Day 13 Snooker: World Championship Highlights

It has been a few years. It has been disappointing watching the

other guys have success in the World Championship. He has been off

the best player has of the season. He comes to Sheffield and always

seems to do well. To be in the latter stages of this event, it

means the world to me. Anybody can win this tournament now. There are

no favourites. I will be the underdog in the semifinal, but that

will suit me. It will be very hard. It will be a tough match. I have

not had any easy matter so far. Hello again. Semifinal of the

world's snooker Championship. day 13. It is the 30th campaign at

the Crucible for Matthew Stevens. He has been unlucky over the last

few years. Twice he has been 1 up up. He has a poor record against

Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has not beaten him since 2003. Things look

ominously like they are clicking into place for Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Ronnie O'Sullivan Formby is the most brilliant snooker player I

have ever said. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the best player I have ever

played. He makes the game looks ridiculously easy. If he applied

himself he would break every record in the book. Left to the right hand

it. He does not care. He -- when he makes breaks he is never out of

position. When he is there he tries his best. I have always respected

him as a player and a manager. never know what you will get the

The Matthew Stevens but that record at the Crucible was superb. Twice a

finalist. Three times this semifinalist. But it has been seven

semifinalist. But it has been seven years since he got to this stage of

the event. If you are watching earlier, you will see that the

Welshman got nothing for his efforts. He went into the mid-

session 4-0 behind and easier to find his rhythm. This is what

transpired when they returned. This is the fifth round and Ronnie is 17

points behind. -- fifth frame. Has he got and just that bit too far?

He played for the pink so he could cut the pig endeavour not be red.

He will have to plant pots have signed. -- Cup be pink and develop

the red. He is not selected. -- cut the pink. If he can avoid the

cannon on to the yellow - the added problem is he might put the red on

to the grain. -- only problem. -- the green. He avoided the green.

Matthew narrows as it looks up into the commentary box it is possibly a

snooker. -- Matthew notice as he He needs lots of sight on this to

come off the cushion. -- sighed. -- It has to trap he has to try to

keep the white here and get in behind the black. -- he has to try

to keep the white here. That is a very good sacker. -- snooker. This

shot is a possibility it and he could finish on the yellow or green,

but can he knock this difficult red He is very unlikely. He could not

have played the shot any better. But little knowledge has spoilt his

run to the winning line. He just flipped the yellow. Just the

This is awkward, Willie. This straight up-and-down is difficult

to judge. He would have to go near 82-cushion the scope is what he is

Mind you, he has had a result on He did not get anywhere near with

for us to tent. That is where he The referees are assisting to

determine exactly where the boys are. -- balls. That is where they

will be fraught and this is them now. That is near enough. -- that

is where they were before. If he can just re adjust slightly to make

that ankle, he might just get a play with it. -- angle. Beautifully

played. But if you come to be miss he do it first time it is lucky to

have got away with it this time. -- nephew completely mishit it. --

Matthew. Whoever pots the green will go on to win this for him. Is

the yellow going? This year is a perfect shot to play around three

cushions and get on the ground nicely. This has to go in. This

will give Matthew a lot of confidence if it goes in. If he can

get B potting angle and miss thank you black he will get a terrific

amount of applause. -- 8 potting angle. He needs to miss the brown.

When you are strapped then light Matthew is at the minute you have

to take everything out of the equation. -- when you are

struggling light Matthew. -- like Matthew. He can play a snooker. The

jaw of the middle pocket has spot Not straightforward if he does this

say. -- if he gets this safe. It is not an easy safety shot. He must

beware of the double-kiss if he He could hit the left side of the

green and sent the green over two days left corner pocket. - Max and

the green overt to the left corner pocket. -- sent the Greens over to

the left corner pocket. -- send the green. This is a great chance for

Matthew to settle in this semifinal. He needed to miss the kids on the

blue and he did it nicely. -- case. No progress in that tactical friend.

Matthew Stevens will be delighted. -- no breaks in that tactical frame.

At long last Stevens is on the board. The former UK and Masters

champion. He has got his nose in Matthew, what have you done there.

-- have you done they? That was very careless. -- done there? He

has slipped himself on the intended red. That was a good chance to push

on. -- snookered himself. He has already had to play safe twice and

Just to a delicate little cannon but he missed it badly. -- just a

delicate. Let's say it Bob occur shows us. Yes, there would have

done it. -- see what Hawkeye. -- He is going to take this on. There

is a gap between the blue and the green which is the path but could

take. But he could go very close to him off. -- in-off. After a series

of little kisses, I think he has All of a sudden only will smog from

Nick a solvent and it is as if that the double has changed everything

around. -- a little smile of from Ronnie O'Sullivan. -- that interval.

He has to hope the white kids a trip half here and play for the pig

or the black. -- the white shows a I am not sure what if he can just

stunned in the 20 minutes and leave the white somewhere there. -- stun

I think the peak will be available into the right corner. I am not

sure. -- the pink. They know, it He is just not getting into the cue

ball at will. Six or seven inches short. -- at all. But recovery.

Slough off the cushion. -- good Slough off the cushion. -- good

That was a very good recovery. was looking to see if the pink

would go in the right middle. He is OK. He is growing in confidence

with each shot, and its estate. This is the speed he needs to play.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 41 seconds

He has been brought down. -- each That equals his highest break -

just a 66. You would expect a little bit higher up, but the

friends have gone rather awkward. - It is not ideal on this planet. He

could screw directly up in to them all go off to cushions. -- This

He is just one run away from making the frame so. Altarnun, Matthew

Stevens. -- red. -- well done. Ronnie O'Sullivan has decided to

play on, but Bahrain number of slickers Matthew Stevens will win.

-- bar a number of snookers. Matthew Stevens won that frame and

his back into that match. He is a great talent but should have done

more in the game. He should have won so many mop tournament. He

rises to the occasion. He is getting more confidence. He does

not mess about. He is very for an attacking. Passionate flaunt. --

The finals. He has been in two or concert finals. - break into all

kinds of finals. Now to the That was a total lapse into on the

-- concentration. He never even thought about the pot. He just

didn't look at it. That was not a twitch. You cannot rich on a shot

like that. -- twitch. You got a bed, Willie? -- want a bet. He has met

many of the book with his total lapse in concentration. -- met

Ronnie was on and off the clock. That seemed quite risky again. He

is frustrated with that previous He did not hit that quite as he

He will have to play a delicate little cannon on the blue. He is

playing on the red. He is not in This is where the left hand is so

This frame will hurt Matthew more than you would expect, because he

knows he has had two chances and has not altered as many as he

should have done. -- not pottered. He has gone a fraction too far.

That is not the one he wanted to He has got another go at getting

the Engel to split the reds. He has gone a couple of inches too far. --

the angle. He might have to power this pink in. Unless he goes for a

This time he has gone a little bit too far. He is still OK to pot the

pink. Just swing it around and He is having to work for there is.

They were not ideally placed. -- for these. It is very tough to get

It took him five attempts to get on to the pink in such a way that he

could bring the reds into play. He has hit it perfectly. Somehow, the

fight has gone into a position where he cannot pot one. -- white.

He is just starting to show a little bit of frustration. The

balls have gone rather awkwardly. Sometimes the big breaks are not

He looks a little bit fed up at the table. We have seen that throughout

the championship. He has got to keep his focus. Matthew Stevens let

He pushed to read into a tough position. He has not got the cue

ball on the top cushion and he has -- for Matthew. Position is not

He does not want to move the red that is near the kitchen. That his

insurance for Ronnie. -- the Group of moving the red that were

mentioned. He will make sure he does not catch the black on the way

He is playing it with a touch of This might be played as a short to

This is a massive frame for both players in the context of the match.

This could be a port for Matthew Stevens into the corner. He could

play for the pink or blue. He has got to get it right. That is the

long pot that he is looking at. He has hit it too thick. Where is the

red going to finish? It is going to be over the pocket. If it is

absolutely dead straight, Laurie can't too much with this. There you

see it. -- Rory O'Sullivan. He can have the pink into the middle

He has to be careful he does not follow it into the pocket. He

forced the angle. That was almost dead straight.

Not an easy run to the winning line He has to get two more reds into

play. Maybe he can do that and a couple of shots time. He would like

to finish on that red. He wants to The red to the left of it would be

available so he might not risk the cannon. If he could play for the

red that is behind the little triangle of reds he would be

That is what he has done. APPLAUSE The crowd know that this

is a frame ball. There will be no heroics with position. The break

has only been 22 but he has had to play some good positional shots.

Matthew Stevens let him off the hook when he missed that easy shot

Matthew debating whether to come to the table. Even if he does, it is a

long way back. It looks like Ronnie O'Sullivan is going to be leading,

5-2. And he was. How significant will

the lead be by the end of the The referee announces the final

frame of the session. Already, as we said earlier, this is a big

frame for Matthew Stevens. He would The crowd thought he was going to

get a flick there. What has he left? Ronnie knows he can get the

It is a possibility but will he risk it? He would nudge the black

into a portable position. Does he have the angle to do that? The

black will not go. I do not know if he can see enough of that. He tried

to do it. He took his eye of the plant. He was more concerned about

He has missed a couple of chances They have only got one session

The two remaining sessions will be Both players at the moment have

lost a little bit of focus and That can happen sometimes at the

last frame of the session. You start thinking "I could be four

That is no good, few. Someone has got their camera out. -- that is no

He has gone into the Reds at pace. This is what he played. He could

Because he is bridging over the red ball, he cannot get enough side on

it. If he leaves it on this side of the table, he has got to get it

That is all he could do. He has handed the initiative to Ronnie

O'Sullivan. He could not play a telling safety. This is where he

would have liked to hide the cue He will be removing the red that is

Not the best from Ronnie. He has He can play that read. It does not

have to go along that line, but A very similar shot took what

Matthew had last time. It is easy to hit these thick or thin. It is

difficult to hit them just right. Because he has hit it too thin, he

has pushed a red ball. This will be A shake of the head from Ronnie.

This is not easy. He will have to force this. Otherwise, he will get

all sorts of obstacles. He has found a gap. He has done very well

to find that gap. He stroked that I thought he was going to have to

force it. He knew he was going to hit something. He played that

absolutely perfectly. He deserved That was a bit careless. That is a

little bit careless. He played for the black there. A change of plan.

Matthew looks at the angle from behind the pink. Not many players

You have got to take your hat off to him. He is looking like his

normal self. He has been kept on his chair for a considerable amount

of time. Somehow he has got back into this section. -- session.

As I mentioned, in the first four frames, he did not get any chances

To be fair to Ronnie, he never got him amongst the reds like this

either. That is why the highest It has been very tactical. It

sounds strange, but Matthew is almost trying not to lose rather

than to win. He is not risking anything. He has been Ingall from

near the form he has showed in his previous matches. -- nowhere near.

You do not lose your form at this stage. You have played terrific

snigger to get here. You might lose a little bit of rhythm. -- snooker.

Especially after losing the first four. Has he covered this? The pink

There is one to the middle. There is one to either a middle pocket.

It is not as easy as that on to the Matthew Stevens has got quite a bit

final. Lots of fans have travelled This is already his highest break

of the match. It is the perfect time to get it, isn't it? He has

not had a great afternoon. They will play the final two sessions

I mentioned earlier, the last time that you got to the one table

situation, it was 2005. He lost to Shaun Murphy, 18-16. Murphy played

some fabulous snicker that year. He is back where he likes to be. --

This is now the highest break of the night. It could be a century.

We have had 60 centuries so far this year. Can he rock along a blue

in? No. A's -- APPLAUSE. Matthew Stevens will be happy. It

got a little bit awkward. That gets Matthew Stevens to just two behind,

5-32 Ronnie O'Sullivan. -- 5-3 to. The highest player left in the draw

is Stephen Maguire. He is the world No. 6. He is playing Ali Carter. He

has returned to health and form. It has been one of the best feel good

stories of the Jan picture. Here is how the first session went. -- of

What a test of his during this is. -- cuing. He has said it

beautifully. He will be happy. 2-0. In goes the black. Ali Carter goes

Ali Carter is going on the Trying to squeeze through the gap.

That looks dangerous to me. Well, would you believe it? Would you

believe that? Ali Carter leads, 5-3. And they will return at 10am for

the first of two sessions tomorrow. It will be a busy day for them. You