:00:37. > :00:47.That is what I play snooker for, to come here and try and beat the big
:00:48. > :01:30.players and hopefully go away with a trophy or not.
:01:31. > :01:40.Possibly the most nerve racking journey Michael White has made, the
:01:41. > :01:46.quarter-final of his home Open. There is a new kid on the snooker
:01:47. > :01:49.block. Could White make it into the semi-final? We will find out in a
:01:50. > :01:56.moment. First what has been happening on another dramatic day?
:01:57. > :02:04.Ding Junhui was the talk of the tables this afternoon. The 2012
:02:05. > :02:09.champion did what Ronny O'Sullivan couldn't do, recording a 147 maximum
:02:10. > :02:12.against Neil Robertson. The crowd willing him on to a sixth tournament
:02:13. > :02:33.maximum of his career. It was one bitter sweet experience
:02:34. > :02:41.for Ding, because Robertson took the next frame to take his place in the
:02:42. > :02:46.semi-final. Just one Welshman remaining at the quarter final stage
:02:47. > :02:53.and not the one mousest most would expect. Michael White facing Mark
:02:54. > :02:56.Allen. Could he deep the dream alive? Let's join it in frame one
:02:57. > :03:20.with White at the table, no score. It looks a bit risky, but both
:03:21. > :03:27.players like to go for their shots. If you can't get past the blue, the
:03:28. > :03:45.potting angle to the red is not so bad.
:03:46. > :03:56.Very well played. Struck that very nicely. As Terry said, both players
:03:57. > :04:40.don't really hang about. Mark Allen has been showing some
:04:41. > :04:42.great form this week. Hasn't been at his best this season, but he has
:04:43. > :05:03.been impressive. It is a bit of an advantage when you
:05:04. > :05:07.get the likes of Sullivans and Selbies that are on this table all
:05:08. > :05:13.the time. For television purposes, that is what people want to watch
:05:14. > :05:17.and some other plays. But the other players play on the outside tables,
:05:18. > :05:22.a big difference when you come in with just the two tables and the
:05:23. > :05:26.television lights. Michael White has played on this table once. He beat
:05:27. > :05:39.Tom Ford. They like to get a few of the Welsh
:05:40. > :05:51.matches on the match table. A lot of interest.
:05:52. > :06:00.He has had a massive kick there. Within three shots he has had two
:06:01. > :06:07.terrible kicks. Got away with the first one. But didn't get away with
:06:08. > :06:09.this one. He has hit the black, it took off and squared the cue ball
:06:10. > :07:18.up. A big shot coming up. Once again he
:07:19. > :07:22.knew he would be leaving Michael White a chance. He had to hit it
:07:23. > :07:28.with pace to push through for the black. And he didn't hold back. A
:07:29. > :08:13.sign of total confidence. He likes to hit him at the back of
:08:14. > :08:15.the pocket. You can hear it. It is very accurate, centre of the pocket
:08:16. > :08:59.stuff. But they go in at pace. This is a good start by Mark Allen.
:09:00. > :09:22.Playing very confidently out there. He has been a little underestimated
:09:23. > :09:27.over the years. Been around a long time now.
:09:28. > :09:57.A member of the top 16 for many a season.
:09:58. > :10:05.Another kick I'm afraid. It is hard to say what happens with the kick.
:10:06. > :10:11.It is not happening every shot. It is just how it is. But Mark Allen
:10:12. > :10:17.has been, you can see the black bouncing, Mark Allen has been a top
:10:18. > :10:25.player for quite a while, but he does go in and out of form. I saw
:10:26. > :10:31.him play Ryan Day and Day played well and then Mark made a 70
:10:32. > :10:33.clearance and eight or nine of the shots I didn't think he would go
:10:34. > :10:54.for. It was top class snooker. I was in the studio when he came in
:10:55. > :11:00.after that match and said he was very relaxed and the first shot he
:11:01. > :11:07.was playing, not messing about. And not looking for problems.
:11:08. > :11:36.Missed the red, but not in snookers. Mark Allen will be winning the first
:11:37. > :11:40.frame. STUDIO: The opening frame did prove
:11:41. > :11:44.to be a lost cause for White. So advantage for Allen and now in frame
:11:45. > :11:59.2 he is trailing 45-0. Mark Allen missed a good chance
:12:00. > :12:01.before that effort from Michael White. He missed the red in the
:12:02. > :12:11.corner with the rest. Both players are strong towards the
:12:12. > :12:48.end of the game. I think at worst with this effort
:12:49. > :13:03.Mark Allen will be right back in the second frame.
:13:04. > :13:10.He would have loved to have stayed on the black, but he is going to
:13:11. > :13:24.have to go down for the blue. I think that is just about perfect.
:13:25. > :14:21.Didn't help him there with him bridging over the red and pink
:14:22. > :14:41.really. He could have fouled. Still thought he potted though.
:14:42. > :14:48.Plays the black, because the pink's tied up as well. So with that red
:14:49. > :15:19.behind the black spot, makes it a bit easier.
:15:20. > :15:29.Easily done. Barring a snooker, Michael White will now level the
:15:30. > :16:32.score at 1-1. Good hit but he could be snookered
:16:33. > :16:50.again here. It is very easy to hit off the
:16:51. > :16:55.cushion. He almost potted it. That was a good chance for Mack Allen.
:16:56. > :16:57.That ball he could have put behind the pink. But it would have been
:16:58. > :17:13.difficult. One four-point penalty for the
:17:14. > :17:54.snooker from Mark Allen. But gave him a chance to win the frame.
:17:55. > :18:03.Both of them have been snookered. Both of them nearly fluked into that
:18:04. > :18:50.right centre. Still only one snooker needed.
:18:51. > :18:57.Well you just cannot believe that. Cannot believe that. He has not only
:18:58. > :19:04.given the foul. And that will be a free ball. Just cannot believe
:19:05. > :19:10.that's happened. He has gone for the pot on the red and missed by a long
:19:11. > :19:16.way. He could play that shot a hn times again and -- hundred times a
:19:17. > :19:21.again and get a different result. It is not so much the foul, it is he
:19:22. > :19:25.has left the free ball. Mark Allen might just elect to play this brown
:19:26. > :19:54.off this back cushion. Knowing he can now win.
:19:55. > :20:02.Can Michael get the edge of this red. If he can that is a bonus. That
:20:03. > :20:04.wasn't a great shot by Mark Allen, but neither was that by Michael
:20:05. > :20:53.White. These balls are pretty well set. But
:20:54. > :21:18.a little short of pace. Again a little bit short. You can
:21:19. > :21:32.cut it in to the middle or take it in the corner.
:21:33. > :21:54.It is a little bit more difficult pot. Made it look easy.
:21:55. > :22:02.So this was a game for all sbepts and purposes looked like it was
:22:03. > :22:05.going to go to Michael White. Mark Allen is three pots away from
:22:06. > :22:25.pinching this frame. He played that positively. He has
:22:26. > :22:26.lost the cue ball a bit. This pink will, he will have to pot it at
:22:27. > :22:41.pace. In goes the pink - off the three
:22:42. > :22:44.cushions. Wants the cue ball to travel. Can't play it much better
:22:45. > :23:00.than that. Just steadied himself on that black
:23:01. > :23:08.and you could see how much it meant to him. Michael White will be
:23:09. > :23:13.devastated. No wonder Mark Allen gives a fist pump at the end. It was
:23:14. > :23:22.a frame he really shouldn't have won really should he? It is you not a
:23:23. > :23:27.waxwork doll! What a wasted opportunity for White. When he had a
:23:28. > :23:33.shot at the first shot at the reds to play safe and knock the pink in,
:23:34. > :23:40.that wasn't a good shot. He was playing back to the baulk cushion.
:23:41. > :23:46.After that the next safety shot, what will anow Michael is -- annoy
:23:47. > :23:50.Michael is Mark Allen doing the fist pump. Do you think he would have
:23:51. > :23:55.seen that? He would know that would annoy Michael White and most players
:23:56. > :24:01.do that when they pinch a frame they shouldn't. We could see Michael
:24:02. > :24:09.White. He was sitting in the chair. He knew it should be 1-1. But losing
:24:10. > :24:14.frames you shouldn't lose annoys you and a lot of players can sit down
:24:15. > :24:18.and forget about it. Others remains to be seen whether Michael White is
:24:19. > :24:24.one, that can't put it to the back of their mind. So the next frame is
:24:25. > :24:31.so important. Let's head into the third frame with Allen at the table
:24:32. > :24:43.and he is trialing 13--- trailing 13-0.
:24:44. > :24:56.Oh, hello! That is poor that is. I have got to say that. He has not
:24:57. > :25:02.been respectful to himself. He is better than that Michael. He is
:25:03. > :25:11.looking a bit unsettled out there. He is shaking his head like a dog in
:25:12. > :25:19.the back of a car. It is sad to see that.
:25:20. > :25:28.We haven't seen the fireworks from these two we expected, Darren? Not
:25:29. > :25:32.really, Terry, but I think Michael's still frustrated from the previous
:25:33. > :25:54.frame where he had his chance and broke down on 44.
:25:55. > :26:01.Played it well. So deceiving, on the TV that would have looked easy. But
:26:02. > :26:44.it was a lot thinner. He may have a slight angle here.
:26:45. > :26:50.Never easy when pink and black are tied up and in-off blue and baulk.
:26:51. > :26:51.The cue ball's got to travel a greater distance and things can go
:26:52. > :27:34.wrong. Can he pot that red and leave a
:27:35. > :27:39.cannon and leave it in the opposite corner?
:27:40. > :27:47.Michael White there was really frustrated and we have all been
:27:48. > :27:48.there, but it doesn't look great. If anything it would inspire his
:27:49. > :29:11.opponent. Well unless Mark Allen does
:29:12. > :29:18.something very easy, it looks like that wild swipe of Michael White's,
:29:19. > :29:26.a bit empetious really. It is going to cost him this frame. 2-1 is a big
:29:27. > :29:40.difference to 3-0. 3-0, a long way back.
:29:41. > :29:48.You're right, but we have all lost our rag at times, whether we show
:29:49. > :29:56.out at time. Let's hope Michael learns from that. We are all allowed
:29:57. > :29:57.mistakes now and then. It wasn't affecting anybody else, apart from
:29:58. > :30:28.him. I am not sure if he had a bad
:30:29. > :30:36.contact or was just surprised. He has given Michael White a chance
:30:37. > :30:51.now. Still got a bit to do, of course.
:30:52. > :31:30.Got to say one thing, he's getting it out of his system.
:31:31. > :31:44.That is enough for Michael White. I'm afraid he is in a bit of trouble
:31:45. > :31:48.now. He's zero behind. STUDIO: Yes, Michael White's big moment turn into
:31:49. > :31:50.a nightmare. Any sign of a comeback in frame four? Allen was at the
:31:51. > :32:09.table here, leading 1-0. It is a big red to take on for
:32:10. > :32:12.Michael White to this left corner. He is going to struggle to get the
:32:13. > :32:19.cue ball through the gap and back around. If he goes for this, he
:32:20. > :32:21.might have to go for it 100% and just hope for the best with the cue
:32:22. > :32:45.ball. That is completely brilliant as far
:32:46. > :33:04.as this Welsh crowd are concerned. That was a great pot.
:33:05. > :33:19.Needs a bit of luck now. That will do.
:33:20. > :33:49.They don't come much better than this.
:33:50. > :33:55.Well, well, well. At that pace, you would expect it to slip through the
:33:56. > :34:12.corner. It looked like he might put some
:34:13. > :34:31.points on the board. That is what he needs, to settle himself down.
:34:32. > :34:41.I am not sure if the pink spot is available either. It is hard to say
:34:42. > :34:55.from here. The pink is in the open at the moment. No, obviously,
:34:56. > :34:56.nothing goes. So here's a bit restricted here -- Mark Allen is a
:34:57. > :35:17.bit restricted here. Tricky. No good there. If that cue
:35:18. > :35:18.ball is two or three inches off the side condition, this is a
:35:19. > :35:36.straightforward shots. Oh! Well, it's fair to say that
:35:37. > :35:41.things are certainly running for Mark Allen so far in this match.
:35:42. > :35:47.That was a good pot, but he couldn't really put any spin on the ball to
:35:48. > :35:48.try and avoid the centre pocket. And he got the perfect angle on the
:35:49. > :37:02.black. Well, that wasn't a kick, it was an
:37:03. > :37:34.explosion. No, he is not with it. As it turned
:37:35. > :37:40.out, he hasn't left anything on. Just the pace he is hitting the
:37:41. > :37:44.ball, he seems to be overhitting a little bit, which comes with
:37:45. > :37:49.tension, obviously. It is easy for us to talk up here, but when you are
:37:50. > :37:51.3-0 down and have made a few errors and the luck is not going for you,
:37:52. > :38:29.it is difficult to control the mind. Well, he had a go at that one. He
:38:30. > :38:39.has been in total control of this match so far, Mark Allen, but he was
:38:40. > :38:40.a long way off with that. You just feel that Michael White needs to do
:38:41. > :39:03.something with this effort. Again, that cue ball has got away
:39:04. > :39:19.from him. I think he is in no man's land here. A big area to play for.
:39:20. > :39:27.Great recovery. What a tremendous pot. It is so difficult when you
:39:28. > :39:37.have missed the straightforward positional shot. He had four reds to
:39:38. > :39:39.get on and didn't get on them. He has composed himself and given
:39:40. > :40:06.himself another chance now. I was just about to say he was
:40:07. > :40:21.starting to look in control. And that is what happens. Everything
:40:22. > :40:26.is a bit hard for Michael at the minute. He is finishing just in
:40:27. > :40:32.between shots all the time. It is just not happening.
:40:33. > :42:01.He is short on the pink, but I think he had another poor contact. He is
:42:02. > :42:04.having a look at the balls. He has had a lot of kicks, a lot of bad
:42:05. > :42:19.contacts. The trouble is, you start losing
:42:20. > :43:47.confidence. Both players will be looking at this
:43:48. > :43:51.from different perspectives. Mark Allen can't believe what is going
:43:52. > :44:02.on, he is getting kicks all over the shop. But he is 3-0 up. And Michael
:44:03. > :44:09.White will be so disappointed if he loses this frame, with five to play.
:44:10. > :44:12.He will have come here with big expectations. The Welsh crowd are
:44:13. > :44:28.fully behind him. Again, Mark Allen has played a very
:44:29. > :44:32.good shot there. To be fair, he has played a very clever game tonight so
:44:33. > :44:43.far. Helped by Michael White. That is
:44:44. > :44:46.going to be a free ball. Michael White concedes this game. Very
:44:47. > :44:53.disappointing session of snooker for Michael White. But Mark Allen will
:44:54. > :44:57.enjoy his mid-session interval. So, Allen one frame away from victory at
:44:58. > :45:01.the interval. Do or die for White as they resumed in the fifth. Let's
:45:02. > :45:12.join it with Allen at the table, trailing 6-0.
:45:13. > :45:43.Got to avoid all those three baulk colours on their spots.
:45:44. > :45:47.That was the last thing he wanted, to catch one of those baulk colours
:45:48. > :46:21.more or less full ball. He caught that much too thick, but I
:46:22. > :46:56.don't think he has left anything on. Mark Allen will be looking at this
:46:57. > :48:56.as his winning opportunity. There is a lot to be said about this
:48:57. > :49:06.interval. It can work against you, but can
:49:07. > :49:52.also work for you. Michael White has not had a good run
:49:53. > :49:57.of balls, but he hasn't played his best snooker either. Possibly a lot
:49:58. > :50:01.of disappointed spectators appear, hoping the Welshman was going to get
:50:02. > :50:11.through to the semifinals -- up here.
:50:12. > :51:20.He is the last Welshman standing, on one leg at the moment.
:51:21. > :51:28.This is his highest break. He has not had many big rakes in this
:51:29. > :51:46.match. -- big breaks. Everything has gone well in this one
:51:47. > :51:53.for Mark Allen. So disappointing for Michael. He must have come here with
:51:54. > :51:59.a lot of expectations. Played so well against John Higgins and others
:52:00. > :52:05.in this tournament. He would have loved to have won the Welsh Open. He
:52:06. > :52:09.has got plenty of time, though. But at the moment, it is disappointment
:52:10. > :52:14.for Michael White. Mark Allen will be delighted, beating Michael White
:52:15. > :52:24.by 5-0. Yes, Michael Ypres will have to come
:52:25. > :52:28.again. It was bitterly disappointing for the Welshman, having got this
:52:29. > :52:29.far in the competition and then a complete whitewash, if you pardon
:52:30. > :52:38.the pond. 5-0. He just got so annoyed and fresh
:52:39. > :52:45.grated. Things changed for me in the third frame. He has to put behind
:52:46. > :52:49.what happened in the third frame. It is easy to play off one caution and
:52:50. > :53:02.lay off three reds next or black, bug but he is still suffering from
:53:03. > :53:07.the previous shot. This was a big chance to prove how good a player he
:53:08. > :53:13.is. All he has done now is prove how frustrated he gets. It may take time
:53:14. > :53:16.for him to get over that. You are saying he has not dealt with the
:53:17. > :53:20.pressure of playing in front of TV cameras in front of his home crowd?
:53:21. > :53:24.This is probably the biggest crowd he has played in front of in his
:53:25. > :53:29.life. Obviously, he wanted to please everybody and play very well, and he
:53:30. > :53:36.got frustrated. Some players can get rid of that. Michael White, at this
:53:37. > :53:43.moment in time, can't. He cannot let that frustration get to him. He is
:53:44. > :53:52.one of those players who is close to the top 16. That adds pressure as
:53:53. > :53:56.well. I was surprised and very disappointed. I only hope he learns
:53:57. > :53:59.from that, because Michael White is a very good player, and make no
:54:00. > :54:03.mistake. Mark Allen did say it was part of his temper and to try and
:54:04. > :54:08.frustrate Michael White, and that was exactly what he did. You can't
:54:09. > :54:11.blame Mark Allen for that. Mark Allen is a great player. We can
:54:12. > :54:18.discuss whether he should have won more. So he may have his flaws
:54:19. > :54:21.somewhere. A terrific response to his critics, perhaps, because we saw
:54:22. > :54:27.earlier some people saying he's not quite that top grade they are that
:54:28. > :54:29.he could be. I was listening to the commentary this afternoon in the
:54:30. > :54:33.studio, when you were talking about that. I think because there are so
:54:34. > :54:39.many good players now, the top five or six are bit on their own at the
:54:40. > :54:42.moment. Mark Allen is in that space behind the top five or six. I
:54:43. > :54:46.personally think Mark Allen could win a lot more tournaments. He is a
:54:47. > :54:50.possible future world champion as well. A disappointing day for
:54:51. > :54:52.Michael White. Let's take you to this afternoon and remind you of
:54:53. > :54:59.exactly what happened in the match between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark
:55:00. > :55:03.Selby, a real clash of the titans as the world number one, Selby, took on
:55:04. > :55:08.O'Sullivan. But the Rocket blew Selby away with that 5-1 win this
:55:09. > :55:16.afternoon. He is very much the man to stop. It wasn't really that
:55:17. > :55:21.tough, because obviously, most frames are won in one visit. So
:55:22. > :55:25.there were not heavy bouts of safety and stuff like that. There were one
:55:26. > :55:31.or two friends where there was a bit of safety. And I came out on top of
:55:32. > :55:34.that as well, so that was nice. It is always good to win a safety June
:55:35. > :55:41.against Mark, because he has such good tactical awareness. But on the
:55:42. > :55:44.whole, I was happy with that much. Into my's other quarterfinal, Ben
:55:45. > :55:50.Woollaston, last year's runner-up, did a little better than White. But
:55:51. > :55:55.Joe Perry stole a 5-1 win in that match to set up a semifinal against
:55:56. > :55:58.Ronnie O'Sullivan tomorrow must have a good night for Joe Perry.
:55:59. > :56:07.So, here is the semifinal line-up or you. -- for you.
:56:08. > :56:16.That is coming up for you tomorrow. Let's just have a little look inside
:56:17. > :56:20.the arena. We started the week, if you remember, with 12 tables. We are
:56:21. > :56:24.down to just the one. They have been working hard to get rid of the other
:56:25. > :56:30.table that was in use today, and just the one table remaining for the
:56:31. > :56:35.two semifinals tomorrow. Well, Willie, I guess we had better have a
:56:36. > :56:39.look at that semifinal line-up. Is it possible to look beyond running?
:56:40. > :56:43.He has been sensational this week. It may be possible to look beyond a
:56:44. > :56:48.Ronnie and Robertson final. Mark Allen may have plenty to say
:56:49. > :56:51.tomorrow when he plays against Robertson. Robertson and Ronnie have
:56:52. > :56:55.played the best snooker throughout the tournament. Joe Perry can beat
:56:56. > :56:59.Ronnie O'Sullivan, and Mark Allen can beat Robertson, but the way the
:57:00. > :57:03.matches have been played so far this evening, you would expect a Ronnie
:57:04. > :57:06.O'Sullivan versus Neil Robertson final. I was enthralled with the
:57:07. > :57:12.game this afternoon with Ronnie O'Sullivan. He almost treated his
:57:13. > :57:15.opponent with content. Did not play hardly any safety at all. He really
:57:16. > :57:25.knuckled down when he did play safety. It was a superb match. All
:57:26. > :57:29.in all, we have had a fantastic day of snooker. We talk about Mark Allen
:57:30. > :57:37.going under the radar. Same with Joe Perry. Absolutely. Gentleman Joe
:57:38. > :57:41.Perry, they call him. Perfect gentleman, plays good all-round
:57:42. > :57:44.snooker. I would put him in the John Higgins mould. Not as good yet, but
:57:45. > :57:48.he has an all-round game and he is bust with a very good safety game.
:57:49. > :57:52.To beat Ronnie O'Sullivan tomorrow, he will have to have that, because
:57:53. > :57:56.O'Sullivan will come blasting in again and play it like an exhibition
:57:57. > :58:02.match. Eventually, that will catch up with Ronnie. It is almost the
:58:03. > :58:10.kind of semifinal line-up we might have wanted. Not a bad last four.
:58:11. > :58:19.Very good last four, four of the top players in the game, four players
:58:20. > :58:22.inside the top 16. What we have here is four players that can all win the
:58:23. > :58:26.tournament. There is nobody I would definitely cross off from winning
:58:27. > :58:30.it. You obviously have to favour Robertson and Ronnie O'Sullivan to
:58:31. > :58:34.get to the final. Should be a great day. So, we have seen the world
:58:35. > :58:39.number one. No obstacle for Ronnie O'Sullivan. We have seen a 147 for
:58:40. > :58:43.Ding and a whitewash for Michael White on quarterfinal day. We would
:58:44. > :58:50.love to have your company tomorrow afternoon for the semifinals.
:58:51. > :58:56.If you are not going to the football and rugby or going shopping, do join
:58:57. > :59:01.us from 1.05, Mark Allen against Neil Robertson. Tax for watching.
:59:02. > :59:02.From all of us, good evening. -- thanks for watching.