:00:33. > :00:40.Hello, good evening and welcome back to the Dafabet Masters 2017. The
:00:41. > :00:45.crowds are slowly coming into Alexandra Palace for tonight's match
:00:46. > :00:49.as Mark Allen takes on Marco Fu, runner-up in 2011, who is playing
:00:50. > :00:53.some magnificent snooker at the moment. The prize at stake is a
:00:54. > :00:58.semifinal clash against Ronnie O'Sullivan after another cracking
:00:59. > :01:07.afternoon here at Ally Pally. Quickly out-of-the-box, the long red
:01:08. > :01:12.suggested the Aussie was in fine form. Ronnie matched Robertson's
:01:13. > :01:16.position with a fabulous pot 2-level proceedings. In frame four Robertson
:01:17. > :01:23.with this effort, surely a contender for shot of the tournament, all
:01:24. > :01:25.square at the interval. The middle frames were uncharacteristically
:01:26. > :01:33.erroneous. First Ronnie opened the door for Robertson to take the lead.
:01:34. > :01:37.Before the world number seven returned the gift in the very next
:01:38. > :01:47.frame. 3-3 and little to separate them. Lady luck suddenly favouring
:01:48. > :02:06.the Londoner in his home tournament. Amazingly, not just once, but twice
:02:07. > :02:13.in two frames the Rocket now two up with three to play.
:02:14. > :02:18.Another wayward attempt by Robertson opened the door for O'Sullivan to
:02:19. > :02:21.seal the match and take his place in the last four for the fourth
:02:22. > :02:40.consecutive year, closing out a 6-3 victory.
:02:41. > :02:45.Ronnie O'Sullivan, two wins away from his seventh title, he will play
:02:46. > :02:50.the winner of tonight's clash between world number eight Marco Fu
:02:51. > :02:52.and Mark Allen, who lost to Marco Fu in the semifinal in 2011 and is
:02:53. > :02:59.looking for revenge tonight. Good evening to John Parrott. Good
:03:00. > :03:02.to see you, you were in the commentary box this afternoon for
:03:03. > :03:06.that match, it resembled a heavyweights slugging contest, and
:03:07. > :03:08.never really got going but it was compelling to watch. Fascinating
:03:09. > :03:11.nonetheless, both players have played better but if you said we
:03:12. > :03:16.would plate nine frames of snooker and not have a century break,
:03:17. > :03:19.Ronnie's highest break was 68, I would have been surprised.
:03:20. > :03:22.Fascinating, lots of Luke Somers and great safety and poor safety, but
:03:23. > :03:43.fascinating to watch. The 2013 Welsh Open which Allen won
:03:44. > :03:49.but finished 6-4. Interestingly, Marco Fu went on to lose in 2011.
:03:50. > :03:52.Ding Junhui was in the final. You have to say Marco Fu must start this
:03:53. > :03:56.match as favourite, given just how poor setting that win over Judd
:03:57. > :04:00.Trump was earlier in the week. He does, the bookmakers make him
:04:01. > :04:03.favourite but I think from the four quarterfinal matches I think this is
:04:04. > :04:08.the hardest one to pick a winner. Mark Allen is in great form. Anyone
:04:09. > :04:11.who beats John Higgins here is playing well and Marco Fu at the age
:04:12. > :04:24.of 39th, for him to play the best snooker of his career is a fantastic
:04:25. > :04:28.achievement and this could be 6-5. You have watched him closely, what
:04:29. > :04:30.is it about Marco Fu? Ronnie mentioned he has changed his
:04:31. > :04:32.technique. Has had an impact? I think it is confidence, he has
:04:33. > :04:35.always been a good player. Generally the top players have that bit of
:04:36. > :04:38.extra belief in themselves and he has got that. Fascinating game
:04:39. > :04:41.between Stephen Hendry and Mark Allen and Stephen said to him, when
:04:42. > :04:46.are you going to start winning majors and what will be the
:04:47. > :04:49.difference? -- interview. He said, I need to lose weight and it was
:04:50. > :04:53.refreshing honesty. Do you think somebody like that can have a
:04:54. > :04:58.massive impact? I think so, is particularly with the standards
:04:59. > :05:01.being so high. In Sheffield, 17 days, long schedules, long matches,
:05:02. > :05:05.it takes a lot out of you and you need a good level of fitness and it
:05:06. > :05:09.would help. The players are standing by. Let's is a good evening to RMC
:05:10. > :05:13.Rob Walker. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,
:05:14. > :05:16.welcome to the climax of Day five of the Dafabet Masters, a meeting
:05:17. > :05:19.between two players who are both brilliant in their respective
:05:20. > :05:24.first-round victories and here they are going toe to toe for the right
:05:25. > :05:26.to take on O'Sullivan in the semis on Saturday. Here we go again at
:05:27. > :05:42.Alexandra Palace. Please welcome our first overall, a
:05:43. > :05:46.player bidding for his third Masters semifinal, here after that 6-5 final
:05:47. > :05:50.frame first round thriller over John Higgins, the winner of three ranking
:05:51. > :05:53.event titles, including last year's grand final, one of the best
:05:54. > :05:59.break-builders in the modern game, from Northern Ireland, he's Mark The
:06:00. > :06:31.Pistol Allen. And his opponent, a player in the
:06:32. > :06:34.best form we've seen from him in years. He won his third ranking
:06:35. > :06:39.event last month beating John Higgins in the Scottish open final
:06:40. > :06:44.from 4-1 down, his form in the first round win over Judd Trump was
:06:45. > :06:46.sublime on Tuesday. Can he produce it once again? Let's find out, as he
:06:47. > :07:17.comes from Hong Kong, Marco Fu! Good walk on music for Marco Fu but
:07:18. > :07:23.who will be the superhero tonight? Good evening to our own super
:07:24. > :07:28.heroes, John Virgo and Steve Davis. COMMENTATOR: Good evening, thank
:07:29. > :07:35.you. Interesting matchup, this. The world number eight, which is Marco
:07:36. > :07:40.Fu, against the world No 10 Mark Allen. Not much between them in the
:07:41. > :07:47.world rankings. The only thing I would say, Steve, is Marco is on a
:07:48. > :07:50.confident role at the moment -- confident roll. You can't beat a bit
:07:51. > :08:03.of confidence. Very impressive performances by both
:08:04. > :08:04.of these players in their first rounds. They will both come into
:08:05. > :08:24.this match with optimism. Lovely opening red from Marco.
:08:25. > :08:26.That's the type of balls he was knocking in relentlessly against
:08:27. > :08:34.Judd Trump at the latter stage of their match. He played really well
:08:35. > :08:43.there. And as Steve said there is nothing like confidence for his
:08:44. > :08:52.success. Hebe John Higgins in his own backyard. That's how well he has
:08:53. > :09:02.started to play. One of the best break-builders in the game. Has he's
:09:03. > :09:06.potted plant? I was going to say for a second he has underhit that but
:09:07. > :09:07.I'm not certain he played for this planet. It's possible, it's
:09:08. > :09:30.certainly makeable. He didn't get the pace of the cue
:09:31. > :09:34.ball right there. Sometimes when you are playing a plant your mind is
:09:35. > :09:42.distracted from getting the weight of the shot correct.
:09:43. > :09:56.We have been discussing it, John. Obviously Marco winning in Scotland
:09:57. > :10:01.recently. But with that, it seems there is a special air of confidence
:10:02. > :10:04.he has gained from somewhere. He is walking around the table, his chest
:10:05. > :10:06.poking around a bit more, he has more authority on the table, more
:10:07. > :10:24.presence. This is a fluke. Marco, you could
:10:25. > :10:32.see in the background, was getting out of his seat. He hadn't noticed
:10:33. > :10:35.the red going towards the pocket. He will be getting out of his seat now
:10:36. > :10:43.that he will find himself snookered behind the green.
:10:44. > :10:53.There was no way he had seen the planet. The came off two rates
:10:54. > :11:01.behind the pink and came off another one. It was a fluke. Twice across to
:11:02. > :11:09.get to the red near the top cushion. Will it slide? No, he hasn't judged
:11:10. > :11:14.it well. Would you have this replaced and take the red on? You
:11:15. > :11:17.would have to think Marco would get closer to the red, although it
:11:18. > :11:29.didn't look like he was guaranteed to be on. This is the shot he has
:11:30. > :11:37.got to play really. He played to cover up if he missed. He has left a
:11:38. > :11:45.sniff of this red. I don't know if Marco can play cushion first or go
:11:46. > :11:53.direct. Direct. It's the type of shot where you can't really turned
:11:54. > :11:58.that down. As a result of Marco playing a poor escape has led him
:11:59. > :11:59.hitting back into the balls. There is no rhyme or reason sometimes, is
:12:00. > :12:15.there? The way Marco scores when he gets in
:12:16. > :12:20.and around the black spot area, this is an excellent chance.
:12:21. > :12:26.We may see him play a little cannon on the five reds just below the
:12:27. > :12:31.pink. He is bound to be on the road to the opposite corner. -- on the
:12:32. > :13:29.red. That's the only red that's easy to
:13:30. > :13:39.get on. He wouldn't want to be too wide on it, he would want to be as
:13:40. > :13:43.straight as possible. There's a few little banana skins here, depending
:13:44. > :13:47.on what shot he chooses. The stun across for the loose red is the best
:13:48. > :13:53.option. He played through the gap and that is an excellent shot as
:13:54. > :13:59.well. The only danger with that was if he missed that cannon he would
:14:00. > :14:01.have been in no man's land arguably the correct shot. It has opened
:14:02. > :14:16.things up a bit more. Those three reds above the black, I
:14:17. > :14:22.would have thought the right-hand one goes to the corner, maybe it
:14:23. > :14:23.doesn't. But I think the right-hand one goes to the middle. Just
:14:24. > :14:37.covering one another at the minute. He has such an angle he may have to
:14:38. > :14:47.play another cannon. This time he's just caught it a fraction too thin.
:14:48. > :14:52.Has he got the plant? He just wanted to catch that red a little bit
:14:53. > :14:57.fuller. He would have been better off playing a three quarters for
:14:58. > :15:04.cannon harder. These reverse plants are not easy.
:15:05. > :15:16.Yeah. It's hard to judge sometimes. Well, that's two decent chances had
:15:17. > :15:21.now. And he's not made the most of them. So, here is a chance for Mark
:15:22. > :15:35.Allen, he comes to the table 32 points behind. He's plenty on.
:15:36. > :15:43.Didn't hit the centre of the cue ball there.
:15:44. > :15:48.He'll be very disappointed with that. A little bit of tension in the
:15:49. > :16:19.arm. Not an ideal position after this.
:16:20. > :16:22.You would expect him to get this yellow, but still these reds are not
:16:23. > :16:53.perfectly placed at the top. That's a little awkward. I don't
:16:54. > :16:58.know if he can cue past the brown for the yellow. It is the yellow he
:16:59. > :17:02.would have liked to have been on. He seems to be getting down quick.
:17:03. > :17:07.Maybe he can get to the centre of the cue ball. He's aware that brown
:17:08. > :17:13.- he's got to keep that cue straight.
:17:14. > :17:15.And all things considered, he's played this absolutely perfect. Good
:17:16. > :17:40.shot! Not perfect on this pink, but it
:17:41. > :17:45.might end up being OK for him if he can split these two reds apart. Lost
:17:46. > :17:56.the cue ball a bit. A thinner contact on the red than he thought
:17:57. > :18:03.he was going to get. So, this, all to intents and purpose, a match
:18:04. > :18:06.frame ball. It is missable. But I expect him to get it. Whichever one
:18:07. > :18:23.of the two he plays. 45 points, the lead. Still 67
:18:24. > :18:25.remaining. So he's going to need two reds, two colours to clinch the
:18:26. > :18:42.frame, this visit. And that was the problem he saw. He
:18:43. > :18:44.couldn't do much, being tight on the cushion. Knew he would run into the
:18:45. > :18:58.blue. But it is not bad. So, there you see it, 59 remaining.
:18:59. > :19:24.52 in front. With just 51 remaining. Three chances.
:19:25. > :21:20.Mark Allen obviously hasn't settled yet.
:21:21. > :21:33.He needed three chances. He'll be very pleased with how he's finished
:21:34. > :21:37.that frame. Mark Allen, well, never settled. So Marco Fu, comfortably
:21:38. > :21:48.takes the first frame, 1-0. Very neat and tidy from Marco Fu. On
:21:49. > :21:53.Tuesday Marco gave himself a mountain to climb. Tonight keen to
:21:54. > :21:56.get out of the blocks quickly? He came through it. But from Mark
:21:57. > :21:59.Allen's point of view, there was a shot there which was worrying. I
:22:00. > :22:05.know it was the first frame of a match, but id don't get anywhere
:22:06. > :22:08.close to this. At the start of a major quarter final you are trying
:22:09. > :22:11.to stamp your authority on it, to show your opponent you are there to
:22:12. > :22:17.play, that is not a great start from him. I saw in a couple of times in
:22:18. > :22:20.the match this afternoon, as soon as Marco missed that red, Mark was
:22:21. > :22:25.straight out of his seat. I wonder if matches like this, at a
:22:26. > :22:32.tournament like this, whether you can be too keen? I think and we've
:22:33. > :22:35.got one of the best men ever in the commentary box, Steve Davis used to
:22:36. > :22:39.win nearly every time. When you first chance comes it is important
:22:40. > :22:42.to take it. Marco was nervous there. Took three chances to win the frame.
:22:43. > :22:46.You have to stamp your authority in a match like this. Mark Allen will
:22:47. > :22:50.be kicking himself he didn't do it with that red. At the end of that
:22:51. > :22:54.frame as well, Marco looked so confident. You said he looked
:22:55. > :23:01.nervous. Looks confident at the end. It was good he cleared all the balls
:23:02. > :23:06.up as well to make sure he didn't get any more practise. We know the
:23:07. > :23:11.form Marco Fu is in. Mark Allen has to be less sloppy with the next
:23:12. > :23:16.frame. We finish here at 7. 30pm. But every ball is live on the BBC.
:23:17. > :23:22.All you have to do is hit your red butted on the or go via the BBC
:23:23. > :23:33.Sport app. The Premier League show starts at 7. 30pm. Back to the boys.
:23:34. > :23:41.The contact that was required, but if it doesn't bounce, does the green
:23:42. > :23:46.cover the path of this on the left-hand side of the table? If not
:23:47. > :23:53.there is a pot on here and there is a pot on.
:23:54. > :24:00.And stroked it in. As easy as you like! Lovely shot!
:24:01. > :24:07.A good chance to get into the reds. Perhaps not with screw, but with top
:24:08. > :24:21.spin this time. Played that very well.
:24:22. > :24:26.Certainly didn't have bundles of top spin, but he controlled the cue ball
:24:27. > :24:31.to stay in the middle of the table. Wonderfully well, didn't lose it.
:24:32. > :24:36.Unlucky, to some degree, how it has turned out.
:24:37. > :25:06.If Marco Fu makes the most of this opportunity I would say he's in a
:25:07. > :25:15.very strong mental position for the rest of this match.
:25:16. > :25:20.Giving your opponent a two-frame start, when he's feeling confident,
:25:21. > :25:24.Mark Allen's perspective is not the best start in the world.
:25:25. > :25:26.Nothing wrong with a safety shot from Mark Allen. Just left enough
:25:27. > :25:45.poking out. Nothing wrong with it. He got the
:25:46. > :25:49.contact. But of course to make the pot more difficult he needed to be
:25:50. > :25:56.tight to the baulk cushion. The green would have covered the angle.
:25:57. > :25:59.But not to be. He's got to sit down and watch this take shape. Four
:26:00. > :26:12.reds, four blacks. And he has made a maximum on four
:26:13. > :26:17.occasions, has Marco. He's one of the heaviest scorers in the game.
:26:18. > :26:28.He's fourth on the all-time list of century-makers.
:26:29. > :26:35.I think the chances of a maximum now may have just gone with that shot. I
:26:36. > :26:38.don't see how he can play for the black off this red. It was difficult
:26:39. > :27:04.to get top side of the red there. I think the pink goes. If it
:27:05. > :27:08.doesn't, that's a pretty poor effort.
:27:09. > :27:14.He's given it one look already. Walked away in disgust. Now he's
:27:15. > :27:42.going to play it, I think. Very nicely played. He's got the red
:27:43. > :27:47.in the left corner. Keeping the cue ball in more open
:27:48. > :27:48.play, I think, is the right thing to do.
:27:49. > :28:38.A good chance now. A good idea for you to press red
:28:39. > :28:43.button if you want to carry on. Mark Selby has the highest break of the
:28:44. > :28:49.match so far. 139. Marco Fu could beat that in the next couple of
:28:50. > :28:55.minutes. A 10,000 prize as well on offer for the highest break.
:28:56. > :29:01.Press red right now. Goodbye for now.
:29:02. > :29:05.If it ever came to pass that Mr Corbyn were the Prime Minister,
:29:06. > :29:11.Well, I think we're a basket case now. Have you seen Southern Rail?
:29:12. > :29:14.Have you seen the National Health Service?