:00:34. > :00:40.Hello, it is a late night for us here in Sheffield but an important
:00:41. > :00:44.one. We would know the identity of the first man through to the
:00:45. > :00:49.quarterfinals of the sea's Dafabet World Championships. More on that
:00:50. > :00:54.shortly, but first, Ronnie O'Sullivan, he has run into a very
:00:55. > :01:01.game Joe Perry in his second round match. And the Cambridgeshire at
:01:02. > :01:17.human was Alex -- in extremely assured form once again.
:01:18. > :01:26.Ronnie knew he needed a good start, 5-3 down, he came out all guns
:01:27. > :01:30.blazing. It was a century break for a few seconds until the white went
:01:31. > :01:39.into the middle pocket. But he won the opening frame. It was Joe Perry
:01:40. > :01:42.who came storming back to take the next two frames showing great
:01:43. > :01:55.composure. Ronnie O'Sullivan missed some uncharacteristic shots.
:01:56. > :02:02.Ronnie then went on to make a terrific clearance on the colours.
:02:03. > :02:06.Potted a very important yellow and he missed the frame on the black.
:02:07. > :02:11.That got him back to one frame behind. One of the great
:02:12. > :02:14.characteristics Joe Perry has shown is that whenever he has been
:02:15. > :02:24.pressurised, he has kicked on again, and he did, making 88 and 73. So
:02:25. > :02:32.much happened in that last frame. Both players knew how important it
:02:33. > :02:37.was. Joe Perry went 10-6 ahead. Ronnie, in the end, would have been
:02:38. > :02:40.delighted to have closed the session out just two frames behind. It was
:02:41. > :02:51.4-4. They return at 10am to finish that.
:02:52. > :02:56.This evening, we were engrossed in this match between the world number
:02:57. > :03:01.three, Mark Selby, and Ali Carter. Now, these two guys share very some
:03:02. > :03:02.-- share something in common which is that they've both been a
:03:03. > :03:13.runner-up at the Crucible. Mark Kloster John Higgins in 2007,
:03:14. > :03:18.he made it into the quarterfinals through the last five years. As for
:03:19. > :03:25.Ali Carter, he has had heartbreak not once, but twice because he got
:03:26. > :03:32.to the final in 2008, when he lost to Ronnie O'Sullivan. And then again
:03:33. > :03:37.in 2012. He has seen a lot of Ronnie over the last couple of years. It
:03:38. > :03:43.was him that knocked him out last year. It is Ali Carter against Mark
:03:44. > :03:47.Selby. It was Mark Selby who had a 5-3 advantage after the first
:03:48. > :03:55.session. Now it is session number two.
:03:56. > :04:05.Everybody is looking forward to this second session.
:04:06. > :04:18.Played it beautifully. Mark Selby leads 5-3.
:04:19. > :04:30.Excellent sportsmanship from Ali Carter.
:04:31. > :05:02.Excellent. Fully committed. Could not have played it better. And a
:05:03. > :05:10.little punch of the table shows his delight.
:05:11. > :05:24.That is incredible. That is such a careless and add shot. -- add shot.
:05:25. > :05:31.It is 9-5. Tremendous pot.
:05:32. > :06:00.He has to catch this wafer thin. He has played it perfectly. Indigo
:06:01. > :06:08.is the black. It will be 9-7 going into the evening session.
:06:09. > :06:14.13 is the magic number, chasing to book a place in the quarterfinals.
:06:15. > :06:22.Selby is a bit of bother, 42 points behind as pick it up with John
:06:23. > :06:33.Virgo. It is not the most straightforward
:06:34. > :06:43.of tables, so to speak, the way the reds are. Just looking at the
:06:44. > :06:47.possibility of the plant just above the black because if you straight on
:06:48. > :06:59.this pink, he can remove the cue ball too much.
:07:00. > :07:11.He just notched that red, has he knocked it safe? I have a feeling he
:07:12. > :07:19.has. That red closest to the cushion just went past those two reds, but
:07:20. > :07:21.he just nudged it. He has an alternative to the far right corner.
:07:22. > :07:48.But this is a lot more difficult. Excellent pot, very good indeed.
:07:49. > :07:54.Perfect angle to come down for the loose red next to the black as well.
:07:55. > :07:59.Still plenty of work to be done here. Those three reds, left do not
:08:00. > :08:14.look like they are pottable. If he had a nice angle on the pink,
:08:15. > :08:19.he could play a run through to play those reds interplay. But he is
:08:20. > :08:30.strikingly low. He played it nicely. He can stun this over to the other
:08:31. > :08:58.side. He gave that a hard look. It is too
:08:59. > :09:05.straight, he will have to play for the red along the cushion. He didn't
:09:06. > :09:13.want to play for it. But we cannot see an alternative red to play for.
:09:14. > :09:20.This is asking a lot, unless the top of those three goes to the right
:09:21. > :09:27.corner, maybe that is what he is thinking.
:09:28. > :09:32.But he needed to be straight on at even think about playing it. That is
:09:33. > :10:16.end of break. Sending the red up to the baulk end,
:10:17. > :10:38.we could have a few minutes of TP Tapie.
:10:39. > :10:58.There will be no chance of a re-rack, believe me!
:10:59. > :11:08.Well, he has given him a shot of that at the baulk end. Ali is just
:11:09. > :11:26.checking these two reds are not a plant.
:11:27. > :11:36.Quite a clever shot, that is, to put another red over there. The only
:11:37. > :11:45.thing is, has he left Mark Selby a chance opposite the green pocket?
:11:46. > :12:01.It is there! What a shot! That was a terrific pot. Drop your guard for a
:12:02. > :12:03.second, Ali Carter was more concerned about getting the red safe
:12:04. > :12:22.rather than thinking strategically. Looking ahead, that red and brown
:12:23. > :12:26.are not safe because where these are, if Mark gets on the blue or
:12:27. > :12:35.pink, that red on the left-hand side will leave a natural angle on the
:12:36. > :12:44.black, and that red and brown could come into play. There you go. He is
:12:45. > :13:02.on the blue. Well, Ali Carter will hope his shot is no good.
:13:03. > :13:24.The key to the frame could be the next couple of shots.
:13:25. > :13:34.Not quite there, but he is back in the frame. In fact, he has just
:13:35. > :13:39.struck the front. Despite Ali Carter having a 42 point lead, Mark Selby
:13:40. > :13:46.has clawed his way back. And he wants the frame.
:13:47. > :13:54.Mark will be disappointed with that. He overhead that. Did he get a
:13:55. > :13:56.bounce? I don't know. He was trying to get that cue ball to the top
:13:57. > :14:30.cushion behind the black. Mark is having a look at the cross
:14:31. > :14:36.double. There is a chance that you can get the red to get into the
:14:37. > :14:41.right corner. You can bet your bottom dollar he will be looking at
:14:42. > :14:57.a good white as well. The two in one shot. There it is. It is in.
:14:58. > :15:03.What a chance he has given himself now. A little bit straighter on the
:15:04. > :15:09.yellow, but you see the cross double. It got right in the heart of
:15:10. > :15:13.the pocket. He wanted this cue ball to bounce a little bit more. After
:15:14. > :15:21.potting the yellow, the yellow is going to be re-spotted.
:15:22. > :15:31.He's just looking to see if he can do an up and down table. He has got
:15:32. > :15:49.to miss the black. The pink is the danger ball now.
:15:50. > :15:57.Well, he has played it beautifully. And, without to do a lot it, we've
:15:58. > :15:59.got a new favourite for the frame. This would be a real blow for Ali
:16:00. > :16:46.Carter. He made a good job of it but he
:16:47. > :17:00.still needs the brown and blue. Glancing at the scoreboard.
:17:01. > :17:07.Just making certain of the brown. He wouldn't leave the easiest of blues
:17:08. > :17:20.for the frame. This has been a master in how to play snooker.
:17:21. > :17:28.Well, he felt the tension. That wasn't even close. Well, only the
:17:29. > :17:37.Crucible Theatre and the World Championship can bring that on. And
:17:38. > :17:55.he is lucky not to leave it. That was a long way out.
:17:56. > :18:02.That was something that he could have done. You're right. The second
:18:03. > :18:20.bite of the cherry for Mark Selby. In it goes, lucky, you could say to
:18:21. > :18:29.get another chance. But that is sometimes the way the balls run.
:18:30. > :18:36.Ali Carter needed this frame more than Mark. In goes the pink. And a
:18:37. > :18:44.frame that Mark Selby never looked like winning. A shake of the head
:18:45. > :18:49.from Ali Carter. That is a blow to his hopes. Mark Selby goes three
:18:50. > :18:53.frames in front. This time, it is 10-7.
:18:54. > :18:55.He went on to win the next as well, so two frames away from victory as
:18:56. > :19:08.we pick them up in the 19th. Look at that cue ball. Tight on the
:19:09. > :19:23.rail. It is just relentless, it is tough
:19:24. > :19:28.to play against. Of course, it forces errors, and that is a mistake
:19:29. > :19:30.from Ali Carter, all due to the fact that he was tight on the cushion, as
:19:31. > :19:47.John said. But he will be disappointed, will
:19:48. > :19:51.mark, he didn't make the most of it. This is a chance to prove to
:19:52. > :19:57.yourself, Ali Carter, that you have still got it in you to get right
:19:58. > :19:57.back in this match. It golden opportunity for a sizeable
:19:58. > :20:12.contribution. It's not easy, the circumstances,
:20:13. > :20:19.the scoreboard, just concentrate on one shot at a time.
:20:20. > :20:27.Yes, well, we looked at him thinking, he wants to get in amongst
:20:28. > :20:33.the balls and score heavy, this is the chance he has been waiting for.
:20:34. > :20:35.And I feel, John, if he is going to stay in this match, he has got to do
:20:36. > :20:45.it here. Every one of those reds is lined up
:20:46. > :21:30.like soldiers. Three reds, three black, had a
:21:31. > :21:46.maximum break in 2008. I commentated on it. It was on this table.
:21:47. > :21:50.Just a fraction wide, you could hear a sharp intake of breath from this
:21:51. > :22:26.crowd. He has to be a little bit careful
:22:27. > :22:42.with this one. He would have liked to leave himself
:22:43. > :22:48.low on that, ideally, a cannon on the red closest to the cue ball, but
:22:49. > :22:53.it should be all right. The problem is he has knocked the reds towards
:22:54. > :22:59.the corner, the side cushion. Which tells me, John, that the 147 is the
:23:00. > :23:06.last thing on his mind. He needs this frame, he knows it.
:23:07. > :23:21.He needs to win the frame. And he won't be playing for the black
:23:22. > :23:28.office red. -- off this red. It is an important visit, this. He has to
:23:29. > :23:34.prove to himself, and show Mark Selby, that there is plenty left in
:23:35. > :23:39.the locker. In fairness, he has done it twice in this match already. The
:23:40. > :23:43.last two frames of the second session and the opening session, and
:23:44. > :23:50.he has kept fighting and coming back. He has lost the cue ball
:23:51. > :23:57.there, John. Slightly. He has done that a few times. A little bit of
:23:58. > :23:58.tension on the arm. This will put him 70 points in front, 75
:23:59. > :24:17.remaining. Oh, he has missed the black! He
:24:18. > :24:25.bangs his cue on the table, frustration, annoyance. He knew that
:24:26. > :24:29.was a golden opportunity. So, Mark Selby comes to the table, 63 points
:24:30. > :24:35.behind, 75 left. Only one awkward red on the side
:24:36. > :25:03.cushion. This is a chance. Well, at first, I didn't think it
:25:04. > :25:10.was going in, but there is not much nap on these clots. It seemed to
:25:11. > :25:13.drift down, didn't it? It could have run over a finger mark or anything,
:25:14. > :25:22.but, initially, I didn't think it was in.
:25:23. > :25:42.Match time, seven hours. And it has been enthralling and engrossing.
:25:43. > :25:47.Good position or shot required here. A couple of reds on the
:25:48. > :25:57.right-hand side of the pink will pop. -- pot. I don't know which one
:25:58. > :26:01.he played for there, but he will be happy because the one in the middle
:26:02. > :26:07.pocket looks pretty straight. Not sure he played on that one.
:26:08. > :26:17.He will take it. And Ali Carter is going to sit in his chair and have
:26:18. > :26:21.to squirm for the next five minutes or so while this break is going on
:26:22. > :26:27.because he knows he should have won this frame.
:26:28. > :26:38.It was the poor positional shot getting on the black that caused his
:26:39. > :26:47.downfall in the end. He was pinning his hopes on that red on the
:26:48. > :26:54.left-hand cushion. But Mark Selby, great matchplay, he knows this is an
:26:55. > :26:58.opportunity he's going to grasp with both hands. And get within one frame
:26:59. > :27:17.of the quarterfinal. He's already thinking of ways he can
:27:18. > :27:31.bring that red near the left-hand cushion into play.
:27:32. > :27:38.I do know whether I'd risk trying to bring it into play of the black.
:27:39. > :27:43.With that red being adjacent to the pink, he could get a nice angle on
:27:44. > :28:04.the pink, and it depends how he sees it.
:28:05. > :28:13.He has played for the cannon. And he is absolutely perfect. What a good
:28:14. > :28:19.shot he has played. Yes, it looked a little bit risky to me, but that was
:28:20. > :28:29.his decision. And it could not have worked out any better.
:28:30. > :28:49.A clear run to the winning line now in this frame.
:28:50. > :28:57.Well, they may look simple, and I'm pretty sure in the club he wouldn't
:28:58. > :28:59.miss, but he is at the Crucible, and he knows this would be a hammer blow
:29:00. > :29:10.to Ali Carter. There has been a certain
:29:11. > :29:18.inevitability about this break so far.
:29:19. > :29:27.Just a few more shots, and it will be a 12-7 lead. He is some
:29:28. > :29:38.matchplay, this boy. It is short of pace.
:29:39. > :29:49.The only problem I ever see is that position from brown to blue. An
:29:50. > :29:58.obstacle that has come earlier than I suspected.
:29:59. > :30:08.It is in the heart of the pocket. Swinging around the two cushions. He
:30:09. > :30:12.has recovered this situation. Nothing Ali Carter can do now. He
:30:13. > :30:18.had his chance, a poor positional shot post him to miss the black.
:30:19. > :30:38.This, to me, is the key to any clearance.
:30:39. > :30:48.Probably a little bit straighter than he would have liked.
:30:49. > :30:55.This has been quite brilliant so far. Pink and black to steal the
:30:56. > :31:21.frame he did not look like winning. And it goes and that was a big frame
:31:22. > :31:26.for Mark Selby and a real hammer blow for Ali Carter. Mark Selby is
:31:27. > :31:35.now just one frame away from place in the quarter final. Five clear.
:31:36. > :31:45.Ali Carter made him wait by winning the next two. That he has much to be
:31:46. > :31:50.pleased with. He is through to his sixth quarter final and the first
:31:51. > :32:00.man through this year. His ambition to win a career triple Crown is
:32:01. > :32:03.nearly upon him. Very impressive. Happy to get through. Only from the
:32:04. > :32:10.start it would be tough against Ali Carter. I had a good start to the
:32:11. > :32:17.match. I played a good first session and I managed to maintain made after
:32:18. > :32:21.that. Every time I came to the table I was buying and it with safety.
:32:22. > :32:28.Mark tended to freeze me out for long periods. I never played the
:32:29. > :32:34.ball for 40 odd minutes at times. It makes it all the more difficult. It
:32:35. > :32:45.was a tough match. I fought to the death but it did not go my way. I
:32:46. > :32:48.know I had my chances. I did not want to make too many mistakes.
:32:49. > :32:55.Fortunately, I managed to follow the line. Mark Selby now plays the
:32:56. > :33:04.winner of this between the oldest men in the door. Alan McManus versus
:33:05. > :33:11.Ken Doherty, the former champion. This is pretty much all school
:33:12. > :33:15.staff. There was something better significant for Alan McManus. It is
:33:16. > :33:33.his first Crucible century since 2005. It was a rate of 107. It is
:33:34. > :33:43.all getting reminiscent of a previous match between them. Alan
:33:44. > :33:47.McManus took the lead in the session. The second session starts
:33:48. > :33:56.tomorrow morning. We also had a sense of deja vu between Barry
:33:57. > :34:08.Hawkins and Ricky Walden. It is a titanic semifinal.
:34:09. > :34:21.They'd assume their second session this evening all square. Terry
:34:22. > :34:32.Griffiths and Willie Thorne are commentating this time.
:34:33. > :34:42.Trying so hard and trying to be so careful not to hit that thin. ,
:34:43. > :35:29.sorry I should have said six. -- sick.
:35:30. > :35:40.He has the break started. He is off to go. Does he go when he gets the
:35:41. > :35:56.ball! He is very fast. Once he has made his mind up and
:35:57. > :36:00.decided watch will play, he is off to go. Here we go. That took about
:36:01. > :36:15.three seconds. I do enjoy watching him play around
:36:16. > :36:23.the black spot area. He does break the build very well.
:36:24. > :36:31.It is interesting to see. He got to the semifinal last year. He led by
:36:32. > :36:40.quite a nice margin and then collapsed. He will have to keep that
:36:41. > :36:54.in mind if he gets a bit behind. It is never over until it is over. He
:36:55. > :38:01.was five behind in the Masters this year but he came back.
:38:02. > :38:11.Ricky Walden his slightly unorthodox but not too bad. He presses down
:38:12. > :38:21.with the tips of his fingers into the glass. Matthew Stevens tracks
:38:22. > :38:36.his fingers along the class a little bit.
:38:37. > :38:49.That would give him a great deal of confidence to the Barry Hawkins mess
:38:50. > :38:56.a shot before the interval. There is every chance of winning the frame at
:38:57. > :38:59.this visit. When you consider he was three behind in the match, it is a
:39:00. > :39:31.very good performance. When both are playing like these two
:39:32. > :39:52.are, a kick could make a difference. It probably has another difficult
:39:53. > :40:10.shot to play. He has already had century breaks
:40:11. > :41:17.this evening. It is likely that we will see the
:41:18. > :41:59.second century break in this evening 's play.
:42:00. > :42:17.So just the brown for his 167th century of the season. Very well
:42:18. > :42:24.played. The 167th century of his career, not the season, of course.
:42:25. > :42:26.This is his third century of the tournament as well. This is a
:42:27. > :42:37.beautiful shot as well. No complete clearance but a fabulous
:42:38. > :42:53.break. He can be fairly fluent. The second
:42:54. > :42:59.century of the championship for him there. He takes in the frame
:43:00. > :43:10.advantage. After being three frames down, it is a complete turnaround.
:43:11. > :43:18.Trying to play a dead weight. Quite a wild shot there. About three
:43:19. > :43:32.inches short. The first thing that goes out his
:43:33. > :43:49.yacht touch when you are struggling outfit. -- is your touch. I think he
:43:50. > :43:58.played the right shot. It could make a little bit of a difference.
:43:59. > :44:09.The problem with this as he could find himself snookered again.
:44:10. > :44:26.He has given Ricky Walden a chance. If it was at this and of the table,
:44:27. > :44:27.I would fancy him knocking the yellow M. I think you will go for
:44:28. > :45:21.the smoker. -- the smoker. A little bit more work to do now.
:45:22. > :45:31.Just checking with the ball was. That is where it was. That is an
:45:32. > :46:46.eighth spot. -- an the spot. He had to play that with maximum
:46:47. > :46:49.backspin to hold the cue ball and with dead weight. It just went into
:46:50. > :47:05.the pocket on the thick side. He did remarkably well there. That
:47:06. > :47:10.could have won him the frame. He is one in front at the moment. He will
:47:11. > :47:22.need the pink. The pink is a big target because it
:47:23. > :47:45.is just off the cushion. I am not sure if you can get enough
:47:46. > :47:50.spin our first to screw into the pink.
:47:51. > :48:00.He played just to get on it, safe in the knowledge he only has to play
:48:01. > :48:14.for it and that he does not have to go for the black. It is a big shock.
:48:15. > :48:36.-- It is a big shot. Ricky Walden wins that frame. He now leads. Barry
:48:37. > :48:40.Hawkins won the last two games of that session. It does give you an
:48:41. > :49:24.overview. That is how it stands. We are back
:49:25. > :49:30.on the air at 10am in the morning. That is a long way to go. If this
:49:31. > :49:32.was the London Marathon, we would not even be at Tower Bridge yet.
:49:33. > :49:34.Goodbye for now.