. > :57:42.Very well controlled. Really well controlled. You can sense already

:57:43. > :57:49.that Liang knows how important this is. And he knows how important this

:57:50. > :57:53.next shot is going to be, leaves himself on the black to split up

:57:54. > :58:01.this bunch of reds, that's going to be key. This is the one that could

:58:02. > :58:06.pave the way. To taking his first frame in this match. It's not the

:58:07. > :58:14.best pack of reds to go into, needs to get plenty of action on this.

:58:15. > :58:35.That red is available to him. Just run through and leave himself on the

:58:36. > :58:38.pink or black. Well once again he finds himself with an almost 40

:58:39. > :58:43.point lead and really there is no excuse from here. Somebody of his

:58:44. > :59:08.quality, this is an excellent chance. To take the frame.

:59:09. > :59:19.You can see Liang taking a nice deep breath as he walks around.

:59:20. > :59:49.Deep breath and go again. Maintain that concentration level.

:59:50. > :59:58.This is what he is very good at, Liang, close control around the pink

:59:59. > :00:06.and black area. Scored very heavily and very quickly. A series of little

:00:07. > :00:14.stuns and screw shots. Racks up the points very quickly.

:00:15. > :00:23.Yes, he knocked in 30 centuries last season. Nearly 18 this season. He

:00:24. > :00:33.has just let the white run a little further than he intended. Safely in.

:00:34. > :00:38.And there you can see, 67 ahead with 59 remaining he can relax a little

:00:39. > :00:48.bit. Certainly is an excellent response.

:00:49. > :00:52.We said at the start of this frame, this is what he has to do to score.

:00:53. > :00:57.A little bit of help for Ronnie in this frame, it has to be said. I

:00:58. > :01:03.didn't expect Ronnie to miss. But nevertheless, he has taken things

:01:04. > :01:07.very well. Ronnie's shot, we thought he would come off of the black, but

:01:08. > :01:24.not to be. Showing very good character here, Liang.

:01:25. > :01:31.He has got a lovely swagger around the table, a very confident swagger.

:01:32. > :01:36.Liang Wenbo is a lovely lad. But when he's playing well, you know,

:01:37. > :01:42.it's as if I'm the boss! The big boss!

:01:43. > :02:01.You remember that, John, Bruce Lee, the big boss.

:02:02. > :02:07.No reason why he shouldn't go on to make a century break. The first one

:02:08. > :02:13.of this year's masters. His cue ball control has been exemplary.

:02:14. > :02:17.I have a funny feeling he won't be the only one this week. There will

:02:18. > :02:36.be a few of them, John. A magnificent break from Liang

:02:37. > :02:45.Wenbo. And coming just at the right time for him and his supporters.

:02:46. > :02:52.That really set this first-round match up. After the two frames, no

:02:53. > :02:56.fireworks. Well, we've had a few in this frame, all coming from the

:02:57. > :03:03.Chinese player. It doesn't matter about the pink. Ronnie missed an

:03:04. > :03:08.easy red here. Wenbo got one chance, and didn't he take it well? He

:03:09. > :04:11.missed a century break, but he still trails 2-1.

:04:12. > :04:18.It very much needed frame for Liang. If there was a shot in that frame

:04:19. > :04:23.that was a surprise that Ronnie played, with mentioned he played a

:04:24. > :04:28.drag shot. I thought it was strange, he played with a lot of bottle just

:04:29. > :04:31.hold for the black. That's the drag shot but you mention, when you hit

:04:32. > :04:39.the ball on the bottom, swinging backwards, take all of the off of

:04:40. > :04:44.it. It reverts into top spin, as you can see. It lands on the object ball

:04:45. > :04:48.softer. That is what he was trying to do with the black, it didn't

:04:49. > :04:56.quite work out. Consequently, Liang went on to win the frame. Once

:04:57. > :05:00.again, it's amazing from the break of shot, look at the red either side

:05:01. > :05:05.of the black. What has happened in all three frames so far, the red

:05:06. > :05:10.they are hitting seems to be sitting on either side of the black. I think

:05:11. > :05:18.it is an indication, the pack is really opening.

:05:19. > :05:27.Actually a very good break off from Ronnie. Can he just get past that

:05:28. > :05:31.blue just need that read. It looks as if he can. Paul Collier is having

:05:32. > :05:34.a good look to see. The reason the referee looks is because if you were

:05:35. > :05:40.to miss it altogether he'd have to get it back, but he can, and he can

:05:41. > :05:46.avoid it if he hits it than enough. He can play and swerve, even write

:05:47. > :05:47.up this. That's what he's done. That's what you call a containing

:05:48. > :06:01.shot. Ronnie just tapping the table. Nothing wrong with that shot.

:06:02. > :06:05.Sometimes that's all you've got. He thought one pocket might be in the

:06:06. > :06:09.wake if you didn't get it right, he chose to play that one. Sometimes

:06:10. > :06:10.you put yourself back into the bit of trouble, but that's all that you

:06:11. > :06:55.can do. Well, the crowd have got so involved

:06:56. > :07:01.this afternoon. It's the opening match, a packed house.

:07:02. > :07:07.He didn't get it in the jaws of the pocket.

:07:08. > :07:14.This is what the game of snooker is all about, playing, a one-table

:07:15. > :07:19.situation, 1700 people in, this is what the players turned professional

:07:20. > :07:23.for. And they strive for it. They've got to play an awful lot of events

:07:24. > :07:26.these days that are the best of seven frames, mostly cabled venues.

:07:27. > :07:33.But this is what it's all about. This is your reward. Well, Ronnie, I

:07:34. > :07:39.think you found the plant here. Just having a look at it. Trying to see

:07:40. > :07:43.whether it is on the near jaw locked. Which side he is going to

:07:44. > :07:49.hit it. Of course, it depends a little bit on how much of a gap

:07:50. > :07:53.there is between the two reds. It looks like it's on to me. If it is

:07:54. > :07:57.so close and he doesn't get it correctly, he can squeeze the second

:07:58. > :08:02.read away from the pocket. That is why he is taking extra care -- the

:08:03. > :08:05.second red. It is going is to the left of the pot. Which means he

:08:06. > :08:12.would have to make sure that he gets the correct contact on the first

:08:13. > :08:15.round. It's not a foul shot if you can lift your feet off the table

:08:16. > :08:16.when you are looking at the short! But you can't do it while you are

:08:17. > :08:25.playing the shot. Well, we've got a perfect picture to

:08:26. > :08:28.see whether he judges it or squeezing it away from the pocket. A

:08:29. > :08:49.foul and MS. -- and a miss. I think because he was striking down

:08:50. > :08:58.on it, the Kiwis going down and he swerved it, it bounced straight into

:08:59. > :09:01.the blue. -- the the cue. The final thing that happened in that shot,

:09:02. > :09:07.the black Kayumova and rested on the plant and moved it. Everything

:09:08. > :09:09.happened there apart from the lampshade for on his head! -- the

:09:10. > :09:29.black Kayumova. Of course, the balls wouldn't have

:09:30. > :09:38.to be placed back, because it is not a miss. It is just a far shot. And

:09:39. > :09:43.that is a player with quite a bit of confidence. And that century break

:09:44. > :09:47.has given Liang Wenbo back fat confidence. That was a terrific long

:09:48. > :09:54.pot. It certainly was -- a bit of confidence. The second frame he hit

:09:55. > :10:01.right across it. It was excellently cued. He won't be bullied by the

:10:02. > :10:05.fact that he has seen a couple of mistakes from morning. It is nice

:10:06. > :10:07.when your opponent is missing one or two poor shots. It helps with your

:10:08. > :10:21.confidence. Ronnie at 85%, Liang my device

:10:22. > :10:25.percent. His potting success rate. -- at 95%. 95 is quite high

:10:26. > :10:31.considering he lost the first two frames. If Liang hasn't got high

:10:32. > :10:36.enough on the pink, that a stinker. It wasn't easy shot to get up there,

:10:37. > :10:40.but maybe he's just sneaked an angle out of it. One thing he had to be

:10:41. > :10:44.there was above the pink to go back down for the reds. Have a look. He's

:10:45. > :11:03.just made it. And that's OK. So much reverse side on that shot. I

:11:04. > :11:04.mean, I don't think the crowd realised how much side he had to get

:11:05. > :11:13.onto that. You can see the whites spinning off

:11:14. > :11:19.the cushion and heading towards the red. That normally would have run

:11:20. > :11:25.out into the middle of the table. Yes, quite a bit of work to do with

:11:26. > :11:29.this chance. It's not a great one. It would be helped if he can get the

:11:30. > :11:32.blue back on the spot, that's for sure. Just drop this in and get the

:11:33. > :11:39.angle on the loose red, that would help.

:11:40. > :11:44.I'm just wondering whether the black goes in the centre pocket. He is

:11:45. > :11:49.coming round to have a look. If you can drop this into get that handle,

:11:50. > :11:52.he may get the black back in play. Yes, it does. It looks to have come

:11:53. > :12:05.well, a natural angle to get back in there.

:12:06. > :12:12.All of the spots are occupied. The black will have to go behind its own

:12:13. > :12:17.spot, behind that red there. It shouldn't really put it out of

:12:18. > :12:18.action. Oh, we've got a wasp! It's a bit early, sorry, a bit late for one

:12:19. > :12:32.of those, John. Missed it! Well, that's it now, the refs at it,

:12:33. > :12:41.it'll be coming after you in a minute! I think you got a kick when

:12:42. > :12:51.he had a go at that wasp! -- I think EE got a kick.

:12:52. > :12:57.Well, that was looking like not a very promising visit to the table.

:12:58. > :13:07.But he's negotiated is very well, Leanne. -- Liang Wenbo. He has the

:13:08. > :13:12.blue back on the spot. Black might still be available. A lot better

:13:13. > :13:13.than a few shots ago. More importantly, he has started off

:13:14. > :13:37.dangerous. It is amazing how many top

:13:38. > :13:44.left-handed players or in the game nowadays, and all terrific players.

:13:45. > :13:49.Answer me this, why do they all look so good? That's the other thing.

:13:50. > :13:52.It's like the top-class golfers, left-handed looks brilliant. Bob

:13:53. > :14:18.Charles, I remember him, and elegant golfer.

:14:19. > :14:28.Yes, is definitely warming to the task. A bit of a shaky start. Down

:14:29. > :14:32.by 40 points -- up by 40 points in the opening two frames and lost both

:14:33. > :14:36.of them. A century in the last frame. Going well here. He is

:14:37. > :14:39.looking like the player who won that English Open back last year. He met

:14:40. > :14:51.Judd Trump in the final. He has got a slight problem here. He

:14:52. > :14:55.didn't get on the pink as he intended. He is going to get a

:14:56. > :15:00.cannon. I think he can come off the crush and looking at that angle and

:15:01. > :15:04.hope to bring water or two reds in the plate -- off the caution. Lots

:15:05. > :15:08.of top spin, I don't know if there is a possible planned there. He's

:15:09. > :15:14.got a bit of a kick there. He may have been attempting the plant. Yes,

:15:15. > :15:18.Dennis, I think that's what he's playing for. That was a terrible

:15:19. > :15:22.kick. 48 up in the air of Mike both balls. He's already had a look at

:15:23. > :15:28.that. This is not totally straightforward. Quite a bit of

:15:29. > :15:31.distance between these two reds. They look easy from behind the

:15:32. > :15:37.pocket, but when you actually see the gap between the two of them...

:15:38. > :15:45.Well, he's picked the spot on the cushion where he's going to set the

:15:46. > :15:51.first round to make that angle. Well, that was just... He didn't

:15:52. > :15:55.have the angle. I'm thinking he was lucky there.

:15:56. > :16:01.Boy, didn't he give that a good old belt? He has covered the one with

:16:02. > :16:06.the blue, but there is another to the right corner.

:16:07. > :16:14.Be careful you don't touch that white, Ronnie, he was clearing

:16:15. > :16:22.something away and very close to the cue ball with his finger, there.

:16:23. > :16:30.Now, then, Mr very straightforward in the previous frame which cost him

:16:31. > :16:34.-- missed a very straightforward red. I didn't collecting the missed

:16:35. > :16:40.this. It looks like he's got away with it. He has had the right

:16:41. > :16:45.result. He will be very happy to have left the cue ball where he has.

:16:46. > :16:58.It could have been a lot easier for Liang year. Here.

:16:59. > :17:25.Much too thick. He was just hoping to bring the black back into play

:17:26. > :17:32.there. But he got it particularly wrong. He has just gone slightly out

:17:33. > :17:37.of sorts for a frame and a bit, Ronnie. Not his usual high matchplay

:17:38. > :17:55.standard at the moment. Needs to keep running to finish on

:17:56. > :18:00.the black. Look at that. Once again, it looked as if it was going to come

:18:01. > :18:04.up short. It's just beautiful to play on. When you're cueing well,

:18:05. > :18:07.it's beautiful to play on. I don't know if he has got two straight on

:18:08. > :18:11.this black, though. It looked like he had a few inches on the cue ball

:18:12. > :18:17.to leave an angle. He's got a little bit. You couldn't force much out of

:18:18. > :18:25.that cue ball. To be honest, he didn't you it very well either. --

:18:26. > :18:29.he didn't Huw it. He cued the plant poorly before. It was fairly

:18:30. > :18:31.straight. A few players would have got a bit more out of that than he

:18:32. > :18:48.did. Well, there is a half chance for

:18:49. > :18:56.Ronnie here. If you can get himself onto the black, we will show you the

:18:57. > :18:57.miss from Liang Wenbo. Yes, he's got a gap. He can avoid three reds and

:18:58. > :19:14.get round and black or blue. He doesn't want the cannon on the

:19:15. > :19:17.blue. It has finished a little awkward. Had he have missed the

:19:18. > :19:34.blue, he'd have been perfect on the black.

:19:35. > :19:40.Now, the way the red Czar, you'd have to say that Liang Wenbo is a

:19:41. > :19:41.strong favourite, but you never know with Ronnie O'Sullivan -- the way

:19:42. > :19:57.the reds. Absolutely superb. Beautifully, all

:19:58. > :20:02.of the work that he gets on the cue ball, it goes past the blue. Run

:20:03. > :20:09.inside the back with this red. Can you believe it? Liang Wenbo has come

:20:10. > :20:14.out of his seat. He can't believe it. That red was a bit of a

:20:15. > :20:26.distraction, leaning over the two reds. Still, what a mess. -- a miss.

:20:27. > :20:36.I suppose, at 2-0, Liang Wenbo would be thinking, if I can get just 3-1

:20:37. > :20:43.down I would be quite happy. The way it's going coming he's going to be

:20:44. > :20:44.all square. He's going to be all square after missing a couple of

:20:45. > :21:02.chances as well. Even better. Ronnie has had breaks of 55, 30

:21:03. > :21:09.five. I don't think that's happened very often. Last week he was on only

:21:10. > :21:14.55, but that's what's happened today. He was good enough to lead

:21:15. > :21:18.2-0, but disappointed going into the interval 2-2. Leanne will be

:21:19. > :21:29.delighted. Game on again. -- Liang Wenbo.

:21:30. > :21:41.Just over one hour and three minutes before the first four frames. It has

:21:42. > :22:05.been pretty fluent staff. -- fluent stuff.

:22:06. > :22:11.Could have played to move the red, but decided, being a left-hander,

:22:12. > :22:15.I'll just dropping behind it. It doesn't matter if he misses this.

:22:16. > :22:26.He'd like to clear it, but it doesn't really matter.

:22:27. > :22:33.He lost a bit of concentration. Now the frame as well and truly over. A

:22:34. > :22:37.shaky start the Liang Wenbo, but I'll tell you what committee didn't

:22:38. > :22:41.half finish in style. He goes to the mid-session interval all square.

:22:42. > :22:46.It's two frames each. STUDIO: We thought there would be a

:22:47. > :22:50.turnaround in that frame, but Ronnie misses a relatively simple red. You

:22:51. > :22:55.could hear the audio bowl last of the audience when that happened --

:22:56. > :22:58.be audible gasp. So from that happens. You play a bit of

:22:59. > :23:03.brilliance, and the some reason you miss the next shot. Either you think

:23:04. > :23:07.it is easy or you put too much pressure on yourself. Have those

:23:08. > :23:14.ever happen to you? No? I didn't think so! Many times! It

:23:15. > :23:18.interesting. Ronnie O'Sullivan goes 2-0 up, you think he is the best

:23:19. > :23:22.frontrunner there has ever been. You think, that's it, he's going to push

:23:23. > :23:28.on now. He missed a long red with a drag. And he has been pulled back to

:23:29. > :23:31.2-2. A couple of unforced errors from Ronnie. The confidence levels

:23:32. > :23:39.you could see beginning to surge through the anchor. He makes the

:23:40. > :23:44.will -- through Liang. He has missed a couple of long once, he is now

:23:45. > :23:48.needing help from Ronnie to get into the match and he got it. You got to

:23:49. > :23:52.say the Wenbo, perhaps Wenbo a number of years ago wouldn't have

:23:53. > :23:55.had the strength of character that perhaps take the next smack frames,

:23:56. > :24:00.but he's an experienced winner now and he is using all of that to good

:24:01. > :24:06.as dead -- the next two frames. It wasn't as pretty as he would have

:24:07. > :24:10.liked -- he is using all of that experience. Will Ronnie be feeling

:24:11. > :24:16.despondent at this stage about how he has performed? No, I think he

:24:17. > :24:19.plays on a pretty, he is pretty level-headed about it, in his

:24:20. > :24:23.attitude to matches and how they go these days. He is prepared to win

:24:24. > :24:28.ugly. Winning the match is the most important thing. Sooner or later, he

:24:29. > :24:32.would be too disappointed. It is interesting. Ronnie has won this

:24:33. > :24:37.Master six times, as we know. He has also been in five other finals as

:24:38. > :24:42.well, and incredible strike rate over 23 years, this is his 23rd

:24:43. > :24:46.campaign. He is just wanting to win here, but what has been interesting,

:24:47. > :24:50.and interesting he did on BBC radio five Live and indeed on the telly,

:24:51. > :24:53.he was very keen to stress that he wanted to win with style. We showed

:24:54. > :24:57.you the quote about him wanting to be the Lionel Messi of snooker. He

:24:58. > :25:01.has been in rather expansive form in that chat with Jamie Elliott. --

:25:02. > :25:14.Jamie earlier. It'd be great to get another

:25:15. > :25:19.Masters. I does want to win another Masters. I want to win another world

:25:20. > :25:27.is. I want to win another Welsh, and China Open. I just want to win more

:25:28. > :25:30.tournaments. What are your memories of last year, and how well do you

:25:31. > :25:35.think you played between the corners? I was struggling last year,

:25:36. > :25:38.because I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to play properly again

:25:39. > :25:44.because of my back. Seven or eight years ago I would probably have

:25:45. > :25:47.thrown in the towel. I had to fight to win matches that normally I

:25:48. > :25:52.wouldn't win. It was good for me, you know. Do you take a lot of

:25:53. > :25:56.positives out of getting to the final of the UK championship? I know

:25:57. > :26:00.it wasn't the result you wanted, but for the neutral watching it was an

:26:01. > :26:05.amazing final? For me, it was about people coming to watch, you know, it

:26:06. > :26:09.was on the TV, good entertainment. But I want to win it with style. I

:26:10. > :26:13.want to play an exciting, aggressive, attacking game. So that

:26:14. > :26:16.the people watching say, you know what, he doesn't just win, he

:26:17. > :26:20.delivers entertainment as well. I think it's important. Some people

:26:21. > :26:24.say, you can't play like that and when. But Lionel Messi proves that

:26:25. > :26:33.you can, Tiger Woods does and Roger Federer. I want to try and be one of

:26:34. > :26:36.them. Does it worry you, the lack of development, particularly the

:26:37. > :26:41.amateur game in the UK and Europe? When I turned professional, in 1992,

:26:42. > :26:43.I think. They basically just allowed everybody to turn pro, there's no

:26:44. > :26:49.amateur game, there is nothing further to go and do. You turned

:26:50. > :26:53.pro, go and get beaten 6-0. That's what's happening now, all of these

:26:54. > :26:56.pros turning pro who are not good enough to be professional. A lot of

:26:57. > :27:00.guys are wasting their time really. A lot of players are struggling to

:27:01. > :27:06.stay on the tour financially. They are playing lots and lots of

:27:07. > :27:10.variance. And it's training them. -- lots and lots of events, and it is

:27:11. > :27:17.training them. If you're glad wanted to be a pro, would you encourage

:27:18. > :27:22.him? I've told him, he's not allowed to. I'm going to be strong on that.

:27:23. > :27:25.I said to my daughter, I know that girls play snooker, but I don't want

:27:26. > :27:29.you to play. I don't think it is a good life for a snooker now coming

:27:30. > :27:37.into the game. If you are Selby, me or John Higgins, or Judd Trump, yes,

:27:38. > :27:40.but for the other 120 if you like, it's a nightmare. They are literally

:27:41. > :27:44.struggling to put food in the fridge. You know, I don't want my

:27:45. > :27:49.children being brought up in a system that only benefits the top,

:27:50. > :27:54.top people, know. It's a bit like the banking world, you. Everyone

:27:55. > :27:58.else is struggling to kind of make ends meet when the top people get

:27:59. > :28:01.fortunes. It's like that in snooker. I don't want my children being

:28:02. > :28:04.involved in an industry where that is the culture, you know. I want

:28:05. > :28:08.them to be in something where it's a bit more even, you know. Do you feel

:28:09. > :28:13.that you are playing at the level that you are happy with, or would

:28:14. > :28:18.you feel that you can't lay better? I think I'm OK. For six weeks I had

:28:19. > :28:22.-- you can play better. I had to really struggle. The last 16 was a

:28:23. > :28:29.good result. I could have got beat early. My form over the last, say,

:28:30. > :28:32.November to December, I had a really good plate when I fault had with my

:28:33. > :28:38.game, I was confident and enjoying it, and it was good. My game is a

:28:39. > :28:43.lot better place now than it was, say, early September. Your champion,

:28:44. > :28:48.Ronnie O'Sullivan! Is there a bit more expectation, it is a London

:28:49. > :28:53.tournament, and most of the fans are behind you and want you to do well?

:28:54. > :28:57.I no longer here to put all of my eggs in one basket. You know, I

:28:58. > :29:03.think the winner Masters, this is the bonus, for me. I don't ever now

:29:04. > :29:07.make snooker my number one goal. This is part of what I do, is not

:29:08. > :29:11.everything I do. I don't take it too seriously no more. I enjoy having

:29:12. > :29:15.that freedom of not being a slave to the sport as much as I used to be.

:29:16. > :29:22.And it's just about having it in my life rather than dominating my life.

:29:23. > :29:26.I enjoyed coming in this room here day after day, playing for three or

:29:27. > :29:31.four hours. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. But other things I've been

:29:32. > :29:34.doing really good fun, you know. You get to meet different people. I feel

:29:35. > :29:37.it has made me a happier and better person by taking the pressure off

:29:38. > :29:42.and just playing snooker. So I think it's more important for me at this

:29:43. > :29:46.stage of my career but I have a happy, stress-free life. I'm not

:29:47. > :29:50.going to be regretting, you know, on my tombstone it won't be, you know,

:29:51. > :29:53.I wish it was seven world titles instead of five, I don't think it

:29:54. > :29:57.actually matters when it comes to Judgment Day. It's just about

:29:58. > :30:01.enjoying whatever it is that I'm here to do. I love to play and I

:30:02. > :30:05.love to compete. I've got my book coming out, that's been great. I

:30:06. > :30:08.love doing my exhibitions. I've enjoyed doing the American show.

:30:09. > :30:13.That's enjoyment for me. Believe it or not, I know its work, but I see

:30:14. > :30:17.it as enjoyment. This is work, coming to place Newco, talking about

:30:18. > :30:20.snooker, that's work. Because that's where I'm scrutinised, and that's

:30:21. > :30:26.where I Judd myself and where everybody judges me. You are really

:30:27. > :30:30.under the microscope. All the other stuff, just being myself, you know,

:30:31. > :30:34.I haven't got to be the best pundit in the world, I haven't got to be

:30:35. > :30:39.the best tour guide in the American show, just got to have a laugh.

:30:40. > :30:47.He has broken out and is doing other projects were other TV stations, he

:30:48. > :30:51.has a lot in his life. We drill down to the specifics of the titles and

:30:52. > :30:58.the number of titles, he says it doesn't matter if he wins seven

:30:59. > :31:02.world titles or Masters titles. But I am interested, the other side of

:31:03. > :31:07.that airs this is the first time he can actually own one of the records

:31:08. > :31:14.in snooker's three major events outright. He has chased you two over

:31:15. > :31:19.the last 20, 25 years, your title of six in the UK he now co-owns and

:31:20. > :31:24.your total of six in the Masters and seven in the World Championship, he

:31:25. > :31:28.can overtake you and that is a watershed moment potentially for the

:31:29. > :31:34.sport. Discuss. CHUCKLES I think it's right, when I was

:31:35. > :31:39.playing, I had something in the distance all the time I was going

:31:40. > :31:45.for. Ronnie has got the same and it's good to have that target. But

:31:46. > :31:49.listening to that it looks like he's not bothered about it, whether he

:31:50. > :31:55.does it or not. I think when he gets on the table he's a winning animal

:31:56. > :31:59.like both of us wear. But he's given himself that comfort zone of if he

:32:00. > :32:04.doesn't win then he's looking back and saying it doesn't really matter.

:32:05. > :32:10.Secretly, deep down, how much do you feel it would matter to him as a

:32:11. > :32:14.professional, as a snooker animal? What you have to recognise is that

:32:15. > :32:19.is a 40-year-old man talking and I don't think a 40-year-old will have

:32:20. > :32:22.the aspirations of a 25-year-old or even a 30-year-old. What is coming

:32:23. > :32:27.out of his mouth is how years trying to deal with the daily pressures of

:32:28. > :32:30.playing in a competitive game. He's unloading the pressure a little bit

:32:31. > :32:34.by saying it doesn't matter, a 20-year-old doesn't say that, nor

:32:35. > :32:39.does a 30-year-old, they are committed and focused. So when you

:32:40. > :32:43.listen to him talking about other players in the game, you have to

:32:44. > :32:47.consider its not ill informed but it's coming from his perspective

:32:48. > :32:50.because it absolutely rubbish that Ronnie O'Sullivan says the rest of

:32:51. > :32:54.them should not be professionals. You have aspirations as a young

:32:55. > :32:58.player coming through, you might not be good enough at the moment but you

:32:59. > :33:01.practice hard, do like Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham have done and

:33:02. > :33:05.suddenly you can improve your standard and could be one of the

:33:06. > :33:13.players to get through and makes the money. You cannot say the player

:33:14. > :33:16.ranked hundred and 20th is wasting his time because the player at 120th

:33:17. > :33:22.is not wasting his time, he has got a dream. Ronnie O'Sullivan does not

:33:23. > :33:28.have a dream any more, at least not in snooker. But these other players,

:33:29. > :33:31.it doesn't mean it's not worth achieving or chasing. It's a

:33:32. > :33:35.political dimension to this discussion that we address that the

:33:36. > :33:43.UK championship, we did a feature on the economics of the current regime.

:33:44. > :33:50.For Ronnie to say it's not a career he would now have his son going to

:33:51. > :33:54.or his daughter, it's a strong statement. The great thing is that

:33:55. > :33:58.he won't have a choice in the matter because if his son wants to be a

:33:59. > :34:03.professional snooker player he will be. What is your take on all of

:34:04. > :34:07.this? When you started out at 13, 14 and you are looking at the records

:34:08. > :34:13.and were having to get your bottom skelter couple times in matches back

:34:14. > :34:18.then, how did you go about processing? There were so many

:34:19. > :34:22.deserting voices sing I was too young when I was coming through at

:34:23. > :34:28.16, saying I would lose my love for the game but when you're younger you

:34:29. > :34:33.dream. You think what could happen if I have some success in this game

:34:34. > :34:39.that you love playing and you have to keep that focus and that belief.

:34:40. > :34:44.That you can do something. I am sure somewhere in the back of his mind

:34:45. > :34:50.the target of seven 's Masters title and owning something outright, it is

:34:51. > :34:53.a huge shining goal for 25 years of your life. It should be but I think

:34:54. > :34:57.possibly if you try too hard as you get older you put too much pressure

:34:58. > :35:03.on yourself so secretly he wants it as much, but perhaps the way to

:35:04. > :35:07.achieve it is to say it's not as important any more, that might be

:35:08. > :35:12.the way to do it. Fascinating stuff but it will work out over the next

:35:13. > :35:17.seven frames potentially. Before we go to the match, we saw Dennis

:35:18. > :35:21.Taylor introducing the players in some style, 30 years ago this year

:35:22. > :35:27.was when he beat Alex Higgins and 9-8, he is partial to a final frame

:35:28. > :35:33.decider. He still has a couple of tricks up his sleeve. Six times

:35:34. > :35:36.world champion, seven times world champion, this is a difficult trick

:35:37. > :35:43.shot I am going to attempt, send a height of three cushions, it should

:35:44. > :35:47.come between the gap in the queues. Very difficult shot, under pressure.

:35:48. > :35:57.Let's see what happens, go on, get up there. Go and knew little beauty.

:35:58. > :36:08.Go on! CHEERING APPLAUSE

:36:09. > :36:11.Fantastic Dennis, you never lose it. It's good but you are going to

:36:12. > :36:16.struggle to beat one of the trick shots that you might have seen, it

:36:17. > :36:22.has just gone viral on social media, 400 million views on this one from

:36:23. > :36:28.the all stars snooker club in Bristol. If you have not seen this,

:36:29. > :36:34.watch this. Starts at the top of a flight of stairs, the golf club does

:36:35. > :36:39.the damage. It took four hours to set up, four hours of tinkering

:36:40. > :36:43.before it all came right, over 90 attempts before they actually nailed

:36:44. > :36:50.it. The cue ball sent on its way with the golf putter, the brainchild

:36:51. > :36:56.of the general manager. They set it up at closing time in the club, they

:36:57. > :37:00.kept tinkering with the set and till dawn when the cleaners were about to

:37:01. > :37:07.come in and the club was about to open. It involves the stairs, the

:37:08. > :37:15.snooker table, these two are mesmerised by this, two American

:37:16. > :37:21.pull tables, six English pool tables and even a role across the floor.

:37:22. > :37:27.What do you think? It's a good job the floors are level. It's quite an

:37:28. > :37:31.architectural feat of engineering. It's fascinating, shows what you can

:37:32. > :37:35.do with some imagination and a few snooker cues. There have been things

:37:36. > :37:39.like this before with dominoes on the table, it's a magnificent

:37:40. > :37:43.effort, the Labour of love that has gone into this is fantastic. It's

:37:44. > :37:47.the first time it's been done from table to table, this has been seen

:37:48. > :37:53.on the Internet before, but the sophistication of this, the area it

:37:54. > :37:58.takes up in the club... This is the sticky point. That is where the

:37:59. > :38:05.floor needed to be a fraction of level. Using pool tables and snooker

:38:06. > :38:11.tables, I don't know if it goes to the dartboard? No. It's over 500

:38:12. > :38:16.feet and for about two minutes they are already planning to top this but

:38:17. > :38:23.look at this. Onto the bar. Some golf required at the end of this.

:38:24. > :38:30.Here we go. The best all in one you will ever see. Extraordinary isn't

:38:31. > :38:35.it? Have you ever seen anything so elaborate? That goes back to the old

:38:36. > :38:39.dominoes. Dennis I know you were watching that, the man who set that

:38:40. > :38:43.up is going to come in during the final next Sunday so has some tips

:38:44. > :38:48.to give you and perhaps you can give him some in return? I am looking

:38:49. > :38:53.forward to it, I might introduce that into my routine but it would

:38:54. > :38:57.take about a week to set up. That was absolutely incredible. Something

:38:58. > :39:01.I have been thinking about, wouldn't it be great if we got some of you

:39:02. > :39:07.guys to think about maybe doing something at home and sending in

:39:08. > :39:16.videos? I am just thinking good job they never assured that before the

:39:17. > :39:19.Dennis! Absolutely, before we get back to the action, tonight 's

:39:20. > :39:31.match. Kyren Wilson the only debit and

:39:32. > :39:37.tear, the youngest and lowest ranked player here, ranked number 16 but

:39:38. > :39:41.earned his place after victory in the Shanghai matters last season. He

:39:42. > :39:43.will be making his debut this evening. Let's hear a bit more and

:39:44. > :40:01.introduce you to master Wilson. Good old foot massage. Most

:40:02. > :40:08.definitely James Bond, Daniel Craig. My dad playing in his best mates, he

:40:09. > :40:11.had a pool room built and I was too young to go in and play so I was

:40:12. > :40:19.banging on the door trying to get in. Dedication. Bad loser. I once

:40:20. > :40:22.wrote happy anniversary to my fiance on the sand in the beach. He took it

:40:23. > :40:32.well. Not really, I am quite laid back

:40:33. > :40:38.when it comes to that sort of thing. Ranji jumping naked. -- bungee

:40:39. > :40:50.jumping naked. Chilling out with my fiance and my

:40:51. > :40:55.son and lovely warm weather. After winning Shanghai I bought myself a

:40:56. > :41:01.new car. In just about a year he has managed to vault into the top 16 and

:41:02. > :41:06.is now amongst the elite, earned his place here. Fantastic temperament,

:41:07. > :41:10.what do you make of his potential? Yes, he's improved a lot, I remember

:41:11. > :41:14.commentating on him to three years ago at the Crucible and he did not

:41:15. > :41:21.look comfortable at all. Last year he was a dark horse to win the World

:41:22. > :41:24.Championship. I disagree slightly about his temperament, I think you

:41:25. > :41:28.can let things get to them, when his opponent is getting good luck you

:41:29. > :41:34.start pulling faces so that might be a weakness but a tremendous potter.

:41:35. > :41:41.I am sure he is taking that on board because he's a very bright guy. As

:41:42. > :41:47.for his opponent, Ding Junhui, the first Asian winner of this title in

:41:48. > :41:51.2011, has not won a match at Alexandra Palace since.

:41:52. > :41:55.Extraordinary. It is, you can only put it down to the fact that the

:41:56. > :41:58.first-round series against the top 16 player, you are not that much of

:41:59. > :42:04.a favourite. The first round of other events you are much more

:42:05. > :42:09.likely to get off to a good start as one of the top players. But still,

:42:10. > :42:15.for Ding Junhui who has won five ranking events in a season and has

:42:16. > :42:19.been very strong, amazing. Probably coincidence, just the way it

:42:20. > :42:23.rumbles. He's already won avec tournament this season, was in a

:42:24. > :42:30.final where he was dumped by Mark Selby and was a Crucible finalist.

:42:31. > :42:35.Given the history, is he vulnerable? I worry a little bit, I think in

:42:36. > :42:40.York he went out with a whimper, did not look like he was enjoying

:42:41. > :42:43.himself, bad attitude for such a big tournament. Interesting to see how

:42:44. > :42:48.the break over Christmas and New Year will change his attitude. That

:42:49. > :42:54.match will be on the red button from 7pm this evening. If you have other

:42:55. > :43:01.plans I will be back at 11:45pm on BBC Two with the highlights. But we

:43:02. > :43:07.have this opening match of the Masters to conclude, it has become a

:43:08. > :43:10.best-of-7 frames, let's see if Dennis has managed another trick by

:43:11. > :43:14.sprinting into the commentary box to join John?

:43:15. > :43:29.COMMENTATOR: I just made it! Not as quick as I used to be.

:43:30. > :43:37.Liang Wenbo will be hoping to continue where he left off. That's a

:43:38. > :44:05.pretty decent break-off shot. Hazel asked just before the

:44:06. > :44:08.interval, do you think you'd be disappointed with his early

:44:09. > :44:12.performance, I spoke to Ronnie in the interval, had a cup of coffee

:44:13. > :44:15.with him and he said he is enjoying being out there, just happy to be

:44:16. > :44:25.playing. Seems very level-headed it all. Did he mention anything about

:44:26. > :44:28.the tip? When I passed him he was looking for sandpaper. Yes, he did

:44:29. > :44:37.give some surgery to the end of it but he seems fine now. No great

:44:38. > :44:44.issues. In good spirits. Last weekend we were over in Dublin,

:44:45. > :44:45.Ireland played England in Legends match, it was fabulous and Ronnie

:44:46. > :45:13.was in form. Mark Selby was there. Kyren Wilson will be on tonight, he

:45:14. > :45:19.played really well, the Irish crowd took to him. That wasn't as easy as

:45:20. > :45:37.it looked. A pot you would expect him to make

:45:38. > :45:44.here of course but positional is -- play is difficult of this. Don't

:45:45. > :45:47.think he can hold for the blue. Just having a look to see which way the

:45:48. > :45:56.cue ball will go if he plays a screenshot. -- screw shot. No

:45:57. > :46:02.problem with the opening Marin but what's he going to get on? He thinks

:46:03. > :46:06.he can pot this, go past the blue, come off the side cushion and get

:46:07. > :46:07.somewhere close to that red he was looking at and get somewhere near

:46:08. > :46:22.the black. This will be some shot. Seemed to have a little bit of

:46:23. > :46:28.movement on that shot. Didn't cue that one as smoothly as he had been

:46:29. > :46:33.cueing the ones before the interval. Those shots with a bit more pressure

:46:34. > :46:41.on them, you just ten to see an more function in the cue action with

:46:42. > :47:00.Liang occasionally. What a chance he has left Ronnie O'Sullivan now.

:47:01. > :47:07.Had a 55 break in the second frame but look at how the reds are

:47:08. > :47:14.situated here. All the colours are in open play.

:47:15. > :47:24.You're not going to mention the M word are you? It's a bit too early

:47:25. > :47:34.but as you can see, they are sitting nicely.

:47:35. > :47:46.Even though we are not mentioning it I am going to talk about it. Three

:47:47. > :47:50.maximum is made here in the history of this tournament, do you know all

:47:51. > :47:59.three of them? I remember Stevens with a white shoot making the first

:48:00. > :48:07.one -- suit. Jimmy White made one. I'm not sure about that. It was Ding

:48:08. > :48:13.Junhui. And the other was Marco Fu. Jimmy White was playing against a

:48:14. > :49:24.Canadian, Kirk Stevens, when he made his.

:49:25. > :49:31.Chatting away there, no chance of a maximum in this frame. Highest break

:49:32. > :49:37.in itself is well worth winning, ?10,000 for the highest break here.

:49:38. > :49:39.Not to be sniffed at. Ronnie will be trying to put a marker down for that

:49:40. > :50:30.one. Taking these very well so far,

:50:31. > :50:36.Ronnie. The break helped by Liang at the start of it. Poor shot on the

:50:37. > :51:10.Marin, should not be missing those. -- on the red.

:51:11. > :51:17.Looks like his concentration is back in order, Dennis. Yeah, I think the

:51:18. > :51:23.interval came at the right time to Ronnie, just to get in and get a cup

:51:24. > :51:47.of tea, relax. But this is him showing all his experience.

:51:48. > :52:03.Frame safe. Concentrate on a possible century. 856 centuries he

:52:04. > :52:09.has made in his career. There is a strong possibility he could go on to

:52:10. > :52:18.be a player that makes a thousand century breaks in a career? APPLAUSE

:52:19. > :52:26.Just hit the wrong red, might have spoiled the century. Just cannoned

:52:27. > :52:40.the wrong red otherwise he would have cleared the table. Just had to

:52:41. > :52:44.try. But OK, it might be in, no. But he's come out firing on all

:52:45. > :52:48.cylinders after the mid-session interval is. The fabulous break

:52:49. > :52:52.enough to take the frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan back in front.

:52:53. > :52:59.At one point the M word was being mentioned, the maximum, there have

:53:00. > :53:03.been seven already this season, Mark Davis, the first of his career in

:53:04. > :53:09.the championship league just last week. Tell me about the demeanour of

:53:10. > :53:14.Ronnie O'Sullivan as he's wandering around the table, he has the swagger

:53:15. > :53:21.and it will do him good to have got a semi-decent sized break? It was

:53:22. > :53:25.lovely. Again supplied by a bad miss from Liang Wenbo. You would think

:53:26. > :53:29.having got himself back in the match at 2-2, presented with a great

:53:30. > :53:34.chance, missing an easy red in the middle. He's done well to get back

:53:35. > :53:38.to 2-2 but that's not job done, you have to keep your focus and

:53:39. > :53:45.concentration. After that it looked inevitable that Ronnie was going to

:53:46. > :53:49.win the frame. Their personal series so far has been emphatically in

:53:50. > :53:54.Ronnie's favour with this 5-1 record but Liang Wenbo has been getting

:53:55. > :53:59.closer, a final frame decider in September in Shanghai so he knows

:54:00. > :54:03.how to get close to him. He has lots of grit and determination apart from

:54:04. > :54:09.being a heavy scorer. The difficulty for players like Liang Wenbo to

:54:10. > :54:13.become regular winners is how do you outplay your opponents, not just

:54:14. > :54:16.beat them. You have to outplay them and put your authority on matches

:54:17. > :54:22.and that's not easy playing against this standard. But every time you do

:54:23. > :54:26.miss an easy shot and let your opponent in your progress and run

:54:27. > :54:31.halts so it's back to square one again. They start the match off,

:54:32. > :54:36.lose the first frame, start the session, lose the first frame and

:54:37. > :54:43.play catch up. It is still tense, don't feel the match is caught fire

:54:44. > :54:47.as yet. No, no real fireworks. Every frame has had mistakes so it's not

:54:48. > :54:56.been flawless by any stretch but it has been interesting. Very

:54:57. > :54:57.interesting indeed. A stunning final previously between Mark Selby and

:54:58. > :55:21.Ronnie O'Sullivan. Back we go. COMMENTATOR: Not quite on the

:55:22. > :55:23.cushion with the cue ball. One shot the players do practice a lot these

:55:24. > :55:38.days, this type of shot. APPLAUSE

:55:39. > :55:45.Cue ball needs to pull up. It just keeps on rolling, all he can do is

:55:46. > :56:14.nestling behind the brown. Good opening pot.

:56:15. > :56:23.Nice pot, but that fast cloth prevented him from stopping nicely

:56:24. > :56:38.on the right colour. He's fouled that. I think he touched the brown.

:56:39. > :56:53.Trying to get a bit of swear bonnet. -- a bit of swerve bonnet. I think

:56:54. > :56:54.Liang Wenbo had put it so close to the brown it made it quite difficult

:56:55. > :57:34.to get the angle. In the end just got a bit too much

:57:35. > :57:44.on it. But left one to the middle pocket.

:57:45. > :57:57.If he is this red into the left middle pocket it would be perfect on

:57:58. > :58:03.the black. Would like to stun it in that makes the shot slightly more

:58:04. > :58:07.difficult. Hampered slightly. Actually, not too bad. If he can get

:58:08. > :58:32.some screw on it will get closer to the black.

:58:33. > :58:35.Doesn't quite seem to cue as well when there is that little bit of

:58:36. > :58:44.INAUDIBLE APPLAUSE

:58:45. > :58:54.The trouble is when you have this man following new you tend to pay

:58:55. > :58:56.your mistakes. Quite a good chance already with that was red at the

:58:57. > :59:09.back of the pack. Ideally Ronnie would like to play

:59:10. > :59:17.this with the cue ball slightly low on the bottom red, could pot that

:59:18. > :59:30.and bring a few more into play. That's what he's played for.

:59:31. > :00:02.Had to play the run-through, but again promoted a read. -- red.

:00:03. > :00:09.Has a choice of shots here. Can either move the packed out or screw

:00:10. > :00:24.and move the loose red away. That's the one he played on.

:00:25. > :00:34.25. 26. Ideally he would like to stand up into the pack here. Played

:00:35. > :00:38.the screw shot, could not have come out any better. APPLAUSE

:00:39. > :00:47.33. Looks like he's going through the

:00:48. > :00:50.gearbox. One of the best in the business at that particular type of

:00:51. > :00:52.shot, so much action on the cue ball, it stops in the pack and then

:00:53. > :01:13.keeps on spinning. Last frame lasted under ten minutes,

:01:14. > :01:18.break of 89. This frame is not going to last very long by the looks of

:01:19. > :01:24.things. No, not while he looks as focused as he does. The interval has

:01:25. > :02:00.been very good, I agree. Simple shot into the loose red on

:02:01. > :02:14.the outside. Left on the three will be available.

:02:15. > :02:25.Bottom one on the right is also available. Better position for him.

:02:26. > :02:32.He has taken these supremely well, and once again, I think he has done

:02:33. > :02:41.well, it looks very simple. Potting that red has cleared the path for

:02:42. > :02:49.the other two to the right corner. You see the difference, 61 in the

:02:50. > :02:56.frame already, and already safe. Once again, a matter of whether he

:02:57. > :03:02.can make a century. Will not be easy with the read out on the side

:03:03. > :03:08.cushion. Almost got the century in the previous frame. Little cannon

:03:09. > :03:20.may have spoiled it. All about winning frames this century is nice,

:03:21. > :03:23.but... APPLAUSE You would have to be a spectacular

:03:24. > :03:32.red down the cushion to keep this effort going. He will not be too

:03:33. > :03:38.concerned about that. He just got the one chance, and what did he do,

:03:39. > :03:42.he won the frame with that chance. Now, Ronnie O'Sullivan opens up a

:03:43. > :03:52.two frame advantage. 4-2, to the Rocket. One shop there that paved

:03:53. > :03:55.the way, plays it so well, black when you go into the reds, a lot of

:03:56. > :04:00.people stick in the reds, but the way that Ronnie plays, the way that

:04:01. > :04:04.a lot of the top players play, they make it look so easy. Playing with

:04:05. > :04:10.lots of bottom, deft hand side, because it is not a good pack to go

:04:11. > :04:13.into, but when he hits it, it stops and keeps on spinning. A lot of

:04:14. > :04:18.players will play this, there will not be a lot of work -- enough work

:04:19. > :04:23.on the cue ball for it to come back, I prefer when you play that shot you

:04:24. > :04:28.play a stamp up into it, it's the -- cue ball up into the table. This is

:04:29. > :04:32.what happens with the cue ball. You can see the back spin, spinning

:04:33. > :04:38.away, spinning away, and then, whenever he hits the red, because he

:04:39. > :04:42.has so much spin on it, it does not stop, it keeps on spinning, and

:04:43. > :04:49.eventually, it works its way through the reds, and he played it

:04:50. > :04:51.perfectly. That is a great example there, we have seen, with the

:04:52. > :04:55.special black and white ball, made by Stephen Hendrie, I think. --

:04:56. > :05:06.played. STUDIO: Was that you? It was! 89 and

:05:07. > :05:11.80, and suddenly looks like he is in the groove. Seems to have found an

:05:12. > :05:17.extra gear, to really punish Liang Wenbo, amazing how, losing an

:05:18. > :05:21.insignificant shot, but when Wenbo misses the red in the middle in the

:05:22. > :05:27.fifth frame, since then, it has been Ronnie O'Sullivan, in the balls now,

:05:28. > :05:32.he looks like he is a certainty to win the frame. Wenbo was first in

:05:33. > :05:39.there, and it was punishing once again. The best players in the world

:05:40. > :05:42.convert more chances among the balls than the players further down the

:05:43. > :05:48.rankings. Even so, a little smile from Wenbo, I think he has got

:05:49. > :05:51.himself into the game, a couple of frames, has not got the

:05:52. > :05:58.embarrassment of being whitewashed, anything like that. He just has too

:05:59. > :06:03.see how much he can dig in again. I think the smile there from Ronnie

:06:04. > :06:06.O'Sullivan, back to the action. COMMENTATOR: Wenbo's turn to break

:06:07. > :06:36.off. Good opening part, what will the

:06:37. > :06:42.attempt on the green, will he attempt something special? He is, he

:06:43. > :06:54.is, look at the action on that cue ball. What a positional shot that

:06:55. > :06:56.is. My goodness... APPLAUSE CO-COMMENTATOR: What a shot, what a

:06:57. > :07:24.shot! Work on the angles, superb. Left this purposely low, pops this

:07:25. > :07:32.red... All about the positioning, manoeuvring reds into play. -- pots

:07:33. > :07:42.this red. If you take the black on, good luck. He is looking at the

:07:43. > :07:54.black, I tell you what... Almost typed on the cushion. Wow, this is

:07:55. > :08:05.tough. The odds slightly against that going in.

:08:06. > :08:17.Tough shot, even for the greats. Found himself 2-0 down in this

:08:18. > :08:22.match, nice to claw his way back to 2-2. Two friends down again. And he

:08:23. > :08:31.is going to do exactly the same thing again now. -- two frames down

:08:32. > :08:34.again. If it were 5-2, that would end the match. That is the

:08:35. > :09:46.importance of this visit. We said when we were 2-0 down, test

:09:47. > :09:52.of his character. Did very well to go to the mid-session all square. Is

:09:53. > :10:10.he up to it again? Another test. Did not want to be straight, slight

:10:11. > :10:13.angle, might just be able to stun onto the red on the right of the

:10:14. > :10:20.pack, that will develop things, enough angle to stun onto the red to

:10:21. > :10:25.the right. At one of these early in the match, just sneaked past it, did

:10:26. > :10:35.not quite get it, he needs to get the edge, as long as he does not hit

:10:36. > :10:39.it hard, just click the edge. APPLAUSE

:10:40. > :10:59.Good shot. Just got the cannon how he wanted. Made it look easy but

:11:00. > :11:04.those are tough shots. I think the bottom red on the cluster will part.

:11:05. > :11:16.Also have the red on the left-hand side as well. -- will pot. Should

:11:17. > :11:23.have after he has ported the black. Well played. Could not hold a cue

:11:24. > :11:39.ball for that. Scrapping for cue ball control the,

:11:40. > :11:44.not perfect on every shot he has had on the last few. Obviously you would

:11:45. > :11:45.expect him to pop this but he has not had the cue ball under maximum

:11:46. > :12:12.control. 32. Good pot, not quite on the

:12:13. > :12:18.black, he is going to have to play the cannon announced, the red was

:12:19. > :12:28.available, but you can't really hold for that, so it'll be the cannon.

:12:29. > :12:32.And just got a little bit too much on it, hoping he's pushed the red

:12:33. > :12:39.into a plank there. That would be a bonus. He should be buying a lottery

:12:40. > :12:42.ticket, because that would be incredible if he's made that into a

:12:43. > :12:48.plant, looks pretty much spot on. What a result that is. One thing he

:12:49. > :12:53.has got be careful on, and we will show you the attempted cannon, if he

:12:54. > :12:57.hits the other red, and he plays the plant, the white will go close to

:12:58. > :13:09.the left corner pocket, he needs to avoid cannon ink-jet. -- he needs to

:13:10. > :13:16.avoid cannon -- cannoning it. INAUDIBLE

:13:17. > :13:42.Wow! That is amazing. That was basically going to be frame

:13:43. > :13:48.ball there are, could position of the green. -- good position of the

:13:49. > :13:54.green. Little bit more to do now, of the angle. As I say, it has been the

:13:55. > :13:56.feature of this break, hasn't quite have the cue ball perfect. Keeps on

:13:57. > :14:32.going. Another difficult positional shot.

:14:33. > :14:37.Personally played. We have seen this afternoon, one or two shots have had

:14:38. > :14:43.extra ball. Did not cue them very well but cue that one beautifully.

:14:44. > :14:55.Great recovery. Deserves everything he gets after that shot.

:14:56. > :15:13.I don't think any of these three ribs are available. Another key shot

:15:14. > :15:16.coming up here. Might just be OK, if that red keeps on running, yes, I

:15:17. > :15:27.think he has a choice of reds, into both middle pockets. For a moment,

:15:28. > :15:36.stuck on the red, but he is OK. Now you see it, now you don't. This

:15:37. > :15:38.really has been an excellent contribution, on more than one

:15:39. > :15:42.occasion through this break, cue ball was not perfect, what he has

:15:43. > :15:53.managed to make a break and keep going. -- but he has managed. What

:15:54. > :15:57.was that shot? 52 in front, and that is the reaction from Liang Wenbo,

:15:58. > :16:02.because he knows he is not safe, Ronnie needs one snooker, but how

:16:03. > :16:06.did he manage to get the white there, with the red over the middle,

:16:07. > :16:10.I think you just made sure of the black. The only needed to stun the

:16:11. > :16:14.black and then he could pop the red over the middle, he didn't have to

:16:15. > :16:18.screw back, very strange shot. Chance of sniggering yourself if you

:16:19. > :16:22.play the full screw shot but if he stands it, puts the red over the

:16:23. > :16:28.middle pocket, game over. -- chance of snooker in yourself. --

:16:29. > :17:11.snookering. Liang Wenbo still the massive

:17:12. > :17:14.favourite to win this, but there is enough friends to know that when you

:17:15. > :17:17.should win a friend, get it over with, the last thing you want to do

:17:18. > :17:21.is give yourself another 15, 20 minutes of aggravation, trying to

:17:22. > :17:33.get back into this match from two friends behind. Should have got it

:17:34. > :17:44.over a lot quicker. APPLAUSE What a pot that was.

:17:45. > :17:56.The pot was difficult enough playing with your opposite hand but to screw

:17:57. > :18:02.it back for the black? Just checking the scoreboard, to see the high

:18:03. > :18:06.value colour, which one he can take, so he still only needs the one

:18:07. > :18:14.snooker, he is OK, he has a future work with. -- he has a few to work

:18:15. > :18:18.with. All of a sudden, a friend that should have been over a few minutes

:18:19. > :18:24.ago, Liang Wenbo is going to have to suffer for a while. Didn't mean to

:18:25. > :18:31.hit the pink, that cue ball, close to the corner pocket... Needing a

:18:32. > :18:37.snooker, not a bad thing to hit the pain. He has left him a lovely angle

:18:38. > :18:46.to play a thin clip off, not the worst.

:18:47. > :19:56.See this read full ball, he can stay in behind the yellow and the red

:19:57. > :20:01.backed up the table. And he could do, that may have spoiled things,

:20:02. > :20:08.catching the middle jaw. -- red. -- back. It was a certain snooker. If I

:20:09. > :20:11.was Liang here, I would be concentrating on the long pot,

:20:12. > :20:16.putting everything into it, because this is a frame that could go wrong,

:20:17. > :20:21.he should have had it one already, and the chance with a bump,

:20:22. > :20:28.concentrate, knock this read in, get the frame over. -- should have added

:20:29. > :20:32.won already. What was he going towards... What was he doing going

:20:33. > :20:40.towards the middle pocket with the cue ball, if it had gone in, need

:20:41. > :20:49.could have lost the frame! That was close. This is a good effort, this

:20:50. > :20:53.is a very good effort. Is it hard enough? Just coming up a little bit

:20:54. > :22:21.short. APPLAUSE

:22:22. > :22:27.Well played. Some shop, that. Just wondering whether if he swerves

:22:28. > :22:34.this, checks on the cue ball, could not hit enough of it... -- some

:22:35. > :23:01.shot, that. Is thinking, if Ronnie potted this

:23:02. > :23:05.read he would have to get the black, and then would still only need one

:23:06. > :23:10.snooker, you want to keep the red on the table, more chance of a snooker.

:23:11. > :23:16.Looking to see if he cut this read, and can he hold for the black,

:23:17. > :23:26.because the yellow is never brown... That is what he has played. Is he on

:23:27. > :23:30.the black? He can still take the black up into the corner, had he

:23:31. > :23:34.have missed the cannon, would have gone on the black, potted it, up for

:23:35. > :23:47.the yellow, in behind the brown, that was his plan. Needs to pot

:23:48. > :23:52.this. That jump, jumped quite a bit. Ronnie O'Sullivan, one. The chance

:23:53. > :24:00.has gone, it will be a relief yang Wenbo. Both the black jumped and the

:24:01. > :24:13.cue ball. -- this will be a relief for the end Wenbo. -- Liang Wenbo.

:24:14. > :24:38.Foul. Liang Wenbo two, Ronnie O'Sullivan four. He has decided...

:24:39. > :24:42.Too difficult to get the snooker is required, Liang Wenbo has stopped

:24:43. > :24:52.the rot, he has a frame back. STUDIO: Like sweating blood to get

:24:53. > :24:56.that one in the end, over the line, did well to keep the break going,

:24:57. > :25:02.one plant in particular that allowed him to do so, the crowd were doing

:25:03. > :25:07.and dying, but he settled in nicely. Missed a cannon, but he created

:25:08. > :25:13.this, not a difficult shot. -- oohing and ahhing. The pressure

:25:14. > :25:21.shot, this could have cost him, if he had missed this, lovely pot. The

:25:22. > :25:24.facial expressions, by Wenbo, were going ten to the dozen, but it

:25:25. > :25:28.should have been over, he should have kept going because it is a lot

:25:29. > :25:34.of aggravation, as John Parrott would say. He was always playing

:25:35. > :25:41.catch up, I think Wenbo is improving his confidence, that shows, that

:25:42. > :25:44.blue, struck in nicely. He is gritty and as the match goes closer, if it

:25:45. > :25:50.does, we will see more facial expressions from Liang Wenbo, as it

:25:51. > :25:55.gets closer to the end, every player begins to live and die... Burning...

:25:56. > :26:01.A little bit, we all do that, even the best in the world. -- gurning.

:26:02. > :26:05.He has endeared himself, over the last couple of years, he has become

:26:06. > :26:08.far more popular because you can see some of his internal thoughts, he

:26:09. > :26:13.wears his heart on his sleeve. For us watching, makes it interesting,

:26:14. > :26:18.we have said, we were never ones to show any emotion, quite miserable,

:26:19. > :26:33.we cornered the market in miserable as. Definitely good value. Ronnie

:26:34. > :26:37.certainly knows he's in a match. Ronnie O'Sullivan to break.

:26:38. > :26:43.CO-COMMENTATOR: He certainly is in a match, 4-3 ahead, some stuff from

:26:44. > :26:50.the boys in the studio there, I agree with them, if you were looking

:26:51. > :26:56.for... INAUDIBLE COMMENTATOR: Saw them both outside

:26:57. > :27:05.the bar last week, I asked what they were doing, they said, waiting for

:27:06. > :27:10.happy hour to finish... (!) -- I agree with them, if you were looking

:27:11. > :27:26.for two more unhappy fellows, you couldn't do better than those two.

:27:27. > :27:32.The two lads were talking early on, the fact that the players are a lot

:27:33. > :27:36.more friendly these days, and some of the players go out for dinner

:27:37. > :27:41.together. In their day, that would not have happened. Having a giggle

:27:42. > :27:52.at their expense. Those two would not give you too much! 13 world's

:27:53. > :28:01.titles between them. Seven for Stephen, 64 Steve It obviously

:28:02. > :28:09.worked. -- seven for Stephen, six for Steve. So it obviously worked.

:28:10. > :28:14.Good shot that he has played. Moving roads around. Up near the yellow and

:28:15. > :28:17.the brown, that is one you have got to cover. A bit more pressure on

:28:18. > :28:56.this. -- moving those around. There might be a gap through to that

:28:57. > :29:21.one. Tight, but maybe the brown... Can't pot that.

:29:22. > :29:26.Read into the right corner, not very inviting, because he cannot get on a

:29:27. > :29:46.colour. -- red. Not often you see a player playing a

:29:47. > :30:26.safety shot up this end of the table. That was the case there.

:30:27. > :30:34.Just looking to see where he can leave the cue ball err on the side

:30:35. > :30:42.cushion. Playing off the loose red the back of the pack. Obviously he

:30:43. > :30:47.wants to cover the red, so it is not easy for Liang to get down. But as

:30:48. > :30:50.he hit it just a little bit too hard? He might have left that red is

:30:51. > :32:48.just to clip of past the yellow. That has just helped the situation.

:32:49. > :32:59.It is brought to the pink into play. The match is tied up at the moment.

:33:00. > :33:03.I think Oblak is tied up. Liang can play off the face of this red. You

:33:04. > :33:09.have to be careful with the red going across and hitting the pack of

:33:10. > :33:13.reds. They might be something across the other corner. Even with a shot

:33:14. > :33:35.like this, you have to be a little bit careful.

:33:36. > :33:40.He played that really well. Didn't cannon into anything else. Good

:33:41. > :34:11.touch. I think the brown is going to come

:34:12. > :34:20.to the rescue. As he covered it? I think he has. It is imperative that

:34:21. > :34:29.he got a good cue ball there. I think Liang is just seeing if he can

:34:30. > :34:33.leave the cue ball at the top cushion, just hit the red half ball.

:34:34. > :34:38.I don't think he can pot that. If he was away from the cushion, I think

:34:39. > :34:44.he could but it is not a shot that is available to him. Of course he

:34:45. > :34:48.could come off the side cushion and play that red but either way it

:34:49. > :34:53.looks like that is what he's going to have to do. Alessi has better

:34:54. > :35:22.eyesight than both of us. That was a better shot than the one

:35:23. > :35:27.I was looking at. Had he played the other red, he could have left that

:35:28. > :35:40.red to cut back. In much better choice of shot than mine. He red the

:35:41. > :36:03.pot but boy, is that a test of your cueing. Here goes. Change of plan.

:36:04. > :36:15.Ronnie O'Sullivan has been very measured. He hasn't taken any undue

:36:16. > :36:21.risks. That is what we call playing the percentages. He knows if he can

:36:22. > :36:24.get this frame under his belt, he will only need one and Liang Wenbo

:36:25. > :36:40.would have to win three. They have both played some excellent

:36:41. > :36:44.safety shots but that one is coming up a little short. At first glance,

:36:45. > :37:12.it looks like everything is covering each other.

:37:13. > :37:25.He played that has a shot to nothing. This is pretty difficult to

:37:26. > :37:30.do. And there is another one. It happens quite a lot, Dennis, on

:37:31. > :37:40.these fast clocks. You are trying to be too delicate. And then he has on

:37:41. > :37:51.to hit it. It is so easy to hit it a little bit of -- a little bit hard,

:37:52. > :38:06.just trying to nestle onto it. He is taking the brown. An extra red.

:38:07. > :38:23.That would look a lot more different than it would. He had that lovely,

:38:24. > :38:28.didn't he? Yes, it was a clever shot. They were all covering each

:38:29. > :38:32.other, as you mentioned. One good positional shot away from giving

:38:33. > :38:40.himself an early opportunity here, in a frame that could get him back

:38:41. > :38:45.all square. He may just have to take a chance of playing into an area

:38:46. > :38:53.here, if he lands on one, which he has done. That could not have come

:38:54. > :39:04.out much better. Left-handed, even better.

:39:05. > :39:15.He is quite a tall lad, Liang Wenbo. Around the 6-foot mark.

:39:16. > :39:20.He could have played the last shot a bit better. One thing he did not

:39:21. > :39:25.want to do with this is leave himself straight on. It looks like

:39:26. > :39:31.an easy shot, but there are limits to what you can do. He has played

:39:32. > :39:47.that particularly well. Make no mistake about it, he will

:39:48. > :40:06.consider this to be a very good chance to draw level in this match.

:40:07. > :40:16.Not the best with the cue ball there. The cue ball has run eight

:40:17. > :40:49.inches to fire there. I don't really know what he played

:40:50. > :40:53.on there. Just make sure he gets the green in, which is obviously the

:40:54. > :40:58.priority. But he has come on the red into the middle pocket, and that is

:40:59. > :41:01.a bit of a result. He has taken the slightly more difficult one. If he

:41:02. > :41:07.was right-handed, it would be straightforward. He has a slight

:41:08. > :41:18.angle, and he can get it away from the cushion, but he needs a little

:41:19. > :41:23.bit of existence with the extension on the cue there. -- a little bit of

:41:24. > :41:34.assistance. And he has played it well. I think is going to need one

:41:35. > :41:42.more cannon to put himself into a prime position. That was a better

:41:43. > :41:50.shot than it looked on the screens. Pretty tricky. He negotiated it very

:41:51. > :42:01.well. Now the cannon. It is pretty good. What a chance this is.

:42:02. > :42:14.Following a pattern of the frames before the interval, to nail down,

:42:15. > :42:16.he paid it back to 2-2. -- 2-0 down. It was in the club, he would not be

:42:17. > :42:32.missing these. In the club, it is well documented

:42:33. > :42:40.that Liang Wenbo, when he practices, he very rarely misses. A lot of

:42:41. > :42:47.players like that, but it is the really special ones that can take it

:42:48. > :42:57.to the practice table. Taking it on to the match arena, that is the key.

:42:58. > :43:04.I would be slightly annoyed having to play this way. Playing for the

:43:05. > :43:10.other two on the left, you have to take it down a little bit. You may

:43:11. > :43:15.have a choice here. The pink mingle in the middle. It certainly does.

:43:16. > :43:40.And black it is. He is still OK. He has gone a little

:43:41. > :43:41.bit further than he intended. He had the one that was near the middle

:43:42. > :43:48.pocket. And they are absolutely sitting

:43:49. > :44:11.perfectly now. And once again he has taken these

:44:12. > :44:26.very well. Still punching. One thing is for

:44:27. > :44:27.sure, he will not give him the match today. Ronnie is going to have to

:44:28. > :44:37.win it. Ronnie has an awful lot of support

:44:38. > :44:42.here at the Alexandra Palace, as he has all over the world. Always a

:44:43. > :44:47.fear crowd here. If the opponent is knocking the ball is in, they give

:44:48. > :44:54.them the utmost respect and this is exactly what Liang Wenbo is doing

:44:55. > :44:58.here. The great Ray Reardon, a six time world champion, used to say,

:44:59. > :45:04.keep potting balls and you will get the crowd your side. -- get the

:45:05. > :45:39.crowd on your side. A couple of pots away from levelling

:45:40. > :45:51.the match at four each. A fabulous fight back. And a very

:45:52. > :46:14.important frame coming up. If he can win the next frame, what a

:46:15. > :46:17.lovely feeling. Your opponents needed the last two to be true. You

:46:18. > :46:26.are not over the line but I know which scenario I would prefer. --

:46:27. > :46:31.needed the last two to beat you. Liang Wenbo will be hoping the

:46:32. > :46:36.pattern of the match changes because Ronnie won the first two, lost the

:46:37. > :46:51.next two, won the next two, lost the next two.

:46:52. > :46:58.There is something about him, I like watching Liang Wenbo. I like his

:46:59. > :47:07.mannerisms. He has that little swagger. He is good on the eye. But

:47:08. > :47:11.that is not very good on the eye. But he has done more than an offer.

:47:12. > :47:17.Liang Wenbo takes another frame and all of a sudden it is all square at

:47:18. > :47:22.four frames each. STUDIO: Shone and Dennis were saying it is a familiar

:47:23. > :47:27.pattern, and it is all even Stevens. From Liang's point of view, he has

:47:28. > :47:31.to take charge instead of doing the chase. He has himself into the

:47:32. > :47:35.position to effectively take it. Ronnie O'Sullivan is still the

:47:36. > :47:39.person dominating the match, in some ways, therefore it becomes a bread

:47:40. > :47:46.and butter match to get over the line in which ever way you can. Some

:47:47. > :48:01.good scoring. 83-65, 109, solid stuff from Liang Wenbo. He is doing

:48:02. > :48:08.very well. It is turning into a good match. A lot of the time when we

:48:09. > :48:12.watch Ronnie it is like an occasion. But it has turned into a bit of a

:48:13. > :48:18.grind, a real high quality snooker match. I would agree. It feels

:48:19. > :48:23.different to the normal Ronnie occasion. There is definitely a bit

:48:24. > :48:26.of tension. It is not a done deal. As for winning with style, it is

:48:27. > :48:34.perhaps not the messy performance he was hoping, more like a solid

:48:35. > :48:40.midfielder. -- Messi performance. A couple of years ago, the whole thing

:48:41. > :48:43.seems like the Ronnie show. No two years are the same, but as we have

:48:44. > :48:49.also said on many occasions, the general standard of the top 16 is

:48:50. > :48:52.getting better and better. It is tighter and tighter. Every first

:48:53. > :48:56.round match is more of a potential banana skin. On that subject, at the

:48:57. > :49:01.top of the show we mention that this is the first time we have had 16

:49:02. > :49:05.players who are qualified to be there. Often times it was invitation

:49:06. > :49:09.but now you are here on merit. It is the first time that everyone has

:49:10. > :49:15.been a major world ranking champion in their own right. That underlines

:49:16. > :49:18.the quality. You could almost make a case for maybe not every single

:49:19. > :49:25.player but most of them, for winning this. And actually, an interesting

:49:26. > :49:29.exercise, obviously the bookmakers do not often get it wrong but let's

:49:30. > :49:37.say, just for interest, that you were to bet on every outsider of

:49:38. > :49:44.every match, how you would fear. -- how you would they are. Ronnie has

:49:45. > :49:47.been the bookies favourite, although Mark Selby has been the number one

:49:48. > :50:07.for some time. Ronnie, back we go. He attempted a long pot but he has

:50:08. > :50:16.not left the red. Everything is safe. He could be deemed fortunate

:50:17. > :50:22.there. The fact that he was snookered on the green and brown in

:50:23. > :50:30.the ball area, it makes Liang's city shot more difficult. -- in the baulk

:50:31. > :51:19.area. Not much he can do with the cue ball

:51:20. > :51:27.because it is so close to the cushion.

:51:28. > :51:34.A difficult frame. Wonderful horrible frames you get when the

:51:35. > :51:39.players keep tapping the balls. -- one of those horrible frames.

:51:40. > :51:42.Because they cannot leave that red in the baulk area. Sometimes the

:51:43. > :51:51.frames end up looking like rear racks. -- re-racks. The players do

:51:52. > :52:25.not like these frames either. Either player cannot run away up

:52:26. > :52:30.into the right corner of the table because they would leave themselves

:52:31. > :52:57.in trouble. Once again, tight on the cushion,

:52:58. > :53:07.preventing Liang Wenbo from being able to get any back spin on the

:53:08. > :53:15.ball. You do not want to leave a part, that is the priority. Just

:53:16. > :53:17.make sure the cue ball is away from the cushion, bring it back. -- you

:53:18. > :53:45.do not want to leave a pot. It looks as if he's going to take

:53:46. > :53:53.this very difficult spot on. Where is the ball going? It is going past

:53:54. > :54:05.the blue. It does not want to go into the pocket. I thought when he

:54:06. > :54:10.was getting down to take that on... OK, he hit it a little thinner than

:54:11. > :54:11.intended, but it was always a distinct possibility. He looks a bit

:54:12. > :54:45.confused. Directory just asking the crowd...

:54:46. > :54:48.It is OK to have an atmosphere, but when one player shouts out, it

:54:49. > :54:51.doesn't help the player that is at the table, even though they mean

:54:52. > :55:16.good. It can work against you. Usually, when the pressure is at its

:55:17. > :55:22.highest, the best players produce the most. And this is a good chance

:55:23. > :55:26.already but if he plays the cannon up into the pack here, he could

:55:27. > :55:32.force a few reds out. Obviously he has a choice of shots. A few open

:55:33. > :55:38.reds that he could play, but there is the chance to storm into the pack

:55:39. > :56:26.if he wanted it. He decided to play the loose one.

:56:27. > :57:07.It is all about the split here. Deep screw. How is your luck?

:57:08. > :57:20.I am not surprised he hangs his head. He really did give that a good

:57:21. > :57:26.old belt. He needed two force it but he did not have too it that hard.

:57:27. > :57:33.And that is what he thinks of it. -- he did not have to hit it that hard.

:57:34. > :57:39.It is little shots like that that can get you annoyed. He is 39 in

:57:40. > :57:40.front. Most of the time, he would go on and make enough to secure the

:57:41. > :57:54.frame. It is not an easy chance by any

:57:55. > :58:01.means but it is a chance that Liang Wenbo was not expecting. Good for

:58:02. > :58:02.him to knock the black in and get that back on its spot. It will help

:58:03. > :58:26.to get that out of commission. Up in the corner, that is the one he

:58:27. > :58:32.will take. In the context of the level of snooker we are playing at,

:58:33. > :58:38.this constitutes a chance. And a pretty big one at that. Two cannons

:58:39. > :58:43.away here from making this a brilliant opportunity. And he pulled

:58:44. > :59:16.himself together? -- can he hold himself.

:59:17. > :59:23.You just want to be straight on this but he is not. A nice angle. Coming

:59:24. > :00:03.round for the loose red at the bottom. He played that nicely.

:00:04. > :00:08.Those rates that are above the rate, I don't think he will be parting in

:00:09. > :00:10.any pockets, they will have to be moved at some point during the

:00:11. > :00:36.break. Excellent chance, not totally

:00:37. > :00:40.straightforward. -- those reds. 33. Cue ball into a position where he

:00:41. > :00:59.was going to have a choice of green, brown or blue, believe it or not.

:01:00. > :01:05.Interesting to see how he goes about this. No problem with the loose

:01:06. > :01:12.thread, there are near the pink spot, but those other two, how is he

:01:13. > :01:21.going to open those up? Just play on it, on the red, and onto the cannon,

:01:22. > :01:26.or is he going to do something else, interesting. The beauty of this

:01:27. > :01:39.game, Dennis, all players see it differently.

:01:40. > :01:44.No problem getting on the red to the left of the pink spot, thought he

:01:45. > :01:47.may have been able to leave the blue in such a way that he potted the

:01:48. > :01:53.blue and cannon and the two reds, leaving himself a few options.

:01:54. > :01:57.Another way that he can play it, he can drop the blue in, pot the red,

:01:58. > :02:06.flick the other one out on it, if he wants to do that... But now it looks

:02:07. > :02:13.like he is going to get good position of this and cannon off the

:02:14. > :02:18.black. This is the big part of the match here, can you negotiate the

:02:19. > :02:20.cannon off the black and put the two reds up? I'm pretty sure that they

:02:21. > :02:36.do not pot. Has he gone a little further than he

:02:37. > :02:41.wanted, he has the cannon, he is OK, you need to get plenty of screw on

:02:42. > :02:48.this to get the cannon. Not stick on it, either.

:02:49. > :02:55.That is a poor shot. I think that was just down to a little bit of

:02:56. > :03:00.tension, he knew the importance of that 1-shot, new new, if he got the

:03:01. > :03:21.cannon Wright, he could win the frame. -- one shot. -- he knew. Only

:03:22. > :03:29.11 in front. -- if he got the cannon right. Safe on the side cushion.

:03:30. > :03:39.This is not the best safety shot he has ever played. Liang Wenbo, 50.

:03:40. > :03:43.Nice 50 break, though. APPLAUSE It is a good 50. But a couple of

:03:44. > :03:47.very poor shots on the end of it, shouldn't have missed the cannon,

:03:48. > :03:49.you don't do that plain good safety, and that wasn't. But he hasn't been

:03:50. > :04:53.punished for it. Is this... Where is this thread

:04:54. > :05:01.going to finish? -- red. It was a tough one that he took on there.

:05:02. > :05:12.Certainly at this stage of proceedings, a lot of pressure on

:05:13. > :05:16.that attempt. Liang Wenbo looking to see if he can avoid the cannon on

:05:17. > :05:20.the green if he pops the red, at this stage of the frame, the

:05:21. > :05:25.priority is to knock the object ball in, which is the red, of course,

:05:26. > :05:38.sometimes you get the pot, sometimes you have to stand for position.

:05:39. > :05:41.Could avoid it. Good pot. And now... He has the angle, little bit of

:05:42. > :05:57.pressure on the black, to say the least.

:05:58. > :06:06.Just the pace. Any harder, that would have wobbled and stayed out.

:06:07. > :06:15.If it pops on red and black, he's going to need the yellow... Beside

:06:16. > :06:19.it... Going to need the yellow even if you played for the black, much

:06:20. > :06:26.easier to get position when you're close to the ball colours, so good

:06:27. > :06:37.thinking there from Liang Wenbo. Just means he has got to pot a few

:06:38. > :06:43.more balls. Good stuff from Liang Wenbo... Mistakes at the end of the

:06:44. > :06:50.50 break. Didn't get punished by Ronnie, holding himself together

:06:51. > :06:53.very well here. The tournament favourite, if he's going to get

:06:54. > :06:56.through in this round, news going to have to do it the hard way, he's

:06:57. > :07:07.going to have to win the last two frames of his opening match. The

:07:08. > :07:11.pattern has been broken, two for one player and two for another player.

:07:12. > :07:24.This will be three in a row for Liang Wenbo, and...

:07:25. > :07:32.Doesn't matter the fact that he has finished close on the pink. Not far

:07:33. > :07:46.away. Not far away! 43. APPLAUSE

:07:47. > :07:52.Well, what a gritty performance from the Chinese buyer, he has won the

:07:53. > :07:56.last three frames, now gets himself one ahead, he needs one for a famous

:07:57. > :07:59.victory, it has to be said. -- Chinese player.

:08:00. > :08:06.STUDIO: Looking so comfortable for Ronnie, and now three on the bounce

:08:07. > :08:12.for Liang Wenbo, a shot in the air, you sensed Ronnie's frustration,

:08:13. > :08:16.tried to force it. Little bit of pace required, steered it, hooked it

:08:17. > :08:20.to some degree, later on in the frame, missed a long read, hit the

:08:21. > :08:24.wrong side of it, hats he has missed his cue action for the day, can

:08:25. > :08:28.sometimes happen, in his chair, doesn't look like he has too much

:08:29. > :08:33.adrenaline pumping around, a bit flat at the moment. Somehow, he's

:08:34. > :08:38.got to dig himself out of a hole. The way that the match is completely

:08:39. > :08:41.swung away from him, how do you read it? You've got to give credit to

:08:42. > :08:46.Liang Wenbo, as himself right back into it, looks... Steve said, his

:08:47. > :08:53.attitude looks definitely better, looks more alert, and in his chair

:08:54. > :08:58.and at the table. Pool is, that black, by Ronnie, and a couple of

:08:59. > :09:01.long pots which he did not even get close, either he is relaxing and

:09:02. > :09:12.letting his concentration slip, or he's feeling the pressure. -- poor

:09:13. > :09:16.miss. Talking about attitude to the game, Ronnie is in his 40s, the one

:09:17. > :09:20.thing that became harder as you got older was the fire in your belly

:09:21. > :09:27.every match, right from the off. And possibly, mentally, he hasn't got it

:09:28. > :09:31.as much as he needs to to apply the killer instinct early on and now,

:09:32. > :09:35.somehow he's got to switch the switch, which is a lot harder to do.

:09:36. > :09:38.Is going to have to win the last couple of frames. The defending

:09:39. > :09:46.champion is really under it. COMMENTATOR: We have seen him under

:09:47. > :09:53.it on many occasions, sometimes that is when he produces his best. He's

:09:54. > :09:59.going to need it now, against Liang Wenbo, who is growing in confidence.

:10:00. > :10:03.We always say, the hardest frame to win is the one that gets you over

:10:04. > :10:09.the line, not so much for the players right at the top, Liang

:10:10. > :10:20.Wenbo climbing that world ranking ladder. APPLAUSE

:10:21. > :10:36.Good opener, close to the cushion, showing you the pot again.

:10:37. > :10:49.Just had the one victory against Ronnie, Ronnie has had five wins.

:10:50. > :10:58.Close match in the Shanghai Masters, not that long ago. Ronnie won that

:10:59. > :10:59.on the deciding frame, 5-4. But they had never played each other in the

:11:00. > :11:43.Masters. That is a cracking shot, if he's

:11:44. > :11:53.held that for the black. APPLAUSE Pinpoint accuracy there. But that

:11:54. > :11:56.certainly wasn't pinpoint accuracy with the positional shot.

:11:57. > :12:05.CO-COMMENTATOR: I bet you he can believe he didn't get the cannon

:12:06. > :12:10.there. Just played, just to nudge that out of the way, stay on the

:12:11. > :12:17.other one, but it didn't happen. He can put this in, can't he? Not like

:12:18. > :12:25.that he can. -- not like that he can't. The blue may have come to his

:12:26. > :12:29.rescue. Ronnie O'Sullivan, eight. And it has. Not the worst for

:12:30. > :12:52.Ronnie. That is a poor shot from Liang

:12:53. > :12:56.Wenbo. OK, not straightforward to get good position. Played some very

:12:57. > :13:05.good safety shots but that was not one of them there. I said it wasn't

:13:06. > :13:14.going to be easy to get on a colour, look where he has finished. Not only

:13:15. > :13:20.that he has knocked a red over the pocket, so that at that, of all the

:13:21. > :13:24.possible outcomes. Usually know your way around a table, how does he get

:13:25. > :13:33.out of this one... Playing the yellow, even if he hits it, can he

:13:34. > :13:36.get it safe? Foul. Ronnie O'Sullivan, one, Liang Wenbo, four.

:13:37. > :13:41.Into the left corner pocket, having a look at that... He has decided to

:13:42. > :13:46.put it back... He will have to go back to that, if the position had

:13:47. > :13:50.been easier, of the other, off the red on the left, he would have taken

:13:51. > :13:54.it, the fact he could not see the one over on the right, didn't fancy

:13:55. > :14:04.it, even if Ronnie hits this yellow, will do very well to get it safe.

:14:05. > :14:12.Foul, miss, Liang Wenbo, four. Coming back again because it is

:14:13. > :14:19.covering the pocket. Nice situation for Liang Wenbo at the moment. Just

:14:20. > :14:22.that read that he had over the pocket, wasn't sure what was going

:14:23. > :14:24.to happen to the cue ball, had the worst possible outcome. Third time

:14:25. > :14:38.lucky... APPLAUSE Was always going to leave the red

:14:39. > :14:49.that was over the pocket. Similar scenario for Liang Wenbo, to get

:14:50. > :14:54.onto a colour. Always tricky, these, to try to get up for the colour, as

:14:55. > :15:04.you say, getting trapped. Tried to drop it in. I think he was playing

:15:05. > :15:08.on the pink, in the middle. A bit of pressure on the long blue, if he

:15:09. > :15:15.wants to take a go. Really need one more frame. Good long potter, wee

:15:16. > :15:24.bit of pressure on this because there are red is available into the

:15:25. > :15:27.left corner. Just got to make sure he finishes his cue action here,

:15:28. > :15:35.right back and right through, low movement. The pressure.

:15:36. > :15:44.APPLAUSE Me nice and clean, right in the

:15:45. > :15:51.centre of the pocket. Not out of the woods yet, where

:15:52. > :16:19.position is concerned. This is a great performance from the

:16:20. > :16:23.Chinese player, he only played once before in the Masters, losing 6-4,

:16:24. > :16:30.two John Higgins, at this stage last year. -- losing 6-4, to John

:16:31. > :16:37.Higgins, every match in the Masters is like a world final, John. It

:16:38. > :16:41.wasn't in any doubt about Liang Wenbo's ability turning up today,

:16:42. > :16:44.but it was about his ability to handle the situation and the

:16:45. > :16:50.occasion. Very intimidating playing Ronnie O'Sullivan here, 2000 people,

:16:51. > :16:53.99% of them supporting Ronnie, so you are playing against the table,

:16:54. > :16:58.the balls, Ronnie O'Sullivan and most of the crowd. You have to have

:16:59. > :17:05.a certain mentality to be able to cope with all of that.

:17:06. > :17:14.That's pretty poor, a little bit of tension in the arm, he's in no man's

:17:15. > :17:18.land with the cue ball, so easy to get on the pink or the blue, if you

:17:19. > :17:24.want to screw back. Why did he's done it, needs to be a screw shot,

:17:25. > :17:28.if he plays the screw shot, pink or blue, to stand it, give yourself

:17:29. > :17:33.less of a chance of being on the pink, can only be tension. That was

:17:34. > :17:39.a very easy shot for him to make a mess of.

:17:40. > :17:55.What about this for a shot he is taking on.

:17:56. > :18:03.I think he was so disappointed with his previous positional shot that he

:18:04. > :18:09.thought he'd have a go on that, but that was a disappointing shot, under

:18:10. > :18:14.the circumstances. Classic example of not happy with the positional

:18:15. > :18:24.shot you played beforehand, so onto a better expression, pushed the boat

:18:25. > :18:28.out. Will it be costly, though? Mind you, Ronnie didn't play a good shot,

:18:29. > :18:37.wrong side of the blue, now he's having to pull out another good shot

:18:38. > :18:54.here. That's a pretty good recovery there are! APPLAUSE

:18:55. > :19:21.It's gone wrong. Then again, lively cloth... He wanted a full ball, not

:19:22. > :19:26.half-ball contact on that cannon. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 12. One of those,

:19:27. > :19:30.I think you might have been snookered on the black, with the jaw

:19:31. > :19:43.of the pocket, one of those he is pleased the reds did not go in. --

:19:44. > :19:46.red. Yeah, got a couple of shots he can play here but might roll onto

:19:47. > :19:50.the red that is just above the cue ball, on the side cushion, could

:19:51. > :19:54.drop of that, could play the one near the paint, go behind the

:19:55. > :20:02.yellow, bring it back near the black, a few shots he can play. --

:20:03. > :20:12.near the pink. What's the sure, it's not going to be an attacking shot.

:20:13. > :20:19.-- Watts for sure. -- what's for sure. He has got to make sure he

:20:20. > :20:33.covers the red that is near the green pocket. I don't think he has,

:20:34. > :20:39.he's left a path through for that. OK, an awful lot of distance between

:20:40. > :20:44.the cue ball and the object ball, but there is a situation which Liang

:20:45. > :20:49.Wenbo, not dead straight, one good pot here, you would think he would

:20:50. > :21:03.come up for the blue, certainly get on a colour. Test of cueing, this.

:21:04. > :21:10.Well done! APPLAUSE What a chance now for the Chinese

:21:11. > :21:27.player, required terrific cueing, could not hit it any better.

:21:28. > :21:36.Well, this is getting tense, big smile from Liang Wenbo. He can

:21:37. > :21:41.smile, Dennis, but that is a terrible shot, honestly, that is a

:21:42. > :21:47.stinker, such an area there to fit, to do that... Honestly, that was as

:21:48. > :21:52.close to frame and match as you were going to get, with that chance.

:21:53. > :22:13.While! What a mistake. -- Wow! Cannon on either of the two reds

:22:14. > :22:14.next to the pink. Promoted those towards the corner, ones in the

:22:15. > :22:35.middle... Liang Wenbo, six. He's doing his

:22:36. > :22:48.best to lose this frame...! Really tough shots to take on. One. Red,

:22:49. > :22:55.next to the brown, no problem. Four reds, near the pink, not

:22:56. > :23:13.perfectly placed, by any means... The one just to the left of the pink

:23:14. > :23:20.is still available, angle to cannon... Two reds that Liang tried

:23:21. > :23:28.to cannon. APPLAUSE Played perfectly. 12. He can pop

:23:29. > :23:36.this and flick the other red away from the pink. -- pot. He can do,

:23:37. > :23:40.Patsy is thinking, maybe, do I want to take the chance, in case it goes

:23:41. > :23:46.slightly wrong...? Doesn't look a natural. -- it does look natural, to

:23:47. > :23:55.pot that red and flick the other one away from the pink.

:23:56. > :24:08.Straightforward in the end, as you said, I think he was thinking, I

:24:09. > :24:10.don't really want to be risking any little cannons at this stage. Played

:24:11. > :24:28.it well. 20. Every chance now that we're going to

:24:29. > :24:37.have a deciding frame, in the opening match, in this Masters

:24:38. > :25:11.contest. 27. Ronnie O'Sullivan, looking good in

:25:12. > :25:16.this frame. Not just yet... Well... That's an interesting... Ronnie

:25:17. > :25:20.O'Sullivan, 34. What a chance this is. Why didn't he drop in the pink

:25:21. > :25:24.and secure the frame? I think he's head went a little bit because of

:25:25. > :25:32.the previous shot. Not inking straight at the moment. Potted a

:25:33. > :25:35.few... If Liang knocks this one in, it could be frame and match...

:25:36. > :25:48.APPLAUSE Wobbled its way into the pocket. But

:25:49. > :25:55.that last... Very strange from Ronnie... Just drop it in, and... He

:25:56. > :26:08.could pinch the match by just one point. Nine.

:26:09. > :26:16.14. Wants to get absolutely plumb on the black to make it

:26:17. > :26:24.straightforward. Needs to bounce off the cushion. APPLAUSE

:26:25. > :26:28.This one could be going... Right into the pocket. A little bit of

:26:29. > :26:43.pressure on it, but this will be very slow. No! Can you believe it!

:26:44. > :26:52.All he had to do was drop the black in. Get in! Ronnie O'Sullivan

:26:53. > :26:58.thought he was out, we all thought he was out, the crowd thought he was

:26:59. > :27:01.out, but how did Liang Wenbo misjudge getting the black in, hit

:27:02. > :27:07.it a little bit harder than he needed, but it is all square, 5-5.

:27:08. > :27:14.STUDIO: You cannot get your breath, in the palm of his hand, and we are

:27:15. > :27:17.into a decider. We have all been there as players, the expectation

:27:18. > :27:22.level therefore Liang Wenbo was to steal the match, he has had his

:27:23. > :27:24.chance, whatever happens now, he cannot complain, how he must be

:27:25. > :27:30.feeling at the moment, nothing worse in the game then missing a

:27:31. > :27:33.relatively easy match ball. You have been there, more often than not you

:27:34. > :27:39.have come through successfully, what a lifeline for Ronnie. To be honest,

:27:40. > :27:43.I did not fancy Wenbo to clean up, he was perfect on every single shot,

:27:44. > :27:47.just... Obviously wanted to be straight on the black, but, I just

:27:48. > :27:51.didn't fancy him putting it, for some reason, I don't know why, he

:27:52. > :27:56.needed the black on the spot, I think... The magnitude of the

:27:57. > :28:00.victory against Ronnie, in a game like this just got to him. Getting

:28:01. > :28:03.over the line at the best of times against Ronnie O'Sullivan is tough

:28:04. > :28:08.but in this atmosphere, 2000 people watching you, the tension of this,

:28:09. > :28:14.Ronnie has not been out in round one for five-year is. When 2000 people

:28:15. > :28:18.go dead quiet, it is on you! Trains the enough, when he was playing pink

:28:19. > :28:22.to black, talking about which way to go, I thought that if he goes of the

:28:23. > :28:25.side cushion and plays the run-through, I think he gets on the

:28:26. > :28:29.black better. Stunning it down, there was the chance that he would

:28:30. > :28:33.leave himself low. Perhaps it is just me thinking about the way that

:28:34. > :28:36.I would have played it myself but Ronnie missed the pink in the middle

:28:37. > :28:42.pocket, must have thought there was a chance that had gone begging.

:28:43. > :28:46.Looked OK for Liang Wenbo at that stage, Ronnie O'Sullivan is back in

:28:47. > :28:49.its now. Those of you who remember last year 's Masters will remember

:28:50. > :28:54.the final decider, Mark Williams against Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ronnie

:28:55. > :28:59.came through it and went on to hammer Barry Hawkins, 10-1, in the

:29:00. > :29:04.final. Goodness me. Then we go. Deciding frame. First match of the

:29:05. > :29:14.Masters, first decider. COMMENTATOR: Not the best of Rachel

:29:15. > :29:18.shots. Cover that one. Nice little touch. Patted Ronnie before the

:29:19. > :29:33.start of the frame. The cannon on the black has come to

:29:34. > :29:35.his rescue there. Because he would certainly have left Liang Wenbo in

:29:36. > :30:00.among them. CO-COMMENTATOR: We are in a decider,

:30:01. > :30:04.I don't know where we are, look at this again, why not play it dead

:30:05. > :30:09.weight, first day of the tournament, love is then, sliding in a little

:30:10. > :30:15.bit, drop it into the jaws, let it drop in, gravity would have taken

:30:16. > :30:20.that one in. He will need some mental fortitude to get that behind

:30:21. > :30:24.him to get the final frame. -- not the best of break-off shots. Should

:30:25. > :30:45.have been all over. Ronnie hoping to cover the red. To

:30:46. > :30:49.the left of the blue, this cuts into the middle pocket. Wouldn't it be

:30:50. > :30:55.ironic, after missing the black, if Liang Wenbo were to put this in. Cue

:30:56. > :30:59.ball looks as though it will career into the pink, if this goes in, it

:31:00. > :31:10.could open things up. Black over the pocket but what a big shot.

:31:11. > :31:20.. He played a very positive shot. He is unlucky not to finish on the

:31:21. > :31:23.black. But after the easy black he missed to knock the defending

:31:24. > :31:34.champion out, that was a great opening red. That was a great part

:31:35. > :31:38.but you know what it is like, Dennis, when you miss opportunities

:31:39. > :31:45.in this game, the snookered gods do not forgive you. -- that was a great

:31:46. > :31:48.pot. Expect a bad run of the balls. He got one there. That was an

:31:49. > :32:02.excellent box. That is probably the best pot of

:32:03. > :32:24.this match so far. Fully stretched, you could hear the

:32:25. > :32:33.groans from Ronnie. It is not about opportunity. -- not a bad

:32:34. > :33:26.opportunity. I think that red, closest to the

:33:27. > :33:30.black is available. He will have to be careful. The cue ball was always

:33:31. > :33:38.going close to the corner pocket. This is not an easy part. And you've

:33:39. > :33:50.seen the black that Wenbo missed in the last round, nothing is easy.

:33:51. > :33:57.One player is a little better than the other are getting over the line.

:33:58. > :34:01.It is all about experience and he has done it so many times. Hard to

:34:02. > :34:06.believe that this is his 23rd Masters. He has been a champion six

:34:07. > :34:25.times, runner-up on three occasions. He has seen everything there is to

:34:26. > :34:36.see in the game of snooker. This is slightly awkward here. He has

:34:37. > :34:42.decided to pool for the black. You might have thought he would go for

:34:43. > :34:48.the blue but he did not fancy playing through the gap.

:34:49. > :34:57.Whoever wins this deciding frame, they have a few days off and will

:34:58. > :35:01.not play again until Thursday. You say whoever wins this game but I

:35:02. > :35:04.think this is all over. There is pressure in this final frame but he

:35:05. > :35:09.has been given a massive lifeline. He knows full well he should have

:35:10. > :35:11.been out of this year's event. But like all the great champions, and

:35:12. > :35:16.there are a couple in the studio this afternoon, they note that if

:35:17. > :35:17.they ever got a second bite of the cherry, they would not let it go

:35:18. > :35:28.begging. And how many times did we see them

:35:29. > :35:37.do it in style? Finish with a match-winning break. Just taking a

:35:38. > :35:44.little bit of time to make sure that he does not play an unnecessary

:35:45. > :35:48.cannon, to get out of position. Trying to do it without playing a

:35:49. > :35:54.cannon, to take that risk element out of it. He is worried about the

:35:55. > :36:01.growing himself behind that red. Like all great champions, he can

:36:02. > :36:06.smell blood. He knows immediately that this is the chance to win the

:36:07. > :36:10.frame and the match. In a match he should have lost.

:36:11. > :36:27.This will be a sore one for Liang. He will be thinking about that black

:36:28. > :36:32.for a long time. A black that would have knocked out the defending

:36:33. > :36:36.champion. Just a few more pots away from keeping himself in this year's

:36:37. > :36:53.Masters. I think we can use to the idea that

:36:54. > :37:04.there will be many more of these in this year 's event. You have to feel

:37:05. > :37:10.sorry for Liang Wenbo. He played so well, losing the two opening frames,

:37:11. > :37:22.he came back and won three in a row. He was just one point away from

:37:23. > :37:27.knocking out Ronnie O'Sullivan. But how well has he taken these? He has

:37:28. > :37:32.waltzed around the table like he is in the club. He really is one of the

:37:33. > :37:41.best closers of matches I have ever seen. This has been him at his best

:37:42. > :37:58.in the final frame, when it matters most. Top-class performance in the

:37:59. > :38:10.final frame. A tricky red. That might just finish it.

:38:11. > :38:16.What a time to make your highest break of the match. A frame that

:38:17. > :38:40.takes you into the next round. And the crowd will be delighted that

:38:41. > :38:42.their favourite has stayed in. Quite a few players will be gutted that he

:38:43. > :38:58.has. I think we are going to keep on

:38:59. > :39:10.clapping like the way through this frame. They might as well. Well, you

:39:11. > :39:15.cannot take it away from the defending champion, Ronnie

:39:16. > :39:20.O'Sullivan. Big smiles and hugs from his good frame, Liang Wenbo. Just

:39:21. > :39:25.one pot away from knocking out the defending champion, but in the end,

:39:26. > :39:30.he did it, as great champions always do it, in style, with that

:39:31. > :39:34.magnificent break of 121. And he goes through to the next round,

:39:35. > :39:41.beating Liang Wenbo six frames to five. HAZEL IRVINE: The two are

:39:42. > :39:44.great frames but what a dramatic let off for O'Sullivan and what a way to

:39:45. > :39:52.complete that incredible match. Your reaction to that? That is the most

:39:53. > :39:55.focused he was all match. That comes automatically. You have either got

:39:56. > :40:00.that or you have not and that is what separates the best from the

:40:01. > :40:05.rest. What a let off. Wenbo will not have a great night's sleep. But it

:40:06. > :40:08.Ronnie O'Sullivan my sometimes you need is the adrenaline pumping

:40:09. > :40:14.through his body and throughout that match, it was not that type of

:40:15. > :40:20.match. There was no real danger at 4-2. But when it looks like he's

:40:21. > :40:23.going out and Wenbo misses the final black, Ronnie O'Sullivan is on red

:40:24. > :40:30.alert. He was never going to make any mistakes in that last frame. And

:40:31. > :40:35.how close was he? Not that close. It will be interesting to see how he

:40:36. > :40:40.feels about it. A fantastic way to finish but that was pretty close. I

:40:41. > :40:44.know I have won but I did not deserve it. It was there for the

:40:45. > :40:51.taking. I did not play very well today. I know what it feels like to

:40:52. > :40:57.be one ball away from winning the match. It will be hard for him to

:40:58. > :41:02.deal with that one. What were you thinking when he was on that shot? I

:41:03. > :41:09.was thinking I might have a nice week off, because I am not feeling

:41:10. > :41:13.that well. I have felt really tired. I have trouble vision out there. I

:41:14. > :41:18.am shaking and I just wanted the match to be over. I am hoping that I

:41:19. > :41:22.will feel a bit better. You looked a little flat in the chair towards the

:41:23. > :41:29.end. You coming down with something? I have at this for about a month. I

:41:30. > :41:32.will probably give it to you. -- I have had this. In terms of the

:41:33. > :41:37.adrenaline kicking in, it was therefore you. I did not feel any

:41:38. > :41:41.adrenaline. I did not feel like I was involved in the match, I was

:41:42. > :41:45.just going through the motions. Just trying my hardest, hanging in there,

:41:46. > :41:49.trying to stay professional. I did not expect to win, because I thought

:41:50. > :41:55.that he would have finished me off, but I got lucky. In the build-up,

:41:56. > :42:02.you talk about winning with style, and presumably it fell a bit short

:42:03. > :42:06.from your standards. I don't mean like I tried to go out there and do

:42:07. > :42:12.that, I just mean that my style over 20 years has been to play a pretty

:42:13. > :42:18.game, if you like, to try to win a game in one visit. You cannot always

:42:19. > :42:25.do that. I think I have done all right over 25 years, and I just

:42:26. > :42:29.enjoy winning. I do not get much pleasure out of playing poorly.

:42:30. > :42:32.Maybe Steve and Stephen were different. They were much more

:42:33. > :42:39.ferocious animals. I just want to play well, even in practice,

:42:40. > :42:43.otherwise I get down on myself. We were talking during the match about

:42:44. > :42:48.your chances of breaking Stephen's record and getting seven Masters

:42:49. > :42:54.titles. And for the first time, warning that record outright. I know

:42:55. > :42:56.that you do not try to put too much pressure on yourself but it would be

:42:57. > :43:02.a significant achievement if you pulled it off. If I do not get it

:43:03. > :43:06.this year, I have a good chance that you're after. I do not look around

:43:07. > :43:13.and see anyone else doing anything fantastic. If I stay fit and

:43:14. > :43:16.healthy, I have half a chance. Obviously, there are not a lot of

:43:17. > :43:22.grassroots coming through. I will play until I am 50, I suppose. Well

:43:23. > :43:25.done, Ronnie. Get their head down, and you have a few more days until

:43:26. > :43:33.your next March against Robinson or Ali Carter. -- your next match. And

:43:34. > :43:37.there is live coverage of that game from 7:00pm. I am back at 1145

:43:38. > :43:41.tonight were the highlights. And tomorrow, we're back with John

:43:42. > :43:45.Higgins taking on Mark Allen. Just to distract you from work on a

:43:46. > :43:53.Monday afternoon. If you need fresh air, ski Sunday is on at 6:15pm this

:43:54. > :43:58.evening. A classic weekend from Wengen. And at ten o'clock tonight,

:43:59. > :44:05.Match of the Day too, with Everton city and Man United. From all of us,

:44:06. > :44:08.you want a drama, you always get it. From our victor today, Ronnie

:44:09. > :44:19.O'Sullivan, and all the crew, thanks for being with us.