:00:00. > :00:00.that, slightly. Well, he's looking at the balls and he knows that he's
:00:00. > :01:15.left the lot here. Has he got the angle? He needs to
:01:16. > :01:20.get near the circle to roll the yellow in and get on the green. He
:01:21. > :01:26.can't screw directly there, so he's going to have to be a bit careful.
:01:27. > :01:31.A little bit further up the table, he could have just screwed the blue
:01:32. > :01:35.in and got nicely on that. I mean, he could go between the
:01:36. > :01:39.brown and pink, but how accurate would that have to be?
:01:40. > :01:48.That's what he's done and he has hit the brown. It was the previous shot
:01:49. > :01:49.that was the poor one. He'll have to get the snooker in now between the
:01:50. > :03:06.green and brown. There's a little bit sticking out
:03:07. > :03:11.and, I am just wondering, if he hits this thin enough and misses the
:03:12. > :03:21.black, he would head back up the table.
:03:22. > :03:43.Off the cushion and this a pretty good.
:03:44. > :03:57.Oh, he is close. He is in. But I wonder, could it be a free ball? Now
:03:58. > :04:03.then, Brendan Orr will put the white right at the edge of the D. Just to
:04:04. > :04:14.check that he can hit both sides of it. No free ball. Great to see
:04:15. > :04:21.Brendan doing his first world final. One of the best referees we have in
:04:22. > :04:23.the game. And he is delighted. He has been talking about it for a
:04:24. > :04:41.while. Looks like he is playing the snooker
:04:42. > :04:47.the way he is cueing. I don't blame him for that at all. This wis the
:04:48. > :04:50.green being where it is, I think Ronnie can get through the gap of
:04:51. > :05:04.the green and the brown. Not bound to go right this one. So
:05:05. > :05:16.Selby has a chance now the win the frame.
:05:17. > :05:23.If he has the angle to screw this in anywhere near the white line or just
:05:24. > :05:32.short of it and he would be perfect on the green.
:05:33. > :06:35.He will be mighty relieved. And the parents delighted there.
:06:36. > :06:41.It was so important for Mark Selby to take this frame. He lost the
:06:42. > :06:50.first three and now he has won two in a row, but he still trails by one
:06:51. > :06:54.frame. It is 3-2 to Ronnie. A reminder of the situation in the
:06:55. > :07:00.world rankings now. Snooker is changing to a money list this season
:07:01. > :07:06.coming from a points list. So it is Ding Junhui, Neil Robertson having
:07:07. > :07:12.lost in the semi final last night gives up the number one shot to Ding
:07:13. > :07:16.Junhui. But he could be overhauled were Mark Selby to win this final.
:07:17. > :07:23.He would go back to world number one. Ronnie O'Sullivan can go up to
:07:24. > :07:32.number three and he would be ?132 behind Neil Robertson. They have
:07:33. > :07:37.already added the ?125,000 for Mark and Ronnie for having to got to this
:07:38. > :07:43.final. You can see, Ronnie was world ranked number 33, shooting up this
:07:44. > :07:51.new system. This will make a massive difference to the way players pick
:07:52. > :07:55.and choose your events. Yes, It suits players like Ronnie, they can
:07:56. > :07:59.play in the bigger events without having a lot of pressure to go to
:08:00. > :08:04.the smaller vents. That will help the players down the list, because
:08:05. > :08:08.what happens is those players that are struggling for money won't be
:08:09. > :08:12.running into people like Ronnie O'Sullivan in the first round. It
:08:13. > :08:16.has a knock on effect. So it is good for everyone. Do you think it is a
:08:17. > :08:22.good move? I think it is brilliant. For the top players they can pick
:08:23. > :08:28.and choose what they do. You can see from that money list what a
:08:29. > :08:34.brilliant job they have done, there is plenty of players making a lots
:08:35. > :08:41.of money. Well done, it is a proper circuit now. A few years ago we only
:08:42. > :08:47.had six ranking tournaments. Now there will be almost 30. It is a
:08:48. > :08:51.full-time job now. They have done a remarkable job. The next move will
:08:52. > :08:53.be make it a one year list that comes in line with other sports.
:08:54. > :09:03.That could well happen. Mark Selby breaking off in frame
:09:04. > :09:18.six. A chance to get it back to 3-3. The key thing is he has now got a
:09:19. > :10:04.foot hold in the match. He could have done without the kiss
:10:05. > :10:10.on the green. He has left Ronnie a possible pot to the middle and he
:10:11. > :10:37.can get himself up on to the black. Just looking at the situation.
:10:38. > :10:44.In two shots time, as we show you this terrific pot, but look how he
:10:45. > :10:48.controlled the cue ball. The red at the back of the bunch is available.
:10:49. > :11:01.If he gets on that in such a way he can pot it and go into the bunch.
:11:02. > :11:06.He has to make sure he doesn't finish on the cushion when he splits
:11:07. > :11:18.the reds. Only really developed one red. One
:11:19. > :11:37.black, two reds. Oh, this red goes at the left of the
:11:38. > :11:47.bunch. And he is going to go into them again here.
:11:48. > :11:54.He has left himself a delicate one here. He hadn't got the angle to
:11:55. > :11:56.push through them, Willie, because he would have stuck on the reds on
:11:57. > :12:11.that occasion. No, stretching, he was stretching a
:12:12. > :12:17.bit there. And Mark's left with a situation here, as we show you the
:12:18. > :12:23.stretch and put it on the near jaw. If he gets on the black here, if
:12:24. > :12:26.Mark Selby gets on the black in such a way he can pot the black and then
:12:27. > :12:53.scatter those reds. He is a bit unlucky for the white.
:12:54. > :12:58.It is checked back as well. It was coming towards the blue and then
:12:59. > :13:02.with all the side it took off the baulk cushion and checked back. That
:13:03. > :13:09.is very unlucky. Just watch this. He gets so much side it has hit this
:13:10. > :13:11.cushion and the natural angle, well, the side I just brought it towards
:13:12. > :13:27.the green. I think he has played a good safety
:13:28. > :13:33.shot there. I don't think he can get through to the potting angle of any
:13:34. > :13:38.red and he has covered the right-hand side. The middle one will
:13:39. > :13:56.pot. But he can't avoid the cannon on the black.
:13:57. > :14:05.That is one of the best alternatives I have ever seen. What a shot he has
:14:06. > :14:09.pulled out there! OK, look where the cue ball's finished, but talk about
:14:10. > :14:11.a shot to nothing. What a pot. But if he had have missed it, look where
:14:12. > :14:39.the white was. He needs to get to grips with this
:14:40. > :15:03.match again. If he is straight he can run through for the black.
:15:04. > :15:16.Nicely played that. This is where the game can be so tough. You have
:15:17. > :15:22.to sit in your seat and you're the one who has opened all the reds up
:15:23. > :15:32.and you watch your opponent pot the balls you brought into play.
:15:33. > :15:35.He opened all those reds up, but he was unfortunate for the white to go
:15:36. > :15:59.up the other end of the table. Like all the top break builders are,
:16:00. > :16:05.it is probably up there with the best of all time, all those kisses
:16:06. > :16:09.they play to slow the cue ball down. The next four or five blacks don't
:16:10. > :17:17.seem a problem. A quick glance at the score board to
:17:18. > :17:18.see how many he needs. Another two or three pots should secure the
:17:19. > :17:29.frame. I think an important frame for
:17:30. > :17:45.Ronnie to stop the mini-come back. Because Mark was getting stronger.
:17:46. > :17:50.The best thing you can do is keep your opponent in his seat when he is
:17:51. > :18:04.hitting top form again. Yellow's the only ball he can pot
:18:05. > :18:06.here. He is 55 in front. So if he pots the yellow, he still needs one
:18:07. > :18:19.more red. He knew the pink or blue would leave
:18:20. > :18:34.Mark needing a snooker. Safely in. And this looks pretty
:18:35. > :18:42.good, unless he lands tight on this red. No, he is fine. Good shot with
:18:43. > :18:58.the rest. Yes it was important. Waiting for the cue ball to be
:18:59. > :19:02.cleaned. It is amazing how good Ronnie is with the rest. He plays
:19:03. > :20:04.most of his shots left-handed. This time he has lost the cue ball.
:20:05. > :20:08.He tried to leave an angle on the red.
:20:09. > :20:15.Well no century this time, but Ronnie O'Sullivan has established a
:20:16. > :20:22.two-frame lead. More than enough to take him into that two-frame lead at
:20:23. > :20:27.4-2. So much composure and calmness. The old unpredictability of the past
:20:28. > :20:32.seems to be a thing of the past! He just looks in control and willing to
:20:33. > :20:38.fight when things don't go his way. He was buzzing around the table and
:20:39. > :20:42.it was an important frame. A couple of lambses -- lapses of
:20:43. > :20:47.concentration. He steadied the ship. The opening red, when he was in
:20:48. > :20:51.trouble, there is no doubt. Look at this shot. He was in trouble,
:20:52. > :20:59.because he can't see the reds on the right. He picks out the shot and the
:21:00. > :21:02.lads in commentary were baffled. Two frames in a row where he took on
:21:03. > :21:09.something we didn't see and wouldn't have expected him to go for. And you
:21:10. > :21:16.have to get enough on it and not too much. He will be delighted to get
:21:17. > :21:20.that. He should have been 4-0 at the interval and it was important to
:21:21. > :21:26.re-establish himself. Ronnie said Mark is the best competitor on the
:21:27. > :21:31.tour. He must be mindful of his fighting capabilities. Yes they say
:21:32. > :21:36.when you're behind you never give up. But when you're ahead you never
:21:37. > :21:41.let up. He is trying to enforce that every time he gets in he wants to
:21:42. > :21:45.win the frame in one visit and keep Mark Selby under pressure. Mark
:21:46. > :21:52.Selby is one of the toughest match players you will ever see. And not
:21:53. > :21:56.short of self belief. He has been. He said he looked confidence. Right
:21:57. > :22:03.now. Not at the moment now. But the difference when Ronnie is he is
:22:04. > :22:13.scoring and winning in one visit. He is clinical so far.
:22:14. > :22:27.Two more frames to be played in this first session.
:22:28. > :22:35.This looks as if it could be a snooker. Not that he was playing to
:22:36. > :22:54.get up behind the green. He was playing for the cushion.
:22:55. > :22:58.The crowd really do get involved here at the Crucible. They were all
:22:59. > :23:16.urging that white on. It is a fabulous theatre. We keep
:23:17. > :23:24.saying it, but coming here since 1977. It would be a brave map who
:23:25. > :23:28.made the decision to take snooker away from the Crucible. And if
:23:29. > :23:33.you're a fan, once before you consider not watching any snooker,
:23:34. > :23:42.you must come to the Crucible to see that atmosphere.
:23:43. > :23:50.I was except Taiting on an -- commentating on an earlier match and
:23:51. > :23:57.Mark Allen was talk about that he said he won if World Championship --
:23:58. > :23:59.the World Championship he would want to win it here and not anywhere
:24:00. > :24:14.else. Well tinge crowd know that was
:24:15. > :24:18.nowhere near. -- well, I think the crowd knew that was nowhere near.
:24:19. > :24:28.There is no point in putting this back.
:24:29. > :24:55.He is one of the best in the game at that type of shot, isn't he? If that
:24:56. > :25:02.shot was eight hours again it would have gone in when he was playing
:25:03. > :25:05.Robertson. It is such a high standard of play. I think sometimes
:25:06. > :25:10.you can probably expect to pot them a bit too much. He is on such a high
:25:11. > :25:14.as he went to bed last night and probably didn't sleep very well. You
:25:15. > :25:18.come back and expect to knock everything in. Well, it is a
:25:19. > :26:28.brand-new day. Foul and a miss. Could be a free
:26:29. > :26:35.ball this. Free ball. So if Ronnie wanted, he could pot, well you would
:26:36. > :26:40.think the brown would be the easiest pot as his free ball. He would get
:26:41. > :27:13.one point for that and play himself on to a colour.
:27:14. > :27:22.He stunned it in, if he rolled the brown in he could have left the red
:27:23. > :27:27.to the left of the pink. That was an example of how you can beat a 147
:27:28. > :27:37.break with a free ball at the start of a frame. Jamie Burnett from
:27:38. > :27:51.Scotland made a break of 148. That is how he achieved it.
:27:52. > :27:57.He would have loved to have played that safety shot thicker. If he
:27:58. > :28:01.plays it harder he would have pushed the red over the corner. That is the
:28:02. > :28:30.why he played it very thin. He hasn't got the best of whites.
:28:31. > :28:37.He might just have got away with this. I don't know whether that red
:28:38. > :28:40.cuts into the middle. It is quite a thin one. Mark is looking at it, but
:28:41. > :29:02.I think it is too thin. This what is happened. He hit it
:29:03. > :29:11.coming back and not intended. But that red just kept on going.
:29:12. > :29:22.It mustn't cut in, because Mark would already have played it.
:29:23. > :29:31.From here it looks like it does. Let's have a look with Hawk-Eye. I
:29:32. > :29:37.know it is very thin. He is not going to play it. He is looking at
:29:38. > :30:21.an alternative safety. He has taken over a minute studying this.
:30:22. > :30:28.You have to give Mark congratulations. Oh, thifs is
:30:29. > :30:33.rolling up -- this is rolling up a bit! Well, how costly is that going
:30:34. > :30:40.to be, he is on the the red at the back of the bunch. Let's look at
:30:41. > :30:44.this again. It looks OK there. Maybe just drifted a fraction. But maybe
:30:45. > :30:52.he got a slight bit of unwanted side.
:30:53. > :30:59.That is nicely controlled. The only thing is does the black go on its
:31:00. > :31:04.spot. He is looking there. If not. I don't think the pink spot's
:31:05. > :31:06.available. That is a bit tight. The referee will have to get his ball
:31:07. > :31:19.marker out and check that. You can't have it checked before you
:31:20. > :31:25.pot the colour. You have to use your discretion. He will be hoping it
:31:26. > :31:37.won't go on the spot. There is loads of room.
:31:38. > :31:45.Similar to Ronnie a few frames ago, he will be looking at getting the
:31:46. > :31:47.angle on the blue and there is a plant on the two reds to the back of
:31:48. > :32:06.the pack. Wouldn't mind this going on the
:32:07. > :32:07.brown spot and he can take an extra seven points where it being up
:32:08. > :32:38.there. Just looking at that pack, he
:32:39. > :32:42.already glanced at it a few shots ago.
:32:43. > :32:49.There might be a red that will hit another red and go towards this
:32:50. > :32:58.right corner pocket. That is what he is looking at now. If I hit this
:32:59. > :33:12.hard, would it plant a red off. Those three reds.
:33:13. > :33:17.Well, he didn't quite get that as he intended.
:33:18. > :33:27.A bit unlucky to finish there once he hit the cannon. He hit it full-on
:33:28. > :34:08.but it seemed to just stick on that red.
:34:09. > :34:20.REFEREE: Foul. Mark Selby, four. Mark just getting the better of the
:34:21. > :34:25.tactical exchanges at the moment. He had to play that with a lot of side
:34:26. > :34:36.but just caught it a bit thicker than he intended.
:34:37. > :34:43.I think if we get a few tactical frames, I think Mark may come out on
:34:44. > :34:47.top on those. I know Ronnie is one of the best safety players in the
:34:48. > :34:53.game but he likes to get in amongst the balls and get on with it but at
:34:54. > :35:00.the moment Mark's quite content for the games to be a little awkward.
:35:01. > :35:04.Yes, just before that mistake in the previous frame I was about to say
:35:05. > :35:08.you have to give credit to Mark Selby, struggling out there at the
:35:09. > :35:15.moment and having that high break earlier of 37, a slight chance now,
:35:16. > :35:23.a chance of getting back to 3-4. -- 4-3. He needs to play this a bit
:35:24. > :35:29.powerfully T only pots off the left-hand jaw. -- it only pots off
:35:30. > :35:31.the left-hand jaw. Not a lot of room there. He is probably not guaranteed
:35:32. > :35:46.getting the right side of the blue. I tell you what, Willie, that shot
:35:47. > :35:50.he potted in the pocket, there was very little room for it to go. We
:35:51. > :35:52.see the cue ball head on to the cushion, the last place he wanted
:35:53. > :36:04.it. That would only just go and he
:36:05. > :36:11.hammered it in. Great judgment but this is difficult.
:36:12. > :36:17.Very difficult. It was the shot before, Denis, the blue. Somebody of
:36:18. > :36:20.Mark's class, he would have been distraught to see that cue ball
:36:21. > :36:51.glued to the cushion. This is the blue Willie was talking
:36:52. > :36:58.about. He played it with topspin. A lot of margin for error. The last
:36:59. > :36:59.place he wanted to see it finish. Meanwhile Ronnie is having it take
:37:00. > :37:11.the more difficult pink. -- to take the more difficult pink.
:37:12. > :37:18.Now, then, a little ragged this frame. Only one colour on its spot,
:37:19. > :37:23.the black. Is this a plant? No, no plant. Well, that's even tighter
:37:24. > :37:27.than the previous one, Willie. I was was going to say exactly that. It
:37:28. > :37:31.looks identical. Obviously a different place but he can certainly
:37:32. > :37:35.see as much of the pocket as he did on the previous one. He hammered
:37:36. > :37:39.that in but this is further away from the cue ball. Where is the
:37:40. > :37:41.position? He will have to screw back off the reds and get up towards the
:37:42. > :38:00.pink. It was all about the pot. Another
:38:01. > :38:04.cracking pot. A lot of people in the Crucible here couldn't see how tight
:38:05. > :38:09.that was. They may have looked at the television screens. Almost
:38:10. > :38:19.identical to the previous pot, wasn't it?
:38:20. > :38:50.If he was straight on the red he could drop it in and leave the pink.
:38:51. > :38:58.That's one instance where the kick probably helped it slightly. It took
:38:59. > :39:03.the pace out of the cue ball. You don't mind. Not often you say that.
:39:04. > :39:09.I have never seen a good kick before but that was one. Not too sure
:39:10. > :39:17.whether he has a good angle on the pink. He can screw back off the two
:39:18. > :39:19.cushions to get to the red that's nearest his hand. That's what he has
:39:20. > :39:31.played. Watch the cue ball. He wanted to go around the back of
:39:32. > :39:35.it and he did. This is why I call him sat-nav Selby. Look at that,
:39:36. > :39:45.finding the way around the back of that red.
:39:46. > :39:55.Well, he was intending to kiss the black away there. If that had worked
:39:56. > :40:00.it might have been a way to win the frame. A thin clip on the brown,
:40:01. > :40:03.that's probably a good a choice as anything, isn't it? it? P good to
:40:04. > :40:55.me. This is the shot where he was trying
:40:56. > :40:57.that delicate cannon there. Is old Hawk-Eye again. One of these days he
:40:58. > :41:13.will mess up. Well, look at that for a pot. What a
:41:14. > :41:15.great pot it was. He knew if he knocked this in, he would get Ronnie
:41:16. > :41:35.in all sorts of trouble. He needed to get as close as
:41:36. > :41:39.possible leaving Ronnie no cushions. . He will play the one directly
:41:40. > :41:42.behind the black off the three curbs but if he kisses it half ball he'll
:41:43. > :41:55.leave the red along the cushion. Didn't go anywhere near where he
:41:56. > :42:13.wanted it to then. REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Mark Selby, four.
:42:14. > :42:19.I think he is just looking to see if he could hit. He definitely could
:42:20. > :42:30.hit the line. Maybe my first line is a little bit out.
:42:31. > :42:35.He is looking at the spot where he hit. My first part of the line is
:42:36. > :42:40.slightly out but that's what he is after and as Willie said, if he
:42:41. > :42:42.doesn't catch the red correctly, he'll leave the other red. So he
:42:43. > :42:59.will have to be absolutely spot-on. REFEREE: Foul and miss. If he misses
:43:00. > :43:26.it next time, he'll need snookers. Can he make the adjustment. Let's
:43:27. > :43:30.have a look. Somewhere there with a little bit more side would get him
:43:31. > :43:34.there? He has done the same again, I think. If it runs on - oh, it is
:43:35. > :43:39.going to be the black, if it reaches. As you said, Willy, and it
:43:40. > :43:48.is a free ball, by the looks of it. REFEREE: Foul. Mark Selby four. Not
:43:49. > :43:50.even a free ball. Maybe not. Maybe he can hit the red closest to the
:43:51. > :44:08.corner pocket but... He couldn't have the balls replaced,
:44:09. > :44:13.because he now needs snookers. He has taken the option of putting
:44:14. > :44:16.Ronnie back into play from there. I am I'm surprised Mark put it back
:44:17. > :44:50.into bat there. Should Mark go on to win this frame,
:44:51. > :44:56.it would be 4-3 and he still hasn't made a break-up of 37. Amazing. He
:44:57. > :45:04.hasn't won this frame yet because he could be snookered here.
:45:05. > :45:18.It's OK, but he wanted to get tight in behind the green and yellow.
:45:19. > :45:22.There is an easy escape route for Mark Selby. Although looking at
:45:23. > :45:25.things, he has to be careful he doesn't leave Ronnie in amongst the
:45:26. > :45:29.reds because if he can take three reds, three blacks, he is right back
:45:30. > :45:32.in this frame, he only needs one snooker. I mean there is no way he
:45:33. > :45:47.is going to not escape from this. 'S concerned he doesn't leave Ronnie
:45:48. > :46:01.the chance to pot the three reds and blacks .
:46:02. > :46:07.He doesn't necessarily have to get all blacks. He could take a pink
:46:08. > :46:42.with one of these reds which is what he has played for.
:46:43. > :46:59.I have a funny feeling he tried to bring the black into play there.
:47:00. > :47:05.48 behind. 43 on the table. That means he now needs two snookers.
:47:06. > :47:07.That was why it was so important that he got the black into play when
:47:08. > :47:27.he tried to just flick it out. Just reckoning the score up but he
:47:28. > :47:29.definitely needs two snookers, if he pots the pink. The frame is over if
:47:30. > :48:11.he misses this. And as has been said - "There's
:48:12. > :48:15.always a gap." And because of that gap, Denis, he can possibly get the
:48:16. > :48:28.white in behind green and yellow, here.
:48:29. > :48:37.No, he couldn't see all of t the right-handside of it. Ronnie
:48:38. > :48:42.reluctant to pot the red because it is not easy to get safe from there.
:48:43. > :48:50.Two snookers needed and he with a like to keep the red on.
:48:51. > :49:16.He needs to get right up close to the yellow if he takes the red on.
:49:17. > :49:21.He is' decided to do that, it doesn't matter if he takes the pink,
:49:22. > :49:23.he still only needs two snookers. So important he gets the cue ball where
:49:24. > :49:45.he wants to here. Well a little wry smile as he walked
:49:46. > :49:47.away, he knew he mis-hit it. But they weren't in a perfect position,
:49:48. > :50:08.the yellow and green, as they were. APPLAUSE
:50:09. > :50:13.It's been a rather awkward frame this. A lot of tactical play because
:50:14. > :50:20.of the play the balls were. Ronnie is just having a think but you would
:50:21. > :50:25.expect him to concede. REFEREE: And the frame. Mark Selby's highest
:50:26. > :50:31.break is still only 37 but he is playing good match snooker out
:50:32. > :50:32.there. He is just one behind, 4-3 to Ronnie O'Sullivan.
:50:33. > :50:36.? STUDIO: A very important last frame
:50:37. > :50:40.coming up of this session. I can assure you, it won't be a slow
:50:41. > :50:43.frame. One of the reasons why it won't, Ronnie O'Sullivan is a
:50:44. > :50:48.catalyst in making frames quick. If we look at this bit of analysis of
:50:49. > :50:53.Ronnie O'Sullivan playing a safety shot from earlier on in that frame
:50:54. > :50:56.and that was a scrappy frame. If you remember going back in the frame,
:50:57. > :51:01.Mark Selby tried to come off the side Cousin and left the cue ball
:51:02. > :51:04.short a foul and a miss. What can Ronnie O'Sullivan do? Well, he can
:51:05. > :51:09.put him back again, that slows things down, or, what he could do is
:51:10. > :51:12.play the thin safety shot off the side of the pack. Cue ball down the
:51:13. > :51:18.table into that area. Also, just shifting a few reds, not too far t
:51:19. > :51:23.wouldn't disturb the pack that much. But what Ronnie O'Sullivan did, was
:51:24. > :51:27.an aggressive safety shot, trying it make something happen, splitting the
:51:28. > :51:32.reds as quickly as he could. In this instance, he left Mark Selby a pot.
:51:33. > :51:38.But it forces the issue, makes his opponents go for shots, opens the
:51:39. > :51:43.reds up and makes the game more attacking.
:51:44. > :51:49.I couldn't agree with Steve more, that's the way Ronnie O'Sullivan
:51:50. > :51:53.likes to play. But to win three frames with a high break of 37,
:51:54. > :51:58.shows you what a great match player Mark Selby is. We know he has a
:51:59. > :52:01.chance to level at 4-4. Can you imagine that, O'Sullivan has
:52:02. > :52:25.dominated the session and Selby could come out 4-4. It might happen.
:52:26. > :52:31.He had to play that with quite a bit of right-handside. It probably
:52:32. > :52:34.caused him to miss the pot but he had to make sure he got around the
:52:35. > :53:10.back of the black and reds. They are the ones he was potting
:53:11. > :53:13.virtually every time last night. He knows the red above the black pots.
:53:14. > :53:24.That was a good pot. 9'3" the total length and right into
:53:25. > :53:39.that pocket. Too hard. End of break. I think he
:53:40. > :53:43.thought he might just cannon that red there, the way he was looking
:53:44. > :53:47.and he would have been on that red that you mentioned, to the right of
:53:48. > :53:56.the black. But it slipped past the red he was hoping to cannon.
:53:57. > :54:06.That angle he did take, if he play was more pace he can come off the
:54:07. > :54:11.cushion to that. He must have slightly misjudged the cannon there,
:54:12. > :54:14.or the angle it took. Once again a very poor safety from Mark. He
:54:15. > :54:23.hasn't got anywhere near the baulk cushion. He found the baulk cushion
:54:24. > :54:26.nearly every shot as did Robertson yesterday. All of a sudden Ronnie
:54:27. > :54:55.has now gone to sleep a little. Concerned about pushing a red over,
:54:56. > :54:59.as you can see, you can see what happens. Steve was talking about the
:55:00. > :55:03.way Ronnie plays thick safety shots. Ronnie would be playing the red at
:55:04. > :55:08.the top of the pack. Mark is taking the thin one on, which, of course,
:55:09. > :55:12.hardly moves anything into play. Once again, he has caught a baulk
:55:13. > :55:17.colour much this is very unlike Selby. It really is.
:55:18. > :55:25.He has done so well to win three frames, the way he has played.
:55:26. > :55:33.Well, he is looking at a shot, if he takes it on, there is a pot but such
:55:34. > :55:38.a small gap to go through. I think he'll settle for the safety but
:55:39. > :55:42.sometimes when he gets in a mood, he is lacking at it now. No, he is
:55:43. > :55:50.playing a thin safety, I think, surely.
:55:51. > :55:54.But, he did look at a very, very difficult shot. I think that's a
:55:55. > :56:10.better choice. His focus throughout throughout this
:56:11. > :56:16.year's World Championship, I can't remember him playing a bad shot.
:56:17. > :56:20.Sometimes he takes shots he shouldn't really have taken on, he
:56:21. > :56:23.hasn't done that and that's why he is here going for his hat-trick of
:56:24. > :56:45.world titles. That's not the best, much too thick
:56:46. > :56:47.on that one. It might be another awkward frame. Look at the back with
:56:48. > :57:00.those four reds there. If he takes this up into the corner,
:57:01. > :57:06.this will be a test of his cueing. It looks to be just off straight. He
:57:07. > :57:15.needs to push that cue through in a fairly straight line.
:57:16. > :57:26.No! Maybe somebody upstairs in the champions lounge, watching that
:57:27. > :57:34.shot. If that red had of went across the cushion and in, that was how the
:57:35. > :57:45.first maximum shot was made at the Crucible by Cilff Thorburn. He
:57:46. > :57:48.created history after that. Maybe lost a bit of focus at the moment.
:57:49. > :57:55.This is the last frame of this session. As we said earlier, if Mark
:57:56. > :57:59.Selby gets out of this 4-4, he will be absolutely over the moon. Yes, if
:58:00. > :58:03.he can pot this, he will play into the bunch of reds. OK, there is no
:58:04. > :58:08.need to bring reds into play. But play it firm, bring them into play.
:58:09. > :58:12.The play has had a commission, there is every chance it hit on a pink or
:58:13. > :58:20.baulk colour. If he plays it with side to get a gap, he makes the pot
:58:21. > :58:24.harder. Playing side, it is straight into that bunch. That's what he has
:58:25. > :58:31.done and it is unlucky. It was worth the risk. It really was and he knows
:58:32. > :58:35.it. But now, Denis, how does he get safe? Well, I think he is going to
:58:36. > :58:37.have to just play - well, the red has gone up the other end of the
:58:38. > :58:49.table. It's the worst-possible outcome. To
:58:50. > :58:53.land on a colour with the red up the other end of the table makes it
:58:54. > :58:59.difficult and if he played to land on the blue, he would leave a pot to
:59:00. > :59:03.the right, corner pocket. He could maybe run to the black but he would
:59:04. > :59:05.need a lot of help to reach it, to bridge over those four reds. That's
:59:06. > :59:18.what he is thinking about now. If he tries to come off the side
:59:19. > :59:24.cushion and hit the yellow, he has the red up the other end of the
:59:25. > :59:27.table he can leave. What a situation that Mark Selby is faced with, here
:59:28. > :59:36.. If anyone can find his way out of a
:59:37. > :59:39.situation like this, you would have to say it is Mark Selby, but how is
:59:40. > :59:59.he going to do it? If he could land full ball on the
:00:00. > :00:04.green, he could do that. So he is going to have to play this with lots
:00:05. > :00:12.of side. If he slips past it, he leaves the red.
:00:13. > :00:21.It's a great attempt. He has still left a possible pot, though. He was
:00:22. > :00:26.trying to get it right on top of the green there, full ball and this red
:00:27. > :00:32.wouldn't have been available for Ronnie. The same scenario, he had no
:00:33. > :00:36.option but to play into the bunch of reds into the pink, Ronnie, if he
:00:37. > :00:37.takes this on, has no option but to play into the three reds near the
:00:38. > :00:50.black. Testy moments for him, he has not
:00:51. > :00:55.been doing well. Has he got good fortune? Not this time.
:00:56. > :01:09.I think ECU at the yellow. The red won't be in his way. -- he can cue
:01:10. > :01:10.at the yellow. -- this is just as difficult as the red he has knocked
:01:11. > :01:31.in. At first glance, where he has
:01:32. > :01:35.finished is not that bad. A red to the right of the black cuts in. The
:01:36. > :01:41.one near the left corner is difficult with the rest. He had a
:01:42. > :01:47.bit of a result there, had Ronnie. This is the result that Denis was
:01:48. > :01:52.talking about. Once you miss a yellow, you are entitled to miss the
:01:53. > :02:13.red on but Ronnie has just gone into his shot at the moment, struggling.
:02:14. > :02:22.. I can only presume Mark Selby can stun this in and finish on the pink.
:02:23. > :02:35.A tough pot. The cut looks as easy as this one.
:02:36. > :02:49.Where is the red going? Right over the hole. He has left it.
:02:50. > :02:58.Not a straightforward positional shot as we show you that red almost
:02:59. > :03:01.go into the pot he attempted. To get away from that angle with the cue
:03:02. > :03:08.ball, he has to get mrentedive action on this.
:03:09. > :03:18.He has -- plenty of action on this. And he has, I can tell you. To get
:03:19. > :03:23.that white up there after that was excellent.
:03:24. > :03:29.The pause and then delivering the cue, there is not a great deal of
:03:30. > :04:04.players that can create that amount of cue power to play that shot.
:04:05. > :04:12.He will concentrate on pink and blue for a few shots. He is going through
:04:13. > :04:35.a spell where he has not got complete control of the cue ball.
:04:36. > :04:42.Just using the reds to try and slow the cue ball down. But he is faced
:04:43. > :04:56.with a tricky one. It still pots though.
:04:57. > :05:09.That is good from that position. Awkward cueing and to judge that
:05:10. > :05:19.cutback, he has given himself a great chance now.
:05:20. > :05:25.Over two days, four sessions, you set yourself targets, you want to
:05:26. > :05:44.win the little mini-sessions 3-1. The chance is there for Ronnie to
:05:45. > :06:00.get out of this with a 5-3 advantage.
:06:01. > :06:09.It is not a straight forward run to the winning line in this frame. That
:06:10. > :06:10.little triangle of reds, well one at the back will be available
:06:11. > :06:23.eventually. A nice little cannon here when
:06:24. > :07:01.potting the pink will develop both these reds.
:07:02. > :07:08.There is a 10% difference in the pot success rate, because Mark's not
:07:09. > :07:18.been scoring heavily at all when he gets in the balls. If you said after
:07:19. > :07:26.eight breaks you would only make one break over 30.
:07:27. > :07:42.Can you believe that? A chance to get back level at 4-4 going into
:07:43. > :07:55.tonight's session. I don't think anyone seen that coming.
:07:56. > :08:04.Now he has got an angle on the pink here.
:08:05. > :08:13.He can play for red at the back next to the black. Well, he has finished
:08:14. > :08:20.on that one. In fact it has flicked the black out.
:08:21. > :08:30.He could finish on the black here possibly. All of a sudden, the roles
:08:31. > :08:54.are reversed here. Ronnie O'Sullivan can just sit and,
:08:55. > :09:00.well, he is helping that something can go wrong.
:09:01. > :09:07.But Mark Selby looks fully focussed. He didn't expect this chaps and he
:09:08. > :09:15.is going -- chance and he is going to grab it here.
:09:16. > :09:25.No problem getting on that red. That is to the right of the cue ball.
:09:26. > :09:34.He would like to leave an angle on this red to screw up for the blue or
:09:35. > :09:53.baulk colour off this last red and he has got that.
:09:54. > :09:59.Has he got the correct angle to screw back? He is going to miss the
:10:00. > :10:09.middle pocket. Watch the white hen it hits the
:10:10. > :10:14.cushion. Oh, this is a great shot. Needs to pull up. He has maybe hit
:10:15. > :10:23.it too well. He has hit it too well. That is amazing. Amazing. So another
:10:24. > :10:28.twist to this final frame. I'm surprised he could pot the pink and
:10:29. > :10:34.hit the cushion. Look at the angle on the pink. He could only get two
:10:35. > :10:41.inches past the jaws of middle pocket.
:10:42. > :10:47.He got too much reverse side on to that. What a shot he is faced with
:10:48. > :11:08.here. That is the all he could do with
:11:09. > :11:16.this one. The highest break of the match so far and it is only 38.
:11:17. > :11:29.Could he get out of this session 4-4?
:11:30. > :11:47.He nearly pushed that red on and left a straight pot for the middle.
:11:48. > :12:10.How is the length with this? Looks pretty good.
:12:11. > :12:23.There was always room around the back of that. Mark will have this
:12:24. > :12:32.replaced. I think the green was on its spot. It might have been just
:12:33. > :12:45.off the spot. Yeah, just below the spot there. Looks pretty good.
:12:46. > :12:51.That red is far away enough from the cushion to make this not a straight
:12:52. > :13:04.forward escape. Well, he will settle for the
:13:05. > :13:06.outcome. You never really know where they're going to go, but that will
:13:07. > :13:26.do nicely, thank you very much. It is a very difficult safety shot,
:13:27. > :13:30.because the double-kiss is on. Why would you play this? Would you play
:13:31. > :13:37.it thick and leave the white at this end? If he plays the thin one, he
:13:38. > :13:42.can send it across and back over behind the black. But he would have
:13:43. > :13:47.to be so accurate to that, because he could cannon into the ink. --
:13:48. > :13:48.pink. I think the red is just slightly off the cushion. So he will
:13:49. > :14:08.have to be spot on with this. Oh, he has got the double-kiss.
:14:09. > :14:13.Where is the red going? Well, absolutely amazing. What a fluke!
:14:14. > :14:27.You could hear the clears from the Selby supporters and the groans from
:14:28. > :14:34.the Ronnie O'Sullivan supporters. It is amazing, the tension of a final
:14:35. > :14:36.frame of a session, amazing. Mark maybe should have given himself a
:14:37. > :14:56.few more seconds there. If he had been playing really great
:14:57. > :15:02.that would have cost him the frame, he would have been more distraught.
:15:03. > :15:10.The fact he has got out of this session, if Ronnie clears, by only
:15:11. > :15:21.losing five frames. It is hard to put it into perspective.
:15:22. > :15:34.He will be pleased with 5-3. Luckily the black is where it is.
:15:35. > :15:44.Rrn started brilliantly, breaks of 69 and 102.
:15:45. > :15:53.He will be pleased now to have won the third session by two frames.
:15:54. > :16:03.Mark Selby got back into the match, but he still trails by 5-3. What a
:16:04. > :16:08.first session of this year's final. And we are just drawing breath,
:16:09. > :16:13.because for all of his brilliance early on, he only manages to come
:16:14. > :16:18.out two frames in front. That was a fighting performance from Selby. Yes
:16:19. > :16:23.and that is way he can beat Ronnie. He is not going to outpot him or
:16:24. > :16:29.outbreak-build him. But he can get to him. He has called him the
:16:30. > :16:36.torture in the past. But how crucial will that ball be? At 4 will have 4,
:16:37. > :16:49.he would -- at 4-4, he would have been so happy to be 4 will have -4.
:16:50. > :16:58.He will still be happy. I don't so. I said if he got out of it 5-3 he
:16:59. > :17:02.would be happy, but he has missed a sitter. You would have offered him
:17:03. > :17:08.5-3 and he would have gone yeah, but I think he will be kicking himself.
:17:09. > :17:15.We naught it was a runaway, Ronnie 3-0 up, but this could be a proper
:17:16. > :17:19.test. Well that frame swings it back into Ronnie's favour. He was out of
:17:20. > :17:26.sorts for a couple of frames, making misses and bad safety shots. Well
:17:27. > :17:32.that is act one. We will all draw breath and get ready for act two. We
:17:33. > :17:37.will be back in time for a quick bite to eat at 7 o'clock. We will
:17:38. > :17:42.have nine more frames to play this evening. I hope you have enjoyed the
:17:43. > :17:46.first installment of this final. So much more to come. For now, it is
:17:47. > :17:49.goodbye.