Day 11, Part 2

:00:35. > :00:39.Good afternoon. Here in Sheffield, it is great weather once again for

:00:39. > :00:46.staying in and watching snooker, which is just as well, really,

:00:46. > :00:52.because it just gets better and better in this year's Betfred.com

:00:52. > :00:57.championship. It is the quarter- final action today. It will be all

:00:58. > :01:05.eyes down soon. So many people are still talking about the match of

:01:05. > :01:15.the champion so far - the match against -- with Judd Trump against

:01:15. > :01:24.

:01:24. > :01:27.It just had it all. It went the distance, a young player against a

:01:27. > :01:32.more experienced player. I have seen a lot of fantastic matches

:01:32. > :01:40.down the years at the Crucible, and that one is right up there for

:01:40. > :01:50.sheer drama and excitement. Extraordinary twists and turns.

:01:50. > :01:51.

:01:51. > :02:00.made the screw back. Is he going to finish behind yellow and brown?

:02:00. > :02:04.sob Ali Carter ironically clap Judd Trump at one point. A little bit of

:02:04. > :02:14.feeling out there, a little bit of needle, and I think that added to

:02:14. > :02:14.

:02:15. > :02:23.the atmosphere and the occasion. It is going to be left. We're

:02:23. > :02:33.definitely going to have a decider now. He has won the last three

:02:33. > :02:41.frames. Carter was seemingly out of the match, 12-9 down, battled his

:02:41. > :02:49.way back to at deciding frame. Judd Trump had a great chance to win it,

:02:49. > :02:53.missed a red that he would get every day of the week in practice.

:02:53. > :02:58.He if you need evidence of what it is like in a deciding frame, you

:02:58. > :03:02.have just seen it there. And 99 times out of 100, he would have

:03:02. > :03:12.spotted that red with the rest. He missed it, he still had a chance.

:03:12. > :03:21.

:03:21. > :03:24.But Ali's will and determination I absolutely believe that that is a

:03:24. > :03:34.match that Ali Carter could have lost the been six months ago. He

:03:34. > :03:35.

:03:35. > :03:39.looks a different man at the table. I just think that is a match that

:03:39. > :03:49.people will attribute it to this new diet that has clearly left him

:03:49. > :03:51.

:03:51. > :04:01.in better shape. Ali Carter - a fantastic performance. 12-9 down, I

:04:01. > :04:01.

:04:02. > :04:06.can he wins 13-12. There was no need a lot anything

:04:06. > :04:11.like that. It was just a tough match, he wanted to win badly and

:04:11. > :04:15.it turned out that I just wanted to win a little more badly. I did not

:04:15. > :04:22.know whether I was capable of clearing up. That was the

:04:22. > :04:27.difference, really - my confidence just wasn't there. To have come out

:04:27. > :04:32.on top in a match that close, that will make in battle-hardened for

:04:32. > :04:37.the matches ahead. He still has a lot to do before we can think about

:04:37. > :04:44.him being a serious contender. arguably the best game of the two

:04:44. > :04:47.ornaments so far. So many emotions or on view. It has

:04:47. > :04:51.to be one of the great moments of Crucible drama. It is typical of

:04:51. > :04:54.what the top players and the Crucible can produce. It is the

:04:54. > :04:59.reason why millions of people over the years have watched snooker on

:04:59. > :05:05.the television, and now worldwide everybody is hooked on it. In the

:05:05. > :05:11.press conference afterwards, he did not apologise for any fluke shots,

:05:11. > :05:16.said Ali Carter. There is etiquette in this game, he said. It all got

:05:16. > :05:24.rumbled up a bit. There was a lot of talent and testosterone bopping

:05:24. > :05:29.around yesterday. But, listen, that is great. Nick Faldo said about

:05:29. > :05:33.golf's Masters, you have to be bitten by August a before you can

:05:33. > :05:40.win a green jacket. I wonder if the trip -- the same is true about the

:05:40. > :05:48.Cristobal. I suppose it is likely that you would need a few attacks

:05:48. > :05:54.to get it under your belt. -- Crucible. A couple of questions

:05:54. > :05:59.arising in the aftermath about Judd's style these days. Ali was

:05:59. > :06:03.asked if he thought it was one- dimensional. He said, he pots them

:06:03. > :06:06.from everywhere, but there is more to this game than that and I have

:06:06. > :06:12.proved it today. What sort of lessons will there be for Judd

:06:12. > :06:16.going forward? I think his strongest suit is the way he plays.

:06:16. > :06:23.He plays good safety and there was lots of that match where he did.

:06:23. > :06:27.Sometimes he chooses not to. He has got loads of talent, he can pot it,

:06:27. > :06:31.he nearly won a world championship playing that way. Just keep doing

:06:31. > :06:36.what you're doing. One thing is for sure and that is that he will be

:06:36. > :06:40.back and Hungary in the coming years. The bookies' favourite, Judd

:06:40. > :06:50.Trump, has left the building. That leaves eight men to fight it out

:06:50. > :07:29.

:07:29. > :07:39.We have three qualifiers still left in the championship. In all, three

:07:39. > :07:42.

:07:42. > :07:46.Welsh men, two Scot, an Australian and an Essex boy. For me, my dark

:07:46. > :07:52.horse might be Matthew Stevens. He has been there and he has got the

:07:52. > :07:57.talent, bundles of it. interesting point, Steve. Five of

:07:57. > :08:04.the eight have been in a Crucible final. You talked about the

:08:04. > :08:11.bookmakers, John, just assess the odds. Ronnie O'Sullivan it is your

:08:11. > :08:15.15 away favourite. It has been glaring in the draw, really. We all

:08:15. > :08:21.thought that if Ronnie O'Sullivan played well he would face Neil

:08:21. > :08:25.Robertson. That has made the bottom half like a minefield. They are

:08:25. > :08:28.looking now thinking that whoever wins that has to be a very strong

:08:28. > :08:32.favourite to win this year's championship. For its so many

:08:32. > :08:42.things to talk about this afternoon. Let us look at the menu between now

:08:42. > :08:45.

:08:45. > :08:52.Play has been under way since ten o'clock this morning. There has

:08:52. > :08:59.been an all-Scottish derby between Stephen Hendry and Stephen Maguire.

:08:59. > :09:02.Matthew Stevens is taking on Ryan Day. He took some time out in the

:09:02. > :09:11.build up to Sheffield Children's Hospital to raise a few smiles

:09:11. > :09:17.there. Jimmy Jones is having an amazing run it in his first risible

:09:17. > :09:23.campaign. We will watch him today. The Chinese referee Zhu Ying has

:09:23. > :09:32.made quite an impression so far. She will be marking Jones' game

:09:32. > :09:36.against Ali Carter. His runaway success will surely forced into a

:09:36. > :09:41.board plans for early retirement. Neil Robertson, the most successful

:09:41. > :09:51.overseas player ever prepares to slug it out against the most

:09:51. > :09:53.

:09:53. > :09:57.spellbinding player ever in the Stephen Hendry is still on track

:09:57. > :10:00.for an 8th Crucible crown. It is amazing to think that he

:10:00. > :10:06.deliberated long and hard about putting away his cue for good this

:10:07. > :10:12.time last year, and yet here he is in his 19th quarter-final in the

:10:12. > :10:22.world championships. He has no intention of being evicted from his

:10:22. > :10:24.

:10:25. > :10:34.second home at the Crucible just My career has been littered with so

:10:35. > :10:37.

:10:37. > :10:44.many memories of this place. I did almost take it -- take for granted

:10:44. > :10:49.when winning here for the seventh time in the 90s. I feel like the

:10:49. > :10:54.place belongs to me. I think the trophy belongs to me because I won

:10:54. > :11:01.it seven times. Obviously, at the last time was 1999. I have gone a

:11:01. > :11:04.long time without winning. People say it is not the winning but the

:11:04. > :11:12.taking part. I have never heard so much nonsense in my life. It is

:11:12. > :11:17.about winning. If you are a true sporting animal-like I am, all

:11:17. > :11:21.through my career, I want to win and if I don't I am devastated.

:11:21. > :11:25.Even now, it is hard to watch two other people being in the final.

:11:25. > :11:35.Over time it gets better because it has been a long time since I have

:11:35. > :11:35.

:11:35. > :11:42.been in the final. It gets easier as the years go by. This year has

:11:42. > :11:51.been different in the fact that I have just been, you know, one of

:11:51. > :11:58.the others. I sort of put myself through the qualifiers in the sort

:11:58. > :12:04.of mindset just to win matches. It is tough to get motivated. The

:12:04. > :12:09.normally there are wrongly two are three people watching and it is a

:12:09. > :12:12.family of your opponent. Without trying to disrespect it, it is not

:12:12. > :12:19.a big day for me, I am just trying to survive a match. That is the

:12:19. > :12:23.tough side of it. I am still very competitive. I do not have the

:12:24. > :12:27.winning form to back up any strong claims to say to anybody, I can win

:12:27. > :12:33.this, but I am still hugely competitive and I still expect

:12:33. > :12:37.great things for myself. As you can see, when I have played matches

:12:37. > :12:45.this week, when I do not get a century break I am still really

:12:45. > :12:52.disappointed. I always expect high standards from myself. I find

:12:52. > :12:56.myself here in the quarter-finals for the first time in a few years.

:12:56. > :13:00.I have got a great opponent standing in my way in Stephen

:13:00. > :13:09.Maguire, who will fancy his chances to go on and challenge for this

:13:10. > :13:13.title. We will both be desperate to win. It would be good to have a

:13:13. > :13:19.Scot in the semi-final, for sure. Yes, but which one? A pretty

:13:19. > :13:26.emphatic record in the head-to-head standings in form R of Stephen

:13:26. > :13:32.Maguire. He is the world No. 6, 5 wins to Hendry's one. At ten

:13:32. > :13:42.o'clock this morning, these former practice partners got the call from

:13:42. > :13:43.

:13:43. > :13:53.The most successful snooker player in history. What a championship he

:13:53. > :13:57.is having. This is his 19th Crucible quarter-final. Playing

:13:57. > :14:07.some of his best snooker in recent years, seven times the winner here,

:14:07. > :14:08.

:14:08. > :14:18.the king of the Crucible, Stephen Hendry!

:14:18. > :14:22.

:14:22. > :14:27.MUSIC: "Get the Message" by Electronic And his opponent, one of

:14:27. > :14:34.the nicest guys in the circuit. He grew up in Glasgow watching his

:14:34. > :14:38.opponent today dominating the game in the 90s. He has beaten Luca

:14:38. > :14:48.Brecel and Joe Perry so far. When he is good he is on fire, here

:14:48. > :14:58.comes Stephen Maguire! MUSIC: "Here I Go Again" by

:14:58. > :15:04.

:15:04. > :15:09.HAZEL IRVINE: These quarter-finals are still the best of 25 frames.

:15:09. > :15:19.Stephen Maguire went straight into a 2-0 lead. In Jean Todt, it is

:15:19. > :15:28.

:15:28. > :15:32.-- frame three. That was a little bit lucky. The

:15:32. > :15:42.red finished on the right cushion. It to it -- it could have gone over

:15:42. > :15:42.

:15:42. > :16:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:16:38. > :16:48.Excellent pot again. You can see He has a bit of work to do if he is

:16:48. > :16:57.

:16:57. > :17:01.going to win the frame from this He may not need the red that is

:17:01. > :17:09.tight. It is in a really safe position, tight to the cushion next

:17:09. > :17:17.to the middle pocket. He already has a 12-point lead. He would have

:17:17. > :17:27.already had a look around the table, done his calculations. It is not

:17:27. > :17:27.

:17:27. > :18:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:18:09. > :18:13.I am not quite sure whether the red to the left of the brown goes. If

:18:13. > :18:17.it does, he could just drop the yellow into the corner pocket and

:18:17. > :18:27.rolled through for it. This shot will tell us whether it is on. He

:18:27. > :18:42.

:18:42. > :18:45.has had a look at it a couple of Obviously it doesn't, I think he is

:18:45. > :18:55.going for the red just beside the blue. For he keeps looking at the

:18:55. > :18:57.

:18:57. > :19:07.scores. He will mean that red on the right cushion. He cannot pot

:19:07. > :19:17.the two reds, he will meet all three. It is not over, the spring.

:19:17. > :19:20.

:19:20. > :19:26.-- he will need. -- this frame. The shot that came mentioned was on

:19:26. > :19:36.last time, he didn't play it. Maybe it does not pass the brown. If it

:19:36. > :19:36.

:19:37. > :19:46.does, it is surprising he has not If it does not pass, he certainly

:19:46. > :19:56.has an angle on the yellow. He could stun it and bring the red

:19:56. > :20:08.

:20:08. > :20:18.interplay. That is what he tried to It may be worth having a go at the

:20:18. > :20:21.

:20:21. > :20:31.pot into the right centre. He did have a little glance. It may be

:20:31. > :20:36.

:20:36. > :20:46.worth trying this. Play it as a He is in two minds, doesn't know

:20:46. > :20:59.

:20:59. > :21:09.He is in danger of slightly complicating things now. He still

:21:09. > :21:09.

:21:09. > :22:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:22:05. > :22:15.Stephen forced him to play the difficult read. Both players need

:22:15. > :22:31.

:22:31. > :22:41.That was a really good shot. He judged that the pace perfectly. --

:22:41. > :23:09.

:23:09. > :23:19.He needed a little bit of luck there, Stephen, and got it. He is

:23:19. > :23:42.

:23:42. > :23:47.not on this red. It is not a fool It is a half chance for Stephen. He

:23:47. > :23:57.has got to be careful with the cue ball when taking this on into that

:23:57. > :23:57.

:23:57. > :24:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:24:40. > :24:45.corner pocket. He has got to avoid It has been one of those frames

:24:45. > :24:48.where Maguire should have won it three or four times. When that

:24:48. > :24:58.happens and a player does not take advantage, often it goes the other

:24:58. > :25:06.

:25:06. > :25:14.This will certainly settle Stephen Hendry down. Particularly coming

:25:14. > :25:24.from a long red. He still has a bit of work to do. He is 12 behind, so

:25:24. > :26:01.

:26:01. > :26:11.he will need up to and including It looks OK. Sore, pink and black

:26:11. > :26:12.

:26:12. > :26:22.to get his first frame on the board. -- so, pink and black. Would you

:26:22. > :26:31.

:26:31. > :26:36.believe it?! Just came right across That was awful, wasn't it? Cannot

:26:36. > :26:44.believe it. It is one thing to miss a shot, but he did not even wobble

:26:44. > :26:49.it. He will be absolutely gutted. Stephen Maguire will be absolutely

:26:49. > :26:56.delighted. He puts another frame on the board. So the Ben Hendry porn

:26:56. > :27:02.does that Mr Pink. -- Stephen Hendry.

:27:02. > :27:12.HAZEL IRVINE: That Prime Minister pink are real confident crusher.

:27:12. > :27:22.The former UK champion is clear laid ready for this match. Into the

:27:22. > :27:22.

:27:22. > :27:27.5th frame we go and it is Hendrik trailing by eight. -- Hendry.

:27:27. > :27:31.Well, the way he played it, with the right-hand side on there, it

:27:31. > :27:35.was always going to going to the red. I guess he played round to the

:27:35. > :27:45.left of it. But it was neither one shot nor the other that he played

:27:45. > :27:59.

:27:59. > :28:03.Very worrying times if you are a fan of Stephen Hendry in that he is

:28:03. > :28:07.not getting into the match. One thing with Maguire, he is a pretty

:28:07. > :28:17.ruthless front runner. Most players are like that, of course. Everyone

:28:17. > :28:27.likes to be in front in a match. When he is, he will kill. If he

:28:27. > :28:27.

:28:27. > :29:10.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:29:10. > :29:12.goes 5-0 up here, this could be He will take this red into the

:29:13. > :29:22.bottom right-hand corner pocket because that will release the black

:29:23. > :29:23.

:29:23. > :30:03.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:30:03. > :30:06.Still a couple of loose reds, want to the right of the pink and then

:30:06. > :30:16.the red at the bottom of the pack on the left side is open as well.

:30:16. > :30:18.

:30:18. > :30:28.He does not need to worry about going into the packed just yet. --

:30:28. > :30:46.

:30:46. > :30:56.He has purposely stunned that to give himself an angle on the black

:30:56. > :30:59.

:30:59. > :31:09.to go into the bunch. He is blessed Well played. Have a look at that

:31:09. > :31:14.for a shot! He couldn't have placed that any better. Perfect but it. --

:31:14. > :31:19.split up. It was lovely. All the reds stayed in the middle of the

:31:19. > :31:29.table and spread out nicely. So you would believe this to be a frame-

:31:29. > :31:36.

:31:36. > :31:46.That first session could have gone either way, these first four frames.

:31:46. > :31:55.

:31:55. > :32:01.I suspect, though, that Maguire Only once ever beach in the one

:32:01. > :32:08.table set-up, when he was a semi- finalist in 2007, losing an epic

:32:08. > :32:13.battle to John Higgins, 17-15. The the next couple of seasons, he

:32:13. > :32:18.didn't achieve an awful lot for a player of his standing. I remember

:32:18. > :32:24.that match very well. He was very disappointed to lose that semi-

:32:24. > :32:34.final, he made Higgins 14-10 going into the final session. -- he led

:32:34. > :32:34.

:32:34. > :32:40.That may have been his best opportunity to win the World

:32:40. > :32:47.Championship, but he is certainly back to some bit of form, over the

:32:47. > :32:57.years gone by. He was the UK Championship winner. He always has

:32:57. > :33:03.

:33:03. > :33:09.He has got most things about his game. But like one or two others,

:33:09. > :33:19.his biggest enemy is himself occasionally. He gets very annoyed

:33:19. > :33:42.

:33:42. > :33:47.when he doesn't play to the They always try and say that the

:33:47. > :33:51.way you play snooker is similar to your personality, but in Stephen

:33:52. > :33:59.Maguire's case, I don't think so. He is a pussycat of the table, mild

:33:59. > :34:09.mannered. I know he collects piranhas, that doesn't indicate he

:34:09. > :34:27.

:34:27. > :34:33.is a softie. But he is a very well- Can we see another century here at

:34:33. > :34:43.the Crucible? He has already made 221 Korea centuries. 25 of those

:34:43. > :34:52.

:34:52. > :35:02.came last season. He has made a This year, the sponsors are giving

:35:02. > :35:02.

:35:02. > :35:09.�200 to every century here to a children's hospital. -- for every

:35:09. > :35:19.century here. So if the red goes in, that will be �200 to that wonderful

:35:19. > :35:19.

:35:19. > :36:10.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:36:10. > :36:20.Well played, Stephen Maguire. The 52nd century of this

:36:20. > :36:29.

:36:29. > :36:35.He has now gone into a clear lead, Worrying times so early in the

:36:35. > :36:45.quarter-finals for Hendry, because it became 6-0. We are into the

:36:45. > :36:55.

:36:56. > :37:00.A chance for Stephen, a couple of reds to go out, one over the corner,

:37:00. > :37:10.one over the left centre. If he can negotiate this one over the corner,

:37:10. > :37:10.

:37:10. > :38:43.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:38:43. > :38:49.He is not on the pink, but brown or For the moment, the scoring is

:38:49. > :38:58.confined to the blue and the pink. The black is available, but he is

:38:59. > :39:05.You feel this is extremely important for Hendry, it is a

:39:05. > :39:15.bigger frame for him then for Maguire. -- than for Maguire. You

:39:15. > :39:15.

:39:15. > :40:33.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:40:33. > :40:38.Already Stephen Hendry's highest He is not on this red as he would

:40:38. > :40:48.have liked. He would have liked to have been a bit straighter. It is

:40:48. > :40:48.

:40:48. > :41:30.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:41:30. > :41:36.Well played. That will make him He is going to need another red,

:41:36. > :41:46.colour, red. And one more colour after that, just to secure this

:41:46. > :42:10.

:42:10. > :42:17.He has taken these very well up Not dissimilar to a pink he missed

:42:17. > :42:27.in the third one, he seems to be in better form at this stage. That

:42:27. > :42:38.

:42:38. > :42:48.will be a relief, that red dropping 65, the break is, so he needs a red

:42:48. > :42:54.

:42:55. > :43:00.and black and all the colours for a Well, the red wobbles, but Stephen

:43:00. > :43:10.Maguire stays in his chair. But the seven times world champion is off

:43:10. > :43:15.

:43:15. > :43:19.Despite this miles between the two of them come -- the smiles between

:43:19. > :43:26.the two of them, Maguire went on to win the next one, he bought take a

:43:26. > :43:30.7-1 lead into this evening's session. He has shown a terrific

:43:30. > :43:40.form in recent months. What an unexpected bonus, to be so far in

:43:40. > :43:43.

:43:43. > :43:48.A bonus indeed, and I think it was really key early on to Stephen

:43:48. > :43:53.Hendry's form in this match, he missed two cities, particularly

:43:53. > :43:58.that pink in frame three. I am still in shock, so I don't know how

:43:58. > :44:03.he is feeling out there! Even if he wobble dead, he would still be

:44:03. > :44:09.devastated, the fact you have thrown away a chance to get to 2-1

:44:09. > :44:15.instead of 3-0. For the next two or three frames, he would have been

:44:15. > :44:19.reeling. Maguire looked like a caged animal, he was champing at

:44:19. > :44:23.the bid to get on with this match, and he has played brilliantly. But

:44:23. > :44:31.a curiously out of sorts Hendry, how would you explain the different

:44:31. > :44:38.in form? I think we go back to that pink, I think it is a turnaround.

:44:38. > :44:42.He would settle down, 2-1 behind, all of a sudden, you of 3-0 behind.

:44:42. > :44:47.He forgot about the middle of the cue ball, he has completely hit

:44:47. > :44:53.across it, and to not even hit a jaw is amazing debate has just

:44:53. > :45:00.changed the match. Stephen Maguire get confident, Stephen get worse.

:45:00. > :45:04.We talk about form, and we can only talk about what we have seen. The

:45:04. > :45:09.start of the session can be all important, the first chance can be

:45:09. > :45:14.all important, because of that, we are now talking about Stephen

:45:14. > :45:19.Hendry losing his form. The trouble is, it is something that seems to

:45:19. > :45:23.be indicative of the older players, who played very well, show some

:45:23. > :45:28.promise, and then throw in a bad session. I was going to ask you

:45:28. > :45:33.about that, that cannot just be unique to the older players. In

:45:33. > :45:37.such a long tournament, you cannot surely maintain the high standard

:45:37. > :45:43.throughout? Some of the younger players do. They maintain it for

:45:43. > :45:48.longer. I don't know about the golfing world, which is similar,

:45:48. > :45:54.but you don't expect so many bad sessions from the likes of Neil

:45:54. > :46:00.Robertson to stop some of the younger ones, you expect them to be

:46:00. > :46:05.cueing well and be shot all the time. I agree with that. That is

:46:05. > :46:13.why I'm sitting here! How badly has that damaged Stephen Hendry's

:46:13. > :46:17.chances? A be good news is it is the first session. If he can come

:46:17. > :46:22.out, he is capable of turning around a session and giving 2

:46:22. > :46:27.Stephen Maguire what he has done to him. He needs a good start. They

:46:28. > :46:32.are coming back for the second session this evening. But things

:46:32. > :46:40.are getting a little bit I'm really down the local tavern these days.

:46:40. > :46:43.Thanks to our snooker boys in our never-ending pub quiz. Focus and

:46:43. > :46:50.concentration are key element. Steve Davis has spent the last

:46:50. > :47:00.couple of days on his own. There he is again! Who is going to summon

:47:00. > :47:04.

:47:04. > :47:10.the mental energy and strength to This is where former winners come

:47:10. > :47:20.back and then they get dumped out in the first round. It is the curse

:47:20. > :47:21.

:47:21. > :47:31.of the Crucible. Number-one. Tony Knowles famously beat Steve Davis

:47:31. > :47:37.

:47:37. > :47:47.10-1. What was the year? If he doesn't know the year... We know

:47:47. > :47:48.

:47:48. > :47:55.the year. Tony Knowles famously beat somebody in 1982. Who was it?

:47:55. > :48:01.Steve Davis! We have had no answers with Steve in them for ages. Neil

:48:01. > :48:11.Robertson lost to which player 10 to eight, he was returning champion.

:48:11. > :48:11.

:48:11. > :48:21.This is what you do for a living. You don't have day jobs! It was

:48:21. > :48:28.Neil Robertson against... Judd Trump. No. 3. This isn't our day-

:48:28. > :48:35.job. I have just been brought in, bit of fun. They told me you would

:48:35. > :48:41.be lovely old blokes! One of those adjectives which right. -- was

:48:41. > :48:50.right. Who was the only person who beat Stephen Hendry at the Crucible

:48:50. > :48:56.between 1990 and 1996. Name the player. You must have really liked

:48:56. > :49:03.Stephen Hendry when he turned up. Loved him. Loved him with his

:49:03. > :49:13.lovely array of jumpers. Steve James. Who was the last first-time

:49:13. > :49:14.

:49:14. > :49:21.winner to successfully defend their world championship, in 1964. Year I

:49:21. > :49:31.was born! It was the last first- time winner to successfully depend

:49:31. > :49:33.

:49:33. > :49:39.-- defend the World Championship. Who is it? It was John Boorman.

:49:39. > :49:49.knew it! There has only been one Crucible whitewash. Who was it and

:49:49. > :49:58.

:49:58. > :50:08.How did you feel after that one? was Eddie Charlton, who lost 2...

:50:08. > :50:11.

:50:11. > :50:18.John Parrott. 10-0. And he was lucky to get 0! The heaviest ever

:50:18. > :50:28.defeat in their Crucible final had a 15 frame difference between

:50:28. > :50:34.

:50:34. > :50:40.winner and loser. Who was the Looks like somebody has just sacked

:50:40. > :50:50.and lemon. I was a lot better two years later, when I got my own

:50:50. > :51:00.

:51:00. > :51:07.This game has come to life now. winner was? Steve Davis. And the

:51:07. > :51:13.loser was? Thank you very much. has lost the most Crucible semi-

:51:13. > :51:19.finals? Eddie Charlton lost six, but not at the Crucible. Who has

:51:19. > :51:29.lost five Cristobal semi-finals? We haven't got any big prizes today.

:51:29. > :51:38.What is that? A trophy? That is made of real plastic. It was a

:51:38. > :51:48.Ronnie O'Sullivan. Wow! I think there is dissent in the ranks.

:51:48. > :51:49.

:51:49. > :51:55.is a great question. No. 8. Ali two people have lost multiple Crucible

:51:55. > :52:02.finals and it never won the title - - only two people. Unlike Dennis

:52:02. > :52:12.Taylor here, who I think you'll remember when you stayed up late,

:52:12. > :52:12.

:52:12. > :52:17.he won in 1985. Nobody was really watching. What time did it finish?

:52:17. > :52:25.20 past midnight. Do you have fond memories? A I have forgotten all

:52:25. > :52:31.about it. Does anybody ever mention it? The boys, occasionally. Steve,

:52:31. > :52:39.does anyone ever mention it to you? A knot today at until now, but I'm

:52:39. > :52:45.just waiting for tomorrow. If you see Steve Davis around, wouldn't it

:52:45. > :52:55.be lovely if you could mention that fond memory. It would make his day.

:52:55. > :52:59.Just come up to me. One of them is Jimmy White, Matthew Stevens. What

:52:59. > :53:09.is the only Crucible final to have had no century break? It wasn't

:53:09. > :53:10.

:53:10. > :53:20.very memorable. No century breaks in it. Which yeah? -- which year? I

:53:20. > :53:24.

:53:24. > :53:32.want to know... There were 17 breaks over 50 in the final. I

:53:32. > :53:42.watched that final. What a year would that have been? Steve Davis.

:53:42. > :53:43.

:53:43. > :53:53.1985. How did Steve Davis do that yeah? Is that the right answer?

:53:53. > :53:55.

:53:55. > :54:05.Correct. Highest break, 79. Dennis part a bus in front of the pockets.

:54:05. > :54:06.

:54:06. > :54:13.-- parked a blast. 5th May 1980, at the BBC's snooker coverage was

:54:13. > :54:20.interrupted. What happened on 5th May 1980. The SAS... Stormed the

:54:20. > :54:30.Iranian Embassy. Very well done. Let's see how well we did at the

:54:30. > :54:40.end of that round. Scoring nine, the good, the bad, the ugly. But

:54:40. > :54:48.scoring 10... The DJs! At the end of the round, they have 60, the

:54:48. > :54:54.good, the bad, the Aghalee, 65. -- the ugly.

:54:55. > :55:01.I think there is going to have to be a stewards inquiry. We were

:55:01. > :55:10.ahead on the other questions! debate continues. We need all the

:55:10. > :55:15.help we can get! O little local derby in the making here, but not

:55:15. > :55:19.between United and Sheffield Wednesday, but it is to command

:55:19. > :55:24.an's Matthew Stevens against Bridgend's Ryan Day. They are both

:55:24. > :55:27.best of friends, both family man, and Ryan Day yesterday took some

:55:27. > :55:34.time off to go and visit some youngsters at the Sheffield

:55:34. > :55:40.Children's Hospital. In the Weston Park area of the city, it is one of

:55:40. > :55:44.four specialist children's hospitals in the country, and one

:55:44. > :55:50.of the visitors, a Crucible quarter-finalist.

:55:50. > :55:55.I have come here to meet a few of the children here at this hospital,

:55:55. > :56:02.a couple of them wanted to need a snooker player, because they had

:56:02. > :56:08.been watching it this week. -- to meet a snooker player. One snooker

:56:08. > :56:14.fan was delighted to meet the Welsh staff. He even offered to lend him

:56:14. > :56:23.his autographed Jimmy White cue. Can I borrow it? Yes. Bring it

:56:23. > :56:30.back! With three Welsh players in the last eight, might we see a

:56:30. > :56:37.Welshman equalising 2003? They have been a really successful, Mark

:56:37. > :56:44.Williams, Matthew has been to five semi-finals, hopefully this year it

:56:44. > :56:50.is the Chinese Year Of the Dragon, so hopefully it is a Welshman. I

:56:50. > :56:55.would like to play in the one table set-up, so yes, it is a matter of

:56:55. > :57:01.winning the next match, that is what my focus is on. Just get

:57:01. > :57:08.myself ready for it and look forward to playing. A lot of the

:57:08. > :57:16.seeds got beaten early on, so you never know, it might be a chance

:57:16. > :57:20.for the qualifiers. I think it is open, anybody can win it. And he

:57:20. > :57:30.knows he has the backing of his new fan Blake in his bid to lift the

:57:30. > :57:31.

:57:31. > :57:34.trophy this year. All of us want to send her best wishes to be staff

:57:34. > :57:43.and patients at the children's of bottle, a big hello from all of us.

:57:43. > :57:50.Let's get straight into this match. Let's get into the match proper,

:57:50. > :58:00.they shared the first couple of frames, this is frame three.

:58:00. > :58:04.

:58:05. > :58:09.Stevens is to play, ahead by 14 COMMENTATOR: As you can see, it was

:58:09. > :58:19.a tough one to play at distance. Has he covered the one below the

:58:19. > :58:23.

:58:23. > :58:29.It looked like it was in on the way down. It is pretty tight, the one

:58:29. > :58:39.nearest the pocket. Don't fancy that one, D you? It looks pretty

:58:39. > :59:10.

:59:10. > :59:14.The amount of side he had on it, he couldn't but it direct, he played

:59:14. > :59:22.it with a tremendous amount of left-hand side. -- he couldn't pot

:59:22. > :59:32.it direct. He saw the white coal around the pink, just a fraction.

:59:32. > :59:47.

:59:47. > :59:51.Deserves exactly what you get from Both players are looking really

:59:51. > :59:58.good here in this quarter-final match. Considering it is a very

:59:58. > :00:04.early start, not easy for the players were not used to starting

:00:04. > :00:10.early in the day, in the practice sessions. A lot of players train

:00:10. > :00:14.themselves a four months, than normally start playing about 12, 1

:00:14. > :00:21.o'clock. A lot of them then start to go down and practice earlier,

:00:21. > :00:26.but a don't think it makes that much difference myself. -- i don't

:00:26. > :00:30.think. Snooker players in years gone by when known for their late

:00:30. > :00:37.nights, they were playing exhibition matches in clubs. These

:00:37. > :00:42.days, they sleep play because they are lazy. -- face sleep late.

:00:42. > :00:52.sure a lot of players never practised until midday. I'm sure

:00:52. > :00:52.

:00:52. > :02:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:02:04. > :02:14.This break is running to 35. He has This has been as good as it gets, I

:02:14. > :02:41.

:02:41. > :02:51.The Canon didn't really put the red safe. You have to get some side on

:02:51. > :02:51.

:02:51. > :02:58.if you want to play those two reds beside the pink. If you play those

:02:58. > :03:02.badly, it is always too short, you never seem to go too far. I think

:03:02. > :03:07.the players protect themselves, making sure they are on the pot.

:03:07. > :03:17.has no option but to play the cannon into the red. He had plenty

:03:17. > :03:21.

:03:21. > :03:26.Now he has got to play the stun shot and cannoned into the red. It

:03:26. > :03:36.looks like he is playing the screw off the red to get on to the black.

:03:36. > :03:36.

:03:36. > :03:46.Good shot! Well played. Ryan feels more comfortable playing the screw

:03:46. > :04:10.

:04:10. > :04:18.shot. If anything, he has played it He could still make this red. Very

:04:18. > :04:28.impressive stuff from both players. A joy to watch, this. Yes, he was a

:04:28. > :04:31.

:04:31. > :04:39.bit fortunate on the previous shot. As Terry mentioned, this is

:04:39. > :04:49.excellent play from both of these two young Welsh players. I think

:04:49. > :04:57.

:04:57. > :05:07.Matthew Stevens played catch-up in Ryan has an excellent chance for

:05:07. > :05:32.

:05:32. > :05:42.It literally doesn't get any better than this. I think he has picked up

:05:42. > :05:53.

:05:53. > :06:03.-- played one bad positional shot 12 reds and every colour bar or

:06:03. > :06:20.

:06:20. > :06:29.brown. That is just going to change The 53rd century here at the

:06:29. > :06:34.Crucible, two on the trot from Ryan Day. Excellent snicker. Matthew

:06:34. > :06:37.Stevens couldn't do a lot about that. Ryan Day looks like he is on

:06:37. > :06:45.tip-top form. HAZEL IRVINE: Back-to-back

:06:45. > :06:50.centuries from Ryan Day. He has now are not in five so far in this

:06:50. > :07:00.championship. Matthew levelled it at 2-2 at the interval. And we

:07:00. > :07:07.rejoin it at frame five. Matthew has six points to make-up.

:07:07. > :07:13.That is a very aggressive shot. He would have been very unlucky not to

:07:13. > :07:17.have been on the pink or the blue from that.

:07:17. > :07:27.The way the pack was set, there was always a good chance he would catch

:07:27. > :07:28.

:07:28. > :07:34.the back of them. He has pushed that wide. What a change. We hadn't

:07:34. > :07:37.86 from Matthew Stevens, two centuries from Ryan Day and 49 from

:07:37. > :07:47.Matthew Stevens in the first four. In this frame, we have had a few

:07:47. > :07:58.

:07:58. > :08:08.Ryan would be sitting thinking that mess on the red would have cost in

:08:08. > :08:09.

:08:09. > :08:19.the frame. -- cost him the frame. He does not really want to tie the

:08:19. > :08:31.

:08:31. > :08:34.pink up. That is why he is taking The pink will go on to its own spot.

:08:34. > :08:44.The red below the pink spot will cause a problem if he does not got

:08:44. > :08:44.

:08:44. > :09:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:09:44. > :09:53.He thought he had hit it too hard. He has just stopped in time,

:09:53. > :10:02.leaving a nice angle on the blue. Plenty of choices here. He has

:10:02. > :10:08.found the gap. If he had clipped one of those reds it would not have

:10:08. > :10:15.made any difference anyway. As Willie mentioned, it is taking a

:10:15. > :10:25.little while but we will have the pink back on its spot. Not easy,

:10:25. > :10:51.

:10:51. > :10:55.He has played that nicely for the He has found something there. He

:10:55. > :10:59.needs to be careful. He needs to let the referee do that in cases

:10:59. > :11:09.and touches the red. It is a far-left you do that, of

:11:09. > :11:40.

:11:40. > :11:50.You need good eyesight to see that. The brake goes on to 38, takes in

:11:50. > :12:05.

:12:05. > :12:08.In some ways, it is much easier to make breaks around the pink spot

:12:08. > :12:12.because you don't have to use cushions a lot and you have four

:12:12. > :12:19.pockets to pot it in. With the black it is generally only two. He

:12:20. > :12:29.is taking these well, after that blip from both players. We're

:12:30. > :12:44.

:12:44. > :12:50.seeing another good effort here No chance of a century this time

:12:50. > :13:00.but he will be pretty pleased, having missed a few easy balls in

:13:00. > :13:00.

:13:00. > :13:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:13:56. > :14:01.A little bit careless on the pink, but a very nice break off 80.

:14:01. > :14:08.He HAZEL IRVINE: The former world No. 6 went two in front after

:14:09. > :14:18.claiming the 6th frame. Can he push on in the 7th? He has work to do -

:14:19. > :14:21.

:14:21. > :14:24.Ryan 42 points behind. A practice set up for Ryan Day. And

:14:24. > :14:34.many revival from Matthew Stevens Garbutt would be enough in this

:14:34. > :14:36.

:14:36. > :14:42.frame? -- a small revival from Matthew Stevens, but it will it be

:14:42. > :14:45.enough in this frame? We often say that the first 40 or 50 points in

:14:45. > :14:55.the frame are quite difficult because there are more balls on the

:14:55. > :14:56.

:14:56. > :14:59.table. That is why we see so many games loss from Fortean Front. This

:14:59. > :15:09.is one of those situations where Ryan Day is actually favoured now

:15:09. > :15:27.

:15:27. > :15:30.to win this ring, even though he is I think the frame of mind is

:15:30. > :15:40.crucial in these situations. You know what it is like, sometimes you

:15:40. > :15:42.

:15:42. > :15:47.go down and you make all these decisions. When you are feeling

:15:47. > :15:52.good, you do not think of anything apart from the shot in front of you.

:15:52. > :15:57.It is strange, the mind, isn't it? How you can feel so good one day

:15:58. > :16:05.and so bad the next. It is weird. Sometimes the game dictates that,

:16:05. > :16:08.and the score can also dictate your mind out there, and away the balls

:16:08. > :16:13.run for you, good, bad or indifferent. There are a number of

:16:13. > :16:17.things. Your opponent is likely at any time to keep you in the chair

:16:17. > :16:26.for around and hour. It is very testing. Wouldn't want it any other

:16:26. > :16:36.way. With the angle he has on the black, he is going to have to play

:16:36. > :16:48.

:16:48. > :16:52.a kiss. Not guaranteed to go right. The same kiss a lot harder would

:16:52. > :16:57.obviously have been a lot harder, but he would not want to play it a

:16:57. > :17:07.lot harder in case it went too thin and the cue ball went into the

:17:07. > :17:24.

:17:24. > :17:27.Excellent recovery. A very thin cut. Almost guaranteed to have left it

:17:27. > :17:37.in the pocket if he had missed it and he could have gone on to lose

:17:37. > :17:38.

:17:38. > :17:47.the frame. He is playing with backspin. He has not caught that

:17:47. > :17:57.one. He has either or done it or under done it, I am not sure which.

:17:57. > :18:35.

:18:35. > :18:45.He has gone too far for the red on By remember playing Stephen Hendry

:18:45. > :18:46.

:18:46. > :18:51.once, we were 4-4, he lost position twice. Twice, when he lost position,

:18:51. > :19:00.he looked at the pack and saw that there was a planned there and got

:19:00. > :19:10.it back twice. They say, do not depend on the rabbit's foot, it did

:19:10. > :19:21.

:19:21. > :19:25.Ryan Day has just gone seven points in front. I do not know if the red

:19:25. > :19:35.pots in the middle. If it does not, he will have a hell of a job

:19:35. > :19:40.

:19:40. > :19:45.getting on to it. This is the worst He could push through at pace and

:19:45. > :19:50.if he misses the kiss on the red and Pinkie could get on to it. He

:19:50. > :19:53.is cueing down law. He needs to play the canon, and hasn't got it.

:19:53. > :20:03.Matthew might be snickered but he will be pretty pleased to get back

:20:03. > :20:19.

:20:19. > :20:26.If he has the right angle, it is uneasy snooker. His previous shot,

:20:26. > :20:36.obviously, was the problem. He did well to get the cue ball off the

:20:36. > :20:45.

:20:45. > :20:48.black. A it make going the right It was quite a risky shot. The

:20:48. > :20:53.reason he is near the side cushion is because he did not want to hit

:20:53. > :21:03.it with any more pace. He has left himself a difficult shot on the

:21:03. > :21:06.

:21:06. > :21:10.black. It is almost straight, anyway. He is thinking that, if he

:21:10. > :21:20.drops the black, he will snicker Matthew Stevens on the pink with

:21:20. > :21:27.

:21:27. > :21:37.He has got the snooker, he is 15 points in front. Matthew only has

:21:37. > :21:37.

:21:37. > :22:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:22:31. > :22:41.to hit it off two cushions. -- not You can see he only had to pot the

:22:41. > :22:48.

:22:48. > :22:51.That's the ball like he wanted. Matthew has not played well since

:22:51. > :23:01.the midsession interval. He will have to find something in the

:23:01. > :23:01.

:23:01. > :23:11.spring. We resume again at 7pm, and that 5-3 is not too bad, 6-2 is a

:23:11. > :23:26.

:23:26. > :23:36.I wonder whether he is going to play the black. Yes, he is. Matthew

:23:36. > :23:37.

:23:37. > :23:44.has yet to make a sizable break-in this half of the match.

:23:44. > :23:47.HAZEL IRVINE: Matthew Stevens is the man who has won the only longer

:23:47. > :23:52.format match between these two and that was at the UK Championship

:23:52. > :23:59.four years ago. I am sure you will not be panicking yet in this

:23:59. > :24:06.opening session. Enter the last frame we go. Matthew Stevens is 32

:24:06. > :24:16.points to the good. He has found a gap. He will be on

:24:16. > :24:18.

:24:18. > :24:21.I don't know why he is looking at the pink because he has to get that

:24:21. > :24:28.black away from the pocket as quickly as possible because all the

:24:28. > :24:32.reds going to that one. This is a good chance. That is good. It was

:24:32. > :24:40.one of those shots where you have no idea where it will end up. You

:24:40. > :24:46.know that any sort of kiss on those first two reds you are bound to be

:24:46. > :24:56.on something. He should win the frame from here now. 5-3 will be

:24:56. > :25:26.

:25:26. > :25:36.pretty respectable, the way this He was having a bit of fun there. I

:25:36. > :25:45.

:25:45. > :25:52.think someone was having a bit of a coffin the front row. -- at -- a

:25:52. > :25:56.cough in the front row. When they are all sitting in front of you,

:25:56. > :26:06.like these reds are, you feel that real thing that could go wrong is a

:26:06. > :26:27.

:26:27. > :26:37.CROWD GROANS Matthew may have lost that trick there.

:26:37. > :27:13.

:27:13. > :27:19.Matthew knows he could have played Ryan was 48 points down. He still

:27:19. > :27:29.has a lot to do. They are well placed. Matthew will definitely be

:27:29. > :27:33.thinking that Ryan is going to clear up. When you are out there

:27:33. > :27:37.playing and you are the man on the table, sometimes all you see in

:27:37. > :27:43.front of you is problems. Ryan hasn't been doing that today, he

:27:43. > :27:50.has had a very good session. He would be delighted if he cleared up

:27:50. > :27:54.here. Matthew Stevens hung on to his coat tails and the opening

:27:54. > :28:04.session. He looked in perfect form. Since then, he has just disappeared

:28:04. > :28:05.

:28:05. > :28:09.somewhat. He pinched the 4th frame and in every one of these frames he

:28:09. > :28:16.has had a chance. It is not like Ryan Day has completely dominated.

:28:16. > :28:26.He has had a chance, but he has needed more than one. He has

:28:26. > :28:42.

:28:42. > :28:45.brought another red interplay. -- Most people are saying it is

:28:45. > :28:54.difficult to predict a winner in this match. I have been speaking to

:28:54. > :29:04.a few people about it. It is difficult for your opponent to get

:29:04. > :29:13.

:29:13. > :29:17.back if you have a first session When you're 6-2 behind it is hard.

:29:17. > :29:27.You know it will take at least a session and a half to get four

:29:27. > :29:46.

:29:46. > :29:50.He gave himself half a chance to miss that, with that pace! That was

:29:50. > :30:00.the only red that looked to be a stumbling block, but he took a

:30:00. > :30:09.

:30:09. > :30:19.chance, playing it at the pace he He wants to get onto the green or

:30:19. > :30:21.

:30:21. > :30:31.brown, probably. Not the greatest of shots, there. He seemed a little

:30:31. > :30:50.

:30:50. > :30:53.I wouldn't blame him this time playing for the pink, but he is

:30:53. > :30:59.going to come very close to the blue, he doesn't want to kiss the

:30:59. > :31:04.blue. Goodness me, I think he was concentrating on not kissing the

:31:04. > :31:09.blue, how did he miss at the red? He changed his mind, I think he

:31:09. > :31:16.went down there with one plan, then got up and decided to go and

:31:16. > :31:26.screwed the cue ball back. Still a shot he will regret if he loses

:31:26. > :31:32.

:31:32. > :31:37.this frame. Could be a massive He completely missed he did, and in

:31:37. > :31:47.the meantime, Matthew has played a wonderful safety shot -- completely

:31:47. > :31:55.

:31:55. > :32:01.He has put his hand up as if he was unlucky. The truth is he just

:32:01. > :32:11.missed an easy red, and he knows it. It is the type of shot Ryan Day

:32:11. > :32:20.

:32:20. > :32:30.plays with ease, scoring back to Now Clement -- can Matthew hold

:32:30. > :32:32.

:32:32. > :32:37.It is always more likely win you can hold for the yellow like that.

:32:37. > :32:41.It looks as if he's going to play it left handed. He needs to get

:32:41. > :32:51.this one did right, he is scoring across the brown to get on the

:32:51. > :32:55.

:32:55. > :33:00.He has done it 100 breaks with his left hand in practice. But it is an

:33:00. > :33:08.little bit different here. He would have liked it to be another inch or

:33:08. > :33:18.so do the rite, the cue ball. -- to the right. He will be pleased to be

:33:18. > :33:24.

:33:24. > :33:34.in this position, that is Peshawar. He is really struggling out there,

:33:34. > :33:49.

:33:49. > :33:52.Somehow, he has got out of this Whichever way you look at it, what

:33:53. > :34:02.happens in between doesn't really matter, it is the score at the end

:34:03. > :34:05.

:34:05. > :34:15.Matthew Stevens has pinched that frame. But Ryan Day takes he 5-3

:34:15. > :34:20.Only two of frames in it when it might have been 6-2, but you might

:34:20. > :34:25.-- have to say that Brian day has been by far the stronger. Some

:34:25. > :34:28.excellent break building from him. Knowing he did have the best of the

:34:28. > :34:35.session, he will be destroyed that he didn't win that last frame. The

:34:35. > :34:40.difference between 6-2 and 5-3 seems massive. From Matthew

:34:40. > :34:43.Stevens's perspective, he will be delighted to get away, these will

:34:44. > :34:48.be the fractions that make all the difference when you get to the

:34:48. > :34:54.nitty-gritty at the end. If you come out a 5-3 in front, it is a

:34:54. > :34:57.lead, but not as much as it could have been. We're all agreed that

:34:57. > :35:04.Ryan Day's participation in the quarter-finals is something of a

:35:04. > :35:09.surprise, but he is proving why he is a more than worthy player. He is

:35:09. > :35:14.knocking them in from everywhere. He is very, very talented, and we

:35:14. > :35:18.have been waiting for Ryan Day to come of age, it seems, for quite a

:35:18. > :35:25.while. Perhaps this is the time. All players mature at different

:35:25. > :35:30.times, some of the world champions we have sit -- scene hit at 22, 23,

:35:30. > :35:35.doesn't mean you're past it if you're older than that, but in full

:35:35. > :35:39.flow, he is a very powerful player. Sometimes they have questioned his

:35:39. > :35:43.tactical nous, but somewhere along the line, you get it right. A what

:35:43. > :35:50.has been so significant about these matches is as the game's have

:35:50. > :35:55.progressed, he seems to have got stronger, that was a significant

:35:55. > :36:01.feature of those games. Perhaps a different match play against a good

:36:01. > :36:07.mate, that perhaps has its bearing. You don't know which one it helps

:36:07. > :36:12.and hinders. But he it up against a player with vast talent as well. We

:36:12. > :36:18.look at Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump, but these players are no

:36:18. > :36:23.slouches by any means. They will be back this evening at 7pm. Now, we

:36:23. > :36:28.are anticipating a fair bit of noise and excitement, with a rocket

:36:28. > :36:38.about to take off into a storm of thunder generated from Down Under.

:36:38. > :36:50.

:36:50. > :36:55.The countdown is almost complete. If you were to tell me how I was

:36:55. > :37:01.going to play in my first two matches, I would have taken it. I

:37:01. > :37:07.scored really heavily. I'm just pleased to be in the tournament,

:37:07. > :37:10.and my form, it is just on the day, really. If we all played on top of

:37:10. > :37:20.our form, we would all have the same results, but it is not like

:37:20. > :37:21.

:37:21. > :37:25.In time commit you do have to learn a second game, you have to learn

:37:25. > :37:31.how to play good safety, rather than just relying on potting balls,

:37:31. > :37:34.which is the only way I used to play. I used to go for everything.

:37:34. > :37:41.But to beat the top players when they play well, you have to develop

:37:41. > :37:46.your safety game as well. Mine is just about as good as anyone's now.

:37:46. > :37:50.I think he is probably the most improved player of the last three

:37:50. > :37:56.or four years, he has worked and the tactical side of his game, has

:37:56. > :38:04.become an all-round player. Great temperament, so for me, he is the

:38:04. > :38:08.man you will have to be to win this title. -- beat a. I can't afford to

:38:08. > :38:11.have those of sessions against the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan,

:38:11. > :38:16.especially when it gets down to a quarter-final to stop hopefully I

:38:16. > :38:24.can play at bit better and progress through the quarters and made the

:38:24. > :38:29.semi-finals. There is a long way to go, along tournament, still 80

:38:29. > :38:38.great players left, I believe anyone can win it. -- 8 great

:38:38. > :38:44.These are the men who are going to put the words over the pictures.

:38:45. > :38:50.This quarter-final, you have to say it is the marquee match. Absolutely.

:38:50. > :38:55.If they right to better at cueing, I don't know who they are. The way

:38:55. > :39:00.Ronnie has been cueing in the last match, it is also England against

:39:00. > :39:05.Australia, could be better. What about the record against each

:39:05. > :39:10.other? I think the big match was five years ago, Ronnie beat him 13-

:39:10. > :39:15.10, that was close. But he has beaten Ronnie in the World Open,

:39:15. > :39:20.just 18 months ago, 5-1. It is difficult to pick, I hope they both

:39:20. > :39:23.play at the top of their game, I can't wait for it. What was

:39:23. > :39:27.impressive was the Masters performance from Robert son, you

:39:27. > :39:34.saw a different side of him. His all-round play was exceptional. He

:39:34. > :39:39.is just a complete player now, he raised his game. He would treat

:39:39. > :39:44.this game as a great challenge, and you know what these Aussies are

:39:44. > :39:49.like. As for me, the biggest thing has been focused and he has looked

:39:49. > :39:53.very focused. Totally relaxed, I have never seen him so relaxed. I

:39:53. > :39:56.think this game will be down to the long potting, we know that Neil

:39:56. > :40:06.Robertson is one of the best we have had, but Ronnie is knocking

:40:06. > :40:08.

:40:08. > :40:14.the long ones in, it is a We have already had some amazing

:40:14. > :40:24.stories unfolding. Two more are about to get started. It is

:40:24. > :40:37.

:40:37. > :40:42.quarter-final time, let's get the Please welcome a player whose debut

:40:42. > :40:45.run is causing quite Astor. He has knocked out Shaun Murphy and Andrew

:40:45. > :40:49.Higginson. He is showing the class many knew he had for a long time.

:40:49. > :40:59.This is without doubt the biggest match of his career so far. The

:40:59. > :41:21.

:41:21. > :41:25.MUSIC: "Sexy And I Know It" by And from talk of retirement to

:41:25. > :41:29.another Crucible quarter-final. His comeback yesterday was amazing,

:41:29. > :41:39.this is his 4th appearance in the last eight, he is flying high, the

:41:39. > :41:52.

:41:52. > :41:56.And now, please welcome a player who has shown it touches of

:41:56. > :42:02.absolute brilliance here over the last 10 days. Solid against Ebdon,

:42:02. > :42:07.sublime against Williams. His break of one to wait on Sunday brought

:42:07. > :42:15.the Crucible crowd to their feet in amazement. Three times a champion

:42:15. > :42:25.here, the Rocket, Ronnie MUSIC: "Let Me Entertain You" by

:42:25. > :42:31.

:42:31. > :42:34.And finally, please welcome a player who has made a huge impact

:42:34. > :42:39.on the game since arriving from Australia. One of the best long

:42:39. > :42:44.potters in the business. He has beaten Ken Doherty and David

:42:44. > :42:50.Gilbert, and will relish the heat of this bigger battle. Can you hear

:42:50. > :43:00.the thunder from Down Under, Neil MUSIC: "Heart of Courage" by Two

:43:00. > :43:12.

:43:12. > :43:16.We will be dipping in and out of the match between Carter and Jones

:43:16. > :43:23.as well, it is an online and on the red button. But sit back and savour

:43:23. > :43:33.what is on offer on table two. Serious business now. This one is

:43:33. > :43:35.

:43:35. > :43:45.worthy of the final itself. This packed audience, filled with

:43:45. > :43:46.

:43:46. > :43:56.Let's just have a look how they have been going through the

:43:56. > :44:16.

:44:16. > :44:22.Anything over 65% long pot success But it could be about who is going

:44:22. > :44:28.to take those chances, Dennis. importantly, who is going to win

:44:28. > :44:32.the little tactical battles. See you can get in amongst the balls.

:44:32. > :44:42.It is OK being able to pot them when you get in, but you have to

:44:42. > :44:52.You can't see these players, if they do get in, making careless

:44:52. > :45:18.

:45:18. > :45:28.Just have a look at that safety. The pace was perfect for Neil

:45:28. > :45:36.

:45:36. > :45:46.That looks to be catching. -- touching. That will help Neil

:45:46. > :46:03.

:46:03. > :46:12.Touching ball has been declared, but he is having a look to see if

:46:12. > :46:22.he can actually pot that red. That is three times he has told him.

:46:22. > :46:25.

:46:25. > :46:35.it is definitely touching them, You would think a natural path

:46:35. > :46:38.

:46:38. > :46:48.would be try and get back in behind Just concentrating on getting a

:46:48. > :47:15.

:47:15. > :47:20.It is not bad, although there is a couple of possible pots, but they

:47:20. > :47:26.are very risky, and no guarantee of position. Had he missed the brown,

:47:26. > :47:29.he would have been tight to that baulk cushion. So it is a nice

:47:29. > :47:39.tactical battle we are watching from these two brilliant break

:47:39. > :47:41.

:47:41. > :47:46.It is fascinating to see who is going to make the first mistake.

:47:46. > :47:51.The brown and yellow or a terrific target to get in behind. If you

:47:51. > :48:01.have got the correct angle to do that. But that is another excellent

:48:01. > :48:22.

:48:22. > :48:32.And this time, it is not as straightforward, to get back down

:48:32. > :48:41.

:48:41. > :48:46.He is having to think a little bit Could he play it in such a way that

:48:47. > :48:56.he could leave himself on the black, and maybe St -- at the same time

:48:57. > :49:01.

:49:01. > :49:11.That is what he is looking at, the right side of the table. He might

:49:11. > :49:13.

:49:13. > :49:23.be able to take the pot on and get He is not on the black, but what a

:49:23. > :49:24.

:49:24. > :49:34.pot! What a terrific long red that was. They don't come much better

:49:34. > :49:41.

:49:41. > :49:47.than that. Ronnie couldn't have That is very unlucky. He is

:49:47. > :49:52.hampered with one red, and has covered Dott one that he did up

:49:52. > :50:02.past the middle pocket. That couldn't have turned out much worse.

:50:02. > :50:09.

:50:09. > :50:12.All he is going to get from the He is just looking at the position

:50:12. > :50:16.of the cue ball on the red, I don't think he can get in behind the

:50:16. > :50:22.yellow and the brown. He would love to be able to do that, but I think

:50:22. > :50:32.he's going to have to lead bit nearer the cushion. -- leave it

:50:32. > :51:04.

:51:04. > :51:07.Just the little rubs of the green has left it absolutely perfect. And

:51:07. > :51:13.it needs to be, because that opening red from Neil Robertson, he

:51:13. > :51:23.couldn't have played a better safety shot, Ronnie. And that puts

:51:23. > :51:28.

:51:28. > :51:32.pressure on when you are playing Typical opening frame of a match.

:51:32. > :51:42.What do beautifully played shot that was. A little tap on the table

:51:42. > :51:47.

:51:47. > :51:56.Both players have been tapping the table, because of the excellence of

:51:56. > :52:04.the safety shot. And he's going to slip up first? -- who is going to

:52:04. > :52:14.slip up first? He certainly left a pot on for Neil, if he can get his

:52:14. > :52:19.

:52:19. > :52:24.I think he's going to take the red into the right corner and find the

:52:24. > :52:32.gap past the black, not the first red, the other one. And he has

:52:32. > :52:40.found the gap. The kiss is not a very favourable again. Unless that

:52:40. > :52:49.pink goes into the middle pocket. And even then, it be easy. -- It

:52:49. > :52:54.He was a bit unlucky there. I think he thought he might have avoided

:52:54. > :53:04.the red and pink, and would have finished on the blue. But once he

:53:04. > :53:28.

:53:28. > :53:38.got the kiss, it could have worked There is a lot of room around the

:53:38. > :53:49.

:53:49. > :53:56.table, especially in a two table A very tense opening frame, this.

:53:56. > :54:05.Even though these matches are still best-of- 25 frames, it is important

:54:05. > :54:15.to get a good start, and just relax The safety play so far has been

:54:15. > :54:22.

:54:22. > :54:32.Ronnie didn't feel as if he could get it safe. He just had an anxious

:54:32. > :54:46.

:54:46. > :54:50.look, he thought he might have He has got to play off the one to

:54:50. > :55:00.the right of the cue ball, if he played off the other one, he could

:55:00. > :55:03.

:55:03. > :55:10.easily lead that one. -- leave that Now, cannot Ronnie put in a telling

:55:10. > :55:20.safety? Will he risk coming off those three reds, and try and get

:55:20. > :55:25.

:55:25. > :55:31.down behind? His target would be He caught it a little on the thin

:55:31. > :55:39.side, and that is the reason he has left a possible pot, but once again,

:55:39. > :55:47.He is looking into the one into the middle pocket, but that doesn't

:55:47. > :55:52.look on. Can't see a gap if he takes the pot on to the right

:55:52. > :56:02.corner. The black pots into the same pocket as the red, he would

:56:02. > :56:03.

:56:03. > :56:13.have to somehow screw over to the Straight in the heart of the

:56:13. > :56:39.

:56:39. > :56:43.He really does pot does so well. -- Well, this is a good chance. No

:56:43. > :56:48.matter how good you are, and we know how good Rory O'Sullivan has

:56:48. > :56:58.been playing, but he has not had even a sniff of a potting chance so

:56:58. > :57:23.

:57:23. > :57:30.He has got the pink nicely in the That opening shot was a bit special,

:57:31. > :57:38.it was a stun shot. The white stops dead, indie hits it just slightly

:57:38. > :57:48.below centre. The ball doesn't move. Tell you what, who shot was a lot

:57:48. > :58:17.

:58:17. > :58:20.more difficult than what we just The atmosphere is quiet, but it is

:58:20. > :58:25.electric, even though there is a bit of noise coming off the other

:58:25. > :58:33.table. There is no other arena that can capture the atmosphere like the

:58:33. > :58:43.Crucible. And now he is on the black. He will have hopes of

:58:43. > :58:46.

:58:46. > :58:50.We talk about Ronnie being so focused, but how about this

:58:50. > :59:00.Australian? How focused is he? He looked totally at ease, totally

:59:00. > :59:30.

:59:30. > :59:37.He is showing us that he is in fine It is going to be a little bit

:59:37. > :59:47.difficult to clinch the frame, looking at the reds. He has got a

:59:47. > :59:47.

:59:47. > :00:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:00:41. > :00:47.Has he got the angle because the This black will put him 68 points

:00:47. > :00:52.in front. He will not be playing the pink, I can assure you. The

:00:52. > :00:57.black will put him 68 points in front with a 67 points remaining.

:00:57. > :01:02.He's looking at the red near the middle pocket but if he pots the

:01:02. > :01:09.black, he's going to cannon the other red. It does not matter if

:01:09. > :01:19.you do not finish nicely on the next pot. That one might go in the

:01:19. > :01:20.

:01:20. > :01:25.middle. He is going to be a long way away from it. It has landed on

:01:25. > :01:30.the green. A can't understand why he didn't roll the black in, cannon

:01:30. > :01:35.the red, and he probably would have pushed it into a possible position.

:01:35. > :01:45.I think he was making extra sure there and he did not get anywhere

:01:45. > :01:46.

:01:46. > :01:54.near where he intended the cue ball And that is not the best shot he

:01:54. > :01:59.has ever played. Ronnie O'Sullivan will come back to the table. He

:01:59. > :02:09.only needs one snooker. Is that enough for Neil Robertson? I am not

:02:09. > :02:31.

:02:31. > :02:40.these reds and still only need one snooker. Deciding to come back down

:02:40. > :02:44.for the black. It is a pity there is one red tight on the cushion

:02:44. > :02:52.because if Ronnie had been able to take a couple of reds and colours,

:02:52. > :02:59.but that red next to the blue is a good spot to get a snooker in. But

:02:59. > :03:09.because of the red on the cushion, it makes that virtually impossible.

:03:09. > :03:23.

:03:23. > :03:29.There again, it might not be on the Can he afford the blue? He is just

:03:29. > :03:34.checking the scoreboard. 44 points behind, 43 points remaining. He

:03:34. > :03:42.just about can afford to take the blue off this red. Where is the cue

:03:43. > :03:49.ball going? That is a bit careless. That surely is the frame to Neil

:03:49. > :03:58.Robertson. He was trying to force it wide with a little bit of extra

:03:58. > :04:03.pace. I can't believe he's done that. It was not a natural enough.

:04:03. > :04:11.It was because of the pace he played it at. But he did have a

:04:12. > :04:17.chance there. The blue has not gone in but it will not matter. That

:04:18. > :04:26.will be enough for Ronnie I am sure. Yes, he concedes after a very tense

:04:26. > :04:29.Open frame. You could say it was nearly flawless from Neil Robertson.

:04:29. > :04:33.HAZEL IRVINE: Let's show you how many quarter-final appearances

:04:34. > :04:38.there have been in all the major ranking events in their respective

:04:38. > :04:44.careers. Stephen Hendry has the most. He has been on the scene

:04:44. > :04:50.longer than anyone else. 123 times he has been at this stage of major

:04:50. > :04:55.events. Ronnie O'Sullivan is in his 89th quarter-final and Neil

:04:55. > :04:58.Robertson is in his 20th. There is a bit of a gulf in experience in

:04:58. > :05:04.that respect but you would never know it from that opening frame.

:05:04. > :05:09.What do you expect from this match? Judging from that frame, Neil

:05:09. > :05:15.Robertson looks to be playing hard, competitive snooker. It is going to

:05:15. > :05:19.be a tough match for Ronnie O'Sullivan. No quarter given. I

:05:19. > :05:25.think there is a huge degree of mutual respect between the two of

:05:25. > :05:31.them. Very much so, but both of them will be looking at the draw

:05:31. > :05:41.thinking, in the context of the tournament, if they think they can

:05:41. > :05:43.

:05:43. > :05:47.win this match, they will think It is Neil Robertson who get the

:05:48. > :05:56.second frame under way and has he covered that red? It looks pretty

:05:56. > :06:00.tight as to whether Ronnie could see enough of it to take the pot on.

:06:00. > :06:08.While there is a way back down the table of the two reds to the left

:06:08. > :06:14.of the bunch, that is pretty good. Ronnie did precious little wrong in

:06:14. > :06:20.that opening frame. Neil Robertson's safety was so good, as

:06:20. > :06:30.was Ronnie's, but Neil Robertson got the first chance and he scored

:06:30. > :06:36.

:06:36. > :06:41.59, which was virtually enough to This time he has come up a little

:06:41. > :06:48.bit short. Has the green come to his rescue? Can he get his hand on

:06:49. > :06:58.the table to get his cue to the side of the green? It is going to

:06:59. > :07:04.

:07:05. > :07:14.be a slight distraction. In fact, That is the first careless safety

:07:15. > :07:18.

:07:18. > :07:27.That is not like Ronnie. But that is how he let Neil Robertson in for

:07:27. > :07:36.that 59 break in the last frame. He is not quite catch in the safety

:07:36. > :07:42.just right at the moment. The odd one. We talk about the great

:07:42. > :07:49.atmosphere at the Crucible and we hope it comes over to you at home

:07:49. > :07:56.when you are watching the snooker. I was reminded, sadly, it was a

:07:56. > :08:00.year ago today that Ted Lowe passed away. He was the man who really

:08:00. > :08:09.added the sort of snooker atmosphere through his commentary

:08:09. > :08:13.and he is still sadly missed. will only be one whispering Ted

:08:13. > :08:18.Lowe. I had a great pleasure of going into the commentary box the

:08:18. > :08:27.very first time when somebody was ill at the UK championship and that

:08:27. > :08:37.was many moons ago now. Ted played a big hand in Pot black, which got

:08:37. > :08:40.

:08:40. > :08:50.the game of snooker up and running And then when they switch to colour

:08:50. > :08:52.

:08:52. > :08:56.TV in 1970, the game really took off. Famously, Ted said, Fred Davis

:08:56. > :09:06.is snookered on the yellow, for those of you watching in black and

:09:06. > :09:11.

:09:11. > :09:21.white, the yellow is directly An excellent safety shot from

:09:21. > :09:26.

:09:26. > :09:36.Ronnie. He has got a chance to pot He will be hoping to get the first

:09:36. > :09:42.

:09:42. > :09:46.He may have a chance here because Neil Robertson has made the mistake

:09:46. > :09:51.by kissing the green for in the face. Although there is a bit of

:09:51. > :09:58.pressure on this. The black is an available but he could stun it in

:09:58. > :10:02.and play for the pink. This will be a test of cue action. It is not far

:10:02. > :10:06.off a similar shot to the one at Neil Robertson got in within the

:10:07. > :10:10.opening frame. Neil Robertson got into the right corner with a stun

:10:10. > :10:18.shot and Ronnie is going to have to attempt a similar one, unless he

:10:18. > :10:24.can get through to the one past that, which I think he can. He did

:10:24. > :10:30.not cue that very well. I think he decided to play that as a shot to

:10:30. > :10:34.nothing and I think he played with side on it. I think he was trying

:10:34. > :10:41.to check the cue ball, put a little bit of right-hand side on it, and

:10:41. > :10:51.did not played well at all. And now Ronnie is probably thinking, he

:10:51. > :10:58.

:10:58. > :11:02.missed it by so much, he should He is just worried if he plays that

:11:02. > :11:05.one to the right of the black that he might cannon into the red and

:11:05. > :11:12.finish nowhere. He is taking the more difficult pot to the middle

:11:12. > :11:16.because he can get onto the pink. He does not have to pot the pink.

:11:16. > :11:26.He probably will take the yellow and won't pot the pink until he

:11:26. > :11:26.

:11:26. > :11:34.removes the red that is sitting on He is certainly tuned into this

:11:34. > :11:44.match. Once again, he may elect to play on possibly the brown and

:11:44. > :12:05.

:12:05. > :12:13.He doesn't have to play on that red That shows you that he wanted to

:12:13. > :12:21.get on that red sooner rather than later. Has he got the angle to

:12:21. > :12:25.screw back and get out onto the pink? Yes, he can do that. It has

:12:25. > :12:35.come up a little short though. He might have to take the yellow or

:12:35. > :12:40.

:12:40. > :12:45.brown again. As long as you keep potting them, you keep winning. As

:12:45. > :12:55.John Virgo used to say on Big break, pot as many balls as you can. That

:12:55. > :12:58.

:12:58. > :13:05.What is impressing me so much years, they are bound to feel nervous

:13:05. > :13:09.because it is a big match for both players, but he's very relaxed

:13:09. > :13:14.around the table, Neil Robertson. Everything he seems to do has got a

:13:14. > :13:18.purpose about it and that is a good sign. In all honesty, it is very

:13:19. > :13:24.difficult to know how Ronnie O'Sullivan is playing at the moment.

:13:24. > :13:32.He made a mess of that long pot but he has very little else to go at.

:13:32. > :13:35.He has got to be patient and hope that the chance comes. But the way

:13:35. > :13:42.Neil is playing at the moment, you don't think it is going to come

:13:42. > :13:52.from Neil Robertson missing an easy shot when he is in. I spoke too

:13:52. > :14:17.

:14:17. > :14:21.soon. Here is Ronnie's first real Look at that shot. He hardly

:14:21. > :14:30.touched that but got the screw back required to get him onto the red to

:14:30. > :14:38.the left of the pink. I think we talked about it, John, then you tip

:14:38. > :14:43.that leads Dott put on. He says it feels like the best when he has had

:14:43. > :14:49.for quite a while and it does make a difference. A lot of people at

:14:49. > :14:55.home my think they are all the same but they don't react the same. In

:14:55. > :15:02.the last round, some of the shots he was playing was sensational.

:15:02. > :15:10.snooker, you have got to play every shot with a one Q. You haven't got

:15:10. > :15:19.one you can hit hard, when you can play a little touch shot. He just

:15:19. > :15:24.can't make his mind up. He wants to play one of those four reds. If the

:15:24. > :15:28.black was available, he wouldn't have a problem, but at the moment

:15:28. > :15:38.he has got to concentrate on the pink. He has just hampered himself

:15:38. > :15:41.

:15:41. > :15:51.He cued that beautifully. This table looks very quick to me. It is

:15:51. > :15:58.

:15:58. > :16:08.like lightning. Look at that That did not quite workout as he

:16:08. > :16:12.

:16:12. > :16:21.intended. He has got to go up the He changed his mind a couple of

:16:21. > :16:26.times and he did not quite get up off the shot. If you are undecided,

:16:26. > :16:36.get up and then get down again. But he changed his mind but never got

:16:36. > :16:45.

:16:45. > :16:55.up of the shot. Luckily, the red This is it. He is playing it, then

:16:55. > :17:02.

:17:02. > :17:12.he gets down, but he did not Anyway, he got away with it. You

:17:12. > :17:22.

:17:22. > :17:32.He might not be on a red here. He was not intending to leave it like

:17:32. > :17:35.

:17:35. > :17:45.this. Where is the black coming? Have a look at this black ball.

:17:45. > :17:52.

:17:52. > :18:02.Thank you very much. He held his That black coming back as it did,

:18:02. > :18:05.

:18:05. > :18:08.You just a dream about that happening. You think you are out of

:18:08. > :18:18.position and a very rarely do something like that happen. But he

:18:18. > :18:25.

:18:25. > :18:30.has got to capitalise on it. A bit This pink will put him 33 points in

:18:30. > :18:40.front. He still needs two of these remaining three reds to clinch this

:18:40. > :18:48.

:18:48. > :18:53.We now know that they are both cueing well and they are carrying

:18:53. > :18:59.on from where they left off in that previous match. These have been

:18:59. > :19:04.there to form horses, so to speak, and it is wide open this year, the

:19:04. > :19:11.world championship, but these two boys at the table have played some

:19:11. > :19:15.scintillating snooker. Neil Robertson with virtually one chance

:19:15. > :19:25.after some very good tactical play won the opening frame with a break

:19:25. > :19:34.

:19:34. > :19:43.And there is a possible 100 just on now. As we know, our sponsors and

:19:43. > :19:48.giving �200 for every century to the haven House Children's Hospice.

:19:48. > :19:57.That is the chosen charity this year. And this will be the 53rd, if

:19:57. > :20:02.Ronnie can clear these up. A man who has already made three. Neil

:20:02. > :20:07.Robertson has had five centuries this year. He is leading the list.

:20:07. > :20:12.But this has been a superb break. OK, he had a slice of good fortune

:20:12. > :20:22.when the black came back at the table and over the pocket but, as

:20:22. > :20:25.

:20:25. > :20:30.John said, you need a little bit of That is a fatherless effort from

:20:30. > :20:35.Ronnie O'Sullivan. He got one chance and he took it. He has also

:20:36. > :20:45.taken the second frame. Can't wait for more of this.

:20:45. > :20:48.HAZEL IRVINE: It is already good start. Let me update you with what

:20:48. > :20:54.is going on on the other side of the dividing wall because Ali

:20:54. > :21:00.Carter has taken the frame -- first frame in his match against Jamie

:21:00. > :21:10.Jones. The first quarter finals of any event for Jamie Owen -- Jamie

:21:10. > :21:19.Jones. First blood to Ali Carter against Jamie Jones. But what do

:21:19. > :21:24.you make of war we have seen on the other side? We have seen that both

:21:24. > :21:28.players are in exceptional form in this championship. Neil Robertson's

:21:28. > :21:34.long pot in the opening frame was fantastic and then Ronnie

:21:34. > :21:37.O'Sullivan with a monster piece of fortune. This is a good shot in

:21:37. > :21:42.itself to cut this in the corner but you cannot dream of having a

:21:42. > :21:48.positional shot like this workout for you. The black has come perfect

:21:48. > :21:51.pace down the table. That is a snooker player's Nirvana. And an

:21:51. > :21:58.apology to go with it. When you look at the head-to-head matches

:21:58. > :22:03.between these two, 7-3 to Ronnie. He has won four of the last five.

:22:03. > :22:11.The momentum has been with Ronnie. But how different a player do you

:22:11. > :22:15.think in the last 18 months also has Neil Robertson become? I think

:22:15. > :22:19.winning the world championship races your pride Park higher. You

:22:19. > :22:23.are a different player afterwards. You have got to cope with the

:22:23. > :22:28.expectation of that but I think Neil Robertson has done that very

:22:28. > :22:33.well indeed. These two players, as we have seen this tournament unfold,

:22:33. > :22:36.they look like that to form horses. You could argue it is a shame that

:22:36. > :22:41.they are meeting in the quarter- finals but I am sure it is going to

:22:41. > :22:51.be an absolute cracker. I can't decide who is going to win it.

:22:51. > :22:52.

:22:52. > :22:59.hope you are watching it and Ronnie's break off shot just left a

:22:59. > :23:03.red sticking out. That is all Neil Robertson needs. A fantastic pot.

:23:03. > :23:06.He has just nudged the green and the fact he is looking down at the

:23:06. > :23:16.reds, it is a tricky little shot but it looks like he's going to

:23:16. > :23:26.

:23:26. > :23:36.take on. Cutting it back into the He was able to hold the cue ball.

:23:36. > :23:40.

:23:41. > :23:45.If he can't hit through to the He had to get quite a bit of power

:23:45. > :23:49.into that but that is a careless one from Neil Robertson. That might

:23:49. > :23:54.be a costly one. He took his eye off the pot because he was trying

:23:54. > :24:00.to hit the pack and then screw the white back. Ronnie O'Sullivan back

:24:00. > :24:04.at the table a lot quicker than he thought he would be. It just shows

:24:04. > :24:07.you, we talk about fractions, if he had been straighter on that, he

:24:07. > :24:11.could have stunned it in but because it was slightly off

:24:11. > :24:16.straight, he felt there was an opportunity to bring the reds into

:24:16. > :24:20.play. That calls for more pace. The pockets will not accept it unless

:24:20. > :24:24.it is a fairly accurate. He missed a red in the middle in the last

:24:24. > :24:34.frame which let Ronnie in, and you can't make mistakes and let Ronnie

:24:34. > :24:47.

:24:47. > :24:51.O'Sullivan in. That is asking for That is not the best. He did not

:24:51. > :24:56.hit the red he was intending to cannon into. That would be a bonus

:24:56. > :25:01.if there is a plant into the corner pocket. The plant must be pretty

:25:01. > :25:11.close even though there is a bit of distance between the two reds. If

:25:11. > :25:13.

:25:13. > :25:23.No. He is probably pleased he did not make the plant because he did

:25:23. > :25:26.

:25:26. > :25:36.not put the cue ball where he He is almost tight on the cushion.

:25:36. > :25:45.

:25:45. > :25:48.The yellow is just as difficult if he is going to take on. But,

:25:48. > :25:53.striking off the cushion, it is only John Parrott I can think of

:25:53. > :26:02.who would have knocked that in. He was brilliant off the cushions. The

:26:02. > :26:12.yellow is a bit too much but he has got second best. At first glance,

:26:12. > :26:35.

:26:35. > :26:45.This is going to come off three cushions to go into the reds. He is

:26:45. > :26:45.

:26:46. > :26:49.not guaranteed to get it safe. It is nearer the black. Neil is coming

:26:49. > :26:59.around to look at the one in the middle pocket to see if he can take

:26:59. > :27:16.

:27:16. > :27:21.It was not a good angle. He would have had to play it with pace and

:27:21. > :27:31.he did not like it. Ronnie is going to attend this difficult escape

:27:31. > :27:41.again. Even if he hits a red, he's not guaranteed to get safe. That is

:27:41. > :27:54.

:27:54. > :28:02.the sort of blind he is trying to He is going to do well to land on

:28:02. > :28:06.that red and leave everything safe, he really is. He had 10 attempts at

:28:06. > :28:16.One yesterday, trying to get out of a snooker. Eventually, he did hit

:28:16. > :28:28.

:28:28. > :28:38.Has he got away with that? I don't Being left-handed, it is slightly

:28:38. > :28:40.

:28:40. > :28:45.more difficult. Can he reached As you say, if he had been right

:28:45. > :28:50.handed, this would not have been a problem. He is putting the

:28:50. > :28:54.extension on. It is made easier, this pot, if he does not have to do

:28:54. > :29:03.a lot with the cue ball. If he can just drop it in, you would fancy

:29:03. > :29:11.him to get it. He is really at full stretch. I think he needs the

:29:11. > :29:21.spider here. He certainly does. And he is quite a tall lad. He is about

:29:21. > :29:33.

:29:33. > :29:37.It would have been a lot easier. In fact, I thought he was going to hit

:29:38. > :29:47.this red full ball and if it had, it would have been so easy, but

:29:48. > :29:54.

:29:54. > :30:04.once it slipped into that position, You can see the appreciate in the

:30:04. > :30:11.

:30:11. > :30:21.spider with the cue rests. He has For some reason, years ago, they

:30:21. > :30:25.

:30:25. > :30:35.had a You shape in the spider -- U shape, and you're cue used to get

:30:35. > :30:41.

:30:41. > :30:51.Her if he rolls the black in, he is on this a red to the left corner.

:30:51. > :30:54.

:30:54. > :31:04.But a little bit of work to do. If Straight enough, no problem. This

:31:04. > :31:25.

:31:25. > :31:30.He is a little bit straighter than That is not a very good shot. We

:31:30. > :31:39.can see the line, he was going to come back and captured the red on

:31:39. > :31:49.the side cushion at. I think he thought he was going to catch that

:31:49. > :31:54.

:31:54. > :32:04.He has knocked it in, but a trip -- a tricky brown to follow. But he

:32:04. > :32:06.

:32:06. > :32:16.has great confidence in his potting He missed a red in that middle

:32:16. > :32:20.pocket in the last frame and it has Yes, quite straightforward if you

:32:20. > :32:30.watch just rolling it in, but if he was punching it in as he had to do,

:32:30. > :32:46.

:32:46. > :32:51.much more difficult -- if you are That is a sweet positional shot,

:32:51. > :33:01.because he hit that quite pacy with stunned and the cue ball didn't

:33:01. > :33:26.

:33:26. > :33:36.Another delegate screw shot, it is It was imperative that he got past

:33:36. > :33:38.

:33:38. > :33:48.the brown and he only just scraped I suppose if he was straight on the

:33:48. > :34:03.

:34:03. > :34:07.That shot he has played with his left hand, he screwed back with

:34:07. > :34:11.reverse side and caught the other balls, made it look ridiculous and

:34:12. > :34:19.that is with his opposite hand! Sometimes you don't even notice he

:34:19. > :34:22.has changed hands, it is quite I have said it before, but I

:34:22. > :34:27.remember playing him in an exhibition before I retired and he

:34:27. > :34:36.made a break of 135. He cleared the table and every single shot was

:34:36. > :34:46.played with his opposite hand. remember saying to Peter Ebdon it

:34:46. > :35:04.

:35:04. > :35:08.was amazing he had played left I remember when he first started

:35:08. > :35:18.playing left-handed, do remember the kerfuffle he had with Alan

:35:18. > :35:18.

:35:18. > :35:24.Robert do? -- Alain Robidoux? Nobody had seen him and they

:35:24. > :35:34.thought he was taking the mickey. His opponent complained of

:35:34. > :35:46.

:35:46. > :35:54.But, of course, if you have got He has still got to bring a red

:35:54. > :35:59.into play. He might try and do it We always say that when you pot a

:35:59. > :36:09.red and get another red into play, you are not certain of getting on

:36:09. > :36:09.

:36:09. > :36:15.And that brown was tricky, it was miss a ball and he missed it, just

:36:15. > :36:21.when he was getting near the winning line. -- it was easily

:36:21. > :36:26.missed. The cue ball was too near the cushion, that is what caught

:36:26. > :36:36.him out. At least the brown has gone safe and the pink is safe,

:36:36. > :36:37.

:36:37. > :36:41.from Ronnie's point of view. Those It was a great chance to clinch

:36:41. > :36:51.this third rain but -- frame, but when he cannoned the red out, I

:36:51. > :36:54.

:36:54. > :37:04.think he thought he might get the He took the chance. A little bit

:37:04. > :37:07.

:37:07. > :37:17.further on the right and he would He would like to take that one

:37:17. > :37:21.

:37:21. > :37:25.again. He might even refuse the attempt at the pot here. I suppose

:37:25. > :37:35.if he fancied rolling it, there is the chance of a snooker behind the

:37:35. > :37:46.

:37:46. > :37:51.I am not quite certain what he played there. It will be lucky if

:37:51. > :38:01.the yellow comes to his rescue. I think it has. He just wanted to

:38:01. > :38:08.

:38:08. > :38:18.bring the brown into play and risk Has he fluked a snooker? Can he

:38:18. > :38:23.

:38:23. > :38:32.gets past the yellow up to pot the He thinks it is too thin. Maybe it

:38:32. > :38:42.It looks comfortable to me, but obviously, I am not right behind

:38:42. > :38:52.

:38:52. > :39:02.It just shows you. I commentator's I must be fading. -- my

:39:02. > :39:31.

:39:31. > :39:35.Hawkeye thinks he might have got it Not the best safety shot again from

:39:35. > :39:45.Neil. You get the feeling he is looking a bit uncomfortable. It

:39:45. > :39:51.

:39:51. > :40:01.shows you what missing a couple of Because prior to that, he was

:40:01. > :40:27.

:40:27. > :40:37.Not a bad shot. I don't think Ronnie will be tempted by the cut,

:40:37. > :40:49.

:40:49. > :40:53.He didn't quite catch it as full as He was expecting the white to stay

:40:53. > :41:03.somewhere near the cushion, rather than head over to that side of the

:41:03. > :41:24.

:41:24. > :41:28.The one thing that Ronnie didn't want to do was bring the pink into

:41:28. > :41:32.the middle of the table. It is a little bit of insurance for him,

:41:32. > :41:38.because at the moment, the way it stands, Neil Robertson is 12 point

:41:38. > :41:48.behind, he is going to need the pink if he is going to win the

:41:48. > :41:58.

:41:58. > :42:08.Not the best of safety shots. He has been fortunate here that the

:42:08. > :42:13.

:42:13. > :42:23.This is a good shot, because he had to swerve that, and that is what

:42:23. > :42:38.

:42:38. > :42:48.What has he done here? He has mishit that completely. I just felt

:42:48. > :42:49.

:42:49. > :42:55.His confidence has taken a bit of a knock, but having said that, that

:42:55. > :43:05.is not Ronnie's the best shot. He will need a good shot on this

:43:05. > :43:09.

:43:09. > :43:19.The pink might help Ronnie here if he takes the Lee pot on. There is

:43:19. > :43:35.

:43:35. > :43:42.no weight if he -- there is no way I don't know how Ronnie didn't

:43:42. > :43:52.manage to get himself on to the black when he was in there. It is a

:43:52. > :44:01.

:44:01. > :44:05.Neil Robertson he needs to six remaining colours. -- need the six

:44:06. > :44:15.remaining colours. It is not going to be easy, the black is it

:44:16. > :44:22.

:44:22. > :44:27.distance away from the pink. -- a I think the cushions are catching

:44:27. > :44:33.them out with it being so quick. A few times, Neil has looked at the

:44:33. > :44:38.shot after he has played it as if to say what sort of dance is that?

:44:38. > :44:48.In Ronnie's previous attempt, he went right out of position, trying

:44:48. > :44:50.

:44:50. > :44:56.to hold for the black and he ended I did mention, I think it was in

:44:56. > :45:06.the first frame, that the table looked lightening fast. There is no

:45:06. > :45:10.

:45:10. > :45:13.reason that it should be any But it does look like being fast,

:45:13. > :45:23.almost to the point where it looks difficult to control the cue ball

:45:23. > :45:33.when you are sending it any This is Ronnie's shot, trying to

:45:33. > :45:43.stun. It seems to be the pace of the cushions as well as the quick

:45:43. > :45:48.

:45:48. > :45:58.Just a safety, I don't blame him. Even the way he can pot, that was

:45:58. > :46:16.

:46:16. > :46:26.He didn't want to move the pink. He only needs the brown and the blue.

:46:26. > :46:43.

:46:43. > :46:48.Neil Robertson it needs all of the He is a bit reluctant to play the

:46:48. > :46:58.brown on to the black. It would keep the brown safe, but he is

:46:58. > :47:08.

:47:08. > :47:18.wondering whether black would go. - Well Ronnie O'Sullivan be tempted?

:47:18. > :47:24.

:47:24. > :47:29.He needs the brown, he needs the Super pot. That will be the frame-

:47:29. > :47:39.winner. This blue will put him 19 points in front with just 13

:47:39. > :47:41.

:47:41. > :47:51.He has kept a very patient after that first frame, and he is taking

:47:51. > :47:52.

:47:52. > :47:57.He won't be bothered about the black. A close encounter but a

:47:57. > :48:07.couple of Mrs that one unexpected from Neil Robertson. -- missed

:48:07. > :48:07.

:48:07. > :48:12.Ronnie O'Sullivan for me, he is the Ronnie O'Sullivan for me, he is the

:48:12. > :48:16.most brilliant snooker player I have ever seen in my life. He is

:48:16. > :48:20.the best player I have ever played in my career. It is unbelievable

:48:20. > :48:25.what he does. If he could apply himself the way some of the others

:48:25. > :48:29.have, he had -- would have broken every record. He has still under

:48:29. > :48:36.achieved, even though he has won so much. Left or right-handed, he

:48:36. > :48:44.doesn't care. He will always make the breaks. The best I have ever

:48:44. > :48:48.seen, by far. When he is there, he tries his best. Ronnie O'Sullivan,

:48:48. > :48:53.which one do you want? I have always respected him as a player

:48:53. > :49:03.and a man. You never know what you're going to get, same as on the

:49:03. > :49:09.

:49:09. > :49:12.table. He is the Pearce and people DENNIS TAYLOR: What a wonderful

:49:13. > :49:22.feeling it must be for Ronnie O'Sullivan to hear all of those

:49:23. > :49:32.

:49:32. > :49:38.great players talking about him Where is the cue ball going to

:49:38. > :49:45.finish? I thought it was going to be safe. The mid-session interval

:49:45. > :49:55.is coming up after this, let's see if Neil Robertson can retaliate and

:49:55. > :50:03.

:50:03. > :50:13.They have potted the same number of It is quite a tricky one to hold

:50:13. > :50:24.

:50:24. > :50:30.for the black, so he may have to If the pink passes the reds, it is

:50:30. > :50:40.a beautiful shot. What control that was. Not a lot of room for the pink.

:50:40. > :50:41.

:50:41. > :50:51.It looked from our camera angle... Maybe not if you are directly

:50:51. > :50:55.

:50:55. > :50:58.He is now looking at the pink. Which tells me he must have played

:50:58. > :51:08.for the blue and underhit it. I was singing his praises for playing

:51:08. > :51:08.

:51:09. > :51:16.JOHN VIRGO: They say the camera never lies and it looks like it

:51:17. > :51:26.goes for me. If you are streak behind it, it is unmissable. --

:51:27. > :51:32.

:51:32. > :51:39.That was amazing that he didn't see that first offer. He was going down

:51:39. > :51:49.to cue for the blue, so maybe he has lost a little bit of focus. He

:51:49. > :51:50.

:51:50. > :52:00.is smiling to himself, he can't It is not available now have Jan

:52:00. > :52:01.

:52:01. > :52:11.Verhaas has put it behind the reds. He doesn't necessarily have to play

:52:11. > :52:11.

:52:11. > :52:21.up for the blue on this occasion, He has got the two red there that

:52:21. > :52:23.

:52:23. > :52:33.-- reds. But he needs to hit it harder than that. He will have to

:52:33. > :52:34.

:52:34. > :53:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:53:20. > :53:24.cannon the other red, which he Just the one loose red to play for.

:53:24. > :53:34.He has got an angle where he could cannon into the pink and disturb

:53:34. > :53:35.

:53:35. > :53:45.He has purposely left it low, so when he pots it, he will be

:53:45. > :53:54.

:53:54. > :53:58.cannoning into the cluster -- There were a couple of ways of

:53:58. > :54:08.going about it. Your way was not a bad idea when he was on the black,

:54:08. > :54:10.

:54:10. > :54:17.he had a bit of insurance to cannon And it was nowhere near. So maybe

:54:17. > :54:22.he did miss a trick. You said he could go into them off for black. -

:54:22. > :54:27.- AP black. There was every reason to consider going into them off the

:54:27. > :54:37.blue. There were a lot of shot. This was very tricky, hampered as

:54:37. > :54:40.

:54:40. > :54:49.Think he played it out of a little But it is not going to cost him of.

:54:49. > :54:59.Ronnie will be disappointed with That is the first time we have had

:54:59. > :55:03.

:55:03. > :55:08.a reaction from Ronnie. And that Straight away, he knew he didn't

:55:08. > :55:18.cue that well. It can be annoying, but he has been potting things like

:55:18. > :55:39.

:55:39. > :55:45.that out of his mind and that is At that pace, they are far from

:55:45. > :55:55.easy. Bridging over the black just two Hammad goes into the middle

:55:55. > :56:06.

:56:06. > :56:14.I think he is going to fall out Look where the cue ball has

:56:14. > :56:24.finished. Is he on the blue? He is. He can get it to the red on the

:56:24. > :56:33.

:56:33. > :56:39.It would be a nice frame to pinch, The mid-session interval coming up,

:56:39. > :56:47.and if he could go 2 3-1, that is what you said your stall out for,

:56:47. > :56:57.those mid- sessions. And what will hurt Neil Robertson, he only gave

:56:57. > :57:04.

:57:04. > :57:14.him to bite of the cherry -- two By Bonnie glances at the scoreboard. -

:57:14. > :57:39.

:57:39. > :57:49.He decided to take it on, thought He is looking at the safety shot

:57:49. > :57:53.

:57:53. > :57:57.but he is also looking at the There is a possibility here of

:57:57. > :58:03.potting the brown and screwing up for those reds at the right side of

:58:03. > :58:10.the table. But being a left-hander, they are a little bit more

:58:10. > :58:18.difficult. I don't know whether he can use the baulk cushion or screw

:58:18. > :58:28.back from that angle. But these cloths are so lively, he can bring

:58:28. > :58:36.

:58:36. > :58:40.He has left unsold a long way from this red. This is not a gimme.

:58:40. > :58:50.by any means and being left handed, that brown is just about where he

:58:50. > :58:57.

:58:57. > :59:01.would put his bridge hand. So it He is such a good long potter. If

:59:01. > :59:11.we get the chance to see that again, see how straight he delivers the

:59:11. > :59:22.

:59:22. > :59:27.cue. That is PC secret too long Ronnie had a go at splitting the

:59:27. > :59:36.reds up, it didn't work for him. Neil has had a go and it is

:59:36. > :59:39.slightly better than the position He is looking to see if one of

:59:39. > :59:46.those two reds that are together goes in the middle pocket.

:59:46. > :59:53.Obviously, they don't. Well, maybe it does. You bet it does. That is

:59:53. > :00:03.straight in the pocket. So it had worked out OK for Neil Robertson

:00:03. > :00:24.

:00:24. > :00:33.A long look at the scoreboard. 45 points in front. Another red and a

:00:33. > :00:42.black. He has not won in there and he must have been thinking a few

:00:42. > :00:49.balls ahead. Taking the blue. That will put him 51 points in front

:00:50. > :00:59.with 51 points remaining. That is a beautiful positional shot. Even if

:00:59. > :01:09.the blue does go on its spot, this red will be available. This red to

:01:09. > :01:10.

:01:10. > :01:13.put him 52 points in front with There is very little to pick

:01:13. > :01:23.between the two players at the moment. Ronnie had a chance in that

:01:23. > :01:31.

:01:31. > :01:36.frame but when he cannoned into the We have had one century break and

:01:36. > :01:42.won a frame-winning break of 59 in the opening frame from Neil

:01:42. > :01:52.Robertson. We have had lots of very good tactical play so we have had a

:01:52. > :02:25.

:02:25. > :02:35.And this match is just going to get Just one or two errors from Neil

:02:35. > :02:43.

:02:43. > :02:47.Robertson but he will have That was a trick shot to finish off

:02:47. > :02:52.with but that does not matter. At the moment, you cannot take

:02:52. > :02:58.anything in between these players. At the mid-session interval, it is

:02:58. > :03:01.all square. HAZEL IRVINE: He gave it a double

:03:01. > :03:06.look at the table because of the guys in commentary were talking

:03:06. > :03:12.about the fact they have been one or two off the cushion. What is

:03:12. > :03:17.your view on how things stand? you play on a brand new cloth,

:03:17. > :03:21.because the cover is new, it's like the traps the cue ball, it slightly

:03:21. > :03:26.slows it down. But once the cloth is worn like it would be in a

:03:26. > :03:30.snooker club, head for bounces faster. The cloth has less of a

:03:30. > :03:34.cushioning impact. All of a sudden, we get these tables brushed six

:03:34. > :03:37.times a day and there runner cloth along them so the sheen of the

:03:37. > :03:43.cloth around the covers is getting born quicker than it would normally

:03:43. > :03:49.be. But it is getting to the stage where, how often do you change the

:03:49. > :03:53.cloth? John Higgins made a complaint that they were unplayable

:03:53. > :04:01.after three or four days. It is tough to know how many times but

:04:01. > :04:05.they do change the conditions. do you think, John? I don't know.

:04:05. > :04:11.It is the players themselves. When you are playing, you know whether

:04:11. > :04:14.the table is right or not. The players get rapport chase you can

:04:14. > :04:19.write on. You can comment on what they are like and they take that

:04:19. > :04:27.into consideration. He will definitely be replaced before the

:04:27. > :04:31.semi-final. But we have seen a very high standards so far. If yes, and

:04:31. > :04:35.it looks like the players are going to be prepared to take risks to get

:04:35. > :04:39.an advantage. Neil Robertson played a very difficult blue and then

:04:39. > :04:42.Ronnie O'Sullivan went for what looked like a very dangerous red

:04:42. > :04:46.that was close to the brown and missed a plant that he did not know

:04:46. > :04:50.was on. I think there will be some risk-taking because they know that

:04:50. > :04:55.the other guy is going to be taking them as well. It is kill or be

:04:55. > :05:01.killed. We are going to reflect on things on the other side of the

:05:01. > :05:04.arena today, featuring Ali Carter, the former world No. 2 who has

:05:04. > :05:10.shown us exactly why he was a Crucible finalist some four years

:05:10. > :05:14.ago. He has had a rotten time of things of late with his health but,

:05:14. > :05:18.happily, after saying he could not wait for the end of the season so

:05:18. > :05:22.he could retire, things have changed completely in the last six

:05:22. > :05:32.weeks. With a certain Peter Ebdon behind him in his camper, it is a

:05:32. > :05:33.

:05:33. > :05:38.We are all playing for our lives, we are playing to achieve our

:05:38. > :05:42.ultimate goal which we have strived for which -- since we were 8 years

:05:42. > :05:47.old. It is not a laugh and a few games of snooker, it is very

:05:47. > :05:52.important to us. It is all about that man, Jamie

:05:52. > :05:58.Jones. He is in the quarter-finals of the World Championship.

:05:58. > :06:01.I am going to be favourite to win. In my own head, I am not going to

:06:01. > :06:05.be the favourite. I have lost almost every quarter final I have

:06:05. > :06:12.played. I am going to treat everyone I am playing with the

:06:12. > :06:17.utmost respect. I am just delighted to get through this. He knows what

:06:17. > :06:22.it is all about, Peter. He is 43 years old and he has just won a

:06:22. > :06:25.ranking event. You can't take anything away from him. He is an

:06:25. > :06:31.unbelievable competitor, has a genuine person who wants to see you

:06:31. > :06:36.do well. To have people like that in your corner is massive. I have

:06:36. > :06:41.not been very well for quite a long time. I have had three operations

:06:41. > :06:46.and it has really not the guts out of me. No energy, no will to play,

:06:46. > :06:51.no will to do anything. I am constantly tired but I have come

:06:51. > :06:56.across this exclusion diet. I have got a bit of a week in Terence, so

:06:56. > :07:00.I have cut out wheat and dairy. That enables me to feel better in

:07:00. > :07:04.my fell back -- myself, to do my job better and to get results. It

:07:04. > :07:09.would be nice to retire as a world champion, wouldn't it? What about

:07:09. > :07:14.that? To compelling story lines, as you

:07:14. > :07:20.can see, on the table one this afternoon. Ali Carter and Jamie

:07:20. > :07:23.Jones, whose never-say-die attitude has seen him won four matches

:07:23. > :07:28.including two just to qualify. Earlier we saw Ali Carter win the

:07:28. > :07:35.first frame and indeed the second. Jones a little overwhelmed early on

:07:35. > :07:39.by the magnitude of this occasion. Into frame three we go. It is alley

:07:39. > :07:49.Carter trailing by 37 points. Ken Doherty and Willie Thorne on duty

:07:49. > :07:53.

:07:53. > :07:58.The shot really is to play the cannon into the pink at pace.

:07:58. > :08:08.Possibly the pink and black come out. I don't know whether he can.

:08:08. > :08:24.

:08:24. > :08:34.He is playing a bit negative this I wonder if he will play the cannon

:08:34. > :08:34.

:08:34. > :08:44.He has got a nice angle to knock the blue in and then straight into

:08:44. > :08:54.

:08:54. > :09:01.the black and bring the reds into That worked out OK. It would have

:09:01. > :09:10.been better had the black been in open play. It is going to be very

:09:11. > :09:17.difficult to win the frame from But if the pink or black was on its

:09:17. > :09:27.spot, it would be a lot easier. He has just got to concentrate on

:09:27. > :09:53.

:09:53. > :09:57.He has the perfect angle on this red to play the cannon onto the

:09:57. > :10:03.pink or red. If he can guarantee hitting the red full ball, he will

:10:03. > :10:08.play the cannon into the red. Then he can just roll the pink slowly

:10:08. > :10:12.into the pocket. But he has not got the full ball cannon. He might

:10:12. > :10:22.still play the pink. We know it clings to the cushion, or it did

:10:22. > :10:30.

:10:30. > :10:35.Goodness me. I don't know about you, but I don't think there was

:10:35. > :10:45.anywhere near. Let's have a look at it again. It looked on the high

:10:45. > :10:56.

:10:56. > :11:00.side but it was only the pace. That He has gone a little bit too far.

:11:00. > :11:07.He would have liked to have had a good angle on this pink to get on

:11:07. > :11:17.to that red. I just wonder if he can pot this pink and maybe try for

:11:17. > :11:23.

:11:23. > :11:26.Would you believe it? He did neither. A little bit unfortunate.

:11:26. > :11:30.There was a round of applause right at the end of his cue coming back

:11:30. > :11:40.from the other table. Somebody playing a good shot, obviously, and

:11:40. > :11:51.

:11:51. > :12:01.That could be a telling fluke. He leads by nine points now. It looks

:12:01. > :12:32.

:12:32. > :12:38.There are three or four shot he could play here. He could pot the

:12:38. > :12:45.yellow in the middle. He could run in behind the brown, he could run

:12:45. > :12:49.in behind the pink or green. There are all kinds of shot he could play.

:12:49. > :12:59.That is a good shot to put the yellow near the green as well. This

:12:59. > :13:04.

:13:04. > :13:14.Very well played. He could have been there for a while with that

:13:14. > :13:31.

:13:31. > :13:35.He has just got the snooker. He could do with heading this thin

:13:35. > :13:45.rather than full ball. He has hit it thinner. Has he got away with

:13:45. > :13:45.

:13:45. > :15:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:15:09. > :15:18.The worst possible result for Jamie The yellow puts him 16 points ahead.

:15:18. > :15:28.The cue ball came close to that blue. Just green and brown required.

:15:28. > :15:39.

:15:39. > :15:45.Jamie Jones looks like he's going to get his first frame on the board.

:15:45. > :15:48.He will be mightily relieved as well. Absolutely. You have

:15:48. > :15:53.mentioned in commentary, you never settle at the Crucible until you

:15:53. > :15:57.get a frame on the board. In goes the pink and that is that frame on

:15:57. > :16:04.the board. Quite a scrappy frame, both players having plenty of

:16:04. > :16:10.chances, but Jamie Jones get that first frame on the board.

:16:10. > :16:16.HAZEL IRVINE: In frame four, Jamie Jones really found his feet. Here

:16:16. > :16:21.he is on his way to a break of 127. He is sure to be moving up into the

:16:21. > :16:28.top 32 after this performance. This is his 5th century at the Crucible

:16:28. > :16:33.and this is his debut year. He has gone into the interval level. An

:16:33. > :16:38.excellent performance from Jamie. He has made five centuries so far

:16:38. > :16:43.and he has got three of the five highest breaks. That is great going.

:16:43. > :16:48.He is a serious competitor. I didn't know too much about him

:16:48. > :16:51.before he came up to the tournament. I knew he tried hard but he is

:16:51. > :16:55.doing really well. This is an interesting session because Ali

:16:55. > :17:00.Carter is coming from the Judd Trump match. That was the ultimate

:17:00. > :17:05.for excitement but he has got to come back to work the next day. And

:17:05. > :17:11.Jamie Jones has never been this far. There was a bit of stage fright

:17:11. > :17:16.early on in this match. What is it like when you are suddenly a little

:17:16. > :17:21.bit star-struck out there? It can all go wrong, as we have seen in

:17:21. > :17:24.this tournament. When somebody gets into a whole, it is tough to dig

:17:24. > :17:29.yourself out. Sometimes you need help from your opponent and that is

:17:29. > :17:34.exactly what he got from Ali Carter. He will be very relieved going into

:17:35. > :17:39.the break. He has got a very interesting style. His chin is well

:17:39. > :17:44.over the cue. Effectively, the cue is not far off his ear and it is

:17:44. > :17:49.arguable whether his left eye is in line with the cue. Both eyes well

:17:50. > :17:54.outside. It is fascinating how he cites the ball. If he is playing a

:17:54. > :18:00.cut shot one way to the other way, it may look completely different.

:18:00. > :18:04.But it is very effective and he has learned a lot this season. We will

:18:04. > :18:12.look out for that in the next few frames. On that match, as a marker

:18:12. > :18:16.today, Zhu Ying, the Chinese referee who is here for the first

:18:16. > :18:26.time. She is scoring today, overseeing events from the

:18:26. > :18:43.

:18:43. > :18:48.sidelines. She has loved her first About 13 years ago, when I was in

:18:48. > :18:56.high school, one day I was watching television and the snooker match

:18:56. > :19:02.was on one of the channels. I don't know why, I just watched that match.

:19:02. > :19:11.It was a lovely picture. I like it very much. I watched all the

:19:11. > :19:19.matches of that tournament. I just think I fell in love at that moment.

:19:19. > :19:27.Many years ago, I tried to play it myself. I love it. I like to play

:19:27. > :19:37.it. After that, I have a chance to be a referee and I find I also love

:19:37. > :19:43.

:19:43. > :19:46.to referee. In about 2005, Ding Junhui won his first title in

:19:46. > :19:52.Beijing and since then snooker became more popular in China. I

:19:52. > :20:02.have had more chance to referees. I chose refereeing as my full-time

:20:02. > :20:05.

:20:05. > :20:10.Last April, I was invited by World Snooker, they want me to attend

:20:10. > :20:18.more tournaments this season in the UK. I am very glad that they

:20:18. > :20:23.invited me so I came and I lived in Sheffield last April.

:20:23. > :20:26.She has come over here and just had a bit of hands on to see what we do

:20:27. > :20:30.in this country as well. It is difficult to make the

:20:30. > :20:34.transformation from the qualifiers into a main TV event. There is

:20:34. > :20:38.different positioning around the table and a bit more pressure.

:20:38. > :20:48.Because the television lights are so warm, it does affect your

:20:48. > :20:50.

:20:50. > :20:56.overall, but she is progress and She has learned a lot quickly. Very

:20:56. > :21:00.good when they miss is in play, very good at her job.

:21:00. > :21:05.It is nice to have more women coming through and dressing. She

:21:05. > :21:10.seems to love the game and she's good at her job so that is the main

:21:10. > :21:14.thing. You know straightaway whether

:21:14. > :21:18.somebody has actually got it or not and you have got to have it to be a

:21:18. > :21:23.rest. You have got to be switched on and aware of what is going on

:21:23. > :21:26.and able to adapt and she's very good at that which is fantastic for

:21:26. > :21:31.us because we need somebody who can go to the top of the game in China

:21:31. > :21:36.because there are so many reds that need to be changed. She has got the

:21:36. > :21:41.language to do that. She has been fantastic and she is a really

:21:41. > :21:46.lovely girl. The Crucible, I think it is a dream

:21:46. > :21:56.place for every snooker person, four players, and referees. I am

:21:56. > :21:56.

:21:56. > :22:03.looking forward to today for a long time. 147 maximum in my first

:22:03. > :22:10.session, my first match at the Crucible was amazing. Next year I

:22:10. > :22:20.will go back to China so I hope I can do a good job in China in

:22:20. > :22:24.

:22:24. > :22:34.snooker and one day, of course, I She will be watching and learning.

:22:34. > :22:43.

:22:43. > :22:53.It is great. The boys are back in the arena now. Let's get back to

:22:53. > :23:00.

:23:00. > :23:07.Ronnie O'Sullivan gets frame number five under way. I thought the first

:23:07. > :23:12.couple of frames, both players looked settled. Neil Robertson made

:23:12. > :23:18.a 59 in the first. But since then there has been one or two misses. I

:23:18. > :23:24.think there is a lot of respect out there, Dennis, for each other.

:23:24. > :23:33.certainly is. As you can see, the pot success rate, both that 91 %.

:23:33. > :23:43.Very little to pick between these two former world champions. That

:23:43. > :23:51.

:23:51. > :23:57.was a bit PC from Neil. He has He has looked at his cue a few

:23:57. > :24:07.times. There may be one or two friends, you can see it when you

:24:07. > :24:10.

:24:10. > :24:14.Well, he went for it. The only red he could leave was the one he was

:24:14. > :24:24.playing. He will be a little disappointed he did not find the

:24:24. > :24:32.

:24:32. > :24:36.That is the distance. The fact he did not get the pot meant he did

:24:36. > :24:44.not get that cue ball where he intended but he was hoping to be on

:24:44. > :24:48.the black. He did not want to hit the brown. That is careless. He has

:24:48. > :24:58.not left anything easy. He is looking at the angle into the

:24:58. > :25:03.

:25:03. > :25:13.That was a pretty good effort. That is such a tough shot from that

:25:13. > :25:16.

:25:16. > :25:21.And that is one of the big differences between the

:25:21. > :25:31.championship table and a club table. Most of them, you can pot that type

:25:31. > :25:34.

:25:34. > :25:39.Can he negotiate the pot? I thought he might just a 10th that and

:25:39. > :25:47.cannon the red. But he is keeping things very tight. That is what he

:25:47. > :25:56.did at the start of this match. He kept Ronnie away from the table in

:25:56. > :26:01.the opening frame. It is as if he is not allowing Ronnie to build up

:26:02. > :26:08.any rhythm. I think Steve Davis said it after the first frame, Neil

:26:08. > :26:13.Robertson playing good, hard match snooker. But we know Ronnie has got

:26:13. > :26:23.every facet of the game in the armoury so he can mix it with the

:26:23. > :26:27.

:26:27. > :26:32.I think the reason Ronnie did not play a safety off the red near the

:26:32. > :26:42.baulk line is that he is concerned he may leave a cut on the red to

:26:42. > :26:47.

:26:47. > :26:51.the right centre. He is playing it Trying to get in behind the brown.

:26:51. > :26:57.If he has covered the red to the right middle, which it looks as

:26:57. > :27:04.though he has, that is an excellent shot. It puts a lot of pressure on

:27:04. > :27:14.this safety shot for Neil. He has got to get up into that right hand

:27:14. > :27:22.He has pushed a red towards the pocket but that is a pretty good

:27:22. > :27:28.length on the cue ball. That is an excellent shot. That really is. So

:27:28. > :27:34.much so that Ronnie is going to go into the reds off two cushions.

:27:34. > :27:42.That was his first thought. I am just wondering about that. He is

:27:42. > :27:45.looking to see if he catches anything. He has got to be careful.

:27:45. > :27:50.He has got to be careful not to slide here and run past this

:27:50. > :28:00.cluster. That is where he would like to finish up. He is a little

:28:00. > :28:10.

:28:10. > :28:16.I was concerned he might not be able to get the correct line, but

:28:16. > :28:21.he could. Being short, he was a little bit dangerous because he

:28:22. > :28:31.could have left the red to the right corner. Now he has got the

:28:31. > :28:41.line, I expect him to hit this no problem. Justin and small panes. --

:28:41. > :28:41.

:28:41. > :29:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:29:38. > :29:43.Ronnie with the problem here. This red that is in this right corner,

:29:43. > :29:52.he does not want to leave that. He has got to be careful about those

:29:52. > :30:02.two reds that are near the middle pocket. That is an excellent shot.

:30:02. > :30:19.

:30:19. > :30:29.Is he trying to cut this in and This first frame after the mid-

:30:29. > :30:36.

:30:36. > :30:41.session interval starting much as Ronnie was hoping to wobble that

:30:41. > :30:47.red in the jaws and keep it up this end of the table, screw back to the

:30:47. > :30:53.safety zone. He mishit it slightly, but luckily the red came back down

:30:53. > :31:03.the table and then up again. Will we see a Neil Robertson special

:31:03. > :31:10.

:31:10. > :31:14.It is a cracking the pot. And believe it or not, he would have

:31:14. > :31:19.preferred not to have cannoned that red, because he would have been

:31:19. > :31:24.nicely on the green or brown and the red was over the pocket.

:31:25. > :31:30.Beautiful pot, wasn't it? Clean as a whistle. Such a dangerous

:31:30. > :31:34.opponent. I remember the first time I ever saw him play, at the Masters

:31:34. > :31:40.when he played Jimmy White in the first round, but all he was then

:31:40. > :31:44.was a potter, nothing else. Some of the shots he went for... But he

:31:44. > :31:54.created this opening with good safety. Now the complete all-round

:31:54. > :32:04.player, for me, a very dangerous He has got all the ingredients. A

:32:04. > :32:14.

:32:14. > :32:19.great potter, safety play is It looks like the pink is going to

:32:19. > :32:29.be available into the right corner. He is looking to see if there is a

:32:29. > :32:31.

:32:31. > :32:35.plant at the bottom of the cluster He has got a nice angle. The only

:32:35. > :32:44.thing is the pink is not quite touching for reds, so it is not the

:32:44. > :32:48.same. -- the reds. If it is, you can use it to open them up, but

:32:48. > :32:58.with it being slightly away, if you don't catch the pink fully in the

:32:58. > :33:02.

:33:02. > :33:06.face, you would be opening up many As I say, just because the pink was

:33:06. > :33:13.separated slightly, you don't get that opening up affect you would

:33:13. > :33:23.have normally. -- effect. He hit the pink pretty well, but not well

:33:23. > :33:38.

:33:38. > :33:41.That is a great recovery. And when you can pot the way this Australian

:33:41. > :33:48.it can, you don't have the great -- have to have great position all the

:33:48. > :33:58.time. If he happens to slip slightly out of position, the way

:33:58. > :33:58.

:33:58. > :34:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:34:38. > :34:42.This match will be played to a finish tomorrow in the afternoon

:34:42. > :34:46.and evening session. And the way they are going, there is going to

:34:46. > :34:56.be very little to separate the players, unless one can just grab

:34:56. > :35:04.

:35:04. > :35:13.hold of the match and have a little It would have graced any final,

:35:13. > :35:17.wouldn't it? Oh, yes, I don't think anyone doubts that these are

:35:17. > :35:20.definitely two of the best players in the world at the moment. I know

:35:20. > :35:30.Ronnie is down in the rankings, but that is mainly due to the fact that

:35:30. > :35:39.he hasn't played in all the He needs a good angle on the blue.

:35:39. > :35:49.If he gets it, he will be playing There is one just separated, but

:35:49. > :35:55.

:35:55. > :36:03.this is an ideal opportunity. He Is he on the red to the right

:36:03. > :36:08.corner. He is walking around gingerly. I think he is. When you

:36:08. > :36:18.stick in the reds like that, it is always nice to see one bounce off

:36:18. > :36:23.

:36:23. > :36:29.back row a cushion. -- off a But the red so did not open up very

:36:29. > :36:39.much when he cannoned into them -- the reds did not. There may be a

:36:39. > :36:48.

:36:48. > :36:58.The one just to the left of the pink looks as if it goes. And there

:36:58. > :37:02.

:37:02. > :37:12.This is a good start after the mid- session interval. Former world

:37:12. > :37:16.

:37:16. > :37:21.Ronnie had a century in the second frame. As you can see there, this

:37:21. > :37:31.is already Neil's highest of the match. He opened with a 59, but a

:37:31. > :37:33.

:37:33. > :37:39.75 ahead and only 67 remaining it, Ronnie won't be getting back to the

:37:39. > :37:44.table. And I think significantly, we were saying before the interval

:37:44. > :37:47.how quick the table appeared, but he has had no trouble at all

:37:47. > :37:52.controlling the cue ball. It is made a lot easier when you don't

:37:52. > :37:57.have the cue ball travelling distances and you can concentrate

:37:57. > :38:06.around the black spot area. He has had five blacks, for blues and a

:38:06. > :38:16.Burma pinks, so he has done all of his scoring at this end -- four

:38:16. > :38:28.

:38:28. > :38:38.He wanted the half-ball contact rather than the full ball, but he

:38:38. > :38:47.

:38:47. > :38:57.We have had 54 centuries this year here at the Crucible. Tracing a

:38:57. > :39:01.

:39:01. > :39:11.-- it chasing. If we can get to 75, the sponsors are going to give

:39:11. > :39:12.

:39:12. > :39:22.�25,000 to the Haven House They get �200 for every century.

:39:22. > :39:24.

:39:24. > :39:34.But if it goes over 75, they make Well done, Neil Robertson, there is

:39:34. > :39:41.

:39:41. > :39:47.The red didn't go in, but a beautifully compiled a 100 and not

:39:47. > :39:54.much Ronnie could do with that. Bill Robertson potted the long red

:39:54. > :39:59.and made the 100 and Leeds. HAZEL IRVINE: He is now just one

:39:59. > :40:03.shy of Mark Selby's record of 55 centuries in one season. In which

:40:03. > :40:07.department, because it is so difficult to tell these two apart,

:40:07. > :40:15.in which department does one have the advantage over the other?

:40:16. > :40:20.a question you have hit us with there. Safety play, Robertson is

:40:20. > :40:27.exceptional and the same for Ronnie. You are going to sit on the fence.

:40:27. > :40:31.Honestly, pick one. Ronnie may look like he has a bit more flair, but

:40:31. > :40:37.Neil Robertson makes centuries easily. What do you think? Perhaps

:40:37. > :40:42.guts for Neil Robertson and perhaps Bartestree and knowledge of exactly

:40:42. > :40:48.where the cue ball is going to the nth degree -- artistry, for Ronnie

:40:48. > :40:54.O'Sullivan. But they are to fabulous exponents. I wonder who

:40:54. > :40:57.you think at home will have the DENNIS TAYLOR: It is great to see

:40:58. > :41:07.you put those former world champions under a bit of pressure

:41:08. > :41:19.

:41:19. > :41:24.As yet, we haven't seen Ronnie in amongst the balls with a chance to

:41:24. > :41:32.make a break in one of his quick fire times and that is down to Neil

:41:32. > :41:37.Robertson and the way he is playing He is sort of dictating the pace at

:41:37. > :41:47.the moment. He is not a slow player by any means, but he is not doing

:41:47. > :41:58.

:41:58. > :42:08.We know with Ronnie, been a matter of some 50 minutes, he can real two

:42:08. > :42:09.

:42:09. > :42:14.or three frames of -- 15 minutes. That was a delicate one. They are

:42:14. > :42:20.awkward shots, to try and get a snooker in behind the blue. You are

:42:20. > :42:25.relying on the table been absolutely perfect. -- been. And he

:42:25. > :42:31.caught the blue. A little bit careless. I know what you are

:42:31. > :42:41.saying, it is tricky, but he must have had the pink there. It is

:42:41. > :42:42.

:42:42. > :42:48.unlike Ronnie to make an error like But as we saw with the table

:42:48. > :42:52.time,... He has overhit that. If he was right handed, it would be

:42:52. > :42:58.difficult, but been left handed, it is made a little bit easier. It

:42:58. > :43:07.didn't seem to bands. We know the table is very quick -- it didn't

:43:07. > :43:11.I don't know what he played there. He didn't give it due care and

:43:11. > :43:17.attention. He was quick down to the shot and it was like he tried to

:43:17. > :43:20.cut it in, but he wasn't ready to play the shot. I think he was

:43:20. > :43:30.annoyed the white bounced further off the cushion than he intended it

:43:30. > :43:36.

:43:36. > :43:40.That is a great shot. Bill Robinson was fortunate when he missed the

:43:40. > :43:44.black to put it right in amongst the reds but that is a great

:43:44. > :43:54.opening pot for Ronnie. Can he jumped on that mistake by Neil

:43:54. > :44:02.

:44:02. > :44:12.The pink is awkward, because he knew -- if he plays to go on to the

:44:12. > :44:32.

:44:32. > :44:42.blue to them free up the black, he He needs to get this and get a good

:44:42. > :44:48.

:44:48. > :44:53.angle on the blue to then get into No. That is not what he was after.

:44:53. > :45:03.Unless he can screw the white back into the reds, at the blue in the

:45:03. > :45:15.

:45:15. > :45:20.Superb effort to bring it red into play. -- A red. He will be

:45:20. > :45:30.disappointed with that, though. He needed to get the right side of the

:45:30. > :45:46.

:45:46. > :45:49.This looks inch-perfect. And knowing Ronnie, he will take this

:45:49. > :45:59.opportunity to play the cannon, because he could released the pink

:45:59. > :46:03.I thought he would go straight in between those two reds that would

:46:04. > :46:13.have brought the pink and as you said, the black into play. He has

:46:14. > :46:16.

:46:16. > :46:26.Very unlike Ron a lot to play that cannon. -- very unlike Ronnie is

:46:26. > :46:30.

:46:30. > :46:40.Maybe this is what he always had in mind. If he plays this red and has

:46:40. > :46:46.

:46:46. > :46:56.the right angle, he may be able to It is just getting a little bit

:46:56. > :46:59.

:46:59. > :47:09.He did look at the angle to go into the reds, but this is much more

:47:09. > :47:11.

:47:11. > :47:14.He may just have one into the corner, but that was much more

:47:14. > :47:24.difficult than the previous shot, when he could have cannoned into

:47:24. > :47:28.

:47:28. > :47:33.It is hard work, he is having to use the whole of the table for this

:47:33. > :47:43.break. When you are tight against the cushion, there is not a lot you

:47:43. > :47:44.

:47:44. > :47:54.Clean as a whistle. That should be the frame clincher, you would have

:47:54. > :48:06.

:48:06. > :48:11.I mentioned that Neil was playing at his pace, but Ronnie could turn

:48:11. > :48:16.at a red quite quickly, and that is exactly what he has done -- turn it

:48:16. > :48:26.around. It was a simple careless mistake when it Neil seemed to rush

:48:26. > :48:29.

:48:30. > :48:35.a shot and didn't quite finish on The break time is just over five

:48:35. > :48:38.minutes, and he hasn't been hanging around. It made she realised that

:48:38. > :48:47.maximum break that he made here in five minutes and 20 seconds will

:48:47. > :48:53.probably never be equalled -- it Yes, and you and I were

:48:53. > :48:56.commentating on that break. I hope we did it justice. I think Sir

:48:57. > :49:06.Peter O'Sullivan might have done it for justice than us, the speed of

:49:07. > :49:07.

:49:07. > :49:12.His application has been interesting, because he made a

:49:12. > :49:16.couple of mistakes. I know he made a 100 in the second frame, but he

:49:16. > :49:20.has looked as though he wasn't happy with some of his shots and

:49:20. > :49:30.the balls he was playing but he has really gone about this break

:49:30. > :50:01.

:50:01. > :50:08.He has not taking any risks. This could be the 56th century in

:50:08. > :50:18.this year's World Championships. And Ronnie's 5th. There is no

:50:18. > :50:26.

:50:26. > :50:33.What a shame. No century break, but I will tell you what, he looked

:50:33. > :50:43.very fluent, and that was a superb break of 93 and we are all square

:50:43. > :50:47.There were a couple of little points in that frame. Neil

:50:47. > :50:52.Robertson did get in and he had to put the extension on his cue and he

:50:53. > :50:57.was playing to roll a red into the corner at quite a stretch. This was

:50:57. > :51:02.the shot, and he was just dropping it in. It looked to be at a good

:51:02. > :51:06.pace, but the white seemed to be coming off a little quick and that

:51:06. > :51:10.is where he finished. Hawkeye showing you what he was hoping to

:51:10. > :51:16.do. Then he seemed to played very quickly and we are not sure whether

:51:16. > :51:23.he took the pot or the safety. played the safety, but he just

:51:23. > :51:26.played it so quickly and he has done everything else so carefully

:51:26. > :51:31.and concentrated on every shot, then for some reason he got down

:51:31. > :51:39.and thought he should be on the black and he wasn't, I will play

:51:39. > :51:49.safe. But you can't take your eye after the ball for a second. -- off.

:51:49. > :52:00.

:52:01. > :52:08.And it cost him the frame, as He has crept 1% ahead in the pot

:52:08. > :52:18.success department. They are still all square in the tournament pot

:52:18. > :52:20.

:52:20. > :52:30.Another long the pot for Neil Robertson. OK, there is only one of

:52:30. > :52:58.

:52:58. > :53:03.red available, but he can get I think a delicate one is the best.

:53:03. > :53:13.He is indicating that he got a bounce off back row the cushion

:53:13. > :53:46.

:53:46. > :53:54.I think Neil feels that that He played for that red and it was

:53:54. > :54:04.going to take a very precise It could go in-off the other red.

:54:04. > :54:20.

:54:20. > :54:28.He has finished on absolutely nothing. The double wasn't natural.

:54:28. > :54:32.The red on the side cushion back was in the way but he deliberately

:54:32. > :54:42.tried to play it off the other red. That is what Neil thought of the

:54:42. > :54:57.

:54:57. > :55:01.double, he didn't think it was a That is a nothing shot, really.

:55:01. > :55:06.Ronnie might even play the double and be on the green, but if not, it

:55:06. > :55:11.is an easy safety. He played the double, knew he would be on the

:55:11. > :55:21.green. I can't believe the shot that Neil Robertson played. He just

:55:21. > :55:26.

:55:26. > :55:30.handed the initiative to Ronnie. Where has the cue ball gone?

:55:30. > :55:35.played it with side, but the fact that the white jump, it took all

:55:35. > :55:45.the side of it. Watch it jumped. That meant that the side didn't

:55:45. > :56:04.

:56:04. > :56:13.It was a chance, and he didn't get Ronnie is going to play exactly the

:56:13. > :56:23.same shot but the one Neil played. -- as the one. Only better, by the

:56:23. > :56:43.

:56:43. > :56:49.That is nearer the pink. REFEREE: Foul and a miss, Ronnie O'Sullivan,

:56:49. > :56:55.six. Just a bit of an adjustment, he doesn't want to slip off the

:56:56. > :57:05.side of the reds. But even then, he wouldn't really leave anything. He

:57:06. > :57:17.

:57:17. > :57:25.That is even worse this time. REFEREE: Foul and a miss, Ronnie

:57:25. > :57:29.O'Sullivan, four. The previous shot when he left of the double on, he

:57:29. > :57:39.was playing the full length of the table and didn't reach that.

:57:39. > :57:49.

:57:49. > :57:52.That is better. Now Ronnie will be hoping for a touching ball. It

:57:52. > :58:02.obviously isn't one, if it had have been, the referee would have

:58:02. > :58:08.

:58:08. > :58:17.Not a lot of that Ronnie could do there. But it isn't the best of

:58:17. > :58:27.safety shot. And it maybe a red that will cut in, but a chance for

:58:27. > :58:28.

:58:28. > :58:33.Neil to play a better safety than But there was a cut on the red. He

:58:33. > :58:40.would want to be on a colour here, really. If you just nestle up

:58:40. > :58:45.behind the green with the red so closely together, it is highly

:58:45. > :58:55.unlikely hit your opponent will lead you anything. -- that your

:58:55. > :59:08.

:59:08. > :59:12.This looks pretty good. This is He has got an angle, so he could do

:59:13. > :59:22.with stunning into the left side of the reds, rather than screwing into

:59:23. > :59:25.

:59:25. > :59:31.He played it with a stun shot and that looks pretty good. I say it

:59:31. > :59:39.looks pretty good, he has got an easy red, but he didn't screw that,

:59:39. > :59:49.But the red to the corner is not easy in regard to the position,

:59:49. > :59:55.

:59:56. > :00:05.that is why he is looking at the Eight frames to be played in this

:00:06. > :00:30.

:00:30. > :00:34.The last two frames were won with one visit. A century from Neil

:00:34. > :00:44.Robertson and a 93 that should have been a century from Ronnie

:00:44. > :00:51.

:00:51. > :00:57.O'Sullivan. The standard has been Did not come far enough down the

:00:57. > :01:07.table, as he would have liked. He has got to be a little bit careful

:01:07. > :01:21.

:01:21. > :01:30.If he lands tight on the cushion, He looked to see if he could drop

:01:30. > :01:36.the blue in dead weight. That is very doubtful. The white is coming

:01:36. > :01:43.towards the corner pocket. That seems to be causing a little

:01:43. > :01:53.concern as well. We have seen Ronnie forced the blue into the

:01:53. > :01:55.

:01:55. > :02:05.middle pocket and going off up the other end of the table. -- and go

:02:05. > :02:19.

:02:19. > :02:26.in. Blewett is, just keep your ride The same, more or less, as I

:02:26. > :02:35.mentioned. If you play it easy, be in off is not on. I am surprised he

:02:35. > :02:38.had not work that out. That was an elementary mistake from Neil.

:02:38. > :02:48.Ronnie knocked his red in and get right back in this frame with a

:02:48. > :02:51.

:02:51. > :02:55.chance to win it? He absolutely floated in beautifully. He played

:02:55. > :02:59.in such a way that deal only red that was on was the one he was

:02:59. > :03:09.playing. He has to be a little careful with position, keep control

:03:09. > :03:15.

:03:15. > :03:25.Although we is on this red to the right corner, he is a little low on

:03:25. > :03:29.

:03:30. > :03:39.etc.. He forgot to pot the red. That has annoyed him. He was not

:03:40. > :03:41.

:03:41. > :03:51.I think he was trying to indicate to us there that his arm got a

:03:51. > :03:58.

:03:59. > :04:08.Just indicating that he did not push the cue threw in a straight

:04:09. > :04:28.

:04:28. > :04:33.He will need three of these remaining four reds. The red

:04:33. > :04:38.closest to the pink will certainly be on to the left middle. But an

:04:38. > :04:43.awkward one on the top cushion. If it was tight against the cushion I

:04:43. > :04:53.would not see a problem. It can be missed when it is just off the

:04:53. > :05:21.

:05:21. > :05:25.No problem, leaving a little angle Yes, that is good. The last thing

:05:25. > :05:32.he wanted to be was dead straight on this. 33, so he is going to need

:05:32. > :05:38.the black. But he can roll this nicely and be on the black.

:05:38. > :05:47.problem, clean as a whistle. Such a good potter. That miss Mac by

:05:47. > :05:57.Ronnie has -- badness by Ronnie has almost certainly cost him the frame.

:05:57. > :05:58.

:05:58. > :06:03.-- that miss. I think, at the moment, Ronnie is

:06:03. > :06:13.not really dictating things. Neil Robertson seems to have that little

:06:13. > :06:16.

:06:16. > :06:26.extra edge. The red did not going but Ronnie will not bother... Yes,

:06:26. > :06:31.

:06:32. > :06:41.he will. -- did not go in. He would like to go for Snickers and leave

:06:42. > :07:11.

:07:11. > :07:16.the possibility of a free ball. -- A few times he has got in there

:07:16. > :07:22.when Neil Robertson has missed. He had deported, and did well to pot

:07:22. > :07:27.it and get on the black. A quick look at the scoreboard. Only 27

:07:27. > :07:37.remaining. Even though he did look frustrated,

:07:37. > :07:47.a lot of the times, Ronnie, two snooker's, he would have nodded to

:07:47. > :07:47.

:07:47. > :07:57.the referee and conceded, but he has not. -- two snookers. There is

:07:57. > :08:09.

:08:10. > :08:15.And that is enough for Ronnie, he has conceded. He will be a little

:08:15. > :08:19.bit disappointed to lose that frame. It was a bit scrappy. The Neil

:08:19. > :08:23.Robertson edges ahead. HAZEL IRVINE: We were discussing

:08:23. > :08:29.while we were watching that about how important it is to be on your

:08:29. > :08:33.top game at the start of a match against Ronnie. Why? Because you do

:08:33. > :08:38.not want to get behind. He knows that Neil Robertson is an excellent

:08:38. > :08:45.competitor. If Robertson can say, I am playing at my best and you will

:08:45. > :08:52.have to be at your best to beat me, the only real thing between them is

:08:52. > :08:58.the order mess he runs there. chance gone missing for Ronnie

:08:58. > :09:04.O'Sullivan. Whether he was a bit tight on that shot, we will never

:09:04. > :09:09.know. I can see this going to 25 frames. It will take perhaps even

:09:09. > :09:14.more to separate these two. intimidation factor against Ronnie

:09:14. > :09:18.O'Sullivan, even for a man like Neil Robertson, is there naturally

:09:18. > :09:22.and intimidation withdrawn the art there? I think it is more respect

:09:22. > :09:28.than anything else. You know how good he is. You know your mistakes

:09:28. > :09:33.are magnified. The only poor shot he has played he has not

:09:33. > :09:39.concentrated. Neil Robertson can intimidate other players. I think

:09:39. > :09:43.they are evenly matched in their own way. He can be hard to knock

:09:43. > :09:53.out of his own rhythm. This is an important frame, the

:09:53. > :09:56.

:09:56. > :10:01.Neil Robertson may have a go at this red. It depends on the angle

:10:01. > :10:11.he can play for the black. This is one that should not have been

:10:11. > :10:31.

:10:31. > :10:41.As he looks up he can see the monitor. The players can see the

:10:41. > :10:44.

:10:44. > :10:54.action replay. That is one of the new features here. They did not

:10:54. > :10:54.

:10:54. > :10:58.have monitors before. They did it at the Wembley Conference Centre. I

:10:58. > :11:08.remember Matthew Stevens looking up at a monitor and saying, not a bad

:11:08. > :11:08.

:11:08. > :11:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:11:52. > :12:00.He just stroked it in. He is such a I think when you get to four frames,

:12:00. > :12:09.I you know you are not going to be behind at the end of the first

:12:09. > :12:17.session. He will try to push through to five. Not happy with

:12:17. > :12:21.that one. He thought he would be a lot more straight on this red. In

:12:21. > :12:31.the third and 4th frames, he looked as if his confidence had been

:12:31. > :12:43.

:12:43. > :12:48.knocked slightly, Neil. But he He got the cannon on the brown but

:12:48. > :12:58.he has finished nicely on the blue if he wants to play the can and

:12:58. > :13:00.

:13:00. > :13:10.full ball into the pink. -- canon. All he is looking for now is an

:13:10. > :13:11.

:13:11. > :13:16.easy red to carry on with. A little unlucky, he does not have one. He

:13:16. > :13:26.hit the pink pretty well. Everything seemed to go to the

:13:26. > :13:38.

:13:38. > :13:43.cushion. If anything, he hit it too This one is pretty straight. He

:13:43. > :13:53.can't do a great deal with the cue ball. It is not an easy pot, as you

:13:53. > :13:54.

:13:54. > :14:02.can see. He tried to force an angle there. Perfectly safe, by the looks

:14:02. > :14:05.of things. Unless Ronnie wanted to risk a double. If he could do it

:14:05. > :14:15.and get the cue-ball safe, it might be worth doing it because of the

:14:15. > :14:16.

:14:16. > :14:26.black over the pocket. That is what he has played. Nothing wrong with

:14:26. > :14:35.

:14:35. > :14:45.The boys in the studio mentioned about Neil getting his strut on.

:14:45. > :14:47.

:14:47. > :14:57.You used to do that, although it was more. Than a strut. -- it was

:14:57. > :15:17.

:15:17. > :15:27.He thinks he has found something. Oh dear me! What a pot that was.

:15:27. > :15:27.

:15:27. > :15:37.That is as good as you will see on a snooker table. You said he had to

:15:37. > :15:42.

:15:42. > :15:47.find something, well, he found He has taken the cannon into the

:15:47. > :15:57.red. That is pretty good. That opening red was something very,

:15:57. > :15:57.

:15:57. > :16:07.very special. Probably the best shot of this year's championship.

:16:07. > :16:16.

:16:16. > :16:26.think he wants to play this red to It does not seem all that long ago

:16:26. > :16:34.

:16:34. > :16:40.since all the reds were near the That black takes him six points in

:16:40. > :16:50.the lead. There are enough reds in open play here to win the frame

:16:50. > :16:59.

:16:59. > :17:07.Even though we have had a lot of safety play, his average short time

:17:07. > :17:17.is still 18 seconds. -- shot time. That is going to come down the way

:17:17. > :17:19.

:17:19. > :17:26.he is going here. Robertson's is 23. That is fair. I must admit, that

:17:26. > :17:36.the opening red, even Neil, who is one of the best potters we have

:17:36. > :17:44.

:17:44. > :17:53.seen in the game, that would have He can do it without removing the

:17:53. > :18:03.awkward reds away from the cushion. You would never get tired looking

:18:03. > :18:13.at that pot. Here it is one more time. Look up at four cueing. --

:18:13. > :18:16.

:18:16. > :18:20.That was a heady contact. Fortunately, it didn't stop the

:18:20. > :18:30.pink from going in the pocket. On a bad day, it could have knocked it

:18:30. > :18:36.

:18:36. > :18:43.off-line. It left the table but it stayed on line. This break is not

:18:43. > :18:47.even at four minutes yet. He is choosing the green because it is

:18:47. > :18:52.obviously a formality to get on the red that is just off the cushion.

:18:52. > :19:01.He doesn't want to be running into the other red if he can help it.

:19:01. > :19:05.There are a couple of reds in the open. He was able to avoid it. In a

:19:05. > :19:08.perfect world, he would have liked to have been on the blue. If

:19:08. > :19:14.teapots this year low key is just looking for one more red and the

:19:14. > :19:24.colour. He is tucking his waistcoat in, he will be dangerously close to

:19:24. > :19:49.

:19:49. > :19:59.We have seen Judd Trump doing that when it was much easier than this.

:19:59. > :20:01.

:20:01. > :20:06.He drops the cue in disgust. It is not what he was looking for, after

:20:06. > :20:10.the opening red. He is still a big favourite for this frame. Just

:20:10. > :20:20.annoyed that he did not clinch it in one visit there, which she

:20:20. > :20:24.

:20:24. > :20:34.should have done. -- which he should have done. Still a big

:20:34. > :20:47.

:20:47. > :20:53.That was a very ambitious shot, and if he has covered that red he is

:20:53. > :21:03.very, very lucky. He was trying to double the red and three the other

:21:03. > :21:11.

:21:11. > :21:21.red. -- and free up the other red. Have a look at this. He was playing

:21:21. > :21:30.

:21:30. > :21:35.it to double it up with tops -- top That is how desperate he is to try

:21:35. > :21:39.to get these reds away from the cushion. Very fortunate in it --

:21:39. > :21:49.not to leave the red to the middle, which would have been framed ball

:21:49. > :21:50.

:21:50. > :21:55.for Ronnie. -- frame ball. It was a pretty good effort. He was on the

:21:55. > :22:05.blue. Ronnie now with the chance to seal this final frame of the

:22:05. > :22:19.

:22:19. > :22:29.Looking at the scoreboard, the Blue will be enough to leave Neil

:22:29. > :22:30.

:22:30. > :22:39.needing a snooker. What has he done there? That is

:22:39. > :22:44.just Al lack of concentration. No wonder he is smiling. The easiest

:22:44. > :22:54.of pots in the middle pocket. It just shows that if you do not

:22:54. > :22:56.

:22:56. > :23:06.concentrate 100%, even someone like Ronnie O'Sullivan can this -- can

:23:06. > :23:13.

:23:13. > :23:23.This will hurt if he loses this now. To win the frame he has got to get

:23:23. > :23:41.

:23:41. > :23:47.blacks. If he plays the pink he can He is in line with that - can he

:23:47. > :23:53.beat it? He might need his extension. But the chances there,

:23:53. > :23:59.and if this goes in... If Ronnie were to lose this frame, he would

:23:59. > :24:09.not sleep well this evening. They are back tomorrow afternoon and

:24:09. > :24:21.

:24:21. > :24:27.He is just having a look to see where the balls are. The brown is a

:24:27. > :24:37.little awkward for a left-hander. It would be a bit risky to leave an

:24:37. > :24:43.

:24:43. > :24:51.angle on the yellow off the black It is all about how he gets from

:24:52. > :24:59.green to brown. If he was to pinch this frame by one point and take a

:24:59. > :25:03.5-3 advantage, it would be just amazing. We always say that there

:25:03. > :25:13.are certain frames that can become pivotal in a match. This could be

:25:13. > :25:14.

:25:14. > :25:23.one. Ronnie, if he had set up that blue 1,000 times, you would not

:25:23. > :25:32.expect him to miss it. This has bounced a little too much. He will

:25:32. > :25:42.do well to pot this Brian and get good position on the blue. -- this

:25:42. > :25:59.

:25:59. > :26:07.If he wants to play it with top spin he can get it slightly away

:26:07. > :26:11.from the cushion and leave the long blue. This is a big shot coming up

:26:12. > :26:18.for the deadly potter from Australia. Can he pot this blue,

:26:18. > :26:28.get himself on the pink and pinch a frame that we all thought he had no

:26:28. > :26:28.

:26:28. > :26:38.chance of? He has knocked in the 11 long pots out of 15. This is the

:26:38. > :26:48.

:26:48. > :26:55.Is he going to fluke the snooker? Do balls never seemed to forgive

:26:55. > :26:59.you. Ronnie is rushing this a little too much. I don't know if he

:26:59. > :27:06.can make this angle. He could go what the other end of the table,

:27:06. > :27:11.which is much easier. He wants to nestle on it, but two cushions

:27:11. > :27:18.would get him onto the blue. Thank goodness he has stopped to take

:27:19. > :27:28.breath here. He is still in this frame.

:27:28. > :27:38.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. This is what annoys me about the

:27:38. > :27:44.

:27:44. > :27:52.miss rule. It is a bit severe to me. But there you go. He does not want

:27:52. > :27:57.to come off the third back cushion here. There is a chance he could

:27:57. > :28:01.leave the pot on. And he has. Absolutely incredible, of what has

:28:01. > :28:11.just happened over the last five minutes. Once again, Neil Robertson

:28:11. > :28:22.

:28:22. > :28:32.If it is dead straight he can run through and leave the pink for the

:28:32. > :28:59.

:28:59. > :29:06.That is right in the centre of the How has Neil Robertson won this

:29:07. > :29:10.last frame? Ronnie O'Sullivan had a break of 58. He missed a sitter,

:29:10. > :29:17.and Neil Robertson must be delighted. He will go into and over

:29:17. > :29:21.like lead 5-3. HAZEL IRVINE: Surely Ronnie has got

:29:21. > :29:27.to be very annoyed at himself. Interesting though, he showed it a

:29:27. > :29:33.couple of times in that frame, didn't he? The one on the blue was

:29:33. > :29:39.the one that was truly careless at this level. Occasionally we see

:29:39. > :29:47.players missing shots. I think he thought he was warm and dry there

:29:47. > :29:52.and got down to quick. What is your reading of it, John? The frame

:29:52. > :30:02.before he missed the red, he missed the blue. There is nothing between

:30:02. > :30:08.

:30:08. > :30:14.them. A little mishear roar of there. -- a little miss here or

:30:14. > :30:20.there. Ronnie is not going to have the

:30:20. > :30:30.best night, I suppose. A big difference. He was coasting into 4-

:30:30. > :30:40.

:30:40. > :30:47.4. In percentage terms, what did It must be a sugar rush. You have

:30:47. > :30:54.hit the bullseye twice. I think it was quality snooker. Neither player

:30:54. > :30:59.really gave much away, the vagaries of the balls, bit of luck attached,

:30:59. > :31:06.but generally, it was enter into entertainment, and both players

:31:06. > :31:12.should have ended at 4-4. I think there is a alter my respect between

:31:12. > :31:16.them, that makes it a bit cagey. -- ultimate respect. I think you need

:31:16. > :31:22.to have a good start in a match against Ronnie. Will remember his

:31:23. > :31:28.match against Mark Williams, he was 3-2 down, and came back and won

:31:28. > :31:31.nine and a row. That is the fear and a fascination when you play

:31:31. > :31:36.someone like O'Sullivan. I thought Dave Gilbert played fantastic in

:31:36. > :31:40.the first part of the match against Neil Robertson, and came out and

:31:40. > :31:46.produced the best ball brings we had seen in the championship at

:31:46. > :31:50.that time. -- the best four frames. The other match we have been

:31:50. > :31:56.keeping an eye on is the other quarter-final, between Jamie Jones

:31:56. > :32:06.and Ali Carter, former world number two. We left them at two frames

:32:06. > :32:24.

:32:24. > :32:32.apiece. We are going to rejoin them COMMENTATOR: Slightly underhit this,

:32:32. > :32:42.so Ali Katich -- Ali Carter could stun it in it for the black.

:32:42. > :33:08.

:33:08. > :33:18.Ideally, he should play it for the That double kiss on the brown has

:33:18. > :33:21.

:33:21. > :33:31.made he's on the brown in the There is one red in the middle of

:33:31. > :33:31.

:33:31. > :35:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:35:02. > :35:07.that cluster that will pot in the He is pretty much perfect on this

:35:07. > :35:14.blue, and the two reds to the right of the pink are pretty nice to get

:35:14. > :35:24.on to. That brings the pink into play. He needed to hit both of them,

:35:24. > :35:24.

:35:24. > :36:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:36:04. > :36:08.He could just concentrate on the He has got a nice pace around the

:36:08. > :36:18.table, but also, he is a good positional player. Always tries to

:36:18. > :36:18.

:36:18. > :37:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:37:16. > :37:26.keep that cue ball tight among just A possible chance for a century

:37:26. > :38:00.

:38:01. > :38:08.That was a frame ball, so now he I honestly think the record will go

:38:08. > :38:18.this year. The way all these players are playing, we're not

:38:18. > :38:34.

:38:34. > :38:38.going to get one this time, but I What did you just say? I didn't say

:38:38. > :38:48.we definitely wouldn't! That was a super pot. Deserves a century after

:38:48. > :38:50.

:38:50. > :39:00.That is when nobody takes any notice of your tips! I don't blame

:39:00. > :39:07.

:39:07. > :39:15.More than enough to take the first Jamie Jones has already made 8127,

:39:15. > :39:25.but that break, Ali Carter's highest. Into frame six we go now,

:39:25. > :39:29.

:39:29. > :39:39.but the man who beat Judd Trump, To generate so much did spin from

:39:39. > :39:45.there was remarkable. -- top spin. That is perfect cueing, personified,

:39:45. > :39:55.it really was. So the pot on the yellow doesn't appear to be too

:39:55. > :40:09.

:40:09. > :40:16.He has played it Peacey, he hasn't It was a very good shot from Ali

:40:16. > :40:26.Carter there. He tried to kiss the black from behind, he is still in a

:40:26. > :40:28.

:40:28. > :40:38.good position now if he gets on the He would love to get somewhere

:40:38. > :40:42.

:40:42. > :40:45.He has just let the cue ball goes slightly. He is still OK. He is a

:40:45. > :40:49.little bit disappointed. If he had got closer to the red, it would

:40:49. > :40:55.have been straightforward, he could have screwed to the red in and back

:40:55. > :41:05.for the black. The angle her sort of gone away from the black. -- has

:41:05. > :41:36.

:41:36. > :41:43.It didn't look from here that the black potted, but it clearly does,

:41:43. > :41:53.so this is a great chance for him to take a two frame lead. He seemed

:41:53. > :42:24.

:42:24. > :42:33.to go into his shell a little bit He might play a little cannon into

:42:33. > :42:41.the pack here. Beautiful shot. A great example of his cue power, as

:42:41. > :42:51.well. Have a look at this. Look at that first contact, and there is

:42:51. > :43:08.

:43:08. > :43:14.This is one of those where you have to commit to just playing it play -

:43:14. > :43:24.- plain ball. He doesn't want to stop playing these with lots of

:43:24. > :43:30.

:43:30. > :43:40.side, because that makes them miss Well done. Has he found the gap? He

:43:40. > :43:56.

:43:56. > :44:01.I think in some ways, whatever happens in this frame, the opening

:44:01. > :44:11.red that he potted, you deserve which you get after a shot like

:44:11. > :44:17.

:44:17. > :44:27.that. That was cue perfectly. -- He won't strike them better than

:44:27. > :44:27.

:44:27. > :45:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:45:09. > :45:19.He's a little bit lucky to have got To be absolutely certain, two more

:45:19. > :45:31.

:45:31. > :45:41.If he has gone straight come he will struggle to get one of these

:45:41. > :45:58.

:45:58. > :46:07.reds. Any angle would have been He tried his best to force an angle.

:46:07. > :46:17.Looks pretty good, the red closest to the pink will pot, is he on it?

:46:17. > :46:17.

:46:17. > :46:58.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:46:58. > :47:07.Had a chance of a century in the Jamie Jones says that is enough. So

:47:07. > :47:12.Ali Carter puts another frame on For the second time in the match,

:47:12. > :47:22.Carter from Chelmsford in Essex has established a two frame lead

:47:22. > :47:30.

:47:30. > :47:35.against the first time there. Here So the excellent safety shot from

:47:35. > :47:40.Jamie Jones has forced an opening. Now he has got to make this count.

:47:40. > :47:47.He cannot risk going into tomorrow's morning session 6-two

:47:47. > :47:57.behind. He would like to win this to level at 4-4. This is a great

:47:57. > :48:08.

:48:08. > :48:18.chance to get a frame on the board He would love to get that black on

:48:18. > :48:34.

:48:34. > :48:39.its spot as quickly as possible. He There are plenty of reds available.

:48:39. > :48:49.I'm sure it is in his mind, if he gets the black on his spot, it will

:48:49. > :49:09.

:49:09. > :49:16.be easier to win the frame at this That is good play. Excellent play.

:49:16. > :49:19.Shows you how confident he is. He played the right shot there. He

:49:19. > :49:24.could have been guilty of trying to stay on the pink as long as

:49:24. > :49:34.possible, but bringing the black back onto its spot, now it is a

:49:34. > :50:01.

:50:01. > :50:11.He wouldn't have played the shot like that, apart from the brown and

:50:11. > :50:16.

:50:16. > :50:26.It takes all the one -- worry about kissing the baulk colours. He will

:50:26. > :51:06.

:51:06. > :51:16.Played that nicely, he is on the pink, and it opens up another

:51:16. > :51:16.

:51:16. > :52:18.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:52:18. > :52:28.The two reds to the right of the pink, the top one definitely pot to

:52:28. > :52:33.

:52:33. > :52:43.the centre. He has already got a 47 A good response from Jamie Jones

:52:43. > :52:43.

:52:43. > :53:43.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:53:43. > :53:48.He has taken these really well. Well played, Jamie Jones. Twice he

:53:48. > :53:58.has been two frames behind, twice he has played his best snooker. He

:53:58. > :54:10.

:54:11. > :54:18.A bit unlucky, he wanted to get in behind that red. He is only had

:54:19. > :54:24.five centuries in this tournament. -- he has only had. He is doing

:54:24. > :54:34.well to make another century from here, but it is a great response,

:54:34. > :55:12.

:55:12. > :55:20.He can try and remove the red from the cushion, but also try and get

:55:20. > :55:27.in behind it. He is pushing it through. If he gets red and black,

:55:27. > :55:37.he doesn't have the angle, just short. If he got red and black, it

:55:37. > :55:48.

:55:48. > :55:52.would be a century. Shame. Break of Jamie Jones has certainly produced

:55:52. > :55:58.the more sizeable breaks, but Carter's effort of 76 in the last

:55:58. > :56:06.frame of the session was chunky enough to give him a 5-3 lead to

:56:06. > :56:13.take to tomorrow morning's session. Jones behind, certainly not

:56:13. > :56:19.outclassed so far. The former world number two has his nose in front.

:56:19. > :56:24.Impressions of the way that has gone? I think the way we have seen

:56:24. > :56:29.it, the favourite is off. It is the biggest match of Jamie Jones's

:56:29. > :56:36.career. Ali Carter had a massive game, sometimes going back to the

:56:36. > :56:39.well can be difficult, so he will be happy to be in front. Steve,

:56:39. > :56:46.just reflect a bit on the early part of that session. Jamie did

:56:46. > :56:52.look as if he was, while, overwhelmed. Ali Carter got off to

:56:53. > :56:56.a good start. You have to say he is not expected to go any further,

:56:56. > :57:03.Jamie Jones, I think that would be a fair reflection, but he is a very

:57:03. > :57:07.good player, he could push the barriers a bit. Possibly the second

:57:07. > :57:12.session is going to be very important. If he can hang on in

:57:12. > :57:15.with Ali Carter, who knows what happens in the last nervy sessions.

:57:15. > :57:25.We have had a taste of all the quarter-finals, and let reflect on

:57:25. > :57:39.

:57:39. > :57:45.Stephen Hendry, just not at the races. What was your take on it.

:57:45. > :57:49.First couple of frames, he went for the odd shot he used to go for in

:57:49. > :57:55.his prime, and missed them. Then he missed the pink off the spot, and

:57:55. > :57:59.then it was uphill all the way. from your perspective, the Ryan Day

:57:59. > :58:03.performance? I think it was a decent performance, once again,

:58:03. > :58:06.Matthew Stevens was fractionally the favourite, but I think that