:00:35. > :00:38.Good evening. Welcome to the crucible theatre in Sheffield. Day
:00:38. > :00:43.one of the Betfair World Championships. We are backstage, it
:00:43. > :00:48.is the first evening session, we are ready, and it is the return of the
:00:49. > :00:52.Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Breaking news. Ronnie O'Sullivan has
:00:52. > :00:56.decided to misthe rest of the snooker season. He has personal
:00:56. > :01:06.issues to resolve. The doubts have been cast on whether he will return
:01:06. > :01:13.
:01:13. > :01:18.to the sport. The Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan.
:01:18. > :01:28.So a terrific atmosphere at The Crucible for the return of Ronnie
:01:28. > :01:41.
:01:41. > :01:51.O'Sullivan, the defending champion, The Rocket is back and he takes the
:01:51. > :01:57.
:01:57. > :02:04.first frame in style. It's there. It's one apiece.
:02:04. > :02:07.Would you believe it? 62 and the frame to Ronnie
:02:07. > :02:12.O'Sullivan. He will be delighted. Marcus Campbell will be kicking
:02:12. > :02:20.himself. In it goes, and Ronnie O'Sullivan's
:02:20. > :02:28.stretching his lead to three. Ronnie will be disappointed with
:02:28. > :02:35.that. Marcus Campbell fails, five frames
:02:35. > :02:42.to two. And Ronnie O'Sullivan defending
:02:42. > :02:46.champion, ends the first session, leading by seven frames to two.
:02:46. > :02:50.As you see, The Crucible theatre once again in Sheffield is packed to
:02:50. > :02:54.the rafters to see Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ken Doherty is with me
:02:54. > :02:59.backstage. The players are ready, they will be out soon. What did you
:02:59. > :03:02.make of Ronnie's return? I thought he looked in imperious form. He
:03:02. > :03:06.looked focussed, concentrated, up for the match and it is great to
:03:06. > :03:11.have him back, there is no doubt about it. On paper it is a tough
:03:11. > :03:15.match but he stole a couple of frames and it ghaism more of an
:03:15. > :03:20.impetus. It is a fans ticks session for him. So much has been written
:03:20. > :03:24.about him, so much has been said about him, the fans adore hip, I was
:03:24. > :03:29.outside at the stage door earlier, the fans flocking, just to get a
:03:29. > :03:32.glimpse of him. Snooker needs Ronnie O'Sullivan. It does but the game is
:03:32. > :03:36.bigger than any one individual. It is great to have him back, the most
:03:36. > :03:40.talented player that has played the game and the buzz round Sheffield,
:03:40. > :03:46.even backstage, you know, to have him here playing is a great
:03:46. > :03:56.attribute for the tournament, and he has it all to do. As a Welshman I am
:03:56. > :03:59.looking forward to see seeing Mark Williams playing. Good evening Rob.
:03:59. > :04:05.Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is the climax of the opening day
:04:05. > :04:11.here at the cuetable. And it really has been a good one. -- Crucible.
:04:11. > :04:15.For the Betfair World Championships. 16-and-a-half more days of action to
:04:15. > :04:22.come. And the stage is set once again for
:04:22. > :04:27.four world class players. Please welcome a player whose great
:04:27. > :04:32.form this season has been rewarded with a Crucible debut, the youngest
:04:32. > :04:38.win over the world aperture title in 2006 has stepped up in class this
:04:38. > :04:48.year, including a run to the semifinals of the aShaun PCT1. Raise
:04:48. > :04:59.
:04:59. > :05:03.the roof for Michael White. relaxed players on the circuit. He
:05:03. > :05:09.made his first appearance here at The Crucible, can you believe it 16
:05:09. > :05:14.years ago. Winner of 18 ranking event title, including two Crucible
:05:14. > :05:24.crowns, this is his 21st year as a pro and he is still going wrong, he
:05:24. > :05:34.
:05:34. > :05:37.is the Welsh potting machine, Mark J APPLAUSE
:05:37. > :05:43.and on table number one, please welcome a player who has shown his
:05:43. > :05:47.best form of his career in cent years, semifinal semifinals a
:05:47. > :05:57.classic earlier, a PTC winner Germany, everyone in Dumbarton is
:05:57. > :06:15.
:06:15. > :06:22.hoping for a come back, the pride of And finally, please welcome a player
:06:22. > :06:27.who won his first major title 20 years ago and he has been delighted
:06:27. > :06:32.crowds round the world ever since, producing sublime form 12 months ago
:06:32. > :06:42.for his fourth global crown, he has been missed this season, but he is
:06:42. > :06:49.
:06:49. > :06:52.APPLAUSE What a noise inside The Crucible
:06:52. > :07:00.theatre here in Sheffield. Ronnie's return, here he comes for the
:07:00. > :07:05.evening session, will he be the first man into the second round of
:07:05. > :07:10.the 2013 championship? Good evening to Willie Thorne and Dennis Taylor.
:07:10. > :07:17.Good evening, and the atmosphere in The Crucible theatre, it is always
:07:17. > :07:21.great but when Ronnie O'Sullivan enters it is a bit special.
:07:21. > :07:25.REFEREE: Marcus Campbell to break. Marcus Campbell, well, he has a
:07:25. > :07:33.mountain to climb here, but just take it frame by frame, you never
:07:33. > :07:37.know. He can consider himself lucky to be
:07:37. > :07:41.seven two behind. When he trailed 3-1, he could have been 3-1 in
:07:41. > :07:47.front. Ronnie, won a couple of frames from plenty of points behind.
:07:47. > :07:51.The only thing that is missing, from Ronnie's game has been his long
:07:51. > :07:56.game. That has been poor, everything else is back to normal. Yes, I think
:07:56. > :08:03.at his best, Ronnie's long game sometimes lets him down a bit. There
:08:03. > :08:07.is the long pot success rate. When he was in the balls, he didn't
:08:07. > :08:17.look any difference different, so that year hasn't really affected
:08:17. > :08:21.
:08:21. > :08:31.The cue ball could be in. REFEREE: Foul. . An early chance for
:08:31. > :08:32.
:08:32. > :08:42.Marcus Campbell. He is 1% behind in the safety
:08:42. > :08:56.
:08:56. > :08:59.No century break yet, in this match. And this looks fob a fabulous
:08:59. > :09:03.positional shot and that little nudge on the red.
:09:03. > :09:08.That has helped it. Played some of his best snooker this
:09:08. > :09:18.season, he has been round a long time, Marcus, very very talented
:09:18. > :09:19.
:09:19. > :09:27.Not bad on the old golf course, we have played with him. He plays off
:09:27. > :09:33.four or five handicap. . Yes, agree Marcus is one of those play player
:09:33. > :09:37.that no player wants to play him in qualifier, he very rarely loses in
:09:37. > :09:47.qualifiers. When it comes to theel is vision, we have never really seen
:09:47. > :09:54.
:09:54. > :10:04.It has been mentioned hundreds of times anyone who can beat Stephen
:10:04. > :10:07.
:10:07. > :10:12.Hendry 9-0, that was unbelievable. Well that is a poor effort from
:10:12. > :10:16.Marcus. No wonder he is scratching his head there. It looked a bit
:10:16. > :10:21.tight. I think he was concentrating on the canon on to the red to leave
:10:21. > :10:31.himself on the black, and took his eye off the pot, which it is amazing
:10:31. > :10:43.
:10:43. > :10:48.That was close, any more pace that wouldn't have dropped in. There is
:10:48. > :10:52.plenty of loose reds, the fact She has finished short on the black he
:10:52. > :10:59.may go into the pack and bring a few more into play. He didn't really
:10:59. > :11:05.want to do that but he might have to now.
:11:05. > :11:11.That is one into the middle pocket, and the reds are perfectly placed
:11:11. > :11:16.now, and, well, if he wins this frame, he wouldn't give Marcus any
:11:16. > :11:20.chance. Stephen Hendry developed the shot from blue into the pack to keep
:11:20. > :11:25.the white in open play. Lonnie was one of the first players I have seen
:11:25. > :11:29.do it off the black, he plays it in a way when he hits the pack the
:11:29. > :11:39.white stops. He is excellent that the shot.
:11:39. > :11:46.We did mention at the start, in among the balls in the first
:11:46. > :11:56.session, he looked terrific, he had breaks of 82, 62, 71, 85, 86, and a
:11:56. > :12:04.
:12:04. > :12:14.58, and the last frame of the careless you would feel, the way the
:12:14. > :12:36.
:12:36. > :12:39.balls are situated, to run out of Let us have a look, there was s much
:12:39. > :12:49.room past that red. He was concentrating, but that was very
:12:49. > :12:59.Agree with you, he was concentrating, he, even if he hadn't
:12:59. > :13:00.
:13:00. > :13:04.kissed the red, the red was going Lovely guy Marcus, on and off the
:13:04. > :13:07.table. It is his serious face on this evening.
:13:07. > :13:12.Whatever happens in this match, he will reflect on that first session,
:13:12. > :13:17.where he knows he should have been a lot closer.
:13:17. > :13:23.Yes, I think if Ronnie was going to be vulnerable, after a year off, it
:13:23. > :13:26.was going to be in the early frame, I did a bit with yimy -- Jimmy White
:13:26. > :13:30.on Five Live, we said the first four frames were going to be so
:13:30. > :13:35.important. He started with the break of 82, and
:13:35. > :13:42.then he had two terrific clearances, Marcus, should have won the frames
:13:42. > :13:52.but Ronnie, he cleared up twice, which was superb.
:13:52. > :14:06.
:14:06. > :14:11.So he is out there, playing as if he I was chatting to John Higgin, and
:14:11. > :14:15.he was saying, he didn't feel Robbie would have any problem. It is not
:14:15. > :14:20.like a boxer that is out for 12 months or a footballer where you
:14:20. > :14:28.haven't played for 12 months in the main arena. He has had plenty of
:14:28. > :14:36.practise time. With his experience, he was always going to play fairly
:14:37. > :14:42.He has been active on the exhibition circuit in the last couple of month,
:14:42. > :14:49.he played in the exhibition matches with yourself and Jimmy. That is
:14:49. > :14:56.good practise in itself. We played one at Goughs where they
:14:56. > :15:01.used to do the Irish Masters, Ronnie play played Steve Davis. He looked
:15:01. > :15:11.edgy, with nearly 1,000 people there, then he settled down and
:15:11. > :15:23.
:15:23. > :15:30.Steady as a rock, doing his fifth final this year, the referee.
:15:30. > :15:37.Catching up with Stephen Hendry. . He is one of the better referees,
:15:37. > :15:47.without a shadow of a doubt. Ronnie took a bit of time to check
:15:47. > :15:50.
:15:50. > :16:00.whether the pink would pot. That This is a fabulous chance to win
:16:00. > :16:13.
:16:13. > :16:23.A quick glance at the score board to see how many needs to secure the
:16:23. > :16:33.
:16:33. > :16:39.If he takes the yellow, he is going to need another red, and he has to
:16:39. > :16:42.take the yellow. But no problem getting on to the
:16:42. > :16:52.red, that will take him over the line in this opening frame of this
:16:52. > :17:26.
:17:26. > :17:36.Could this be his first century of centuries in his career. Still
:17:36. > :18:04.
:18:04. > :18:11.100-odd behind Stephen Hendry. But Ricky Walden leading with way with a
:18:11. > :18:21.magnificent break of 140. And all the way round the hous
:18:21. > :18:28.
:18:28. > :18:37.You can't do any better than that, what will you do? He made a century
:18:37. > :18:40.break and he leads 8-2. Just two That break, eight minutes and 15
:18:40. > :18:44.seconds, there is nothing better than seeing Ronnie O'Sullivan clear
:18:44. > :18:49.up like that He is in full flow, he has been out one competitive match
:18:49. > :18:54.and a whole year, and it, he has come back where he left off. He
:18:54. > :18:58.looks in great form, and he is striking the ball lovely, he is
:18:58. > :19:02.manoeuvring the cue ball effortlessly, when he is full flow,
:19:02. > :19:05.there is nothing better to watch. Our cameraman caught a shot of
:19:05. > :19:09.Marcus Campbell looking up to the skies. Marcus Campbell will be
:19:09. > :19:13.disappointed, because Ronnie stole two or three frames this, this
:19:13. > :19:17.morning session, so the match could have been a lot closer going into
:19:17. > :19:20.tonight. 8-2, now, it looks like it is going to be all over for Marcus
:19:20. > :19:25.Campbell, but it is hard the play against Ronnie O'Sullivan in that
:19:25. > :19:29.form. Given where Ronnie has been, what does he want tonight? Does he
:19:29. > :19:33.want to clear this up and get it over and done with or does he want
:19:33. > :19:39.more time at the table? You win your matches quickly as possible. Get out
:19:39. > :19:42.and get ready and focus for the next match. You don't want to burn
:19:42. > :19:46.excessive energy that is not needed. Thank you. Back to the commentary
:19:46. > :19:51.team. Great point that from Ken, it is
:19:51. > :19:56.lovely to try and win a much as easy as possible you get more time to
:19:56. > :20:02.relax, especially when you get to the latter stage, if you can win it
:20:02. > :20:05.with time to spare, that gives you an extra rest. When Ken got beat in
:20:06. > :20:13.the final, there was only three short of the maximum frames he could
:20:13. > :20:18.have played. He won three matches 13-12 and won the final 18-16.
:20:18. > :20:28.have no problem for the darling of Dublin, he is as fit as a butcher's
:20:28. > :20:28.
:20:28. > :21:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:21:16. > :21:20.He looked totally relaxed there. Once again, a good opener.
:21:20. > :21:24.It is a long pot, I suppose, that, but it is when there is distance
:21:24. > :21:28.between the cue ball and the object ball, that is the one he has been
:21:28. > :21:38.missing, that is the only thing that has been wrong with this
:21:38. > :22:14.
:22:14. > :22:24.He naerly missed that, it was awkward, he was at full stretch and
:22:24. > :22:25.
:22:25. > :22:30.Britaining over a ball. Almost The pockets do look generous this
:22:30. > :22:40.year. I was waiting for do you say that.
:22:40. > :22:40.
:22:40. > :22:43.That is wide. Any sort of strength on that, it wouldn't have gone in.
:22:43. > :22:53.There is another one of those shots where Ronnie plays in at the edge of
:22:53. > :22:55.
:22:55. > :23:00.If he gets on the blue, it is another chance to win a frame at one
:23:00. > :23:10.visit. What is his pot success rate at the
:23:10. > :23:14.
:23:14. > :23:24.moment? 94%. That is starting to He doesn't hang about. There is the
:23:24. > :23:26.
:23:26. > :23:34.There is another question we were asked, who was the quickest break
:23:34. > :23:39.builder, I said, go back to 1997, I commentated on Ronnie when he made a
:23:39. > :23:42.maximum break in five minutes and 20 second, I think that is the answer.
:23:42. > :23:46.Jimmy said Ronnie was much quicker than himself.
:23:46. > :23:50.Or Alex. Alex was very quick round the table
:23:50. > :23:58.but he didn't strike the ball quickly, he took his time on the
:23:58. > :24:04.Never misses a trick, even though the two reds are available, he
:24:04. > :24:08.played the canon into, to push them a bit more into open play.
:24:09. > :24:13.These two reds are available in the middle. There they are, just to make
:24:13. > :24:23.things better he pushes them out of the way and left him perfect on the
:24:23. > :24:48.
:24:48. > :24:58.Made that look easy. Well, there is nothing Marcus Campbell can do about
:24:58. > :25:13.
:25:13. > :25:23.Almost past the winning line in this He has come up a little bit short,
:25:23. > :25:29.
:25:29. > :25:39.has he? That was a bit more difficult, but
:25:39. > :26:10.
:26:10. > :26:14.This might be back-to-back How many canons has he played in
:26:14. > :26:24.this break? Played that canon as he would like, but he still has a
:26:24. > :26:25.
:26:25. > :26:29.Tell you what, watch out, there is a Rocket about!
:26:29. > :26:33.In this some sort of form, he will be the man to beat, I know he played
:26:33. > :26:39.down the fact that the bookmakers had his second favourite, but this
:26:40. > :26:43.sort of form, he might be installed as a favourite, you would have to
:26:43. > :26:48.say. He will be favourite tomorrow morning because he will be the only
:26:48. > :26:52.player into the next round. As you rightly say, as he is playing at the
:26:52. > :27:02.moment, he will be hard to beat. But he has not been pushed in this match
:27:02. > :27:05.
:27:05. > :27:11.What a shame. No century. He finished that break with a break of
:27:11. > :27:21.90. Marcus Campbell is, well he can't be in any more trouble, he is
:27:21. > :27:21.
:27:21. > :28:10.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:28:10. > :28:15.In the context of stat bores there is not much for you to digest given
:28:15. > :28:22.he has only played one match so far, but he is looking terrific. That was
:28:22. > :28:26.a very interesting stat. 118 Crucible centuries, a lot are of
:28:26. > :28:33.players haven't made that in his career. Incredible. OK, back to
:28:33. > :28:38.Willie and Dennis. Marcus Campbell breaks off in what
:28:38. > :28:43.he hopes won't be his last frame in this year's World Championships but
:28:43. > :28:47.the form Ronnie O'Sullivan is showing, it could well be his last
:28:47. > :28:57.frame. Just missed the boat early on in the match.
:28:57. > :29:05.
:29:05. > :29:09.Didn't put Ronnie under the pressure He hit that far too thin.
:29:09. > :29:14.He has got away with it. Well, he has covered one red, but, the red to
:29:14. > :29:19.the left of the blue passes that one that is near the pocket.
:29:19. > :29:23.How do you feel on a shot like this? You are 9-2 down, it is the first to
:29:23. > :29:29.ten and you are left with a long straight red. You have to give it
:29:29. > :29:39.your best shot and hope it goes in. If I doesn't, you know you could be
:29:39. > :29:48.
:29:49. > :29:54.sat down for a long time. Beautifully cued. He had a perfect
:29:54. > :30:04.view. Straight down, his cue arm kept relatively dead straight. Well
:30:04. > :30:04.
:30:04. > :31:23.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:31:23. > :31:33.And unintentional cases onto the It is still not straightforward for
:31:33. > :31:54.
:31:54. > :32:02.Mark has. The black will only go He concentrated that hot on getting
:32:02. > :32:12.minute or on to the black that he took these high off the pot. --
:32:12. > :32:21.
:32:21. > :32:31.But it was the turn of Marcus to have good fortune. He missed the
:32:31. > :32:51.
:32:51. > :32:55.Ronnie looks to be very focused in Last year, when he beat Ali Carter
:32:56. > :33:05.in the final, and throughout the whole tournament, his safety play
:33:06. > :33:34.
:33:34. > :33:38.He left the red. He can cut this The natural pot would have taken
:33:38. > :33:48.the cue ball on to the left side cushion but he used side to prevent
:33:48. > :34:24.
:34:24. > :34:34.The black will be completely free We thought it was going to be a top
:34:34. > :34:37.
:34:37. > :34:47.opening match for Ronnie. It look But it has been a great start for
:34:47. > :35:14.
:35:14. > :35:24.Ronnie. All the top players are He took a risk there. It might be
:35:24. > :35:36.
:35:36. > :35:46.the end of the break. Can he cut No problem. But not the best kiss
:35:46. > :35:55.
:35:55. > :36:03.in the world. He has one to left These pockets, if you play them at
:36:03. > :36:13.pace, play well throw them back out. Ronnie had a look at his backhand
:36:13. > :36:27.
:36:27. > :36:37.Marcus will be playing for a bit of pride. He wants to show people what
:36:37. > :36:38.
:36:38. > :39:03.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:39:03. > :39:13.He has got himself back into this But has made it a little bit more
:39:13. > :39:45.
:39:45. > :39:55.difficult. He needed that red �2. - He is wrong side of the blue. He
:39:55. > :40:10.
:40:10. > :40:14.has to be careful if he takes the He took his eye off the pot again.
:40:14. > :40:24.The chance has gone again and Ronnie O'Sullivan will want to get
:40:24. > :40:30.
:40:31. > :40:40.If he does win this frame and match he will be heading back home
:40:41. > :40:57.
:40:57. > :41:03.because he does not play again He plays either Ali Carter or Ben
:41:03. > :41:13.Woollaston if he wins this match. Of course, he played Ali Carter in
:41:13. > :41:35.
:41:35. > :41:45.Nicely played. A little bit of angle to force the white around to
:41:45. > :42:02.
:42:02. > :42:08.He does not played very often with the rest now, because he is so
:42:08. > :42:13.critter left handed. That was a real pressure shot with the rest.
:42:13. > :42:23.It was the shot before, when he got on the black, he did not hit it
:42:23. > :42:42.
:42:42. > :42:52.hard enough to get round nicely He is lucky if he's on the green in
:42:52. > :43:12.
:43:12. > :43:22.the middle because he played for That will do! Even Ronnie has a
:43:22. > :43:32.little smile at that one. I think when he missed the green, up on the
:43:32. > :43:58.
:43:58. > :44:08.thought, I'm over the line here. -- He is keeping his slender hopes
:44:08. > :44:32.
:44:32. > :44:42.alive here, Barker's Kumble. -- He played that beautifully. It was
:44:42. > :44:47.
:44:47. > :44:53.a tough positional shot. He is not It is a long way back but he is
:44:53. > :45:03.still out there battling away. Ronnie O'Sullivan still needs that
:45:03. > :45:08.
:45:08. > :45:11.one frame. A little smile all round As far as the paying public in the
:45:11. > :45:19.Crucible are concerned, they what this game to last because they want
:45:19. > :45:25.to continue enjoy watching Ronnie. Absolutely. With the help of that
:45:25. > :45:30.you lick in that green, it flew into the top pocket with such pace
:45:30. > :45:40.there he did not think the pocket would hold it. Nice to see the
:45:40. > :45:41.
:45:41. > :45:51.players having a little chat and a smile as well. Look at the angle.
:45:51. > :45:53.
:45:53. > :46:03.It hits the near jaw. It is quite unusual to see a flicked like this.
:46:03. > :46:04.
:46:04. > :46:09.-- fluke. It is not off it is not often -- it is not often that you
:46:09. > :46:16.see a player smile when you have a fluke against them. On the other
:46:16. > :46:26.table, Michael White took the first two frames. A break of 87 in the
:46:26. > :46:41.
:46:41. > :46:46.He still needs that one frame. As Ken was saying, it is great to see
:46:46. > :46:56.the boys having a little smile there. There are probably talking
:46:56. > :46:56.
:46:56. > :47:58.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:47:58. > :48:08.He did not get the white as he intended. But can he cut the green
:48:08. > :48:08.
:48:08. > :49:22.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:49:22. > :49:32.They are two great shots there, at That green was to pot on the road
:49:32. > :49:43.
:49:43. > :49:53.was even tougher. -- the creamed was tough and the red was tougher.
:49:53. > :49:53.
:49:53. > :50:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:50:44. > :50:53.Ronnie would lot the pink to be But I think he was trying to play
:50:53. > :51:03.good banana shot, as we say, miss the pink and get into the reds. But
:51:03. > :51:03.
:51:03. > :52:31.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:52:31. > :52:35.It is going to be a very tough the Marcus Campbell has now gone
:52:36. > :52:45.favourite to win this frame so we should go -- we could go past the
:52:46. > :52:46.
:52:46. > :54:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:54:36. > :54:46.He got into the cue ball lot more He needs one more good positional
:54:46. > :54:50.
:54:50. > :55:00.shot to get him back into prime The five reds look nice but a few
:55:00. > :55:16.
:55:16. > :55:21.of them of blocking each other into It is a good joke that the tables
:55:21. > :55:31.are very quick. When he first hit that, I thought he was going to
:55:31. > :56:10.
:56:10. > :56:20.He will need the red next to the blue. It is available into the two
:56:20. > :56:20.
:56:20. > :57:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds
:57:02. > :57:12.corner pocket so should not prove a He has not left the greatest of
:57:12. > :57:43.
:57:43. > :57:53.He needs to get the white in either of the two circles, he can get the
:57:53. > :58:26.
:58:26. > :58:31.red next to the blue into either We have and many come back on our