Last 16 - Part 1

:00:32. > :00:39.Good afternoon, the race to win the Welsh Open trophy comes down to 16

:00:40. > :00:43.players. It is not a bad line-up either, six former champions who

:00:44. > :00:45.between them have won this 12 times. Competing today for a place in the

:00:46. > :01:33.quarterfinals. This is the draw in full. Defending

:01:34. > :01:37.champion John Higgins made history last year with a record fourth title

:01:38. > :01:47.but Wales will be hoping for one of their own, Michael White.

:01:48. > :01:50.The world number one Mark Selby placed the Welsh number one Mark

:01:51. > :02:04.Williams. Let us bring you right up-to-date, a

:02:05. > :02:08.short while ago, Ben Woollaston became the first man through to the

:02:09. > :02:13.quarterfinals, last year 's runner-up with a 4-1 win over the

:02:14. > :02:20.German Masters champion Martin Gould. Neil Robertson hoping to join

:02:21. > :02:24.him in the last eight, this match taking place right now. Let us take

:02:25. > :02:30.you into this one, Neil Robertson leading Marco Fu 3-2. We will join

:02:31. > :02:32.them at the start of frame six in the company of Terry Griffiths and

:02:33. > :02:51.Dominic Dale. COMMENTATOR: Marco Fu breaks off in

:02:52. > :02:53.frame six. Not the best break off I have to say, has he covered this

:02:54. > :04:20.red? Marco Fu will be horrified sitting

:04:21. > :04:28.in his chair after that break off. After having a free shot at winning

:04:29. > :04:30.the previous frame. A few chances but it is the simple mistakes that

:04:31. > :04:48.hurt the players out there. This is a big shot. I can't even

:04:49. > :04:56.start to tell you how difficult that shot is and he has made it look so

:04:57. > :05:00.easy. If it is away from aggression, you can get some spin and a bit of

:05:01. > :05:10.pace and it is a little bit easier but to play it that way, it is very

:05:11. > :05:14.impressive, I must say. Neil Robertson, his demeanour out there

:05:15. > :05:19.is very good, he always looks confident even if he is not. He has

:05:20. > :05:25.got a presence now when he is out there. The players are aware of his

:05:26. > :06:15.skill levels and that in itself is worth half a frame start at least.

:06:16. > :06:23.Neal did well when he went into the bunch of ribs to land on one, it was

:06:24. > :06:27.not a good bunch to go into off the black but he managed to get on one

:06:28. > :06:34.and keep the break going. Poor Marco is sat in his chair after that awful

:06:35. > :06:41.break off, he has come back in the match but has half given it away but

:06:42. > :06:49.he will be pleased that Neil has lost position on this next red. I

:06:50. > :06:55.expect him to pot this red but position can always go astray. He

:06:56. > :07:04.has cannoned that red and landed nicely on the blue. Again, not

:07:05. > :07:10.looking too good for Marco. It was a good shot, he played it so gently

:07:11. > :07:14.that it gave him a chance to get a thin contact on the red and onto the

:07:15. > :07:25.blue, any more pace and it would have deflected and gone wider.

:07:26. > :07:34.That was a very positive shot. He has taken the opportunity to get out

:07:35. > :07:38.there and not wait for his opponent to make another mistake but get into

:07:39. > :07:44.the pack and WinFrame and match from there. The clip that of the red

:07:45. > :07:53.first which took the pace of the cue ball otherwise he would definitely

:07:54. > :07:56.have been on something. Not sure what he is looking at, the red

:07:57. > :08:08.nearest the cue ball, looking at cutting that in. It is very thin

:08:09. > :08:13.from here. He has overdone it. Oh, he has been lucky. The tests on the

:08:14. > :08:23.brown, he has not left anything for Marco Fu. He is 44 in front though.

:08:24. > :08:29.That was easier to undercut them over cup, he has put Marco in all

:08:30. > :08:34.kinds of trouble here. The red nearest this left corner is maybe

:08:35. > :08:48.going to cause Marco problems returning the cue ball back to the

:08:49. > :08:54.baulk end. Will he be fortunate? Almost but I think the red near the

:08:55. > :09:03.yellow pocket can be cut in. I think he can get through to it. You never

:09:04. > :09:08.get a good run when you need it the most. That is just how things work

:09:09. > :09:14.out. Some would say the balls don't forgive you when you have had your

:09:15. > :09:26.chances but I am not a great believer in that myself.

:09:27. > :09:39.Once again a slight misjudgement from Neil Robertson. Has he left

:09:40. > :09:44.this one in the centre. I wonder if he thinks he has to make this chance

:09:45. > :09:45.after missing that last one. It is amazing how these thoughts come into

:09:46. > :10:11.your head from nowhere. 45 points in front. I am not sure he

:10:12. > :10:16.played down for that red. He makes his choices, what he likes, what he

:10:17. > :10:24.feels is the best chance of giving him the opportunity to win this

:10:25. > :10:29.frame and match. He knows as well as anybody that if Marco Fu were to win

:10:30. > :10:40.this frame, it is anybody's in the last frame.

:10:41. > :10:50.He just can't get the cue ball under control. A rather surprising mistake

:10:51. > :10:55.from Neill. Normally he would know exactly where the cue ball will

:10:56. > :11:00.track too. Sometimes you can get a fraction of a kick that can throw

:11:01. > :11:05.the ball wide enough to cause you positional problems. He is playing

:11:06. > :11:14.the blue pass the brown, it just goes, yes. He has continued the

:11:15. > :11:18.break very well here. And obviously this red to the right of the pack

:11:19. > :11:24.goes past the other one into the left corner. A real start for frame

:11:25. > :11:34.and match for Neill. He also has the one in the centre. I think one of

:11:35. > :11:40.these five reds will pot. Left-centre instead so they are

:11:41. > :11:42.clearly covering each other. Needs an angle on this black and he has

:11:43. > :11:57.got one. If he could cannoned the red

:11:58. > :12:00.directly below the ping, he would probably have a choice of reds.

:12:01. > :12:06.Because I don't think any of them go, he has missed the cannon. Did

:12:07. > :12:13.not get the red he wanted to there. I don't think he will be continuing

:12:14. > :12:19.the break any more. Neil Robertson having a 61-0 lead so Marco can

:12:20. > :12:33.still win this match, 75 points remaining as you can see.

:12:34. > :12:40.He had a look to see if he could possibly cut the red back into this

:12:41. > :12:43.pocket, the one just below the cue ball, it is very thin. He seems

:12:44. > :12:48.desperate to win this match from here. And now he wants to see where

:12:49. > :12:53.he wants to leave the cue ball, playing a safety shot. Probably

:12:54. > :12:58.flick of the red to the right of the cue ball and find the gap between

:12:59. > :13:02.the pink and the other red. You go past the brown and leave the cue

:13:03. > :13:06.ball somewhere before that right corner pocket. Maybe able to play it

:13:07. > :13:13.off the red to the right of the pink if he can get through to it, yes. If

:13:14. > :13:21.he gets this right, he could put Marco in a lot of trouble here. Will

:13:22. > :13:25.he cannoned the brown? No, just getting past it. He may have left

:13:26. > :13:47.Marco this red into the left-centre, I think he has.

:13:48. > :14:03.That is unlucky. It is on in the middle. I can't believe Neil

:14:04. > :14:06.Robertson played that safety shot, he is 60 points in front and there

:14:07. > :14:13.is no point taking a risk with that safety shot. Is it going to cost

:14:14. > :14:28.him? Can Marco knock this black in the middle? Just pushed it to the

:14:29. > :14:39.far corner. He has not been at his best in this match, Marco Fu. Neil

:14:40. > :14:44.Robertson has made a few big breaks but he certainly has not been at his

:14:45. > :14:48.best either. A little bit of everything in this match, good and

:14:49. > :14:50.bad. Still interesting though. I think the crowd have enjoyed the

:14:51. > :16:02.match this morning. Marco Fu sitting in his chair, I

:16:03. > :16:05.think either play would have been disappointed, which ever one loss

:16:06. > :16:13.this match because they have both had good chances. Amazing what the

:16:14. > :16:26.pressure of matchplay can do to you. Hello, what is happening here,

:16:27. > :16:34.holding the rest up in the air, he must have a steady hand. The yellow

:16:35. > :16:41.doesn't go in but it the end, in a tight match, Neil Robertson is

:16:42. > :16:50.through to the next round, beating Marco Fu 4-2. Neil Robertson joins

:16:51. > :16:53.Ben Woollaston in the quarterfinals tomorrow and he joins myself and

:16:54. > :16:58.Darren Morgan in the studio. Thanks for being with us. How did you feel?

:16:59. > :17:05.You came off with not much of a smile? Of course, the first frame,

:17:06. > :17:11.first time I have played on a TV table so it took awhile to get used

:17:12. > :17:15.because it plays a lot different to table number two. After that I made

:17:16. > :17:18.some nice breaks in the match and took advantage of Marco's mistakes

:17:19. > :17:23.because he had some good opportunities to win some frames

:17:24. > :17:31.that you would normally expect him to take. You can play better I am

:17:32. > :17:36.sure? Two of the frames I did win with total clearances come another

:17:37. > :17:42.one with a good clearance, a couple of mistakes but a big improvement

:17:43. > :17:46.from my match yesterday and earlier. We were saying before we came on air

:17:47. > :17:50.that if you take one ear Sullivan out of the equation, you are the

:17:51. > :17:56.four man this season? It goes without saying, Ronnie O'Sullivan

:17:57. > :18:00.has any played in one event, Neil Robertson has been the best player

:18:01. > :18:03.all season really. He has changed the way he is addressing

:18:04. > :18:08.tournaments, picking and choosing and preparing for the big events.

:18:09. > :18:12.Which at the moment, the way the calendar is, the top players, if you

:18:13. > :18:17.want to stay consistent, you have to do that. When you see the form

:18:18. > :18:20.Ronnie is in at the moment, do you feel you are playing well enough to

:18:21. > :18:24.go all the way and win this tournament? He has played some

:18:25. > :18:31.special snooker this week, it must be said. Even the 146, I thought it

:18:32. > :18:38.was quite incredible. A bit of genius to be able to do that. Nobody

:18:39. > :18:42.else can create such a story during a frame and having everyone talking

:18:43. > :18:47.about it. What would you have done in that position? Would you have

:18:48. > :18:52.refused a 147? I would not have refused one, it is not as though he

:18:53. > :18:57.was refusing it, it was a tricky shot and he would need a really good

:18:58. > :19:07.black to keep the break going, the way he did it was very entertaining.

:19:08. > :19:14.I was on for a 156 in one frame so I would not pass it up either. You did

:19:15. > :19:20.win this in 2007, nine years ago, do you feel you can do it? You have won

:19:21. > :19:27.two competitions this season. I am playing really well. It was an

:19:28. > :19:31.incredible performance by Judd Trump in the Masters to stop me there and

:19:32. > :19:35.I have not played in a major event since. I am coming into this nice

:19:36. > :19:38.and fresh and the things you look for as a top player is full

:19:39. > :19:47.performances to improve as the matches go on. I have had time on

:19:48. > :19:51.the number-1 table there. So I am feeling good about my game. We were

:19:52. > :19:55.saying as we came on air, he is one of six former champion starting the

:19:56. > :20:03.day in the last extent, what do you make of the draw in full? What a

:20:04. > :20:07.line-up. Six previous champions and all playing very well. That is the

:20:08. > :20:12.good thing about it. They are all playing really well. It would be

:20:13. > :20:15.hard to call a winner at this stage but Neil Robertson is clearly a

:20:16. > :20:21.contender, Ronnie O'Sullivan, if he continues playing the way he is

:20:22. > :20:26.playing, you would look at it that he is unplayable. But he has not

:20:27. > :20:30.really been tested yet. From now on, the further he goes, the more he

:20:31. > :20:34.will get tested. From a Welsh point of view, Mark Williams, we would

:20:35. > :20:40.love to see him do well but he is up against Mark Selby so there are a

:20:41. > :20:44.lot of good matches. Some good matches, Mark Selby, Mark Williams,

:20:45. > :20:50.Michael White, hoping to defeat defending champion John Higgins. It

:20:51. > :20:55.was looking good around or two ago, you had four or five players but

:20:56. > :21:00.many of them lost close matches. While Sabine waiting for someone to

:21:01. > :21:04.come through since Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens and Ryan Day has

:21:05. > :21:08.been knocking on the door. As have Michael White and a couple of

:21:09. > :21:16.others. I am sure it will happen sooner or later. Wales hoping this

:21:17. > :21:20.will be the year, enjoy your rest before the quarterfinal tomorrow.

:21:21. > :21:23.Hoping to join Neil Robertson and Ben Woollaston in the quarterfinals

:21:24. > :21:27.is a certain Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has been captivating the crowds in

:21:28. > :21:33.Cardiff this week with the quality of his snooker but as we also know,

:21:34. > :21:39.never short of a word or two either. Every match I am not worrying how I

:21:40. > :21:44.play, but how I can mentally stay in the right place. Not get down on

:21:45. > :21:48.myself and keep playing the right shots and stay and do a professional

:21:49. > :21:52.job. That is the battle for me and has been for the last four or five

:21:53. > :21:57.years. The playing part is brother be the bit that comes easily to me.

:21:58. > :22:02.It is managing it really which is the hardest part. Trying to fill

:22:03. > :22:06.your day up. An event like this, you would prefer the PTC way you might

:22:07. > :22:11.play a couple of matches in a day and get on a roll and you win three

:22:12. > :22:17.matches and you are in the last extreme. Here, it is one match seven

:22:18. > :22:23.days, 120 players, it just seems too long. The quarters always has a nice

:22:24. > :22:28.ring to it, the last eight players you feel you are into the event. The

:22:29. > :22:34.last 16 is still early stages of an event. If I can get through my next

:22:35. > :22:43.match, you can believe you have a chance of winning the event. Here is

:22:44. > :22:48.the latest man to stand in front of the Ronnie juggernaut, Yu Delu, the

:22:49. > :22:53.28-year-old who lives in China, turned pro five years ago. 54th in

:22:54. > :22:58.the world and he might look like easy fodder but he has beaten

:22:59. > :23:02.O'Sullivan, two years ago on his way to the quarterfinals of the players

:23:03. > :23:12.championship. The question is, for Yu Delu, how can he try and make

:23:13. > :23:14.sure that he does not follow his predecessors in the previous rounds

:23:15. > :23:20.and stand back and allow O'Sullivan to do what he does? It is all about

:23:21. > :23:25.the Ting Ronnie under it and the only way to do that is get off to a

:23:26. > :23:31.good start. It is imperative he gets off to a good start. I commentated

:23:32. > :23:35.on his first match against Barry Pinches, it was 1-1 and it looked

:23:36. > :23:39.like it could go to-1 for Barry Pinches and Ronnie looked

:23:40. > :23:44.disinterested but he took the frame. From that minute on, he has played

:23:45. > :23:47.unbelievable snooker. No one yet has had a good start against him with

:23:48. > :23:54.their first opportunity and made it count. If Yu Delu wants any chance,

:23:55. > :24:00.he has to get off to a good start. So you have to try and at that first

:24:01. > :24:04.frame? Ronnie, I have never seen him as positive, he is happy with life

:24:05. > :24:09.at the minute, happy with everything. He is trying to blast

:24:10. > :24:14.everybody off the table and at the moment it is working. For Yu Delu to

:24:15. > :24:19.have any chance, he will need a good start. The body language, the

:24:20. > :24:22.swagger and style with which Ronnie O'Sullivan has dispatched the last

:24:23. > :24:27.two players has been impressive. Here he comes for his last 16 match

:24:28. > :24:33.against Yu Delu, let us find out whether Ronnie continues as he has

:24:34. > :24:37.been doing or if we will see a shock this afternoon. Let us join the

:24:38. > :24:44.commentary team, Terry Griffiths and Willie Thorne.

:24:45. > :24:55.COMMENTATOR: Yu Delu has a big task in front of him, he will be aware of

:24:56. > :25:00.that. He has beaten O'Sullivan. You just feel that Ronnie O'Sullivan has

:25:01. > :25:12.played so well in this Welsh Open that it will be difficult to beat

:25:13. > :25:19.him. Ronnie O'Sullivan to break in the opening frame. The left-handed

:25:20. > :25:26.break, it is what Ronnie O'Sullivan has been doing for many years. Also

:25:27. > :25:39.a wonderful player left-handed. Not fair, is it?

:25:40. > :25:50.I have never commentated on Yu Delu before, it will be an interesting

:25:51. > :25:55.that, they have played twice, both work for -3. Anyone who has beaten

:25:56. > :26:04.Ronnie O'Sullivan, he must be a good player. First time on this table for

:26:05. > :26:08.Yu Delu and Ronnie has played on it three times, that is a big advantage

:26:09. > :26:12.but that is what you get when you one of the better players in the

:26:13. > :26:20.game, he is not number one at the moment, Mark Selby is. The main

:26:21. > :26:31.arena is absolutely packed again. Two tables we are down to now. The

:26:32. > :26:35.second half of the first match and the last two matches that Ronnie

:26:36. > :26:37.O'Sullivan has played have been absolutely vintage. You just cannot

:26:38. > :26:53.see any better than that. I saw a match with Yu Delu up in

:26:54. > :26:57.Preston for the PTC final when he beat O'Sullivan 4-3. Barry Hawkins

:26:58. > :27:55.is here. Took a little bit of a chance the,

:27:56. > :28:02.he could have landed on these reds. Always gets into the reds with his

:28:03. > :28:06.first possible chance. As Willie Thorne always is, he wants to win

:28:07. > :28:10.this frame at this is it, that is right. I think all the players are a

:28:11. > :28:15.bit reluctant to do that, they seem to be careful all the time. I don't

:28:16. > :28:20.blame them either way but this must be the better way, Selby, Shaun

:28:21. > :28:29.Murphy, they get them open as quickly as possible.

:28:30. > :28:35.You can see the example here, he has gone too far on the blue but it is

:28:36. > :28:39.still available into the middle pocket. There must be another loose

:28:40. > :28:49.read somewhere, perhaps the one on the back cushion. That is the one he

:28:50. > :28:53.is trying to get on. Did not get the desired spin. That is a bonus, has

:28:54. > :29:14.won into the yellow pocket, did not play this one.

:29:15. > :30:05.That is unusual, the first poor safety shot I have seen Ronnie

:30:06. > :30:08.playing three and a half matches. That is the first loose shot he has

:30:09. > :30:27.played in the last three matches. It comes as a bit of a shock when he

:30:28. > :30:32.misses a pop. -- a pot. We both know how difficult it is when you are out

:30:33. > :30:39.there. We can't expect Ronnie to play perfectly all the time. There

:30:40. > :30:43.will never be a game that's perfect, I can tell you now, but he is as

:30:44. > :30:49.close as anyone to achieving it, I must say. Blessed with a skill from

:30:50. > :30:56.somebody above, that is my feeling on him. He is very special.

:30:57. > :31:02.Hasn't got the most orthodox cue action, but I don't think it makes

:31:03. > :31:11.any difference with him. A pretty high percentage of the

:31:12. > :31:18.professional players he could beat with his left hand. He played a

:31:19. > :31:28.left-handed match once against Peter Ebdon. Yes, he beat Ebdon and then

:31:29. > :31:36.played Stephen Hendry in the final and beat him playing 70% left-handed

:31:37. > :31:40.and 30% right-handed. But those are two shots he has missed already that

:31:41. > :31:46.he didn't in the first few matches. I am sure the crowd are pretty

:31:47. > :31:51.stunned. More importantly what is Ronnie O'Sullivan thinking? He's

:31:52. > :32:03.coming out here with expectations, with his form. I wonder what is

:32:04. > :32:19.going through his mind at the moment.

:32:20. > :32:25.All these Chinese players are blessed with a wonderful

:32:26. > :32:34.temperament. You never really know if they are behind or in front at

:32:35. > :32:43.any stage. He has had a lot of good wins. Not going to win the game from

:32:44. > :32:46.the blue only so needs to get the pink back into play. The black will

:32:47. > :32:51.be out of play for the rest of the frame, needs to go into these reds

:32:52. > :33:12.to get the pink interplay. It needs to be sooner, rather than later.

:33:13. > :33:23.Very surprised he has taken this red one. -- on that. Answers on a

:33:24. > :33:27.postcard, what he was expecting to hit a fair!

:33:28. > :33:39.He screwed back for the blue, just didn't catch it that well. He's a

:33:40. > :33:42.very good potter and quite an aggressive player. His highest

:33:43. > :33:48.ranking has been 46, so he hasn't set the world alight, but he has had

:33:49. > :33:50.some good victories, as you mentioned. I think he is around 54

:33:51. > :34:14.at the moment. Ronnie O'Sullivan said he is a

:34:15. > :34:18.little bit bored on tour after the first few rounds. The amount of time

:34:19. > :34:33.you spend away from the table can be difficult.

:34:34. > :34:43.He has had a couple of great chances from the reds to get to the pink.

:34:44. > :34:46.OK, he is back in the frame but the two red balls on the cushion are

:34:47. > :35:14.virtually impossible to get back to the blue from.

:35:15. > :35:21.Excellent pot as you can see, as you can see from the stats, only one

:35:22. > :35:29.century break this season. That tells me he is not great around the

:35:30. > :35:55.black spot area. Definitely got the blue at the moment.

:35:56. > :36:04.This is what I mean, how difficult it gets, trying get a deep screw to

:36:05. > :36:08.get onto the pink, otherwise will have to settle for the blue. Hard

:36:09. > :37:22.work, this, isn't it? This has been all blues and one

:37:23. > :37:28.yellow to keep the break going. The here where can get onto the red and

:37:29. > :37:36.he has decided to play a safety shot. A containing safety. 21 points

:37:37. > :37:40.in front, a good effort there. Felt there was no value in potting the

:37:41. > :38:47.blue that time, but if you're going to play the blue, put it safe.

:38:48. > :39:15.Not so easy to play after red behind the black spot, so going for the red

:39:16. > :39:22.that is in play. This safety shot is not guaranteed.

:39:23. > :40:02.And that hasn't. One good pot from Ronnie here and he can get back into

:40:03. > :40:04.this frame. Only 21 points behind, but where the balls are at the

:40:05. > :40:31.moment, that will take some catching up to do.

:40:32. > :40:55.Well done. A little bit better. Miss hit a few shots, or perhaps mistimed

:40:56. > :41:01.a few shots in this first frame. There is another one.

:41:02. > :41:08.He may still take it on but there is not a lot of value with the green

:41:09. > :41:13.and brown being tight on that cushion.

:41:14. > :42:11.That is an excellent safety shot especially as the green or brown

:42:12. > :42:14.will bound to be brought into play. That has put Ronnie O'Sullivan right

:42:15. > :42:45.back into this frame. No green, as it is on the cushion,

:42:46. > :42:51.but the brown is in play. Almost a shock when Ronnie misses a wall at

:42:52. > :43:09.the moment. It would be fair to say he is not in play yet. -- when

:43:10. > :43:13.Ronnie misses a ball. REFEREE: Foul. Fair play. Ronnie O'Sullivan nodded

:43:14. > :43:31.his play to say it wasn't. Very good of him.

:43:32. > :43:39.Colours are not as badly placed as they were a little earlier on. But

:43:40. > :43:47.not quite happening at the moment for Ronnie O'Sullivan. We don't want

:43:48. > :43:51.to be critical of him, but put compare him to how he has been so

:43:52. > :43:59.far in this Welsh Open, he has been brilliant. It looks like he had a

:44:00. > :44:08.little twinge in his back as he left the table. Looks like neither player

:44:09. > :44:17.wants to take this opening frame. Ronnie got down off the table very

:44:18. > :44:22.gingerly, after that shot. Apparently a cameraman heard him

:44:23. > :44:27.say, oh, my back. I hope he has an injured himself. There he is when he

:44:28. > :44:36.gets up, a little grimace. He has had back problems over the years,

:44:37. > :44:43.and also a bad leg. Well, he has openly stated recently he's not

:44:44. > :44:47.feeling comfortable. When he won the Masters he said he wasn't

:44:48. > :44:57.comfortable going down on the shot because of that problems. -- back

:44:58. > :44:59.problems. Neck and back are very common, of course, with snooker

:45:00. > :45:30.players. Now Ronnie couldn't see a path to

:45:31. > :45:32.get up to the green after playing for yellow. He has played a good

:45:33. > :45:49.safety. I think the way this frame has gone

:45:50. > :45:54.so far, it is really important to win this opening frame. Ronnie is a

:45:55. > :45:58.bit out of sorts at the moment. If he wins frames when he is not

:45:59. > :46:03.playing well, you are in trouble. So he needs to win this frame. How did

:46:04. > :46:57.he miss that one? He has left it on. As it turns out, he has missed it

:46:58. > :47:31.but the brown has gone say. -- safe. Didn't quite get behind the brown of

:47:32. > :47:47.the cushion, to go down through the middle of that. The brown, for the

:47:48. > :47:54.frame. Hello... Oooh. Look at the brown, you couldn't have stopped in

:47:55. > :47:56.a worse place. You have to pot the brown when you are playing the likes

:47:57. > :48:12.of these players, especially Ronnie. How much angle has he got here? Not

:48:13. > :48:15.a lot, I don't think. He can move the white about, screwed back with

:48:16. > :48:37.side here. He made that look easy. Yes, sure. Well, people could say he

:48:38. > :48:42.will be lucky if he wins this frame. The truth of it is, he's earned the

:48:43. > :48:47.right for people to be intimidated against him. That is what happens.

:48:48. > :48:53.That is why Yu De Lu has been missing the winning balls in this

:48:54. > :49:09.frame. He is not going to miss these. They either go in, or they

:49:10. > :49:17.don't. Such a great player at closing out frames. A re-spotted

:49:18. > :49:22.black. I think the first one of the tournament, I don't remember another

:49:23. > :49:30.one. There are about 40 on the outside tables, Willie, but you

:49:31. > :49:40.wouldn't notice them! Ronnie O'Sullivan... I think has lost the

:49:41. > :49:46.toss, but Yu De Lu has put Ronnie Inter break -- into break. Most

:49:47. > :49:50.players now just put it into the side cushion, that is what Ronnie

:49:51. > :49:56.has done. It does leave the option for a double and I think where the

:49:57. > :49:58.black was, he would take it on. He needed the black to be afoot to the

:49:59. > :50:21.right, so that the double wasn't on. Hello. What a way to win the frame!

:50:22. > :50:27.What a fluke. But they all count. Yu De Lu finally winds the first frame

:50:28. > :50:32.against Ronnie O'Sullivan. -- wins. Ronnie O'Sullivan with a blow of the

:50:33. > :50:36.cheeks. The site is smile playing on the face of Yu De Lu. I think we

:50:37. > :50:41.have found someone at last won't let Ronnie have it all his own way. He

:50:42. > :50:45.nearly did. He had a couple of opportunities in that frame to put

:50:46. > :50:49.it out of Ronnie's reach and he missed a couple of balls he should

:50:50. > :50:57.have got. As Kerry said, when you get a chance against Ronnie to put

:50:58. > :51:00.the frame a way, you need to do it. That is great for Yu De Lu, because

:51:01. > :51:04.if he had lost that frame he would be thinking about it. No matter how

:51:05. > :51:08.much you say you are going to forget about those shots, he would have

:51:09. > :51:13.known he was a first person to take a lead against him and put him under

:51:14. > :51:20.pressure. What a way to do it. Yu De Lu taking this first frame. Playing

:51:21. > :51:26.for double and he caught the knuckle, so he has missed the double

:51:27. > :51:31.by a long way, then it checked back off the knuckle into the middle. He

:51:32. > :51:34.will be very relieved. I am sure Ronnie had a little wry smile to

:51:35. > :51:40.insult. He won't be too bothered at the minute. He missed a couple of

:51:41. > :51:45.balls in that first frame he probably hasn't missed all

:51:46. > :51:50.tournament. He looks calm and composed and very happy out there. I

:51:51. > :51:54.think that is one of the great strengths of the Chinese. They are

:51:55. > :51:59.very hard-working. They worked very hard at their games. I think they

:52:00. > :52:02.all have that attitude, they never seem to show much expression on

:52:03. > :52:08.their faces. It's like it's drilled into them, don't give your opponents

:52:09. > :52:12.only added advantage whatsoever. A slightly different story developing.

:52:13. > :52:18.We can go back with O'Sullivan trailing 1-0.

:52:19. > :52:22.The second frame he has lost in this tournament, he lost one to Barry

:52:23. > :52:28.Pinches. He should have lost another in that match. The black is

:52:29. > :52:36.available here, if he wants to play the slow drag.

:52:37. > :52:50.Oh dear. I'm surprised he played that with top spin Terry. You can

:52:51. > :52:55.have a lot more control if you drag those in.

:52:56. > :53:02.Will we get the former Ronnie O'Sullivan has been showing from a

:53:03. > :53:05.position like this? If this had been yesterday you would say he would

:53:06. > :53:12.make a sizeable break from this position, but until he settles, I'm

:53:13. > :53:14.not too sure at the moment. I wouldn't bet against it, at any

:53:15. > :53:52.time. I mentioned earlier he has been

:53:53. > :53:56.blessed with a wonderful skill to play this game, but he still has to

:53:57. > :54:04.work very hard on his game. As you mentioned, he gets a bit bored at

:54:05. > :54:10.venues over long periods of time. He has only been here three or four

:54:11. > :54:11.days, but there is a lot of time to fill. Especially when you play

:54:12. > :54:29.matches as quickly as he does! Raise Didn't quite bring them out, but

:54:30. > :54:37.still on the red. A lot of players would have just been playing a stun

:54:38. > :54:41.shot. He always tries to bring balls into play. Just when there's no

:54:42. > :54:48.pressure, when you are bound to be on the other red. This pack is still

:54:49. > :54:58.not great, as far as balls being available, so he will have to do a

:54:59. > :55:04.bit of work with the cue ball. Maybe he has decided to play for the pink.

:55:05. > :55:11.It depends on what he thinks is about the next shot to open the

:55:12. > :55:17.reds. Very close to the blue with the rest.

:55:18. > :55:23.Now, three reds just above the black, he might be better off

:55:24. > :55:28.hitting the left-hand one of the three.

:55:29. > :55:41.That tells me the bottom red pots. Wasn't aware that potted. One in the

:55:42. > :55:45.middle of the pack, as well, so that was a clever shot from Ronnie.

:55:46. > :55:55.Couldn't tell from the commentary position that it was available.

:55:56. > :56:01.Now for the first time in this match he has the balls in a position where

:56:02. > :56:47.we would expect him to win the frame.

:56:48. > :56:55.This is like when you get a bit of interference on the television and

:56:56. > :56:56.it says, normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. I think

:56:57. > :57:18.this is normal service now. He does it so quickly, Terry. In the

:57:19. > :57:28.blink of an eye he has the frame won.

:57:29. > :57:38.Yu De Lu had an excellent first red right over the pocket and failed to

:57:39. > :57:40.plot it. That is the result. It could have been his, the way the

:57:41. > :58:02.balls were spread. 813, I think he is an at this moment

:58:03. > :58:14.in time, maybe 114. The. Maybe not now, though.

:58:15. > :58:20.What a shame, it was sure to be a century of that went in. Ronnie

:58:21. > :58:22.O'Sullivan looked better in that frame, he missed a couple but still

:58:23. > :59:52.better. Ronnie O'Sullivan levels. The way he is playing up and down,

:59:53. > :59:57.he thinks the cushion is bouncing a little bit, the cue ball mainly,

:59:58. > :00:01.likely not the right size. He is walking down and having a look at

:00:02. > :00:09.the cushion with the referee. He is not happy but there is nothing wrong

:00:10. > :00:15.with the 90 he hit. That was not too shabby. Picking up some fluff off

:00:16. > :00:20.the table. Let us go and have a bit of a break but not happy with how it

:00:21. > :00:27.is running off the cushion. As you said, not a bad way to respond to

:00:28. > :00:30.going a frame down? Yu Delu will be disappointed because Ronnie gave him

:00:31. > :00:36.an easy opportunity at the start of that second frame into the corner

:00:37. > :00:39.pocket. He tried a slow roll and hit it full ball rather than half-ball

:00:40. > :00:47.contact and it allowed Ronnie and easy starter. As was said, normal

:00:48. > :00:51.service has been restored. He is back out, we will see if he is happy

:00:52. > :00:57.with the table and the cushion now as he breaks off in the third frame.

:00:58. > :01:06.COMMENTATOR: Left-handed again. Ronnie O'Sullivan feels more

:01:07. > :01:16.comfortable breaking off left-handed. I think what he was

:01:17. > :01:20.asking the referee to do was seen the White properly, you might have

:01:21. > :01:28.felt there were some grease on it, I would like to clean it with a damp

:01:29. > :01:45.cloth, we will see if Ronnie feels more comfortable in this frame. The

:01:46. > :01:51.referee is pretty good. Could be easily intimidated by someone like

:01:52. > :01:55.O'Sullivan. We have a good set of referees, quite a few are coming

:01:56. > :02:28.from Europe these days which is nice to see.

:02:29. > :02:55.He looks like he is back in sync at the moment.

:02:56. > :03:02.It is difficult for him to steam-roll everybody in this

:03:03. > :03:08.tournament but he certainly has the capability to do so, even against

:03:09. > :03:11.the very best. He is number five in the world at the moment, Ronnie, he

:03:12. > :03:17.is not playing in as many tournaments of course. If he stays

:03:18. > :03:24.in the top eight, he will be happy enough because then you do not face

:03:25. > :03:31.the top players in the early rounds. Every time he plays in attack mode,

:03:32. > :03:35.he seems to get into the balls and gets the reds moving better than

:03:36. > :04:44.most. Straightaway you think he will win the frame from this visit.

:04:45. > :05:37.Another exhibition of positional play from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:05:38. > :05:43.Once again, after three and a half minutes of play, he has the balls in

:05:44. > :05:50.a frame-winning position and that is now a reality. Didn't get a century

:05:51. > :05:54.in the previous frame, unlucky not to. The crowd would love to see one

:05:55. > :06:26.in this. He has just gone far enough to take

:06:27. > :06:46.this read on in the centre so the century is still on.

:06:47. > :06:55.Yellow will be playing for both red tape, cannot get perfect position so

:06:56. > :07:04.we want come round the back and look at them in the corner pocket. An

:07:05. > :07:20.excellent shot. Very good. He is so quick, seems to hit the

:07:21. > :07:26.ball and it seems to land exactly where he wants it to. Like he is not

:07:27. > :07:35.making much of an effort which isn't great if you are his opponent, I

:07:36. > :07:42.must admit. This will be his sixth century of the tournament. Didn't

:07:43. > :08:33.see him missing that. Skill and excitement of the very

:08:34. > :08:41.highest level. Wonderful to watch. They'd have to bring in a rule to

:08:42. > :08:46.slow Ronnie O'Sullivan down. That is how it is done. Absolutely

:08:47. > :08:54.wonderful. Ronnie O'Sullivan leads to-1. There was a key point in that

:08:55. > :08:58.break, when players get on the half ball blew to break up the reds in

:08:59. > :09:02.play, it is not the case of just hitting the ball. There is a way of

:09:03. > :09:06.playing this, you want to hit the pink full ball but also the pace,

:09:07. > :09:11.look at the pace he plays this as, he does not play it ridiculously

:09:12. > :09:14.hard like some players do, he plays it on a position on the pink where

:09:15. > :09:20.he knows he will manoeuvre the reds into position and they just spread

:09:21. > :09:23.perfectly and he went on to make an exceptional break of 132. You always

:09:24. > :09:27.look at how he will bring more reds into play, some will whack into the

:09:28. > :09:33.pink, it is a case of sometimes hitting it half ball on one side or

:09:34. > :09:39.the other, or hitting it full in the face. He has such a quick mind. You

:09:40. > :09:43.are one of the game 's great coaches, if not the best, do you

:09:44. > :09:55.think your first site is always the one. When he looks first sight, he

:09:56. > :09:59.picks that side. Your first site is the one, very much so. You are right

:10:00. > :10:05.in what you are saying, what we seek straightaway. Mark Williams said

:10:06. > :10:10.that after his game yesterday, he said all he has been doing is go

:10:11. > :10:14.down, sighting and hitting straightaway, no pause or thinking

:10:15. > :10:20.of anything. I think sometimes players look for problems, wondering

:10:21. > :10:27.if they do this or that, interesting to see what Mark and Ronnie do. Yu

:10:28. > :10:31.Delu breaking off in a situation where he needs to slow Ronnie down,

:10:32. > :10:36.it is hard to do the way he is playing at the moment, 96 and 132,

:10:37. > :12:03.he has to put a stop to this, has to play a good safety.

:12:04. > :12:09.It is a tempter, a choice of red Sea can play for, I am not too sure if

:12:10. > :12:22.he fancies putting this. Oh, if you are going to play those,

:12:23. > :12:27.you need to play them as a shock to nothing until you get your IM, he

:12:28. > :12:33.has been off the table now for 50 minutes without scoring a point. You

:12:34. > :12:38.cannot present O'Sullivan chances. -- 15 minutes. What was noticeable

:12:39. > :12:42.is that he took a lot longer on that shot. He is quite a quick player,

:12:43. > :12:46.you are almost forced to do that because he has not had any table

:12:47. > :12:52.time for a while and the shot becomes so important you take a lot

:12:53. > :12:57.longer, lose your rhythm and miss the pot. It is very common when you

:12:58. > :13:02.are playing like that. A lot of players do it, you do not see a

:13:03. > :13:06.O'Sullivan taking long obviously. He knows the reds either side of the

:13:07. > :13:11.black of the problem balls, so he was to get rid of them straightaway.

:13:12. > :13:15.That is clear thinking all the time, always trying to make things happen,

:13:16. > :13:19.it may not have worked this time. Very disappointed as you can see

:13:20. > :13:22.from his expression but a lot of players would have taken the blue

:13:23. > :13:26.and cannoned into the pink but the nosy has the balls in position and

:13:27. > :13:29.does not want to risk knocking the reds safe. Yu Delu has not been

:13:30. > :14:22.punished this time. I am not too sure Ronnie can get to

:14:23. > :14:32.the potting angle for the red pass the blue. Is he thinking of playing

:14:33. > :14:36.it in the middle? He was. Still developed it into a shop to nothing.

:14:37. > :14:42.Not a lot of room to get around there. Look at the path the cue ball

:14:43. > :14:45.takes. This is an amazing shot, watched the cue ball. That is as

:14:46. > :15:44.played. He is getting closer and closer with

:15:45. > :15:53.those, should be put in trouble here with safety shot. Ronnie is in

:15:54. > :16:00.trouble if he cannot see the one to the right of the pink, it it would

:16:01. > :16:14.not be easy to get back into baulk. Can he hit the red that is nearest

:16:15. > :16:27.the black? He can. This is close. Unlucky. No good is it? Much too

:16:28. > :16:33.hard. A horrible shot when you hit across the reds like that. He played

:16:34. > :16:46.it very well. Another half chance, I think this read goes. Very good. He

:16:47. > :16:52.deserved to get on one of those colours, unlucky there, couldn't

:16:53. > :17:16.have played that shot any better. Clean as a whistle.

:17:17. > :17:22.Ronnie may be forced to play the one tight on the cushion, I am not sure

:17:23. > :17:35.if he wants to get one on the back caution but the one on the cushion

:17:36. > :18:02.is not a bad result. Good hit but he has left a tempter.

:18:03. > :18:11.Wow, that was tight. Could not have got much closer. These pockets not

:18:12. > :18:29.taking them dead centre at pace anyway. I think Ronnie has read the

:18:30. > :18:37.centre. He has played for the black. He would have left a read on. I

:18:38. > :18:44.can't even tell you how shot -- hard that shot is, it does not seem to

:18:45. > :18:49.make any difference to him. And he had to manoeuvre the White, he had

:18:50. > :18:53.to play it hard to widen the angle. At that speed, we saw how tough the

:18:54. > :19:05.pockets are when Yu Delu played the one on the back caution. Had to

:19:06. > :19:14.force the angle, he had to play it to widen the angle. Yu Delu has not

:19:15. > :19:38.scored a point now for quite some time.

:19:39. > :19:45.Did not score a point in the previous two friends, only one point

:19:46. > :20:06.in this frame where he parted the red but missed the colour.

:20:07. > :20:13.When you consider he should have had a century in frame to, 96, he had a

:20:14. > :20:15.century in the third frame, every chance he is going to get close to a

:20:16. > :21:16.century in this. He will feel the cue ball stayed

:21:17. > :21:29.this side of the blue, this has made it slightly missable. Especially

:21:30. > :21:33.when he is having to reach. Here has got some unusual as an, so the

:21:34. > :21:52.carpet is a bit slippy. Took one red of the cushion but put

:21:53. > :22:27.another one on. He needs another red after this to make the frame safe.

:22:28. > :22:36.Interesting to see how Ronnie deals with the cushions -- reds on the

:22:37. > :22:44.side-cushion. It will be interesting to see if he tries to move the red

:22:45. > :22:50.in couple of shots time. All of course he could leave a double on

:22:51. > :22:53.that red. Might make a century with the rest now. Try something

:22:54. > :23:08.different. What a shame but once again it is a

:23:09. > :23:09.sizeable break, Yu Delu stays in his chair, Ronnie O'Sullivan still on a

:23:10. > :23:22.roll, leading 3-1. Ronnie certainly back in the groove,

:23:23. > :23:28.rattling that frame to go in front. Let us take our eyes away for a

:23:29. > :23:31.moment. Terrific news for Welsh snooker, Michael White, the

:23:32. > :23:37.24-year-old from Neath in South Wales has knocked out the defending

:23:38. > :23:42.champion John Higgins, a 4-1 win, a player 16 years his junior, sees

:23:43. > :23:45.Michael White into the quarterfinals, a wonderful win for

:23:46. > :23:50.the Welshman, throwing down the gauntlet to Mark Williams before he

:23:51. > :23:57.faces Mark Selby later on, the Welsh number one. A real landmark result

:23:58. > :24:00.for Michael White. He has aways been a terrific player, a lot of success

:24:01. > :24:08.last year, winning the one frame shoot out and then went on to win

:24:09. > :24:13.his first maiden ranking tournament. Youngest ever junior world champion.

:24:14. > :24:18.Until someone from China broke it last year. It is great he is doing

:24:19. > :24:23.it on home soil and showing everyone how good he is. Never threw to the

:24:24. > :24:29.last 16 before but he will play the winner of Barry Hawkins and Mark

:24:30. > :24:34.Allen. The match that takes place later on an table two. This came

:24:35. > :24:39.here as Ronnie returns to the arena, one frame away from victory. He is

:24:40. > :24:44.back in total control, in the first game he looked edgy, missed a couple

:24:45. > :24:50.he had not been missing and Yu Delu took his chances and had a bit of

:24:51. > :24:54.luck at the end. It has all gone downhill for Yu Delu since missing

:24:55. > :24:59.the red in the second frame, Ronnie now back in full swing. The swagger

:25:00. > :25:10.is back, a 3-1 lead for Ronnie O'Sullivan now.

:25:11. > :25:20.COMMENTATOR: It is harder now for this young man, he has had very

:25:21. > :25:26.little table time and the chances he has had, he has not made the most of

:25:27. > :25:29.them. And when you are struggling at there, the worst opponent you could

:25:30. > :25:32.possibly have is Ronnie O'Sullivan, who makes everything look so easy on

:25:33. > :26:30.the table. Nicely played. I don't think he was

:26:31. > :26:35.trying to get the black off the spot. A good judgment of pace on

:26:36. > :27:07.that safety shot. And a good reply. He seems to be taking a lot more

:27:08. > :27:11.interest in his safety play now. In his previous match, he spent time

:27:12. > :27:16.working with the great rewritten and Ray Rudin was saying that you should

:27:17. > :27:20.enjoy the safety as much as break-building, it is another part

:27:21. > :27:22.of the challenge. I think that is what he is doing at the moment,

:27:23. > :27:49.enjoying every part of the game. These are very tough, he is hitting

:27:50. > :27:57.it very thin. Nothing wrong with his mince pies. Just a fraction too

:27:58. > :28:26.hard. An excellent bout of safety, Yu Delu

:28:27. > :28:36.competing in this little exchange. Ronnie O'Sullivan faced with either

:28:37. > :28:42.a pot or a good safety shot. Safety success is pretty close at the

:28:43. > :28:50.moment. Obviously Yu Delu is 88 but Ronnie has been knocking the long

:28:51. > :28:57.ones in, 85. That looks to be a telling safety shot. He'll have to

:28:58. > :29:09.take this on and try and get on the blue or a baulk colour. Played the

:29:10. > :29:10.thin one. That is a result as well, it is interesting, very good

:29:11. > :29:39.exchange. Ronnie saying that the ball was

:29:40. > :30:29.bouncing off the cushion, asking it to be cleaned.

:30:30. > :30:39.Very seldom catch those shots when you come across the ball in safety.

:30:40. > :30:46.You can never catch them too thin, always thick, as it turned out,

:30:47. > :31:07.O'Sullivan has got the red safe anyway.

:31:08. > :31:14.That's a bit better. Good length and covered the reds on the right-hand

:31:15. > :31:23.side of the table. Just got to be careful he doesn't

:31:24. > :31:33.catch the black on the way back down to baulk.

:31:34. > :32:01.Might be a plant on Mayor. -- on there. There was. Wanted that kiss

:32:02. > :32:08.on the black because he is guaranteed to be on the yellow.

:32:09. > :32:12.Nothing easier to pot and certainly not easy to get position either.

:32:13. > :32:30.Just have to be a safety shot here. A bit reluctant to play a safety

:32:31. > :32:36.shot, Ronnie, but Uefa chances in this game. He is playing it, it is

:32:37. > :32:48.the right shot. -- but few and far chances. Snookered him from the

:32:49. > :32:55.reds, unless he can get past the black to the red on the extreme

:32:56. > :32:58.left. I don't think he can. It might push it towards the pocket, doesn't

:32:59. > :33:05.have to do anything towards the cue ball. Bringing the yellow right back

:33:06. > :33:07.up this end as well. I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to put it up to

:33:08. > :33:14.the corner. Can't really play these two

:33:15. > :33:26.cushions. Got to be careful playing into the

:33:27. > :34:28.bunch. Well done. Good shot. Just having a look at any of the

:34:29. > :34:36.reds on the top cushion that can come past the yellow. It has come

:34:37. > :35:03.out far enough, he has left the red on.

:35:04. > :35:14.Plenty of room for the black to go back on its spot if he gets to that

:35:15. > :35:20.stage. Ronnie is always looking for those things. Once again dislodging

:35:21. > :35:29.reds when others would have just played for a single word. -- single

:35:30. > :35:39.red. It can go wrong, but O'Sullivan is one of the expats. Stephen Hendry

:35:40. > :35:48.was another one. Go into the pack and spread the ball is about. The

:35:49. > :35:55.black going back onto its own spot and available into both corner

:35:56. > :36:07.pockets. The pink is in play nicely, so might take a couple of pinks and

:36:08. > :36:14.open the black up into both pockets. This is looking very much like the

:36:15. > :36:22.end for Yu Delu. Did not look like a lot of danger when Ronnie tried to

:36:23. > :36:26.drop on one of those reds but just flicked one and half an inch would

:36:27. > :36:36.have made a difference. Although it wasn't a great opportunity, it looks

:36:37. > :36:44.like it could be the end of it. Quite a bit of work to do. Ronnie

:36:45. > :36:50.has to be careful with his position, because he has to be low on the

:36:51. > :36:58.black to pot it. If you get the bottom read of these two, he is

:36:59. > :37:04.opening it now. Developing it into the right-hand corner.

:37:05. > :37:10.Now he is getting the benefit of that case he played when he went

:37:11. > :37:20.into the reds and cleared out the pink spot. He is the expert that

:37:21. > :37:25.those things. Once again, it has been a masterclass of brick

:37:26. > :37:34.building. 26 as we speak but lots more coming, he has not given Lu the

:37:35. > :37:40.chance. Having won the frame with the easy one in the corner pocket,

:37:41. > :37:46.he decided to play it with top spin, which makes it difficult. Might have

:37:47. > :37:51.scored heavily in that frame, but since then he has been sat in the

:37:52. > :38:01.chair. Will he pay the that back played a plant? For a second he

:38:02. > :38:09.thought the red had gone in the way but as you can see clearly, it's

:38:10. > :38:11.not. This Welsh crowd have been enthralled with what Ronnie has done

:38:12. > :38:22.in the last three and a half days. That is considering he made a 40

:38:23. > :38:42.brick in the first. Trying to bring them all into play

:38:43. > :38:58.and he has done that with one shot, brought all four reds into play.

:38:59. > :39:09.Just caught the new knuckle. But he has done enough, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:39:10. > :39:10.Lost the first frame but his performance was top class today and

:39:11. > :39:24.he beats Lu 4-1. Looked as if Yu Delu would put up a

:39:25. > :39:29.stiff challenge for Ronnie this afternoon but in the end, as they

:39:30. > :39:31.were singing commentary, normal service was resumed and Ronnie

:39:32. > :39:38.O'Sullivan goes through to the quarterfinals with that 4-1 victory.

:39:39. > :39:41.It was a kind of a tougher challenge for Ronnie at the start but when he

:39:42. > :39:45.got into the groove we saw pretty much the same thing we have seen in

:39:46. > :39:56.the second of the runs. The first frame Ronnie missed a couple -- the

:39:57. > :40:01.first and second rounds. He followed it with a century and a couple of

:40:02. > :40:07.other bricks and made 70 at the end, just a masterclass from him. I

:40:08. > :40:13.thought Yu Delu would give him a better challenge today but as Willie

:40:14. > :40:16.said in the commentary box, that was Yu Delu's first team on the man's

:40:17. > :40:23.table, Ronnie has played three on there, he will -- on the match

:40:24. > :40:26.table. Is it difficult thing under the lights in front of the TV

:40:27. > :40:32.cameras for the first time. Not used to doing it as Ronnie is, it is a

:40:33. > :40:36.factor, do the nerves get to you? Yu Delu would have played on the back

:40:37. > :40:42.tables, qualified out and played on one of the outer tables but he has

:40:43. > :40:46.not played on a match table, no matter what anybody says, it plays

:40:47. > :40:51.different to the rest of the tables. Why that is, I don't know. Maybe

:40:52. > :40:56.because the cameras are on it, the TV lights, but it does play a little

:40:57. > :41:03.bit differently. The latest addition to the quarterfinal line-up. Well

:41:04. > :41:07.done. You said you wanted a tougher test, do you think you got it today

:41:08. > :41:13.to an extent? Definitely. Yu Delu is a brilliant player, we practice in

:41:14. > :41:18.the same place and beat me last time we played and I didn't play that, I

:41:19. > :41:26.was a bit nervous at the start because I might have given him too

:41:27. > :41:31.much respect and I just had to find something, Mr the red over the hole

:41:32. > :41:38.and I got of the -- bit of momentum going. It was OK in the end, good

:41:39. > :41:42.safety, that last one, it is OK making earning frames of a tease and

:41:43. > :41:47.100s but you will not make 100 every frame, you have to compete in other

:41:48. > :41:54.areas as well, that is more important to win those frames. You

:41:55. > :42:00.got 131 yesterday, 132 today, overall, you must be thrilled.

:42:01. > :42:05.Pleased to still be in the tournament. You see John Higgins,

:42:06. > :42:10.the second greatest player that I have seen behind Stephen Hendry and

:42:11. > :42:17.not a lot between those two, just got beaten by Michael white, no

:42:18. > :42:25.match is easy here. It takes a top player to have a slightly off day or

:42:26. > :42:28.a top 32, top 48th player to have a brilliant day and you're going home.

:42:29. > :42:34.Just to be in the event is a result these days, if you are playing 12

:42:35. > :42:39.events, if I won one, I have had a good season, get a semifinal, a

:42:40. > :42:46.final, that is what you can hope for because the standard is too good

:42:47. > :42:51.now. White is an amazing player. Talk about Judd Trump, great talent

:42:52. > :42:57.but this kid to me has everything and we will have another world

:42:58. > :43:01.champion soon from Wales. To be a fellow 40-year-old with Ronnie in

:43:02. > :43:06.this stage of the competition to go through to the quarters. That would

:43:07. > :43:12.be a massive result, especially the way that John Higgins is playing

:43:13. > :43:16.this year. He is fearless. Doesn't care who is sitting in the other

:43:17. > :43:25.chair. Please everybody like they are the same, John Higgins, Liang

:43:26. > :43:31.Wen Bo. Years ago he would have made a bigger breakthrough. It takes time

:43:32. > :43:35.to settle down, but Michael is the real deal, he proved that as a

:43:36. > :43:40.15-year-old winning the world Amateur Championship. You won this

:43:41. > :43:44.two visible, do you think you might be on the trophy as you are playing

:43:45. > :43:49.as you wear? Just look at all the players left in the tournament.

:43:50. > :43:53.Whoever wins this tournament, you can put the last eight names in the

:43:54. > :43:59.hat and everybody is even money. This week I am using it as practice

:44:00. > :44:03.for the exhibitions coming up, they are the real fun days, using this

:44:04. > :44:08.practice for the exhibitions rather than the other way around. Using

:44:09. > :44:15.this tournament as practice? If you don't know by now, he is very clever

:44:16. > :44:18.this man. You have to put it into priority with what you enjoy, the

:44:19. > :44:23.exhibitions are great fun, express yourself here is hard, magically, I

:44:24. > :44:27.don't care who you are, this is tough and you are trying so hard but

:44:28. > :44:31.if I can use this as a way to chin up for the other stuff, I good way

:44:32. > :44:36.to look at it other than thinking you have to get a good result. If

:44:37. > :44:40.use think you have to get the result here, you wouldn't because the

:44:41. > :44:45.standard is high. If you won a few matches it is nice. Keep it relaxed

:44:46. > :44:53.and keep it loose. Charlie's restaurant the other night. Top

:44:54. > :45:00.three Chinese in the country. It is amazing. I have been and it is very

:45:01. > :45:04.good. We have done that establishment very well! Ronnie, we

:45:05. > :45:11.will see you in the quarterfinals tomorrow. The last eight line-up are

:45:12. > :45:15.starting to take shape. Next up it is Mark Williams, the Welsh number

:45:16. > :45:16.one up against Mark Selby, so let's get some expert analysis on the

:45:17. > :45:30.world number one. Mark Selby 2014 world champion,

:45:31. > :45:35.three times Masters champion, a formidable match player these days.

:45:36. > :45:41.He is in the mould of John Higgins, taken over, every department of his

:45:42. > :45:50.game is top notch, very difficult to beat, plays a lot of superior

:45:51. > :45:53.tactical shots, very clever player and can score amongst the best in

:45:54. > :45:59.the world as well, it makes a very formidable opponent. As kids, a lot

:46:00. > :46:05.said and written that we are good friends of the table and we came

:46:06. > :46:10.through the juniors together. As a child he was practically as aware as

:46:11. > :46:14.he is now. He practised a lot with Willie Thorne and professionals and

:46:15. > :46:18.learned his trade by getting beaten up by professionals of the time and

:46:19. > :46:22.he learned the right shots from the wrong shots and as a kid he wouldn't

:46:23. > :46:25.play the wrong shot he was with the right tactical shot but couldn't

:46:26. > :46:28.score like we could score at the time and to want his late teens and

:46:29. > :46:34.early life as a professional he learned how to score. Geriatric

:46:35. > :46:37.amongst the balls, precision light, Sergeant Mike, good cue power at the

:46:38. > :46:43.one thing the public picks up on this the movement. The head

:46:44. > :46:47.movement, the swaying backwards and forwards before he plays the shot

:46:48. > :46:52.and people see he is moving his head but it is only before in the

:46:53. > :46:58.build-up. His whole upper body actually moves. As he sways to and

:46:59. > :47:04.fro with the cue. It is something he has worked on but he has an action

:47:05. > :47:12.that repeats and it works and for him to try to completely that now

:47:13. > :47:16.would prove a problem. Looks like he was on a boat when he was younger!

:47:17. > :47:22.His biggest problem is the confidence in himself. Even though

:47:23. > :47:27.he has won so much and been up there and top of the game, I don't think,

:47:28. > :47:30.like some of the other players, he doesn't have the ultimate believe

:47:31. > :47:34.every time he goes out there in himself, which he should do, I

:47:35. > :47:38.wouldn't say he is an overconfident player or person. He is very

:47:39. > :47:46.technically minded, very interested in the Fight Night technique of how

:47:47. > :47:49.to strike the cue ball from his grip pressure, stance, bridge position,

:47:50. > :47:52.how many feathers he has, length of backswing, all of that type of

:47:53. > :47:57.thing, constantly looking for the secret ingredient and if you just

:47:58. > :48:00.sat back a little bit then realised he has achieved everything that he

:48:01. > :48:06.could have ever wanted to, he would be OK.

:48:07. > :48:10.This is how Selby measures up against Mark Williams, Selby the

:48:11. > :48:22.younger man by eight years. Not too much between them in terms

:48:23. > :48:26.of career centuries. This is where Williams's pedigree perhaps dance to

:48:27. > :48:30.shine through, 18 ranking titles compared to Selby's six, two Welsh

:48:31. > :48:33.Open titles for Williams and Williams has beaten Selby nine

:48:34. > :48:42.times. Lets you from the two contenders

:48:43. > :48:51.themselves. Their thoughts on facing each other in this last 16 tie.

:48:52. > :48:58.Going out there expecting more of the people to be supporting Mark

:48:59. > :49:02.Bunn myself because we are in Wales, so I understand that, I just got

:49:03. > :49:03.there on concentrate on my own game and if I play well I will get the

:49:04. > :49:17.win. When you struggle, my first match

:49:18. > :49:26.here, you just want a hole to come and live in it,, a lot of

:49:27. > :49:31.inconsistency with me and has been for a while, but I've accepted that

:49:32. > :49:34.and got to try to get on with the bad ones and enjoy the good ones

:49:35. > :49:43.when they come along because it is not too often. He is not getting any

:49:44. > :49:47.younger and his results, still doing well, getting to the latter stages

:49:48. > :49:52.of tournaments, he will say himself, he is not as good as what he was

:49:53. > :49:54.years ago but the way he is playing in patches, he is more than capable

:49:55. > :50:08.of winning the tournament. Even when I was in my 20s, I loved

:50:09. > :50:13.playing, trying my best. I was better when I was 20 odd but I don't

:50:14. > :50:18.try any less now than I did back then. I have got to know Mark really

:50:19. > :50:27.well and I get on really well with, a good guy and one of great players

:50:28. > :50:34.of the game, to play him in Wales in Cardiff, are fantastic feeling. You

:50:35. > :50:38.are his all-round game, he has got everything. He remains me of myself

:50:39. > :50:49.a little bit when I was coming through. Selby always plays well.

:50:50. > :50:51.Not won determined this year, so every tournament I go into, I have

:50:52. > :51:03.my eye on the trophy. Two men keen together hands on the

:51:04. > :51:08.trophy once again. Darren, I will give you a tenor, who will have your

:51:09. > :51:18.money on for this one? You have to go with Mark Selby on form but I am

:51:19. > :51:26.Welsh, obviously, friendly with Mark and I would love to see Mark win.

:51:27. > :51:31.But? Do way he played in his last match, Mark, he showed real signs of

:51:32. > :51:37.hitting form at the right, I he has been practising well and he has been

:51:38. > :51:41.playing unbelievably in practice and just has to take his practised into

:51:42. > :51:45.the match table and if he does, he can win any tournament on this

:51:46. > :51:50.planet. But Mark Selby, he has been playing very well this season and he

:51:51. > :51:54.is always there or thereabouts at the business end of the tournament

:51:55. > :52:03.and very consistent. Mark will have to play well. If he plays well he

:52:04. > :52:06.will win for the Michael Hoey into the quarterfinals earlier, let's

:52:07. > :52:07.find out if the veteran Mark Williams can join him as a face is

:52:08. > :52:18.the world number one, Mark Selby. COMMENTATOR: Good afternoon

:52:19. > :52:21.everybody, this is the much we have been waiting for, Mark Williams

:52:22. > :52:26.against Mark Selby, played each other many times, interesting to

:52:27. > :52:32.note that Mark Selby has not beaten Mark Williams in just over three

:52:33. > :52:38.years, so whether that will have any bearing on this afternoon's

:52:39. > :52:46.encounter, I don't know. Current form might fancy Mark Selby. What do

:52:47. > :52:50.you think? It is a tough one, Mark Williams was in his own words,

:52:51. > :52:55.horrendous and his first match and a half I suddenly found a bit of form.

:52:56. > :53:00.The trouble in the last match, but has got that sorted out now. Selby

:53:01. > :53:02.has not won tournament for quite some time but we know what a great

:53:03. > :53:30.player he is. First chance goes to Mark Williams,

:53:31. > :53:31.nice straight red for the starter, screw back for the black into the

:53:32. > :54:22.same pocket. And unexpectedness from Mark. But,

:54:23. > :54:35.first frame, very seldom that players get down and not the lot in.

:54:36. > :54:45.-- knock the lot in. I have known this young man since he was 13 years

:54:46. > :54:48.old and he was never going to be a top player and all of a sudden he

:54:49. > :54:54.improved so much over a quick period of time and he wasn't missing bowls

:54:55. > :55:03.them. Both players have already had a chance. I think they are rather

:55:04. > :55:08.wary of each other, these two, judging from the start we have seen.

:55:09. > :55:19.And inauspicious start, I have to say. I'm sure they will settle down

:55:20. > :55:23.soon. That is a good pot from Mark. Wouldn't have left anything on

:55:24. > :55:27.anti-missed it and now he has got a great chance to amass a sizeable

:55:28. > :55:53.lead. But that has gone wrong. Mark Williams one of the few players

:55:54. > :55:57.that plays a lot of doubles, I know there are some reds in the way. He

:55:58. > :56:04.could also cut it in and get it round the back of the black.

:56:05. > :56:08.could also cut it in and get it ball has finished in a position

:56:09. > :56:16.where it looks like a shot to nothing. In the olden days, it would

:56:17. > :56:21.have pulled in. Yes, this number ten cloth that we use as a cross read on

:56:22. > :56:28.the balls if anything tend to turn the other way towards the baulk end.

:56:29. > :56:29.Many instances it just pools in a fraction and that could have been

:56:30. > :57:25.one of them. Obviously getting onto the black

:57:26. > :57:29.would be too near the cushion, so we'll screw back for the blue. First

:57:30. > :57:54.real chance goes to Mark Selby. Alarming miss from Mark Selby,

:57:55. > :57:59.normally so dependable in amongst the balls, but it just shows,

:58:00. > :58:09.neither player has settled down just yet, both have had good chances. I

:58:10. > :58:16.think whoever wins this first frame, will settle down, whoever doesn't

:58:17. > :58:20.could still struggle. Normally if your opponent gets down and makes an

:58:21. > :58:25.80 rick, using no problem coming you didn't get a shot but the Selby had

:58:26. > :58:32.two glorious chances to score a few points and has only got two reds,

:58:33. > :58:40.missed both colours he has gone for. Should he go on to lose the frame he

:58:41. > :59:24.will be thinking he has to get his A game back.

:59:25. > :59:33.He needs to get straightish on this red that's near his hand this time.

:59:34. > :59:37.I don't know whether he has gone far enough to brush the three reds and

:59:38. > :59:39.bring them into play. If he hasn't, he can still flick off the two reds

:59:40. > :59:53.and go for the brown or the pink. I can only presume one of those

:59:54. > :59:58.three reds pots because there is no way he would want to play the cannon

:59:59. > :00:12.otherwise. I'm sure we will show you a picture in a few moments time that

:00:13. > :00:15.shows you that it clearly pots. Even from that position, you wouldn't

:00:16. > :00:29.think that pots, would you? But it clearly pots.

:00:30. > :00:37.Mark Williams playing for the blue tells me the outside red of those

:00:38. > :00:48.four will pot into this left corner. Being left-handed, he won't need the

:00:49. > :00:54.rest. Just showing signs here, Mark, that he is settling down nicely.

:00:55. > :01:08.That loves to have a lovely angle on the blue to develop those two reds.

:01:09. > :01:13.If Mark can pot the blue, he would win this frame. I think if he felt

:01:14. > :01:17.if he played it slow, he would have covered the reds up. A clever shot.

:01:18. > :01:24.Playing it slow, he could have covered them both, but playing at

:01:25. > :01:28.that pace. Close to the winning line now. 50 points in front. One more

:01:29. > :01:59.red needed. Just the wrong side of the black,

:02:00. > :02:02.Mark, ideally. The frame is certainly won. He will certainly

:02:03. > :02:09.make sure of this black. Nothing too extravagant. Well, the cannon has

:02:10. > :02:16.gone wrong, but, he is 65 points to the good. I would be surprised if

:02:17. > :02:21.Mark continues. Mark Selby, that is. Oh what, a great pot that is.

:02:22. > :02:39.APPLAUSE Fantastic.

:02:40. > :02:56.He could just make a century here, Mark. Exactly 100 still on.

:02:57. > :03:05.Never mind. An excellent break from Mark Williams of 58 and secures his

:03:06. > :03:10.first frame in the best of seven frame match.

:03:11. > :03:14.So we're going to have a look, Willie, aren't we at a couple of

:03:15. > :03:17.misses from Mark Selby that may unnerve him slightly. When you are

:03:18. > :03:24.playing a first frame, it is essential to get a foothold in the

:03:25. > :03:28.frame quickly. All that's down to Mark Selby, he is now sitting there,

:03:29. > :03:31.negative. Mark Williams is sitting there and positive and that's the

:03:32. > :03:37.difference it makes missing easy balls. You can't afford to miss easy

:03:38. > :03:40.ones. Exactly, Willie, but one of Mark Selby's great virtues is the

:03:41. > :03:45.ability to focus and concentrate on the here and the now rather than let

:03:46. > :03:49.what happened in the past affect him. Well, that will be put to the

:03:50. > :03:52.test in the second frame, you would have thought, wouldn't you? Mark

:03:53. > :03:56.Williams has got used to his tip now. He was struggling in the first

:03:57. > :04:05.match-and-a-half and the tip flew off ten or 15 minutes before he was

:04:06. > :04:12.going out and it was a brand-new one put on by Matt Celt and it is a big

:04:13. > :04:20.tip. Most players don't like to play with new tips, do they, Dom? I use

:04:21. > :04:25.the same brand of tip myself and they play very well the minute you

:04:26. > :04:31.put on. They are Japanese layered tips. You would have to be a

:04:32. > :04:43.millionaire to afford them though as Mark Selby gets frame two underway.

:04:44. > :04:55.I'm reliably informed that the tips are now a tenner!

:04:56. > :05:04.When you think about it though, the most important part of a cueist's

:05:05. > :05:08.cue then shall we say, is the tip end. What you actually strike the

:05:09. > :05:12.ball with. It stands to reason that you should pay something for that

:05:13. > :05:20.leather tip on the end rather than 50 pence o or whatever it costs for

:05:21. > :05:27.a blue diamond. Yeah, what Dominic is saying, those who are not used to

:05:28. > :05:31.play with a blue diamond. They take longer to knock in. What Dominic is

:05:32. > :05:34.saying the tip that Mark Williams is using, he can put on straightaway

:05:35. > :05:38.and get a feel for it straightaway. It doesn't move around and bed in.

:05:39. > :05:45.It stays the same shape all the time. He has got one. That's

:05:46. > :06:39.fortunate. That attempt was borne out of

:06:40. > :06:43.frustration for not being on it better in the first place. But Mark

:06:44. > :06:50.will be under pressure to knock this one in. He hasn't done much in the

:06:51. > :07:09.match so far. APPLAUSE

:07:10. > :07:18.He can play a little cannon into the pack to slow this down, but if he

:07:19. > :07:22.doesn't go high enough, it is no good. Now he is too low on it, he

:07:23. > :07:27.has to do lots with the cue ball. If he played the cannon into the pack

:07:28. > :07:32.that would have slowed the kau ball down and he is bound to have a good

:07:33. > :07:35.angle. It is not like Mark Selby to choose the wrong shot, but he chose

:07:36. > :07:43.it there. I suppose he was thinking, "I need to get rid of the red on the

:07:44. > :07:47.black spot." Maybe he left he would have this one near the left corner

:07:48. > :07:53.and there is another mistake from Mark Selby. It is not looking good

:07:54. > :08:00.for him and it is fortunate that he left the cue ball in that side

:08:01. > :08:06.cushion. If Mark can knock this one in the left centre, he is away and

:08:07. > :08:10.running again. A lovely cannon on the blue. If Mark can just get that

:08:11. > :08:18.black back on to its spot, he will have a real opportunity to go 2-0

:08:19. > :08:24.ahead. In a couple of shots time he would like to get on to the black

:08:25. > :08:27.because it makes the black so much easier and still have that red

:08:28. > :08:31.there. He could do with this being straight. I don't know whether the

:08:32. > :08:38.black passes that red. It doesn't matter now, because he is taking

:08:39. > :08:41.this red anyway. It would be easier to get behind the black and then

:08:42. > :08:52.play for this loose red that's on the pocket. He can't do that now.

:08:53. > :08:59.Dominic just mentioned that it is a great chance for Mark to score

:09:00. > :09:11.heavily. It is a great chance to win the frame at this point. The balls

:09:12. > :09:18.are perfect. I think the players are lovers of best of seven. I think

:09:19. > :09:21.most public inquiries are a lover of not having an interval at all, but I

:09:22. > :09:26.shouldn't think the majority would be in the favour of best of seven

:09:27. > :09:31.over the best of nine. Do you think you should stay play best of nine? I

:09:32. > :09:36.think, well, we practise best of nines and much longer matches with

:09:37. > :09:40.other professionals during practise and obviously a best of nine, I

:09:41. > :09:44.mean, nine frames potentially, it wouldn't take that long. It is not,

:09:45. > :09:48.you know, it is not a marathon. It is the interval in all sports in

:09:49. > :09:53.football, in anything you care to name that can change matches around.

:09:54. > :09:58.A choice of reds. A choice of three reds he can play on here. He is

:09:59. > :10:03.reluctant really, to play the black along the cushion. These pockets are

:10:04. > :10:07.a little bit nippy. We have seen a few shots missed along the back

:10:08. > :10:11.cushion. You would rather have the black tight on the cushion and you

:10:12. > :10:15.know you can pot it easily. But he is playing for the black. He has

:10:16. > :10:19.left himself a slight angle, I think. His body language tells me

:10:20. > :10:23.that it is pretty straight. He won't be happy with that. These

:10:24. > :10:29.are tough if you're screwing back off the cushion. He didn't want to

:10:30. > :10:34.do that. You see how tight they are? I can't help, but think he is more

:10:35. > :10:39.or less just got down and hit that. I wouldn't say took it for granted

:10:40. > :10:43.as such, but I think he was a bit disappointed. He left himself

:10:44. > :10:50.straight and at best he was going to leave a very thin cut become on this

:10:51. > :10:57.red. An interesting quote yesterday when he got down his first side and

:10:58. > :12:20.hit. That was one of the times he took first side and hit there.

:12:21. > :12:26.This is a glorious chance for Mark Selby having missed those two easy

:12:27. > :12:27.colours we showed you in the first frame. There is nothing difficult

:12:28. > :12:42.about the colours now. He would love to have played the

:12:43. > :12:46.pink rather than the black, but just trying to find out whether the black

:12:47. > :12:51.is still available should he pot it with the red being where it is. He

:12:52. > :12:53.has decided to take the red off the black spot and that should make

:12:54. > :14:06.things pretty easy, really. Any kiss, but that.

:14:07. > :14:10.He may be able to get through to the one in the middle. He is not playing

:14:11. > :14:14.for any one particular. He is playing through the gap for three or

:14:15. > :14:21.four reds, but he has got the one available in the middle. Now from

:14:22. > :14:47.this position, he should win the frame.

:14:48. > :14:55.I think whoever wins this match, it will be 4-3. I don't see any one of

:14:56. > :15:00.the two players running away with it. Mark Selby is the more senior

:15:01. > :15:03.player as far as the rankings are concerned. He is just going through

:15:04. > :15:14.a spell where he is getting back to something like his true self.

:15:15. > :15:21.Have you played either of these two players this year Dom in any of the

:15:22. > :15:25.tournaments? I can't remember playing Mark Williams this year, but

:15:26. > :15:30.I have played Mark Selby in one of the televised matches in an earlier

:15:31. > :15:40.PTC, probably, I shouldn't think more than three months ago. A bit

:15:41. > :15:44.unlucky. I was 2-0 up on Mark and the cue ball drifted and didn't go

:15:45. > :15:54.in. He looked a different player and I lost 4-2. I'm glad I brought that

:15:55. > :16:00.up then. Delighted! Screwing back the choice of reds to

:16:01. > :16:04.work the other one into the other corner. That's what break-building

:16:05. > :16:10.is all about. To give yourself choices. After this red he will have

:16:11. > :16:32.no choice, but to come on to the red nicely. This is frame ball.

:16:33. > :16:38.We talked earlier about you don't settle until you get a sizeable

:16:39. > :16:42.break or a frame on the board. Now, they've both done that. I expect

:16:43. > :17:18.high quality snooker in the next possible five frames.

:17:19. > :17:27.A 90 break available and it will please Mark Selby having missed the

:17:28. > :17:33.two colours at start of the game. He would have forgot about that very,

:17:34. > :17:35.very quickly. It wouldn't have been as quick if Mark Williams missed

:17:36. > :17:46.that easy ball. That's one way of getting on the

:17:47. > :18:04.black. Remember that one! APPLAUSE

:18:05. > :18:08.Mark Williams took the opening frame and Mark Selby replied with a 90 to

:18:09. > :18:13.take the second frame. We're all square at 1-1. It wasn't a very good

:18:14. > :18:16.start by Mark Selby, but a really good comeback in the second frame

:18:17. > :18:19.after Mark Williams himself had looked really impressive to begin

:18:20. > :18:24.with. Yeah, well, Mark had, you know, an early opportunity in that

:18:25. > :18:28.second frame as well and missed the a relatively easy ball to get Mark

:18:29. > :18:31.Williams in. All of a sudden it was looking good for Mark. It was like

:18:32. > :18:36.Mark Selby wasn't feeling too comfortable out there and he just

:18:37. > :18:42.finished straight on a red, but then allowed him to go to the black and

:18:43. > :18:49.he finished straight on the plaque. As we all know, how tight the corner

:18:50. > :18:54.pockets are. He tried to drop the back in to leave himself the thin

:18:55. > :18:57.red and he missed it, whether it was lack of concentration, I'm not quite

:18:58. > :19:02.sure and it was a black he would have expected to pot. He missed it.

:19:03. > :19:06.And to be fair to Mark Selby, he looked very good there and he took

:19:07. > :19:11.his chance and he scored very well. I was going to say, we will have to

:19:12. > :19:16.start using surnames otherwise it could get confusing with the two

:19:17. > :19:22.Marks out there. How do you assess Williams, it looked like vintage

:19:23. > :19:26.stuff from Williams? It was all looking good until he missed that

:19:27. > :19:29.black, but that was to do with the poor shot that he played from red to

:19:30. > :19:34.plaque. He wanted to be half ball on the black and just to roll it in and

:19:35. > :19:38.drop into the red on the corner pocket and he landed dead straight.

:19:39. > :19:44.He hedged his bets, he thought, "I will knock the black in." And he

:19:45. > :19:48.took his eye off the pot. We will see if Mark Williams remembered what

:19:49. > :19:54.he did so well in the first frame. The third frame now. 1-1.

:19:55. > :19:57.COMMENTATOR: It was interesting to hear the thoughts of Darren there in

:19:58. > :20:02.the stew yo. Honours in this match are well and truly shared. They both

:20:03. > :20:07.had great opportunities and not taken them. They both lost frames

:20:08. > :20:17.they shouldn't have lost and now here we are at 1-1. That excellent

:20:18. > :20:20.long red from Mark Selby will fill him full of confidence, I'm sure. He

:20:21. > :20:25.is looking very good at the moment. What can he make from this

:20:26. > :20:28.opportunity? He will probably go into the right-hand half of that

:20:29. > :20:34.pack of reds and develop a few. He doesn't want to hit them too hard.

:20:35. > :20:38.Just, a nice gentle pace should develop them nicely for this right

:20:39. > :20:46.corner. I think he is on one. Or is he? He may not have the angle he

:20:47. > :20:50.likes, but I think the red goes. Mark Selby put his hand up there,

:20:51. > :21:02.but he was almost short of it on this one, I don't know why he

:21:03. > :21:06.thought that was quite fortunate. If he didn't want to cannon the pink

:21:07. > :21:10.and he wanted to play the right-hand side of the pack. With the kiss he

:21:11. > :21:14.has got, why would he think he was lucky there? You probably noticed

:21:15. > :21:19.Mark Selby holding his hand up. He held his hand up to say sorry for

:21:20. > :21:27.the red, but he was entitled to be on that red.

:21:28. > :21:35.I read that differently. I thought he was putting his hand up because

:21:36. > :21:42.he was not on anything! That one is an errant one. He stuck

:21:43. > :21:43.that too thinly. It won't go in at that pace from there. I think Mark

:21:44. > :22:11.can get through to this red. Just. I got to be very accurate playing

:22:12. > :22:14.those at that pace from there. I think that's all right. He can

:22:15. > :22:35.play for the black again. Nice to play these gently. He may

:22:36. > :22:43.flick off the pack. Just about on it. I love the way that Mark

:22:44. > :22:48.Williams break builds. He doesn't do anything with power. He is very

:22:49. > :22:56.delicate. He should have been a surgeon.

:22:57. > :23:00.It is a bit of a boa fuss for Mark, he was on an easy red through the

:23:01. > :23:03.gap there. This are the chances you love as a professional player.

:23:04. > :23:06.You're quite hard on yourself if you don't make a sizeable break or a

:23:07. > :23:34.frame from this type of position. A bit of a sigh there because he

:23:35. > :23:42.didn't screw back as far as he wanted. He left himself hampered.

:23:43. > :23:49.OK, he can still pot it, he is having the cue ball cleaned. Mark

:23:50. > :23:56.Williams is such a class player. When you put the work in, which he

:23:57. > :24:04.hasn't been done, once he started practising, he quickly zoomed back

:24:05. > :24:07.up the rankings. His wife Jo is here again today with the two children.

:24:08. > :24:11.It must be great to play on home soil. And obviously a lot of

:24:12. > :24:36.pressure. Just finished too straight on the

:24:37. > :24:44.blue there, Mark. He is going to have to play the red from a bit

:24:45. > :24:51.further than he would have liked. He should be able to just about screw

:24:52. > :24:55.back behind the red. The same pocket as the black. He may have too much

:24:56. > :24:56.angle on the black. It is close. Let's see what he does here. No

:24:57. > :25:26.problem. I think the bottom red is still

:25:27. > :25:31.available so he doesn't have to go into the bunch this time.

:25:32. > :25:37.This has been cue ball control at its very best apart from the one

:25:38. > :25:44.shot where he left himself hampered on the pink. Everything else has

:25:45. > :25:53.been to the inch. 39 in front. Three more reds. Three colours. He will be

:25:54. > :25:58.taking a 2-1 lead. We have a chance of another Welsh

:25:59. > :26:03.winner. Mark Williams is the only one that won this event. We have got

:26:04. > :26:09.two in it, Michael White who had a very good win over John Higgins

:26:10. > :26:18.today. And darn Morgan in the studio made a

:26:19. > :26:26.final one year. He needs that to bounce.

:26:27. > :26:28.Felt he had a kick which took the place out of the cue ball. He still

:26:29. > :26:52.needs another red. That's the frame safe. Two snookers

:26:53. > :27:01.required at the moment should Mark Selby have the opportunity to play

:27:02. > :27:13.for snookers. I'm sure now that red has gone in, it will ensure that

:27:14. > :27:18.Mark Selby remains in his chair. Will we see a century from Mark

:27:19. > :27:25.Williams? We nearly saw one in the last frame by Mark Selby. The break

:27:26. > :27:29.finished at 90. In Mark's defence, of course, that

:27:30. > :27:35.was a clearance of 90. He had the opportunity to play for a century,

:27:36. > :27:41.but Mark does here. He will need the rest probably for this, being

:27:42. > :27:45.left-handed. We will see one of Mark Williams' specials. Look at this. He

:27:46. > :27:50.is the only player who does this. He has found this knack of being able

:27:51. > :27:54.to play his shot without the rest. Unfortunately, he wasn't successful

:27:55. > :29:30.on that occasion. Mark Williams regains the lead at 2-1.

:29:31. > :29:36.Big frame for Mark Selby, you cannot afford to go behind 3-1 in a best of

:29:37. > :30:33.seven. Sure Mark Selby attempted to make

:30:34. > :30:39.that plant there. Very close to it. Unfortunately for him it rebounded

:30:40. > :30:44.in a position on this left-hand corner. Cannot offer any excuse for

:30:45. > :30:55.Mark missing that, I'm afraid, that's just about shot. -- a bad

:30:56. > :31:02.shot. Just look at the chance he has given to Mark Selby here.

:31:03. > :31:40.This is perfect, screw off the black. Just opening the reds, a

:31:41. > :31:46.fraction too hard. Would like to be on the top side so he could screw

:31:47. > :31:48.back again for the black. Maybe have to play for a different colour now,

:31:49. > :32:26.rather than the black. If there is one time you had to be

:32:27. > :32:32.the right side of the blue, it was probably then, if you screw is the

:32:33. > :32:37.cue ball back about a foot, he can play the red next to the pink. The

:32:38. > :32:44.position from the red could be a little tricky, can't leave himself

:32:45. > :32:56.straight because of the pig is, he could move himself three quarters

:32:57. > :33:04.football length -- because of her straight the pink is. He will have

:33:05. > :33:08.that little shelf of four reds and will have to fashion position and

:33:09. > :33:19.screw off them. Has to be a bit of luck involved in this.

:33:20. > :33:26.Pleaded beautifully. Choice of pink or blue plate for. This time tops

:33:27. > :33:36.out of the blue and got really through them. Got past the line of

:33:37. > :33:40.four reds. The path of the cue ball was way to take him to pink or blue

:33:41. > :33:49.and this is a frame-winning chance. Has been very good so far. 58, 86

:33:50. > :33:51.from Mark Williams. This now from Mark Selby. The standard this week

:33:52. > :34:03.has been very good indeed. Would like to get rid of the red

:34:04. > :34:10.that is right near the left-hand corner pocket. Playing through the

:34:11. > :34:20.gap. Not the best shot he has ever played. He played the gap. The

:34:21. > :34:21.little gap he played through here. Nearest the left-hand corner. Didn't

:34:22. > :34:54.want that cannon. This recovery pot from Mark. Easy to

:34:55. > :35:01.miss that one but now back in prime position.

:35:02. > :35:07.Should be plain sailing from here. All the reds are in the open, no

:35:08. > :36:07.need to play the cannons now. Not the greatest angle as you can

:36:08. > :36:16.see there. Straight, has to screw right past the pink. I thought he

:36:17. > :36:22.would screw past the pink to play the choice of red, but knowing this

:36:23. > :36:36.is frame ball, he has decided not to do something out of the ordinary.

:36:37. > :36:44.That of an exhibition match, he would have been moving the red of

:36:45. > :36:47.the cushion to play the clearance but he knows Mark Williams would

:36:48. > :37:11.come back to the table should he miss now. Getting one more red.

:37:12. > :37:19.Mark Williams had the first chance in this frame when he played a red

:37:20. > :37:23.distance and missed it. Just put some unwanted side on there and

:37:24. > :37:36.turned the cue ball over somewhat, it has cost him the frame. A few

:37:37. > :37:41.choice of ways of doing this. Let's see which way he plays it.

:37:42. > :37:46.Trying to leave the angle on this thread, playing the red and moving

:37:47. > :38:04.it off the cushion. APPLAUSE

:38:05. > :38:13.Perfectly played. Beautifully controlled. Could play to move the

:38:14. > :38:19.red out here as well, the one on the right-hand cushion. That what he has

:38:20. > :38:29.played. Beautiful brick building. To perfection.

:38:30. > :38:35.Perfect on the blue to drop into this red, soul I think we will see

:38:36. > :38:42.the first century of this match. Very good standard.

:38:43. > :38:49.Both of these players have made over the hand and 50 competitive

:38:50. > :39:00.centuries, there is another one for Mark Selby.

:39:01. > :39:08.Just run through two cushions to get straight on to the green pocket.

:39:09. > :39:28.Little bit too much side and the case on the blue slowed it down.

:39:29. > :39:34.Mentioned at the start of the spring it was bigger for Mark Selby then

:39:35. > :39:38.Mark Williams because he could have been 3-1 behind with three to play

:39:39. > :39:46.but for Mark Selby, his first chance. Marvellous break. We have

:39:47. > :39:51.seen some good stuff this afternoon, Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first

:39:52. > :40:04.match, two players at the top of their game in the second match.

:40:05. > :40:15.Simply doesn't get much better than this.

:40:16. > :40:24.Played an exhibition shot it is very close. Trust me. Very close. It is

:40:25. > :40:26.very close. What a shame, could have been 135 but Mark Selby levels at

:40:27. > :40:37.2-2. Very close, the full smile on his an

:40:38. > :40:42.enthralling contest. Two guys at the top very close to the top of the

:40:43. > :40:47.game right now, Selby and Williams. Watching it with us here enlisted

:40:48. > :40:50.you is the big rising star of Welsh on ago, Michael white, through to

:40:51. > :40:55.the quarterfinals at the 2016 Welsh Open. You looked remarkably relaxed

:40:56. > :41:00.for a man who got through to the last eight earlier on and beat the

:41:01. > :41:08.defending champion. I was very relaxed, I felt like it since I got

:41:09. > :41:13.up this morning, I know John is a great player, he is a legend of the

:41:14. > :41:19.sport. I had the attitude to go out and enjoy it and I played some of

:41:20. > :41:25.the best look of my career and came out on top. It means everything to

:41:26. > :41:31.me. On of the biggest wins of your career? Definitely. I beat Mark

:41:32. > :41:37.Williams at the Crucible a couple of years ago, I'd beat Neil Robertson,

:41:38. > :41:42.but to do it here in Wales is pretty special, so it means a lot to me.

:41:43. > :41:45.2015 was a great year for you and 2016 could be shaping up to be as

:41:46. > :41:51.well the way you are going into the quarterfinals. This is due, as we

:41:52. > :41:56.can see early on against John Higgins, a man who has been in such

:41:57. > :42:04.great form. It is an incredible achievement. John you can just turn

:42:05. > :42:11.up and play and not get a chance, he is such a good player. For me to

:42:12. > :42:17.beat him comfortably is a lot to take in at the moment. I will have

:42:18. > :42:20.to take it in and get over the match because I have a quarterfinal to

:42:21. > :42:26.play tomorrow. Straight back to action. Terrific for Welsh snooker,

:42:27. > :42:32.desperate for somebody to get their hands on this trophy, it has been a

:42:33. > :42:36.long time since Mark did it in 1999. Yes, I came close in 1992, the first

:42:37. > :42:41.time we had it, Stephen Hendry gave me a bit of a tanking and Mark has

:42:42. > :42:44.won it a couple of times and been in the final but Michael has been

:42:45. > :42:48.around for a little while now, showed lots of promise as a

:42:49. > :42:53.youngster and winning the world amateur Snooker championship in last

:42:54. > :42:56.year she was very successful and he just has to build now on the wins

:42:57. > :42:59.and he has done well to be John Higgins. The quarterfinal tomorrow

:43:00. > :43:07.and more than capable of winning this event. Quick word on your

:43:08. > :43:15.fellow Welshman Mark Williams. Great game. 2-2, flip of a coin just now.

:43:16. > :43:23.Be nice to see market through as well. Come on the Welsh! They are

:43:24. > :43:31.hoping that Mark Williams can join you in the quarterfinals. Let's go

:43:32. > :43:38.back to this game. COMMENTATOR: Come on the Welsh? Come on the English as

:43:39. > :43:44.well, Selby is a Leicester Gary. In case nobody knows, Leicester are

:43:45. > :43:50.still stop the Premier League. Amazing. Who would have thought

:43:51. > :43:57.that? They should have been relegated last year.

:43:58. > :44:03.Always dangerous when you play that kind of shot, if you play it stick

:44:04. > :44:08.you get the double-kiss and you look silly when that happens. He played a

:44:09. > :44:31.fraction heart. Needs an angle on this red.

:44:32. > :45:19.That is unlucky. That is where he wanted this.

:45:20. > :45:29.Missed that one by a good distance, Mark Selby. Not one of his best

:45:30. > :45:30.exhibitions of full striking there. -- ball striking. Seems to have gone

:45:31. > :45:48.safe. Unfortunate frame in the context of

:45:49. > :45:52.this match for both of these players. Whoever wins this will be

:45:53. > :45:59.one frame from victory. Perfect for Mark Williams, has snookered Mark

:46:00. > :46:05.Selby on the reds, or can he just get past the pink to hit the reds.

:46:06. > :47:11.This is a coat of paint job. Good shot. Excellent judgment of pace.

:47:12. > :47:35.Obviously his aim is to get into two reds on the back of the black spot

:47:36. > :47:42.which you can play on two cushions, baulk and the side cushion. Just

:47:43. > :47:45.missing the blue if he plays it that way. Still playing for the same two

:47:46. > :47:54.reds were playing at a different way. Needs to miss that one loose

:47:55. > :47:59.red which she has done. Some other little square of the second cushion.

:48:00. > :48:36.He knows the shot is on now. It was a good attempt from Mark,

:48:37. > :48:43.just fractionally wrong with the line of the shot. Unlikely she will

:48:44. > :48:49.keep missing these reds and leave mark a chance when he does so. The

:48:50. > :48:55.only thing that is happening is that Mark Williams is getting four points

:48:56. > :49:06.every time he does miss. Has he got it this time? Yes, just. Good shot.

:49:07. > :49:22.Hardly move, this red. Just wobbled. Went back onto its own divot. Little

:49:23. > :49:27.bit careless from Mark. Got to find a cushion when you are flicking off

:49:28. > :49:31.balls like that. So easy to do that. Because if there is a Gap round the

:49:32. > :49:36.back of the black, doesn't look like there is too much of a gap, but if

:49:37. > :49:44.you choose like you can get back to baulk he will take it on.

:49:45. > :49:48.Wasn't that gap, so decided to play what he hoped was a good safety, but

:49:49. > :50:22.that is a poor one. Another great example of Mark's long

:50:23. > :50:27.putting ability, dead centre that went in, on the right side of the

:50:28. > :50:35.blue this time. You will wish that was on its spot. At least the pink

:50:36. > :50:41.is open. You will concentrate on that, Mark will never play for the

:50:42. > :50:45.black because he is left-handed and playing the black along the cushion

:50:46. > :51:41.is too risky, it is too missable for him.

:51:42. > :51:49.And can only call into one pocket just now, but the two shots time it

:51:50. > :51:56.can go into either. Wanted to be a little bit further. Still got that

:51:57. > :52:03.shot. The only thing that will be a problem in a few moments time he has

:52:04. > :52:08.to bring more reds into play, it is only the pink spot that is free. You

:52:09. > :52:17.might have to play a cannon on the two reds are available.

:52:18. > :52:19.might have to play a cannon on the want to push more into play. That is

:52:20. > :52:26.what he is signing for, he is annoyed that has happened. Hard to

:52:27. > :52:33.try and avoid that. He had to develop the reds but he would have

:52:34. > :52:37.loved that if the spot was not occupied. Very unlucky, only just

:52:38. > :52:42.goes on the spot. Anything but that from Mark's point of view. You can

:52:43. > :52:46.play it harder to push the reds away from the pink spot. You give

:52:47. > :52:54.yourself even more chance of being on a red. Never mind, the right

:52:55. > :52:59.angle on the blue, he will play into that little trio of polls, the pink

:53:00. > :53:05.and the two reds, does not need to hit this with any great pace.

:53:06. > :53:14.That is superb. He will be very happy with that. APPLAUSE

:53:15. > :53:21.. As such a deft touch, he sees the cannons he wants and plays them so

:53:22. > :53:26.slowly sometimes. Mind you, just when you have the game at your

:53:27. > :53:37.mercy! Has he been fortunate, have these reds covered each other? Let's

:53:38. > :53:42.have a look. It just pots. What a reprieve that could be for Mark

:53:43. > :53:49.Selby. Was sure to be going 3-2 behind there. And now has every

:53:50. > :53:53.chance to go 3-2 in front but he is behind by 43 points but the way the

:53:54. > :54:00.balls are, you can see them disappearing very quickly. He will

:54:01. > :54:07.need two reds that the behind the black spot. Mark Selby is different.

:54:08. > :54:11.Mark Selby might play on the black sooner rather than later because it

:54:12. > :54:17.brings those reds into play and play a cannon off the black and being

:54:18. > :54:30.right-handed he can come onto the black at some stage.

:54:31. > :54:38.Be interesting to see how Mark goes about this because I would think

:54:39. > :54:43.more negatively and make sure I got back into this all-important frame

:54:44. > :54:47.before I risk anything like that. Great players of this sport are

:54:48. > :54:53.positive players. I wonder what Mark Selby will do. Not ideally on his

:54:54. > :54:59.next red. O'Sullivan would have been fling for the black earlier than

:55:00. > :55:03.later because he knows in a few shots time it is the only way he can

:55:04. > :55:07.get the reds into play. You can get the thing took us into the reds but

:55:08. > :55:11.just three inches when you can get a nice angle on the pink to play this

:55:12. > :55:15.short but you have a foot when the black is on its spot. The way he is

:55:16. > :55:19.doing the right, if you played for the black earlier, he would have

:55:20. > :55:23.left the red to the left centre so he would have nothing to do with the

:55:24. > :55:27.black. With the black where it is on the reds for the art, have to do

:55:28. > :55:32.some work with the cue ball to get on the red. As to play your choice

:55:33. > :55:41.of way because he is running out of reds.

:55:42. > :55:48.Right back into the game should he get the reds and three colours from

:55:49. > :55:53.now. No room for the loot to get into the two reds, so has two rely

:55:54. > :55:55.on a really good shot on the last of the three reds to bring those reds

:55:56. > :56:24.into play. He is pretty straight on this red.

:56:25. > :56:31.Maybe half ball with the rest and canning with pace into the two reds

:56:32. > :56:36.on the black cushion. Could have relied on only good fortune to be on

:56:37. > :56:42.a cover. Getting trickier for Mark to make much more than two reds and

:56:43. > :56:46.two colours from here. With the black on the spot, canning into

:56:47. > :57:03.those two reds would have been much easier. --

:57:04. > :57:10.I don't know if he has got the angle to run through and play the cannon,

:57:11. > :57:17.he hasn't. He will play for this red. If he has got an ankle he can

:57:18. > :57:22.play into the two reds, but he hasn't. All about this shot, early

:57:23. > :57:26.on we said he had one chance to get the nice angle on the pink to move

:57:27. > :57:35.the two reds. Let's see whether she gets that angle. It is close but I

:57:36. > :57:40.think he will just miss them wide on the right. The two cushions off the

:57:41. > :57:48.blue to bring them into play, lots of left-hand side in between brown

:57:49. > :57:58.and yellow. How was his luck? No good. He lent into it and said he

:57:59. > :58:06.wanted more pink and flick of the two reds and bring them into play.

:58:07. > :58:11.Two very good friends, these two Marks.

:58:12. > :58:17.Little bit surprised Mark Selby didn't play for the pink in the

:58:18. > :58:20.left-centre of this red because he would be guaranteed to have the

:58:21. > :58:25.right angle on the pink to go into the reds. Would be a difficult shot

:58:26. > :58:35.back, has to be perfect going for it in the corner. Has to be careful

:58:36. > :58:42.with this one playing safe. Had to be thin and he was.

:58:43. > :59:08.37 break has put himself back into this. All to play for.

:59:09. > :59:20.That's a very poor safety shot. Once again, the next red after

:59:21. > :59:24.potting this and then a colour. Got to get on it nicely. We have seen

:59:25. > :59:34.how tight these pockets are along the back cushion.

:59:35. > :59:39.APPLAUSE There is almost no advantage unless

:59:40. > :59:44.he is guaranteed getting the cannon off this blue and taking this blue

:59:45. > :59:48.on. Looks like he has got the angle to pot the blue and move the red.

:59:49. > :59:53.There is just enough room. That's what he is looking at now. But if it

:59:54. > :59:57.is not on, there is no point in playing the blue. You may as well

:59:58. > :00:03.play the green and get a good snooker. Keep the green in play.

:00:04. > :00:13.That's what he is looking at. He will try and get the snooker behind

:00:14. > :00:27.brown and blue. Make sure you don't put the green

:00:28. > :00:35.safe. The cannon from green to blue is obviously not on. Do you think,

:00:36. > :00:40.it is on, Do m? It looks close to me. I don't think the cannon is on.

:00:41. > :00:45.If he was to roll the blue and dead weight, it would have some pot on

:00:46. > :00:52.the red in the right corner, but... I think Mark knew it wouldn't be

:00:53. > :00:56.easy to get in behind the brown the way he does. He played that well. He

:00:57. > :01:00.looked at a couple of options. He could have played the blue and

:01:01. > :01:07.snookered Mark. He chose the blue. He played it well. He has got the

:01:08. > :01:14.snooker. The key with that shot was keeping the green in play. Well...

:01:15. > :01:19.APPLAUSE Did everything right Mark Selby and

:01:20. > :01:27.it is amazing sometimes you can play the right shot and it ends up

:01:28. > :01:33.costing you. That's an incredible piece of fortune. The red had to

:01:34. > :01:43.stop in the perfect place. Can he cut it in the opposite centre?

:01:44. > :01:49.Yeah. APPLAUSE

:01:50. > :01:51.The white ball, oh. APPLAUSE

:01:52. > :01:54.Held his hand up there, but he would have been unlucky for the cue ball

:01:55. > :01:59.to go in-off that angle and with that little nudge off the corner of

:02:00. > :02:03.the middle pocket, it has got perfect on the green. This was a

:02:04. > :02:07.frame that Mark Selby definitely should have won. He should be

:02:08. > :02:16.looking at going 3-2 in front. He is one shot away from being 3-2 behind.

:02:17. > :02:21.Yeah, I don't blame Mark Selby for being short on the yellow there. It

:02:22. > :02:27.didn't seem to boungs quickly off that side cushion. I think Mark was

:02:28. > :02:32.expecting a heavier bounce. From Mark Selby point of view, Mark

:02:33. > :02:35.Williams that is sat in his seat, there is a chance he would make a

:02:36. > :02:45.mess of his position to the green. It depends on the type of shot he

:02:46. > :02:48.plays here. Mark is different to most players. He sometimes floats

:02:49. > :02:51.balls in and in this case, if he did, he would play for the yellow or

:02:52. > :02:58.the green in the same pocket as this yellow. But he has played around the

:02:59. > :03:06.cushions and played it very well. As you say Willie, it is looking now

:03:07. > :03:07.like 3-2 to Mark Selby. Green, brown, blue and pink still

:03:08. > :03:27.required. An awful bounce that was off the

:03:28. > :03:32.cushion. That just absolutely took off.

:03:33. > :03:36.I mean in lay man's terms it went off the cushion at 5mph and came off

:03:37. > :03:41.the cushion at 10mph. That's the perfect to be on the brown there and

:03:42. > :03:51.all of a sudden it has gone bounced and gone an extra two-feet further.

:03:52. > :03:59.Yes, Mark really can't stretch for the brown very easily because the

:04:00. > :04:09.black will be in his way. So he is playing with the rest. The black is

:04:10. > :04:22.just influencing him here. Pressure on this. Oh, a good shot. He is just

:04:23. > :04:35.the right side of the blue. So should be plain sailing now for Mark

:04:36. > :04:45.Selby. Mark Williams got in first in this frame with a break of 40, but

:04:46. > :04:50.it doesn't look like being enough. It is Mark Selby who has done enough

:04:51. > :04:55.to take the 3-2 lead in the best of seven frames match.

:04:56. > :05:02.A case of what might have been there for Mark Williams. Darren, a case of

:05:03. > :05:07.two reds. We saw the wonderful cut there by Selby, but earlier on in

:05:08. > :05:10.that frame, the misread by Mark Williams which allowed Selby in,

:05:11. > :05:14.didn't it? Otherwise Williams may have won that frame? Well, Mark had

:05:15. > :05:18.done the hard work. He was on a break of 40. I mean, the red, this

:05:19. > :05:22.red in the middle, this is just unforgivable. The only thing you

:05:23. > :05:26.could probably say with that red is he wasn't quite at the middle of the

:05:27. > :05:31.cue ball. He had a little bit of awkward cueing with the red being in

:05:32. > :05:36.close contact to the cue ball, but you would still pot that. In

:05:37. > :05:41.practise he would pot that 100 out of 100. He will be miffed with

:05:42. > :05:46.himself. Mark Selby is playing good stuff, isn't he? We saw him go out

:05:47. > :05:51.last year in the last 16 to Luca Brecel, but he is looking in decent

:05:52. > :05:56.form? He always looks in decent form. He plays that kind of game.

:05:57. > :06:00.Without being cruel to Mark Selby, there is nothing really exciting

:06:01. > :06:03.about him, but he is absolutely, proficient in all departments. He

:06:04. > :06:08.just goes on about his business. He can play all the flash shots, he

:06:09. > :06:13.just elects not to. He does what he has got to do. He takes what's there

:06:14. > :06:19.in front of him and if he has to play safe, he plays safe. He always

:06:20. > :06:23.gives every shot 100%. And keeps a lower profile. He doesn't make the

:06:24. > :06:26.headlines like a Ronnie or a Judd Trump, but he goes about his

:06:27. > :06:31.business very professionally? Yeah, obviously, you know, he has a

:06:32. > :06:34.different demeanour about him to Judd or Ronnie, they don't call him

:06:35. > :06:43.the jester for Leicester for anything, he is a real funny lad. He

:06:44. > :06:48.didn't doesn't come across as funny on the snooker table. He is out at

:06:49. > :06:52.the moment, Mark Selby. What is going through Mark Williams' head?

:06:53. > :06:55.The good thing with Mark and the strong point with Mark Williams, he

:06:56. > :06:58.is one of those people who can put misses behind him. He will have

:06:59. > :07:01.forgotten about that red. Most players now that would be the end of

:07:02. > :07:07.them. They would be sitting in their chairs thinking, "How have I missed

:07:08. > :07:10.that red?" I should be 3-2 up. Mark had this brilliant knack over the

:07:11. > :07:15.years to forget that and to get on with the next frame and play the

:07:16. > :07:19.next balls that are in front of him. There have been moments like that

:07:20. > :07:27.for Mark Williams this week. Where you don't know if he is going to

:07:28. > :07:31.come back? But he has. The early matches, he said he played poor. As

:07:32. > :07:35.each match has gone on, he played better. If he doesn't miss that red,

:07:36. > :07:39.he has been 3-2 up and it has been high standard and high quality from

:07:40. > :07:41.the first frame. As it is, Mark Selby breaking. He's 3-2 up. Back we

:07:42. > :07:55.go. COMMENTATOR: Mark Selby breaking off

:07:56. > :08:01.for frame six. He takes the 3-2 for the first time in this match. He had

:08:02. > :08:08.to play catch-up. Mark Williams played that so well. Mark was

:08:09. > :08:23.probably hoping to pot this red slightly on the left jaw and no harm

:08:24. > :08:32.done, just the four points. This is almost like playing the break off

:08:33. > :08:40.again, where the balls are. Just coming around to see if it is

:08:41. > :08:44.not a three ball plant, but that he would be pushing that red on to the

:08:45. > :08:55.far-right hand corner. Springing it around like an ordinary break-off

:08:56. > :08:56.shot. Now, these balls are in open play and obviously one mistake from

:08:57. > :09:18.Mark Williams could be very costly. He does have a choice of a couple of

:09:19. > :09:38.reds to either corner here, Mark, but they are fraught with danger.

:09:39. > :09:53.It must be extremely tight. We had a quick glance. You can certainly see

:09:54. > :09:57.the centre of the pocket. I'm not sure if you can see the left-hand

:09:58. > :10:03.jaw. People always like to look at that shot and see both jaws. He may

:10:04. > :10:07.be reluctant to play it with he can only see the centre of the pocket.

:10:08. > :10:11.He can definitely see the centre, but can he see the left-hand jaw?

:10:12. > :10:23.That's the reason he is playing the other one. He is not playing that

:10:24. > :10:58.one. APPLAUSE

:10:59. > :11:08.We always talk about fractions. He is a little bit in between there.

:11:09. > :11:12.You can see with his facial expression, he is not happy. He

:11:13. > :11:14.should be delighted to have the first chance of winning frame and

:11:15. > :11:33.match. He will have to play with screw to

:11:34. > :11:36.slow the white down. Played it perfectly.

:11:37. > :12:12.APPLAUSE Played it lovely.

:12:13. > :12:21.I am sure Mark Selby has a lot of confidence with this match so far.

:12:22. > :12:25.He had had wonderful break in frame four. That would have given him

:12:26. > :12:30.enough confidence to go and win the match from here. He will certainly

:12:31. > :12:35.build up a sizeable lead. There are still three open reds. He will be

:12:36. > :12:39.looking for an angle soon to go into that bunch. They don't look a great

:12:40. > :12:45.pack to go into from the black, I have to say. When you have got that

:12:46. > :12:50.little shelf of reds at the time sometimes you have nothing.

:12:51. > :12:57.Sometimes when you have got a pack of reds like that, it is better to

:12:58. > :13:03.stun into them rather than to play it with top spin off the top

:13:04. > :13:09.cushion. It is the old flat backpack. Never easy unless you hit

:13:10. > :13:21.them half ball. He will probably try and get top side of the blue here

:13:22. > :13:25.rather than get into the pack. He is playing for the black. Just had a

:13:26. > :13:29.slight kick on the red there. It messed his ang up a little bit. I

:13:30. > :13:32.think he will have to play the loose red here. Just too straight on that

:13:33. > :13:40.black. If you go into those reds in the

:13:41. > :13:51.pack, he must stun into them. Another kick there. Now, he is in

:13:52. > :13:56.trouble. You can tell how Mark has been break-building the last few

:13:57. > :14:00.shots, he is reluctant to go into them from the black, but he is going

:14:01. > :14:04.to have no choice. This is all about not hitting the centre red fore

:14:05. > :14:08.ball. If he hits any one of these reds half ball, he is fine. If he

:14:09. > :14:14.catches any one on full-ball, he can only get on one in the middle, he

:14:15. > :14:21.can't get one on the corner. That's perfect. He is on the bottom red of

:14:22. > :14:24.these three. Just three-quarter ball there has pushed through them

:14:25. > :14:41.nicely. This is a chance now, frame and match.

:14:42. > :14:46.APPLAUSE That was so good from Mark Selby, he

:14:47. > :14:50.hit the end red, but the cue ball ran through it. Sometimes you hit

:14:51. > :14:55.the end red it can sometimes stop dead if you hit it too full. Surely

:14:56. > :15:45.the way these reds are spread now, danger signs for Mark Williams.

:15:46. > :15:52.It has been a great match this. Lots of big breaks. Mark Williams has

:15:53. > :15:56.certainly played his part. Had a couple of chances to put Mark Selby

:15:57. > :16:01.under pressure and hasn't quite done it and Mark Selby once again showing

:16:02. > :16:05.us why he is the best player in the world.

:16:06. > :16:17.Blue is frame and match ball. A chance of another century break. He

:16:18. > :16:49.already made breaks of 90 and 128. Well, one of the game's great

:16:50. > :16:54.finishers of matches, Mark Selby. It all changed when Mark Williams

:16:55. > :17:04.missed that easy red. He looked sure to go 3-2. This is the red we're

:17:05. > :17:11.talking about. He is bound to go 3-2 if he pots this and goes on to a

:17:12. > :17:15.colour. This cost him the match. For Mark Selby, it is the best I have

:17:16. > :17:21.seen him play for sometime. Yes. He is very assured in this match and

:17:22. > :17:28.except for the first frame maybe when I witered a few chances away. A

:17:29. > :17:35.very solid performance. Already made one century in this match, 128 and

:17:36. > :17:39.90 in the second frame. A really high standard from Selby this

:17:40. > :18:06.afternoon. Very well played again from Mark Selby.

:18:07. > :18:12.APPLAUSE A warm applause where the Ferb

:18:13. > :18:17.crowd. They would like to see Mark Williams their local hero one it.

:18:18. > :18:23.But this is why Mark Selby is the world number one. He is so very hard

:18:24. > :18:34.to beat. Two centuries and a 90 in the best of seven, that's usually

:18:35. > :18:38.more than enough to win any match. We have one Leicester guy in Ben

:18:39. > :18:53.Woollaston. He is in the quarterfinals already. He had a good

:18:54. > :18:56.win over Martin Gould. We will have to get Ronnie

:18:57. > :19:03.O'Sullivan to live in Leicester. That would be great. Just an

:19:04. > :19:07.exhibition shot. What a very high standard match. Both these players

:19:08. > :19:09.somewhere near the top of their form. Mark Selby played excellent.

:19:10. > :19:16.He requests into the quarterfinals and he wins the match by 4-2.

:19:17. > :19:23.That's why he is the world number one. Some wonderful snooker from

:19:24. > :19:28.Mark Selby to take his place in the last eight of this 2016 Welsh Open.

:19:29. > :19:33.He is through to the quarterfinals and Mark Williams' hopes are over

:19:34. > :19:37.for another year. So one Welshman remaining and that's Mike ale White.

:19:38. > :19:42.He is through, but Mark Selby looking very happy as he makes his

:19:43. > :19:45.way out of the arena. Briefly, Darren, we thought this

:19:46. > :19:51.would be Mark's day because he started so well. But there was some

:19:52. > :19:55.wonderful snooker from Mark Selby? At the end it was, like Willie

:19:56. > :19:59.alluded to, the red that Mark Williams missed in the fifth frame,

:20:00. > :20:07.looking like he is going to go 3-2 ahead just never recovered from it,

:20:08. > :20:11.you know. He pot that, like I said, in practise 1,000 out of a 1,000, he

:20:12. > :20:15.wouldn't miss it. I bet he is leaving the arena saying, "How have

:20:16. > :20:18.I missed that red?" He is one frame away and it could be a different

:20:19. > :20:24.match, but Mark Selby, he closed that out in terrific style. Yeah, he

:20:25. > :20:29.absolutely did. We will hear from Mark Selby in a few moments. He will

:20:30. > :20:35.join us live in the studio. Mark Williams, another year goes by, he

:20:36. > :20:39.will be 41 next year by the time the next Welsh Open comes around. You

:20:40. > :20:43.start to think that maybe, it is difficult to win it again? Yeah, you

:20:44. > :20:48.know, look, it is difficult in Wales to win it anyway because he's Welsh.

:20:49. > :20:51.So it was the same when I was playing, you know, all your family

:20:52. > :20:55.and your friends want you to do so well, and it is very difficult.

:20:56. > :21:00.Ronnie, is the same age as Mark, he is 40. He is probably playing the

:21:01. > :21:04.best snooker of his life. I think years ago, maybe it was age. It has

:21:05. > :21:07.come around full circle again. It was the elder generation was winning

:21:08. > :21:10.the tournaments first time around and then it went to the younger

:21:11. > :21:15.element, now it is back to middle-aged. So, you know, that

:21:16. > :21:21.isn't going to worry Mark, he is playing as good as he has done in

:21:22. > :21:26.practise, it is finding a way to transfer it on to the match table.

:21:27. > :21:30.Well, here comes the winner of that match, well done, Mark Selby. Take a

:21:31. > :21:34.seat. Mark, through to the quarterfinals. How did that feel.

:21:35. > :21:41.You must be pleased with the snooker you played today? Especially the way

:21:42. > :21:45.I started off the game. I was a bit twitchy early doors. Not only is

:21:46. > :21:49.Mark one of the all time greats of our game and over the years we have

:21:50. > :21:54.got really friendly and it is horrible playing each other at an

:21:55. > :21:57.early time. If I'm not winning it, I'm rooting for Mark. How did you

:21:58. > :22:01.feel after he took the first frame and he made a good start, what were

:22:02. > :22:05.you thinking? I knew hi to get off to a good start and I had a couple

:22:06. > :22:10.of chances and I didn't really punish him and Mark ended up making

:22:11. > :22:13.40 or 50 at second or third chance, but after that, I won a second frame

:22:14. > :22:17.and that settled me down. The same as any match, once you get your

:22:18. > :22:21.first frame on the board, you seem to be settled. We talk about windows

:22:22. > :22:25.of opportunity where Mark missed the red into the middle pocket, you must

:22:26. > :22:32.have thought this is the moment I have got to seize? I got myself into

:22:33. > :22:38.the frame. I made a 40 break and battled my way through. If Mark went

:22:39. > :22:42.out, he would gain a lot of confidence. I got a lot of

:22:43. > :22:46.confidence from it and finished off the match well. How do you feel

:22:47. > :22:50.going on into the quarterfinals. There is lots of big names making

:22:51. > :22:55.their way through. Not as many shocks? No, with it only being best

:22:56. > :23:00.of seven as well, you normally have more shocks. The last 16 line-up was

:23:01. > :23:03.as strong as it can be, I think. In this tournament, I played well in

:23:04. > :23:07.patches. I started off the match well and in between, I have lost

:23:08. > :23:13.concentration, but apart from early doors in the match, my focus was

:23:14. > :23:17.good. The crowd were impressed with what they saw from you today, thank

:23:18. > :23:23.you, Mark, we will see you in the quarterfinals. Two other men hoping

:23:24. > :23:27.to join Mark Selby are Barry Hawkins and Mark Allen, eighth and ninth in

:23:28. > :23:31.the world respectively, they have gone into a final frame decider. It

:23:32. > :23:36.is 3-3. We're going to go live and join this one to see who can make it

:23:37. > :23:43.through to the last eight. Let's head in and join this. No score on

:23:44. > :23:47.the table at the present. COMMENTATOR: It has been a high

:23:48. > :23:50.standard match. They have been scoring pretty heavily. We have had

:23:51. > :23:54.one eye on this game when Dominic and I were commentating on the

:23:55. > :23:59.previous match. The first red to Barry Hawkins. The brown is possibly

:24:00. > :24:05.available into the middle. That pulled up a bit quicker. I don't

:24:06. > :24:17.think that table is as fast as the one we've been commentating on.

:24:18. > :24:23.Barry Hawkins is a player who doesn't look to do a lot, but he is

:24:24. > :24:32.always at the business end of tournaments these days. He is very,

:24:33. > :24:35.very consistent Barry Hawkins. He doesn't tinker about much

:24:36. > :24:40.technically, he just practises and does everything the same every time

:24:41. > :24:45.we see him play. He is sometimes vulnerable in matches when holding

:24:46. > :24:51.good leads. He lost a few of them. I remember him being 5-0 up in the UK

:24:52. > :24:57.Championships in York a few years ago to Nigel Bond and somehow

:24:58. > :25:00.managed to lose 6-5. He is vulnerable sometimes in

:25:01. > :25:04.holding big leads, Barry and he would be the first to admit that,

:25:05. > :25:08.but he is doing well in this match because he was 3-1 down to Mark

:25:09. > :25:12.Allen after winning the first frame. I suppose if you go by that, you

:25:13. > :25:15.would say that Barry Hawkins is favourite to win this decider, but

:25:16. > :26:27.there are no favourites in deciding frames.

:26:28. > :26:44.Almost got in behind the brown there, Barry. He has done well

:26:45. > :26:47.there. Never easy find the baulk cushion when you're on the baulk

:26:48. > :26:52.cushion yourself. That's a great shot. Given it is a deciding frame,

:26:53. > :27:45.one mistake can be very costly. That's good work from Mark Allen.

:27:46. > :27:50.The only problem with that kind of safety shot, you know that you're

:27:51. > :27:57.going to be in a worse position at your next visit. Sometimes you have

:27:58. > :28:01.to play a containing safety hopefully at getting a chance to get

:28:02. > :28:06.into baulk. I don't know if he can get through to the red in this

:28:07. > :28:16.right-hand corner. If he can, he maybe able to clip it in. Maybe. I

:28:17. > :28:20.think he can, Willie, you're right. We will see on this cloth. There is

:28:21. > :28:24.a terrific amount of finger marks and Barry Hawkins is so well-known

:28:25. > :28:27.among the professionals players for causing them himself. A minefield

:28:28. > :28:31.sometimes. Well, he drags his hands, does he, after he played the shot?

:28:32. > :28:38.Yeah, he is terrible for finger marks. It is OK when you play a shot

:28:39. > :28:45.at pace, but if you play a shot from distance very slowly, those finger

:28:46. > :28:49.marks, if caught by the cue ball can really push it off line. I'm

:28:50. > :28:53.surprised he didn't play that hard. It was a shot to nothing. If you get

:28:54. > :28:57.near the pot, you will get the white up the table. Give yourself a

:28:58. > :29:02.chance. Get the white to come in and out of baulk. If he doesn't fancy

:29:03. > :29:05.the brown in the middle, there will be another roll up. In fairness, he

:29:06. > :29:09.might be better off playing the green into the pack of reds or the

:29:10. > :29:15.brown in the pack of reds and getting the white tight on the baulk

:29:16. > :29:19.cushion. It is key to get tight on the

:29:20. > :29:35.cushion to make the safety. It is very, very difficult.

:29:36. > :29:45.He's not tight. Yeah, he is not happy with himself because he left a

:29:46. > :29:51.long red on here for Mark Allen. What a tremendous pot. You see when

:29:52. > :29:56.you are a professional player, you know each other's game so well and

:29:57. > :29:59.Mark Allen loves to force shots from near the cushions. He is great at

:30:00. > :30:05.that shot. And also, you will never see a more

:30:06. > :30:09.courageous player in a deciding frame than Mark Allen. He is

:30:10. > :30:12.normally brilliant at winning decided frames with good play and

:30:13. > :30:17.good pots and showing nerve under pressure. I go to the safety shot

:30:18. > :30:22.that Barry Hawkins played. He had a brown, green or yellow he could have

:30:23. > :30:26.played and you must find the top cushion and you said he can't play

:30:27. > :30:29.that shot. He could have run up to the yellow or the brown. He decided

:30:30. > :30:38.to play an attacking safety shot, but you have to find the cushion.

:30:39. > :30:41.He has got a choice of rolling up to the yellow and rolling up to the

:30:42. > :30:47.brown, you have got to find the top cushion. OK, it was a fantastic pot

:30:48. > :30:48.from Mark Allen, but the cue ball is three or four inches off the

:30:49. > :31:44.cushion. should be fantastic shot from Barry,

:31:45. > :31:55.excellent judgment of line and length. Same from Mark. Excellent

:31:56. > :31:59.safety exchanges. The pot is on for Barry and no need for the safety,

:32:00. > :32:12.just as to catch one of these reds very thinly. The red by the brown,

:32:13. > :32:13.has to catch it wafer thin. Has to swerve around this with a bit of

:32:14. > :32:46.side spin as you can see. The cue ball coming quite a lot of

:32:47. > :32:52.the fault cushion. This red was dead straight, he played to play onto the

:32:53. > :32:59.black, but has to play onto the green. There might even be a planned

:33:00. > :33:04.on. Putting the pink spot on the red that is next to it, don't know if it

:33:05. > :33:07.passes those two reds into the corner. Not quite. Looks like it

:33:08. > :33:44.there but that is not on. It's amazing the difference between

:33:45. > :33:48.the two tables, we were commentating on table one a few moments ago with

:33:49. > :33:53.Mark Selby and Mark Williams at the tables, reasonably quick but that

:33:54. > :34:08.all called up very quickly indeed. Just 20 feet apart, the tables. Mark

:34:09. > :34:12.Allen most 3-1 up in this match, was strong favourite, lost the last two

:34:13. > :34:22.frames and is second favourite in this.

:34:23. > :34:30.We have always said and commentary how good Barry Hawkins is using the

:34:31. > :34:33.rest, maybe avoid using it on this occasion but you see how long his

:34:34. > :34:38.bridge hand is there a way from the cue ball. They have more control

:34:39. > :34:48.using the rest, very good with this implement. Got one of the heavier

:34:49. > :35:06.queues on the circuit, over 19 ounces, there is power in that cue.

:35:07. > :35:16.Overscrewed that by quite a long way. Has the choice of pink or

:35:17. > :35:22.brown. Second prize. He didn't play for the brown, he played for the

:35:23. > :35:27.pink. Going in the left-hand job the way he is doing this. Came right

:35:28. > :35:33.across that. As he was aiming looked like he was left-hand jaw and it

:35:34. > :35:41.came right across it. That is amazing. Mark Allen was out of his

:35:42. > :36:05.chair like a jack in the box. Just needs one good pot and

:36:06. > :36:11.position, Mark Allen, looking to get on the black. Got to make sure he is

:36:12. > :36:19.on this red. He will take that. Little bit more angle on this black

:36:20. > :36:26.and was possibly ideal. He will try to knock a read on to the left

:36:27. > :36:40.corner, probably. Is it on its spot now? The cannon has worked out OK.

:36:41. > :36:45.The referee just checking. Got the brown as the bonus here. Means he

:36:46. > :36:52.doesn't have to do too much with the next grade. If you can get nicely on

:36:53. > :36:56.the brown to take the little cannon onto the black. Would like to finish

:36:57. > :37:00.low on the brown and they are cannon onto the black and free the black

:37:01. > :37:10.spot. Not bound to get onto the next red with this low cannon, so might

:37:11. > :37:15.go up for the pink or baulk colour. Not a frame-winning chance yet but

:37:16. > :37:40.if you can get a 30 point lead it will be handy.

:37:41. > :37:50.We are staying on their little but later than scheduled. We will see

:37:51. > :37:51.this match between Mark Allen and Barry Hawkins through to the

:37:52. > :38:03.conclusion. So pleased you are staying with us,

:38:04. > :38:10.very tense moment to get to the quarterfinal. Very unusual miss on

:38:11. > :38:12.the brown from Barry Hawkins, did not cue it at all well. That can

:38:13. > :38:25.only be down to nerves. Looking for the black of the red in

:38:26. > :38:35.the corner of the pink of the red to the middle.

:38:36. > :38:42.Pink into the middle of this, I wonder if the black as possible into

:38:43. > :38:51.the right corner, has to get on it absolutely perfectly. Like you say,

:38:52. > :38:58.you can make a lot of points from this opportunity with -- without

:38:59. > :39:04.needing the black at all. I don't think the black that is -- the red

:39:05. > :39:14.that is touching the black is the corner, it is the one that is

:39:15. > :39:23.blocking the black to the pocket. Can be a lifeline for Barry Hawkins.

:39:24. > :39:28.If he does get back to the table. The last of the easy reds, so he

:39:29. > :39:33.needs an angle on the pink to screw back into the red and black. Would

:39:34. > :39:38.like to get the two reds together half ball and flick the back. --

:39:39. > :39:46.flick the black. That is in an ideal world. If he hits them half ball, he

:39:47. > :40:15.can flick the blackout. Can't do it from there though.

:40:16. > :40:22.Nicely on the yellow, green and blue. As to get onto to read and

:40:23. > :40:28.make something happen. The only thing he can get on the third making

:40:29. > :40:31.a cannon is the one on the cushion behind the brown, surely he will try

:40:32. > :40:36.to bring something into play. Missed it. Barry Hawkins will be pleased he

:40:37. > :40:43.has got to the table with a chance of winning. Missing that brown has

:40:44. > :41:35.not yet cost in the match. -- cost him the match.

:41:36. > :41:49.The danger is playing it this way, he could push on the other red,

:41:50. > :41:54.which he has done. Still able to go. He has got a 32 point lead, black

:41:55. > :42:05.top player and now the black is in play.

:42:06. > :42:12.I think he went full out there to get it behind the green and he

:42:13. > :42:21.played the shot really well. All was going to leave a chance with the

:42:22. > :42:26.pot. Swerve that Ronan the corner of the green. Just run the edge of the

:42:27. > :42:49.green. Heavy side spin. In the commentary box we had a great

:42:50. > :42:55.camera angle. Fraction easier than it was. Needs to go about four

:42:56. > :43:10.millimetres towards the corner pocket. They are happy. I feel this

:43:11. > :43:16.shot is a little bit easier for Barry. Let's just have a look.

:43:17. > :44:13.It was a case of once bitten, twice shy. Did not play the same shot in

:44:14. > :44:18.the end, went for the pot. Could have finished worse. Still a read on

:44:19. > :44:39.here for Mark Allen. -- red. Good pot from Mark Allen, relatively

:44:40. > :44:40.good case as well. Does he have an angle on the blue to get nicely into

:44:41. > :45:33.the pink. Did not get the desired amount of

:45:34. > :45:45.side, wanted a wider angle to get pink in the corner or blue into the

:45:46. > :45:48.middle. Has got a 50 point lead. Requiring snookers. We'll be in a

:45:49. > :46:20.good position. -- will be. Mark Allen 3-1 in front but dragged

:46:21. > :46:22.back to 3-3 by Barry Hawkins didn't take his chance in the final frame

:46:23. > :46:32.and misty brown. Mark Allen poster. Mark Allen the latest man to add his

:46:33. > :46:39.name to the quarterfinal line-up with that victory there over Barry

:46:40. > :46:42.Hawkins. Packs up his good case and on he goes.

:46:43. > :46:51.Not a bad win in the end for Mark Allen. He will be very relieved,

:46:52. > :46:55.especially having a 3-1 lead, Barry Hawkins is such a tenacious

:46:56. > :46:59.character and he will be very disappointed, getting back to 3-3

:47:00. > :47:05.and he didn't really get a great chance at the last, it was a bit of

:47:06. > :47:11.a half chance on the brown. Mark Allen is good to be very relieved.

:47:12. > :47:15.It is weird when you look at matches, 3-1 up, everything is

:47:16. > :47:19.comfortable, next minute it is the tee, you would put Barry Hawkins

:47:20. > :47:24.favourite and weird how it transfers again, the pressure comes back on

:47:25. > :47:28.and Mark Allen played a very strong last frame. Two players you expect

:47:29. > :47:32.it to be fairly even. Packed together in the world rankings,

:47:33. > :47:35.Barry Hawkins is eight and Mark Allen is meant, the third term that

:47:36. > :47:39.Mark Allen has made it through to the quarterfinals in the player who

:47:40. > :47:45.has been around for quite awhile and a good solid player. Both players

:47:46. > :47:48.have been around a very long time and both players have had their

:47:49. > :47:54.successes. Barry Hawkins has had a bit more than Mark Allen, Mark Allen

:47:55. > :48:02.is still looking for the first big win on home soil. In the UK. Who

:48:03. > :48:07.knows, this might be the breakthrough for him. He has proved

:48:08. > :48:11.he is a very capable player, very exciting to watch, doesn't hang

:48:12. > :48:20.about. He will be relieved he has got over the line. We can put Barry

:48:21. > :48:27.Hawkins in the veteran category. He was trashed at the Masters last

:48:28. > :48:31.month. He has played the Masters a couple of times and he never won a

:48:32. > :48:36.match for many a year, so to find yourself in the final, if you said

:48:37. > :48:40.you would make the final of the Masters at the start and have a bit

:48:41. > :48:45.of a battering, you would take your chances and snap their hands. He

:48:46. > :48:50.will be disappointed with the way that match went. He has shown over

:48:51. > :48:55.the last couple of seasons are much of an improved player he is and

:48:56. > :48:59.every tournament he goes to he must be thinking he has a chance of

:49:00. > :49:01.winning. Mark Allen poster to the quarterfinals and let's update you

:49:02. > :49:47.on that draw that we saw early on. Here is the man we have just seen

:49:48. > :49:53.put out Barry Harkins, Mark Allen with the 4-3 victory.

:49:54. > :49:56.Congratulations, the latest person through to the quarterfinals, tight

:49:57. > :50:01.game between you and Barry. We always have close games and I think

:50:02. > :50:05.Barry has got the better of most of them lately, so good to get one over

:50:06. > :50:08.him because he has beaten me in quite a few tournaments and is a

:50:09. > :50:14.tough player to play, even when I was 3-1 up. I thought the control of

:50:15. > :50:21.the game, just missed one ball. Very good game. Talking a short while ago

:50:22. > :50:24.about how keen you are to get a title, to get a trophy on these

:50:25. > :50:30.shores in Britain, could this be your year? Possibly but seven other

:50:31. > :50:34.players thinking the same thing, I know my game is in good shape and

:50:35. > :50:39.that is all I am worried about. Not enjoying the last six weeks of

:50:40. > :50:43.snooker, not playing well, Guinea with a different approach, myself

:50:44. > :50:46.and Terry have worked on a few things and going for my shots and

:50:47. > :50:50.try to speed up, I felt I was getting bogged down in other

:50:51. > :50:54.people's games. I gave you with the attitude that I will just go for my

:50:55. > :50:57.shots and what will be will be. We have seen you in here in the last

:50:58. > :51:03.few days practising a bit and working with Terry Griffiths, what

:51:04. > :51:07.kind of impact has that had? Terry said to me last night, he says you

:51:08. > :51:11.don't need me any more because you have sorted it yourself, but I do, I

:51:12. > :51:15.like having him in the corner, a good guy to have and knows what to

:51:16. > :51:18.say and when to say it, put me in the right step and confront what I

:51:19. > :51:24.have thought I am doing wrong and what I need to do going forward.

:51:25. > :51:27.Exciting times. I felt I was getting bogged down and letting people

:51:28. > :51:32.dictate matches instead of me dominating. I didn't feel I was

:51:33. > :51:35.getting my stamp in any of the matches against the top players and

:51:36. > :51:43.I want to go back to the way I used to play uncle back four shots -- go

:51:44. > :51:49.back and play the shots. If you get them, it can unsettle your opponent.

:51:50. > :51:55.How do you look at it, some big names still left in the competition.

:51:56. > :52:01.Toulouse fortunately I only have to play three of them! Michael white

:52:02. > :52:06.next. Another very tough match. Great prospect for the future.

:52:07. > :52:11.Wouldn't be surprised if he was to go on and win it and hopefully I can

:52:12. > :52:17.put a stop to that and damage the Welsh hopes! Cheered on by the home

:52:18. > :52:19.crowd, he will have other ideas, through to the quarterfinals, well

:52:20. > :52:25.done with that victory, thank you for joining us. We have been seeing

:52:26. > :52:29.Mark is through, one Welshman through, another one goes out of the

:52:30. > :52:35.competition and Ronnie O'Sullivan continues to beat all before him.

:52:36. > :52:39.Two more quarterfinal places up for grabs and we will find out this

:52:40. > :52:42.evening whether Judd Trump or Joe Perry can go through.

:52:43. > :52:48.The other match between Ding Junhui and Luca Brecel.

:52:49. > :52:56.Join us if you can. From all of us, thanks for your company. Goodbye for

:52:57. > :52:59.now.