Day 11, Part 2 Snooker: World Championship

Good afternoon. Here in Sheffield, it is great weather once again for

staying in and watching snooker, which is just as well, really,

because it just gets better and better in this year's Betfred.com

championship. It is the quarter- final action today. It will be all

eyes down soon. So many people are still talking about the match of

the champion so far - the match against -- with Judd Trump against

It just had it all. It went the distance, a young player against a

more experienced player. I have seen a lot of fantastic matches

down the years at the Crucible, and that one is right up there for

sheer drama and excitement. Extraordinary twists and turns.

made the screw back. Is he going to finish behind yellow and brown?

sob Ali Carter ironically clap Judd Trump at one point. A little bit of

feeling out there, a little bit of needle, and I think that added to

the atmosphere and the occasion. It is going to be left. We're

definitely going to have a decider now. He has won the last three

frames. Carter was seemingly out of the match, 12-9 down, battled his

way back to at deciding frame. Judd Trump had a great chance to win it,

missed a red that he would get every day of the week in practice.

He if you need evidence of what it is like in a deciding frame, you

have just seen it there. And 99 times out of 100, he would have

spotted that red with the rest. He missed it, he still had a chance.

But Ali's will and determination I absolutely believe that that is a

match that Ali Carter could have lost the been six months ago. He

looks a different man at the table. I just think that is a match that

people will attribute it to this new diet that has clearly left him

in better shape. Ali Carter - a fantastic performance. 12-9 down, I

can he wins 13-12. There was no need a lot anything

like that. It was just a tough match, he wanted to win badly and

it turned out that I just wanted to win a little more badly. I did not

know whether I was capable of clearing up. That was the

difference, really - my confidence just wasn't there. To have come out

on top in a match that close, that will make in battle-hardened for

the matches ahead. He still has a lot to do before we can think about

him being a serious contender. arguably the best game of the two

ornaments so far. So many emotions or on view. It has

to be one of the great moments of Crucible drama. It is typical of

what the top players and the Crucible can produce. It is the

reason why millions of people over the years have watched snooker on

the television, and now worldwide everybody is hooked on it. In the

press conference afterwards, he did not apologise for any fluke shots,

said Ali Carter. There is etiquette in this game, he said. It all got

rumbled up a bit. There was a lot of talent and testosterone bopping

around yesterday. But, listen, that is great. Nick Faldo said about

golf's Masters, you have to be bitten by August a before you can

win a green jacket. I wonder if the trip -- the same is true about the

Cristobal. I suppose it is likely that you would need a few attacks

to get it under your belt. -- Crucible. A couple of questions

arising in the aftermath about Judd's style these days. Ali was

asked if he thought it was one- dimensional. He said, he pots them

from everywhere, but there is more to this game than that and I have

proved it today. What sort of lessons will there be for Judd

going forward? I think his strongest suit is the way he plays.

He plays good safety and there was lots of that match where he did.

Sometimes he chooses not to. He has got loads of talent, he can pot it,

he nearly won a world championship playing that way. Just keep doing

what you're doing. One thing is for sure and that is that he will be

back and Hungary in the coming years. The bookies' favourite, Judd

Trump, has left the building. That leaves eight men to fight it out

We have three qualifiers still left in the championship. In all, three

Welsh men, two Scot, an Australian and an Essex boy. For me, my dark

horse might be Matthew Stevens. He has been there and he has got the

talent, bundles of it. interesting point, Steve. Five of

the eight have been in a Crucible final. You talked about the

bookmakers, John, just assess the odds. Ronnie O'Sullivan it is your

15 away favourite. It has been glaring in the draw, really. We all

thought that if Ronnie O'Sullivan played well he would face Neil

Robertson. That has made the bottom half like a minefield. They are

looking now thinking that whoever wins that has to be a very strong

favourite to win this year's championship. For its so many

things to talk about this afternoon. Let us look at the menu between now

Play has been under way since ten o'clock this morning. There has

been an all-Scottish derby between Stephen Hendry and Stephen Maguire.

Matthew Stevens is taking on Ryan Day. He took some time out in the

build up to Sheffield Children's Hospital to raise a few smiles

there. Jimmy Jones is having an amazing run it in his first risible

campaign. We will watch him today. The Chinese referee Zhu Ying has

made quite an impression so far. She will be marking Jones' game

against Ali Carter. His runaway success will surely forced into a

board plans for early retirement. Neil Robertson, the most successful

overseas player ever prepares to slug it out against the most

spellbinding player ever in the Stephen Hendry is still on track

for an 8th Crucible crown. It is amazing to think that he

deliberated long and hard about putting away his cue for good this

time last year, and yet here he is in his 19th quarter-final in the

world championships. He has no intention of being evicted from his

second home at the Crucible just My career has been littered with so

many memories of this place. I did almost take it -- take for granted

when winning here for the seventh time in the 90s. I feel like the

place belongs to me. I think the trophy belongs to me because I won

it seven times. Obviously, at the last time was 1999. I have gone a

long time without winning. People say it is not the winning but the

taking part. I have never heard so much nonsense in my life. It is

about winning. If you are a true sporting animal-like I am, all

through my career, I want to win and if I don't I am devastated.

Even now, it is hard to watch two other people being in the final.

Over time it gets better because it has been a long time since I have

been in the final. It gets easier as the years go by. This year has

been different in the fact that I have just been, you know, one of

the others. I sort of put myself through the qualifiers in the sort

of mindset just to win matches. It is tough to get motivated. The

normally there are wrongly two are three people watching and it is a

family of your opponent. Without trying to disrespect it, it is not

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

tough side of it. I am still very competitive. I do not have the

winning form to back up any strong claims to say to anybody, I can win

this, but I am still hugely competitive and I still expect

great things for myself. As you can see, when I have played matches

this week, when I do not get a century break I am still really

disappointed. I always expect high standards from myself. I find

myself here in the quarter-finals for the first time in a few years.

I have got a great opponent standing in my way in Stephen

Maguire, who will fancy his chances to go on and challenge for this

title. We will both be desperate to win. It would be good to have a

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

emphatic record in the head-to-head standings in form R of Stephen

Maguire. He is the world No. 6, 5 wins to Hendry's one. At ten

o'clock this morning, these former practice partners got the call from

The most successful snooker player in history. What a championship he

is having. This is his 19th Crucible quarter-final. Playing

some of his best snooker in recent years, seven times the winner here,

the king of the Crucible, Stephen Hendry!

MUSIC: "Get the Message" by Electronic And his opponent, one of

the nicest guys in the circuit. He grew up in Glasgow watching his

opponent today dominating the game in the 90s. He has beaten Luca

Brecel and Joe Perry so far. When he is good he is on fire, here

comes Stephen Maguire! MUSIC: "Here I Go Again" by

HAZEL IRVINE: These quarter-finals are still the best of 25 frames.

Stephen Maguire went straight into a 2-0 lead. In Jean Todt, it is

-- frame three. That was a little bit lucky. The

red finished on the right cushion. It to it -- it could have gone over

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Excellent pot again. You can see He has a bit of work to do if he is

going to win the frame from this He may not need the red that is

tight. It is in a really safe position, tight to the cushion next

to the middle pocket. He already has a 12-point lead. He would have

already had a look around the table, done his calculations. It is not

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I am not quite sure whether the red to the left of the brown goes. If

it does, he could just drop the yellow into the corner pocket and

rolled through for it. This shot will tell us whether it is on. He

has had a look at it a couple of Obviously it doesn't, I think he is

going for the red just beside the blue. For he keeps looking at the

scores. He will mean that red on the right cushion. He cannot pot

the two reds, he will meet all three. It is not over, the spring.

-- he will need. -- this frame. The shot that came mentioned was on

last time, he didn't play it. Maybe it does not pass the brown. If it

does, it is surprising he has not If it does not pass, he certainly

has an angle on the yellow. He could stun it and bring the red

interplay. That is what he tried to It may be worth having a go at the

pot into the right centre. He did have a little glance. It may be

worth trying this. Play it as a He is in two minds, doesn't know

He is in danger of slightly complicating things now. He still

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Stephen forced him to play the difficult read. Both players need

That was a really good shot. He judged that the pace perfectly. --

He needed a little bit of luck there, Stephen, and got it. He is

not on this red. It is not a fool It is a half chance for Stephen. He

has got to be careful with the cue ball when taking this on into that

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corner pocket. He has got to avoid It has been one of those frames

where Maguire should have won it three or four times. When that

happens and a player does not take advantage, often it goes the other

This will certainly settle Stephen Hendry down. Particularly coming

from a long red. He still has a bit of work to do. He is 12 behind, so

he will need up to and including It looks OK. Sore, pink and black

to get his first frame on the board. -- so, pink and black. Would you

believe it?! Just came right across That was awful, wasn't it? Cannot

believe it. It is one thing to miss a shot, but he did not even wobble

it. He will be absolutely gutted. Stephen Maguire will be absolutely

delighted. He puts another frame on the board. So the Ben Hendry porn

does that Mr Pink. -- Stephen Hendry.

HAZEL IRVINE: That Prime Minister pink are real confident crusher.

The former UK champion is clear laid ready for this match. Into the

5th frame we go and it is Hendrik trailing by eight. -- Hendry.

Well, the way he played it, with the right-hand side on there, it

was always going to going to the red. I guess he played round to the

left of it. But it was neither one shot nor the other that he played

Very worrying times if you are a fan of Stephen Hendry in that he is

not getting into the match. One thing with Maguire, he is a pretty

ruthless front runner. Most players are like that, of course. Everyone

likes to be in front in a match. When he is, he will kill. If he

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goes 5-0 up here, this could be He will take this red into the

bottom right-hand corner pocket because that will release the black

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Still a couple of loose reds, want to the right of the pink and then

the red at the bottom of the pack on the left side is open as well.

He does not need to worry about going into the packed just yet. --

He has purposely stunned that to give himself an angle on the black

to go into the bunch. He is blessed Well played. Have a look at that

for a shot! He couldn't have placed that any better. Perfect but it. --

split up. It was lovely. All the reds stayed in the middle of the

table and spread out nicely. So you would believe this to be a frame-

That first session could have gone either way, these first four frames.

I suspect, though, that Maguire Only once ever beach in the one

table set-up, when he was a semi- finalist in 2007, losing an epic

battle to John Higgins, 17-15. The the next couple of seasons, he

didn't achieve an awful lot for a player of his standing. I remember

that match very well. He was very disappointed to lose that semi-

final, he made Higgins 14-10 going into the final session. -- he led

That may have been his best opportunity to win the World

Championship, but he is certainly back to some bit of form, over the

years gone by. He was the UK Championship winner. He always has

He has got most things about his game. But like one or two others,

his biggest enemy is himself occasionally. He gets very annoyed

when he doesn't play to the They always try and say that the

way you play snooker is similar to your personality, but in Stephen

Maguire's case, I don't think so. He is a pussycat of the table, mild

mannered. I know he collects piranhas, that doesn't indicate he

is a softie. But he is a very well- Can we see another century here at

the Crucible? He has already made 221 Korea centuries. 25 of those

came last season. He has made a This year, the sponsors are giving

�200 to every century here to a children's hospital. -- for every

century here. So if the red goes in, that will be �200 to that wonderful

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Well played, Stephen Maguire. The 52nd century of this

He has now gone into a clear lead, Worrying times so early in the

quarter-finals for Hendry, because it became 6-0. We are into the

A chance for Stephen, a couple of reds to go out, one over the corner,

one over the left centre. If he can negotiate this one over the corner,

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He is not on the pink, but brown or For the moment, the scoring is

confined to the blue and the pink. The black is available, but he is

You feel this is extremely important for Hendry, it is a

bigger frame for him then for Maguire. -- than for Maguire. You

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Already Stephen Hendry's highest He is not on this red as he would

have liked. He would have liked to have been a bit straighter. It is

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Well played. That will make him He is going to need another red,

colour, red. And one more colour after that, just to secure this

He has taken these very well up Not dissimilar to a pink he missed

in the third one, he seems to be in better form at this stage. That

will be a relief, that red dropping 65, the break is, so he needs a red

and black and all the colours for a Well, the red wobbles, but Stephen

Maguire stays in his chair. But the seven times world champion is off

Despite this miles between the two of them come -- the smiles between

the two of them, Maguire went on to win the next one, he bought take a

7-1 lead into this evening's session. He has shown a terrific

form in recent months. What an unexpected bonus, to be so far in

A bonus indeed, and I think it was really key early on to Stephen

Hendry's form in this match, he missed two cities, particularly

that pink in frame three. I am still in shock, so I don't know how

he is feeling out there! Even if he wobble dead, he would still be

devastated, the fact you have thrown away a chance to get to 2-1

instead of 3-0. For the next two or three frames, he would have been

reeling. Maguire looked like a caged animal, he was champing at

the bid to get on with this match, and he has played brilliantly. But

a curiously out of sorts Hendry, how would you explain the different

in form? I think we go back to that pink, I think it is a turnaround.

He would settle down, 2-1 behind, all of a sudden, you of 3-0 behind.

He forgot about the middle of the cue ball, he has completely hit

across it, and to not even hit a jaw is amazing debate has just

changed the match. Stephen Maguire get confident, Stephen get worse.

We talk about form, and we can only talk about what we have seen. The

start of the session can be all important, the first chance can be

all important, because of that, we are now talking about Stephen

Hendry losing his form. The trouble is, it is something that seems to

be indicative of the older players, who played very well, show some

promise, and then throw in a bad session. I was going to ask you

about that, that cannot just be unique to the older players. In

such a long tournament, you cannot surely maintain the high standard

throughout? Some of the younger players do. They maintain it for

longer. I don't know about the golfing world, which is similar,

but you don't expect so many bad sessions from the likes of Neil

Robertson to stop some of the younger ones, you expect them to be

cueing well and be shot all the time. I agree with that. That is

why I'm sitting here! How badly has that damaged Stephen Hendry's

chances? A be good news is it is the first session. If he can come

out, he is capable of turning around a session and giving 2

Stephen Maguire what he has done to him. He needs a good start. They

are coming back for the second session this evening. But things

are getting a little bit I'm really down the local tavern these days.

Thanks to our snooker boys in our never-ending pub quiz. Focus and

concentration are key element. Steve Davis has spent the last

couple of days on his own. There he is again! Who is going to summon

the mental energy and strength to This is where former winners come

back and then they get dumped out in the first round. It is the curse

of the Crucible. Number-one. Tony Knowles famously beat Steve Davis

10-1. What was the year? If he doesn't know the year... We know

the year. Tony Knowles famously beat somebody in 1982. Who was it?

Steve Davis! We have had no answers with Steve in them for ages. Neil

Robertson lost to which player 10 to eight, he was returning champion.

This is what you do for a living. You don't have day jobs! It was

Neil Robertson against... Judd Trump. No. 3. This isn't our day-

job. I have just been brought in, bit of fun. They told me you would

be lovely old blokes! One of those adjectives which right. -- was

right. Who was the only person who beat Stephen Hendry at the Crucible

between 1990 and 1996. Name the player. You must have really liked

Stephen Hendry when he turned up. Loved him. Loved him with his

lovely array of jumpers. Steve James. Who was the last first-time

winner to successfully defend their world championship, in 1964. Year I

was born! It was the last first- time winner to successfully depend

-- defend the World Championship. Who is it? It was John Boorman.

knew it! There has only been one Crucible whitewash. Who was it and

How did you feel after that one? was Eddie Charlton, who lost 2...

John Parrott. 10-0. And he was lucky to get 0! The heaviest ever

defeat in their Crucible final had a 15 frame difference between

winner and loser. Who was the Looks like somebody has just sacked

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

This game has come to life now. winner was? Steve Davis. And the

loser was? Thank you very much. has lost the most Crucible semi-

finals? Eddie Charlton lost six, but not at the Crucible. Who has

lost five Cristobal semi-finals? We haven't got any big prizes today.

What is that? A trophy? That is made of real plastic. It was a

Ronnie O'Sullivan. Wow! I think there is dissent in the ranks.

is a great question. No. 8. Ali two people have lost multiple Crucible

finals and it never won the title - - only two people. Unlike Dennis

Taylor here, who I think you'll remember when you stayed up late,

he won in 1985. Nobody was really watching. What time did it finish?

20 past midnight. Do you have fond memories? A I have forgotten all

about it. Does anybody ever mention it? The boys, occasionally. Steve,

does anyone ever mention it to you? A knot today at until now, but I'm

just waiting for tomorrow. If you see Steve Davis around, wouldn't it

be lovely if you could mention that fond memory. It would make his day.

Just come up to me. One of them is Jimmy White, Matthew Stevens. What

is the only Crucible final to have had no century break? It wasn't

very memorable. No century breaks in it. Which yeah? -- which year? I

want to know... There were 17 breaks over 50 in the final. I

watched that final. What a year would that have been? Steve Davis.

1985. How did Steve Davis do that yeah? Is that the right answer?

Correct. Highest break, 79. Dennis part a bus in front of the pockets.

-- parked a blast. 5th May 1980, at the BBC's snooker coverage was

interrupted. What happened on 5th May 1980. The SAS... Stormed the

Iranian Embassy. Very well done. Let's see how well we did at the

end of that round. Scoring nine, the good, the bad, the ugly. But

scoring 10... The DJs! At the end of the round, they have 60, the

good, the bad, the Aghalee, 65. -- the ugly.

I think there is going to have to be a stewards inquiry. We were

ahead on the other questions! debate continues. We need all the

help we can get! O little local derby in the making here, but not

between United and Sheffield Wednesday, but it is to command

an's Matthew Stevens against Bridgend's Ryan Day. They are both

best of friends, both family man, and Ryan Day yesterday took some

time off to go and visit some youngsters at the Sheffield

Children's Hospital. In the Weston Park area of the city, it is one of

four specialist children's hospitals in the country, and one

of the visitors, a Crucible quarter-finalist.

I have come here to meet a few of the children here at this hospital,

a couple of them wanted to need a snooker player, because they had

been watching it this week. -- to meet a snooker player. One snooker

fan was delighted to meet the Welsh staff. He even offered to lend him

his autographed Jimmy White cue. Can I borrow it? Yes. Bring it

back! With three Welsh players in the last eight, might we see a

Welshman equalising 2003? They have been a really successful, Mark

Williams, Matthew has been to five semi-finals, hopefully this year it

is the Chinese Year Of the Dragon, so hopefully it is a Welshman. I

would like to play in the one table set-up, so yes, it is a matter of

winning the next match, that is what my focus is on. Just get

myself ready for it and look forward to playing. A lot of the

seeds got beaten early on, so you never know, it might be a chance

for the qualifiers. I think it is open, anybody can win it. And he

knows he has the backing of his new fan Blake in his bid to lift the

trophy this year. All of us want to send her best wishes to be staff

and patients at the children's of bottle, a big hello from all of us.

Let's get straight into this match. Let's get into the match proper,

they shared the first couple of frames, this is frame three.

Stevens is to play, ahead by 14 COMMENTATOR: As you can see, it was

a tough one to play at distance. Has he covered the one below the

It looked like it was in on the way down. It is pretty tight, the one

nearest the pocket. Don't fancy that one, D you? It looks pretty

The amount of side he had on it, he couldn't but it direct, he played

it with a tremendous amount of left-hand side. -- he couldn't pot

it direct. He saw the white coal around the pink, just a fraction.

Deserves exactly what you get from Both players are looking really

good here in this quarter-final match. Considering it is a very

early start, not easy for the players were not used to starting

early in the day, in the practice sessions. A lot of players train

themselves a four months, than normally start playing about 12, 1

o'clock. A lot of them then start to go down and practice earlier,

but a don't think it makes that much difference myself. -- i don't

think. Snooker players in years gone by when known for their late

nights, they were playing exhibition matches in clubs. These

days, they sleep play because they are lazy. -- face sleep late.

sure a lot of players never practised until midday. I'm sure

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This break is running to 35. He has This has been as good as it gets, I

The Canon didn't really put the red safe. You have to get some side on

if you want to play those two reds beside the pink. If you play those

badly, it is always too short, you never seem to go too far. I think

the players protect themselves, making sure they are on the pot.

has no option but to play the cannon into the red. He had plenty

Now he has got to play the stun shot and cannoned into the red. It

looks like he is playing the screw off the red to get on to the black.

Good shot! Well played. Ryan feels more comfortable playing the screw

shot. If anything, he has played it He could still make this red. Very

impressive stuff from both players. A joy to watch, this. Yes, he was a

bit fortunate on the previous shot. As Terry mentioned, this is

excellent play from both of these two young Welsh players. I think

Matthew Stevens played catch-up in Ryan has an excellent chance for

It literally doesn't get any better than this. I think he has picked up

-- played one bad positional shot 12 reds and every colour bar or

brown. That is just going to change The 53rd century here at the

Crucible, two on the trot from Ryan Day. Excellent snicker. Matthew

Stevens couldn't do a lot about that. Ryan Day looks like he is on

tip-top form. HAZEL IRVINE: Back-to-back

centuries from Ryan Day. He has now are not in five so far in this

championship. Matthew levelled it at 2-2 at the interval. And we

rejoin it at frame five. Matthew has six points to make-up.

That is a very aggressive shot. He would have been very unlucky not to

have been on the pink or the blue from that.

The way the pack was set, there was always a good chance he would catch

the back of them. He has pushed that wide. What a change. We hadn't

86 from Matthew Stevens, two centuries from Ryan Day and 49 from

Matthew Stevens in the first four. In this frame, we have had a few

Ryan would be sitting thinking that mess on the red would have cost in

the frame. -- cost him the frame. He does not really want to tie the

pink up. That is why he is taking The pink will go on to its own spot.

The red below the pink spot will cause a problem if he does not got

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He thought he had hit it too hard. He has just stopped in time,

leaving a nice angle on the blue. Plenty of choices here. He has

found the gap. If he had clipped one of those reds it would not have

made any difference anyway. As Willie mentioned, it is taking a

little while but we will have the pink back on its spot. Not easy,

He has played that nicely for the He has found something there. He

needs to be careful. He needs to let the referee do that in cases

and touches the red. It is a far-left you do that, of

You need good eyesight to see that. The brake goes on to 38, takes in

In some ways, it is much easier to make breaks around the pink spot

because you don't have to use cushions a lot and you have four

pockets to pot it in. With the black it is generally only two. He

is taking these well, after that blip from both players. We're

seeing another good effort here No chance of a century this time

but he will be pretty pleased, having missed a few easy balls in

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A little bit careless on the pink, but a very nice break off 80.

He HAZEL IRVINE: The former world No. 6 went two in front after

claiming the 6th frame. Can he push on in the 7th? He has work to do -

Ryan 42 points behind. A practice set up for Ryan Day. And

many revival from Matthew Stevens Garbutt would be enough in this

frame? -- a small revival from Matthew Stevens, but it will it be

enough in this frame? We often say that the first 40 or 50 points in

the frame are quite difficult because there are more balls on the

table. That is why we see so many games loss from Fortean Front. This

is one of those situations where Ryan Day is actually favoured now

to win this ring, even though he is I think the frame of mind is

crucial in these situations. You know what it is like, sometimes you

go down and you make all these decisions. When you are feeling

good, you do not think of anything apart from the shot in front of you.

It is strange, the mind, isn't it? How you can feel so good one day

and so bad the next. It is weird. Sometimes the game dictates that,

and the score can also dictate your mind out there, and away the balls

run for you, good, bad or indifferent. There are a number of

things. Your opponent is likely at any time to keep you in the chair

for around and hour. It is very testing. Wouldn't want it any other

way. With the angle he has on the black, he is going to have to play

a kiss. Not guaranteed to go right. The same kiss a lot harder would

obviously have been a lot harder, but he would not want to play it a

lot harder in case it went too thin and the cue ball went into the

Excellent recovery. A very thin cut. Almost guaranteed to have left it

in the pocket if he had missed it and he could have gone on to lose

the frame. He is playing with backspin. He has not caught that

one. He has either or done it or under done it, I am not sure which.

He has gone too far for the red on By remember playing Stephen Hendry

once, we were 4-4, he lost position twice. Twice, when he lost position,

he looked at the pack and saw that there was a planned there and got

it back twice. They say, do not depend on the rabbit's foot, it did

Ryan Day has just gone seven points in front. I do not know if the red

pots in the middle. If it does not, he will have a hell of a job

getting on to it. This is the worst He could push through at pace and

if he misses the kiss on the red and Pinkie could get on to it. He

is cueing down law. He needs to play the canon, and hasn't got it.

Matthew might be snickered but he will be pretty pleased to get back

If he has the right angle, it is uneasy snooker. His previous shot,

obviously, was the problem. He did well to get the cue ball off the

black. A it make going the right It was quite a risky shot. The

reason he is near the side cushion is because he did not want to hit

it with any more pace. He has left himself a difficult shot on the

black. It is almost straight, anyway. He is thinking that, if he

drops the black, he will snicker Matthew Stevens on the pink with

He has got the snooker, he is 15 points in front. Matthew only has

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

to hit it off two cushions. -- not You can see he only had to pot the

That's the ball like he wanted. Matthew has not played well since

the midsession interval. He will have to find something in the

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

I wonder whether he is going to play the black. Yes, he is. Matthew

has yet to make a sizable break-in this half of the match.

HAZEL IRVINE: Matthew Stevens is the man who has won the only longer

format match between these two and that was at the UK Championship

four years ago. I am sure you will not be panicking yet in this

opening session. Enter the last frame we go. Matthew Stevens is 32

points to the good. He has found a gap. He will be on

I don't know why he is looking at the pink because he has to get that

black away from the pocket as quickly as possible because all the

reds going to that one. This is a good chance. That is good. It was

one of those shots where you have no idea where it will end up. You

know that any sort of kiss on those first two reds you are bound to be

on something. He should win the frame from here now. 5-3 will be

pretty respectable, the way this He was having a bit of fun there. I

think someone was having a bit of a coffin the front row. -- at -- a

cough in the front row. When they are all sitting in front of you,

like these reds are, you feel that real thing that could go wrong is a

CROWD GROANS Matthew may have lost that trick there.

Matthew knows he could have played Ryan was 48 points down. He still

has a lot to do. They are well placed. Matthew will definitely be

thinking that Ryan is going to clear up. When you are out there

playing and you are the man on the table, sometimes all you see in

front of you is problems. Ryan hasn't been doing that today, he

has had a very good session. He would be delighted if he cleared up

here. Matthew Stevens hung on to his coat tails and the opening

session. He looked in perfect form. Since then, he has just disappeared

somewhat. He pinched the 4th frame and in every one of these frames he

has had a chance. It is not like Ryan Day has completely dominated.

He has had a chance, but he has needed more than one. He has

brought another red interplay. -- Most people are saying it is

difficult to predict a winner in this match. I have been speaking to

a few people about it. It is difficult for your opponent to get

back if you have a first session When you're 6-2 behind it is hard.

You know it will take at least a session and a half to get four

He gave himself half a chance to miss that, with that pace! That was

the only red that looked to be a stumbling block, but he took a

chance, playing it at the pace he He wants to get onto the green or

brown, probably. Not the greatest of shots, there. He seemed a little

I wouldn't blame him this time playing for the pink, but he is

going to come very close to the blue, he doesn't want to kiss the

blue. Goodness me, I think he was concentrating on not kissing the

blue, how did he miss at the red? He changed his mind, I think he

went down there with one plan, then got up and decided to go and

screwed the cue ball back. Still a shot he will regret if he loses

this frame. Could be a massive He completely missed he did, and in

the meantime, Matthew has played a wonderful safety shot -- completely

He has put his hand up as if he was unlucky. The truth is he just

missed an easy red, and he knows it. It is the type of shot Ryan Day

plays with ease, scoring back to Now Clement -- can Matthew hold

It is always more likely win you can hold for the yellow like that.

It looks as if he's going to play it left handed. He needs to get

this one did right, he is scoring across the brown to get on the

He has done it 100 breaks with his left hand in practice. But it is an

little bit different here. He would have liked it to be another inch or

so do the rite, the cue ball. -- to the right. He will be pleased to be

in this position, that is Peshawar. He is really struggling out there,

Somehow, he has got out of this Whichever way you look at it, what

happens in between doesn't really matter, it is the score at the end

Matthew Stevens has pinched that frame. But Ryan Day takes he 5-3

Only two of frames in it when it might have been 6-2, but you might

-- have to say that Brian day has been by far the stronger. Some

excellent break building from him. Knowing he did have the best of the

session, he will be destroyed that he didn't win that last frame. The

difference between 6-2 and 5-3 seems massive. From Matthew

Stevens's perspective, he will be delighted to get away, these will

be the fractions that make all the difference when you get to the

nitty-gritty at the end. If you come out a 5-3 in front, it is a

lead, but not as much as it could have been. We're all agreed that

Ryan Day's participation in the quarter-finals is something of a

surprise, but he is proving why he is a more than worthy player. He is

knocking them in from everywhere. He is very, very talented, and we

have been waiting for Ryan Day to come of age, it seems, for quite a

while. Perhaps this is the time. All players mature at different

times, some of the world champions we have sit -- scene hit at 22, 23,

doesn't mean you're past it if you're older than that, but in full

flow, he is a very powerful player. Sometimes they have questioned his

tactical nous, but somewhere along the line, you get it right. A what

has been so significant about these matches is as the game's have

progressed, he seems to have got stronger, that was a significant

feature of those games. Perhaps a different match play against a good

mate, that perhaps has its bearing. You don't know which one it helps

and hinders. But he it up against a player with vast talent as well. We

look at Ronnie O'Sullivan and Judd Trump, but these players are no

slouches by any means. They will be back this evening at 7pm. Now, we

are anticipating a fair bit of noise and excitement, with a rocket

about to take off into a storm of thunder generated from Down Under.

The countdown is almost complete. If you were to tell me how I was

going to play in my first two matches, I would have taken it. I

scored really heavily. I'm just pleased to be in the tournament,

and my form, it is just on the day, really. If we all played on top of

our form, we would all have the same results, but it is not like

In time commit you do have to learn a second game, you have to learn

how to play good safety, rather than just relying on potting balls,

which is the only way I used to play. I used to go for everything.

But to beat the top players when they play well, you have to develop

your safety game as well. Mine is just about as good as anyone's now.

I think he is probably the most improved player of the last three

or four years, he has worked and the tactical side of his game, has

become an all-round player. Great temperament, so for me, he is the

man you will have to be to win this title. -- beat a. I can't afford to

have those of sessions against the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan,

especially when it gets down to a quarter-final to stop hopefully I

can play at bit better and progress through the quarters and made the

semi-finals. There is a long way to go, along tournament, still 80

great players left, I believe anyone can win it. -- 8 great

These are the men who are going to put the words over the pictures.

This quarter-final, you have to say it is the marquee match. Absolutely.

If they right to better at cueing, I don't know who they are. The way

Ronnie has been cueing in the last match, it is also England against

Australia, could be better. What about the record against each

other? I think the big match was five years ago, Ronnie beat him 13-

10, that was close. But he has beaten Ronnie in the World Open,

just 18 months ago, 5-1. It is difficult to pick, I hope they both

play at the top of their game, I can't wait for it. What was

impressive was the Masters performance from Robert son, you

saw a different side of him. His all-round play was exceptional. He

is just a complete player now, he raised his game. He would treat

this game as a great challenge, and you know what these Aussies are

like. As for me, the biggest thing has been focused and he has looked

very focused. Totally relaxed, I have never seen him so relaxed. I

think this game will be down to the long potting, we know that Neil

Robertson is one of the best we have had, but Ronnie is knocking

the long ones in, it is a We have already had some amazing

stories unfolding. Two more are about to get started. It is

quarter-final time, let's get the Please welcome a player whose debut

run is causing quite Astor. He has knocked out Shaun Murphy and Andrew

Higginson. He is showing the class many knew he had for a long time.

This is without doubt the biggest match of his career so far. The

MUSIC: "Sexy And I Know It" by And from talk of retirement to

another Crucible quarter-final. His comeback yesterday was amazing,

this is his 4th appearance in the last eight, he is flying high, the

And now, please welcome a player who has shown it touches of

absolute brilliance here over the last 10 days. Solid against Ebdon,

sublime against Williams. His break of one to wait on Sunday brought

the Crucible crowd to their feet in amazement. Three times a champion

here, the Rocket, Ronnie MUSIC: "Let Me Entertain You" by

And finally, please welcome a player who has made a huge impact

on the game since arriving from Australia. One of the best long

potters in the business. He has beaten Ken Doherty and David

Gilbert, and will relish the heat of this bigger battle. Can you hear

the thunder from Down Under, Neil MUSIC: "Heart of Courage" by Two

We will be dipping in and out of the match between Carter and Jones

as well, it is an online and on the red button. But sit back and savour

what is on offer on table two. Serious business now. This one is

worthy of the final itself. This packed audience, filled with

Let's just have a look how they have been going through the

Anything over 65% long pot success But it could be about who is going

to take those chances, Dennis. importantly, who is going to win

the little tactical battles. See you can get in amongst the balls.

It is OK being able to pot them when you get in, but you have to

You can't see these players, if they do get in, making careless

Just have a look at that safety. The pace was perfect for Neil

That looks to be catching. -- touching. That will help Neil

Touching ball has been declared, but he is having a look to see if

he can actually pot that red. That is three times he has told him.

it is definitely touching them, You would think a natural path

would be try and get back in behind Just concentrating on getting a

It is not bad, although there is a couple of possible pots, but they

are very risky, and no guarantee of position. Had he missed the brown,

he would have been tight to that baulk cushion. So it is a nice

tactical battle we are watching from these two brilliant break

It is fascinating to see who is going to make the first mistake.

The brown and yellow or a terrific target to get in behind. If you

have got the correct angle to do that. But that is another excellent

And this time, it is not as straightforward, to get back down

He is having to think a little bit Could he play it in such a way that

he could leave himself on the black, and maybe St -- at the same time

That is what he is looking at, the right side of the table. He might

be able to take the pot on and get He is not on the black, but what a

pot! What a terrific long red that was. They don't come much better

than that. Ronnie couldn't have That is very unlucky. He is

hampered with one red, and has covered Dott one that he did up

past the middle pocket. That couldn't have turned out much worse.

All he is going to get from the He is just looking at the position

of the cue ball on the red, I don't think he can get in behind the

yellow and the brown. He would love to be able to do that, but I think

he's going to have to lead bit nearer the cushion. -- leave it

Just the little rubs of the green has left it absolutely perfect. And

it needs to be, because that opening red from Neil Robertson, he

couldn't have played a better safety shot, Ronnie. And that puts

pressure on when you are playing Typical opening frame of a match.

What do beautifully played shot that was. A little tap on the table

Both players have been tapping the table, because of the excellence of

the safety shot. And he's going to slip up first? -- who is going to

slip up first? He certainly left a pot on for Neil, if he can get his

I think he's going to take the red into the right corner and find the

gap past the black, not the first red, the other one. And he has

found the gap. The kiss is not a very favourable again. Unless that

pink goes into the middle pocket. And even then, it be easy. -- It

He was a bit unlucky there. I think he thought he might have avoided

the red and pink, and would have finished on the blue. But once he

got the kiss, it could have worked There is a lot of room around the

table, especially in a two table A very tense opening frame, this.

Even though these matches are still best-of- 25 frames, it is important

to get a good start, and just relax The safety play so far has been

Ronnie didn't feel as if he could get it safe. He just had an anxious

look, he thought he might have He has got to play off the one to

the right of the cue ball, if he played off the other one, he could

easily lead that one. -- leave that Now, cannot Ronnie put in a telling

safety? Will he risk coming off those three reds, and try and get

down behind? His target would be He caught it a little on the thin

side, and that is the reason he has left a possible pot, but once again,

He is looking into the one into the middle pocket, but that doesn't

look on. Can't see a gap if he takes the pot on to the right

corner. The black pots into the same pocket as the red, he would

have to somehow screw over to the Straight in the heart of the

He really does pot does so well. -- Well, this is a good chance. No

matter how good you are, and we know how good Rory O'Sullivan has

been playing, but he has not had even a sniff of a potting chance so

He has got the pink nicely in the That opening shot was a bit special,

it was a stun shot. The white stops dead, indie hits it just slightly

below centre. The ball doesn't move. Tell you what, who shot was a lot

more difficult than what we just The atmosphere is quiet, but it is

electric, even though there is a bit of noise coming off the other

table. There is no other arena that can capture the atmosphere like the

Crucible. And now he is on the black. He will have hopes of

We talk about Ronnie being so focused, but how about this

Australian? How focused is he? He looked totally at ease, totally

He is showing us that he is in fine It is going to be a little bit

difficult to clinch the frame, looking at the reds. He has got a

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

Has he got the angle because the This black will put him 68 points

in front. He will not be playing the pink, I can assure you. The

black will put him 68 points in front with a 67 points remaining.

He's looking at the red near the middle pocket but if he pots the

black, he's going to cannon the other red. It does not matter if

you do not finish nicely on the next pot. That one might go in the

middle. He is going to be a long way away from it. It has landed on

the green. A can't understand why he didn't roll the black in, cannon

the red, and he probably would have pushed it into a possible position.

I think he was making extra sure there and he did not get anywhere

near where he intended the cue ball And that is not the best shot he

has ever played. Ronnie O'Sullivan will come back to the table. He

only needs one snooker. Is that enough for Neil Robertson? I am not

these reds and still only need one snooker. Deciding to come back down

for the black. It is a pity there is one red tight on the cushion

because if Ronnie had been able to take a couple of reds and colours,

but that red next to the blue is a good spot to get a snooker in. But

because of the red on the cushion, it makes that virtually impossible.

There again, it might not be on the Can he afford the blue? He is just

checking the scoreboard. 44 points behind, 43 points remaining. He

just about can afford to take the blue off this red. Where is the cue

ball going? That is a bit careless. That surely is the frame to Neil

Robertson. He was trying to force it wide with a little bit of extra

pace. I can't believe he's done that. It was not a natural enough.

It was because of the pace he played it at. But he did have a

chance there. The blue has not gone in but it will not matter. That

will be enough for Ronnie I am sure. Yes, he concedes after a very tense

Open frame. You could say it was nearly flawless from Neil Robertson.

HAZEL IRVINE: Let's show you how many quarter-final appearances

there have been in all the major ranking events in their respective

careers. Stephen Hendry has the most. He has been on the scene

longer than anyone else. 123 times he has been at this stage of major

events. Ronnie O'Sullivan is in his 89th quarter-final and Neil

Robertson is in his 20th. There is a bit of a gulf in experience in

that respect but you would never know it from that opening frame.

What do you expect from this match? Judging from that frame, Neil

Robertson looks to be playing hard, competitive snooker. It is going to

be a tough match for Ronnie O'Sullivan. No quarter given. I

think there is a huge degree of mutual respect between the two of

them. Very much so, but both of them will be looking at the draw

thinking, in the context of the tournament, if they think they can

win this match, they will think It is Neil Robertson who get the

second frame under way and has he covered that red? It looks pretty

tight as to whether Ronnie could see enough of it to take the pot on.

While there is a way back down the table of the two reds to the left

of the bunch, that is pretty good. Ronnie did precious little wrong in

that opening frame. Neil Robertson's safety was so good, as

was Ronnie's, but Neil Robertson got the first chance and he scored

59, which was virtually enough to This time he has come up a little

bit short. Has the green come to his rescue? Can he get his hand on

the table to get his cue to the side of the green? It is going to

be a slight distraction. In fact, That is the first careless safety

That is not like Ronnie. But that is how he let Neil Robertson in for

that 59 break in the last frame. He is not quite catch in the safety

just right at the moment. The odd one. We talk about the great

atmosphere at the Crucible and we hope it comes over to you at home

when you are watching the snooker. I was reminded, sadly, it was a

year ago today that Ted Lowe passed away. He was the man who really

added the sort of snooker atmosphere through his commentary

and he is still sadly missed. will only be one whispering Ted

Lowe. I had a great pleasure of going into the commentary box the

very first time when somebody was ill at the UK championship and that

was many moons ago now. Ted played a big hand in Pot black, which got

the game of snooker up and running And then when they switch to colour

TV in 1970, the game really took off. Famously, Ted said, Fred Davis

is snookered on the yellow, for those of you watching in black and

white, the yellow is directly An excellent safety shot from

Ronnie. He has got a chance to pot He will be hoping to get the first

He may have a chance here because Neil Robertson has made the mistake

by kissing the green for in the face. Although there is a bit of

pressure on this. The black is an available but he could stun it in

and play for the pink. This will be a test of cue action. It is not far

off a similar shot to the one at Neil Robertson got in within the

opening frame. Neil Robertson got into the right corner with a stun

shot and Ronnie is going to have to attempt a similar one, unless he

can get through to the one past that, which I think he can. He did

not cue that very well. I think he decided to play that as a shot to

nothing and I think he played with side on it. I think he was trying

to check the cue ball, put a little bit of right-hand side on it, and

did not played well at all. And now Ronnie is probably thinking, he

missed it by so much, he should He is just worried if he plays that

one to the right of the black that he might cannon into the red and

finish nowhere. He is taking the more difficult pot to the middle

because he can get onto the pink. He does not have to pot the pink.

He probably will take the yellow and won't pot the pink until he

removes the red that is sitting on He is certainly tuned into this

match. Once again, he may elect to play on possibly the brown and

He doesn't have to play on that red That shows you that he wanted to

get on that red sooner rather than later. Has he got the angle to

screw back and get out onto the pink? Yes, he can do that. It has

come up a little short though. He might have to take the yellow or

brown again. As long as you keep potting them, you keep winning. As

John Virgo used to say on Big break, pot as many balls as you can. That

What is impressing me so much years, they are bound to feel nervous

because it is a big match for both players, but he's very relaxed

around the table, Neil Robertson. Everything he seems to do has got a

purpose about it and that is a good sign. In all honesty, it is very

difficult to know how Ronnie O'Sullivan is playing at the moment.

He made a mess of that long pot but he has very little else to go at.

He has got to be patient and hope that the chance comes. But the way

Neil is playing at the moment, you don't think it is going to come

from Neil Robertson missing an easy shot when he is in. I spoke too

soon. Here is Ronnie's first real Look at that shot. He hardly

touched that but got the screw back required to get him onto the red to

the left of the pink. I think we talked about it, John, then you tip

that leads Dott put on. He says it feels like the best when he has had

for quite a while and it does make a difference. A lot of people at

home my think they are all the same but they don't react the same. In

the last round, some of the shots he was playing was sensational.

snooker, you have got to play every shot with a one Q. You haven't got

one you can hit hard, when you can play a little touch shot. He just

can't make his mind up. He wants to play one of those four reds. If the

black was available, he wouldn't have a problem, but at the moment

he has got to concentrate on the pink. He has just hampered himself

He cued that beautifully. This table looks very quick to me. It is

like lightning. Look at that That did not quite workout as he

intended. He has got to go up the He changed his mind a couple of

times and he did not quite get up off the shot. If you are undecided,

get up and then get down again. But he changed his mind but never got

up of the shot. Luckily, the red This is it. He is playing it, then

he gets down, but he did not Anyway, he got away with it. You

He might not be on a red here. He was not intending to leave it like

this. Where is the black coming? Have a look at this black ball.

Thank you very much. He held his That black coming back as it did,

You just a dream about that happening. You think you are out of

position and a very rarely do something like that happen. But he

has got to capitalise on it. A bit This pink will put him 33 points in

front. He still needs two of these remaining three reds to clinch this

We now know that they are both cueing well and they are carrying

on from where they left off in that previous match. These have been

there to form horses, so to speak, and it is wide open this year, the

world championship, but these two boys at the table have played some

scintillating snooker. Neil Robertson with virtually one chance

after some very good tactical play won the opening frame with a break

And there is a possible 100 just on now. As we know, our sponsors and

giving �200 for every century to the haven House Children's Hospice.

That is the chosen charity this year. And this will be the 53rd, if

Ronnie can clear these up. A man who has already made three. Neil

Robertson has had five centuries this year. He is leading the list.

But this has been a superb break. OK, he had a slice of good fortune

when the black came back at the table and over the pocket but, as

John said, you need a little bit of That is a fatherless effort from

Ronnie O'Sullivan. He got one chance and he took it. He has also

taken the second frame. Can't wait for more of this.

HAZEL IRVINE: It is already good start. Let me update you with what

is going on on the other side of the dividing wall because Ali

Carter has taken the frame -- first frame in his match against Jamie

Jones. The first quarter finals of any event for Jamie Owen -- Jamie

Jones. First blood to Ali Carter against Jamie Jones. But what do

you make of war we have seen on the other side? We have seen that both

players are in exceptional form in this championship. Neil Robertson's

long pot in the opening frame was fantastic and then Ronnie

O'Sullivan with a monster piece of fortune. This is a good shot in

itself to cut this in the corner but you cannot dream of having a

positional shot like this workout for you. The black has come perfect

pace down the table. That is a snooker player's Nirvana. And an

apology to go with it. When you look at the head-to-head matches

between these two, 7-3 to Ronnie. He has won four of the last five.

The momentum has been with Ronnie. But how different a player do you

think in the last 18 months also has Neil Robertson become? I think

winning the world championship races your pride Park higher. You

are a different player afterwards. You have got to cope with the

expectation of that but I think Neil Robertson has done that very

well indeed. These two players, as we have seen this tournament unfold,

they look like that to form horses. You could argue it is a shame that

they are meeting in the quarter- finals but I am sure it is going to

be an absolute cracker. I can't decide who is going to win it.

hope you are watching it and Ronnie's break off shot just left a

red sticking out. That is all Neil Robertson needs. A fantastic pot.

He has just nudged the green and the fact he is looking down at the

reds, it is a tricky little shot but it looks like he's going to

take on. Cutting it back into the He was able to hold the cue ball.

If he can't hit through to the He had to get quite a bit of power

into that but that is a careless one from Neil Robertson. That might

be a costly one. He took his eye off the pot because he was trying

to hit the pack and then screw the white back. Ronnie O'Sullivan back

at the table a lot quicker than he thought he would be. It just shows

you, we talk about fractions, if he had been straighter on that, he

could have stunned it in but because it was slightly off

straight, he felt there was an opportunity to bring the reds into

play. That calls for more pace. The pockets will not accept it unless

it is a fairly accurate. He missed a red in the middle in the last

frame which let Ronnie in, and you can't make mistakes and let Ronnie

O'Sullivan in. That is asking for That is not the best. He did not

hit the red he was intending to cannon into. That would be a bonus

if there is a plant into the corner pocket. The plant must be pretty

close even though there is a bit of distance between the two reds. If

No. He is probably pleased he did not make the plant because he did

not put the cue ball where he He is almost tight on the cushion.

The yellow is just as difficult if he is going to take on. But,

striking off the cushion, it is only John Parrott I can think of

who would have knocked that in. He was brilliant off the cushions. The

yellow is a bit too much but he has got second best. At first glance,

This is going to come off three cushions to go into the reds. He is

not guaranteed to get it safe. It is nearer the black. Neil is coming

around to look at the one in the middle pocket to see if he can take

It was not a good angle. He would have had to play it with pace and

he did not like it. Ronnie is going to attend this difficult escape

again. Even if he hits a red, he's not guaranteed to get safe. That is

the sort of blind he is trying to He is going to do well to land on

that red and leave everything safe, he really is. He had 10 attempts at

One yesterday, trying to get out of a snooker. Eventually, he did hit

Has he got away with that? I don't Being left-handed, it is slightly

more difficult. Can he reached As you say, if he had been right

handed, this would not have been a problem. He is putting the

extension on. It is made easier, this pot, if he does not have to do

a lot with the cue ball. If he can just drop it in, you would fancy

him to get it. He is really at full stretch. I think he needs the

spider here. He certainly does. And he is quite a tall lad. He is about

It would have been a lot easier. In fact, I thought he was going to hit

this red full ball and if it had, it would have been so easy, but

once it slipped into that position, You can see the appreciate in the

spider with the cue rests. He has For some reason, years ago, they

had a You shape in the spider -- U shape, and you're cue used to get

Her if he rolls the black in, he is on this a red to the left corner.

But a little bit of work to do. If Straight enough, no problem. This

He is a little bit straighter than That is not a very good shot. We

can see the line, he was going to come back and captured the red on

the side cushion at. I think he thought he was going to catch that

He has knocked it in, but a trip -- a tricky brown to follow. But he

has great confidence in his potting He missed a red in that middle

pocket in the last frame and it has Yes, quite straightforward if you

watch just rolling it in, but if he was punching it in as he had to do,

much more difficult -- if you are That is a sweet positional shot,

because he hit that quite pacy with stunned and the cue ball didn't

Another delegate screw shot, it is It was imperative that he got past

the brown and he only just scraped I suppose if he was straight on the

That shot he has played with his left hand, he screwed back with

reverse side and caught the other balls, made it look ridiculous and

that is with his opposite hand! Sometimes you don't even notice he

has changed hands, it is quite I have said it before, but I

remember playing him in an exhibition before I retired and he

made a break of 135. He cleared the table and every single shot was

played with his opposite hand. remember saying to Peter Ebdon it

was amazing he had played left I remember when he first started

playing left-handed, do remember the kerfuffle he had with Alan

Robert do? -- Alain Robidoux? Nobody had seen him and they

thought he was taking the mickey. His opponent complained of

But, of course, if you have got He has still got to bring a red

into play. He might try and do it We always say that when you pot a

red and get another red into play, you are not certain of getting on

And that brown was tricky, it was miss a ball and he missed it, just

when he was getting near the winning line. -- it was easily

missed. The cue ball was too near the cushion, that is what caught

him out. At least the brown has gone safe and the pink is safe,

from Ronnie's point of view. Those It was a great chance to clinch

this third rain but -- frame, but when he cannoned the red out, I

think he thought he might get the He took the chance. A little bit

further on the right and he would He would like to take that one

again. He might even refuse the attempt at the pot here. I suppose

if he fancied rolling it, there is the chance of a snooker behind the

I am not quite certain what he played there. It will be lucky if

the yellow comes to his rescue. I think it has. He just wanted to

bring the brown into play and risk Has he fluked a snooker? Can he

gets past the yellow up to pot the He thinks it is too thin. Maybe it

It looks comfortable to me, but obviously, I am not right behind

It just shows you. I commentator's I must be fading. -- my

Hawkeye thinks he might have got it Not the best safety shot again from

Neil. You get the feeling he is looking a bit uncomfortable. It

shows you what missing a couple of Because prior to that, he was

Not a bad shot. I don't think Ronnie will be tempted by the cut,

He didn't quite catch it as full as He was expecting the white to stay

somewhere near the cushion, rather than head over to that side of the

The one thing that Ronnie didn't want to do was bring the pink into

the middle of the table. It is a little bit of insurance for him,

because at the moment, the way it stands, Neil Robertson is 12 point

behind, he is going to need the pink if he is going to win the

Not the best of safety shots. He has been fortunate here that the

This is a good shot, because he had to swerve that, and that is what

What has he done here? He has mishit that completely. I just felt

His confidence has taken a bit of a knock, but having said that, that

is not Ronnie's the best shot. He will need a good shot on this

The pink might help Ronnie here if he takes the Lee pot on. There is

no weight if he -- there is no way I don't know how Ronnie didn't

manage to get himself on to the black when he was in there. It is a

Neil Robertson he needs to six remaining colours. -- need the six

remaining colours. It is not going to be easy, the black is it

distance away from the pink. -- a I think the cushions are catching

them out with it being so quick. A few times, Neil has looked at the

shot after he has played it as if to say what sort of dance is that?

In Ronnie's previous attempt, he went right out of position, trying

to hold for the black and he ended I did mention, I think it was in

the first frame, that the table looked lightening fast. There is no

reason that it should be any But it does look like being fast,

almost to the point where it looks difficult to control the cue ball

when you are sending it any This is Ronnie's shot, trying to

stun. It seems to be the pace of the cushions as well as the quick

Just a safety, I don't blame him. Even the way he can pot, that was

He didn't want to move the pink. He only needs the brown and the blue.

Neil Robertson it needs all of the He is a bit reluctant to play the

brown on to the black. It would keep the brown safe, but he is

wondering whether black would go. - Well Ronnie O'Sullivan be tempted?

He needs the brown, he needs the Super pot. That will be the frame-

winner. This blue will put him 19 points in front with just 13

He has kept a very patient after that first frame, and he is taking

He won't be bothered about the black. A close encounter but a

couple of Mrs that one unexpected from Neil Robertson. -- missed

Ronnie O'Sullivan for me, he is the Ronnie O'Sullivan for me, he is the

most brilliant snooker player I have ever seen in my life. He is

the best player I have ever played in my career. It is unbelievable

what he does. If he could apply himself the way some of the others

have, he had -- would have broken every record. He has still under

achieved, even though he has won so much. Left or right-handed, he

doesn't care. He will always make the breaks. The best I have ever

seen, by far. When he is there, he tries his best. Ronnie O'Sullivan,

which one do you want? I have always respected him as a player

and a man. You never know what you're going to get, same as on the

table. He is the Pearce and people DENNIS TAYLOR: What a wonderful

feeling it must be for Ronnie O'Sullivan to hear all of those

great players talking about him Where is the cue ball going to

finish? I thought it was going to be safe. The mid-session interval

is coming up after this, let's see if Neil Robertson can retaliate and

They have potted the same number of It is quite a tricky one to hold

for the black, so he may have to If the pink passes the reds, it is

a beautiful shot. What control that was. Not a lot of room for the pink.

It looked from our camera angle... Maybe not if you are directly

He is now looking at the pink. Which tells me he must have played

for the blue and underhit it. I was singing his praises for playing

JOHN VIRGO: They say the camera never lies and it looks like it

goes for me. If you are streak behind it, it is unmissable. --

That was amazing that he didn't see that first offer. He was going down

to cue for the blue, so maybe he has lost a little bit of focus. He

is smiling to himself, he can't It is not available now have Jan

Verhaas has put it behind the reds. He doesn't necessarily have to play

up for the blue on this occasion, He has got the two red there that

-- reds. But he needs to hit it harder than that. He will have to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

cannon the other red, which he Just the one loose red to play for.

He has got an angle where he could cannon into the pink and disturb

He has purposely left it low, so when he pots it, he will be

cannoning into the cluster -- There were a couple of ways of

going about it. Your way was not a bad idea when he was on the black,

he had a bit of insurance to cannon And it was nowhere near. So maybe

he did miss a trick. You said he could go into them off for black. -

- AP black. There was every reason to consider going into them off the

blue. There were a lot of shot. This was very tricky, hampered as

Think he played it out of a little But it is not going to cost him of.

Ronnie will be disappointed with That is the first time we have had

a reaction from Ronnie. And that Straight away, he knew he didn't

cue that well. It can be annoying, but he has been potting things like

that out of his mind and that is At that pace, they are far from

easy. Bridging over the black just two Hammad goes into the middle

I think he is going to fall out Look where the cue ball has

finished. Is he on the blue? He is. He can get it to the red on the

It would be a nice frame to pinch, The mid-session interval coming up,

and if he could go 2 3-1, that is what you said your stall out for,

those mid- sessions. And what will hurt Neil Robertson, he only gave

him to bite of the cherry -- two By Bonnie glances at the scoreboard. -

He decided to take it on, thought He is looking at the safety shot

but he is also looking at the There is a possibility here of

potting the brown and screwing up for those reds at the right side of

the table. But being a left-hander, they are a little bit more

difficult. I don't know whether he can use the baulk cushion or screw

back from that angle. But these cloths are so lively, he can bring

He has left unsold a long way from this red. This is not a gimme.

by any means and being left handed, that brown is just about where he

would put his bridge hand. So it He is such a good long potter. If

we get the chance to see that again, see how straight he delivers the

cue. That is PC secret too long Ronnie had a go at splitting the

reds up, it didn't work for him. Neil has had a go and it is

slightly better than the position He is looking to see if one of

those two reds that are together goes in the middle pocket.

Obviously, they don't. Well, maybe it does. You bet it does. That is