:00:33. > :00:37.Good afternoon. It's day five of the Dafabet World Championship. It
:00:38. > :00:41.promises to be a pretty is a difficult afternoon because we are
:00:42. > :00:46.expecting an announcement from the governing body about the future
:00:47. > :00:50.shape of this championship and the rather controversial subject of wild
:00:51. > :00:53.cards and whether a certain Steve Davis and others should be gifted a
:00:54. > :00:58.wild card for the professional from next season. Oh, yes, and the small
:00:59. > :01:03.matter of the last of the first-round match is getting under
:01:04. > :01:12.way as well. A busy day. Mind you, it's been extremely busy since day
:01:13. > :01:14.one, ball one at the Crucible. Here comes the defending world
:01:15. > :01:23.champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan. JOHN VIRGO: Played it beautifully. A
:01:24. > :01:30.sensational break of 124 from Ronnie.
:01:31. > :01:43.Wanna blue, 11 black. Wonderful. He's taken the world number two and
:01:44. > :01:52.one of the favourites for the championship to a decider. What a
:01:53. > :01:56.fluke and what a time to get one. Michael Wasley, one of the biggest
:01:57. > :02:03.shocks ever at the World Championship.
:02:04. > :02:08.Ryan Day, world number 20. Straightaway going for it. Good
:02:09. > :02:22.shot. We're in for a final frame decider.
:02:23. > :02:40.Great pot! Excellent pot. What a battle that was but he goes
:02:41. > :02:47.into the last 16 a 10-9 winner. That is a brilliant shot.
:02:48. > :02:53.What a great match. You deserve every round of applause you are
:02:54. > :02:59.going to get, Michael White. The third 10-9 we've had in the last two
:03:00. > :03:07.days. This is like rolling back the years.
:03:08. > :03:20.Well, Alan McManus beats his good friend John Higgins 10-7. You kiss
:03:21. > :03:26.the ground because you never know when you're going to be back here.
:03:27. > :03:31.This would be four frames in a row if he would take it and that would
:03:32. > :03:37.give Stuart Bingham a lot to think about. I was getting quite emotional
:03:38. > :03:42.at the end. I'm in the next round and I'll be giving it 100%.
:03:43. > :03:50.So we're scheduling out some of the world's most high profile players.
:03:51. > :03:54.Let's give you an idea whose left. Neil Robertson, the Welburn born,
:03:55. > :04:00.start this afternoon. But as for the number two, Ding Junhui, one of the
:04:01. > :04:04.biggest shocks we've ever known, out to Michael Wasley, the world 73 on
:04:05. > :04:11.his first time at the Crucible. Stuart Bingham went home to Ken
:04:12. > :04:16.Doherty. John Higgins was beaten by his great friend Alan McManus. And
:04:17. > :04:23.Stephen Maguire, a fellow Scot, out to Ryan Day. Four of the top 16
:04:24. > :04:28.players have all headed for the exit door. What on earth can we expect
:04:29. > :04:31.today? World number eight Judd Trump didn't
:04:32. > :04:33.look to be in great danger against Tom Ford yesterday but it's getting
:04:34. > :04:38.pretty tense. We'll watch the conclusion shortly.
:04:39. > :04:42.World number one Neil Robertson is about to cross swords. Looks like
:04:43. > :04:48.he's been getting some practice in! The Aussie has been one of the stars
:04:49. > :04:52.of the season but so has Marco Fu. And he has his wife Shirley and baby
:04:53. > :04:59.Alicia in his corner today. Will get around the table to talk
:05:00. > :05:04.after 2pm with plenty to discuss. Wild cards, the World Championship,
:05:05. > :05:07.wanderlust. Is a larger venue now required? Will put all that and more
:05:08. > :05:12.to the chairman of World Snooker Barry Hearn.
:05:13. > :05:17.And the trick shot express is building up steam. There will be
:05:18. > :05:24.more today. This is how the draw is panning out
:05:25. > :05:28.today. Ronnie O'Sullivan is going to play Joe Perry. Shaun Murphy is
:05:29. > :05:36.already through and we are waiting for the match between Marco Fu and
:05:37. > :05:41.fore to finish. This Mark Selby and Ali Carter match is going to be a
:05:42. > :05:47.good prospect. I was impressed with Ali Carter, the way he turned the
:05:48. > :05:51.match around. And the two evergreens, the two pensioners still
:05:52. > :05:57.left in the tournament, Alan McManus and Ken Doherty. Fantastic against
:05:58. > :06:04.McManus and Bingham. -- Higgins and begun. Ricky Walden is already
:06:05. > :06:08.through and he will face Hawkins or Gilbert. And Michael Wasley, the
:06:09. > :06:12.shock of the tournament, knocking out Ding Junhui. He will face
:06:13. > :06:19.Dominic Dale or Mark Davis. And Ryan Day getting through to the last 16.
:06:20. > :06:26.That was fantastic against Maguire. The other big name in this quarter
:06:27. > :06:30.is Neil Robertson, who is still in with a fantastic shout. So too, many
:06:31. > :06:34.would argue, is Judd Trump, the world number eight from Bristol, a
:06:35. > :06:39.former runner-up in this event and the former world number one to boot.
:06:40. > :06:44.How deep can he go into the championship this time? Anyone's
:06:45. > :06:51.guess. But he's got a tough first-round opponent in Tom Ford,
:06:52. > :06:58.the 30-year-old Leicester cueing. Cue man.
:06:59. > :07:09.# He wore black and I wore white. # He would always win the fight.
:07:10. > :07:15.# Bang bang, he shot me down. # Bang bang, I hit the ground.
:07:16. > :07:29.# Bang bang, that awful sound. # Bang bang, my baby shot me down #.
:07:30. > :07:33.JOHN VIRGO: Judd Trump has all the ability you need to win this
:07:34. > :07:35.championship and it's always interesting to see how he starts
:07:36. > :07:42.off. A lovely pot. I like the way he's
:07:43. > :07:52.stroking the ball. Davis A very positive shot from Tom
:07:53. > :08:01.Ford. And excellent shot. What a good shot
:08:02. > :08:15.that was. Very well struck. And that will mean
:08:16. > :08:24.it's going to be two apiece in the mid-session interval.
:08:25. > :08:44.He did double kiss it. Big error. This black to really hurt Tom Ford.
:08:45. > :09:00.Tom Ford will be absolutely kicking himself! 4 - 2. Five colours in a
:09:01. > :09:13.line. Judd Trump looks to have played this beautifully.
:09:14. > :09:20.Tom Ford will be very disappointed. Judd Trump want to be that happy
:09:21. > :09:23.with his game but will be pleased with the scoreline.
:09:24. > :09:27.Tom Ford is one of the qualifiers at the Crucible. He is the world number
:09:28. > :09:31.39 and has been in the game for something like 14 years, with two
:09:32. > :09:36.smaller ranking events to show for his efforts. He is known as a very
:09:37. > :09:40.brisk attacking player so we genuinely thought we were in for a
:09:41. > :09:44.pretty swift afternoon of snooker yesterday. Not the way it turned
:09:45. > :09:48.out. They only managed to complete eight of nine frames so back they
:09:49. > :09:51.came this morning, watched by a certain Mr Steve Davis. What a
:09:52. > :09:56.curious morning it has been because Judd Trump was just not at the
:09:57. > :10:01.races. It took him fully 51 minutes to pot a ball. What was going on? He
:10:02. > :10:08.wasn't just missing but missing by miles. Yesterday, it wasn't that
:10:09. > :10:13.Judd Trump played fantastically well to get that scoreline but it was
:10:14. > :10:16.that Neil Ford was struggling. At the start of each session, you have
:10:17. > :10:24.to reassert yourself and Judd Trump didn't get going. -- Tom Ford. Just
:10:25. > :10:32.when it looked like he might be about to level the scores, there was
:10:33. > :10:36.this pink. How tricky is this? It is always more difficult across the
:10:37. > :10:40.table to play a shot and it is on the line. God knows why. There may
:10:41. > :10:46.be a fractional movement across the table because of the cloth but these
:10:47. > :10:50.are very thin cloth is. It may have been mis-judgement or pressure. He
:10:51. > :10:56.knows that is a big mistake because it gave Judd a chance. What a superb
:10:57. > :11:00.shot to get on the black. Judging the weight of that shot... It is all
:11:01. > :11:04.about the weight of the shot. You can't do much about the line. As
:11:05. > :11:10.soon as he struck it, he would have known he was roughly going to be on
:11:11. > :11:15.the black. You have to rely on the cushions bouncing properly. They can
:11:16. > :11:19.still very even though they are pretty uniform these days. He needed
:11:20. > :11:24.this for the frame and the lead, which he got. Look at the reaction
:11:25. > :11:28.from Tom Ford. He knows he's made a big mistake and let Judd Trump off
:11:29. > :11:33.the hook. So in we go to frame 13 and it is Judd Trump at the table
:11:34. > :11:34.but he needs of snooker. He's 22 points behind. Ken Doherty and
:11:35. > :11:44.Willie Thorne are on duty. WILLIE THORNE: He tried to get in
:11:45. > :12:04.behind the black but haven't played it well.
:12:05. > :12:27.Just can't get over the line this frame.
:12:28. > :12:31.KEN DOHERTY: This line looks very, very good. It looks very good. He's
:12:32. > :12:57.got to be very careful. The line is good. How is the pace?
:12:58. > :13:23.Oh! That's very unlucky. Very unlucky. Excellent effort.
:13:24. > :13:29.What a shot he's played here! He's played some tremendous shot. Can he
:13:30. > :13:46.swerve it? So difficult! He's missed it! A chance for Judd
:13:47. > :13:50.Trump now. Can you believe it? Tom Ford a couple of shots ago had a
:13:51. > :13:55.straightforward blue into the same yellow pocket. He stunned it instead
:13:56. > :14:00.of dropping it in. Will he route that mistake?
:14:01. > :14:15.-- will he regret that mistake? Not the best shot. S no chance to get
:14:16. > :14:17.close to the black. I think he might leave himself a double, which will
:14:18. > :14:31.hurt, even more. -- will hurt Tom even more. Stand by
:14:32. > :14:32.your bed! A double here and Tom will probably disappear behind the
:14:33. > :14:53.screen! It's not their! Is the trouble on? A
:14:54. > :15:00.good cue ball. A bit of pressure now exerted on Tom Ford. He knows this
:15:01. > :15:07.game should have been put to bed but it's still very much alive.
:15:08. > :15:40.GROANING well, I think in fairness, this is
:15:41. > :15:56.probably... This is unmissable. Well, mightily relieved, Tom Ford.
:15:57. > :16:01.He's back within one frame. He trails now, though, 7-6. Match on.
:16:02. > :16:10.HAZEL IRVINE: Shortly afterwards, Judd Trump scored his highest break
:16:11. > :16:14.of the match, 72, to make it 8-6. Then Tom Ford came back with a
:16:15. > :16:21.vengeance with a 76 break, the highest of the match, to make it
:16:22. > :16:26.8-7, then 8-8 with a break of 56. We're now live. That's the situation
:16:27. > :16:30.as we join them in frame 17. This is developing rather nicely with the
:16:31. > :16:34.whole of the Crucible audience gripped and intrigued by what has
:16:35. > :16:38.been a funny old game so far. WILLIE THORNE: It's been amazing,
:16:39. > :16:42.Hazel. Good afternoon, everybody. If you're joining us for the first
:16:43. > :16:46.time, this has been a match of players missing. Tom Ford got in
:16:47. > :16:50.with a very good read and as you can see from the way the balls spread,
:16:51. > :16:53.as a great chance to take the lead for the first time in this match -
:16:54. > :16:55.and at the most important time. GROANING
:16:56. > :17:38.You cannot believe it! He will be absolutely kicking
:17:39. > :17:43.himself in that chair. Having seen the frames he's lost this morning
:17:44. > :17:49.that he should have won... That pot success rate is very poor from both
:17:50. > :17:55.players but this is the first round up the Crucible and so many matches
:17:56. > :18:01.have gone so close. We've had four 10-9s so far. We could have another
:18:02. > :18:03.one. It's amazing what this wonderful theatre can do to all the
:18:04. > :18:17.players. The Crucible collywobbles. I saw
:18:18. > :18:22.Judd's piece in the press the other day saying that they should move it
:18:23. > :18:26.away from here. What do you do? Move tennis away from Wimbledon because
:18:27. > :18:36.it isn't big enough? Where do you stop? This is the place to play. S A
:18:37. > :18:41.nice angle on the black. He's coming round to see if one of these two
:18:42. > :18:43.reds pot into the corner pocket. If they do, he won't bother trying to
:18:44. > :18:58.play the cannon. Does the nearest one to the cue ball
:18:59. > :19:02.pot? Well, it does pot. But it is tight. It doesn't look tight from
:19:03. > :19:06.that angle but when you're playing them, particularly with this
:19:07. > :19:13.pressure... As he missed it? GROANING
:19:14. > :19:15.There you go. When there's a bit of pressure and you're not directly
:19:16. > :19:21.behind it, looking at the pocket as well as the object ball, anything
:19:22. > :19:23.can be missed. Playing into a blind pocket there. Couldn't see the
:19:24. > :19:31.pocket from that angle. That's what made him miss it. It's amazing what
:19:32. > :19:36.can happen here. It's not easy, this red, is it, with the rest? He may be
:19:37. > :19:44.better taking the middle of the free and cutting it into the corner.
:19:45. > :19:50.A lot of pressure on this. It's a tough pot and he knows if he misses
:19:51. > :19:54.this pot with the rest down the question, it'll be frame over. --
:19:55. > :20:00.down the cushion. He was away from it before the cue
:20:01. > :20:27.ball even reached the red. Not perfect angle on the blue. He's
:20:28. > :20:31.going to have to negotiate the cue ball in and out of the ball and the
:20:32. > :20:38.green may be on its way in here. He's not going to go in and out of
:20:39. > :20:44.baulk but just take a distance red. We've seen him miss countless reds
:20:45. > :20:48.like this all morning. It's 55 and 50 potting this, the way the match
:20:49. > :20:53.has gone. Can he pot it? He can't buy the look of his body language.
:20:54. > :21:02.Looking at this picture we're going to show you in one second... I think
:21:03. > :21:08.he can see enough to pot it. I think he just about has enough of it. The
:21:09. > :21:12.blue may help him because it's the perfect pact past the blue to hit
:21:13. > :21:20.the red into the corner pocket. Yeah, well played. There was a lot
:21:21. > :21:27.of pressure on that. 25 points in front. The black will put him 32 and
:21:28. > :21:35.he's going to be the last red. -- going to need.
:21:36. > :21:44.This has been very workmanlike from Judd. The tension has got to both
:21:45. > :21:48.players. It wouldn't surprise me, anything being missed at the moment.
:21:49. > :21:54.He's held himself together just at the right time.
:21:55. > :22:04.Tom had two glorious chances to win the frame.
:22:05. > :22:10.Whoever loses this match will have trouble sleeping tonight, knowing
:22:11. > :22:12.the amount of chances they've had. Judd Trump now won up with two to
:22:13. > :22:21.play. That was certainly a friend that
:22:22. > :22:25.could have gone either way. Judd Trump will be absolutely delighted
:22:26. > :22:29.to be given that extra chance that Tom Ford missed. He goes in front
:22:30. > :22:33.9-8. HAZEL IRVINE: We are now entering
:22:34. > :22:38.what we like to call at the Crucible be twitching zone.
:22:39. > :22:44.Plenty of that so far. Yes, and it's understandable. If you are going to
:22:45. > :22:49.fall to pieces during the first season, it will be in this
:22:50. > :22:51.particular round. We've all done it but when you sit analysing, you
:22:52. > :22:58.can't believe the easy shots that are missed. The black that Tom
:22:59. > :23:03.missed was a glaring error. In a club, do you ever miss this, John?
:23:04. > :23:06.You just don't. It's pure pressure. You saw the shot he played later on
:23:07. > :23:10.with the rest where he looked anything but comfortable. You are
:23:11. > :23:14.all on your own out there and nobody else can give you any help and
:23:15. > :23:17.you've got to cope with it. Tom will be kicking himself if he loses this
:23:18. > :23:22.because Judd Trump has not played well. He's been there for the taking
:23:23. > :23:25.but Tom has not been able to do it. If you were to analyse this at the
:23:26. > :23:29.start you would say that Judd Trump at the pedigree of the CV and on the
:23:30. > :23:34.big stage you'd expect him to convert the victory. It's got close
:23:35. > :23:39.enough that you are going to start analyse their mental outlook. Tom
:23:40. > :23:43.Ford, the last couple of years, I think it would be fair to say he
:23:44. > :23:48.hasn't really pulled up any trees in the game. Is it because at this
:23:49. > :23:53.level, he isn't as great a pressure player as the likes of Judd Trump?
:23:54. > :23:57.You could certainly argue that. You could argue that the likes of Ding
:23:58. > :24:01.Junhui I have succumbed to similar pressure and he's won virtually
:24:02. > :24:04.everything this season. I wonder what it is about this little theatre
:24:05. > :24:11.and the affect it seems to have on the nerves. In Ding's case it is
:24:12. > :24:16.probably the number of millions of people watching him. We've had so
:24:17. > :24:19.many 10-9s here, it's ridiculous. You can't get away from opponents
:24:20. > :24:21.and get over the line. You're thinking of the consequences and you
:24:22. > :25:17.don't play your snooker. What a shot! He's on the pink in the
:25:18. > :25:22.middle. Have a look at this. The way things have gone, this pink is not a
:25:23. > :25:34.certainty. He's missed it! Never even touched the jaws.
:25:35. > :25:40.I think the way this match has gone, because of the tension, because of
:25:41. > :25:46.the Mr balls, this almost deserves to be a 10-9. Tom looked to the
:25:47. > :25:47.heavens there. The last shot he played with the rest, he virtually
:25:48. > :25:58.through the rest and the cue at it. He's struggling, isn't he? He just
:25:59. > :26:04.doesn't like the rest all of a sudden. He is blaming the rest. It
:26:05. > :26:07.was interesting to hear Steve talking earlier and it's hard to
:26:08. > :26:12.explain to the viewers how it just happens.
:26:13. > :26:23.REFEREE: A bit of Hush now, please. Whoever gets through to the next
:26:24. > :26:26.round, it will be no problem. Not the best shot he's ever played and
:26:27. > :26:28.he's left another chance for Tom Ford. Thankfully, he doesn't need
:26:29. > :26:39.the rest for this one! I've had the pleasure of watching
:26:40. > :26:40.Judd Trump play since he was about 14 and I've never seen him play like
:26:41. > :26:50.this. Anything above 50, Tom, would be
:26:51. > :27:30.good from here. Black back on its spot would be a
:27:31. > :27:46.priority for Tom. Not sure if he'll do it with this red.
:27:47. > :28:02.He's got a bad kiss on that pink there. He wants to be on the blue.
:28:03. > :28:08.The blue is causing a bit of a problem and that's why he didn't
:28:09. > :28:11.play for the black. Pink pots but coming in and out of baulk with the
:28:12. > :28:15.pink, the way things are going at the minute, he won't want to do that
:28:16. > :28:31.so he has no option unless he takes the brown.
:28:32. > :28:39.Would you take the brown, Ken, here? I think the brown is possibly the
:28:40. > :28:45.shot to bring the cue ball around to that angle but he's making sure of
:28:46. > :28:51.the pink. Taking this red from mid-distance. Again, he doesn't want
:28:52. > :28:56.to use the rest and that's why he's bowing his head. We've already seen
:28:57. > :29:06.two rest shots and he doesn't want to pick up the rest.
:29:07. > :29:10.Surely he's got a little extension he can put on the end of his cue.
:29:11. > :29:19.There it is. Always makes the shot that little
:29:20. > :29:25.bit more difficult. A bit of extra weight in the cue. You through the
:29:26. > :29:28.cue out quite a bit of distance from the bridge hand. Oh, well played.
:29:29. > :29:36.Well played! APPLAUSE
:29:37. > :29:44.The interesting thing will be when the black re-spot is, is there
:29:45. > :29:51.enough room for the red left of the black to pot? It's going to be
:29:52. > :29:57.pretty tight. He doesn't have to go anywhere near that read just now
:29:58. > :30:05.because there are still another couple of red is that he can get on.
:30:06. > :30:07.-- anywhere near that red. If he misses the kiss, he'll be on one of
:30:08. > :30:24.the two in the middle. I am not quite sure if he has enough
:30:25. > :30:37.angle on the black, but that is a two-cushion shot.
:30:38. > :30:57.I would rather play the screw shot, there is more control.
:30:58. > :31:22.Well, he has decided against older options. -- bolder options.
:31:23. > :31:32.Is it OK? It is not. Body language will tell us it is not. That was the
:31:33. > :31:36.problem, I think, as you said he should have taken the option and may
:31:37. > :32:12.be gone down for that red around the black spot.
:32:13. > :32:21.It is just amazing what can happen in the Crucible. If he has covered
:32:22. > :32:24.this read up, he has been extremely fortunate. -- red. I think he has,
:32:25. > :32:37.what a result. The rest is coming out. He is
:32:38. > :32:39.smiling, he doesn't like it, it is not his friend today, that is the
:32:40. > :33:16.shore. -- that is for sure. He had a good bit of fortune, Judd
:33:17. > :33:20.Trump, with his last shot. What can he make of this?
:33:21. > :33:24.It looks pretty straight to me, so he is going to have to play the deep
:33:25. > :33:40.screw for pink, yellow or blue. He has managed to stun run through
:33:41. > :33:46.it. That is as good a shot as he has played for a long time. It is
:33:47. > :33:51.amazing, the cue ball has travelled that much distance and it just
:33:52. > :33:58.hasn't gone far enough. Almost straight on the yellow. Screw back
:33:59. > :34:02.to anywhere near the blue and he has a choice of reds. He thinks he can
:34:03. > :34:10.pinch the pocket. He is OK, he is left-handed, so he
:34:11. > :34:15.will reach this without a problem. This is a great chance for frame and
:34:16. > :34:44.match, but the way things are going, nothing is straightforward.
:34:45. > :34:50.The red that is closest to the right cushion, he is not going to need
:34:51. > :34:56.that if he takes the reds and high value colours.
:34:57. > :35:07.It won't bother him in any way, he will just concentrate on blacks and
:35:08. > :35:12.pinks. It may be enough to get him over the line. But as you said,
:35:13. > :35:18.Willie, every pot now is a pressure pot.
:35:19. > :35:25.Tom has done well to get back into the match, but he knows it is a
:35:26. > :35:35.match that perhaps he should have won.
:35:36. > :35:43.He had a look to see if the red goes past the black a few moments ago, we
:35:44. > :35:47.know it does. He just has to be high on the next black. He doesn't want
:35:48. > :35:54.to go in and out of baulk to get on a red.
:35:55. > :36:11.He will play that little cannon on the red. Bit surprising. If he had
:36:12. > :36:19.played that cannon, he would have been on the choice of two reds. He
:36:20. > :36:23.has gone a bit straight on this red. Bit of a mistake. You can see him
:36:24. > :36:25.shaking his head, he is a bit straight on this red. Can he force
:36:26. > :36:34.an angle? Needs to be high on the black and he
:36:35. > :36:36.hasn't got it. There may be life for Tom just yet. That was a poor
:36:37. > :36:45.decision from Judd Trump. Yes, these are visible when you are
:36:46. > :36:50.going in between green and brown off two cushions.
:36:51. > :36:57.Well done. How is the position? Too hard for the desired red but enough
:36:58. > :37:20.for the red on the back cushion. He doesn't have the angle now on the
:37:21. > :37:26.black to play the cannon on the red directly below it.
:37:27. > :37:33.Can you believe it? How many more twists and turns will we see in this
:37:34. > :37:46.match? Amazing, Willie. I am just confused
:37:47. > :37:50.about what has happened. You are entitled to miss balls under
:37:51. > :37:55.pressure, and twitch, we all appreciate that, but how many
:37:56. > :37:57.chances? It just shows you can miss absolutely anything here. The game
:37:58. > :38:24.never ceases to amaze us, does it? It was very, very tough to get out
:38:25. > :38:29.into open play for the black or pink. Might have been better to
:38:30. > :39:00.stone it off one cushion. -- This is pretty good, lest the red
:39:01. > :39:04.goes over the pocket. The pace of the cue ball was perfect. Excellent
:39:05. > :39:38.safety shot. Here is a possibility. He can just
:39:39. > :39:50.come off the top cushion, but he is not choosing it. It is a tough shot.
:39:51. > :39:59.20 points ahead, Judd Trump. If he can somehow pot this red and get on
:40:00. > :40:08.the black, he will only need two reds and two blacks to be 36 ahead
:40:09. > :40:15.with 35 left. He has got it. Is he on the black? He shakes his head. I
:40:16. > :40:20.don't think he is. It is amazing. Another couple of
:40:21. > :40:31.inches. And he would have had one foot in
:40:32. > :40:37.the second round. A little roll-up to the blue, I think, is the case
:40:38. > :40:44.here. If he plays it with a lot of side, he will parted but it is also
:40:45. > :40:47.permissible if he plays it with side -- he will pot it, but it is also
:40:48. > :41:13.permissible. I am not quite sure if that was the
:41:14. > :41:19.right shot in the circumstances. I think the role, particularly for a
:41:20. > :41:53.right-hander -- the roll-up to the blue.
:41:54. > :42:01.It is about the best he could do there. I'm just amazed he is
:42:02. > :42:05.bringing this red off the cushion. Why move it?
:42:06. > :42:12.Unless you are going to pot it! He is 22 points in front, still needs a
:42:13. > :43:02.red. That kiss on the green has left this
:43:03. > :43:11.red. He has misjudged that by quite a
:43:12. > :43:26.lot. This is a chance for Tom Ford. His cue came way out of his hand
:43:27. > :43:34.when he played that shot, Judd Trump. Any colour will do, so if he
:43:35. > :43:37.wants to screw it in off to cushions to play the green or brown, he has a
:43:38. > :43:46.better chance of getting on the yellow. He decided to roll it in.
:43:47. > :44:35.Tough to get onto the yellow from here.
:44:36. > :44:42.This is a possibility, if he can dig down into the cue ball, try and
:44:43. > :44:44.shift the blue into the centre, lots of right-hand side, side cushion
:44:45. > :44:49.into the yellow pocket. He obviously doesn't fancy that. He
:44:50. > :44:57.is bringing the pink into play. It was a clever shot. This puts a
:44:58. > :45:14.bit of pressure on Judd Trump. Basically, you would feel whoever
:45:15. > :45:15.puts the yellow and has a shot at the green has the chance to win the
:45:16. > :45:23.frame. What a shot of this is. What a
:45:24. > :45:43.fantastic shot. He really needs to hit it at the
:45:44. > :45:45.moment. Judd Trump needs two balls, yellow and green. If Tom misses
:45:46. > :46:05.this, he will only need one. This, you would have to say, is the
:46:06. > :46:10.first real chance to win frame and match. He can played in such a way
:46:11. > :46:17.that he can cover it with the green and brown, if he wants to play
:46:18. > :46:22.slowly with the stun. -- you can play it.
:46:23. > :46:31.You don't know with Judd, anything can happen. There is the possibility
:46:32. > :46:39.into the yellow pocket and stun across to the side cushion.
:46:40. > :46:47.He has gone the other way. Is he on the green? 23 points ahead, 25 left
:46:48. > :47:02.on the table. The only problem with the cut is if
:47:03. > :47:05.he plays it, the cue ball is careering into the brown and the
:47:06. > :47:20.brand will go close to the left centre. -- the brown.
:47:21. > :47:24.Under the circumstances, having seen the way the match has gone, that
:47:25. > :47:43.took a lot of heart. And the balls are in a very good
:47:44. > :47:47.position for smoke is. -- for snookers. That would have put the
:47:48. > :48:05.match beyond any doubt at all. Will he put the blue and try and get
:48:06. > :48:09.close to the pink, knock it around the table and try and get the cue
:48:10. > :48:19.ball in behind the black? Is it possible?
:48:20. > :48:28.Has he gone in offer? That is so unlucky. A great effort from Tom
:48:29. > :49:25.fraud. -- Tom Ford. Here is a chance for Tom Ford. Clip
:49:26. > :49:26.off the right-hand side of the blue, swing around of two or possibly
:49:27. > :49:54.three cushions. Almost. Judd won't be doing any
:49:55. > :50:00.heroics. Just dropping the blue over the pocket. I'm just wondering if it
:50:01. > :50:02.is possible to pot the blue and get down to the pink as close as
:50:03. > :50:16.possible? The thing is, you normally just get
:50:17. > :50:29.the one chance on the pink and black to get the snooker.
:50:30. > :50:51.Well, in -- he is going to be very relieved, Judd Trump. He knows he
:50:52. > :50:55.has to improve a great deal. Every credit to these two players, they
:50:56. > :50:59.battled hard side. It just shows you what pressure can do at the
:51:00. > :51:05.Crucible. Judd Trump just over the line into the next round, 10-8.
:51:06. > :51:10.HAZEL IRVINE: Relief, but he has done it, 10-8. He did it the hard
:51:11. > :51:14.way against Tom Ford, who really didn't look comfortable in the
:51:15. > :51:19.latter stages. How would you sum that up from Judd's perspective?
:51:20. > :51:25.Obviously relieved, but the most important thing is he is through to
:51:26. > :51:28.the next round. I think that is the most important thing at the
:51:29. > :51:32.Crucible, best of 19 with a best of 25 staring you in the face, it is a
:51:33. > :51:37.case of getting over the line, whichever way. You would like it to
:51:38. > :51:42.be pretty but if it is ugly, never mind. So fundamentally, you wouldn't
:51:43. > :51:46.be concerned if you were Judd about the level of form he has shown?
:51:47. > :51:52.There are players who concern themselves with that but I
:51:53. > :51:58.personally say, no, done and dusted and now the tournament starts in
:51:59. > :52:02.earnest. Three sessions is totally different to two, there is nowhere
:52:03. > :52:05.near the panic, you can settle down. Let's get the thoughts of the man
:52:06. > :52:10.himself, Judd Trump. That was difficult, what is your
:52:11. > :52:14.assessment? It was scrappy from start to finish, I never really got
:52:15. > :52:19.in the balls. I think it was about two frames in. It wasn't an
:52:20. > :52:25.enjoyable game at all, and I am going to take my tip off because I
:52:26. > :52:30.had trouble with it, go home and practice and come back as if it is a
:52:31. > :52:34.new tournament. These first rounds, they can be horrible. Yes, I felt
:52:35. > :52:40.good after the first session, even though we both didn't play well. And
:52:41. > :52:44.today, Tom is normally a really quick player and I don't know
:52:45. > :52:48.whether it was the pressure or not, he started to think about his shots
:52:49. > :52:53.quite a lot and it seemed to affect me a little bit. Every time I looked
:52:54. > :52:57.at the table, I was looking at ways to miss rather than clearing up. Now
:52:58. > :53:04.you have the second round, but best of 25, you can play your way into
:53:05. > :53:08.that. It will be a good game against Ryan, we are both attacking and I
:53:09. > :53:12.can't see him playing too many safetys. I have struggled with the
:53:13. > :53:15.table, hopefully it will have new cloth but I am pleased to get
:53:16. > :53:20.through, considering I didn't play well. You made a couple of comments
:53:21. > :53:25.about the Crucible saying it might need to go elsewhere. Do you stand
:53:26. > :53:29.by that? I love the Crucible, I have nothing against the Crucible, it is
:53:30. > :53:37.a brilliant atmosphere, but I feel like the game can sell out more
:53:38. > :53:41.tickets and sell two or 3,000 for a final and you have got to move with
:53:42. > :53:45.the times, I think. Football, golf, everything, the money has gone up
:53:46. > :53:50.and up. I would so love to have a tournament here and maybe they can
:53:51. > :53:53.invent a tournament, but I would love for a tournament to always be
:53:54. > :53:57.here, it is definitely the best atmosphere. It is just my opinion
:53:58. > :54:01.that sometimes you need to move with the times.
:54:02. > :54:05.Interesting thoughts and if we can put the Crucible on top of the
:54:06. > :54:12.Crucible, we might be all right. We take his point, there are only 850
:54:13. > :54:16.seeds amidst unprecedented demand for tickets. They have sold 34,000
:54:17. > :54:23.with six weeks to go, there were only a handful left with a week to
:54:24. > :54:29.go. It is great when it is full up and the argument that Judd is
:54:30. > :54:33.saying, you would like to get bigger, but how many matches would
:54:34. > :54:37.sell out 3,000? First round matches may not and it would look empty and
:54:38. > :54:41.not so inspiring. We do know the Crucible Theatre has a special
:54:42. > :54:45.atmosphere. It has history. There are a hell of a lot of things going
:54:46. > :54:50.for it and, at the moment, not so many things, if they are only
:54:51. > :54:53.financial, going against it. And there are an awful lot of people
:54:54. > :55:03.coming here over the next few weeks to see it unfolding. It was a full
:55:04. > :55:05.house on the other side of the arena to watch Barry Hawkins, last year's
:55:06. > :55:06.runner-up, taking on David Gilbert, the Staffordshire player
:55:07. > :55:09.house on the other side of the arena to from Tamworth, who gave him a run
:55:10. > :55:12.for his money yesterday. David was 3-1 up before Hawkins came back.
:55:13. > :55:18.They were back this morning to finish it off. Barry Hawkins had his
:55:19. > :55:23.potting boots on this morning, going 7-4 in front. We will rejoin them in
:55:24. > :55:34.frame 12 in the company of Stephen Hendry and John Virgo.
:55:35. > :55:45.STEPHEN HENDRY: It is quite tricky to judge these shots. You have got
:55:46. > :55:49.to stun this up for the right corner and it is not the easiest positional
:55:50. > :55:52.shot. They just play with a touch of right-hand side.
:55:53. > :56:02.That is pretty good. JOHN VIRGO: I think you would like
:56:03. > :56:07.to have gone a little bit further up the table.
:56:08. > :56:20.But now he can nudge the roads open. -- the reds open. Only one came out.
:56:21. > :56:23.Maybe he is thinking one is enough. There are two more available and if
:56:24. > :56:33.you put those, you clear the path for the others. -- pot those. A
:56:34. > :56:43.couple of good positional shots could see him home in this frame.
:56:44. > :56:46.I think I would favour the blue but he is left-handed, which makes this
:56:47. > :57:06.easier. Yes, the blue on its spot would have
:57:07. > :57:11.been as you say, he would have felt comfortable, being left-handed. He
:57:12. > :57:17.may be a bit straight on this red. Having to play for the blue or a
:57:18. > :57:20.baulk colour again. He would liked to have been in a position where he
:57:21. > :57:27.could have come down the table for the pink.
:57:28. > :57:34.One good positional shot and you feel the frame is in the bag.
:57:35. > :57:45.Just caught the bump, going into it too much. Just wanted to hit before
:57:46. > :57:47.the middle pocket. He overdid it. Once he overscrewed, lucky to not go
:57:48. > :58:15.in. -- in-off. But it caused him to miss. So that
:58:16. > :59:16.missed pink by David Gilbert has not cost him the frame.
:59:17. > :59:34.I never spotted that. Where did that come from?
:59:35. > :59:52.I don't think that planta was on when Barry Hawkins was at the table.
:59:53. > :59:59.-- at plant. An awkward red near the side cushion. The yellow is tied to
:00:00. > :00:29.the baulk cushion. It is a big ask to win the frame in this visit.
:00:30. > :00:43.That looks pretty good. Trying to screw the cue ball, maybe disturb
:00:44. > :00:46.the yellow on the cushion, here. He seems to have a good angle. He hit
:00:47. > :01:20.that nicely. To pick. Playing at that speed, if
:01:21. > :01:29.you missed it, he was bound to leave it. But, that yellow near the baulk
:01:30. > :01:33.cushion, that will be just as much as a problem for Barry Hawkins as
:01:34. > :01:36.Ford David. You can see from his reaction, he could not believe he
:01:37. > :02:00.missed that red. This is not inch perfect. OK, he is
:02:01. > :02:06.on the green, but to get near the baulk cushion, he will have to play
:02:07. > :02:09.with a lot of left-hand side. The players are reluctant to play with
:02:10. > :02:34.side on this super fine cloth. He is on the yellow. He might have a
:02:35. > :02:38.slight angle, so he may be able to get the cue ball away from the
:02:39. > :02:48.cushion to leave himself a pot at the green.
:02:49. > :02:58.APPLAUSE. That was a good shot from Barry
:02:59. > :03:12.Hawkins. He needs up to and including the pink to win the third
:03:13. > :03:31.free of this morning'ssession. -- third frame.
:03:32. > :03:43.He has overdone that slightly. If it is dead straight, this will need
:03:44. > :03:51.good cueing. APPLAUSE.
:03:52. > :04:08.This has been a very solid performance. Don't get me wrong, you
:04:09. > :04:16.will always need a little bit of help from your opponent, and David
:04:17. > :04:17.Gilbert had three chances this morning and didn't make the most of
:04:18. > :05:48.them. That is the shop. He judged that the
:05:49. > :05:52.perfection. Came off the side, it is easy to over do that, but you just
:05:53. > :05:56.get the feeling is that Barry Hawkins is in a comfort zone. He is
:05:57. > :06:02.not thinking about anything else apart from potting balls and put in
:06:03. > :06:08.this match to bed as soon as possible. -- putting this match to
:06:09. > :06:40.bed. He just has to keep tight control of
:06:41. > :06:49.that cue ball. He must be feeling really good at the moment. He is
:06:50. > :06:53.getting plenty of table time. His opponent is not putting any pressure
:06:54. > :06:59.on him whatsoever. I was just going to say that, as well. If you are not
:07:00. > :07:22.being punished for your mistakes, it makes you so much more relaxed.
:07:23. > :07:31.Snooker is it -- is such a psychological game at the top level.
:07:32. > :07:43.You need to keep your opponent in the chair are suffering, make him
:07:44. > :07:45.feel worse and worse. So, when he does get the chance, he is in no
:07:46. > :09:38.frame of mind to take it. That was a better shot than a
:09:39. > :09:47.looked. He had to play back with a lot of left-hand side. He needed to
:09:48. > :09:53.play that well. If he didn't connect with that well, the cue ball would
:09:54. > :09:59.have been left in no man's land. Things are looking pretty grim for
:10:00. > :10:04.David Gilbert. There is the mid-session interval after this one,
:10:05. > :10:13.and that Barry Hawkins WinZip, which looks very likely, he will only need
:10:14. > :10:27.one more to book his place into the semi-dot macro semi? Don't get ahead
:10:28. > :10:31.of yourself! Into the second round! He got to the semifinal last year
:10:32. > :10:36.and prove to everybody, and himself, that he is capable of cutting it
:10:37. > :10:41.with the rest. It is all right thinking it, it is proving its, and
:10:42. > :11:05.that is what he has done. He has carried on like that this season.
:11:06. > :11:17.Well, it is not there, but 71 points in front, 67 points remaining, one
:11:18. > :11:23.snooker to tie it. He is disappointed, he would have liked to
:11:24. > :11:30.have made the century. Well, here is Barry Hawkins
:11:31. > :11:36.finishing off the match. Barry will now play Ricky Walden, in what's
:11:37. > :11:39.will be a repeat of last year 's semifinal. I'm sure Ricky Walden
:11:40. > :11:48.would like a bit of revenge on that one. So, Barry Hawkins, he goes
:11:49. > :11:52.through. Life play is coming your way in about 20 minutes. Until then,
:11:53. > :12:09.it is time for table talk. Joining us, we are delighted to
:12:10. > :12:15.welcome back George Riley. It has been an eventful couple of days. It
:12:16. > :12:22.has been brilliant. In terms of drama and intrigue, it is
:12:23. > :12:27.compelling. Plenty of news is being created at the moment over in the
:12:28. > :12:37.media room. Barry Hearn is addressing the media after last
:12:38. > :12:41.nights board meeting. He has it licensed some of the talking
:12:42. > :12:48.points. One of the things being talked about is the possibility of a
:12:49. > :12:54.lying in wild cards. I think everything should be level for all
:12:55. > :13:04.players. But exceptional circumstances call for exceptional
:13:05. > :13:11.measures. I think we are going to offer for wild cards, in recognition
:13:12. > :13:14.of the lifetime services to snooker. We are talking about offering an
:13:15. > :13:23.invitation to this leave Davis and Stephen Hendry. We are trying to
:13:24. > :13:28.reward players that we owe something to for their contribution as
:13:29. > :13:34.multi-tournament winners to the sport of snooker. This invitation
:13:35. > :13:38.comes with certain caveats. I am desperately keen to make sure that
:13:39. > :13:45.no individual player loses their opportunity because of the granting
:13:46. > :13:51.of these invitations. Therefore, we have 132 players on tour. Each
:13:52. > :13:57.tournament is capped at 128. These invitations will only apply to make
:13:58. > :14:04.up the field to 128 layers on ranking events, and to make up the
:14:05. > :14:09.field to 120 players on professional tour events, where we normally
:14:10. > :14:13.feature at least eight local amateurs. I am confident that will
:14:14. > :14:16.always give an invitation a spot, but that doesn't come with a
:14:17. > :14:22.guarantee. They are making up the numbers. For now, we will look back
:14:23. > :14:27.and say obviously these players will sign a contract, same as everyone
:14:28. > :14:31.else. They are ranking monies will count towards order of merit, but
:14:32. > :14:36.they are dependent on the number of entries so that nobody who has
:14:37. > :14:42.entered as a cardholder 's sufferers were loses it on their opportunity.
:14:43. > :14:50.You mentioned the number four, to give the names -- gave the names of
:14:51. > :14:54.Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. We thinking perhaps of Jimmy White?
:14:55. > :15:02.There is no question he has been a major contributor to the success of
:15:03. > :15:08.snooker. At the moment he holds his card. Result in this tournament can
:15:09. > :15:13.have a dramatic effect. It is fair to say if Jimmy White loses his tour
:15:14. > :15:18.card, he would definitely be the recipient of another invitation.
:15:19. > :15:22.The reason why we are talking about Jimmy White is that he holds the
:15:23. > :15:29.64th and last place on the professional tour. Where Michael
:15:30. > :15:35.Wasley to win his next match, he would bump Jimmy White out of the
:15:36. > :15:41.tour after 34 seasons in the sport. If that were to happen, there would
:15:42. > :15:48.be a way back for him. It is complicated, isn't it? First of
:15:49. > :15:51.all, let's the reaction of Steve. An invitation or is coming your way.
:15:52. > :15:58.Would you accept that and under what terms? Yes. I feel more comfortable
:15:59. > :16:03.with accepting on a tournament by tournament basis, if they don't have
:16:04. > :16:09.the full number of entries, than accepting a whole tour card to
:16:10. > :16:14.yours, which does bump somebody it. Somewhere down the line, if you
:16:15. > :16:20.don't have the full contingent of 128, the goal of the order of merit
:16:21. > :16:28.at the qualifying school. Somewhere down the line, you will kick
:16:29. > :16:33.somebody off. From that perspective, nobody likes to see that, but that
:16:34. > :16:36.is their decision. Any further than that and I think my views are
:16:37. > :16:41.irrelevant, because I am biased, I would like to play in turn a month!
:16:42. > :16:50.George, how will this news be received? I think that was pretty
:16:51. > :16:55.much what we expect it, except that was maybe a little bit more vague
:16:56. > :17:01.than we had hoped. Michael Wasley could not Jimmy White off, that is
:17:02. > :17:11.why he mentioned a maximum number of four. I think he was very careful.
:17:12. > :17:16.He knows he is back tracking a little bit on what he was saying
:17:17. > :17:22.about giving places on merit. He was very careful to explain why he was
:17:23. > :17:31.doing it, and also very careful to say there are no guarantees. You are
:17:32. > :17:39.only invited if the tickets haven't sold, so to speak! How far in
:17:40. > :17:42.advance can you prepare, then? Entries for tournaments are usually
:17:43. > :17:54.about a month before, so you would get the knock on the door, I
:17:55. > :17:57.suppose. Do you fancy playing? I think Stephen Hendry would be an
:17:58. > :18:03.interesting concept. Me and Jimmy White, we both love the game and
:18:04. > :18:07.want to play. Stephen Hendry has started to make noises that he would
:18:08. > :18:12.like to play in a few events. Wouldn't it be nice to see him
:18:13. > :18:18.back? Yes! I think a lot of people were surprised when the Stephen
:18:19. > :18:23.Hendry said, yes, I would be up for that! You said he didn't want to
:18:24. > :18:26.play the whole tour again, but he would love to come back and have
:18:27. > :18:33.another crack at a future ordinance. That vagueness is quite interesting.
:18:34. > :18:37.What would've happened if you're invited come when you were in the
:18:38. > :18:42.jungle? Stephen Hendry will encourage his tour card. I decided
:18:43. > :18:48.that I would sacrifice mine by opting out of events last year. I
:18:49. > :18:51.have to go back to square one and qualify from the qualifying school.
:18:52. > :18:57.Plenty of people still disagree with this. You make your own bed, you are
:18:58. > :19:04.not good enough, you have to do the same as everyone else. There will be
:19:05. > :19:09.a player who is ranked that 65 or 66, who have played two years on the
:19:10. > :19:13.circuit, got the number 70 in the world over there ever, and will have
:19:14. > :19:19.to go back to qualifying school. They would like that. This is a
:19:20. > :19:22.two-year deal. There is potential for more world champions to be in
:19:23. > :19:28.the World Championship draw. Barry Hearn is also announcing changes to
:19:29. > :19:38.the format, particularly in the qualifying for this great event. In
:19:39. > :19:41.entered the millions of tweets, we are not changing the duration of the
:19:42. > :19:50.matches. The minimum will be the best of 19 frames. It is long been
:19:51. > :19:56.my intention to maintain the flat 128 draw. I think it is fair,
:19:57. > :19:59.transparent, open to all players. We have three tournaments at the moment
:20:00. > :20:05.on the circuit where the top 16 are seeded through to the final stages.
:20:06. > :20:09.Shanghai and Australia are the two events whose contract comes up in
:20:10. > :20:17.the next year or two, and we will be making, as we are, every effort to
:20:18. > :20:24.make those are flat draw 128. We do accept that the World Championships
:20:25. > :20:29.is a very special event. The top 16 will continue to be seeded through
:20:30. > :20:34.to the last 32 at the Crucible in future years. However, we have
:20:35. > :20:40.decided to increase the number of players in the world Snooker
:20:41. > :20:45.Championships from 128 up to 144. The extra 16 players will be drawn
:20:46. > :20:50.by inviting any player who has won the world Snooker championship in
:20:51. > :20:58.the past, and the additional cards will be made available to the WPBSA
:20:59. > :21:05.is part of their global awareness campaign to include players from
:21:06. > :21:11.emerging countries. That means that the first round draw proper of the
:21:12. > :21:17.World Championship will feature 128 layers. It will be the flat or right
:21:18. > :21:24.the way through, until they meet the 16 seeds at the Crucible. Along with
:21:25. > :21:28.this change comes another fairly dramatic change. We appreciate also
:21:29. > :21:33.it is quite another to be tough to play on this tour and we must look
:21:34. > :21:37.at not just rewarding the winners, but making sure the prize money at
:21:38. > :21:42.the lower levels enables people to pay the bills and carry on with
:21:43. > :21:47.their chosen career. Whilst the first-round losers will receive
:21:48. > :21:53.nothing, they haven't made the cut, the prize-money for the second round
:21:54. > :21:59.will be increased from ?1000 up to ?6,000, and the second round prize
:22:00. > :22:05.-- second round prize will go up to ?9,000 from ?6,000. We will add
:22:06. > :22:14.?136,000 to the prize-money to make it up to a total of ?1.35 million
:22:15. > :22:19.for the 2015 event. The only other change is, good news for the top 16
:22:20. > :22:24.to be seeded three, but, any player that does not win a match, whether
:22:25. > :22:33.it be in the first round or buy a seeded player who is seeded
:22:34. > :22:39.through, there will be no ranking pounds added to their ranking list.
:22:40. > :22:45.In other words, at the Crucible, first round losers ?12,000 and they
:22:46. > :22:50.will all get that, but normally have of that would be added to their
:22:51. > :22:56.ranking list. If any player in the top 16 loses their first-round
:22:57. > :23:00.game, in the World Championships or Shanghai or Australia, they will get
:23:01. > :23:05.their prize-money, but none of that will count towards their rankings. I
:23:06. > :23:09.want to take away a certain level of protection to make sure that we
:23:10. > :23:12.enjoy what we are seeing here at Sheffield, young players emerging
:23:13. > :23:19.through the ranks, but not being held back by too much protection by
:23:20. > :23:24.the ranking system. There is no protection and comfort level for
:23:25. > :23:28.some of the guys even in the top 16. This is pretty radical stuff. The
:23:29. > :23:34.headline from what we have just heard is that there will be 144
:23:35. > :23:37.players allowed to qualify, including 16 former world champions
:23:38. > :23:42.and some selected invitation from around the world 's, rather like the
:23:43. > :23:46.Masters golf. Trying to bring in the young players, adults already rising
:23:47. > :23:52.the part that the champions of the past have played. We might see Terry
:23:53. > :24:00.Griffiths, John Parrott even! Very exciting. It will be a talking
:24:01. > :24:03.point, wouldn't it? It is arguable how many previous world champions
:24:04. > :24:09.would decide on a regular basis to play. That is bubbly self
:24:10. > :24:14.administering. There will probably give a number of spots to people
:24:15. > :24:22.from around the world 's. There is protection for the top players, even
:24:23. > :24:27.so. If they win one match, that is a lot of prize-money. You have
:24:28. > :24:35.highlighted their, take away as much protection as they possibly can. It
:24:36. > :24:41.is a juggling act. George, whilst he has not outlined a specifically, the
:24:42. > :24:44.world went number 17 upwards to 32 normally just have to play one
:24:45. > :24:49.qualifying match in order to get through. That will not be the case
:24:50. > :24:52.any more. They will all be lumped together and have to win a minimum
:24:53. > :24:57.of three matches to get here. That is a big change. There were three
:24:58. > :25:05.exciting bits of news there. The invites to any former champions. We
:25:06. > :25:11.can see John Parrott with the key in his hands already! The loss of the
:25:12. > :25:15.safety net, in terms of the prize-money, that is fascinating.
:25:16. > :25:22.The other point, as you say, the fact that number 17 down to 32, who
:25:23. > :25:28.normally would have to only win one qualifier to make to the Crucible,
:25:29. > :25:35.the likes of Michael Holt, they will not like that. They will have to go
:25:36. > :25:38.from the start, through those four qualifiers. You speak to anybody who
:25:39. > :25:45.goes through the final qualifier, that is about as nervy as it gets
:25:46. > :25:51.through the whole season. I have done... I have not done the maths on
:25:52. > :25:56.things, but from the perspective of Ronnie O'Sullivan, who picks and
:25:57. > :26:02.chooses, he has to make sure he does not drop out of the top 16. The
:26:03. > :26:07.possibilities of Ronnie O'Sullivan winning eight World Championships
:26:08. > :26:14.may have changed, down to how much commitment he has over the whole
:26:15. > :26:22.season. We could see Ronnie at more events. Was he not to win the World
:26:23. > :26:25.Championships, he will have to work is way back into the 16 to be
:26:26. > :26:31.guaranteed of a spot without having to go through a long, drawn-out
:26:32. > :26:35.process. If he wins the World Championship, the prize-money with
:26:36. > :26:47.big sure that he was in the top 16 anyway. -- make sure. What was
:26:48. > :26:52.interesting earlier, the comments from Judd Trump that the
:26:53. > :26:58.championship might have outgrown the Crucible. Not in terms of the event
:26:59. > :27:06.itself, but over how much the tournament could generate.
:27:07. > :27:10.We have a contract up to 2015. The Crucible is insured up until then.
:27:11. > :27:15.Whilst I appreciate the comments of these excellent professionals, the
:27:16. > :27:21.commercial side rests more with the board than with them. Whilst bums on
:27:22. > :27:26.seats are important, the history of the Crucible Theatre adds far more
:27:27. > :27:31.TV revenue and promotional opportunities, quite frankly. Yes, I
:27:32. > :27:37.would like it to be bigger, but it will not get any bigger. Do we
:27:38. > :27:45.therefore those losses and move to a bigger venue somewhere? Or, that
:27:46. > :27:49.this event should go to China? This will be the last time I will say
:27:50. > :27:55.this, but if I am to receive the level of support that they currently
:27:56. > :28:00.receive, with the BBC as host broadcaster and from Sheffield City
:28:01. > :28:06.Council as the staging sponsor, we will be here for ever. That Chris
:28:07. > :28:11.above is too ingrained in my memory, the memory of snooker fans
:28:12. > :28:17.around the world, to play games with it. We don't need to make a change.
:28:18. > :28:23.History is created here and here it will stay, provided I have those
:28:24. > :28:28.partners. That is pretty clear-cut. I am relieved to hear that, but not
:28:29. > :28:35.surprised. He always has said that appears in charge, he will not move
:28:36. > :28:41.it. You could get much more money. But you don't have to get all during
:28:42. > :28:45.revenue from one event. I agree with Barry Hearn, the Heritage is much
:28:46. > :28:50.more important. If we get more money in three ticket sales, you could
:28:51. > :28:55.increase the prize-money. That doesn't have to come from wonderment
:28:56. > :29:03.does it? As a snooker fan, I was pleased. I can only see the only way
:29:04. > :29:10.it would go to China is if the BBC decided one day that it didn't want
:29:11. > :29:19.the shoes snooker on the television. Touch Formica, that is not seem to
:29:20. > :29:22.be the case! It would have to be a big sea change in the BBC policy to
:29:23. > :29:28.knock it on the head. Well, that is where we stand. We often get welcome
:29:29. > :29:36.guest is to the Crucible. We also get other people with the brain the
:29:37. > :29:43.size of a planet. We have Richard Osman! A few of us have considered
:29:44. > :29:51.our appearance on pointless over the years can be pointless, so banks.
:29:52. > :29:58.Brilliant to have you here. Brilliant to be here, I am a big
:29:59. > :29:59.snooker fan. I remember watching Terry Griffiths
:30:00. > :30:03.Brilliant to be here, I am a big snooker fan. I remember watching as
:30:04. > :30:07.a kid, thinking, this guy is a postman, and he had never played in
:30:08. > :30:12.the championship before and he won it. I saw him prequalify in
:30:13. > :30:20.Stockport, I went to see him and he qualified, fantastic. Your favourite
:30:21. > :30:24.players? I love Jimmy White, I love John Parrott... Never heard of him.
:30:25. > :30:29.I believe you one World Championship. But Jimmy is my
:30:30. > :30:36.all-time favourite. You do realise that it is very daunting the people
:30:37. > :30:46.going on Pointless. I do. I will take my jacket. Popular jacket off
:30:47. > :30:49.and then you get a question. Ladies and gentlemen, round of applause.
:30:50. > :31:06.That is making it harder. Rattled in the jaws. Myself and
:31:07. > :31:16.Hazel, because it wasn't a great lifestyle, a little question for you
:31:17. > :31:22.can you get the pointless venue whether World Snooker Championship
:31:23. > :31:28.has been played other than Sheffield since 1927 so we need a city that it
:31:29. > :31:37.has been played other than Sheffield? I think Alex Higgins
:31:38. > :31:43.played it in Birmingham. Birmingham, I'm going to say. Birmingham is one,
:31:44. > :31:51.go on. You want more? You can have three. You know, people sometimes
:31:52. > :31:57.shout out. Birmingham, Middlesbrough and, let's say... Blackburn. We will
:31:58. > :32:06.go over to Hazel. Complete role reversal. You are correct with
:32:07. > :32:10.Birmingham, that is an answer with three. Not bad. The other ones, you
:32:11. > :32:16.won't write and one of them is a town, not a city. She is getting her
:32:17. > :32:20.own back. But good on Birmingham. And we are looking forward to having
:32:21. > :32:22.Richard here with us, And we are looking forward to having
:32:23. > :32:30.Richard here he will be asking questions of all of us in a populous
:32:31. > :32:34.quiz next week. It is almost time for the live play and guess who is
:32:35. > :32:40.in store? Only the world number one, Neil Robertson.
:32:41. > :32:49.Neil Robertson's technique is absolutely superb. If ever you want
:32:50. > :32:52.an example of pushing the cue through gun barrel straight, that is
:32:53. > :32:58.what you get with Neil Robertson. That is what makes him one of the
:32:59. > :32:59.best long potters in the game. His temperament is absolutely superb. He
:33:00. > :33:01.would have