Day 11, Part 2

:00:42. > :00:47.Magnificent. The Rocket was superb. You can see what it meant to him. He

:00:48. > :01:25.is in the quarter-finals. What a finish.

:01:26. > :01:33.Dominic Dale was too strong in the end. Tts likeable Welshman that goes

:01:34. > :01:41.through to the quarter-finals. -- it is the likeable Welshman.

:01:42. > :01:42.Mark Selby proving once again, he is one of the toughest men to beat in

:01:43. > :01:56.the game. Alan McManus is through to the

:01:57. > :02:06.quarter-finals. He will be absolutely delighted.

:02:07. > :02:13.He's proven necessary form. What a match-up next round. -- he's proven

:02:14. > :02:26.he's in form. Oh! He's played absolutely flawless

:02:27. > :02:28.snooker. Neil Robertson takes the match and goes into the

:02:29. > :02:40.quarter-final. Good afternoon on this 11th day of

:02:41. > :02:43.the Dafabet World Championship here in Sheffield. We will hit you with

:02:44. > :02:47.some numbers from the start. 32 players started out here. A week

:02:48. > :02:50.past on Saturday. Eight remain. We have reached the quarter-final

:02:51. > :02:57.stages but now the hard work really starts. You know, they have played a

:02:58. > :03:01.maximum of 44 frames to get here. A possible 93 still lie ahead before

:03:02. > :03:06.our champion is crowned on Monday night. So, a very, very long way to

:03:07. > :03:13.go, but all of those numbers add up to rather tasty matches in the

:03:14. > :03:19.offing, do they not, John and Steven? They certainly do. Can

:03:20. > :03:23.Murphy win this match I think O'Sullivan looks like he is getting

:03:24. > :03:28.better and better. What does Murphy have to do, concentration better A

:03:29. > :03:32.good start and score heavily. Seoul bane McManus. This has granite

:03:33. > :03:37.written all over it. It is going to be a tactical battle. You would

:03:38. > :03:41.expect Selby to come through Barry Hawkins reached the final against

:03:42. > :03:46.Dominic Dale. Dominic has had a decent passage so far. Tougher

:03:47. > :03:54.against Hawkins. Yes. I think so. The best much for me in the

:03:55. > :04:00.quarter-finals, Trump v Robertson. Absolutely. . If we go through to

:04:01. > :04:04.the analysis. There are a century of a sevenries in a season. We saw this

:04:05. > :04:08.yesterday. He finished in the black. He looks like he is going to do it.

:04:09. > :04:13.If you play it on you will see what happens. He is trying to birdie it

:04:14. > :04:18.and make sure about it and he put more pressure on T He would have

:04:19. > :04:24.liked to have done it yesterday. The earlier 9 better in this match. Yes,

:04:25. > :04:28.he wants to concentrate on it. It has almost become like a maximum for

:04:29. > :04:32.him. I think Robertson is confident. He said with the best of 25 to play

:04:33. > :04:37.it is almost inevitable that he will get this century of centuries. So we

:04:38. > :04:41.are on tonne watch this afternoon. Robertson is a man who knows his

:04:42. > :04:49.sporting history. He is well-read on all this and he is well away that

:04:50. > :04:53.Sir Don Bradman a famous legendary Australian cricketer got stuck on 99

:04:54. > :04:56.runs for his career-batting average and doesn't want to suffer the same

:04:57. > :05:02.fate this season. He has been flying this season and superdad is aiming

:05:03. > :05:09.to become a snooker superhero today. His first priority is dealing with

:05:10. > :05:13.the mercurial Judd Trump. He leads their head-to-head series and has

:05:14. > :05:18.put paid to Robertson's Crucible hopes before. And Ronnie O'Sullivan

:05:19. > :05:24.shares the billing coming through his toughest match for three years

:05:25. > :05:30.to get to the quarters and takes on Manchester Magician Shaun Murphy. A

:05:31. > :05:35.svelte figure he cuts, too, after a season. We'll catch up in the

:05:36. > :05:39.opening session this is from morning.

:05:40. > :05:45.Last year's finalists, Barry Hawkins meets the capable Dominic Dale in

:05:46. > :05:52.their first meeting for eight years. Plus the trick shot express will

:05:53. > :05:58.leave some of the tension. And Richard Osmond pops another big

:05:59. > :06:01.question to the on-air teams and you in Potless once again and stumps us

:06:02. > :06:05.in the process. In fact, I have got another starter

:06:06. > :06:09.for ten quiz question for you and for everyone here in the Winter

:06:10. > :06:16.Gardens: Who was the oldest player to make the quarter-finals at the

:06:17. > :06:23.Crucible? Guesses? Fred Davis. Nice one. 1979 he was 65. Age is no

:06:24. > :06:28.hindrance. Very well-played. You will get a price later. Steve Davis

:06:29. > :06:34.was 52 when he made it here four years ago and what about Alan

:06:35. > :06:37.McManus. 43-year-old lone Scot left and he is the eighth oldest player

:06:38. > :06:42.ever to get to the last eight at the Crucible. He is enjoying a real

:06:43. > :06:51.renaissance in his career as the former Masters champion. What is the

:06:52. > :06:55.secret? Postit notes. Is it is something I have been doing for

:06:56. > :06:59.quite a while now. I write little things, reminders, put it in my cue

:07:00. > :07:04.case and use it in practice and in matches at times. Reminders that in

:07:05. > :07:08.the heat of battle out there, to take a step back and calm yourself

:07:09. > :07:11.down inside and say - OK, basic stuff, you have to your mind

:07:12. > :07:13.yourselves sometimes to do the basic things right. It is really just

:07:14. > :07:17.that. Obviously it is a special occasion.

:07:18. > :07:21.Quarter-finals here and it is the match to get through to the one

:07:22. > :07:27.table situation. I'm not going to go out there and be panicky. That's in

:07:28. > :07:32.the my style anyway. I think I'm pretty good at staying calm. Mark

:07:33. > :07:37.Selby is not the kind of guy that really - he has a great temperament

:07:38. > :07:42.and attitude. He is not going to go in thinking - I should win this

:07:43. > :07:46.match. He is a level-headed guy and a level-headed player. He will go

:07:47. > :07:51.and play snooker. I'm going to have to score heavier that's for sure. As

:07:52. > :07:55.the tournament has progressed, the top players are scoring heavy. I

:07:56. > :07:59.want to play the best guys. If he plays like he can, it will be really

:08:00. > :08:08.tough but I have to make his job hard as W I'm sure I'm going to do:

:08:09. > :08:18.-- I've got to make his job hard as well. The balls don't note rankings.

:08:19. > :08:23.This is Alan McMahon us a' -- Alan McManus's first quarter-final since

:08:24. > :08:27.2005 when Mark Selby was making his debut. A couple of years after, he

:08:28. > :08:35.made a deep surging run to the final where he gave John a run for his

:08:36. > :08:40.money, runner-up in 2007. Thereafter reasonable gross. Quarter-final in

:08:41. > :08:46.2009 and semis in 2010. In the last couple of years, patchy

:08:47. > :08:50.form. Early exists. This is his best performance for a good, long time.

:08:51. > :08:55.Has his fifth Crucible quarter final and this match as we join it, tight

:08:56. > :09:01.and tactical. They have just had a 44-minute frame. We pick them up in

:09:02. > :09:04.the fourth. McManus has won that. It is 2-1 now. And we join Ken Doherty

:09:05. > :09:34.and Denis Taylor. Ken Doherty: He would have loved

:09:35. > :09:39.that to have nestled slightly on the reds.

:09:40. > :09:55.He has left a red into this bottom right-hand corner pocket. DENIS

:09:56. > :10:01.TAYLOR: He is make making sure this time. Earlier frame he got down to

:10:02. > :10:06.pot a black and hit a red. I tell you what, Ken, if he could get to

:10:07. > :10:14.the mid--session interval, 2-2, what a result that will be. It could

:10:15. > :10:18.quite easily have been 3-0. Yes. He will certainly be feeling the better

:10:19. > :10:27.of the two players, there is no doubt about that. On quite a number

:10:28. > :10:35.of occasions during that last frame, he never looked like winning it.

:10:36. > :10:40.This would certainly do his confidence the world of good if he

:10:41. > :10:46.can somehow win the frame from this visit.

:10:47. > :10:52.We showed you earlier he was unlucky in the second frame when he got a

:10:53. > :11:02.kick and went in-off. That would have given him a frame. He has a

:11:03. > :11:18.pretty good temperament has Alan. Always has.

:11:19. > :11:23.He played that very well. He judged it, the cannon into the two reds

:11:24. > :11:32.there perfectly. He doesn't have to do much with the

:11:33. > :12:10.cue ball just keep on under control. Perfect on the black. He has a

:12:11. > :12:20.choice. He could play a cannon on to the triangle of reds or hold to the

:12:21. > :12:21.one right of the black. He doesn't necessarily have to do that but it

:12:22. > :12:29.is a natural to play that cannon. Well, they are all there for the

:12:30. > :12:57.taking now. Both these players, when they get

:12:58. > :13:03.the chance they are pretty fluid in and around the table. When the balls

:13:04. > :13:06.are like this. They have had two long frames, tactical players but if

:13:07. > :14:17.they get the chance, they won't hang about.

:14:18. > :14:20.Just a couple more pots to make absolutely sure of this fourth

:14:21. > :14:33.frame. He takes the pink. He'll need one

:14:34. > :14:49.more red. Overall he will be feeling pretty

:14:50. > :14:55.good. I think he will enjoy his mid-session interval. I think both

:14:56. > :15:01.boys will be ready for a little rest after those two long frames, Ken.

:15:02. > :15:11.Yes. A couple of long frames but, as you said, once they get going and

:15:12. > :15:15.get into the balls, they can - they can win frames in one visit. He had

:15:16. > :15:22.a one against you in three frames where I think he made a century, a

:15:23. > :15:27.70 and a 60. Yes, thanks for reminding me, Denis. You know I

:15:28. > :15:32.watch every ball you pot, Ken. This is much better from Alan. He has

:15:33. > :15:35.been - as you said - having a good season. A lot more confident and

:15:36. > :15:55.certainly a lot more consistent. And when his game is fully in tact,

:15:56. > :16:03.he is such a tough match player. He makes it hard for anybody he plays.

:16:04. > :16:09.He missed that though. Or has he? Yes, he has. He won't be bothered

:16:10. > :16:13.about missing the red. His priority, of course, is winning the frame. We

:16:14. > :16:23.are back to where we started, all-square. Alan McManus and Mark

:16:24. > :16:29.Selby. 2-2. Another 44-and-a-half minute frame followed thereafter and

:16:30. > :16:34.it was won by McManus. The lowest-rapged player left here is

:16:35. > :17:15.performing strongly. Into the next. -- the lowest-ranked player.

:17:16. > :17:19.A good opener from Alan McManus. He is quite proficient at that type of

:17:20. > :17:28.shot. The red next to the black does pot

:17:29. > :17:34.into the left-hand corner pocket. He has played that absolutely

:17:35. > :17:41.perfectly. He is on a choice of two reds here. The red at the bottom of

:17:42. > :17:43.the pack. He'd love to get this red away from the black but he may not

:17:44. > :18:00.do on this occasion. Just a little bit too much

:18:01. > :18:06.screw-back. He has gone a little bit closer to the cushion than he would

:18:07. > :18:23.have liked. He can't hole to that red above the black.

:18:24. > :18:46.He will be disappointed. It was a good opportunity.

:18:47. > :19:00.Mark Selby's highest break has only been 46. Alan McManus's was 74.

:19:01. > :19:10.There is the average frame time: It is quite pedestrian at the moment

:19:11. > :19:26.at just over 30 minutes. That was a decent shot. The average

:19:27. > :19:35.shot time from both players similar. 26 seconds from Alan McManus. 25 for

:19:36. > :19:46.Mark Selby. And the pot success rate is 86% from Mark Selby. 83% for Alan

:19:47. > :19:48.McManus. That's quite surprising. That's quite surprising considering

:19:49. > :20:37.Mark Selby is behind. I think he is OK. He has one to the

:20:38. > :20:41.left middle pocket. I just show you this split again. He play that is so

:20:42. > :20:45.well. The white stops but it keeps on spinning because of the action he

:20:46. > :20:50.gets on it. The one into the middle pocket, I'm not sure who has an easy

:20:51. > :20:53.screw-back to get back on the black or whether he is going to make

:20:54. > :21:01.contact with the red that's closest to the cue ball. It's obviously not

:21:02. > :21:05.straightforward. It looks as if he is going to have to cannon the red

:21:06. > :21:10.and bring the white back after the cannon.

:21:11. > :21:15.He has played that so well. That looked so easy. That was because he

:21:16. > :21:27.made it look so easy. I'll just show you this shot again.

:21:28. > :21:31.You see, he gets so much action on the ball. The white stops and then

:21:32. > :21:37.it comes back with the red It was nice to look at that shot. That's

:21:38. > :21:44.where the height comes in very useful indeed. He could do with

:21:45. > :21:49.winning this with one visit. He has lost the two over 40-minute frames.

:21:50. > :21:54.He needs for something to start happening, Ken. Yes, as I said at

:21:55. > :21:58.the beginning of this break, it is imperative that he starts to score a

:21:59. > :22:13.little bit more. It has been a very patchy last few frames.

:22:14. > :22:21.There is no doubt that frame - we keep talking about it, when the cue

:22:22. > :22:24.ball veered off line with the pink and black remaining, it certainly

:22:25. > :22:28.upset him a little bit but there is nothing like getting a nice big

:22:29. > :22:34.break just to get your focus back, your confidence back up. Because it

:22:35. > :22:49.has been quite tough the last few frames.

:22:50. > :22:57.A possible eight frames to play in this version session of a best of

:22:58. > :23:03.25-frame match. Both players, of course, coming into this

:23:04. > :23:06.quarter-final looking at the first eight frames. If either of them had

:23:07. > :23:12.a lead they would be very, very happy.

:23:13. > :23:24.That was a nice little cannon to open things up.

:23:25. > :23:29.His highest break coming at the right time and more available. He'll

:23:30. > :24:11.clinch this frame in style here with one visit.

:24:12. > :24:20.A nice opportunity now to make a century break for Mark Selby. Do you

:24:21. > :24:28.know how many centuries he has made, Ken? I would like you to say this,

:24:29. > :24:41.because it is 333. 333, it is quite a lot. Three 3s, it is like a little

:24:42. > :24:44.forest, isn't it. He made 36 last season and 44 this season. Quite an

:24:45. > :25:11.impressive return. It is amazing he hasn't made a

:25:12. > :25:14.century so far in this year's World Championship. He has made 44 this

:25:15. > :25:30.season. A nice shot. A nice kiss on the

:25:31. > :25:45.green. How thin did he have to cut that red

:25:46. > :25:55.to -- did he have to hit that red to cut it in? Great shot.

:25:56. > :26:18.Much better from Mark Selby. He is going to need the blue.

:26:19. > :26:28.35 centuries so far. He enjoyed that. Good job he didn't drop that.

:26:29. > :26:32.I think it was 55 centuries last year if I'm correct.

:26:33. > :26:44.Still way short of the record, I think. The record at the Crucible

:26:45. > :26:53.has been over 80. A wonderful break from Mark Selby. It'll certainly

:26:54. > :27:01.make him feel a bit better. This has been much better stuff.

:27:02. > :27:08.Oh. And the black flies off the table and hits the cameraman. Nearly

:27:09. > :27:11.knocks him out but he won't be worried, Mark Seoul bi. He has won

:27:12. > :27:17.the frame and levelled things once again. It is 3-3. He found his

:27:18. > :27:21.stride this morning. 3-3. We will join them live now, in the

:27:22. > :27:28.penultimate frame of their session. Ken and Denis how is this sitting?

:27:29. > :27:35.Tactical play as you join us, Hazel. And a terrific pot from Alan

:27:36. > :27:45.McManus. Couldn't have joined us at a better time. Good cueing and

:27:46. > :27:51.nicely on to the black A lovely angle as well. You can screw the

:27:52. > :27:56.black in. Cue ball into the reds bringing the black into play. He

:27:57. > :27:59.didn't use very much pace there. He could have hit that an awful lot

:28:00. > :28:05.harder and brought a couple of those reds there. But he'll get another

:28:06. > :28:11.opportunity here. Just drop the red in, make sure you finish low on the

:28:12. > :28:16.black. You would feel, Denis, one good split and he is just a bit

:28:17. > :28:20.uncomfortable, isn't he? So many balls to bridge over here. It is

:28:21. > :28:25.very little to do with the cue ball. That's the only good side from this

:28:26. > :28:30.shot but look how many reds he has it bridge over there.

:28:31. > :28:37.He just had to Dolly it into the pocket but it is fairly straight on

:28:38. > :28:39.the black here. But there is a red at the right of the bounce that is

:28:40. > :28:55.available. He has a slight angle that I MEPsed.

:28:56. > :29:01.He played for that red I mentioned. -- that I mentioned. If he could get

:29:02. > :29:06.a good angle on to the blue, it would be better to go into the reds

:29:07. > :29:10.from that. He can screw back from the black here. That's the choice.

:29:11. > :29:13.He must be low on the black. He doesn't want to be straight.

:29:14. > :29:16.Anything but straight. I think he is OK. Now one good split. Force

:29:17. > :29:29.forcing He doesn't want to hit the first

:29:30. > :29:37.red. He is going to need a bit of power and pace here.

:29:38. > :29:42.That was the problem. Yes, that was why it was so difficult from the

:29:43. > :29:48.black. But he hasn't got the angle on the red to go up for the blue, to

:29:49. > :29:52.go into that bunch from the blue would have been easy than from the

:29:53. > :29:55.black but the angle wasn't there. A couple of shots ago when he had a

:29:56. > :29:59.lovely angle on the black he was still holding or the red into the

:30:00. > :30:01.corner pocket and he could have used as much pace as possible because he

:30:02. > :30:18.had that insurance policy. Let's have a look at that shot

:30:19. > :30:22.again. Everything is in the open. He still has the other red into the

:30:23. > :30:31.corner pocket. It would have made life easier for himself. But it is a

:30:32. > :30:39.great performance year from Alan McManus. To lose the two opening

:30:40. > :30:48.frames, especially in the wiki of -- in the way he lost the second, but

:30:49. > :30:55.to lose two frames in a row and come back and win three, it is a good

:30:56. > :31:03.performance. Mark Selby is the strong favourite for this match, but

:31:04. > :31:13.Alan is holding his own. And had blocking a little bit -- rocking a

:31:14. > :31:17.little bit in the fifth frame. Until Mark Selby made that wonderful 110

:31:18. > :31:33.break. He certainly enjoyed this safety

:31:34. > :31:42.exchanges. He has been causing Mark sells -- Mark Selby all sorts of

:31:43. > :31:45.problems. He won both those frames that lasted just over 42 minutes. We

:31:46. > :32:05.have an awkward situation here. Mark might be able to get that red

:32:06. > :32:30.away from the brown and get the frame back to normal again.

:32:31. > :32:39.He is going to be unlucky here. That is a brilliant shot. We know the

:32:40. > :32:44.reds where covering each other and Mark took the risk. It's still not

:32:45. > :32:55.easy for him, but what are great shot that was. This will be sons

:32:56. > :33:06.shot -- some shot if he disturbs the reds here. He has done a pretty good

:33:07. > :33:16.job. The red pots into the left-centre, it's not easy.

:33:17. > :33:35.I don't know if there is a little gap to pot and go onto the black. It

:33:36. > :33:44.wasn't a straightforward port -- pot there. Jihad to swing round the

:33:45. > :33:49.other side of the black. A bit of a free shot for Alan here. There is a

:33:50. > :34:03.red he can take on and the black is waiting.

:34:04. > :34:16.It is amazing. We have got to red is back up the table again. This would

:34:17. > :34:46.have been a delightful 1-2 knock in.

:34:47. > :35:06.He is normally pretty good at that shot. He has been quite fortunate,

:35:07. > :35:09.Alan McManus, it could have been easier. You would have expected him

:35:10. > :35:25.to have potted that red. If he can Potless, it will be a

:35:26. > :35:37.great opportunity. He is like most of the top players

:35:38. > :35:42.in the game. They see that half chance and they go straight for it.

:35:43. > :35:45.He is behind in the frame, but he will not be behind when he is

:35:46. > :35:50.finished, looking at the way these reds are sitting. If they see a half

:35:51. > :36:20.chance, they jump at it. The only difficult red is the one

:36:21. > :36:34.that is close to the yellow. And he is going to need that red if

:36:35. > :36:49.he is going to go on and win the frame from this visit.

:36:50. > :37:01.That is not the best shot he has ever played. Yes, I was waiting to

:37:02. > :37:06.see it take effect. But it didn't. He has to take a difficult one up

:37:07. > :37:14.into the left corner. He might be able to screw back for the black. I

:37:15. > :37:23.know that he wants to take it on. He is looking at the potting angle .

:37:24. > :37:25.Look at where he is striking the cue ball, right down at the bottom. Good

:37:26. > :37:37.shot. He got a big bounce of the cushion

:37:38. > :37:48.there, I thought he had everything perfect. But look where the white

:37:49. > :37:50.finished. Might just be worth landing on the black and leaving it

:37:51. > :38:21.awkward for Alan. It may well be the last frame of

:38:22. > :38:50.this session. He has left anything. I just heard

:38:51. > :38:57.they will be taking them off after this frame. One player is going to

:38:58. > :39:02.have a lead going into this evening's session. We will be back

:39:03. > :39:07.this evening for a second session of this. The second session is on

:39:08. > :39:30.tonight, at 7pm. Just playing the same shot, trying

:39:31. > :39:47.to nestle onto this red. It looks a better place. -- a better pace.

:39:48. > :39:57.He looked at the red between the blue and black, what it's not a

:39:58. > :40:02.natural, to get over behind the black, he would be sending the red

:40:03. > :40:04.more or less in line with the blue so the shot is not available to

:40:05. > :40:22.them. This is clever. Almost. All miss

:40:23. > :40:41.nestled onto the yellow. Alan has to be careful here.

:40:42. > :40:50.If he gets to the side of the yellow, the brown will block the two

:40:51. > :40:57.reds down the end of the table. That was an excellent shot. It looks as

:40:58. > :41:04.if he is going to have to come up the table and back down for that red

:41:05. > :41:14.that is over the pocket. He made what -- he may pot it. This is the

:41:15. > :41:22.shot that Alan is faced with. That is what he will be looking for. If

:41:23. > :41:26.it is hard enough, he will potted. He tried to get into the left side,

:41:27. > :41:40.to keep it safe. Good opportunity. What happened

:41:41. > :41:50.there? It looks as if the cue ball jumped a little bit. Nope backspin

:41:51. > :41:58.on that cue ball whatsoever. Think he had to get the cue out of the way

:41:59. > :42:09.again. He hasn't missed many like that. It is just the importance. The

:42:10. > :42:15.boys don't know this is their last frame.

:42:16. > :42:39.I'm just wondering... He is not going to attempt it.

:42:40. > :42:46.Knock the yellow into a portable position. He hasn't played that very

:42:47. > :42:54.well. You might have an edge, Mark Selby.

:42:55. > :43:09.He could have had Mark in all sorts of trouble there. But that gives

:43:10. > :43:35.Alan a chance to sneak this red in. If you are going to miss it, you

:43:36. > :43:41.miss it then. There is always a chance of the snooker as well.

:43:42. > :43:51.You could hear a pin drop in the Crucible. No play at the other

:43:52. > :44:00.table. The whole atmosphere suddenly changes completely. Particularly

:44:01. > :44:01.when they lifted the screen as well and you have this wonderful theatre

:44:02. > :44:40.all to yourself. He could just play... He has got to

:44:41. > :44:49.be confident in this shot. Come off the side cushion, knock the red onto

:44:50. > :44:56.the top cushion. But you have to be confident of that shot.

:44:57. > :45:09.Well, that is a typical Angles McManus shot. He is so good at the

:45:10. > :45:20.Angles. This looks a good line to me. What

:45:21. > :45:49.an effort. We have got Angles versus Sat Nav

:45:50. > :45:58.Selby! An excellent attempt to get behind the yellow.

:45:59. > :46:05.Got to be careful with this one. If he swerves into much, he could not

:46:06. > :46:29.one of the reds over the corner pocket.

:46:30. > :46:37.You can always tell from the facial expressions of the players. Yes,

:46:38. > :46:44.some players more than others. You can tell by their body language and

:46:45. > :46:46.facial expression. Roll the red over the corner pocket, nestle the cue

:46:47. > :47:21.ball tied up beside the green. He may be able to red this round the

:47:22. > :47:26.green and flick this red in. It's away from the pocket enough. Alan

:47:27. > :47:31.McManus hits the cushion first with a little bit of swerve, there is a

:47:32. > :47:35.possibility he could flick it in, even though it's not back close to

:47:36. > :47:42.the pocket. If it was nearer to the pocket, it would be a lot easier.

:47:43. > :47:45.It's too far away to cut in. He has overcut it! Look where their white

:47:46. > :48:22.is going to finish here. How does he get up to this difficult

:48:23. > :48:32.red? A needed an angle on it. This would be some shot. I don't think he

:48:33. > :48:51.can do it. He is looking at dropping off the green behind the yellow.

:48:52. > :49:00.It's straight forward down the right-hand side of the table as we

:49:01. > :49:05.look. Has he covered this enough? He is just so good at getting out of

:49:06. > :49:08.snooker 's, Alan McManus, you just expect him to hit the spread. It is

:49:09. > :49:20.a matter of whether he can get it safe enough. Has he got it safe?

:49:21. > :49:32.It's turning out to be quite a tense final frame of the session. The

:49:33. > :49:44.players know will now -- now will know.

:49:45. > :49:58.Another flick on the bone. He holds his hand up, that will help.

:49:59. > :50:07.We saw a shot earlier in the match when Alan McManus only had the

:50:08. > :50:15.slightest edge on the red. A similar shot. The cue ball is closer to the

:50:16. > :50:25.red this time. That is amazing. A very similar shot a few frames ago,

:50:26. > :50:32.you could just see the paint of the red. On this occasion, he misses it

:50:33. > :50:38.completely. Previously, he hit the green on this quarter ball. The only

:50:39. > :50:47.problem with putting this back, Alan is trying to flick this and getting

:50:48. > :50:58.behind the black. That looks to be near enough. But he will have to

:50:59. > :51:03.make absolutely sure. She is asking one of the other referees to have a

:51:04. > :51:11.look. The white is just below the white line. I bet she is pretty

:51:12. > :51:20.close there. Let's have a look where it was before. Yes, she has got it

:51:21. > :51:21.spot on. If he flicks this, there is a chance of getting behind the

:51:22. > :51:40.black. He has played it well this time.

:51:41. > :51:44.That's nice to see, both boys having a joke with each other. There has

:51:45. > :52:06.been a lot of tension, very long frames.

:52:07. > :52:19.This frame has been going over 35-minutes.

:52:20. > :52:51.This is a half chance for Mark Selby.

:52:52. > :52:57.That was pretty close. Look at the cue ball. Had he parted the red, he

:52:58. > :53:02.would have been on the black. At least he has got it safe. He is

:53:03. > :53:06.usually so good at that type of shot. But when you have had a

:53:07. > :53:11.tactical battle, you just lose that rhythm. That is not the best from

:53:12. > :54:11.Alan. Again, it is not straightforward.

:54:12. > :54:18.This is a tough pot. He could possibly play it into the pocket

:54:19. > :54:47.where the yellow is. Then hold for the yellow.

:54:48. > :55:32.He will be disappointed to lose this frame, Alan McManus. He should be

:55:33. > :55:37.happy the way he has been playing. Yes, I think if you had to give him

:55:38. > :55:41.4-3 against the former world number one, he would've taken it.

:55:42. > :55:47.Especially after he lost the two opening frames. I think he now knows

:55:48. > :56:02.that they are not going to be playing the last frame.

:56:03. > :56:19.Mark Selby takes that frame. Yes, that was hard-fought.

:56:20. > :56:28.It is snooker, but not as I know it. But still very watchable? Yes, a

:56:29. > :56:32.couple of long, very drawn out frames. Some of the episodes on the

:56:33. > :56:40.colours have been... Well, hard work to say the least. Tactical. That is

:56:41. > :56:45.one way of putting it. Then you have two players who are so proficient in

:56:46. > :56:51.that department, they cancel each other out to an extent. That is what

:56:52. > :56:56.has happened today. Dennis Taylor and Ken Doherty definitely deserve a

:56:57. > :57:03.cup of tea. At the side of that match, we were hearing, Alan

:57:04. > :57:10.McManus. He was using notes to keep and self-confident. Is that

:57:11. > :57:19.something you use? Yes, I keep some in my bag. I think it is something a

:57:20. > :57:24.lot of people use. He has been a real inspiration. The only Scot

:57:25. > :57:29.here, flying the flag? Yes, I was asking him what he was doing to get

:57:30. > :57:33.his game back because he had disappeared for two or three years.

:57:34. > :57:39.I asked what he had done to get his form back. Were you picking his

:57:40. > :57:45.brains? Where there is always something in it for you. He was

:57:46. > :57:49.telling as he has dedicated himself to his practice again, and all his

:57:50. > :57:58.routines. He has really disciplined himself and it is paying off. And it

:57:59. > :58:01.might even pay off for you? We are going to check in on the other match

:58:02. > :58:08.that began this morning. Barry Hawkins against Dominik deal. Barry

:58:09. > :58:11.Hawkins went out to up for - one lead. It is now 4-2. Barry Hawkins

:58:12. > :58:42.is at the table. Very nicely controlled there. That

:58:43. > :58:46.could be a frame-winner. Take the chance of leaving the brown out in

:58:47. > :58:58.the middle of the table to guarantee the snooker behind the black.

:58:59. > :59:12.Once again, one cushion... May have to touch the side on this. And that

:59:13. > :59:19.what happens when you hit it harder, it comes off the cushion a

:59:20. > :59:27.little bit narrower. It is thrown off the street angle.

:59:28. > :59:32.Obviously, Dominik is awaiting a better chance to get a pot on the

:59:33. > :59:48.bone. But a lot of players would have taken the brown on the.

:59:49. > :59:58.Es He has got away with it. There was that kiss. It put the cue ball

:59:59. > :00:02.closer to that baulk cushion. I think the brown is still cuttable.

:00:03. > :00:23.It is very thin. Not easy to control the cue ball. Oh, he has overcut it.

:00:24. > :00:34.Wow, the longest frame in the match but the most exciting.

:00:35. > :00:57.Five points behind. The cueball is... It is going to be very

:00:58. > :00:59.difficult. But I think he has got it absolutely perfect. He couldn't have

:01:00. > :01:16.played this better. He will probably play the cannon on

:01:17. > :01:20.the pink just to nudge it out a bit. He didn't nudge it out enough.

:01:21. > :01:28.People watching will think - why don't you roll it in and play-off

:01:29. > :01:42.the cushion. That's why. And, of course he is four points in

:01:43. > :01:46.behind - oh, four points in front. He wouldn't have needed the black,

:01:47. > :01:52.you are right. Well, the cannon was there. I think he hit it a little

:01:53. > :01:56.bit too hard and the backspin didn't take spoon enough for him to bring

:01:57. > :02:00.it off the cushion. He can't really play a snooker behind the black

:02:01. > :02:18.here. He has to be careful with this safety shot.

:02:19. > :02:25.Well, he got the angle, not the pace. A big shot for Dominic to take

:02:26. > :02:29.on. These are tough shots. He would be on the black but the cue ball

:02:30. > :02:38.would be over on the right-hand side of the table T wouldn't be that easy

:02:39. > :02:43.for the black. Such an easy safety shot, Terry, up and down. You can

:02:44. > :02:47.almost guarantee getting the white on the baulk cushion and the pink on

:02:48. > :02:51.the black cushion. If the white was two or three inches off that, I

:02:52. > :02:53.would expect him to have a go. But where the white is, I can't see him

:02:54. > :03:27.taking it on. A little short of pace but once

:03:28. > :03:36.again a very thin cut for Barry Hawkins. He only needs the pink. The

:03:37. > :03:41.cue ball will certainly be rolling around the table somewhere. You have

:03:42. > :04:03.to ask yourself the question - will I ever get a better chance?

:04:04. > :04:09.Well, he has come around to look at the potting angle. The problem is,

:04:10. > :04:12.if he misses the pot, the white will be travelling so far, it'll come

:04:13. > :04:24.right back down this end of the table again.

:04:25. > :04:32.Well done. Well, where is the cue ball? Well, a fabulous pot. He will

:04:33. > :04:38.be delighted to pinch that frame. So, Hawkins with that three-frame

:04:39. > :04:41.advantage. Incidentally I'm sure Jimmy White has a debt of gratitude

:04:42. > :04:45.to pay to Dominic Dale because his victory in the last round to get

:04:46. > :04:50.into this quarter-final means Jimmy keeps his place on the tour by right

:04:51. > :04:53.and does not have to wait for the invitation that could have been

:04:54. > :04:58.coming his way, were he not to have achieved it. So, that means there

:04:59. > :05:02.are two potential invitations left. John? Maybe not. All right. Into

:05:03. > :05:25.frame 8. It's Dominic at the table. . It's an unusual shot to play. He

:05:26. > :05:29.had to play it. It was on. He needs to push things on a bit and try to

:05:30. > :05:34.win the final frame. But he is so used to playing the direct potting

:05:35. > :05:36.angle, when you get that red in the corner, then that can just deflect

:05:37. > :06:15.your attention for a little while. Yes, this balls are now in a

:06:16. > :06:48.position where Barry Hawkins normally scores very heavily.

:06:49. > :06:52.That pack of reds are in an unusual position. They are mostly leaning to

:06:53. > :07:12.the right-hand side of the table. A red came up and covered the one in

:07:13. > :07:17.the corner. Maybe he will play a plant there, if it is pretty

:07:18. > :07:19.straight, as long as he doesn't have a lot to do with the cue ball. Here

:07:20. > :07:36.he goes. That's the beauty of it. I'm not

:07:37. > :07:40.saying Dominic wouldn't have played that aggressive shot into the pack.

:07:41. > :07:44.He is unlucky not to have an easier shot. But if you play for the loose

:07:45. > :07:47.reds now and again and refuse to play into the bunch, sometimes you

:07:48. > :07:52.don't get a better chance. That's the reason you deserve what you get

:07:53. > :07:55.when you play the right shot. He took the risk of going into them.

:07:56. > :07:57.OK, he had to find a plant there but it was a plant that looked

:07:58. > :08:10.unmissable. The frame is at mismercy. -- at his

:08:11. > :09:20.s mercy I think on the reflection of play

:09:21. > :09:26.this morning, Barry would be - well, I would he almost deserved to be 6-2

:09:27. > :09:30.in front. It is hard to say that with Dominic having a few chances

:09:31. > :09:34.but he has certainly been the more aggressive of the two players.

:09:35. > :09:37.Dominic has refused a couple of chances to open the balls. Look at

:09:38. > :09:41.the last frame when he was 47 in front, he didn't open the reds below

:09:42. > :09:46.the pink. In the second frame he was on 31 and could have gone into them

:09:47. > :09:48.and refused it. That has cost him the two frames that he could have

:09:49. > :10:00.won. Still not ideal yet. The seven reds

:10:01. > :10:04.around the pink spot all seem to be in the way of one another, still, so

:10:05. > :10:21.a kiss needed. And it is going to arrive now.

:10:22. > :10:27.Est about OK. He is only on one red. For one minute that looked like it

:10:28. > :10:32.was going to be a very good split. Then, I suppose you only need one

:10:33. > :10:38.red. You can always open them out again, if need be. After this red,

:10:39. > :10:40.there is one red available next to the one he has taken on right and

:10:41. > :10:49.one below the pink. He will have to dislodge a few reds

:10:50. > :11:24.to win the frame. Well, he potted that in the thin

:11:25. > :11:29.side of the pocket. That's why the cue ball has come up too far. If it

:11:30. > :11:32.was in the middle side of the pocket, he would have been eight or

:11:33. > :11:36.nine inches further down, towards the pink. Now he has a difficult

:11:37. > :11:39.shot. One second you are in prime position, next you have a tough one.

:11:40. > :11:59.This game always asks you questions. He is usually proficient with the

:12:00. > :12:04.rest but this could be missed. It really was a great shot. He had so

:12:05. > :12:14.much control on the cue ball as well.

:12:15. > :12:27.He would love an angle to bring another couple of reds to be able it

:12:28. > :12:29.win this. He needs another good positional shot. He is straight on

:12:30. > :13:11.the pink. He is going to have to be careful

:13:12. > :13:20.here. After potting this black, he only needs one more red.

:13:21. > :13:37.He has got one. Not sure he played for that one but he will take it.

:13:38. > :13:50.The way he plays this morning, he deserves a century. He has been the

:13:51. > :13:59.stronger in the breaking department of the two players. Yes, but to be

:14:00. > :14:06.fair to Dominic Dale, he has made him work very hard for this lead. It

:14:07. > :14:15.could have been closer. The previous frame was very tight on the colours.

:14:16. > :14:19.Dominic doubled the green, an adventurous shot and didn't get on

:14:20. > :14:32.the brown. He was unlucky there. But at this standard, there can only

:14:33. > :14:51.be a few shots difference between being 4-4 and two frames behind.

:14:52. > :14:56.APPLAUSE 37 centuries this year. And there

:14:57. > :15:33.will be plenty more to come. Dominic has had to sit in his chair

:15:34. > :15:43.since he didn't quite catch the shot right trying to go in off the red.

:15:44. > :15:47.Hawkins is taking this in style. Had to kiss the reds a few times to keep

:15:48. > :16:02.the break going. These two players come back this

:16:03. > :16:14.evening for the second session of eight frames.

:16:15. > :16:23.And a wonderful break for Barry Hawkins. 134. His highest so far.

:16:24. > :16:32.Dominic Dale has a bit to do this evening. He is 6-2 behind. Hazel

:16:33. > :16:42.Irvine: we are about to start our live play. In 15 minutes. We have

:16:43. > :16:47.O'Sullivan, Murphy, and trufrp. We have o representative from the Times

:16:48. > :16:57.here. Glad we didn't scare you away last week. Time now for table talk.

:16:58. > :17:02.We'll talk about age. Oh, yes, it was Mark Twain said, "Age is an

:17:03. > :17:05.issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind t doesn't matter." There

:17:06. > :17:10.is something in that this year. If you look at the quarter-finalists

:17:11. > :17:15.here by age, McManus the oldest at 43 but what is significant, is half

:17:16. > :17:22.of the remaining quarter-finalists are 35 or over. Only one man in his

:17:23. > :17:29.20s through to the last eight, Judd Trump. At the last 16 there were

:17:30. > :17:33.only three 20s remaining. Hector, I thought this was a young person's

:17:34. > :17:39.sport. What is going on? Does this surprise you? That's what they told

:17:40. > :17:42.us. The trend veils to be towards an older Crucible quarter-final

:17:43. > :17:47.line-up. One player in 20s. A couple of years ago it was the same thing.

:17:48. > :17:52.If you look at the players in their 20s challenging for titles, it is

:17:53. > :17:57.Judd Trump, Ding Junhui and probably Mark Allen. Obviously Ding and Mark

:17:58. > :18:02.Allen no longer in the tournament so jud is flying the flag for the

:18:03. > :18:06.20-somethings and the trend seems to be towards an older group of

:18:07. > :18:10.players. Is it a generational thing? Is it a moment in time or are some

:18:11. > :18:14.of the better players becoming older. Does that account for it? I

:18:15. > :18:18.don't think there is anyone, not that I know of, coming through to

:18:19. > :18:22.challenge the established players in their 20s. The O'Sullivans, they

:18:23. > :18:27.have been there for a few years. Apart from Trump and Ding, no-one

:18:28. > :18:30.coming through to challenge the established players. Do you think

:18:31. > :18:33.the Crucible is the exception to the rule here? Obviously in the matches

:18:34. > :18:38.that the guys are playing in the tour, they are best of - well, 9s

:18:39. > :18:43.and 11s and very seldom are they having to play the longer frame

:18:44. > :18:47.matches like best of 19s. It could have something to do with it. But I

:18:48. > :18:51.agree with Stephen. I don't see people pulling up trees to get into

:18:52. > :18:54.T people are asking me who is the next best player and young player

:18:55. > :18:58.breaking through. I haven't been able to tell anybody. We know about

:18:59. > :19:03.Judd Trump. It is as simple as that but we have not seen anyone else.

:19:04. > :19:07.What do you think, Hector? I I agree with the boys. I would have expected

:19:08. > :19:11.somebody of the age of 22 to be regularly in there challenging for

:19:12. > :19:15.semifinal stages of ranking tournaments and here at the Crucible

:19:16. > :19:20.even as well. But they are just not quite there at the moment. There is

:19:21. > :19:23.a slate concern that up haven't got people coming up behind Trump.

:19:24. > :19:28.That's pulling that average age down, if you haven't got the people

:19:29. > :19:32.below Judd Trump in the pecking order. It is interesting to see you

:19:33. > :19:37.have guys over 35, Barry Hawkins obviously but the likes of Joe

:19:38. > :19:41.Perry, 39 and Ronnie O'Sullivan, appear to be getting better with

:19:42. > :19:45.age. They are opposite ends of the spectrum. Ronnie is playing better

:19:46. > :19:47.because he is playing less and Joe is playing better because he is

:19:48. > :19:50.playing more. They are opposite characters but different reasons why

:19:51. > :19:54.they are both playing so well. You would think, clearly, as we said

:19:55. > :19:59.earlier, that as you found out when you were getting older and indeed

:20:00. > :20:05.you, John, that you would toned lose some fas ets of your game. -- tend

:20:06. > :20:10.to lose some facets of your game. Concentration. If you can

:20:11. > :20:16.concentrate and play to the best ability up to and over 40, it is

:20:17. > :20:19.great. That's what I found. The mental part and the cone is

:20:20. > :20:22.entracing levels. Ronnie is exceptionally fit. Joe is a fit lad.

:20:23. > :20:26.Most of them are keeping themselves, I think it is a big part, the

:20:27. > :20:33.fitness. When you get to 34 and 35, you are on the wane. It doesn't seem

:20:34. > :20:37.to be the case. Judd Trump flies the flag for the older generation and

:20:38. > :20:41.the moral of the story is - there is hope for us all. The newspaper

:20:42. > :20:45.headlines dominated by Neil Robertson and this fight to get to

:20:46. > :20:51.the 100 centuries is ongoing after just failing to get there yesterday.

:20:52. > :20:55.He has intoned the likes of Don Bradman the legendary Aussie

:20:56. > :21:01.cricketer and he doesn't want to stop on 99 as Sir done did. There

:21:02. > :21:06.are -- Sir Don Z lots of stuff in the papers giving them to talk about

:21:07. > :21:12.and Hawkins, a bit about him struggle to Dale. But Neil is the

:21:13. > :21:19.best I have ever seen, said Allen, who lost to him yesterday and

:21:20. > :21:25.something to look out for, what we are calling "tongue watch."

:21:26. > :21:30.Can you belief it? I knew it would happen. I had a bad shot on the rest

:21:31. > :21:35.at # and left myself low on the black. I rattled T I hit it fine. I

:21:36. > :21:40.thought it was N I was about to celebrate with Hendry. -- I rattled

:21:41. > :21:45.it. I hit it fine. I thought it was in. I was about to celebrate with

:21:46. > :21:52.Hendry up in the box. He was the first person I was going to look to.

:21:53. > :21:57.It'll have to wait longer. He has played flawless snooker. I

:21:58. > :22:01.think it'll happen naturally. I'm 99. I have a best out of 25 to play.

:22:02. > :22:04.There will be plenty of opportunities. Well a best of 25

:22:05. > :22:10.frames it get over this. How significant. Let's broaden this out,

:22:11. > :22:14.would a moment like this be for snooker by comparison to other

:22:15. > :22:21.milestones in other sports? A huge milestone. I would only say of a

:22:22. > :22:25.caveat of the number of perhaps slightly minor tournaments but I

:22:26. > :22:29.think would would be unfair. The record for centuries in a session

:22:30. > :22:33.was set last year by Judd Trump at 61. Neil Robertson hasn't just

:22:34. > :22:39.beaten it, he has hit it out of the park. Sensation A Ronnie O'Sullivan

:22:40. > :22:43.himself, no mean century maker himself, described it as the most

:22:44. > :22:47.phenomenal scoring in the history of the game. A phenomenal achievement

:22:48. > :22:51.but as Judd Trump said last night - it doesn't win you anything. That

:22:52. > :22:57.was perhaps a slight little dig, but, it is true. How much focus do

:22:58. > :23:00.you think it has taken, John, and how potentially distracting could it

:23:01. > :23:04.have been? Is it a distraction for him today, for example? It could be.

:23:05. > :23:08.I would have loved to have seen him get it out of the way yesterday for

:23:09. > :23:12.his own peace of mind. To start today afresh and not have it on his

:23:13. > :23:15.mind. The most important thing today is to win the match. We know that.

:23:16. > :23:21.But it is going to be there a little bit the fact he hasn't got to 100.

:23:22. > :23:24.It is a a phenomenal achievement. It does win you something, 99 frames.

:23:25. > :23:28.He has done it with a great deal of respect. It would have been easy to

:23:29. > :23:32.take on risky shots and get over the line. He has always waited until the

:23:33. > :23:39.frame has been won to have a G you have to take your hat off to him for

:23:40. > :23:42.that. -- to have a go. Yes, all the other players can play in the same

:23:43. > :23:45.tournaments. He is a mile in front of second place.

:23:46. > :23:49.Yesterday he was being careful, partly because it was an important

:23:50. > :23:54.match. You can see him double thinking every po significanceal

:23:55. > :23:59.shot and breathing -- po significanceal shot -- positional

:24:00. > :24:03.shot. It is in the press and the MC mentions it, so he is not being

:24:04. > :24:08.allowed to forget it. You have had huge mileage out of it from

:24:09. > :24:13.newspaper perspectives. We have. I wrote my first piece in December.

:24:14. > :24:17.When you look at the progression and strike rate he was on for it as long

:24:18. > :24:20.as he carried on that strike rate. Yes, it was something that was

:24:21. > :24:24.always on but he has made sure it was always likely to be the Crucible

:24:25. > :24:28.that had happened, if it did happen. And fortunately for us, that's

:24:29. > :24:32.exactly what could happen. The first person he looked up to was Stephen

:24:33. > :24:36.Hendry in the commentary box. In a way, you started this off. You told

:24:37. > :24:40.him over a chat in the bar in the UK Championship in York that you didn't

:24:41. > :24:44.like the way he was going about making breaks. What was impressive

:24:45. > :24:48.is how he took that information and changed and developed the way he

:24:49. > :24:53.played. He is very willing to learn. In every sport you have to be. I

:24:54. > :24:58.learned from watching the likes of Steve Davis, Alex Higgins and Jimmy

:24:59. > :25:03.White. Neil is not afraid to ask someone for advice. He has taken it

:25:04. > :25:07.on. People said I said he was amateurish. I wasn't as blunt as

:25:08. > :25:12.that. I was surprised about the way he went building breaks. Whether it

:25:13. > :25:16.is down to me or not, it has been phenomenal. He is very aware of

:25:17. > :25:20.other records and other people in other sports. Aware of Australian

:25:21. > :25:27.records. It is fantastic and patriotic. You see Adam Scott

:25:28. > :25:32.winning the Masters, the first thing he shouts are - go Aussie. He

:25:33. > :25:38.mentioned Shane Warne to you. He Z the Don Bradman getting left on a 99

:25:39. > :25:42.Test average was put to him in the press conference and he came back

:25:43. > :25:52.with Shane Warne never having made a Test century in 99. He is a keen

:25:53. > :25:55.sport historian. He has a tough match against Judd Trump this

:25:56. > :25:59.afternoon. The match of the round, as we were saying earlier. In terms

:26:00. > :26:04.of the century, he will get chances. Trump plays an open again. So the

:26:05. > :26:07.balls will be there to make big breaks. We are looking forward to

:26:08. > :26:11.that and also looking forward - I mention the phrase embarrassment of

:26:12. > :26:17.riches quite a bit but it is true today. We have Ronnie owe you will

:26:18. > :26:21.have van going for three in a row and his sixth World Champion against

:26:22. > :26:25.a man who has won this before, Shaun Murphy. Surprisingly their paths

:26:26. > :26:27.have not crossed that often in major tournaments. This is only their

:26:28. > :26:39.fourth meeting in a big event. You don't know what is going to

:26:40. > :26:44.happen. 2011 was meant to be my last World Championships. I have had two

:26:45. > :26:48.brilliant wins here, the last two years. And I played great snooker

:26:49. > :26:53.the last three years. For me I have kind of shown everybody what I'm

:26:54. > :26:57.capable of. When he starts potting the long

:26:58. > :27:01.ones, he is pretty hard work to play against. I struggled for years to

:27:02. > :27:06.get the consistency. Now I'm playing to a high level. Even when I'm not

:27:07. > :27:10.flying, I have the belief to turn it around and get momentum from

:27:11. > :27:14.somewhere. It can be the worst place in the world the Crucible or the

:27:15. > :27:19.greatest. You have to accept that as part and parcel of it. Definitely,

:27:20. > :27:26.the adrenaline and the high, it is a great feeling. Well I, like every

:27:27. > :27:30.other player on tour, have enjoyed watching Ronnie play the last three

:27:31. > :27:34.seasons. Unbeaten here. He is the player we all like to watch. I like

:27:35. > :27:38.to look at this match as a challenge. It will be a great

:27:39. > :27:42.example to me to see where my game is at. He is the benchmark. The top

:27:43. > :27:47.player in the world. The best player on the planet. It will be a tough

:27:48. > :27:52.game. Shaun Murphy, how do you view his task today? One word -

:27:53. > :27:55.concentration. That's what will win him the match. There are players on

:27:56. > :28:00.the circuit who have slightly better killer instinct than Shaun has. He

:28:01. > :28:03.gets to 40, 50, 60, Stephen noticed in commentary one time, and it is

:28:04. > :28:08.true. He doesn't finish the frames off. If he doesn't do it today, he

:28:09. > :28:12.will get punished. O'Sullivan will clear up. Joe Perry showed the way

:28:13. > :28:16.from Shaun Murphy's perspective. It is the toughest match Ronny has had

:28:17. > :28:20.for over three years here. That's right. He showed the way. That's one

:28:21. > :28:25.of the things everybody wanted to see. If Ronnie is going to win we

:28:26. > :28:29.would like to see him win against other players playing at or near

:28:30. > :28:34.their best. I would really like to see Shaun Murphy do the same. I

:28:35. > :28:37.think John mentioned concentration. Shaun's coaching team have been

:28:38. > :28:41.working hard on concentration and safety play and cue ball control

:28:42. > :28:45.which are pretty big things at this level and they were perhaps things

:28:46. > :28:54.that were letting him down against his main rivals. Marco Fu gave him

:28:55. > :28:59.huge praise for his new improved safety game. I saw that last night

:29:00. > :29:04.on your internet page. A big compliment he paid to him. Tell us

:29:05. > :29:08.about Ronnie's performance in that mini session against Joe Perry tells

:29:09. > :29:12.us about his level of desire. The way he reacted when he won shows he

:29:13. > :29:17.is well up for it. What Shaun needs to do which Joe did, Joe was ahead

:29:18. > :29:22.of him early, he got a great start. If he gets a good start we know what

:29:23. > :29:27.a frontrunner Ronnie is. We talk about his concentration. Maybe he

:29:28. > :29:33.needs someone like Ronnie to make him concentrate. The last game to

:29:34. > :29:38.get over the line against Marco Fu was the best. He knew he was going

:29:39. > :29:41.to make the break. I could see the intensity and focus. It is not

:29:42. > :29:45.always there. It will need to be today. He has a big test indeed.

:29:46. > :29:49.Thank you very much for your chat gentlemen. Well, I know who has a

:29:50. > :29:53.very good seat in the house in there, Steve Davis along with 850 he

:29:54. > :29:57.other people inside the Crucible. They are the lucky ones for the most

:29:58. > :30:13.watchable men in the sport out there today.

:30:14. > :30:21.yes, and arguably, four of the top eight cueists. There is great

:30:22. > :30:25.anticipation in the room. As experts, we are supposed to know the

:30:26. > :30:30.outcome of these matches. I am pretty sure I know the outcome of

:30:31. > :30:37.all matches. I'm also sure that there is going to be one upset. But

:30:38. > :30:42.I'm not sure which Matt -- Matt Jess is going to be. We will be rocking

:30:43. > :30:45.and rolling between both matches this afternoon.

:30:46. > :30:55.There are so many possibilities in both of them we do not want to miss

:30:56. > :31:03.a thing. Both matches are available to you on the red button. Let the

:31:04. > :31:08.quarterfinal fun begin. There is only one man for the job, Bob

:31:09. > :31:13.Walker. Good afternoon. What a session of

:31:14. > :31:29.snooker this promises to be. Really have we seen such a line-up of flair

:31:30. > :31:31.and ability for two quarterfinals. We will be entertained in fine style

:31:32. > :31:45.this afternoon. Please welcome first of all, a bold

:31:46. > :31:50.break-builder who is brilliant to watch. His style of play has

:31:51. > :32:01.attracted a new generation of snooker fans to the spot. He is,

:32:02. > :32:22.ready to bring his own brand of naughty snooker, Judd Trump!

:32:23. > :32:29.And his opponent, an Australian who has become one of the sport's greats

:32:30. > :32:33.since arriving 11 years ago. He won the big one here in 2010 and has

:32:34. > :32:43.since added the Marsters and UK crowns. He was sublime in his last

:32:44. > :32:48.session against Mark Alan yesterday. Here comes the current world number

:32:49. > :32:53.one, 99 not out, can you hear the thunder from dialling an, Neil

:32:54. > :33:26.Robertson as on table number one, please welcome

:33:27. > :33:29.our class act on and off the baize. He was delighted that the hard work

:33:30. > :33:37.he has done was rewarded in China last month. He has won the world and

:33:38. > :33:40.UK titles. Superman wears a cape, this man carries IQ. Here comes the

:33:41. > :34:07.magician, Shaun Murphy! And finally, please welcome the most

:34:08. > :34:11.exciting player ever to grace the modern game. Winner of a magnificent

:34:12. > :34:18.26 ranking event titles including last month's Welsh Open. He produced

:34:19. > :34:22.a comeback of real composure against Joe Perry, here he comes, the

:34:23. > :34:44.Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan. What an afternoon stretching before

:34:45. > :34:51.us. We will start with the Ronnie O'Sullivan, Shaun Murphy match. But

:34:52. > :34:58.both options are available on the red button.

:34:59. > :35:09.This is the Crucible Theatre at its finest. Two great matches. This one

:35:10. > :35:34.looks to be a cracker. Quality here. Yes, wherever you look.

:35:35. > :35:43.That must be the worst break off I have seen Ronnie make, left-handed.

:35:44. > :36:16.Yes, that was a surprise. I have been quite impressed with

:36:17. > :36:41.Shaun's safety play in this tournament so far.

:36:42. > :36:44.Chance of the four cushion safety behind the blue. But it's a late

:36:45. > :37:01.days. -- its early days. Just a fraction of being absolutely

:37:02. > :37:34.inch perfect. That was a little bit pacey. He

:37:35. > :37:47.avoided a collision with that red near the right pocket. Shaun Conway

:37:48. > :38:12.a better one here -- Shaun can play. Well, I thought he could.

:38:13. > :38:59.Ronnie O'Sullivan got the advantage from Shaun Murphy's poor safety. He

:39:00. > :39:10.has cost him a bit of a problem. No obvious path back to baulk. Just

:39:11. > :39:28.coming to see if he can leave it on the top cushion. If not, is it a

:39:29. > :39:38.pot? Very committal. Once again, has he got away with it? I think he

:39:39. > :39:44.might well have done. Badly hampered by the pink. I don't think Ronnie

:39:45. > :39:59.would fancy that too much. I don't see a good safety shot for

:40:00. > :40:06.Ronnie. That red near the left corner pocket, just have to try and

:40:07. > :40:31.contain the situation. Still the best of 25 in these

:40:32. > :40:46.quarterfinal sessions. But we know how important this first session is.

:40:47. > :40:57.I think there may be a path to this event in the left corner. It was

:40:58. > :41:01.always going to be a dangerous safety shot. Now, there are two

:41:02. > :41:34.choices. Ronnie is usually pretty strong out

:41:35. > :41:40.of the starting blocks. But then you could say the same approach -- about

:41:41. > :41:49.Shaun. Did really well to get the cue ball

:41:50. > :42:22.back up the table there. I do sense that Shaun Murphy has

:42:23. > :42:30.come here to try and recreate to some degree that style of snooker he

:42:31. > :42:30.employed in winning his first World Championship, his only World

:42:31. > :42:45.Championship. Very aggressive. Yes, I agree. I think it suits him.

:42:46. > :42:55.I think it gives him a little bit more freedom. Obviously, this black

:42:56. > :43:04.will go to the left corner. Didn't look like it.

:43:05. > :43:39.Black, I think, only goes into the left corner. It would be a lot nicer

:43:40. > :44:07.if it went into the right corner as well.

:44:08. > :44:34.Well, it might go. If you were right behind it, you might fancy it.

:44:35. > :44:39.There is a bit of a puzzle to resolve with the three reds to the

:44:40. > :44:47.right of the black. Yes, it would be handy if you could

:44:48. > :45:07.get the blue back on their spot. If he finishes very close to the

:45:08. > :45:29.baulk cushion, he will have a nice angle on the blue.

:45:30. > :45:41.That is inch perfect. He can play for the black here. If he could get

:45:42. > :45:47.low on the black, play with a cannon on those two reds just above it, you

:45:48. > :46:03.could see him scoring quite a few points with this opportunity.

:46:04. > :46:12.A difficult shot now, to shift these two reds.

:46:13. > :46:27.The plant. Yes, he hit the wrong red. He missed that one and took the

:46:28. > :46:29.other one. The possibility of a plant, but quite a distance between

:46:30. > :47:05.the two balls. This is no certainty. If you are right behind the black

:47:06. > :47:12.and you fancy putting it -- potting it... Great cue control. He is

:47:13. > :47:33.looking very fluent now. Even on that shot, not a great deal

:47:34. > :47:40.of pace pot in, but a very long backswing, very fluent. Had a bit of

:47:41. > :47:48.trouble getting over the line in a few frames in his second round

:47:49. > :47:53.match. Getting to this point in their break and then failing to seal

:47:54. > :48:17.the frame. Ronnie started off with a bad

:48:18. > :48:46.break. It was a terrific opening red from

:48:47. > :48:48.Shaun. This for the first frame. That puts him 70 points ahead with

:48:49. > :49:19.just 67 remaining. Shaun back in action straight after

:49:20. > :49:46.last night's win over Marco Fu. Ronnie has had a bit of time off

:49:47. > :49:49.since his last match against Joe Perry. That was a tough match for

:49:50. > :50:20.Ronnie. It doesn't get any easier. A marvellous start to this match for

:50:21. > :50:29.Shaun Murphy. It doesn't matter about the red. He will be very

:50:30. > :50:38.pleased with that start. Ronnie did not get his hand on the table much.

:50:39. > :50:48.Ronnie played a bad break and then it looked as if Shaun had made the

:50:49. > :50:58.first mistake. Yes, but this red was just a superb strike. He pot so much

:50:59. > :51:03.topspin on, after it hit that said cushion, the topspin forced the

:51:04. > :51:09.white ball forwards and created an offer of an angle to straighten up

:51:10. > :51:15.the shot and give him a chance at that yellow. That was a decent

:51:16. > :51:29.strike as well. A lot of players could not play that shot as well as

:51:30. > :51:35.he did. The topspin shot is, not underrated, but it is not often

:51:36. > :51:40.employed as much, but it is a nice shot to have in your armoury. He

:51:41. > :51:47.will be pleased with that opening frame. Ronnie O'Sullivan did not pot

:51:48. > :52:02.a ball. Shaun looks to have found a good

:52:03. > :52:24.spot to pot the cue ball in. The players in one half of the draw

:52:25. > :52:27.play on the same table throughout until the semifinal stage. They are

:52:28. > :52:30.getting to know this table. Even though it is recovered, it will have

:52:31. > :52:59.certain characteristics. It should be an easy enough escape

:53:00. > :53:32.to nestle into the side of the cluster. Well played.

:53:33. > :53:40.I was asked earlier in the week which players would give Ronnie

:53:41. > :53:53.O'Sullivan some problems, I had to see Neil Robertson and Judd Trump

:53:54. > :53:57.for different reasons. But Mark Selby has had good wins and

:53:58. > :54:01.performances against Ronnie O'Sullivan and Shaun Murphy is such

:54:02. > :54:06.a powerhouse of a player. The players you have mentioned, I think

:54:07. > :54:16.they would believe they could Ronnie. That is the important thing.

:54:17. > :54:26.When you play someone like that, you have to believe in your ability. I

:54:27. > :54:28.am certain that Shaun believes that if he plays his best he can beat

:54:29. > :54:43.anybody. He has got to keep the faith and he

:54:44. > :54:54.had the perfect start. This opening session is very important. I know it

:54:55. > :55:09.is first to 13, but it can be a real struggle to get back on terms.

:55:10. > :55:19.That sounds like a touching ball. Sounds like a touching ball.

:55:20. > :55:31.Surely, this time, Shaun has two centre cue ball up to the baulk

:55:32. > :55:53.end. -- has two Ronnie should be able to plead this

:55:54. > :56:04.thin enough. A bit of a loose shot from Shaun Murphy Bailey.

:56:05. > :56:09.Nothing wrong with that because at some stage, the situation will be

:56:10. > :56:26.resolved. Perhaps he was trying to get Ronnie

:56:27. > :56:33.to miss another shot, collided with a black.

:56:34. > :56:48.It is a good effort. That could have caused some problems now that their

:56:49. > :56:54.pack has changed. If he can't get past the blue, there will be a

:56:55. > :57:08.problem here for Shaun. There is no easy path back to baulk.

:57:09. > :57:15.This is the player's view. You can see the congestion on the left-hand

:57:16. > :57:37.side of the table. I don't think he will be too pleased

:57:38. > :57:56.with that. He could have erred on the other side of that. Even so...

:57:57. > :58:07.That is the first ball that Ronnie has potted in this match.

:58:08. > :58:16.It will be very interesting to see further black is going to go. As

:58:17. > :58:19.long as he can run through and just kiss the second-hand, it should

:58:20. > :58:31.clear the black a long way out. They look easy, but

:58:32. > :58:42.as we have said the four, there is not much nap on these tables. Ronnie

:58:43. > :58:57.O'Sullivan's cue action is as an flowing as I have seen it. --

:58:58. > :59:04.unflowing, The tension can affect everyone.

:59:05. > :59:35.Shaun makes him pay for it. Certainly with the opening red.

:59:36. > :59:47.He judged that nicely. I think he was hoping for the red in the

:59:48. > :00:04.middle. But nothing wrong with this one.

:00:05. > :00:08.He is just about OK. I thought the black was going to hamper his

:00:09. > :00:14.cueing. He is OK.

:00:15. > :00:28.If he can get to the middle of the cue ball.

:00:29. > :00:34.Not ideally placed to go into this pack. And the arrangement of the

:00:35. > :00:50.other balls. He thought he could develop a pot by

:00:51. > :00:57.going into them gently. Assume the red he hit, he wanted to hit

:00:58. > :01:02.half-ball, more than the full-ball contact he got. Now there is a

:01:03. > :01:10.possibility of the red to the right middle but he will be hampered by

:01:11. > :01:27.the red close toast the cue ball. He has his serious face on, hasn't he?

:01:28. > :01:34.I think also, when you are really up for a match match you get the start

:01:35. > :01:37.he got, it really helped, didn't it. It makes you believe whatever you

:01:38. > :01:40.are thinking, whatever you are doing, you are in a good frame of

:01:41. > :02:04.mind. I don't think Ronnie went for the

:02:05. > :02:17.pot there. Just caught the green. At this level

:02:18. > :02:39.can can be costly. Ronni is not interested. It is a

:02:40. > :02:50.good target behind green and brown, to try and get in behind.

:02:51. > :03:17.It would appear that other reds are going to go wards it now, with a

:03:18. > :03:24.series of safety shots. That is a very good safety shot, and

:03:25. > :03:31.it is a desperately thin pot. It does go. That is the advantage of

:03:32. > :03:37.getting the cue ball so close to the baulk cushion. If he was a couple of

:03:38. > :03:41.winches -- inches away you would fancy Ronnie knocking this thin red

:03:42. > :03:49.in. He doesn't want to go for it. It is too thin. He can come unstuck,

:03:50. > :03:53.so... He has to play a good safety. He needs a good cue ball not to

:03:54. > :03:57.leave that red for Shaun. He hit that so thin, that red. Is the blue

:03:58. > :04:04.going to come to his rescue? Or maybe the red that is to the left of

:04:05. > :04:09.the blue? Mm. It has.

:04:10. > :04:24.Fortunate there. Shaun might be obligated, I was

:04:25. > :04:29.going to say disturb the situation, screw back to baulk, that is what he

:04:30. > :04:43.was looking at. Now he is going to play the risky safety shot.

:04:44. > :04:51.If he had caught the yellow full in the place, but he flicked by it. He

:04:52. > :05:00.has covered the red to this corner, so it is back on Ronnie, he is to

:05:01. > :05:13.miss the blue. I think this red now is available.

:05:14. > :05:20.I don't think the red is that much of a problem this this far out in

:05:21. > :05:23.the middle of the table. All right he is playing with the rest, but

:05:24. > :05:45.even so... Would have referred to have been

:05:46. > :05:52.able to pot the black. He has to get this positional shot off the blue.

:05:53. > :06:04.Must keep the cue ball I think, in the left side of the table.

:06:05. > :06:11.He has got a 25 point lead and looking at the way the reds are, and

:06:12. > :06:15.I think the black Mabel available at least into one corner pocket. Pink

:06:16. > :06:18.in the open. What a chance to take this second frame.

:06:19. > :07:06.-- may be available. If he plays the black he has to be a

:07:07. > :07:47.little bit careful, so pink it is. I can't see where the problem is

:07:48. > :07:54.going to come here, Steve. It is a dream start for Sean Murphy as we

:07:55. > :08:06.speak. Perhaps theed a vantage of playing the night before. Or rather

:08:07. > :08:20.playing the night before has turned into an advantage. It is as if he

:08:21. > :08:25.has never left the match table. 56 ahead. 75 remaining. A couple of

:08:26. > :08:29.reds, a couple of colours would see him over the line.

:08:30. > :08:44.Back or the blue but no problem, nice angle on it.

:08:45. > :08:49.So just the red would be enough. That would put him 63 ahead, with

:08:50. > :09:19.only 59 remaining. I thought he was getting close to

:09:20. > :09:22.the middle pocket. Striking the ball beautifully, did get hold of that,

:09:23. > :09:28.too much I think. It was very close to too much.

:09:29. > :09:54.Looks to be in the zone, Shaun. He made 101 in the first frame.

:09:55. > :09:56.And every chance it could be back-to-back centuries.

:09:57. > :10:02.As long as you are 73 or above when you come to the last six colours,

:10:03. > :10:14.you can get the 100. Oh, well, that spoiled it. What a

:10:15. > :10:18.Piti. But Ronnie stays in his seat. Ronnie has first chance in all

:10:19. > :10:22.honesty but he has a slow red, missed it. Never got another one,

:10:23. > :10:28.Sean Murphy leads, two frames to nil.

:10:29. > :10:32.Yes, and we talked before, with Hector about the necessity really

:10:33. > :10:37.for Sean Murphy to make a good start. This could not be better. An

:10:38. > :10:40.century in the first frame. Good contribution there, Ronnie not

:10:41. > :10:45.really had his hand on the table. Kept him away from scoring, missing

:10:46. > :10:50.one or two little chances but couldn't ask for anything better.

:10:51. > :10:54.Observations from Ronnie? We used to see him making fast starts to let

:10:55. > :10:58.Shaun in in the first frame he missed by a real distance away, it

:10:59. > :11:03.doesn't matter who you are, when you hit a shot badly that is worst, you

:11:04. > :11:10.could miss one thinking I hit that good, but he hit that badly. That

:11:11. > :11:17.doesn't fill anybody with confidence. They met once in 2011.

:11:18. > :11:21.In the second round, Ronnie won 13 frames to ten. Shaun came back and

:11:22. > :11:24.won a couple of frames but it was all over, that is a memory that has

:11:25. > :11:29.to stick with him, the necessity of getting in front and staying there.

:11:30. > :11:34.It, you know it is not a trade secret, when you play against him

:11:35. > :11:37.you need have a good start he will no know, he will know from watching

:11:38. > :11:42.him fbg he will be watching him this week, it imperative to get a good

:11:43. > :11:47.start. Incidentally, for those of you watching at home interesting in

:11:48. > :11:50.such things, they have played seven matches before this, in total.

:11:51. > :11:55.Ronnie has won six of them, Shaun one of them, that was in the Premier

:11:56. > :12:00.League final in 2009, but this is only the fourth occasion in a major

:12:01. > :12:13.ranking vent in which they have met. Feeling each other out here at the

:12:14. > :12:15.start of this match. That was an excellent escape from

:12:16. > :12:34.Shaun. Nearly got the snooker back. This is certainly not the start

:12:35. > :12:38.Ronnie was looking for. I think Steven hit the nail on the head,

:12:39. > :12:43.where ever you are, from the opening shot, when he broke off he hit the

:12:44. > :12:49.red all wrong, so just not timing it at the moment, and more table time

:12:50. > :12:52.Shaun has, the more he will start to suffer.

:12:53. > :13:04.Great pot. Nicely on the blue.

:13:05. > :13:18.Couldn't have struck it better, fantastic cue action Sean Murphy

:13:19. > :13:24.has. At the moment he is doing what is

:13:25. > :13:30.required of him. His opponent hasn't been ultra weak. Only missed a

:13:31. > :13:53.couple of shots but Shaun has punished every mistake.

:13:54. > :13:59.I think he can get into the cluster. Give the back since chance to take

:14:00. > :14:05.effect. That is why he played the slow screw.

:14:06. > :14:08.It It has worked out OK, I don't think it was quits as planned, he

:14:09. > :14:23.was looking for a red to the opposite corner to the black, but he

:14:24. > :14:26.finished nicely on this one. You would imagine it ininto the

:14:27. > :14:33.pack. Hasn't checked for any plants. I thought he could have got on the

:14:34. > :15:02.black from that last red. Just looking there, this red

:15:03. > :15:08.obviously goes and maybe the end red also goes to the right corner, but

:15:09. > :15:12.he is low on this, I know we say if you go lower you you bring other

:15:13. > :15:17.reds into play, you have to be a bit careful here.

:15:18. > :15:25.Monstrous shot there. Cue ball jumped in the air, he

:15:26. > :15:29.wasn't expecting so much of a jump in the air of the cue ball, and

:15:30. > :15:33.missing the vast majority of the pack. Look that the jumping over the

:15:34. > :15:37.top of those. Hard to envisage, getting that far

:15:38. > :15:41.down the table off of that shot. He should have been smashing the reds

:15:42. > :15:45.all over the place, just bounced it a bit too much. Now a tough one

:15:46. > :15:58.John. Absolutely.

:15:59. > :16:17.It is no gimme. The way Shaun is playing at the moment, you wouldn't

:16:18. > :16:19.expect him to miss it. It a big shot to keep the pressure

:16:20. > :16:25.on Ronnie. In potting the blue, he has to be

:16:26. > :16:50.careful of the in-off. I thought it might have been the

:16:51. > :16:53.worst possible angle. Because of the pace he put in, which is very

:16:54. > :16:57.difficult to do when you are tight under the cushion, he widened the

:16:58. > :17:00.angle slightly and tremendous shot He may have got a bit of a king that

:17:01. > :17:15.would have widened it even more. There you see the start, Shaun

:17:16. > :17:19.Murphy pot success 97%. Ronnie, 40%, but that is mainly because Ronnie is

:17:20. > :17:29.only getting an odd chance or two. Just looking, I think he has gone

:17:30. > :17:36.for five pots, Ronnie, and only got two of them. On the other hand,

:17:37. > :17:48.Shaun has gone for pots and got 65 of them. Quite a difference.

:17:49. > :17:56.Big mace take with the green, so a risky one now.

:17:57. > :18:04.-- mistake. He didn't get the screw back on.

:18:05. > :18:11.But the potting pros we of this man is phenomenal.

:18:12. > :18:16.Very brave player. Very accurate as well.

:18:17. > :18:19.Blue is not congratulate to take on. -- great to take on, so a bit of

:18:20. > :18:38.insurance putting the green safe. Wasn't that hard. No, and the way

:18:39. > :18:44.the reds are spread, if he had got a snooker which you may have thought

:18:45. > :18:46.he was able to put the green away and put the cue ball behind the

:18:47. > :18:59.yellow. Not a bad safety shot from Ronnie.

:19:00. > :19:03.That one loose safety shot from Shaun Murphy, not putting the green

:19:04. > :19:09.safe and not getting the cue ball at least tight on the cushion. It has

:19:10. > :19:16.caused him some problems because Ronnie has played an excellent

:19:17. > :19:20.safety shot. This is one... Well, Hawk-Eye just

:19:21. > :19:33.didn't quite get that right. Nice to see Hawk-Eye get it wrong

:19:34. > :19:38.occasionally. First time for everything! He is a

:19:39. > :19:44.good pot e not a good tactical player. Yes, I have always thought

:19:45. > :19:46.that about Hawk-Eye! Not easy but a chance of a four cushion safety

:19:47. > :19:59.behind the yellow. Caught it a fraction too thick.

:20:00. > :20:07.He has left the chance of a pot here to the left corner.

:20:08. > :20:12.A half-ball pot or a thinner one, what we have seen so far, doesn't

:20:13. > :20:27.look like Shaun is going to turn down much here.

:20:28. > :20:35.Could have been better on the colour.

:20:36. > :20:39.Before he got the double kiss he looked like he was going to be on

:20:40. > :20:45.the black. He is lining up blue and this is a big shot to take on.

:20:46. > :20:51.He could be forgiven for turning this down and putting another safety

:20:52. > :21:03.shot, perhaps putting the brown safe. What a shot!

:21:04. > :21:11.All the time he keeps knocking them in, and keeping Ronnie O'Sullivan

:21:12. > :21:17.off the table. Effectively he is keeping Ronnie cold.

:21:18. > :21:28.First mistake. But he has got away with it. Perhaps he has not!

:21:29. > :21:34.Hmmm. Careless. Was he trying to pinch a bit, to hold for the pink?

:21:35. > :21:36.It is an error. Ronnie has not had a lot of table

:21:37. > :21:55.time so this is no easy chance. This isn't a great opportunity. Two

:21:56. > :22:45.difficult reds. Brought both the reds into play, but

:22:46. > :22:58.still not got, still got quite a bit of work to do.

:22:59. > :23:12.He has found his rhythm. Even with the few balls he has potted.

:23:13. > :23:17.Can the genius of the game clear up in one visit. He didn't want to be

:23:18. > :23:24.straight. Has he got an angle. Does the red pass black along the top

:23:25. > :23:25.cushion? It must do. I would say it must do.

:23:26. > :23:40.It is very tight. Nicely played. Now, he has to be

:23:41. > :23:44.careful with this black. Too much pace could miss it.

:23:45. > :23:52.What a shot! Oh. So unlucky.

:23:53. > :23:57.What a great try. It's a very risky double to take on.

:23:58. > :24:02.You will fancy she going to play it though.

:24:03. > :24:11.But that is why professionals don't like playing doubles. OK. He was

:24:12. > :24:16.very close to getting it. But you never know what the red is going to

:24:17. > :24:28.finish, if it doesn't go in. And it is cuttable this.

:24:29. > :24:39.Well, it was harder to see him overcuting it.

:24:40. > :24:58.He will have been pleased with how he struck that.

:24:59. > :25:00.??Fting A big tactical exchange coming up

:25:01. > :25:45.now. If can just get past the pink.

:25:46. > :25:52.But he caught the green and this red is in the middle of the table.

:25:53. > :25:57.But it doesn't pass the blue. So it's reasonably safe, but a

:25:58. > :25:58.chance for Shaun to put Ronnie in trouble now, on this very important

:25:59. > :26:06.last red. Ronnie has to take the risk of

:26:07. > :26:14.bringing the red up the table. He was forced into that by Shaun

:26:15. > :26:22.Murphy's excellent safety shot. Should be able to work out a

:26:23. > :26:28.snooker. Blue, the brown blue pink and black on the spots, it is a big

:26:29. > :26:30.line to use for snookering. You get the red one side of the

:26:31. > :26:56.line, the cue ball the other side. He is not guaranteed to get this

:26:57. > :27:16.safe. Shaun can send the red in behind the

:27:17. > :27:20.green, if that is the only shot he can think of, or put the cue ball

:27:21. > :27:31.behind it. Talking about object ball safety

:27:32. > :27:48.first. He will be delighted with that.

:27:49. > :27:53.Absolutely. The red kissed the pink. The cue ball kissed the brown. And

:27:54. > :28:02.the blue snookered him full-ball. Good hit. He will settle for that. I

:28:03. > :28:12.think it is safe. That makes the game a bit more

:28:13. > :28:34.difficult for both players. It is #2340u no longer sob obviously

:28:35. > :28:38.a red ball game. Even though I don't knowy has played a great snooker

:28:39. > :28:55.behind the brown, that yellow and brown become a problem.

:28:56. > :29:04.Well, you can't do much about that. Shaun didn't seem to put his hand up

:29:05. > :29:10.and apologise. He may be thinking, there was always a chance if he hit

:29:11. > :29:14.it right he could knock it in. I think the yellow goes into the

:29:15. > :29:19.green pocket. It is going to be tough to guess on

:29:20. > :29:26.it perfectly. He may have snookered himself. Oh, that is not good.

:29:27. > :29:34.Now a difficult situation has arisen for Shaun Murphy. He went for the

:29:35. > :29:42.throat there, to get ideally placed on the yellow. And now even though

:29:43. > :29:48.he is 22 points in front, he is going to do well to get out of this,

:29:49. > :30:05.the one cushion escape, can he just about see it?

:30:06. > :30:17.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Obviously, Ronnie O'Sullivan will

:30:18. > :30:33.have it replaced. Obviously, Shaun Murphy thought he

:30:34. > :30:41.could hit the yellow, but hitting the brown, could he?

:30:42. > :30:48.The trouble is, noting the yellow even a fraction would stick it on

:30:49. > :30:53.into the yellow pocket, so was Shaun Murphy trying to hit enough of it to

:30:54. > :31:00.get behind the green? It doesn't look like that was a possibility.

:31:01. > :31:05.Sean quite rightly saying he could not see much of it. Ronnie

:31:06. > :31:10.O'Sullivan will not know whether the balls were. He will be trusting in

:31:11. > :31:23.Shaun Murphy's honesty in this situation.

:31:24. > :31:37.Getting confirmation from Jan Verhaas.

:31:38. > :31:42.This is where they work, this is where they are now. Shaun Murphy is

:31:43. > :32:03.changing his shot here now anyway. Well, he has got it safe, he has got

:32:04. > :32:21.it safe, that is all he could hope for.

:32:22. > :32:31.He thought Green would be a blocker, but maybe he has got the snooker

:32:32. > :32:42.with the blue. Looking off the bottom cushion, I do not know if

:32:43. > :32:51.there is any preference. The side cushion may be a bit away.

:32:52. > :32:59.This is a chance for Ronnie, but may be a difficult one. He has the

:33:00. > :33:11.natural angle to comfort the green. He would like to get as close as

:33:12. > :33:30.possible to the brown. Oh, no! He tried to put some

:33:31. > :33:37.left-hand side, fraction too much left-hand side, 22 collide with the

:33:38. > :33:42.pink. It was a misjudgement. Not enough left-hand side. Shaun Murphy

:33:43. > :34:06.just need the green now. He has got it. Ronnie O'Sullivan,

:34:07. > :34:07.slim chances, really, but he will be disappointed for not making the most

:34:08. > :34:53.of that one. This is a great line. If he misses

:34:54. > :35:04.the pink, what a line that says! What a line! What a length!

:35:05. > :35:12.If it is a one-cushion escape, then that is a big target. If it is tied

:35:13. > :35:16.on the black, he may force Shaun Murphy to go a different route, but

:35:17. > :35:22.he has found another effective one-cushion escape. That makes quite

:35:23. > :35:39.a big area of margin. He has misjudged that. Ronnie

:35:40. > :35:50.O'Sullivan can now win this frame again. This brand is not as easy as

:35:51. > :36:15.it looks on our TV screens. -- brown.

:36:16. > :36:20.If he just had to pot the brown, you would fancy him doing it, but he

:36:21. > :36:27.needed to play with some screw and some side. He needed to time it

:36:28. > :36:35.beautifully to get the side spin on with the correct amount. Shaun

:36:36. > :36:48.Murphy has played the perfect safety shot, and it is a snooker.

:36:49. > :36:57.Well, he will be pleased, he has hit it and he has got it safe. The

:36:58. > :37:03.chance to get in behind this black again, but in hitting its brown ball

:37:04. > :37:24.thin, he needs to get it to the site cushion. That is a risk.

:37:25. > :37:31.Oh, he has made a mistake here! He has made a mistake here! And I was

:37:32. > :37:39.just about to say, although it is very early on in this match, what a

:37:40. > :37:49.big frame this is turning out to be. A massive mistake.

:37:50. > :37:56.He let that pink run a little bit too far. It should be a kick, but

:37:57. > :38:17.you should have been straighter on it.

:38:18. > :38:23.Ronnie O'Sullivan, he has got a foothold in the match, I know it is

:38:24. > :38:30.early days, but that will hurt Shaun Murphy, but he still leads to-1.

:38:31. > :38:35.It looked like an unexpected foothold. We spoke about some of the

:38:36. > :38:41.areas heard he has worked to try to improve perceived weaknesses. Those

:38:42. > :38:47.two facets, they were let down in that frame. If we look at the

:38:48. > :38:53.example, he has got a shot with a 43 point lead, all you want to do is

:38:54. > :38:57.stick the green in the cushion. The cue ball is immaterial, the priority

:38:58. > :39:02.is to put the green on the side cushion to stop a counter clearance.

:39:03. > :39:21.He has not put the green safe, not put both say. -- safe. This is very

:39:22. > :39:29.hurtful to Shaun Murphy, this frame, but the brown was another case in

:39:30. > :39:33.point of this. He doesn't put the same amount of effort into a safety

:39:34. > :39:38.shot as a pot. That is something I was guilty of in my career, and it

:39:39. > :39:43.is purely just a bad shot. He had Ronnie O'Sullivan under pressure, he

:39:44. > :39:48.did not look under much pressure. Didn't you much harm! Early days, an

:39:49. > :39:53.interesting one, but Ronnie O'Sullivan seems to have got in

:39:54. > :40:01.there. Your observations before this happened of runny? He had not

:40:02. > :40:06.settled. He missed a trick not winning that frame, Shaun Murphy.

:40:07. > :40:19.The last frame before the mid-session interval now.

:40:20. > :40:29.Normally if you're going to miss that frame, you need to look at

:40:30. > :40:43.hitting it to thin. That was too thick.

:40:44. > :40:56.That has not worked out too well. There is no easy colour to go for a

:40:57. > :41:02.here. He has taken on the green. A top shot. He made light of it. This

:41:03. > :42:44.cue ball, he needs to slow up. That was always a tough shot. There

:42:45. > :42:58.is a chance here for Ronnie to the far right corner.

:42:59. > :43:06.A cracking pot, a bit slower on the black and he would have liked. --

:43:07. > :43:34.than this seems to be a fraction more

:43:35. > :43:43.staccato in his backwards and forwards movements. It is more than

:43:44. > :43:52.I have seen before. The opening red into the green pocket was superb,

:43:53. > :43:59.just not that certain, the black. Shaun Murphy has let this go.

:44:00. > :44:12.More of a cut and then he would have wanted. Difficult to control the cue

:44:13. > :44:28.ball also. More of a cot then he would have wanted. -- more of a cut

:44:29. > :44:36.than he would have wanted. Superbly controlled, but a bit unlucky in the

:44:37. > :44:40.end. Yes, anything but a full ball on the brown and he would have been

:44:41. > :44:52.nicely on the colour. A little bit tricky now. A same yellow, a thin

:44:53. > :45:11.green, no redbrown. -- and awkward brown.

:45:12. > :45:31.Once again, guilty of trying to pinch a pitch to get position.

:45:32. > :45:35.A nice angle on the blue, it would be surprising if he didn't go into

:45:36. > :45:58.this cluster of reds. Hit them absolutely perfectly. He

:45:59. > :46:04.glanced off the red he needed to get first, so that was always the way it

:46:05. > :46:12.was going to be on the red next to the pink. He nearly let it slip. He

:46:13. > :46:13.is just about OK. That would have been a mistake not to be on the

:46:14. > :46:55.black. That Palun outputs and ten points in

:46:56. > :47:38.front. -- that blew now puts him ten points in front.

:47:39. > :47:49.this rate should settle him down in this opening session. You might see

:47:50. > :47:50.him go to the practice table in the interval, just to get some more

:47:51. > :48:06.rhythm going. He still hasn't settled down. He

:48:07. > :48:13.still hasn't settled. Well, that will annoy him. OK, it doesn't look

:48:14. > :48:14.like he has left anything, but he knows that he should have won the

:48:15. > :48:33.frame there. You get so used to Ronnie O'Sullivan

:48:34. > :48:42.playing looking like he is never under pressure.

:48:43. > :48:50.But every player is under pressure at some stage in a match or a

:48:51. > :48:56.tournament. Perhaps this is it for Ronnie O'Sullivan, he needs to get

:48:57. > :49:01.over that hurdle. He has paid a decent safety shot there, I think

:49:02. > :49:06.Shaun Murphy can only get through to the red that he is looking at now.

:49:07. > :49:18.It goes past the black, but it would be a brave shot to take on.

:49:19. > :49:31.I think he was hoping that he could go in-off the black, but at that

:49:32. > :49:35.pace, it was asking a lot. Look at that, a fantastic cue ball,

:49:36. > :49:40.regardless of what happened to the other balls. Where he got the white

:49:41. > :49:45.ball gave him every chance to get away with it. It looks to have given

:49:46. > :49:55.Ronnie a minor problem here. Nicely played from Ronnie, that is

:49:56. > :50:35.the best he could do. Shaun Murphy, 27 points behind. He

:50:36. > :50:38.knows that he should not make one more mistake. It would probably cost

:50:39. > :51:19.him the frame. A bit thick. The red he played has

:51:20. > :51:29.run to the site cushion. -- side cushion.

:51:30. > :51:41.He might be able to jack the cue ball up into the air and play the

:51:42. > :51:50.plant as a shot to nothing, back to the top cushion. He's more concerned

:51:51. > :51:58.with getting the reds the table. Don't like that much. That is a

:51:59. > :52:03.nothing shot. Ronnie will be taking this red on and if he knocks it in,

:52:04. > :52:10.I would fancy that would be frame over. Obviously Sean did not want

:52:11. > :52:25.the red coming away from the cushion that much. -- Shaun Murphy did not

:52:26. > :52:28.want. It was paying dividends! The masterplan! Distracting your

:52:29. > :52:41.opponent. There is only one real awkward red,

:52:42. > :52:47.the one at the left-hand side of the table. Ronnie has had a couple of

:52:48. > :52:54.chances to clinch this frame, so it would really hurt Ronnie, as losing

:52:55. > :53:24.the last train must have heard Shaun Murphy. -- frame.

:53:25. > :53:35.Well, I never saw that coming, and I'm sure that Ronnie can get through

:53:36. > :53:54.to this red. Didn't sound like the best contact on the cue ball.

:53:55. > :54:05.He needs to slow up this cue ball. It is just about OK. But that is

:54:06. > :54:18.all. Two reds, two colours, that would see him home in this frame. He

:54:19. > :54:49.has missed it. These balls have started kicking a little bit.

:54:50. > :54:54.A good shot from Shaun, taking the opportunity to bring the red into

:54:55. > :55:18.play. Not perfect on this blue. Does he have enough on the cue

:55:19. > :55:24.ball? Obviously, he would like a nice, easy colours clearance. But

:55:25. > :55:35.not absolutely sure if that yellow spot is occupied. He is well out of

:55:36. > :55:41.position. I honestly think he was in two mind, he did not know whether to

:55:42. > :55:46.play for the yellow or the pink. I think the yellow would have gone on

:55:47. > :55:52.the black spot. He should have been higher. Didn't give the full

:55:53. > :56:02.concentration in the positional department. It could have blasted at

:56:03. > :56:13.that and gone are the table further. -- gone up the table further.

:56:14. > :56:27.Why would you want to do that when you are 17 points behind?! You can

:56:28. > :56:40.see the look of disgust on his face. REFEREE: Foul and a miss. No easy

:56:41. > :57:11.pot. You would not expect Ronnie to miss that again.

:57:12. > :57:15.That is a yellow ball frame now, or it could well be a yellow ball

:57:16. > :57:29.frame. Some way out with that. Big shouts of, , Ronnie, but we can

:57:30. > :57:45.see the way that the pink is finished. -- big shouts of, come on,

:57:46. > :58:00.Ronnie. He decided on the blue, but he may

:58:01. > :58:19.be forced into playing the black. It is all down to this yellow as you

:58:20. > :58:28.suggested, Steve. 24 point lead, for Ronnie. Who ever parts the yellow,

:58:29. > :58:35.you fancy would win the frame. -- who ever gets to pot the yellow.

:58:36. > :58:59.Shaun has an outside chance of getting behind this pain. -- pink.

:59:00. > :59:27.He has put Shaun in trouble from it. A two cushion escape.

:59:28. > :59:30.Not an easy chance for Ronnie O'Sullivan, but a very possible

:59:31. > :59:46.yellow. Controlled the cue ball to be on

:59:47. > :59:52.frame ball green. So in it goes.

:59:53. > :00:00.Not been vintage Ronnie O'Sullivan, but you can feel the tension in the

:00:01. > :00:04.air. This is a quarter-final that has all the makings of being a

:00:05. > :00:10.classic. As Steve suggested, I think this

:00:11. > :00:14.first four frames Ronnie has probably looked second best to Shaun

:00:15. > :00:19.Murphy, he has had to dig in, he has missed a few unexpected pots.

:00:20. > :00:26.But he will be pleased to go to that mid-session interval all square.

:00:27. > :00:31.That is the case. So building up nicely. Two apiece.

:00:32. > :00:35.HAZEL IRVINE: Building up nicely but building up curiously and you would

:00:36. > :00:44.think that Ronnie O'Sullivan must be delighted to get out of that one

:00:45. > :00:47.2-2. He looks like out of sorts, he missed two blacks he wouldn't have

:00:48. > :00:52.expected him to miss. Here is one of them. Coming across the table. Far

:00:53. > :00:57.jaw, not really close. Very strange, doesn't look like he is with it at

:00:58. > :00:58.the moment. But Shaun Murphy should and could have dominated that

:00:59. > :01:05.session, Steve. He has missed a trick. You use a

:01:06. > :01:09.football analogy when the people is all over the other one, he has had a

:01:10. > :01:14.tremendous chance, it is one of the reasons I think Ronnie is a

:01:15. > :01:18.certainty. No-one seems to be able to take advantage even when he is

:01:19. > :01:27.playing bad. You think it is the inability to grasp the nettle. Shaun

:01:28. > :01:31.should have been 3-1 up. It is an opportunity missed. It is not just

:01:32. > :01:35.the blacks he has missed. The fist black he missed he left Shaun

:01:36. > :01:39.perfect on the red and the blue and within two shots he lost a cue ball.

:01:40. > :01:44.He was in plum position to make a break. It seems like, I don't know,

:01:45. > :01:47.that is a moment where the top players like Steven or Robertson

:01:48. > :01:51.they would be on it like a shot. He has just failed to do that so far.

:01:52. > :01:55.To be fair, you guys know what it is like to play the whole duration this

:01:56. > :02:00.World Championship. You won't be able to produce your best in every

:02:01. > :02:04.single session, is this a case of that? Is it possible nerves? You

:02:05. > :02:07.should be getting better as the tournament goes on, we are talking

:02:08. > :02:10.about these are the top players in the world. The standard has not been

:02:11. > :02:17.great so far in this match. It will get better because they are too good

:02:18. > :02:22.for it not to. You have to be able to pounce on mistake, you have to

:02:23. > :02:26.sense when he is vulnerable. He is playing Ronnie O'Sullivan. He will

:02:27. > :02:31.look and go "I'm going to get going." You have to make the most of

:02:32. > :02:37.when the chances come up. He should be 3-1. He will be kicking himself,

:02:38. > :02:42.it is two each. Most of us thought that clueless might have been a more

:02:43. > :02:47.appropriate time for our interval quiz but potless it is. The stakes

:02:48. > :02:49.are high. Richard is asking us a very large question and you can play

:02:50. > :03:01.along too. Welcome back to Potless, here is the

:03:02. > :03:08.question. We gave our 100 people 147 seconds to name anyone who has had

:03:09. > :03:15.200 or more career centuries. There is a pointless answer on this list

:03:16. > :03:20.so very best of luck. Ooh! Right. OK. They will have

:03:21. > :03:32.forgotten about me. I will go for me. There are a few in the hundreds.

:03:33. > :03:38.John Parr are the. Steven. Has Hendry made more? Mark Williams has.

:03:39. > :03:47.As Marco made more? That is a good shot. Marco. John Higgins. I know he

:03:48. > :03:52.has made 300 but Marco Fu is one, he comes round without anybody noticing

:03:53. > :03:58.him. Dominic Dale? No, I don't think that many. Don't think. Maybe I am

:03:59. > :04:05.doing a terrible disservice, sorry Dominic. Marco. You think he is

:04:06. > :04:14.obscure enough? Has he made more? I think that is a great shout. We will

:04:15. > :04:20.go with Marco Fu? Sounds great. Let us hope he has. He has. Let us go

:04:21. > :04:24.for Higgins then. We haven't said him yet. We will have a crack at

:04:25. > :04:31.John Higgins. Me? OK, John Parrott. It is hard to

:04:32. > :04:36.believe, I know, but we might... LAUGHTER.

:04:37. > :04:43.I love you too! I wouldn't have got that one.

:04:44. > :04:51.What do you think? We know there is a pointless answer on the list, have

:04:52. > :04:55.they got that. Why don't you tweet us. I will give all the answers and

:04:56. > :05:01.the scores just before the end of the interval.

:05:02. > :05:05.Thank you very much. We are going to get to the battle of the lefties

:05:06. > :05:10.that is going on on the other table. It is the world number one Neil

:05:11. > :05:15.Robertson against Judd Trump. They have had nine previous meetings and

:05:16. > :05:19.Judd Trump won a tasty one Hoare three years ago, when Neil Robertson

:05:20. > :05:24.was coming back to defend his word title and lost to Trump none round

:05:25. > :05:28.one. That hurt! The Englishman has the superior record in previous

:05:29. > :05:31.games, he has won five of them compared to Neil's four but this has

:05:32. > :05:49.the makings of a terrific match up. What a shot that is! I guess it is

:05:50. > :05:54.nice to be playing these kind of matches, you want to play the top

:05:55. > :05:59.players and they are playing open scoring games, you can enjoy the

:06:00. > :06:07.matches and the challenge. Nicely played. Throughout the week I

:06:08. > :06:14.can't fault my performance at all. Get in, superb. Neil Robertson is

:06:15. > :06:17.one more century near to that record century of centuries.

:06:18. > :06:22.I think it will happen naturally. I am on 99 and I have the best out of

:06:23. > :06:28.25 to play. There will be plenty of opportunities to make a sent. I am

:06:29. > :06:32.more than happy with how I am playing. He has won a lot of

:06:33. > :06:37.tournament, a lot of game, he is playing really good snooker so he

:06:38. > :06:40.will start off big favourite. Neil is negative so I pecks egt him to go

:06:41. > :06:45.out and be negative and try and control the game. I am going the try

:06:46. > :06:49.and control my own game and not get frustrated. I know that I can match

:06:50. > :06:54.him with tactics. I truly believe in myself that I can win this

:06:55. > :06:58.tournament. Look at this. And don't the crowd love it. If I play like I

:06:59. > :07:03.know I can I will be a match for anyone. So in we go. Robertson's

:07:04. > :07:07.opening contribution of 45 game him the first frame. We will join them

:07:08. > :07:18.in frame two. Robertson 17 points ahead and it is Terry Griffiths and

:07:19. > :07:21.Willie Thorne watching this for us: He didn't hit it very well. This is

:07:22. > :08:20.Judd Trump's first opportunity in this match, really.

:08:21. > :08:27.That was really well played. Had to get the back since on that perfectly

:08:28. > :08:29.otherwise he would have been out of position.

:08:30. > :08:37.-- back spin. You see the line he was coming on,

:08:38. > :08:40.if he was short he would be near the cushion, if he is too far he

:08:41. > :09:11.wouldn't have been able to pot the pink.

:09:12. > :09:21.He has found the gap between pink and red.

:09:22. > :09:29.He is not going to clear up here but he will be glad of the table time.

:09:30. > :09:32.He potted just a few balls before this visit. He spent quite a bit of

:09:33. > :10:04.time in his chair. Judd's all round game has certainly

:10:05. > :10:07.improved. He works very hard. Still in the learning process, as I said

:10:08. > :10:16.earlier. Aren't we all? Yes, there is never a day goes by at

:10:17. > :10:21.snooker where you can't learn some sort of new shot. A certain pace to

:10:22. > :10:25.play different shots. Judd Trump tends to like to stun

:10:26. > :10:30.everything into pockets. Very rarely do you see him play a slow roll,

:10:31. > :10:33.especially in the middle pockets, he likes to stun them in. Just the way

:10:34. > :10:40.he has been brought up. 19 points in front. Somebody is

:10:41. > :10:43.going to have to get three more reds and colours from here, after this

:10:44. > :10:45.pink, as you can see with the position of the last four reds, that

:10:46. > :11:12.won't be easy. No problem with the red but getting

:11:13. > :11:16.out into open play nicely on the pinlike be slightly tougher.

:11:17. > :11:43.That has worked out to be perfect. What a good shot that is. Very good.

:11:44. > :11:49.Another look at the score board there. Two reds, two colours and it

:11:50. > :12:43.will level at one all. That certainly finished the frame

:12:44. > :12:45.off. Good positive stuff from Judd Trump. This is a clear-cut

:12:46. > :13:01.opportunity in the match. Barring snookers it will be one

:13:02. > :13:04.frame each. HAZEL IRVINE: And that is the chunkiest break of the match

:13:05. > :13:07.so far. No sign of the century to date. Into frame three we go and

:13:08. > :13:46.Robertson behind by 31 this time. Excellent single ball pot from Judd.

:13:47. > :13:50.As you can see there is only the red on the pink spot available. We will

:13:51. > :13:55.get an example of whether the cue ball is heavy. Trying to screw past

:13:56. > :14:01.the face of blue to get on to that loose red on the pink spot.

:14:02. > :14:06.He got into that one. That tells me there is nothing wrong with the

:14:07. > :14:16.white. You can see the immediate back spin

:14:17. > :14:23.there, once the cue ball has stopped its forward motion it spun back very

:14:24. > :14:30.quickly. The black back on its spot now.

:14:31. > :14:38.You don't want to be straight on this. You would play a canon if you

:14:39. > :14:42.get it, you are on the second of two reds on the cushion. Not sure if he

:14:43. > :14:59.has enough angle to play that shot now.

:15:00. > :15:05.Couple more inches needed but he can still get round the back of the

:15:06. > :15:09.black. Could have held for the black but

:15:10. > :15:20.decided to go for the blue. No problem with that.

:15:21. > :15:26.Can only presume having another look at the screen that the black doesn't

:15:27. > :15:30.pot in the left-hand side corner, that is why he has played for the

:15:31. > :15:39.blue. You can see clearly not, from our commentary position it looks

:15:40. > :15:43.like it may. That is a clever shot. He had to

:15:44. > :15:47.push that red out of the way. If he played it slowly the red wouldn't

:15:48. > :15:50.have moved out of the way and he probably would have snookered

:15:51. > :15:53.himself. Looks at the score board. He is 58 in front. He only needs one

:15:54. > :16:20.more red. He needs the cue ball to be back

:16:21. > :16:25.where it is, but he is playing for the red. This is frame ball.

:16:26. > :16:30.Obviously would like to pot at least one more red, to stop Neil Robertson

:16:31. > :16:32.come back to the table. He will carry on if he only needs a couple

:16:33. > :16:41.of snookers. I can't believe he good he hits that

:16:42. > :16:45.particular shot. He played one the other day and rammed it in. The pace

:16:46. > :16:47.he has generated, not far off straight. Amazing, looking for a

:16:48. > :16:52.canon. That puts the frame beyond

:16:53. > :17:40.reasonable doubt. Request If he manages to pot this

:17:41. > :17:46.black and kiss the two reds into play, I will give up.

:17:47. > :17:52.That is why he has taken an exhibition shot on the brown to

:17:53. > :18:05.bring the two reds into play. Effort. Effort.

:18:06. > :18:15.So no fireworks from these players yet. Neil Robertson made 45 in the

:18:16. > :18:20.first frame and Judd Trump replies and takes a 2-1 lead. HAZEL IRVINE:

:18:21. > :18:24.And no fireworks to speak of in the last before the interval. Judd Trump

:18:25. > :18:29.won't be complaining, because despite the lack of fireworks he has

:18:30. > :18:34.gone 3-1 in front. This is a significant lead. It was Mark Allen

:18:35. > :18:37.who after his defeat by Neil Robertson said it was the best

:18:38. > :18:41.everyone had played against him at any time. It is difficult to

:18:42. > :18:46.replicate that form, Judd Trump looking very cool and comfortable.

:18:47. > :18:52.Neil Robertson with some work to do. 3-1 at their interval. OK, you have

:18:53. > :18:55.had time to mull over your answers, in today's Potless quiz and maybe

:18:56. > :19:05.check Wikipedia. I know you don't you that! Here is the answer from

:19:06. > :19:13.Richard. Welcome back to Potless. Three of

:19:14. > :19:17.our teams went for Marco Fu, Hazel and Jason went for John Higgins and

:19:18. > :19:23.John Parrott nominated himself. Let us look at the scores. John, 16

:19:24. > :19:29.points for you. Beats Hazel and Jason's answer. That would have

:19:30. > :19:33.scored you 49. The best answer among our legends was Marco Fu with five

:19:34. > :19:40.points. How have you been doing at home? Five points also for Matt

:19:41. > :19:45.Stevens, but three points for Steven Maguire and Antony Hamilton three

:19:46. > :19:49.points. Two Stuart Bingham and Judd Trump. One point for Mark Allen and

:19:50. > :19:58.there is a pointless answer. Give yourself a pat on the back if you

:19:59. > :20:05.said Ryan Day. Didn't get Ryan. Should have gone

:20:06. > :20:12.with Antony Hamilton. Never wins Pointless. St Andrew's is not a city

:20:13. > :20:20.still. You are never going to let me forget that! We had four pointless

:20:21. > :20:25.answers. You are ahead, you are beating us

:20:26. > :20:30.hands down, well done guys, we are going back in to live play now.

:20:31. > :20:34.Intriguing quarter-finals, the first sessions developing here at the

:20:35. > :20:38.Crucible. In what was promised, fireworks this afternoon but they

:20:39. > :20:45.haven't really taken off yet. It is all very nip and tuck. Two all and

:20:46. > :20:50.it is Steve and John in the box. Yes, thank you Hazel. Not the best

:20:51. > :20:58.break off shot from Ronnie but he is saved by the brown.

:20:59. > :21:02.Match time just over one hour 21 minutes. Shaun Murphy had a flying

:21:03. > :21:08.start winning with the first frame with a century break but they have

:21:09. > :21:15.both made mistakes since. There is the high breaking Ronnie, as low as

:21:16. > :21:20.37. That is not the best safety from

:21:21. > :21:27.Shaun. He has underhit it, and Ronnie has a path past the yellow to

:21:28. > :21:30.this red. Could play it into the right middle.

:21:31. > :21:39.Should be able to control the cue ball.

:21:40. > :21:48.Nicely played. And the cue ball just pulled up in

:21:49. > :21:52.time and we know Ronnie. First opportunity will try and go into the

:21:53. > :21:59.cluster. That does surprise me, playing for the loose red.

:22:00. > :22:06.Felt certain there he would... And that flick on the blue, although it

:22:07. > :22:13.will make it awkward cueing helped a bit. I feel if it had run past it,

:22:14. > :22:16.he might not have been on the red. Inspirational, you said --

:22:17. > :22:19.inspirational use of the rest. It is wobbling. It is not ideal this. Very

:22:20. > :22:32.nicely played. Clever shot. Don't try that at home.

:22:33. > :22:39.You have to jam the cue under your finger, jam the rest under your

:22:40. > :22:45.fingers. He could have gone into the pack

:22:46. > :22:49.from the blue. It was a fraction closer to the cushion than he

:22:50. > :22:54.wanted. But maybe he whereas realised as we have been suggesting

:22:55. > :22:58.he has not settled yet and given himself a chance, if you have great

:22:59. > :23:04.ability don't abuse it sometimes, just give it a chance to come,

:23:05. > :23:08.rather than force it. We have noticed Ronnie O'Sullivan not going

:23:09. > :23:17.into the pack as much as he may, he used to have done, and could only

:23:18. > :23:19.assume it was a fraction closer to the cushion than he wanted, to

:23:20. > :23:52.guarantee to get the perfect split. Good line. Excellent length.

:23:53. > :23:57.Not as straightforward return back to baulk, this isn't. To catch the

:23:58. > :24:01.red just right if he is trying to get back to the baulk end, looks

:24:02. > :24:08.like he is playing a containing safety.

:24:09. > :24:15.Where is the cue ball going? Ooh! Well, if that had gone in, Ronnie

:24:16. > :24:29.from the D would have had an easy start. It was on the brink.

:24:30. > :24:33.Ronnie can't get to the red in the other half of the table because of

:24:34. > :24:41.the jaw of the pocket, so having to come thin, he will have to be

:24:42. > :24:48.careful he doesn't go in-off: He didn't risk it. So no real advantage

:24:49. > :24:54.gained there. It was awkward. Cueing in the jaws of the pocket he was. It

:24:55. > :25:00.hasn't been fireworks but it has been fascinating. Shaun Murphy has

:25:01. > :25:04.the ideal start if he is going to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan. He needs to

:25:05. > :25:09.keep him under wraps. Did that successfully, but towards the end of

:25:10. > :25:15.the session, the mini session, he let him who off the hook.

:25:16. > :25:24.-- he let him off the hook. Very aggressive opening red and he has

:25:25. > :25:30.missed it. Element of safety. Jtsds does this red go through the

:25:31. > :25:35.gap? Would you believe it, he can get through the gap. May have to use

:25:36. > :25:38.a little trace of right-hand side but wouldn't expect Ronnie to miss

:25:39. > :25:49.this. You have to say he is a bit

:25:50. > :25:55.unfortunate to leave that gap, but that's snooker. He is in danger of

:25:56. > :26:05.letting a very big fish off the hook. This afternoon. He has very

:26:06. > :26:15.sharp teeth this fish! He got the canon, but this red just

:26:16. > :26:21.about on to the left middle. He will play a bit of pace, so he needs to

:26:22. > :26:48.be accurate. And he was! That has not worked out too good. He

:26:49. > :26:54.has a red this end, and he wanted to, well, the ark, if he had hit the

:26:55. > :26:59.red he skimmed off, it would have opened practically all the reds, he

:27:00. > :27:03.has this one to the left corner, I don't think it is straightforward to

:27:04. > :27:12.drop it not behind the black. He may have to do a bit with the cue ball.

:27:13. > :27:20.Found the gap. Settle for any colour, including the yellow.

:27:21. > :27:27.Straight on the blue, shouldn't cause him a problem.

:27:28. > :27:39.Ooh. He stole the pocket there. The pack of reds, not ideal for

:27:40. > :27:43.going into from one of the high value colour, certainly not the blue

:27:44. > :27:47.any way. The black is not so bad. Quickly

:27:48. > :27:52.Ronnie O'Sullivan sees that he needs to get on the black and have a

:27:53. > :28:00.chance to perhaps open the pack up. It is not ideal either. So back down

:28:01. > :28:05.the table. Of course he can go in off the baulk colour, perhaps off

:28:06. > :28:08.the green. And come into the side of the cluster.

:28:09. > :28:14.It is funny when he played that black, most people think, well in

:28:15. > :28:18.practise you put a tracer right hand side, you come off the top cushion

:28:19. > :28:24.and you can canon in the cluster but you don't want to be playing with

:28:25. > :28:30.side on these superfine cloths unless you have to. That is why he

:28:31. > :28:35.choose the option to play down for the reds in the other half of the

:28:36. > :28:42.table. So this next shot could be key.

:28:43. > :28:46.Can go into the pack off the blue, but no hard. So he is up for the

:28:47. > :28:52.black again, to get the right angle. Doesn't want to be straight.

:28:53. > :28:56.He has a big bounce off the cushion and it is straight enough I would

:28:57. > :29:01.imagine it has caused him big problems.

:29:02. > :29:05.Just having a look to see if there is a red available to the right

:29:06. > :29:11.middle. That helps if it does go, he is a

:29:12. > :29:21.bit short of pace. Does that middle one go. Must do. No, it didn't, as

:29:22. > :29:25.you say it was short of pace. To be fair it went into the reds a couple

:29:26. > :29:34.of time, and it didn't come out as he would have liked. So it was a

:29:35. > :29:45.scrambling 42. Think he could have possibly used the green. Rather than

:29:46. > :29:48.risked that last red. And missing the position of black,

:29:49. > :30:06.but, not that a question -- not. Shaun is giving this plenty of

:30:07. > :30:11.thought. It looks a natural thin off this red, on the right-hand side of

:30:12. > :30:16.the table, played across double, but... Is there a plant on there? It

:30:17. > :30:29.looks like there could be a plant to the right corner. That's OK. In fact

:30:30. > :31:01.that is very good. It is a good shot.

:31:02. > :31:06.He judged that to perfection. An excellent shot. A lot more difficult

:31:07. > :32:03.than it looks, believe me. This red in the chants. -- is a

:32:04. > :32:10.chance. A fantastic shot to nothing bearer. He has got the snooker on

:32:11. > :32:19.the black with the green. You cannot really argue. Just trickling up, I

:32:20. > :32:25.thought he was considering a swerve, but that is a decent enough snooker.

:32:26. > :32:31.He is not guaranteed to get this safe. It lists will cluster of four

:32:32. > :32:41.in the middle would be his target. -- this little cluster of four.

:32:42. > :32:51.Unlucky for Ronnie not to be on the black, of course. Excellent pot.

:32:52. > :32:59.Very much advantage Ronnie in this frame. Shaun has got to get to that

:33:00. > :33:05.black cluster again, John? He cannot come off the left cushion, because

:33:06. > :33:08.he would leave a red to the middle full ball. The pink isn't the way of

:33:09. > :33:11.the shot that I would be thinking coming off three cushions, but he is

:33:12. > :33:44.trying it. A good shot! Playing for the loose

:33:45. > :33:50.red, then you get into that cluster of four. The problem is, if he plays

:33:51. > :33:56.for the blue, the pink is a bit of a blocker, but he only needs the red

:33:57. > :34:16.now to go 68 points ahead with 59 remaining.

:34:17. > :34:44.This frame is well and truly in the bag.

:34:45. > :35:02.I do feel that with the rest of this session, Ronnie well play a lot

:35:03. > :35:10.stronger. -- with a. -- will say. I'm not saying that Shaun will not

:35:11. > :35:13.be careful, but he needs to regroup here. He knows the momentum and

:35:14. > :35:19.initiative is now with the Ronnie O'Sullivan in this match and in this

:35:20. > :35:26.session, he doesn't want to change his game completely. He knows full

:35:27. > :36:35.well that his opponent, once he gets going, he is a flying machine.

:36:36. > :36:43.Well, that was without doubt, Ronnie's best frame of this match so

:36:44. > :36:54.far, and the first chance he had of making that 42, and he now leads

:36:55. > :36:59.3-T. -- 3-2. It is interesting, snooker, you can never drop your

:37:00. > :37:04.guard for a second. Shaun played in the belief that if it didn't go in,

:37:05. > :37:11.the red he could use was the one he was playing. Yes, it was

:37:12. > :37:15.aggressive, he could not see a better safety shot. He decided to go

:37:16. > :37:25.for it full-blooded Lee, but that gap that he left, he probably wished

:37:26. > :37:36.he had plays that a different way. -- go for it full-blooded. You could

:37:37. > :37:40.not leave a gap like that. But I suppose it was a risky venture and

:37:41. > :37:51.think that he was going to leave that gap. Yes. He led 2-0, Shaun,

:37:52. > :37:54.and has lost the last three frames, and that last frame was Ronnie

:37:55. > :38:38.O'Sullivan at his best. He refused the long red because he

:38:39. > :38:56.thought it was dangerous and decided to play the safety.

:38:57. > :39:25.He has missed it. Has he got away with it?

:39:26. > :39:41.The run of the ball that time, favouring Shaun.

:39:42. > :39:57.Looks like another one he is taking on. More controlled. Beautiful

:39:58. > :40:00.shot. I think he can just see enough of the cue ball to make this black

:40:01. > :40:15.easy. So, this is a decent chance at the

:40:16. > :40:33.start of this frame. I suppose you could argue, if

:40:34. > :41:04.fractionally loose safety shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:41:05. > :41:21.You cant take your eye off the ball for a second.

:41:22. > :41:30.A chance to do some damage to the pack with that loose red as an

:41:31. > :41:46.insurance policy. Wonderful cueing. Could not played

:41:47. > :41:51.it better. Not as much pace as he could have, but he was concerned

:41:52. > :41:58.that the cue ball would get buried in the cluster and not on the red.

:41:59. > :42:19.Could play the same shot again. A repeat performance.

:42:20. > :42:29.A funny contact, but finished nicely on the red. Ideally placed to have a

:42:30. > :42:41.frame-winning break. Playing for the pink perhaps in the middle pocket.

:42:42. > :42:45.You would have to think is going to get over the line here. I know it is

:42:46. > :43:00.early in the break, but... He is still striking the ball

:43:01. > :43:21.nicely, a good pace around the table.

:43:22. > :43:35.Well, amazing. At this level, if you miss a black off the spot... It can

:43:36. > :43:55.cost you a frame in the blink of a knife. -- the blink of an eye.

:43:56. > :44:02.This was Shaun Murphy's Achilles' heel in his last match against Marco

:44:03. > :44:06.Fu. He just did not clinch the win that he should have done. He got

:44:07. > :44:11.away with it with Marco Fu, I say, get away with it, he won the match

:44:12. > :44:13.and he played well. But he cannot afford to be making those mistakes

:44:14. > :44:49.against Ronnie O'Sullivan. Considering Shaun Murphy was on the

:44:50. > :44:53.brink of 3-0 up on this match, but for a brilliant snooker from Ronnie

:44:54. > :45:07.O'Sullivan, the tables have completely turned. It is now Ronnie

:45:08. > :45:12.O'Sullivan with chants to force the initiative. -- with the opportunity

:45:13. > :45:15.to force the initiative. It is not guaranteed with that red undertook

:45:16. > :45:27.cushion on the black not on the spot, it is moral rhythmical. --

:45:28. > :45:34.with that red on the top cushion and the black not on the spot. Just four

:45:35. > :45:46.points behind now. He will not need the black, of

:45:47. > :45:52.course, if he can get these remaining reds with colours. And a

:45:53. > :46:00.few of the other colours. But as Steve suggested, the hurdle, and it

:46:01. > :46:03.was quite a big one, there is that red close to the top cushion,

:46:04. > :46:08.because with the black not being on its spot, he will have to play with

:46:09. > :46:10.a little bit of pace and we know that playing them with pace, they

:46:11. > :46:35.are very miscible. -- missable. He under scrutiny that shot, so now

:46:36. > :46:46.he will have to make it to that last red. -- underscrewed. Yes, sometimes

:46:47. > :46:48.you get the extension and you do not get the same feel of the cue, so

:46:49. > :47:14.this is the key shot. Four. It is all about this red. 15 ahead

:47:15. > :47:21.now. But this is tough. The more pace that you play it, the more

:47:22. > :47:28.chance of missing it. Well, he could have played a shaft with less pace

:47:29. > :47:31.for the pink in the middle. -- played a shot. He wanted to

:47:32. > :47:44.guarantee position. Shaun trying to figure out if he can

:47:45. > :48:20.win this frame. And he can. Ten points behind, too including the

:48:21. > :48:29.pink for the frame. -- up to and including.

:48:30. > :48:40.He has come too far with this, he needs to use the rest.

:48:41. > :48:57.A great pot. He has twisted and turned this frame.

:48:58. > :49:01.He has not been totally in control of the cue ball in this break, but

:49:02. > :49:17.he has shown great character. Well, he was quickly. It was like he

:49:18. > :49:21.got a heavy and thick contact and I think he thought for a moment that

:49:22. > :49:26.he had missed the blue. Funnily enough, if you look at that against

:49:27. > :49:31.super slow, the cue ball was bouncing before it got to the blue.

:49:32. > :49:38.All he needs is the pink, but he wanted something easier than this.

:49:39. > :49:45.See the cue ball. Just left it at the head of the table. The pink for

:49:46. > :49:49.the frame. That has cost him that chance. When he gets another? --

:49:50. > :50:42.when he gets? It is over the middle. This is

:50:43. > :50:50.unlikely to bring the black into play. Surely, Ronnie only needs to

:50:51. > :51:18.pot the pink and then the black and the frame is at his mercy. Four.

:51:19. > :51:24.Another frame that Ronnie has stolen, really Axel Ronnie, from

:51:25. > :51:35.being 2-0 behind, he is for-2 in front! -- 4-2 in front.

:51:36. > :51:44.What a present to Ronnie! He only needed the pink, why is the hitting

:51:45. > :51:50.at that speed? He came around and caught the black, everything else

:51:51. > :51:56.could have gone wrong, no need to go that hired. Such a surprisingly

:51:57. > :52:02.match. Yes, I expect him to kick on, he is missing blacks from the

:52:03. > :52:08.spot. Shaun had another golden chance. It is a great feeling. I

:52:09. > :52:12.have had that before, it is a great feeling when you know that someday

:52:13. > :52:19.cannot beat you and Ronnie has that with most players. This is a

:52:20. > :52:23.marathon, Shaun had a late one last night, Ronnie had some time to rest,

:52:24. > :52:30.you would have thought this has a bearing on this match. I wouldn't

:52:31. > :52:34.have thought so, it is the quarterfinals. Shaun has just taken

:52:35. > :52:42.his foot off the pedal, unfortunately you cannot do that.

:52:43. > :52:51.Now Ronnie is in front. How do you explain it? I just think the players

:52:52. > :52:56.are not play their natural game. They are scared of him basically. Is

:52:57. > :53:02.he that inhibiting, physically, when you are in the same arena, and you

:53:03. > :53:12.are going to to toe. The top player always is in any sport. Still

:53:13. > :53:25.holding the two frame advantage. When we look back at the match, how

:53:26. > :53:26.important was that snooker from Ronnie O'Sullivan on the brown in

:53:27. > :53:50.frame three? Red at the back of the pack. Lovely

:53:51. > :53:56.screw back. Perhaps a fraction too far. There will be read is going

:53:57. > :54:11.everywhere here. -- there will be reds going everywhere.

:54:12. > :54:42.The wheels have fallen off for Shaun in this session.

:54:43. > :54:53.At some stage, John, you would expect Ronnie to hit full gear. Yes,

:54:54. > :55:02.like all great champions, if you see a sign of weakness from your

:55:03. > :55:08.opponent, it does spur you on. And Ronnie Wilson is that, particularly

:55:09. > :55:17.with Shaun, having the last frame and not taking it. -- and Ronnie

:55:18. > :55:27.will sense that. No need to disturb much here, just a soft little

:55:28. > :55:34.cannon. Nobody plays this type of game better than Ronnie. Just little

:55:35. > :56:12.stunned and screws. -- stuns. He wants to be on this red so he can

:56:13. > :56:51.play for the black. Who do not usually go in when they

:56:52. > :56:52.catch that near draw. -- jaw. As a result, he missed his intended

:56:53. > :57:35.cannon. He needs one good positional charge

:57:36. > :58:00.to get him on the red. Macro positional shot. Full.

:58:01. > :58:13.Mentally, this will be very damaging for Shaun Murphy. He has got one

:58:14. > :58:24.frame left, his opponent has started to hit his form, he needs to somehow

:58:25. > :58:24.try to win it. I think I would advise a quick trip outside to

:58:25. > :58:42.regroup. There have been one or two little

:58:43. > :58:53.scares, a couple of blacks that he There have been one or two little

:58:54. > :59:15.played very used all of the pocket. But they went in.

:59:16. > :59:25.Just missed that cannon. Can he get this in? Plenty of left-hand side,

:59:26. > :59:30.get on the black. That was a pity. No century, but that mistake from

:59:31. > :59:34.Shaun Murphy playing the power red, trying to open them up, he missed

:59:35. > :59:50.the pot and opened them up for Ronnie and now he has fallen three

:59:51. > :59:55.frames behind. He is a bit careless. He has lost the cue ball a couple of

:59:56. > :59:59.time, he has taken the adventurous shot and missed it. It is not so

:00:00. > :00:04.much that, I wouldn't blame him for that one. Occasionally, when he has

:00:05. > :00:09.had good Chancellors the cue ball had gone a bit. Ronnie will be

:00:10. > :00:17.delighted with 5-2. It should never have been 4-2 ahead. He has been

:00:18. > :00:21.below par. Shaun hasn't got on top. The observation has been Shaun has

:00:22. > :00:26.hit the ball too hard, is that as a result of pressure, adrenaline when

:00:27. > :00:31.you are out there? In his positional play generally, if he gets out of

:00:32. > :00:36.position is overhiting the ball. He hits the ball so well, if he is not

:00:37. > :00:44.concentrating he is going to overhit a lot of shots. So many times we see

:00:45. > :00:50.him play fantastic to get in but then he has lost position two or

:00:51. > :00:54.three shots later. Ronnie probably can't believe his luck. He has been

:00:55. > :00:59.pretty much gifted a lead. As you say every time that Shaun has got

:01:00. > :01:03.in, within two to three balls he has lost the white ball. It is out of

:01:04. > :01:09.position. He is putting him straight back in without having to do any

:01:10. > :01:15.work. That the most fluent Ronnie has looked. For him, it has been a

:01:16. > :01:19.bit of a struggle. This is a worry for Shaun Murphy. He cannot afford

:01:20. > :01:26.to let Ronnie O'Sullivan go out into the distance. If he goes 6-2 he has

:01:27. > :01:29.put himself under for the rest of the match.

:01:30. > :01:35.Of course with only one frame to play now, in this first session,

:01:36. > :01:53.Ronnie can't be behind, but will it be two frames advantage or four?

:01:54. > :02:01.Ronnie turning down the red. And I think on another day he might have

:02:02. > :02:07.gone for that, but he may sense that he wants to leave Shaun Murphy the

:02:08. > :02:15.chance to effectively do the damage for him. Even though Shaun is not in

:02:16. > :02:23.the best frame of mind. Is Shaun going to be going for all out

:02:24. > :02:34.attack? Don't say he can do it with this one but...

:02:35. > :02:42.Well, not too sure what the lads are going to say about ta in the studio!

:02:43. > :02:46.That is a very low value shot to go for.

:02:47. > :02:50.Perhaps he could have got back down the table. But he is gifting Ronnie

:02:51. > :03:16.O'Sullivan chances. He just about got the angle on this

:03:17. > :03:24.red and he can stun down for the black, that is the intention.

:03:25. > :03:30.Didn't have the best agile. That is why he is short on this black. .

:03:31. > :03:35.Can use the red to the right of the black, to haul the cue ball.

:03:36. > :04:24.That is what happens at this game, all of a sudden, and Ronnie really

:04:25. > :04:35.beginning to gather pace now, as you can see, 15 seconds a shot he is at

:04:36. > :04:41.now. Now he is 90% and remember earlier

:04:42. > :04:47.on in the match? Shaun Murphy was at 97%.

:04:48. > :04:51.How things have turned round, I, like you, Steve, when I look at this

:04:52. > :04:55.session, I will remember that third frame.

:04:56. > :05:00.When Shaun Murphy was strolling round the table, without seemingly a

:05:01. > :05:04.care in the world. Looked certain to go 3-0 in front. An unbelievable

:05:05. > :05:13.snooker from Ronnie. It really was on the brown.

:05:14. > :05:21.And it's just changed round completely.

:05:22. > :05:25.They say some frames can turn round matches. That third frame certainly

:05:26. > :05:32.turned round this session. And possibly at the end of the day,

:05:33. > :05:36.the match. It is too early to say that.

:05:37. > :05:43.But if Ronnie can make the most of this opportunity, and win this first

:05:44. > :05:52.session six frames to two, Shaun Murphy, you feel then, has got to

:05:53. > :06:01.win the next two sessions. Otherwise he will just be too far behind.

:06:02. > :06:11.Just over two hours. The average frame time just over

:06:12. > :06:31.16-and-a-half minutes. So, 62 ahead. 83 remaining.

:06:32. > :06:35.Two reds, two colours is what is needed.

:06:36. > :06:39.I think there maybe, he obviously has this one and there is another

:06:40. > :06:41.red on the other side of the cluster available.

:06:42. > :06:49.So he didn't have to disturb anything.

:06:50. > :07:03.Might just have enough points to play with. To steal the highest

:07:04. > :07:08.break of the tournament here. He needs a 141.

:07:09. > :07:17.Neil Robertson holds the high break. 140.

:07:18. > :07:30.That's it. Snookers required. There you see it, 74 ahead. 67

:07:31. > :07:54.remaining. What a turn round. But still a beautiful break. This

:07:55. > :08:04.should open things up very nicely. It should well be on the black now.

:08:05. > :08:11.Judged the kiss off the second red to perfection.

:08:12. > :08:16.And very risky red that Shaun Murphy decided to take on and Ronnie's

:08:17. > :08:26.nestled on the red, so can he pot it? Without pushing it?

:08:27. > :08:38.A bit too much side on the cue ball. He needs to drift past the pink.

:08:39. > :09:07.Just about OK. Shaun Murphy let Ronnie in for this

:09:08. > :09:12.chance when he played a very adventurous pot, and that's the

:09:13. > :09:19.problem. You do that against a player like Ronnie O'Sullivan, when

:09:20. > :09:28.he is starting to gain momentum, then you are asking for trouble.

:09:29. > :09:32.Highest break so far in the tournament is 124. If he clears up

:09:33. > :09:55.here it will be 136. Credit Ronnie, he has not played

:09:56. > :10:01.that well but he has dug in, hasn't he? Has to be said that Ronnie

:10:02. > :10:04.O'Sullivan is such a fantastic character himself in this match.

:10:05. > :10:10.From a bad start he has turn it round, you can do no more than that.

:10:11. > :10:15.In goes the black for a tremendous clearance, they will shake hands, so

:10:16. > :10:19.the first session well and truly in Ronnie O'Sullivan's control. Shaun

:10:20. > :10:24.Murphy, he will be kicking himself. How is it 6-2? I don't know. But

:10:25. > :10:28.that is what the score line says. HAZEL IRVINE: It sure does, that is

:10:29. > :10:35.Ronnie's sixth century of the tournament so far. How is it 6-2? I

:10:36. > :10:38.don't know how it was 4-2. The last two frames he was class, that is

:10:39. > :10:42.what he does, he should have within for Shaun Murphy's point of view he

:10:43. > :10:46.shouldn't have been 4-2 ahead. He smelled blood. That is difference

:10:47. > :10:52.between the two. The ones who can win, as soon as that opportunity

:10:53. > :10:59.showed itself he was on to it. Two significant breaks, 6-2 lead. The

:11:00. > :11:03.match is over as far as I'm concern. You have to win the first session to

:11:04. > :11:08.have any chance. Joe Perry stayed in front of him, had a great chance,

:11:09. > :11:14.this match is over. You offer no hope to Shaun Murphy? None at all? I

:11:15. > :11:19.don't know. He doesn't seem to be, you know he has missed a chance,

:11:20. > :11:24.Ronnie won't play that bad again for the rest of the match. Do you agree?

:11:25. > :11:28.He is not absolutely out of it. I might not be as blunt has the but he

:11:29. > :11:32.is probably right. That is where you paid your money guys. Punditry. Let

:11:33. > :11:36.us see what is happening on the other side of the arena, this was

:11:37. > :11:40.billed as high scoring affair and there wasn't much of that until we

:11:41. > :11:45.came to the fifth frame. Because as you saw, it was forum Trump with a

:11:46. > :11:50.3-1 advantage e here he is after best of 72 in his fist match and 78

:11:51. > :11:56.in his sec. Hadn't made a century, here he is on the way to one right

:11:57. > :12:02.now. One of the big concerns in this match for Judd Trump fans, he has

:12:03. > :12:10.nod been in big break building form. He has only made seven 50 plus

:12:11. > :12:15.breaks. To this point, Neil Robertson top knock 45, he really is

:12:16. > :12:21.just not at the races now, a top break of 107 for Judd Trump. That

:12:22. > :12:27.took him four frames to one ahead. He has just gone 5-1 in front as

:12:28. > :12:31.well. So, this one is looking very dodgy for Neil Robertson and this is

:12:32. > :12:36.a rather surprising state of affairs. Absolutely, but the only

:12:37. > :12:39.thing I will say sometimes it is after a Lord Mayor's Show, what we

:12:40. > :12:42.saw from Robertson was a peak performance, as good as he could

:12:43. > :12:46.play. Sometimes coming back the next day you are nowhere near as good.

:12:47. > :12:50.Judd Trump is getting gradually better as this tournament goes on.

:12:51. > :12:53.He has come under the radar a bit, he has not had the best of seasons

:12:54. > :13:00.but he looks as if he is coming into his game at the perfect time of the

:13:01. > :13:06.season. If the timing is correct, he is certain will giving it his best

:13:07. > :13:10.at the Crucible quarter-final. It is Terry Griffiths and Willie Thorne

:13:11. > :13:14.live in the commentary box. Good afternoon gents.

:13:15. > :13:26.He has mishit another one. Things not going right for Neil

:13:27. > :13:32.Robertson at the moment. Got the jaws of the pocket, one

:13:33. > :13:37.mistake after another. He is four frames behind.

:13:38. > :13:43.He needs to win the last two, really. One of them would be helpful

:13:44. > :13:45.but two would do. He would be pleased with it at this stage,

:13:46. > :14:26.because Trump is all over him. He doesn't have to play into the

:14:27. > :14:33.pack this time. Perfect pace. Well, he is hampered but the black

:14:34. > :14:39.will pot. Unfortunately, now he is cueing over a ball, the white will

:14:40. > :14:44.be going very close to the side cushion.

:14:45. > :15:02.He will be hampered again. Now this is tricky this black.

:15:03. > :15:07.Unlucky, to have finished hampered twice, but these are key moments in

:15:08. > :15:10.my sort of match, you have a chance to kick off.

:15:11. > :15:19.Two more frames of this session, if he can win at least one of them, it

:15:20. > :15:23.is a tough ask for Neil Robertson to come back. On the other hand if Neil

:15:24. > :15:30.wins them both he will have been delighted to get out of this session

:15:31. > :15:52.5-3. You wouldn't be surprised if Neil

:15:53. > :15:56.Robertson won the next of frames, he is a great match player, he has

:15:57. > :16:03.played tremendous snooker here so far in this year's World

:16:04. > :16:09.Championships. Robbie Williams 10-2 in the first round, and Mark Allen

:16:10. > :16:19.13-7 in the second round, with some excellent snooker. Top quality.

:16:20. > :16:26.It hasn't been his day here so far. A little bit of both. Some of his

:16:27. > :16:31.poor play today, but also Judd Trump's played very well, especially

:16:32. > :16:35.in the last two games. Breaks of 107 and 60. Probably leave this black so

:16:36. > :16:40.he can play half-ball into the bunch, but it is lookings a if the

:16:41. > :16:45.red at the back will pot. Neil Robertson not one of those players

:16:46. > :16:51.that goes into them as early as possible, like most of the players

:16:52. > :16:56.do now. Usually a very aggressive break

:16:57. > :16:59.builder. Can't get the amount of sents he has got without going into

:17:00. > :17:35.the pack early. That hasn't worked. He will be very

:17:36. > :17:41.disappointed with that. Just needed he was trying to ah

:17:42. > :17:47.accuseround the red. The why skids through before it ah s.

:17:48. > :17:54.Can't imagine he meant to hit that there. -- arcs. If he played it with

:17:55. > :17:59.stun I could understand it. It looks like end of break, he will

:18:00. > :18:32.be disappointed to be only 20 in front.

:18:33. > :18:43.A little awkward here for Judd Trump.

:18:44. > :18:50.I wouldn't be playing that shot. He is going to find the gap between the

:18:51. > :19:01.two reds on the left cushion. Now he is looking at... Well a plant that

:19:02. > :19:05.is nowhere near. He is playing the safety of this,

:19:06. > :19:07.and he took the plant on. Unless he just misjudged the throw

:19:08. > :19:15.off the white off the red. There was no value in that shot. He

:19:16. > :19:34.played to get the white back in baulk, that is how badly he hit it.

:19:35. > :19:39.Trump, he has been safety first, that is the first loose shot he has

:19:40. > :19:54.played in the whole match. Think he played the safety but he

:19:55. > :20:00.got it too thick. Looks as if he may only cost him one

:20:01. > :20:03.point, if the pink doesn't go. That was unfortunate there for Neil

:20:04. > :20:13.Robertson. As it turns out, that red down the

:20:14. > :20:29.bottom of the table is no straightforward safety op either.

:20:30. > :20:36.They although he has a wonderful temperament, but he has been tested

:20:37. > :20:57.here. Slipping a few errors in, the ball is not quite running for him.

:20:58. > :21:03.Pretty good. Yes, was able to play that because

:21:04. > :21:07.the red up in baulk stopping Judd at that end of the table. The fact he

:21:08. > :21:12.is so close to the cushion, he can't get back to this cushion. Could do

:21:13. > :21:16.off the red on the left-hand side, maybe able to dig down and get the

:21:17. > :21:24.cue ball back where it is now, off the left-hand side cushion.

:21:25. > :21:31.That is what he is looking at. If he gets this right under the cushion,

:21:32. > :21:33.it will be Neil Robertson who hardly has a shot he the play. He has got

:21:34. > :22:29.near that cushion. A good shot. He will try and get back on this

:22:30. > :22:32.cushion. His caught it thicker than he

:22:33. > :22:37.intended. That is where he is not tight on the cushion. So he has

:22:38. > :22:39.given Judd Trump the opportunity mow to play a safety and be tight on

:22:40. > :23:08.this cushion. That is nicely played and the red

:23:09. > :23:11.are starting to drift down the table.

:23:12. > :23:15.There is four there now, behind the baulk line. He has coffered the red

:23:16. > :23:19.into the left centre, that is the nearest to the pocket. There is one

:23:20. > :23:21.into the right centre but none of them are shots they would normally

:23:22. > :23:33.take on at this stage. If you look down the table, the red

:23:34. > :23:39.next to the yellow, he could just play that, knock it back up the

:23:40. > :23:43.table and leave the cue ball on the baulk cushion, the red doesn't go

:23:44. > :23:48.into the corner because the green is there. If he plays that he would

:23:49. > :23:53.like to cover that red with a brown, otherwise it would be easy to play

:23:54. > :23:58.the red and snooker him in behind the green. He needs the position

:23:59. > :24:10.where it is snookered. Judd might be tempted at one of

:24:11. > :24:23.these. Cue ball has come off the cushion.

:24:24. > :24:31.He is looking for a safety shot. I think he can see the red, straight

:24:32. > :24:36.into the bottom corner, but that is high risk.

:24:37. > :24:40.There you see it. Even by Judd's standards that would be high risk,

:24:41. > :24:52.and he would go for most things. . That was just as risky as the pot

:24:53. > :24:54.you were thinking of. It is an easy opportunity now for Neil to lay the

:24:55. > :25:15.snooker. He is looking at that shot, it maybe

:25:16. > :25:25.difficult from there. Have to cut it very thin, for the red. But what are

:25:26. > :25:32.the choices there? The balls are pretty much all in, in open play,

:25:33. > :25:36.apart from that red by the green. They must be able to hit the red

:25:37. > :25:39.thin, even if he doesn't get the snooker, it is going to be a

:25:40. > :25:49.containing safety shot? I suppose he is worried if the white

:25:50. > :25:53.is not tight on the cushion it would be easy for Judd to get in behind

:25:54. > :25:54.the green himself. Maybe that is what is stopping him taking the shot

:25:55. > :26:03.on. What about, Terry, playing the red

:26:04. > :26:07.into the green half-ball, at pace, sending the red up this table and

:26:08. > :26:13.leaving the white down that Southend Yes, that is an option, possibly if

:26:14. > :26:20.he had the angle of screw behind the brown as well. But he is taking a

:26:21. > :26:25.bit of time. We are ensure from here what angle he has got on the red. He

:26:26. > :26:29.is looking at that. He is hoping he doesn't plant it off the green. Yes,

:26:30. > :26:34.he is going to play the one we suggested here. So he will be

:26:35. > :26:38.playing it at pace, but the red comes back the baulk line, hopefully

:26:39. > :26:43.past the middle pocket. He won't know where the green is going to end

:26:44. > :27:00.up. Not too bad, is it, that? There is a

:27:01. > :27:07.possibility that Judd could roll off the two cushions on to that red

:27:08. > :27:11.circled there. That is the easiest way out, get out

:27:12. > :27:22.of trouble and wait for a better opportunity, possibly.

:27:23. > :27:27.Just wonder who is going to be tempted first. You know Neil would

:27:28. > :27:31.be reluctant to take it on, very virtually got to win this frame if

:27:32. > :27:36.he can, it would be a bit too risky. Unless he can guarantee of getting

:27:37. > :27:41.the gap between the blue and those reds, then he might take it on, but

:27:42. > :27:56.if he hits this thick he will kiss one of the reds up the table.

:27:57. > :28:01.You just feel at moment, any mistakes here and the other player

:28:02. > :28:07.is going to go on the win the frame, the way the balls are set. He is

:28:08. > :28:18.having a look at it. Pretty brave.

:28:19. > :28:26.What a great shot. He still has to play the shot and get it in.

:28:27. > :28:30.Played it fraction harder it would have thrown the white to the left,

:28:31. > :28:35.that is why he played it at that pace. That was the shot of the match

:28:36. > :29:00.so far and he is 5-1 behind. What a time to pull that out!

:29:01. > :29:05.He is on the red at the middle, but not as he I would have liked. He

:29:06. > :29:37.would like to be straight on it. There is a chance here in the centre

:29:38. > :29:41.pocket, if he can get his cue here. The brown, he was perfect on the

:29:42. > :29:48.brown to make sure this red was easier than that. Now, this will

:29:49. > :30:05.hurt. She 26 points behind. A chance of pinching a frame that will really

:30:06. > :30:17.really hurt Neil Robertson. That wasn't his best.

:30:18. > :30:24.Every shot at this moment seems so important. You can see he is not

:30:25. > :30:28.pleased with the position he has left himself on black. He has the

:30:29. > :30:31.wrong angle to come up for the reds at this end of the table. If he

:30:32. > :30:34.plays to get on to red in the middle, he needs to make sure he

:30:35. > :30:40.gets past the brown. He is playing to the one next the pink, off two

:30:41. > :30:46.cushion, he is still playing for the one next to the pink.

:30:47. > :31:02.-- cushions. An easier pot on the red to the

:31:03. > :31:08.left, but he wanted to bring the pink into play.

:31:09. > :31:16.He is looking very confident today. This is -- he started a little shaky

:31:17. > :31:20.but since the first frame he has been pretty dominant in this match.

:31:21. > :31:27.Once again bringing in another red, into play, off a pot in the red.

:31:28. > :31:31.Full of confidence. He won't be playing to the red

:31:32. > :31:32.behind, he will be playing for the red in open play.

:31:33. > :32:07.He will leave that to last. Back Tim Yeo's shot when he was

:32:08. > :32:13.perfect on the brown, he still should have potted that. -- back to

:32:14. > :32:19.Neil Robertson's shot. Needs to play perfect position.

:32:20. > :32:46.Anything but straight. You cannot slam them all in. With

:32:47. > :32:55.those kind of shots, when you hit them that hard, you can bend the red

:32:56. > :33:09.up before it reaches the pocket. It helps the ball into the pocket.

:33:10. > :33:20.Once again, Neil has not been given the opportunity.

:33:21. > :33:28.He is struggling out there. It is easy to be critical of these

:33:29. > :33:35.players, but when you are struggling, you can play some very

:33:36. > :33:42.poor shots. We have said this many, many times about Judd Trump, he is

:33:43. > :33:55.the first to stun them in, a lot of players will run them in, but he

:33:56. > :34:01.always wants to stun them in. Temp -- Neil is watching on, if he goes

:34:02. > :34:58.straight on this red, it is perfect. Well played.

:34:59. > :35:10.It is almost like Neil has hit a brick wall at the moment. I am not

:35:11. > :35:13.quite sure if he's feeling slightly unwell, because he was coughing

:35:14. > :35:23.earlier on, he was wiping his forehead, he looks as if he may have

:35:24. > :35:29.more than a heavy cold. When you're struggling out there, any thing can

:35:30. > :35:33.affect you out there. He looks pale at the best of times, Neil, he has

:35:34. > :36:14.got that kind of complexion any way, but he could be out of sorts.

:36:15. > :36:17.One good pot and a good positional shot here, and things could look

:36:18. > :36:38.better. He got the red, needs a good case.

:36:39. > :36:43.It could have been better. No real control of that cue ball. He had to

:36:44. > :36:50.play with outside. The blue is available. He could, quite rightly,

:36:51. > :37:06.go for something easier. He may play this dead weight in case

:37:07. > :37:13.he misses it, because the ball could stop on the pocket. That is what he

:37:14. > :37:18.did, and he did it pretty well. He needs to hold it all together, and

:37:19. > :37:21.this is a massive, massive frame for Neil Robertson. Five behind or three

:37:22. > :37:59.behind. Well done. He needs the black, otherwise, Judd

:38:00. > :38:23.Trump will be able to tie. He has been given a second chance by

:38:24. > :38:33.Judd Trump, having missed that red in the middle. Usually, 33 breaks

:38:34. > :38:37.don't make a lot, but in this context, it is a massive break. The

:38:38. > :38:42.time he took on the black shows how much that meant. He has closed the

:38:43. > :38:54.gap, he still trails 5-2. We're all scratching our heads, what

:38:55. > :39:00.is the problem? E is clearly struggling today. Difference state,

:39:01. > :39:04.different opponent, he had a big performance yesterday where you

:39:05. > :39:09.could not say any better, it was flawless, but you have to go back to

:39:10. > :39:15.work the next day, and sometimes it is a downer after having done

:39:16. > :39:20.something so well the day before. You want to play somebody the day

:39:21. > :39:25.after, because it is difficult to recreate that. You talk about

:39:26. > :39:28.spilling blood on the table, you feel the same way from Judd Trump's

:39:29. > :39:35.perspective, this is so important, this final frame for him. He will

:39:36. > :39:41.realise that Neil is not at his best and he can try to get a lead. You

:39:42. > :39:49.will always have bad sessions, but it is about limiting the damage. It

:39:50. > :39:54.is a particularly bad session, it has been six centuries, 1350 plus

:39:55. > :39:59.breaks, and there must be something fundamentally wrong, Terry Griffiths

:40:00. > :40:03.thought that he is perhaps not letting his best, he has been

:40:04. > :40:09.coughing, these things might all contribute. Yes, but let us not take

:40:10. > :40:13.anything from Judd Trump, he is a very talented lad and he has been

:40:14. > :40:17.gradually improving as the tournament has gone on, so he is

:40:18. > :40:21.obviously put a gun pressure, and sometimes, the play can be

:40:22. > :40:33.unorthodox. It is not always an orthodox game. We expected a really

:40:34. > :40:37.open, attacking game, Stephen. Yes, I think that is why it is another

:40:38. > :40:41.reason he would love to have got his century out of the way yesterday,

:40:42. > :40:48.there was so much publicity in the newspapers. He really wants to

:40:49. > :40:54.concentrate on this match. A massive frame coming up. If he can get out

:40:55. > :41:06.of this 5-3, you will be delighted. Yes, here we go. Here we go.

:41:07. > :41:26.Thank you, Hazel. Caught that one a little thin.

:41:27. > :41:33.This is a Neil Robertson special. Normally very good at these shots

:41:34. > :41:47.and coming back for a blue or baulk colour.

:41:48. > :42:11.He is coughing again. I do not think he is right. But a tremendous shot.

:42:12. > :42:22.A little 33 break to pinch the frame at that last visit is giving him his

:42:23. > :42:24.confidence back. He will be doing cartwheels if he gets out of this

:42:25. > :43:06.session 5-3. This a few things happening out

:43:07. > :43:07.there that you don't expect and I'm sure Neil Robertson is not expecting

:43:08. > :43:23.them either. The cue ball is far enough off the

:43:24. > :43:24.cushion to put some sort of stun and deviate the cue ball for the next

:43:25. > :43:49.red. We don't really know if Neil

:43:50. > :43:55.Robertson is not feeling well here, but the truth of it is, with this

:43:56. > :43:57.championship now, you play every day, so you do not really have any

:43:58. > :44:24.chance to recover. If he gets nicely on the black, you

:44:25. > :45:12.expect him to score heavily. Judd Trump sees the shot very early,

:45:13. > :45:20.he is down there and he is very quick. He must be very difficult to

:45:21. > :45:25.play when he is at his best. He can be very destructive. He can pot from

:45:26. > :45:31.anywhere. We have just seen some flashing of his billions. There has

:45:32. > :45:38.been no consistency in his game this season. We know what a talent he

:45:39. > :45:43.is, but to do it at the biggest stage, that is what everyone strives

:45:44. > :45:47.for, to do it here at Sheffield. Maybe he is saving his best for

:45:48. > :45:54.these next two weeks, well, this next week that his remaining. --

:45:55. > :46:52.that he has remaining. The kick is not too bad, but just

:46:53. > :47:01.taking the cue ball out of position. Can just about hold for these reds

:47:02. > :47:07.at dead weight of the back. Another contribution of above 50. His fourth

:47:08. > :47:19.of the afternoon session as follows breaks of 46 and 37 as well.

:47:20. > :47:27.Mort reds and colours to be absolutely certain. -- two more

:47:28. > :47:59.reds. This red, goes writing off the far

:48:00. > :48:14.jaw. Did not risk going into them. He

:48:15. > :48:45.played it to the inch, this is inch perfect.

:48:46. > :48:54.That is the important red. Part the black as well. -- pot the black.

:48:55. > :49:03.That would be the end of the session. He likes to entertain, Judd

:49:04. > :49:26.Trump. Checking the score, he is 65 in front with just 51 left.

:49:27. > :49:35.Neil Robertson, obviously resigned to the fact he will be 6-2 behind.

:49:36. > :49:42.He has got it to do now. He has two win the next session to get back

:49:43. > :49:47.into the match. He needs to win the next session. It is really nice to

:49:48. > :49:55.see Judd Trump playing the way that we know that he can. Here's

:49:56. > :50:08.certainly been the most impressive of the two today.

:50:09. > :50:14.I am sure we all thought at the start of this match it would be a

:50:15. > :50:18.cracker and would go all the way, and it could still do, but nobody

:50:19. > :50:36.expected a 6-2 result for either player.

:50:37. > :50:40.If you exhibition shots here and now after reaching the century. Those in

:50:41. > :51:13.the front row had better watch out! Not quite, but it has been a

:51:14. > :51:14.wonderful potting and break-building exercise served from Judd Trump and

:51:15. > :51:24.he leads overnight by 6-2. We were lauding the break-building

:51:25. > :51:28.abilities of Neil Robertson this time yesterday, but it is Judd Trump

:51:29. > :51:35.getting all of the plaudits this afternoon. And the right score

:51:36. > :51:39.line, we have been keeping an eye on that, and 6-2 is a good reflection

:51:40. > :51:44.of what has been going on. A great final frame. Neil Robertson needed

:51:45. > :51:51.to win it to keep in touching distance, but he has pressed on. You

:51:52. > :51:54.have written off Shaun Murphy against Ronnie O'Sullivan, how do

:51:55. > :52:02.you assess Neil Robertson and Judd Trump? Sometimes you have bad

:52:03. > :52:05.sessions, this match is not over by any stretch. Ian Robertson is

:52:06. > :52:09.capable of winning that session tomorrow, but Judd Trump is very

:52:10. > :52:13.impressive. He has got all of the talent and that additional play,

:52:14. > :52:20.that break that sometimes lets him down, that was a great performance.

:52:21. > :52:25.The other quarterfinals, Mark Selby, 4-3 up on Alan McManus, they play

:52:26. > :52:31.nine frames this evening. If you look at the draw, Barry Hawkins, he

:52:32. > :52:35.is 6-2 up on Dominic Dale, that is three scoreline is after the opening

:52:36. > :52:44.sessions. Who has looked the most impressive? I would have to say Judd

:52:45. > :52:50.Trump, Ronnie O'Sullivan, superb. Judd Trump has been very good. And

:52:51. > :52:55.you will be commentating on Barry Hawkins on Dominic Dale, how do you

:52:56. > :53:04.view that one? Very close to O'Sullivan and Murphy, Dale will

:53:05. > :53:08.struggle to beat Barry. Ding Junhui going out, you would have fancied

:53:09. > :53:11.Ding Junhui to beat Dale in the second round, but I fancy Barry

:53:12. > :53:17.Hawkins, he would like to get back to that one-table situation that he

:53:18. > :53:22.had last year. Thank you. It fascinating afternoon. Jason

:53:23. > :53:26.Mohammad is back in the chair at 7pm at the second sessions this evening,

:53:27. > :54:01.but for now, from everyone in Sheffield, goodbye for now.

:54:02. > :54:04.Ted, I... I'm not interested in coming to see Lady Gaga, sir.

:54:05. > :54:20.Part of the Big Bumper Comedy 50th Birthday Weekend.