Day 4, Part 2

:00:38. > :00:42.Record crowds at the Crucible this year already, but she will really

:00:42. > :00:47.struggled to get a seat today but to box-office smash hits on the

:00:47. > :00:50.bill, Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Roddy's all-important

:00:50. > :00:55.deciding final session against Peter Ebdon will be like this

:00:55. > :01:01.afternoon -- Ronnie's. But real anticipation ahead of the returned

:01:01. > :01:04.to the Crucible of Judd Trump. This is the youngster with an audacious

:01:04. > :01:09.array of shots he where does all on route to the final last year and 12

:01:09. > :01:19.months on, he returns as the reigning UK champion and the

:01:19. > :01:23.

:01:23. > :01:27.bookies 5-1 favourite to land this I had a decent here last year. I

:01:28. > :01:37.was just looking forward to getting out there, getting into the

:01:38. > :01:54.

:01:54. > :01:58.out there, getting into the I think every snooker fan in the

:01:58. > :02:02.country can't wait to see the appearance of Judd Trump. After the

:02:02. > :02:07.way he played last year, he potted balls I have never seen anything

:02:07. > :02:12.like it. I said at the tape -- at the time, this is the greatest

:02:12. > :02:17.potter I have ever seen. He was only one shot away from going on to

:02:17. > :02:20.defeat John Higgins last year, so everyone is looking forward to

:02:20. > :02:22.seeing the potting machine. He has just been a breath of fresh air for

:02:22. > :02:27.just been a breath of fresh air for the game, he really has. There is

:02:27. > :02:31.no denying his ability and he is certainly going to be one who is

:02:31. > :02:35.going to pull the crowds in. He has a tricky match with Dominic Dale,

:02:35. > :02:40.Dominic Dale has been around and knows his way around a snooker

:02:40. > :02:43.table and as we say about the Sikhs, there is always that extra pressure

:02:44. > :02:53.and they can't take anything for granted -- about the seeds. It

:02:53. > :02:56.would love that beloved to see the same Spik as last year. If he

:02:56. > :03:00.doesn't play well and doesn't perform, that is good for me, but I

:03:00. > :03:03.am prepared to play an informed Judd Trump. I have beaten him a

:03:03. > :03:06.couple of times in previous years, although he is a different player

:03:07. > :03:11.now. It will be tough but I am fully confident that I am good

:03:11. > :03:15.enough to beat him. Dominic is probably one of the other

:03:15. > :03:19.qualifiers to have one or two ranking events before, so one of

:03:19. > :03:23.the tougher players but I have beaten him this season and over the

:03:23. > :03:29.longer distance frames, I think I am a better player, so are we will

:03:29. > :03:33.have the sea. -- we will have the sea.

:03:33. > :03:38.Will Judd Trump pick up where he left off last year? You would

:03:38. > :03:42.certainly expect so. He had a great run last year, a wonderful approach,

:03:42. > :03:45.really Cavalier and he really entertained us all, he lit up the

:03:45. > :03:49.World Championship. And then he continued that form in the UK

:03:49. > :03:53.Championship just before Christmas by winning there. Now he is coming

:03:53. > :03:58.here as the outright favourite to win this title and there is more

:03:58. > :04:02.expectancy on him, so that at all pressure. It will be interesting to

:04:02. > :04:06.see how he copes. Not ideal, a bit of food poisoning this morning, he

:04:06. > :04:10.has to make sure he doesn't feel sorry for himself. If he doesn't

:04:10. > :04:14.feel well, it is the worst game to play, particularly with your nerves

:04:14. > :04:18.as well, but if you have a tummy upset, it is difficult to cope with

:04:18. > :04:25.that. He is also coping with Dominic Dale, don't forget, and he

:04:25. > :04:28.is a capable opponent. I know the bookies have got Judd Trump as 1-8-

:04:28. > :04:34.windows, he is nowhere near that because Dominic Dale, a two-time

:04:34. > :04:38.ranking winner, good all-round game and tactically very sad, he is a

:04:38. > :04:43.handful for anybody on his day. That's very sad. They called him a

:04:43. > :04:48.Spaceman but no way is he a My Space on the table. There is more

:04:48. > :04:54.than just these two playing today. Let's see what else is coming up on

:04:54. > :04:59.the show. Naughty but nice, Judd Trump's

:04:59. > :05:05.brand of Spik has won a new generation of fans, but how well he

:05:05. > :05:14.handle the new level of expectation that brand of snooker. Injured we

:05:14. > :05:19.went further last year than any Any -- but Ding Junhui went further

:05:19. > :05:22.than any Chinese player did last year. Graeme Dott normally saves

:05:22. > :05:26.his best the the Crucible, we will find out against Joe Perry. And we

:05:26. > :05:30.head down to the pub for serious quiz business between players and

:05:30. > :05:33.pundits. And we are heading for live

:05:33. > :05:39.coverage as Mr endurance, Peter Ebdon, aims to scrape his way back

:05:39. > :05:43.into things, he is 7-2 behind against Ronnie O'Sullivan. It has

:05:43. > :05:48.been quietly intense so far, it is all systems go for the Rocket so

:05:49. > :05:52.far in that one. I had the pleasure of commentating

:05:52. > :05:56.on the final session between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Peter Ebdon. Peter

:05:56. > :06:02.has it all to do, can he come back? We will see.

:06:02. > :06:05.We are about 1.5 hours away from life play here. Eight men have

:06:05. > :06:10.already booked their passage to the second round and four of the seeded

:06:10. > :06:13.players have gone home. The biggest casualty by far, the world No. 5

:06:13. > :06:17.and former world champion, Shaun Murphy, a real surprise yesterday

:06:17. > :06:27.when he was shown the Crucible exit door by a man who has only just

:06:27. > :06:34.

:06:34. > :06:42.come through the entrance. The Jamie Jones, he can be quite

:06:43. > :06:52.pleased with his first performance at the Crucible. He missed the red

:06:53. > :07:05.

:07:05. > :07:09.Good pot. Shaun Murphy goes into a REFEREE: Foul, Jamie Jones, four.

:07:09. > :07:19.unless he has been playing billiards Laity, it is a careless

:07:19. > :07:29.Good shot on the last red from Jamie Jones. He cut the deficit but

:07:29. > :07:40.

:07:40. > :07:50.Shaun Murphy Leeds 6-5. -- is How well did he hit that one? Super

:07:50. > :07:57.

:07:57. > :08:07.Excellent shot. It was 7-5, it is now 7-7. Great shot by Jamie Jones.

:08:07. > :08:15.

:08:15. > :08:25.Jamie Jones isn't turning anything He is now 9-7 in front. That is

:08:25. > :08:34.

:08:34. > :08:40.Jamie Jones's lead is down at 21. What an excellent match and victory

:08:40. > :08:42.for Jamie Jones. He goes through to for Jamie Jones. He goes through to

:08:42. > :08:48.the last 16. The S, congratulations to Jamie

:08:48. > :08:51.Jones, you were commentating Anstey, you were admiring it. Shaun Maffett

:08:51. > :08:56.not out in the first round for something like 80 years -- Shaun

:08:56. > :08:59.Murphy. What were the hallmarks of Jamie Jones's performance? He just

:09:00. > :09:04.stuck in there and he really battled back. The occasion for a

:09:04. > :09:08.debutant, he -- it didn't get to him, he seemed to relish the

:09:08. > :09:12.challenge. Everything Shaun Murphy threw at him, he kept coming back

:09:12. > :09:15.for more and he really enjoyed himself and expressed himself.

:09:15. > :09:19.There were rescued which is at the end, as you would expect trying to

:09:20. > :09:25.get over the line -- a few twitches, but the man that he himself was

:09:25. > :09:28.impressive. How will Shaun Murphy reflect on that? Firstly, Jamie

:09:28. > :09:31.Jones clinched it very well. He said in the press conference, he

:09:31. > :09:35.has never known pressure like it and we all know what that is like

:09:35. > :09:39.to get over the line in your first match, but he did very well in that

:09:39. > :09:43.department. Many other players have collapsed in that situation, but I

:09:43. > :09:48.was very impressed, as usual, with Shaun Murphy. The consumer

:09:48. > :09:52.professional, he went into his press conference as was a complete

:09:52. > :09:59.sportsman and a lesson to every player in the game. And I do know

:09:59. > :10:03.the village near Neath was going bonkers. I am sure everybody there

:10:03. > :10:07.will be well up for the next match for Jamie Jones, which will be

:10:07. > :10:10.either Stephen Lee or John Higgins. And well played for the

:10:10. > :10:14.sportsmanship from Shaun Murphy. Yesterday, we were also keeping you

:10:14. > :10:18.up to date with that but one of the Other stories was the continuing

:10:18. > :10:22.development in the story about Mark Allen and his comments about the

:10:22. > :10:27.Chinese players. We had from Barry Hearn and we also told Jude

:10:27. > :10:31.disciplinary proceedings will be forthcoming in the next 14 days.

:10:31. > :10:34.The newspapers are all over this. Barry Hearn also mentioned the fact

:10:34. > :10:38.that the double world champion Mark Williams has made disparaging

:10:38. > :10:43.comments about the Crucible and he too will be up before a

:10:43. > :10:46.disciplinary charge as well. Barry says there is a fine or a potential

:10:46. > :10:50.suspension and he doesn't want to be doing it, it is a very good time

:10:50. > :10:55.to be as they go by and not a good time to be an idiot, it is so

:10:56. > :10:59.frustrating. -- to be a snooker player. That is strong stuff. Your

:10:59. > :11:05.reaction to everything that is going on and what do you make of

:11:05. > :11:08.Barry's comments? Burstall, to put the record straight, Mark Allen is

:11:08. > :11:12.a lovely lad -- first of all. Everybody likes that he says what

:11:12. > :11:16.he thinks and he is the character, but there is a line and

:11:16. > :11:21.unfortunately as you can see from the amount of column inches it has

:11:21. > :11:25.generated, he has overstepped the mark. With Mark, we know he likes

:11:25. > :11:30.to say things and he doesn't care about the consequences but there

:11:30. > :11:34.are consequences, that is Mark Williams. And the disciplinary

:11:35. > :11:39.machinery will be rolling. It remains to be seen what the

:11:39. > :11:42.outcomes are, but they are being taken very seriously. It is not

:11:42. > :11:49.just obviously finds that are in the gift of the disciplinary

:11:49. > :11:53.committee, might we be looking at other things more punitive? I don't

:11:53. > :11:59.think finding these players will be hurting them that much that finding.

:11:59. > :12:03.What I will say is that they could be looking at heavier punishments.

:12:03. > :12:07.In Mark Allen's case, he has not only intact -- attacked the

:12:07. > :12:10.integrity of his Chinese opponent but he has attacked most of the

:12:10. > :12:15.Chinese players who on the circuit, and even the Chinese people when he

:12:15. > :12:18.was in China, so that was very wrong. If I was someone close to

:12:18. > :12:25.him, I would tell him to retract that state that immediately and

:12:25. > :12:30.apologise, because -- that statement. We have five ranking

:12:30. > :12:35.tournaments in China and he might not get visas for them. It is

:12:35. > :12:40.serious consequences for Mark Allen and I am sure, as I said, I would

:12:40. > :12:45.apologise if I was him immediately. This story continues to bubble

:12:45. > :12:49.under and indeed, bobble over. That is the situation on that one, but

:12:49. > :12:58.what about the current situation of the draw? This is the up-to-date

:12:58. > :13:01.After surviving a decider, John After surviving a decider, John

:13:01. > :13:06.Higgins will now face fellow Scot Stephen Hendry for the first time

:13:06. > :13:11.ever at the Crucible. Graeme Dott and Joe Perry get going this

:13:11. > :13:16.afternoon and the winner will face Stephen Maguire, who banished Luca

:13:16. > :13:20.Brecel. The bigger shocks so far, Jamie Jones ousting firmer

:13:20. > :13:24.Champneys -- former champion Shaun Maffett. Stephen Lee is one behind

:13:24. > :13:29.against Higginson. Ali Carter and Mark Davis had a Wednesday evening

:13:29. > :13:32.date. The return of Judd Trump eagerly-awaited by us and Dominic

:13:32. > :13:36.Dale. Mark Williams in trouble over his comments about the Crucible

:13:36. > :13:44.his comments about the Crucible place tomorrow. Reilly as an event

:13:44. > :13:48.with a five frame advantage over Peter Ebdon. Martin Gould losing

:13:48. > :13:55.to... Ding Junhui got going this morning and the winner will play

:13:55. > :14:00.the conqueror of Mark Allen, Cao Yupeng. Matthew Stevens beat Marco

:14:00. > :14:03.Fu last night. And a few more hours to wait for the world No. 1 Mark

:14:03. > :14:05.to wait for the world No. 1 Mark Selby, who is facing Barry Hawkins.

:14:06. > :14:11.Dominic Bell and Judd Trump will get us going to borrow. Dominic

:14:11. > :14:17.Dale, but so called Spaceman, is one of the game's eccentric, but he

:14:17. > :14:20.is no mud at the table. A winner of two world ranking titles. But his

:14:20. > :14:25.record at Sheffield is nothing to write home about, a fact he has

:14:25. > :14:29.never been past the first round since 2000, 12 years ago. That was

:14:29. > :14:34.when he went to the quarter-finals. Everybody loves him in the game and

:14:34. > :14:44.this is what his colleagues think of this basement.

:14:44. > :14:45.

:14:45. > :14:49.The Spaceman, he is a great player, he knows a lot about things and he

:14:49. > :14:53.is a good laugh as well. He has won two ranking tournaments, he

:14:53. > :14:57.probably should have done better. He seems to do well for a couple of

:14:57. > :15:01.seasons and then goes off the boil but a great player. He has had

:15:01. > :15:07.those two days in the sun and come away with a trophy and beat

:15:07. > :15:10.everyone. If he gets in amongst the balls, he is just as quick as Tony

:15:10. > :15:16.Drago or maybe even Ronnie O'Sullivan. What of the most

:15:16. > :15:21.skilled players we have got on tour. He should have been an opera singer.

:15:21. > :15:27.He is as mad as they come, I like the lad. I haven't got any word I

:15:27. > :15:33.can say about him. Just strange. Dominic Dale is a very talented

:15:33. > :15:36.player. On his day, he can beat anybody.

:15:36. > :15:39.I think Mark Williams got it exactly right, he is just Dominic,

:15:39. > :15:42.a one-off. He has added that Judd a one-off. He has added that Judd

:15:42. > :15:46.Trump once in the UK Championship in York at the tail-end of last

:15:46. > :15:50.year. He lost the opening round and then Judd Trump went on to win the

:15:50. > :15:54.title and now they meet again in the first round again and Judd

:15:54. > :16:00.Trump will be hoping that is a good omen. At 10 am, they were given the

:16:00. > :16:04.big intro by Rob Walker. And here on table number one, please welcome

:16:04. > :16:09.the player making his 7th appearance at the Crucible. This is

:16:09. > :16:14.his 21st year as a pro, would of two ranking event titles -- titles,

:16:14. > :16:24.a quarter-finalist here 12 years ago, here comes the Spaceman,

:16:24. > :16:45.

:16:45. > :16:48.Nige June. And finally, a player who has been at afresh -- a breath

:16:48. > :16:53.of fresh air. His run to the final last year won him an army of new

:16:53. > :16:57.fans, the Chinese Open champion last season, the UK Open champion

:16:57. > :17:07.this season. Here he is with this new brand of naughty snooker, the

:17:07. > :17:20.

:17:20. > :17:28.APPLAUSE. The first time the Crucible has

:17:29. > :17:32.echoed to the sound of classical music. We understand that Judd

:17:32. > :17:36.Trump is not feeling too great before he made his way out into the

:17:36. > :17:41.arena, we are not sure of the exact nature of the discomfort, we think

:17:41. > :17:48.it is food poisoning, but how will that affect them? Let's get into

:17:48. > :17:58.frame one, it is Judd Trump leading by 57 points-37, and John Virgo and

:17:58. > :18:03.

:18:03. > :18:13.JOHN VIRGO: he didn't hit that one as planned. We have already had 15

:18:13. > :18:24.

:18:24. > :18:28.shots on Ms brown but we may not be He is nicely on the blue, he will

:18:28. > :18:32.automatically be on the pink and when he leaves himself on the pink,

:18:32. > :18:38.does he leave himself with a chance of bringing the black away from the

:18:38. > :18:45.Commission? I think that will be his first port, may be rather than

:18:45. > :18:50.a potting the black from where it He is not going to disturb the

:18:50. > :19:00.black from where he left the cue ball. I am surprised, I thought he

:19:00. > :19:00.

:19:00. > :19:07.would leave himself figure. -- It's the choice between dropping

:19:07. > :19:17.this end and leaving yourself bop The way he is looking, it is as if

:19:17. > :19:26.

:19:26. > :19:32.he's going to leave himself a He is on the black in every sense

:19:32. > :19:39.of the word. It was a good line, but not enough pace in the cue ball.

:19:39. > :19:49.So this first frame, which is now in its 40th minute, still well and

:19:49. > :19:53.He is up against one of the great potters in the game, Judd Trump,

:19:53. > :19:58.who is not be in the top of the morning, but he left didn't

:19:58. > :20:08.anything, I would be surprised if he spotted it in. -- if he left him

:20:08. > :20:19.

:20:19. > :20:24.He made it easy for him there, considering Dominic was so close to

:20:24. > :20:34.the black, not to find the baulk cushion is unforgivable. He has

:20:34. > :20:42.

:20:42. > :20:52.made it so easy for Judd Trump to It is not a straightforward safety,

:20:52. > :20:55.

:20:55. > :21:05.Does it stop in the middle of the cushion or does it run over the

:21:05. > :21:38.

:21:38. > :21:43.The problem with this is it did get into the jaws slightly, it may lead

:21:43. > :21:48.the chance of a pot, and that is what has happened -- if it. So far,

:21:48. > :21:58.Judd Trump has not been knocking this kind of shot in. This for the

:21:58. > :22:07.

:22:07. > :22:17.Where is the cue ball? A long way This is not actually that easy.

:22:17. > :22:25.

:22:25. > :22:30.This is right in between the middle It is their! Back there! After a

:22:30. > :22:34.very protracted first frame, getting into the first -- 42nd

:22:34. > :22:40.minute, Dominic Dale takes it. Judd Trump under the weather and he will

:22:40. > :22:43.be feeling a little bit more so now. HAZEL IRVINE: Under the weather and

:22:43. > :22:48.under early pressure, every time he gets back to his seat, Judd Trump

:22:48. > :22:52.seems to puff his cheek said, obviously not feeling very well. --

:22:52. > :23:02.cheeks out. Let's see if things improve for him both in his health

:23:02. > :23:32.

:23:32. > :23:42.He got the second part of the shot, He has not won in and that was a

:23:42. > :23:47.

:23:47. > :23:51.terrific start up. -- he has not The one thing about that first

:23:51. > :23:59.frame, even though Judd Trump didn't win, he had plenty of table

:23:59. > :24:09.time to get used to the pace of the table and get your cue on going. --

:24:09. > :24:38.

:24:38. > :24:48.This is the kind of start to a frame that did would have liked. --

:24:48. > :24:54.

:24:54. > :25:04.With the red being pushed down the table, he could go into the pack,

:25:04. > :25:42.

:25:42. > :25:46.knowing he will be safely on that Playing it right handed. The reds

:25:46. > :25:55.are all in the middle of the table but they are tightly grouped up.

:25:55. > :26:00.There are a couple that will pop to The bottom one, I think goes as

:26:00. > :26:05.well, which is handy. I just had a look at his body language, he may

:26:05. > :26:11.have just run a bit far for that bottom red. He is still on a red,

:26:11. > :26:15.but I did think he can play a red that will get him on the black. He

:26:15. > :26:20.just ran a fraction too far, it was the end red, on the extreme right,

:26:20. > :26:24.that he was looking for but he will have to bite the bullet and play up

:26:24. > :26:34.for blue or pink. They point trying to take a risk trying to get a

:26:34. > :26:35.

:26:35. > :26:40.maximum, -- no point. Frames are I think you are right, especially

:26:40. > :26:44.as we have already had one, so it is not so relevant, sharing the

:26:44. > :26:53.break prize at this stage. Absolutely right, got to win the

:26:53. > :26:56.Oh, no. That will not make him feel any better, despite the fact that

:26:56. > :27:05.the yellow has snookered Dominic on most of the reds. Another puff of

:27:05. > :27:09.I think he just ain't too low on it, as simple as that. Occasionally,

:27:09. > :27:19.there will be something wrong with the player's tip, but Dominic has

:27:19. > :27:23.

:27:23. > :27:28.just got to find the edge of these Judd Trump was a bit unlucky, he

:27:28. > :27:33.was so close to being on that bottom red on that break. There

:27:33. > :27:43.would have been a big buyers if he could have got a maximum, liven him

:27:43. > :28:00.

:28:00. > :28:10.Merely a good safety shop, but there is the chance of a pot for

:28:10. > :28:13.

:28:13. > :28:23.He didn't get the pot, but he will be happy with the way the reds have

:28:23. > :28:28.

:28:28. > :28:36.finished. Can Judd Trump get He could, but he hit it a bit thin

:28:36. > :28:46.Now, can Dominic knock this read into the right corner? He doesn't

:28:46. > :28:55.

:28:55. > :29:02.have to do a lot with the cue ball A half chance, you would expect him

:29:03. > :29:07.to knock that in. If he is going to get anything out of this match...

:29:07. > :29:17.As it turns out, he doesn't seem to have left anything easy for his

:29:17. > :29:38.

:29:38. > :29:45.A better than nothing shot, maybe that was all that was there. At red

:29:45. > :29:55.up the table is a problem, so the onus is on Dominic to do something

:29:55. > :30:01.

:30:01. > :30:08.to attack the situation, being so A very experienced player, of

:30:08. > :30:14.course, Dominic. He goes his way around the snooker table. -- he

:30:14. > :30:24.knows. And I think if it came to the tactical side of it, you would

:30:24. > :30:24.

:30:24. > :31:23.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:31:23. > :31:32.favour him slightly more than Judd He played a terrific match against

:31:32. > :31:42.Ronnie O'Sullivan in which he won three frames in a row in 90 minutes.

:31:42. > :31:42.

:31:42. > :32:23.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:32:23. > :32:33.He is rapid when he's fluent, but This will settle him down. He is

:32:33. > :33:01.

:33:01. > :33:06.walking around the table pretty Dominic took frame three, and now

:33:06. > :33:16.we are into the last frame before the interval. Trumper's ahead by 32

:33:16. > :33:16.

:33:16. > :35:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:35:13. > :35:23.This will be a very good shot, to That was a heavy contact. I don't

:35:23. > :35:30.

:35:30. > :35:35.think it has affected the position. Decent chance, this. The more frame

:35:35. > :35:45.Stuart loses, the worst he will be feeling. -- the more frames Judd

:35:45. > :35:45.

:35:45. > :36:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:36:57. > :37:02.REFEREE: Can you keep the noise He played the red and the pink, not

:37:02. > :37:12.just the pink. That is the problem. Yes, he will be disappointed with

:37:12. > :37:13.

:37:13. > :37:23.that. That was a good chance. These two reds could be made into a plant,

:37:23. > :37:36.

:37:36. > :37:46.but it would be a risky one to take He played it well. Double kiss on

:37:46. > :37:46.

:37:46. > :37:52.the pink. It is not too bad. I thought he might have been looking

:37:52. > :38:02.at the blue, but he must feel he has got the angle of the yellow to

:38:02. > :38:09.

:38:09. > :38:19.get round about where the pink He should be pleased with where he

:38:19. > :38:36.

:38:36. > :38:46.has finished. He played the yellow He is going about this clearance in

:38:46. > :38:46.

:38:46. > :40:14.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:40:14. > :40:20.He is just beginning to gain a bit Too early to say if we are in for a

:40:21. > :40:30.shock in this match. But Dominic has taken advantage of the

:40:31. > :40:45.

:40:45. > :40:49.Dominic Dale has the advantage so far. He leads Judd Trump 3-1.

:40:49. > :40:57.Well, a pretty unhappy opening part of that session from Judd Trump's

:40:57. > :41:01.perspective. He did not look, in terms of his health, well. I am not

:41:01. > :41:06.sure whether Dominic Dale knew that Judd was struggling. If he did, he

:41:06. > :41:11.would be happy to be 3-1 in front. But I did bump into Dominic

:41:12. > :41:16.straight after that as he came into the practice room, and he said the

:41:16. > :41:23.table was playing very heavy. Difficult to screw the balls back

:41:23. > :41:27.and difficult to hold balls for soft stun shots. You may get a few

:41:27. > :41:33.comments on the table by the end of tonight's play. It has certainly

:41:33. > :41:37.been very wet here. Tell me about what it is like to play at the

:41:37. > :41:41.Crucible when you are not feeling great. I have not played at the

:41:41. > :41:46.Crucible while not feeling great, but if you have a tummy upset or

:41:46. > :41:51.some sort of fever, it is difficult to concentrate. You feel a bit weak

:41:51. > :41:57.as well walking around the table. It is difficult. Your concentration

:41:57. > :42:04.has to be spot-on. Judd Trump has missed a lot if uncharacteristic,

:42:04. > :42:08.easy pots for him. When you are feeling unwell, it does affect you.

:42:08. > :42:12.You just have to grit your teeth and get on with it. We were looking

:42:12. > :42:17.back through the archives, and we told you earlier that Dominic had

:42:17. > :42:20.played Judd only once before in the UK Championship in December. Those

:42:21. > :42:25.of you who were with us then might remember that Dominic had a 4-2

:42:25. > :42:29.lead in it and looked very good, until frame seven and the most

:42:29. > :42:39.outrageous couple of slices of luck put Judd Trump back in that match

:42:39. > :42:50.

:42:50. > :42:58.Surely he is not going to fluke the red? That might be a huge turning

:42:59. > :43:08.point in this match. That was reckless. Surely that pink is not

:43:09. > :43:09.

:43:09. > :43:13.going into the middle pocket? You Dominic was going out at that point,

:43:13. > :43:17.because it turned the match around. But for that fluke on the pink

:43:17. > :43:22.particularly, Dominic would have had a 5-2 lead. He could have been

:43:22. > :43:28.out but for those couple of flukes. You have to feel sorry for Dominic.

:43:28. > :43:31.His face was going as red as the back of his waistcoat. It is so

:43:31. > :43:35.frustrating when the players fluke balls like that. There is nothing

:43:35. > :43:38.you can do. This is the toughest thing about our sport. It has a lot

:43:38. > :43:45.of beauties, but when you are sitting in the chair, there is

:43:45. > :43:51.nothing you can do when the other player is at the table.

:43:51. > :43:55.championships are won and lost by such tiny margins. Judd Trump will

:43:55. > :43:59.get a few more flukes, because he hits the ball harder than other

:43:59. > :44:02.players. But it is not so much the fluke as what you do afterwards. If

:44:03. > :44:08.you are efficient enough, you can really make the DI squirm in his

:44:08. > :44:11.chair. He did make him suffer. But Judge has been suffering. How did

:44:11. > :44:21.they go after the mid- session interval? Judd recovered his

:44:21. > :44:32.

:44:33. > :44:42.composure a bit. We rejoin them now That was not the best of safety

:44:43. > :44:43.

:44:43. > :45:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:45:41. > :45:51.It is the kind of chance he has He wanted to clear the black spot.

:45:51. > :45:51.

:45:51. > :46:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:46:39. > :46:49.He's struggling to get the top side I thought that would be a difficult

:46:49. > :46:50.

:46:50. > :46:54.shot to control. He has done nothing. The obvious shot was to

:46:54. > :46:59.play the cannon. But he got too much stun in it. That is why he

:46:59. > :47:09.missed it. But he may be fortunate here. I think he can get through to

:47:09. > :47:11.

:47:11. > :47:15.the pink to the left middle. That is the most obvious shot. If he

:47:15. > :47:25.avoids a kiss on the yellow or brown, the cue ball should come

:47:25. > :47:25.

:47:25. > :48:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:48:05. > :48:09.This looks pretty good to me. That was absolutely inch perfect.

:48:09. > :48:19.Brendan more just checking whether the pink spot is available. It is

:48:19. > :48:19.

:48:19. > :49:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:49:26. > :49:34.That could have been worse. The cue Too much cannon. And too many

:49:34. > :49:41.mistakes. He is getting so many chances. He will be disappointed

:49:42. > :49:51.not to have taken them. OK, he may have had a kick that just stopped

:49:52. > :49:57.

:49:57. > :50:07.the cue ball, but he could have The kick made no difference. He

:50:07. > :50:27.

:50:27. > :50:37.just took his eye off it. It was That has worked out absolutely

:50:37. > :50:49.

:50:49. > :50:59.perfectly. I don't think he will be When you try to bring a red into

:50:59. > :51:28.

:51:28. > :51:38.play when potting a red, you never Not a lot difficult about this

:51:38. > :51:38.

:51:38. > :52:33.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:52:33. > :52:43.chance. He is still behind in the Just a bit short of pace on the

:52:43. > :52:52.

:52:52. > :53:02.blue, so it is not straight forward He managed it. By playing it with

:53:02. > :53:13.

:53:13. > :53:23.that extra screw, I don't think he He has just about held it. That is

:53:23. > :53:59.

:53:59. > :54:03.First time you can say that he has started to play a good passage of

:54:03. > :54:13.snooker in the last half a frame. That was a very telling clearance.

:54:13. > :54:16.

:54:16. > :54:21.Judd Trump, showing real steel and But then Judd Trump watched as

:54:21. > :54:31.Dominic knocked in a break of 68 in the next. So the Welshman is in

:54:31. > :54:31.

:54:31. > :56:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:56:05. > :56:15.front as we go into the penultimate He may have a shot on the red by

:56:15. > :56:15.

:56:15. > :57:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:57:41. > :57:51.the black. He can get to that. He What sort of angle has he left on

:57:51. > :58:16.

:58:16. > :58:25.this? He has gone a bit too The pink has separated slightly

:58:25. > :58:32.from the reds, but you wouldn't want to hit these too hard. That is

:58:32. > :58:42.a shame. It was such a struggle until now. He could have hit them a

:58:42. > :59:16.

:59:16. > :59:26.He was tempted by it. And if he had got it, it would have been a frame

:59:26. > :59:26.

:59:26. > :59:36.winner, because he was perfect on the pink. He has covered the red to

:59:36. > :59:36.

:59:36. > :00:28.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:00:28. > :00:33.The shot that Judd took on was a low percentage and dangerous and

:00:33. > :00:38.could still cost him the frame. Nothing is easy for Dominic but if

:00:38. > :00:42.he could play that one shot, what was there for Judd Trump could then

:00:42. > :00:52.be his. He is a little bit tight on this, I don't buy it he can get

:00:52. > :00:59.

:00:59. > :01:06.through for the red. -- I don't If he tried to just fitted in with

:01:06. > :01:16.a trace of side, there is a danger you could catch the left-hander red

:01:16. > :01:23.

:01:23. > :01:33.Not a nice shot. An error of judgment, because he was nicely on

:01:33. > :01:41.

:01:41. > :01:51.Judd, I think, got away with one at there. You would have to say, in

:01:51. > :01:54.

:01:54. > :01:58.all honesty, Dominic spurned a very 5-3 would have been a really big

:01:58. > :02:03.advantage with one more frame to play in the session. He still may

:02:03. > :02:13.get there but he is a few behind. Judd Trump looking like he is

:02:13. > :02:24.

:02:24. > :02:34.killing a little better. -- cueing Not so bad. Hampered on the red by

:02:34. > :02:34.

:02:34. > :03:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:03:35. > :03:45.Judd didn't catch it quite right. I have to say, he hasn't left much. I

:03:45. > :03:45.

:03:45. > :03:55.think he can just get past the blue, Not a very convincing safety shot

:03:55. > :04:14.

:04:14. > :04:19.Screwed back to the baulk end. Now, this red that Dominic couldn't get

:04:19. > :04:23.it through to, to the right corner, Judd can certainly get through to

:04:23. > :04:29.it and it is one of those that it your potted, GE will automatically

:04:29. > :04:39.be on the black. -- If you potted, you will automatically be on the

:04:39. > :04:41.

:04:41. > :04:47.Tremendous pot. Absolutely superb. It was a natural to come on to the

:04:47. > :04:54.black but it needed potting. That is his trademark, such a good

:04:54. > :05:04.potter, one of the best I have seen it from long range. -- seen from

:05:04. > :05:16.

:05:16. > :05:26.You would like to think he would go on and clinch it now, 48 points in

:05:26. > :05:27.

:05:27. > :05:37.That makes 53, so just a red and a highest value car that is all he

:05:37. > :05:40.

:05:40. > :05:50.He has played a little better in the last few frames. He was ready

:05:50. > :05:50.

:05:50. > :06:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:06:31. > :06:41.Dominic concede the frame. -- concedes the frame. One more in the

:06:41. > :06:41.

:06:41. > :07:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:07:44. > :07:51.JOHN VIRGO: Dominic Dale gets the final session of this frame -- the

:07:51. > :07:55.final frame of this session under way. Some great balls potted, so

:07:55. > :08:05.Mrs, it has all added to the excitement, this is the Crucible,

:08:05. > :08:30.

:08:30. > :08:37.The best long lap pot he has done Does that blue come into a longer

:08:37. > :08:47.pot? I will have to have a word with beast that man. -- with the

:08:47. > :08:52.

:08:52. > :08:56.I suppose the other thing is that he has always been behind and if he

:08:56. > :09:03.could win this frame and beat in the lead, he would be delighted.

:09:03. > :09:13.That be in the lead. Dominic has In many ways, he has been the

:09:13. > :09:18.better player of the two, the You can think of to maybe three

:09:18. > :09:28.frames he could have won up until now that he has lost -- two may be

:09:28. > :09:42.

:09:42. > :09:52.There is a bit more fluency about his game. A tremendous red to get

:09:52. > :10:03.

:10:03. > :10:13.The reds are very tightly grouped, so it will be a good shot to break

:10:13. > :10:14.

:10:14. > :10:24.This could be the one. Yes, I think it is time to try and go into the

:10:24. > :10:25.

:10:25. > :10:28.cluster but it is difficult to get He will settle for that, he has

:10:28. > :10:33.knocked three reds into play and has a nice easy red to continue the

:10:33. > :10:36.break. Every credit to the young man, it is always difficult when

:10:37. > :10:40.you are under the weather, it is easy to feel sorry for yourself and

:10:40. > :10:46.think, how can this happen to me when I have put in all of this hard

:10:46. > :10:50.work? Trying to go one better than last year and win this great

:10:50. > :10:54.championship. But fair play to him, a little bit of help from his

:10:54. > :10:59.opponent, I have got to say that, but he has stuck at it and as you

:10:59. > :11:06.say, as the morning session has gone on, he has started to hit the

:11:06. > :11:13.ball better and better. So every It is something you don't think you

:11:13. > :11:18.are going to have to contend with. The reason she did play well are

:11:18. > :11:28.generally your cue action is wrong or you are out of form -- the

:11:28. > :11:33.

:11:33. > :11:38.He is not over the line yet, though. Yes, it was just a little shot

:11:38. > :11:43.where he was trying to hold for the red to the left middle. But at this

:11:43. > :11:53.level, we always say you cannot afford to Mr blacks off the spot.

:11:53. > :12:02.

:12:02. > :12:12.And that is what he has done. -- He is going to have become cushion

:12:12. > :12:16.

:12:16. > :12:22.What you believe it? It looked impossible to miss. -- would you

:12:22. > :12:28.believe it. I am wondering whether he had to swerve it slightly. He

:12:28. > :12:34.could have got nearer to the red, that is the clue. Absolutely, he

:12:34. > :12:38.was well away from the red. Just misjudged it completely. He has not

:12:38. > :12:45.let anything easy, but from Judd Trump's point of view, he will be

:12:45. > :12:49.glad to see that the black didn't When we say he could have got

:12:49. > :12:58.closer to the red, he could have got more into the cushion and

:12:58. > :13:08.He has not let anything easy for Judd but I would just be pleased I

:13:08. > :13:47.

:13:47. > :13:53.I think the red that Dominic potted So close, but unless that cue ball

:13:53. > :14:03.bouncers, that chance Dominic Dale is looking for has arrived --

:14:03. > :14:18.

:14:18. > :14:28.It doesn't look like the red will pass the black easily. He has got

:14:28. > :14:42.

:14:42. > :14:49.to play a slightly difficult one to Just this red to leave Dominic Dale

:14:49. > :14:54.needing snookers. In it goes, and he will be mightily relieved and as

:14:54. > :14:58.I say, every credit to the young man. Ever since he lost in the

:14:58. > :15:06.final last year to John Higgins, his mind will be on getting back to

:15:06. > :15:10.the Crucible and producing that To arrive here this morning under

:15:10. > :15:20.the weather, he will be very pleased with the outcome of these

:15:20. > :15:21.

:15:21. > :15:27.And in the good parts of his game, he looks to be hitting the ball

:15:27. > :15:37.beautifully. It has not been vintage, but as I say, under the

:15:37. > :15:38.

:15:38. > :15:48.circumstances, just to begin their and eke out the result -- begin,

:15:48. > :15:49.

:15:49. > :15:59.He will take a one-frame advantage into that final session tomorrow

:15:59. > :15:59.

:15:59. > :17:04.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:17:04. > :17:10.Time to play a little bit off, as The balls are taking a bit about

:17:10. > :17:20.bashing at the moment. -- of a bashing. It is like Wimbledon, a

:17:20. > :17:35.

:17:35. > :17:38.He's played the double! And he got APPLAUSE.

:17:38. > :17:43.What as session. Dominic Dale will be disappointed, he had plenty of

:17:43. > :17:46.chances, but every credit to Judd Trump. He came out under the

:17:46. > :17:50.weather but he will be pleased with the final scoreline, he takes a

:17:50. > :17:54.one-frame advantage to that second session tomorrow afternoon, well

:17:54. > :17:57.played. HAZEL IRVINE: Well-paid indeed and

:17:57. > :18:02.a bit of flamboyance to finish things off. You have got to say,

:18:02. > :18:08.that is a terrific comeback, obviously not feeling great. I am

:18:08. > :18:11.sure he will be very pleased, he will be coming out of that match in

:18:11. > :18:15.front. There were two or three frames that Dominic Dale could have

:18:15. > :18:19.easily have won and had a substantial lead going into the

:18:19. > :18:23.second session but in fairness to Judd Trump, he stuck in there and

:18:23. > :18:28.played through the pain barrier and goes in with a lead. He seemed to

:18:28. > :18:32.get better, he looked a bit better, that he looked peaky at the start

:18:32. > :18:37.but he looks like he was coming back to form at the end. His body

:18:37. > :18:44.may have recovered a bid from anything early and it did show, I

:18:44. > :18:51.thought, he showed composure and that will have helped, a lot of

:18:51. > :18:58.resolve as they said in the studio. He had a sachet of resolve! And the

:18:58. > :19:01.rest of the day and a good night's sleep, most of -- importantly.

:19:01. > :19:08.think Dominic may have missed a trick, if he knew or not, we don't

:19:08. > :19:11.know. Sometimes those frames that she should have won, it will eat at

:19:11. > :19:15.you and you think that you should have won them and you have thrown

:19:15. > :19:19.them a lifeline and at the end of the match, it comes back to haunt

:19:19. > :19:24.you. They will finish tomorrow afternoon and we will be live for

:19:24. > :19:28.that. There is a major championship running concurrently with the one

:19:28. > :19:31.that is going on at the Crucible here in Sheffield over the next

:19:31. > :19:38.couple of weeks, specifically this week. Only this one features some

:19:38. > :19:44.of the best athletes in their game and an MC called Speed Ian, it is a

:19:44. > :19:54.high quality affair. It takes place at a local pub and there is any one

:19:54. > :19:57.

:19:57. > :20:04.of point between the teams. -- only This is round two, Cristobal cue

:20:04. > :20:14.reels. Odd little facts. -- Crucible. When was the ladies'

:20:14. > :20:20.

:20:20. > :20:28.final last held at the Crucible? It was 2003. Anyone get it right?

:20:28. > :20:35.No. 2... Who has played in the most successive quarter-finals at the

:20:35. > :20:45.Crucible, having appeared in 12 of from 1984 onwards? The most

:20:45. > :20:48.

:20:48. > :20:55.It was Jimmy White. Yes? No?

:20:55. > :21:02.No. 3... Who has won the most successive

:21:02. > :21:09.first-round matches at the Crucible? It is 14, from 1983 up to

:21:09. > :21:16.1996. The most successive first- round matches. How do you spell

:21:16. > :21:22.your second name, Denis? It was Terry Griffiths.

:21:22. > :21:26.No. 4, what is the farthest progression the Crucible

:21:26. > :21:31.championship without meeting a top 16 apartment? What is the farthest

:21:31. > :21:35.somebody has got in the Crucible championship without meeting a top

:21:35. > :21:45.16 a potent? I will tell you, he got to the

:21:45. > :21:51.

:21:51. > :22:01.final in 2006 without meeting a top Got to be Graeme Dott. Graeme Dott,

:22:01. > :22:02.

:22:02. > :22:08.you are saying? Peter Ebdon. Close. No. 5, in the 1980s, name

:22:08. > :22:14.when the top two seeds have reached the final. There was only one

:22:14. > :22:23.occasion in the 1980s. Who were they and what was the

:22:23. > :22:33.year? Say that again? In the 1980s, the top two seeds reached the final.

:22:33. > :22:37.

:22:37. > :22:43.Who were the players and what was It was 1987, the two players were?

:22:43. > :22:48.Steve Davis and Joe Johnson, in the final. Were they One and Two?

:22:48. > :22:56.because he was the reigning champion. We missed that one.

:22:56. > :23:05.Another Steve Davis question! Number six... When was the last

:23:05. > :23:15.time the top four all reached the semi-finals? Have you got any ones

:23:15. > :23:16.

:23:16. > :23:21.on sport? Can they have the decade to give us a hand? I can even give

:23:21. > :23:31.you the here, I want the players. The year was 1990, I would like the

:23:31. > :23:36.

:23:36. > :23:41.The four top seeded players of 1990? One of those was John Parrott.

:23:41. > :23:47.He was very good then. Stephen Hendry. Jimmy White and the other

:23:47. > :23:54.one? Steve Davis? It was Steve Davis!

:23:54. > :24:04.No. 7. Who has made the most appearances at the Crucible as a

:24:04. > :24:06.

:24:06. > :24:16.qualifier, with nine appearances? Who has appeared nine times as a

:24:16. > :24:21.

:24:21. > :24:28.Was it Ken Doherty? No. Was it Steve Davis? No. Was it Dennis

:24:28. > :24:36.Taylor? Dived. Was it John Parrott? Yes. Nine times. And he got it

:24:36. > :24:41.wrong! I thought it was him. I thought it was cue. -- I thought it

:24:41. > :24:46.was you. No. 8, who has made the most appearances at the Crucible

:24:46. > :24:50.without winning a single match? Rex Williams was one of them, he was

:24:50. > :25:00.the other? It sounds a bit like Cliff Morgan, but with a different

:25:00. > :25:00.

:25:00. > :25:07.surname. Thank you. What was the question? Just right then Cliff

:25:07. > :25:13.Wilson. All we need here is a quiz master!

:25:13. > :25:16.Number nine. What is the name of the player who holds the record at

:25:16. > :25:26.the Crucible for the most unanswered frames in the match, in

:25:26. > :25:36.2003, 13 frames on the bounce? He was it? -- who was it?

:25:36. > :25:38.

:25:38. > :25:47.It was Mark Williams. A we got that. -- we got that. And finally, Number

:25:48. > :25:55.Ten... Which world champion from the 1980s has a surname that has

:25:55. > :26:05.two things you can do with food? Which 1980s world champion snooker

:26:05. > :26:10.

:26:10. > :26:20.player has a surname that has two That is bizarre. You lot might do

:26:20. > :26:22.

:26:22. > :26:30.more of the second than the first. Well done. That is said, command. -

:26:30. > :26:40.- that is it, come on. These guys are ready. Cliff Thorburn. Who got

:26:40. > :26:49.

:26:49. > :26:57.it right? We did. If they spelled it wrong, it is wrong. The DJs are

:26:57. > :27:04.scored eight, potting them on 15. And ahead with 20, the good, the

:27:04. > :27:09.Bad And the ugly. Nip and tuck, we will see how we do

:27:09. > :27:16.later. It really is close between the DJs

:27:16. > :27:21.and indeed, the good of the Bad And the ugly. Ken Doherty is clearly

:27:21. > :27:23.the good in that trio. If you are dashing around at work or busy with

:27:23. > :27:27.the kids and you don't have time to sit down and enjoy the live

:27:27. > :27:30.coverage that is coming up shortly, we do understand and there are

:27:31. > :27:36.loads of ways for you to catch up in events on your own time of the

:27:36. > :27:39.BBC. It is April, it is Sheffield and the eyes of the snooker world

:27:39. > :27:42.are at the Crucible. Top-class action every step of the way with

:27:42. > :27:47.packed crowd but don't worry if you have been busy, there are plenty of

:27:47. > :27:51.ways to keep up to date with this year's World Championship. If you

:27:52. > :27:56.don't want to miss a single ball, click the red button on your remote

:27:56. > :28:01.control. We are also online, light streaming from both tables is

:28:01. > :28:05.available on the website. The BBC iPlayer allows you to

:28:05. > :28:12.download or view the action on demand.

:28:12. > :28:17.We are also on Twitter. Access news and views or ask us what you would

:28:17. > :28:24.like to know. Or simply listen to Radio 5 Live for all of the regular

:28:24. > :28:29.updates. "Another day of unique Crucible drama here, on BBC Radio 5

:28:29. > :28:33.Live and". Of for the first time here in Sheffield, the very best

:28:33. > :28:37.pictures of the very best players because if you have the BBC H D

:28:37. > :28:41.channel, you can watch all of the morning sessions live. And if all

:28:41. > :28:45.of that hasn't got you too busy with anticipation, you can join the

:28:45. > :28:53.every week died from 6pm on the red button for the best of the day's

:28:53. > :28:56.action -- every week night. Thank you, so we are all set for the

:28:56. > :29:00.second instalment of the Ronnie O'Sullivan and Peter Ebdon match

:29:00. > :29:03.this afternoon and events yesterday surprised many others, who had

:29:03. > :29:07.expected a really close contest, but Peter Ebdon failed to take many

:29:07. > :29:09.of his chances and after the opening session, Ronnie had

:29:09. > :29:17.established a fair bit of breathing established a fair bit of breathing

:29:17. > :29:25.DENNIS TAYLOR: Breaking off in this opening frame left-handed. It

:29:25. > :29:28.really is going to be fascinating Who would have thought that the

:29:28. > :29:33.start of this match we would have a we spotted black in the opening

:29:33. > :29:38.frame? JOHN VIRGO: The first frame, the

:29:38. > :29:43.black being spotted a game, that could have been the game changed. -

:29:43. > :29:47.- again. DENNIS TAYLOR: He cuts a fantastic

:29:47. > :29:52.black into the corner pocket, what an exciting opening frame.

:29:52. > :29:57.Peter won the next frame and then he started to miss.

:29:57. > :30:05.I just felt at one stage that he could have just taken stock of the

:30:05. > :30:09.situation, look at the way Ronnie was playing. That was a bit

:30:10. > :30:14.careless. I didn't think Ronnie was cueing well at all, I was wondering

:30:14. > :30:18.whether he had a new top -- take on. Every time he played the side, he

:30:19. > :30:28.was wide of the target. Ronnie looked very edgy at the start and

:30:29. > :30:29.

:30:29. > :30:39.would have been pleased to have Peter had plenty of chances. He

:30:39. > :31:11.

:31:11. > :31:20.He played that beautifully. Ronnie of southern Pinter's the frame. --

:31:20. > :31:25.Ronnie O'Sullivan pinches the frame. Tomorrow is another day. Winning

:31:25. > :31:30.this frame at least gives Peter some sort of chance. It will be

:31:30. > :31:36.very difficult to see Peter coming back. Just the style of play and

:31:36. > :31:41.the fact he has missed a few balls. Simmering underneath that, Ronnie

:31:41. > :31:51.was cueing quite well. I am certain he will get enough chances to win

:31:51. > :31:54.

:31:54. > :31:59.the frames he needs. I do not think any of us will ever forget that

:31:59. > :32:07.Peter was 8-2 behind in the quarter-finals against Ronnie

:32:07. > :32:14.several years ago, and came back. But it is a big ask? It is. But if

:32:14. > :32:18.a any player can do it, he can do it. He will relish the task. Maybe

:32:18. > :32:24.the hype about the first round match got to Peter a little better,

:32:24. > :32:30.more than it did too Ronnie. Both players were very edgy. There were

:32:30. > :32:34.chances for both players. If any player can come back, it is

:32:34. > :32:42.definitely Peter. He must win at least three of the first four

:32:42. > :32:45.friends. Even if he wins three, it is still only 8-5. He has got to

:32:45. > :32:50.keep O'Sullivan at eight for as long as possible. It is very

:32:50. > :32:56.difficult. You were commentating on events on the other side of the

:32:56. > :33:02.arena. You are keeping an eye on the this matter. What did you make

:33:02. > :33:07.of what Ronnie was doing? The first frame was very important for Ronnie.

:33:07. > :33:13.He looked very edgy. Probably as edgy as I have ever seen him.

:33:13. > :33:17.Missing a lot of very easy shot for someone of his standard.

:33:17. > :33:25.Particularly when he was using a bit of side, it looked like he may

:33:25. > :33:29.have had an UK on. He was taught the art of sorts. He has to improve.

:33:30. > :33:36.If he does get through Peter Ebdon, he has to improve his game if he is

:33:36. > :33:42.to have a chance of going further. We will soon see what will happen.

:33:42. > :33:47.Steve, what do the guys think of the prospect of this match? I am

:33:47. > :33:52.with two legends, Willie Thorne and John Parrett. If you look at the

:33:52. > :33:58.score line, you would think that Ronnie O'Sullivan handled the

:33:58. > :34:02.session better than Peter Ebdon. But it was not conclusive? No. 21

:34:02. > :34:07.shot on the black ball before O'Sullivan got it. That may have

:34:07. > :34:13.had a big bearing on the session. Peter admitted it was not a great

:34:13. > :34:19.day. He is looking forward to today. If any is stubborn enough to put up

:34:19. > :34:25.a resistance, it is at the end. start of every session is important.

:34:25. > :34:31.He has to get off to a good start? Ken has hit the nail on the head,

:34:31. > :34:35.he needs to win three out of the first four frames. Peter should

:34:35. > :34:39.take solace from the fact he has just won at tournament. He is

:34:39. > :34:43.somewhere near back to what he was a few years ago. A Ronnie

:34:44. > :34:50.O'Sullivan must be happy with how yesterday went? I do not know if he

:34:50. > :34:57.has got and U Q. Obviously you will be nervous. I think Ronnie did what

:34:57. > :35:07.he had to do. He played well enough to win the session 7-2. Now over to

:35:07. > :35:09.

:35:09. > :35:14.Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. What an array of snooker talent we

:35:14. > :35:21.have waiting in the wings. And what a rocking atmosphere we have in the

:35:21. > :35:24.Crucible. Sit back, relax and enjoy some world-class snooker. Please

:35:24. > :35:31.welcome first of all, a player making his 11th appearance at the

:35:31. > :35:41.Crucible. In 2008, he reached the semi-finals. The gentleman, Joe

:35:41. > :36:00.

:36:00. > :36:06.And his opponent, a player who produces his best at the Crucible.

:36:06. > :36:16.He won a dramatic final to take the title in 2006. Also at China Open

:36:16. > :36:18.

:36:18. > :36:28.champion, Graeme Dott! MUSIC: "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes To

:36:28. > :36:34.

:36:34. > :36:38.And here on table number two, please welcome a player won his 9th

:36:38. > :36:44.ranking event title at the China Open this month. Twice runner-up at

:36:44. > :36:54.the Crucible, he took the big one in 2002. He will give it absolutely

:36:54. > :37:07.

:37:08. > :37:13.everything this afternoon, Peter And his opponent, a genius with a

:37:13. > :37:18.cue in his hand. Winner of 23 ranking event titles. He first

:37:18. > :37:23.appeared here in 1993. Earlier this season he showed he still has got

:37:23. > :37:27.the magic, winning the German Masters. Blink and you will miss

:37:27. > :37:37.him, at the Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan! MUSIC: "Can You Feel

:37:37. > :37:46.

:37:46. > :37:54.A surge of energy in the crowd. The Jo paris mack chicken see on the

:37:54. > :38:04.red button and online. We are greatest equip this match. Back to

:38:04. > :38:05.

:38:05. > :38:12.Good afternoon. Peter Ebdon will have to win this opening session or

:38:12. > :38:22.just to stay in this matter. Tutu is not really any good. All to play

:38:22. > :38:35.

:38:35. > :38:45.The cue ball has not gone behind the brown. Already a chance for

:38:45. > :38:51.

:38:51. > :39:01.Ronnie. Sporting a new hairstyle today, Ronnie. Different to

:39:01. > :39:25.

:39:25. > :39:35.A mobile-phone going off. That was yesterday's hairstyle. Quite

:39:35. > :39:44.

:39:44. > :39:54.amazing, total change. I wish I That was an excellent shot. He

:39:54. > :40:26.

:40:26. > :40:36.would have to play another one. -- Peter has a choice of red smack --

:40:36. > :40:44.

:40:44. > :40:54.It needed a little more top spin. Difficult to judge. But always

:40:54. > :41:11.

:41:11. > :41:15.better to err on the side of It is amazing how well Peter Ebdon

:41:15. > :41:25.has played in the last couple of months, having been several years

:41:25. > :41:45.

:41:45. > :41:53.This is an excellent chance. He played some wonderful snooker in

:41:53. > :41:56.China, his first ranking event for some time. He has beaten Ronnie 11

:41:56. > :42:02.times out of 31 times that they have played. Not many people have

:42:02. > :42:12.got that kind of record against Ronnie of Solomon. -- Ronnie

:42:12. > :42:24.

:42:24. > :42:34.Pretty decent safety. He has left Peter a chance on the right hand

:42:34. > :43:09.

:43:09. > :43:19.The green is perfect. Great shot. He does not have to worry about the

:43:19. > :43:34.

:43:34. > :43:41.red to the left of the black at the He decided to play for the red in

:43:41. > :43:50.the middle, which is a strange shot. I think he tried to play for the

:43:50. > :43:59.one on the right hand side cushion. Slightly overdid it. Might have

:43:59. > :44:04.been closer to the cushion with the cue ball. Peter knows it is going

:44:04. > :44:14.to be pretty difficult to make a break around the black spot away

:44:14. > :44:27.

:44:27. > :44:36.He did well. Screw shops are very hard to play. You have got to hit

:44:36. > :44:46.as low as you can and push through the cue ball. We will show you how

:44:46. > :45:04.

:45:04. > :45:09.Look as low as you can. Look how much it spins. That is the screw

:45:09. > :45:19.shot played to perfection. Meanwhile, he has played an

:45:19. > :45:21.

:45:21. > :45:31.excellent positional shot back. -- shot. This opens it up. That red is

:45:31. > :45:53.

:45:53. > :45:58.It might have come across the table another six inches the there. You

:45:58. > :46:08.still fancy him popping this. But he has to negotiate the gap between

:46:08. > :46:31.

:46:31. > :46:36.Just lost the cue ball slightly. Decided to play a little stun. If

:46:36. > :46:46.Peter is going to have a say today, he needs to score very heavily of

:46:46. > :46:53.

:46:53. > :47:03.these kind of chances. -- from He has got to be a little careful

:47:03. > :47:08.

:47:08. > :47:14.1 C has missed the black, he has to consider how fortunate he is to

:47:14. > :47:24.have got the cue ball at the other end of the table. -- once he has

:47:24. > :47:25.

:47:25. > :47:35.missed. When you play a screw shot, the white pushes through a little

:47:35. > :47:37.

:47:37. > :47:46.bit before it takes. Ronnie is yet to find the pace of the table this

:47:46. > :47:50.afternoon. That was a very poor safety shot. Already in this frame,

:47:50. > :47:56.this is the third chance for Peter. The way these balls are spread,

:47:56. > :48:06.this is a very good chance. One could meet range pot should give

:48:06. > :48:15.

:48:15. > :48:19.him a very good chance indeed. -- He made a couple of good breaks

:48:19. > :48:27.late in the session yesterday. Unfortunately for him, he only won

:48:27. > :48:34.one of the friends. -- frames. I do not think we have ever seen a more

:48:34. > :48:39.determined look on a snooker player than we from Peter Ebdon. -- than

:48:39. > :48:44.we have. I'll always remember a great comment he made late one

:48:44. > :48:48.night in a bar or, when he said, I can put up with people being better

:48:48. > :48:53.than the ability Wise, but I cannot put up with people being better

:48:53. > :49:03.than me mentally. What a great attitude. He is not the best

:49:03. > :49:03.

:49:03. > :49:46.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:49:46. > :49:54.That was not particularly well played. He has left himself the red

:49:54. > :49:58.into the corner pocket. There is a lot more pressure on that. As I say,

:49:58. > :50:08.you would still fancy him to pop this. He has just put himself under

:50:08. > :50:21.

:50:21. > :50:31.a bit more pressure. Yes, it helps Why would he play at shot to

:50:31. > :50:37.nothing? Why not just stun it in for the pink? It is like a black

:50:37. > :50:47.off the spot when you were that close to it. Luckily for him, it

:50:47. > :50:53.

:50:54. > :51:02.Peter cannot complain. Three times he has been in, in this frame

:51:02. > :51:12.already. I do not know why he was playing in front of the both area.

:51:12. > :51:12.

:51:12. > :51:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:51:59. > :52:07.He has got to score to get back This is the kind of shot that

:52:07. > :52:14.Ronnie is normally quite good at. These are really tough. Good job he

:52:14. > :52:18.played it slowly. A bit harder and he would have missed. Yes, I do

:52:18. > :52:23.think that is one of the shot that has improved immensely over the

:52:23. > :52:29.years. Nobody seems to miss those. And they are very difficult. The

:52:29. > :52:36.red on the left-hand side looks to be the only problem. When you're as

:52:36. > :52:44.good left-handed as O'Sullivan, it is not a problem. The scoreboard

:52:44. > :52:49.will tell him that he is obviously going to need that red. Sometimes

:52:49. > :52:56.you have to take that chance. If you get a perfect position, play

:52:56. > :53:06.for the difficult one first. It has not gone right this time. Once

:53:06. > :53:15.

:53:15. > :53:25.again, makes it looks a very easy. To get through the ball with such

:53:25. > :53:29.little space and generate the spin that he does, that is a great asset.

:53:29. > :53:39.Peter Ebdon will be kicking himself, John. Absolutely no doubt about

:53:39. > :53:49.that. Two chances against O'Sullivan would be a bonus, but

:53:49. > :54:04.

:54:04. > :54:14.three... It does not look good for Another sizable break from Ronnie

:54:14. > :54:19.

:54:19. > :54:29.O'Sullivan. He has made this little clearance look exceptionally easy.

:54:29. > :54:33.

:54:33. > :54:39.Last the final frame of the first session to take a 7-2 lead. -- won.

:54:39. > :54:49.He trailed by 40 points and he clears with 80 and he goes further

:54:49. > :54:56.Just not the start that Peter Ebdon would have wanted. He had a couple

:54:56. > :55:01.of bites at that, Steve? Yes. From Peter's point of view, you would

:55:01. > :55:07.like to have gotten over the line as quickly as possible. You do not

:55:07. > :55:11.give Ronnie too many chances before he is in his stride. Ronnie

:55:11. > :55:15.O'Sullivan yesterday gave Peter a lot of chances. He gave him another

:55:16. > :55:22.few chances there. These are the kind of frames that Peter has to

:55:22. > :55:27.take advantage of. He went for a red of their, and I do not know why

:55:27. > :55:31.he played it so hard. He could have stunt this to the pink. If he is in

:55:31. > :55:38.a positive frame of mind, in practice, you do not even think

:55:38. > :55:43.about those shots. It would have given himself a nice boost. He

:55:43. > :55:52.played this with the hint of safety in mind. Actually it has worked at

:55:52. > :55:56.worse for him. The frame was over. He has to be a little bit more

:55:56. > :55:59.positive and take the ball by the horns when he gets a chance. Peter

:55:59. > :56:06.wanted to make a positive start to get himself back into this matter.

:56:06. > :56:15.He now finds himself perhaps Ali two frames away from going home. --

:56:15. > :56:23.Armley. What can he do about it It is getting to the point almost

:56:23. > :56:33.of no return. Shots like that will help. Excellent cueing. And he

:56:33. > :56:34.

:56:34. > :56:40.managed to hold the cue ball. Great shot. Yes, it was an excellent pot.

:56:40. > :56:47.Peter needs the black into play as quickly as possible. There may be a

:56:47. > :56:57.little bit of mileage here in opening the pack. Clerisy Chansa

:56:57. > :56:59.

:56:59. > :57:07.red could move the black into play as well. -- there is a chance. I

:57:07. > :57:17.would play for the two reds. He was unlucky there. But what he has done

:57:17. > :57:37.

:57:37. > :57:42.is freed the pink spot. He could It was nice to see Peter on the way

:57:42. > :57:52.into the auditorium today with his 19 year-old daughter Clarissa. It

:57:52. > :57:57.

:57:57. > :58:07.was nice to see. You may remember her when he won. It is amazing how

:58:07. > :58:19.

:58:19. > :58:23.The match just passing the three hour mark. Peter plays his best

:58:23. > :58:33.snooker when he is playing at a quicker pace than he has done in

:58:33. > :58:34.

:58:34. > :58:41.this match so far. If you're going to play with fluency, surely you

:58:41. > :58:45.have to be around 20 seconds? sometimes you can be so exact that

:58:45. > :58:51.you stop your own rhythm. Peter is in the mould of trying not to make

:58:51. > :58:57.a mistake at the moment. That can detract from your on play. He is

:58:57. > :59:07.not over least low. But she would like to see him to be a little bit

:59:07. > :59:10.

:59:10. > :59:16.quicker. His shot time was Dannatt 20 seconds when he played a recent

:59:16. > :59:22.tournament. -- was down at. He said he loved to play at that pays board

:59:22. > :59:26.he struggles to keep it down to 20 seconds. He had a lot of complaints

:59:26. > :59:32.when he beat Ronnie a sudden here a few years ago, taking a little bit

:59:32. > :59:37.longer. -- Ronnie O'Sullivan. Why should he play the pace that Ronnie

:59:37. > :59:47.wants to play? There are two people on the table. If Ronnie does not

:59:47. > :00:08.

:00:08. > :00:13.like it, he should try to get Peter Probably requires a little cannon

:00:13. > :00:23.here. There is position for one red he compiled but he may need to move

:00:23. > :00:36.

:00:36. > :00:40.a few of them about. -- he can play That red he has pushed into the

:00:40. > :00:43.other red means they can still be a plant in the other corner, so he

:00:43. > :00:53.doesn't have to play a cannon at the moment. Can he score enough

:00:53. > :00:56.

:00:56. > :01:06.You mentioned that the black was tied up but there's nothing in the

:01:06. > :01:11.

:01:11. > :01:16.rules that say you can't make a I had the pleasure of commentating

:01:16. > :01:21.on the first session of the match this morning between Ding Junhui

:01:21. > :01:27.and Ryan Day and every time Ding Junhui broke off, where the reds

:01:27. > :01:37.are now, that is what happened, and every time Ryan Day LOCOG, the

:01:37. > :01:39.

:01:39. > :01:45.But Ronnie O'Sullivan, being one of the greatest break-builders of all

:01:45. > :01:49.time, will never want the black been saved. I remember when Doug

:01:49. > :01:52.Mountjoy broke off, one went to the top cushion, one went to the side

:01:52. > :01:58.and they both came back to the same place, it was like he had never

:01:58. > :02:08.broken off. That is the beauty of the game, there are never two

:02:08. > :02:18.He won't be playing to move the black get here, it is too risky. --

:02:18. > :02:32.

:02:32. > :02:39.Answers on a postcard what he played there, because I can't

:02:39. > :02:43.imagine what he played. At that pace, there is nothing that could

:02:43. > :02:53.develop the black. I think he was trying to put a bit of check side

:02:53. > :02:53.

:02:53. > :03:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:03:40. > :03:48.of, lead himself on the black, but We have the chance to show you on

:03:48. > :03:52.Hawkeye what Peter was trying to do and I would like to see that. He

:03:52. > :04:02.would have to have sprung up the black away. I suppose the black was

:04:02. > :04:37.

:04:37. > :04:47.Excellent pace on the cue ball, which makes this safety shot much

:04:47. > :05:08.

:05:08. > :05:11.Has he missed the baulk colours? You would think that brown is about

:05:11. > :05:17.3 ft wide. There is a certain gentleman sitting in the studio

:05:17. > :05:21.this afternoon who, when he was in his pomp, never hit a baulk colour.

:05:21. > :05:31.He has got ginger hair. Although head there. He was absolutely

:05:31. > :05:32.

:05:32. > :06:13.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:06:13. > :06:17.Had to be careful, and it is an excellent shop. -- shot. Ronnie

:06:17. > :06:27.O'Sullivan appreciated that shop. He was playing with so much side,

:06:27. > :06:29.

:06:29. > :06:39.it is easy to play it fig. -- a The same can be said about that

:06:39. > :06:40.

:06:40. > :06:46.shot, back was the very difficult Look at this work. This was

:06:47. > :06:56.beautifully played. Peter's shot was excellent and Ronnie

:06:57. > :06:57.

:06:57. > :07:01.O'Sullivan's has trumpeted. -- You sit in your chair and you think

:07:01. > :07:11.you have played one of your best shops and the next time you go back,

:07:11. > :07:12.

:07:12. > :07:22.He has got to try and a drop on this red on the right-hand side,

:07:22. > :07:30.

:07:30. > :07:40.He has put the red in a pottable position, depending on the angle he

:07:40. > :07:46.

:07:46. > :07:50.has. Ronnie always likes to play to It was a tricky one to play. It is

:07:50. > :08:00.a very difficult pocket. I'm just wondering whether he has got away

:08:00. > :08:09.

:08:09. > :08:19.with it. The red has come out and Peter can play a very thin shot and

:08:19. > :08:21.

:08:21. > :08:26.try and rest on the brown, if he Still the same equation, just

:08:26. > :08:36.trying to rest on the brand to make the killing awkward. -- on the

:08:36. > :08:38.

:08:38. > :08:48.I don't think I have ever seen a game with so many sets of balls

:08:48. > :08:52.

:08:52. > :09:02.That was a good enough shot, he was in trouble there. Peter has got the

:09:02. > :09:09.

:09:09. > :09:14.same shot he played a little Very difficult to play. Playing

:09:14. > :09:18.with that much left hand side, it is very easy to hit them thick.

:09:19. > :09:27.Nothing is on and Pete Happe plays with a very big tip on the end of

:09:27. > :09:37.his cue. But Peter place. -- Peter plays. I used to play with an

:09:37. > :09:43.

:09:43. > :09:52.overhanging tip and you can get too He has played it nicely, though. It

:09:53. > :10:02.is always in your Arlyne -- eyeliner. It is amazing how it

:10:03. > :10:08.

:10:09. > :10:16.makes a safety shot easier when you When he puts it mind to it, Roddick,

:10:16. > :10:20.you have got a job trapping him. Ronnie. We know how good he is a

:10:20. > :10:25.monster the balls and break- building, but when he applies

:10:25. > :10:35.himself to a safety, he is as good as anybody. Peter has to bite the

:10:35. > :10:47.

:10:48. > :10:57.bullet and roll up to the three I'm not too sure whether the

:10:58. > :11:01.

:11:02. > :11:09.browned moved there. I was looking We will give him the benefit of the

:11:09. > :11:19.The referee was right on top of it and he doesn't miss too much, an

:11:19. > :11:23.

:11:23. > :11:33.That is the problem with playing Top Spin when the ball is near the

:11:33. > :11:49.

:11:49. > :11:59.pocket. But he can bring a few That is exactly what he played. I

:11:59. > :12:05.

:12:05. > :12:15.doff my cap, a young man. -- young You don't get too many of them to

:12:15. > :12:22.

:12:22. > :12:28.When Ronnie O'Sullivan had the pleasure of working with six-time

:12:28. > :12:33.world champion Ray Reardon, he got him to enjoy his safety. Today, I

:12:33. > :12:37.think he is enjoying the safety. Yes, he is looking at the problems

:12:37. > :12:47.in front of him and trying to solve them. He has certainly given Peter

:12:47. > :13:02.

:13:02. > :13:08.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Ronnie No real value in Ronnie taking it

:13:08. > :13:18.on there. Might as well just put Peter back in and see if he can get

:13:18. > :13:18.

:13:18. > :13:28.Yes, a 40 point lead at the moment where the balls are is massive, so

:13:28. > :13:30.

:13:30. > :13:38.he doesn't want to give too many With where the balls are, you can't

:13:38. > :13:48.afford to give many. Away. And that lead is quite substantial. -- Many

:13:48. > :13:58.

:13:58. > :14:08.Well done. A couple of situs to see where it was but he eventually got

:14:08. > :14:15.

:14:15. > :14:18.He has decided to do the green at this time. But this is pottable and

:14:18. > :14:28.Peter has to take it on, the only problem is he Makis the pink on the

:14:28. > :14:53.

:14:53. > :14:58.Unfortunate, it has covered the one Just wondering if that red over the

:14:58. > :15:02.middle is a certainty, or if it is too tight to the cushion. Ronnie is

:15:02. > :15:12.looking to see whether it is possible to bring the black into

:15:12. > :15:22.

:15:22. > :15:32.He tried to avoid the kiss on the yellow. There is a shot on here,

:15:32. > :15:42.

:15:42. > :15:47.though, he could bring the three Good news and bad news in Bath shot.

:15:47. > :15:57.He missed the blue but could that he missed the cannon on the three

:15:57. > :16:16.

:16:16. > :16:26.That was a tough pot. Still a big favour, though, even though the

:16:26. > :16:46.

:16:46. > :16:53.They have been desperate to get the black into play but he has given

:16:53. > :16:56.Peter a chance here. It is not easy, but it is tempting. It may be one

:16:56. > :17:06.of those shot way you have left to chance but it may end up bringing

:17:06. > :17:17.

:17:17. > :17:22.you the frame, it could go either It has dived to the left hand

:17:22. > :17:30.cushion. Peter is amazed. We saw that on the camera, it was in when

:17:30. > :17:40.he hit it and it suddenly took a complete guide to the left. Peter

:17:40. > :17:56.

:17:56. > :17:59.It is all happening here at the minute! We have seen that quite a

:17:59. > :18:03.lot in this championship already, balls jumping off the table, but

:18:03. > :18:13.how that has managed it, I don't know. At that speed, it shouldn't

:18:13. > :18:15.

:18:15. > :18:21.happen, should it? It is a shame, because these tables have been

:18:21. > :18:31.He may have caught the jaws first, but it should not have come off the

:18:31. > :18:31.

:18:31. > :19:12.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:19:12. > :19:17.looked, slightly hampered by the Having a look at the scoreboard

:19:17. > :19:27.will help Peter. The two reds are safe and he needs a pink put him 43

:19:27. > :19:49.

:19:49. > :19:53.brown, so he now needs another red. He will do well to get on a red

:19:53. > :19:58.here. He can come down and leave the double, if he wants, but there

:19:58. > :20:08.is no way he can play a cannon of the brand to move to the left-hand

:20:08. > :20:39.

:20:39. > :20:49.side of the cushion -- off the At 6.4 make a big difference.

:20:49. > :20:49.

:20:49. > :22:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:22:17. > :22:27.Barring snookers, Peter Ebdon his tip overhangs. Not many top

:22:27. > :22:38.

:22:38. > :22:48.players have that now. In our day, That will certainly put the frame

:22:48. > :22:48.

:22:48. > :25:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:25:48. > :25:54.He knew he had to win one of the first two ranking events. He was in

:25:54. > :26:00.danger of not been here at all? That is right. He was behind

:26:00. > :26:05.against Andrew Higginson in Germany. He came back to win the tournament.

:26:05. > :26:12.We are seemed more patience than we would have expected in this match

:26:12. > :26:22.from Reilly. -- we are seeing. If he gets through this match, he will

:26:22. > :26:54.

:26:54. > :27:04.get better as the tournament That was a little bit unlucky. He

:27:04. > :27:19.

:27:19. > :27:26.played a shot to nothing. How did This is where Peter is going to

:27:27. > :27:33.have to try to win a frame in one visit. It is almost impossible to

:27:33. > :27:43.grind out 7 or 8 frames on the trot. You have got to win a frame in one

:27:43. > :27:57.

:27:57. > :28:07.Peter completely overhit that shot. A massive area to come into.

:28:07. > :28:07.

:28:07. > :28:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:28:48. > :28:58.He really is enjoying the Battle of safety shot this afternoon, Ronnie.

:28:58. > :29:28.

:29:28. > :29:32.Just coming down the table to have a look. I do not know whether he

:29:32. > :29:42.can play it through the gaps so it does not contact anything. I think

:29:42. > :29:53.

:29:53. > :30:01.Yes he did. There must have been quite a small gap. To finish where

:30:01. > :30:11.he has is quite fortunate. Allied to the fact that he was hampered in

:30:11. > :30:38.

:30:38. > :30:44.Quite a delicate shot for Peter to play. He does not want to be

:30:44. > :30:54.leaving one on for Ronnie. You cannot blame him for being on the

:30:54. > :30:58.

:30:58. > :31:06.soft side. He just needs enough pace to reach the reds. That can be

:31:06. > :31:16.described as a twitch. You can afford to hit it with another fault

:31:16. > :31:19.

:31:19. > :31:24.of pace. -- fault. He has missed the ball twice. He will not risk

:31:24. > :31:34.playing at that pace this time. He will play the same shot, slightly

:31:34. > :31:42.

:31:42. > :31:47.I have actually lost a frame here at the Crucible Theatre with three

:31:47. > :31:57.misses like that, when I played against Anthony Hamilton. And

:31:57. > :32:15.

:32:15. > :32:25.believe he you me, it is A as he spotted a plant? -- has he?

:32:25. > :32:27.

:32:27. > :32:37.If this is on, hold on to your hat. This will go everywhere. Get ready.

:32:37. > :32:41.

:32:42. > :32:51.Attention all pockets. In fairness, he was a little bit unfortunate not

:32:52. > :32:53.

:32:53. > :33:03.to get the bike into open play. -- of Wight. -- the white ball. He

:33:03. > :33:03.

:33:03. > :33:13.threw his cue at this. He was unlucky colt the second red thick.

:33:13. > :33:14.

:33:14. > :33:24.-- he caught. That seemed a hell of a lot of effort from one point. --

:33:24. > :33:24.

:33:24. > :34:38.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:34:38. > :34:45.He completely hit a cross that. He had a little bit of side on that.

:34:45. > :34:50.And he hit right across it. And he knows it. Until then, he had a 100%

:34:50. > :35:00.pot success rate with the rest. Unfortunately he did twitch a

:35:00. > :35:00.

:35:00. > :35:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:35:48. > :35:58.little bit. That could be his last Along with Hendry and possibly

:35:58. > :36:03.

:36:03. > :36:13.being, Ronnie sees the shops so We are always extolling his virtues

:36:13. > :36:13.

:36:13. > :37:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:37:05. > :37:13.when we watch all some of them. -- That is the other things, he scores

:37:13. > :37:22.so quickly. In the blink of an I had done his 55 points behind. --

:37:22. > :37:32.Peter Ebdon. Peter now knows he is facing the task of having to win at

:37:32. > :37:38.

:37:38. > :37:48.the remaining seven frames. One more red needed. The crowd realised

:37:48. > :38:00.

:38:00. > :38:05.that his frame ball. -- the crowd Once again, Peter decided to carry

:38:05. > :38:15.on. He is 71 point behind. Not too many players would carry on from

:38:15. > :38:30.

:38:30. > :38:37.Peter acknowledged defeat in that frame. A 68 break was more than

:38:37. > :38:44.enough for Ronnie O'Sullivan to go clear at 9-3. We saw Peter earlier

:38:44. > :38:50.in that frame. Until then he had a 100% success rate with the rest.

:38:50. > :38:56.But this shot can only be described as that which. Everything moved.

:38:56. > :39:03.Yes, when he hits those he it's right across it. He does not get

:39:03. > :39:07.the work on the cue ball at the once. Everything moved apart from

:39:07. > :39:17.the lampshade. It was not pretty. It was a little bit of pressure on

:39:17. > :39:18.

:39:18. > :39:26.a shot that was quite delicate. Ronnie O'Sullivan then cleared. The

:39:26. > :39:36.shot time is crucial. Peter Ebdon is not making anything happen

:39:36. > :39:38.

:39:38. > :39:48.quickly. This is the point of no return for Peter. It would be

:39:48. > :39:51.

:39:51. > :39:55.positively Herculean to win from here. I think his friend should

:39:55. > :40:05.have a quick word with them about how he is breaking at the moment.

:40:05. > :40:27.

:40:27. > :40:33.That red is virtually going next to A clever shot from Peter. He did

:40:34. > :40:43.not play to pot. The only trouble is we have got a little bit of an

:40:44. > :40:45.

:40:45. > :40:49.impasse. Sometimes these frames end up being started again. There is

:40:49. > :40:59.just tapping going on. I'm sure both players would not want that to

:40:59. > :41:24.

:41:24. > :41:32.That was a magnificent part. Slightly loose from a Peter Ebdon.

:41:32. > :41:42.He should not really have had the opportunity to see that. I pottered

:41:42. > :41:55.

:41:55. > :42:05.one of those once. I was about 12, I think he was so frustrated at how

:42:05. > :42:08.

:42:08. > :42:18.he played the previous shot. He tried to force to play the black in

:42:18. > :42:18.

:42:18. > :43:37.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:43:37. > :43:47.the same pocket. He tried to go Interesting to see if Peter will

:43:47. > :44:27.

:44:27. > :44:37.take the opportunity to play down He will have to finish high on the

:44:37. > :44:41.

:44:41. > :44:51.black if he can. A couple of shots away from making this a frame-

:44:51. > :45:23.

:45:23. > :45:33.Yes, good shot. Nicely played. He has got to get up the cue ball up

:45:33. > :45:36.

:45:36. > :45:46.the table, avoiding her cannon. Once again, nicely played. Yes, and

:45:46. > :45:56.

:45:56. > :46:05.this time he has got the angle just He could not have played that last

:46:05. > :46:15.shot better. He will be horrified if he does not win the frame from

:46:15. > :46:35.

:46:35. > :46:45.The referee just checking to see that it was not touching the blue.

:46:45. > :46:50.

:46:50. > :47:00.He made the 9-3 behind in this match. But boy, he is still trying

:47:00. > :47:18.

:47:18. > :47:28.He have got to say, that is a little bit careless. Why not just

:47:28. > :47:29.

:47:29. > :47:36.hit the red Flickr? -- more thickly. It does not appear to have done at

:47:36. > :47:46.any damage. Peter will get another chance to win this friend. -- this

:47:46. > :47:46.

:47:46. > :48:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:48:41. > :48:51.I think Peter Ebdon would have been a handful in this tournament had he

:48:51. > :49:01.

:49:02. > :49:06.not had the unfortunate draw he had. He is cueing well enough to win. 51

:49:06. > :49:16.points in front. Just black and one more red will take us to the

:49:16. > :49:32.

:49:32. > :49:39.interval. That is what he had to do, Yes, Ronnie could have got it over

:49:39. > :49:47.with without having to go to an end. Now he has got to go and have a cup

:49:47. > :49:53.of tea, collect his thoughts and come at first some more snooker. --

:49:53. > :50:03.return for some more snooker. Well done to Peter. He keeps on applying

:50:03. > :50:03.

:50:03. > :50:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:50:55. > :51:05.A little bit of potting practice. An example of Peter's excellent

:51:05. > :51:30.

:51:30. > :51:36.Peter wins the frame. Reilly just asking if there is an interval. And

:51:36. > :51:43.there is. Peter Ebdon wins the frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan leads by

:51:43. > :51:47.9-4. Ronnie needing one more frame to

:51:48. > :51:55.book his place in the next round. We will dive into some news from

:51:56. > :52:01.this morning. In the first session between Ding Junhui and Ryan Day.

:52:01. > :52:06.Ryan has struggled recently. He has failed to get beyond the first

:52:06. > :52:14.round for the last couple of years. Dean has been right on song in the

:52:14. > :52:24.last couple of years. -- Ding Junhui. Let's join it at two frames

:52:24. > :52:34.apiece. The top break so far, 77 from a Ryan Day. Terry Griffiths

:52:34. > :53:08.

:53:08. > :53:14.and Willie Thorne in the commentary A little bit of movement coming

:53:14. > :53:18.from the other side as they reach their interval. Ding Junhui blessed

:53:19. > :53:28.with an excellent temperament. It should not worry him too much. Very

:53:29. > :53:34.

:53:34. > :53:40.good opening pot. Once again, the black is tied up. You can see the

:53:40. > :53:50.break-up has caused the problem. There is no hiding place at. Pink

:53:50. > :53:50.

:53:51. > :53:56.and black out of commission at the Ding Junhui was practising at the

:53:56. > :54:03.interval. He does not leave anything behind in his preparations.

:54:03. > :54:08.He is very keen. Practice has a lot in the Sheffield Academy. -- he

:54:08. > :54:13.practices. His mother and his girlfriend here. I have not seen

:54:13. > :54:19.his mother around for a while. She used to come with him regularly on

:54:20. > :54:25.the circuit. She used to look after him, of course. She is not here to

:54:25. > :54:35.tie his shoelaces, but I am sure she has done that a few times as

:54:35. > :54:48.

:54:48. > :54:53.well! Where would we be without He might play the cannon on the two

:54:53. > :55:03.reds next to the black year. It depends what angle he has got on

:55:03. > :55:03.

:55:03. > :56:57.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:56:57. > :57:02.the blue. He does not miss a trick, You can see how that important shot

:57:02. > :57:12.on Blue has been so beneficial. That shot has developed an

:57:12. > :57:12.

:57:12. > :58:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:58:09. > :58:15.opportunity to possibly win the Still in prime position. Perhaps a

:58:15. > :58:22.little bit lower would the cue ball than intended. But he has got the

:58:22. > :58:32.pack of reds to act as a buffer. He is probably trying to get to the

:58:32. > :58:46.

:58:46. > :58:56.left of the one behind the pink. It Crucial shot, that one. If he had

:58:56. > :59:05.missed that black... He would have left Ryan Bailey very good chance.

:59:05. > :59:10.You cannot miss these days when you're 50 or 60 in front. The first

:59:10. > :59:14.50 or 60 his tough. But when the balls are spread, you have more

:59:14. > :59:24.room to move the cue ball around. With the ability of these top

:59:24. > :59:35.

:59:35. > :59:45.Ryan Day cannoned into the green with at safety shot and left at

:59:45. > :59:45.

:59:45. > :00:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:00:48. > :00:52.The way these guys are playing, the That was Ding's 18th century of his

:00:52. > :01:02.Crucible career. And this is his sixth appearance. Let's show you

:01:02. > :01:02.

:01:02. > :02:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:02:16. > :02:26.Mall from this match, the next That cannon didn't turn out perfect.

:02:26. > :02:57.

:02:57. > :03:07.He has split them, and I think he This is a great chance to win this

:03:07. > :03:22.

:03:22. > :03:32.frame. Just having a look at the It just travelled a bit too far for

:03:32. > :03:55.

:03:55. > :03:59.He has overscrewed it. Has he been That is the problem with that shot,

:03:59. > :04:09.there is not much margin of error. To get through that gap was

:04:09. > :04:09.

:04:09. > :05:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:05:20. > :05:30.Players always relax when they get to a safe position, but they can be

:05:30. > :05:41.

:05:41. > :05:51.punished if they don't carry on Ding has been in front three times

:05:51. > :06:00.

:06:00. > :06:10.so far. And Ryan Day has peg him He played a deep screw. But Ding

:06:10. > :06:33.

:06:33. > :06:36.Now we are into the penultimate Obviously, you can't win a match in

:06:36. > :06:44.the first session, but you could put yourself in a position where

:06:44. > :06:54.you could lose it. You're thinking changes a bit, rather than playing

:06:54. > :06:54.

:06:54. > :07:04.naturally. That kiss turned out to be pretty good. We thought Ding was

:07:04. > :07:04.

:07:04. > :09:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:09:32. > :09:41.going to pinch the previous frame. He will need all the reds, and at

:09:42. > :09:51.

:09:51. > :10:01.least a yellow and may be a green It will affect more if Ryan loses a

:10:01. > :10:15.

:10:15. > :10:25.Boy, that was one of the easiest balls we have seen in this

:10:25. > :10:27.

:10:27. > :10:37.It is difficult to explain the effect on a player's mind of shots

:10:37. > :10:37.

:10:37. > :11:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:11:53. > :11:57.Both players are looking a bit You can overdo it. It reminds me of

:11:57. > :12:01.golfers who hit the ball a long way. It is great when they hit it

:12:01. > :12:11.straight, but when they go sideways, wow, it is a long way off the

:12:11. > :12:11.

:12:11. > :12:56.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:12:56. > :13:02.There is a two frame gap for the first time in this match.

:13:02. > :13:06.HAZEL IRVINE: In the last frame, Ding, a former Masters and twice UK

:13:06. > :13:13.champion, was on his way to winning it. He will go into tomorrow

:13:13. > :13:17.afternoon's concluding session 1 behind the Welshman.

:13:17. > :13:21.So, what do you make of Ryan Day's performance? He has really

:13:21. > :13:26.struggled over the last couple of years at the Crucible. Did you see

:13:26. > :13:31.signs of improvement? In that session, you wonder how he has

:13:31. > :13:35.dropped so far down the ranking list of. You don't drop down unless

:13:35. > :13:42.you have played poorly during the season. So at some stage, you would

:13:42. > :13:52.think he would come good. Perhaps he has thigh and it wrongly. He was

:13:52. > :13:57.

:13:57. > :14:07.a former world number six, now at 35. You have seen a fair bit.

:14:07. > :14:27.

:14:27. > :14:31.Some players are finding it harder A Ronnie O'Sullivan has been on the

:14:31. > :14:41.brink of victory all afternoon, it seems. He requires one more frame.

:14:41. > :14:41.

:14:41. > :15:50.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:15:50. > :15:54.There doesn't appear to be a He will settle for that. At one

:15:54. > :16:04.point, it looked like it would be the dreaded double kiss, but he got

:16:04. > :16:04.

:16:04. > :17:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:17:51. > :18:00.away with it. That has not finished This is going to be one of -- one

:18:00. > :18:06.of those frames where the cue ball is kept at this end. Unless you can

:18:06. > :18:09.get it into the corner of the yellow pocket. Ronnie is looking to

:18:09. > :18:14.see if that is on and it could come off the side cushion, but the pink

:18:15. > :18:24.could be in the way. He could play the pot and leave the white tight

:18:25. > :18:29.

:18:29. > :18:39.There is not an easy safety shot on here. If he plays the pot into the

:18:39. > :19:00.

:19:00. > :19:10.yellow pocket, he is looking at Nowhere near the pot, but he wasn't

:19:10. > :19:10.

:19:10. > :22:24.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:22:24. > :22:34.bound to leave anything Just a couple of loose reds left

:22:34. > :22:54.

:22:54. > :23:04.It is pretty difficult to see what he can do from there. He tried

:23:04. > :23:18.

:23:18. > :23:24.earlier to play the cannon on the Good shot. He has played it well.

:23:24. > :23:34.Now he can stun this red in and leave a half ball on the brown at

:23:34. > :23:46.

:23:47. > :23:56.ten angle to come into the side of If he misses the red with left-hand

:23:57. > :24:30.

:24:30. > :24:36.He was desperately unlucky there. That was a well played shot. The

:24:36. > :24:42.red he is taking on here is very tricky. It is a blind pocket, can't

:24:42. > :24:52.see it. And it is very delicate. He would have hoped to be on something

:24:52. > :24:52.

:24:52. > :28:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:28:08. > :28:18.Damien Hirst has been out with Anything but tight on the cushion.

:28:18. > :28:31.

:28:31. > :28:41.That was trickier than it looked He tried to cover the pocket. I

:28:41. > :28:41.

:28:41. > :28:46.don't know that he has. I think he has. He has definitely snookered it.

:28:46. > :28:56.It is just a case of whether he can hit cushion first and leave the

:28:56. > :28:56.

:28:56. > :29:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:29:39. > :29:45.That could be the end of the match. It has not been vintage from

:29:45. > :29:49.O'Sullivan. But he has done what he had to do. Peter Ebdon was a very

:29:49. > :29:59.stubborn opponent. He probably resigned himself to the fact that

:29:59. > :30:04.it was going to be hard. That young man never gives you an easy game. A

:30:04. > :30:13.few weeks ago, he played and beat some wonderful players. So Peter

:30:13. > :30:23.Ebdon is still capable. The round of applause says that was virtually

:30:23. > :30:35.

:30:35. > :30:41.Peter Ebdon will carry on. Obviously Ronnie will improve, but

:30:41. > :30:50.he needs to start getting Seventies and Eighties. Peter Ebdon has

:30:50. > :31:00.clawed his way back into that first session. It was always an uphill

:31:00. > :31:03.

:31:03. > :31:08.battle when you come into a session 7-2 behind. Peter Ebdon or

:31:09. > :31:18.unwittingly pot the pink. Always a good loser, Peter Ebdon. Ronnie

:31:19. > :31:20.

:31:20. > :31:28.He got over the line in the end. 10-4. It did not quite live up to

:31:28. > :31:34.its pre-match billing? No. Peter, winning the China Open, we expected

:31:34. > :31:38.him to push Ronnie all the way. Maybe the height of the match got

:31:38. > :31:42.to Peter Moore. He will be very disappointed. He will have put a

:31:42. > :31:48.lot of work into the preparation before this tournament. Cueing

:31:48. > :31:52.really good as well. He would have had big expectations. Overall he

:31:52. > :31:57.has to be delighted that he is back winning again. He can take stock of

:31:57. > :32:05.what he has done this year. second oldest ranking winner of a

:32:05. > :32:12.major event at 41 years old. On the Jimmy White was older. -- Ali.

:32:12. > :32:15.Helmet will run the SS that performance? Welcome I assume he

:32:15. > :32:25.will be relatively happy. On the issue are going to start beating

:32:25. > :32:33.yourself up over looking pretty and a match. -- on less. Job well done.

:32:33. > :32:38.A year ago Reilly had just started to see his psychologist -- Ronnie.

:32:38. > :32:44.He thanked him greatly. What a difference a year makes. He is

:32:44. > :32:49.almost a different animal, isn't the? Yes, you would expect so. He

:32:49. > :32:53.has had some turbulent times during the season. He seems to be more at

:32:53. > :32:59.ease with themselves and were philosophical. That is always a

:32:59. > :33:03.good sign. Whether it has improved his snooker remains to be seen. He

:33:03. > :33:10.has had at Bass's a brilliant and he has had some matches we have not

:33:10. > :33:17.played that well. -- flashes of brilliance. He would have regarded

:33:17. > :33:21.this as the toughest match he could have faced in the first round. To

:33:21. > :33:26.come through virtually unscathed is an accomplishment for Reilly.

:33:27. > :33:33.Anything can happen from now on. He can only get better. Reilly is

:33:33. > :33:39.Withe Rob water. Job done? Yes. All credit to Peter.

:33:39. > :33:44.He is a fantastic player. He has had a good season. He just won the

:33:44. > :33:49.last ranking event. One of the hardest competitors on the circuit.

:33:49. > :33:54.A lot of credit to Pete because he made a tough for me. I am just

:33:54. > :33:58.pleased to get a win. If you arrive expecting that to be quite a long

:33:58. > :34:04.match? I just expected to have a tough match because Peter is such a

:34:04. > :34:10.good competitor. He has won it here before. He has been in a couple of

:34:10. > :34:14.finals. He is one of the great competitors of our game. You have

:34:14. > :34:19.been balancing practising and playing with recovering from Jan --

:34:19. > :34:24.glandular fever. Feeling better? little bit better. I have had to

:34:24. > :34:28.monitor it. I have not been doing a lot of the things I enjoy doing. It

:34:28. > :34:34.takes a lot out of May. I have been concentrating on playing and

:34:34. > :34:38.resting. We used a year to practise? I do not really know to

:34:38. > :34:44.be honest. I have not decided. Possibly Mark Williams in the

:34:44. > :34:48.second round? He has got a tough match. Young guy, played in a few

:34:48. > :34:54.times in practice. A lot of great Chinese players coming through. It

:34:54. > :34:58.will not be easy for Mark. If it is Mark, it will be tough. If it is

:34:58. > :35:04.the young Chinese fellow, it will be tough. There are no easy matches.

:35:04. > :35:14.It is nice to get through the first round and have a chance to go again.

:35:14. > :35:14.

:35:14. > :35:22.While Dunaden. Thanks. Mark Williams will play Liu Chuang

:35:22. > :35:27.tomorrow. Ronnie not able to do the things he loves doing. One of his

:35:27. > :35:34.great loss is running. It has been rest and recovery from snooker.

:35:34. > :35:42.That must be really hard? Yes, I think the great thing for Ronnie

:35:42. > :35:48.with the running is it getting out in the fresh air. -- it get him out.

:35:48. > :35:53.He is at peace with himself. That must be very frustrating for him.

:35:53. > :36:00.He has become very philosophical. Working with the psychologist has

:36:00. > :36:09.helped. He is a dangerous animal, and at the get the bit between his

:36:09. > :36:14.teeth, he could be a dark horse. will see Williams against Liu

:36:14. > :36:20.Chuang tomorrow. The reason use of the world No. 1. He has arrived and

:36:20. > :36:29.is ready for his match this evening. Mark Selby pulled out in China a

:36:29. > :36:34.few weeks ago with in neck injury. He flew home for some treatment.

:36:34. > :36:44.Very worrying indeed coming here to Sheffield. He has been speaking to

:36:44. > :36:46.

:36:46. > :36:53.I did not know what the diagnosis was. I came home and went for a

:36:53. > :36:58.scan so I could treated. When I was tilting my head back, it was

:36:58. > :37:06.pressing down on the nerve, which was causing me the pain. I went to

:37:06. > :37:13.see a chiropractor in Ipswich. Didn't feel any benefit. But didn't

:37:13. > :37:18.feel any worse. I went to a sports therapist. She has more or less

:37:19. > :37:24.cured it. If it was not for her I would not be playing today. I have

:37:24. > :37:34.not put in as many hours as I would have liked. I Ali started to play

:37:34. > :37:36.

:37:36. > :37:42.on Monday. -- I only started. I'm just happy to be in the tournament.

:37:42. > :37:49.Only started practising on Monday. He plays Barry Hawkins this evening.

:37:49. > :37:55.What is your reaction to the news that he has only had nine hours of

:37:55. > :38:05.practice? This may sound stupid book, but I think if you have got

:38:05. > :38:09.some kind of aggravation, it is something to take your mind off.

:38:09. > :38:14.Sometimes you can play quite well. Do you think that will be the case

:38:14. > :38:19.tonight? The lack of practice is not quite as much of a problem as

:38:19. > :38:25.you make it out to be. It is very much like riding a bike. We know

:38:25. > :38:33.from having big summer breaks, you think, I need a month's practice

:38:33. > :38:38.when I get back. After a day you're buzzing. You stop worrying about

:38:38. > :38:45.the game. It takes the heat of the game itself. It may not work out.

:38:45. > :38:51.It is a theory. On the other hand, an injury like this, at trapped

:38:51. > :38:56.nerve in the neck, it hurt. It is an injury which could recover.

:38:56. > :39:00.Clearly he sought a variety of opinions? I remember a classic case

:39:00. > :39:04.in the Masters many years ago when Steve Davis played Ronnie a sudden

:39:04. > :39:11.the final. He had the flu throughout the tournament. He said

:39:12. > :39:20.he played better with the flu. He wanted somebody to give him the flu

:39:20. > :39:24.for the next tournament because it took his mind off it! Alex Higgins

:39:24. > :39:31.played some of the best snooker laid his career with a broken leg,

:39:31. > :39:36.hopping around the table. -- late in his career. That match gets

:39:36. > :39:41.under way on the red button at 7 o'clock. We will concentrate

:39:41. > :39:47.finally this afternoon on events on the other side of the dividing

:39:47. > :39:52.curtain, on Table 1, between Joe Perry and Graeme Dott. Graeme Dott

:39:52. > :39:58.has a fantastic record. Three finals in the last eight years. He

:39:58. > :40:01.saves his best for this venue. He says it will take a minor miracle

:40:01. > :40:06.to turn around his form and confidence this season. He has not

:40:06. > :40:16.enjoyed the greatest run in this campaign. If anybody can inspire

:40:16. > :40:19.

:40:19. > :40:25.I can remember watching Joe Johnson playing Steve Davis in the final. I

:40:25. > :40:31.had a black and white pottable TV. I was practising on a 6 ft table at

:40:31. > :40:40.the same time as I was watching it. You always dream you will will get

:40:40. > :40:50.there to play. When I got there, it felt OK. I was playing James Watt

:40:50. > :40:51.

:40:51. > :40:59.Hannah. -- Watanabe. Abbas Tokely to start with. Then they collapsed.

:40:59. > :41:03.At that it was claustrophobic. Of all the tournaments we go to each

:41:03. > :41:08.year, nothing is like the World Championships. It is what we play

:41:08. > :41:12.all year for. It is certainly what I play all year for. My entire

:41:12. > :41:18.season his practice for the world Chaabi chips. There is no place I

:41:19. > :41:27.like playing more than Sheffield. I owe it so much. I love the fans. It

:41:27. > :41:35.is an incredible place to play. I do not like going to the Crucible

:41:35. > :41:40.or going out to practise. I will just show up 40 minutes before my

:41:40. > :41:50.Mata and practice then. I just what the horse racing and have a laugh.

:41:50. > :41:55.Anything basically to get away from snooker. Obviously winning at would

:41:56. > :42:01.go them as the greatest moment of my career. Although I never really

:42:01. > :42:08.played that well. That seems strange. I always imagine winning

:42:08. > :42:13.the World Championship playing well. I managed to win it. It means

:42:13. > :42:21.everything. No matter what anything thinks about you, your name will

:42:21. > :42:30.never be of that trophy. You can even be the world No. 1, but if you

:42:30. > :42:34.have never won the world title, you He has done it all right and they

:42:34. > :42:40.can never take it away from him. He was against it right from the start

:42:40. > :42:50.against Joe Perry, a former semi- finalist. Perry raced into a 3-0

:42:50. > :42:50.

:42:50. > :43:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:43:47. > :43:56.lead. Neal Foulds and Dennis Taylor He will certainly take that. That

:43:56. > :44:06.is the kind of fluke that may win him the frame. He is already a few

:44:06. > :44:09.

:44:09. > :44:13.in front. He just has to make sure he covers all of the reds. He might

:44:13. > :44:23.be trying to play in behind the brown. In a way, that is more

:44:23. > :44:27.

:44:27. > :44:37.difficult. It has drifted off a little bit. There is a straight

:44:37. > :44:42.

:44:42. > :44:47.line down there. It should not go He played that with a little bit of

:44:47. > :44:52.swerve and he made a pretty good job of that. There are five slates

:44:52. > :44:58.on the snooker table and it is covered with a green baize. The

:44:58. > :45:08.joint filled him with that little bit of plaster of Paris. -- the

:45:08. > :45:08.

:45:08. > :45:13.joint is filled in. That might look a little bit reckless but that was

:45:13. > :45:23.a very good shot. Look at the cue ball. That is exactly what he was

:45:23. > :45:26.

:45:26. > :45:36.playing. Graeme Dott may be able to have a shot at Cudd in this. --

:45:36. > :45:36.

:45:36. > :46:28.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:46:28. > :46:35.That was a pretty good pot. He has looked at the possibility of

:46:36. > :46:45.talking up. Surely he can cut this brown in? He should be able to pull

:46:46. > :46:46.

:46:46. > :47:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

:47:40. > :47:45.this off. Back over the blue spot 43 points is his lead. Red, pink,

:47:45. > :47:54.red will be it. It is an eye- catching score line. Not one you

:47:54. > :48:02.would expect. Graeme Dott must feel he has not turned up at the

:48:02. > :48:06.Crucible so far. His highest break was 20. The second frame, when he

:48:06. > :48:13.missed the black of the spot, he hit it too thin. He did not seem to

:48:13. > :48:19.recover. We know that the interval can change things around. A long

:48:19. > :48:29.way to go. He'd better get on that practice table, Graeme Dott. He

:48:29. > :48:53.

:48:53. > :48:58.would have to start going to work Just looking at the seven meetings,

:48:58. > :49:08.they are all very close. I don't think Joe Perry has ever led by 7-0

:49:08. > :49:10.

:49:10. > :49:18.before. -- 4-0. Probably not. But it is a long match. Graeme Dott

:49:18. > :49:24.would need to run -- to win three of the remaining five frames. It is

:49:24. > :49:33.not like Joe has played out of his skin to get here. He will have to

:49:33. > :49:40.do some thinking, Graham. Whoever he speaks to in his corner will

:49:40. > :49:49.need to get him motivated. Usually he does very well. As for Joe, he

:49:49. > :49:52.must be delighted. He knows he can do better. Good to see him back

:49:53. > :50:02.playing better. He had a year where you did not see him on the

:50:03. > :50:29.

:50:29. > :50:39.The first half mack century break That is where it ends. Graeme Dott

:50:39. > :50:42.

:50:42. > :50:48.struggling. Joe Perry has a 4-0 Yes, the world No. 27 firmly in

:50:48. > :50:56.control. Joe Perry making a bit of a splash at the Crucible. And so

:50:56. > :51:06.could you. Will you be one of 22,000 other people to sign up for

:51:06. > :51:34.

:51:34. > :51:43.Go on, break out of the swimming trunks! You boys are going to do it,

:51:43. > :51:49.obviously! Tomorrow is the last day to sign up. Go for it. Let's get

:51:49. > :51:56.back into the Crucible. We do so life. Joe Perry has now established

:51:56. > :52:00.a 5-0 advantage, having come back after the interval. Into frame six

:52:00. > :52:07.with Neil and Dennis. What have we missed?

:52:07. > :52:17.Graeme Dott just cannot get going. Joe Perry was in in this frame and

:52:17. > :52:20.

:52:20. > :52:27.missed a black off the spot. There was no position. All he could do

:52:27. > :52:32.was role in raid in. Graeme Dott just cannot get going. Look at that

:52:32. > :52:36.attempt. He has missed it by the proverbial mile. He really is

:52:36. > :52:40.having a nightmare. He never settle on can you get your first frame on

:52:40. > :52:48.the board. Even with all of his vast experience, three finals in

:52:48. > :52:56.eight years, he just hangs his head. He missed that by a long way. It is

:52:56. > :53:06.not the first. It is a continuation. You're just waiting to see him get

:53:06. > :53:06.

:53:06. > :53:13.started. When is the going to start potting balls? Joe has not really

:53:13. > :53:18.played as well as the score sounds. Yes, he has got to keep focused,

:53:18. > :53:28.Joe Perry. Try and give himself a great chance to virtually clinched

:53:28. > :53:32.

:53:32. > :53:38.the match in this session. That It is amazing, the preparation

:53:38. > :53:42.Graeme Dott would have put in to come to the Crucible. He practises

:53:42. > :53:52.so hard. He is one of the most dedicated professionals you could

:53:52. > :54:17.

:54:17. > :54:24.wish to meet. But it is just not This is in big shot. -- a big shot.

:54:25. > :54:31.Terrific pot. Very good shot. He stroked her that beautifully. Kept

:54:31. > :54:41.his head. Delivered the queue in a straight line. Now he has got a

:54:41. > :54:54.

:54:54. > :55:04.very good chance. He has not 75% of The only thing with potting the

:55:04. > :55:15.

:55:15. > :55:25.green that is on the black spot, he Like you say, Joan Leach to keep

:55:25. > :55:26.

:55:26. > :55:30.his concentration. -- Joe Perry. There is no good him waiting for

:55:30. > :55:40.Graeme Dott to start to play. He has got to make hay. And that is

:55:40. > :55:41.

:55:41. > :55:47.what he is doing. He will be thrilled with the score line. He

:55:47. > :55:57.will take a lead into tomorrow's session. But how many? At the

:55:57. > :55:57.

:55:57. > :56:02.moment Graeme Dott is just looking This is the last of the easy reds.

:56:02. > :56:12.I am not sure of that one next to the black goes into the left corner.

:56:12. > :56:12.

:56:12. > :56:18.If he -- if it does, he will be OK. It must go. Otherwise he might have

:56:18. > :56:27.played through for the black. He has not got the correct angle on

:56:27. > :56:37.the pink to get over behind that. It must be fairly straight. It is a

:56:37. > :56:50.

:56:51. > :57:00.slightly more difficult pot now. He How many times do we see it? When

:57:01. > :57:03.

:57:03. > :57:13.it is the frame ball, it is missed. The fact he has missed it, he is

:57:13. > :57:13.

:57:13. > :57:20.rather fortunate to lead it safe. - - to leave it safe. Had his Graeme

:57:20. > :57:30.Dott get out of the mess that he is in here? -- how does Graeme Dott?

:57:30. > :57:35.

:57:35. > :57:43.He did not achieve a lot. Joe might think it is worth taking this red

:57:43. > :57:51.on. He may think it is almost a free shot to win the frame. This

:57:51. > :57:56.will probably be the most difficult pot he has attempted. This time he

:57:56. > :58:06.has not knocked the red safe. OK, it is very difficult for Graeme

:58:06. > :58:35.

:58:35. > :58:41.Dott. But at least he is at the Left himself a nice angle. He has

:58:41. > :58:46.still got to give it a little bit of care and attention. He needs to

:58:46. > :58:56.play with a little bit of pace to get that on to the higher valued

:58:56. > :59:00.

:59:00. > :59:10.collar. -- the higher value colour. He certainly had that one better. -

:59:10. > :59:23.

:59:23. > :59:33.The last thing he would want to do is do snooker himself. Has he gone

:59:33. > :59:34.

:59:34. > :59:40.too far? Kenny screw in behind the blue? -- can he? Just about. He has

:59:40. > :59:48.hit it too hard. That shows you how out-of-touch Graeme Dott is. The

:59:48. > :59:56.cloth is very fast. But that is just because he is out of stroke.

:59:56. > :00:06.His touch has been lacking today. Bad image judgment. -- bad

:00:06. > :00:14.

:00:14. > :00:18.Graeme Dott is having a nightmare at the moment. From what we have

:00:18. > :00:22.seen in the last seven or eight minutes, it is an example of how

:00:22. > :00:32.the match has gone. Graeme Dott concedes the frame. The agony

:00:32. > :00:34.

:00:34. > :00:39.continues for him. Joe Perry is That shake of the head tells you

:00:39. > :00:45.everything. How surprising is this situation? Ferry, but it is what

:00:45. > :00:50.can happen at the Crucible. Things can go wrong. Whilst it is the best

:00:50. > :00:55.feeling in the world when you play well here, it can also turn into

:00:55. > :01:01.the worst. As players, we feel for other players, because you know how

:01:01. > :01:05.hard it is. In the end, you don't even feel like it is your own are

:01:05. > :01:15.Mall cue out there. What is missing? What is the main problem

:01:15. > :01:15.

:01:15. > :01:22.for him? The pressure builds and builds. He just hasn't settled into

:01:22. > :01:26.the match. It is frustrating. With the footage we saw before the game,

:01:26. > :01:30.you practice all year for your moment at the World Championships,

:01:30. > :01:37.and you don't get off to a good start and you get frustrated. You

:01:37. > :01:41.get anxious, and it builds and builds. It is very tough. While the

:01:42. > :01:46.game is not a lucky game apart from the fact that there are flukes,

:01:46. > :01:50.there is a lot of luck in who gets the first couple of frames. You

:01:50. > :01:54.could argue that whoever gets those is off to a brilliant start and the

:01:55. > :01:58.other guy is on the back foot immediately. A couple of nudges can

:01:58. > :02:03.make all the difference. But if you are going to have a bad session, it

:02:03. > :02:08.is not a great idea to do it against somebody like Joe Perry,

:02:08. > :02:11.who is a quietly confident and underrated player. A very strong

:02:11. > :02:17.player, particularly in these situations. He is a steady player,

:02:17. > :02:23.and he knows not to let up. He will keep the pressure on. He will not

:02:23. > :02:33.play silly shots and try and open up the frame. He is keeping the

:02:33. > :02:33.

:02:33. > :02:39.pressure on Graeme Dott. He could win the match here and now. In his

:02:39. > :02:46.own eyes, he has three more frames. With two more of these, he is over

:02:46. > :02:50.the line. He could do the damage now. I was reading some things that

:02:50. > :02:54.Graeme Dott had been saying. Not that he would ever talk himself out

:02:54. > :02:58.of not playing well, but it surprised me when he said it would

:02:58. > :03:02.take a minor miracle to turn his form around. That did not bode well.

:03:02. > :03:08.And no, it does not exude confidence if you were reading into

:03:08. > :03:17.that. He has been playing as well as I have seen him play over the

:03:17. > :03:21.last couple of seasons. We know how brilliant a talent he is. He's very

:03:21. > :03:26.tough to beat. He has a good all round game. It is hard to see a

:03:26. > :03:33.player of his stature being so successful here and then being 6-0

:03:33. > :03:38.behind Joe Perry. A little while ago, he looked super-confident on

:03:38. > :03:45.the table. Form is such an elusive beast. Now it seems to have

:03:45. > :03:50.deserted him. He has done well for so many years, but it is so hard to

:03:50. > :04:00.keep doing that. He has a big job to get out of this whole he has dug

:04:00. > :04:03.

:04:03. > :04:07.Hazel, I agree wholeheartedly with you. When Graeme Dott says that it

:04:07. > :04:10.will take a minor miracle, that is not the sort of thing you should be

:04:10. > :04:14.saying. Your sports psychologist would tell you off for doing that.

:04:14. > :04:20.You have to be in the right frame of mind. I have never seen Graeme

:04:20. > :04:30.Dott play as poorly as this. Every credit to Joe Perry, but Graeme

:04:30. > :04:37.

:04:37. > :04:47.I think he just banged his cue, and I don't blame him, because it must

:04:47. > :04:49.

:04:49. > :04:56.be very frustrating for this very Maybe he needs that anger and

:04:56. > :05:02.frustration, because he has been subdued this afternoon. That is not

:05:03. > :05:07.a good emotion at the Crucible for someone like Graeme Dott. We keep

:05:07. > :05:12.talking about this match that isn't venue, and it holds something like

:05:12. > :05:21.970 people. It is an intimate venue. But when things are going like this,

:05:21. > :05:31.it is the loneliest place in the world for Graeme Dott. Nobody to

:05:31. > :05:35.help you out. You are all on your own. I suppose your opponent could

:05:35. > :05:45.help you out if he started missing a few, but Joe Perry will keep his

:05:45. > :05:46.

:05:46. > :05:56.foot on the pedal. His highest break was 51. He is doing what he

:05:56. > :06:00.needs to do. That was exactly the same shot that Graeme Dott missed

:06:00. > :06:10.in the early part of this match. And there was no reason for Joe to

:06:10. > :06:37.

:06:37. > :06:42.miss that. That was a bad shot. He This is not the sort of shot you

:06:42. > :06:49.want to be faced with, the way things are going. If he could knock

:06:49. > :06:52.this blue, it would be a confidence booster. He is a likeable man,

:06:52. > :07:00.Graeme Dott. No one wants to see this happen to a player at the

:07:00. > :07:07.Crucible. But he is drained of confidence at the moment. Where has

:07:07. > :07:17.that solid punchy cue action gone that we know? Not much can go wrong

:07:17. > :07:34.

:07:34. > :07:37.I think it has affected Joe. As the guys were saying in the studio, he

:07:37. > :07:47.is a solid and dependable player, but I think even he believed he

:07:47. > :08:05.

:08:05. > :08:10.would have to play better than this Graeme Dott just has to hang in

:08:10. > :08:15.there and hope he gets a chance and that something starts to happen. It

:08:16. > :08:25.is one of those matches where you have played six frames and feel

:08:26. > :08:33.

:08:33. > :08:43.He has not really created anything to get himself into that position.

:08:43. > :08:54.

:08:54. > :09:01.That is the problem. I have never That was a better safety shot.

:09:01. > :09:11.Covered a lot of the reds. Joe has done well in potting long balls in

:09:11. > :09:26.

:09:26. > :09:31.this match. Often when forced into That was not the one he played to

:09:31. > :09:41.hit. He played to hit the other one. But he would have to force it to

:09:41. > :09:53.

:09:53. > :09:59.Yes, I think he wanted to break the cue, and I don't blame him. Don't

:09:59. > :10:03.do it! He went to put the cue over his knee, which we know he did do

:10:03. > :10:07.once, but not in a match. He did it once before, and it changed his

:10:07. > :10:14.luck. He did it at a motorway service station on the way back

:10:14. > :10:18.from the match. Then he got a new cue and played brilliantly! But I

:10:18. > :10:22.think he needed a bit more time with the new cue than halfway

:10:22. > :10:32.through a frame at the Crucible. But the frustration is there for

:10:32. > :10:38.

:10:38. > :10:42.We know he was not confident at the start. But you hope you will play

:10:42. > :10:48.well, and you can become easily disappointed if you start to hit

:10:48. > :10:53.them so badly. You get dejected, and expectation levels go down even

:10:53. > :11:03.more. That contact sounded incredibly heavy. Two rocks being

:11:03. > :11:31.

:11:31. > :11:35.He has just got the pink to work It has gone silent in the Crucible

:11:35. > :11:45.all of a sudden. You always have the noise when there are two tables,

:11:45. > :12:02.

:12:02. > :12:07.but I think a lot of the audience I think Steve Davis summed it up

:12:07. > :12:17.about luck. If you do well in the first couple of frames, a nudge

:12:17. > :12:23.

:12:23. > :12:33.here and there can make all the As we keep saying, Joe Perry must

:12:33. > :12:47.

:12:47. > :12:57.Even when you have got your Looking good again to gentlemen Joe

:12:57. > :13:06.