:00:39. > :00:49.Hello again. The Three Of wrath are enjoying their three of first
:00:49. > :00:53.Saturdays at the Betfred .com World Championship. -- the three of us. I
:00:53. > :00:57.have two world champions in the studio but I am keeping an eye on a
:00:57. > :01:07.further four, three of frame are in action over in the Crucible Theatre
:01:07. > :01:11.this afternoon. As we join them, Stephen Hendry has already knocked
:01:11. > :01:16.in one century. For the first time since 1988 he has had to pre-
:01:16. > :01:22.qualify for the event he has won seven times. He has got his work
:01:22. > :01:27.cut out, as has Stuart Bingham. Only three overseas players have
:01:27. > :01:37.won this title before. These are two of them, Neil Robertson and Ken
:01:37. > :01:54.
:01:54. > :01:55.Doherty. We are going to join that Good afternoon. This has been a
:01:55. > :02:05.Good afternoon. This has been a protracted amount of good safety
:02:05. > :02:28.
:02:28. > :02:37.You join us with Ken Doherty in Neil Robertson made a break of 38
:02:37. > :02:47.in frame three. Ken Doherty, perhaps he should have shared the
:02:47. > :03:09.
:03:09. > :03:19.first four frames. He needs to make It is the chance to bring the black
:03:19. > :03:29.into play. It might have been a little bit straighter, but not a
:03:29. > :03:56.
:03:56. > :04:05.Not the type of player to spread the pack all over the table like
:04:05. > :04:15.the modern-day players. He likes to pick a few off. That is his style.
:04:15. > :04:27.
:04:27. > :04:34.It has served him well over the Once again, they are awkward. There
:04:34. > :04:44.is every chance that the white will stick on a red. If that had gone an
:04:44. > :04:50.
:04:50. > :04:53.inch to the left it would have He has got these balls in a
:04:53. > :05:03.position out there he will be disappointed if he does not win the
:05:03. > :05:03.
:05:03. > :05:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:05:48. > :05:55.frame. -- in a position out where He won at the Crucible in 1987 and
:05:55. > :06:05.was a runner-up to John Higgins in 1998. He was a runner-up to Mark
:06:05. > :06:05.
:06:05. > :06:50.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:06:50. > :07:00.Williams in 2003 wet at close match, It is perfectly set. He has done
:07:00. > :07:20.
:07:20. > :07:24.You almost forget how good a player he was. We have not seen much of
:07:24. > :07:28.him over the last three years in the television stages of
:07:28. > :07:38.tournaments. You realised today that he is a very capable player.
:07:38. > :08:05.
:08:05. > :08:15.He has always been known for his He would like to get one more red
:08:15. > :08:41.
:08:41. > :08:51.to stop Robertson coming back to If he had been playing for the blue
:08:51. > :08:56.he would have definitely potted that. The players cannot commit to
:08:56. > :09:06.this stroke playing about gently over the distance. -- plain it
:09:06. > :09:33.
:09:33. > :09:40.Ken Doherty did what they had to do to get back into the match and won
:09:40. > :09:45.that with a break a 70, but still trailing 3-2.
:09:45. > :09:49.Ken Doherty proving that he is capable of scoring. Same situation
:09:49. > :09:55.on the other side of the table. End of frame that has just been
:09:55. > :10:02.completed, Stephen Hendry making a break of 73 to add to his efforts
:10:02. > :10:09.of 89 at a contribution in frame two of 100. It was the 773rd
:10:09. > :10:15.century of his career. Hendry has gone into a 4-1 lead over Stuart
:10:15. > :10:22.Bingham. Stuart Bingham has got a lot to think about against the
:10:22. > :10:29.seven-times former world champion. Let me just talk about the Ken
:10:29. > :10:34.Doherty and Neil Robertson match. I talked about the importance of Ken
:10:34. > :10:38.showing that he can still score heavily. It is the key factor. As
:10:38. > :10:43.we mentioned earlier, that is the most important thing is scoring.
:10:43. > :10:48.Tactically, there are not many people better than 10. We do not
:10:48. > :10:53.cost him crafty for nothing. He knows his way round the table.
:10:53. > :10:59.Today he has won two frames in one visit. More importantly, showing
:10:59. > :11:03.himself he can score. The confidence he is going to get from
:11:03. > :11:07.responding properly is invaluable. We know full well nobody can really
:11:07. > :11:12.add played him tactically. He is a great winner of frames he should
:11:12. > :11:16.not when. He never lacks confidence and he never lacks concentration.
:11:16. > :11:20.What sometimes lets him down is that he does not get enough points
:11:20. > :11:25.on the board. But when he does that, the final part of the jigsaw gets
:11:25. > :11:30.in place and he is a danger for everybody. It looks like it will be
:11:30. > :11:35.a cracker of a match. And nobody is getting bogged down in the tactics.
:11:35. > :11:41.It has been very good so far. first couple of frames, anything
:11:41. > :11:51.can happen. As the tempo builds, I can see both of these players
:11:51. > :11:51.
:11:51. > :12:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:12:36. > :12:44.These two are very hard match Prime example of what not to do
:12:44. > :12:48.when you are playing a long pot. If you hit them hard and low it
:12:48. > :12:58.straightens them up. He was trying to play it as a shot to nothing to
:12:58. > :12:59.
:12:59. > :13:09.get back on the ball. Ray Reardon said Jimmy bet you have to be able
:13:09. > :13:42.
:13:42. > :13:49.to long pot to be a safety player. You can see the difference in the
:13:49. > :13:59.reaction of the cue ball, it is freer during than when Doherty
:13:59. > :14:00.
:14:00. > :14:10.plays it. Robertson has a low -- a long and flowing cue action,. He's
:14:10. > :14:17.
:14:17. > :14:22.Most of the top pliers use a longer backswing man necessary for the
:14:22. > :14:32.shot they are playing but that seems to be the way to go. -- most
:14:32. > :15:07.
:15:07. > :15:16.Most players have to head up a lot harder than Robertson does to get
:15:16. > :15:20.the desired position. You can always be shorter and more accurate,
:15:20. > :15:23.but when you are longer, you can be smoother with the delivery because
:15:23. > :15:30.the backswing is going back further it's so it is easier to go through
:15:30. > :15:37.the ball. A longer backswing also brings errors in. You have got to
:15:37. > :15:42.get the balance. Have you noticed anything about Robertson worse than
:15:42. > :15:48.other players? I have not spotted anything that he struggles with.
:15:48. > :15:52.do not think he has never been happy with his position. It is
:15:52. > :15:58.always second best to the rest of his game. His temperament is
:15:58. > :16:05.wonderful. His long potting is tremendous and his safety is up
:16:06. > :16:10.there with the best. I figured is just -- I think it is because he
:16:10. > :16:20.has got such a long backswing and loses that sometimes in the long
:16:20. > :16:20.
:16:20. > :17:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:17:09. > :17:19.balls. Still an opponent to fear He cop the red it too thick and
:17:19. > :17:21.
:17:21. > :17:31.that took the pace out of the cue He cannot keep the break going
:17:31. > :17:56.
:17:57. > :18:00.That never looked like it was going in. It was top. He had a straight
:18:00. > :18:04.forward safety there, I do not know why he did not take it on. It
:18:04. > :18:14.looked to me as if he was stretching so much he could not get
:18:14. > :18:38.
:18:38. > :18:48.This is a chance for Ken Doherty to Not after that, I don't think! This
:18:48. > :18:57.
:18:57. > :19:05.will be a difficult pot now. That That is a good recovery. It is
:19:05. > :19:15.unfortunate he has gone past the baulk line. They do not think he
:19:15. > :19:32.
:19:32. > :19:36.will be potting the blue. -- I do What we have seen today, it shows
:19:36. > :19:43.you what the standard is at the moment when you have not seen much
:19:43. > :19:48.of Doherty in the last few years on television. We understand he made
:19:48. > :19:58.at least three centuries in his qualifying match. There are
:19:58. > :20:10.
:20:10. > :20:20.obviously a lot of good players You have to ask why he did not take
:20:20. > :20:20.
:20:20. > :21:01.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:21:02. > :21:06.on the red on the right hand side That was a good attempt. I cannot
:21:06. > :21:16.even begin to tell you how difficult that shot is when you are
:21:16. > :21:16.
:21:16. > :21:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:21:56. > :22:06.bridging. He got away with it, as The safety in this match has been
:22:06. > :22:06.
:22:06. > :24:01.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:24:01. > :24:11.Could be a free ball here. This has Just checking the angle he needs on
:24:11. > :24:46.
:24:46. > :24:56.That has opened those two reds out as well. Once again, just enough to
:24:56. > :24:56.
:24:56. > :26:01.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:26:01. > :26:05.He has had a look and the cannon, the red on the Left cushion which
:26:05. > :26:15.he is going to need to win the frame. Let's see if he plays it...
:26:15. > :26:43.
:26:43. > :26:45.And he has. He has been very lucky. Ken Doherty has suddenly stopped
:26:46. > :26:55.play because he realises that something is happening on the other
:26:56. > :27:00.
:27:00. > :27:04.table. Obviously, when they stop play, you know what that is.
:27:04. > :27:14.The reason that they have stopped, on the other table, Stephen Hendry
:27:14. > :27:17.
:27:17. > :27:24.is on his way to be potential second, one more red to go, to see
:27:24. > :27:34.if he can complete an 11th maximum break of his career.
:27:34. > :28:12.
:28:12. > :28:19.Unfortunately, Stephen is stretching slightly. There has not
:28:19. > :28:24.been a century break in any ranking event this year. There is a row
:28:24. > :28:34.over of �40,000. People are praying for this. In it goes! Perfect on
:28:34. > :28:43.
:28:43. > :28:53.These five remaining colours for a bonus of �50,000. Another magical
:28:53. > :29:05.
:29:05. > :29:15.Crucible mum and created by making If he can play on the pink with a
:29:15. > :29:16.
:29:16. > :29:21.touching the cushion, the chance is He has decided to play for the pink
:29:21. > :29:31.into the middle rather than hold it. His temperament has always been his
:29:31. > :29:43.
:29:43. > :29:49.main strength. Can he hold it Absolutely fantastic! Stephen
:29:49. > :29:54.Hendry, congratulations from Stuart Bingham and the referee! Well done
:29:54. > :29:59.Stephen you have done us proud once again! It is his 11th century,
:29:59. > :30:09.congratulated by both players from the other side. Stephen Hendry, who
:30:09. > :30:09.
:30:09. > :30:14.said he is not the player he was? Absolutely fantastic!
:30:14. > :30:21.And so say all of us. Day one, a maximum at the Crucible, what a
:30:21. > :30:27.start? And indeed, for Stephen Hendry. That takes him level in
:30:27. > :30:37.terms of of the career maximums with Ronnie O'Sullivan. He could be
:30:37. > :30:43.
:30:43. > :30:53.in line for a bonus of �50,000. Go to China, get on a plane,
:30:53. > :30:54.
:30:54. > :31:00.comeback Cormack get jet lag. That is what works! Fabulous work.
:31:00. > :31:06.the 11th of the season. More than in the entire 1980s. Underlines
:31:06. > :31:10.again the quality of snooker. it underlines that Stephen Hendry
:31:10. > :31:15.can be added into the mix of potential World Championship
:31:15. > :31:24.winners. He looks comfortable around the table and enjoying it.
:31:24. > :31:28.Which is have the battle. John mentioned his trip to China. He won
:31:29. > :31:35.the qualifier only just on Sunday. He then had exhibition commitments
:31:35. > :31:44.in China. He only arrived back last night. We'll play enough, in his
:31:44. > :31:48.heyday, he would never have attempted anything like that.
:31:48. > :31:56.probably thinking, like a lot of us, I cannot really win the
:31:56. > :32:01.championship, I'll just relax and turn up and play. Incredible really.
:32:01. > :32:06.Meanwhile, back on the other table, let see how the frame we were
:32:06. > :32:16.watching turned out after the hullabaloo died down. This is live
:32:16. > :32:35.
:32:35. > :32:45.The points are pretty close as you can see. Ken Doherty has got
:32:45. > :32:50.
:32:50. > :33:00.Obviously it is a very easy Snooker in behind the black. If you know
:33:00. > :33:16.
:33:16. > :33:24.Looking at 10's face, he thinks Neil can get through in this round.
:33:24. > :33:34.-- Ken's face. You can certainly see the red. It is just a matter of
:33:34. > :33:45.
:33:45. > :33:52.whether he can get to the right He is having a go. What a great
:33:52. > :34:01.shot. Ken Doherty will be absolutely disgusted with the shot
:34:02. > :34:08.he played. You should not really take the red anywhere near the
:34:08. > :34:18.pocket. You wouldn't have thought it possible thought to leave a gap
:34:18. > :34:29.
:34:29. > :34:39.Just when it looked as if Ken Doherty would take the frame,
:34:39. > :35:05.
:35:05. > :35:15.These are the themes that make a Neil made an early 41. 10 came back
:35:15. > :35:37.
:35:37. > :35:42.Great frame. He now leads by two Fiennes again. 4 - 2. -- two frames.
:35:43. > :35:49.We just witnessed a code maximum break for Stephen Hendry at this
:35:49. > :35:55.venue. -- there. All of which means he has a very convincing lead. We
:35:55. > :36:04.were discussing the fact that he was a 66 to one bet for the highest
:36:04. > :36:14.break coming into the tournament. When you consider his pedigree,
:36:14. > :36:15.
:36:15. > :36:22.Willi made a good point in commentary. -- Willie. He has been
:36:22. > :36:29.in excellent form and Stuart Bingham has simply sat and watched.
:36:29. > :36:33.How might that maximum breaks when things one way or the other here?
:36:33. > :36:37.am not sure it makes much difference in the context of the
:36:37. > :36:42.match. Stephen Hendry has Stuart Bingham called already. He has
:36:42. > :36:47.already lost the plot for this particular session. Stephen
:36:47. > :36:51.Hendry's job is to buy him as quickly as he can. How echt affects
:36:51. > :36:58.his own form for the rest of the tournament, that is different
:36:58. > :37:06.really. You have to forget about the emotion of making it, put it to
:37:06. > :37:12.the side, and concentrate on the match again. Back to the auditorium
:37:12. > :37:20.here. Stephen Hendry on a role here. Looking like he is cruising in this
:37:20. > :37:26.match. He is playing this break like a man with so much confidence.
:37:26. > :37:30.Oozing confidence. It has not been a precise break, he has gotten out
:37:30. > :37:34.of position a few times but he feels so good after what has
:37:34. > :37:43.happened that it is clear the maximum has not affected him in a
:37:43. > :37:50.bad way. And this is an hour referee's first ever match at the
:37:50. > :38:00.Crucible Theatre. And she has refereed by a 147. How about that?
:38:00. > :38:09.
:38:09. > :38:19.He is absolutely running riot here. But the break might come to an end
:38:19. > :38:28.
:38:28. > :38:36.now. Here is how it started. Such Playing the double. You expected it
:38:36. > :38:42.to go and! He has just about won this game but Stuart Bingham is
:38:42. > :38:49.carrying on. He decides it is worth having a few short. He has not seen
:38:49. > :38:59.much table time and that will not have helped him. A surprise that he
:38:59. > :39:11.
:39:11. > :39:15.Stuart Bingham last potted a ball 304. Ago. Since then he has been
:39:15. > :39:24.sitting there watching although I am sure he would have been willing
:39:24. > :39:28.his opponent on for the 147. But not since then. This is as
:39:28. > :39:38.confident as I have seen Stephen Hendry for a long time. A long,
:39:38. > :39:53.
:39:53. > :39:59.Oh, what about that! It is a great level of this game. That was a
:39:59. > :40:08.miscue. Even Stuart laughed. But the bottom line is that Stephen
:40:08. > :40:16.Hendry has extended his lead to 7 - It just shows you how this game can
:40:16. > :40:20.trip you up. At least he was laughing! I would be laughing if I
:40:20. > :40:27.was that far in front! But what can Stuart do? He is up against a guy
:40:27. > :40:35.who seems to be having a new lease of life. He missed a lot of balls
:40:35. > :40:38.early on. Unfortunately he got off to a bad start and Stephen Hendry
:40:38. > :40:45.has the confidence. He got his cueing going and that has
:40:45. > :40:49.completely changed the match. talked about the perils of becoming
:40:49. > :40:53.the hunted as opposed to the man doing the chasing. It was such a
:40:53. > :41:00.great breakthrough for him to win that the Australian Open. Has it
:41:00. > :41:05.affected him? Possibly. You do not know how the players look at the
:41:05. > :41:11.top 16 places. Even if players stay there it is not as if they stay
:41:11. > :41:15.there for the whole season. Every situation is vulnerable. If you
:41:15. > :41:19.have a bad bit of form you can still get back during the season.
:41:19. > :41:24.But more importantly, Stephen Hendry, he is the most important
:41:24. > :41:28.part of the equation. He has effectively thrown off the shackles
:41:28. > :41:32.that were somehow destroying his game and he looks as if he is
:41:32. > :41:40.absolutely able to sustain a session. We have seen him put a
:41:40. > :41:45.couple of frames to go up but not a sustained effort. This time last
:41:45. > :41:49.year we were talking about his potential retirement. Obviously we
:41:49. > :41:55.would have missed something special like that, his third maximum at the
:41:55. > :41:58.crucial. It just goes to show that if you are hanging on, and you have
:41:58. > :42:06.the true pedigree, there is always the hope that something special is
:42:06. > :42:10.intact. There is, and it has clicked today. This will have given
:42:10. > :42:17.him massive confidence to think that he should be out there and has
:42:17. > :42:20.a real chance. Stuart Bingham waiting for his opponent to the
:42:20. > :42:26.tongue. Stephen Hendry has had a couple of good results earlier in
:42:26. > :42:30.the season. Defeated Neil Robertson 4 - 1 in the Welsh Open. So he
:42:30. > :42:36.knows that it is there but calling upon it consistently is what seems
:42:36. > :42:44.to be a problem. He has been tripped up by the odd stinker. It
:42:44. > :42:48.is just about at last part of the jigsaw. It is about concentration
:42:48. > :42:52.levels. At a certain age a few gremlins creep into the system and
:42:52. > :43:01.it is about missing the odd stupid shot full stops he has not done
:43:01. > :43:05.that today. Clearly jet lag is the answer! He came back from China on
:43:05. > :43:09.Thursday evening. Many said that was not the ideal preparation but
:43:09. > :43:19.you never quite know how you will play this game, whatever the
:43:19. > :43:20.
:43:20. > :43:25.We did as seniors evening at the Crucible last Friday and he played
:43:25. > :43:30.Jimmy White. On two occasions he came close to a maximum break. Then
:43:30. > :43:37.he played his qualifier and after finishing that he came to the Guild
:43:37. > :43:42.Hall in Preston and played Jimmy again. He is hitting the ball
:43:42. > :43:45.superbly. But looking at the form book we all know he has not been
:43:45. > :43:51.producing that in tournaments. But given the stage of the Crucible
:43:51. > :43:54.Theatre - as John Parrott so rightly said, a little bit of help
:43:54. > :44:03.early on when his opponent is not punish him - it has helped him
:44:03. > :44:11.relax, get into the floor, and the 147 was just the icing on the cake.
:44:11. > :44:14.Wonderful to see. And what a reaction. He really means that
:44:15. > :44:20.punch in the air. And Stuart Bingham, a great guy, having a
:44:20. > :44:28.terrible afternoon, but genuinely pleased for his opponent. That is
:44:28. > :44:37.what he has light. That was a lovely reaction. I missed that at
:44:37. > :44:47.the time. Yes, even in adversity, you can see something that is worth
:44:47. > :44:50.
:44:50. > :44:55.The Legends tour is great fun but if he had lost that caught fire I
:44:55. > :45:03.am not sure that Stephen would have been in the same spirit say! --
:45:03. > :45:09.lost that qualifier. Jimmy White in practice was hitting the ball as
:45:09. > :45:19.well as ever. But he lost the first three frames and could never get
:45:19. > :45:24.
:45:24. > :45:30.Once you get through the qualifiers and that here at the Crucible,
:45:30. > :45:34.nobody has a better record than Stephen Hendry. Of all the maximum
:45:34. > :45:44.breaks he has made, that will probably give him the most
:45:44. > :45:57.
:45:57. > :46:05.satisfaction because he has proved Only at 32 minutes of playing time
:46:05. > :46:10.and it might be a lot longer after that. This is a horrible afternoon
:46:10. > :46:20.for Stuart Bingham. But an absolutely majestic performance
:46:20. > :46:22.
:46:22. > :46:32.from Stephen Hendry. Playing as His scoring ability has never left
:46:32. > :46:33.
:46:33. > :46:43.him. Was he prepared to change his game at this stage of his career?
:46:43. > :47:03.
:47:03. > :47:08.But today he is as devastating as I He has not won this match yet. But
:47:08. > :47:15.you would expect him to go through. I wonder what the sponsors will
:47:15. > :47:22.make of it. They will think, hang on a minute, this is Stephen Hendry.
:47:22. > :47:32.Now, it was only the absolute force that stock that from going in. So
:47:32. > :47:45.
:47:45. > :47:55.Yes! Babette shield for Stuart Bingham. A long time coming, that
:47:55. > :48:00.
:48:00. > :48:04.red. -- a big cheer. It has been a disappointing afternoon for him. He
:48:04. > :48:08.would have been really looking forward to the challenge of playing
:48:08. > :48:18.Stephen Hendry. They have only met once before. Stuart Bingham
:48:18. > :48:21.
:48:21. > :48:25.defeated him. But nothing much has gone right for him today. He has
:48:25. > :48:35.not played well poor and sometimes if you do not play well you do not
:48:35. > :48:43.
:48:43. > :48:53.Stephen Hendry, well worth the entrance fee. I'm sure everybody
:48:53. > :48:55.
:48:55. > :49:05.here would agree. Just another one of those great moments, isn't it?
:49:05. > :49:12.
:49:12. > :49:18.When a player makes a 147 at the Well, he is definitely suffering at
:49:18. > :49:28.the moment. That battle much has gone against him after the pot was
:49:28. > :49:28.
:49:28. > :50:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 44 seconds
:50:15. > :50:23.Touching ball. At touching ball has been called by the referee. He is
:50:23. > :50:28.just trying to nestle in behind the pink or yellow here. Well, it is
:50:28. > :50:38.understandable. When you do not get a lot of table time you touch is
:50:38. > :50:58.
:50:58. > :51:08.All-court cueing over the law. -- or court curing over the zeal. But
:51:08. > :51:11.
:51:11. > :51:21.he is an musician. -- magician. You always get in nudges when you are
:51:21. > :51:53.
:51:53. > :52:03.in form. When you are not, nothing He used all of the pocket. And nice
:52:03. > :52:40.
:52:40. > :52:50.He can take a big lead into the He does not want to be too straight
:52:50. > :53:13.
:53:13. > :53:23.Having to play for a red into the You never know what you're going to
:53:23. > :53:24.
:53:24. > :53:32.get in this game. The first frame was 35 minutes long. A horrible
:53:32. > :53:42.frame. At that point neither player had woken up to it all. Since then
:53:42. > :53:59.
:53:59. > :54:09.Look at the port success. -- pot. Stewart cannot reach 80% which is
:54:09. > :54:11.
:54:11. > :54:19.not good enough. Stephen flying along. He knows the importance of
:54:19. > :54:29.this. He is looking for this black and one more read and what an
:54:29. > :54:39.
:54:39. > :54:46.He defeated Mark Williams in the final of the Australian Open. His
:54:46. > :54:56.first ranking tournament victory. But highly unlikely that the World
:54:56. > :54:58.
:54:58. > :55:06.Championships will be on his CV Just that read required - never in
:55:06. > :55:16.doubt. Never in doubt! They have played nine frames and Stuart
:55:16. > :55:17.
:55:17. > :55:27.Bingham has only managed to win one That black means he will not come
:55:27. > :55:43.
:55:43. > :55:53.back to the table other than to Possibility of another century here.
:55:53. > :56:02.
:56:02. > :56:12.What a performance by the second time a world champion, Stephen
:56:12. > :56:17.
:56:18. > :56:27.Hendry. -- seven-time world champion. Throw in a maximum, what
:56:27. > :56:34.more could you ask for? What more can we ask for? Another two frames
:56:34. > :56:44.would be nice and he will see that tomorrow evening. Here is Neil
:56:44. > :56:52.Robertson going 52 in front. -- 5/2. Ken Doherty has not done a great
:56:52. > :57:00.deal wrong and finds himself 5 - 2 behind. Some of what we have
:57:00. > :57:04.witnessed this afternoon. The first round is the nightmare for many
:57:04. > :57:08.snooker player who has ever played at the Crucible. A potential
:57:08. > :57:16.banana-skin for everybody. But you can do no better than play
:57:16. > :57:26.brilliantly in the first session. It is a great start. Terrific to
:57:26. > :57:29.watch. Moments that we just live for at these events. Yes, and more
:57:29. > :57:34.importantly for Stephen himself, this tells him he can still compete
:57:34. > :57:39.at an extremely high level. What this will do to his confidence I
:57:39. > :57:47.have no idea. But I have to be honest and say I did not think it
:57:47. > :57:51.was possible for him to win, now he has a chance, playing like that.
:57:51. > :57:56.This evening you can watch more sessions on the red button. Live
:57:57. > :58:05.coverage of the evening session. John Higgins and Liang Wenbo will
:58:05. > :58:10.play to a finish. John Higgins has the edge, just. And a newcomer, Cao
:58:10. > :58:18.Yupeng from China. Already in the groove - he had to when four
:58:18. > :58:24.matches to get here. And a late shift this evening, highlights from
:58:24. > :58:28.just after midnight. Already today, day one of the Betfred.com World
:58:28. > :58:33.Championships, maximum entertainment, and the 10th maximum
:58:33. > :58:43.break at the Crucible. It came, of course, from the king of the
:58:43. > :58:43.
:58:43. > :58:48.Crucible, Stephen Hendry. Absolutely fantastic! There is only