:00:58. > :01:09.To win it was like a fairy tale. It is one of the greatest achievements
:01:10. > :01:13.I have ever done. I sometimes think it is not how good you are, it is
:01:14. > :01:33.out off you are, how much resiliency you have. -- how tough.
:01:34. > :01:45.Hello again. Ronnie O'Sullivan is one of those players who transcends
:01:46. > :01:52.the sport. A once in a generation talent, making the game looks so
:01:53. > :01:55.easy. He certainly did last year, and now he is back at the world
:01:56. > :02:03.championship going for three in a row. A career total of six that take
:02:04. > :02:12.him level with Hendry, rewritten, Steve Davis. -- Ray Reardon. But
:02:13. > :02:13.there are one or two heavyweight contenders who will also be in the
:02:14. > :03:35.mix. The home of the World Snooker
:03:36. > :03:42.Championships since 1937, the Crucible has become iconic venue.
:03:43. > :03:47.The city of steel as the city of snooker, and the fans know their
:03:48. > :03:54.stuff. The players prepare in here, the
:03:55. > :04:05.dressing rooms. They may gain nervous or past champions of the
:04:06. > :04:11.past, -- nervous or. This auditorium has a spine tingling atmosphere. It
:04:12. > :04:17.is undoubtedly the best venue to ply your trade. At the end of this
:04:18. > :04:28.corridor, 18 different winners have stepped out. Here she is. The
:04:29. > :04:32.majestic trophy. We have both been lucky enough to win it, and again we
:04:33. > :04:39.start a journey to find out the champion. In addition to the trophy,
:04:40. > :04:46.they are playing for the biggest cheque in snooker history. ?300,000.
:04:47. > :04:53.Ronnie O'Sullivan is favourite to cash it. He turned 12 months ago
:04:54. > :04:58.having virtually missed the entire season and still won the tournament,
:04:59. > :05:09.an extraordinary achievement. But this time he is very diligent in his
:05:10. > :05:12.preparation. His opening match is against Robin Hull, has waited 12
:05:13. > :05:24.years to get act of this famous venue. -- to get active. I started
:05:25. > :05:33.putting in three hours a day, consistently. Potentially 17 days
:05:34. > :05:40.playing at the Crucible. I like being here. I have friends here. It
:05:41. > :05:46.is good to get away from home, this is a good place to come, they have
:05:47. > :05:53.good facilities, I have friends, it works well. We Crucible is a special
:05:54. > :05:58.place to play at, but obviously it is nice to win. This is the biggest
:05:59. > :06:07.tournament we play in, a special tournament for all the players.
:06:08. > :06:11.There is always pressure to do well. In most peoples eyes, people like me
:06:12. > :06:24.and John Higgins, we have to expect Titian, having done before. -- we
:06:25. > :06:31.have the expectation. Other people have a good seasons. Neil Robertson
:06:32. > :06:41.has been strong. And nobody has had a better season than Ding Junhui. He
:06:42. > :06:48.is the former man. -- form man. I try not to get sucked into equalling
:06:49. > :06:54.records or breaking them. It is about enjoying life and having a
:06:55. > :07:01.good time while I am here. Records are something, if it happens, it
:07:02. > :07:09.happens. But I am not sure I have the motivation or really want to
:07:10. > :07:15.break that record. I remember, I was not happy
:07:16. > :07:25.afterwards. I was dumped by Graeme Dott. It was a tough game, had to
:07:26. > :07:38.relax. But it is different now, just wonderful to be back. I fell ill.
:07:39. > :07:48.Looking at it, snooker wise, the timing was unlucky. But that is
:07:49. > :07:51.life. That is how it goes. But now I work at the good out of it, lots of
:07:52. > :08:03.things that have changed in my life because of time out of snooker, and
:08:04. > :08:09.I just really enjoy playing now. The tournament who is meant to bring out
:08:10. > :08:20.the most solvent, mentally, play-off. -- solid, mentally,
:08:21. > :08:31.player. Whoever picks up the trophy has been tested to the maximum. It
:08:32. > :08:38.is about focusing on my own game. Playing the next shot. Just a case
:08:39. > :08:44.of keeping your head down until somebody taps you on the shoulder,
:08:45. > :08:51.saying, it is over now. I am just looking forward to it.
:08:52. > :08:59.A difficult journey for Robin Hull, the lowest ranked player in the
:09:00. > :09:05.tournament. If you go right down to the bottom, 122 in the world. The
:09:06. > :09:15.lowest ranked player at the Crucible for 12 years. He is 39 years old,
:09:16. > :09:24.has been in the game for 22 years. Done virtually nothing all season,
:09:25. > :09:35.just one victory. Then four matches on the trot this week, including
:09:36. > :09:43.victory over Peter Tipton. Ebdon. As is tradition, the champion keeps --
:09:44. > :10:06.kicks things off Mike. The atmosphere was electric.
:10:07. > :10:15.Beautifully cute. That was a chance. The defending champion takes the
:10:16. > :10:34.first frame. Played it beautifully. As sensational break of 124 from the
:10:35. > :10:48.rocket. Can you believe that? Ronnie O'Sullivan leads by 3-0. This is a
:10:49. > :11:03.toff think. Well played. Let gravity take over. Well played, Robin Hull.
:11:04. > :11:25.3-1. A century each so far. We rejoined them in frame five.
:11:26. > :12:03.A chance for Robin Hull, and not a bad one.
:12:04. > :12:12.For loose reds, a bit like a practice routine you would set up.
:12:13. > :12:23.This should be food and drink to somebody like rotten. -- Robin. If
:12:24. > :12:37.you slightly loses position, he has the safety of the red in the bowl
:12:38. > :12:59.area. He has slightly and screwed that one.
:13:00. > :13:14.He would prefer to play the red into the far right corner. But it is
:13:15. > :13:23.pretty straight. Managed to force the cue ball out. He wants to come
:13:24. > :13:31.down this end of the table again. This is where you will score a bit
:13:32. > :13:33.more heavily. It is going to be difficult to win the frame at this
:13:34. > :13:47.visit, but half a chance. I am a little bit surprised he did
:13:48. > :13:55.not play on the green. He would have been coming down to the three red.
:13:56. > :14:10.But decided not to, played for Brown instead.
:14:11. > :14:22.That was disappointing. He decided to play for the black. Look at where
:14:23. > :14:30.the cue ball finished, the Blackwood not have been easy. Following an
:14:31. > :14:39.off, you mentioned the green after he potted the yellow. I thought
:14:40. > :14:47.there was a chance then. But sometimes, you just concentrate on
:14:48. > :14:50.potting balls. Maybe it gets a little bit stifled in your mind, you
:14:51. > :15:00.don't look as far ahead as you should do. There have been examples
:15:01. > :15:06.of him being overcautious. He is not playing the shots he would normally
:15:07. > :15:13.play. That is what Ronnie O'Sullivan does to you. You think, what happens
:15:14. > :15:21.if I miss? I understand entirely, I have played him myself. But you just
:15:22. > :15:27.need to keep playing your own game, the right shots for you.
:15:28. > :15:38.It only takes one slip. But he still has a nice lead. You would think
:15:39. > :15:48.Ronnie will not win the frame at this visit. It has not worked out
:15:49. > :15:59.that night. Where that has finished is not too bad.
:16:00. > :16:21.Has he over screwed it? I think he has. The red is not on. Careless. A
:16:22. > :16:23.very strange way to play it. He left it in the Balkan area, cannot
:16:24. > :16:57.snooker himself. -- baulk. OK, the red might just have put him
:16:58. > :17:08.off . Always a chance he could snooker himself.
:17:09. > :17:14.Will this sneak in behind the black? Good effort, not quite, but still a
:17:15. > :17:46.decent safety. 21 point lead. He is in a spot of bother. Two reds
:17:47. > :17:52.are close together behind the yellow. Might just be a drop onto
:17:53. > :18:01.the cushion here. That is excellent, well done. A
:18:02. > :18:29.better shot than I had picked out. Well thought out. Funnily enough,
:18:30. > :18:46.Robin Hull cannot run to a safety off it.
:18:47. > :19:00.He does not want a touching bowl. But it has been called one. You can
:19:01. > :19:10.see the wry smile from Robin. The last thing he wanted. We have all
:19:11. > :19:14.done it. In the end, you do the one thing you don't want to do. The
:19:15. > :19:38.dreaded touching ball. Just wondering, could he play off
:19:39. > :20:00.the pink? He is deciding just to go around the ankles. -- angles.
:20:01. > :20:06.It is not the type of frame that Ronnie is enamoured with. Very
:20:07. > :20:20.scrappy. Highly unlikely, but from Ronnie's
:20:21. > :20:32.point of view, a frame over 30 minutes. Not many of them in his
:20:33. > :20:42.career. Only one thing wrong with long frames, not winning them. When
:20:43. > :20:45.you go to the black something, it really hurts is, all that energy and
:20:46. > :21:14.time for nothing. A good clean pot. But this black, he
:21:15. > :21:24.will need to play with pace. Not too inviting. Just going for the
:21:25. > :21:33.snooker. Could have played it a bit better. Little lapses from Ronnie.
:21:34. > :21:43.To coin a phrase, just seems to have taken his eye off the ball. I wonder
:21:44. > :21:52.if you just wanted to call for the reds with the blue. More interested
:21:53. > :22:12.in lining them up. He seemed to be a little more lax than normally.
:22:13. > :22:26.He did very well to find the gap. Possible rate? -- red? Can he popped
:22:27. > :22:36.one? Robin Hull, still be slight
:22:37. > :23:08.favourite for this frame. Some very good matchplay, another
:23:09. > :23:16.perfect shot. You have just got to be careful here, if you play on the
:23:17. > :23:33.loose red, absent dead weight required.
:23:34. > :23:44.It is the chance. Black and pink out of commission, you need the three
:23:45. > :24:16.remaining reds. No problem with the next one, but
:24:17. > :24:36.that one typed on the cushion, it is a stinker.
:24:37. > :24:56.The fact is, 28 of course, I miss counted. No heroics needed.
:24:57. > :25:04.Mathematics was never my strong point. Well played. Some very good
:25:05. > :25:21.stuff. Ronnie needs one snooker. If you
:25:22. > :26:19.does not get it, it is 3-2. Touch, line, lengths, everything,
:26:20. > :26:25.get out of this! If you lean on one cushion, you have half a chance.
:26:26. > :27:11.There may be a possibility of an escape.
:27:12. > :27:31.Great cue ball. He tried to flick the pink out back into play. It
:27:32. > :27:38.looks like he has got one of them. I think Robin can just get to the edge
:27:39. > :27:42.of it, really, but it is not ideal. If you can get to the left-hand
:27:43. > :27:45.side, he will knock it to the right-hand corner. Careful with
:27:46. > :28:03.this. He has sent towards the corner, he
:28:04. > :28:16.needs something to help him. Nothing has, his only insurance is, how does
:28:17. > :28:21.Ronnie get from pink to black? Many times we have called him a genius,
:28:22. > :28:39.he will need to be to get from pink to black. Very tough indeed.
:28:40. > :28:45.That was a better shot than it looked, believe you me. He has done
:28:46. > :29:13.well. You can play frames where you miss
:29:14. > :29:29.pots, and they do stick in your mind. But to lose the frame when
:29:30. > :29:43.your opponent needed snookers, it can really hurt. What a shot this
:29:44. > :29:59.would be. What a shock this is! What a shot that is! Robin must be
:30:00. > :30:10.admiring that. This for the frame, after needing a snooker. Well
:30:11. > :30:31.played. What a shot! Vintage Ronnie O'Sullivan. It is for- one to the
:30:32. > :30:39.reigning champion. The last time they faced each other, Ronnie won
:30:40. > :30:47.that. Into the next frame. How would he react?
:30:48. > :31:06.He has only just got pasta baulk line. Look at the pot success.
:31:07. > :31:40.Ronnie's is 100%. But this is tough. He cued it beautifully, right into
:31:41. > :31:57.the heart of the pocket. That was a feature of it.
:31:58. > :32:04.In the Masters against Ricky Walden, he had a 97% pot success rate, and
:32:05. > :32:22.Ricky Walden had 100%! Apart from his pot building, his
:32:23. > :32:34.safety play is as good as anyone who has ever played.
:32:35. > :32:52.That nearly went wrong. Just managed to sneak past.
:32:53. > :34:52.It hits its thick, it is no good, but gets a nudge.
:34:53. > :35:08.This is the last of the loose reds suite he is trying to get onto a
:35:09. > :35:22.colour. He needs a steady hand to get that back into position.
:35:23. > :35:28.The red closest to the pink spot may be available into the corner, but
:35:29. > :35:45.you would think Ronnie Wood is looking for an angle here. He
:35:46. > :35:50.decided to do it from the blue, and he has the perfect angle. I do not
:35:51. > :35:55.blame him for that. If he hits the two at the top he hits the two at
:35:56. > :36:24.the Torpy should open up. -- the two at the top, it should open up. A bit
:36:25. > :36:31.like that. He is just asking for it to be cleaned, because there is some
:36:32. > :36:34.chalk on it. You get a little bit of powder when people place crucial is.
:36:35. > :37:07.-- play screw shots. See that, that is the chalk as it
:37:08. > :37:09.lands on the table. It can easily be picked up by one of the balls. That
:37:10. > :37:23.can cause heavy contact. A little bit more angle on the blue
:37:24. > :37:37.than he needed. 52 points in the league. Still 83 remaining.
:37:38. > :37:45.He has come a little bit too far up the table. A choice of two to play
:37:46. > :38:08.on. Not ideal, but I think he can drop
:38:09. > :38:42.it and. He lost the last frame, and this is
:38:43. > :38:55.a bit more like the type of crime that suits him, quickfire. He played
:38:56. > :39:31.a tremendous shot to bring the red into play.
:39:32. > :39:38.We did not see a century, but we saw Ronnie O'Sullivan in full flow, once
:39:39. > :39:49.again. A lovely break and he knows stretches his lead to 5-1.
:39:50. > :39:56.Still, a four frame gap as we pick them up at the top of the ninth
:39:57. > :40:25.frame. It is the last of the session.
:40:26. > :40:30.And think he will be satisfied with that much time. One of the frames
:40:31. > :40:48.nearly took 40 minutes. The target is ten for a place into
:40:49. > :41:01.the second round, then it is the best of 25 rounds.
:41:02. > :41:41.I bet he cannot believe he has done that.
:41:42. > :41:53.Just a simple run-up, and he left that.
:41:54. > :42:02.They think Ronnie cannot get through to the one that he wants to play. He
:42:03. > :42:09.could retain position on the black, but who's to know what would happen?
:42:10. > :42:17.Can he get through? You can get through.
:42:18. > :43:47.He can roll the tenant play in the opposite corner. He would have liked
:43:48. > :43:48.a little bit more angle on the black, but he should be able to move
:43:49. > :44:11.that. These are always tricky shots with
:44:12. > :44:16.the cue extension. It changes the weight of the cue and makes it more
:44:17. > :44:19.difficult to judge. He does not have a great deal to do. He should
:44:20. > :44:51.negotiate it no problem. A choice of rates to play for. --
:44:52. > :44:54.reds. He decided to play the cannon, and it is low-key but they did not
:44:55. > :45:39.open up as much as he would have liked.
:45:40. > :45:47.Will he try to get back onto the black from the plant? He is not on
:45:48. > :46:00.the black. He will have two settle for the blue or pink.
:46:01. > :46:12.I have a feeling we will have a few other opportunities. The main thing
:46:13. > :46:18.is to get the 7-2 lead and consider it a job well done. Robin Hull will
:46:19. > :46:24.be kicking himself over that earlier shot. Very good stuff from him. His
:46:25. > :46:31.matchplay has been good, he made a century break, if I was him I would
:46:32. > :46:39.be having a bit of practice on the practice table on the long game,
:46:40. > :46:46.which has held him back a little. I would not say Ronnie has been
:46:47. > :46:59.perfect because he has been overrunning a few. Any glimmer of a
:47:00. > :47:19.chance, you have got to take against this man. Can we see another century
:47:20. > :47:25.break Western -- century break? Not quite. That is the end of the first
:47:26. > :47:29.session. It is always a bit of a banana skin for the reigning
:47:30. > :47:36.champion, but it does not look like it is for Ronnie O'Sullivan. At the
:47:37. > :47:44.end of those mainframes, it is Ronnie O'Sullivan who leads 7-2.
:47:45. > :47:51.They will come back this evening to complete the match. There was a
:47:52. > :47:55.potentially large turning point in the match, when they came back from
:47:56. > :48:02.the interval. You spotted something that might have had a bearing. Robin
:48:03. > :48:05.Hull potted the last red and left the white ball on the cushion,
:48:06. > :48:15.leaving Ronnie O'Sullivan needing snookers. If he got the brown into
:48:16. > :48:20.the pocket, he was home and dry. So he plays this shot, he is out with
:48:21. > :48:24.the brain, and he has left Ronnie O'Sullivan back at the table. Then
:48:25. > :48:29.Ronnie O'Sullivan plays very good snooker and gets back in the game.
:48:30. > :48:30.Robin Hull should not have played the brown in the middle pocket,
:48:31. > :48:32.Robin Hull should not have played the brown in the middle he should
:48:33. > :48:37.have put another ball safe and played a safety shot because he had
:48:38. > :48:42.the controlling interest. Those tactical things that can also win
:48:43. > :48:49.and lose frames is good break building. You saw the focus and
:48:50. > :48:56.concentration, and a clenched fist at the end, which shows he is really
:48:57. > :49:05.in the mood. Yes, big difference. Actually, I think he will be very
:49:06. > :49:11.pleased with his date was my quirk. What do you do to come back from
:49:12. > :49:20.this? I used to go to sleep. That depends on whether you have got the
:49:21. > :49:24.ability to switch back on. For a couple of hours later, he will chill
:49:25. > :49:31.out, relax, and you do not want to eat too soon, but not wait too long
:49:32. > :49:39.either. It is all about planning your food. So much in the detail!
:49:40. > :49:45.Ronnie is one of 32 men trying to win this world title, so let us just
:49:46. > :49:46.remained you of the draw. We have four champions and four first
:49:47. > :51:06.timers. -- remained you. It is fair to save at Stuart
:51:07. > :51:10.Bingham, at 36, has been a late Bloomer. It took him six years to
:51:11. > :51:14.win a major cable, the Australian open a couple of years back. Since
:51:15. > :51:22.then he has moved up the world rankings. He comes into The Crucible
:51:23. > :51:28.as the world number six. As for his performances in the World
:51:29. > :51:32.Championships, he made quite a stir in 2000, when he put out Stephen
:51:33. > :51:35.Hendry, but since then his best has been a run to the quarterfinals last
:51:36. > :51:59.year. They just remained you of the points in his timeline. Daschle
:52:00. > :52:07.by one the world amateur title in 1996. In the year 2000 they beat
:52:08. > :52:14.Stephen Hendry 10-7 in the World Championships. In 2006 I became the
:52:15. > :52:24.first player to win the Masters qualifier twice. My first ranking
:52:25. > :52:34.title was the 2011 Australian open. I have made three competitive 147s.
:52:35. > :52:43.I have my wife, a son and a stepdaughter. It is great to be
:52:44. > :52:48.back, I am very excited and over the moon. When you come to the end of
:52:49. > :53:00.the season, you want to be part of The Crucible. It is better being
:53:01. > :53:03.here as a player than a pundit. I-mate be the oldest player in the
:53:04. > :53:10.two are meant, but mentally I still feel like a teenager going out and I
:53:11. > :53:14.cannot wait for it to start. I have been lucky I have my name on a
:53:15. > :53:19.trophy, but it was only once, and a lot of players will never get a
:53:20. > :53:31.chance to win that turn and. You have got to play your best. I have
:53:32. > :53:37.got Stuart Bingham to play. He is one of the best players in the
:53:38. > :53:41.world. There is no doubt about that. He can beat anyone and has done in
:53:42. > :53:48.the past. It is going to be a tough game. Is it going to be my last
:53:49. > :53:53.appearance? I certainly hope not. I hope there will be more appearances
:53:54. > :54:01.at The Crucible. I am 44. I am not coming to make up the numbers, I
:54:02. > :54:06.tell you that. The pressure should be on the rest of the guys. I am
:54:07. > :54:09.going to enjoy it. I will play as best as I can. I do not know what
:54:10. > :54:25.will unfold, but let's see how the balls life. The last time they met
:54:26. > :54:32.was in 2002, and was in line to get a huge bonus but missed the pink!
:54:33. > :54:51.He 44, the oldest this year. They have met eight times in total, and
:54:52. > :54:57.have four matches apiece. Stuart Bingham is for-2 in front, and the
:54:58. > :55:12.match is being watched by Terry Griffiths and Willie Thorne.
:55:13. > :56:00.He has done OK, playing into the bottom corner.
:56:01. > :56:07.Mainframes in this morning session, and he knows if he wins this one it
:56:08. > :56:09.will take some sort of lead into the final session, but how big will lead
:56:10. > :57:04.to be? The concentration on positioning the
:57:05. > :57:05.blue, he forgot about the pot. He had to get low-down on the blue to
:57:06. > :57:58.get a nice angle. Have they covered themselves up? I
:57:59. > :57:59.think they have. He was not expecting that case. They are all
:58:00. > :58:33.covered. He has not looked great since
:58:34. > :58:40.leaving the previous frame. That was a very difficult one.
:58:41. > :58:49.He may have decided to go for more, changing the pattern of play. What
:58:50. > :58:51.an excellent shot. But once again, everything seems to be covering the
:58:52. > :59:28.left-hand corner. At half shot leaving this in the
:59:29. > :00:14.middle. We were talking about what size lead
:00:15. > :00:22.Stuart Bingham would have going into the final session. But Ken Doherty
:00:23. > :01:19.has a chance of cloying one back. He has picked up the pace a little
:01:20. > :01:24.bit more around the table. It has been said that Ken hasn't played the
:01:25. > :01:27.game aggressively enough. An excellent player but relies too
:01:28. > :01:54.heavily on his safety and tactical play.
:01:55. > :02:13.A second break over 50 in this match.
:02:14. > :02:49.This black would make the highest break of the match so far for Ken.
:02:50. > :03:07.More importantly, a red and a collar with either frame. -- a colour would
:03:08. > :03:14.be the frame. And that puts the frame beyond any doubt. He can now
:03:15. > :03:51.concentrate on making a crucible century.
:03:52. > :04:05.What a shame. But what a fabulous break by Ken Doherty. Stuart Bingham
:04:06. > :04:14.knows he should have won that frame. But Ken Doherty trailing only 4-3.
:04:15. > :04:27.Having been three down, he is now within one. We rejoin with Stuart
:04:28. > :04:38.Bingham having the work to do, 28 adrift.
:04:39. > :04:44.He may play a snooker here. I don't know if he thinks he can get onto
:04:45. > :05:08.the red. Obviously the couple -- double was
:05:09. > :05:32.on. But you would think you would make sure of the snooker.
:05:33. > :05:42.Would have liked to have been touching behind the pink, it would
:05:43. > :05:54.have made an escape much more difficult.
:05:55. > :06:04.He had to hit higher up the cushion, very strong with backspin
:06:05. > :06:20.to narrow the angle. He played it perfectly. But of course, he did not
:06:21. > :06:25.play for the pot. Amazing. Only 16 points in front but if the black
:06:26. > :06:34.Kozinski has won the frame. -- goes in. I am not saying it was not the
:06:35. > :06:39.right choice, but we have talked about him being not as aggressive as
:06:40. > :07:38.the other players. I wonder if that will cost him.
:07:39. > :07:53.Cannot hold for the green. Ideally he would like to refuse the pot, as
:07:54. > :08:07.the safety is not straightforward. He can play it dead weight, I think.
:08:08. > :08:09.But obviously not. He could have. A bit further out from the back
:08:10. > :08:22.cushion may be. I am not saying you would play that
:08:23. > :08:39.shop on a regular basis, but there was an opportunity.
:08:40. > :09:08.I keep wondering why Ken refused that black having fluked the red.
:09:09. > :09:24.Did he miss that slightly? Not quite sure if you could drop this in dead
:09:25. > :09:30.weight and staying on the Brown. He has. That was excellent.
:09:31. > :09:46.That was one of the worst safety shots Ken has played.
:09:47. > :10:54.Can you believe that? Did not see that being missed. Nor did Stuart.
:10:55. > :11:05.He will be disappointed not to snooker him. I cannot believe that
:11:06. > :11:09.Ken has played three bad safety shots in a row. He does not normally
:11:10. > :11:40.play that many in a season. I thought he would make that one. He
:11:41. > :11:48.is good at those shots. As it turns out, this will need a lot of screw
:11:49. > :11:55.back to play the blue. The problem is that Ken does not have the power
:11:56. > :12:04.that Stuart has got. He has got to make the Brown. Better off here
:12:05. > :12:15.making sure of the Brown and leaving a longer shot on the blue.
:12:16. > :12:32.Running through and that was very tough. It is a toss of a coin who
:12:33. > :12:38.will win this frame. There has been some really good snooker in this
:12:39. > :12:48.match so far, but some poor shots also from both players. As you might
:12:49. > :12:55.expect in the first round. Now, where is the white going? Very good.
:12:56. > :13:06.Could not sleep that letter. -- have played that better. He had a look,
:13:07. > :13:12.had a smile to himself! Ken is not smiling. The cue ball is six inches
:13:13. > :13:42.away from where he wanted it. He will definitely be ahead going
:13:43. > :13:53.into the second session, but by how many? The last frame is very tight,
:13:54. > :14:10.Ken Doherty ahead by just one point .
:14:11. > :14:20.Not sure if he can cut the black in.
:14:21. > :14:34.Looking back, apart from one or two frames, either player could be five
:14:35. > :14:43.frames in front. It is one of those matches. Stuart Bingham has looked
:14:44. > :14:48.the more aggressive. Ken is trying to be ultra-careful. If you are
:14:49. > :14:56.going to progress in this tournament, you need to be able to
:14:57. > :15:04.more aggressive. It is a different game from ten, 15 years ago. But it
:15:05. > :15:13.is difficult to change your style. That is the way he plays, relying on
:15:14. > :15:18.safety and tactics. Amazingly enough, if you can see this, he may
:15:19. > :15:44.be able to what it. -- pot. Is there room? Not quite. Surprised
:15:45. > :15:46.he did not play a thicker safety shot, but the green came to his
:15:47. > :16:44.rescue. Ken, very disappointed. You would
:16:45. > :16:54.expect him to get the cue ball behind the pink.
:16:55. > :17:15.Trying to use the baulk, to snooker behind.
:17:16. > :17:32.He has made a mess of that one. Call it a little bit too thick, came out
:17:33. > :17:44.into the middle off the table. Half a chance.
:17:45. > :17:54.It is a strange place, the Crucible. The tension in this place, it is by
:17:55. > :18:16.far and away the most exciting place to placement can. Placement, -- play
:18:17. > :18:53.snooker. This will be tough to get safe. Very good.
:18:54. > :19:18.He is on the baulk colours. The pressure is on.
:19:19. > :19:33.Left himself a rest shot, but his rest success is 90%. 18 out of 20
:19:34. > :19:44.before this, he never looked like missing. Massive. One frame behind
:19:45. > :19:51.or three? He will be absolutely delighted, Ken Doherty, to just be
:19:52. > :20:01.at one going into the second session tomorrow. He was 3-0 behind, of
:20:02. > :20:15.course, Stuart Bingham will be disappointed he did not push on.
:20:16. > :20:22.Some cheering from the crowd, some Irish people supporting, and why
:20:23. > :20:29.not? She has worked hard to get back into it. -- he.
:20:30. > :20:42.Back into the game, beautifully. He has grafted superbly. Originally
:20:43. > :20:51.struggling to get confidence, second session he looked a lot more fluid.
:20:52. > :21:01.He can be delighted, from three - zero behind, a marvellous recovery.
:21:02. > :21:08.Perhaps it is difficult to get a grip early in a match. Why? It can
:21:09. > :21:16.be the way that you don't get off to a flying start. Perhaps being the
:21:17. > :21:19.oldest player in the tournament has been a factor, or maybe it was just
:21:20. > :21:27.the way that particular session went. But he can to things around
:21:28. > :21:33.and graft back in. Some players cannot do that. What he lacks in cue
:21:34. > :21:43.power, he makes up for in tactical nuance. Even though he is 28 in the
:21:44. > :21:58.world now, when Stuart's name came out in the hat, I am sure Ken had a
:21:59. > :22:04.little groom. -- goran. He is not just a journeyman. Both of them
:22:05. > :22:13.would have thought, there are enough, I will settle for that is a
:22:14. > :22:22.draw. Nearly time for the second session to start, 2:30pm. It will
:22:23. > :22:30.feature Shaun Murphy. We'll last saw him beaten handsomely by Mark Selby
:22:31. > :22:37.at the Masters. He said, maybe my time winning titles has passed. A
:22:38. > :22:49.real crisis of confidence. But since then he has gone and one two
:22:50. > :23:10.tournaments, -- won, and confidence is surging again.
:23:11. > :23:21.I have seen films with worst scripts. It was a massive moment in
:23:22. > :23:27.my life. I look back on it with exceptional fondness obviously. As
:23:28. > :23:38.far as snooker goes, the highlight of my career. Do you ask yourself,
:23:39. > :23:47.how did I do it? Constantly, because I have not done it since. I tried to
:23:48. > :23:55.work out what I did, in what order, and what intensity, I did. So what
:23:56. > :24:05.is the key component, the elusive ingredient? Technically, my game was
:24:06. > :24:13.better than it has ever been. If I'm completely honest, my work ethic, my
:24:14. > :24:20.practice ethic was a lot higher when I was 22. I had not achieved
:24:21. > :24:27.anything, I was still striving for it. If I have been guilty of
:24:28. > :24:39.anything the past few seasons, it has not been working to the same
:24:40. > :24:45.amount. Was it too much too soon? You see all these self-help books,
:24:46. > :24:57.how to cope with defeat. But not many on how to cope with success. I
:24:58. > :25:02.was 22, incomplete security, suddenly people know who you are.
:25:03. > :25:12.You are the petrol station, somebody once an autograph. -- wants. I still
:25:13. > :25:21.find it strange when they ask, I am just somebody who plays snooker for
:25:22. > :25:27.a living. Is it enough there? Definitely not. It is a frustration
:25:28. > :25:40.that I do not feel I have won enough ranking events. I have not worked
:25:41. > :25:47.hard enough. Last year my manager and Best mate called me a part-time
:25:48. > :25:53.snooker player. That hurt. But what hurt the most was, I could not
:25:54. > :26:00.argue. I thought, he is right, actually. I am fortunate enough to
:26:01. > :26:05.be surrounded by people who are friendly enough and care enough to
:26:06. > :26:15.say that. Things that are not easy to hear. At 31 years of age, I
:26:16. > :26:22.wonder, do you think, how many more seasons do I have? Without sounding
:26:23. > :26:31.big headed, I don't think I have reached my peak. You can go on now
:26:32. > :26:41.into your mid or late 30s. Look at Ronnie O'Sullivan. Champion at 38.
:26:42. > :26:47.Maybe the best is still to come? I think he is a better player than he
:26:48. > :27:00.was 15 years ago. If he can do it, why can't I? What do still want to
:27:01. > :27:07.achieve? To be more than a one-time champion. There is a special place
:27:08. > :27:17.reserved for people who have one repeatedly. The burning desire is to
:27:18. > :27:26.lift the trophy again. The 2005 champion, out very shortly. He plays
:27:27. > :27:32.the world number 53, a real triumph for Jamie to be here. He was
:27:33. > :27:40.suffering from a debilitating condition that caused him shakes on
:27:41. > :27:49.the shot. A real bonus to see him back. We will take the walk
:27:50. > :28:01.backstage in a matter of moments. John, is it a stomach churning as
:28:02. > :28:06.usual? I have sweaty palms! There is something very special about this
:28:07. > :28:09.place. There is nothing like the walk through that door, knowing you
:28:10. > :28:16.are going into that great auditorium. I came here first as a
:28:17. > :28:26.13-year-old boy to watch, it has never left me. Should be a cracker
:28:27. > :28:32.this afternoon. But first, we swap channels, heading to BBC One for
:28:33. > :28:35.continued coverage. We will see you in about 60 seconds. Good wife. --
:28:36. > :29:09.goodbye. In 1750, two visionaries
:29:10. > :29:12.were brought together This was a benefit concert
:29:13. > :29:19.on a massive scale.