:00:34. > :00:40.Good evening to you and welcome back to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield
:00:41. > :00:45.and highlights of Day nine of the 2017 Betfred World Championships.
:00:46. > :00:50.Coming up, we have a cracking second round match between Marco Fu and
:00:51. > :00:54.Neil Robertson. First, another man is through to the last eight.
:00:55. > :01:00.Scotland's Stephen Maguire who had to qualify for this year's World
:01:01. > :01:05.Championship after dropping out of the top 16. He thrashed Rory McLeod
:01:06. > :01:11.13-3 to reach the last date for the first time since 2012. It's one of
:01:12. > :01:16.those ones where I was thinking he would be on a bit of a hive. If I
:01:17. > :01:20.could get him early, there is always come down no matter what you do, do
:01:21. > :01:30.something good and something comes after it, so it worked out quite
:01:31. > :01:33.well for me. First 13, it's going to be hard for him to come back because
:01:34. > :01:42.I'm not going to give him any easy frames. I think 6-2, the first
:01:43. > :01:47.session, it wasn't that good for him. To many congratulations to
:01:48. > :01:50.Stephen Maguire. Now to our main match this evening, 2010 champion
:01:51. > :01:57.Neil Robertson taking on Marco Fu. At the end of the first session,
:01:58. > :02:03.they were locked for- four. Robertson took the first two friends
:02:04. > :02:04.of the evening. Robertson to play. Commentary from John Virgo and Peter
:02:05. > :02:19.Ebdon. Great opportunity this for Neil
:02:20. > :02:57.Robertson. He could take a two frame advantage.
:02:58. > :03:04.Played that well, needed a deep screw on the right-hand side. He
:03:05. > :03:21.didn't get the immediate back spin on the ball.
:03:22. > :03:29.Taken the opportunity to bring some of the reds into play. That's OK.
:03:30. > :03:31.There is one immediately below the pink available to the right corner
:03:32. > :04:15.so it shouldn't be a problem. This red is OK for a right-hander.
:04:16. > :04:54.But Neil isn't a right-hander. You'd still expect him to knock the
:04:55. > :05:00.red in. There is a bit of pressure on this.
:05:01. > :05:20.I didn't expect him to miss it, either but he got a shock to his
:05:21. > :05:24.system when that red struggled in. Even though it went in, he was on
:05:25. > :05:33.the black, he never recovered the position. Maybe it's just put him
:05:34. > :05:39.off a bit. This is a good shots. That is a cracker! Really punishing
:05:40. > :05:41.Neil Robertson. That was a tough shots to take on and he's played it
:05:42. > :06:32.inch perfect. Obviously, the right-hand side,
:06:33. > :06:38.pocketing that red will release the one on the left hand side into a
:06:39. > :06:46.possible position. This pink will put him 11 points in front.
:06:47. > :07:01.These three remaining reds, with colours, high value colours, he
:07:02. > :07:23.would be at the snooker 's required stage.
:07:24. > :07:34.Looks as though he played for a choice of reds. He's landed nicely
:07:35. > :07:35.on the one on the cushioning. He's taking the opportunity and I don't
:07:36. > :07:53.blame him. Could be the frame-winner! Played it
:07:54. > :08:05.well. After the black, he still needs a red and eight colour.
:08:06. > :08:18.He couldn't have played this any better. Beautifully played. 27
:08:19. > :08:30.ahead, 35 remaining, not for long. 28 in front with 27 remaining after
:08:31. > :08:38.potting this. Then popped the pink Mac.
:08:39. > :08:49.Wonderful break this has been. It has. I thought Marco was very brave
:08:50. > :08:55.to play the red dead weight because if he had got a kick, it wouldn't
:08:56. > :09:07.have reached the pocket. Thankfully, he was thinking positively!
:09:08. > :09:33.A poor positional shot from Neil Robertson caused him to miss the
:09:34. > :09:43.red. And Marco, beautiful opening red, has won this frame. Neil is
:09:44. > :09:51.ready to go. We started the evening all square, we are still all square.
:09:52. > :09:56.It is 6-6. Neil Robertson, four more frames to
:09:57. > :10:00.be played this session. Final session tomorrow afternoon. Can
:10:01. > :10:32.anyone get an advantage? Nice opening red but... I think we
:10:33. > :10:36.can see from that type of shot that he's a bit tentative because
:10:37. > :10:46.normally you'd play that with the confidence to stop short of the
:10:47. > :10:53.baulk line. Definitely playing it has a shot to nothing. The problem
:10:54. > :10:57.with playing Neil Robertson, he is such an outstanding long potter, you
:10:58. > :11:00.don't want to leave with an opportunity to get his hand on the
:11:01. > :11:09.table. That was an interesting choice of shot. Yes, very
:11:10. > :11:18.aggressive. He hasn't got a good cue ball. He has left the chance of a
:11:19. > :11:20.pot. If Neil can get past the green to play safe, he is forced to take
:11:21. > :11:38.it on. He didn't fully commit. That was one
:11:39. > :11:44.of them shots where you think, I might get away with it if it doesn't
:11:45. > :11:50.go in. There is a good chance of getting away with it, providing you
:11:51. > :11:59.don't overcome the red by that extent. For Neil Robertson, that was
:12:00. > :12:03.a long way away. So, that attacking safety shot from Marco, when he ran
:12:04. > :12:08.the yellow into the cluster of reds to open up the game has worked to
:12:09. > :13:31.his advantage. He gets the first good chance.
:13:32. > :13:36.You see the side bar, he needs another 43 points to get to the
:13:37. > :13:48.snookers required stage. Normally, you'd think probably get
:13:49. > :13:55.the yellow back up the table but there is a red there and I don't
:13:56. > :14:05.know if the yellow wasn't on that spot it wouldn't be available. He
:14:06. > :14:16.has decided he has to get the yellow up the table. You can understand
:14:17. > :14:23.why. It just clears the path for the black. No obstacles to get on the
:14:24. > :14:30.black. Could have played it better, but we all make mistakes.
:14:31. > :15:30.That time, letting the cue ball slide a few inches too far.
:15:31. > :16:14.Shouldn't be a problem. Played that cannon very nicely. That
:16:15. > :16:19.is the sort of shot that if you get it slightly too thick or contact,
:16:20. > :16:26.the cue ball stays in the middle of the table, he would have been aware
:16:27. > :16:34.of that playing that shot. It looked simple enough but it could have gone
:16:35. > :16:44.wrong. This is very impressive from Marco Fu here. He shows you the
:16:45. > :16:52.advantage of playing that very attacking safety shot. He stopped in
:16:53. > :16:59.his tracks but he's at the point where these smokers are needed. 67
:17:00. > :17:18.points remaining, 68 ahead. He overran that a little bit.
:17:19. > :17:23.And that should mean Neil Robertson will not get a chance to come back
:17:24. > :17:41.to the table. Very clever shot from Marco on the
:17:42. > :17:48.red. It shows you his intentions to keep the game open. As you said,
:17:49. > :17:58.with such a long potter, as Neil Robertson, that was a great shot to
:17:59. > :18:03.play. He got his reward. Well, and unexpectedness. Neil Robertson
:18:04. > :18:09.looking at the scoreboard. He nods his concession. So, Marco Fu for the
:18:10. > :18:15.first time now in the match goes in front.
:18:16. > :18:35.Straight onto the next frame. Robertson leading by 20 points.
:18:36. > :18:43.He has given himself a great opportunity now, Neil, by forcing
:18:44. > :18:57.Marco into that mistake. He still needs to take it.
:18:58. > :19:05.It's such a fine line at this top level, you're always looking for the
:19:06. > :19:08.shot to nothing, if you can, especially if you can play it with a
:19:09. > :19:12.degree of safety but as you quite rightly pointed out and as Neil
:19:13. > :19:16.Robertson proved if you can play top-class safety shot and put your
:19:17. > :19:23.opponent under pressure, sometimes that's the best way to create an
:19:24. > :19:28.opportunity. It's always been the way, yes, with the modern players,
:19:29. > :19:40.they see one opportunity and they think of winning the frame with it.
:19:41. > :19:48.Not certain whether pink is going to go. It goes on the highest
:19:49. > :19:50.available, the green spot. He's still got the blue and black
:19:51. > :20:33.available into the corners. And this is just the sort of
:20:34. > :20:38.gripping and intense encounter that the Crucible crowd 's love. Both
:20:39. > :20:45.players playing very well, both players showing signs of tension,
:20:46. > :20:53.to. Both players showing healthy respect for each other. All the
:20:54. > :20:57.makings of a top-class match. And an enthralling one, too. Absolutely
:20:58. > :21:00.fascinating stuff between these two world-class exponents of our
:21:01. > :21:40.beautiful game. Just another 13 points needed. Two
:21:41. > :21:46.reds, two blacks but if he is going for the blue... Once again, he has
:21:47. > :22:08.failed to get the right side of the blue, making it hard for himself.
:22:09. > :22:24.One red and one black would mean there would be 67 remaining. That
:22:25. > :22:30.isn't the first one he has missed! Just off straight. If it was
:22:31. > :22:34.straight, it was and missable for him. Once again, he's not finding
:22:35. > :22:38.the middle of the cue ball, that's all I can think. You're correct,
:22:39. > :22:45.he's playing this with a touch of left-hand side. And that's why the
:22:46. > :22:49.red is going thick. He's missed that a few times this evening. So just
:22:50. > :23:04.needs a slight adjustment. He was fortunate. Normally, when you
:23:05. > :23:10.miss and you're in, it can be costly but he didn't leave anything. But he
:23:11. > :23:19.needs another chance. He has had one.
:23:20. > :23:32.We all know how straight Neil Robertson gets through the ball. I'm
:23:33. > :23:38.just wondering if that particular shot is one of the rare shots
:23:39. > :23:41.because Neil is so strongly right I sighted, that may be one of the rare
:23:42. > :23:50.shots were he thinks he's hitting the cue ball but maybe he is cueing
:23:51. > :23:58.with a touch of left. He will forget about it now because it's just the
:23:59. > :24:22.yellow now. And one more red and this frame will be in the bag.
:24:23. > :24:42.One thing is for certain. We've got a match on here. Absolutely and a
:24:43. > :24:50.cracking one at that. Just to explain, as we were saying, the ball
:24:51. > :24:53.cannot go to its spot, and it goes as close to its spot as it can in a
:24:54. > :25:52.direct line with the cushion. Leaving himself the double on the
:25:53. > :26:02.red. It doesn't matter because the frame
:26:03. > :26:16.was over. He was fortunate not to leave
:26:17. > :26:21.anything when he missed. It is 7-7. All square again. Marco
:26:22. > :26:34.Fu to play, trailing by eight. It would be fairly safe to assume
:26:35. > :26:48.that Marco has made a terrible mistake. Didn't see that one coming.
:26:49. > :26:58.That's the thing, isn't it, it can just be one shot at this level. As I
:26:59. > :27:08.say, I commentated on the first session of this match. I'm pointing
:27:09. > :27:13.the finger at both players, identifying the got the balance. One
:27:14. > :27:19.minute, they're ultra-careful. Next minute, they want to lash out at
:27:20. > :27:28.one. Half a chance, I'll jump on that one! And that was, as you say,
:27:29. > :27:34.a presumable attempt at a pot but it was a very dangerous shot to go for,
:27:35. > :27:39.for Marco, considering he had an easy enough safety. Don't go for
:27:40. > :27:45.pots if you don't think you can get it safe, if you miss. Not from that
:27:46. > :28:00.distance. Anyway, here's another chance for Neil.
:28:01. > :28:09.I thought it was a safety, but I think he played the pot. Playing the
:28:10. > :28:18.pot, he was going to run into the black. I think Marco felt he could
:28:19. > :28:22.play that as a shot to nothing but because he hit it so thick, he
:28:23. > :28:30.cannoned into one of the balls and this is the result.
:28:31. > :28:38.He has thrown a lifeline, to be perfectly honest, to Neil Robertson
:28:39. > :28:44.because Neil has been under a lot of pressure this evening. You can't
:28:45. > :28:51.keep giving chances like this to somebody like Neil Robertson because
:28:52. > :28:58.he will grow in confidence. 24 points needed from the situation to
:28:59. > :29:04.get to the snookers required stage. Yeah, in the first part of the
:29:05. > :29:09.morning session, the first session today, when Neil led 4-1, when Marco
:29:10. > :29:16.was coming back in, you felt Marco would have been happy with 4-4.
:29:17. > :29:21.Whereas, this evening, I'd think Neil would be happy being all square
:29:22. > :29:27.at this particular moment. And a great chance here to go one frame in
:29:28. > :29:36.front! Making the last frame of this session massive.
:29:37. > :29:52.And you can tell a very subtle shift in Neil Robertson's body language.
:29:53. > :30:03.And it shows in the pot success percentages.
:30:04. > :30:16.How about that? Balls potted, 220 apiece.
:30:17. > :30:24.Another shake of the head. Thing is about this type of shot, without any
:30:25. > :30:29.problem in practice, you play this with right-hand side, popped the
:30:30. > :30:37.black, but he's frightened to use these side.
:30:38. > :30:46.Just about got enough on just to check it slightly. The problem with
:30:47. > :30:48.that shot on the superfine Klos is the check doesn't really check. It
:30:49. > :31:03.slides. He had to watch the cue ball. He
:31:04. > :31:13.will settle for that! That is a result. This black will put him 59
:31:14. > :31:15.points in front with 59 remaining. Only needs one more red to clinch
:31:16. > :31:29.the frame. He has played that pretty well. OK,
:31:30. > :31:40.it is a testing little red here. He's got to fully commit.
:31:41. > :31:55.And he did fully commit. Played it at such a pace that even if it
:31:56. > :32:04.caught the job, it would drop. -- jaw. That means the way back to the
:32:05. > :32:13.table now for Marco. -- no way back to the table. And it really is that
:32:14. > :32:19.fine line, just a slight misjudgement on a shot to nothing
:32:20. > :32:24.from Marco Fu gave Neil Robertson this opportunity and Neil Robertson
:32:25. > :32:32.regained the lead. What a fascinating match. It is a
:32:33. > :32:33.fascinating match, into the final frame of the session, Neil Robertson
:32:34. > :32:40.to play, 54 points behind. Well, how did that not going? --
:32:41. > :33:04.goal in? Well, I must admit, I thought it was
:33:05. > :33:08.the right shot. He has left this red, it will go to the corner, but
:33:09. > :33:16.the one over the quarter, Marco cannot get through to. -- over the
:33:17. > :33:22.corner. It is not an easy leave here. To be perfectly honest, Neil
:33:23. > :33:26.Robertson has got away with that. Because this straight -ish red is
:33:27. > :33:31.horrible, digging down, trying to screw back for the black, it is so
:33:32. > :33:37.easy to miss this, you will probably miss this four or five times out of
:33:38. > :33:44.ten. That is brilliant, that is fantastic. Well played, Marco Fu.
:33:45. > :33:55.And that deserves to win any frame. Peter described the difficulty. But
:33:56. > :33:57.in it went. And I don't blame Neil for playing that plant, I thought it
:33:58. > :34:16.was on. And now, Marco is already at the
:34:17. > :34:21.point where Neil needs a Stoker. And from what I have seen and I have
:34:22. > :34:28.commentated on the pulse of these sessions, I think eight the piece is
:34:29. > :34:38.a fair score. Sometimes, what is fair and what is not fair is in the
:34:39. > :34:43.lap of the gods. But Marco and Neil will look back on chances they have
:34:44. > :34:49.had and not taken. But as I say, from my point of view as a neutral,
:34:50. > :34:59.I think eight apiece just about sums up what has happened today.
:35:00. > :35:07.And as we have said, Peter, on a few occasions, on the pressure, it will
:35:08. > :35:11.be double that tomorrow in the final session. Absolutely, absolutely
:35:12. > :35:15.cracking match to look forward to tomorrow, both players are playing
:35:16. > :35:19.well and have felt pressure, which is great to see, because it proves
:35:20. > :35:23.that they are human. We are still used to them playing such incredible
:35:24. > :35:33.snooker to have a credible standard and a distaste and that they are
:35:34. > :35:38.human and can make mistakes well. -- to such an in credible standard. --
:35:39. > :36:22.incredible standard. These matches are made up of three
:36:23. > :36:31.stations, the first sessions eight frames apiece, and there will be a
:36:32. > :36:37.possible nine tomorrow. It would not surprise me if they were all played.
:36:38. > :36:45.That is how close this match could be. It does not matter about the
:36:46. > :36:51.pink. And Neil Robertson will shake Marco's hand and say I will see you
:36:52. > :36:55.tomorrow. And that is the date they will have tomorrow afternoon, they
:36:56. > :37:01.will be back to play the final session. What am match we may have
:37:02. > :37:07.in store. At the moment, nothing separate Marco Fu and Neil Robertson
:37:08. > :37:12.at eight apiece. Wonderful Stoker. They played to a finish and you can
:37:13. > :37:20.see that live on BBC Two. Now to our next match featuring a Barry
:37:21. > :37:25.Hawkins, runner-up in 2013 taking on Graham Dart. Hawkins is 5-3 up after
:37:26. > :37:34.the first session and then he won four frames, but after the interval,
:37:35. > :37:36.a revival, Graham. Winning two. Let's show you what happens. Dott to
:37:37. > :38:00.play. Not perfect colour, might have to be
:38:01. > :38:06.the brown. -- not perfect on the colour. Looking for one good pot on
:38:07. > :38:51.the brown and one good cue ball. There is a good pot. And about the
:38:52. > :38:57.cue ball. Just a little bit closer to the cushion than he intended.
:38:58. > :39:02.That looks as if there is one available past the black, if it is
:39:03. > :39:06.dead straight, well it is not dead straight, that looks awkward, he
:39:07. > :39:10.cannot get past the pink and the other cannot get past the black, it
:39:11. > :39:41.is the one near enough on the blue spot that he will choose.
:39:42. > :39:51.And make no mistake, Graham Dott will realise that Barry Hawkins is
:39:52. > :39:53.vulnerable little book, especially on that last attempt at a straight
:39:54. > :40:17.red. Still cannot get into perfect
:40:18. > :40:18.position. He needs one good positional shot to make it a lot
:40:19. > :40:36.easier for himself. That was a bonus, he could hold for
:40:37. > :40:38.this red behind the black spot area. And gradually, things are starting
:40:39. > :40:51.to open up here. There is a little spring in the
:40:52. > :41:30.Scott's step all of the sudden. He has got a slightly heavy contact
:41:31. > :41:37.their as he swings the cue around. The problem with heavy contact, it
:41:38. > :41:41.has left him on the black, rather awkwardly. All the reds are
:41:42. > :41:44.available in the left corner pocket, they are covering each other into
:41:45. > :41:57.the right corner. APPLAUSE. Might have played for it
:41:58. > :42:02.there. Can he see it? Just about. He knew the two reds were almost in
:42:03. > :42:09.line for the pocket. If he can make that, said the first red onto the
:42:10. > :42:25.right jaw as we look at it. Just a completely different player
:42:26. > :42:30.than we saw in the first four frames tonight.
:42:31. > :42:36.I honestly could not see how he would win a frame the way he was
:42:37. > :43:02.playing, before the interval. I think in close he is OK, it was
:43:03. > :43:13.just his long potting that was letting him down. He has had to work
:43:14. > :43:15.really hard for this break, because he has never been in an ideal
:43:16. > :43:35.position. I think that is probably why Graeme
:43:36. > :43:42.Dott is probably not one of the biggest scorers in snooker, I do not
:43:43. > :43:50.think his cue ball control is as good as a lot of the top players.
:43:51. > :43:53.His highest break in the match so far is 74.
:43:54. > :44:33.APPLAUSE. One more red. APPLAUSE. Very timely break again.
:44:34. > :44:40.Doing very well here, Graeme Dott. He is not hanging about. It is the
:44:41. > :44:49.flying Scotsman at the moment, Stephen.
:44:50. > :45:10.He just keeps potting at the moment. What a last frame we have got now in
:45:11. > :45:16.this patch. For some reason, momentum is can shift from one
:45:17. > :45:23.player to the other. Hawkins won seven or eight frames in a row.
:45:24. > :45:34.Graeme Dott has now won three in a row, can he win the fourth. --?
:45:35. > :45:35.APPLAUSE. Back on at one o'clock tomorrow afternoon, this match,
:45:36. > :46:10.played to a conclusion. APPLAUSE. They have had 47 centuries
:46:11. > :46:16.this year in the Betfred Championship. Graeme Dott has only
:46:17. > :46:22.made five centuries this season, so this is a very timely one.
:46:23. > :46:32.And it will be his first in this year's World Championship.
:46:33. > :46:44.A very timely century break from Graeme Dott. He really is one of the
:46:45. > :46:48.game's great battlers. It is the black going into the pocket. It is
:46:49. > :46:54.all the way around the ankles. Unlucky. But it has made things very
:46:55. > :47:02.interesting, because that is three in a row, and Graeme Dott is only
:47:03. > :47:05.three frames behind. Brilliant break, Hawkins would have been
:47:06. > :47:14.relieved to win the next. He goes into the final frame with a
:47:15. > :47:21.advantage. Meanwhile, the defending champion, Mark Selby is in pretty
:47:22. > :47:33.good shape as he goes into his final session against Xiao Guodong. We
:47:34. > :47:40.will see if Mark Selby can book his place in the quarterfinals. That is
:47:41. > :47:43.it for now, but Marco Fu and Neil Robertson is beautifully poised and
:47:44. > :47:48.we will see which one of them will progress in the last day when we
:47:49. > :47:49.return. Snooker extra follows this programme. Thank you for watching.
:47:50. > :48:12.Goodbye for now. Full disclosure - you're looking at
:48:13. > :48:15.a room of double glazing salesmen. we're not quite the social pariahs
:48:16. > :48:21.you lot probably know and loathe.