Day 17, Part 1 Snooker: World Championship

Welcome to one of the best days in sport, the last day, we are half way

through the Crucible final between the defending champion and the world

number three who hung on grimly as the Rocket threatened to turn on the

afterburners yesterday. There is only three frames between these men

with a possible 18 more to play today, so what will happen when

snooker's irresistible force meets its immovable object? We're about to

find out. Mark is a great player. I have had my problems with Mark in

matches over the years. The way he played, he played fantastic. Over

the last two or three years I have had more admiration for Mark Selby

because I know how tough the mental side of the game is. He is a tough

nut to crack. If it goes scrappy, I am willing to stay out there as long

as possible and I believe in my own ability. When I won it before, I

thought it cemented my legacy in the game. It is my childhood dream to be

a world champion. If I got, I could compare myself to Stephen Hendry. --

six. As Ronnie O'Sullivan I felt comfortable out there, but even so I

think I have missed the trade by only being 10-7 overnight. I

suffered a bit of a hangover from the semifinal match but I can be

really proud of myself the way I hung around all day and to win the

final two frames, I slept well. Even though I know my opponents will

probably play better today than he did yesterday, I think I can handle

anything he throws at me. If I can win this afternoon's session, I more

or less have my hands on the trophy. If I can win the session, I am right

back in the match and I am not going anywhere. Mark Selby has had a

chance to get some rest overnight. You looked drained yesterday after

his marathon semifinal -- he looked. Ronnie looking for a sixth

world title. The Crucible arena awaits.

History is about to be made once again in this atmospheric arena, the

last they all adapt at the bit World Championship final. Let us get the

boys. -- Dafabet. Please welcome a player who so often thrives on the

Billy Dahmer biggest occasions of all, he has lifted six major titles

and become when of the very best in the world. He is one of the sport's

finest ambassadors, he always plays with a smile on his face, the Jester

from Leicester, Mark Selby. His opponent, the most exciting player

ever to grace the modern game. He has been entertaining the world for

more than two decades, five times a winner at the Crucible, the

defending world champion, the Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Eight more frames to play. We will not be short on talking points. We

have Ken Doherty and Dennis Taylor in the commentary box.

Good afternoon to everyone watching. What an important session Mark Selby

is about to start. The atmosphere is fantastic. The final day of the

World Snooker Championship. He needs to carry on from where he

left off. He finished off with a 58 and 62 break. So important, those

last two games. It does not get much better than this as a snooker

player. Mark Selby will have got a good night's sleep having won those

two frames. A good start from Mark Selby. I am sure this table is

getting quicker. Watch the cue ball, it keeps on

running. That was an attacking shot.

That sends out the intention from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

It is great to see Stephen Fry here again. Most players would have

rolled in behind that. Watch the side spin he got off the second

cushion particularly. An excellent shot.

He is definitely going to go for his shots. He is not going to get locked

in a safety battle even though he is quite proficient in that part of the

game. He is going to attack from the front.

He showed that with the yellow we keep referring to. This is the start

he was looking for, not the start Mark Selby was after.

Cannot separate them on the tactical side of the game.

Not a good pack to go in. The highest break for Mark just 62. He

made four centuries against the semifinal -- in the semifinal

against Neil Robertson. He does not want to go into the two

reds next to the pink. They do not think he is on

anything. Possibly into the green pocket. A possible bubble on. --

double. He stunned it in, which was the way

to open up the reds, but it did not work out for him. He took the

to open up the reds, but it did not on. He played it to nothing.

to open up the reds, but it did not not think he can see

to open up the reds, but it did not This could be an awkward frame.

to open up the reds, but it did not Because of the two reds at the top

of the table. How did that stay out? That is three

reds up the other end of the table. What an unusual frame. Look at the

green. I have never seen that before at the start of the frame. Amazing.

There is the drummer of iron -- Iron Maiden.

He has to be a little bit careful with the yellow and his waistcoat.

There is another red headed up to the other end.

That is Ronnie Junior. He looks like his dad. I do not know how they are

going to resolve this. Having a look to see if he can get

by the bunch of reds. I am not sure if he has enough of it. If he can

see in-off of it, it is worth taking it on. -- enough.

Not enough of the red to attempt the pot. This is quite unusual.

I wonder if there is a possible plant. Two reds quite close

together. He has not entertained the

possibility. It is quite amazing, we have had

three re-racks in this match and we might have another. Ronnie would not

really want to have a re-rack with this lead. It happened once in the

world team Championship, Northern Ireland against England.

The balls were re-rack -- re-racked and then Steve made a great break.

That was the end of that frame. He has to watch the double case if

he is trying to get over to the black. That has sorted things out

because there is a red on for both middle pocket Santi Cazorla move the

yellow or the green. -- pockets and he can remove the yellow.

What a chance he has gifted Mark Selby. He will try to remove the

green from the pocket. That will open it up for the four

reds into that pocket. Red, green, red, yellow, pretty easy

prediction. The frame is back to normal. He does

not have to remove that yellow. The back red of the three will go and

that will clear the path for the other two.

To nudge one of these reds further into open play. The pink spot is

freed. This is an excellent opportunity to close the gap.

From a psychological point of view, it is a big frame for Mark Selby

because Ronnie will be thinking, that was a careless shot I played.

Starting to get a little awkward with all the

He will have to pot quite a few to of the table.

He will have to pot quite a few to leave himself where Ronnie needs

A little bit straight on this red. He will have to use his extension.

Ideally he would like to get on the yellow from this red, if he can

somehow get across. To bring the red further into play,

that would be perfect. He did not have the angle to get

over to the red, but still he is in a good position.

The red beside the green is no problem because once the yellow is

potted that red will be open to that pocket.

He will have to get high value colours.

If he takes the brown with these two remaining reds, Ronnie will require

a snooker. Certainly looking a little bit

fresher this afternoon. At times last night he looked jaded. He had a

big semifinal against Neil Robertson. At times last night it

looked as if it had taken it out of him, but he looks fresher today.

If people at the red, the brown and the yellow Ronnie will need a

snooker. -- key pots the red. He has taken them well. It was

carelessness from Ronnie that was what created this.

Steve Davis was saying before, I am sure Mark had a good night was Max

the -- Nate's sleep, and it is the best possible start for him, but the

frame is not quite safe. A nice 55 break from Mark Selby. He

will not be happy with where the pink has gone.

That was some shot on the green, but he did not play the pot.

He did not get enough side. A very good start from Ronnie. It was just

the split on the reds. He made a mistake on me in-off.

It was an unusual frame with the yellow offer one pocket and the

green over another, something very rarely seen at the start of a frame.

Playing an exhibition shot. You would not say it was perfect. He has

gone for another trick shot. What about that for a finish! Mark Selby

with a break of 55 has given himself the best possible start.

He looks fresher today. I wonder what part he would have

taken from winning the two final frames. It has changed the match. I

spoke to him immediately after the session outside and he said, I

missed the black off the spot, and last night I only lost 5-4, I am

shattered. From Ronnie's perspective, to be 10-7 ahead, 10-8

now, will he be starting to worry? Yes. If you are playing much better

than Europe on and you want to be pulling away a bigger lead. -- your

opponent. It'll be interesting to see Ronnie reacts.

That was a good rake off -- break. Every time he breaks off, that red

goes next to the black, it is amazing, it happens all the time.

It is quite unusual. He seems to get more spin on the ball.

He has not missed the middle pocket. Let us look at the break. He gets a

little bit more side spin. REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Ronnie

O'Sullivan 4. DENNIS TAYLOR: That is what he is

trying to do. REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Ronnie

O'Sullivan 4. He will have to lose that nickname

"Sat-nav" Selby! KEN DOHERTY: If Hawkeye ever takes

up the game we are all in trouble! REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Ronnie

O'Sullivan 4. This is baffling. There you see it again. It seems

like it is coming off at a strange angle.

REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Ronnie O'Sullivan 6.

This is incredible. 22 points away in fouls. He won't really

This is incredible. 22 points away doesn't want to give Ronnie an easy

opening. He has the pace of the table. That

was judged to perfection. Mark just checking to see if he will

be knocking any reds towards the left-hand corner pocket.

The standard of safety play at the moment is excellent.

We showed you the stat at the beginning, that they were evenly

matched in the safety success department. Ronnie 1% ahead now.

Does this red go at the back of the bunch, the one to the right of the

cue ball? If it does, he could take it on and push the white through

those reds and maybe bring the pink into play.

That has opened the game up. He only hit one red there, believe it or

not. Look where he's knocked it to. He thought most of the reds would

move there. Amazing. One of those shots that you try and bounce the

cue ball. We have seen a lot of those shots

this week. It was a rule that did change. It

used to be a foul shot, that. Then they worded the rule "jumping

an intervening ball". He may just - can he see enough of that red? No.

At the moment, Selby's safety is forcing opportunities from Ronnie

O'Sullivan. That's a bit too hard. The black is

tied up. He's got the blue into the middle.

He's so close to that cushion on the right-hand side. It makes the pot

more difficult. Good pot. His intended red was to

the right of the pink. Potting this red next to the black will certainly

release the black and maybe those two reds beside it. I think he'll

play the safety here. If he gets back to 10-9 after being

five frames behind, you know, suddenly you would have to think

Mark Selby is looking the favourite. We have seen what Ronnie can do.

Against Joe Perry he made a couple of century breaks when he was asked

the question. The two reds you see Mark looking at

- he is wondering if he can make The two reds you see Mark looking at

them into a plant into this bottom left-hand corner pocket. He has to

hit the first red almost full-ball. He will be taking a chance

hit the first red almost full-ball. Maybe worth having a go.

I don't think he's left it for Ronnie, so good shot.

I don't think he's left it for a look at it. I don't think he can

get at it from where the cue ball is positioned.

That would be a brave shot for the pink to the middle pocket.

He is normally pretty attacking, is Mark, when he gets going. He is

checking to see what he would leave if he did take that on.

He looks in a pretty confident mood. He is taking it on.

Just have a look where he's put the cue ball. Mind you, once he missed

the pot by so much, that red could have brought some of the other reds

into play. I don't think there is any available for Ronnie.

into play. I don't think there is jawed that red, it could have

definitely pushed a few on. He is coming back down to have a

look at those two reds. They haven't moved. So will he take a chance?

Well worked out. No colour to follow. So, a safety shot. Yeah, the

plant was quite a difficult one. If he could drop in behind the

green, it would be quite a good shot. He will have to do it off the

brown. He's played it well.

REFEREE: Mark Selby, 1. He's got to land on the red to the

left of the two from behind, to leave everything safe.

REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Mark Selby, 4.

He's decided to put Ronnie back in. Hoping that Ronnie will hit it

harder and leave an easier pot. It is amazing, Ken, since that opening

frame when he split into the reds on 32, he hasn't been in with any sort

of chance, Ronnie, has he? He hasn't had a chance at all.

They are going to check with the monitor.

I think Ronnie could see more of the cushion. That is what he is trying

to explain to the referee. That looks pretty good.

I don't think it makes much difference to the shot.

REFEREE: Foul and a miss, Mark Selby, 4. That was the reason Mark

had it put back. He had a difficult red into the middle and he thought

about it. Ronnie's hit it too hard. He is in with a very good chance

here. OK, the black is out of commission. There are three or four

reds available. The pink and blue are on their spots virtually.

At the moment, it's Mark Selby's matchplay, good safety play that is

creating these opportunities. This is not the type of game Ronnie

wants. It is a classic of completely different styles, Dennis. Mark was

saying in his interview, if he wants an open game, I don't mind that. He

is quite capable of knocking the big breaks in.

You don't get to win three Masters without being able to mix it and

break-build. He is a class act. The only thing missing from his CV is

the World Championship. He will give it his best shot now, you can sense

that. REFEREE: Quiet up there, please.

A little bit of noise in the crowd. There is not much available now to

Mark. He hasn't got the greatest of angles.

If that red goes into the left corner, he can get back up. He has

plenty of cue power to screw that back. Not sure if that red, two from

the left side of the black, is available.

No problem with the power. He's played a great shot there.

Great shot, wasn't it? A tremendous amount of screw-back and sidespin.

Ronnie O'Sullivan looking very comfortable last night at 10-5. At

the moment, he will be feeling a bit more uncomfortable in that chair.

Still got a couple of tricky ones here.

They have played each other 18 times and Ronnie has won 11. They have

only played each other once in the World Championship. That was the

quarterfinal in 2010. Mark won that 13-11.

This is going to turn out to be a fascinating final. 44 the

difference. That clears the path for that red.

When he pots the pink, he will need That clears the path for that red.

one more red to make the frame safe. Interesting choice from Mark. If he

had potted the black, Ronnie would need a snooker.

Oh! Can you believe it? REFEREE: Mark Selby, 52.

Ronnie has to get on the black. He can still tie, but can he get nicely

on the black? He just had to roll that in.

Just ran a bit further than he would have liked.

No. REFEREE: Ronnie O'Sullivan, 1.

He wanted to be a bit straighter on that black.

APPLAUSE Ronnie comes to the table, 50 points

behind. Ronnie carrying on, simply because

of the black and green. They are in a pretty good position for possible

snookers. Not often you would see Ronnie play

on when he needs three snookers. He's played this well. He may stay

on his seat here. REFEREE: Frame conceded. Frame to

Mark Selby. He does! Mark Selby, what a start

for the Jester from Leicester. He is one behind now.

STEVE DAVIS: Mark Selby has clawed his way back into this match. Mark

Selby was helped by bizarre circumstances. Ronnie O'Sullivan

missed a massive tactical trick here. The yellow and green over the

bottom two baulk pockets. Six reds down in that area. It was going to

be very difficult for Ronnie O'Sullivan to force an error from

Mark Selby, who didn't have to push the situation. He could play for a

stalemate. He could play for a draw. Ronnie O'Sullivan, swayed by the

fact he was 32 points in front, and he thought that was an advantage. In

this situation, it is not much of an advantage. How is he going to get

Mark Selby to to play a positive shot. Ronnie O'Sullivan could try

and get the cue ball down behind the black and somehow force an error. It

was going to be so difficult. I think all of the reds were going to

be pushed into the bottom half of the table and the safety play was

going to be played to the top. Ronnie O'Sullivan should have said

look, I'm happy with a re-rack. Mark Selby was delighted. Ronnie

O'Sullivan played the shot. He mis-hit it and he went in-off. He

was asking for trouble by not asking for the re-rack. He hit this far too

thick. Mark Selby was left with a chance he should never have had.

HAZEL IRVINE: He's won the last four frames and he is drawing Ronnie into

the game he doesn't want to play? It is amazing. The first half a dozen

shots of each frame are vital for Ronnie. If he doesn't get in first,

it will turn into a half-hour frame. John, how much he -- is he breaking

Ronnie's rhythm? For an hour-and-a-half Ali Carter didn't

see a ball the other night. Every time he came to the table, he was in

trouble. Every shot Selby played had a purpose about it. Let's put it

where it's the maximum trouble and he did it all through the game. Ali

Carter said he froze him out in that match.

Mark Selby is on a roll in this final.

REFEREE: Mark Selby to break. Mark Selby breaks all just one frame

behind. It is very true what Stephen Hendry

said, the first half a dozen shots for Ronnie O'Sullivan, if he does

not get in early, the frame becomes more prolonged and Mark Selby

becomes the favourite. Where is the red going to finish? He

could not really play for the black because he knew he would put Mark

Wright in amongst them. He tried to screw back for the blue. He does not

want to start pushing the boat out and going for too many risky ones

because his safety is top drawer. He wanted to get the black back on

its spot but he could not do that until he removed the red. That is

why he played for it. An unwanted kiss. He could still get

on the red. That was the unwanted flick on the red. He could avoid the

cannon on the green. I thought he could avoid the green. I think he

thought he was going to avoid the green.

The red has come up to the other end of the table. There is

The red has come up to the other end ball. He could take this onto one of

the corner pockets. He did not attempt it, instead led a

more aggressive safety shot. Has he left the red into the corner? It

does not look like it. He wanted to get the game open, but

Mark Selby is such a good safety player.

He might be able to get through to this one. Near the left corner

pocket. A key shot. He has been kept away from the scoring end of the

table for a couple of frames. He is looking at the tip again. He

did that last night and then missed an easy black.

A nice this on the pink to bring that into play. Excellent viewing.

There was a bit of pressure on that shot. -- cueing.

Trying to get that black back on its spot.

It shows you, these pockets, Ronnie is one of the best at potting these

along the cushion, but when the pressure is on, it is amazing, if

you force them, to be fair, the red jumped, maybe just threw it off line

slightly. You could see even the white jumped

a little bit. These pockets seem tighter since we got to the

semifinal stages. A delicate little shot. Sometimes

you put yourself in trouble. He has cut off the escape.

He has left a red for the middle. If he has an angle to go for the blue,

he will take this on. There are two reds he could take to

the middle. Maybe the angle is not there for the easier pot.

Good shot, he has cannoned the pink. He did not intend to cannon the

pink. That has gone a little bit awkward. He can still cut this

Barone back -- brown. When you are struggling sometimes

you are dropping behind the black when things are not going well for

you. He is OK. He has covered the brown. That is

very unlucky. He could try to attempt the blue,

but it is very risky. It is almost straight. He has to

raise the cue. That was a nice little run, as we

show you the red going in. He would not have had an easy pot, I

do not think. Watch the white, it flicks the jaw

of the pocket and over next to the red.

Mark Selby looks completely different player from yesterday. --

a completely different player. Nice break.

42 on the first 11 frames. Looking at completely different player now.

He is showing fantastic character. He still has that mannerism where he

moves around. He has always He is the complete player. He has

worked on that and his technique. This would be five in a row, believe

it or not. He needs the black, he needs one

more red and a colour to take the frame. That will draw him level.

Yes, it is in. This black would secure the frame. This has been an

incredible turnaround. His family will look on.

You could hear a pin drop. The crowd were not expecting this from Mark

Selby. It is a fascinating contest, the way Ronnie O'Sullivan started

this match, even Stephen Hendry said it could be over very soon, but Mark

stuck in. He has shown all his qualities and all of a sudden this

match has swung in his favour. Ronnie O'Sullivan's fans and friends

will be very earned at the moment. -- concerned.

Ronnie O'Sullivan stays in his chair. An incredible comeback from

Mark Selby. That is five in a row that Ronnie

O'Sullivan has lost, he has only done that once in a final. What a

turnaround. There was a blue to middle early on. What did this tell

us? If there was any doubt about how he is under pressure, there is one

gold on this. That was a massive shot with lots of pressure. He is

very confident. He is playing good stuff. What might surprise everyone

is that when you look at Mark Selby 's cheeks violently -- he shakes. A

few players do this. They play the best snooker when they are doing

that. I think he has had a 50 break in every frame he has won.

It is even. An intriguing last frame before the mid-session interval.

Mark Selby is creeping higher with his highest break.

There is not a lot Ronnie can do, and vice versa.

Until we get touching ball, it is a little bit of a stalemate. There is

no way you can get up the table from that position.

We have had three re-racks. That could be touching.

Can he see enough of the top cushion to get up? He cannot see the top

cushion, so he has to be careful. He had to bend that. He got too much

on it. That was a very difficult shot he attempted.

He just tried to bend it round the green and flick any of those reds to

get back up the table. He has to be careful. If he does not

bend it enough, he can leave the cue ball this end of the table or the

cue ball could go in-off if he does not get it properly. -- hit. He hit

the first and second red and then went in-off. It was a possibility.

It means that Ronnie is left with a straight pot. This to restore a bit

of confidence. Brilliant shot. Under the

circumstances, that was excellent. It was a little bit too straight to

get on the pink. He could catch a red if he tries to

run through. He had no angle on the blue to work

with. He tried to force the angle and

almost pulled it off. It was almost straight when he tried

to power it in and it did not quite get away from the pocket.

He is getting some cracking pots, Mark Selby. There is no sign of

tiredness. The adrenaline has kicked in. It is going to be difficult to

pick a winner. It looked when we earlier on in the

match. -- one way. That is unlucky. I thought it had blocked it, but it

did not. Does he have the angle to force it into the pink? You can

sense the little things happening in this game.

I thought he was going to power it in and try to bring the pink and

reds into play. DENNIS TAYLOR: He is looking around

at the crowd. There was a cough on his backswing and that was enough to

distract him. It is going to be a tactical final

frame to end this session. What a session for Mark Selby so far.

CROWD: Come on, Mark! Pink and black are still tied up. He

mis-hit that one. REFEREE: Mark Selby 6.

He was shaking his head the previous shot. I didn't expect him to miss

it. The shot before was the one where he didn't get on the red as he

intended. Good shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

That is better. He needs to string a few balls

together here. Nice angle on the yellow to get down

to the two reds below the pink. He'd like to play the two reds that

are near the black and bring the black into play. He would have to be

careful he didn't cannon the red on the right-hand side of the table. He

is now looking at them to see what would happen. If he tried that shot,

he might send the black into the other red and knock it right over

the corner pocket. That's the reason he is not playing that particular

shot. He still brought the black into play

on and he has played it well. He still brought the black into play

going down the left side of the table. He's only made one mistake in

these four frames, that red with the rest, Ken. I can't recall any other

mistakes. Safety has been good. He is keeping

Ronnie under a bit of pressure. He hasn't had much to go at in these

four frames. Another good safety shot from Mark

Selby, blocking all the reds. He can just about see this red on the

left-hand side. Mark Selby's target when he come out

this afternoon would be to try to win three of the four frames. There

is every chance he could win all four. Wouldn't that be something?

He's overscrewed that for the intended red, the one closest to the

pink in the left centre. Doesn't look like he has enough of the red

to the extreme left, or maybe he can just about swing it. No, not enough.

No, it's not there. REFEREE: Mark Selby, 8.

Again, hasn't left anything straightforward for Ronnie

O'Sullivan. I think this is a huge frame for

Ronnie O'Sullivan. He is looking at a very difficult pot to the middle

here. He is faced with a long blue, but

he's looked at the green, he's looked at the blue and he is in a

pretty confident mood. The blue was the better shot for

position and he hammered it in! You did say this is a huge frame for

Ronnie O'Sullivan, but also would strike a psychological blow for Mark

Selby should he go ahead for the first time in this match. He's

played an excellent cannon on that red.

You sense that Mark Selby is really enjoying himself out there. It is

the final of the World Championship. He has been to the final once

before. It's the only major he hasn't won, but he is getting

stronger and stronger. He can quite easily turn things

around, as we mentioned before, as he did against Joe Perry. Look at

the pot success rate. Gone up to 94% in the last four frames.

That is a great shot. Excellent shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan. He was in a

bit of trouble. Mark Selby can't push the cue ball

down to the green pocket. If he pushes the cue ball up past the

black, maybe he'll be able to cover that red beside the green.

Interesting to see Mark Selby's face as he was coming to the table. He

turned to the crowd and smiled as if to say surely, you didn't play that,

Ronnie? REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Ronnie

O'Sullivan 4. Can Ronnie belt the two balls up the

table? It is a bit risky. He's been unlucky. He's knocked the red

towards the yellow pocket. He wanted that cue ball tight on this

behind the black. REFEREE: Quiet, please.

If the red goes in, it's four in a row. What can Ronnie summon up?

Oh, it was close. Where is the red going?

Six frames in a row it would be - amazing. What a turnaround.

The last time six frames in a row was John Higgins against Shaun

Murphy in 2009. Where is the red again? It is all about the red. It's

OK. Doesn't want to knock the black

completely safe. Ronnie needs the red and black.

34 the difference with 35 on the table.

Will Mark play red up into baulk and try and cannon the black towards the

top cushion? It's a bit risky. He has a lot of colours there as

possible blockers. He tried to knock the plaque tight

on the cushion -- black tight on the cushion to make it more difficult

for Ronnie. He didn't want the red to go in. He

had to rely on a bit of good fortune there.

This looks to be almost dead straight, this red.

He may have no alternative but to play a possible pot here.

Lots of interest on Twitter on this year's World Championship, has

Ronnie. Playing with his watch hoping he will get a possible chance

here. The interval coming up after this

frame and I will be answering viewers' questions after the

interval. If you want to tweet - #bbcsnooker.

Ronnie could play for the pink and go for a re-spotted black.

He is unlucky. He went for the win. He could easily have played for the

pink. He thought, "I'll try and develop the black."

If the black had been nearer the cushion, he would have knocked it

towards the pocket. He is looking at possibly playing

the double on the black. He tried to double that black into

the corner pocket and that was the first rash shot that Ronnie has

played. He tried to develop the black and it

didn't work out. Who could have seen this coming? Mark Selby has come out

here this afternoon and he has been superb. Ronnie started off so well,

with a 32 break. He didn't open the reds. Since then, it's been all Mark

Selby. What a final we have on our hands

now. 10-7 behind. You can't do any better

than win all four frames and didn't he look delighted as he left the

arena? What a final we have he look delighted as he left the

our hands now. Mark Selby leads 11-10.

HAZEL IRVINE: Six frames in a row and that hasn't been done since

2009. In fact, an interesting tweet from the man that Mark Selby beat to

get into this final, he says, "Selby set anchor today and keeping Ronnie

cold. Mark is almost favourite at this stage." That is a fascinating

observation from Neil Robertson. What have you got for us, Steve?

Well, I would imagine all snooker players will be buzzing now. It is

the type of match they are fascinated to see how both players

will react. That is how you can contact us us - #bbcsnooker. Mike

Dunn - "If you were ever fighting a war, Selby would be first on your

list, frontline." Joe Perry, "This is more like the Mark Selby who I

practise with - a machine." We saw the one from Neil Robertson. Judd

Trump, "Back in England watching the snooker in bed. Such a good

atmosphere." It will be fantastic tonight. Wherever you are watching

it, I hope you are enjoying it. It was Clive Everton who described the

World Championship as a marathon of the mind. He is right. After 17

days, we get a bit punch drunk. But from the players' perspective, they

are long days of mental fatigue and strategy and extremes of emotion as

well as stamina. Managing that emotion, that is a science in

itself. If I learned one thing during my

career in this game, no matter how hard you work or how talented you,

there will be more disappointments than successes, more tears than

elation. It's a fact. It truly is a game for hard knocks.

It's a tough sport. It is like the survival of the fittest. It is quite

a sadistic type of sport. It is a hard game. The transformation of

Ronnie O'Sullivan has been a revelation. The biggest talent in

the history of the game has found a way to control his mind, to deal

with the knocks and to unleash his awesome potential.

COMMENTARY: Goodness me! Working with a sports psychiatrist,

he has developed an ability to play at his best when under the most

pressure. COMMENTARY: This is superb snooker.

Everything I have to thank to Steve. I owe my life to him, really.

The mental demands are unique. How do they compare to other sports?

This man is a renowned sports psychologist. He has worked with

Manchester United, GB Basketball and England Rugby. This is his first

visit to The Crucible. I have had the good fortune to be involved in

some of the best and biggest arenas in the world. I was astonished when

I walked into The Crucible, how tiny it was. It is intimate, the players

can see the faces of the crowd. In my games, we don't see the faces of

the crowd. We hear them. In snooker, you see them, but you don't hear

them. This arena is a very intimidating place. If you allow it

to be. I have been fascinated by how these players deal with being sat

down. Most athletes like to keep on the move. If you keep on the move,

you are not thinking, if you are not thinking, you are not becoming

negative and anxious. Most athletes love momentum. These players have to

deal with momentum when they are at the table, doing well, and then that

moment when they are not at the table and that moment when they

realise they are not going to be at the table for some considerable time

and they have o to deal with that and stay focussed for the next time

they come to the table. It's a very tough game, mentally. You have to

switch on. You have to have a routine. Otherwise, minds get lazy

and you make mistakes. And we prepare our athletes to go on the

field, or on to the court, or into the pool, not to think. It's helped

because everything happens so quickly. Here, you get a lot of time

to think. So, mental control, the discipline to keep your internal

dialogue positive and confident while you are sat down for long

periods and while the game stretches, very difficult skill.

There are moments in all games that are similar to snooker but the

difference with snooker is you have to recreate your preparation, your

habits, again and again and again because it's a game of great

technique. And one mistake - just one mistake - can enter the frame.

-- can end the frame. Losers find a reason to lose because their mental

strength cannot take them the whole way. So in individual games, it's a

battle of EU versus you, strong side versus weak side. You are constantly

facing that battle as you go through a long match. If you haven't got the

mental strength to endure, then slowly your mind will give you

excuses to lose. "This is not my day, he's never played as well as

this, the balls aren't breaking for me, I've had some bad luck today,

I've done enough" . That's when the mind weakens and the loser loses and

the champion steps up. Champions enjoyed. They are not only very

talented but they've got tremendous mental strength. -- champions

endure. I'm totally impressed. To produce the performances they

produce in the environment they are expected to produce it in, and

repeat it in for a number of days, it is a very tough game. And what

I've learned is that it's a very tough game mentally and emotionally,

and it fascinates me. The champion does get the mine game right, finds

a way to deal with the inevitable hard knocks and is truly the last

man standing. Some fascinating observations. You

spent some time with bill. What did you learn from him? I thought he was

fascinating. I could have spoken to him all afternoon and the fact that

he came here as Crucible Virgin and was blown away by it was amazing to

me. He is used to working with teams and to see the individual side