:00:32. > :00:41.Hello, good morning from the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. It is
:00:42. > :00:45.day two of the World Snooker Championship and play is due to get
:00:46. > :00:50.under way in the next few minutes. Live coverage of the match we are
:00:51. > :00:54.concentrating on today, the 1997 world champion Ken Doherty taking on
:00:55. > :01:14.Stuart Bingham, making eighth Crucible appearance. I was born in
:01:15. > :01:21.Essex in 1976. I turned professional in 1995. I won the world amateur
:01:22. > :01:29.title in 1996. In the year 2000 I beat Stephen Hendry 10-7 in the
:01:30. > :01:36.world championship. In 2006 I became the first player to win the Masters
:01:37. > :01:43.qualifier twice. My first ranking title was the 2011 Australian Open.
:01:44. > :01:49.I have made three competitive 147s. I got married in 2013, to my wife,
:01:50. > :01:58.Michelle, and I have a step daughter and a son. Stuart Bingham had a
:01:59. > :02:03.great run in the 2013 world championship at the Crucible, beaten
:02:04. > :02:08.by the eventual winner, Ronnie O'Sullivan, in the quarterfinals. He
:02:09. > :02:14.holds a slender lead in this match, five - four over Ken Doherty. On
:02:15. > :02:18.table to this morning, Joe Perry is playing Jamie Burnett. We have
:02:19. > :02:25.superb Easter Sunday Snooker for you. Let's join Rob Walker. Good
:02:26. > :02:29.morning. Ronnie O'Sullivan has booked his place in the second round
:02:30. > :02:34.of the World Snooker Championship, which means there are 30 other
:02:35. > :02:47.players hopped on his heels and, this morning, someone else will join
:02:48. > :02:52.him in the last 16. Who will it be? Please welcome a player who came
:02:53. > :02:58.through three qualifying rounds, including two 10-8 thrillers to book
:02:59. > :03:24.his place. A former Shanghai Masters finalist, flying the flags of
:03:25. > :03:30.Scotland, Jamie Burnett. APPLAUSE. And his opponent, he is back in the
:03:31. > :03:33.top 16 and reached the semifinals of the International championship in
:03:34. > :03:41.China and the Welsh Open. From Cambridge, here comes the gentleman,
:03:42. > :03:57.Joe Perry. MUSIC: "I'm Happy" by Pharrell
:03:58. > :04:02.Williams. And here on table two, welcome a
:04:03. > :04:09.player who describes himself as the oldest swinger in town for this
:04:10. > :04:15.year's championship. At the tender age of 44, this is his 19th
:04:16. > :04:19.appearance at the world championship. Can he turn back the
:04:20. > :04:24.clock in style? He recovered brilliantly yesterday and is right
:04:25. > :04:32.in the match. Give it up for the darling of Dublin, Ken Doherty.
:04:33. > :04:52.MUSIC: Irish Rover. And his opponents, who, like a fine
:04:53. > :04:57.wine, gets better with age. He won his first ranking event in 2011 and
:04:58. > :05:02.has not looked back. Now, a regular in the world's top eight and winner
:05:03. > :05:06.on the Asian tour last month, winner of the Premier League last year, he
:05:07. > :05:15.is the pride of Essex. Here comes Stuart Bingham. MUSIC: "Get Lucky"
:05:16. > :05:38.by Daft Punk. We are set. Can Ken Doherty get into
:05:39. > :05:43.the second round for the first time since 2006? Four wins apiece in the
:05:44. > :05:48.career head-to-head. You would have to go back to 2008 four Ken
:05:49. > :05:51.Doherty's last win over Stuart Bingham. Here we go. Good morning to
:05:52. > :06:07.Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis. Good morning, Jason and good morning
:06:08. > :06:11.to everyone watching. Early-morning Snooker at the Crucible and a great
:06:12. > :06:17.reception for all the players, as we could see.
:06:18. > :06:26.I thought when Ken Doherty came in he was going to do an Irish jig. The
:06:27. > :06:28.place was jumping with his theme tune. He did well yesterday, coming
:06:29. > :07:17.back from 3-0 down. Ken Doherty could easily have led
:07:18. > :07:22.5-4 in the end, believe it or not. Just a few safety shots, he
:07:23. > :07:29.overhit. The tables are fast, Steve. I think he would have been delighted
:07:30. > :07:41.to get out of the session 5-4 after being 3-0 behind.
:07:42. > :07:53.The blackspot area is crowded. When somebody eventually gets amongst the
:07:54. > :07:55.balls, it will not be a clear-cut opportunity. And that was excellent
:07:56. > :08:07.from Stuart Bingham. If Ken does not want to play down
:08:08. > :08:17.this left-hand side, he has problems.
:08:18. > :08:25.That is what he did yesterday, a few poor safety shots. He hit that much
:08:26. > :08:39.too thick. The only saving grace for Ken, as I
:08:40. > :09:03.mentioned, it will not be an easy break.
:09:04. > :09:07.The black spot might be available and if it is, it will tie up the
:09:08. > :09:36.pig. -- pink. These players would have woken up at
:09:37. > :09:40.7am to get their bodies ready. It is a tough, early-morning start for the
:09:41. > :09:46.players, especially after the excitement yesterday. In the 70s,
:09:47. > :09:52.the great John Spencer won here in 77. I spoke to Ken about it and said
:09:53. > :09:56.John would get up at 7am, wandering around Sheffield, speaking to the
:09:57. > :10:02.odd milkmen here and there, just to wake himself up. He got a bit of a
:10:03. > :10:43.kick on that. He could do with a cannon to open
:10:44. > :10:56.things up, but he will have to wait for that.
:10:57. > :11:04.Which of the reds goes into the left corner? It must be tight, I do not
:11:05. > :11:21.think he can get through. No value in playing it with a trace
:11:22. > :11:29.of side, because he would not be able to do anything with the cue
:11:30. > :11:40.ball. It was not a bad effort. It was always going to be difficult. He
:11:41. > :11:46.had to play it with left-hand side to make the angle.
:11:47. > :11:55.It would have been impossible for him have played that with left-hand
:11:56. > :12:24.side and also come up for the blue. When we talk about left-hand side,
:12:25. > :12:26.we can show you the ball, when you strike it, you hit it at nine
:12:27. > :12:44.o'clock and create a slight angle. I think you played although shots,
:12:45. > :12:48.it looks like your cue action. It was good fun. Some of the slow
:12:49. > :13:03.motion cameras are amazing, what they pick up.
:13:04. > :13:09.The referee just ask them to stop talking. I do not think he was
:13:10. > :13:30.referring to me and Steve, it was people in the audience.
:13:31. > :13:44.Just a safety shot and I do not blame him. It was a pretty good one.
:13:45. > :13:48.Certainly the best safety shot of the session so far. Ken has two get
:13:49. > :13:58.this right. He made the last one fix. -- thick. But that is an
:13:59. > :14:19.excellent reply. They are evenly matched. Four
:14:20. > :14:26.victories each. Stuart Bingham has been the inform player. They played
:14:27. > :14:34.each other once in the world championship, 2002. Ken won that
:14:35. > :14:37.10-8. Coming into the second session, the bookmakers still make
:14:38. > :14:49.Stuart Bingham a strong favourite. Anybody who has knowledge of the
:14:50. > :14:55.standard Ken has been playing, if they know he is on form, some of the
:14:56. > :15:13.Irish lads watching him in practice, they might have had a punt.
:15:14. > :15:31.That is what Stuart has faced with. You can see that the greenies in the
:15:32. > :15:44.way. Farrell and the miss. -- foul and a miss.
:15:45. > :15:51.He might send that read towards the red corner pocket. That is not quite
:15:52. > :16:03.with it was. It was near the cushion. There is probably a chalk
:16:04. > :16:13.mark. As he delivered the queue, he will have left the little Marcotti
:16:14. > :16:53.cushion. He has missed it again.
:16:54. > :17:04.He had to sacrifice a worse choice. Now there is a chance for Ken. If
:17:05. > :17:15.the red ball goes by the black, that is the shot Mac to play. He is not
:17:16. > :17:38.guaranteed to get position on the black.
:17:39. > :17:47.Yes, your choice, Steve, was much better. Was very little chance of
:17:48. > :17:49.snookering himself on the black. The other red into the corner could have
:17:50. > :18:07.caused a problem. Well, he had to trust luck, and it
:18:08. > :18:17.has not worked out well for him. Yes, he can consider himself
:18:18. > :18:19.unfortunate. He has got the pot on, but he could have expected a lot
:18:20. > :18:28.better from that type of shot. Very nicely played. A bit of
:18:29. > :19:02.pressure on that shot. How disappointing is that? After the
:19:03. > :19:08.good pot on the red. I think he has missed three blacks like that. Yes,
:19:09. > :19:11.that type of shot, you have got yourself in position on the black,
:19:12. > :19:14.and you know that if you park the black, you can get going. You have
:19:15. > :19:37.got a chance. I am not sure if there is a plant
:19:38. > :19:56.on. Positional play will be critical from this black.
:19:57. > :20:04.If the plan is on, it makes everything a lot easier. He can
:20:05. > :20:22.choose when to play that, he may even choose to play the loose red.
:20:23. > :20:36.He has a massive area in which to play position. The blues on the
:20:37. > :20:52.spot. He can use it should he not be able to get on the black.
:20:53. > :20:57.The plan that you mentioned, it seems to be going slightly to the
:20:58. > :21:08.left side of the pocket. He has to be careful. He squeezed it away from
:21:09. > :21:13.the line. He did not make contact on the first red, as he intended. It
:21:14. > :21:19.was a bad positional shot on the blue. He had some room for
:21:20. > :21:26.manoeuvre, but he left the white ball too close to the cushion. Too
:21:27. > :21:55.much to do to get on a colour. Not an easy start for Ken.
:21:56. > :22:08.Effectively, in this session, the scores were as close as they could
:22:09. > :22:14.be overnight. Both players are vying to be the one to get going first, to
:22:15. > :22:20.start the mortars up. This first frame is hugely important. -- start
:22:21. > :22:43.the motors up. That was good cueing. I think Ken is
:22:44. > :22:52.in with a great chance in this match. Stuart look to be under
:22:53. > :22:59.pressure in the first session, after letting slip that 3-0 lead.
:23:00. > :23:05.Meanwhile, Ken has just played a very pure positional shot. -- very
:23:06. > :23:29.poor. Still not straightforward. He is not
:23:30. > :23:34.guaranteed to get nicely on a red. He has got to make sure that he can
:23:35. > :23:52.party black, and let the white baulk King of itself. -- pot the black. He
:23:53. > :23:57.seemed to concentrate more on the cannon than the pot. I think he was
:23:58. > :24:04.committed to playing a positive shot. Even though he did not like
:24:05. > :24:15.it. There is more mileage left in this frame. Neither player has
:24:16. > :24:16.really settled down. Positional play has been the key to seeing the
:24:17. > :24:47.pension out there. He could have chosen to get a lot
:24:48. > :25:00.closer to this red. He had a nice angle on that red. Can he get on the
:25:01. > :25:13.reds from a colour? The blue looks ideal. Yes, the natural angle to
:25:14. > :25:18.come up the side of the reds. He had not got the angle to get to the
:25:19. > :25:20.right-hand side, but he had the angle to go to the left-hand side.
:25:21. > :25:39.Both these reds are tough. That red went as well. That is a
:25:40. > :26:13.fantastic shot from Stuart Bingham. Stuart Bingham, 15. That black was
:26:14. > :26:21.not dead certain. But I still expected him to pot it. They are not
:26:22. > :26:31.easy. This is a golden opportunity for Ken Doherty. He has to keep the
:26:32. > :26:34.white ball under control. That is not ideal to start with. He has come
:26:35. > :27:03.straight on the pink. He seemed to rush that as well. To
:27:04. > :27:08.my shots and he is already out of position. He will be very
:27:09. > :27:09.disappointed. It is a bad misjudgement. He should not have
:27:10. > :27:29.been near the middle pocket. They are both a bit tense. They know
:27:30. > :27:47.how important it is. Ken can get himself all square.
:27:48. > :28:13.The yellow needs to pull up, and it is not going to. You need a little
:28:14. > :28:25.luck, and he did not have it. The yellow catching the jaw of the
:28:26. > :28:58.middle pocket. Can you clean the white ball? Yes.
:28:59. > :29:06.I tell you what, both players are feeling it out there. Two
:29:07. > :29:18.established players, and they have got the Crucible collywobbles.
:29:19. > :29:23.Unbelievable. Ken would not have believed he would be back at the
:29:24. > :29:31.table so quickly. I chance to redeem himself. Can you believe it? Ken
:29:32. > :29:41.links to the heavens. Has he flew to the snooker? -- has he fluked the
:29:42. > :30:10.snooker. The trouble with this shot is he
:30:11. > :30:18.does not want to hit the far side of the green, because if he does that
:30:19. > :30:36.with pace, he will leave Ken a shot into the middle pocket.
:30:37. > :30:49.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. He has to put him back. He does not want to
:30:50. > :31:09.hit it on the other side otherwise he will leave Ken the pot.
:31:10. > :31:42.He hit it thicker this time and left the pot up into the corner, which
:31:43. > :31:46.was what he was frightened of. Any separation between the white ball
:31:47. > :31:49.and green at this level, this is a shot Ken will take on. And he hit it
:31:50. > :32:19.a lot better. He was tight on that. He got it in
:32:20. > :32:28.the pocket, but he did not hit that well. He is far-away enough from the
:32:29. > :32:34.blue that getting on the pink is not easy. He might have to go up and
:32:35. > :32:41.down the table because it is so thin. He tried it and he played it
:32:42. > :32:55.well, he played that with a lot of drag. He will be absolutely
:32:56. > :32:56.delighted. He let his chances slip away, but Stuart Bingham, he blew
:32:57. > :33:12.his chances, also. What a tense opening frame. Stuart
:33:13. > :33:17.had so many chances. We go back earlier, when he misjudged the
:33:18. > :33:22.plant. The reds are almost touching and you have to adjust. He left the
:33:23. > :33:26.white ball too far away and eventually squeezed it away from the
:33:27. > :33:36.pocket. There were some horrors that he missed. He committed to that, it
:33:37. > :33:43.was a good effort, but effectively, in his own mind at that time, it was
:33:44. > :33:50.probably game ball. He got another chance and it looked like he was in
:33:51. > :33:58.and have used the rest. The frame had so many positional errors. Both
:33:59. > :34:06.players have not settled down, but Ken will be feeling an awful lot
:34:07. > :34:22.better. Stuart will still be in the hole, so to speak.
:34:23. > :34:27.That was a schoolboy error, after battling to win the frame, you break
:34:28. > :34:53.off, hit the blue. The only good thing about that,
:34:54. > :35:01.Stuart Bingham is not on the blue after potting the red.
:35:02. > :35:16.That was fantastic. From the side cushion, he cued it beautifully. He
:35:17. > :35:28.can to be accused of not playing the positive shots.
:35:29. > :35:39.He was trying to get the blue on the spot.
:35:40. > :35:45.He needed the white nearer the cushion to get the angle. He does
:35:46. > :35:57.have a lot of cue power. He will have to call on it.
:35:58. > :36:20.What a great effort. It was a fantastic strike.
:36:21. > :36:32.You cannot teach anyone to play that type of shot, it is natural talent
:36:33. > :36:37.and timing. Considering in the first session, he played a lot easier
:36:38. > :36:38.screw back than that and jumped over the top of the ball, I wondered if
:36:39. > :36:55.he had problems with his tip. He has to be careful when playing
:36:56. > :36:57.this red on the side cushion that he has it's sure in his own mind it is
:36:58. > :37:15.not a double kiss. He played it thin to try to avoid
:37:16. > :37:52.the double kiss. His cue action looks a fraction
:37:53. > :37:55.hurried at the moment. He is feeling the heat, like Stuart. But a little
:37:56. > :38:10.bit quick on the shot. That was better. The more he gets in
:38:11. > :38:17.the pockets, the more he will feel comfortable. He is already out of
:38:18. > :38:40.position. That was not where he intended to be
:38:41. > :39:04.and this is all about a good black. He cannot get the weight of the
:39:05. > :39:07.table. He cannot get his arm free to play fluent snooker that would be
:39:08. > :39:30.easy in practice. It is all about who can get hold of
:39:31. > :39:38.this match by the scruff of the neck and cut out elementary errors.
:39:39. > :39:44.For all of the great snooker we see here, when players are flying on the
:39:45. > :39:50.table, these matches, when you see someone you know is a great player,
:39:51. > :40:03.struggling to get going, it is fascinating.
:40:04. > :40:09.Stewart looks free in his cue action, but the first frame
:40:10. > :40:43.highlighted what is at stake -- Stuart.
:40:44. > :40:50.He has to be careful with the red to the left side of the table. Careful
:40:51. > :41:30.not to cannon into that. You could see Ken, in the
:41:31. > :41:31.background, looking down at Stuart's cue action. He knows that
:41:32. > :41:55.Stuart is under the cosh. This must be very tight. I do not
:41:56. > :42:38.think it goes. Ken, this time, has an easier red to
:42:39. > :44:34.go at. This is a good chance now. Ken is
:44:35. > :44:58.looking focused. Any harder, it would not have
:44:59. > :45:33.dropped. That made this positional shot a little more difficult.
:45:34. > :45:49.No real problems at the moment other than making sure that you pot the
:45:50. > :45:54.ball. That is a nice shot. Ken is starting to play his way into this
:45:55. > :45:58.match. He got off to a very poor start, losing the first three
:45:59. > :46:26.frames. But he looks like he's going to take the lead.
:46:27. > :46:45.The two Lewis reds, should he get them, guarantee that Stuart Bingham
:46:46. > :47:39.would require snickers. -- two loose reds.
:47:40. > :47:52.Now you will see a difference in the body language of the player. Much
:47:53. > :48:02.smoother, much more control. Exactly as I said! He has already won this
:48:03. > :48:08.frame. Stuart Bingham stays in his seat, and what a comeback from Ken
:48:09. > :48:21.Doherty. Three -- zero down. He now gets himself into the lead for the
:48:22. > :48:27.very first time. 6-5 to Ken. He has taking the two opening friends. That
:48:28. > :48:41.will put Stuart under pressure. -- opening frames. Steve, we have a
:48:42. > :48:51.little montage of shots. It is incredible what happens to that cue
:48:52. > :49:03.ball. This is a shot with screw back. This is a power short with
:49:04. > :49:06.run-through. -- shot. It is fascinating, watching what happens
:49:07. > :49:21.to the ball. It goes on forever, actually.
:49:22. > :49:28.I think the difference between these players is that Ken is much more
:49:29. > :49:40.prepared to be wildly as they frames go on. Stuart is more attacking, he
:49:41. > :50:03.will go for big shots. -- to be wiley.
:50:04. > :50:06.Stuart has been getting some good results from playing a much more
:50:07. > :51:12.modern, attacking game. Not the best, to Cannes in the
:51:13. > :51:23.green. He could have done without that. -- to cannon the green. He has
:51:24. > :51:29.never really produced his best liquor at the Crucible, Stuart. --
:51:30. > :51:50.best snooker. Ken pitting a little quick wander,
:51:51. > :51:57.he did not deliver the cue in a straight line. But he did play a
:51:58. > :52:07.shot that had the potential to be safe if you missed it. That is the
:52:08. > :52:13.wiliness coming out. That was an excellent shot from Stuart Bingham.
:52:14. > :52:20.Although, it was played with safety in mind. He would have liked to have
:52:21. > :52:24.been a bit shorter. He could have played the yellow into the middle
:52:25. > :52:35.pocket with some certainty. Now it is very risky.
:52:36. > :53:08.Has he left the red? No, did shot. -- good shot.
:53:09. > :53:15.It Stuart Bingham can just get through the first round, he can
:53:16. > :53:26.start to settle down. Yes, his big win came in 2011, when he won the
:53:27. > :53:27.Australian Open. After that, he seemed to be a different player
:53:28. > :53:40.altogether. He seemed to improving confidence.
:53:41. > :53:46.He has certainly lost a bit of that confidence. She will need some good
:53:47. > :54:21.tactical ploy to force Ken into giving him a good opening.
:54:22. > :54:28.He speculated on the double. It looked like it had complete safety,
:54:29. > :54:33.but he has left Ken the possibility of a long red into the corner,
:54:34. > :54:47.screen back for safety at the same time. -- screwing back.
:54:48. > :54:57.Look where the red has come. It is not an easy pot along the cushion,
:54:58. > :54:59.but Ken did not get anywhere near the pocket that he intended the red
:55:00. > :55:35.to go into. But like was missable, but he will
:55:36. > :55:43.go for it. -- that black was missable. I think this match is
:55:44. > :55:44.beautifully setup. Stuart Bingham is more of an opportunist player than
:55:45. > :56:31.Ken. Ken has huge experience. He does not want to be straight.
:56:32. > :56:34.Yuck! He might just have that red at the end of the pack. He looks to
:56:35. > :56:51.have a slight angle. That was a pretty good effort, but
:56:52. > :57:06.it was a big ask, even with Stuart's you power. -- cue power. It
:57:07. > :57:10.is amazing, when the ball is played with that amount of top spin, we
:57:11. > :57:12.never knew that it used to leave the table until we had the slow motion
:57:13. > :57:37.replays. REFEREE: Thank you. He declared a
:57:38. > :57:46.foul on himself there. You can see, he just touched it. Actually, it
:57:47. > :58:00.seemed OK. He may have thought the push that a bit. -- he pushed it.
:58:01. > :58:06.That is the first long pot that Ken has struck nicely. Now that is a
:58:07. > :58:15.chance to go into the pack and open them up.
:58:16. > :58:47.This would be four frames in a row, if you could take it. That would
:58:48. > :59:10.give Stuart Bingham a lot to think about it -- like think about.
:59:11. > :59:17.He has certainly opened the reds up. One more good chart and he is in
:59:18. > :59:48.with a good chance. -- did shot. He has made light work of that pink.
:59:49. > :59:51.When a player senses that he is on the brink of forging an advantage in
:59:52. > :59:54.amounts, he has got to be careful to stay relaxed, but he has also got to
:59:55. > :00:08.be fired up and off. Ken looks like he is getting to that
:00:09. > :00:18.stage where he is starting to believe more in himself than he did
:00:19. > :01:05.a couple of friends ago. -- frames ago.
:01:06. > :01:15.Ken is now giving himself more time on the shot.
:01:16. > :01:25.It stops you from rushing in and making a careless mistake.
:01:26. > :01:31.He speeded up his walk around the table, and fractionally slowed down
:01:32. > :02:16.his cue action, which is the way to be.
:02:17. > :02:40.He looks like he is playing the cannon. He played it well.
:02:41. > :02:47.He was hoping to be on a red to the left middle pocket but the cannon
:02:48. > :02:58.did not work out. But this should not be a problem.
:02:59. > :03:16.Effectively, he needs to pot the blue to win the frame. It needs good
:03:17. > :04:23.cueing. The blue would have made absolutely
:04:24. > :04:26.sure. 41 is the difference. Still a possible 43 is on the table. I
:04:27. > :04:44.cannot believe that. With the red over the pocket, he was
:04:45. > :04:52.more or less guaranteed to get a positional shot after it, to clinch
:04:53. > :05:00.the frame. Perhaps he thought with the first blue, he had done the hard
:05:01. > :05:02.work. Finishing on the right cushion made it awkward and this is a key
:05:03. > :05:22.shot. REFEREE: Foul and a miss. The brown was on its spot. But the
:05:23. > :05:28.referee has to get the others right, with the help of the monitor. The
:05:29. > :06:27.blue definitely would not pot. That was a very good effort. Very
:06:28. > :06:47.close to getting it behind the green.
:06:48. > :07:01.I do not think that Stuart will refuse this. There is pressure.
:07:02. > :07:11.Arguably, he does not have a better shot.
:07:12. > :07:21.He hit that as well as he could have hoped. He was unlucky.
:07:22. > :07:31.It will be a relieved Ken Doherty. When he missed the blue and Stuart
:07:32. > :07:56.had him in a snooker, it was not looking good, but it is now.
:07:57. > :07:59.Every credit to cancer this performance. It means so much to
:08:00. > :08:58.him. -- to Ken Doherty. He was 5-3 behind. Ken Doherty has
:08:59. > :09:09.won four frames in a row and gets himself into a lead at 7-5. He knows
:09:10. > :09:16.he has Stuart under the cosh. Stuart was unlucky with the attempted long
:09:17. > :09:24.read. It looked like he had got it. You have to give Ken Doherty credit.
:09:25. > :09:36.When we go back to that... This was a fantastic effort. The pace kept it
:09:37. > :09:42.out. Going back to the first frame of the session was so important.
:09:43. > :09:53.They had golden opportunities to win and both messed up their chances. As
:09:54. > :09:58.a result, Ken Doherty has benefited. That is the vagaries of fortune and
:09:59. > :10:05.fate. He was lucky enough to get the first? Both of them could have won
:10:06. > :10:10.it. Stuart got himself almost straight on the black and played
:10:11. > :10:18.with topspin. He does have cue power. There was tops -- topspin. He
:10:19. > :10:32.was unlucky to get right in the middle. When you hit the white ball
:10:33. > :10:46.with topspin, it starts jumping around and the topspin kicks in.
:10:47. > :10:56.The interval is coming up after this frame. How this match has turned
:10:57. > :11:06.around is amazing. How will Stuart Bingham react?
:11:07. > :11:23.Can Ken Doherty push the advantage home?
:11:24. > :11:48.He nicely picked out the pink was available.
:11:49. > :11:52.Stuart has settled down, he just needs a frame on the board to get
:11:53. > :12:25.going. The story so far of Stuart's last
:12:26. > :12:34.few frames is he has not made a break above 40 since frame six.
:12:35. > :12:38.While he is cueing nicely, he is perhaps not retaining control of the
:12:39. > :13:01.table, not playing good enough positional play. It is hard to know.
:13:02. > :13:27.He could have played for the red and the blue and got a lovely angle. He
:13:28. > :14:00.had it on his mind to take the black. He might have missed a trick.
:14:01. > :14:09.That was unlucky. Whether whiteboard is finished, look at that. -- white
:14:10. > :14:34.ball. There is a bit more left in this
:14:35. > :15:17.match. And that was not great. He has left the reds the Ken.
:15:18. > :15:28.He hit the wrong ball. He might have got away with it. He did not hit the
:15:29. > :15:46.red ball he intended. He was hoping to get back up the table.
:15:47. > :15:54.That was a good result in the end. At that stage, he did not know that
:15:55. > :16:03.everything would be safe. It is a big frame first juror doing. To go
:16:04. > :16:21.to the mid-session interval having lost the first three frames would be
:16:22. > :16:25.a tall order for him. What Ken does, when he has someone backed into a
:16:26. > :16:46.corner, he does know how to keep them in the corner.
:16:47. > :16:52.Another aggressive choice of shot from Stuart Bingham. He could have
:16:53. > :17:05.played a relatively easy safety shot down the table. That is certainly
:17:06. > :17:07.not a criticism. There was an element of safety involved as well.
:17:08. > :17:29.Ken has knocked it in. It was certainly not be wrong shot
:17:30. > :17:32.that Stuart played. Ken is looking like he is picking up one more
:17:33. > :17:46.errors from his opponent than he did in the first frames. He may be able
:17:47. > :17:57.to collide with a couple of reds in the pack and collide with the pink.
:17:58. > :18:05.That is his plan, brushing off the side of the pack.
:18:06. > :18:11.It did not brush off the side, it sort of believed its way in. This is
:18:12. > :19:04.no more risky. -- buried its way in. That is a very good shot from
:19:05. > :19:23.Stuart. Ken has played that well. It needed
:19:24. > :19:45.to be thin, otherwise he would collide with the red.
:19:46. > :19:59.That was a massive shot to take on. Once again, continuing to be very
:20:00. > :20:14.aggressive. He has got away with it. That is amazing. How has he not left
:20:15. > :20:20.a pot on? When you're out there, it is difficult not to panic and just
:20:21. > :20:24.want to get the ball in the pocket. Sometimes you need to have more of
:20:25. > :20:28.restraint. It is a very fine dividing line. But the plant was on,
:20:29. > :20:48.so why not go for it? He tried to create an angle, and he
:20:49. > :20:56.missed it. There are signs that Ken is getting the upper hand. Stuart is
:20:57. > :21:00.getting a bit anxious. He got away with the previous shot, when he left
:21:01. > :21:05.everything safe. That was a good chance.
:21:06. > :21:14.He needs to get to the mid-session interval to regroup. But what is the
:21:15. > :21:19.score going to be? Ken will know the significance of this. If he can
:21:20. > :21:25.convert this opportunity, it will really put the screws on. This is
:21:26. > :21:41.the equivalent of a boxer having the other guy on the ropes.
:21:42. > :21:51.Yes, he has not played that all that well. It was the previous shot. He
:21:52. > :21:56.did not get on the blue as he intended. He was relying on a
:21:57. > :22:02.cannon, but it has not worked out for him. Yes, he did not get nicely
:22:03. > :22:44.on the blue from the first red. He has a choice of pink or black. He
:22:45. > :22:48.is coming round to look at the black. If you pots it, it will go on
:22:49. > :23:09.to the pink spot. He has got quite a loose grip, with
:23:10. > :23:17.his backhand, Ken. That is not a bad thing under pressure. If you grip
:23:18. > :23:31.the cute too tightly, it is not the best way of playing the game under
:23:32. > :23:34.pressure. -- the cue too tightly. I do not think there are two Mac
:23:35. > :23:45.players in the game that have the same grip.
:23:46. > :24:54.There are lots of unusual grips at top-class level.
:24:55. > :25:03.This is going to be five frames in a row if you can take this. What a
:25:04. > :25:08.performance from Ken. He has had some help from his opponent, but you
:25:09. > :25:09.have still got to do it. Stuart certainly has not relaxed this
:25:10. > :25:22.morning. That was short of pace. He has got
:25:23. > :25:46.the upper hand in this frame. He did not attempt to pot that. He
:25:47. > :25:48.was playing the safety shot. The previous shot, the positional shot,
:25:49. > :26:18.he seemed to plate with top spin. That is a nice shot from Stuart
:26:19. > :27:15.Bingham. Ken will be very happy with that.
:27:16. > :27:31.That is a good shot, I can tell you. Clever. A clever shot. Obviously,
:27:32. > :27:50.the reds on the top cushion were not going to stay there.
:27:51. > :28:57.That was a poor effort from Ken on safety. But he has got away with it.
:28:58. > :29:43.That was a good, confident long pot. He is looking at the black.
:29:44. > :30:24.He needs two of these reds, which will not be easy.
:30:25. > :31:03.He got the run-through, and ended up on the wrong side of the black.
:31:04. > :31:25.That was a fantastic shot. But all of the balls are live, out in the
:31:26. > :31:34.open. If you had a tactical discussion with top players, they
:31:35. > :31:40.would have talked about putting one safe.
:31:41. > :31:53.That was a bad shot from Ken Doherty. He hit that to thick. He is
:31:54. > :32:13.annoyed with himself. He knew he should have had Stuart in trouble.
:32:14. > :32:27.Stuart was convinced it was going in-off.
:32:28. > :32:59.The cueing is awkward. The white ball so close to the pocket.
:33:00. > :33:09.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. No damage done, it was not a free ball, so it
:33:10. > :33:53.just costs him four points. That was better. It was difficult.
:33:54. > :33:59.He will leave an opportunity for Stuart.
:34:00. > :34:03.I do not know whether the red goes past the black, which is out of
:34:04. > :34:28.commission. Stuart Bingham is suffering at the
:34:29. > :34:40.moment and Ken Doherty has to jump on this chance. Stuart has been left
:34:41. > :34:44.with problematic shots. 50-50s. If you do not get the right, it looks
:34:45. > :34:48.like you have panicked and comfort to many. He has had difficult
:34:49. > :35:39.decisions this morning. That looked pretty good. Barring
:35:40. > :35:49.that snooker, Ken Doherty has won five in a row.
:35:50. > :35:59.He said to Ken, let's go to the mid-session interval. What a
:36:00. > :36:06.session. Ken Doherty has taken all of the four frames. He must be
:36:07. > :36:10.delighted. This match is beautifully poised.
:36:11. > :36:16.The last time Ken Doherty made the second round at the Crucible was in
:36:17. > :36:21.2006. While those players are having their interval, we will turn the
:36:22. > :36:24.attention to Ronnie O'Sullivan. A great atmosphere in the Crucible for
:36:25. > :36:30.the first session and also for yesterday evening will stop he went
:36:31. > :36:36.into a 7-2 lead, after the first session. And a great atmosphere
:36:37. > :36:37.yesterday evening. The fans packing into the wonderful venue for the
:36:38. > :36:51.final session. John Virgo: he needed that to slow
:36:52. > :37:25.up, and it did. He could not want for a better
:37:26. > :37:51.opportunity. This is a big chance. It is a controlled and efficient cue
:37:52. > :38:09.action. It is reminiscent of Mark Williams.
:38:10. > :38:11.Carefully gets down into position to play the shot and does not waste too
:38:12. > :38:24.much time. The cloth is very fast at the
:38:25. > :38:33.moment. That overran. I would be surprised if he did not
:38:34. > :39:29.win the frame at this visit. Ronnie O'Sullivan played a careless
:39:30. > :39:32.safety shot. It does not matter how good you are, when you are sitting
:39:33. > :39:39.in the chair, you cannot be potting balls.
:39:40. > :39:47.It was unusual that he did not avoid the double kiss. It looks like it
:39:48. > :40:15.was certain to cost him this frame. Would you believe it? All that was
:40:16. > :40:34.required was a red. It could not have been easier. Oh, dear.
:40:35. > :40:42.If Ronnie O'Sullivan can get a snooker from this position, he will
:40:43. > :40:59.put the heat on. And he has got it, I think.
:41:00. > :41:03.If he does not get this safe, we could have a new favourite for the
:41:04. > :41:17.frame. The two cushion escape is not bad.
:41:18. > :41:36.If he plays a swerve, he would not know where the balls would end up.
:41:37. > :41:41.I am not sure he played it that way, he may have played it to catch it on
:41:42. > :42:01.the way down. Robin Hull was unlucky to stick that
:42:02. > :42:06.up. Ronnie O'Sullivan struck that so well.
:42:07. > :42:15.That was not easy. It was a tricky red ball. He could not play for it
:42:16. > :42:46.in the easier pocket. He would be shocked if Ronnie
:42:47. > :42:53.O'Sullivan did not clear up from here.
:42:54. > :43:02.I assume he put a little bit of right-hand side, unwanted, that
:43:03. > :43:04.pushed the cue ball into the red. But there is no excuse for missing
:43:05. > :43:45.that, and he will know that. The black is needed. And in it goes.
:43:46. > :43:51.Robin Hull will be dumbstruck. One part away from winning that frame.
:43:52. > :43:56.He missed it and Ronnie O'Sullivan has one opportunity and stretches
:43:57. > :43:58.further clear. It was a big chance for a Robin Hull
:43:59. > :44:15.but he recovered. He decided to play the snooker,
:44:16. > :44:50.which you have to feel is the right shot.
:44:51. > :45:07.Is there an angle on this red, so he can pot it?
:45:08. > :45:24.He cute that like a dream. -- cued. It was superbly played. A lot of
:45:25. > :45:33.players would have played the run-through.
:45:34. > :45:57.And now he has a realistic chance of a frame winner.
:45:58. > :46:02.There is very little to do here, positionally. The balls are nicely
:46:03. > :46:34.placed. As defending champion, should he
:46:35. > :46:39.convert this opportunity, he gets the reward of a number of days off
:46:40. > :47:12.after this match. It can be a blessing in disguise.
:47:13. > :47:27.Has that gone wrong? It has gone wrong. It is tight. He needs to play
:47:28. > :47:35.it with a fraction of side, but it is not ideal. He played it with the
:47:36. > :47:44.side, and he was walking back to his seat. He did not think it was going
:47:45. > :47:46.to go in. He does not have position on the black, so just a little
:47:47. > :48:08.snooker. That seemed to fly off that cushion.
:48:09. > :48:16.That was the first big bounce we have seen of attrition. Usually that
:48:17. > :48:29.is after a few days of play, when the cloth starch to be brushed away.
:48:30. > :48:34.That was a beautiful shot. I think that could be the last visit for
:48:35. > :49:27.Robin Hull. He has not disgraced himself, but he has not done enough.
:49:28. > :49:33.Robin Hull has shown himself to be a very capable player. There are
:49:34. > :49:35.easier draws than Ronnie O'Sullivan, but as you say, he has acquitted
:49:36. > :50:58.himself well. It did not. This is the 38th year of
:50:59. > :51:08.the World Championships, and for those of you who remember that far
:51:09. > :51:12.back, it is 10-4, over and out. The world champion reigned supreme. I
:51:13. > :51:14.waved to the crowd. He is through to the second round. He beats Robin
:51:15. > :51:22.Hull, 10-4. the second round. He beats Robin
:51:23. > :51:25.Hull, It was a good victory. He was a tough first-round opponent.
:51:26. > :51:31.Everyone assumed it would be an easy match for me, but I knew it would
:51:32. > :51:34.not be. I saw a quote from Steve Davis sing, he beat him at the
:51:35. > :51:43.Crucible when he was still fancied to do well. Steve Davis said he is a
:51:44. > :51:49.class act, and he is, he has a real Rolls-Royce cue action. Ideally, I
:51:50. > :51:54.would like to get through my matches as easily as possible, a bit like I
:51:55. > :51:59.did in the Masters and the Welsh. But I am aware that it does not
:52:00. > :52:05.happen every time. Sometimes you have to win the scrappy frames. You
:52:06. > :52:12.need to find momentum within that. That is what I tried to do, because
:52:13. > :52:15.this is a long tournament. You cannot play fantastically every time
:52:16. > :52:20.you go out there. You need to mix it tactically. That gives you a great
:52:21. > :52:27.opportunity to do well. The defending champion is safely
:52:28. > :52:31.through. Steve Davis has come out of the commentary box for a quick chat.
:52:32. > :52:35.I job well done by Ronnie O'Sullivan? Yes, we are used to
:52:36. > :52:41.seeing him wiping the floor with everybody. But that was a
:52:42. > :52:47.workmanlike performance. After worse, I think his words summed up
:52:48. > :52:53.the frame of mind he is in. He looked pretty sharp. Focused. The
:52:54. > :52:57.World Championship is demanding, mentally and physical. In the
:52:58. > :53:04.first-round, you have just got to get through round. Lots of the
:53:05. > :53:08.newspapers featuring Ronnie today. They say that he played well in the
:53:09. > :53:13.first session but did not get going in the evening session. Is that
:53:14. > :53:19.common? It is more about how you react. In the past, we have seen
:53:20. > :53:26.Ronnie O'Sullivan getting frustrated when he does not produce excellence.
:53:27. > :53:32.But I think he is at ease with his game. He has a chance to win six
:53:33. > :53:37.world titles this year. You're heading back to the commentary box.
:53:38. > :53:47.I'll be likely to see Ken Doherty in a TV studio soon? I tell you what,
:53:48. > :53:53.he has Stuart Bingham on the ropes. Stuart has got to regroup. But Ken
:53:54. > :54:29.is in an ideal situation. Thank you. Off you go to the commentary box.
:54:30. > :54:50.That is the story of why Ken has won five frames on a roll. -- in a row.
:54:51. > :54:59.Stuart Bingham must win this frames. Five frames behind, that would be a
:55:00. > :56:14.mountain to climb. Ken keeps bouncing back. He a class
:56:15. > :56:36.act, Ken Doherty. Has he got the gap? He is on both
:56:37. > :56:58.the pink and the black. That is a bonus. Those two reds to the rate of
:56:59. > :57:08.the black accosting problems. -- to the right of the black are causing
:57:09. > :57:18.problems. He has played for the red in the middle. He is not really on
:57:19. > :57:24.it. It is far thinner than he would like. The cue ball is going to go in
:57:25. > :57:37.and out of baulk. What I would expect him to get it.
:57:38. > :57:55.That was not as thin as I thought. Yes, that red that Steve mentioned,
:57:56. > :58:02.it is not easy to get onto that red. It is the one to the right that is
:58:03. > :58:06.causing the problem. It is not straightforward just yet. That is
:58:07. > :58:13.not the best shot he has ever played. Yes, but he has kept on the
:58:14. > :58:31.red. He could have been closer to the pink.
:58:32. > :58:38.That was a different story completely. You did not tell me that
:58:39. > :58:46.that went, did you? You kept that to yourself! The overhead camera
:58:47. > :59:12.clearly showed you that it would. The pink was not touching the red.
:59:13. > :59:14.End of break. Yes, he had to hit the pink Phil Ball to send it into the
:59:15. > :00:03.reds. -- full ball. He was unlucky but he did not hit it
:00:04. > :00:04.right. He was going to come back up the table but straightaway you could
:00:05. > :00:12.tell. I think he played the pink, but he
:00:13. > :00:42.is OK, he is on the black. Now it is about whether Ken Doherty
:00:43. > :00:48.can hold himself together. He has not been in this position for a few
:00:49. > :00:50.seasons. He is back in with the big boys, where he feels he can still
:00:51. > :01:12.compete. He will be keen to make a frame
:01:13. > :01:30.winning break in this visit. I do not think that Stuart Bingham
:01:31. > :01:31.would come back from 9-5. And so there is pressure building up on Ken
:01:32. > :02:10.Doherty, to get the frame. That was nicely screwed back for one
:02:11. > :02:32.of the reds in the middle. It is down to Ken Doherty to ensure
:02:33. > :02:36.his positional play is so strong, he does not give himself a difficult
:02:37. > :02:53.shot that he could miss. They have played each other eight
:02:54. > :02:57.times. Four each. Over the past couple of seasons, Stuart Bingham
:02:58. > :03:05.has been getting the better of their matches. They met once before in the
:03:06. > :03:13.World Championship. That was in 2002. Ken Doherty won on that
:03:14. > :03:50.occasion, 10-8. This is quite remarkable, it will be
:03:51. > :04:21.six in a row if he takes this. He looks composed. Inside, he will
:04:22. > :04:38.be feeling tense. But he is coping well.
:04:39. > :05:27.He only needs the black to leave Stuart Bingham needing a snooker.
:05:28. > :05:41.That pink makes it absolutely certain he is safe.
:05:42. > :06:03.He is doing it in style. Winning the frame with this visit.
:06:04. > :06:12.Stuart Bingham will stay in his seat. It continues. What a comeback.
:06:13. > :06:20.Ken Doherty takes another frame and now needs one to get through to the
:06:21. > :06:28.next round. It is quite remarkable from 3-0 down. The darling of Dublin
:06:29. > :06:34.has battled and won six in a row. That is remarkable against somebody
:06:35. > :06:39.like Stuart Bingham, Steve. While it is not a shot, it is a big result if
:06:40. > :06:49.he can convert this. Stuart Bingham was a strong favourite. If you had
:06:50. > :06:55.seen the first frame this morning, when Stuart Bingham was 5-4 up, both
:06:56. > :07:01.were playing with tension in their arms. It could have gone either way.
:07:02. > :07:08.Looking back, the first frame was a big frame the Stuart Bingham. It
:07:09. > :07:09.could have been a big turning point in the match because it has been Ken
:07:10. > :07:33.Doherty since that. But, it is never over until it is
:07:34. > :07:41.over, as they say. Stuart Bingham must have to win five in a row. You
:07:42. > :07:44.have to think that Ken Doherty has won six in a row, my opponent, why
:07:45. > :07:51.can I not do it? That was an indication... Hitting it
:07:52. > :09:04.on the wrong side completely. He has covered it, but, I am sure
:09:05. > :09:16.that Ken Doherty can find a red to plant. The pink and black are out of
:09:17. > :09:18.commission somewhat. He is looking to see where he can get the cue
:09:19. > :09:37.ball, to get onto the blue. He played that with side. He was
:09:38. > :09:38.close to getting to the black. I suppose this made certain of the
:09:39. > :09:54.red. I think he can cut this black. If it goes in, what a chance. It is
:09:55. > :10:13.not easy, but he fancies it. The black will only be available
:10:14. > :10:23.into one pocket when it is spotted back row. But he is growing in
:10:24. > :10:45.confidence. ASH Mac when it is re-spotted.
:10:46. > :10:56.Ideally, he wants to stay at the top part of the table. That did not come
:10:57. > :11:32.out nicely. What a chance that was. Just the
:11:33. > :11:39.flick on the red left him hampered. This is a test for Stuart Bingham.
:11:40. > :11:47.He has had to sit in his seat for most of the session.
:11:48. > :12:39.He looks to have a problem with the red to the right of the black.
:12:40. > :13:03.It is a long way back but this could be the start of the comeback.
:13:04. > :13:09.Unfortunately our time is up on BBC Two, but you can continue to enjoy
:13:10. > :13:19.the match on the red button and online. 2-2 between Joe Perry and
:13:20. > :13:24.Jamie Burnett, and that match is available online. Hazel Irvine will
:13:25. > :13:29.be back on BBC Two at 2:30pm. We will see Ding Junhui.