:00:36. > :00:44.Blink and you'll miss him, the Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan and! Here
:00:45. > :00:47.comes the musician, Sean Murphy. At just happy to be out there and play.
:00:48. > :00:52.Every snooker player loves playing and you have to embrace at all. I
:00:53. > :00:56.came here in good form a few months ago and he slapped me to one side.
:00:57. > :01:02.You are capable of anything coming not just playing him, you're playing
:01:03. > :01:05.the entourage and his intimidation factor and the crowd and last time I
:01:06. > :01:12.got too involved in all of the other stuff unforgotten A. It is round two
:01:13. > :01:16.at the Crucible and the boxing analogy may be apt because this
:01:17. > :01:21.evening we had ourselves a proper heavyweight contest. You know and I
:01:22. > :01:26.know that Ronnie O'Sullivan and Shaun Murphy are not exactly best of
:01:27. > :01:30.pals but that gave their second round match an extra edge amidst a
:01:31. > :01:35.heated build-up and a lot of strong words on the way. Stand-by for the
:01:36. > :01:41.magician against the Rocket, that was evening offering. Earlier in the
:01:42. > :01:47.afternoon Neil Robertson got across the line in comfortable fashion
:01:48. > :01:52.against Noppon Saengkham. The Aussie had earlier in the match knocked in
:01:53. > :01:59.a landmark 500 strolled over the line 10-4-macro. Today we saw more
:02:00. > :02:03.of the knock-on who qualify to get here. Yesterday was very daunting to
:02:04. > :02:07.come here for the first time and I was speaking to him straight after
:02:08. > :02:12.the match and I said that he would do better next time here and he said
:02:13. > :02:16.he was very nervous in the first session yesterday so he came out and
:02:17. > :02:24.played much better today but it was very tough to lose from 8-1 down in
:02:25. > :02:28.so many things have to go against you and I was lucky to finish off
:02:29. > :02:32.the match pretty early. This evening Barry Hawkins became the last man to
:02:33. > :02:36.book a place in the second round after beating Tom Ford. He hasn't
:02:37. > :02:40.failed to make it to release the quarters since 2012 and he now faces
:02:41. > :02:46.Graeme Dott, another Crucible specialist. I am delighted to get
:02:47. > :02:49.through that round and I am expecting a tough game. Tom is a
:02:50. > :02:52.great player when he gets going but I will take it and the main thing
:02:53. > :02:57.was together a past that first round really. I think winning 7-2 in the
:02:58. > :03:01.session yesterday against him didn't really kill the match off but it put
:03:02. > :03:34.a lot of doubt it is my, that's official. If I get a chance I will
:03:35. > :03:35.score. I am happy with my form and this is a tough place to play but if
:03:36. > :03:36.you can settle that they're as I have done in the last few years then
:03:37. > :03:36.I can play good snooker and hope you do that again. The second round draw
:03:37. > :03:57.is now complete and here is how it looks.
:03:58. > :04:01.Earlier this week Ronnie O'Sullivan caused a Ferrari amidst all the
:04:02. > :04:06.accusations of bullying and intimidation at the highest levels
:04:07. > :04:09.of the sport, accusation strongly denied, and then Shaun Murphy waded
:04:10. > :04:13.in and accused Ronnie of washing his dirty linen in public and a slanging
:04:14. > :04:17.match between the games authorities and players doesn't look good.
:04:18. > :04:21.Factor all of that into your computations and you have got the
:04:22. > :04:26.makings of a Rather combustible encounter, to say the least. The
:04:27. > :04:30.bell went on it tonight and we join the refrain one with Shaun Murphy to
:04:31. > :04:42.play and 14 points behind and we are in the company of Steve Davis and
:04:43. > :04:48.John Virgo. The cue ball is coming up the table. Money will be tempted
:04:49. > :04:53.by this one. He will look at what he would be left with if he puts his
:04:54. > :04:58.opponent up again and Sean will play a more successful safety. He has got
:04:59. > :05:03.to go for this. Absolutely. If he had it replaced John -- Sean could
:05:04. > :05:09.get the safety shot just right and he would be in trouble. There is a
:05:10. > :05:15.little bit of something in the cloth that has caught his eye. Good cueing
:05:16. > :05:21.needed for this. Just off straight and he will play the run-through for
:05:22. > :05:30.pink or blue. That is solid. A good shot. A good finish and a little bit
:05:31. > :05:34.betwixt and between. 2.5 for the pink and not enough of the blue. --
:05:35. > :05:41.too hard for the pink and not enough for the blue. Not absolutely sure
:05:42. > :05:44.what he played for there but I think he played for the blue and once
:05:45. > :05:48.again these conditions are at the moment playing a bit slower.
:05:49. > :06:03.Trapping a bit. When they are hitting the cushions
:06:04. > :06:07.Square on, but when they are hitting it sideways they seem to be sliding.
:06:08. > :06:10.He played for one of the reds in the middle of the table and he got one
:06:11. > :06:19.to the right of a black. He can just get through to.
:06:20. > :06:29.Not the right angle on the pink so a little bit of work to do with the
:06:30. > :06:35.cue ball. He can use a fair bit of force here. He played that well. He
:06:36. > :06:51.deserves everything he gets. He has got choices now. Should the
:06:52. > :06:57.red away from the path of the black. -- shift the red away. There is a
:06:58. > :07:08.red by the black spot but he won't like the look of as well.
:07:09. > :07:18.You don't want to be playing the black, as Steve said, the black spot
:07:19. > :07:24.is almost tied up by the red. Just hit nicely to get on the pink. I
:07:25. > :07:27.would say that if there was any player in the game that you would
:07:28. > :07:28.pick to tune into a table as quick as possible, it is Ronnie
:07:29. > :07:44.O'Sullivan. He needs to get to 61 points. He has
:07:45. > :07:53.screwed back a little bit too far and there is a little gap year. He
:07:54. > :07:54.has to find it though. He won't mind that cue ball keeps running, and it
:07:55. > :08:13.has, he is now perfect the blue. You can see it as a nice angle. The
:08:14. > :08:23.right side of the blue line. The Bulls could not be better placed. A
:08:24. > :08:34.snooker player 's nightmare, the wrong side of the blue. On the days
:08:35. > :08:37.when you judge that particular shot by Ronnie O'Sullivan has judged to
:08:38. > :08:55.perfection correctly, it makes the game a lot easier. The red colour
:08:56. > :09:06.and a red would be enough as Ronnie glances at the scoreboard. He has
:09:07. > :09:17.overdone slightly but after this blue just one point needed. It was
:09:18. > :09:37.never going to be a problem. The next red to go 57 ahead with only 51
:09:38. > :09:46.remaining. Inigo Ros. -- in it goes. He needed two chances but Shaun
:09:47. > :09:53.Murphy blade two pour shifty shots and he capitalised on the second
:09:54. > :10:08.one. -- Shaun Murphy played two pour shifty shots.
:10:09. > :10:14.He won't be able to make the century but he will be keen to clear the
:10:15. > :10:15.table. He doesn't want his opponent coming back and getting some
:10:16. > :10:28.practice time. Clever use of the middle pocket. He
:10:29. > :10:59.looks wonderful touch. Sending out a signal to Shaun which
:11:00. > :11:03.I'm sure he knew before the start of this match, that if he is going to
:11:04. > :11:07.get anything out of it he will have to play well. But that is what you
:11:08. > :11:09.expect at this level and that is what you expect in the World
:11:10. > :11:25.Championship at the Crucible Theatre.
:11:26. > :11:36.Wonderful stuff from Ronnie O'Sullivan. It is Ronnie O'Sullivan
:11:37. > :11:41.who takes the first frame. He leads 1-0. Ronnie was springing out of his
:11:42. > :11:44.corner to land the first blow and incidentally he has twice beaten
:11:45. > :11:49.Shaun here in Best of 25 frame matches at the Crucible, most
:11:50. > :11:54.recently in 2014 which was a thumping 13 frames to three. We go
:11:55. > :12:00.into frame to with money trailing by 46 points. -- Ronnie is trailing by
:12:01. > :12:12.46 points. Didn't see that coming. The bridging
:12:13. > :12:17.is awkward and I think it certainly got a kick, the red came off a bit
:12:18. > :12:18.thick. It was the type of shot that he has misjudged the fact that he
:12:19. > :12:39.was putting top spin on. Surely now pot the black and get
:12:40. > :12:47.into those roads, just use those roads as a buffer. He didn't have to
:12:48. > :12:53.do, I know, but he thought he might as well have done. He can get over
:12:54. > :13:13.the line without them, I know. This will put in 62 points in front.
:13:14. > :13:22.You still need to read and the colour. It looks like the top right
:13:23. > :13:26.of that cluster of four goes to this one way, but it doesn't, he is very
:13:27. > :13:50.proficient with the rest. The red and the black will do.
:13:51. > :13:57.In goes the black, 70 points is the lead now. Just 67 remaining. He is
:13:58. > :14:20.on this read to the right middle. 25. He made a couple of mistakes in
:14:21. > :14:30.this frame, Shaun, but he wasn't punished for them. Yeah, I mean we
:14:31. > :14:35.may not be correct in digging him out for not going into the pack of
:14:36. > :14:46.reds. There are plenty of ways to play the positional side of things.
:14:47. > :14:47.He will be happier now he has a frame on the board, that is for
:14:48. > :15:42.certain. 41. He has got into this a little bit
:15:43. > :15:44.too much. When you play this shot you're trying to win the yellow
:15:45. > :15:56.under brown. It doesn't matter now of course. Funnily enough, if he was
:15:57. > :16:01.to clear up here he would have a 91 break. That would equal one his
:16:02. > :16:12.break in the first frame. Tit-for-tat, or what?
:16:13. > :16:21.Tonight 's session, however it unfolds, one thing is for sure, you
:16:22. > :16:32.are witnessing two of the greatest cue wastes that the game has ever
:16:33. > :16:40.seen, -- two of the greatest cueists that the game has ever seen. So
:16:41. > :16:48.relax and enjoy. Not bothering about the black. That puts Shaun Murphy on
:16:49. > :16:52.the scoreboard. It is one apiece. So, at counterpunch from Murphy and
:16:53. > :17:00.into the next it was Ronnie, this time with a break of 75, going 2-1
:17:01. > :17:01.in front. Now we're into the last before the interval, frame four, and
:17:02. > :17:26.it is Murphy to This game has been going on over
:17:27. > :17:31.41.5 minutes. The average frame time at the moment is just under 14
:17:32. > :17:43.minutes. Now let's see how Ronnie queues this one.
:17:44. > :17:52.That is better. They are tough shots to play. He had to hold for the
:17:53. > :17:58.black and seeded. You cannot decelerate with those. A good shot.
:17:59. > :18:08.You really have to get the cue few through. It is interesting that the
:18:09. > :18:13.shot but Ronnie O'Sullivan played, if he misses it he presents Shaun
:18:14. > :18:18.Murphy with reds at the top of the table. It is very difficult to try
:18:19. > :18:27.and explain which shots are the ones who have to go for and which ones
:18:28. > :18:30.you should leave alone. That is whether you are sitting in a
:18:31. > :18:34.commentary box, fan, a player at home, or the players out on the
:18:35. > :18:44.table. They all have different opinions.
:18:45. > :19:35.25. There is a loose read up near the blue but he has a nice angle if
:19:36. > :19:40.he should wish to go into the red tear. I don't think it is one of
:19:41. > :19:45.these situations that you can guarantee. One is had a quick look
:19:46. > :19:53.at the pink into the red corner and if not I play -- I see value in
:19:54. > :19:58.playing the cannon here. He decided not to. I can only assume that the
:19:59. > :20:12.red just below the kink -- pink does go. And it does.
:20:13. > :20:36.Play the red to the left middle here, I would have thought. I know
:20:37. > :20:40.he was low on this red here, but I suppose he could play at an open up
:20:41. > :20:44.the reds but he wouldn't have a clue where the cue ball would finish.
:20:45. > :20:51.This is quite a shock to take on. It is a frame-winner if he putts but it
:20:52. > :21:00.is a risk. Summing up this red in the middle pocket. This is the one
:21:01. > :21:07.for me. OK, it is a tough spot but if you miss it you will be bringing
:21:08. > :21:20.everything into play. But he did not miss it and he will be black, black.
:21:21. > :21:26.-- back on the black. It looks like the end of 147 if he is dead
:21:27. > :21:31.straight. It will be tough to keep the break going from here after the
:21:32. > :21:38.black, does he have a fractional angle? Just. He may be able to force
:21:39. > :21:44.it to the condition. If he comes in very low on the red he turned down
:21:45. > :21:50.before. He is on it but he won't be able to play on the black off it. He
:21:51. > :21:53.is a bit closer to the red. He'd get his hand on the table and it is
:21:54. > :22:09.close enough that it makes it a bit easier, this pot. In Ros. He is on
:22:10. > :22:15.the pink. -- in it goes. This is snooker of quality. Break shot.
:22:16. > :22:18.Didn't leave much, but now Short is suddenly seeing he is looking at the
:22:19. > :22:28.mid-session interval and see he will be 3-1 down. Only ever been two 146
:22:29. > :22:43.breaks at the Crucible apparently. I remember Doug Mountjoy making a 145.
:22:44. > :22:54.Mark Allen Graham got one. It was a pub quiz question. A nice -- the
:22:55. > :23:02.highest break at the moment is Ding Junhui, it will get broken, but just
:23:03. > :23:09.when? He is a little bit betwixt and between there. He will give this red
:23:10. > :23:15.every due care and attention. Nice plate. He controlled the cue ball
:23:16. > :23:20.perfectly. A quick glance at the scoreboard. This blue will put in 67
:23:21. > :23:24.points in front but there are still 75 remaining so he is looking for
:23:25. > :23:31.another red. That will put him 68 ahead. There are just 67 remaining,
:23:32. > :23:35.he will want to clear up here because this will be a good target.
:23:36. > :23:44.At the moment there is a possible 142 if you took blacks with these
:23:45. > :23:50.remaining reds. He has decided to play for the pink. That just means
:23:51. > :23:58.now that there is no way that Shaun Murphy will win coming back to the
:23:59. > :24:06.table. A good break this, Steve. Yes, and also made without risk as
:24:07. > :24:15.well, forgetting any types of 147 prize money or anything like that,
:24:16. > :24:19.when the frame at all costs. He looks as we speak very workmanlike,
:24:20. > :24:26.Ronnie O'Sullivan, apart from his natural genius which was makes him
:24:27. > :24:31.look like a virtuoso. Yeah, workmanlike, I am not sure if Ronnie
:24:32. > :24:36.and workmanlike together, I'm sorry. But the way his attitude, around the
:24:37. > :24:39.table more than any body language. Yes, claimed the correct shot and
:24:40. > :24:45.play the expansive shots, if you like. That is what I hate about
:24:46. > :24:53.golf, when you hit your best drive down the middle they all go, steady,
:24:54. > :25:02.steady! It's my best shot! He has played these absolutely wonderfully.
:25:03. > :25:12.He has already made two centuries in the tournament so far. He could have
:25:13. > :25:28.made it 140 but I don't think he is particularly interested in high
:25:29. > :25:34.breaks. Wonderful stuff. Beautiful. 139 was possible, but not now. It
:25:35. > :25:49.has gone down again and it is 135. His early break was 136. He just
:25:50. > :25:54.wants to pot all of the balls. Remember, if you put all of the
:25:55. > :25:58.balls you are bound to rain. Judging the reaction of his first-round
:25:59. > :26:02.match against Gary Wilson which was such a tough work-out, there is only
:26:03. > :26:11.one thing on his mind, and that is lifting the title to Mondays from
:26:12. > :26:15.now. Somewhere he has been written off as not being so dominant but
:26:16. > :26:22.when he is on top form, how could you write off? Never. This is an
:26:23. > :26:36.absolutely superb break. Never looked in trouble. Clear the table
:26:37. > :26:40.completely. All Shaun Murphy did was break off, sat down and enjoyed it
:26:41. > :26:44.with the rest of us as Ronnie O'Sullivan makes one to wait because
:26:45. > :26:50.he leaves at the mid-session interval 3-1. That was won his third
:26:51. > :26:57.century here so far this year and the 20 fifth of bit tournament so
:26:58. > :26:59.far. Blink and you miss and the interval was gone and we are into
:27:00. > :27:54.frame five, only 20 behind. Six. It looks as though he has come
:27:55. > :28:01.straight on this red. Just to roll it into the black. He did not want
:28:02. > :28:07.to risk that. He thought he had to be too precise so he played that the
:28:08. > :28:18.blue. A nice angle on it, no harm done.
:28:19. > :28:23.You know Ronnie, he would like to get the black on the spot sooner
:28:24. > :28:33.rather than later and there was a chance now to do that. 13. You do
:28:34. > :28:38.get the feeling that once Ronnie O'Sullivan gets amongst the balls he
:28:39. > :28:43.is likely to make a frame-winning contribution but at the moment Shaun
:28:44. > :28:49.Murphy hasn't settled down in that department. He made an 80 break
:28:50. > :28:51.early on but just being found wanting a fraction more in the
:28:52. > :29:01.positional Department of the game. Yes, and the cue ball control is the
:29:02. > :29:08.essence of this game. They can all part, but it is having good control
:29:09. > :29:09.of the cue ball which can make the difference between winning and
:29:10. > :29:33.losing a match. One of the problems with playing a
:29:34. > :29:37.player of the standard and stature and break-building capability of
:29:38. > :29:41.Ronnie O'Sullivan, is that it does put a lot of pressure on all
:29:42. > :29:46.departments of your game, including break-building. When you get amongst
:29:47. > :29:55.the balls, you feel like you must take advantage. He wasn't
:29:56. > :29:59.particularly happy with that potting angle, so in potting this black
:30:00. > :30:13.comedy will try to cannon the red in the middle of the table. He just
:30:14. > :30:18.missed the cannon. He just brushed past it but wanted to hit it full in
:30:19. > :30:23.the face. It is unlike him to miss a cannon like that. He played it quite
:30:24. > :30:28.softly. He could have played it harder and he would have still been
:30:29. > :30:31.on a red. He could have struck the ball with more authority and
:30:32. > :30:37.guaranteed the back spin and the cannon. As he played it, he let it
:30:38. > :30:47.drift past a fraction. But this red is still on.
:30:48. > :30:57.No problem. It always amazes me, because he plays so many shots
:30:58. > :31:05.left-handed, his standard with the rest is unbelievable, because he
:31:06. > :31:11.very rarely uses it. He had to punch that in off the cushion. He now has
:31:12. > :31:14.a 32 point gleed. These reds in the middle of the table with blacks
:31:15. > :31:28.would put him at the snooker required stage.
:31:29. > :31:49.It is a giddy 15 and a half minutes, the longest frame of the match.
:31:50. > :32:05.He made certain of the red and there is no way back to the table for
:32:06. > :32:10.Shaun. There is a chance of another
:32:11. > :32:12.century. He made one before the mid-session interval. If he gets on
:32:13. > :32:29.this red, a chance of another one. Not quite. It is a pity, but an
:32:30. > :32:36.excellent contribution. Shaun laid a marvellous opening red and did not
:32:37. > :32:41.make the most of it. Ronnie now leads by four frames to one. When he
:32:42. > :32:46.took the next as well, you got the feeling Shaun Murphy did not have
:32:47. > :32:53.many tricks left up his sleeve, at five frames to one down. A huge
:32:54. > :32:56.frame coming now in the seventh. Ronnie, 57 points to 44 ahead, with
:32:57. > :33:12.just four colours remaining. What on earth has he done there? Oh,
:33:13. > :33:20.no! Well, it just shows you, he thought of everything but that. And
:33:21. > :33:33.now... Gee-whiz. Unbelievable. What a gift for Shaun. Shaun has gone too
:33:34. > :33:37.far with the cue ball. He has to do more mileage with the cue ball. OK,
:33:38. > :33:46.you think he escaped to get there, but...
:33:47. > :33:54.This is not going to be good unless it runs on a lot. He still needs
:33:55. > :34:01.pink and black. The points are level. He needs to take a big
:34:02. > :34:06.breath, Shaun Murphy, take the negative thoughts out of your brain.
:34:07. > :34:10.Approach this like Ronnie had just played a bad safety shot, and then
:34:11. > :34:14.you are in a different frame of mind. Stop thinking about the fact
:34:15. > :34:20.that you have messed it up and try to play the right shot. I think he
:34:21. > :34:25.has to go for the cut. I think it is cuttable and the cue ball comes in
:34:26. > :34:33.and out of baulk for the black somehow.
:34:34. > :34:42.He had to hit it hard, and when you hit it hard, you lose your accuracy.
:34:43. > :34:48.What has he done here? Is the black going to snooker Ronnie on the pink?
:34:49. > :34:54.It has done. There you see it. The things that can happen on a snooker
:34:55. > :35:07.table that is only 12 foot by six. It's amazing.
:35:08. > :35:13.It is safe. I am sure that Ronnie thought for a moment that the pink
:35:14. > :35:18.was running towards the corner. But he had gifted Shaun a chance, and
:35:19. > :35:25.Shaun was unable to take it. This is now a big frame, particularly for
:35:26. > :35:31.Shaun Murphy. Good shot from Shaun Murphy. He was not tempted to try to
:35:32. > :35:42.get the cue ball behind the black, that was too difficult. Ronnie has a
:35:43. > :35:50.two, three-cushion safety behind the black. The pink will be in open play
:35:51. > :35:57.a bit. He played the pot. Wow! I did not think he would play the pot.
:35:58. > :36:01.Well, it surprised me. But the pace that the pink arrived at the pocket,
:36:02. > :36:06.it was difficult for it to escape, really. Another chance for Shaun, a
:36:07. > :36:10.bit more difficult, but the natural line for the cue ball is back
:36:11. > :36:18.towards the black, if he can pop the pink. Would you believe it? Would
:36:19. > :36:25.you believe it? He is having a nightmare.
:36:26. > :36:30.He did not hit it with the right amount of pace. He was trying to
:36:31. > :36:38.play the control shot, but surely you have to make sure of the pot.
:36:39. > :36:43.Ronnie also needs pink and black. Never easy to get the cue ball up
:36:44. > :36:48.the table from a ball in the pocket. And this is a tough one. This is a
:36:49. > :36:52.massive turning point in the frame from Shaun Murphy's perspective, if
:36:53. > :36:58.he misses it. And Ronnie knows the significance.
:36:59. > :37:08.Not there. Is the black going to stop short of a middle pocket? It
:37:09. > :37:15.is. It was a tough black, as Steve explained, and he made certain he
:37:16. > :37:18.got a good cue ball. Everybody is susceptible to the tension at the
:37:19. > :37:25.Crucible at different times in the match, even from in front. Shaun,
:37:26. > :37:33.twice across safety, cue ball up the table. Good effort. Yes, could have
:37:34. > :37:34.done with a bit more role on the cue ball to get tight to the baulk
:37:35. > :37:46.cushion, but safe enough. Ronnie plays the side to side,
:37:47. > :37:49.guaranteed to be safe. And he has a little bit of an angle on that,
:37:50. > :37:54.enough of an angle that Shaun could be tempted into the cocked hat
:37:55. > :38:00.bubble into the right middle, with an element of safety. It was too
:38:01. > :38:04.straight. It was not like that. So another containing safety. The only
:38:05. > :38:08.problem is that he has not put distance between cue ball and object
:38:09. > :38:16.ball, so you would fancy Ronnie to play a better safety shot.
:38:17. > :38:23.Advantage, Ronnie O'Sullivan at the moment. He could not afford to hit
:38:24. > :38:30.it too thin, so he has left it up. My goodness! Everything is happening
:38:31. > :38:35.in this frame, bad shots, bad misses. The difference between six
:38:36. > :38:43.frames to one, and five frames to two, coming up now. Straight in the
:38:44. > :38:47.heart of the pocket, and much appreciated by this packed crowd.
:38:48. > :38:52.Ronnie O'Sullivan will be kicking himself. He had lots of chances, as
:38:53. > :38:58.did Shaun, but Shaun will not be kicking himself because he won the
:38:59. > :39:01.frame. Now three behind. Ronnie's domination of the session
:39:02. > :39:03.is slowed up for now but much depends on the outcome of the final
:39:04. > :39:14.frame of the evening. He missed it completely and it will
:39:15. > :39:27.run back and leave the red to the left middle.
:39:28. > :39:34.Ronnie will not be immune to the fact that he more or less threw away
:39:35. > :39:40.the last frame. So he will look on this opportunity now with not so
:39:41. > :39:45.much trepidation, but he will take extra care over every shot.
:39:46. > :39:47.Particularly at the start of the break. He will not want to make any
:39:48. > :40:01.silly mistakes. Once again, the judgment of pace, to
:40:02. > :40:05.finish absolutely inch perfect on the blue. It gives him an
:40:06. > :40:11.opportunity to play for the red just above the black.
:40:12. > :40:26.Not quite far enough. In putting the red he will have to judge the cannon
:40:27. > :40:37.on the black nicely. And he did. He did. Excellent shot. Tremendous
:40:38. > :40:48.knowledge. There was a risk of the cue ball going behind the red.
:40:49. > :40:53.He could have got into that Littlemore but it didn't matter, as
:40:54. > :41:05.long as he made contact with the red.
:41:06. > :41:13.Even though Ronnie O'Sullivan will have hated the last frame, and could
:41:14. > :41:16.have got himself under it from in front, his vast talent and the speed
:41:17. > :41:24.at which he plays around the table is usually enough to let that talent
:41:25. > :41:31.do the talking. He can take his brain out of gear and play the shots
:41:32. > :41:38.as if he is down the club. I think it is a fact, over the last few
:41:39. > :41:41.seasons you can say that. But a few seasons ago, something like that
:41:42. > :42:07.would have really knocked him out of his stride.
:42:08. > :42:18.He would play the red to the right middle but it is too straight. Well,
:42:19. > :42:21.he could. I don't know why he gave it that extra thought. I presume the
:42:22. > :42:31.downside was that he was going to finish close to the cushion.
:42:32. > :42:46.When you have to dig in, it makes the blue missable. Solid enough, but
:42:47. > :42:53.he gave every attention to the pot and has just run slightly out of
:42:54. > :43:06.position. Not perfect on the red. Dead straight, made it a bit easier.
:43:07. > :43:17.Not certain to be on a red offer this shot. He could have pushed a
:43:18. > :43:24.red towards the middle pocket. Don't tell me he is on that! I thought he
:43:25. > :43:29.would play it softer and control it towards the middle but was obviously
:43:30. > :43:37.opening up other reds. He is on this red, a massive bit of luck, really.
:43:38. > :43:40.I suppose you cannot have it both ways. So many times we see players
:43:41. > :43:43.go into the reds and finish on nothing and you say, that was
:43:44. > :43:49.unlucky. So it is swings and roundabouts. But I think his purpose
:43:50. > :43:53.was to open up more reds than just a single one, as you say. He was
:43:54. > :43:58.fortunate it caught the bump on the middle pocket, and now a clear run
:43:59. > :44:02.to the winning line and a four frame advantage at the end of the session.
:44:03. > :44:07.And he certainly has not been tentative in this frame. We see
:44:08. > :44:21.players so often, when things have gone wrong for them from in front.
:44:22. > :44:30.All things considered, if this does become six frames to two for Ronnie
:44:31. > :44:33.O'Sullivan, I think Shaun would have to say fair enough. It could have
:44:34. > :44:45.been seven frames to one. Yes, I think it is a fair reflection
:44:46. > :44:50.of what we have seen. Shaun can look at frames he should have won, and he
:44:51. > :44:56.had chances to win, and under normal circumstances you would expect into.
:44:57. > :44:57.But 81% pot success is really the Achilles' heel of Shaun this
:44:58. > :45:14.evening. This pink will put Ronnie 72 points
:45:15. > :45:16.in front with just 67 remaining. And an opportunity to finish with a
:45:17. > :45:29.century break. He needs an angle on the blue,
:45:30. > :45:33.because no reds are available. He may just be able to force it in and
:45:34. > :45:36.come off the right-hand side cushion. Going round to see if
:45:37. > :45:41.something is available, possibly a plant. He has not got the best angle
:45:42. > :45:53.on the blue. But it doesn't matter, frame over. He played the cannon.
:45:54. > :45:59.Unlucky. I don't think he banged his cue on the table on purpose, it
:46:00. > :46:04.slipped out of his hand. Anyway, as I say, 78 points ahead, just 59
:46:05. > :46:08.remaining. There will be a handshake, and they have treated us
:46:09. > :46:12.to someone before snooker. OK, Ronnie O'Sullivan has been the main
:46:13. > :46:17.man, Shaun Murphy will be disappointed with his performance.
:46:18. > :46:20.Ronnie waves to the crowd and gets good appreciation. Shaun will hope
:46:21. > :46:26.to do better in the second session tomorrow afternoon, but thought
:46:27. > :46:31.might, he is six frames to two behind. Intrigue, drama, big breaks
:46:32. > :46:35.and black ball finish. What a start, and we will have more tomorrow
:46:36. > :46:40.afternoon in their second session. The other second-round match today
:46:41. > :46:44.featured the 2015 champion Stuart Bingham and the world 14 Kyren
:46:45. > :46:47.Wilson, who held the psychological advantage. They have met four times
:46:48. > :47:00.previously and Wilson has never been beaten.
:47:01. > :47:09.The first of the second round matches, just about to get underway.
:47:10. > :47:15.That settles the first frame. Kyren Wilson leads by one frame to zero.
:47:16. > :47:22.That is fantastic cueing. Anywhere but there are. Kyren
:47:23. > :47:52.Wilson, leading by three frames. He actually got a kick there.
:47:53. > :48:01.Excellent pot. He now leads by five frames to nil. It will be a very
:48:02. > :48:13.relieved man to get a frame on the board. He trails five frames to one.
:48:14. > :48:17.Kyren had a look to see if he could pot the red in the middle. He needs
:48:18. > :48:25.to be careful not to play a push shot. I think that may well have
:48:26. > :48:28.been a push. So a very relieved Stuart Bingham wins the seventh
:48:29. > :48:45.frame and trails five frames to two. It looks like he is playing the pot.
:48:46. > :48:49.And it is there. It will be a delighted Stuart Bingham. He will be
:48:50. > :48:56.absolutely delighted to finish only five frames to three down. They are
:48:57. > :49:00.back for the second instalment at 10am, live. There were quite a few
:49:01. > :49:02.candidates for shot of the day but only one winner, and what a winner
:49:03. > :49:18.from Shaun Murphy. I am not sure what he is trying to
:49:19. > :49:21.do. Well, he is coming off side cushion, top cushion, lots of
:49:22. > :49:41.right-hand side. This is risky. What a shot this is. Unbelievable!
:49:42. > :49:45.Unbelievable export --. What a shot! Brilliant, wasn't it? Trick shot
:49:46. > :49:49.supreme in the heat of battle. We are back live at 10am with the first
:49:50. > :49:54.session between Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo, with China guaranteed a
:49:55. > :49:56.quarterfinalist, but which of these will it be? Catch you in the
:49:57. > :50:00.morning. Goodbye for now.