Day 12, Part 2

:00:41. > :00:47.There is so much history surrounding this trophy. The First

:00:47. > :00:56.World Championship was staged in 1927 and a joke this was the winner.

:00:56. > :01:02.We have played for that piece of silverware ever since. In the

:01:02. > :01:05.modern either, since 1977 - when the championships were played at

:01:05. > :01:12.the Crucible Theatre here in Sheffield - the record of one the

:01:12. > :01:22.man that stands out. Stephen Hendry. His name is inscribed on that

:01:22. > :01:32.

:01:32. > :01:36.trophy seven times. And last night I are now officially retired from

:01:36. > :01:45.tournament snooker. I make the decision three months ago. Only

:01:45. > :01:50.told a few people. What an ambassador for the game of

:01:50. > :01:58.snooker. He has helped to corrode the game all over the world. Well

:01:58. > :02:08.done to the king of the Crucible. The snooker world will respect this

:02:08. > :02:21.

:02:21. > :02:28.He was the best match player, the I have so many great memories.

:02:28. > :02:38.Youngest world champion, three maximums.

:02:38. > :02:42.

:02:42. > :02:48.There is only one Stephen Hendry! In the 1990s I just felt invincible.

:02:48. > :02:54.The record books will tell you what Stephen Hendry was. It will leave a

:02:54. > :02:59.hole in snooker. It is down to people's opinions to

:02:59. > :03:08.the best players. So long as I am in the discussion that is all right

:03:08. > :03:12.for me. I wanted to be the best and for a little while I was.

:03:12. > :03:17.I respect his decision. He has made it on account of the fact he has

:03:17. > :03:24.always been on the top of his profession. Now that he feels he is

:03:24. > :03:31.not, it is a good call. I want to thank him on behalf of

:03:31. > :03:38.everybody for making the game popular and keeping it popular.

:03:38. > :03:42.Her years a pass by but legends are eternal.

:03:42. > :03:49.Stephen Hendry is enjoying the first day of the rest of his life

:03:49. > :03:54.as an ex spokesman. How does it feel?

:03:54. > :04:00.Very strange. I had lots of messages. It is our belief that it

:04:00. > :04:04.is all over now. This is not a knee-jerk decision

:04:04. > :04:11.following defeat by Stephen Maguire. How instrumental what your family

:04:11. > :04:17.and all of this? I thought about it last year but

:04:17. > :04:21.decided to give it one more year and tried to get back in the top 16.

:04:21. > :04:25.Obviously that did not work out. With my schedule I was spending

:04:26. > :04:30.less time at home. My kids are growing up and it is hard to not

:04:30. > :04:35.even see them grow up. So two or three months ago my wife and I

:04:35. > :04:41.decided that the time was right. I have commitments in China and I

:04:41. > :04:46.cannot do both. It would be impossible.

:04:46. > :04:53.You are 43. This has been your life since 16 years of age. Or what will

:04:53. > :04:58.you miss? I will miss walking out at the

:04:58. > :05:04.Crucible. It is amazing to play there. I will miss been around the

:05:04. > :05:08.players. I get on well with most of them and have laughs. I will not

:05:08. > :05:14.miss the hours of practice. That has become harder and harder and

:05:14. > :05:19.the last few years and I will not miss that at all. And I will not

:05:19. > :05:25.miss the smaller events. I have been public in seeing how much I do

:05:25. > :05:31.not enjoy playing in those. So there are more good times than bad

:05:31. > :05:39.times. I am looking for work to my retirement.

:05:39. > :05:49.Robert Walker, a reaction from the fans?

:05:49. > :05:51.

:05:51. > :05:58.A mixture of shock and admiration. He is gone, that is it.

:05:58. > :06:05.At real shock giving the form that he is in right now. To get at 147,

:06:05. > :06:12.he should not give up, he really has got the talent.

:06:13. > :06:18.Has he gone too early? It is a personal choice for him.

:06:18. > :06:24.But I will be sorry to see him go. He has given us terrific Snooker

:06:24. > :06:31.over the years. What is the legacy of the great man,

:06:31. > :06:37.and who is capable of packing up the mantle?

:06:37. > :06:42.He is great to watch. Great at break Buildings, Great at safety

:06:42. > :06:49.play. A hard act to follow. But maybe one of the youngsters. Judd

:06:49. > :06:55.Trump. There is no chance of him coming

:06:55. > :07:05.back, he has made his decision and it is final! But some reaction from

:07:05. > :07:34.

:07:34. > :07:42.fellow players. These are the Very generous indeed if, Jimmy

:07:42. > :07:48.White. Lots of great comments. No chance of you changing your mind.

:07:48. > :07:52.In that respect, looking back at your 147, when very few people knew

:07:53. > :08:01.about to retire, what extra satisfaction did that get you?

:08:01. > :08:05.Going out on a high? I was a little more animated as you

:08:06. > :08:11.saw. That was the reason. I could not have dreamt that. A fantastic

:08:11. > :08:18.feeling. You have done more than anybody in

:08:18. > :08:25.the game. You must have thought about this. What has continued the

:08:25. > :08:30.edge in this sport? Can you put your finger on it?

:08:30. > :08:33.In the 1990s, nothing was ever enough for me. When I won that

:08:34. > :08:39.tournament I would go straight to the practice table to win at the

:08:39. > :08:45.next one. I never rested on my laurels, I was greedy. That hunger

:08:45. > :08:50.is the main thing that is not there any more. One of the reasons I am

:08:50. > :08:56.retiring. You need a hunger, to keep practising, to keep walking.

:08:56. > :09:00.And that was the edge I had on my opponents.

:09:00. > :09:10.Was it the feeling of repeating someone that get you coming back?

:09:10. > :09:16.More than the success in the titles? -- defeating.

:09:16. > :09:20.Or, yes. I was not all that animated when I won trophies.

:09:20. > :09:25.Almost anti-climactic. Weeks of hard work that would get a water

:09:25. > :09:32.but then I would start thinking of the next one. I would not say I was

:09:32. > :09:36.like a machine but I was basically only about winning.

:09:36. > :09:42.Was there when the moment of perfection in your playing that

:09:42. > :09:48.stands out which always live with you?

:09:48. > :09:53.Your first world title obviously. Youngest world champion. But to get

:09:53. > :10:03.a 147 is the most perfect thing you can do in snooker. To do that here

:10:03. > :10:07.

:10:07. > :10:15.three times, in terms of the single was, that was special. -- buyers.

:10:15. > :10:20.How will you read channel those competitive instincts?

:10:20. > :10:24.In the last few years the hunger and self-belief that I had in the

:10:24. > :10:31.1990s has gradually been whittled away by poorer results and

:10:31. > :10:39.performances. That is the main reason I am retiring. I am and thus

:10:39. > :10:46.to win and if you take the winning away, you take the enjoyment away.

:10:46. > :10:50.Will anybody ever saw pass you have seven the world titles?

:10:50. > :10:56.I want to say no because there are so many great players competing

:10:56. > :11:00.with each other. But you never can be sure. Perhaps I delayed John

:11:00. > :11:07.Higgins by one more year by defeating him this here. But he has

:11:07. > :11:12.won four and is good enough to win another two, three, for maybe.

:11:12. > :11:20.Can I just say on behalf of the millions, thank you so much? For

:11:20. > :11:26.the moments of snooker in the moments of small or. -- and the

:11:26. > :11:36.moments of sport. Now you are about to join at the has been so on the

:11:36. > :11:41.

:11:41. > :11:48.We have got another afternoon in the company of three-time champion

:11:48. > :11:54.Ronnie O'Sullivan. But he has ran into a robust opposition in the

:11:54. > :12:04.shape of Neil Robertson. The man from Melbourne has got a shock lead

:12:04. > :12:12.in the marquee tie. Meanwhile, Matthew Stevens will be just how

:12:12. > :12:18.his game 11/5. Ali Carter is the feel-good story. We reflect on his

:12:18. > :12:28.progress against Jamie Jones. And three rounds to go in a marathon

:12:28. > :12:29.

:12:29. > :12:35.and quite loopy Snooker pub quiz. And the darts champion Martin Evans

:12:35. > :12:40.compares the tension here with the lakeside.

:12:40. > :12:47.I can see why they call it a cauldron. It is very close and

:12:47. > :12:52.claustrophobic. But we start with a reflection on

:12:52. > :12:55.the quarter-finals. Six men still battling it out for three remaining

:12:55. > :13:02.slots in the semi-finals. Stephen Maguire has already booked his

:13:02. > :13:07.place. Ali Carter has experience of the one the table set up having

:13:07. > :13:12.been there twice at the semi-final stage before. It was at that point

:13:12. > :13:16.that he shot up to number two in the world. He has been flying high

:13:16. > :13:26.ever since. What do his fellow professionals make of his strengths

:13:26. > :13:30.

:13:31. > :13:33.All the players we're talking about are the best in the world. But

:13:33. > :13:39.we're trying to discuss the differences between them and

:13:39. > :13:48.perhaps pick up a fault. Es Ali Carter's Achilles heel his

:13:48. > :13:54.temperament? When I played him in the World

:13:54. > :13:57.Championship semi-finals I did a very good clearance to go three - 0

:13:57. > :14:03.in front. After the match he admitted to me that it made him

:14:03. > :14:07.want to smash the whole place up! That probably suggests he has a

:14:07. > :14:11.small concentration and temperament laps but a beautiful player with a

:14:11. > :14:16.great all-round game. But he would admit himself that he sometimes

:14:16. > :14:22.lets himself down in that department.

:14:23. > :14:27.Is he aware of this? When I have played him in years

:14:27. > :14:31.gone by I have seen him going to that zone and it sometimes gives

:14:31. > :14:38.you confidence. I often thought, while Richard opponents see that?

:14:38. > :14:44.If there is one thing for him to sort out it would be 0 to let his

:14:44. > :14:54.opponent see that. Because striking the ball, he is a great player.

:14:54. > :14:58.Would he be a candidate for a I am not sure about that but he

:14:58. > :15:04.does have the technique to win a lot of titles. His temperament

:15:04. > :15:07.however does let him down a little bit. With Stephen Maguire it

:15:07. > :15:15.benefits him a more times than not it with Ali Carter it seems to let

:15:15. > :15:21.him down. As long as it is positive emotion

:15:22. > :15:27.he is showing that is great. But he sometimes lets his opponents get

:15:27. > :15:37.back into matches. Or definitely gives them inspiration. He really

:15:37. > :15:38.

:15:38. > :15:45.lets you know about it if he gets account of Mrs something easy. --

:15:45. > :15:51.gets a kick or masses something easy.

:15:51. > :15:56.At times it looks as if he is trying a little bit too hard. You

:15:56. > :16:02.can tell of a player is enjoying it. But sometimes he looks as if he is

:16:02. > :16:07.not having fun out there. And you have to have fun, enjoy the

:16:07. > :16:15.pressures. But it remains to be seen. Perhaps he has under-achieved

:16:15. > :16:22.for the talent he has got. Ali Carter was delighted to come

:16:22. > :16:28.out of the opening session with a Jamie Jones ahead after a draining

:16:28. > :16:33.session against Judd Trump. Showing he has then they're off to compete

:16:33. > :16:42.at this stage. At 10am this morning their return for their second

:16:42. > :16:52.session. This is now frame-up 11. Watched by Steve Davis and Neal

:16:52. > :17:05.

:17:05. > :17:15.He is smiling. But he cannot use an excuse for that. He should not have

:17:15. > :17:28.

:17:28. > :17:38.It does break your concentration, Jamie Jones will not be shedding

:17:38. > :17:38.

:17:38. > :18:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:18:35. > :18:45.Read into the middle or the red into the corner and disturb other

:18:45. > :18:53.

:18:53. > :18:59.Here is where modern-day snooker That shot would never have been

:18:59. > :19:07.played as a matter of course like it is now. The old fashioned way

:19:07. > :19:11.would have been to have left that read until the last opportunity.

:19:11. > :19:21.The player who has just gone into retirement was the man who really

:19:21. > :19:57.

:19:57. > :20:07.raised the bar when it came to He just about got there but did not

:20:07. > :20:07.

:20:07. > :21:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:21:08. > :21:18.mean to be that close to the blue. Not easy to see what he hack can do

:21:18. > :21:20.

:21:20. > :21:25.here. Well, he is blessed with a lot of cue power. He did not just

:21:25. > :21:35.send it the ball softly into the pack but shifted a few around. A

:21:35. > :21:57.

:21:58. > :22:07.A really, really good recovery shot. With the angle on the black now he

:22:08. > :22:17.

:22:17. > :22:21.can just nudge into these. That He could have gone into those reds

:22:21. > :22:26.there and would probably have been guaranteed to be on one. Now it is

:22:26. > :22:33.just a case of getting a nice angle on the black to be able to go back

:22:33. > :22:40.into the reds from it. Wants to be low on the black ball here. He is

:22:41. > :22:45.not. So he can still play position. There may be another read that goes

:22:45. > :22:55.besides the loose one. He will be able to get over of the line

:22:55. > :22:55.

:22:55. > :23:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:23:48. > :23:55.Well, as he has got into them this time. He could have perhaps done it

:23:55. > :24:05.a few short to go but I will tell you, that is a very fine shot. He

:24:05. > :24:05.

:24:05. > :25:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:25:04. > :25:08.This is absolutely first-class. On many occasions he has done this

:25:08. > :25:18.when behind. He played his best snooker in yesterday when he really

:25:18. > :25:30.

:25:30. > :25:40.And what looked like a possibly tortured session has all of a

:25:40. > :25:45.

:25:45. > :25:55.sudden started to become quite Can a Jamie Jones tie and this

:25:55. > :25:57.

:25:57. > :26:02.match around? Can he reached the semi-finals? I am not sure but I

:26:02. > :26:12.think he believes he can. That is the most important thing. No doubt

:26:12. > :26:13.

:26:13. > :26:17.he is getting stuck in. And he is proving that he can score heavily.

:26:18. > :26:27.You cannot overestimate how exciting it is for a player,

:26:28. > :26:33.

:26:33. > :26:43.certainly his friends and family The biggest match of his career.

:26:43. > :26:54.

:26:54. > :27:04.Beautiful stuff. Absolutely top- class from a Jamie Jones. A

:27:04. > :27:09.

:27:09. > :27:15.clearance of 138. He trails only six - a five. The 24-year-old

:27:15. > :27:25.continuing to belie his rookie status. In to frame 12. Carter at

:27:25. > :27:29.

:27:29. > :27:39.He needed to set out a big break and that is never easy but I did

:27:39. > :27:39.

:27:39. > :28:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:28:31. > :28:41.not see him missing that. A pretty I can see him going for the pink

:28:41. > :29:03.

:29:03. > :29:13.here. With the black embed it all You have got to give him credit. He

:29:13. > :29:15.

:29:15. > :29:21.really is trying to win these frames and one visit. Not good. A

:29:21. > :29:26.shot that was very important to be on the right side of the blue. The

:29:26. > :29:36.blue as unmissable. But you would expect if he Pot's it than he would

:29:36. > :29:54.

:29:54. > :30:02.Very nice. Bed not shirk his responsibilities. The red Here's

:30:02. > :30:12.looking at would be a good one to take on. He is thinking straight.

:30:12. > :30:12.

:30:12. > :31:43.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:31:43. > :31:53.He has a difficult shot now, but still one or two options. It is

:31:53. > :31:58.

:31:58. > :32:08.hard to imagine him having nothing Jones has been making the bigger

:32:08. > :32:17.

:32:17. > :32:21.breaks of the two. Carter has had a subdued morning. I like the way

:32:21. > :32:31.Jamie Jones goes about his work. He has some hustle and bustle around

:32:31. > :32:48.

:32:48. > :32:53.the table, but is careful on the You have to lap it up out there.

:32:53. > :33:03.That is what it is all about. Not every player who has come here has

:33:03. > :33:03.

:33:03. > :34:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:34:11. > :34:21.He had to force that to get any Another frame he has won in a

:34:21. > :34:52.

:34:52. > :35:02.single visit to the table. I end up This is a young player probably

:35:02. > :35:17.

:35:17. > :35:21.playing the best snooker of his Another great player to come from

:35:21. > :35:31.the valleys. Always a good tradition of fantastic snooker in

:35:31. > :35:31.

:35:31. > :36:18.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:36:18. > :36:23.Cliff Wilson was the first. Terry 57th century of the tournament.

:36:23. > :36:33.Seven from a Jamie Jones. There is no doubt he is playing marvellous

:36:33. > :37:09.

:37:09. > :37:19.snooker here. He is very much in Jamie Jones is playing a sublime

:37:19. > :37:24.snooker. This match has everything to play for.

:37:24. > :37:30.That is the 54th century of this year's championship. We are

:37:30. > :37:37.motoring towards the record of 83 in 2009. Whether we will get there

:37:37. > :37:42.is anyone's guess. Some excellent scoring from Jamie Jones. His 7th

:37:42. > :37:49.of the campaign so far. We have spoken of men who will carry the

:37:49. > :37:55.mantle of Stephen Hendry and others. Jamie Jones is a star in the making.

:37:55. > :37:59.He is. He is enjoying himself, expressing himself and play and

:37:59. > :38:05.wonderful snooker. Incredible determinations. For a debutant,

:38:05. > :38:09.that is incredible. We stop at the start of the match yesterday, we

:38:09. > :38:13.said that he was like a rabbit in headlights in the first couple of

:38:13. > :38:22.frames. How well has he adapted to the conditions of this particular

:38:22. > :38:28.experience? A very well. If he is feisty. Even when he is behind, he

:38:28. > :38:38.finds something from somewhere. Very good competitor. To make

:38:38. > :38:42.consecutive set -- consecutive centuries, a very good.

:38:42. > :38:46.qualified for the China Open and then qualified for here. He does

:38:46. > :38:51.not want this season to end. He is growing in confidence and getting

:38:51. > :38:56.better. He beat John Higgins recently. He is clearly not afraid

:38:56. > :39:06.of some of the bigger champions. Let's get back into this one. This

:39:06. > :39:19.

:39:19. > :39:24.is the 13th frame. He is -- Jones When you're playing relatively slow

:39:24. > :39:34.shots, the angle cut into the middle and it always seems like you

:39:34. > :39:45.

:39:45. > :39:55.That was struck as positively as you could ask for. Correct side of

:39:55. > :40:09.

:40:09. > :40:14.the blue. It will still be tough to Can he shift a red out and keep on

:40:14. > :40:24.the black and pink? Does the natural line of the cue ball go

:40:24. > :41:01.

:41:02. > :41:05.They have ball kiss on the red was Carter is struggling. Sometimes the

:41:05. > :41:11.easiest pops become a little more difficult when you were trying to

:41:11. > :41:17.do something with the cue ball. Where that red has finished up

:41:17. > :41:27.means that Jamie Jones can spot them all up and leave him with the

:41:27. > :41:58.

:41:58. > :42:08.I think that needed to be harder They seem to be hugging the top

:42:08. > :42:10.

:42:10. > :42:20.rail on this table. The hold the cushion on most tables, I suppose.

:42:20. > :42:38.

:42:38. > :42:47.Beautiful. I like his cue action under pressure. He does not pull

:42:47. > :42:57.the cue back very far. Some players have more of a pullback with

:42:57. > :43:10.

:43:10. > :43:19.distance. But he is compact. Under He was worried the red would stay

:43:19. > :43:29.over the pocket. That would have driven Ali Carter mad. It was not

:43:29. > :43:36.

:43:36. > :43:41.That was always a risk playing that shot, to go round the back. He

:43:41. > :43:51.could have played the black across the table to guarantee more

:43:51. > :44:12.

:44:12. > :44:22.position on the red. He has given This is possibly a frame-winning

:44:22. > :44:22.

:44:22. > :45:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:45:08. > :45:18.He is a bit unlucky to finish where The brown could cannon into the

:45:18. > :45:21.

:45:21. > :45:26.yellow to push it into the corner. Worst outcome was that it goes

:45:26. > :45:36.tight on the cushion. That means he will be further away from the green

:45:36. > :45:44.

:45:44. > :45:54.man he wanted. Can't do so much The cue ball is away from the

:45:54. > :46:11.

:46:11. > :46:21.cushion, but not clear cut on the Of course, he needs the brown.

:46:21. > :46:33.

:46:33. > :46:43.This was a big frame. This was Jamie Jones' chance to go in front

:46:43. > :46:57.

:46:57. > :47:07.Carter will stay in front. That put Carter over the line. He

:47:07. > :47:30.

:47:30. > :47:39.won the next as well. Into the After some turbulence, the seatbelt

:47:39. > :47:49.signs have been switched off. The chance for Ali Carter, the captain,

:47:49. > :47:49.

:47:49. > :48:58.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:48:58. > :49:08.Ali Carter cued that one in beautifully. Nicely on the black.

:49:08. > :49:26.

:49:26. > :49:36.He has not been scoring anywhere Highest break of 77 for Ali Carter.

:49:36. > :49:36.

:49:36. > :50:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:50:20. > :50:30.Good shot. That is why he played the pink and not the black as the

:50:30. > :50:31.

:50:31. > :51:49.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:51:50. > :51:59.Not many reds out in the open. He He wanted to be a little lower with

:52:00. > :52:29.

:52:29. > :52:39.the cue ball for the next red or This would be a nice frame to win

:52:39. > :52:39.

:52:39. > :53:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:53:53. > :54:03.Not bad. The way he has made this break, he has taken out a red or

:54:03. > :54:03.

:54:03. > :54:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:54:59. > :55:09.two on a few occasions, but all the Could be the second highest break

:55:09. > :55:24.

:55:24. > :55:34.of the tournament coming up here, I It has got that feel to it. He must

:55:34. > :55:44.

:55:44. > :55:53.be feeling a lot happier now about All well!

:55:53. > :56:00.Carter was in charge of the last frame in the session. Jones cleared

:56:00. > :56:08.the remaining colours to reduce the deficit. They will return this

:56:08. > :56:13.evening for a barnstorming quarter final. We are here in the heart of

:56:13. > :56:20.the Crucible. That has all hallmarks of a close finish.

:56:20. > :56:26.Fantastic match. Both players are going for it. A lot of high quality

:56:26. > :56:30.snooker and very close. Did you expect it to be quite so close?

:56:31. > :56:37.Jamie Jones is a very gritty competitor. He hangs around and

:56:37. > :56:46.does not make it easy. Ali Carter will be disappointed he did not

:56:47. > :56:53.Gaulle 10-6 up, but he has some ground he can make up. That will

:56:53. > :57:03.resume at 7pm. A lot of reaction coming in about Stephen Hendry's

:57:03. > :57:08.decision to retire yesterday. think it is a little bit of a shame

:57:08. > :57:17.that he didn't announce that before this tournament. I think the

:57:17. > :57:21.players in the crowd could have given him a big send off. A lot of

:57:22. > :57:30.credit to him because he he is respecting his opponents with that

:57:30. > :57:37.decision. Very successful player. I speak on behalf of all the players

:57:37. > :57:43.when I say that we wish him well. Ladies and gentlemen, before at the

:57:43. > :57:47.live match this afternoon, we thought it only fitting that after

:57:47. > :57:51.the announcement yesterday that Stephen Hendry is hanging up his

:57:51. > :57:57.cue from good that he should be allowed to take a bow on the stage

:57:57. > :58:03.he has graced for 27 years. 127 centuries, three maximums, 90

:58:03. > :58:07.matches here and one the world title seven times. More than a

:58:07. > :58:12.snooker player, he is one of the greatest sportsman ever to emerge

:58:12. > :58:22.from Scotland, and indeed Great Britain. Please welcome the best of

:58:22. > :58:22.

:58:22. > :59:12.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:59:12. > :59:16.the very best, Mr Stephen Hendry! So, fond farewell. Goodbye to the

:59:16. > :59:25.sport where he set countless records, many of which will never

:59:25. > :59:30.be broken. Emotional scenes here today. The championship goes on and

:59:30. > :59:33.we have some wonderful live action this afternoon featuring two men,

:59:33. > :59:43.Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson, who were inspired to

:59:43. > :00:19.

:00:19. > :00:26.play the game by Stephen Hendry and I always loved playing video games.

:00:26. > :00:33.Joe Perry and Mark Davis chill-out and watch DVDs. It is really

:00:33. > :00:40.important to find something that you can do in between sessions. I

:00:40. > :00:45.am a massive Chelsea supporter. Any of the doubters who thought that I

:00:45. > :00:51.jumped on the bandwagon a few years ago, I definitely proved them right

:00:51. > :00:55.when we defeated Barcelona. I screamed my head off when Fernando

:00:55. > :00:59.tourists scored the winner. The referee came in and told me she

:00:59. > :01:07.could actually hear me and the Crucible arena and so why should

:01:07. > :01:12.keep it down! My form has been fantastic. This has definitely be

:01:12. > :01:21.my most consistent you coming into a World Championship. I am coming

:01:21. > :01:25.in as a form player. Ronnie is probably one of the few players

:01:26. > :01:34.like Stephen Hendry and John Higgins rather one of the big-time

:01:34. > :01:38.players. It is a dream for any player to play them at the Crucible.

:01:38. > :01:43.The most enjoyable thing about Ronnie's game is how quickly he

:01:43. > :01:51.scones and how easy he makes it look. Watching him on television

:01:51. > :01:56.you would find snooker is the easiest game in the world. The way

:01:56. > :02:04.I look at it, I am three matches away from winning the tournament.

:02:04. > :02:08.There is the pressure off, well I ever have the chance to win a world

:02:08. > :02:15.title? Having done it before as Australia's first-ever world

:02:15. > :02:24.champion, you cannot really... It is not as if I was just 21 Nov 22,

:02:24. > :02:30.the best period of your career is from you're elderly too late 30s.

:02:30. > :02:40.But to have one behind me, it makes me think I can go on and win a

:02:40. > :03:04.

:03:04. > :03:14.For a fabulous effort from Ronnie He will be disappointed with that.

:03:14. > :03:16.

:03:16. > :03:21.It is all square! Clean as a whistle, we're all square again.

:03:21. > :03:31.The blue will be enough to leave him needing a snooker. What has he

:03:31. > :03:35.

:03:35. > :03:45.done? Where will the blue finished? It is amazing. When you make an

:03:45. > :03:55.

:03:55. > :04:05.easy mistake the balls never seemed That is right in the centre of the

:04:05. > :04:12.

:04:13. > :04:20.All the players to enter into the Crucible this year would be

:04:20. > :04:24.hankering for this situation. It has finished over their and the

:04:24. > :04:31.people have bought their tickets for the Maguire Henbury match will

:04:31. > :04:35.not be disappointed to see an absolute classic.

:04:35. > :04:41.We have just said goodbye to one legend but these two players are

:04:41. > :04:51.waiting to complete their legacies. What a cracking session we have

:04:51. > :04:57.

:04:57. > :05:04.ahead at the Betfred.com World Please welcome the most naturally

:05:04. > :05:08.gifted player ever to grace the game. At times he has been the

:05:08. > :05:14.sublime in this championship. He dispatched a Mark Williams in style

:05:14. > :05:18.and is aiming for an 9th semi-final. The three-time champion of the

:05:18. > :05:28.world, a blink and you will miss him, at the Rocket, Ronnie

:05:28. > :05:38.

:05:38. > :05:43.His opponent, he came over from Australia 9 the years ago with

:05:43. > :05:52.their late a penny in his pocket. Now he is one of the game's leading

:05:52. > :06:02.lights. World champion here in at 2010. Can you hear the Thunder from

:06:02. > :06:14.

:06:14. > :06:19.It seems fitting that the players have the floor to themselves.

:06:19. > :06:29.Everybody wants to see this one. Including our commentators, Terry

:06:29. > :06:31.

:06:31. > :06:35.Griffiths, and John van Gogh. As you said, very emotional seeing

:06:35. > :06:41.Stephen Hendry saluted like that. And these two players have plenty

:06:41. > :06:51.of snookered left in them. What an afternoon of snooker this could be.

:06:51. > :06:58.

:06:58. > :07:05.An important session, particularly Whenever you start a session two

:07:05. > :07:11.frames behind it is imperative to get a good start. But as we have

:07:11. > :07:17.said and seen so many times with Neil Robertson, he is absolutely

:07:17. > :07:27.the real deal. A great potter. Great safety play. Break-building.

:07:27. > :07:32.

:07:32. > :07:36.In my opinion the best match player on the circuit at the moment. John

:07:36. > :07:41.Higgins has not played so well this year and Neil Robertson seems to be

:07:41. > :07:51.threatening at most tournaments. Winning the Masters this year, of

:07:51. > :07:55.

:07:56. > :08:05.Has to be careful with this one. Could possibly leave our red on the

:08:06. > :08:15.middle pocket. Nestling into them like that he will be hampered so he

:08:16. > :08:16.

:08:16. > :08:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:08:57. > :09:04.may not take root -- take on the Neil Robertson, comfortable at the

:09:04. > :09:07.moment. 5 - 3 in front. Although or Ronnie O'Sullivan played a lot of

:09:07. > :09:15.good safety shots yesterday Neil was always a little bit more

:09:15. > :09:25.comfortable. Of course, when Ronnie gets in amongst the balls, he s

:09:25. > :09:41.

:09:41. > :09:51.stronger that type of game than He will have been disappointed to

:09:51. > :09:52.

:09:52. > :10:02.catch the brown full in the face. An easy return now for Ronnie. His

:10:02. > :10:10.

:10:10. > :10:20.Neil Robertson does not seem to look a star to whether he is on the

:10:20. > :10:37.

:10:37. > :10:42.table or sitting in his seat. -- I imagine the middle pocket is just

:10:42. > :10:47.about in his way to play this red on the right hand side of the table.

:10:47. > :10:57.So it's he is giving this short plenty of thought. Coming up to

:10:57. > :11:16.

:11:16. > :11:20.There is danger in this one. Farrell. Ronnie O'Sullivan, four.

:11:20. > :11:29.Swerving it like that, it was always going to bring balls into

:11:29. > :11:39.play. Attest of Ronnie's cueing. The black is not available. He has

:11:39. > :11:41.

:11:41. > :11:51.got to go back up the table for the blue. He has struck that absolutely

:11:51. > :11:59.

:12:00. > :12:04.beautifully. Inch-perfect on the His long potting has improved. He

:12:04. > :12:14.seems to be enjoying his snooker more and with that his long potting

:12:14. > :12:23.

:12:23. > :12:27.has come along. It was hurting him And if you're a long potting is

:12:27. > :12:37.just off then basically you're relying on the stakes from your

:12:37. > :12:40.

:12:40. > :12:48.opponents. -- mistakes. I am sure Ronnie would like to build up a

:12:48. > :12:58.head of steam here. Keep Neil in his seat as long as possible. The

:12:58. > :13:05.

:13:05. > :13:15.He has played for the black. Played it beautifully. Make that look easy.

:13:15. > :13:34.

:13:34. > :13:40.It was anything but. That now Of course, at full speed, it can be

:13:40. > :13:50.very disruptive for his opponent. Frames are over in the blink of an

:13:50. > :14:00.

:14:00. > :14:10.Maybe not the best there. But he can just Q past the back. -- you

:14:10. > :14:35.

:14:35. > :14:45.A little shake of the head there. He has got to be careful now with

:14:45. > :14:56.

:14:56. > :15:06.Running into them. Just caught the wrong have read so now just a

:15:06. > :15:12.

:15:12. > :15:20.safety. That is a pretty decent safety. Doesn't have the cue ball

:15:20. > :15:28.tight against the cushion, but... Here was the pot. Just not fool

:15:28. > :15:33.enough. That is why it ran out of position. I do not think he can get

:15:33. > :15:43.through to this. Perhaps he is just worried about leaving it. Or can

:15:43. > :15:45.

:15:45. > :15:55.he? I did not think he could get through to it. Well, if he does not

:15:55. > :16:16.

:16:16. > :16:23.leave this red, he has been Asked second chance in this first

:16:23. > :16:33.frame for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Looking to close it out with this

:16:33. > :17:04.

:17:04. > :17:14.Inch-perfect on the red. Just needs This, to go 73 points in front with

:17:14. > :17:14.

:17:14. > :18:24.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:18:24. > :18:31.A little unlucky full stock that was a foul. You have to wait for

:18:31. > :18:40.the black to go back on the spot. But the frame was over. Just at the

:18:40. > :18:49.start about Ronnie O'Sullivan was We are enjoying our tea break. You

:18:49. > :18:54.have caught me out with a bit of cake. That is better. Under

:18:54. > :19:00.difficult end to the previous session for Ronnie.

:19:00. > :19:10.It was indeed. It should have been for that - a four. So important he

:19:10. > :19:12.

:19:12. > :19:16.got a good start. The opening few frames today, very important.

:19:16. > :19:23.What do you make of yesterday and the context it places on the

:19:23. > :19:33.session today? Incredible, he missed a simple shot

:19:33. > :19:34.

:19:34. > :19:38.and we saw him banging his cue. The first frame today was huge.

:19:38. > :19:45.Ronnie O'Sullivan must win the session if he is to have a chance

:19:45. > :19:51.of winning this match. A good start for him.

:19:51. > :19:56.Interesting to hear what the boys were saying in the studio. If

:19:56. > :20:06.Ronnie O'Sullivan drew this session he would still be well in the match

:20:06. > :20:12.but I do not think he is really interested in that at this moment.

:20:12. > :20:17.But the way he has started he will be in front before long. It is fast

:20:17. > :20:22.this cloth. You saw that white going down. Even the Ronnie was in

:20:22. > :20:30.doubt for one moment. Another inch possibly and he would have been

:20:30. > :20:34.bridging over the yellow. commentated on the first session

:20:34. > :20:44.yesterday and the table looked almost unplayable during the first

:20:44. > :20:49.

:20:49. > :20:59.few frames. Better to do a. One of the main reasons, that is the

:20:59. > :21:04.

:21:04. > :21:14.With the picture of these players form in their mind before hitting

:21:14. > :21:25.

:21:25. > :21:32.the ball, if that changes, it is There is a sense in the audience

:21:32. > :21:42.that this is a big-match. Two of the players that many are tapping

:21:42. > :22:03.

:22:03. > :22:13.Considering he hit that absolutely Played that well. It can be quite

:22:13. > :22:16.

:22:16. > :22:26.easy to catch them too thin or too He knew it was an important shot.

:22:26. > :22:50.

:22:50. > :23:00.He gave it a bit more time than. -- He is OK. Slightly awkward pitching,

:23:00. > :23:04.but... When the balls are open with Ronnie

:23:04. > :23:14.O'Sullivan you feel that if he goes down for a local art he comes out

:23:14. > :23:23.

:23:23. > :23:33.in a crash! -- if he goes for a He hardly touched that. But it

:23:33. > :23:39.

:23:39. > :23:48.seems that he plays with the hand He has got such a presence in the

:23:48. > :23:58.room. Just gone into that a little bit too much. But he can still pot

:23:58. > :24:08.this red. He would have wanted it to be straighter than this. But no

:24:08. > :24:21.

:24:21. > :24:31.problem. He is firing on all He is in total control of

:24:31. > :24:59.

:24:59. > :25:07.There you see it. This, to go 67 ahead with only 50 name left.

:25:07. > :25:17.Another frame and are back in double quick time. -- another frame

:25:17. > :25:38.

:25:38. > :25:43.He seems to be perfect on the balls every time. When you're in your

:25:43. > :25:49.seat he makes it look so easy. It must be difficult for an opponent.

:25:49. > :25:59.When he plays like this, it bijou breathless. Again to raise the

:25:59. > :26:36.

:26:36. > :26:46.Farrell. -- Foul. Ronnie O'Sullivan is for me the

:26:46. > :26:47.

:26:47. > :26:53.most brilliant snooker players I He is the best player I have ever

:26:53. > :27:00.seen. He has still under-achieved even

:27:00. > :27:06.though he has won so much in the game.

:27:06. > :27:15.When he makes breaks he is never out of position.

:27:15. > :27:21.Best I have ever seen by far. I have always respected him as a

:27:21. > :27:25.player and a man. You never know what you're going to

:27:25. > :27:35.get. There are not many people I would

:27:35. > :27:36.

:27:36. > :27:41.pay to watch but he is one of them. Or quick-fire.

:27:41. > :27:51.Neil hasn't even has settled into his stride yet. This is exactly

:27:51. > :27:58.

:27:58. > :28:08.what Ronnie O'Sullivan would have This time he has left a chance of a

:28:08. > :28:15.

:28:15. > :28:20.pot. But whether Neil Robertson can Close, but it is not easy when you

:28:20. > :28:30.have been sat in your chair for the first two frames without any table

:28:30. > :28:44.

:28:44. > :28:51.That is one of the hard things That will give Neil some

:28:51. > :29:01.encouragement. FCC's Ronnie O'Sullivan and knocking home long

:29:01. > :29:10.

:29:10. > :29:20.balls after he must then that would The long pot success is quite close

:29:20. > :29:34.

:29:35. > :29:43.-- Foul. He touched that read.

:29:43. > :29:47.That is the first one we have seen called. That gives the opportunity

:29:47. > :29:55.for Ronnie to play the shot that Neil Robertson was about to play

:29:55. > :29:59.and he has played it perfectly. He may decide against a cannon here.

:29:59. > :30:02.Because he would like that red which is just to the right of the

:30:02. > :30:12.black out of the way. That would make the black available in both

:30:12. > :30:47.

:30:47. > :30:57.corners. There is no better break- There is a red at the bottom of

:30:57. > :31:17.

:31:17. > :31:25.that cluster that he could pot No disrespect to Neil Robertson, I

:31:25. > :31:29.think he is a wonderful player, but you don't want Ronnie O'Sullivan to

:31:30. > :31:37.stop potting these as it is so great to watch. There is a

:31:37. > :31:47.peacefulness about him round the table. Very calm and collected,

:31:47. > :31:53.

:31:53. > :32:03.decisive. If he plays the black, he will have to come off the right and

:32:03. > :32:13.into the reds. He has had them nicely enough, but I think he is

:32:13. > :32:19.

:32:19. > :32:25.unlucky. I think their covering -- they are covering. As long as

:32:25. > :32:30.you don't mess up pot when you are in, you get a chance to play a

:32:30. > :32:40.safety. But Neil Robertson has a chance on this red. It is a tough

:32:40. > :32:45.

:32:45. > :32:55.one. He will take anything at the He is yet to pot a ball in this

:32:55. > :33:07.

:33:07. > :33:14.session. 24 minutes, that is a long He could have played it safe, but

:33:14. > :33:24.he decided that red would have won him the frame. Now he will sit down

:33:24. > :33:46.

:33:46. > :33:56.and wonder if it has cost him the Decent chance as he no longer has

:33:56. > :34:08.

:34:08. > :34:13.It is not easy when you have been sat in your chair most of the time.

:34:13. > :34:23.He played for the one in the left, but is hampered by the blue. I

:34:23. > :34:44.

:34:44. > :34:53.This is different. He is placing the rest away from the blue to

:34:53. > :35:03.ensure no fault. This is a straight shot so not much to line up.

:35:03. > :35:20.

:35:20. > :35:29.much drawback on it the cue, He did not have a lot of cue

:35:29. > :35:34.between the rest head and the cue ball. It did not run through it so

:35:34. > :35:39.he is not on the black. Will he go for the blue? He is a great potter,

:35:39. > :35:49.but there is a lot of pressure now he lost the first two frames. This

:35:49. > :36:02.

:36:02. > :36:12.He had been sitting down for 25 minutes until he got this chance.

:36:12. > :36:22.He is a great match player. I have respect for this man. That is

:36:22. > :36:28.amazing. You miss one of those once a month. Very surprising after the

:36:28. > :36:34.blue he potted. Maybe he thought the hard shot was out of the way it

:36:34. > :36:38.and he switched off slightly. You can't do that. Ronnie O'Sullivan

:36:38. > :36:48.has made it look so easy and the first two frames. But you have to

:36:48. > :36:48.

:36:49. > :36:58.be so accurate. Ronnie came to the table with a 32 point lead. The

:36:59. > :36:59.

:36:59. > :37:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:37:52. > :38:02.He gave Neil Robertson a chance in this frame, but unfortunately Neil

:38:02. > :38:02.

:38:02. > :38:12.Robertson did not make the most of it. The black would put him 60

:38:12. > :38:22.

:38:22. > :38:26.What a start from Ronnie. Neil Robertson might have thought he had

:38:26. > :38:36.won the frame with the blue and then took his eye off the red.

:38:36. > :38:36.

:38:36. > :39:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:39:22. > :39:28.Didn't give it enough care and In the first two frames, Ronnie

:39:28. > :39:34.O'Sullivan one on his own. In this frame, Neil Robertson made a final

:39:34. > :39:43.at the beginning. And then he missed the red when he was in. That

:39:43. > :39:53.is costly at this standard. That has given Ronnie this break of 57

:39:53. > :40:13.

:40:13. > :40:19.Ronnie said that he fouled it as he hit it twice. It did not matter as

:40:19. > :40:25.the frame was over. Ronnie has won all three frames in this session.

:40:25. > :40:30.How disconcerting a start is this for Neil Robertson? Against Ronnie,

:40:30. > :40:37.it is hard not to get carried along in the whole occasion. He is so

:40:37. > :40:43.dominant and the crowd are involved. It is like being a rabbit in the

:40:43. > :40:49.headlights. You have to get a frame quickly on the board. There was

:40:49. > :40:57.pressure on this shot. You would not expect it. When you're playing

:40:57. > :41:00.a Ronnie, the score board changes very quickly. Early on, there was

:41:00. > :41:06.the incident where he was just about to get on the board and he

:41:06. > :41:11.fouled with his way he's got. That disturbs the concentration.

:41:12. > :41:21.worst thing you can do is panic. Robertson will get chances, but

:41:22. > :41:28.

:41:28. > :41:34.I am not sure you get enough time to panic as the game's go so

:41:34. > :41:44.quickly! Nice to hear about Stephen Hendry playing against Ronnie

:41:44. > :42:09.

:42:09. > :42:19.Half-chance for Neil Robertson, but he will know now that he has to

:42:19. > :42:43.

:42:43. > :42:47.Checking of the pink is available. Worst possible start for the

:42:47. > :42:57.Australian. He is looking decidedly uncomfortable out there at the

:42:57. > :43:05.

:43:05. > :43:15.It can happen to the best of them, and Robertson is one of the best of

:43:15. > :43:22.

:43:22. > :43:30.There is nobody plays with the speed and grace around the table as

:43:30. > :43:40.sovereign. At times, it is like my grandchildren playing with a

:43:40. > :44:03.

:44:03. > :44:10.The one thing he wants to be certain of is being on the next

:44:10. > :44:20.colour. Can't take any risks of not being on anything. He is looking to

:44:20. > :44:27.

:44:27. > :44:37.see if he can stun this in and get This could be awkward if the pink

:44:37. > :45:02.

:45:02. > :45:06.You see their the confidence he is Debt Centre, beautifully played.

:45:06. > :45:16.Some work to do it off the blue. He is looking to see if the red passes

:45:16. > :45:44.

:45:44. > :45:52.Well, that is a surprise. That is a surprise. Not quite sure what

:45:52. > :46:02.happened there. It clearly went. Probably concentrating on leaving a

:46:02. > :46:08.

:46:09. > :46:14.It is quite noticeable that when Ronnie has missed, he has not left

:46:14. > :46:21.Neil Robertson with anything easy. When it Neil Robertson misses,

:46:21. > :46:27.O'Sullivan is left with good chances. These are the shots we see

:46:27. > :46:30.Neil Robertson knock in time and time again. Yes, and it is

:46:30. > :46:37.something that unless you have been there it is hard for people to

:46:37. > :46:40.understand. Ronnie has been quick out of the blocks and I would not

:46:40. > :46:49.say Neil Robertson is panicking, but he is under some pressure to

:46:49. > :46:53.score. He worked so hard to get the lead in the session yesterday. But

:46:53. > :46:59.by the time he has poured some water, he has lost three frames

:46:59. > :47:04.today. It is a shock to the system. He will be coming out with a

:47:04. > :47:14.planned and thinking it will start off well and put pressure on

:47:14. > :47:28.

:47:29. > :47:38.O'Sullivan. Next thing, you are I don't think there are any other

:47:39. > :47:42.

:47:42. > :47:46.spots available. He will be snookered. O'Sullivan thought there

:47:46. > :47:54.was another spot available. Ronnie is annoyed here that he has made

:47:54. > :48:02.that error. Annoyed or not, he could not have played a better

:48:02. > :48:12.safety shot than that. He was a bit disrespectful there to the referee.

:48:12. > :48:27.

:48:27. > :48:37.Trying to rush him. He had an MOBILE PHONE RINGS That can be

:48:37. > :48:53.

:48:53. > :49:03.-- disruptive. Close. Not an easy shot. Perhaps the blue will come to

:49:03. > :49:32.

:49:32. > :49:42.the rescue. The one at the top Let me put it this way, it must be

:49:42. > :49:54.

:49:54. > :50:01.very tight. I don't think he can That is a mistake from Neil. He

:50:01. > :50:11.might not have left a pot, but you would expect a better safety shot

:50:11. > :50:48.

:50:48. > :50:55.when you were against Ronnie There is a containing safety if you

:50:55. > :50:58.just roll to the red at the top cushion. Your heart would be in

:50:58. > :51:03.your mouth playing it that slowly to try to leave the cue ball near

:51:03. > :51:13.the cushion. I think he is desperately looking for a possible

:51:13. > :51:26.

:51:26. > :51:33.He played a containing safety, but I think there is a red left of

:51:33. > :51:37.middle. He may also have left one in the far right corner. But the

:51:37. > :51:47.one in the middle looks like what you can play with confidence. If

:51:47. > :51:54.

:51:54. > :52:01.You can't get closer than man without it going in. Especially

:52:01. > :52:11.with the weight behind that. It pullbacks lightly, but not quite

:52:11. > :52:24.

:52:24. > :52:34.-- it pulled back slightly. Just not happening at the moment for

:52:34. > :52:39.

:52:39. > :52:44.Robertson. Mid-session interval after this frame. Psychologically,

:52:44. > :52:54.if O'Sullivan can win it, he would go back to the dressing room with

:52:54. > :53:04.

:53:04. > :53:09.That has given him some hope, I must say. If that had gone in, it

:53:09. > :53:19.probably would have been all over. Ronnie has missed some shots in

:53:19. > :53:33.

:53:33. > :53:39.They say champions can find something out there. The start to

:53:39. > :53:49.play well, even when they're feeling at their worst. That is

:53:49. > :53:50.

:53:51. > :53:56.just about the situation this man is in now. Played for the pink in

:53:56. > :54:06.the left corner, so he as underdone it. The blue is on, but it is

:54:06. > :54:26.

:54:26. > :54:36.Good pot, but slightly out of position again. Normally that is a

:54:36. > :55:04.

:55:04. > :55:14.blue he would not -- knock in, but He is a fabulous potter of balls

:55:14. > :55:24.once he gets going. Fabulous snooker player. If you keep

:55:24. > :55:57.

:55:57. > :56:04.You get the feeling this is a big moment in the match for her Neil

:56:05. > :56:14.Robertson. I know this is only the second session. This is his chance.

:56:15. > :56:17.

:56:17. > :56:27.He asked to dig deep and hold You could just feel the tension in

:56:27. > :56:27.

:56:27. > :56:30.the air. You could just feel it. got back in position a few shots at

:56:30. > :56:40.goal, but you would not have thought he would miss that pink in

:56:40. > :56:40.

:56:40. > :56:45.the middle. It was the way he was walking round the table. Stephen

:56:45. > :56:51.Hendry said in the studio that sometimes you can get carried away.

:56:51. > :57:00.You think that you're playing at Ronnie O'Sullivan's pace. That

:57:00. > :57:10.never happened to me, I have to be honest! This blue would put him 35

:57:10. > :57:19.

:57:19. > :57:25.points in front so he would only So, this black to go 43 points in

:57:25. > :57:33.front with 35 remaining. Absolute perfect start. In the last few

:57:33. > :57:43.frames, Ronnie has made some mistakes. But in this frame he has

:57:43. > :57:54.

:57:54. > :58:00.been so full of confidence. He is He started so well. He is so good

:58:00. > :58:08.when he is good that it is a bit of a shock when he plays a bad shot.

:58:08. > :58:12.Overall, this session has been a superb exhibition from Ronnie

:58:12. > :58:18.O'Sullivan of how to come back at an opponent. Excellent play. The

:58:18. > :58:28.quality of his performance so far probably falls into the category of

:58:28. > :58:41.

:58:41. > :58:51.Some quick-fire stuff from Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ronnie O'Sullivan has

:58:51. > :58:57.

:58:57. > :59:03.won all three frames and now leads by 8725. -- 7-5. He looked a

:59:03. > :59:11.desperate to get a frame on the board. When you're concentrating so

:59:11. > :59:16.hard on the pot that your position goes, it is just trying too hard.

:59:16. > :59:21.How can he resolve this? interval has probably come at a

:59:21. > :59:29.good time for him. He must forget about what has happened. He has a

:59:29. > :59:39.few chances, but unless you get that first frame on the board, it

:59:39. > :59:41.

:59:41. > :59:48.is hard to settle. He has missed some 10 out of 10 shots for him. He

:59:48. > :59:55.is a little shell-shocked. Probably punch drunk. The interval has come

:59:55. > :00:00.at a good time. He can regroup in his dressing room. I think he might

:00:00. > :00:05.call to the practice table because he has not had some table time. If

:00:05. > :00:13.I was him, I would loosen my arm to get myself back into the swing of

:00:13. > :00:21.it. Devastating second session from Ronnie against Mark Williams. In

:00:21. > :00:23.terms of danger, where is he on that scale today? Ronnie will sense

:00:23. > :00:28.that Neil Robertson is not taking his opportunities and that will

:00:28. > :00:32.fill him with confidence. If he thinks he will not get punished, he

:00:32. > :00:39.will play it quicker and with more confidence and be more dominant.

:00:39. > :00:43.am hearing that Neil Robertson went immediately to the practice room.

:00:43. > :00:53.There he is right now. Trying to get his are listened up and find

:00:53. > :00:54.

:00:54. > :01:00.Just trying to get used to the sound of the ball hitting the

:01:00. > :01:04.pocket. Even the balls that he potted, they were riddling in.

:01:04. > :01:08.is a long John Mack for these players because they a volley got a

:01:08. > :01:13.couple of hours of a break before going out for the last session.

:01:13. > :01:20.Normally there is a break between the sessions, but at this point, is

:01:20. > :01:24.it a big ask? It is one anomaly in the draw that there has to be a

:01:24. > :01:29.session followed by the next session, so if one of them is late,

:01:29. > :01:34.there might only be a break of between one hour and an hour and a

:01:34. > :01:42.half, and that can be tricky, if the match goes the distance. But

:01:42. > :01:49.this could be over within another, the way it is going. -- another

:01:49. > :01:55.hour. Neil Robertson is out there having a bit of a practice whilst a

:01:55. > :02:01.brawny enjoys his mid- session Cup of tea. It is round eight of 10 in

:02:01. > :02:11.the snooker loopy pub quiz. It is appropriately named because it is

:02:11. > :02:22.

:02:22. > :02:29.starting to drive everyone a little Jump up and down. No. 1. Do we have

:02:29. > :02:39.to say yes this time? I am just going to give you the questions,

:02:39. > :02:44.

:02:44. > :02:54.all right? Four Australians have appeared in the final since 1947.

:02:54. > :03:09.

:03:09. > :03:19.Warren King? Neville? Yes? Simpson! Number two, Ray Reardon won the

:03:19. > :03:22.

:03:22. > :03:32.title six times. Can you name of his opponents? Higgins? Spencer.

:03:32. > :03:43.

:03:43. > :03:53.anymore? John Spencer. Pullman. Jackie Wright. It is a great dancer,

:03:53. > :03:53.

:03:54. > :04:03.but it is not right! Fred Davis? John Coleman, Eddie Charlton,

:04:04. > :04:21.

:04:21. > :04:31.Graham Miles... Right, who was the first ever winner? John Pullman?

:04:31. > :04:49.

:04:49. > :04:57.Writes... -- Right. Who did Dennis Taylor beat in 1985? I want both

:04:57. > :05:07.teams to re-enact the bit where of Dennis Taylor wins. This is Steve

:05:07. > :05:10.

:05:10. > :05:17.Davis, re-enacting Dennis Taylor. Honestly! Next one. When the Peter

:05:18. > :05:27.-- who did Peter Ebdon famously defeat on his debut in 1996? Steve

:05:28. > :05:30.

:05:30. > :05:40.Davis. Another Steve Davis won a! Number seven. Despite breaking his

:05:40. > :05:55.

:05:55. > :06:04.arm... Stephen Hendry! Camburn. Thank you. -- Canal. -- Calm down.

:06:04. > :06:14.Another second are here for the boys. That is not what I am after.

:06:14. > :06:44.

:06:44. > :06:54.Right... Number seven... He had a Who played Inspector Morse on

:06:54. > :07:17.

:07:17. > :07:21.television? John for her! -- Thaw. Steve Davis claimed his 4th world

:07:21. > :07:27.title -- Stephen Hendry claimed his 4th world title in 1994 - who did

:07:27. > :07:32.he beat in the final? Steve Davis. True or false, before every match

:07:32. > :07:42.he plays, John Parrott sings You'll Never Walk alone in his dressing

:07:42. > :07:43.

:07:43. > :07:50.room. Correct. I would have my leg off, before I would do that.

:07:50. > :08:00.has made the most century breaks in a ranking event since 2002? John

:08:00. > :08:03.

:08:03. > :08:07.Higgins? Wrong. Ronnie O'Sullivan? Wrong. Stephen Hendry. Correct.

:08:07. > :08:14.got the most centuries in a Crucible match? It was Stephen

:08:14. > :08:24.Hendry against somebody else. Who was it? Ronnie O'Sullivan? No, who

:08:24. > :08:32.

:08:32. > :08:42.was he playing? David Gray? I think you'll find that he was a pop star.

:08:42. > :09:02.

:09:02. > :09:07.Shaun Murphy? He has only had seven And this is without alcohol. This

:09:07. > :09:17.is what pop. Who won the only Crucible third-place play-off?

:09:17. > :09:22.

:09:22. > :09:32.Virgo? Eddie Charlton? You have got to take the first answer. I love

:09:32. > :09:34.

:09:34. > :09:44.that shirt. Complete the end of this song. But the yellow, green,

:09:44. > :09:59.

:09:59. > :10:09.The good the bad and ugly, at the end of that round, we have 68 plays

:10:09. > :10:12.

:10:12. > :10:18.72. See how they do now. Four points in it, Stephen Hendry

:10:18. > :10:26.grimacing as that as he takes a peek into his broadcasting future.

:10:26. > :10:31.Now that I am retired, is that the future? We are always very keen to

:10:31. > :10:35.get high-profile guests to the Crucible and they, in their droves

:10:35. > :10:45.to the championship. We had a visitor who is no stranger to

:10:45. > :10:54.

:10:54. > :11:02.pension in his own field, at the oche. We have Martin Wolfie Adams.

:11:02. > :11:05.Please will come, Martin Adams. Only a three time world champion

:11:05. > :11:10.could arrive at the Crucible and get straight into one of the hot

:11:10. > :11:15.seas. What are your first impressions of the called on that

:11:15. > :11:23.is the Crucible? I can see why it is called the cauldron. It is very

:11:23. > :11:32.close. The fans are right there with you. It would be fantastic,

:11:32. > :11:37.that this here, once it is full. -- the atmosphere, once it is full.

:11:37. > :11:41.You have seen how tight it gets. Yes, it is absolutely brilliant.

:11:41. > :11:45.One of them thinks he has won it, and then the other guy goes close

:11:46. > :11:49.and he thinks he might have won it. There is a lot of pressure. Can you

:11:49. > :11:55.see similarities and the pressure and the mental strength it takes to

:11:55. > :12:00.get across the line in dance and in snooker? Without doubt. I have

:12:00. > :12:05.played in a lot of tight matches over the years. You think you have

:12:05. > :12:09.got it, and then they can still it, and it is gone. And it would be the

:12:09. > :12:14.same thing on the snooker table. You think you have got it, you are

:12:14. > :12:20.cruising, and then one shot that is just a little bit off, that rattles

:12:20. > :12:26.in the jaws of the pocket, and it has gone. One of the similarities

:12:26. > :12:33.is that snooker players now come on to music, as darts players do, in

:12:33. > :12:38.such fine style. But at the darts, the noise continues, whereas here,

:12:38. > :12:44.it is silent. Would you find that intimidating? It is something that

:12:44. > :12:53.you get used to. Myself, I like a general Byers of chit-chat and the

:12:53. > :13:03.crowd. -- general buzz. You could get used to it, but it would take a

:13:03. > :13:09.while. Is there rain a bigger or smaller than you thought? It looks

:13:09. > :13:18.bigger on television. But it is quite enclose, almost bordering on

:13:18. > :13:23.claustrophobic. But it is fantastic. We will come back, and we will get

:13:23. > :13:31.you tickets for the final. We have enjoyed having you here today.

:13:31. > :13:34.got a lovely welcome, Martin Adams. Claustrophobic. That sums it up.

:13:34. > :13:39.For other sportsman to come and see this theatre of dreams, it must be

:13:39. > :13:45.a real treat for you. The first time I came here I was 14 years old

:13:45. > :13:49.and I came and watch Cliff Thorburn. Then, when you see them walking on,

:13:49. > :13:55.and you can hear them breathing on the front row, you know that it is

:13:55. > :13:59.a very intimate venue. Do you have to prepare yourself mentally

:13:59. > :14:03.different play for those early brains than you do when it is a

:14:03. > :14:07.one-table set-up? He seemed to notice the other table more in

:14:07. > :14:13.other venues, but in the Crucible, it is just something you expect, it

:14:13. > :14:17.is part of the first week. And you are so focused. It is the world

:14:17. > :14:21.championship. You do not really pay attention. When you think of the

:14:21. > :14:26.noise and a fund of the dance, with all those people there, it is a

:14:26. > :14:31.real event, but it is still remarkable that you can keep such a

:14:31. > :14:35.reverential silence during games at the Crucible. So sometimes it can

:14:35. > :14:40.be very loud when you walk out, the atmosphere, but sometimes when you

:14:40. > :14:46.are sitting in that chair, you can have this eerie silence and it is

:14:46. > :14:50.writing. We have all witnessed both sides of the coin. But the Crucible

:14:50. > :14:56.as a special atmosphere that not a snooker venue has around the ward,

:14:56. > :14:59.and that is why it is the home of snooker. You have to keep one ear

:14:59. > :15:03.and the other table because you can hear have someone is going to make

:15:03. > :15:10.a century and you knew it was coming, so you might stand back and

:15:10. > :15:14.have a little look. I could hear 96 and all of a sudden I had a look,

:15:14. > :15:21.and Stephen was on the maximum. So why stop, straight away, because we

:15:22. > :15:27.knew what was coming. And you were around the corner, to say

:15:27. > :15:30.congratulations. Neil Robertson has been practising during the interval

:15:30. > :15:38.and there he is completing that practice. His brother has been

:15:38. > :15:42.helping about, he is here from Australia. A friend of mine always

:15:42. > :15:46.says, what other people think of you is none of their business, but

:15:46. > :15:56.I wonder what Neil Robertson thinks about this, from some of his

:15:56. > :15:59.

:15:59. > :16:07.Very lazy. I'll live with them and I lasted about a year-and-a-half.

:16:07. > :16:12.He always gives 100%. He's very technically sound. He has a ramrod-

:16:12. > :16:17.straight cueing action, very confident. He has changed

:16:17. > :16:23.completely. He went from being very attacking. He's probably an all-

:16:23. > :16:33.round match player now. Cracking long potter, no real like this.

:16:33. > :16:35.

:16:35. > :16:39.looks like shaggy out of school the do! -- Shaggy out of Scooby Doo.

:16:39. > :16:49.is probably the most improved player, over the last couple of

:16:49. > :16:54.

:16:54. > :16:58.years. Every part of his game is very strong. AS SHAGGY: Raggy!

:16:58. > :17:05.Crust mark King to come out with something like that. He has been

:17:05. > :17:15.kept off the table by Ronnie O'Sullivan all afternoon. Four more

:17:15. > :17:21.intriguing frames to come. Somebody shouting, "come on, England". And

:17:21. > :17:31.Neil Robertson seen the funny side. Four more frames to be played in

:17:31. > :17:36.

:17:36. > :17:41.And at the start of it, I was saying that Ronnie felt it was

:17:41. > :17:50.important he got a good start, and he got that, and we're now going to

:17:50. > :17:56.see a classic match. Neil Robertson is a little foothold in this

:17:57. > :18:02.because it is slipping away. That is ridiculous. How many times have

:18:02. > :18:12.people been asked about mobile phones? He has got to start

:18:12. > :18:24.

:18:24. > :18:29.It is not what he needs. He has made a foul, he has missed a couple

:18:29. > :18:39.of easy balls, he has not got a frame on the board. It is not going

:18:39. > :19:02.

:19:02. > :19:07.He hasn't reached his B game, never mind his A game. You might get away

:19:07. > :19:12.with that against some players but not against Ronnie O'Sullivan. He

:19:12. > :19:22.has got to be aware, he has got to not try too hard. You have just got

:19:22. > :19:32.to let it happen. A little bit thick and, once again, not putting

:19:32. > :19:38.

:19:38. > :19:48.any pressure on Ronnie's safety at That was careless. To hit the ball

:19:48. > :19:48.

:19:48. > :19:58.colour. -- baulk colour. But nothing is looking too easy for

:19:58. > :20:31.

:20:32. > :20:36.Neil Robertson at the moment. He is That is a poor shot from Ronnie. He

:20:37. > :20:46.has left the red on to the centre. There was no pressure on that

:20:47. > :20:47.

:20:47. > :20:52.safety shot. He caught the blue on the way back. Neil must be thinking,

:20:52. > :21:02.when am I going to get a very easy one, after he makes the mistake,

:21:02. > :21:16.

:21:16. > :21:20.because he has been left a few We often say in commentary that 9-7

:21:20. > :21:27.down is not the end of the world, but you do not think of those

:21:27. > :21:32.things, you play the game, frame by frame, shot by shot. We had the two

:21:32. > :21:36.Welshman playing, Matthew Stevens and Ryan Day, and Matthew Stevens

:21:36. > :21:46.took 11 frames on the spin, incredible. Anything can happen

:21:46. > :21:52.

:21:52. > :21:56.that there. -- out there. Just a fraction under. The intended red

:21:56. > :22:06.was the one near the left cushion. He has not quite got the intended

:22:06. > :22:19.

:22:19. > :22:29.angle to drop onto the black, which I think if he plays the red to the

:22:29. > :22:32.

:22:32. > :22:38.left, -- left corner, he is looking for the cannon on the black, but I

:22:38. > :22:42.don't know if you can guarantee that. He has tried to roll to the

:22:42. > :22:52.black and he has made a good job of it. He played that nicely. It took

:22:52. > :22:53.

:22:53. > :22:59.a lot of nous, playing it at that pace. -- lot of nerves. Looking to

:22:59. > :23:03.see if the black will go on its own spot. He would prefer it not to.

:23:03. > :23:13.The blue spot is available. He would not mind it up there. If it

:23:13. > :23:15.

:23:15. > :23:20.goes on its own spot, it looks certain to be tied up. He will be

:23:20. > :23:25.devastated by that. And worse is to follow because Ronnie can get this

:23:25. > :23:35.red away from the blackspot, if he wants. And perhaps dislodge the

:23:35. > :23:39.

:23:39. > :23:49.Has to be careful not to snooker himself on the black. He did not

:23:49. > :23:58.

:23:58. > :24:02.quite get rid of one of the reds. I'm assuming from him playing that

:24:02. > :24:12.shot that the black will go into the right corner. He is just having

:24:12. > :24:14.

:24:14. > :24:20.will look. It looks as though it goes. -- having a look. I think he

:24:20. > :24:30.may just be on the pink. That was a lot in our than he would have liked.

:24:30. > :24:33.

:24:33. > :24:41.The pink is just about available. - - a lot thinner. It is straight,

:24:41. > :24:49.but he is not perfect on this red now. He's almost certainly going to

:24:49. > :24:59.run into the black. It is a risky proposition to play for the black,

:24:59. > :25:01.

:25:01. > :25:10.probably used the cannon off the I am surprised he played that, that

:25:10. > :25:15.way. Very surprised also that he missed the pot and the red. There's

:25:15. > :25:25.no doubt if there was not a cannon involved, pushing that black

:25:25. > :25:30.

:25:30. > :25:40.towards the pocket, that he would He has been up again, lot quicker

:25:40. > :25:49.

:25:49. > :25:59.than he would have thought he would He's looking to see if there is a

:25:59. > :26:00.

:26:00. > :26:10.plant to the left hand corner. The pink going on the highest spot

:26:10. > :26:13.

:26:13. > :26:23.available, which on this occasion But, he has not got the right

:26:23. > :26:26.

:26:26. > :26:35.Once again, we repair back to the fact that if you have not had a lot

:26:35. > :26:40.of table time, it is hard to judge the pace of the table correctly.

:26:40. > :26:45.And he tried to go in and out of pork, and ran straight into the

:26:45. > :26:55.yellow. That is pretty poor. He should have been able to avoid the

:26:55. > :27:01.

:27:01. > :27:05.When you're playing well you seem to get a succession of easy shots,

:27:05. > :27:11.but when you are struggling, it is the opposite. That is exactly what

:27:11. > :27:18.is happening to Neil Robertson in this session so far. He seems to be

:27:18. > :27:23.in a prime position where he can pot for a five balls that are up to

:27:23. > :27:26.a fit away from the object ball, but that does not happen. Normally

:27:26. > :27:36.he is the best player in the game at what you would call the recovery

:27:36. > :27:39.

:27:39. > :27:45.shot, one of these is coming up His strong suits are leaving him

:27:45. > :27:50.down, to your match, his long potting, his safety, they have not

:27:50. > :28:00.been at their highest levels. Ronnie thinks he can squeeze in

:28:00. > :28:05.

:28:05. > :28:15.this red. He can. I just assumed It was tight, but there was just

:28:15. > :28:15.

:28:15. > :28:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:28:57. > :29:06.enough room between the red and the Not the best angle. He has got an

:29:06. > :29:16.angle on the pink, but he is going to have to force that cue ball up.

:29:16. > :29:28.

:29:28. > :29:34.That was adventurous, expecting him to play good safety. He was

:29:34. > :29:44.covering the right hand side of the table but that red will be tempting

:29:44. > :30:06.

:30:07. > :30:16.He just flipped past the blue. That was a good shot. It took a lot of

:30:17. > :30:17.

:30:17. > :30:27.discipline to put Anne down that shot. -- turn down that pot. You

:30:27. > :30:31.just get the feeling at the moment, Terry, that Ronnie is thinking his

:30:31. > :30:36.opponent is not going to score many, so he is pushing out the bought a

:30:36. > :30:42.little bit, and it can be an easy thing to do. Certainly against a

:30:42. > :30:52.player of Neil Robertson's class. That first one, that was born at of

:30:52. > :31:06.

:31:06. > :31:13.I will say it again, when Sullivan is playing at his best, anything

:31:13. > :31:22.but his best looks very ordinary -- O'Sullivan. Where is the cue ball

:31:22. > :31:30.going?! If it drops in, he would have left a long pot on for Neil

:31:30. > :31:40.Robertson. Now, a tough safety to play. He will play the pot, but so

:31:40. > :31:43.

:31:43. > :31:50.much more difficult in the jaws of That was a tremendous pot, that

:31:50. > :32:00.really was. That is more like it from Neil Robertson. And he is just

:32:00. > :32:14.

:32:14. > :32:19.He is checking if he can get past The problem is, when you off so

:32:19. > :32:29.close to the side cushion, not a lot you can do so -- with the cue

:32:29. > :32:48.

:32:48. > :32:52.Ronnie played a little swerve. Not bad. He has avoided the cannon with

:32:52. > :33:02.the blue, and left the cue ball near the side cushion. No pot on

:33:02. > :33:33.

:33:33. > :33:43.That was higher risk safety. He could have double kiss to the red,

:33:43. > :33:45.

:33:45. > :33:50.put it over the corner pocket. So He has left along pot for Ronnie,

:33:50. > :34:00.and if he knocks this in, he has a 21 point lead, this could be the

:34:00. > :34:00.

:34:00. > :34:42.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:34:42. > :34:52.We always talk about his great positional skills, but we forget

:34:52. > :34:54.

:34:54. > :35:04.Absolutely. You cannot be a top class player and this you can pot

:35:04. > :35:04.

:35:04. > :36:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:36:04. > :36:13.could balls. -- unless you can pot How about this for a touch? A

:36:13. > :36:23.He wasn't interested in the yellow, he just wants to get the balls

:36:23. > :36:33.Neil Robertson concedes. They have played five frames, and the Rocket

:36:33. > :36:34.

:36:34. > :36:39.This is getting more difficult to fathom, because Neil Robertson is

:36:39. > :36:43.not at the races today, despite going in there for 15 minute

:36:43. > :36:49.practice. He is not there, and it is a worrying time in the match for

:36:49. > :36:53.him. We've got a few frames left in this session, probably needs to win

:36:53. > :36:58.two of them. Your impressions of the way Ronnie has played this

:36:58. > :37:03.afternoon? He started off like a train. He has made mistakes, he is

:37:03. > :37:07.not winning frames at one visit, but he does not have to. He is not

:37:08. > :37:13.good himself in prime position, it is starting to look a bit desperate.

:37:13. > :37:18.To win this match, he needs all three. These usually -- these are

:37:18. > :37:21.difficult times. You were mentioning, when we were watching

:37:21. > :37:26.Ronnie O'Sullivan floating around the table, but the percentage of

:37:26. > :37:30.long balls going in, the potting has been magnificent. Last year,

:37:30. > :37:35.the year before, his long balls were totally off, he was missing

:37:35. > :37:40.them by quite a considerable distance. But is a long ball game,

:37:40. > :37:47.his safety, he is keeping Neil tight, his safety is end. As well.

:37:47. > :37:51.He seems to have everything coming together at once. Just the way he

:37:51. > :37:56.is striking the ball at the moment, he is getting a lovely reaction

:37:56. > :38:06.from the cue ball, he is making it talk at that moment. Neil Robertson

:38:06. > :38:42.

:38:42. > :38:52.is really under severe pressure. He is no win near it. -- no where

:38:52. > :38:52.

:38:52. > :39:02.near it. The one thing that does go is your touch. That is where he has

:39:02. > :39:27.

:39:27. > :39:37.It doesn't look as if he can get so that left the age of those reds. --

:39:37. > :39:56.

:39:56. > :40:01.He is edging towards the side of the reds, the right hand side,

:40:01. > :40:08.because if he is on the other side, he will leave it on. He cannot see

:40:08. > :40:12.anything full ball. I don't know, I think there is a gap, I think he

:40:12. > :40:16.can get through to the reds. He just can't get back to baulk on

:40:16. > :40:25.them, so he will have one more attempt, then I think he will be

:40:25. > :40:34.The problem with the shot, it seems to me, the middle pocket is exactly

:40:34. > :40:44.where he would like to hit the cue ball. It is very important, because

:40:44. > :41:22.

:41:22. > :41:27.That is where it was originally, it I was just wondering what would

:41:27. > :41:37.have happened if he had missed it. Always interesting to see what the

:41:37. > :41:43.

:41:43. > :41:48.He played it in such a way that he was sending the cue ball back to

:41:48. > :41:54.the baulk end. He has possibly left the chance of a pot to the left

:41:54. > :42:04.corner. The cue ball, nestling against the brown, always the way,

:42:04. > :42:18.

:42:18. > :42:28.when you are playing well, you get He is really struggling. He has

:42:28. > :42:32.

:42:32. > :42:42.played for the red at the edge of He has got the rest out, so he must

:42:42. > :42:42.

:42:42. > :42:49.He has to make certain of the pot, I don't think he likes it, and I

:42:49. > :42:59.don't blame him. He wasn't certain to be on a colour, it was a high-

:42:59. > :43:07.

:43:07. > :43:17.Surely he should be looking at a safety shot here now. He is back on

:43:17. > :43:27.

:43:27. > :43:37.That is the beauty of his cueing, he can play that shot without any

:43:37. > :43:44.

:43:44. > :43:51.tremendous effort. And the pink The pink spot is not available, so

:43:51. > :43:55.it goes on the black spot. That will not bother Ronnie too much. He

:43:55. > :44:05.could run through and play for the pink. Maybe the red that is holding

:44:05. > :44:10.

:44:10. > :44:20.That is why he decided to go back up for the blue, he didn't want the

:44:20. > :44:23.

:44:23. > :44:26.His cue action is quite unusual, he is quite high with his cue in the

:44:26. > :44:31.back, sometimes he pushes through, sometimes he doesn't, with his

:44:31. > :44:41.elbow. He's obviously the best striker of the ball I have ever

:44:41. > :44:47.

:44:47. > :44:57.seen playing, but there is lots That has gone wrong there, which is

:44:57. > :44:58.

:44:58. > :45:07.unusual, he is usually pinpoint. He will need the extension on the

:45:07. > :45:17.rest -- rest. He tried to run past those three reds, and there was a

:45:17. > :45:18.

:45:18. > :45:28.red he was trying to get on to the The someone who plays a lot with

:45:28. > :45:33.

:45:33. > :45:39.his left hand, he is as good with He has got no witnesses, when you

:45:40. > :45:49.think about it. His safety is excellent. His skill at picking up

:45:50. > :46:00.

:46:00. > :46:10.Is he going to be on the bottom red, to the right of the pink? That cue

:46:10. > :46:20.ball needs to slow up. Is it inch- perfect? I think it is. I think he

:46:20. > :46:37.

:46:37. > :46:40.Mark that one down as positioning He reminds me a bit of Alex Higgins

:46:40. > :46:50.when he is in full flow, he loses position, but there is always

:46:50. > :47:13.

:47:13. > :47:23.He has potted that with the rest, A little bit tricky. It was a

:47:23. > :47:52.

:47:52. > :47:59.He didn't pot it clean, but it is in. He needs to start doing

:47:59. > :48:07.something here, he hasn't really been indecision so far. -- in this

:48:07. > :48:13.session. He hasn't had a break over 30. His last break over 30 was in

:48:13. > :48:23.the 7th frame of the match. O'Sullivan has been doing all the

:48:23. > :48:43.

:48:43. > :48:48.He needs an angle on the colour to try and bring other reds into play,

:48:48. > :48:54.you feel. Looking to stun this red in and leave the pink for the same

:48:54. > :49:00.pocket. Just looking to see if there is one red he can get on

:49:00. > :49:10.without disturbing anything. There may just be one, but he needs

:49:10. > :49:24.

:49:24. > :49:34.He is having a bad day at the We expect such high standards from

:49:34. > :49:41.

:49:41. > :49:50.It is in. And that is the last thing that Neil Robertson needed to

:49:50. > :50:00.see. He could just about get to the potting angle, not much going right

:50:00. > :50:37.

:50:38. > :50:47.Is there red available here, or He can see better than we can.

:50:48. > :50:49.

:50:49. > :50:59.you are down at the table, you see This pink or put him 47 points in

:50:59. > :51:02.

:51:02. > :51:08.front. Just looking for two more He didn't even have to disturb

:51:08. > :51:18.anything. A little bit of a grimace there from Ronnie. He's a bit

:51:18. > :51:54.

:51:55. > :51:59.This pink will put him 54 in front He doesn't want to bring the black

:51:59. > :52:03.into play, but that is the easy safety shot. He is playing the

:52:03. > :52:13.defensive safety, trying to put a red safe and not bring the black

:52:13. > :52:22.

:52:22. > :52:28.He will be disappointed if it is touching ball. The referee has not

:52:28. > :52:38.called Beth, which makes this shot a lot more difficult for me off. --

:52:38. > :52:57.

:52:57. > :53:07.A little cannon on the black, and he is snookered. A schoolboy error,

:53:07. > :53:24.

:53:24. > :53:34.Another thing that happens when you are struggling, you don't think as

:53:34. > :53:42.

:53:42. > :53:48.He is trying to contain the situation. The miss is called, and

:53:48. > :53:58.I'm sure Ronnie will have it replaced, a I don't see any value

:53:58. > :53:58.

:53:58. > :54:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:54:40. > :54:47.Similar pattern to a few of the other frames, a few errors from

:54:47. > :54:52.both players, but O'Sullivan has been dominating. As you rightly

:54:52. > :54:59.said, when he left the opportunity for Ronnie to play the snooker, he

:54:59. > :55:04.is just not thinking now. That can go when you are playing somebody

:55:04. > :55:14.like Ronnie O'Sullivan, he is so fluent, the flame -- frames are

:55:14. > :55:22.

:55:22. > :55:32.just flicking by without you even Ronnie O'Sullivan has won all the

:55:32. > :55:33.

:55:33. > :55:38.And this is getting serious. It is getting serious. A lot of

:55:38. > :55:43.uncharacteristic mistakes from Neil Robertson. A schoolboy error, a

:55:43. > :55:50.couple of shots that normally we would see him getting, safety shots

:55:50. > :55:55.like that have been so good all It is just the pressure that Ronnie

:55:55. > :56:00.is exerting on him. He knows any half mistake, Ronnie is going to

:56:00. > :56:05.pounce on it. He is not making the most of his chances, Neil. It is

:56:05. > :56:10.looking ominous at the moment. were discussing the other day about

:56:10. > :56:15.whether everybody is due a stinker of the session at some point during

:56:15. > :56:21.the Cristobal run. It must be so difficult to keep your standard so

:56:21. > :56:25.high right the way through. You have all won the world title. Was

:56:26. > :56:30.there always one that was never quite right? You always played bad

:56:30. > :56:35.sessions, but it is about minimising the damage. Neil has

:56:35. > :56:39.lost six out of six, I'm afraid this is slipping away from him.

:56:39. > :56:48.is why John Higgins has been the champion he has been. He won this

:56:48. > :56:53.last year with his Seat again in the final. He is a master of

:56:53. > :56:57.containing situations come he comes out of it, and you think, I have

:56:57. > :57:02.outplayed you. That is what he is a very good at. At the moment, Neil

:57:02. > :57:12.Robertson has to find some of that. He desperately needs these last two

:57:12. > :57:12.

:57:12. > :57:18.COMMENTATOR: That is right, he is getting nothing out of this session

:57:18. > :57:28.at all. Lots of negative thoughts. He must feel the world is against

:57:28. > :57:34.

:57:34. > :57:41.One of the cleanest pots he has hit all day. Is he on a colour? Has he

:57:41. > :57:51.got an angle on the brown? He didn't look to have become a little

:57:51. > :58:05.

:58:05. > :58:15.shake of the head. -- didn't look He is playing the role up, he is a

:58:15. > :58:42.

:58:42. > :58:51.He will do well not to leave one He couldn't have hit it much better,

:58:51. > :59:01.but it was risky, going that way, for me. Neil having a look at the

:59:01. > :59:13.

:59:13. > :59:18.possibility of a three ball plant Is he that desperate to get a

:59:18. > :59:24.chance? He may be able to take it if he can screw on for the pink in

:59:24. > :59:30.the centre, not leave for another red on. I think he needs to push

:59:30. > :59:35.the boat out a little bit, but not that much. He has got to try and

:59:35. > :59:39.change the pattern of play here. One obvious way is to play to a

:59:39. > :59:47.higher standard, because he hasn't been near his best today. The other

:59:47. > :59:57.one is to tighten the game up all to open it up. Once again, so close

:59:57. > :00:01.

:00:01. > :00:08.to the red, and once again, he has Tremendous pot, but it would not

:00:08. > :00:18.have been available. Ronnie has lost the cue ball, but if it had

:00:18. > :00:37.

:00:37. > :00:47.been tight on the baulk cushion, he At is not bad. The reason is that

:00:47. > :01:21.

:01:21. > :01:31.black. He has to be careful not to F he had just missed the brown it

:01:31. > :01:33.

:01:33. > :01:37.would have been an excellent safety. Terrific length of cue ball but if

:01:37. > :01:44.he can just get past the blue to play safe down the right hand side

:01:44. > :01:54.of the table it certainly helps. The possibility of a plant to the

:01:54. > :02:02.

:02:02. > :02:12.This could be made. This could go He caught it much too thick. That

:02:12. > :02:13.

:02:13. > :02:19.was half a chance. It may be to you but I do not think anything looks

:02:19. > :02:23.like half a chance to either of them at the moment.

:02:23. > :02:29.That is true. We don't have the negative thoughts that must be

:02:29. > :02:33.running around in his head at the moment.

:02:33. > :02:43.The stage of the match where he feels that his World Championship

:02:43. > :02:54.

:02:54. > :03:04.could be over. Nine - five from Let's see what Neil can do with

:03:04. > :03:05.

:03:05. > :03:15.this. Probably will use the green. I don't think he can force it

:03:15. > :03:20.

:03:20. > :03:30.across to the brown. He needs the green as a blocker here. Know. --

:03:30. > :03:34.

:03:34. > :03:43.No. That has left Ronnie a red he can play safe off. If he missed the

:03:43. > :03:53.law that would have been very good. But it didn't. -- their yellow.

:03:53. > :04:09.

:04:09. > :04:19.Neil Robertson is renowned for He might be taking a pot on here.

:04:19. > :04:24.

:04:24. > :04:34.Could it very well. Excellent pot. From the look of his face this is a

:04:34. > :04:46.

:04:46. > :04:52.little too thin. Could be just a Yes, excellent opening pot, but

:04:52. > :04:59.once again, not on a colour. This game is very hard work at the

:04:59. > :05:03.moment for Neil. OK, he has the snooker but you feel that if Ronnie

:05:03. > :05:13.comes off the side cushion or top cushion, you just have to be

:05:13. > :05:28.

:05:28. > :05:38.careful with the weight of the That is the line he will look for.

:05:38. > :05:43.

:05:43. > :05:49.-- Foul and a miss. He has underhit it.

:05:49. > :05:56.He is a little bit frightened of the run inside taking effect. You

:05:56. > :06:06.can go too far and leave something on. Of course you can spend all day

:06:06. > :06:18.

:06:18. > :06:24.He is saying to put it back towards the ground. Which of course is

:06:24. > :06:32.against the angle for him. Players are very good with that. He knew

:06:32. > :06:38.when he went down that Short was easier than it was the first time.

:06:38. > :06:48.That is certainly hard enough. It has got to hit them. It is OK.

:06:48. > :07:08.

:07:08. > :07:18.He is having a look to see if the One of those shots, isn't it? The

:07:18. > :07:27.

:07:27. > :07:31.most pace you put in the more I think he has forced it through.

:07:31. > :07:41.The black may be available to the right middle. This is a decent

:07:41. > :08:08.

:08:08. > :08:16.Well, he did not want to be on this red. But it appears that is all he

:08:16. > :08:21.is left with. Concentrated so much on potting the black, and if he has

:08:21. > :08:31.to go back up for the blue, that makes this red just that little bit

:08:31. > :08:44.

:08:44. > :08:49.Quite noticeable that he is slowing things up about.

:08:49. > :08:54.Taking plenty of time, giving himself a chance to clear his mind

:08:54. > :08:58.before playing the shot. But also trying to slow the game up a bat.

:08:58. > :09:08.He is wise to do that. Ronnie O'Sullivan has been known to get

:09:08. > :09:17.

:09:17. > :09:22.fed up in the chair when people It is just not happening, as it?

:09:22. > :09:32.All the little nudges are going wrong. Tight against the side

:09:32. > :09:38.

:09:38. > :09:43.That was a good pot! That is what we have come to expect from Neil

:09:43. > :09:49.Robertson. But you cannot keep running out of position like this.

:09:49. > :09:59.OK, the red was on and it was a nice pot but he needs better cue

:09:59. > :10:29.

:10:29. > :10:32.ball control to take the pressure It is starting to get a bit easier

:10:32. > :10:42.for him now because obviously he has moved a few reds out of the way

:10:42. > :11:09.

:11:09. > :11:16.This as his highest break so far in But that is very low. 6 1/2 frames,

:11:16. > :11:26.before he could make this break. Ronnie O'Sullivan has not been

:11:26. > :11:35.doing back breaks but he has made quite a number of 30s, 40s. And and

:11:35. > :11:45.97 of course in the tenth frame. But kept quiet for a while now.

:11:45. > :11:54.he not on the pink? I do not think he is. Well, it goes from bad to

:11:54. > :12:01.worse. It really does. What a chance he had there. I just assumed

:12:01. > :12:09.it was a straightforward shot. He was bound to be on the pink. That

:12:09. > :12:16.is what he thought as well. He is not showing it sitting in his chair,

:12:16. > :12:26.but I can tell you, he is hurting after that. A number of good shots

:12:26. > :12:36.

:12:36. > :12:46.That was a tremendous safety shot. It really was. He may have left a

:12:46. > :12:58.

:12:58. > :13:08.pot on but he did well to get cue A very good attempt from Neil. But

:13:08. > :13:14.

:13:14. > :13:22.let see that Ronnie O'Sullivan Perfection. That earned him the

:13:23. > :13:27.right to go for that read now. That has been the difference. When he

:13:27. > :13:36.has spotted balls he has got on the colours quite a number of times.

:13:36. > :13:42.Neil Robertson did not quite have the position. He is going to have

:13:43. > :13:50.to play a very good short unless he has a decent angle on the law. If

:13:50. > :13:57.he plays the brown... He is just looking to see what is available.

:13:57. > :14:07.Playing the yellow. Forcing it again, attempting to bring reds

:14:07. > :14:13.

:14:13. > :14:19.It does not look to be on anything. But this is where the competitive

:14:19. > :14:24.instinct of O'Sullivan will take over. If he can win this frame he

:14:24. > :14:34.is certain, at worst, to have a for frame lead going into the final

:14:34. > :14:43.

:14:43. > :14:53.session. No heroics, just Can he risk attempting to get the

:14:53. > :15:28.

:15:28. > :15:36.A thin edge, this one. That is a good response from Neil Robertson

:15:36. > :15:46.there. Very good. Those reds are awkward but they are beginning to

:15:46. > :15:54.

:15:54. > :16:04.If he caught that too thin he could Khadija into the black. Judged it

:16:04. > :16:06.

:16:06. > :16:13.very well. What a key tactical exchange this is. Longest frame of

:16:13. > :16:23.the session. Robertson has had more table time, played safeties, slowed

:16:23. > :16:28.the game up. But Ronnie O'Sullivan is enjoying the safeties. On his

:16:28. > :16:38.day, he loves the challenge of the safety bout against a good safety

:16:38. > :16:44.

:16:44. > :16:51.This could be good. Not quite. Got it safe thaw. Yes, that red could

:16:51. > :17:01.have came out and become available. Rodney looking to knock one read on

:17:01. > :17:12.

:17:12. > :17:20.to the other. That looks a bit He has hit it too thick. It could

:17:20. > :17:24.have been tighter against the cushion. But the fact that Neil

:17:24. > :17:34.Robertson can get to the bottom of the cue ball means he will probably

:17:34. > :17:53.

:17:53. > :18:03.take the sport on. A bike shot. -- It does not matter how good your

:18:03. > :18:05.

:18:05. > :18:09.safety as, at the end of the day, you have to pot something. Ronnie

:18:09. > :18:16.will be disappointed with that shot. A great chance to get tight in

:18:16. > :18:26.behind the yellow. He probably thought, be careful not to go and

:18:26. > :18:36.off. That is the thing. Having a 27 point lead is a little bit of an

:18:36. > :18:40.

:18:40. > :18:50.insurance but this is a tough Oh! He caught the bug of the middle

:18:50. > :19:00.

:19:00. > :19:07.pocket. I thought it would be good He could not pot that. Just wanted

:19:07. > :19:12.to get it away from the colour we that was causing a few problems.

:19:12. > :19:22.And by Clearing that the red he has made the black available into the

:19:22. > :19:29.

:19:29. > :19:39.corner pocket. Good thinking, could He could not have played that

:19:39. > :20:02.

:20:02. > :20:12.Ronnie has not potted for nearly six minutes... And still has not.

:20:12. > :20:22.

:20:22. > :20:29.Not so easy when you have these We usually see Neil Robertson take

:20:29. > :20:39.on these long rates but it is fraught with danger. If he knocks

:20:39. > :20:50.

:20:50. > :20:56.it end there is the chance to Either he does not like it or he

:20:56. > :21:01.does not fancy it. The distance is just over eight feet. So more than

:21:01. > :21:11.a mad distance pot. But as John mention, he is normally very strong

:21:11. > :21:27.

:21:27. > :21:35.It could have been once. That is why he did not like it. If it

:21:35. > :21:45.warbles, a good chance of moving a few reds. This red is on to the

:21:45. > :21:47.

:21:47. > :21:57.left middle. But it is not there. He has amassed a decent chance

:21:57. > :22:20.

:22:20. > :22:30.there, he had brought another read Not close. It must be the loneliest

:22:30. > :22:34.

:22:34. > :22:38.seat in the world when you are struggling. Ronnie has got this

:22:38. > :22:48.read to their FA right corner. Oh! He was walking around! He thought

:22:48. > :22:50.

:22:50. > :23:00.it was an. But it has not gone and. So close. How did it not drop? Neil

:23:00. > :23:08.

:23:08. > :23:15.Robertson gets another chance. He Could that is not great. I take it

:23:15. > :23:25.he played for the blue. I do not think the brown will pass the

:23:25. > :23:35.

:23:36. > :23:45.So disruptive to Europe and when you keep losing position. -- sowed

:23:46. > :23:57.

:23:57. > :24:07.He took the bank on. That was always going to gain him better

:24:07. > :24:09.

:24:09. > :24:15.position. Fair play. He took a tougher shot. Tricky, this. But

:24:15. > :24:25.played it very well. This black would Pritam 42 points in front. He

:24:25. > :24:33.

:24:33. > :24:43.will still need two of the This is the first frame he has

:24:43. > :25:10.

:25:10. > :25:20.Just the red needed to go 51 points At last, he will be thinking, I

:25:20. > :25:42.

:25:42. > :25:52.have caught a frame on the Frame conceded. Frame, Neil

:25:52. > :25:57.

:25:57. > :26:05.Robertson. Sex in a row. Finally he is on the scoreboard. I wonder what

:26:05. > :26:11.kind of relief that is? Huge relief. And probably another

:26:11. > :26:16.must-win frame coming up. If he can get this 29 - 7 he will probably

:26:16. > :26:21.feel like he has won the session. It was getting away from him. Both

:26:21. > :26:25.players will realise the importance of this next frame.

:26:25. > :26:32.How do you explain it to yourself? When you have a stinker like this?

:26:32. > :26:39.It must be hard to rationalise. He will think about it later. If he

:26:39. > :26:43.does not win this next frame I think that is it. 10 - 6 against

:26:43. > :26:51.O'Sullivan is too much. He will analyse it later but for now he has

:26:51. > :26:55.this frame to win. You agree, Stephen?

:26:55. > :27:00.Yes. Those two shots alone will give him real hope but he needs to

:27:00. > :27:05.win this for them to have a chance in the match, I agree.

:27:05. > :27:11.As the match locking up to expectations? We expected it to be

:27:11. > :27:17.closer, for longer. Probably not, but that is the

:27:17. > :27:24.brilliance of Ronnie O'Sullivan. Stupendous form. It is very hard to

:27:24. > :27:27.hold on to him, like a racehorse, when he's running away like that.

:27:27. > :27:31.Robertson has shown brilliant form already in the tournament but when

:27:31. > :27:35.you come up against someone, that is one of the hardest things about

:27:35. > :27:39.this game - when you are in the chair, there is nothing you can do

:27:39. > :27:45.about your opponent. It is the beauty of the sport, but the

:27:45. > :27:50.hardest thing about it also. There is just something that is not

:27:50. > :27:55.quite right. When you are not playing well, things are smelly.

:27:55. > :28:00.There was a chance where Ronnie O'Sullivan there began massing. And

:28:00. > :28:05.it still was not going for Neil Robertson. Every chance you get

:28:05. > :28:09.looks awkward. The Stephen, you were busy playing

:28:09. > :28:16.until today. Do you agree that the winner of this match is favourite

:28:16. > :28:20.to win the title? On paper. Matthew Stevens is

:28:20. > :28:24.waiting for the winner and that will not be an easy match by any

:28:24. > :28:27.stretch. But yes, everybody will probably look on and say that the

:28:27. > :28:33.winner of this match will win the tournament but it does not often

:28:33. > :28:43.work out like that. Here we go, last frame of the

:28:43. > :28:51.

:28:51. > :28:59.The previous frame took 28 minutes. The longest frame of the match.

:28:59. > :29:03.There have been some long frames on this championship. But most of the

:29:03. > :29:10.frames today have gone quite quickly. Though not with shots like

:29:10. > :29:15.that. Once again he has got lucky. He has apologised. That is the

:29:15. > :29:22.second time I have seen him apologise. It is not normally his

:29:22. > :29:26.way. He just carries on. I think there is a lot of respect between

:29:26. > :29:30.these two players. The different styles. But they both know that

:29:30. > :29:35.when they went out at the start that this would be a tough match,

:29:35. > :29:42.one that could get them into a position to win the championship.

:29:42. > :29:46.There are no guarantees. Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, all saying

:29:46. > :29:54.that it is a new competition when you get to the semi-finals. You are

:29:54. > :30:04.only halfway there. Do you want to start again? Yes?

:30:04. > :30:09.

:30:09. > :30:14.That was a big frame for Neil Robertson. Perhaps he missed an

:30:14. > :30:20.opportunity there. Perhaps he thinks he has won a frame and wants

:30:20. > :30:30.to get on with that, I don't know. But there is no great game -- great

:30:30. > :30:48.

:30:48. > :30:54.game to be taken from touching back This time, he has left Ronnie with

:30:54. > :31:04.a chance in the left corner. If he can get round the black and the red

:31:04. > :31:21.

:31:21. > :31:31.Not got the right angle on the brown, but it is still possible.

:31:31. > :31:44.

:31:44. > :31:49.Potential deep screw here. Not The brown is a tough pot in the

:31:49. > :31:59.middle. The pace he had to hit it cut the chances down. But that is

:31:59. > :32:15.

:32:15. > :32:25.his choice. He is frustrated. Wants Robertson missed the cannon there.

:32:25. > :32:26.

:32:26. > :32:36.Pink does not call in the right corner. Blue is very thin. -- go.

:32:36. > :32:49.

:32:49. > :32:59.Nowhere near. He played it at a gentle pace to cover the pocket

:32:59. > :33:06.

:33:06. > :33:12.Ronnie having a look round here. I don't know if he can get past the

:33:12. > :33:22.pink and play a double, or is it just a safety? Just a safety, I

:33:22. > :33:22.

:33:22. > :33:27.feel. He was just checking the side of the pack to make sure there was

:33:27. > :33:37.not a plant. Quite a clever safety shot if there is no path back on

:33:37. > :33:54.

:33:54. > :34:04.the left-hand side of the table Fair play to him. How has he left

:34:04. > :34:10.

:34:10. > :34:20.for opposition? Just about on the yellow. Unlucky to be left beyond

:34:20. > :34:40.

:34:40. > :34:46.It would be a huge lift for Neil Robertson's confidence if he could

:34:46. > :34:56.take this frame. He would have felt terrible if he was just sitting in

:34:56. > :34:57.

:34:57. > :35:05.the chair. Six frames he had to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan play. We

:35:05. > :35:15.should give him some credit for what he is doing here. He has found

:35:15. > :35:51.

:35:51. > :36:01.He has changed his mind as he could not reach the black even with the

:36:01. > :36:01.

:36:01. > :36:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:36:47. > :36:55.extension. Pink might now go on the Having to screw back for the loose

:36:55. > :37:05.red. It is a big ask to get good on the blue. The black is on the pink

:37:05. > :37:27.

:37:27. > :37:37.There is one loose red, but perfect on the blue. He has a chance to win

:37:37. > :37:39.

:37:39. > :37:49.the frame at this visit. Surely he has something easier now. No one

:37:49. > :38:00.

:38:00. > :38:10.can be that unlucky. The blue going I feel that Ronnie O'Sullivan has

:38:10. > :38:28.

:38:28. > :38:32.taken some liberties in the last Neil Robertson will go into the

:38:32. > :38:37.final session this evening, if he does go into it just two frames

:38:37. > :38:42.behind, he might think he has weathered the storm. It looked as

:38:42. > :38:52.will this match could have been a out of reach. I just feel that

:38:52. > :38:52.

:38:52. > :39:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:39:48. > :39:58.Ronnie took one or two liberties, He is walking around the table

:39:58. > :39:59.

:39:59. > :40:07.quickly, checking every possibility, before he plays each shot. He has

:40:07. > :40:17.gone a little too far with the cue ball. He will have to try to force

:40:17. > :40:30.

:40:30. > :40:37.an angle. All of a sudden, he looks This pink and one more red and he

:40:37. > :40:40.will take this frame. He will have a couple of hours before the next

:40:40. > :40:50.session this evening. But he will take some positive thoughts out of

:40:50. > :41:21.

:41:21. > :41:27.For me, he took his eye off the ball. He was playing well and

:41:27. > :41:37.making things happen, but you can't take too many liberties at this

:41:37. > :41:39.

:41:39. > :41:47.game. After all those frames he lost, he has done exceptionally

:41:47. > :41:52.well in the last couple. He trails by nine frames to seven going into

:41:52. > :41:58.the final session this evening. That comeback was crucial for this

:41:58. > :42:07.evening. He is back in the match now. Ronnie is still warm favourite,

:42:07. > :42:14.but he will be disappointed. He was 9-5 up. He will be disappointed to

:42:14. > :42:22.not have at least 10-6 before tonight. It is when you have had

:42:22. > :42:28.that position and you lose the last couple, it is hard. He will

:42:28. > :42:33.probably be kicking himself he has not pressed on. There were some

:42:33. > :42:40.shots in the final frame there that could have expressed some

:42:40. > :42:47.impatience. When you were so close to that brown, you feel like you

:42:47. > :42:51.will pot it. He did not want to get dragged into a safety battle. The

:42:51. > :42:56.commentators were alluding that Neil was trying to slow the frames

:42:56. > :43:03.down a little. Ronnie probably was pushing the boat out. But the way

:43:04. > :43:08.he was playing, you would fancy that shot all day long. They have

:43:08. > :43:14.just under two hours to get ready. In between these sessions, what are

:43:14. > :43:23.they likely to be doing? If it was me, I would go back to the hotel

:43:23. > :43:30.room and relax. Tried to take your mind off it. Get something to eat?

:43:30. > :43:35.Something White, not a five-course meal! We will be back for that

:43:35. > :43:39.concluding session at 7pm. It promises to be a cracker. We have

:43:39. > :43:46.one more quarter final to reflect upon today. It was the all Welsh

:43:46. > :43:56.affair between Ryan Day and Matthew Stevens. He made the final in

:43:56. > :44:07.

:44:07. > :44:16.20021005. -- 2,000, and 2005. stood out for me as a spectator. I

:44:16. > :44:22.got to the quarter final the first time, lost against Doherty. I

:44:22. > :44:32.played at Wembley in front of several thousand people, but

:44:32. > :44:36.

:44:36. > :44:46.nothing compares to the Crucible. Highlight when there are two tables.

:44:46. > :44:52.-- I like. There is a real buzz about Sheffield. It is exciting.

:44:52. > :45:02.Everyone is talking about the World Championship. Everybody is watching

:45:02. > :45:04.

:45:04. > :45:07.it. There have been many low was. At least I have been in that

:45:08. > :45:16.position where I have had the chance to win it in the final. I

:45:16. > :45:21.have had a good run. -- there have been an many lows. I believe I can

:45:21. > :45:26.still win it. Perhaps I am not as good as I was 12 years ago, but I

:45:26. > :45:36.can still compete with the best players. So, hopefully one day and

:45:36. > :45:39.

:45:39. > :45:43.well. -- one day and I will. Ryan Day seemed extremely unsettled and

:45:43. > :45:49.the moments before his introduction last night. We have since heard he

:45:49. > :45:54.was suffering from a mine grain at this point. He has not tried to use

:45:54. > :45:59.that as an excuse for what happened thereafter. It seemed too badly

:45:59. > :46:09.affect them all evening as he did not win a single frame. Here he

:46:09. > :46:12.

:46:12. > :46:17.comes, all smiles. Just beginning to suffer, we understand. Stevens

:46:17. > :46:22.comfortably quite what his friend there. They returned this morning,

:46:22. > :46:32.knowing Matthew Stevens just needed it two more frames to book a place

:46:32. > :46:46.

:46:46. > :46:56.He has put another one on the pocket. Can day get past with the

:46:56. > :47:04.

:47:04. > :47:12.pink? If he hits it gently, it might go in. He wanted to see a

:47:12. > :47:22.full ball would pass the pink. But that is not allowed. He can

:47:22. > :47:22.

:47:22. > :47:31.definitely get by, but the red is not in the correct place. There is

:47:31. > :47:41.definitely run to get through. -- rumour. It is difficult to see from

:47:41. > :48:01.

:48:01. > :48:11.here. He has to get enough pace to Maybe there is not enough width?

:48:11. > :48:31.

:48:31. > :48:41.That is unlucky. Just a little wide. Not a straight forward cannon. He

:48:41. > :48:53.

:48:53. > :49:03.Similar pattern as in the second session. Both players having

:49:03. > :49:15.

:49:15. > :49:25.chances. Without the red there, you would probably pot this every time.

:49:25. > :49:37.

:49:37. > :49:43.It is not as if Ryan Day has been What I made of that last night was

:49:43. > :49:49.that Ryan Day was not too disappointed about only being 5-3

:49:49. > :49:53.in front. That is OK at the start of the match, but when you start to

:49:53. > :50:00.lose several frames, you start thinking about the past and

:50:00. > :50:10.negative vibes come in. But his opponent is not grasping the

:50:10. > :50:21.

:50:21. > :50:30.chances as he was last night. That He played superbly in the

:50:30. > :50:34.beginnings of the session yesterday. The Crucible has ruined a few

:50:34. > :50:44.career's over the years! It is one of the most difficult places to

:50:44. > :50:44.

:50:44. > :50:50.play. This was written about Stephen Hendry, but it will also go

:50:50. > :50:56.for Ryan Day, it is an example of the Crucible ability to tear a

:50:57. > :51:04.sportsman's flesh from his bones. Great venue to play N. Now it is

:51:04. > :51:14.barren and devoid from comfort. I think that summed up Stephen

:51:14. > :51:20.

:51:20. > :51:30.Hendry's last game in the Crucible There is a gap between the two reds

:51:30. > :51:48.

:51:48. > :51:58.and the pink. He has to play it the Cliff Thorburn has put up some

:51:58. > :51:58.

:51:58. > :53:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:53:16. > :53:21.fabulous performances here at the Very good shot. Unlucky to have

:53:21. > :53:31.left the red in the middle. But that is a tough one. Ryan will

:53:31. > :54:01.

:54:01. > :54:05.Finish high on the black. Good Ryan Day has to build blocks

:54:05. > :54:10.mentally. Perhaps get this frame on the board and then another. Then he

:54:10. > :54:16.will feel more comfortable. That will have an effect on his opponent,

:54:16. > :54:23.Matthew Stevens, if you start playing well. It is just not

:54:23. > :54:33.happening for him. He needs some luck. The red never covers the

:54:33. > :54:39.

:54:39. > :54:49.black when you need it. His highest break has been 59. Also 57. The

:54:49. > :54:49.

:54:49. > :55:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:55:31. > :55:38.He is looking at the potting angle of the yellow. He has just about

:55:38. > :55:48.made it. Any thicker and he would have hit the red in the middle

:55:48. > :56:05.

:56:05. > :56:15.He has been fortunate with the kiss there. He will have to play for the

:56:15. > :56:18.

:56:18. > :56:28.black this time as the blue is not on the spot. He needs an angle on

:56:28. > :56:34.

:56:34. > :56:44.Playing the kiss is quite risky. He might just play it to get on the

:56:44. > :57:01.

:57:01. > :57:05.Missed judged it there, but was fortunate to get the kiss.

:57:05. > :57:15.depends what angle he has got. If it is natural into the corner

:57:15. > :57:15.

:57:15. > :58:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:58:08. > :58:13.The green is not his best friend at the moment. He is 5 in front. We

:58:14. > :58:23.might see another left-handed shot on the trot here for a right-handed

:58:24. > :58:25.

:58:25. > :58:35.player. If I was him, I would keep playing with my left hand! He is

:58:35. > :58:37.

:58:37. > :58:43.hitting it better. He has made a century break left-handed. The very

:58:43. > :58:51.trot -- very tough to play dead weight when you hit it perfectly.

:58:51. > :58:56.15 points in front. Just blue needed and it would be 10 on the

:58:56. > :59:06.trot that Ryan Day has lost. In this situation, he just wants to

:59:06. > :59:25.

:59:25. > :59:35.Matthew now one frame away from a 6th place in a Crucible final in

:59:35. > :59:37.

:59:37. > :59:43.not only 13 appearances. Can he get over the line now in frame in 19?

:59:43. > :59:53.-- frame 19. This could be the last time that Matthew Stevens breaks

:59:53. > :59:53.

:59:53. > :01:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:01:02. > :01:06.This is an excellent chance. You would expect him to score quite a

:01:06. > :01:16.few here, especially if he gets through to the back quickly, and he

:01:16. > :01:16.

:01:16. > :02:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:02:53. > :02:58.has a chance to do that after the Mark has had a shaky spell in the

:02:58. > :03:04.previous frame but has recovered well with a 38 break at the end to

:03:04. > :03:10.clinch that frame. People might not think so but that has settle him

:03:10. > :03:20.down. Even if you are five-0 in front you are not sure anything.

:03:20. > :03:21.

:03:21. > :03:29.You are the strong favourite, but you always feel the worst. -- fear

:03:29. > :03:34.the worst. That was a little bit tricky, and he feels that he had a

:03:34. > :03:38.spring off the cushion. He screwed onto the cushion with the reverse

:03:38. > :03:48.side for the cue ball to come out on to the red, but it came off very

:03:48. > :03:53.quickly. Mustn't complain too much, too, your friend is in his seat,

:03:53. > :04:03.12-5 behind and thinking he is going to lose. Why knows it is

:04:03. > :04:05.

:04:05. > :04:12.almost impossible for him to win the game. -- Ryan Day knows. I was

:04:12. > :04:18.playing John Spencer and I was leading to of-5, and as I walk past

:04:18. > :04:28.him, he said, please get me out of fear. Ryan day, just going through

:04:28. > :04:37.

:04:37. > :04:44.I would give everything I could to a very shot until I was finished.

:04:44. > :04:49.Everybody is different. A win it is going well, you get the kisses, and

:04:49. > :04:59.look at that kiss. It is amazing sometimes what happens on the

:04:59. > :05:02.

:05:02. > :05:08.snooker table. I was 10-0 down against Stephen Hendry in the semi-

:05:08. > :05:16.final here. It is not a good place to be, especially in the one-table

:05:16. > :05:20.situation. There was me taking 10 minutes to miss a red. It was not a

:05:20. > :05:24.great place, but on the other hand it is an experience you would not

:05:24. > :05:29.get anywhere else. It is not a nice experience, but the and motions a

:05:29. > :05:37.very special. Did you get back in the match? I had a good run in the

:05:37. > :05:45.middle of the match and only lost 16-3. One of his arms fell off, and

:05:45. > :05:50.he only one, 16-3. He was some player, I can tell you. When he was

:05:50. > :05:54.good, you never saw them. Every time you went to the table he was

:05:54. > :06:04.clearing up and doing big breaks. A wonderful example to anyone

:06:04. > :06:04.

:06:04. > :07:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:07:22. > :07:28.He's getting ever closer to the That puts him by the winning line.

:07:28. > :07:36.He will play the winner of Ronnie O'Sullivan against Neil Robertson,

:07:36. > :07:43.which will be even tougher. Usually when you are in this position these

:07:43. > :07:48.fly in, but not this time. Ryan Day will be disappointed, but pleas for

:07:48. > :07:58.his friend, Matthew Stevens. He will have to be better in the semi-

:07:58. > :08:01.

:08:01. > :08:06.final. He wins this match 13-5. I thought it was going to be a

:08:06. > :08:11.great match, scoring, but it was not have returned out. Both of was

:08:11. > :08:21.struggled a bit. And it was really hard. But we are here to do a job

:08:21. > :08:22.

:08:22. > :08:28.and I managed to do it. I did not really have any effect on that

:08:28. > :08:37.session. I had plenty of chances. And it just spiralled out of

:08:37. > :08:42.control. It is very disappointing. But you cannot change much about it

:08:43. > :08:46.now. It has been in long few years. It has been disappointing. I have

:08:46. > :08:51.watched the other guys have some success in the World Championship.

:08:51. > :08:57.Years ago I was getting to the semi-finals or quarter finals every

:08:57. > :09:03.year, and to get to that stage in this event, it means a lot to me.

:09:03. > :09:07.It is what you practice for, and I feel very proud of myself. He has

:09:07. > :09:12.not been at this stage, the semi- finals, since 2005, when he was a

:09:12. > :09:18.regular, as he set himself. Always thought he was a Crucible player.

:09:18. > :09:23.He has won the UK, as well. He used to take plenty of beating. I like

:09:23. > :09:30.him, it is good to see him back. Exceptional player, good all round

:09:30. > :09:35.scorer. He's back in the top 16. He had dropped out for a couple of

:09:35. > :09:40.years but has grafted his way back in. What has been the difference in

:09:40. > :09:43.his performances this season? Possibly some more events. He is

:09:44. > :09:49.the type of player and would rather be playing competitively than wait

:09:49. > :09:53.for weeks and weeks practising, because he gets bored. But he is a

:09:53. > :10:02.tremendous under-achievers. He should never have been out of the

:10:02. > :10:09.top eight, never mind the 16th. has won two of the three Triple

:10:09. > :10:13.Crown matches, but this is where he belongs. Is he a contender, on form,

:10:13. > :10:18.and what are his due qualities? Absolutely. Anybody who is in the

:10:18. > :10:22.semi-finals has got a great chance. Every day is different in snooker.

:10:22. > :10:28.Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson, whoever wins that match

:10:28. > :10:32.will be favoured, but they will not want to catch Mark Williams if he

:10:32. > :10:37.is on form. He is a confidence player. Once he gets on a roll, he

:10:37. > :10:45.does not let up. He scores and guess frames on the board very

:10:45. > :10:51.quickly and is very dangerous. you have just got back in from work

:10:51. > :10:54.or you have been busy with the kids all day, you probably missed the

:10:54. > :10:59.reaction to news that the fellow on my left Stephen Hendry has decided

:10:59. > :11:05.to call it the day, he retired last night after going out to Stephen

:11:06. > :11:09.Maguire. This is his 27th year on the trot of competition at the

:11:09. > :11:19.snooker -- at the Crucible. It is a venue with which he has become

:11:19. > :11:22.

:11:22. > :11:27.synonymous. My first experience was Steve Davis's first Embassy victory,

:11:27. > :11:33.against Doug Mountjoy. My first aim was to go there and not get

:11:33. > :11:39.embarrassed. Playing against Willie Thorne who was one of the top

:11:39. > :11:44.players at the time. I did not want to get beat 10-0, and they need a

:11:44. > :11:52.good account of myself and I was disappointed to lose. -- I made a

:11:52. > :11:56.good account. I would stay at the same hotel every year. You would

:11:56. > :12:01.check in to the same room, the same hotel, right down to the first

:12:02. > :12:06.practice session. The sense of anticipation was always there. When

:12:06. > :12:10.you got confidence, going there with wins under your belt, it

:12:10. > :12:14.becomes more of a place of work, you are there to do a job and win

:12:14. > :12:18.the tournament. You still get to enjoy the atmosphere. If you don't

:12:18. > :12:23.enjoy walking out at the Crucible, there was something wrong with you.

:12:23. > :12:27.It is like a rabbit warren, the press room, the dressing rooms, not

:12:27. > :12:35.what you would say is ideal for a snooker tournament, but it is

:12:35. > :12:45.unique. It is just such a nice atmosphere. Sheffield is like a

:12:45. > :12:49.second home to me. For 26, 27 years playing at the Crucible, I have

:12:49. > :12:55.watched the city growing row over the years and become what it is now,

:12:55. > :13:00.a fantastic place. It is hard to pick out one, I have had so many

:13:00. > :13:07.great occasions and magic moments. When I first played Willie Thorne,

:13:07. > :13:10.my first victory, making a maximum in the one-table situation at the

:13:10. > :13:19.Crucible is probably the biggest buzz you will have a get. It is

:13:19. > :13:26.impossible to pick out one moment because I have as so many. -- have

:13:26. > :13:33.had. For the record, Stephen's last match was a 15-2 defeat, to Stephen

:13:33. > :13:43.Maguire, but that is able want to remember. He would prefer to

:13:43. > :13:49.

:13:49. > :13:59.As his passing shot. That one sounded good as it hit the back of

:13:59. > :14:07.

:14:07. > :14:16.Stephen will take a lead into the second session but he would like to

:14:16. > :14:22.try to take a big advantage through. I always think that in this round

:14:22. > :14:29.when you have got nine frames, at 6 I think the, you have still got

:14:29. > :14:36.work to do, but when you get to 7-2, or at greater advantage, you cannot

:14:36. > :14:45.really see the comeback happening. This will take a good shot to

:14:45. > :14:51.continue the break. He did not quite get into that. Trying to hit

:14:51. > :14:59.the red on the left of the pack, he hit the wrong red. He may not even

:14:59. > :15:02.try. But he is in attacking mode. He does not often refuse balls.

:15:02. > :15:12.has the possibility to play the red to the left middle with the chance

:15:12. > :15:14.

:15:14. > :15:24.of being on the black. He has just overrun the cue ball a fraction.

:15:24. > :15:30.Maybe he did play it off board cushions. The black is cuttable but

:15:30. > :15:40.tricky. He is going to take it on. He has already look at the potting

:15:40. > :15:44.

:15:44. > :15:49.That is a good shot. A good shot, not only to pot, but to play it

:15:49. > :15:57.with a little bit of top screw. He is not perfectly on a red still,

:15:57. > :16:07.but he has still got something to go at. This is difficult. The red

:16:07. > :16:37.

:16:37. > :16:47.That one has fallen in-off the jaw as well. You could see that one

:16:47. > :16:49.

:16:49. > :16:59.sting out. -- staying out. You do not expect it to be easy throat,

:16:59. > :16:59.

:16:59. > :17:09.but it is a newly covered cloth on year. And the cushions as well. --

:17:09. > :17:09.

:17:09. > :17:50.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:17:50. > :17:56.He is on reds and blacks. He would like to continue in that line. If

:17:56. > :18:00.the chance came he would continue on the black, rather than taking a

:18:00. > :18:10.lower value colour, you have got to put the frame on the board boss,

:18:10. > :18:28.

:18:28. > :18:38.but this is a chance to make a very He has made 10 in competitive play,

:18:38. > :18:50.

:18:50. > :19:00.You always wonder where the pink is going to be. It is in open play.

:19:00. > :19:01.

:19:02. > :19:11.The little run-through. Sometimes you think the only thing that can

:19:12. > :19:23.

:19:23. > :19:33.go wrong is the bad contact, which, You could not have it set up much

:19:33. > :19:47.

:19:47. > :19:57.We had been saying in between frames what a great temperament

:19:57. > :20:03.

:20:03. > :20:13.He forced it in and he has got it perfect, he can play for any red he

:20:13. > :20:15.

:20:15. > :20:18.It is just a question of getting higher up the table on a second red.

:20:19. > :20:26.Probably the most difficult of the three to get on the black from, but

:20:27. > :20:36.it is going to happen here, if he gets the pot. Once again, inch

:20:37. > :20:42.

:20:42. > :20:52.perfect. This, for the century, but Now, he needs an angle on this red

:20:52. > :21:30.

:21:30. > :21:39.This red, followed by the black and the six remaining colours. This is

:21:39. > :21:46.absolutely perfect. He cannot fail to be on the yellow. Can you

:21:46. > :21:52.believe this? Very similar to the shot that Cliff Thorburn had on

:21:52. > :22:02.this very table, running through on to the green, almost the same shot.

:22:02. > :22:03.

:22:03. > :22:07.Unfortunately, Stephen is stretching slightly. There has not

:22:07. > :22:14.been a century break being made in any ranking event this year. People

:22:14. > :22:19.have been praying for this. This is the key shot. In it goes. Perfect

:22:19. > :22:25.on the green. 40,000 bounce for the match mum, �10,000 for the highest

:22:25. > :22:35.break of the tournament, so these five remaining colours, for a bonus

:22:35. > :22:35.

:22:35. > :22:42.of �50,000. And another magical Crucible moment created by the King

:22:42. > :22:52.of the Crucible, Stephen Hendry. One more shot getting onto that

:22:52. > :23:01.

:23:02. > :23:09.blue perfectly would surely seal it. Decided to play for the pink into

:23:09. > :23:19.the middle rather than hold it. His temperament has always been his

:23:19. > :23:31.

:23:32. > :23:36.main strength. Can he hold it Fantastic! There is only one

:23:36. > :23:43.Stephen Hendry! Big congratulations from Stuart Bingham. Well done

:23:43. > :23:48.Stephen, you have done us proud once again. He has congratulated by

:23:48. > :23:54.both players from the other side. And Stephen Hendry - who said he

:23:54. > :24:04.was not declare the wars? Absolutely fantastic! -- knocked

:24:04. > :24:06.

:24:06. > :24:10.the player he was. An 11th maximum of your career. You knew that this

:24:10. > :24:16.would be your last appearance at the Crucible. So how much sweeter

:24:16. > :24:21.was that for that? It was amazing. As I said last night that was why I

:24:21. > :24:27.was more animated than I normally am. I knew that it was my last

:24:27. > :24:30.appearance at the Crucible so to make a maximum was tremendous.

:24:30. > :24:39.was a best will day for you, the first day of the rest of your life.

:24:39. > :24:43.We had a chat when you first came on. At half-past two, Stephen to go

:24:43. > :24:48.before a packed Crucible Theatre. I don't think I have ever seen 950

:24:48. > :24:58.people get to their feet so quickly in my life. What a reaction this

:24:58. > :24:58.

:24:58. > :25:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 56 seconds

:25:46. > :25:52.I think you will be only one who was not willing up! What was the

:25:52. > :25:58.ovation like? It was fantastic. I like to keep a low profile, but I

:25:58. > :26:04.was very honoured. John, you know what it is like to hang up your cue,

:26:04. > :26:11.what can Stephen expect to miss? can expect his go handicap to go

:26:11. > :26:16.down immediately! -- golfer handicap. Despite all the pain you

:26:16. > :26:21.have inflicted on everyone around here, we still give you the round

:26:21. > :26:27.of applause. We have had the fortune, or the misfortune, to have

:26:27. > :26:32.to play him all these years. What is it that separated this man from

:26:32. > :26:38.everybody else? Not sparing his blushes. Was it co-ordination,

:26:38. > :26:43.temperament, ability, or just wholeheartedness at the table?

:26:43. > :26:49.Junior Pot black, which I won many years ago I beat a lad called Steve

:26:49. > :26:52.Renton and the final. My father leaned over and said, there is a

:26:52. > :26:56.little kid from Scotland who got beat in the semi-final, and you

:26:57. > :27:02.going to be seen a lot more of him. I have never seen anybody so upset

:27:02. > :27:10.to get beat. He looks like a player already but he is going to be a

:27:10. > :27:13.fierce competitor. Things have not changed! Stephen Hendry, when he

:27:13. > :27:17.came along in the 90s, he revolutionised the game and brought

:27:17. > :27:22.it to a new level, created that sort of mentality amongst the

:27:22. > :27:27.players, that when you get one chance, you take it. From playing

:27:27. > :27:31.him and watching him, the likes of myself, John Higgins, Ronnie

:27:31. > :27:36.O'Sullivan, and all of the guys coming after us, we all learned

:27:36. > :27:41.from watching the way that Stephen played, because he totally played -

:27:41. > :27:46.- change the way the game was played. I always considered him to

:27:46. > :27:50.be the benchmark. If you beat him in the final of semi-final, you

:27:50. > :27:56.were playing great, because that was the benchmark. Stephen, you're

:27:56. > :28:02.going to miss the Crucible? Absolutely. But you are going to be

:28:02. > :28:09.with us as part of the TV team for the rest of your career, so get

:28:09. > :28:13.used to being around us! And you will be on duty along with