Semi-finals - Part 1

:00:34. > :01:19.Yes, four of the worldpos-mac top ten players all hoping to get their

:01:20. > :01:24.hands on the Welsh Open Trophy here tomorrow night. Welcome the

:01:25. > :01:27.semifinals day. Ronnie O'Sullivan has the prime-time spot later, but

:01:28. > :01:29.first it is the world number three against the man who broke Welsh

:01:30. > :01:45.hearts last night. I came here to win, so there are

:01:46. > :01:48.still too massive hurdles to get over. Anything less than winning, I

:01:49. > :01:51.will be very disappointed. Dash two massive hurdles. Even though I

:01:52. > :01:55.against Neil Robertson, the best player this season. Over the last

:01:56. > :02:04.few tournament is, I have either won it ought in the semifinals. Good to

:02:05. > :02:08.string that consistency together. I tried to play my safety shots

:02:09. > :02:13.tighter than previously. If I can take a few chances, I will score

:02:14. > :02:20.from them. I will not worry too much about Neil, I will play to my own

:02:21. > :02:27.strengths, and I am sure he will play the same way. He is a player

:02:28. > :02:32.that should be winning more than he probably should, he gets to a lot of

:02:33. > :02:39.semifinals and finals, and he will be determined to get a result, he

:02:40. > :02:46.will want to get one back on me and get to another final himself. Two

:02:47. > :02:51.formidable matches in front of me. But I have to compete with those

:02:52. > :02:58.players. And on any given day I can win. This is my first semifinal here

:02:59. > :03:07.since 2009, so I am very pleased about that as well. It is an

:03:08. > :03:19.intriguing contest. Here are the statistics.

:03:20. > :03:27.Neil Robertson has the edge in meetings between them, 9-3. When

:03:28. > :03:32.they last met in November, Neil Robertson was the winner, in the

:03:33. > :03:37.final of the champion of champions competition. So, one of these men

:03:38. > :03:41.will be walking out here tomorrow night as a finalist in the 2016

:03:42. > :03:47.Welsh Open. This man did that in 1992, Darren Morgan. Good afternoon.

:03:48. > :03:51.The nerves will be starting to kick in. Yes, thank you for reminding me.

:03:52. > :03:56.That was a long time ago. You will be looking forward to it, but with

:03:57. > :04:04.nerves of excitement. How difficult is it when you know that you are the

:04:05. > :04:10.only table left, all the focus is on you? It is a great feeling to see

:04:11. > :04:14.you have been in a single table setup. That is what everyone playing

:04:15. > :04:20.the game does, wants to turn professional. This is what it is

:04:21. > :04:24.about, if you want to play finals, you have the single table setup.

:04:25. > :04:28.Both of the players are used to this, it is nothing new for them.

:04:29. > :04:34.Luisao Mark Allen despatching makeover yesterday, and Neil

:04:35. > :04:37.Robertson beating Ding Junhui. Mark Allen is a great player, and that

:04:38. > :04:43.has to be said that last night he was a little bit out, he lost a

:04:44. > :04:46.frame he should not have lost, and he pressed himself, explored

:04:47. > :04:52.patterns. Neil Robertson has played very strong in this tournament and

:04:53. > :04:58.it will be a big task for Mark Allen. You can tell it is the last

:04:59. > :05:04.two days, there is a real sense of excitement here. We will take you to

:05:05. > :05:12.table said, good afternoon to Allen. Thank you. Welcome to Cardiff of the

:05:13. > :05:18.semifinals of the BetVictor Welsh Open, 2016. We're at the motor point

:05:19. > :05:23.Arena. We are down to the last four. This is what it is all about. Let us

:05:24. > :05:37.get the first semifinal under way. This man has been superb, beating

:05:38. > :05:55.Michael wait 5-0 last night. Please welcome Mark Allen! New

:05:56. > :06:05.MUSIC: DJ Snake L'il John by Turn Down For What

:06:06. > :06:14.147 from Junhui was not enough to stop this man. The Thunder from Down

:06:15. > :06:23.Under, it is neverpos-mac ultimate warrior, Neil Robertson.

:06:24. > :06:42.MUSIC: Heart of Courage by Two Steps From Hell

:06:43. > :06:48.It is the first of the two semifinals. Let us join the

:06:49. > :06:55.commentary team. Dominate Dale and Willie Thorne.

:06:56. > :07:02.Good afternoon. Welcome from Dominick and myself. Neil Robertson

:07:03. > :07:08.holds the upper hand. Mark Allen has just shown a glimpse of form in the

:07:09. > :07:11.last couple of matches. He is starting to get into things a bit

:07:12. > :07:16.now. He has been struggling a bit for the best start of the year, but

:07:17. > :07:22.he's bordering on winning another tournament. What do you think? Yes,

:07:23. > :07:36.whenever he gets a semifinal, always knocking on the door for another big

:07:37. > :07:42.to be. Dash another big win. The favourite going into this match has

:07:43. > :07:48.to be Neil Robertson as he breaks off for this frame. An excellent

:07:49. > :07:49.match he played yesterday against Ding Junhui. Neil Robertson came

:07:50. > :09:14.through the 147 quite convincingly. This is one of the Department that

:09:15. > :09:19.Mark Allen, we know he can match in the break-building department, but

:09:20. > :09:25.can he match in this? He may have to play at containing safety shot at

:09:26. > :09:29.this end of the table. I will be surprised if he takes the pot,

:09:30. > :09:42.because he would not kiss the other red. He got away with it.

:09:43. > :09:54.I think Neil Robertson plays a lot of these matches, he is long

:09:55. > :09:59.potting, that is a feature of those matches, especially the ones where

:10:00. > :10:05.he wins, he scores century breaks. With Neil Robertson, when his long

:10:06. > :10:09.potting is not great, some other elements are not great either. I

:10:10. > :10:21.wonder how he will perform for us today. A fantastic audience in

:10:22. > :10:27.attendance. There not Spears seats for this one-table set-up. My

:10:28. > :10:54.girlfriend Kerry is watching attentively. Some with

:10:55. > :11:03.He will avoid the kiss on the yellow clearly.

:11:04. > :11:09.It is amazing how different players see different shots. Most players

:11:10. > :11:27.would have played in and out of all, Crow. -- Bolcom

:11:28. > :11:32.Baulk. They are coming up to three and a half minutes of play. Nothing

:11:33. > :12:04.on the scoreboard as yet. I am just thinking that Neil

:12:05. > :12:08.Robertson could cut it into the left-centre. I think it is on.

:12:09. > :12:22.APPLAUSE It is hard to criticise such a

:12:23. > :12:28.great, great player, but it was a relatively easy cut. Presumably he

:12:29. > :13:27.has gone to play for a baulk,. Neil Robertson purposely cuts off

:13:28. > :13:31.the avenue to the left-hand side pack of reds, which would have an

:13:32. > :13:35.easier and safer Mark Allen to play into, now he is forced to play down

:13:36. > :13:39.the right-hand side of the table, so it is more dangerous for him. The

:13:40. > :13:45.pink ball is covering the cluster off the side cushion. Mark Allen has

:13:46. > :13:48.to be careful here. It will be difficult to judge because we are

:13:49. > :13:52.going to the one-table set-up, there will be a new cloth on the table,

:13:53. > :14:05.and they do not quite know how the cushions are playing yet.

:14:06. > :14:09.That was a fantastic shot from Mark Allen. Weighed exactly the shot we

:14:10. > :14:49.just saw. He did wonderfully well. You can see the extreme right red,

:14:50. > :14:58.he has to be careful he doesn't push it over the corner. Will it be on a

:14:59. > :15:00.portable position? Not this time. Excellent safety shot.

:15:01. > :15:48.APPLAUSE Assuming the cue ball is tight to

:15:49. > :16:01.the green, which restricts her master what he can play. It is no

:16:02. > :16:06.easy avenue to any of the loose threads. If he would like to just

:16:07. > :16:09.rest on any of them, but he is going to have to come off this baulk side

:16:10. > :16:30.cushion. -- red. He has hit the red. He has chosen

:16:31. > :16:35.just the right ball to play on, Neil Robertson. Even though it is in open

:16:36. > :16:47.play, it does not pot for Mark Allen.

:16:48. > :16:56.Both of these players fantastic Potters. It is the first frame of a

:16:57. > :17:09.major semifinal, they are settling in.

:17:10. > :17:17.This is portable, but he cannot avoid the pack in the way back. Too

:17:18. > :17:22.close to the cushion to play on the back of the black. He either has to

:17:23. > :17:25.go all out for the pot or play up and down again. We will now in a

:17:26. > :18:17.moment. It is all about missing the red next

:18:18. > :18:26.to the left-hand cushion, which he should do quite easily. It is easy

:18:27. > :18:41.to misjudge. That is the first mistake after 10.5 minutes of play.

:18:42. > :18:44.Mark can cut this into the left-centre. He would be

:18:45. > :18:52.disappointed not to get this. Depends whether he can get on a

:18:53. > :18:55.colour. APPLAUSE

:18:56. > :19:06.He will be happy with that. A couple of reds, just below the

:19:07. > :19:22.pink spot, that will pot into the left-hand corner. He has overplayed

:19:23. > :19:28.this by probably 12 inches or so. I don't think the red ball is around

:19:29. > :19:34.the back area can be potted. -- black area. There is a macro to just

:19:35. > :19:39.below the pink spot but pots into the left corner. He has found a gap

:19:40. > :19:42.to another one! This is very handy for Mark Allen.

:19:43. > :20:08.He has decided to play down the right-hand side, which takes the

:20:09. > :20:16.baulk colours out of the equation. This looks to be a better pace. A

:20:17. > :20:28.little reluctant to get the black spot on. He needs to finish low on

:20:29. > :21:00.this. The black is going to be tied up.

:21:01. > :21:09.When he gets the red out of the way in the next few shots he can bring

:21:10. > :21:19.it into play. He is doing an awful lot with the cue ball, he has to get

:21:20. > :21:22.the pace right, which he has done. A few moments ago it did not look like

:21:23. > :21:52.he could win the frame at this visit.

:21:53. > :22:00.He has got a little bit more pace into the cue ball than he intended

:22:01. > :22:03.because it caught the cushion. You can see how well the red balls are

:22:04. > :22:08.placed. When you are professional player than the sort of position you

:22:09. > :22:12.would even be disappointed if you do not win a frame from this

:22:13. > :22:18.opportunity. You really do need to be putting frames away when you have

:22:19. > :22:23.the balls at your mercy like this. If Mark Allen did win the frame from

:22:24. > :22:25.here, it will keep the pressure firmly on Neil Robertson who has not

:22:26. > :22:46.started confidently yet. He is like Peter Ebdon, Neil

:22:47. > :22:57.Robertson, when he is in his chair he sits at the cheer and barely

:22:58. > :23:05.moves. 100% concentration on the table, some players do not like to

:23:06. > :24:02.look at the table. A few more reds and three blacks.

:24:03. > :24:09.It took him ten minutes to get a point on the board. But in the last

:24:10. > :24:21.six minutes he has got 57 and counting.

:24:22. > :24:28.He obviously feels it is too thin to guarantee getting onto the red ball,

:24:29. > :24:34.but there were some balls in the middle he could have played. I am

:24:35. > :24:37.surprised he did not just checked it with the black. I am not saying he

:24:38. > :24:43.will miss the blue, and not get through the gap, but those baulk

:24:44. > :24:44.colours are always tricky to negotiate the path back to the

:24:45. > :25:00.business end of the table. Be put in new cloth on the table

:25:01. > :25:08.this morning. Dominik is playing nicely. Yes, the cushions are pretty

:25:09. > :25:11.quick. On one-table set-up for the first time, normally the cushions do

:25:12. > :25:18.not lay as quickly. APPLAUSE

:25:19. > :25:23.The audience annoying that that was the frame -- acknowledging that was

:25:24. > :25:46.the frame ball. This is the sort of start but Mark

:25:47. > :25:52.Allen wanted. I have noticed how he has speeded up a little bit. It is

:25:53. > :25:58.always important to get the first frame on the board. Neil Robertson

:25:59. > :26:05.may come back to the table to have a little bit of practice. No, he has

:26:06. > :26:12.conceded. A very nice break of 77, Mark Allen takes the opening frame.

:26:13. > :26:18.Yes, if there were any nerves on the part of Mark Allen, that was pretty

:26:19. > :26:24.much the perfect start for him to banish the nerds early. Yes, we went

:26:25. > :26:31.about ten, 12 minutes before anything was potted. A lot of safety

:26:32. > :26:37.shots. It looked like an early start for Neil Robertson. He has got off

:26:38. > :26:42.to a good start with all his matches. Mark Allen will be feeling

:26:43. > :26:53.very good at this moment. -- to banish the nervousness. There was a

:26:54. > :26:58.controversial fist bump last night with Mark Allen. By Neil Robertson

:26:59. > :27:02.is something you cannot read. Yes, and when you have been a prolific

:27:03. > :27:07.winner, like he has done over the last few years, it is good breeding,

:27:08. > :27:11.it just comes with that. He is used to winning and is full of

:27:12. > :27:16.confidence. Mark Allen wears his heart upon his sleeve. And can be a

:27:17. > :27:21.little bit outspoken and volatile, but that makes him so exciting to

:27:22. > :27:26.watch. Like Willie Thorne said, he speeded up a lot once the got in

:27:27. > :27:32.amongst the balls. He knows this is a great opportunity to get to the

:27:33. > :27:34.final. Let us go back, the man from Northern Ireland has just open off

:27:35. > :27:47.on the second frame. Yes, we saw the break of shot, it is

:27:48. > :27:48.not the best, but I don't think he can get through to the left-hand

:27:49. > :27:59.corner. That is an attacking safety shots,

:28:00. > :28:04.opening up the balls. He has overhit the cue ball by three feet, nearly.

:28:05. > :28:11.He has left red ball, but Mark Allen would be disappointed to miss.

:28:12. > :28:53.APPLAUSE Brown.

:28:54. > :29:10.APPLAUSE That was well played into the pack

:29:11. > :29:16.of reds. He played it that way, as the black will not what. He was

:29:17. > :29:20.unfortunate at the top cushion. It does not look as if he can port any

:29:21. > :29:33.of the red balls. A risky one into the left-centre. If he had been 1-0

:29:34. > :29:36.behind, he may not have played it so aggressive. Unfortunately the pink

:29:37. > :29:40.stayed out of commission. The black is now in the left-hand corner. That

:29:41. > :29:47.there is no easy red ball. He has to cover the one over the corner. Neil

:29:48. > :29:52.Robertson is a great long potter, so he cannot afford to leave that. If

:29:53. > :29:56.the red was its date, as you can see he would have to cannon into the two

:29:57. > :30:48.reds at the thing, but he cannot do that because it is not straight.

:30:49. > :30:57.There is a gap of the nearest of the cue balls. Between those two red,

:30:58. > :31:04.the blue and the pink, he has to play that thick. May career into

:31:05. > :31:11.other reds and bring them into play. It looks like he is playing a

:31:12. > :31:19.containing safety shot. Once the right of the there. You never gain

:31:20. > :31:24.an advantage. He has hit this too hard.

:31:25. > :31:40.Maybe an attempt for Mark Allen, somewhere.

:31:41. > :32:17.He was a little bit surprised at the ankle he came off. -- angle.

:32:18. > :32:27.This new cloth is just giving fraction of the -- fractionally.

:32:28. > :32:39.I did not hear the refs call touching door. It is touching, which

:32:40. > :32:48.-- makes the safety shot a lot simpler.

:32:49. > :32:57.He does not want to go in-off! That is a complete mystery. It is the way

:32:58. > :33:07.the cushions are playing. He cannot go in-off from there. It shows how

:33:08. > :33:17.difficult it is. It makes the obvious, simplest of mistakes. No

:33:18. > :33:20.matter how good you are. It just slid off the side cushion. Mark

:33:21. > :33:26.Allen must have thought it would come off a lot squarer than that.

:33:27. > :33:31.Ken Neill thread a path to the left corner? -- Ken Neill?

:33:32. > :33:43.Getting onto the colour be more troublesome.

:33:44. > :33:50.A little lucky. Play to get onto the black. Just got into the cue too

:33:51. > :33:57.much. There was not much of a gap there. He was just trying to get

:33:58. > :34:04.through the gap, and went into the Red Bull too much. A little bit more

:34:05. > :34:10.bite on the new cloth. It has only been on the table for three or four

:34:11. > :35:49.days. It can really put you back against the wall.

:35:50. > :35:55.This is not ridiculously important. He cannot see the red at the moment.

:35:56. > :36:03.He needs to go at another half an inch.

:36:04. > :36:13.We will try and show you where they were. Boucher were the right --

:36:14. > :36:23.White is. It looks pretty good. Even deftly see the edge of the red. I

:36:24. > :36:26.used to say to the opponent, if you play the shot, that is fine, but

:36:27. > :36:44.let's get it in the right place. It makes no difference at all. It is a

:36:45. > :36:45.very thin sheet -- shop. That is about right. That is not what he

:36:46. > :37:06.could see last time. How does that? The referee asking again for the

:37:07. > :37:11.freeze-frame. Just the aptly certain. From the picture we've got

:37:12. > :37:20.now, it seems as if he could hit more of this red. He is replacing

:37:21. > :37:32.slightly. That is where it was. That is where it is now. Perfect, surely.

:37:33. > :37:40.He won't be playing that shot again. Two misses. Because he can hit one

:37:41. > :37:45.or more balls fall in the face, that -- he will beat warned by the

:37:46. > :37:53.referee that defeat cannot take the ball on, the frame will be awarded

:37:54. > :38:04.to his opponent. You will hear that morning issued to Mark Allen. You

:38:05. > :39:31.have to have a rest this time -- hit the red!

:39:32. > :39:42.It would be playing the reds, but pushing onto the side cushion. Just

:39:43. > :39:49.trying to stop them going there. Not about safety shot. At least the

:39:50. > :39:54.black is in open play now. -- not a bad safety shot. It has not started

:39:55. > :39:57.as quick as I could come at this match, but both players have

:39:58. > :40:02.realised that this is their chance to get into the final. Both fancy

:40:03. > :40:06.their chances in this match. Robertson has the upper hand in the

:40:07. > :40:18.head-to-head clashes so far. 9-3. You would think it would be the

:40:19. > :40:23.other way round. Mark Allen looks like the man who has beaten Neil

:40:24. > :40:29.Robertson nine times. Confidence from that tee players so far. That

:40:30. > :40:36.could be a fortuitous kiss on the yellow. It is a lot more difficult

:40:37. > :40:43.now. It would have just have been hidden. This is shaping up to be a

:40:44. > :41:03.rather lengthy frame. Quite a clever shot from Neill. He

:41:04. > :41:07.knew he was going to leave the shop round the table, but if he could

:41:08. > :41:12.push the red towards the other end, there was a chance, and that is

:41:13. > :41:23.exactly what he has done. That was a clever safety shot from Neill.

:41:24. > :41:34.He did not have much idea whether he was going to be able to play it or

:41:35. > :41:35.not. Once again, damage done. It doesn't that but there is a plant on

:41:36. > :43:06.this time. Things are getting very clogged up.

:43:07. > :43:10.This will be another red going over to that corner pocket. Eventually,

:43:11. > :43:16.there will be some sort of plant on. That is for sure.

:43:17. > :43:22.Can he get through to the potting area? Yes he can. If he plays it

:43:23. > :43:29.really hard, and it cannons into the three reds to the right of the red,

:43:30. > :43:38.it will come off. That is why he will look at the 4-macro-ball plant

:43:39. > :43:42.is what he is looking at. The red is very easy, the one that we could see

:43:43. > :43:49.is dead straight. But he can't get out to a colour. If he is in the

:43:50. > :43:53.middle, the yellow ballpark. At least he knows that if he plays the

:43:54. > :44:03.4-ball plant, he is sure to be on the blue. Played it nicely. How is

:44:04. > :44:43.the cue ball? Not too bad. Reliably informed that is Neal's

:44:44. > :44:49.first pot in 45 minutes. It came out well that did, for Neil Robertson.

:44:50. > :44:54.The way that the reds were cannoned, there is another loose red. You

:44:55. > :45:09.never know when you play those sorts of shot. They can adjust themselves

:45:10. > :45:20.it would be a very tall order. You can see that it is not an easy read,

:45:21. > :45:35.plus the plant. The black is possible. That could help Neil.

:45:36. > :45:46.In passing this red, it means the black is available from both pockets

:45:47. > :45:51.if it goes back to its own spot. Just left it slightly awkwardly. The

:45:52. > :45:59.cue ball could do with being an inch closer to the cushion. Issue still

:46:00. > :46:04.should have potted balls. That was a poor shot on the red, not on the

:46:05. > :46:12.black. He finished too high on the back. Let's see if it catches the

:46:13. > :46:16.near jaw. They never go in when they catch the new jaw. We have two take

:46:17. > :46:29.on somewhere. There is nothing easier. He does not

:46:30. > :46:35.have an easy safety shot. He can get the cue ball in between brown and

:46:36. > :46:49.green. He would love to take our pot on.

:46:50. > :46:58.That is the shot he is playing, between brown and green.

:46:59. > :48:10.I think he has judged this to perfection.

:48:11. > :48:17.At the moment, the black is still accessible. But few more safety

:48:18. > :48:23.shot, if you get a read that knocks of that back in -- completely, we

:48:24. > :48:33.could be in for a long frame here. He has caught the pink. No real harm

:48:34. > :48:39.done. They have decided on a re-rack. I cannot blame them. That

:48:40. > :48:43.friend was going nowhere. There was only eight points in the frame. It

:48:44. > :48:50.seemed a bit futile carry on. They are going to re-rack the frame, and

:48:51. > :48:58.we will have another go at frame two. It is another chance for Neil

:48:59. > :49:05.to find some confidence. He played the shot to get onto the black. Once

:49:06. > :49:09.the black stayed there, it always had a chance of being a re-rack.

:49:10. > :49:13.Hopefully, the next frame will be a little quicker, not so pedestrian.

:49:14. > :49:26.The first frame to the little while to take off. Ten minutes before Mark

:49:27. > :49:35.Allen made that 77. Here we go again in frame two. Mark Allen breaking

:49:36. > :49:39.off, and other remember him making a good job of breaking off last time,

:49:40. > :49:43.he certainly hasn't this time. A good chance Daniel to get his long

:49:44. > :49:49.potting boots on. If he is going to miss one, it is right now, because

:49:50. > :49:54.he has not had much table time yet. He has over stunted that, and potted

:49:55. > :49:57.the black. That was not just the missed pot. He got far too much back

:49:58. > :50:00.spin on the ball. The cannon on the black, and he has left Mark Allen

:50:01. > :50:30.here are some balls straightaway. He is still OK on the blue, but he

:50:31. > :50:43.does not want to go into the reds this time, because he might tie the

:50:44. > :50:46.black up. A little delicate Calan -- cannon. I don't plain -- blame him

:50:47. > :51:00.at all for that. -- delicate he has just tied the reds up. He has

:51:01. > :51:30.under Hitler. Some awkward cueing. He had to

:51:31. > :51:37.celebrate it slightly. That is why he is a couple of inches short.

:51:38. > :51:41.There is a lot of drag on the cue ball. It slows right down before

:51:42. > :51:47.contact. We will have a look at the pink here. The blue is not much good

:51:48. > :51:54.to him, and blasts it in and goes round the angles. The problem with

:51:55. > :52:05.this, what angle has he got on this Baird? -- red? He has done a good

:52:06. > :52:13.job with that. He has potted that into the bottom jaw side. He is

:52:14. > :52:24.enabling the cue ball to run past the red. All is OK. The cannon opens

:52:25. > :52:26.the black and the reds. Very quickly, a chance to take a 2-0

:52:27. > :53:28.lead. Didn't feel that he was straight off

:53:29. > :53:33.the red to hold a further black. He goes to the next colour, in this

:53:34. > :53:40.case, the pink. Judged very well. Let's just see where the pink will

:53:41. > :53:49.spot. He is probably running into the left centre. He will be looking

:53:50. > :53:55.for an angle on the blue. Only one loose red that I can see. He has

:53:56. > :54:01.played for the green. Suffer the kick. Now, he is a bit straight on

:54:02. > :54:07.the green. He is just beginning to run out of position here, Mark

:54:08. > :54:12.Allen. One of those drag shots again. The kick landed four or five

:54:13. > :54:30.inches short of where it should have done.

:54:31. > :54:45.There is a position in the left-hand corner.

:54:46. > :54:54.He does not want to leave an easy chance. That is a shot of a

:54:55. > :54:56.confident player. Probably the shot of the match, with the pressure

:54:57. > :55:46.attached to it. Make an excellent break of 77 in the

:55:47. > :55:55.opening frame. It is just gone a little bit too far to screw into the

:55:56. > :56:00.bunch of four raids. -- reds. He can played into the yellow pocket. Not

:56:01. > :56:05.sure that he can get into the black. He can play the cannon on the two

:56:06. > :56:11.reds that are touching. It is running of the commission. That is

:56:12. > :56:24.so careless. So careless. He looks completely bemused here,

:56:25. > :56:28.Mark. Two things happened here. He had a very small kick, and the black

:56:29. > :56:36.just seemed to wander slightly towards the top jaw. But if it had

:56:37. > :56:41.been dead centre, it would not have been problem. But what a chance for

:56:42. > :56:51.Neil Robertson. He just needed the black one more red.

:56:52. > :57:00.That can be very important for him. Could the black be a vital turning

:57:01. > :57:11.point from Mark Allen's point of view? That cue ball was just slowing

:57:12. > :57:16.up tee inches. He is now going to play a difficult shot. He could risk

:57:17. > :57:24.playing the cannon, but he will risk playing left-handed. It is an easy

:57:25. > :57:30.cannon. He is not guaranteed to hit the four reds. He could play its

:57:31. > :57:34.thin, go round the back of the red and end up in the same pocket. It

:57:35. > :57:47.looks like he is risking the cannon. Identity the point of risking that

:57:48. > :58:15.from there. It could come onto the read on the left-hand side so easy.

:58:16. > :58:21.You hadn't audible sigh there from Neil Robinson. -- he heard an

:58:22. > :58:32.audible sigh. He caught it way thin. Mark Allen!

:58:33. > :58:40.Is he feeling the pressure out there?! It is being handed to him on

:58:41. > :58:48.a plate, and he has not managed to close the frame out. I did not think

:58:49. > :58:49.that he needed to play a slow crack shot. He could play it more

:58:50. > :00:14.positively. I know it is very early on in this

:00:15. > :00:17.match, but some frames could cost you the match. It is silly because

:00:18. > :00:23.Mark Allen had this in control a few moments ago. A little bit like

:00:24. > :00:29.Michael White yesterday, when you lose a frame that you think you

:00:30. > :00:36.should win, it changes your body language, demeanour and confidence.

:00:37. > :00:39.Neil Robertson is 53 points behind as we speak, but it is not beyond

:00:40. > :00:47.the realms of possibility he can clear from here. We always say that

:00:48. > :00:50.the first 50 is hard to get, the last 50 in a frame is easy to get,

:00:51. > :02:00.look where the balls are. That was the most difficult red of

:02:01. > :02:02.the four. He played the difficult one knowing that he might not get

:02:03. > :02:28.onto it so well next time. Still plenty of points on the table

:02:29. > :02:34.for Neil Robertson to win this. This would really hurt Mark Allen if he

:02:35. > :02:41.did not win the screen, given the chances he has been given. It will

:02:42. > :02:48.be interesting to see if Neil Robertson pinches this frame and do

:02:49. > :02:50.they classic fist pump as Mark Allen did last night against Michael

:02:51. > :02:58.White. That seemed to affect him last night.

:02:59. > :03:09.He's not afraid to show his emotions, albeit not usually during

:03:10. > :03:14.a frame. But if he pinches a frame. This is the one reigning difficult

:03:15. > :03:20.shot. He would like to get into the middle.

:03:21. > :03:26.As long as he can miss a kiss on the yellow one brain that should not be

:03:27. > :03:54.a problem. He would love to play that one

:03:55. > :04:12.again. Being left-handed he will need the rest for the brown. 22

:04:13. > :04:13.behind. The brown ball is quite possibly his route to the next

:04:14. > :04:37.frame. He has missed the brown ball. Our

:04:38. > :04:41.previous four Mark Allen. Getting a little bit tens as there are no.

:04:42. > :04:50.Most players realise the importance and the context of winning this

:04:51. > :04:56.match. -- missing this -- winning this frame in the context of the

:04:57. > :05:01.match. Just an extra two inches of pace would have been through the

:05:02. > :05:04.gap. We knew that guessing it would be a problem.

:05:05. > :05:14.APPLAUSE I would not be shaking my head for

:05:15. > :05:27.that, I would delighted to have potted the yellow. Once the yellow

:05:28. > :05:33.double-kissed the brown, I was surprised.

:05:34. > :05:38.He will be very relieved when he eventually gets the second frame

:05:39. > :05:56.under his belt. Bit of a tense affair, the second

:05:57. > :06:02.frame. Mark Allen started so well, with a break of 55. By his

:06:03. > :06:11.standards, all kinds of easy shots, including a doggy black off the

:06:12. > :06:15.spot. Neil Robertson was not able to capitalise, with no real breaks.

:06:16. > :06:25.What is he doing here. That is one way of spotting them, I suppose.

:06:26. > :06:29.Mark Allen will be very satisfied so far.

:06:30. > :06:37.Yes, relief is the word therefore Mark Allen, because he did his best

:06:38. > :06:45.to try to throw away the frame. Yes, he will be very relieved. 2-0 to 1-1

:06:46. > :06:51.is a big difference. Neil Robertson bilby feeling the pain.

:06:52. > :07:01.He looked like he could pinch the frame but it all went horribly

:07:02. > :07:06.wrong. Yes, here is the miss. Yes, he had -- Allen had many chances to

:07:07. > :07:12.win the frame easily, but Neil Robertson ended a great clearance

:07:13. > :07:20.until this brown. I would not say it was a poor positional shot, he just

:07:21. > :07:29.didn't hit it hard enough. He played a short very cleverly, he played it

:07:30. > :07:35.to block the crime pocket -- green pocket. Mark Allen played a great

:07:36. > :07:42.shot next. He had a kick on the cue ball. You can see it bounds little

:07:43. > :07:50.bit, here's a little upset. He thinks he has missed, and how the

:07:51. > :07:56.yellow went into the pocket after hitting the brown in the face is

:07:57. > :08:00.beyond me. But he had a little bit of fortune. He did not potter good

:08:01. > :08:04.green, so he will be very relieved. May be something not quite right

:08:05. > :08:14.with depression, but Mark wants to have a -- have removed. Can you tell

:08:15. > :08:19.us about him and what are his strengths? He is just a very good

:08:20. > :08:25.all-round player. When he is on his game he is very exciting to watch.

:08:26. > :08:36.He is a very attacking player, he goes with his shots, a bit

:08:37. > :08:40.unorthodox with the way that he cues. He has been a top player for

:08:41. > :08:45.six to eight years. Very accomplished. I will say that last

:08:46. > :08:49.night he had a lot of kit in the match and he has had a lot again in

:08:50. > :09:01.this match so far. Whether that has to do with excess chalk, I don't

:09:02. > :09:05.know. What an opportunity, he now leads this first semifinal by 2-1.

:09:06. > :09:20.-- 2-0. Big difference in this match is

:09:21. > :09:30.there is an interval after four frames. As long as Neal -- Neil

:09:31. > :09:35.Robertson wins the next he's still in the match. -- wins one of

:09:36. > :09:45.A poor safety shot from him. He is not prone to hitting baulk colours.

:09:46. > :09:56.He's usually very good in the safety department. We just saw a look of

:09:57. > :10:06.anguish on his face. He's not happy with the way he started this match.

:10:07. > :10:08.A bit of concern you could probably begin to the normally inscrutable

:10:09. > :10:13.Neil Robertson. He doesn't give a lot away. But he looks a little

:10:14. > :10:28.stressed at the moment with his performance so far.

:10:29. > :10:43.Mark Allen needs to make these chances count because Neil Robertson

:10:44. > :11:29.will not play this badly for much longer.

:11:30. > :11:41.He did not have the angle to get the two rates. It does not look like he

:11:42. > :11:47.is on the red from this angle. This is a chance for a sizeable break. He

:11:48. > :13:29.has already made 77 and 55. There could be a lot more to come.

:13:30. > :13:37.He did not really want to play the pink because it may be going out of

:13:38. > :13:40.commission here. If it does not go on its own spot, it goes on the

:13:41. > :13:43.green. He perhaps would have been better to play for the different

:13:44. > :13:54.colour. Let us see if it can go on its spot. No, it does not. A little

:13:55. > :14:02.surprised he played that. Obviously he can win the frame easily on

:14:03. > :14:08.blacks. A very good score, as Darren Morgan alluded to in the studio.

:14:09. > :14:35.When the century breaks. He likes to win the frame at one visit.

:14:36. > :14:40.Already 48 points ahead, an ideal position.

:14:41. > :14:49.If he clears the screen, Neil Robertson will be in all kinds of

:14:50. > :15:00.trouble. Just one frame to go before the mid-session interval after this.

:15:01. > :15:09.Mark Allen is just having the cue ball clean. He would ideally like to

:15:10. > :15:12.play a cannon into the red above the black. If he can just hit the

:15:13. > :15:15.nearest one to the black, of the two reds together, he would be in

:15:16. > :15:28.perfect position. He is still OK, he still got a red

:15:29. > :15:43.on the left corner. Still a choice of two of them.

:15:44. > :15:51.Mark Allen did not see that. I definitely saw the red move. The

:15:52. > :15:57.right-hand one moved. Whether that was the cue ball, I do not know.

:15:58. > :16:05.Probably the cue macro. You can check. Are we allowed to look at the

:16:06. > :16:16.pictures in the rules today? No, not for something like this. I

:16:17. > :16:23.definitely saw it moved. I don't believe you can check something like

:16:24. > :16:31.this, to be honest. If the referee -- if the B says it is if Al --

:16:32. > :16:38.referee says it is a foul, then it is.

:16:39. > :16:49.They are asking us in the commentary box to see if they think it is. I

:16:50. > :17:01.thought I saw it move. Yes, it does. Yes, it does. It is. We can confirm.

:17:02. > :17:10.We had to look at a couple of times. But Dominic's Eagle eye picked it

:17:11. > :17:13.out. Well done to the referee, we did not see it in real-time. It

:17:14. > :17:25.difficult for them to do this. It is always a distraction than

:17:26. > :17:34.something like that happens. The right decision was made. I am not

:17:35. > :17:38.sure if you are allowed to show a replay of something like that. In

:17:39. > :18:22.Neil Robertson's defence, this was not an easy red.

:18:23. > :18:36.Two reds in line for the pocket, or are they? That is the type of plant

:18:37. > :18:43.you can sometimes miss as a player. But I'd still be very happy,

:18:44. > :18:47.wouldn't you, in Mark Allen's position, even if you committed a

:18:48. > :19:39.foul. Mark Allen is reluctant to bring the

:19:40. > :19:46.red of the cushion but he has no choice here. He can probably put it

:19:47. > :19:52.back on the cushion. He could have thrown frame two away when he was

:19:53. > :20:04.leading and broke down. He's leading by 52 this time. When he gets 50 in

:20:05. > :20:11.front, he gets a little bit careless, that is the only word I

:20:12. > :20:19.can think of, and he misses, rather than closing out the frame.

:20:20. > :20:28.Going back to the incident a few moments ago, just to explain why it

:20:29. > :20:37.is quite likely that you commit a foul in that situation, it is

:20:38. > :20:41.because the cue macro is a tapering instrument, so that it gets thicker

:20:42. > :20:46.as you go through the ball. So it is the thickness of the cue ball that

:20:47. > :20:55.causes it. -- the thickness of the cue macro. We definitely saw it move

:20:56. > :21:00.in the slow motion. There is a red available in the middle. If he can

:21:01. > :21:03.pot this or screw back onto the black, he can play it. Mark Allen

:21:04. > :21:20.needed to find a cushion. The fact that he is left-handed, the

:21:21. > :21:43.two reds are not a real problem for the left-handed player.

:21:44. > :21:54.I am just wondering if he can leave himself an angle on the pink.

:21:55. > :22:01.There was too much angle on the red to do that, but he can do it from

:22:02. > :22:10.the green. If he pops this, the Green will be put onto the pink spot

:22:11. > :22:25.which may mean that clearing the table is more difficult.

:22:26. > :22:39.Now he has left itself a tester. He can reach it because it is -- he is

:22:40. > :22:42.left-handed. The cue ball is running towards the pink. He will have to

:22:43. > :22:52.pay it with some pace. Far from easy. It does not even look as if he

:22:53. > :22:57.wants to attempt the shot, he is thinking of a safety shot. I do not

:22:58. > :23:11.think he is settled at all. He may feel this is too risky.

:23:12. > :23:17.The fact it was tight on the cushion may be why he did not take it on,

:23:18. > :23:21.but I still fancied him to pot it. Similar to the brown in the previous

:23:22. > :23:28.round, where could have covered things up.

:23:29. > :24:10.OK, please tell me why you think this is easier than the one you just

:24:11. > :24:19.refused? I think it is probably more risky. The saving grace, if Mark

:24:20. > :24:27.Allen takes this, he will be playing for one of the baulk colours.

:24:28. > :24:32.Because he has a 40 point lead, he would like to put a red say. In a

:24:33. > :25:06.way it is a shock to nothing. This is all about where the cue ball

:25:07. > :25:12.finishes. I do not blame him for taking on the pot. It is amazing

:25:13. > :25:15.when you play a shot to nothing sometimes, the only red you can

:25:16. > :25:39.leave on is the one you're going for. That is what has happened.

:25:40. > :25:47.They are horrible shots. You cannot be 100% sure that they cue ball did

:25:48. > :25:53.not deviate from its true path. Even so I think he paid -- played it with

:25:54. > :26:01.enough strength to make sure it kept the line. The question is, does it

:26:02. > :26:19.past the pink into the pocket? Mark Allen

:26:20. > :26:46.He may have been forced into playing the one just below the pink spot.

:26:47. > :26:51.I do not think Neil Robertson has played this bad for three

:26:52. > :26:58.consecutive frames for a long time. He's not in the race at the moment.

:26:59. > :27:09.He is not playing his normal game. He's playing a negative game. He did

:27:10. > :27:19.not start the match positively. 70% pot success for one of the game's

:27:20. > :27:24.great potters. I do not know why there is a statistic like that for

:27:25. > :27:37.Neil Robertson. That is alarming. This will be very thin if it pots. I

:27:38. > :27:43.do not think Mark Allen will be too disappointed. He has full control of

:27:44. > :27:58.this frame now. A chance to put the colour say.

:27:59. > :28:02.He may have to risk the fact that hitting the colour safe makes him

:28:03. > :28:13.get good white. He needs to find the middle of the

:28:14. > :28:20.top cushion between the brown and yellow. If he does play the brown he

:28:21. > :28:24.would have to play it quite hard, and the brain could move one of the

:28:25. > :28:29.two reds next to the green interplay.

:28:30. > :28:41.It is not straightforward, this safety shot.

:28:42. > :28:57.Coming up to 20 minutes of play in this frame.

:28:58. > :29:05.Once again he's leaving a pot on for him.

:29:06. > :29:18.I have seen his pot success rate at 70%, so this will not be guaranteed

:29:19. > :29:24.shot for him today. APPLAUSE

:29:25. > :29:31.But eventually he has started knocking them in. The fact that he

:29:32. > :29:39.put the brown safe at his previous visit could be his saviour. But

:29:40. > :29:42.sometimes you can get too involved in trying to make things hard for

:29:43. > :29:50.your opponent than playing things properly. Yes, I would have played

:29:51. > :29:54.the brown of the top cushion and onto the side, then he could have

:29:55. > :30:07.played the cue ball of the baulk side cushion and back into baulk.

:30:08. > :30:14.Now he is basing all this on the brown being his saviour. Neil Allen

:30:15. > :30:24.has a chance now. He is going to need the pink, that is a problem. We

:30:25. > :30:31.have already seen how tight these are on the top cushion is. If you

:30:32. > :30:40.missed so far. But he has the perfect angle, so he can play its

:30:41. > :30:55.law. I think that was a good balance this time because it makes him play

:30:56. > :31:00.it at a slow pace -- -- bounce. It is amazing, the brown is not very

:31:01. > :31:02.safe way the green is, but can he get from yellow to green to bring

:31:03. > :31:16.the ball into play. And this looks perfect. It is all

:31:17. > :31:42.about finishing on the half ball green.

:31:43. > :31:51.I think Neil has played that just about perfectly. It is never easy to

:31:52. > :31:56.judge these cannons. It is all very well hitting the brown, but trying

:31:57. > :32:04.to actually play a shot into the middle or corner, it is going to be

:32:05. > :32:14.a different task. He has played it well, and he has got the green. He

:32:15. > :32:23.has to play Bluetooth pink and then pink -- blue to pink and then pink

:32:24. > :32:30.to black. He played the cannon very well. Neil Robertson, in name and's

:32:31. > :32:34.terms, has hardly potted a ball in this match. He could be just one

:32:35. > :32:46.frame behind in a few moments time. A little nudge helps a little bit.

:32:47. > :32:53.He would love to pick the white up and put it on the green spot.

:32:54. > :33:02.Whenever you play this kind of shot, you play visible in eyeliner. -- you

:33:03. > :33:09.play on the baulk line. You are playing nearer the green spot.

:33:10. > :33:19.He needs a bounce. He needs a bounce.

:33:20. > :33:28.He has clearly misjudged that one. He is now unable to put anything on

:33:29. > :33:32.the cue ball except top spin. It is -- is the natural angle going to

:33:33. > :33:35.take the cue ball into the black? It is far from easy. It is an acute

:33:36. > :34:04.angle. The pot is missable here. Dominik mentioned that he was not

:34:05. > :34:14.short. It worked out perfectly. It is amazing. It is the highest break

:34:15. > :34:18.of the three three frames. The gap is 2-1. It should have been 3-0.

:34:19. > :34:30.Neil Robertson should've been -- will be feeling better after that.

:34:31. > :34:33.You should not allow players of his calibre the opportunities. His

:34:34. > :34:37.Harley potted the ball, he has been a bit on edge. It is not the Neil

:34:38. > :34:42.Robertson that we have seen all week. He has been very confident. He

:34:43. > :34:48.has been missing all over the shop. Unfortunately for Mark Allen, he has

:34:49. > :34:52.given him a half sniff, and he has done an unbelievable clearance. It

:34:53. > :35:00.is a big difference. 3-0, I would not say the match is over, but he

:35:01. > :35:04.hits half to -- he is halfway there. If you are Neil Robertson, and you

:35:05. > :35:13.are third in the world and you miss those pots, does any doubt creep in?

:35:14. > :35:16.Again, Willie alluded in his commentary, sooner or later he is

:35:17. > :35:23.going to stop firing. Willie says that it is the first -- worst three

:35:24. > :35:28.frames that he has seen your play for a long time. He was truly out of

:35:29. > :35:31.sorts, Neil Robertson. But that now, that is the clearance, and think

:35:32. > :35:37.that he just played to black, he will now have forgotten about the

:35:38. > :35:43.first two frames. He certainly has. 2-1 now, Alan's lead.

:35:44. > :35:59.Mark Allen gets the fourth frame under way.

:36:00. > :36:12.He is gaining great confidence. That incredible clearance that he'd made.

:36:13. > :36:16.No matter how much he kept them out of the way, he cannot give them the

:36:17. > :36:20.half opportunities like you did in the first frame. -- in the last

:36:21. > :36:24.frame. He looks like a competitor. He is walking around the table

:36:25. > :36:32.quicker, he looks more bullish, and he looks more like Neil Robertson.

:36:33. > :36:36.If he does get a 2-2, you can imagine who's cuppa tea is going to

:36:37. > :36:48.taste better. Mark Allen will be at City Hall fired that he let that

:36:49. > :36:52.session Slipper. -- slip. He works very closely with a legend such as

:36:53. > :36:58.Terry Griffiths. He will have his work cut out. He knows that he

:36:59. > :37:18.should be 3-0 in front. He would love to play the cannon

:37:19. > :37:20.onto the red just above the black, and hold the position on the left of

:37:21. > :38:08.the black. They could go wrong. It is all about those two reds. Once

:38:09. > :38:11.those come into play. You will do well to get more than about 40

:38:12. > :38:27.points. I would love to be on this

:38:28. > :38:36.situation, just screwing back. Let's have a look at the angle. Doesn't

:38:37. > :38:38.want to make contact with the black. He feels it is not quite on. He

:38:39. > :39:06.looks it from here. Good position on the pink, to have

:39:07. > :39:08.another go at getting position on the red. Again, he is a bit thin on

:39:09. > :39:18.it. If it does go through and screw into

:39:19. > :39:25.the red, it he is cannon Inc -- he has a danger of leaving himself a

:39:26. > :39:30.very thin black with a cannon. I think Neil feels the pink might go

:39:31. > :39:37.on its own spot. I think you might have another try. He's just getting

:39:38. > :39:43.the bull market out. The only reason that Niall wanted to go on his own

:39:44. > :39:48.spot is that the red next to the pink will pot. It went from there.

:39:49. > :39:56.He's going to take the referee's opinion. He has finished slightly

:39:57. > :40:32.worse than his previous attempt. He has to hit it further.

:40:33. > :40:42.It is hard to follow annealed to leave an angle on the black to go

:40:43. > :40:52.into. If he does, it could be a slight danger of a red finding its

:40:53. > :40:58.way into the right centre pocket. It is just going to go into the pack of

:40:59. > :41:02.the top cushion instead. See how this works out. Anything other than

:41:03. > :41:08.a full ball on the pink will get them moving. A pink it might not.

:41:09. > :41:15.That is the problem when you go into the bunch. We have to think about

:41:16. > :41:21.the seventh or eighth ball. Just watch the black. If he had given it

:41:22. > :41:26.full ball, that would have stuck. Now there is a chance to win the

:41:27. > :41:39.frame at this visit, and what a body blow that would be for Mark Allen.

:41:40. > :41:50.I wonder what is going to that young men's mind. He will certainly be

:41:51. > :41:55.aware that he should have won that third frame, and it would have been

:41:56. > :42:03.3-0 lead, and we would be looking at a very different Neil Robertson.

:42:04. > :42:14.What a difference this will make. This could be awkward on the blue.

:42:15. > :42:21.He has had to play with pace of the side cushion twining angle. -- to

:42:22. > :43:30.widen the angle. He made a fabulous break of 49 in

:43:31. > :43:37.the previous frame. Eclipse that here. Amazing. Now what? This, now,

:43:38. > :43:49.you have to take your chances now. Forget about that last frame.

:43:50. > :43:52.Not even attempting the pot in the middle. Ringing all the reds into

:43:53. > :44:41.play. Just believing in the White at this

:44:42. > :45:07.end of the table. Mark Allen would love to play a

:45:08. > :45:15.delicate shot off that little cluster of four red? Will open

:45:16. > :45:22.everything up for him. Long has he doesn't go enough. It is OK.

:45:23. > :45:27.Considering the position of these reds dollar he might consider a

:45:28. > :46:25.chance of clearing up himself, as Neil Robertson did in last frame.

:46:26. > :46:37.Very clever shot, but in the black safe. Safety success quite high for

:46:38. > :46:48.both players. Anything over 80% in the safety department... I guess you

:46:49. > :46:58.need nearer 90. He has managed that tee read out there. There are a

:46:59. > :47:07.couple of reds on. They are not easy. Not too sure whether he could

:47:08. > :47:16.miss the kiss on the yellow playing this red. He does not want make any

:47:17. > :47:21.contact with the Boult colours. He misses the yellow. He missed the

:47:22. > :47:24.red. Wow. I did not see him missing that. Mark Allen was very unlucky

:47:25. > :47:47.with poor safety shop. Good starter from Alan. Can you make

:47:48. > :47:54.of this? -- good starter from Mark Allen. Being left-handed himself,

:47:55. > :47:58.those red two by the cushion will not be too bad. He will suddenly

:47:59. > :48:08.have an chance to cannon them off during this break. He may even think

:48:09. > :48:13.of it here. The fact that the pink is where it is, the fact that he can

:48:14. > :48:27.play the forcing cannon here, it is going to be for five metres of the

:48:28. > :48:28.cushion. He will have the green in the middle. He would like to avoid

:48:29. > :48:42.the contact on green and brown. It is risky playing it that way, he

:48:43. > :48:59.might lose the white. Surely he should have put in to the Boult. --

:49:00. > :49:03.he could kiss the red on the left-hand side cushion. That would

:49:04. > :49:07.leave the pink very difficult. He probably needs something on the

:49:08. > :49:16.right-hand side. Just keep an eye on the white. He has made problems for

:49:17. > :49:31.himself. He did get a bad contact. His belief is shot on the blue was

:49:32. > :49:35.quite poor. Surely now, you would expect Neil Robertson to go on and

:49:36. > :49:39.win this fourth frame, and tie things at 2-2 at the mid-session

:49:40. > :49:44.interval. It does happen, you know, when you get the cue ball cleaned,

:49:45. > :49:46.in anticipation of a kit, and still suffer one money play your next

:49:47. > :49:54.shot. It is happen to me many times. But more red. -- one more red.

:49:55. > :50:25.Should be very simple from here. Frame is taking an average of 20

:50:26. > :50:32.minutes in this match, but there have been quite a lot of breaks. 54,

:50:33. > :50:38.49 and 32 from Neil Robertson, 77, 55 and 56 from Mark Allen. You might

:50:39. > :50:45.think that these frames are taking ten or 12 minutes, but they have

:50:46. > :50:52.not. We have also had a re-rack. It has been a lengthy session, this.

:50:53. > :51:05.Mark Allen already gathering himself. He will be having a chat

:51:06. > :51:07.with Terry Griffiths, who does a lot of work with Mark Allen on the

:51:08. > :51:55.coaching side of things. It feels like Neil Robertson has not

:51:56. > :52:04.been in the match, and he is going to be 2-2. Mark Allen has had all of

:52:05. > :52:08.the best chances. Should he clear, there is only going to be three or

:52:09. > :52:11.four points on aggregate between the two players. But it seems to be that

:52:12. > :52:22.Mark Allen has controlled every frame. But this one.

:52:23. > :52:29.Yes, absolutely right. At the mid-session import -- interval, it

:52:30. > :52:37.has come at a good time for Mark Allen. It is a best of seven after

:52:38. > :52:43.the interval. Both players will be an two friends when they resume this

:52:44. > :52:47.match in about 20 minutes time. -- two frames. In goes the pink. I

:52:48. > :52:57.don't think you will bother with the black, well he? He wants to pop

:52:58. > :53:04.malt. -- pot them all. Mark Allen is already making his way out of the

:53:05. > :53:11.arena. As, too, is Neil Robertson. The mid-session interval. We have

:53:12. > :53:15.this match evened up at 2-2. A first session of two halves. Mark Allen

:53:16. > :53:22.against General expectation is taking a 2-0 lead, then Neil

:53:23. > :53:30.Robertson getting back into it. We saw some good snooker with Robertson

:53:31. > :53:33.clearing at. -- clearing up. We have seen some ordinary snooker. It has

:53:34. > :53:36.been a good session of snooker from Mark Allen. Neil Robertson has

:53:37. > :53:41.picked his game on the last two frames. He started off a bit ropey,

:53:42. > :53:45.a bit nervy and edgy. I don't know really what was wrong with him at

:53:46. > :53:49.the start. But it is the third frame where it went pear shaped for Mark

:53:50. > :53:55.Allen, and that is where Mark Robinson -- Neil Robertson settle

:53:56. > :54:01.down. The referee has called out on him, where we are, we could not see

:54:02. > :54:07.whether it was about. The referee is a very astute referee. He was long

:54:08. > :54:12.way away. Dominik thought it was a foul and the comity -- commentary

:54:13. > :54:16.box. A double change from there. If he does not get called a foul, he is

:54:17. > :54:24.3-0 up. What we understand that is that the referee is allowed to ask

:54:25. > :54:29.for assistance from any TV coverage, but the player should not be the one

:54:30. > :54:35.asking for it. That is correct. The missing is a good thing. The TV

:54:36. > :54:38.playbacks, to find out the ball -- balls back. They won't get it as

:54:39. > :54:45.close as they can, and and no one there can have any... They can't

:54:46. > :54:50.argue. But for a player, to ask, and they ask for a replay, that is out

:54:51. > :54:57.of order. That cannot happen. Everyone can do it. They can say it

:54:58. > :55:01.is a foot away, two feet away. It is the referee's discretion, he makes a

:55:02. > :55:07.final decision, and whatever decision he makes, you have to abide

:55:08. > :55:13.by that. No TMO in snooker. So the second session coming up shortly.

:55:14. > :55:17.Tonight, we have the big box office star on Saturday evening. Ronnie

:55:18. > :55:20.O'Sullivan coming up for you. Just a reminder of what happened yesterday,

:55:21. > :55:26.and how he made it through to the semifinal. It was all one way

:55:27. > :55:31.against the world number one. Selby took the first 's frame, and then it

:55:32. > :55:32.was all runny. We are going to join it in frame six with Ronnie at the

:55:33. > :55:48.table. He is taking the green on, by the

:55:49. > :56:23.look of it, into the middle. He will want the cue ball to slow

:56:24. > :56:30.down. He has stroked that beautifully, and it still went too

:56:31. > :56:40.far. He is taking the blue on now. He would not have done this early

:56:41. > :56:46.on. Well, he has just put it in the middle of the pocket. Beautiful. Tom

:56:47. > :56:52.Dunn player that would have taken on. He is 4-1 in front, which gives

:56:53. > :56:55.him a little bit of room, but that was giving your opponent is chance

:56:56. > :57:02.to get into the start of the match. He was to pop up another Chinese, I

:57:03. > :57:14.think! He has had a few this week. I went what an -- in the same

:57:15. > :57:16.restaurant, and money went -- Ronnie went in for tea and unpacking after

:57:17. > :58:23.the match. -- back in. There are some great players left in

:58:24. > :58:30.the tournament, poster over Sullivan, but not in the sort of

:58:31. > :58:35.form he is in this league. -- close to O'Sullivan. He does not play many

:58:36. > :58:42.things now. Admittedly, he talks about his exhibition play is

:58:43. > :58:47.practice. Even started to say that he wanted matchplay practice for his

:58:48. > :58:50.exhibition stuff! So mischievous. You don't do that you don't know

:58:51. > :59:13.what is going to happen next. It goes without saying, after that

:59:14. > :59:18.wonderful plot on the ball -- pot on the blue, this is a match-winning

:59:19. > :59:22.situation. Mark Selby has not done anything wrong in this match, and

:59:23. > :59:28.there is a chance that he could lose 5-1. He has missed two long balls,

:59:29. > :59:33.he has missed once when he was in the balls. That is it. He has come

:59:34. > :59:35.across a top-class player. Note- mistake snooker. That is what you

:59:36. > :00:28.have to try and do. He glanced at the scoreboard to find

:00:29. > :00:30.out what he needed, deciding whether to play into the bunch or go for the

:00:31. > :00:40.red. That is probably the end of the

:00:41. > :01:03.match. APPLAUSE

:01:04. > :01:22.A round of applause from the crowd, they knew that it is enough for

:01:23. > :01:51.Ronnie O'Sullivan to win this frame and match.

:01:52. > :01:58.Are we going to see the first 100 of this match? There have been a lot of

:01:59. > :02:05.big breaks, one or two maximums are possible.

:02:06. > :02:14.This isn't really the most important part of this break.

:02:15. > :02:19.The first shot he played he took on green in the centre, a tremendous

:02:20. > :02:22.shot, and then a long blue, very risky.

:02:23. > :02:37.Well, that is what the crowd think of it, and exhibition for Ronnie

:02:38. > :02:45.O'Sullivan. Mark Selby has played worse than

:02:46. > :02:59.this and won 5-1 in matches. Selby has been outclassed today. A

:03:00. > :03:04.big frame, the fourth frame, cleared up.

:03:05. > :03:08.Mark Selby has regretted that now, I'm sure of it, you will be thinking

:03:09. > :03:20.of that now for a while. He moves the ball so easily around

:03:21. > :03:27.the table. LAUGHTER

:03:28. > :03:34.He will take that! They are all clapping. What a wonderful match, a

:03:35. > :03:40.wonderful contribution from one the back Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:03:41. > :03:50.He defeated the world number one. STUDIO: Mark Selby could only sit

:03:51. > :03:55.and watch and admire like everybody else. Ronnie O'Sullivan will play

:03:56. > :03:59.Joe Perry tonight, the world number ten, after his 5-1 win last night

:04:00. > :04:08.over last year's runner up, Ben Woollaston. So, here it is, get the

:04:09. > :04:14.supper done and dusted early because the big semifinal tonight is Ronnie

:04:15. > :04:18.O'Sullivan against Joe Perry, 7pm on BBC Two Wales. What else would you

:04:19. > :04:23.be doing on a Saturday evening? Probably best not to answer that! We

:04:24. > :04:26.are going to change tack slightly before we go back to the arena for

:04:27. > :04:30.the second session between Robertson and Allen. Despite one failed

:04:31. > :04:37.attempt, the sport of snooker is determined to try and get cue sports

:04:38. > :04:40.included in both the Olympics and Paralympics. A new body has been

:04:41. > :04:44.setup to try and get more people with disabilities involved in the

:04:45. > :04:48.sport. They started staging tournaments, the first one was six

:04:49. > :04:51.months ago and it was held at the South West snooker Academy in

:04:52. > :04:59.Gloucestershire. Our cameras went along to capture the excitement. I

:05:00. > :05:05.love these tables. You know where your game is at when you are playing

:05:06. > :05:10.here. They are like greased lightning, absolute greased

:05:11. > :05:12.lightning. Deep screw shots, back of the cushions on the right-hand side,

:05:13. > :05:24.you are like, wow! The standard is unbelievable.

:05:25. > :05:39.Despite having the problems, it is unbelievable.

:05:40. > :05:46.What is happening here today is the world disability snooker tournament,

:05:47. > :05:49.the first one we have run, it is part of trying to engage with

:05:50. > :05:54.grassroots, the people to come into the sport. There are lots of people

:05:55. > :05:57.out there who could get great benefit and thoroughly enjoyed

:05:58. > :06:02.playing the sport, this is the opportunity that we want to give

:06:03. > :06:06.them. A proper structure is vital, it gives it a feeling of not just a

:06:07. > :06:09.knock-about, it gives it a proper feeling of, this is important, we

:06:10. > :06:18.are snooker players together and we want to do well. Best of luck, have

:06:19. > :06:22.a good game. It is nice to be sitting on the other side of the

:06:23. > :06:27.fence, innocence, watching the excitement, the buzz, the intensity,

:06:28. > :06:31.the atmosphere we have managed to create -- in a sense. There are many

:06:32. > :06:36.different skills involved in snooker, it is not just potting

:06:37. > :06:40.ball. Anybody looking to appreciate how difficult it is, just go down to

:06:41. > :06:44.any local snooker club you have got available, try and pot a ball. That

:06:45. > :06:53.will make people appreciate the skill, as I say, the artistry that I

:06:54. > :06:57.think comes with snooker. I have always loved snooker, absolutely

:06:58. > :07:03.adored it. I saw Fergal O'Brien in the final of the Masters. Paul

:07:04. > :07:09.Hunter was such a leg and, big shiny trophy -- legend. I wanted some of

:07:10. > :07:12.that. I went down to my local club, absolutely terrible, so why went

:07:13. > :07:20.online, got some lessons and here I am. -- I went online.

:07:21. > :07:26.The reason I love it is because it is the fascination of all the

:07:27. > :07:29.different shots you can play, and there is always room for

:07:30. > :07:32.improvement. You never stop learning. I don't think there is

:07:33. > :07:35.really a limit to what you can do in the game of you put on my to it.

:07:36. > :07:40.There is a lot of scope there for everyone.

:07:41. > :08:02.There is one guy who plays with one hand, it is unbelievable, for his

:08:03. > :08:08.bridge he has made a small rest. He uses that as a left hand, it is

:08:09. > :08:11.unbelievable. He pot the ball well. It is like anything, whether you are

:08:12. > :08:16.a musician or whatever you do with your hobbies, you practice, practice

:08:17. > :08:20.and practice until you reach a standard that you are happy with.

:08:21. > :08:31.But it never stops, because you move it up to another notch.

:08:32. > :08:38.Everyone is always saying, be like Steve Davis, keep a poker face, I am

:08:39. > :08:44.there like, I've lost, I don't like that! That fire is burning, always,

:08:45. > :08:49.it is part of this no quitting, I have got this self drive to just go

:08:50. > :08:56.one. It is never, oh, this is it now. You try and do the best that

:08:57. > :09:01.you can with what you have got left. Biggest aspiration is to get back

:09:02. > :09:04.into the Paralympics. We were in the Paralympics in the 80s, we have got

:09:05. > :09:08.to get at least 12 other countries engaged, that is why we are a world

:09:09. > :09:13.governing body, and that is a starting point. The next step is to

:09:14. > :09:21.get snooker, another cue sport, including the pics. We are thinking

:09:22. > :09:24.big. -- into the Olympics. We are giving disabled people opportunity

:09:25. > :09:28.in the future, because they didn't have those opportunities before, and

:09:29. > :09:35.hopefully with the beautiful game of snooker that will be something we

:09:36. > :09:44.can provide. And these were the results from that first tournament.

:09:45. > :09:55.Andrew Harper was the guy we heard talking about Paul Hunter.

:09:56. > :10:03.The first to receive his medal went to the UK championship in December

:10:04. > :10:08.to collect it, and received a lovely round Robin laws. Watch out for this

:10:09. > :10:24.guy, ladies and gents, he is top staff! -- round of applause. All of

:10:25. > :10:32.them... The presentations continue with the guys enjoying the

:10:33. > :10:38.excitement in York. The champion of group three.

:10:39. > :10:44.It is unbelievably tough, there are lots of very, very good players, the

:10:45. > :10:49.competition is very strong, but I played very well and managed to win

:10:50. > :10:52.it, I was chuffed to bits with that. They're more events scheduled over

:10:53. > :10:57.the course of the year, starting with the Manchester classic, that is

:10:58. > :11:01.next month. Let's chat before the players return out into the arena

:11:02. > :11:07.before second session. How do you see it going? It is hard, we are

:11:08. > :11:12.back to the best-of-7, they have played all week. Neil Robertson

:11:13. > :11:16.obviously is going to be feeling much happier. He has been out there

:11:17. > :11:20.two weeks. We saw when he came in he had a couple of knocks with the

:11:21. > :11:26.balls, we can't quite believe that he is two each. Mark Allen, I don't

:11:27. > :11:30.think his cup of tea and chocolate biscuit will have gone down too well

:11:31. > :11:34.in this 15 minute interval! No, it will be difficult. For him, he has

:11:35. > :11:40.got to try and pretend it is 0-0, but how difficult is that when you

:11:41. > :11:44.have thrown away 2-0 lead, to put it all out of your mind and dust forget

:11:45. > :11:48.about what has happened? I think he has got no option now, he is in the

:11:49. > :11:51.semifinal of a world ranking event, if he wants to make the final he has

:11:52. > :11:55.got have the same attitude as when he started the match. He needs to

:11:56. > :11:58.reassert himself. The only difference is that it is slightly

:11:59. > :12:06.different Neil Robertson he is up against after what you was at the

:12:07. > :12:08.start. At the start out of sorts, Neil Robertson, it was quite

:12:09. > :12:15.unbelievable, but he seems to have settled down now. Let's go back to

:12:16. > :12:19.the second session, a place at the final is at stake. Act to the

:12:20. > :12:26.commentary team of Dominic Dale and Willie Thorne. Amman Pate thank you.

:12:27. > :12:32.They are taking their seats -- COMMENTATOR: Thank you.

:12:33. > :12:39.I am sure it is going to be better this half. Mark Allen is regaining

:12:40. > :12:45.his composure that he had in the opening two frames where he looked

:12:46. > :12:49.confident. In the third frame he led by 56 points, you should have won

:12:50. > :12:55.it, lost it, and then he had a chance in the final frame. Neil

:12:56. > :13:02.Robertson, he will certainly feel better of the two players at this

:13:03. > :13:10.moment in time. Into change matches. -- intervals. They are all square

:13:11. > :13:48.now. It does make a difference, that interval.

:13:49. > :13:55.It doesn't appear as though Mark Allen can hit the extreme edge of

:13:56. > :14:00.the red to the right of our picture. A break of this from Neil, how often

:14:01. > :14:06.do you put your opponent in such trouble off the break off? They are

:14:07. > :14:11.both having to look at what is available here. Kerry is looking

:14:12. > :14:19.from this point of view as to where the is. -- Terry. -- where the cue

:14:20. > :14:27.ball is. They are looking at what Mark Allen can and cannot get to.

:14:28. > :14:32.The problem is the normal shot, just playing the side of the back, you

:14:33. > :14:36.can't do that this time, they need the corner pocket, whatever side of

:14:37. > :14:41.the pack he goes to. He wants to get the one which is nearer the black,

:14:42. > :14:44.but if you drift by it, you were leaving a pot on. He could swerve

:14:45. > :14:51.around the yellow and try and hit the pack of reds, if he can get

:14:52. > :15:00.through the gap. What was all the fuss about?! Excellent safety.

:15:01. > :15:07.Before the interval I wouldn't have fancied Neil spotting this, but he

:15:08. > :15:42.may fancy a go now. -- potting this. APPLAUSE

:15:43. > :15:47.Fantastic from Neil Robertson, that is more what we are accustomed to

:15:48. > :15:53.seeing from him. Just run through the red that he came into, he can

:15:54. > :16:01.end it more fully to be ideally on the black. Great shot. Certainly a

:16:02. > :16:07.different Neil Robertson we are seeing now. More like his usual

:16:08. > :16:12.self. He is going to take some stopping, I think. Yes, even

:16:13. > :16:17.mentioning to the guys in the studio that he said, how on earth am I

:16:18. > :16:25.too-to? The fact that he is 2-2 will give him loads of confidence. He

:16:26. > :16:32.will feel like you should be 3-1 behind, it is a bonus. He has got an

:16:33. > :16:33.excellent chance after that good pot on the black to get a sizeable lead

:16:34. > :17:29.in this frame. Playing for a choice of reds there.

:17:30. > :17:33.Both reds, certainly the middle of the three that are closest to the

:17:34. > :17:46.corner, he has the perfect angle to get onto the black.

:17:47. > :18:13.Neil Robertson made it through one of the biggest tournaments there is,

:18:14. > :18:25.the Masters, and made his 147. He only had two in the same

:18:26. > :18:27.competition once, I think, that was in the World Championship a few

:18:28. > :18:36.years ago. It is certainly a rare occurrence to

:18:37. > :18:47.have a possible two maximums in the tournament.

:18:48. > :18:53.I would be interested to know in the history books whether anybody has

:18:54. > :18:57.had one against him in the previous match, and then in the next match

:18:58. > :19:07.made one. That is the scenario for Robertson, should he get one.

:19:08. > :19:11.Another pink was out of play, it looked like he had made up his mind

:19:12. > :20:26.to go for one. Bringing the pink into play, he had

:20:27. > :20:31.to be careful not to push the pink onto the site cushion.

:20:32. > :20:34.APPLAUSE He has passed his highest break of

:20:35. > :20:44.the match so far, that was a break of 54 in the previous frame.

:20:45. > :21:09.That was a fraction hard. I wouldn't play anywhere near there.

:21:10. > :21:15.Well, very quickly Neil Robertson came back from the interval and a

:21:16. > :21:21.break of 75 to take the lead for the first time in the match, he leads

:21:22. > :21:25.3-2. STUDIO: 2-2 became 3-2 to Robertson

:21:26. > :21:31.pretty quickly. Here in the studio we have been joined by Terry

:21:32. > :21:34.Griffiths, thanks for popping here once again, you are commentating to

:21:35. > :21:40.night on Ronnie but we wanted to get your thoughts on Mark Allen because

:21:41. > :21:46.you do coach him. First of all, how did he feel at the interval? He had

:21:47. > :21:51.a 2-0 lead, back to 2-2, how was he feeling? That's not going to take

:21:52. > :21:54.very long, happy. Give it happy, really? Yes, he is very happy with

:21:55. > :22:00.himself at the moment, which he hasn't been. Early on in the season.

:22:01. > :22:03.But he has found a way now to go out there and enjoy himself, which is

:22:04. > :22:07.what you have got to do, that is when you play well is when you

:22:08. > :22:13.enjoy, or you have a greater chance, obviously. At the moment, although

:22:14. > :22:18.he is 2-2 and could have been better, he is just so pleased to be

:22:19. > :22:22.feeling good when he goes out there and, you know, looking forward to

:22:23. > :22:25.the tournament. It is a hard tried for the players now. If they are

:22:26. > :22:30.losing and they are travelling so much, it gets half, tougher than it

:22:31. > :22:35.has ever been, and the standard is high as well. So he was happy at the

:22:36. > :22:40.interval, despite the fact that he let the lead slip. I wouldn't say

:22:41. > :22:43.let it slip, Robertson did an outstanding clearance, he deserved

:22:44. > :22:50.the chance to win the next one. It is a higher standard of play. What

:22:51. > :22:55.about last night, Terry? They were not happy with this pump from Mark

:22:56. > :22:59.Allen, your man. I'm very disappointed, that's all I can say,

:23:00. > :23:02.I used to work with Michael, he was with the company I was with and I

:23:03. > :23:06.have known him and his family since he was very young. It is just

:23:07. > :23:11.disappointing to see him lose his control of their on such a big

:23:12. > :23:16.occasion, you know. Other players will be watching that, and the only

:23:17. > :23:20.harm he has done really is himself. And the other thing is in the press

:23:21. > :23:25.conference, he didn't help himself. He shouldn't have been saying what

:23:26. > :23:30.he said. But look, he's young, he is a bit fiery, to be honest, it was

:23:31. > :23:38.the same with Mark Allen! It shows humour, Terry. I know that, but of

:23:39. > :23:45.the day... Any chance he had went then. Thank you, Terry. Let's go

:23:46. > :23:50.back. Allen is back out there with Robertson, 3-2 trailing.

:23:51. > :23:51.COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Ian. Just missed a great long read by Mark

:23:52. > :24:09.Allen. -- red. Position on the brown, he needs a

:24:10. > :24:12.confidence booster, Mark Allen. He could find one for himself here if

:24:13. > :24:21.you can make a sizeable break to get things going again.

:24:22. > :24:27.He is behind in this match for the first time, he doesn't want it to

:24:28. > :24:28.start running away from him. This is a big frame in the context of this

:24:29. > :25:16.match. APPLAUSE

:25:17. > :25:20.Took a risk there to bring the reds interplay, hopefully he is trying to

:25:21. > :25:25.get onto the red that is causing the problem with the black. He is on the

:25:26. > :25:29.red over the pocket, I would have liked him to go on the red that is

:25:30. > :25:39.over the black. The pink is clearly available. Not a great chance, as

:25:40. > :25:41.yet, this. Somehow he is going to have get rid of that read to the

:25:42. > :25:55.left of the black. Now the pink will go behind its own

:25:56. > :25:59.spot, as close to the pack as possible, the pink may still be

:26:00. > :26:04.available, and that would be a bonus if it is. No, it is not going to be

:26:05. > :26:05.available. For a moment I thought it would be available in the left-hand

:26:06. > :26:19.corner. He has to be careful on playing for

:26:20. > :26:23.the blue that the two reds are possibly planted in the corner, he

:26:24. > :26:31.hasn't got a perfect angle on the yellow, he has to be careful here.

:26:32. > :26:34.Well, he couldn't have played that better.

:26:35. > :26:49.APPLAUSE Absolutely perfect.

:26:50. > :26:58.Once again, the black is still out of cushion, not guaranteed. To get

:26:59. > :27:04.above 50 or 60 here, you can work on the pink for a few moments after

:27:05. > :27:09.this blue. Left himself a nightmare here, he is so close to the side

:27:10. > :27:12.cushion. If he can't put any back spin on this cue ball he is going to

:27:13. > :27:25.find it very difficult getting on this thread. -- this red.

:27:26. > :27:35.It is running on a bit. I think he has played for the red on the left

:27:36. > :27:37.corner, past the two that by the black, whether he can get to it, I

:27:38. > :27:52.don't know. Not too sure whether the pink is

:27:53. > :27:57.available, just having a look now, he could pot it off the right-hand

:27:58. > :27:59.cushion, you can just see about the middle of the pocket. Maybe a risk

:28:00. > :28:16.to get onto the pink. Why is he jumping up all the time? I

:28:17. > :28:24.mean, that is such a poor shot, it really is. He was up of that... He

:28:25. > :28:31.must have thought he had missed the pot. As soon as he played this he

:28:32. > :28:53.just jumped up in the air. Mark Allen was convinced he had

:28:54. > :28:59.overcut that read, it did find its way in the pocket. Unfortunately,

:29:00. > :29:03.the cue ball just brushed against one of the reds and deflected the

:29:04. > :29:09.cue ball into the centre pocket. Very premature from Mark Allen's

:29:10. > :29:11.point of view, just 30. That won't worry Neil Robertson if he can pot

:29:12. > :29:39.one of those long reds. And that helps Neil Robertson, that

:29:40. > :29:42.little flick on the red has now brought the black interplay. If you

:29:43. > :29:47.pot the next red there is going to be a chance of Neil Robertson

:29:48. > :29:52.getting back into the frame of Mark Allen winning it.

:29:53. > :30:41.Quite a predicament here for Mark Allen. Unable to get back to baulk.

:30:42. > :30:47.Hitting to the left of the pink spot. He will be looking to do that.

:30:48. > :30:55.I wonder if the red Bull part the pink and a shot to nothing. He

:30:56. > :30:58.managed to play it on the left corner instead. Have a shot from

:30:59. > :31:05.Mark. He did not see that initially. It

:31:06. > :31:18.has worked out very well. The ball is so dangerous when you

:31:19. > :31:24.play these kind of shots. View easily than thick. There he is, he

:31:25. > :31:31.hit it thick. So easy to hit that shot thick. If you hit that shot ten

:31:32. > :31:32.times, you would get it right fire. That is hammered difficult that shot

:31:33. > :32:14.is. He has been very reluctant to roll

:32:15. > :32:24.balls interstate. It is OK if you place the cannon on the red. He put

:32:25. > :32:36.himself under pressure. He is struggling out there at the moment,

:32:37. > :32:44.Mark. He cannot afford to miss that again some unlike Neil Robertson. He

:32:45. > :32:46.was struggling a bit out there. He seems to have lost some of his

:32:47. > :32:55.confidence. It is fortunate that a few reds on

:32:56. > :32:58.cushions. It will make things difficult for Neil Robertson. He can

:32:59. > :33:35.certainly get right back into it. Another shops where he could script

:33:36. > :33:39.across the face of the pink. He is not necessarily playing for an

:33:40. > :33:44.either or. He's getting an area where they can pot eatable. It is

:33:45. > :34:23.not nice. He will be taking the pink.

:34:24. > :34:32.As the red is not available above the black, he is trying to nudge the

:34:33. > :34:41.red away black spot. -- away from the black spot. I presume the black

:34:42. > :35:00.is an hit spot. It might will not be done in spot.

:35:01. > :35:09.There is more room for the red to be available. They will look at the red

:35:10. > :35:13.and black. There is gap between now, when they were touching before.

:35:14. > :35:25.There is little gap. Maybe the reds are available. That happens.

:35:26. > :35:40.Still does not have the cue ball under control in the spring.

:35:41. > :36:10.He wants to get the White in open play.

:36:11. > :36:24.Niels Tui Neil's objective or get the cue ball into the right centre.

:36:25. > :36:30.It is tied up. That looks about perfect. He needs to roll this red

:36:31. > :36:33.in very slowly. He wants to play a soft stand shot. He wants to see

:36:34. > :36:40.where he is on the pink here. What he does not want to do when Canning

:36:41. > :36:45.a red is hit it four ball. He will double-kiss the red. In one of the

:36:46. > :36:51.reasons he has done it is that it is nice plate of this shot. He has the

:36:52. > :36:58.long red by the league yellow. If he leaves it until last, he has not got

:36:59. > :37:01.option. He has got the double-kiss but he is on the other red. He is

:37:02. > :37:28.going to have to play safe. Neil being left-handed, he will be

:37:29. > :37:38.canning against aggression. He is such a good potter.

:37:39. > :37:44.Will he play for the blue or the pink or go right through for the

:37:45. > :37:53.black? He has gone across the pink, that would be my choice. Ghosts of

:37:54. > :37:58.the blue instead. Plays it perfectly. He made a magnificent 75

:37:59. > :38:10.in the previous frame. Absolutely superb cue ball control

:38:11. > :38:19.throughout this break. When you consider the three reds on the

:38:20. > :38:20.cushion, neither that safe, and after this play, he looks like

:38:21. > :38:35.hearing. -- clearing. Mark Allen resigned to the fact that

:38:36. > :38:41.he is going to be further behind in this match, at four frames to two.

:38:42. > :38:44.Four consecutive frames to Neil Robertson now. He is starting to

:38:45. > :38:55.amass the bigger breaks in this match. He made a 75 in the last.

:38:56. > :39:00.This break, 69 and counting. He made breaks of 54 and 51 and levelling at

:39:01. > :39:05.2-2 at the interval. This has been another great clearance from Neil

:39:06. > :39:11.Robertson. The reds the not ideally positioned, but he has gone on to

:39:12. > :39:13.make and excellent winning clearance of 82. Neil Robertson pulls further

:39:14. > :39:20.clear. 4-2. We are starting to see the class of

:39:21. > :39:26.the world number three coming through now, with Neil Robertson 4-2

:39:27. > :39:31.up. The quality of snooker we were talking about. That was a good frame

:39:32. > :39:37.early on. He goes back to the third frame. Unfortunately, for Mark

:39:38. > :39:41.Allen, he lost the frame, and it went 2-1. Ever since then, Neil

:39:42. > :39:51.Robertson has settled his peers. How will he be feeling now, Terry? Not

:39:52. > :39:57.so happy! I don't know. He is playing all right, to be honest. He

:39:58. > :40:01.is top of the treat, Robertson. He is playing his best news at the

:40:02. > :40:06.moment. It is sometimes hard to hold onto that. I think Mark will be all

:40:07. > :40:14.right. A quick word, you are the official PR for Mark Allen. But it

:40:15. > :40:17.your -- the experts said that Mark Allen was championship quality

:40:18. > :40:25.rather than Premier League quality. The experts were John -- Shaun

:40:26. > :40:29.Murphy, Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. It was a bit disappointing,

:40:30. > :40:35.because market number nine in the world. He has been in the top 16 for

:40:36. > :40:41.eight years. He has been in the final of the UK Championships. He

:40:42. > :40:47.has won seven tournaments. He is eighth in the one-year list. That is

:40:48. > :40:51.about Liverpool, if not the championship. They are eighth or

:40:52. > :40:55.ninth. They are suddenly not championship. Davis said that. I

:40:56. > :41:00.don't think Steve means any harm. But he was wrong.

:41:01. > :41:08.There's going see if Mark Allen can definitively prove him wrong. 4-2.

:41:09. > :41:24.If he keeps missing balls like that, he will be in the championship. But

:41:25. > :41:28.I'd agree with Terry. He is Premier League quality. For some unknown

:41:29. > :41:30.reason, where it is -- whether it is the way he accused the ball, he

:41:31. > :41:42.seems to have more kicks than most. I was wondering whom you were

:41:43. > :41:48.addressing them. Darren said that in the studio early on. He was bang on.

:41:49. > :41:59.I don't see Neil Robertson suffering the kicks. Not near the sheik

:42:00. > :42:04.quantity -- the sheer quantity that Mark seems to be suffering from

:42:05. > :42:11.them. He had it passed night against Michael White. Sometimes, the tip of

:42:12. > :42:19.your cue is rather soft, and holding more chalk than an affirmative wood.

:42:20. > :42:25.It is Neil Robertson that is full of confidence out there, and Mark Allen

:42:26. > :42:33.is really suffering. He is missing pots far more frequently, despite

:42:34. > :42:37.the fact that they are identical in terms of their pot success

:42:38. > :42:43.percentage. That just because basically, Neil was very poor at the

:42:44. > :42:49.start of the match. For him to get his pot success at 1091%, it shows

:42:50. > :42:51.how well he has been playing in the last two frames. -- his pot success

:42:52. > :43:02.at 91%. Neil Robertson does not always play

:43:03. > :43:05.into the pack. He has a perfect angle, but he might play for the

:43:06. > :43:10.loose one. He might think that the pink is a better ball to go into the

:43:11. > :43:15.bunch. There again, he is not one of those players that sometimes likes

:43:16. > :43:19.to do it. He liked to think that he can get perfect on the ball. That is

:43:20. > :43:26.why he is going to stun them through on this, and try at the three

:43:27. > :43:31.quarters ball pink. A lot of balls would have gone into the pack there.

:43:32. > :43:42.He has got the three quarters ball pink. But he has not been able to

:43:43. > :43:45.push the ball through. -- 3- quarter ball.

:43:46. > :44:00.Played it nicely. Who can say he was right? Is going on the pink rather

:44:01. > :44:12.than back. Perhaps a little lucky not to have

:44:13. > :45:10.cleared the pink spot as well. He has just got a little bit too

:45:11. > :45:16.much at the cue ball there. He could have bought other raids into the

:45:17. > :45:22.play. -- reds. That is why he's brushing away the cushion. If he

:45:23. > :45:29.finishes low on the pink, he would be nicely in a position to bring the

:45:30. > :45:37.reds into play. He could go pink, red and get on the pink again. He

:45:38. > :45:44.will see whether pink spots. Then he will try and finish on the pink

:45:45. > :45:59.glow. This bit nearer than that, Terry. That is just about right. If

:46:00. > :46:01.you can play a little shot here, play the three quarters ball pink,

:46:02. > :46:08.he has a chance of winning the frame.

:46:09. > :46:20.Absolutely, Willy. This is going to spring of the roads. They go

:46:21. > :46:29.everywhere, the threads. There goes the Ki ball. -- cue ball. They came

:46:30. > :46:35.off the side cushion. They formed a little group again. He can hit it

:46:36. > :46:52.into the right centre pocket. That is about all he has at the moment.

:46:53. > :47:05.It won't be playing the red on the back cushion for quite a long time.

:47:06. > :47:11.He could have done with another two inches of pace there. Mark Allen is

:47:12. > :47:18.wondering whether this match is drifting away from him. The one

:47:19. > :47:20.frame -- he should have Bohn 's frame three, he should have won

:47:21. > :47:38.frame six. The bottom red full pot in the same

:47:39. > :47:47.pocket as the pink. The same one as in the cluster of five. One in the

:47:48. > :47:49.middle this time. And that opens everything up. He should go on and

:47:50. > :49:02.win the frame from here. A round of applause from the snorer

:49:03. > :49:20.Jill -- knowledgeable audience. They know that that is frame ball.

:49:21. > :49:33.By far his best snooker. It has been played Mark Allen has got five

:49:34. > :49:40.frames on the trot. He should be delighted. He leaves 5-2. Dom, there

:49:41. > :49:43.is a way of break-building. We knew that the pink potted, but amateur

:49:44. > :49:49.players may not have seen this situation to get on the pink in such

:49:50. > :49:57.a way. If you can just leave yourself though, Neil Robertson

:49:58. > :50:02.does, you have a chance. He has made contact with it, rather than the cue

:50:03. > :50:09.ball. The cue ball has gone into the reds. It is automatic. You are going

:50:10. > :50:23.to spread the reds far and wide. It is how the reds are going to open

:50:24. > :50:25.up. Absolutely. Mark Allen taking few on board. He is Regan, as we

:50:26. > :50:41.mentioned before. -- of Egan. Mark Allen breaking off with his

:50:42. > :50:49.back firmly against the wall. It can scramble your mind, really.

:50:50. > :50:57.Frittered a few games away. It would keep you well in contention in the

:50:58. > :51:40.match. As we going into frame eight, he has his back against the wall.

:51:41. > :51:50.He will be bringing a couple of reds into play. He will fill that he has

:51:51. > :52:07.got Mark Allen under the shot. He had to do that.

:52:08. > :52:19.Now is the time to push the boat out. And push the boat out he has.

:52:20. > :52:25.Very good. When he was 5-2 behind, there was a lot of pressure on that

:52:26. > :52:36.shot. Well played. I was pleased with the pace. It cannons into the

:52:37. > :52:43.reds. He had every chance of getting on a baulk colour. We might see a

:52:44. > :52:49.quicker tempo Mark Allen now, as he think he might be on the break of

:52:50. > :52:53.this match. -- he might give it a go, try and make something work. He

:52:54. > :53:01.knows if he can win a couple of frames, he's right back in it. Mark

:53:02. > :53:07.Allen is having the ball clean every time he gets half the kick. Money

:53:08. > :53:14.just gets on with it. I think he is the only one. But he has his own

:53:15. > :53:20.opinions of kicks and what happens. That is the point that I am making.

:53:21. > :53:26.With the referee cleaning the ball so often, are getting more kicks

:53:27. > :53:36.because of that? Robertson does not get his fair share of kicks. It is

:53:37. > :53:42.an interesting one. Maybe he thinks that the cue ball is statically

:53:43. > :54:23.charged. I will be interested to know the decision on sell.

:54:24. > :54:29.He possesses an awful lot of bottle, Mark Allen. He is not afraid of any

:54:30. > :54:36.shot at any time. He cannot make any more mistakes. He can screw this

:54:37. > :54:45.black income and the red below the pink. He can be of the two reds in

:54:46. > :54:53.the same pocket. Screw back of the red. Let's see if he plays it. He

:54:54. > :54:54.has played through the gap. I'm not sure about that choice, but it is

:54:55. > :55:01.still OK. He has given himself an awkward cue.

:55:02. > :56:11.He's still in control now. Well, Mark Allen has been in great

:56:12. > :56:16.positions in a few of these frames of late. He has not taken full

:56:17. > :56:22.advantage. Possibly, some of the reason for that is apart from the

:56:23. > :56:30.odd easiness, he has lost position unnecessarily, and that was another

:56:31. > :56:35.instance. He had to clout the blue in. It's never easy to control that

:56:36. > :56:39.cue ball when you start to lose position. Sometimes, it is happening

:56:40. > :56:44.here. You find yourself further and further away from ideal position. If

:56:45. > :56:53.he can pop this red in the left centre, he is guaranteed gum Paul

:56:54. > :57:47.Cullen nicely. -- he is guaranteed to be on a baulk colour nicely.

:57:48. > :57:54.He is reluctant to play into the pink and three beds. He is getting

:57:55. > :58:05.close to the winning line with the three reds and three colours that

:58:06. > :58:10.are on. He needs three reds and three colours to be guaranteed to

:58:11. > :58:15.make it 5-3. This match could have been so different for Mark Allen

:58:16. > :58:20.supporters. -- it could be so different. Robertson, though, in the

:58:21. > :58:29.last three frames, has been playing sensational stuff. Not this the ball

:58:30. > :58:34.really. That man -- not missed a ball really. He needs to keep the

:58:35. > :58:49.break coming. He needs a position to get on the black to get frame ball.

:58:50. > :59:01.Comfortably Mark Allen's best break since a 56 earlier. Since frame

:59:02. > :59:06.three, he has only managed a break of 30. That is why he has been

:59:07. > :59:10.pleasing frames consistently ovulate. But this frame seems to be

:59:11. > :59:21.in the bag for Mark Allen. It keeps the match alive. He will probably

:59:22. > :59:29.make a century break. The top rate of those will pop into the right

:59:30. > :59:31.corner. Yes, just. He could do with a century. That will give him a

:59:32. > :59:40.fillip for the rest of the match. He will need the tricky red on the

:59:41. > :00:14.side cushion. One of the few players who have made

:00:15. > :00:21.over 250 competitive centuries. APPLAUSE

:00:22. > :00:24.He has made three in this tournament, and this will be his

:00:25. > :00:49.fourth! Yes, there have been an abundance of

:00:50. > :00:51.breaks in this match so far, that is the highest and the only century to

:00:52. > :01:00.date. The highest break before now was

:01:01. > :01:06.Robertson's 82 in the previous frame.

:01:07. > :01:18.131 here, what a break it has been for Mark Allen. What a clearance.

:01:19. > :01:25.Like Judd Trump here from Mark Allen, what a great shot, he may not

:01:26. > :01:31.be on the black unfortunately, he is not too pleased. Another trick shot.

:01:32. > :01:36.What an effort that is. Never mind. Wonderful plate for Mark Allen,

:01:37. > :02:29.keeps his hopes alive and reduces the deficit. -- wonderful play.

:02:30. > :02:39.Interesting is that for Mark Allen. He has been on the plus side with

:02:40. > :02:42.virtually every statistic. We talked about premiership and championship

:02:43. > :02:47.play, he is definitely a premiership player, as we saw in that last

:02:48. > :02:48.round. Neil Robertson breaking off in what he hopes will be the last

:02:49. > :03:05.frame of this match. In the last five frames, it. 40 from

:03:06. > :03:15.both players. -- it was top quality from both players.

:03:16. > :03:27.First mistake. A lot thinner than he wanted, ball was going round the

:03:28. > :03:31.back of the pack. At first glance, nothing straightforward. One

:03:32. > :04:46.available into the middle. If Neil could have potted that, what

:04:47. > :04:50.a chance he would have given himself! That is exactly what I said

:04:51. > :04:54.in commentary a few nights ago, sometimes when you play shots, the

:04:55. > :05:01.logo sticks to your cue and gets ripped off! He messed that one up

:05:02. > :05:04.rather, but has he got away with it? You have to think so.

:05:05. > :05:19.Well, nice to see him enjoying himself out there. A lot of the key

:05:20. > :06:02.to playing well in a match is to enjoy it, if you can.

:06:03. > :06:10.Well, amazingly, both players agree that that situation was a bit of a

:06:11. > :06:18.stalemate. So once again, the second time, we are going to have a free

:06:19. > :06:23.rack in this match. -- re-rack. So, Willie, you wouldn't have expected

:06:24. > :06:29.that in this match. A second re-rack, that is quite rare. Those

:06:30. > :06:33.players are in good form, as the crowd know, both players are cueing

:06:34. > :06:37.very nicely, they don't want to get involved in tip tap think about, and

:06:38. > :06:41.they would like to have a relatively early night. When Mark Allen played

:06:42. > :06:45.that safety shot, this is it, he would never have thought that red

:06:46. > :06:50.would have ended up where it is. For one minute he thought it was going

:06:51. > :06:56.to knock the White in, and of course that is the reason the stalemate

:06:57. > :07:00.came. His little hand up to the crowd. Dominik, it must be fabulous

:07:01. > :07:03.please two players to play in this wonderful arena. It is packed to the

:07:04. > :07:08.rafters, and to night I'm sure the balconies will be packed as well.

:07:09. > :07:11.Yes, of course, they are playing with Ronnie O'Sullivan tonight, they

:07:12. > :07:21.are looking forward to that one, I'm sure. It is the second time we have

:07:22. > :07:24.had a re-rack in this game. STUDIO: On usual. The players are

:07:25. > :07:29.taking the opportunity to go out and gather their thoughts when that

:07:30. > :07:32.happened -- unusual. You are a long time out there, go for a comfort

:07:33. > :07:40.break and just go cover your thoughts. -- gather your thoughts.

:07:41. > :07:44.It has been a high standard, the semifinal. How do you see the

:07:45. > :07:49.balance of power at the moment? Obviously, you know, it was all Mark

:07:50. > :07:53.at the start until he lost that the frame and then he has lost five on

:07:54. > :07:57.the trot, and then he played a real good frame and winning with a

:07:58. > :08:04.terrific 100. As Teddy said, he was happy and then he has gone unhappy,

:08:05. > :08:08.he will be happy again now! The spectrum of emotions... Mark Allen

:08:09. > :08:12.coming back into the arena, we are still waiting for Neil to come back

:08:13. > :08:17.in as well. He doesn't look too unhappy, D'Arcy, to be fair? He

:08:18. > :08:21.looks as if he has gathered his thoughts and composed himself a bit

:08:22. > :08:32.-- does he. He is level-headed. The last frame is the hardest frame to

:08:33. > :08:35.win. He knows that Neil Robertson has to get over the line. If he wins

:08:36. > :08:37.the next one and gets back to 5-4, suddenly the pressure whilst arts

:08:38. > :08:41.swinging again, you start believing you can win. Add 5-2, you would have

:08:42. > :08:46.been thinking, it looks like I'm going to get beaten. But he will get

:08:47. > :08:51.to the stage if he keeps pegging, come on, I can win this. The

:08:52. > :08:57.pressure swaps around, it is a fun way to work. The pressure shifts

:08:58. > :09:02.onto Robertson once again. We saw yesterday, Robertson sat down,

:09:03. > :09:07.watching the magnificent 147, a similar situation there, he is

:09:08. > :09:10.watching Mark Allen with the 124 break. Once you have lost a friend

:09:11. > :09:15.you know you have lost a frame so you are getting your mindset ready

:09:16. > :09:19.for the next frame. -- lost a frame. He wanted Mark to have cleared up

:09:20. > :09:26.then. Once a frame has gone you forgot Inc about it. -- you have

:09:27. > :09:31.forgotten about it. It gives you more clout if you win the match. He

:09:32. > :09:35.got the next frame to see the match out. I wonder if he will do the same

:09:36. > :09:42.here after the re-rack. Robertson has just broken off.

:09:43. > :09:45.APPLAUSE COMMENTATOR: Another excellent pot

:09:46. > :09:51.from Mark Allen, he has got his tail up at the moment. He knows the

:09:52. > :09:56.pressure will go a little bit more on Robertson if he can win this

:09:57. > :10:01.frame. He will not be worried about things at the moment, the fact that

:10:02. > :10:02.he is 5-3 in front, he knows that his opponent can pot balls

:10:03. > :10:23.occasionally. APPLAUSE

:10:24. > :10:29.What a fantastic yellow that was from Mark Allen, showing clear

:10:30. > :10:32.intent to Neil Robertson. That he's there to bully him and get back into

:10:33. > :10:38.this match himself with some big breaks. And right now he is looking

:10:39. > :11:57.very, very dangerous again. Where was this a few frames ago?

:11:58. > :12:05.Still a couple of reds available, want of the left and wanted right.

:12:06. > :12:08.The one at the back of the pack would pot as well, that is probably

:12:09. > :12:15.what he aimed for but didn't hit hard enough.

:12:16. > :12:24.And now he can't really guarantee getting the right angle on the blue

:12:25. > :12:30.because the reds are in the way. Went round the back. Well played.

:12:31. > :12:38.The red at the back of the pack will pop. If he can get the nice angle on

:12:39. > :12:42.the red, push through the red, open the reds up, that is what were

:12:43. > :12:48.talking about. He can win the frame at one visit. He doesn't want to be

:12:49. > :12:52.involved in any scrappy frames at the minute to get back into the

:12:53. > :12:58.match. The reds go nicely, he has every chance of winning this frame.

:12:59. > :13:22.Brought two interplay, possibly three. -- into play.

:13:23. > :13:33.Oh, dear. Some shots it doesn't matter with, but I can assure you,

:13:34. > :13:40.this kick has cost Mark Allen the chance to win this frame in that one

:13:41. > :13:45.scoring visit. Up of the shot immediately, rather animated. That's

:13:46. > :13:52.a shame, isn't it, Willie? Absolutely. I suppose, I mean, you

:13:53. > :13:58.can't stop thinking about this, but he is getting a few kicks, and he

:13:59. > :14:02.has got a few reds there. He wasn't necessarily, he didn't have to take

:14:03. > :14:04.that to the red. But you can't start thinking, I'm not going to play that

:14:05. > :14:21.shot in case I get a kick. This is the black he has played...

:14:22. > :14:27.When he plays this black he gets three reds here. You do want to play

:14:28. > :14:35.it because you think, I'm going to be perfect. You can't expect to get

:14:36. > :14:40.a kick. 40 point lead, black out of play, which may be brought back into

:14:41. > :14:45.play with this shot. 20 minutes since Neil Robertson has potted a

:14:46. > :14:49.ball. Thinking that he won five frames on the trot, it is a good

:14:50. > :15:08.performance from Mark Allen. I like that shot from Neil

:15:09. > :15:11.Robertson, purposefully bringing the black into play there. He doesn't

:15:12. > :15:18.want this match to go on too much longer, because if Mark Allen were

:15:19. > :15:24.to win this frame, it could be a very tense, edgy climax to this

:15:25. > :15:28.match. Does Mark Allen need to take this risk? He can get the cue ball

:15:29. > :15:30.on the back cushion, he can play it almost as a shock to nothing, but he

:15:31. > :15:44.doesn't want to play it too hard. Oh, dear, why has he played so hard?

:15:45. > :15:49.It may have looked reckless, that, but I thought it was a possible shot

:15:50. > :15:54.to nothing, but he didn't play it like it was shot to nothing. May

:15:55. > :15:58.have looked reckless, that is an understatement. Look where the cue

:15:59. > :16:03.ball has finished. Wow, I don't know what went through Mark's mind there.

:16:04. > :16:32.If Neil Potts a red now, he must fancy clearing up -- if Neil putts.

:16:33. > :16:40.Decided to cut this read in on the pink spot. Expected to be on the

:16:41. > :16:48.black, but not from their told this red. I don't think there is room

:16:49. > :16:52.around the back of this red. This is one of those, the harder you hit it

:16:53. > :16:55.you can almost squeeze into the cushion, there is not enough room,

:16:56. > :16:59.that is what Neil is looking at, whether he can play cushion first,

:17:00. > :17:02.if he does, he is going to have to hit it hard. I don't think there is

:17:03. > :17:13.enough room down the back of that red. No chance. That was brave,

:17:14. > :17:14.Dominic, no chance. The risk of having egg on my face, but no

:17:15. > :17:21.chance. , Neil, play this! I am dying to throw egg on Dominic's

:17:22. > :17:52.face! Fortunately, we as players are not

:17:53. > :17:53.allowed to pick a ball out of the pocket and Judd the distance to the

:17:54. > :18:08.cushion. After that dreadful attempt, Mark

:18:09. > :18:11.Allen will be pretty pleased it only cost him one point. It could have

:18:12. > :18:30.cost him frame and match. Mark has just rolled the red that is

:18:31. > :18:36.nearest to the yellow, down towards the other one, considering whether

:18:37. > :18:43.he could get behind to pot the black. Wouldn't need a pot if you

:18:44. > :18:45.played that, if he tried a shot to get back into baulk he made a

:18:46. > :19:31.terrible mess of it. Trying to bring this redback

:19:32. > :19:36.interplay -- trying to bring this red back into play.

:19:37. > :19:43.I am surprised he has not hit the red hard enough to bring the red

:19:44. > :19:44.into play. He played a slightly thicker and still got the same

:19:45. > :20:14.result. Mark Allen has played now the shot

:20:15. > :20:21.that I suggested previously. But it does appear that that red may pot

:20:22. > :20:23.pass the pink, it is very tight. If he had played that shot last time,

:20:24. > :21:10.nothing was pottable. You would have to say it was a poor

:21:11. > :21:22.safety shot from Neil to leave that one on.

:21:23. > :21:29.47 points in front, two reds, two colours. One of the colours would

:21:30. > :21:30.put him past the winning post, I wouldn't be taking the green of

:21:31. > :21:55.those two reds. He needs to have a little look at

:21:56. > :21:59.the scoreboard to make sure that he pot a colour.

:22:00. > :22:11.It is going to need one of the remaining four reds now.

:22:12. > :22:23.Missed a trick there, didn't he, Dominic's yes, definitely.

:22:24. > :22:34.Just going to need one of these four tricky reds, he couldn't get on the

:22:35. > :22:38.black, there, 58 ahead with 59 remaining if he pot this pink.

:22:39. > :22:50.He can take this on with a little bit of confidence knowing that the

:22:51. > :22:59.other three reds are relatively safe. It is a difficult path, play

:23:00. > :23:04.two cushions. He has missed it, though. Mark Selby misread the

:23:05. > :23:11.scoreboard in his match against a solvent when it should have gone

:23:12. > :23:12.2-2. Mark has missed the scoreboard there as well, he should have been

:23:13. > :24:38.taking two high value colours. Obviously a cross double safety shot

:24:39. > :24:42.is the one he wants to play, but he doesn't want to Korea into the black

:24:43. > :24:52.at this end of the table. -- to Korea.

:24:53. > :24:56.Would love to leave that red where it is at the moment, but I don't he

:24:57. > :25:06.has got any choice. That's the problem, you see, he is

:25:07. > :25:33.bringing the black interplay, played it pretty well. -- into play.

:25:34. > :25:41.Caught the red too thickly there, Neil Robertson. A chance to put this

:25:42. > :25:56.frame to bed for Mark Allen if he pots this long straight one.

:25:57. > :26:03.Good effort, but not quite good enough. But I don't think he has

:26:04. > :26:08.left Neil and easy starter. I wonder if Neil will attempt him playing the

:26:09. > :26:12.safety shot that to bring the black interplay. He should be able to win

:26:13. > :27:13.by a single point. Well, he took the risk there of

:27:14. > :27:16.bringing the black interplay, he has done much, the black is in open play

:27:17. > :28:24.now. -- into play. That is a telling safety shot. Every

:28:25. > :28:32.chance if it catches this right to put a red safe. Also, every chance

:28:33. > :28:37.of losing unless he gets it behind the brown. Well done. Excellent

:28:38. > :28:58.safety shot, well played. That could be a winner.

:28:59. > :29:04.STUDIO: You are watching semifinals day here at the Welsh Open on BBC

:29:05. > :29:09.Two Wales. If you are tuning in looking for Final Cut All, I can

:29:10. > :29:12.tell you it is available online, but we are staying with this match --

:29:13. > :29:25.final score. COMMENTATOR: If this shot goes wrong

:29:26. > :29:31.for Neil Robertson, it is almost certainly the end of the frame. He

:29:32. > :29:36.is trying to rest on this red. Very tough shot to play, well short of

:29:37. > :29:41.pace there, Neil Robertson. And this can't be called because it results

:29:42. > :29:46.in male Robertson needing a snooker -- Neil Robertson.

:29:47. > :30:01.So, the match is still very much alive.

:30:02. > :30:09.A little bit of confidence has come back into Mark Allen's stroke. One

:30:10. > :30:10.to four in a previous frame, and virtually dominated this frame --

:30:11. > :30:38.124. An exhibition shot here, bringing

:30:39. > :30:59.the pink interplay. -- into play. He likes to play very, very quickly,

:31:00. > :31:02.Mark Allen, when the frame is over, he doesn't want to take anything out

:31:03. > :31:08.of himself, getting ready for the next round.

:31:09. > :31:20.He certainly knows his way around the table, that's for sure.

:31:21. > :31:26.Whatever happens in this match now, should he go on to lose it he will

:31:27. > :31:33.know that he has had every chance to win it. Neil Robertson stays in his

:31:34. > :31:40.chair, Mark Allen is on the comeback trail, he is back into the match.

:31:41. > :31:46.The key shot there, let's take into consideration mark went through a

:31:47. > :31:50.risky play, but this safety shot scored him the frame. Yes, I don't

:31:51. > :31:56.do there was a great deal of pressure on him here because Neil

:31:57. > :32:00.Robertson did need blacks of the remaining four reds. It required a

:32:01. > :32:06.great piece of execution. If he hit the red too quickly, it was one of

:32:07. > :32:15.the great shots of the match, safety wise. The worrying part for Neil

:32:16. > :32:19.Robertson is that it has come full circle, it is Mark Allen who has

:32:20. > :32:23.dominated the last few frames. If he wins this frame it as a toss of the

:32:24. > :32:29.coin who wins the final frame. Absolutely, Willy. It is now at 5-4,

:32:30. > :32:32.there will be a great deal of pressure on both players is Mark

:32:33. > :32:40.Allen returns to the table to break off in frame ten. Mark Allen knows

:32:41. > :32:44.he is right back in this match now, there is pressure on him as well.

:32:45. > :32:50.Robertson is very anxious to close it out, having had a 5-2 lead. Oh,

:32:51. > :32:55.he would love to play that break off again, he really would. Neil

:32:56. > :33:02.Robertson, well, he hasn't potted much of late. But this is a chance.

:33:03. > :33:06.Why do the players play the break off so carelessly? It is one of the

:33:07. > :33:10.most important shot in the frame, Mark Allen got done so quickly

:33:11. > :33:15.there. Robertson is one of the best openers in the game, you cannot

:33:16. > :33:22.leave that shot. He has had a reprieve, Mark Allen. If he was on

:33:23. > :33:28.any sort of colour, he would be getting 20 or 30 points, as it is

:33:29. > :33:32.now, with the safety shot coming up. He needs to get glued on the green

:33:33. > :33:40.to cover the right-hand side of the cushion.

:33:41. > :34:01.In every factual sort of position there is every

:34:02. > :34:10.there could be reds available, he is trying to land on the black spot.

:34:11. > :34:13.Has he got the line wrong here? He was very fortunate there, Mark

:34:14. > :34:17.Allen, that could have been a serious mistake. As it is, I think

:34:18. > :34:23.Neil will have the ball replaced. Mark Allen can have another go. Is

:34:24. > :34:27.he trying to get into the pack here? I think he is trying to get into the

:34:28. > :34:34.pack, he put a bit extra on the left-hand side. He played it hard,

:34:35. > :34:49.didn't he? Maybe he lost track of it.

:34:50. > :34:56.Perhaps a little bit slower this time. That squared up of the first

:34:57. > :34:57.question, this time. He has got there.

:34:58. > :35:09.APPLAUSE I thought Mark Allen may have tried

:35:10. > :35:14.to come the bottom side of the blue and hit the side cushion with the

:35:15. > :35:17.pink shot. There is not a great deal of pressure on this red for Neil. I

:35:18. > :35:30.fancy putting this. Yes, if he finishes on the blue, and

:35:31. > :36:19.I think he has done, what a chance he has got now.

:36:20. > :36:25.Honestly, I can't believe Neil has played the yellow there. Even if he

:36:26. > :36:28.gets on the red that is on the right-hand side of the pack as we

:36:29. > :36:32.look, how could he have left himself a good angle on it without going

:36:33. > :36:37.dangerously near to snooker ring himself on the pink? Into the pack,

:36:38. > :36:49.surely that was a shot there? What an aggressive shot that was. He

:36:50. > :36:57.played the yellow previously, he really did go for it there. One of

:36:58. > :37:00.the shots of the match. This is what these top players do, when they

:37:01. > :37:03.realise they have made a slight mistake they put all their eggs in

:37:04. > :37:09.one basket, and nine times out of ten they play what could be a frame

:37:10. > :37:12.and match-winning shot. He has certainly got the red in a position

:37:13. > :37:37.where he can score heavily. A brilliant shot.

:37:38. > :37:47.He potted this red. He has got the pink spot covered, he is just having

:37:48. > :37:54.to look and see if the pink spot is covered. Here's hoping to pot the

:37:55. > :37:56.pink. It will be available in one of the top four pockets. He feels the

:37:57. > :38:05.spot is covered. It is covered, you are just

:38:06. > :38:12.wondering where it is going to go. He doesn't want it to go in the

:38:13. > :38:15.middle of those three reds. Their three reds together, maybe take the

:38:16. > :38:20.want of the left of the three reds rather than the one that he is

:38:21. > :38:22.nicely done, just move the two reds away. He could still put the pink in

:38:23. > :38:30.the opposite corner. We will know in a few moments' time

:38:31. > :38:51.whether pink is going to go. It fits in between the three reds,

:38:52. > :39:04.it is a poor choice of shot. Why on earth would he not have

:39:05. > :39:11.played the red to the right of the pink in the previous red?

:39:12. > :39:28.Neil Robertson looking totally bemused at what is going on, but

:39:29. > :39:32.it's his own fault, I could see that coming. We said in commentary it

:39:33. > :39:37.would cover all three reds if it played the pink. He should have

:39:38. > :39:42.played the one that is just below the pink now in his previous shot.

:39:43. > :39:43.But, no problem if he gets the right side of the blue, we are back in

:39:44. > :40:12.business. Similar to the pink, where will this

:40:13. > :40:18.black go now? The spot is occupied, it is going to be put directly

:40:19. > :40:20.behind the red. It has got to go as close to that red as possible but

:40:21. > :40:30.without touching it. For me, that black is tied up into

:40:31. > :40:35.both of its corners, the pink is now tied up, so Neil is probably going

:40:36. > :40:40.to cannon the red that is next to the centre pocket.

:40:41. > :40:50.He is still OK. A couple of loose reds. I think the red behind the

:40:51. > :40:56.pink would pot, it is too thin on the blue to pay for it, he may well

:40:57. > :41:00.play a delicate cannon here, just ringing everything into play. He

:41:01. > :41:05.could do with a high value colour here in play. There is a red, but he

:41:06. > :41:07.can't play for it here, it is too thin on the blue. These cannons can

:41:08. > :41:48.easily go wrong. Well, Neil Robertson has mess this

:41:49. > :41:51.up a bit for me. He has tied up the black and pink. He has tied himself

:41:52. > :43:00.up! Looks like you all not a very good

:43:01. > :43:12.judge. He will then this in the side. I can assure you. Should have

:43:13. > :43:29.gone to spec Savers. He needed a lot of spin. That pocket

:43:30. > :43:35.is so tough. I have seen a few of the near jaw not going in.

:43:36. > :43:48.Cleverly moved the red of the black spot. Gee, with. I thought that was

:43:49. > :44:08.in. That was definitely onto the top

:44:09. > :44:12.jaw. Let's see the difference in the way the guys go about making breaks.

:44:13. > :44:18.Mark Allen is looking to finish slightly lower on the red, below the

:44:19. > :44:23.pink on the black necks. If he does so, he can roll this in into the

:44:24. > :44:31.same pocket is he is playing it now. At the same time, he can develop the

:44:32. > :45:09.pink and the reds. That is what he is thinking.

:45:10. > :45:23.The margin of error there. Another foot higher. He had to cut out those

:45:24. > :45:33.bad positional shots. He recovered though Napoli well, though, again.

:45:34. > :45:43.Right back into the frame. Could we possibly get as -- a decider? We

:45:44. > :45:54.talked about that fast read, nearer the middle pocket. He moved the red

:45:55. > :46:02.near the middle pocket. He will like to hit it half ball. Well done. He

:46:03. > :46:07.has got a chance of getting all square now.

:46:08. > :46:14.What a great match this has been. Breaks in every frame. But yet, you

:46:15. > :46:19.get the impression that it has been a long struggle out there. I suppose

:46:20. > :46:31.it has, for periods, but some breaks the law in this match. 77, 55, 37,

:46:32. > :46:40.56, 49, 50s and 70s. 124 by Mark Allen. He is just a touch straight

:46:41. > :46:45.on the blue. You can still roll through for the red. He is

:46:46. > :46:52.left-handed. Cueing is no problem. But the frame and the match could

:46:53. > :47:02.hinge on this shot. Absolutely. This is for 5-5 or a possible loss, 6-4.

:47:03. > :47:06.That is out -- how tight these pocket art.

:47:07. > :47:16.That only caught the jaw. The only way you can say that he could have

:47:17. > :47:25.played it different is rolling it in rather than playing at distance.

:47:26. > :47:29.Neil Robertson, I am sure, but managed to go in when Mark Allen is

:47:30. > :47:36.playing the shop. Could he have rolled it in? I prefer the weight

:47:37. > :47:38.that he played it. It gave him every chance to go safe. But it is a more

:47:39. > :47:49.positive shock to play. He needs up to and including the

:47:50. > :47:54.pink to be absolutely sure. Mark Allen might have played this Danny

:47:55. > :48:05.McCray his last shot in this Welsh Open.

:48:06. > :48:13.It just travelled too far. He will need the rest. I'm not sure if he

:48:14. > :48:19.can screw back across the face of the brown, or whether he plays

:48:20. > :48:24.run-through of the baulk cushion. It could go wrong. We will see it from

:48:25. > :48:30.Mark Allen's point of view. He could screw across the brown, and now, I

:48:31. > :48:36.think that man in your purse -- picture thinks he has played his

:48:37. > :48:42.last shot in this year's Welsh Open. It has been a fantastic match. Mark

:48:43. > :48:47.Allen started the stronger of the two, very unlucky to go three frames

:48:48. > :48:52.ahead of Neil Robertson. Other wonderful winning clearance from

:48:53. > :48:58.Neil. That takes them -- that levelled the scores at 2-2. It has

:48:59. > :49:02.been a wonderful match. Both players have made big breaks in this match.

:49:03. > :49:11.But it is Neil Robertson that finds himself in tomorrow's final. He will

:49:12. > :49:14.be pleased that he defeats his Northern Irish opponent Mark Allen

:49:15. > :49:23.by 6-4. A great contest between Neil

:49:24. > :49:26.Robertson and Mark Allen. But it is the world number three who goes

:49:27. > :49:35.through to the final tomorrow night to thinner -- to face the winner of

:49:36. > :49:42.Ronnie O'Sullivan and Joe Perry. A chance for him to win the trophy for

:49:43. > :49:47.the first time since 2007. It was a wonderful game. On such moments, the

:49:48. > :49:51.game, the match changes. We saw it there in the last frame, where there

:49:52. > :49:57.was a miss by both players, but in the end, it was Robertson who went

:49:58. > :50:00.to take it. Obviously at the start, he looked really out of touch. Mark

:50:01. > :50:08.Allen looks very good. After the first couple of frames, this match

:50:09. > :50:14.has all changed on the third frame. Mark Allen lost it and Neil

:50:15. > :50:20.Robertson won it. It was a terrific game after that. You have to feel a

:50:21. > :50:26.little bit sorry. He has played to back row perfect frames. The pockets

:50:27. > :50:32.caught both players out. Neil Robertson had a red across the

:50:33. > :50:42.cushion. He is 38 up to 30-8 up. As Willie said in a commentary, the

:50:43. > :50:47.pocket don't give you anything. It wobbled, but then the pocket came to

:50:48. > :50:51.a saving grace. It looks as if Mark Allen is going to clear it up. He

:50:52. > :50:57.has set it down. It looks like it is in. It has had a little wobble, but

:50:58. > :51:01.it just was not to be. It was not to be in the end, but Mark Allen has

:51:02. > :51:04.played well, and defied many people's expectation who thought

:51:05. > :51:09.that Neil Robertson would have a reasonably smooth progress to the

:51:10. > :51:12.final. But that was not the case. I don't think anyone out there would

:51:13. > :51:17.have thought that Neil Robertson was going to win easy. Mark Allen is a

:51:18. > :51:22.class act, immaterial... I know Terry had a bit of the laugh about

:51:23. > :51:26.the feature that was run yesterday, but I didn't do was any malice made.

:51:27. > :51:31.He has been around a long time, he has not won as many comments as he

:51:32. > :51:35.would have liked, but he has been an underachiever how good he has been.

:51:36. > :51:39.But he is a top-class snooker player. Where will he go from here?

:51:40. > :51:44.I think you will build on that. He is happy in his own skin, and he is

:51:45. > :51:49.in a good and happy place at the moment. This tournament is now gone.

:51:50. > :51:52.He has to pat himself on the back, and he can think he was only a

:51:53. > :51:55.couple away from winning it. The next tournament is going to become

:51:56. > :52:00.him very quickly, and it is something for him to build on. Very

:52:01. > :52:08.evenly matched. The irony was that he scored more points and potted a

:52:09. > :52:12.few more balls. That is the way it goes. We will get the man in very

:52:13. > :52:16.shortly. Neil Robertson through to the final tomorrow. For the first

:52:17. > :52:25.time since he won thing in 2007. Ads that Phil? Very well. The first part

:52:26. > :52:32.of the match, I was not quite with it. I was trying to make a couple of

:52:33. > :52:36.half augured mistakes, and I was letting Mark in, and obviously, I

:52:37. > :52:41.think the turning point was when he fouled on 50, and I think it was the

:52:42. > :52:45.third frame, otherwise he would have gone 3-0. We felt in the studio that

:52:46. > :52:53.was a turning point. What did you think on that situation? The referee

:52:54. > :53:03.days a foul, but Mark actually asked for replay? He did not think he did,

:53:04. > :53:07.but he has no problem saying if he touched the cue. When you're playing

:53:08. > :53:12.with the rest, it makes that kind of sound. It makes it sound as if you

:53:13. > :53:16.are touching the ball. But Dominik said that Terry got it spot on. It

:53:17. > :53:24.is an interesting situation. We are seeing it now. The referee has

:53:25. > :53:26.called her foul. Really, it is the referee who has to make the

:53:27. > :53:35.decision, and stick with the decision he makes. Dominik, he knows

:53:36. > :53:40.everything. No player can ask the referee to look at the wreck replay.

:53:41. > :53:45.The referee can ask if he has doubt. I did not know that. But it was a

:53:46. > :53:51.huge part of the match, and the clearance that I did as well, I

:53:52. > :53:57.counter-attacked him, to get into my float. After the interval, I went to

:53:58. > :54:02.play 5-2. Then he started going folk -- started going for all who shots.

:54:03. > :54:06.He got away with a few things, and he also played very well. I had to

:54:07. > :54:11.be patient. The Goodwin view in the end. Finally, on to my's semi,

:54:12. > :54:17.Ronnie O'Sullivan against Joe Perry. What will you do? We watch it? We

:54:18. > :54:23.wait to see who you have got in the final? Obviously, the Cambridge, it

:54:24. > :54:34.will be great, it would be brilliant for our club if we got two of us got

:54:35. > :54:40.there. Obviously, Ronnie is... Everyone's favourite. I comply under

:54:41. > :54:43.the radar a bit! It is nice that I can beat an underdog! I have not

:54:44. > :54:49.been an underdog in a mass for over a year. It's quite easy to play as

:54:50. > :54:57.an underdog. Whatever happens, I will enjoy it. You are on course.

:54:58. > :55:02.You are through to the final. The final will be on BBC Two Wales. This

:55:03. > :55:06.evening, we have the X factor on Saturday night. Snooker's Mr

:55:07. > :55:10.showbiz, Ronnie O'Sullivan, against Joe Perry. If you have been watching

:55:11. > :55:17.it through the week, you will want to seek the wrath of rocket's

:55:18. > :55:18.return. It is time to find out what is

:55:19. > :55:24.promising play. Moments of pace piercing the fans but they could not

:55:25. > :55:31.make it count when it mattered. In the final third, in the penalty

:55:32. > :55:36.area, we barely saw Pantilimon. It finished 1-0. Watford, finalist in

:55:37. > :55:46.1984. Leeds United are out. And you have to say, Watford deserved the

:55:47. > :55:51.win. Absolutely. The stronger side out of the two. Really, we should be

:55:52. > :55:54.looking at three or four 0. If it was not for that five minute flurry

:55:55. > :55:55.of chances for