First Round: Ronnie O'Sullivan v Liang Wenbo Masters Snooker


First Round: Ronnie O'Sullivan v Liang Wenbo

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Hello. This is Alexandra Palace. Ali Pali in north London. The PVC darts

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boys and girls have packed away the arrows, they have had their fun,

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they have at the moment, and now it is the turn of snooker. The 16 top

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players in the world have turned up here, hoping for a very happy start

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to 2017, as the Masters champion, the second longest running event in

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snooker. And arguably, this is the greatest field we have ever

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assembled. For the first time, every one of the players involved already

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owns in major world ranking title. That's the first. But none of them

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in this field has mastered this great event more offered than the

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man who will be taking those off this afternoon - the six time

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champion, the defending champion, the Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

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Ronnie O'Sullivan, playing his best ever of the week to take the Masters

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title. I'm a Londoner. Being in London, I'm looking forward to it.

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MUSIC It looks like his fourth Masters

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title now... I love winning, I love it!

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and, like running, the only other six time winner of the Masters,

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Stephen Hendry, is trying to look cool calm and collected at the

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prospect of perhaps losing that record. Warning on a roll, going for

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a seven. Steve Davis, he has long since worried about other people

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making his record! Happy New Year to you both. What are the chances of

:03:01.:03:04.

Ronnie itching himself alone in the history of this event. He has as

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good a chance of anybody -- Ronnie itching himself into the history of

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this event. He has been slipping up against the other top players.

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He has been beating players, maybe not fancying it so much against the

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top players. He won this last year in superb fashion. Obviously he

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loves the big occasion,... It's an interesting point. You look back at

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the last three months. He's been in a big final three times, he lost the

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Judd Trump, John Higgins, and of course Mark Selby Dustin December.

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How do you read that form? No disgrace to lose the those three

:03:48.:03:51.

players. -- just in December. It is getting more difficult to guaranteed

:03:52.:03:56.

to win events. All you can really do is get your solving the frame and

:03:57.:03:59.

give yourself a chance. He is getting there. So will get yourself

:04:00.:04:10.

in the frame. It's just getting over the line has always been difficult

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and will be more difficult. Is he going to be nervous with that record

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

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He's had lots of match practice. When it comes to this event, this is

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a massive crowd now. It's like a big auditorium. One table, all eyes on

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the one match. As Stephen said, a big occasion player. This, I've

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probably said it before, this is his office, he is harder to beat here

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than anywhere else in the world. Is going to be fascinating over the

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next week or so. Ronnie O'Sullivan and the world number one Mark Selby

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drawn to face each other in the final at the top and bottom of the

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order. There are a huge number of very capable, very expert players

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who could take this title themselves.

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First up it's O'Sullivan against China's charismatic Liang Wenbo, a

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real firecracker. A home event for the Essex boy. Flamboyant Judd Trump

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meets Marco Fu, he was informed. World number two Stuart Bingham

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playing the Gentleman Joe Perry tomorrow. The only debit and this

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year, Kettering's Ireland Wilson. 2015 winner Shaun Murphy playing

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last year's for up Barry Hawkins. And the world number one meets Mark

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Williams. It gets going in a couple of moments when Ronnie O'Sullivan

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works out to this great arena, 2000 strong, against Liang Wenbo this

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afternoon. As you know, this time last year he came to Ali Pali off

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the back of a seven month sabbatical away from the sport, not the first

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time he's done that. He's also had something of a bit of a love hate

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relationship with snooker. He's in love with a together the moment

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because he tells us that he would now love to be viewed as the Lionel

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Messi of this game. People that are watching, they're saying, he don't

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

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people say like you can't play like that, but Lionel Messi proves that

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you can, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer do. I want to try and be one

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of them. Arguably he has been that, one of those great entertainers all

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of his career. This is his 23rd campaign in the Masters. Let's meet

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the man he is going to be playing today. 29-year-old Liang Wenbo. This

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fella could cause a few problems. The odds have been stacked against

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Liang Wenbo consider the previous match-ups. Ronnie with five wins the

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Wenbo's one. The recent contests have been pretty close. Ronnie has

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reportedly given Liang Wenbo one or two pieces of playing device. It

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will be interesting to see what difference it makes today. And how

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about this? Liang getting his big first title in the English open in

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October, really that. Loved A lot of people will remember he was in the

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UK championship final two years ago. A quirky character, a heavy scorer.

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I wonder how many questions he is capable of asking Ronnie today? As

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you said that, I think his heavy scorer, he is going to have to do

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that today. You know, Ronnie is going to be well up for this match.

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Liang has to match in the scoring department. His temperament also,

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he's got to keep that in check. You know, he concedes a lot of times,

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Liang, he shows his emotions. He starts swearing, shaking his head,

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his he smacks himself in the face. He's got to keep his temperament in

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check as well stop like the crowd will be thoroughly behind Ronnie

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O'Sullivan. That is a withering experience for a player in the past.

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Good luck you do well in by the final it is the full crowd.

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

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system for every player that comes here. Usually you is your solving

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the tournament. Wenbo has a bit about him, though. So you is

:08:02.:08:08.

yourself into the tournament. Perhaps the early start, it would be

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good for Wenbo to get off to a good start from his perspective. But this

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tournament is a shock to the system. A blogger made a very good point, it

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is required reading. Ronnie seems to like playing. If you watch his body

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language, he is always smiling against Wenbo. Do you get that

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impression about him? They are very good friends off the table. Liang

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amuses Ronnie, possibly off the table as well. He likes his antics

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around the table, he's a breath of fresh. So many of the players

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nowadays show very little emotion at all, if any. He is different from

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that, he's good to watch and good to play against. He has a 5-1

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advantage, he is comfortable with that. From the perspective of

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Stephen, my perspective from my rack and Stephen's era, we prefer to have

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an aura around us that we were untouchable. We didn't make friends

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too much with our opposition, if at all. Do such an extent that we were

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quite disliked! But it seems different now, the game has changed

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enough. But I don't like the thought of getting too friendly with another

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player. Judd Trump did it in the UK championship, he had dinner with the

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guy who beat him. And suddenly it's a different culture now. You see

:09:24.:09:27.

them before talking to each other before they go out, we would never

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

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find out. Liang is -- buying dinner tonight. Ronnie is 13 and Liang is

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11. But this 2000 strong crowd is already the start. It will be lively

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and crackling with anticipation. As we get ready to get underway, the

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honour is being done by the man who won this great title exactly 30

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years ago, Mr Dennis Taylor. Would you please welcome into the arena, a

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player who lifted his first title just a couple of months in ago in

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Manchester. The reigning English professional champion, Liang Wenbo!

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APPLAUSE And his opponent, would you please

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give a warm welcome, he is the defending Masters champion. He is

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five times a world champion, six times in Masters champion, it's the

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rocking Ronnie O'Sullivan! It's lively, all right! A quick

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sprint into the commentary box. You have done your Sunday work-out

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already! Sit back and revel in one of the great sporting occasions of

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

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get a win this afternoon. Dennis on his way to meet three-time Masters

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champion John Parrott, good afternoon, John.

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COMMENTATOR: Welcome to a very lively Alexandra Palace. The top 16

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players in the world put into the melting pot. And usually when you do

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that combination, it comes out to be very exciting. Away we go for what

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should be fascinating week of Sugra. -- a week of snooker.

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I don't think he has covered the outside read here. This is a chance

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for Ronnie. Not easy of course, first shot in this year's event for

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him. So, not to be. I agree with the

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boys, his attempt at the long pot. It's very important to get a good

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start at any match. Particularly against Ronnie O'Sullivan,

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ineffectively his own backyard. He has got the score to date, Liang,

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and heavily. I love watching Liang Wenbo play. He

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really is very exciting. Bit of a character as well.

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And he's one of those players who just loves a stage like this. Packed

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house at the Alexandra Palace. He plays his best snooker under these

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conditions. What conditions they are. Look at this wonderful venue. I

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think it was 1500 couple of years ago, now it is 2000 capacity. A very

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popular event here in London, and why not? We should be in for a treat

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here this week. The tournament first started in

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1974-75 season by the late, great John Spencer. He was beaten in the

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final. It has kept going ever since. From 79-2006 it was a conference

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centre. The next five years it went to the arena, and then for the last,

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well, this will be the 60th year at Ali Poly. This was seamlessly taken

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over as a great host for a wonderful event -- the 16th year at the Ali

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Paoli. Of course we mustn't forget the New London Theatre in Drury

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Lane. It was played there. That was a terrific venue. Well-established

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now, as you say, John, almost packed out here.

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I always used to love playing this event, Dennis. There's a real buzz

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about it. It's your reward for playing well throughout the year and

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

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from the get go. There's nowhere to hide here. You're the centre of

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attention, only one table, and you've got to bring your stuff with

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you, no good trying to find it, because you won't win this event by

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doing this. You've got to win here by bringing to a game. -- your a

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game. Well, that could be the end of

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break. He was just a bit unlucky. He didn't get quite enough right-hand

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side when potting that brown. Justin Gilbert Moorside and he would hit

:15:51.:15:55.

the pink and red. -- just a bit more on the side. He will be

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disappointed, his first proper visit on the table and it was a big target

:16:02.:16:11.

for him to hit. Liang Wenbo 27. Decided to have a go at the double.

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

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a chance for Ronnie to follow that red. Can you put the camera away,

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please? They did mention no cameras, please. The referee just emphasising

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that. I don't know whether he saw the red

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going and he kept the angle to get into the pack like Liang did. Wow.

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You know, his angle and that wasn't the same as Liang's, it was more of

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a difficult shot. Couldn't quite get the side on.

:16:58.:17:09.

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

:17:10.:17:17.

the angle he had. You need to hit it at the right-hand side and avoid the

:17:18.:17:19.

middle pocket. Didn't quite manage that.

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Even though it's the best of 11, it's always nice to get off to a

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good start. And he's had plenty of good starts in the match, six times

:17:38.:17:39.

in Masters champion. Yes, I think some of Ronnie's best

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snooker ever has been played at this event. The 10-3 was as close to

:17:51.:17:57.

perfection as you could see. The demolition of Ding Junhui was

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absolutely outstanding. He has played some great stuff here.

:18:03.:18:09.

Not particularly appetising for Liang. He's just got to be careful

:18:10.:18:16.

here. Probably trying to drop in the back of the pack here.

:18:17.:18:26.

We always talk about Ronnie being the greatest break-builder of all

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

:18:53.:18:53.

have. You have to be able to mix it. Not the best safety this time from

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Ronnie. Liang Wenbo can have a go at this red and get himself onto the

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black. It's a bit of a free shot. The only ball he can leave will be

:19:14.:19:20.

the red. If he misses it, you can quite easily send it into the pack.

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It's a half chance. He is pretty good at this type of pot.

:19:25.:19:40.

He concentrated so hard on getting the pot, which was difficult in

:19:41.:19:46.

itself. Straight in the centre of the pocket, but just lost the white.

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If it stops there, it would have been perfect. Not much he can do

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here, really. Just going back to the venues, John,

:19:53.:20:11.

the Wembley conference centre. You were so far away from the table.

:20:12.:20:18.

Here you are closer to the table. It was quite a long walk back to your

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seat, it took a lot of getting used to in that venue. But there again,

:20:23.:20:27.

you would have 2700 people there for the final.

:20:28.:20:33.

Many a time players forgot where they were and tripped over the

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plants in that place! That's a terrific shot. I think you

:20:39.:21:03.

can take the brown because there is a red just the right of pink that is

:21:04.:21:04.

available. Oh! He didn't see that coming. He

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was perfectly on the red. A second chance for Liang. Just caught the

:21:22.:21:25.

near jaw. Now, perfect position on the blue.

:21:26.:21:37.

This is a lovely pack to go into. The red next to the pink is making

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it even better. If he can hit that one, the red and pink together, it

:21:43.:21:47.

should open up lovely. He has just got to be careful that the pink

:21:48.:21:50.

doesn't head towards the left corner pocket when he cannons into them.

:21:51.:21:57.

Well, is he on that red? I thought he would hit them a little harder

:21:58.:22:01.

than that. I think he got a little bit lucky to finish there. They were

:22:02.:22:05.

begging to be hit hard. He is an one.

:22:06.:22:15.

I'll tell you what, this table looks beautiful. I thought he was going to

:22:16.:22:21.

come up short on the blue, but it's very quick and the players like it

:22:22.:22:25.

that way. He has a nice shot here. He pops this blue and leaves it low

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on the red, he can split the pack up that way. He needs the cue ball to

:22:35.:22:37.

go a bit more. If it does, that's what he's looking for. If it does,

:22:38.:22:42.

what the red and Canada into the pink, quite a few open in the plate

:22:43.:22:47.

-- cannon into. I'd love to have another couple of inches of role and

:22:48.:22:53.

that cue ball, it would have been perfect. With the 34 point

:22:54.:22:58.

advantage, he can win the frame if he can play the shot that John

:22:59.:23:02.

suggested. Is it a little too straight from the red to do that?

:23:03.:23:03.

Not a lot of room there. So, a change of plan. Is he going to

:23:04.:23:16.

go far enough? I think is going to have to take the pink. He's going to

:23:17.:23:21.

split the reds. Straightaway he gets the rest out. It's a natural angle

:23:22.:23:25.

to pot the pink and split those five reds. We have seen it already, but

:23:26.:23:29.

both players have had a go on the brown and in quite get enough of the

:23:30.:23:34.

side of the cue ball in the frame. Sometimes on these new cushions,

:23:35.:23:37.

they throw a little bit different. If he judges this correctly...

:23:38.:23:44.

Well, missed the pack. And this has all come from the one off the blue.

:23:45.:23:52.

If he had just got the right angle on the bottom red, it was from over.

:23:53.:23:58.

Not from as wide as he fought and missed the back. -- not thrown as

:23:59.:24:02.

wide as he thought. He might have a 41 point leave here,

:24:03.:24:13.

Liang. This is a dangerous board. If he hits the roads here, only the

:24:14.:24:18.

brown in an awkward position, he has to be very careful.

:24:19.:24:37.

Well, this will require good cueing. He can only just see enough of this

:24:38.:24:44.

thread. He has had a look at that. -- of this red.

:24:45.:24:58.

Just a safety shot. He needs a good cue ball here.

:24:59.:25:13.

That's not bad, but there is a half chance for Liang. He is a

:25:14.:25:19.

devastating long putter, and runny nose that. He practices enough with

:25:20.:25:24.

this Chinese player. -- and Ronnie knows that. This is not

:25:25.:25:27.

straightforward. He has defined the Gap back around the table. -- he has

:25:28.:25:35.

defined the gap. What damage has he done here? Mis-hit that completely.

:25:36.:25:39.

What a chance for Ronnie to get right back in this opening frame.

:25:40.:25:44.

It's not only the damage of missing it, he flipped the red off the side

:25:45.:25:51.

cushion, a double whammy. He brings the red into play. A good chance...

:25:52.:25:54.

It should have been. Can he just sneak back the yellow

:25:55.:26:01.

enough to pot the green? Just a bit of noise. There is a

:26:02.:26:34.

latecomer coming into a seat, and somebody is making noise there. It

:26:35.:26:40.

has been spotted. Just a couple of flights, I think. They might be the

:26:41.:26:45.

line of sight, which is off-putting -- a of lights.

:26:46.:26:55.

Just reflecting on to the railings. They are catching Ronnie's I.

:26:56.:27:10.

He is going to wait to get the light off. It is putting him. He knows it

:27:11.:27:16.

is quite a good chance to get himself back into the frame. We've

:27:17.:27:23.

got to find the switch that will get rid of that blue light. There is

:27:24.:27:27.

just one red that is safe here that could come to Liang Wenbo's rescue.

:27:28.:27:31.

The one near the ocean, as John mentioned, he knocked the other red

:27:32.:27:37.

red out into the open. -- the one near the cushion. Frank Baker just

:27:38.:27:44.

heading off. The light is safely switched off. I suppose, Dennis, we

:27:45.:27:52.

mentioned the top cushion. Ideally Ronnie would like to get into the

:27:53.:27:56.

black and only dropped the red in to get it back on the spot. In a

:27:57.:28:00.

perfect world, that is what he would like to do.

:28:01.:28:05.

The Wiggo, if you can get on the black now... -- there we go.

:28:06.:28:17.

Change of plan. He did play on the black there.

:28:18.:28:28.

This is a lively cloth. He has overhit that by the way. This is a

:28:29.:28:32.

little cut back. Can he avoid the contact on the

:28:33.:28:43.

brown? Of all he will have to put a little juice on it. Only just.

:28:44.:28:54.

I haven't used that term before, a little bit of juice, another word

:28:55.:28:58.

for a little bit of side. I mentioned earlier, it looked like

:28:59.:29:12.

a dangerous position for Liang, even though he was a few points in front.

:29:13.:29:17.

The ball is in a portable position, with maybe the exception of the

:29:18.:29:21.

brown. You can see Ronnie trying to work out the best way. Ideally, as I

:29:22.:29:26.

say, he'd like to drop the black and play on the loose red. This has got

:29:27.:29:31.

counter clearance by the North Everett. -- written all over it.

:29:32.:29:37.

Liang could kick himself with the chances he has had in this frame.

:29:38.:29:42.

Doing exactly as you predicted, getting the black back on the spot.

:29:43.:29:45.

And he doesn't want to be dead straight, though. And that looks as

:29:46.:29:51.

if it is almost straight. Not much of an angle.

:29:52.:29:59.

Yes, that could always happen. Trying to play the snookering behind

:30:00.:30:11.

the black. -- the snooker in. Very little angle to work with. In fact,

:30:12.:30:14.

the red jumped a few times. Not the best safety Liang Wenbo has

:30:15.:30:42.

ever played. On the other hand, this is far from easy.

:30:43.:30:47.

What a pot! What a cracking pot that is! Ronnie O'Sullivan special. All

:30:48.:31:05.

about brown to blue now, that's going to be the key factor.

:31:06.:31:20.

I agree with you Dennis, this cloth is lively, hardly touched that.

:31:21.:31:29.

Straight back. Perfect angle. Deserves to win the frame. Has he

:31:30.:31:38.

left himself a decent angle or is he a little bit straight?

:31:39.:31:52.

Had that little bit of angle. Is it going to come up a little bit short?

:31:53.:32:05.

He only needs the pink, no problem, doesn't matter about getting on the

:32:06.:32:06.

plaque. -- the black. It has to be said, Liang Wenbo had

:32:07.:32:25.

if you chances to take the opening frame and he didn't, Ronnie

:32:26.:32:30.

O'Sullivan takes the frame and he leads 0- one. The defending champion

:32:31.:32:40.

off and running, effectively a tale of. Yes, one that Ronnie turned

:32:41.:32:46.

down, you can see the situation here, he looked at they read a

:32:47.:32:50.

couple of times and perhaps if he is 2-0 or 3-0 in front he takes it on,

:32:51.:32:56.

but he knows the importance of this frame so he refuses it and place the

:32:57.:33:00.

safety shot and gets in. Looks like he was possibly going to win the

:33:01.:33:05.

frame. The next long red and we are going to see is when you had to take

:33:06.:33:11.

on, there is no safety shot. Hardly hit it, this was just all timing.

:33:12.:33:20.

Also in stroke as well? Yes, came straight at the red on the top

:33:21.:33:23.

cushion but looks to be cueing very nicely on what looks to be a

:33:24.:33:28.

lightning fast piece of cloth, snooker on ice effectively and no

:33:29.:33:31.

better player than Ronnie O'Sullivan per controlling the cue ball on fast

:33:32.:33:36.

conditions. And perhaps that safety shot that Liang Wenbo played, when

:33:37.:33:40.

it rolled a few more inches down the table gave Ronnie the chance. Safety

:33:41.:33:47.

becomes difficult on fast clots, everything is tricky on a very fast

:33:48.:33:52.

cloth. There were a few nervous moments as you would expect from

:33:53.:33:56.

both men and I think that lends to the intensity and intimacy of this

:33:57.:34:01.

venue. Liang Wenbo will be disappointed, he had three or four

:34:02.:34:04.

chances in the frame and if he keeps needing that he will get beaten

:34:05.:34:09.

today so he has to up his game if he wants to win. Back we go, the second

:34:10.:34:17.

frame. COMMENTATOR: I would agree with Stephen Hendry, Liang Wenbo

:34:18.:34:24.

cannot carry on as he did in that opening frame. Had a few decent

:34:25.:34:28.

chances. But he knows that only too well John. Yes. Playing against the

:34:29.:34:37.

very best chances seem to be few and far between and he had enough of

:34:38.:34:41.

them in the opening frame but have to make the most of them.

:34:42.:34:56.

That certainly will help his confidence. It was a long red

:34:57.:35:02.

similar to that that he hit two thick in the previous frame. No

:35:03.:35:05.

problem this time, right in the centre of the pocket. This is a

:35:06.:35:13.

really good chance. Reds spread around, could score plenty of points

:35:14.:35:17.

before you need to get down to the nitty-gritty of opening up the pack.

:35:18.:35:19.

Could score a few here. The pink is out of commission at the

:35:20.:35:42.

moment, but the black has a red either side of it. In a few shots

:35:43.:35:48.

time he could have the black in the open. Got to be very precise with

:35:49.:35:55.

this, needs to pull up a little bit. That looks to be absolutely perfect.

:35:56.:36:04.

Yeah, he is on the black, you can tell by his body language. Looks a

:36:05.:36:11.

bit tight but I think he's OK. If he is on it it's the best shot he has

:36:12.:36:15.

played in the match. Have already mentioned how quick the cloth is.

:36:16.:36:23.

That's a fabulous shot. Excellent control. But his heart was in his

:36:24.:36:27.

mouth when the cue ball was running. And now he has the black in the

:36:28.:36:39.

open, that truly was a superb positional shot.

:36:40.:36:54.

I remember a good few years ago we were in the commentary box and I

:36:55.:37:00.

remember seeing I thought Liang Wenbo was the next big thing. I had

:37:01.:37:04.

seen him play and thought his cue ball control and scoring was

:37:05.:37:08.

absolutely fantastic and I thought this boy would going to win lots of

:37:09.:37:12.

events and it's fair to say he went missing for a few years but

:37:13.:37:14.

thankfully he is back on the big-time here in top 16. Won a

:37:15.:37:22.

ranking event in 2016, he has found something from somewhere and it's

:37:23.:37:25.

good to have him back because he certainly supremely talented.

:37:26.:37:39.

Well, this might have just gone astray. Misjudged the cannon, think

:37:40.:37:47.

his left things very difficult for himself.

:37:48.:37:57.

This is tough, it will just go past the blue up into the corner. A

:37:58.:38:03.

beauty! Yes, excellent recovery. Could have

:38:04.:38:23.

easily been disappointed from the shot he played before. Really had to

:38:24.:38:32.

do so little with the cue ball on this cloth, it is zipping around the

:38:33.:38:38.

angles. Just got to make sure that this next positional shot, it's

:38:39.:38:42.

important, got to get the right angle.

:38:43.:39:17.

Isn't it ironic John, when he played the previous shot in the first frame

:39:18.:39:24.

to split the reds he did not get enough side, that time he got too

:39:25.:39:27.

much side on. He was thinking about the shot he played as we show you

:39:28.:39:32.

out again, this time getting too much side on it. No easy safety

:39:33.:39:38.

shot, has to just roll into them, cannot do everything else. Ronnie

:39:39.:39:48.

cannot run away up the table. Of that red. Closest to the tank.

:39:49.:40:05.

Following a similar pattern to the opening frame here where Liang Wenbo

:40:06.:40:15.

was leading by 40 points. Once again the safety shot has to be very

:40:16.:40:21.

careful. Have to get the cue ball glued to the bottom fusion cushion.

:40:22.:40:39.

That's pretty good but there is an easy safety shot for Ronnie of the

:40:40.:40:53.

reds just to the left of the pink as we look at them.

:40:54.:41:03.

He needs the green to come to the rescue here. It's not. Round of

:41:04.:41:10.

applause but there is a gap through to this red. This would be some shot

:41:11.:41:18.

but knowing Liang Wenbo he will play at. This will be interesting to

:41:19.:41:25.

watch because it was a long part in the opening frame when he was in

:41:26.:41:28.

front and not in much trouble that caused him to ultimately lose the

:41:29.:41:37.

frame. What will he do here? That was not the cue action I'm afraid.

:41:38.:41:40.

Looked like a lot of pressure on that.

:41:41.:41:45.

Let's have a look, the reds sitting on the black spots will have to go

:41:46.:42:09.

directly behind because of the other spots are occupied. I think that

:42:10.:42:20.

last part that Liang Wenbo missed, he's just concerned about who's

:42:21.:42:25.

coming behind him, he's got Ronnie O'Sullivan, the six time Masters

:42:26.:42:28.

champion and that puts a much pressure on a part like that and

:42:29.:42:30.

that's where the mental strength comes in, you have to try to forget

:42:31.:42:36.

what you are playing and think about what you're going to leave. But that

:42:37.:42:46.

is easier said than done. I think the red goes that is closest to the

:42:47.:42:53.

black, but he cannot get on that red, the angle he has left the pink

:42:54.:42:57.

but there is no problem, plenty of other choices. Usually manages to

:42:58.:43:05.

sort out which way to go doesn't he? Adept at seeing the table and

:43:06.:43:08.

getting the computer working, where to leave the cue ball. To make the

:43:09.:43:15.

break as easy as possible. Fair to say he's been fairly useful at that

:43:16.:43:17.

over the years. He can leave that red next to the

:43:18.:43:59.

black for the time being. He played the last red, playing to try to come

:44:00.:44:03.

dead straight on the pink to run through for the red next to the

:44:04.:44:06.

black, did not quite get there are so a change of plan. Just trying to

:44:07.:44:13.

leave himself that angle to run through and get on that red by the

:44:14.:44:19.

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

:44:20.:44:20.

about it. And he is they are now. -- there

:44:21.:44:42.

now. A couple of tricky reds, the one next to the blue is available

:44:43.:44:46.

only in corner pockets. That one jumped quite a bit but did not

:44:47.:44:50.

affect the shot. The one that is near the right side cushion is

:44:51.:44:54.

slightly awkward, I wonder if he will try to develop that? A little

:44:55.:45:03.

risky. That's what he's played. And didn't develop it.

:45:04.:45:26.

Just having a look to see if the red passes the blue to the green pocket

:45:27.:45:30.

which I think it does. I think that was the table again,

:45:31.:45:48.

the reaction he got. It really is so fast. This is awkward because he's

:45:49.:45:57.

so close to the red. And look at that shot. APPLAUSE

:45:58.:46:06.

Difficult to pick the angle out when you're so close to it and he can

:46:07.:46:11.

take the green here and swing this around the angles to head towards

:46:12.:46:17.

that last difficult red. Here comes the cue ball, where is it going to

:46:18.:46:29.

vanish? Just slipping past it. 15 in front, they are all on. Needs a good

:46:30.:46:31.

snooker here. APPLAUSE I think he'd have to use web around

:46:32.:47:08.

this stick at the edge of it. It's quite tricky to judge with the blue

:47:09.:47:12.

and green playing with a touch of swerve. Where is the red going?

:47:13.:47:28.

Well, this will pot, to take the second frame.

:47:29.:47:41.

For all the world and looks like 2-0 now to Ronnie O'Sullivan. If I was

:47:42.:48:01.

Liang Wenbo I would be sitting in that chair kicking myself because

:48:02.:48:04.

the scoreline at the moment is self-inflicted. Two long reds, one

:48:05.:48:09.

in the opening frame that he missed by a mile and that one there in the

:48:10.:48:13.

last frame that he missed when he was 40 points in front...

:48:14.:48:21.

That's the one in the first frame that he missed by a mile. Cost him

:48:22.:48:28.

the frame. And then this one which was a really good opportunity for

:48:29.:48:34.

someone of his class. Because of those looks like he's going to be

:48:35.:48:36.

2-0 down. Well, no fireworks just yet but

:48:37.:48:58.

Liang Wenbo could have quite easily led 2-0 but the scoreline currently

:48:59.:49:04.

reads Ronnie O'Sullivan 2-0 Liang Wenbo.

:49:05.:50:05.

Defending champion has a 2-0 lead and John Parrott summed it up,

:50:06.:50:12.

self-inflicted he said from the perspective of Liang Wenbo, do you

:50:13.:50:18.

agree? Of course, Liang Wenbo wins his first ranking event, his stock

:50:19.:50:22.

rises and with that comes different problems and one of those is

:50:23.:50:25.

expectation. Now Liang Wenbo possibly going to come into

:50:26.:50:29.

tournaments from now on in expecting it to do better and that puts

:50:30.:50:35.

pressure on. Only his second appearance at the Masters, on his

:50:36.:50:40.

debut last year, this is a 23rd appearance for Ronnie. How

:50:41.:50:42.

intimidating is this place when you're just getting used to it? You

:50:43.:50:47.

are battling against the Ronnie O'Sullivan show when you come here,

:50:48.:50:50.

you have you have to have tremendous mental strength to get through it. I

:50:51.:50:55.

remember when I used to play Jimmy White at the old Wembley conference

:50:56.:50:59.

Centre and it was the same thing. Forget about the surroundings and

:51:00.:51:05.

just, anyone who plays a top player, cut out the unforced errors and

:51:06.:51:09.

you'd be amazed how well you do. It's quite obvious when you are

:51:10.:51:12.

looking at all these factors, he has been caught cold in the first couple

:51:13.:51:17.

of frames, couple of misses that you could put in the easy category, how

:51:18.:51:22.

do you set yourself down? It's just an unforced, it's trying 100%

:51:23.:51:27.

concentration into every shot. He needs to win frame quickly in this

:51:28.:51:34.

match. COMMENTATOR: We always say you never really settle until you

:51:35.:51:37.

get your first frame on the scoreboard. And that is what Liang

:51:38.:51:42.

Wenbo will be thinking about, must get a frame sooner rather than

:51:43.:51:45.

later. Now, has that red cover of the one

:51:46.:52:00.

near the pocket? I don't think so, Liang Wenbo can get through to cut

:52:01.:52:06.

this in. And I think he will avoid cannoning into the bunch of reds and

:52:07.:52:12.

the pink. Even if he did it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world but

:52:13.:52:16.

it's all about making sure of the pot and letting the quite take care

:52:17.:52:18.

of itself. -- the white. Come through a gap that I didn't

:52:19.:52:41.

see. That is what he was looking at, wasn't absolutely certain about the

:52:42.:52:45.

cue ball, but to find the gap was a bonus as we show you the shot again.

:52:46.:52:49.

Not the gap he played for but he'll take it. Just giving himself a

:52:50.:52:58.

little bit of extra time here to make sure that he gets the next shot

:52:59.:53:07.

right because if he can get good position he can give himself an

:53:08.:53:09.

early chance here in this third frame.

:53:10.:53:19.

I think the pink is out of commission looking at it, the black

:53:20.:53:25.

still a little awkward, like it was in the earlier frame. This is a much

:53:26.:53:30.

more difficult chance than the one he had in the second frame, the

:53:31.:53:39.

black is really awkward. Taking his time, I don't blame him. He is 2-0

:53:40.:53:46.

down after all. If it goes 3-0 down I cannot fancy him at all. Somehow

:53:47.:53:52.

he has to get around and under the blue, so how does he find the path

:53:53.:53:56.

round there? He's just checking to see if the pink would possibly going

:53:57.:54:00.

to the right middle pocket. Looks a bit tight. We'll find out shortly,

:54:01.:54:04.

the way he plays best shot. That has been overhit by quite some

:54:05.:54:18.

way. That's just a little bit of tension there. We mentioned how

:54:19.:54:28.

quick the cloth is, that such a difficult shot to play on a really

:54:29.:54:30.

quick cloth, of the side cushion. May have left Ronnie along red on

:54:31.:54:45.

the right-hand side. He's looking at the black, but I don't think it

:54:46.:54:52.

pots. Very tight if he was to leave it where he is cueing, maybe he can

:54:53.:54:56.

get on that if he stuns the white through. He had an angle to come an

:54:57.:55:09.

and off the cushion to get on the black. Unexpected miss from Ronnie

:55:10.:55:19.

O'Sullivan and a chance for Liang. We know the black is available.

:55:20.:55:25.

Little bit street, but looks as if he's going to miss to the right of

:55:26.:55:29.

the pocket as we watch cueing but safely in. This will open the black

:55:30.:55:33.

up. Little run through to land on the

:55:34.:56:09.

loose red. I know we keep going on about it but if you're going to have

:56:10.:56:13.

a future in this match Liang he's got to score now.

:56:14.:56:36.

Need to keep going, he wanted to have an angle. Looks of it straight.

:56:37.:56:47.

We'll have to power this through with lots of side. Going to be a bit

:56:48.:56:57.

close to the condition but he's got the red lives near the right corner.

:56:58.:57:05.

Quite cleverly played. Often say to people how do you make a break, you

:57:06.:57:08.

try to leave yourself in positions where there are a couple of options

:57:09.:57:13.

so that was well played, knew he didn't get on the other red near the

:57:14.:57:15.

black he still had this one. APPLAUSE

:57:16.:57:33.

Very well controlled. Really well controlled. You can sense already

:57:34.:57:42.

that Liang knows how important this is. And he knows how important this

:57:43.:57:49.

next shot is going to be, leaves himself on the black to split up

:57:50.:57:53.

this bunch of reds, that's going to be key. This is the one that could

:57:54.:58:01.

pave the way. To taking his first frame in this match. It's not the

:58:02.:58:06.

best pack of reds to go into, needs to get plenty of action on this.

:58:07.:58:14.

That red is available to him. Just run through and leave himself on the

:58:15.:58:35.

pink or black. Well once again he finds himself with an almost 40

:58:36.:58:38.

point lead and really there is no excuse from here. Somebody of his

:58:39.:58:43.

quality, this is an excellent chance. To take the frame.

:58:44.:59:08.

You can see Liang taking a nice deep breath as he walks around.

:59:09.:59:19.

Deep breath and go again. Maintain that concentration level.

:59:20.:59:49.

This is what he is very good at, Liang, close control around the pink

:59:50.:59:58.

and black area. Scored very heavily and very quickly. A series of little

:59:59.:00:06.

stuns and screw shots. Racks up the points very quickly.

:00:07.:00:14.

Yes, he knocked in 30 centuries last season. Nearly 18 this season. He

:00:15.:00:23.

has just let the white run a little further than he intended. Safely in.

:00:24.:00:33.

And there you can see, 67 ahead with 59 remaining he can relax a little

:00:34.:00:38.

bit. Certainly is an excellent response.

:00:39.:00:48.

We said at the start of this frame, this is what he has to do to score.

:00:49.:00:52.

A little bit of help for Ronnie in this frame, it has to be said. I

:00:53.:00:57.

didn't expect Ronnie to miss. But nevertheless, he has taken things

:00:58.:01:03.

very well. Ronnie's shot, we thought he would come off of the black, but

:01:04.:01:07.

not to be. Showing very good character here, Liang.

:01:08.:01:24.

He has got a lovely swagger around the table, a very confident swagger.

:01:25.:01:31.

Liang Wenbo is a lovely lad. But when he's playing well, you know,

:01:32.:01:36.

it's as if I'm the boss! The big boss!

:01:37.:01:42.

You remember that, John, Bruce Lee, the big boss.

:01:43.:02:01.

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

:02:02.:02:07.

of this year's masters. His cue ball control has been exemplary.

:02:08.:02:13.

I have a funny feeling he won't be the only one this week. There will

:02:14.:02:17.

be a few of them, John. A magnificent break from Liang

:02:18.:02:36.

Wenbo. And coming just at the right time for him and his supporters.

:02:37.:02:45.

That really set this first-round match up. After the two frames, no

:02:46.:02:52.

fireworks. Well, we've had a few in this frame, all coming from the

:02:53.:02:56.

Chinese player. It doesn't matter about the pink. Ronnie missed an

:02:57.:03:03.

easy red here. Wenbo got one chance, and didn't he take it well? He

:03:04.:03:08.

missed a century break, but he still trails 2-1.

:03:09.:04:11.

It very much needed frame for Liang. If there was a shot in that frame

:04:12.:04:18.

that was a surprise that Ronnie played, with mentioned he played a

:04:19.:04:23.

drag shot. I thought it was strange, he played with a lot of bottle just

:04:24.:04:28.

hold for the black. That's the drag shot but you mention, when you hit

:04:29.:04:31.

the ball on the bottom, swinging backwards, take all of the off of

:04:32.:04:39.

it. It reverts into top spin, as you can see. It lands on the object ball

:04:40.:04:44.

softer. That is what he was trying to do with the black, it didn't

:04:45.:04:48.

quite work out. Consequently, Liang went on to win the frame. Once

:04:49.:04:56.

again, it's amazing from the break of shot, look at the red either side

:04:57.:05:00.

of the black. What has happened in all three frames so far, the red

:05:01.:05:05.

they are hitting seems to be sitting on either side of the black. I think

:05:06.:05:10.

it is an indication, the pack is really opening.

:05:11.:05:18.

Actually a very good break off from Ronnie. Can he just get past that

:05:19.:05:27.

blue just need that read. It looks as if he can. Paul Collier is having

:05:28.:05:31.

a good look to see. The reason the referee looks is because if you were

:05:32.:05:34.

to miss it altogether he'd have to get it back, but he can, and he can

:05:35.:05:40.

avoid it if he hits it than enough. He can play and swerve, even write

:05:41.:05:46.

up this. That's what he's done. That's what you call a containing

:05:47.:05:47.

shot. Ronnie just tapping the table. Nothing wrong with that shot.

:05:48.:06:01.

Sometimes that's all you've got. He thought one pocket might be in the

:06:02.:06:05.

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

:06:06.:06:09.

you put yourself back into the bit of trouble, but that's all that you

:06:10.:06:10.

can do. Well, the crowd have got so involved

:06:11.:06:55.

this afternoon. It's the opening match, a packed house.

:06:56.:07:01.

He didn't get it in the jaws of the pocket.

:07:02.:07:07.

This is what the game of snooker is all about, playing, a one-table

:07:08.:07:14.

situation, 1700 people in, this is what the players turned professional

:07:15.:07:19.

for. And they strive for it. They've got to play an awful lot of events

:07:20.:07:23.

these days that are the best of seven frames, mostly cabled venues.

:07:24.:07:26.

But this is what it's all about. This is your reward. Well, Ronnie, I

:07:27.:07:33.

think you found the plant here. Just having a look at it. Trying to see

:07:34.:07:39.

whether it is on the near jaw locked. Which side he is going to

:07:40.:07:43.

hit it. Of course, it depends a little bit on how much of a gap

:07:44.:07:49.

there is between the two reds. It looks like it's on to me. If it is

:07:50.:07:53.

so close and he doesn't get it correctly, he can squeeze the second

:07:54.:07:57.

read away from the pocket. That is why he is taking extra care -- the

:07:58.:08:02.

second red. It is going is to the left of the pot. Which means he

:08:03.:08:05.

would have to make sure that he gets the correct contact on the first

:08:06.:08:12.

round. It's not a foul shot if you can lift your feet off the table

:08:13.:08:15.

when you are looking at the short! But you can't do it while you are

:08:16.:08:16.

playing the shot. Well, we've got a perfect picture to

:08:17.:08:25.

see whether he judges it or squeezing it away from the pocket. A

:08:26.:08:28.

foul and MS. -- and a miss. I think because he was striking down

:08:29.:08:49.

on it, the Kiwis going down and he swerved it, it bounced straight into

:08:50.:08:58.

the blue. -- the the cue. The final thing that happened in that shot,

:08:59.:09:01.

the black Kayumova and rested on the plant and moved it. Everything

:09:02.:09:07.

happened there apart from the lampshade for on his head! -- the

:09:08.:09:09.

black Kayumova. Of course, the balls wouldn't have

:09:10.:09:29.

to be placed back, because it is not a miss. It is just a far shot. And

:09:30.:09:38.

that is a player with quite a bit of confidence. And that century break

:09:39.:09:43.

has given Liang Wenbo back fat confidence. That was a terrific long

:09:44.:09:47.

pot. It certainly was -- a bit of confidence. The second frame he hit

:09:48.:09:54.

right across it. It was excellently cued. He won't be bullied by the

:09:55.:10:01.

fact that he has seen a couple of mistakes from morning. It is nice

:10:02.:10:05.

when your opponent is missing one or two poor shots. It helps with your

:10:06.:10:07.

confidence. Ronnie at 85%, Liang my device

:10:08.:10:21.

percent. His potting success rate. -- at 95%. 95 is quite high

:10:22.:10:25.

considering he lost the first two frames. If Liang hasn't got high

:10:26.:10:31.

enough on the pink, that a stinker. It wasn't easy shot to get up there,

:10:32.:10:36.

but maybe he's just sneaked an angle out of it. One thing he had to be

:10:37.:10:40.

there was above the pink to go back down for the reds. Have a look. He's

:10:41.:10:44.

just made it. And that's OK. So much reverse side on that shot. I

:10:45.:11:03.

mean, I don't think the crowd realised how much side he had to get

:11:04.:11:04.

onto that. You can see the whites spinning off

:11:05.:11:13.

the cushion and heading towards the red. That normally would have run

:11:14.:11:19.

out into the middle of the table. Yes, quite a bit of work to do with

:11:20.:11:25.

this chance. It's not a great one. It would be helped if he can get the

:11:26.:11:29.

blue back on the spot, that's for sure. Just drop this in and get the

:11:30.:11:32.

angle on the loose red, that would help.

:11:33.:11:39.

I'm just wondering whether the black goes in the centre pocket. He is

:11:40.:11:44.

coming round to have a look. If you can drop this into get that handle,

:11:45.:11:49.

he may get the black back in play. Yes, it does. It looks to have come

:11:50.:11:52.

well, a natural angle to get back in there.

:11:53.:12:05.

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

:12:06.:12:12.

spot, behind that red there. It shouldn't really put it out of

:12:13.:12:17.

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

:12:18.:12:18.

of those, John. Missed it! Well, that's it now, the refs at it,

:12:19.:12:32.

it'll be coming after you in a minute! I think you got a kick when

:12:33.:12:41.

he had a go at that wasp! -- I think EE got a kick.

:12:42.:12:51.

Well, that was looking like not a very promising visit to the table.

:12:52.:12:57.

But he's negotiated is very well, Leanne. -- Liang Wenbo. He has the

:12:58.:13:07.

blue back on the spot. Black might still be available. A lot better

:13:08.:13:12.

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

:13:13.:13:13.

dangerous. It is amazing how many top

:13:14.:13:37.

left-handed players or in the game nowadays, and all terrific players.

:13:38.:13:44.

Answer me this, why do they all look so good? That's the other thing.

:13:45.:13:49.

It's like the top-class golfers, left-handed looks brilliant. Bob

:13:50.:13:52.

Charles, I remember him, and elegant golfer.

:13:53.:14:18.

Yes, is definitely warming to the task. A bit of a shaky start. Down

:14:19.:14:28.

by 40 points -- up by 40 points in the opening two frames and lost both

:14:29.:14:32.

of them. A century in the last frame. Going well here. He is

:14:33.:14:36.

looking like the player who won that English Open back last year. He met

:14:37.:14:39.

Judd Trump in the final. He has got a slight problem here. He

:14:40.:14:51.

didn't get on the pink as he intended. He is going to get a

:14:52.:14:55.

cannon. I think he can come off the crush and looking at that angle and

:14:56.:15:00.

hope to bring water or two reds in the plate -- off the caution. Lots

:15:01.:15:04.

of top spin, I don't know if there is a possible planned there. He's

:15:05.:15:08.

got a bit of a kick there. He may have been attempting the plant. Yes,

:15:09.:15:14.

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

:15:15.:15:18.

kick. 48 up in the air of Mike both balls. He's already had a look at

:15:19.:15:22.

that. This is not totally straightforward. Quite a bit of

:15:23.:15:28.

distance between these two reds. They look easy from behind the

:15:29.:15:31.

pocket, but when you actually see the gap between the two of them...

:15:32.:15:37.

Well, he's picked the spot on the cushion where he's going to set the

:15:38.:15:45.

first round to make that angle. Well, that was just... He didn't

:15:46.:15:51.

have the angle. I'm thinking he was lucky there.

:15:52.:15:55.

Boy, didn't he give that a good old belt? He has covered the one with

:15:56.:16:01.

the blue, but there is another to the right corner.

:16:02.:16:06.

Be careful you don't touch that white, Ronnie, he was clearing

:16:07.:16:14.

something away and very close to the cue ball with his finger, there.

:16:15.:16:22.

Now, then, Mr very straightforward in the previous frame which cost him

:16:23.:16:30.

-- missed a very straightforward red. I didn't collecting the missed

:16:31.:16:34.

this. It looks like he's got away with it. He has had the right

:16:35.:16:40.

result. He will be very happy to have left the cue ball where he has.

:16:41.:16:45.

It could have been a lot easier for Liang year. Here.

:16:46.:16:58.

Much too thick. He was just hoping to bring the black back into play

:16:59.:17:25.

there. But he got it particularly wrong. He has just gone slightly out

:17:26.:17:32.

of sorts for a frame and a bit, Ronnie. Not his usual high matchplay

:17:33.:17:37.

standard at the moment. Needs to keep running to finish on

:17:38.:17:55.

the black. Look at that. Once again, it looked as if it was going to come

:17:56.:18:00.

up short. It's just beautiful to play on. When you're cueing well,

:18:01.:18:04.

it's beautiful to play on. I don't know if he has got two straight on

:18:05.:18:07.

this black, though. It looked like he had a few inches on the cue ball

:18:08.:18:11.

to leave an angle. He's got a little bit. You couldn't force much out of

:18:12.:18:17.

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

:18:18.:18:25.

he didn't Huw it. He cued the plant poorly before. It was fairly

:18:26.:18:29.

straight. A few players would have got a bit more out of that than he

:18:30.:18:31.

did. Well, there is a half chance for

:18:32.:18:48.

Ronnie here. If you can get himself onto the black, we will show you the

:18:49.:18:56.

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

:18:57.:18:57.

get round and black or blue. He doesn't want the cannon on the

:18:58.:19:14.

blue. It has finished a little awkward. Had he have missed the

:19:15.:19:17.

blue, he'd have been perfect on the black.

:19:18.:19:34.

Now, the way the red Czar, you'd have to say that Liang Wenbo is a

:19:35.:19:40.

strong favourite, but you never know with Ronnie O'Sullivan -- the way

:19:41.:19:41.

the reds. Absolutely superb. Beautifully, all

:19:42.:19:57.

of the work that he gets on the cue ball, it goes past the blue. Run

:19:58.:20:02.

inside the back with this red. Can you believe it? Liang Wenbo has come

:20:03.:20:09.

out of his seat. He can't believe it. That red was a bit of a

:20:10.:20:14.

distraction, leaning over the two reds. Still, what a mess. -- a miss.

:20:15.:20:26.

I suppose, at 2-0, Liang Wenbo would be thinking, if I can get just 3-1

:20:27.:20:36.

down I would be quite happy. The way it's going coming he's going to be

:20:37.:20:43.

all square. He's going to be all square after missing a couple of

:20:44.:20:44.

chances as well. Even better. Ronnie has had breaks of 55, 30

:20:45.:21:02.

five. I don't think that's happened very often. Last week he was on only

:21:03.:21:09.

55, but that's what's happened today. He was good enough to lead

:21:10.:21:14.

2-0, but disappointed going into the interval 2-2. Leanne will be

:21:15.:21:18.

delighted. Game on again. -- Liang Wenbo.

:21:19.:21:29.

Just over one hour and three minutes before the first four frames. It has

:21:30.:21:41.

been pretty fluent staff. -- fluent stuff.

:21:42.:22:05.

Could have played to move the red, but decided, being a left-hander,

:22:06.:22:11.

I'll just dropping behind it. It doesn't matter if he misses this.

:22:12.:22:15.

He'd like to clear it, but it doesn't really matter.

:22:16.:22:26.

He lost a bit of concentration. Now the frame as well and truly over. A

:22:27.:22:33.

shaky start the Liang Wenbo, but I'll tell you what committee didn't

:22:34.:22:37.

half finish in style. He goes to the mid-session interval all square.

:22:38.:22:41.

It's two frames each. STUDIO: We thought there would be a

:22:42.:22:46.

turnaround in that frame, but Ronnie misses a relatively simple red. You

:22:47.:22:50.

could hear the audio bowl last of the audience when that happened --

:22:51.:22:55.

be audible gasp. So from that happens. You play a bit of

:22:56.:22:58.

brilliance, and the some reason you miss the next shot. Either you think

:22:59.:23:03.

it is easy or you put too much pressure on yourself. Have those

:23:04.:23:07.

ever happen to you? No? I didn't think so! Many times! It

:23:08.:23:14.

interesting. Ronnie O'Sullivan goes 2-0 up, you think he is the best

:23:15.:23:18.

frontrunner there has ever been. You think, that's it, he's going to push

:23:19.:23:22.

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

:23:23.:23:28.

2-2. A couple of unforced errors from Ronnie. The confidence levels

:23:29.:23:31.

you could see beginning to surge through the anchor. He makes the

:23:32.:23:39.

will -- through Liang. He has missed a couple of long once, he is now

:23:40.:23:44.

needing help from Ronnie to get into the match and he got it. You got to

:23:45.:23:48.

say the Wenbo, perhaps Wenbo a number of years ago wouldn't have

:23:49.:23:52.

had the strength of character that perhaps take the next smack frames,

:23:53.:23:55.

but he's an experienced winner now and he is using all of that to good

:23:56.:24:00.

as dead -- the next two frames. It wasn't as pretty as he would have

:24:01.:24:06.

liked -- he is using all of that experience. Will Ronnie be feeling

:24:07.:24:10.

despondent at this stage about how he has performed? No, I think he

:24:11.:24:16.

plays on a pretty, he is pretty level-headed about it, in his

:24:17.:24:19.

attitude to matches and how they go these days. He is prepared to win

:24:20.:24:23.

ugly. Winning the match is the most important thing. Sooner or later, he

:24:24.:24:28.

would be too disappointed. It is interesting. Ronnie has won this

:24:29.:24:32.

Master six times, as we know. He has also been in five other finals as

:24:33.:24:37.

well, and incredible strike rate over 23 years, this is his 23rd

:24:38.:24:42.

campaign. He is just wanting to win here, but what has been interesting,

:24:43.:24:46.

and interesting he did on BBC radio five Live and indeed on the telly,

:24:47.:24:50.

he was very keen to stress that he wanted to win with style. We showed

:24:51.:24:53.

you the quote about him wanting to be the Lionel Messi of snooker. He

:24:54.:24:57.

has been in rather expansive form in that chat with Jamie Elliott. --

:24:58.:25:01.

Jamie earlier. It'd be great to get another

:25:02.:25:14.

Masters. I does want to win another Masters. I want to win another world

:25:15.:25:19.

is. I want to win another Welsh, and China Open. I just want to win more

:25:20.:25:27.

tournaments. What are your memories of last year, and how well do you

:25:28.:25:30.

think you played between the corners? I was struggling last year,

:25:31.:25:35.

because I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to play properly again

:25:36.:25:38.

because of my back. Seven or eight years ago I would probably have

:25:39.:25:44.

thrown in the towel. I had to fight to win matches that normally I

:25:45.:25:47.

wouldn't win. It was good for me, you know. Do you take a lot of

:25:48.:25:52.

positives out of getting to the final of the UK championship? I know

:25:53.:25:56.

it wasn't the result you wanted, but for the neutral watching it was an

:25:57.:26:00.

amazing final? For me, it was about people coming to watch, you know, it

:26:01.:26:05.

was on the TV, good entertainment. But I want to win it with style. I

:26:06.:26:09.

want to play an exciting, aggressive, attacking game. So that

:26:10.:26:13.

the people watching say, you know what, he doesn't just win, he

:26:14.:26:16.

delivers entertainment as well. I think it's important. Some people

:26:17.:26:20.

say, you can't play like that and when. But Lionel Messi proves that

:26:21.:26:24.

you can, Tiger Woods does and Roger Federer. I want to try and be one of

:26:25.:26:33.

them. Does it worry you, the lack of development, particularly the

:26:34.:26:36.

amateur game in the UK and Europe? When I turned professional, in 1992,

:26:37.:26:41.

I think. They basically just allowed everybody to turn pro, there's no

:26:42.:26:43.

amateur game, there is nothing further to go and do. You turned

:26:44.:26:49.

pro, go and get beaten 6-0. That's what's happening now, all of these

:26:50.:26:53.

pros turning pro who are not good enough to be professional. A lot of

:26:54.:26:56.

guys are wasting their time really. A lot of players are struggling to

:26:57.:27:00.

stay on the tour financially. They are playing lots and lots of

:27:01.:27:06.

variance. And it's training them. -- lots and lots of events, and it is

:27:07.:27:10.

training them. If you're glad wanted to be a pro, would you encourage

:27:11.:27:17.

him? I've told him, he's not allowed to. I'm going to be strong on that.

:27:18.:27:22.

I said to my daughter, I know that girls play snooker, but I don't want

:27:23.:27:25.

you to play. I don't think it is a good life for a snooker now coming

:27:26.:27:29.

into the game. If you are Selby, me or John Higgins, or Judd Trump, yes,

:27:30.:27:37.

but for the other 120 if you like, it's a nightmare. They are literally

:27:38.:27:40.

struggling to put food in the fridge. You know, I don't want my

:27:41.:27:44.

children being brought up in a system that only benefits the top,

:27:45.:27:49.

top people, know. It's a bit like the banking world, you. Everyone

:27:50.:27:54.

else is struggling to kind of make ends meet when the top people get

:27:55.:27:58.

fortunes. It's like that in snooker. I don't want my children being

:27:59.:28:01.

involved in an industry where that is the culture, you know. I want

:28:02.:28:04.

them to be in something where it's a bit more even, you know. Do you feel

:28:05.:28:08.

that you are playing at the level that you are happy with, or would

:28:09.:28:13.

you feel that you can't lay better? I think I'm OK. For six weeks I had

:28:14.:28:18.

-- you can play better. I had to really struggle. The last 16 was a

:28:19.:28:22.

good result. I could have got beat early. My form over the last, say,

:28:23.:28:29.

November to December, I had a really good plate when I fault had with my

:28:30.:28:32.

game, I was confident and enjoying it, and it was good. My game is a

:28:33.:28:38.

lot better place now than it was, say, early September. Your champion,

:28:39.:28:43.

Ronnie O'Sullivan! Is there a bit more expectation, it is a London

:28:44.:28:48.

tournament, and most of the fans are behind you and want you to do well?

:28:49.:28:53.

I no longer here to put all of my eggs in one basket. You know, I

:28:54.:28:57.

think the winner Masters, this is the bonus, for me. I don't ever now

:28:58.:29:03.

make snooker my number one goal. This is part of what I do, is not

:29:04.:29:07.

everything I do. I don't take it too seriously no more. I enjoy having

:29:08.:29:11.

that freedom of not being a slave to the sport as much as I used to be.

:29:12.:29:15.

And it's just about having it in my life rather than dominating my life.

:29:16.:29:22.

I enjoyed coming in this room here day after day, playing for three or

:29:23.:29:26.

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

:29:27.:29:31.

doing really good fun, you know. You get to meet different people. I feel

:29:32.:29:34.

it has made me a happier and better person by taking the pressure off

:29:35.:29:37.

and just playing snooker. So I think it's more important for me at this

:29:38.:29:42.

stage of my career but I have a happy, stress-free life. I'm not

:29:43.:29:46.

going to be regretting, you know, on my tombstone it won't be, you know,

:29:47.:29:50.

I wish it was seven world titles instead of five, I don't think it

:29:51.:29:53.

actually matters when it comes to Judgment Day. It's just about

:29:54.:29:57.

enjoying whatever it is that I'm here to do. I love to play and I

:29:58.:30:01.

love to compete. I've got my book coming out, that's been great. I

:30:02.:30:05.

love doing my exhibitions. I've enjoyed doing the American show.

:30:06.:30:08.

That's enjoyment for me. Believe it or not, I know its work, but I see

:30:09.:30:13.

it as enjoyment. This is work, coming to place Newco, talking about

:30:14.:30:17.

snooker, that's work. Because that's where I'm scrutinised, and that's

:30:18.:30:20.

where I Judd myself and where everybody judges me. You are really

:30:21.:30:26.

under the microscope. All the other stuff, just being myself, you know,

:30:27.:30:30.

I haven't got to be the best pundit in the world, I haven't got to be

:30:31.:30:34.

the best tour guide in the American show, just got to have a laugh.

:30:35.:30:39.

He has broken out and is doing other projects were other TV stations, he

:30:40.:30:47.

has a lot in his life. We drill down to the specifics of the titles and

:30:48.:30:51.

the number of titles, he says it doesn't matter if he wins seven

:30:52.:30:58.

world titles or Masters titles. But I am interested, the other side of

:30:59.:31:02.

that airs this is the first time he can actually own one of the records

:31:03.:31:07.

in snooker's three major events outright. He has chased you two over

:31:08.:31:14.

the last 20, 25 years, your title of six in the UK he now co-owns and

:31:15.:31:19.

your total of six in the Masters and seven in the World Championship, he

:31:20.:31:24.

can overtake you and that is a watershed moment potentially for the

:31:25.:31:28.

sport. Discuss. CHUCKLES I think it's right, when I was

:31:29.:31:34.

playing, I had something in the distance all the time I was going

:31:35.:31:39.

for. Ronnie has got the same and it's good to have that target. But

:31:40.:31:45.

listening to that it looks like he's not bothered about it, whether he

:31:46.:31:49.

does it or not. I think when he gets on the table he's a winning animal

:31:50.:31:55.

like both of us wear. But he's given himself that comfort zone of if he

:31:56.:31:59.

doesn't win then he's looking back and saying it doesn't really matter.

:32:00.:32:04.

Secretly, deep down, how much do you feel it would matter to him as a

:32:05.:32:10.

professional, as a snooker animal? What you have to recognise is that

:32:11.:32:14.

is a 40-year-old man talking and I don't think a 40-year-old will have

:32:15.:32:19.

the aspirations of a 25-year-old or even a 30-year-old. What is coming

:32:20.:32:22.

out of his mouth is how years trying to deal with the daily pressures of

:32:23.:32:27.

playing in a competitive game. He's unloading the pressure a little bit

:32:28.:32:30.

by saying it doesn't matter, a 20-year-old doesn't say that, nor

:32:31.:32:34.

does a 30-year-old, they are committed and focused. So when you

:32:35.:32:39.

listen to him talking about other players in the game, you have to

:32:40.:32:43.

consider its not ill informed but it's coming from his perspective

:32:44.:32:47.

because it absolutely rubbish that Ronnie O'Sullivan says the rest of

:32:48.:32:50.

them should not be professionals. You have aspirations as a young

:32:51.:32:54.

player coming through, you might not be good enough at the moment but you

:32:55.:32:58.

practice hard, do like Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham have done and

:32:59.:33:01.

suddenly you can improve your standard and could be one of the

:33:02.:33:05.

players to get through and makes the money. You cannot say the player

:33:06.:33:13.

ranked hundred and 20th is wasting his time because the player at 120th

:33:14.:33:16.

is not wasting his time, he has got a dream. Ronnie O'Sullivan does not

:33:17.:33:22.

have a dream any more, at least not in snooker. But these other players,

:33:23.:33:28.

it doesn't mean it's not worth achieving or chasing. It's a

:33:29.:33:31.

political dimension to this discussion that we address that the

:33:32.:33:35.

UK championship, we did a feature on the economics of the current regime.

:33:36.:33:43.

For Ronnie to say it's not a career he would now have his son going to

:33:44.:33:50.

or his daughter, it's a strong statement. The great thing is that

:33:51.:33:54.

he won't have a choice in the matter because if his son wants to be a

:33:55.:33:58.

professional snooker player he will be. What is your take on all of

:33:59.:34:03.

this? When you started out at 13, 14 and you are looking at the records

:34:04.:34:07.

and were having to get your bottom skelter couple times in matches back

:34:08.:34:13.

then, how did you go about processing? There were so many

:34:14.:34:18.

deserting voices sing I was too young when I was coming through at

:34:19.:34:22.

16, saying I would lose my love for the game but when you're younger you

:34:23.:34:28.

dream. You think what could happen if I have some success in this game

:34:29.:34:33.

that you love playing and you have to keep that focus and that belief.

:34:34.:34:39.

That you can do something. I am sure somewhere in the back of his mind

:34:40.:34:44.

the target of seven 's Masters title and owning something outright, it is

:34:45.:34:50.

a huge shining goal for 25 years of your life. It should be but I think

:34:51.:34:53.

possibly if you try too hard as you get older you put too much pressure

:34:54.:34:57.

on yourself so secretly he wants it as much, but perhaps the way to

:34:58.:35:03.

achieve it is to say it's not as important any more, that might be

:35:04.:35:07.

the way to do it. Fascinating stuff but it will work out over the next

:35:08.:35:12.

seven frames potentially. Before we go to the match, we saw Dennis

:35:13.:35:17.

Taylor introducing the players in some style, 30 years ago this year

:35:18.:35:21.

was when he beat Alex Higgins and 9-8, he is partial to a final frame

:35:22.:35:27.

decider. He still has a couple of tricks up his sleeve. Six times

:35:28.:35:33.

world champion, seven times world champion, this is a difficult trick

:35:34.:35:36.

shot I am going to attempt, send a height of three cushions, it should

:35:37.:35:43.

come between the gap in the queues. Very difficult shot, under pressure.

:35:44.:35:47.

Let's see what happens, go on, get up there. Go and knew little beauty.

:35:48.:35:57.

Go on! CHEERING APPLAUSE

:35:58.:36:08.

Fantastic Dennis, you never lose it. It's good but you are going to

:36:09.:36:11.

struggle to beat one of the trick shots that you might have seen, it

:36:12.:36:16.

has just gone viral on social media, 400 million views on this one from

:36:17.:36:22.

the all stars snooker club in Bristol. If you have not seen this,

:36:23.:36:28.

watch this. Starts at the top of a flight of stairs, the golf club does

:36:29.:36:34.

the damage. It took four hours to set up, four hours of tinkering

:36:35.:36:39.

before it all came right, over 90 attempts before they actually nailed

:36:40.:36:43.

it. The cue ball sent on its way with the golf putter, the brainchild

:36:44.:36:50.

of the general manager. They set it up at closing time in the club, they

:36:51.:36:56.

kept tinkering with the set and till dawn when the cleaners were about to

:36:57.:37:00.

come in and the club was about to open. It involves the stairs, the

:37:01.:37:07.

snooker table, these two are mesmerised by this, two American

:37:08.:37:15.

pull tables, six English pool tables and even a role across the floor.

:37:16.:37:21.

What do you think? It's a good job the floors are level. It's quite an

:37:22.:37:27.

architectural feat of engineering. It's fascinating, shows what you can

:37:28.:37:31.

do with some imagination and a few snooker cues. There have been things

:37:32.:37:35.

like this before with dominoes on the table, it's a magnificent

:37:36.:37:39.

effort, the Labour of love that has gone into this is fantastic. It's

:37:40.:37:43.

the first time it's been done from table to table, this has been seen

:37:44.:37:47.

on the Internet before, but the sophistication of this, the area it

:37:48.:37:53.

takes up in the club... This is the sticky point. That is where the

:37:54.:37:58.

floor needed to be a fraction of level. Using pool tables and snooker

:37:59.:38:05.

tables, I don't know if it goes to the dartboard? No. It's over 500

:38:06.:38:11.

feet and for about two minutes they are already planning to top this but

:38:12.:38:16.

look at this. Onto the bar. Some golf required at the end of this.

:38:17.:38:23.

Here we go. The best all in one you will ever see. Extraordinary isn't

:38:24.:38:30.

it? Have you ever seen anything so elaborate? That goes back to the old

:38:31.:38:35.

dominoes. Dennis I know you were watching that, the man who set that

:38:36.:38:39.

up is going to come in during the final next Sunday so has some tips

:38:40.:38:43.

to give you and perhaps you can give him some in return? I am looking

:38:44.:38:48.

forward to it, I might introduce that into my routine but it would

:38:49.:38:53.

take about a week to set up. That was absolutely incredible. Something

:38:54.:38:57.

I have been thinking about, wouldn't it be great if we got some of you

:38:58.:39:01.

guys to think about maybe doing something at home and sending in

:39:02.:39:07.

videos? I am just thinking good job they never assured that before the

:39:08.:39:16.

Dennis! Absolutely, before we get back to the action, tonight 's

:39:17.:39:19.

match. Kyren Wilson the only debit and

:39:20.:39:31.

tear, the youngest and lowest ranked player here, ranked number 16 but

:39:32.:39:37.

earned his place after victory in the Shanghai matters last season. He

:39:38.:39:41.

will be making his debut this evening. Let's hear a bit more and

:39:42.:39:43.

introduce you to master Wilson. Good old foot massage. Most

:39:44.:40:01.

definitely James Bond, Daniel Craig. My dad playing in his best mates, he

:40:02.:40:08.

had a pool room built and I was too young to go in and play so I was

:40:09.:40:11.

banging on the door trying to get in. Dedication. Bad loser. I once

:40:12.:40:19.

wrote happy anniversary to my fiance on the sand in the beach. He took it

:40:20.:40:22.

well. Not really, I am quite laid back

:40:23.:40:32.

when it comes to that sort of thing. Ranji jumping naked. -- bungee

:40:33.:40:38.

jumping naked. Chilling out with my fiance and my

:40:39.:40:50.

son and lovely warm weather. After winning Shanghai I bought myself a

:40:51.:40:55.

new car. In just about a year he has managed to vault into the top 16 and

:40:56.:41:01.

is now amongst the elite, earned his place here. Fantastic temperament,

:41:02.:41:06.

what do you make of his potential? Yes, he's improved a lot, I remember

:41:07.:41:10.

commentating on him to three years ago at the Crucible and he did not

:41:11.:41:14.

look comfortable at all. Last year he was a dark horse to win the World

:41:15.:41:21.

Championship. I disagree slightly about his temperament, I think you

:41:22.:41:24.

can let things get to them, when his opponent is getting good luck you

:41:25.:41:28.

start pulling faces so that might be a weakness but a tremendous potter.

:41:29.:41:34.

I am sure he is taking that on board because he's a very bright guy. As

:41:35.:41:41.

for his opponent, Ding Junhui, the first Asian winner of this title in

:41:42.:41:47.

2011, has not won a match at Alexandra Palace since.

:41:48.:41:51.

Extraordinary. It is, you can only put it down to the fact that the

:41:52.:41:55.

first-round series against the top 16 player, you are not that much of

:41:56.:41:58.

a favourite. The first round of other events you are much more

:41:59.:42:04.

likely to get off to a good start as one of the top players. But still,

:42:05.:42:09.

for Ding Junhui who has won five ranking events in a season and has

:42:10.:42:15.

been very strong, amazing. Probably coincidence, just the way it

:42:16.:42:19.

rumbles. He's already won avec tournament this season, was in a

:42:20.:42:23.

final where he was dumped by Mark Selby and was a Crucible finalist.

:42:24.:42:30.

Given the history, is he vulnerable? I worry a little bit, I think in

:42:31.:42:35.

York he went out with a whimper, did not look like he was enjoying

:42:36.:42:40.

himself, bad attitude for such a big tournament. Interesting to see how

:42:41.:42:43.

the break over Christmas and New Year will change his attitude. That

:42:44.:42:48.

match will be on the red button from 7pm this evening. If you have other

:42:49.:42:54.

plans I will be back at 11:45pm on BBC Two with the highlights. But we

:42:55.:43:01.

have this opening match of the Masters to conclude, it has become a

:43:02.:43:07.

best-of-7 frames, let's see if Dennis has managed another trick by

:43:08.:43:10.

sprinting into the commentary box to join John?

:43:11.:43:14.

COMMENTATOR: I just made it! Not as quick as I used to be.

:43:15.:43:29.

Liang Wenbo will be hoping to continue where he left off. That's a

:43:30.:43:37.

pretty decent break-off shot. Hazel asked just before the

:43:38.:44:05.

interval, do you think you'd be disappointed with his early

:44:06.:44:08.

performance, I spoke to Ronnie in the interval, had a cup of coffee

:44:09.:44:12.

with him and he said he is enjoying being out there, just happy to be

:44:13.:44:15.

playing. Seems very level-headed it all. Did he mention anything about

:44:16.:44:25.

the tip? When I passed him he was looking for sandpaper. Yes, he did

:44:26.:44:28.

give some surgery to the end of it but he seems fine now. No great

:44:29.:44:37.

issues. In good spirits. Last weekend we were over in Dublin,

:44:38.:44:44.

Ireland played England in Legends match, it was fabulous and Ronnie

:44:45.:44:45.

was in form. Mark Selby was there. Kyren Wilson will be on tonight, he

:44:46.:45:13.

played really well, the Irish crowd took to him. That wasn't as easy as

:45:14.:45:19.

it looked. A pot you would expect him to make

:45:20.:45:37.

here of course but positional is -- play is difficult of this. Don't

:45:38.:45:44.

think he can hold for the blue. Just having a look to see which way the

:45:45.:45:47.

cue ball will go if he plays a screenshot. -- screw shot. No

:45:48.:45:56.

problem with the opening Marin but what's he going to get on? He thinks

:45:57.:46:02.

he can pot this, go past the blue, come off the side cushion and get

:46:03.:46:06.

somewhere close to that red he was looking at and get somewhere near

:46:07.:46:07.

the black. This will be some shot. Seemed to have a little bit of

:46:08.:46:22.

movement on that shot. Didn't cue that one as smoothly as he had been

:46:23.:46:28.

cueing the ones before the interval. Those shots with a bit more pressure

:46:29.:46:33.

on them, you just ten to see an more function in the cue action with

:46:34.:46:41.

Liang occasionally. What a chance he has left Ronnie O'Sullivan now.

:46:42.:47:00.

Had a 55 break in the second frame but look at how the reds are

:47:01.:47:07.

situated here. All the colours are in open play.

:47:08.:47:14.

You're not going to mention the M word are you? It's a bit too early

:47:15.:47:24.

but as you can see, they are sitting nicely.

:47:25.:47:34.

Even though we are not mentioning it I am going to talk about it. Three

:47:35.:47:46.

maximum is made here in the history of this tournament, do you know all

:47:47.:47:50.

three of them? I remember Stevens with a white shoot making the first

:47:51.:47:59.

one -- suit. Jimmy White made one. I'm not sure about that. It was Ding

:48:00.:48:07.

Junhui. And the other was Marco Fu. Jimmy White was playing against a

:48:08.:48:13.

Canadian, Kirk Stevens, when he made his.

:48:14.:49:24.

Chatting away there, no chance of a maximum in this frame. Highest break

:49:25.:49:31.

in itself is well worth winning, ?10,000 for the highest break here.

:49:32.:49:37.

Not to be sniffed at. Ronnie will be trying to put a marker down for that

:49:38.:49:39.

one. Taking these very well so far,

:49:40.:50:30.

Ronnie. The break helped by Liang at the start of it. Poor shot on the

:50:31.:50:36.

Marin, should not be missing those. -- on the red.

:50:37.:51:10.

Looks like his concentration is back in order, Dennis. Yeah, I think the

:51:11.:51:17.

interval came at the right time to Ronnie, just to get in and get a cup

:51:18.:51:23.

of tea, relax. But this is him showing all his experience.

:51:24.:51:47.

Frame safe. Concentrate on a possible century. 856 centuries he

:51:48.:52:03.

has made in his career. There is a strong possibility he could go on to

:52:04.:52:09.

be a player that makes a thousand century breaks in a career? APPLAUSE

:52:10.:52:18.

Just hit the wrong red, might have spoiled the century. Just cannoned

:52:19.:52:26.

the wrong red otherwise he would have cleared the table. Just had to

:52:27.:52:40.

try. But OK, it might be in, no. But he's come out firing on all

:52:41.:52:44.

cylinders after the mid-session interval is. The fabulous break

:52:45.:52:48.

enough to take the frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan back in front.

:52:49.:52:52.

At one point the M word was being mentioned, the maximum, there have

:52:53.:52:59.

been seven already this season, Mark Davis, the first of his career in

:53:00.:53:03.

the championship league just last week. Tell me about the demeanour of

:53:04.:53:09.

Ronnie O'Sullivan as he's wandering around the table, he has the swagger

:53:10.:53:14.

and it will do him good to have got a semi-decent sized break? It was

:53:15.:53:21.

lovely. Again supplied by a bad miss from Liang Wenbo. You would think

:53:22.:53:25.

having got himself back in the match at 2-2, presented with a great

:53:26.:53:29.

chance, missing an easy red in the middle. He's done well to get back

:53:30.:53:34.

to 2-2 but that's not job done, you have to keep your focus and

:53:35.:53:38.

concentration. After that it looked inevitable that Ronnie was going to

:53:39.:53:45.

win the frame. Their personal series so far has been emphatically in

:53:46.:53:49.

Ronnie's favour with this 5-1 record but Liang Wenbo has been getting

:53:50.:53:54.

closer, a final frame decider in September in Shanghai so he knows

:53:55.:53:59.

how to get close to him. He has lots of grit and determination apart from

:54:00.:54:03.

being a heavy scorer. The difficulty for players like Liang Wenbo to

:54:04.:54:09.

become regular winners is how do you outplay your opponents, not just

:54:10.:54:13.

beat them. You have to outplay them and put your authority on matches

:54:14.:54:16.

and that's not easy playing against this standard. But every time you do

:54:17.:54:22.

miss an easy shot and let your opponent in your progress and run

:54:23.:54:26.

halts so it's back to square one again. They start the match off,

:54:27.:54:31.

lose the first frame, start the session, lose the first frame and

:54:32.:54:36.

play catch up. It is still tense, don't feel the match is caught fire

:54:37.:54:43.

as yet. No, no real fireworks. Every frame has had mistakes so it's not

:54:44.:54:47.

been flawless by any stretch but it has been interesting. Very

:54:48.:54:56.

interesting indeed. A stunning final previously between Mark Selby and

:54:57.:54:57.

Ronnie O'Sullivan. Back we go. COMMENTATOR: Not quite on the

:54:58.:55:21.

cushion with the cue ball. One shot the players do practice a lot these

:55:22.:55:23.

days, this type of shot. APPLAUSE

:55:24.:55:38.

Cue ball needs to pull up. It just keeps on rolling, all he can do is

:55:39.:55:45.

nestling behind the brown. Good opening pot.

:55:46.:56:14.

Nice pot, but that fast cloth prevented him from stopping nicely

:56:15.:56:23.

on the right colour. He's fouled that. I think he touched the brown.

:56:24.:56:38.

Trying to get a bit of swear bonnet. -- a bit of swerve bonnet. I think

:56:39.:56:53.

Liang Wenbo had put it so close to the brown it made it quite difficult

:56:54.:56:54.

to get the angle. In the end just got a bit too much

:56:55.:57:34.

on it. But left one to the middle pocket.

:57:35.:57:44.

If he is this red into the left middle pocket it would be perfect on

:57:45.:57:57.

the black. Would like to stun it in that makes the shot slightly more

:57:58.:58:03.

difficult. Hampered slightly. Actually, not too bad. If he can get

:58:04.:58:07.

some screw on it will get closer to the black.

:58:08.:58:32.

Doesn't quite seem to cue as well when there is that little bit of

:58:33.:58:35.

INAUDIBLE APPLAUSE

:58:36.:58:44.

The trouble is when you have this man following new you tend to pay

:58:45.:58:54.

your mistakes. Quite a good chance already with that was red at the

:58:55.:58:56.

back of the pack. Ideally Ronnie would like to play

:58:57.:59:09.

this with the cue ball slightly low on the bottom red, could pot that

:59:10.:59:17.

and bring a few more into play. That's what he's played for.

:59:18.:59:30.

Had to play the run-through, but again promoted a read. -- red.

:59:31.:00:02.

Has a choice of shots here. Can either move the packed out or screw

:00:03.:00:09.

and move the loose red away. That's the one he played on.

:00:10.:00:24.

25. 26. Ideally he would like to stand up into the pack here. Played

:00:25.:00:34.

the screw shot, could not have come out any better. APPLAUSE

:00:35.:00:38.

33. Looks like he's going through the

:00:39.:00:47.

gearbox. One of the best in the business at that particular type of

:00:48.:00:50.

shot, so much action on the cue ball, it stops in the pack and then

:00:51.:00:52.

keeps on spinning. Last frame lasted under ten minutes,

:00:53.:01:13.

break of 89. This frame is not going to last very long by the looks of

:01:14.:01:18.

things. No, not while he looks as focused as he does. The interval has

:01:19.:01:24.

been very good, I agree. Simple shot into the loose red on

:01:25.:02:00.

the outside. Left on the three will be available.

:02:01.:02:14.

Bottom one on the right is also available. Better position for him.

:02:15.:02:25.

He has taken these supremely well, and once again, I think he has done

:02:26.:02:32.

well, it looks very simple. Potting that red has cleared the path for

:02:33.:02:41.

the other two to the right corner. You see the difference, 61 in the

:02:42.:02:49.

frame already, and already safe. Once again, a matter of whether he

:02:50.:02:56.

can make a century. Will not be easy with the read out on the side

:02:57.:03:02.

cushion. Almost got the century in the previous frame. Little cannon

:03:03.:03:08.

may have spoiled it. All about winning frames this century is nice,

:03:09.:03:20.

but... APPLAUSE You would have to be a spectacular

:03:21.:03:23.

red down the cushion to keep this effort going. He will not be too

:03:24.:03:32.

concerned about that. He just got the one chance, and what did he do,

:03:33.:03:38.

he won the frame with that chance. Now, Ronnie O'Sullivan opens up a

:03:39.:03:42.

two frame advantage. 4-2, to the Rocket. One shop there that paved

:03:43.:03:52.

the way, plays it so well, black when you go into the reds, a lot of

:03:53.:03:55.

people stick in the reds, but the way that Ronnie plays, the way that

:03:56.:04:00.

a lot of the top players play, they make it look so easy. Playing with

:04:01.:04:04.

lots of bottom, deft hand side, because it is not a good pack to go

:04:05.:04:10.

into, but when he hits it, it stops and keeps on spinning. A lot of

:04:11.:04:13.

players will play this, there will not be a lot of work -- enough work

:04:14.:04:18.

on the cue ball for it to come back, I prefer when you play that shot you

:04:19.:04:23.

play a stamp up into it, it's the -- cue ball up into the table. This is

:04:24.:04:28.

what happens with the cue ball. You can see the back spin, spinning

:04:29.:04:32.

away, spinning away, and then, whenever he hits the red, because he

:04:33.:04:38.

has so much spin on it, it does not stop, it keeps on spinning, and

:04:39.:04:42.

eventually, it works its way through the reds, and he played it

:04:43.:04:49.

perfectly. That is a great example there, we have seen, with the

:04:50.:04:51.

special black and white ball, made by Stephen Hendrie, I think. --

:04:52.:04:55.

played. STUDIO: Was that you? It was! 89 and

:04:56.:05:06.

80, and suddenly looks like he is in the groove. Seems to have found an

:05:07.:05:11.

extra gear, to really punish Liang Wenbo, amazing how, losing an

:05:12.:05:17.

insignificant shot, but when Wenbo misses the red in the middle in the

:05:18.:05:21.

fifth frame, since then, it has been Ronnie O'Sullivan, in the balls now,

:05:22.:05:27.

he looks like he is a certainty to win the frame. Wenbo was first in

:05:28.:05:32.

there, and it was punishing once again. The best players in the world

:05:33.:05:39.

convert more chances among the balls than the players further down the

:05:40.:05:42.

rankings. Even so, a little smile from Wenbo, I think he has got

:05:43.:05:48.

himself into the game, a couple of frames, has not got the

:05:49.:05:51.

embarrassment of being whitewashed, anything like that. He just has too

:05:52.:05:58.

see how much he can dig in again. I think the smile there from Ronnie

:05:59.:06:03.

O'Sullivan, back to the action. COMMENTATOR: Wenbo's turn to break

:06:04.:06:06.

off. Good opening part, what will the

:06:07.:06:36.

attempt on the green, will he attempt something special? He is, he

:06:37.:06:42.

is, look at the action on that cue ball. What a positional shot that

:06:43.:06:54.

is. My goodness... APPLAUSE CO-COMMENTATOR: What a shot, what a

:06:55.:06:56.

shot! Work on the angles, superb. Left this purposely low, pops this

:06:57.:07:24.

red... All about the positioning, manoeuvring reds into play. -- pots

:07:25.:07:32.

this red. If you take the black on, good luck. He is looking at the

:07:33.:07:42.

black, I tell you what... Almost typed on the cushion. Wow, this is

:07:43.:07:54.

tough. The odds slightly against that going in.

:07:55.:08:05.

Tough shot, even for the greats. Found himself 2-0 down in this

:08:06.:08:17.

match, nice to claw his way back to 2-2. Two friends down again. And he

:08:18.:08:22.

is going to do exactly the same thing again now. -- two frames down

:08:23.:08:31.

again. If it were 5-2, that would end the match. That is the

:08:32.:08:34.

importance of this visit. We said when we were 2-0 down, test

:08:35.:09:46.

of his character. Did very well to go to the mid-session all square. Is

:09:47.:09:52.

he up to it again? Another test. Did not want to be straight, slight

:09:53.:10:10.

angle, might just be able to stun onto the red on the right of the

:10:11.:10:13.

pack, that will develop things, enough angle to stun onto the red to

:10:14.:10:20.

the right. At one of these early in the match, just sneaked past it, did

:10:21.:10:25.

not quite get it, he needs to get the edge, as long as he does not hit

:10:26.:10:35.

it hard, just click the edge. APPLAUSE

:10:36.:10:39.

Good shot. Just got the cannon how he wanted. Made it look easy but

:10:40.:10:59.

those are tough shots. I think the bottom red on the cluster will part.

:11:00.:11:04.

Also have the red on the left-hand side as well. -- will pot. Should

:11:05.:11:16.

have after he has ported the black. Well played. Could not hold a cue

:11:17.:11:23.

ball for that. Scrapping for cue ball control the,

:11:24.:11:39.

not perfect on every shot he has had on the last few. Obviously you would

:11:40.:11:44.

expect him to pop this but he has not had the cue ball under maximum

:11:45.:11:45.

control. 32. Good pot, not quite on the

:11:46.:12:12.

black, he is going to have to play the cannon announced, the red was

:12:13.:12:18.

available, but you can't really hold for that, so it'll be the cannon.

:12:19.:12:28.

And just got a little bit too much on it, hoping he's pushed the red

:12:29.:12:32.

into a plank there. That would be a bonus. He should be buying a lottery

:12:33.:12:39.

ticket, because that would be incredible if he's made that into a

:12:40.:12:42.

plant, looks pretty much spot on. What a result that is. One thing he

:12:43.:12:48.

has got be careful on, and we will show you the attempted cannon, if he

:12:49.:12:53.

hits the other red, and he plays the plant, the white will go close to

:12:54.:12:57.

the left corner pocket, he needs to avoid cannon ink-jet. -- he needs to

:12:58.:13:09.

avoid cannon -- cannoning it. INAUDIBLE

:13:10.:13:16.

Wow! That is amazing. That was basically going to be frame

:13:17.:13:42.

ball there are, could position of the green. -- good position of the

:13:43.:13:48.

green. Little bit more to do now, of the angle. As I say, it has been the

:13:49.:13:54.

feature of this break, hasn't quite have the cue ball perfect. Keeps on

:13:55.:13:56.

going. Another difficult positional shot.

:13:57.:14:32.

Personally played. We have seen this afternoon, one or two shots have had

:14:33.:14:37.

extra ball. Did not cue them very well but cue that one beautifully.

:14:38.:14:43.

Great recovery. Deserves everything he gets after that shot.

:14:44.:14:55.

I don't think any of these three ribs are available. Another key shot

:14:56.:15:13.

coming up here. Might just be OK, if that red keeps on running, yes, I

:15:14.:15:16.

think he has a choice of reds, into both middle pockets. For a moment,

:15:17.:15:27.

stuck on the red, but he is OK. Now you see it, now you don't. This

:15:28.:15:36.

really has been an excellent contribution, on more than one

:15:37.:15:38.

occasion through this break, cue ball was not perfect, what he has

:15:39.:15:42.

managed to make a break and keep going. -- but he has managed. What

:15:43.:15:53.

was that shot? 52 in front, and that is the reaction from Liang Wenbo,

:15:54.:15:57.

because he knows he is not safe, Ronnie needs one snooker, but how

:15:58.:16:02.

did he manage to get the white there, with the red over the middle,

:16:03.:16:06.

I think you just made sure of the black. The only needed to stun the

:16:07.:16:10.

black and then he could pop the red over the middle, he didn't have to

:16:11.:16:14.

screw back, very strange shot. Chance of sniggering yourself if you

:16:15.:16:18.

play the full screw shot but if he stands it, puts the red over the

:16:19.:16:22.

middle pocket, game over. -- chance of snooker in yourself. --

:16:23.:16:28.

snookering. Liang Wenbo still the massive

:16:29.:17:11.

favourite to win this, but there is enough friends to know that when you

:17:12.:17:14.

should win a friend, get it over with, the last thing you want to do

:17:15.:17:17.

is give yourself another 15, 20 minutes of aggravation, trying to

:17:18.:17:21.

get back into this match from two friends behind. Should have got it

:17:22.:17:33.

over a lot quicker. APPLAUSE What a pot that was.

:17:34.:17:44.

The pot was difficult enough playing with your opposite hand but to screw

:17:45.:17:56.

it back for the black? Just checking the scoreboard, to see the high

:17:57.:18:02.

value colour, which one he can take, so he still only needs the one

:18:03.:18:06.

snooker, he is OK, he has a future work with. -- he has a few to work

:18:07.:18:14.

with. All of a sudden, a friend that should have been over a few minutes

:18:15.:18:18.

ago, Liang Wenbo is going to have to suffer for a while. Didn't mean to

:18:19.:18:24.

hit the pink, that cue ball, close to the corner pocket... Needing a

:18:25.:18:31.

snooker, not a bad thing to hit the pain. He has left him a lovely angle

:18:32.:18:37.

to play a thin clip off, not the worst.

:18:38.:18:46.

See this read full ball, he can stay in behind the yellow and the red

:18:47.:19:56.

backed up the table. And he could do, that may have spoiled things,

:19:57.:20:01.

catching the middle jaw. -- red. -- back. It was a certain snooker. If I

:20:02.:20:08.

was Liang here, I would be concentrating on the long pot,

:20:09.:20:11.

putting everything into it, because this is a frame that could go wrong,

:20:12.:20:16.

he should have had it one already, and the chance with a bump,

:20:17.:20:21.

concentrate, knock this read in, get the frame over. -- should have added

:20:22.:20:28.

won already. What was he going towards... What was he doing going

:20:29.:20:32.

towards the middle pocket with the cue ball, if it had gone in, need

:20:33.:20:40.

could have lost the frame! That was close. This is a good effort, this

:20:41.:20:49.

is a very good effort. Is it hard enough? Just coming up a little bit

:20:50.:20:53.

short. APPLAUSE

:20:54.:22:21.

Well played. Some shop, that. Just wondering whether if he swerves

:22:22.:22:27.

this, checks on the cue ball, could not hit enough of it... -- some

:22:28.:22:34.

shot, that. Is thinking, if Ronnie potted this

:22:35.:23:01.

read he would have to get the black, and then would still only need one

:23:02.:23:05.

snooker, you want to keep the red on the table, more chance of a snooker.

:23:06.:23:10.

Looking to see if he cut this read, and can he hold for the black,

:23:11.:23:16.

because the yellow is never brown... That is what he has played. Is he on

:23:17.:23:26.

the black? He can still take the black up into the corner, had he

:23:27.:23:30.

have missed the cannon, would have gone on the black, potted it, up for

:23:31.:23:34.

the yellow, in behind the brown, that was his plan. Needs to pot

:23:35.:23:47.

this. That jump, jumped quite a bit. Ronnie O'Sullivan, one. The chance

:23:48.:23:52.

has gone, it will be a relief yang Wenbo. Both the black jumped and the

:23:53.:24:00.

cue ball. -- this will be a relief for the end Wenbo. -- Liang Wenbo.

:24:01.:24:13.

Foul. Liang Wenbo two, Ronnie O'Sullivan four. He has decided...

:24:14.:24:38.

Too difficult to get the snooker is required, Liang Wenbo has stopped

:24:39.:24:42.

the rot, he has a frame back. STUDIO: Like sweating blood to get

:24:43.:24:52.

that one in the end, over the line, did well to keep the break going,

:24:53.:24:56.

one plant in particular that allowed him to do so, the crowd were doing

:24:57.:25:02.

and dying, but he settled in nicely. Missed a cannon, but he created

:25:03.:25:07.

this, not a difficult shot. -- oohing and ahhing. The pressure

:25:08.:25:13.

shot, this could have cost him, if he had missed this, lovely pot. The

:25:14.:25:21.

facial expressions, by Wenbo, were going ten to the dozen, but it

:25:22.:25:24.

should have been over, he should have kept going because it is a lot

:25:25.:25:28.

of aggravation, as John Parrott would say. He was always playing

:25:29.:25:34.

catch up, I think Wenbo is improving his confidence, that shows, that

:25:35.:25:41.

blue, struck in nicely. He is gritty and as the match goes closer, if it

:25:42.:25:44.

does, we will see more facial expressions from Liang Wenbo, as it

:25:45.:25:50.

gets closer to the end, every player begins to live and die... Burning...

:25:51.:25:55.

A little bit, we all do that, even the best in the world. -- gurning.

:25:56.:26:01.

He has endeared himself, over the last couple of years, he has become

:26:02.:26:05.

far more popular because you can see some of his internal thoughts, he

:26:06.:26:08.

wears his heart on his sleeve. For us watching, makes it interesting,

:26:09.:26:13.

we have said, we were never ones to show any emotion, quite miserable,

:26:14.:26:18.

we cornered the market in miserable as. Definitely good value. Ronnie

:26:19.:26:33.

certainly knows he's in a match. Ronnie O'Sullivan to break.

:26:34.:26:37.

CO-COMMENTATOR: He certainly is in a match, 4-3 ahead, some stuff from

:26:38.:26:43.

the boys in the studio there, I agree with them, if you were looking

:26:44.:26:50.

for... INAUDIBLE COMMENTATOR: Saw them both outside

:26:51.:26:56.

the bar last week, I asked what they were doing, they said, waiting for

:26:57.:27:05.

happy hour to finish... (!) -- I agree with them, if you were looking

:27:06.:27:10.

for two more unhappy fellows, you couldn't do better than those two.

:27:11.:27:26.

The two lads were talking early on, the fact that the players are a lot

:27:27.:27:32.

more friendly these days, and some of the players go out for dinner

:27:33.:27:36.

together. In their day, that would not have happened. Having a giggle

:27:37.:27:41.

at their expense. Those two would not give you too much! 13 world's

:27:42.:27:52.

titles between them. Seven for Stephen, 64 Steve It obviously

:27:53.:28:01.

worked. -- seven for Stephen, six for Steve. So it obviously worked.

:28:02.:28:09.

Good shot that he has played. Moving roads around. Up near the yellow and

:28:10.:28:14.

the brown, that is one you have got to cover. A bit more pressure on

:28:15.:28:17.

this. -- moving those around. There might be a gap through to that

:28:18.:28:56.

one. Tight, but maybe the brown... Can't pot that.

:28:57.:29:21.

Read into the right corner, not very inviting, because he cannot get on a

:29:22.:29:26.

colour. -- red. Not often you see a player playing a

:29:27.:29:46.

safety shot up this end of the table. That was the case there.

:29:47.:30:26.

Just looking to see where he can leave the cue ball err on the side

:30:27.:30:34.

cushion. Playing off the loose red the back of the pack. Obviously he

:30:35.:30:42.

wants to cover the red, so it is not easy for Liang to get down. But as

:30:43.:30:47.

he hit it just a little bit too hard? He might have left that red is

:30:48.:30:50.

just to clip of past the yellow. That has just helped the situation.

:30:51.:32:48.

It is brought to the pink into play. The match is tied up at the moment.

:32:49.:32:59.

I think Oblak is tied up. Liang can play off the face of this red. You

:33:00.:33:03.

have to be careful with the red going across and hitting the pack of

:33:04.:33:09.

reds. They might be something across the other corner. Even with a shot

:33:10.:33:13.

like this, you have to be a little bit careful.

:33:14.:33:35.

He played that really well. Didn't cannon into anything else. Good

:33:36.:33:40.

touch. I think the brown is going to come

:33:41.:34:11.

to the rescue. As he covered it? I think he has. It is imperative that

:34:12.:34:20.

he got a good cue ball there. I think Liang is just seeing if he can

:34:21.:34:29.

leave the cue ball at the top cushion, just hit the red half ball.

:34:30.:34:33.

I don't think he can pot that. If he was away from the cushion, I think

:34:34.:34:38.

he could but it is not a shot that is available to him. Of course he

:34:39.:34:44.

could come off the side cushion and play that red but either way it

:34:45.:34:48.

looks like that is what he's going to have to do. Alessi has better

:34:49.:34:53.

eyesight than both of us. That was a better shot than the one

:34:54.:35:22.

I was looking at. Had he played the other red, he could have left that

:35:23.:35:27.

red to cut back. In much better choice of shot than mine. He red the

:35:28.:35:40.

pot but boy, is that a test of your cueing. Here goes. Change of plan.

:35:41.:36:03.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has been very measured. He hasn't taken any undue

:36:04.:36:15.

risks. That is what we call playing the percentages. He knows if he can

:36:16.:36:21.

get this frame under his belt, he will only need one and Liang Wenbo

:36:22.:36:24.

would have to win three. They have both played some excellent

:36:25.:36:40.

safety shots but that one is coming up a little short. At first glance,

:36:41.:36:44.

it looks like everything is covering each other.

:36:45.:37:12.

He played that has a shot to nothing. This is pretty difficult to

:37:13.:37:25.

do. And there is another one. It happens quite a lot, Dennis, on

:37:26.:37:30.

these fast clocks. You are trying to be too delicate. And then he has on

:37:31.:37:40.

to hit it. It is so easy to hit it a little bit of -- a little bit hard,

:37:41.:37:51.

just trying to nestle onto it. He is taking the brown. An extra red.

:37:52.:38:06.

That would look a lot more different than it would. He had that lovely,

:38:07.:38:23.

didn't he? Yes, it was a clever shot. They were all covering each

:38:24.:38:28.

other, as you mentioned. One good positional shot away from giving

:38:29.:38:32.

himself an early opportunity here, in a frame that could get him back

:38:33.:38:40.

all square. He may just have to take a chance of playing into an area

:38:41.:38:45.

here, if he lands on one, which he has done. That could not have come

:38:46.:38:53.

out much better. Left-handed, even better.

:38:54.:39:04.

He is quite a tall lad, Liang Wenbo. Around the 6-foot mark.

:39:05.:39:15.

He could have played the last shot a bit better. One thing he did not

:39:16.:39:20.

want to do with this is leave himself straight on. It looks like

:39:21.:39:25.

an easy shot, but there are limits to what you can do. He has played

:39:26.:39:31.

that particularly well. Make no mistake about it, he will

:39:32.:39:47.

consider this to be a very good chance to draw level in this match.

:39:48.:40:06.

Not the best with the cue ball there. The cue ball has run eight

:40:07.:40:16.

inches to fire there. I don't really know what he played

:40:17.:40:49.

on there. Just make sure he gets the green in, which is obviously the

:40:50.:40:53.

priority. But he has come on the red into the middle pocket, and that is

:40:54.:40:58.

a bit of a result. He has taken the slightly more difficult one. If he

:40:59.:41:01.

was right-handed, it would be straightforward. He has a slight

:41:02.:41:07.

angle, and he can get it away from the cushion, but he needs a little

:41:08.:41:18.

bit of existence with the extension on the cue there. -- a little bit of

:41:19.:41:23.

assistance. And he has played it well. I think is going to need one

:41:24.:41:34.

more cannon to put himself into a prime position. That was a better

:41:35.:41:42.

shot than it looked on the screens. Pretty tricky. He negotiated it very

:41:43.:41:50.

well. Now the cannon. It is pretty good. What a chance this is.

:41:51.:42:01.

Following a pattern of the frames before the interval, to nail down,

:42:02.:42:14.

he paid it back to 2-2. -- 2-0 down. It was in the club, he would not be

:42:15.:42:16.

missing these. In the club, it is well documented

:42:17.:42:32.

that Liang Wenbo, when he practices, he very rarely misses. A lot of

:42:33.:42:40.

players like that, but it is the really special ones that can take it

:42:41.:42:47.

to the practice table. Taking it on to the match arena, that is the key.

:42:48.:42:57.

I would be slightly annoyed having to play this way. Playing for the

:42:58.:43:04.

other two on the left, you have to take it down a little bit. You may

:43:05.:43:10.

have a choice here. The pink mingle in the middle. It certainly does.

:43:11.:43:15.

And black it is. He is still OK. He has gone a little

:43:16.:43:40.

bit further than he intended. He had the one that was near the middle

:43:41.:43:41.

pocket. And they are absolutely sitting

:43:42.:43:48.

perfectly now. And once again he has taken these

:43:49.:44:11.

very well. Still punching. One thing is for

:44:12.:44:26.

sure, he will not give him the match today. Ronnie is going to have to

:44:27.:44:27.

win it. Ronnie has an awful lot of support

:44:28.:44:37.

here at the Alexandra Palace, as he has all over the world. Always a

:44:38.:44:42.

fear crowd here. If the opponent is knocking the ball is in, they give

:44:43.:44:47.

them the utmost respect and this is exactly what Liang Wenbo is doing

:44:48.:44:54.

here. The great Ray Reardon, a six time world champion, used to say,

:44:55.:44:58.

keep potting balls and you will get the crowd your side. -- get the

:44:59.:45:04.

crowd on your side. A couple of pots away from levelling

:45:05.:45:39.

the match at four each. A fabulous fight back. And a very

:45:40.:45:51.

important frame coming up. If he can win the next frame, what a

:45:52.:46:14.

lovely feeling. Your opponents needed the last two to be true. You

:46:15.:46:17.

are not over the line but I know which scenario I would prefer. --

:46:18.:46:26.

needed the last two to beat you. Liang Wenbo will be hoping the

:46:27.:46:31.

pattern of the match changes because Ronnie won the first two, lost the

:46:32.:46:36.

next two, won the next two, lost the next two.

:46:37.:46:51.

There is something about him, I like watching Liang Wenbo. I like his

:46:52.:46:58.

mannerisms. He has that little swagger. He is good on the eye. But

:46:59.:47:07.

that is not very good on the eye. But he has done more than an offer.

:47:08.:47:11.

Liang Wenbo takes another frame and all of a sudden it is all square at

:47:12.:47:17.

four frames each. STUDIO: Shone and Dennis were saying it is a familiar

:47:18.:47:22.

pattern, and it is all even Stevens. From Liang's point of view, he has

:47:23.:47:27.

to take charge instead of doing the chase. He has himself into the

:47:28.:47:31.

position to effectively take it. Ronnie O'Sullivan is still the

:47:32.:47:35.

person dominating the match, in some ways, therefore it becomes a bread

:47:36.:47:39.

and butter match to get over the line in which ever way you can. Some

:47:40.:47:46.

good scoring. 83-65, 109, solid stuff from Liang Wenbo. He is doing

:47:47.:48:01.

very well. It is turning into a good match. A lot of the time when we

:48:02.:48:08.

watch Ronnie it is like an occasion. But it has turned into a bit of a

:48:09.:48:12.

grind, a real high quality snooker match. I would agree. It feels

:48:13.:48:18.

different to the normal Ronnie occasion. There is definitely a bit

:48:19.:48:23.

of tension. It is not a done deal. As for winning with style, it is

:48:24.:48:26.

perhaps not the messy performance he was hoping, more like a solid

:48:27.:48:34.

midfielder. -- Messi performance. A couple of years ago, the whole thing

:48:35.:48:40.

seems like the Ronnie show. No two years are the same, but as we have

:48:41.:48:43.

also said on many occasions, the general standard of the top 16 is

:48:44.:48:49.

getting better and better. It is tighter and tighter. Every first

:48:50.:48:52.

round match is more of a potential banana skin. On that subject, at the

:48:53.:48:56.

top of the show we mention that this is the first time we have had 16

:48:57.:49:01.

players who are qualified to be there. Often times it was invitation

:49:02.:49:05.

but now you are here on merit. It is the first time that everyone has

:49:06.:49:09.

been a major world ranking champion in their own right. That underlines

:49:10.:49:15.

the quality. You could almost make a case for maybe not every single

:49:16.:49:18.

player but most of them, for winning this. And actually, an interesting

:49:19.:49:25.

exercise, obviously the bookmakers do not often get it wrong but let's

:49:26.:49:29.

say, just for interest, that you were to bet on every outsider of

:49:30.:49:37.

every match, how you would fear. -- how you would they are. Ronnie has

:49:38.:49:44.

been the bookies favourite, although Mark Selby has been the number one

:49:45.:49:47.

for some time. Ronnie, back we go. He attempted a long pot but he has

:49:48.:50:07.

not left the red. Everything is safe. He could be deemed fortunate

:50:08.:50:16.

there. The fact that he was snookered on the green and brown in

:50:17.:50:22.

the ball area, it makes Liang's city shot more difficult. -- in the baulk

:50:23.:50:30.

area. Not much he can do with the cue ball

:50:31.:51:19.

because it is so close to the cushion.

:51:20.:51:27.

A difficult frame. Wonderful horrible frames you get when the

:51:28.:51:34.

players keep tapping the balls. -- one of those horrible frames.

:51:35.:51:39.

Because they cannot leave that red in the baulk area. Sometimes the

:51:40.:51:42.

frames end up looking like rear racks. -- re-racks. The players do

:51:43.:51:51.

not like these frames either. Either player cannot run away up

:51:52.:52:25.

into the right corner of the table because they would leave themselves

:52:26.:52:30.

in trouble. Once again, tight on the cushion,

:52:31.:52:57.

preventing Liang Wenbo from being able to get any back spin on the

:52:58.:53:07.

ball. You do not want to leave a part, that is the priority. Just

:53:08.:53:15.

make sure the cue ball is away from the cushion, bring it back. -- you

:53:16.:53:17.

do not want to leave a pot. It looks as if he's going to take

:53:18.:53:45.

this very difficult spot on. Where is the ball going? It is going past

:53:46.:53:53.

the blue. It does not want to go into the pocket. I thought when he

:53:54.:54:05.

was getting down to take that on... OK, he hit it a little thinner than

:54:06.:54:10.

intended, but it was always a distinct possibility. He looks a bit

:54:11.:54:11.

confused. Directory just asking the crowd...

:54:12.:54:45.

It is OK to have an atmosphere, but when one player shouts out, it

:54:46.:54:48.

doesn't help the player that is at the table, even though they mean

:54:49.:54:51.

good. It can work against you. Usually, when the pressure is at its

:54:52.:55:16.

highest, the best players produce the most. And this is a good chance

:55:17.:55:22.

already but if he plays the cannon up into the pack here, he could

:55:23.:55:26.

force a few reds out. Obviously he has a choice of shots. A few open

:55:27.:55:32.

reds that he could play, but there is the chance to storm into the pack

:55:33.:55:38.

if he wanted it. He decided to play the loose one.

:55:39.:56:26.

It is all about the split here. Deep screw. How is your luck?

:56:27.:57:07.

I am not surprised he hangs his head. He really did give that a good

:57:08.:57:20.

old belt. He needed two force it but he did not have too it that hard.

:57:21.:57:26.

And that is what he thinks of it. -- he did not have to hit it that hard.

:57:27.:57:33.

It is little shots like that that can get you annoyed. He is 39 in

:57:34.:57:39.

front. Most of the time, he would go on and make enough to secure the

:57:40.:57:40.

frame. It is not an easy chance by any

:57:41.:57:54.

means but it is a chance that Liang Wenbo was not expecting. Good for

:57:55.:58:01.

him to knock the black in and get that back on its spot. It will help

:58:02.:58:02.

to get that out of commission. Up in the corner, that is the one he

:58:03.:58:26.

will take. In the context of the level of snooker we are playing at,

:58:27.:58:32.

this constitutes a chance. And a pretty big one at that. Two cannons

:58:33.:58:38.

away here from making this a brilliant opportunity. And he pulled

:58:39.:58:43.

himself together? -- can he hold himself.

:58:44.:59:16.

You just want to be straight on this but he is not. A nice angle. Coming

:59:17.:59:23.

round for the loose red at the bottom. He played that nicely.

:59:24.:00:03.

Those rates that are above the rate, I don't think he will be parting in

:00:04.:00:08.

any pockets, they will have to be moved at some point during the

:00:09.:00:10.

break. Excellent chance, not totally

:00:11.:00:36.

straightforward. -- those reds. 33. Cue ball into a position where he

:00:37.:00:40.

was going to have a choice of green, brown or blue, believe it or not.

:00:41.:00:59.

Interesting to see how he goes about this. No problem with the loose

:01:00.:01:05.

thread, there are near the pink spot, but those other two, how is he

:01:06.:01:12.

going to open those up? Just play on it, on the red, and onto the cannon,

:01:13.:01:21.

or is he going to do something else, interesting. The beauty of this

:01:22.:01:26.

game, Dennis, all players see it differently.

:01:27.:01:39.

No problem getting on the red to the left of the pink spot, thought he

:01:40.:01:44.

may have been able to leave the blue in such a way that he potted the

:01:45.:01:47.

blue and cannon and the two reds, leaving himself a few options.

:01:48.:01:53.

Another way that he can play it, he can drop the blue in, pot the red,

:01:54.:01:57.

flick the other one out on it, if he wants to do that... But now it looks

:01:58.:02:06.

like he is going to get good position of this and cannon off the

:02:07.:02:13.

black. This is the big part of the match here, can you negotiate the

:02:14.:02:18.

cannon off the black and put the two reds up? I'm pretty sure that they

:02:19.:02:20.

do not pot. Has he gone a little further than he

:02:21.:02:36.

wanted, he has the cannon, he is OK, you need to get plenty of screw on

:02:37.:02:41.

this to get the cannon. Not stick on it, either.

:02:42.:02:48.

That is a poor shot. I think that was just down to a little bit of

:02:49.:02:55.

tension, he knew the importance of that 1-shot, new new, if he got the

:02:56.:03:00.

cannon Wright, he could win the frame. -- one shot. -- he knew. Only

:03:01.:03:21.

11 in front. -- if he got the cannon right. Safe on the side cushion.

:03:22.:03:29.

This is not the best safety shot he has ever played. Liang Wenbo, 50.

:03:30.:03:39.

Nice 50 break, though. APPLAUSE It is a good 50. But a couple of

:03:40.:03:43.

very poor shots on the end of it, shouldn't have missed the cannon,

:03:44.:03:47.

you don't do that plain good safety, and that wasn't. But he hasn't been

:03:48.:03:49.

punished for it. Is this... Where is this thread

:03:50.:04:53.

going to finish? -- red. It was a tough one that he took on there.

:04:54.:05:01.

Certainly at this stage of proceedings, a lot of pressure on

:05:02.:05:12.

that attempt. Liang Wenbo looking to see if he can avoid the cannon on

:05:13.:05:16.

the green if he pops the red, at this stage of the frame, the

:05:17.:05:20.

priority is to knock the object ball in, which is the red, of course,

:05:21.:05:25.

sometimes you get the pot, sometimes you have to stand for position.

:05:26.:05:38.

Could avoid it. Good pot. And now... He has the angle, little bit of

:05:39.:05:41.

pressure on the black, to say the least.

:05:42.:05:57.

Just the pace. Any harder, that would have wobbled and stayed out.

:05:58.:06:06.

If it pops on red and black, he's going to need the yellow... Beside

:06:07.:06:15.

it... Going to need the yellow even if you played for the black, much

:06:16.:06:19.

easier to get position when you're close to the ball colours, so good

:06:20.:06:26.

thinking there from Liang Wenbo. Just means he has got to pot a few

:06:27.:06:37.

more balls. Good stuff from Liang Wenbo... Mistakes at the end of the

:06:38.:06:43.

50 break. Didn't get punished by Ronnie, holding himself together

:06:44.:06:50.

very well here. The tournament favourite, if he's going to get

:06:51.:06:53.

through in this round, news going to have to do it the hard way, he's

:06:54.:06:56.

going to have to win the last two frames of his opening match. The

:06:57.:07:07.

pattern has been broken, two for one player and two for another player.

:07:08.:07:11.

This will be three in a row for Liang Wenbo, and...

:07:12.:07:24.

Doesn't matter the fact that he has finished close on the pink. Not far

:07:25.:07:32.

away. Not far away! 43. APPLAUSE

:07:33.:07:46.

Well, what a gritty performance from the Chinese buyer, he has won the

:07:47.:07:52.

last three frames, now gets himself one ahead, he needs one for a famous

:07:53.:07:56.

victory, it has to be said. -- Chinese player.

:07:57.:07:59.

STUDIO: Looking so comfortable for Ronnie, and now three on the bounce

:08:00.:08:06.

for Liang Wenbo, a shot in the air, you sensed Ronnie's frustration,

:08:07.:08:12.

tried to force it. Little bit of pace required, steered it, hooked it

:08:13.:08:16.

to some degree, later on in the frame, missed a long read, hit the

:08:17.:08:20.

wrong side of it, hats he has missed his cue action for the day, can

:08:21.:08:24.

sometimes happen, in his chair, doesn't look like he has too much

:08:25.:08:28.

adrenaline pumping around, a bit flat at the moment. Somehow, he's

:08:29.:08:33.

got to dig himself out of a hole. The way that the match is completely

:08:34.:08:38.

swung away from him, how do you read it? You've got to give credit to

:08:39.:08:41.

Liang Wenbo, as himself right back into it, looks... Steve said, his

:08:42.:08:46.

attitude looks definitely better, looks more alert, and in his chair

:08:47.:08:53.

and at the table. Pool is, that black, by Ronnie, and a couple of

:08:54.:08:58.

long pots which he did not even get close, either he is relaxing and

:08:59.:09:01.

letting his concentration slip, or he's feeling the pressure. -- poor

:09:02.:09:12.

miss. Talking about attitude to the game, Ronnie is in his 40s, the one

:09:13.:09:16.

thing that became harder as you got older was the fire in your belly

:09:17.:09:20.

every match, right from the off. And possibly, mentally, he hasn't got it

:09:21.:09:27.

as much as he needs to to apply the killer instinct early on and now,

:09:28.:09:31.

somehow he's got to switch the switch, which is a lot harder to do.

:09:32.:09:35.

Is going to have to win the last couple of frames. The defending

:09:36.:09:38.

champion is really under it. COMMENTATOR: We have seen him under

:09:39.:09:46.

it on many occasions, sometimes that is when he produces his best. He's

:09:47.:09:53.

going to need it now, against Liang Wenbo, who is growing in confidence.

:09:54.:09:59.

We always say, the hardest frame to win is the one that gets you over

:10:00.:10:03.

the line, not so much for the players right at the top, Liang

:10:04.:10:09.

Wenbo climbing that world ranking ladder. APPLAUSE

:10:10.:10:20.

Good opener, close to the cushion, showing you the pot again.

:10:21.:10:36.

Just had the one victory against Ronnie, Ronnie has had five wins.

:10:37.:10:49.

Close match in the Shanghai Masters, not that long ago. Ronnie won that

:10:50.:10:58.

on the deciding frame, 5-4. But they had never played each other in the

:10:59.:10:59.

Masters. That is a cracking shot, if he's

:11:00.:11:43.

held that for the black. APPLAUSE Pinpoint accuracy there. But that

:11:44.:11:53.

certainly wasn't pinpoint accuracy with the positional shot.

:11:54.:11:56.

CO-COMMENTATOR: I bet you he can believe he didn't get the cannon

:11:57.:12:05.

there. Just played, just to nudge that out of the way, stay on the

:12:06.:12:10.

other one, but it didn't happen. He can put this in, can't he? Not like

:12:11.:12:17.

that he can. -- not like that he can't. The blue may have come to his

:12:18.:12:25.

rescue. Ronnie O'Sullivan, eight. And it has. Not the worst for

:12:26.:12:29.

Ronnie. That is a poor shot from Liang

:12:30.:12:52.

Wenbo. OK, not straightforward to get good position. Played some very

:12:53.:12:56.

good safety shots but that was not one of them there. I said it wasn't

:12:57.:13:05.

going to be easy to get on a colour, look where he has finished. Not only

:13:06.:13:14.

that he has knocked a red over the pocket, so that at that, of all the

:13:15.:13:20.

possible outcomes. Usually know your way around a table, how does he get

:13:21.:13:24.

out of this one... Playing the yellow, even if he hits it, can he

:13:25.:13:33.

get it safe? Foul. Ronnie O'Sullivan, one, Liang Wenbo, four.

:13:34.:13:36.

Into the left corner pocket, having a look at that... He has decided to

:13:37.:13:41.

put it back... He will have to go back to that, if the position had

:13:42.:13:46.

been easier, of the other, off the red on the left, he would have taken

:13:47.:13:50.

it, the fact he could not see the one over on the right, didn't fancy

:13:51.:13:54.

it, even if Ronnie hits this yellow, will do very well to get it safe.

:13:55.:14:04.

Foul, miss, Liang Wenbo, four. Coming back again because it is

:14:05.:14:12.

covering the pocket. Nice situation for Liang Wenbo at the moment. Just

:14:13.:14:19.

that read that he had over the pocket, wasn't sure what was going

:14:20.:14:22.

to happen to the cue ball, had the worst possible outcome. Third time

:14:23.:14:24.

lucky... APPLAUSE Was always going to leave the red

:14:25.:14:38.

that was over the pocket. Similar scenario for Liang Wenbo, to get

:14:39.:14:49.

onto a colour. Always tricky, these, to try to get up for the colour, as

:14:50.:14:54.

you say, getting trapped. Tried to drop it in. I think he was playing

:14:55.:15:04.

on the pink, in the middle. A bit of pressure on the long blue, if he

:15:05.:15:08.

wants to take a go. Really need one more frame. Good long potter, wee

:15:09.:15:15.

bit of pressure on this because there are red is available into the

:15:16.:15:24.

left corner. Just got to make sure he finishes his cue action here,

:15:25.:15:27.

right back and right through, low movement. The pressure.

:15:28.:15:35.

APPLAUSE Me nice and clean, right in the

:15:36.:15:44.

centre of the pocket. Not out of the woods yet, where

:15:45.:15:51.

position is concerned. This is a great performance from the

:15:52.:16:19.

Chinese player, he only played once before in the Masters, losing 6-4,

:16:20.:16:23.

two John Higgins, at this stage last year. -- losing 6-4, to John

:16:24.:16:30.

Higgins, every match in the Masters is like a world final, John. It

:16:31.:16:37.

wasn't in any doubt about Liang Wenbo's ability turning up today,

:16:38.:16:41.

but it was about his ability to handle the situation and the

:16:42.:16:44.

occasion. Very intimidating playing Ronnie O'Sullivan here, 2000 people,

:16:45.:16:50.

99% of them supporting Ronnie, so you are playing against the table,

:16:51.:16:53.

the balls, Ronnie O'Sullivan and most of the crowd. You have to have

:16:54.:16:58.

a certain mentality to be able to cope with all of that.

:16:59.:17:05.

That's pretty poor, a little bit of tension in the arm, he's in no man's

:17:06.:17:14.

land with the cue ball, so easy to get on the pink or the blue, if you

:17:15.:17:18.

want to screw back. Why did he's done it, needs to be a screw shot,

:17:19.:17:24.

if he plays the screw shot, pink or blue, to stand it, give yourself

:17:25.:17:28.

less of a chance of being on the pink, can only be tension. That was

:17:29.:17:33.

a very easy shot for him to make a mess of.

:17:34.:17:39.

What about this for a shot he is taking on.

:17:40.:17:55.

I think he was so disappointed with his previous positional shot that he

:17:56.:18:03.

thought he'd have a go on that, but that was a disappointing shot, under

:18:04.:18:09.

the circumstances. Classic example of not happy with the positional

:18:10.:18:14.

shot you played beforehand, so onto a better expression, pushed the boat

:18:15.:18:24.

out. Will it be costly, though? Mind you, Ronnie didn't play a good shot,

:18:25.:18:28.

wrong side of the blue, now he's having to pull out another good shot

:18:29.:18:37.

here. That's a pretty good recovery there are! APPLAUSE

:18:38.:18:54.

It's gone wrong. Then again, lively cloth... He wanted a full ball, not

:18:55.:19:21.

half-ball contact on that cannon. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 12. One of those,

:19:22.:19:26.

I think you might have been snookered on the black, with the jaw

:19:27.:19:30.

of the pocket, one of those he is pleased the reds did not go in. --

:19:31.:19:43.

red. Yeah, got a couple of shots he can play here but might roll onto

:19:44.:19:46.

the red that is just above the cue ball, on the side cushion, could

:19:47.:19:50.

drop of that, could play the one near the paint, go behind the

:19:51.:19:54.

yellow, bring it back near the black, a few shots he can play. --

:19:55.:20:02.

near the pink. What's the sure, it's not going to be an attacking shot.

:20:03.:20:12.

-- Watts for sure. -- what's for sure. He has got to make sure he

:20:13.:20:19.

covers the red that is near the green pocket. I don't think he has,

:20:20.:20:33.

he's left a path through for that. OK, an awful lot of distance between

:20:34.:20:39.

the cue ball and the object ball, but there is a situation which Liang

:20:40.:20:44.

Wenbo, not dead straight, one good pot here, you would think he would

:20:45.:20:49.

come up for the blue, certainly get on a colour. Test of cueing, this.

:20:50.:21:03.

Well done! APPLAUSE What a chance now for the Chinese

:21:04.:21:10.

player, required terrific cueing, could not hit it any better.

:21:11.:21:27.

Well, this is getting tense, big smile from Liang Wenbo. He can

:21:28.:21:36.

smile, Dennis, but that is a terrible shot, honestly, that is a

:21:37.:21:41.

stinker, such an area there to fit, to do that... Honestly, that was as

:21:42.:21:47.

close to frame and match as you were going to get, with that chance.

:21:48.:21:52.

While! What a mistake. -- Wow! Cannon on either of the two reds

:21:53.:22:13.

next to the pink. Promoted those towards the corner, ones in the

:22:14.:22:14.

middle... Liang Wenbo, six. He's doing his

:22:15.:22:35.

best to lose this frame...! Really tough shots to take on. One. Red,

:22:36.:22:48.

next to the brown, no problem. Four reds, near the pink, not

:22:49.:22:55.

perfectly placed, by any means... The one just to the left of the pink

:22:56.:23:13.

is still available, angle to cannon... Two reds that Liang tried

:23:14.:23:20.

to cannon. APPLAUSE Played perfectly. 12. He can pop

:23:21.:23:28.

this and flick the other red away from the pink. -- pot. He can do,

:23:29.:23:36.

Patsy is thinking, maybe, do I want to take the chance, in case it goes

:23:37.:23:40.

slightly wrong...? Doesn't look a natural. -- it does look natural, to

:23:41.:23:46.

pot that red and flick the other one away from the pink.

:23:47.:23:55.

Straightforward in the end, as you said, I think he was thinking, I

:23:56.:24:08.

don't really want to be risking any little cannons at this stage. Played

:24:09.:24:10.

it well. 20. Every chance now that we're going to

:24:11.:24:28.

have a deciding frame, in the opening match, in this Masters

:24:29.:24:37.

contest. 27. Ronnie O'Sullivan, looking good in

:24:38.:25:11.

this frame. Not just yet... Well... That's an interesting... Ronnie

:25:12.:25:16.

O'Sullivan, 34. What a chance this is. Why didn't he drop in the pink

:25:17.:25:20.

and secure the frame? I think he's head went a little bit because of

:25:21.:25:24.

the previous shot. Not inking straight at the moment. Potted a

:25:25.:25:32.

few... If Liang knocks this one in, it could be frame and match...

:25:33.:25:35.

APPLAUSE Wobbled its way into the pocket. But

:25:36.:25:48.

that last... Very strange from Ronnie... Just drop it in, and... He

:25:49.:25:55.

could pinch the match by just one point. Nine.

:25:56.:26:08.

14. Wants to get absolutely plumb on the black to make it

:26:09.:26:16.

straightforward. Needs to bounce off the cushion. APPLAUSE

:26:17.:26:24.

This one could be going... Right into the pocket. A little bit of

:26:25.:26:28.

pressure on it, but this will be very slow. No! Can you believe it!

:26:29.:26:43.

All he had to do was drop the black in. Get in! Ronnie O'Sullivan

:26:44.:26:52.

thought he was out, we all thought he was out, the crowd thought he was

:26:53.:26:58.

out, but how did Liang Wenbo misjudge getting the black in, hit

:26:59.:27:01.

it a little bit harder than he needed, but it is all square, 5-5.

:27:02.:27:07.

STUDIO: You cannot get your breath, in the palm of his hand, and we are

:27:08.:27:14.

into a decider. We have all been there as players, the expectation

:27:15.:27:17.

level therefore Liang Wenbo was to steal the match, he has had his

:27:18.:27:22.

chance, whatever happens now, he cannot complain, how he must be

:27:23.:27:24.

feeling at the moment, nothing worse in the game then missing a

:27:25.:27:30.

relatively easy match ball. You have been there, more often than not you

:27:31.:27:33.

have come through successfully, what a lifeline for Ronnie. To be honest,

:27:34.:27:39.

I did not fancy Wenbo to clean up, he was perfect on every single shot,

:27:40.:27:43.

just... Obviously wanted to be straight on the black, but, I just

:27:44.:27:47.

didn't fancy him putting it, for some reason, I don't know why, he

:27:48.:27:51.

needed the black on the spot, I think... The magnitude of the

:27:52.:27:56.

victory against Ronnie, in a game like this just got to him. Getting

:27:57.:28:00.

over the line at the best of times against Ronnie O'Sullivan is tough

:28:01.:28:03.

but in this atmosphere, 2000 people watching you, the tension of this,

:28:04.:28:08.

Ronnie has not been out in round one for five-year is. When 2000 people

:28:09.:28:14.

go dead quiet, it is on you! Trains the enough, when he was playing pink

:28:15.:28:18.

to black, talking about which way to go, I thought that if he goes of the

:28:19.:28:22.

side cushion and plays the run-through, I think he gets on the

:28:23.:28:25.

black better. Stunning it down, there was the chance that he would

:28:26.:28:29.

leave himself low. Perhaps it is just me thinking about the way that

:28:30.:28:33.

I would have played it myself but Ronnie missed the pink in the middle

:28:34.:28:36.

pocket, must have thought there was a chance that had gone begging.

:28:37.:28:42.

Looked OK for Liang Wenbo at that stage, Ronnie O'Sullivan is back in

:28:43.:28:46.

its now. Those of you who remember last year 's Masters will remember

:28:47.:28:49.

the final decider, Mark Williams against Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ronnie

:28:50.:28:54.

came through it and went on to hammer Barry Hawkins, 10-1, in the

:28:55.:28:59.

final. Goodness me. Then we go. Deciding frame. First match of the

:29:00.:29:04.

Masters, first decider. COMMENTATOR: Not the best of Rachel

:29:05.:29:14.

shots. Cover that one. Nice little touch. Patted Ronnie before the

:29:15.:29:18.

start of the frame. The cannon on the black has come to

:29:19.:29:33.

his rescue there. Because he would certainly have left Liang Wenbo in

:29:34.:29:35.

among them. CO-COMMENTATOR: We are in a decider,

:29:36.:30:00.

I don't know where we are, look at this again, why not play it dead

:30:01.:30:04.

weight, first day of the tournament, love is then, sliding in a little

:30:05.:30:09.

bit, drop it into the jaws, let it drop in, gravity would have taken

:30:10.:30:15.

that one in. He will need some mental fortitude to get that behind

:30:16.:30:20.

him to get the final frame. -- not the best of break-off shots. Should

:30:21.:30:24.

have been all over. Ronnie hoping to cover the red. To

:30:25.:30:45.

the left of the blue, this cuts into the middle pocket. Wouldn't it be

:30:46.:30:49.

ironic, after missing the black, if Liang Wenbo were to put this in. Cue

:30:50.:30:55.

ball looks as though it will career into the pink, if this goes in, it

:30:56.:30:59.

could open things up. Black over the pocket but what a big shot.

:31:00.:31:10.

. He played a very positive shot. He is unlucky not to finish on the

:31:11.:31:20.

black. But after the easy black he missed to knock the defending

:31:21.:31:23.

champion out, that was a great opening red. That was a great part

:31:24.:31:34.

but you know what it is like, Dennis, when you miss opportunities

:31:35.:31:38.

in this game, the snookered gods do not forgive you. -- that was a great

:31:39.:31:45.

pot. Expect a bad run of the balls. He got one there. That was an

:31:46.:31:48.

excellent box. That is probably the best pot of

:31:49.:32:02.

this match so far. Fully stretched, you could hear the

:32:03.:32:24.

groans from Ronnie. It is not about opportunity. -- not a bad

:32:25.:32:33.

opportunity. I think that red, closest to the

:32:34.:33:26.

black is available. He will have to be careful. The cue ball was always

:33:27.:33:30.

going close to the corner pocket. This is not an easy part. And you've

:33:31.:33:38.

seen the black that Wenbo missed in the last round, nothing is easy.

:33:39.:33:50.

One player is a little better than the other are getting over the line.

:33:51.:33:57.

It is all about experience and he has done it so many times. Hard to

:33:58.:34:01.

believe that this is his 23rd Masters. He has been a champion six

:34:02.:34:06.

times, runner-up on three occasions. He has seen everything there is to

:34:07.:34:25.

see in the game of snooker. This is slightly awkward here. He has

:34:26.:34:36.

decided to pool for the black. You might have thought he would go for

:34:37.:34:42.

the blue but he did not fancy playing through the gap.

:34:43.:34:48.

Whoever wins this deciding frame, they have a few days off and will

:34:49.:34:57.

not play again until Thursday. You say whoever wins this game but I

:34:58.:35:01.

think this is all over. There is pressure in this final frame but he

:35:02.:35:04.

has been given a massive lifeline. He knows full well he should have

:35:05.:35:09.

been out of this year's event. But like all the great champions, and

:35:10.:35:11.

there are a couple in the studio this afternoon, they note that if

:35:12.:35:16.

they ever got a second bite of the cherry, they would not let it go

:35:17.:35:17.

begging. And how many times did we see them

:35:18.:35:28.

do it in style? Finish with a match-winning break. Just taking a

:35:29.:35:37.

little bit of time to make sure that he does not play an unnecessary

:35:38.:35:44.

cannon, to get out of position. Trying to do it without playing a

:35:45.:35:48.

cannon, to take that risk element out of it. He is worried about the

:35:49.:35:54.

growing himself behind that red. Like all great champions, he can

:35:55.:36:01.

smell blood. He knows immediately that this is the chance to win the

:36:02.:36:06.

frame and the match. In a match he should have lost.

:36:07.:36:10.

This will be a sore one for Liang. He will be thinking about that black

:36:11.:36:27.

for a long time. A black that would have knocked out the defending

:36:28.:36:32.

champion. Just a few more pots away from keeping himself in this year's

:36:33.:36:36.

Masters. I think we can use to the idea that

:36:37.:36:53.

there will be many more of these in this year 's event. You have to feel

:36:54.:37:04.

sorry for Liang Wenbo. He played so well, losing the two opening frames,

:37:05.:37:10.

he came back and won three in a row. He was just one point away from

:37:11.:37:22.

knocking out Ronnie O'Sullivan. But how well has he taken these? He has

:37:23.:37:27.

waltzed around the table like he is in the club. He really is one of the

:37:28.:37:32.

best closers of matches I have ever seen. This has been him at his best

:37:33.:37:41.

in the final frame, when it matters most. Top-class performance in the

:37:42.:37:58.

final frame. A tricky red. That might just finish it.

:37:59.:38:10.

What a time to make your highest break of the match. A frame that

:38:11.:38:16.

takes you into the next round. And the crowd will be delighted that

:38:17.:38:40.

their favourite has stayed in. Quite a few players will be gutted that he

:38:41.:38:42.

has. I think we are going to keep on

:38:43.:38:58.

clapping like the way through this frame. They might as well. Well, you

:38:59.:39:10.

cannot take it away from the defending champion, Ronnie

:39:11.:39:15.

O'Sullivan. Big smiles and hugs from his good frame, Liang Wenbo. Just

:39:16.:39:20.

one pot away from knocking out the defending champion, but in the end,

:39:21.:39:25.

he did it, as great champions always do it, in style, with that

:39:26.:39:30.

magnificent break of 121. And he goes through to the next round,

:39:31.:39:34.

beating Liang Wenbo six frames to five. HAZEL IRVINE: The two are

:39:35.:39:41.

great frames but what a dramatic let off for O'Sullivan and what a way to

:39:42.:39:44.

complete that incredible match. Your reaction to that? That is the most

:39:45.:39:52.

focused he was all match. That comes automatically. You have either got

:39:53.:39:55.

that or you have not and that is what separates the best from the

:39:56.:40:00.

rest. What a let off. Wenbo will not have a great night's sleep. But it

:40:01.:40:05.

Ronnie O'Sullivan my sometimes you need is the adrenaline pumping

:40:06.:40:08.

through his body and throughout that match, it was not that type of

:40:09.:40:14.

match. There was no real danger at 4-2. But when it looks like he's

:40:15.:40:20.

going out and Wenbo misses the final black, Ronnie O'Sullivan is on red

:40:21.:40:23.

alert. He was never going to make any mistakes in that last frame. And

:40:24.:40:30.

how close was he? Not that close. It will be interesting to see how he

:40:31.:40:35.

feels about it. A fantastic way to finish but that was pretty close. I

:40:36.:40:40.

know I have won but I did not deserve it. It was there for the

:40:41.:40:44.

taking. I did not play very well today. I know what it feels like to

:40:45.:40:51.

be one ball away from winning the match. It will be hard for him to

:40:52.:40:57.

deal with that one. What were you thinking when he was on that shot? I

:40:58.:41:02.

was thinking I might have a nice week off, because I am not feeling

:41:03.:41:09.

that well. I have felt really tired. I have trouble vision out there. I

:41:10.:41:13.

am shaking and I just wanted the match to be over. I am hoping that I

:41:14.:41:18.

will feel a bit better. You looked a little flat in the chair towards the

:41:19.:41:22.

end. You coming down with something? I have at this for about a month. I

:41:23.:41:29.

will probably give it to you. -- I have had this. In terms of the

:41:30.:41:32.

adrenaline kicking in, it was therefore you. I did not feel any

:41:33.:41:37.

adrenaline. I did not feel like I was involved in the match, I was

:41:38.:41:41.

just going through the motions. Just trying my hardest, hanging in there,

:41:42.:41:45.

trying to stay professional. I did not expect to win, because I thought

:41:46.:41:49.

that he would have finished me off, but I got lucky. In the build-up,

:41:50.:41:55.

you talk about winning with style, and presumably it fell a bit short

:41:56.:42:02.

from your standards. I don't mean like I tried to go out there and do

:42:03.:42:06.

that, I just mean that my style over 20 years has been to play a pretty

:42:07.:42:12.

game, if you like, to try to win a game in one visit. You cannot always

:42:13.:42:18.

do that. I think I have done all right over 25 years, and I just

:42:19.:42:25.

enjoy winning. I do not get much pleasure out of playing poorly.

:42:26.:42:29.

Maybe Steve and Stephen were different. They were much more

:42:30.:42:32.

ferocious animals. I just want to play well, even in practice,

:42:33.:42:39.

otherwise I get down on myself. We were talking during the match about

:42:40.:42:43.

your chances of breaking Stephen's record and getting seven Masters

:42:44.:42:48.

titles. And for the first time, warning that record outright. I know

:42:49.:42:54.

that you do not try to put too much pressure on yourself but it would be

:42:55.:42:56.

a significant achievement if you pulled it off. If I do not get it

:42:57.:43:02.

this year, I have a good chance that you're after. I do not look around

:43:03.:43:06.

and see anyone else doing anything fantastic. If I stay fit and

:43:07.:43:13.

healthy, I have half a chance. Obviously, there are not a lot of

:43:14.:43:16.

grassroots coming through. I will play until I am 50, I suppose. Well

:43:17.:43:22.

done, Ronnie. Get their head down, and you have a few more days until

:43:23.:43:25.

your next March against Robinson or Ali Carter. -- your next match. And

:43:26.:43:33.

there is live coverage of that game from 7:00pm. I am back at 1145

:43:34.:43:37.

tonight were the highlights. And tomorrow, we're back with John

:43:38.:43:41.

Higgins taking on Mark Allen. Just to distract you from work on a

:43:42.:43:45.

Monday afternoon. If you need fresh air, ski Sunday is on at 6:15pm this

:43:46.:43:53.

evening. A classic weekend from Wengen. And at ten o'clock tonight,

:43:54.:43:58.

Match of the Day too, with Everton city and Man United. From all of us,

:43:59.:44:05.

you want a drama, you always get it. From our victor today, Ronnie

:44:06.:44:08.

O'Sullivan, and all the crew, thanks for being with us.

:44:09.:44:19.

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