Day 7, Part 2 Snooker: World Championship

You take one afternoon off and there is a high-profile casualty in the

first round of the snooker neither did John Higgins. Look at

the disgust on his face. It is not like Mark to miss vital parts like

that. I think they have played cruelly all season. Williams has

been poor, what I have seen of him. For those too, I'm not saying it is

the end of the career, but perhaps it is a crossroads to decide what

they're going to do, whether they continue to play as many tournaments

and how they dedicate the rest of their career to playing snooker,

because it becomes difficult when you're no longer beating the players

you expect to beat. If you start missing, it is in your mind. All the

years, you have previous, and eventually, having played thousands

of times, you do not feel as confident as you did 20 years ago

because you had so much previous all the PDC events running up

against these players. They're going out there, playing their natural

game. Nobody expected them all to lose, but also the young players

know this, even if they're not young, they are playing these top

players more often than they used to. At one time somebody would come

to the Crucible for the first time, it is not like that. I watch people

like Mark Allen, it seems to me if there are not potting balls and

making big breaks, they do not get the urge to go to plan B and mix it

up, and just get a result by any other means, if you like. It is very

1-dimensional. They have always been vulnerable in the first round, and

these qualifiers are match fit because they place at snooker these

days. That is why I don't think they are under pressure like they used to

be. We used to talk about the Crucible nerves, they're just not

the end he was too strong. I lost my rhythm a bit through the match,

through the session. I put that down to Robertpos-mac performance for

putting me under pressure. It is always difficult in the first round.

I am never comfortable until I can play best of 25. The top seeds put a

hell of an old -- but a lot of importance on getting through the

first round, building it up into this banana skin, but it is not

really. It is just the first round. We all speak about getting into

second and relaxing, you are still playing the best of 19, more frames

than any other tournament apart from the final. There is enough time to

beat a player you should beat. is who we are left with, on

Saturday, Ronnie O'Sullivan up against Ali Carter. Stuart Bingham

against Mark Davis. Shaun Murphy the first week, are you surprised so

many big names have dropped out? Yes and no, we know the standards of the

qualifiers is very high. This is the biggest rudiment of the season, you

would think the big players would be up for it. A few players left in the

event secretly rubbing their hands. Absolutely, you cannot help but be

excited if they are out. It is dangerous to look forward. One

player who has upped this tournament, even though it is

serious, Dechawat Poomjaeng. It is great. Obviously everyone is very

serious but it is good to see somebody who enjoys himself. What a

great storyline, he wants to earn enough from snooker to open a corner

shop in Thailand. Fabulous. From two people who did not release mail that

much, he has done a lot. He has a lot to do but we wish him well.

wish him well as well. In addition to seeing the top female

professionals -- top male professionals, we have four of the

top female professionals. It is ladies day in Sheffield, and we are

all in little shades of purple to support ladies day. These women have

come here to raise awareness of world Snookerpos-mac official

charity, hospice for children in Sheffield. They are doing a

brilliant job and we look forward to chatting to them and seeing their

progress this afternoon. Let's see what else is on the agenda today.

Shaun Murphy has not got beyond round two for the last couple of

years, but it has put him in front against Graeme Dott. The second

session to come. Mark Selby looks to avenge his defeat here last year at

the hands of Barry Hawkins. We will see their opening exchanges. The

live action today features the dazzling box office talents of Judd

Trump. We will be keeping an affectionate eye on the new

qualifier from Thailand. He is behind by seven to one. My play from

2:30pm, -- life play from 2:30pm, but we can catch up now. On the ten

o'clock shift, Graeme Dott. He was on the spot in his match and in this

probably the biggest myth in snooker. I must be one of the

quickest players on tour. I still get pigeonholed as playing slowly. I

think only Ronnie and Judd Trump play quicker than me. I do not win

well. I have won tournaments only twice in my career but I am not a

proven winner. One of those tournaments was in China so it

contradicts that I don't travel well. That is probably true. If it

probably was not for the world championships I do not know where I

would be. I seem to play well there. biggest one who is against 128 but

it is not because I am scared. The best players will come through no

It has been the same for years. I am used to that. I do not know, I would

who can be completely emotionless, got hunger to win more. I have been

in three finals, there is lots of good players who have never been to

session, Graeme Dott was not at the races. He missed for blacks off the

spot. Look at this, this morning. He came back with 62 in set number ten.

It was only part of the story, because Graeme Dott was afflicted by

some belting static electricity shocks. It could be from the XS

energy generated in the arena last night, we do not know, but he is

playing with leather soled shoes, wore the same period the day, but

decidedly uneasy about touching the table. Every couple of shots, he

would get a shock. They retired early for the interval, and an

official began spraying the carpet with water to prevent a build-up of

static. As if we have not had enough shocks already here in Sheffield, we

get a few more from the carpet. Back we go, no further incidents after,

and Graeme Dott decidedly more comfortable. He won the 12th frame.

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roll the pink and get onto the right of the pack, into the corner. He

will need to go for the blue off the next red. An excellent shot. Well

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choice, into the side of the pack below the pink. Well played. He was

unlucky, he was an inch away from hitting the Reds only and not the

pink. When we sure this again he manages to catch the pink first. --

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pink as well. This is a good break He has done very well this morning,

helped by a few misses from Shaun Murphy. If he wins this frame, he

has four of the first five frames. Murphy cannot afford, if he is to

lose possession, worse than about to three. -- 5-3. He is a very

difficult man to beat, hence three Crucible finals over the past few

difficult because you need to play with a bit of power here. If he gets

on a colour, this is all he will need. Yes, it looks like he has got

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finals since 2004, a prolific winner at the Crucible, he is proving why

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he is back in this match. -- free the pocket, he will be a little

disappointed with the cue ball. An excellent pot, just trying to hold

it in for the black. Just ran an extra two inches. These are

unmissable. You try these at home, how many times do you get them out

Murphy, this could go wrong, playing into the bunch. -- the main shot for

normally play it with lots of top spin. Normally, he will go right

through the pack. He could play at either way. You can see the top

spin, that is the normal way he look like it was on from that

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got. 41 and counting, 65 in front, this is game ball. It looks like we

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of the first six frames. He levelled the match at 7-7. The momentum of

this match has swung around. Yesterday it was Shaun Murphy

knocking in centuries and looking very good. This morning, top break

of 65. He is adrift once again, this normal circumstances, you would

think Murphy would win the frame from here, but this morning is not

normal. This will test his into play. You can tell he is not

confident. He had a chance to glance off them. Did not take that

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from this red if he can. He may only more chance, he must have a nice

angle on this black. He's had a Shows you how important break

building is. He may feel the bottom red would pot. You suggested it may

not. He has had two looks at this bottom red now. He has a slight

angle on it. If it pots he can get on it from here.

He has been given a chance, and he hasn't put it to bed. Yes, obviously

tells us how he is feeling. He had a couple of chance, one with a red

earlier, and with that red w the rest, should have really gone on to

the pink into the left centre. Instead went down for the easier,

played the easier shot. Got on the black.

It was a timely 50 break there. 51 and smaun smaun has a chance of

winning a frame. -- Shaun Murphy Shaun Murphy has a chance of winning

the frame. I know it sounds strange, these two frames are more important

for Shaun Murphy and Graeme Dott. At least Graeme Dott has himself back