:00:31. > :00:36.Hello, good evening, welcome to the Crucible Theatre here in Sheffield
:00:37. > :00:40.and the 2014 World Snooker Championship. Another day of drama.
:00:41. > :00:45.Over the next 50 minutes we will bring you up-to-date with all the
:00:46. > :00:51.first-round action. First to the all Scottish clash and the match between
:00:52. > :01:51.Alan McManus taking on four time world Champion, John Higgins.
:01:52. > :01:57.John Higgins under a lot of pressure after the first session with Alan
:01:58. > :02:02.McManus leading by 6-3. Alan McManus played well in the second session to
:02:03. > :02:07.take a 9-4 lead, needing one frame to book a place in the second-round
:02:08. > :02:13.a meeting with Ken Doherty. John Higgins rattled off the next three
:02:14. > :02:16.frames to pull it back to 9-7. John Higgins is at the table in frame 17,
:02:17. > :02:32.25 points behind. COMMENTATOR: The blue hasn't bounced
:02:33. > :02:33.enough to make it an easy pot with the red next to the brown available.
:02:34. > :02:51.It will have to be the yellow. Now, how is your luck here, John? A
:02:52. > :02:57.bit closer to the cushion than he wanted, but if he can get that one
:02:58. > :02:58.to the left of the black, one good shot and he could be right in
:02:59. > :03:07.business here. He has an angle to get on the black.
:03:08. > :03:13.He is looking very good. In fact the best he has looked of the match so
:03:14. > :03:18.far, Stephen? Yes, a couple of frames ago the real John Higgins has
:03:19. > :03:24.finally turned up. Is it too late? Is I must admit, although he is 9-7
:03:25. > :03:29.down, in my eyes he is growing slowly to become favourite in this
:03:30. > :03:57.match. If Alan keeps throwing up these chances to win.
:03:58. > :04:03.Probably take the one next to the brown now. He is back looking at the
:04:04. > :04:07.one that will get him on to the black. He will need the extended
:04:08. > :04:12.rest to get to that. It's pretty straight-forward, you would have to
:04:13. > :05:06.say. Just drop in and get on the black.
:05:07. > :05:18.There is only one really difficult red. The one he is cueing alongside
:05:19. > :05:24.at the moment. If he gets high valued colours, he
:05:25. > :05:46.may not need that difficult red. No noise from the other side of the
:05:47. > :05:51.arena now. They have The Crucible all to themselves.
:05:52. > :05:58.Play finished. There's the ball that is still there, it will come up
:05:59. > :06:07.after this frame. That's if John wins it. He is
:06:08. > :06:11.disappointed with that potional shot because, I don't think, the two reds
:06:12. > :06:16.that are closest together, I don't think they will pot. He has to play
:06:17. > :06:17.a good positional shot here. He wanted to be straighter on this
:06:18. > :06:27.pink. Now, he is a lot further away from
:06:28. > :06:31.the red than he would have liked. It's now become missable, this red.
:06:32. > :06:36.You have to say, the way he looks now, you fancy him to win every
:06:37. > :07:09.frame in one visit when he gets to the table.
:07:10. > :07:14.APPLAUSE He was trying to stay on the high
:07:15. > :07:17.valued colours because he knew, it would have worked out, that he
:07:18. > :07:23.wouldn't have needed the difficult red. He could have got this frame
:07:24. > :07:40.without needing the red on that side cushion there, near the brown.
:07:41. > :07:47.Here's the positional shot. He wants to leave the white where it is. He
:07:48. > :07:51.let the white travel about a foot further than he wanted. It made the
:07:52. > :08:01.angle on the pink difficult for position.
:08:02. > :08:10.John may be able to take a pot onto the right corner here and play it in
:08:11. > :08:12.such a way that he's heading back up the table. Plenty of colours
:08:13. > :08:30.available. If he does knock it in. He doesn't want to hit it too thick.
:08:31. > :08:31.Boy, that was close. I think he has covered everything into this right
:08:32. > :08:39.corner. I think he can possibly see the red
:08:40. > :08:43.that is closest to the right cushion. He can follow-through off
:08:44. > :08:45.the two cushions for the black. This is a chance. Coming around to have a
:08:46. > :08:57.look at the shot that you suggested. Just pass the six-hour for this
:08:58. > :09:02.fascinating tussle, as it's turning out to be. It looked all one way at
:09:03. > :09:20.one stage, but boy this is another key shot coming up here.
:09:21. > :09:33.He was close, but I tell you what, he will be happy with the result.
:09:34. > :09:35.Once he took it on, he thought if he missed it he would stick them up. He
:09:36. > :11:10.got away with it that time. Alan has had the better of the
:11:11. > :11:14.tactical battle in this match, his safety success rate slightly ahead
:11:15. > :11:47.of Johns. Could have played that better. OK,
:11:48. > :11:51.he has a good cue ball, the red is pottable. It's a tough one into the
:11:52. > :11:57.middle pocket, but you know what John is like. If he sees half a
:11:58. > :12:00.chance, he'll take it on. That is such a tough shot from that
:12:01. > :12:23.position, it really is. This is horrible. Horrible shot.
:12:24. > :12:33.Brilliant. That was a brilliant shot.
:12:34. > :12:39.Superb cueing to knock that in. OK, he hasn't dropped on the colour
:12:40. > :12:44.nicely. I tell you what, he could put Alan in a spot of bother here.
:12:45. > :12:51.It might even be worth just nudging in behind the brown. Having a quick
:12:52. > :12:55.look at the score. The brown will pot. A little nudge, in behind the
:12:56. > :13:01.brown. He can go down behind the green, also. That is what he fancied
:13:02. > :13:08.rather than the delicate little shot. I think he may just have left
:13:09. > :13:12.a little bit of the red sticking out.
:13:13. > :13:30.Yeah. Is there enough there to get to the potting angle?
:13:31. > :13:39.That is a terrific shot from Alan McManus.
:13:40. > :13:45.Mind you, it's a shot that John shouldn't have let him see. He could
:13:46. > :13:47.have nudged off the brown and got the snooker behind that. He put the
:13:48. > :13:56.brown safe. Yeah, when John played that shot he
:13:57. > :13:58.looked to the skies. It was a careless shot he played to give Alan
:13:59. > :14:10.the option. Let's have a look at his reaction.
:14:11. > :14:14.Yeah, he knew he had left a little bit of it sticking out. It wasn't a
:14:15. > :14:21.bad choice to put the brown safe, but he needed to get the snooker.
:14:22. > :14:27.Alan is going to need that brown if he keeps potting balls.
:14:28. > :14:39.Just thinking it was worth trying to play for the blue off the last red.
:14:40. > :14:52.Just one point behind now. Still looking for that one frame that will
:14:53. > :15:07.give him a famous victory and get him into the second round.
:15:08. > :15:18.That frame that gets you over the line is always the toughest one to
:15:19. > :15:27.get. It's purely the fact that Alan
:15:28. > :15:38.hasn't been in that situation enough over the last few years.
:15:39. > :15:43.Great shot. Now John can play the blue.
:15:44. > :15:49.He can clear the path for the brown for that left centre. Alan would
:15:50. > :15:56.have liked to have played this shot from the last red.
:15:57. > :16:08.Well, he can't believe that! He is not the only one! Did he take his
:16:09. > :16:13.eye off the pot? Let's have another look. He over cut it. He was playing
:16:14. > :16:16.with a lot of left hand side to avoid the cannon on the brown. I can
:16:17. > :16:20.only think that was the reason he missed it. What a chance now.
:16:21. > :16:31.Well, he led 8-3. He led 9-4. He has suffered an onslaught from John
:16:32. > :16:41.Higgins. Could John have thrown it all away with that miss on the blue?
:16:42. > :16:48.He needs the brown, he needs the blue and he needs the pink.
:16:49. > :16:55.He can then go one better than last year when he lost in the first-round
:16:56. > :17:07.to Ding Junhui. They are the best of friends these
:17:08. > :17:11.boys, but it's been a battle royal, as it's turned out. John Higgins
:17:12. > :17:15.made a great fightback, winning three frames in a row. Alan, he's
:17:16. > :17:20.not going to rush anything at this stage. What a performance.
:17:21. > :17:30.No, his stomach will be churning here.
:17:31. > :17:35.Oh, if he hits the black, he could have been in a spot of bother. He's
:17:36. > :17:51.on the pink. Well, Alan McManus has certainly
:17:52. > :17:55.rolled back the years. He beats his good friend, John Higgins. What a
:17:56. > :18:00.fantastic fightback John made of it. He gave himself too much to do. In
:18:01. > :18:06.the end, Alan McManus goes through to the second-round with a famous
:18:07. > :18:13.victory. He beats his good buddy 10-7. I had two good chances and
:18:14. > :18:19.messed up both. Then you start getting a little bit nervy. I was
:18:20. > :18:23.just thankful to get one or two more chances that last game to put the
:18:24. > :18:26.match away. Because, as I say, you know John is going to come on
:18:27. > :18:31.strong. That is what great players like him do. I'm very thankful I
:18:32. > :18:34.scraped over the line, yeah. The winning line is someone has to
:18:35. > :18:40.contend with. You know, I've not been doing it, especially at the
:18:41. > :18:46.Crucible for a long time, so, you know, you do get nervous. You know,
:18:47. > :18:51.that's... All the players do. But, you know, I managed to somehow get
:18:52. > :18:57.the the balls down towards the end. I can move on. You know, look
:18:58. > :19:02.forward to going back out there. And Alan McManus will meet the 1997
:19:03. > :19:07.World Champion, Ken Doherty, in round-two. Time for us to bring you
:19:08. > :19:13.up-to-date with all the action from round-one. Marco Fu is m a good
:19:14. > :19:17.position against Martin Gould. Fu leading 6-3. Hawk High beaten by
:19:18. > :19:24.Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Crucible last year is taking on Dave Gilbert.
:19:25. > :19:30.Hawk High was 4-2 down but leads 5-4 at the end of the first session. Let
:19:31. > :19:37.us focus on the All England clash between Judd Trump and Tom Ford.
:19:38. > :19:48.Scrappy affair this one. 2-2 at the inter Val. Judd found his way into a
:19:49. > :19:52.5-2 lead. It's Judd to play. -- interval.
:19:53. > :20:04.COMMENTATOR: Might have left himself with a few problems. I think he
:20:05. > :20:09.played a two cushion safety behind the yellow that went wrong.
:20:10. > :20:14.Tom Ford reversing the situation here. It's poked its nose out. He
:20:15. > :20:28.didn't want that. Unlike all the previous seven
:20:29. > :20:30.frames, just seems in the middle of it, of each frame, he gets bogged
:20:31. > :20:50.down. Well, he has left a pot, but... It
:20:51. > :20:52.would be a brave player to go for this.
:20:53. > :20:59.If he missed this shot, your opponent clears up, you have to walk
:21:00. > :21:10.back and explain to your snooker mates why you went for it. "What
:21:11. > :21:13.were you thinking?" If you get it, you can be a hero! What a great shot
:21:14. > :21:26.that was. Terrific. Very brave. Unfortunate that red went to the
:21:27. > :21:30.side cushion. He is digging in. He is hanging on in there, even though
:21:31. > :21:36.he has what he considers to be a poor session.
:21:37. > :21:43.It keeps him right in the match this.
:21:44. > :21:50.Just mentioning the people who come with you. Yeah, you have to go
:21:51. > :21:54.through the steward's inquiry when you get back to the dressing room,
:21:55. > :22:03.don't you? "Why didn't you play a snooker on that shot? Why didn't you
:22:04. > :22:06.play safe?" The stewards that goes on in the dressing room.
:22:07. > :22:15.It looks good. Beautiful shot. Needs to slow down a touch. They are
:22:16. > :22:22.starting to fly out of the cushions. Looked perfect. As the session has
:22:23. > :22:27.got on, once again, Tom's flattening down the cloth and the cushion where
:22:28. > :22:30.it may have been roughed up a fraction. So this is now not as easy
:22:31. > :22:43.as it should have been. It looks like he might have the
:22:44. > :22:52.angle to knock that red out. I don't think it's anily guaranteed. Play
:22:53. > :22:58.behind it. This blue will make the scores all score. Under hitted it.
:22:59. > :23:01.If he could have been confident of the exact line of that he could have
:23:02. > :23:06.promoted the red closer to the pocket. But he thought he could get
:23:07. > :23:12.in behind it. Six inches would have made a massive
:23:13. > :23:17.difference there. Once again a missable shot down the
:23:18. > :23:38.rail. Another tester. He didn't panic on that one. Got the
:23:39. > :23:42.pace right. Yes. And this red looks to be tight along the top cushion.
:23:43. > :23:46.That will make the pot that much easier.
:23:47. > :23:54.I think he has just about enough angle. He doesn't have to play it
:23:55. > :23:55.with too much pace. There has been no trouble along the top cushion.
:23:56. > :24:06.Certainly on this table. Do you think he got another kick?
:24:07. > :24:08.Another bad contact. It certainly looked like he felt that was the
:24:09. > :24:16.case. It's hard to say. Hard to say.
:24:17. > :24:19.Yeah... It dived into the top cushion pretty early. Once that
:24:20. > :24:23.happened, it was never going to go in. Judd has come a little
:24:24. > :24:29.straighter on this. We know full well he has so much cue power he
:24:30. > :24:32.can, if he wants to, screw back to the side cushion, in between brown
:24:33. > :24:37.and blue for the yellow into the right corner, the green pocket.
:24:38. > :24:43.Watch the screw back. Watch the side. What a beautiful shot that is.
:24:44. > :24:51.It was a beautiful shot. Six inches. I said a few times, a couple inches
:24:52. > :24:53.more would have been inch-perfect. He didn't seem to hit ha hard, did
:24:54. > :25:04.he? He pushed the cue through lovely and
:25:05. > :25:09.smooth. Another bad contact. Took the pace out of the cue ball. It's
:25:10. > :25:11.been a tough session for kicks. It really has. It's destroyed the
:25:12. > :25:21.rhythm of the game, to some degree. Another look at that deep screw
:25:22. > :25:27.with... Put left hand side, then it reverses. Oh, he's missed the green!
:25:28. > :25:37.Two points in front, Judd Trump. Both players would say the balls are
:25:38. > :25:49.coming off thick off the cue ball. They'll, once again, the shot.
:25:50. > :26:00.Excellent pot. Short of pace for the brown and making it easy. Will smack
:26:01. > :26:02.it in-off three cushions to get back up for the blue. Needs brown, blue
:26:03. > :26:07.and pink. Putting in a bit of effort into the
:26:08. > :26:18.shot, oh, where will it go? Didn't really look so confident on
:26:19. > :26:21.that. He got down and really didn't give it, I wouldn't say enough care,
:26:22. > :26:26.he didn't give it enough time. Perhaps a couple more backwards and
:26:27. > :26:35.forwards motions. Needs this cue ball to slow up. That
:26:36. > :26:38.I think is the killer blow. It just about has. A quick glance at the
:26:39. > :26:49.score board. Blue and pink for possibly a flatter
:26:50. > :26:56.6-2 lead at the end of this session. But, flattering or not, Tom Ford has
:26:57. > :27:02.had his chances. It's not Judd's fault that he didn't take them. In
:27:03. > :27:06.it goes. That will be end of session because they have run out of time.
:27:07. > :27:10.They will get the table ready for this evening. Tom Ford will be very
:27:11. > :27:13.disappointed to be four frames behind. Judd Trump won't be that
:27:14. > :27:21.happy with his game, but pleased with the scoreline. He leads 6-2.
:27:22. > :27:25.Very big frame for Judd Trump as they head into the morning final
:27:26. > :27:30.session. Now the evening matches starting with Northern Ireland Mark
:27:31. > :27:34.Allen taking on Michael Holt. All very tight there. It is the
:27:35. > :27:39.northernishman with a slender one frame advantage going into the
:27:40. > :27:42.second session. Let us take a look at how Ricky Walden is going on. He
:27:43. > :27:50.was a beaten semi-finalist last year. He is taking on Kyren Wilson
:27:51. > :27:55.making his debut. Ricky lead 6-3 after the first session. Wilson
:27:56. > :28:09.pulled it back to 9-7. Ricky needs one frame for victory.
:28:10. > :28:30.It seemed a long time since the last pot. This would be a clearance,
:28:31. > :28:32.John. This would go down in the annals of great clearances at the
:28:33. > :29:23.Crucible. Well, he did not look comfortable,
:29:24. > :29:35.and stretching over, now Ricky Walden comes to the table, 46 points
:29:36. > :29:48.in front, red-black, red-pink, would be enough to leave Kyren Wilson
:29:49. > :29:57.needing a snooker. So, this black, would put him 54 points in front
:29:58. > :30:16.with 51 remaining. Has he had his last chance of winning? Not quite.
:30:17. > :30:48.The pot success in this frame is 55% Ricky Walden, 50% Kyren Wilson. I
:30:49. > :31:52.know the feeling. That was a good pot, and he needs
:31:53. > :31:57.the tower, 46 behind, 43 on the table, the green is the easy one but
:31:58. > :32:12.that can only tie him up, whether black is, so, he will have two take
:32:13. > :32:21.the pink on. -- have to take. Needs this pot. It is there, good shot. He
:32:22. > :32:25.is keeping his slim hopes alive, now, 40 points behind, 43
:32:26. > :33:00.remaining. We have just gone through the hour
:33:01. > :33:13.mark four this frame. -- for this frame. Ricky Walden now just needs
:33:14. > :33:20.the red. Doesn't need a colour. The most difficult chance so far. I
:33:21. > :33:33.actually think he went for that, John. Where is the red going? It is
:33:34. > :33:38.covered by the other red. There was a half chance here, if he rolls the
:33:39. > :33:45.red onto the other one, gets onto the black, leaves that red over the
:33:46. > :33:51.pocket. He has got to fully commit to this. It would be nice if the
:33:52. > :34:05.first red that he hits hits the side cushion first. Fully commit.
:34:06. > :34:11.He's got it, and he is on the black, and the other red's over the
:34:12. > :34:36.pocket. Hold the front page! He just has to be careful not to
:34:37. > :34:53.snooker himself when the black gets re-spotted. Well done.
:34:54. > :35:04.You have to say, red - black, then possibly lay a snooker off the
:35:05. > :35:17.yellow, because getting from yellow to green looks too difficult.
:35:18. > :35:38.The further up the table he can get the cue ball, he would need to play
:35:39. > :35:42.the safety -cum-snooker. He's right back in the frame, and if he wins
:35:43. > :35:53.this frame, he is right back in the match.
:35:54. > :36:01.He decided to go the other side, he wants to be able to dig down on this
:36:02. > :36:07.cue ball, and he will not be able to now, he is too near the cushion.
:36:08. > :36:16.Surprised he did not go up the left-hand side of the table there.
:36:17. > :36:23.The problem is, now he is tight against the cushion, he cannot stop
:36:24. > :36:33.the cue ball where the yellow is. He can still play a decent safety. He
:36:34. > :36:42.looked like he was shaping to go up the left-hand side so that he could
:36:43. > :36:49.stun the yellow. But, that cue ball tight against the side cushion makes
:36:50. > :37:00.us look a difficult -- makes the snooker difficult.
:37:01. > :37:14.He has played it well. Found a gap between pink and black. But that
:37:15. > :37:28.does not guarantee that Ricky Walden can get the snooker, here. He has
:37:29. > :37:37.hit it hard, and if he doesn't kiss the blue, there might be the chance
:37:38. > :37:41.of a pot on this yellow. The natural angle is to play at playing ball,
:37:42. > :37:49.not the cannon the blue of the brown. He can put the green on an
:37:50. > :38:02.angle to get back to the brown and not get snookered behind the pink.
:38:03. > :38:20.Why did he hit it so hard? Hmm. Yes. I agree. He could have just floated
:38:21. > :38:24.the yellow in. I know that there is a lot of pressure, a lot of
:38:25. > :38:33.attention, but you have got to give yourself a chance. Just the yellow
:38:34. > :38:41.needed for Ricky Walden. He has looked at the potting angle, and it
:38:42. > :38:42.is a thin cut. I have to be honest, I do not fancy Ricky Walden potting
:38:43. > :39:41.anything at this stage. He has just about got it safe. I do
:39:42. > :39:47.not ink that this yellow cups in. Ricky Walden looking at the potting
:39:48. > :39:52.angle. If he has left the pot on, that was very careless, and if he is
:39:53. > :39:54.playing for the pot, he has got to be careful of the in-off, on this
:39:55. > :40:40.right corner. Well, he just overcut that, and has
:40:41. > :40:46.the brown and has the brown Cumbria 's rescue? Looking at his body
:40:47. > :40:51.language, well, he has got the snooker. -- has the brown come to
:40:52. > :41:06.his rescue. Looking at the yellow, if he hits
:41:07. > :41:14.it, he could put it, but it was a result, not to leave it. Is he going
:41:15. > :41:29.to play the swerve? If he judges it right, he could pot the yellow. He
:41:30. > :41:36.has swerved it too much. Those fractions at the moment, just
:41:37. > :41:38.favouring Kyren Wilson. He was lucky not to leave that. He is hanging on
:41:39. > :42:31.by his fingernails. Pretty good hit, it will cut to the
:42:32. > :42:34.right middle but no value in taking it on and if he did, you would
:42:35. > :42:40.almost certainly be running into the black. So there is not that position
:42:41. > :43:32.on the green, but where is the safety?
:43:33. > :43:43.He's having a look at potting angle, now. He would like to play this
:43:44. > :43:47.yellow up and down the table towards the baulk end, but he has got to be
:43:48. > :43:52.wary that the yellow does not run into the black. So it is not
:43:53. > :44:12.straightforward by any means. That's not bad, he was in a spot of
:44:13. > :44:16.bother, but he has played it pretty well. He has not put Ricky Walden
:44:17. > :44:24.under a lot of pressure, but at least he got the yellow safe. And
:44:25. > :44:25.remember, that is all that Ricky Walden needs to clinch frame and
:44:26. > :45:05.match. That is a good safety, excellent.
:45:06. > :45:19.But what it has done, it has opened this frame up. If Kyren Wilson could
:45:20. > :45:28.get this safe, and that is a big if, he would have a chance. But he is
:45:29. > :45:33.under the utmost pressure in the knowledge that his opponent only
:45:34. > :45:42.needs this one ball. Can he get it safe?
:45:43. > :45:53.Not very. Not very. It goes into the corner, it cuts into the middle. Is
:45:54. > :45:59.this the chance that Ricky Walden has been waiting for? This frame has
:46:00. > :46:16.been going over 73 minutes now. And in it goes. He is going to be on
:46:17. > :46:18.the green, so that looks as though it is going to be end of frame and
:46:19. > :46:42.match. Well, it has taken a long time to
:46:43. > :46:50.get over the line but he has got there eventually. It has been a
:46:51. > :46:54.banana skin for a lot of seeds, quite a lot of them have gone out,
:46:55. > :47:03.fallen by the wayside, but he will be there in the second round. He
:47:04. > :47:06.made hard work of it, Kyren Wilson started off the match playing well
:47:07. > :47:08.but never really reached those heights again, and it will be a very
:47:09. > :47:24.relieved Ricky Walden who wins 10-7. I played quite patchy, but I showed
:47:25. > :47:27.spells of chewing the ball well, and delighted to be in the next round
:47:28. > :47:29.and hopefully I can improve. The atmosphere is good, the crowd are
:47:30. > :47:41.involved. I had a lot of tough shots that were
:47:42. > :47:46.not going my way. It was a tough old game. And the pressure out there is
:47:47. > :47:53.immense, and it is great to be a part of. That final frame was the
:47:54. > :47:57.second longest in Crucible history, 48 seconds shorter than the one
:47:58. > :48:03.between Stephen Maguire and Mark King at the Crucible in 2009.
:48:04. > :48:07.Snooker extra is coming up next featuring the match between Marco Fu
:48:08. > :48:11.and Martin Gould. I will lead the back at ten o'clock on BBC Two with
:48:12. > :48:15.further coverage of the World Snooker Championship. We will show
:48:16. > :48:48.you coverage of Judd Trump the Tom Ford. -- v Tom Ford.
:48:49. > :48:51.Ted, I... I'm not interested in coming to see Lady Gaga, sir.