Day 4, Part 2 Snooker: World Championship

Record crowds at the Crucible this year already, but she will really

struggled to get a seat today but to box-office smash hits on the

bill, Judd Trump and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Roddy's all-important

deciding final session against Peter Ebdon will be like this

afternoon -- Ronnie's. But real anticipation ahead of the returned

to the Crucible of Judd Trump. This is the youngster with an audacious

array of shots he where does all on route to the final last year and 12

months on, he returns as the reigning UK champion and the

bookies 5-1 favourite to land this I had a decent here last year. I

was just looking forward to getting out there, getting into the

out there, getting into the I think every snooker fan in the

country can't wait to see the appearance of Judd Trump. After the

way he played last year, he potted balls I have never seen anything

like it. I said at the tape -- at the time, this is the greatest

potter I have ever seen. He was only one shot away from going on to

defeat John Higgins last year, so everyone is looking forward to

seeing the potting machine. He has just been a breath of fresh air for

just been a breath of fresh air for the game, he really has. There is

no denying his ability and he is certainly going to be one who is

going to pull the crowds in. He has a tricky match with Dominic Dale,

Dominic Dale has been around and knows his way around a snooker

table and as we say about the Sikhs, there is always that extra pressure

and they can't take anything for granted -- about the seeds. It

would love that beloved to see the same Spik as last year. If he

doesn't play well and doesn't perform, that is good for me, but I

am prepared to play an informed Judd Trump. I have beaten him a

couple of times in previous years, although he is a different player

now. It will be tough but I am fully confident that I am good

enough to beat him. Dominic is probably one of the other

qualifiers to have one or two ranking events before, so one of

the tougher players but I have beaten him this season and over the

longer distance frames, I think I am a better player, so are we will

have the sea. -- we will have the sea.

Will Judd Trump pick up where he left off last year? You would

certainly expect so. He had a great run last year, a wonderful approach,

really Cavalier and he really entertained us all, he lit up the

World Championship. And then he continued that form in the UK

Championship just before Christmas by winning there. Now he is coming

here as the outright favourite to win this title and there is more

expectancy on him, so that at all pressure. It will be interesting to

see how he copes. Not ideal, a bit of food poisoning this morning, he

has to make sure he doesn't feel sorry for himself. If he doesn't

feel well, it is the worst game to play, particularly with your nerves

as well, but if you have a tummy upset, it is difficult to cope with

that. He is also coping with Dominic Dale, don't forget, and he

is a capable opponent. I know the bookies have got Judd Trump as 1-8-

windows, he is nowhere near that because Dominic Dale, a two-time

ranking winner, good all-round game and tactically very sad, he is a

handful for anybody on his day. That's very sad. They called him a

Spaceman but no way is he a My Space on the table. There is more

than just these two playing today. Let's see what else is coming up on

the show. Naughty but nice, Judd Trump's

brand of Spik has won a new generation of fans, but how well he

handle the new level of expectation that brand of snooker. Injured we

went further last year than any Any -- but Ding Junhui went further

than any Chinese player did last year. Graeme Dott normally saves

his best the the Crucible, we will find out against Joe Perry. And we

head down to the pub for serious quiz business between players and

pundits. And we are heading for live

coverage as Mr endurance, Peter Ebdon, aims to scrape his way back

into things, he is 7-2 behind against Ronnie O'Sullivan. It has

been quietly intense so far, it is all systems go for the Rocket so

far in that one. I had the pleasure of commentating

on the final session between Ronnie O'Sullivan and Peter Ebdon. Peter

has it all to do, can he come back? We will see.

We are about 1.5 hours away from life play here. Eight men have

already booked their passage to the second round and four of the seeded

players have gone home. The biggest casualty by far, the world No. 5

and former world champion, Shaun Murphy, a real surprise yesterday

when he was shown the Crucible exit door by a man who has only just

come through the entrance. The Jamie Jones, he can be quite

pleased with his first performance at the Crucible. He missed the red

Good pot. Shaun Murphy goes into a REFEREE: Foul, Jamie Jones, four.

unless he has been playing billiards Laity, it is a careless

Good shot on the last red from Jamie Jones. He cut the deficit but

Shaun Murphy Leeds 6-5. -- is How well did he hit that one? Super

Excellent shot. It was 7-5, it is now 7-7. Great shot by Jamie Jones.

Jamie Jones isn't turning anything He is now 9-7 in front. That is

Jamie Jones's lead is down at 21. What an excellent match and victory

for Jamie Jones. He goes through to for Jamie Jones. He goes through to

the last 16. The S, congratulations to Jamie

Jones, you were commentating Anstey, you were admiring it. Shaun Maffett

not out in the first round for something like 80 years -- Shaun

Murphy. What were the hallmarks of Jamie Jones's performance? He just

stuck in there and he really battled back. The occasion for a

debutant, he -- it didn't get to him, he seemed to relish the

challenge. Everything Shaun Murphy threw at him, he kept coming back

for more and he really enjoyed himself and expressed himself.

There were rescued which is at the end, as you would expect trying to

get over the line -- a few twitches, but the man that he himself was

impressive. How will Shaun Murphy reflect on that? Firstly, Jamie

Jones clinched it very well. He said in the press conference, he

has never known pressure like it and we all know what that is like

to get over the line in your first match, but he did very well in that

department. Many other players have collapsed in that situation, but I

was very impressed, as usual, with Shaun Murphy. The consumer

professional, he went into his press conference as was a complete

sportsman and a lesson to every player in the game. And I do know

the village near Neath was going bonkers. I am sure everybody there

will be well up for the next match for Jamie Jones, which will be

either Stephen Lee or John Higgins. And well played for the

sportsmanship from Shaun Murphy. Yesterday, we were also keeping you

up to date with that but one of the Other stories was the continuing

development in the story about Mark Allen and his comments about the

Chinese players. We had from Barry Hearn and we also told Jude

disciplinary proceedings will be forthcoming in the next 14 days.

The newspapers are all over this. Barry Hearn also mentioned the fact

that the double world champion Mark Williams has made disparaging

comments about the Crucible and he too will be up before a

disciplinary charge as well. Barry says there is a fine or a potential

suspension and he doesn't want to be doing it, it is a very good time

to be as they go by and not a good time to be an idiot, it is so

frustrating. -- to be a snooker player. That is strong stuff. Your

reaction to everything that is going on and what do you make of

Barry's comments? Burstall, to put the record straight, Mark Allen is

a lovely lad -- first of all. Everybody likes that he says what

he thinks and he is the character, but there is a line and

unfortunately as you can see from the amount of column inches it has

generated, he has overstepped the mark. With Mark, we know he likes

to say things and he doesn't care about the consequences but there

are consequences, that is Mark Williams. And the disciplinary

machinery will be rolling. It remains to be seen what the

outcomes are, but they are being taken very seriously. It is not

just obviously finds that are in the gift of the disciplinary

committee, might we be looking at other things more punitive? I don't

think finding these players will be hurting them that much that finding.

What I will say is that they could be looking at heavier punishments.

In Mark Allen's case, he has not only intact -- attacked the

integrity of his Chinese opponent but he has attacked most of the

Chinese players who on the circuit, and even the Chinese people when he

was in China, so that was very wrong. If I was someone close to

him, I would tell him to retract that state that immediately and

apologise, because -- that statement. We have five ranking

tournaments in China and he might not get visas for them. It is

serious consequences for Mark Allen and I am sure, as I said, I would

apologise if I was him immediately. This story continues to bubble

under and indeed, bobble over. That is the situation on that one, but

what about the current situation of the draw? This is the up-to-date

After surviving a decider, John After surviving a decider, John

Higgins will now face fellow Scot Stephen Hendry for the first time

ever at the Crucible. Graeme Dott and Joe Perry get going this

afternoon and the winner will face Stephen Maguire, who banished Luca

Brecel. The bigger shocks so far, Jamie Jones ousting firmer

Champneys -- former champion Shaun Maffett. Stephen Lee is one behind

against Higginson. Ali Carter and Mark Davis had a Wednesday evening

date. The return of Judd Trump eagerly-awaited by us and Dominic

Dale. Mark Williams in trouble over his comments about the Crucible

his comments about the Crucible place tomorrow. Reilly as an event

with a five frame advantage over Peter Ebdon. Martin Gould losing

to... Ding Junhui got going this morning and the winner will play

the conqueror of Mark Allen, Cao Yupeng. Matthew Stevens beat Marco

Fu last night. And a few more hours to wait for the world No. 1 Mark

to wait for the world No. 1 Mark Selby, who is facing Barry Hawkins.

Dominic Bell and Judd Trump will get us going to borrow. Dominic

Dale, but so called Spaceman, is one of the game's eccentric, but he

is no mud at the table. A winner of two world ranking titles. But his

record at Sheffield is nothing to write home about, a fact he has

never been past the first round since 2000, 12 years ago. That was

when he went to the quarter-finals. Everybody loves him in the game and

this is what his colleagues think of this basement.

The Spaceman, he is a great player, he knows a lot about things and he

is a good laugh as well. He has won two ranking tournaments, he

probably should have done better. He seems to do well for a couple of

seasons and then goes off the boil but a great player. He has had

those two days in the sun and come away with a trophy and beat

everyone. If he gets in amongst the balls, he is just as quick as Tony

Drago or maybe even Ronnie O'Sullivan. What of the most

skilled players we have got on tour. He should have been an opera singer.

He is as mad as they come, I like the lad. I haven't got any word I

can say about him. Just strange. Dominic Dale is a very talented

player. On his day, he can beat anybody.

I think Mark Williams got it exactly right, he is just Dominic,

a one-off. He has added that Judd a one-off. He has added that Judd

Trump once in the UK Championship in York at the tail-end of last

year. He lost the opening round and then Judd Trump went on to win the

title and now they meet again in the first round again and Judd

Trump will be hoping that is a good omen. At 10 am, they were given the

big intro by Rob Walker. And here on table number one, please welcome

the player making his 7th appearance at the Crucible. This is

his 21st year as a pro, would of two ranking event titles -- titles,

a quarter-finalist here 12 years ago, here comes the Spaceman,

Nige June. And finally, a player who has been at afresh -- a breath

of fresh air. His run to the final last year won him an army of new

fans, the Chinese Open champion last season, the UK Open champion

this season. Here he is with this new brand of naughty snooker, the

APPLAUSE. The first time the Crucible has

echoed to the sound of classical music. We understand that Judd

Trump is not feeling too great before he made his way out into the

arena, we are not sure of the exact nature of the discomfort, we think

it is food poisoning, but how will that affect them? Let's get into

frame one, it is Judd Trump leading by 57 points-37, and John Virgo and

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

shots on Ms brown but we may not be He is nicely on the blue, he will

automatically be on the pink and when he leaves himself on the pink,

does he leave himself with a chance of bringing the black away from the

Commission? I think that will be his first port, may be rather than

a potting the black from where it He is not going to disturb the

black from where he left the cue ball. I am surprised, I thought he

would leave himself figure. -- It's the choice between dropping

this end and leaving yourself bop The way he is looking, it is as if

he's going to leave himself a He is on the black in every sense

of the word. It was a good line, but not enough pace in the cue ball.

So this first frame, which is now in its 40th minute, still well and

He is up against one of the great potters in the game, Judd Trump,

who is not be in the top of the morning, but he left didn't

anything, I would be surprised if he spotted it in. -- if he left him

He made it easy for him there, considering Dominic was so close to

the black, not to find the baulk cushion is unforgivable. He has

made it so easy for Judd Trump to It is not a straightforward safety,

Does it stop in the middle of the cushion or does it run over the

The problem with this is it did get into the jaws slightly, it may lead

the chance of a pot, and that is what has happened -- if it. So far,

Judd Trump has not been knocking this kind of shot in. This for the

Where is the cue ball? A long way This is not actually that easy.

This is right in between the middle It is their! Back there! After a

very protracted first frame, getting into the first -- 42nd

minute, Dominic Dale takes it. Judd Trump under the weather and he will

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

under early pressure, every time he gets back to his seat, Judd Trump

seems to puff his cheek said, obviously not feeling very well. --

cheeks out. Let's see if things improve for him both in his health

He got the second part of the shot, He has not won in and that was a

terrific start up. -- he has not The one thing about that first

frame, even though Judd Trump didn't win, he had plenty of table

time to get used to the pace of the table and get your cue on going. --

This is the kind of start to a frame that did would have liked. --

With the red being pushed down the table, he could go into the pack,

knowing he will be safely on that Playing it right handed. The reds

are all in the middle of the table but they are tightly grouped up.

There are a couple that will pop to The bottom one, I think goes as

well, which is handy. I just had a look at his body language, he may

have just run a bit far for that bottom red. He is still on a red,

but I did think he can play a red that will get him on the black. He

just ran a fraction too far, it was the end red, on the extreme right,

that he was looking for but he will have to bite the bullet and play up

for blue or pink. They point trying to take a risk trying to get a

maximum, -- no point. Frames are I think you are right, especially

as we have already had one, so it is not so relevant, sharing the

break prize at this stage. Absolutely right, got to win the

Oh, no. That will not make him feel any better, despite the fact that

the yellow has snookered Dominic on most of the reds. Another puff of

I think he just ain't too low on it, as simple as that. Occasionally,

there will be something wrong with the player's tip, but Dominic has

just got to find the edge of these Judd Trump was a bit unlucky, he

was so close to being on that bottom red on that break. There

would have been a big buyers if he could have got a maximum, liven him

Merely a good safety shop, but there is the chance of a pot for

He didn't get the pot, but he will be happy with the way the reds have

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

Now, can Dominic knock this read into the right corner? He doesn't

have to do a lot with the cue ball A half chance, you would expect him

to knock that in. If he is going to get anything out of this match...

As it turns out, he doesn't seem to have left anything easy for his

A better than nothing shot, maybe that was all that was there. At red

up the table is a problem, so the onus is on Dominic to do something

to attack the situation, being so A very experienced player, of

course, Dominic. He goes his way around the snooker table. -- he

knows. And I think if it came to the tactical side of it, you would

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favour him slightly more than Judd He played a terrific match against

Ronnie O'Sullivan in which he won three frames in a row in 90 minutes.

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He is rapid when he's fluent, but This will settle him down. He is

walking around the table pretty Dominic took frame three, and now

we are into the last frame before the interval. Trumper's ahead by 32

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This will be a very good shot, to That was a heavy contact. I don't

think it has affected the position. Decent chance, this. The more frame

Stuart loses, the worst he will be feeling. -- the more frames Judd

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REFEREE: Can you keep the noise He played the red and the pink, not

just the pink. That is the problem. Yes, he will be disappointed with

that. That was a good chance. These two reds could be made into a plant,

but it would be a risky one to take He played it well. Double kiss on

the pink. It is not too bad. I thought he might have been looking

at the blue, but he must feel he has got the angle of the yellow to

get round about where the pink He should be pleased with where he

has finished. He played the yellow He is going about this clearance in

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He is just beginning to gain a bit Too early to say if we are in for a

shock in this match. But Dominic has taken advantage of the

Dominic Dale has the advantage so far. He leads Judd Trump 3-1.

Well, a pretty unhappy opening part of that session from Judd Trump's

perspective. He did not look, in terms of his health, well. I am not

sure whether Dominic Dale knew that Judd was struggling. If he did, he

would be happy to be 3-1 in front. But I did bump into Dominic

straight after that as he came into the practice room, and he said the

table was playing very heavy. Difficult to screw the balls back

and difficult to hold balls for soft stun shots. You may get a few

comments on the table by the end of tonight's play. It has certainly

been very wet here. Tell me about what it is like to play at the

Crucible when you are not feeling great. I have not played at the

Crucible while not feeling great, but if you have a tummy upset or

some sort of fever, it is difficult to concentrate. You feel a bit weak

as well walking around the table. It is difficult. Your concentration

has to be spot-on. Judd Trump has missed a lot if uncharacteristic,

easy pots for him. When you are feeling unwell, it does affect you.

You just have to grit your teeth and get on with it. We were looking

back through the archives, and we told you earlier that Dominic had

played Judd only once before in the UK Championship in December. Those

of you who were with us then might remember that Dominic had a 4-2

lead in it and looked very good, until frame seven and the most

outrageous couple of slices of luck put Judd Trump back in that match

Surely he is not going to fluke the red? That might be a huge turning

point in this match. That was reckless. Surely that pink is not

going into the middle pocket? You Dominic was going out at that point,

because it turned the match around. But for that fluke on the pink

particularly, Dominic would have had a 5-2 lead. He could have been

out but for those couple of flukes. You have to feel sorry for Dominic.

His face was going as red as the back of his waistcoat. It is so

frustrating when the players fluke balls like that. There is nothing

you can do. This is the toughest thing about our sport. It has a lot

of beauties, but when you are sitting in the chair, there is

nothing you can do when the other player is at the table.

championships are won and lost by such tiny margins. Judd Trump will

get a few more flukes, because he hits the ball harder than other

players. But it is not so much the fluke as what you do afterwards. If

you are efficient enough, you can really make the DI squirm in his

chair. He did make him suffer. But Judge has been suffering. How did

they go after the mid- session interval? Judd recovered his

composure a bit. We rejoin them now That was not the best of safety

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It is the kind of chance he has He wanted to clear the black spot.

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He's struggling to get the top side I thought that would be a difficult

shot to control. He has done nothing. The obvious shot was to

play the cannon. But he got too much stun in it. That is why he

missed it. But he may be fortunate here. I think he can get through to

the pink to the left middle. That is the most obvious shot. If he

avoids a kiss on the yellow or brown, the cue ball should come

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This looks pretty good to me. That was absolutely inch perfect.

Brendan more just checking whether the pink spot is available. It is

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That could have been worse. The cue Too much cannon. And too many

mistakes. He is getting so many chances. He will be disappointed

not to have taken them. OK, he may have had a kick that just stopped

the cue ball, but he could have The kick made no difference. He

just took his eye off it. It was That has worked out absolutely

perfectly. I don't think he will be When you try to bring a red into

play when potting a red, you never Not a lot difficult about this

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chance. He is still behind in the Just a bit short of pace on the

blue, so it is not straight forward He managed it. By playing it with

that extra screw, I don't think he He has just about held it. That is

First time you can say that he has started to play a good passage of

snooker in the last half a frame. That was a very telling clearance.

Judd Trump, showing real steel and But then Judd Trump watched as

Dominic knocked in a break of 68 in the next. So the Welshman is in

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front as we go into the penultimate He may have a shot on the red by

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the black. He can get to that. He What sort of angle has he left on

this? He has gone a bit too The pink has separated slightly

from the reds, but you wouldn't want to hit these too hard. That is

a shame. It was such a struggle until now. He could have hit them a

He was tempted by it. And if he had got it, it would have been a frame

winner, because he was perfect on the pink. He has covered the red to

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The shot that Judd took on was a low percentage and dangerous and

could still cost him the frame. Nothing is easy for Dominic but if

he could play that one shot, what was there for Judd Trump could then

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

through for the red. -- I don't If he tried to just fitted in with

a trace of side, there is a danger you could catch the left-hander red

Not a nice shot. An error of judgment, because he was nicely on

Judd, I think, got away with one at there. You would have to say, in

all honesty, Dominic spurned a very 5-3 would have been a really big

advantage with one more frame to play in the session. He still may

get there but he is a few behind. Judd Trump looking like he is

killing a little better. -- cueing Not so bad. Hampered on the red by

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Judd didn't catch it quite right. I have to say, he hasn't left much. I

think he can just get past the blue, Not a very convincing safety shot

Screwed back to the baulk end. Now, this red that Dominic couldn't get

it through to, to the right corner, Judd can certainly get through to

it and it is one of those that it your potted, GE will automatically

be on the black. -- If you potted, you will automatically be on the

Tremendous pot. Absolutely superb. It was a natural to come on to the

black but it needed potting. That is his trademark, such a good

potter, one of the best I have seen it from long range. -- seen from

You would like to think he would go on and clinch it now, 48 points in

That makes 53, so just a red and a highest value car that is all he

He has played a little better in the last few frames. He was ready

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Dominic concede the frame. -- concedes the frame. One more in the

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JOHN VIRGO: Dominic Dale gets the final session of this frame -- the

final frame of this session under way. Some great balls potted, so

Mrs, it has all added to the excitement, this is the Crucible,

The best long lap pot he has done Does that blue come into a longer

pot? I will have to have a word with beast that man. -- with the

I suppose the other thing is that he has always been behind and if he

could win this frame and beat in the lead, he would be delighted.

That be in the lead. Dominic has In many ways, he has been the

better player of the two, the You can think of to maybe three

frames he could have won up until now that he has lost -- two may be

There is a bit more fluency about his game. A tremendous red to get

The reds are very tightly grouped, so it will be a good shot to break

This could be the one. Yes, I think it is time to try and go into the

cluster but it is difficult to get He will settle for that, he has

knocked three reds into play and has a nice easy red to continue the

break. Every credit to the young man, it is always difficult when

you are under the weather, it is easy to feel sorry for yourself and

think, how can this happen to me when I have put in all of this hard

work? Trying to go one better than last year and win this great

championship. But fair play to him, a little bit of help from his

opponent, I have got to say that, but he has stuck at it and as you

say, as the morning session has gone on, he has started to hit the

ball better and better. So every It is something you don't think you

are going to have to contend with. The reason she did play well are

generally your cue action is wrong or you are out of form -- the

He is not over the line yet, though. Yes, it was just a little shot

where he was trying to hold for the red to the left middle. But at this

level, we always say you cannot afford to Mr blacks off the spot.

And that is what he has done. -- He is going to have become cushion

What you believe it? It looked impossible to miss. -- would you

believe it. I am wondering whether he had to swerve it slightly. He

could have got nearer to the red, that is the clue. Absolutely, he

was well away from the red. Just misjudged it completely. He has not

let anything easy, but from Judd Trump's point of view, he will be

glad to see that the black didn't When we say he could have got

closer to the red, he could have got more into the cushion and

He has not let anything easy for Judd but I would just be pleased I

I think the red that Dominic potted So close, but unless that cue ball

bouncers, that chance Dominic Dale is looking for has arrived --

It doesn't look like the red will pass the black easily. He has got

to play a slightly difficult one to Just this red to leave Dominic Dale

needing snookers. In it goes, and he will be mightily relieved and as

I say, every credit to the young man. Ever since he lost in the

final last year to John Higgins, his mind will be on getting back to

the Crucible and producing that To arrive here this morning under

the weather, he will be very pleased with the outcome of these

And in the good parts of his game, he looks to be hitting the ball

beautifully. It has not been vintage, but as I say, under the

circumstances, just to begin their and eke out the result -- begin,

He will take a one-frame advantage into that final session tomorrow

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Time to play a little bit off, as The balls are taking a bit about

bashing at the moment. -- of a bashing. It is like Wimbledon, a

He's played the double! And he got APPLAUSE.

What as session. Dominic Dale will be disappointed, he had plenty of

chances, but every credit to Judd Trump. He came out under the

weather but he will be pleased with the final scoreline, he takes a

one-frame advantage to that second session tomorrow afternoon, well

played. HAZEL IRVINE: Well-paid indeed and

a bit of flamboyance to finish things off. You have got to say,

that is a terrific comeback, obviously not feeling great. I am

sure he will be very pleased, he will be coming out of that match in

front. There were two or three frames that Dominic Dale could have

easily have won and had a substantial lead going into the

second session but in fairness to Judd Trump, he stuck in there and

played through the pain barrier and goes in with a lead. He seemed to

get better, he looked a bit better, that he looked peaky at the start

but he looks like he was coming back to form at the end. His body

may have recovered a bid from anything early and it did show, I

thought, he showed composure and that will have helped, a lot of

resolve as they said in the studio. He had a sachet of resolve! And the

rest of the day and a good night's sleep, most of -- importantly.

think Dominic may have missed a trick, if he knew or not, we don't

know. Sometimes those frames that she should have won, it will eat at

you and you think that you should have won them and you have thrown

them a lifeline and at the end of the match, it comes back to haunt

you. They will finish tomorrow afternoon and we will be live for

that. There is a major championship running concurrently with the one

that is going on at the Crucible here in Sheffield over the next

couple of weeks, specifically this week. Only this one features some

of the best athletes in their game and an MC called Speed Ian, it is a

high quality affair. It takes place at a local pub and there is any one

of point between the teams. -- only This is round two, Cristobal cue

reels. Odd little facts. -- Crucible. When was the ladies'

final last held at the Crucible? It was 2003. Anyone get it right?

No. 2... Who has played in the most successive quarter-finals at the

Crucible, having appeared in 12 of from 1984 onwards? The most

It was Jimmy White. Yes? No?

No. 3... Who has won the most successive

first-round matches at the Crucible? It is 14, from 1983 up to

1996. The most successive first- round matches. How do you spell

your second name, Denis? It was Terry Griffiths.

No. 4, what is the farthest progression the Crucible

championship without meeting a top 16 apartment? What is the farthest

somebody has got in the Crucible championship without meeting a top

16 a potent? I will tell you, he got to the

final in 2006 without meeting a top Got to be Graeme Dott. Graeme Dott,

you are saying? Peter Ebdon. Close. No. 5, in the 1980s, name

when the top two seeds have reached the final. There was only one

occasion in the 1980s. Who were they and what was the

year? Say that again? In the 1980s, the top two seeds reached the final.

Who were the players and what was It was 1987, the two players were?

Steve Davis and Joe Johnson, in the final. Were they One and Two?

because he was the reigning champion. We missed that one.

Another Steve Davis question! Number six... When was the last

time the top four all reached the semi-finals? Have you got any ones

on sport? Can they have the decade to give us a hand? I can even give

you the here, I want the players. The year was 1990, I would like the

The four top seeded players of 1990? One of those was John Parrott.

He was very good then. Stephen Hendry. Jimmy White and the other

one? Steve Davis? It was Steve Davis!

No. 7. Who has made the most appearances at the Crucible as a

qualifier, with nine appearances? Who has appeared nine times as a

Was it Ken Doherty? No. Was it Steve Davis? No. Was it Dennis

Taylor? Dived. Was it John Parrott? Yes. Nine times. And he got it

wrong! I thought it was him. I thought it was cue. -- I thought it

was you. No. 8, who has made the most appearances at the Crucible

without winning a single match? Rex Williams was one of them, he was

the other? It sounds a bit like Cliff Morgan, but with a different

surname. Thank you. What was the question? Just right then Cliff

Wilson. All we need here is a quiz master!

Number nine. What is the name of the player who holds the record at

the Crucible for the most unanswered frames in the match, in

2003, 13 frames on the bounce? He was it? -- who was it?

It was Mark Williams. A we got that. -- we got that. And finally, Number

Ten... Which world champion from the 1980s has a surname that has

two things you can do with food? Which 1980s world champion snooker

player has a surname that has two That is bizarre. You lot might do

more of the second than the first. Well done. That is said, command. -

- that is it, come on. These guys are ready. Cliff Thorburn. Who got

it right? We did. If they spelled it wrong, it is wrong. The DJs are

scored eight, potting them on 15. And ahead with 20, the good, the

Bad And the ugly. Nip and tuck, we will see how we do

later. It really is close between the DJs

and indeed, the good of the Bad And the ugly. Ken Doherty is clearly

the good in that trio. If you are dashing around at work or busy with

the kids and you don't have time to sit down and enjoy the live

coverage that is coming up shortly, we do understand and there are

loads of ways for you to catch up in events on your own time of the

BBC. It is April, it is Sheffield and the eyes of the snooker world

are at the Crucible. Top-class action every step of the way with

packed crowd but don't worry if you have been busy, there are plenty of

ways to keep up to date with this year's World Championship. If you

don't want to miss a single ball, click the red button on your remote

control. We are also online, light streaming from both tables is

available on the website. The BBC iPlayer allows you to

download or view the action on demand.

We are also on Twitter. Access news and views or ask us what you would

like to know. Or simply listen to Radio 5 Live for all of the regular

updates. "Another day of unique Crucible drama here, on BBC Radio 5

Live and". Of for the first time here in Sheffield, the very best

pictures of the very best players because if you have the BBC H D

channel, you can watch all of the morning sessions live. And if all

of that hasn't got you too busy with anticipation, you can join the

every week died from 6pm on the red button for the best of the day's

action -- every week night. Thank you, so we are all set for the

second instalment of the Ronnie O'Sullivan and Peter Ebdon match

this afternoon and events yesterday surprised many others, who had

expected a really close contest, but Peter Ebdon failed to take many

of his chances and after the opening session, Ronnie had

established a fair bit of breathing established a fair bit of breathing

DENNIS TAYLOR: Breaking off in this opening frame left-handed. It

really is going to be fascinating Who would have thought that the

start of this match we would have a we spotted black in the opening

frame? JOHN VIRGO: The first frame, the

black being spotted a game, that could have been the game changed. -

- again. DENNIS TAYLOR: He cuts a fantastic

black into the corner pocket, what an exciting opening frame.

Peter won the next frame and then he started to miss.

I just felt at one stage that he could have just taken stock of the

situation, look at the way Ronnie was playing. That was a bit

careless. I didn't think Ronnie was cueing well at all, I was wondering

whether he had a new top -- take on. Every time he played the side, he

was wide of the target. Ronnie looked very edgy at the start and

would have been pleased to have Peter had plenty of chances. He

He played that beautifully. Ronnie of southern Pinter's the frame. --

Ronnie O'Sullivan pinches the frame. Tomorrow is another day. Winning

this frame at least gives Peter some sort of chance. It will be

very difficult to see Peter coming back. Just the style of play and

the fact he has missed a few balls. Simmering underneath that, Ronnie

was cueing quite well. I am certain he will get enough chances to win

the frames he needs. I do not think any of us will ever forget that

Peter was 8-2 behind in the quarter-finals against Ronnie

several years ago, and came back. But it is a big ask? It is. But if

a any player can do it, he can do it. He will relish the task. Maybe

the hype about the first round match got to Peter a little better,

more than it did too Ronnie. Both players were very edgy. There were

chances for both players. If any player can come back, it is

definitely Peter. He must win at least three of the first four

friends. Even if he wins three, it is still only 8-5. He has got to

keep O'Sullivan at eight for as long as possible. It is very

difficult. You were commentating on events on the other side of the

arena. You are keeping an eye on the this matter. What did you make

of what Ronnie was doing? The first frame was very important for Ronnie.

He looked very edgy. Probably as edgy as I have ever seen him.

Missing a lot of very easy shot for someone of his standard.

Particularly when he was using a bit of side, it looked like he may

have had an UK on. He was taught the art of sorts. He has to improve.

If he does get through Peter Ebdon, he has to improve his game if he is

to have a chance of going further. We will soon see what will happen.

Steve, what do the guys think of the prospect of this match? I am

with two legends, Willie Thorne and John Parrett. If you look at the

score line, you would think that Ronnie O'Sullivan handled the

session better than Peter Ebdon. But it was not conclusive? No. 21

shot on the black ball before O'Sullivan got it. That may have

had a big bearing on the session. Peter admitted it was not a great

day. He is looking forward to today. If any is stubborn enough to put up

a resistance, it is at the end. start of every session is important.

He has to get off to a good start? Ken has hit the nail on the head,

he needs to win three out of the first four frames. Peter should

take solace from the fact he has just won at tournament. He is

somewhere near back to what he was a few years ago. A Ronnie

O'Sullivan must be happy with how yesterday went? I do not know if he

has got and U Q. Obviously you will be nervous. I think Ronnie did what

he had to do. He played well enough to win the session 7-2. Now over to

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. What an array of snooker talent we

have waiting in the wings. And what a rocking atmosphere we have in the

Crucible. Sit back, relax and enjoy some world-class snooker. Please

welcome first of all, a player making his 11th appearance at the

Crucible. In 2008, he reached the semi-finals. The gentleman, Joe

And his opponent, a player who produces his best at the Crucible.

He won a dramatic final to take the title in 2006. Also at China Open

champion, Graeme Dott! MUSIC: "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes To

And here on table number two, please welcome a player won his 9th

ranking event title at the China Open this month. Twice runner-up at

the Crucible, he took the big one in 2002. He will give it absolutely

everything this afternoon, Peter And his opponent, a genius with a

cue in his hand. Winner of 23 ranking event titles. He first

appeared here in 1993. Earlier this season he showed he still has got

the magic, winning the German Masters. Blink and you will miss

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

A surge of energy in the crowd. The Jo paris mack chicken see on the

red button and online. We are greatest equip this match. Back to

Good afternoon. Peter Ebdon will have to win this opening session or

just to stay in this matter. Tutu is not really any good. All to play

The cue ball has not gone behind the brown. Already a chance for

Ronnie. Sporting a new hairstyle today, Ronnie. Different to

A mobile-phone going off. That was yesterday's hairstyle. Quite

amazing, total change. I wish I That was an excellent shot. He

would have to play another one. -- Peter has a choice of red smack --

It needed a little more top spin. Difficult to judge. But always

better to err on the side of It is amazing how well Peter Ebdon

has played in the last couple of months, having been several years

This is an excellent chance. He played some wonderful snooker in

China, his first ranking event for some time. He has beaten Ronnie 11

times out of 31 times that they have played. Not many people have

got that kind of record against Ronnie of Solomon. -- Ronnie

Pretty decent safety. He has left Peter a chance on the right hand

The green is perfect. Great shot. He does not have to worry about the

red to the left of the black at the He decided to play for the red in

the middle, which is a strange shot. I think he tried to play for the

one on the right hand side cushion. Slightly overdid it. Might have

been closer to the cushion with the cue ball. Peter knows it is going

to be pretty difficult to make a break around the black spot away

He did well. Screw shops are very hard to play. You have got to hit

as low as you can and push through the cue ball. We will show you how

Look as low as you can. Look how much it spins. That is the screw

shot played to perfection. Meanwhile, he has played an

excellent positional shot back. -- shot. This opens it up. That red is

It might have come across the table another six inches the there. You

still fancy him popping this. But he has to negotiate the gap between

Just lost the cue ball slightly. Decided to play a little stun. If

Peter is going to have a say today, he needs to score very heavily of

these kind of chances. -- from He has got to be a little careful

1 C has missed the black, he has to consider how fortunate he is to

have got the cue ball at the other end of the table. -- once he has

missed. When you play a screw shot, the white pushes through a little

bit before it takes. Ronnie is yet to find the pace of the table this

afternoon. That was a very poor safety shot. Already in this frame,

this is the third chance for Peter. The way these balls are spread,

this is a very good chance. One could meet range pot should give

him a very good chance indeed. -- He made a couple of good breaks

late in the session yesterday. Unfortunately for him, he only won

one of the friends. -- frames. I do not think we have ever seen a more

determined look on a snooker player than we from Peter Ebdon. -- than

we have. I'll always remember a great comment he made late one

night in a bar or, when he said, I can put up with people being better

than the ability Wise, but I cannot put up with people being better

than me mentally. What a great attitude. He is not the best

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

That was not particularly well played. He has left himself the red

into the corner pocket. There is a lot more pressure on that. As I say,

you would still fancy him to pop this. He has just put himself under

a bit more pressure. Yes, it helps Why would he play at shot to

nothing? Why not just stun it in for the pink? It is like a black

off the spot when you were that close to it. Luckily for him, it

Peter cannot complain. Three times he has been in, in this frame

already. I do not know why he was playing in front of the both area.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

He has got to score to get back This is the kind of shot that

Ronnie is normally quite good at. These are really tough. Good job he

played it slowly. A bit harder and he would have missed. Yes, I do

think that is one of the shot that has improved immensely over the

years. Nobody seems to miss those. And they are very difficult. The

red on the left-hand side looks to be the only problem. When you're as

good left-handed as O'Sullivan, it is not a problem. The scoreboard

will tell him that he is obviously going to need that red. Sometimes

you have to take that chance. If you get a perfect position, play

for the difficult one first. It has not gone right this time. Once

again, makes it looks a very easy. To get through the ball with such

little space and generate the spin that he does, that is a great asset.

Peter Ebdon will be kicking himself, John. Absolutely no doubt about

that. Two chances against O'Sullivan would be a bonus, but

three... It does not look good for Another sizable break from Ronnie

O'Sullivan. He has made this little clearance look exceptionally easy.

Last the final frame of the first session to take a 7-2 lead. -- won.

He trailed by 40 points and he clears with 80 and he goes further

Just not the start that Peter Ebdon would have wanted. He had a couple

of bites at that, Steve? Yes. From Peter's point of view, you would

like to have gotten over the line as quickly as possible. You do not

give Ronnie too many chances before he is in his stride. Ronnie

O'Sullivan yesterday gave Peter a lot of chances. He gave him another

few chances there. These are the kind of frames that Peter has to

take advantage of. He went for a red of their, and I do not know why

he played it so hard. He could have stunt this to the pink. If he is in

a positive frame of mind, in practice, you do not even think

about those shots. It would have given himself a nice boost. He

played this with the hint of safety in mind. Actually it has worked at

worse for him. The frame was over. He has to be a little bit more

positive and take the ball by the horns when he gets a chance. Peter

wanted to make a positive start to get himself back into this matter.

He now finds himself perhaps Ali two frames away from going home. --

Armley. What can he do about it It is getting to the point almost

of no return. Shots like that will help. Excellent cueing. And he

managed to hold the cue ball. Great shot. Yes, it was an excellent pot.

Peter needs the black into play as quickly as possible. There may be a

little bit of mileage here in opening the pack. Clerisy Chansa

red could move the black into play as well. -- there is a chance. I

would play for the two reds. He was unlucky there. But what he has done

is freed the pink spot. He could It was nice to see Peter on the way

into the auditorium today with his 19 year-old daughter Clarissa. It

was nice to see. You may remember her when he won. It is amazing how

The match just passing the three hour mark. Peter plays his best

snooker when he is playing at a quicker pace than he has done in

this match so far. If you're going to play with fluency, surely you

have to be around 20 seconds? sometimes you can be so exact that

you stop your own rhythm. Peter is in the mould of trying not to make

a mistake at the moment. That can detract from your on play. He is

not over least low. But she would like to see him to be a little bit

quicker. His shot time was Dannatt 20 seconds when he played a recent

tournament. -- was down at. He said he loved to play at that pays board

he struggles to keep it down to 20 seconds. He had a lot of complaints

when he beat Ronnie a sudden here a few years ago, taking a little bit

longer. -- Ronnie O'Sullivan. Why should he play the pace that Ronnie

wants to play? There are two people on the table. If Ronnie does not

like it, he should try to get Peter Probably requires a little cannon

here. There is position for one red he compiled but he may need to move

a few of them about. -- he can play That red he has pushed into the

other red means they can still be a plant in the other corner, so he

doesn't have to play a cannon at the moment. Can he score enough

You mentioned that the black was tied up but there's nothing in the

rules that say you can't make a I had the pleasure of commentating

on the first session of the match this morning between Ding Junhui

and Ryan Day and every time Ding Junhui broke off, where the reds

are now, that is what happened, and every time Ryan Day LOCOG, the

But Ronnie O'Sullivan, being one of the greatest break-builders of all

time, will never want the black been saved. I remember when Doug

Mountjoy broke off, one went to the top cushion, one went to the side

and they both came back to the same place, it was like he had never

broken off. That is the beauty of the game, there are never two

He won't be playing to move the black get here, it is too risky. --

Answers on a postcard what he played there, because I can't

imagine what he played. At that pace, there is nothing that could

develop the black. I think he was trying to put a bit of check side

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

of, lead himself on the black, but We have the chance to show you on

Hawkeye what Peter was trying to do and I would like to see that. He

would have to have sprung up the black away. I suppose the black was

Excellent pace on the cue ball, which makes this safety shot much

Has he missed the baulk colours? You would think that brown is about

3 ft wide. There is a certain gentleman sitting in the studio

this afternoon who, when he was in his pomp, never hit a baulk colour.

He has got ginger hair. Although head there. He was absolutely

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

Had to be careful, and it is an excellent shop. -- shot. Ronnie

O'Sullivan appreciated that shop. He was playing with so much side,

it is easy to play it fig. -- a The same can be said about that

shot, back was the very difficult Look at this work. This was

beautifully played. Peter's shot was excellent and Ronnie

O'Sullivan's has trumpeted. -- You sit in your chair and you think

you have played one of your best shops and the next time you go back,

He has got to try and a drop on this red on the right-hand side,

He has put the red in a pottable position, depending on the angle he

has. Ronnie always likes to play to It was a tricky one to play. It is

a very difficult pocket. I'm just wondering whether he has got away

with it. The red has come out and Peter can play a very thin shot and

try and rest on the brown, if he Still the same equation, just

trying to rest on the brand to make the killing awkward. -- on the

I don't think I have ever seen a game with so many sets of balls

That was a good enough shot, he was in trouble there. Peter has got the

same shot he played a little Very difficult to play. Playing

with that much left hand side, it is very easy to hit them thick.

Nothing is on and Pete Happe plays with a very big tip on the end of

his cue. But Peter place. -- Peter plays. I used to play with an

overhanging tip and you can get too He has played it nicely, though. It

is always in your Arlyne -- eyeliner. It is amazing how it

makes a safety shot easier when you When he puts it mind to it, Roddick,

you have got a job trapping him. Ronnie. We know how good he is a

monster the balls and break- building, but when he applies

himself to a safety, he is as good as anybody. Peter has to bite the

bullet and roll up to the three I'm not too sure whether the

browned moved there. I was looking We will give him the benefit of the

The referee was right on top of it and he doesn't miss too much, an

That is the problem with playing Top Spin when the ball is near the

pocket. But he can bring a few That is exactly what he played. I

doff my cap, a young man. -- young You don't get too many of them to

When Ronnie O'Sullivan had the pleasure of working with six-time

world champion Ray Reardon, he got him to enjoy his safety. Today, I

think he is enjoying the safety. Yes, he is looking at the problems

in front of him and trying to solve them. He has certainly given Peter

REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Ronnie No real value in Ronnie taking it

on there. Might as well just put Peter back in and see if he can get

Yes, a 40 point lead at the moment where the balls are is massive, so

he doesn't want to give too many With where the balls are, you can't

afford to give many. Away. And that lead is quite substantial. -- Many

Well done. A couple of situs to see where it was but he eventually got

He has decided to do the green at this time. But this is pottable and

Peter has to take it on, the only problem is he Makis the pink on the

Unfortunate, it has covered the one Just wondering if that red over the

middle is a certainty, or if it is too tight to the cushion. Ronnie is

looking to see whether it is possible to bring the black into

He tried to avoid the kiss on the yellow. There is a shot on here,

though, he could bring the three Good news and bad news in Bath shot.

He missed the blue but could that he missed the cannon on the three

That was a tough pot. Still a big favour, though, even though the

They have been desperate to get the black into play but he has given

Peter a chance here. It is not easy, but it is tempting. It may be one

of those shot way you have left to chance but it may end up bringing

you the frame, it could go either It has dived to the left hand

cushion. Peter is amazed. We saw that on the camera, it was in when

he hit it and it suddenly took a complete guide to the left. Peter

It is all happening here at the minute! We have seen that quite a

lot in this championship already, balls jumping off the table, but

how that has managed it, I don't know. At that speed, it shouldn't

happen, should it? It is a shame, because these tables have been

He may have caught the jaws first, but it should not have come off the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

looked, slightly hampered by the Having a look at the scoreboard

will help Peter. The two reds are safe and he needs a pink put him 43

brown, so he now needs another red. He will do well to get on a red

here. He can come down and leave the double, if he wants, but there

is no way he can play a cannon of the brand to move to the left-hand

side of the cushion -- off the At 6.4 make a big difference.

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Barring snookers, Peter Ebdon his tip overhangs. Not many top

players have that now. In our day, That will certainly put the frame

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

He knew he had to win one of the first two ranking events. He was in

danger of not been here at all? That is right. He was behind

against Andrew Higginson in Germany. He came back to win the tournament.

We are seemed more patience than we would have expected in this match

from Reilly. -- we are seeing. If he gets through this match, he will

get better as the tournament That was a little bit unlucky. He

played a shot to nothing. How did This is where Peter is going to

have to try to win a frame in one visit. It is almost impossible to

grind out 7 or 8 frames on the trot. You have got to win a frame in one

Peter completely overhit that shot. A massive area to come into.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

He really is enjoying the Battle of safety shot this afternoon, Ronnie.

Just coming down the table to have a look. I do not know whether he

can play it through the gaps so it does not contact anything. I think

Yes he did. There must have been quite a small gap. To finish where

he has is quite fortunate. Allied to the fact that he was hampered in

Quite a delicate shot for Peter to play. He does not want to be

leaving one on for Ronnie. You cannot blame him for being on the

soft side. He just needs enough pace to reach the reds. That can be

described as a twitch. You can afford to hit it with another fault

of pace. -- fault. He has missed the ball twice. He will not risk

playing at that pace this time. He will play the same shot, slightly

I have actually lost a frame here at the Crucible Theatre with three

misses like that, when I played against Anthony Hamilton. And

believe he you me, it is A as he spotted a plant? -- has he?

If this is on, hold on to your hat. This will go everywhere. Get ready.

Attention all pockets. In fairness, he was a little bit unfortunate not

to get the bike into open play. -- of Wight. -- the white ball. He

threw his cue at this. He was unlucky colt the second red thick.

-- he caught. That seemed a hell of a lot of effort from one point. --

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

He completely hit a cross that. He had a little bit of side on that.

And he hit right across it. And he knows it. Until then, he had a 100%

pot success rate with the rest. Unfortunately he did twitch a

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

little bit. That could be his last Along with Hendry and possibly

being, Ronnie sees the shops so We are always extolling his virtues

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

when we watch all some of them. -- That is the other things, he scores

so quickly. In the blink of an I had done his 55 points behind. --

Peter Ebdon. Peter now knows he is facing the task of having to win at

the remaining seven frames. One more red needed. The crowd realised

that his frame ball. -- the crowd Once again, Peter decided to carry

on. He is 71 point behind. Not too many players would carry on from

Peter acknowledged defeat in that frame. A 68 break was more than

enough for Ronnie O'Sullivan to go clear at 9-3. We saw Peter earlier

in that frame. Until then he had a 100% success rate with the rest.

But this shot can only be described as that which. Everything moved.

Yes, when he hits those he it's right across it. He does not get

the work on the cue ball at the once. Everything moved apart from

the lampshade. It was not pretty. It was a little bit of pressure on

a shot that was quite delicate. Ronnie O'Sullivan then cleared. The

shot time is crucial. Peter Ebdon is not making anything happen

quickly. This is the point of no return for Peter. It would be

positively Herculean to win from here. I think his friend should

have a quick word with them about how he is breaking at the moment.

That red is virtually going next to A clever shot from Peter. He did

not play to pot. The only trouble is we have got a little bit of an

impasse. Sometimes these frames end up being started again. There is

just tapping going on. I'm sure both players would not want that to

That was a magnificent part. Slightly loose from a Peter Ebdon.

He should not really have had the opportunity to see that. I pottered

one of those once. I was about 12, I think he was so frustrated at how

he played the previous shot. He tried to force to play the black in

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 58 seconds

the same pocket. He tried to go Interesting to see if Peter will

take the opportunity to play down He will have to finish high on the

black if he can. A couple of shots away from making this a frame-

Yes, good shot. Nicely played. He has got to get up the cue ball up

the table, avoiding her cannon. Once again, nicely played. Yes, and

this time he has got the angle just He could not have played that last

shot better. He will be horrified if he does not win the frame from

The referee just checking to see that it was not touching the blue.

He made the 9-3 behind in this match. But boy, he is still trying

He have got to say, that is a little bit careless. Why not just

hit the red Flickr? -- more thickly. It does not appear to have done at

any damage. Peter will get another chance to win this friend. -- this

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I think Peter Ebdon would have been a handful in this tournament had he

not had the unfortunate draw he had. He is cueing well enough to win. 51

points in front. Just black and one more red will take us to the

interval. That is what he had to do, Yes, Ronnie could have got it over

with without having to go to an end. Now he has got to go and have a cup

of tea, collect his thoughts and come at first some more snooker. --

return for some more snooker. Well done to Peter. He keeps on applying

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A little bit of potting practice. An example of Peter's excellent

Peter wins the frame. Reilly just asking if there is an interval. And

there is. Peter Ebdon wins the frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan leads by

9-4. Ronnie needing one more frame to

book his place in the next round. We will dive into some news from

this morning. In the first session between Ding Junhui and Ryan Day.

Ryan has struggled recently. He has failed to get beyond the first

round for the last couple of years. Dean has been right on song in the

last couple of years. -- Ding Junhui. Let's join it at two frames

apiece. The top break so far, 77 from a Ryan Day. Terry Griffiths

and Willie Thorne in the commentary A little bit of movement coming

from the other side as they reach their interval. Ding Junhui blessed

with an excellent temperament. It should not worry him too much. Very

good opening pot. Once again, the black is tied up. You can see the

break-up has caused the problem. There is no hiding place at. Pink

and black out of commission at the Ding Junhui was practising at the

interval. He does not leave anything behind in his preparations.

He is very keen. Practice has a lot in the Sheffield Academy. -- he

practices. His mother and his girlfriend here. I have not seen

his mother around for a while. She used to come with him regularly on

the circuit. She used to look after him, of course. She is not here to

tie his shoelaces, but I am sure she has done that a few times as

well! Where would we be without He might play the cannon on the two

reds next to the black year. It depends what angle he has got on

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the blue. He does not miss a trick, You can see how that important shot

on Blue has been so beneficial. That shot has developed an

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opportunity to possibly win the Still in prime position. Perhaps a

little bit lower would the cue ball than intended. But he has got the

pack of reds to act as a buffer. He is probably trying to get to the

left of the one behind the pink. It Crucial shot, that one. If he had

missed that black... He would have left Ryan Bailey very good chance.

You cannot miss these days when you're 50 or 60 in front. The first

50 or 60 his tough. But when the balls are spread, you have more

room to move the cue ball around. With the ability of these top

Ryan Day cannoned into the green with at safety shot and left at

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The way these guys are playing, the That was Ding's 18th century of his

Crucible career. And this is his sixth appearance. Let's show you

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Mall from this match, the next That cannon didn't turn out perfect.

He has split them, and I think he This is a great chance to win this

frame. Just having a look at the It just travelled a bit too far for

He has overscrewed it. Has he been That is the problem with that shot,

there is not much margin of error. To get through that gap was

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Players always relax when they get to a safe position, but they can be

punished if they don't carry on Ding has been in front three times

so far. And Ryan Day has peg him He played a deep screw. But Ding

Now we are into the penultimate Obviously, you can't win a match in

the first session, but you could put yourself in a position where

you could lose it. You're thinking changes a bit, rather than playing

naturally. That kiss turned out to be pretty good. We thought Ding was

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going to pinch the previous frame. He will need all the reds, and at

least a yellow and may be a green It will affect more if Ryan loses a

Boy, that was one of the easiest balls we have seen in this

It is difficult to explain the effect on a player's mind of shots

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Both players are looking a bit You can overdo it. It reminds me of

golfers who hit the ball a long way. It is great when they hit it

straight, but when they go sideways, wow, it is a long way off the

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There is a two frame gap for the first time in this match.

HAZEL IRVINE: In the last frame, Ding, a former Masters and twice UK

champion, was on his way to winning it. He will go into tomorrow

afternoon's concluding session 1 behind the Welshman.

So, what do you make of Ryan Day's performance? He has really

struggled over the last couple of years at the Crucible. Did you see

signs of improvement? In that session, you wonder how he has

dropped so far down the ranking list of. You don't drop down unless

you have played poorly during the season. So at some stage, you would

think he would come good. Perhaps he has thigh and it wrongly. He was

a former world number six, now at 35. You have seen a fair bit.

Some players are finding it harder A Ronnie O'Sullivan has been on the

brink of victory all afternoon, it seems. He requires one more frame.

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There doesn't appear to be a He will settle for that. At one

point, it looked like it would be the dreaded double kiss, but he got

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away with it. That has not finished This is going to be one of -- one

of those frames where the cue ball is kept at this end. Unless you can

get it into the corner of the yellow pocket. Ronnie is looking to

see if that is on and it could come off the side cushion, but the pink

could be in the way. He could play the pot and leave the white tight

There is not an easy safety shot on here. If he plays the pot into the

yellow pocket, he is looking at Nowhere near the pot, but he wasn't

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bound to leave anything Just a couple of loose reds left

It is pretty difficult to see what he can do from there. He tried

earlier to play the cannon on the Good shot. He has played it well.

Now he can stun this red in and leave a half ball on the brown at

ten angle to come into the side of If he misses the red with left-hand

He was desperately unlucky there. That was a well played shot. The

red he is taking on here is very tricky. It is a blind pocket, can't

see it. And it is very delicate. He would have hoped to be on something

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Damien Hirst has been out with Anything but tight on the cushion.

That was trickier than it looked He tried to cover the pocket. I

don't know that he has. I think he has. He has definitely snookered it.

It is just a case of whether he can hit cushion first and leave the

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That could be the end of the match. It has not been vintage from

O'Sullivan. But he has done what he had to do. Peter Ebdon was a very

stubborn opponent. He probably resigned himself to the fact that

it was going to be hard. That young man never gives you an easy game. A

few weeks ago, he played and beat some wonderful players. So Peter

Ebdon is still capable. The round of applause says that was virtually

Peter Ebdon will carry on. Obviously Ronnie will improve, but

he needs to start getting Seventies and Eighties. Peter Ebdon has

clawed his way back into that first session. It was always an uphill

battle when you come into a session 7-2 behind. Peter Ebdon or

unwittingly pot the pink. Always a good loser, Peter Ebdon. Ronnie

He got over the line in the end. 10-4. It did not quite live up to

its pre-match billing? No. Peter, winning the China Open, we expected

him to push Ronnie all the way. Maybe the height of the match got

to Peter Moore. He will be very disappointed. He will have put a

lot of work into the preparation before this tournament. Cueing

really good as well. He would have had big expectations. Overall he

has to be delighted that he is back winning again. He can take stock of

what he has done this year. second oldest ranking winner of a

major event at 41 years old. On the Jimmy White was older. -- Ali.

Helmet will run the SS that performance? Welcome I assume he

will be relatively happy. On the issue are going to start beating

yourself up over looking pretty and a match. -- on less. Job well done.

A year ago Reilly had just started to see his psychologist -- Ronnie.

He thanked him greatly. What a difference a year makes. He is

almost a different animal, isn't the? Yes, you would expect so. He

has had some turbulent times during the season. He seems to be more at

ease with themselves and were philosophical. That is always a

good sign. Whether it has improved his snooker remains to be seen. He

has had at Bass's a brilliant and he has had some matches we have not

played that well. -- flashes of brilliance. He would have regarded

this as the toughest match he could have faced in the first round. To

come through virtually unscathed is an accomplishment for Reilly.

Anything can happen from now on. He can only get better. Reilly is

Withe Rob water. Job done? Yes. All credit to Peter.

He is a fantastic player. He has had a good season. He just won the

last ranking event. One of the hardest competitors on the circuit.

A lot of credit to Pete because he made a tough for me. I am just

pleased to get a win. If you arrive expecting that to be quite a long

match? I just expected to have a tough match because Peter is such a

good competitor. He has won it here before. He has been in a couple of

finals. He is one of the great competitors of our game. You have

been balancing practising and playing with recovering from Jan --

glandular fever. Feeling better? little bit better. I have had to

monitor it. I have not been doing a lot of the things I enjoy doing. It

takes a lot out of May. I have been concentrating on playing and

resting. We used a year to practise? I do not really know to

be honest. I have not decided. Possibly Mark Williams in the

second round? He has got a tough match. Young guy, played in a few

times in practice. A lot of great Chinese players coming through. It