28/02/2014

:00:31. > :00:39.Good afternoon. It is quarter finals day at the pet Victor Welsh Open. We

:00:40. > :00:43.started with more than 100 players but now the field has been cut down

:00:44. > :00:47.to just eight, including this gentleman, and they're all desperate

:00:48. > :00:52.to lift this famous trophy. -- BetVictor. It would be wonderful if

:00:53. > :00:55.you could join us here this afternoon. There may be no Welshman

:00:56. > :01:02.left in but we still have some of the game's biggest names fighting to

:01:03. > :01:07.win the title. Ding Junhui from China is in the form of his life.

:01:08. > :01:12.Four tournaments already won this season. He's looking for number five

:01:13. > :01:16.in Wales. But hoping to spring a surprise, 19-year-old Joel Walker

:01:17. > :01:21.from Sheffield. This is the first time he's reached the quarterfinal

:01:22. > :01:26.and he is or not at the defending champion forced its been a delight

:01:27. > :01:29.to see Ronnie O'Sullivan glide through the rounds. He's made it

:01:30. > :01:35.look easy as he eyes a third Welsh title. John Higgins has already

:01:36. > :01:41.knocked out Judd Trump en route to the last eight. So here is the full

:01:42. > :01:47.quarterfinal draw. It's best of nine frames at this stage. It is Walker

:01:48. > :01:54.against doing that gets us under way. Joe Perry beat Matthew Stevens

:01:55. > :01:56.and he plays Mark Selby. Marco Fu ended Welsh involvement in this

:01:57. > :02:02.tournament by knocking out Mark Williams last night. He plays seven

:02:03. > :02:07.seed Barry Hawkins. And we have a classic battle between two of the

:02:08. > :02:11.game's greatest ever players, John Higgins Ronnie O'Sullivan, later

:02:12. > :02:16.this afternoon. What an opportunity for 19-year-old Joel Walker. This is

:02:17. > :02:20.only his second season as a pro but his potential has been there for all

:02:21. > :02:21.to see for a while. It was Ronnie O'Sullivan who picked him out as one

:02:22. > :02:34.to watch when he was just 16. I'm from Sheffield and I support

:02:35. > :02:41.Sheffield Wednesday. I'm 19. I like a bit of golf and doing stuff with

:02:42. > :02:51.my friends. That's about it, really. Just try and keep myself to myself.

:02:52. > :02:54.It's still not really sunk in yet. I was just fortunate Steve didn't play

:02:55. > :02:58.as well as he could but I'm happy to get through and I can pick up my

:02:59. > :03:03.performance. It's never been greater up to now but if I can start scoring

:03:04. > :03:09.now, I'll give myself a chance. It's going to be tough. Ding and

:03:10. > :03:14.Robertson have been the most constant this season. He's won three

:03:15. > :03:20.ranking events in a row and he's probably the best player in the

:03:21. > :03:27.world at the minute, I'd say. It's just one of them things what I've

:03:28. > :03:30.always been brought up. Just go out there and show what you can do

:03:31. > :03:39.instead of worrying about somebody else. I know I can do it if I play

:03:40. > :03:43.well. It's just playing well. The young man has suffered a tough

:03:44. > :03:47.opponent today. Ding Junhui is 26 and based in Sheffield. He's ranked

:03:48. > :03:52.three in the world and is in the form of his life, winning four

:03:53. > :03:56.titles this season. That hasn't been done since Stephen Hendry did it

:03:57. > :04:00.more than 20 years ago. The match got under way a bit earlier on and

:04:01. > :04:05.it was Ding who took the first frame with a break of 74. We're going to

:04:06. > :04:07.pick the action up at frame two. Joel Walker is at the table and

:04:08. > :04:15.there's no score. His performance this week will

:04:16. > :04:34.greatly improve his world ranking. He's making giant strides this

:04:35. > :04:40.season. All the experience he's getting on the tour, especially the

:04:41. > :04:43.PGCE events, will greatly improve his performances against the top

:04:44. > :05:09.players because he'll be more familiar with playing them.

:05:10. > :05:19.For Joel Walker, this is probably his best opportunity so far.

:05:20. > :05:31.It just shows. We've seen a couple of new faces this year - Scott

:05:32. > :05:35.Donaldson, now Joel Walker. In the old system, when they had to qualify

:05:36. > :05:39.in the final stages to get to a venue, we didn't see many new faces.

:05:40. > :05:45.We've seen quite a few this week emerging. I think all players have

:05:46. > :05:54.enjoyed it, like a breath of fresh air. It's good to see. Nothing worse

:05:55. > :06:00.when you are a professional in your sport and you are playing in a

:06:01. > :06:07.little qualifying booth with one man, maybe, and his dog watching.

:06:08. > :06:13.And then you see this - a nice big, full arena, full crowd. This is what

:06:14. > :06:15.they practice six, seven hours a day for, monotonously, months on end.

:06:16. > :06:31.This is the reward. I've just been looking through the

:06:32. > :06:37.statistics of Joel Walker and unless I've missed something, I don't think

:06:38. > :06:45.he's been past the last 96 of any event until now. So that's quite an

:06:46. > :06:54.incredible performance that he's put in the sofa this week. -- put in so

:06:55. > :07:20.far this week. He's got every chance of winning here today.

:07:21. > :07:24.A very calm exterior that Joel seems to possess but you never quite know

:07:25. > :07:50.what's going on underneath. Just over on the cue ball by about

:07:51. > :08:08.three or four inches. He's going to have to dig a bit deeper.

:08:09. > :08:16.He's got the one red loose next to the blue.

:08:17. > :08:58.What a shot that was! Well done, young Joel Walker. Terrific cueing.

:08:59. > :09:03.I suppose Joel would be disappointed now if he didn't secure this frame

:09:04. > :09:13.from this opportunity. He's done well to develop the ball the way he

:09:14. > :09:17.has. I don't suppose anybody might know what I'm talking about here but

:09:18. > :09:23.if you are brilliant historian like I am, he rather reminds me of a

:09:24. > :09:25.billiards champion of the early 20th century, George Gray from Australia.

:09:26. > :09:46.Very similar. -- a billiards historian. He's very

:09:47. > :09:51.confident when he gets in because he's not hanging about. He's started

:09:52. > :10:07.motoring. Averaging 18 seconds shot, a good 16

:10:08. > :10:19.seconds than Ding Junhui. That's a very good.

:10:20. > :10:26.Ding Junhui doesn't hang about when he goes in, either. I think that's

:10:27. > :10:32.the exciting part of snooker these days. The younger element are

:10:33. > :10:36.getting much more exciting, playing much faster, attacking.

:10:37. > :11:10.APPLAUSE Nicely played.

:11:11. > :11:18.So, one more colour and read away from securing a second frame and

:11:19. > :11:24.levelling this matchup. -- one more colour and red. If he takes the

:11:25. > :11:26.pink, he will already be safe. He would only need one pot instead of

:11:27. > :11:44.two. He's electing to play the pink. A

:11:45. > :12:20.natural angle for the two reds below the pink spot.

:12:21. > :12:27.He's missed the red. He's not going to worry too much. He'll be feeling

:12:28. > :12:36.so much better. He now levelled the match. It's one apiece.

:12:37. > :12:38.Let's go now to frame three. Walker is on the table and he's got a lead

:12:39. > :12:57.of 22 points. COMMENTATOR: Well, I just wonder if

:12:58. > :13:00.Joel is slightly surprised that the mistakes Ding is making and

:13:01. > :13:07.sometimes that can cause you to lose focus. That was a good chance for

:13:08. > :13:09.Joel but Ding needs to do something himself. Making a few mistakes.

:13:10. > :13:26.Slightly uncharacteristic ones. So we're a good way through the

:13:27. > :13:32.third frame and you'd have to say that the first bad bunch we've seen.

:13:33. > :13:36.When he actually played the red, I didn't think he'd hit it hard enough

:13:37. > :13:41.to get to the pink. The cue ball just carried on going. There's been

:13:42. > :13:49.a lot of talk this week about all the kicks and the funny reactions of

:13:50. > :13:55.the cushions. Will they ever get to the bottom of it? That's the

:13:56. > :14:58.question. Who's got the correct answer?

:14:59. > :15:08.That's a very well played shot. Nicely on the pink. He'd love that

:15:09. > :15:11.black to be back on the spot. These tables this week at the Newport

:15:12. > :15:16.Centre have been playing very tight across the rails. The players, if

:15:17. > :15:24.they can play alternative shots, that's what they've been doing. If

:15:25. > :15:31.they're just dropping them down the rails, the pockets are not liking

:15:32. > :15:36.them. But there's no need for him to even think about getting the black

:15:37. > :15:42.in play here. These reds are all nicely spaced out around the pink.

:15:43. > :15:47.The next shot is going to be the more difficult, cos that read just

:15:48. > :15:49.above the pink is making things awkward. -- that red just above the

:15:50. > :17:31.pink. APPLAUSE

:17:32. > :17:34.That's worked out nicely for him. I think he probably played off that

:17:35. > :17:40.red to cannon the red just above the pink, knowing that if he missed it,

:17:41. > :17:51.he'd can the one below. A very clever shot, well thought out. --

:17:52. > :17:54.he'd cannon. Just totting up the points from these four remaining

:17:55. > :18:04.loose reds, you forget the one near the cushions, the likelihood is that

:18:05. > :19:22.he would probably lead the trachea -- trachea red.

:19:23. > :19:29.Some players may try to cannon the other red that's just next to his

:19:30. > :19:47.hand there. Let's see what Ding does here.

:19:48. > :19:51.He's happy enough to play for the last red because it is probably

:19:52. > :19:55.about five or six inches of the cushions so if he was to get right

:19:56. > :20:11.behind it, I don't think he'd expected to miss it.

:20:12. > :20:18.This is definitely not easy but it's got nothing to do with the cue ball.

:20:19. > :20:23.He'll just want to pot this red, which will leave his opponent

:20:24. > :20:34.needing at least two snookers. Good shot! More or less frame and over

:20:35. > :20:54.now. Barring a calamity, it should be to -1 to Ding Junhui.

:20:55. > :21:00.And excellent break of 64 from Ding Junhui. He does take the third

:21:01. > :21:06.frame. STUDIO: Ding is looking good. We'll

:21:07. > :21:08.take you now to frame four. Joel Walker is at the table with a narrow

:21:09. > :21:19.lead. COMMENTATOR: What a lovely struck

:21:20. > :21:25.shot by Joel Walker. Couldn't have timed that any better. Could have

:21:26. > :21:37.done with the cue ball just stopping. He's cute it nicely. --

:21:38. > :21:45.cued. This becomes a very good opportunity all of a sudden.

:21:46. > :21:52.He's done it again. He's come across it again. In that left corner

:21:53. > :21:57.pocket, he's missed three very very similar reds. He's not even

:21:58. > :22:06.threatened the pocket. I don't know about you. I didn't

:22:07. > :22:13.expect him to pot back. Something in my mind told me he was going to make

:22:14. > :22:20.the same mistake. It's probably in his mind.

:22:21. > :22:33.But what shot was that that Ding Junhui just played? He's got away

:22:34. > :22:38.with it but very competent in the safety stakes.

:22:39. > :22:48.A very strange turn of events happening at the moment. This is a

:22:49. > :22:52.massive frame now. If Joel Walker can get into the mid-session

:22:53. > :23:08.interval with two each, he'll be doing somersaults.

:23:09. > :23:16.Definitely a shot to nothing for Ding into this pocket. The cue ball

:23:17. > :23:22.should find its way between the green and brown back into the

:23:23. > :24:41.Didn't really want a kiss on the green. He's on the brown. He's got

:24:42. > :24:48.to make sure he misses a cannon on the black.

:24:49. > :25:03.The blue has come to his rescue. So you would have to say Joel Walker's

:25:04. > :25:11.had his chances in these first four frames. Ding, uncharacteristically,

:25:12. > :25:19.has given more opportunities than we're used to seeing.

:25:20. > :25:29.As we can see, this just cued so far across that ball. That was a great

:25:30. > :25:30.opportunity. Same shot, just a little bit thinner, at the same

:25:31. > :25:43.place. I think he'll have a lot to think

:25:44. > :25:47.about in this interval. He has acquitted himself very well and has

:25:48. > :25:53.let himself down in any shape or form, but he'll know that he's had

:25:54. > :26:01.chances. He could very easily have gone into this interval at least to

:26:02. > :26:10.-2. If Ding goes on to win this frame with this effort, he'll be

:26:11. > :26:16.very relieved that he's pre-1 up. -- 3-1.

:26:17. > :26:36.Played some strange shots. Not the Ding Junhui no.

:26:37. > :26:49.I don't think Ding can cut this red back, can he? Wafer thin.

:26:50. > :27:02.Did you see the bounce off the cushions? It should have stopped a

:27:03. > :27:07.good two feet less. He's got away with that one but he's just tried to

:27:08. > :27:13.push the boat out there. That red could have stayed over at corner

:27:14. > :27:14.pocket. As it happens, he's left Joel Walker with a horrible safety

:27:15. > :27:23.shot. The only thing wrong with playing

:27:24. > :27:31.this little roll on is that it is very negative and it does give your

:27:32. > :27:32.opponent a very easy safety shot in reply.

:27:33. > :27:54.APPLAUSE I don't think he can go off this

:27:55. > :28:01.thing and just move the red over towards the pink. He had to play a

:28:02. > :28:08.different kind shot and he played it to absolute perfection.

:28:09. > :28:11.He could have had another ten tries at that and not have been

:28:12. > :28:24.successful. The cue ball seemed to diving behind

:28:25. > :28:32.that pink. But nevertheless, it's a snooker.

:28:33. > :28:44.APPLAUSE He's snookered Ding Junhui. How many

:28:45. > :28:51.times does that happen in snooker? Yes, it's amazing, isn't it? It was

:28:52. > :28:57.a good snooker to get out of because Ding Junhui had played a corker of a

:28:58. > :29:00.shot. He wasn't really sorry, I can assure you!

:29:01. > :29:18.APPLAUSE A good coach will always say he had

:29:19. > :29:20.always planned to apologise and then go out to clear the table and make

:29:21. > :29:31.him feel doubly bad. He has given Ding an opportunity

:29:32. > :29:37.with this red. It's not easy. You play to the left yellow pocket or

:29:38. > :29:45.the green pocket. I can't imagine he'll play the safety shot. He likes

:29:46. > :29:52.to attack. In fact, this would be won in practice he might pot. He

:29:53. > :30:03.might pot four or five out of ten so it's not a gimme.

:30:04. > :30:09.key has just lost the cue ball on little bit. He hedged his bets, he

:30:10. > :30:20.thought if he missed the red he would put the white over to the

:30:21. > :30:25.cushion. He is faced with a very difficult one they the ones to

:30:26. > :30:30.continue. He can roll down to the pink and played the snooker. He is

:30:31. > :30:46.an attacking player, so you think you will go for it.

:30:47. > :30:55.I could understand him kicking and attacking line-up thoughts and try

:30:56. > :30:58.to pot the blue of the brown, but with the yellow being typed on the

:30:59. > :31:05.cushion, he will need at least the yellow and green in addition. Is

:31:06. > :31:23.taking the attempt to hear the right shot to play? -- the pot? He must

:31:24. > :31:35.make sure he does not leave a pot on for Ding.

:31:36. > :31:50.Again, I think you will be quite happy with that. Rolling up behind

:31:51. > :31:58.the black give him a very easy shot out. He has had a little bit of luck

:31:59. > :32:09.with the yellow went stop all to play for in this frame. Nothing in

:32:10. > :32:21.it. That could have gone horribly wrong, that he had had the green

:32:22. > :32:40.full ball. -- hit the green. He was lucky there, wasn't he, Ding?

:32:41. > :33:37.I think he has left him a shot to the left centre. It is a thin one.

:33:38. > :33:56.He went for it. This isn't that bad, really.

:33:57. > :34:06.Well, it is getting very exciting here! Ding can be nervous, surely!

:34:07. > :34:28.He never gets nervous! It looked for one minute that the

:34:29. > :34:37.cue ball was going to end up right hand the black. -- behind the black.

:34:38. > :34:43.He does still have a shot at this screen in the right centre, but it

:34:44. > :34:47.is not easy. Even impact this this wouldn't be easy. He has made it!

:34:48. > :35:14.Another good shot. What a shock that was! All of a

:35:15. > :35:27.sudden this is looking very, very good. He needs an angle on the pink.

:35:28. > :35:36.Ding Junhui could still draw with the black. He needs to make sure of

:35:37. > :35:46.the pink and black. That has probably gone in the worst possible

:35:47. > :35:56.position. This is massive. In it goes! Joel Walker! What a steel that

:35:57. > :36:00.was, Ding Junhui will be devastated. The matches or level

:36:01. > :36:04.again. What to read the clearance from Joel

:36:05. > :36:07.Walker! The players appear in the practice room have been following

:36:08. > :36:13.this match closely, wondering if there could be a big shop here this

:36:14. > :36:20.afternoon. Willie is my guest. Credit to Joel Walker, he is playing

:36:21. > :36:25.like an experienced professional. Ding will go into the break feeling

:36:26. > :36:30.a lot worse than his opponent. That is a really good performance under

:36:31. > :36:34.pressure. This is the first time I have seen him play and he looks

:36:35. > :36:40.really good. He is not a great break-builder yet, but that will

:36:41. > :36:44.come with time. How difficult is it for a young man like him to come

:36:45. > :36:50.into a situation like this, against one of the top players come in front

:36:51. > :36:57.of the television cameras? He has been on the circuit for a while. He

:36:58. > :37:00.hasn't really beaten anybody in the top 16 until he beat Stephen

:37:01. > :37:08.Maguire. That will be a big confidence boost for him. This

:37:09. > :37:13.afternoon, maybe he should be 3-1 behind, but he has done really well.

:37:14. > :37:18.This next frame is huge. Ding Junhui came straight up to the back this

:37:19. > :37:26.room after that frame to have a bit of crack this. So did Joel Walker.

:37:27. > :37:32.Of the two players, Ding will be the most disappointed. Ding is having a

:37:33. > :37:36.fabulous season. He has been the player of the year so far, winning

:37:37. > :37:40.four ranking tournaments, which hasn't been done for 20 years. He

:37:41. > :37:43.has won a lot of new fans this season. Who does he admire on the

:37:44. > :38:02.circuit? Neil Robertson'saction is the best.

:38:03. > :38:16.He doesn't move his body. He keep still.

:38:17. > :38:20.Ronnie. He understands the balls. He knows how to make it look easy.

:38:21. > :38:42.Long potting? Judd Trump. Steve Davis. I played him a few

:38:43. > :38:49.times stop he does not make any breaks, but he gives you big trouble

:38:50. > :38:59.in safety. Dominic Dale. He is always smiling.

:39:00. > :39:07.I don't know what he thinks! Keep our? Judd Trump. He likes to

:39:08. > :39:13.smash. Jimmy White.

:39:14. > :40:00.Ding Junhui, such a thoughtful and intelligent layer. He really has a

:40:01. > :40:04.match on his hands this afternoon. The players have just finished their

:40:05. > :40:14.mid-session interval. This matches beautifully tied at 2-2. Joel is

:40:15. > :40:19.playing wonderfully to have this match level at the happy stage. Can

:40:20. > :40:20.we see a massive shock you at the Newport Centre here the sceptre

:40:21. > :40:45.moon? -- this afternoon? I'm sure Joel Walker will be very

:40:46. > :41:26.happy to be all square with his more illustrious opponents.

:41:27. > :41:36.Joel Walker look very relaxed in the press room, with his cup of tea. To

:41:37. > :41:39.be fair, Ding Junhui look very relaxed, as well. He was munching on

:41:40. > :42:19.a banana. Not far away with that one. The cue

:42:20. > :43:53.ball has gone safe. Joel Walker is a very attacking

:43:54. > :43:58.player. It is good to see. I think that is why we love John Hampson

:43:59. > :44:05.much. He does play the unusual shots. The only downside if you are

:44:06. > :44:11.an attacking player, if they don't go in, sometimes it can look as if

:44:12. > :44:20.you have played a very bad shot. You have a tendency to miss balls via --

:44:21. > :44:26.by a very long way. When the going, it is to reflect and exciting. -- it

:44:27. > :44:47.is fantastic and exciting. He had a massive kick. The cue ball

:44:48. > :44:53.took off. It changed the angle of the cue ball going into the red by a

:44:54. > :45:34.mile. He kept it on the wrong side! -- he hit it on the wrong side!

:45:35. > :45:42.On these superfine glaucus, any side can push the cue ball off-line and

:45:43. > :46:12.it makes the pots a little bit harder. Superfine cloth is.

:46:13. > :46:17.He wanted to avoid that red. He is still on the black, but it is very

:46:18. > :46:32.hard. That is a good shot. He will be unlucky if he hasn't

:46:33. > :46:40.finished on anything. There may be won on into the right corner. --

:46:41. > :47:04.one. That was a confidence pot. I am sure

:47:05. > :47:09.he is feeling more comfortable as the frame goes by. This is good

:47:10. > :47:13.experience for him. He doesn't show a lot of emotion, which is always

:47:14. > :47:23.good thing in a professional player, in many sports. As deacons see, it

:47:24. > :47:36.is the first to five that gets through to the semifinal. I can

:47:37. > :47:40.remember when I had a full head of hair! I am quite envious looking at

:47:41. > :47:50.him down there, thinking, where has mine gone?

:47:51. > :48:04.He has to be careful with this next positional shot. He is closer to

:48:05. > :48:19.this red then he would have liked. He has an Elvis Presley look about

:48:20. > :49:36.him there with the hairstyle. That was a good shot from Joel

:49:37. > :49:50.Walker. This break is going well. Already he is at 46. From his point

:49:51. > :49:59.of view there is more to come. This is getting to be quite concerning

:50:00. > :50:05.for Ding. That is a superb pot! With that speed come from that angle, to

:50:06. > :50:08.get on the right side of the blue. Joel Walker is looking really good.

:50:09. > :50:30.I agree. My only concern at this moment for

:50:31. > :50:35.Joel Walker is that he is playing that well, looking very confident,

:50:36. > :50:40.that when he does start getting to the winning post, obviously the

:50:41. > :50:47.nerves will come back in. If he continues to play the way he is

:50:48. > :50:51.playing, there is no reason why he can't end up winning this match.

:50:52. > :51:20.This is terrific. This is very knowledgeable audience

:51:21. > :51:27.at the Newport Centre realise that that was frame ball. Ding Junhui

:51:28. > :51:41.will require a snooker, that is if he gets back to the table!

:51:42. > :51:44.Ding is going to come out of his seat to try and get the two

:51:45. > :52:40.Snickers. -- snookers. Ding Junhui never really shows much

:52:41. > :52:54.emotion. He is a bit rattled at the moment. He had a script in his head

:52:55. > :53:29.before he came out for this match, and the script is not going to plan.

:53:30. > :53:39.The objective for Ding will be to pot a succession of reds and

:53:40. > :53:45.colours, maybe leading just one red on the table, which could lead to a

:53:46. > :54:17.free ball if his opponent makes a mistake.

:54:18. > :54:25.Ding has decided to concede the frame. Joel Walker takes a lead in

:54:26. > :54:30.this match for the first time. This is fabulous for the game and

:54:31. > :54:37.largely unexpected. He has played really well! He looks at ease out

:54:38. > :54:41.there. I'm sure his fans in Sheffield will be really enjoying

:54:42. > :54:49.watching this. Ding has been the player of the season. He is the

:54:50. > :54:55.number one player on paper this year. The fact that Ding was such an

:54:56. > :54:58.overwhelming favourite, is there a sense in which Ding might come into

:54:59. > :55:07.this game not even contemplating for a second that he might lose? Is that

:55:08. > :55:11.affecting how he started? Everybody was expecting him to win. It can be

:55:12. > :55:17.a bit complacent sometimes. Sometimes you can look at the draw

:55:18. > :55:21.and think, this has gone my way. He will be a little bit shocked that

:55:22. > :55:28.what is happening out there at the minute. Sometimes when you get a

:55:29. > :55:33.shot, you have to regroup. Like all frames after the interval, this will

:55:34. > :55:54.be very important. So, a crucial frame. Who will take it?

:55:55. > :56:16.He got away without a little bit. He meant to lay into the cluster.

:56:17. > :57:05.He is playing an attacking safety shot.

:57:06. > :57:12.There is no easy way back to baulk for Ding. He will have to be careful

:57:13. > :57:45.with what the doors. -- he does. The red above the black, to the

:57:46. > :57:56.left, that will go into this right corner. If he misses it, he will

:57:57. > :58:29.move the red nearest the pocket. That is the one! What a great pot!

:58:30. > :58:35.He is still looking very confident. This is all about the positional

:58:36. > :58:51.side of the shot. He was playing that as a shot to

:58:52. > :58:58.nothing. He just has to make sure that he didn't capture thick. --

:58:59. > :59:21.catch it thick. That is OK. What a shop that was! I don't think

:59:22. > :59:31.you meant to go that side of the green! He will settle for where it

:59:32. > :59:40.has finished! It is all going his way at the moment is. It looks like

:59:41. > :59:51.he is gaining in confidence with every shot. Yes, he really does,

:59:52. > :59:55.Darren. Ding will be hoping that jewel starts to think about the

:59:56. > :59:57.winning post to early, and a bit more. That is about as concerned as

:59:58. > :00:18.Ding ever look. -- ever look 's. It is not in his hands what happens

:00:19. > :00:24.from here in this frame. The surprising thing for me,

:00:25. > :00:27.Dominic, is I haven't really seen Joel Walker play that much.

:00:28. > :00:33.Obviously he has been on the tour but if he is playing like this all

:00:34. > :00:38.the time, how is he down as far as the 80s in the world rankings? You

:00:39. > :00:45.would think that the way he is playing here, he is better than that

:00:46. > :00:50.ranking. I think from the style of play, he

:00:51. > :00:58.is mainly an attacker. Obviously, if you are missing pots, he is probably

:00:59. > :01:12.giving chances to opponent opponenting. S -- to opponents.

:01:13. > :01:24.I have seen him play a couple of matches, and what have you but he is

:01:25. > :01:48.a very good player. At 19, he is a lot better than I was at that age.

:01:49. > :01:56.I know that my daughter is watching the snooker today, she loves it. She

:01:57. > :02:03.is backing Joel. She says she will back the underdog. She would love

:02:04. > :02:07.him to win the whole event. I won't embarrass her by tell

:02:08. > :02:12.telling everybody who her favourite player is but he is still in! You

:02:13. > :02:16.will have to work that one out for yourselves! I'll be asking her

:02:17. > :02:29.later. Does she drive down here? Yes, it is best not to talk about

:02:30. > :02:32.her driving, Dominic, thank you very much! I've only just finished paying

:02:33. > :02:58.for the last one! This is certainly getting serious

:02:59. > :03:01.for Ding Junhui. The audience recognised that was a great shot

:03:02. > :03:08.that Joel played to develop the reds. He is two pots from securing

:03:09. > :03:15.this sixth frame and taking a 4-2 lead. Three frames in a row for

:03:16. > :03:19.young Joel Walker. Not many players do that to Ding

:03:20. > :03:23.Junhui these days. I couldn't agree more. This has been

:03:24. > :03:28.a terrific display. I hope he does not let it bother him that the

:03:29. > :03:33.winning line is becoming closer. I hope he can continue in the same

:03:34. > :03:39.form he has shown us over the last two or three frames.

:03:40. > :03:42.This is his third break over 70. The last two could have been 100s

:03:43. > :03:59.but it was not to be. He is start starting to look $1

:04:00. > :04:05.million! Everything has become easy for him.

:04:06. > :04:14.He doesn't lack a bit of cue power, either.

:04:15. > :04:23.This would be lovely if he could make a 100 break.

:04:24. > :04:30.His debut main table telly appearance, we shall say.

:04:31. > :04:49.This crowd are getting treated to a terrific display by this young man.

:04:50. > :05:02.There goes the red. It is like shelling peas out there.

:05:03. > :05:09.Well done young Joel Walker. Terrific.

:05:10. > :05:18.He will not be bothered if he has missed the yellow. He has given Ding

:05:19. > :05:27.everything to think about. He leads by 4-2. Ding has it all to do.

:05:28. > :05:31.Well, what a story on our hands. You have to ask yourself, which is the

:05:32. > :05:38.world number three and who is the 80th seed here? That was perfection.

:05:39. > :05:43.He did not get in trouble. He has made 15 competitive centuries in his

:05:44. > :05:48.two-year career, but this boy looks like he can play.

:05:49. > :05:53.Absolutely, but a huge game for him to take on. The key now is to forget

:05:54. > :05:57.about the occasion and concentrate on one ball at a time.

:05:58. > :06:02.I would prefer for him not to leave the arena there. You are going out,

:06:03. > :06:07.thinking, come on, stay with it. It is better in the arena, keeping the

:06:08. > :06:12.atmosphere. He would is settled more. Obviously if he wins the next

:06:13. > :06:19.frame, it could be a problem. If he goes close because of Ding's

:06:20. > :06:24.temperament, it could be that there is another frame.

:06:25. > :06:28.And of course Ding has to win three frames to win the tournament? He has

:06:29. > :06:34.done it many times. I think he is a little frightened

:06:35. > :06:41.out there, Ding. He has never seen Joel play properly. He may have

:06:42. > :06:47.played him as a junior some six or seven years ago. Ding beat him 4-0.

:06:48. > :06:52.Now it is a different story. He has made two 70 and a 100 break.

:06:53. > :06:58.It is like playing Ronnie O'Sullivan! And I guess this is what

:06:59. > :07:04.Barry Awe heroine -- Ahern really wants to see. He runs World Snooker.

:07:05. > :07:08.It is these stories he wants to encourage to get more players who

:07:09. > :07:13.are genuinely competitive. If this is not proving that the

:07:14. > :07:18.1-2-8 works. We would never have seen this. He has lost many matches.

:07:19. > :07:25.He has been improving. He is 19 years of age. This is a baptism of

:07:26. > :07:30.fire. He has grassed it with bust hands. He beat Stephen Maguire. Now

:07:31. > :07:35.he has efr chance of beating Ding Junhui.

:07:36. > :07:39.Well, Joel Walker has had a few moments to reflect on the magnitude

:07:40. > :07:44.of what stands in front of him now. He has a 4-2 lead. The man of the

:07:45. > :07:50.moment, Joel Walker. A contemporary look. You have to remember he is

:07:51. > :07:54.still a teenager. It was fascinating to hear Dominic discussing Joel's

:07:55. > :08:00.hair style. We were wondering if you are really the right man to comment?

:08:01. > :08:08.! I would have thought I would be exactly the right man to comment.

:08:09. > :08:15.Having such an xro vert one myself! I am definitely not, due the to --

:08:16. > :08:35.to the fact that the hair has gone away!

:08:36. > :08:45.I think Joel Walker reminds me a little of Rick Astley. For all of

:08:46. > :08:53.those who remember him. I think he had that look. I don't know if Joel

:08:54. > :08:58.can sing as well as him but I'm sure Rick Astley could now play snooker

:08:59. > :09:03.like him. As I say that, he slots another pot in. This has been

:09:04. > :09:10.unbelievable, the ras three frames. He just needs not to get too

:09:11. > :09:16.excited. A lot of players would have smashed

:09:17. > :09:24.it and crashed the red in, but I love the fact he is playing such a

:09:25. > :09:29.control controlled game off the red. That time he did need to push

:09:30. > :09:33.through them, but that pace, it was only going to stun off the pack.

:09:34. > :09:37.Watch this. You need the pace to push through

:09:38. > :09:42.the red that finished to the left of the black there. That was the red

:09:43. > :10:01.that stopped the key ball from travelling through.

:10:02. > :10:07.Nice and tight. You would have expected a lot more than nine after

:10:08. > :10:45.that great long red he slotted in. It is all going wrong here for Ding

:10:46. > :10:50.Junhui. He hasn't really had much of a

:10:51. > :10:56.chance the last couple of frames. He's been outplayed.

:10:57. > :11:02.I can't believe I'm saying that. As he is playing the best snooker in

:11:03. > :11:08.the world at the moment. He's making mistakes.

:11:09. > :11:28.That is due to how well young Joel Walker is playing.

:11:29. > :11:38.That has gone perfect, other than the awkward cueing behind the pink.

:11:39. > :11:43.If he can get this, get on to the black but not foul the pink. He has

:11:44. > :11:48.missed the red. That was a massive shot. He knows if that had gone in,

:11:49. > :11:56.it could have been his frame and match-winning opportunity.

:11:57. > :12:02.He seems to really rush that shot to me. I don't know if he felt he was

:12:03. > :12:06.not in a comfortable position and almost losing balance as he struck

:12:07. > :12:10.the cue ball. I don't know, but my word, there is a lot of pressure on

:12:11. > :12:23.Ding. Every mistake could be his last.

:12:24. > :12:27.A good pot from Ding. He really needed that one. He knows every time

:12:28. > :12:35.he gets an opportunity, he has to score.

:12:36. > :12:44.How cool, did he play that red in the middle? It wasn't easy.

:12:45. > :12:51.He just got down and struck it in. As if it meant nothing.

:12:52. > :12:57.He is a cool character. He's never beaten until the last

:12:58. > :13:07.ball is potted. Let's have a look at this red. If

:13:08. > :13:13.that had not gone in, he was given a 50 nice easy opportunity straight

:13:14. > :14:00.back to Joel Walker. A great temperament.

:14:01. > :14:10.Well, there you go. We thought Ding Junhui was calm and

:14:11. > :14:16.in control of his emotions but that could well have told us otherwise.

:14:17. > :14:21.He knows he is at the point of no return. He knew he could not afford

:14:22. > :14:25.to miss an easy pot. That is just what he has done. Now, Joel, there

:14:26. > :14:32.is a lot of pressure on you too. Take your time. Make sure that you

:14:33. > :14:39.are focussed on every shot you play. Get the pre-shot routine right.

:14:40. > :15:04.It's not easy, is it? This is what we were saying. He now knows he is

:15:05. > :15:09.on the brink of a terrific win. The longer this goes, the more edgy he

:15:10. > :15:19.will get. He is not used to this environment. On this stage, on this

:15:20. > :15:26.event, but you would not know by looking at him. He looks like he is

:15:27. > :15:34.in total control of his emotions. But Ding Junhui has really got to do

:15:35. > :15:54.something with this effort. Restamp his authority on this match.

:15:55. > :16:07.He made a slightly un uncharacteristic mistake.

:16:08. > :16:34.This match could turn around if Ding were to win this frame.

:16:35. > :16:41.He certainly will not be giving up. They all go on about the hardest

:16:42. > :16:48.frame to win is the last. How true that saying is.

:16:49. > :16:56.Joel Walker has had two great opportunities.

:16:57. > :16:58.Relatively easy balls on both of them. They are bound to be feeling

:16:59. > :17:12.the pressure now. Ding knows if he can chip away at

:17:13. > :17:53.this frame and take it to a decider, he would become the heavy favourite.

:17:54. > :18:07.Joel may be reflecting on a couple of things. I'm sure he will get a

:18:08. > :18:13.further opportunity. It's a great learning curve for him.

:18:14. > :18:15.You can't gain experiences without some trial and tribulation along the

:18:16. > :18:50.way. This is the first time that Joel

:18:51. > :18:56.Walker has played in front of TV cameras this week. So that is new.

:18:57. > :19:16.Ding just needs a red and a colour to reduce this to a single frame.

:19:17. > :19:26.Wow! What a mistake to make. He just cannot believe it, can he?

:19:27. > :19:34.He just cannot believe it. There we go.

:19:35. > :19:41.He can now win. Unbelievable. Did you ever see Ding bang the table

:19:42. > :19:48.in anger? Was it the cushion, responding too quickly? We saw a

:19:49. > :19:52.couple this week. We saw Mark Williams, he gave the table two or

:19:53. > :20:12.three smacks. But this is unbelievable.

:20:13. > :20:20.He will try to stop the white in the same place as the red.

:20:21. > :20:24.He could slide in behind the brown and the blue.

:20:25. > :21:18.He didn't play that to plan. Superb. He could not possibly get

:21:19. > :21:23.the reds, so he concentrated on the seven points. That could be useful

:21:24. > :21:40.at this stage. Still 28 behind with 35 left.

:21:41. > :21:47.I think Joel Walker will be in a lot of trouble after this next shot.

:21:48. > :21:56.That wasn't the best shot he has played in this match. He left a nice

:21:57. > :22:00.easy snooker to be played. Very clever shot there by Ding

:22:01. > :22:03.Junhui. He has played that, he has played the double. He is safe again.

:22:04. > :22:19.A miscalculation by Joel Walker. Yes, 29 points ahead now. 27 remain,

:22:20. > :22:24.but the colours are well placed for snooker, if Joel can just escape

:22:25. > :22:33.from this one. No.

:22:34. > :22:45.It's caught the blue. Ding Junhui pulls a frame back, but

:22:46. > :22:49.still trails by 4-3. Well I think that there maybe a

:22:50. > :22:55.19-year-old man out there regretting a little he did not take his chance.

:22:56. > :23:01.He got in the balls early on. We will show you a shot. This is one

:23:02. > :23:06.where you take your time. Strike it centre ball. We cannot quite see

:23:07. > :23:11.here from the angle but as he hits it goes to the left-hand jaw. Hes is

:23:12. > :23:18.cued down with a bit of side and it has swerved. That hurts. He knows he

:23:19. > :23:23.was lead leading, he has a chance to win 5-2. And later on he missed a

:23:24. > :23:30.relatively easy ball. This was a shot, he missed three or four

:23:31. > :23:35.earlier on. Then he goes to seed and you start to doubt yourself.

:23:36. > :23:41.Ding really gave him a life line when he went in off the black, but

:23:42. > :23:44.it is difficult now. I will be surprised if Joel holds himself

:23:45. > :23:48.together. That was a massive frame. This is one of the most difficult

:23:49. > :23:54.things, it is getting across the line. It is OK to play well early on

:23:55. > :23:59.but then the nerves kick in, when you are so close.

:24:00. > :24:04.We talk about the commentary with the seasons pros. They want to pot

:24:05. > :24:08.everything in sight and never miss. Younger players... It will happen.

:24:09. > :24:13.Obviously with Mark Selby, when he first game on the scene, he would

:24:14. > :24:18.have been anxious. Until you are a regular winner, it is almost common

:24:19. > :24:22.to win under pressure. Joel is not in that situation now. I hope he

:24:23. > :24:27.plays well enough to win this match, but I have my doubts now.

:24:28. > :24:35.Ding Junhui has taken a break. He is back to a break-off in the eighth

:24:36. > :24:37.frame, but it is Joel Walker in the box seat. He needs one more frame to

:24:38. > :24:55.head through to the semi-finals. Ding Junhui will be feeling a little

:24:56. > :25:00.better. Joel Walker probably has a couple of more nerves now than a

:25:01. > :25:04.couple of frames ago. He is still in the driving position in this match.

:25:05. > :25:08.It is getting over that line. It is the hardest frame to win, as

:25:09. > :25:12.we have said. It is normally the last.

:25:13. > :25:16.Ding Junhui has been in this position many, many times before.

:25:17. > :25:37.Joel Walker... This is his first. If you think about the winners of

:25:38. > :25:43.the last two frames, they both left the arena. Normally when you win it

:25:44. > :25:49.is not good to leave the air Rena but when you have had a bad frame.

:25:50. > :25:51.Sometimes when you have won it, it can dispel the momentum you have

:25:52. > :27:01.gained. He hit that a little thicker than he

:27:02. > :27:26.would have liked. That's a better shot from Joel

:27:27. > :27:51.Walker. There is a red to the left corner

:27:52. > :27:56.but that is fraught with danger. Cueing from tight off the cushion, I

:27:57. > :28:02.would not fancy. Look at that, you could get through to that red. So he

:28:03. > :28:06.has a safety shot, Ding, but with the cue ball tucked under the baulk

:28:07. > :28:26.cushion, it is not an easy one. He's fouled! That was revery honest.

:28:27. > :28:30.Joe has come out of his seat. I don't know why. He will say play

:28:31. > :28:38.again. Obviously the cue ball... Ding is

:28:39. > :28:42.having a laugh to say it must come back further, but it can't, the

:28:43. > :28:46.cushion is in the way. That is good. Good to see a little

:28:47. > :28:54.bit of fun out there. There is lots of pressure.

:28:55. > :29:28.Bizarre, because I didn't hear a miss being called.

:29:29. > :29:58.This is a great opportunity for temp one.

:29:59. > :30:25.Ding Baulk Sometimes you read them dictate this BBQ player, but your

:30:26. > :30:27.mind is a couple of steps behind. Sometimes you need to slow yourself

:30:28. > :31:38.down. he is already on 24. Another three

:31:39. > :31:40.reds that are right in the open. Before he has to look at going into

:31:41. > :31:56.the pack. Even though he is behind, he looks

:31:57. > :32:02.very calm and collected. He has seen it all before. He knows that Joel

:32:03. > :32:16.Walker will find it very hard to get over the line.

:32:17. > :32:26.Whatever happens, she has acquitted himself very well. He has shown

:32:27. > :33:21.everybody he can play. He is a very classy act. Very nice lad. He has a

:33:22. > :33:25.good future ahead of him. He did decide to play on one of those

:33:26. > :34:42.reds. You can get onto the blue in the centre.

:34:43. > :34:51.He has been a little bit fortunate that he landed on this red.

:34:52. > :35:00.It gives a nice angle on the blue. That is a good pack to go into from

:35:01. > :35:23.the top side of the table. He will need one or two of those

:35:24. > :35:34.reds in the pack. It is all about getting the right angle here.

:35:35. > :35:47.This break reminds me of the Stephen Lee style brick. He used to go into

:35:48. > :36:02.the pack very early. This is his last chance saloon, Ding.

:36:03. > :36:08.That is good, isn't it? You didn't expect a better result than bad. Now

:36:09. > :36:38.we are potentially looking at 4-4. He shows more emotions these days

:36:39. > :36:55.than he ever has. You would have thought he is

:36:56. > :36:58.enjoying his snooker much more. It is good to see the players showing

:36:59. > :37:08.their emotions, it proves that they are human. This is the red macro

:37:09. > :37:24.required. Nicely on the black. He will have to get this black.

:37:25. > :37:37.You just felt that Joel Walker help 20 IIMACRO1 little bit if Ding was

:37:38. > :37:45.going to win this match. 20 IIMACRO1 has played a very good frame.

:37:46. > :37:52.It is a one frame should hide. You are the one frame should hide

:37:53. > :38:03.champion, Dominic, you knew all about that! I am dangerous for the

:38:04. > :38:14.first ten minutes! This match has had a century break, from Joel

:38:15. > :38:26.Walker. There has been an abundance of big breaks in this match. It has

:38:27. > :38:33.been a good quality contest, in terms of break-building. And some

:38:34. > :38:47.good safety play. Will we see our second century Western Mark there is

:38:48. > :38:59.a possible 139. Shaun Murphy has a 142 in this event. Well played, Ding

:39:00. > :39:10.Junhui. He is in full flow. He is motoring. His shot time has come

:39:11. > :39:35.down. Previously it was about 24 seconds.

:39:36. > :39:41.Not much of a difference, it is only drop by a second, but he has

:39:42. > :39:52.certainly motored through this break. What better if the effort it

:39:53. > :39:57.has been. -- what a fantastic effort that has been. It was all getting

:39:58. > :40:07.away from him. All of a sudden, he is right that in it. Everything now

:40:08. > :40:27.will become very very easy. Ding Junhui is feeling fantastic.

:40:28. > :40:32.Joel Walker will be a little bit despondent. The matches all square,

:40:33. > :40:37.4-4. Well, what a fabulous break. This is

:40:38. > :40:43.turning into a classic match. Willie, it seems as if the pressure

:40:44. > :40:51.is bringing the best out of Ding. Ding is used it. He is used to

:40:52. > :40:58.playing players at the very top of the game. He is playing a player he

:40:59. > :41:09.has never seen before, and it has become a match. Joel Walker has to

:41:10. > :41:17.come himself down -- calm himself down. He just needs to get himself

:41:18. > :41:21.settled. The thing is with Ding, when the top players get the chance

:41:22. > :41:26.to win, they just do it. He is looking good. What will really hurt

:41:27. > :41:33.Joel Walker is that he had a good chance to get into the frame. Say he

:41:34. > :41:39.does lose this game, say he goes back to think about it. This was a

:41:40. > :41:44.chance. You see how much he missed the night? That was tough. The one

:41:45. > :41:49.over the pink in the previous frame I thought he would get. Get yourself

:41:50. > :41:58.together, get yourself ready for the last frame. You don't want to be

:41:59. > :42:03.going home with regrets. He has two established himself in this last

:42:04. > :42:06.frame and give himself a chance stop everyone will say that he has done

:42:07. > :42:14.brilliantly even to get to this stage. Even if he lost 5-4, that

:42:15. > :42:22.would be a victory for him. It is a stepping stone. He has never beaten

:42:23. > :42:28.any of the top players before. Can he do it? We are into the deciding

:42:29. > :42:34.frame. A place in the semifinals at stake.

:42:35. > :42:40.Both these players have shaken hands to which each other luck. Joel

:42:41. > :42:56.Walker broke. We'll Ding be tempted by this? Yes, he is.

:42:57. > :43:18.So, first chance as deciding frame for Joel Walker.

:43:19. > :43:25.He will be relieved that that red went past the pink. No shot for Ding

:43:26. > :43:38.Junhui. He will be trying to get the cue ball behind the green on the

:43:39. > :43:54.blue. -- and the blue. This cue ball needs to be right, but it is not.

:43:55. > :44:06.It was a great long pot, but it was always going to be very difficult to

:44:07. > :44:16.Mr reds. To continue, he will need another great long pot.

:44:17. > :44:23.He messed up by a long way. Very aggressive shot. Two frames a group

:44:24. > :44:31.I probably would have agreed with that. He probably had to go for

:44:32. > :44:35.that. If it had gone then he would have had a great chance. He was

:44:36. > :44:43.looking to try to win the match on that visit. He has left Ding a

:44:44. > :44:45.relatively easy starter. Ding has played very well in the last two

:44:46. > :45:41.frames. He has just about help position. --

:45:42. > :45:45.held position. This is a big shock. Ding is steeling himself for one

:45:46. > :47:40.good pot. Joel Walker will be fearing the

:47:41. > :47:43.worst. He has given it a good shake. When things are going great,

:47:44. > :47:48.the arena is a fantastic place to be. When things are not going well,

:47:49. > :47:57.it is the loneliest place. I remember many years ago Ronnie

:47:58. > :48:02.O'Sullivan, way ahead, then his opponent made a comeback. You put a

:48:03. > :48:08.napkin over his head so we didn't have to watch. Joel Walker is

:48:09. > :48:11.sitting there taking his medicine. If he doesn't get back to the

:48:12. > :48:25.table, he can be very proud of the display he has given this afternoon.

:48:26. > :48:27.Absolutely. A 19-year-olds in the heat of battle against the

:48:28. > :48:34.illustrious names without having your fair share of nurse and

:48:35. > :48:39.pressure. It manifests itself in your game and you make the odd

:48:40. > :48:43.mistake that you normally wouldn't. It is all part of learning. This is

:48:44. > :48:54.been a great chance for Joel Walker to gain a lot of experience. A lot

:48:55. > :48:59.can still go wrong here for Ding. It isn't over yet. Joel Walker probably

:49:00. > :49:04.will be feeling that way. He will be very concerned that he would get

:49:05. > :49:10.active the table. Ding has all the momentum, having made a break of the

:49:11. > :49:32.two, and that fantastic 139 in the last frame. -- a break of 52.

:49:33. > :49:37.None of these open reds a particularly easy to get onto. --

:49:38. > :50:16.are particularly easy to get onto. Well, could this be a lifeline for

:50:17. > :50:21.Joel Walker? The cue ball has just overrun by about six inches. Could

:50:22. > :50:42.we see another turn of events? Well, you can let much more positive

:50:43. > :50:55.than that. He deserves to be on a red. That was a terrific pot, and

:50:56. > :50:56.positional play. He probably deserves to win the match from

:50:57. > :51:23.there. Very good. That lack was probably the last hope

:51:24. > :51:37.for Joel Walker. Ding made it with such boldness and conviction.

:51:38. > :51:44.A couple more reds and colours for attempt when for him to get into the

:51:45. > :52:31.semifinal. Now that the red has gone in for

:52:32. > :52:36.Ding, that seems to be the final full distinguished for Joel Walker.

:52:37. > :52:39.A great shame for him, but it has been a wonderful week for him. He

:52:40. > :52:51.beat Stephen Maguire in the last round. That must've been best win of

:52:52. > :52:55.his career to date, quite possibly. You have to praise Ding for the

:52:56. > :53:03.resort he has shown in the last three frames to come from 4-2 down.

:53:04. > :53:09.He has produced something like is best, when he knew he had to. -- his

:53:10. > :53:15.best. Could he make another big century

:53:16. > :54:19.break here to close out the match? APPLAUSE.

:54:20. > :54:31.In goes the pink for yet another century for Ding. Well, Judd Trump

:54:32. > :54:39.special to to finish off. Another great rate from Ding Junhui. It

:54:40. > :54:46.comes back from 4-2. He takes his place in tomorrow's semifinal. He

:54:47. > :54:50.wins 5-4. That, folks, is why Ding Junhui has

:54:51. > :54:55.dominated this season. What a clinical performance. He needed the

:54:56. > :55:00.last three frames and he took them with two centuries and a half

:55:01. > :55:06.century break as well. The standard of the match was superb. To finish

:55:07. > :55:11.with back-to-back centuries, the thing that happened there, Joel

:55:12. > :55:15.Walker showed him a lifeline. He started to miss a couple and Ding

:55:16. > :55:20.thought, as long as I play well I have a chance. Great players don't

:55:21. > :55:25.miss when they have to knuckle down. When Joel Walker got to the table,

:55:26. > :55:30.he was nervous in the crucial frame. It almost glad you didn't want to

:55:31. > :55:36.play the shot. Ding thought, this is my time! Joel Walker will be kicking

:55:37. > :55:41.himself. Sometimes you can learn more from a lost and you can win. He

:55:42. > :55:47.can go back and realise what he can to embody Cantu. That is the first

:55:48. > :55:59.time he has ever been under pressure in the limelight. He will learn a

:56:00. > :56:12.lot. He had three chances from it being 4-2. He missed the long rent

:56:13. > :56:17.in the last frame. As long as you give yourself a chance. That is why

:56:18. > :56:21.Ding is the number one player in the world this season. To have one for

:56:22. > :56:27.ranking events, the chance to win another one here, and five would be

:56:28. > :56:35.a record, that is fabulous. Flawless look. We have to say that he was

:56:36. > :56:43.magnificent. You love the way he goes about his business, don't you?

:56:44. > :56:47.His break open and composure. As far as break-building is concerned, he

:56:48. > :56:52.is one of the best of all time. When it came to break-building and cue

:56:53. > :56:56.ball control in that little segment earlier, as to the best

:56:57. > :57:06.break-builder in the world was, he said, me! One of the things that

:57:07. > :57:13.players find was this rating is when they get a kick. That is when the

:57:14. > :57:19.cue ball bounces off the cloth after it has struck another ball. It ruins

:57:20. > :57:21.bricks and sometimes loses matches. Shaun Murphy things he has

:57:22. > :57:33.discovered why it happens. What a kick that was! He has an

:57:34. > :57:51.horrendous kick! The kick has for decades but snooker

:57:52. > :57:56.players in dire straits. The cause of it has often been a subject of

:57:57. > :58:03.debate. Over the last four months Shaun Murphy has conducted extensive

:58:04. > :58:09.research with a retired teacher in a bid to uncovered the cause of it.

:58:10. > :58:18.There is a massive difference between a kick and a bad contact.

:58:19. > :58:23.The bad contact can because I'd chalk, bit of dust, about strike.

:58:24. > :58:29.The kick, were the balls collide and leave the bed of the table, which

:58:30. > :58:37.results in loss of position, that is chemical. It is solvable. I always

:58:38. > :58:42.thought that there was a logic to kick. There three theories. The

:58:43. > :58:53.first was static, the second was chalk, and I thought this could be

:58:54. > :58:57.chemical. The oil in the cloth, when laid on the table and subjected to

:58:58. > :59:02.the heat which a lot of the public will be aware of, just how hot the

:59:03. > :59:06.playing condition is, the tables are heeded from underneath and the TV

:59:07. > :59:13.lights from above, that heat generator reaction whether oil on

:59:14. > :59:19.the ball actually erodes the surface of the balls that are on the table.

:59:20. > :59:24.When you get to balls that collides with two exposed areas, if you

:59:25. > :59:30.like, that is a kick. If the kick is a chemical reaction, the effect of

:59:31. > :59:35.it cannot only measured, but also predict that. Bob has held the

:59:36. > :59:39.theory for years that the kick is unintelligent force, so, in layman

:59:40. > :59:44.'s terms, when it occurs you know what it is -- you know what will

:59:45. > :59:48.happen to the cue ball and object all. There is an area of the ball

:59:49. > :59:53.that has a higher friction and the other parts of the ball. When this

:59:54. > :00:00.area is contacted them we have some logic. For instance, all kicks, when

:00:01. > :00:06.the cue ball has forward rotation, then the cue ball tries to climb the

:00:07. > :00:10.object ball when a kick to explain is. With reverse spin on the cue

:00:11. > :00:14.ball, it is the object all that is fluent in the air and the cue ball

:00:15. > :00:18.follows slightly afterwards. When shoppers missed, it is missed on the

:00:19. > :00:23.side predicted by a heightened friction. The governing body of

:00:24. > :00:27.snooker has also undertaken extensive research with its

:00:28. > :00:32.manufacturing partners in an attempt to lessen the impact of the kick.

:00:33. > :00:38.. It is all useful research. The cloth manufactures are continuing to

:00:39. > :00:43.look at the materials that they use, the oils that they use, things like

:00:44. > :00:47.that. What we are doing is a huge amount of research to see how we can

:00:48. > :00:50.improve the conditions. And the conditions here are already very,

:00:51. > :00:55.very good. The best in the world, actually. We are working closely

:00:56. > :00:59.with the manufactures. Working with our own team and players to try to

:01:00. > :01:03.improve the conditions. Despite the shared goal of

:01:04. > :01:07.eliminating the kick, the two parties have different solutions as

:01:08. > :01:12.to how it can happen. If with we turn the heaters off,

:01:13. > :01:17.no-one can give me a good enough reason why we have the heaters, they

:01:18. > :01:21.are unnecessary, for me, that would slow down the chemical reaction from

:01:22. > :01:27.happening. It would not stop it but it slows it down.

:01:28. > :01:33.We are the table heaters to ensure that the cloth is not damp. If the

:01:34. > :01:38.cloth is damp, the ball feels heavy. You can hear the players saying it

:01:39. > :01:42.is difficult to bringle cue ball back today or not getting the same

:01:43. > :01:46.reaction. That heat under the table is actually now at a constant

:01:47. > :01:51.temperature. We monitor that throughout the event.

:01:52. > :01:57.They disagree on the role of table heaters but there is another

:01:58. > :02:01.solution about which the WP BSA and Shaun Murphy concur.

:02:02. > :02:07.What we are doing is getting the outside advice. Bob has been helpful

:02:08. > :02:13.and we are dealing with a gentleman, Ben Plumber, who has been useful

:02:14. > :02:17.about applying polishes to the ball. The ball makers produce a cleaning

:02:18. > :02:22.product that cures on to the ball like a car polish. You apply it and

:02:23. > :02:27.buff it off. What it does is to restore the outer covering of the

:02:28. > :02:32.ball to how it was when it left the factory. So an option two is to have

:02:33. > :02:38.somebody back stage, replenishing and covering and polishing the balls

:02:39. > :02:43.to make them new again, so that however many frames, or whenever you

:02:44. > :02:47.see a kick, you can change a new set of balls, a bit like in tennis. So

:02:48. > :02:53.with a number of remedies on the table, could we be approaching a

:02:54. > :02:59.time when the "kick" is finally given the boot? Well, that is a

:03:00. > :03:04.fascinating detailed analysis there, William. I know you said that kicks

:03:05. > :03:09.did not happen as much a few years ago. Do you think that Shaun Murphy

:03:10. > :03:13.has a point about what happens? I think so. The table heaters were

:03:14. > :03:17.brought in Thailand. Obviously the atmosphere there, with the dampness.

:03:18. > :03:23.There were extractors, and they would pull out three to four pints

:03:24. > :03:29.of water. So we thought let's dry the cloth out. They enjoyed it so

:03:30. > :03:35.much from the effect of Thailand and Hong Kong, we thought let's have it

:03:36. > :03:40.in England. From 1976 to the Crucible, to '90, if we had one or

:03:41. > :03:45.two kicks a tournament, that was as many. In fairness, the cloth was

:03:46. > :03:51.heavier and the balls. I am not a big fan of the balls. They are

:03:52. > :03:55.inconsistent. What Shaun Murphy was say being the balls, the statement

:03:56. > :04:00.there, throughout the interview, it was fabulous. I think he has a

:04:01. > :04:07.point. Why not like tennis? New balls after six or five frames? We

:04:08. > :04:12.have to try something. It game today with Joel Walker, he has a change of

:04:13. > :04:17.beating Ding Junhui. If he gets a kick and loses a match, it can be

:04:18. > :04:23.soul-destroying. Elements should not come into the game if you can avoid

:04:24. > :04:29.them. If we can find of way of solving this, we should find it.

:04:30. > :04:35.And you have said that it is in a special set of circumstances? In a

:04:36. > :04:40.normal play, you don't get many kicks but many players have the same

:04:41. > :04:45.conditions in the clubs as in the tournament, table heaters, table

:04:46. > :04:49.lighting, not as hot as the television but bright lights above

:04:50. > :04:55.the table. We will always get kicks in practise and matches but what

:04:56. > :05:02.they are trying to do now, it is great, that they are trying to do

:05:03. > :05:07.it, is dush but what I don't understand is why they don't try the

:05:08. > :05:13.table without the heaters, give it a try? If 2 does not work put them

:05:14. > :05:18.back again. Well, let's hope we don't get too many kicks in the next

:05:19. > :05:23.match. Featuring two of the all-time gratsz of snooker. It is Ronnie

:05:24. > :05:28.O'Sullivan against John Higgins. They are both incredibly well

:05:29. > :05:34.matched. Both are 38 years old. They have both won 25 ranking titles,

:05:35. > :05:38.although John Higgins has won the Welsh Open here more than Ronnie

:05:39. > :05:44.O'Sullivan. The centuries, Ronnie O'Sullivan is well ahead and he is

:05:45. > :05:48.shaving the overall head-to-head meetings Ronnie O'Sullivan winning

:05:49. > :05:54.27 of them. That is out of 50. So in snooker

:05:55. > :05:58.terms, this really is a clash of the Titans.

:05:59. > :06:02.He is probably one of the greatest players of all time. I will have to

:06:03. > :06:12.be on my A game to get through the match. People like him and Davis are

:06:13. > :06:18.icons of the sport. We have had a great tournament so far. I have won

:06:19. > :06:24.four matches, good for me coming up to the World Championships. So as

:06:25. > :06:30.many matches as I can get is good. Yes, Ronnie, is incredibly tough.

:06:31. > :06:34.Privately, I think I'm the reason he is playing like this. When I got to

:06:35. > :06:42.four world titles, he was probably sitting at home thinking, is better

:06:43. > :06:47.than me, I should be getting more world titles. He knuckled down to

:06:48. > :06:53.get them, he deserves them. You have to treat each match and

:06:54. > :06:59.tournament as just doing the best as you can. If you do that, then you

:07:00. > :07:03.hope that with your ability, with the game that you have got, that

:07:04. > :07:08.sometimes the results are going to go in your favour. If I get on a

:07:09. > :07:12.roll, obviously, I'm a handful for most players.

:07:13. > :07:20.As I said, I have had great times here. I would love to have another

:07:21. > :07:25.good time, definitely. Yes, two of the best players ever to

:07:26. > :07:31.pick up a snooker cue. The crowd are ready. Really looking forward to

:07:32. > :07:42.this one. Let's welcome to the arena, the players with our mast er

:07:43. > :07:47.f of the -- master of the arena, Mark Allen.

:07:48. > :08:17.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome John Higgins!

:08:18. > :08:22.APPLAUSE He is up against the most talented

:08:23. > :08:29.player in the game. He is a five-time and the reign reigning

:08:30. > :08:43.champion. They call him The Rocket. He is, of course, Ronnie O'Sullivan!

:08:44. > :09:03.APPLAUSE. Well, if Ding against Daryl Walker

:09:04. > :09:08.-- Joel Walker was an appetite appetiting match, this is going to

:09:09. > :09:14.be the main course. This will be a mouth water

:09:15. > :09:17.encounter, I am sure. Everybody glued to their seats. Who of the

:09:18. > :09:21.best players that the world has ever seen in the game of snooker. Who

:09:22. > :09:24.will prevail today? This is the question. Obviously, Ronnie

:09:25. > :09:28.O'Sullivan, you would have to say, has been playing the better of the

:09:29. > :09:33.two. This is going to be a very close

:09:34. > :09:39.call. Ronnie O'Sullivan to break.

:09:40. > :09:45.And John Higgins has been building the match up in the press. Saying

:09:46. > :09:49.this is what you play for for, this type of match. This is why you

:09:50. > :10:25.practise so hard. These are the days you look forward to.

:10:26. > :10:45.Not the best start with that safety shot, but at the moment the black is

:10:46. > :10:50.surrounded by a few reds. If he had kissed and got on that

:10:51. > :10:58.black, it would have been a miracle. Almost, though.

:10:59. > :11:41.John Higgins may ask him to play from where the white is now.

:11:42. > :11:49.That's not bad. He has left this red to the right corner. If John Higgins

:11:50. > :11:59.goes for it, it is a little thick, he could collide the reds round to

:12:00. > :12:15.near the pink spot. Thin is OK, not thick.

:12:16. > :13:21.He will have to play slowly to stay on the black.

:13:22. > :13:29.That will give him a bit more trust with his cueing. It is OK being out

:13:30. > :13:34.on the practise table, but when you are actually doing it here, it

:13:35. > :13:37.builds up your confidence. Your self-belief.

:13:38. > :13:41.Ronnie O'Sullivan doesn't not have get a welcome when he comes into the

:13:42. > :13:49.arena. When he was playing the Masters in

:13:50. > :13:54.the Alexandra Palace, I went into it for the introduction, it gave me

:13:55. > :13:56.hairs standing on the back of my neck. Wonderful. He lights the place

:13:57. > :14:44.up. He was trying to get around the

:14:45. > :14:51.table, behind the blue and the yellow. It is safe. .

:14:52. > :15:12.Maybe a chance for Ronnie with a long red.

:15:13. > :15:22.It looked like he was going to leave John Higgins with a long red.

:15:23. > :15:27.Very fast, the beds of the cloths. The cushions are quick. So put the

:15:28. > :15:29.two together in one shot it is not easy to control the pace of the cue

:15:30. > :15:50.ball. As long as he doesn't go off. That

:15:51. > :15:58.was a very, very well thought out shot.

:15:59. > :16:11.Tricky to find the gap there and he played it well.

:16:12. > :17:41.The blue has made thing as little awkward.

:17:42. > :17:47.He didn't really want to clip that red in the centre of the table.

:17:48. > :17:52.Ronnie is looking to see how thin the chip would be, to chip it into

:17:53. > :17:56.the middle pocket. He could do with a canon or

:17:57. > :18:14.something in potting this red. He's managed to miss. It was a good

:18:15. > :19:52.pot. A couple of choices. The brown look looks the favourite.

:19:53. > :20:08.Nicely played. A matter of where this re-spots now.

:20:09. > :20:13.That is good for Ronnie. He will be hoping to make the most

:20:14. > :20:18.of this. To put early pressure on John Higgins.

:20:19. > :20:22.Is what he has been dough during the tournament this week. A lot of the

:20:23. > :20:27.players go out there and hope he does not start good and he is in

:20:28. > :21:07.good form, as then he is very difficult to stop. Even for Higgins.

:21:08. > :21:17.Ronnie was born with an unbelievable talent. An absolute genius on the

:21:18. > :21:28.snooker table. That was one of his better shots, though.

:21:29. > :21:40.But what a gift he was given. He has put a lot of hard work in as

:21:41. > :21:45.well to go with that gift. No matter how talented you are,

:21:46. > :21:51.unless you're prepared to put the effort in. You get out what you put

:21:52. > :22:41.in, but it does help if you have an abundance of ability.

:22:42. > :22:52.It's a bit awkward this one for John Higgins.

:22:53. > :22:57.Definitely up there with the best. Not sure if you can swerve the

:22:58. > :22:59.black. To get the red with the brown, but of course, there is the

:23:00. > :23:27.corner pocket. Very unlucky. A great attempt from

:23:28. > :24:22.John Higgins. It should cost him the first frame, now though.

:24:23. > :25:16.In goes the pink. That's the end of this frame.

:25:17. > :25:35.Even when he's not playing so good, he still looks great.

:25:36. > :25:45.He's not going to be concerned he missed the yellow. John stays in his

:25:46. > :25:50.chair. Ronnie O'Sullivan leads. So, Ronnie O'Sullivan is up and

:25:51. > :25:54.running. Willie, we were talking about the fact that the two players

:25:55. > :25:59.have played each other so often. How does it affect their approach to

:26:00. > :26:05.play? It makes you settle easier. Obviously you know the ins and the

:26:06. > :26:10.outs of the players you are playing. Higgins is, in fairness, in slight

:26:11. > :26:15.decline but still my top four of all time. It is great to watch this

:26:16. > :26:20.match, two of the all time greats on the same table. John Higgins has not

:26:21. > :26:24.played great this tournament, better but he has not had the best of

:26:25. > :26:31.seasons, but Ronnie O'Sullivan brings out the best in people. They

:26:32. > :26:37.know what they have to do. John Higgins knows he has to score.

:26:38. > :26:42.Not a great start the first frame but when we had gets a chance, he

:26:43. > :26:48.will have to score heavily. 40s and 50s are no good. He has to score

:26:49. > :26:55.70s. Ronnie seems so relaxed. Like he does not have a care in the

:26:56. > :27:07.world. He has made a good, confident start to the quarter-final match.

:27:08. > :27:16.John Higgins got a four-point penalty. It won't disturb him as

:27:17. > :27:22.yet, of course. Almost comes as a shock when Ronnie

:27:23. > :27:24.O'Sullivan misses a pot when he is playing well, but we must not forget

:27:25. > :27:57.how difficult the game is. The cue balls needs to slow down.

:27:58. > :27:59.He has to make the pot. Perfect. Maybe a little thin off the yellow

:28:00. > :28:25.to try to split the back. Playing for the single red.

:28:26. > :28:59.Beautifully played. Off the cushion for the red.

:29:00. > :29:42.Didn't get the split. His first chance of the match, really.

:29:43. > :29:53.Not a lot of Ronnie O'Sullivan could do there. That red has gone in just

:29:54. > :29:54.behind the brown. Trying to stick the cue ball in behind the black

:29:55. > :30:10.each time. You could see a lot of reds landing

:30:11. > :30:14.up towards the ball colours. Saying that, he's left this read to the

:30:15. > :30:20.right centre so that was a real miscalculation by John Higgins. --

:30:21. > :30:32.left this red. Very adept in the safety department. He makes a few

:30:33. > :30:38.mistakes, John Higgins. -- makes few mistakes. If he's going to have any

:30:39. > :31:03.chance in this match, he's going to have to stay with Ronnie.

:31:04. > :31:11.I think John Higgins will be quite happy, only losing four points.

:31:12. > :31:34.Expected Ronnie to score a lot more there.

:31:35. > :31:40.The last two on the trot from John Higgins. You don't see that very

:31:41. > :31:50.often - two bad safety shot, one after the other. Always been one of

:31:51. > :32:17.his strengths. Safety has given him so many openings in his career.

:32:18. > :32:23.There's no doubt Ronnie O'Sullivan exerts pressure on his opponents

:32:24. > :32:30.with his high-scoring. He's very, very dangerous in the balls. John

:32:31. > :32:32.Higgins played a safety shot that you wouldn't see in the local league

:32:33. > :32:56.on a Wednesday night. I think he's the only player in the

:32:57. > :33:01.world - Darren, I don't know how you feel about this - where I could sit

:33:02. > :33:10.and not say a word in the commentary box. But we may get sacked! I would

:33:11. > :33:15.agree with that. He's probably the only player that, even when I was

:33:16. > :33:21.getting beaten by him - and I did have a couple of wins against him -

:33:22. > :33:35.are used to enjoy it, in a sick sort of a way. He was just classed to

:33:36. > :33:36.watch. -- class. Some players I couldn't watch but with him, I

:33:37. > :34:01.watched every shot. If you can get past these three reds

:34:02. > :34:07.by the pink spot into the right corner... He'll have to put a touch

:34:08. > :34:14.of side to turn it over. That's what he did. He doesn't hit the ball, he

:34:15. > :34:53.caresses the cue ball. I think he's already sent a message

:34:54. > :35:00.to John Higgins - if you play anything loose or leave him at

:35:01. > :35:07.range, any kind of lapse in concentration on the safety

:35:08. > :35:10.department, you will get punished. Ronnie has been in scintillating

:35:11. > :35:19.form this week at the Newport Centre. You do feel for John

:35:20. > :35:23.Higgins. To have any kind of chance in this match, he is going to have

:35:24. > :35:59.to play better than he has done all week.

:36:00. > :36:03.Just checking the scoreboard to find himself a 55 points in front.

:36:04. > :36:15.APPLAUSE He elected to go out in the match so

:36:16. > :36:17.far. He's got to get away quickly. He's like a runaway train when he

:36:18. > :36:38.gets in front of you. I think the difference between these

:36:39. > :36:42.two players so far is that O'Sullivan has of evidence that he's

:36:43. > :37:39.playing well this series. Higgins hasn't.

:37:40. > :37:57.He mesmerises the crowd, doesn't he? It's so quiet out there.

:37:58. > :38:13.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Its Ronnie O'Sullivan at his best.

:38:14. > :38:21.There is no greater site in the game. He's too -0 in front of John

:38:22. > :38:28.Higgins. -- to kneel in front of John Higgins. Great to watch.

:38:29. > :38:32.Superb. Breathtaking, really. There isn't a real lot you can say that

:38:33. > :38:40.hasn't been said before. A supreme talent. To take a full season off

:38:41. > :38:43.like he did last year and come back and win a World Championship... He's

:38:44. > :38:47.played in a lot more events this year and it is showing. He's

:38:48. > :38:55.probably playing the best slugger he's ever played in his life. Yes,

:38:56. > :38:59.and as I mentioned earlier, when they're both in their prime, there's

:39:00. > :39:05.a lot of great match ups. But I have a feeling today that John Higgins --

:39:06. > :39:12.I had a feeling that John Higgins was going to play his best snooker

:39:13. > :39:20.today but it hasn't happened. John Higgins is stimulated and motivated

:39:21. > :39:25.by the fear of failure. Yes, my only worry, Terry, is the fact that it's

:39:26. > :39:28.been well noted John Higgins has swapped and changed his cue a couple

:39:29. > :39:34.of times this year, searching for something. Obviously, it doesn't

:39:35. > :39:39.breed lots of confidence when you are chopping and changing. Now he

:39:40. > :39:47.really needs to rely on his faithful tool, as they say! He hasn't had any

:39:48. > :39:53.great experiences with it, or wins. It's going to be hard to find

:39:54. > :40:01.something from nowhere. He is a true champion, never gives up, always

:40:02. > :40:04.gives 100%. I've never seen a cue win the World Championships, Darren.

:40:05. > :40:07.I don't think it makes any difference. The man is a great

:40:08. > :40:46.player with a great heart. Yes, I know what you're saying but I

:40:47. > :40:56.think we'll agree to disagree. I think it plays a big part, the cue.

:40:57. > :41:04.It plays a big part, no matter what anybody says. If you aren't happy

:41:05. > :41:11.with something, it's hard to play well.

:41:12. > :41:19.If you aren't happy with something, it's a lack of control in your mind,

:41:20. > :41:23.not the cue. Mind you, I did speak to one player working with Darren

:41:24. > :41:29.this year and he said he'd lost a match and he said his tip was no

:41:30. > :41:30.good. I said, "congratulations! You're the first professional player

:41:31. > :41:49.to lose to a tip" . A bit tight there to get past the

:41:50. > :41:52.pink and catch the three reds on the left. But he's changed his mind

:41:53. > :43:42.again. He's taking a bit of time over this

:43:43. > :43:50.one, so it's obviously not straightforward.

:43:51. > :43:57.Didn't look too complicated to me. Whether he was a little bit worried

:43:58. > :43:58.about knocking a red over one of the corner pocket stock aggro played a

:43:59. > :44:37.good shot. The cue ball has gone very close to

:44:38. > :44:45.the corner pocket. For a slight second, he thought he'd found the

:44:46. > :44:54.corner. What a great shot that's turned into now. Awkward cueing for

:44:55. > :45:06.John Higgins, the balls are split everywhere.

:45:07. > :45:13.There is a shot on if he plays the red next to the pink very slowly and

:45:14. > :45:16.knocks it towards the red and black cushion. A very defensive shot, of

:45:17. > :45:33.course. He mishit that. Caught it much too

:45:34. > :45:38.thin. It wasn't easy but those are the type of shots you've got to make

:45:39. > :45:47.sure your opponent does not get a shot on after.

:45:48. > :46:15.He doesn't show much, does he? All credit to him. He's always been like

:46:16. > :46:23.that, all through his career. He doesn't complain about kicks. Not

:46:24. > :46:25.easy to do, that. You see many players jumping up on the shot after

:46:26. > :46:41.the kick. The other thing O'Sullivan does a

:46:42. > :46:51.lot is, when his opponent gets a kick and Mrs, Ronnie doesn't ask the

:46:52. > :46:54.referee to clean the white. His opponent gets the hump because he

:46:55. > :47:10.wants everyone to know he's had a kick!

:47:11. > :47:20.You do feel, if you are John Higgins fan, he has to make a substantial

:47:21. > :47:25.effort for this chance. In his previous match, he kept getting to

:47:26. > :47:28.30 and 40 and breaking down. I think he was first to agree that he was

:47:29. > :47:30.struggling in the scoring department, which has always been a

:47:31. > :47:42.very strong point of John Higgins. Already, he's made things a bit

:47:43. > :47:47.difficult for himself. He's got a shot at the blue and the black but

:47:48. > :47:51.this is a lot then. The black is a lot then than he would have liked.

:47:52. > :47:56.The blue isn't a great shot. He would have to go in. A tester early

:47:57. > :48:13.on. APPLAUSE

:48:14. > :48:23.A big shock for John Higgins, that. A bit unfortunate with the position.

:48:24. > :48:28.One of those shots that when you take it on you think Mark "if I miss

:48:29. > :48:41.this, I'll leave the other guy at least four reds on" .

:48:42. > :48:47.Very nice. He's desperate to make big break. Just slightly overrun

:48:48. > :49:14.that. Still got a lot of work to do to

:49:15. > :50:47.make this a frame-winning chance. Playing to get an angle on the black

:50:48. > :50:55.as Souness he can disturb them reds underneath the pink spot.

:50:56. > :51:18.He caught the one on the right. He wanted to catch the other one. This

:51:19. > :51:45.is a real tricky red. Just got the wrong cannon then.

:51:46. > :51:50.Not the type of shot you want to pot for your next meal. He needs some

:51:51. > :52:13.sort of pace to get on the blue. That could have been the most

:52:14. > :52:14.important visit of the match. You do fear for John Higgins, the way

:52:15. > :53:19.O'Sullivan is playing. That slowed up just about in time.

:53:20. > :53:26.He's still got slightly odd cueing. No problem. That's the difference at

:53:27. > :53:28.the moment - every time Ronnie O'Sullivan gets in, you just fancy

:53:29. > :53:44.that he's going to pot everything. John Higgins has had a lot of

:53:45. > :53:54.chances but, again, he broke down with the chance to make 51.

:53:55. > :54:05.All these players are used to playing at the highest standards,

:54:06. > :54:11.obviously. That's why the game has progressed and becomes so exciting.

:54:12. > :54:29.O Sullivan is making everything look so easy. The awkward shots.

:54:30. > :54:42.REFEREE: Foul shot. He has two get over to the two reds. That chance

:54:43. > :54:48.has gone. He hasn't left anything on for John Higgins.

:54:49. > :54:59.That is one of the biggest miscues I've ever seen. Look at that! Just

:55:00. > :55:07.got the grip on a little early, probably.

:55:08. > :55:53.That's put Ronnie O'Sullivan back in again now.

:55:54. > :56:14.A much better safety shot from John Higgins.

:56:15. > :56:28.He has got a bit of a free shot at this if he was to fancy it.

:56:29. > :56:36.He may see a bit of value in going for this.

:56:37. > :58:07.He elected to play the safety instead.

:58:08. > :58:14.As good as he could have done from there.

:58:15. > :58:24.No easy safety and if he gets the red, a chance to win the frame and

:58:25. > :58:29.perhaps take a 3-0 lead in the match.

:58:30. > :58:34.He didn't pay for the black and hit the pocket a little bit more

:58:35. > :58:47.difficult. This is almost a must, I feel, to

:58:48. > :58:58.win from here. He's got to gobble this kind of

:58:59. > :59:22.chance up against O'Sullivan in good form.

:59:23. > :59:31.Just a couple of shots from getting himself on the scoreboard and

:59:32. > :59:36.cutting his deficit to one. You do feel he had to win this frame to get

:59:37. > :59:40.any kind of chance of the match. Can't see him coming back from 3-0

:59:41. > :00:03.down, the way Ronnie O'Sullivan is playing. 2-1, the match is still on.

:00:04. > :00:09.Well the red didn't go in. It is tight across the cushions. Ronnie

:00:10. > :00:14.O'Sullivan has stayed in his seat. He has given Ronnie O'Sullivan

:00:15. > :00:19.something to think about. John Higgins will be feeling much better.

:00:20. > :00:24.It cut his deficit. Well, he tried to shock us and come back to the

:00:25. > :00:27.table but it stands. Higgins has cut his deficit.

:00:28. > :00:33.That is important for the longevity of the match.

:00:34. > :00:36.John Higgins is back into it. Just. We were talking before the frame,

:00:37. > :00:43.that John Higgins had to score. He did that. He got to 51. You can

:00:44. > :00:48.never question John Higgins' shot selection, but Terry said, what

:00:49. > :00:53.would he pot it, six out of ten? But when 51 points in front, why push

:00:54. > :00:59.the boat out? He wants to try to win a frame in one visit, but luckily,

:01:00. > :01:06.for him, we have seen a shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan that he mass not

:01:07. > :01:12.miscued all season, and not almost all season, this has gone a foot off

:01:13. > :01:18.the table and nearly hit the cameraman! Well, the cameraman

:01:19. > :01:23.survived, but he is human, Ronnie. That is the first mistake he has

:01:24. > :01:28.made. What must John do now? He has to keep up the pressure. 51s are not

:01:29. > :01:32.good enough. Luckily for him there was the miscue, but he has to score

:01:33. > :01:36.more than 50s. This is the last frame before the

:01:37. > :01:39.interval. How John would love to go in, two

:01:40. > :02:02.frames a piece. One of John Higgins' strengths has

:02:03. > :02:54.been that he hangs in all of the time. He doesn't give up.

:02:55. > :03:01.He may play to the red on the left of the pack, to pot it and move the

:03:02. > :04:43.red away from the black but he didn't quite get on it.

:04:44. > :04:54.Well, he is on this yellow. He swapped hands and he play plays well

:04:55. > :04:59.left-handed, it has to be said. It wasn't the cleanest of strikes,

:05:00. > :05:01.but it has gone. He has a shot on the red.

:05:02. > :05:34.A little wobble. He has played that as well as he

:05:35. > :05:45.could but did you see the bounce off the cushion again? This is awkward.

:05:46. > :06:06.He played the clever canon. Very good.

:06:07. > :06:24.Well that's the first shot he's missed this match.

:06:25. > :07:15.I expect he has potted that at least 95 times out of 100.

:07:16. > :07:21.Another stat that is surprising, safety success, John Higgins is 75%.

:07:22. > :07:43.Ronnie O'Sullivan is 90%. That one extra shot, Alan, with hik

:07:44. > :07:47.Higgins -- John Higgins at the moment? Yes, he is looking for a bit

:07:48. > :07:52.of confidence. As I have harped on about. He is playing with a new cue.

:07:53. > :07:57.You know... I don't know. I don't know why wow you would change from

:07:58. > :08:02.something you had won all World Championships with, and been such a

:08:03. > :08:07.prolific player, but obviously he know what is is best for him. He is

:08:08. > :08:12.searching for something. Maybe it is the incentive to

:08:13. > :08:17.practise a little more. To keep him interested within the game. He's not

:08:18. > :08:24.a spring chicken any longer. They are all on his tail catching him up,

:08:25. > :08:28.but there is something missing. He is making mistakes with safety. He

:08:29. > :08:33.never makes mistakes with safety. He may miss a long pot, but his safety

:08:34. > :08:37.is normally the strongest part of the game.

:08:38. > :08:42.It's a good point that. When you watch Steve Davis playing on the

:08:43. > :08:48.main tour, he was struggling to keep the main tour place, to stay in the

:08:49. > :08:52.top 64 but is safety play, it is still outstanding when you watch him

:08:53. > :08:57.but he is not making the one pots he has to make in a frame to go on and

:08:58. > :09:07.win them. That is what is happening to John at the moment. I am not

:09:08. > :09:12.playing the two -- come pairing the two players. I would agree with

:09:13. > :09:18.that. It is great to see Steve Davis

:09:19. > :09:22.still. Going along. He loves the challenge. How much practise he puts

:09:23. > :09:28.in, I don't know but he is still a handful for anybody.

:09:29. > :09:42.I think he is out of most tournaments. He is 61 on the list.

:09:43. > :09:49.He still has presents around the table from the younger players. He

:09:50. > :10:25.loves playing, Steve Davis. He loves competing.

:10:26. > :10:31.Of course these two players turned professionals and Mark Williams at

:10:32. > :10:35.the same time. Out of the three of them, you would not have said that

:10:36. > :10:42.Ronnie O'Sullivan would be playing the best at this stage of their

:10:43. > :10:47.careers but he is. Ments He's up there still winning.

:10:48. > :10:49.Mark Williams and John Higgins are not getting many wins in the big

:10:50. > :11:42.tournaments these days. The difference so far in this match,

:11:43. > :11:45.is when Ronnie O'Sullivan slips out, he tends to get a good recovery shot

:11:46. > :13:02.to keep the break going. John Higgins, then, has conceded.

:13:03. > :13:07.Ronnie O'Sullivan takes the frame and leads 3-1.

:13:08. > :13:12.And that is the mid-session interval with Ronnie O'Sullivan, 3-1 up in

:13:13. > :13:18.the match, Willie. No complaints about that. That is a

:13:19. > :13:24.fair reflection of what we are seen. I agree but I am worried. I saw

:13:25. > :13:30.Ronnie O'Sullivan with his cue there, the last shot he played, it

:13:31. > :13:36.sounded tinny. It may be that the tip needs to be re-glued. He may

:13:37. > :13:40.take the tip off and put it back on again.

:13:41. > :13:44.Is that something he can do? Most players have a professional to do

:13:45. > :13:49.it. I don't know who is downstairs but Ronnie is a person, I have seen

:13:50. > :13:54.him change a tip in the match and come out and play century after

:13:55. > :13:58.century. I would need a tip on for days but I was concerned about the

:13:59. > :14:02.way he left there, looking at that tip.

:14:03. > :14:10.Do you think he may have damaged it? We saw the shot where the ball

:14:11. > :14:15.bounced? Is that the sort of incident you can damage it? Well,

:14:16. > :14:19.the tips are fibre. It could not have been that bad at that time,

:14:20. > :14:25.otherwise he would have said he needed time to put a new tip on, but

:14:26. > :14:28.the last shot on the pink, it made a horrible sound, but going back to

:14:29. > :14:34.the match, John Higgins, we have talked about him scoring, and at

:14:35. > :14:38.this moment, he is just not scoring. So, 3-1 to Ronnie O'Sullivan. While

:14:39. > :14:48.the players are enjoying a cup of tea. Let's remind ourselves how the

:14:49. > :14:54.tournament has been going and MacWilliams was the last Welshman

:14:55. > :15:00.standing. He came up with a terrific win against Marco Fu.

:15:01. > :15:05.He is 9th seed. They shared the first four frames. We pick up the

:15:06. > :15:14.match with Williams trailing by 28 points.

:15:15. > :15:19.He is not happy with that, he has not found the cushion. I don't think

:15:20. > :15:25.that Mark will take this on. He will be kissing into the other two reds.

:15:26. > :15:36.Yes, this is a big shot. Unless he feel feels he can play it.

:15:37. > :15:42.You feel if he doesn't pop this red, he will leave an easy starter on.

:15:43. > :15:46.That shows had you confident Marco Fu is feeling. If he had missed

:15:47. > :15:51.that, he would have left Mark a choice of two or three. As it is,

:15:52. > :16:06.the red's gone in, it is nicely on the blue.

:16:07. > :16:16.It was a clever shot, really. He just played into an area there he

:16:17. > :16:21.knew that as long as he landed near the pink spot, he would have a

:16:22. > :17:40.chance of landing on three or four reds.

:17:41. > :17:51.Another poor shot from Marco. Wow. All he is doing is playing past that

:17:52. > :17:56.red and either beyond the one he has kissed or at the top of the pyramid

:17:57. > :18:29.there, but he has kissed into the red.

:18:30. > :18:36.He is nicely on the brown. He has a nice angle as well on the blue.

:18:37. > :18:59.He could roll it in off two cushions.

:19:00. > :19:05.Can't under understand what's to this table this week. All of the

:19:06. > :19:40.players have been on about it. It is coming off the cushion faster than

:19:41. > :19:44.it is going on. Now once again the cushion caught

:19:45. > :19:50.him out. The reason he is disappointed, is if he plays the

:19:51. > :19:56.pot, he has to bring the three reds into play, but being 62 in front he

:19:57. > :20:17.doesn't want to do that, but he can't refuse to play this pot.

:20:18. > :20:28.Mark has not dub much wrong this game. Other than the safety shot.

:20:29. > :21:21.Marco Fu knocked in the red. He has took this very, very well.

:21:22. > :21:34.He's enjoying himself now. A couple of crowd-pleasing shots.

:21:35. > :22:19.He's played that to absolute perfection.

:22:20. > :22:26.He has had breaks of 76 and 70 in this match. 71 and counting, are we

:22:27. > :22:58.whoing to see the first century? You would think so with the way that the

:22:59. > :23:01.balls are lined up. To see the first century? You would

:23:02. > :23:04.think so with the way that the balls are lined up.

:23:05. > :23:06.Ng 320 career centuries, Marco has made. Both players have made over

:23:07. > :23:34.300. What a terrific 10 p. So, Marco Fu

:23:35. > :23:40.is over the moon. Mark Williams will have a lot to thing about. He wants

:23:41. > :23:47.to extend his championship, he will have to win the next two frames.

:23:48. > :23:50.But it left Marco Fu with one more to reach the quarter-finals. Could

:23:51. > :24:12.he seal the deal in frame six? 19 points is a big lead where these

:24:13. > :24:56.balls are, but this is half a chance.

:24:57. > :25:05.He hit the black and still potted the red, isn't that amazing?

:25:06. > :25:12.Strange. Well what is worse, he is now in all

:25:13. > :25:20.kinds of trouble. This all he could really do, roll up

:25:21. > :25:23.on to the red. That's asking for trouble, playing

:25:24. > :26:12.that shot. He should be somewhere behind the green and the brown here.

:26:13. > :26:19.This is a tough safety shot to play. It is always dangerous after three

:26:20. > :26:23.or four frames, there are finger marks on the cloth. The ball is not

:26:24. > :26:31.bound to run truly. If this goes in, it could be the end.

:26:32. > :26:50.It's there! So he needs a red to leave Mark Williams with a snooker.

:26:51. > :26:55.It's been a strange match for Mark Williams, he knows when he goes

:26:56. > :27:01.home, will be thinking about the chances he has let slip, but Marco

:27:02. > :27:09.Fu has played consistently who towards the end of each frame.

:27:10. > :27:21.He will be very disappointed, Mark Williams now. Marco Fu looks like he

:27:22. > :27:28.has done enough to win this frame. 37 points in front with 27 on.

:27:29. > :27:30.Mark William Williams would probably come back to the table if he missed

:27:31. > :27:58.this yellow. But he won't be coming back to the

:27:59. > :28:04.table now. The match could have easily gone

:28:05. > :28:09.either way. The nice Welshman has now gone out

:28:10. > :28:14.of this tournament. So well played, Mark Williams. He had lots of

:28:15. > :28:20.chances earlier on. Marco Fu comes through by 4-2.

:28:21. > :28:26.Very delighted with the win. I think that I played well tonight. Mark had

:28:27. > :28:32.his chances to go probably 3-0 up, but he missed easy chances to let me

:28:33. > :28:36.back in. I was able to capitalise on his mistakes. It got to two

:28:37. > :28:45.important frames. So that was the crucial part of the game. Yes, it

:28:46. > :28:50.spoils it. It had been a good week, but I have not got tonne the last

:28:51. > :28:54.stages for a while. It was OK. A little disappointed. I have probably

:28:55. > :28:59.played better than I have tonight than in the last two. And I lost

:29:00. > :29:04.4-2. A shame for Mark Williams, but Marco

:29:05. > :29:09.Fu goes through to play Barry Hawkins in one of the two

:29:10. > :29:14.quarter-finals. The other match is Mark Selby to play Joe Perry.

:29:15. > :29:17.And Mark Selby, another man from Leicester, like your good self-. You

:29:18. > :29:22.know him well. How do you think he is shaping up for the quarter-final?

:29:23. > :29:26.Mark has had a great season but the statistics say that. Mark is saying

:29:27. > :29:32.he is not playing as well, but he has to find out whether he is

:29:33. > :29:37.playing good or bad. Everyone wins when they are playing well but how

:29:38. > :29:42.many can win when they are not playing so well and Mark Selby can.

:29:43. > :29:46.It will be a tough match for Joe Perry.

:29:47. > :29:52.And Marco Fu against Barry Hawkins? Marco Fu needed a couple of chances.

:29:53. > :29:58.He let Mark Williams in first on two or three occasions. Williams was

:29:59. > :30:03.unfortunate but letting a couple of reds slip. He cannot do that with

:30:04. > :30:09.Barry. That is 50/50. Two matches to look forward to this

:30:10. > :30:15.evening. The coverage begins at 7.00pm, but now it is time to resume

:30:16. > :30:19.the terrific battle twoo entwo of the greats against John Higgins and

:30:20. > :30:23.Ronnie O'Sullivan. The players are coming to the arena

:30:24. > :30:29.now. The crowd looking forward to the conclusion of the match. We will

:30:30. > :30:33.stay with it here on BBC Two Wales until the end. If you are watching

:30:34. > :30:37.on the BBC sports website, and you have the red button. We are

:30:38. > :30:49.delighted to have your company as well.

:30:50. > :30:59.Thank you. It has been very good so far. John Higgins has had a couple

:31:00. > :31:09.of chances. Not quite scored enough. Ronnie O'Sullivan is still looking

:31:10. > :31:13.in scintillating form. If John Higgins can somehow take this frame,

:31:14. > :31:55.he'll be back in the match. You do feel it is a frame he has to win.

:31:56. > :32:09.He may use the second row to hold for the black.

:32:10. > :32:17.He doesn't hit the ball as hard as a lot of other players. He strokes the

:32:18. > :32:30.ball and more. They tend to hit the corners and still go in.

:32:31. > :32:33.He's just been having a sandwich in the interval, reading a newspaper,

:32:34. > :33:31.quite relaxed. You can see why O'Sullivan is one of

:33:32. > :33:32.the best to get into the pack. He reads how the balls will come out

:33:33. > :33:40.pretty well. Not an easy one. At least he's got

:33:41. > :34:01.something to go out. -- go back. Playing quite tight. He hit that

:34:02. > :34:15.quite well. A slower one might have gone in-off the jaw.

:34:16. > :34:23.He's not going to be too happy with that one. Didn't quite get through

:34:24. > :34:29.the ball enough. A big black, this, now. He has got that read down below

:34:30. > :34:44.the blue so he's just got to make sure of the pot.

:34:45. > :35:50.He was on a red in the centre. He may not take it on. It's natural

:35:51. > :35:56.path is to hit the bunch of reds after potting it but there's no in

:35:57. > :36:01.that. If it was away from the cushion a bit more, you could play

:36:02. > :37:39.with a lot of pace at it through the pack.

:37:40. > :38:12.In goes the green, nicely done for the reds.

:38:13. > :38:20.It's all in place for Ronnie O'Sullivan these days. He leads a

:38:21. > :38:27.little nudge, he's getting it. -- needs. He needs a bit of luck, he's

:38:28. > :38:30.getting it. It's all down to his superb play. He just looks like

:38:31. > :39:10.dynamite. He didn't really like the angle on

:39:11. > :39:29.that part here. -- that pot. Could have done a little bit better

:39:30. > :39:48.on that one. He had to go into the pack. I said

:39:49. > :39:57.to Darren earlier on that you earn your luck. Stephen Hendry is on the

:39:58. > :40:07.table so much he's bound to get a bit of luck. That's how it is. We

:40:08. > :40:15.all know there is luck involved in sport but you can't do much about

:40:16. > :40:20.it, so why worry about it? That was a lovely shot.

:40:21. > :40:26.A lot of players would have had to hit the cue ball so hard to get

:40:27. > :41:18.that's bin -- that spin on. And, so far, it's not going to plan

:41:19. > :41:34.for John Higgins. It is for Ronnie O'Sullivan. He is like a runaway

:41:35. > :41:41.train at the moment. He's lost his breaks.

:41:42. > :41:52.A lot of balls missed but it isn't going to bother Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:41:53. > :41:56.John Higgins has now got to win all four frames remaining.

:41:57. > :42:04.STUDIO: He has picked up where he left off,

:42:05. > :42:09.Ronnie O'Sullivan. John Higgins just missing out on his chances. He's

:42:10. > :42:16.only getting half chances. The first was better than the second. These

:42:17. > :42:19.are not shots that are easy to play by any stretch of the imagination

:42:20. > :42:25.but when you aren't getting close to the pot, if you catch the jaws you

:42:26. > :42:29.get away with it, but if not... OK, it was a great one for much of it

:42:30. > :42:35.because he went up to make another frame-winning break. O'Sullivan

:42:36. > :42:43.fought. When he gets in, he will score 70 above which wins the frame.

:42:44. > :42:48.Higgins gets in. In one frame, he scored 50 but in others, he's not

:42:49. > :42:51.scoring anything. Terry was making the point that O'Sullivan seems to

:42:52. > :42:56.be having a look but if you are the man at the table making the shots,

:42:57. > :42:59.maybe the block will follow you. When you're playing well, you get

:43:00. > :43:03.the lock. You can only start complaining when things are going

:43:04. > :43:09.bad for you and you get bad kisses and that. But if you're playing

:43:10. > :43:14.well, the best player gets the luck. Hendry - whenever he went into the

:43:15. > :43:19.pack, he was always on a red. People used to complain about him. You

:43:20. > :43:27.notice the luck he gets. You don't notice the bad luck from people that

:43:28. > :43:32.you don't see play aggressively. Higgins is really in trouble now -

:43:33. > :43:37.what is he like as an escape artist? Brilliant but you're talking about

:43:38. > :43:41.playing one of the best players of all time. Can he come back from 4 -1

:43:42. > :44:03.behind? Probably not. TERRY GRIFFITHS: Sullivan's really

:44:04. > :44:07.winning this game quite easily in second gear. He hasn't played as

:44:08. > :44:13.well as he has in other matches recently but Higgins hasn't found

:44:14. > :44:17.anything as yet. Great respect between these two players. They've

:44:18. > :44:39.played so many times together with some great matches.

:44:40. > :45:01.I think Sullivan is fractionally ahead.

:45:02. > :45:06.Always an edge between two players that start the same time on the

:45:07. > :45:11.professional game. Similar to the junior players. They come through

:45:12. > :45:13.the same age groups as others and into the professional game with a

:45:14. > :45:39.bit more edge. I was unlucky in love to join the

:45:40. > :45:44.professional game at the same time as Steve Davis. I'm not saying I

:45:45. > :45:51.didn't like him at the time but he kept beating me. It was easy not to

:45:52. > :46:05.like him then! No, he was a great player.

:46:06. > :46:10.What's been amazing about this match so far - there's nobody potting

:46:11. > :46:18.first and winning the frame with a big break. Higgins broke down in the

:46:19. > :46:20.second game. O'Sullivan did 115 but in matches gone by, they'd have a

:46:21. > :47:03.lot of those. Safety has been top draw for Ronnie

:47:04. > :47:19.O'Sullivan this week. Still very high at 89%. You would

:47:20. > :47:31.expect John Higgins to have been ahead of Ronnie O'Sullivan but up to

:47:32. > :47:40.now, he's not. A great pot. If he was half ball on this brown to come

:47:41. > :47:48.up to these reds, I can't see there being any value. Nothing is to open

:47:49. > :47:55.down the backpack of reds. -- nothing is too open down at that

:47:56. > :48:36.pack of reds. We've seen a good comeback in the

:48:37. > :48:50.previous quarter final. A slightly bigger ask for John

:48:51. > :48:52.Higgins playing O'Sullivan but they do say all great journeys begin with

:48:53. > :49:03.a single step. Making the first step is affecting

:49:04. > :49:39.Higgins. It's notable now on the circuit,

:49:40. > :49:42.when we come to the big tournaments O'Sullivan looks fresher than

:49:43. > :49:47.everybody off because he's not entering all the events. He is left

:49:48. > :49:50.quite a few of them alone and when he comes, he's very fresh compared

:49:51. > :49:57.to some players, the way the circuits set up now. Especially

:49:58. > :50:03.before Christmas, they are either in Australia, China, India or Thailand,

:50:04. > :50:07.travelling all the time. He misses a lot of those and comes into all the

:50:08. > :50:15.big matches. He loves the Welsh Open - always has.

:50:16. > :50:45.Look at that! APPLAUSE

:50:46. > :50:52.You see the difference there. When John Higgins potted the ball, he

:50:53. > :51:07.didn't have an angle to come back on the brown.

:51:08. > :51:20.He just caught that read too thick. -- that red. I think it's your day,

:51:21. > :51:22.Ronnie. Like you say, he's played very well. You can't take anything

:51:23. > :51:40.away from him. Nothing more to moralising than when

:51:41. > :51:46.you're sat in your chair and things are not quite going to plan. Your

:51:47. > :51:53.opponent is having a bit of help, as well as playing fantastic. He's got

:51:54. > :52:04.a big shot on now with this pink to the left centre.

:52:05. > :52:10.At the moment, it's as if the ball is just lying over the pockets.

:52:11. > :52:26.Tremendous! STUDIO: I hope you're enjoying this

:52:27. > :52:31.display of potting from Ronnie O'Sullivan. Just to confirm, we are

:52:32. > :52:36.going to stay with this match until its conclusion here on BBC Two

:52:37. > :52:43.Wales. TERRY GRIFFITHS: That one hasn't

:52:44. > :52:48.turned out. Just the safety shot now.

:52:49. > :53:00.Not a good one. He may have played that safety when he still had the

:53:01. > :53:06.disappointment in his mind off not splitting the pack. That may have

:53:07. > :53:07.had his attention. Everything looks difficult at the moment to John

:53:08. > :53:32.Higgins. Just too much spin on the cue ball.

:53:33. > :55:30.He wanted to come to the right. Can't quite make his mind up here.

:55:31. > :55:36.He played the safety around the table. I thought he was trying to

:55:37. > :55:38.get around the yellow but he must have caught it a little on the thick

:55:39. > :55:55.side. John Higgins hanging on in this

:55:56. > :55:57.match. He probably feels one more mistake and he'll be out of the

:55:58. > :56:19.tournament. APPLAUSE

:56:20. > :56:27.That was nearly a terrific safety but he left the red on the left

:56:28. > :56:41.corner. John Higgins has had a bit of a lean spell. A big shot for him.

:56:42. > :56:51.That's the problem! When things are not going your way, everything just

:56:52. > :56:59.becomes so much harder. His long pot success is still zero which, by John

:57:00. > :57:05.Higgins's standards, he'd be first to say is very poor.

:57:06. > :57:12.And on top of that, he's missed a fuel and by some distance, as well,

:57:13. > :57:22.which takes your confidence away a bit.

:57:23. > :57:28.He might have played that with top spin there to hold the cue ball

:57:29. > :57:31.along the cushion and get behind the yellow. He'll have to fully commit

:57:32. > :58:05.to the one in the right corner. APPLAUSE

:58:06. > :58:11.Pretty good! He's on the black. The bridging is going to be very

:58:12. > :58:12.awkward. When you have to bridge down, you're hitting down into the

:58:13. > :58:24.cue ball. CROWD GROANS

:58:25. > :58:49.That made the difference. It never rains but it pours.

:58:50. > :58:58.We'll have a chance here to see those Sullivan trying to pot these

:58:59. > :00:09.balls. Not an easy position. -- O'Sullivan.

:00:10. > :00:16.John Higgins sitting out. He's just made one break over 30 in the

:00:17. > :00:25.match, of 51 in the third frame. He'll be disappointed with that.

:00:26. > :00:32.O'Sullivan has just done enough, really.

:00:33. > :00:45.Applause from the crowd. They think Ronnie O'Sullivan is in a safe

:00:46. > :01:02.position to win frame and match. CROWD GROANS

:01:03. > :01:06.Well, John Higgins had had enough. It wasn't his day and the match

:01:07. > :01:11.didn't deliver the expectations. Ronnie O'Sullivan goes through into

:01:12. > :01:14.this year's semifinal, beating John Higgins 5-1.

:01:15. > :01:23.STUDIO: More class from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:01:24. > :01:30.He looks relaxed and in supreme form. Every time he gets in, 50 or

:01:31. > :01:37.60. John Higgins will be reappointed -- disappointed. People are always

:01:38. > :01:43.talking about the Murphys and the Dings of this world and, obviously,

:01:44. > :01:46.O'Sullivan. John Higgins is not in that echelon at the moment and this

:01:47. > :01:50.would have been a good time to prove he was still there but he didn't do

:01:51. > :01:55.that. His long game is normally great. He potted his first long game

:01:56. > :02:01.of the match but then his hampered cueing, as we'll show you here...

:02:02. > :02:04.When you're going well and your luck is in, you don't finish hampered.

:02:05. > :02:08.You get on the black and you aren't hampered but because things have

:02:09. > :02:12.been hard for him all afternoon and little kisses have gone wrong, he

:02:13. > :02:17.had to bridge over the ball and that black was miserable. It didn't go

:02:18. > :02:20.well for him but the genius of Ronnie O'Sullivan is that when he

:02:21. > :02:32.gets in amongst the balls, he makes it count. At this moment in time, he

:02:33. > :02:40.and Ding Andy -- Ding and Robertson are just break-building sublimely.

:02:41. > :02:44.It's wonderful to watch them. Looking at the draw as it is, Ronnie

:02:45. > :02:50.must be the red-hot favourite. He always is. He's like Tiger Woods.

:02:51. > :02:55.When he's at his best, he normally wins. There's a lot of good players

:02:56. > :02:59.- Ding is going to be a threat, Selby at his best will be a threat

:03:00. > :03:06.and the other four players left in will be a threat. It is so enjoyable

:03:07. > :03:12.watching Ronnie in this mood. So ask that it and relaxed - a beautiful

:03:13. > :03:16.thing to see. Ronnie is an artist when he's playing well. You just

:03:17. > :03:20.have to look at it and admire his work on the table. He loves to play

:03:21. > :03:24.and when he's playing well, there's nothing better to watch than Ronnie

:03:25. > :03:28.O'Sullivan in full flight. It has been great to watch all week. He

:03:29. > :03:31.will play Marco Fu or Barry Hawkins in the next round. I think Ronnie

:03:32. > :03:40.O'Sullivan is about to come round the corner. Congratulations, well

:03:41. > :03:43.done. Well done, mate. You've had a terrific rivalry with John over the

:03:44. > :03:50.years - a Busby good to come out on top again. John has had a good

:03:51. > :03:54.tournament. He's had a bit of a struggle. He started of the season

:03:55. > :03:59.really well so he's had a good season up to then. He's had a good

:04:00. > :04:04.tournament here and I'm just pleased to get a win against someone of

:04:05. > :04:16.John's quality because they don't get any better than John. You

:04:17. > :04:24.miscued a bit. But like your tip was going out. Was it going to be taken

:04:25. > :04:29.out? No. I thought you would have to have it taken out. No, it wasn't

:04:30. > :04:35.that bad. You are looking so relaxed this week. You must be really

:04:36. > :04:39.pleased with the way it's going. I struggled in my first three games. I

:04:40. > :04:43.played really well against Ricky yesterday. I was cueing really

:04:44. > :04:48.well, had control of the cue ball, and safety shots were going well.

:04:49. > :04:52.Today I felt more like did in the first few matches, not seeing it as

:04:53. > :04:56.well, but because I'm playing well I'm just that bit sharper. John

:04:57. > :05:01.missed a few balls. If he'd been on his game and punished me, it

:05:02. > :05:08.would've a different story. Were you surprised he let you in as often as

:05:09. > :05:13.he did? John hasn't been playing at his best and if you are struggling

:05:14. > :05:26.in this game, it can be... Even for the greatest players in the world,

:05:27. > :05:33.anything is miss Abul. -- able to be missed. John Parrott gave me about

:05:34. > :05:38.60 cues and I couldn't find one and I had to use somebody else's Q. If

:05:39. > :05:42.you aren't comfortable with the cue or the tip or your equipment, it's a

:05:43. > :05:46.bit of a nightmare because it chips away at your confidence.

:05:47. > :05:50.Congratulations. It's been great to watch you play again. We look

:05:51. > :05:56.forward to seeing you in the semifinals. Let me remind you what

:05:57. > :06:00.happened in one of the other quarterfinals played earlier in the

:06:01. > :06:03.day. This was the match between Ding Junhui and Joel Walker, the

:06:04. > :06:07.19-year-old from Sheffield who was mentored by Ronny a few years ago.

:06:08. > :06:14.He threatened to pull off a massive shock as he went 4 -2 up. But the

:06:15. > :06:20.pressure brought the best out of Ding and he won the last few frames

:06:21. > :06:26.to win the semifinal -- to go into the semifinal. I'm proud of what

:06:27. > :06:36.I've done. I'd like to have gone a bit further but it's my first time

:06:37. > :06:41.on the TV. I did really enjoy it and fair play to Ding, he took his

:06:42. > :06:48.chance really well. It shows you how good a player he is. I should have

:06:49. > :06:52.punished him and made it 5-2. But I've learnt a lot and I'll come back

:06:53. > :06:58.stronger. It's a tough game and Joel could play well. He made centuries

:06:59. > :07:07.and 80 breaks. I don't think he played bad. Also, I didn't play well

:07:08. > :07:15.between the matches and didn't concentrate hard. I don't feel

:07:16. > :07:25.comfortable with my cue ball control. I got a few bounces. That's

:07:26. > :07:29.not good. Ding a good winner. But, Ronnie, you know Joel Walker. You

:07:30. > :07:35.picked him up at 16 and gave him some coaching. What I'll say about

:07:36. > :07:41.Joel is he's really improved a lot. I don't think the standard of the

:07:42. > :07:45.youngsters years ago... The standard now is not as good as years ago but

:07:46. > :07:50.he's improved massively. If he carries on like that, he's

:07:51. > :07:54.definitely going to win tournaments. He could take a big leap fairly

:07:55. > :08:00.soon? He can definitely win tournaments. He can get through to

:08:01. > :08:06.the semis of the PTC. Maybe get tighter control, get his hand to the

:08:07. > :08:09.right ball. I think he's got so much potential because he's nowhere near

:08:10. > :08:14.the finished article. Willie and Ronnie, thank you very much. Our

:08:15. > :08:24.next programme is at 7pm here on BBC Two Wales, the quarterfinal between

:08:25. > :08:27.Mark Selby and Joe Perry. Thanks for watching. See you then.