Day 3, Part 2

:00:38. > :00:43.Good afternoon. I am poring over an avalanche of newspaper cuttings in

:00:43. > :00:47.the Crucible and they centre on this any shook in yesterday pot

:00:47. > :00:55.microsecond day of the Betfred.com championship, specifically Mark

:00:55. > :00:59.Allen and his dramatic defeat to the world No. 81, Yupeng, but more

:00:59. > :01:05.specifically to the comment in the wake of that defeat in the press

:01:05. > :01:11.conference. Basically Allen has accused his opponent at a key

:01:11. > :01:21.moment in that match of cheating, and then widened his aim of

:01:21. > :01:23.

:01:24. > :01:29.accusing other Chinese players of cheating. Having law -- accused, he

:01:29. > :01:33.wished a pleasant summer and left. Mark Allen is no stranger to

:01:33. > :01:38.controversy. Already this season a dispute with Barry Hearn and

:01:38. > :01:48.disparaging comments about China have brought unwelcome attention.

:01:48. > :01:56.Now he looks set to face a disciplinary hearing. I thought he

:01:56. > :02:00.fouled that. Did he hit the white twice? The referee is having a good

:02:00. > :02:06.close look. Maybe it is one of those things. The referee was

:02:06. > :02:12.looking down the shot, he didn't give it, for me, no foul. From what

:02:12. > :02:18.I have seen, looking at it up to 10 times, it is in conclusive really.

:02:18. > :02:24.The referee can't call something he does not seek so obviously he did

:02:24. > :02:33.not see it. On the reviews of the camera angles I looked at, I could

:02:33. > :02:38.not call a push shot or a double hit. The referee missed a blatant

:02:38. > :02:42.push, it was massive. It seems to be a trait of the Chinese players -

:02:42. > :02:47.there seems to be some instances in the past of cheating going on and

:02:47. > :02:53.it needs to be corrected. He is a good enough player, he does not

:02:53. > :02:58.have to do it. Mark has made some comments in his press conference, a

:02:58. > :03:02.full transcript will be taken to consider really. He has been known

:03:02. > :03:07.lately to make some comments in press conferences and we laugh at

:03:07. > :03:13.them sometimes but I don't really a laugh at them. I am not a believer

:03:14. > :03:16.in those things, I have never done it in my career. I don't think he

:03:16. > :03:20.misbehaved in any way on the table and it was an exceptional

:03:20. > :03:27.performance. You have got to remember it was probably the best

:03:27. > :03:31.day of his life so criticism is not the direction I would go.

:03:32. > :03:36.everybody was pretty shocked by the manner of Mark Allen's defeat and

:03:36. > :03:41.flabbergasted by his comments afterwards. He also volunteered

:03:41. > :03:46.that Yupeng had outplayed him, but what you make it his all the more

:03:46. > :03:51.serious accusations? To it is very strong indeed. He is entitled to

:03:51. > :03:56.express his opinion in that match, but other things that were said

:03:56. > :04:06.later on, you can't have a broader generalisation as that and not end

:04:06. > :04:13.

:04:13. > :04:22.up in hot water. Describe this moment. Cao Yupeng is

:04:22. > :04:27.trying to play a stun shot. It is difficult to see. You can see the

:04:27. > :04:31.white ball jumping in the air, and if it gets trapped between the red

:04:31. > :04:41.and the to put the cue, it will jump in the air. It is fascinating

:04:41. > :04:43.

:04:43. > :04:48.to see from the referee's perspective, how he would judge

:04:49. > :04:53.that. It is very tight for a two table set-up so it is not always

:04:53. > :05:01.perfect to get in the right position. Let's have a look at what

:05:01. > :05:05.a push shot is. There are two types. The first one - if the tip of the

:05:05. > :05:12.cue stays in contact with the white ball for an inordinate amount of

:05:13. > :05:17.time, that is a push. The other type is when the tip of the cue,

:05:17. > :05:23.the white ball and the red ball are hitting each other at the same time.

:05:23. > :05:28.This would be a push shot. Then they get trapped together. For a

:05:28. > :05:33.split-second they are together. The other type a foul is effectively a

:05:33. > :05:40.double hit. This can happen - you can hit the ball, the momentum of

:05:40. > :05:46.the tip goes forward, and then you hit it again. This is what would

:05:46. > :05:51.happen. A push would be something along these lines... The white ball

:05:51. > :05:57.goes forward afterwards. Even if you are playing backspin, but you

:05:57. > :06:01.hit the ball and you push it, and it goes for words. If you are

:06:02. > :06:06.jacking the cue in the air and you play a double hit, what may happen,

:06:06. > :06:13.you send the red ball off and the white ball jumps in the air because

:06:13. > :06:20.it is double hit. I didn't do that one very well. One more time, it is

:06:20. > :06:24.quite tough to do. The cue ball hits it again. Looking at the

:06:24. > :06:29.footage, it is difficult to see what happened. It happened so

:06:29. > :06:35.quickly, and it also makes a different sound. Generally, the

:06:35. > :06:38.player himself will know if it has happened. Clearly Cao Yupeng came

:06:38. > :06:45.into the press conference after Mark Allen, the biggest day of his

:06:45. > :06:50.life, and he is flummoxed by accusations of cheating. And he is

:06:50. > :06:58.still in the tournament so how does it affect him coming into the next

:06:58. > :07:03.round? He is going to have to be very strong mentally. More broadly,

:07:03. > :07:08.Allen accused the Chinese players in general of blatant cheating. In

:07:08. > :07:12.fact he did name individuals, which we will not do now, but we have

:07:12. > :07:18.admired his candour, we have said it is refreshing in the past but

:07:18. > :07:23.surely he has overstepped the Mark this time. Suddenly it is dawning

:07:23. > :07:27.on people how serious this might be. There will be a lot of people very

:07:27. > :07:32.upset with what he said, and obviously the Chinese Snooker

:07:32. > :07:36.Association will be very upset indeed. I don't suppose he will get

:07:36. > :07:43.the best of Wellcome's when he goes back, and he has five tournaments

:07:43. > :07:48.there next year. Cao Yupeng marches on, but shall we focus on what we

:07:48. > :07:53.are all about this afternoon? There is another hot issue on the way in

:07:53. > :08:03.the biggest first round match, it is Ronnie O'Sullivan against Peter

:08:03. > :08:13.Ebdon coming up live this afternoon. After surviving a decider, John

:08:13. > :08:23.Stephen Hendry for the first time ever at the Crucible. Graeme Dott

:08:23. > :08:32.

:08:32. > :08:41.Stephen Lee will be on parade this evening. A long wait for Ali Carter,

:08:41. > :08:48.not playing until Wednesday night. Mark Williams' relationship with

:08:48. > :08:58.the Crucible is complicated. Dave Gilbert's first win is rewarded

:08:58. > :09:14.

:09:14. > :09:21.Mark Selby can rest his ailing neck until tomorrow. what more stories

:09:21. > :09:29.might we get a day, on this, the first of three Mondays. Here is

:09:29. > :09:33.what is to come. Top break of 54 in the opening session but it was

:09:34. > :09:39.experience that gave Stephen Maguire a healthy 6-3 lead over

:09:39. > :09:45.Luca Brecel. The boy wonder finally found his feet yesterday and he is

:09:45. > :09:53.still very much in it. This afternoon, stand by for Rocket

:09:53. > :09:58.launch number 20 at the Crucible. When he plays somewhere near the

:09:59. > :10:07.way he is capable of playing, it is magical stuff. It is flawless and

:10:07. > :10:17.just unbelievable. Stand by to unleash the force for the 21st

:10:17. > :10:18.

:10:18. > :10:22.consecutive time here. On his day, he is so tough to beat. It should

:10:22. > :10:28.be tense and potentially combustible stuff in that one, so

:10:28. > :10:34.to relieve that, a few laughs in the quiz. We hope you will be a

:10:34. > :10:43.part of the action as well. Give us your thoughts on the Mark Allen

:10:43. > :10:48.story. A reminder that the Peter Ebdon and Ronnie O'Sullivan match

:10:48. > :10:56.starts at 2:30pm, and we will give our fullest attention in the build

:10:56. > :10:59.up. Business here began as usual at 10 am with the first of three

:10:59. > :11:08.sessions, featuring the youngest player ever to qualify at the

:11:08. > :11:14.Crucible - Luca Brecel, and Stephen Maguire who is fancied for a good

:11:14. > :11:24.run this year. Here are his special memories of a special event in this

:11:24. > :11:24.

:11:24. > :11:29.town. The first memory is probably when we joined the young players of

:11:29. > :11:34.distinction. The World Snooker took us down there just to feel the

:11:34. > :11:40.atmosphere. It was a lot smaller than I was expecting. The

:11:40. > :11:44.atmosphere was pretty electric. The first time I qualified, I had to

:11:44. > :11:48.play Ronnie O'Sullivan which was a dampener but in a way it was a good

:11:48. > :11:53.thing. You can never really prepare for the feeling when you have to go

:11:53. > :11:58.out and play. Pure adrenaline and butterflies, and I still get that

:11:58. > :12:02.to this day, especially at the Crucible. Maybe it is because it

:12:02. > :12:07.was the World Championship as well so you are trying your hardest, but

:12:07. > :12:12.it was so enclosed and warm. The crowd can touch you if you are

:12:12. > :12:17.sitting in your seat so that is hard to get used to. You can see a

:12:17. > :12:22.lot of players when they go there, and I have done it before, you just

:12:22. > :12:31.for old. The weather is usually good as well and the whole city is

:12:31. > :12:35.buzzing. It is actually quite good when you go outside in the square

:12:36. > :12:40.and everybody is sitting with their autograph books, looking forward to

:12:40. > :12:50.watching the matches so it is a good time to be there. The best

:12:50. > :12:52.

:12:52. > :12:58.part is probably walking out at the start of the match. In 2007 it was

:12:58. > :13:05.exciting, I was in my first World final, so that was quite painful

:13:05. > :13:11.really but I think because it was John Higgins that beat me, it was

:13:12. > :13:16.better that way because if anyone was going to beat me I would want

:13:16. > :13:26.it to be him. The World Championship is the one they all

:13:26. > :13:27.

:13:27. > :13:31.play for. I M31 and it is not going to get any easier so I need to get

:13:31. > :13:39.my name on the trophy in the next couple of years or it will not be

:13:39. > :13:45.there. Stephen says the weather is usually good here, it is raining

:13:45. > :13:53.right now. Luca Brecel was the more impressive scorer yesterday, but

:13:54. > :13:59.still found himself 6-3 down. At one point he had been 6-1 behind.

:13:59. > :14:09.We are going into frame 10, the first of the morning, and it is

:14:09. > :14:10.

:14:10. > :14:19.Willie Thorne and Dennis Taylor who Not only is it a bad mistake, it

:14:19. > :14:24.could prove very costly. Like you, Willie, I thought he would have

:14:24. > :14:30.dropped it in but he stormed it in to leave the green. He can get away

:14:30. > :14:40.with hitting not necessarily the centre of the ball... Goodness me.

:14:40. > :14:46.

:14:46. > :14:50.That is the easiest shot I have Luckily for Stephen Maguire, he has

:14:50. > :14:56.not left an easy chance. A red will pot but he has got to cannon

:14:56. > :15:06.another red. That one goes, so he could find there is a possible gap

:15:06. > :15:10.to get through on the black but he doesn't fancy it. That is not the

:15:10. > :15:18.best, so both players looking a little tense here in the opening

:15:18. > :15:28.frame. There was a little doubt I thought he might be able to storm

:15:28. > :15:31.

:15:31. > :15:35.through. -- stun through. That one wiped its feet, and it was an

:15:35. > :15:45.excellent shot. This is an excellent chance now, black

:15:45. > :15:46.

:15:46. > :15:56.available in both corners. When you are tense, as we have seen with

:15:56. > :16:00.

:16:00. > :16:09.that shot, you don't go through the He has got one to the middle to get

:16:09. > :16:13.him out of trouble. He didn't get the cannon, as he intended. At the

:16:13. > :16:23.moment they are not going in the middle of the pocket, but as long

:16:23. > :16:24.

:16:24. > :16:29.as they keep dropping. He has got a beautiful cueing action - smooth, a

:16:29. > :16:39.long pause before he delivers the cue. He looks the same left-handed

:16:39. > :16:40.

:16:40. > :16:45.as he does right handed. Do you remember years ago, I used to play

:16:45. > :16:51.left-handed and I was all right uncertain shots, I used to get a

:16:51. > :17:01.big round of applause. Now they don't even notice it, some of these

:17:01. > :17:10.

:17:10. > :17:20.players switch hands. He has a If he wins the first frame, he will

:17:20. > :17:49.

:17:49. > :17:54.We have had an interesting message, Mark Selby at home watching the

:17:54. > :18:04.snooker and he said John Higgins sometimes chalks the cue left-

:18:04. > :18:05.

:18:05. > :18:12.handed as we have just seen Luca Brecel doing. Ray Reardon used to

:18:12. > :18:17.do that but he kept his chalk in his waistcoat pocket. I never

:18:17. > :18:23.thought we would get into a debate about how you chalk you're cute!

:18:23. > :18:33.This young man has got off to the best possible start. Very shortly,

:18:33. > :18:53.

:18:53. > :19:03.Obviously the run-through is not quite on to get through to the

:19:03. > :19:04.

:19:04. > :19:10.He still needs to avoid the cannon on the blue, and this time it is

:19:10. > :19:15.perfect. One more red after this is needed, and we will take that

:19:15. > :19:20.opening frame. I think the viewers at home will really enjoy watching

:19:20. > :19:28.this young player. Very fluent, he doesn't hang about when he gets in

:19:28. > :19:38.the balls. OK, he will still be behind, but the first time at the

:19:38. > :20:07.

:20:07. > :20:11.Crucible and he has made breaks of He is also prone to play the odd

:20:11. > :20:18.exhibition shot at the end of a frame, there is nothing wrong with

:20:18. > :20:23.that. So the game is looking very healthy at the moment and we have

:20:23. > :20:29.Judd Trump coming up, who was a sensation here last year. I have

:20:29. > :20:36.never seen potting like it from any player in the game. Judd Trump for

:20:36. > :20:41.me is probably the greatest potter I have ever seen. Be careful with

:20:41. > :20:49.your exhibition shots, you could knock your tip off. He has cleared

:20:49. > :20:54.up with a break of 86, and he is now only two behind. 6-4.

:20:54. > :21:04.Inching closer, but Stephen Maguire restored his three frame advantage

:21:04. > :21:11.

:21:11. > :21:15.There is a sign of frustration from Stephen Maguire, and this young man

:21:15. > :21:20.wants to jump on this chance here because Stephen Maguire never even

:21:20. > :21:29.looked at an escape there. He is a little bit frustrated. I can't

:21:29. > :21:36.believe he has just on Mark. That makes two of us, and probably the

:21:36. > :21:44.viewers watching. That is something I have never seen from Stephen

:21:44. > :21:48.Maguire. Why would he be frustrated? He is 7-4 in front. OK,

:21:48. > :21:54.he has missed a couple of shots but you don't get yourself playing well

:21:54. > :21:59.doing that. I think that is what has annoyed him, missing the shots.

:21:59. > :22:09.We know that Stephen is fiery, and he will ban the cue every now and

:22:09. > :22:13.again, but I have never seen him do that before. It is so important for

:22:13. > :22:21.this young Belgian player to take full advantage of that. If he

:22:21. > :22:31.doesn't, he has got to win this frame. If he was 8-4 behind, he

:22:31. > :22:35.

:22:36. > :22:40.The black is blocked into both corners, the pink is not ideally

:22:40. > :22:50.placed and the blue is awkward. Even though the reds are spread

:22:50. > :23:05.

:23:05. > :23:11.nicely, the positional side of it Looking at this angle, he can only

:23:11. > :23:21.play for a baulk colour off the red. He has got to be careful he doesn't

:23:21. > :23:22.

:23:22. > :23:26.go into the middle pocket. That is not bad. He plays a lot of shots

:23:26. > :23:36.where he is just relying on good luck. He has played a couple in

:23:36. > :23:47.

:23:47. > :23:51.The pink and black are both covered at the moment. I'm not sure if he

:23:51. > :24:01.has a straight path to get back on to the blue so he may be able to

:24:01. > :24:08.

:24:08. > :24:16.play on the pink. It is a tricky I know they pot the blues like this

:24:16. > :24:21.for fun in practice, but the way Stephen Maguire is feeling at the

:24:21. > :24:31.minute you don't want to take the blue on, missed it, and leave him

:24:31. > :24:36.

:24:36. > :24:41.uneasy shot. -- an easy shot. was awkward cueing, and he made it

:24:42. > :24:51.look so easy. This time in the centre of the pocket. Amazing.

:24:52. > :24:52.

:24:52. > :25:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:25:38. > :25:46.Potted a cracking blue, and missed The way he is playing, this pink is

:25:46. > :25:55.no gimme. I think he has got something in his throat at the

:25:55. > :25:59.moment. He just tried to cough, and nearly choked! He has got quite a

:25:59. > :26:09.sense of humour, but sometimes the way he looks at the balls he scares

:26:09. > :26:37.

:26:37. > :26:41.the life out of them. He's such a The way the reds are coming you

:26:41. > :26:51.would think it is a certainty, but it is hard work at the moment,

:26:51. > :26:59.

:26:59. > :27:06.We were just speaking off the microphone a few seconds ago,

:27:06. > :27:11.saying we were wondering if Luca Brecel will miss the boat. If he

:27:11. > :27:21.goes 2-1 behind in this session, the way Maguire is playing, he may

:27:21. > :27:33.

:27:33. > :27:42.He will now have the black available into at least one pocket.

:27:42. > :27:52.That is another very poor shot. Unbelievable. With frustration, you

:27:52. > :28:11.

:28:11. > :28:14.It is now! Like you, Willie, I thought after playing a poor

:28:14. > :28:22.positional shot he might miss the blue but that shows the

:28:22. > :28:30.determination. There is nothing more dangerous than a determined

:28:30. > :28:40.score and that is what he is at the moment. He has been struggling with

:28:40. > :28:45.

:28:45. > :28:55.He looks like going 8-4 in front now, and his highest break is still

:28:55. > :29:04.54. How did you make frames at this standard? I suppose if you made

:29:05. > :29:11.eight breaks of 54, then...! But he must be feeling a little more

:29:11. > :29:18.comfortable inside. I know he was frustrated earlier in this frame,

:29:18. > :29:28.but probably just the inexperience of young Luca Brecel prevented him

:29:28. > :29:28.

:29:28. > :29:31.from punishing Stephen Maguire in this frame. The four frame

:29:31. > :29:41.advantage, there was a long way back for this very talented young

:29:41. > :29:49.

:29:49. > :29:55.This is now his highest break of the match so far. It is a pretty

:29:55. > :30:05.good time to get it, just to settle him down again. As we have seen

:30:05. > :30:05.

:30:05. > :30:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:30:56. > :31:00.this morning, he is very frustrated It is a funny old game. He

:31:00. > :31:10.scattered the balls all over the table in frustration and fury is

:31:10. > :31:29.

:31:29. > :31:34.It tikka and potted the pink and black that is another �200 for the

:31:34. > :31:44.Haven House hospice for children. - - if he can pass another pink and

:31:44. > :31:50.

:31:50. > :31:58.Well done Stephen Maguire. He was very frustrated at the beginning of

:31:58. > :32:07.that frame, but didn't he finished it in the style? -- finish.

:32:07. > :32:17.His momentum continued. 94 in the next Token 9-4 in front. Luca

:32:17. > :32:18.

:32:18. > :33:03.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:33:03. > :33:13.Whatever happens in this match, Luca has proved he will be around

:33:13. > :33:13.

:33:13. > :33:20.for a long time. 30 behind with a few more points to come. This could

:33:20. > :33:28.be the chance that Stephen Maguire is looking for. He just needs

:33:28. > :33:38.another 20 or 30 points to make the frame safe. Betwixt and between. He

:33:38. > :33:43.

:33:43. > :33:53.is on the red in the corner and the red in the middle. Playing a

:33:53. > :34:01.

:34:01. > :34:11.That flew off the cushion again. If you knock the blue in, that is the

:34:11. > :34:14.

:34:14. > :34:24.end of the break. -- if he knocks the blue in. I think you'll knock a

:34:24. > :34:42.

:34:42. > :34:49.I do not blame him for having a shot at the red. But do not hit it

:34:49. > :34:55.that hard. That shot Mac tells me that Luca thinks his time at the

:34:56. > :35:05.Crucible is coming to an end. You have got to give the Popat a chance

:35:05. > :35:11.at that pace. Very little chance of going in. -- the pocket. Once again

:35:11. > :35:21.Stephen over of running his position. -- overrunning. He only

:35:21. > :35:29.

:35:29. > :35:35.needs one more rowed mack -- red. That is that the one. -- that is

:35:35. > :35:45.the one. Great to see young Luca at the Crucible. Youngest player ever.

:35:45. > :35:46.

:35:46. > :35:49.Two months younger than Stephen Hendry was when he made his debut.

:35:49. > :35:59.Barring snookers, Stephen Maguire sales comfortably through to the

:35:59. > :36:07.

:36:07. > :36:16.next round. -- moves comfortably It looks like the red will pass the

:36:16. > :36:23.pink. In it goes. Stephen Maguire now knows he will be playing in the

:36:23. > :36:27.next round against either Graeme Dott or Joe Perry. He has to be a

:36:27. > :36:34.little more careful in his next game. He has taken some liberties

:36:34. > :36:44.today. Luca is carrying on. He has adapted himself very well in his

:36:44. > :36:44.

:36:44. > :37:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:37:27. > :37:32.The first Belgian player ever to play at the Crucible. What an

:37:32. > :37:42.impressive debut from this young man. He will be here for many years

:37:42. > :37:47.

:37:47. > :37:53.A win is a win. I cannot mourn it too much. Obviously there was a

:37:54. > :37:58.little hype about that match for a Luca, which is fair enough. It was

:37:58. > :38:06.great what he did to get here. It is definitely not the last time

:38:06. > :38:13.you'll see him. But performance wise, I just was not there. Lots of

:38:13. > :38:19.chances. The missing easy balls. My long potting I seem to be missing

:38:19. > :38:23.by afford sometimes. I could not get my head around. I have got

:38:23. > :38:27.three days off now. I have to get to the practice table and try to

:38:27. > :38:37.rectify it. He will now play either Graeme Dott

:38:37. > :38:43.or Joe Perry. From Luca Brecel's perspective, of what had you seen

:38:43. > :38:50.that intrigues you? Potential. 17 years old. First time. I spoke to

:38:50. > :38:56.somebody yesterday the works of them. He felt the first session was

:38:56. > :39:05.new to him. It will stand him in good stead. His cue ball was not

:39:05. > :39:10.brilliant yesterday. Listen, he was a -- he is 17. Well done. He was a

:39:10. > :39:15.four frames behind. A lesser player could have crumbled. There he was

:39:15. > :39:20.making a century and four all the very decent not thereafter to show

:39:20. > :39:24.us what he can do? Yes. That is typical of how a lot of great

:39:24. > :39:28.players have played in their first ever performance at the World

:39:29. > :39:34.Championships. Showing a lot of promise. It looked very dangerous.

:39:34. > :39:39.Did not convert to many frames. Last quite easily against another

:39:39. > :39:46.great player. When you look back at the record books, you see a couple

:39:46. > :39:56.of dodgy games to start before they take off. That is what will happen

:39:56. > :39:56.

:39:56. > :40:00.with Luca Brecel. You'll see a different kind of animal then.

:40:00. > :40:07.was the most important thing that you learned on your respective

:40:07. > :40:12.debuts? My safety was not good enough. I got Dennis Taylor first

:40:12. > :40:21.round and he tied me up all day. I was as green as Corporation paid

:40:21. > :40:27.when I turned up clear! -- paint. Dennis had me all Ms up. The other

:40:28. > :40:34.thing is you do it want to lose. In the end you go, actually, I might

:40:34. > :40:37.try the opposite, it might be nice. A bit of stage craft to be learned.

:40:37. > :40:46.Everybody thoroughly enjoyed the match. Everybody in Belgium has

:40:46. > :40:53.been thrilled. How enthusiastic are the people of Belgium about this

:40:53. > :40:58.game? They were the first country to really watch BBC snooker on the

:40:58. > :41:05.coastline. We went there in the Eighties. You realise there was a

:41:05. > :41:12.lot of enjoyment their early on. It has been a long time for them

:41:12. > :41:20.having a player that can go the distance. One of the countries I

:41:20. > :41:24.managed to win in was Belgium. I like mayonnaise with chips!

:41:25. > :41:32.Congratulations to Stephen Maguire. There was even more business this

:41:32. > :41:42.morning. The second match featured twice runner-up in the Crucible,

:41:42. > :41:48.Matthew Stevens, against Marco Fu. Mark of Cain into the Crucible this

:41:48. > :41:52.morning -- this morning against the backdrop of the comments made by

:41:52. > :41:59.Mark Allen on Chinese players. We did ask for interview with Mark

:41:59. > :42:03.Allen this morning. Marco, one of the true gentleman in the game, had

:42:03. > :42:13.to put that at the back of his mind as he prepared to face a very

:42:13. > :42:20.

:42:20. > :42:26.Great talent. Probably should have done more in the game. He will say

:42:26. > :42:30.that himself. He should have been at the top of the rankings is whole

:42:30. > :42:37.career and won so many more tournaments. He rises to the big

:42:37. > :42:41.occasion. He is better with a confident and he is getting that

:42:41. > :42:47.under his belt. People enjoy watching him play. Ferry fluent, a

:42:47. > :42:54.very attacking. He is such a lovely feller. Every time we see each

:42:54. > :43:00.other we always talk about our kids. Great guy. Always has a laugh.

:43:00. > :43:06.has been in all sorts of finals. Under-achiever. If he wanted enough,

:43:06. > :43:13.he can win the title. If he was more serious, he would win more

:43:13. > :43:23.tournaments. Stevens made a fast start, roaring

:43:23. > :43:25.

:43:26. > :43:34.into a 2-0 lead. Neal Foulds and I think he has realised that one of

:43:34. > :43:41.the two reds is a clear path. The left-hand one of the two. Just

:43:41. > :43:51.about! There was not a lot of room to hit it cushion first. Just

:43:51. > :43:57.

:43:57. > :44:01.He has still got to play another good shot. He put all his attention

:44:01. > :44:08.on to the pot and did not think too much about getting on to a colour.

:44:08. > :44:18.He has had a good hard look at the pink to the left middle. He did

:44:18. > :44:18.

:44:18. > :45:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:45:06. > :45:16.give it a good look but it still Nicely played. Never easy when

:45:16. > :45:22.

:45:22. > :45:27.you're using the spider. The pace of the cue ball was perfect. That

:45:27. > :45:37.puts him 11 points behind. It will be a big ask to win the frame at

:45:37. > :45:43.

:45:43. > :45:53.this visit. The way the Balls are. One more easy red. It looks like he

:45:53. > :46:04.

:46:04. > :46:14.Leaving himself this red and the yellow will make it awkward honey

:46:14. > :46:14.

:46:14. > :46:24.is trying to reach over. -- when he is trying to reach over. I forgot,

:46:24. > :46:26.

:46:26. > :46:32.he is so thin! It still may be just affected his line. It went close.

:46:32. > :46:42.He has reduced the arrears to three points. This frame well and truly

:46:42. > :46:45.

:46:45. > :46:55.in the balance. Matthew has just had a glance at the two reds to see

:46:55. > :46:55.

:46:55. > :47:05.if one will pot past the other. I do not think he will worry too much

:47:05. > :47:06.

:47:06. > :47:15.about the two reds now. I just wonder if you might want to get the

:47:15. > :47:25.blue out into play, maybe get it behind the black. Yes, that is

:47:25. > :47:25.

:47:25. > :47:33.certainly an option. He thought best to make certain of the snooker.

:47:33. > :47:43.If Marco can get fat line -- can get that line it to the both

:47:43. > :47:43.

:47:43. > :48:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:48:48. > :48:56.It might make him feel better, knocking back in. But even then

:48:56. > :49:05.that there is not a colour available to him. He is having a

:49:05. > :49:13.look at the low. -- the yellow. How much confidence does he have? He

:49:13. > :49:18.has not played well today. That is why he is playing a different shot.

:49:18. > :49:24.It is hard to see somebody clearing up and winning the frame in one

:49:24. > :49:34.visit. He is back on the yellow again. He may not be going for the

:49:34. > :49:38.

:49:38. > :49:48.pot. Not the best shot I have ever seen. I suppose he has given

:49:48. > :50:11.

:50:12. > :50:18.Matthew something to think about Marco Fu had a chance to Snooker

:50:18. > :50:23.Matthew on that red. But he did not. Even at that distance, these

:50:23. > :50:31.players are capable of knocking anything in. If he gets this one

:50:31. > :50:36.right, that could be the winner of the frame. Well, I'm surprised he

:50:36. > :50:45.did not make more of an effort to get closer to the yellow. This

:50:45. > :50:55.yellow is pretty difficult. Seven points in front. He will need up to

:50:55. > :50:58.

:50:59. > :51:08.and including the blue. He has cubit to well. -- he has cubit to

:51:09. > :51:11.

:51:11. > :51:21.well. He struck that well. What would that be in the CMS --

:51:21. > :51:25.

:51:25. > :51:33.centimetres? Have by thrown you a good leap? I have no idea. He got a

:51:33. > :51:40.little extra top spin on it. Maybe that is why it went too far.

:51:40. > :51:50.looks pretty safe. He may be in a spot of bother. I can see a snooker

:51:50. > :52:28.

:52:28. > :52:38.He has left him a chance with this. It was an agonising wait to see

:52:38. > :53:01.

:53:01. > :53:08.where the Balls finished there. It He is straight enough on the brown.

:53:08. > :53:13.A quick glance at the scoreboard. 6 points behind. If the pot the brown

:53:13. > :53:21.and blue, both players will need the pink. That pink is very

:53:21. > :53:26.difficult. It is the kind of frame he needs, just to scramble a frame

:53:26. > :53:36.under his belt and get started. It has not been a good frame. He just

:53:36. > :53:58.

:53:58. > :54:08.That brown was close. That is amazing. Another ball that has just

:54:08. > :54:08.

:54:08. > :54:13.hung on the lip. It is not easy. It is difficult to control the cue

:54:13. > :54:23.ball for your next shot when they are that close to the pocket. Good

:54:23. > :54:25.

:54:25. > :54:33.effort, this. A good effort because he is ten points in front. He needs

:54:33. > :54:43.the Bluetooth go 15 points in front, with 13 remaining. -- the blue to

:54:43. > :54:48.

:54:48. > :54:58.Just send it towards the gap in the cushions and let gravity takeover.

:54:58. > :55:12.

:55:12. > :55:22.Gravity came into operation that Marco Fu now meets a snooker.

:55:22. > :55:22.

:55:22. > :55:32.he did not get it. At 80 Ephraim won in the end by the Stevens. -- a

:55:32. > :55:36.

:55:36. > :55:44.You just get the feeling at the moment that that queue is not

:55:44. > :55:50.accelerating through the ball smoothly. At that distance it is

:55:50. > :55:57.exaggerated. He looks decidedly uncomfortable today, Marco. He is

:55:57. > :56:02.not an emotional player anywhere. When he plays well, that deadpan

:56:02. > :56:06.look is good for him. Sometimes you wish you would show some annoyance,

:56:06. > :56:13.get the frustration out of this system. It looks to me like he is

:56:13. > :56:20.not would be there this morning at all. -- not really there. Although

:56:20. > :56:27.these matches are the best of 19, this first session is so important,

:56:27. > :56:33.particularly the first few frames. We have seen it so many times. Mark

:56:33. > :56:39.Allen lost the first three frames. When he got back to 5-4, all his

:56:39. > :56:44.supporters thought he was OK. But you give somebody a nice

:56:44. > :56:51.comfortable start, and there is nothing to say that they will not

:56:51. > :56:58.start to play well the next day. It gives you a nice little bit of a

:56:58. > :57:08.caution. If Matthew can win this frame, the cup of tea would taste

:57:08. > :57:08.

:57:08. > :57:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:57:53. > :58:03.He has got the red near the right metal. That is the one you would

:58:03. > :58:12.

:58:12. > :58:22.He feels quite comfortable playing to this want in the right corner.

:58:22. > :58:22.

:58:23. > :58:28.Good shut. -- shot. Probably a sign of confidence. There was not much

:58:28. > :58:38.margin for error. He is right back in amongst them now, were every

:58:38. > :58:41.

:58:41. > :58:51.player likes to be. Plenty of reds available. He has not got a great

:58:51. > :58:59.

:58:59. > :59:09.angle on this black. It is the wrong side of straight. He has got

:59:09. > :59:18.

:59:18. > :59:28.the back operate in the middle. -- It must be very tight. He has got

:59:28. > :59:32.to play it with a touch of right hand side. Of course, he has still

:59:32. > :59:42.got my planned to the left corner. You had forgotten about that,

:59:42. > :59:47.

:59:47. > :59:55.Haddin Ku? I had not forgotten Pot -- it possibly is not a plant,

:59:55. > :00:05.had you thought of that? It does not look like much of a planned any

:00:05. > :00:10.

:00:10. > :00:14.more. No, he could still turn that Anyway, the way these reds are now

:00:14. > :00:24.beginning to open up, there is no need to start thinking about

:00:24. > :00:26.

:00:26. > :00:36.anything but straightforward plots. Couldn't wish for a better start

:00:36. > :00:55.

:00:55. > :00:57.than this, to take the first four This black, one more red and the

:00:58. > :01:07.colour and I must say, that it did spring a little bit of the

:01:08. > :01:17.

:01:17. > :01:24.crashmacro. -- off the cushion. I think he thinks those reds in the

:01:24. > :01:34.middle of the table are a plant. If you hit the first one on their own

:01:34. > :01:40.

:01:40. > :01:50.left-hand side, it will push the In it went and now he is looking

:01:50. > :01:52.

:01:52. > :02:02.The Blackwell put him 73 points in front with just 67 remind him --

:02:02. > :02:03.

:02:03. > :02:13.I think Matthew has fed a little bit off the way Marco has looked

:02:13. > :02:13.

:02:13. > :02:17.out there. It was a match that was very tight, Matthew Stevens was the

:02:17. > :02:26.small favourite against someone who he knew he would have to play well

:02:27. > :02:30.to beat. He is a good match player, Marco, but not today so far.

:02:30. > :02:36.Disappointing that the break didn't amount to more but it is enough, a

:02:36. > :02:42.good morning's work so far for good morning's work so far for

:02:42. > :02:49.Matthew season -- Matthew Stevens. Yes, worrying times for the former

:02:49. > :02:59.grocer bourse semi-final -- Chris also be finalist Marco Fu, because

:02:59. > :03:25.

:03:25. > :03:29.There is no easing up when you are in front in this game. Not

:03:29. > :03:39.intentionally, but sometimes you just mentally struggle to really

:03:39. > :03:53.

:03:53. > :04:02.get that advantage. He misted by a That was a surprise. Marco with a

:04:02. > :04:10.It may be a long match but it is almost an hour or never, I would

:04:10. > :04:20.say. He needs to getting -- get in and get a 40 Ora 50, get some

:04:20. > :04:20.

:04:20. > :05:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:05:16. > :05:26.If he has got a nice angle for this REFEREE: Can you switch your

:05:26. > :05:34.

:05:34. > :05:44.He has not played that very well. He can still part this red but he

:05:44. > :05:53.

:05:53. > :05:58.should have been on it better than No. It was the positional shot off

:05:58. > :06:04.the black which caused him to miss that red. Still struggling.

:06:04. > :06:09.Everything is a struggle. It looked a very easy pot. You can always

:06:09. > :06:18.misjudge those, but as John said, the shop before made it more

:06:18. > :06:22.difficult than he would have wanted. I didn't really think he would miss

:06:22. > :06:32.it though. Matthew needs to regain his concentration because I think

:06:32. > :06:38.

:06:38. > :06:44.he lost it on the previous black That is just the way it seems to be

:06:44. > :06:48.going. URL nice comfort zone, you miss a black and you think it might

:06:48. > :06:58.cost to the frame and the next time he comes to the table, only ten

:06:58. > :07:06.

:07:06. > :07:12.points behind and denies -- nice This is an excellent opportunity

:07:12. > :07:22.and he is now have three points in the lead. -- he is now three points

:07:22. > :07:36.

:07:36. > :07:44.The red immediately above the black Just playing the run round of two-

:07:44. > :07:54.cushions. Just a fraction short of pace. Imparting this, he will be

:07:54. > :08:06.

:08:06. > :08:15.running off another red. -- Ind It is little bit tricky now, he

:08:15. > :08:23.will be hampered by the pink. just overscrewed it. The blue will

:08:23. > :08:26.no longer part to the top left, so this just has to go in -- pot to

:08:26. > :08:36.the top left. If this goes in, you would fancy another frame on the

:08:36. > :08:38.

:08:38. > :08:46.Well played. It was made a little bit easier, they are never easy,

:08:46. > :08:50.but if he parted it, you would be certain he would be on a red. It

:08:50. > :08:59.just about dropped. He played it slowly enough to give the pocket

:08:59. > :09:03.As I say, he has played well. I have seen him play better, he has

:09:04. > :09:13.missed one or two, which will give Marco a little bit of hope in the

:09:14. > :09:32.

:09:32. > :09:36.Once again, he has come a little bit too straight on the black. But

:09:36. > :09:46.he has got the red near the left middle and the one in the middle of

:09:46. > :09:49.

:09:49. > :09:59.the table which also goes to the 35 points is the League now.

:09:59. > :10:04.

:10:05. > :10:14.Basically looking at three of these I am not certain about these two

:10:15. > :10:22.

:10:22. > :10:27.It has worked out absolutely inch- perfect. It is a shot worth seeing

:10:27. > :10:37.again. He can't get up to the blue, so if he does play the red that he

:10:37. > :10:38.

:10:38. > :10:48.got the cannon arm then he goes up He doesn't need to disturb the red

:10:48. > :10:55.

:10:55. > :11:05.with the lead he has in the frame. Matthew is getting right away from

:11:05. > :11:07.

:11:07. > :11:10.Marco Fu in a match where it didn't Very surprising scoreline, this.

:11:10. > :11:20.Everybody I spoke to yesterday said this match was going to be very

:11:20. > :11:46.

:11:46. > :11:56.close. Marco has not performed I am not sure whether that red will

:11:56. > :11:59.

:11:59. > :12:09.It certainly goes into the same pocket he knocked the green in two.

:12:09. > :12:09.

:12:09. > :12:16.He won't be too concerned that the red has not gone in. There was

:12:16. > :12:26.enough there. A really good break of 66 and Matthew Stevens marches

:12:26. > :12:26.

:12:26. > :13:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:13:26. > :13:32.on. He leads by six frames to zero, Steven Stephen has a moved well

:13:32. > :13:42.ahead. This is for a mate and Matthew Stevens is leading by 25 --

:13:42. > :13:49.

:13:49. > :13:55.Certainly advantage Matthew Stevens in this tactical exchange at the

:13:55. > :14:00.moment. Yes, you kind of sense he hasn't got to take too many big

:14:00. > :14:10.risks, Matthew. He hasn't got to go for things like the double he could

:14:10. > :14:10.

:14:10. > :14:14.have played a moment ago, because I don't think I have ever seen

:14:14. > :14:21.Marco play as badly as this. That is what I mean, he has played the

:14:21. > :14:31.safety shot and Marco's response was a terrible shock, I'm afraid. -

:14:31. > :14:33.

:14:33. > :14:40.- terrible shot. He has got the red to the right middle. Just pot the

:14:40. > :14:50.red and cannon. By would be playing the cannon here. -- I would. It is

:14:50. > :14:51.

:14:51. > :14:55.But sometimes when it is easy, you can just relax and lose your form.

:14:55. > :15:04.But I think he is to have experienced a campaigner, Matthew,

:15:05. > :15:09.and he will be delighted it is working out so comfortably. If he

:15:09. > :15:19.was a rookie, he might be thinking he doesn't have to do anything to

:15:19. > :15:20.

:15:20. > :15:25.win this match but he won't take It has looked like on two occasions

:15:25. > :15:32.before that he is going to wear the championship crown and he lost in

:15:32. > :15:42.close-fought finals against Mark Williams and Shaun Murphy. So he

:15:42. > :15:54.

:15:54. > :16:00.knows what it takes to go the That this sum up the match a little

:16:00. > :16:05.bit. He has played well but not stunning snooker. I didn't think he

:16:05. > :16:15.would miss that one, though. He doesn't like to get the rest out

:16:15. > :16:15.

:16:15. > :17:06.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:17:06. > :17:10.and play left-handed or stretch or He played that one pretty well. He

:17:10. > :17:20.didn't have much of an angle on the black but he managed to make one by

:17:20. > :17:24.

:17:24. > :17:28.You do sometimes wonder whether a player goes this far behind, is the

:17:28. > :17:34.pressure off him or does it, on even more? You do tend to get a

:17:35. > :17:38.little bit of sympathy from spectators, you get applause or

:17:38. > :17:48.eight shot that you wouldn't normally, that sort of thing. --

:17:48. > :17:48.

:17:48. > :18:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:18:40. > :18:50.I think those three reds all go into the pocket he is potting the

:18:50. > :19:24.

:19:24. > :19:34.Just a quick glance at the scoreboard as he walks around the

:19:34. > :19:40.To be certain of winning the frame, he is probably going to need all of

:19:40. > :19:50.the remaining reds. The reason I say that is that the three reds at

:19:50. > :20:01.

:20:01. > :20:11.the baulk end, he will not be So it is imperative that he gets up

:20:11. > :20:18.

:20:18. > :20:26.to the red nearest the baulk It does not pass the green, so that

:20:26. > :20:33.is not a red to play for. So it is not straightforward. Nothing is 21

:20:33. > :20:43.siphoned high-up -- nothing is when you are 7-0 behind and you are

:20:43. > :20:54.

:20:54. > :21:03.He decided to play a pink and play He need the bounce off the baulk

:21:03. > :21:13.cushion. -- needs. I think he would have liked to have played off the

:21:13. > :21:17.

:21:18. > :21:27.Oh, dear. Or maybe he was thinking about the cannon. His highest break

:21:28. > :21:29.

:21:29. > :21:39.of the match but not enough in the Surely not another frame is going

:21:39. > :21:45.

:21:45. > :21:49.to go against him here? This is I thought it was a natural angle to

:21:49. > :21:59.move that red and I think Matthew thought that as well but it has not

:21:59. > :22:29.

:22:29. > :22:33.Mind you, but was a good positional shot. -- That Was. Matthew has

:22:33. > :22:42.missed one into that pocket with the rest already so he may consider

:22:42. > :22:52.playing this left-handed, if he can He just caught the knuckle of the

:22:52. > :22:56.

:22:56. > :23:01.middle pocket, otherwise he would Not bad. Once again, I am not

:23:01. > :23:05.certain of the availability of this red. He did have a look to see

:23:05. > :23:15.whether it past the yellow into the far right corner. He has had

:23:15. > :23:18.

:23:18. > :23:28.another look. If it does, he can Just about in the circle would be

:23:28. > :23:54.

:23:54. > :24:00.perfect. Is it too hard? It is It was a really good shot to get on

:24:00. > :24:09.that last red the way he did. He had a long look, perhaps wondering

:24:09. > :24:19.If he plays the yellow, I don't know if it will go past the green.

:24:19. > :24:24.

:24:24. > :24:30.That is a clever shot. The yellow into the same middle pocket.

:24:30. > :24:40.Playing the cannon on the green just to hold for it. He is thinking

:24:40. > :24:51.

:24:51. > :25:01.clearly, and to be fair, why So just four points behind, up to

:25:01. > :25:07.

:25:07. > :25:17.Having gone behind and with Marco getting a break of 55, things

:25:17. > :25:19.

:25:19. > :25:24.That is absolutely perfect and Marco knows full well this is

:25:24. > :25:34.another frame gone, especially after that last shop on the brown.

:25:34. > :25:34.

:25:34. > :25:40.What a score line Mrs. -- this is. A remarkable game of snooker, at

:25:40. > :25:43.Matthew Stevens marches on. 8-0 is Matthew Stevens marches on. 8-0 is

:25:43. > :25:47.the scoreline. Marco Fu did manage to avoid a

:25:47. > :25:51.session whitewash, or knocking in a break of 51 to take the last frame

:25:51. > :25:55.of the session, Matthew Gleave two more this evening. A very quick

:25:55. > :26:00.turnaround, they will be coming back at 7pm to finish it off. A

:26:00. > :26:04.very out of sorts Marco Fu. But now, it is the one we have been waiting

:26:04. > :26:09.for, ever since the draw was made last Monday, it is Ronnie

:26:09. > :26:12.O'Sullivan against Peter Ebdon. John Parrott made the point that if

:26:12. > :26:16.this match had been paid three months ago, it wouldn't have

:26:16. > :26:20.attracted half the attention that it is right now, and that is

:26:20. > :26:24.because they have both respectively come roaring back to form in the

:26:24. > :26:30.last few weeks. They have both won a major ranking events in Germany

:26:30. > :26:34.and in China. Obviously, it is a terrible draw for both of them and

:26:34. > :26:40.it is a fantastic draw for us who are going to be watching it.

:26:40. > :26:50.Obviously, as you may remember, the shadow of their infamous 2007

:26:50. > :26:56.

:26:56. > :26:59.Crucible quarter-final looms very It was the first order that I had

:26:59. > :27:03.one for three years and these ranking events are not easy to win

:27:03. > :27:07.these days -- first tournament. I was thrilled, it was great to be a

:27:07. > :27:11.tournament win again and I need that motivation of playing the top

:27:11. > :27:19.players in the world, knowing I am going to have to try extra hard and

:27:19. > :27:23.sometimes, thankfully, it seems to bring the best out of May. Although

:27:23. > :27:27.I have worked hard this season at my game and my fitness, things

:27:27. > :27:33.didn't really seem to start coming right and 10 I did the research

:27:33. > :27:38.into diet and nutrition -- until. My dad passed away last year with

:27:38. > :27:40.cancer and that was aged huge motivation for me to take my diet

:27:40. > :27:46.seriously for the first time and I am glad I did, because I feel

:27:46. > :27:50.fantastic. This season is maybe the first year for 16 or 17 seasons

:27:50. > :27:55.that I have not been in the top 16 and perhaps I had become accustomed

:27:55. > :27:59.to that, but I am working very hard now and I would love to get back in

:27:59. > :28:03.the top 16. I would rather be in the top 16 and if you are, you

:28:03. > :28:06.cannot draw people like Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round. I

:28:06. > :28:10.thoroughly enjoy playing Ronnie because it is a great challenge and

:28:10. > :28:20.I really look forward to it. He is a brilliant player and he is great

:28:20. > :28:30.

:28:30. > :28:34.for the game. He has millions of Having come back from 8-2 down to

:28:34. > :28:39.win 13-11, I was expecting people to say well done and there were

:28:39. > :28:42.complaints about me playing slowly. I just didn't play very well and I

:28:42. > :28:45.think not just myself but other players, when they are playing

:28:45. > :28:50.players like Ronnie O'Sullivan, the naturally gifted players, you are

:28:50. > :28:53.very conscious of not wanting to get caught up into their rhythm.

:28:53. > :28:57.Subsequently, you can end up playing slower than you mean to,

:28:57. > :29:01.which knocks yourself out of your own rhythm, so I will be trying to

:29:01. > :29:05.avoid that at all costs, because I am happy with my game, the

:29:05. > :29:08.preparations have gone really well and I want to play at my rhythm. I

:29:08. > :29:12.certainly would be deliberately trying to slow money down and

:29:12. > :29:22.hopefully I can win. If I don't, I won't, but there will be nobody

:29:22. > :29:22.

:29:22. > :29:27.A fantastic match in prospect. If you were Peter Ebdon, but yourself

:29:27. > :29:32.in his shoes, how would you approached this match? How should I

:29:32. > :29:37.or how have I been thinking about it? Both. How should he approach

:29:37. > :29:41.it? Take every frame as it comes, don't have a preconceived idea, one

:29:41. > :29:46.ball at the time. But what could have happened since the draw, he

:29:46. > :29:49.may be thinking back to the match they had, that it was a bad

:29:49. > :29:53.experience and he got a lot of stick for it and in some ways

:29:53. > :29:57.trying to change that so it doesn't happen again. That would be foolish,

:29:57. > :30:00.because it wouldn't be playing his natural game. He has had the

:30:00. > :30:05.confidence and has done really well recently and I think from his

:30:05. > :30:09.perspective, he has to take that on. Ronnie O'Sullivan will have a look

:30:09. > :30:14.that the draw and said, oh, no, but when he looks at it in the cold

:30:14. > :30:18.light of day. Since that game a few years ago when he played very

:30:18. > :30:23.slowly, they have paid four more times and Ronnie has won every one.

:30:23. > :30:26.-- played. I think that this is just the two session match rather

:30:26. > :30:30.than a three session that makes a big difference. I think that is

:30:30. > :30:34.exactly right, it was a good point she made the other day about it and

:30:34. > :30:44.I think we are in for a cracker. How it is going to go, I don't know,

:30:44. > :30:50.but great to watch. Over to Rob Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

:30:50. > :30:59.What an atmosphere we have got this afternoon. We have two superb

:30:59. > :31:09.matches for you, eagerly awaited. Let's get the boy is on the baize!

:31:09. > :31:14.

:31:14. > :31:20.Please welcome as a young player making a memorable Crucible debut.

:31:20. > :31:27.He reached the Sheffield PTC final in 2010. Two centuries yesterday

:31:27. > :31:37.have kept him in the match. The Welsh warrior, Jenny Jones. --

:31:37. > :31:46.

:31:46. > :31:51.And his opponent, a player making his 10th appearance here. One of

:31:51. > :31:57.the most consistent players in recent years. Winner of a four

:31:57. > :32:00.ranking event titles, including the UK Chaabi jette and the World

:32:00. > :32:10.Championships as Mack the UK Championship and the World

:32:10. > :32:23.

:32:23. > :32:27.And here on a table number two, please welcome a player returning

:32:27. > :32:33.to form at just the right time. He won his 9th ranking event title

:32:33. > :32:37.earlier this month at the China Open. Making his 21st consecutive

:32:37. > :32:47.appearance at the Crucible, the winner 10 years ago, here comes the

:32:47. > :33:04.

:33:04. > :33:09.force, here comes Peter Ebdon. And finally, the most naturally

:33:09. > :33:14.gifted player ever to grace the modern game. Winner of 23 ranking

:33:14. > :33:18.event titles. Earlier this season he was beginning to be written off

:33:18. > :33:28.in some quarters and he's silenced his critics in style, winning the

:33:28. > :33:43.

:33:43. > :33:53.German matters. Three-times world Red button and online from Murphy

:33:53. > :33:54.

:33:54. > :34:02.Jones. -- from Murphy against Jones. Dennis Taylor, we could have the

:34:02. > :34:08.makings of a snooker foxtrot here? What is it going to be? That is the

:34:08. > :34:16.question. Peter said he is going to play it the way he feels he asked

:34:16. > :34:21.to to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan. -- he has to. Ronnie breaking off in this

:34:21. > :34:28.opening frame. Left-handed. It really is going to be fascinating

:34:28. > :34:36.to see how this one pans out. It is the tie that everybody has been

:34:36. > :34:40.talking about, John. Looking forward to this? Yes, absolutely.

:34:40. > :34:49.That is one of the duties of snooker. When you get a contrast in

:34:49. > :34:56.styles, it makes for a good contest. Peter Ebdon coming in on a high.

:34:56. > :35:04.And we know that Reilly is a tough opponent for anybody. He has got

:35:04. > :35:14.much more hair this time than the last time he played period. --

:35:14. > :35:19.

:35:19. > :35:27.Peter here. Ronnie had shaved his Terrific opening red. He is just

:35:27. > :35:32.about on the black. A good way to open your account at the Crucible,

:35:32. > :35:40.no matter how many times you have been here. Always nice to knock a

:35:40. > :35:50.long one in. He is a fierce competitor, Peter Ebdon. That was

:35:50. > :35:59.

:35:59. > :36:07.quite a win in China. 10-9 against I think there is just enough room

:36:07. > :36:14.for the red to the right of the pink to pass into the corner.

:36:15. > :36:22.I do not think this was the red he was hoping to be on. He did not

:36:22. > :36:32.judge the cannon Wright. It he's a little bit tricky. -- it's a little

:36:32. > :37:01.

:37:01. > :37:11.bit tricky. He has to do a little A little unfortunate. Played it

:37:11. > :37:17.

:37:17. > :37:27.well. Played with little trace of He had a shot at the yellow but he

:37:27. > :37:38.

:37:38. > :37:42.did not even entered pen that. -- He has purposely blocked the escape

:37:42. > :37:52.route into the left side of the reds. He will have to go twice

:37:52. > :37:56.

:37:56. > :37:59.across the table to do that. That is what he is attempting. Bad

:37:59. > :38:05.misjudgment there from Reilly. It was a clever little shot in behind

:38:05. > :38:15.the blue from Peter Ebdon. Straight away he has got a chance with the

:38:15. > :38:21.

:38:21. > :38:31.black in the open after he pots this red. Although these matches

:38:31. > :38:37.are the best of 19, we have seen so many times were the thing is to get

:38:37. > :38:47.an early lead. These first few frames are very important. It is a

:38:47. > :38:49.

:38:49. > :38:57.matter of settling herself down. -- The black at the moment only

:38:57. > :39:07.available into the left corner. I think he will concentrate on this

:39:07. > :39:09.

:39:09. > :39:19.red to the right corner. He felt he would take a chance, play on the

:39:19. > :39:19.

:39:19. > :40:00.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:40:00. > :40:05.red just above the black. He seems Not a good bunch to go into for the

:40:06. > :40:12.black. But he will have to do so on this occasion. Only one more

:40:12. > :40:18.possible red left after this one. That is why he has headed up for

:40:18. > :40:24.the blue. Much easier to get into the bonds and split them up. He has

:40:24. > :40:30.gone too far. It is more difficult shot to get from the yellow into

:40:30. > :40:40.the bunch. But I do not blame him for a plane for the blue because of

:40:40. > :40:46.

:40:46. > :40:51.the way the pack were situated. -- Ball was takes a while to get used

:40:51. > :41:00.to the pace of the table in the opening frame. -- it always takes a

:41:00. > :41:10.while. Now he really needs a good pot and a good angle on the blue.

:41:10. > :41:32.

:41:32. > :41:42.He decided that the pink was available. Not a bad ankle. --

:41:42. > :41:56.

:41:56. > :42:06.He might just be able to get through a gap for this one. There

:42:06. > :42:39.

:42:39. > :42:47.He did not quite get the touch of side that he needed there. Now he

:42:47. > :42:57.has got to negotiate a cannon and leave himself on a coma macro. --,

:42:57. > :43:14.

:43:14. > :43:20.That is what he was concentrating on. It is amazing the number of

:43:20. > :43:25.times that happens. It is. He is that concerned about getting the

:43:25. > :43:35.case on the second red for position on the pink, he forgot about the

:43:35. > :43:45.red in front of him. Careless. That could be costly. No chance to see

:43:45. > :43:53.

:43:54. > :44:00.how Ronnie is cueing. -- now at This clears the path for another

:44:00. > :44:10.red to the opposite corner. Just a little shake of the head from

:44:10. > :44:35.

:44:35. > :44:45.Ronnie. He has run a fraction too He has such a silky smooth cue

:44:45. > :44:48.

:44:48. > :44:58.action. He made that Chuck looks simple. -- shot chrome look simple.

:44:58. > :44:59.

:44:59. > :45:09.He has got the cannon. Could have worked out a little better. He

:45:09. > :45:32.

:45:32. > :45:42.I noticed as he was cueing there that he had but made his mind up.

:45:42. > :45:44.

:45:44. > :45:49.It looked as if he changed his mind while he was cueing. Yes, careless.

:45:49. > :45:55.You're better off in those situations to stand up and give

:45:55. > :46:05.yourself an overview of the shot. That mistake from Peter Ebdon has

:46:05. > :46:42.

:46:42. > :46:46.not been as costly as I thought it It is easy for Peter Ebdon to play

:46:46. > :46:56.a safety Sharp. But I do not think it is easy to get over behind the

:46:56. > :46:57.

:46:57. > :47:07.green. He can get the white up near the brown. To the right of the

:47:07. > :47:15.

:47:15. > :47:25.brown. That would not cause too That was about the best he could do.

:47:25. > :47:37.

:47:37. > :47:47.Ronnie needs to return the safety That was a little bit strong. I

:47:47. > :47:51.

:47:51. > :48:01.think Peter can get through to the A little bit of screw would take

:48:01. > :48:15.

:48:15. > :48:21.A little bit further up the table he would have been perfect on the

:48:22. > :48:31.green to try to pot it and developed the reds. He is 33 points

:48:32. > :48:39.in front. Green, 36. If he did get the red behind the black, and the

:48:39. > :48:46.black, and Ronnie would need a snooker. -- rally. He has

:48:46. > :48:56.overscrewed that. You can only assume he tried the cannon on at

:48:56. > :49:02.the two reds. When you consider he only needed that red and one more

:49:02. > :49:09.black, maybe the wrong choice of shot. Still not a bad lead. This

:49:09. > :49:19.frame is far from over yet. Yes, he looked at the scoreboard so he

:49:19. > :49:40.

:49:40. > :49:47.would have known he only needed That was a difficult shot. But he

:49:47. > :49:53.has come out very nicely from it. This is tricky if he is thinking of

:49:53. > :50:03.taking the pot into the right corner. I would be amazed if he

:50:03. > :50:28.

:50:28. > :50:38.He was fortunate there because he He did not want the red to go and E

:50:38. > :50:53.

:50:53. > :51:00.were near the corner pocket. -- He could not do much else but that.

:51:00. > :51:09.You have got to get a good length with the cue ball. Make-up tight on

:51:09. > :51:18.the question if you can. Once again he has overhit it. It makes it

:51:18. > :51:28.easier for your opponent to play a safety shot. It is first frame. You

:51:28. > :51:55.

:51:55. > :52:05.have to get used to the pace of the He could have done without the

:52:05. > :52:09.cannon on of the green. It has been noticeable in this first frame, you

:52:09. > :52:15.get the feeling that Peter Ebdon is not going to push the boat out too

:52:15. > :52:20.often. Normally you would expect him to take this red on. He is

:52:20. > :52:30.giving it plenty of thought. Normally you don't we have a game

:52:30. > :52:51.

:52:51. > :53:01.plan. But I think Peter Adem has a This is a chance for running.

:53:01. > :53:10.

:53:10. > :53:17.hedged his bets on it that pot, The green is not on its spot, but

:53:17. > :53:27.brown is a little bit awkward. Good positional play is needed. Yes, the

:53:27. > :53:28.

:53:28. > :53:38.green is not too badly placed. Ronnie will already have figured

:53:38. > :54:06.

:54:06. > :54:13.The problem is going to be getting from brown to blue. And we were

:54:13. > :54:21.straight on the yellow after this shot would be good. -- anywhere. I

:54:21. > :54:29.am sure the Queen passes the brown. -- the green. Then it is leaving an

:54:29. > :54:33.angle on the brown to get to the If he was to get nicely on the

:54:33. > :54:43.green and leave the white whether green is, he would have an angle to

:54:43. > :54:43.

:54:43. > :54:53.get up. That is what he just looked at. You need the perfect angle on

:54:53. > :54:55.

:54:55. > :55:05.the brown. You do not want to play the brown with too much pace. Accy

:55:05. > :55:08.

:55:08. > :55:18.shot coming up. Ade points behind. -- eight.. -- points. He has

:55:18. > :55:28.

:55:28. > :55:38.He is coming up a little bit short. This is not easy. This is a

:55:38. > :55:39.

:55:39. > :55:45.delicate shot he is faced with. That was not easy. Has he got the

:55:45. > :55:55.snooker? I think the black has come to his rescue. Ronnie O'Sullivan

:55:55. > :55:55.

:55:55. > :56:03.knows he should have clinched this opening frame. It was one of those,

:56:03. > :56:09.you try to hold for the black. By the time the cue ball reached the

:56:09. > :56:19.object ball, it had slid off line. Lucky to get the snooker. He is one

:56:19. > :56:26.

:56:26. > :56:36.That was unlucky. Mind you, he has got to get the black as well,

:56:36. > :56:42.

:56:42. > :56:52.He is seven points in front. He will get another chance. He might

:56:52. > :56:59.

:56:59. > :57:09.have to play this left-handed. He Can you believe it? We could start

:57:09. > :57:25.

:57:25. > :57:31.this first round match with a re- Who would have thought at the start

:57:31. > :57:36.of this match we would have a re- spotted black in the opening frame?

:57:36. > :57:46.That is the case. Now you want to win the toss. Ronnie has won the

:57:46. > :57:46.

:57:46. > :58:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:58:31. > :58:41.Ronnie might be tempted. He has not quite got the angle. That was a

:58:41. > :58:42.

:58:42. > :58:52.pretty good shot. This is much more difficult now because of the

:58:52. > :58:56.distance between the balls. We try a similar shot? -- will he try? He

:58:56. > :59:06.has played it well. This will finish in the middle of the side

:59:06. > :59:07.

:59:07. > :59:17.cushion. Ronnie can get this black behind the black spot if he judges

:59:17. > :59:21.

:59:21. > :59:31.it. That was pretty good. Yes, a few good safety shot have been

:59:31. > :59:32.

:59:32. > :59:42.played. -- shops. This could be the up and down. But players are

:59:42. > :59:46.

:59:46. > :59:54.He is pushing it towards the side cushion. If the cue ball does not

:59:54. > :00:04.go near the cushion, it is an easy safety shot. He has over hated. By

:00:04. > :00:05.

:00:05. > :00:09.a long way. What was that? That was it terrible shot. Peter Ebdon has a

:00:09. > :00:19.similar shot to the one that he plotted to force the re-spotted

:00:19. > :00:25.

:00:25. > :00:31.Early tension and it is only the first frame! Both players feeling

:00:31. > :00:41.the pressure out there. possibility that he can knock the

:00:41. > :00:49.Should be safe enough. Ronnie has had a let-off here and that is

:00:49. > :00:53.absolutely inch-perfect. Peter He will play a similar shot to the

:00:53. > :01:02.previous one, double it up and down and try and get it on the side

:01:02. > :01:12.And he has played it beautifully again. What a shot this is, by the

:01:12. > :01:25.

:01:25. > :01:28.Exciting stuff! And it is only the Whereas the cue ball? -- wherries.

:01:28. > :01:38.-- Where is. This is a thin one and this time the white will go near

:01:38. > :01:57.

:01:57. > :02:07.He almost missed the black There Ronnie has got to be careful

:02:07. > :02:11.

:02:11. > :02:16.with and in-off the to the middle He has played it with side to avoid

:02:16. > :02:19.going in-off, but that is very careless. A little bit of side can

:02:19. > :02:29.throw the ball off at a different angle but he should have knocked

:02:29. > :02:52.

:02:52. > :03:02.Where is the black going? It is Another 18 frames like this, both

:03:02. > :03:14.

:03:14. > :03:18.This is excellent. That is a From a psychological point of view,

:03:19. > :03:25.with all that has happened here, taking the opening frame is going

:03:26. > :03:35.to give the player quite a boost. True, but it seems that they want

:03:36. > :03:36.

:03:36. > :03:46.He played that a bandana and played it well once again. Excellent shot.

:03:46. > :03:57.

:03:58. > :04:07.It needs to pull up. That was the 17th shot on this black. How often

:04:08. > :04:16.

:04:16. > :04:25.That is pretty good again if it keeps on running. It might cut.

:04:25. > :04:35.Wouldn't it be ironic that he puts this after missing a sitter? --

:04:35. > :04:42.

:04:42. > :04:45.He did go for the pot, but obviously hedging his bets. It

:04:45. > :04:51.seems whenever he plays with a bit of Saigon, the cue ball is not

:04:51. > :05:01.going where he has a bit. -- side on. Peter Ebdon could have a go at

:05:01. > :05:01.

:05:01. > :05:06.And if you do have a go at it, as he did, make certain you hit it too

:05:06. > :05:10.thin, that way there is a chance of getting it safe. This has got to be

:05:10. > :05:19.some sort of record. I have never seen so many shots played on a

:05:19. > :05:23.And can you believe it? After all have -- all we have watched, he

:05:23. > :05:28.cuts a fantastic black into the corner pocket. What a fantastic

:05:28. > :05:30.frame, you can't get better than a re-spotted black. Ronnie O'Sullivan

:05:30. > :05:34.re-spotted black. Ronnie O'Sullivan is in the lead.

:05:34. > :05:38.HAZEL IRVINE: if they are all going to be like that, it looks like it

:05:38. > :05:42.will be fascinating. Incredible. Your impressions of the way both

:05:42. > :05:46.men have started and how important it was for Varnik to clinch that

:05:46. > :05:51.frame? The first frame is always important, but I am upset with

:05:51. > :05:55.these lads. We have had a couple of days of controversy and Twitter and

:05:55. > :05:59.both of these guys are trying to claim the limelight by plane

:05:59. > :06:05.descends lucre that is exciting. They have to get back to doing

:06:05. > :06:10.other things that by playing a decent snooker. It was brilliant,

:06:10. > :06:17.it was like the 1985 final, on the black. I have never seen 21 shots

:06:17. > :06:27.on the black. A great frame of. There was a moment. 8, D commentary

:06:27. > :06:37.moment. A was at the Beverly cent - - was at the Beverley Sisters?

:06:37. > :06:38.

:06:39. > :06:43.BOTH: Where is the cue ball? Is that Dennis Taylor stealing

:06:43. > :06:53.Is that Dennis Taylor stealing John's line? Unacceptable. A great

:06:53. > :06:58.

:06:58. > :07:02.start to the match, and it is back DENNIS TAYLOR: The Beverly boys?

:07:02. > :07:06.You know who I met at the other week in Rotherham, speaking at a

:07:06. > :07:10.dinner? The Chuckle Brothers. Twenty-five years they have been

:07:10. > :07:20.entertaining people and they might be coming up this year to have a

:07:20. > :07:30.

:07:30. > :07:34.look at the snooker, they are big A delicate shot from Ronnie. He has

:07:34. > :07:44.left one to the right corner. It is hampered, and I think there is an

:07:44. > :08:22.

:08:22. > :08:32.Dead straight, as you can see, but it doesn't really matter on this

:08:32. > :09:09.

:09:09. > :09:19.occasion because of the way the Just debating whether to go into

:09:19. > :09:32.

:09:32. > :09:37.Not a good bunch to go into. He He has just over Rod it a fraction

:09:37. > :09:47.for the red into the right middle. -- overrun. A little bit of work to

:09:47. > :09:52.

:09:52. > :10:02.do with the cue ball here to retain He felt he could hold it and he was

:10:02. > :10:03.

:10:03. > :10:13.right. Now, where does the next red There is one loose red, I am not

:10:13. > :10:24.

:10:24. > :10:27.I have seen him previously in the opening frame from this sort of

:10:27. > :10:33.position played for the blue, because it is a better position to

:10:33. > :10:43.go from. The normal shot is to roll this in and get on the black and

:10:43. > :10:46.

:10:46. > :10:50.Once again, he has gone for the blue. The last time, he went too

:10:50. > :11:00.hard and he has done it again. He will have to go for the yellow but

:11:00. > :11:00.

:11:00. > :11:10.at least he has a better angle this That is the sort of angle that will

:11:10. > :11:12.

:11:12. > :11:22.take him into the bunch, left hand There is one to the middle, he is

:11:22. > :11:22.

:11:22. > :13:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:13:05. > :13:15.A nice clean up pot and the perfect angle on the blue. -- clean up pot.

:13:15. > :13:15.

:13:15. > :13:19.He has got there want those red. -- he has got the one a loose red.

:13:19. > :13:23.From where we are sitting, there doesn't seem to be much, but I

:13:23. > :13:27.would say it is imperative after potting the next blue and the next

:13:27. > :13:37.bed, to get a good angle on the colour to bring something inter

:13:37. > :13:43.

:13:43. > :13:46.Now, will he go back up on the blue? It is obviously a lot easier

:13:46. > :13:50.but the cue ball travelling that little bit further, if he plays for

:13:50. > :13:55.the black, you would think he would be bound to get the right angle.

:13:55. > :13:59.Yes, still not a great bunch but he has tried it a few times and hasn't

:13:59. > :14:02.got the correct angle on the blue, so maybe this time just play for

:14:02. > :14:12.the black and they are not too badly placed if he gets that

:14:12. > :14:19.

:14:19. > :14:25.correct contact on the red, he can He looks to be mighty straight on

:14:25. > :14:29.this black to me. That is not one of his best shots. Maybe the end

:14:29. > :14:39.red is available into the far left corner but I would have been

:14:39. > :14:47.

:14:47. > :14:57.looking for an angle to bring the The fact that he let himself

:14:57. > :15:18.

:15:18. > :15:23.straight was the only option 45, but I expected him to knock

:15:24. > :15:33.that in. As John said, it wasn't begging me, but it was a free shot,

:15:34. > :15:49.

:15:49. > :15:53.he wasn't going to leave anything - It is a little bit awkward now with

:15:53. > :16:01.the red up the other end of the table and the one to the left of

:16:01. > :16:11.It looks as though he is going to nestle on that one that is up near

:16:11. > :16:19.

:16:19. > :16:24.the cushioned. Cash cushion. -- Even if he can't get on the colour,

:16:24. > :16:34.it might not be and -- a bad idea to pop biz and roll up behind the

:16:34. > :16:44.yellow and the brand and Snooker Peter -- to pot this and roll up

:16:44. > :16:44.

:16:44. > :16:48.He has tried to force it to get position on the yellow. He wanted

:16:48. > :16:58.to give himself a chance but the harder you hit that type of shot,

:16:58. > :17:36.

:17:36. > :17:42.He has over done that slightly, but with a 49. Lead and the balls where

:17:42. > :17:52.they are, I would be very surprised if he didn't clinch the frame -- 49

:17:52. > :18:16.

:18:16. > :18:26.Just about OK. He is going for his extension. Not easy this red, to

:18:26. > :18:41.

:18:41. > :18:51.stun a cross for the black in the So the black will put him 62 points

:18:51. > :19:16.

:19:16. > :19:20.in front. So this black and one Just shows you the mental strength

:19:20. > :19:25.of Peter Ebdon. When we used to talk about weaknesses and strengths,

:19:25. > :19:30.this man is so determined and mentally very strong. He has

:19:30. > :19:37.already wiped that opening frame that he lost on the rain spotted

:19:37. > :19:47.black strayed from his memory bank. -- straight from. He is a very

:19:47. > :19:51.

:19:51. > :19:55.focused player. You can see that in And before that China tournament, I

:19:55. > :19:59.wouldn't really have given him much chance against Ronnie but the fact

:19:59. > :20:03.that he has won a ranking title, I think he has regained his

:20:04. > :20:10.confidence and we know that that is what this game is mostly about,

:20:10. > :20:14.confident. It was Judd Trump who won the China opened last year and

:20:14. > :20:19.certainly had the confidence here to go all the way to the final. The

:20:19. > :20:27.only thing about this frame, Peter has needed to chances and in all

:20:27. > :20:32.honesty, he has been gifted them -- two. Ronnie playing the red along

:20:32. > :20:35.the question with too much pace, and that left the red on which got

:20:35. > :20:41.him going to clinched the second him going to clinched the second

:20:41. > :20:47.frame. Ronnie doesn't look bad comfortable at the moment.

:20:47. > :20:50.HAZEL IRVINE: do have to pay credit to Peter Ebdon. This season, he

:20:50. > :20:56.hadn't won at televised match at the ranking stage of the tournament

:20:56. > :21:00.until he went to China and won it. It was an extraordinary achievement.

:21:00. > :21:05.Phenomenal and that 41 years of age, which is quite old in the modern

:21:06. > :21:11.game -- at. His performances in China were incredible, a lot up --

:21:11. > :21:15.a lot of final frame deciders. He is obviously very fit at the moment,

:21:15. > :21:21.mentally he is in tune. He qualified by winning 10-0, let's

:21:21. > :21:24.not forget, so his game is in good nick. As for this vegan diet, he is

:21:24. > :21:28.eulogising about it to everybody and its benefits, but something has

:21:28. > :21:33.clicked with him in the last 18 months. He was pretty fanatical

:21:33. > :21:39.about his fitness before and but it is almost like he needs a cause,

:21:39. > :21:41.isn't it? He said it -- he was hoping it would work and it did,

:21:41. > :21:45.hoping it would work and it did, but make that mistake, Peter Ebdon

:21:45. > :21:49.is one of the most talented players out there -- make no mistake. We

:21:49. > :21:55.always seem to focus on how slow he plays and people pick up on that

:21:55. > :21:58.and they are blinded to some degree about how talented he is. Everybody

:21:58. > :22:05.pales into insignificance against Ronnie O'Sullivan but this guy has

:22:05. > :22:09.got bundles of talent. He just may not show it. He can be too

:22:09. > :22:13.controlled in matches. He can do anything with a cue ball. He is not

:22:13. > :22:18.as flamboyant in his style but still an extremely talented player.

:22:18. > :22:22.In exhibition, he can be. He plays different charts to other people,

:22:22. > :22:27.thinks about the game and that the character he has, that gives people

:22:27. > :22:30.a perception of what he is like. I am with Steve, I think he is a

:22:30. > :22:37.am with Steve, I think he is a am with Steve, I think he is a

:22:37. > :22:47.DENNIS TAYLOR: If Ronnie O'Sullivan keeps on breaking off like that, he

:22:47. > :22:54.

:22:54. > :22:59.may well be sitting in his seat for I am with you, John, I don't think

:22:59. > :23:09.Ronnie is too comfortable at the moment and that was a terrible

:23:09. > :23:12.

:23:12. > :23:16.Ronnie is going to have to be really focused for this match and I

:23:16. > :23:21.am sure he must have thought about it before, John, he does Peter is

:23:22. > :23:29.in good form. Mentally, he is going to be have do -- he is going to

:23:29. > :23:39.have to be up for this game. As the boy is alluded to, Peter is a

:23:39. > :24:09.

:24:09. > :24:19.If he can get to the middle of the cue ball, this black is not too

:24:19. > :24:35.

:24:35. > :24:39.difficult. If he can't, it is a And that is why he missed it, for

:24:39. > :24:45.me. If he could have got to the middle of the cue ball comfortably,

:24:45. > :24:55.there is no way he would have missed that. So a bad break off

:24:55. > :25:00.

:25:00. > :25:05.from Ronnie O'Sullivan, but it has This is a chance for Ronnie. The

:25:05. > :25:09.only thing with Ronnie, I noticed in the first frame when he missed

:25:09. > :25:14.an easy black and you were saying he had to avoid the middle pocket,

:25:14. > :25:18.but every time he plays with a bit of side, it is like he hasn't got

:25:18. > :25:23.much of a clue where the cue ball is going to go. I don't know if he

:25:23. > :25:30.has a new cue, or renewed tip, and you can put that down to the break-

:25:30. > :25:34.up shop. He was using right hand side, he hit the second from the

:25:34. > :25:44.end of red. He should concentrate on playing balls fall in the face

:25:44. > :25:49.

:25:49. > :25:59.He was supposed to hit at the end of red and he hit the second end

:25:59. > :26:09.

:26:09. > :26:13.red. That lifted full and leaves it His previous shot to that one was a

:26:13. > :26:23.poor positional shot, that is why he has had to run away up the table.

:26:23. > :26:32.

:26:32. > :26:36.Still trying to get the pace of How is this going to finish? At

:26:36. > :26:46.first glance, unless there is a red in the middle of the bunch that

:26:46. > :26:50.

:26:50. > :26:55.goes, he is not on anything. And The way they are sitting, this is

:26:55. > :27:05.the way you throw the balls on the table to have a practice session, a

:27:05. > :27:17.

:27:17. > :27:21.great chance. And it might not take We were saying that the beginning

:27:21. > :27:26.about contrasting styles and we have heard it so many times over

:27:26. > :27:34.the years. The great battles Alex Higgins had with Ray Reardon and

:27:34. > :27:41.Steve Davis, and Jimmy, of course. It just adds to the atmosphere.

:27:41. > :27:45.This looks as if it could be a tremendous match and even though

:27:45. > :27:51.Ronnie would have been a big favourite coming into it, you just

:27:51. > :28:01.know that Peter Ebdon, if he is in good form, it will take the world

:28:01. > :28:06.

:28:06. > :28:11.to beat him. Sir Ronnie will have A quick glance at this or board. --

:28:11. > :28:21.at the scoreboard. The Bulls could not be better situated. He makes it

:28:21. > :28:46.

:28:46. > :28:50.Just a few more pots away from A little shake of the head, a

:28:50. > :28:55.little bit more straight on the pink than he would want to be. If

:28:55. > :29:05.he had the perfect angle, he could have got close to this red, and

:29:05. > :29:12.

:29:12. > :29:22.this is frame ball, to go 49 ahead Just coming up to 4.5 minutes for

:29:22. > :29:33.

:29:33. > :29:38.this effort, so it has been a very It would be nice if he could get a

:29:38. > :29:47.century here. That would be another �200 for the Haven House Children's

:29:47. > :29:53.Hospice, our associations have chosen charity -- our Association's

:29:53. > :30:03.chosen charity. They are donating �200 for every century made here

:30:03. > :30:17.

:30:17. > :30:27.This genius at the table has made over 600 century breaks in his

:30:27. > :30:35.

:30:35. > :30:45.professional career. He made 106 This will be the 18th and we are

:30:45. > :30:54.

:30:54. > :30:57.Well done, Ronnie O'Sullivan. That was a terrific effort. He made that

:30:57. > :31:07.century break in just over six minutes and he gets himself back

:31:07. > :31:12.

:31:12. > :31:16.into the lead. 2-1-Ronnie O'Sullivan. Run the O'Sullivan for

:31:16. > :31:21.me play is the most brilliant snooker I have ever seen in my life.

:31:21. > :31:26.He is the best player I have ever played in my career. He makes the

:31:26. > :31:32.game look ridiculously easy. If he could apply a himself the way some

:31:32. > :31:39.other players have, he would break every single record in the book.

:31:40. > :31:48.Left, right handed, doesn't care. Ronnie, fast. There best I have

:31:48. > :31:53.seen by far, but off the table strange. He tries his best. Ronnie

:31:53. > :32:01.O'Sullivan, which one do you want? I have always respected him as a

:32:01. > :32:06.player, and as a man. Not many players I would pay to watch but he

:32:06. > :32:11.would be one of them. Today we are getting some brilliant play from

:32:11. > :32:15.him. We talked about Peter in his pedigree this season. Let's talk

:32:15. > :32:20.about Ronnie because the German Masters victory was tractor up from

:32:20. > :32:26.his boots and it came at a crucial time, knowing that if he had not

:32:26. > :32:30.stun one of those events he might not be coming to the Crucible. --

:32:30. > :32:36.if he had not won one of those events. He is one of the players

:32:37. > :32:40.who can afford to take a few of those matches out and still be in

:32:40. > :32:45.the top 16. It will be tough in the future for him to do that but at

:32:45. > :32:49.the moment he is just about doing it. He has had to take a couple of

:32:49. > :32:53.weeks off because he was diagnosed in December with glandular fever,

:32:54. > :32:59.clearly a very debilitating condition. He has had to take some

:32:59. > :33:04.weeks off to try and recover. A worrying time from that perspective.

:33:04. > :33:10.We have seen him around, he looks very relaxed, and he is coming here

:33:10. > :33:20.very refreshed. One thing you don't want to do is to be in the semi-

:33:20. > :33:20.

:33:20. > :33:25.finals of everything and have nothing left. It feels like to

:33:25. > :33:32.weeks already but it is certainly an engrossing!

:33:32. > :33:42.Sounds like Hazel and the boys are in a crash! We can see children

:33:42. > :34:08.

:34:08. > :34:12.shouting in the background. -- a They have looked at one another and

:34:13. > :34:17.decided to have a re-rack. Premature you may think, but good

:34:17. > :34:27.to see both players agreed. They don't want any more tip tapping

:34:27. > :34:34.

:34:34. > :34:43.about. The referee, Eirian Williams, in short order sets them up again.

:34:43. > :34:49.The mid-session interval after this frame. In the context of it, it

:34:49. > :34:55.could be all square or Ronnie could have a two frame advantage, so an

:34:55. > :34:59.important frame. Peter has made a mess of the break off shot. I am

:34:59. > :35:05.waiting for you to tell us what he shouldn't do with the break. When

:35:05. > :35:15.breaking off, whatever you do, don't hit the blue. Not only has he

:35:15. > :35:20.

:35:20. > :35:26.hit the blue, he has left a He has potted both balls and he has

:35:26. > :35:34.finished on the black. In a way, he would have liked the second red to

:35:34. > :35:39.stay in the jaws. What has he finished on? He has got one to the

:35:39. > :35:44.left corner, but he does not have a lot of control of the cue ball. I

:35:44. > :35:52.am wondering if it is advantageous to play one to the far left corner.

:35:52. > :36:00.At least he can cue better on the white. But it is a tough shot. He

:36:00. > :36:04.is bound to be on the black if it goes in. That kicked. The red

:36:04. > :36:14.jumped, and the white hasn't come back either so that was very

:36:14. > :36:18.

:36:18. > :36:28.unfortunate. Watch the red here. Amazing. That took it completely

:36:28. > :36:30.

:36:30. > :36:34.off line. Ronnie opened up the reds, but now in favour of Peter Ebdon.

:36:34. > :36:40.This is the red Ronnie could have played but he didn't have the

:36:40. > :36:46.position Peter has got. He can just drop it in and play for the pink

:36:46. > :36:56.into the middle. Ronnie didn't have that option. His bridging was a lot

:36:56. > :37:18.

:37:18. > :37:23.Just noticed Peter's tip, it is hanging over the cue by quite a

:37:23. > :37:29.margin. It is a mushroom type effect. Most players have the tip

:37:29. > :37:39.flushed to the metal piece on the end of the cue, but you can see as

:37:39. > :37:49.

:37:49. > :37:55.he chalks, it is a little bit bigger than the tip of the cue. I

:37:55. > :38:03.remember the first player I ever saw playing with the tip like that,

:38:03. > :38:07.a great amateur from Bolton wait. know who you mean, Douggie French.

:38:07. > :38:11.I think the professional game, the first one I ever saw was John

:38:11. > :38:17.Parrott, formerly enough. Maybe when we go back to the studio, he

:38:17. > :38:22.will explain the advantage of an overlapping tip. Meanwhile that has

:38:22. > :38:28.gone wrong. You always need that bit of luck when you go into the

:38:28. > :38:34.cluster. When they breaker open and you are on a nice easy red, it

:38:34. > :38:39.looks simple, but he just got that bit of extra spin on the cue ball

:38:39. > :38:47.and he is on nothing easy. A possibility of a red to the far

:38:47. > :38:54.left corner, but would you want to play that? If it missed, it would

:38:54. > :39:04.cost the frame. The safety end of the table now is behind the black.

:39:04. > :39:17.

:39:18. > :39:24.I think Peter might have been trying to block this red, looking

:39:24. > :39:31.at the way he played that. I am going back to the tip you were

:39:31. > :39:36.talking about John. He has mishit that completely. It may still be

:39:36. > :39:40.safe, but I would like to try and find out in the mid-session

:39:40. > :39:47.interval if that is a fairly new cue because when he plays with side

:39:47. > :39:53.he is not getting the reaction he is expecting. Couldn't agree with

:39:53. > :39:57.you more. As I say, that break off shot in the last frame has given me

:39:57. > :40:02.half a clue, but when he missed the easy black in the first frame

:40:02. > :40:10.trying to avoid the middle pocket, to miss the black like that shows

:40:10. > :40:20.me that when he is playing with side, he is not allowing or he is

:40:20. > :40:34.

:40:34. > :40:41.There is a possibility of the red to the right middle here but it is

:40:41. > :40:51.very risky, and more so because it is a very easy safety shot off

:40:51. > :40:54.these two reds that are together. Correct shot, but you just get the

:40:54. > :41:01.feeling that Peter has got the slight advantage in this tactical

:41:01. > :41:06.exchange. He might have after the next shot, John. If he can get the

:41:06. > :41:16.white back to near enough where it is now and cover the three reds

:41:16. > :41:17.

:41:17. > :41:26.near the pink, it will be difficult The red you mentioned to the middle

:41:26. > :41:32.pocket, still a possibility. Where would the colour Caen? If the blue

:41:32. > :41:40.was on its spot, he might risk that. He could leave a red on if he

:41:40. > :41:48.misses this. A great shot, a terrific shot. I will tell you why

:41:48. > :41:53.it was such a great shot - he had left a red on if it didn't go in.

:41:53. > :42:02.That shows you how Ronnie O'Sullivan was thinking there. That

:42:02. > :42:08.is the shot of the match so far. Those reds near the left middle, I

:42:08. > :42:15.have the feeling they are a plant so that is something that he can

:42:15. > :42:19.bear in mind later on. He is just having a look at them now. It is

:42:19. > :42:27.something if you got in trouble, that could be something to fall

:42:27. > :42:31.back on. Peter will have been disappointed. That was a terrific

:42:31. > :42:36.opening red but he will be disappointed he left him that

:42:36. > :42:43.chance. That is why we always say it is so important, it you are

:42:43. > :42:48.playing a safety, you need to leave the cue ball near the cushion to

:42:48. > :42:53.make every shot difficult. And he didn't, he left the cue ball near

:42:53. > :43:03.the black. A player with the ability of Ronnie O'Sullivan,

:43:03. > :43:11.

:43:11. > :43:21.Look at his average shot time - 14 seconds. Probably because he made

:43:21. > :43:37.

:43:37. > :43:47.that 60 yawed break in four minutes. He has played it beautifully.

:43:47. > :43:56.

:43:56. > :44:06.Considering he played it with his Where is that cue ball going? The

:44:06. > :44:16.

:44:16. > :44:24.crowd gasping, they thought it was That was a bit careless. That is

:44:24. > :44:30.what he thinks of that shot. The only thing in his favour here is

:44:30. > :44:37.the red is safe near the cushion. The one near the pink looks awkward,

:44:37. > :44:47.and the one near the baulk cushion he will not score many points with

:44:47. > :45:12.

:45:12. > :45:17.The one thing you have got to do if your opponent makes a mistake like

:45:17. > :45:27.Ronnie did, you have got to punish them at this level. A chance for

:45:27. > :45:29.

:45:29. > :45:37.Ronnie to cut this red in. He has hit it too thick, and once again

:45:37. > :45:43.played with a little trace of side. He is just pushing, it seems,

:45:43. > :45:48.although you would expect a player of his class to make the allowance

:45:48. > :45:55.for it, make a slight minor adjustment that is needed. Just a

:45:55. > :46:03.bit edgy this match at the moment. The players realise it is a big

:46:03. > :46:13.match. Of course, Peter, he has more respect for Ronnie than most

:46:13. > :46:19.

:46:19. > :46:29.Maybe just in the early stages the occasion becomes a bit more

:46:29. > :46:50.

:46:50. > :46:57.important than the match. It can It wouldn't be a big ask, the

:46:57. > :47:01.thought of winning the frame at this visit. I wouldn't think it had

:47:01. > :47:11.entered Peter's head at the moment. He will be more concerned with

:47:11. > :47:18.

:47:18. > :47:25.I think Peter might have played to nudge that red out that is on the

:47:25. > :47:30.cushion. I think with the blue situated as it was... Let's have a

:47:30. > :47:40.look. He tried to flick the red out because he knew he was guaranteed

:47:40. > :47:50.

:47:51. > :47:56.position, and missed the cannon. He He's striking the cue ball plain

:47:56. > :48:01.ball, right in the middle. That was an edgy one. He seemed to move the

:48:01. > :48:06.cue ball to the right slightly after he delivered it. Let's have a

:48:06. > :48:16.look at this. He has delivered the cue, and that was a little bit of

:48:16. > :48:25.

:48:25. > :48:35.the -- a jabby one, as we say. is a good safety shot now. I think

:48:35. > :48:47.

:48:47. > :48:52.he has snookered Peter on the four The only red he could possibly land

:48:52. > :48:59.on is the one nearest the cushion. He has big problems here, Peter

:48:59. > :49:04.Ebdon. I suppose if you were hoping to get some advantage out of this,

:49:04. > :49:08.playing the one just below the pink, hit it dead weight, you could get

:49:08. > :49:15.the snooker behind the pink but you would have to hit it absolutely

:49:15. > :49:23.inch perfect. Is it worth the risk? This is where the miss rule can

:49:23. > :49:29.really come into play, when you are trying to play a delicate shot.

:49:29. > :49:34.don't blame him for thinking about this one for over a minute. As John

:49:34. > :49:44.mentioned, this is so delicate he would have to be absolutely spot-on

:49:44. > :49:48.

:49:48. > :49:55.It did reach, and it is not touching, which will be a big

:49:55. > :50:02.advantage to Ronnie. He can still maybe get back behind the black. I

:50:02. > :50:10.don't think he can get in behind the yellow. He has hit it too hard.

:50:10. > :50:20.It is not bad. Peter can't role in behind the pink here, hasn't got

:50:20. > :50:58.

:50:58. > :51:03.That was a good pot Ronnie pulled out. Initially I thought it was

:51:03. > :51:10.difficult to get behind the pink. With these matches at the Crucible,

:51:10. > :51:20.you're always play them in a little sessions, four frames, and your

:51:20. > :51:21.

:51:21. > :51:27.target is try to win them 3-1. Most players approach it that way.

:51:27. > :51:32.the blue and one more red. Let me put it this way - the colour, one

:51:32. > :51:41.more red, and another colour, and you wouldn't think Peter Ebdon

:51:41. > :51:49.would bother coming back to the That is what you want to do really.

:51:49. > :51:55.I see so many times people on the, what we call the ball that will

:51:55. > :52:01.stop your opponent playing snookers and they casually play it. We have

:52:01. > :52:11.seen it so many times. This ball to go 39 points in front with 35

:52:11. > :52:19.remaining. What Ronnie should do here, just roll this red in. No

:52:19. > :52:25.heroics. That will make certain that he has won the frame. It will

:52:25. > :52:32.be 3-1 at the mid-session interval. Not been a classic match we

:52:32. > :52:39.expected, but it is bubbling up nicely. Booked for four snookers,

:52:39. > :52:44.Ronnie O'Sullivan will be 3-1 in front but Peter is perfectly

:52:44. > :52:51.entitled to carry on. Probably the way the colours are situated, he

:52:51. > :52:57.feels he can get snookers. Brown and blue and not too badly placed.

:52:57. > :53:07.As you say, it has happened before when a player has needed for

:53:07. > :53:17.

:53:17. > :53:22.snookers but not very often. -- four snookers. There is one of them.

:53:22. > :53:32.In theory he will lead 9 or 10 snookers because he will escape

:53:32. > :53:59.

:53:59. > :54:09.Watch the cue ball. He tried to spin that with loads of side into

:54:09. > :54:44.

:54:45. > :54:49.the blue. Ronnie just might played A good shot. A tap on the table

:54:49. > :54:56.from Ronnie. And tough to hit this come on the green been in the

:54:56. > :55:04.middle the table. A lot of room to go around it. Beautifully played,

:55:04. > :55:14.could not have hit it better. Peter, you will have to make them a bit

:55:14. > :55:22.

:55:22. > :55:26.Something like this, John? Yes, that is a bit tougher, and

:55:26. > :55:36.particularly with it going near the black. There is always the case of

:55:36. > :55:44.

:55:44. > :55:53.Surely he has not hit the green? nearly did, but it was a 7 point

:55:53. > :56:03.penalty. That was the case. He called a foul, he did hit the black.

:56:03. > :56:04.

:56:04. > :56:09.Well done, referee. So now only two snookers needed. It just shows you,

:56:09. > :56:15.this is why he has carried on. If the blue have not been in that

:56:15. > :56:22.position, I don't think he would have carried on. I would have been

:56:22. > :56:28.tempted to keep the green on the table. I'm like you, I like to keep

:56:28. > :56:38.as many balls on the table as you can because you have got more to

:56:38. > :57:00.

:57:00. > :57:08.He has got the snooker. It is basically like playing a safety

:57:08. > :57:15.shot. He may even get a snooker back here. Not hitting it like that,

:57:15. > :57:25.a book easy, as I say. He didn't want to push the pink. That is in a

:57:25. > :57:29.better position now for Peter Ebdon. Much better to get snookers behind.

:57:29. > :57:39.Sitting on its own spot, you can't get a good snooker from this

:57:39. > :57:52.

:57:52. > :57:57.Almost sneak it in behind the pink. That is the end of frame. I don't

:57:57. > :58:02.think Peter Ebdon will continue any more. As I say, it has not been

:58:02. > :58:07.vintage but you know when you get Ronnie and Peter at the table you

:58:07. > :58:15.will have all kinds of unusual things happening. I think we are in

:58:15. > :58:20.for a great match. It doesn't matter about that, that is enough

:58:20. > :58:24.for Peter Ebdon. He has got his equipment together. The first mid-

:58:24. > :58:29.session interval, could have gone either way but Ronnie will be

:58:29. > :58:34.pleased. It is so important for Ronnie to play with momentum, but

:58:34. > :58:40.it could have been different. There were some shots in there from

:58:40. > :58:45.Ronnie which were superb. One to the top corner in the last frame.

:58:45. > :58:51.Yes, brilliant cueing, long potting. You would be leaving balls on so

:58:51. > :58:56.there is more pressure on this. He cued that beautifully, straight in

:58:56. > :59:00.there and back on the black. deep, give your assessment of this

:59:00. > :59:07.match. So much talk of it potentially being slow, but it has

:59:07. > :59:12.been a good watch so far. Yes, very entertaining, quality snooker, and

:59:12. > :59:16.what more can you ask from a game of snooker than some tactics and

:59:16. > :59:23.potting as well? I like the way they have approached it. I don't

:59:23. > :59:28.think anybody has a game plan set in motion and it is just a case of

:59:28. > :59:32.playing the balls. I don't think Peter Ebdon ever wants to get

:59:32. > :59:39.involved in slowing the game down, regardless of what people think,

:59:39. > :59:44.but sometimes that is the way it goes. Let's take a break from that,

:59:44. > :59:47.a bit of light relief. We don't know who will win that match but

:59:47. > :59:52.there is another epic contest on the go here at the Crucible this

:59:52. > :00:02.week and it is between the players and ponder it. We have the first

:00:02. > :00:06.

:00:06. > :00:16.instalment of the pub queers, and it is between the Dennis and Johns,

:00:16. > :00:25.

:00:26. > :00:35.against the good, bad and ugly. -- Are we ready to start this pub quiz

:00:36. > :00:43.

:00:44. > :00:47.Question 1. I am going to give you the player, I am going to give you

:00:47. > :00:53.the year, if you are going to tell me who they were playing against

:00:53. > :01:02.when they got a 147. The year is 1983. The player is Cliff Thorburn.

:01:02. > :01:12.He did he gets a one for 7 against? -- who did he gets. John Spencer.

:01:12. > :01:13.

:01:13. > :01:20.Ray Reardon. It was Terry Griffiths. No. 2. The year was 1992. The

:01:21. > :01:30.player was Jimmy White. Named the small snooker player who he got a

:01:31. > :01:33.

:01:34. > :01:43.There's a question one? That is question two.

:01:44. > :01:48.

:01:48. > :01:53.The year is 2008. The player is Ali Carter. Who was he playing against?

:01:53. > :02:02.Keep your answers to your cells. John Parrott, you can let the other

:02:02. > :02:10.two people help you. We have got a dark horse in our team.

:02:10. > :02:17.It was... Peter Ebdon. Commander! The year is 2005.

:02:17. > :02:24.The player is Mark Williams. If anybody gets this right, I may well

:02:24. > :02:30.flip-flop through the streets of Sheffield. He was playing against

:02:30. > :02:38.Robert Milkins. Ronnie O'Sullivan has done 3147

:02:38. > :02:48.breaks against which opponents? Which are three opponents? -- which

:02:48. > :02:52.

:02:52. > :03:02.three. He has had three separate one for 7 the breaks. -- 147 breaks.

:03:02. > :03:12.They got all through? Bart-Williams has had two 147s --

:03:12. > :03:12.

:03:12. > :03:22.Mark Williams. What is peculiar about his second 147? What was

:03:22. > :03:29.

:03:29. > :03:36.different about it? This will take It was against a woman.

:03:36. > :03:46.Who is the youngest player ever to make a televised 147? It happened

:03:46. > :03:54.

:03:54. > :04:00.in 2007. The youngest player to You will get a point for that.

:04:00. > :04:10.chance of a point for that? How old was he? He was 19. We couldn't

:04:10. > :04:14.

:04:14. > :04:18.spell his name. Being. It was televised? What about that part a

:04:18. > :04:26.kid? A Ali two players have made

:04:26. > :04:36.maximums in the finals of the tournament -- only. Who are they?

:04:36. > :04:37.

:04:37. > :04:45.One person has done it three times, Stephen Hendry and John Higgins.

:04:45. > :04:50.Never got that. A didn't get that. A back in 1982, when some of the

:04:50. > :05:00.people sat here and myself were vaguely fashionable... I should

:05:00. > :05:01.

:05:01. > :05:11.know this one. Who made their first televised 147 in the 1982 rather

:05:11. > :05:15.

:05:15. > :05:18.classic? Me. -- Lada. I had a fringe then. Can you spell my

:05:18. > :05:28.surname properly, please. By do believe it was in full colour,

:05:28. > :05:32.

:05:32. > :05:38.with a lot of red on the screen -- That was Mr Steve Davis. If he ever

:05:38. > :05:42.amount to anything? Who should have made the first

:05:42. > :05:49.televised 147 but Thames Television cameraman were on their break and

:05:49. > :05:56.didn't film it? -- camera men. was very unlucky. It was back in

:05:57. > :06:00.1979. It was John Spencer. Wasn't he cross?

:06:00. > :06:05.A camera was there and they switched it off of. All they have

:06:06. > :06:10.did -- had to do was leave the switch-on. And he had to sit

:06:10. > :06:19.through me making the first adult one on television. It would be a

:06:19. > :06:29.fantastic pub quiz question. bonus question. Try this. Which

:06:29. > :06:30.

:06:30. > :06:40.snooker player sounds like he could have been an origami champion? You

:06:40. > :06:42.

:06:42. > :06:50.will have played against him. Write it down. It is a snooker player

:06:50. > :06:55.that you will have played against. What about the if you have another

:06:55. > :07:05.one Ali you haven't played against but you know he is one? -- who you

:07:05. > :07:15.

:07:15. > :07:25.haven't. It had to be Neal Foulds. It is tied after one round. You are

:07:25. > :07:34.

:07:34. > :07:38.On 12 at the end of round one, we have got to the good, the Bad And

:07:39. > :07:44.the ugly. We will be back for round two.

:07:44. > :07:49.What a rally, and I am sure it was only soft drinks but some gross

:07:49. > :07:53.behaviour from Steve Davis at one point. It gets worse, honestly.

:07:53. > :07:58.will think we are raving alcoholic, it was half-past 10 in the morning.

:07:58. > :08:01.We will have more of that tomorrow. Back to business at the Crucible

:08:02. > :08:07.and the other side of the dividing screen this afternoon where the so-

:08:07. > :08:11.called magician at Shaun Murphy has been in action. Shaun Murphy is the

:08:11. > :08:21.champion of 2005 and he loves this place, and he feels it always

:08:21. > :08:29.

:08:29. > :08:35.conjures up something special in I tend to be at the front of things.

:08:35. > :08:39.I wouldn't say I am a leader of people but I do like to... I have

:08:39. > :08:44.got a bit of OCD, I like to run things. I was born in the wrong era.

:08:44. > :08:48.I think I would have liked to have been around in the pre-war 1930s,

:08:48. > :08:52.pinstripe suit and gangsters in New York, that would have suited me

:08:52. > :08:56.down to the ground. I have got to the point where I think I will

:08:56. > :09:01.always be a little bit fat. I am not bothered, but I am trying to

:09:01. > :09:05.lose weight and be healthy. I am running the Sheffield Park marathon

:09:05. > :09:10.with a few of the other lads. I am at the point where I am happy with

:09:10. > :09:14.myself. I'm trying to better myself, let in some languages and trying to

:09:14. > :09:20.fill my time. It takes a few seconds to say please or thank you

:09:20. > :09:25.but you would be surprised how many people forget about it, just to say

:09:25. > :09:29.thanks to somebody. I am not too good at getting over

:09:29. > :09:33.things when they have gone wrong. Which is poor as a snooker player,

:09:33. > :09:37.because things are going wrong all the time and I don't cope with that

:09:37. > :09:45.very well, but I guess I am a passionate person and I care about

:09:45. > :09:48.it, it is my biggest love. And when it goes wrong, it hurts.

:09:48. > :09:53.Shaun Murphy's first-round opponent, Shaun Murphy's first-round opponent,

:09:53. > :09:56.at Jamie Jones, enjoying his first trip to the Crucible. He has been a

:09:56. > :10:00.professional for six years and has had to wait a long time to make it

:10:00. > :10:04.here. He didn't freeze in their first session yesterday and went

:10:04. > :10:09.into today's session one frame into today's session one frame

:10:09. > :10:19.behind. Shaun Murphy took the first of the day-to-day to go to 6-4.

:10:19. > :10:20.

:10:20. > :10:30.This is frame 11 with Jones Ken Doherty and Terry Griffiths

:10:30. > :10:32.

:10:32. > :10:37.have teamed up to bring you through It is a good pot. He got the case,

:10:37. > :10:41.he can take on the black if he wants to but it is a big shot to

:10:41. > :10:48.dislodge any of the remaining reds. And excellent pot, though. The

:10:48. > :10:58.brown looks the favourite if he wants to bring the red inter play.

:10:58. > :11:18.

:11:18. > :11:28.This red is very tricky, he would have wanted to be a lot closer to

:11:28. > :11:28.

:11:28. > :12:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:12:11. > :12:21.Very dangerous. A very tricky along That is one way of developing

:12:21. > :12:36.

:12:36. > :12:46.another red into play. A nice kiss Just want a nice angle on the blue

:12:46. > :12:59.

:12:59. > :13:06.That looks about OK, can just screw Has he come too far? Would you

:13:06. > :13:16.believe it? So much margin for error there. That is extremely

:13:16. > :13:30.

:13:30. > :13:33.I did believe he was trying to get close to the red, but if you are 18

:13:33. > :13:37.inches away, you are on it, and from here, it has to be a safety

:13:37. > :13:47.shot, so he will be very disappointed after playing such a

:13:47. > :13:47.

:13:47. > :14:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:14:36. > :14:41.good shot to move the red and pink The red is available but a lot of

:14:41. > :14:51.distance between the two balls, and the cue ball is very tight on that

:14:51. > :14:58.

:14:58. > :15:04.cushion. It will take some very odd He could have done with another

:15:04. > :15:14.inch on the cue ball. The pink is available, but it is thinner than

:15:14. > :15:24.

:15:24. > :15:30.He has got it, though. Is he on the yellow? He is OK. Good shot, that.

:15:30. > :15:40.Yes, his heart -- his heart missed a couple of beats as they cue ball

:15:40. > :15:40.

:15:40. > :15:50.Our great opportunity to steal the second frame and close the gap. --

:15:50. > :16:00.

:16:00. > :16:10.Excellent opening red, played it Seven points ahead, so blue and

:16:10. > :16:29.

:16:29. > :16:36.Jamie Jones set up a frame-winning clearance and he cut the deficit

:16:36. > :16:41.but still Shaun Murphy leads by 6-5. HAZEL IRVINE: This is how it

:16:41. > :16:46.currently stands. It is live on the red button right now and we will

:16:46. > :16:51.keep you updated. They are now on the 14th frame of a possible 19. He

:16:51. > :16:54.is more than holding his own. certainly is and he has had the

:16:54. > :16:58.benefit of more competitive practice this season than he has

:16:58. > :17:02.had before and he is bursting onto the scene. What do you make of the

:17:02. > :17:07.way he has gone about this? I am not too surprised because when I

:17:07. > :17:13.have seen him play, he is a good scorer, knows the game but he is a

:17:13. > :17:19.good competitor more than anything else. He beat Ricky Walden 10-2 to

:17:19. > :17:24.qualify. And he beat Higgins earlier in the season. We will keep

:17:24. > :17:29.tabs on that one. You can watch it on the red button if you so choose

:17:29. > :17:32.or indeed on line. You'll know the developing story here in Sheffield

:17:32. > :17:40.is regarding the world No. 11 Mark Allen and his comments to the wake

:17:40. > :17:43.of his defeat to Cao Yupeng yesterday, where he basically

:17:43. > :17:47.accused his opponents are cheating and other Chinese players as well.

:17:47. > :17:52.-- a punnet of cheating. Barry had -- a punnet of cheating. Barry had

:17:52. > :17:55.has just given his reaction to those, Staff Barry Hearn. Mark

:17:55. > :18:00.Allen's criticism around a refereeing decision and some

:18:01. > :18:06.tasteless, it's about his opponent and Chinese snooker players in

:18:06. > :18:10.general -- tasteless comments, I am sad to see them. I have to refer to

:18:10. > :18:17.the contract players have signed for participating in World Snooker

:18:17. > :18:22.events, which I doubt they have read their obligations to the game.

:18:22. > :18:32.Berger dyes black to keep his hopes alive. Well played. Where is the

:18:32. > :18:36.

:18:36. > :18:40.Well, what a way to lose. Unbelievable. There is a certain

:18:40. > :18:43.mitigation. I think we have to understand that it is not a great

:18:43. > :18:49.time and the player has come back with the disappointment of losing

:18:49. > :18:52.his game, of which he was favourite to win. Anything they say, it

:18:52. > :18:56.stands scrutiny and if it breaches of rules, there is really no excuse

:18:56. > :19:00.for them. To his credit, Mark Allen did really say the result wasn't

:19:00. > :19:06.affected because the better man one and that is important but they have

:19:06. > :19:09.got to be so careful. That better than one. We would all agree with

:19:10. > :19:14.tasteless and sad to say and it could be in breach of the contracts

:19:14. > :19:17.every player signs to play in this game. We asked you for your

:19:18. > :19:25.opinions via e-mail and Twitter and there has been quite a bit of

:19:25. > :19:31.reaction. One says if it was a foul, couldn't he have queried it like

:19:31. > :19:35.tennis players do, but he didn't it? Paul says that he should be

:19:35. > :19:39.disciplined it much harder. Robert Allen says Mark Allen is a great

:19:39. > :19:44.talent but bits to learn that controversy is not clever. -- needs

:19:44. > :19:47.to learn. I have been concerned about that since he said his fellow

:19:47. > :19:51.professionals had no bottle in an early interview and he gets his

:19:51. > :19:55.column inches one way or the other. And Liam says he has offended the

:19:55. > :20:00.Chinese people and not acted in a way that professional sports people

:20:00. > :20:04.should, so plenty of reaction from you on this one and I am sure it

:20:04. > :20:11.will continue. There is a fair bit of mileage. And more specifically,

:20:11. > :20:14.more mileage in this match. It is Ronnie O'Sullivan leading 3-1 over

:20:14. > :20:24.Peter Ebdon. Let's handed back to Peter Ebdon. Let's handed back to

:20:24. > :20:28.

:20:28. > :20:38.DENNIS TAYLOR: Let's see if Ronnie O'Sullivan can get the break-up

:20:38. > :21:05.

:21:05. > :21:15.shot a little bit better. That He may be tempted to play this. The

:21:15. > :21:17.

:21:17. > :21:25.only reason I say that is there is It is fraught with danger because

:21:25. > :21:35.the red you can see by the black, he could leave that one on.

:21:35. > :21:38.

:21:38. > :21:48.Just coming up to the one minute thinking time. I think he has

:21:48. > :21:51.

:21:52. > :22:01.decided he is going to play the pot. He is not playing the pot. What is

:22:01. > :22:06.he playing? That was dangerous. He will be very fortunate if he has

:22:06. > :22:16.not let anything and at first glance, I did think he has. That

:22:16. > :22:48.

:22:48. > :22:53.There is a red that will go but I It is not bad. A good length, but I

:22:53. > :23:03.don't think he has covered the escape path down the left hand side

:23:03. > :23:03.

:23:03. > :23:13.Having said that, you have got to hit these just right, haven't you?

:23:13. > :23:39.

:23:39. > :23:49.Yes, if he catches it thick, he Well, there is a red that has come

:23:49. > :23:52.

:23:52. > :23:57.It is one of these that you feel as though to play it and keep control

:23:57. > :24:07.of the cue ball, you need to play it with a trace of side and I don't

:24:07. > :24:09.

:24:09. > :24:19.think he is too comfortable with He just made certain of the pot. I

:24:19. > :24:19.

:24:19. > :25:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:25:15. > :25:22.Just trying to make it as awkward They're easy path back down the

:25:22. > :25:29.table here. -- no easy path. Not easy to leave the white up the

:25:29. > :25:34.other end of the table, that is what Hawkeye is showing. He can get

:25:34. > :25:37.down the left side of the table. A little thin one will get him back

:25:37. > :25:47.there the table as long as he doesn't cannon into the blue on the

:25:47. > :26:22.

:26:22. > :26:30.Is the same shot available for He caught the red. Is it going to

:26:30. > :26:40.drop? No. Ronnie played a couple of good safety shot there, but it was

:26:40. > :27:16.

:27:16. > :27:20.He would have liked to have been on the green. I think the brown is the

:27:20. > :27:26.colour to play here. If he played the yellow, he would be using the

:27:26. > :27:36.rest and be slightly hampered. could drop on the vote to the right

:27:36. > :27:37.

:27:37. > :27:47.of the black if he takes the brown. -- on to the red. The problem with

:27:47. > :27:52.

:27:52. > :28:00.the green is the contact looks a That is the red he has played for.

:28:00. > :28:04.There is another one available, but it is a little bit betwixt and

:28:05. > :28:08.between here. He needed to be straight on the one just above the

:28:08. > :28:12.black or a little bit further down the table to get the one to the

:28:12. > :28:22.right of the black. He might be able to find a path through to the

:28:22. > :28:34.

:28:34. > :28:44.Not a bad little knowledge of the blue. He found the gap, as you say.

:28:44. > :29:20.

:29:20. > :29:23.The flick of the blue has helped Well, the potting angle on the blue

:29:23. > :29:29.forced him into play a little cannon and it could have worked out

:29:29. > :29:39.better. OK, he has got the red to the left corner as we see the cue

:29:39. > :29:49.

:29:50. > :29:59.nestled on this red and it makes That type of shot back row -- that

:30:00. > :30:00.

:30:00. > :30:03.type of shot makes it more difficult. Under Mark -- normal

:30:03. > :30:09.circumstances, you could say he made a decent job of that but there

:30:09. > :30:19.is so many red Bulls on this side of the table, he has so many to

:30:19. > :30:32.

:30:32. > :30:38.avoid touching -- red balls. It is It was awkward and he has had a bit

:30:38. > :30:48.of a result there. He could have quite easily left an easy red for

:30:48. > :31:02.

:31:02. > :31:09.Ronnie. There is a red to the right He made it look easy, but as you

:31:09. > :31:17.said it was a tricky pot, and he has got himself back on to the pink.

:31:17. > :31:25.He is going back towards the reds, all on the right side of the table.

:31:25. > :31:33.He needs to slow down. He knew he hit that too hard. Immediately

:31:33. > :31:43.Ronnie knew he had overhit that. But has he dropped on another one?

:31:43. > :31:43.

:31:43. > :31:48.He might be lucky. He didn't play for this. That was a bonus. If he

:31:48. > :31:58.can get to the one to the right of the black and clear the black for

:31:58. > :32:04.

:32:04. > :32:14.He is still a little bit edgy. A show art intake of breath from

:32:14. > :32:24.Ronnie. I think he thought he had missed that pink for a split-second.

:32:24. > :32:26.

:32:26. > :32:36.Any more pace and I don't think it It could not have worked out much

:32:36. > :32:47.

:32:47. > :32:57.He has kept it going with an excellent pot. If not the yellow,

:32:57. > :33:13.

:33:13. > :33:23.he has the brown to the middle, so This pink will put him 24 points in

:33:23. > :33:36.

:33:36. > :33:46.front but there is still a bit of What sort of angle has he got on

:33:46. > :33:57.

:33:57. > :34:03.the black? There is a position he That's OK, the end one will pot. He

:34:03. > :34:10.might just be able to develop those two words. It is a bit of a risk,

:34:10. > :34:15.but if he cannons them he will bring them into play. He doesn't

:34:16. > :34:24.have to, he can get nicely on the black. He is trying to bring them

:34:24. > :34:34.into play. That was always going to be the risk when trying that. He

:34:34. > :34:39.hasn't developed them, and he can't do a great deal with this. A bit of

:34:39. > :34:49.an angle. I think he was so... He was so disappointed with the

:34:49. > :34:52.

:34:52. > :35:02.previous shot that he'd just got down and hammered the black. All I

:35:02. > :35:08.

:35:08. > :35:16.can say is that I am glad we were not watching that in 3D! He didn't

:35:16. > :35:24.leave anything for Peter Ebdon, but Peter Ebdon has got the advantage

:35:24. > :35:28.in the safety exchange. Ronnie has got to be careful here. You would

:35:28. > :35:38.think come off the cushion and play the red nearest the cushion, just

:35:38. > :36:06.

:36:07. > :36:13.There is a chance for Peter to Just a little bit too hard. This is

:36:13. > :36:23.a tester. Peter missed a trick. He had a good chance to get the cue

:36:23. > :36:40.

:36:40. > :36:50.The fact that he missed it by such a distance, he has opened at least

:36:50. > :37:07.

:37:07. > :37:11.Ronnie O'Sullivan has been left off, because he is going back to the

:37:11. > :37:21.black he hammered and I thought Peter Ebdon would make him pay for

:37:21. > :37:27.

:37:27. > :37:32.that. Going 4-1 in front gives Ronnie quite an advantage. Yes,

:37:32. > :37:38.Peter Ebdon will be a little bit disappointed. He has had enough

:37:38. > :37:42.chances but he has not played at the top of his game. When you play

:37:42. > :37:46.someone like Ronnie, you just feel like you have got to play at the

:37:47. > :37:52.top of your game to win and that can add its own pressure on you. At

:37:52. > :38:02.the moment it is not happening for Peter. It's as if he is trying a

:38:02. > :38:17.

:38:17. > :38:21.Just this red to be in the snookers He is looking at the scoreboard. He

:38:21. > :38:31.was thinking about stretching, but you have got to make absolutely

:38:31. > :38:32.

:38:32. > :38:37.certain. Which he does. The yellow is the perfect angle to take him

:38:37. > :38:47.back across towards the red, not that he needs that but he will want

:38:47. > :39:01.

:39:01. > :39:11.It is a similar type of shot to the one Peter missed. A little bit

:39:11. > :39:12.

:39:12. > :39:17.awkward, that particular type of shot. He was in a little bit of

:39:17. > :39:27.bother here in this frame, but Peter didn't capitalise on that

:39:27. > :39:49.

:39:49. > :39:56.mistake when he knocked the black He's not going to bother with the

:39:56. > :40:02.black, so two breaks of 43 has given Ronnie O'Sullivan that frame.

:40:02. > :40:07.He extends his lead to 4-1. It is getting very tasty on the other

:40:07. > :40:15.side of the dividing wall because in the match between Jamie Jones

:40:15. > :40:19.and Shaun Murphy it is venue, who has established the advantage in

:40:19. > :40:29.the race against the former world champion.

:40:29. > :40:30.

:40:30. > :40:36.He had the break of 134, and here he is on the way to 136. As this

:40:36. > :40:41.match continues, it appears he is getting stronger and stronger.

:40:41. > :40:50.is very talented back cueing, a very strange cueing action but he

:40:50. > :40:55.gets on with it and he is becoming a very powerful force. Murphy is

:40:55. > :41:00.missing some balls here. He has had chances and he is not taking them.

:41:00. > :41:04.Jamie is getting more confidence because of that. From what you have

:41:04. > :41:10.seen in this session compared to yesterday, has Shaun Murphy just

:41:11. > :41:16.not performed today as well as he did yesterday? He is making

:41:16. > :41:19.mistakes. He is now under pressure because of the score line, as well

:41:19. > :41:27.as getting close to the winning post so he will have to do

:41:27. > :41:34.something soon it he wants to go through. There are 24 year old who

:41:34. > :41:40.had a really good season, as we said, beating John Higgins, and he

:41:40. > :41:45.didn't freeze in that match. He is certainly not doing so here.

:41:45. > :41:49.the top 16 players are vulnerable in the first round. Nerves do play

:41:49. > :41:55.a part. You always want to get through that first match and give

:41:55. > :41:59.yourself a chance in the tournament. Jamie Jones perhaps on the verge of

:41:59. > :42:03.something special. Shaun Murphy has not gone out in the first round for

:42:03. > :42:09.nine years at the Crucible. He knows what it takes to win this

:42:09. > :42:15.title. Shaun Murphy was the runner- up at the Masters earlier this year.

:42:15. > :42:20.He certainly seems to have his work cut out. We will keep you up dated,

:42:20. > :42:30.and if you fancy watching it you can press your red button or watch

:42:30. > :42:38.

:42:38. > :42:48.That was an attempted pot from Ronnie. Close, but it didn't going.

:42:48. > :42:51.

:42:51. > :42:58.There is his long pot success. You need to be mid-60s so that is a bit

:42:58. > :43:08.low, particularly for Peter Ebdon. He has a chance of a red to the far

:43:08. > :43:44.

:43:44. > :43:54.Peter could do with the sizeable contribution here. His highest

:43:54. > :43:57.

:43:57. > :44:00.break so far has been 45 in the I think he got a slightly bad

:44:00. > :44:05.contact which leaves him straight on the black. It shouldn't be a

:44:05. > :44:15.problem but it makes things a little bit more difficult. It

:44:15. > :44:15.

:44:15. > :45:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:45:02. > :45:06.didn't seem to junk, the red. -- to A couple more loose reds. I don't

:45:06. > :45:13.think he will go into them this time but I would rather go when

:45:13. > :45:18.there is more than one as insurance. After potting this red, leave an

:45:18. > :45:28.angle on the black, then go into the bunch and leave the red to the

:45:28. > :46:04.

:46:04. > :46:09.right as insurance. Then you have He did drive that in the end.

:46:09. > :46:15.Because he didn't put the black into the pocket, they tend to jump

:46:16. > :46:25.off the table on these very fine cloths. It never used to happen.

:46:26. > :46:31.

:46:31. > :46:40.That is the first time I have seen That is a pretty good shot with

:46:40. > :46:50.your left hand, bridging over the bunch. The near jaw, then it jumps

:46:50. > :46:51.

:46:51. > :46:58.and goes off the table. How well did Ronnie cue that one? Beautiful

:46:59. > :47:03.cueing, that was. That is what he does when he is in good stroke, he

:47:03. > :47:13.just caresses the ball and he seems to get so much pace without any

:47:13. > :47:31.

:47:31. > :47:38.Has he got the angle on the pink? It looks as if he has, so he can

:47:38. > :47:48.bring some of these reds into play. I think he may be on one just above

:47:48. > :48:00.

:48:00. > :48:06.the black. Does it go? I think it Not the best kiss on the blue.

:48:06. > :48:16.green is the one that will get him up to the two reds near the pink

:48:16. > :48:18.

:48:18. > :48:28.but this is a stretch. This may not work out. Has he got a red into the

:48:28. > :48:45.

:48:45. > :48:51.He is just starting to stamp his This match will be played to a

:48:51. > :49:01.conclusion tomorrow afternoon. Nine frames to be played in this session.

:49:01. > :49:04.

:49:04. > :49:13.He is well on his way here, Ronnie Yes, he seemed to start off a

:49:13. > :49:23.little bit shaky, a few nerves. He seemed to have problems judging

:49:23. > :49:31.side, but now he seems to be playing a plain ball when he can.

:49:31. > :49:36.Of course, he has been helped a little bit by his opponent. Peter

:49:36. > :49:41.has not reached the level of snooker that we were half-expecting

:49:41. > :49:50.after his win in the China open. We thought he would come here full of

:49:50. > :49:59.confidence but it has not turned out that way. You would like any

:49:59. > :50:04.easier draw Van Ronnie O'Sullivan. No matter who you draw these days,

:50:04. > :50:09.they are all difficult but Ronnie was certainly the one you would

:50:09. > :50:16.have wanted to avoid in the opening match. A quick glance at the

:50:16. > :50:20.scoreboard tells him a red and a colour is all that is required. He

:50:20. > :50:30.purposely played the red with more pace to develop the pink and it

:50:30. > :50:36.

:50:36. > :50:42.And the chance of another possible century break. He made one in frame

:50:42. > :50:52.three, and if he can it will be another �200 for the chosen charity

:50:52. > :51:01.

:51:02. > :51:11.Just watch the reverse side on this when it hits the cushion. He has

:51:12. > :51:13.

:51:13. > :51:17.too much on it. That has spoiled the century. Nearly got the double,

:51:17. > :51:21.but he won't bother about that. That was a terrific effort from

:51:21. > :51:28.Ronnie O'Sullivan and that brilliant break of 81 takes him

:51:28. > :51:32.further ahead, now leading 5-1. It is April and the eyes of the

:51:32. > :51:38.snooker world are here at the Crucible. Top action with packed

:51:38. > :51:43.crowds, but don't worry if you have been busy - there are plenty of

:51:43. > :51:49.ways to keep up-to-date. Live matches are won click away, press

:51:49. > :51:54.the red button on your remote control. We are also online, live

:51:54. > :52:03.streaming from both tables is available on the website. The BBC

:52:03. > :52:09.iPlayer allows you to download the action on demand. We are also on

:52:09. > :52:18.action on demand. We are also on Twitter. You can also simply listen

:52:18. > :52:22.to Radio 5 Live for the update. For the very first time here in

:52:22. > :52:26.Sheffield, we have the best pictures of the best players

:52:26. > :52:34.because if you are lucky enough to have the BBC HD Channel you can

:52:34. > :52:41.watch the morning sessions live. If that hasn't got you too dizzy with

:52:41. > :52:51.anticipation, you can press the red button for the best of the day's

:52:51. > :52:55.

:52:55. > :53:00.We have just had a break off shot from Ronnie and it is not about one.

:53:00. > :53:10.He doesn't seem to have left anything that will tempt Peter into

:53:10. > :53:12.

:53:12. > :53:20.playing the pot here. Peter will be getting a little bit concerned.

:53:20. > :53:30.With the scoreline, obviously, and more importantly with his form.

:53:30. > :53:32.

:53:32. > :53:42.Sometimes, if you drop a few frames behind - and the pot success is

:53:42. > :53:43.

:53:43. > :53:48.down to 82%, that is not good enough - but if he can fall behind

:53:48. > :53:56.and the opponent is not missing a ball, that is one thing but Peter

:53:56. > :54:06.has had a lot of chances. The safety shot has given Peter a

:54:06. > :54:13.

:54:13. > :54:19.chance on the red to the left He's just missing chances and you

:54:19. > :54:29.can't afford to do that. Even with an experienced campaigner like

:54:29. > :54:29.

:54:29. > :54:35.Peter Ebdon, that 5-1 deficit is telling on Peter. He looks quite

:54:35. > :54:42.edgy. He has beaten Ronnie on 11 occasions, but the last time was

:54:42. > :54:51.way back in 2005 in the quarter final of the World Championship.

:54:51. > :55:01.Ronnie has defeated Peter on 20 occasions. The last was in the

:55:01. > :55:11.

:55:11. > :55:17.world open 2010 and in the Master's Well the brown come to his rescue?

:55:17. > :55:24.It does for one red. When you have just missed a fairly comfortable

:55:24. > :55:34.pot, this one does not look inviting. They are confidence

:55:34. > :56:03.

:56:03. > :56:08.boosters, but can he gnocchi tin? - Beautifully played. In fact he

:56:08. > :56:18.stunned it over by the pink. Maybe the angle was not there to run

:56:18. > :56:22.

:56:22. > :56:27.through but he could not have Has he got the kick? Maybe he did.

:56:27. > :56:34.He was screwing back for that one that he is closest to. Let's have a

:56:34. > :56:41.look at this. The pink jumped. That was an interesting choice. He had

:56:41. > :56:46.an angle to force the pink in and disturb the reds. Yes, when you are

:56:46. > :56:54.playing those screw shots you are striking down and I always feel you

:56:54. > :56:59.get the cue ball bouncing just as it is coming to the pink. Sometimes,

:56:59. > :57:09.when it is coming back, that is why you get the jump and it takes the

:57:09. > :57:19.

:57:20. > :57:28.Has he left a chance on this red to the left middle? Even if he could

:57:28. > :57:32.pot it, there is no colour available. The blue is the only

:57:32. > :57:40.ball he could leave so he might attempt this pot into the corner.

:57:40. > :57:50.He was a long way off. It was quite a good safety shot in the end.

:57:50. > :58:20.

:58:20. > :58:30.double kiss safety, it works every That is another strange safety shot,

:58:30. > :58:37.

:58:37. > :58:46.Not quite as intended. He wanted to get the cue ball near the cushion,

:58:46. > :58:54.the green prevented that, so a chance for Peter to play a more

:58:54. > :59:00.telling safety. He can quite easily play the single red to the right of

:59:00. > :59:06.the two reds and black but he would like to open a few all. He really

:59:06. > :59:16.needs to give himself a chance and get in amongst them now. He is

:59:16. > :59:26.

:59:26. > :59:36.playing the single red so he That is pretty good. The red to the

:59:36. > :59:44.

:59:44. > :59:54.left side of the table is in the Played with lots of side to make

:59:54. > :00:21.

:00:21. > :00:31.sure he didn't go anywhere near the Excellent length with that safety.

:00:31. > :00:31.

:00:31. > :01:14.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:01:14. > :01:22.That causes worry a bit of a He is having a look at whether he

:01:22. > :01:32.can pot this. But believe me, it is very difficult. I can only see a

:01:32. > :01:32.

:01:32. > :02:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

:02:13. > :02:23.If he did not cannoned the yellow, that was a terrific shot. -- cannon.

:02:23. > :02:28.

:02:28. > :02:38.He may be hit it a little too hard. He needs good cueing. Yes, he has

:02:38. > :02:43.

:02:43. > :02:53.got to hit this well. He needs to push this queue through straight.

:02:53. > :03:02.

:03:02. > :03:11.And he did. Good shot. He will settle for the brown. It is still

:03:11. > :03:21.not an easy chance to score a lot of points. The pink and black are

:03:21. > :03:41.

:03:41. > :03:50.He has got to head back up for the blue here. The black is available

:03:50. > :04:00.on the into the left corner. -- Armley. That is a pretty good pace,

:04:00. > :04:40.

:04:40. > :04:46.As I mentioned, the black is available in to the left corner. --

:04:46. > :04:56.in two. He is absolutely straight. A little touch of reversed to make

:04:56. > :04:57.

:04:57. > :05:03.sure he gets the right side of the blue. -- reverse. He is on the blue.

:05:03. > :05:13.But I can only assume that he tried to screw off the cushion without

:05:13. > :05:23.

:05:23. > :05:33.Let's have a look at this. He played to get over the other side

:05:33. > :05:50.

:05:50. > :06:00.OK, he has made certain of the blue. But he has not made the next raid

:06:00. > :06:14.

:06:14. > :06:21.He could have played a little screw shot and maybe come down for the

:06:21. > :06:31.red near the right corner. He is struggling a little bit. He may

:06:31. > :06:40.

:06:40. > :06:50.find himself behind the yellow I if Ronnie can play this correctly. As

:06:50. > :06:52.

:06:52. > :07:02.the brown come to his rescue? slumping of the shoulders, the

:07:02. > :07:02.

:07:02. > :07:12.shaking of the head tells you that Ronnie has been fortunate. Yes,

:07:12. > :07:31.

:07:32. > :07:41.when he came to the table and saw Just trusting to luck. He had to

:07:42. > :08:01.

:08:01. > :08:08.remove that red. He has not got it It is St George's Day. Peter is

:08:08. > :08:15.wearing cufflinks. Meanwhile, Ronnie has played that well. He has

:08:15. > :08:25.got an angle on the green to do what he wants. He can cannon into

:08:25. > :08:27.

:08:27. > :08:37.the four reds. The black is available into one of pocket. --

:08:37. > :08:43.

:08:43. > :08:49.He got some action on that but he may not be on a colour. Good safety

:08:49. > :08:59.now. He is looking at the blue in the middle pocket. It is very thin.

:08:59. > :09:04.

:09:04. > :09:07.Quite an attacking shot. He has pulled it off. Now, is the pink

:09:07. > :09:17.available into the same pocket that he is going to take the red? I

:09:17. > :09:18.

:09:18. > :09:27.think it might be. That was a very good shot indeed on the blue. Still

:09:27. > :09:37.far from easy, but if that red next to the black goes... It obviously

:09:37. > :09:41.

:09:41. > :09:50.does not. Where is the pink going to go? We will find out when Eirian

:09:50. > :09:56.Williams moves away. This is awkward bridging. Yes, it was just

:09:56. > :10:01.one of those shots were you have to make certain of the red. The points

:10:01. > :10:09.all square. What does he do it here? Does he take the difficult

:10:09. > :10:18.blue on? He could get in behind the yellow. But he is in an attacking

:10:18. > :10:28.mood at the moment. Not easy with the rest. It is and there. -- it is

:10:28. > :10:47.

:10:47. > :10:57.He has still got a lot of work to That is the end of the break. There

:10:57. > :10:58.

:10:58. > :11:02.is a lot of snooker left in this frame.

:11:02. > :11:08.You are right, Dennis. Unfortunately we will not be able

:11:08. > :11:17.to see it. We have to go. We will have a look at events on the other

:11:17. > :11:22.table. This frame has been going for over half an hour. We are at

:11:22. > :11:31.stalemate. If you want to see these matches continue, you can do so on

:11:31. > :11:35.the red button or online. We have been following the developing story

:11:35. > :11:45.of Mark Allen and his comments yesterday. World Snooker have just

:11:45. > :12:20.

:12:20. > :12:28.That is the situation. This really has got you exercised. A mixed bag

:12:28. > :12:32.of opinions. Andy, as a Chinese, is offended by the comments. Dan

:12:32. > :12:39.Johnson from Wiltshire says, the game of snooker is all the better

:12:39. > :12:44.when you have characters like Mark Allen. Another says, his childish

:12:44. > :12:49.remark Scyron forgivable. And Liam Chadwick says, I do not see the

:12:49. > :12:53.problem with him expressing his opinion. It was a foul and his

:12:53. > :13:01.opponent should have admitted it. He will face disciplinary

:13:01. > :13:06.proceedings. He could be fined or suspended? Yes, very much so. He

:13:06. > :13:10.will be able to put his viewpoint across. It is the only way forward.

:13:10. > :13:17.Looking back a couple of years when Barry Hearn took over the game, he