Day 7 Snooker: World Championship Highlights

Hello. A very good evening and welcome to highlight of the 2016

Betfred World Snooker Championship. Coming up, we will see two former

world champions attempt to move a step closer to the quarter-finals.

Mark Selby Aaron Williams, but taking on qualifiers. This is how we

are shaping up. The conger of the defending champion

Stuart Bingham is up against Ali McManus -- Alan McManus. What a

match in prospect, Ding Junhui looking for revenge against Judd

Trump after losing last year. Mark Williams plays Michael Holt. Anthony

McGill takes on Marco Fu. Ronnie O'Sullivan meets Barry Hawkins. Mark

Allen takes on 2015 Shanghai Masters champion Karen Wilson. In the 2014

champion Mark Selby started his match against Sam Baird this

afternoon. The biggest match of Sam Baird's life. That would do anything

for his nerves. They can only make them worse. -- that want, won't --

that won't. Mark Selby will be delighted to take the opening frame.

Very well played. 11 now, one frame each. Cued it well and he's got a

very, very good kiss. Back to where we started, level terms, two frames

each. That's a beauty. Very good shot. He found the group again. Well

played. Is third century of the Crucible this year. It is 3-3. --

his. Well played. Very well played. P levels up at 4- four going into

their second session. That second session resumes later this morning.

It turn our attention to Marco Fu. He is up in Scotland's Anthony

McGill. Yes, this is his 16th appearance at

the Crucible, his 125 matches here. He stretched that and nine -7 at the

end of the second session and in the first frame of the evening session,

this happen. Marco Fu accidentally hitting Anthony McGill with his cue.

He then tried to do a little bit of cleaning. Much of Anthony McGill was

initially amused, but he sees the funny side of it. MacGill than one

that frame thanks to a break of 97. Into frame 19 we go, Anthony McGill

trailing by 19 points. Having to smile to himself, Marco, but he

can't really be happy. The black I think has just done

enough. He is now faced with a situation, do you play the long blue

or the long yellow? Marco Fu knocked it in. There is a lot more pressure

on this one. Very good. Very, very good. Yes, that was an excellent

shot. It was an excellent positional shot as well. So easy to snooker

yourself. That was excellent. It will leave it at distance again.

This is not a great angle. He is going to have to play the cavern.

Can't avoid the second red. And that was the problem, Steve, wasn't it?

He concentrated so hard on the kiss, he forgot about the pot. Yes, a very

easy thing to do. That is a disappointing end. Especially after

potting in that great yellow. Marco is able to pull away again. The two

reds that are above the pink to the right, they would go to the bottom

left corner. I can see why Marco was walking around the table of a

tenderly. We mentioned in commentary earlier, he is having a little

trouble with his neck and he is struggling to move his head. I'm

sure he would be having physio the last day or so to try and get it

right. We will know now if this bottom red pots. If it does pot, he

can avoid that Canon, but he will have to play one if it doesn't. They

both pot. The top right-hand side cushion here. Hit that nicely. Very

good shot. This will be a bit of a body blow

for Anthony McGill, he has been in every frame so far this evening. He

was in first in the previous frame. He has been in twice in this frame.

Looks like losing them both. Little pink, red, pink. Only living Anthony

McGill snookers. -- leaving. The ripple of applause tells you that

that was virtually frame ball. He might get this red in an Anthony

McGill might possibly coming to the table. Make sure you don't miss

this. Then he needs three or four snookers.

Well, Anthony McGill concedes, Marco Fu will be happy with that because

it was a scrappy frame, but he goes three up for the first time in the

match. STUDIO: Then Marco Fu won the next with a break of 100 to make it

12-8. Well, I can't believe he has just

not rolled it in for the black. The difficulty on this shot.

Commentator's curse. He has plotted by the 19. Ashe potted the other 19.

--. Obviously, it appears to be, whoever pots to red will win the

frame. Got away. It is a very easy safety

shot for Anthony. He will be disappointed if he doesn't get the

ball behind the black. That is a poor effort. The brown has come to

the rescue. Well, he will have two cushion at first behind the red

here. Have surprised you didn't come towards that. There didn't seem like

enough room to play it. That may cost him this frame. That was a very

careless shot. To not go around and see if there was room behind the

red, very surprised. As long as Anthony McGill gets on

the pink, he is going to pinch this frame, that will hurt Marco. Well,

what a topsy-turvy frame this has been. Marco Fu looked like clearing

up and missed. Anthony McGill pots the remaining six balls to win the

frame and close the gap to 12-9. Anthony McGill breaks off. Still in

this match. Still got hope. Arise smile -- aid rice smile -- a wry

smile. It has gone for a run. He hasn't got an angle on the yellow.

I am so surprised at how Mito is they have left that opening red this

week. Surely you have got to find a different way of raking off --

breaking. The long ball that was left for Marco, the top layer is

probably expect to get that seven or eight times out of ten. Especially

with a hand on the table. If you get near the cushion, maybe not that

high, but with hand on the table, I agree with you. The last thing

Anthony McGill wants is to hand this to Marco Fu. Needs to make him work

for the victory. He would be happy with that shot because he would love

to Canon this. He can finish low on this red. He is going to be

opening. Maybe two or three reds in playing this. Again, don't leave the

cue ball on the side cushion. I can't see red to play for. Is body

language tells me he is dead straight. He either just has to

start again and plate red in the top right-hand corner or right middle.

Or play very tricky pink, which don't think you'll play. -- which I

don't think he'll play. If he just rolls the black in, deadweight, he

still has the red into the yellow pocket as well, which takes all the

pressure off potting the black. There is a slight chance of going

around to cushions, but only just. Created an angle and played it very

well indeed. I don't know whether the red passes the blue, we will

know in a minute. If it does, he could have picked the cue ball up

with his hand. That is the shot of the night, so far. The time that one

very well. I think he surprised himself. He looked like he was

amazed that he got it in. He was 19 out of 21. Now it is 20 out of 22.

That wiped its feet, didn't it. Just one shot away. It is all about him

if he gets this Ian. I feel if he gets the two reds to the right of

the black, it should be framed and match over. It is hard to see how he

is not going to school the desired amount of points. -- score. He needs

another 19 points from here to leave Anthony McGill in snooker. .

It is not a bad thing, pushing back read out of the way. It is in his

favour. -- pushing that red. Meant he could possibly can and the red to

the right of the pink, and leave the red in the middle. Just ran a bit

too far. Is its low enough to hold if it goes to the right of the

pink? He may have two play the cannon. Is looking to see the

follow-through on two cushions. If he plays all of those, the Gap, he

has to play either pink or red. The break is 58. Two colours needed

after this blue. It looks like he's playing two cushions. My colleague

sitting next to me... As a top player, you have to know the natural

angle of whether cueball will go. Perhaps got a strong bounce from the

second cushion, but it never looked to finish on that red, it is to the

right. If he was closer to the cushion, he may have had to jack it

up either play it, but the angle was perfect. Is it there? It is. That

put him 68 in front, 67 on. This blue is a lot more difficult than

the one we suggested. I think he's just trying to kiss outside red.

Playing the deadweight, playing the cannon, and that will do it. That

should take Marco Fu into the quarter-finals.

That left Anthony McGill with too much to do. That was the end of his

dream for another year. Marco Fu reaching the quarter-finals for the

first time since 2006. Very nice, very happy, in the quarter-final of

the world championships. I think the last time I got to the

quarter-finals was ten years ago. I attended to struggle in the second

round. It is nice to go one step forward. Just a combination of a lot

of basic mistakes. Missing so many easy chances. Technically I am

definitely a lot better than I was ten years ago, but I think I need to

find some inspiration for the next bit. I will get there, I'm in the

quarter-finals so I will be up for it. Well done to Marco Fu. He will

now play either Ronnie O'Sullivan Barry Hawkins. Next, Ali Carter,

twice beaten finalist here at the Crucible, taking on Alan McManus,

who knocked out Stephen Maguire in the first. Carter had the edge at

the beginning. I have a two frame advantage, so it will be interesting

to see how this second session plays out. Fantastic shot. Will he play

the cannon? Played it well, played it very well, and that is enough

from Ali Carter. I don't believe that, I don't think

I have ever seen a cushion bounce as badly as that, it is laughable.

McManus stays in his seat, he is now three behind. This looks good, this

looks very good! McManus reduces arrears to just one, still trails

7-6. They are never easy, those, believe me. He leads, aged six. --

8-6. McManus hanging in there. A super shot. Ali Carter should be the

happier of the two, he leads at the end of the second session. Nine -7.

They played to finish in the morning. Next, a meeting of two

friends. Mark Williams taking on English qualifier Michael Holt.

There were lots of hugs and kisses before they start of this match, and

there was no splitting them at the end of the first session. 4-4.

Williams won the first two frames of the evening session before Holt

pulled one back. Then, this happen. Keep an eye on the cue ball, and

watch the bounce coming up on the top cushion. Williams and Holt had

been complaining about the state of the table, and they both appeared to

be raffled by this bounce -- baffled. Mark Williams decided to

show was his style of shoes. Michael Holt saw the funny side. Holt went

on to win the frame to make it 6-6. Williams won the next two to make it

8-6. Holt is trailing 37-1. Good effort from Michael. A bit of

help from the yellow slowed the cue ball down. Are we going to see

another Mark Williams special? Where is the red going?

The Big Short, -- a big shot. The chance of him getting on a colour

was slim. The last thing Mark Williams wants to do is lead Michael

Holt on, because he really has been out of it for over 30 minutes. He

didn't pot of all. -- a ball. He needs to play a few good shots

just to get going. Three or four good shots and it will be OK.

He has had a good few shots, so hopefully he has the feel back in

his hands. A lot to do to win from here, but Williams seems to have

dominated this frame. That was a nice shot. If you play any part of

the draw at all, even only just, Balwyn coming. Playing for a red in

the middle here. He played the cannon. That was a very aggressive

shot, and he deserved a bit of good fortune.

Interesting to see if he can hold the white, because it is superthin.

, God, he can't believe it! It was thinner than it looked on your TV

screens, fractionally too thick. These middle pockets are very

small. Just when he looked to have regained his composure, just a

slight lapse in concentration. It is the old thing, we have done to

ourselves many times. You focus so hard on avoiding the colours with

the white, and not enough focus on getting it fine enough. He knew what

he had done as soon as he hit it you can see the reaction in his face. He

can't go up onto this red on the right, because the red in the centre

is available. He can certainly hit the reds, it is easy enough, the two

by the pink. On a good day, you fluke the red into the right-hand

bat pocket. -- back pocket. On a bad day you stick it up. If luxman, he

is looking at the cushion all the time. There is something wrong with

them, he is thinking. He wasn't too pleased with himself,

this is tough, it is missable. You get the feeling that Michael Holt

has missed a trick. It is really an important frame, one that he

desperately wanted to win, so he would only trail 8-7. He will now

find himself 9-6 behind. Exhibition stuff from Mark Williams. Mark

Williams are starting to dominate this, leading Michael Holt by 5-6.

-- 9-6. This is what happened in the final session.

He needs to be wary of the red on the right-hand cushion. He played it

weak enough to avoid that, that is a very attacking safety shot, he needs

some help from the green. A dangerous shot. He would love to

take this red into the left-hand black pocket. I'm not sure he can,

avoiding the pack of reds. That is why he opted to play it thin. Just

keeping the pressure on Michael. This requires a good safety shot. He

hit it too thin. The pocket slowing the cue ball down a touch. Mark

Williams is taking this on. Mark Williams has had a better run off

the ball, but he has earned that, the way he has played. He has played

much better than Michael Holt in this second session. He has had a

lot of difficult safety, awkward long pots, he has probably played

worse than this, but this is as good as we have seen from Mark Williams

for a while. Mark Williams seems to have this uncanny ability of

controlling matches without looking as if he is doing anything special.

Of course, what he does do is make it very hard for his opponents,

place a lot of very good safety, a great tactician. He makes it look

easy, and that wasn't. That was a very good shot. You certainly feel

the worst for Michael Holt, because Mark Williams are starting to get

into the groove, and when he does he has a tendency to WinFrame is very

quickly. Such is the fluency with which he plays. -- win frames. He

has a lot of great follow-through shots and stunned shots.

Within no time at all Michael Holt is now going to be 10-6 behind.

Mark Williams will be very pleased with his day's work.

Mark Williams is for frames in front overnight, finishing off tomorrow

afternoon. Mark Williams looking good for a place in this year's

quarterfinal. That is it from us, but snooker extra is on very shortly

on BBC One. Before we go, best wishes to Dennis Taylor who is

recovering in a local hospital, having had his appendix out. We will

see you at 10am on BBC Two. We will show you the conclusion of the match

between Alan that an us and Ali Carter. -- Alan McManus.