Day 9, Part 2 Snooker: World Championship

Good afternoon. The doors had just opened ahead of this afternoon

session. Soon all 950 seats will be taken. Frankly, with the weather so

bad in most parts of the country today, you could do worse than

settle back in your chair and enjoyed the snooker along with

everybody else in here. So, here we are at the start of the second week

Absolutely fantastic! There is only one of Stephen Hendry! Absolutely

fantastic! When you get near 147, all right the last four reds were

in the open. Now it is a case of keeping your nerve. If there has

ever been a better sportsman at keeping their nerve better than

Stephen Hendry, I have yet to see them. Never once did he get in

trouble. Undoubtedly the best positional player of all time.

Before you get down you think please don't be the player who

misses the last black before a It looks like another seed is going

to bite the dust. A famous victory for the Welshman. This is the year

that snooker went back to work. Victory for Jaime Jones. He goes

through to the last 16. I saw the winning line twice and missed two

reds. I have never felt pressure like it. That is it now. It is the

biggest win of David Gilbert's career. I was so excited by it all.

You could probably lose your nerve through excitement. Where is the

I thought he hit the white twice, Dickie, John? The referee was

having a good close look. referee missed the plate and push.

It seems to be a bit of a trade for the Chinese players. Blatant

cheating, really going on. He is a good enough player, he doesn't have

to do that. If from what I have seen, it is inconclusive. Marc has

made some comment in his press conference. A full transcript will

be taken. He has been known to make some comments and press conferences.

We laugh at them sometimes. I am not a believer in these things. I

have ever done that in my career. I don't think Cao Yupeng misbehaved

in any way on the table. It was an exceptional performance. That was

probably the best day of his life, so criticism in that case is not

I have never liked the venue, to be honest. I think there are better

venues than that out there. It is not one of my favourites. No one in

the world has been more supportive and Sheffield City Council,

Yorkshire, the people of Sheffield. I think those comments were way

below the belt and not what I expect a former world champion to

say. If you can get to the one table set up, it is a fantastic

venue them. It is crammed with two tables. It is not one of my

favourite places to play. If you don't enjoy the atmosphere at the

Crucible there is something wrong We have had everything this week,

shocks, everything. Yes, the 147 from Stephen Hendry. Controversy

before the tournament started. Then about the integrity of some players.

It has been a mixed bag, you would say. We have seen some great

snooker and some great shots. Plenty of seeds going out already.

Yes, the world No. 1, Mark Selby. We have had Shaun Murphy, Mark

Allen, Stephen Lee he was in great form. We have had tremendous shocks.

A lot of great snooker and a lot of great players still left.

biggest shock was how badly John Higgins played. That was bizarre.

What are you expecting for this week? More of the same, hopefully.

As the tournament progresses the best of 25 players have a lot of

time to settle down. We will see more century breaks. We may even

hit the record. Well, let's see how time last year and now she is in

the quarter-finals! He will meet So, this week geese are being

unwrapped, remember you can't do that when players under way! There

is a hum of anticipation in the It is Matthew Stevens's 13th

campaign here. And look back at his opening session against Barry

Hawkins. Jaime Jones against a Andrew Higginson. Ali Carter has

twice threatened to retire this season due to health problems, but

then you die it has transformed his outlook. He has asked many

questions so far of last year's runner-up, Judd Trump. He is two

frames behind with the middle session to come this afternoon.

Mark Williams has gone out three times in the last six years to

Ronnie O'Sullivan and he is determined to stop the rot. It is

the Rocket who emerged in front after a fascinating opening session

yesterday. Park to to come alive today. We will get an update on the

great work being done in the Paul Hunter Foundation. His dad and

daughter are leading the campaign. So, a lot to get through between

now and 6 o'clock. First though, we will bring you up to date from this

morning's play. Barry Hawkins had a breakthrough in his career earlier

this year. He had a really fun event in Blackpool back in January,

winning the biggest title of his 16 your career. He not doubt the world

No. 1, Mark Selby, on his way here. Matthew Stevens got to the final

before a course. It was a great start from Barry Hawkins who took

the first three frames before Matt Stevens won the next two frames. So,

this is from six, it is Barry Hawkins to play. Terry Griffiths

KERRY: He needed a good case, and he got one. JOHN: You have to say,

in the last few games his safety He missed two long shots in the

earlier frame, when before he was getting them. It is a matter of

trying to sustain your form and good thoughts when you are sitting

in the chair. That is the difficult job. Matthew Stevens achieve did in

the first three frames, setting out. The test is still to come for Barry

The one thing that is clear for Barry, particularly the way he

started, you will not win this match if you don't produce nearly

your absolute best because both players looked to be playing really

nicely. Sometimes you can get into a match and think, if they just

play have decent a make it over the line, but I don't think any half-

measures a point to win this one. This has all the makings of being

The second session of this match Been low on this red light be an

advantage, because you can bring other reds into play. You can

always lose the cue ball with this Matthew Stevens not at all happy

with the rebound off the cushion. He as soon as he hit the cushion he

jumped up a bit. If we have a look again, let's see what happened. I'd

just don't think you put enough stun on the cue ball. It did come

off the cushion slowly. mentioned to you and John that he

is happy that the tables have had you clot on them. It did effect

If he had knocked the black there He can't stay on the black night,

Timing in our game is a lot about the grip on the cues were turning

up the right time. If you get it on to early, it effects the ball too

late. The boys practise that a lot. He didn't get that cannon quite as

he played it. It didn't make any difference. He had a nice angle to

13 to get nicely on the blue again. Those two reds in the middle of the

table, one of them is now available. I don't think you will bother with

that. He has got nice easy reds to the middle. As long as he gets on

the right side of the blue, you would expect him to rip - expecting

That was the one red that could have caused a problem, just looking

at Matthew Stevens body language, he is a bit straighter on this blue

than he wanted. Canny force an angle? You bet he can! A decent

shot. He is a battle between here. I don't think he can play for the

blue. 57 points in front, 83 remaining. He may have to play for

the black you. This will need to be a precise positional shot. No

little bit tentative. This is the key to the frame for me, this black.

If he gets this lack in get nicely on the next red, came over. - Game

Now, where does that black go? It doesn't go on its own spot. Surely

Any colour will do. Just 67 points remaining. He is 66 points in front.

He got a cannon nicely! The possibility of a century break now.

The Children's Hospice every time there is a century break will get

�200, thanks to the generosity of BetFred. That will be delayed to to

get very worthy cause. If there is 75 centuries made in the tournament,

there will be a bonus of �25,000 that BetFred will give to the

charity. So, well done to them. I don't think 75 centuries in the

tournament is beyond expectation. This is his highest break of the

tournament, believe it or not. It would be nice to see a century. The

crowd here always enjoyed the The red stays out, but another

magnificent performance from Matthew Stevens. That is three

frames on the spin now for him. Just to confirm that was the 41st

century of this year's championship. The record was 83 in 2009. It looks

like we're on target for a bumper total. Barry Hawkins is on the

TERRY: That is, without doubt, the best shot we have had in this

JOHN: That is the most obvious escape. There is so much room

around that red that you could easily miss it. Even if you miss it,

can you get it safe? This frame is He was glad to catch the yellow

there. Barry Hawkins will put him back in again. The miss was called

High it is a very good referee, Paul and it comes to replacing

balls, I don't think he is in the Matthew was going to play the cue

ball from where it was! That is why you had the referee saying no, no,

no, no! They say there is no characters in our game these days!

He has missed it again. This time there will be a free ball! Free

ball, so he can play the black that can count as a red. A new favourite

for this frame now. It is amazing that he went through the gap

between red and yellow. He very wisely went up the table for one of

Big chance this, for Barry Hawkins. He has been kept off the table for

quite a map - quite a while now. This is a test of his temperament

and his cue action, his will, and People always say it is easier to

be at left-hander or a right hander, when you play for the yellow, I

think it is always easier to be left-handed. He is nicely on the

yellow. At the scoreboard tells him he needs the six remaining colours.

The pink not been on that spot just makes it a little bit more awkward

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

Just short of speed. It was so important to get a good angle on

the brown to get good - to get good position on the blue. Then it would

have been easier to get on the awkward pink. So, he's in a little

bit of trouble here. He is taking his time. He has got to commit 100

% to his decision, whether to go down the table for the blue, or try

It didn't come out as well as he would have liked. Straighter on the

blue would have been good. The pot is difficult and the position on

the pink is not easy, either. He will need to play this with a lot

of speed. He will be hoping that it has run a safe. He has not left it

too easy. Matthew Stevens needs the blue and the pink. Barry Hawkins

never got position there. He went too thin on the yellow, didn't get

on the green so the white didn't go far enough up the table. Decided

not to go for the pot. Not a bad safety. What has missed this game

up slightly for both players is the pink. It is not available now into

the left corner. It may not be all about who gets the blue here.

good chance here for a snooker behind the pink and black but if

you - but it needs a bit of side any didn't quite get enough. He has

lefts and much easier shot on for Matthew Stevens. He can get the cue

ball in behind the pink and black. I don't blame him, but he seemed to

be more concerned there about getting the blue sea. With that

much on the black to pink is now available. There is a bit of

pressure on this. The problem is if you play and normal up and down,

you would be leaving yourself open for the snooker. He has got to be

careful. The dreaded double-kiss! Well, the cue ball has finished

close to the cushion, but I don't think you can get that close to the

pink to make it a simple pot. He Would you believe it? It was all

brought about by the cue ball being so close to the cushion. The way he

has been hitting the ball, I didn't expect him to miss it. She hasn't

potted a ball for over 90 minutes, Matthew Stevens, and nothing comes

easy then. He has played that He still needs the pink and the

black. Just enough angle on this Being left-handed, of course, he

might be able to play this without Kinnock goes! Just over 47 minutes

for that frame. It could have gone either way. Barry Hawkins will be

relieved. After leading 3 male, and going behind, he is now you four

And Barry Hawkins won the last frame to take a 5-3 lead into this

evening's station. I told you about his title in Blackpool and this run

at the Crucible will also help to pay for his wedding in June! We are

now in the Winter Gardens, which is aptly named today, because it is

absolutely freezing. I have been given special dispensation to wear

my court, but this tough-guy doesn't need one. It is called

today. A it is absolutely freezing. Last year, it was like a sauna in

here. But it will be quite warm and the Crucible. In fact, Judd Trump

has just we did it to say that he is staying in today. A high quality

session of snooker this morning between Matthew and Barry? Yes,

Barry Hawkins is one of the silent assassins, who just keeps quiet

keeps himself to oneself and wanders round the table. He is a

very steady campaigner and that when in January as you said that

the shoot-out will have given an agreed deal of confidence. Now,

that tournament, was a bit manic a mad, 610 minute matches. He is, and

he is not one of the quickest players. But that is the beauty of

the event. And it is great getting the first winner under your belt,

no matter what the tournament has. It was under pressure, under the

television lights and that will stand them in good stead for this

event. We are all set for the next instalment this afternoon. Let us

remind you of the state of the play Judd Trump and Ali Carter, one of

the matches of the second round. There is certainly not anything

wrong with his long game this evening. Judd Trump simply cannot

Good effort to. But he is still 2-1 It is 2-2. All, what a pot that is!

Ali Carter beware. Judd Trump now An excellent 70 to break their by

He cannot be named after the session, but could he been in

front? Ali Carter comes out of the session very pleased with the two-

It does not get any better than this. A good chance for Mark

Williams to win this first frame The that is what the fans have come

to see. With the Ronnie in this mood, he is going to be very tough

This would be this deal of all steels. Well played Mark Williams.

That is a horrible Keck, but the good news is the ball has been in.

Still, Mark Williams takes the lead for the second time in the match,

Another double on the ground? Yes. It is 3-3. That is another

beautiful shot. Ronnie O'Sullivan It is there. Ronnie O'Sullivan will

be absolutely delighted. He has a And came within a very good

position to comment on that. You also watched a bit of the Judd

Trump and Ali Carter match last night. I think Ali Carter played

very well, but Judd Trump has not fully fit. We know he had food

poisoning. There was a lot of long shots that he would have got last

year, he was missing quite a high percentage of them. If they're not

going in and he has not going well, he needs the maybe refuse a few of

them and tell he gets is a eye n. He is up against a tough opponent.

Do you think he looks physically we can buy it? Yes, I was talking to

his manager and he said even his cueing arm is feeling a bit heavy.

The one thing he needs to make sure he does not do is push the boat out

if he is not feeling totally himself. But Ali Carter played very

well? The yes, he was very solid. It is set up to be a great match.

No, Mark will yet Williams and Ronnie O'Sullivan, in years past,

we would have seen very quick frames, very high breaks and the

two of them going for a lot of shots, but it was a lot more tight

than that? Yes, there was a bit of that and I thing Mark Williams may

feel a bit sorry for himself because Ronnie had that piece of

good fortune in the last frame. one will from one world champion,

we have got a bit of a reunion by now because we have another three

of them here. What have you made of recession so far? -- the session.

It is interesting that every year the players come in with different

expectations and form guides. Last year, Judd Trump came in as an

underdog, but this year there is expectation on him. Last year, Ali

Carter was one of the favourites, but this year, he has had these

illnesses and has come under the radar. And as regards the Mark

Williams and Ronnie was of the match, Mark Williams looked very

focused? Yes, they both dead. Up we have had everything apart from a

century break. I just cannot wait for this session to start. Add will

let you guys get your place is in the commentary box and we will join

Rob what Walker. Good afternoon at ladies and gentlemen, as you join

us here for the Betfred.com World Championship. All four of the

players this afternoon have either won the title or been in the final.

There should be a cracking Please welcome, but we're delighted

to be playing at three and enjoying the game again. He made a great

start to the match last night evening. He got to the final in

2008, he is the Captain, he is Ali Carter!

MUSIC: "A Little Less Conversation" His opponent, the new revelation in

snooker. After a bout of food poisoning, he has had to dig deep.

His style on route to the final last year won him an army of fans.

Here he as with his own brand of not a snooker, the son the pack,

Judd Trump! And please welcome one table to,

the most naturally gifted player to ever grace the game. He won his

23rd ranking event earlier this year, proving he has got the magic.

Please welcome the three-time champion of the moral, blink and

you will miss them, "The Rocket", Ronnie O'Sullivan!

MUSIC: "Let Me Entertain You" by And his opponent, one of the sea

find a sportsman Wales has ever produced. The winner of the 18

ranking event titles. Victorious here in the year 2003 years later,

one of the most popular players on the circuit, the Welsh potting

These matches equally watchable. If you would like to watch the Judd

Trump and Ali Carter match, you can do that online. But for now, we are

going to stay on the Ronnie O'Sullivan against Mark Williams

game. There are eight frames to come. And he is the voice of Dennis

Taylor. Good afternoon. I think it could be a very special session

this afternoon. Ronnie O'Sullivan gets the action under way, with a

break-off shot which was not his best. He took a two-frame advantage

yesterday, but the match could A a nice way to start. Good cueing.

Very good. I think Mark will be annoyed that he found himself

behind. I think 4-4 what of Beanie fair score line. You do not always

get what you deserve and the scheme, That was an excellent stunt and run

There is the pot success rate. Look It is great to see Doug Mountjoy

here with Mark Williams. Doug Mountjoy plays at the same club as

mark. But we enjoy his back playing again and he is up here with Mark.

Yes, I saw him playing Cliff Thorburn in the world seniors. It

was like the old days. It was a late finish as well, and it was

He has got to that of a problem here. If he has spotted a plant,

that will be a bonus. Look at that, He is trying to see if he is any

angle so he can punch through to He took nearly a minute or for that

shot. It looks as if he fancies it. He should finish and a colour if he

As you mentioned, it was not the easiest of shots. In fact, he

actually caught the other way regmac by you said was getting in

It is early days in this match, but if you could open up a lead of

three frames, it would be handy That was lovely. That is a sign of

a player hitting the ball well. Just the nature of how he not to

that end. He has put it another type born. Ronnie feels it is

absolutely superb. Let us see if it proves to be. It was put on by Les

Dott. He is looking superb, he has lost nearly 12 stone in weight.

think he wants one of the year a Even though he did not make a

century break yesterday, he looked terrific when he was in amongst the

There are three reds still available. In fact, there will be a

few more available after the snake shot after if he can negotiate the

Just a few of them seem to be sticking on each other. I am not

sure if I won at the back of the four will now going to the bottom

Normally, I shot like that would have spread all of the reds.

table looks to be playing beautifully this afternoon. The

I just feel the table looks good. Sometimes it is Ronnie O'Sullivan

who just makes the table look good Yes, I think he could play good

snooker on the dining table, never This is now the key shot. He wants

to catch that red have all. That Now, is it now available into the

middle? I think he is just OK He has taken these well. He still

32 the difference. Two reds and one colour will be all he needs.

are looking at one of the greatest break-builders the game has ever

seen. He has scored more than 600 century breaks, which even that is

nearly 100 shot of Stephen Hendry's That is the frame safe. He can now

concentrate on trying to make a Very good. His standards are very

high already in this match. The frame was really all about that one

That is the shot you're talking If Ronnie can make this century,

that will be another �200, courtesy of the sponsors, for he even house,

the nominated charity. That will be the 42nd century of the

Come on, make sure you get the century, Ronnie! And there it is!

The 42nd century in this year's championship very good indeed. Mark

took on a risky shot and it did not come off and then he had to sit and

watch as Ronnie cleaned up the table. He now leads by 6-3. Now, it

is getting very exciting. On the other side of the table, Judd Trump

has also get a nice century to open Yes, a wonderful start. He is

They a year ago, a break of 120. were wondering about his health

clearly not too bad. Yes, it is very unfortunate for him coming in.

Mark Selby also. To have them breaking down with illness is very

unfortunate, but hopefully he is a much better health today and will

play much more like we saw last year. We are going to bounce back

between both of these tables, because it was actually very hard

choice for us over which one to sure. It was interesting to hear

their about the new tap on Ronnie's A very classy break their from

Ronnie O'Sullivan. With the century on the other side, that takes the

We saw him in the UK Championships and he was for actually using every

cue in the book and changing it every other night. Yes, that

century on the other table, was completed at virtually the same

time as the one by Ronnie O'Sullivan. And that is the

I class the century, followed immediately by a brilliant safety

He does not want to slog round the back of this and he does not want

to leave that. That is careless by Mark Williams. He may have to go

back and sit in that seat for who knows how long? The way Ronnie

seems to be claimed, it could be a while. That said, even when he

clears the table, you are not Look at the average shot time. 17

seconds for Ronnie O'Sullivan and only two seconds more for Mark

The pot success rate has gone slightly up for it Ronnie

O'Sullivan. You would think from the air, the only way is down, but

he is even better today. In the tournament as a whole, his pot

But he is really happy about everything, whether it has his cue

or how he's feeling on the table conditions - although in fairness,

he very rarely complains about the table conditions, that is not

If you remember the year he changed the tip all the time, he'd have

beaten in the semi-finals and gave his cue and the case away to

someone in the audience. I think there are very few players who

would come to the World Championships without having every

He has scored 400 points more than Mark Williams, thus far. Look at

that, for a moment, Ronnie was a long and thought there was no

opposition available, but he then He still had to get the first red

full on to the second. He is hitting the ball like a dream this

afternoon. I should think Mark Williams is a little bit worried.

As great a player as he has, he knows when O'Sullivan is at his

best, he is tough to hold. It doesn't help that his record in

recent years is not good. It's over The first frame lasted just over 10

minutes. That magnificent 107 break. All Mark has done wrong, he was in

A top snooker and he slipped around the back of the red. That has gone

slightly wrong. He can still pot this in the middle pocket, but I

don't know if he can avoid cannoning into the edge of the reds

there. He's looking at the other one to cut it back in, because he

is 64 in front, he is taking the more difficult shot. I don't think

there is any difficult pots of the moment. Not for Ronnie O'Sullivan.

In a matter of under 20 minutes, he is going to take the first two

I'm not a betting man. I know you like your odds, but there was an

offer of five to one of five centuries been made this afternoon.

We've already had two. Oh, but might have spoiled the second one.

I don't know if there is going to be a century now. As far as the

frame is concerned, I don't see Mark Williams continuing, because

it's not really his thing to carry on. Well, there you are. There is

the shot. Mark Williams does Yes, I don't blame Mark for trying

to get some sort of rhythm going. guess that's what it would be

because Mark needs more than one snooker. He's usually happy to sit

in his chair. And start the next frame. Of course, he's not out of

the match. No way. He will need to It will be interesting to see if he

clears appear. I think the way the balls are situated, he might try

for the snookers, because the brown is in a good position near the

green, and he leads a red near the pink. Well, it doesn't matter which

of those reds he leads, he will be in a good snookering position. I

think he has missed this one. Yes. He concedes immediately. Ronnie

looks tremendous this afternoon. HAZEL IRVINE: Actually, when you

look at the head-to-head between these two men, it really is

emphatically in favour of O'Sullivan, isn't it? 23-7 over

their encounters over the years and, in fact, mark has not beaten Ronnie

in any event since 2002. That's quite stark, those statistics.

Mark lost his game a little bit. I remember when he won all four BBC

events and then had a dip in his form. He knew he was in trouble

because he was with me in qualifying at Prestatyn. He wasn't

competing with Ronnie over that period and in the last few years,

has got back again. O'Sullivan is so difficult to play against. He is

hitting it like a dream today. you look at their respective years,

Mark won the title into 10021003, they had kind of missed each other

at sometimes. Yes, it's amazing. We have seen a few amazing it is a 6

this week. Higgins and Hendry meeting the first time at the

Crucible. It's an unbelievable statistic. The two of them are

overlapping, and their careers is quite amazing. When Ronnie is in

such form, you know, he's a hard man to stop and when he gets on a

run like that, it's just sublime. The score board changes so quickly.

You don't feel as if you're involved in the match. 5-3, 6-3, 7-

3, you just watch it changed. That's five frames in a row between

the last session and this. Williams is struggling to get on the table.

COMMENTATOR: Very good point, Hazel. Five and a row, Ronnie has won. --

5 in a row. Mark has got to try and make something happen here. He

can't just have a go at anything. He might be able to take the pot on

Just wondering if Ronnie might be tempted but this one? He wouldn't

Wasn't far away, but the only red he could leave it was the one he

attempted, and it is given market Now play on the brown or the green

rather than the blue to get into the bunch. Let's look at what angle

he has. He has gone a bit too far. No angle now to get into the bunch.

He wants to leave the brown and then come off the side cushion and

for but the pack but if he takes the green, it's quite an ambitious

shot to split the reds. He looked Well, that's a great effort. He had

so much side on that. He stuck in At least it was touching so he can

just play away from it. But that was a great effort from the yellow,

Terrific amount of right-hand side and he hit the second cushion. Very

Interesting shot. He clearly was not interested in playing the half

ball to the corner pocket just beyond it. The trouble is, he did

not shift the red away from the pocket very far. He got the cue

ball back, so a very strange one. Very good. Excellent. I think with

Ronnie's shot, he hit it far too thin, didn't he? Yes, I think so.

He has played some good shots in this frame already. He was lucky

not to break them from the yellow. As is often the case, when chances

come along, you feel you have got to take them, and already he has

awkward cueing on the black. I don't know if he can get to the

packed just bowling in the pink. -- Another dreaded plant. He has

missed one already. Two reds go to the left-hand corner lead than

enough space between them to make it into a pot. From where the cue

ball is, you would fancy him. He has got to hit the first on almost

That's OK. It is so important here for Mark Williams to possibly make

a frame-winning break, just to let Ronnie O'Sullivan know he is around

here. The first two frames were not He has looked at playing a gentle

That is a lovely shot. That's exactly what he played. Yes, it's

one of those shots we say we he This is snooker of a very high

standard. Two great players. Five Now, he has purposely left the

angle on this. I think the reds are Might not be too bad. It's not

perfect, by any means, but, as a left-hander, he might be able to

reach the red. It is very close up, though, and you could push if you

are not careful. Double hit, or something. I'm not sure what he is

looking at there but he is very close. Even though he is quite a

tall lad, this is awkward to get to. Very unlucky to stick in the reds

like that. Yes, not even straight. We will just show you again. You

would think he would get the spider out rather than trying right down

Look at where the balls are sitting here. 37, and a bit of bad luck

going into them and Ronnie, well, we know the form he is in. This is

another good chance. I think he was slightly in denial about that shot.

It was too difficult, wasn't it, but he refused to drop into the

reds. He could not get on the black, but it looks like it's going to

cost him the frame at the way O'Sullivan has been. The angle was

not quite the potting angle but he Yeah, he really stretched for that.

It's such an awkward shot. I suppose, if he had got the spider,

Well, we all know the problem here. It does appear that that is the

only obvious problem here because we have seen the way Ronnie is

cueing today. Breaks of 107 and 74 already this afternoon. Just a

possibility he might go with the two reds because he has got one to

the left middle. Classy again from Nearly carried on with the shot. He

did that against Peter Ebdon a couple of times, changed his mind

on the shot. That's the worst possible thing you could do. It's a

bit like golf, if you change your mind, step away and then step back

The one to the left side of the Whichever way you look at it, he

will need all four reds. Now two and this black with it. Open play.

If you can get on the one as the left, you could then roll down the

cushion but it has still got to be done. He is luck and it taking the

chance, here, to pot it. If the pink had been on the spot, it would

have been easier. If he risks opening it be here, he has to be

careful. Now he's knocked that red. It is fairly safe and the angle he

has on the blue is not good to get What about this for a shot? If he

misses the black... I'll tell you what, he must be so confident at to

play a shot like that. He didn't even hit it that hard and look at

where he has got the cue ball from this position. Absolutely amazing.

Timing was brilliant, wasn't it? When he turned professional at the

young man, he was knocking those balls in, and this looks a more

difficult red, to me, the one he must play. Now back into a blind

No problem at all. Beautifully played. I don't suppose he will get

any better on the red than where he was on the last shot so, again,

still has work to do. It's not Oh dear. That's the first one he

has missed and there was more needed on that shot than the others.

He didn't have his hand on the table there. He was a bridging on

the cushion and that did not help his cause, as you can see. So what

Can Mark Williams knock this long Well, at least it has gone safe.

Wasn't a nice angle, was it? This cue ball is going to the side

cushion as he hits it harder than he would have been comfortable with.

Does he take the double on? An easy snooker. It's available to him.

Played the snooker. It's going to have to be the green to snooker in

behind the brown, I think. And that's a bit of a bonus. Just

looking at it, the middle pocket is in the way, slightly. You would

He obviously can't see enough of this red to send it around the

angles. He can only hit the right hand side of it. Having to swerve

From that position, he judged that I just wonder if he can get in

He has played it pretty well. The red was always the worry. Whether

he's got any cover or not. He's run round quickly to have a look.

think he can see enough of this but it's a tough pot. OK, now the brown

is nearer the corner pocket. He It was a horrible shot, wasn't it?

It's the sort of situation you feel Ronnie should get a snooker. It's

not as straightforward as it looks and, it it is, it's pretty

straightforward and Mark should He will settle for that. Ronnie is

Look Now the potting angle. Mark intended to knock that red up

somewhere near the blackspot area. Looks like he is having a go at

And, once again, just hitting that quite easy. Look at the action he's

got on the cue ball. A quick look Just needs the yellow and green.

And it's three in a row this afternoon. It will be six frames in

a row when he knocks yellow and green in it. No point saying if the

There you see the difference. 24. I thought he might have played it

harder and then he could have got an easy snooker behind the pink

because Mark won't concede. The black is in a good position for the

He would love to be able to knocked the pink on to the cushion. --

knock. But he can't do it from that So, barring that snooker, it's

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

Worrying times for the Welshman, Mark Williams. Six frames in a row

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

Ronnie O'Sullivan has taken. He now Ronnie O'Sullivan, as you saw,

ranking Wise, down to 30 in the Basically, he has not played in all

the tournaments and that's the reason for it. Anyone who thinks

he's outside the top eight on ability has not watched much

snooker because he is still as good as ever. He doesn't do it every day,

but today, he has looked superb. There's a long way between the two

players now. A 5 frame cushion. OK, it could end of a type and age, but

it seems a long way off, doesn't it? Ronnie could put this the way

He thought he would leave that red The red, behind the bunch, is

available. When mark wants to go into the pack. Left himself

purposely low on this. This will bring a few into play, but he's got

to make sure he doesn't let the cue ball drift to the cushion when he

opens them up. That's not where he wanted the cue ball. Might b able

to... Well, he's not even looking at it. He might be able to drop the

black in and leave the white but the left middle pocket and he will

have the rights to the red of the bunch available. Good cueing and he

is on that red. I think, maybe, he has not hit it hard enough. That's

a bit careless. He put everything into the pot, which you can't blame

him for. He only needed another He has played a fairly simple

safety shot there. Mark often puts the cue ball in the corners rather

than behind a baulk colour. I don't think he could take the risk and

open up the reds any more. Always worth checking out any plants on

there. Ronnie does not see anything. Two red at the bottom are fairly

close to the right-hand corner. I think Mark can get to them,

possibly. Perhaps a little bit too thin, but those two reds might

interest him. He is playing a safety shots here, perhaps behind

It is a week safety this time for Mark Williams. Not so much he has

left a pot on, I'd just below Ronnie might be able to get into

Yes, most players have a nice little game-plan. Ladies long

matches in a little many sessions and have 3-1 in your mind and if

you can win all four, that would be a bonus. Ronnie O'Sullivan couldn't

win all four of this first session Green and brown now. Now they are

slightly better place to get in It looks as if he might be able to

cue past the yellow. And take this pot on. He has got a straight

forward safety shot off the red to the left of the black. He has kept

Mark Williams away from the table. And he is cueing so well. He must

fancy this. Not a bad change of He got down in did not put

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

The match time just passing three Rory has got to find an escape plan.

He was meant to come to the left of the black directly. He looks very

disappointed. But it is just one of a couple of mistakes he has made

this afternoon. You cannot play I mentioned in the little chat

before the match started before this afternoon that if there where

scrappy frames, you would fancy Mark Williams. He is the great

break-builder, but when the balls call a bit awkward, he has got a

great knack of winning these type Not a good chance here, by any

means. In a few shot time, that red just above the pink will be

available, which will clear the It was very awkward. Ronnie

O'Sullivan just having a glance up at the monitor. You cannot always

see exactly how the balls have finished when you are level with

A similar shot to the one that Ronnie got slightly wrong last time

round. The problem is getting the path back to the baulk area. We

have seen him getting it wrong once. He could possibly get a plea to get

the cue ball to stay at the back black end. But sometimes you have

to play a containing shot and that is what he has done. The trouble

with that is that, once you have played a shot like that, are you

going to end up in even more He is very good at each shots, I

have to say. As Dennis said earlier, he just drops the ball in, he is an

absolute master at that. Yes, he was expecting to stay on the green,

but the white just kept on running. But he is once again blocked the

path back down the left-hand side of the table. So, a 27. Advantage

for Mark Williams. That is what Ronnie is looking at. Even what I

cannot see even ripped back down the table. -- e route back down the

Again, a good containing shot. This time there is not anything to pot

into the middle pocket and Mark Williams is just looking to try and

put Ronnie in more trouble, but that is colliding with the green.

That could have been a lot worse for Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has not

left anything, but left a chance for Ronnie to put it Mark in

This time, it is Ronnie's time to block the path back down the left-

hand side of the table. But there is a possible pot here which could

see him swinging the cue ball back I am not sure about that shot, Mark.

Just thinking about these two, I cannot remember Meaney very

tactical frames the have ever But that shot that Mark played, I

do not think it was on. A 27. Advantage that Mark had when Ronnie

came to the table is now looking a I think both of these reds pot.

Ronnie could do a lot of scoring around the pink. He can score in

the centre of the table equally The problem here is that he leaves

abbot of an angle and I am not sure if he can hold for the pink or have

to go up the table for another table. -- colours. He played it

safe, to get guaranteed position on When you are playing well, you tend

to get these nice nudges. He has may be played at a little bit too

strong. He played for me to white - - at the to reds next to the pink.

He is cueing so well he hit that too well! He is still on the pink,

He is just looking for a delicate Absolutely what he had in mind and

Both of these reds which are occupying around the black spot

will both pot into the bottom left- He is just looking at the

scoreboard to work out if he will require both of these reds on the

He is going to need at least one of Yes, and if he is just taking the

pink, he will actually require both of them, because his lead would

only go to 34 points with 35 It looks as if he is going to have

to leave that difficult red until the end. It is imperative he gets

the good angle on the pink, so he has an angle to move that difficult

He could get the angle from here. Now, how is that? It looks pretty

good to me. He could bring this into play it. Nor, he has opted to

just run-in behind it. He just not need to worry about position of the

shot. He does not need to worry about the colour. Yes, I think that

is why he played it that way. That is good matchplay snooker. If he

had required the colour, he may well have played it differently. He

does look good today. It is a break which has made him think all the

way through. And that is another Good stuff from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

He has had a good afternoon so far and is surging ahead of Mark

A misplaced a safety shot by Mark Williams which has cost and the

frame. At the moment, Ronnie as a He looks absolutely in top gear.

You know that if you miss the shot, he is going to get in there and

score. It means that there is so much pressure on every shot that

Mark Williams plays? Yes, every shot he plays he has to be

completely spot-on and that is an awful lot of pressure and strain on

you. Ronnie O'Sullivan is looking very good as the head off for their

half-time cup of tea. We are going to go back over to the other table.

We left it after Judd Trump had scored a century in the opening

frame to cut his deficit to 4-5. Steve Davis and Willie Thorne are

WILLIE THORNE: What an excellent bonus for Allister Carter. He was

sitting there a minute ago expecting Judd Trump to clean up

and now he is back in with a great STEVE DAVIS: Allister Carter quite

rightly taking his time in settling This is an unusual situation in

that he can actually play for any He could actually play that shot

and then worry about which of V3 reds was in the best position for

Ideally, he would like the blue on its spot, but he does not want to

When the blue is, it is not too difficult to play up from the brown

to the blue. But clearly, the yellow to the green is going to be

He could be tempted to play for the blue here, but whether it is

actually the right shot is another matter. No, he decided to turn it

In some ways, the easiest way to get on the yellow from the last red

He has had a quick glance at the scoreboard. It does not matter

It is really nice to see Allister Carter fit and well again. It is

common knowledge that he has crones disease. It is nice to see him back

at the top of his game, as it has been a bit of a struggle for him in

the last couple of years. He is one of my favourite players to watch.

He would have liked to have reached this without the rest, but that is

not possible. He shot coming up in Ferry good. They'll let problem is

that the angle on the brown to get This is quite clearly now the key

shot. You would expect him to clear, but how close can he get to the

He has looked at the to cushion angle and is now looking at each

Now, how close any get to this blue. So, he now only needs the pink, he

does not have to worry about the Judd Trump is not even looking. He

has not looked at the table once Would you believe it? I did not see

that coming. He black of the spot miss by Judd and now he's a pink of

A he looked a bit unsettled. I think he should am maybe got up and

started again. The tension of the Now, Judd is looking at the risk of

the double, but if he is going to What a very clever shot that was.

It maybe not that difficult to hit, but it is the old adage that it is

not that you hit it, but where it Well, he played D pink up and let

me have rolled off a fraction. He hit it Southend-on-Sea, he has not

As a result of the mishap, he has This looks pretty straightforward.

This is going to make Judd forget about the poor shots he has played

in this frame. What an amazing Judd Trump should have wrapped up

refrain earlier, but then Allister Carter should have come back and

But Allister Carter hit back, with a century of his own. He was a

runner-up for years ago, so he knows what it takes to get all the

way to the final. Still, the score now 6-52 Allister Carter and they

are still in the middle of the 12th I talked to his manager and he said

he is still feeling a bit weak, so he is doing very well to just hang

in. There is not a lot between them. Physically, at Allister Carter

looks a lot better. He has had his problems obviously, but what is the

difference between him and just the few weeks ago? I think just getting

through that first round will have made a big difference. He knows

that even if he wins this event he is not going to get back into the

top 16, so maybe it has taken the pressure off them. Maybe a bit like

the way Stephen Hendry has been playing as well. With the pressure

off, he is playing a bit more freely and has that bounce in his

step as he goes around the table. He probably just feels nice and

relaxed. We will keep you up-to- date than that. No, it is time to

keep you up-to-date with what is happening with the Paul Hunter

Foundation. As you know, he died six years ago. Now, as she not a

number of top players are taking place in the Sheffield half-

marathon next month's to raise money for the foundation. But there

In Leeds, we have been doing a campaign to name some of the buses

in Leeds after some other famous citizens, and the public vote, Paul

Hunter was one of these chosen, so we are putting his name on the side

To have your name and a bus which will be going around Leeds, he

deserves that. He did not win the World Championship, but he won the

Masters three times. It is a great cause and long may it continue.

as a tribute, it does not get any better than that as it will be seen

by everybody at in the area as they get on and off. Yes, and it is

great to see the children looking so well. And that of course goes to

their mother as well. It is always Now, as you know, Mark Williams was

the No. 1 and fell down the rankings into the Forties for a

while and it has been some performance by hand to get back to

the top of the rankings, as he did last year. What has the journey be

I am not really sure they know exactly what is going on. Sometimes

they come down early and Rob Walker introduces some. They just come

down and cause havoc. The elder one especially likes to just run around

and caused a bit of trouble. It would be nice to win a tournament

The few tournaments I have one have been in the likes of Germany and

So they have seen me a few times get to the latter stages of

That was probably the most consistent stuff I have ever played.

In the same here, to get in the final of the UK Championships, the

Masters and the World Championships. To win all of these in the same

here was just amazing. To even when one of them were dug been an

When I got to number one the first time, I'd left my game go a little

bit. The same Hakem -- happen the second time. I had doubts I would

get back into the 16, but it was quite difficult. Yeah, there was a

couple of reasons why I dropped down that low, to be honest. Staff

off the table wasn't great at that time. I'd just split from my

management company I was with for donkey's years and I wasn't in the

best position, to be honest, when I left and there was a lot of things

happening and that probably the main reason why I went down so low

and struggled to get any form. I can't go into too much detail of it,

but I owed the bank a lot of money when I left, the taxman a bit of

money, and a few other bits and pieces. It took me two years to

rediscover any form and try to get myself sorted off the table, really.

I'm still not 100% sorted now but I'm a helluva lot better than I was

a few years ago. And somehow, with all that on my mind, I put it to

the back and got back to number one which was probably the best

achievement I've done. It is getting more of an effort in the

last couple of years, to be honest. I'd probably say 70% of the time

I'm practising just because I have got to practice. Otherwise,

probably, I would not be there but it's definitely getting harder. My

aim now is to do as well as I can in every tournament and basically

tried to in as much money as I can -- and basically tried to earn as

much money as I can. I'm not playing for truth is, tournament

victories but to win as much money as I can. Anything else. I don't

want any trophies or anything. Game It looks like he's got his hands

full. He's now 37 years old. It's one of the most candid interviews

I've heard him give, going into the reasons why he slipped down. I

guess if things are not right of the table, it makes it hard to

concentrate on winning when it doesn't seem important. Any sport

is tough but when you are outside troubles, particularly snooker,

because it's ace of the ball game and 90% of that is in your mind and

if it's not right, it's hard to perform of. A remarkable recovery.

He's come back through the qualifiers to the top of the tree

and it shows you how mentally tough he is and he's a great all-round

player and he's been candid in the interview. Obviously, it's an

individual sport. Everything is down to you. You have to do

everything yourself. Well, he's climbed back to world number one

and is going to have to climb another mountain here to make it

through to the quarter-finals once again. A lot of work to do. Ronnie

COMMENTATOR: He certainly is, Hazel. Typical Mark Williams, he was in

the Champions lounge, and could have been leading 9-3. He's always

been that sort of character. You never know if he's won or lost.

He's come up quite a bit short here. Ronnie may be tempted with the red

to the left of the blue. Something is going to have to start happening

Well, it wobbled a few times, but it's a cracking pot and he's right

on the blue. He spotted something on the cue ball distracting him,

and if he goes full into the pink, he's got to make sure the reds

would become a plant in the right corner. I don't think he's even

looked up at. I think he will be OK. We will find out shortly. It's all

about flush on to the pink. The two reds were not a plant. Not bad at

all. The key was the cue ball. It didn't bounce off the pink. I don't

think he could have come out a lot better than that, to be honest.

Mind you, he should never have had that chance. It was careless of

Mark Williams to leave a safety The pink is out commission at the

moment. Not a good angle on the black because of the red to the

It looks a one. Fairly straight to this red but will bounce it off the

cushion. No problem at all. Quite a bit of noise at the mid- session

interval on the other table but the way Ronnie has been focused, I

don't think he will even notice That red is just a little bit

awkward. The people there are That's OK. That one to the middle

pocket. Just covered a couple of reds to the left corner. He made a

good decision there in but it is one which will give him a lot

possibilities. As you say, one to the middle pocket. The others are

very nicely spread. Everything in the open. So, Ronnie with a chance

to extend his lead. Looking somewhat ominous, the way this

Yes, I don't think it would have mattered who he was playing against.

In this form, his opponent would be sitting most of the frames in his

Still sitting at 95% at his pot Not the best this time. Still OK,

but he will have to head up for the blue again. Mark would love to come

back to the table but it's unlikely he will. I think, the way things

are going, he's already perfectly It's virtually one chance and the

frame is over. He said breaks of Now he's right in amongst the

blackspot, as well. Played the blue earlier. In a few shots, this could

Couldn't avoid the cannon into that red. It's OK. He's a bit close to

the cushion than he would have liked. And there is just a matter

of the yellow but he's got a position where he can leave himself.

Just watch where he puts the cue ball here. He will have the choice

of at least four reds. Now, watch this. He's got a red to the left

middle, one to the right corner and one to the left corner. When you

see break-building like this, you feel there is no difficult shots on

and the game look so easy and you think, I could almost do this

myself. His cue ball control is under such tight measures, and

really, you feel no shot but he plays is particularly difficult.

The shot Mark Williams played was not particularly difficult. The

safety shot. He just under hit it Every chance of another century and

that would be the 45th century. At the Crucible this year. And another

�200 for the children's hospice. This red in the middle was the most

difficult as well. By potting that, it makes it a good thing to make

the century. Hit it into the middle pocket at quite speed there. It was

quite a tight angle. We are seeing the full repertoire of shots.

has made 42 centuries this season, Ronnie. He has made 108 at the

Crucible, believe it or not. And there is another one! He just keeps

getting better and better, Ronnie O'Sullivan. What an exhibition this

has been at the Crucible this afternoon. Mark Williams just can't

do anything about this. He has been playing well but has not had a

chance to play. It's as simple as that. Look at the side on that.

And, all the way around the houses Look at this positional shot, as

well. Look at where the cue ball Unbelievable! And what a reception

Ronnie O'Sullivan gets from this Crucible crowd. He just keeps

marching on and he now leads Mark Well, no wonder there's a look of

bemusement on his face because we are now in danger of looking at a

defeat with a session to spare and this would be the 5th time at the

Crucible. It's incredible. What can he do? He plays a shot and then

sits there and watches. It's the 108 macroth century at the Crucible

alone. This is one of those sessions. I don't know who that day

but is for this year's championship but it should be him. The pace he

plays when he's on a roll seems to be quicker and quicker and quicker.

So many beautiful shots. Look how he develops the whole break and

even the exhibition shots at the end, he has everything. It is tough

for Mark to sit there and admire it, because that's all he can do. He's

in complete overdrive at the moment. Real danger from his perspective.

He could go home even earlier than he wished but let's quickly filly

won on what's happening in the cart that Judd Trump match. This is a

few moments ago. Carter needed this. This would lead to the scores being

level at 65 and 6. After their money session, as it were, Judd

Trump has won. It's all square. That is the situation. Ali Carter

growing a few chances, obviously, but we will head out to the Ronnie

O'Sullivan match again to see whether he can indeed wrap things

up more quickly than we had Quite amazing to think it could be

one with a session to spare. It didn't seem like that when the

match was 3-22 Mark Williams and I can tell you, Mark -- Neil

Robertson was they but in match play from Betfred.com. He's making

the book makers scratch their heads because Ronnie, like this, would be

the favoured for any tournament. He hasn't won at this match yet, we

know, but he's looking very good to do so. Is he going to continue

along those lines? He always does well against Mark Williams but does

not always win matches. Sometimes, he does lose, and does not always

And, immediately, a chance of a And look at the blue, and he's on

the green. He can pot the green, cannon into the bunch of reds. When

things are going well, they really run for you. He's even got an angle

on the blue to go into the reds but the green looks better, I thought.

Well, this time he has played for the one loose red. You know what is

going to do from this position. He's going to split the reds. The

pink will spring free. Not the best, though. I suppose, when he's like

this, you don't expect him to do anything wrong. He has played a

difficult black on his left hand and even that floats into the left

pocket, but where is the cue ball? Unless there is a plant there... It

just shows you when you're going well, there's always something

available and it looks like that plant, it's a possibility. Yeah, I

guess that's why he played the shot the way he did on the black,

because, for once, he didn't seem quite as positive as other ways.

Nicely done. He's actually quite He knows he misjudged that would

A slice of good fortune there from O'Sullivan. He deserves it because

Well, not only was he on the black but he could run through for that

red, so everything is just so easy at the moment. It's about the only

piece of luck he has needed because everything else has been pure skill,

positionally. His shot selection is absolutely breathtaking at times.

A little bit closer to the pink But, even that, look at the

It's just a privilege and a pleasure to be sitting here.

Well, that's right. The players still like to watch O'Sullivan to

see how he hits the ball, the shots he plays. Even some of his rivals

don't want to be watching snooker that much, it makes them turn their

heads because he's quite something, I've never seen anyone play snooker

like him. And we've got some great players like Stephen Hendry in this

tournament. He's magnificent, but even Ronnie, at times, puts him in

the shade, I think, with his class of stroke. He was absolutely born

He just falls into position every shot. He comes around the table and

it's just so natural for him and he has got the perfect angle here.

There is no red available. One more 256 in play. Really, anybody could

be sitting where Mark Williams is. It would have made no difference

because he is not getting a shot. As a consequence, he's not doing

much wrong, just not getting a chance. We have seen it before with

O'Sullivan playing snooker at this level, but it is not an everyday

occurrence, because the game has And after this black has gone,

Stroked it in it. That's the key. Did not have to use much force.

He's very happy with the tip and the conditions. Clearly very happy

with himself. Look at that shot there. The reds were tied up. He

flicked the reds, finished perfectly on the blue, and now

every chance. Every chance of The referee has to be so nimble

I guess you could have a referee at each side of the table, Dennis. You

could take balls out of one side and from the other side as well. Oh

dear, that's very unfortunate so it's going to be some shot to make

the century. I don't think anyone is too concerned, apart from a

charity, of course. He's quite brilliant this afternoon and a

surging away from Mark Williams also HAZEL IRVINE: And nine frames

in a row now from Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has indeed just be installed as

the favourite to win the title after this performance. No surprise

there. You can't play better than that. He is playing as good as he

has ever played and, at the moment, it doesn't matter who was sitting

in the chair it would make no difference if it was you or me, it

would make a difference. He's playing the best snooker I've seen

him play for a long time. What has flicked the switch off for him?

don't know what the thing is also we saw him at the beginning of last

week. He's totally at ease with himself and certainly, working with

the sports psychologist may have a lot to do with that. He seems

content but also from the very first frame he was really up for

the game and when you are sitting there in his chair, this nothing he

can do. He just have to wait for his chance. When you are playing

against O'Sullivan in this type of form, there's nothing you could do.

I played against him in the final ones and I was lucky to get one and

he makes the game look easy. Stephen Hendry is renowned as the

best player in the world but nobody can beat Ronnie O'Sullivan. What is

COMMENTATOR: It's always the biggest argument, who is the

greatest player who has won the game. It is still Stephen Hendry,

He is potting success is 96%. It was 94% at the start. Not a good

safety shot from Mark Williams and every chance now that this match

could finish with this session to spare. Ronnie just needs two more

He has made a mess of that. Unlucky Can't do everything perfectly. Come

on, Mark, you've got to put a good telling safety in and tried to give

In fact, he can get back down the table and the yellow is off the

spot so this not be on that side of the table to play behind. He could

There is a little bit of pride at But, even then, he has not left

The fact that he has kissed the blue, it means he plays the safety.

We haven't had many bouts of safety. We might need a few here to sort

In fact, I'm going to have a great pleasure on the 12th and 13th May

at the Bedworth Civic Hall, a Ryder Cup style team and Ronnie is in my

team along with John Parrott who is in the studio. And Cliff Thorburn

is coming over and he is going to captain the rest of there world

team with the darling of Dublin, Stephen Hendry and Tony Drago. We

will have a fantastic weekend after the World Championship. It is near

He has missed it. Phone the police! It must have been tight, that one.

It only just went. I suppose he was going to miss it to the near jaw

because it was a close thing. Mark Williams has potted one, the first

time for a long time. You have to go way back 28 minutes in play time

and that can be a long time, a lot of points against O'Sullivan, 28

minutes sitting down. And this has to go all the way around the table

That's usually the case when you are kept off the table and you are

out of your rhythm. When you get a chance, it's not an easy one. He

couldn't avoid the cannon onto the yellow. And now he is faced with a

medium ranged pot. There is a possibility he could get through

for the black here. Might be able to hold for the pink. Yes, he can.

But he has floated that one between I'm just looking, are they all

covering each other into the left corner if he just pops the black

Beautifully played. They were covering each other. He had to get

the cue ball over there. If he just rolled that in, he's not on

anything. A very good shot from Mark Williams. A difficult shot

made to look easy there. He has do bunch over the reds, to get high

enough to go on the black. I think he's played up particularly well,

also. He might be straight on it I suppose he could win this two

frames. A couple of years ago, Neil Robertson, 11-5 down, against

Martin Gould, checked out of his hotel and came back and won the

championship. Never won the match. You have to do that, win the frame

on the next and, even then, it That was amazing, that year he came

back and beat Martin gold and then we saw those babblers pictures of

his mum coming over from Australia. It was brilliant. -- fabulous

pictures. And he was favourite for this year's Betfred.com

Championship until about 20 minutes ago. Then they installed Ronnie

O'Sullivan as favourite. Come on, Mark. Let's see a nice century from

He has been completely outplayed. This is his first decent break

since the fourth frame. It was a break of 64 in that frame. That is

not criticism of Mark Williams at He is OK. He is on the black and

pink. This will be nice if he can score enough to crime - to clinch

this frame. He has lost nine frames Conditions have been perfect for

snookered this afternoon. There have been no criticisms of the

table whatsoever. I had a little knock-on one of the practice tables.

I never thought I would be on a practice table beside Stephen

Hendry again! The tables are beautiful to play on, they really

This is very good for Mark Williams. The first real chance for the best

part of four frames, and he takes it. Well done, Mark. Every credit

He will have to play some sort of exhibition shots to get on the red.

He put so much side on that. Can he picked his red into the corner to

make it possible century break? Unlucky. What an effort from the

Welshman. He lost 9 frames in a row. He had one sniff of the chance and

the one of the frame with a break of 86 but he has a long way back in

the match. If in the circumstances, that is a

gutsy effort. Yes. Pride kicks in. You don't want to have the

embarrassment of losing a match at the session to spare. That is what

champions are made off, you always want to give a hundred %. Every

time you get in, you just try to give 100 %. He has just lost nine

in a row. You have been given a sniff of a chance. What is the

thinking when you are that far behind? Personal pride. You have to

sit and be logical about it. You sat there for nine frames and he

hasn't played a bad shot. To make that break their after you have

been sat down for so long is a great effort. He could very easily

look for the exit door, but he hasn't done that. He has got to

think, maybe I could make nine in a row! You never know what happens in

sport. It might only happen one time in 1000, but you never know.

Well, they're going to come back for another session tomorrow

Well, we have already had one session that was 12 frames to four.

That was John Higgins again Stephen Hendry. John Higgins said he didn't

particularly want to be there. Within a few shots it was all over.

12 frames to four is considerably too far to come back for anybody.

11 frames to five? You never know. We have seen it before a couple of

It's not often you see that's! He almost seemed to play it with the

side of the tip. I suppose that his legal! Ronnie O'Sullivan was

looking the wrong way and I don't think even realise that a shot had

been played! A bit of a stalemate. If Mark Williams can hit around,

you know, only one player can be at the table at one time. As Hazel

Irvine was saying, there is no reason why another player couldn't

hit nine frames in a row. But the way Ronnie O'Sullivan is playing,

There is Mark Williams! You have to call it afloat shot! The way he can

float balls into the pocket at times. You won't see a better

positional shot than that. He has spotted some long balls in this

match. You really have to trust the That is unlucky. Very, very close.

Normally if you get back close they run away from the pocket, but he

was so close it just ran away, He has done well there. He has

avoided hitting a colour. He doesn't have the angle on the green,

so it will be the more difficult This has not worked out perfectly,

for once. He can play the black, go into the reds. The poll has to be

given some care and attention in the first place. Yet, it was

possible to miss. He has missed one or two balls recently, that is all.

I don't think he really believes in It was wonderful cueing to knock in

I think he is OK. One will go into the right corner, if you can get

past the think he can take the easier one. If not, there is a

slightly more difficult red that is He has covered the red with the

blue, the one that he missed. The one on the left-hand side of the

table is hampered by the yellow, so Ronnie O'Sullivan has had a bit of

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

So, Ronnie O'Sullivan playing a This afternoon has all been about

Ronnie O'Sullivan's break-building. That was a dangerous shot to play

The shot from Mark Williams was a positive safety shot, but it was

short of speed. Ronnie O'Sullivan with his hand on the table is a

little bit too good today. Agathe - I think he was worried about their

second red he was going to hit. All this sudden, she has lost a bit of

momentum. You can't play well all the time. Mark Williams again with

the chance. Ronnie O'Sullivan was a little bit annoyed with himself

I think he has lost a little bit of focus at the moment. With playing

so well for so long, it is easy to do that. He would like to get to 12,

I can assure you of that. Mark! At least he has covered the red, but

that is a bad miss. He just took his eye off the pot. He has covered

it, so that is a consolation. you see a pot like that Mr it looks

like a glaringly bad shots because there have been so few of them this

That is a good shot. Beautifully played to get on the black. Now a

chance for Ronnie O'Sullivan. We know that he only needs a slight

He doesn't have to play any cannons, the three reds at the pink spots

will all-clear each other. He has three more reds after this that are

all easy. He did seem to get quite a quick bounce off the cushion

Ronnie O'Sullivan, when everything is right, it is just so special, as

you keep on saying. He is pleased with the tip he has got on, which

When everything clicks, he is very special. He plays now Lickey has

always done. No signs of him getting on in years. He has been a

professional mower for 20 years and still plays the same way he did as

a young man. He made a 147 in five minutes and 20, maybe he couldn't

do it that quickly, but everything That isn't perfect. The rent at the

top of the table will not come to his rescue. This isn't easy. He

will need a good safety, tight on the cushion. Just talking about the

run he had any first turned professional. He won something like

57 matches without losing. Quite an incredible run. There is a clever

shot, pushes the thinks safe. Occasionally we see on Ronnie

O'Sullivan taking on reckless shots when his concentration goes.

Playing at the Crucible there is every reason to play the game

properly. You would think that if he gets it to 12 frames, there is

That is a bad miscalculation, but not as bad as it might be. There

I am surprised he is not playing the bottom red. Is he going for the

double, perhaps? What a shock! I don't think many players would have

There is a tremendous atmosphere in the Crucible. People in the front

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 46 seconds

Did backache or was it a bad miss? - Did That kick? I don't know. I

thought he may be things you just couldn't miss it. It didn't seem to

I think she just took the eye of the pot. Ronnie O'Sullivan made

that look quite easy. Can he get to the final red? The difference is 22.

Green, red and high value colour. It might just got nicely in behind

Mark is probably still thinking Any colour would have done of that

last red. Mark is trying to get his composure back. He is a fuming at

missing that ball earlier. That is unusual for him. Nothing usually

If you can get nicely on the yellow, he could bring out the brown. It is

not going to go far enough. He will have to get a good angle on the

green to get to the brown. That is a difficult shot. To get that angle

will be tough. I wonder if he will try to go for the double again.

Well, she has got the pink out. The brown will be a problem. He is

looking at the scoreboard. He is looking at the potting angle of the