:00:40. > :00:45.Hello and welcome to highlights of the first day's play it at the
:00:45. > :00:49.Crucible Theatre for the 2013 Betfair World Snooker Championship.
:00:50. > :00:56.A very special atmosphere in this city because of one person. Ronnie
:00:56. > :01:00.O'Sullivan, the defending champion, The Rocket, his back.
:01:00. > :01:05.Breaking snooker news. Ronnie O'Sullivan has decided to miss the
:01:05. > :01:15.rest of the snooker season. Doubts have been cast on whether he will
:01:15. > :01:23.
:01:23. > :01:27.The Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan! A terrific atmosphere it in the
:01:27. > :01:37.Crucible this morning for the return of Ronnie O'Sullivan, the
:01:37. > :01:46.
:01:46. > :01:56.defending champion. This is the The Rocket is back and he takes the
:01:56. > :02:12.
:02:12. > :02:18.Ronnie O'Sullivan will be delighted. Marcus Campbell will be kicking
:02:18. > :02:28.himself. In it goes. And, Ronnie O'Sullivan
:02:28. > :02:40.
:02:40. > :02:49.Ronnie will be disappointed with And Ronnie O'Sullivan, defending
:02:49. > :02:53.champion, ends the first session leading seven frames to two. Ronnie
:02:53. > :02:58.O'Sullivan steams into a lead after the first session needing just
:02:58. > :03:04.three frames to move into the second round. He won the first two
:03:04. > :03:14.frames of the evening session. Marcus Campbell then staged a mini
:03:14. > :03:16.
:03:16. > :03:21.Tale you what, this will be some going to make a break with the
:03:21. > :03:30.high-value colours, as they are. Sometimes, he relishes this kind of
:03:30. > :03:37.game, concentrating even harder. If he gets the pink in play, it
:03:37. > :03:46.will be available minus three of the four top pockets. Without the
:03:46. > :03:56.pink in play, it is virtually I feel one of your specials coming
:03:56. > :04:17.
:04:17. > :04:27.If the pink, if he gets on to a red, He could have easily kissed the
:04:27. > :04:31.
:04:31. > :04:37.black but would have left the white I can't remember which match, but
:04:37. > :04:47.last year, he won the frame with 12 reds and 12 pinks, it was quite
:04:47. > :04:49.
:04:49. > :04:55.amazing. I can't remember who made It is not straight forward to get
:04:55. > :05:05.onto the pink. If he plays through the gap, he may kiss on to the red
:05:05. > :05:10.
:05:11. > :05:20.As long as he is not straight on the yellow... He can get anywhere
:05:21. > :05:30.
:05:30. > :05:36.Has he come far enough? He hasn't. He might have to play a plant. This
:05:36. > :05:46.is not easy, especially with the left hand and the distance between
:05:46. > :05:56.
:05:56. > :06:06.He was disappointed with the The same scenario, it is not
:06:06. > :06:10.
:06:10. > :06:20.He couldn't do anything there, he Only one loose red available after
:06:20. > :06:52.
:06:52. > :07:02.I don't know if he can force an He has found the gap there. So,
:07:02. > :07:12.
:07:12. > :07:20.He hasn't quite hit that hard He was a bit unlucky to go between
:07:20. > :07:29.those two of reds. What a shot Marcus is faced with here. 33
:07:29. > :07:39.points behind, 9-4 down. Faced with a long red. With the cue ball not
:07:39. > :07:46.
:07:46. > :07:55.Brilliant! Brilliant cueing. Absolutely, Dennis. And he has left
:07:55. > :08:00.an angle. Look at that for a shot. Not an ounce of side on.
:08:00. > :08:10.The white must have jumped a few times before it got to the red.
:08:10. > :08:19.
:08:19. > :08:29.That is unlucky. You can see the anoints on his face. That is very
:08:29. > :08:45.
:08:45. > :08:51.unlucky. Two of the best shots we A bit unlucky there. Have a look at
:08:51. > :09:01.that. Watch the white. It bounced at least five times. But he hit it
:09:01. > :09:10.
:09:10. > :09:20.They've 26 point lead. But equivalent to 50 points given where
:09:20. > :09:37.
:09:37. > :09:47.Well done. You have to take your hat off to markers. He is not
:09:47. > :10:04.
:10:04. > :10:14.giving in at all. He is fighting to There was a match many years ago,
:10:14. > :10:24.somebody came back from 9-2, do you remember that? I can remember Cliff
:10:24. > :10:24.
:10:24. > :11:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds
:11:16. > :11:24.Thorburn losing to Nigel Bond. Mentioning the awkward balls. He
:11:24. > :11:27.may need that awkward blue. Brown to blue will be an awkward shot and
:11:27. > :11:37.the fact Marcus is right handed these he may need the rest should
:11:37. > :11:38.
:11:38. > :11:48.He has got himself back into this frame but he's still not favourite
:11:48. > :11:52.
:11:52. > :12:02.Doesn't he get some cue ball movement? That is excellent.
:12:02. > :12:12.reminds me of the Canadian Bill Werbeniuk. He generates a lot of
:12:12. > :12:12.
:12:12. > :12:18.I'm not sure what happened there, he wasn't settled. He has done the
:12:18. > :12:28.right thing, and got up, from the shot. The black is slightly in his
:12:28. > :12:34.
:12:34. > :12:44.He has brought the blue into play, he didn't want to. What a shot this
:12:44. > :12:54.Never expected to cannon into the blue. This will need very good
:12:54. > :13:06.
:13:06. > :13:14.cueing, dead straight into the No, he knew the importance of that.
:13:14. > :13:19.The blue finishers... I thought he was going to fluked a snooker. Is
:13:19. > :13:29.that his last shot in this World Championship? It was a dead
:13:29. > :13:35.
:13:35. > :13:41.straight pot. Which can be telling He missed it by a long way. Having
:13:41. > :13:51.potted some fantastic balls in this frame. That was almost a scenario
:13:51. > :13:55.
:13:55. > :14:01.with all your eggs in one basket. Yellow, green and brown needed. And
:14:01. > :14:05.it will be a very good start for the defending world champion. We
:14:05. > :14:11.were all wondering how he was going to start his campaign, after being
:14:11. > :14:16.out for a year. He has looked pretty good. A couple of little
:14:16. > :14:25.mishaps along the way. A few long pots missed, but overall the
:14:25. > :14:35.He doesn't play it until next Saturday, so he will drive back
:14:35. > :14:37.
:14:37. > :14:41.home to see his family, his He missed the blue by a mile. But I
:14:41. > :14:44.think Ronnie O'Sullivan is back, and safely into the last 16 you
:14:44. > :14:49.would have to say. It took him longer than he would
:14:49. > :14:53.have liked but Bonnier Sullivan finally sealed his place in the
:14:53. > :15:00.second round seeing of Marcus Campbell. At times, he looked in
:15:00. > :15:05.stunning form. He appeared to enjoy himself, scoring 952 points in
:15:05. > :15:10.those frames. My first match of the season. We
:15:10. > :15:15.are at the end of the season. It is very difficult. I have never found
:15:15. > :15:23.myself in this situation before in my life. It is a totally new
:15:23. > :15:28.experience for me. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
:15:28. > :15:33.To be honest, I never focused on him, I tried to focus on myself. I
:15:33. > :15:36.was happy with the way I felt and the way I played today. In
:15:36. > :15:42.different circumstances, different player, I would have been a match
:15:42. > :15:50.for most people today. He pinched a couple of frames, clearing up, some
:15:50. > :15:55.really good clearances, he is so cynical and quick. There is
:15:55. > :16:05.obviously a bit of rustiness there which is to be expected. But I'm
:16:05. > :16:06.
:16:06. > :16:09.pleased to get when -- win. He has certainly throwing down the ball
:16:09. > :16:19.that to the rest of the people here in the Crucible.
:16:19. > :16:20.
:16:20. > :16:23.Plenty of other of matches to bring There are a highlight of that first
:16:23. > :16:33.match with Ricky Walden in World Championship Snooker Extra right
:16:33. > :16:36.
:16:36. > :16:40.Lisowski is making his Crucible debut.
:16:40. > :16:50.As Ronnie O'Sullivan entered the arena for the evening session,
:16:50. > :17:01.
:17:01. > :17:11.another former world champion did Probably, but I am still 38 years
:17:11. > :17:14.
:17:14. > :17:24.old, still No. 11 at -- in the world.
:17:24. > :17:25.
:17:25. > :17:33.Now we are playing every week or I don't think they are scared. I am
:17:33. > :17:43.all for it as long as 128 goes to every venue. Until that happens, it
:17:43. > :17:44.
:17:44. > :17:54.Probably have to plead guilty myself, and probably a lot of
:17:54. > :17:55.
:17:55. > :18:05.What are you saying? I would agree with that. There are lot of people
:18:05. > :18:14.
:18:14. > :18:18.I am quite laid back, and never take anything seriously really. I
:18:19. > :18:27.just love a good wind up, wedding somebody up. I actually enjoy
:18:27. > :18:37.somebody trying to wind me up but added big anyone has succeeded.
:18:37. > :18:39.
:18:39. > :18:47.I am a lot better than him now, that is for sure.
:18:47. > :18:52.An honest Mark Williams there. His opponent fellow Welshman Michael
:18:52. > :18:57.White. Last time they met, he beat him 4-1.
:18:57. > :19:04.Michael white took the first two frames, Williams pulled one back
:19:04. > :19:14.before capital light white took the 4th. We join it in frame five,
:19:14. > :19:21.
:19:21. > :19:31.Michael weight is trailing -- It was one of those. When it goes
:19:31. > :19:32.
:19:32. > :19:42.into the heart of the pocket, you It was very well judged. Unlucky
:19:42. > :20:21.
:20:21. > :20:31.He played the two cushion escape with pace, that is the problem if
:20:31. > :20:45.
:20:45. > :20:55.you catch it too thick. This is a It looked from here as if he would
:20:55. > :21:28.
:21:28. > :21:38.It would have been a good chance if Very nice. The confidence of youth,
:21:38. > :22:01.
:22:01. > :22:10.He struck that nicely. I am not certain if the black will go into
:22:10. > :22:14.this right corner. If it does, he could play for the black. Certainly
:22:14. > :22:20.give him better opportunities to win the frame at this visit. I
:22:20. > :22:30.think he did play for the black. But he didn't want to get that far
:22:30. > :22:51.
:22:51. > :22:56.So, can he reached that? He has to Very well played. Considering the
:22:56. > :23:06.noise going on, on the other side of the wall. It took a lot of
:23:06. > :23:13.
:23:13. > :23:23.concentration and he couldn't have Still 11 points in arrears. Not the
:23:23. > :23:54.
:23:54. > :24:04.Left himself a nice angle here. Certainly may be able to play for
:24:04. > :24:16.
:24:16. > :24:26.I think he is OK, the red passes The problem with being too straight,
:24:26. > :24:45.
:24:45. > :24:52.is you cannot get the cue ball away Left himself a bit of distance
:24:52. > :25:00.between the two balls. He hasn't been missing much in this match so
:25:00. > :25:03.far. A very good performance. There is no certainty in this game that
:25:03. > :25:13.you make the transition from a very good young player, into which top
:25:13. > :25:26.
:25:26. > :25:36.player, but he is making a good He has taken these really well. 16
:25:36. > :26:09.
:26:09. > :26:19.Mark Williams was in first but And Mark Williams will not be
:26:19. > :26:21.
:26:21. > :26:26.coming back to the table. Two times That would have been nice if he had
:26:26. > :26:36.got the cannon, but it doesn't matter. He is 30 points in front
:26:36. > :26:37.
:26:37. > :26:43.Mark Williams I am certain will stay in his seat, which he does. So,
:26:43. > :26:50.Michael White, the young man, on his debut, is leading the twice
:26:50. > :26:57.champion of the world, Mark Williams, by 4-1. A great little
:26:57. > :27:07.break by Michael White, Mark Williams in a spot of bother.
:27:07. > :27:39.
:27:39. > :27:49.Whatever it is, it is not a bad Well, dear me! Everybody, tip toe!
:27:49. > :28:11.
:28:11. > :28:16.That is unbelievable. How has that Not quite as amazing as that.
:28:16. > :28:20.Unbelievable things happening on this table. He is on the blue and a
:28:20. > :28:30.chance to win the frame at this visit. Wouldn't it be remarkable if
:28:30. > :28:32.
:28:32. > :28:42.It has stopped inch-perfect, we have a new favourite for this frame
:28:42. > :29:04.
:29:04. > :29:14.So, 33 points behind. He needs a pink from this last red. To be able
:29:14. > :29:24.
:29:24. > :29:28.Oh, well, would you believe it? Would you believe that? He was
:29:28. > :29:38.playing with so much confidence. That stopped him in his tracks,
:29:38. > :30:14.
:30:14. > :30:24.just this red needed for Mark It is an excellent snooker. He
:30:24. > :30:51.
:30:51. > :30:57.It is a very good attempt. Excellent. He has pulled a frame
:30:57. > :31:01.Excellent. He has pulled a frame back. Still trading 4-2. It is
:31:01. > :31:05.always nice to see players having a bit of banter with the crowd after
:31:05. > :31:10.snookering himself behind the black and he will be kicking himself for
:31:10. > :31:20.missing that red. It is into frame seven we go at Michael White is
:31:20. > :31:25.
:31:25. > :31:35.back at the table. -- and Michael He has been fortunate with kicks in
:31:35. > :31:38.
:31:38. > :31:48.And in adverse conditions like we have got at the moment, these shots,
:31:48. > :32:07.
:32:07. > :32:11.when you roll them in, you are more With these type of frames which are
:32:11. > :32:21.quite fragmented, you would expect Mark Williams to be the stronger of
:32:21. > :32:28.
:32:28. > :32:38.He is one of these players that can win a few frames without doing a
:32:38. > :33:01.
:33:01. > :33:11.He is not happy with himself. We can see that in his facial
:33:11. > :33:12.
:33:12. > :33:22.expressions. He is not happy with He is not hitting it as smoothly as
:33:22. > :33:23.
:33:23. > :33:33.he normally does. It is all down to Once again, not happy with his
:33:33. > :33:42.
:33:42. > :33:52.You get a feeling that they could have been an error somewhere, John.
:33:52. > :33:54.
:33:54. > :34:04.I really do feel that this is a very big frame for Mark Williams.
:34:04. > :34:11.
:34:11. > :34:17.That was a poor position again. He has played for blue and is
:34:17. > :34:27.completely the wrong side of it. He has got plenty of room to manoeuvre
:34:27. > :34:38.
:34:38. > :34:48.but he has got to judge the pace of Just about got there. 67 remaining.
:34:48. > :35:09.
:35:09. > :35:19.Now he has decided to... Still the He could have been better on the
:35:19. > :35:29.
:35:29. > :35:39.And in it gaze. An important frame and it goes the way of Mark
:35:39. > :35:42.
:35:42. > :35:47.The one thing about him... He wants to play well and he wants to be
:35:47. > :35:55.scoring heavily when he does get the opportunities, but he will not
:35:55. > :36:05.be disappointed to win scrappy frames like this. He said earlier,
:36:05. > :36:15.you said earlier, he was a very brave player. He is hoping that the
:36:15. > :36:44.
:36:44. > :36:54.level of his game will improve as That is his best so far. 64. 61 was
:36:54. > :37:04.his previous, in the third frame. It does not seem a big break. But
:37:04. > :37:18.
:37:18. > :37:23.with the way he has been playing, That is enough. Michael White might
:37:23. > :37:26.consider himself unlucky. That was more like Mark Williams and write
:37:26. > :37:34.back in the match now, just one back in the match now, just one
:37:34. > :37:39.behind, 4-3. And the comeback is on. He took the next one to make it 4-4.
:37:39. > :37:49.Into the final frame at the session. White is at the table and he is
:37:49. > :37:55.
:37:55. > :38:04.How could he get that back on the baulk cushion after that? He has
:38:04. > :38:09.left himself a tricky brown. And if he misses that, he will lead Mark
:38:09. > :38:12.Williams back to the table and it will probably cost him the frame.
:38:13. > :38:22.These are the times when you have got to find something, in the World
:38:23. > :38:50.
:38:51. > :38:56.He is looking to see if he can play for the Brack. -- black. I think
:38:56. > :39:06.that is too risky. It is only available in to the right corner.
:39:06. > :39:06.
:39:06. > :39:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 51 seconds
:39:55. > :40:05.If it goes right, good shot but it Some precise precision shots needed.
:40:05. > :40:15.
:40:15. > :40:19.He would like to get that red out He is having a look at the red
:40:19. > :40:29.passing the black in to the right corner. It looks a bit tight. It
:40:29. > :40:38.
:40:38. > :40:48.looks very tight. It might squeeze You would not want to Harry potter
:40:48. > :41:02.
:41:02. > :41:12.that for your life. -- you would He has waited a long time for his
:41:12. > :41:28.
:41:28. > :41:38.chance. He is doing all right at This red will be available after
:41:38. > :41:46.
:41:46. > :41:49.potting the black in to the left He would have preferred to be a
:41:50. > :41:59.fraction streets or on the black. Oh, he thinks it goes into the
:42:00. > :42:04.
:42:04. > :42:11.other corner. -- a fraction He probably would have liked a bit
:42:11. > :42:21.more angle. But if he can force it on to the right hand side of the
:42:21. > :42:31.
:42:31. > :42:36.Just got into it a little bit too much. But he has got a 14 point
:42:36. > :42:42.advantage. This is a decent break of 45, considering he has not had
:42:42. > :42:50.any table time in the last 30 minutes or so. It was always going
:42:50. > :43:00.to be a tall order to win the frame in this visit. A good safety now.
:43:00. > :43:09.
:43:09. > :43:19.And he will be right back in the He will be hoping that the blue
:43:19. > :43:31.
:43:31. > :43:35.comes to his rescue. And I think it He got away with it that time.
:43:35. > :43:45.think it was slightly mistimed when he played that red below the table
:43:45. > :44:23.
:44:23. > :44:33.but he got away with it. This red He might be taking the double here.
:44:33. > :44:50.
:44:50. > :44:55.You never know where they are going to end up. He might think he was a
:44:55. > :45:05.bit unlucky but it is always the same. If you hit one into another,
:45:05. > :45:15.they could stop anywhere. One could pot and it could be another frame
:45:15. > :45:21.
:45:21. > :45:27.I do not know what to say about that. It all has a long way away.
:45:27. > :45:37.It is not like him to miss a vital one like that. That was a definite
:45:37. > :45:42.
:45:42. > :45:46.Well, he needs it to miss the pink but it is not too bad. It has left
:45:46. > :45:56.him on the green and he only needs the green to be on the penultimate
:45:56. > :46:10.
:46:10. > :46:20.A quick look at the old scoreboard... He needs two reds and
:46:20. > :46:22.
:46:22. > :46:32.That looks about inch-perfect on the blue and Mark Williams might
:46:32. > :46:36.
:46:36. > :46:46.not have a chance in this frame. Apple's required. -- a couple of
:46:46. > :46:52.
:46:52. > :47:02.This red and the black, you would think, he would play for. And in it
:47:02. > :47:10.
:47:10. > :47:18.went and now the black to give 32 A 5-4 overnight lead... And Mark
:47:18. > :47:25.Williams will be philosophical and think that it could have been worse.
:47:25. > :47:31.A very interesting match, this could turn out to be tomorrow. This
:47:31. > :47:38.man has got great ability and he is a great talent. Can he ever come
:47:38. > :47:48.the experience of Mark Williams? -- overcome. It will be an interesting
:47:48. > :47:52.
:47:52. > :47:59.Overall, I think he deserves that lead. And I think he will have to
:47:59. > :48:04.settle for that lead at 5-4. It was an interesting session. Mark
:48:04. > :48:07.Williams will not be pleased. Michael White might be a bit
:48:07. > :48:12.disappointed that he is only one in front but that is the end of the
:48:12. > :48:16.day and he will take that into the day and he will take that into the
:48:17. > :48:20.second session tomorrow. And it is very finely balanced between those
:48:21. > :48:26.Welshmen. We have seen some terrific snooker on the opening day