:11:32. > :11:42.(APPLAUSE) This is absolutely perfect. Can't
:11:42. > :11:45.
:11:45. > :11:49.fail to be on the yellow. Can you believe this? Similar to the shot
:11:49. > :11:54.that Cliffe had on this very table. Little run through onto the green.
:11:54. > :12:01.It's almost the same shot. Unfortunately Stephen is stretching
:12:01. > :12:11.slightly. Cliffe wasn't. He was a little further away from the yellow.
:12:11. > :12:17.There has not been a rollover. So it's 40,000 pound. This is the key
:12:17. > :12:21.shot. In it goes. Perfect.- up the green. 40,000 pounds for the
:12:21. > :12:31.maximum. 10,000 pounds for the highest break of the tournament. So
:12:31. > :12:33.
:12:33. > :12:40.these five remaining colours for a bonus of 50,000 pound. And another
:12:40. > :12:50.magical moment created by the king of the Crucible, Stephen Hendry.
:12:50. > :12:51.
:12:51. > :13:01.One more shot getting on to that blue perfectly would surely seal it.
:13:01. > :13:03.
:13:03. > :13:07.What a chance this is. Decided to play for the pink into the middle
:13:07. > :13:15.rather than hold it. His temperament has always been his
:13:15. > :13:25.main strength. Can he just hold it main strength. Can he just hold it
:13:25. > :13:29.
:13:29. > :13:35.together for two shots? (APPLAUSE)
:13:35. > :13:41.There is only one Stephen Hendry. Big congratulations to for Stuart
:13:41. > :13:46.Bingham and our referee. Well done, Stephen, you've done the game proud
:13:46. > :13:52.once again. He is congratulated by both player from the other side.
:13:52. > :13:57.Stephen Hendry, who said he is not the player he was. Absolutely
:13:57. > :14:06.fantastic. Form is temporary, skhras permanent. That was the 88
:14:06. > :14:13.maximum in pro competition, the 45th on TV, the 12th of the world
:14:13. > :14:21.championship. Hendry's third at the Crucible. It was also Hendry's 11th
:14:21. > :14:22.147 which equals the total set Byrony O'Sullivan. A wonderful
:14:22. > :14:26.Byrony O'Sullivan. A wonderful performance by Stephen Hendry. He
:14:26. > :14:31.joked before the match that he would probably play better with
:14:31. > :14:35.jetlag after what has been so far a disappointing season by his very
:14:35. > :14:41.high standards. He also produced another century and five half
:14:41. > :14:45.centuries as he opened up an 8-1 lead over Stuart Bingham making him
:14:45. > :14:50.strong favourite to progress to the second round of the tournament for
:14:50. > :14:56.the 23rd time in his Crucible career. To this afternoon's other
:14:56. > :15:06.match, a clash between two former champions, the 2010 winner Neil
:15:06. > :15:15.
:15:15. > :15:25.Robinson against the man who won in 2007, Ken Dohorty. The Australian
:15:25. > :15:28.
:15:28. > :15:36.takes it. This is a chance of a possible 147. He knows the frame is
:15:36. > :15:43.possible 147. He knows the frame is safe now. Great effort from Ken
:15:43. > :15:52.Doherty. Though the frame wasn't to be. He leads Ken Doherty by two
:15:52. > :16:02.frames to one. He really needs to make this chance count. So a good
:16:02. > :16:02.
:16:02. > :18:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 168 seconds
:18:51. > :18:55.He was feeling fairly confident specially after the previous round
:18:55. > :19:00.when he cleared the table. If it was a heavy contact it has come at
:19:01. > :19:05.a bad time. But this isn't a gimme across the cushion. You can see him
:19:05. > :19:15.lining up the shot there, getting the shot ready. You can see the
:19:15. > :19:16.
:19:16. > :19:24.the shot ready. You can see the look of determination on his face.
:19:24. > :19:34.Well, he has done the hard part. Now the colours are there for the
:19:34. > :19:35.
:19:35. > :19:45.taking. The yellow will come back up again. Has he gone a bit too
:19:45. > :19:49.
:19:49. > :19:59.far? He is quite a tall lad, so he can reach over. Just not settled.
:19:59. > :20:01.
:20:01. > :20:10.Always best to get away from the shot and back down again. Would you
:20:10. > :20:19.believe it? He is shaking his head. He had so many choices to get on
:20:19. > :20:29.the green. Why hit it that hard? He can pot this. The angle is there to
:20:29. > :20:32.
:20:32. > :20:42.drop on the green, two cushions. And it's there. That in the context
:20:42. > :20:42.
:20:42. > :20:50.of this match could be a huge mistake, Steve. Monstrous yellow.
:20:50. > :21:00.But what great control John Higgins showed on that yellow. Very
:21:00. > :21:03.
:21:03. > :21:13.missable that way. What a great shot. 14 ahead. Just needs the blue
:21:13. > :21:15.
:21:15. > :21:25.it make absolutely sure and draw level. I just wonder how much that
:21:25. > :21:28.
:21:28. > :21:38.missed yellow will take out of Leang. For all the world it looked
:21:38. > :21:38.
:21:38. > :21:43.as if Leang was going to lead 9-7 but he doesn't. It's 8 frames each.
:21:43. > :21:52.What a match. Having levelled the match Higgins took the next frame
:21:52. > :22:02.with a break of 58 and is just one praik away from 15. We join it
:22:02. > :22:06.
:22:06. > :22:11.That's the first ball, believe it or not, that Leang has potted for
:22:11. > :22:20.24 minutes. But what a good one. One of his rare long pots coming
:22:20. > :22:30.just at the right time so it makes that careless blue that John missed
:22:30. > :22:32.
:22:32. > :22:42.even more important. Ooh! That wasn't in the heart of the pocket.
:22:42. > :22:43.
:22:43. > :22:49.A bit of a twitch there in the cue action. We have seen plenty of
:22:49. > :22:59.twitching here at the Crucible. Since 1977 people have been
:22:59. > :23:12.
:23:12. > :23:22.twitching here. Nicely played, the correct angle. Gives himself
:23:22. > :23:24.
:23:24. > :23:28.options. There is one thought in his mind, get that red away from
:23:28. > :23:34.the black spot as quick as possible. That's a rotten shot really. I
:23:34. > :23:39.thought he could have screwed down the same side of the table. Perhaps
:23:39. > :23:48.it was a bit wide. Caused himself all sorts of problems now if he
:23:48. > :23:54.can't get back up to the black. Don't think the blue goes, does it?
:23:54. > :24:04.Perhaps it does. If the blue goes, that helps. It would be a big bonus
:24:04. > :24:21.
:24:21. > :24:31.for him. The blue goes but as you This shot is now missable. I think
:24:31. > :24:38.
:24:38. > :24:46.he will get it, though. Too well played. I don't think he could have
:24:46. > :24:56.expected the cue ball to go through that far. Now what? Red into the
:24:56. > :25:01.
:25:01. > :25:06.middle. Coming round to see whether he can line himself up for black or
:25:06. > :25:10.blue. The blue has to go as close as possible to the black without
:25:10. > :25:20.touching the black and then it will usually pot into the middle pockets.
:25:20. > :25:39.
:25:39. > :25:44.So both of those balls are That really was a superb pot under
:25:44. > :25:50.pressure. Clear the blue away from the black spot or the blue spot.
:25:50. > :25:55.Where the black is about to be spotted again. And still he is yet
:25:55. > :26:05.to move that red from the black spot but he has kept the break
:26:05. > :26:16.
:26:16. > :26:21.going. Can he hold himself together and take us into a deciding frame
:26:21. > :26:31.in this fascinating first round tussle here against John Higgins,
:26:31. > :26:37.
:26:37. > :26:43.He has already had another great Scott, the king of the Crucible,
:26:43. > :26:53.Stephen Hendry, making a magnificent maximum break, his 11th,
:26:53. > :26:53.
:26:53. > :27:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 168 seconds
:27:45. > :27:50.to equal Ronnie O'Sullivan's record, It's great to see this from this
:27:50. > :28:00.young Chinese player, under extreme pressure. He is holding himself
:28:00. > :28:06.
:28:06. > :28:11.together very nicely. Interestingly, should Liang Wenbo win this frame
:28:11. > :28:15.and force a decider the match on the other table is coming to a
:28:15. > :28:20.finish and the barrier will be raised in the middle. The last
:28:20. > :28:23.frame will be played in front of the whole Crucible. Just that last
:28:23. > :28:29.frame, with a slightly different arrangement in your eye sight.
:28:29. > :28:39.can just see the other table from the commentary box. The session is
:28:39. > :28:48.
:28:48. > :28:57.close to finishing. It's gone a little bit too far. I think a
:28:57. > :29:02.fraction too far. It's a very thin cut. He played one earlier in the
:29:03. > :29:12.match like this and went off into the green pocket, I think, was it
:29:12. > :29:22.him? Yes, he had a 54 break and John Higgins had a 70.
:29:22. > :29:42.
:29:42. > :29:46.Beautifully played. It just shows you how focused he is. Loads of
:29:46. > :29:51.noise coming from the other side of the arena as the session finished.
:29:51. > :30:01.He never batted an eye lid. He knocked that cracking red in. He
:30:01. > :30:08.needed that red to give himself the frame. This is it. It's worth look
:30:09. > :30:14.at one more time. What a great shot. Most players would have played to
:30:14. > :30:18.pot the red and trust to luck where the cue ball went. What a
:30:18. > :30:28.performance and what a match this has turned out to be. Both players
:30:28. > :30:56.
:30:56. > :31:04.giving it everything, as you would Doesn't really matter about that
:31:04. > :31:08.pink. The frame was in the balance. John Higgins has it all to do again.
:31:08. > :31:14.Liang Wenbo keeps himself in this first round match and levels the
:31:14. > :31:19.score at 9-9, just one more to play. Will John Higgins go the same way
:31:19. > :31:24.as Neil Robert son did last year when he returneded as champion but
:31:24. > :31:34.lost in the first round. Here is the final first frame decider in
:31:34. > :31:35.
:31:35. > :31:39.the 2012 tournament. Not that hard, though. Just the positional part.
:31:39. > :31:44.Can you believe it. I think the referee spotted it straightaway.
:31:44. > :31:54.Liang just pointed to the table. You could tell the way the white
:31:54. > :31:55.
:31:55. > :32:00.followed the red. What a time to play a foul. Oh, dear. I hope that
:32:00. > :32:10.doesn't put him out of this year's world championship, to go out with
:32:10. > :32:19.
:32:19. > :32:23.a shot like this. He just followed on with the cue. Played a poor shot.
:32:23. > :32:33.Just show you that a little bit slower here. Just watch as he
:32:33. > :32:34.
:32:34. > :32:40.follows that through, yes, just He can't do anything now. A little
:32:40. > :32:44.shake of the head. He has to sit there and just see what the
:32:44. > :32:50.defending champion can do. Looking at the way the balls are situated,
:32:50. > :33:00.even though he missed that long red, Liang knows only too well that John
:33:00. > :33:03.
:33:03. > :33:08.Higgins could close out the match here. He got a kick on that red. He
:33:08. > :33:18.now has more of an angle on the black, so he can play off the top
:33:18. > :33:19.
:33:19. > :33:26.cushion. How many times have we seen John Higgins mop these up?
:33:26. > :33:36.It's been a fascinating battle, this, it really has. Toed and froed.
:33:36. > :33:41.
:33:41. > :33:51.Look at the total points. 999, he might have to call that number.
:33:51. > :33:52.
:33:52. > :34:02.Total silence now in the Crucible theatre. You see the other table
:34:02. > :34:11.
:34:11. > :34:21.empty. So far hasn't put a foot wrong in this break. The longer
:34:21. > :34:21.
:34:21. > :34:31.this goes on the more confidence he will get. The second red looks like
:34:31. > :34:47.
:34:47. > :34:55.it goes into the mird Dell, even if Well, can you get your breath? 44
:34:55. > :35:01.points in front. The red was a little bit of a distraction there.
:35:01. > :35:05.He hasn't left anything easy for Liang to go at. Is there a possible
:35:05. > :35:12.plant into the middle pocket? That would be risky. He has looked at
:35:12. > :35:17.those four reds that are around the pink spot. Even if they were in
:35:17. > :35:26.line it would be rather difficult. What is he looking at? He is
:35:26. > :35:31.looking at the possibility of making this. This is a bit risky.
:35:31. > :35:41.There is an element of safety in the shot. Only an element, though.
:35:41. > :35:42.
:35:42. > :35:51.Just how much you fancy it. He it going to pot this and screw back.
:35:51. > :35:56.He can play it dead straight. Still a big shot, though. Three inches
:35:56. > :36:06.between the two reds. He is picking the spot where he would have to
:36:06. > :36:09.
:36:09. > :36:19.knock that first red on. Here we go, then. John looks up. I think John
:36:19. > :36:23.
:36:23. > :36:28.can see a monitor in the arena. And it's in. It's in. Well, -
:36:28. > :36:38.(APPLAUSE) A very brave plant from Liang there.
:36:38. > :36:44.
:36:44. > :36:52.Only one difficult red. The red that John Higgins is very much
:36:52. > :37:02.hoping that Liang Wenbo messes up on should he get to it. You
:37:02. > :37:08.
:37:08. > :37:15.certainly feel that Wenbo will get Can this young Chinese player hold
:37:15. > :37:25.himself together here? It's hard to describe how he is feeling inside.
:37:25. > :37:29.
:37:29. > :37:39.There is no margin for error with this game. You have to control the
:37:39. > :37:45.
:37:45. > :37:55.cue ball and the object ball and Not the greatest shot for a left
:37:55. > :37:56.
:37:56. > :38:01.hander to play. He would have liked to have been a bit further down the
:38:01. > :38:11.table but he would have risked snookering himself with the red. So
:38:11. > :38:15.
:38:15. > :38:24.he would have had to have played it short. It was all over the place. I
:38:24. > :38:29.think he has messed up the position. Not too sure. Yes, he has. Does
:38:29. > :38:39.that red cut past the middle in the middle? If not it's the long red
:38:39. > :38:40.
:38:40. > :38:44.into the green pocket screwed back somehow. What a shot this is. John
:38:44. > :38:48.Higgins knows there is an awful lot of pressure on this young man. He
:38:48. > :38:52.is looking at the cut into the middle but it's the one up into the
:38:52. > :39:02.corner he is faced with. That little cannon on the red he would
:39:02. > :39:05.
:39:05. > :39:15.have been perfectly placed. Whoa, Well played.
:39:15. > :39:16.
:39:16. > :39:21.(APPLAUSE) The only slight problem there is he
:39:21. > :39:30.knocked the other red safe, but he won't be too concerned about that.
:39:30. > :39:34.He potted a very good pressure ball John Higgins will have been
:39:34. > :39:44.delighted to see that red go to the side cushion, absolutely delighted.
:39:44. > :39:45.
:39:45. > :39:55.So that gives him some Real Insurance in this frame. A great
:39:55. > :40:10.
:40:10. > :40:16.A possible chance to pot the red, screw back and shift the red off
:40:16. > :40:22.the side cushion, should he so wish, and leave himself on the red in the
:40:22. > :40:26.middle. He had the perfect angle to do that, Steve. I knowment He had
:40:26. > :40:29.the red over the middle pocket now. A lot of players would have played
:40:29. > :40:35.that. He is obviously feeling a lot of tension out there. Exactly
:40:35. > :40:40.thought, "I don't really want to risk that." But your shot is the
:40:40. > :40:43.one that could have freed that difficult red. I wonder if he was
:40:43. > :40:51.sitting in the commentary box whether he would have seen it a
:40:51. > :40:58.different way. But you've got to be out there playing to know. Oh, that
:40:58. > :41:04.was a little bit hesitant. It went in. He is certainly back into this
:41:04. > :41:14.match. That's guaranteed now. He can get a bit of a lead at the very
:41:14. > :41:17.
:41:17. > :41:25.least? John Higgins was not that many pots away from securing this
:41:25. > :41:33.final frame and he missed this one - this one in the middle pocket
:41:33. > :41:37.that just went on the near jaw. (APPLAUSE)
:41:37. > :41:41.Not idealaly placed. He has to get close to either of those reds. He
:41:41. > :41:44.is a left hander, so the one near the cushion, even though he is left
:41:44. > :41:48.handed is going to be more difficult than the one on the right
:41:48. > :41:54.side of the table. He needs to get a bit closer to the red on the
:41:54. > :42:04.right side of the pink. He has an angle on the blue to force it up
:42:04. > :42:05.
:42:05. > :42:09.He has hit it too hard. He has hit it much too hard. Now, does he take
:42:09. > :42:15.this red up into the corner and does he try and get himself onto
:42:15. > :42:19.the black in such a way that he can move the difficult red? Well - I
:42:19. > :42:24.mean it is a possibility because the only red he could leave would
:42:24. > :42:29.be the one he would be attempting. He has already stood at the bottom
:42:29. > :42:32.of the table with his cue lining up where he wants the white ball. I
:42:32. > :42:38.don't know why he was standing there unless he can - unless he is
:42:38. > :42:43.going to play the safety shot. is playing the little sin safety -
:42:44. > :42:47.thin safety shot. I don't think he can get behind the green. He can
:42:47. > :42:52.get to the middle of the cushion effectively. That's exactly where
:42:52. > :43:00.he was standing. He has got the advantage but it's a slim one.
:43:00. > :43:10.(APPLAUSE) Here is the safety shot, though,
:43:10. > :43:15.
:43:15. > :43:20.What a tense opening match for the defending champion, John Higgins.
:43:20. > :43:30.Can he keep himself in this year's world championship or will the
:43:30. > :43:56.
:43:56. > :44:02.young Chinese player cause a big Look at the cue ball. Where is this
:44:02. > :44:06.red going to finish? He is going to get away with it, is he? He is. On
:44:06. > :44:13.left there is a possible double here. John has got away with that.
:44:13. > :44:16.He has let the cue ball run wild there because he missed the pot by
:44:16. > :44:26.so far. I think he is looking at the double, the possibility of a
:44:26. > :44:36.double here, because he would Can he make the angle to take that
:44:36. > :44:45.
:44:45. > :44:52.Where is the red going? AUDIENCE: Come on, John. Didn't
:44:52. > :44:57.think it was on. I didn't think it was on. Only Liang Wenbo would have
:44:57. > :44:59.known exactly. So first chance for John Higgins to get this red out or
:44:59. > :45:06.get behind it. (APPLAUSE)
:45:06. > :45:09.Assuming of course he pots that ball. What angle has he got on the
:45:09. > :45:14.blue? That may be absolutely perfect to knock it out. Wouldn't
:45:14. > :45:19.that be a bonus. If he doesn't like it he can roll behind it. His
:45:19. > :45:26.choice. He can go for the knockout. It's perfect.
:45:26. > :45:32.(APPLAUSE) Committee call on all his vast
:45:32. > :45:42.experience now? And pull this match out of the fire. Because he has
:45:42. > :45:50.
:45:51. > :46:00.been put under extreme pressure by Well, I don't think - he finished
:46:00. > :46:09.perfectly on the pink. That wasn't the way he intended it to work out.
:46:09. > :46:14.They are sitting like soldiers. There is going to have to be some
:46:14. > :46:24.sort of collapse here not to scramble up to the blue at the very
:46:24. > :46:26.
:46:26. > :46:31.least. Liang Wenbo had his chances in this match. It looked like he
:46:31. > :46:38.was going to cause an upset but it's slipping away shot by shot
:46:38. > :46:48.here. Just the brown and blue needed. And it will be a very
:46:48. > :46:50.
:46:50. > :46:56.relieved John Higgins that keeps We said he looked a little bit
:46:56. > :47:06.tired early on in this evening's session but I will tell you what,
:47:06. > :47:06.
:47:06. > :47:16.he will be coming back Friday morning. If this blue goes in. And
:47:16. > :47:25.it's there. He has put up a brilliant display
:47:25. > :47:35.here. Jews has been a fascinating opening match. We see the smile on
:47:35. > :47:38.
:47:38. > :47:48.John Higgins's face. He gets himself into the second round. He
:47:48. > :47:51.
:47:51. > :48:01.does not get closer than that. was totally outplaying me. I was
:48:01. > :48:06.
:48:06. > :48:16.really struggling. I don't know how I won that game. In the last frame,
:48:16. > :48:18.
:48:18. > :48:28.Akua few, I don't know how. -- I cued a few. It is always a real
:48:28. > :48:30.
:48:30. > :48:40.struggle in the final matches. I could have easily been six behind.
:48:40. > :48:40.
:48:40. > :48:44.I felt good when I was in front. I dunno how were won the game.
:48:44. > :48:54.defending champion is true, I only just. One more match to bring you
:48:54. > :49:10.