Day 11 Snooker: World Championship Highlights

Hello. A very good evening to you, welcome back to the Crucible

Theatre, highlights of all the day's quarter-final action from the

Betfred snooker World Championship to come. Three former world

champions in action, John Higgins, Ronni O'Sullivan and John Higgins

who started his match against Marco Fu -- Mark sell by who started his

match against Marco Fu. It will be a very interesting session this, no

doubt. Terrific pot. Over 40 minutes since he last potted

a ball. Oh, my dear. That's nearly

embarrassment level for a professional snooker player. He's

really struggling out there. Mark Selby comfortably in front. 4-0.

Played it well. Got a frame on the score board!

Inch perfect. Wonderful positional shot. Mark Selby you can see the

fist pump, he was pleased to win that last one. He takes an overnight

advantage 6-2. Mark Selby looking absolutely

brilliant. Selby 6-2 in front, they resume in the morning. In the other

quarter-final today Barry Hawkins, the 2013 Crucible runner-up leads

Stephen Maguire of Scotland 5-3. Let's turn our attention to the next

quarter-final match, Ronnie O'Sullivan taking on Ding Junhui.

When we left you on BBC Two, Ding led 6-5 then he won the next to make

it 7-5. We join it after the interval, frame 13, commentary from

Ken Doherty and Denis Taylor. Can't really take that red on this

time. Goes straight into the other reds that are surrounding the black

there. Looking for a gap. He got the pot

and found the gap. He's on the green. A cracking

opener. The pink is tied up. It's not an

easy chance. Couple of reds around the black spot. Maybe try and bring

the black into play. Isn't it funny the way the ball is

situated there, there are never two frames of snooker the same. Look at

how they're shaped there, there's some sort of a little pattern going

on there. Can only concentrate on the blue at

the moment. He Haas a nice angle on the blue

now. He can take the blue here and try and hit the pink full back. OK

there are a couple of reds right of the pink.

Feels a bit extreme but he has a nice angle now toing to the pink.

Start the cue ball around the pink spot.

I think he's OK. Is he on this red to the left of the black? Certainly

a couple of reds to the left centre. Look at that statistic, tournament

balls potted, 861. Ding Junhui knows if he takes this

frame he can't be behind going into the final session of this

quarter-final. That wonderful little shot he played

on the blue a couple of shots ago's brought the pink into play, the

black is now available into the corner pocket.

And now a Hans to win the frame from this position.

-- now a chance to win the frame from this position.

A little bit congested around the black. He'd love to get the red left

of the black out of the way because that'll make the black available

into the left hand corner pocket. His target is 68.

He can concentrate on the four loose reds below the pink. Decided to take

this red out of the equation and that'll certainly open things up.

Quite a clever little shot that because he's held the spot but he

knows the black will have to go below the spot which will in turn

guarantee him being on that red. He really looks very focussed and

confident. He's doing this against a player

that is in pretty good form, it has to be said. Just a couple of little

lapses in concentration from Ronnie O'Sullivan's cost him a couple of

frames. What a time to open up a three-frame advantage. O'Sullivan's

got his hands full here with this Chinese player, that's for certain.

He's made so many breakings in this quarter-final so far where he's

clinched the frame with one visit. It looks as if he's going to do it

again here. Stephen Hendry was saying this

morning he thought there was going to be maybe a record number of

centuries for any one match here. But they were making breaks to win

the frame. There's not been as many centuries as we thought.

We may see another century here. He'll concentrate on that now the

frame is won. His positional play throughout this match and the

tournament, he's made seven centuries in the tournament so far.

Needs to play a good positional shot here. Didn't catch the bottom red.

Still got a chance of a pot here but again, the cue ball is running

around. He's in total control of it. Delightful. Don't see that very

often where you see the red on the cushion double kissing. Needs a pink

to get to a red. And he's so good into the middle pockets, that's a

cracking shot. Couldn't get on the red from the black.

There's all sorts of stories about century breaks if he can move this

red which he has done. APPLAUSE.

Believe it or not, Ken, this will be his 50th century at the Crucible

Theatre, that's quite incredible. Certainly a milestone. We've had 52

centuries already at this year's Championship. 86 is the target. It

was equalled last year. That's century number 50 for Ding.

This has been fantastic. It all came from that wonderful long red.

Still the highest break in this year's World Championships. Stuart

Bingham made that. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE.

What a break that was from Ding Junhui. It all started with a

cracking red. One more chance and he takes the frame, extending his lead

to 8-5. Marvellous stuff from Ding Junhui, 8-5 up and here he is again

on a break of 51. Back to Denis and Ken.

He could be snookered on this red and maybe a lifeline here for Ronnie

O'Sullivan. I think there is, you know.

Have to really get into that cue ball a bit better. I don't think the

bottom red of these two that are very close together pot so he's not

on that red. The bottom of the two doesn't pot

into the bottom corner pocket. So what is he going to do? Attempt to

swerve. Oh! Well, what a chance for Ronnie O'Sullivan now. I wasn't

expecting this. 44 points behind. Angle on this red below the black

doesn't want to be straight. There's not much of an angle there

so a lot to do with this. And watch the side. Well, has he got an angle

to just nudge one of the reds here? APPLAUSE.

Now, what an exciting finish we could have to this frame. Oh,

Ronnie! Just missed a few shots this

evening, shots that you wouldn't expect him to miss. That's proved

very costly for him. That's the first one he's missed with the rest,

believe it or not, in this quarter. That's a bit of a help to Ding. He's

helped the red but pushed the brown into an awkward spot.

APPLAUSE. Difficult red. Has he hit it hard

enough? Well, that was a brave shot he took

on there. A very, very difficult shot. He didn't quite get the white

over on to the cushion and with the rest, that was very difficult

indeed. I'll tell you what, Ken, he's going

to take some stopping now, Ding Junhui. He's going to open up a

four-frame advantage. Well, Ronnie surprisingly stays in

his chair, only two snookers required there, but it's Ding Junhui

who goes further ahead now, leading Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-5. Ronnie

O'Sullivan ruing that missed red. It's proving a tough Nike for the

Rocket. -- night for the Rocket. Into the next and it's Ding to play.

Got to bridge over the side of the reds there.

Oh, that's just about perfect and what a chance. The nine frames he's

won, as we show you the blue again, he's virtually won every frame with

one visit. There's the target again. Same

number, 68. Long spoiler just come off the rail.

That's what the noise was. Ding was just looking at the referee as if to

say, what was that. He's noticed it now.

Doesn't have a lot of work to do with the cue ball here. Plenty of

reds available. Ronnie looking very concerned. He

knows Ding Junhui is only another few pots away from assuming a

five-frame lead. Cannon off the red to hold the cue

ball. Perfectly well. He's not 100% sure. This may be

Ronnie's only chance here if he can't get on a red. He's going to

negotiate the cue ball in and out of baulk. As long as he doesn't hit a

baulk colour, he'll be on a red. Has he hit it hard enough? Maybe not.

Maybe one more chance. For Ronnie. Ding will leave that. He's looking

to see if he can pot this but there is an easy safety shot and it looks

as if he's taking this cut back on. Risky. Can't believe he played that.

There was the easiest of safety shots in there to put Ronnie bang in

trouble. And he's been rather fortunate there, he really has.

Because once he took that on, he could quite easily have put Ronnie

right in amongst them. He needs this cue ball to come to

the rescue. I think there's a gap to the red over the pocket.

Most other frames have been won with one visit.

That earlier break of 58. Paved the way for this frame. One more frame

to be moved. Doesn't matter about that. Ronnie

stays in his seat. So Ding Junhui continues to open up the gap. He now

leads the five-times former champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-5.

Thank you. The final frame of this session. Ding Junhui to break.

Huge frame for Ronnie O'Sullivan and that's a good start. Needs to win if

this he has a chance of a fight back tomorrow afternoon. It's a must-win

frame. If he loses it, I don't think he can come back, not the way Ding

is playing. A good point there from Steve Davis.

Is this not like any other sport. There is always a big question,

which is more difficult, golf or snooker? The reason I think snooker

comes out on top is in golf if you play a good shot I can play a good

shot but in snooker if you are knocking everything in I have to sit

and watch it. He has just lost a little bit of confidence. He has

overscrewed that last positional shot by quite a long way. He is now

faced with a tricky little pot and position. That is a good recovery.

That was a wonderful short, Dennis. If ever he needed a frame-winning

break, it is here. 28. 29. I think if anybody could

come back from such a deficit it is certainly Ronnie O'Sullivan, there

is no doubt about that. If you can get to 10-6, there are lots of

matches in the Crucible from that deficit. He has left this short, and

this is a key shot. If this works out he has a great chance. Just a

nudge in a few more red. I thought he was going hard into the bunch and

screwing back. I mean, it's not that he hasn't been in great form in this

match, he was winning all the frames early on in one visit but Ding has

just been excellent. Only a few lapses in concentration that have

cost in the frames this evening. It has just been and this pot here or

there. Every time he has been punished by Ding Junhui. 10-6, if it

goes that way he might not feel too bad. He is certainly still in the

match. A nice little cannon. 61. This break is only coming up to

four minutes, it has been a fantastic response. That was the key

in this session, he missed a few long pots early on. Well played,

Ronnie O'Sullivan. Can he go on and make a century? The highest break is

137 from Stuart Bingham, a possible 141 on. We still have a match on. He

will need to play this well in the final session tomorrow afternoon if

he is going to progress to the semifinals. He has it all to do but

he has given himself a chance. Yes, he has had four century so far in

the World Championship. He made a maximum break in 1997 at

five minutes and 20 seconds. He was motoring back then. This has been

very quick. , That is a shame. He will be a bit

disappointed that he is not on the red. He had a chance the highest

break. 104 in just over five minutes. Kang the late getting? Get

in there somewhere. Oh, such a shame. Ding Junhui shakes his hand.

A very good session for Ding Junhui. Ronnie O'Sullivan made a wonderful

centre in the last phrase but it is Ding Junhui who will hold the

overnight lead. He leads the five-time champion going into the

final session tomorrow by 10-6. A nice little smile from Ding Junhui

with Ronnie O'Sullivan fighting to stay in this year 's World

Championship. They resume at 2:30pm tomorrow afternoon. He has it all to

do. One man who many pundits think might land a Crucible title in the

next few years is Kyren Wilson. He is up against John Higgins who is

leading 5-3. It was 5-3 after the morning session and he won three of

the last four including a break of 129 in the evening and we join them

at 8-4 with commentary from Willie Thorne and Stephen Hendry. John

Higgins to break. It looks highly likely that John

Higgins will get a sizeable lead going into the final session, but

how big a lead will it be? Kyren Wilson would really need to win at

least three of these remaining four frames. 9-7 behind is not too bad

but anything worse than that could be really tough. Judging by the John

Higgins reaction he has left this red to the corner. How aggression

work I -- how aggressive were Kyren Wilson get with this shot? He is

playing for the black here. on the blue who wanted to be

straight on this pink so he could run through with the red and onto

the black that he hasn't got the angle. I am sure he will get there.

He will just play for the loose red and get the red out of the way that

is causing the problems at the minute.

If he is able to just pop a black on the left-hand side pocket as he

looks at it can force an angle. He will definitely be playing some sort

of cannon off the black this time. He just let the cue ball travel a

couple of inches too far. This was a little bit careless. He would like

to be able to stun into the red to the left of the pink. The red eye

was on about, that pots to left middle so it is handy. It is a

little bit fortunate that one of these pots in the middle have to sit

on the previous red. Ideally, if this is dead straight he is likely

to screw on and off the cushion. He can judge a little screw eight or

nine inches but he can't judge it properly so on and off the question

would be as good as anything. He has tried to hold it and held it well

for the black. It has to be a half ball. If he hits the pink full ball

it will be nothing. Concentrate so hard to hit it half ball but he hit

it caught a ball there but he still brought one into play. This was a

very good pot in the middle. It was a big target from green into

the bunch, with about one foot of space there but he could not have

hit the better. He has finished low on the black and

he wanted but he can play the cannon into the pink. He could do with

hitting the pink full ball this time to stick on it because if it hits it

hard -- half ball on the right-hand side he did lose a bit of it. He has

hit it full ball. Knowing it would cannon into the

blue he made sure to hit it firmly enough to leave plenty of space in

between them. He had some sort of pot on and he has knocked it into a

favoured position. The right side of the blue this time

so now the flame is -- the frame is there at his mercy and he is almost

guaranteed to get his second century.

That was a lovely positional shot there. The red and the black.

So the fifth century the John Higgins in this World Championship

coming up. It has been an exhibition of how to

compile breaks tonight from John Higgins. Just when he gets in, it

virtually looks as though he isn't going to miss.

The young man has got a lot to do in this match if he wants to get back

into it. A magnificent break a gun from John Higgins, 135. He is now

five frames in front, 9-4. Wonderful from it gives. Kyren Wilson took the

next frame by John Higgins took two more anti-leads 11-5 and he's

looking good for a place in the semifinals. They resume at 10am and

he needs just two to book a last four place against Barry Hawkins or

Stephen McGuire. A fantastic day is snooker we have had again here at

the Crucible Theatre and this is the shot of the day.

If he is taking this on this is really tough. What a shot! That was

incredible. Take a bow Kyren Wilson. He will need more of that in the

morning when we return at 10am. Remember John Higgins is two frames

away from a semifinal place and Mark Selby is in a commanding position

against Marco Fu. That is it from us for now. We will see a bright and

early at 10am. From all of us here, goodbye for now.

Full disclosure - you're looking at a room of double glazing salesmen.

we're not quite the social pariahs you lot probably know and loathe.