Day 17, Part 1 Snooker: World Championship

time at the Crucible on the last and 17th day of the BetVictor World

Snooker Championship. From the first day Ronnie O'Sullivan has been the

star attraction. No wonder dashed to come back and almost reclaim his

title after a year out? Surely it could not be done. He is eight

frames away from making that a reality, but his opponent, Barry

Hawkins, is no secondary act in this final. The prospect of a major

sporting upset is not so far-fetched, either.

far-fetched, either. What a fantastic first day in the

Crucible final between Barry Hawkins and Ronnie O'Sullivan. Everyone was

wondering how the demeanour of both players would be. Could Ronnie

O'Sullivan Corp after being out for a year? Then Barry Hawkins really

struggled in the semi-final come everyone thought he would capitulate

and are delighted he is playing well.

We had some fantastic break building yesterday, Barry Hawkins had that

clearance of 133, which was superb. Excellent break, he levels the

match! But what does Ronnie do? He makes

for centuries. He has now made over 600 in his career and we can expect

more of that today. Long potting is always a very

important factor in smoking. They are both around 60% at the moment

but I think Barry Hawkins needs to start get up to -- getting up to

75%, then he could push Ronnie all the way. The safety could be a key

factor, O'Sullivan is not renowned for it but on his day one of the

best in the world. So clever. You would think Barry

Hawkins would win that battle, but watch O'Sullivan last night, how he

manoeuvred to set up that last frame This was the worst part of the day

for me, before the final. You put the work in on the practice table,

come back to the dressing room but cannot relax. You are like a coiled

spring, you just want to get out there, it is a nightmare. But for

one person it is a dream come true because he gets to put his name on

this iconic piece of snooker history. The other guy may win a lot

of money, but as far as this trophy is concerned he may as well have

lost in the first round. It is a cruel game. 13 world titles

between them. There is an air of anticipation, excitement, tension

backstage at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. The players have been in

the dressing room for about five minutes, they have had a practice

session, and I am going to knock the door for Ronnie O'Sullivan then

Barry Hawkins to tell them the Crucible Theatre and millions of TV

viewers worldwide await them. All set?

He is just grabbing his cue. Good luck to you, Ronnie. Ronnie goes

into the holding area. I am now going to knock the door for

Barry Hawkins. What a phenomenal He is getting his cue. He says

goodbye to Terry Griffiths. How are you feeling?

Very good. Good luck. What a moment, Barry

Hawkins and Ronnie O'Sullivan are around the corner, it is good to be

incredible. It has been brilliant all the way through, the opening

session was superb, heavy scoring, breaks in every frame, but

O'Sullivan has captured this lead in the final through two bursts of

brilliance. He was 3-2 behind, went to 5-3 and

last night threatened at 7-7. To win the last two frames Barry had two

centuries. That is why he has the 10-7 lead.

We have been so impressed with Barry Hawkins, has he got another big

performance in him? Absolutely, and he knows now, he has

been out in the final, he covered himself in glory yesterday. He is

still in this match. If Ronnie O'Sullivan wins today, it

has to be one of the great British sporting stories of all time. It

would be an unbelievable achievement, do not play for 12

months to come back and win, in incredible performance. Here is Rob

Walker. Good afternoon, ladies and

gentlemen. What a sense of anticipation we have here at the

Crucible. We are closing in on the coronation of the BetVictor world

can -- world snooker Championship. We have a historic session in store

been outstanding in this, his first world final. This is the stage he

dreams of when he first picked up a cue. Many people said this match

would almost be over this afternoon, but he is still in the hunt. This

performance today could define a lifetime's work. Can he close in on

one of the greatest upsets in Crucible history? LEDs and intimate,

raise the roof for the eagle eyed Barry Hawkins. -- ladies and

another like him here at the Crucible. What a start, what a

talent, what a career. He has already produced four centuries in

this match and may need more to secure a fifth world crown. Victory

today would surely rank as one of snooker boss Michael all-time great

performances. Can he do what many said is impossible? He is your

defending champion, blink and you families are both here. You cannot

beat this, fantastic. We have another eight frames to play this

afternoon and the possibility of in this evening. We know the good

weather may have a drawer for you this afternoon, but we reckon this

final has greater pulling power. final has greater pulling power.

Good afternoon, gentlemen. Good afternoon, Hazel, good

afternoon everybody, and this is the Barry Hawkins. What has he got left

in the locker? Against the genius Yes, he certainly has and he has

done fantastically well, stood up to the challenge. How crucial will that

last frame last night be? The black ball finish gave Ronnie a bit of

light between him and Barry Hawkins. Long pot success, 93% from

fantastic or vision the received coming into this wonderful Crucible

spectator, Ronnie junior, Ronnie's Well, he went for it, he thought the

only red he could leave was the one he was playing, and that is what he

pocket, the red would have stayed at this end, but it didn't, and he has

played on the blue. Whether he just assumed the blue was on its spot...

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He has overrun it and he is on the had plenty of room to work for fear.

too straight on the blue to do anything. He is on this red to the

right corner, but I don't think the black is that accessible. A good

world championships, an absolute genius on the dartboard, Phil

Taylor. And of course, Stephen Fry, Ronnie's. He is always here at the

is good to have someone with you, because it is quite a lonely life,

isn't it? Yes, he has been great company for

him, and it is always nice to have someone in your dressing room you

can talk to, helping you relax, and certainly that man has been a great

kissed that blue another inch or so. He is still OK, but because the cue

ball is so close it makes it more difficult. As we look at the

He is a little unlucky there, in all but I tell you what, he has done

well to get this far on the table. He is going to have to record

another good shot with the rest excellent shot. It always amazes me,

he plays so many shots left-handed you would think using the rest would

be a weakness because he does not think he was undecided which all to

play for. -- which balls to play for. He has finished not good on the

black, not good on the pink, looking even when he was plotting that red,

try and get in between the pink and black. It looked like he was trying

to get up the table to hit the pink into one of these bottom corners. If

he pots that red he has a choice. Unfortunately, Barry comes to the

table, the four reds near the top cushion are out of commission, there

are three in between the pink and black, he just hasn't got the right

OK, he is going to be slightly hampered by the black. I don't think

he has to do much with the cue ball, so it makes this a little bit

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and get a nice angle of that red to almost exactly where the red is now.

If he does, he will have a lovely angle on the black to try and stun

one of them is going towards this It certainly didn't turn out as he

would have wanted. In fact he only released one of the reds. He was

hoping to bring two or three in -- of them into play. He is right back

Ronnie red like this. It should have been tight against the side

cushion. He has given Ronnie and opportunity. Good cueing needed, but

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right, Barry's father, Steve, and for them. They will be so proud of

Barry and proud of the wiki is performing. Most people were him

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right corner, so he played it with Ronnie, Ronnie missed it, but he

he has not got away with it. It ran across and developed the reds. What

a chance now for Barry Hawkins. He has looked at the scoreboard. If he

can get high-value colours with He was doing his calculations, four

reds, four blacks. That will put him 26 ahead with 27 on, so he will need

players are thinking four or five will need before Ronnie will

Hawkins's point of view, that red on the left-hand side of the table is

Imperative on putting this red he gets a good angle on the black to

be able to come at it from the side, but he is using the rest. He has the

perfect angle on the red. As Ken said, by taking blacks with these

remaining reds, he only needs the yellow to leave Ronnie needing a

nicely on the black. The black and the yellow. That will put him in the

has done really well here. He looks very comfortable.

Yes, he has a nice momentum and Of course, he knows the importance,

although it is one snooker needed, he wanted that green in. Then it

needs to run a bit more, but... It won't matter now. No matter what

happens, Ronnie will concede. Ronnie had a great chance at the frame but

had a really loose positional shot which will annoy him. Barry Hawkins

took the opportunity and looked really solid. He is just two behind

now. 10-8, O'Sullivan. HAZEL IRVINE: And from the tension

inside the Crucible, here we are in the Winter Gardens and the last day

of the Championship, and it is beautiful here. What I am looking

at, pretty as a picture, Steve, John and Stephen. What a terrific frame

from Barry Hawkins, Terry Griffiths says this man is a real fighter.

Yes, and he take his chances well, because Ronnie O'Sullivan is the

person who should have won that frame. That is the first frame we

have seen in this final where a player has got in front and not

converted what was ability we easy chance at this level, and it has

come from Ronnie O'Sullivan. It was not necessarily just one clearance,

but he did his job very well. Last night's final frame of the

session was massive in the overall context of this match. When you have

been through something like this and come out on the losing end of that

frame, I much doubt that play on your mind overnight?

It probably wasn't a bad way to go, thinking about it overnight, because

you would not have wanted to carry on after that. That response today,

though, that is top class. A couple of people in the Hotel today said,

he will not win ten frames, what do they think now?

The fact this final is itself a marathon, what is your attitude

coming into the second day of the final?

On Monday you realise you are in the final, it feels more like a final.

You can see all of the VIPs, everyone turning up, the whole

buyers of the place is different. It is certainly buzzing in here and it

is certainly buzzing in the Crucible Yes, Ronnie has made an excellent

break-off there. He has not left at pot on. Just to give you a look at

what Barry is seeing from the baulk N. He will not be playing that, it

does not look as if there is a return to the baulk N. He will be

The only prat - problem about playing the containing safety is

He is in a precarious situation He has that - decided to leave that

red, and that might be a mistake. He was contemplating a few

Nicely played. Not quite certain what Barry Hawkins had in mind in

his last safety shot. It went all wrong. He knows he can't offer up

easy starkers for Ronnie. - A bit short on the blue again. He

is having a few problems at the speed of the table to start this

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She would love to get the cue ball somewhere in that circle. Just

about perfect. People take the want directly above the black. - he will

The pink is possibly on into the right centre. That is what he is

As you say, he wasn't happy with the angle. I think the red just

below the pink is available. I think that is why he decided not to

The pink cannot go back on that spot, so it goes in a direct line

as close as it can do it spot in a Certainly, the top red goes into

Normally Ronnie is the type of player who goes into the red bunch

at the first opportunity. It shows you have focused he is. He will be

disappointed to lose that first frame and he will not want to make

any mistakes here. Absolutely. He just didn't get the backspin

required. Again, he will be disappointed he didn't win the

frame from that position. It just needed that bit more power on the

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Without taking any undue risks, he When you hit it as well as that,

you can stop your opponent from playing any kind of safety shot! He

could not have played that any better, perfect line, perfect

Well, that was very admirable. She called at foul on himself. Barry

announced he fouled the ball even before the referee sold the file

He is nicely on the green. The reds that he needs to win the frame are

possible. He will be disappointed Just this black to go 70. To end -

70 points ahead with just 67 That means that Barry Hawkins will

not bother coming back to the table The average frame time is just over

15 minutes. The Bill in the snooker club wouldn't be that big, would

It used to take Terry Griffiths 15 minutes just to break off, didn't

it? In those days we used to work on an average frame time of 26-27

minutes. This is a man who has made a maximum break in this arena in

five minutes and 20 seconds. Yesterday he became the man who has

had more century breaks here than anyone else. He has had 129

centuries just at the Crucible, breaking Stephen Hendry's record,

He will be very pleased getting this frame, especially what

happened and the last frame. Everything is going into the middle

of the pocket. He is in free- flowing mood. What has been

impressive to me, just that steely determination. He made breaks of 54

and finished top of the 76. Young Ronnie will be pleased. Well done,

Dad! Not just big applause in the

Crucible, but also outside. This is Tudor Square in the heart of

Sheffield. You can see lots of people enjoying the beautiful bank

Holiday sunshine, having a few drinks and watching the output on

the big screen. We have Shannon and Peter from Northern Ireland. What

have you made of it so far? It has been a great final, really close.

Peter? I have been really enjoying it. The first session yesterday

were quite tight, tighter than I thought. Just looking for to the

rest of the day, really? How come you're right side? Tickets are in

scarce supply. Luckily enough we have some tickets for tonight.

Ronnie by three off-fore, at least. I think it is looking close. Let's

have a chat to a Barry Hawkins fund. My name is Sammy. While her you

supporting Barry Hawkins? I just think he has come a long way in the

competition and has done really well. He has had a few comebacks

from far behind. I think somebody should win for a change, not just

Ronnie O'Sullivan! JOHN: Another bad safety shot from

Barry. He can keep leaving these This is certainly not an easy

chance. The fact that there is no easy path round the back of the

black, that is why Ronnie has At first glance, it looks as if he

might have covered this red. The body language tells us that the red

is covered. He is having a look at the one into the bottom right

corner pocket. He will have to pull off some shot here but, the only

colour he could possibly get on is the blue. It would be some shock to

get the cue ball back-up for the That is absolutely superb. You can

forgive him for being on the wrong side of the blue. The most

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important thing was pop the red and Great opening red, but only six

He just try to force the angle, didn't he? Good straight cueing was

needed, but if you hit the red in the middle, the white was always

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He tried to run past the black, but Are he is just thinking, a fairly

cue ball tight on the top cushion, this red would be tempting. But

that black has come down and Back the cue ball needs to slow up

there. He could get through to the He is on it. The problem is, the

red that is closer to its, that will be in the way if he does not

Tight on the top cushion would have This frame has gone a bit scrappy

with the black not on that spot, the pink tied up. At that speed, it

is never easy for the pocket to He has let it cue ball tight on the

top cushion. Barry with the problem. That was a very clever little shot,

wasn't it? Bringing the black into This is where snooker is a funny

game sometimes. You can put some money in real trouble. He is

looking at all the options of getting a decent safety. Then all

this sudden, you get to a situation where it can get it safe, but there

is a pot to the right metals. Is it better to play the risky pot or the

risky safety? So many times you see people go for the pot, not kicked

in and have a frame winning chance. He hasn't really looked at that,

has a, to the right hand corner The best he could do that situation

was just not leave Ronnie with It needs to be tight on the cushion.

He is not tight. He is contemplating this red into the

right centre. Again, it is a very tough pot if you mishits it. - if

He has not got it tight to the top cushion, but he has not let

anything easy for Ronnie. All the colours that are available are in

the top half of the table. As I say, it has gone a little bit scrappy.

That is what he didn't want. He has got to played his safety shot that

he wanted Barry to play! For once, a fluke didn't help. Quite

incredible, isn't it? You get a fluke, and keep yourself in

trouble! Again, he has the problem that Barry Hawkins did a minute ago.

He is trying to see if he can leave the cue ball on the top cushion.

There are a couple of reds available for Barry. That is what

he is afraid of. The pink doors pot into the Left Centre. This may be

one of the shots you spoke about, John. He may be as well just have a

Is the safety guaranteed? Her he is just looking to see if he can get

through to the blue. Maybe not leave one of the reds into the

centre pocket. Now having a look once again at the potting angle on

Well, we talk about costly flukes, but not the other way around. What

That chance to get a black right on that spot. The pink is now in the

She has gone a bit straight on the black, but this should not hamper

This is a great chance, and one you Through reds she needs all in good

positions. - he needs. He kinky - he can get a blue back on it spot

Just about perfect on the blue. He can hold for either of these reds

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She would have preferred an ankle. That was a nice pot, right in the

bit too close to the cushion than he would have liked. -- he has let that

close to the cushion there. 54 points behind, 59 remaining on the

with, Ronnie, this is the big problem he has. The reds are in a

reasonable position, but they are at to the left corner pocket, but he

shot-macro. Not perfect on the black.

That was a nice pot, just a little bit low on this black. Anywhere in

behind this, close to the cushion, try and get it into the right

Just calculating the scores, he can he cannot get close. It was always

going to be difficult because he did not have that many points to play

with. If he puts the blue, he will go 32

points behind. From this last red, it has to be blue or above if he is

to win the frame at this visit. What -- around the angles here. I thought

he might go round a few two shins to get close to this year low, but he

is now going to require another good pot.

Barry will be sitting in his seat suffering, because he only needed

that one red. He missed his chance - what a shot. He is pulling them out

of the fire here. This will hurt Barry Hawkins. This could be the

amount of right-hand side. Now the black to win the frame by one point

and make Barry Hawkins really regret missing that frame ball red. In it

goes! It doesn't get much better than that. That was a sensational

clearance. No points to Speyer, absolutely brilliant. Barry Hawkins

had his chance, missed one red and that was enough for Ronnie

O'Sullivan to go four clear. 12-8, what a frame.

Sensational clearance from Ronnie O'Sullivan and that really does tell

you everything you need to know. Let's discuss that miss from Barry.

He played a slight positional shot where he left the cue ball too close

to the cushion. He just tweaked it a little bit, but what a clearance,

you never had a lot of points to play with and a fabulous clearance.

It will take a lot of character for Barry to come back from that.

The way he was able to go through the colours.

I could pick about seven or eight shots through it. You have to get

right through this near the bottom with enough cue to hold the White to

get on there. To hit this as pure and to come back with side on it to

get on the brown is superb. What it kicked off the cushion, absolutely

he could not have played that any better. Phenomenal. Graeme Dott got

eight frames against Ronnie in 2004, Ali Carter got eight frames in 2008,

and Ken Doherty said he thought that could be a turning point in the

match. It is looking like the best defence

of a title ever from perhaps the best player we have ever seen in the

game and the best player under pressure. It is easier to look over

your shoulder when you are a favourite and panic getting close to

the finishing line, he desperately wants to win this to show how good

he is, and every time he has been asked a question he has come back,

he has been producing all tournament. He is at what speed now

as we go back to the Crucible. The buzz in the crowd after that

frame was electric. It was a bit of Some of the shots he played, yellow

to green, blue to brown, fantastic clearance. It could be the biggest

frame of this final, it could be a turning point. It will take every

little inch of steel in Barry Hawkins's character to come back

from that now. But he has done it before, he was well down against

Ricky Walden, he has nerves of steel himself but he is going to have to

draw on them in this final to come back from frames like that, they

for a safety shot. They are so hard to judge. To find the baulk as good

want to be looking at a success rate of around 90%, the tournament safety

success is a bit low for both Barry cushion. Nor easy path back to baulk

Ronnie, but Barry will not be happy with that result.

He certainly will not, he has left an almost dead straight red into the

pocket, and there is no pressure on anything, but that was the only

possibility, that he would leave this red. He did not hit it as hard

Yes, particularly after losing the really. Just to prove to himself

that he can get over reversals like he had in the last frame. He is a

very tough competitor. He just has going on the blackspot, that will

not bother him too much, I don't think, apart from the fact at the

moment the pink is only available into the left corner, but he can

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top cushion and clear the pink for release another into the opposite

screw back for the loose red directly above the cue ball at the

moment, but he has a nice angle if pink spot? If it does, there is

nothing. That is unfortunate. was the danger of going into the

cluster. He had a few loose reds to play for and it was always the

danger he could clear the pink spot and put the pink bed of play. But to

not finish on a red, as you say, Can he pot this one into the bottom

looks like he has an angle on the decided to stand it in, rather than

just run it in with topspin. He is going to require another good pot

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here. This is good stuff from Barry pace. It can make all the

difference. If that had run on another couple of inches he would

absolutely loves snooker. A big fan of Steve Davis. Of course, Phil

Taylor, who has been in so many world finals he will be appreciating

the nerves out there. And that is absolutely inch perfect, very well

played indeed. We knew he needed to be on the pink, but to get that

win the frame at this visit. But remember the last one, he was just

one red short. That will be in his in the last frame, you said he

needed a response, and what our response we have got. Absolutely,

and he has posed a question. It looks like Barry has come up with

confidence, after the last frame, and as we keep saying, he has been

behind, he was long way behind in the match with Ricky Walden in the

semi-final but hung on in there, and he is hanging on again. A tough

losing the last frame, but he just this, so it could be a positive

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midsession talk with Terry that is from Barry Hawkins. Ronnie

left him one chance and that is all he needed. That was superb stuff,

still three behind but he will go to the dressing room feeling an awful

lot better. 12-9 to Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Harry Hawkins was an ET-1 shot before he turned up in Sheffield,

never been past the second round. -- ET-1 shot. For five years he lost in

the first round, two years in the second round, and here he is in the

second -- final. It is encouraging that he is doing justice to his

talents in this final. It is a fantastic performance, but the only

problem is it is being overshadowed by Ronnie O'Sullivan, but what a

rearguard action. To turn it around, what a storyline it would be.

assess the way he has gone about his business today. What a daunting

process it must have been to even turn up to the? Absolutely, he was

60-1 in this final, Ronnie O'Sullivan was 1-7. I have seen

Ronnie play as nearly as good as I have ever seen anyone play and he

has to win 18 frames against him. He has done a magnificent job so far.

His record is not great, he has lost five matches against Ronnie. He beat

Ronnie in the 2002 Scottish open, but he has never won since. What do

you make of his performance two I don't want to sound patronising but

he has gone right up in my estimations. I never thought he

would compete in this final. I must admit I was one of those who never

thought it would get to a fourth session. But incredible character,

what Ronnie did in that last frame, to come back and win it, incredible.

I always thought he was a high-quality match player, I did not

know he had this ability to compete in the cauldron of the Crucible, but

he is doing a fantastic job. Well, another 17 days in Sheffield

are whizzing by in a slow motion flash, as usual. We have had so many

twists and turns this year and we have been even talking about

Bernard, just amongst pundits, never on the returning champion back from

his snooker 's sabbatical - Ronnie O'Sullivan, the Beethoven of big

building, the Shakespeare of shotmaking, the da Vinci of

developing the Reds, the man known as the Mozart of... Snooker? Was

mindbending best. But even Mozart would have taken a couple of

concertos to crank back up to speed after a year out of composing. Peter

Ebdon against Graeme Dott, a match that crawled along so slowly at one

point it seemed Peter Ebdon had hibernated on the table. At one

stage, Peter Ebdon disappeared for four minutes between frames, giving

Graeme Dott some quality time alone to ponder on ways to speed snooker

out in the first round, proving there is no substitute for

experience. Four veterans were also knocked out in the first round,

proving there is a substitute for experience. One of those who did

make it through was Thailand's Dechawat Poomjaeng. He applauded his

own shots, as if the balls were his children in an unexpectedly flawless

nativity play. He waved them into the pocket but like a trainee

Shepherd with the disappointing news sheepdog. He knocked out Stephen

Maguire 10-9 in a first round thriller. Stephen suggested that

Dechawat Poomjaeng was not the Phil Schilling. That he was a John Virgo

short of commentary box. He even tried to leave by the wrong exit.

Where is the screwball going? In the first round he did everything short

of coming out dressed as a pantomime horse. In the second round team-mate

as well have done that, because not only did Michael White make

mincemeat out of him, but at one point he was reduced to grazing on

the beautifully mown Crucible turf. Into the second round, and more

shocks and some electrifying snooker. But Graeme Dott did not

have quite enough spark. He lost to Shaun Murphy. This set up a

quarter-final showdown with 2011 finalist, Judd Trump, who avoided

the carnage of the early rounds, despite this mess, which provoked

this reaction from his opponent. To be fair to Dominic Dale, he was not

concentrating on the snooker this time, he had heard that Hazel Irvine

had displaced Angela Merkel as Forbes most powerful women in the

world. Anything is possible.

Judd Trump was formidable in arguably the biggest showdown of the

second round. Referee Adrian Williams against the miss rule.

Poor Adrian Williams, it was like a food fight.

Elsewhere, Mark Selby was knocked out and complaint about burnout.

I don't know if it has been a long season and I had nothing left coming

into the championships. Barry Hearn then complained about Mark Selby

complaining about Bernard. It is tough flying around the world

staying in 5-star hotels and earning loads of money, don't come to me

with your excuses. As Barry himself would no doubt say,

Bernard? Before I came along there was nothing so much as a fire, no

dress up like a marshmallow and toast yourself!

What is that other second-round match? Ding Junhui in a match that

Mark King played the shot of this tournament is that most resembled

1940 -- 1950s America, going all over the place unsuccessfully trying

to locate the reds. That is one for all of due Cold War fans out there.

In the quarter-final, The Rocket was starting to look more unbeatable

than a hungry wheel in a plankton The Rocket can place the curfew can

match and he can find shots other playbook -- players would not even

see. He can play snooker is so beautiful it makes you want to set

your children on your knee, point at the television and say, watch this,

this is why I had you. Don't tell out the match of the Championship, a

seesaw classic that culminated in another final frame frenzy. Enough

and Ali Moore intends than the -- in a finale more intense than the

Glastonbury crowd, we -- Judd Trump triumphed. Hands up if you put money

on Barry Hawkins against Ricky Walden semi-final. If you have your

hand up, put it down again, you are a liar or you are a close member of

either player and you are a liar. -- close family member. The dedication

to hitting a tiny ball in a pointy stick -- with a pointy stick in a

dark room and the lifestyle of spending a lot of money on

waistcoats paid off in style. After beginning the tournament with a

played nine, lost seven Crucible record was about to have a much

busier bank holiday than he used to. Either Judd Trump Ronnie O'Sullivan

could find their fluid best. For once, physics was not doing as it

was told. He has left this green on!

Yes, there were breaks, but not always the kind of breaks you would

want in a world semi-final. The last time I heard a noise like

that it was playing against... And it was Ronnie who was told off

for naughty snooker. In the end, he made it through. He had mixed a

trademark cocktail of technical brilliance with the eye of a

champion, still in the flush of his youth but with 20 years of added

then being on stamps is not for the Queen. Are you going to be the man

to tell her that? Really? So, now, as many predicted, it has

all come down to the final. Again, as tournaments do, generally. This

Championship has had it all and at the end of it we are left with one

man seemingly born to play in finals and another man who never thought he

would get there. Thanks be to snooker. Amen. Well, from one witty

character to another, it is a great pleasure to welcome Stephen Fry to

our studio. Crucible debut, Stephen?

Yes, I Dreams Come True, I can honestly say I could be struck dead

tomorrow by a bulldog licking and would code my life complete.

What was it like in there for you? -- struck dead tomorrow by a bolt of

lightning. You always hear people talking about

net the 1970s saying it is unmatched in any arena, and you think, it has

three sides and a table in the middle, but when you get there it is

so true, you are so close to the action. This session has been

astonishing, I cannot believe that Barry Hawkins managed to pull out a

frame winning century, nearly, after that fantastic steel. The yellow to

green to brown was as good as you will ever see. I had to close my

eyes, I heard the green rattle in. On the brown it was just

extraordinary. It is fantastic to hear you talking so passionately,

because you know on Twitter you are always extolling the virtues of

snooker. Once you said I would rather watch

snooker than do anything else. What is the fascination two some people

say it is the quiet rhythm, to me that is nonsense - it is the human

drama. In golf, you don't really see enough of a person's face and body

language. You only see it a bit, but in snooker you can actually watch

the transcendent moment of being in the zone following up a player and

they have it and they have the rhythm and the timing and the focus

and you can watch them when they lose it. It can be because of a

fluke. It is just extraordinary.

analysis for that frame before the played? I used to have a table.Have

you ever worked at the Crucible? Twice, I think. I have done a

reading. It is a lovely theatre, no question about it. The Crucible is a

medieval receptacle in which elements and metals are fused in

heat, and that is a very good analogy for the arena. There is this

incredible sense of drama. It is the human drama more than anything else.

Clearly you will have had your favourites over the years? You know

these guys very well. Of all of the players, who would be your favourite

one? I mean, Ronnie O'Sullivan is magic. But for me, I always had a

special place in my heart for Jimmy White. Partly, because he never won

this event. But also, to watch his movement. I bought his book. There

was a think about how to do screw. He said, could be kept lower than

that, no, lower, no, lower. He seemed such a lovable character,

completely unchanged. Steve Davis transformed the game, I have to say.

And the idea that you were a machine is complete drivel, you just

happened to be much better than everybody else. And then there was

Joe Johnson... He used to have separate press conferences! What

about what about you to go for a little bit of a knockabout? -- what

Stephen Hyde to screw back? Are you going to ask me to do it? Play the

send you away empty-handed. We are going to pot this black in the

middle pocket. That is impressive. Which all are my -- am I aiming for?

Hit the red full in the face. yes! Thank you for coming in.

It is great to see celebrities watching the game. There are still

characters who play the game. Let's MUSIC

That is enough of that! They say the golden age of snooker was in the

1980s. What a cast of characters we had. I do not go along with the

theory that there are no characters in the modern game. There was one

show man who showed that in this year? World Championship. Can you

guess who it is? We know him as the do not hit a ball you will lose the

frame. Yes. He is applauding himself! People come here to be

entertained. He reminded me of Dennis Taylor. He is the only

character am on these great snooker stars. The game has changed so much

since the 1980s. It is difficult for players to become household names.

Back then, we did not have hundreds of TV cameras. In the 1980s, snooker

was one of the only things on TV. There were a lot of characters. It

is more professional now than it has ever been. In the 1980s, players had

to try and sell themselves a lot more on TV. You will probably see a

lot more characteristics coming night on TV in the 19 new days,

because they had to make money from exhibitions. -- in the 1980s.

Because of the lack of tournament in the 1980s, we had to display a

little fun to hope we would get a booking in a club or something. We

could not make a living from tournament snooker honesty won every

single one. We used to do the holiday camps and the working men's

clubs, the Conservative clubs, things like that, to try and earn an

probably compare them with the characters when they first started

watching. We had a section of players trying to prove to the

public that snooker was worth watching. In the good old days, when

touring round the country was your red and butter, the players learned

how to laugh and joke and have fun with the crowd. That has gone away a

little bit now. Everybody is playing for their livelihood and things are

so important. Ask people in the street how much fun they have at the

office. Snooker is so tough. It is hard to find a balance of having a

laugh and also focusing. I can understand why character does not

come out on the table. Everything you do of the table -- off the

table, you get a fine of �250. get fined for breaking rules, not

for being interesting. A lot of today passed my players are so

intent on the semantics and the game itself that they forget that they

are in the entertainment business. What do you have to do to be a

character? Do you have to head-butt somebody? The Crucible that not sell

out in the 70s and 80s like it did this year. People love snooker and

they love the people that are playing it, there is no doubt. If

people keep printing in the papers that there are no characters, people

reading it will believe it. Will we ever get back to the good old days

with familiar faces in every household? Probably not. The game

can still be a lot of fun and the characters, well, for right or

wrong, they are still creating is Ronnie O'Sullivan junior. He has

had a big haircut since we last saw him, last year, when Ronnie picked

up the trophy. He is just having a little bit of a knockabout before he

goes back in. He is showing some form. At least he is big enough for

the table! He looks like he enjoys it. He does indeed. We are going to

keep an eye on this young man. We are also keeping an eye on his dad.

It is back to work for him. We have four more frames to play this

afternoon in the third session. Here is daddy, coming back out. He needs

six more frames for a world title. Dennis Taylor is about to leap into

action in the commentary box alongside Willie Thorne. Good

on. That last frame, I thought Barry Hawkins was sensational, to come

back and make a 90 break after screw and trying to get to the two

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amazing. He just looks so comfortable. I used to switch hands

because I did not like the rest. This fellow can make century breaks

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for in death -- eight loose red he can play for in the middle. He

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possibly believes there is a better from the black. To come in from two

cushions, that was special. It does something special, Ronnie seems to

think he has to put his foot on the pots needed to open up a four frame

advantage. We talk about Ronnie being such a natural player. He just

seems to fall into position. He doesn't seem to do any shuffling

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equal the highest number of centuries made in a final, five. He

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has a difficult red near the he lifted the crime, and what a

sensational year this has been. Not that! He got half a chance and he

knocked the lot in. He is back to four in front at 13-9. What can you

do about that? Barry Hawkins, one shot, it was the end of frame. What

happens on the snooker ball is amazing. In the old days, that would

have been a foul. They just keep bouncing. It shows you how accurate

the players are. What about those shots? Sometimes its spoils the

game. I think they should play with a thicker cloth to stop the bouncing

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start to take pots like this to get the way, but what are the chances of

that? He needs a nice little knowledge, but that is not the one

he wanted. Because the brown is off its spot the yellow is more

difficult. He wants to stun the cue ball towards the brown and move it

around the table, but it is more difficult now. He has got to get

onto the right side of the table. He has a long way to travel with the

cue ball. He could do with a favourable little kiss... And he has

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and Caroline, his mum. They must be shot on the black to get into the

reds. He would be better off going for the pink. Could he hold it for

the pink? Let's have a look. He just needs one good positional shot. And

that is not bad. He can stun into these. He does not have to screw

this. If he plays it with stun he should be able to open them up and

not lose the clue ball -- the cue it, you come away from the reds

whereas if you stun it, you keep it head the left-hand job. Ronnie still

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needs a long pot to get himself in APPLAUSE. Well, a good opener from

Barry Hawkins. Every chance now to meet Ronnie pay for that miss. --

Make runny date. That will annoy Ronnie. In frame 19 she had an

unbelievable clearance to clinch it on the black. You could count on

one hand misses like that throughout this championship from

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This is a very important stage of There is not much of a pocket there

to squeeze it in-off. He has a red '' pass the pink, or will it? Maybe

Should Ronnie go on to win this frame, there have been at least

three frames now that he has pinched. Barry Hawkins could have

been Grainne Close him, if not in front. Barry has been ahead by more

than 40 points in three frames and Just! Let's have a look at this.

That didn't look back it was going to go in. With the new cloth, they

Ronnie has only missed one shot with the rest could have 18 in this

final. He has probably played about another 50 shots left-handed! Back

This will be another body blow for Barry Hawkins. This could be a

third frame he loses after being Ronnie being five frames in front

of be a tall order for Barry. -- Getting the Prime back on that spot

is ideal. It is blocking the path for the yellow at the moment. You

can see the yellow will go past the brown, that is why he played for

the brown. This is Barry's last hope of a positional shot going

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Barry did have his chance, but there was just one short were he

clipped that black on the way across, leaving him a more

difficult one. This has been the Barry has been responding with

decent breaks of 40 and 50, but Ronnie keeps pinching the frame.

That was frame ball. This standard has been excellent. Both players

For the first time in this final he is about five frames. He has made a

habit recently of pinching the crucial frames. If you think back

took the first day at the Crucible Theatre this year, he played Marcus

Campbell that very easily could have been 7-7, but it ended being

10-4 because if the magnificent clearances. That is what he's doing

today, as well. This would be a staggering achievement. Ronnie has

not played for almost a year. As great former champions yourselves,

if you have contemplated coming back after a year out, what would

you have been most scared about so? In our prime, we just wanted to

play in more events. You would have come back in been worries that

perhaps the standard had moved on. Or that you would not be able to

pick up the range. He would have treated it as a challenge. It could

take the heat off a bit. All of the players have been playing all year

round. Their expectations are very high coming into the World

Championship. His expectations were probably a bit lower. That could

have helped him. What would you have been as concerned about,

Stephen? John brought it up there. His first match against Marcus

Campbell, he was always going to score heavily, but when he pinched

those frames. When we used to have long summer breaks, that was my

sign in the first tournament that you were back and ready to win if

you could pinch frames. That was the first thing I noticed. That is

when it thought he could be a competitor here. A as a man who has

won seven of these, how do you rate swap is going on? It wouldn't be

that much of a shock to maybe one it, because he is so good. It just

shows how much better he is then DENIS: He has been practising,

doing a few exhibitions, and somebody like Ronnie does not

forget her to play, even in the match arena. He makes a mistake.

When you are 14-9 behind, these are WILLIE: Well played, well played! A

lot of pressure there. He played that right into the heart of the

Would eat it be nice if he could clinch the frame with this visit,

just to show everyone that he is not going anywhere. He wants to be

right here in the evening session, trying to win his first ever world

professional snooker championship. Both of these reds teapots. -- do

Just this frame and one more before the night session, which begins at

7 o'clock. Can he win them both and get back to 14 to 11? He has just

It is just pulled up a little bit. He could slide of the bunch and

He tried to free the pink, and he He might have to stun him round the

Very nicely played. If that red at the back of the bunch of four goals,

he is perfect. It does, and he will open up the other ones. He could

have done with being just a little bit further up the table. This is

not guaranteed to be a good If it pinking go, that would be a

bonus. This is close, but it does Well, that was absolutely

ridiculous! That is probably the worst cake I have seen this year.

Look, it went full ball on to the red. There is the last thing that

he needed. We were just talking that they need to start having a

thicker cloth to stop these. A lot at times it doesn't make any

difference, but there is an example where Barry could get back into

this match, possibly win the frame, but through no fault of his own he

It does make the player look a little bit silly. It is not their

fault. Surely, Ronnie O'Sullivan can binge another game were Barry

It is not going to be easy, but we know that Ronnie relishes the

situation when it is even more 93 % for the tournament. That

standard from Ronnie O'Sullivan is exceptional. It would take some

If you took away these four frames that he looks like pinching from

behind, and put them on to Barry Hawkins's scored, he would be

competing very well in this match, He has gone a little bit close to

Not this time! He knew it was not in as soon as he hits it. It is

always difficult when you're back I think it is safe. Little smile

from Barry. He is one of the nicest All these lads are terrific

characters. They may not be laughing and joking on the table,

but it is a different game these days. There is a lot of money for

these guys to play for. They are all one-man businesses. It is a

tough old sport. It is like golf in that it is just getting tougher as

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She popped it that far too thick. - Barry Hearn have done a terrific

job for the players. Lots of tournaments, lots of prize-money.

There is 16 times world champion, Barry Hearn looks after him. If you

want to book him for a darts exhibition, it will cost you �8,000.

He has made a mess with the safety! Barry needs all the reds and the

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On reflection, Barry deserves to The black is not one that spot. If

he plays for the black, would he have enough room to negotiate to

get on it nicely? If it was on that spot, no problem. I don't blame him

at all for this. He needs an angle on the green to be able to get onto

That took out all the risk of getting from black to yellow. Now

just degree needed to. -- the the Well done Barry Hawkins. The family

are certainly pleased. His sister, Tanya, getting really excited there.

That is a terrific clearance. He had that terrible contacts and the

has cleared up with 47. He is still four frames behind. It is not over

yet. It is amazing, Dennis, that black cake could have cost him the

frame there. Just explain it. Why should it happen? It is still

difficult to describe what causes it. There was plenty of room for

the pink to going. He has not cued it badly. He pushes the QEIII. Have

a look at the pink, it straightened up. I am pleased that that did not

cost him the frame. You can see it just bouncing.

It was almost poetic justice. Barry Hawkins is hanging on in. Like it

terrier arranger leg. He is playing -- probably playing the best match

of his life. Again somebody else in the final it could be a completely

different story and the could be world champion. Ronnie O'Sullivan

is such a strong player in all departments. You have to pay

tribute to Barry Hawkins. Only a couple of days ago, on Saturday

morning playing in the semi-final, he looked all at sea. He did not

seem happy at all. What has changed? He found some form, it is

as simple as that. What he showed was persistence and character

against Ricky Walden. He came through that by finding form and

has found form in this match. Stephen, you may be good point that

he had to take something from this session to make a foothold in this

match. He has to enjoy the atmosphere. It is such a massive

event. All these important people are here. I think he is just

enjoying it. WILL LEITCH: In the semi-final, he looked like a fish

out of water. I think the occasion got too much for him. Now he is

totally relaxed. You hit it on This is what you start playing the

game for. You're ambition is to get to the Crucible when you turn

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professional. You're ambition is to He to reds are possible, but he

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would not be able to get back into Already the reds were getting very

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World Championship trophy has been around in the 1927. Will it be runny

for the fifth time? This last frame could tell the story. If Barry can

take it and get back to 14-11, there will be a lot of snooker to be

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all of the famous names on their. -- a colour, so he will be playing back

playing slower yesterday, but it seems to be slower today, the way

table and the new cloth. This was Ronnie yesterday, checking to see if

the cloth was a little loose. When they are in the balls there is no

problem. They still get the reaction. It might just be slightly

slower. That is not necessarily a bad thing and the breaks that have

been fabulous. Both have had a break over, just in case he misses it.

think he is looking at the red to cannon into the black and bring it

into play, if he pops it. -- if he stage she would have been concerned

about the pink because it looked as if it was going to hit the jaw of

the pocket. Not a favourable kiss on there is very little else available,

only a safety. Not easy to get a good safety shot. That really is

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could pot it into the left middle pocket. But close to the cushion...

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He still tried it, but that was near minutes and he hasn't angle to get

up to the red above the blue. -- he I had never seen Ronnie concentrate

so hard. He knew the importance of opening up the three frame

advantage. He is doing the same he could not do anything else. He is

just looking to see if he could possibly pot the black. What a bonus

that would be. We will find out on the other red he will go out of

position, but it should be OK. -- if he cannons the other red. He is

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minutes for this break, because he to screw up loss -- across and play

played Ronnie O'Sullivan in top form. Yes, he would have beaten most

normal players with a 91% success rate. The angle he has he may risk

playing the cannon onto the red and the pink at the same time. He may

have to go for the blue, but that will not be a problem. His

positional play is perfect every time. One of the sessions against

Stuart Bingham, it was as good a session as I have ever seen Ronnie

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play. He has played some fabulous It is all about the tricky red on

the cushioned, whether or not you He has got to get nicely on the

green. Has she got an angle to get behind it? So, he needs this green

at distance to get this century. how he has only won three frames.

There is a standing ovation from the Crucible crowd, Ronnie O'Sullivan

under the nose as Stephen Hendry. That was his sixth century of the

Crucible final, beating the record. Barry Hawkins is putting up a heck

of a fight, but Stephen, let's not go into the record's business. Let's

get your assessment of the way Ronnie is demolishing Barry.

Whenever he is put to the test he is stepping up a gift. If you look at

the sessions, he has not completely taken Barry Hawkins Park. -- taken

Barry Hawkins apart. When you look at what he has achieved and the

standard he is playing to, you could feel in that last frame how

important Ronnie sensed it was. was the same as last night. He

played a granite final frame. Same thing again. As soon as he saw his

chance, fully focused, and he is brilliant at it. To press on in the

match, he just knows when to do it. I was looking at some of the stats

from the last few matches. Barry Hawkins has come back from being

behind. He will have to produce something of that magnitude this

evening. He has to but that is not going to go until you can get over

the line against Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has not lost a session. The best

anybody has been able to do is hold him level and they have had to play

their brains out to do that. Tonight, they are going to have to

be shared frames at worst for Ronnie O'Sullivan. Every time he has had a

slap, he has responded. He has had standards that would have had most

players in front. Every time, he has come back and given him another one.

What can we expect this even in? What would be your philosophy, your

strategy as you go out? Ronnie should just want to finish it as

soon as possible and not let Barry in. He will be fired up to win

quickly. Ronnie has never lost a final. How much does play into his

hands? He has got all of the experience but the first frame is

very important. If he wins it he will kick off from here. Do you

think Barry has any answer at this stage? Yes, he does. He can probably

relax and enjoy it for the occasion. You may see him cueing freely and

enjoying the first session. He has got to win the first session, at the

very least. Barry Hawkins is certainly justifying his

performance. As Willie Thorne said, there is a genius at work. We will