:00:47. > :01:29.Good evening. He may seem like yesterday's hero. If 17 years ago he
:01:30. > :01:38.won. What you can never write off Mark Williams. It has already been
:01:39. > :01:43.an exciting day. Michael White ensured Welsh interest in round
:01:44. > :01:49.three. The 24-year-old seemed progress, with a fantastic break up
:01:50. > :01:56.56. That is only going to give me confidence, for the rest of the
:01:57. > :02:06.competition. One much at a time. Also hoping to end 17 years of
:02:07. > :02:17.misery, Matthew Stevens, with a 4-2 victory. It has been frustrating, or
:02:18. > :02:25.last 15 years, not getting past the quarterfinals. Hopefully this year I
:02:26. > :02:34.can get to the final. Judd Trump won through 4-1. But the scoreline,
:02:35. > :02:39.flattering the left hander, closing with a break of 85. And I am pleased
:02:40. > :02:49.to get through that one. It was scrappy. So many matches, 120
:02:50. > :03:00.players, you're going to get those. And Ronnie O'Sullivan, sweeping
:03:01. > :03:09.asside Tian in less than an hour. That came after the controversial
:03:10. > :03:14.146. It is like the traffic lights, you slow down, then open up, know
:03:15. > :03:23.when to push on. And do not try to something, that is not there. It was
:03:24. > :03:30.not a bad afternoon of snooker. We thought the evening, lives up to
:03:31. > :03:43.what we have seen. Particularly Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan? It was
:03:44. > :03:54.a good afternoon of entertainment, Judd Trump, I thought he would pot
:03:55. > :04:01.everything. He was fantastic, last night, but McLeod will be going home
:04:02. > :04:09.disappointed. Trump lives to fight another day. And then, some blame,
:04:10. > :04:18.Ronnie O'Sullivan. Starting after that 146. Flawless. Could have had
:04:19. > :04:29.100, got a 90. Unbelievable standard. And you're going to
:04:30. > :04:37.remember the furore about the 146. But now saying that any of that got
:04:38. > :04:43.to him. Ronnie is Ronnie. Love him or hate him. But you cannot take
:04:44. > :04:49.anything away from them. He seems as though he has been around forever.
:04:50. > :04:56.Getting better with age. More comfortable in his skin, life,
:04:57. > :05:04.enjoying snooker. Enjoying himself. But he can be mischievous. He is
:05:05. > :05:11.through. We will find out if Mark Williams can join them. We will get
:05:12. > :05:25.a professional opinion on the Welsh number one. I call him my hero. You
:05:26. > :05:32.could not possibly meet anyone more down to earth. Probably the most
:05:33. > :05:47.relaxed. He takes the practice game, to the competition. I love him! So
:05:48. > :06:01.calm. Laidback. Any more, he would fall over! It always looks so easy
:06:02. > :06:09.to him. Floats about the table. You can be mad, under pressure, he's
:06:10. > :06:16.having a stroll! Funny oneliners. Always getting involved on social
:06:17. > :06:28.media. I like that. Takes life not too seriously. Probably one of the
:06:29. > :06:36.all-time greats. Great player. His clothes aren't as good as his
:06:37. > :06:48.snooker! The fashionista. Good thing he's a good snooker player! Dress
:06:49. > :06:59.sense is nonexistent. Always gets stick for that! Rod Lawler in his
:07:00. > :07:13.way. One of his best achievements, recently, semifinal at the 20 14th
:07:14. > :07:23.German Masters. -- 2014. We are going to join the MC. Table one.
:07:24. > :07:24.54th. Playing to the best of those capabilities, please welcome Rod
:07:25. > :07:58.Lawler. Up against a legend. Two time world
:07:59. > :08:05.champion. Two time Welsh Open champion.
:08:06. > :08:20.Put your hands together for the incredible Mark Williams! Two
:08:21. > :08:32.players out. Thank you. Looking forward to this. The incredible Mark
:08:33. > :08:44.Williams. I have heard him called a few things! That has never been one
:08:45. > :08:53.of them. Tough one this evening. Rod Lawler, hard match player. Won PCC
:08:54. > :09:00.not long ago. Had some good wins. Had some good wins.
:09:01. > :09:14.Yes. The day strain, but does everything properly. Nothing rash.
:09:15. > :09:21.That is worrying, for Mark Williams, because when he was practising, his
:09:22. > :09:28.tip came off. That is not going to bode well. Especially not after
:09:29. > :09:37.playing at his best year study. That looks like a brand-new one. We will
:09:38. > :09:41.have a look at that, the next shot. I know that came off, in practice,
:09:42. > :09:58.but he did not notice for 15 minutes. Not a great game yesterday.
:09:59. > :10:18.Nobody plays well all the time. It can, -- could be his night tonight.
:10:19. > :10:21.Slowish. Rhythm is slow. But he still plays aggressively. Good
:10:22. > :10:40.character. He once said, I don't leave anything
:10:41. > :10:53.in the dressing room! The tip doing a job. That bodes well. First shot
:10:54. > :11:07.to nothing in the heart of the pocket. Going back to yesterday... I
:11:08. > :11:17.am one of his biggest fans. In my top five of all time. Twilight of
:11:18. > :11:19.his career now. Yesterday was a bad day at the office, but the beauty
:11:20. > :11:58.is, winning with this B game. You can definitely see from that,
:11:59. > :12:06.brand new tip. Totally flush. These are the ones, you have to know the
:12:07. > :12:23.tip. Loads of side. You could underscrew. Especially, going to the
:12:24. > :12:26.pack. Didn't sound good. But a good kick, for a change. You can see,
:12:27. > :13:40.that bounced. This is just the start that Mark
:13:41. > :13:51.Williams would have been looking for. Getting the thoughts of his
:13:52. > :13:53.previous match out of his mind. Everybody has telling me he has been
:13:54. > :14:36.doing well in practice. I detected another kick. He stood up
:14:37. > :14:52.immediately. Absolutely. That bounced. At first glance, not too
:14:53. > :15:24.much damage. Been lucky where that red has ended up.
:15:25. > :15:41.There's Mark's lovely wife. Usually two boys are with her too. I can see
:15:42. > :16:00.them on the side, near the steps. Smile to the camera!
:16:01. > :16:18.Always reminds me of John Parrott, Rod Lawler. Cues similar. Both from
:16:19. > :16:32.Liverpool. As yet, not the same results as John. He was one of the
:16:33. > :17:02.greats. Not the worst kiss. Goodness.
:17:03. > :18:02.He took that for granted. Wasn't to be. Almost an unmissable.
:18:03. > :18:28.Very well played. That was nice. Hitting the back of the pocket. In
:18:29. > :18:29.the centre. This is not straightforward, these four reds,
:18:30. > :18:53.pink in the middle. Didn't work out. Got a long pot on.
:18:54. > :19:06.Left of the yellow. Nothing available down here.
:19:07. > :19:34.If Rod, doesn't put the cue back and forth much when he's down.
:19:35. > :19:45.Cue, hardly moving at all. Sticks the tip to the white. Stays there.
:19:46. > :20:23.Draws it back. Hits the ball. Hits the ball.
:20:24. > :20:38.Just what Williams didn't need. Getting involved, in a tactical
:20:39. > :20:54.battle. Especially with that new tip. But ahead 29 points. Rod Lawler
:20:55. > :21:05.likes to concentrate. 44 seconds a shot already.
:21:06. > :21:23.Up to 44 seconds. Or down to 44? Good point! We'll see how it goes
:21:24. > :21:28.on. Improves or gets bigger. I played Rod once. Lost 5-0 in
:21:29. > :22:08.Germany. Missed my flight. He took so long! But a good player!
:22:09. > :22:26.Rod having a good look. That red was pottable.
:22:27. > :22:39.Rod was unlucky. Played that shot to nothing quite well. Wry smile. Seem
:22:40. > :22:43.to be getting kicks with every shot with this cue ball! Not one with
:22:44. > :23:07.Ronnie O'Sullivan. Having a look at the tip. Expected
:23:08. > :23:14.more reaction from the cue ball than that. Band not the desired amount of
:23:15. > :23:29.side. -- and. That turned out all right. From
:23:30. > :24:03.here, pink on its spot? Unusual to see the pattern of reds
:24:04. > :24:14.up there. Going to be tough for Mark to make them all. 48 in front. 55
:24:15. > :24:30.with this black. One more red, he's safe. If he gets on it, super.
:24:31. > :24:44.Fraction more, and he was. He's looking. Good safety needed here.
:24:45. > :24:56.You can never tell with Mark. He has wild moments, goes for cuts!
:24:57. > :25:17.Amazing. I have never seen any other player, in the game, shot like that.
:25:18. > :25:27.Virtually past the winning line. Just needs another colour. Didn't
:25:28. > :27:30.risk playing for the red there. Must say, Mark has done well.
:27:31. > :27:33.Considering he has got a new tip. A lot of players, in that position,
:27:34. > :27:42.couldn't hit the white, never mind the red. It is difficult to explain,
:27:43. > :27:48.to people who do not play the game. Some people play the same, Ronnie
:27:49. > :27:58.O'Sullivan, Steve Davis, but it is difficult, that is why his plea in
:27:59. > :28:07.some -- he is playing some exhibition shots, to get used to it.
:28:08. > :28:19.Anyway. Good stuff from Mark. Won the first frame. If you were
:28:20. > :28:23.watching yesterday... You would have seen a frustrating start for Mark
:28:24. > :28:29.Williams. But he has got to be happy? Yesterday, it was a struggle,
:28:30. > :28:39.after the match you could tilt that he was disappointed, glad he was
:28:40. > :28:51.still in, but devastated with the way he had played. He has changed
:28:52. > :29:00.the tip today. He plays with the same style tip. He has a box of
:29:01. > :29:10.them. Take one off, another on. And it is almost identical. I do not
:29:11. > :29:20.think it bottom, too much. -- will have bothered him. All similar.
:29:21. > :29:31.Detailed information. And what about his opponent? Mid 40s. Has been
:29:32. > :29:39.playing some decent slicker. We became professional, at similar
:29:40. > :29:52.times, very hard player. Methodical, takes his time. Solid player. Never
:29:53. > :30:01.gives up. Good scorer. No slouch. Mark will have to be on his toes.
:30:02. > :30:26.He has had a couple of half chances. Good break. Safety here. Won't be
:30:27. > :32:27.taking this on. It looks like he can get through to
:32:28. > :32:31.this red in between the yellow and brown and possibly get through to
:32:32. > :32:38.the potted angle, but it's fraught with danger, so he decided to play
:32:39. > :32:39.it safely off the edge of the pack, the one remaining loose red that'll
:32:40. > :34:31.cut in. Well, this is a surprising choice,
:34:32. > :34:40.rather than risk playing a safety shot off the loose red, he's just
:34:41. > :34:47.playing the rest on to the pack. Knocked this one on? I think he has.
:34:48. > :35:15.That's a real bonus look at that. That's a real bonus for Mark.
:35:16. > :35:21.Anybody that plays the game to any standard whatsoever will realise how
:35:22. > :35:32.difficult it is to play with a new tip. He plays an awful lot of shots
:35:33. > :36:10.playing ball and and that certainly helps.
:36:11. > :36:20.Playing this red, it will open another two reds into the corner
:36:21. > :36:25.pocket. The 24-point lead, looks to be another 40 points available so
:36:26. > :36:37.this looks an excellent chance to get a 2-0 lead.
:36:38. > :36:44.That was an example of not knowing the tip. Just overscrewed that by
:36:45. > :36:49.four or five inches. He's still OK, though.
:36:50. > :37:38.Mark Williams, 40. Didn't expect him to miss that one. He's one of the
:37:39. > :37:42.game's great rollers of a ball as Terry has mentioned a few times in
:37:43. > :37:48.commentary. I thought that would have been a certainty - that one.
:37:49. > :37:54.But once again, he has a sizable lead, 40 points. Rod needs to get a
:37:55. > :37:58.foothold in this match and quickly. It can drift away, especially with
:37:59. > :38:00.him being in the best of seven. Doesn't take too long before you're
:38:01. > :38:48.out of the match. You can just - a little run-through
:38:49. > :38:53.off the cushions, a choice of a black or pink. Looks like he's
:38:54. > :39:21.cueing another screw inside. He's played that nicely.
:39:22. > :39:29.Well, I've got to be honest - that's a little bit of tension there. That
:39:30. > :39:57.was not like Rod. That was commonly known in the trade as "a twitch."
:39:58. > :40:06.It's just not the chance that Rod missed there. It's the effect of
:40:07. > :40:12.missing a shot like that, can carry you through for a little while. A
:40:13. > :40:13.very experienced player, of course, and hoping to get those bad thoughts
:40:14. > :40:25.out of his mind. Mark's not sure what happened there.
:40:26. > :40:30.I don't know. Play it off the cushion, and it hit the red. You
:40:31. > :40:35.mentioned earlier - you're going to have some shots with the new tip on
:40:36. > :40:41.it that'll be, shall we say, unusual. I think this could be one
:40:42. > :40:48.of them, Terry. Whether you play with the rest - going to have to
:40:49. > :41:00.play with the other side here to get on the black. It's the same -
:41:01. > :41:10.missing that one, and the wry smile tells it all. He can't believe his
:41:11. > :41:16.luck here after missing that black. Looked as if gone was going to go on
:41:17. > :41:25.and clinch the frame. Seems to have opened up here a bit now. There's
:41:26. > :41:40.four or five reds available. Black is wide open.
:41:41. > :41:50.Let's have a look at this cue action now. He goes down. He stays there,
:41:51. > :42:02.stays still. One draw back and then hits the ball. Not the orthodox way,
:42:03. > :42:07.but it suits him, obviously. I don't think there's many players in the
:42:08. > :42:10.game that gives it 110% on every single shot, whether it's a little
:42:11. > :42:16.shot like this where it's virtually uns meable. He still gives it that.
:42:17. > :42:20.Some shots would be down and on the black already, but Rod gives every
:42:21. > :42:40.shot the same all the time. Not necessarily going to, obviously,
:42:41. > :42:46.win the frame with this, but can certainly get right back into it.
:42:47. > :42:50.He's hit that some way. Still 31 points behind, but finish two or
:42:51. > :42:54.three inches higher on this red it would be straight forward to play
:42:55. > :42:58.the black or pink. The fact he has to screw off the pink he could be
:42:59. > :43:04.playing the pink safe. He doesn't want to put the pink safe, which he
:43:05. > :43:10.could do here. That was a really poor shot on the black.
:43:11. > :43:16.Has the pink gone safe? Oh, the red's not gone in. He'll be kicking
:43:17. > :43:19.himself. He's had two glorious chances in this frame and only
:43:20. > :43:32.scored 17 points. Well, he's lost six or eight matches
:43:33. > :43:37.he played against Mark Williams. Perhaps he's not feeling that
:43:38. > :43:40.confident. I'm not sure if he knows that Mark has a bad tip on - sorry,
:43:41. > :43:54.a new tip on, not a bad one. He was just checking that, Terry,
:43:55. > :43:59.whether it's come loose or not. He seems to think it's not, though,
:44:00. > :44:03.otherwise he would have already been asking the referee for the ten
:44:04. > :44:09.minutes you're allowed to. Will he glue it? What do you mean, what's
:44:10. > :44:13.come loose, the tip or his head, do you mean? He did play with the tip a
:44:14. > :44:24.little bit after that previous shot. Good pot from Rod.
:44:25. > :44:30.He glares at the ball. I think he frightens the ball into the pocket,
:44:31. > :44:52.very intense! In the shoot-out, what do they call
:44:53. > :44:55.him? Lightning Lawler. I said to him they call him Lightning law law. He
:44:56. > :45:00.was playing here in the practise game. He said, "Not for long!" He's
:45:01. > :46:04.got a lovely sense of humour. Slowly but surely cutting his
:46:05. > :46:09.deficit here. He's just 22 points behind and two to follow. A lot of
:46:10. > :46:14.players would have played for the black there but he played that
:46:15. > :46:21.perfectly. Just drop this blue in now. Wants to kiss the first red. He
:46:22. > :46:24.He wants to kiss it with the angle he's got. That's pretty good. He'll
:46:25. > :48:24.be happy with that. Doesn't have to do an awful lot with
:48:25. > :48:28.the cue ball leer but with the red being perilously close to the top
:48:29. > :48:33.cushion, would like to be close to it, probably six or nine inches
:48:34. > :48:36.away, but Rod may just roll it in and be 18 inches away, still should
:48:37. > :48:41.be OK. I don't know why he's looking at that red at the minute. He's not
:48:42. > :48:48.going to be playing that red off this black.
:48:49. > :48:55.I don't know why he walked around the table to look at the red. It's -
:48:56. > :48:58.has a chance of playing the pink, of course, but most players would have
:48:59. > :49:03.played the black to play the one on the top cushion. He's going to need
:49:04. > :49:08.both these reds to get over the line in this frame. A very strange choice
:49:09. > :50:28.of shot. APPLAUSE
:50:29. > :50:33.That's left the escape - you would expect Mark Williams to get this. If
:50:34. > :50:38.he would have played on the green, he couldn't have played this shot.
:50:39. > :50:42.Only maybe thinking it's rolled on the slate and didn't get it behind
:50:43. > :51:05.the brown. Cushion first a possibility here.
:51:06. > :51:15.Far enough away from the cushion. Mark Williams was 46 points in front
:51:16. > :51:28.at one stage, and Rod has fought his way back, just a point behind.
:51:29. > :51:44.That's a poor shot. He was trying -- - not trying to catch that yellow at
:51:45. > :51:52.all. He's left him half a chance. If this red goes in - he'll be
:51:53. > :51:59.disappointed with that one. And Mark Williams' favourite shots, those.
:52:00. > :52:13.Usually happens doesn't it, when you're not confident. You look at
:52:14. > :52:18.Stuart's match last night, those people watching that match - Bingham
:52:19. > :52:23.was moving a lot of shots. It's just when you've got no confidence, you
:52:24. > :52:30.get a bit edgy. You try to force them in sometimes.
:52:31. > :52:39.All the movement in the body movement comes from the grip. We've
:52:40. > :52:44.seen a few over the year there's jump up and down as well, but in
:52:45. > :52:53.general terms, it's the grip that causes the tension in the muscles.
:52:54. > :53:15.Well, that was a test with the tip. And he couldn't have played that a
:53:16. > :53:20.lot better, on the chip side there. This one is hard to hit. He's going
:53:21. > :53:24.to have to go two cushions here. If he hits it, he's got to be very
:53:25. > :53:28.careful he didn't just push it towards the yellow pocket. I can't
:53:29. > :53:30.see another escape apart from two cushions in between the pink and the
:53:31. > :53:35.blue and towards the ball cushions in between the pink and the
:53:36. > :53:41.try to hit the red, but it's a tough one. He could go where he's looking
:53:42. > :53:47.now - between the brown and yellow, hit the brown off the ball cushion,
:53:48. > :53:50.or he could come this way. The only problem with playing that is he's
:53:51. > :53:54.going to have to play it quite hard and he's almost bound to leave a
:53:55. > :54:00.free ball. He doesn't have to. He can hit it hard enough to... Oh,
:54:01. > :54:06.yeah, yeah. The pocket. I think he could be. It's not an easy one, far
:54:07. > :54:14.from it, isn't it? It's - no straight forward shot. You know, it
:54:15. > :54:18.cost him, this - six and a free ball, perhaps. Perhaps you'll listen
:54:19. > :54:26.to me next time, Terry, will you not? I have learned from a few,
:54:27. > :54:31.honestly, such a wonderful partner for me in the box! Oh, well! You're
:54:32. > :54:46.kidding me. Oh, Rod's looking a little bit
:54:47. > :54:52.disappointed. He's got did snooker, but goodness me, rather him being in
:54:53. > :54:54.the snooker than potting the black because it would have meant the end
:54:55. > :55:45.of the frame. Looked up to the heavens very
:55:46. > :55:47.quickly there. I don't know whether he felt that ball rolled off or
:55:48. > :56:10.whether the tip just pushed away. This was the shot he played, and he
:56:11. > :56:16.jumped up in the air straight the way. Once again, it's one of these
:56:17. > :56:20.shots where he can easily play safe off the left-hand side of the red
:56:21. > :56:22.but he's pushing it towards the right-hand corner pocket. He might
:56:23. > :56:32.just have to play the up and down. That's a bit risky playing it that
:56:33. > :57:46.way. He's OK, not left anything on. He may have played this shot to the
:57:47. > :57:55.middle pocket knowing that the black or pink was there, should it go in.
:57:56. > :58:00.In keeping, getting the red past the middle pocket. We're still no nearer
:58:01. > :58:36.to knowing who is going do win this frame, been a bit lengthy, this one.
:58:37. > :58:41.Well, I'm afraid this hour of snooker is up, but you can find out
:58:42. > :58:45.later if Williams makings it through to round three in our highlights
:58:46. > :58:51.show when we'll also round up the best of the day's play, so join us
:58:52. > :58:54.later at 11. 15 on BBC Two Wales, but from all of us, it's goodbye for
:58:55. > :58:55.now.