Day 5, Part 3

:00:00. > :00:00.quiz next week. It is almost time for the live play and guess who is

:00:00. > :00:08.in store? Only the world number one, Neil Robertson.

:00:09. > :00:17.Neil Robertson's technique is absolutely superb. If ever you want

:00:18. > :00:20.an example of pushing the cue through gun barrel straight, that is

:00:21. > :00:26.what you get with Neil Robertson. That is what makes him one of the

:00:27. > :00:28.best long potters in the game. His temperament is absolutely superb. He

:00:29. > :00:34.would have made a great poker player, you never know when he is

:00:35. > :00:37.under pressure. He keeps that same poker face whether he has just

:00:38. > :00:42.missed an easy shot whether he has knocked in a century break, and that

:00:43. > :00:46.is one of the great ingredients that he has. When you talk about Star

:00:47. > :00:50.appeal, he is one of the players you put in that category. Very

:00:51. > :00:55.consistent, a great long potter and that is the reason the public watch

:00:56. > :00:58.him play. With regards to his break-building, it has certainly

:00:59. > :01:07.improved over the last three or four seasons and it shows, he has now

:01:08. > :01:09.made over 300 competitive. That is top drawer. Certainly one of the

:01:10. > :01:13.most consistent players in the game. After dropping off the main tour in

:01:14. > :01:16.the early part of the millennium, he came storming back and has won

:01:17. > :01:23.tournaments all over the world, and has won the big three, the UK, the

:01:24. > :01:27.Masters and the World Championships. To win multiple World Championships,

:01:28. > :01:32.he has two change a little bit. We sometimes goes into his shell. I

:01:33. > :01:35.think the more attacking he is, the more dangerous he becomes.

:01:36. > :01:39.HAZEL IRVINE: Neil Robertson a winner of this title four years ago,

:01:40. > :01:43.but what an amazing season he has had. A couple of world ranking

:01:44. > :01:49.events, including the UK Championship, and he has smashed the

:01:50. > :01:53.record for centuries this season. He has made 93 centuries. Could it be

:01:54. > :01:58.that he might be on for a tonne of tonnes? A century of centuries? He

:01:59. > :02:06.has got a lot of work if he is to do that. John and Steve, remarkable. 63

:02:07. > :02:10.was the record set by Judd Trump and he has devastated it. Knocked it to

:02:11. > :02:13.smithereens, and it shows he has been competitive all through the

:02:14. > :02:18.season, playing in everything he can do. It is a tough circuit to play on

:02:19. > :02:22.every event, he may pick and choose more next year, but to score 93

:02:23. > :02:26.centuries, that is more than a lot of people make in their career. Fair

:02:27. > :02:31.enough, there are more tournaments in the year but I still think it is

:02:32. > :02:35.the standard he produces. I am not absolutely sure, but of all the

:02:36. > :02:42.players this year that Ronnie O'Sullivan has dominated, made love

:02:43. > :02:45.pedestrian, I'm not sure he has had so much influence on Neil

:02:46. > :02:48.Robertson, so if one player was to come through the could give Ronnie

:02:49. > :02:55.O'Sullivan a good game, it may be Neal. All of the players are hanging

:02:56. > :03:00.around, we won't keep them hanging around much longer. Enter Rob

:03:01. > :03:05.Walker. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. There are just four spots

:03:06. > :03:08.of the grants in the second round of this year's Dafabet World

:03:09. > :03:12.Championship. It has been an amazing four and a half days of action

:03:13. > :03:20.already and the drama is set to continue here in Sheffield once

:03:21. > :03:25.again. Please welcome a player who has earned his stripes the hard way

:03:26. > :03:31.as a pro and now the effort is finally being rewarded. PTC grand

:03:32. > :03:35.final runner-up in 2011, he stormed to snooker's shoot out title last

:03:36. > :03:42.January. The pin sharp potter from Pinner, Martin Gould.

:03:43. > :04:01.MUSIC. And his opponent, a player who has

:04:02. > :04:08.thrived under snooker's new busy calendar. He has rocketed back up

:04:09. > :04:13.the rankings, now once again firmly established in the world's top aide,

:04:14. > :04:21.semifinalist here in 2006, last July he won his second ranking event in

:04:22. > :04:34.Australia. Back to his best, back to his best, Marco Fu.

:04:35. > :04:40.MUSIC: "Shine" by Take That. And here on table two, please

:04:41. > :04:43.welcome a player who has fought his way through four qualifying rounds

:04:44. > :04:47.to be here, including a re-spotted black in the last round of

:04:48. > :04:51.qualifying in the decider against Fergal O'Brien. Qualified for the

:04:52. > :04:55.tour through cue school and did brilliantly in India to reach the

:04:56. > :04:58.semis, but this, without any shadow of a doubt, is the biggest match of

:04:59. > :05:03.his career so far. Ladies and gentlemen, give a huge Sheffield

:05:04. > :05:13.welcome to a man making his Crucible debut. Here comes Robbie Williams.

:05:14. > :05:31.And finally, his opponent, a player who has taken the game by storm

:05:32. > :05:36.since arrival from Australia decade or so ago. He won the world title

:05:37. > :05:41.here in 2010, added the Masters in 2012 and he completed snooker's

:05:42. > :05:44.hat-trick in December, becoming UK Championship is he also, by the way,

:05:45. > :05:49.happens to be the world number one. Can you hear the Thunder from Down

:05:50. > :05:51.Under? Here's Neil Robertson. MUSIC: "Heart Of Courage" by Two

:05:52. > :06:12.Steps From Hell. HAZEL IRVINE: And commentary on the

:06:13. > :06:22.Marco Fu match is online and other red button, but we will see what

:06:23. > :06:25.happens here. It is into Stephen Hendry and Dennis Taylor that we

:06:26. > :06:29.go, some news, Stephen, you are back on the tour if you want to be. We

:06:30. > :06:40.will wait and see. DENNIS TAYLOR: That I could possibly

:06:41. > :06:44.get back to the Crucible. I would have an awful lot of games to win

:06:45. > :06:45.but at least former world champions can go into the first round draw.

:06:46. > :07:10.Exciting news. Neil and how he performs here. Neil

:07:11. > :07:38.did win the toss, let's see if he can make a good break off.

:07:39. > :07:45.Robbery will obviously want to be doing a lot better than the last

:07:46. > :07:51.time he played Neil in the UK Championship, losing 6-0 -- Robbie.

:07:52. > :08:07.Perhaps when the draw came out, his heart sank a little bit.

:08:08. > :08:15.I agree with Steve Davis about Neil Robertson being one of the very few

:08:16. > :08:19.that has got a game powerful enough to stand up against O'Sullivan in a

:08:20. > :08:21.four session match. It is obviously where they will meet, they are of

:08:22. > :08:37.different parts of the draw. Where is that red going to finish

:08:38. > :08:44.up? It is going to be an easy chance for Neil. Hampered slightly with the

:08:45. > :08:47.brown. Robbie playing it as a short to nothing but because he didn't hit

:08:48. > :09:02.it as intended, he brought the red up the table.

:09:03. > :09:06.Hazel mentioned he won the UK Championship to complete the Grand

:09:07. > :09:08.Slam but he had been struggling a little bit with his form over the

:09:09. > :09:24.last couple of months. Yes, highly publicised, the amount

:09:25. > :09:27.of centuries he has made but I think you would like to trade a few of

:09:28. > :09:35.them in for some more tournament wins. But he is a big occasion

:09:36. > :09:36.player. Inspirational player, and I think he will get that in this

:09:37. > :09:49.tournament. Normally a very fast starter in

:09:50. > :09:53.matches. As indeed were all the great champions like yourself, Steve

:09:54. > :09:59.Davis, always looking to get in in the opening frame. It was as if you

:10:00. > :10:02.put so much more concentration into the opening frame just to get that

:10:03. > :10:06.one-frame advantage, even in the best of 19.

:10:07. > :10:12.If he is dead straight on this red, no problem getting onto the back. He

:10:13. > :10:14.could have done with the cue ball running another inch or two. I am

:10:15. > :10:22.not sure if he is dead straight. He's going to have to take the other

:10:23. > :10:29.one. A little bit of noise in the crowd.

:10:30. > :10:57.I think he is just about OK there. It is a good chance now.

:10:58. > :11:09.As you mentioned, that target he said, 100 centuries in a season. I'm

:11:10. > :11:16.sure that will be the last thing on his mind, it will just be frame by

:11:17. > :11:22.frame here. There is a little bit of noise coming from the audience. Is

:11:23. > :12:18.someone having a problem with an earpiece?

:12:19. > :12:26.Last year, he went out in the first round to Robert Milken is. -- Robert

:12:27. > :12:34.Milkins. He will want to do a lot better this year.

:12:35. > :12:38.Still a loose red at the back of the bunch. Let's see how he gets on with

:12:39. > :12:49.this one. He may be straight, which is OK. If

:12:50. > :12:52.he did have a slight angle, he could pot this and split the reds, but

:12:53. > :13:10.that is always a little risky. Could have done with slightly more

:13:11. > :13:17.of an angle but he plays this shot very well. Lots of cute power but

:13:18. > :13:23.could have done with a better angle than that. -- cue power.

:13:24. > :13:32.In fact, he is looking out of the single red, to see whether it will

:13:33. > :13:35.go into the corner, past the pink. He may have to force it off the

:13:36. > :13:55.cushion and into the bunch. Not very good. It was always going

:13:56. > :14:03.to be difficult. He could take the one into the corner. A better angle

:14:04. > :14:11.on the black and he would have stunned into it, rather than screwed

:14:12. > :14:14.into it. But he could take the one into the left corner and played on a

:14:15. > :14:15.shot to nothing. He would be on the black and wouldn't leave a great

:14:16. > :14:25.deal. Already 52 in front. He has had a glance, doesn't like

:14:26. > :14:55.it. Not a bad start. He would have liked

:14:56. > :14:58.to have clinched this opening frame with that first visit, but it was

:14:59. > :15:44.just the wrong angle that he got on the black which caused the problem.

:15:45. > :15:48.Completely mishit that one. He was playing the red full in the face to

:15:49. > :15:56.follow the cue ball into baulk. It is his first time at the Crucible

:15:57. > :16:24.and this might be his first pot. Not an easy chance, you have to get

:16:25. > :16:31.a bit of power behind this one to get out onto a read.

:16:32. > :16:55.Is really unlucky there. To follow through at that pace, make the

:16:56. > :17:08.cannon and not be on anything, vary unlucky. -- very unlucky. Robbie is

:17:09. > :17:15.from the Wirral. He got to a semifinal of a ranking event, the

:17:16. > :17:20.Indian Open. The new click on the block -- the new kid on the block,

:17:21. > :17:51.Robbie Williams, and a very talented left-hander.

:17:52. > :17:58.That is a terrible safety shot from Neil, heated way thin. And the and

:17:59. > :18:01.the way the reds are situated, that 44 point advantage could disappear

:18:02. > :18:10.rapidly -- he hit it way too thin. Robbie is quite a tall lad, well

:18:11. > :18:12.over six feet tall, virtually reaching to the middle of the table

:18:13. > :18:19.there. May be stretching just a little too

:18:20. > :18:44.much. He is so good at that type of shot,

:18:45. > :18:58.Neil Robertson. You would think now he would go on

:18:59. > :19:30.and win this first frame at this visit.

:19:31. > :19:46.He is great to watch when he is flowing, Neil.

:19:47. > :19:55.You really have to admire this Australian. We talked about his

:19:56. > :19:59.early part of the career, when he dropped off the circuit and then got

:20:00. > :20:04.back onto it again. A lot of sacrifices, him and his family made,

:20:05. > :20:10.but it paid off in the end, that is for sure. But he has worked hard for

:20:11. > :20:14.what he has got out of the game. And he is putting an awful lot back into

:20:15. > :20:27.it now, travelling the world as the world number one.

:20:28. > :20:54.He will want another World Championship under his belt.

:20:55. > :21:04.A bit of a Neil Robertson special, hammering the ball into the pocket.

:21:05. > :21:13.The thing I like about Neil is he likes to pot every ball on the

:21:14. > :21:17.table, that is why he had so many centuries. A lot of players take

:21:18. > :21:28.their eye off the ball when they have won the frame.

:21:29. > :21:35.Yes, it is amazing. We mentioned it before but, last season, he made 45

:21:36. > :21:42.centuries. He has more than doubled that this season. A little bit of an

:21:43. > :22:01.exhibition shot. And if it misses the blue, it is perfect. Nearly.

:22:02. > :22:27.As you say, Stephen, he wants to pot all the balls, doesn't he?

:22:28. > :22:35.What a start for the world number one, Neil Robertson. He made an

:22:36. > :22:40.earlier break of 52 and he cleared the lot up there with a break of 77.

:22:41. > :22:45.And he takes this opening frame. HAZEL IRVINE: He certainly looks

:22:46. > :22:49.like he is here to compete, as he always does. There is so much news

:22:50. > :22:53.and so many things to digests this afternoon, not least the news from

:22:54. > :22:56.Barry Hearn that former world champions will be allowed into the

:22:57. > :23:04.Crucible draw in the early stages, which means a certain John Parrott

:23:05. > :23:07.might get his cue out. Is it something you would consider? Why

:23:08. > :23:12.not? I could enjoy an afternoon sitting then watching everybody else

:23:13. > :23:15.pot balls. I entered a couple of years ago and I had a nightmare

:23:16. > :23:19.journey, snow everywhere, a screaming baby in the next room all

:23:20. > :23:25.night, got beaten 5-0 and drove straight home. But I seriously would

:23:26. > :23:30.consider it. And Dennis Taylor, who is in the, jor box, I am pretty sure

:23:31. > :23:35.I would if you would, Dennis -- in the commentary box. Everyone would

:23:36. > :23:42.have to check there is no woodworm in their cue. You could be drawn

:23:43. > :23:47.conceivably against the world number 17. As a former world champion, you

:23:48. > :23:51.know your way around, obviously. What are you trying to say?

:23:52. > :23:55.know your way around, obviously. What are Is it slightly daunting? Of

:23:56. > :24:02.course, he would hit me all over the place. But you could enjoy the game.

:24:03. > :24:10.Could I draw you first round? If I am outside the top 64, no. We would

:24:11. > :24:16.be seeded apart, like the old days. What about Ray Reardon playing the

:24:17. > :24:19.number 17 in the world? Why not? I bet Dennis is giving it a bit of

:24:20. > :24:24.thought. DENNIS TAYLOR: I am thinking about

:24:25. > :24:29.it, definitely. I didn't play for 11 years and then they got the Legends

:24:30. > :24:34.going and I got the old cue out and there was a bit of rust on the tip.

:24:35. > :24:39.I would consider it. I would have to practice. If I was going to draw

:24:40. > :24:50.John Parrott, I would need at least ten minutes' practice.

:24:51. > :24:59.It has just pulled up, so I think Robbie can get to this red. It is

:25:00. > :25:04.tight, but it is dead straight. This is an early test of Robbie's cue

:25:05. > :25:09.action, because you have just got to push it through in a dead straight

:25:10. > :25:13.line. That is if he can see enough of it. It looks like you can get to

:25:14. > :25:37.the potting angle. It wasn't easy. Of course, when you

:25:38. > :25:42.have someone like Neil Robertson coming after you, you know that you

:25:43. > :25:44.can't afford to miss too many of these, especially the way he started

:25:45. > :26:21.in the opening frame. He has overheat this one by a long

:26:22. > :26:28.way. He had a choice of the red next to the blue or the red to the right

:26:29. > :26:34.corner. Can he get to the one at the back of the bunch? Maybe not. He

:26:35. > :26:48.didn't play for this one. But he is on it.

:26:49. > :26:54.That was a little bonus, because, as Stephen mentioned, he overhit his

:26:55. > :27:04.last shot and then all of a sudden, one at the back of the pack

:27:05. > :27:06.appeared. Knowing Neil, it will be blue and then an angle on the red to

:27:07. > :27:15.smash into the pink. At the pink is just away from the

:27:16. > :27:20.reds a little bit, it shouldn't affect the shot, if that is what he

:27:21. > :27:24.decides. He has a red either side of the bunch as well.

:27:25. > :27:47.well, he is going to be unlucky if he has not dropped onto a nice one.

:27:48. > :27:53.He does play that so well. He did not quite get the pink full ball,

:27:54. > :28:03.but three quarters ball certainly opened them up nicely.

:28:04. > :28:13.It'll be interesting to see as this match develops, talking about him

:28:14. > :28:21.making 100 100s, if he gets to the 50 or 60 mark, will he just get the

:28:22. > :28:38.free one, or will he go for it? -- get the frame one?

:28:39. > :29:25.He might have to play a Canon to hold onto the white.

:29:26. > :29:32.If the black goes into the left corner, he is still OK. He is

:29:33. > :29:42.slightly hampered here with one of the

:29:43. > :30:44.He has let the white slip away out of position again. You would have to

:30:45. > :30:48.think he was playing the cannon onto the red macro immediately above the

:30:49. > :31:08.black. He seemed to get into the cue ball a bit much.

:31:09. > :31:15.Once again, he is hampered if he takes the one into the right corner.

:31:16. > :31:17.That is why he is looking at the one that will go into the right middle

:31:18. > :31:35.pocket. It is amazing, that last little

:31:36. > :32:00.Canon, it just a fraction -- it my crew just a fraction, can make

:32:01. > :32:03.one more good positional shot after the black and he is right back in

:32:04. > :33:00.business. You would have to say, this is

:33:01. > :34:11.looking like a great chance to get his 94th century.

:34:12. > :34:16.A very impressive start from the world number one, former world

:34:17. > :34:30.number one and world champion. He always has that error of

:34:31. > :34:36.dominance about him when he is walking around the table. You have

:34:37. > :35:12.to have that to compete at the highest level.

:35:13. > :35:33.that was an unwarranted flick, but he is OK. Just about.

:35:34. > :35:41.He has made 93 century breaks this season, 351 in his career. That was

:35:42. > :35:52.a little bit careless. APPLAUSE.

:35:53. > :36:18.I think it is a formality now. There is no getting away from the

:36:19. > :36:24.fact that there is more tournaments, but, even so, to make

:36:25. > :36:31.this many centuries in a season is our phenomenology and. --

:36:32. > :36:49.achievement. It could be a record that could

:36:50. > :37:05.stand for many years. We have had third team centuries so far in this

:37:06. > :37:09.tournament. -- 13 centuries. Well played, Neil Robertson! That is his

:37:10. > :37:26.94th century break of the season! The highest break is 137 by Ricky

:37:27. > :37:46.Walden. We don't have any idea how Robbie

:37:47. > :37:53.Williams is playing! He has not had the chance. All he has done is miss

:37:54. > :38:06.one difficult red, other than that, he hasn't been at the table.

:38:07. > :38:16.Well, it doesn't get any better than that, the world number one clears

:38:17. > :38:26.the table with that magnificent rick of 132. He now leads 2-0. --

:38:27. > :39:08.magnificent break. He looks very focused at the moment,

:39:09. > :39:14.Neil Robertson, and he seems to be cueing very well, Stephen. Yes, you

:39:15. > :39:19.would almost expect this kind of start from someone as good as him,

:39:20. > :39:22.the world number one. I always felt that when you came here as world

:39:23. > :39:33.number one, you have something to prove. This is the biggest event we

:39:34. > :39:40.play in. He will be a bit disappointed with this season. It

:39:41. > :40:03.has not been his best season. APPLAUSE.

:40:04. > :41:01.A chance of our red in the top left corner. -- a red.

:41:02. > :41:14.And easy prediction, Stephen. He will not be making a century brick

:41:15. > :41:19.from this position. -- break. Look where he has finished! It should not

:41:20. > :41:29.be more awkward. He will probably nominate a yellow. He is in such a

:41:30. > :41:42.predicament. How do you deal with this? You have to rely on a bit of

:41:43. > :41:43.luck. The black is available if he was to leave that red over the

:41:44. > :42:02.corner pocket. He might hope to glance off the

:42:03. > :42:12.yellow and use the blue is a covering ball for the one that is

:42:13. > :42:17.over the pocket. If he was to nominate a yellow, this is the line

:42:18. > :42:35.he would go. He is going to try to just land on the black off to

:42:36. > :42:36.conditions. -- two cushions. So, the first real chance for Robbie

:42:37. > :42:49.Williams. He has a slight angle, so he should

:42:50. > :43:22.be able to get himself onto the black.

:43:23. > :43:27.Always difficult to judge the speed of the cue ball when you are

:43:28. > :43:46.screwing into the pack like that. That was a nice pot on the black.

:43:47. > :44:06.There was a bit of pressure on that. He has come up about six inches

:44:07. > :44:27.short of that positional shot, though.

:44:28. > :44:46.That is OK, the red macro has stayed over the pocket.

:44:47. > :44:54.If he had not screw on that, he could have got away from the

:44:55. > :45:02.cushion. This is a hard part, now. He wanted more action on that. This

:45:03. > :45:11.is a test, when you are tight on the cushion like this. I don't even see

:45:12. > :45:17.where the next red is coming from. I think that is the reason he is going

:45:18. > :45:23.to knock it back. Yes, and you wouldn't be him. What is the point

:45:24. > :46:09.of him taking it on when Neil Robertson is in this kind of form?

:46:10. > :46:18.That was a great effort at the plant. It was not under red Line,

:46:19. > :46:23.but he almost made the angle. This is another tester for Robbie. He

:46:24. > :46:36.missed one in the previous frame not unlike this. Great shot! APPLAUSE.

:46:37. > :46:54.That was a superb shot he pulled off there, it really was.

:46:55. > :47:04.He managed to push the Q3 in a perfect straight line. -- Q

:47:05. > :47:40.through. It would be easier to be high on the

:47:41. > :47:48.black, rather than low on the black to go into these reds. Now, he is

:47:49. > :47:50.blue. He could just slide off the left-hand side of these reds and be

:47:51. > :48:15.on nothing. He might just be OK. It would just

:48:16. > :48:46.cut into the corner. He is not that far away from

:48:47. > :48:52.securing this third frame. That will settle him down. It will be his

:48:53. > :48:54.first frame ever at the Crucible Theatre. He is making his debut this

:48:55. > :49:17.year. APPLAUSE. Has he got away with that? He had

:49:18. > :49:26.not quite made up his mind which shot to play. He completely missed

:49:27. > :50:31.have that. -- mishit. Robbie to do with one of the ball is

:50:32. > :50:36.at least in the same position to protect that 52.8 Vantage, but they

:50:37. > :50:46.are all in the open. If Neil Robertson get sin, he is quite

:50:47. > :50:57.capable. This is not an easy starter to start off with. Sometimes Neil

:50:58. > :51:06.Robertson just can't resist. APPLAUSE.

:51:07. > :51:12.What a shock! A bit unlucky, it might only getting one point com

:51:13. > :51:15.about what a shot this was! He is one of the best long hitters we have

:51:16. > :51:34.ever had in the game. Yes, it is a great thing to have in

:51:35. > :51:38.your armoury, that cue power. It can get you out of trouble when there is

:51:39. > :51:42.no safety shot on. We have said so many times, the best potters are all

:51:43. > :51:57.left-handed! You could see the red macro jumping

:51:58. > :52:12.off the table, he was a bit unlucky, he got a bad contact.

:52:13. > :52:17.Robbie is left-handed as well. Mark Williams, job Trump, Mark Allen,

:52:18. > :52:42.Jimmy White. That was not a bad choice of shot.

:52:43. > :52:48.He was just trying to make the black Sea, and the red. -- the black

:52:49. > :53:31.safe. Neil Robertson immediately bringing

:53:32. > :53:33.the difficult red into play. His target at the moment is to try to

:53:34. > :54:00.get in behind the yellow. I never liked when I have to starve

:54:01. > :54:12.the World Championship as late as the weapons they. I always preferred

:54:13. > :54:25.the first weekend to start. -- as late as the weapons

:54:26. > :54:28.I always like to get the first round over on the first day, then you

:54:29. > :54:59.could relax. I think he is snookered on this red.

:55:00. > :55:02.I think he is debating whether or not to knock it off the side

:55:03. > :55:26.cushion. That could be a little bit risky.

:55:27. > :55:39.He has left a couple of parts for Neil Robertson into either corner

:55:40. > :55:42.pocket. They are both difficult. He was looking to see if he could get

:55:43. > :55:51.in behind the yellow that is closest to the cue ball. If not in behind

:55:52. > :56:02.the yellow, keep it tight on the cushion.

:56:03. > :56:10.I am a little bit surprised, he did not even look at the part, the long

:56:11. > :56:17.red into the right corner. I thought he was going to have a go. He

:56:18. > :56:24.obviously feels 53 -to down, there will be a better opportunity.

:56:25. > :56:45.I think Robbie does have a shot. He can leave the white in the jaws of

:56:46. > :56:52.the corner pocket. He would have just right. In fact, he is deciding

:56:53. > :57:08.just come off the cushion and nestle on the one nearest the pocket. That

:57:09. > :57:25.might be a straight part into the pocket on the other side of the

:57:26. > :57:46.green. -- straight part. -- straight -- pot.

:57:47. > :58:00.You wouldn't say the pink was a gimme Save the .

:58:01. > :58:44.But it is for Neil Robertson. Hammered that in with authority.

:58:45. > :58:50.It looked as if he was going to take the frame and then he took his eye

:58:51. > :58:52.off the pot and concentrated on the cannon and made a bit of a mess of

:58:53. > :59:05.both. Not a straightforward clearance for

:59:06. > :59:32.Neil Robertson but I wouldn't put it past him.

:59:33. > :59:41.He's going to have to take the shot with that extension on the cue.

:59:42. > :59:49.Fully stretched, can he pulled a shot off?

:59:50. > :59:59.He missed the cannon. I think it was due to the stretching. I don't think

:00:00. > :00:05.he played the cannon in the end. I thought he would have. But due to

:00:06. > :00:17.the stretching, you don't have 100% control of your cue.

:00:18. > :00:24.I think his plan would be the red and then maybe the blue to get on

:00:25. > :00:28.the pink. Difficult last red but if he could get himself onto that, he'd

:00:29. > :00:41.only have to drop it in and the black would be available.

:00:42. > :00:47.Doesn't want to be absolutely dead straight on this pink otherwise he

:00:48. > :00:55.will not be able to get on the red as he would like to. And he is dead

:00:56. > :01:04.straight. Not going to be an easy last read for him.

:01:05. > :01:08.-- last red for him. He doesn't necessarily have to pot the last red

:01:09. > :01:54.but he would like to. If he stops the white where the red

:01:55. > :01:58.is, he's going to have to get the red somewhere over towards the brown

:01:59. > :02:08.or the other side of the brown to get the snooker.

:02:09. > :02:18.He's caught the brown and hasn't got the snooker now. I think this is a

:02:19. > :02:23.very important frame for Robbie Williams. I know it's the best of 19

:02:24. > :02:49.that you are never settled until you get your first frame.

:02:50. > :02:57.A nice little flick. He just raised his hand up to apologise. A little

:02:58. > :03:20.flick to snooker kneel behind the pink.

:03:21. > :03:26.Neil had a block of good fortune to finish like that. When he played

:03:27. > :03:28.this workshop, I thought maybe it would stick the red up but look at

:03:29. > :04:10.the outcome! Paul Collier. We call him Fingers in

:04:11. > :04:25.the business. One of our best referees.

:04:26. > :05:24.APPLAUSE Pretty good shot there.

:05:25. > :05:30.Got to be extra careful now, Robbie. The fact that the blue as he moved

:05:31. > :05:39.means they are all pottable. MUSIC PLAYS

:05:40. > :06:08.REFEREE: Switch it off, please. He's got to be a bit careful. The

:06:09. > :06:14.normal shot, you could send it around the ankles. He could still do

:06:15. > :06:16.that. If he sends this around the ankles, just watch the path the red

:06:17. > :06:29.takes. It seemed to bounce off the first

:06:30. > :06:35.cushion and then straightened up a little bit. That's why it cannoned

:06:36. > :06:37.into the pink. But he'll settle for where it's finished. It's a tough

:06:38. > :06:57.safety shot now from Robbie. I suppose if he played the red trust

:06:58. > :07:01.between the brown and the pocket and doubled it back at the table, the

:07:02. > :07:19.white would go across toward the left side of the

:07:20. > :07:51.Being very cautious here, the world number one.

:07:52. > :08:00.He's handed the frame. Now he wishes he hadn't taken that on. If that red

:08:01. > :08:09.pulls up... That could cost him the frame. Robbie just needs the red.

:08:10. > :08:15.And then any colour from the blue upwards. But he doesn't necessarily

:08:16. > :08:24.have to play for a high value colour.

:08:25. > :08:38.GROANING Oh, Robbie! Well, that's Crucible

:08:39. > :08:42.tension for you there. I think he just took too long over the shot.

:08:43. > :09:13.Desperate to get that first frame on the board.

:09:14. > :09:30.He's looked a snooker. Seemed to hit that much to heart. -- looked.

:09:31. > :10:23.It's very early in the match but this could be a big turning point.

:10:24. > :10:28.30 points is the difference so Neil needs a red and then one of the

:10:29. > :10:34.remaining colours. It's coming up to an hour. Two

:10:35. > :11:25.fairly quick frames, 15 minutes. Unusually, there is only one colour

:11:26. > :11:34.on its spot, the green, but they're all in pottable positions.

:11:35. > :11:42.He's hit that too thin. Needs the black to come to his rescue and it

:11:43. > :11:44.isn't. In that situation, you got to make sure you get the object ball

:11:45. > :11:58.safe. The red and any colour above the

:11:59. > :12:20.yellow won't leave enough therefore Neil to take the frame.

:12:21. > :12:30.APPLAUSE Neil had worked out that the green

:12:31. > :12:36.was going to be enough. He's just checking.

:12:37. > :12:44.APPLAUSE A clearance here would give him the

:12:45. > :12:55.frame by just one point. All about the angle on the green. He

:12:56. > :13:06.doesn't want to finish straight on that.

:13:07. > :13:15.Looking at his body language, he may have finished straight. He's trying

:13:16. > :13:18.to power it in. A pretty good effort. Doesn't want to be too

:13:19. > :13:24.straight on the blue, though. This would be some shot. To hammer this

:13:25. > :13:41.in and get the white up to the blue would really be a super effort.

:13:42. > :13:52.GROANING That was the problem.

:13:53. > :13:58.In practice or in exhibition, you'd play that well over the right-hand

:13:59. > :14:00.side and would have to hit it as hard but, obviously, it makes the

:14:01. > :14:26.pot more difficult. The black might do it. He had the

:14:27. > :14:44.blue and the black to try to snooker behind.

:14:45. > :14:50.This is a half chance for Robbie Williams to cut the brown in and as

:14:51. > :14:53.long as he stays away from the left middle pocket and comes around

:14:54. > :15:25.behind the blue, a chance of a pot. You just feel that Robbie is going

:15:26. > :15:48.to need an easier pot to clinch this third frame.

:15:49. > :16:05.Neil was trying to disturb the blue and black with that shot.

:16:06. > :16:13.That white needed to pull up and I think he's OK.

:16:14. > :16:20.He may be able to knock the brown just behind the pink on the side

:16:21. > :16:37.cushion and drop the cue ball into the blue. A delicate little shot.

:16:38. > :16:40.Almost pulled off the shot you suggested but he's got it safe. It

:16:41. > :17:00.was a delicate one. If he tries to come twice across the

:17:01. > :17:08.table and get in behind the brown and blue, he's sending the brown

:17:09. > :17:18.into open play and that's what he's concerned about.

:17:19. > :17:31.That brown just cocked the bottom jaw of the middle pocket and caught

:17:32. > :17:45.it too thin. -- caught the bottom jaw.

:17:46. > :17:51.A very good shot. The only downside is that he's left a pot on. He

:17:52. > :17:54.chipped the blue away from the black.

:17:55. > :18:17.Lots of noise coming from the other side in their mid-session interval.

:18:18. > :18:42.Better missing it thin than hitting it on the thick side.

:18:43. > :18:52.That's a pretty good shot. I say that because where the brown has

:18:53. > :18:54.finished, there is a lot of room around the back. He's going to have

:18:55. > :19:13.to be very precise. He could come off one cushion but

:19:14. > :19:16.the pink might be in the way. Another escape might be off three

:19:17. > :19:20.cushions which might give him a better chance.

:19:21. > :19:30.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. He'll have to have another go at that but there

:19:31. > :19:43.is a lot of room to get round the back of that brown, as I mentioned.

:19:44. > :19:54.That's where I had the line so the white is in an identical position.

:19:55. > :20:08.Well done, but he's pushed to the brown into a pottable position.

:20:09. > :20:14.This frame's been going just over 40 minutes. The first two work 15 and

:20:15. > :20:37.13 minutes. Not quite. So the tension continues

:20:38. > :20:42.here. You would have to say, a lot more tension for Robbie van Neil.

:20:43. > :20:46.Neil with the two frame advantage and look at the reaction when he

:20:47. > :20:52.cannoned the blue. He knew he hadn't put it on.

:20:53. > :20:55.He can't just role in behind the black here. Hasn't got the angle to

:20:56. > :21:09.do that. He is thinking about cutting this in

:21:10. > :21:23.but it looks a very thin snick, that.

:21:24. > :21:37.He's had a few half chances to clinch this frame in the latter

:21:38. > :21:53.stages. He missed that blue that we showed you a -- showed you earlier.

:21:54. > :22:02.He's played a good cue ball and I think you might have covered a

:22:03. > :22:07.little bit of the blue. He can't quite get to the potting angle

:22:08. > :22:16.there. He'll come round to this side but that looks very tight indeed.

:22:17. > :22:23.If Neil is playing thin off the right-hand side, he's got to be so

:22:24. > :22:30.careful of the double kiss. Can he see enough to pocket?

:22:31. > :22:40.No, playing the thin safety. An excellent shot. Tight onto the

:22:41. > :22:44.cushion. Robbie, if you can judge this correctly and doubled the blue

:22:45. > :22:47.back towards where the white is, you have a chance of getting in behind

:22:48. > :22:54.the pink. Got to be accurate, though.

:22:55. > :23:16.You need a little bit of good fortune, no matter how good you are,

:23:17. > :23:25.when you escape from a snooker like this. You never know when they're

:23:26. > :23:26.going to finish. It's just gone past the potting angle for the middle

:23:27. > :24:05.pocket. He's stuck it up. The only problem

:24:06. > :24:11.for Neil is that the white is near the cushions so he can't get on the

:24:12. > :24:24.-- get on the pink. Neil Robertson will be faced with a long think when

:24:25. > :24:34.he popped the blue. -- a long pink when he pots the blue.

:24:35. > :24:40.A Neil Robertson special coming up. Doesn't have to much to do with the

:24:41. > :24:45.cue ball. He's almost dead straight on the pink.

:24:46. > :25:03.A chance for Robbie. Unlike Neil Robertson there. He hit that far too

:25:04. > :25:15.hard. Even the world number one feeling the pressure out there.

:25:16. > :25:21.APPLAUSE Well played, Robbie Williams. He

:25:22. > :25:24.should have won the frame 25 minutes ago but that doesn't matter now.

:25:25. > :25:29.He's got his first frame on the board and is just the Merrick 2-1

:25:30. > :25:32.behind. HAZEL IRVINE: A nice milestone for

:25:33. > :25:36.Robbie, the first he's ever made at the Crucible.

:25:37. > :25:43.But he probably could have sown that up three days ago! A 45 minute frame

:25:44. > :25:48.but that blue went off the rails earlier. No shot is easier per

:25:49. > :25:53.Crucible. He's given himself a load of aggravation. He took his eye off

:25:54. > :26:01.that blue or something, I don't know. But I'm sure someone will

:26:02. > :26:08.explain that. It was a long drawn-out affair. Where did they go

:26:09. > :26:12.wrong? The shot Robbie Williams played on the blue is a difficult

:26:13. > :26:13.one. Let's explain what happens under certain situations playing

:26:14. > :26:26.snooker. You want to swerve around the blue

:26:27. > :26:31.and pot the red here. You have to put side on but if you just put side

:26:32. > :26:36.on, nothing happens. You don't swerve by having the cue parallel to

:26:37. > :26:40.the table. The way to get a swerve is to jack the cue in the air very

:26:41. > :26:44.high at the back, bounce the cue ball around and then the side takes

:26:45. > :26:49.effect afterwards. You can then hit the red. Would have been nice if I'd

:26:50. > :26:52.potted it! But if you are playing where you are going to pot the blue

:26:53. > :26:56.and you're close to the question and want to smash it into the pack,

:26:57. > :27:01.you've got to put back spin on so you've got to jack the cue up the

:27:02. > :27:05.same weight. If you put any side spin on, you will miss hit the ball.

:27:06. > :27:08.Any amount of side spin, jacked up in the air, makes it a lot harder to

:27:09. > :27:17.miss the blue. That's all there is to it as we go

:27:18. > :27:19.back to the last before the interval. Robbie Williams is off and

:27:20. > :27:51.running and we're in two frame four. Now he is faced with a very delicate

:27:52. > :28:02.little roll up. These are horrible, Stephen! Yes, that is why he is not

:28:03. > :28:06.even attempting it. In many ways, this is a better shot. Sometimes

:28:07. > :28:18.windy road love to one of the baulk colours, it is easy not to leave

:28:19. > :28:20.yourself anything. He played that with a bit of side. He needed the

:28:21. > :28:44.side to get back there, that time. I think if I come back to play, I am

:28:45. > :29:27.going to get Steve to be my coach! I am not going to believe that one!

:29:28. > :29:39.Are they at plant? Yes, they are dead set. He can do whatever he

:29:40. > :29:49.wants with this. He doesn't have to scatter the reds . If he wants to,

:29:50. > :30:06.he can screw it in an scatter the reds everywhere. I thought that was

:30:07. > :30:10.in! Not in behind the brown...! No apology from Neil Robertson. When

:30:11. > :30:20.you are world number one, you don't have to apologise! It looks dead

:30:21. > :30:31.set. He had the first red on the right side, when he was looking at

:30:32. > :30:43.it. We could finish up with a bit of a stalemate here.

:30:44. > :30:53.I think they are going to rack up again. Probably better to do it now,

:30:54. > :31:02.rather than after a few more plays. The plant that he had on, we will

:31:03. > :31:05.have another look at it. He played a very controlled plant. The fact that

:31:06. > :31:11.he tried to get the white around the back of the black, he just had it

:31:12. > :31:15.off-line. When he dropped in behind the brown, it always looked like it

:31:16. > :31:21.was going to be stalemate. Straightaway, both boys new that

:31:22. > :31:28.there was no value in carrying on. Let's have a look at this plant.

:31:29. > :31:36.Yes, he had the first red just a bit too thin. How it stayed out, that is

:31:37. > :31:43.amazing. The referee has quickly set up the balls again. The reason be

:31:44. > :31:47.called the referee fingers is that he used to work on the graphics and

:31:48. > :31:51.the scoring before he became a full-time referee. I thought maybe

:31:52. > :33:02.he played the piano! The red will pass the brown. The

:33:03. > :33:10.mid-session interval is coming up after this frame. It would not go

:33:11. > :33:17.past the brown. This is not the greatest chart. Robbie can pot this

:33:18. > :33:43.and get onto the black. That was very unlike Neil Robertson.

:33:44. > :33:49.Neil Robertson is very similar to myself, we don't like the scrappy

:33:50. > :34:04.games. Our concentration goes under potting goes. -- and are potting

:34:05. > :34:08.goes. That was a tough black. Yes, I think all the tactical play in that

:34:09. > :34:17.previous frame, that the blanket was going to be another quick frame,

:34:18. > :34:19.they have got out of their rhythm bit, but they will get back into it

:34:20. > :35:04.again. It looks as if that other red is

:35:05. > :35:08.available into the same pocket as the black. He doesn't have an angle

:35:09. > :35:20.to get into the reds here. He could power it into the bunch,

:35:21. > :35:40.bringing the pink interplay. -- into play. He did not get any

:35:41. > :35:44.screw on that. The white just got dead. It is as if he stunned that

:35:45. > :35:48.rather than screwed it. Let's look at that again. It did not spin

:35:49. > :36:06.anywhere. That has baffled him. The pink is not a bad target. He

:36:07. > :36:31.would like to get behind that. Not quite. There are a couple of

:36:32. > :36:41.very difficult shots that Robbie can look at here. One goes up past the

:36:42. > :37:00.black. He may not even take on the pot.

:37:01. > :37:35.I don't think he quite pushed the cue through on that one. He has

:37:36. > :37:49.definitely lost his concentration since that last scrappy long frame.

:37:50. > :38:06.It has effect did him. -- affected him.

:38:07. > :38:09.He will be looking to catch the pack then, together the cue ball back to

:38:10. > :38:40.where it is. APPLAUSE. Robbie is from the

:38:41. > :38:42.Wirral, a great part of the country. The open golf championship will be

:38:43. > :38:55.back there this summer. The last time it was there, Tiger

:38:56. > :39:05.Woods won the British Open. It was a beautiful summer.

:39:06. > :39:14.I think it was 2007. I remember going over and the weather was

:39:15. > :40:05.stunning. It is a lovely neck of the woods, the Wirral.

:40:06. > :40:13.I tell you what, Neil Robertson has lost a bit of rhythm at the moment.

:40:14. > :40:20.He started off so well, I break of 77 than a clearance of 132, but, as

:40:21. > :40:22.you mentioned Stephen, that scrappy frame, it just knocked him out of

:40:23. > :41:15.his rhythm. This is a good opportunity for a

:41:16. > :41:29.Robbie to level up the match. Seven of those reds are easy.

:41:30. > :41:36.These are the chances, if he has aspirations of winning the match,

:41:37. > :41:45.these are the chances he has to take. This secret is leaving your

:41:46. > :41:51.position as good as possible. You want to keep everything as simple as

:41:52. > :41:56.you possibly can. Straightaway there, he was not on the blue as he

:41:57. > :42:02.intended, and that is the kind of thing that can happen. You need to

:42:03. > :42:10.keep close control of the cue ball, avoid having little cannons like the

:42:11. > :42:16.one he attempted there. All of a sudden, he is faced with a very

:42:17. > :42:47.difficult part to the middle pocket -- difficult pot.

:42:48. > :44:06.Not very much available. If he plays of that little triangle of reds, he

:44:07. > :44:10.will have to be careful he doesn't Canon into the red on the left-hand

:44:11. > :44:18.side of the table. That is why he has changed his mind.

:44:19. > :44:37.APPLAUSE. Neil Robertson, meanwhile, sits bolt

:44:38. > :45:01.upright. This is a nice little flick! -- fluke!

:45:02. > :45:14.He may have to play up for the green again.

:45:15. > :45:27.This would be a good red the knocking. -- to knock in. No. Not

:45:28. > :45:34.very smooth through that. I thought he had got away with it for a

:45:35. > :45:42.moment, but the red he missed, it is gone up over the corner pocket. It

:45:43. > :45:53.may be straight. He has a little bit of angle to work with.

:45:54. > :46:21.APPLAUSE. That is more like it from Neil

:46:22. > :46:54.Robertson. You just have to be careful with

:46:55. > :46:56.these little shots. Sometimes you concentrate so much on the pot, uses

:46:57. > :47:27.position. -- you lose position. That was a decent pot. I think he is

:47:28. > :47:32.in pretty good shape. The red that is closest to the pink spot will go

:47:33. > :47:42.into the corner pocket. He can go into that from the brown.

:47:43. > :47:47.When he gets this, it will release another red. In fact, it will

:47:48. > :48:15.release both. The red macro to the right is

:48:16. > :48:21.blocking the path of the two reds. A camera move that. You can see from

:48:22. > :48:28.that last shot, the red macro was blocking the two. When he gets rid

:48:29. > :48:45.of this, the pocket is clear for the two reds.

:48:46. > :49:02.He is going to need at least one of those two difficult reds.

:49:03. > :49:10.You could see the heavy contact there. It is all about getting a

:49:11. > :49:36.good angle on the black in a couple of shots time.

:49:37. > :49:51.He needs to get a good angle, well, he hasn't got the angle. He was

:49:52. > :50:03.hoping to be somewhere in the circle, that he is a little bit to

:50:04. > :50:10.scrape on the black. -- two straight. 32 is the difference. Just

:50:11. > :50:17.looking at the possibility of making a colour safe. If he gets the black,

:50:18. > :50:23.it will give him the seven points, but he would then have to take a

:50:24. > :50:27.safety shot. For me, I would rather take the black, get the seven

:50:28. > :50:33.points, then play a good safety shot. He is going to have a little

:50:34. > :51:08.bit more insurance and put the green safe.

:51:09. > :51:32.Neil Robertson needs one red, and the green or above. That is a clever

:51:33. > :51:36.shot. So, just one red and any colour from the green upwards will

:51:37. > :51:47.lead Robbie needing a snooker. He has put the black safe there.

:51:48. > :51:53.Neil Robertson has dropped themselves in trouble there. He

:51:54. > :52:04.sacrificed playing a good safety shot himself to put the black safe.

:52:05. > :52:12.The fact that the pink is tied up, and the black is tied up, and the

:52:13. > :52:23.blue is awkward, very, very difficult for Robbie Williams to get

:52:24. > :52:30.back into this free. -- this frame. He could bring the cue ball around

:52:31. > :52:43.three cushions to get to the black, that he is not looking at it.

:52:44. > :53:25.Has the white build-up? Maybe. -- pulled up?

:53:26. > :53:32.He didn't get the side on to it. It didn't look like it was on, but he

:53:33. > :53:56.managed to swerve it around the yellow. 33 is the difference.

:53:57. > :54:07.The only problem, he has brought that pink into play. Robbie, if he

:54:08. > :54:14.did get a chance, he could win this frame with the red macro and a

:54:15. > :54:17.couple of colours. He was really hoping that Robbie would not escape

:54:18. > :54:54.from this. He is now at the snooker required

:54:55. > :54:59.stage. Neil Robertson will have to be a little bit careful. The yellow,

:55:00. > :55:05.pink and brown are perfect be placed for Snickers. -- perfectly placed

:55:06. > :55:47.for -- snookers. He will have to bend this a little

:55:48. > :55:56.bit. Bit of a chance for Robbie to get

:55:57. > :56:40.the snooker that he badly needs. We will be off to the mid-session

:56:41. > :56:52.interval very shortly. Neil Robertson" bricks of 52 and 77, then

:56:53. > :57:01.he cleared the table with 132. The third frame carried on, lasted for

:57:02. > :57:04.45 minutes. This one is just going over 25 minutes. We have had a

:57:05. > :57:32.little bit of everything. Robbie Williams nods and concedes

:57:33. > :57:37.the frame. I think the world number one will be quite happy and

:57:38. > :57:44.content. It started very briskly. Some of

:57:45. > :57:50.those frames were quite lengthy. Nobody particularly once that.

:57:51. > :57:54.Everyone counts and you just have to get on with it. The only thing wrong

:57:55. > :58:03.with those 40 minute frames is when you lose them.

:58:04. > :58:11.Impressions of Robbie Williams so far? He's a great player. You can't

:58:12. > :58:15.knock out Fergal O'Brien unless you are great. He smashed it in the

:58:16. > :58:19.pocket in the opening frame and that gives you some idea of his ability.

:58:20. > :58:23.But for every rookie that comes here, settling down can be a

:58:24. > :58:28.problem. He's up against one of the great players and a good tactician.

:58:29. > :58:33.Worth reminding people that in that qualifying match you mentioned, it

:58:34. > :58:40.went to re-spot in black. So he has nerve. This is fulfilling a long

:58:41. > :58:47.held ambition for him. Is the last of four rookies to make his debut at

:58:48. > :58:51.the Crucible this year. Ever since I was little, I dream of

:58:52. > :58:59.playing at the Crucible. I've been there before as a spectator and I

:59:00. > :59:02.could take in the pressure on the players and what the atmosphere was

:59:03. > :59:04.like but I can't wait to play in it. Because it's such an enclosed space

:59:05. > :59:08.and the spectators are so close, there is a real buzz in the air.

:59:09. > :59:15.Everyone realises it's the biggest tournament of the year. There's

:59:16. > :59:19.always special matches. Neil Robertson is probably one of the

:59:20. > :59:22.most attacking players on tour. He's had all those centuries. Everyone

:59:23. > :59:26.knows what he's about. I've certainly tried to model my game on

:59:27. > :59:33.his but it isn't quite as easy as he makes it. Neil Robertson dominated a

:59:34. > :59:38.lot of the match in York. I couldn't really get used to my surroundings.

:59:39. > :59:44.He punished me. He made me look silly. Hopefully this time I can put

:59:45. > :59:49.things right. I've certainly practised harder. Just little things

:59:50. > :59:54.like going to bed earlier or eating better. I just feel a lot more

:59:55. > :59:57.positive about this match. Michael Wasley's given everyone a lot of

:59:58. > :00:02.inspiration, particularly players in my position. Also Jan Vertonghen is

:00:03. > :00:09.play well this week. If they can do it, why can't I? He's already doing

:00:10. > :00:14.better than he did in the UK Championships. But this young fella

:00:15. > :00:18.from Wallasey is a man you know well? He came to one of my

:00:19. > :00:23.exhibitions in Wallasey many years ago when he was about ten or 11 and

:00:24. > :00:26.I was introduced to him and they said he was one of the best young

:00:27. > :00:30.players in the area. They were dead right. Here he is all these years

:00:31. > :00:36.later playing at the Crucible. We'll be back to see him very shortly but

:00:37. > :00:41.we've got two world champions here. We have a three-time world trick

:00:42. > :00:53.shot champion in our mists. He's waiting at the station for us.

:00:54. > :00:59.For this shot here, I'm going to need some help. Hold the triangle

:01:00. > :01:04.for me. I'm going to hit the one, the two, the three, the four, the

:01:05. > :01:31.five, the six as fast as possible over the cue and into the pocket.

:01:32. > :01:40.This shot is where I'm going to hit the white ball from the left to the

:01:41. > :01:45.right and then from the right to the left. I'm going to read it it and

:01:46. > :02:33.hit the cue and make it come back to this ball.

:02:34. > :02:37.I'm going to hit the white balls and then the ball is going to come back.

:02:38. > :02:57.Just like that. And the trick shots will be back

:02:58. > :03:05.again. You love this, don't you? Fantastic. Still no better than I

:03:06. > :03:08.played down there. We played down there on the opening day and had a

:03:09. > :03:16.laugh and raised some money for charity. But that is fantastic. He's

:03:17. > :03:19.got to get out more! He'll get a reputation for being boring if he

:03:20. > :03:25.isn't careful. Very funny coming from you! A lot of the techniques he

:03:26. > :03:31.is using are from billiards. In the three-cushion game that is played on

:03:32. > :03:35.the continent, mainly, with no pockets. It's just three balls on

:03:36. > :03:39.the table. They have artistic billiards about you may have seen on

:03:40. > :03:43.other channels, where they have set shots and disciplines they have to

:03:44. > :03:47.do. They hit the ball very hard with a lot of spin and it is quite

:03:48. > :03:53.amazing what type of spin you can get, especially with a spotted ball,

:03:54. > :03:56.which was mooted to be introduced to snooker at one stage, so you can see

:03:57. > :04:01.the ball spinning. Hopefully not, but that's beside the point.

:04:02. > :04:06.Certainly entertaining in half-time interval! We are going to hop over

:04:07. > :04:11.to table two and we will see Marco Fu, one of the men of the season so

:04:12. > :04:16.far. In the last 15 months, he's found the best form of his career

:04:17. > :04:19.which, coincidentally, happens to have coincided with the birth of his

:04:20. > :04:27.daughter Elisa. Something has happened in the mind of Marco Fu and

:04:28. > :04:30.it's all good. -- Alicia. He's playing Martin Gould from pillar.

:04:31. > :04:32.They play their opening session yesterday. Let's remind you of what

:04:33. > :04:40.happened. WILLIE THORNE: Marco Fu has been

:04:41. > :04:48.playing exceptional snooker over the last two years.

:04:49. > :04:57.124 without breaking sweat. Marco Fu takes the opening frame.

:04:58. > :05:20.TERRY GRIFFITHS: Not certain that he will make this plant. I told you!

:05:21. > :05:34.11 reds, ten blacks. Marco Fu goes clear by four frames to one.

:05:35. > :05:42.Ooh! Didn't expect him to miss that one. Martin Gould, that is

:05:43. > :05:49.excellent. He now trails by just one.

:05:50. > :06:02.What an amazing fluke. Goodness me! Very clever.

:06:03. > :06:13.In the centre of the pocket. Marco Fu will be delighted with that.

:06:14. > :06:26.They shake hounds. The session is over. Marco Fu takes a 6-3 interval

:06:27. > :06:35.lead. Hazelnut grow when they came back,

:06:36. > :06:37.Gould made it 6-4. Terry Griffiths was watching them yesterday and he's

:06:38. > :06:47.back to see it through this time along with John Virgo.

:06:48. > :06:53.JOHN VIRGO: Just caught the red too thin and that's why he's got the

:06:54. > :06:58.bump on the middle pocket. A lot will depend on the potting angle on

:06:59. > :07:01.the first red. If Marco can pot the red and get a nice position on the

:07:02. > :07:08.first colour, it could be a frame-winning chance. The question

:07:09. > :07:14.is, what sort of angle has he got on this red?

:07:15. > :07:24.Well, he had the angle where he could run through and play for the

:07:25. > :07:26.pink in the opposite middle. It isn't great, mainly because he's so

:07:27. > :07:48.close to the side cushion. APPLAUSE

:07:49. > :07:53.Played it nicely, though. Where does the pink go? That doesn't help

:07:54. > :07:57.matters. Out of commission. So just blew and baulk colours to

:07:58. > :07:59.concentrate on. I don't think he'll be too worried about the black. Just

:08:00. > :08:11.get what you can in the red is here. He played that well. He's got a nice

:08:12. > :08:37.angle on the blue. Just a little bit twitchy. He's got

:08:38. > :08:41.a choice of reds to the corner pocket. He has the one just near the

:08:42. > :08:44.cluster, where, if he potted it, he could bring other reds into play,

:08:45. > :09:04.but not certain to be on the colour. Well, he was able to just roll it

:09:05. > :09:08.in. He's mighty close to this pink, though. He will be having a close

:09:09. > :09:26.look at this. It was helped by the fact that it

:09:27. > :09:29.was pretty straight. When you're close together like that, it's hard

:09:30. > :09:33.to judge the potting angle but there wasn't a potting angle to worry

:09:34. > :09:41.about. I think this pink will now go into the opposite corner.

:09:42. > :09:53.Played it beautifully. You'd be surprised if he didn't win the frame

:09:54. > :09:54.at this visit now. The high quality of break-building in this match

:09:55. > :10:22.continues. TERRY GRIFFITHS: His positional

:10:23. > :10:27.playing in the first half was as good as you're going to see. If

:10:28. > :10:28.there is one read off the back of those three that goes, he could go

:10:29. > :10:34.into the others. Played for a different type of

:10:35. > :10:48.angle, single red. Yes, and that pink going in gives

:10:49. > :10:52.him a 61 point lead. 67 remaining but not for long. As soon as he pots

:10:53. > :11:00.another red, there will only be 59 remaining. Just this red required.

:11:01. > :11:07.Well played, considering he got no table time at all in the first frame

:11:08. > :11:10.of the session. He's taken these very well indeed.

:11:11. > :12:02.That's given him the perfect angle to dislodge the two reds.

:12:03. > :12:14.A very important break for Marco Fu. Marco Fu in his seat on the first

:12:15. > :12:21.frame and Martin Gould in his seat for the second. He did miss some

:12:22. > :13:05.chances earlier. But that will be a distant memory now.

:13:06. > :13:12.You just get the feeling that someone like Marco, when he's

:13:13. > :13:13.clearing up the colours like this, with full concentration, just loves

:13:14. > :13:29.potting balls. Martin Gould won the last frame with

:13:30. > :13:45.a break of 63 without reply. APPLAUSE

:13:46. > :13:49.Good shot! This looks absolutely perfect. Just a little bounce off

:13:50. > :14:06.the baulk cushion. We'll give him that! That was very

:14:07. > :14:12.good. He missed a black early in the frame but it didn't cost him. Normal

:14:13. > :14:20.service resumed. He retains his three frame advantage, now 7-4.

:14:21. > :14:24.HAZEL IRVINE: Ding Junhui was widely tipped to be Asia's first champion

:14:25. > :14:28.but he's gone home so Marco Fu remains the last hope for the Far

:14:29. > :14:31.East this year. Not without the bounds of possibility because Marco

:14:32. > :14:36.is a former semifinalist in this event a few years back. He holds the

:14:37. > :14:39.hand as we go to frame 12 now with Gould slightly behind.

:14:40. > :14:50.APPLAUSE JOHN VIRGO: I was amazed he played

:14:51. > :14:53.that. It was always going to be difficult

:14:54. > :15:00.to cover the red to the right corner.

:15:01. > :15:05.He didn't expect to leave this one as well but it was always going to

:15:06. > :15:13.be a problem covering the red over the corner.

:15:14. > :15:21.I think he felt that if he could leave the white over the yellow

:15:22. > :15:23.pocket, it would have been better. But there is always the chance of a

:15:24. > :15:36.double-kiss. He's made a bit of a mess of this.

:15:37. > :15:41.He's been lucky there. I thought he was going to come right on top of

:15:42. > :15:47.that red. That would have been very difficult bridging because this red

:15:48. > :16:02.is thin enough for it to get some attention.

:16:03. > :16:06.On the black to play the cannon and hit the red immediately above the

:16:07. > :16:39.black to stun into it. Looks as though he can just get

:16:40. > :16:42.through to it. I don't think it's just a straightforward pot. He's got

:16:43. > :16:51.to do a bit with the cue ball. A bit more difficult.

:16:52. > :17:15.APPLAUSE Tremendous pot. It was made more

:17:16. > :17:19.difficult because he had to do a little bit with the cue ball. He

:17:20. > :17:24.couldn't just roll it in. He had to widen the angle. That was an

:17:25. > :17:38.excellent shot. The blue, I think, goes to this right corner.

:17:39. > :18:48.Gets down quickly because he's on the easy road to the right-hand

:18:49. > :18:53.corner. Good chance now. -- be easy red.

:18:54. > :18:57.Just the stun up for the blue. Just got the angle he wants on the blue.

:18:58. > :19:56., Just let that slip slightly. Should

:19:57. > :20:01.have been straight on the red in the left corner and then it would have

:20:02. > :20:05.been a formality to roll it in. More than likely back up for the blue.

:20:06. > :20:11.That's OK if you get a good angle again.

:20:12. > :20:17.In the effort to get the good angle, he's just lost the cue ball

:20:18. > :20:24.again slightly. Didn't want to be this close to the side cushion. He

:20:25. > :20:31.has a 52 point lead. Expect him to miss the blue. The blue will put him

:20:32. > :20:43.57 points in front but still 75 remain.

:20:44. > :20:50.He just about has the angle to drop on this red.

:20:51. > :20:56.A quick glance at the scoreboard. He needs red, colour, red to clinch the

:20:57. > :21:16.frame at this visit. He hasn't really left the angle he

:21:17. > :21:20.wanted off the black. There is one red in the centre. Maybe available

:21:21. > :21:55.in the corner. He looked at that. If he hits this too hard... It's

:21:56. > :22:00.better just to pocket and stay safe. -- pot it.

:22:01. > :22:06.Could be another century here if he gets a good kiss.

:22:07. > :22:17.APPLAUSE Didn't go into the pack with any

:22:18. > :22:29.pace then. Got to get the cannon Wright.

:22:30. > :22:37.Martin Gould played a near-perfect first frame. But Marco Fu has been

:22:38. > :22:58.immaculate since then. Nobody likes to draw Marco because

:22:59. > :23:02.he's a very humble person. He has a lovely temperament. Everybody likes

:23:03. > :23:06.Marco. But he's a bit of a dog out there. Like a Jack Russell at the

:23:07. > :23:11.back of your leg. If he's not playing well, he fights all the

:23:12. > :23:17.time. Been on the circuit a long time now.

:23:18. > :23:32.Won if you ranking events. -- a view. He played Peter Ebdon in 2006.

:23:33. > :23:39.Turned professional in 1997. He does have a tendency, though, to just

:23:40. > :23:40.disappear for half a season occasionally. You wonder what has

:23:41. > :23:49.happened to him. He's finding it a bit easier now

:23:50. > :23:53.because so many events are in China whereas in years gone by, he had to

:23:54. > :23:59.come here and live and fly back and forwards. It is a long flight. Plus

:24:00. > :24:04.I think his marriage has made a big difference to him. He's very happy.

:24:05. > :24:09.Yeah, I've always said I have great respect for the overseas players.

:24:10. > :24:12.Living out of a suitcase isn't the most pleasant thing to do. Blue for

:24:13. > :24:33.the century! Played it well. The highest break of the match was

:24:34. > :24:37.124 on the first frame. This has been excellent.

:24:38. > :24:44.APPLAUSE Quality play. Another century for

:24:45. > :24:50.Marco Fu, who takes the lead now by eight frames to four.

:24:51. > :25:00.A fantastic century. Ricky Walden with the 137. Yeah, there have been

:25:01. > :25:08.15 centuries so far. Two from Marco Fu. That is his second. Michael

:25:09. > :25:15.Wasley, or 133. Michael Wasley is further down the list as well. Very

:25:16. > :25:19.impressive so far. It was Gould who came back into

:25:20. > :25:24.this, winning the 13th, to make it 55 and reduces arrears. We'll take

:25:25. > :25:37.you back into frame 14. This is tight.

:25:38. > :25:49.He played this to go behind the pink but hasn't quite got it.

:25:50. > :25:58.Just gone over the 30 minute mark in this frame. Longest frame of the

:25:59. > :26:12.match. There was a long bout of safeties. Interesting to watch.

:26:13. > :26:32.That was a risky shot. He's been very lucky there.

:26:33. > :26:43.Coming off the cushion, he doesn't want to catch it too thick.

:26:44. > :26:56.He caught it but he's left it. He's left it so Martin Gould needs brown,

:26:57. > :27:00.blue and pink to reduces arrears to just two friends. -- reduce his

:27:01. > :27:12.arrears. A big frame in the context of the match.

:27:13. > :27:39.He has had two big chunks of luck in this frame. He needed them, he was

:27:40. > :27:46.well behind. Macrotest so he has pulled another frame Said HAZEL

:27:47. > :27:55.IRVINE: In the last few minutes, Marco Fu won the next, to make it

:27:56. > :27:59.9-6, so you can continue to watch less on the red button.

:28:00. > :28:03.Quite a lot of reaction after the announcement from World Snooker to

:28:04. > :28:07.the changes, including two qualifying, for the World

:28:08. > :28:11.Championships. In essence, the players who are not ranked in the

:28:12. > :28:16.top 16 are going to have a harder job than they have now to get in.

:28:17. > :28:21.Someone like Dominic Dale, currently world ranked 24, in that bracket

:28:22. > :28:27.between 17 and 32, right now, they only have to play one match and win

:28:28. > :28:30.one match to get in because of that superior world ranking, but as of

:28:31. > :28:37.next year, they are going to have to play and win three matches. Let's

:28:38. > :28:42.hear his views. No tournament is easy these days, the standard is

:28:43. > :28:50.very hard matter the late-on the tour, so if --is very high on the

:28:51. > :28:53.tour. It is not the ideal way, because of contractual issues, World

:28:54. > :29:00.Championships has to be run on a different basis and I think this is

:29:01. > :29:04.a good way around it, as good as you are likely to get. I can't

:29:05. > :29:09.disagree, it is about as good as you can do, so good thinking from World

:29:10. > :29:13.Snooker. Probably the most intelligent player on tour, I

:29:14. > :29:20.couldn't have thought anything better myself. Get the thumbs up.

:29:21. > :29:31.You have been sending us your views, and on Twitter, interesting looking

:29:32. > :29:36.at this. Even the thought of... What does he mean by that? The

:29:37. > :29:42.first-round match in the 128 would be per ?6,000. It is to redress the

:29:43. > :29:46.balance that the top 16 have an insurance policy, so they will put

:29:47. > :29:49.more money than the bottom end from the start. If you win it, you win

:29:50. > :29:57.?6,000, if you lose it you get nothing. And James Hughes... It is a

:29:58. > :30:08.point on the exemptions and invitations that will be happening

:30:09. > :30:11.next year, all of a sudden. It is not technically the low ranked

:30:12. > :30:18.current players, if you are on the tour, you will not miss out. It is

:30:19. > :30:21.only if there is not going to be 128 players entering, then they would

:30:22. > :30:33.come in then. It is a small point, really. This one from Dominic

:30:34. > :30:37.Rogers... I can't disagree with that. That is a decent point and I

:30:38. > :30:41.can guarantee that after the other one, I wouldn't be taking anyone's

:30:42. > :30:51.place, I am finished with my career and I wouldn't be taking a spot from

:30:52. > :30:55.anyone. This one, in two minds. It might be self administering, players

:30:56. > :30:59.who don't feel they are up to the grade might not enter even if they

:31:00. > :31:04.are invited. I think there is more mileage in this and more discussion

:31:05. > :31:07.as we go on. Those were the announcements made by World Snooker

:31:08. > :31:11.this afternoon at around 2pm. Meanwhile, the last of the

:31:12. > :31:14.first-round matches are getting underway today. The last of them all

:31:15. > :31:20.is this evening, but here we are, the penultimate one, featuring the

:31:21. > :31:25.world number one, Neil Robertson. They are back into frame five and it

:31:26. > :31:30.is a healthy advantage. We return you to Dennis and Stephen.

:31:31. > :31:38.DENNIS TAYLOR: Thank you, Hazel. As you rejoin us, Neil is in a good

:31:39. > :31:43.position. It was Robbie who left this situation, he tried to clip

:31:44. > :31:51.this one in, hit it all wrong and went into the reds, putting Neil

:31:52. > :32:02.writing amongst them. And at this stage, Neil is not that many pots

:32:03. > :32:31.away from securing this bit frame. --

:32:32. > :32:41.fivewell, Robbie, as was mentioned earlier, had a remarkable win in the

:32:42. > :32:43.qualifying round, beating Fergal O'Brien on a re-spotted black after

:32:44. > :32:51.being 7-2 behind. -- that was a thin one. Wow, it

:32:52. > :33:20.hardly moved, the red. Not bad. A fairly easy,

:33:21. > :33:27.straightforward return to the baulk area. If he plays of this red, a bit

:33:28. > :33:36.of action to make sure he doesn't cannon into the pink. You can see

:33:37. > :33:40.the one just to the right of the one he is pointing at. If he plays

:33:41. > :33:43.that, he will screw the white ball back into the baulk area. A plant

:33:44. > :33:58.that is more of a safety shot. This red is going to come into a

:33:59. > :34:02.pottable position, so a bit of a chance for Robbie Williams. Hasn't

:34:03. > :34:28.quite settled just yet. Just queued across that. He knocked

:34:29. > :34:31.a couple of good long ones in, but he knew he had to get that in,

:34:32. > :36:09.otherwise he was handing the frame to Neil.

:36:10. > :36:16.No red, but Robbie Williams will stay in his seat and he concedes the

:36:17. > :36:20.frame. And Neil Robertson, he is looking at the red, maybe it got a

:36:21. > :36:26.kick, but he will be pleased he has taken another frame. He leads 4-1.

:36:27. > :36:32.And as you joined us there, we didn't show you a shot that Robbie

:36:33. > :36:36.took on and we will put it up for you, because I think he played it

:36:37. > :36:43.with a touch of side. I think he was playing with side to come down and

:36:44. > :36:48.avoid... It made the pot more difficult, he may have been better

:36:49. > :36:54.letting the white cannon into the red and hoping for the best.

:36:55. > :36:57.STEPHEN HENDRY: Yes, Robbie Williams is a very good player, he has

:36:58. > :37:02.qualified for the Crucible, but he is not able to play his natural

:37:03. > :37:07.game. He seems overawed by the occasion, his opponent. He just

:37:08. > :37:12.doesn't look comfortable at all. Yes, he has got to the semifinal of

:37:13. > :37:16.a ranking event in India, so he is a very talented player, but it is very

:37:17. > :37:20.hard to describe what it feels like, your first time in the Crucible

:37:21. > :37:26.Theatre. It is also close, you are right beside your opponent, there is

:37:27. > :37:33.play on the other side, there is noise coming from that. They are

:37:34. > :37:38.used to multi cable venues, but there is nothing like the Crucible.

:37:39. > :37:43.Sometimes the players will have a chat, you are never one for chatting

:37:44. > :37:49.when you are out there. No, an opponent would get short shrift from

:37:50. > :37:52.me, Dennis. Even the best of friends, John Higgins and Alan

:37:53. > :37:54.McManus, they did talk to each other, but most of the time, there

:37:55. > :38:14.was very little said. An early chance to see a Neil

:38:15. > :38:39.Robertson special. If he starts knocking those in, you

:38:40. > :38:48.have got to watch out. He went on the boil a little bit after two

:38:49. > :38:52.quick frames. Took a little bit of the rhythm away, but it seems to be

:38:53. > :39:01.back again, although he is closer to the cushion than he wanted.

:39:02. > :39:08.Sometimes it is a natural in-off. You need to plate with a bit more

:39:09. > :39:13.pace. And he has put it straight into the pocket. He thought if he

:39:14. > :39:28.hit it harder, he could avoid the in-off, but he couldn't.

:39:29. > :39:40.Robbie needs to lock -- knock a long one in, to get some confidence. He

:39:41. > :39:42.is just cueing across the ball and has left a read on. Worrying times

:39:43. > :40:48.for Robbie Williams. -- red. He would like to leave himself high

:40:49. > :40:57.on the black here. Cue ball not much further than where the red is now.

:40:58. > :41:06.Nice. He has to play for the open red but I always prefer going into

:41:07. > :41:13.the bunch when you have a loose red available. The right shot but he

:41:14. > :41:19.just went too far, because he can't go into the bunch now, as you say.

:41:20. > :41:29.The next time he goes into the bunch, he hasn't got that red as

:41:30. > :41:33.insurance. But he does have a lot of cue power, it is not a good bunch to

:41:34. > :41:36.go into. Just working out where he wants to leave the cue ball. High is

:41:37. > :41:48.better than low on the black. That is what he has done. Could have

:41:49. > :41:49.been an inch further forward, will have to play this with more left

:41:50. > :42:04.hand side. Pretty good. Unlucky if he is not on

:42:05. > :42:11.anything. I think he is just on the wanted a middle pocket but it would

:42:12. > :42:13.have been unlucky. He couldn't have played this any better. -- the one

:42:14. > :44:02.to the middle pocket. Still a red to the right of that

:44:03. > :44:17.little bunch. The fact that he was straight on the

:44:18. > :44:22.pink, had to play for the one into the right middle pocket.

:44:23. > :44:29.Just double-checking that the pink is still available.

:44:30. > :44:32.He has got to get the correct angle this time, there is only that one

:44:33. > :44:43.red on. So he is going to do it from the

:44:44. > :44:51.black, stun off the cushion, damp asked whether cue ball is at the

:44:52. > :44:56.moment. -- down past where the cue ball is.

:44:57. > :45:17.He is going to need a few of those reds that are in the bunch.

:45:18. > :45:39.Every chance now to clinch the frame and go 5-1 ahead.

:45:40. > :45:53.Just 25 for Robbie, the highest break. Neil throws his hands up. Is

:45:54. > :45:58.he telling us he got a kick or something? I'm not sure, or whether

:45:59. > :46:07.he just mishit that. The yellow was always there. It didn't seem to be

:46:08. > :46:15.an overly fast bounce. It came off a cheque side -- check side. The way

:46:16. > :46:22.he reacted, he didn't think it was his fault. Our good old friend John

:46:23. > :46:31.Virgo used to do that, through his hands up in the air. -- throw. Not

:46:32. > :46:33.quite as many excuses as the great Willie Thorne, he had excuses for

:46:34. > :47:05.everything. He was getting a little frustrated

:47:06. > :47:18.there. He was going to hammer that red then thought better of it. In

:47:19. > :47:24.the end, straightforward safety. I think he was reluctant to take that

:47:25. > :47:31.red off the cushion. This was the shot on the blue. Coming to play

:47:32. > :47:37.past the yellow. He reacted as if he got a bit of a kick. This is what he

:47:38. > :47:39.was hoping would happen. I think it was a quick bounce. Having seen it a

:47:40. > :47:54.third time. They are being quite inconsistent so

:47:55. > :48:01.far, in this World Championships, the bounces off the cushions. They

:48:02. > :48:07.are so thin these days, the cloth, they shave the cloth and they take

:48:08. > :48:08.the nap off it and sometimes you wonder whether they needed so thin

:48:09. > :48:29.when they have heaters -- need it. Played it well. Lots of side to get

:48:30. > :48:31.that angle. OK, there is an easy escape route but not a bad shot from

:48:32. > :48:52.Robbie. There is the pot. That is a little

:48:53. > :49:00.beauty he has picked as. -- picked out. This shows you he really is

:49:01. > :49:07.taking his opponent seriously. Not even looking at the brown. Yes, he

:49:08. > :49:12.is treating Robbie with the utmost respect and that is what you have

:49:13. > :49:15.got to do. OK, he may be struggling out there but Neil is not going to

:49:16. > :49:37.give him any chance to settle down, he is going to keep the pressure on.

:49:38. > :49:52.He wants a thin edge. Foul and a, Neil Robertson, four. -- and at

:49:53. > :50:42.miss. How did he get through that gap?

:50:43. > :50:46.Foul and I -- a miss, Neil Robertson, four. You could try that

:50:47. > :50:58.100 times and not get through that gap.

:50:59. > :51:05.He will be hoping it is third time lucky. Now 60 behind. There is only

:51:06. > :51:22.67 on the table. He is in big trouble now. He has got

:51:23. > :51:29.to hit a red, otherwise he will need a snooker.

:51:30. > :51:38.It looks like he is going to win this frame just sitting in his seat.

:51:39. > :52:06.He must hit this, otherwise he needs a snooker.

:52:07. > :52:17.He might fluke this... That red was going to go into the corner pocket

:52:18. > :52:20.until it hit the wide. That is now the end of frame, but for a moment,

:52:21. > :52:43.I thought he was going to fluke that red.

:52:44. > :53:06.Neil has reached his first target of the day and that is to guarantee him

:53:07. > :53:11.the lead going into the second session. The way this game is going,

:53:12. > :53:16.he will be disappointed if he doesn't win the next three as well.

:53:17. > :53:23.Nine frames to be played. They have got to come back tomorrow evening to

:53:24. > :53:25.finish this match off. Neil will want to be coming back and not

:53:26. > :54:47.needing many frames. Not the best on the pink, but that

:54:48. > :54:55.doesn't really matter. He wants to pot them all. Terrific

:54:56. > :55:08.shot with the rest. Fabulous stuff from the world number

:55:09. > :55:13.one. He started this frame with a break of 55, he finished it with a

:55:14. > :55:19.break of 63. Robbie needs to have the last three frames, because all

:55:20. > :55:25.of a sudden, he is 5-1 behind. HAZEL IRVINE: Neil Robertson firmly

:55:26. > :55:30.in control. Hopping across to table but the calmer Martin Gould has

:55:31. > :55:37.stemmed the tide, because he has won the 16th frame to make it 7-9. Marco

:55:38. > :55:41.is not over the line. As we look at it, Martin is making a fight of

:55:42. > :55:47.things. He got to the championship league final, beaten by Judd Trump,

:55:48. > :55:52.and has shown some spirit over the years at the Crucible. He has and he

:55:53. > :55:58.made light work of everybody in the qualifying session of the event. Who

:55:59. > :56:03.knows if his best is yet to come? He is fighting an uphill battle, but he

:56:04. > :56:07.is a grafter. He sure is and we are going to join them live now as Marco

:56:08. > :56:12.Fu tries to get into this second round. Back we go, what is the

:56:13. > :56:17.situation? JOHN VIRGO: The situation is that

:56:18. > :56:21.Marco knocked in a terrific long red and that is the blue that followed

:56:22. > :56:27.it. Looking to be on one of those two reds above the black. Not really

:56:28. > :56:32.the right potting angle, the black is only available into the left

:56:33. > :56:38.corner. But Martin Gould is certainly not lying down here. As

:56:39. > :56:40.you just witnessed at the end of that, that was a marvellous 69 break

:56:41. > :56:53.he made to steal the last frame. He was able to hold for the pink to

:56:54. > :57:38.the left middle. Just at enough angle to go for the

:57:39. > :57:48.red in the opposite corner. The pink is off it spot.

:57:49. > :57:55.He had a good chance in the previous frame to clinch and he played a

:57:56. > :58:00.positional shot to get on free reds and there was a red in the way and

:58:01. > :58:04.it covered three of them. The more you miss your chances when you are

:58:05. > :59:11.in front, the more you start to doubt.

:59:12. > :59:21.A nice angle on the black. Probably screw round for the red and play it

:59:22. > :59:25.in the same pocket. Just underhit it slightly and the reason I say that

:59:26. > :59:30.is because he wanted to just stun the red in and leave a nice angle on

:59:31. > :59:42.the black. I'm not certain he can do that now. But he could.

:59:43. > :59:49.But as my pal Willie Thorne said, it's a flat back pack. You get into

:59:50. > :59:55.the side of them rather than in the meat of them. That's the problem

:59:56. > :00:00.when it's flat at the back when the cue ball hits it, the cue ball comes

:00:01. > :00:06.away from the reds. He's still got a possible red to the left. Watch the

:00:07. > :00:11.action of the cue ball. It comes back away from the reds. Best way to

:00:12. > :00:17.play that shot is to stun it and try not to have any back spin on. But as

:00:18. > :00:27.I say, still a possible red to the left middle.

:00:28. > :00:31.It's the type of shot he missed in the last frame and let Martin Gould

:00:32. > :00:35.in. He got it this time, though.

:00:36. > :00:51.APPLAUSE Have to play a good shot from a ball

:00:52. > :00:53.colour to get on a red. Has he got the angle to come down this left

:00:54. > :01:09.side of the table? He has. And excellent positional shot. He's

:01:10. > :01:17.landed absolute plum. He can run through for the black. And frame and

:01:18. > :01:23.much now at his mercy. The way he's playing, in all honesty, I'd be

:01:24. > :01:29.surprised if he doesn't take it. After winning the 17th frame, 94%

:01:30. > :01:34.pot success, very good. That will win most matches.

:01:35. > :01:42.I think this is the best quality match of the first round. It may not

:01:43. > :01:46.go to 10-9, it may do. Both players have played very well. You don't

:01:47. > :01:52.always see that. There's been high-class performances from one of

:01:53. > :01:56.the professional players in the first-round matches, if not both at

:01:57. > :02:01.the same time. Yes, I think they've inspired each other because nothing

:02:02. > :02:06.but the best was going to be good enough.

:02:07. > :02:19.So pot this red to go 63 points in front.

:02:20. > :02:23.He can just screw back a little bit and play for the red to the right

:02:24. > :02:30.middle. Decided to play it hard and it's

:02:31. > :02:31.worked out nicely. It's worked out perfectly.

:02:32. > :02:49.APPLAUSE So this red and the black... Then he

:02:50. > :03:10.will clinch frame and match and the possibility he could do it in style.

:03:11. > :03:22.Highest break at the moment is 137. If Marco can take blacks with his

:03:23. > :03:41.remaining reds, he could do very well.

:03:42. > :03:46.Didn't want the cannon. He just tried to drift past that read. Or

:03:47. > :03:57.hit it full. One or the other. A pity. He's missed the red but

:03:58. > :04:01.there will be a handshake coming and big congratulations. Well played,

:04:02. > :04:09.Martin Gould. You couldn't have done much more but on the two sessions,

:04:10. > :04:15.Marco Fu was very, very impressive and believe me, he's one of the

:04:16. > :04:17.major contenders now for this title. He is a comfortable winner in the

:04:18. > :04:28.end. Playing well. 10-7. HAZEL IRVINE: That is surprisingly

:04:29. > :04:31.know that that is only his third win since he made the semifinals in

:04:32. > :04:36.2006. Would you agree he is a dangerous player? No doubt. The

:04:37. > :04:41.players all know that. He's beaten everybody in the game that some

:04:42. > :04:43.point. Very underestimated. An accomplished match player, excellent

:04:44. > :04:49.positional player. Because he isn't as flashed doing it as some of the

:04:50. > :04:52.other players, he gets underestimated. Shaun Murphy has a

:04:53. > :04:59.very tough second round. Let's hear from Marco Fu. He is with Rob

:05:00. > :05:01.Walker. Many congratulations. You haven't always had the easiest time

:05:02. > :05:04.when it comes to first-round fixtures here at the Crucible but

:05:05. > :05:12.you're into the second round, job done. Yeah, just finally at the

:05:13. > :05:18.Crucible I was able to play the way I know I can. Just very happy with

:05:19. > :05:22.the performance. I played very well throughout the whole match. Martin

:05:23. > :05:29.gave me a tough game. He really is a good player. Very nice to win the

:05:30. > :05:34.first match, obviously, at the Crucible, but playing well at the

:05:35. > :05:37.same time. Great for me. Good to see you back up into the world top eight

:05:38. > :05:43.full top it's been a really good season. What's been responsible for

:05:44. > :05:50.the turn around and your resurgence? I think it's just mount a leading a

:05:51. > :05:57.bit tougher. -- mentally being a bit tougher. And technically, Wayne

:05:58. > :06:03.Griffiths my coach helped me a lot so a big thank you to him.

:06:04. > :06:08.Everything seems to have clicked at the right time. I'm feeling

:06:09. > :06:12.confident amongst the balls. I don't feel like I'm missing that many easy

:06:13. > :06:18.shots which I have done quite a lot before in my career. Getting

:06:19. > :06:22.consistency. That has helped me improve a lot in the last year so

:06:23. > :06:28.it's nice to be able to play some decent snooker. Shaun Murphy next, a

:06:29. > :06:32.rerun of an epic UK final from a few years ago. Yeah, he is a great

:06:33. > :06:37.player. We always have some great games. He's been playing quite well,

:06:38. > :06:41.I've been playing quite well, so hopefully we won't let the crowd

:06:42. > :06:48.down and it's going to be a very tough game. I think Shaun is playing

:06:49. > :06:53.near his best now. We're coming towards the end of the season. It's

:06:54. > :06:55.going to be very tough. Good to see you back on form. We look forward to

:06:56. > :06:59.that match. We will all look forward to that

:07:00. > :07:05.match, Marco Fu against Shaun Murphy. Shaun is coming to a great

:07:06. > :07:09.run of form as well with his first major title for three years so we

:07:10. > :07:13.will look forward to that last match. But what have we got to look

:07:14. > :07:17.forward to this evening? There is plenty on the go tonight. If I just

:07:18. > :07:22.have a quick look at this part of the draw, their standing out is Mark

:07:23. > :07:30.Allen of Northern Ireland against Michael Holt. These two resume at

:07:31. > :07:32.5-4. Mark Allen has that lead. They haven't met many times in their

:07:33. > :07:37.career, just two meetings before this one. Both can get a little hot

:07:38. > :07:44.under the collar. How do we assess this match? Steve? Well, I was

:07:45. > :07:47.commentating on last night's match and Mark Allen through two frames

:07:48. > :07:53.away and Michael Holt through one frame away. They will be both

:07:54. > :07:58.frustrated with the session but on the other hand they both hope in

:07:59. > :08:03.there. Very evenly matched. It's the first one that can get a grip of the

:08:04. > :08:07.match, really. A very interesting match in the second quarter of the

:08:08. > :08:11.draw. The last of the first-round matches to get started is Mark Davis

:08:12. > :08:16.against Dominic Dale. Let's have a look at their head-to-head. Not much

:08:17. > :08:21.that can be gleaned. Both in their 40s and they've both hung around the

:08:22. > :08:25.scene very well. You wouldn't underestimate either of them, in

:08:26. > :08:28.particular Mark Davis, who is shown tremendous consistency since the

:08:29. > :08:33.changes have been occurring in the snooker scene. Not quite as good

:08:34. > :08:36.this year as last year when he came in with slightly better form.

:08:37. > :08:40.Dominic seems in good form and has been there longer than the cleaner!

:08:41. > :08:47.He was there before the rigging got in but he's been sat upstairs in

:08:48. > :08:50.that room and is excited to play. And the prospect of playing Michael

:08:51. > :08:54.Wasley instead of Ding Junhui who they thought they might be playing.

:08:55. > :08:59.An interesting match up. Almost time for us to finish our transmission

:09:00. > :09:03.but I think the last word has to go to the world number one, who is

:09:04. > :09:07.making very efficient progress so far in his match against another

:09:08. > :09:12.Crucible newcomer. The last we saw Robbie Williams, he was 5-1 up and

:09:13. > :09:20.we will go back live to the table and rejoin Steve and Dennis.

:09:21. > :09:25.DENNIS TAYLOR: The frame is state but Neil Robertson has a possibility

:09:26. > :09:32.of adding another century to his total this season. -- the frame is

:09:33. > :09:37.safe. He's trying to close in on a century of centuries. He has a

:09:38. > :09:44.difficult red at the other end of the table. But he's cueing very

:09:45. > :10:03.nicely indeed. He looks so full of confidence.

:10:04. > :10:13.Another slight heavy contact but the red at the right side of the

:10:14. > :10:14.table... Let's show you that again. Being a left-hander, it's not ideal,

:10:15. > :10:44.that read to the right of the pig. It will be easier to get up on that

:10:45. > :10:45.difficult red from blue or pink. Then he needs a straightforward drop

:10:46. > :11:07.in to get in on the black. APPLAUSE

:11:08. > :11:12.He's just smiling. He's not even bothered about that red. He looks up

:11:13. > :11:16.at Stephen Hendry and says, "that another century for me". He isn't

:11:17. > :11:24.bothered about that last red or about the high break. Neil Robertson

:11:25. > :11:29.with that great Aussie smile goes back to his seat and takes another

:11:30. > :11:34.frame and leads 6-1. He's a happy bunny.

:11:35. > :11:44.The key to this shot, or the break, was that he was on the brown and we

:11:45. > :11:48.know with the cue action that he has, it's just a matter of playing

:11:49. > :11:53.this with right-hand side into the bunch. Didn't he play it well,

:11:54. > :12:03.Stephen? Yes, he strikes the ball so well. He gets so much action on the

:12:04. > :12:06.cue ball. It's the perfect red. S that was funny at the end when he

:12:07. > :12:10.didn't even try to get on the last red. One of the reasons is that the

:12:11. > :12:14.highest break is 137 and he knows that isn't going to stand for the

:12:15. > :12:22.rest of the tournament anyway. But he told us all how happy he was when

:12:23. > :12:29.he got the century. "I'm on my way" . But can he do it? The way he's

:12:30. > :12:34.playing, you have to say, he might make that century of centuries.

:12:35. > :12:36.They've got the arena to themselves now. The dividing wall has been

:12:37. > :12:44.removed. REFEREE: The eighth frame, Robbie

:12:45. > :12:59.Williams to break. STEPHEN HENDRY: It will be

:13:00. > :13:00.interesting when Neil gets to 98, 99, whether he starts twitching a

:13:01. > :13:20.bit. He's pushed to be read over the left

:13:21. > :13:27.corner pocket but he's got a good cue ball. -- pushed the red.

:13:28. > :13:34.He's been missing these pots to the right of the pocket as we look at

:13:35. > :13:44.it. Can he make a readjustment and not a long one in? Well done,

:13:45. > :13:49.Robbie. Very unlucky. Very unlucky with the position there. Played

:13:50. > :13:52.really well. Just swung it over and put him out of position. An

:13:53. > :14:01.excellent pot. You would think that if Neil had

:14:02. > :14:09.played that, he would probably have landed on the black but things are

:14:10. > :14:12.not going well. At 61 down, you very nearly -- at 6-1 down, you very

:14:13. > :14:22.rarely get the nice kisses. He's got to keep the black over the

:14:23. > :14:32.right side of the table as we look at it.

:14:33. > :14:38.It looked like he was going to finish on the black perfectly. When

:14:39. > :14:42.the shot hits the cushion, look at the side. Just swung it out of

:14:43. > :15:10.position. Nominated the green. There may be one at the back of the

:15:11. > :15:21.bunch. Try to get the white back up towards the green.

:15:22. > :15:30.He played it well because look at the cue ball. That was the classic

:15:31. > :15:37.shots to nothing. He was never going to leave one. Is there a path

:15:38. > :15:47.through to knock the red on the one that is over the pot?

:15:48. > :15:56.There may be another red, the one to the left of the pink. Can he not get

:15:57. > :16:01.on? Might be able to find a gap past the black as well.

:16:02. > :16:02.PHONE RINGS REFEREE: Can you switch it off,

:16:03. > :16:12.please? He's hit it too thick. He did have a

:16:13. > :16:24.chance at that plant. He left a chance for Neil.

:16:25. > :16:48.He'll have to come back for the blue here.

:16:49. > :16:55.As we mentioned earlier, this match is played to a conclusion tomorrow

:16:56. > :17:05.evening and Neil will want an early night. He'll be trying to win his

:17:06. > :17:08.last two frames. When we get to the second round onwards, you can

:17:09. > :17:13.actually finish matches a session early. Obviously, that isn't going

:17:14. > :17:14.to happen but he will give himself as short a night as possible

:17:15. > :17:28.tomorrow. This is not straightforward now. It

:17:29. > :17:36.would be if the black would go in the right corner. But the black is

:17:37. > :17:41.not on. So he could hit the cushion, pot the red and the white will swing

:17:42. > :17:49.over between the black and the reds.

:17:50. > :17:54.Haven't quite got the line right but if he hits the cushion first and

:17:55. > :17:57.pots the red, the white will swing over into that position. He'd love

:17:58. > :18:15.to find the gap. A little bit harder and he would

:18:16. > :18:29.have been perfect. Still quite nicely on the blue.

:18:30. > :18:37.If he can pot the blue and get the white over it somewhere near the

:18:38. > :18:43.line... It doesn't have to be that close to the red anywhere over near

:18:44. > :18:55.the cushion, being a left-hander, that would be ideal.

:18:56. > :19:00.I think you perhaps took a bit of a liberty there. No need to play for

:19:01. > :19:18.this red at this point in time. Well, Robbie, if you ever needed to

:19:19. > :19:19.find some of the format got you here to the Crucible, now is the time.

:19:20. > :19:44.Not going to get many more chances. I must admit, some weird side of me

:19:45. > :19:50.would like to see Neil get punished for that blue.

:19:51. > :19:53.He has a chance to punish him and he is a smashing lad, Robbie. Can he

:19:54. > :20:13.hold himself together here, though? He's virtually got himself out of

:20:14. > :20:19.position. He isn't on the blue so he isn't going to score many more from

:20:20. > :20:20.here. It would have to be a very difficult green, so the chance has

:20:21. > :20:36.slipped away. HAZEL IRVINE: We have to leave this

:20:37. > :20:39.because we are about to come off at that you can continue to watch this

:20:40. > :20:44.and the last frame of the session online or on the red button. We have

:20:45. > :20:47.seen the 94th and 95th century of Neil Robertson's season this

:20:48. > :20:53.afternoon. We've also seen Marco Fu go through, and Barry Hawkins as

:20:54. > :21:00.well, on his 35th birthday. Happy birthday to all Saint Georges day

:21:01. > :21:03.birthday boys. Jason will be here later at 11:20pm with all the

:21:04. > :21:32.highlights. From myself and the boys, bye-bye.

:21:33. > :21:35.Ted, I... I'm not interested in coming to see Lady Gaga, sir.