:00:30. > :00:36.Good evening. A very happy St David's Day to you. We have one man
:00:37. > :00:42.through to the final of the Welsh Open. Ding Junhui from China beat
:00:43. > :00:46.Joe Perry earlier, but who will play him to play off for this wonderful
:00:47. > :00:54.trophy? Tonight's semi is a repeat of last year's World Championship
:00:55. > :00:58.final between Barry Hawkins and the tournament favourite, Ronnie
:00:59. > :01:04.O'Sullivan. Barry is a top quality player. He made it to the World
:01:05. > :01:09.Championships last year. He followed it up this season with some really
:01:10. > :01:14.good results. It is great to be in the latter
:01:15. > :01:19.stages again. That's what I want to do and that's what I've been trying
:01:20. > :01:23.to work towards to just keep threatening to win tournaments and
:01:24. > :01:28.if I keep knocking on the door then hopefully it will open one day.
:01:29. > :01:32.He is a top eight player now. One of the danger men on the circuit, you
:01:33. > :01:36.know, he is the type of player that whether you meet him anywhere you
:01:37. > :01:40.meet Barry, he is a tough player. He is one of the top players now. So I
:01:41. > :01:44.have to be on my game to give him a good game. I'm just going to have to
:01:45. > :01:49.try my best. I just try and treat it like any
:01:50. > :01:53.other game really. I know what to expect. I know I'm going to have to
:01:54. > :01:58.play at the top of my game to have any chance of winning. He is deadly
:01:59. > :02:02.when he gets flowing so I just need to be on top of my game really and
:02:03. > :02:07.just try and take every chance that I can.
:02:08. > :02:11.It will be a tough match for me, but I'm just pleased to be in the semis
:02:12. > :02:17.and if I can play some good stuff then, you know, hopefully I can give
:02:18. > :02:23.him a good game. If I beat Ronnie to come through a
:02:24. > :02:28.tough draw like that and to pick up the trophy it would be a dream come
:02:29. > :02:33.through. That's what we play for, to try and pick up trophies along the
:02:34. > :02:38.way and any time you get a win would be fantastic. Well, there is no
:02:39. > :02:41.shrewder judge of the game than Terry Griffiths. A lot of people
:02:42. > :02:47.watching will say tonight is about Ronnie O'Sullivan. What sort of
:02:48. > :02:51.challenge will Barry Hawkins provide? Ronnie is everybody's
:02:52. > :02:54.favourite. He played such a wonderful game, but Barry Hawkins
:02:55. > :02:58.played very well against him in the World Final last year and I'm sure
:02:59. > :03:02.he is hoping to repeat that and hopefully go one better. Ronnie only
:03:03. > :03:07.dropped one frame in each of his matches to get to this stage. How
:03:08. > :03:12.would you assess his form? Well, he already lost a lot of frames, hasn't
:03:13. > :03:16.he? I think this season Ronnie has been playing the best snooker I've
:03:17. > :03:20.seen him play since he was a young lad. He has been exceptionally good.
:03:21. > :03:24.I think he is very fresh because he is not entering all the events and
:03:25. > :03:30.his form is excellent. Well, that's high praise indeed. A terrific
:03:31. > :03:40.semifinal in prospect. Let's hand you to over to Mark Johnston-Allen.
:03:41. > :03:47.Thank you, Mark. What an atmosphere here. Seeded number seven, a former
:03:48. > :04:04.Australia Open champion, put your hands together for Barry Hawkins.
:04:05. > :04:31.APPLAUSE He is up gebs the best in the
:04:32. > :04:35.business. The biggest name in the world of snooker. This man won this
:04:36. > :04:39.event twice. He is the reigning Masters champion. He is the Raping
:04:40. > :04:44.World Champion, he is the sensational Ronnie O'Sullivan.
:04:45. > :05:15.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Well, what a St David's Day treat,
:05:16. > :05:21.it is Barry Hawkins against Ronnie O'Sullivan.
:05:22. > :05:25.Thank you very much. What a mouth watering encounter this is going to
:05:26. > :05:29.be this evening. As Terry says, a repeat of last year's championship
:05:30. > :05:40.final. Ronnie O'Sullivan came out the victor.
:05:41. > :05:47.And he opens. The first frame. Barry Hawkins to break. He had a bit of a
:05:48. > :05:53.quiet season to start off. He is starting to show a little bit of
:05:54. > :05:56.form we know he is capable of. There is not a lot that can be said about
:05:57. > :06:05.Ronnie O'Sullivan that hasn't already been said. That's very true,
:06:06. > :06:08.Darren. He is certainly much fresher these days because he picks and
:06:09. > :06:19.chooses his tournaments. I think he will have to play pretty
:06:20. > :06:26.well tonight if he is to overcome Barry Hawkins. He is a tough player
:06:27. > :06:35.to beat. Yes, well, what a buzz that must have been for both players
:06:36. > :06:41.coming down to this packed house in Newport. It has been home of this
:06:42. > :06:49.tournament for a very long time. There is speculation about this
:06:50. > :06:53.event moving next year. Ronnie O'Sullivan, what an ovation he had
:06:54. > :07:01.as he walked on. He is used to it, obviously. We never really
:07:02. > :07:07.experienced that too much in our day, did we?
:07:08. > :07:15.No, certainly not. Although, I was fortunate to experience something
:07:16. > :07:19.quite similar in the recent shoot-out at Blackpool. It was a
:07:20. > :07:21.very similar atmosphere to this. But yeah, it is wonderful. It really
:07:22. > :08:18.does give you a buzz. APPLAUSE
:08:19. > :08:25.I am not sure he thought the cue ball was going to cannon as many
:08:26. > :08:27.reds, but very nicely cued. Is he taking this green on? I don't think
:08:28. > :08:48.so. Well, he is going to do very, very
:08:49. > :08:51.well here to get this one safe. I don't think he could ask for the
:08:52. > :08:56.reds to be much opener than this. There is two reds to the right
:08:57. > :09:01.cushion that are tight. He's going to come off two cushions and try and
:09:02. > :09:08.get on the one below the black or the two just to the left.
:09:09. > :09:16.That was the problem. He just slid past now. On a club table you would
:09:17. > :09:20.say this would be a real good opportunity. As we have seen all
:09:21. > :09:25.week, they don't like them across the cushions. He hasn't got much of
:09:26. > :09:32.an angle on so if he does go for it, he's going to have to cue it well.
:09:33. > :09:34.It will be handy if that black to the left corner. It means he can
:09:35. > :09:50.play it with a little bit less pace. APPLAUSE
:09:51. > :09:53.That will be a confidence booster you would have thought for Barry
:09:54. > :09:58.Hawkins. Barry Hawkins crashed that one in as he had to get good
:09:59. > :10:02.position on this black. My word, if he missed it, it would have left
:10:03. > :10:08.Ronnie O'Sullivan in with, I suppose, an automatic frame
:10:09. > :10:18.opportunity the way the reds are spread. Now, it is Barry Hawkins who
:10:19. > :10:19.has that chance. The first to six frames will progress to tomorrow's
:10:20. > :12:00.final with Ding Junhui. He is taking these very confidently.
:12:01. > :12:03.This has been quite a pattern with Barry Hawkins over the couple of
:12:04. > :12:17.seasons. He has grown with confidence. A very, very competent
:12:18. > :12:20.player, indeed. A raem real nice fella off the table as well.
:12:21. > :12:27.There is one thing for certain, he won't be frightened of Ronnie
:12:28. > :12:41.O'Sullivan. He believes in his ability. And he felt he was going to
:12:42. > :12:43.have to have a start like this. If he wanted to have a chance in this
:12:44. > :13:05.match. What is interesting, Dominic, is to
:13:06. > :13:11.see how Ronnie, how this affects him because in all his other matches
:13:12. > :13:16.this week, he has got off like his name, The Rocket. Against John
:13:17. > :13:21.Higgins he stormed off to a 2-0 lead. This will be the first time he
:13:22. > :13:30.has lost one frame in each match of the tournament. It will be the first
:13:31. > :13:38.time that he has been behind. Yes, a good point, Darren. In the World
:13:39. > :13:47.Championships he was winning all his matches with comfortable early
:13:48. > :13:53.leads. At least it is not the best of seven match. It is now best of 11
:13:54. > :13:57.or first to six and there will be time for him to come back, Barry
:13:58. > :14:03.Hawkins, should he go a frame or two behind. He is certainly in a better
:14:04. > :14:07.place, Ronnie, mentally. He feels very at peace with the game and
:14:08. > :14:10.himself and he is probably more dangerous at the moment than in the
:14:11. > :15:01.most parts of his career. I know that break didn't come
:15:02. > :15:05.directly from the plant that Barry Hawkins played at the start of the
:15:06. > :15:10.frame. He was a bit fortunate to be left on that that allowed him to
:15:11. > :15:18.play a terrific snooker which Ronnie failed to get out of. He is well
:15:19. > :15:22.past the winning line now in this first frame, Barry Hawkins. He would
:15:23. > :16:04.love to make a century. It won't be easy to make a century
:16:05. > :16:24.break without developing those two reds which he has done.
:16:25. > :16:30.This is the perfect start for Barry Hawkins. He is cueing like an
:16:31. > :17:05.absolute dream. Shaun Murphy suffered the ice break
:17:06. > :17:10.in this event, 142. There is no chance of eclipsing that with this
:17:11. > :17:19.effort. But how good a start has this been?
:17:20. > :17:32.A little bit short of pace so he will be playing the pink into the
:17:33. > :17:36.green pocket. He can go for it in the right centre as well, it depends
:17:37. > :17:40.how confident he is playing. Well, he played it into the right centre,
:17:41. > :17:41.that's perfect. Nicely on the yellow.
:17:42. > :17:59.APPLAUSE Well, the yellow hasn't gone in, but
:18:00. > :18:02.it is a terrific 102 and it has given Ronnie O'Sullivan something to
:18:03. > :18:05.think about. Barry Hawkins leads 1-0.
:18:06. > :18:10.Well, a wonderful start for Barry Hawkins. Here is the head-to-head
:18:11. > :18:13.between these two players. You will remember that Barry Hawkins and
:18:14. > :18:17.Ronnie O'Sullivan played each other in The Crucible final last year.
:18:18. > :18:22.Ronnie O'Sullivan won that match 18-12. Contrast with Barry Hawkins
:18:23. > :18:26.he has got the one, the Australian Open in 2012, but he has reached the
:18:27. > :18:32.semifinals of the Welsh Open three times. He lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan
:18:33. > :18:36.6-4 at this stage in 2005 and in the overall head-to-head, well Barry
:18:37. > :18:40.Hawkins only won one of their previous seven meetings and how he
:18:41. > :18:44.would love to do it again tonight against the reigning world champion.
:18:45. > :18:50.Terry, that's a magnificent start for Barry, he must be delighted? He
:18:51. > :18:54.settled in there. It looks as if all the balls were on when Ronnie got
:18:55. > :18:59.out of that snooker, but you have got to have a very good temperament
:19:00. > :19:05.to start when against Ronnie O'Sullivan and Barry was immaculate
:19:06. > :19:09.and it was a good positional break. And Ronnie hasn't potted a ball yet.
:19:10. > :19:14.He can't score if he is not at the table? Well, I dare say he will have
:19:15. > :19:20.a chance as we go along, but Barry is in great form. He found good form
:19:21. > :19:24.in the second half of this season and it is going to be a good match.
:19:25. > :19:29.Yes, not the one sided afrar that many people -- affair that many
:19:30. > :19:37.people thought it would be. We're into the second frame.
:19:38. > :19:44.Ronnie O'Sullivan always feels he can get a wider angle from the pack
:19:45. > :19:51.of reds when he breaks off left-handed and get the cue ball in
:19:52. > :19:53.behind the green, but he didn't quite do it here. He left a red on
:19:54. > :20:29.for Barry. He might play for the red just above
:20:30. > :20:54.the black. A big target the yellow and the
:20:55. > :21:02.brown. He has got the green there as well.
:21:03. > :21:12.Well, that's what Ronnie tried again, but if Barry can get the
:21:13. > :21:17.potting angle of this red, he is looking at two and he is looking at
:21:18. > :21:22.the one to the rig corner and the one to the left. The one to the left
:21:23. > :21:29.would be favourite T surely, he can't be going for the pot. That's
:21:30. > :21:38.very well played. APPLAUSE
:21:39. > :21:47.Yes, he it covered the right half of the table with the green and the
:21:48. > :21:52.left half with the blue. So that means trouble really at first glance
:21:53. > :21:58.for Ronnie. I can't see any easy path at all. So just find a red to
:21:59. > :22:04.lay on or try and get to the back of the cluster maybe. But the problem
:22:05. > :22:06.is there are a good few loose reds so he has got to be careful with
:22:07. > :22:28.this. That's OK, I don't think Barry would
:22:29. > :22:35.be tempted by the red that's just above the cue ball.
:22:36. > :22:47.The bigger target is that brown and yellow. I don't think you can get
:22:48. > :23:17.enough off this red this time. Well, he just managed by a whisker.
:23:18. > :23:25.APPLAUSE I think he has left a red on here
:23:26. > :23:28.into the right corner and a nice angle. Another great chance for
:23:29. > :23:34.Barry Hawkins. Barry Hawkins is looking like he is
:23:35. > :25:29.right up for this match. Barry was unlucky not to finish on
:25:30. > :25:32.something after going into the cluster of reds. If Ronnie hits this
:25:33. > :25:47.thinly, he will make this plant. You do feel he is going to have to
:25:48. > :25:52.go go. The only problem with that. Those balls were virtually touching
:25:53. > :25:57.together. Unless he got the thinnest of contacts on there, he was going
:25:58. > :26:03.to reverse the plant. That's why he missed it thick. Barry Hawkins all
:26:04. > :26:08.of a sudden is straight back in where you would have to say where he
:26:09. > :28:00.deserved to be. He is moving on quite swiftly. This
:28:01. > :28:08.has been a real confident start by Barry Hawkins.
:28:09. > :28:15.He is a little bit low on this red. He could have done with that
:28:16. > :28:23.travelling another four or five inches. He is still on the red. He
:28:24. > :28:28.has got a relatively easy red to the right centre. He might elect to play
:28:29. > :28:30.this one in the left corner even though it is slightly more
:28:31. > :28:56.difficult. A brilliant shot to find the gap in
:28:57. > :28:57.between the brown and the yellow. He couldn't have played that much
:28:58. > :29:13.better. Well, I don't think Ronnie
:29:14. > :29:19.O'Sullivan would have been expecting such a fast start from his opponent.
:29:20. > :29:32.But he hasn't really had an opportunity yet, Ronnie. He planted
:29:33. > :29:41.rather wildly. Got it all wrong. He potted that fantastic ball in the
:29:42. > :29:46.previous frame and made 102 from it. As we were singing his praises that
:29:47. > :29:51.one has gone a little bit stray. He is still on the red. He would have
:29:52. > :29:52.expected to have been a little bit closer. Further off this side
:29:53. > :30:05.cushion. He has got to concentrate on making
:30:06. > :30:14.the hot, and the angle from the cue ball will bring him onto the black.
:30:15. > :30:25.All of a sudden, not quite as straightforward as it was. He's
:30:26. > :30:30.going to have to really get into the cue ball. I didn't think that shot
:30:31. > :30:42.was on, really. He hasn't left anything at all.
:30:43. > :30:52.Ronnie is still looking for his first pot. In this match.
:30:53. > :31:03.That is a great shot from Ronnie because the blues covering all those
:31:04. > :31:05.threads. And the brown is covering the one on the right hand side
:31:06. > :31:28.cushion. He may try to slide the cue ball in
:31:29. > :31:32.behind the black here. Shaking his head slightly there, so I wonder if
:31:33. > :32:10.the cue ball drifted slightly? It is more out in the open in the
:32:11. > :32:17.event that he gets an opportunity. I think you can get through to the red
:32:18. > :32:23.further on past think, then play round the one nearest the corner
:32:24. > :32:29.pocket, which would be favoured, if he could get through to it. He is
:32:30. > :32:43.looking at the side cushion. Seems to be snookered on all of these
:32:44. > :32:49.rights. -- reds. It is not a question of getting to the reds,
:32:50. > :32:53.that is easy enough, it is getting a good cue ball. He does not want to
:32:54. > :33:14.scatter the reds everywhere and give Ronnie a nice, easy starter.
:33:15. > :33:24.Decent effort, but unfortunately for Barry, he caught that read too
:33:25. > :33:31.thickly. This gives Ronnie probably his first opportunity, really.
:33:32. > :33:41.It didn't alter the potting angle for him, that shot.
:33:42. > :33:54.It is a big ask for Ronnie to clear up from one visit.
:33:55. > :34:01.Once they get onto that link into the right centre, knows that he can
:34:02. > :34:12.get onto the reds better from it. -- that pink.
:34:13. > :34:21.That has gone away from him a little bit. He was then on this thread than
:34:22. > :34:48.he have liked, but no problem. -- he was thinner on this thread. -- red.
:34:49. > :34:57.Nice stun between the back of the pink and the reds there to come back
:34:58. > :35:06.office top cushion to that position. -- off the top cushion. Just missed
:35:07. > :35:10.those by a fraction and a little bit of left-hand side spin he had on the
:35:11. > :35:31.cue ball created the angle to get to the side of those reds.
:35:32. > :35:37.That was perfect. And now I think Bonnie can clear up in this frame
:35:38. > :36:06.from the one go. I think Ronnie can.
:36:07. > :36:13.The most difficult ball, for me, is going to be the black, because it is
:36:14. > :36:19.so close to the left hand corner pocket, as he gets close to it, you
:36:20. > :36:25.can drop it in. It is all about the shot, really. Brown to blue. If he
:36:26. > :36:30.can lay up on the pink at the perfect angle. Doesn't want to be
:36:31. > :36:39.dead straight or the wrong side, and that has gone slightly astray.
:36:40. > :36:47.Again, he has played that very well. A little bit further away from the
:36:48. > :36:54.pink than he would have liked. But a good shot. He wants to play the slow
:36:55. > :36:59.drag and won through to this top cushion, the way he has played it
:37:00. > :37:05.makes the pot more difficult, but it has gone in. This is just where he
:37:06. > :37:09.wants to be for the black, slowly rolling pin along the cushion. And
:37:10. > :37:15.in it goes, what a tremendous riposte from Ronnie O'Sullivan, with
:37:16. > :37:25.a brilliant break of 67, to level this match at one frame all. How
:37:26. > :37:29.hard is that to do? Sit in your chair for half an hour, then take
:37:30. > :37:34.the first opportunity when it comes make a frame-winning break? It is
:37:35. > :37:41.not easy, but Ronnie makes it look easy. He had some difficult shots to
:37:42. > :37:46.play to make that break but he looks so comfortable on the table at the
:37:47. > :37:50.moment. I think that his mind is more peaceful than it has been for
:37:51. > :37:55.many years and it shows in his play. Talking about is whether at the
:37:56. > :38:01.table, it is so easy on the eye, just very natural, the way that he
:38:02. > :38:05.approaches break-building. He does not rush anything, and he's not very
:38:06. > :38:10.quick but on the other and, he is quick, because he sees the shot very
:38:11. > :38:13.early on, he sees the shot is going to play and there's not take a long
:38:14. > :38:16.time ticked hit the ball, and it is the beauty of the strike. All of the
:38:17. > :38:22.professionals like watching him playing. Barry Hawkins, the only
:38:23. > :38:32.thing he has done wrong was Mr Black in that frame that let Ronnie in. --
:38:33. > :38:35.he missed a black. We said in the commentary, perhaps he could have
:38:36. > :38:42.gone in and out of baulk for that, but he must have thought that he had
:38:43. > :38:48.played the shot. And in these big matches, the players, do they tend
:38:49. > :38:53.to go for it and throw caution or is it better in the early stages to be
:38:54. > :38:58.cautious? Barry will be very positive and take the shots, and so
:38:59. > :39:02.will Ronnie, so it will be a fascinating game. Two positive
:39:03. > :39:18.players, and one frame apiece. Barry Hawkins has got to put that
:39:19. > :39:27.frame behind him. Ronnie O'Sullivan, what an absolutely fantastic
:39:28. > :39:32.clearance. He just never looked in bother. Some players would have been
:39:33. > :39:41.panicking. When their chance was going to come.
:39:42. > :40:01.But he is playing some stimulating stuff.
:40:02. > :40:12.That was a tough safety that Ronnie was faced with. I don't think he has
:40:13. > :40:17.left anything on for Barry. There is nothing on, really. The only
:40:18. > :40:41.possible red is the one above the blue. That would be risky.
:40:42. > :40:58.APPLAUSE What a fantastic pot. You would only
:40:59. > :41:25.pot that two or three out of ten. Terrific cueing.
:41:26. > :41:36.The pink goes in the right centre but I don't think that Barry can
:41:37. > :41:39.hold the cue ball for it. He might try to strike the side of the
:41:40. > :41:48.cluster because he might have to try and get back up the table for the
:41:49. > :41:55.blue from that. Can he run through and miss all the cannons on the
:41:56. > :42:10.reds? That is what he is trying. He just caught the red. Anything could
:42:11. > :42:36.have happened then, once he can and that red, and now he's on the blue.
:42:37. > :42:51.I don't think he had a great contact them. He just didn't quite get
:42:52. > :42:56.through the cue ball enough. Making this a little bit more difficult.
:42:57. > :43:06.That was the problem. Trying to pinch a little bit and be more
:43:07. > :43:31.clever. This one that he is looking at looks
:43:32. > :44:24.very tight. Most players would have played the
:44:25. > :44:30.green here. Shows you how confident Ronnie O'Sullivan is. He played that
:44:31. > :44:45.with loads of bottom and side, again demonstrating what a lovely touch he
:44:46. > :44:54.has got. Now perfectly on the black. That is what we have seen, the whole
:44:55. > :45:08.tournament. He has been absolutely terrific.
:45:09. > :45:18.Beginning to think that that break of 102 that Barry Hawkins made in
:45:19. > :45:53.the first frame was a bad idea. It has got Ronnie's dander up.
:45:54. > :46:02.On the left you have the panel did, world-famous artist, Damien Hirst,
:46:03. > :46:07.and the gentleman to the right of him is a long-standing family friend
:46:08. > :46:34.of Ronnie, a chap called Nick. He stayed in the hotel with me.
:46:35. > :46:44.Just to qualify my previous comment, I don't know Mick's surname, I just
:46:45. > :47:36.know him as Mick. Just caught those resolute will bit
:47:37. > :47:41.full on. -- those reds a little bit full on. No problems. Perfect
:47:42. > :48:07.position. Amazing, really, Barry has done
:48:08. > :48:13.hardly anything wrong in this match. And looks set to go 2-1 down.
:48:14. > :48:15.Fantastic standard we have seen so far this evening. Unbeatable,
:48:16. > :48:40.really. A little bit more to do to win the
:48:41. > :48:49.frame, which over, he picks, he has just got to make sure of the pot. --
:48:50. > :49:00.whichever colour he picks. At the moment, he is totally on fire. Just
:49:01. > :49:03.slipping past that red. It was more difficult than it should have been,
:49:04. > :49:12.but here's one ball away from being safe in this frame.
:49:13. > :49:26.He is absolutely on fire now. Dominic is right, that 102 from
:49:27. > :49:51.Barry Hawkins in the first frame has fired him right up.
:49:52. > :50:06.He's not bad left-handed as well, Izzy, to be fair to him -- is he.
:50:07. > :50:08.And where we are. The best shot of the Championship, that would be it.
:50:09. > :50:30.What a crowd-pleaser. The shot of the Championship, that
:50:31. > :50:34.would have been it, without a shadow of a doubt. Terrific. And for my
:50:35. > :50:56.next trick... What a standard we have had. Barry
:50:57. > :51:03.Hawkins, 102, first frame, 42, second ring, then Ronnie O'Sullivan,
:51:04. > :51:05.66 in the third frame, then, 100 and counting. What a standard we have
:51:06. > :51:17.seen. Barry Hawkins cannot be too
:51:18. > :51:22.disappointed. He has done very little wrong. Ronnie O'Sullivan has
:51:23. > :51:29.just played absolutely terrific. He extends his lead, going from one
:51:30. > :51:33.frame behind and is now two frames to one head. Terrific. Well done.
:51:34. > :51:41.Unbelievable. We just cannot believe what we have seen. The first two
:51:42. > :51:48.frames the highest of quality. We was new that it was going to be a
:51:49. > :51:52.good match. The crowd is so close to you in this tournament, it is like
:51:53. > :51:56.the Crucible. Those seats banked right up and it creates a cold one
:51:57. > :52:09.of atmosphere, and the crowd absolutely adore Ronnie -- --
:52:10. > :52:12.cauldron. He has played so well, sometimes, Ronnie, that when you are
:52:13. > :52:15.Barry Hawkins, sitting in that seat, you have such admiration for what
:52:16. > :52:21.Ronnie does, that when he does miss and give you a chance, you think, it
:52:22. > :52:27.is my chance, but you have been so entranced by what he does. For Barry
:52:28. > :52:32.Hawkins, he will not be sitting there too disappointed, like you
:52:33. > :52:36.said. He has not done anything wrong at all in this match, probably
:52:37. > :52:42.missed one plant that he has gone for, but Ronnie O'Sullivan has
:52:43. > :52:47.looked sharp all tournament. From 1-0 down, he has looked
:52:48. > :52:55.unbelievable, the best we have seen him for all of the event. We saw how
:52:56. > :53:03.I'm -- how comfortable and in control Barry Hawkins was in that
:53:04. > :53:11.first frame, but is is like the light has been switched on, for
:53:12. > :53:13.Ronnie. Frame four. This will be the last frame before the mid-session
:53:14. > :54:41.interval. That was a very good shot from
:54:42. > :55:35.Barry. Barry played a good safety shot but
:55:36. > :55:41.double-kissed one of the two reds. And just dropped nicely in front of
:55:42. > :55:44.the pocket for Ronnie, especially now that that cue ball has kissed
:55:45. > :55:49.the brown. There is a gap through to it, but he is just looking to see
:55:50. > :55:56.what colour he can get on here. Doesn't feel that the black is too
:55:57. > :55:57.easy to get to. Getting on the blue should not be too difficult for
:55:58. > :56:22.Ronnie. Not quite enough right hand side on
:56:23. > :56:32.the cue ball there. That would be a tough blue to take on. Can they
:56:33. > :56:45.possibly get through to the green? -- can he? Blue it is.
:56:46. > :56:55.He is just totally on fire, isn't the? There is not really a lot you
:56:56. > :57:03.can say. He's making very hard pots look very easy.
:57:04. > :57:13.I remember playing Ronnie in the semifinal of the UK, when he became
:57:14. > :57:19.the youngest ever winner of a run ranking event, and I was 5-2 down at
:57:20. > :57:23.the end of the first session. In the night, it was my honour to break
:57:24. > :57:28.off. I rolled into the back of the pack and look at him and said pot
:57:29. > :57:33.one from there. And the crowd laughed. He rolled away, played one
:57:34. > :57:40.safety shot, not in the long red and cleared the table. So, he had the
:57:41. > :57:50.last laugh. I remember you doing that. It is about trying to find a
:57:51. > :58:01.way to beat somebody. It didn't work, unfortunately!
:58:02. > :58:13.I remember him beating Alain Roubidoux, the French-Canadian
:58:14. > :58:20.player, and he beat him 6-1, and he played the entire match left-handed.
:58:21. > :58:23.Alan thought it was a little bit demeaning of Ronnie to do such a
:58:24. > :59:05.thing, but if you win 6-1, how can it be?
:59:06. > :59:11.I'm sure Barry Hawkins is sat in his chair saying, "Please, please give
:59:12. > :59:15.me a couple of chances. He knows if he is playing anybody else in the
:59:16. > :59:16.world at the moment, he probably wouldn't find yourself in this
:59:17. > :59:39.position. He has missed that one. He missed
:59:40. > :59:45.it. This is the first Barry Hawkins has had for a while, but look where
:59:46. > :59:50.the pink and black is. It is not a great scoring opportunity.
:59:51. > :00:01.Yes, just look where the reds were. Would that red have wriggled in. I
:00:02. > :00:06.don't know if Ronnie could have continued the break anyway. This
:00:07. > :00:11.will take some doing for Barry Hawkins to make a descent
:00:12. > :00:17.contribution with this opportunity. Do you think he might try to move
:00:18. > :00:28.the pink and the black? Well, I think that's what he tried. It is
:00:29. > :00:44.just OK. He still landed on one of the bold colours.
:00:45. > :00:52.He will be disappointed. He wanted the cue ball to run on another five
:00:53. > :00:56.or six inches. The other way and he could have disturbed the pink and
:00:57. > :00:58.the black again. This way, he is going to have to try and get back up
:00:59. > :01:14.for the blue. Just the wrong side of it, but a
:01:15. > :01:16.good effort. Now what does he do? He is almost too straight on this blue
:01:17. > :01:41.to go and out of baulk. Well, what a great effort from
:01:42. > :01:48.Barry. That cue of his weighs 19.5 ounces. I don't think a lot of us
:01:49. > :01:54.with normal weighted accuse could have played a shot like that. The
:01:55. > :01:58.cloths are super fine and the balls are really light, so you don't
:01:59. > :02:05.really need a heavy cue. He missed that red.
:02:06. > :03:11.Barry has played most of his career with the same cue.
:03:12. > :03:19.A slightly different pattern in this ball frame before the interval.
:03:20. > :03:26.Safety and reds now certainly not in good positions.
:03:27. > :03:36.I wonder if Barry - I don't know what red he is going to play off
:03:37. > :03:39.here. But if he played off the second red, the one that's on the
:03:40. > :03:44.near side cushion. It could have been a shot to nothing, but he has
:03:45. > :03:48.decided here to play this red into the pink and black and try and
:03:49. > :03:54.develop them. That's what he has done.
:03:55. > :05:17.That was a test of his cueing. That was absolutely terrific.
:05:18. > :05:22.I think he is sending a message - he is not going to go away. He got into
:05:23. > :05:34.that a little bit too much. Barry does play with a slightly
:05:35. > :05:38.heavier cue than most of the pros out there. It means he doesn't have
:05:39. > :06:09.to hit the balls quite as hard. I play with one that weighs 17 and a
:06:10. > :06:17.quarter. What weight is yours, Dom? Mine when it was originally made, it
:06:18. > :06:24.was 17.5, but I believe it does 17 and a quarter. I tried a few accuse
:06:25. > :06:27.out this season myself. I played a few games and didn't get good
:06:28. > :06:36.results, but when you do change accuse, cues, you don't get as long
:06:37. > :06:41.with something as you did in the old dayings. You have so many
:06:42. > :06:46.tournaments you have to think when is the best time to try out a new
:06:47. > :06:52.cue. Very often you have to try it out in a match and if you don't get
:06:53. > :06:57.on well with it, it leaves you in a quandary. I have found something
:06:58. > :07:05.that suits me. It was made ten years ago for me. Barry, has had that ever
:07:06. > :07:13.since I can remember. It is close to 20 ounces. When you watch Barry cue,
:07:14. > :07:17.you can the cue has some weight in it. He strikes the ball so
:07:18. > :07:31.effortlessly, the cue really does do the work for him.
:07:32. > :07:40.Yes, many debates go on about it. For most players, the cue becomes
:07:41. > :07:46.the extension of their arms. It is quite funny, it sounds stupid, but a
:07:47. > :07:52.piece of wood, it is a big difference. If you are not confident
:07:53. > :07:58.with something, you can never play to your full talent and potential.
:07:59. > :08:01.We have only got to look at golf, Rory McIlroy, he changed his clubs
:08:02. > :08:06.and we all know what happened to him the last couple of seasons. He's
:08:07. > :08:07.struggling a little bit. The equipment is very important in
:08:08. > :08:24.whatever sport you play in. Yes, the other thing is, you know,
:08:25. > :08:30.snooker now a days, we play in some very humid environments. Parts of
:08:31. > :08:33.China, you play under so many different conditions these days. It
:08:34. > :08:45.is a consideration to think about what cue you use, certainly. I know
:08:46. > :08:50.a darts player has just changed his darts. Hasn't Roger Federer changed
:08:51. > :09:31.his racket as well? It is not easy across the cushions.
:09:32. > :09:34.I have seen it all week. There was a lot of balls that you should was
:09:35. > :09:39.going to go in and they stayed there. The pockets are played very
:09:40. > :09:48.tight here at Newport. It can only be a good thing.
:09:49. > :09:57.This type of frame, you would think, would suit Barry Hawkins. I think he
:09:58. > :10:02.feels more at home when he is controlling a player with his superb
:10:03. > :10:05.tactical play. Of course, he is a brilliant scorer and break builder,
:10:06. > :10:09.but the one thing you don't want frame after frame when you play
:10:10. > :10:14.Ronnie is an open style of frame and the reds are all there and Ronnie
:10:15. > :10:16.pots one and gets in and makes it an 80 break without having to do
:10:17. > :10:35.anything. That's too thin, but he will be very
:10:36. > :10:56.pleased to see that cue ball tight on the side cushion there.
:10:57. > :11:03.Nearly went in. Not quite. Barry Hawkins has got a lot of distant
:11:04. > :11:08.between the cue ball and the red just to the side of the green. He
:11:09. > :11:10.can have a free shot at this. He will probably try and pot it and
:11:11. > :11:24.drag off the two cushions. Well, that's what he did, but that's
:11:25. > :11:31.probably the worst shot he cued so far throughout this match. He cued
:11:32. > :11:48.right across that one. It was a long way off.
:11:49. > :11:53.The cushions seem to be responding a little bit quickly at the moment.
:11:54. > :11:59.They seem to be coming off quicker than they were earlier obin a match
:12:00. > :12:01.-- on in a match. Does that red go past the green?
:12:02. > :12:22.Barry would be a little bit unlucky to lose the frame for that mistake.
:12:23. > :12:29.He has just got too much angle on this plus he has got to cue over the
:12:30. > :12:33.blue a little bit. He has got to get right down into the cue ball here to
:12:34. > :12:44.keep himself this side of the baulk line. He has done that.
:12:45. > :12:52.APPLAUSE Definitely green. No, green it is.
:12:53. > :13:11.He has swapped over to his left-hand as well. He is a very, very good
:13:12. > :13:16.player with the rest and when he can play as good with the other hand as
:13:17. > :13:20.he can, why use the rest? This is not easy.
:13:21. > :13:34.Like I said, down the cushions this week they've played very tight and
:13:35. > :13:40.he has had to force it a bit. He just took a bit longer over that
:13:41. > :13:45.shot. It just told me he had a little doubt as to whether it would
:13:46. > :13:50.go in at the pace he was playing it at all. Now then, all about the
:13:51. > :13:56.tactical battle ahead now. One chance. It could be all that's
:13:57. > :14:40.needed for either player to win this frame before the interval.
:14:41. > :14:54.Barry Hawkins' only saving grace is the yellow has gone close to that
:14:55. > :15:00.right-hand cushion. He is looking to see if he can screw off this blue
:15:01. > :15:04.and into this yellow. If he had more of an angle he would have gone in
:15:05. > :15:10.between the brown and the green. That's what he is looking at. He is
:15:11. > :15:19.seeing if he can drag back off the cushion and move the yellow.
:15:20. > :15:26.And he tried to be a bit too clever there. It has gone a little bit
:15:27. > :15:30.astray. That's what he thought of that shot. That's what happens when
:15:31. > :15:48.you are a perfectionist. He is not looking to pot this in the
:15:49. > :15:58.middle pocket, is he? I think it is a lot thinner than it looks. No, a
:15:59. > :16:06.safety shot. I think he is wise. If he can play a really good one here
:16:07. > :16:18.and possibly snooker Barry. Well, beautiful control of the yellow ball
:16:19. > :16:59.there. Barry is probably hoping the green is safe.
:17:00. > :17:05.That really unfortunate for Barry Hawkins. He played a terrific shot
:17:06. > :17:15.there and somehow the green has gone into the corner pocket and if it is
:17:16. > :17:18.a free ball which it is. So this has turned into a total disaster. He
:17:19. > :17:34.couldn't have played it much better. Very, very unfortunate.
:17:35. > :17:41.It looked too pacy that did. He has got to drop this in very slowly if
:17:42. > :17:46.he wants to get really good position on the green.
:17:47. > :17:52.I think it is OK. Just. APPLAUSE
:17:53. > :17:56.But even so you can see how far away he left himself from the green here
:17:57. > :18:02.and now he has got to try and screw back about six inches or run through
:18:03. > :18:07.maybe, not dead straight. No, he managed that. That's another great
:18:08. > :18:15.shot. So ten points ahead. Just brown and blue required for the 3-1
:18:16. > :18:19.interval lead. Well, Barry must be thinking what on earth has he got to
:18:20. > :18:23.do to compete with Ronnie O'Sullivan this evening? He is playing really
:18:24. > :18:25.well and yet, he is going to be 3-1 down now.
:18:26. > :18:43.APPLAUSE This is brilliant stuff from Ronnie
:18:44. > :18:49.O'Sullivan. Know big breaks in this frame and it is Ronnie O'Sullivan
:18:50. > :18:56.who has taken the next two frames to go into the interval.
:18:57. > :19:02.Well, that's been a brilliant session. Fantastic snooker from both
:19:03. > :19:07.players, I suppose you could say that Ronnie deserves his 3-1 lead.
:19:08. > :19:11.Barry Hawkins could maybe count himself unlucky that he is not going
:19:12. > :19:16.in all square? Ronnie is on a little run. The balls are running OK for
:19:17. > :19:21.him. When he missed one or two, they went safe. When he is in this type
:19:22. > :19:25.of form, he is almost unbeatable. This is as good as he ever played.
:19:26. > :19:29.What effect does that have on his opponent when he just seems to be in
:19:30. > :19:34.such terrific form? Well, it forces your hand a bit, you know, Barry has
:19:35. > :19:38.got his own speed of play. He is a very aggressive player, Barry. He
:19:39. > :19:42.goes for his shots, but you get dragged in with Ronnie and you start
:19:43. > :19:46.to play at his pace and you go for shots that you may turn down against
:19:47. > :19:49.another opponent because he puts the pressure on you to make the balls
:19:50. > :19:54.now when you are on the table unless he is going to make them. And that's
:19:55. > :19:59.something you think Barry has been sucked into a little bit? Well, I
:20:00. > :20:04.wouldn't say he was sucked into there a lot. He took one red along
:20:05. > :20:08.the cushion that was risky. I don't think Ronnie played the snooker
:20:09. > :20:12.behind the green, I think he played to put the white behind the pink.
:20:13. > :20:17.Barry played it perfectly. It gave him a free ball. You could say it
:20:18. > :20:22.was an easy clearance, but he potted a yellow there and then a good
:20:23. > :20:27.green. He is just playing stuff that nobody else is playing as good as
:20:28. > :20:33.that. It really has been terrific. Both these two players are hoping to
:20:34. > :20:38.join Ding Junhui in tomorrow's final here in Newport. Ding Junhui played
:20:39. > :20:42.Joe Perry this afternoon in the first semifinal. After losing the
:20:43. > :20:47.first frame, Ding Junhui got his nose in front and build up a 5-4
:20:48. > :20:54.lead. Perry needed to hit back in frame ten or the match was over.
:20:55. > :21:10.. He didn't strike that well at all.
:21:11. > :21:16.It was much too thin or otherwise he could have got around the black and
:21:17. > :21:21.got around towards the baulk area. I'm not sure if Ding Junhui has got
:21:22. > :21:29.anything easier. The black may come into play there. If he has plenty of
:21:30. > :21:34.top spin, he may bring the black into play. But he is not bound to
:21:35. > :21:43.bring this black into play. He did and that's an excellent shot. It is
:21:44. > :21:55.amazing how the balls line up sometimes. The plant was perfect. If
:21:56. > :22:04.Ding gets on to a red nicely, it could be the end. If he made the
:22:05. > :22:05.red, he would not have been unlucky. That's the way you have got to look
:22:06. > :22:21.at it. You can give as many stories as you
:22:22. > :22:59.like why you lose a match, but every time, it is because you miss pots.
:23:00. > :23:06.He would definitely take the yellow if the blue wasn't where it was. He
:23:07. > :23:19.can play this side and get on to the red that's the same line.
:23:20. > :23:26.Is there a gap to get on to this red? He maybe fortunate. He maybe
:23:27. > :23:31.able to get on the one nearest the pocket. Yes, he can, he can play
:23:32. > :23:35.that slowly if he wants and come on the black.
:23:36. > :23:45.If he plays the red in the middle, he can only play for the yellow or
:23:46. > :23:48.the blue. It is worth the risof dragging this in and staying on the
:23:49. > :23:56.black and you can start at the business end of the table.
:23:57. > :24:06.APPLAUSE He knows it is his chance to win
:24:07. > :25:09.frame and match and get to the final.
:25:10. > :25:15.At times we thought it was going to be excellent and the safety has been
:25:16. > :25:40.so good in this match that now and again a player has got bogged down.
:25:41. > :25:45.He needs this to go well, which it hasn't. This black is nasty. He will
:25:46. > :26:12.take it on, but it is tricky. He is not 100% whether to pot this
:26:13. > :26:15.or get a good cannon on the red and gain position. He has got the pot.
:26:16. > :26:26.APPLAUSE There are two reds on.
:26:27. > :26:45.Cueing off the side cushion is never easy.
:26:46. > :26:57.Very good. He is very still on the shot and you need to be on those.
:26:58. > :27:00.He doesn't like the yellow. He is taking the more difficult pot on the
:27:01. > :27:18.brown. He would like to get down to this
:27:19. > :27:23.black spot area as quickly as possible.
:27:24. > :27:33.He seemed to have potted a lot of balls for just the 36 break.
:27:34. > :27:37.I just feel one good position shot here on to these reds could clinch
:27:38. > :27:50.it. This all started, of course, when
:27:51. > :27:54.Joe Perry went for a long red and made a mess of it and looked as if
:27:55. > :27:59.he got away with it, but there was a plant on for Ding that also led to
:28:00. > :28:06.him kissing the black into play as well.
:28:07. > :28:12.This was the long red that you were talking about, Terry. It was a
:28:13. > :28:18.straightforward shot really to go around the back of the black and
:28:19. > :28:25.completely mis-hit it and then look where the ball finished. It looked
:28:26. > :28:38.at first glance as if there was nothing on.
:28:39. > :28:49.This is the next shot. Look what happens. Think you are safe -- you
:28:50. > :28:53.think you are safe and the black springs into action. He played a
:28:54. > :29:02.very poor positional shot there. To keep this break going, he needs to
:29:03. > :29:07.play for a baulk colour. Which way will he play? He is playing the thin
:29:08. > :29:18.cut. You have no idea where the cue ball is going.
:29:19. > :29:23.You would have to say he was unfortunate to get that kiss but he
:29:24. > :29:26.still has got the brown to the middle. Lots of players would just
:29:27. > :29:50.have rolled up to the yellow. Looks unnatural angle to get on one
:29:51. > :29:58.of the reds. -- a natural angle. After all the effort of putting the
:29:59. > :30:05.brown, he forgot about the position. -- potting. He played it plain bold
:30:06. > :30:09.thinking he would be on to the reds behind the pink and the one nearest
:30:10. > :30:15.the black. And the angle was not there. So he is now faced with
:30:16. > :30:19.another very thin cut. How does he miss the kiss on the red on the
:30:20. > :30:29.I don't think he can. He's having good look at it. The last thing he
:30:30. > :30:39.wants to do is kiss that red out, but he's having a go.
:30:40. > :30:45.He avoided the case, but where is the cue ball going? Very close to
:30:46. > :30:57.the cushion of the baulk line, so another good port needed. -- pot
:30:58. > :31:00.needed. He has potted some good balls and made some excellent
:31:01. > :31:06.positional shots. He needs another one here. Two reds at the back of
:31:07. > :31:16.the pack available into the left corner.
:31:17. > :31:24.What a brilliant shot. The second of the two is not available, he had to
:31:25. > :31:35.play for that gap. Couldn't have played it better. Brilliant. These
:31:36. > :31:39.top players, when you think about winning the game and the match, they
:31:40. > :31:43.do not refuse anything. A couple of times he has been out opposition and
:31:44. > :31:45.got back into it, and Joe Perry knows now that it is the end of the
:31:46. > :32:05.line. The very top players are different.
:32:06. > :32:09.They can play at their best when they are feeling their worst. And
:32:10. > :32:15.that is what he has done here. Excellent performance. Joe Perry has
:32:16. > :32:23.put up a good show. Played some good snooker. A good safety shot here and
:32:24. > :32:24.there would have made the difference, but that is always the
:32:25. > :32:36.case. Remarkable performance from Ding, in
:32:37. > :32:39.his fifth final of the year. He certainly has a chance of equalling
:32:40. > :33:36.Stephen Hendry's record now. I am sure whoever gets to the final,
:33:37. > :33:40.I think this new port cry would like a Ronnie O'Sullivan - Ding Junhui
:33:41. > :33:54.final, but Barry Hawkins is playing well. -- this new port crowd. --
:33:55. > :33:58.Newport. Now a chance for his second century of the match. It would be
:33:59. > :34:03.fitting, because this has been an excellent break. Played some risky
:34:04. > :34:04.shots when he could have played it safe, but that was never his
:34:05. > :34:46.intention. He was going for the win. And the black goes in as well. A
:34:47. > :34:57.break of 118 has taken him into tomorrow's final, beating Joe Perry,
:34:58. > :35:04.6-4. He came back, I had some mistakes. After that, I take two big
:35:05. > :35:10.frames and they both have a chance, but we miss some balls. I just keep
:35:11. > :35:17.fighting very hard. I just keep putting pressure to my opponent. We
:35:18. > :35:24.don't know each other, what we think about, and how much we can do. I
:35:25. > :35:29.just do my best. I do the shots for the best way to go.
:35:30. > :35:37.And keep going, never stop. An incredible story this season which
:35:38. > :35:42.continues, on course now for his fifth ranking title if he can win
:35:43. > :35:46.here in Newport. It is remarkable the way he is playing. We have
:35:47. > :35:50.talked about how hard it is to win just one tournament. To do it five
:35:51. > :35:56.times in a season, that this stunning. Yes, he has 13 on the
:35:57. > :36:03.spin, and five times, which is special. So many good players out
:36:04. > :36:06.there. What is remarkable about Ding Junhui is that towards the end of
:36:07. > :36:11.his matches in the deciding frames he just lights up, he has the
:36:12. > :36:15.confidence of winning. Even if it comes to the deciding frame, he is
:36:16. > :36:19.ready and prepared before the match starts. He has had lots of big
:36:20. > :36:23.breaks in the last frame to win titles. Is that the mark of other
:36:24. > :36:28.good players you have seen in the past? Yes, the likes of Stephen
:36:29. > :36:34.Hendry, Ray Reardon, John Higgins, Mark Williams, all those great
:36:35. > :36:41.champions, they have just got something special inside them that
:36:42. > :36:45.other players haven't got. Ding Junhui is in the final tomorrow
:36:46. > :36:49.evening. We are waiting to see who he is going to play. We have had a
:36:50. > :36:54.terrific start to the semifinal between Ronnie O'Sullivan and number
:36:55. > :36:56.five seed Barry Hawkins. Barry Hawkins got the match of their
:36:57. > :37:00.terrific start with that century break in the first frame. He has
:37:01. > :37:10.shown tonight that he has a terrific all-round game.
:37:11. > :37:22.Robertson has got to be up there. Probably is the best break-builder
:37:23. > :37:29.in the game. You have got to go for the best, so Ronnie. And Robertson.
:37:30. > :37:34.Have to pick one. Higgins has got to be up there, as
:37:35. > :38:02.well. Probably hits the ball a little bit
:38:03. > :38:12.harder than most people. So you would have to say Judd Trump.
:38:13. > :38:22.Higgins. So many matches over the years where he has won the game from
:38:23. > :38:28.miles behind and cleared up when he needs to clean up. Definitely,
:38:29. > :38:32.Higgins is up there. Higgins again, really. He wins so many frames from
:38:33. > :38:36.behind. That is so important in frames.
:38:37. > :38:45.Higgins again, really. Everybody misses balls, but he was placed the
:38:46. > :38:56.right shot. Alan McManus. Angles McManus. Ronnie. Once he gets ahead.
:38:57. > :39:05.He seems to get stronger and stronger, really. So many players,
:39:06. > :39:13.it is hard to pick one, John Higgins, Mark Selby, Robertson, and
:39:14. > :39:16.Graeme Dott, he never gives up. Lots of respect between the players on
:39:17. > :39:21.the professional snooker circuit. And not least between these two, the
:39:22. > :39:25.world number five Barry Hawkins against world champion Ronnie
:39:26. > :39:31.O'Sullivan. There he is coming back into the arena after the mid-session
:39:32. > :39:34.interval, and it is Ronnie O'Sullivan who needs three frames to
:39:35. > :39:46.one. Remember, it is the best of 11 frames. -- who leads.
:39:47. > :39:57.Barry Hawkins breaking off. After the mid-session interval. Sat down
:39:58. > :40:03.with his manager. Waiting to come out.
:40:04. > :40:14.The second half of what possibly could be an epic. Both players have
:40:15. > :40:21.played terrific. Looks like he's going to get a nice, easy starter.
:40:22. > :40:39.It looked like that was going to finish right over the middle pocket.
:40:40. > :40:44.It snowed up. -- slowed up. This red is slightly awkward for the
:40:45. > :40:51.left-handed Barry Hawkins. The yellow is not making it easier.
:40:52. > :41:00.Very tough, when you have come back after the interval to be faced with
:41:01. > :41:06.an important shot like that, and as you can see, he has given Ronnie and
:41:07. > :41:08.great chance. They say that intervals turn matches in many
:41:09. > :41:14.sports, including snooker, of course. It had that effect this
:41:15. > :41:18.afternoon in the match between Joe Perry and Ding Junhui, and Ding
:41:19. > :42:11.Junhui did eventually go on to win it.
:42:12. > :42:20.I can see two reds that are close to a plant for this right corner.
:42:21. > :42:26.Because he caught the apex red quite fully, it didn't make that plant.
:42:27. > :42:42.The only likelihood of a red is the one just above the cue ball. But it
:42:43. > :42:45.is a shot he can play with a bit of freedom. There is nothing obvious
:42:46. > :43:09.for Barry Hawkins if he misses it. here's right over the pocket. Full
:43:10. > :43:20.of confidence at the moment, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Some players would have
:43:21. > :43:24.elected to go into the pack of reds. He has got three or four, although
:43:25. > :43:29.the positional side of it is a little bit awkward. He would like to
:43:30. > :43:59.move the pink out of his road. He played that very confidently.
:44:00. > :44:07.There is a red to the right centre, one to the left, the one to the
:44:08. > :44:11.right centre has comfortable cueing. You can see the way that he is
:44:12. > :44:20.bridging his hand over this red, it is not perfect.
:44:21. > :44:34.It is thin, this black, very thin. He is looking at it.
:44:35. > :44:45.How delicate a shot was that? And how well did he play it? Now, does
:44:46. > :44:48.this red go? It is so impressive to carry on after a 20 minutes interval
:44:49. > :44:57.just the way he was playing before it. How did that red not cannon the
:44:58. > :45:06.other one? It just squeezed by. All of a sudden, the reds are in great
:45:07. > :45:08.positions and he is in a break of 36. And there is more to come. It is
:45:09. > :45:56.hard to see him missing. It must be a great concern for
:45:57. > :46:09.Barry. He really has not done much wrong. In the match against Barry
:46:10. > :46:16.Pinches, which I was covering, he had a rather comfortable lead
:46:17. > :46:17.himself. At the moment, he must be wondering what on earth he has got
:46:18. > :46:56.to do to compete. Already at the point of no return.
:46:57. > :47:00.Playing through 70 now. At the moment it is like shelling peas.
:47:01. > :47:16.This is as good as it gets, folks. This is just like he is down local
:47:17. > :47:24.smoker club, having a knock with the boys. Makes it look so easy. -- the
:47:25. > :47:43.local snooker club. All you can do is sit and admire him.
:47:44. > :47:49.As to knock that red down the cushion and then come back up for
:47:50. > :48:01.the century. And that is what he has done, he has dragged up for the
:48:02. > :48:08.blue, for the 100. That is the third century of the match.
:48:09. > :48:17.Barry Hawkins played that one match at the start of the frame, that long
:48:18. > :48:25.red, and missed it, and has had to sit and watch. And he must be
:48:26. > :48:29.admiring. Even though he is sitting on his seat and is on the losing
:48:30. > :48:45.end, he is part of something very special that we are seeing here.
:48:46. > :48:56.This blue, now. It will mean a break of 113 in this match, one point to
:48:57. > :49:06.the good, and counting. And that is looking about perfect.
:49:07. > :49:12.Just doing a couple of exhibition shots. And when it goes good, it
:49:13. > :49:21.goes good. A little blip on the black, left-handed. -- clip. Barry
:49:22. > :49:26.Hawkins did not do a lot wrong, he missed a long red, and Ronnie
:49:27. > :49:30.O'Sullivan extends his lead, and he now leads, for frames the one.
:49:31. > :49:40.Dominik come what can you say? Just absolutely breathless. Watching
:49:41. > :49:48.Ronnie at that stage during the mid-session interval, sitting with
:49:49. > :49:52.Damien Hirst, and Mick, who I alluded to earlier on, he just
:49:53. > :49:56.seemed at peace with himself, just reading the paper and not really
:49:57. > :50:01.doing anything. Came out for this fourth or fifth frame and just
:50:02. > :50:07.carried on the way he was before the interval. That is so hard to do. I
:50:08. > :50:12.cannot fail to be just utterly impressed with what I am seeing. The
:50:13. > :50:16.main thing for Ronnie O'Sullivan at the moment, he is happy with life
:50:17. > :50:20.itself. He had a couple of years where he was despondent with the
:50:21. > :50:26.game, didn't know what direction he was going to go in, he took one year
:50:27. > :50:31.off, came back, and did the unthinkable, winning the World
:50:32. > :50:35.Championship. He has played more events this year, but he is very
:50:36. > :50:40.choosy in what he plays in, and it has got to fit around his running
:50:41. > :50:44.regime. He does lots of running. He admits he is not a great runner, but
:50:45. > :50:49.he enjoys it, and whatever he is doing, it is working. Because he is
:50:50. > :50:56.absolutely relaxed out there. Absolutely. It is just the freedom
:50:57. > :51:03.with which he plays matches. It is like he is down the local club,
:51:04. > :51:07.practising. Nobody really can do that. And at the end of the day, you
:51:08. > :51:14.are playing snooker match and you want to win, but he seems able to
:51:15. > :51:15.just play snooker and block out everything else, including his
:51:16. > :52:21.opponent. It is wonderful. Of all the praise is that we have
:52:22. > :52:25.song for Ronnie, that is probably the worst shot he has played in this
:52:26. > :52:37.match. It shows how confident he was, to pot the red and stunt the
:52:38. > :52:43.black. -- stun for the black. Now, Barry, remember what you did in the
:52:44. > :52:48.first, and then the second frame, he was unfortunate not to go 2-0 up in
:52:49. > :52:52.this match, and he has not had a sniff since. He must take this
:52:53. > :53:11.opportunity, you feel. You almost feel that he has got to
:53:12. > :53:17.win the frame from the, which is not necessarily true, of course, but if
:53:18. > :53:28.Ronnie gets back in, you feel that he will win the frame in one go.
:53:29. > :53:44.It goes without saying, it would be fair to say, that this crowd in here
:53:45. > :53:57.are certainly biased. They would love to see this match get extended.
:53:58. > :53:58.They will be enjoying this that much, they will not want it to
:53:59. > :54:10.finish too quickly. He's going to have to be careful.
:54:11. > :54:19.Those two reds to the right of the pink are close to being clamped, but
:54:20. > :55:04.if he went into them wrongly... -- to being a plant.
:55:05. > :55:23.Well, you could see how wide those pockets are then.
:55:24. > :55:33.He can play into the pack of raids. -- reds. And he has played that very
:55:34. > :55:41.well. All of a sudden, this is turning
:55:42. > :55:54.into a very good opportunity. Do you think he has its needed up
:55:55. > :56:07.his game a little bit? He looks to be playing a little bit quicker,
:56:08. > :56:11.Timmy. -- to me. When someone is playing slowly and methodically, you
:56:12. > :56:16.tend to get dragged into that, and when you're playing Ronnie, he's a
:56:17. > :56:21.very fast, and it is easy to speed up, even if you don't want to. He's
:56:22. > :57:05.definitely playing a little bit more fluently than he was.
:57:06. > :57:11.This is a very good performance in this frame from Barry, after all he
:57:12. > :57:19.has been through in the last four frames. To make the break their way
:57:20. > :57:24.he has is very good. -- the way he has. He will be disappointed if he
:57:25. > :58:11.does not go on to win the frame from here.
:58:12. > :58:18.I'm afraid that our two hours on BBC Two Wales are almost up, but you can
:58:19. > :58:24.follow the conclusion of this match live on the BBC sport website. If
:58:25. > :58:31.you have not got the computer tablet handy, we will bring you highlights
:58:32. > :58:35.at 11:25pm on BBC Two Wales. Thank you very much for watching this
:58:36. > :58:38.evening. We will see you later. From all of us here, good evening.