27/02/2014 Snooker: Welsh Open Highlights

If Wales is a country that loves its sporting champions and, for the past

20 years there has been no bigger name in Welsh slicker than Mark

Williams. He was the last home-grown winner of the Bet Victor Welsh Open

and Welsh hopes rested on his shoulders again this year as the

early Welshman left in the fourth round. His opponent was Marco Fu,

from Hong Kong. Eight wins apiece in their previous meetings. Williams

had won both of their previous matches here at the Welsh Open. If

you were watching earlier you would have seen Marco Fu take a 2-1 lead,

and we pick it up in the fourth frame, Williams is at the table with

a healthy lead. What is happening here? He was

looking to put the brown safe. That is what you would say, but that

is an easy cannon, to knock it off. The trouble with playing that read

into the middle, if you hit it thin, he has played it with bottom

and side, he has caught it thin, and disturbed the reds. He has gone for

the long pop into the corner. -- long pot.

That cannot happen three games on the trot, surely?

Unless he just kisses the brown into play it is going to be difficult,

with him being right-handed, getting onto the blue, if he gets onto the

brown. He has got right back in the frame.

Looked like he was going to lose it. And all of a sudden, he's back right

in it. Big red, this one, awkward cueing. Making sure he does not

clean on the brown. -- lean on. So far, when he has been asked a

question he has come up with all the right answers. I'm not too sure if

this is straight on the blue, but he might want to play the stun

run-through at pace and try to bring the brown into play. I think it is

just about on. Has to play at firm to push through the brown. If it

hits the brown full in the face with the cue ball, it is going to be a

smoker for the yellow, so he's going to have to play it pacey.

Thankfully, for Williams fans, he missed the case. -- kiss. Struck it

well. A little bit further over to the left-hand side will make it a

little bit harder to get to the cannon.

I think that could just about be perfect. It might be just too much

of an angle to move the brown. It is going to be close. I think that this

too much of an angle to lay in behind. But again, what an effort

this has been. Brilliant effort, so far. This is going to hurt like a

frame has never heard before. -- hurt. Very well done. You have got

to take your hat off to Marco Fu. Mark Williams has just thrown the

last three frames away. Not over yet, of course, because he needs the

pink. If he is virtually straight, the

black could be quite difficult. If he just stands it in and leaves the

white exactly where the pink is, the Black should be relatively

straightforward. I don't believe it! It shows you how tight these

pockets are. How is that not gone in? What a turning point that could

be. I nearly fell off my chair! Well, an unbelievable frame of

snooker. It looked like Marco Fu was going to declare up again. He

didn't, he missed an easy pink and it was 2-2. The match, all square,

it's frame five and Mark Williams is at the table, trailing by 20 points.

-- 28 points. He's not happy because he has not

found the cushion but there is a red available to the middle. I don't

think that Marco Fu will take the chance between those two reds.

It is a bit of a shock to nothing but if he does not pot this red he's

going to leave an easy style thorn. That just shows how confident Marco

Fu is feeling. If he had missed that he gave Mark Williams a choice of

two or three, and as it is, it has gone in, and he is nicely on the

blue. That was a clever shot. Cleared into

an area, as long as he landed up near that pink spot, he had the

chance of landing on three or four reds.

41 point lead. May have to play the cannon here.

Another pro shop from Marco -- poor shot. All he is doing is trying to

squeeze past that read and be on the red that he has just kissed or the

one is further up. This is a thin one, going down for

the blue. He has missed the in-off and he is nicely on the brown. He

has got a nice angle as well on the blue. Could the latest on it, with

the Czech side, straighten the cue ball off this black cushion. --

check side. He has had a massive bounce again. Cannot understand what

has happened to this table this week. All of the players have been

on about it. It is coming off the cushion faster than it is going on.

The reason he is disappointed, if he plays the pot, he wants to bring

those three raids into play, being 62 and one, he doesn't really want

to do that. He cannot refuse to play this pot.

And how well has he played that? Mark Williams has not gone much

wrong this frame, apart from a safety shot where he didn't quite

find the top cushion. It has been a very high-quality

match, so far. Mark Williams could easily have been 3-0 up, and he is

2-1 behind. It looked like he is put -- like he was going to lose another

one, and Marco Fu missed that easy pink. But that has been very high

quality. He is enjoying himself now. A couple of crowd-pleasing shots.

An awkward bounce, but he has played that are absolute perfection. -- to

absolute. He has already had breaks of 76 and

70 in this match. Could we be about to see the first century?

320 career centuries Marco Fu has made. Both of these players have

made over 300. This black, for the 100. And in it

goes, what a terrific 103. Marco Fu will be over the moon, Mark Williams

has a lot to think about, two frames left to play, if he wants to extend

his chance of winning this year was jumping ship, he's going to have to

win both of them. Marco Fu winning -- needing just one more frame to

wrap things up. Would it come in frame six?

This is a tough safety shot to play, I hope it doesn't roll off. Because

if it does, this red is on. If it goes in, it could be end of match.

It's always very dangerous, after three or four frames there are

It's always very dangerous, after finger marks on the cloth. The ball

is not bound to run truly. If this goes in, it could be the end.

It's there. He just needs the red to leave Mark Williams needing a

snooker. Been a strange match for Mark Williams, he knows when he goes

home this evening he will be thinking of how much chances he let

slip. He could definitely have won this match quite convincingly. Marco

Fu has played very consistently towards the end of each frame.

He will be very disappointed, Mark Williams, now. Marco Fu looks like

he's done enough to win this frame. 37 points in front and 27 remaining.

Mark would come back to the table if he missed this yellow.

He won't be coming back to the table now.

A match that could easily have gone either way. The last Welshman has

now gone out of this tournament. Well played, Marco Fu, unlucky Mark

Williams. He had chances earlier on and didn't take them. Marco Fu goes

through 4-2. Very delighted with the win. I think I played pretty well

tonight. Mark had his chances to go probably 3-0 up, but he missed some

easy chances to let me back in. I was able to capitalise on his

mistakes and got two very important frames. So, I think that was the

crucial part of the game. Yeah, I suppose it is a good week. When you

start saying it's a good week when you get to the last 16, you know

something is wrong. I haven't got to that stage for a while. It was OK. I

was disappointed. I probably play tonight in the last two and lost

4-2. John Higgins has won this tournament three times. Today he

faced one of the game's brightest talents, Judd Trump. They put on a

terrific match which went to a deciding frame. We will join it now

with Higgins at the table, on a break of 40.

Let's see if he can hold the cue ball from here. Certainly doesn't

make the shot any easier having to put the spin on to cannon into the

red. That was enough to put him off. 40 break. He's in front. If Judd

Trump gets this red, he may go as favourite. A lot of pressure out

there. This boy can handle it. What a clever shot is that was. Just

bringing those two reds into play. It's all about the red on the back

bringing those two reds into play. cushion. Neither player can now

complain, whatever happens in this frame.

They have both had golden opportunities. Judd Trump has now

been given a second. Not happening here for Judd Trump.

Can't see the black, which he played for. OK, the pink is still

available. There's nothing worse than the image

you had of the shot you are going to play going all wrong. Now he has to

reset his mind. Oh, he's OK. He's on one in the

middle that was such a good shot and then get across for those two reds.

The confidence of youth. Couldn't agree with you more. That was

awkward. Now, you have to get the pace right on this shot. He could

easily snooker himself with the pink here. Got to get the pace right.

Trump can be rough on the edges at times, nobody is going to say he

hasn't got the bottle. He's proved that in his career so far. The only

thing worries me now, he is thinking about potting the pink and leaving

an angle on the red to bring the red into play. He has looked, he has got

down and looked at this. He is coming round again to look - shall I

leave an angle on the red to nudge into a red. He would be unlucky not

to be on the pink or black. What happens if he fits it full-ball and

the white stays on the cushion? You could look at the positive side of

the shot, Willie, as well if you like? I mean, things can go wrong if

he does this. I know what you're saying. He has not played it. You

don't really fancy him leaving the red there. Like you say, on the

black now, trying to bring it out or playing for it.

He decided to play it along the top cushion. I don't think he has a

perfect angle on this black. He's going to have to leave the red at

distance. That's very poor. That was a great attempt. OK he may

have played a poor positional shot on the previous one, he played that

with a lot of left hand side to bring the red into play.

He was always going can see, he's played the white cue

ball away. He wanted to play it gently and leave it on. Another

chance goes by. Just adds to the excitement of the deciding frame.

It's been brilliant this game. He tried to leave plenty distance

between cue ball and object ball. It couldn't have worked out better.

There will be another twist in this match, I can see it coming.

He has come to look at whether this can go round three cushions into the

middle pocket, but he would want to avoid that. He would want to get it

on the baulk cushion. He's looked at this. He's got it. He did look at

it. Don't get me wrong, it's not a fluke. He came round to look at the

shot. Now, needs the gap. Has he got the

gap? Boy, what a shot! Well played. It's harded to say whether anybody

deserved to lose this match. Judd Trump knows he's had every chance to

win it. He will be very disappointed not o

to have cleared when he had that chance at the last visit to the

table. John Higgins will be delighted to have won the match. It

could have gone either way. John Higgins, the four times Champion of

the World goes in to play Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarter-final. He

wins 4-3. It was a topsy-turvy game. We were getting - I was let ing --

getting luck, he was getting luck. I was having bad things happening, so

was he. It must have been a good game to watch. I imagined to catch

the last red and clear up. Which was pleasing. The Welsh are like the

Scottish, mad as a brush sometimes as well. They enjoy their snooker.

It's obviously had a long history here. They come out and support it

and give each player due respect, so they do. No, I've had great times

here. I'd love to have another good time, definitely. The there was a

big crowd in this afternoon to watch world Champion

big crowd in this afternoon to watch play Ricky Walden from Chester.

Ronnie looked comfortable right from the start, winning the first two

frames. Let's go now to the start of frame three.

Ronnie already has a great chance in this third frame. Certainly not

going well at the moment for Ricky Walden, is it Willie? Having lost

the last match 6-0, so it's eight on the trot in these previous two

matches. Ronnie wanted to finish low. The angle he has got, he will

have to play for the loose one. It's not a great pack to go into from the

black. It hopefully will see Ronnie playing the shot in a moment. Ronnie

O'Sullivan stuns into the pack. He has left it low on the red on

purpose to has left it low on the red on

play. Never misses a trick on the blackspot,

Wouldn't have too much idea where the cue ball was going to finish up

here. Must have thought it's almost sure to be on the blue.

Entitled to be aggrieved when he finishes on a red like that after a

poor positional shot. May see an example here of him playing left

handed or the long straightish pink to the far right corner rather? We

are playing the pink he has less to do with the cue ball.

He's obviously feeling very confident now, Ronnie. Possibly by

virture of the fact his opponent seems to be struggling out there a

little bit. Let's not forget how great Stephen

Hendry was in this position, sometimes when you played against

Hendry at his best, you never got a shot. That is how you must feel when

you are playing Ronnie O'Sullivan now. He gets in that rhythm where

you can't see him not making 40. Interesting, Willie, I had a chat

with Steven not a long ago really about Ronnie. He said to me when

Ronnie is at his best he is virtually unplayable. That is

Stephen Hendry telling me that. Hendry was unplayable at times. Only

three or four reds away from making this a frame-winning break and going

through in front with a possible four to play. Ricky Walden has his

back right against the wall. Doesn't have to leave an angle on

the black. Potting this red, it will free another red, Ronnie can get by

the winning post virtually without having to play a cannon.

One big difference I noticed, Ronnie in his first two matches Ronnie felt

the cushions were playing quicker than he expected them to. We have

gone down to a two table auditorium from a four table auditorium. I

think the table is more to Ronnie's liking, especially the cushions, the

speed of them. That is end of frame. Possible

chance now of the clearance. He has made 32 centuries this season.

Robertson is on 87. The is that one of the records that Ronnie will try

and break next year, try to get 100 centuries in a season? I don't think

that would ever be done. Robertson has a chance. Amazingly enough this

will be his 728 century in professional play.

Would have made over 10,000 in practice, I would think.

Warm applause by the crowd at the Newport Centre, watching a genius at

work. Red doesn't go in this time,

O'Sullivan with another century break in his career. Storming into a

3-0 lead. Credit to Ricky Walden, he kept his chin up and pulled a frame

back. There was no stopping The Rocket in the fifth as he wrapped up

the match with a break of 86. He has won 4-1 in every round of

the match with a break of 86. He has tournament so far. The World

Champion safely through to the quarter-finals. I was cueing really

good. I felt comfortable on the balls. My safety was good. My long

potting was good. You know, my accuracy was good. I was just... I

felt really involved in the match. I never once felt, even when Ricky won

that frame, I didn't start to panic. I thought, no, just enjoy this match

and try and stay focussed and treat every ball with the respect it

deserves. So the World Champion is safely through. Here are the

Orwiners and losers. In the biggest upset of the week so far,

19-year-old, Joel Walker put out defending Champion and number one

seed, Stephen Maguire. One of the hottest prospects in the game. I had

a little bit of help from Steven, to be honest. He didn't play

particularly well. But I was happy I played pretty solid. I missed a few

balls under pressure. I'm happy to get through. Mark Selby, the 2008

Champion here in Newport, he made it safely through to the quarter-finals

with a comfortable win against Ali Carter. 4-1, the final score here.

Over the moon. Ali is one of the top-class players in the world to

get a 4-1 over someone of his class, really happy with that. I suppose,

performance wise, I could have been more clinical. I started off OK.

Towards the end I started missing a you few. Ali wasn't on his game and

I took advantage of that. Liang Wenbo is to produce his best snooker

in Newport this week hitch was too Wenbo is to produce his best snooker

good for Scott Donaldson, 4-0 a comprehensive victory. Lucky to get

in the quad quarter-finals. I hope I can get better and better --

quarter-finals. Getting closer to the top always hard matches waiting

for you. I need to improve my game tomorrow. The tournament's eighth

seed, Stuart Bingham is out beaten in a deciding frame by fellow

Englishman, Joe Perry. It's a good win. Stuart is one of the top

players in the game these days. He is a man in running to win

tournaments and stuff. Yeah, it's a good win. Just, you know, I made a

meal of it, to be honest. I felt like I played the best stuff

throughout the match. Snou I -- somehow I nearly lost it. Here is

the quarter-final draw: what a tough task for Joel Walker against Ding

Junhui. Joe Perry will play Mark Selby. Marco Fu will play Barry

Hawkins who beat Liang Wenbo 4-2 to get into this quarter-final stage. A

terrific match, John Higgins, the four-time World Champion, against

the current holder of that title, Ronnie O'Sullivan. That match

featuring the World Champion will be live tomorrow at 1.00pm on BBC Two

Wales. We hope you can join us for that. Thank you for watching today.

From all of us here at the Newport Centre, a very good night.