Day 8, Part 2 Snooker: World Championship

Good afternoon. This second Saturday she read the World Snooker

Championship. Big crowds here. A full house over in the Crucible.

What an event or seven days! Half of the players went out in the

first round, and the seeds all been bumped! We have had a maximum break

and maximum controversy as well. A few of the title favourites remain

on track for another championship. This afternoon in the Cristobal we

have a caught it on show which has induced in our MC estate of

stratospheric excitement! - A state. In 90 minutes time this arena will

be packed for a simply sensational Table 1, the conclusion of John

Higgins again Stephen Hendry, two of Scott and's all-time greats.

Stephen Hendry, 36 event titles, seven times a winner here. At 147

on Saturday. He is back. Absolutely fantastic! There is only one

Stephen Hendry. John Higgins, 24 titles, three Cristobal grounds in

the last five years. - Cristobal. Tabled to come at the start of

Ronnie O'Sullivan against Mark Williams, arguably the finest that

England and Wales have ever produced. Mark Williams, 18 titles,

twice a world champion. One of the coolest left-handers in the game.

Ronnie O'Sullivan, written off earlier this season, but he is back.

Three times a king here at the Crucible. This is a piece of

snooker history, the most decorated caught it of players ever to appear

on the stage at the same time. For men, 16 world titles, 101 event

victories, it is the best of the best and it is not to be based -

not to be missed. Mark Williams and Ronnie O'Sullivan taking centre-

stage today. Mark has a pretty appalling record against Ronnie

O'Sullivan. Yes, Hants in a game where the other player is not

really your enemy, it is the table and the Balts, it is unusual how

that comes into play. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the best snooker

artist we have ever had. Stephen Hendry was fantastic in the early

session yesterday, then it was the huge turnaround in John Higgins

came back. What ever writ was come at the session last night was not

like John Higgins at all. He was a champion in 2011, but I don't think

the name of John Higgins will be going in there this year.

It is a match between Scotland's greatest-ever players. It is

amazing to think that John Higgins said never played Stephen Hendry at

the Crucible before now. Stephen Hendry is in sight of the finishing

line. Ronnie O'Sullivan was the epitome of calm as he found his way

past Peter Ebdon in the first round. Now she will tackle the most laid-

back competitor in the game. This is their 35th match. Stephen

Maguire is fired up again, five years after his run to the semi-

finals. He needs three more frames against James Perry. Ryan Day will

be playing Cao Yupeng. We will find out how snooker can help in the

classroom. Sit up straight and Mr Davies will explain! What do you

think about how this year's Championship is taking place? Let

us know, please. For it so, that is what is coming up. When he arrived

in Sheffield, Stephen Maguire was one of the men well fancied to have

a run at this title. She has won a minor title and been a runner-up in

two major once this season. Here is how his colleagues rate him now.

One of the best players on tour. Aggressive when he needs to be. He

knows when to push the button. Tactically, very clever. He has a

great all-round game. He set the standard for myself, Shaun Murphy,

Mark Selby, those players coming through. And very aggressive player

around the table. Shows his emotions a lot. He tries to bully

players. Short-tempered, banging tables. They get so frustrated. But

I like that about him. Somebody you don't mind going for a drink with.

He enjoys life. He is a good guide to be around. She is destined to

win the World Championship one day figure on the tour for 20 years. In

1999 keep beat Steve Davis on his debut. He made the highest break of

the 2004 championships. He had a run to the semi-final in 2008. He

found himself five frames to 11 Maguire needs two more frames for a

place in the quarter-finals. This DENNIS TAYLOR: The middle pocket is

not an option. That was a total Maybe he couldn't see enough of the

left side cushion. A can only presume, was he playing the first

read? It was either that or hitting at the other side to get it up to

the baulk area. We will never know, He was trying to catch it and run

He could have done with hitting that a little bit harder, but it

At first I thought it was going to be the start that Joe Perry needed.

He got a quick break in this frame and then broke down. That mistake

could cost him the frame. These I'm not sure if the reds nearest

the black king go into the corner. He is coming round to have a look.

If she gets it in the right spot, he can get that. If she doesn't, he

can get the one into the right He has it that miles too hard. -

hits. He was a bit reluctant to play the cannon on to the three

reds, which would have opened everything up, but didn't want to

risk it. He over head that by quite a way. He has dropped on this quite

comfortably, as you can see. Hang The are you surprised, like I am,

that there are so many people who are out of form at this tournament

when you consider how many matches they have played? Other players in

to be in great form. It seems to be the players who are

coming through the qualifiers. All the players are getting so much

match practice now. The top players are not safe. The law players are

coming through. Just look at Stephen Hendry, the way she has

played. He had to go back playing in qualifiers, now back playing as

well as I have ever seen him play. I am surprised that John Higgins, I

don't know what has been happening with him. He hasn't been playing in

that match at all. Is it too much with the final qualifying match

just a week before the tournament? I think they have got a busy

schedule anyway. When you get here it is uneven playing field. It does

help the player coming through that I think she can still get the pink

in. He could have finished a little bit better than this. It was just

about the only case that was no good! It has put the black Sea if

and the pink is very, very thin! You would have thought he was going

to be on both colours! It is the case when you are struggling a bit,

the ball start to run all awed. When you are in good form the balls

end up in perfect conditions. That was about the best he could do from

Good shot, that. Perfect angle to Only a couple of moments ago we

were saying that Stephen Maguire had a great chance to win the frame,

now Joe Perry has a fantastic If you can only get the pink of the

last red bomb macro ideally, he would like the black, but he can't

do that. If you could get the blue I think I would rather take the

pink here. He has definitely got to get another red. If he had to take

the pink, Stephen Maguire would only be able to tie. He must get on

one of these reds. That'll do nicely! Thank you very much! What

an excellent shot. There was precious little room to play that

little cannon. But was an excellent shot. He deserves to win the frame

because of that one shot, which she has done now. He judged it to

I don't think he will worry too much about missing that. Stephen

Maguire just not to the referee. That is the perfect start for Joe

Perry. To middle Saturday here is always a

good one to have tickets for. There was an extra attraction this

morning. There was a much of the day here, when Brian Wright, a

snooker fan of 20 years and his girlfriend was here. A year ago she

met Lisa. Their first it was here at the Crucible so he thought this

would be an appropriate venue to Ascot the question. Lisa, I want to

share the rest of my life with you. You are amazing. Don't do it!

are truly beautiful, you are my best friends and my soulmate. And I

love you with all my heart. Lisa, Lisa it, we need you to just sit

down. Just a filly in on the story. - Phil at you in on the story. We

have been so excited about this. They had been it snooker fans for

many, many years. They met in 2005 and had their first clinch a year

ago at the Crucible. He has been walking round backstage like a cat

on a Hot Tin roof. Brian, do the business! Go on, Brian!

Congratulations to Brian and Lisa. A lovely moment. Brian is a very

big Coventry fan, and to put the dampener on his day, they had two

goals down to Southampton. That was a great moment. They will remember

that for the rest of their lives. Relegation for Coventry, but at

least he found happiness somewhere else. Not quite your style, Stephen,

you are more modest. It has been the home of many of performance and

that was marvellous. We wish them all the best. After that pleasant

distraction, back to the action. We saw Joe Perry take the first of the

morning, and the second. McGwire hit back to move 12 frames to seven

in front. This is free and 20. - Joe Perry needs to win this frame

He hit that all wrong. It looked as if it might have been a free shot

their. He was trying to come off the cushion, but he cannoned off

Undoubtedly, he will have many chances left in this match to go on

to win it, but this is the one he It is little shot like that that

these great brick builders can spot A lot of the great players have the

knack of clinching a match with one contribution. Can Stephen Maguire

do that here? They call it clinches disease, some players, when they

get close to the finishing post, they just go back into their shell

of it. The great players just went to get over that - just want to get

over the line as quickly as I think she has got a choice here.

He could play the one of the back. If you get on a colour here, this

frame will be there for the taking. You just come play that shot any

better! That is played with top- You would never think that you're

going to finish like that! Loads of top-spin. How has it forced its way

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through and then finished The only thing that worries me is

that his long game at the moment, he will not be able to compete with

that at the moment. In the balls, it looks like she will be up again

Stephen Hendry in the quarter final. She is well in the driving seat

against John Higgins. In fact, Stephen Maguire used to be a

practice partner of Stephen Hendry. These two players have got a lot of

respect for Stephen Hendry. They would have learnt the game from him.

They have played thousands of It is not a bad way to get

experience, is it, playing Stephen Hendry for money every day? When

you start winning a few quid against him, you know you can play

against the best players in the world. John Higgins, multiple world

champion, and Stephen Maguire he would dearly love to lift the world

title. Graeme Dott, John Higgins, Stephen he would like to be the 4th

Scot to fit the title. - lift the He has got a shock to clinch the

match. He missed a couple and got a bit angry. He is steadying himself.

He knows that this green will put He took longer than normal on that

67 in front, 67 on the table. That A good performance, but as we were

saying... yet, the second session wasn't the best for Joe Perry. He

set off with the break of 115 and looked in terrific form. I don't

know what that was to finish the match! Joe Perry put up a decent

show. He made a fighter that this morning. It was too big a target to

set himself. In the end, Stephen Maguire goes through to the quarter

final as a comfortable winner. can only lose that match from 11

frames to five up. There was no pressure on Joe after the second

session. All the pressure was on me to finish it. That can add pressure.

I have to improve my game this week because I am not playing well

enough. I have a few days off and I will see if I can improve for the

next match. We have had three centuries from a Stephen Maguire.

The damage against Joe Perry was really the second session. He has

written to form as a snooker player. I think people were expecting him

to be the player that was going to win it. I wouldn't worry about

trying to play too well now, it is the second week word kicks off.

2007 when he came here he played the best snooker in the first

couple of rounds. He have punched and software for the next round.

The first round wasn't brilliant. He can definitely improved from the

match. It is great that he is the quarter final without hitting top

gear. He is very come but - very combustible. He does strive for

perfection. He is constantly beating himself up at the table.

Everybody is different. Some people need that. Maguire is like that. He

must have very strong knuckles because he likes to wrap them on

the table! It comes down to form. If there is more tournaments and he

has lots of run-outs and benefits from that, if he is the type of

threat that improves by playing a lot, the second week at the

Well, Stephen Maguire is through and will play either Stephen Hendry

or John Higgins. Now, as you remember, there was a number of

Chinese players and the awning jaw, but only one remains - Cao Yupeng.

This is his first year on the tour. Now, he obviously came into a lot

of controversy with his match against Mark Allen, when the

Irishman accused him of cheating. The Cao Yupeng is aiming to become

the first Chinese player to win the He was hoping to face his fellow

countrymen, but that hope was The Ryan continued the trend of

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With Sheffield United preparing for a promotional battle again

Stevenage today, he is hoping for a double celebration in his adoptive

Now, Ryan Day was the first person to make three centuries and his

Crucible Theatre debut. The formwork world No. 6 has found

something in the past week and he led 6-2 overnight. Cao Yupeng won

the first frame of the morning and this is the tenth frame. Terry

Griffiths and Neal Foulds are He is the little unfortunate. He

Ryan Day would have been looking to push Shaun from 6-2 in front. He

would have been hoping to win this session and finish with a quick

session tonight. But if that does not happen, you are giving you're a

poignant a life. -- you're This looks a bit like the Mark of

Zorro, but this is the sort of writ he is going to have to take. He has

just got to get the cue ball past It is this general direction and

the problem is that the we it slides when it hits the last of

these four cushions. It looks a complicated shot, but it is one you

will see players trying a few times. Almost an identical shot, but has

If Cao Yupeng feels this is on, he will definitely take it and hope to

score from it. He was a bit close to it. He played it well. It is the

shots you have to stop me Q coming through to make sure you do not

The reds are not great. One or two or sitting out. He played that very

Quite noticeable that he is not the sort of player who is going to

going and train smash up their pack Most players would have done into

the back of the pack. But he plays Yes, what he does do is repeating

that cueing action. He played particularly well in the first

match early on particularly. Playing someone like Mark Allen was

as tough as it gets. He was not fazed by Mark Allen, who can be

quite intimidating to play against I kid think. He played very air

well early on in that match. As I say, he does not take a lot of

risks and does not have the great He has done into the reds this time.

I think he might have won in to the Sometimes you can be unlucky and be

on nothing. This war also bring the It is a nice change to see a player

just dislodging a few reds at that time. It takes you back to the days

of George Davies, who never went into the pack. Of course, the balls

where a lot heavier men and the cloth was not as responsive. At the

end of the day, you are trying to import all the balls and the way

you go about it does not really matter. He did not play for this

red to the right, but he has caught on to it. He would have been very

unlucky not to have been on Plenty of choices here. There are

released to red the pot into the This is his best efforts of the

match. His previous best break was 43. After winning the first frame,

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if he makes a big break here, it There is the equation. If Ryan Day

got back to the table, he could only time with six reds and six

colours. That will not be happening now. As Terry said, I think this is

the best he has played and I think that Ryan Day has slightly let him

off the hook. He missed an absolute sitter in the first frame. You

cannot give your opponents' confidence. Any player you have

beaten, you cannot give them any sort of break. Now, we are down to

just the two-frame deficit. Yes, never give a drowning man as strong.

He was wanting to start quickly and keep Cao Yupeng in his chair, but

it has worked out exactly the Slightly out of position. That was

a good shot. He made a lot of these and his first-round match, but not

so many here, but he has clinched this frame in style. He will feel a

completely different player than he did 30 minutes ago. But that is

This will be the 37th century of the championships. I cannot see him

It went slightly and not just any that he had made these two

centuries against Mark Allen. He did not really finish the way he

wanted, with his opponent going in- off on the black ball. It was not

the way he would have wanted the biggest win of his career to finish.

This is his first full season on the professional tour. He is doing

You can only dream of getting to the Crucible Theatre in your first

season. And to win a match is something very special. Regardless

of what happened in this match, he will be very happy with his first

Beautifully compiled this break. He has missed a black, so it is not a

complete clearance. But another frame back and hear only trails now

by 6-4. And on a roll, he took the next frame as well, to move within

one of Ryan Day. Here is frame 12, I thought that maybe the first

couple of shots in this frame that It is turning into a bit of a

disastrous session for Ryan Day so far. But he would not be the first

person to suffer a disaster at 10 o'clock in the morning. But I know

he as any early riser anyway, as he normally takes the children to

school before he goes off to We have seen it all now. Yes,

straight over the top of that. We can see get shot again, the

Horseracing jumps season finishes I think if you're playing nine-ball

pool, you are allowed to play that shot. You are allowed to do a lot

of things and nine-ball pool. That is better, a good split. The black

is available. Here is, he must take This is his big chance to get

something from the first four hour mac frames of ready and he will not

But is he playing well enough to do it? I always think you only play as

well as you are feeling and he must be feeling rough at the moment. If

he does not make a big break, he will be disappointed, as that is

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Despite the blue been away from its It may have to be the red into the

middle, unless there is a gap there. No, it is not quite on. He was

always going to call into a colour. It was looking perfectly a few

shots ago, but he is having to stretch now. He is a tall lad, but

it is much easier if you do not have to use the rest. But he has

not even looked comfortable in this effort, as if something could go

Yes, he has been in among the balls at more than once. Now, he is left

with the difficult shot. It is not so much the pot, but avoiding

colliding with three yellow and Again, he would like to be closer

to a red. But he is good enough to pot something from this mid-range.

So, 53 points in front, so he needs to keep going. Very good. That is

the best shot he has hit all day. That is just what he needed. He

needs to get the belief back. In the circumstances, if he was flying,

he would pot that no problem. It is He played that well. Now he has

come to the crucial time in the next few shots. He played for the

black, but knew he would have the pink into the centre. Very well

done. He has got through a very The pressure can get you out there.

So, that miscue from Cao Yupeng looks to have cost them this frame.

However, he will be quite pleased to have won three of the first four

frames and get himself right in the match. If Ryan Day had lost this

frame, it would have been a He is starting to flow now and, in

a way, he will not be wanting the interval to come at this moment.

Yes, his highest break before this You certainly feel that when he

hits the ball aggressively, he is so much better as a player. Yes, it

is in the mind, not in my cue action. But there is a link. When

you see him hitting the ball like this, very similar to the way Shaun

Murphy does. Very aggressive. This has been a good session. Both

players have had it a century break. Yes, there has been a big breaks

and mistakes and it has all added to the mix. It has certainly not

He put me an offer on their black, but it does not matter. Ryan Day

puts his first frame on the board and the session and now leads 7-5.

HAZEL IRVINE: That was actually the 30th century of the tournament. 80

C/ three years ago as the record at the Crucible Theatre. The news is

that �200 goes to charity for or every century break. Sock, 38 of

them so far. Let us get back into this game and back in the next

How is his luck? You can sometimes my shots, but this is just what

happens. This is the clear cut chance. But we have seen many of

these going astray in this match so This is the shot which left the

chance. You can get good and bad luck, but usually missing it on the

thick side as he did it means you will probably stick it up somewhere.

He still has a jaw to do, because the green is away from its spot. He

has just got to decide which pocket I am still not sure which pocket he

decided! There was an element of difficulty about it. I still

thought he would manage it. I suppose he could have played safe

and played the green into the right middle. With the brown at the other

end I suppose he didn't want to do it that way. This is a really

important for him. - frame. That is a good shot, actually. It was the

blue was the problem. He played a very bad positional shot on the

yellow. There is pressure out there! Hello! What happened there?

Dog is being shared out here. It normally works like that. The luck

He hit that so hard, it is hard to work out what he was going to play.

Not the kind of speech you would normally see that shot her that, no

I suppose if you hit it very hard out of the snooker, you think there

are a lot of cushions it could land near, but there are also a lot of

This is a hard shot. The green is available, but if you're going to

play for it you have got to play He didn't go for the pot, I am

It is not natural to play for the pot and finish with the cue ball

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That can be a crucial shot by Ryan Day. It was very well played. It

She has gone past it! File under miss. I would be inclined not to

have those put back. The pink has been moved slightly into open play.

I think Ryan Day is more likely to need that than his opponent. I

would have him playing from there, if it was me. That is what he is

If he took the free ball he would have to play a position on the

It is a very difficult green now The pot was on, but good value to

turn it down. He has played a very This will be very difficult, the

pot. He could possibly get on the brown, but I don't know if he would

I think he played it so he would try to get a snooker on the brown.

Lots of good and bad luck in this Ryan Day was in first scoring in

this frame after anode Regis fruit - an outrageous fluke. Now it has

come down to a dog fight on the That was a pretty poor effort. He

is very fortunate where the green That is a very important fluke. It

looked like a double-kiss. It should have been an important

flick! He had a big advantage. He knew he had a terrific chance to

I am not sure what you played there! The brown is safe and that

this is the longest frame of the session, mostly due to mistakes

rather than good snooker play. That That shot is about as bad as it

gets. He got it horribly fake. Cao Yupeng will not be needing the

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Just the kind of shot you feel that Cao Yupeng pots and important brown,

blue and pink and wins a frame he could have lost. Ryan Day will be

annoyed at that. This is getting very tight! What a determined

performance so far from Cao Yupeng. This is the first time he has

reached the last 16 in any ranking events! Cao Yupeng has already made

a 35 break on a previous visit - on This could be the opportunity that

Ryan Day has been looking for, a scoring opportunity. He has been

Massive disappointment there. He is really getting into the session,

showing some interesting emotions. It shows you how much it all means

to him. He will be hoping it isn't the last shot of the frame for him,

but the balls are in an excellent The I like somebody who shows

emotions out there. It is an important part of the game. I won't

say he is dramatic in any way, that he is affected by the shot he has

just played, that seems a very natural thing to be doing. He wants

Ryan Day reminds me a little bit of Stephen Hendry in that no matter

how badly he is playing he will always do breaks once he has got

inside the Bulls. He is that kind of player. In my humble opinion if

you one more of the scrappy games he would have won many more

Who knows, if you can come through this match and get into the

quarter-finals, they say in this championship but there is no point

playing great in the first week, just play well enough to win and

hope to push forward with better form in the second week. We have

seen many here who played outstandingly in the first week and

have fallen in the quarter-final stages. We have. There are other

players who can't afford to be anything other than at the top of

the game or they will be watching the second week on the television!

It is the great players who can coast three. Ryan Day is at the

very top when he is on his game. There are lots of the top seeds

In today's rankings, the top 16 are very strong. Sometimes over the

years there have been two or three players that you think they are not

the most difficult of draws out of the top 16, but this year there

didn't seem to be anybody like that there. Some surprising results.

top 16 a very strong, but they have certainly played a lot of snookered

this year. I think some of them were a little bit jaded mentally.

That is why we have seen so many of them beaten. There has never been

so much snooker played as in this season. Very busy. This could be

the end of the break. I don't know if there is any value in taking

this black. To finish were he has There you have it, he is not on the

red. He has taken on a difficult black with nothing to follow. Maybe

There was a lot of risk involved and that shot. The cue ball was

touching the side cushion. He could have got on the red but he would

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have had to hit it perfectly. He is The red has drifted into position

Looking at the angle he might have on the pink, he could take it into

He got a little bit of stun on that the to could wider than the natural

That was a good a tent. He kept his His two fists go up again, we have

seen that once before. Interest and reactions when things go wrong. -

That is an excellent shot! It is so hard to do. He is 20 points in

front now. That shot could get in the frame, or at least the chance

to win it. That was a touch of Cao Yupeng, his first season,

probably wouldn't have played that shot in the way that Ryan Day did.

It seems to be the difference in frames now. That was a very

important shot. Cao Yupeng knows now that he would be leading going

into the final session. This frame has gone, and as it goes down to

snookers. - unless it goes down to Ryan Day has sprung into life when

That could have been a very crucial frame. The Chinese player lost it.

Ryan's doctors, his eldest, Francesca, got so fed up but

telling him to win, she now tells him to lose because it seems to

work better. Ryan Day looks strong, doesn't he? He looks strong. Cao

Yupeng is 31 points to the good as Thinking about wild cards, I

suppose there has only so many players who can get well cards. It

is great to see Tony Drago playing. He has been given a wild card to

compete next season. Other Chinese players will be looking for one as

There was nothing difficult about that shot, it was just natural. He

just took his eye off it. How often do you see that when there is a

cannon involved? It is unforgivable. You think you're going to miss it,

you would miss it on the other side of the pocket. That was a very

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He will have to be careful. Just looking at that red. He was a

little bit short of speed there. He will have to play this quite gently.

He might use the pink as a buffer. Welsh hopes are a little bit higher

The class that he showed to win the last game is showing again. He

didn't want to go anywhere near the red there! Cao Yupeng knows that

the ball he Mr the left corner trick but - could cost him a place

on the tour, let alone anything else. Those of the pressures these

guys around you. - are the pressures. I think if he didn't

stay on picture, that would be a great shame because he has shown a

lot in this championship. We know about the recent history of the

championship. At one time this was the only tournament and there was

so much history involved with the World Championship, people have to

reflect on what people achieve in this tournament if there are wild

cards going. A still don't know how he missed that, to be honest.

Unsure he is wondering the same thing, sitting there. - I am sure.

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That was a very easy shot to miss. Things have started to happen for

Ryan Day just in the nick of time. It has taken him and off the long

time to settle into the session. If he has got any chance of going

further in this championship he has got to get switched on a little bit

quicker. He is playing well now, That was a really good break their

from Ryan Day. A mistake by Cao Yupeng. Ryan Day will lead going

into the final session. Back Cao Yupeng came again to take

the last of the session and he will go into the final session this

evening two frames down. It has been really interesting stuff. What

have been your observations about Cao Yupeng? It shows that you have

got to balance your game. It is OK when things are going well, but he

has been fighting a rearguard action. It would be a shame if you

drop off the tour. The world of snooker is realising that we need

more overseas players, especially with the Chinese were the game is

so popular. A couple of people might get caught in the crossfire

of the transformation to at 128 tour. If you go some place in the

qualifying school, he has got every chance of getting back on anyway.

This is only his first season on the main tour. What had been your

observations? He is not to be underestimated. You wouldn't look

at the way she plays an think flair, but sometimes that can make you

underestimate somebody. If you take liberties with them and don't give

him 100 % respect, you could be in trouble. We are looking forward to

one of the most amazing line-out work out some years. Ronnie

O'Sullivan, John Higgins, Stephen In the last 22 years, they had been

so busy a massing world titles, 11 between them, it has escaped

everybody's notice they have never faced one another on the way to

those titles. Quite remarkable, really. There's plenty of history

between these men are but never at this venue. Their first session was

intriguing, this second last night, a real twist in the tail. Let's

The two legends shake hands. For In goes the black. He now leads by

What is John doing tonight? He looks all over the place. Stephen

Hendry is putting clear daylight The black goes in and that will

make John Higgins feel a whole lot better. Closes the gap now to three

In goes the pink. Stretches his No. Now he is running away with the

match. 11-4. Who would have Stephen Hendry must be delighted.

John Higgins will be pretty HAZEL IRVINE: Look at that

All four players are ready and waiting back stage and front-of-

house, so too is rob Walker. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

Welcome to the middle Saturday of the Betfred.com World Snooker

Championships. The Crucible is absolutely walking this afternoon.

We have a four of the greatest players ever to grace the game.

Their achievements will live on long after they have a tired of.

The stage is set. They are ready and so are the players -- they have

a retired. Please welcome first of all, the most naturally gifted

player. Written off earlier this season, but he's absolutely still

got the magic. Winner of 23 ranking event title, here after victory

over Peter Ebdon, three times champion of the world of. Ronnie

Ronnie O'Sullivan: MUSIC: "Let Me Entertain You" by

His opponent, one of the greatest Welsh sportsmen of the era, making

his 14 appearance in the second round at the Crucible. Twice he has

won the Welsh, UK and world title. A player who always stays ice-cool

on the big stage, the Welsh potting Table number one, please welcome

the most decorated snooker player ever want history. On the verge of

a 19th Crucible quarter-final, it's been a memorable we could in his

career with a memorable 147 last Saturday, being catalyst for his

success. Seven-times a winner here. That's why we call him the king of

And finally, also one of Scotland's finest exports, winner of 24

ranking event titles, his three world crowns in the last five years

have contributed to some of the most memorable moments in Crucible

history. The defending world Red button covered online for the

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Williams match for now. We could well join

it live later won on BBC Two, depending how things go between the

two Scots. A great atmosphere. John Virgo and Dennis Taylor have teamed

up for this one. This is going to have to be a miraculous comeback

today, guys. I couldn't agree more, Hazel. I can't believe the

scoreline. Stephen Hendry has won 10 of the last 11 frames. What a

performance. John Higgins, you commentated on the match, John,

didn't seem with it. Yes, he had the perfect start to the match,

winning the first two frames and and Stephen got rolling. In all

honesty, you know what it's like, Dennis, sometimes the balls just

don't run in your favour, and I think that's what happened to John

Higgins. The longer it went on and as frames were slipping away, the

92%, John Higgins. Within eight frames, that was down at 83, I

think it was. Oh, that's a long way off. So, an early chance for John

Higgins. OK, it's the first frame. The players need to settle in again

to the session. He never got anywhere near that on that attempt.

A long way away from Stephen. Of course, he's in a comfort zone.

John Higgins, it has to be said of the moment, is just playing for

pride. I can't think he has any aspirations to win this match. Not

yet. But pride is a thing which has stood him in good stead over the

years. As we saw that red bounce into the pocket, it took the pace

out of the cue ball which is why he It was an amazing statistic, when

we realise these two players had never played each other at the

Crucible Theatre. 17 wins to Stephen Hendry and 18 wins to John

Higgins, and it looks like that score is going to be levelled up.

In fact, you have got to go back to the 2008 Premier League since

Stephen beat John. A chance, maybe, to bring the black and the pink

into play here. A little nudge. That has opened certainly the pink

up. And the black after one of the reds are removed will also be pot a

ball. This is an example, Dennis, he's played the right shot, to the

corner, but it's those types of situations where you finish up on

nothing. Fortunately, the reds on Well, if he's on the black, he's OK.

If he has run too far, it's not perfect. He is down at pretty quick

so he's on the black. Well, makes this pink a little bit more

And that's exactly what you were saying, John. Just fractions,

wasn't on the colour. Just misses the pick -- pink, fractionally, but

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

You know, it's amazing, John, it's just over a week ago, Stephen was

in the hotel and had arrived back from China. He said last year, he

got a lot of preparation and didn't play very well. He said, I thought

I would go to China and see what happens. And, sure enough, the next

day he came out and made a maximum break. And here he is needing macro

one frame against the defending champion. Quite an incredible story,

radio. -- really. Yes, the thing was, you could call it the world

and thus times for a prolific winner like Stephen, he kept saying,

in practice he's playing as well as ever but not produce it on the

table. Then everybody begins to Yes, you don't suddenly forget how

to play snooker. OK, it's a young man's game these days but when you

think back to the great John Spencer and Ray Reardon, they were

in their mid-forties when they That was a good shot. Made the

angle. You have got to hit the pot very clean if you hit it at that

pace and that's what he did. Good Has he spotted a plant, as well?

Everything goes. One to the right, one to the middle. A possible plant.

When you are playing well, everything seems to open up nicely

Stephen went back home after his first-round match. And relaxed.

Some players prefer to stay around the venue and practise here in the

Crucible. They have three practice tables. I remember when we didn't

have any practice tables. We had to get onto the main table. For a

This is developing into a very good Yeah, I wonder what the odds would

have been on Stephen Hendry beating John Higgins 13-4, John? Long odds,

no doubt about it. This will be a match John Higgins will just have

to forget about, really. As I say, he didn't have the best run on he's

always someone... John would have been brought up with Stephen as his

hero. Two people John Higgins would have really inspired him as a

youngster, Stephen Hendry, and two years ago, Steve match, who he lost

to. Coincidence? I don't know. John Higgins was Stephen Hendry's

practice partner for a good number of years in Stirling Spencers Club,

which is no longer there. They played thousands of frames together.

John Higgins would have learned so much from Stephen but who would

have thought the master would have been back giving the people a bit

of a lesson here? It's incredible. And, of course, after John Higgins,

Stephen Maguire used to go and practice with Stephen. I guess

that's the reason why John got to be world number one and world

Yes, he's certainly inspired a lot of snooker players, Stephen Hendry,

30 points, the lead. This pink will put him this is 6 points in front.

He's looking at the black in the middle. Two more reds and two more

I e see no reason why he would make a mistake. Terrific performance in

his first-round match and, to be fair, he has played good, solid

stuff here. OK, he maybe got drags down a little but last night with

the type of game it turned out to be, but no doubt about it, Stephen

All the press have been waiting years for Stephen Hendry to win his

8th world title. Waiting to write that headline, Caine -- King Hendry

VIII. Who is to say he won't do it this year? Well, he misses the red.

44 points behind, 43 remaining. Macro one snooker needed. He will

And the red behind the pink is in the perfect position. A great

chance to put Stephen Hendry in a He could make this quite difficult.

He wants to keep the red away from a cushion. It would be nice if he

could get the snooker, and get the He might be able to just swerve

around the pink, hit the side cushion and get the red. He feels

he can't swerve around the pink. It's more difficult going the right

side of the table. I think he can, get a swerve shot around the pink

on the cushion. The middle pocket. I agree with you, Dennis. If he can

go off the left-hand side cushion, it's a tough one to hit. It's

typical, the blue is in the middle of the table may need awkward. A

good shot needed here. Lots of left-hand side he is playing on

this cue ball. That's how close he had to go to the blue but it's a

great escape. It really is a great Oh, he has brought the red up and

hit the blue. This could be the end of. Yes, the defending champion

comes forward and shakes Stephen Hendry's hand. It has been a very

disappointing defence. But take nothing away from Stephen Hendry.

What a performance to knock John Higgins out of this year's

Betfred.com championship. 13-4. Can you believe it?

HAZEL IRVINE: Surprising and after that first session in which Stephen

Hendry and John have produced some terrific stuff, how are surprised

are you are that defeat for the defending champion? I think it's a

shock when John Higgins does not fire on all cylinders. I suppose

the clues were there. He's had a poor season by his standards, but

you still expect him to come good on the big stage so still a shock.

Great for Stephen Hendry. Fantastic. Let's hear from Stephen Hendry.

Stephen, this is quite a run? obviously I'm delighted to win the

match. I'm a little bit fortunate. I watched John play a because of

the last night and it was the worst he played in his life. You could

not expect to get chances like that of someone of his quality, so

referee was a strange session of snooker but I have got to take the

winner. I'm in the quarter-finals and very happy. Are you surprised

how yesterday turned out? Yes, very surprised. John has not had his

best season, obviously. He's had a poor season by his standards. But

the mistakes he was making last night, it was a shock to the system

to me because, after the first session, we both played pretty well

and I was expecting a big game last night but it never materialised.

People are getting quite excited about this one are you're putting

together. Where has it come from? wouldn't call it a run, it only two

matches. Well, I qualified, it's a small one. This a long way to go

for the Stephen Maguire? Another Scottish clash. Yes, everything is

a bonus for me. I'm having a fantastic tournament. I had got

Maguire next and I can't wait. you just a ride here with no

pressure, you are enjoying your snooker and it just happy to see

what comes. Yes, pretty much. I spent the week before the

championship playing pool. It's very relaxed. Well done, Stephen.

That's the secret. Everybody is playing pool these days. It's a

wonderful surprise to see Stephen back in the quarter-finals for the

19th time. But when you think about his attitude coming in, what has a

differentiated this from previous years? He said he sometimes feel

like he was overpaid, and he's just gone for a different approach it's

entirely. I think his coach has a bit to do with it. He is hitting

the ball better than I've seen for a while and I think he has

discovered the middle of the white, which is very important. It sounds

bizarre to say that. You can lose that over a period of time. I think

his confidence has come from that. He's making more breaks and

enjoying it. It goes to show him but this time last year we were

talking about whether he would ever return and he has done so in

spectacular fashion. For you, is the all is a feeling that there's

one more title in you? This one more something good around the

corner? I always felt with Stephen Hendry there was the time to nail

it down to the World Championships was not easy but we do know he is a

course and distance winner and I think it comes into the equation.

He feels comfortable in the venue. It would be a fantastic achievement

for him to come back in the modern game and win this. He's not getting

too carried away but people are saying, his standard is good enough.

Indeed, Stephen Maguire now. What kind of match-up Willoughby? Very

tough. He has not hit top form yet -- will it be? There's plenty

prospects of there. If Stephen keeps up the scoring, he has got a

chance. Looking forward to that one. John Higgins on his way home today.

Hopefully we will hear from him shortly but I did promise you that

if it wrapped up quickly we would be straight into the arena again to

watch Ronnie O'Sullivan against Williams and that's exactly what we

are going to do. They are still playing the first frame and I

should point out, that this record between Williams and O'Sullivan is

very worrying for the twice world champion, the Welshman, who has not

beat Ronnie in a world champion to event for nearly a decade. Surely

It's been a fascinating first round but they both had half chances to

win it. O'Sullivan started with the third break and Mark Williams

replied with 38. The brown has been the cue ball in this game and has

been on the cushion for a few shots. Now it is an open play, as we can

see. Even though Ronnie his 16 points behind, I think whoever pots

the green would win this frame and another wonderful safety shot. Were

any three-quarters through the Yes, this is a possibility. He has

got to hit this green with full pace. Well, he hit it but was

unlucky with it. A double kiss and UMPIRE: Would you please turn it

Obviously, a little bit of movement He needs the blue to come to his

That was an excellent pot from Mark Williams. He wasn't on the green

and had to swerve it around the blue. Brown for the first frame.

He is 22 points ahead. Blue, pink He has gone to pot the blue which

means he only needs one six. To win Has he got the pace? This is an

excellent shot. What a super shot from O'Sullivan. Beautiful shot.

Lots of left-hand side. And very, very sporting from Mark Williams

there. We saw Mark smiling and tapping the table. If you play that

shot 10 times, you could get it six out of 10, but he has blocked off

the one cushion escape and hit it absolutely perfectly to get so

close to the black. Consequently, with it being two cushions, this is

I have put these lines in but it It is such a tough position. He

would love to get close to the middle pocket, maybe, and tried to

hit it from there but the angle is just not there, so maybe of two

cushions. It's very difficult here from Mark Williams. It won't go put

back if he misses it. He has the chance to get the white safe. He

doesn't want Ronnie O'Sullivan to win the frame but it's a great line

because if he misses it, he's not going to lead Ronnie an easy pink.

Well, win or lose, this is, for me, the wrong way. He will leave a pot

on whatever happens but he has hated and that's the main thing.

Fantastic hit. -- he has hit it. Super shot from Mark Williams. He

As you would expect, there is not a receipt to be had and the Crucible

Theatre this afternoon. The crowd on the other side are waiting, as

their match has finished and the other wanting that screen to come

up, which it will do after the end It is going to be tough for Ronnie

O'Sullivan to get beyond the black I think it is quite interesting

that it shows Ronnie O'Sullivan is up for a fight. At other times in

his career, he might not even have tried to get this snooker. It is a

All, this is a great shot. This is a superb shot! Mark Williams taps

the table once again. He really appreciates what great shots these

He is finding it very hard to win this first rain! -- first frame. He

Debt was the very fascinating first frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan played two

marvellous snookers towards the end of that frame, but it is Mark

Williams to take the opening frame. When he was virtually snookered and

had to swerve round the green, that was a great shock. Yes, look at

that, a slight little square. -- We will see a lot of big breaks by

these two players over the next possible 25 frames, but it is also

very interesting to see he's safety battles. A cup of great shots by

Ronnie O'Sullivan to ladies' And very relieved Mark Williams

gets the second frame under way. He thought he had won the frame easily

That is a bit then. Mark Williams may be able to actually see this to

I fancied him to pot that. I do not think Ronnie O'Sullivan will play

such a poor safety shot as that for Again, he did not find the baulk

cushion and left another half- Normally, you would expect him to

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

Obviously, the players are reluctant to simply roll into the

pack. But there is really not a lot REFEREE: Foul. Ronnie O'Sullivan,

and he has not played that very He has just got to try and avoid

hitting green. That was always the This might be tempting for or

Ronnie. When it is a match over 25 frames, you would expect him to

take the odd risk, but perhaps not, A tricky pot for Mark into the

middle. This is a shot he is particularly good at. Lot of

pressure on it. Yes, bit of pressure on it, it was not

straightforward. It is the type of shot where if you are not leaving

anything on, it takes a lot of pressure off, but it becomes a bit

more difficult when you know that you are going to be leaving

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

He is just Clearing up a few of these reds any baulk area. After

that, he will be getting back up for the reds near to their black

It looked as if he had hit that a little bit slow, but the sidespin

meant that it bounced off the He is still needing another 25

points to make the frame the sea. - He is looking to disturb the red

Sea and bring a couple more into Yes, he was lucky to get on to that

one, as he hit the wrong ball. That Ronnie O'Sullivan just needed that

red and that is very careless. He was trying to bring the other reds

into play. It has given Mark Williams half a chance. At all key,

he is 62 points behind and a couple He seemed to just changed his mind

That has gone in a fraction too far. When you are cutting back into a

blind pocket, it is a much more difficult shot. We are only talking

about half an inch. Yes, it is fractions, but you still do not

On reflection of the match, 1-1 is I must admit, I have not seen

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

Ronnie's de meaner looking quite so It is amazing when he plays the

shots left-handed. The crowd are just very used to it now. They yes,

in years gone by, it would have That is what the fans have come to

see Phil stock Ronnie is off the A Ronnie O'Sullivan for me is the

most brilliant snooker player I have ever seen in my life. It is

unbelievable what he does. He makes the game look ridiculously easy.

has still under-achieve, even though he has won everything in the

game. When he is making breaks, he never seems to call out of position.

I have always respected him as a player. The are not many people I

would pay to watch, but he is one That was really interesting getting

the insight and what other players think of Ronnie. What is your

opinion, Ken? Absolute legend. I think he is the most naturally

gifted player who has ever graced That yellow has just drifted over

In fairness, Ronnie knew that that Mark is struggling a bit. The last

couple of safety shots he has played, he has booked some

He is cueing beautifully. He is hitting the ball very sweetly. That

is the beauty of Ronnie. He get so much reaction from the cue ball

Yes, it is that delayed reaction. Ronnie in this mood is going to be

a tough player to beat over the next 10 days. You can always tell

either way he looks. He looks as if Yes, we are always looking for

tell-tale signs - is his mind wavering, is he fully focused on

the jaw in hand? But there does not seem to be any doubt about that

You could hear a pin drop in the Crucible Theatre. We used the word

genius Babette likely, but this is If you played that as a screw shot,

the white may have bounce-back, but he stunned it, so that the cue ball

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

Similar situation here. He has just It appears that all the reds are

getting into each other's way. That is a good shot. He had to play that

with a lot of left-hand side. A a very good chance now for his second

E pink will put and 62 points ahead, so he will just require one more

red after that. He is on that Reporting that, a taut opened up

the other two reds just below the The sponsors are giving �200 to

eight children's Hospice for every Yes, Ronnie has made 107 centuries

It is going to be tougher now, he What a shame. But the crowd were

treated to more brilliance. Ronnie Lochee, impressions of the game?

Yes, Mark Williams must have been feeling quite good about winning

that first flight first frame on the pink and black. But Ronnie has

a long and has been very impressive since. Ronnie O'Sullivan has seemed

very relaxed around the venue. He has not played in all the events

this season, but has responded well. But no one is going to judge Ronnie

O'Sullivan on his snooker ability, but on his temperament. We do not

judge other players like that. We tend to only judge Ronnie like that.

He has looked very camp around the table, which was expected to be a

psychological thriller when he played Peter Ebdon. Yes, there was

none of that happening. He did not get upset. And the one thing we

look at Ronnie for things like his temperament is simply that there is

often absolutely nothing else that Yes, that was very interesting. He

is very disappointed to have left a You would have expected him to get

there. At the moment, he is struggling. No, there's no fluency

in his stroke. He seemed to get at it, as opposed to going through

But Ronnie will not be pleased with that shot. He was trying to stay on

His heart possibly skipped and beat Now, has he got an angle on this

I saw him kick his foot. He just wanted to miss the blue. He won't

get the desired pace on the cue ball as it goes into them. It will

He deserves to be on one. It was a very, very tough shot. The white

loses its top spin. He just managed Unfortunate, for Ronnie, the pink

is blocking the path of the black Trying to get on the pink here. Has

the over hit it? Looks to be OK, Trying to stay low on this red. He

Even the referee is getting excited!

He can't keep up with the pace of Ronnie O'Sullivan in this flow.

reds are going to be spread here, him playing the shot. No side. I

thought he would play with a bit of side there to get the white up to

the top of the table. If this goes in, this could be another frame

over in the blink of an eye, as This time every spot cupboards of

the blue has to get as near to the pink as possible. In a direct line.

Something obviously gone moved because didn't the pink go on the

A little shot between the two reds Mark is looking a bit forlorn,

sitting in the chair and Ronnie can get to like that sometimes. You end

up watching the player do things you know you can do but you wonder

why that's not happening. Sometimes you think it might not be best to

You just love watching him play. He makes the game look ridiculously

He can't time it better than he is timing it at the moment, that's for

sure. Just absolutely stroking the There's a couple of loose reds, but

he may take the opportunity to play a little cannon. The last couple of

He can play a slow pink or the blue into the two reds, as you suggested.

Didn't hit to be desired red, but still got a good result. -- didn't

hit the desired red, but still got And, because he couldn't guarantee

getting perfectly on the pink, I had the pleasure of... Ryan Day

played one of those shots earlier today and it definitely pulled to

the right-hand side. It was always going but the last food, it ran

another inch. Somehow, Mark, if you can clear it from there, this will

hurt O'Sullivan, because it becomes out two each from this little Mini

session, he will think he has won There is Ronnie, having a look at

the pink on the right-hand side cushion. An excellent controlled

shot from Mark Williams, there. Always difficult to control a ball

Mark would love to get the blue out of the way to open up the black up.

Certainly and the next couple of shots, he would like to get the

Might be able to play at this time, and finish on the blue, on to the

red. Just checking the scoreboard. Plenty of points available, Surrey

doesn't have to worry about what colour he takes off the reds. -- so

he doesn't have to worry about. Well played. Good shot, that. Still

able to hold for the red. And now, he's just got to be careful. And

this would be the stealer Paul steeples. -- this would be the

steel of all steels. Yes, he will feel like he's won the session.

He's going to hit that black as He's going to need all six

remaining colours. If he pots this When Mark Williams was sitting in

his chair, little did he realise he was going to get another chance in

Yes, Ronnie has not played a bad shot, has he, really? In the last

three frames, I can't think of one bad shot he has played. It just

shows you the standard. A pretty Because the black is off its spot,

it's not a natural shot. He would like to drop right in behind it so

Now, what kind of angle does he have? A pretty good one. Not

Well played, Mark Williams. He was kept off the table for two-and-a-

half frames and the one chance he had to clear, he did it with a 64,

HAZEL IRVINE: There is always a danger when you have two prize

fighters out there like these two, it's not going to live up to

expectations. Anything but, John. fantastic opening session and what

Williams has done is what he's good at, he looks like not winning and

then a wonderful clearance. At the start of the frame, it look like he

was not totally settled. When you think about his record against

Ronnie, I don't know whether it galvanises all parts some body of

when you going to imagine someone you have not beaten for 10 years.

He has done for you in the last three years. It's quite remarkable

record. Yes, and it depends on the character of the person how they

deal with it. I don't think Mark Williams would do well on anything

like that. When he was in his prime, couple of years back, he was

brilliant under pressure, potting it lots of difficult balls when he

needed to. When he's in that form, he's a very dangerous animal indeed,

as is Ronnie O'Sullivan, one of the best pressure player is in the game.

Clearances may make the difference in this and they are both capable

of that. They have a 50 Mid interval during which time we will

reflect on the exploits of Stephen Hendry who, for a second Saturday

in a row, has been the focal point of attention at the Crucible. Not

only has the put John Higgins out in a straightforward fashion, but

only seven days ago we were talking about a 147, at the Crucible, we

didn't see it in full at the time it because we were going back and

forth between both live matches and I think we can put that right for

COMMENTATOR: That sounded good as Stephen will take a lead into the

second session, but he would like to drive the point home. Take the

big advantage through. I always think, in this round, when you have

nine frames, 6-3, you still got work to do. Would you get to 7-2,

or a greater advantage, you can see Lost the cue ball there. This will

take a good shot to continue the break. Just didn't quite get into

that. I think he hit the wrong red, actually. Tried to hit the left of

the pack. He may not even try. But he's been attacking mode. -- he's

in attacking mode. Now a chance of being on the black. Great potter

but he has lost the cue ball. I suppose he did play it off the two

Again, though, he's already looked at the potting angle. A bit low on

the cue ball. He's not just rolling Well played. He's not perfectly on

a bed, still, but still has something to go at it. This is

Let's have a look at this one. It's safe to say that this table is not

playing difficult, pocket wise. You I think it will change. You don't

expect them to play easy throughout, but it is a new cloth on here. The

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

He's on reds and blacks. I think he would like to continue along those

lines. He might, even have the chance came, continue on the black

rather than taking a lower value colour. As we always say, you have

got to put the frame on the board first. But, the fact remains, this

is a good chance to make a very big Well, he's made it 10 in

You always wonder with the pink is going to be. I would like to be on

its spot for a chance of this. It's A little run-through. Sometimes you

think the only thing which can go wrong is bad contact, or something,

Well, you couldn't set much better As I was saying, in between frames,

what a great temperament Stephen Forced it in and has finished

absolutely inch perfect. He can Just a question of getting higher

up the table. This would have been the most difficult of the three to

get on the black from but it's This, for the century. But bigger

fish to fry after this. Now he needs an angle on this red to the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

This red, followed by the black and This is absolutely perfect. Can't

Can you believe this? Very similar to the shot Cliff Thorburn had on

this very table, this one. It will run through on to the green. It's

almost the same shot, isn't it? unfortunately, Stephen is

stretching. Cliff was a little bit further away from the yellow. We

had got a rollover of �40,000. People are praying for this. This

is the key shot. In it goes! Perfect on the green. �40,000 for

the maximum. �10,000 for the highest break of the tournament so

these five remaining colours for a And another magical Crucible moment

created by the king of the Crucible, Stephen Hendry. Just one more shot

and on to the blue perfectly and I'm sure he will see it. Well, if

he can get that, and I'm sure he Decider to play for the pink into

the middle. Rather than hold it. His temperament has always been his

main strength. Can he just hold it Absolutely! Fantastic! At 41,

Stephen Hendry, huge congratulations. Well done, Stephen.

You had done the game proud once again. His 11th century.

Congratulated by everybody. Stephen Hendry, who said he's not the

player he was? Absolutely fantastic!

HAZEL IRVINE: Stephen happily reflecting on events. He's got

change now out of the dicky bow tie. Congratulations on getting through

to the quarter-finals for the 19th time. I wonder how this ranks in

the list of 11 for you? It's hard to differentiate. To make a maximum

at the Crucible is phenomenal. I played three shots in a row which

were quite tricky at the beginning of the break and after that, it was

one of the quickest I've ever made because I was always in position

from then on. A great moment, as was will victory to their over John

Higgins. We were surprised at last night. How surprised are you at the

straightforward man of the victory? If someone had said I was going to

beat John Higgins 13-4, I haven't won two matches in a row at the

venue for a long long time. Last night was one of the strangest

sessions of snooker I have been involved in. Unfortunately, John

has never played as bad at the Crucible in his life. I said to the

boys, you hope to get maybe one good chance against him and I was

getting five or six. It's weird, because it's harder keep your focus

because you go to the table in shock. I could not believe the

mistakes he was making. Let's go John's side of the story. He has

been reflecting on a defeat earlier today. It was really bad. The

second session, probably the worst I've ever played, maybe. It was a

really bad. I felt Stephen was hitting the ball great. The best I

have seen him in a long time and I was getting myself ready for a

great game, hopefully, but I could have nicked the first frame of the

evening session and I missed it, over cut the black and from then on,

it was torture. Not nice going to bed 12-4 behind. You would rather

the match last another frame and go home. To sleep on it, and know it's

a minor miracle to get back into it. A tough match.

You can guarantee he will be back and trying for another world title.

He's trying to beat you in your quest for seven. You managed to

delay it. What is the level of satisfaction in a match which, I

think, surprised everybody, when it realised you've never played each

other here before. A phenomenal statistic. He is defending champion

and John, in my eyes, is the favourite in this event. Even today,

people were saying, the matches over, when the play next? But John

could easily have come out and made four frames and I would have been

under pressure. So, as I say, I was just amazed how he played last

night. I've never seen him play like that, luckily for me. By your

standards, it looks good. Do you put this down to a change of

attitude? Technique? You look like a different player at the moment.

Yes, I think and hitting the ball as well as I have done for a long

time. I'm working with Chris Henry, and I think I'm hitting the white

in the middle, which helps a lot. I'm very relaxed for the bits well

documented, my troubles the week before. I played pool all week. I'm

not putting too much pressure on myself. A lot of frames I am now

winning them in one visit, which you have to do here. You have been

forced to pay more match played this year. Yes, I've enjoyed it

sometimes and not other times. Qualifying is never easy. Yes, I've

surprised myself this year what I had done in the qualifiers. I know

you brought your golf clubs back which, in your heyday, would have

been unthinkable. What were your preparation be for the next match?

I might fly to Kuala Lumpur, look at the airport and then fly back.

No, I brought the golf clubs because but by last, I was working

with you guys for the rest of the week and I might have got a few

games in. You would probably three- putt all afternoon! What about your

record again Stephen Maguire? How do you fancy that? Lately, not so

good. He's been other top players for the last three years. I watched

his game with Joe Perry yesterday. His long game was not what it

usually is. I'm one match away from being in a one table situation

again, which is amazing for me considering I've had no record here

for the past few years. Can you win this title? I can win it. You take

it one match at a time. As I say, there is no place where I'm more

comfortable playing snooker than at the Crucible but there is a few

players left in it which will have something to say about it.

Absolutely pulls up it's been great to see you this season. Well played.

Can we look forward to working with you next week. That's going to put

All right, but was a heavyweight contest between Stephen and John

and we are currently enjoying the other one out there between Ronnie

and Mark. If you extend the analogies into boxing, you will

know Mark Williams has a bit of boxing history. He used to lose an

amateur boxing and coach to joke Haas It. -- he used to do a bit of

amateur boxing. -- he used to coach You've had a bit of heavy hitting

company on the table. What's your assessment? Very good, yet. And try

not to pot too many against him in case he hits me but I'm enjoying it,

very good. You are a big fan of boxing but your career came to an

end abruptly but this man is going from strength to strength.

Brilliant. I've watched most of his fights. Especially the last one.

The atmosphere was unbelievable. I might ask him nicely if he can

sneak my couple of tickets for the next game for the do you enjoy

, when you're in a hard training camp, it's good having your mates

around and having a knock around in a snooker to relax. I like watching

it on TV. You have a big fight in July. How soon do you think we

might see going for world title? You never know, maybe next, the one

after, surely. I'm number 7 in the world now. It's come to that time

for the world title fight for myself. It's good to see the banter

between you. A few rumours you might have been sent down to dish

out a slap up his comments about the Crucible. Well, we've been

having a little knockabout there HAZEL IRVINE: It's been a very

enjoyable first Mini session. Two frames a piece. We will head back

WILLIE THORNE: this week. That was great hearing from Stephen Hendry

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and it is fantastic what he has KEN DOHERTY: The pack. The referee

has called touching also Ronnie was able to just play away from the

But was a difficult shot, because if he got it too thick, he could

The red at the bottom of the pack will call into the bottom right-

It has just run away from him slightly. Is he on it? He just

needed to square of its slightly. - Any old days, with the thicker

cloths, you simply could not have This is one of those that he has to

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ask their cue ball off the top Look at this for a shot. Well done!

He did not want to take -- to hit their cue ball twice, but he took

their cue away before he had even hit the shot!. But that is the

terrible kick for Mark Williams. That has taken three feet off the

Mark Williams knows how well Ronnie O'Sullivan is plain. If Mark can

keep putting him by pinching frames, like he did in the last frame. If

he can keep coming with ease counter punching comebacks, it will

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really hurt Ronnie and may change That was not the ideal angle and

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the black. He was trying to force That was a great shot from Ronnie

O'Sullivan. Mark Williams had to Ronnie O'Sullivan can play this as

a shot to nothing. But because he hit it so poorly, very thin. That

is the first really poor shot he But the way Mark Williams has been

pinching frames, it has just put that little bit of extra pressure

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He can play this very thin and get It is also a free ball. He could

take the ground into the middle. -- So, Mark Williams is now the

Main points ahead, so he will be looking at the scoreboard and doing

his calculations. If he takes the three open red, Ronnie will need

snookers, so he will not need a He has got to be careful. He got

down very quickly there and his shot was very nearly touching he

Excellent shot. This will cling to the cushion if he plays it nice and

He can get on any red it is on the bottom cushion. He wants to be able

The below net will be enough, so there will not be any heroics on

this. He will just be looking to You have to take your hat off to

any Mark Williams has held himself together over the course of the

But there is a good chance for The yellow isn't a good position

because the E pink has crept up the He wants to be able to knock it

I did expect him to get that. it would have been a lot easier if

he had got the cue ball along This is another good chance for

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