Day 2, Part 2

:00:32. > :00:42.Good afternoon, and from all of us, it is happy Easter! I hope you have

:00:43. > :00:45.a good one. This is the opening weekend of the World Championship,

:00:46. > :00:49.it has been a happy one for one it as Sullivan. He comfortably came

:00:50. > :00:57.through his opening match against Robin Hull last night. On this, the

:00:58. > :01:01.second day, the 50th anniversary of BBC Two, it is all the man of the

:01:02. > :01:08.season so far this season, Ding Junhui. This fella who is trying to

:01:09. > :01:13.become the first world champion from Asia has made it to six of the 11th

:01:14. > :01:18.world ranking finals so far, and he has won five times. That is a show

:01:19. > :01:20.of domination that has not been seen since the heyday of a certain

:01:21. > :02:10.Stephen Hendry 20 years ago. He has had a magnificent season, and

:02:11. > :02:18.who better to analyse it and Stephen Hendry. We can see his season so

:02:19. > :02:24.far, very impressive, and a great start. He won in Shanghai, rate

:02:25. > :02:32.expectation, and he won. He backed it up with a victory. When he played

:02:33. > :02:37.Ronnie O'Sullivan in Wales was interesting. His nemesis, almost,

:02:38. > :02:45.four of the five tournaments he won, Ronnie did not enter. His record

:02:46. > :02:51.here is not great. He has been under pressure here, he has not played his

:02:52. > :02:54.natural game, to make big breaks. He has two played with confidence this

:02:55. > :03:03.year. Michael Wasley is his opponent, I do not know too much

:03:04. > :03:11.about him. 24, lives in Gloucester, what else do you know? He has won

:03:12. > :03:16.four matches to get here. 10-9 to qualify, with a re-spotted black. He

:03:17. > :03:23.is pretty good on a Rubik 's cube, apparently.

:03:24. > :03:30.I saw it on a shelf, I was bored, I picked it up, and I completed a key

:03:31. > :03:37.site. It restricted me that I could not do the rest of it, so I thought

:03:38. > :03:44.I would learn it, so I carried on. It took about a month to learn. I

:03:45. > :03:47.was doing it every day, a bit sad! I like to take things apart and see

:03:48. > :03:55.how they go back together I like challenging myself. Sometimes you

:03:56. > :04:02.win, sometimes you lose. I have got thought processes throughout the

:04:03. > :04:06.match, but they are top-secret! I expect it will be very tight. I have

:04:07. > :04:12.been to the venue twice to watch friends play. It is cramped, the

:04:13. > :04:18.crowd is breathing on your neck, so I have to take it all in as quickly

:04:19. > :04:22.as I can, and embrace it. When I was growing up and watching my idols,

:04:23. > :04:30.Ronnie O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, you are dreaming that

:04:31. > :04:34.you are there one day. To do it at 24 is a massive achievement, I

:04:35. > :04:40.cannot believe how lucky I am. People have stuck by me through

:04:41. > :04:44.thick and thin. They have kept me going and supported me. I would not

:04:45. > :04:51.be here if it was not for them. You cannot help the draw. It would be a

:04:52. > :05:00.big scalp for me. I will relish the challenge.

:05:01. > :05:05.Nice one! He tweeted this morning, just woke up and realised I am

:05:06. > :05:09.playing at the Crucible, while! It is all very real, standing

:05:10. > :05:16.backstage, waiting for the call. Also ready for action, Ali Carter

:05:17. > :05:21.resumes against the new boy Xiao Guodong. Check out his shiny shoes.

:05:22. > :05:26.You will not miss those! They are the men we will be lewd to all

:05:27. > :05:31.afternoon, and Rob Walker is about to get us under way.

:05:32. > :05:35.Good afternoon, the drama is set to continue here on Easter Sunday at

:05:36. > :05:41.the Dafabet World Snooker Championship, to debutantes and two

:05:42. > :05:45.well-established pros going to did so to join Ronnie O'Sullivan and Ken

:05:46. > :05:52.Doherty in the last 16 of the championships. The stakes are high,

:05:53. > :05:56.and we are ready to rock 'n' roll. Please welcome first of all the

:05:57. > :06:03.Chinese baby Todd who showed nerves yesterday on his first visit,

:06:04. > :06:07.trailing by just a single frame, the former Asian under 21 champion, he

:06:08. > :06:30.has got the shiny shoes and confidence, Xiao Guodong!

:06:31. > :06:35.And his opponent, a player who has repeatedly shown tremendous

:06:36. > :06:41.character and courage of the table in recent years, brilliant to once

:06:42. > :06:44.again see him gracing the big stage. Winner of three ranking event

:06:45. > :06:48.titles, twice a Crucible finalist, when he is flying high, they call

:06:49. > :07:12.him the Captain. Ali Carter! And here, what a moment for the

:07:13. > :07:17.player who came through an incredible match in qualifying to

:07:18. > :07:19.book his place here. He beat fellow Gloucester player Robert Milkins on

:07:20. > :07:26.a re-spotted black in the deciding frame. He qualified as a pro two

:07:27. > :07:27.years ago, here he is, making his Crucible debut, give it up for

:07:28. > :07:56.Michael Wasley! And finally, his opponent, what a

:07:57. > :08:00.season it has been for China's finest export, becoming the first

:08:01. > :08:05.player in 23 years to win five ranking event titles in one season.

:08:06. > :08:07.That is why he is a national hero back home. Enter the Dragon, Ding

:08:08. > :08:34.Junhui! Play from both tables live on a

:08:35. > :08:40.variety of platforms. We are going to start on table one to watch Ding

:08:41. > :08:43.Junhui against Michael Wasley, the 190th player to compete at the

:08:44. > :08:49.Crucible. It was quite a moment to see him come through the curtain. It

:08:50. > :08:50.is a proud moment for his coach, Terry Griffiths, alongside John

:08:51. > :09:05.Virgo in the commentary box. Good afternoon, what a moment. When

:09:06. > :09:08.I first came here in 1977, in those days, it was not anything special,

:09:09. > :09:17.but over the years, people have seen what it is like, and the emotions,

:09:18. > :09:21.for young Michael, I am certain he is full of nerves, and just wants to

:09:22. > :09:27.get his hand on the table and hit some balls. You love him well.

:09:28. > :09:32.Strengths, which this is? Got a chance? He is a good all-round

:09:33. > :09:42.player, he has come on very quickly. I work with him. He has

:09:43. > :09:46.done exceptionally well. Like you say, John, it is wonderful to get

:09:47. > :09:56.here, most professional players do not get the opportunity.

:09:57. > :10:00.Playing the main man this season as far as ranking tournaments are

:10:01. > :10:06.concerned, Ding Junhui. What a good they are. But he has never really

:10:07. > :10:16.fulfilled that potential here at the Crucible.

:10:17. > :10:27.It is right in the heart of the pocket, played confidently. Well

:10:28. > :10:29.short of the Borgnine to give him a chance of a baulk colour. Just the

:10:30. > :10:59.start you look for. It is not easy out there. All of the

:11:00. > :11:04.excitement, the build-up. That is one of his strong suits, the safety

:11:05. > :11:05.is excellent. It will have to be against the long potting of Ding

:11:06. > :11:24.Junhui. Ding Junhui has not realised his

:11:25. > :11:32.full potential here at the Crucible. He is such an exceptional talent, we

:11:33. > :11:36.just assumed that he would be the first Asian player to win the

:11:37. > :11:42.championship. It has taken a bit of time, but he comes into this

:11:43. > :11:51.tournament in great form. He must be brimming with confidence. He has

:11:52. > :11:59.left Michael a tempter here, the red along the cushion. He knew he was

:12:00. > :12:01.going to leave it. It is a nice angle if he pots this to finish on

:12:02. > :12:24.the black. It is worth taking on. He struck it beautifully, a good

:12:25. > :12:28.shot. He has not missed a pot yet, perhaps it is better to walk out

:12:29. > :12:49.now! Never missed a ball in the Crucible!

:12:50. > :13:00.A bit straight he would have been ideal, and he could have rolled

:13:01. > :13:10.through nicely for the black. He will probably play the pink. There

:13:11. > :13:15.are enough reds to be going on with. What he does not want to miss an

:13:16. > :13:20.easy pot. Pots are miscible, the easy ones will hurt you if you have

:13:21. > :13:34.not been here before. A big day today for his manager,

:13:35. > :13:37.Paul, who has been with him since he was a young lad, travelled around

:13:38. > :13:42.the world with him on the amateur circuit. It is nice to see the young

:13:43. > :13:58.players coming through. He just ran that through a bit

:13:59. > :14:02.further than he would have liked. I do not know if he can get into the

:14:03. > :14:10.cue ball and play the cannon on the pink to bring the reds into play. He

:14:11. > :14:17.just had to play for the loose thread, but he played it nicely

:14:18. > :14:23.enough, with a nice angle. He can come back down to the black. Soon,

:14:24. > :14:46.he will be looking for an ankle to bring the cluster of Reds into play.

:14:47. > :14:55.Discussions are quite lively, and the bed. Yes, I did Ronnie

:14:56. > :14:56.O'Sullivan's match yesterday, quite if times he was overrunning, with

:14:57. > :15:11.the pace of the table. He played that nicely. Not the

:15:12. > :15:18.perfect angle on the black. He may have to play for the one loose red.

:15:19. > :16:01.The imperative is that he gets a good angle on a colour.

:16:02. > :16:12.This is miscible, particularly at pace.

:16:13. > :16:19.Just did not get enough side on it, but he played it at pace, and at

:16:20. > :16:27.least he potted the blue. At least if you pop the ball, you can play

:16:28. > :16:33.the next shot. The pot was a bit too difficult to play with more side

:16:34. > :16:34.than that. The problem was, he did not get a good angle on the black

:16:35. > :16:49.early on. An excellent start. If that does not settle the nerves,

:16:50. > :17:27.nothing well. Well played, and a good safety.

:17:28. > :17:40.That has put Michael in a bit of trouble. He may be forced to take

:17:41. > :17:44.the red on into the left corner. If you have got a difficult pot or a

:17:45. > :17:55.difficult safety, you have got to take the pot on.

:17:56. > :18:05.No return to baulk, so I agree. If you cannot get safe, you might as

:18:06. > :18:29.well have a go at a pop. He would not leave much if he played the pot.

:18:30. > :18:35.That was the problem, playing it up and down, there was always the

:18:36. > :18:43.danger of the double-kiss. That is what he has got. He has left his

:18:44. > :18:46.opponent a chance. He decided to not play the pot. There was always a

:18:47. > :19:21.danger of a double-kiss. Not a bad angle on the blue. A bit

:19:22. > :19:26.straighter would have been better. There are a couple of threads that

:19:27. > :19:31.go, but he could play the cannon. You rely on look a bit with the

:19:32. > :19:35.cannon. If you can not control the cue ball because of the thinner

:19:36. > :19:40.potting angle, he may be as well playing the cannon. It depends how

:19:41. > :19:47.he sees it. He is one of the breast -- best trick builders in the game,

:19:48. > :20:43.so he normally make the right decision. He is OK.

:20:44. > :20:53.He is very good in the balls, as John mentioned.

:20:54. > :21:03.He has won five ranking tournaments this year, a wonderful achievement.

:21:04. > :21:17.So many good players that can win tournaments. That has not worked out

:21:18. > :21:23.as planned. He wanted to hit both roads together. He will do well to

:21:24. > :21:41.keep this going. It is a very thin cut.

:21:42. > :22:18.Coming back up for the blue. This time, he has the perfect angle. We

:22:19. > :22:27.have got a new favourite for this first frame.

:22:28. > :22:32.Last year, he got to the quarterfinal, he lost to Barry

:22:33. > :22:37.Hawkins, who lost in the final two Ronnie O'Sullivan. The year before,

:22:38. > :22:45.he lost in the first round. 2011 was his best informants, he lost in the

:22:46. > :22:50.semifinal to Judd Trump. Judd Trump was beaten by John Higgins in the

:22:51. > :22:55.final. He has played a very poor positional shot. He was perfect on

:22:56. > :22:57.the red, but he is not perfect on the blue. He has got a slight

:22:58. > :23:18.problem. How could he get that far down the

:23:19. > :23:27.table with so little ankle? That was a perfect strike of the cue ball.

:23:28. > :23:28.The left-hand side helped it, but you cannot play it any better than

:23:29. > :23:42.that. He cannot get the right angle on the

:23:43. > :23:44.blue at the moment. He will not leave himself too far away from the

:23:45. > :23:59.yellow. This was a tremendous shot. To get

:24:00. > :24:07.down perfect on the red was a great shot.

:24:08. > :24:18.Asking the referee from Malta to clean the pupil. He did not get into

:24:19. > :24:26.the cue ball enough. He is a lot thinner on the green than he would

:24:27. > :24:29.like. He will need the five remaining colours. Not a formality

:24:30. > :24:46.any more. It caught up with him in the end. A

:24:47. > :24:52.couple of loose positional shots. He has been a bit fortunate there. This

:24:53. > :24:57.game is all about fractions. He is smiling, he will be disappointed he

:24:58. > :25:03.missed the green, but it looked as though the cue ball was going to

:25:04. > :25:14.click the blue Sir Michael could get his hand on the table. But now he is

:25:15. > :25:18.hampered. Does not look as though he can pot the green and get in a good

:25:19. > :25:29.position on the brown. He needs green, brown and blue. You cannot do

:25:30. > :25:31.that! They would have to get a hoist to get me off the table decided

:25:32. > :25:53.that! A run of the ball, that is what it

:25:54. > :26:01.was for Ding Junhui, he missed the green and he was fortunate not to

:26:02. > :26:05.leave it any easier than that. If the cue ball flicks the blue,

:26:06. > :26:15.Michael could have got his hand on the table. It just fantastic and

:26:16. > :26:28.left him hampered. But he gets another chance. Even the best field

:26:29. > :26:38.the Crucible nerves. I do not think Michael should have taken the green

:26:39. > :26:47.on. Not with a spider. The chances of him making that, one out of ten

:26:48. > :26:52.at best. A clever shot. In his defence, when I looked at the shot,

:26:53. > :26:57.could you have seen a safety? You could have clipped off the left-hand

:26:58. > :27:04.side, the green goes high and the brown. It is his choice, and he is

:27:05. > :27:10.desperate to win the first frame, his first visit here. He felt he was

:27:11. > :27:17.entitled to an easier shot on the green. It is still in the balance. A

:27:18. > :27:23.very interesting opening frame. That is an excellent shot from Ding

:27:24. > :27:28.Junhui. It is not that difficult to hit, come off the right-hand side

:27:29. > :28:00.cushion as we look. He would like to come off two cushions.

:28:01. > :28:23.That is a couple of shots he has already played to show that Ding

:28:24. > :28:32.Junhui is in top form. He will still need the black. The pink will put

:28:33. > :28:48.him seven in front with seven remaining.

:28:49. > :29:00.In it goes. In all honesty, he was lucky not to leave the green a lot

:29:01. > :29:03.easier for his opponent, but a big frame, and it goes the way of the

:29:04. > :29:11.man from China, Ding Junhui. He had to work for it, it was a very

:29:12. > :29:17.impressive start from Michael Wasley. Excellent, sometimes you

:29:18. > :29:23.think you will be nervous, coming in, he made a great 53 break and a

:29:24. > :29:30.great safety shot. Ding Junhui had a monster piece of good look. There is

:29:31. > :29:35.only one place it could go, in front of the blue to make it awkward, and

:29:36. > :29:41.that is where it finished. The youngster will know he is up against

:29:42. > :29:46.it. Yes, you think about the tough draws, the people you want to avoid,

:29:47. > :29:53.Ding Junhui, he would be one. But he looks quite composed. We were

:29:54. > :29:58.talking while this was going on about your first time at the

:29:59. > :30:03.Crucible, and yours. Can you render your overriding emotions? I was just

:30:04. > :30:07.thinking, don't embarrass yourself! But once I was out there, I fell in

:30:08. > :30:14.love with the place, I loved the atmosphere. I got a bit of a beating

:30:15. > :30:20.by Mr Taylor who used all his matchplay secret against me, you

:30:21. > :30:27.beat me 10-7 or something, I remember being an absolute bag of

:30:28. > :30:35.nerves. To go out and play, and watch the auditorium, you were

:30:36. > :30:38.stargazing before you start playing. It's been an interesting start for

:30:39. > :30:48.this young man, let's see how he fares in the next frame.

:30:49. > :30:56.If he does the same as the first frame, he won't be too bad. An

:30:57. > :30:59.excellent start for a rookie, that. Playing properly the most inform

:31:00. > :31:13.player, along with Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:31:14. > :31:20.What is very noticeable about Ding in this season, this big run of

:31:21. > :31:27.success he has been having, he's a lot more aggressive with these shot

:31:28. > :31:33.selection the knee has been. -- then he has been. He missed that by a

:31:34. > :31:40.long way. It may be available, it's a very thin cut, though. It's

:31:41. > :31:45.difficult to see how he can get on a colour.

:31:46. > :31:55.Good take, that. Now the red he would love to be on is the red

:31:56. > :32:03.that's immediately next to the black. If he could get on the red

:32:04. > :32:10.somehow, if he could part it, he would have the black available to

:32:11. > :32:11.both corners. The chances of making a sizeable contribution are slim at

:32:12. > :32:22.the moment. That was a good shot, and I tell you

:32:23. > :32:25.what, that was good cueing, and he has disturbed them slightly. Look at

:32:26. > :32:38.the action he got on that cue ball. I don't think he can be thinking of

:32:39. > :32:55.black or pink at the moment but he has certainly loosened it this end.

:32:56. > :33:14.Not quite hard enough. I think that was in the back of his mind.

:33:15. > :33:26.He's coming down the left-hand side of the table.

:33:27. > :33:38.The one just blow the pink, does it go? -- below the pink. It would be a

:33:39. > :34:35.risky pot to take on. Looks like a safety.

:34:36. > :34:46.If he can get that little clip down, make the shot a bit more difficult

:34:47. > :34:55.now, he has the pot on but how much spin can he put on? All he can do is

:34:56. > :34:56.keep putting the balls. He has got the option of playing a good safety

:34:57. > :36:10.here. He has had a look at those comrades

:36:11. > :36:16.to the right of the pink. -- those two rates.

:36:17. > :36:22.This looks a good line, this looks an excellent line. Just caught the

:36:23. > :36:47.green. Decent safety. A good safety, but didn't expect the

:36:48. > :37:03.red to come over the pocket. He can get to the putting angle. --

:37:04. > :37:18.parting angle. He was hoping for a bit of luck,

:37:19. > :37:36.didn't get any. On a good day, you finish up on the

:37:37. > :37:43.pink in the middle, but it's not one of those days. Just a fraction

:37:44. > :37:51.short, that could have been a real telling safety. If he can just get

:37:52. > :38:00.to the edge of the pot on the right-hand side of the table... --

:38:01. > :38:12.the edge of the red. Needs a good cue ball.

:38:13. > :38:23.He just put his hand up there to apologise. He didn't have that very

:38:24. > :38:30.well, lucky to get it safe. -- hit that very well. Michael Wasley

:38:31. > :38:37.played against him in one of the PGC tournaments, he lost that match 4-3.

:38:38. > :38:42.I think that's one of the good things about the new circuit, the

:38:43. > :38:49.younger players get the chance to play against the top layers. Years

:38:50. > :38:53.ago, you would never get the chance if you don't come to the big

:38:54. > :38:54.tournaments like the Crucible, it helps people like Michael and

:38:55. > :39:13.others. If he had missed the putt, he would

:39:14. > :39:23.probably have cannoned one of the reds. Just that little bit of an

:39:24. > :39:24.angle. Normally deadly amongst the balls, one of the best on the

:39:25. > :40:45.circuit. Not straightforward here, because

:40:46. > :40:50.they are covering each other and nothing goes into the left corner

:40:51. > :40:58.pocket. He would like to try and disturb a few.

:40:59. > :41:08.Looks as if he's playing with a bit of side spin here.

:41:09. > :41:14.Excellent. He didn't put any pace into that, just played the shot,

:41:15. > :41:33.guaranteed to open the balls up. Just a little rub of the top cushion

:41:34. > :41:41.there, he bounced the cue ball off it a bit more than you wanted. And

:41:42. > :41:46.looking at his body language, it has gone wrong. He's not in perfect

:41:47. > :42:10.position any more. He has still got a pot on, there was

:42:11. > :42:20.a red he can cut back, but he has lost control of perfect position.

:42:21. > :42:57.Izzy on the brown or blue? A little bit locomotive you play the blue...

:42:58. > :43:06.That's the problem. Once you start letting the cue ball start running

:43:07. > :43:14.loose, it just snowballed. That could well be end of break. Yes,

:43:15. > :43:19.it's noticeable that Ding is struggling with the flow of the ball

:43:20. > :43:23.off the cushions. It's not coming off at natural angle, whether it's

:43:24. > :43:34.the conditions in the theatre or whatever. It's sort of sliding off

:43:35. > :43:42.the cushions at an error angle. -- a narrow angle. Another excellent pot,

:43:43. > :43:45.though. They he goes, rubbing the cushion again. Could get him a job

:43:46. > :44:16.here. What, as a cushion rubber? ! That was tougher. It just caught up

:44:17. > :44:24.with him in the end. That one found him out. What I like about Ding is

:44:25. > :44:32.he's going for them all the time, even under the dream pressure --

:44:33. > :44:38.extreme pressure. He is very aggressive in his game all the time.

:44:39. > :44:47.He started to get a little bit defensive. I am not saying he's a

:44:48. > :44:55.grinder all info will be. But he's taking down a feud that he used to

:44:56. > :44:57.knock him when he was younger. -- a few that he used to knock in when he

:44:58. > :45:14.was younger. So Ding more or less nicked the

:45:15. > :45:20.first frame. It is Michael's turn now.

:45:21. > :45:26.Hasn't really been in this frame much. You can't say he has played a

:45:27. > :45:38.lot of bad shots, either. Desperately needs a good angle on

:45:39. > :45:44.the black now to drop on the red closest to the cushion. You want an

:45:45. > :45:49.angle where he can just drop the red in and play for the black.

:45:50. > :46:00.He played the cannon! That was an excellent shot. Good thinking.

:46:01. > :46:17.So now, just leave a nice angle on the black. Can he get up there?

:46:18. > :46:27.It's all about the shot, and he needs a good one. It will need a

:46:28. > :46:30.very good one. Deep screw, lots of left-hand side. Will the side take

:46:31. > :46:38.over? It has taken over. Surely he has not nestled on the

:46:39. > :46:54.blue! That's not fair! He was unlucky in the first frame

:46:55. > :47:00.and he has been very unlucky there. Of all the places, to finish up

:47:01. > :47:06.there. He's having a close look, so maybe he can get through to hit the

:47:07. > :47:17.red, maybe not pot it but he will be unlucky if he can't.

:47:18. > :47:20.He's now going to look at the potting angle, does he think can

:47:21. > :47:49.just get past the blue? Ding Junhui had his chance, he went

:47:50. > :47:52.out of position, he may be sitting there thinking that he stole the

:47:53. > :48:02.first frame, his opponent could do the same to him here.

:48:03. > :48:05.He has not got a good angle, he was playing for the yellow into the

:48:06. > :48:19.centre. He has queued it absolutely

:48:20. > :48:22.beautifully. A slight problem he has got is the blue is bucking the brown

:48:23. > :48:28.from going in the same pocket as the green Musso may have to play the

:48:29. > :48:34.green and the brown in a not so obvious pocket.

:48:35. > :48:57.Great effort from Michael Wasley, he was under pressure, but he has

:48:58. > :49:46.responded here. Both's Ashes was a moment of genuine

:49:47. > :49:49.glory. Nobody wanted it finish. How could you get that many people to

:49:50. > :50:03.watch a game of snooker? I am looking forward to seeing that.

:50:04. > :50:04.Before that, you can immerse yourself in sporting nostalgia even

:50:05. > :50:24.more. They were both commentating this

:50:25. > :50:25.morning! That is a very interesting response from Michael Wasley and a

:50:26. > :50:39.confident one, too. Yes, it certainly was. Particularly

:50:40. > :50:47.after the upset of losing the first frame, where he was unlucky. Also, I

:50:48. > :50:50.think he will take heart from the fact that injured we had a couple of

:50:51. > :50:58.chances in amongst the balls. Normally, that is more than enough

:50:59. > :51:01.for Ding Junhui to win a frame but he didn't take full advantage, so

:51:02. > :51:20.there is a slight weakness there. Interesting start.

:51:21. > :51:24.Had to be dead centre in the pocket otherwise he wouldn't have been on

:51:25. > :51:34.the black. Michael Wasley has played very

:51:35. > :51:38.positive so far, he hasn't turned anything down, not taking too much

:51:39. > :51:43.time over the shot, he's doing everything correct out there. I

:51:44. > :51:53.don't think he can be too displeased. He has a 97% pot

:51:54. > :51:58.success. And he's going to get an unexpected opportunity here! He

:51:59. > :52:03.doesn't miss many of those, Ding Junhui.

:52:04. > :52:28.This is one of the secrets of snooker, when you're opponent

:52:29. > :52:30.misses, especially when they are in, you have got to take advantage of

:52:31. > :52:39.it. You have got to punish them. He could play a cannon into the main

:52:40. > :53:27.bunch here, loosen a few reds. You must remember, Ding hasn't got

:53:28. > :53:32.his best record here at the Crucible. He has wanted UK

:53:33. > :53:38.Championships a few times, the Masters, a couple of the majors, but

:53:39. > :53:42.semifinals is best at the Crucible, and he has had a feud first-round

:53:43. > :53:46.results, so if you can put pressure on him, it is a big ask for Michael

:53:47. > :53:58.Wasley, but you never know. There's no doubt the pressure is on.

:53:59. > :54:04.As you alluded to, he is looking very confident. He didn't end up

:54:05. > :54:06.perfect on the black, but he got on with it. So good signs for Michael

:54:07. > :54:40.Wasley supporters here. Beautifully played, and positive.

:54:41. > :55:07.Deserves all he gets now. Pretty good stuff. When he gets in,

:55:08. > :55:16.he is not taking much time on the shot. That's his natural rhythm, and

:55:17. > :55:17.he has got to retain it. At the Crucible, it's not the easiest thing

:55:18. > :55:32.to do. I think that was a heavy contact. I

:55:33. > :55:36.didn't like the sound of that at all. So I don't think that was his

:55:37. > :55:47.faults, to be honest. But unfortunately, it is run him out of

:55:48. > :55:48.position. You can see the bounce. It's not the easiest safety shot, in

:55:49. > :56:19.all honesty. Would you risk trying to get back to

:56:20. > :56:24.baulk here? No, he will leave himself in a tough position, but he

:56:25. > :56:30.is playing a thin safety, by the look of it.

:56:31. > :56:42.Pretty good. Couldn't have done better than that. It was risky. I

:56:43. > :56:46.know what you're saying, was risky. Is there a gap between the brown and

:56:47. > :56:51.blue to play this rate to the left corner? There may be. There you see

:56:52. > :57:05.it. Second from the left. And any goes. So maybe it wasn't as

:57:06. > :57:08.good as safety shot as we thought after all. Having said that, Ding

:57:09. > :57:28.Junhui is not good on a colour. It looked as though he had stopped

:57:29. > :57:33.short there for a minute. I think Ding Junhui thought that as well.

:57:34. > :57:37.The referee has declared touching ball. I think that was just to tell

:57:38. > :57:42.us that he did hit the brown because there is no reason, with the red

:57:43. > :57:51.being on, to declare a touching ball.

:57:52. > :58:03.Just about got there, just rocked on the brown. Just a Little Rock.

:58:04. > :58:14.I think the fact it is finished touching has helped our referee! He

:58:15. > :58:21.has gone to the hit and hope. He has hit, he has hope -- is hoping he has

:58:22. > :58:31.got it safe, but he hasn't. That is definitely one of those

:58:32. > :58:39.snooker is you can't get out of, you have two play the hit and hope shot.

:58:40. > :58:52.You could say that Ding and that with that excellent long pot. -- the

:58:53. > :59:02.of that. If he is straight here, he is going to struggle.

:59:03. > :59:06.That is what side spin can do to you, especially when you are

:59:07. > :59:17.striking down into the ball, like he did there. You lose all the

:59:18. > :59:32.accuracy. It has been a little bit of a comedy of errors.

:59:33. > :59:40.Didn't put that read in the middle of the pocket but he's OK, nicely on

:59:41. > :59:48.the black. He has got a 36 point lead. Just went off the jaw. If he

:59:49. > :59:49.can take these raids that are out in the open, that will be more than

:59:50. > :01:04.enough to give him this third frame. If it goes. Ding Junhui had a couple

:01:05. > :01:10.of chances in the balls, one of the best scorers in the modern game. He

:01:11. > :01:18.has not been able to take advantage of his opportunities. There will be

:01:19. > :01:28.one frame after this before the mid-session interval. Michael

:01:29. > :01:32.Wasley, the debutant, 2-1 in front. He has a chance to open a two frame

:01:33. > :01:44.advantage before the mid-session interval. The little goals you set

:01:45. > :01:47.yourself in the long matches. He has missed the cannon on the pink and

:01:48. > :01:57.may have stickered himself, but it should not cause him any problem.

:01:58. > :02:02.Ding Junhui will not be carrying on. That will be the concession. He had

:02:03. > :02:05.a couple of good chances, Ding Junhui. He did not take them.

:02:06. > :02:16.Michael Wasley is now 2-1 in front. This was not in the script! I am

:02:17. > :02:20.impressed with him, he knows his way around the table, he is playing

:02:21. > :02:25.aggressive shots in amongst the pink and black, he is playing them at the

:02:26. > :02:29.right times, so he looks comfortable. No question about who

:02:30. > :02:36.is the more comfortable, what has been missing from Ding Junhui's

:02:37. > :02:40.game? He has made one or two mistakes, but I am impressed with

:02:41. > :02:46.Michael, he has got a great demeanour. He looks confident, like

:02:47. > :02:58.he has been here quite tricky times, he is giving off good vibes. He has

:02:59. > :03:03.looked really dangerous. When you consider... There is a long way to

:03:04. > :03:07.go, but from the point of view of Ding Junhui, he will not press the

:03:08. > :03:11.panic button yet, but it is a disconcerting start when you are so

:03:12. > :03:17.fancied. Yes, huge expectation on his shoulders, as we said earlier,

:03:18. > :03:22.he has not played his best snooker here, so a lot of people were

:03:23. > :03:27.putting him down as a favourite, so there is pressure on him. A key

:03:28. > :03:33.people in China might think he has a chance, so that comes with pressure.

:03:34. > :03:35.There will be millions watching back in China. Prime-time viewing for

:03:36. > :03:54.them. All eyes on this fella. Plenty of eyes in China, a huge

:03:55. > :03:59.following there. Ding Junhui is speaking much better English than he

:04:00. > :04:04.was, he is very pleasant, he has a joke with everybody. Years ago, all

:04:05. > :04:13.he had was a nod, if you were lucky. That helps him as well. Certainly.

:04:14. > :04:24.He has had to break-off shots, both occasions, he has hit the blue. Did

:04:25. > :04:32.not get enough side on it. Six unnecessary points. He has not left

:04:33. > :04:37.anything, but it is amazing how much 6-point could swing it one way or

:04:38. > :04:47.the other. It is up to Michael to have a look at the cushions.

:04:48. > :04:54.You have to be careful you do not run past the cluster. He judged it

:04:55. > :05:44.well, well played. One of the toughest safety shops in

:05:45. > :05:48.the game, when a red is close to the cushion. He does not have a good cue

:05:49. > :05:53.ball, Ding Junhui will be having a go at this. He could drop this read

:05:54. > :06:02.in and play for the black in the same pocket.

:06:03. > :06:45.He could not have played it better, well played.

:06:46. > :06:57.A good positional shot. He had to get the correct spin on there. It is

:06:58. > :07:05.not desperate that he wins this frame. He would like to win it to go

:07:06. > :07:19.level at the interval, but 3-1 down in a best of 19 is not a disaster.

:07:20. > :07:34.He is very accurate with his stunning play, he very seldom loses

:07:35. > :08:11.position. But some power into that! He did not

:08:12. > :08:54.get the bend on the white, but it was some shot.

:08:55. > :09:08.He was trying to get into the pack of reds. He generated a tremendous

:09:09. > :09:11.amount of speed. He keeps looking for the angle on the black, he

:09:12. > :09:17.cannot get it to get into the cluster. This is the disadvantage,

:09:18. > :09:21.which he caused himself, by hitting the blue when he broke off, because

:09:22. > :09:28.if it was on its spot, it would be able to play for, and that shot we

:09:29. > :09:33.see so many times. He will be looking for a blue or baulk colour

:09:34. > :09:37.to leave an angle. He could not play the red and come back down for the

:09:38. > :09:42.black, occurs you would be trusting to look for a good angle on the

:09:43. > :09:46.black. He would be looking for a baulk colour or a blue to leave

:09:47. > :09:55.himself an angle to go into the cluster.

:09:56. > :10:04.Absolutely perfect on the yellow for the shot. A stunt on the left-hand

:10:05. > :10:10.side cushion, lots of left-hand side. But for the kiss on the

:10:11. > :10:18.ground, I do not think it would have been good for anything. That was

:10:19. > :10:31.very helpful. But he still has two pot the yellow and open up the reds.

:10:32. > :10:43.He played it well. You always feel that when you play that shot, as

:10:44. > :10:50.long as you have one read to go at, it can keep you going. He is not on

:10:51. > :10:59.the red he would like, but he will settle for this.

:11:00. > :11:39.Straight on this thread would have been perfect. It is a bit more

:11:40. > :11:49.difficult. He has had numerous chances to split

:11:50. > :13:01.the pack. He is OK, there is a red passes. And

:13:02. > :13:22.a red is all he needs to get to the snooker is required stage.

:13:23. > :13:50.He has not had a chance in this frame.

:13:51. > :14:09.They love a ball that just drops! Gravity took over!

:14:10. > :14:14.He missed the red in the middle, but barring snookers, it be two frames

:14:15. > :14:41.each. He needs three snooker 's. He did

:14:42. > :15:08.not seem to give that too much attention.

:15:09. > :15:29.He may have snooker to him. 59 left on the table.

:15:30. > :15:39.That worked out well! He cannot get to the potting angle of the one in

:15:40. > :16:32.the middle. That would have sealed the frame.

:16:33. > :16:39.There is a glimmer of hope coming you never know.

:16:40. > :16:52.I am not sure about that one. I think we call that a rush of blood.

:16:53. > :16:58.He will be disappointed with his last two visits, if he is going to

:16:59. > :17:04.play on, play with a bit of purpose. He just seems to want to hit the

:17:05. > :17:13.ball hard. He had to to screw back for the black. But if you are trying

:17:14. > :17:16.to win the frame, you could do it with one snooker. That is better, a

:17:17. > :17:42.bit more control. Stranger things have happened in a

:17:43. > :18:05.frame of snooker, somebody winning needing three to win.

:18:06. > :18:25.He played that nicely as well. He will not be bothered about going on

:18:26. > :18:27.the last word, he will hope for a snooker and a free ball, and then

:18:28. > :18:54.one snooker would be enough. That was a handy nudge. He has

:18:55. > :19:57.brought the yellow interplay. He almost overdid it. That is the

:19:58. > :20:02.problem, if you do not catch the red fairly full, it could end up

:20:03. > :20:10.anywhere. He still needs to four point snooker 's, and red, black and

:20:11. > :20:12.all the colours to win. He needs to lay a good snooker here to put Ding

:20:13. > :20:49.Junhui under pressure. He has been a bit fortunate, but he

:20:50. > :20:54.did not want to kiss the black. He has taken one colour out of the

:20:55. > :21:00.oration. Even if he gets a snooker, he would need a black. Another

:21:01. > :21:36.swerve, he controlled this time. That will be the end of that. A good

:21:37. > :21:39.effort from Michael Wasley to try to win the frame, requiring three

:21:40. > :22:18.snooker 's at one stage. Back on track for Ding Junhui, he

:22:19. > :22:22.was under pressure at 2-1. He would be expected to beat the qualifier.

:22:23. > :22:44.He has won five ranking tournaments this season.

:22:45. > :22:49.A good session, plenty of good stuff from both players, but it ends up

:22:50. > :23:00.level, 2-2. That is just about right, what are

:23:01. > :23:03.the pressures on a man like Ding Junhui, who goes in against a

:23:04. > :23:11.rookie, somebody he is expected to beat comfortably? The first round,

:23:12. > :23:14.that is where the favourites are the most vulnerable. 19 frames is as

:23:15. > :23:20.much as they play through the season. You just think, just get

:23:21. > :23:24.through the first round, then you will be more relaxed. Is it a

:23:25. > :23:27.different kind of mindset that you have to have in order to play

:23:28. > :23:34.somebody that you are expected to beat? Do you have two grams yourself

:23:35. > :23:38.up in a different way? I thought the opening session was extremely

:23:39. > :23:43.important, especially if you have not played some body before. You

:23:44. > :23:48.take your chances, make it more difficult, and it adds to the

:23:49. > :23:53.pressure for them. The opening session is extremely important.

:23:54. > :24:00.Michael Wasley has given himself a good foothold. He has shared the

:24:01. > :24:06.frames with Ding Junhui. It is only his second season, I wonder to what

:24:07. > :24:09.extent the new system in snooker, where we are getting these guys in

:24:10. > :24:17.the early stages, is now starting to bear fruit? I do not know anything

:24:18. > :24:21.about him, how he has done, but as we have said, they are coming up

:24:22. > :24:26.against the top players so many times. They are not overruled as

:24:27. > :24:32.they would have been in the past. It is an injury can point, these tables

:24:33. > :24:37.in the championships are so different from those on which you

:24:38. > :24:42.would practice. There were a couple of moments that would illustrate

:24:43. > :24:50.that. It is time for me to do my Peter Snow bit! It is a shot with

:24:51. > :24:58.Ding Junhui earlier in the match. Quite a bit of angle on this,

:24:59. > :25:04.ordinarily, the cue ball would be hitting here, here, and coming out

:25:05. > :25:11.of this area. Watch where the cue ball goes. There is no way this can

:25:12. > :25:17.go enough. He cannot believe it. A bit of side, it swerved on these

:25:18. > :25:22.clots, and how those balls have gone into the pocket, I do not know. How

:25:23. > :25:28.long does it take to get used to a table like this? Stephen has been

:25:29. > :25:31.talking about the cushions pending, it takes a couple of sessions.

:25:32. > :25:39.Michael Wasley should know what it is all about after four frames. We

:25:40. > :25:44.have got lots of unfinished business, Ken Doherty and Stuart

:25:45. > :25:49.Bingham did when they came back for their second session this morning.

:25:50. > :25:58.Ken Doherty is the oldest in the draw at 44. He made a slow start

:25:59. > :26:05.yesterday, falling 3-0 behind, that he ended the opening session just

:26:06. > :26:11.one frame adrift. What a surge from Ken Doherty, he won five frames in a

:26:12. > :26:14.row against the world number six, and Stuart Bingham looked lacklustre

:26:15. > :26:22.at this point. Ken Doherty is on the brink of success. It is Dennis

:26:23. > :26:26.Taylor and Steve Davis, your commentators.

:26:27. > :26:39.What they test for Stuart Bingham. He has had to sit in his seat for

:26:40. > :26:41.most of this session. Let's see if he can string a cute together, he

:26:42. > :26:50.needs something to happen. He looks to have a problem on the

:26:51. > :27:12.red to the right of the black. This is not good, or is it? Thought

:27:13. > :27:36.he was going to lay on those roads. It is a long way back from should

:27:37. > :28:15.bring, but this could be the start of the comeback.

:28:16. > :28:47.That will do nicely. It is not a straightforward chance, the way the

:28:48. > :29:29.reds are situated. Ken is on the red a lot nicer than

:29:30. > :29:39.Stuart Bingham waltz. He can open the back-up, get the reds interplay.

:29:40. > :30:20.Still some work to do to win the frame. Very nicely judged.

:30:21. > :30:27.Ken is the oldest player in this year's championship, at 44. Alan

:30:28. > :30:45.McManus is starting to roll back the years as well, at the age of 43.

:30:46. > :30:55.Ken is not far of winning this match. A couple of those rates that

:30:56. > :31:01.are touching each other. I think the first goes into the yellow pocket.

:31:02. > :31:07.Perhaps the second one does as well. At least one of them pots into the

:31:08. > :31:19.corner pocket, but it's a critical part of this brick. -- break. How

:31:20. > :31:28.and when to go about getting into those two reds... If he can get

:31:29. > :31:35.nicely on this red, he may have a chance. What he could play here is

:31:36. > :31:39.the cannon onto the two reds and he would be guaranteed to be on the

:31:40. > :31:43.pink. If he did have an angle, he could just nudge them and bring them

:31:44. > :31:49.both into play, that might be his plan.

:31:50. > :32:12.If he puts those open reds, he's not home and dry, he needs another one.

:32:13. > :32:20.But with the green on the baulk cushion, even if he potted the two

:32:21. > :32:21.reds and didn't get the third, he would be in such an advantageous

:32:22. > :32:35.position. If he goes about this and gets a

:32:36. > :32:41.couple of threads, couple of colours and just rolls it into the pocket,

:32:42. > :32:43.it would be enough to clinch the match for him. He will be well aware

:32:44. > :32:58.of that, crafty Ken. Doesn't want to be playing for this

:32:59. > :33:04.difficult one yet. Hopefully drop on this red that behind the black. I

:33:05. > :33:09.know it's easier when your opponent is not really firing on all

:33:10. > :33:12.cylinders, to look around the table, but as this much has grown, Ken has

:33:13. > :33:16.looked better and better, more assured. -- this match has grown.

:33:17. > :33:30.Much more competitive. It has been a tough session for

:33:31. > :33:35.Stuart Bingham, that's for certain. He hasn't been able to get the

:33:36. > :33:41.points on the board. He has got a choice now. He is looking at that

:33:42. > :33:45.red I mentioned, he has got an angle to try and move the red on the

:33:46. > :33:46.right-hand side of the table but that's quite risky, he may not

:33:47. > :33:57.bother with that. He wants to get as close as possible

:33:58. > :34:01.to that circle and he has gone a bit too far on the black to do that.

:34:02. > :34:03.That is where he would ideally love the white, to roll the road along

:34:04. > :34:18.the cushion. Pretty good, it's all about this

:34:19. > :34:24.shot. What does he do, does he roll it along the cushion? So far, what

:34:25. > :34:31.we have seen this year, the balls are quite happy going along the top

:34:32. > :34:33.cushion and dropping in. I think if he plays it dead weight, he gets it,

:34:34. > :34:51.it clings and goes in. Normally, they don't go in and it

:34:52. > :35:00.looked like it stopped for a while, and then gravity took over.

:35:01. > :35:09.That, in my opinion, is a bit too generous for World Championship

:35:10. > :35:12.table. Well, they are new class and they tend to go a bit easier, that

:35:13. > :35:18.other shot would normally have stayed there. -- new class.

:35:19. > :35:27.What a performance from the crafty Ken Doherty.

:35:28. > :35:32.And indeed, that did prove to be enough, he is through the second

:35:33. > :35:38.round for the first time in eight years. Stuart had had enough. The

:35:39. > :35:42.old man at the Crucible this year, the most senior in the draw, a

:35:43. > :35:48.sporting handshake from Stuart and but the world number six is out. A

:35:49. > :35:51.lot of guile, a lot of craft from Ken. It is farewell to Stuart until

:35:52. > :36:02.next time. Unbelievable, you have rolled back

:36:03. > :36:07.the years in style. By the Wickmayer not the oldest swinger in town, I am

:36:08. > :36:15.the oldest potter in town! What a result. I am absolutely delighted.

:36:16. > :36:19.It was tough, he is such a great player, Stuart, world number six,

:36:20. > :36:24.not many people, including the BBC staff I see here behind me, had

:36:25. > :36:30.given me a hope, but strange things can happen in sport. That's why we

:36:31. > :36:36.love this game, why we play it. It's great to be over the first round.

:36:37. > :36:42.I'm in the tournament, and as people have said, don't be so surprised! I

:36:43. > :36:49.am surprised, strange things can happen. Your first time into the

:36:50. > :36:52.second round since 2006. Was there a moment between then and now that you

:36:53. > :36:58.thought there wouldn't be another win for you at the Crucible? I'm

:36:59. > :37:02.relishing every moment here. The last time I was here, I kissed the

:37:03. > :37:08.carpet, because you never know when you are going to be back here. You

:37:09. > :37:13.have to relish and enjoy every moment. I came here not with any

:37:14. > :37:18.expectations, just to give 100% and also enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed

:37:19. > :37:23.it today! I was actually getting caught emotional at the end, I was

:37:24. > :37:28.starting to fill up a bit and I was trying to keep my composure, just

:37:29. > :37:37.get over this line. Until he hit my cue, I wasn't certain! It's not

:37:38. > :37:42.surprising to see so much emotion. This is the place to be, as far as

:37:43. > :37:46.great players are concerned. Although it's your 19th year here,

:37:47. > :37:51.it still means as much now as it did when you graced the arena the very

:37:52. > :38:01.first time? It probably means even more. You learn to respect it and

:38:02. > :38:05.enjoyed it, I think you enjoy it a bit more and you relish every moment

:38:06. > :38:10.out there. It's a special place, the crowd were wonderful, they gave us a

:38:11. > :38:17.wonderful of Ocean and welcome, that's why all the players love

:38:18. > :38:22.laying him. -- of vision. I said to Dennis Taylor, are you thinking of

:38:23. > :38:27.making a comeback? You have made it through, you will be reunited for

:38:28. > :38:33.another great rivalry, whether it is John Higgins or Alan McManus. It

:38:34. > :38:39.doesn't get any easier. I'm in the last 16, I don't know who I am going

:38:40. > :38:41.to play but it's going to be tough. Enjoy it when it comes, you have

:38:42. > :38:51.rolled back the years in style. We were trying to uphold the honour

:38:52. > :38:57.of the commentary team, and he has done it in tremendous style, winning

:38:58. > :39:00.seven in a row! Very impressive. I believe the first frame was really

:39:01. > :39:06.scrappy, that would have been an important one to win. He finished

:39:07. > :39:11.the match off tremendously well at the end, looked really composed. A

:39:12. > :39:19.nice break at the end. Very solid brick building as well. Six breaks

:39:20. > :39:25.of 50. You have got to score when you turn up here, I played them last

:39:26. > :39:31.year, 2007, I saw the first round match against Steve, and I lost a

:39:32. > :39:37.Shaun Murphy in the second round and I loved every minute, you do take it

:39:38. > :39:40.for granted. You come here every year and you play and then when you

:39:41. > :39:46.don't have it for a while and you come back, that's something special.

:39:47. > :39:52.He has been drawn in the matchplay section, it will perhaps eat him.

:39:53. > :40:00.You don't want to be playing some of these young lads, this isle of play

:40:01. > :40:04.will be pretty good. It was a real shock against the world number six.

:40:05. > :40:09.Stuart Bingham has tweeted since then, " well done to Ken, but for me

:40:10. > :40:19.that was shocking, not sure what happened but I can't play that badly

:40:20. > :40:23.again. " he will be gutted to be out of the World Championships, he would

:40:24. > :40:30.have vented his chances, he was in the opposite half to O'Sullivan. --

:40:31. > :40:33.fancied his chances. I don't know about his cue, maybe he has been

:40:34. > :40:39.thinking that for a while, but that surprises me, the way he has been

:40:40. > :40:45.playing. I have... We have all done that. I don't think there is

:40:46. > :40:48.anything in it, sometimes you turn up here and you have a disappointing

:40:49. > :40:51.performance and because it's the thing you look forward to most in

:40:52. > :40:56.the calendar, you get a bit too upset with yourself. He has done

:40:57. > :41:03.really well, Stuart Bingham, he is one of the most improved players. He

:41:04. > :41:07.will be winning more. Ken is as work-shy as ever when it comes to

:41:08. > :41:15.commentary shifts, he won't be with us for couple of days! Even though

:41:16. > :41:19.Sheffield is Ding 's adopted home, he is never looked at home here at

:41:20. > :41:26.the Crucible, this is his eighth attempt to win. The best he has had

:41:27. > :41:27.is a semifinal appearance. But after a wonder season, many think this

:41:28. > :41:44.could be his moment. I am a lucky one to win the five and

:41:45. > :41:50.get the same record as Stephen Hendry. He is the best player when I

:41:51. > :41:58.was young, I would watch him and Rodney and Steve Davis, the three

:41:59. > :42:04.people who were shown on TV. -- Ronnie. It is special to win it at

:42:05. > :42:09.the Crucible, what I was dreaming when I was young. The best record I

:42:10. > :42:18.have got is semifinals, I hope I can get it better. It's a tournament

:42:19. > :42:29.that happens every year here. A very nice year, I have friends here, no

:42:30. > :42:40.flights, just driving to the Crucible, and after the match, I can

:42:41. > :42:48.join them at home. Never top in the world, lucky for them. I hope I get

:42:49. > :42:52.the most luck. Five more frames to play this afternoon, we have Stephen

:42:53. > :42:58.Hendry with us, the last man to win five titles in one season. By the

:42:59. > :43:01.end of that season, how difficult was it to lift yourself after such a

:43:02. > :43:08.successful season for the final hurdle here? I didn't feel tired or

:43:09. > :43:14.jaded, I remember I lost to Steve James in the quarterfinals and was

:43:15. > :43:20.devastated. I just expected to win as well. When you are willing so

:43:21. > :43:26.frequently, what is different about your game and about you as a winning

:43:27. > :43:31.machine? You get the great feeling that players can't beat you, you

:43:32. > :43:37.feel invincible. It must like a three frames start. If there is a

:43:38. > :43:43.chance of pinching frames, you feel they can't do it, it's a great

:43:44. > :43:49.feeling to have. Ding Junhui is trying to outdo the record of five.

:43:50. > :43:55.If he were to win here, it would be six in one season. Long Way to go

:43:56. > :43:57.before that is achieved. I'm sure Michael Wasley will have a big say

:43:58. > :44:14.in things. So far so good for Michael Wasley.

:44:15. > :44:21.The longer he can stay with in June we, the more that the pressure will

:44:22. > :44:28.come on the world number two -- can stay with Ding Junhui. At the

:44:29. > :44:33.moment, you feel that Ding, as soon as he went off the interval, he went

:44:34. > :44:37.straight to the tractors table, so he obviously wasn't happy. --

:44:38. > :44:49.practice table. Nice for bonus, on the brown to the

:44:50. > :45:08.middle. Made of 53 break in the first, and

:45:09. > :45:14.is 63 in the second. Maybe a notch or two higher, you can wooden frames

:45:15. > :45:21.with that scoring. -- can win frames. You've got a score at level,

:45:22. > :45:29.because charters come few and far between. -- chances.

:45:30. > :46:01.He has looked very good on his debut here.

:46:02. > :46:10.Michael Wasley is a very good student, always looking to pick up

:46:11. > :46:13.good habits, works hard at his game. He has worked very hard at the

:46:14. > :46:17.mental side of his game in the last few years. That has given him the

:46:18. > :46:32.sort of foundation to come here today.

:46:33. > :46:36.If he gets a nice angle on the blue, it's a good opportunity to

:46:37. > :46:51.open that cluster of raids. Reds. The idea, as we have said, he will

:46:52. > :47:00.be stunning this, stun the blue in and catch the pink full in the face.

:47:01. > :47:03.Could not have played that better! He will get a nice red to continue

:47:04. > :47:41.with. Good chance now. Pretty impressive stuff from Michael

:47:42. > :47:46.Wasley here. Not long ago he was an amateur player and just fighting to

:47:47. > :48:27.keep his place on the tour. Doesn't have to worry about that any more.

:48:28. > :48:31.He can obviously get on the furthest red if he brings the cue ball high

:48:32. > :48:56.up in the table. He must avoid the kiss here on the

:48:57. > :49:01.red. A good time to leave himself a little low on the black. Guaranteed

:49:02. > :49:10.to leave another red on for him into the corner.

:49:11. > :49:18.That certainly came off the cash and very quickly, it's just disturbed

:49:19. > :49:24.Michael Wasley's focus therefore a minute. He has got to reset his mind

:49:25. > :49:37.and play the shot as it is. Very tricky, this one.

:49:38. > :49:44.A little unfortunate there, he can't get on the outside red. Maybe end of

:49:45. > :50:11.break. A nice contribution. He will be

:50:12. > :50:17.disappointed about that cue ball but he will be aware that the red he

:50:18. > :50:29.played safe of, he didn't want to play towards the pocket.

:50:30. > :50:36.We expected a better safety shot from Ding but didn't get it. He has

:50:37. > :50:44.left a chance of this red, I think. He can just get past the yellow.

:50:45. > :50:51.Played with a trace of left-hand side.

:50:52. > :51:06.Why he did so hard? -- why hit it so hard?

:51:07. > :51:13.That 57 break he made could count for nothing now. Ding comes to the

:51:14. > :51:17.table, 53 points behind, you feel that one good opening pot and

:51:18. > :51:26.position, the frame could have slipped away from Michael.

:51:27. > :51:34.It's all about this first shot. The red is easy enough into the left

:51:35. > :51:41.middle to pot, but can he control the cue ball to get position on the

:51:42. > :51:44.colour? He has looked at the possibilities of running into the

:51:45. > :51:49.pink but that will possibly lose the cue ball.

:51:50. > :51:58.How is your luck? Not good. Not good.

:51:59. > :52:08.Can't get through to the black. I don't think he can see the pink. So

:52:09. > :52:12.it's just a safety shot. So that error from Michael Wasley is not

:52:13. > :52:46.going to cost him. He will be mightily relieved.

:52:47. > :52:48.Safety a little awkward here with balls on both side of the table,

:52:49. > :53:51.there are obstacles to avoid. Excellent long pot. Very unfortunate

:53:52. > :53:54.not to be on pink or black. He went all out for the red, but he knew he

:53:55. > :54:05.was running into the black. Sometimes the balls just don't run

:54:06. > :54:12.your way. This is where you have to show your experience and not push

:54:13. > :54:18.the boat out, make things happen. I would suggest, just a safety here.

:54:19. > :54:27.If he plays the black, it's a thin one and it's very risky.

:54:28. > :54:33.Didn't want to kiss the green, and he did. That has prevented it being

:54:34. > :55:41.a good safety. That was a pretty good safety shot

:55:42. > :55:45.there from in June Hui. Have been a bit disappointed, seeing his

:55:46. > :55:52.opponent have good luck from the last safety shot.

:55:53. > :55:58.He has caught that much too thick, that's what he has got nowhere near

:55:59. > :56:06.the baulk wine never mind the book cushion. -- the baulk line never

:56:07. > :56:11.mind the book cushion. Unforced error. There have been a few in this

:56:12. > :56:38.frame. It took a good shot, though, to put

:56:39. > :56:40.this red. -- to pot this red. And that was a good shot, and he is on

:56:41. > :56:59.the colour. Still 50 points behind. At least the

:57:00. > :57:06.pink is in the open. Black is off its spot on the blue.

:57:07. > :57:23.He's not on any of the three reds, which were available. Will he commit

:57:24. > :57:32.to the pink or will he screw up to the book covers?

:57:33. > :57:39.-- baulk covers? You don't see Ding playing the wrong shop very often,

:57:40. > :58:18.shot selection is immaculate. He doesn't have to concentrate too

:58:19. > :58:20.many high value colours but that red near the black is not easy to get

:58:21. > :58:34.on. So certainly not a straightforward

:58:35. > :58:40.run to the line here, if he is going to win the frame that this visit.

:58:41. > :59:02.Looking to see if he can stun this rate, put it to the left middle.

:59:03. > :59:12.He has obviously got the angle to bring that red into play. He is

:59:13. > :59:13.going to need the last red and all the colours, including that awkward

:59:14. > :59:27.black. He has knocked the red into a

:59:28. > :59:59.pottable position. Still a lot to do, though. He played that well.

:00:00. > :00:12.He would have liked to nudge that green and little further away from

:00:13. > :00:14.the cushion. That Black will be on his mind now. He will need that to

:00:15. > :01:03.win this frame. He's missed. You would expect him to

:01:04. > :01:04.make that. Should at least get up to the black the way the balls are

:01:05. > :01:12.set. Michael will be pleased with the

:01:13. > :01:30.outcome of that. You are never certain where the

:01:31. > :01:37.object ball is going to go. And this could be... Is he going to be saved

:01:38. > :01:57.by the brown? No, he is not. Just yellow and green. Unbelievable what

:01:58. > :02:07.can happen on this snooker table. The things that happen. Snookered

:02:08. > :02:09.himself on frame ball. He's hit it, but he will go back to his seat

:02:10. > :02:57.cursing beer. Michael Mosley just needs one ball

:02:58. > :03:03.at the moment to be safe. -- Michael Wasley.

:03:04. > :03:10.Once again, we have seen the players touched -- touch the cushion a few

:03:11. > :03:23.times. Coming off the cushion very quick.

:03:24. > :03:30.Then has been a little disappointed in the late part of this claim, he

:03:31. > :03:40.has lost his way somewhat. -- this frame. It's there. He needed a few

:03:41. > :03:45.bites of the cherry. But a good pot on the green there puts him in

:03:46. > :04:04.front. He will be hoping that that has

:04:05. > :04:26.secured the frame. It As I always say, if you do not feel

:04:27. > :04:33.you are guaranteed that snooker, make sure you get the object ball

:04:34. > :04:53.safe, that way you get another chair -- chance.

:04:54. > :05:05.That is going to cost him. It has been scrappy, plenty of chances,

:05:06. > :05:20.both will be thinking they should have won it. Ding, he has played

:05:21. > :05:31.well in spasms, but has not got consistency yet. Michael Wasley

:05:32. > :05:37.drops in the pink, plays a double on the black, but it didn't matter.

:05:38. > :05:49.Michael was late leads the world number two -- Michael Wasley.

:05:50. > :05:56.Terry, you must be pleased with the weight Michael has settled in on his

:05:57. > :06:02.debut? I should say. More importantly, he will be very pleased

:06:03. > :06:06.with the way he has started. He has to face the Fire against one of the

:06:07. > :06:17.best players in the world and he has played to a high standard,

:06:18. > :06:31.considering the circumstances. He made a bit of a mess of that one.

:06:32. > :06:59.He has given Ding something to think about.

:07:00. > :07:16.At least that time in June we -- Ding Junhui did not hit... He has

:07:17. > :07:49.missed by quite a distance. I'm sure Robert has been watching

:07:50. > :07:56.this match at home, he is a big friend of Michael, they played each

:07:57. > :08:05.other and Robert lost on the black to win in the deciding frame. He

:08:06. > :08:14.will be shouting for his friend today, he has got over the

:08:15. > :08:17.disappointment of losing now. Great place to practice, the Gloucester

:08:18. > :08:23.South West snooker Academy. There are a lot of good tables there, good

:08:24. > :08:32.players go there to practice. They never had these places in our day,

:08:33. > :08:35.we had snooker halls. And you did not know which way the table was

:08:36. > :08:42.going to roll from Monday to the other. Depending on the climate,

:08:43. > :08:50.whether it was raining or Sunday. Or if they would ever put a new cloth

:08:51. > :08:57.on the table. After ten years. The cue ball would be like, of Great

:08:58. > :09:04.Britain with all the lines on it. But conditions have improved and

:09:05. > :09:08.standards have improved accordingly. There is so much snooker to watch on

:09:09. > :09:10.television and if you have that natural ability, you can learn a lot

:09:11. > :09:56.quicker than we did in our day. Once again, didn't strike that

:09:57. > :10:01.correctly. Ding Has lost his way little bit. Will take that one. In

:10:02. > :10:06.the previous frame, he missed the red on the way up and skimmed it on

:10:07. > :10:27.the way back. They say it is all about confidence,

:10:28. > :10:29.but when you go out there and strike the ball badly, it is difficult to

:10:30. > :10:48.stay confident. Belief comes in the. -- there.

:10:49. > :10:49.Desire and the fight. Think he got the red slightly wrong on the first

:10:50. > :11:09.one. He hit the red, I'm not sure if he

:11:10. > :11:10.played to hit that red. He has given Ding glimmer and sometimes that is

:11:11. > :12:29.all needs. It's a case of whether he can pot

:12:30. > :12:38.and not run into the second red. He was just able to avoid kissing the

:12:39. > :12:47.second red. Just a slight angle on the blue that is required.

:12:48. > :13:00.Just enough to be able to stand down the table -- stun. He could play the

:13:01. > :13:19.pink of course, but the pink is missable and the blue is not.

:13:20. > :13:28.Not sure what he played then, but it certainly wasn't bad. Tried to go

:13:29. > :13:37.into the reds and move a few possibly. A few obstacles in his way

:13:38. > :13:48.at the moment. Every shot seems to have a degree of difficulty. Such a

:13:49. > :13:50.testing game sometimes. It doesn't matter what you do out there,

:13:51. > :14:30.something seems to happen. Very aggressive safety. He has not

:14:31. > :14:39.lead towards the corner, but I think it's covered. That puts a little bit

:14:40. > :14:45.of pressure now an Ding Junhui. He has to be careful he doesn't need

:14:46. > :14:56.that bed near the left corner -- that red. The target could possibly

:14:57. > :15:05.be brown or yellow. Try to get this snooker behind. He might even be

:15:06. > :15:10.able to use the green. A little tap on the table from Michael Wasley

:15:11. > :15:22.tells you what a good shot that was. Well played.

:15:23. > :16:00.A little bit too thick. But at first glance, no harm done.

:16:01. > :16:16.Is that gap between these two the reds? Surely not.

:16:17. > :16:30.Where is this cue going? -- cue ball? Is there I gap between these

:16:31. > :16:51.two the reds? It looks as if a ball will go to

:16:52. > :16:58.those two. It is tight. Michael Wasley was at a slightly different

:16:59. > :17:02.angle. The point is, even if he cannot get through, where he has

:17:03. > :17:10.placed the cue ball, it will be difficult to port it and bring the

:17:11. > :17:18.cue ball into play. This calls for good accurate cueing. You have to

:17:19. > :17:52.hit the centre of the cue ball here. He has run past the brown, that is

:17:53. > :17:53.an excellent safety shop. -- shot. Michael Wasley in a little bit of

:17:54. > :18:10.bother here. You would think the two beds that

:18:11. > :18:15.are closest to the top cushion, to the right of the black, you would

:18:16. > :18:34.think that would be the shot to play. -- two reds. If you can do it

:18:35. > :18:48.off one cushion, do it. Is it safe? Is there a gap to the red? . Looks

:18:49. > :19:25.safe enough. He decided to have a go at the

:19:26. > :19:40.plant, thinking he was going to go up to the baulk end. Is it safe? You

:19:41. > :19:55.can't blame him for playing that. Has it left a port on -- pot on?

:19:56. > :20:27.He's unlucky to finish there. But the middle pockets are always in the

:20:28. > :20:55.same place. Not easy to get safe from here

:20:56. > :21:07.either. You have to play it off the side cushion on to those two reds.

:21:08. > :21:13.He has hit it pretty hard. These cushions are not great. They are

:21:14. > :21:24.coming off very narrow. Michael is fortunate they are that he did not

:21:25. > :21:31.leave anything on the fourth Ding -- on there for Ding. He has taken his

:21:32. > :21:36.time setting up, but I think he will play the same shot. Just slightly

:21:37. > :22:42.lower down the cushion. Good shot. Excellent shot. At first

:22:43. > :23:02.glance, there is just one bed he can hit. That he can play safe of.

:23:03. > :23:13.Courted much too. Is going to be lucky? -- caught it. Here's a chance

:23:14. > :23:18.for Michael Wasley. Not the best chances, but there has been so much

:23:19. > :23:25.tactical play in this game, the balls are now in awkward positions.

:23:26. > :23:32.But Ding does not look comfortable for me here. The scrappy play seems

:23:33. > :23:48.to be bringing him down slightly. But because of the tactical change

:23:49. > :23:56.we have had, there is nothing straightforward about this chance.

:23:57. > :24:00.He would do well to get over 30 points here. But the one bed you

:24:01. > :24:02.want to get rid of as soon as you can is the one closest to the left

:24:03. > :24:42.corner. -- red. Points all square. Just ignore the

:24:43. > :25:05.black. Concentrate on pink, blue. I would not be thinking about the

:25:06. > :25:09.black. No value whatsoever. Just don't think about winning the frame

:25:10. > :25:21.I always think in this sort of situation. Just concentrate on

:25:22. > :25:27.building up a lead. The weight that reds are, I don't understand that.

:25:28. > :25:40.No value whatsoever. No value whatsoever.

:25:41. > :25:51.He's not out of the woods just yet. This red just above the black, I

:25:52. > :25:56.think he cannot get past them black -- I think he can knock it past the

:25:57. > :26:11.black. Good cueing Needed. And God. He is a little

:26:12. > :26:29.unlucky there. At least he is still at the table. It's all going on out

:26:30. > :26:35.there. No. I think he may have felt a little bit unlucky there. Given a

:26:36. > :27:15.chance back to Ding. That won't go down as the best shot

:27:16. > :27:21.he's ever played. As soon as he played it, you could see his head

:27:22. > :27:32.drop. He's got to get up the table for the blue. And that was never

:27:33. > :27:33.going to be easy. If he is in full flow, he would have been straight on

:27:34. > :27:49.the blue. Good recovery shot. Doesn't want the

:27:50. > :27:51.brown to get in the way. Just about typical for how this frame has gone,

:27:52. > :28:18.that shot. Once again, didn't get the spin on.

:28:19. > :28:21.Put another blue in the corner. If you keep putting them, it doesn't

:28:22. > :28:40.matter if you play position. All good shots.

:28:41. > :28:57.The cue ball just about stopped in time. In playing this red, there is

:28:58. > :29:08.every chance you could... Not certain to be on a colour, but it is

:29:09. > :29:14.worth the risk, surely. Well... He's getting a little bit frustrated

:29:15. > :29:46.here. Sets down. Got a 16 point lead, but not happy.

:29:47. > :30:00.Excellent length. But his left at the chance of a pot. But it's made

:30:01. > :30:06.difficult. What sort of angle has he got on the brown? It should enable

:30:07. > :30:17.him to put it and run the cue ball up to this end. Well! Three banks of

:30:18. > :30:26.the cue, that is very unlike Ding Junhui. He is feeling it. For

:30:27. > :30:31.certain. He should get a warning from the referee, that is very poor

:30:32. > :30:35.behaviour. There is another table in play next door as well, at a very

:30:36. > :30:45.important stage of these championships.

:30:46. > :31:04.We saw the reaction from Ding Junhui, very unlike him. We always

:31:05. > :31:14.say he would make a great poker player. He did not get on the red.

:31:15. > :31:21.Well, he may have left the red to the far right corner. Both players

:31:22. > :31:30.going through a spell where they have lost their cool, so to speak.

:31:31. > :31:42.A nice pot. The tricky last red. If he pops the blue, he will go 22 in

:31:43. > :32:06.front. Nowhere near where he played to get.

:32:07. > :32:15.Once you start to struggle, it does not get any easier very quickly. The

:32:16. > :32:18.longest frame of the match, and the scrappy stuff. He has played that

:32:19. > :32:30.nicely. Despite losing position, he has

:32:31. > :32:44.given himself a good chance to win the frame.

:32:45. > :32:51.I think it may cut back into the middle. It is thin. It looks as

:32:52. > :33:14.though it could cut back, very thin. If he thought it potted, he would

:33:15. > :33:23.have played by now. It looks as though it could be cut. You have got

:33:24. > :33:31.good eyes to see that from here! The commentator's I!

:33:32. > :33:49.Not the best chance, but it is a chance. It is not getting any better

:33:50. > :34:02.for Ding Junhui. Michael is overhitting the ball now,

:34:03. > :34:11.whether it is frustration or the just tension. It is just off

:34:12. > :34:20.straight, not an easy shot. But he made it more difficult, at that

:34:21. > :35:00.speed. It will cost in the frame. If he puts the blue,

:35:01. > :35:08.frustration does for you, do not go there. It is also what can happen

:35:09. > :35:13.here. He is unlucky not to bring the pink into play. If he can get past

:35:14. > :35:18.the pink and get right behind the green, which I think he can, and hit

:35:19. > :35:28.it up the table, it is not as bad as it first looked. He will settle for

:35:29. > :35:37.that. He is backing this frame. The only awkward ball is the black. We

:35:38. > :35:39.have seen the frustration from Ding Junhui. If he was to lose this

:35:40. > :36:37.frame, it would be a double whammy. He has overscrewed it. He has left

:36:38. > :36:40.it on in the centre. I think the shot here is to play a little cannon

:36:41. > :36:48.on the pink. He missed the cannon. Billiards is

:36:49. > :37:18.not his game. He has had a few chances, you only

:37:19. > :37:24.get so many to win a frame. He has had his fair share. And so has

:37:25. > :37:26.Michael, but he has lost control as well. It is unusual to see both

:37:27. > :38:24.players doing it. An excellent shot. He has got the

:38:25. > :38:26.snooker. At this stage, it is not hitting it, but can you get it

:38:27. > :38:54.safe? It looked as though it might go in.

:38:55. > :39:06.Michael Wasley gets the first clear-cut chance.

:39:07. > :39:18.It is not easy to play from green to brown here. Oh, no. He had to leave

:39:19. > :39:31.himself a pot into the other corner pocket.

:39:32. > :39:39.Another good attempt to get behind the black. It is still anybody's

:39:40. > :40:04.game. That has benefited Ding Junhui. He

:40:05. > :40:25.kissed the pink was the cushion. He mishit that. That could cost him.

:40:26. > :40:28.When your opponent just need to be one ball to win the frame, it is

:40:29. > :40:40.imperative you get the object ball safe. At the moment, Ding Junhui is

:40:41. > :40:43.really struggling, I have never seen him miss as many balls as this.

:40:44. > :40:58.Amazing. It looks as though he is almost

:40:59. > :41:04.ready to walk out of the arena. He really looks in a bad way. This is

:41:05. > :41:34.what the pressure can do to you. A series of errors. Missed chances.

:41:35. > :41:39.All of a sudden, he is getting frustrated, and he is not playing

:41:40. > :42:16.the right shots. He did not feel as though he could

:42:17. > :42:17.hit it fall ball directly. Just a containing safety. At least he got

:42:18. > :43:11.it safe. That could be the killer. Good

:43:12. > :43:13.judgement. He has not got to hit it, he is 18 behind, if he misses, he is

:43:14. > :43:53.22 behind. He could still tie. Talk about a great escape, it just

:43:54. > :44:01.looked the ground. To play at that speed and get it safe... But he is

:44:02. > :44:17.in trouble again. He will not play this as slowly as that one.

:44:18. > :44:28.He could not have hated better. I was thinking it was going to go

:44:29. > :44:30.safe, but this is on, and he has got the insurance of stunning behind the

:44:31. > :45:00.black. I have seen some frames here, but

:45:01. > :45:07.this is probably one of the most amazing ever. We are talking about a

:45:08. > :45:12.world-class standard here, and the balls that have been missed,

:45:13. > :45:20.amazing. But that should give Ding Junhui frame. He will not be feeling

:45:21. > :45:30.too happy, nor will Michael Wasley. Somebody had to win it in the end.

:45:31. > :45:46.We are in the 39th minute of the frame. Ding Junhui, 22 in front, 18

:45:47. > :45:49.remaining. One snooker needed. The way the black is, it is not easy to

:45:50. > :46:46.get in behind it. It is no good potting the pink when

:46:47. > :46:51.you need a snooker. Not the best frame, it was a 40 minute frame,

:46:52. > :46:59.Ding Junhui one, but he is not happy. It is now 3-3.

:47:00. > :47:05.It is amazing how this venue seems to stifle Ding Junhui's competitive

:47:06. > :47:14.abilities. He has been in a semifinal, but he is in an almighty

:47:15. > :47:18.fight already. You continue to watch that online, but we have to go to

:47:19. > :47:23.the other table, because it is approaching boiling point in the

:47:24. > :47:28.match between the world number 11 Ali Carter and the world number 25

:47:29. > :47:32.Xiao Guodong. He is rated as the best young talent to come out of

:47:33. > :47:39.mainland China since Ding Junhui, he reached the final in Shanghai. He is

:47:40. > :47:42.now based in Gloucester, he is 25, he is an excellent cook and has a

:47:43. > :47:57.taste for the expensive, as his pair of shoes will testify.

:47:58. > :48:05.This is the first time I come to the Crucible, the World Championship,

:48:06. > :48:12.everybody wants to come here, because this is the big one. Snooker

:48:13. > :48:20.is the big one. Every year, I want to come here, I started in 2008,

:48:21. > :48:29.this is the first time I have come here. This year is exciting to come

:48:30. > :48:38.here. Ali Carter is a very good player. He has got to the final

:48:39. > :48:45.twice. I just pay for myself -- play for myself, I do not care who I

:48:46. > :48:56.play, I do my best. I like good things, I like fashion. If I see a

:48:57. > :49:03.look and it is good, I'd buy it, I want everybody to see. Maybe these

:49:04. > :49:14.issues are lucky for me. With these shoes, I could win every game!

:49:15. > :49:17.Ali Carter had a 5-4 advantage, but Xiao Guodong showed why he is

:49:18. > :49:22.considered the most dangerous of the qualifiers, he won the first two of

:49:23. > :49:32.the afternoon. It is extremely tight now, 8-8. We are now into what is

:49:33. > :49:35.going to be a grandstand finish. Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor have

:49:36. > :49:38.been looking on, this one has been extremely tight, just explain what

:49:39. > :49:46.is going on. You can not pick between the

:49:47. > :49:52.players. Ali Carter made a 55 break in the previous frame and managed to

:49:53. > :49:56.snooker himself behind the pink. Xiao Guodong had a fantastic

:49:57. > :50:03.clearance of 69 to draw level. It has got better as it has gone on,

:50:04. > :50:08.this much. Ali Carter in the driving seat, he still needs to frames, he

:50:09. > :50:17.is well on his way, but we saw what happened in the previous frame. You

:50:18. > :50:26.were watching Ding Junhui at home. An extraordinary frame of snooker.

:50:27. > :50:47.A bit straight on the black. He has got to be careful.

:50:48. > :50:56.Beautifully judged, the way he played that. He guaranteed he would

:50:57. > :51:03.be on a red. The last frame was a steal from Xiao Guodong. Ali Carter

:51:04. > :51:06.was the driving state, cueing as beautifully as he is now, until the

:51:07. > :51:12.bizarre incident, when the pink was re-spotted. But once again, Ali

:51:13. > :51:19.Carter has got in amongst the balls and looks as fluent as he has the

:51:20. > :51:24.whole match. He really has. He has moved through the gears, he will be

:51:25. > :51:27.tough to beat. His opponent has been a call to him in terms of

:51:28. > :51:38.break-building, it has been a fascinating match so far.

:51:39. > :51:47.Showing a lot of character, Ali Carter, because he was out of

:51:48. > :51:55.sorts, getting frustrated. The more the match goes on, the stronger he

:51:56. > :52:03.is getting. He still cannot get away from this very talented Chinese

:52:04. > :52:12.player. Just a couple more pots away from leaving himself one frame away

:52:13. > :52:18.from victory. It was a similar incident in the previous frame, when

:52:19. > :52:22.the pink went back, it had to cope as close to the white as possible,

:52:23. > :52:30.and he snooker himself on all of the reds will stop --. Show udon cleared

:52:31. > :52:40.up with a fantastic 69 to clear the frame. He has got plenty of bottle.

:52:41. > :52:46.He is going to have to show it again, because Ali Carter is one

:52:47. > :52:55.more pots away from securing this important frame.

:52:56. > :53:21.He already needs a snooker, but this word to make absolutely certain.

:53:22. > :53:29.Ali Carter has been beset with health problems that have hindered

:53:30. > :53:38.his career. But he has got so much determination and talent. He is

:53:39. > :53:50.great under pressure. He looks very focused as well. It does not matter

:53:51. > :53:54.about missing the red, Xiao Guodong has conceded the frame, so Ali

:53:55. > :53:55.Carter takes it and is just one frame away from a place in the last

:53:56. > :54:11.16. Ronnie O'Sullivan for me, he has got

:54:12. > :54:18.the best cue action, because he hits the ball so smooth. Stephen Hendry,

:54:19. > :54:24.he has made the most century breaks in the game. Judd Trump at the

:54:25. > :54:28.moment, or Neil Robertson, they popped the long balls for fun.

:54:29. > :54:34.Ronnie O'Sullivan, the cue ball control when he is on song is

:54:35. > :54:41.unbelievable. He is never five or six inches away from his next pot.

:54:42. > :54:51.John Higgins is very tactically shrewd. Peter Ebdon is temperamental

:54:52. > :54:58.when he wants to win -- pork -- Peter Ebdon, his temperament is very

:54:59. > :55:05.good, and Paul Hunter, those two mixed together would be perfect.

:55:06. > :55:08.That would be me, there are not many shots that I cannot play, so I will

:55:09. > :55:14.throw myself in there. Definitely not me! Jimmy White was supposed to

:55:15. > :55:20.be one of the best in the game, I am not sure if that is right, but I do

:55:21. > :55:27.not recall him missing many. The all-time greats, Stephen Hendry, he

:55:28. > :55:33.has won more tournaments and done it all. I have surprised myself, the

:55:34. > :55:43.last couple of seasons, I have nicked if you frames. Not King is

:55:44. > :55:50.unbelievable at getting stickers. Stephen Hendry or John Higgins, with

:55:51. > :55:57.you get if you frames behind, they are very good front runners.

:55:58. > :56:01.That was Ali Carter's perfect players, he is such a nice lad. You

:56:02. > :56:29.have not missed much. Can this young Chinese player take

:56:30. > :56:46.us into a deciding frame? He played a similar shot in an

:56:47. > :56:53.earlier frame, he smashed the red into the bunch to open them up. He

:56:54. > :56:59.tried it again this time. He has left a pot on. It was a very

:57:00. > :57:03.attacking shot, but he misjudged it completely, he was hoping to send

:57:04. > :57:09.the red into the bunch and open them up. He made a bit of a mess of it.

:57:10. > :57:22.And he did not get the cue ball back to the baulk cushion.

:57:23. > :57:34.As was mentioned, Ali Carter has great cue power. He hit that with

:57:35. > :57:40.screw back, with very little effort. He controlled the cue ball. He has

:57:41. > :57:44.played a couple of shots in this match, one where he screwed the full

:57:45. > :57:48.length of the table, which would have been a contender for the shot

:57:49. > :58:02.of the championship. He loves it here. He enjoys playing here. He got

:58:03. > :58:11.to the final in 2008 and a semifinal in 2010, then the final in 2012.

:58:12. > :58:27.But for Ronnie O'Sullivan, he would have been a world champion.

:58:28. > :58:37.Not as he intended. That can always happen when you screw into the

:58:38. > :58:57.bunch. It is difficult to control how the white will come back.

:58:58. > :59:05.He did not cue that very well. Look where the cue ball has finished, he

:59:06. > :59:13.was planning on leaving himself nicely on one of the baulk colours.

:59:14. > :00:10.He mishit that completely. He has not left anything easy.

:00:11. > :00:20.On it all looked so comfortable at the start of this match for Ali

:00:21. > :00:45.Carter. And then it all sort of slipped away from him.

:00:46. > :00:54.Lots of noise from the other table. We are in between frames. It is

:00:55. > :01:29.something you get used to here. A little bit awkward with the two

:01:30. > :01:43.rates at the other end of the table -- reds.

:01:44. > :01:57.That was an attacking shot, but the yellow has come to his rescue.

:01:58. > :02:13.That was a clever shot. I like that. That was unlucky. Very unlucky. He

:02:14. > :02:36.could not have envisaged that happening.

:02:37. > :02:49.I've been very impressed with this young player. He got to the Shanghai

:02:50. > :02:57.Masters final against Ding Junhui. First all Asian ranking final. He

:02:58. > :03:09.lost the end to his fellow countryman.

:03:10. > :03:41.Arguably, this is the biggest match of his career.

:03:42. > :03:55.Any damage done? Not really. He has left the fight tucked up on the

:03:56. > :04:01.cushion. -- white. Playing at the Crucible, the Shanghai Masters would

:04:02. > :04:10.have been a difficult ordeal, but this is a different kettle of fish

:04:11. > :04:13.altogether. And hasn't he played well against one of the top players

:04:14. > :04:17.in the game. He is just one frame behind. This is all that is

:04:18. > :04:44.available to him. A little thin snick. That is the

:04:45. > :05:27.sort of angle he will be looking at. He never thought that would happen.

:05:28. > :05:31.He got a good cue ball tight on the cushion. But look where the red has

:05:32. > :06:13.finished. He is already 20 points on the lead. That was hard to foresee.

:06:14. > :06:21.Very unfortunate there. Maybe he still thinks he can squeeze it past

:06:22. > :07:07.the blue. That is not where he wanted to be.

:07:08. > :07:32.He struck it well. He's going to leave himself under these two reds.

:07:33. > :07:43.He has really been striking the cue ball well in the last few frames.

:07:44. > :07:54.Great chance. Yes, he has had breaks of 55, 59. And that terrific break

:07:55. > :08:03.in the last frame, a break of 80. Xiau House had breaks of 70 and 69.

:08:04. > :08:10.-- has had. The standard has really improved and he has played a big

:08:11. > :08:16.part in this match. But Ali Carter creeping closer to the winning

:08:17. > :08:55.line. Still not straightforward just yet.

:08:56. > :09:15.Excellent cueing. He just brushed some of the chalk of the cloth. When

:09:16. > :09:18.you play as crucial, it leaves chopped mark on the table. -- a

:09:19. > :09:36.screw shot. He has picked out a red into the

:09:37. > :09:52.middle pocket. He looks to be nicely on it. Just checking whether he can

:09:53. > :10:00.thread his way through the gap. Doesn't want to hit either of those

:10:01. > :10:09.two reds. It will be a good shot to get it through the gap.

:10:10. > :10:33.Should he go on to clinch this frame in style, it would be a marvellous

:10:34. > :10:39.effort from Ali Carter. You would have to give very high marks for not

:10:40. > :11:23.just perfect timing and form, but the great character out there.

:11:24. > :11:32.He hasn't clinched it in style. I don't think it's quite a snooker,

:11:33. > :11:39.but he has got a terrific 56 point advantage. But we did see in the

:11:40. > :11:46.earlier frame when he had a break of 55, Xiau, he got marvellous

:11:47. > :12:19.clearance. Could that happen again? Did he get away with it? No, that

:12:20. > :12:25.could be the end. If Ali Carter can get one good shot, he is over the

:12:26. > :12:27.line. Yes, it should be able to drop on the blue or the pink if he goes

:12:28. > :12:39.too far. He has hit it too thick. Now he is

:12:40. > :13:19.left with a long blue. The black, well, he can get back

:13:20. > :13:26.onto the blue. It's effortless for Alec at this type of shot. Ali

:13:27. > :13:35.Carter. His timing is so good on that particular shot. He has still

:13:36. > :14:07.got work to do. But he has broken the back of it.

:14:08. > :14:23.Yes. Xiau, he will be very disappointed. But what a performance

:14:24. > :14:28.he has put on here. His first time at the Crucible Theatre. He is a

:14:29. > :14:30.treat to watch. I'm sure we will see a lot more of this fantastic Chinese

:14:31. > :14:49.player. It's a great feeling when you are at

:14:50. > :14:54.this stage, just clinched the match. You have a few days off, and when

:14:55. > :14:57.you come back, you have got to be sessions to play at. That is when

:14:58. > :15:21.you always thought your World Championship had started.

:15:22. > :15:30.It's been a very entertaining match. Ali Carter led 4-1, looked like he

:15:31. > :15:35.was going to win quite comfortably, but the Chinese player put up a

:15:36. > :15:41.battle. But Ali Carter was too strong.

:15:42. > :15:51.He made his experience count there. What a story from Ali Carter's point

:15:52. > :15:57.of view. Yes, he has had a lot of health problems. All those things

:15:58. > :16:03.going on, and then to try to place look on top of that. But he has done

:16:04. > :16:14.well. He played a shocker of a short in the frame before. -- a shot. Ali

:16:15. > :16:23.Carter were going through to the second round where he will play

:16:24. > :16:28.either Mark Selby or Michael White. We're just waiting hear from Ali

:16:29. > :16:36.Carter. You haven't lost a first round match

:16:37. > :16:43.since 2006. That was probably one of the toughest first round draws I

:16:44. > :16:49.could have got. He is a great player. It is great to be back here

:16:50. > :16:54.playing. I have got a good record year and some great memories. I am

:16:55. > :17:00.delighted to get through. But he made it very difficult for me. Well

:17:01. > :17:02.done today. You are in your second road. We can't wait to see you in

:17:03. > :18:06.action again. This is a situation where you expect

:18:07. > :18:12.Ding to score heavily. It hasn't been the case. His highest peak has

:18:13. > :18:15.been 70 in frame four. Other than that, he has not made a break over

:18:16. > :18:40.50. Very unusual. Deng did the right thing, he went

:18:41. > :18:50.out of the room, perhaps to calm down a bit. -- Ding did. Nothing to

:18:51. > :20:14.do with his game, it is just his mind.

:20:15. > :20:22.He has made five maximum breaks in his career.

:20:23. > :20:38.That is just about OK. It looks as though it could have gone wrong. I

:20:39. > :20:45.don't think a maximum is in his mind at the moment. I think he is more

:20:46. > :20:49.concerned about getting in and making a sizeable break. He has been

:20:50. > :20:55.going through it in the last few frames.

:20:56. > :21:00.Straight on the blue. But it's not too bad because there are beds on

:21:01. > :21:45.either side of the pink. -- reds. If your mind isn't clear out there,

:21:46. > :22:31.anything can happen. Just came off the cushion pretty

:22:32. > :24:16.quickly. Ding stepped back there. Quicker

:24:17. > :24:42.than normal bounce the cushion -- off the cushion.

:24:43. > :25:35.It has gone in. Good shot. No two frames of snooker are alike.

:25:36. > :25:41.Highest break at the moment is 130 by Ryan Day. He is still playing in

:25:42. > :27:00.that match by with Stephen Maguire. That's a bit more like it from Ding

:27:01. > :27:04.Junhui. The highest break of the competition so far, 136. He now

:27:05. > :27:17.leads by 4-3. Just when you thought he was

:27:18. > :27:26.struggling, he does that. It's looking like it is going to go 6-3

:27:27. > :27:35.there. We have seen Ali Carter and Ken Doherty go through. Great to

:27:36. > :27:40.share your company this afternoon. Let remind you what is coming up.

:27:41. > :28:13.This evening's matches are available online for you.

:28:14. > :28:23.It's a documentary, not the whole thing again, thankfully. In night of

:28:24. > :28:27.sporting nostalgia. I will see you tomorrow. Goodbye.