Quarter-final Snooker: Welsh Open

Good evening and welcome to the Newport centre. Ding Junhui looking

to retain his crown. His quarter- final match coming up for you later.

We've had a terrific day of snooker at the Welsh open and we've seen a

little piece of history being made with the first Indian to reach and

a ranking quarter-final. It's been a fascinating journey so far. I've

taken it day by day. I was very passionate about it when I started

playing. At 16, I thought I could make it my career. By won

championships in 2005 and 2008. It has been billiards for me for the

last decade. It is my first love. It is my identity. I will still be

known as a billiards player irrespective of how I do in snooker

for the next few months or years. There is a lot for me here at

billiards, but I want to try my hand at snooker. It is different in

terms of techniques and the way you approach the game because snooker

is more accuracy and precision where is billiards is more of

stamina and patience. Now that I am playing snooker in the UK, I feel I

am part of the circuit and I feel that I am responsible for my

country and as a professional to perform to the highest possible

level and I am so glad I am able to produce my best snooker now. I

wouldn't say it's the most popular sport in India. There is cricket,

as you know, tennis, golf. We still have a long way to go in terms of

educating the public and making them more aware of the sport and

its nuances. I am happy things are improving and before you know it,

we might have it ranked snooker event. To be the first Indian to

make it to the quarter-finals of a ranked event, it has been great and

I am enjoying every moment of this journey. It's such a huge thing for

me personally because there is such a lot of hard work that goes behind

it which not many people know the sacrifices that you make when you

stay away from family. All these things make the journey worth it.

And it means a lot to me that I've got to the stage where I have.

the biggest match of the Indian's short career having disposed of

three former world champions en route, could he win the meeting

Known for his and long potting, the juggernaut has been improving. The

combination of pressure and bad luck mean that -- meant that Advani

The pots kept dropping and Trump was intent on putting his opponent

at the sword. The left-hander from Bristol four frames to the good in

just over an hour, one for him from defeat, the seven-times billiards

world champion was snookered. But as Advani has shown all week, he

has the temperament and ability to cope on the big stage and he

finally got on the scoresheet, thanks to this adventurous if not

Judd Trump de rail temporarily. Advani pulled back another. It was

dealt the final black. -- down to the final black. That is where the

comeback ended. Judd Trump booked his place in the last four claiming

victory, 5-2. Out, but the Indian certainly not a dull. -- not down.

Today he did pick it up a few notches. I'd enjoyed myself totally

in this event. Even if I lost in the quarter-finals, there is no

shame because I pulled a couple of frames back after being 4-0 down. I

had to come back as a stronger player. By safety was pretty good,

long pot was good and they dominated the game. I still missed

a few easy balls in the last couple of frames, but I'm going to cut

that out. It has been a great adventure for Pencoed at Folly.

Darren Morgan is my guest. -- Pankaj Advani. Indian newspapers

have been talking about Advani this week. In the 90s, James Watt came

along and exploded in Thailand. And Ding Junhui, and look at what has

happened in China. It is fantastic India have found a player. He has,

further East than any other Indian player. With a bit of luck, he will

be back. Stuart Bingham and Ken Doherty. He came back from 3-2 down

to see a place in the last four. -- to seal a place. Well done to

Stuart Bingham. I had a chat with them a few moments ago. He says he

is confident. He is the king of comeback. He'd done great and he

got out of jail yesterday. Neil Robertson thought he was in the

next round, but then Stuart Bingham was through. He didn't play as well

today. If he wants to have any chance in the next round, he will

have to play better. Stuart Bingham in the semi-final will play the

winner of tonight's quarter-final match between Robert Milkins and

One of the greatest players we've got, particularly when you think

about how much pressure is on him all the time from the media in the

UK and certainly in China. A player that strides on trial to become

better in every aspect of the game. His break building, cue action,

An introverted character but when he is out there playing a match, he

is a fantastic technician, he hits the ball so well. He is a

perfectionist in many ways and that gives you an idea of the level of

his own belief. He does know how His all-round game is really good.

His attitude, it doesn't look as if he wants to be there. But when he

wants to be there and he is on form, he is fantastic. I like him he is a

great player. Over the next couple He has won so many tournaments at

such a young age, he has got a lot more to give.

A terrific player, taking on Robert Milkins to send Mark Williams

crashing. He has never become the Chinese star but could this be his

night? We are picking up the action him frame to. Milkins to play,

Does he play the kiss on the red and black or for the two loose

reds? He could play for the two loose ones. He has played the

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He will not be able to hold for the blackmail. That definitely left the

bed of the table. He will have to Robert would say himself that is a

He could have done with being a bit further away from the cushion. That

wasn't an easy red. Yes, but he got down and hit that ball. He didn't

take care over that shot. He's fortunate if he hasn't left

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And he just sniggered himself on the road he wanted to play for. --

Just enough room to get him between 3LO and the brown. -- the yellow.

That is a fantastically well judged shot. They're not often played that

well, I can hear you. -- I can tell His good judgment has paid

dividends. He only needs 10. So unfortunately for Ding Junhui, he

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A very clever shot. The thing with him as he never gives away a chance

to win the frame. A lot of players would not have played that shot. He

We have had a lot of kicks and this He still needs the last red to be

He would have played for the black but he is straight on it, so I

wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't try to screw back to where he is

now because then he would have a good natural angle to dislodge the

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Just about got the angle to bring It looks like he could almost hit

it on the right home side of the It was always airing on the right

hand side. Any harder and he would He is entitled to look disappointed.

He has had chances in all of these frames. Barring snooker's, that

will be Ding Junhui taking the That is the best shot Robert

Milkins has played this evening. Perfect judgement of pace. This

The blue is the problem here. He's going to have to play with loads of

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That kicked because he was playing that should put the frame beyond

Robert has been careless, he should leave the auditorium and give

himself a good talking-to. He has been a player for many years but

the last couple of years, he has not been able to string any results

Doesn't matter about the blue because Robert welcomed -- Robert

Milkins remains in his chair. It is 2-0 to Ding Junhui. So he is

looking like the reigning champion. Into frame three we go. There is no

Well, that's more like it from Robert Milkins, nice clean pot. He

has had not had a good run on the That was a tough green. There was

pressure on that. He knew he would be, next red. The green has

cannoned the cluster of reds and opened more of them up. It is not

That has turned out well. The black available to both corners and the

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It was amazing how quickly that came off the cushion. He got

another foot of place. -- pace. That was incredible. I am often

asked what causes that to happen but if you clean the cue ball, you

will get a perfect balance every time. If you actually come out of a

snooker and you miss and you are called for a miss and the referee

replaces the cue ball, it is a point worth noting that if the

referee cleans the cue ball, you will get a completely different

balance of the crucial next time. - Ominous signs in this third frame

This is when Ding Junhui is at his best normally. When he is in a box

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the reds. He has good tight control He had the angle to nudge a few

reds. So, colour, red, colour, and Ding Junhui will be racing away to

a 3-0 lead. Robert Milkins has not He needs to play an attacking shot,

it is a different game these days. Now, he needs one more red. This is

the green. I am not disputing he should have gone for it, but it was

It is wise to have the cue ball cleaned because you don't want to

Dead centre, look. The pressure is off Ding Junhui. Can he make a

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He just got into the cue ball too Been a professional, Ding Junhui,

since 2003, so tenures and he has amassed 280 career centuries. Well,

this one will be 279. That is a good average, 27 a year at least. A

lot of players don't make 27 in a lifetime. He is one of the game's

That was a tough shot to play he wanted to miss the cannon on the

blue. It has all gone wrong now. But it is 100 for break by Ding

Junhui and he extended his lead to 3-0.

And he won frame four with the break of 74. So, frame five, Ding

Junhui is at the table trilling. He is having a look to see whether

the red... It is difficult to describe it, just to the left-hand

side of the cluster of reds will pass the red that is near the

That are the wren I thought he was looking up previously. -- that is

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the red. He has cannoned it. It This is the sort of opportunity you

must take full advantage of. Roared has already 32 points to the good.

We saw a remarkable comeback yesterday evening from Alan McManus.

Different format now we have reached the quarter-final stage.

The best of nine with an interval. Are you a fan of no interval?

How many times have you seen that in a any sport turn things around

for the opposing team, or in our case, our opponent. --? The whole

pattern of the game can change. I do not see the need for it. That is

coming from a person who holds The Record for the longest frame ever,

98 minutes. I know, and I was fit 41 points in front. He played the

cannon nicely. Well played. He He does not feel the had a good

contact there. He has left himself slightly higher on the black and he

wanted to be. He still needs a couple of reds to keep this frame -

Still 67 remaining on the table. Knowledgeable audience recognise

that Ding Junhui has lost his first frame at last this evening. He

could have lost a couple of others. It is always difficult to see

yourself winning when you're a 4-0 down, but you have to think

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yourself, what can I do to keep my He has kept his chances of making a

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Well done, Robert Milkins. A good way to open your account. Fantastic

shot on the black. That is more like the Robert Milkins I know. He

Could he stage a remarkable fightback? Into frame six, Ding

Things are just beginning to a go wrong Ford being at the moment. --

for Ding Junhui. A chance for Robert to cut a red in as a shot to

nothing. Just having a look to see if there is the chance of a three-

ball plant. I don't think he needs to take a risk like this. I agree

with you. But you know that Ding Junhui will. Whatever he does, he

is going to have to put it in a position where Ding Junhui does not

have to play the three-ball -- does not get to play the three-ball

plant. I was unlucky. Perfect cue He overscrewed that slightly. As

long as he misses a kiss on the brown, he should be able to get

back up to be reds. The one next to the pink pots. He is 42 points

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behind but he has just become He played that nicely. He needed to

Still 20 points behind. He will I am always a believer in playing

for the ball colour after the red. -- baulk. I think further on in

this break, should he pot the remaining red, he can leave himself

a nice angle on the green. He may be in -- able to put that blew into

the middle of the table. I wonder if you will be thinking that later?

He is trying to do a little bit of maths at to see if he can get into

the wing position without having to He will be taking Dominics tries --

I wonder if he is going to do it now, the shot that Domenech

suggested? We're not saying the blue is not in a good position of.

But it would be a lot easier to It is a bit risky to play the

cannon. He will have to stun it to This is the key shot for Robert

Milkins. If he can get on the blue nasty, it is end of March. Does he

I don't think that is any good as far as getting on the pink is

Whatever you do, don't risk position by playing the blue a hard.

He needs the rest, I think. This is It looked like it was going to be

everywhere. -- a run away. He has What a good performance. He won the

opening four frames, went a little bit quiet for a while. And he

eventually wins by one. I played very relaxed today. We both played

no good when the match started. Getting in the game earlier, I am

playing better. He also had some pressure. He missed some easy balls.

Just take my chance. When you look at the statistics, this guy is

playing so well. And efficiently clinical display? He is playing

absolutely fantastic. I commentated on the first match of the

tournament when he played and had two centuries back to back. In the

next match he had a two centuries. We said it was the best we have

seen him play for a long time. century breaks and 70 -- said and

50 plus breaks? You can ask for anything more than that. It is all

about the 50s and the 60s. The hundreds are nice. But he will be

happy he is scoring the 50s and 60s. What about Robert Milkins? He was

so good against Mark Williams but you never got going tonight? He was

mustered against Mark. Tonight, for whether reason, he had a chance and

the second frame. That is what went wrong. He missed an easy black. He

would have drawn level but then he went to do 0 down. He was never in

it after that. He looked like he was going to cut his deficit in the

last frame. Ding Junhui is looking in fabulous form. Can anybody touch

him? You can never say never but he has played absolutely scintillating

snooker. This is as good as I have seen him for years. To the other

quarter-final. It is an all- Scottish affair this evening on the

second table. Stephen Maguire taking on Alan McManus. Maguire

took the neck -- the first three frames, McManus the next two. We

joined up at 4-3 in favour of A good chance for Allen. -- for

Getting the black on to its spot Looks straightforward enough but

when you're out there under pressure and you're just one frame

away from being knocked out of the I'm not sure if you can get on the

pink here, which would be handy for him. -- if he can get on the pink.

Clear the red into that pocket as Keeping good close position now.

It has been a good effort. He has come back from 3-0 behind in the

previous round to win 4-3 against Joe Perry. At 3-0 here he looked at

that. -- out of it. Of course, and now we are up to the best-of-nine

frames. It is slightly different. At the interval comes into play. He

won the vital frame before the Getting slightly more difficult now.

The reds are available. But he will have to play some good positional

If that red is not easy, the one close to the centre pocket, he has

got an option to pot Mac -- to pot the red. Now he sees the shot. He

has played it and it has gone wrong. That was one of the problems with

playing a cannon on to a red when you're potting your red. If it goes

wrong, you have not got an easy He played to cats that red are

slightly Fulham to stay on the pink. Now he has got a choice. --

slightly fall on the pink. He is 19 in front. If he goes for a colour

and Mrs it, it could cost him the match. He has plumped for yellow.

The pink was a possibility. He did I think he played the right shot

trying to calm and the red out. But I'm not quite sure about that one.

Mind you, everybody has different choices. I would have played Pink

myself. I think he has done so well to get back into the match, he has

fought so hard, I think he felt he had to go for it Cormac there. Is

it going to cost him though? Still plenty of work to do for Stephen

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He put some power in to bat. That In an ideal world he would have

liked to have been on a little bit He played it well. What a long rest.

-- with the long rest when the extension is on, it is not quite so

Alan McManus thinking his chance has gone. Not much can go wrong

here first Stephen Maguire. He is perfectly on the pink. That is all

he needs. And in it goes. An excellent clearance from Stephen

Maguire under pressure after a McManus had fought back so hard

from 3-0 behind. The Maguire goes Just relieved. I thought I was

infra and early night. I started off in total control. One visit

breaks. I thought it was going to win. I thought was maybe going to

be 5-1 or 5-2. As soon as I missed a couple of balls, the game changed

and Alan got some rhythm. He started taking control of the

middle part of the match. It is hotting up nicely. There is the

Both matches live on BBC Two Wells. Look out of this. I want to take

you into the arena. What is happening now is the table to on

the far side is being dismantled. Table number one is being recovered.

The baize is been recovered. At that table moves into the middle

for the semi-finals. The look of those guys working very hard here

at the Newport centre. They are on overtime, obviously! Looking ahead

to the semi-finals in a moment. As far as Stephen Maguire is concerned,

a great night's work. He thought it was going to be an early night?

Alone fought back. He did the same yesterday. It was not to be tonight.

He got it back to 4-3 from being 3- 0 and 4-2 behind. Stephen were

played very well until then. He missed a couple of balls. Alan got

stronger as the match went on. I thought he should have played the

pink in the final frame. He went for the tricky yellow, he missed it

and it cost him the matter. He had a great chance to level it. Stephen

Maguire popped in the area and said he was confident, relaxed and

enjoying himself. Could he beat Judd Trump? On his game, he can

beat anybody in the world. Stephen would probably be the first to

agree with his talent. Stephen Hendry would say it. He has

achieved a lot but he has probably under-achieved to what everybody

thought he was going to achieve. are into the semi-finals. We are