Day 16, Part 2 Snooker: World Championship

Last night, Barry Hawkins said it was a dream and things like that do

not happen to him. He reached the Crucible final after

17 years as a professional. Can he complete a snooker fairytale in this

year's Betfair World Championship? He has first got to spoil the

narrative of one of the most compelling stories in any sport, the

return of the Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

I cannot believe it. It is a bit strange. It is unbelievable,

unbelievable. I am here to compete. I would like to win. Everybody knows

how good barriers. I remember playing him in the Regal Welsh and

he pushed me. You always have more respect for an opponent when they

take you all the way. He is a very efficient player. He is an

unbelievable talent. I don't think he realises how good he is

sometimes. Obviously, he says silly things in the press and stuff like

that but as a player I have the utmost respect for him. He makes it

look so easy. It is frightening sometimes. I have definitely got it

all to do in the final. The word genius gets thrown about. Anybody

who knows me knows how hard I have worked. I play it in a way that it

looks like it comes easy but it does not. I had a year off. To win it,

that would be a dream for me. what I have been dreaming of since I

was a young boy. To make it to the final is unbelievable. To lift the

trophy would be unbelievable, yeah. This is the story of the ultimate

prize. This famous trophy has been in the hands of the best. Icons,

smoother superstars, the Untouchables. Ray Reardon, Steve

Davis, Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Their performances have

lit up the Crucible. Ultimately, we knew how the story would -- in

victory. But forget the fairytale at your peril. 1979, Terry Griffiths,

world champion. 1985, Dennis Taylor, the black ball, millions of TV

viewers. 1986, no ordinary Joe, Johnson beating the three times

world champion, Steve Davis. 2005, Shaun Murphy beating Matthew

Stevens. And so, the Barry Hawkins story continues. I'd is this one"

Mac one of the great sporting comebacks of the time or the year of

the? -- you would wonder what sort of state of mind he was in to start

the game. That is a chance gone. He is going into them this time and

this is perfect. Just the red needed. When he gets into the balls

he is never out of position and he wins in one visit. I know it is a to

date final but the first session was so important for Barry. -- I know it

is a two day final. That will make him feel a lot better. Blue is the

pressure ball, but in it goes! Fairplay to Barry Hawkins. At the

end of seven days you want a match. That will do nicely, Ronnie

O'Sullivan behind for the first time.

Everybody was talking about Ronnie walking away with it and I am so

pleased to see Barry playing so well. I like this... Brilliant

century break, the first of this year's final. Back-to-back centuries

for the Rocket! It took 29 minutes for those last three frames. It was

one of the best sessions I have ever seen. Going into the second session

leading 5-3. If they say it will be over with seconds to spare, I will

not have any of that. I think Ronnie will take it.

The scorecard is impressive reading, isn't it? They have got off to an

strongly. I think it is the best session we have seen at the World

Championship so far, which befits that both players have got to the

table. This is the conversation we had. The table is bad. It is pulling

up. It is coming off the coition. -- the cushion. Ronnie has contacted

the director. He understands about conditions. What has happened?

believe the cloth is from a different road. The players got used

to it so quickly. They have decided not to change it or do anything with

it and see how it goes. To be honest, the standard was so good,

how could you say it was a bad table? Most people would not

realise, when you are a player, you know the difference. We have seen

that players want faster and faster cloth and it was a shock when it was

slower. All of a sudden they have a problem to get over. Sometimes under

pressure it is better to play on its lower cloth because you can hit

firmer. That better to play on a Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

What a scintillating start! Two players at the peak of their powers,

and the Crucible crowd ready to roar them onto the stage.

Please welcome a player who is revelling in his time in the

spotlight. Three vital frames this afternoon show he is not overawed by

this first final. He had never been beyond the second round until this

year. His win over Mark Selby helped kick-start our brilliant campaign.

This is the biggest match of his life. Let's raise the roof for Barry

His opponent, an absolute genius with a cue in his hand. He finished

off this afternoon with two sublime centuries. He is without doubt the

sport's biggest draw. If he wins this title it will surely rank of

one -- right as one of snooker's all-time greatest performances. He

is the defending champion, the Fantastic wee section for both men.

Many people felt that this was Ronnie's to lose but it is so far a

proper contest. The winning target is 18. John Virgo and Dennis Taylor

are in the commentary box tonight. the seat for the introduction.

gives meeting goals. How the players are supposed to react for the first

few shots - that is what you Hawkins played. He lost the first

two frames but came back with a break of 88, 81, and the pot success

rate was in the 90s for both game just yet. Barry is having a

look at the possibility of a three bit peasy on the safety. -- a little

Just about OK. They can get it into their head about the cloth being a

little bit slower, but the breaks they made were amazing. It might be

playing a little bit slower but Ronnie has had back-to-back

centuries, two 70s, 90. The standard what he needed. He needs to get his

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hand on the table and start potting There is the Hawkins family. They

must be so proud. This is fantastic little bit slower, you have got more

control. Sometimes they can be too quick. I think it is better for the

he would have been able to run through for the black on the

opposite corner, but he has got to looks like this cloth has plenty of

baulk colour. At this level he will be very disappointed with that. It

was probably caused by the blue not going in the middle of the pocket

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is what creates the backspin. That is what you have got to do. If you

do not have a good tip on your cue, you could rip the cloth on the

table. You need to be careful when gain the advantage. This might just

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consideration, what a tremendous departments. His break-building and

his safety... This looks like a very good safety to me. That is very

said the first player behind the green would have the tactical

this tactical battle. Every frame is important for Barry. A lot of people

just to the left of the pink is possible to the right corner.

there is a path round to the black if he takes the pot gone. He did not

thing he had to do was avoid the red on the right-hand side. He will be

very disappointed. OK, go for the little but that will annoy him. That

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especially if Barry can take potting the black because it could

get tied up. Also, it could tie up a few of the reds. There is not much

option here. He may have to play for better but even if he has got a

slight angle he might be able to nudge those two reds away from the

black spot area and stay away from the back. It depends whether he

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wants to risk that. He may not want It has sent them into a worse

position, really. How many times have we seen that in this

championship? Players sacrificing the pot for position. You have got

to pot the ball. This red is that Ronnie is losing focus. -- a

couple of signs. We have seen very little of that in this year's World

opening frame of this session than we have seen in some of the whole of

his sessions. This is a great opportunity for Barry to clinch this

There is a red available into the same pocket as the black and that is

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best possible start for Barry Hawkins. He is just one frame

behind. It is now 5-4. We have quite a team of pundits.

Together, 40 world titles. You said yesterday, when asked, what chance

does Barry Hawkins have? You said, none. What chance does he have now?

As long as you are playing you have a chance. I was asked before I got a

result from the Hawkins and Walden match and I did not think he would

beat Ronnie. I still do not think he will. You have just got to stick at

it. You never know what might happen. Has it been a surprise, the

quality Barry has been able to It is Barry Hawkins who breaks. Let

the obligatory three-quarter all red to the corner. Ronnie

O'Sullivan has to avoid a kiss on Everybody was thinking along the

same lines as Stephen Hendry. But as you can see, Ronnie has missed

some pots that he did not look like missing. Barry is a different

I think he is really enjoying this final. He looked tense against

Ricky Walden, who, to be fair, should have put that semi-final to

bed. But Barry is back and at his best. Stephen makes a very valid

point. He freely admitted that Barry Hawkins came into the final

with nothing to lose and is going to enjoy it. That is what he is

doing. But he knows, as we all do, that one slip and he will be

against an opponent to can take He is playing in the black area,

where players of this quality Skoal He is almost equal with Ronnie,

He has still got the one to the corner. A little more screw on that

would have left in a state red to Foul. Barry Hawkins called it that

foul just as the referee did. We're very proud that in over game at the

players often call foul. And at heart of appreciation from Ronnie

O'Sullivan for the spokesman ship. -- habit of appreciation. -- for

That was worth waiting on. A chance He pointed straight away to the

You can see one to the back of the bunch that is available. He will

try to leave an angle. But it looks That is not a favourable kiss.

He could not go into that with too It is not often that Ronnie

O'Sullivan fails to make most of those opportunities. But no matter

how good you are, when you run into He can take a pot at that and get

He could not risk leaving himself short on that the baulk course. It

was a difficult shot. -- on the baulk curlers. But this is a

confidence booster for Barry I cannot see the advantage of

rolling up to their yellow. He has to cover the red on the right hand

side of the table. Otherwise he will leave as safety shot for

Ronnie. And that is unlucky. You could never have foreseen that! The

green strikes the black, but lacks the rights of the red. -- the black

He played at that like a trick short. Lots of top spin. But the

black is difficult. He has taken a look at it. He is not that keen.

But he played that with top spin He is looking at the bank also.

What a shot that would be. -- deep pink. Brilliant! Doesn't that just

go to show, when people ask us, are the pockets easy? Even the great

Ronnie O'Sullivan did not want to risk the black. He would rather

play a very difficult pink, in all honesty. But he will play for the

black this time. And he will hope to be closer to it. And he does not

have to use power. He can just drop It is OK to play it like that. It

is when you start forcing them it becomes difficult. A good chance

Still one more red available at the Certainly the top red is available

in to the left middle. As teapots one, another one will become

available. -- as he pots. An excellent opportunity. He is so

good at that shot. Judging how the cue ball will come off the second

ball. This game has always been about cue ball control and you will

not see a better exponent than He is back in the zone, so to speak.

He has put those misses for only -- firmly. Barry was just guilty of

trying to over complicate an easy safety shot. It was unlucky for the

green to strike the black and for the black to strike the red, but

that can happen. Ought here, he is having to tuck in his waistcoat. --

awkward. The referee is keeping a close eye. He is concerned he might

just catch the red. He could always take his waistcoat off if he wanted

to play at. I don't think he is that close, he just feels he is.

When you get down over a shot like that, the worst thing in the world

This is a good response from Ronnie. And needed. Yes, Barry Hawkins

posed the question, Ronnie O'Sullivan has come up with the

Not much he can do with this. Just play this safety. Has he doubled

it? Not quite. But an excellent safety shot. Two snookers needed.

And difficult to get when you are Does this red pass the yellow? It

The red is the fame clincher, no doubt. But Ronnie will be wary. --

frame clincher. He decided to play it safe. He did not miss the pink

but it is still not easy for Barry, hampered by the black. Otherwise I

Barry Hawkins staying to see if he can get the snooker. Not quite. He

needs two at the moment. But if he could get a snooker and a free ball,

that would be all he would need. But the balls are nicely placed for

slickers. Ronnie will be well aware of that. But if you can pot the red

and the black, then get up in the baulk area, you could play an ace

Snooker in behind the brown. This Good snooker. Lots of people

thought Ronnie O'Sullivan would He has left at. That will be the

end of the frame. Ronnie will just bought this red. Can you believe

that?! When he knows that all he needs is the red! What a careless

mistake. That is a loss of focus from Ronnie. And he is now faced

with quite a difficult snooker. When you consider how he was

playing it, and could save game, -- a good, safe game. Plenty of room,

and he has gone around the back of the red. Foul.What a turning-point

Could that missed red come back to haunt him? The balls never forget

Barry Hawkins is looking at the scoreboard. 36 behind, 45 remaining.

Even at the blue will only leave him one snooker. He cannot play the

brown. It has to be the blue. possibly the yellow, where the

green as, to achieve this there could be hind the pink. -- a

snooker behind. He could have a great chance here. If he can get

the white somewhere to the right, Slightly more difficult now. But he

can still get in behind the pink. He just did not get through it

there. He needed to be further from the cushion. You need to state it a

little crisper. He has left the green on. Where is the cue ball

going? Settle down, John!Even the Ronnie thought it was going to go

That underlines the fact that the frame is now over. Barry Hawkins

Ronnie O'Sullivan is not bothered about the black. Barry Hawkins had

have a chance there but did not take it. Ronnie O'Sullivan ahead.

There is a lot of jealousy in the studio! Tell me about the pressure

that Ronnie O'Sullivan is under. People consider him a certainty.

What kind of weight of expectation does that ring? It can be a

fantastic weight to try to overcome. Ronnie does not usually succumb to

that. But you do not know what goes through his mind. Everybody is

susceptible to that type of thing. I felt it sometimes. It can make

you quite touchy, short temper. You are magnanimous when it is all over

if you win, but not a nice feeling. Modesty for bids Steve from saying

that he would have been asked on favourite for most of the finals he

played in. So he is well qualified to know that. Barry Hawkins missed

an opportunity to stunt the green in behind the pink and put Ronnie

and a lot of trouble. Stephen Hendry, favouritism weigh heavily

upon you? In the final against Nigel Bond I struggled to get my

focus. I managed on the second day. But it is tough. Ronnie O'Sullivan

just making sure that the tip is on That final is a beauty. I thought

he had missed that! How thin? He is smiling away. One of the nicest

lads you could wish to meet. He is in dreamland, having got through to

the final. He has a good sense of humour and had a little smile about

that. To be playing in a world final, the ambition of every

snooker player. Now, where is the cue ball going? That is OK, but is

there a red available? Will he take the risk? I think he has the angle

where he is pointing the cue. excellent pot. But you need to be

careful with these. If you play with any kind of pace, you miss the

That is the problem. Playing with pace into the middle pocket. There

are two red just above the black available into the left corner. The

you see him just trying to force the angle. A dangerous thing to do.

I detect his back aren't just coming out a little bit. You see

that a very real life. -- arm. -- very rarely. Nicely cute. Just look

at this when he delivers the cue. Yes, drops his elbow. And that was

Barry Hawkins has lost the pink. The highest available spot is for

the yellow. But needless to say, these opportunities, he will have

to punish the mistakes of Ronnie. There will not be many. As we give

you the full view of this wonderful arena. The original promoter, Mike

Watt, it was his lovely wife, Carol, sadly no longer with us, who came

here in 1966 to watch a play. She returned and said to him, I have

just seen the Crucible Theatre, it is made for snooker. And that

trophy, which you have held, Dennis, the it could not be a better venue

for it. They originally thought it was not quite tidy enough. They

managed a little extra to fit in the two tables. And that is what

every snooker player dreams of Nicely played. Not perfect but he

did not have to do anything with the cue ball. If he had the right

angle he would have a lot to be on the red just above the black, to

bring the black into play. -- loved. He just about got the angle. Maybe

he can force it down just above the black. He would have to be so

precise to play that shot that John said. He would have to get the cue

ball up somewhere near the circle. No, he cannot do it from there. He

Now, the key shot. He must go into that little triangle of reds. He

may use a couple of cushions. Here it comes. It is not bad! He can

open the bunch with the next shot. He might be able to screw back. But

can use the bunch and open them up? He can! And he has played that very

nicely. A little bit unlucky. The four reds are still covering each

He tried to get past the red. But just a safety shot now. He was

unlucky with that slight. The four This was this lack, off two

cushions. -- the spot. The four As he was playing that, I thought,

I don't like the look of this short. You need to make it so thin to

avoid the middle pocket. That was a fraction too full. He only just

missed the cluster of reds. The Ronnie O'Sullivan will not have a

good angle on the black here. He wanted one to go into the little

He is trying to run around off two cushions. That was difficult. Will

he take on this tricky red, down the cushion? It would be brave.

Immediately he is looking across at A very interesting interview that

Ronnie gave after his interview -- victory over Judd Trump. He said he

would try and enjoy the final but there is so much pressure that it

is hard to do so. Everybody presumes, because he is the odds-on

favourite, that he is no pressure. The one person that can apply

pressure is Barry Hawkins. And he is doing very well against the

defending champion, he is enjoying He has moved in front of the pot

success rate. Amazingly, the hind in frames. -- behind. There is a

path through a. Long pot success rate, Barry Hawkins Way ahead. This

is difficult to control but he is That seemed to just turn a little

bit. Let's have a look. Just at the end it just nestled onto the green.

Can he see enough of the blue? I do not think he can. He is snookered

A bit thin on that. He has left a possible pot on to the right corner.

If Barry could knock this in it could be a brain winner. -- frame

That is a good long pot from Barry. A little closer to the cushion than

he would have liked. But he does not have much to do with the cue

ball. Perfectly played. A great This black will put him 43 points

in front. Another red and a black He needs one more red. This would

put him 51 points in front. So he will need one more red. He just has

to get some kind of position on a That is OK. Being left-handed he

It needs to pull up! It is half in Ronnie stays in his seat. Barry

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Hawkins put in a great performance. One of the best seasons of his life.

He is from Kent and he wants us to be aware of that. This is the last

frame before at the midsession You set your target at three of the

four frames. It would be a mini It Fewcott took frames ahead, you

used to tell yourself you would get over the winning line. But it is

not that easy. A lot can happen in A good safety. His safety play at

the start of this match has been a lot better than the semi-final.

Could reply from Ronnie. -- good. Played it well, to avoid the double

Barry just playing plain ball. That last shot from Ronnie, he had to

The flick on the yellow helped. At first glance I cannot see a

straightforward run back to the baulk line. No way to go down the

left-hand side. He can hit the main bunch of reds. But no path back to

baulk. Look how close he would have to go to the reds. He might have

left a chance here. Ronnie will have a look to see what he would

leave if he risks this. Half a chance, Ronnie will take it on. Is

it there? It is! It was all down to the good safety. Just misjudged it

a fraction. But fractions can make all the difference. Will be now get

the chance? -- will he. He is reluctant, the cannon could go

wrong. He still plays it and he is perfect. Never misses a chance. And

that little cannon just put him in the perfect position. I think he is

just OK here. The frames are very important. But at the moment it is

four reds and this is the fourth black. Nothing would surprise you

Did not finish well, just a slight angle. Had to power it in. It is

not bad. One of those funny angles back into the corner pocket. He is

on the black again! He has done it 11 times, made a maximum break. The

same as Stephen Hendry. He was looking for all blacks, make no

mistake. He should have taken more time on that. He was after the

maximum. They always say first of all try to secured the brain. --

Ronnie did not need anything plain Left nothing, that was the main

objective. Just while Barry is doing this, a big thank you to

Sheila. She sends us scones every year. How was your half dozen?!

They vanished very quickly! I was looking at Willie Thorne at one

The red is a bit of insurance or The three reds behind the black

could be brought into a play with a safety shot. The kiss on the blue

has left him on the green. And possibly the pink. It went in off

the other red. Was that good fortune? Deciding to play this

left-handed. No problem with that one. That is inch perfect. Already

with a 55 point lead. Surely end of frame. To control that with his

left hand, it is so difficult to do. I could not pull that off. Not in a

month of Sundays. When he first came on the scene, I remember him

playing a Canadian and played a couple of shots left-handed. The

Canadian took it as an insult. But defeat is in your armoury to do

Not inch perfect on this pink. Just looking for one more red after the

pink. All the reds are difficult. This to go 70 ahead. With just 67

remaining. Surprising. It certainly was surprising. The black is in a

more awkward position. That does not help Barry Hawkins. Just

It had to be about contact. He does not want to open up the rents. --

reds. He will not open them up at that pace! That ran as straight as

a die. Ronnie certainly trusted the table there. And it did not let him

down. That is on, he can get through to it. This for the frame.

That was at careless safety shot from Barry Hawkins. He is going to

go to the midsession interval as he started this evening. Two frames

behind. 67 remaining. And that is enough. Barry Hawkins concedes.

Maybe he should not have conceded but it is too late now. Ronnie

O'Sullivan accepts it gratefully. And back they go to their dressing

rooms. They are very focused. They go back for a chat with their

respective colleagues. This has been a fascinating second session.

Every one of the first eight frames had at least 150 plus rate. Some

more errors creeping in. Fascinating none the less. Despite

the fact that he has a two-frame advantage, you detect that it is

perhaps a bit more of a struggle for non-league this evening.

does not look 100% focused. -- for Ronnie. He does not look completely

on it for me. And a couple of loose shots from Barry Hawkins gifted a

some opportunities. The length of the matches, you are going to make

mistakes sooner or later. The match with Judd Trump was emotional for

him. The young upstart. Sometimes you cannot be firing on all

cylinders. The marathon of the mind really starts to kick in. Do you

begin to feel jaded by this stage and how do you get over it?

really need to recharge your batteries overnight and hopefully

come out guns blazing. I played Jimmy White in the world

championship. He came out a different player the second day and

that does happen often. Even the interval can't change things. But

overnight is a different prospect. It is remarkable that Barry Hawkins

had that emotional finish last night against Ricky Walden. He

hauled himself back into the match. They do not seem to be any ill-

effects from that. I think the ill- effects were the first two sessions.

He had his dip in the first two frames against Ricky Walden. I

think he has played well. How is it as a contest overall? I think Barry

came in with nothing to lose. And when he got the frames on the board,

now he is just enjoying being in the final. And if Ronnie keeps on

giving him chances he will get confidence from that. Well Barry

Hawkins won the very first event of this snooker season in July, the

Australian Open. His first ever title. Here he is in the last final

in the last event here at the World Championships. A testament to his

stamina. His 101st match of the season. And it really is a

Great sportsmanship. Look at the delight on Barry Hawkins. A great

competitor and has proved it in this match. Now he is in the final.

World Snooker finalist. How does it feel? I cannot believe it. I feel

surprisingly calm. It is weird. When I go back to the hotel is when

it will sink in. It is a bit strange. It is unbelievable. I am

in shock, honestly. It does not feel real. The thing that impresses

me is your persistence. I think that is the big difference. I just

keep trying, giving 100%. It has paid off. How much of the help has

Terry been? I think he has been the answer I have been looking for. I

had a few bad results. And I thought it is time to go and see

somebody. I went to see Terry and sat down with him. We just spoke

about things. Then he tweaked a couple of technical things. He has

been a massive help to me and it has paid off. Do you think it was a

lack of self-belief? 100%. I could play well in practice. But it is a

matter of doing it out there, that is the hard bit. Terry has helped

me so much. To win in Asda and it is the big thing. Nothing like

holding the trophy for Europe conference. It is unbelievable. It

did not even feel real. To come through and be the last one

standing, I was chuffed to bits. And the way I played, it was really

pleasing. That was the confidence I needed. You also have family

support bridges important. Absolutely. My wife is unbelievable.

We have been married for just over a year. All the travelling and

things, she just gets on with it. My mum and dad had support meet all

through the years. They let me do what I wanted to do. And everyone

at the snooker club. Everyone is so nice up there. So many people to

thank. Your wife will be looking for a new kitchen after this!

know! A lot of people are going to think you are starting as the

underdog. Can you win it? Of course I can. It is only me and him left

now. I need to play at the top of my game but I am still in it.

will you approach the? No different. Just concentrate on my own game. I

know it is easier said than done. In my eyes, he is unbelievable. But

I just have to concentrate on what I'm doing. What would it mean for

Barry Hawkins to win the World Championship? It is what every

player dreams of. What I have been dreaming of since I was a young boy.

Just to make it to the final is unbelievable. But to live the

trophy, just unbelievable. You have played great so far.

Barry was born in 1979 in April, the date that his coach Terry

Griffiths played Eddie Charlton in the semi-final here at the Crucible.

The Welshman went on to win the title that year. 34 years later

Terry is the man Lucan speak from the heart.

Dad - who can. People ask what it is like being a professional player

and how did I handle the pressure. I have tried to describe that but

the words come up short. I turned professional in 1978. I just wanted

to find out if I could compete against the best in the world. I

set myself a target of three years and it five failed I would go back

to work. Little did I know that I was going to experience in my first

season, I got there first of nine in the qualifying round of the UK

Championships. I somehow managed to lose 9 - 8. When I shook his hand I

could not feel anything. I wanted to say well done but nothing came

out. There was an emptiness inside me. It was a horrible defeat,

overwhelming for me because of its potential. The career I had looked

forward to it was in jeopardy. And also the way in which I lost.

Professional snooker I believe is the modern equivalent of a war. The

stress, beware and tear. -- the wear and tear. It takes an

individual to the outer limits of their capabilities and may provide

one of the ultimate studies of people. Because it is such a cruel,

volatile and emotionally draining experience. Unless you have

experienced this kind of emotional shock, it is hard to comprehend the

impact. The memory never leaves you. That is both as a positive and and

negative force. Sparing you to work harder and also creating a fear

inside that it might happen again. I was crowned the champion of the

world. It happened only because at the moment of deepest despair, I had

the strength to stand and confront the future instead of wallowing in

the past. Victory goes to another, a stronger competitor. Achieving those

goals is a slice most gratifying experiences. The ability to survive

and overcome is a fundamental difference between winners and

losers. Fascinating insight. Barry is

playing Ronnie as Sullivan who is playing Ronnie as Sullivan who is

trying to become the third man to trying to become the third man

defend his title in the Crucible. The others, Mr Hendry and Mr Davis

sitting with me this evening. It has been a very torturous procedure for

Ronnie. Where he to achieve this, it would be truly staggering. He is a

volatile character, as you know. He says that he has been close to

cracking point a couple of times over the last two weeks. He

announced his retirement once again and he had not even finish this

comeback. Whatever he says and does, as Sullivan is box office gold.

superb! Key is in the final to defend his title.

It must be exciting to be back in the final? Yeah, obviously it is the

biggest tournament we play in along with that comes the pressure to do

well. Sometimes you try to over try and sometimes enjoying the moment is

difficult. It is such a long tournament it is difficult to be on

for all the time. Have to go through a lot of emotions wondering whether

you played well or not. It is like an enjoyment event.

At the start, you said you did not expect much of yourself, but you

must have fancied you had a chance. No, I didn't. Not playing any

matches, sometimes until you get in a few tough battles, I didn't feel I

was battling hard enough and I thought that would let me down.

Obviously I managed to play my way through. It did not look like you

were worried. You handled yourself so well. It is an act. Sometimes you

have to do that even when you are not feeling good. Sometimes you have

to pull yourself together and force yourself into holding your own. Then

you can relax a bit more. You learn, in an environment like this,

you cannot show your opponent any weaknesses. It is similar to poker.

Was your preparation any different coming into this event?

I probably practice more than usual because tournaments are usually the

best form of practice. I had to maybe make up a bit more on the

practice table to balance the books a bit more. Instead of doing an hour

and a half a day, I did four. That was tiring because trying to hold

your concentration to two hours in the beginning, I was getting

knackered. In a way I had to do some of that just for practice. Barry

Hawkins is an unknown quantity at this level. In many ways, but on the

circuit everybody knows how good Barry is. I remember playing him

before and I know how good a player he is. I remember coming away

thinking I played well so you up your respect for an opponent when

you feel that you have played your best. He is a very efficient player.

Should you win the final, five world championship victories. I know

records don't mean anything, but it is getting to the stage where you

are knocking on doors, would you consider seven or eight? Know. I was

happy with four. I thought that was my lot, but here I am in the

finals. To start looking at six, seven, eight and I am 37 now, I am

not getting any younger. A fixed 37, but in snooker terms I am an old

man. So, in that way, the clock is against me. But you can never say

never. From your perspective, how are you viewing the future?

Sometimes in big tournaments I find coping with the pressure of bit too

much. My favourite tournaments are the PTC tournaments. You go for

three days and play three matches a day, that is really fun. I remember

watching a documentary on it saying what's your favourite race was and

it was go-karting. For me, that is the PTC, pure snooker. Here you have

a lot of waiting in between and it is anticipation and build-up. Times

I don't like that or don't manage it too well. The build-up kind of makes

me feel not my best sometimes. Sometimes I want and away from that.

Motivation is tough as you get older, but would you like to turn

the clocks back to when you were more motivated?

I think I am as motivated now as I ever have been. I have always been

competitive with whatever I do, whether it is running, cooking, I

want to be the best I can be. I am a few terms behind on school fees and

it has come in handy, the many. It was one of the motivating factors,

it is sad to say that, but it is the reality of life. After a year out,

kind of having, a long story, but the book coming out in October will

explain it better. Good luck in the interview about true confidence

levels. What did you glean about Ronnie? We are all in a similar

boat. You don't like the waiting. It is like the dentist waiting room and

when you get out there, it is like a release. It was nice to hear Ronnie

saying that. Perhaps Ronnie does not deal with it as well as we think he

does. The best person I have sinned deal with it is Stephen.

We saw Ronnie walk out in the quarter-final in York. We are less

prone to see those sorts of implosions from him. He seems much

more focused at the table, that has been a real difference. Yeah, he

looks at peace at the table. Any outside problems he has cannot get

to him there so he can focus. Indeed. You were with Barry, what

did you detect about his level of surprise? Absolutely delighted to be

there. He can go there in some respects with nothing to lose, I

don't like that statement because it is a massive prize at the end, but

he can relax because he is not favourite. We heard from Terry

Griffiths as well as we push through here from the Winter Gardens and

across to the square and into the Crucible where there is Ronnie

getting ready for another five frames this evening to play against

Barry Hawkins. It is the best of 35 frames and there is a change of

shift in the commentary box. Enjoy the wit and wisdom of Ken Dougherty

everybody sitting at home will be looking forward to the next five

frames. There will be nine -- there have been nine frames played so far

played great today. He has dug in deep. He needs to win at least two

of them to keep himself in the match. The pleasure of being with

the darling of Dublin tonight, Ken Dougherty. -- Ken Doherty. I have

really enjoyed the frame so far. It is imperative for Barry to keep with

O'Sullivan. Just keep up his confidence and keep letting Ronnie

know that he is still around. That was a great opening red to the

black. He still has the red above the black, but he still has a red in

the green pocket if he wishes. The problem with the red above the

black, it is running away down the table and could get out of position.

not going to be leaving too much and that may have taken the focus of the

pot a little bit more. Close enough. He left a choice of reds for Ronnie

if he wants to take the pot on. Either the two reds to the right of

He has been putting a lot of long balls, but missed a few today.

Yeah, he looks a little bit perturbed, there is no doubt about

it. I think it stems from the table and the cloth. He is not overly

happy. Even though he has scored see if he can grip the cloth fair.

Maybe thinking it is a bit loose. That was a nice shots from Barry

Griffith. How he got Barry to be motivated in the semi-final when the

school was 9-7 and Barry could not put a ball, Terry must have done a

wonderful job to get him motivated to win and get in the right frame of

mind to play in this one. Absolutely. 12-8 down. He has great

fighting qualities, no doubt about A nice little cannon and the red to

lead into the corner pocket. A little bit closer with the cue ball

than he would have liked, but still messages before this final, you see

the overhead camera of the Crucible, a lot of people have given Barry

Hawkins much hope in this final, but he certainly answered their

questions and doubts by the way he has played. Remarkable. To him. --

red to get nicely on any colour. Looking at the pink all the red

below the pink, whether he can get onto that. A little angle, but it

will not make much difference unless he has decided to play for

on the black. It is good to go into the bunch, particularly when you

have a couple of loose ones because you have more of a chance to be on

those. That was a wonderfully played shot. Certainly opens up the frame.

The beauty of that shot. He could pot this thread, that will certainly

release one of those two reds that are close together. 57 point lead so

just a black, another couple of reds and colours will close the gap once

This is a chance for him to win three of the five frames played so

century in this final so far, but this is a dream chance, really. The

fact he is left-handed, the only difficult red is down on the baulk

line. That is not difficult for a left-hander. As long as he gets past

the amount of points he needs to win the frame, I fancy him getting a

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

position in the last couple of shots, but he has regained that now.

He made 33 centuries this season, Barry Hawkins. Seeing him play in

the semi-final, people were saying he is not a good player, but that

shows you exactly how good he is. He made for centuries himself in

this tournament. What a shame. What a great break of 83 though. He is

back within one frame now, but Phil thought this morning. The man in

Barry Hawkins Corner is this man, Terry Griffiths. Let me ask you

this, what did you say to Barry yesterday when he was down? He

looked out against Ricky Walden and you were described as the miracle

man. I think Barry Hawkins is the miracle man. He earned the right to

win the match by holding on in the first two sessions when his game

wasn't there. The strength of his mind carried him through those

sessions and he earns the right to win the match. There was not much I

could tell him afterwards because he wasn't with us. He was like in

another planet when he came off. Such a wonderful occasion.

Was there something specifically wrong with his game early on?

Yes, he just wasn't comfortable with the way he was playing. We looked at

them and put them right and he was a bit more comfortable. It is always

about getting comfortable. Sometimes it is just the shots you are left.

Sometimes you have easy ones, sometimes difficult. It just turned

round a bit, you know. What did you say at the midsession interval?

Not a lot. He feels very comfortable out there playing. He is not too

calm and not too excited. He's a good place there is not too much say

apart from carry on and do the same things all the time. At the moment,

when he was out there who seems to me that when it gets a chance he

will make breaks. What do you say to people who say

this is all about Ronnie O'Sullivan? It is his final, but it is also

Barry Hawkins final. I'm sure Ronnie doesn't think that and has respect

for Barry. Barry has not started well, but stay in the long grass and

pounce on him at the end. That is what he did against Selby and Ricky

Walden. He is holding on. Ronnie is playing very well, but there are two

players out there. If Ronnie doesn't underestimate him, he made paid for

that. The miracle man. Thank you new played many times, Willy. Now

this man in his game over the last red. No real danger, of course. He

will just come around to have a look to see if there is a possible shot

or nothing on. No, nothing on so almost take the paint off this red

here. Yes, he will risk it once more. He will risk the thing that

and then be warned not to hit it. He will have one more try and then play

an alternative. That is where it was, that is where it is now. Pretty

There are couple of reds that could go close to the pocket so that is

why he is taking an alternative one of the great things about Ronnie

O'Sullivan safety game. Keeping the cue ball down behind the green on

the right-hand side because of the red close to the right-hand crusher,

it is a bit more difficult to get back to safety. If you leave the cue

ball down the left-hand side of the table there is a straight path back,

the way to played a thin cut into the corner. He was only playing a

safety shot here. It is a perfect angle is that red wasn't there to

pot it and go around the back of the black, but he can't may have to play

a thin one is Barry did on his previous shot. Bringing the black

interplay so whoever pot the next red will get a sizeable lead in this

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

battle and won it well because he put Ronnie in trouble on three

occasions. On the third occasion he played a poor safety and now the

pink and black or in lay. Barry will be disappointed if he doesn't get at

least 40. Whether he goes on to get a frame winning break, we will know

could they? Yes, nicely placed. Does not have to worry about going into

any reds for the foreseeable future. Wants to get this black open into

both corner pockets. Yachting this disturb the red. If you note into

that, he has the red just to the left of that there an opening back

in corner pocket. Just play a little stunned shot into that red if he

occasion. That may tell as the red is a little awkward. This one and

same player in the first two sessions of the semi-final. He

looked almost frightened to play. He looked anxious when he got in the

balls. There were probably 30 or 40 balls that all of the snooker

players in the audience would have thought they could have potted, but

certainly a different player now. He played he knows he will have it all

to do. Let's not forget, Ronnie was a player -- pro player two years

ago. Like every player he is fundable, he is beatable. --

himself and his own game, not worry about losing the other chair. Once

you are sitting in that chair, there is nothing you can do. When you are

at the table that is the most takes what is on, always looking and

racks of the easy ones. Gathers up a though. If he had played the stern

early, he would not be drifting around the blue spot. You can get

into the loose red and place of the gap in between the cluster of three

cluster of four. Getting rid of this one opens another red into the

the black in the little pyramid goes into the bottom left-hand corner

pocket. There is a nice cannon on this in he can miss a kiss on the

red that is on the cushion. He may screw it in and go across the face

of the black which could put the cue ball near the pink and make things

ball enough to slide it past the pink. There is now an excellent

chance to level the match for the He will still need a few more reds

and colours. This is impressive stuff from Barry Hawkins.

Controlling the cue ball very well. I think he is playing better now

than when he was being Ding and Mark Selby. There was a lot of

pressure on both players. And it did get to them. But once he'd

settle down he was playing his best snooker. And he is continuing with

that now. He has got an angle on the black to get on to the Red just

People were talking about the fact that Ronnie O'Sullivan can outscore

Barry. But this next caption we will show you shows how he is

competing with Ronnie O'Sullivan. Just one point behind. Scoring at

The points are identical but Barry Hawkins is levelling the match.

They have got it exactly the same amount of balls. What a fantastic

break. It is mainly a milestone. The 50th century of the tournament

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

Wait for it and always when his black goes in there. He levels the

match. Now seven frames each. The 50th century of the

championship this year and Barry's highest break ever at the Crucible.

What do you detect about his ability to sense a little bit of

weakness perhaps? He looks to be the fresher of them. He looks as if

he is enjoying himself. He has got freedom in his cue action. If there

was tightness in the round before it certainly has been sorted out by

Terry Griffiths. He looks as if he is having the time of his life.

is amazing. When you think about the transformation from yesterday

morning. But he must seize these opportunities. That is very

important. Because he is definitely on top. Barry Hawkins, his game is

definitely in a better state at the moment. In commentary the other day

you'd said you have to focus on your own game but you also have to

keep the lights on the other fellow. Is that hard to do when you're out

there or it can you put the squeeze on someone when you sense they are

weakening. You can sense in some them's body language. Ronnie is

fiddling around with his watch. He does not look focused in the chair,

but he never does. So it is hard to judge. And that is difficult for

Barry. There will be one session in this final when Ronnie O'Sullivan

is absolutely going to fizz. So when he is not, make hay when the

sun shines. The first day is a funny day. It can be because there

is no end result. It just looks as if you're waiting through the

frames. What we have not seen it is a big counter attack in affray and.

It has just been break after a break. Somewhere down the line

there will be a critical point in this match. We have got three more

to play this evening. It does hurt you when you're 16 in

front and all of a sudden you miss a ball and your opponent clears up.

It will be interesting to see if that happens during the match. How

During a lot better. I think he has left our red on this time. --

cueing a lot better. Wonderful shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan. The perfect

Stephen Hendry just mentioned that sitting in the chair, Ronnie always

looks a bit out of sorts. These balls are perfect. And it is a very

important time in the match. He Getting the awkward red out

straight away. That just frees up Boxing fans certainly would have

watched Lloyd may whether last night with a difficult match. This

is great stuff. Going to need one could split on the reds. -- good

split. That looks OK. Does he have an angle to get up topside of the

blue? Cued it nicely. That is Just looking to see if he can get

through the gap in the reds. It is very tight. There is a little bit

of work. He just played up into that area. Beautiful play. Inch

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

perfect. The average frame time This has been absolutely top

A great cheer from the crowd at the Crucible. Ronnie's 10th century of

this tournament so far. What a shame he did not eclipse that

previous break. Ronnie O'Sullivan now leading.

And that is a highly significant century, the 120 eighth for Ronnie

at the Crucible. Beating the total of Steven Hendry. Shall we ask him

about his response? No! These records are being eaten into.

was only a matter of time. As long as he plays, he is going to beat a

lot of records. In terms of the response in the match, just

stunning. I told Barry to make the most of what he could do. Like a

true champion, just when he senses danger, he went through the gearbox.

Absolutely brilliant break. It is something we will be discussing

from the opening day, very few people have been able to put him

under pressure. That game against Allister Carter, he missed a key

ball and after that Ronnie was able to produce the firepower. If you

made an analogy with the boxer, he would have an iron chin. He really

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

can't soak up some punishment. Barry has been proficient at that

distance but luckily for him, he He is just concentrating on the

At first glance it looks as if he has got away with that. Ronnie has

always been brilliant and that, he is never one to shake his head.

Barry has been lucky, not to have left a pot. Ronnie never showed any

emotion whatsoever. It is part of the game. He gets it out of his

I think he knows the Braniel of not really worrying about it. There is

nothing you can do about it. -- the That is three shots he has got away

with. He has missed the last three safety shots and got away with

everyone. Ronnie disappointed not to have got the cue ball back to

baulk. There are a couple of easy safety shots. But Barry is in an

aggressive mood. He does not appear to like it, though. I do not know

if he'd looked at that plant. If he did, why not played for a colour if

it was a certainty? That has just gone a bit close to the baulk

cushion. A couple more inches closer to the green and he probably

would have taken the Brown on. looked like it was almost a

I did not see him come down the table. It was not dead set. That

was the pleasure of Hawkeye, we could not have shown you the

picture without that. And there is Red does not cut to the right

centre. Not so much pressure on this, he will not be leaving

anything should he miss. Ronnie has a half chance on this red but it is

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

Barry has played more poor safety shots in this frame than he has

since the opening frame of the match. Once again O'Sullivan

sensing danger. Just played a couple of loose ones in the last

couple of frames. Straight away attacking the red just above the

black. He me have to go back up for blue. -- he may. He would have

loved to have been straighter on that red. He will need another good

The red on the right-hand side cushion just making this more

Needed just to miss that middle But he has been very disciplined

trying to keep the pressure on Barry Hawkins. He will not be too

happy with that safety shot. He wanted it behind the green.

Suggesting again that the table is He made sure he hit the safety shot

a bit harder. Barry has not potted one of these long straight ones for

a few shots. This is a tough one. He'd just lost his weight for the

second. You thought he really had got a foothold in the final and a

chance to put money under pressure. But he just has not done it. Just a

little bit of movement in his back Just take a look at his back arm.

Just a bit dull movement. -- bit of. That is why he missed that red.

This is where Ronnie is really good. He puts the heat on his opponent.

Once he gets his nose in front he Another one that has just slightly

got away. This red is very close. Great shot. Again short of pace on

Not absolutely perfect. He is the pit straight on this black. It

needs a lot of power. It needs to Everything is going in to the heart

of the pocket at the moment. Barry Hawkins posed a few questions when

he made that wonderful century break. Monique at the moment is

coming back with the answers. But there are nine frames this

evening. This is not the last frame. to go in and out of baulk. He had to

still not completely happy, but at the moment he is looking at this

so far. This is going to be three centuries in a row. A little

exhibition shot from Ronnie world championship. Number 11 for

won't be bothered. 100 and takes a break from Ronnie O'Sullivan. He

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

puts another frame on the board and you will know he only had one match

before coming to the Crucible this year. Extraordinary stats. And to

think he is the world number 28, if he wins he goes to 19. If he did

take a year off, he has to win this to qualify next year. Is under

pressure. We have talked about pressure and

what an amazing response. Unbelievable. Looking a bit jaded

there, played a few loose shots. All of a sudden this is what you get in

return. From Barry Hawkins perspective, just when you feel you

are getting a foothold in this match, won. It hits you. You play

your best snooker and it seems to be Money has that draw in the session

already. The very next frame he had a long part which is once he has

been knocking in for the last ten or so friends and he missed that one.

Ronnie pounced with 103 and then a couple of core safety shots and

Ronnie wins again. In my opinion, the best break of the match so far.

He was in and out of baulk and had to play cannon and it was a really

good break. The best of the match. Barry Hawkins will go into tomorrow

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

outside edge of this red. It is a misses this time, he will be warned.

He has missed it. Now that puts a bit more pressure on that shot. That

is why he is committed to the end of the table because he is definitely

going to be hitting this ball almost half ball. He will try to leave the

cue ball. She must hit a red because if it doesn't this time he will lose

this shot because he wanted to try and leave the cue ball and the red

almost straight and he hasn't. He has left a slight angle. Very

difficult down the rails and that is why Ronnie refusing this shot. Not

only refusing the shops, but keeping Barry Hawkins under pressure.

Excellent safety. He realises the importance of taking a three frame

lead or one frame lead, he would have taken that red on. But he is

such a good thinker under pressure. He knew that it was miscible and

decided to player safety. This looks very short and he may be

leading a red into the right centre. This is a long way short. Red into

the top corner, green pocket, but also the red on the pink spot goes

into the right centre. This will Looks like he is probably screwing

black. I think only the middle one pots in the corner. Whatever cannon

he has, he has to get it just right. That has not turned out OK unless it

is a plant. There is one available in the middle. The plan is obviously

not a certainty. I am surprised he played for the pink on the previous

red, to be honest, but Ronnie is a genius so I am sure he will dig his

the furthest I have seen Ronnie Mr pot like that. He can't believe it,

can he? Having made for centuries, there can't be too much wrong with

the tips surely. He gave this a real good seeing to before the frame

started and maybe that's often did to the little bit. I have never seen

him miss a pot by that far. This is a chance to win the session 5-4 and

close within one. That would be a tremendous performance on the first

day of the first-ever world both players now. I think both of

them realise the importance of this frame. So hard to understand, isn't

it? They have both been in absolutely super form. For Barry's

confidence, to close within one would be an amazing feat, the way

that Ronnie has played. I am afraid that was a twitch. That wasn't

anything other than bad alignment and probably just snatched a little

bit at it. I didn't expect him to miss that one. But it hasn't done

don't think I have seen Ronnie play a better safety than when he was

playing Ray Reardon. That is the best safety he has played in the

final at the Crucible. This is a straightforward. Playing another

Ronnie looks around the table to see whether White is finishing. Usually

when he is not feeling good with himself, he knows where the ball

will go, but he is actually interested to see where it finishes.

He is really digging deep in this. Barry, at the moment, is telephoning

his shots in. He is struggling at the minute.

Yeah, he has gone completely off the row. It is nice to see that both

guys are still human after all. I think both of them realise the

he has played he has hardly get the little bit. -- that pot a little

bit. What a great picture, the wonder of

why it is going wrong all of a sudden. And Ronnie is not pleased

frame and he does, he will forget about those last few shots. He goes

to bed having missed those shots, he will be wondering about it all.

Needed a flick on the red, didn't get it. You can almost see Ronnie

thinking, do I take this on or not? If he misses it, he knows he will

stick it up. I wonder if he will play the double

here. Try and stay on the green and a long pot on, but the way he is

cueing at the moment, I suggest leaving it alone. Looking to see if

he puts the cue ball somewhere it is now, he will get Ronnie in trouble.

You need to the red somewhere near where the red is on the blue spot,

that will be helpful. Certainly in the middle of the table. I don't

know whether he played the double or not, but he has not played it where

he wanted. What's worse, he has left the couple

of reds on the pink spot, the bottom one of the two parts here. So a free

for Barry Hawkins. Should never have hitting full baulk end. He almost

missed it, didn't he? If the Green had been on its own

spot, he probably would have missed it. Barry is going to have to play a

liked to have screwed it back another foot, but at least it has

see Barry winning the safety. He trails by 25 points. Such is Ronnie

safety in this last frame, every time Barry comes to the table he has

a difficult safety shops to reply. Trying to take the white over the

pink spot and back into the baulk area. He has to hit it exactly

closest to the right middle, he has to come off that perfectly, Mr red

below the pink spot and then back-up somewhere behind the green. He must

playing, but it looks like he is trying to find an alternative. Maybe

he is worried about kissing the blue on the way back. He is not playing

if the black was available, so that is quite a clever shot. Yeah, but he

may find himself down in that problem is having the initiative. He

is now looking behind the yellow, but he would like to get down behind

the brown, somewhere close to where the cue ball was before. He can slip

off the red closest to the right-hand cushion. He wants to try

and keep that red is tight to the cushion as possible because that

creates problems for Barry Hawkins. That is why he has tried to put

into the corner. He has purposely put it in a perfect way to leave

There are a couple of reds Ronnie can take on and get the cue ball

back into the baulk area. Excellent pink pot behind the green with the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

completely missed timing things at moment is pretty good, but he has

left along one on this time. He has not cued well in the last 20 minutes

or so. Yeah, this is going to be a real

test, isn't it? He has to stay excellent pot.

That is up there with one of the best shots he has played tonight

blue. To reds above the black, they both part in the left-hand corner,

but he would love to get on the middle red of the three above the

black. Then he can play the little cannon onto that red. How is the

on the pink. To red below the pink, ago clipped one of those red onto

the right-hand side cushion. That may come to his rescue later on in

this break, but he is going to need those to reds if he is going to win

shot hard here. I thought he was playing the top red, he may have

missed a trick. It could have played the screw off the top red. Until he

gets rid of that red, it is not frame window. If he had gone up for

the blue and pink, he would have freed the black. This time he has to

get the angle right. With the angle he has on the pink, there is every

longest frame of the match so far. The first frame over 20 minutes.

There is a bit of tension in this frame. Once again, he played a poor

shot on the red. He was perfect on the pink, so should have got the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 43 seconds

Made sure of the pots, of course, but he could've used a little bit

more pace and been more aggressive and tried to bring this red the

will try to pot this red, but I wouldn't have thought he would try

to bring the other red into play. He is trying to do that. It was very

dangerous to do that, but the red has now been brought into play. If

Barry Hawkins can come out of this session and 9-8, he will certainly

sleep better than Ronnie. Ronnie has played brilliantly, for centuries,

other sizeable breaks, there is a possibility he could only lead 9-8,

so Barry Hawkins will definitely be the more pleased of the two. If he

pink, Betty hazarded that so he will have to try and play the blue with a

lot of side. This will be a positional shot to play. He doesn't

fancy it, so will only play a safety from the baulk cushion as well, it

just makes this a little bit more difficult. The problem is not

hitting the red, it is getting it safe. He is going to leave a free

ball and this could be crucial. That is an absolute disaster for Barry

Hawkins. Not quite sure why he had doesn't want it to be dead straight.

Maybe just OK. He has a slight angle just screw back, miss the middle

pocket where he be cueing. Avoid the onto the pink, so may decide to come

around the back of the pink and get on to pink or blue. If he plays it

slowly he could get onto the pink. He could be virtually straight on

shots, but he will be virtually straight on the pink. Didn't see the

value of playing for the pink at Trying to get the cue ball just

three or four inches to the right of the black. What a shot. You will

not see many better safety shots It is not hitting them, it is

getting them safe. Has he got it Judd Trump would love this shot.

He'd decided not to screw back but to run through. Almost perfect but

This green is very important. He did not go for that. What a shot he

has played there. That is at fantastic snooker. No wonder Barry

is scratching his head. Two of the best safety shops we have seen in

Would you believe it! It is Barry's turn to try to get the cue ball.

His target would be to kiss the black. He just has to missed the

blue by a fraction to get this shot The blue was in the way. Just seven

I am not sure if he can hold for Is it there again for the third

time in this frame? Is there at This would be unbelievable. What a

shot! Just had enough gap. He is 11 ahead. Just needs the blue. That is

Brilliant shot on the brown. Trying to knock the pink say. -- safe.

could of course to try and played that snooker. But will he take on

He did play it but you know what is going to happen here. The White

will be kissing the black. He has under hit this. That was careless

for Ronnie. He had so much margin for error there. He'd just had too

much side. Definitely worth having a go at this. It is a tough safety

shot to play it any other way. long as he does not undercut it. If

he over cuts it, it may still come The pink, you can pot. The black,

probably not. There is Barry's friends and family. They have got

their fingers crossed because this Do you play the guaranteed safety

shot? It is the safety. He has over hit it. The crowd knew it straight

away. Ronni knew it straight away. -- Ronnie. Black for the frame.

What a tremendous frame. Both players should be pleased with

their night's work. A standing ovation for these great players. It

is Ronnie O'Sullivan who takes a three frame leader. What again.

What an game indeed. Superb stuff from these two finalists. And

Ronnie taking that three frame advantage into tomorrow. Clearly

that meant so much to both of them. Hands shaking all round. But it has

certainly been a contest. Barry Hawkins playing is superb part in

his final. We are leaving the close support for the first -- the last

time tonight, crossing over to the Winter Gardens. And the Three Wise

men are with me. How would you rate that final frame of the session?

was such a fantastic frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan worked his socks off to

get that frame. He just held himself together. Even though he

looked quite Karen Shaw, it was a fantastic pressure pot on the black.

How crucial is that? It is massive. Barry Hawkins was making breaks,

and that last frame, he was granite. Every time he came to the table he

was trouble. That was a great block at the end. And hugely enjoyable

final so far. You could see what it meant to him. He knew the

significance of that. And that deficit for Barry now is hard

coming out tomorrow. How do you assess the contribution made by

Barry to this final? He is one of those players who never goes away.

His play is solid. He has missed a few but he is somebody that you

have to beat. Is this a bigger test for Ronnie O'Sullivan than he might

have imagined? I do not think he will have gone in prepared to blast

him off the table. He was compared to compete. But Barry Hawkins can

be proud of himself today. You would expect that Ronnie O'Sullivan

would produce but for Barry Hawkins, what else can he do? He has done

his job. He lost both sessions, but not by much. He has been great

today. He has played so well. He can be proud of his performance.

what extent has the table speed dictated some of the played today?

I do not think that Ronnie has been happy with that. It is the same for

both players. And they have adapted really well. There have been big

breaks. They have just got on with it. How is it set up for tomorrow?

It would be nicer if it was just the one frame in it. But I think

Ronnie O'Sullivan deserves his lead. It is whether he can push on in the

session tomorrow afternoon for stock thank you for your

contributions. We take our leave of the Crucible tonight. Let me just

tell you what else we have got coming up on BBC Sport. We have

coverage of the last day of the Badminton Horse trials. The all-

important show jumping stage tomorrow. A possible 18 more frames