:00:32. > :00:39.Hello. We have some tales to tell in this year's semifinals of the
:00:40. > :00:43.Betfred World Championship. Certainly not what we were
:00:44. > :00:46.expecting. We have two qualifiers in the mix including the oldest man in
:00:47. > :00:51.the semis for 30 years. We have two Asian players were the first time in
:00:52. > :00:54.history, and we have a world number one who needs to win the title again
:00:55. > :01:00.to remain top of the aisle. We will show you how both matches began,
:01:01. > :01:05.starting with snooker's top man, Mark Selby, taking on Hong Kong's
:01:06. > :01:16.class act, Marco Fu, who was taken to the brink in his quarterfinal
:01:17. > :01:21.last night. He hasn't got a weakness, I don't think. He is a
:01:22. > :01:30.very good match player. He has been here for a long time. He is
:01:31. > :01:35.comfortable playing at the Crucible. It is going to be a big challenge
:01:36. > :01:38.for me. There are not going to be any favourites as such, and I will
:01:39. > :01:42.not go out there believing I am one of the favourites, I would just play
:01:43. > :01:47.one frame at a time and try and stay focused and see what happens. It is
:01:48. > :01:59.going to be a tough game. I have still a long way to go. Just need to
:02:00. > :02:03.take it one match at a time. I feel as though I have played all season
:02:04. > :02:07.and not had a day off. That is what the tournament does to you, it is
:02:08. > :02:12.mentally and physically draining. But it is the same for everyone else
:02:13. > :02:16.and the last man standing is the stronger. You can't predict the
:02:17. > :02:23.nerves you will feel when you go out there. Hopefully, I will just stay
:02:24. > :02:27.calm and play good snooker. Well, we were watching the opening exchanges
:02:28. > :02:32.of their first session on BBC Two earlier, Mark Selby on his way to a
:02:33. > :02:37.sprightly 3-0 lead them in the space of 33 frames. Marco took the last
:02:38. > :02:44.frame before the interval with his best contribution so far at 72. It
:02:45. > :02:45.is frame five now, Marco up I21 points. Willie Thorne and John Virgo
:02:46. > :02:52.were looking on. Yellow and green required, but the
:02:53. > :03:20.green does not pass the black. Obviously an element of good fortune
:03:21. > :03:24.in that because he played the pot on the yellow. If he had got the pot,
:03:25. > :03:49.the cue ball would not have finished there.
:03:50. > :04:02.What a hit! Yes! Arm believable -- unbelievable. Marco smiles, but he
:04:03. > :04:08.will appreciate that escape from Mark Selby. Lucky to have the
:04:09. > :04:16.snooker, but boy, after an escape like that, you deserve a bit of
:04:17. > :04:28.luck. It has gone to and fro in this frame. John, looking at it, he can't
:04:29. > :04:38.get to the top cushion to play. This is almost unhittable, this yellow.
:04:39. > :04:56.He has to play twice across somehow. What a tremendous escape that was.
:04:57. > :05:08.There will not be a lot of pace left on this cue ball. It was a great
:05:09. > :05:17.effort. What a hit! The shot of the championship for both of them. But
:05:18. > :05:34.he has left a chance now for Mark Selby.
:05:35. > :05:58.Well, this would be a steal. He needs the five remaining colours.
:05:59. > :06:03.Imperative in putting this brown that he leaves a nice angle on this
:06:04. > :06:09.blue to drop on what you can only describe as an awkward pink. But it
:06:10. > :06:10.is made easier by the fact that the black is adjacent to that far right
:06:11. > :06:34.corner. The next two shot Saki. Brown to
:06:35. > :06:47.blue, blue to pink -- the next two shot Saki.
:06:48. > :07:06.Didn't hit that well. Has he got any kind of angle on the blue? He will
:07:07. > :07:13.have to make it. Jumped out of the pocket. The only reason that can
:07:14. > :07:17.happen, and you see the puzzled look on Marco's phrase, is that striking
:07:18. > :07:21.down, the cue ball was bouncing and when it hit the blue, it caused the
:07:22. > :07:30.blue to bounce and not hit the back of the pocket properly. What an
:07:31. > :07:47.amazing slow-mo that was. Unbelievable. This frame has had
:07:48. > :07:55.more twists than a good novel. That was not one of Marco's best. Marco
:07:56. > :08:09.Fu is just looking for the blue, Mark Selby, the three remaining
:08:10. > :08:12.colours. He has had his chance. He is looking at the double. I suppose
:08:13. > :08:37.it is worth risking. I was thinking that if it got close
:08:38. > :08:38.to the double and rattled the jaws, it would go safe, and it has gone
:08:39. > :09:06.very safe. It is not straightforward. The blue
:09:07. > :09:13.is pottable, but can he go for the pink? He has to really cue this
:09:14. > :09:25.well. I don't think he will play the delicate Bagshot. -- drag shot.
:09:26. > :10:02.That was poor from Marco. He has left marked a chance here. This
:10:03. > :10:12.time, if he puts the blue in that triangle, he will be on the pink.
:10:13. > :10:33.Oh! So close. On the pink, but the blue didn't go in. And this time,
:10:34. > :10:41.hardly any chance of getting on the pink for Marco. He would have to
:10:42. > :10:52.play up and down. But he only needs the blue.
:10:53. > :11:06.Ooh! He just looked up at the scoreboard, calm, cool and
:11:07. > :11:07.collected. I bet he wasn't that a few seconds ago when that cue ball
:11:08. > :11:24.was heading for the pocket. What a remarkable frame that was. It
:11:25. > :11:28.got to its 38th minute. There was intrigued, good luck, bad luck, but
:11:29. > :11:33.in the end Marco Fu won it and now closes to just one frame.
:11:34. > :11:41.Some fantastic escapes and skill from Marco Fu. Into the next frame,
:11:42. > :11:47.and the man from Hong Kong is trailing by seven.
:11:48. > :12:03.I don't think anything is easy at the minute, John.
:12:04. > :12:07.Well, if there was any chance of taking the prize money, I would take
:12:08. > :12:50.it. Yes, take a bow! It's nice to see a
:12:51. > :12:56.little bit of interaction with the audience. As I say, that is the
:12:57. > :13:02.wonderful thing about the Crucible Theatre. Everybody is so close.
:13:03. > :13:13.Sometimes, you are just frightened to breathe in case you put someone
:13:14. > :13:22.off. Look at that for an arena. Is there a finer sight in snooker?
:13:23. > :13:25.He obviously considers that one of these reds will pot to the right
:13:26. > :13:50.corner. Played it nicely. It was a delicate
:13:51. > :14:32.little shot. Could not have played it any better than that.
:14:33. > :14:48.So, 31 points in front. Two more loose reds.
:14:49. > :14:55.He will probably play for the pink office next read. -- offer this next
:14:56. > :15:38.read. That is not his best positional
:15:39. > :15:39.shot. I can't believe he played for this. Now he is studying the
:15:40. > :15:59.scoreboard. Thought it was too risky to play for
:16:00. > :16:14.the black, so this pink, and one more red needed.
:16:15. > :16:44.No heroics here, just drop it in dead weight.
:16:45. > :17:22.That may keep Marco Fu sitting in his chair.
:17:23. > :17:35.HAZEL IRVINE: Selby was clearly enjoying himself out there and
:17:36. > :17:38.trying to make good on the promise that he would stay relaxed this
:17:39. > :17:43.evening in this opening session. He knows the ropes, this is his fourth
:17:44. > :17:47.Crucible semifinal of his career. Into the penultimate frame of this
:17:48. > :17:53.opening session, and it is Fu 22 points behind.
:17:54. > :18:23.Played in nicely, and we know the pink will pot.
:18:24. > :18:35.Obviously, the pink goes back on its own spot now, and that was why he
:18:36. > :18:37.dropped it in dead weight. The red will clear the path for the black in
:18:38. > :18:51.a few shots' time. So if he can get a good positional
:18:52. > :18:53.shot off the blue here, this is a great chance to win the frame in
:18:54. > :19:22.this visit. That is just about perfect. And in
:19:23. > :19:23.the next couple of reds, he would like to get the brown out of the
:19:24. > :19:49.way. Took the pace out of the cue ball.
:19:50. > :19:57.The only good thing is that the red went in. From being a
:19:58. > :20:07.straightforward shot, it is slightly awkward.
:20:08. > :20:52.It is OK. Just managed to creep past the red.
:20:53. > :21:26.Finding a path between the red and the black should not be a problem.
:21:27. > :21:47.Now things start to look a bit easier.
:21:48. > :22:46.That black, now, if you looks at the scoreboard, he needs two reds, two
:22:47. > :22:52.blacks, and that would put him 35 points in front with 35 remaining. ,
:22:53. > :23:04.so he needs the three remaining reds. The last one, no colour
:23:05. > :23:22.required. Just looking at the scoreboard,
:23:23. > :23:32.because of the angle, he will neither red. -- you will need that
:23:33. > :23:49.red. I don't know about you, but it
:23:50. > :23:59.appears to me it is just hanging on their session. -- hanging on this
:24:00. > :24:06.session. Absolutely. This red to go 35 points in front. He missed a few
:24:07. > :24:09.shots you wouldn't expect him to miss but I think Mark Selby in his
:24:10. > :24:16.own way has been a bit frustrated with one or two poor positional
:24:17. > :24:20.shots and perhaps taken on a short you would not normally take on so it
:24:21. > :24:29.has been one of those sessions. -- shot you would not normally. Typical
:24:30. > :24:36.tens opening session of the Betfred World Championship semifinal. --
:24:37. > :25:31.tense opening session. Nice playing from Marco Fu. You
:25:32. > :25:36.could see a bit lucky to not be hampered on the pink, waiting for a
:25:37. > :25:44.risky blue, and Marco Fu took the opportunity. Now one frame behind
:25:45. > :25:48.again. One more to play this session, 4-3.
:25:49. > :25:52.HAZEL IRVINE: Best effort of the semifinals so far. It is played over
:25:53. > :25:56.four sessions, of course, and this is the first of those which is due
:25:57. > :26:00.to conclude this match on Saturday evening. The last frame of this
:26:01. > :26:08.opening session, then, and Marco has just given away for my points. Back
:26:09. > :26:14.to your commentators. Very surprised he has taken this one, to be honest.
:26:15. > :26:26.Will he get a good kiss this time? The answer is no. The worst possible
:26:27. > :26:30.kiss. If it caught the yellow little forward the brown would have been
:26:31. > :26:38.possible. He is eyeing up the blue but there is pressure on these. I
:26:39. > :26:45.know he has potted some terrific balls this evening. I do not blame
:26:46. > :26:48.him for taking it on. He will be a bit frustrated with the white finish
:26:49. > :27:01.there. Getting close to the last blue. A super shot. Very good.
:27:02. > :27:05.APPLAUSE Not guaranteed to get nicely on the
:27:06. > :27:12.black. There is not a lot of room. Obviously, the blue going again. You
:27:13. > :27:19.need that to roll through about six inches. So much so, he didn't even
:27:20. > :27:29.play for at! In trouble I can. -- for it. Running out of it here. --
:27:30. > :27:37.in trouble again. He has to be careful. He has to avoid the brown
:27:38. > :27:40.at all costs here. A little bit too much side on it. But he is on the
:27:41. > :27:47.red. APPLAUSE
:27:48. > :27:54.And he will be screwing back here, perhaps open a few reds, perhaps in
:27:55. > :27:59.the pink into play. He needs a full ball kiss on the green. He has got
:28:00. > :28:08.it, so that leaves him a shot on the brown. It could have been worse.
:28:09. > :28:24.This brown is no certainty. Mark knows if the brown goes in, the
:28:25. > :28:35.reds are in perfect position to make a sizeable break. If not, if
:28:36. > :28:42.frame-winning break. -- frame-winning. That is very good.
:28:43. > :28:50.APPLAUSE Yes, that was an excellent
:28:51. > :28:56.positional shot. OK, he cannot pot this red and stay on the black, but
:28:57. > :28:59.a good shot to be on it. He will need to be right side of the blue
:29:00. > :29:04.and this has been his weakness all night but he has judged it well
:29:05. > :29:11.there. Just come down the left-hand side of the table, there you go.
:29:12. > :29:20.Always stay on the right side of the blue line. You will not get in
:29:21. > :29:41.trouble. Somewhere in that circle will do nicely. It is able is I! --
:29:42. > :29:45.it is a bull's eye. I think I am reflecting on what we have seen so
:29:46. > :29:53.far this evening. Seeing that he probably deserves to win the season,
:29:54. > :30:07.but Marco Fu has been hanging onto his coat-tails. -- saying that. So
:30:08. > :30:14.far, the highest break for Selby 63 on the highest for Fu is 89. I think
:30:15. > :30:18.he will possibly make a century. If he does not get a kick. Can you
:30:19. > :30:28.believe that? That is the most unbelievable tech. -- kick. The only
:30:29. > :30:30.good thing is the White did travel a little further through. If it
:30:31. > :30:37.stopped in front of the red, he wouldn't have been able to attempt
:30:38. > :30:41.it. Amazing, getting the balls perfect when that happens. The
:30:42. > :30:43.blight of every snooker player's life, isn't it? The dreaded heavy
:30:44. > :30:51.contact. APPLAUSE
:30:52. > :30:54.But it didn't really affect the next shot, and that is what you have to
:30:55. > :31:07.do, you just have to accept these things are going to happen.
:31:08. > :31:22.He played that nicely. If he gets the 68 point, required. He played
:31:23. > :31:29.that a bit strangely. Has he lost the black mac -- black? He has
:31:30. > :31:34.covered the black spot. He does not want it on the pink spot. That is
:31:35. > :31:38.pink and black tied up. Perhaps not the pink, maybe not the pink, but
:31:39. > :31:46.obviously he did not want the black to go on the pink spot. The pink in
:31:47. > :31:51.right middle. Is it worth taking the risk and playing the red to get onto
:31:52. > :31:56.the pink? He is just having a look now. I think it is a bit tight,
:31:57. > :32:01.John. If you finish a little high, you have no shot. The only thing
:32:02. > :32:08.that would encourage me to try to play for the pink is it would be
:32:09. > :32:17.nice to have the pink on the black spot. Playing this red, surely he is
:32:18. > :32:20.going up for the blue. He has not been very good, it has to be said,
:32:21. > :32:35.this season, getting nice angles on the blue. One look back at the
:32:36. > :32:44.frame-winning opportunity. Hard work. That is the pink pot in the
:32:45. > :32:52.left-hand middle. Can he get onto the pink in the pocket?
:32:53. > :32:56.Can he get onto the pink in that pocket?
:32:57. > :33:06.He will have to work hard for these. Once again, wrong side of the blue.
:33:07. > :33:12.There is the blue line. You want to be on the other side of it. He has a
:33:13. > :33:21.wry smile, walking round the table then, John. A little frustrated with
:33:22. > :33:29.it. What's the blue, goes 61 points in front but still 75 remaining --
:33:30. > :33:39.pots the blue. With the pink, and black, perhaps he will be out of
:33:40. > :33:44.commission. He will need to pack more of these remaining reds, to
:33:45. > :33:56.clinch the frame at this visit -- two more of these remaining reds. He
:33:57. > :34:03.has potted some good ball tonight, i will say that about him. his
:34:04. > :34:06.control. average, but he has potted some good balls, but he will need
:34:07. > :34:11.another one here, tight under the cushion. i think the red just below
:34:12. > :34:14.the black will go to the right corner, so it could be a natural
:34:15. > :34:21.angle. he needs this blue and one more red, for a two frame advantage.
:34:22. > :34:33.good shot. and judged it to perfection. Little glance at the
:34:34. > :34:37.scoreboard. No heroics with his positional shot.
:34:38. > :34:47.APPLAUSE Come back tomorrow afternoon
:34:48. > :35:08.for the second of four sessions. This does not look any good. Marco
:35:09. > :35:11.Fu is drinking his glass of water. I think he has seen enough of this
:35:12. > :35:23.frame. APPLAUSE
:35:24. > :35:35.Marco Fu, onto his coat-tails and Mark Selby has deserved the two
:35:36. > :35:38.frame lead overnight. Her HAZEL IRVINE: They will be back for one
:35:39. > :35:40.friend tomorrow. You appreciate the tape of
:35:41. > :35:44.championship that has been when we know there is a 300-1 shot
:35:45. > :35:50.45-year-old player in the semifinal who has not been there for 23 years.
:35:51. > :35:53.We are talking about Scotland's rather I been Alan McManus who has
:35:54. > :36:04.had to win six matches to get here so far as I qualified -- rather
:36:05. > :36:10.urbane. But so, too, has his opponent, Ding Junhui, who has had
:36:11. > :36:18.to win as a qualifier. I will go out and try my best to enjoy it, play
:36:19. > :36:23.hard, and if I play well I will give Ding plenty of problems I hope and
:36:24. > :36:31.if I were making it will be happy. The last time he played great. But I
:36:32. > :36:38.still handled the match and this time it is another chance to go. I
:36:39. > :36:43.hope I do every thing well. He is just an awesome player. When he is
:36:44. > :36:47.on song, he is probably -- probably has the best cue ball control. He is
:36:48. > :36:51.coming into form again and probably like myself peeking through pretty
:36:52. > :36:57.strongly, through the qualifying, and it gave him a good foundation to
:36:58. > :37:03.come in here and he is obviously playing amazingly but I am so
:37:04. > :37:08.looking forward to playing him. He is a very tough player to play. I
:37:09. > :37:16.have played a few times. I think we played a few times there and once at
:37:17. > :37:23.the Crucible, so the key has very good safety. -- he has very good
:37:24. > :37:25.safety. Typically under a lot of pressure.
:37:26. > :37:28.HAZEL IRVINE: Speaking about pressure, it was Ding Junhui who
:37:29. > :37:33.applied that, slipping in front moment into the match, screeching
:37:34. > :37:37.away from the Scot with three centuries and breaks of 84 and 62 to
:37:38. > :37:44.lead 5-0. The experienced McManus did not panic and took the next two
:37:45. > :37:49.frames, no doubt to his great relief. Very important eighth and
:37:50. > :37:59.last frame of the session coming up. Commentary from Dennis Taylor and
:38:00. > :38:07.Stephen Hendry. Ding very rarely has that problem because he has a much
:38:08. > :38:12.shorter compact cue action. This is not what Alan wanted to see in this
:38:13. > :38:18.last frame, the chance of getting 5-3, and Ding Junhui back in amongst
:38:19. > :38:25.the balls. Just a little careless positional shot there. Two or three
:38:26. > :38:26.inches too far with the cue ball, just wanting to roll through for the
:38:27. > :39:43.black. Yes, the difference in the cue
:39:44. > :39:46.action, as Stephen was saying, Ding Junhui does not bring it back from
:39:47. > :39:55.very far at all before delivering it. Alan has that deliver it long
:39:56. > :40:09.pause, quite the way back before he delivers the cue. Ding is much more
:40:10. > :40:16.compact. -- deliver -- deliberate long pause. No two cue actions by
:40:17. > :40:21.the same in the game but a disordered knocking the balls into
:40:22. > :40:26.the pockets. As John Virgo used to say many years ago, pot as many
:40:27. > :41:02.balls as you can! Big break. He used to love that shot.
:41:03. > :41:14.It is incredible how close Ding's tip gets to the cue ball, when he is
:41:15. > :41:26.addressing it. You almost even see a shadow on the cue ball, when his tip
:41:27. > :41:36.approaches it. Look at this. Look at that. What do you see? Oh! I suppose
:41:37. > :41:39.if you thought about it you would not be able to do that. It is just
:41:40. > :41:51.automatic, isn't it? All the years of practice. Jimmy White, another
:41:52. > :41:54.player, a left-hander, who addresses. Sometimes you will see
:41:55. > :42:01.him just feather the white and play a final shot, but he is like that.
:42:02. > :42:17.He has the tip of the cue right on the cue ball. -- a foul shot. He
:42:18. > :42:22.could have worked that a lot better. Yes, these are never guaranteed.
:42:23. > :42:26.Because it is so close to the black ball. Possibly did not -- needed to
:42:27. > :42:31.put up with a lot more pace and top spin to carry that through the reds.
:42:32. > :42:40.He still has the red to his right middle. Screwing the cue ball with
:42:41. > :42:44.the cushion and on the black. Good shot.
:42:45. > :42:50.APPLAUSE LAUGHTER
:42:51. > :42:58.I don't know whether Alan is seeing good shot or what.
:42:59. > :43:02.He does talk away to himself! -- saying good shot. I think perhaps he
:43:03. > :43:06.thought Ding had lost position and he was going to come back to the
:43:07. > :43:10.table, then Ding produces that excellent red to his right middle.
:43:11. > :43:18.Perhaps telling himself stories in the chair, Dennis. Possibly not for
:43:19. > :43:22.repeating during the day! But, Stephen, what is it about the Asian
:43:23. > :43:32.players? It is amazing. The middle pocket, they are so good. Some
:43:33. > :43:44.fantastic ball is potted into the middle
:43:45. > :43:52.pockets by James Wattana. And he never seems to miss in those middle
:43:53. > :44:03.pockets. As we see this shot again, excellent cue ball control.
:44:04. > :44:13.As has been the pattern in this match, whenever Ding gets in, it is
:44:14. > :44:19.frame over. And in the two frames he has not come lost. Yes, he has made
:44:20. > :44:28.three century breaks, and 84 and 62, has Ding. I suppose when you think
:44:29. > :44:35.about it, 5-0 behind, Alan McManus, he would have loved to have got out
:44:36. > :44:43.of it 5-3, but that 6-2 he would probably take that when he was 5-0
:44:44. > :44:46.behind. 96%. I mean, that is terrific. And that big high break of
:44:47. > :45:01.131. APPLAUSE
:45:02. > :45:06.Wouldn't that be something, if he made four centuries in his first
:45:07. > :45:25.session? It will be difficult but it is a possibility.
:45:26. > :45:34.He has already made it back centuries and we have had 68 in this
:45:35. > :45:45.year's Betfred World Championship. 86 is the record number of centuries
:45:46. > :45:49.made at the Crucible. And the highest number of centuries ever
:45:50. > :45:57.made at the Crucible in the World Championship, Stephen was just as
:45:58. > :46:10.guinea... -- just asking me. It was 16. And John Higgins has had 14.
:46:11. > :46:18.Surprised you did not know that one! -- Stephen's 16.
:46:19. > :46:30.Yes, you would have to think, with that record, if Ding was to make the
:46:31. > :46:36.final, -- that that record will be in jeopardy. Plenty of turn ups
:46:37. > :47:05.there, and what a session. Oh, or it -- set-mac, I did not know
:47:06. > :47:16.Kevin was in. What a player and what a
:47:17. > :47:20.pundit. Has just been a machine today when he has got in amongst the
:47:21. > :47:40.balls. He has had a 132, his highest so far
:47:41. > :47:46.this year. He can have the evening off and they will be back first
:47:47. > :47:57.thing in the morning -- at Kenny M4 the morning session, but this has
:47:58. > :48:01.been a delight to watch -- at 10am for the morning session. It doesn't
:48:02. > :48:06.matter about the black. It has been the Ding Junhui show this afternoon.
:48:07. > :48:09.Alan McManus will not be too disappointed. He got two frames out
:48:10. > :48:17.of it but in the end, with that magnificent display, Ding Junhui
:48:18. > :48:20.picks the session 6-2. HAZEL IRVINE: Four centuries already
:48:21. > :48:25.in eight frames from Ding Junhui. The record in a semifinal, by the
:48:26. > :48:28.way, is five. That record looks a little shaky right now, doesn't it?
:48:29. > :48:33.They will return for two more sessions tomorrow. In the meantime,
:48:34. > :48:41.if you want more snooker, 25 minutes' time, Crucible Classics
:48:42. > :48:48.over on BBC One. Ding Junhui and Alan McManus will resume tomorrow
:48:49. > :48:51.morning at 10am. We can hardly wait for everything that is to come in
:48:52. > :49:11.this World Championship. I've been following
:49:12. > :49:13.the inspirational stories Along with hundreds of
:49:14. > :49:19.other wounded, injured