27/02/2014

:00:39. > :01:12.Hello. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the big draw at the BetVictor Welsh Open

:01:13. > :01:20.this Thursday lunchtime. You can really feel the excitement holding.

:01:21. > :01:25.Wales on the player left in the tournament, Mark Williams, plays

:01:26. > :01:30.this evening. This afternoon, we can promise you some fantastic

:01:31. > :01:34.head-to-head matches. He is the most outrageous talent in the game.

:01:35. > :01:39.Ronnie O'Sullivan has only dropped one frame in each of his previous

:01:40. > :01:49.matches. The world champion will hope to live up another gear today.

:01:50. > :01:55.Mark Selby is a former winner of the Welsh Open. His 2008 triumph was his

:01:56. > :02:02.first ranking title. You would love to do it again. He plays Ali Carter,

:02:03. > :02:05.another top 16 player who has lifted the trophy here. Can he reached the

:02:06. > :02:11.quarterfinals? Excitement is never far away when Judd Trump is at the

:02:12. > :02:17.table. His talent will surely bring more titles. He was a semifinalist

:02:18. > :02:25.12 months ago. John Higgins is one of the greats of the game. The

:02:26. > :02:34.Scotsman has four world titles. This is the fourth round draw. Stephen

:02:35. > :02:42.Maguire plays Joel Walker. The battle of the former champions is

:02:43. > :02:48.Mark Selby against Ali Carter. Mark Williams will play Marco Fu this

:02:49. > :02:55.evening. Last but not least, Ricky Walden against Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:02:56. > :03:01.Darren Morgan has been perusing the draw. Great to see you. Which games

:03:02. > :03:09.stand out before you? I have to say Marco Fu tonight. Mark Selby is our

:03:10. > :03:15.last Welsh Open. John Higgins and Judd Trump would be the other one.

:03:16. > :03:20.Old guard against new guard. Let's look ahead to the match we will see

:03:21. > :03:29.this afternoon. Ronnie O'Sullivan against Ricky Walden. How do you see

:03:30. > :03:33.that going? Ronnie has gone out of the blocks like a rocket. Lived up

:03:34. > :03:40.to his reputation. When he has gone off the boil. Ricky Walden is not

:03:41. > :03:48.frightened of anybody. You would have to favour Ronnie. Ricky is in

:03:49. > :03:54.the top 16. On his day, he could beat anyone. He plays very similarly

:03:55. > :04:02.to Ronnie, to be honest. Very attacking player. He will fancy his

:04:03. > :04:05.chances out there. There is no doubt that Ricky Walden is the underdog in

:04:06. > :04:18.this match. If he is going to win, she will have to play perfectly.

:04:19. > :04:35.Ronnie O'Sullivan is the smoothest in the game. Times perfectly. Deng

:04:36. > :04:48.is flying at the moment. -- Ding. Neil Robertson never seems to miss

:04:49. > :04:58.that kind of shot. I would have to go Ding again. He makes it look so

:04:59. > :05:12.easy. John Higgins. Such a clever player. Marco Fu is pretty chilled

:05:13. > :05:25.all the time. Judd Trump, I would say. Ten foot of screw power. John

:05:26. > :05:37.Higgins again. He has won so much. Unbelievable under pressure. Steve

:05:38. > :05:48.Davis has great knowledge of the table. I would go with Ronnie

:05:49. > :06:00.probably. When he is on one, he seems to fly away with the match.

:06:01. > :06:05.Unbelievably quick. I like the way Mark Williams goes about it. He has

:06:06. > :06:23.so many shots up his sleeve. He seems to play the right shot all the

:06:24. > :06:27.time. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the perfect player in many peoples eyes.

:06:28. > :06:35.He has proved to be arguably the most talented player ever to pick up

:06:36. > :06:41.a snooker cue. Five times world champion and five times Masters

:06:42. > :06:46.champion. He has won twice here in Wales. It is time to get the players

:06:47. > :06:52.out. Let's join our master of ceremonies. Our next player is an

:06:53. > :06:55.absolutely fantastic form. Semifinalist in the World

:06:56. > :07:17.Championships. Two-time tournament winner from Chester, please welcome

:07:18. > :07:24.Ricky Walden. He will need to be in great form. This man is on his way

:07:25. > :07:28.to become the best snooker player of the world has ever seen. Make some

:07:29. > :07:40.noise for the incredible Ronnie O'Sullivan. The players are out

:07:41. > :07:44.there. This is for a place in the quarterfinals. Best seven frame

:07:45. > :07:50.match. To talk you through this one, Willie Thorne and Dominic Dale.

:07:51. > :07:56.Good afternoon. I am sure this is a match you are looking forward to, as

:07:57. > :08:02.are the packs audience here. Ricky Walden is capable of winning against

:08:03. > :08:07.Ronnie O'Sullivan, as he has done before. But will he win today? We

:08:08. > :08:14.will find that out over the next 90 minutes. Dominic Dale, how do you

:08:15. > :08:18.call this one? Just by sure pedigree, I suppose you have to

:08:19. > :08:24.fancy Ronnie O'Sullivan. Started both of his previous matches very

:08:25. > :08:28.well with century breaks. One good thing I can see about Ricky Walden

:08:29. > :08:32.is he has never been intimidated about playing Ronnie O'Sullivan are

:08:33. > :08:43.so many players are. Where has the referee disappeared to? I have never

:08:44. > :08:57.known that before. Perhaps he wants to get a new towel or something.

:08:58. > :09:09.Ronnie has asked for a different type of towel. I don't think it is

:09:10. > :09:20.wet enough. There is water on his table. Ronnie O'Sullivan to break.

:09:21. > :09:35.And experienced referee, I am sure he has had these issues before.

:09:36. > :09:41.As usual, Ronnie O'Sullivan breaks off left-handed. He goes through

:09:42. > :09:44.spells where he plays an awful lot left-handed, but I think he is

:09:45. > :10:37.pretty happy with his game at the moment.

:10:38. > :10:47.Can't afford to mess and easy part like that against Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:10:48. > :10:54.I noticed that he is using an ash snooker cue. You can see the green.

:10:55. > :11:04.For most of the season, he has used maple. He obviously has found some

:11:05. > :11:11.issue with it and has gone back to his ash snooker cue from previous

:11:12. > :11:23.years. I am not sure when he made the change.

:11:24. > :11:38.They have only played each other three times. 2006, then 2008. Then

:11:39. > :11:47.2014 Masters when Ronnie O'Sullivan was on fire at the Masters. You

:11:48. > :11:49.might remember when they won 6-0 and played I think the best snooker that

:11:50. > :12:01.has ever been seen in a match. Perhaps he wishes he had gone into

:12:02. > :12:38.the pink. I wouldn't say that was carefree,

:12:39. > :12:44.but it does appear that he has covered that red with the yellow.

:12:45. > :12:46.Could be a benefit to him. Ricky Walden will have to find a way to

:12:47. > :13:12.cover it. He was trying to clear the pocket

:13:13. > :13:19.but it has not worked. Good safety shot using the brown. Ronnie

:13:20. > :13:54.O'Sullivan could probably play of the cushion.

:13:55. > :14:03.-- off the cushion. If there is one thing Ricky did not want to do

:14:04. > :14:07.there, it was to catch that thin. I think he might have got away with

:14:08. > :14:10.it. Ronnie needs to pop this first read and get onto a colour. It is

:14:11. > :14:48.possible it could be frame over. Always a sell-out audience when

:14:49. > :14:56.Ronnie O'Sullivan plays. It is nice to see the way he goes about things.

:14:57. > :15:13.His break-building is up there with the best of all time.

:15:14. > :15:22.What has Ricky Walden done on a snooker table that Ronnie O'Sullivan

:15:23. > :15:33.never has? Lord Dear. How long have I got? 30 seconds. I will just phone

:15:34. > :15:40.Phil Yates. He has made a 16 red clearance. Only three or four

:15:41. > :16:01.players in the game who have done that. You get a free bowl of your

:16:02. > :16:18.opponent's miss. Are unclear only 15 reds? -- aren't there. Not after a

:16:19. > :16:50.free ball. Slate overscrew. -- slight.

:16:51. > :16:57.I think that is no good. He needed to finish high on the pink. If you

:16:58. > :17:06.bounced it in, he could possibly just catch one of the reds very

:17:07. > :17:11.thinly. If it is a plant, he won't even bother moving them. I think if

:17:12. > :17:19.he bounced it in, he could flick the red away from the other end. Let's

:17:20. > :17:25.look at the angle. Is he going to bounce it into an? Now, he will play

:17:26. > :17:34.for the plant. This is missable. It is not absolutely dead set. But you

:17:35. > :17:59.would expect him to pop this using the reverse plant.

:18:00. > :18:19.At least the brown did not find its way into the pocket. Very useful 45

:18:20. > :18:21.break from Ronnie O'Sullivan. There are 67 point available. Chance yet

:18:22. > :18:52.for Ricky Walden. He is going to try and cut that in

:18:53. > :19:24.the right-hand corner. Very good. He will be disappointed in the way

:19:25. > :19:31.he played that around. Too much action in the cue ball and killed

:19:32. > :19:32.the pace. He may have an alternative double instead into the

:19:33. > :20:26.right-centre. That is a very poor shot from Ricky.

:20:27. > :20:47.That should be the frame over. It is key to get a good start. Everybody

:20:48. > :20:55.gets anxious in the situation. Ronnie O'Sullivan is such a genius,

:20:56. > :21:21.but expects to play well. Sometimes he is too hard on himself.

:21:22. > :21:32.He leads 1-0. Ronnie O'Sullivan takes first blood

:21:33. > :21:41.in this one. What did you make of that first frame? He had a couple of

:21:42. > :21:45.chances, but he seemed so happy. In his early years, he won the odd

:21:46. > :21:49.tournament here and there. No one could understand why he wasn't

:21:50. > :21:52.winning more World Championships. All of a sudden, in the latter

:21:53. > :22:03.years, he is playing better than he has ever done. How do you think

:22:04. > :22:08.Ricky will be feeling? He had a chance early on to get in and messed

:22:09. > :22:16.what he would probably consider to be read he normally get. Yes, but

:22:17. > :22:24.although he was in amongst it all the balls were tied up. It is still

:22:25. > :22:25.a short sprint. Every frame is important, but even more so in the

:22:26. > :22:50.best of seven. Ricky Walden's break off was a

:22:51. > :22:55.little short. Ronnie's attempt at a long red was much too thick. He has

:22:56. > :23:06.left this potentially easy opener for Ricky Walden. This is amazing. I

:23:07. > :23:11.think that is probably the easiest shot that Ricky has missed for some

:23:12. > :23:23.time. One thing is certain, you cannot beat Ronnie O'Sullivan

:23:24. > :23:31.missing shots like that. Ronnie is checking to see if the black ports.

:23:32. > :24:09.Chance for a maximum. It looks tight.

:24:10. > :24:15.Five reds have come into play. Depending on the angle on the black,

:24:16. > :24:24.it could be tough to get on the next red. The angle is not great. He

:24:25. > :24:45.needs to be straight on this if he wants to get back on the black.

:24:46. > :25:21.The highest break in the tournament so far is 142 by Shaun Murphy.

:25:22. > :25:31.He just had too much of an eye on the cannon. Took his eye off the pot

:25:32. > :25:36.on the black. Ricky Walden will feel very surprised to be back at the

:25:37. > :25:38.table so early. He knows he has to make more of these opportunities

:25:39. > :26:28.than he has done so far. Ricky is trying to speed up his play

:26:29. > :26:34.to get some revenue and confidence going, but he has ended up on the

:26:35. > :26:38.wrong side of the blue. His next red will be middle distance. If the pink

:26:39. > :26:40.goes into the corner, he has pretty much nothing to do with the cue ball

:26:41. > :26:54.except stun it dead. He could have done with screwing

:26:55. > :27:05.back a couple of inches to have the automated in the corner. Both reds

:27:06. > :27:06.are still available. Not guaranteed to get absolutely perfect on this

:27:07. > :27:44.next red. It would appear that the pink is

:27:45. > :27:55.tied up now. With the black at the baulk end of the table, will have to

:27:56. > :28:36.rely on the loo for a while. -- rely on the blue.

:28:37. > :28:46.Will he risk playing for the one Abbey baulk end? -- the one at the

:28:47. > :29:01.baul end? Is he going to try and flick the

:29:02. > :29:38.pink out this time? It is so hard to get the speed right

:29:39. > :29:45.on that shot. He played that both times pretty well. Both times the

:29:46. > :30:10.ball ended up in the same position. Amazing, that.

:30:11. > :30:22.I don't know if he tried to stand for the blue, there. If he did, he

:30:23. > :30:23.made it, although it is very difficult to judge. No obvious

:30:24. > :31:07.damage done. It is one of those shots were you

:31:08. > :31:12.could play a very hard and both reds go to the end of the table. I

:31:13. > :31:15.suppose an 8-point lead, it doesn't sound a lot, but with the balls

:31:16. > :32:09.where they are, it isn't too bad. He will probably attempt this pot.

:32:10. > :32:15.That is a great shot. It is unfortunate that he has ended up

:32:16. > :32:19.dead straight on the blue. If he wants to continue the break, he will

:32:20. > :32:47.probably try to rule in the brine, which is very tough. -- role in the

:32:48. > :32:57.-- brown. He can really get the cue ball in a good position here. --

:32:58. > :33:14.can't really. It was always going to be hard playing at that way, not to

:33:15. > :33:22.leave a red. What kind of angle will he have on these colours? He can

:33:23. > :33:26.probably do it of the yellow. He could do out of the blue, although

:33:27. > :33:31.the blue might be a bit too thin. The yellow is a big target. It is

:33:32. > :33:34.almost like tenpin bowling when you have both sides of the pain you can

:33:35. > :33:50.hit. Brilliant! I was commentating on the previous

:33:51. > :33:54.match, and I noticed that the balls along the top addition are playing

:33:55. > :34:03.pretty tight, so he will have to be accurate with this. That was

:34:04. > :34:09.perfect. If he is to straight on the blue, it makes it difficult to go in

:34:10. > :34:13.and out of baulk. I think he is quite comfortable playing the red

:34:14. > :34:23.from middle distance. He is just making sure he doesn't want to get

:34:24. > :34:29.the rest out. The only chance for Ricky is on the shot. If he gets

:34:30. > :34:35.good position on this, Ronnie will go on to take the frame. And he

:34:36. > :34:39.hasn't, he kept that badly. This is the chance for Ricky. The blue is

:34:40. > :35:03.unmissable. -- missable. He hinted nicely. That is the type

:35:04. > :35:08.of shock that layers practice day in, day out and stop always good to

:35:09. > :35:48.practice the sort of shots that come up frequently in matches.

:35:49. > :35:56.Yes, in goes the pink. That is enough for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Well

:35:57. > :36:03.played in that frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan increases his lead comic

:36:04. > :36:07.he now leads by 2-0. Maybe not vintage Ronnie O'Sullivan,

:36:08. > :36:13.but still very, very good. Comfortably doing enough to take a

:36:14. > :36:18.two frame lead. He is playing well. When he gets in, he looks $1

:36:19. > :36:29.million. Ricky Walden would be upset. He was a little bit thinner

:36:30. > :36:34.on this red than he would have liked. I think he played for our

:36:35. > :36:39.baulk colour. That was the chance to put a frame on the board and settle

:36:40. > :36:45.down. 1-1, it would've been a different -- a different match.

:36:46. > :36:51.Ronnie knocked in the long red and it was a different match. We have

:36:52. > :37:02.seen a couple of times this week that Ronnie has started off like a

:37:03. > :37:08.rockets, but then tailed off a bit. Ronnie has this knack at the minute

:37:09. > :37:13.of winning frames that he shouldn't. No big bricks in this match. 45 is

:37:14. > :37:18.the biggest so far. It issues, you don't need to be bidding down

:37:19. > :37:22.centuries to win these frames. He is getting points on the board just at

:37:23. > :37:29.the right time. If you asked any player out there, they would say

:37:30. > :37:35.that they would rather get two breaks of 40, than one of a hundred

:37:36. > :37:42.in a frame. If you are consistently getting breaks of 40, you will win

:37:43. > :37:45.more than you will lose. Dominic, how do the players on the circuit

:37:46. > :38:02.feel when they play Ronnie O'Sullivan? I imagine it could

:38:03. > :38:07.inspire some, and crush others. G: that is a great question. Some

:38:08. > :38:12.players are intimidated and he cannot you flat with big break after

:38:13. > :38:16.big break. I don't think the way he plays intimidates the top players.

:38:17. > :38:21.Looking at his record in the World Championships in the last couple of

:38:22. > :38:25.years, when you play him, you expect him to play well. It does bring the

:38:26. > :38:30.best out of a lot of the other players, because they know they have

:38:31. > :38:35.to play well to beat him. Ronnie already has a great chance in this

:38:36. > :38:52.third frame. Things are not going well for Ricky at the minute, hour

:38:53. > :39:02.they, Willie? Not at the minute. That didn't work out too well for

:39:03. > :39:09.Ronnie. A lot of players would screw into the pack when it is like this.

:39:10. > :39:17.He has left the blue on the red on purpose so we can bring the pack

:39:18. > :39:19.into play. He wouldn't have had too much of an idea where the cue ball

:39:20. > :39:56.would finish there. You would be entitled to feel a

:39:57. > :40:02.little bit aggrieved sitting in the chair that he finished so well on a

:40:03. > :40:20.red after such a bad positional shot. Will he preferred the long

:40:21. > :40:27.pink to the far right corner? He has a lot less to do with the cue ball

:40:28. > :40:34.if you place the pink. He is busy feeling very confident. Possibly by

:40:35. > :40:35.the virtue that his opponent seems to be struggling out there a little

:40:36. > :40:56.bit. Let's not forget how great Stephen

:40:57. > :41:05.Hendry was in this position. Sometimes when you played Stephen

:41:06. > :41:10.Hendry, you didn't get the shot. When Ronnie is in this kind of

:41:11. > :41:19.rhythm, you can see him not making 40. -- can't see him. I had a chat

:41:20. > :41:24.with Stephen Hendry not that long ago about Ronnie O'Sullivan. You

:41:25. > :41:28.said to me that when he is at his best he is virtually unplayable, and

:41:29. > :41:33.that is Stephen Hendry telling me that! Stephen was unplayable at

:41:34. > :41:49.times. Ricky Walden has his back break

:41:50. > :42:11.against the wall. -- right against the wall.

:42:12. > :42:20.One big difference I have noticed, Ronnie in his first two matches felt

:42:21. > :42:24.that the cushions were playing quicker than he expected them to.

:42:25. > :42:30.Now we have gone down to two pupils, the table from Ronnie'sperspective

:42:31. > :42:31.today is more to his liking, especially the speed of the

:42:32. > :43:07.conditions. -- the cushions. Well, that is the end of the frame.

:43:08. > :43:12.A possible chance for a clearance. Amazingly enough, key is anaemia 32

:43:13. > :43:20.centuries this season. Neil Robertson has 87 centuries this

:43:21. > :43:22.season. I wonder if Ronnie O'Sullivan will try to get 100

:43:23. > :44:05.centuries in the season next year? Warm applause from this capacity

:44:06. > :44:11.crowd here at the Newport Centre, watching a genius at work. Ronnie

:44:12. > :44:18.O'Sullivan with another century break in his career. Storming into a

:44:19. > :44:28.3-0 lead. It is hard to sum up. Obviously, we get brainwashed, in

:44:29. > :44:33.the 1980s Steve Davis was the best player, in the 1990s it was Stephen

:44:34. > :44:39.Hendry. Now it is Ronnie O'Sullivan. It is hard to pick who is the

:44:40. > :44:42.biggest genius. Yes, when Ronnie O'Sullivan was stuck on four world

:44:43. > :44:49.titles there was that disparity between him and Stephen Hendry. Now

:44:50. > :44:52.he has five and we feel he is playing his best ever smoker. He may

:44:53. > :44:58.in the next five years in a couple more world titles. I think people

:44:59. > :45:01.are beginning to think that Ronnie O'Sullivan to be the greatest player

:45:02. > :45:09.of all-time. Different styles of play, hard there? There are the

:45:10. > :45:16.attacking players, great safety players. Ricky Walden has a lot to

:45:17. > :45:21.do. He has to win all the remaining frames. I think he has a mental scar

:45:22. > :45:37.from the last time he played Ronnie O'Sullivan and the Masters.

:45:38. > :45:42.So, you doesn't just have this mountain to climb being 3-0 down, he

:45:43. > :46:15.has that mental scar to deal with. I thought he might go for that,

:46:16. > :46:36.feeling that he has nothing to loose, being 3-0 down.

:46:37. > :47:17.Phone the police, he has played a bad shot!

:47:18. > :47:29.Ricky informed would make 50 from here. He is one of the best break

:47:30. > :47:38.holders in the game. -- break-builders. This is the part of

:47:39. > :47:59.the game where he is at his best, at this end of the table. There are

:48:00. > :48:19.three lists reds at the back of this pack. -- lists reds -- loose reds.

:48:20. > :48:31.He could run through the pack, if he chooses. I don't think that was the

:48:32. > :48:39.kind of shot that Ronnie would have played. Yes, Ronnie would have taken

:48:40. > :49:03.the opportunity to bring the reds into play.

:49:04. > :49:12.Has he spotted something? He is thinking about going into the bunch,

:49:13. > :49:17.but he is worried about the pink becoming a plant. He is worried if

:49:18. > :49:27.he plays the blue, goes into the pack, he will get that plan. He has

:49:28. > :49:40.that concern, just play for the loose red.

:49:41. > :49:59.He will be looking for an angle this time on the black.

:50:00. > :50:20.I think the red to the extreme right will do.

:50:21. > :50:25.I don't think he has anything easy. One into the green pocket, one into

:50:26. > :50:44.the middle pocket. That is good from Ricky. That should

:50:45. > :51:10.give him confidence. Ricky does not have much left to do

:51:11. > :51:38.in this frame to finally get a frame on the board.

:51:39. > :51:49.This puts him 62 in front. He has to be careful here. Maybe the red

:51:50. > :52:05.nearest the pink might go, as well. This is excellent. He has been of

:52:06. > :52:07.the table, 3-0 behind, to reply with a frame-winning great, very well

:52:08. > :52:40.done. -- frame-winning break. We saw a century break from Ronnie

:52:41. > :52:46.O'Sullivan in the pre-season -- previous frame. Can Ricky Walden get

:52:47. > :52:56.one of his own? He will need one of the two awkward reds.

:52:57. > :53:41.He tried to bring the red into play, but just failed. That is a shame for

:53:42. > :53:47.Ricky Walden, but, never mind, that will be great for his confidence. He

:53:48. > :53:53.still trails by 3-1. Well done, Ricky Walden. He is

:53:54. > :54:03.making a game of this. He has had one chance and he had a great break.

:54:04. > :54:09.He will be sitting in his chair over the moon. He will be thinking, if he

:54:10. > :54:16.had won the second frame, this match could be tied. He is not out of it.

:54:17. > :54:20.He still has a great opportunity. He just has to keep thinking positively

:54:21. > :54:25.and hope that the chances continued to come. I taking chances, that is

:54:26. > :54:29.one way to put pressure on Ronnie O'Sullivan. That is the only way,

:54:30. > :54:38.really. If Ronnie gets a good chance, you can see him always

:54:39. > :54:41.getting over the line. If Ricky Walden can pinch one more frame,

:54:42. > :54:49.back to bed a bit of pressure on Ronnie. I think for Ricky Walden to

:54:50. > :54:54.have any chance, Ronnie will have two start to miss. Ricky Walden

:54:55. > :55:02.might have good memories of Ronnie O'Sullivan. The only time he beat

:55:03. > :55:06.Ronnie O'Sullivan recently was when he won his first ranking title, the

:55:07. > :55:15.Shanghai Masters. Maybe that will motivate him.

:55:16. > :55:21.I think he is still scarred from the Masters tournament were he didn't

:55:22. > :55:29.win a frame. If he wins this next one, he is right that into the

:55:30. > :55:46.match. There was a bad break-off shot from Ronnie there.

:55:47. > :57:11.APPLAUSE.. That is about as good cueing as you

:57:12. > :57:17.can get. Behold the cue ball like that! You could play that ten times

:57:18. > :57:26.and probably get it right only twice. -- to hold the cue ball like

:57:27. > :58:15.that! Once again, these red -- reds are

:58:16. > :58:30.perfect. He has slightly underhit that.

:58:31. > :58:43.I think if Ronnie gets this and gets on a red, the game is over. Ricky

:58:44. > :58:48.Walden can only sit and hope that he will end up on the yellow, because

:58:49. > :58:58.that would be pretty tough, he would have to be reaching over the reds.

:58:59. > :59:43.That red was just causing him problems, he knew it was in the way

:59:44. > :59:52.to the black, but he just about got away with it.

:59:53. > :00:02.Judd Trump against John Higgins next on this table, what a match that

:00:03. > :00:07.will be! Once again, I think he might be a fraction below. Now, he

:00:08. > :00:33.is OK. -- no. It's almost impossible not to enjoy

:00:34. > :00:43.watching this man play. Just everything is so effortlessly done.

:00:44. > :00:51.Yes. We have all enjoyed watching Ronnie's cue action over the years.

:00:52. > :01:05.So milkal, so fluent. -- rhythm milkal. So fluent. He just gets on

:01:06. > :01:11.with it. When it comes to the frame to win

:01:12. > :01:19.the match, he seems to get even more hunger.

:01:20. > :01:23.Some struggle to get over the line sometimes.

:01:24. > :01:28.A little bit of tension comes but the great players just want to do it

:01:29. > :01:42.in one visit. 65. So, red in colour.

:01:43. > :02:08.Not perfect but holding for the pink.

:02:09. > :02:15.Taking the pressure off the pot. Another Ronnie O'Sullivan

:02:16. > :02:21.masterclass. He is playing so well against Ricky

:02:22. > :02:38.at the moment. And Ricky looks in good form.

:02:39. > :02:42.He's not been pushed in this tournament, Ronnie. He is looking

:02:43. > :02:48.sharp. It will take a good man to beat him.

:02:49. > :02:54.Oh, what a shame! Another masterclass from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:02:55. > :03:02.Warmly appreciated by Ricky Walden. He knows Ronnie played very well.

:03:03. > :03:06.He is into the next round. Well the same score for Ronnie

:03:07. > :03:11.O'Sullivan every match of the tournament. He is through to the

:03:12. > :03:18.quarter-finals. Well played, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Another expensive win.

:03:19. > :03:22.He didn't take long, did he? Obviously Ricky Walden will be

:03:23. > :03:28.wishing it had goning loner. He did not do much wrong. He missed a red

:03:29. > :03:33.he should have gotten. Ronnie has played flawless snooker once again.

:03:34. > :03:39.As we were saying, there is something lovely about watching the

:03:40. > :03:46.way he play, the action is so fluid. He makes it look so easy. As if it

:03:47. > :03:54.doesn't matter out there. Whereas we all know it matters a great deal. He

:03:55. > :03:59.has a knack of look looking as if it does not bother, bother him but

:04:00. > :04:07.obviously it does. Everything he does, he make it is look effortless.

:04:08. > :04:11.You will have no doubt played him as well, how will you compare the

:04:12. > :04:17.Ronnie O'Sullivan of 2014 to the figure we have seen in previous

:04:18. > :04:22.seasons? He alluded it to it earlier. In the previous years he

:04:23. > :04:26.did have lots of success but for how good he was, he was hard on himself

:04:27. > :04:36.and maybe did not get the results he should have. Now he is coming near

:04:37. > :04:40.to his 40th birthday it is like a re reasurges -- reasurgence. Everything

:04:41. > :04:46.he is playing, he is winning. It is unbelievable.

:04:47. > :04:51.Now Ronnie will be with us in a few minute's time, but while he is on

:04:52. > :04:58.his way, let me tell you about a match between Stuart Bingham. And

:04:59. > :05:02.playing Joe Perry, the 16th seed who beat Matthew Stevens in the last

:05:03. > :05:11.round. This went to a final frame decider. Perry had taken a 2-frame

:05:12. > :05:15.lead. Bingham fought back, but it went right to the end. To the pink

:05:16. > :05:22.and the black. This is Perry at the table. Leading this. The pink ball

:05:23. > :05:29.dropped. That means that Joe Perry, the 16th seed is through to the

:05:30. > :05:36.quarter-finals here in Newport. Yes, it is a Goodwin. I don't want

:05:37. > :05:39.to make a meal of it. I felt I played the best stuff throughout the

:05:40. > :05:43.match but somehow nearly lost it. I always look forward to playing the

:05:44. > :05:49.very best players. That is why we are in the game. He was a tough

:05:50. > :05:55.opponent. Probably the toughest in that he can win play. It is a game I

:05:56. > :06:03.will look forward to. I will have to be looking my best.

:06:04. > :06:08.And playing to win the Selby match as well. And now, the winner of our

:06:09. > :06:13.first match this afternoon. I am told that Ronnie is with us now,

:06:14. > :06:20.behind the set now. Congratulations, Ronnie. That looked comfortable. How

:06:21. > :06:24.was it for you? Ricky has had a good season. He has won the ranking

:06:25. > :06:27.event. He has been to the semi-finals of the World

:06:28. > :06:34.Championships. At the latter stages of the tournaments, I want to

:06:35. > :06:38.congratulate Ricky on another good season. Ricky can dominate the

:06:39. > :06:41.table. I was pleased to get a win today.

:06:42. > :06:47.This is turning into a good year for you so far? It has been OK. Yes, it

:06:48. > :06:52.has been OK so far. And it looks comfortable and it

:06:53. > :06:58.looks relaxed. Is that how it feels when you are playing? Today was. It

:06:59. > :07:02.was one of my better matches. I felt I was playing more instinctively

:07:03. > :07:09.rather than think being how you are hitting the ball and cueking. The

:07:10. > :07:17.last two or three months I had not been cueking that great. Although

:07:18. > :07:23.there -- cueking that great. I thought I would trust it. If it is

:07:24. > :07:27.there, it is there, if it is not, it is not. Hopefully I played with more

:07:28. > :07:33.rhythm today. Give us an idea of how you are

:07:34. > :07:37.approaching the season, how do you choose which tournaments to play? If

:07:38. > :07:42.I can getting running fitting around the tournament, I will enter the

:07:43. > :07:48.tournament. If it means lots of travel and late nights, it is not

:07:49. > :07:55.for me. I like my life. I like a bit of routine. I was shattered all the

:07:56. > :08:01.time before. The five-day event would turn into a 14 day event

:08:02. > :08:05.because of the travelling. The late nights and eating rubbish food. I

:08:06. > :08:10.was living oen sandwiches for two or three years. I thought that is not

:08:11. > :08:15.how I want to spend my life. So I decided to play on tournaments that

:08:16. > :08:21.suit what I do. So I like to go running. I have been running here it

:08:22. > :08:27.is great. . Preston will be ideal. Where do you go running? Outside of

:08:28. > :08:33.the hotel. There is a nice loop. Four or five miles. That is how I

:08:34. > :08:38.determine it. If they decide to spread the tournaments out, then I

:08:39. > :08:42.am knackered, I am out, but obviously it is an international

:08:43. > :08:45.game it is going worldwide. That does not suit me. I have to be aware

:08:46. > :08:50.of that. You also have to look at the other

:08:51. > :08:55.options. So I will plan a few events and I am just ticking over. You are

:08:56. > :08:59.talking about the running. This is clearly more than a hobby. How

:09:00. > :09:03.seriously do you take it? It is not that but I find if I am on the tour,

:09:04. > :09:09.playing, travelling, eating everything. Then I start smoking,

:09:10. > :09:15.then I am on late nights, I start getting fat. I am miserable. There

:09:16. > :09:21.is no point being a successful snooker player but being miserable.

:09:22. > :09:26.For me it is about having a healthy lifestyle. Looking after my body. My

:09:27. > :09:31.health in general. It was not great. I found it difficult, the demands of

:09:32. > :09:36.the tour. So my health is more important. It has to come first. If

:09:37. > :09:41.I can fit a few tournaments around it, then so be it, but at my age you

:09:42. > :09:46.want a quality of life. There is no point working all of your life to

:09:47. > :09:52.throw it away. I like to feelgood in myself. So that is, running it is a

:09:53. > :09:58.big passion. I am not a good runner, a great runner but I enjoy it. It

:09:59. > :10:04.sorts my life out. Well it seems to be working well.

:10:05. > :10:13.And to ask you who you are about to play? It will be an easy match! No,

:10:14. > :10:18.this is as strong a field as you can get. Apart from Neil. I have been

:10:19. > :10:29.looking at the names in the tournament, there is D, ng and --

:10:30. > :10:42.Ding and Judd is playing back to his best. You can never Wright these

:10:43. > :10:47.guys off. -- write these guys off. .

:10:48. > :10:52.If I can play well today, hopefully I can play well for the rest of the

:10:53. > :10:55.tournament and give them a good run for their money.

:10:56. > :11:01.I hope so. Well that match was important for

:11:02. > :11:08.Ronnie. It was lovely to hear Ronnie speak so sportingly about Ricky, and

:11:09. > :11:13.the season he has had. Ricky is a player who is in the world rankings

:11:14. > :11:17.there. Now this is about the race to reach

:11:18. > :11:25.the World Championships in the crucible in a couple of months'

:11:26. > :11:32.time. The top 16 get automatic qualification. Ronnie qualifies as

:11:33. > :11:38.the champion automatically. So the top 15 get through. So that means

:11:39. > :11:43.that they all have a battle there to finish in the top 15 to see if they

:11:44. > :11:48.can make it through to the Crucible without playing qualifying matches.

:11:49. > :12:07.So we are going to see how Ali Carter got on. He was playing Mark

:12:08. > :12:15.Selby. Both 6 these --of these men have won before.

:12:16. > :12:21.Mark Selby is at the table. It is not often that Mark Selby misses a

:12:22. > :12:24.pot. He has not en with it. So, now, then. This could be a tonic

:12:25. > :13:03.for Ali. He wanted to catch the outside of

:13:04. > :13:06.the red, rather than the inside of it. Does he have a red on to the

:13:07. > :13:36.centre? Well, that is just frustration from

:13:37. > :13:40.Ali, banging the cue on the floor. He knew he could not afford to miss

:13:41. > :13:42.that red. Well, Mark has every chance of

:13:43. > :14:25.winning the match from here. These balls are well set for Mark

:14:26. > :14:46.Selby. It looks as if the pink will pass to the left corner.

:14:47. > :15:41.The black's available. Too straight to play for it though.

:15:42. > :15:44.He was a little worried he would overrun that.

:15:45. > :16:27.He is OK. It's a bit more difficult now.

:16:28. > :16:58.Only one red really out in the open. If he gets the red below the pink,

:16:59. > :17:14.that will obviously put the other two into play.

:17:15. > :17:27.He could put his angle on the b lushgs e to get back down the table.

:17:28. > :18:04.-- blue. Carter's had long bouts in his chair

:18:05. > :18:23.in this match. He certainly hasn't played to his normal standards.

:18:24. > :18:33.I see that Mark Selby has dominated the table time.

:18:34. > :18:49.He will have lots to think about after this match, if he loses the

:18:50. > :18:56.frame of the fact he has not got his rhythm going today.

:18:57. > :19:04.He was perfectly on the black to play that.

:19:05. > :19:12.If there is any lingering hope now left for Ali Carter.

:19:13. > :19:18.He knows he has not performed well enough in this match.

:19:19. > :19:22.But he was 3-1 down in an earlier match and came back to win. He can

:19:23. > :19:30.probably take stock from that. That black was effectively frame

:19:31. > :20:11.ball. It's not there but never mind. An

:20:12. > :20:16.excellent break from Mark Selby. We will see him through to the

:20:17. > :20:22.quarter-finals. Where he faces the winner of Joe Perry or Stuart

:20:23. > :20:27.Bingham. Ali is a top-class player in the

:20:28. > :20:31.world. So to get that win over a player of his class, really happy

:20:32. > :20:37.about that. I could have played more clinically. I started to miss a few,

:20:38. > :20:43.but Ali was not on his game. I seemed to take advantage of that. I

:20:44. > :20:49.have good memories of Newport. I have gotten into the top 16 to get

:20:50. > :20:55.into Newport and a few years ago I won my first title in Newport. So

:20:56. > :21:01.good memories. Long may it continue. Mark Selby is to play Joe Perry in

:21:02. > :21:09.the quarter-finals. Now, there is no-one more exciting a

:21:10. > :21:14.player than Judd Trump. He has won three ranking titles in his career

:21:15. > :21:22.so far. With his talent, he is likely to win many more.

:21:23. > :21:27.His technique is superb. I don't know what it is about left-handed

:21:28. > :21:32.players. They appear to get to the ball better than some. He plays

:21:33. > :21:38.shots that only Jimmy White can play. When under pressure, he tends

:21:39. > :21:42.to throw the queue at it. That is down to the temperament. That is

:21:43. > :21:49.something, if he works hard enough on it will get #4i78 back to world

:21:50. > :21:54.number one. I sometimes think he puts in one too many shots as a

:21:55. > :22:00.crowd pleaser. Don't get me wrong, I am all in favour of entertainment

:22:01. > :22:05.but don't push 9 boundaries too far and be true to yourself.

:22:06. > :22:09.We know that Judd likes fast cars, going out late at night. To be

:22:10. > :22:12.number one, to win all of the tournaments, to be the world

:22:13. > :22:18.champion, his dedication probably has to be a little better. He plays

:22:19. > :22:24.some of the most fantastic shots. One of the greatest potters in the

:22:25. > :22:29.game, but occasionally his shot selection s little to be desired. He

:22:30. > :22:34.spent two minutes over a shot on the blue. He took the wrong choice. Went

:22:35. > :22:40.for the pot and missed it. John Higgins won the frame. He could have

:22:41. > :22:46.been the world champion that year. Why he has not won the tournaments,

:22:47. > :22:50.or more of them, could the shot selection or the fact he goes for

:22:51. > :22:56.one more shot too many. I think he needs to create a bit of safety.

:22:57. > :23:02.That gets the chances. We know how good he is. His record will improve.

:23:03. > :23:08.He is a terrific talent, but the man he is playing today has really done

:23:09. > :23:13.it all. John Higgins from Scotland. Currently ten in the world rankings

:23:14. > :23:17.but look at that career, a four-time world champion, three times the UK

:23:18. > :23:21.champion and winning this turnment in Wales three times as well. What a

:23:22. > :23:29.player. So, these two have played each other. Eight times before. John

:23:30. > :23:35.Higgins has won six of them. Meeting four times in finals but it was

:23:36. > :23:38.Trump who won the last meeting, 4-0 in 2012.

:23:39. > :23:43.So the players are now on their way out into the arena here at the

:23:44. > :23:49.Newport Centre. This should abterrific match. A four-time world

:23:50. > :23:53.champion, John Higgins, against a young man with aspirations of

:23:54. > :24:00.greatness himself. Here are our commentators.

:24:01. > :24:09.As we see the two players enter the arena. The best of the seven match.

:24:10. > :24:15.John Higgins. A four-time world champion, but from another decade.

:24:16. > :24:22.And then Judd trump. Higgins is probably the complete match player

:24:23. > :24:27.but Trump is more in the Hendry mould. Likes to go ahead quickly and

:24:28. > :24:31.aggressive. We could be in for a cracker here.

:24:32. > :24:36.It is almost like the old and the new.

:24:37. > :24:41.John Higgins, you will have to say, in some aspects is in the decline,

:24:42. > :24:47.but still one of the best players in the world. Trump is hopefully to

:24:48. > :24:51.continue his resurgence in the game. He has had a quiet spell over the

:24:52. > :24:56.last year-and-a-half. Not producing the kind of snooker we saw a couple

:24:57. > :25:00.of years prior to that when we thought he would take the world by

:25:01. > :25:05.storm, but people have sussed him out. He was going through a spell

:25:06. > :25:30.whether or not to play safe, play pot, but he is better now.

:25:31. > :26:14.Well, it will take a while to get used to the pace of this table for

:26:15. > :26:18.John. I don't think he has played on this table before. It came off the

:26:19. > :26:25.cushion a little quicker than he thought. He is the best tactition in

:26:26. > :27:08.the game. He knows his way around.

:27:09. > :27:11.No damage done. He doesn't want to give four points

:27:12. > :27:29.away. I was at one of Judd Trump's matches

:27:30. > :27:32.earlier in the week. His safety play ove improved dramatically to what it

:27:33. > :27:43.used to be. Short again.

:27:44. > :27:51.There is not much of him, is there? Not much meat on the bone.

:27:52. > :28:00.The one thing he does not want to do is overhit. He could dislodge one of

:28:01. > :28:05.the reds. They are discussing how he can make

:28:06. > :28:11.contact with one of the reds on the left as we look at it. It would be a

:28:12. > :28:21.miss if he doesn't hit the balls. It would be a warning from the referee.

:28:22. > :28:29.A frame awarded. We could look down the line at this

:28:30. > :28:36.shot. I think that the blue is in the way.

:28:37. > :28:43.Judd is obviously going to ask again if he thinks he has made the right

:28:44. > :28:46.decision. You could hit the ball both sides,

:28:47. > :29:01.but they have changed the rules. Because it is almost touching the

:29:02. > :29:10.red, it is not out of possibility but the red could deflect and go in

:29:11. > :29:16.the right-hand side corner. That's what he is looking at, to see

:29:17. > :29:23.if that plant is on it is dangerous. If he is going to play it, he risks

:29:24. > :29:27.on where the cue ball ends up. Stand by your beds if he plays this

:29:28. > :29:37.at pace. That's what he played, but it didn't

:29:38. > :29:44.work. The cue ball is not too bad. I couldn't have played that shot in

:29:45. > :29:51.a month of Sundays! It is so easy to go off two cushions. He has played

:29:52. > :29:55.for the side of the park. You could have played for the back of the

:29:56. > :30:00.park, but it made it more interesting.

:30:01. > :31:52.It only cost him one point. Not the best shot he has ever

:31:53. > :32:11.played. He is a little bit awkward on the black.

:32:12. > :32:20.There are some players that are colourblind. Peterhead than has

:32:21. > :32:28.difficulty telling the brown from her red.

:32:29. > :32:41.-- Peter Ebdon. Four. He will not get a better chance to win this

:32:42. > :32:48.first frame. Judd Trump is relying heavily on his long potting, but it

:32:49. > :32:58.hasn't come off so far. When the doors, he is devastating. -- it

:32:59. > :34:13.does. Just a glance at the scoreboard, he

:34:14. > :34:24.knows he is very close to the winning post. It would need a very

:34:25. > :35:21.careless shot my friend not to get this first frame. -- shot now.

:35:22. > :35:29.It is quite interesting to watch the different rhythm they have got

:35:30. > :35:38.playing. John Higgins is quite quick when he gets down to the shot. Judd

:35:39. > :35:45.Trump is a lot quicker. John Higgins, most of the time, looks at

:35:46. > :35:53.peace with himself. Judd has a bit more action when he gets in. It was

:35:54. > :36:05.a great final they played in the Crucible, one of the best. He also

:36:06. > :36:11.beat him in Shanghai in the final, from 7-2 behind, he beat him 10-9.

:36:12. > :36:25.It is hard to get those kind of things out of your mind.

:36:26. > :36:35.Judd Trump would pot a lot more balls than John Higgins off what you

:36:36. > :36:42.might call the recovery shots, when you're out of position. John Higgins

:36:43. > :36:44.is a better positional player all right, so he doesn't get to play

:36:45. > :37:00.that many of those shots. An unexpected mess on the pink. But,

:37:01. > :37:08.it is enough to take the first frame.

:37:09. > :37:14.So, John Higgins settles quickest in this first frame. Some offer us the

:37:15. > :37:19.contrasting styles of these two men. Judd Trump likes to go for his

:37:20. > :37:22.shots. He would have to say sometimes he plays some lunatic

:37:23. > :37:28.shot, but when they come off they come off the lip than plastic. Very

:37:29. > :37:31.fast and fluent. John Higgins is a little bit more calculating. He

:37:32. > :37:35.plays the game as a dude be played. He is very tight in the safety

:37:36. > :37:45.department. When he gets in, he scores for fun. How does the John

:37:46. > :37:51.Higgins of 2,000 Ford team compare to the man who won his fourth world

:37:52. > :37:59.title? In ability, nothing at all. At the moment he is going through a

:38:00. > :38:04.funny sort of stage with his cues. He played with the same queue for

:38:05. > :38:08.many years, and Nikkei is chopping and changing. I'm sure once he

:38:09. > :38:15.settles into a piece of wood that he really likes, he will be back to his

:38:16. > :38:20.brilliant best. Well, it is him to break off in frame two.

:38:21. > :38:32.He certainly settle the better of the two. Jobs need to get a frame on

:38:33. > :38:41.the board quickly, just to settle himself down. He is still not

:38:42. > :38:53.settled yet. That was a terrible safety shot!

:38:54. > :38:57.When your opponent can get his hand on the table, you know you will be

:38:58. > :39:18.in trouble. Good pot! He has the angle on the brown, if he

:39:19. > :39:20.wants to come down for the reds. He won't be turning this one down. That

:39:21. > :39:41.was an excellent red. He has left himself a brilliant

:39:42. > :40:01.angle on this red, he will be able to clear the black spot.

:40:02. > :40:14.Judd Trump has been sitting idle a lot, Higgins has just made a break

:40:15. > :40:22.of 60, so he has his rhythm. Does the Blackpool? -- black go? It looks

:40:23. > :40:43.as if it will. It was the fact that he was playing

:40:44. > :40:58.at three quarters ball but made a very tricky. -- that he was playing

:40:59. > :41:04.its three quarters that made it very tricky. Beautifully played! A little

:41:05. > :41:10.bit unlucky that the red has gone the other black spot. -- gone over

:41:11. > :41:23.the black spot. The black is tied up at the moment.

:41:24. > :41:47.He would like to get the pink back on the spot.

:41:48. > :41:52.It is not easy to get this pink and avoid the obstacles back down to the

:41:53. > :42:23.reds. If this red doesn't go, he has been

:42:24. > :42:35.very unlucky. He completely misjudged that.

:42:36. > :42:51.That was not good judgement. At least he has had his hand on the

:42:52. > :42:52.table. When you play John Higgins you have to score, because you will

:42:53. > :43:34.not beat him on the safety. He will not be happy with that. The

:43:35. > :43:48.pack is available. Judd Trump cannot in this long red aggro. -- long red.

:43:49. > :44:04.He is being very unlucky with these long shots.

:44:05. > :44:09.He didn't try to get on the black, he was just concentrating on getting

:44:10. > :44:29.the red. That looks OK. There is a gap

:44:30. > :44:45.between the reds. If you get on the one nearest the right corner.

:44:46. > :45:00.He struck that nicely. That shot takes a little bit of confidence.

:45:01. > :45:04.Not difficult, but easy to miss. You mentioned the two bad losses that he

:45:05. > :45:07.has had against John Higgins. Sometimes when you go into a match

:45:08. > :45:14.and you have a bad record against somebody, you try to give it your

:45:15. > :45:22.all to get into the match early. Of course, he has started like a fish

:45:23. > :45:27.out of water this game, Judd. When he is talked about as one of the top

:45:28. > :45:28.five or six players in the world, you would expect him to start better

:45:29. > :46:47.than this. He has played that as well as he

:46:48. > :46:52.could have played it. Excellent stuff! John Higgins is looking very

:46:53. > :47:12.comfortable. He is 24 points in front.

:47:13. > :47:22.You have probably watched him more than me. Allegedly he has changed

:47:23. > :47:27.his Q3 or four times this year. I know he has been changing them, but

:47:28. > :47:34.he is obviously searching for something out there. Maybe he thinks

:47:35. > :47:42.that will inspire him. It might give him more interested pack this more.

:47:43. > :47:45.There are lots of different reasons why a player might change his queue.

:47:46. > :48:40.It is a bit like a golfer changing his potter. -- potter.

:48:41. > :49:01.it is amazing that John Higgins has not been a regular winner of the

:49:02. > :49:07.major tournaments in the last couple of years. He is an exceptional

:49:08. > :49:13.player. Old age catches up a new eventually! He is not as consistent

:49:14. > :49:21.as he used to be. Still, for me, one of the top players in the game.

:49:22. > :49:32.A break of 66 to win the first frame, 60 three to win the second. I

:49:33. > :49:37.am not too sure if Judd Trump can be a regular winner with his game at

:49:38. > :49:42.the minute. What do you think you would have to improve on? His shot

:49:43. > :49:48.selection at times has been a bit out of sync. In the last few years

:49:49. > :49:54.he has been trying to turn a few of the reckless shots down, play more

:49:55. > :50:02.safety, but I think he got a bit mixed up with that. He wasn't really

:50:03. > :50:07.committed to either of the pots or the safety. If you look at Stephen

:50:08. > :50:12.Hendry, he didn't have a safety game at all. We can criticise people like

:50:13. > :50:18.Judd Trump, but the truth of it is, as a fan of snooker, I love watching

:50:19. > :50:23.him play. He excites people by the way he plays. You never know what

:50:24. > :50:32.you're going to get. So, you're saying, maybe don't change a game?

:50:33. > :50:39.-- your game? It worked for Stephen Hendry. This is the big frame for

:50:40. > :51:41.Judd Trump. That is what he has got to start to

:51:42. > :51:48.do, not those in. -- knock. A bit like Ronnie O'Sullivan, they never

:51:49. > :51:50.tried to put the cue ball out of play on those long shots. They have

:51:51. > :52:01.the confidence. Those type of long shots normally

:52:02. > :52:13.inspire him. So far in this match is housed Rick has been 16, which is

:52:14. > :52:23.very unusual for Judd Trump. -- his highest break has been 16.

:52:24. > :52:59.He has been very fortunate if he is on this one in the middle.

:53:00. > :53:07.He had a look at the pink in the middle. He has missed red! He took a

:53:08. > :53:12.long time to decide which kind of positional shot to play, but he

:53:13. > :53:26.seemed to go down quite quickly. Certainly not his normal self.

:53:27. > :53:46.He has to get a foothold in this match, and quick.

:53:47. > :54:01.Once again, not finding the baulk cushion. You should always try to be

:54:02. > :54:32.four or five inches away from the cushion in your safety game.

:54:33. > :54:37.Beautifully played! Beautifully played! You can't strike the ball

:54:38. > :54:46.better than that. He has an abundance of talent.

:54:47. > :55:08.He has to make this chance kind. -- count.

:55:09. > :55:18.Not on the black. You can see his reaction. It was the right shot to

:55:19. > :55:20.play. You can never control what happens to the pack when you split

:55:21. > :56:04.them up like that. This is a bit awkward. The reds are

:56:05. > :56:11.so well spread, there are not many gaps. He might just drop the cue

:56:12. > :56:35.ball onto the black cushion. How close was that? He would have

:56:36. > :56:44.been on the black, as well. But, he has left Judd Trump in an position.

:56:45. > :57:30.-- in an awkward position. This red on the right, he might pot

:57:31. > :57:35.that and screw back into baulk. He is looking at the plants. He will be

:57:36. > :57:39.looking at an aggressive shots, that is what like about him. The plant is

:57:40. > :57:55.just off-line. John Higgins made the right decision

:57:56. > :58:31.putting him back in to bat. Or all the reds covered? I think they are!

:58:32. > :58:41.Perhaps this is the difference between John Higgins and Judd Trump.

:58:42. > :58:46.If Judd Trump was playing well, he would get this blue. John Higgins

:58:47. > :58:57.has always had a bit of a question about his mid-distance balls.

:58:58. > :59:14.This is not really the type of match that suits Judd Trump. He seems to

:59:15. > :59:34.struggle against players who have a good all-round game.

:59:35. > :59:44.When you say that this is not a Judd Trump type of game, are you thinking

:59:45. > :59:49.the same as me, because John Higgins makes so few mistakes? Well, he is

:59:50. > :59:55.making mistakes today, but not as many as Judd. If he is not scoring

:59:56. > :59:59.against some of the light John Higgins, he doesn't get into the

:00:00. > :00:05.game, and he doesn't have a chance to find his rhythm. He has got in

:00:06. > :00:23.quite a number of times, but his highest break is only 16.

:00:24. > :00:32.It's twice we have seen facial expressions from John, as we never

:00:33. > :00:36.normally do. Terry commented in the break, but

:00:37. > :00:43.there is no problem with this red, surely?

:00:44. > :00:50.Perhaps he overscrewed it by a margin, he would have been perfect

:00:51. > :00:55.on the one nearest the pink spot. The cue ball travelled a fraction

:00:56. > :01:01.shorter. I expect him to pot this and to get nicely on the mru.

:01:02. > :01:17.-- blue. Maybe not... Maybe not... CEDWHITE

:01:18. > :01:20.He can't get a position to save his life here.

:01:21. > :01:27.There was one shot, there were four reds to get on, he didn't get on any

:01:28. > :01:33.of them. You don't expect that from John Higgins. He is under pressure.

:01:34. > :01:39.Sensing that there could be an easy victory if it carries on like this.

:01:40. > :01:45.Well, I didn't expect him to miss that, but in its own way, this puts

:01:46. > :01:54.pressure on you. He is expecting Trump to do something but he has not

:01:55. > :01:59.done it. It is getting more and more

:02:00. > :02:05.frustrating for Judd. And he doesn't want to do that. He

:02:06. > :02:10.looked at this for a plant two or three times. I'm not so sure he

:02:11. > :02:13.should take this up on this distance, but you never know with

:02:14. > :02:19.Judd. It is risky but you feel if he takes

:02:20. > :02:23.it on and gets it, it inspires him and changes him to a different

:02:24. > :02:29.player. We criticise him all the time when he misses mem but when

:02:30. > :02:35.when he gets them it is tremendous. This plant, he could get it, six out

:02:36. > :02:41.of ten but the other four, is it worth the risk? He has to change the

:02:42. > :02:51.potting somehow or other, as he is not in this game at all.

:02:52. > :02:57.Well done! Terry fancied him playing the shot and getting . I didn't, but

:02:58. > :02:59.didn't he play it well. Now I think he has every chance of

:03:00. > :04:21.getting a frame on the board. We can see it play playing now, his

:04:22. > :04:25.rhythm has picked up. There is a chance for him to get a

:04:26. > :04:31.frame. You can play Higgins and be behind

:04:32. > :04:33.but that is not the case with Judd, he has had chances. This is very

:04:34. > :05:34.strong now. He would like to get this red out of

:05:35. > :05:36.the way as John Higgins is very, very good at getting snookers. He

:05:37. > :06:06.hasn't got it. Straight away, getting the pink out

:06:07. > :06:15.of the way, it was in a bad position.

:06:16. > :06:22.This is part of the safety game, of course, when you require snookers. I

:06:23. > :06:28.spoke earlier on, John Higgins is one of the best, Steve Davis, Mark

:06:29. > :06:34.Selby, they are the three best, no doubt about it.

:06:35. > :06:45.He tried to knock the black safe. That has played.

:06:46. > :07:32.This is swervable. A good attempt. It was a very

:07:33. > :07:37.difficult shot. He played thin cut with a lot on the right-hand side.

:07:38. > :07:46.He had to get the red safe, of course.

:07:47. > :07:52.This looks good. That's one of the ways of stopping

:07:53. > :08:09.Higgins getting a snooker. Snooker him.

:08:10. > :08:15.I wouldn't say Trump is desperate to win this frame, but he would like to

:08:16. > :08:37.get this red out of the way. Trump's turn for the good fortune.

:08:38. > :08:47.John Higgins has not had a pot where you fancy a snooker. He has been

:08:48. > :08:54.playing catch-up all of the time. That will help Trump's call. The

:08:55. > :08:59.fact he has push pushed the black up the cushion. He could play the long

:09:00. > :09:05.double here it is a big pocket where the yellow is. He can keep the white

:09:06. > :09:10.at this end of the table. Just having a look at it now. Even

:09:11. > :09:23.if it hits the cushion first, it still could go in off the yellow.

:09:24. > :09:33.This is the real first chance that John Higgins has to possibly lay a

:09:34. > :09:37.snooker. The balls are possibly nine feet apart, so not straightforward

:09:38. > :09:44.by any stretch of the the imagination.

:09:45. > :09:54.Just about as poor as John Higgins could have played it, but he may

:09:55. > :09:55.have gotten away with it. You would expect him to knock this

:09:56. > :10:17.in. If he was 33 there, there is

:10:18. > :10:22.something on your mind when you are 36 in front and you know you just

:10:23. > :10:29.need the red it is a different mindset.

:10:30. > :10:32.This looks perfect. Oh, not quite hard enough! We are

:10:33. > :11:11.talking about fractions there. How didn't that drop? White in hand.

:11:12. > :11:16.Red available in the middle pocket. Trump didn't flinch.

:11:17. > :11:19.No reaction at all. Nice to be young with a strong

:11:20. > :11:34.heart! That would have been tricky to hit

:11:35. > :11:45.if the red had rolled another couple of rolls. He has to bring that black

:11:46. > :11:47.and yellow. John Higgins will get behind there, you can bet your life,

:11:48. > :12:09.should he get a chance, of course. That was so close.

:12:10. > :12:13.He kisses the yellow ball instead of the black but then he would have

:12:14. > :12:21.been tight behind the black. That has affected the Khan Khans --

:12:22. > :12:45.chances of John Higgins. Trump looks a little out of place.

:12:46. > :12:54.When we talk about an all-round game, you see John Higgins can

:12:55. > :12:56.score. He is excellent at the safety plays. At the snooker stage. Laying

:12:57. > :13:32.them. He has the lot. If he had gone past the green and

:13:33. > :13:37.gone behind if, it would have been a difficult shot. Another chance,

:13:38. > :13:39.then. Amazing, the statistics on players missing a pot when they are

:13:40. > :14:01.safe, but he hasn't this time. He thought it was over there but it

:14:02. > :14:07.is not now. Funny that. He needed one snooker

:14:08. > :14:12.with the red on. He potted the red and played a foul shot, now Johnny

:14:13. > :14:20.needs two snookers. A strange one, but that is a great shot. Oh,

:14:21. > :14:22.unlucky again! I think that John played to bring in the pink and

:14:23. > :14:37.snooker him behind the black. Very good.

:14:38. > :14:47.Probably his best work. The best thing to do. Snooker him.

:14:48. > :15:02.Oh! It is a concession from John Higgins. A good frame. Very good for

:15:03. > :15:08.Judd Trump. He is back in this game. 2-1, to Higgins.

:15:09. > :15:15.A fascinating frame. The longest one of the match. Judd will be delighted

:15:16. > :15:19.he is the on the board. We saw all sides of Judd Trump. He did get a

:15:20. > :15:24.few of the long pots going to get him into the frame.

:15:25. > :15:29.He did, after John Higgins was amongst the balls, perfect at the

:15:30. > :15:35.start of the frame. He played a bad positional shot. It missed a blue in

:15:36. > :15:40.the mild. Judd Trump settled down. Had a nice 40 break. He showed us he

:15:41. > :15:44.is well capable in the safety department.

:15:45. > :15:49.And Terry was talking about how a big, high-risk shot can be the thing

:15:50. > :15:55.that inspires Judd. We had this with the plant that got him going.

:15:56. > :16:01.I was along with W ishg ll here. I thought it was a crazy shot, but

:16:02. > :16:06.after seeing how he played it, how easy it makes it, he is right,

:16:07. > :16:11.Terry. He is fantastic to watch. You don't know what to get. He is a

:16:12. > :16:16.mixed bag. When he is on, he is on but when he is off, he is off, but

:16:17. > :16:20.that was a fantastic plant. It won him the frame.

:16:21. > :16:27.We did see it all in the frame, but the good news is for the neutrals we

:16:28. > :16:50.have a game on our hands. Judd Trump is one frame behind John Higgins.

:16:51. > :16:58.Almost behind the brown, but not quite.

:16:59. > :17:05.Of course that match was going, or looked one sided at one stage. All

:17:06. > :17:09.of the neutrals in the crowd would enjoy Trump winning the frame.

:17:10. > :18:40.Nobody like as one-sided contest in any sport.

:18:41. > :18:49.One of the few occasions where John Higgins may be forced into playing a

:18:50. > :18:57.red. Maybe it will help. But he is in a tough situation here.

:18:58. > :19:09.There are three reds in a line. He could get a good white.

:19:10. > :20:08.Somehow if you can rest on to the red below the pink. He is looking at

:20:09. > :20:15.a line now. The other is to move away from the red at the top pocket.

:20:16. > :20:20.If you hit it, you may at well leave it.

:20:21. > :21:18.Trying to rest on the one below the pink. Too much side on.

:21:19. > :21:27.For a minute it looked a great shot. Then of course a red dropped in. So

:21:28. > :21:32.Judd has a chance to get right into the game. So unlucky for the red to

:21:33. > :22:21.drift there. You never have an idea where all of the reds will finish

:22:22. > :22:25.off at that speed. Another change there are Judd Trump.

:22:26. > :22:29.He is taking his time with awkward situations. He used to rush into

:22:30. > :23:06.everything and have a go at something without much thought, but

:23:07. > :23:16.he has matured as a match player. Judd's big biggest asset is the

:23:17. > :23:24.breaking department. As a 13-year-old boy he played in

:23:25. > :23:32.all of the junior tournaments. Even then he was an unbelievable talent.

:23:33. > :23:37.He used to come almost everyweekend to play in the junior tournaments at

:23:38. > :23:40.Leicester with his father and brother.

:23:41. > :23:43.It was only a matter of time before he became one of the top players of

:23:44. > :23:53.the game. How far can he go? He was struggling

:23:54. > :23:59.for a while in the qualifying rounds. , but once he came on to the

:24:00. > :24:05.main tour, and he started to get to the bigger events, this is the first

:24:06. > :24:11.event he qualified for here, the Welsh Open. He showed how good he

:24:12. > :24:16.is. He likes the big matches. He is not frightened of the big stage.

:24:17. > :24:19.I think he's the best young player that has come through in a while in

:24:20. > :24:24.the game. Yes, there are not that many coming

:24:25. > :24:27.through. A few from China and Thailand that look like being the

:24:28. > :24:32.next big thing, but struggling to spot one from England at the moment,

:24:33. > :24:36.or Great Britain to pull any trees up.

:24:37. > :24:41.I think that Judd is 23, I think. About that age. He is still very

:24:42. > :24:53.young. He seems to be around forever.

:24:54. > :24:56.A good marker is that any of the top players would be worried about

:24:57. > :24:59.playing Trump when he is playing great.

:25:00. > :25:15.I think that the best thing that I can say about him is he is he may

:25:16. > :25:24.not be as consistent as John Higgins but some say that consistency is

:25:25. > :25:28.boring! Well two frames ago, I thought his play could have been

:25:29. > :25:32.reckless but you said he should knock it in. It would change the

:25:33. > :25:38.pattern of things, and it certainly has. Changed it completely! Well it

:25:39. > :25:41.gave John Higgins something to think about as well. Didn't it? He was

:25:42. > :26:01.having everything his own way. Let's see this shot again. This is

:26:02. > :26:07.the plant that we were talking about. That changed the whole game.

:26:08. > :26:14.John Higgins was in the balls and looked certain to score... Terry

:26:15. > :26:18.mentioned he had to get on four reds and he didn't manage to get one.

:26:19. > :26:27.That is when it changed. Now, you have to say that Trump is favourite.

:26:28. > :26:37.He's hard to stop when he gets going.

:26:38. > :26:44.You have to make sure of the reds. You know that John is one of the

:26:45. > :26:48.best tack tirgss. One -- tactitions, but this man is a

:26:49. > :28:08.genius. That is where snooker is required.

:28:09. > :28:12.LINEBREAK will try to pot three reds and three killers when he can.

:28:13. > :28:16.Obviously he prefers to play the black, but he is playing the more

:28:17. > :28:25.risky shot. He is bound to be on the black with playing this.

:28:26. > :28:30.And that's end of frame. He conceded to the table. That just

:28:31. > :28:39.safes a bit of time to Trump. Largely to the break of 59. It

:28:40. > :28:44.levelled the match at 2-2. Well this match is well balanced, but a major

:28:45. > :28:49.shock over on table two this afternoon. This was the match wean

:28:50. > :28:57.the defending champion, Stephen Maguire and a rank outsider, Joel

:28:58. > :29:02.Walker, a 19-year-old, the 83rd seed for the tournament. The match went

:29:03. > :29:07.to a deciding frame. Walker led for most, but a young man, he is 19

:29:08. > :29:12.years old. 20 next month. A player who won a competition when he was 15

:29:13. > :29:18.years old. He got coaching sessions from the great Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:29:19. > :29:21.Well it is he, Joel Walker who has beaten Stephen Maguire. He now

:29:22. > :29:24.progresses to the quarter-finals. What a brilliant result. Well, there

:29:25. > :29:37.is a big shock. Manage Stephen Maguire, out. What a big day

:29:38. > :29:42.for Joel Walker? He is a young man. 19 years of age. This fairytale is

:29:43. > :29:46.continuing to roll on, as they say. Incredible. Probably the biggest

:29:47. > :29:52.shock of the tournament so far, would you say? Probably. Obviously

:29:53. > :29:56.Stephen Maguire in the first-round match struggled with the neck and

:29:57. > :30:06.the back, but he could not get on the shot. He got through 4-p. He

:30:07. > :30:14.played better yesterday, but that is a big shock, yes.

:30:15. > :30:15.You think that Joel PROBLEM WITH SOUND

:30:16. > :30:17.Well we will be looking forward to seeing him playing in the

:30:18. > :30:24.quarter-finals, where he is to face either Donaldson or Wi. Now back to

:30:25. > :30:33.the match this afternoon. Between Trump and Higgins.

:30:34. > :30:49.It is nice to see new lads coming through the system.

:30:50. > :31:19.I think Willie Thorne called these two the best match.

:31:20. > :32:02.Narrowed Judd Trump has come back to life, he might be the slight

:32:03. > :32:16.favourite. -- now. That could be good. That could be

:32:17. > :33:02.very good. He was stretching them, but that was

:33:03. > :33:12.pretty bad that short. It was up quite straightforward safety.

:33:13. > :33:18.That is what you get if you play against John Higgins. Good chance he

:33:19. > :33:48.will be in trouble with the next shot.

:33:49. > :34:11.Now, what John Higgins would not give here for a 70 break.

:34:12. > :34:19.The first thing John Higgins will be looking for here is bringing the

:34:20. > :34:23.black into play. Pink is available. Just trying to work out what he can

:34:24. > :34:29.do on the side of the table to give him a chance to win the frame. At

:34:30. > :34:30.the moment, it would be very difficult unless he gets the black

:34:31. > :35:01.into play. It is all very congested at this

:35:02. > :35:09.end. He is trying to move several red away from the black spot. He

:35:10. > :35:41.might need to stun this interview reds. Difficult angle.

:35:42. > :36:20.It has to go behind its horns -- behind its own spot. The black needs

:36:21. > :36:22.to be in direct line behind. Could get very messy now. He will try to

:36:23. > :36:36.get top side of the blue. He is thinking three shots in

:36:37. > :36:50.advance at the moment. Obviously a little tight and he

:36:51. > :37:20.can't get the pink directly in-line. Fraction too hard with the cue ball.

:37:21. > :37:31.It is difficult to get the weight right when you come off the cushion.

:37:32. > :37:49.Is he high enough on this red? Perfect. Well played.

:37:50. > :38:10.Unlucky. It hasn't worked. Decision time.

:38:11. > :38:17.John Higgins has decided he has to stop the juggernaut who won the last

:38:18. > :38:46.two frames. That was a brilliant shot.

:38:47. > :39:03.The previous shot has cost him this problem. Nothing to go at no. After

:39:04. > :39:09.clicking on a very brave shot of the black along the cushion, he is not

:39:10. > :39:12.getting much reward now. In defence of John, it did fly off that

:39:13. > :39:38.cushion. He overran it. If he plays a good safety shot now,

:39:39. > :40:32.the 43 point lead could evaporate very quickly.

:40:33. > :40:48.That is a good shot. He played that with a lot of backspin, enough to

:40:49. > :40:58.keep people on track and to avoid the black. Beautiful. He has

:40:59. > :41:29.choices. He can go into the reds of the green. -- off.

:41:30. > :41:45.If he plays into the reds of the yellow, it is more difficult.

:41:46. > :41:55.He has played for the one was red. I don't blame him. Played to

:41:56. > :42:08.perfection. They would call him a shotmaker in golf.

:42:09. > :42:20.Well, well. I don't know what it is about Judd Trump, when he misses

:42:21. > :42:26.something you often think he has played it too quick. He put so much

:42:27. > :42:34.effort on the previous shot on the green.

:42:35. > :43:41.I did not see that coming at all. So careless.

:43:42. > :43:45.Both players have had a chance in this frame. John Higgins is the

:43:46. > :44:04.favourite. 44 points in front. Judd Trump will be mightily relieved

:44:05. > :44:08.that he has not even brought out of the game after his last mistake. I

:44:09. > :44:49.think he has got away with it. -- maybe. He could see enough of it,

:44:50. > :45:09.but has hit it too send. Unbelievable. -- too

:45:10. > :45:15.one of the beauties of the game of snooker is that every time you visit

:45:16. > :45:35.the table it is a new decision you have to make.

:45:36. > :45:41.John Higgins has again slipped out of position. I could never criticise

:45:42. > :45:49.him because he is one of the greatest players. He is 52 points in

:45:50. > :46:42.front and needs red, colour, red to be sure.

:46:43. > :47:03.Just the red needed. No mistake there.

:47:04. > :47:28.Judd Trump has stayed in his chair. John Higgins takes the lead.

:47:29. > :47:39.I don't think the top players are scared. They are still the top

:47:40. > :47:45.players. I don't think you need to be fit in Stoker. I would like to be

:47:46. > :47:55.more fit, but I can't be bothered with it so I don't. As you get

:47:56. > :48:02.older, you may be done he does much pressure as when you were younger.

:48:03. > :48:09.Family things get in the way. I still practice as hard as most

:48:10. > :48:22.people. I enjoy playing in a lot of tournaments. You enjoy it when there

:48:23. > :48:26.is a good crowd. Playing in a PTC in Bulgaria and the World

:48:27. > :48:31.Championships, you get the same buzz out of it. I think I have always

:48:32. > :48:45.given my opponents to credit they deserve. Quite possibly, yes! I will

:48:46. > :48:54.not argue with that. That is just the natural progression. It is what

:48:55. > :49:01.happens when life goes on. They can mix, of course they can. Family life

:49:02. > :49:11.should not take anything away from that. No, no. I am still as

:49:12. > :49:24.motivated as ever. You have to try to win the big events.

:49:25. > :49:34.Very interesting to see John Higgins been put on the spot they are. Quite

:49:35. > :49:46.a few telling questions. They were tough to answer. Judd Trump has to

:49:47. > :49:51.win the remaining frames. He is more than capable, but we will have to

:49:52. > :50:05.judge his frustration over the next few shot. -- shots. He sometimes

:50:06. > :50:26.plays attacking safety shots instead of negative ones.

:50:27. > :50:34.If the reds were split far and wide, it would be more difficult. Judd

:50:35. > :50:42.Trump has an easy safety shot to play just now. For two thin. -- far

:50:43. > :52:16.too thin. Most of these frames have been

:52:17. > :52:28.similar. A few safety shots to begin with. We have not had the big breaks

:52:29. > :52:36.you would expect from these two good players.

:52:37. > :52:48.He wants to take this red on. You can see it in him. His mind is

:52:49. > :53:03.seeing to go for this, but he has the doubt in his mind.

:53:04. > :53:16.There is a very easy safety shot to play.

:53:17. > :53:24.One minute, 13 seconds. But is a long time for job trump to consider

:53:25. > :53:32.what to play. Might be worth the wait. Excellent safety shot. A lot

:53:33. > :53:34.of players would have played that straight up and down. He played the

:53:35. > :54:07.aggressive safety shot very well. I did not expect him to miss that.

:54:08. > :54:09.That could be the end. Judd Trump just has not been on his game so

:54:10. > :54:47.far. Has potting rate is 60%. If the black does not go past the

:54:48. > :54:53.blue, which I don't think it does, he is nothing. He is smiling to

:54:54. > :55:57.himself, but he knew that was a great chance to win the match.

:55:58. > :56:12.Not easy to get back into the baulk end easily.

:56:13. > :56:23.Too difficult to try to work out a safety. That looks pretty good. John

:56:24. > :56:26.Higgins is not the kind of player to play the screw as Judd Trump has

:56:27. > :56:51.just done. That is fortunate. I don't like to

:56:52. > :57:19.see, one on a fluke. -- won. That was done very positively. That

:57:20. > :57:49.was missable. This is the second time he has lost

:57:50. > :58:05.possession. Worrying times for John Higgins.

:58:06. > :58:55.I can't believe he went for that. Here's an aggressive player, but

:58:56. > :58:57.that was pushing the boat out. I don't think I have ever seen John

:58:58. > :59:13.Higgins play a shot like that. Judd Trump will have two great his

:59:14. > :59:31.teeth for a moment. Economic work on the loo at the moment. Might need to

:59:32. > :59:33.use it seven or eight times. -- he might have to work off the blue at

:59:34. > :00:03.the moment. If he had a chance to bring the

:00:04. > :00:10.black into play, he would do. This will be a difficult read.

:00:11. > :00:32.Now Trump jumped up in the air then when he missed that red. He knew as

:00:33. > :01:16.soon as he hit it missed the pot. Moving this red will help, but he

:01:17. > :01:19.has to get topside of the blue and bring the black into play at some

:01:20. > :02:16.stage. He has just come far enough down the

:02:17. > :02:19.table to have a good angle on the blue and get down to the reds.

:02:20. > :02:33.Every point is so important now. If he can get another red and a

:02:34. > :02:55.colour after this, he will be in a very, very strong position.

:02:56. > :03:00.Very well played. Not easy to get the reds into a good potting

:03:01. > :03:15.position. A few more reds and colours he is

:03:16. > :03:53.getting nearer to the winning line. A low-scoring frame so far.

:03:54. > :04:01.He knew that was a bounce. Once again, if he takes the blue on, it

:04:02. > :04:08.is bound to kiss into the red, an the pink, the green and the black,

:04:09. > :04:15.so why would he want to do that. Oh, that turned out OK. It was risky,

:04:16. > :04:20.Terry, wasn't that? If you look back over John Higgins's career, there is

:04:21. > :04:24.many times I have watched him, he does, when it comes to winning a

:04:25. > :04:28.match in the last frame, he goes for the shots he would not look at in

:04:29. > :04:35.other frames of the match. There is nothing wrong with that. OK, they

:04:36. > :04:40.are a high risk but as Stephen Hendry used to say, if he turned it

:04:41. > :04:49.down and played the safety and lost the match, he would not have slept

:04:50. > :04:57.for three weeks! Not the kiss he wanted.

:04:58. > :05:06.But he has taken this on. I don't see where the colour comes

:05:07. > :05:32.from. He is 29 points in front. Probably knocked the blue safe now.

:05:33. > :05:40.Trump is left-handed. He could possibly pot it, but he is a long

:05:41. > :05:44.way off that stage. Trump should be pleased just to get

:05:45. > :05:49.another opportunity. There is a good safety shot this.

:05:50. > :05:55.It could cause John Higgins a bit of trouble.

:05:56. > :06:01.You can only see one of the reds. He doesn't want to drop off the back

:06:02. > :06:05.cushion on to the red nearest the corner pocket, as it would be

:06:06. > :06:10.leaving red-on. I think he may have to do that. If

:06:11. > :06:36.Judd can get on to a colour from the red, good luck to him.

:06:37. > :06:40.If there is an angle on this, Trump could get on the pink. It's a tough

:06:41. > :06:45.pot, though. This would be up there with one of

:06:46. > :07:46.the greatest clearances of all time if he gets through this.

:07:47. > :08:05.He is looking to pot the blue. What a great shot. Very, very

:08:06. > :08:11.special. An amazing shot. And he has an angle

:08:12. > :08:14.to the black to play. Not that he may want to do that here.

:08:15. > :08:31.He may need the black soon. He took a risk, didn't he? Bringing

:08:32. > :08:52.the black into play. How he has gotten back into this

:08:53. > :08:57.frame is very, very good. The only way he can kiss the yellow

:08:58. > :09:04.out after this colour, whichever he takes on, is to play the green but

:09:05. > :09:09.it's a tough shot. He can pot the black, of course, play for the

:09:10. > :09:44.yellow along the cushion but they are very tight pockets.

:09:45. > :09:50.The only saving grace is that the brown is safe, but it is hard to

:09:51. > :10:02.play a safety shot from here, Terry, isn't it? He knows he will put

:10:03. > :10:06.himself in trouble now. There is no way he should take the

:10:07. > :10:12.pot here, surely, but he can get in behind the green.

:10:13. > :10:19.And he is certainly back in the frame.

:10:20. > :10:27.It only the brown in the cushion, but earlier on, there were a few

:10:28. > :10:52.balls out of commission. Just a fraction too hard.

:10:53. > :11:00.Not quite sure what John played then. This is the fascination of

:11:01. > :11:04.contrasting styles. You may think that Higgins has the best chance in

:11:05. > :11:11.the safety battle like this but of course he can't pot like Trump.

:11:12. > :11:16.Well, there is a chance. I didn't see him missing that, to be

:11:17. > :11:20.honest. It seems difficult when the players

:11:21. > :11:25.play with lots of side on these tables, the fast cloth. It tends to

:11:26. > :11:31.push in a bit before the side takes. A lot of play, with lots of side,

:11:32. > :11:35.you see the players more often than not, missing the pot thick. It means

:11:36. > :11:38.that the side is not having time to move before it gets to the object

:11:39. > :11:47.ball. There is a real good chance of

:11:48. > :12:10.playing a snooker again in be liepd the -- in behind the green. This

:12:11. > :12:13.looks good. This looks mighty good. Looks

:12:14. > :12:30.A good attempt. It will be a free ball.

:12:31. > :12:49.Now he has to play this at pace. He can't play it showily. He has to put

:12:50. > :12:54.lots of distance between the cue ball and the object ball. He has the

:12:55. > :12:58.distance, is it safe? That's amazing. Judd Trump made the right

:12:59. > :14:04.choice. That is amazing, really. Higgins is in front slightly.

:14:05. > :14:08.He made sure he played that plain ball. Normally, a player would have

:14:09. > :14:11.played with a little to the side, but he played a very good safety

:14:12. > :14:17.shot there, Judd. Higgins, I think, has played a

:14:18. > :14:55.better one! This is really tough. You can only

:14:56. > :15:01.play off one cushion. If the brown was not there, there could be two

:15:02. > :15:07.cushions. Not an easy escape and 12 points behind. He has a bit to play

:15:08. > :15:11.with. He can miss once or twice. He doesn't want to put John Higgins in

:15:12. > :15:17.a safe position in this frame. This is where the miss rule can be

:15:18. > :15:24.cruel. There is no advantage. Well done.

:15:25. > :15:28.The pink could come to his rescue here.

:15:29. > :15:57.Tough to miss a kiss on the pink with this on the green.

:15:58. > :16:04.That's the chance gone for getting the brown out. .

:16:05. > :16:08.There is the angle off the green, maybe bring the brown into play. He

:16:09. > :16:25.is 14 points in front. He needs green on brown.

:16:26. > :16:42.He didn't get the snooker but lots of distance between the two balls.

:16:43. > :16:52.Good shot. He deserves to get a snooker there, he hit that well.

:16:53. > :17:03.I wonder if John will play the green up and down, or try to have a go at

:17:04. > :17:07.this? That's amazing. Even a kick to slow the green down and get a

:17:08. > :17:20.snooker. Unbelievable, what happens on this table.

:17:21. > :17:24.You like a bit of luck, don't you? But the green could have gone from

:17:25. > :17:46.the kick. This could be trouble.

:17:47. > :17:58.Checking the position of the balls. John Higgins requires the green and

:17:59. > :18:03.brown to win the frame. Judd Trump needs the ball. It doesn't make a

:18:04. > :18:07.great deal of difference, the brown, but it definitely was closer to the

:18:08. > :18:09.cushion. You can see where the brown is

:18:10. > :18:29.definitely a little closer. This is not ideal. They are shouting

:18:30. > :18:40.across the table and there is a match on the other table in play.

:18:41. > :18:54.It's easy to hit the green, but if he hits it four-ball, he hits it up

:18:55. > :19:07.to its own pocket. If it is ball, he could hit it right over the pocket.

:19:08. > :19:22.He is saying it is definitely not right.

:19:23. > :19:30.That's fair of Judd Trump. It is making it harder for him to hit if

:19:31. > :19:37.he goes to the left. I am very proud of our players in the professional

:19:38. > :19:46.game. They always seem to be very sports sportsman-like.

:19:47. > :19:53.That is actually not better for Trump but he is back in the place he

:19:54. > :19:57.felt was correct. Of course, the referee's decision a final. How is

:19:58. > :20:04.your luck? It doesn't look good from here.

:20:05. > :20:09.I'm not sure if John can pot this on the side and get across to the

:20:10. > :20:10.brown, now. It is thin-cut. The black is in the way of that

:20:11. > :21:17.shot. I have never seen John Higgins play

:21:18. > :21:31.such a careless safety shot such as that.

:21:32. > :21:34.It is advantage Trump now, isn't it? He has a good chance of playing a

:21:35. > :22:46.safety or a snooker. The winner of this match, of course,

:22:47. > :24:13.goes on to play Ronnie O'Sullivan in the next round.

:24:14. > :24:31.Now, this brown is in position where Judd may sneak it in past the pink.

:24:32. > :24:36.Any other safety shot, unless he gets in behind it and pushing it up

:24:37. > :24:40.under the table. 17 points in it. He cannot afford to leave any pot for

:24:41. > :24:45.John. Now, is he playing the pot? He

:24:46. > :24:52.certainly is. He certainly is. That is unlucky but has he got away with

:24:53. > :25:00.it? Has he got away with it? That is incredible. I don't think I have

:25:01. > :25:02.ever seen anything like that in my life.

:25:03. > :25:10.All credit to him for taking that on. That was a big shot to take it

:25:11. > :25:17.on. There is no way, unless it comes off

:25:18. > :25:22.the cushion. If he hits it, he pots it, but I suppose all sorts can

:25:23. > :25:32.happen here. He could hit the pink. Judd has to hope he does not hit

:25:33. > :25:44.this perfect or it is game over. Can you believe it? Can you believe

:25:45. > :25:52.it? ! It's amazing, this game. He pots the round to win and a

:25:53. > :26:08.second later, he has potted the brown to lose.

:26:09. > :26:30.The crowd would like another frame, I'm not sure about John Higgins.

:26:31. > :26:56.One of the most amazing frames of snooker I have seen since

:26:57. > :27:02.commentating. Judd Trump somehow got back into

:27:03. > :27:07.that frame and that level at 3-3. Brilliant. What a fascinating frame

:27:08. > :27:12.that was. Has safety play ever been that exciting, what a frame.

:27:13. > :27:18.Well, John Higgins will be sat in his chair, spewing. Excuse the word.

:27:19. > :27:21.He will be sick as a frog. He must have thought he was into the next

:27:22. > :27:25.round with match against Ronnie O'Sullivan. Then he has lost a

:27:26. > :27:30.frame. You just can't believe how, from a winning position.

:27:31. > :27:38.But Judd Trump went for the brown, had a clip on the pink.

:27:39. > :27:44.As we can see, and we are not seeing that shot but the brown that John

:27:45. > :27:49.Higgins has gone in off again. Two bits of bad luck. Judd Trump went

:27:50. > :27:55.for a ridiculous shot. Terry thought it fantastic. He fluked the snooker

:27:56. > :27:59.and John Higgins got no shot to pot the brown and go in after, so

:28:00. > :28:04.unlucky. Exciting and luck and chance playing

:28:05. > :28:09.a big part in the frame. The momentum has changed a lot in

:28:10. > :28:15.the match. John Higgins got the initiative,

:28:16. > :28:19.where is your money now, Judd Trump got it back. If it is about

:28:20. > :28:23.momentum, it must will be Judd Trump? John Higgins of old would

:28:24. > :28:28.have put the match away a long time. He has had the chances but not

:28:29. > :28:33.scored enough. Judd Trump will be thinking how is he still in the

:28:34. > :28:36.match? So the momentum is with Judd Trump.

:28:37. > :28:40.But John Higgins is so experienced. If anyone can keep calm in the

:28:41. > :28:45.situation, it is probably him. Yes, but he has not been scoring, he

:28:46. > :28:50.could score a nice big break, but it is everything to play for. One frame

:28:51. > :28:54.for the next round of the event. Terry was talking about how John

:28:55. > :28:59.Higgins has the killer instinct when he thinks he can win a match or a

:29:00. > :29:04.frame, going for a risky shot, do you think he will have to really go

:29:05. > :29:11.for it this frame to make sure he wins? I think he will try to play it

:29:12. > :29:13.as tight and cagey as he can. He knows that the match should have

:29:14. > :29:25.been over. Well, this is a thriller, enjoy it.

:29:26. > :29:40.Well, it has been a great match. What a frame that was.

:29:41. > :31:14.All you ask for is to get a final stage.

:31:15. > :31:24.Nicely played. In the previous frame, Judd Trump played some really

:31:25. > :32:14.good safety shots with the colours. Needs to be careful he doesn't fit

:32:15. > :32:18.this two thin. -- hit this too thin. John Higgins years ago would have

:32:19. > :32:21.potted this seven out of ten. Bit more difficult now and so it is not

:32:22. > :34:16.even going to play. Whenever you see the reds on one

:34:17. > :34:20.side of the table like that, it is not easy because that pocket is not

:34:21. > :35:10.available. The number of blues that have cost

:35:11. > :35:18.people matches over the years is incredible. He did not want to hit

:35:19. > :35:28.the pink on the left. That was the key thing. Took his eye off the pot.

:35:29. > :35:36.Even the best players in the world do that sometimes.

:35:37. > :36:26.Judd Trump will be saying, I have had my chances. And a golden chance

:36:27. > :36:41.it was. That cue ball has just flown off the

:36:42. > :36:51.cushion. John Higgins is looking in the spear. He might still take the

:36:52. > :36:57.yellow on. The cue ball has travelled three feet further than he

:36:58. > :37:12.wanted. The pot is tough and the position is not guaranteed.

:37:13. > :37:49.Good positional play from John Higgins.

:37:50. > :38:10.John Higgins plays all the right shots. Totally different outlook

:38:11. > :38:18.now. That was the importance of missing the blue. That one kiss made

:38:19. > :38:21.all the difference. Now John has the pink in play, it is a very good

:38:22. > :39:36.chance for the frame and match. This I think is probably Judd

:39:37. > :39:42.Trump's last ray of hope. If this finished in between blue and pink,

:39:43. > :39:45.it could be difficult. It is hard not to see him getting another 20

:39:46. > :40:08.points from here which would put him virtually past the finish line.

:40:09. > :40:30.That was a reprieve for Judd Trump. He played that shot terribly. John

:40:31. > :40:40.Higgins has a very simple shot. He played that in such a way that he

:40:41. > :40:41.has gone a little too far. Let's see if he can hold the cue ball from

:40:42. > :41:00.here. 40 break. He is in front, but if

:41:01. > :41:09.Judd Trump gets this red, you could go favourite. A lot of pressure on

:41:10. > :41:16.this boy. Can he handle it? What a clever little shot that was to bring

:41:17. > :41:22.those two reds into play. It is all about the red on the back cushion.

:41:23. > :41:27.Neither player can complain, whatever happens in this frame. They

:41:28. > :41:29.have both had golden opportunities. Judd Trump has now been given a

:41:30. > :42:04.second. He cannot see the black which he

:42:05. > :42:11.played for. The paint is still available. Nothing worse than the

:42:12. > :42:22.image you have had of the shot you are going to play going all wrong.

:42:23. > :42:35.How good a shot was that? He is on one in the middle.

:42:36. > :42:45.The confidence of youth. Could not agree with you more. That was

:42:46. > :42:50.awkward. Has to get the pace right on this shot. He could easily

:42:51. > :43:11.snookered himself with the pink. He has got the pace perfectly.

:43:12. > :43:20.Nobody can say he has not got the bottle. He has proved it over his

:43:21. > :43:28.career so far. He is thinking about potting the pink and then bringing

:43:29. > :43:38.the red into play. I would have thought the black would be better.

:43:39. > :43:41.He is coming round again to look. It would be unlucky not to be on the

:43:42. > :43:50.pink or black. What happens if he hits it full ball and the White

:43:51. > :43:53.stays on the cushion? You could look at the positive side as well. Yes,

:43:54. > :44:20.but things can go wrong. I don't think he has a perfect angle

:44:21. > :44:31.on this black. At distance, that is very poor.

:44:32. > :44:45.Great attempt to. He played that with a lot of left-hand side to

:44:46. > :44:58.bring the bread into play. -- red into play.

:44:59. > :45:15.Another chance goes by. Adds to the excitement in this deciding frame.

:45:16. > :45:22.What an escape. That could not have worked out better. Another twist in

:45:23. > :45:59.this match. I didn't see that coming.

:46:00. > :46:04.He has looked at this. He has got it. That is not a fluke. He came

:46:05. > :46:21.round to look at that shot. Now, he needs the gap. Has he got

:46:22. > :47:15.it? What a shot. Well played. That was for the match. It is hard

:47:16. > :47:18.to say whether anybody deserved to lose this match, but Judd Trump

:47:19. > :47:23.knows he has had every chance to win it. He will be very disappointed not

:47:24. > :47:28.to have cleared when he had that chance at his last visit to the

:47:29. > :47:33.table. John Higgins will be delighted to have won the match.

:47:34. > :47:45.John Higgins, the four times champion of the world, will play

:47:46. > :47:48.Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 16 -- in the semifinal.

:47:49. > :47:54.That was an incredible game. John Higgins showed all his class. What a

:47:55. > :48:00.fantastic victory for John Higgins. Superb. Willie Thorne said he

:48:01. > :48:03.thought it there would be another sting in the tail and was right at

:48:04. > :48:08.the end. Judd Trump played a fantastic safety shot. John Higgins

:48:09. > :48:14.got out of the snooker, both balls could not have got in better

:48:15. > :48:18.position for him, then he has done a beautiful clearance at the end. His

:48:19. > :48:22.reward is to a Ronnie O'Sullivan in the quarterfinals. What a superb

:48:23. > :48:30.match. We have plenty to look forward to hear tonight. The last

:48:31. > :48:34.Welshman in the tournament, Mark Williams, will play this evening.

:48:35. > :48:41.That is our feature match at 7pm on BBC Two Wales. Yesterday he knocked

:48:42. > :48:49.out Neil Robertson. To night he will play Marco Fu. We hope you can join

:48:50. > :49:19.us for that. We will see you at 7pm. -- tonight. Goodbye.

:49:20. > :49:24.Evan Davis examines why London is pulling away