Day Three - Part 2 Snooker: Welsh Open

good evening. The defending champion back in the spotlight. Ronnie

O'Sullivan coming up shortly. 2017 is turning into the year of the

underdog. We've had some incredible drama today with Welsh players young

and not so young at the centre of some major second-round shocks. It

wasn't crying's day. The Welshman had made to the final of the Royal

Grand Prix last weekend but this was a game too far for the world number

18. Out the competition after a 4-1 defeat to Thepchaiya Un-Nooh of

Thailand. I have had a good spell but I was just hoping to get out and

keep on fighting, but today, concentration, missed a lot of easy

balls, and it just caught up with me in the end. Something had to give in

and other Welsh contest and our own Dominic Dale got beyond the first

run for the first time in three years with a 4-2 win over Jade Jones

from Neath. -- Jamie Jones. Jamie is always tough match for anybody. He

has a lot of experience. I have a good record over Jamie, we've a

practice partners years ago. He is a great player so any win against them

is good. Then one of the shocks of the tournament so far. Lee Walker,

ranked 94th in the world, the game of his life to knock out one of the

biggest stars in the sport, 2016 runner up, Neil Robertson. Had I

gone out for- one which at one point looked quite likely I would have

come off and said I really enjoyed the match. I had a little bit of

help with the black in one frame which could have finished anywhere

and at finished on the pocket on another day he would have spotted

it, but I started to think it may be my day and luckily for me, it was.

If you thought that was surprising look at this. 15-year-old Welsh star

Jackson Page wins to set up a possible fourth-round date with Judd

Trump. I feel a lot more comfortable and settled having played that first

match, and in my second game I settle down more quickly. All of

which put some pressure on the 2016 quarterfinalist Michael White who

kept the Welsh feel-good factor alive against English open champion

Liang Wenbo. We're going to pick it up with Michael White 3-2 ahead, at

the table in the sixth frame, trailing by eight points.

Excellent show of nerve, there, by Michael White. His long pot success

has helped out in the closing stages this frame.

This, for the match. Oh, no. A scratch of the head. There we go, to

the re-spotted black for this frame. So many twists and turns of drama

already. Can Michael White finished this match without having to go all

the way to a decider? Michael elects Liang to start. Still

shaking his head, the Welshman. A little show of frustration, there.

He has walked away from that one. He can barely bring himself to watch.

Long black here, to force the decider. And it is there. Clean as a

whistle. We are going all the way in this one. Let's take you into the

deciding frame. Liang is at the table and Michael White needs a

snooker to stay in the match. Much to heart. The harder you hit the

cushion, the straight it comes. -- comes off. He hasn't left an easy

shot. He was a bit fortunate there. A warning for his language, there,

Liang Wenbo. He slapped the table with frustration. The tension

getting to both of these guys. So, he's got the snooker, but there is

still a fair amount of work to do, if he is to take this decider. 34

behind, 35 on. Wenbo is furious with himself,

incandescent with rage. How's your luck?

What an angle. Two three times now he's trying to get on the table.

This is high risk, here, playing the screw before he hits the side

petition and catching the red, but he is trying the pot here, and he

overdone it. Good attempt. It is anybody's here, really,

because all of the balls are in good positions so Michael could get the

chance to pot red and black. He should clear it from there, but we

have seen quite a number of opportunities pass by with both of

these players in this match. Half an hour gone. Understandably, the

longest frame of the match and Wenbo just sharing a joke with the crowd

as he returned to his seat. Michael White 34 behind, 35 on the table.

How much more drama can they eke out of this best-of-7? So, where is this

going? Definite frustration is therefore both of them. He looks

like he's got away with that. -- definite frustrations there, for of

them. He has done so well to get the Snicko. Just got to keep his head

straight here, Michael White. Moments of frustration for both of

them in this match, which is now approaching two and a half hours.

APPLAUSE Oh! Just for a fleeting moment we

thought he had produced a fluke to rival Lee Walker Bosman on the black

against Neil Robertson earlier today, on the same pocket. -- Lee

Walker's on the black. Against the bottom pocket it is not what he

should have been doing but he likes to take on these shots and he gets

quite a high percentage of them, but if he misses this red and leaves it

on, he leaves Michael White with, apart from the blue, which isn't in

a bad position, he could find a good position on the pink. He is going

for it. Michael White could find this tough

to clear up. It is exciting. It is so close. So many twists and turns.

It has been a really exciting match. You can't work out from one minute

or the next which way it's going to go. Great drama here in the

Motorpoint, not so good for the nerves of these two men. What a

shot, and what a moment to produce it here from the Welshman. Absolute

class, there, from Michael White. We have seen him lash out at a couple

of balls as the frustration has grown, but that was a moment of real

composure and class. Now, then, he's got his knee up on

the cushion. That needs to go right. He had to put some side on there. Of

course, if he hit it too hard he could leave a free ball so I

understand why he did not hit it with a lot of pace. Obviously

doesn't like the angle he's got on the road. Are you surprised he has

not taken that on? Some really silly shots in this match when he tried

that deep screw on the red for the black but that is a much thinner

part than ever looks from the commentary box, otherwise, he would

have been taking it on. He doesn't turn much down. Needs a lot of

right-hand side on this. APPLAUSE

That has a chance. An easier pot on the black, because it is a bit away

from the cushion. Didn't need the black. But he does

need every colour, here. Could be a thrilling victory in what has turned

into an absolute marathon. I can't believe it, the same mess from the

same pocket. My goodness me. After such a good snooker behind the blue,

to give himself a chance, he has rattled the yellow in the jaws. D ja

rattled the yellow in the jaws. D j vu, for Michael White. That was a

much easier yellow than the one he missed early on. Not going in. What

is happening here?! An amazing few minutes, two top players, two good

chances, both of them missed. Nerves or fatigue or both?

APPLAUSE Incredible drama here in the

Motorpoint. Hasn't changed the scenario. There is enough for

Michael White to still win this match but he needs everything and he

can do without nervous moments like that missed yellow. What a let off.

Liang Wenbo came back on and did exactly the same.

Well, the way this match has gone, he can't take any of these pots for

granted. Walking around, Michael White, placing the table, just

having a look at any angle he's going to need on the blue. What

drama here. This, for a place in the last 32. It has turned into a bit of

a drawn-out epic, this one. Probably the worst positional shot

he has played in this match. He had to get close to that blue on the

side collision. -- cushion. Another opportunity may pass by. He's not

going for the pot here, surely. Best of luck.

He's got it, you know. APPLAUSE

What courage that took, after all the mistakes he's made in this

match, to put the ball in, that is what winners do. These two pots away

from being a winner in this match. Incredible nerve, especially after

all the difficulty he has had with the rest in this match. Pink and

black. For a place in the last 32. As surely, he can't have any problem

with this. He has missed one black for the match. Surely he can't do it

twice. Now he's beginning to smile. What an extraordinary match with so

many twists and turns of drama. This, for the match. And it's there.

He could have done it in the fifth, and in the sixth, it is the right

outcome after a marathon encounter with Liang Wenbo. Michael White

advances to the You could clearly see what it meant

to him. More Welsh success, Michael White joining Dominic Dale, Lee

Walker and Jackson Page in round three, and Michael joins us now

along with studio summariser Darren Morgan. Michael, you have been

sitting watching that final frame going through all the emotions

again. It looked gruelling to say the least. Yes, I had chances to win

at 4-1, 4-2 and at 4-3, you know, but with snooker, never give up, I

just got back blue, pink and black at the end. Where does this right

for you, this win, Liang Wenbo is doing pretty well, he won the

English open. Yes, Liang was far from playing his best today. I

started off fairly strong and then let him come back into the match.

After the disappointment of losing a couple of frames before winning the

match it means a lot to me, just never giving up and in the end I

showed a lot of bottle. You must have thought when you missed that

yellow into the yellow pocket, you must thought that was it, then he

has missed the yellow with the rest. You was out of the chair like a jack

rabbit, and the blue down the cushion was just fantastic. Yes, I

nervously thought that I had chance to win and I just have to sit

there,. When you got on the blue, you must have been thinking, do or

die red. The way you had played, for that to go in, it was a good blue

into the pink corner. I thought that if I played safe I would never

forgive myself but I thought if you're going to go for it, you might

as well give it every chance. And luckily for me it dropped in. What a

day Ed has been for Welsh snooker. You would have been aware of Lee

Walker beating Neil Robertson and also Jackson Page, the 15-year-old,

going through. Did you feel pressure to keep that up? Definitely. I went

in at one 30p. I went on late because Lee's game went on a bit. It

was a massive break in the decider. It was incredible, what he has done

in these two matches in his first professional tournament. He looks

definitely one for the future. You will be hoping to make up for that

Phi Phi 30 heavy defeat in the quarters last year. I was playing

really well up until the quarterfinals and then it never

really happened for me. Maybe this match I can put in a good spell and

get back to the practice table and I look forward to tomorrow. Well done,

today, thank you very much, Michael White. A great day for Welsh

snooker. If you were tuning in hoping to see Ronnie O'Sullivan, the

wait is almost over. Time to get the defending champion back under way.

He faces Mark Davis. Both men in their 40s now. But look at the

difference in terms of ranking titles, 20th Ronnie, none Todd

Davis. Ronnie going for that record fifth Welsh Open win. Davies' best,

five appearances in the last 32. Ronnie leads 5-1 in terms of their

head-to-head record. So, will run equally the next hurdle or is there

possibly another shock here in store on day three? They are underway in

frame one. Let's join your commentary team for this match,

Willie Thorne and Dominic Dale. You just join us as Ronnie is at the

table, he broke off after a good long pot from Mark Davis, he rifled

it Inglot topside of the blue, potted the blue and went into the

pack and this is the red he left and one that you would expect him to

pot, and since then, he has got his hand on the table, eight and

counting. A packed audience as you would expect for Ronnie O'Sullivan.

There's always a baz, when he plays, Ronnie. -- buzz. It's quite

intimidating playing him because he can rattle off two three frames in

quick succession and you do feel that pressure because, when you do

get an opportunity, you feel that you have got to make the very most

of it, and it does put pressure on you.

There is always a sense of anticipation when Ronnie is plain.

You know that you're going to get some wonderful snooker, you don't

know whether he's going to be one of his moods where he has to try 100%

or not. He's not had the results you would like apart from the Masters a

few weeks ago, he has lost a couple of matches, when he was 5-1 in front

against Mark King in the German Masters and lost 6-5. That would

have been a blow to his confidence. I do know that Ronnie loves playing

here in Cardiff. He loves the capital city of Wales. The

Motorpoint arena is right in the heart of the city, and he

appreciates the Welsh audience, because they are very knowledgeable

about snooker. And Ronnie likes to perform well here. He usually does.

All nationalities come to watch these great players play. We have

seen some breaks already in this tournament, Neil Robertson 143, Judd

Trump, 142. 142, from Fergal O'Brien. We expect a pretty large

century at some time this match. And Disk red assures us of a century.

Oh, what a shame. -- this red. Two chances. He didn't quite get the

century, but he got off to a good start, Ronnie O'Sullivan. We'll talk

about that in a minute. The shot kept coming. Let's show you this.

Shaun Murphy, following the likes of Neil Robinson and Higgins. Will try

to show you those pictures in a moment, I think we have is the

lee-macro lost them. -- I think we have lost them. Another big hitter

going out. He is a good player, he has been on the amateur game for a

few years. He is a capable player. I watched a bit this afternoon and not

to take anything away from Josh, he played well, but he struggled to get

over the line. Shaun Murphy will be disappointed. Mark Williams said how

disappointed he was. I've never seen Sean missed balls in the way he did

in the last couple of frames today. -- Shaun.

What is it with all the big names going out? Is there something in the

water? You can't play brilliantly all the time. There are some really

good players. It's interesting, to say the least. Just watching Ronnie

O'Sullivan in the arena. He is picking his fingers, sitting there

calmly. He will be happy with how he has started? He will be. I

commentated on his first match with Tom Ford. By his standards, it

wasn't great and I think he was a bit frustrated. Back there is the

Ronnie that we normally see. Straight to the blocks, first

chance, frame one break. Mark Davis will be disappointed, he missed the

red he was expected to pots in the middle. Let us see how Mark Davis

responds as he breaks off in frame number two.

Mark Davis has managed to hide the red. He doesn't miss many long pots.

Most times when people are breaking off, they tend to leave that read

you were talking about. Do you break the PA red? -- red. I can get nicely

behind the green. I don't find it to be a problem on these tables. Not

happy with that, Ronnie O'Sullivan. He's given Mark Davis six points in

penalties and left him an easy red to start with.

For some reason he was reluctant them to play into the pink. It was

just off of its spot. He changed his mind and played a loose red. There

is only one more loose red at the back of the pack that pots. That is

a problem. When you have the perfect angle to go into them, that is why

you have to go into them because if you play a bad shot at the next

visit, you don't have an angle to do so. With a bit of key power, he can

swing it around and get to that fourth one at the back. -- cue

power. He did not hear that well at all. Goodness me. That was a twitch.

He didn't get the run on the cue ball. Rather killed it. You see it

swing for the cushion into the brown. There was a red that could

have been potted, but he had no chance of getting on it.

Nice target in between the yellow and brown if he plays the one over

to the side of the pack. He didn't intend to cover the brown,

but no obvious damage done. However, things could be a bit more awkward.

Having been frustrated with a series of safety shots, he tried that one

will stop try to get into the gap, but completely missed it. He just

said, he played for the gap, if you can read. -- lip-read.

Mark has played for the black. It seems to be tight against the

cushion. If it trundles along, there should be no problem. Let's have a

look. Oh, yes. Did you find them a little bit tighter this week? I did

play my first match on this table, first morning, first table, and I

found the pockets to be playing rather big, but that can change

during the course of an event of the tables have had a bit more wear and

tear. I have seen lots of them missed. They don't seem to be going

in this week. The again, near draw. He did not stun the cue ball enough.

He hit the pot thin. Once again, after a rather easy miss

from Mark Davis, Sullivan could win the frame. A break of 97 in the

opening frame. There's every chance that he will spot least that here.

Looks a little apprehensive, Mark Davis. He hasn't beaten for a long

time, since 2003. That is a long time, isn't it? Dominic has just

told me 2001, so 16 years ago since he last had a victory over this

great champion. There are a lot of players who have never beaten him.

Me for one, but oddly enough, I did beat him in a speed snooker

competition in Germany a couple of years ago. How do you follow that?

Little straighter on this than you would like. He could bounce it in

and try to play for the red in the opposite corner. UCB red that is

sticking out at the left of the pack? That is the problem. Just a

gentle cannon onto these two reds. Very quickly now, the balls are

perfect. A lot more difficult, the pink. Now you can't see him missing

from here to take the second frame. That was a bit tricky for Ronnie.

Just landed awkwardly on the black and these five reds Art in each

other's way. He can still cut it in. A little bit up in the air. It has

not worked out well for him. He is taking the pink on.

Beautiful bear from Ronnie O'Sullivan. Full of confidence.

Great shot. He just needs this red and one more

colour to secure this second frame. 51 remaining. Now 43. You don't get

many chances, do you, when you play Ronnie O'Sullivan? But Mark has had

early opportunities in both these frames. Have detected a few kicks,

but Bonnie doesn't seem to be bothered about them. It won't matter

about the myth red. Mark Davis coming back to the table, probably

for some potting practice, or to disrupt the rhythm of Ronnie O --

Ronnie O'Sullivan. Has had any table time. I don't

blame him for trying to slow things up. He's had to sit down and watch.

Maybe he'll get five minutes of safety out of this, a couple of

snooker 's. A thin cut red in the back. He has not played this very

well. Mark Davis will play on he has every chance.

Well, that was a mis-hit, but he could play the white in behind the

black. It remains to be seen in the next

frame if this bout of safety will knock Ronnie out of his rhythm.

Mark Davis fortunate there. That will put paid to any possibility of

Mark Davis winning the second frame. -- Mark Davis unfortunate there.

Double on the yellow. He missed the kiss on the green. Not very good.

Ronnie went mine -- won't mind missing the green. He takes a 2-0

frames lead. STUDIO: So far, so it's

straightforward for Ronnie O'Sullivan. A busy day in Cardiff.

We started with 64 players, we will be down to 32 by the end of the day.

Let's take you to be table where the world number one Mark Selby is in

action. 2016 was a great year for Selby. He did the double, Bubba

championship and the UK Championship as well. How hungry will he be to

get the Welsh? He has won since 2008. He'll be happy to win

anything. Like all professionals, that is what they are painful. I've

had a couple of conversations with him and he is feeling good. He is

going about his business, putting a lot of practice in. He fancies his

chances, like he does in every tournament, but best it's a lottery

early on and if someone plays well against you, sometimes the match is

over before it starts. But he is in good form and he is keeping to his

normal regime. No one can knocking off the top of the world rankings.

He's been there for two years. The big thing with Mark Selby is when he

is not playing well, he has found a way to win. He's the game is very

good. You can't always play at your best, but he is winning a high

percentage of games when he is not playing great. We're waiting for

this match to resume. Mark Davis 2-0 down against Ronnie O'Sullivan. It

was a mountain to climb, to be honest, before the match started.

Unfortunately for Mark, he missed one in the first and Ronnie had a 90

break. He missed one in the second frame and Ronnie had a 70 break.

COMMENTATOR: If he loses this frame, you can't see it happening, but we

had Neil Robinson 3-1 behind this afternoon and he ended up losing.

There are no certainties at the moment.

I just wonder if the balance on the side cushion surprised Mark? Wasn't

it the same shot that Ronnie O'Sullivan played in the first

frame? I played on this table, first match, first session, but these

cushions do change after the table has had use. Could it have anything

to do with the weather with it being damp and cold? Difficult to know. We

have had issues with playing conditions. A lot of the time, if

you clean the cue ball, you will get a good bounce and a good response.

You can see how disappointed he is there. He didn't see that one

coming. When you are playing slow, it will turn over more than it

should. You can see he is disappointed, as you would expect.

The fact that the black has stayed over the pocket, it has not left an

easy shot for Mark. I don't fancy that. Saying that, he is going for

it. Double-kisses on that. Yes, a double-kiss was always going to be

on there for me. I thought he did well there. I actually thought that

was going to go in, but it didn't. Go on, go on, Gullon... Oh, not

quite. That is unfortunate for Ronnie. He

played it with enough pace, but he went into the pack of reds. As he

got a long pink going into the far pockets? It is there.

He is faced with another tricky shot into the green pockets, if he wants

to take it on. He could play the shot and then hold the white onto

the pink. He will have the black available, should it go in. Not too

sure if he can hit it slow enough to leave a pot on in the middle pocket.

That's if he plays that shot. Just before we have to go off air, I

would like to congratulate you. You and Kate got engaged last night on

Valentine's Day. What a smoothie you are. I know. Fortunately she said

yes. I'm surprised she said yes. I wanted to make it more public, do

something with the press, but she said no, I would look like a right

Charlie! STUDIO: Well, beaten by the clock

once again. Our time is up. We will show you how the match pans out in

our highlight show later when we round up another extraordinary game

at the Welsh Open 2017. On BBC Two Wales at 11:15pm. Stay up late and

join us, but for now, a very good to you.

I've searched the world to find these extraordinary people.

I woke up and I could suddenly just play the piano.

The human body is unique within nature.

And the most extraordinary people on the planet

are those who are helping to unlock its mysteries.