:00:45. > :00:54.The most naturally gifted player ever to grace the game. That is a
:00:54. > :00:59.cracking pot. Come on, Ronnie, make sure you get this century. For he
:00:59. > :01:06.is surging away from Mark Williams. That was the session where Ronnie
:01:06. > :01:12.O'Sullivan was absolutely magnificent. To sit watching and
:01:12. > :01:22.what winning frame after frame. He want nine frames in a row from Mark
:01:22. > :01:25.
:01:25. > :01:30.Williams. Unbelievable form. public love watch Ronnie play. He
:01:30. > :01:40.is such a natural player and makes it look ridiculously easy. It is
:01:40. > :01:43.
:01:43. > :01:50.the ridiculously hard game in Look at this positional shot.
:01:50. > :01:53.break of 126, it is not often a break which is not a maximum a
:01:53. > :02:03.earns a standing ovation. I do not think any other player could have
:02:03. > :02:05.
:02:05. > :02:11.I interviewed him on the eve of the tournament and he seemed very
:02:11. > :02:16.relaxed. He was saying that only John Higgins out there at his best
:02:16. > :02:22.could beat me at my best. Now, there is no John Higgins left in
:02:22. > :02:27.the tournament and that is ominous for the other players. I think if
:02:27. > :02:34.there was any doubt beforehand, there is no doubt now that Ronnie
:02:34. > :02:38.O'Sullivan is a major contender this year. He seems to be in the
:02:38. > :02:46.right frame of mind and when he is in that frame of mind, he is very
:02:46. > :02:51.hard to stop. After that sensational session yesterday,
:02:51. > :02:59.Ronnie O'Sullivan was immediately installed as the new favourite for
:02:59. > :03:06.the Betfred.com World Championship. But his immediate priority is to
:03:06. > :03:15.get past Mark Williams and book a place in the quarter-finals. The
:03:15. > :03:19.original be key's favourite, Judd Trump, the original 5-1 favourite,
:03:19. > :03:29.was involved in an amazing matched this afternoon against the Ali
:03:29. > :03:39.Carter. Judd Trump was three frames ahead with only four to play. It
:03:39. > :03:45.
:03:45. > :03:55.was a match which left the audience What a chance. Can he hold himself
:03:55. > :03:57.
:03:57. > :04:07.together? Just 35 points remaining and 47 points behind. That equates
:04:07. > :04:18.
:04:18. > :04:28.I think Ali Carter's heart has get And he has got me snooker! Would
:04:28. > :04:39.
:04:39. > :04:49.There is an gap around behind the But that is too hard. Another
:04:49. > :04:50.
:04:50. > :05:00.chance for Ali Carter. That is it. That is frame and match. One of the
:05:00. > :05:18.
:05:18. > :05:23.When I was that far ahead I thought I was over the line, but then my
:05:23. > :05:30.brain became the size of a pea. I could not see anything. I had to
:05:30. > :05:38.suffer for another 10 minutes. knew stranger things had happened.
:05:38. > :05:44.I knew it would be tough. But even if any had got that, I am not so
:05:44. > :05:52.sure I could have cleared up. It is disappointing the way I handled the
:05:52. > :05:57.pressure today. I will have to learn from it. I could see how
:05:57. > :06:05.gutted he was in his eyes. He is the great player and has been great
:06:05. > :06:09.for the game, there is no doubt about that. But there is no -- more
:06:09. > :06:18.to this game than smashing the balls and and I think I showed that
:06:18. > :06:28.today. The rout the all competition, I never really got going. But I
:06:28. > :06:30.
:06:30. > :06:40.cannot make excuses. But you have to battle for 17 days here and I do
:06:40. > :06:45.not handle it as well as I should. It is the massive win for me, but I
:06:45. > :06:55.want to progress through, but now I am going to savour the moment and
:06:55. > :06:59.
:06:59. > :07:04.And two Welshmen, when 8-8 and then 10-10, but it was the man with
:07:04. > :07:13.greater experience, Matthew Stevens, who progresses into the quarter-
:07:13. > :07:17.finals for the first time in five years. Yes, it was exciting. It
:07:17. > :07:27.always seems to happen to me at the Crucible. I was pleased with the
:07:27. > :07:34.way I handled myself. It is nice to win at one now and again and I am
:07:34. > :07:42.pleased to get through. No, the match between Judd Trump and Ali
:07:42. > :07:50.Carter, the best match of the tournament so far? Yes, it was very
:07:50. > :07:59.exciting from start to finish. do you think made the difference
:07:59. > :08:06.for Ali Carter? Well, people will point to a lot of things, but I
:08:06. > :08:16.think he showed a lot of guts and more than anything. His experience
:08:16. > :08:18.
:08:18. > :08:26.played a lot into it. And what of Judd for the future? He will learn
:08:26. > :08:33.a lot from this. He has been tweeting all his force to say he
:08:33. > :08:41.will be back stronger next year. For the now, are we going to see
:08:41. > :08:51.the same sort of comeback tonight? Perhaps not likely, with a mean 12
:08:51. > :08:58.
:08:58. > :09:04.Mark -- Mark Williams trailing Let us get Rob Walker on the case.
:09:04. > :09:07.Good evening ladies and gentlemen, what a remarkable D we have already
:09:07. > :09:14.had at Betfred.com World Championship. The Crucible is
:09:14. > :09:19.absolutely rocking once again. We commence play to finalise the line-
:09:19. > :09:29.up for the last eight of the tournament. We are in for a great
:09:29. > :09:39.session of snooker. Please welcome, a player into the second week of a
:09:39. > :09:39.
:09:39. > :09:47.great tournament. He took his chances last week to give himself a
:09:47. > :09:57.great chance, please welcome the Welsh warrior, Jamie Jones
:09:57. > :10:04.
:10:04. > :10:09.MUSIC: "Sexy And I Know It" by LMFAO eight what his opponent has
:10:09. > :10:18.also had a superb run thus far, starting with the defeat of Stephen
:10:18. > :10:23.leave. He is still very much in this match. This is the big one for
:10:23. > :10:33.the Widnes Vikings, Andrew Higginson.
:10:33. > :10:46.
:10:46. > :10:49.MUSIC: "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division Please welcome a
:10:49. > :10:57.player he yesterday produce some of the best form we have seen from him
:10:57. > :11:02.in years. He was quite simply sublime. On the verge of the 14th
:11:02. > :11:05.Crucible quarter-final. Blink and you will miss them, "The Rocket",
:11:05. > :11:15.Ronnie O'Sullivan! MUSIC: "Let Me Entertain You" by
:11:15. > :11:30.
:11:30. > :11:35.at his opponent, one of the finest will sportsmen end spot. He won the
:11:35. > :11:39.last couple of frames yesterday to give itself some belief. Twice the
:11:40. > :11:49.for Mark world champion, he is the Welsh potting machine, Mark
:11:50. > :12:02.
:12:02. > :12:06.Williams! you can follow the match between
:12:06. > :12:16.Jamie Jones and Andrew Higginson online or on the red button, but we
:12:16. > :12:28.
:12:28. > :12:32.will join our commentators Willie WILLIE THORNE: As Dennis Taylor
:12:32. > :12:42.mentioned before the start, Ronnie O'Sullivan managed to win 9 frames
:12:42. > :12:51.
:12:51. > :12:55.and a row from the two-time world JOHN PARROTT: Her he is, at a
:12:55. > :13:05.London-three, he must have been tempted to look for the exit, but
:13:05. > :13:09.
:13:09. > :13:15.he hung in there and took the last His great friend, the renowned
:13:15. > :13:25.artist Damien Hirst has been with him. I think he has been made
:13:25. > :14:01.
:14:01. > :14:09.For a we have got to world champions one shot and we have the
:14:09. > :14:19.world darts champion watching. He has been a fantastic champion, as
:14:19. > :14:25.
:14:25. > :14:35.Nice to find a plant at the corner of the pack and now just rolling up
:14:35. > :14:38.
:14:38. > :14:44.There is not a huge advantage in this at the moment, as the he reds
:14:44. > :14:54.are all grouped very tightly and it would take a very loose shot from
:14:54. > :14:55.
:14:55. > :15:54.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds
:15:54. > :16:04.What a clever little shot that was and I think he is on the pink into
:16:04. > :16:31.
:16:31. > :16:41.I said it was unlikely that he would go further red, but he
:16:41. > :16:41.
:16:41. > :17:24.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds
:17:24. > :17:34.He did not want that to bomb off the middle pocket, but it could
:17:34. > :17:52.
:17:52. > :17:59.He might play a bit of the shot to Not too bad. There are a couple of
:18:00. > :18:07.reds available, but neither of them would allow him to get the white
:18:07. > :18:17.back behind the baulk line. I do not see how he can get round the
:18:17. > :18:19.
:18:19. > :18:29.back of the black here. Well, he Bacher which you how well he is
:18:29. > :18:33.
:18:34. > :18:39.These are pot-shots with this super-fast cloth. It is hard to get
:18:39. > :18:49.them right. That said, I am surprised at how poorly he has
:18:49. > :19:13.
:19:13. > :19:18.The last thing you want to do with The one on any pink spot, he could
:19:18. > :19:28.cut very thin and get back, but he is looking at he wanted he left of
:19:28. > :19:38.that. He has but a shot where he could drop on to me one on to beat
:19:38. > :19:51.
:19:51. > :19:58.What has he found? Whatever it was, The black has found itself in a
:19:58. > :20:06.difficult position, so he may have to work with the pink for a few
:20:06. > :20:16.shots. A Yes, and he will have to watch when he pink his re-spotted.
:20:16. > :20:21.
:20:21. > :20:31.Yes, that is a good point. I do not know if Ronnie has spotted that. If
:20:31. > :20:34.
:20:34. > :20:41.that is the scenario, he would be much better taking the blue. The
:20:41. > :20:45.but, he clearly feels that it going on the black spot is not going to
:20:45. > :20:55.prove the problem. Actually, seeing the look on his face, I do not
:20:55. > :20:55.
:20:55. > :22:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds
:22:05. > :22:10.Pink and black are out of commission, but he will be quite
:22:10. > :22:17.happy getting the points from the blue all the time. His touch is
:22:17. > :22:22.quite remarkable, it really is. You see some players losing position on
:22:22. > :22:32.the blue after two or three shots, but he is always the right side of
:22:32. > :22:32.
:22:32. > :23:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds
:23:16. > :23:26.Saying that, you are now under It just left handed, it is
:23:26. > :23:37.
:23:37. > :23:41.unbelievable. What an advantage There was a little bit of mileage
:23:41. > :23:51.in and may be nudging the black away. But he is actually played at
:23:51. > :24:00.
:24:00. > :24:08.Where the pink and black where at the beginning of this break, it was
:24:08. > :24:18.hard to see anyone hitting more than 30 points, but he is now up at
:24:18. > :24:38.
:24:38. > :24:48.Just wanted to flick that red out. No surprise to see that that was
:24:48. > :24:49.
:24:49. > :24:59.But at the start of this, did it on as we look as if he could win the
:24:59. > :25:03.
:25:03. > :25:09.But he is now going to win the frame from this. We all get excited
:25:09. > :25:19.about century breaks, but this has been a very good at every bit as
:25:19. > :25:40.
:25:40. > :25:47.He has taken five blue and three He was just checking to see what
:25:47. > :25:57.colour he may need to be able to make a century break. What a pity.
:25:57. > :25:58.
:25:58. > :26:02.But he goes one from victory at 12- There are, we thought it was
:26:02. > :26:11.unlikely that Mark Williams would be able to stage a comeback and
:26:11. > :26:21.that is looking even more unlikely. Tiny cage what his mood is like?
:26:21. > :26:24.
:26:24. > :26:32.has been in good shape mentally. I always feel that the second week of
:26:32. > :26:37.the tournament is when the runners and riders sure about all form. But
:26:37. > :26:43.he is definitely in the type of form which could win the World
:26:43. > :26:51.Championship for him. When you think of the rollercoaster he has
:26:51. > :26:57.been on. It was only a couple of months ago that he won the German
:26:57. > :27:01.Masters and managed to avoid having to qualify for this tournament.
:27:01. > :27:11.that is largely down to the amount of tournaments in the schedule now,
:27:11. > :27:18.
:27:18. > :27:22.but even so, it was a big event for him to win. There are very few
:27:22. > :27:31.players that the people in the commentary box bowed down to, but
:27:31. > :27:38.just the standard of play is If so will, Mark Williams has got
:27:38. > :27:48.it all to do if he is to beat Ronnie for the first time in years
:27:48. > :27:57.
:27:57. > :28:07.JOHN PARROTT: Well, he gets any early chance, as an attempted
:28:07. > :28:38.
:28:38. > :28:48.safety shot by a Ronnie caught the WILLIE THORNE: Has he lost he cue
:28:48. > :28:53.
:28:53. > :28:59.Do you think he is already thinking about the maximum break already?
:28:59. > :29:07.Well, if you are 12-five behind, then this is one way to make a few
:29:07. > :29:16.quid out of the tournament. He is one of the best in the game at
:29:16. > :29:26.these slow roll shot. The key to them is hitting men playing ball,
:29:26. > :29:44.
:29:44. > :29:50.but he put it a bit of unwanted The red here at the back of the
:29:50. > :30:00.cluster will pot and spread de reds all over the place. Let us see if
:30:00. > :30:10.
:30:10. > :30:20.he plays this with top spin or Now he has finished, he can count
:30:20. > :30:56.
:30:56. > :31:06.Just seeing what he has to leave Not a great amount of alternatives
:31:06. > :31:17.
:31:17. > :31:27.There is a cuttable red which Ronnie might take on. He might be
:31:27. > :31:43.
:31:43. > :31:53.Doesn't fancy EVA of the pottable reds in the middle. -- either of
:31:53. > :32:26.
:32:26. > :32:36.The cue ball is tight enough to the top cushion, so it is difficult to
:32:36. > :32:55.
:32:56. > :33:03.Can't see where he's going to leave That was about as good as he could
:33:03. > :33:13.do, really. Always difficult. Mark Williams has got one in the centre
:33:13. > :33:18.
:33:18. > :33:28.Well played, Mark Williams. He was up of the cue very quickly. I think
:33:28. > :33:28.
:33:28. > :35:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds
:35:13. > :35:22.he thought he missed it for a All credit to Mark Williams. The
:35:22. > :35:32.professional pride is still there. Ronnie still needs one frame, but
:35:32. > :35:37.
:35:37. > :35:42.Not the desired kiss, but he still has the green available in the
:35:42. > :35:52.middle. He still has the choice of playing the the blue, but a lot
:35:52. > :35:54.
:35:54. > :36:04.more difficult than it would have Good recovery. I don't think he's
:36:04. > :36:33.
:36:33. > :36:38.A lead of 39 for Mark Williams. He can play the one near the top near
:36:38. > :36:48.the baulk line or he may choose to move the rain -- red off the left-
:36:48. > :37:07.
:37:07. > :37:12.Right through the middle of the That is just unbelievable, win you
:37:12. > :37:19.consider this match is over 25 frames. Half the time, you are
:37:19. > :37:29.playing a shot to nothing. I guarantee you, 81% is the highest
:37:29. > :37:45.
:37:45. > :37:55.If he can clear up from here, it is He doesn't have a great angle on
:37:55. > :38:09.
:38:09. > :38:19.No problem, when you're so A lot of players can't hit the ball
:38:19. > :38:33.
:38:33. > :38:36.Matthew Stevens is obviously pretty These next two shots will tell
:38:36. > :38:46.whether Mark Williams is going to spend any more time in this world
:38:46. > :39:00.
:39:00. > :39:10.He was literally two shots away from going into the quarter-finals.
:39:10. > :39:10.
:39:10. > :40:10.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds
:40:10. > :40:20.A colour and a red, and Mark So that unexpected miss from
:40:20. > :40:21.
:40:21. > :40:31.O'Sullivan leads Mark Williams to And well done to him. Showing a
:40:31. > :40:49.
:40:49. > :40:59.Mark Williams has kept this match alive. He reduces the deficit.
:40:59. > :40:59.
:40:59. > :41:05.Ronnie looked like he was all out It is difficult to make any excuses,
:41:05. > :41:09.really, it looked initially like he was going to play it ordinary, he
:41:09. > :41:14.got the extension, but you would expect him to knock it off straight,
:41:14. > :41:20.no reason for him to miss that, the balls he has potted today, but he
:41:20. > :41:25.did, and Mark Williams against to clear up. Well done to him, he is
:41:25. > :41:34.still in there, punching away. Mission impossible, really, but
:41:34. > :41:39.Mark Williams has gone out at the hands of Ronnie three times in the
:41:39. > :41:43.last six years. When you come up against the St opponent all of the
:41:43. > :41:49.time, does it begin to get to you, does it become a mental block?
:41:49. > :41:53.suppose it can. It helps if he can beat him in other events to get a
:41:53. > :41:59.glimmer of hope, but you're not too sure with Mark whether he does
:41:59. > :42:05.study the form guide that strongly. He probably feels, as do many, that
:42:05. > :42:11.O'Sullivan is such a genius with the cue, that anything he does is
:42:11. > :42:21.overshadowed, and Mark Williams said earlier, he is unfortunately
:42:21. > :42:22.
:42:22. > :42:31.up against somebody who has more I'm sure Ronnie O'Sullivan is
:42:31. > :42:41.hoping his -- this is the last time he breaks off this evening. I'm
:42:41. > :42:41.
:42:41. > :43:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds
:43:41. > :43:51.sure he wants to get as much rest He was up on that shot very, very
:43:51. > :43:55.
:43:55. > :44:01.quickly. The middle one of the three will pot. And there is the
:44:01. > :44:11.chance of the black here, I wonder if he will risk it. There is your
:44:11. > :44:42.
:44:42. > :44:47.You know what is in his mind at the Two very good at Kent this
:44:47. > :44:57.afternoon to you called Stephen Hendry's total on the first day. --
:44:57. > :45:32.
:45:32. > :45:39.The red to the left of the black is What he tells me is he is keen to
:45:39. > :45:49.get this match over with. As you sit, nice to get it done and dusted,
:45:49. > :46:19.
:46:19. > :46:26.back to the hotel, have a nice Oh dear, that was careless. Massive
:46:26. > :46:32.gap to go through the reds to get onto the black. I know he has got a
:46:32. > :46:42.relatively new tip on, which is obviously playing well, but he
:46:42. > :46:42.
:46:42. > :47:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 59 seconds
:47:26. > :47:32.I don't see that he can hit that red. I thought he was playing the
:47:32. > :47:37.one nearest the pocket. I can't understand why he would want to
:47:37. > :47:47.play that. I think he may be struggling to hit the one near the
:47:47. > :48:20.
:48:20. > :48:27.We often talk on commentary about how cushions slide, if you happen
:48:27. > :48:37.to hit the Third cushion, it widens even more. He was 40 points in
:48:37. > :48:38.
:48:38. > :48:48.front of you minutes ago, now it is only 28. -- a few minutes ago. I'm
:48:48. > :49:20.
:49:20. > :49:27.The funny thing is, the last when he has played is probably the right
:49:27. > :49:37.way to play it. He was playing for three cushions come now he is
:49:37. > :49:56.
:49:56. > :50:06.It is not quite the record yet. Might be a record for Ronnie,
:50:06. > :50:18.
:50:18. > :50:28.though. I haven't seen him miss It's led by again. -- it ex-leader
:50:28. > :50:53.
:50:53. > :51:03.I don't know if Ronnie has some way to go, he has just look at his
:51:03. > :51:15.
:51:15. > :51:25.That is not going to get there, either. An inch further to the
:51:25. > :51:39.
:51:39. > :51:49.right, Ronnie, and you will he do He has hit it, well done! He gave
:51:49. > :52:17.
:52:17. > :52:22.36 point away! It was the only way I have done that myself, plenty of
:52:22. > :52:32.times. You don't make up your mind what shot to play, and in the end,
:52:32. > :52:40.
:52:40. > :52:44.you don't play any. He was thinking He needed a lot of cue power there.
:52:44. > :52:54.He has decided to play for the black, that is dangerous. It would
:52:54. > :53:22.
:53:22. > :53:31.Ronnie knew how important that He has mishit that pipe two or
:53:31. > :53:41.three inches. -- by two or three inches. He would be very
:53:41. > :53:48.
:53:48. > :53:53.disappointed not to wrap up the We never shot at the result when
:53:53. > :53:58.people like Hendry and O'Sullivan play, but I was quite surprised at
:53:58. > :54:08.the score line. I thought this one would be a close match, but I
:54:08. > :54:34.
:54:34. > :54:44.thought it would be 13 too late, This really is a fabulous chance
:54:44. > :54:48.
:54:48. > :54:53.He was absolutely virtuoso yesterday afternoon. Six frames of
:54:53. > :54:58.the finest snooker I have ever seen played at the Crucible. Mark
:54:58. > :55:03.Williams just had to sit and watch and appreciate it. When he is it in
:55:03. > :55:11.this form, and has focused as he is, he is a serious handful for anybody
:55:11. > :55:20.in this tournament. He has now gone 2-1 favourite, with Judd Trump
:55:20. > :55:24.having gone out. What a match in prospect we have, with Neil
:55:24. > :55:34.Robertson, I thought the second part of his opening session was
:55:34. > :55:45.
:55:45. > :55:49.absolutely awesome. So it is a He would be pretty pleased with
:55:49. > :55:53.himself, it will be interesting to see his press conference, to see if
:55:53. > :56:03.he feels he is playing well. He certainly looks like he's playing
:56:03. > :56:05.
:56:05. > :56:11.as well as he has done for a couple We could have had a century in this
:56:11. > :56:14.frame, but Ronnie O'Sullivan looks superb. Williams offers his hand in
:56:14. > :56:23.congratulations, O'Sullivan wins the match and goes through to the
:56:23. > :56:27.Ronnie, clock-watching at one point, we are coming to the end of our
:56:27. > :56:33.transmission, a quick reaction from them hopefully. In the end,
:56:33. > :56:36.straightforward, but he had it all to do in that session. Yes, I think
:56:36. > :56:41.he moved a bit through the gears. Mark Williams has had a good season
:56:41. > :56:44.early on, perhaps faded a bit towards the end, he will be a bit
:56:44. > :56:53.disappointed, but sometimes when you sit there watching him play,
:56:54. > :56:57.you have to say, well done. We will pass on our congratulations.
:56:57. > :57:03.Those six frames gave you a superb platform, that was fantastic to
:57:03. > :57:08.watch. Credit to Mark Williams, he is one of the top three players in
:57:08. > :57:12.the world, he has had a good season, he got to the final of the first
:57:12. > :57:17.two ranking event, he has been to be the most consistent player over
:57:17. > :57:22.the last few years, massive credit to him, he made it hard for me out
:57:22. > :57:26.there, that is why I played as well as I did, because I had to.
:57:26. > :57:32.look as though you are really up for this World Championship.
:57:32. > :57:36.know about being up for things, you are the most up person I have met!
:57:36. > :57:43.You're certainly cueing well, people are getting excited about
:57:43. > :57:48.your run. The feeling is in my fingers. Well done, Ronnie.
:57:48. > :57:55.He is not giving much away. Assess his prospect against Neil Robertson.
:57:55. > :58:01.Three centuries from him so far, 5 from Neil, and 11 breaks of 50 plus.
:58:01. > :58:07.Fantastic form. A clash of the big guns, the early in the quarter-
:58:07. > :58:12.final stages, a few surprises, names in on not going to be in the
:58:12. > :58:18.quarter-finals, you could argue on paper but Neil Robertson versus
:58:18. > :58:25.Ronnie O'Sullivan could have been the final. Neil Robertson, aiming
:58:25. > :58:31.for a second world title, he won it in 2010, and Rory won it Formica
:58:31. > :58:38.times. Who is going to be in the quarter-final line-up? Just to