:00:32. > :00:39.Hello. A very good evening and welcome to highlight of the 2016
:00:40. > :00:43.Betfred World Snooker Championship. Coming up, we will see two former
:00:44. > :00:48.world champions attempt to move a step closer to the quarter-finals.
:00:49. > :00:51.Mark Selby Aaron Williams, but taking on qualifiers. This is how we
:00:52. > :01:07.are shaping up. The conger of the defending champion
:01:08. > :01:12.Stuart Bingham is up against Ali McManus -- Alan McManus. What a
:01:13. > :01:18.match in prospect, Ding Junhui looking for revenge against Judd
:01:19. > :01:24.Trump after losing last year. Mark Williams plays Michael Holt. Anthony
:01:25. > :01:31.McGill takes on Marco Fu. Ronnie O'Sullivan meets Barry Hawkins. Mark
:01:32. > :01:37.Allen takes on 2015 Shanghai Masters champion Karen Wilson. In the 2014
:01:38. > :01:43.champion Mark Selby started his match against Sam Baird this
:01:44. > :01:53.afternoon. The biggest match of Sam Baird's life. That would do anything
:01:54. > :02:08.for his nerves. They can only make them worse. -- that want, won't --
:02:09. > :02:22.that won't. Mark Selby will be delighted to take the opening frame.
:02:23. > :02:40.Very well played. 11 now, one frame each. Cued it well and he's got a
:02:41. > :02:45.very, very good kiss. Back to where we started, level terms, two frames
:02:46. > :03:05.each. That's a beauty. Very good shot. He found the group again. Well
:03:06. > :03:29.played. Is third century of the Crucible this year. It is 3-3. --
:03:30. > :03:37.his. Well played. Very well played. P levels up at 4- four going into
:03:38. > :03:47.their second session. That second session resumes later this morning.
:03:48. > :03:49.It turn our attention to Marco Fu. He is up in Scotland's Anthony
:03:50. > :05:00.McGill. Yes, this is his 16th appearance at
:05:01. > :05:05.the Crucible, his 125 matches here. He stretched that and nine -7 at the
:05:06. > :05:10.end of the second session and in the first frame of the evening session,
:05:11. > :05:14.this happen. Marco Fu accidentally hitting Anthony McGill with his cue.
:05:15. > :05:18.He then tried to do a little bit of cleaning. Much of Anthony McGill was
:05:19. > :05:25.initially amused, but he sees the funny side of it. MacGill than one
:05:26. > :05:40.that frame thanks to a break of 97. Into frame 19 we go, Anthony McGill
:05:41. > :05:41.trailing by 19 points. Having to smile to himself, Marco, but he
:05:42. > :07:13.can't really be happy. The black I think has just done
:07:14. > :07:17.enough. He is now faced with a situation, do you play the long blue
:07:18. > :07:30.or the long yellow? Marco Fu knocked it in. There is a lot more pressure
:07:31. > :07:38.on this one. Very good. Very, very good. Yes, that was an excellent
:07:39. > :08:15.shot. It was an excellent positional shot as well. So easy to snooker
:08:16. > :08:23.yourself. That was excellent. It will leave it at distance again.
:08:24. > :08:30.This is not a great angle. He is going to have to play the cavern.
:08:31. > :08:36.Can't avoid the second red. And that was the problem, Steve, wasn't it?
:08:37. > :08:46.He concentrated so hard on the kiss, he forgot about the pot. Yes, a very
:08:47. > :09:05.easy thing to do. That is a disappointing end. Especially after
:09:06. > :09:16.potting in that great yellow. Marco is able to pull away again. The two
:09:17. > :09:28.reds that are above the pink to the right, they would go to the bottom
:09:29. > :09:33.left corner. I can see why Marco was walking around the table of a
:09:34. > :09:36.tenderly. We mentioned in commentary earlier, he is having a little
:09:37. > :09:46.trouble with his neck and he is struggling to move his head. I'm
:09:47. > :10:08.sure he would be having physio the last day or so to try and get it
:10:09. > :10:16.right. We will know now if this bottom red pots. If it does pot, he
:10:17. > :10:27.can avoid that Canon, but he will have to play one if it doesn't. They
:10:28. > :10:31.both pot. The top right-hand side cushion here. Hit that nicely. Very
:10:32. > :11:14.good shot. This will be a bit of a body blow
:11:15. > :11:31.for Anthony McGill, he has been in every frame so far this evening. He
:11:32. > :11:44.was in first in the previous frame. He has been in twice in this frame.
:11:45. > :12:41.Looks like losing them both. Little pink, red, pink. Only living Anthony
:12:42. > :12:46.McGill snookers. -- leaving. The ripple of applause tells you that
:12:47. > :12:49.that was virtually frame ball. He might get this red in an Anthony
:12:50. > :12:59.McGill might possibly coming to the table. Make sure you don't miss
:13:00. > :13:18.this. Then he needs three or four snookers.
:13:19. > :13:25.Well, Anthony McGill concedes, Marco Fu will be happy with that because
:13:26. > :13:30.it was a scrappy frame, but he goes three up for the first time in the
:13:31. > :13:32.match. STUDIO: Then Marco Fu won the next with a break of 100 to make it
:13:33. > :13:50.12-8. Well, I can't believe he has just
:13:51. > :14:01.not rolled it in for the black. The difficulty on this shot.
:14:02. > :14:27.Commentator's curse. He has plotted by the 19. Ashe potted the other 19.
:14:28. > :14:28.--. Obviously, it appears to be, whoever pots to red will win the
:14:29. > :14:58.frame. Got away. It is a very easy safety
:14:59. > :15:05.shot for Anthony. He will be disappointed if he doesn't get the
:15:06. > :15:15.ball behind the black. That is a poor effort. The brown has come to
:15:16. > :15:20.the rescue. Well, he will have two cushion at first behind the red
:15:21. > :15:24.here. Have surprised you didn't come towards that. There didn't seem like
:15:25. > :15:31.enough room to play it. That may cost him this frame. That was a very
:15:32. > :15:32.careless shot. To not go around and see if there was room behind the
:15:33. > :16:50.red, very surprised. As long as Anthony McGill gets on
:16:51. > :17:07.the pink, he is going to pinch this frame, that will hurt Marco. Well,
:17:08. > :17:13.what a topsy-turvy frame this has been. Marco Fu looked like clearing
:17:14. > :17:23.up and missed. Anthony McGill pots the remaining six balls to win the
:17:24. > :17:33.frame and close the gap to 12-9. Anthony McGill breaks off. Still in
:17:34. > :17:53.this match. Still got hope. Arise smile -- aid rice smile -- a wry
:17:54. > :18:19.smile. It has gone for a run. He hasn't got an angle on the yellow.
:18:20. > :18:26.I am so surprised at how Mito is they have left that opening red this
:18:27. > :18:35.week. Surely you have got to find a different way of raking off --
:18:36. > :18:39.breaking. The long ball that was left for Marco, the top layer is
:18:40. > :18:44.probably expect to get that seven or eight times out of ten. Especially
:18:45. > :18:50.with a hand on the table. If you get near the cushion, maybe not that
:18:51. > :18:58.high, but with hand on the table, I agree with you. The last thing
:18:59. > :19:06.Anthony McGill wants is to hand this to Marco Fu. Needs to make him work
:19:07. > :19:13.for the victory. He would be happy with that shot because he would love
:19:14. > :19:21.to Canon this. He can finish low on this red. He is going to be
:19:22. > :19:36.opening. Maybe two or three reds in playing this. Again, don't leave the
:19:37. > :19:40.cue ball on the side cushion. I can't see red to play for. Is body
:19:41. > :19:46.language tells me he is dead straight. He either just has to
:19:47. > :19:51.start again and plate red in the top right-hand corner or right middle.
:19:52. > :20:03.Or play very tricky pink, which don't think you'll play. -- which I
:20:04. > :20:07.don't think he'll play. If he just rolls the black in, deadweight, he
:20:08. > :20:11.still has the red into the yellow pocket as well, which takes all the
:20:12. > :20:15.pressure off potting the black. There is a slight chance of going
:20:16. > :20:39.around to cushions, but only just. Created an angle and played it very
:20:40. > :20:44.well indeed. I don't know whether the red passes the blue, we will
:20:45. > :20:51.know in a minute. If it does, he could have picked the cue ball up
:20:52. > :21:22.with his hand. That is the shot of the night, so far. The time that one
:21:23. > :21:32.very well. I think he surprised himself. He looked like he was
:21:33. > :21:52.amazed that he got it in. He was 19 out of 21. Now it is 20 out of 22.
:21:53. > :22:09.That wiped its feet, didn't it. Just one shot away. It is all about him
:22:10. > :22:18.if he gets this Ian. I feel if he gets the two reds to the right of
:22:19. > :22:31.the black, it should be framed and match over. It is hard to see how he
:22:32. > :22:41.is not going to school the desired amount of points. -- score. He needs
:22:42. > :23:07.another 19 points from here to leave Anthony McGill in snooker. .
:23:08. > :23:30.It is not a bad thing, pushing back read out of the way. It is in his
:23:31. > :23:37.favour. -- pushing that red. Meant he could possibly can and the red to
:23:38. > :23:57.the right of the pink, and leave the red in the middle. Just ran a bit
:23:58. > :24:15.too far. Is its low enough to hold if it goes to the right of the
:24:16. > :24:28.pink? He may have two play the cannon. Is looking to see the
:24:29. > :24:40.follow-through on two cushions. If he plays all of those, the Gap, he
:24:41. > :24:55.has to play either pink or red. The break is 58. Two colours needed
:24:56. > :25:13.after this blue. It looks like he's playing two cushions. My colleague
:25:14. > :25:23.sitting next to me... As a top player, you have to know the natural
:25:24. > :25:28.angle of whether cueball will go. Perhaps got a strong bounce from the
:25:29. > :25:37.second cushion, but it never looked to finish on that red, it is to the
:25:38. > :25:40.right. If he was closer to the cushion, he may have had to jack it
:25:41. > :26:31.up either play it, but the angle was perfect. Is it there? It is. That
:26:32. > :26:35.put him 68 in front, 67 on. This blue is a lot more difficult than
:26:36. > :26:46.the one we suggested. I think he's just trying to kiss outside red.
:26:47. > :27:20.Playing the deadweight, playing the cannon, and that will do it. That
:27:21. > :27:25.should take Marco Fu into the quarter-finals.
:27:26. > :27:32.That left Anthony McGill with too much to do. That was the end of his
:27:33. > :27:37.dream for another year. Marco Fu reaching the quarter-finals for the
:27:38. > :27:41.first time since 2006. Very nice, very happy, in the quarter-final of
:27:42. > :27:44.the world championships. I think the last time I got to the
:27:45. > :27:51.quarter-finals was ten years ago. I attended to struggle in the second
:27:52. > :27:58.round. It is nice to go one step forward. Just a combination of a lot
:27:59. > :28:07.of basic mistakes. Missing so many easy chances. Technically I am
:28:08. > :28:11.definitely a lot better than I was ten years ago, but I think I need to
:28:12. > :28:15.find some inspiration for the next bit. I will get there, I'm in the
:28:16. > :28:22.quarter-finals so I will be up for it. Well done to Marco Fu. He will
:28:23. > :28:29.now play either Ronnie O'Sullivan Barry Hawkins. Next, Ali Carter,
:28:30. > :28:34.twice beaten finalist here at the Crucible, taking on Alan McManus,
:28:35. > :28:48.who knocked out Stephen Maguire in the first. Carter had the edge at
:28:49. > :28:51.the beginning. I have a two frame advantage, so it will be interesting
:28:52. > :29:14.to see how this second session plays out. Fantastic shot. Will he play
:29:15. > :29:16.the cannon? Played it well, played it very well, and that is enough
:29:17. > :29:29.from Ali Carter. I don't believe that, I don't think
:29:30. > :29:41.I have ever seen a cushion bounce as badly as that, it is laughable.
:29:42. > :30:01.McManus stays in his seat, he is now three behind. This looks good, this
:30:02. > :30:19.looks very good! McManus reduces arrears to just one, still trails
:30:20. > :30:37.7-6. They are never easy, those, believe me. He leads, aged six. --
:30:38. > :30:46.8-6. McManus hanging in there. A super shot. Ali Carter should be the
:30:47. > :30:55.happier of the two, he leads at the end of the second session. Nine -7.
:30:56. > :31:00.They played to finish in the morning. Next, a meeting of two
:31:01. > :31:03.friends. Mark Williams taking on English qualifier Michael Holt.
:31:04. > :31:07.There were lots of hugs and kisses before they start of this match, and
:31:08. > :31:13.there was no splitting them at the end of the first session. 4-4.
:31:14. > :31:18.Williams won the first two frames of the evening session before Holt
:31:19. > :31:21.pulled one back. Then, this happen. Keep an eye on the cue ball, and
:31:22. > :31:27.watch the bounce coming up on the top cushion. Williams and Holt had
:31:28. > :31:33.been complaining about the state of the table, and they both appeared to
:31:34. > :31:40.be raffled by this bounce -- baffled. Mark Williams decided to
:31:41. > :31:45.show was his style of shoes. Michael Holt saw the funny side. Holt went
:31:46. > :31:48.on to win the frame to make it 6-6. Williams won the next two to make it
:31:49. > :32:08.8-6. Holt is trailing 37-1. Good effort from Michael. A bit of
:32:09. > :32:29.help from the yellow slowed the cue ball down. Are we going to see
:32:30. > :32:41.another Mark Williams special? Where is the red going?
:32:42. > :32:58.The Big Short, -- a big shot. The chance of him getting on a colour
:32:59. > :33:03.was slim. The last thing Mark Williams wants to do is lead Michael
:33:04. > :33:05.Holt on, because he really has been out of it for over 30 minutes. He
:33:06. > :33:37.didn't pot of all. -- a ball. He needs to play a few good shots
:33:38. > :35:06.just to get going. Three or four good shots and it will be OK.
:35:07. > :35:21.He has had a good few shots, so hopefully he has the feel back in
:35:22. > :35:37.his hands. A lot to do to win from here, but Williams seems to have
:35:38. > :35:57.dominated this frame. That was a nice shot. If you play any part of
:35:58. > :36:12.the draw at all, even only just, Balwyn coming. Playing for a red in
:36:13. > :36:30.the middle here. He played the cannon. That was a very aggressive
:36:31. > :36:45.shot, and he deserved a bit of good fortune.
:36:46. > :37:00.Interesting to see if he can hold the white, because it is superthin.
:37:01. > :37:05., God, he can't believe it! It was thinner than it looked on your TV
:37:06. > :37:26.screens, fractionally too thick. These middle pockets are very
:37:27. > :37:45.small. Just when he looked to have regained his composure, just a
:37:46. > :37:57.slight lapse in concentration. It is the old thing, we have done to
:37:58. > :38:07.ourselves many times. You focus so hard on avoiding the colours with
:38:08. > :38:13.the white, and not enough focus on getting it fine enough. He knew what
:38:14. > :38:24.he had done as soon as he hit it you can see the reaction in his face. He
:38:25. > :38:31.can't go up onto this red on the right, because the red in the centre
:38:32. > :38:48.is available. He can certainly hit the reds, it is easy enough, the two
:38:49. > :38:57.by the pink. On a good day, you fluke the red into the right-hand
:38:58. > :39:37.bat pocket. -- back pocket. On a bad day you stick it up. If luxman, he
:39:38. > :39:39.is looking at the cushion all the time. There is something wrong with
:39:40. > :40:33.them, he is thinking. He wasn't too pleased with himself,
:40:34. > :40:41.this is tough, it is missable. You get the feeling that Michael Holt
:40:42. > :40:51.has missed a trick. It is really an important frame, one that he
:40:52. > :41:24.desperately wanted to win, so he would only trail 8-7. He will now
:41:25. > :41:38.find himself 9-6 behind. Exhibition stuff from Mark Williams. Mark
:41:39. > :41:49.Williams are starting to dominate this, leading Michael Holt by 5-6.
:41:50. > :41:54.-- 9-6. This is what happened in the final session.
:41:55. > :42:01.He needs to be wary of the red on the right-hand cushion. He played it
:42:02. > :42:19.weak enough to avoid that, that is a very attacking safety shot, he needs
:42:20. > :42:32.some help from the green. A dangerous shot. He would love to
:42:33. > :42:44.take this red into the left-hand black pocket. I'm not sure he can,
:42:45. > :42:54.avoiding the pack of reds. That is why he opted to play it thin. Just
:42:55. > :43:09.keeping the pressure on Michael. This requires a good safety shot. He
:43:10. > :43:41.hit it too thin. The pocket slowing the cue ball down a touch. Mark
:43:42. > :43:44.Williams is taking this on. Mark Williams has had a better run off
:43:45. > :43:49.the ball, but he has earned that, the way he has played. He has played
:43:50. > :44:15.much better than Michael Holt in this second session. He has had a
:44:16. > :44:19.lot of difficult safety, awkward long pots, he has probably played
:44:20. > :44:42.worse than this, but this is as good as we have seen from Mark Williams
:44:43. > :44:45.for a while. Mark Williams seems to have this uncanny ability of
:44:46. > :44:54.controlling matches without looking as if he is doing anything special.
:44:55. > :44:59.Of course, what he does do is make it very hard for his opponents,
:45:00. > :45:26.place a lot of very good safety, a great tactician. He makes it look
:45:27. > :45:51.easy, and that wasn't. That was a very good shot. You certainly feel
:45:52. > :45:54.the worst for Michael Holt, because Mark Williams are starting to get
:45:55. > :45:59.into the groove, and when he does he has a tendency to WinFrame is very
:46:00. > :46:18.quickly. Such is the fluency with which he plays. -- win frames. He
:46:19. > :46:35.has a lot of great follow-through shots and stunned shots.
:46:36. > :46:55.Within no time at all Michael Holt is now going to be 10-6 behind.
:46:56. > :47:38.Mark Williams will be very pleased with his day's work.
:47:39. > :47:52.Mark Williams is for frames in front overnight, finishing off tomorrow
:47:53. > :47:57.afternoon. Mark Williams looking good for a place in this year's
:47:58. > :48:02.quarterfinal. That is it from us, but snooker extra is on very shortly
:48:03. > :48:06.on BBC One. Before we go, best wishes to Dennis Taylor who is
:48:07. > :48:16.recovering in a local hospital, having had his appendix out. We will
:48:17. > :48:25.see you at 10am on BBC Two. We will show you the conclusion of the match
:48:26. > :48:28.between Alan that an us and Ali Carter. -- Alan McManus.