Day One - Part 1

:00:39. > :00:44.The best players on the planet are back in Cardiff. Welcome to the

:00:45. > :00:49.Motorpoint Arena for the 20 17th Welsh Open. Seven days of top

:00:50. > :00:53.snooker ahead as the biggest names in the game look to conjure more

:00:54. > :01:05.magical moments 25 years the tournament began.

:01:06. > :01:19.Mark Williams, the 1999 Welsh champion! Welsh Open champion for

:01:20. > :01:32.the second time! The 2007 Welsh Open champion, Neil Robertson! 2008 Welsh

:01:33. > :01:37.Open champion, George Selby! Welsh Open champion 2012, China's Ding

:01:38. > :01:48.Junhui! John Higgins wins the Welsh Open for the fourth time! Something

:01:49. > :01:55.tells me that in 2016 it is the Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan! Yes, 2016

:01:56. > :02:00.belonged to Ronnie O'Sullivan. Can he get a record fifth Welsh Open

:02:01. > :02:04.win? Good afternoon and welcome to the opening day. The snooker world

:02:05. > :02:08.never sleeps. The players have hotfooted it down from Preston and

:02:09. > :02:12.the world Grand Prix where we had a finalist with Ryan Day yesterday. No

:02:13. > :02:16.rest and straight onto the next big challenge. It is not just about the

:02:17. > :02:26.world's best. As always there outside bets, cards, teenagers

:02:27. > :02:31.trying their luck. -- wild cards. 128 players trying to get their

:02:32. > :02:36.hands on the Ray Reardon trophy. Here is the man who finished

:02:37. > :02:42.runner-up when it all began back in 1992, Mr Morgan. How are you, Sir?

:02:43. > :02:48.25 years, can you believe it? Gone in a flash. I did win it two years

:02:49. > :02:54.before but it wasn't a ranking event then. You were there in 1992. What

:02:55. > :02:59.are we expecting? A busy schedule for the players, nonstop these days.

:03:00. > :03:04.What do we expect? Lots of good players, 128 to be exact, and they

:03:05. > :03:06.can all play. You will always have your favourites coming through to

:03:07. > :03:15.the latter stages but the good thing is the open draw, so the favourites

:03:16. > :03:18.have drawn very good players in the opening rounds of the tournament,

:03:19. > :03:22.when normally there seems to be luck and they miss them. It isn't luck.

:03:23. > :03:27.They play to get that position and they deserve it. You never know what

:03:28. > :03:32.will happen. We have seen surprising results. Mark King winning, Anthony

:03:33. > :03:36.Hamilton winning the German Masters at the age of 45. It would have been

:03:37. > :03:41.nice for Ryan to win yesterday, to get the monkey off his back, as

:03:42. > :03:45.people say. I believe he will win one. The good news for him is that

:03:46. > :03:49.winners are getting older, Sony is still a young lad compared to the

:03:50. > :03:56.last couple of winners. -- so he is still a young lad. This week is the

:03:57. > :04:01.best of seven, so the toss of a coin really. The golden oldies are doing

:04:02. > :04:06.well. I am 50 and I am thinking, oh my God! I finished at 40 when I

:04:07. > :04:10.retired, and I was considered an old man. It was all youngsters winning.

:04:11. > :04:15.Now it has turned around completely, like the old days. Ray Reardon,

:04:16. > :04:19.Mountjoy, Griffiths, players like that. It is good to see. This is

:04:20. > :04:24.what we have coming up this afternoon.

:04:25. > :04:30.In search of home comforts, we start with Welsh favourite Matthew Stevens

:04:31. > :04:34.as he looks to get beyond the quarterfinals for the first time.

:04:35. > :04:38.But a major obstacle in his way, former world champion and 2013

:04:39. > :04:49.runner-up Stuart Bingham, that is his first round opponent. Let's see

:04:50. > :05:00.how Dominic Dale fared against his Chinese opponent. And the 20 14th

:05:01. > :05:04.winner start his quest for his next Welsh Open win. And we have two

:05:05. > :05:09.Welsh wild cards in the first round action. Some really exciting games

:05:10. > :05:13.in prospect. We mentioned Ryan Day earlier. In all there are 15 was

:05:14. > :05:19.competitive this year hoping for success. We have got a lot of them

:05:20. > :05:23.here. It is a long time since they Welsh man has won this event and we

:05:24. > :05:28.hope one will bring it home. Ryan Day is in great form. He has got to

:05:29. > :05:32.get himself up for today. He will be on alone after losing yesterday.

:05:33. > :05:36.Mark Williams is playing well and he seems to be on the cusp of winning

:05:37. > :05:40.again. There are lots of youngsters as well. It will be very

:05:41. > :05:44.interesting. I hope a couple of the boys get through to the latter

:05:45. > :05:48.stages and give themselves a chance. We have John Higgins at Ronnie

:05:49. > :05:52.O'Sullivan on four Welsh Open wins, going for the record fifth. Can they

:05:53. > :05:55.do it? You wouldn't bet against either of them. John went through a

:05:56. > :06:06.purple patch before Christmas when he looked $1 million. He has

:06:07. > :06:09.probably gone off the boil slightly at the last event or two. Ronnie

:06:10. > :06:11.O'Sullivan has looked very good. Last week was the first time I have

:06:12. > :06:18.seen him unravelling a bit for a long time. Back to his old antics a

:06:19. > :06:22.little bit. He likes this Welsh Open and he has proved that he loves it.

:06:23. > :06:26.He has won four times and you would never bet against either of them. We

:06:27. > :06:31.will have lots to say about running late in the week. You place

:06:32. > :06:34.tomorrow. Tough start now for Matthew Stevens against Stuart

:06:35. > :06:38.Bingham, the world number two. It is a tough match for Matthew but he is

:06:39. > :06:41.one of these players who seems to bring his best game out against the

:06:42. > :06:46.top players, the ones in form, and Stuart Bingham has been having a

:06:47. > :06:49.very good season. He hasn't quite won but he has been thereabouts.

:06:50. > :06:56.Matthew is still looking to get back to somewhere near his best. And

:06:57. > :07:01.climb back up the world rankings. He is too good a player to be where he

:07:02. > :07:06.is. Matthew would be the first one to say that he hasn't adapted

:07:07. > :07:10.himself the right way over the last couple of years and what have you.

:07:11. > :07:14.But on his game he is as good as anybody in the game. Let's have a

:07:15. > :07:18.look at how Matthew Stevens and Stuart Bingham measure up. Stuart

:07:19. > :07:23.Bingham is second in the world. Matthew Stevens is 42nd. Stuart

:07:24. > :07:30.Bingham with real ranking titles and one for Matthew Stevens. Stuart

:07:31. > :07:33.Bingham was runner-up in 2014 and Matthew Stevens is twice the

:07:34. > :07:40.quarterfinalist. But Matthew Stevens edges ahead 3-2 in the career

:07:41. > :07:44.head-to-head. Let's get the coverage under way. It is the 2017 Welsh

:07:45. > :07:48.Open. Stuart Bingham against Matthew Stevens. Let's join your commentary

:07:49. > :07:53.team, Willie Thorne and Terry Griffiths.

:07:54. > :07:56.Thank you. Good afternoon, everybody. This is really a tough

:07:57. > :08:00.match for Matthew Stevens. Of all the players he could have drawn in

:08:01. > :08:03.the opening round, he has drawn the former world champion Stuart

:08:04. > :08:07.Bingham. But Stuart is going through a lean spell at the moment, it has

:08:08. > :08:11.got to be said. I have the legendary Terry Griffiths with me in the

:08:12. > :08:15.commentary box. They have only played each other five times in

:08:16. > :08:23.their career. That is correct. 3-2 to Matthew. The major European

:08:24. > :08:30.Championships, Stuart Bingham won that one. And a big difference in

:08:31. > :08:35.the rankings. Stuart Bingham is number two and Matthew Stevens is

:08:36. > :09:05.41, which is very low for him. He was top 16 for so many years.

:09:06. > :09:12.Safety shots are always tough when you have made your first shot. It is

:09:13. > :09:16.very easy to hit them too thin, like you see there. Slightly too thin.

:09:17. > :09:20.Big fan of Matthew Stevens. He has been a great player for many years.

:09:21. > :09:27.The only thing that surprises me is that he is not doing better now. He

:09:28. > :09:29.has been sadly out of form for the last few years and he is capable of

:09:30. > :09:54.beating anybody in the game. Excellent first pop from Stuart.

:09:55. > :09:59.Nicely on the black. Bit of a shock to the system watching Stuart

:10:00. > :10:02.Bingham in his last tournament. He seems to be decelerating. I am sure

:10:03. > :10:07.he has been back to the drawing board, put the hours in. That is

:10:08. > :10:11.what you have got to do. I know he has just become a family man again

:10:12. > :10:13.and that has probably taken a bit of time off him but you have got to put

:10:14. > :10:32.the work in. I don't think putting the work in it

:10:33. > :10:34.so easy these days. The boys are on the road all the time, going from

:10:35. > :10:47.one ranking event to another. I think the problem they have got is

:10:48. > :10:51.if they get through to the final, if they win the event, they are worn

:10:52. > :10:54.out and then the next day they have got another tournament. And if you

:10:55. > :11:00.lose first round, you are worn out anyway! It is a big ask on the

:11:01. > :11:07.players these days to be travelling from one event to another. The Grand

:11:08. > :11:11.Prix finished last night in Preston. Barry Hopkins beat Ryan Day in the

:11:12. > :11:21.final. And they will be downplaying tomorrow, I think, in this. I know

:11:22. > :11:25.Hopkins is playing. Ryan plays tonight. That was a good shot, using

:11:26. > :11:44.the pack of rights to run off the side of them. -- the pack of red

:11:45. > :11:48.balls. Barry has got a four hour drive to come up here but of course

:11:49. > :12:00.Ryan Ledson. 'S country. Where is that? -- God's country.

:12:01. > :12:32.When he gets around the black spot area, he is as good as most.

:12:33. > :12:47.It's drops slightly towards the centre of the pocket. Not as good.

:12:48. > :12:50.It has started early in the match. Stuart Bingham probably plays in

:12:51. > :12:54.more tournaments than any of the other players on tour. He is so

:12:55. > :13:00.keen. He loves playing. He is happy when he is out there. Winning the

:13:01. > :13:05.World Championship will never be forgotten. The standard of play that

:13:06. > :13:14.he came up with under extreme pressure was outstanding. Against

:13:15. > :13:21.the best players in the world. Yes, I think he is one of those players

:13:22. > :13:25.that has improved with age. Not a journeyman pro, too good a player

:13:26. > :13:30.for that, but he has been an the circuit for a number of years and

:13:31. > :13:33.that World Championship win was some of the best snooker I have ever

:13:34. > :13:41.seen. Good recovery that. The desired position. Once one available

:13:42. > :13:42.in the middle pocket but he has every chance of scoring heavily now.

:13:43. > :15:12.-- he wants one available. Decision time. Power through the

:15:13. > :15:16.middle red and leave the pink as well or play the outside one of the

:15:17. > :15:20.three as we look on the right-hand side? I think the two on the left

:15:21. > :15:25.will pop into the corner. If he is going through the pack, he has got

:15:26. > :15:30.do it pacey to make things happen. He has obviously found something

:15:31. > :15:33.else that goes. Onto the one in the middle. The only problem with

:15:34. > :15:38.playing that, he has still got to be that cannon in a couple of shots.

:15:39. > :15:43.You might think it is better to go into the pink to open the reds. But

:15:44. > :15:46.he had the perfect angle on that black. We will see if that comes

:15:47. > :15:51.back to cause him a problem in a couple of shots. If he doesn't get

:15:52. > :15:57.on the blue, it could be the end of his break. The angle is there

:15:58. > :16:03.though. This is one where you don't play into the pink fare. You just

:16:04. > :16:11.play at a nice pace. Not too hard. He hit it much harder than I thought

:16:12. > :16:14.he would. He risked losing the cue ball and that is exactly what has

:16:15. > :16:33.happened. The pace was very strange from that pack of reds.

:16:34. > :16:39.Good pot. Very missable in the circumstances. Stevens could have

:16:40. > :16:41.had an opportunity then to get in amongst the balls. They are wide

:16:42. > :17:04.open. Another excellent positional shot.

:17:05. > :17:05.He impressed in the Grand Prix. An excellent start. Just what the

:17:06. > :17:29.doctor ordered. Yes, he lost to Ryan Day, the losing

:17:30. > :17:30.finalist up there. In good form, Ryan. Really looking forward to

:17:31. > :18:07.seeing him play in the Welsh Open. Matthew just had one shot so we are

:18:08. > :18:14.not sure how he is playing at the moment. Stuart is very impressive

:18:15. > :18:21.ear. His strong suit has always been his break-building over the years.

:18:22. > :18:24.He has added a few things here and there, winning a number of

:18:25. > :18:34.tournaments, and playing in the World Championships. As Stephen

:18:35. > :18:44.Hendry always mentions, you have got to be a big break-builder to win the

:18:45. > :18:51.major events. What an excellent start from Stuart Bingham. If 29th

:18:52. > :19:00.century of the season. He won't be making a total clearance.

:19:01. > :19:09.Essential to make a good start in any format, but Matthew Stevens had

:19:10. > :19:14.one shot only and Stuart Bingham take the opening frame and Leeds

:19:15. > :19:19.1-0. Not a bad way to start. The first century of this year's Welsh

:19:20. > :19:24.Open. Welcome to the studio once again. The practice tables are in

:19:25. > :19:29.the background. A fantastic start by Stuart Bingham. Yes, there was a

:19:30. > :19:35.time when he wasn't very comfortable on the TV table that he is at home

:19:36. > :19:40.now. A perfect start for him. To be fair to Matthew, he didn't do much

:19:41. > :19:44.wrong. He only had one shot. He will have a lots to think about now. He

:19:45. > :19:48.knows that Stuart is there and he means business. As the guys were

:19:49. > :19:51.saying in the commentary box, Stuart Bingham knocked out of the world

:19:52. > :19:55.Grand Prix in the first round by a Welsh man, Ryan Day, who got to the

:19:56. > :20:01.final of course. They're looking to avoid a similar fate here. Obviously

:20:02. > :20:05.the best of seven comes into play. A short format for the players. There

:20:06. > :20:09.will be hiccups along the way but Stuart has had a good season so far

:20:10. > :20:18.this year. Though has Ryan, to be fair. -- so has Ryan. That is what

:20:19. > :20:22.he wanted. It will have settled him down quickly. There are 15 Welsh

:20:23. > :20:26.players in the tournament. Let's look at the runners and riders from

:20:27. > :20:32.Wales. There has got to be somebody here looking to get deep into the

:20:33. > :20:36.tournament, the quarterfinals, the semis? You are not going to bet

:20:37. > :20:39.against the likes of Ryan. He is in form, especially off the back of the

:20:40. > :20:46.great event last week and last night. Mark Williams, he is back to

:20:47. > :20:51.something near his best. Matthew, it is all coming out of this match

:20:52. > :20:55.really. Dominic is still there. He has a run every so often out of the

:20:56. > :21:03.woodwork. And a couple of youngsters. I think it is probably a

:21:04. > :21:06.bridge too much for them but it will be a great experience for them.

:21:07. > :21:10.Michael White got to the quarterfinals last year so we will

:21:11. > :21:15.see how he gets on. And the two teenagers in the competition this

:21:16. > :21:19.year, the wild card entries. Jackson Page, the 15-year-old from Abba

:21:20. > :21:27.Vale, he is an table two at the moment and we will keep you posted

:21:28. > :21:30.with how he is getting on. Now frame another two, with Stuart Bingham

:21:31. > :21:31.leading against Matthew Stevens. We join Terry Griffiths and Willie

:21:32. > :21:41.Thorne. Matthew Stevens coming to the table

:21:42. > :21:52.for his second shot. One safety shot. Stuart cleared most of them up

:21:53. > :21:55.for a century, a break of 101. I am sure Matthew will be getting

:21:56. > :22:02.involved in this frame and the ones to follow. Playing at home of

:22:03. > :22:09.course. That helps a bit. It don't have to stay in a hotel. He goes

:22:10. > :22:16.back and forth. Stuart Bingham has played a poor safety now. Off in the

:22:17. > :22:20.corner. A chance for Matthew Stevens. Not the easiest one. His

:22:21. > :22:51.first points on the board. It is a tough shot.

:22:52. > :22:57.Just what you don't need when you have lost the first frame. It has

:22:58. > :23:01.gone awkward. Stuart might take it on, in fairness. There is a gap

:23:02. > :23:07.between the two reds to risk getting onto the black. He didn't expect it

:23:08. > :23:13.to come right back across the table like that. If he plays to get onto

:23:14. > :23:27.blue or baulk colour, it makes it more difficult.

:23:28. > :23:31.Matthew will be pretty pleased. When he saw that read coming across the

:23:32. > :23:41.table he thought he would stick it over the hole but it went reasonably

:23:42. > :23:45.safe. -- that red. It looks like he has found a possible one into the

:23:46. > :23:49.middle. The one in the corner, the green pocket, he can't really

:23:50. > :23:53.guarantee getting onto the black by going through the gap in the reds in

:23:54. > :23:57.the pack so he is playing the more difficult red in the middle, knowing

:23:58. > :24:05.he will be on the black if he pops it. But he will leave the red and a

:24:06. > :24:10.black if it doesn't. Very good! Having been kept off the table

:24:11. > :24:47.during the first frame, that was excellent.

:24:48. > :24:58.Somebody moved in front of the line of the shot there. That is why

:24:59. > :25:05.Matthew stopped. The referee sorted it out OK. Good referee. Yes. She

:25:06. > :25:10.will be very disappointed because her husband Ben lost this morning. I

:25:11. > :25:19.watched some of that match. Back to the day job now, not supporting your

:25:20. > :25:29.husband is playing. One of the best lady referees. Are you a fan of the

:25:30. > :25:34.best of sevens? I was thinking when Stuart got in and did that great

:25:35. > :25:36.break how difficult it is if somebody plays two good friends and

:25:37. > :25:44.you are sitting down and you only have a slim chance of winning from

:25:45. > :25:51.there. -- two good frames. The frames increase at the quarterfinals

:25:52. > :25:57.and the semis and the finals. The problem is that they can't get all

:25:58. > :26:05.the players to play in a venue without it taking two weeks. 128

:26:06. > :26:09.players here. And it all takes time. We get so many strange results with

:26:10. > :26:12.the best of seven. What about best of nine with no interval? That is

:26:13. > :26:18.not taking too much out of the players. It is a better test. Good

:26:19. > :26:29.idea, that. You should be on the board! I think the best of seven can

:26:30. > :26:32.be over so quickly. Matthew has now got an excellent chance to win the

:26:33. > :26:41.second frame but he can beat 2-0 behind in a heartbeat in the best of

:26:42. > :26:46.seven with a mountain to climb. But 2-0 behind in the best of nine and

:26:47. > :26:50.you don't have to worry so much. The back cushion seems to be playing

:26:51. > :26:54.slower. If few shots have been played off it this morning and

:26:55. > :27:00.didn't get the required bounce. Stuart Bingham in his break of 100

:27:01. > :27:02.played a few and didn't get the bounce off the back cushion. It

:27:03. > :27:49.appears to be slow. Good recovery. That is poor. You have got to hit

:27:50. > :27:59.the pink full ball and callable pink, no reaction at all from the

:28:00. > :28:03.reds. -- corner ball pink. The safety shot will bring it into play.

:28:04. > :28:10.He doesn't want to do that but he has no option. A problem for

:28:11. > :28:14.Matthew. He hit the cue ball a little bit too hard and this bin

:28:15. > :28:24.didn't take it to the back, just clipped off the side. Easily done.

:28:25. > :28:59.-- the spin didn't take it to the back.

:29:00. > :29:04.You can clearly see that the red is available in the right-hand corner

:29:05. > :29:10.but the path between the black and the reds means it is tough to get

:29:11. > :29:15.back to the baulk. The one on the left-hand side, it is the one he

:29:16. > :29:19.will to avoid kissing into. The safety shot would be the best choice

:29:20. > :29:22.and that is what he is playing. He doesn't want to kiss into the yellow

:29:23. > :29:34.or the brown on the right-hand side. That red needs to be portable. As he

:29:35. > :29:40.had a bit of luck? Plenty of it. The handshake and the smile from Stuart!

:29:41. > :29:49.It is all about missing those baulk colours and let you get one of those

:29:50. > :29:57.cases -- unless you get one of those kisses.

:29:58. > :30:15.Handy for Matthew. Some reds available. Not great here. There is

:30:16. > :30:20.an easy escape out without hitting any of the reds. I don't think there

:30:21. > :30:26.is a gap actually. The red to the left of the pink spot is stopping

:30:27. > :30:33.him. He would like to play that dead weight and hopefully get away with

:30:34. > :30:37.that but it isn't on. I think he can come through past the pink and the

:30:38. > :30:44.top red, come behind those two over the pocket, but there is very little

:30:45. > :30:45.room for error. And if he doesn't get it right, it is all on for

:30:46. > :30:55.Matthew Stevens. He is having a look. - whatever

:30:56. > :31:08.happens, he will not be playing it too slow. What do we know?

:31:09. > :31:12.LAUGHTER Screwing in against the cushion

:31:13. > :31:19.right on the cue ball and you can see, kiss Matthew comedy was an all

:31:20. > :31:24.right predicament there, Stuart. Of course it hurts a bit more when you

:31:25. > :31:29.nor your opponent -- know that your opponent is there. At times you can

:31:30. > :31:42.get away with that, onto a red, and at other times, nothing on it, like

:31:43. > :31:49.them. It is an important visit now kiss Matthew Stevens. 43 in front,

:31:50. > :31:54.he will not be too happy if he does not win the second frame from here.

:31:55. > :32:08.Helps that the green is off its spot. He can come round for a choice

:32:09. > :32:11.of reds. A bit in no man's land here, but I think he may have cover

:32:12. > :32:18.things up there, on the left-hand side. Yes, you can see. Was not

:32:19. > :32:25.like... He can just about get through to it, though, and if he can

:32:26. > :33:05.he can get the black. Well done. He should win the frame now.

:33:06. > :33:21.A great opportunity now. I noticed in the last one that the players

:33:22. > :33:26.were missing a lot of shots are -- along the cushion, and with any pace

:33:27. > :33:35.at all, the players seem to look, you know, like the pockets are a bit

:33:36. > :33:36.tighter than normal, but they are OK here, certainly with Stuart in the

:33:37. > :34:17.first round. Yes, it looks like Matthew has been

:34:18. > :34:22.working very hard that his game. Very slim as well, so he has got

:34:23. > :34:27.himself mentally and physically fit. A shame he has not been at the

:34:28. > :34:31.business end of tournaments, because he could be one of the world's great

:34:32. > :34:47.players, Matthew Stevens, make no mistake. So tough these days. Yes, a

:34:48. > :34:51.very natural player Matthew, he has all the shots, and does not always

:34:52. > :34:53.dedicate himself to the practice table.

:34:54. > :35:02.APPLAUSE I think as well with an hour or two,

:35:03. > :35:10.rather than it being all day. Nothing wrong in that. The problem

:35:11. > :35:17.this season and the last, with so many tournaments, the players

:35:18. > :35:21.getting all that match play, it means they are playing a lot of solo

:35:22. > :35:34.play, which isn't really good. He has missed the red. Back level at

:35:35. > :35:38.1-1. Yes, I think the key thing, Terry, it has now become more of a

:35:39. > :35:42.mental game. Obviously you had the ability, most of the time, to spend

:35:43. > :35:46.time with other players you were playing against, but now with there

:35:47. > :35:49.being so many players, I do not know the percentage and obviously you

:35:50. > :35:55.deal with a lot of players, but I make it almost about 60-40 now,

:35:56. > :36:03.ability being 60 and mental 40, what do you think? I would say 90-10, but

:36:04. > :36:09.you were close. Mental, yes. For me, as a coach, that is what I am doing.

:36:10. > :36:11.With the professional players, you think that, but coaching amateur

:36:12. > :36:21.players it is merely technical stuff. I think it is 90-10,

:36:22. > :36:25.comfortably. Yes, mentally, you have to be totally strong. Totally strong

:36:26. > :36:30.in all departments now, thinking of people like Selby. Talking about

:36:31. > :36:42.Mark for a quick second now, that the game, it has to be good. -- the

:36:43. > :36:46.B game has to be good. Yes, especially with the circuit now. A

:36:47. > :36:51.lot of players who can beat you in the early rounds which was not quite

:36:52. > :36:55.the case when we were playing, Willie, in the 1930s.

:36:56. > :37:04.LAUGHTER Yes, it was almost a by through. But

:37:05. > :37:13.now, yes, players are shocked at all times. That little flick behind the

:37:14. > :37:19.yellow, obviously he has come to the table with an impossible situation.

:37:20. > :37:22.We talk about players going in and out of form, and Stuart Bingham has

:37:23. > :37:26.really surprised me last couple of tournaments. He has been so

:37:27. > :37:33.consistent, like you say, playing in most tournaments. How do you pick

:37:34. > :37:39.yourself into being mentally right? It is not easy. There are things off

:37:40. > :37:48.the table affecting players as well, of course, not just their game.

:37:49. > :38:03.Stuart Bingham, breaking off in frame three. A bit thicker than he

:38:04. > :38:05.wanted, hoping the cue ball would get there and it hasn't. A poor

:38:06. > :38:36.break off. You would expect more. In this day and age you just cannot

:38:37. > :38:43.afford to miss those kind of shots. You do not get many chances at the

:38:44. > :38:47.opening part of the frame to have a shot to nothing. Top players these

:38:48. > :39:11.days tend to get those nine out of ten.

:39:12. > :39:20.He has missed the red. Same pocket, to leave it on, from Matthew

:39:21. > :39:22.Stevens... Not sure if he can cut this one into the centre. It is very

:39:23. > :39:38.thin. APPLAUSE

:39:39. > :39:44.Played a good safety then. Can only see the one red on the left-hand

:39:45. > :39:59.side. Played the higher red that I can't quite see from here. Unless he

:40:00. > :40:00.did that,... Just about past it. The cloth looks very fast. Players like

:40:01. > :40:37.that. It looks like he is playing an

:40:38. > :40:43.aggressive safety shot here, trying to bring the black interplay. Whilst

:40:44. > :40:49.making contact with the black, it has not moved very much. -- bring

:40:50. > :41:38.the black into play. Much to take a contact on the red.

:41:39. > :41:47.That has taken the pace out of the cue ball, done very past, and green

:41:48. > :41:50.and brown, the shot he played. He will be disappointed with that one

:41:51. > :41:54.because Matthew Stevens has a chance here. Certainly not easy. He has had

:41:55. > :42:00.a look. It could possibly screw into the red and black and bring it into

:42:01. > :42:05.play. There is no mac gap there, I shouldn't think, or very little,

:42:06. > :42:11.between the reds behind the black to get it the table -- no gap there. I

:42:12. > :42:13.think that was the right shot. Could not have played it much better.

:42:14. > :42:53.Didn't quite get the right kiss. No avenue back years looks like he

:42:54. > :43:16.will play a nice containing shot. He has no option.

:43:17. > :43:24.He is having a good look there. Trying to go a bit into the right

:43:25. > :43:35.centre. Could get a little bit of pink, on the left centre. Tough pot,

:43:36. > :43:39.though. And as usual with the -- this type of shot, if you miss it,

:43:40. > :44:14.you can give your opponent a chance on the break.

:44:15. > :44:19.In a perfect position for in break-building until one plays a

:44:20. > :44:23.perfect shot. Of course it kisses the red on the way down and there

:44:24. > :44:40.are all sorts. Being a little bit reluctant to put

:44:41. > :44:42.the black out of play with that safety shot, but that is what he has

:44:43. > :45:06.done. Asking for trouble now. I don't think it is a re-rack, this

:45:07. > :45:14.one. Could have been, touch back three and four, but the balls are

:45:15. > :45:18.wide open. Both players have to agree to a re-rack. Sometimes the

:45:19. > :45:25.referee could inform them that if they do not get into a plain

:45:26. > :45:30.position that keeps the game flowing, they could perhaps give

:45:31. > :45:39.them three shots, and it will be a re-rack, the referee's decision. I

:45:40. > :45:44.think both these players liked the opening game and the reds are really

:45:45. > :45:49.well set. The black is of course still to play, but as we have seen

:45:50. > :46:00.over the years that can be brought into play very quickly.

:46:01. > :46:10.I think it is generally when they are just touching up with the balls

:46:11. > :46:19.they do a re-rack, isn't it? I remember one. Andy Hicks, was it? 50

:46:20. > :46:24.odd in front and there was a re-rack. Where you 50 front? Those

:46:25. > :46:41.were the days! Chance of a cutback year, anything

:46:42. > :46:46.that can screw back off the red. To remain at the back, but is this red

:46:47. > :47:08.goes, you'll be on the black... -- remain on the black. Safety shot.

:47:09. > :48:11.Reds absolutely perfect now to get a sizeable break.

:48:12. > :48:18.It has just come slightly straighter than he wanted to hit. On the

:48:19. > :48:24.extreme right of the pink. They would have wanted to play up and

:48:25. > :48:27.down on that red nearest the white. We have been saying this back

:48:28. > :48:34.cushion has not been playing great. Let's see if he gets that... Yes, no

:48:35. > :48:40.reaction off that cushion at all. Once again.

:48:41. > :48:44.APPLAUSE Left-hand side he played, to go to

:48:45. > :48:49.the right of that red. And he will be really disappointed to not have

:48:50. > :49:45.scored a few points there and not made of the winner.

:49:46. > :49:52.Stuart will be very pleased to be back at the table so soon. Trailing

:49:53. > :49:55.by 23 points, he must have been sitting there thinking Matthew would

:49:56. > :50:16.make at least 60 or 70, with where the balls were.

:50:17. > :50:25.Matthew Stevens of course has been in, well, the top part of the

:50:26. > :50:33.rankings for many years, and he never really did well in the Welsh

:50:34. > :50:37.Open. Two quarterfinals, his best attempt for such a class player. I

:50:38. > :50:40.don't think anyone would be surprised if he went on to win it

:50:41. > :50:49.this time. He has the skill, if he gets in amongst the late stages of

:50:50. > :50:57.events. Now then, a big shot for Stuart Bingham. A lot of distance in

:50:58. > :51:04.the two balls. Clean as a whistle. Good pot, that. Excellent pot, and

:51:05. > :51:08.deserved a better kiss, to be honest. Any sort of kiss on the reds

:51:09. > :51:14.you would have expected green or brown quite comfortably. It has

:51:15. > :51:18.taken it to slightly more difficult -- slightly more difficult shot on

:51:19. > :51:25.the green. And there it goes. You can get right back in the frame now,

:51:26. > :51:32.if not win it. -- he can get. Certainly did not play the kiss on

:51:33. > :51:38.that yellow. Three reds, really. One in the middle and two in the corner.

:51:39. > :51:43.Will feel it is the easiest one against the best position. The

:51:44. > :51:47.choices to make when you get to the table and snooker, that is one of

:51:48. > :51:50.the nice things in the game. You make a decision on what shot you're

:51:51. > :52:06.going to play. And you have to stand by that. Successful or not.

:52:07. > :52:17.As Willie mentioned earlier on, a little bit under pressure here, four

:52:18. > :52:29.frames, of course, and in the first round, breast, Ryan Day... He would

:52:30. > :52:34.like obviously do not start on a losing run but they come thick and

:52:35. > :52:43.fast, the tournaments these days -- pressed by Ryan Day. That was good.

:52:44. > :52:53.Good control at the moment even though he made a century. Now we

:52:54. > :52:56.know the one to the right of the pink will plot to the right-hand

:52:57. > :53:02.corner, but will anything to the left? I'm not sure. We will know

:53:03. > :53:05.from the shot. The one just below the pink must pot into the corner.

:53:06. > :53:45.Quite Matthew wondering if he is going to

:53:46. > :53:49.get another chance here. Stuart amongst the balls in a very strong

:53:50. > :53:56.position to clear up and win this friend. One thing I like about

:53:57. > :54:00.Stuart Bingham is, you know, no matter what his game is like, his

:54:01. > :54:04.break-building is always good, even if the rest of his game is poor.

:54:05. > :54:06.When he is not on his best form, when he gets in, he's very capable,

:54:07. > :54:43.one of the best in the game, I feel. Matthew will be so disappointed

:54:44. > :54:48.here, because he was in the balls first. Didn't get that reaction off

:54:49. > :54:53.that back cushion that we spoke about just before he took a shot. It

:54:54. > :54:57.might have possibly cost in the frame now. OK, only six points

:54:58. > :55:00.behind, but he might be the one on the right hand side... Four reds,

:55:01. > :56:44.four pinks, four lacks... -- blacks. MOBILE PHONE RINGS He's just having

:56:45. > :56:54.a little glance others go there. -- -- He's just having a little

:56:55. > :57:09.glance others go there. -- He's just having a little

:57:10. > :57:17.glance at the score there. that is why he has played the pink.

:57:18. > :57:32.Woody to take the black off in front instead. -- he would need to

:57:33. > :57:36.just overran it slightly. Would have liked to have left an angle to screw

:57:37. > :57:40.into the red. Still can play the two cushions to bring the red out but

:57:41. > :57:55.that could be dangerous. I would suggest letting him play the double.

:57:56. > :58:04.Just make sure of the black. If he was 34 in front he may not play the

:58:05. > :58:17.double, but at 36, if he can get a good white... I don't blame him for

:58:18. > :59:04.that. Stuart Bingham taking a 2-1 lead.

:59:05. > :59:22.Good attempt there. Just requiring the one smoker. -- snooker. And this

:59:23. > :59:32.last red. May have a look at taking this on, getting something off the

:59:33. > :59:43.yellow and playing the black. Not sure about that shot. Too thick. The

:59:44. > :59:48.frame should be over. Yes, I suppose he looked at the pot are probably

:59:49. > :59:51.felt it would be a bit closer to the left unsaid cushion, and I think

:59:52. > :00:15.most players would have taken the pot on there. -- left cushion.

:00:16. > :00:27.A brick of 59 a little earlier in this frame -- break. Considering

:00:28. > :00:33.ball was in first. That is what disappoints a player, when you win

:00:34. > :00:59.the balls and you should have scored first and you don't.

:01:00. > :01:05.He started with 59 and he finished with 33. Stuart Bingham getting a

:01:06. > :01:27.foothold in this match, leading 2-1. Food. Any sort of food. What's his

:01:28. > :01:30.name? Tom Hardy. I remember falling off the roof and broking both my

:01:31. > :01:36.arms at the same time and I was about eight. People say I am

:01:37. > :01:41.annoying but it is my best attribute. I'm a lazy. I should try

:01:42. > :01:58.to get fit but I have always got an excuse. Toad in the hole and apple

:01:59. > :02:03.crumble to finish. I picked up ten balls in one hand. Nine is easy but

:02:04. > :02:08.ten at a push. Never done a sky drive, never been skiing. Too

:02:09. > :02:16.scared, I suppose. Things like that. I played Marco Fu in 97 in the

:02:17. > :02:23.final, and I was up 7-1 and I lost 11-10. That always picks out and I

:02:24. > :02:30.would love to go back to them. Cameron Diaz. She has been a

:02:31. > :02:36.favourite of mine for years. Up in the morning, bit of golf, bit of

:02:37. > :02:45.snooker, sunbathing and a romantic movie with the Mrs at the end.

:02:46. > :02:53.Stuart Bingham is well liked on the circuit. He is very natural in front

:02:54. > :02:58.of the camera. Talking about his life. There is a lot of life outside

:02:59. > :03:07.of snooker but people forget about that. Who was your celebrity crush?

:03:08. > :03:16.Cameron Diaz was his. Do you have one? You! Good point! Good judge.

:03:17. > :03:29.Bit of needlework being done to Matthew Stevens. A little bit of

:03:30. > :03:40.sewing. Matthew felt that when he was cueing, it was catching the logo

:03:41. > :03:47.on his cue. That is a first, I think. I have never seen that before

:03:48. > :03:52.out there. Many do it backstage but there you go. In our day we never

:03:53. > :04:07.had logos. You didn't! Matthew Stevens to break. Matthew

:04:08. > :04:09.Stevens is the can span now. He will be hoping to win the fourth frame to

:04:10. > :05:14.level up. -- spit and span now. Didn't take the pot on of course.

:05:15. > :05:21.The red was hit a little bit thick, which is why it hasn't gone down

:05:22. > :05:24.onto the baulk cushion. It will make the next one a lot more difficult

:05:25. > :05:33.for your opponent if you are cueing off the cushion.

:05:34. > :05:45.Now then, it looked like he has got along pot to the left.

:05:46. > :05:55.Good shot. How close is that? A lot of back spin on and a lot of power.

:05:56. > :05:58.It made the shot more difficult but it got very close. He didn't want to

:05:59. > :06:02.leave the cue ball up this side of the table so screwing back to the

:06:03. > :06:07.baulk colours. Didn't leave anything on. That's the main thing. The run

:06:08. > :06:43.of the ball counts so much. Wasn't expecting that red to break

:06:44. > :06:50.away from the pack. The brown hasn't come to his rescue. Nothing wrong

:06:51. > :06:55.with playing a thick safety shot, they are great, but you couldn't

:06:56. > :06:59.imagine that red springing up on the pack. The only bad thing if he

:07:00. > :07:05.didn't get a good white. Near the cushion, still a difficult shot. But

:07:06. > :07:25.with Stuart on the table, a very easy shot.

:07:26. > :07:34.Very good positional shot. Never easy when you have a touch of

:07:35. > :07:39.running side and two cushions. A much better shot if you can screw

:07:40. > :07:53.the cue ball directly back up towards the red. He is perfect here.

:07:54. > :08:04.These are the times when Stuart Bingham is playing at his best and

:08:05. > :08:10.you think it could be 3-1 here. But as we have mentioned, he isn't

:08:11. > :08:12.playing as well. He is one of the top players, number two in the

:08:13. > :08:34.world. Where is this black going? It will

:08:35. > :08:45.do well to go into the right or possibly the left corner.

:08:46. > :08:54.Oh! And unmissable shot. Stuart will be so disappointed again. A little

:08:55. > :09:05.bit slow with his delivery. Those hurt. Now then, Matthew. You have

:09:06. > :09:09.been given a good chance here. It looked as though he would be sitting

:09:10. > :09:25.down for a while. Make the best of this, too- one behind. -- 2-1

:09:26. > :09:26.Behind. That went further than he wanted. Slightly straight on this

:09:27. > :09:41.but still OK. Matthew will realise now if you mix

:09:42. > :09:47.a frame-winning break from here, that red that Stuart Bingham missed,

:09:48. > :09:50.it will make him stew in his seat. Nothing worse than missing an easy

:09:51. > :10:03.shot and having your opponent clear up when it should have been yours.

:10:04. > :10:11.All of the top players understand that. Stevenson is a top player,

:10:12. > :10:16.even though he has knocked up in the rankings at the moment. -- Matthew

:10:17. > :10:23.Stevens is a top player even though he is not high up in the rankings at

:10:24. > :10:25.the moment. 41. He is better than that. He can sense weakness in an

:10:26. > :11:05.opponent. That situation again when he is on

:11:06. > :11:09.the half ball black and if he punches it in, the players have not

:11:10. > :11:17.got the pace of the back cushion at the moment, as we have already seen.

:11:18. > :11:18.Normally a player would go off this angle but he doesn't appear to be

:11:19. > :11:31.playing with top spin. Nothing available into either

:11:32. > :11:44.corner. He is going to take the more difficult pink and hopes to take the

:11:45. > :11:46.red into play. Decided against that. He is playing for the one in the

:11:47. > :12:18.middle. Surprised at that choice. He will be pleased that one went in

:12:19. > :12:28.at that speed. It looked for a minute as though it would come out.

:12:29. > :12:39.On the left-hand side going in. Back in a good position again.

:12:40. > :12:47.Essential now to get the half ball black. It doesn't matter if it goes

:12:48. > :12:51.into the right-hand side of the pack or the left because that bottom red

:12:52. > :13:05.will pop into either corner so he will get the cannon. Hattie got that

:13:06. > :13:09.position? -- has he got that position? He feels he can pot the

:13:10. > :13:16.bottom red without playing a cannon, which will in turn bring another red

:13:17. > :13:28.into play. The next shot could be a frame win it if the reds split

:13:29. > :13:37.nicely. And they have. Just a case of concentration being at its best

:13:38. > :13:46.for him to level it. Concentration doesn't matter when you have a kick,

:13:47. > :13:53.I'm afraid. Still in the game. Everybody looking at how you can get

:13:54. > :13:57.rid of the kicks. The association, everybody. The balls do different

:13:58. > :14:01.things, stopping them kicking, but it happens all the time. That could

:14:02. > :14:08.cost Matthew Stevens not just the frame but the match. Absolutely.

:14:09. > :14:16.What a difference it is 2-2 compared to 3-1 when it is best of seven.

:14:17. > :14:20.That was a horrendous kick. I don't like to see a player lose after a

:14:21. > :14:25.shot like that. We will be hoping for another game. Not only did the

:14:26. > :14:34.black go square, it took all the pace out of the cue ball. Stuart has

:14:35. > :14:38.potted the opening red. A sizeable lead, so he might get another chance

:14:39. > :14:43.with the red being typed on the right-hand cushion. -- tight on the

:14:44. > :15:01.right-hand cushion. Just looking at the pink. The reds

:15:02. > :15:08.will split but there is always the chance it will go wrong. Lots of

:15:09. > :15:14.chances and opportunities to play shots but he has played the pink and

:15:15. > :15:19.he has brought them into play and he is on the red to the left of the

:15:20. > :15:20.pig. Very well played. He has got to catch it full on on the pink and it

:15:21. > :15:41.is perfect. That is also perfect. Good choice of

:15:42. > :15:48.reds now. It doesn't matter if he goes down the left or the right. The

:15:49. > :15:53.black in the bottom corner, and it is all about that last red that is

:15:54. > :15:56.tight on the cushion as far as Matthew Stevens is concerned. He

:15:57. > :16:00.will be sitting there grieving about what happened, that kick. But it

:16:01. > :16:48.could be his saviour. The red that we are talking about on

:16:49. > :16:53.the right-hand side cushion is not easy to play in a cannon of the

:16:54. > :16:58.black. He may be forced to drop in behind it and break it down the

:16:59. > :17:01.cushion. The only colour that you can get nicely onto that red to

:17:02. > :17:11.bring it out is the blue at some stage. What a let off that is.

:17:12. > :17:20.Matthew will be delighted that horrible kick hasn't cost him more

:17:21. > :17:24.points than that. That is the second red he has pulled to the left. He

:17:25. > :17:30.missed the very easy one into the bottom left corner earlier.

:17:31. > :17:42.That was to the middle. Oh! He missed that by a long way. You may

:17:43. > :17:47.think if you miss it it may as well be by a long way because it makes no

:17:48. > :18:08.difference, but to the player it does. He knows he has cued badly.

:18:09. > :18:14.A great deal of power. Not sure if we needed that power. It makes the

:18:15. > :18:21.shot more difficult. Longer and faster. He may think it is unlucky

:18:22. > :18:52.to leave the red on the corner but he missed the red he took on.

:18:53. > :18:58.We can criticise these players all day for bad shots but the truth of

:18:59. > :19:04.it is this is the first round in a big event, the Welsh Open, and for

:19:05. > :19:07.these players, Stuart for instance living in Essex, if he loses here it

:19:08. > :19:16.is a long journey home with no money. Anybody who loses in the

:19:17. > :19:28.first round goes home with nothing. Plus expenses. We always knew this

:19:29. > :19:41.would be the key shot for either player. Possibly a frame-winner for

:19:42. > :19:43.Matthew. It is there! Well done. That massive kick he had on the

:19:44. > :20:08.black hasn't cost him the frame. There have been a few ups and downs

:20:09. > :20:16.for both players in this frame. Both players will be edgy in the first

:20:17. > :20:19.round, as I mentioned earlier. Of course it is an open draw in the

:20:20. > :20:26.Welsh tournament, so top players could be playing against each other.

:20:27. > :20:35.As in other events, they use the seeding system so good players don't

:20:36. > :20:39.clash early on. I don't know whether the players like this system or not.

:20:40. > :20:48.But that is what Barry Hearn wants to do and that is what happens. The

:20:49. > :20:57.pink doesn't go in but Matthew Stevens will not worry too much

:20:58. > :21:00.about that. He is black level again. -- back level again. If you are just

:21:01. > :21:06.switching your television on, welcome to the opening day of 2017

:21:07. > :21:09.Welsh Open and we are watching Matthew Stevens against Stuart

:21:10. > :21:13.Bingham. That fourth frame was scrappy but Matthew got there in the

:21:14. > :21:16.end. Yes, he got there in the end but it is looking good for Matthew

:21:17. > :21:22.because Stuart Bingham had a couple of chances in that frame, one right

:21:23. > :21:25.at the start, when he missed an unbelievable red, as Terry in

:21:26. > :21:31.commentary. A little bit of the cue ball, and he caught it thin. You

:21:32. > :21:35.would have thought he was going to win the frame from there because he

:21:36. > :21:40.looked great, and now he would be 3-1 to win but lucky for Matthew

:21:41. > :21:46.that he didn't. He got in and had an unbelievable kick that could have

:21:47. > :21:50.cost him the game. Lucky for him. He just rolled through a relatively

:21:51. > :21:54.easy black and the cue ball on the black has bounced and taken all the

:21:55. > :22:02.pace out of it. He would have feared the worst, but lucky for Matthew,

:22:03. > :22:09.Stuart didn't make the most of his chance. It looked like he would

:22:10. > :22:12.steal a frame away. We could see the look on Matthew's face with that

:22:13. > :22:18.kick but it didn't cost him in the end. Let's look at the mistake by

:22:19. > :22:24.Stuart Bingham that you referred to. He wouldn't miss this 100 out of 100

:22:25. > :22:27.times. That is unbelievable for him. The balls are perfect. He had done

:22:28. > :22:31.all the hard work to get in right at the start. The way he played the

:22:32. > :22:39.first frame and the third frame, he will have been thinking here is my

:22:40. > :22:43.chance for a 3-1 lead. 2-2. Is it difficult to call? It is down to the

:22:44. > :22:48.best of three now, so it is difficult to call. If I was a

:22:49. > :22:52.betting man, and I am not, at the moment Matthew will be feeling the

:22:53. > :22:55.better of the two because Stuart had a couple of chances, and he had a

:22:56. > :22:59.couple in the second frame as well, and he missed a couple. It is like

:23:00. > :23:09.he is more tense than Matthew. Matthew seems to be playing a little

:23:10. > :23:11.bit more freely than Stuart. And this is Stuart Bingham about to

:23:12. > :23:17.break in frame five. It is all square, 2-2.

:23:18. > :23:22.It is the best of seven of course and this could be the most important

:23:23. > :23:27.frame of the match with another possible two to play. Stuart will

:23:28. > :23:31.have to work on that break up. Every time he breaks up at the moment, he

:23:32. > :23:39.leaves this plane ball shot at the back of the pack. Eventually they

:23:40. > :23:40.will start knocking them in but Matthew has missed that shot twice

:23:41. > :23:56.now. If he had got anywhere near the red,

:23:57. > :24:03.he wouldn't have kissed that other red. He hit it so thick. He hit it

:24:04. > :24:41.so thick that the kissed red was in play.

:24:42. > :24:51.Decision time. The pack is not great. That is the reason he avoided

:24:52. > :25:07.going into the pack and played that delicate cannon.

:25:08. > :25:15.Not the best shot he has ever played. In between the brown and

:25:16. > :25:22.yellow, left-hand side now, swing it round two cushions, and the choice

:25:23. > :25:29.of two reds. It came very close to the yellow there, goodness me. If he

:25:30. > :25:36.gets on that middle, it is very fortunate. He played nowhere near

:25:37. > :25:40.there. The problem Fort Stuart was you normally hit the brown off that

:25:41. > :25:48.shot and lose position so you put more spin on. But he won't worry

:25:49. > :26:15.about that now. He is still among them.

:26:16. > :26:24.He struck that well. Hitting high upon the ball but it bounced into

:26:25. > :26:33.the reds and put some back spin on because of that.

:26:34. > :26:40.Playing to open the reds up. There are three available from here.

:26:41. > :26:50.Getting on the brown will be difficult. He may have to use the

:26:51. > :26:53.rest. The brown is definitely the shots to guarantee position. Getting

:26:54. > :26:56.it straight, screwing in towards the blue, and he needs to be six or

:26:57. > :27:09.seven inches to the right of the cue ball to be an pink spot. It is like

:27:10. > :27:16.enforcing screw, not a direct screw. -- a forcing screw. You see, that

:27:17. > :27:23.was the problem. He might still be on it, just. He hit that as well as

:27:24. > :27:38.he could. The cue ball off the cushion but he

:27:39. > :27:39.had to use the cloth to get on this red. I don't think he's perfect on

:27:40. > :27:58.it. Nice cannon, the pink into the right

:27:59. > :28:04.centre. The only problem is he has knocked the red safe so I am not

:28:05. > :28:10.sure whether next red comes from. A plant on the two reds at the back of

:28:11. > :28:18.the pack, whether they will plant into the right-hand corner? See how

:28:19. > :28:22.he plays this. He will try and make it by the look of things. Maybe he

:28:23. > :28:35.fancies cutting the one in the middle but that is missable. They do

:28:36. > :28:48.look plantish, those two. That is not easy. Good recovery. Excellent

:28:49. > :28:53.kiss. Late to get onto the black. Play to avoid the cannon onto the

:28:54. > :29:05.pink. -- played to get onto the black.

:29:06. > :29:12.He looks as if he could play into the pack here without too much pace.

:29:13. > :29:17.Or play for the single red on the right-hand side of the pack. That is

:29:18. > :29:23.what he has gone for. He played it very well with the rest. But

:29:24. > :29:27.control. That totally could have gone wrong. Another few inches and

:29:28. > :29:32.he would have been on nothing. Though precise they have got to be

:29:33. > :29:49.when they are in amongst the balls. -- so precise.

:29:50. > :30:00.Still seems to be playing with an element of fear. Not bouncing around

:30:01. > :30:13.the table like he is when he's in top form. Seems a bit apprehensive

:30:14. > :30:21.here. Some easy shots. Could be going 4-2 in front if he didn't have

:30:22. > :30:26.those couple of missed balls. This could be the frame-winner. Providing

:30:27. > :30:46.he gets on the reds. It's not a good one. That's end of break.

:30:47. > :31:01.75 remaining. Two reds on the side cushion. Make it more difficult for

:31:02. > :31:31.Matthew Stevens. Pretty well played. Not quite sure

:31:32. > :31:36.if he's covered the red above the middle pocket. Matthew Stevens will

:31:37. > :31:49.want to bring one of these raids into play. -- reds. Didn't help

:31:50. > :31:56.potting the black off its spot there. May have left this red. Can

:31:57. > :32:49.he get past the pink to put the red in the left corner?

:32:50. > :32:58.APPLAUSE Stuart took a risk their loyalty to

:32:59. > :33:04.cannon into the black but felt he had no option. Looked at it harder

:33:05. > :33:07.long before he played that. Knew he was cannon ink into the black and

:33:08. > :33:17.would have been hoping for a better case than that. It's the black on

:33:18. > :33:26.the side cushion and white into baulk. That was dreadful, must have

:33:27. > :33:37.kissed the blue. He can't believe it himself.

:33:38. > :33:52.Matthew still second favourite, he can win if you can clear with all

:33:53. > :33:58.blacks. Very unlikely at the moment. He's got to take this on. As to play

:33:59. > :34:05.for the black as well. Even if he gets this difficult pot. He's not

:34:06. > :34:12.playing it, playing a safety, bringing the black into play.

:34:13. > :34:20.Not many players in the game would have refused to pot and get onto the

:34:21. > :34:32.black. I know the black would have been very difficult. Half a chance.

:34:33. > :34:49.The chance is gone of this red goes in. Right in the middle of the

:34:50. > :34:58.pocket. Matthew Stevens needs two four points knickers. -- two four

:34:59. > :36:01.point snookers. Certainly open them up a bit. Not

:36:02. > :36:09.sure if you try to play the planned there or not. Stuart has conceded

:36:10. > :37:13.after that shot. Stuart Bingham has gone in front again, Leeds 3-2.

:37:14. > :37:21.Will of the Stuart Bingham stats you could need to know and Darren, no

:37:22. > :37:27.one frame away on victory. This is where Matthew Stevens's mental

:37:28. > :37:33.strength must kick in. Got to kick him otherwise he's on his way home.

:37:34. > :37:38.Stuart has led all match and every time he has led Matthew has come

:37:39. > :37:41.back, so Matthew will take some positives and that that Stuart

:37:42. > :37:47.hasn't built a two thing lead at any time in this match. That is what

:37:48. > :37:52.will give Matthew the confident he can get it I can bring it level at

:37:53. > :37:56.3-3. It's not like he isn't getting chances. He has a chance, been a

:37:57. > :38:02.good match, both players have looked good in spasms and then looked a bit

:38:03. > :38:06.tense in other parts. That can be expected in the best of seven match.

:38:07. > :38:10.Short format, even though they're getting used to it because they play

:38:11. > :38:16.that many of these now. How do you see it going? I'm going to go with

:38:17. > :38:21.Stuart. Easy for me to say that and being a Welshman I would love

:38:22. > :38:26.Matthew to come back. Stuart looks a bit tense but he still playing very

:38:27. > :38:29.strong. World number two who has the 3-2 lead. Let's rejoin the

:38:30. > :38:43.commentators. COMMENTATOR: Matthew Stevens

:38:44. > :38:45.breaking off in frame six. That won't help. Whatever you do when you

:38:46. > :39:13.break off, don't hit the blue. APPLAUSE

:39:14. > :39:46.Awkward shot. He's perfect. Didn't get a very good contact them.

:39:47. > :39:55.Still OK. Just a matter if the black goes after the red into the right

:39:56. > :40:04.pocket. Don't think it does. The blue is at the top corner pocket.

:40:05. > :40:16.Would be easy to get back down and get precise position. -- won't be

:40:17. > :40:23.easy. Make the angle to come up for the pink. Once again hit that with a

:40:24. > :40:48.lot of pace to get the cue ball out there.

:40:49. > :40:59.Like most of the top players, Stuart Bingham is very good when he plays

:41:00. > :41:03.the stun as we call it for positional purposes. Most of the top

:41:04. > :41:11.players use that spin more than any other. Yes, very aggressive player

:41:12. > :41:16.normally, Stuart. There are a couple of loose threads but I think he's

:41:17. > :41:20.perfect going into the bunch and could do with the pink going back on

:41:21. > :41:24.its spot because the black isn't available to the right corner.

:41:25. > :41:30.Nothing wrong with playing the green into the corner but the pink into

:41:31. > :41:34.the bunch with clear the blue spot area. Looks like he's playing the

:41:35. > :42:12.loose one. That was the problem, refusing the

:42:13. > :42:19.pack, he's now in trouble getting to the next red. The blue is a

:42:20. > :42:25.certainty but he has to avoid the yellow and brown, there is only the

:42:26. > :42:28.one red that pots, the one right of the black pots to the left hand

:42:29. > :42:35.corner. The one to the left of the pink spot, but has to be absolutely

:42:36. > :42:37.precise. Yeah, that wasn't a bad shot, it was the two previous when

:42:38. > :42:51.he refused to go into the pink. Very tough to avoid the cannon on

:42:52. > :43:26.brown or yellow from bad shot. -- from that shocked.

:43:27. > :44:13.is key for Matthew to play some good safety. Not phoned the top cushion

:44:14. > :44:25.very often when he's played a safety shot. Playing the pot on the red two

:44:26. > :44:27.up from the black, play for a baulk colour. Needs to bounce and he

:44:28. > :44:39.hasn't got one. His first pot there for nearly 20

:44:40. > :44:41.minutes. Could have done with being on one of those colours. Just the

:44:42. > :44:50.roll-up now. Sometimes when you're playing out

:44:51. > :45:27.there you feel the balls run against you but actually you hit them.

:45:28. > :46:47.I don't know if our referee has mentioned a touching ball there. Got

:46:48. > :46:54.to be careful with this. As to hit this a very fine cut with a running

:46:55. > :47:07.site. Played that well. Little kiss on the pink on the way down.

:47:08. > :47:15.Chance to open a few red Sea with this safety shot. The blue or green

:47:16. > :47:24.is the best choice here. -- open a few reds here. Would like that cue

:47:25. > :47:36.ball to be further over to the right. No way back for a baulk

:47:37. > :47:40.colour. Looking at a plant but trying to play the safety shot at

:47:41. > :47:54.the same time unless the planned as a certainty. All set for the

:47:55. > :48:01.left-hand jaw. Really surprised that the pace he played it. Matthew is

:48:02. > :48:02.blessed with a lot of cue power and could have screwed back, but the

:48:03. > :48:30.cream has come to his rescue. The safety hasn't been that good

:48:31. > :48:39.from these two players. The ball hasn't finished on the baulk once.

:48:40. > :48:47.Both these are looking to make breaks but can't forget their safety

:48:48. > :48:49.play. You have to make a good one and force an opening from your

:48:50. > :48:56.opponent. Always been part of the game. Little bit worried about

:48:57. > :49:04.playing this since safety shot from the right-hand side. Tough to avoid

:49:05. > :49:09.the kiss on the pink and brown playing it this way round. Missed

:49:10. > :49:14.the pink and misty brown. Not a bad effort. As good a safety shot as has

:49:15. > :49:44.been played in this match so far. Terry was mentioning about the

:49:45. > :49:51.safety success and when a player is in front it would be 90% and both

:49:52. > :50:06.are 76%. A story that neither player has dominated the safety exchanges.

:50:07. > :50:11.Two excellent safety shots. One after the other. The two best safety

:50:12. > :50:16.shots have just been played back-to-back. That's because they're

:50:17. > :50:27.listening to the commentary! They've got hidden microphones. Looking to

:50:28. > :50:35.see he can play off one condition and pot red but it's a high risk

:50:36. > :50:47.shot but that's the only one that's on.

:50:48. > :50:57.Good shot. Fraction unlucky with the ball. He had to play the shot and

:50:58. > :51:05.got a lot of spin on that considering. Back to the baulk wine.

:51:06. > :51:16.The run of the balls don't always come to save you. If there was a

:51:17. > :51:20.saving grace for Matthew it's the fact that the black isn't available

:51:21. > :51:24.into either corner. I don't think he's got the angle to go to the

:51:25. > :51:32.correct side of the pink. As to play up and down which she has done. Has

:51:33. > :51:36.to be to the top of the pink. Isn't. This is one of those, he granduncle

:51:37. > :51:38.in between green and blue and back down the right-hand side around the

:51:39. > :51:49.corner but the brown is in the whistle has play between blue and

:51:50. > :51:56.yellow. How is his pace this time? Pretty good. Not a frame-winning

:51:57. > :52:02.chance where the balls are at the moment. Not a frame and match

:52:03. > :52:08.winning chance but he leads by 34 and anything around the 40 Mark

:52:09. > :52:10.Hughes what he's looking for. -- anything around the 40 mark is what

:52:11. > :53:13.he's looking for. One of those situations here and

:53:14. > :53:18.where he'd love to play the cannon into the three reds to clear the

:53:19. > :53:22.pink spot with the black not been available but too risky at this

:53:23. > :53:26.stage. 42 points in front, he knows he can keep picking off the reds but

:53:27. > :53:37.won't get a better angle on this to free the pink spot. I doubt whether

:53:38. > :53:49.he'll play it. A few shots away from making the black available.

:53:50. > :53:56.Purposely leaving the red that's nearest the pocket just in in case

:53:57. > :54:03.he plays it back. You can see her parties having to work now to play

:54:04. > :54:13.it back. Missed a trick there, I think by not doing the cannon onto

:54:14. > :54:19.the previous shot. Not saying he won't win the frame with this visit

:54:20. > :54:39.but he certainly making it harder than it should have been. And that's

:54:40. > :54:43.why. Now he's in trouble. 56 points the lead, 62 with the pink but no

:54:44. > :54:49.red available, the brown is the only one he can guarantee to get in

:54:50. > :55:02.position but not sure if you want to attempt the pot at this stage. Is he

:55:03. > :55:06.going to risk the pot? Three reds at least two of them pot into the

:55:07. > :55:19.corner. Mr trick there, Stuart, to be

:55:20. > :55:38.honest. He missed the red but I'm sure he'll

:55:39. > :55:52.take the 62 point lead. Quite satisfied about that, Willie.

:55:53. > :56:05.Bit too thin there. Trying to get down for the blue or baulk colours.

:56:06. > :56:14.Nice little kiss, that helped a bit. He has got five reds left. 67 points

:56:15. > :56:23.with all blacks. Isn't available in both corner pockets at the moment.

:56:24. > :56:35.Little bit of life left in this frame. All of a sudden the safety

:56:36. > :56:41.has improved. Excellent safety shot from Stuart. Obviously reluctant to

:56:42. > :56:49.move the left of the right-hand side cushion, Matthew will be trying to

:56:50. > :56:52.move it with this shot. Could be one of the reds either side of the black

:56:53. > :57:04.to make it available but this will be a safety shot. Excellent safety

:57:05. > :58:03.of the last four or five shots. This is a tent for Stuart, may

:58:04. > :58:08.decide to take it on with those others being safe on the right-hand

:58:09. > :58:19.side. One of those you can't get a good point here.

:58:20. > :58:26.This made it as a shock to nothing, didn't play for a colour, now it's

:58:27. > :58:35.time to push the pink safe. Excellent pot. Put the pink safe the

:58:36. > :58:40.safe if he can. Has to cuff about -- has to cover that red up. 63 in

:58:41. > :59:00.front with 59 on. . The excellent pot on the red

:59:01. > :59:08.barring snookers means he could win this match 4-2. Wry smile, telling

:59:09. > :59:22.us he hit the blue full in the face and it appeared to deviate somewhat.

:59:23. > :59:36.Almost playing well Matthew. Just missed a couple of easy balls.

:59:37. > :59:40.Hasn't punished when he's been let in.

:59:41. > :00:00.Breaks of 101, 59 and 60 four. They have now secured Stuart Bingham a

:00:01. > :00:06.place in the next round. I think you'd have to say workmanlike.

:00:07. > :00:11.Stuart coming off a loss in the first round of the previous

:00:12. > :00:20.tournament. We'll be pretty pleased to get by this tough first-round

:00:21. > :00:24.draw. The only one worse is Jimmy White who's got Jimmy Robertson.

:00:25. > :00:37.Matthew wouldn't have wanted to play Stuart.

:00:38. > :00:42.Matthew Stevens working hard on his game. I am sure we will see him get

:00:43. > :00:50.to the last stages of the tournament soon. Not quite as good as Ronnie

:00:51. > :00:56.left-handed, Stuart. But he will be pleased with that. Stuart Bingham

:00:57. > :01:02.pleased to get five what could have been a difficult hurdle to getting

:01:03. > :01:08.into the next round a 4-2 victor. STUDIO: A modest sums up to the

:01:09. > :01:12.crowd for Stuart Bingham. A shock first-round loser last year. No such

:01:13. > :01:19.trouble this time round. He is through to the second round. And we

:01:20. > :01:22.lose one of our 15 welsh men. No glory in his home event this year

:01:23. > :01:26.for Matthew Stevens. We will hopefully hear from Matthew in just

:01:27. > :01:29.a moment, but Darren Morgan, what does it say that perhaps Stuart

:01:30. > :01:36.Bingham wasn't at his very best, and yet it was enough today to get past

:01:37. > :01:39.Matthew? Willie said in commentary that it was a workmanlike

:01:40. > :01:44.performance. He started like a rocket. It is hard to keep that

:01:45. > :01:50.standard. Both of them missed a couple of balls. It was a hard match

:01:51. > :01:54.were both players. Two class players. Matthew seems unlucky to

:01:55. > :01:58.draw Stuart in the first round. But he had his chances, and if he had

:01:59. > :02:04.taken them, maybe he would have got through. Stuart is used to winning.

:02:05. > :02:08.If the match goes a bit close, one that is used to getting the results

:02:09. > :02:12.gets over the line. Let's hear from Matthew Stevens, backstage with Rob

:02:13. > :02:16.Walker. That was a tough draw, to say the

:02:17. > :02:20.least, to have to take on the world number two in the first round.

:02:21. > :02:28.That's right. It is strange playing Stuart in the first round. It is a

:02:29. > :02:34.bit of a toss of a coin, really. It is one of those games, but yeah, it

:02:35. > :02:37.is hard when you look at the other tables. I have never seen half of

:02:38. > :02:41.them playing before, and I am playing Stuart in the first round.

:02:42. > :02:47.It was a bit annoying, but it was the same for both of us. I felt good

:02:48. > :02:51.there. As I said, it was the toss of a coin. One or two shots a different

:02:52. > :02:56.way, it could have been different. You have been playing well this

:02:57. > :03:00.season, qualifying for China. I would have liked to have done better

:03:01. > :03:07.in front of my home crowd. Playing someone like Stuart, it is a 50-50

:03:08. > :03:14.game. Today, it was his turn. You are looking lean. Have you been on a

:03:15. > :03:18.fitness drive? No, I have actually put on weight. I have stopped

:03:19. > :03:27.smoking, five weeks today. I feel healthier, but I have put a few

:03:28. > :03:30.pounds on. I feel good. Good work on quitting smoking. You are hiding it

:03:31. > :03:37.well if you put on a couple of pounds. Good luck for the rest of

:03:38. > :03:41.the season. Cheers, Rob. He has got the Darren Morgan Baird as well!

:03:42. > :03:44.Luck of the draw, he says. A frustrating thing to come up against

:03:45. > :03:55.the world number two in the first round. He does not have the Morgan

:03:56. > :04:00.pot! Good living, that! Stuart Bingham, congratulations. A new

:04:01. > :04:03.come. Well done to you. A little white of the brow or a little relief

:04:04. > :04:12.that you are through? How are you feeling? I feel good. Different from

:04:13. > :04:19.last week. Started off like a house on fire, with a 100. A couple of

:04:20. > :04:23.easy misses, which doesn't have the confidence, but it was great to beat

:04:24. > :04:28.someone up Matthew's calibre. You refer to last week, going out to a

:04:29. > :04:35.Welsh man in the first round of the Welsh Grand Prix, Ryan Day. He did

:04:36. > :04:38.well. On a personal note, it was disappointing, but glad to be here

:04:39. > :04:43.for a few more days. Was that on your mind? Also the fact that you

:04:44. > :04:47.went out here in the first round last year. Definitely. You are only

:04:48. > :04:53.as good as your last result. For me, I played awful. I have put some

:04:54. > :04:58.hours in and I feel better -- I feel better in the game. I showed a

:04:59. > :05:01.little glimpse of it out there. I am just happy. Willey said in

:05:02. > :05:05.commentary that he thought you were playing with an element of fear. You

:05:06. > :05:10.would say there is a lot better to come from you as you progress.

:05:11. > :05:16.Definitely. Every win is a confidence builder. It was nice to

:05:17. > :05:22.just go out there and play well. Last month, a new arrival, a baby

:05:23. > :05:28.daughter. The compulsory question - are you getting enough sleep with a

:05:29. > :05:31.new baby in the house? My wife is absolutely diamond and has been

:05:32. > :05:37.doing the night feeds. I have woken up a couple of times without crying.

:05:38. > :05:44.It is nice to be away for a few days! Just to get a bit of rest. We

:05:45. > :05:47.will see you in the second round. Thank you very much. Stuart Bingham

:05:48. > :05:51.goes through, and we lose Matthew Stevens. One of the Welshman is out.

:05:52. > :06:02.Let's bring you up-to-date with our one another Welsh player got on

:06:03. > :06:09.earlier. Dominic Nick Dale was facing Zhang Anda of China. Dominic

:06:10. > :06:22.is trailing by 27 points at this stage.

:06:23. > :06:35.At the moment, Dominic is in total control of this first-round match.

:06:36. > :06:39.The first two frames, he played very solid, didn't take on anything

:06:40. > :06:57.silly. It has paid off. Just over on the cue ball a little,

:06:58. > :07:04.there. Could have done with four inches less. You would still expect

:07:05. > :07:28.him to pop this red. -- pot this red. A little straight on the blue.

:07:29. > :07:36.And he's done really well there to get that angle from there. That

:07:37. > :07:57.didn't look on. That was really well played and controlled.

:07:58. > :08:05.He has got a shot on the pink. He is having a wry smile to himself. It is

:08:06. > :08:08.not an easy one, into the green pocket. Could have done with that

:08:09. > :08:17.cue ball running through another three or four inches. If he does go

:08:18. > :08:20.for the pink and it goes in, this next red will be very easy. Just got

:08:21. > :09:15.to concentrate on the pot. He is looking very confident,

:09:16. > :09:21.Dominic. A great player, Zhang Anda. Just hasn't really had the

:09:22. > :09:25.opportunities in this match. Dominic has made sure he hasn't been able to

:09:26. > :09:46.get comfortable. It's all the years of experience.

:09:47. > :09:55.I can't see any way that Dominic will make a mistake from this

:09:56. > :10:11.position, not to take a 3-0 lead. There is only one awkward red. Which

:10:12. > :10:17.he is going to need. It is far enough off the cushion, I think, not

:10:18. > :10:27.to cause him any problems. This young man, I'm sure he has a

:10:28. > :10:28.terrific future ahead of him. At the moment, it doesn't look like today

:10:29. > :11:08.is going to be his day. He's got the same thing again. He

:11:09. > :11:18.potted this a couple of shots ago. No problems, though. Very well

:11:19. > :11:46.played. He will be trying to get off this

:11:47. > :11:52.red, just to get the angle on the black. I don't think he will try to

:11:53. > :11:57.move it. It is far enough off of the cushion. He just wants to pot this

:11:58. > :12:07.half ball and dropping above the red. That's going to be a bit of a

:12:08. > :12:13.stretch, but I think you can just about get to this without the rest.

:12:14. > :12:27.Just made sure of it. That was framed ball. People go into a 3-0

:12:28. > :12:29.lead. No problems out there at the minute. This has been a cracking

:12:30. > :12:56.break. It's good to see Dominic hitting a

:12:57. > :13:04.bit of form. He has lost his last three matches this season. He'll be

:13:05. > :13:15.looking to get back on the winning trail.

:13:16. > :13:19.It doesn't matter about the pink. Dominic will be quite happy there.

:13:20. > :13:35.He now leads three - zero. STUDIO: Well, no trouble for Dominic

:13:36. > :13:43.Dale in the fourth frame either. He won that as well. The Welshman got

:13:44. > :13:52.beyond round one for the first time in three years. His previous high

:13:53. > :13:57.point was in 2004. And here he is with me now. Good afternoon. Safely

:13:58. > :14:01.through. How are you feeling? Will you be working hard over the next

:14:02. > :14:08.couple of days working for us and continuing to compete? I don't play

:14:09. > :14:11.tomorrow, they are continuing with the first-round matches. I am just

:14:12. > :14:17.glad to get through because I lost three matches in a row until today,

:14:18. > :14:22.so I am just very pleased to get through that one and be in the

:14:23. > :14:26.second round in my home event. That must be a big relief, when you have

:14:27. > :14:31.lost in the first ran for three years running, to get beyond that

:14:32. > :14:36.major hurdle. And then who knows how far you can go? Every first-round

:14:37. > :14:40.match in every event, there's a lot of pressure in it for all the

:14:41. > :14:45.players. I am delighted to get through, and I look forward to the

:14:46. > :14:50.next match. Problem is, you were saying, you can't get a spot on the

:14:51. > :14:55.practice tables. No, they are blocked out. I can't get a practice

:14:56. > :14:59.a lot, so you can bet your life I have booked in for tomorrow, nice

:15:00. > :15:03.and early. You had better find a local snooker club to get some

:15:04. > :15:09.practice! Who would your money beyond this year if I was to give

:15:10. > :15:13.you a fiver now? It is difficult to predict this particular event,

:15:14. > :15:16.because it is only the best of seven in the early rounds. If you don't

:15:17. > :15:22.get a good start, a lot can go wrong. You would have to look for

:15:23. > :15:27.the experienced players - Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Selby and so on. It

:15:28. > :15:36.is never easy to get over the first hurdle, but I am sure in the best of

:15:37. > :15:40.seven, you will get some shocks. We have seen Matthew Stevens go out a

:15:41. > :15:44.short while ago. Is he in danger of being eclipsed by the new generation

:15:45. > :15:48.of players coming through, the likes of Jamie Jones and Michael White,

:15:49. > :15:53.who got to the quarterfinals last year? Yes, you have a new generation

:15:54. > :16:02.of great players, especially from China, and there are some lads from

:16:03. > :16:07.Thailand coming through. The likes of myself, who are 45, and Matthew,

:16:08. > :16:12.in his 40s, it gets harder, because the problem is, the players coming

:16:13. > :16:16.through now, that younger brigade, they are fearless, but they know

:16:17. > :16:19.they have a tough match when they are playing the experienced players,

:16:20. > :16:23.but they are up for it. And they probably don't feel the same degree

:16:24. > :16:26.of pressure as some of the older players for winning matches. It's

:16:27. > :16:31.tough, but it keeps you honest, keeps you putting in the hours and

:16:32. > :16:34.keeps you committed. We will see you over the next couple of days. It is

:16:35. > :16:40.time for our second action of the afternoon. It is the four - time

:16:41. > :16:47.Welsh Open champion, John Higgins, who last won it two years ago. His

:16:48. > :16:50.opponent is Englishman Sam Baird. Let's join the commentary team,

:16:51. > :17:01.Terry Griffiths and Rob Walker. Thanks, Ian. Good afternoon,

:17:02. > :17:07.everybody. Sam Baird, poised and ready for action here. He looks a

:17:08. > :17:13.little bit nervous. And as the reason why - John Higgins, four

:17:14. > :17:16.times the Welsh Open champion, six times a finalist overall. One of the

:17:17. > :17:19.legends of the game. And it is John to get us under way here. It could

:17:20. > :17:32.be a really interesting match. John Higgins has been performing at

:17:33. > :17:38.the highest level for such a long time, just going over the stats. He

:17:39. > :17:42.first played the Welsh Open back in 1993. Twice a runner-up in the

:17:43. > :17:47.previous century, I think he will probably forgive me for mentioning.

:17:48. > :17:58.Runner-up to Steve Davis in 1995, and the late great Paul Hunter in

:17:59. > :18:05.1998. Four times a winner. I saw Sam Baird in the players' room, looking

:18:06. > :18:10.a little bit edgy earlier on. He has had some of his finest days here at

:18:11. > :18:17.the Welsh Open in previous years. Made the last 16 in 2013. His first

:18:18. > :18:23.televised appearance the year before, so it is a good hunting

:18:24. > :18:28.ground for bed. -- for Sam Baird. He will obviously be the big outsider

:18:29. > :18:47.for this one. This is the man who holds 28 ranking titles.

:18:48. > :18:53.Terry Griffiths, sitting alongside, poised and ready for his second

:18:54. > :18:57.Match of the Day. Terry, I guess you've worked with so many players,

:18:58. > :19:02.including Sam, what is the approach when they are coming out against

:19:03. > :19:10.someone of the stature, talent and mental strength of John Higgins? Sam

:19:11. > :19:15.did look a bit edgy just before they came out for the match. Just tell

:19:16. > :19:19.them that, you are playing against a great player here, but he is under

:19:20. > :19:24.pressure. If you can start well and play well, he is under more pressure

:19:25. > :19:31.than you are. But if you do get very nervous and you fall over on the

:19:32. > :19:42.floor, please get up. You make it sound so easy! Sam's wife, Emma, is

:19:43. > :19:47.in the crowd somewhere. We will try and spot the for you if we can. --

:19:48. > :20:19.we will try and spot her. John had that fantastic run last

:20:20. > :20:24.autumn when he won the China championship, the Champion of

:20:25. > :20:27.champions, beating Stuart Bingham and Ronnie O'Sullivan, then

:20:28. > :20:33.runner-up on home turf, when Marco made that big comeback against him

:20:34. > :20:40.in Glasgow. John invited him for the party, and Marco had to in the turn

:20:41. > :20:42.him down. Nothing untoward, he just had an early flight a day after the

:20:43. > :21:06.final. Just looking at the red in the

:21:07. > :21:10.centre of the three, it goes past the green into the top pocket. He

:21:11. > :21:16.could play without too much danger, screw back for the black. Leaves an

:21:17. > :21:26.easy red on. He is having a good book, so it must be tight. You can

:21:27. > :21:39.see, the angle is a little bit difficult.

:21:40. > :22:20.That could have given him a good chance to get started.

:22:21. > :22:29.Well, there is Emma. She just said, oh, no. It's OK, you won't being

:22:30. > :22:42.shot for too long. People like to see the relatives. A good mate,

:22:43. > :22:46.Aaron, sitting next to her. We can steal the leg-mac still see their

:22:47. > :22:52.image out of shot. Aaron is looking a little bit embarrassed. -- we can

:22:53. > :25:15.still see their image. good to see him coming back to form,

:25:16. > :25:26.because there was a time where John felt he was turning up as a

:25:27. > :25:33.journeyman. He won the Welsh in the fabric the Australian open, then

:25:34. > :25:35.that run into last Christmas. He was right back to his very best form.

:25:36. > :25:59.Just shy of 30 ranking titles. No diminishing of his abilities as

:26:00. > :26:05.he heads into his early 40s. And Ronnie is still winning at the age

:26:06. > :26:09.of 40, 41, as we saw at The Masters last month. The old guard still

:26:10. > :26:26.going strong. That was a good pot. I don't think

:26:27. > :26:30.he played for that red in the first place. He overhit the blue. Most

:26:31. > :26:36.players will tell you that when you don't get on the red you're playing

:26:37. > :26:39.for, and there is a lot more distance and degree of difficulty

:26:40. > :26:48.involved in the shot, that makes them determined to get it. He is

:26:49. > :26:54.back in to play for position, more or less, again. He has gone a little

:26:55. > :27:01.too far. If you were watching the first match on this table, you will

:27:02. > :27:05.have seen that it runs very quickly. The thing is, the players practice a

:27:06. > :27:14.lot upstairs in the practice room, and the tables are not quite so

:27:15. > :27:29.quick there. For obvious reasons. That was unexpected. Now, then, Sam,

:27:30. > :27:32.what are you made of? An uncharacteristic error from John

:27:33. > :27:34.Higgins, and what an opportunity this is for Sam to settle his early

:27:35. > :28:16.nerves in this opening frame. I'm not sure he would be expecting

:28:17. > :28:20.an opportunity at this stage in the frame, judging by how nicely John

:28:21. > :28:22.was working his way round the table in those early moments, but here he

:28:23. > :29:10.is. Well, a clear-cut chance here for

:29:11. > :29:15.Sam Baird. Very strong in the break building department. As Rob said

:29:16. > :29:26.earlier, he is in Gloucester now, moved up there to get his practice

:29:27. > :29:30.at the Southwest Snooker Academy. I spent some time with Sam up there,

:29:31. > :29:35.watching him. Not a lot, but are very nice lad, very keen, and I

:29:36. > :29:42.don't feel he has played as well yet on the circuit as his talent is

:29:43. > :29:47.offering him. But it could happen at any time. As long as you put the

:29:48. > :29:56.time in, the work in. Belief, believe it or not, is rationed

:29:57. > :30:03.amongst the professional players, you could say. We've had some

:30:04. > :30:08.brilliant stories this season already, haven't we, Terry? Mark

:30:09. > :30:12.King beating Barry for the Northern Ireland Trophy. What an emotional

:30:13. > :30:18.speech he gave. And what about Anthony Hamilton? He booked tickets

:30:19. > :30:24.for his mum and dad to watch him. He said, I will try to get a ticket for

:30:25. > :30:32.the final if I can, and whoever is in, go and watch. And as the week

:30:33. > :30:35.progressed, it turned out that after years of being a professional, it

:30:36. > :30:39.was his turn to win it. There have been some inspirational stories

:30:40. > :30:44.already this season, ones that will fire up players of all ages.

:30:45. > :30:50.Including the likes of Sam Baird. The big boys can be beaten. A couple

:30:51. > :30:57.of real Snooker fairy tales this season, with Mark King and Anthony.

:30:58. > :31:06.Guest, very much so. Another one would be Mark of -- Marco Fu, who

:31:07. > :31:10.has turned his game around, won the Scottish open, and is playing very

:31:11. > :31:14.well on this circuit at the moment. It looks like a top four player at

:31:15. > :31:20.the moment, whereas in the last three years, he has been into the 16

:31:21. > :31:23.and that is about it. He is well capable. He got to the semifinal of

:31:24. > :31:28.the World Championships last year with some excellent form.

:31:29. > :31:35.Is good to see players who've been around a long time doing something

:31:36. > :31:40.different, changing technique or whatever. Got to keep looking for

:31:41. > :31:46.things, no point in staying for you are. I wonder how much of that as

:31:47. > :31:50.Baird moves into the lead, I wonder how much of that comes down to the

:31:51. > :31:54.players's flexibility and willingness to accept they still

:31:55. > :32:01.have something to learn about a game in which they've been plying their

:32:02. > :32:04.trade for over two decades. As they say in the book of learning, there

:32:05. > :32:21.are always more pages available. I think you've red more of that book

:32:22. > :32:41.than most of us. Good effort this from Sam. If he

:32:42. > :32:47.pots this with a touch of side, he can play for the two reds on the

:32:48. > :32:53.left corner, or played with a bit of a touch of side and play the two

:32:54. > :33:05.reds to the bottom corner. Lots of choice. Clean. Has come a little bit

:33:06. > :33:10.in between. Could have been straight on both of these reds. --

:33:11. > :34:43.straighter. John Higgins needing snookers. Can

:34:44. > :34:55.Sam finish this off? This is good stuff from the man who calls himself

:34:56. > :34:59.Blade. John nods, so Sam has taken the frame, uncharacteristic error

:35:00. > :35:02.early on from John Higgins and Sam Baird has taken the first frame here

:35:03. > :35:06.at the Motorpoint Arena and that should well have settled down his

:35:07. > :35:10.pre-match nerves. Good start for the young man from Devon.

:35:11. > :35:16.STUDIO: Certainly had a good sign for Sam Baird. If you are joining

:35:17. > :35:26.our coverage, let's show you how these two measure up.

:35:27. > :35:42.Just look at the difference in ranking titles.

:35:43. > :35:48.But, Darren, that's a start by Sam Baird that will give them an awful

:35:49. > :35:55.lot of confidence against a player of John Higgins's stature. It will,

:35:56. > :35:58.give him a lot of confidence besides the break he's just hit was the

:35:59. > :36:02.couple of shots that John Higgins played in the middle of that frame,

:36:03. > :36:08.a couple of bad positional shots which he struggled on and a couple

:36:09. > :36:15.of Mrs. We will see a blue in a minute, it is the blue he's thinking

:36:16. > :36:22.about and look for the white has gone, overscrewed that through a gap

:36:23. > :36:26.by a mile. Pots a great long red, back in good position and then from

:36:27. > :36:32.the yellow to the next red witchy gen -- which he then missed, by his

:36:33. > :36:38.standard was a poor shot, the very first blue. That's as bad as he

:36:39. > :36:43.could hit it. Finished 18 inches to two feet away from where he needed

:36:44. > :36:47.to be. When he potted the long red I thought he would win the frame from

:36:48. > :36:51.here and two shots later he misses the red with the rest and Sam Baird

:36:52. > :36:56.had one chance and he took it. What's your assessment of Sam Baird,

:36:57. > :37:00.could he go either way, maybe he starts to make a name for himself

:37:01. > :37:03.and goes up the rankings or fades away? He's always been a good

:37:04. > :37:09.player, had a good run here a couple of years ago, got something the

:37:10. > :37:15.quarterfinals, always been a good player, just hasn't quite made the

:37:16. > :37:21.breakthrough yet. Has got all the tools. Very good player, like we

:37:22. > :37:26.said in commentary, it's getting the breakthrough, just have to get it.

:37:27. > :37:30.Underway in frame two with Baird leading Higgins 1-0.

:37:31. > :37:37.COMMENTATOR:. Good to hear the thoughts from Darren there. It is a

:37:38. > :37:42.question of getting an opportunity. He did. A break of 74 has got him

:37:43. > :37:50.firmly established in the early stages of this match. No need to

:37:51. > :37:58.panic from the point of view of the Higgins fans. Some early signs here

:37:59. > :38:06.at John has yet to settle down in this, the tournament that he won

:38:07. > :38:11.four times and in the final total of six occasions. Food for thought

:38:12. > :38:14.there from the man who won the China championship and the champion of

:38:15. > :38:16.champions in November. Another chance in the second frame for Sam

:38:17. > :38:28.Baird. He has produced some of his best

:38:29. > :38:31.snooker here at the Welsh Open in previous years. We should of course

:38:32. > :38:36.forget that incredible match that he gave Mark Selby at the Crucible. He

:38:37. > :38:41.beat Michael white in the first round and then forced Mark Selby to

:38:42. > :38:45.answer some really difficult questions. Lost the second round

:38:46. > :38:52.match at the World Championship 13-11 but gave a really good account

:38:53. > :39:06.of himself in Sheffield. Maybe there is more to come.

:39:07. > :39:14.Has got plenty of skill, Sam. Like a number of players on tour. Some

:39:15. > :39:27.disappointments obviously during the season. That cannot him back a bit.

:39:28. > :39:35.Very good break-builder. Excellent and on his day he can run frame

:39:36. > :39:44.after frame with big breaks. Didn't hit that hard enough. Plenty of

:39:45. > :39:48.confidence there. As Dominic Dale would say, I don't know whether he's

:39:49. > :39:59.got the copyright on this, he's turned that into an orchard of reds.

:40:00. > :40:02.Which one is he going to pick first? Terry, you highlighting just how

:40:03. > :40:08.good Sam is on his day, he lost his place on the tour at the end of the

:40:09. > :40:12.2011-2012 season and had to come back onto via Q-School. One might

:40:13. > :40:17.all five matches at Q-School without conceding a single frame. That

:40:18. > :40:29.underlines just how good he can be when the pressure is on. He played a

:40:30. > :40:35.very good split of the reds here and left himself with one awkward one he

:40:36. > :40:41.could go for and he lost position. Not quite sure if you can pot, will

:40:42. > :40:52.know if you can get through the baulk area and get the reds. Not an

:40:53. > :41:06.easy pot. Tight on the cushion. He was hoping to get the gap between

:41:07. > :41:11.the brown and yellow. Wasn't to be. Does need to be careful here because

:41:12. > :41:16.of the aggressive manner with which she split the pack. Makes a mistake

:41:17. > :41:22.here, could be a chance for the four time Welsh Open champion. Who has

:41:23. > :41:33.spent a fair portion of the early exchanges sitting in his chair.

:41:34. > :42:11.He'll be watching the next shot very carefully indeed from Sam Baird.

:42:12. > :42:24.Big shot. He's been unfortunate. To pot at all like that and not get on

:42:25. > :42:29.the colour. Very unlucky there. He could have kissed that red full bowl

:42:30. > :42:34.or just missed the red and he would be on the pink in the centre. He'll

:42:35. > :42:52.still be on the pink. Can just about get through. Superb long pot there

:42:53. > :42:56.from Sam. He is clearly up for this. I guess when you're playing an

:42:57. > :43:02.opponent of the calibre of John Higgins you have got to take the

:43:03. > :43:13.chances when they come because at stumps age -- at some stage you know

:43:14. > :43:16.the game of John Higgins will return. If you start well against

:43:17. > :43:21.the top seed, it puts them under pressure, especially in the first

:43:22. > :43:25.round. That's what Sam has done so far. It's only the best of seven, so

:43:26. > :43:30.if you get a good start, you're halfway there.

:43:31. > :43:37.I wouldn't be writing John Higgins off too quickly.

:43:38. > :43:44.Don't worry, I'm not. He has produced some incredible comebacks.

:43:45. > :43:47.One that springs to mind, do you remember that incredible UK

:43:48. > :43:50.Championship, I think it was either the last one of the penultimate one

:43:51. > :43:59.we had in Telford when he came back from nowhere against Mark Williams

:44:00. > :44:08.to land another UK title. And then I think he won the Welsh Open maybe a

:44:09. > :44:14.week or ten days, certainly within a fortnight of burying his father who

:44:15. > :44:15.had been his number one fan. Higgins has incredible mental strength on

:44:16. > :45:02.and off the table. Didn't have much angle on that

:45:03. > :45:07.Bluetooth stun the cue ball around to get close to the red but it was

:45:08. > :45:13.worth a chance to leave himself a long pot. Now he's got a few

:45:14. > :45:19.problems to face. What's the chance of that same shot occurring and

:45:20. > :45:26.getting kind of brown. Must be two out of a hundred, possibly. The

:45:27. > :45:31.problem is the bowls are open sore if he doesn't get it safe, hit the

:45:32. > :45:39.red and get it safe, Higgins will be up and at him. He's been unlucky a

:45:40. > :45:50.couple of times in this frame with the position. He's having a long

:45:51. > :46:01.hard look at this one. John will be itching to get back to the table.

:46:02. > :46:11.Playing dead weight onto that red off two cushions. Pretty good effort

:46:12. > :46:14.there but if he's left this red available to the left corner for

:46:15. > :46:26.John Higgins he'd probably take it on. He's got this red into the

:46:27. > :46:32.left-centre, he's potting it back. Obviously didn't fancy the pot

:46:33. > :47:05.there. White and red were very close together to be fair to him.

:47:06. > :47:14.Can he make contact this time and still leave it safe? John didn't

:47:15. > :47:32.quite fancy the pot. With his first attempt.

:47:33. > :47:48.Requesting the cue ball to go back even quicker than he did the first

:47:49. > :47:51.time. Now just needs to maintain his composure here. He's made a cracking

:47:52. > :48:15.start to this match. Could have been worse. This red is

:48:16. > :48:20.available but it's got a blind pot into the corner pocket. John's

:48:21. > :48:35.Island will be towards the black spot area. Going in the corner

:48:36. > :48:42.pocket. Pretty good pot that. Left the blue in the middle. To the

:48:43. > :49:24.corner. Just a matter if you can get on any reds to the corner pocket.

:49:25. > :49:29.John moving round table with intent. Senses this is a good opportunity

:49:30. > :50:48.here. 2-level proceedings. The referee overseeing this one, so

:50:49. > :50:53.much liquor being played around the world these days, it's good to see

:50:54. > :51:13.yet more new officials coming into the sport. The grandad of them all

:51:14. > :51:25.and I assure he won't mind me saying it new crop coming through to keep

:51:26. > :51:31.pace with the never-ending supply of world class snooker players. The

:51:32. > :51:41.match had to be moved to tonight because of him refereeing late in

:51:42. > :51:48.Preston last night. Five of the eight tables we've got going

:51:49. > :51:54.simultaneously at the Motorpoint Arena the flat 128, only the top 16

:51:55. > :51:57.are seeded and everyone else is in the melting pot. Which is why we had

:51:58. > :52:04.the likes of Matthew Stevens taking on world number two Stuart Bingham.

:52:05. > :52:08.Speaking of Ryan Day, he's up against Dave Gilbert later and

:52:09. > :52:14.they're both very much in the hunt for the top 16 spot at the Crucible.

:52:15. > :52:25.To make it there automatically you have to start with everybody

:52:26. > :53:28.Good effort this from John, he's been sitting down a long time in

:53:29. > :53:43.this match. Only in the second frame. 74 from Sam Baird in the

:53:44. > :53:51.first frame. 37 in this and a little unlucky to snooker himself. John

:53:52. > :54:00.Higgins is not certain he can get to the potting angle of either of these

:54:01. > :54:05.two reds. He's overdone it, with a touch of side to straighten it up

:54:06. > :54:07.and he straightened too much and he's left two of the three remaining

:54:08. > :54:20.reds left on for Sam. Just as we had in the first frame,

:54:21. > :54:21.an uncharacteristic error from John Higgins and Sam Baird has an

:54:22. > :54:45.opportunity here. Run out of position on his first

:54:46. > :54:55.break, as Terry said. But he's back at the table here. Can he hold his

:54:56. > :55:11.nerve and double his advantage? The statisticians among you,

:55:12. > :55:14.occasionally this could be misleading if it's only taken in the

:55:15. > :55:24.first couple of friends, but Sam Baird's pot success is 97% so far in

:55:25. > :55:33.this match. -- first couple of frames. If he can keep that going,

:55:34. > :55:38.that would be incredibly impressive. Certainly in the very least it's an

:55:39. > :55:43.indication that he started this match with real accuracy. That's why

:55:44. > :55:49.he's got himself an opportunity here. To take a two frame lead

:55:50. > :55:54.although there is some life left in this frame yet. He played the right

:55:55. > :56:02.shot back to bring that red into play which he's managed but a little

:56:03. > :56:05.bit thick and stayed close to the cushion, so that restricts his

:56:06. > :56:12.options on the blue to put spin on to keep it close the pink looks like

:56:13. > :56:22.the better shot but it's a very tough pot. Striking down into the

:56:23. > :56:32.cue ball. How good was that? That was superb from Baird. Didn't even

:56:33. > :56:48.touch the sides. Some questions being asked dog -- of

:56:49. > :57:00.John Higgins here in the first two frames.

:57:01. > :57:07.Playing for the blue there, gone a little bit too far. Those the baulk

:57:08. > :57:18.colours close together, not going to be easy trying to win from here.

:57:19. > :57:23.Just looking now if he can pot the blue and leave the yellow and more

:57:24. > :57:27.distance than he would have liked and kiss the green into play. That

:57:28. > :58:16.would be a positive shot. Having a long look at this, Sam

:58:17. > :58:21.Baird. He's got a fantastic percentage success rate on the long

:58:22. > :58:30.pots and this is going to have to be goods. Awkward angle for him.

:58:31. > :58:45.He's done the business they are with the yellow. Got some contact on the

:58:46. > :58:58.green but this shot is certainly no gimme.

:58:59. > :59:01.Heated pot this but he doesn't want to play it with too much pace. He's

:59:02. > :59:18.got it. 16 in front. Just needs the brown to

:59:19. > :59:31.go 2-0 in front. Looks easy enough from up here.

:59:32. > :59:44.Brilliant there from Baird. Frame ball. Perfect on the blue. And the

:59:45. > :59:50.two frame advantage. Would you believe that pot success percentage

:59:51. > :00:02.has gone up to 98. This is brilliant snooker from Sam Baird. APPLAUSE

:00:03. > :00:05.So, two two mistakes, one in each frame from John Higgins and Sam

:00:06. > :00:09.Baird has capitalised on both occasions. Two frames up against the

:00:10. > :00:15.four time world champion. This is great stuff from Sam Baird.

:00:16. > :00:25.STUDIO: That little look on John Higgins' face says it all. We could

:00:26. > :00:30.have an upset on the cards. It is a long way to go, but the first frame,

:00:31. > :00:35.John Luttwak he had it in the bag and then made an elementary mistake,

:00:36. > :00:43.which we're not used to, and Sam took his chance. In this frame, it

:00:44. > :00:52.looked like he would level the match up. The cue ball rolling through. He

:00:53. > :00:56.overshot to buy a couple of inches, and he finishes in the worst

:00:57. > :01:01.position for him. He tries to pinch the angle on the red, a little bit

:01:02. > :01:08.of side. He hits it straight, and it cost him the frame. He could be to -

:01:09. > :01:17.zero up, and instead he is 2-0 down. -- 2-0. The table looks very fast.

:01:18. > :01:22.He rolled the blue, then played for the red to the left of the pink to

:01:23. > :01:26.roll through, the white has travelled an inch too far. He would

:01:27. > :01:32.have to swerve around it's likely to get that one, so he has played the

:01:33. > :01:36.other one, because it is probably a more comfortable shot, and he has

:01:37. > :01:43.pushed the cue ball too far. What an opportunity for Sam Baird. He took

:01:44. > :01:47.it well. He potted a great yellow and has landed awkwardly on the

:01:48. > :01:56.green, role that in and then potted a dream brown in the middle pocket.

:01:57. > :02:01.A fantastic start. -- rolled it in. He has just got to keep doing what

:02:02. > :02:04.he's doing. If John Higgins continues to miss, all he can do is

:02:05. > :02:09.take his chances. He has a great chance of winning. John Higgins will

:02:10. > :02:15.be sat in his chair thinking, I could be 2-0 up and I am 2-0 down.

:02:16. > :02:22.He won't push the panic button yet, but he won't be happy sitting in his

:02:23. > :02:26.chair at the minute. He will have been here before and come back from

:02:27. > :02:30.this type of position. He wanted the panic button, as I said, but he will

:02:31. > :02:39.be uncomfortable and frustrated when he should be 2-0 up. He's out of his

:02:40. > :02:45.chair. Let's rejoin the commentary team.

:02:46. > :02:49.John Higgins has had some great moments at tournaments around the

:02:50. > :03:00.world, especially the Welsh, and he has been drawn into quite a tussle

:03:01. > :03:11.here. A man a fair few positions below him in the rankings. He

:03:12. > :03:17.started this match is the rank outsider. And he has played

:03:18. > :03:23.brilliantly in the first two frames, he really has. Too early to talk

:03:24. > :03:29.about an upset, but certainly, John is going to have to be on tiptop

:03:30. > :03:32.form here if Sam Baird continues playing in the manner in which we

:03:33. > :03:40.have seen him performing over the last, what, 41 and a half minutes. A

:03:41. > :03:46.cracking start to the match. And once again, we are seeing a player

:03:47. > :03:52.not intimidated by location or opponent. And I wonder, Terry,

:03:53. > :03:58.whether we're going to see this more and more because these guys are

:03:59. > :04:07.playing the top seeds Whee in, week out, day in, day out. Maybe it is

:04:08. > :04:10.not as frightening if you have an opportunity to face them every

:04:11. > :04:18.single week, because you might on occasion take them on when they are

:04:19. > :04:24.not on top form. Yes, it's one of the good things, with the 128

:04:25. > :04:30.players on tour, they get more chances against the top players.

:04:31. > :04:34.When I was in years ago, they would be in the qualifiers, and a lot

:04:35. > :04:39.don't come out into a venue in their career. They are all looking for the

:04:40. > :04:42.same thing - get to the Crucible and do well there, possibly. Most

:04:43. > :04:48.players don't even get to the Crucible in those days. Now there

:04:49. > :04:57.are better chances. As Barry Hearn would say, they have all got a

:04:58. > :05:08.chance. We have certainly heard that expression a few times in the press

:05:09. > :05:17.conferences. John, just consulting the referee. He has an issue with

:05:18. > :05:19.his bowtie. Stephen McGuire, incidentally, has a medical

:05:20. > :05:30.exemption. He doesn't have to wear a bow tie. He has an issue with his

:05:31. > :05:36.neck. John just going off. He is going to get some stitches on his

:05:37. > :05:42.bowtie, which gives Sam a moment or two just to reflect on his 2-mac-

:05:43. > :05:46.frame advantage. An unusual interruption, but John will return

:05:47. > :05:58.suitably attired in this third frame. STUDIO: OK, well, we have had

:05:59. > :06:01.a few clothing issues today. Matthew Stevens had a little problem

:06:02. > :06:08.earlier, and now John Higgins has gone upstairs to sort out his

:06:09. > :06:12.bowtie. While that happens, let's tell you about another Welshman who

:06:13. > :06:18.is through to the second round - Lee Walker beating Greece clerk of

:06:19. > :06:24.Scotland 4-2. Dominic Dale is through. Lee Walker joins him in the

:06:25. > :06:28.second round. We will keep you updated on Jackson Page, one of the

:06:29. > :06:31.two Welsh wild cards, one of the teenagers taking part. He is in

:06:32. > :06:39.action at the moment, so we will bring the latest on that when we get

:06:40. > :06:45.it well. Lee Walker and Dominic Dale through, Matthew Stevens out after

:06:46. > :06:48.his defeat earlier onto Stuart Bingham. Interesting. We saw Matthew

:06:49. > :06:56.Stevens earlier having problems and he had to get someone serving his

:06:57. > :07:02.button back on. His logo was coming off and catching on his cue, so

:07:03. > :07:08.obviously he had to get that sorted. This four John Higgins, his dickie

:07:09. > :07:14.bow, it could be anything - too tight, to lose. He will have a

:07:15. > :07:18.couple of stitches put in it. Ever had any bowtie issues? I have. They

:07:19. > :07:23.are not the easiest things to play with, but when you get used to them,

:07:24. > :07:28.it is like anything else. A lot of players have the top button undone

:07:29. > :07:33.and the dickie bow very loose. It is very easy when it hits the cue just

:07:34. > :07:39.to hit the button or the class but the back. It can cause a foul. He is

:07:40. > :07:45.back. A little thumbs up to the referee to say it is all good, he is

:07:46. > :07:52.happy with the bowtie. Let's resume this match. COMMENTATOR: A real

:07:53. > :07:57.touch of class from John Higgins. As you saw the shot of him re-emerging,

:07:58. > :08:02.he momentarily paused just to double-check that he wasn't getting

:08:03. > :08:08.in the eye line of Jackson Page Jason Weston, just to his left hand

:08:09. > :08:11.side, then carried on walking, realising that they weren't looking

:08:12. > :08:20.in his direction. Consummate professional, with great respect and

:08:21. > :08:22.integrity. Once again, suitably attired, with the tide back in

:08:23. > :08:44.place. -- the tie. When you are working with players,

:08:45. > :08:47.Terry, do you try and create scenarios of unforeseen

:08:48. > :08:51.interruptions, just to the players, look, any number of things might

:08:52. > :08:55.happen to pause a match, and the matter what is going on in the

:08:56. > :08:58.arena, you have to maintain your focus and concentration? Or do you

:08:59. > :09:04.just trust that their concentration will get them through anyway? Well,

:09:05. > :09:08.I think, tactically, you make them aware of what they should be doing

:09:09. > :09:12.out there, and that is quite straightforward, really. Although it

:09:13. > :09:17.isn't straightforward when you are out there. When I am talking about

:09:18. > :09:20.it, it seems easy. That is, of course, to be ready for anything

:09:21. > :09:25.that happens in front of you. Good or bad, you have to be ready for it,

:09:26. > :09:31.because believe it or not, you can start really well and go 2-0 up, and

:09:32. > :09:34.then get frightened that you may win the match. There are many people

:09:35. > :09:47.like that. So many players taking fear out onto the table these days.

:09:48. > :09:49.They are just frightened they are going to lose before they start.

:09:50. > :09:52.That's not great. I'm not saying they are going to lose, certainly,

:09:53. > :09:54.but it does help if you've got some belief in yourself. Almost too much

:09:55. > :10:00.time to think, sometimes, if you are in a good position. Another

:10:01. > :10:05.opportunity presents itself here for Sam Baird. He has made a mistake in

:10:06. > :10:11.both of the first two frames, and here is another from the 4-mac- time

:10:12. > :10:20.world champion. Baird is having a good look at the table. Plenty of

:10:21. > :10:29.reds. Spread out here. Two frames up. And the balls are spread nicely

:10:30. > :10:44.for him. An early chance hearing frame three. -- here in frame three.

:10:45. > :10:53.Well, he just about went past that red. He has overcut it. That was the

:10:54. > :11:03.first really bad shot he has played in this match. That was a little bit

:11:04. > :11:13.tricky, that shot. John Higgins can't believe it. He would be

:11:14. > :11:24.expecting Sam to do a few there, but the result was pressure out there,

:11:25. > :11:29.at all stages during a match. Oh, didn't get near that. Unless he had

:11:30. > :11:41.a bad contact, that would have been a very disappointing hit of the cue

:11:42. > :11:49.ball four John Higgins from there. Welcomer unexpected misses here from

:11:50. > :11:57.both players. -- well, unexpected misses here... It looked as though

:11:58. > :12:01.John Higgins had allowed Sam Baird to come right back into this frame,

:12:02. > :12:08.but it is the young player who is straight back to the table himself.

:12:09. > :12:14.-- it looked as if Sam Baird had a love John Higgins back into this

:12:15. > :12:28.game. A lovely pot to middle right there.

:12:29. > :12:41.He won't mind seeing that one again in a replay later today if he

:12:42. > :12:49.manages to win. A completely different player to the manner of

:12:50. > :12:56.nerves before the match began. He is playing with confidence and belief

:12:57. > :12:59.here. That keyword that you are always stressing, Terry. This has

:13:00. > :13:09.been a brilliant start to the match from Baird.

:13:10. > :13:16.Yes, of course, John Higgins has got plenty of belief, but he still gets

:13:17. > :13:22.his self-doubt. Don't we all, in life, whether it is snooker or

:13:23. > :13:26.anything else? In snooker, you are always a bit nervous starting off

:13:27. > :13:31.the first frame. And if they start to play well, they can suffer a bit

:13:32. > :13:38.of pressure about being in front and don't want to lose, when you're in a

:13:39. > :13:42.winning situation, which is possibly the worst way to lose, whatever

:13:43. > :13:51.sport you are in. If you are well in front, Tim Dews can hang with you

:13:52. > :13:55.for about six months. -- if you are well in front, losing can hang with

:13:56. > :13:59.you. I remember you telling a story about when you were starting out as

:14:00. > :14:03.a professional and you had an enormous lead which you then somehow

:14:04. > :14:08.surrendered, and you learned a very hard lesson from that, you were

:14:09. > :14:19.telling me. Yes, you've got to do that. If you want to play snooker

:14:20. > :14:23.for a while. I've played six hours a day in solo play. You get these

:14:24. > :14:27.blows that you need to come back from, whether it is snooker, any

:14:28. > :14:38.other sport, or anything in life as well. Most of the players, when you

:14:39. > :14:48.see the belief not fall down, is when they have belief and you are

:14:49. > :14:56.close to the finish line. You have to play what is in front of you. It

:14:57. > :14:59.is difficult. May be a good example world that was Liang Wenbo, on the

:15:00. > :15:05.opening day of the Masters, when he missed that black and lost to

:15:06. > :15:51.Ronnie. There's still some work to do in

:15:52. > :15:59.this frame, of course. So far, so good from Sam. He has beaten Marco

:16:00. > :16:03.Fu twice this season. He beat him on the way to the last 16 of the

:16:04. > :16:10.International championship. He beat him in the Northern Ireland Trophy

:16:11. > :16:18.as well. But this really would be a massive win for Sam. Of course, it's

:16:19. > :16:22.absolutely possible that a man of John Higgins' character could come

:16:23. > :16:26.back, even from 3-0 down, but there that the very least is putting

:16:27. > :16:34.himself in the position here to do something quite special in front of

:16:35. > :16:42.a good crowd. Always very well attended and supported, this event.

:16:43. > :16:46.Part of the home Nations series. That series finishes with a flourish

:16:47. > :17:15.here in the Welsh capital. There is the mistake from Baird. The

:17:16. > :17:28.ball looked as though it was going very nicely. Pouring himself a

:17:29. > :17:31.drink. Wondering whether he is going to be sitting in the chair. Higgins,

:17:32. > :17:42.a little bit uncertain here. He can't quite make up his mind

:17:43. > :17:46.which way to go. He hasn't left a guilt edged opportunity, Sam Baird,

:17:47. > :18:14.but it is Higgins at the table. Certainly, plenty of life left in

:18:15. > :18:35.this frame. John remains standing. STUDIO: Well, I'm afraid time has

:18:36. > :18:40.beaten us, but we will bring you the result of this game later on in our

:18:41. > :18:43.evening programme, finding have a fascinating matchup between Neil

:18:44. > :18:49.Robertson, the world number seven and a winner here in Wales ten years

:18:50. > :18:52.ago, and the legendary Jimmy White. Join us at 7pm on BBC Two Wales.

:18:53. > :19:34.Goodbye for now. # I knew you were trouble

:19:35. > :19:37.when you walked in # Now I'm lying

:19:38. > :19:41.on the cold, hard ground