:00:34. > :00:41.good morning, welcome to Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and
:00:42. > :00:44.the 2014 World Snooker championship. We
:00:45. > :00:49.the 2014 World Snooker championship. final, still plenty of snooker
:00:50. > :00:49.ahead. Later this afternoon we will see Mark Selby
:00:50. > :01:04.ahead. Later this afternoon we will Ronnie O'Sullivan looking to extend
:01:05. > :01:08.his lead over Barry Hawkins. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the defending champion
:01:09. > :01:12.against Barry Hawkins, a defeat of last year's final, but it was the
:01:13. > :01:18.defending champion who got off to a flyer.
:01:19. > :01:34.Barry Hawkins matched it with a wonderful 96 break. Barry Hawkins
:01:35. > :01:53.edges ahead to 2-1. wonderful 96 break. Barry Hawkins
:01:54. > :02:14.bad luck and a succession of missed easy pots from Barry Hawkins.
:02:15. > :02:23.Ken Doherty and his assessment of yesterday's first session. Will it
:02:24. > :02:29.be Ronnie O'Sullivan completing an incredible hat-trick. It is a
:02:30. > :02:34.remarkable run. Ken was right in that report, a combination of bad
:02:35. > :02:40.luck and Ronnie O'Sullivan fluency led to that 6-2 lead overnight.
:02:41. > :02:49.Barry Hawkins has only just left the practice room. Here he is. I have to
:02:50. > :02:52.say he looks really nervous. And when an official asked him if he
:02:53. > :02:58.say he looks really nervous. And ready, he said, how long have I got?
:02:59. > :03:03.I wonder if that was a little bit of pre-match jitters. Ronnie O'Sullivan
:03:04. > :03:09.is confidently walking backstage. Hawkins needs a good start today
:03:10. > :03:12.against Ronnie O'Sullivan. The Crucible is ready, another sell-out
:03:13. > :03:16.crowd. Good morning,
:03:17. > :03:21.crowd. marathon is gearing up for what we
:03:22. > :03:25.know will be a grandstand finish. It is time once again to renew their
:03:26. > :03:29.know will be a grandstand finish. It rivalry which bird so brightly in
:03:30. > :03:33.last year's final. But this year there is only room for
:03:34. > :03:46.last year's final. But this year in Sunday's showdown. -- burnt so
:03:47. > :03:49.brightly. Please welcome a player enjoying the best results of his 18
:03:50. > :03:54.years as a pro. It started enjoying the best results of his 18
:03:55. > :04:00.Australian open in 2012 and his run to the final last year. Earlier this
:04:01. > :04:04.season he won the players' championship in Preston. He has
:04:05. > :04:10.shown his battling qualities here already coming back in the second
:04:11. > :04:16.round and a magnificent last two frames in the quarterfinals. He is
:04:17. > :04:37.ready to dig deep once again. Please welcome the Hawk, Barry Hawkins.
:04:38. > :04:44.And his opponent, a magnetic talent who is simply irresistible to
:04:45. > :04:50.watch. Winner of a magnificent 26 ranking events titles, the most
:04:51. > :04:57.recent of which in Wales was sealed with 147. He reached his first
:04:58. > :05:02.Crucible semifinal in 1996 and almost two decades later he is still
:05:03. > :05:07.right on top of his game. Five times he has taken this title. He is of
:05:08. > :05:11.course the defending champion. Blink and you will miss him. He is the
:05:12. > :05:34.Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan. You have to go back to round two of
:05:35. > :05:40.the 2002 Scottish open for Barry Hawkins' only win against Ronnie
:05:41. > :05:45.O'Sullivan. It is a long day of snooker ahead. And no better way to
:05:46. > :05:50.start your Friday with Ronnie O'Sullivan taking on the Hawk. Our
:05:51. > :05:54.commentary team is John Virgo and Dennis Taylor.
:05:55. > :06:02.Good morning Jason and good morning to everyone watching. Ronnie in the
:06:03. > :06:11.meantime has forgotten one of the towels. Players usually have a wet
:06:12. > :06:17.towel and a dry towel. It is his turn to break off. He did look a bit
:06:18. > :06:18.nervous backstage, but that is quite understandable. He needs a good
:06:19. > :06:37.session here. I think that goes without saying.
:06:38. > :06:42.There was a bit of a hangover yesterday from that epic battle with
:06:43. > :06:47.Dominic Dale and I was a bit concerned about Barry. He looked a
:06:48. > :06:53.bit jaded. It is a strange thing to say, but may be a good night's
:06:54. > :07:00.sleep, put that behind him and he will come back. His portrait was
:07:01. > :07:07.66%. You just feel he has got to start winning one of these sessions.
:07:08. > :07:18.When you fall four frames behind, as he has done, you cannot be losing
:07:19. > :07:30.many more. Ronnie has had a century break and Barry has had a 96, almost
:07:31. > :07:33.a century. He had the experience of the one table situated in last year
:07:34. > :07:38.when he lost in the final two Ronnie. But you have to pace
:07:39. > :07:46.yourself. When you get to the semifinal stage, you have got as
:07:47. > :07:50.many sessions to play as you had to get there. Mentally you have to be
:07:51. > :07:53.well prepared and there is nobody more experienced than Ronnie, going
:07:54. > :08:19.for his hat-trick of world titles. This is the red that Ronnie missed.
:08:20. > :08:33.The first pot of the morning. His long pot success is 67%. That is
:08:34. > :08:39.good. REFEREE: Could you make sure that telephone is switched off. They
:08:40. > :08:49.seem to be a lot of telephone is going off this morning. Steve Peters
:08:50. > :08:54.is here this morning and he has been working with Ronnie for a few
:08:55. > :09:00.seasons. Working with the Liverpool football club and also the England
:09:01. > :09:08.squad. He certainly has worked wonders for Ronnie O'Sullivan and
:09:09. > :09:22.his whole attitude. So, he has got a secret and it seems to work.
:09:23. > :09:36.A chance to take the spot on. He will avoid the black. Is there a gap
:09:37. > :09:55.through to that red if it goes over the pocket?
:09:56. > :10:07.Ronnie likes a cup of hot water. It has just been brought into the
:10:08. > :10:27.arena. He should get a nice tip for that, you know.
:10:28. > :10:43.He didn't fancy the pot. Just playing it safe, keeping it tight.
:10:44. > :10:49.It was a cup, not the towel. We have seen Ronnie do this quite a few
:10:50. > :10:57.times. I think on the cup it said, fancy a brew? Do you fancy a brew?
:10:58. > :11:10.You would have to put the tea bag in it to tempt me. Apparently it
:11:11. > :11:15.improves the digester, so they say. He always puts his hand around it as
:11:16. > :11:20.if it is a bit cold, but it is not cold in the Crucible Theatre. This
:11:21. > :11:31.is a good safety. A straightforward run back. Particularly down the
:11:32. > :11:47.right-hand side of the table. To fit. Surely he has left something?
:11:48. > :11:51.He has left absolutely nothing. He has covered everything into the
:11:52. > :12:09.right corner pocket, so he has had a bit of a result. Not a lot to go at.
:12:10. > :12:16.He wanted a thinner contact. He would have thought, I have put him
:12:17. > :13:16.right in here, but he didn't. Dear me, he nearly knocked that in.
:13:17. > :13:22.Has he covered it? I am wondering if he can get round the back of the two
:13:23. > :13:32.reds. He might be able to bend this and hit the cushion first. He is not
:13:33. > :13:40.bothered about the white. Make sure you get the red. He is on the black
:13:41. > :13:48.bothered about the white. Make sure if he gets this. Beautiful, well
:13:49. > :14:05.played. To play a dead was excellent.
:14:06. > :14:21.He does that nicely. It is tough to score from these type of
:14:22. > :14:28.opportunities. Barry knows that. Any mistake and you will be punished.
:14:29. > :14:44.But that is not going to help. That was approving this.
:14:45. > :14:53.We saw that type of shot last night with Neil Robertson. He missed it of
:14:54. > :14:56.the neo- jaw and he missed it off the top jaw as well. It shows you
:14:57. > :15:17.how tight these pocket. I can only assume Ronnie can get
:15:18. > :15:35.through to the red in the left middle. He has found the perfect
:15:36. > :15:41.gap. Good shot. The pot was good, but look where he has put the white.
:15:42. > :15:53.That is a perfect picture to show you. What a chance he has given
:15:54. > :16:06.himself. Just those two reds to the left of the black are a little bit
:16:07. > :16:13.awkward. He just nudged them. He sees the shot so soon. Just that one
:16:14. > :16:56.little cannon and he has got them exactly where he wants them.
:16:57. > :17:12.That red immediately below the black is a little bit awkward. It has gone
:17:13. > :17:19.wrong with this. Let me put it this way, he has got pot on, but it is
:17:20. > :17:23.not as plague. It was all because of that red below the black stopping
:17:24. > :17:34.the natural angle of the cue ball. He is using the extension. It will
:17:35. > :17:41.take a good shot to control this cue ball and finish nice on the black.
:17:42. > :17:51.It is not straightforward. That is why he is coming around the table to
:17:52. > :17:56.have a look. To try and find a gap to get round for the blue he will
:17:57. > :18:02.have to go between the red on the cushion and the black, so there are
:18:03. > :18:23.a few obstacles in the way. It is all about the cue ball here. Under
:18:24. > :18:37.the circumstances he did well. Now he can cannon the red near the pink
:18:38. > :18:54.spot. Is this a bit too thin for that? That was about the best he
:18:55. > :19:01.could do. When you are playing that shot, the slower the screw the more
:19:02. > :19:08.chance you have for the backspin to take effect. If he had played that
:19:09. > :19:11.harder, he might not have got the cannon. But Ronnie is not missing a
:19:12. > :19:41.trick when he is in the balls. He did not look to play for the red
:19:42. > :19:47.along the top cushion. I was watching the match last night and I
:19:48. > :19:52.agree with Willie. It was a two table situation and the pockets
:19:53. > :20:04.seemed easier to me. Now they have got this one table they have to
:20:05. > :20:11.looked very sharp down the cushion. Ronnie concentrating and leaving
:20:12. > :20:15.that red where it is. Just a couple of good positional shot away from
:20:16. > :20:38.thinking he is going to clinch the frame from this visit. It is not
:20:39. > :20:47.straightforward. I am not sure which tables they would have used. There
:20:48. > :20:59.is a brand-new cloth on, which will make it easier. This is not going to
:21:00. > :21:21.be straightforward. He is two or three more parts away
:21:22. > :21:30.from securing this frame and extending his lead. 48 ahead and 83
:21:31. > :22:05.remaining. Another excellent positional shot
:22:06. > :22:17.from Ronnie. Pot this read and play for the pink in the same pocket.
:22:18. > :22:29.People say how many shots ahead do you look? This is where he will be
:22:30. > :22:33.looking a couple shots ahead. Stan the pink in and you have got either
:22:34. > :22:45.of those two reds to the opposite corner. After this pink one more red
:22:46. > :22:54.is required. He had his chance, as he did in most frames. He wanted a
:22:55. > :23:17.good start as Dennis referred to and he is not going to get it.
:23:18. > :23:25.It has come up a little bit short to give himself a chance for a century
:23:26. > :23:27.break. But he will be trying hard because he is closing in on Stephen
:23:28. > :23:55.Hendry's record. Stephen's record is 775 if I am not
:23:56. > :24:06.mistaken. That was a good effort, but he needed some sort of trick
:24:07. > :24:09.shot or a double. The best possible start for the defending champion.
:24:10. > :24:15.shot or a double. The best possible only needed one chance. With that
:24:16. > :24:27.break of 83 he extends his lead. It is now 7-2. Well, that is the cup
:24:28. > :24:35.that keeps the world champion's hands warm and Barry Hawkins, as
:24:36. > :24:43.John alluded to, did have a chance. He put this on the neo- jaw. The
:24:44. > :24:50.right-hand one as we look at it. As soon as he touched that, there was
:24:51. > :24:58.no way it was going in and that was the end of the frame. The worrying
:24:59. > :25:03.thing is you know when you get this chance is amongst the balls and you
:25:04. > :25:10.missed the pots and leave him in, you fear the worst. Talking about
:25:11. > :25:15.the pockets, whether they are a bit tight or not. When the six times
:25:16. > :25:29.world champion said, they are buckets, maybe jokingly, maybe it is
:25:30. > :25:46.Steve Davis' fault that the pockets are a bit more new P.
:25:47. > :25:56.Even backstage, and although he has been disappointed with a few of his
:25:57. > :26:04.performances, he looks up for it. A chance to equal Steve Davis'
:26:05. > :26:08.modern-day six World Championships. And even Stephen Hendry's seven.
:26:09. > :26:29.Apart from other records. He has pushed one over that left
:26:30. > :26:43.corner pocket. But the black is a bit awkward. The rubber underneath
:26:44. > :26:50.the cloth continues round into the pocket. Many years ago it was shaved
:26:51. > :26:56.slightly so the ball would hit the corner of the pocket and drop in.
:26:57. > :27:01.But that is not the case these days. On club tables, if you look at
:27:02. > :27:15.the pocket, you will see that the rubber is slightly shaved.
:27:16. > :27:24.Of course they have templates that fit into the pocket. That is how
:27:25. > :27:28.they decide how big the opening pocket is. But only a fraction can
:27:29. > :27:55.make such a difference. He is asking him to clean the cue
:27:56. > :28:00.ball. It is giving Ronnie a little bit of thinking time. He is on this
:28:01. > :28:02.red. Sooner rather than later he will want to bring out the reds into
:28:03. > :28:45.play. If he is straight again, he will be
:28:46. > :28:50.wishing he had played for the blue. He is looking to see if there is a
:28:51. > :29:12.red on the right-hand side of the cluster. It is very straight.
:29:13. > :29:49.No problem. It is the type of pack you would like to go into off the
:29:50. > :29:56.blue. If he hits the reds just to the left would be ideal. He plays
:29:57. > :30:12.this very well. It is more of a stunning shot. If he gets that with
:30:13. > :30:22.a stand, it will open the red up. That will do very nicely. Because
:30:23. > :30:38.they were loose, he did not have to hit it with a lot of pace.
:30:39. > :30:49.That was his brain ticking over their, I think, thinking I have
:30:50. > :31:01.potted -- I will pot the black. This is when he is a delight to watch.
:31:02. > :31:06.Nice to see him enjoying the game. He brings so much pleasure, it has
:31:07. > :31:11.got to be said. He is a joy to watch. He was disappointed with that
:31:12. > :31:31.though. It is much thinner but he can still
:31:32. > :31:35.get into the pink ear. And that might be a problem now. I do not
:31:36. > :32:00.think a red goes into the corner. APPLAUSE
:32:01. > :32:14.He put everything into the pot there and forgot about the white.
:32:15. > :32:22.He does seem to have got his focus back. I know he played well against
:32:23. > :32:40.Sean Murphy but there were signs he was losing his focus.
:32:41. > :32:47.You know better than anybody, if you are not happy here, the game is as
:32:48. > :32:56.hard as it is, if you're struggling with your form. I think that Shaun
:32:57. > :33:13.Murphy result was a good win. Just going back to Barry Hawkins,
:33:14. > :33:18.what he did in the last two frames against Dominic Dale was brilliant.
:33:19. > :33:28.It would have taken quite a bit out of him.
:33:29. > :33:41.This could be a very tough session for Barry Hawkins.
:33:42. > :33:48.It looks an obvious canon. That was a little bit careless from Ronnie.
:33:49. > :33:59.He will not be happy with that one. Another frame winning opportunity
:34:00. > :34:52.and he has let it slip. He will be hoping to knock another
:34:53. > :34:54.one onto the cushion. He might be able to take a pot on and there it
:34:55. > :35:18.is. A classic shot to nothing there. He is hard to play against if he
:35:19. > :35:28.starts knocking those in. Absolutely. Once you get this type
:35:29. > :35:33.of shot, if you can get them with regularity, even if you are not on a
:35:34. > :35:35.colour, we know what colour is next and Barry has got to get this safe
:35:36. > :35:51.and this is not guaranteed. 66 points behind with 67 remaining.
:35:52. > :36:15.He will need a snooker. They used to call it a
:36:16. > :36:25.deliberateness. They changed it to the misrule. -- a deliberate miss.
:36:26. > :36:26.Very well played! A little tap on the table from Ronnie, that is nice
:36:27. > :36:45.to see. Ronnie needs will one read. That was a strange way of playing
:36:46. > :37:26.it. Ronnie has had a good look at the
:37:27. > :37:31.three reds in the middle of the table. He just needs a good cue
:37:32. > :37:58.ball. Ronnie has got a little bit of a
:37:59. > :38:50.problem. He only needs the red. The safety is
:38:51. > :39:23.by no means guaranteed. It is a big shot, a big moment in
:39:24. > :39:31.the frame. The type of frames we have seen so many times. If a player
:39:32. > :39:33.can steal it, it can turn a session at least. A big, big shot for Barry
:39:34. > :39:45.now. He has given himself a chance now
:39:46. > :40:12.but he needs blacks of every red. And now he needs a snooker. 65
:40:13. > :40:46.points behind. 59 remaining. It is not a nicely for Barry
:40:47. > :40:52.Hawkins, along with your thoughts are not getting much table time.
:40:53. > :40:54.Yes, you can see this semifinal slipping away frame by frame. He has
:40:55. > :41:16.to hang in there. You have got to have that hope and
:41:17. > :41:21.he has got the ability to do it if he gets a chance. He finished his
:41:22. > :41:31.match with Dominic Dale with a couple of frame with in efforts. --
:41:32. > :42:15.frame winning efforts. We know he is capable but it is not looking good.
:42:16. > :42:28.Not quite the green but that is more than enough. One chance is sometimes
:42:29. > :42:36.all you are going to get against Ronnie O'Sullivan. Barry Hawkins
:42:37. > :42:44.also the behind. -- he is further behind.
:42:45. > :42:47.Ronnie looks in superb form this morning. When he starts
:42:48. > :42:48.Ronnie looks in superb form this the long pots, you know you are
:42:49. > :42:54.Ronnie looks in superb form this job all. It was quite an easy read,
:42:55. > :43:17.this one here, a nice long one up into the corner. Judged nicely. This
:43:18. > :43:28.We can give you some of the stats as to how this matches panning out.
:43:29. > :43:36.He lost seven frames behind Dominic Dale, you have to think if Dominic
:43:37. > :43:42.Dale can win seven frames against me, I can possibly do it, but will
:43:43. > :43:47.he be able to make a mini comeback? He has just got to take every
:43:48. > :43:49.opportunity which comes his way. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen,
:43:50. > :44:10.Barry Hawkins to break. I managed to play a frame against
:44:11. > :44:12.this gentleman, Paul Hollywood. A delightful fellow and not a bad
:44:13. > :44:15.snooker player. I delightful fellow and not a bad
:44:16. > :44:43.rather better than he When things are going well for you,
:44:44. > :44:46.that is the type of thing that happens. When they are not... And
:44:47. > :45:18.he's on the yellow. He must have apologised. We just
:45:19. > :46:03.didn't see it. I thought he may play for the red
:46:04. > :46:15.that was to the right of the black. But he ever did it.
:46:16. > :46:21.It is always difficult when you are playing into a blind pocket. You can
:46:22. > :46:24.see the cue ball but the pocket is out of vision. It was not in his eye
:46:25. > :47:42.line. That was very well played. When we
:47:43. > :47:45.talk about a blind pocket, we can show you here, he is trying to cut
:47:46. > :48:11.this into the left corner. The thing is, Ronnie has got such a
:48:12. > :48:40.good tactical game as well. This is not the sort of shot you
:48:41. > :48:45.would want to be taking on. Well played.
:48:46. > :48:57.APPLAUSE If you're in the right position, you
:48:58. > :49:19.could squeeze that and make the plant.
:49:20. > :49:26.What a superb length of cue ball. That is the problem for Barry coming
:49:27. > :49:36.to the table. He has played the safety. But he had
:49:37. > :50:27.to be very, very thin. He sees it as a very difficult
:50:28. > :50:31.safety shot for Barry. The reason I thought one in may not have it
:50:32. > :50:42.replaced, there was a chance to pot this red.
:50:43. > :50:50.He will get a warning now. He did have a glance at it but he has got
:50:51. > :50:53.to hit the red otherwise he loses the frame. Ronnie can take that on.
:50:54. > :51:12.He probably will. You can pot the loose red. Ronnie
:51:13. > :51:38.fancies it now. A nicely controlled positional shot.
:51:39. > :51:46.He did not want to risk everything by trying to get a nice angle on the
:51:47. > :51:52.blue. I do love that side on shot. It shows you how long the snooker
:51:53. > :51:53.table lives. It is 12 foot 6'. Sometimes it looks smaller on the
:51:54. > :52:09.television. I think when people come to the
:52:10. > :52:11.Crucible for the first time, they say, I did not realise the table was
:52:12. > :52:29.so big. I thought he would be unlucky at
:52:30. > :52:44.first. He might decide to save it for an
:52:45. > :53:40.emergency. He would like more of an angle so in
:53:41. > :53:45.but be further away from the but be further away from the
:53:46. > :54:10.cushion. That is where he is so good, Dennis.
:54:11. > :54:24.He did not get into that one at all. He will not be happy with that. It
:54:25. > :54:46.is difficult now. He made that look easy. That was so
:54:47. > :54:50.difficult from that angle. All the top spin and side on it, set it
:54:51. > :55:21.right around the table. That is a little beauty.
:55:22. > :55:29.There was a little smile from Ronnie. He may decide to play the
:55:30. > :55:44.cannon here. If you got the cannon on the pink
:55:45. > :56:06.you would have a read to the right middle.
:56:07. > :56:16.He did not want to risk playing the cannon on the pink.
:56:17. > :56:25.As long as he keeps control of this red, I do not think he can get
:56:26. > :56:38.through to the one he was looking at there. He cues it so nicely.
:56:39. > :56:50.You would not expect him to not take full advantage of this opportunity.
:56:51. > :56:56.This looks like another frame that Barry Hawkins will not get much of a
:56:57. > :57:11.chance in. It is hard for him at the moment.
:57:12. > :57:20.Ronnie's tactical game can freeze people out. You would not say that
:57:21. > :57:23.about Stephen Hendry. He was a potting machine. Ronnie has an
:57:24. > :57:46.all-round game. Stephen Hendry's great line used to
:57:47. > :57:56.be that he thought safety was overrated. That is why he became one
:57:57. > :58:00.of the greatest cueists of all time. I thought he would remain the
:58:01. > :58:44.greatest cueists of all time but I think Ronnie may have overtaken him.
:58:45. > :59:00.He is back at his best. And he's doing what comes naturally to him.
:59:01. > :59:03.He has made seven centuries so far here at the Crucible. This will be
:59:04. > :59:17.his eighth. It will be 48 in total. He had 55
:59:18. > :59:25.centuries here last year. I think the record is 80 or 81.
:59:26. > :00:11.He looks very comfortable out there this morning. Century number 84
:00:12. > :00:22.Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ack -- century number eight, 41 E O'Sullivan.
:00:23. > :00:38.The Rocket is on fire at the moment and he extends his lead even
:00:39. > :00:45.further. He looks in great form. We have a couple of shots for you here.
:00:46. > :01:01.This one, he was playing for the red that is near the cushion.
:01:02. > :01:15.We thought that was going to be dead straight, but he had the angle and
:01:16. > :01:26.it was to get on the back. This was topspin with a lot of side on it. It
:01:27. > :01:33.was absolutely superb. He had to get that cue through and that topspin.
:01:34. > :01:37.He found himself on that awkward red. One more frame before the
:01:38. > :01:59.mid-session interval. It has been plain sailing, it has to
:02:00. > :02:11.be said, at the moment for Ronnie. He has not been put any pressure.
:02:12. > :02:31.Barry's pot success of 84% will not win him this match.
:02:32. > :02:39.That was a good safety from Barry. But Barry needs to score heavily.
:02:40. > :02:53.Just for his own self esteem at the moment.
:02:54. > :03:11.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. It is nice to see he has still got his sense of
:03:12. > :03:23.humour. He is 9-2 behind. He cannot get in behind the ball. I don't know
:03:24. > :03:24.whether he played that last shot playing ball or whether it came off
:03:25. > :03:49.square. He may have made a mistake. He hit
:03:50. > :03:53.it harder than he intended. This is the first chance Barry has had since
:03:54. > :04:32.he missed the opening read in the first frame.
:04:33. > :05:18.He wanted to be further out into the table. Hawk-eye is getting a little
:05:19. > :05:29.bit too cocky! Going back to the first chance of Barry's, I know he
:05:30. > :05:36.has not had any table time and you lose your touch, but if he knew he
:05:37. > :05:45.was going to run into that, he should have played it more firm.
:05:46. > :05:50.That in itself was a bad mistake. The only red he could play for was
:05:51. > :05:51.the awkward one at the side of the cluster. That is where he went
:05:52. > :06:13.wrong, from the opening red. Well, it has turned out to be quite
:06:14. > :06:28.a good safety shot. He did not find the gap he was looking for, but it
:06:29. > :06:33.has turned out OK. He is going through one of those times, where we
:06:34. > :06:40.have all been through it, where you do not seem to be able to hit the
:06:41. > :06:44.ball. It can happen when you are sitting out most of the time.
:06:45. > :06:53.Obviously he has got no rhythm going. It is fair to say now at this
:06:54. > :06:58.point a lot of people in the last couple of years have been saying it
:06:59. > :07:07.depends which Ronnie O'Sullivan turned up. No one can question his
:07:08. > :07:20.application. That is why it is very difficult for Barry at the moment.
:07:21. > :07:31.Ronnie is not giving him any space to breathe. He hit that much too
:07:32. > :07:54.hard. If he takes this long red into the
:07:55. > :07:58.left corner, he will have to get it. With the reds like this, Barry might
:07:59. > :08:19.be able to play himself into a little bit of form.
:08:20. > :08:30.The only pottable red is the one into the right corner. Barry Hawkins
:08:31. > :08:33.is one of the best rest players I have ever seen and he is going to
:08:34. > :09:02.have to call on that prowess now. That tells you. I have seen him miss
:09:03. > :09:17.very few shots with the rest. The pressure on that pot was too much.
:09:18. > :09:24.Barry knows only too well if Ronnie gets this positional shot to start
:09:25. > :09:50.with, he can get onto the black in the same pocket.
:09:51. > :09:57.It will need a delicate cannon to keep the white amongst the reds. As
:09:58. > :10:04.John alluded to in one of the earlier frames, with a screw, the
:10:05. > :10:29.earlier you hit it, the more angle you can make.
:10:30. > :10:38.If this goes in the right corner, he is OK. If it does not, he is out
:10:39. > :10:44.opposition. You can put the white right in amongst the reds and you
:10:45. > :10:46.are not on a pot. The only possible pot is the one up into the corner
:10:47. > :11:06.and he is right on top of that. APPLAUSE
:11:07. > :11:48.. A little bit straight on this red.
:11:49. > :12:07.He has got to force it this side of the baulk line.
:12:08. > :12:40.A great chance for Ronnie. The black is available into both corners.
:12:41. > :12:47.I would suggest it is very worrying times for Barry Hawkins. He was
:12:48. > :13:01.looking for a good start this morning and he has not got it.
:13:02. > :13:16.I know he does a lot with Terry Griffiths. Terry will have to work
:13:17. > :13:28.some magic. If Ronnie goes on to win this frame, it will be nine frames
:13:29. > :13:31.in a row. Barry Hawkins has only managed to score nine points this
:13:32. > :13:43.morning because he has had very little chance.
:13:44. > :14:06.He let that one slip. That will annoy him slightly.
:14:07. > :14:14.Ronnie is playing with all the freedom that he can go for anything.
:14:15. > :14:31.Barry Hawkins has not got that luxury. If Ronnie can win this match
:14:32. > :14:36.quite comfortably. In the other semifinal they are going to have
:14:37. > :14:39.such a battle. He will be fresher than
:14:40. > :14:41.such a battle. He will be fresher still a long way to go, but he is
:14:42. > :14:44.certainly on his still a long way to go, but he is
:14:45. > :15:18.as the defending champion. Barry had a couple of chances early
:15:19. > :15:22.on. Before you know where you are, particularly with a talent like
:15:23. > :15:26.Ronnie O'Sullivan, before you know where you are the first four frames
:15:27. > :15:59.are over and you have lost them. The next red is
:16:00. > :16:03.is reckoning the score up. It does not give you the running
:16:04. > :16:07.is reckoning the score up. It does have to work it out yourself.
:16:08. > :16:13.Sometimes early in the morning your brain is a little
:16:14. > :16:16.Sometimes early in the morning your without you, Dennis. This early in
:16:17. > :16:18.the morning I would have had problems seeing the scoreboard! Just
:16:19. > :16:40.the red needed. There is the red John mentioned. He
:16:41. > :16:47.is brilliant with his right hand, he is brilliant with his left hand and
:16:48. > :16:55.he is not too shabby with the rest. There are not many weaknesses. I am
:16:56. > :16:58.always amazed how good he is with the rest. He does not use them very
:16:59. > :17:14.often, does he? Possible back-to-back centuries. The
:17:15. > :17:40.Rocket is on fire. He will go ahead of Neil Robertson.
:17:41. > :17:52.This will be his ninth century. It is an absolute pleasure to watch.
:17:53. > :17:56.You feel for Barry Hawkins. But it is just tremendous snooker. The
:17:57. > :18:08.potting, the break-building, the safety, that has put lots of
:18:09. > :18:13.pressure on Barry Hawkins. The brown does not go in, but that will not
:18:14. > :18:25.matter to Ronnie. Disappointment once again for Barry Hawkins. The
:18:26. > :18:29.Rocket is skipping his depth. We are watching one of the great British
:18:30. > :18:33.sports men doing what he does best. Ronnie O'Sullivan in complete
:18:34. > :18:39.control against Barry Hawkins. It is turning out to be another nightmare
:18:40. > :18:43.for Barry Hawkins today. Ronnie O'Sullivan looking so impressive.
:18:44. > :18:48.There is another session this evening and scheduled for tomorrow.
:18:49. > :18:55.Whether we get that far, it does not seem much like it. The other match
:18:56. > :19:01.this afternoon is Neil Robertson taking on Mark Selby. It is a repeat
:19:02. > :19:02.of the UK championship final. Is this year going to be Mark Selby's
:19:03. > :19:19.year at the Crucible? Four cue action I would pick Shaun
:19:20. > :19:30.Murphy. He hits the ball as good as anyone on the tour. Ding Junhui has
:19:31. > :19:41.been a great break-builder. Neil Robertson. Ding Junhui when he makes
:19:42. > :19:52.his breaks, the white ball is never more than three or four inches
:19:53. > :19:57.behind the object ball. Steve Davis. Neil Robertson's temperament is
:19:58. > :20:06.great. You never know when he is winning or losing. He always gives
:20:07. > :20:19.it his all and his anger # hunger for the game. Shaun Murphy is very
:20:20. > :20:27.good with the rest. We are more or less the same age and in our junior
:20:28. > :20:35.days neither of us were that tall and we used to use it a lot. Mike
:20:36. > :20:40.Allen in the World Championships against Ronnie O'Sullivan. It is not
:20:41. > :20:47.easy to be Ronnie, but to beat him at the Crucible when it was only his
:20:48. > :20:51.first or second time. Stephen Hendry, the amount of times he used
:20:52. > :21:02.to do that when his back was against the wall. Ronnie O'Sullivan. Once he
:21:03. > :21:08.gets in front, he starts to steam-roll a bit and he is very hard
:21:09. > :21:13.to play. Ken Doherty gets his nickname, crafty Ken, for that
:21:14. > :21:20.reason, because he is very good at pinching the scrappy frames because
:21:21. > :21:24.of his awareness. Nods from Mark Selby for Neil
:21:25. > :21:45.Robertson. We pick it up in frame five.
:21:46. > :21:58.We did not see that coming. Look where the cue ball is. He has been
:21:59. > :22:28.rather fortunate. That red could have landed anywhere.
:22:29. > :23:01.That is a good shot. Watch the red. It covered everything, really. This
:23:02. > :23:05.is going to test Mark Selby. Going for the two cushion escape to flip
:23:06. > :23:08.off the red. Don't be surprised if he doesn't miss it on the first
:23:09. > :23:31.attempt. He has hit it too thick. That is why I thought he might miss
:23:32. > :23:38.it on the first attempt. Missing it is better than hitting it too thick
:23:39. > :23:40.like that. These two reds are available into the same pocket as
:23:41. > :24:15.the black. The fact the red has pulled up in
:24:16. > :24:26.time makes it a little easier to get on. I am wondering if Neal thought
:24:27. > :24:36.the blue was on its spot? Look at that to get that back spend. It is
:24:37. > :24:45.the perfect angle on the red to get on to the black.
:24:46. > :25:00.Can you believe it? It fooled Mark Selby early on in this match.
:25:01. > :25:05.On the other tables they have always been going in-off
:25:06. > :25:25.On the other tables they have always table does not accept it.
:25:26. > :25:41.I thought Neal was going to pinch this frame.
:25:42. > :25:49.It will be a pretty relieved Mark Selby who almost had this frame
:25:50. > :26:46.pinched from him. He will be mightily
:26:47. > :26:51.Selby. He looked as He will be mightily
:26:52. > :27:00.going to take the frame quite easily, but Neil Robertson had a
:27:01. > :27:05.chance until he missed that red. Mark Selby took the next two
:27:06. > :27:33.frames. We go into frame eight. There is no score.
:27:34. > :28:02.It needed to stop just about there. But we know the cube how he
:28:03. > :28:03.possesses. -- cue power. The pace to get into that pack just shows you
:28:04. > :29:07.the cue power. There is a very old saying, and I
:29:08. > :29:13.love that saying, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
:29:14. > :29:25.That is what Neil is doing. He is marching around the table at the
:29:26. > :30:23.moment. This is a massive frame for Robertson fans.
:30:24. > :30:32.He played that very nicely indeed. He can play for the one in the
:30:33. > :30:47.middle pocket. He has got three options here.
:30:48. > :31:00.He also had a glance at the two reds. He has got the angle to go
:31:01. > :31:08.straight into them again. He has got that easy red to play on.
:31:09. > :31:16.The only thing is, if he takes this red and decides to cannon into
:31:17. > :31:43.them, he has got no red as a bit of insurance. Maybe the plant is on.
:31:44. > :31:48.If he risks going into the reds here, he will have to get lots of
:31:49. > :31:51.top spin on the White to bring them into play. He is usually pretty good
:31:52. > :32:34.at this type of shot. Any closer and he could have pushed
:32:35. > :32:36.that but he played it well. What a time to produce your highest break
:32:37. > :32:51.of the match so far. He has got to give this is a bit of
:32:52. > :34:06.care and attention. The blue will put him 65 in front.
:34:07. > :34:16.Another red and colour after the blue would be enough.
:34:17. > :34:21.You hit the nail right on the head when the going gets tough, the tough
:34:22. > :34:58.get going. Just one more red needed. That is the frame safe. How many
:34:59. > :35:13.century breaks has Neil made this season? It could be 101 in a minute.
:35:14. > :35:27.Selby made 133 in frame for. -- friend four. To be fair, we have had
:35:28. > :35:31.everything in this session. We have had some fantastic tactical play
:35:32. > :35:37.that we have seen in the early part of the match. We saw that
:35:38. > :35:41.magnificent 133 from Mark Selby and now this. It is building up nicely
:35:42. > :36:03.and it is difficult to pick a winner from this.
:36:04. > :36:12.He had three or four great chances before he got the won last night.
:36:13. > :36:14.Stephen Hendry has made the most centuries at the Crucible. He made
:36:15. > :36:21.15 one year. centuries at the Crucible. He made
:36:22. > :36:48.Very well done, Neil Robinson. I think these boys will not have any
:36:49. > :36:57.problems sleeping this evening. A good night's rest and back again
:36:58. > :36:59.tomorrow afternoon. As you rightly say, Dennis, it has been a
:37:00. > :37:45.first-class session of snooker. What a fantastic session of snooker
:37:46. > :37:49.from these two players. They get a standing ovation for the first
:37:50. > :37:55.session. Selby takes a lead into the second session and that is by five
:37:56. > :37:59.frames to three. You get a feeling that one will go
:38:00. > :38:06.all the way at the Crucible. That is our live match when we return on BBC
:38:07. > :38:08.Two at one o'clock. For now, we are concentrating on this semifinal
:38:09. > :38:14.between Barry Hawkins and Ronnie O'Sullivan. O Sullivan is in
:38:15. > :38:15.complete control. Let's rejoin our commentary team of John Virgo and
:38:16. > :38:31.Dennis Taylor. Barry Hawkins breaks off. Still
:38:32. > :39:03.without a framing this session so far.
:39:04. > :39:12.Early on in this match, it was getting close to 20 minutes a frame,
:39:13. > :39:28.but Ronnie has just stepped it up a bit.
:39:29. > :39:37.The average shot time was 15 seconds for Ronnie in his previous match. I
:39:38. > :39:38.was in the studio and the practice area. Terry was in with Barry
:39:39. > :40:16.Hawkins. He was pretty relaxed. He was
:40:17. > :40:21.knocking balls than for fun in the practice area. Ronnie has been
:40:22. > :41:26.devastating so far in this session. A nice little rub of the yellow,
:41:27. > :41:27.leaving that cue ball tight. He has found himself a lot there, has
:41:28. > :41:43.Barry. Maybe that bump on the middle pocket
:41:44. > :41:48.may just have helped him. Having said that, the red on the extreme
:41:49. > :42:04.left of the table does go to the right corner.
:42:05. > :42:10.Well he has picked another gem out there and he has got the right angle
:42:11. > :42:15.on the yellow and he might be able to do something about the pink and
:42:16. > :42:23.reds or he could develop the black. He has got a couple of choices here.
:42:24. > :42:31.He will be trying to bring something into play here.
:42:32. > :42:52.We mentioned Steve Peters earlier. It is Doctor Steve Peters and he is
:42:53. > :42:57.a sports psychiatrist. He has been working with Ronnie for a couple of
:42:58. > :43:05.years. I do not think Ronnie will be bothered about missing that. He has
:43:06. > :43:10.done wonders for the Liverpool football team as well. And he is
:43:11. > :43:34.working with the England squad. He knows what he is about. A great man.
:43:35. > :44:03.Ronnie can get through to this red in the right corner.
:44:04. > :44:34.Did the referee not call a miss? They usually do. I didn't hear
:44:35. > :44:46.anything. Interesting, I did not hear anything
:44:47. > :45:04.called. He did call a miss. But there was no
:45:05. > :45:39.value in putting it back. If you are playing well, the ball is
:45:40. > :45:53.always seem to run in your favour. If you're struggling, the opposite.
:45:54. > :46:09.Like all sports, you can have all the ability in the world, if you do
:46:10. > :46:13.not get that little run on the ball, it is so difficult. You cannot
:46:14. > :46:19.beat a little bit of good fortune ball, it is so difficult. You cannot
:46:20. > :46:44.now and again. A bit like new on the old golf course!
:46:45. > :47:57.It shouldn't be a problem, getting this safe.
:47:58. > :48:00.Anything less than quarter ball should send this cue ball back to
:48:01. > :48:21.green and blue. He has left a cut in. If he takes
:48:22. > :48:23.this song, he could bring the black into play but he will have to get
:48:24. > :48:50.the pot. The white has cannoned the red
:48:51. > :48:59.instead up the table and not the black say. A shake of the head from
:49:00. > :49:01.Barry. Not even close. It is tough for him out there at the moment, no
:49:02. > :49:35.doubt about that. That is exactly what he has played
:49:36. > :49:46.for. The pink and black out of commission.
:49:47. > :49:58.You could see the pause at the end before he delivered the cue. That is
:49:59. > :50:15.the key. It looks easy but far from it.
:50:16. > :50:23.This is why I also enjoy watching Ronnie, the way he goes about this.
:50:24. > :50:27.With the two high-value colours, it is fascinating to see how he makes a
:50:28. > :50:39.break when they are a little awkward like this.
:50:40. > :50:45.Most of us think it is hard to win a frame from this position but you
:50:46. > :50:54.would not put anything past this man.
:50:55. > :50:59.APPLAUSE Yes, justified applause. A beautiful
:51:00. > :51:36.positioning shot. Slightly the wrong side of the blue.
:51:37. > :51:38.I think he loves the challenge of trying to make a break from this
:51:39. > :52:20.position. He did have half an eye on trying to
:52:21. > :52:26.bring the pink into play but could not make contact with the pink. When
:52:27. > :52:29.he has run out of position like this, he will drop his head and now
:52:30. > :52:48.concentrates on the next shot. Just making it so, so difficult for
:52:49. > :52:58.Barry Hawkins. There is a possible pot on here with
:52:59. > :53:14.the safety shot. That has cost him four points. He
:53:15. > :54:03.looks to the heavens. It is fraught with danger. I think
:54:04. > :54:07.the cue ball may run into the other reds. He could plate into the left
:54:08. > :54:16.corner but it will be close to the cushion.
:54:17. > :54:20.He knows if he makes one more mistake in this frame it could be
:54:21. > :54:37.his last. He tried to bring the lack into
:54:38. > :54:40.play. It was not a bad idea but he did not get the cue ball back to the
:54:41. > :54:46.baulk cushion as he would have liked. He was purposely trying to
:54:47. > :55:01.run the red into the black, which he did.
:55:02. > :55:26.He did go for the pot. Look at the cue ball once again.
:55:27. > :55:57.A possible pot for one E to go out with the safety in mind. -- 41 E.
:55:58. > :56:34.When you have been kept off the table, that 32 minutes and 25
:56:35. > :56:36.seconds and counting since his last pot, he will get a great cheer if
:56:37. > :56:50.this goes in. Well played. And he got a kick. Did you see how
:56:51. > :57:32.the white jumped in the air? He has lost nine frames in a row. I
:57:33. > :58:10.think everyone would love Barry to win a frame.
:58:11. > :58:19.STUDIO: That is where we have to leave you here on BBC Two now.
:58:20. > :58:22.Coverage carries on on connected televisions, computers and
:58:23. > :58:28.smartphones. But don't worry, we will be back at one o'clock with
:58:29. > :58:44.live coverage of Neil Robertson taking on Mark Selby. Goodbye.