Day Three - Part 1

:00:59. > :01:19.Still a big hero of Welsh snooker for many, Mark Williams. Welcome to

:01:20. > :01:23.the Welsh Open. Williams one of three Welshmen through to round

:01:24. > :01:28.three. Four tables in play and this is how it shapes up. The top half of

:01:29. > :01:39.the draw includes the defending champion, John Higgins, against

:01:40. > :01:44.Michael Georgiou. Ryan Davies the world number nine Mark Allen. In the

:01:45. > :01:48.bottom half, Mark Williams up against Kurt Maflin. That's coming

:01:49. > :01:54.up for you very shortly. Matthew Stevens playing the German Masters

:01:55. > :01:58.winner Martin Gould. Ronnie O'Sullivan lurking in there as well.

:01:59. > :02:04.He plays the world number 38, Jimmy Robertson. We're going live to the

:02:05. > :02:07.arena, because Matthew Stevens is on the verge of going out of this

:02:08. > :02:15.year's Welsh Open. His opponent, Martin Gould, is on a break of 107.

:02:16. > :02:20.He's just missed that red, but it is all over. Matthew Stevens goes out

:02:21. > :02:26.and Martin Gould, the German Masters winner, goes through to the last 16.

:02:27. > :02:29.Disappointment for one of the Welshmen. We had four at the start

:02:30. > :02:32.of the day and we've just got three left. Matthew Stevens going out

:02:33. > :02:41.there within the last few seconds. Well, a very good afternoon to Terry

:02:42. > :02:47.Griffiths. Let's react straightaway to what we've seen. We had four, now

:02:48. > :02:51.three. Disappointment for Matthew Stevens. It is, but Martin Gould is

:02:52. > :02:57.playing exceptionally well at the moment. Last night he won a tough

:02:58. > :03:01.match finishing late in the night and he played three well. He's

:03:02. > :03:05.making the big shots all the time. He's getting the splits and he's

:03:06. > :03:09.striking the ball also well and he knows it. He's a dangerous and I

:03:10. > :03:14.think he has a chance. We saw Matthew in the studio saying he felt

:03:15. > :03:18.he was feeling better after Aileen period, he hoped he could go all the

:03:19. > :03:21.way this year. Yes, welcome he has played well here but when you come

:03:22. > :03:27.up against an opponent who is full of confidence at the moment like

:03:28. > :03:31.Martin Gould, it makes life tougher. You get fewer chances and Martin is

:03:32. > :03:35.taking his chances all the time. But Matthew is still a very talented

:03:36. > :03:39.player. He's not going to win it this year but he's not going to go

:03:40. > :03:43.away either. What you make of the three Welshmen left in it? Mark

:03:44. > :03:48.Williams, Michael White and Ryan Day, who we will see this evening.

:03:49. > :03:51.What are their chances? I think the three of them will get to the final!

:03:52. > :03:58.LAUGHTER Let's hope so. Mark Williams has

:03:59. > :04:04.played very well. I thought he did remarkably well to beat Rod Lawler

:04:05. > :04:09.last night, because his tip came off. Ryan is always dangerous and

:04:10. > :04:13.Michael White is the same. He played very well. It's good to see the

:04:14. > :04:21.Welsh boys playing well at home, I think, it spurred the crowd on. What

:04:22. > :04:26.else catches your eye in that draw? A lot of them, to be honest, these

:04:27. > :04:32.days. We are still at first to four, and all of the players left in our

:04:33. > :04:36.likely to push forward and get to the late stages. O Sullivan

:04:37. > :04:42.obviously was brilliantly yesterday. He played all right in the game,

:04:43. > :04:44.300s and a 90, but I've got to be honest, his interview was

:04:45. > :04:50.outstanding! I thought he did really well, I really enjoyed it! Great

:04:51. > :04:54.viewing all round, Ronnie, yesterday. We had some great

:04:55. > :05:00.matches. Let's hope for more of the same this afternoon. Here is what is

:05:01. > :05:05.on today's menu. The Welsh number one had to raise his game to make it

:05:06. > :05:10.this far. Now Norwegian Kurt Maflin stands between Mark Williams and the

:05:11. > :05:18.last 16. Could the defending champion maintain his fine form

:05:19. > :05:21.against Michael Georgiou? Another former world champion, Shaun Murphy,

:05:22. > :05:30.continues his quest for a first Welsh Open win, against Belgian Luc

:05:31. > :05:35.Bresson L. Whilst Ronnie has been rapid in reaching round three, could

:05:36. > :05:38.the 2014 champion keep up the pace against Jimmy Robertson? Ronnie

:05:39. > :05:42.O'Sullivan in action this evening, having just seen Matthew Stevens go

:05:43. > :05:46.out there is a bit more pressure on Mark Williams to fly the flag for

:05:47. > :05:49.Wales. He has won this tournament twice before and he got to the

:05:50. > :05:54.semifinals last year. What hope of going all the way in 2016? Let's get

:05:55. > :06:02.a professional opinion on the Welsh number one.

:06:03. > :06:08.Well, I call him my hero. You could not possibly meet a more

:06:09. > :06:14.down-to-earth guy than Mark Williams. He's possibly the most

:06:15. > :06:17.relaxed player. He just takes his practice came into the tournament

:06:18. > :06:26.and if it's good enough he wins, if it doesn't, it doesn't bother him. I

:06:27. > :06:31.love him! He's so calm and so laid back. If he were any more laid-back,

:06:32. > :06:41.he would fall over. He always makes it look as if the game is so easy to

:06:42. > :06:44.him. It makes you a mad sometimes! You look like you are under pressure

:06:45. > :06:50.and he just looks like is out having a stroll. Funny, the one-liners are

:06:51. > :06:53.always very good, very witty. He likes to get involved on social

:06:54. > :06:57.media and have a bit of banter with the fans, which I quite like. As a

:06:58. > :07:02.player, up there with the greatest ever. Takes life not too serious,

:07:03. > :07:10.takes the game not too serious, but probably one of the all-time greats

:07:11. > :07:16.of the game as well. Great player. Just a pity about his clothes! The

:07:17. > :07:20.fashionista that is Mark Williams! What can you say? It's a good thing

:07:21. > :07:26.he's a good snooker player, because his dress sense is just completely

:07:27. > :07:32.nonexistent! For old mark and his dress sense. That is the verdict on

:07:33. > :07:33.Williams. This is his opponent this afternoon. Kurt Maflin, based in

:07:34. > :07:42.Oslo in Norway. 46th in the world right now. You can

:07:43. > :07:48.see his career record there. They have only met once before, these

:07:49. > :07:51.two. Four years ago, and Kurt Maflin won that 16-2.

:07:52. > :08:00.Let's find out if Mark Williams can make it through to the last 16 of

:08:01. > :08:03.the 2016 Welsh Open. Calling the action for us on this one, good

:08:04. > :08:07.afternoon to Darren Morgan and Dominic Dale.

:08:08. > :08:13.COMMENTATOR: Good afternoon everybody and welcome to this last

:08:14. > :08:20.32 in counter between Mark Williams and Kurt Maflin. Interesting match.

:08:21. > :08:24.Mark has been struggling a bit of late last few days, but he's still

:08:25. > :08:31.batting and I'm sure he will full of confidence, against his far less

:08:32. > :08:35.experienced opponent in Kurt Maflin. He lives in Oslo. Although Mark will

:08:36. > :08:43.be wary of the fact that in their only previous meeting, as mentioned,

:08:44. > :08:49.Kurt Maflin did beat Mark Williams by six frames to do in the

:08:50. > :08:56.International Championship in China three years ago. What do you make of

:08:57. > :08:59.this one, Darren? Obviously you would always make mark a big

:09:00. > :09:02.favourite out of these two players, but as you said, Mark struggled a

:09:03. > :09:06.bit yesterday with his tip coming off and having to put a brand-new

:09:07. > :09:09.tip on. I think he was quite relieved last night that he managed

:09:10. > :09:16.to get over the line against Rod Lawler. But Kurt Maflin is very,

:09:17. > :09:23.very accomplished and a good player. On the amateur scene for a long

:09:24. > :09:30.time. He's quite an attacking player, knows his way around the

:09:31. > :09:34.table. Obviously TV matches in full arena is a bit different to what

:09:35. > :09:47.he's used to. Yes, he's a good player to watch,

:09:48. > :10:04.Kurt Maflin. A very fluent Key West. -- a very fluent cueist. A good

:10:05. > :10:09.scorer, over 100 centuries already. Mark will be very aware this week

:10:10. > :10:13.that his form has not been what he has been hoping for. He has had a

:10:14. > :10:18.few tip troubles. His tip came off yesterday while practising for his

:10:19. > :10:25.match against Rod Lawler. That could have gotten great concerns, but he

:10:26. > :10:27.managed to get through the anyway. -- that could have caused him grave

:10:28. > :11:03.concerns. That was a mis-hit shot that has

:11:04. > :11:15.turned out very well for Mark. He caught the red way too thin and got

:11:16. > :11:23.a nice cannon off the second red. Kurt just trying to drop this red

:11:24. > :11:36.in. It wasn't a bad effort. And that's OK. Wasn't far-away.

:11:37. > :11:45.That's when you know that a player of Mark's standard is not quite

:11:46. > :11:52.right yet with the tip. He would never have missed getting in behind

:11:53. > :11:57.the black, there. In the olden days you used to play with blue diamonds

:11:58. > :12:04.or elk masters, which would take a long time to bed in. Now there are

:12:05. > :12:12.all different types on the market. Mark plays with a very dark tip. He

:12:13. > :12:15.likes them, and he says he can take one off and put another one on and

:12:16. > :12:22.it plays virtually the same straightaway. Whether that is

:12:23. > :12:23.totally true is another thing. They have developed, the tips have come

:12:24. > :12:44.on a long, long way. Yes, actually the leather in a Kamui

:12:45. > :12:48.tip is actually black. Multilayered, there are actually seven or eight

:12:49. > :12:55.players in the Kamui tip. When you buy them, they are actually made for

:12:56. > :13:01.the 9- Ball pool market. The only snooker versions you can get until

:13:02. > :13:08.very recently are the 11 millimetre variety. You had to change them to

:13:09. > :13:19.get them down to the 9.5 millimetres feral -- ferrule size. They are not

:13:20. > :13:24.cheap, either. But I actually use them myself and I have to say, as

:13:25. > :13:28.Mark has said, you can actually have them on for a few months, take it

:13:29. > :13:34.off and put a new one on and it's almost exactly like the one you just

:13:35. > :14:15.took off. There's a big playing advantage be had with that.

:14:16. > :15:44.I think Mark will be quite happy with that.

:15:45. > :15:49.I think Mark will be quite happy appear so. Luckily for Mark, he can

:15:50. > :15:52.hit enough of this red to play a safety. If he couldn't commit he may

:15:53. > :15:56.have been in a bit of trouble himself.

:15:57. > :16:06.-- if he couldn't, he may have been in a bit of trouble himself.

:16:07. > :17:25.Just having a good look to see if he can stick this cue ball down this

:17:26. > :17:30.end of the table and not leave Mark Williams any kind of a shot. He

:17:31. > :17:37.could be in a lot of trouble here, Kurt Maflin. He will have to be very

:17:38. > :17:45.careful. It's not easy to go back up into the baulk area. Well, he's

:17:46. > :17:54.playing a deep screw shot here. This needs to go right. Hold onto your

:17:55. > :17:57.hats. Well, it wasn't completely how he played it. And he nearly got away

:17:58. > :18:40.with it. That was a good shot from Mark.

:18:41. > :18:48.Quite awkward cueing. Unfortunately, one of the reds he can and has

:18:49. > :18:55.covered the lack spot. Fortunately, it's not tied up. The pink spot is

:18:56. > :19:04.still available and the black and pink will both still pot to this

:19:05. > :19:10.corner pocket. Good chance, this, for Mark, but it has to be said,

:19:11. > :19:12.with several reds on cushions, it would be tough to win the frame in

:19:13. > :19:52.this visit. I think as he hits that he knew he

:19:53. > :19:58.had overscrewed it. A bit of a sigh from Mark. He has got a red to the

:19:59. > :20:02.left corner. But he's going to be stretching a bit, that's why he's

:20:03. > :20:06.looking for his little six inch extension. Being left-handed, this

:20:07. > :20:10.is the wrong side of the table for him.

:20:11. > :21:03.This is the most in control and calm and relaxed I've seen Mark so far

:21:04. > :21:10.this week. He's looking like he does when he's in top form. In total

:21:11. > :21:12.control, at peace with himself. I'm sure his tip won't cause any further

:21:13. > :21:34.problems. There is that tip. Got to the

:21:35. > :21:37.semifinals recently in the Shoot out competition down in Reading. I'm

:21:38. > :21:45.sure he would have gained a bit of confidence from that. Whilst

:21:46. > :21:50.mentioning the Shoot out, I must quickly say hello de Jager, one of

:21:51. > :22:03.my friends, a walk on girl. She will be back in Blackpool now. It's a

:22:04. > :22:13.different format, that competition. Just one frame, just ten minutes

:22:14. > :22:18.total. There's a lot of pressure on you in it. It gives you confidence,

:22:19. > :22:55.doing well in a tournament like that.

:22:56. > :23:05.This has been an excellent break from Mark Williams. So good in fact

:23:06. > :23:10.that he has virtually won this frame now from that opportunity. Just

:23:11. > :23:15.needs this one red and one more colour to make the frame safe. In it

:23:16. > :23:18.goes. A lead of 58 points with 59 still remaining.

:23:19. > :23:38.APPLAUSE Just considering whether or not to

:23:39. > :23:44.take this red on. He could certainly play it as a shot to nothing and get

:23:45. > :23:49.the cue ball back into baulk. I think he wants to keep his opponent,

:23:50. > :23:54.Kurt Maflin, away from the balls, if he can. That's why he's laid a

:23:55. > :24:44.safely. But barring a snooker, it will be 1-0 to Mark Williams.

:24:45. > :24:54.There's always value in going for snooker is when there's reds the

:24:55. > :25:04.table. There's a chance of getting a ball. -- getting a free ball. That

:25:05. > :25:14.was a terrific shot. He would love to leave the red nearest the blue. I

:25:15. > :25:25.don't think he's going to be playing it this time. As I say, he would

:25:26. > :25:33.have liked to have left this red. He's going to need two at the

:25:34. > :25:35.minute. Obviously with that red on the table, a 4-point penalty and a

:25:36. > :25:51.free ball, that would be enough. Fractions away from cannoning that

:25:52. > :25:56.red off the cushion. But he's actually possibly landed very nicely

:25:57. > :26:03.on that one nearest the yellow, because if he can cut this in and

:26:04. > :26:08.get back on the black... Still in this frame, Kurt Maflin. He would be

:26:09. > :26:16.41 points behind, should he pot the black. Still two snooker is

:26:17. > :26:20.required, and that's always possible, as Darren says, with the

:26:21. > :26:24.aid of a free ball. The way he's taken these balls in this break, he

:26:25. > :26:26.will have gained a lot of confidence. A tremendous opening red

:26:27. > :26:51.to get in in the first place. That was nearly very good. He played

:26:52. > :27:04.a very clever shot there, the double-kiss off the red.

:27:05. > :27:15.With that pink going close to the black, that will help his cause. A

:27:16. > :27:19.nice, big target to get behind. We might see him play this half ball

:27:20. > :27:25.with a bit of right-hand side, off the mission, miss the green.

:27:26. > :27:36.He's played it very, very well. You would expect Mark to hit this.

:27:37. > :27:41.Again, he's going to have to use one cushion. I find that the tables

:27:42. > :27:48.slide that much that you're better off flaying off two missions rather

:27:49. > :27:53.than one. Always a chance to slide past, coming off one. Mark

:27:54. > :28:31.contemplating playing a deep swerve shot. But no problem.

:28:32. > :28:39.Kurt completely mis-hit that attempted snooker. Either that or he

:28:40. > :28:44.had a horrendous kick on it. Mark has just picked the red up to

:28:45. > :28:48.suggest that Kurt had a kick but it doesn't matter anyway, Kurt has

:28:49. > :28:49.conceded. Mark Williams takes the opening frame of the match and leads

:28:50. > :28:59.by one frame to nil. Good start by Mark Williams, a

:29:00. > :29:03.leading Welsh men's player, and I'm pleased to say we've been joined by

:29:04. > :29:11.the leading ladies player in Wales, Laura Evans. You're both from that

:29:12. > :29:15.hotbed of Welsh snooker. Yes, Terry coached me. You know how game and

:29:16. > :29:34.you know all about Terry? Yes. So far we have been here since about

:29:35. > :29:40.10:30 a.m.. Did you watch any of Matthew Stevens? Yes, saw the second

:29:41. > :29:49.half of it. Terry, you are from Llanelli. You have Jamie Jones as

:29:50. > :30:00.well? Yes, I used to practice with them years ago when I first started

:30:01. > :30:06.playing snooker. Then at the Empire, pretty regular. It was a good

:30:07. > :30:12.snooker hall, loads of talent in there. Looking forward to seeing

:30:13. > :30:20.Michael later on, what is it about that part of Wales, Terry? It is

:30:21. > :30:26.amateur as well as professional. Guy Morgan, Jim Selby, a lot of good,

:30:27. > :30:31.competitive players in the amateur game. It has always had a good

:30:32. > :30:36.history of producing good players. We will talk about Lady's snooker

:30:37. > :30:40.and Laura will stay with us for a bit and we will talk about Kurt

:30:41. > :30:54.Maflin. It is all interesting stuff, good to

:30:55. > :30:59.see the ladies have a few players in the main events again. Laura Evans

:31:00. > :31:06.has been our best hope for many a year. With a bit of luck, let's hope

:31:07. > :31:14.she encourages a more youngsters and more ladies to stop picking up the

:31:15. > :31:19.queues again and playing again. Absolutely. I lived in Neath for a

:31:20. > :31:27.couple of years and was practising in the Empire. I remember having a

:31:28. > :31:30.practice session with Laura. You must have played for about five

:31:31. > :31:36.hours, I think. Very good player, I didn't realise she didn't play any

:31:37. > :32:25.more until recently. But it is good to see her back again.

:32:26. > :32:57.He didn't Mark was hoping it would be a

:32:58. > :33:02.touching bowl so he could play a really good escape to ball. --

:33:03. > :34:57.Very good. baulk.

:34:58. > :35:05.Mark is also one of the great middle pocket players. Although most on the

:35:06. > :35:11.tour are these days. He knew that was in, the moment he struck it.

:35:12. > :35:22.Looking very good, Mark Williams. The best I have seen this week. Lots

:35:23. > :35:24.required on the big stage, how to conduct yourself, control your

:35:25. > :35:49.emotions. Mark is finding form just at the

:35:50. > :35:57.right time. Have a very important doubles final coming up! In Newport.

:35:58. > :36:01.We have had a good run to the final. It will be nice for him to carry me

:36:02. > :36:09.for once, instead of me carrying him! Well said.

:36:10. > :36:16.If he ever hears you have said that about him, look out! A very puerile

:36:17. > :36:59.sense of humour, Mark Williams. Watching Mark play, we used to have

:37:00. > :37:02.an amateur player who turned professional for a couple of years,

:37:03. > :37:18.the waymark plays the game reminds me very much of him.

:37:19. > :37:25.He is to float the balls in similar. Very contrasting styles, at the way

:37:26. > :37:33.they hit the ball was very, very similar.

:37:34. > :37:41.Paul Hawkins should have done better as a professional than what he did.

:37:42. > :37:48.I think he did too well, too soon, Paul. He made four consecutive

:37:49. > :37:52.centuries in a professional match when he was only about 19, against

:37:53. > :38:02.Paddy Browne. Won the Welsh amateur twice. At the ages of just 17 and

:38:03. > :38:05.18. By the time he had turned professional, he had lost his

:38:06. > :38:08.dedication and a bit, which was a great shame. I learned a lot from

:38:09. > :38:35.him, I could never beat him. Has completely dominated this match

:38:36. > :38:42.so far, Mark Williams. Kurt Maflin hasn't really had a chance to get

:38:43. > :38:49.going. I am sure he will get his chances later on in this match. Very

:38:50. > :39:02.difficult these days, to shut out an opponent entirely. I agree, but

:39:03. > :39:08.joking aside, when we have played these matches in these doubles

:39:09. > :39:13.tournament, Mark Williams has played to an unbelievable standard. I know

:39:14. > :39:17.he has been putting a lot of practice in and Lee Walker, from my

:39:18. > :39:22.club, has been having again with him. He has come back and said how

:39:23. > :39:26.well Mark is playing. It is only a matter of time before he is going to

:39:27. > :39:32.lift another major trophy. He is playing too well not to. It is just

:39:33. > :39:37.a case for him now, of believing. Believing that he is still as good

:39:38. > :40:26.as ever and still capable of winning these big events.

:40:27. > :40:34.Didn't really have the right angle on that, Kurt Maflin, to attempt the

:40:35. > :40:37.plant properly. Not as close as he would like to have got if he wanted

:40:38. > :40:42.to play a good safety. Because the cue ball has cannoned the green

:40:43. > :40:49.short of the baulk line, ordinarily, this would be an easy red in the

:40:50. > :40:55.left-hand corner for Mark Williams, but he is so severely hampered over

:40:56. > :41:02.the green, makes this shot very hampered. Difficult to find a

:41:03. > :41:47.potting angle, let alone cue it well.

:41:48. > :41:52.Kurt, having a little look to see how thin this red is. Lot of

:41:53. > :42:09.distance between both balls. Just needs a bit of luck and I thing

:42:10. > :42:15.he has had it with his kiss on the green. If anything he has landed a

:42:16. > :42:22.little bit too straight. This will be a deep screw shot with loads of

:42:23. > :42:26.bottom and left-hand side. We will see it now fling of the cushion,

:42:27. > :42:41.which we have seen. I very well executed shots. Well played.

:42:42. > :42:49.Yes, a lot of players would have struggled with that positional shot

:42:50. > :42:55.Kurt found so easy. Someone might Joe Perry springs to mind. Doesn't

:42:56. > :43:01.have a lot of cue power. In might suggest Kurt's cue has a bit of

:43:02. > :43:07.weight in it. This is a great chance he has created for himself. If he

:43:08. > :43:14.can take these four or five open red with the pink and black, he will get

:43:15. > :43:20.back into this frame. That was fortunate. Didn't intend to cannoned

:43:21. > :44:09.the black, but has cannoned it perfectly.

:44:10. > :44:15.It was a leaping bounce off the side cushion. Would have been perfect on

:44:16. > :44:17.the blue in the centre pocket. But now he has got to play into the

:44:18. > :44:46.corner. As Dominic quite rightly said, this

:44:47. > :44:51.black now, another red and black and he is right back into this frame.

:44:52. > :44:56.Has got to be careful now with this. Looks like he is very close to this

:44:57. > :45:04.corner pocket. This has got to be struck very well.

:45:05. > :45:15.Plunged it straight in. That was a confident shot. You can see him

:45:16. > :45:23.taking a black, red and there may be play for the black to disturb the

:45:24. > :45:28.red down percussion. -- the cushion. Now he has come low on this red. He

:45:29. > :45:41.would love to play a half ball of the LO. Yellow or brown will do.

:45:42. > :45:51.That was a clever shot, well played, young man.

:45:52. > :45:57.It has worked out great, he took a big risk. If he had missed the red

:45:58. > :46:04.he would have been in no man's land with the cue ball. Just needs one

:46:05. > :46:11.good pot. He hasn't got it! He has missed it. That was frame ball. If

:46:12. > :46:12.that had gone in, something tells me this match would have been levelled

:46:13. > :46:39.up. He wants to take the brown but he

:46:40. > :46:45.has landed a little bit too straight on it. Punching this through with

:46:46. > :46:56.loads of side. Needs the cue ball to travel... He is about eight to ten

:46:57. > :47:01.inches short. He think he thinks he has had a kick. I thought he was

:47:02. > :47:05.asking the referee to clean the cue ball. But he hasn't. Laying this

:47:06. > :47:13.with lots of drag and right-hand side. I cannot believe he has played

:47:14. > :47:19.it that way. I thought he was just going to check that back, Dominic.

:47:20. > :47:24.Act to the green. It would have made the pot more difficult, the position

:47:25. > :47:30.was pretty much guaranteed. The yellow at that pace and that side

:47:31. > :47:33.was difficult enough anyway. Of course, the position on the green

:47:34. > :47:38.going all the way round the houses on that was very difficult. Well,

:47:39. > :47:44.what a chance for Kurt Matt Flynn to steal this frame. Needs all the

:47:45. > :47:47.remaining colours. I'm sure he felt when he missed the brown earlier,

:47:48. > :47:56.the frame was gone. Well, well, well. A topsy-turvy

:47:57. > :48:07.frame this has been. He is going to need all three

:48:08. > :48:28.colours. He needs the cue ball to travel. He

:48:29. > :48:36.is short. He will be trying to go after four cushions back for this

:48:37. > :48:46.black. It will be swung right round the table. He couldn't have played

:48:47. > :48:51.that much better. What that horrific shot. Just got to stay smooth on the

:48:52. > :49:03.black. And in the black goes. Kurt Maflin

:49:04. > :49:09.will be feeling elated. Mark Williams will be devastated. Kurt

:49:10. > :49:26.Maflin levels it. STUDIO: Terry, this proved costly?

:49:27. > :49:32.It was the previous shot when he didn't get onto the yellow. It was

:49:33. > :49:38.six to eight inches short of pace. He had to go around the table. But

:49:39. > :49:42.Kurt Maflin Mr brown before that. There is also crucial shots that

:49:43. > :49:47.seem at the time crucial, but it didn't really cost Kurt Maflin the

:49:48. > :49:52.frame in the end. We have another guest in the studio. This is Laura

:49:53. > :49:57.Evans, the leading lady's player in Wales. The hot head of snooker that

:49:58. > :50:00.is in Neath and the Welsh players that have come from

:50:01. > :50:06.is in Neath and the Welsh players woods, what about the lady's game in

:50:07. > :50:13.Wales? Not many lady players from Wales. Years ago there was, but

:50:14. > :50:19.because sponsorship, there is not enough sponsorship for it, as years

:50:20. > :50:22.ago tobacco industry used to sponsor a lot of tournaments. But now the

:50:23. > :50:28.lady's game is struggling with sponsorship. Is that the big issue

:50:29. > :50:36.now rush to mark it is in the men's game, but you do need more of that.

:50:37. > :50:40.If there was more sponsorship by think more ladies would take it up

:50:41. > :50:44.or continue to play and play more full-time than working as well as

:50:45. > :50:50.trying to play as many hours as you can. What have you got coming up?

:50:51. > :50:56.The Eden classic next month. Thanks for being with us, all the best for

:50:57. > :51:31.the rest of the season. That is Laura Evans, let's

:51:32. > :51:34.the rest of the season. That is pressure on your opponent. But at

:51:35. > :51:38.1-1, Kurt has a hold on this match now. This could be a testy one from

:51:39. > :53:07.Mark Williams this afternoon, possibly.

:53:08. > :53:18.He has had a kick there as well. Little bit of a reprieve for Mark

:53:19. > :53:25.Williams. Can just see the red and the cue ball jump a little bit.

:53:26. > :53:43.A lot of good Welsh players over the years. Obviously, Ray Reardon, 16

:53:44. > :53:50.world titles. I do feel her bubbly Mark Williams is the best player we

:53:51. > :53:53.have ever produced from Wales. Even at the ripe old age of 40,

:53:54. > :54:11.continuing to carry the Welsh torch. On the one hand, it is possibly

:54:12. > :54:16.fitting the terrible kick Kurt Maflin suffered has not cost him

:54:17. > :54:21.more dearly than eight points. I think initially Mark thought he had

:54:22. > :54:31.parted the red, judging by his demeanour. I don't think he has left

:54:32. > :54:35.anything easy on the Kurt. He may be able to cut this red in, the one

:54:36. > :55:49.Mark has just missed. It is a thin one.

:55:50. > :55:58.Very well controlled. That little shot played there then. He is in

:55:59. > :56:14.full flow, Mark Williams. Very fluent. Terrific fewest of the ball.

:56:15. > :56:15.-- cueist. Real character of the table as well, a real wind-up

:56:16. > :56:37.merchant. He likes playing the old pranks,

:56:38. > :56:40.winding everybody up. A lot of the professionals have said he is so

:56:41. > :56:50.laid out, it is untrue. Doesn't really get fazed by anything. Well,

:56:51. > :56:59.he might get fazed that I said he's going to have to carry me in the

:57:00. > :57:02.doubles. But I think for young players in the game, if they want to

:57:03. > :57:08.watch people with their attitudes, not to let things bother them, they

:57:09. > :58:50.couldn't pick a better role model than Mark Williams.

:58:51. > :58:55.It was a bit scrappy at the beginning of this frame but Mark

:58:56. > :59:00.seems to be in control of things now. He will be very disappointed if

:59:01. > :59:05.he doesn't go on to win this frame from here. Just a few more pots

:59:06. > :59:26.required. I am sure Mark is expect King more

:59:27. > :59:27.than just the red. Chants of a century but will need all the

:59:28. > :00:21.remaining reds. Certainly getting some reaction from

:00:22. > :00:27.that new tip of his. He screwed back about six or eight inches too far,

:00:28. > :00:54.there, and hardly hit the ball. He knows the frame is won now.

:00:55. > :01:02.Well, he's had a massive kick on that one come Mark Williams. It

:01:03. > :01:07.means the red hasn't quite reached the pocket, but no worries from Mark

:01:08. > :01:13.Williams's point of view, I'm sure, that break of 82 enough for Mark

:01:14. > :01:21.Williams to re-gained the lead two friends someone. Let's bring you

:01:22. > :01:26.another couple of results here. Joe Perry, Gentleman Joe, as he's known,

:01:27. > :01:31.with a 4-2 win over the former world champion Ken Doherty. Ben

:01:32. > :01:36.Woollaston, who reached the final last year before losing to John

:01:37. > :01:40.Higgins, he is through as well after a 4-3 win over Anthony Hamilton,

:01:41. > :01:44.Hamilton earlier in the week putting out world champion Stuart Bingham.

:01:45. > :01:49.Ben Woollaston and Joe Perry through to the last 16. So, Terry, Mark will

:01:50. > :01:54.be feeling a little bit better there after getting back in front. I think

:01:55. > :01:58.Matt Flynn is out at the moment, said a few moments for Williams to

:01:59. > :02:03.gather his thoughts. -- I think Kurt Maflin is out. He should have won

:02:04. > :02:06.the previous frame and he put that out of his mind and went on and

:02:07. > :02:11.played his best frame, there. He's that type of player, he's got a very

:02:12. > :02:15.strong temperament, like most of the top players have, that's why they

:02:16. > :02:20.are the top players, apart from their skill level. His opponent, I

:02:21. > :02:26.tell you, is a really good player, Kurt Maflin. Mark knows that, all

:02:27. > :02:31.the players are aware of it. But he isn't consistent. He's either very

:02:32. > :02:36.good or you don't see him for a while. But he's dangerous, you know

:02:37. > :02:40.best remark he's been to the late stages of a few tournaments before.

:02:41. > :02:46.And then he will go out in the first round for a few tournaments, you

:02:47. > :02:53.know? Capable of beating Mark today? I think he's capable of beating

:02:54. > :02:57.anyone. Kurt is living back in London, now, I heard. They played

:02:58. > :03:01.together in the World Cup, in the professional tournament, which is

:03:02. > :03:05.nice. I think his safety isn't quite up to the rest of the standard of

:03:06. > :03:10.his game and I think he gets down on himself quickly if he doesn't play

:03:11. > :03:15.at his very best. Another tortured perfectionist, you know? There's a

:03:16. > :03:20.few of them around! What about Mark Williams's new tip? How significant

:03:21. > :03:25.is that? These days the tips are a little different. I think Mark is

:03:26. > :03:30.using a harder tip. There are so many tips about now. Matthew Selt is

:03:31. > :03:35.here and put the tip on for him last night. He played well last night,

:03:36. > :03:41.even with the tip. And he's playing even better today. Kurt Maflin

:03:42. > :03:46.breaking in the fourth frame. Back to the boys in the commentary box.

:03:47. > :03:54.COMMENTATOR: Yes, Mark Williams did play well last night, in spasms,

:03:55. > :04:01.anyway. He has looked very sharp so find these opening three frames. --

:04:02. > :04:04.so far in these opening three frames.

:04:05. > :04:18.That's just top draw, that is. You've got to be confident to just

:04:19. > :04:22.drop them in. Again, he's played that very well. Controlled. A couple

:04:23. > :04:27.of reds have gone into the open and he can get through to this red. A

:04:28. > :04:32.couple of shots away from it being plain sailing. But already straight

:04:33. > :05:37.back into his stride. Well, almost a perfect split for

:05:38. > :05:44.Mark Williams. It would have been, at that red not found itself right

:05:45. > :05:49.next to the black, blocking it into both corners. At least from Mark's

:05:50. > :05:52.point of view, the pink is still available. I'm not sure if it will

:05:53. > :05:59.be when it is re-spotted. We will find out shortly. It made pot into

:06:00. > :06:09.one of the corners, or one of the pockets, the right-hand one. Close.

:06:10. > :06:16.He has a perfect angle on this. He is judged that really well. Nice

:06:17. > :06:19.screw and a lot of right-hand side to get the cue ball in the right

:06:20. > :06:31.position for the blue. He is looking really good now, Mark.

:06:32. > :06:43.Yes, and I think... Looks like he has just had another kick, or he has

:06:44. > :06:47.underhit it. He says these days in most tournaments he has two or three

:06:48. > :06:51.matches when he plays very, very well indeed, and then all of a

:06:52. > :06:57.sudden he has a match that comes out of the blue that, for whatever

:06:58. > :07:04.reason, he doesn't fire. And then he gets beaten. He just needs to cut

:07:05. > :07:12.out that one bad match. That's what's in his head.

:07:13. > :07:27.He's still capable of winning anything, that's for sure.

:07:28. > :07:35.Well, the pink is available but I wonder if Mark will attempt to

:07:36. > :07:40.cannon the black on here from this red. He can just reach it, being

:07:41. > :07:45.left-handed. It depends which he feels is the more guaranteed way of

:07:46. > :07:49.getting on a colour. He has the pink to the right centre, in this

:07:50. > :08:15.instance. He's played that well. Played it very well. '

:08:16. > :08:28.I think this is probably the best he's played so far this week, in

:08:29. > :08:33.Cardiff. Just a little straighter on this pink than he would have liked.

:08:34. > :08:41.He's made the angle by playing a stun with pace. -- a stun run

:08:42. > :08:57.through with pace. That wasn't a clean hit, but it

:08:58. > :09:05.isn't going to matter. Kurt Maflin already requiring snookers in this

:09:06. > :09:19.fourth frame. Well, he's full of confidence now. Already had runs of

:09:20. > :09:20.70, 46 and 82. APPLAUSE

:09:21. > :10:10.Everything is very easy now. Well, he came across that one. But

:10:11. > :10:15.frames. Yes, definitely, and I think after day one Mark felt he was very

:10:16. > :10:16.fortunate to still be in the event. His young Chinese opponent had

:10:17. > :12:32.multiple chances to put him Just got to be careful in playing

:12:33. > :12:36.this shot that he doesn't leave the red to the right corner. Mark

:12:37. > :12:39.Williams has had that shot twice and he's potted it twice. This time Kurt

:12:40. > :13:35.Maflin has played a very good shot. Mark walked back to his chair

:13:36. > :13:41.perfectly happy that he had left this red on for Kurt Maflin. With a

:13:42. > :13:46.3-1 lead, he probably felt his opponent would be under pressure do

:13:47. > :13:52.even take that on. But he did and he potted it, and now he has got a

:13:53. > :13:57.great chance to create a sizeable lead in this fifth frame. Obviously

:13:58. > :14:02.at the point of no return at 3-1 down. If he loses this frame he is

:14:03. > :14:14.out of the match, so it's time to go to work.

:14:15. > :14:24.As you can see, we've completed four frames and a little bit exactly, --

:14:25. > :14:28.and a little bit, in exactly an hour. That is good going. It

:14:29. > :14:30.certainly beats the drudgery of Mark Williams's first round, when he

:14:31. > :15:33.struggled so badly. APPLAUSE

:15:34. > :15:39.He deserved to be on something, there. He's played that very well.

:15:40. > :15:52.What's of bottom. That cue ball played at a pace. Not an easy shot.

:15:53. > :16:03.He's not giving up. He's going to make Mark Williams have to win this.

:16:04. > :16:10.Gone a little bit further than he would have liked on this red to the

:16:11. > :16:20.right centre, at its still on, should be able to hold for the

:16:21. > :16:27.black. Which he has. Just got to beam -- be careful now in the next

:16:28. > :16:30.shop or two. He could play the cannon or just stunned past. He's

:16:31. > :16:35.elected to play the cannon and that's fine. He's landed perfectly

:16:36. > :16:42.on the red do the right corner, and perfectly on the half ball red to

:16:43. > :16:48.the left. They all go, but they are just sort of all in each other's

:16:49. > :16:49.way, so he's going to have to be a bit careful here with his positional

:16:50. > :17:20.play. Not sure if Mark expects to get back

:17:21. > :17:25.to the table here or not. He has to play a cannon here. Oh! It's gone

:17:26. > :17:29.wrong. Well, I'm sure he will take the blue on into the green pocket,

:17:30. > :17:34.but he had better make sure he gets it. These red is perfectly situated

:17:35. > :17:37.for a riposte from Mark Williams. APPLAUSE

:17:38. > :18:03.-- these reds. Did not part that read as cleanly as

:18:04. > :18:08.he would have liked, Kurt, which is why he is a bit lower on the blue

:18:09. > :18:15.than he intended. Even having a look at the pink now. He's got to take

:18:16. > :18:20.the cue ball in and out of baulk for his next read. Just a couple of pots

:18:21. > :18:29.away from securing this fifth frame. Well, he's a long way away from his

:18:30. > :18:34.work here. Just the red required to go 68 points ahead with just 67 left

:18:35. > :18:39.on. He won't be doing anything too fancy with the cue ball

:18:40. > :18:41.positionally, I don't think. Just try to make sure of the red, if he

:18:42. > :19:22.can. There have been plenty of mistakes

:19:23. > :19:25.in this match early on in frames, but when the players have got going,

:19:26. > :19:34.they have certainly scored pretty well. Rakes of 70, 46, 82 and 76

:19:35. > :19:40.from Mark Williams, highest break of 41 from Kurt Maflin and now this

:19:41. > :19:49.break at 79 and a great chance of a century. 100 and seen career

:19:50. > :20:00.centuries, Kurt Maflin. -- 117. Chance here to see his 118th. A

:20:01. > :20:05.possible 138 on. Normally that would be some sort of a contender for the

:20:06. > :20:08.highest break prize, but obviously we are well aware of Ronnie's 146

:20:09. > :20:35.early on in the event. APPLAUSE

:20:36. > :20:43.Well played, Kurt. A great break, this. Started with that tremendously

:20:44. > :20:48.risky difficult read that he took an into the corner, very difficult and

:20:49. > :20:58.would have cost him the match if he had missed it. -- difficult red.

:20:59. > :21:09.Oh! That's a colossal kick he has suffered, there. Well, he has missed

:21:10. > :21:13.the green, but never mind. A superb break from Kurt Maflin of 111. We

:21:14. > :21:16.are into the sixth frame of the match but he still trails by three

:21:17. > :21:24.frames to two. One or two things for Mark to just

:21:25. > :21:28.take a break and think about, there. Great break by Kurt Maflin. You were

:21:29. > :21:34.saying earlier, he is a great break-builder. If he is top on his

:21:35. > :21:37.game, he is a great player. He is a very powerful hitter of the ball and

:21:38. > :21:45.his cue ball control is excellent. He just strikes the ball so cleanly.

:21:46. > :21:49.He is a top 16 player and tournament winner, really. Perhaps a view other

:21:50. > :21:53.things that haven't helped him along. I'm not quite sure, I don't

:21:54. > :21:56.know him that well... But I would like to see and do better because

:21:57. > :22:01.he's the type of player we like, on the circuit. What Mark has two hope

:22:02. > :22:05.is that we don't have a similar situation to last night, where he

:22:06. > :22:10.was building a good lead and then Lawlor came back into it. He did,

:22:11. > :22:15.but Mark Williams is playing on a different level today. His first two

:22:16. > :22:18.matches here have not been great, but he turned up today and he has

:22:19. > :22:22.been as good as we have seen him for a while, and Kurt Maflin has a lot

:22:23. > :22:28.to do now. The first time we have had you in the studio this week, how

:22:29. > :22:32.the where Mark Williams is at the moment? Scratching his way through a

:22:33. > :22:36.bit? Yes, he is a bit up and down. He's playing well in practice

:22:37. > :22:40.committee tells me. He's such a fine player, but he has just lost that

:22:41. > :22:43.fine edge of confidence that he used to have when he was winning events

:22:44. > :22:48.on a regular basis, like any other player. He hasn't quite got their

:22:49. > :22:51.bag yet but he's not far away from his best. But a few things are

:22:52. > :22:55.letting him down at the moment. I don't know what they are because I

:22:56. > :23:00.don't work with him any more. I couldn't stand working with him any

:23:01. > :23:04.longer, to be honest! If you were here on this practice table with

:23:05. > :23:08.Mark and looking at his game forensically, what would you pick

:23:09. > :23:14.up? I wouldn't comment on that, to be honest! Would you suggest

:23:15. > :23:20.anything? Identity know what's going on. If I'm with a player and working

:23:21. > :23:23.with them, obviously unaware of what's happening. I loved working

:23:24. > :23:34.with him, don't get me wrong, but he was never on time for his practice

:23:35. > :23:38.sessions! He would either come in very early or very late! He was

:23:39. > :23:42.never on time. You strike me as someone who has always been on time

:23:43. > :23:48.for everything, as well! Well, I try to be. Here he is, then. He has had

:23:49. > :23:51.a couple of minutes to think about things. We will see how Mark

:23:52. > :23:56.Williams responds to Kurt Maflin coming right back into it, 3-2 now.

:23:57. > :24:03.COMMENTATOR: Yes, and Kurt Maflin will be feeling so much better. That

:24:04. > :24:06.was a terrific rate in the last frame, very good effort. When it

:24:07. > :24:11.looked like the match was totally getting away from him. As Terry

:24:12. > :24:26.said, Mark Williams has played very well this afternoon. And again, one

:24:27. > :24:30.of his trademark long pots. They don't come any better than that.

:24:31. > :24:44.Bank, have that. He needs that red to slow down!

:24:45. > :24:50.REFEREE: Foul. Mark Williams one, Kurt Maflin five. Well, that could

:24:51. > :24:53.have turned into a great chance. But Kurt Maflin will be very relieved,

:24:54. > :24:59.because I'm sure he was fearing the worst. You can never tell. He was

:25:00. > :25:06.just a bit unlucky that the cue ball has travelled through the pack and

:25:07. > :25:10.pushed that red into the far corner. Yes, that's what I call the 9-ball

:25:11. > :25:16.pool element of snooker, when you just crash the cue ball into the

:25:17. > :25:19.pack and hope for the best, sort of thing. You can't control the reds,

:25:20. > :25:25.you don't know exactly what's going to happen. On that occasion Mark was

:25:26. > :25:33.unfortunate, but in other ways fortunate I suppose, because there

:25:34. > :25:37.aren't any reds on here for Kurt Maflin. That's a better safety than

:25:38. > :25:44.his break off shop was. Well, he has snooker to mark on pretty much every

:25:45. > :25:49.red apart from the one that Mark can see. It is portable but there is no

:25:50. > :25:57.automatic route back to the baulk area, so if he decides to take it on

:25:58. > :25:58.it would be an all or nothing shot. Safety shot instead, I'm sure that's

:25:59. > :26:30.a wise choice. Again, that was a very, very well

:26:31. > :26:34.played shot. He hit if perfect weight. If that hadn't gone in, he

:26:35. > :26:48.was leaving Mark a nice, easy starter. Still facing another

:26:49. > :26:54.difficult part. -- pot. He can force the white, and he will be forcing

:26:55. > :26:55.it. Well, he didn't hold back with that one, either. Another very, very

:26:56. > :27:12.well played shot. You see, he's gaining in confidence

:27:13. > :27:16.with every shot he is playing. Yes he is, Darren. He's looking very

:27:17. > :27:19.good. Even if he didn't win this match, I'm sure he would be very

:27:20. > :27:21.pleased with his performance, out there on the main stage, so to

:27:22. > :27:32.speak. Every time I see Kurt I always think

:27:33. > :27:35.he reminds me of one of these friendly Italian waiters that you

:27:36. > :27:42.see on continental Europe whilst on holiday. You wouldn't argue with

:27:43. > :28:14.him, that's for sure! I tell you one thing, he found the

:28:15. > :28:49.old B52s better than I can! . Just overran that one slightly. Having to

:28:50. > :28:49.old B52s better than I can! . Just he doesn't want to be. Perfectly

:28:50. > :30:10.straight on this ball. red, he would be knocking one to the

:30:11. > :30:18.right corner. That's why he's taking on this one down the cushion

:30:19. > :30:43.instead. Ooh, that was risky. That's OK, though. Perfectly safe.

:30:44. > :30:50.I think Mark will be more than happy with the way the cue ball went into

:30:51. > :30:55.the middle of those three reds. It would have been so easy to have left

:30:56. > :31:17.a pot on. He hasn't got away with it this

:31:18. > :31:21.time, I don't think. Two shots very strange from Mark. Both reds maybe

:31:22. > :31:34.one in ten. This is glorious chance for Kurt

:31:35. > :32:02.Maflin. Must be a little frustrating for

:32:03. > :32:11.Mark. He is only 3-2 ahead with the possibility of it going 3-3. And his

:32:12. > :32:15.brakes have been astronomically better than his previous two rounds

:32:16. > :32:19.in the event. Yet once again he is being put under severe pressure here

:32:20. > :32:39.by a player who is performing very well on the big stage.

:32:40. > :32:50.Yes and I suppose more worrying if you are a Mark Williams fan is how

:32:51. > :32:56.confident Kurt Maflin is getting. With every shot he looks more

:32:57. > :33:16.composed. As if he is really fancy a job out there.

:33:17. > :33:23.Mark has concerns that next time he will be coming back to the table it

:33:24. > :33:30.will be for deciding frame. Kurt needs to make sure he gets a good

:33:31. > :33:35.angle on this bike. -- on this black. None of those five reds will

:33:36. > :33:41.pot so he's got to go into them. If he could screw into the gap between

:33:42. > :33:42.the two reds directly above the black it should open up all five

:33:43. > :33:59.nicely. That's unlucky comedy couldn't have

:34:00. > :34:13.hit them much better. He's very unfortunate he hasn't landed on a

:34:14. > :34:18.red. He has got this read to left centre.

:34:19. > :34:29.Might be an idea to put a red on the cushion and play to safety. That's

:34:30. > :34:35.what he's done. Only problem with that shot is, he has put the red to

:34:36. > :34:40.the left cushion. It will pass the pink, and mark being left-handed, if

:34:41. > :34:47.he gets the opportunity, the shot becomes much easier.

:34:48. > :34:58.Write down the line of this shot, I think that red is the only one he

:34:59. > :35:07.can see. He could take this on. Oh, what a fantastic pot. If that pink

:35:08. > :35:12.goes to the right centre, what a chance he is giving himself. Don't

:35:13. > :35:20.think it does. Well, now there is pressure on Kurt Maflin. What will

:35:21. > :35:29.he do here? What a great pot that was. This could be hit and hope. He

:35:30. > :35:36.could try to come off the side cushion, rest on the two reds

:35:37. > :35:42.nearest the pink. He's going to be relying on a lot of luck whichever

:35:43. > :35:45.way he plays this. You could hit them really hard and just hope

:35:46. > :35:54.something goes on the cushion to make the clearance difficult.

:35:55. > :36:01.He's missed them completely and that cue ball is swinging around so Mark

:36:02. > :36:07.Williams is going to have a chance to pinch the frame and win this

:36:08. > :36:10.match. Kurt Maflin was in total control, he had a bit of bad luck

:36:11. > :36:17.potting the black and going into the pack. You would have to put Mark

:36:18. > :36:29.Williams favourite now in this frame. One thing he doesn't suffer

:36:30. > :36:32.from is clincher's disease. And he is full of bottle, that's for

:36:33. > :37:06.certain. He doesn't lack in the bottle department.

:37:07. > :37:21.He pulled a face, he thought he had a big bounce off that cushion. Just

:37:22. > :37:25.want the cue ball to travel a couple of inches more, I don't think he can

:37:26. > :37:30.hold for the yellow. If you can he has really got to dig deep into the

:37:31. > :37:33.cue ball, which he has done. He will be very, very disappointed now if he

:37:34. > :37:42.does not win this match with this effort. I think Kurt Maflin has

:37:43. > :37:49.probably just played his last shot. He's going to be disappointed, but

:37:50. > :37:58.he has played well. A lot of people back home, friends and family, shown

:37:59. > :38:07.this crowd how good he is. I'm sure we will see more of him in the

:38:08. > :38:15.future. He's a lot thinner on this blue then he would have liked as

:38:16. > :38:27.well. Just needs the pink. And he's very, very good with the rest. So,

:38:28. > :38:33.then, Mark Williams, with a terrific clearance. Kurt Maflin will be very,

:38:34. > :38:39.very disappointed. Had his chance, looks like he would level up at 3-3,

:38:40. > :38:47.but Mark Williams with a good, solid performance, runs out before-2

:38:48. > :38:51.winner. STUDIO: Mark Williams happy to stop and sign a few autographs

:38:52. > :38:54.before leaving the arena. Little smile on his face as he makes his

:38:55. > :39:00.way up the stairs to speak to us in just a few moments, we will get the

:39:01. > :39:06.thoughts of Mike Williams. It is the old warhorse, Mark Williams, Wales's

:39:07. > :39:11.number one player, the first Welsh player through to that stage of this

:39:12. > :39:14.year's competition. He will be happy, I should imagine, when he

:39:15. > :39:20.joined us in a few moments, despite the fact Kurt Maflin played well.

:39:21. > :39:24.Yes, but you expect at this page. The players start to get a little

:39:25. > :39:28.bit better now I should think as the tournament goes on. What we were

:39:29. > :39:33.talking about earlier, he is not far away from his very best. That was a

:39:34. > :39:41.really good performance and he was put under pressure. So he is not far

:39:42. > :39:45.away. Not too far away, you think. When Maflin came back into it at

:39:46. > :39:50.3-2, was it the kick that Mark needed to think, hang on a minute,

:39:51. > :39:54.can't let it slip away. Maflin had a good chance, but what he done there,

:39:55. > :40:03.when Marx knew could him, he potted the wrong red, he hit it too hard --

:40:04. > :40:07.when Mark snooker at him. He hit it so hard, and he came back down the

:40:08. > :40:14.left, leaving the clearance for Mark. Is that the difference between

:40:15. > :40:17.those players who are in the top 16, and those loitering around it and

:40:18. > :40:24.not quite able to make their way into the pack? Is it those little

:40:25. > :40:28.moments? Yeah. We are all the same, it's the self belief, and to get the

:40:29. > :40:32.self belief you've got to be in the later stages and winning tournaments

:40:33. > :40:36.all the time. So then they are more confident out there when they are

:40:37. > :40:40.playing. Every player, even the top players now, have got to get there

:40:41. > :40:43.somehow, so it will take them while. When they get there they are more

:40:44. > :40:49.difficult because they have had success. Here he comes. Well done.

:40:50. > :40:54.Take a seat next to another Welsh snooker legend. I half expected the

:40:55. > :41:07.fans to come in with you around. They are around somewhere is. How

:41:08. > :41:13.are you feeling after round three? I played very well, there, really.

:41:14. > :41:19.Come down today, practising in the house this morning, I thought I'm

:41:20. > :41:23.not going to take any time on my shots, not drag myself down, as soon

:41:24. > :41:28.as I see the shot, come back and fire without pausing, nothing, just

:41:29. > :41:32.push. And they went into day. Not over thinking too much? I try not

:41:33. > :41:38.to. Might have looked like I was rushing in parts. But I can't get

:41:39. > :41:44.bogged down. That's what it used to be, seeing the shot quick and play

:41:45. > :41:49.it. As soon as I seen it today, as fast as I could, hit it. Bit better

:41:50. > :41:56.than the last couple of days. Another test today. It was a good

:41:57. > :42:02.game. I potted some cracking wrong ones, had some good breaks. Great

:42:03. > :42:06.long red across the black cushion, can't tell you how difficult that

:42:07. > :42:11.was, cleared up with 120 or whatever. Think it was a

:42:12. > :42:15.high-quality match. This man thinks you are not far off your best right

:42:16. > :42:24.now, what do you think? I'm always going to disagree with him. Not in

:42:25. > :42:27.the first two matches, mind. By the way, you weren't going to fast, the

:42:28. > :42:33.rhythm was nice and positive. Played very well. That's the first

:42:34. > :42:39.condiment he's ever given me. You are not going to disagree with him

:42:40. > :42:45.now, IU? Yeah. At parts it felt like I was rushing, I had probably been

:42:46. > :42:50.playing too slow. Maybe trying a bit too hard. That was my aim today and

:42:51. > :42:56.it will be the same tomorrow, see the shot and as soon as I do, no

:42:57. > :43:02.thinking, no pausing, hit it, if they go in, great, if they don't,

:43:03. > :43:07.don't worry about it. Flying the flag for Wales, Matthew Stevens went

:43:08. > :43:16.out earlier, you go through. Think you've got Selby or O'Brien in the

:43:17. > :43:20.last 16. Yes, obviously a tough match, looks like Selby at the

:43:21. > :43:25.moment. But I've got a good record against Selby. Mostly play quite

:43:26. > :43:29.well against him and we have good matches. But he's the number one

:43:30. > :43:33.player in the world and he's there for a reason, it will be very

:43:34. > :43:39.difficult. But if I can turn up and play like that I will be a handful.

:43:40. > :43:43.But if I turn out like the first round... Who knows which Mike

:43:44. > :43:48.Williams we going to get. So you have been practising at home, not

:43:49. > :43:52.here? That's the problem, I can go and play a match like that and look

:43:53. > :43:56.good, then I can go and play like I did in the first round, that's just

:43:57. > :44:00.how it is for me at the minute. As Terry will say, the older you get,

:44:01. > :44:07.the consistency is really hard to find. Hopefully I will pull one of

:44:08. > :44:13.them out again. We will find out later who you have got in the last

:44:14. > :44:16.extent, well done. Sometimes it seems that the snooker season never

:44:17. > :44:21.really ends and this current one has been going on since June. So this

:44:22. > :46:02.might be a good moment to remind you of exactly who has won what so far.

:46:03. > :46:08.It is all building, as ever, towards the World Championships in April.

:46:09. > :46:16.There are five ranking events to going shooting the Welsh open ahead

:46:17. > :46:19.of World Championships. -- to go, including the Welsh open. Plenty of

:46:20. > :46:24.time to get the ranking points they need to get into the top 16 and

:46:25. > :46:26.qualify. It's a very good time to start playing well at the moment,

:46:27. > :46:32.we've got the Welsh and some big-money tournaments, PDC finals,

:46:33. > :46:37.world Grand Prix, the China open. There's an event overseas in Poland

:46:38. > :46:41.as well. A lot of big prize money out there at this time of the

:46:42. > :46:46.season. Very busy time for the players and I think it's affecting

:46:47. > :46:50.some of them with the travel. If you win, the travel seems to be quite OK

:46:51. > :47:29.but if you are not winning it seems to be

:47:30. > :47:32.How would you assess it at the moment? The top players are up there

:47:33. > :48:46.Tough talking about somebody when for a

:48:47. > :48:50.Tough talking about somebody when they are sitting next to use I think

:48:51. > :48:57.we should include that person the conversation. One of the great cue

:48:58. > :49:01.actions, that comes to mind. Not just about the cue action, you can

:49:02. > :49:07.flatter to deceive, but your cue action right from the start has been

:49:08. > :49:17.a strength of yours. You have studied the game, realised you want

:49:18. > :49:21.to get everything to get the talent you want to produce. I was very

:49:22. > :49:29.lucky as a child, my dad took me aside and taught me the basics of

:49:30. > :49:33.the game, really hammered home the importance of the basics. We had

:49:34. > :49:42.lots of practice routines to generate straight queueing and

:49:43. > :49:46.consistency. We used to play with a matchbox, if it moved, it failed. It

:49:47. > :49:50.was gearing up for a good strike action. When you are analysing and

:49:51. > :49:57.watching from the commentary box it is just one beautiful motion, back

:49:58. > :50:00.and forth. Safety play and tactical play I can now do, much better than

:50:01. > :50:04.I have ever been, but I don't really want to do it, I don't get any

:50:05. > :50:09.enjoyment. But at the end of the day I am playing snooker to win. I now

:50:10. > :50:15.understand that I have to play that style of game sometimes. I would

:50:16. > :50:22.much rather be going for my shots and enjoying the game. Is that why

:50:23. > :50:27.sometimes you have not been as successful as you possibly could

:50:28. > :50:35.have done? Come unstuck against players we would say you should win

:50:36. > :50:40.this game easily and you haven't? Absolutely, I am guilty of playing

:50:41. > :50:44.the wrong shot at the wrong time. But when I get to the stage of

:50:45. > :50:51.needing one more to go, I like to press for the victory, don't want to

:50:52. > :50:56.wait for my opponent. Sometimes I have beat myself by being too

:50:57. > :51:00.aggressive, opening up the pack unnecessarily, and it has come back

:51:01. > :51:07.to haunt me. You should take a leaf out of myself and Stephen Hendry's

:51:08. > :51:11.book, just to be a bad, bad loser. There and then if I am asked a few

:51:12. > :51:15.questions, I am in that moment generally pleased for my opponent,

:51:16. > :51:21.and thankful for the opportunities I have had. When I get home and think

:51:22. > :51:29.about it, I get annoyed about things. A bit annoyed? That sounds

:51:30. > :51:33.terrible. Don't know what's more nerve wracking for Shaun Murphy,

:51:34. > :51:37.being out there at the final of a major event or being grilled by

:51:38. > :51:48.those two. This is who he comes up against this afternoon. Luca Brecel,

:51:49. > :51:54.already number 28 in the world rankings. He got to the final of the

:51:55. > :51:59.German open a few weeks ago. Welsh open semifinalist 12 months back.

:52:00. > :52:03.Interesting to see Shaun Murphy with the tables turned being quite honest

:52:04. > :52:09.about his game. Suppose we forget that he was very young when he won

:52:10. > :52:12.the big world title, early 20s. Yeah. He has aways been a good

:52:13. > :52:19.player. He made the breakthrough with the World Championships. But to

:52:20. > :52:25.me, like most people think that watch a lot, he should be winning

:52:26. > :52:32.more tournaments. His queueing is so great. He has won the Triple Crown

:52:33. > :52:40.of course. But he can't seem to win as many tournaments as he should.

:52:41. > :52:43.Looked like he would be winning the World Championship five or six times

:52:44. > :52:51.but hasn't. Will Luca Brecel fancy this one, given what you've said?

:52:52. > :52:54.He's doing very well, he's always been talented, making high breaks,

:52:55. > :53:04.147s since he was young. Time for our second live match of

:53:05. > :53:10.the afternoon. Shaun Murphy to break, let's hand to the commentary

:53:11. > :53:14.team. Dominic Dale and Willie Thorne. COMMENTATOR: Good afternoon

:53:15. > :53:19.everybody. This is a match I am looking forward to. One of the best

:53:20. > :53:24.young players of latter years, Shaun Murphy, against the best young

:53:25. > :53:27.player of recent years, Luca Brecel. He's been a breath of fresh air

:53:28. > :53:38.recently. Always been a prodigious talent. Not done quite what we

:53:39. > :53:45.expected. Both very good break builders, these two, so I expect to

:53:46. > :53:50.see a lot of high scoring. It was first chance to Luca Brecel, missed

:53:51. > :54:01.it, left Murphy with an excellent chance. Interesting to see that

:54:02. > :54:11.interview with the boys suggesting that Shaun Murphy is not nasty, and

:54:12. > :54:17.it may be the case. With Mark Williams, you can't tell if he is

:54:18. > :54:50.winning or losing. Maybe he needs to get a little more nasty.

:54:51. > :54:59.Undoubtably one of the greatest cue ball strikers. And normally a very

:55:00. > :55:10.good rest player. Didn't expect to see him miss that one. Surely that

:55:11. > :55:23.red hasn't finished in the one place he can't get it in from? If it has

:55:24. > :55:30.gone tight on the cushion, Shaun has been very fortunate. It was a very

:55:31. > :55:32.unlikely miss from one of the best rest players in the world at the

:55:33. > :56:09.moment. Looked a lot easier than it was, if

:56:10. > :56:13.he was just rolling the black in, there would have been no problem,

:56:14. > :56:20.but having to queue down made it very awkward, easy to miss, those

:56:21. > :56:27.ones, especially first frame. Well, what a kick that was, it just took

:56:28. > :56:30.off. Look where the White has finished. Amazing, we watched two

:56:31. > :56:40.matches yesterday afternoon, not a kick. Mark Williams came out last

:56:41. > :56:44.night, in the match we just commentated on, there have were

:56:45. > :56:53.none, but now we have had two on the trot. The problem is, it can cause

:56:54. > :56:57.chalk accumulation on the cue ball and if the players don't get those

:56:58. > :57:01.balls cleaned regularly, if you have a bad kick on the black ball and the

:57:02. > :57:04.referee does not clean it, chances are there will be a circle of

:57:05. > :57:11.spotted chalk on the black. If they accrue over a match you will get

:57:12. > :57:15.kicks all the time. Why does Ronnie O'Sullivan never have the cue ball

:57:16. > :57:23.cleaned, then? I've never asked him, but he is the only player I know who

:57:24. > :57:27.can have kick after kick and does not bother getting the cue ball

:57:28. > :57:34.cleaned. If you strike down on the ball it can cause a kick effect. It

:57:35. > :57:38.is not a kick way you get a spot of chalk on the object ball afterwards

:57:39. > :57:41.but it can cause the same effect. Ronnie does not suffer that because

:57:42. > :57:48.he strikes the ball so cleanly, with a level cue. He is the only one I

:57:49. > :57:50.know that gets kicks and does not get the cue ball cleaned afterwards,

:57:51. > :58:35.not very often, anyway. Yellow is the stumbling block here.

:58:36. > :58:41.Got to be careful not to catch it on the way back. Very lucky kiss, if he

:58:42. > :58:47.called it full ball, he would be leaving the red on. Not judged the

:58:48. > :59:06.safety shot to perfection but got away with it.

:59:07. > :59:14.Difficult ball striking for Luca. Caught it a fraction of him. As long

:59:15. > :59:22.as all these threads are covering each other, no harm done. I think

:59:23. > :00:02.the green is blocking one, so he may have got away with that.

:00:03. > :00:20.That's an excellent reply from Luca. Just having a little bit of bowtied

:00:21. > :00:25.treatment, there. -- bowtie. It's Paul Collier, isn't it, that's his

:00:26. > :00:29.name. You won't remember John Callier, will you? I remember Norman

:00:30. > :00:56.Collier! Well, it's been a good safety

:00:57. > :01:00.battle, this past three or four shots. Obviously this match would

:01:01. > :01:08.involve too much safety. The black is in open play, so whoever does

:01:09. > :01:16.manage to pot a read, you would expect them to get 40 or 50 points,

:01:17. > :01:22.the way the balls are. Shaun Murphy has always been prone to hit that

:01:23. > :01:27.shot too thick, sometimes. He's been very fortunate not to leave this

:01:28. > :01:45.read on. -- red on. Great shot from Luca. He would have

:01:46. > :01:51.been very unfortunate if that white ball had gone in that centre pocket.

:01:52. > :01:55.Now that it hasn't done, he has a choice of blue or black. I think he

:01:56. > :01:59.would love to play the black but it's a very testing shot from near

:02:00. > :02:07.the jaws of that middle pocket. The problem is, if he does pot the lack,

:02:08. > :02:11.it's going to be surrounded by reds, you would think. He has slightly the

:02:12. > :02:16.wrong angle on the blue, but there are still reds hit the play for from

:02:17. > :02:24.it. Well, good shot. That was well struck. He would love to get that

:02:25. > :02:28.pink ball back on its spot. That would mean break-building from the

:02:29. > :02:57.position that these reds are in. Well, he's played that very well if

:02:58. > :03:02.he's got the gap between the two reds, which I think he has.

:03:03. > :03:06.Excellent positional shot. The red just to the left of the black as we

:03:07. > :03:11.look, he needs to get rid of that next, and if he does, it becomes a

:03:12. > :03:16.frame-winning chance. He's about to have another chance to do that.

:03:17. > :03:21.That's a very poor shot, I don't know why he would play for a

:03:22. > :03:25.different red to that, because he does not have the angle to get back

:03:26. > :03:37.on the black, unless he can force it. Yes, that's poor play, really.

:03:38. > :03:43.He had an excellent chance, there. He didn't need to try and cannon

:03:44. > :03:48.that red with such power. He could have just screwed and forced it over

:03:49. > :03:57.towards the red and he would still have been on the back. As long as he

:03:58. > :04:03.got the correct cannon... In fact, he is snooker appear on all six

:04:04. > :04:07.colours. Brown ball. He missed that by a mile. This will be coming back,

:04:08. > :04:19.possibly. REFEREE: Foul, Luca Brecel 17, Shaun

:04:20. > :04:25.Murphy four. If Shaun feels he can play a good safety here... If he put

:04:26. > :04:31.it on the baulk cushion behind the brown committee would have Luca in

:04:32. > :04:34.trouble. The problem is that Luca is going to hit the brown at some point

:04:35. > :04:39.and if he can hit its all ball, you might even snooker Shaun. -- if he

:04:40. > :05:07.can hit it full ball. Well, you couldn't have asked for

:05:08. > :05:12.much more than that, Luca. Knowing Shaun as I do, if he can get through

:05:13. > :05:18.to the red to the right of the pink, we might see one of Shaun Murphy's

:05:19. > :05:24.special screw back shots, here. APPLAUSE

:05:25. > :05:26.Well, that was beautifully cued, wasn't it? Dominic Thiem mention the

:05:27. > :07:19.cue power this wasn't it? Dominic Thiem mention the

:07:20. > :07:32.at the end he should have perhaps won it. He missed an easy read and

:07:33. > :07:35.could have walked away with a nice cheque for ?32,000 in his pocket,

:07:36. > :07:39.but it wasn't quite to be in the end. But he's still coming into this

:07:40. > :07:46.event with a lot of nice confidence boosters behind him. One of the

:07:47. > :07:56.game's great players now, Shaun, so this will be a test for Luca. Luca

:07:57. > :08:02.has still got a lot of learning to do but for his young age that he is,

:08:03. > :08:05.he has a lot of experience now. He has played for many years on the

:08:06. > :08:13.European tour and exhibitions and the like. One so young, he has a

:08:14. > :08:16.more experience than most. Yes, I think that is one of the key things

:08:17. > :08:21.that helped Shaun Murphy in the early part of his career. He used to

:08:22. > :08:32.be sponsored by Doc Martens at the time. He was sponsored in events and

:08:33. > :08:38.there was a Matchroom Pool league going on and he used to play the

:08:39. > :08:41.exhibition match at the start. He is another young player who has been

:08:42. > :08:44.blessed with playing some of the top players. It has stood him in good

:08:45. > :09:29.stead. Triple Crown winner. Beautiful cueist, Shaun Murphy, but

:09:30. > :09:36.for the type of player he is, I know he is a great potter and a great

:09:37. > :09:39.break-builder, he uses a very small tip size, Shaun Murphy. Just under

:09:40. > :09:46.nine millimetres. That's because his old Hugh, which was an old cue from

:09:47. > :09:50.the billiards days, eight Tom Newman cue, he felt it was sufficiently

:09:51. > :09:57.damaged at the tip end to warrant changing to a new cue, but the cue

:09:58. > :10:02.that he is using now is modelled on it. That's why the tip size is

:10:03. > :10:08.smaller than most you see on the circuit. As this is virtually game

:10:09. > :10:13.ball, he made sure he was pretty close to it so he could roll it in

:10:14. > :10:17.and have some sort of shot on the brown or the black. He doesn't have

:10:18. > :10:24.to power it out to get in on the black. You saw how type that was,

:10:25. > :10:29.that wobbled. 43 points in front, 43 left. This is frame ball.

:10:30. > :11:15.Shaun Murphy should take a 1-0 lead thanks to that break of 60.

:11:16. > :11:26.REFEREE: Foul, Shaun Murphy four, frame conceded. Scrappy early on but

:11:27. > :11:30.an excellent break of 60 takes Shaun Murphy into the lead, 1-0.

:11:31. > :11:35.STUDIO So, Luca Brecel happy to throw in

:11:36. > :11:40.the towel on that one. A good start for Shaun Murphy. Yes, one or two

:11:41. > :11:42.early shots that weren't too good. I think people don't understand that

:11:43. > :11:46.even the best players in the world suffer from pressure when they go

:11:47. > :11:49.out there. They've probably been waiting a little while to go out on

:11:50. > :11:53.the table and they have their thoughts going round in their head.

:11:54. > :12:00.But it is an impressive rate, but there is no certainty that Shaun

:12:01. > :12:04.Murphy will win this match. If Luca starts to get on a spell, he can pot

:12:05. > :12:08.all over the place and score heavily and his long potting is tremendous.

:12:09. > :12:13.Perhaps he is a bit too aggressive sometimes, but why not? Like Ronnie

:12:14. > :12:17.O'Sullivan said, why not just enjoy yourself out there instead of

:12:18. > :12:22.worrying about everything? Yes, enjoy yourself on the table. What is

:12:23. > :12:26.your assessment of Brecel's game? He is one of two players last year who

:12:27. > :12:31.made it really find the tournament, to surprise packages. Where do you

:12:32. > :12:35.think he is now? I saw him play against Mark Selby last year and he

:12:36. > :12:39.played exceptionally well. He can do that. I've seen him play well in

:12:40. > :12:42.other events. But he hasn't quite broken through yet like we thought

:12:43. > :12:46.he would. He was so good when he was 14 or 15 and he was winning amateur

:12:47. > :12:54.events. He came into the professional game. His long potting

:12:55. > :12:57.and his break-building are his strengths, which I suppose is the

:12:58. > :12:59.same for most younger players and that's how it should be. At 1.I

:13:00. > :13:02.think he was the youngest player to play in the World Championship,

:13:03. > :13:06.wasn't he? -- at one point. It took even Hendry's record. -- he took

:13:07. > :13:15.Stephen Hendry's record. COMMENTATOR: A good start from Shaun

:13:16. > :13:23.Murphy, that 60 break in the first frame. He can be devastating, Shaun

:13:24. > :13:30.Murphy, over a short period of frames or is that he can get in and

:13:31. > :13:36.get out of there very quickly. But so can Luca. Luca can also score

:13:37. > :13:44.heavily. He got to the final of this event last year, losing out to John

:13:45. > :13:49.Higgins on this occasion. I beg your pardon, of course, it was the

:13:50. > :13:56.semifinal. It was Ben Woollaston in the final who lost to John Higgins.

:13:57. > :14:06.So close to that long read, Shaun Murphy. It stayed in the jaws for

:14:07. > :14:09.Luca. And these are the sorts of chances that Luca needs to take, as

:14:10. > :14:33.we have a look at that excellent attempt from Shaun.

:14:34. > :14:41.Nothing to do with the blue here. The red to the right of the pink is

:14:42. > :14:46.clearly available. It's actually a better pack to go into from the blue

:14:47. > :14:49.van from the black. If he hits the red just above the black committee

:14:50. > :15:01.could stick on them. It's essential to get a half Paul black, here. -- a

:15:02. > :15:06.half Paul black. If he arcs this, if he hits it half ball, he is bound to

:15:07. > :15:10.split them. There's a chance he could get one into the corner but

:15:11. > :15:15.it's unlikely on packs like this that you get one over the corner.

:15:16. > :15:19.Well, the pink is on. I didn't know that. In saying that, I would still

:15:20. > :15:24.rather be playing the black here than the pink. Well, he's developed

:15:25. > :16:00.one, well done. Well done. That's just his problem at the

:16:01. > :16:04.minute, he's so careless. At this standard, you should never miss a

:16:05. > :16:10.black off the spot. You can forgive them laying a blue in and out of

:16:11. > :16:15.baulk, or lose at pace. But blacks off the spot, that's something you

:16:16. > :16:34.practice for hours and hours. He shouldn't miss one of those.

:16:35. > :16:40.The angle Shaun had on that red wasn't particularly favourable for

:16:41. > :16:45.him. This was the best he could have done for position on the black. He's

:16:46. > :16:50.going to take the cue ball in and out of baulk here and come up and

:16:51. > :16:55.down the table for a choice of reds. That was the last thing he wanted to

:16:56. > :17:01.do, cannon the browns. Now faced with a difficult safety. Unless he

:17:02. > :17:02.can get through to this red near the corner. If he can come he will take

:17:03. > :17:13.it on. APPLAUSE

:17:14. > :17:18.That's superb cueing from Shaun. It's funny how this game works out.

:17:19. > :17:22.In some regards its better that Shaun ended up playing a shot like

:17:23. > :17:25.that because now he has potted it and got on the black, that cueing

:17:26. > :17:29.alone will give him further confidence.

:17:30. > :17:39.Delicate little screw shot into the pack just to bring the pink further

:17:40. > :17:46.into play. Already this is worrying signs now for Luca Brecel. Already

:17:47. > :17:48.these -- all these matches are best of seven and you can't afford to

:17:49. > :17:55.give one of the best players in the world a two frame start. In a few

:17:56. > :18:47.minutes' time, the equation could be that he will be 2-0 behind.

:18:48. > :19:19.The white, please. REFEREE: Yeah, sure.

:19:20. > :19:28.Well. That's one that went astray. I didn't expect that. I expected him

:19:29. > :19:35.onto -- to be on for the pink in the middle. He just played a full ball

:19:36. > :19:42.cannon and got the quarter ball cannon. It just shows you, this game

:19:43. > :20:49.is all about fractions. REFEREE: Shaun Murphy, 31.

:20:50. > :20:57.Aggressive safety shot from Shaun has left a tempter for Luca. He will

:20:58. > :21:04.certainly be taking this on. Two ways are playing it. He can drag it

:21:05. > :21:11.and be on the black or play a stunt run through and be on the black.

:21:12. > :21:15.Depends what his favourite shot is. Beautifully played. You can't play a

:21:16. > :21:27.better stunt run through than that. Absolutely sweet as a nut. Superb,

:21:28. > :21:32.wasn't it? He must start taking these chances, Luca. Not often you

:21:33. > :21:37.get so many chances so frequently against someone like Shaun Murphy.

:21:38. > :21:40.He doesn't really want to pop that think, because I don't think it

:21:41. > :21:46.restarts. I think it would go on the brown spot. He will if he has do,

:21:47. > :21:52.because at least it wouldn't tie the reds up. That brings the scores

:21:53. > :21:53.level. He is going to need that one tricky red on the left-hand side

:21:54. > :23:46.cushion, there. With that black, Luca's lead

:23:47. > :23:54.advances to 30, so just this red required. He has just played that a

:23:55. > :24:00.bit softly for my liking. I prefer those firmer. It just skids a little

:24:01. > :24:05.when you play it softly. But he has got second prize, snookered Shaun on

:24:06. > :24:44.this red. He got second prize, snookered Shaun on

:24:45. > :26:08.reflection it's probably a fair score at 1-1.

:26:09. > :26:17.He's hoping if he plays this really slow, he may get the snooker back.

:26:18. > :26:22.Mind you, that's come off a lot squarer than he expected.

:26:23. > :26:32.REFEREE: Foul, Luca Brecel four. Just asking whether it is a free

:26:33. > :26:36.ball or not. Free ball. Green ball. I don't think Sean will come back,

:26:37. > :26:39.whatever the equation. I think even if he missed the green, Shaun would

:26:40. > :26:57.probably have conceded. Luca Brecel two and the frame. Yes,

:26:58. > :27:02.Shaun Murphy does indeed remain in his cheque he concedes. This match

:27:03. > :27:08.level now at one frame all. I think the thing is with Luca, Dominic Gape

:27:09. > :27:14.he's going to have to stop missing easy balls. This one is missable,

:27:15. > :27:19.that's the first thing. But he missed one later on that was a lot

:27:20. > :27:24.easier than that. I mean, this one, you can miss them. But he's missed

:27:25. > :27:29.two blacks off the spot already in this match. My criticism of Luca is

:27:30. > :27:35.that he's prone to hitting the ball too hard. Unless UQ really well,

:27:36. > :27:42.that's going to cause problems especially out on the TV tables. To

:27:43. > :27:46.me, that could be Luca's downfall. But he is a player with a great

:27:47. > :27:49.amount of talent and ability. He is an intimidating player when the

:27:50. > :27:52.balls are going in and he is scoring heavily and quickly, he can

:27:53. > :27:55.intimidate some players. As long as he doesn't make carelessness takes,

:27:56. > :28:00.I think he has every chance of winning this match against Shaun.

:28:01. > :28:07.The gentleman that coaches young Luca is a man called Chris Henry who

:28:08. > :28:11.used to coach Peter Ebdon as well. He was saying at a very early age

:28:12. > :28:17.what a prodigious young talent this man was and we knew about him before

:28:18. > :28:21.he arrived in this country. Yes, he had wins over professionals like Joe

:28:22. > :28:24.Perry at a much younger age, something like 14 years old he was

:28:25. > :28:32.beating professionals. He's always been a great prospect, Luca.

:28:33. > :29:42.Third frame, 1-1. Honours all even and not too bad a standard so far.

:29:43. > :29:52.Sean is just looking at whether the black passes the red. If it does he

:29:53. > :29:58.will take the red on, stop the cue ball dead. Whether he was looking at

:29:59. > :30:03.whether the blackspot would be available or not, I don't know. We

:30:04. > :30:11.know the black must pot otherwise he wouldn't have played for it. But

:30:12. > :30:34.when it goes back onto its own spot, will it block this red above it?

:30:35. > :30:38.Shaun hoping it would pot, and you can see from that pitch it clearly

:30:39. > :31:07.will. Like all top players, never misses a

:31:08. > :31:14.trick when it comes to getting around the black spot. You see other

:31:15. > :31:20.players messing around with blue and baulk colours. Even now he might

:31:21. > :31:24.play a flick on to a red knowing he would be on this one. The Canon has

:31:25. > :31:28.not worked but he tried to bring other reds into play knowing he

:31:29. > :31:32.would be on the one in the left corner, that's what all the top

:31:33. > :31:39.break builders do. OK, he is a little unlucky. But at least if you

:31:40. > :32:39.keep playing the right shots, you will get position.

:32:40. > :32:45.Similar scenario here, he will have to get into the cue ball to slow it

:32:46. > :32:49.down. Doesn't have the desired angle he wanted on the black. He will try

:32:50. > :32:53.to flick off them to slow the cue ball down. In doing that he has

:32:54. > :33:37.opened one to the bottom corner. That's a six red and black. Wonder

:33:38. > :33:50.whether Ronnie will rue not going for the maximum. I'm sure everybody

:33:51. > :33:55.is aware of what happened, there. Maybe Shaun Murphy wants to make a

:33:56. > :33:57.146. Unfortunately he didn't have the ankle to get on the black, in

:33:58. > :34:36.his defence. -- the angle. Closest to the spot as possible

:34:37. > :34:40.without touching, that's what he is trying to do here. Shaun will be

:34:41. > :34:47.hoping it is available. From that picture it is certainly not.

:34:48. > :34:54.That's pretty good. 56 in front, this would be 63, three more reds

:34:55. > :35:50.and colours to be absolutely sure. Very unlike Shaun Murphy, missing a

:35:51. > :35:52.kiss like that. Don't think I've ever seen him miss a Canon off the

:35:53. > :36:13.blue like you just did. He could flick this on the right

:36:14. > :36:47.cushion. Can't believe he has missed that Canon. 69 in front.

:36:48. > :38:20.This is frame ball. Well played. Seems to be cueing well, now.

:38:21. > :38:36.Well, he got the cannon this time. He would always like to clear up in

:38:37. > :38:46.this situation, keep the player off the table, and get your cueing arm

:38:47. > :38:53.going for the next train. Can't afford to take any chances with your

:38:54. > :38:59.cueing action, got to keep it smooth, keep it going. The red did

:39:00. > :40:15.not disappear, Brecel concedes. Impressive set of statistics from

:40:16. > :40:24.Shaun Murphy, as you would expect from one of the game's elite

:40:25. > :40:32.players. Been here 16 times. One statistic that impressed me, he won

:40:33. > :40:36.three out of four of his first round matches. That's not bad because

:40:37. > :40:45.there are no easy matches in today's's game with the strength in

:40:46. > :40:49.depth that we have. Brecel breaking off in the fourth frame, important

:40:50. > :40:57.one for him. Doesn't want to fall 3-1 behind to somebody like Shaun

:40:58. > :41:01.Murphy in a best-of-7. Important to cover that long red you can

:41:02. > :41:03.potentially leave off the break. Think he's just about got the cue

:41:04. > :41:32.ball sufficiently behind the green. I don't know many players that would

:41:33. > :41:37.have taken that one on. Fantastic cueing again from Shaun, he could

:41:38. > :41:40.easily have played a safety off that red to leave the cue ball in behind

:41:41. > :41:50.the blackspot, wouldn't have left anything on. Couldn't get back to

:41:51. > :41:53.baulk from where he was. May consider himself a little less than

:41:54. > :41:58.fortunate not to be on the black or the pink. Probably turn the pink

:41:59. > :42:04.down into the right centre, but I'm sure it's a lot easier than the red

:42:05. > :42:08.he just knocked in. Perhaps he doesn't fancy potting two low

:42:09. > :42:10.percentage pots in a row. Looking to see where he wants to leave the cue

:42:11. > :44:34.ball to leave Brecel in difficulty. the pink, into that little gap, but

:44:35. > :44:41.I don't know how he could get there. He is in trouble, here. Could be the

:44:42. > :44:45.old famous hit and hope. Evenly angle he's got on a potential hit

:44:46. > :44:50.and hope isn't favourable. If he could rest on the three reds around

:44:51. > :44:55.the pink spot, maybe leave one into the left corner bridging over those

:44:56. > :44:59.three, because the black weren't pot, I don't think Brecel could get

:45:00. > :45:01.on a colour. I like it, good thinking. Whether he does that will

:45:02. > :45:16.remain to be seen. Tell you what, that was nearly a

:45:17. > :45:19.great effort. He didn't play to hit that red, he played to get on the

:45:20. > :45:23.three we talked about below the pink. If he had not flicked that

:45:24. > :45:28.read he would be rested on the nicely. At first glance I think he

:45:29. > :45:34.may have got away with it. Looks as though the red by the black will pot

:45:35. > :45:39.but by his first impression, I'm thinking he is not honoured, so

:45:40. > :45:43.Shaun has been pretty fortunate. There is a pot on for Luca, the one

:45:44. > :45:51.above the pink will lovably go into the left-centre. -- probably. If

:45:52. > :45:52.that's all he has got on, the snooker has not really benefited him

:45:53. > :46:17.a great deal. After all that the red did pot, not

:46:18. > :46:22.sure Luca was entirely sure, he played it with running side, half as

:46:23. > :46:27.a shock to nothing. Although I feel he did play for the Brown, and

:46:28. > :46:34.overrun by six inches. He has got the green but it is a lot more

:46:35. > :46:36.tricky than it looks, this. Nicely struck, and now he's got a good

:46:37. > :47:40.chance. All players are excellent in

:47:41. > :47:49.practice, as you would expect. Allegedly this young man in practice

:47:50. > :47:52.is awesome. Regularly hits 147s. A lot easier when you are relaxed,

:47:53. > :48:01.there is no pressure, you can keep your cue arm going. But I think he

:48:02. > :48:05.is going to win a major in the next three or four years. Just needs to

:48:06. > :48:10.get it tightened up a little bit, things like that, lapses of

:48:11. > :48:14.concentration. OK, the kick may have taken a little pace out of the cue

:48:15. > :48:22.ball. You can see the black jumping so I will give him the benefit of

:48:23. > :48:23.the doubt. But he just gets a little bit careless sometimes and take

:48:24. > :48:49.things for granted. Ooh, that was a risky one. Boats

:48:50. > :48:57.being pushed out spring to my mind, there. I mean, that red just has to

:48:58. > :49:07.going. Now that it hasn't, look at the way these reds are spread for

:49:08. > :49:09.Shaun. The cue ball wants to slow down. Another couple of inches, this

:49:10. > :50:21.black would have been missable. If it wasn't such an important

:50:22. > :50:25.frame, I wouldn't say it was the wrong choice, but it was so

:50:26. > :50:32.dangerous, that red he took an. Risking going 3-1 behind, maybe

:50:33. > :50:37.safety would have been the choice. But there again, if it goes, he wins

:50:38. > :50:42.the frame, so it is hard to say, really. But he pushed the boat out a

:50:43. > :50:57.little. Judd Trump would have done the same.

:50:58. > :51:04.Doing my arithmetic it would appear that Shaun will need all remaining

:51:05. > :51:10.reds including the tricky want on the right-hand cushion. You never

:51:11. > :52:20.know, Luca make it back to the table if he is fortunate.

:52:21. > :52:28.That's more like it from Shaun with the rest. Nice clean pot, perfectly

:52:29. > :52:36.on the black. He will already be test thinking about the final red,

:52:37. > :52:41.homicide cushion. Needs a good angle here on the pink -- on the side

:52:42. > :52:51.cushion. He could come twice across the table for the red. This shot is

:52:52. > :52:59.all about the pace, the angle is perfect, can't fail to get behind

:53:00. > :53:04.the red if the pace is OK. Pace isn't OK, it's a bit too pacey.

:53:05. > :53:11.Going to need the rest again but this is frame ball.

:53:12. > :53:16.Shaun knows that with the colours on the spot as they are, if he misses

:53:17. > :53:26.this red, it could cost in the friend.

:53:27. > :53:38.-- this could cost him the frame. A touch softer and it would have gone

:53:39. > :53:45.in. A very good attempt. But they are tough pots, especially when it

:53:46. > :54:48.can mean winning or losing the frame.

:54:49. > :54:57.This was a topsy-turvy frame, or still is, with three balls to go...

:54:58. > :55:03.Mind you, this is not good. There is another example of just absolute

:55:04. > :55:13.careless. He's given himself oceans to do now, he's got to go in and out

:55:14. > :55:18.of baulk. This looks just about right. It is a fraction hard. That's

:55:19. > :55:27.all because he played a careless blue. Yes, I don't use the word

:55:28. > :55:34.careless very often but it was the case. You've got to make sure you

:55:35. > :55:39.are firm enough. If you are short you've got to play the shot Luca

:55:40. > :55:45.did, in and out of baulk, it has gone wrong. He can play it into the

:55:46. > :55:51.centre pocket, if he misses it he will be very unfortunate to leave it

:55:52. > :55:59.on. If he plays it in the corner, anything could happen. Got to be

:56:00. > :56:05.right centre, here, surely. Yes, I'd or is say take the black on if it's

:56:06. > :56:10.on. It is a very simple safety shot, he could put the white at one end

:56:11. > :56:25.and the black at the other. But you've got to take it on, really.

:56:26. > :56:33.That was a good example, though, if you missed the black, go safe. What

:56:34. > :56:40.do you do here if you are Shaun Murphy? The shot here is twice

:56:41. > :56:45.across, double the black. Ideally the black should finish up behind

:56:46. > :56:53.the brown spot somewhere. Much too thick. Is he going to get away with

:56:54. > :57:01.it? Believe me this is a lot tighter and angle than it may look but it is

:57:02. > :57:10.definitely on, dead weight. Looks so much easier on your screens than it

:57:11. > :57:15.is in actuality, I can assure you. Well the good news for Luca, Shaun

:57:16. > :57:21.cannot take it into the corner because he will go in. If it cuts

:57:22. > :57:31.into the black pocket on the left, it is very thin. Surely he cannot

:57:32. > :57:42.cut this in, can he? He's trying his best to go for a pot, here. Just

:57:43. > :57:48.look up to us like he is going to cut it back into the middle, it

:57:49. > :57:55.doesn't look possible. If it does, where is the tubal going to go?

:57:56. > :58:04.Because he won't know. Hang on, hang on, hang on... Would you believe it?

:58:05. > :58:11.Well, what a tremendous cutback that was from Shaun, but he knew full

:58:12. > :58:17.well he could not control the tubal. -- the cue ball. Luca applauds that

:58:18. > :58:21.fair effort, but nevertheless this match is tied up once again at 2-2.

:58:22. > :58:29.No wonder he has a big smile on his face, that is pivotal, bringing it

:58:30. > :58:35.back to 2-2. Murphy could easily have gone 3-1 up and within one

:58:36. > :58:40.frame. But Luca showing why he is highly rated by some. He did beat

:58:41. > :58:46.Mark Selby last year to reach this semifinals. Speaking of Mark Selby,

:58:47. > :58:54.he is into the last 16 of the 2016 Welsh open. Because he has got the

:58:55. > :58:59.victory this afternoon, 4-2 in the end. We will see him potting this

:59:00. > :59:05.one here and we can tell you now that Mark Selby will now play Mark

:59:06. > :59:13.Williams in the fourth round tomorrow. There were suggestions

:59:14. > :59:17.earlier, people were saying that perhaps Mark Williams had had a

:59:18. > :59:21.reasonably easy ride up to this point, but that's all over now that

:59:22. > :59:25.he's got the world number one Mark Selby tomorrow.

:59:26. > :59:34.Disappoint think there's many easy rides on the tour these days. You

:59:35. > :59:39.know what I mean. Well, yes, Mark wouldn't normally be playing one of

:59:40. > :59:45.the seeds early on as he's in the top 16. Selby is one of the top

:59:46. > :59:50.players on the the tour, so it is not easy. But the way he played

:59:51. > :59:55.today it could be a good match. What a remarkable end to that frame. It

:59:56. > :00:00.is quite exciting in a way. It is. A few chances were missed, but it is

:00:01. > :00:05.good stuff. OK. It was dramatic, to say the least. But that cue ball

:00:06. > :00:08.going in gives Brecel a foot hole back into this game at 2-2.

:00:09. > :00:13.going in gives Brecel a foot hole back into this game at 2-2. It

:00:14. > :00:19.certainly does. If Shaun Murphy played that shot 20 times I would

:00:20. > :00:24.only go off once. I didn't think the cut was Anwen he played it. It was

:00:25. > :00:31.great to see Shaun, once the white was in motion, he but the his hands

:00:32. > :00:34.over his eyes. He knew it would go somewhere near the corner pocket,

:00:35. > :00:47.but it found its way into the ponting. A good pot but no bonus. --

:00:48. > :00:52.found its way into the pocket. A good pot but no bonus. I didn't

:00:53. > :00:57.think he was on it the way he was cueing. I thought he would hit the

:00:58. > :01:02.black half ball. I do think I just saw him put his hand up as an

:01:03. > :01:15.apology to Shaun there. It was tight, but he was fortunate.

:01:16. > :03:10.A good example stun shot into the pack

:03:11. > :03:23.A good example into the corner. Now Luca is getting

:03:24. > :03:34.a bit of run of the ball. That would have been 3-1 to Shaun Murphy had

:03:35. > :04:03.the cue ball not gone in. He is second favourite now.

:04:04. > :04:13.It is not much good to him with that red in the corner. It's tricky to

:04:14. > :04:18.know what to do here. There's a case for a hit and hope. I just don't

:04:19. > :04:28.know what he can get to past that jaw there. If he can pot this red...

:04:29. > :04:35.APPLAUSE. That's a better pot. Sometimes those pots are made

:04:36. > :04:40.slightly easier by virtue that you have no other choice. The only

:04:41. > :04:54.problem is he has to take this black on and it is not an easy pot. He's

:04:55. > :05:00.50-50 potting this. Putting himself under pressure, he had to go for

:05:01. > :05:06.that 50-50 pot. Struck it very well, to be fair. It is just a very tough

:05:07. > :05:12.pot. Another one like the one he just potted. Of course, he knew full

:05:13. > :05:17.well he was going to leave his opponents in had he missed it and

:05:18. > :05:20.knew he would have a chance of 3-2 ahead if he knocked it in. It was

:05:21. > :05:36.unlucky. This is just one of the best shots

:05:37. > :05:43.you'll ever see. Couldn't have struck it better. The double-kiss,

:05:44. > :05:49.the blacks unmissable. It just finished in that position where you

:05:50. > :05:56.knew it was 50-50 and the pressure made a lot more difficult. Brecel

:05:57. > :05:59.looked like going 3-1 behind but has every chance now of going 3-2 in

:06:00. > :06:51.front. Could do with getting the blue back

:06:52. > :06:56.on its spot. I don't know whether it passes the yellow. That's so

:06:57. > :07:02.careless to try to play with the rest. Another foot further down the

:07:03. > :07:04.table and you won't have to use the rest. Such a wonderful player, this

:07:05. > :07:37.young man. A very good recovery. When you play

:07:38. > :07:40.what's considered to be not a good positional shot, you regroup and

:07:41. > :07:42.play the positional shot there, which he did nicely. And another

:07:43. > :08:04.one. He just amazes me. Keep pushing the boat out, you can't

:08:05. > :08:09.pot them all the time. This game is a lot more difficult than people

:08:10. > :08:16.think. But he's had a fantastic run of the ball. Yes, when you consider

:08:17. > :08:20.he's attempting to get on the next red from that green, five reds in

:08:21. > :08:30.the open there. He's not got on any one of them. I think Shaun being 37

:08:31. > :08:35.points in arrears will probably fashion something here. He can

:08:36. > :08:41.develop one of the awkward reds, maybe the one on the right-side

:08:42. > :08:45.cushion. But the problem is playing that type of shot is not really

:08:46. > :08:52.without risk. His problem, Shaun, is the red near the centre pocket

:08:53. > :08:58.towards baulk. He feels he needs to take this one on. . I'll be honest,

:08:59. > :09:05.I thought that one was in. It seemed pretty tight. Let's have another

:09:06. > :09:17.look at this. You would swear that was in wouldn't you? Yes, whether he

:09:18. > :09:20.took the black on after, that it was worth the risk. Came away from the

:09:21. > :09:48.jaws. A carals shot. . -- a careless shot.

:09:49. > :09:55.It looked pretty tied up until then. Yes, this is the part of the game

:09:56. > :10:02.that Luca still has some learning to do. He is still young, so it is

:10:03. > :10:06.understandable. Shaun will have experience over his opponent. Just

:10:07. > :12:11.contacted that red there. A very good cue ball there. This

:12:12. > :12:47.next safety shot isn't straightforward.

:12:48. > :12:54.An excellent effort from Shaun. That would have looked in at one stage.

:12:55. > :12:59.Look at the angle this red had to go into the middle pocket from. So

:13:00. > :13:05.close. Oh, that's too thin from Luca. That's a poor one. Choices for

:13:06. > :13:09.Shaun here. He's got pots on, the possibility of a double into left

:13:10. > :13:13.centre for a position on the black. And in the process he's removing one

:13:14. > :13:17.of the reds from the cushion. Decided not to play the double. But

:13:18. > :13:46.he's removed one of the awkward reds, so that's to Shaun's benefit.

:13:47. > :13:54.A possibility of a cross double here, now he's found be on the

:13:55. > :13:59.black. You have to play it check side so you don't kiss the red.

:14:00. > :14:03.What's wrong with getting the white in the jaws of this right-hand

:14:04. > :14:10.pocket because the black is over the pocket? Just needs somebody to get

:14:11. > :14:15.hold of this young man and get his safety sorted out, because he is

:14:16. > :14:23.such a talent. With shot selection more than anything. Unfortunately

:14:24. > :14:34.the angle on the red, the cross was never on. Obvious Luca assumed the

:14:35. > :14:40.ball was pass the reds. But somebody like a Shaun or a McManus or John

:14:41. > :14:44.Higgins would know example where that cue ball would finish. If they

:14:45. > :14:59.thought it would cannon the reds, they would make sure it didn't by

:15:00. > :15:09.playing the check sides. A topsy-turvy match continues.

:15:10. > :15:17.He'll get an angle on the blue and the yellow to try to make things

:15:18. > :15:23.happen on that end of the table where the last two reds are. This

:15:24. > :15:29.was a cross double that Luca played. If he played check sides so it

:15:30. > :15:34.straightens off the cushion, he can't kiss into that red, and that's

:15:35. > :15:43.going to cost him a few points. How many, that remains to be seen.

:15:44. > :15:51.Getting the brown back on his spot will be a good idea but I think he's

:15:52. > :15:55.snookered himself on the brown. He could bring another red into play

:15:56. > :16:04.here, play two cushions on the left-hand side. I think kiss on the

:16:05. > :16:09.yellow is just about on. I thought Shaun would have tried to pot the

:16:10. > :16:15.red the cue ball's next to. But oh, dear, if he had left the red he

:16:16. > :16:19.potted, which was above the blue, he could have played the cannon, one of

:16:20. > :16:24.the tricky reds from where the green is there and would be guaranteed to

:16:25. > :16:29.be on position for the red that he potted previously, if you know what

:16:30. > :16:34.I mean. But now that's more than likely end of break unless he feels

:16:35. > :16:38.he wants to attempt this long red into the left-hand side corner.

:16:39. > :16:41.Never quite know what Shaun will play sometimes. He's a very

:16:42. > :18:46.aggressive player. Oh, dear, the longest frame of the

:18:47. > :18:56.match so far, coming up to 19 minutes. A quick look at the potting

:18:57. > :19:16.angle, doesn't look on to me, but he's having a good look.

:19:17. > :19:30.It is a little bit risky to play it slow behind the brown, but it will

:19:31. > :19:38.reap its reward if it happens. He's got play that, because I know its a

:19:39. > :19:43.slow roll, but the pace he has to play to get in behind the brown,

:19:44. > :19:46.there is no way the white is going roll off. I think he's playing the

:19:47. > :21:48.pot. shot but he's put Shaun in trouble.

:21:49. > :21:56.An excellent recovery. Unlucky the red's come out.

:21:57. > :22:02.So Luca Brecel is now favourite in this frame.

:22:03. > :23:25.APPLAUSE. The kiss, so it's OK. A 29 point lead. Perhaps unlucky

:23:26. > :23:30.when he played the cannon and didn't bring one into play, but the lead is

:23:31. > :23:36.pretty good where the balls are. If Shaun gets that far, pink to black

:23:37. > :23:43.is going be a problem. But if this kiss goes wrong... Which I think it

:23:44. > :23:48.has. It will be end of play in a few moments. Ideally would like to get

:23:49. > :24:02.on to pink or black off this red and leave Shaun needing a snooker.

:24:03. > :24:51.Well done. He's taken a while but he has won the frame from here. As he

:24:52. > :24:57.is 36 points in front he can risk rolling it in dead weight. Luca

:24:58. > :26:27.Brecel will lead 3-2. A nice little exhibition shot there,

:26:28. > :26:41.trying to get on to the blue in the middle.

:26:42. > :26:53.APPLAUSE. Well, a lot of bits and pieces in that frame. It could have

:26:54. > :26:58.gone either way but Luca Brecel leads by three frames to two. The

:26:59. > :27:03.turning point was in the previous frame, where Shaun Murphy was faced

:27:04. > :27:05.with a black which from the commentary position looked

:27:06. > :27:10.impossible. Just look at the way he's cut this in. 100 miles an hour,

:27:11. > :27:16.because he has to scrape the paint off this black to get the angle for

:27:17. > :27:21.it to go into the centre pocket. The black only has to travel 4 inches. I

:27:22. > :27:25.think as soon as Shaun Murphy saw that cue ball running around the

:27:26. > :27:31.table he knew it had the angle to go into that right corner. I think luck

:27:32. > :27:37.ka is clapping him. A big turning point, as we can see with hindsight,

:27:38. > :27:43.it has all changed round this, match, Willie. He daren't put any

:27:44. > :27:48.side on it to create a different ang whole the right. He probably

:27:49. > :27:53.probably thought he couldn't put it on, so it may have thrown, that

:27:54. > :27:58.close together. Shaun Murphy very disappointed there. Now he faces the

:27:59. > :28:03.possibility of losing the match. Given the fact that Shaun pot that

:28:04. > :28:07.the black, I can't say it was the wrong shot. It was unlucky to find

:28:08. > :28:10.that pocket. It went in without touching the sides. It is

:28:11. > :28:19.unfortunate that the black went in. As long as the white doesn't, he is

:28:20. > :28:26.3-1 up. And if he plays it 20 times, it has gone off once. It is amazing.

:28:27. > :28:34.Nothing really has gone Shaun's way since then. And Luca breaks off

:28:35. > :28:39.frame 6. It is just he that needs one frame for victory and Shaun

:28:40. > :28:44.Murphy is under pressure. Can Luca keep things tight and make difficult

:28:45. > :28:50.for Shaun? A bit scrappy that last frame. Slan be looking to make sure

:28:51. > :28:53.he doesn't. Doesn't commit any cardinal sins or miss any pots. One

:28:54. > :31:57.mistake now could be his last. May have gone a little bit too far,

:31:58. > :32:04.don't know whether he can get through to pot this red in the

:32:05. > :32:11.middle. He will have a look at this shot, taking his time, now. Could

:32:12. > :32:26.play a little screw back double if he wanted to.

:32:27. > :32:53.Absolutely brilliant. As played. Very hard to judge that. Excellent

:32:54. > :33:06.chance for the lead in what could be the deciding frame.

:33:07. > :33:19.Amazing how sometimes kicks can cost position, sometimes they can help.

:33:20. > :33:26.Just load the white down. Perfect angle on the black to stun off the

:33:27. > :33:33.cushion. You may see Luca play the stunt run through off the pack,

:33:34. > :33:36.here. The only thing I could go wrong, he could finish tight on the

:33:37. > :33:45.cushion for the black. Worth the risk.

:33:46. > :33:59.Still finish nicely. A little unlucky to be so straight. He has

:34:00. > :34:11.developed enough roads. -- enough reds. If this goes in I think Shaun

:34:12. > :34:27.will be rather consistent. -- rather concerned.

:34:28. > :34:34.That could have been passport to frame and match. But doesn't appear

:34:35. > :34:38.to have left an easy popcorn. Don't think he will want to take anything

:34:39. > :34:51.on very risky. Already 23 point behind in this frame. -- doesn't

:34:52. > :34:59.appear to have left an easy pot on. One for the double, good choice.

:35:00. > :35:47.Can't afford any more mistakes now, Shaun Murphy, and he knows it.

:35:48. > :35:55.That almost went astray, that safety shot. If the blue was on its pot he

:35:56. > :35:56.could risk playing this dead straight but it will be a hard shot

:35:57. > :36:18.on the colour should it go in. Excellent pot, it has given him a

:36:19. > :36:29.chance of frame and match. Lots of loose reds, colours and play. In

:36:30. > :36:40.hindsight that could have cost him the match.

:36:41. > :36:53.Absolutely. Murphy will feel very fortunate now if he gets back to the

:36:54. > :37:00.table. Luca already 28 points to the good. To be honest only really one

:37:01. > :37:04.tricky red. Two including the one by the yellow. But he will be well past

:37:05. > :38:28.the winning frame by then. Looking very calm and assured here,

:38:29. > :38:31.Luca. Karma goes about his work. -- calmly goes about his work. Just

:38:32. > :40:28.Luca. Karma goes about his work. -- after this black.

:40:29. > :40:44.You would expect Shaun Murphy to have the better of it. 60, 31, 69,

:40:45. > :40:45.57 the breaks. Luca's his highest break was one 39, but now he finds

:40:46. > :41:00.his place in the last 16. STUDIO: What a win for Luca Brecel.

:41:01. > :41:08.And drama to knock out the world number four. Shaun Murphy, who went

:41:09. > :41:15.out in round two last year and goes no further than round three in this

:41:16. > :41:20.year's tournament. Terry, what drama, a sliding doors moment in

:41:21. > :41:26.frame four, when we saw Murphy cutting in the black on the tightest

:41:27. > :41:29.of angles. The cue ball goes in and from that moment the initiative went

:41:30. > :41:36.Brecel's wave. You get a feeling sometimes when something like that

:41:37. > :41:43.happens it can turn. Shaun laughed about it but he was disappointed. It

:41:44. > :41:51.did turn the match around. But Luca clinched the last frame in style. It

:41:52. > :41:57.was not straightforward. Reds, they were all over the place. Murphy had

:41:58. > :42:02.all the breaks. Luca's his highest rate was 52 and he has won the

:42:03. > :42:08.match. What can you say. His safety is not the best in the world, but he

:42:09. > :42:13.always commits to the shot, it does not matter what is on. He will join

:42:14. > :42:18.us and we will get his thoughts. Shaun Murphy, he was firm favourite,

:42:19. > :42:22.even allowing for how well Luca Brecel has been playing, he would

:42:23. > :42:28.have been favourite? Yes, he is one of the best in the world. A

:42:29. > :42:34.multi-winner. Luca is on the way up but as they mentioned in commentary,

:42:35. > :42:39.he got to the final in the German and the shoot out. Only one frame,

:42:40. > :42:48.but no difference, it helps. He comes here with momentum, and a bit

:42:49. > :42:52.of prize money, which is a boost. Luca, congratulations, you are

:42:53. > :43:02.through to the last 16 and what a dramatic way to do it. What are your

:43:03. > :43:10.thoughts? A win is a win, I guess. There are wins, but it's one of what

:43:11. > :43:15.happened in frame four, when Murphy cut in the black and the cue ball

:43:16. > :43:24.went in and instead of him going 3-1 up, it was 2-2. I should not have

:43:25. > :43:31.missed that black but he was and unlucky. I was struggling, but so

:43:32. > :43:37.did Shaun. He took his chances and in the end I did it. I am happy. We

:43:38. > :43:43.can remind you. This was when it hinged on the final black. Could you

:43:44. > :43:51.believe you got this in? I did not think it was possible to pot it. He

:43:52. > :44:02.is covering his eyes. What are you thinking? I would have done the

:44:03. > :44:07.same. I was happy it was two each. What will you applauding? I thought

:44:08. > :44:11.it was a good shot. You have been in great form, getting to the final of

:44:12. > :44:17.the German Masters, the semifinal here last year. You must be pleased.

:44:18. > :44:21.It is a great month. I have been winning a lot of matches and can

:44:22. > :44:31.only be happy, but I am not playing my best. Perhaps 50%. I have a lot

:44:32. > :44:35.to improve, but we will see. Terry Griffiths said, during the

:44:36. > :44:41.presentation, you are a player who likes to go for each shot. You do

:44:42. > :44:45.not hang about. You are a positive player. Yes, sometimes I play

:44:46. > :44:51.positive, sometimes negative, it depends on the day. Today it was

:44:52. > :44:54.difficult to focus because I have been playing a lot of matches and

:44:55. > :45:00.travelling and I find it difficult to focus each game will stop I

:45:01. > :45:07.thought to just play and see what happens. It has to give a young

:45:08. > :45:12.player confidence to knock out the world number four? You played well

:45:13. > :45:15.in spells. Your high break was 52 and you will not be happy with that,

:45:16. > :45:22.your break-building is strong normally. Success, it does not

:45:23. > :45:27.matter what path you take to get there, that is what they say. On

:45:28. > :45:30.another day you could have lost the match and been unhappy but you

:45:31. > :45:36.should be happy because you have beaten one of the best in the world.

:45:37. > :45:47.As long as you wind it is OK. How far do you think you can go this

:45:48. > :45:56.year? Obviously, the final! Three in a row would be fantastic. One game

:45:57. > :46:00.at a time. You are around the top 20 mark in the world. It is just

:46:01. > :46:09.getting points and prize money, that will push you into the top 16. Yes,

:46:10. > :46:17.keep going. I have done well this month, but I am never satisfied. I

:46:18. > :46:25.will keep going and try to win. Who were your heroes growing up? Who did

:46:26. > :46:30.you follow and want to copy? I never copied anyone, but obviously,

:46:31. > :46:38.O'Sullivan, he is a genius. Not only as a player, as a person. He is an

:46:39. > :46:47.unbelievable guy. I just love him, I love that guy. I like Mike Allen, I

:46:48. > :46:53.have always liked his playing style, and I would say Mark Williams, those

:46:54. > :46:59.three are my favourites. Ronnie is in action this evening -- Mark

:47:00. > :47:04.Allen. You have given us entertainment this afternoon.

:47:05. > :47:15.Thanks. Talking of Ronnie, he is the evening action from 7pm on BBC Two

:47:16. > :47:20.Wales. He comes up against Jimmy Robertson, who has got further than

:47:21. > :47:25.he has been before in this competition.

:47:26. > :47:29.Before we leave you, a verdict on Ronnie O'Sullivan from some of his

:47:30. > :47:39.fellow professionals. Analysing where his game is right now.

:47:40. > :47:47.Ronnie O'Sullivan, five times World Snooker champion, and perhaps, apart

:47:48. > :47:52.from Garry Kasparov, the best ambidextrous sportsperson in the

:47:53. > :47:59.world. Unbelievable how well he plays with his left hand, even

:48:00. > :48:05.pressure shots. The likes of what we will not see again. How simple he

:48:06. > :48:12.makes the game look at times, ridiculously easy, at the height of

:48:13. > :48:14.pressure in a pressure situation. The only professional other

:48:15. > :48:20.professionals would pay to watch because when he plays well, there is

:48:21. > :48:24.no one better. From a break-building perspective, he seems to pick out

:48:25. > :48:30.the keyboard to open it up. You play him a lot of times and think he

:48:31. > :48:33.might score 30 from their, but I will get another shot, two minutes

:48:34. > :48:39.later he is perfectly in position and he has found the key connecting

:48:40. > :48:46.shot and he knows about it before anyone else, spotting it as soon as

:48:47. > :48:49.he comes to the table. Like the character in the Matrix films. He

:48:50. > :48:55.can see those shots way before anybody else. When he is knocking at

:48:56. > :49:01.reds, going into the pack, he sees the shot and can play it quickly. He

:49:02. > :49:07.gets the ball is open quickly. He makes the break look easy. His

:49:08. > :49:10.fluency, speed of mind, consistently how he strikes the ball, the action

:49:11. > :49:15.he gets on the ball is great to watch. Difficult to pick holes in

:49:16. > :49:21.Ronnie O'Sullivan, the natural one is the temperament. He has got that

:49:22. > :49:27.part together recently, is it a problem for him? We saw him in the

:49:28. > :49:32.World Championship and leading up to that that there were signs he was

:49:33. > :49:37.almost starting to unravel a little. He gets bored easily at tournaments.

:49:38. > :49:41.Sometimes, he is sitting in his chair, you know he does not want to

:49:42. > :49:50.be there, and that gives the opponent confidence. If he can keep

:49:51. > :49:53.his interest and love of the game, for the bigger tournaments, we might

:49:54. > :49:59.see more of him, but it is the temperament factor and boredom for

:50:00. > :50:02.him. I get the feeling he does not like the challenge as much as he

:50:03. > :50:07.used to and does not want to put himself on the line. There is the

:50:08. > :50:12.thing that he has big amounts of time off, but away from competitive

:50:13. > :50:16.play, he is playing snooker, filling theatres around the country. Doing a

:50:17. > :50:23.lot of exhibitions. But that is easy. It is not tournament play,

:50:24. > :50:27.nobody is roughing you up the wrong way. In exhibitions you have

:50:28. > :50:32.everything your way. He has earned the right not to compete every week

:50:33. > :50:35.he does not have too, he has always been his own man and he always will

:50:36. > :50:40.be. He told us yesterday he did not want

:50:41. > :50:44.to be competing in every tournament going. Steve Davis said it is

:50:45. > :50:54.difficult to pick holes in his game. I am not sure if you want to do

:50:55. > :51:01.that. Not really. He has had his bad times. It has been said many times.

:51:02. > :51:10.Ronnie has had a rough times mentally. It is easy to criticise

:51:11. > :51:13.people, but as I said yesterday in commentary, he has given so much

:51:14. > :51:18.pleasure to so many people over the years, a wonderful player to watch.

:51:19. > :51:27.All professional players like to watch him play, that is like Roger

:51:28. > :51:35.Federer in tennis. He has a beautiful cue action. He is

:51:36. > :51:39.intimidating for his opponent. We should not criticise our best

:51:40. > :51:46.players. They only come along every ten years, something like that. Ray

:51:47. > :51:51.Reardon, Stephen Hendry, Alex Higgins came along. These players

:51:52. > :51:56.come along, Ronnie, Jimmy White, they are great players. We should

:51:57. > :52:00.think it is great they are there, and they are giving great

:52:01. > :52:07.entertainment and publicising our sport. Ronnie O'Sullivan is doing

:52:08. > :52:15.well at 40. As is John Higgins, who goes through to the last 16 after

:52:16. > :52:20.another victory. Winning 4-1. We can see the final stages of that. John

:52:21. > :52:27.Higgins has been doing well. The defending champion, of course. He

:52:28. > :52:36.goes through to the last 16. He will play the winner of the Michael White

:52:37. > :52:52.and Liang Wenbo match. Barry Hawkins beats Mark Davis. 4-2.

:52:53. > :52:59.If Ronnie O'Sullivan plays anywhere near as well as yesterday in getting

:53:00. > :53:05.through to the last 32, we will be in for a treat this evening when he

:53:06. > :53:12.comes up against Jimmy Robertson. We would love to have your company. He

:53:13. > :53:17.will return for the fourth round match and we will keep you

:53:18. > :53:20.up-to-date with Michael White, the Welshman, against Liang Wenbo. 7pm.

:53:21. > :53:22.We will see you then.