:00:37. > :01:10.He is the Jester from Leicester. He is Mr Mark Selby!
:01:11. > :01:24.Hello and welcome to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and the 2014
:01:25. > :01:29.Dafabet World Snooker Championship. Mark Selby, the Jester from
:01:30. > :01:34.Leicester, has been described as the Torture by Ronnie O'Sullivan. He
:01:35. > :01:36.gets the second round under way this afternoon, taking on Ali Carter, who
:01:37. > :01:41.has been a runner-up on two occasions here. We'll talk about
:01:42. > :01:42.that match in greater detail in a moment. Let's take a look at how the
:01:43. > :02:57.first round draw is shaping up. So that's how the first-round draw
:02:58. > :03:02.looks. Good afternoon to John Parrott. We've lost four seeds are
:03:03. > :03:08.so far in the opening week. What has been the biggest drawing? Ding
:03:09. > :03:12.Junhui. The weight of expectation from China, expecting him to become
:03:13. > :03:18.a world champion. He didn't play as well as he usually does and a great
:03:19. > :03:22.result for Michael Wasley. And a great result for Ken Doherty. Stuart
:03:23. > :03:25.Bingham had a great run last year. Yes, and he has a great rapture with
:03:26. > :03:31.Alan McManus. That will be fantastic. -- a great match. That
:03:32. > :03:36.has been criticism about the standard of play on social networks
:03:37. > :03:40.will you think that's justified? I think some of the lads who have
:03:41. > :03:43.qualified might not be used to TV and have been under pressure a bit
:03:44. > :03:47.and also the first round is horrible. If you can get to ten and
:03:48. > :03:52.get it over with, I think the standard will improve in the second
:03:53. > :03:57.round. Thank you. This is what's coming up this afternoon... Ali
:03:58. > :04:01.Carter says it's great to be back at the Crucible as he begins his quest
:04:02. > :04:11.to move into the last eight. Mark Davis is up against it against
:04:12. > :04:19.Dominic Dale. He trails to -7. It is ladies' day at the Crucible today.
:04:20. > :04:27.We'll talk to Rhiannon Evans. We'll also have fun as we continue
:04:28. > :04:31.our trick shot series. And Joe Perry insists he can beat
:04:32. > :04:37.Ronnie O'Sullivan in his second-round match this evening. A
:04:38. > :04:38.full preview later. So Mark Selby versus Ali Carter is our live match
:04:39. > :04:42.this afternoon. Let's take a look at how these to
:04:43. > :04:53.match up. They've played each other 12 times for top last time Mark
:04:54. > :04:58.Selby won 4-1 last year. Selby won the Masters and the UK championship
:04:59. > :05:04.last year but has never won this tournament but reached the final in
:05:05. > :05:08.2007. I come here every year to try to win the tournament at this year
:05:09. > :05:12.is no different but I understand how tough it is mentally and physically,
:05:13. > :05:15.over two weeks. It's a long drawn-out tournament so I'm just
:05:16. > :05:20.going to take one day at a time and one match at a time. I think I'm
:05:21. > :05:26.more experienced and I think I handled the big occasions a lot
:05:27. > :05:31.better. Coming in 2007, I really had nothing to lose, so every match I
:05:32. > :05:35.was playing was a bonus. Now I keep getting to tournaments and people
:05:36. > :05:41.put me in the top three of four to be favourite for the tournament so
:05:42. > :05:47.there is pressure on me. Just to win it even once, it would never be
:05:48. > :05:49.forgotten, so to finish my career not having won the World
:05:50. > :05:55.Championship, I would be disappointed. Hopefully it this year
:05:56. > :06:02.but if not, hopefully I will win in the future. I played Ali here a few
:06:03. > :06:07.years ago. I played him when I got to the final and we had a great
:06:08. > :06:11.game. It was 1312. Ali has a great record at the World Championships,
:06:12. > :06:15.been to the final twice. A fantastic player so it's going to be another
:06:16. > :06:19.tough match. He has a great all-round game. He has a great
:06:20. > :06:29.technique. His will to win is second to none.
:06:30. > :06:34.Ali Carter is one of those players who is blessed with a great
:06:35. > :06:38.technique and that's why he can play all the power shots. There isn't a
:06:39. > :06:42.shot on the table he can't play. How many times have we seen Ali around
:06:43. > :06:47.the table and if he misses a shot or does something careless, we see that
:06:48. > :06:51.old stamp of the cue. It doesn't seem to make him play better. It
:06:52. > :06:54.affect his game for a while so temperament will be something Ali
:06:55. > :06:59.I'm sure would say he needs to work on. It's well documented that he's
:07:00. > :07:03.had problems with his health and can you imagine dragging yourself out of
:07:04. > :07:08.bed and go into the practice table and putting in the work that is
:07:09. > :07:12.necessary to reach the top? He's had all those problems to overcome.
:07:13. > :07:17.Let's hope he can stay healthy and we can see the best of Ali Carter in
:07:18. > :07:21.seasons to come. He's one of those players that likes to get into the
:07:22. > :07:24.pack early, get the ball is spread open early and scores consistently.
:07:25. > :07:27.He's one of the few players that have made over 100 competitive
:07:28. > :07:31.centuries because his break-building is so good. His tactical and safety
:07:32. > :07:34.play is up there with the best and that is something that will stand
:07:35. > :07:40.him in good stead for the rest of his career. Ali's record,
:07:41. > :07:44.considering all the ability we talked about, I suppose would be a
:07:45. > :07:49.bit disappointing. Been to the final of the World Championship twice, met
:07:50. > :07:53.Ronnie O'Sullivan. No shame in that. But as I mentioned earlier, maybe
:07:54. > :07:59.his temperament was just a little bit suspect sometimes. He can beat
:08:00. > :08:05.himself up. If he stopped doing that and took the rough with the smooth,
:08:06. > :08:09.he would win a World Championship. Our three wise men casting their eye
:08:10. > :08:13.over Ali Carter. I've been joined by two more wise men from the Crucible
:08:14. > :08:18.crowd. They will spend the next couple of hours here looking at Mark
:08:19. > :08:23.Selby and Ali Carter's match. Hello, John Parrott and Stephen Hendry.
:08:24. > :08:26.Mark Selby says he will be disappointed if he never wins the
:08:27. > :08:29.World Championship full top he's applying that pressure on himself.
:08:30. > :08:33.He has to think like that because he's been world number one and has
:08:34. > :08:38.won all the big tournaments but this is the one that everybody wants to
:08:39. > :08:40.win. If he goes through his career having been so successful and
:08:41. > :08:45.doesn't win this, it will be a failure in his eyes. It is such a
:08:46. > :08:49.different environment. John said at the beginning of the programme but
:08:50. > :08:52.that may be one of the reasons Ding Junhui never progresses in this
:08:53. > :08:56.tournament because it is such a tough environment. Yes, it's one of
:08:57. > :09:02.the strange things in snooker wilding hasn't done better. There
:09:03. > :09:09.was a huge expectation on him. -- why doing hasn't done better. Mark
:09:10. > :09:13.Selby has had a long season but he has won to money tournaments this
:09:14. > :09:16.year so he will really want this. John, you watched Mark Selby playing
:09:17. > :09:22.Michael White when he pushed him 10-9. Does that make him even more
:09:23. > :09:27.match fit for the second round? What makes in match fit is the last frame
:09:28. > :09:30.for top he made a perfect last frame. There's nothing better for
:09:31. > :09:34.your confidence than coming over the line in the way he did. He missed a
:09:35. > :09:39.red in the corner to go 6-1 and then he lost his momentum. He went to be
:09:40. > :09:45.able to afford that against Ali Carter, who is a serious opponent.
:09:46. > :09:48.It's amazing how sometimes when you scrape through the first round it
:09:49. > :09:54.gives you a new lease of life for the next hour. Boys, for the moment,
:09:55. > :09:59.thank you. The players are standing by. On table two, Mark Selby versus
:10:00. > :10:03.Ali Carter. That's our live match this afternoon. On table one, it's
:10:04. > :10:07.the conclusion of the first round match between Dominic Dale and Mark
:10:08. > :10:13.Davis with Dale leading 7-2. Good afternoon to Rob Walker. Good
:10:14. > :10:17.afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This magnificent theatre has almost
:10:18. > :10:22.finished serving up its first act of drama as the second gets going. The
:10:23. > :10:25.driver for the quarterfinals begins in earnest this afternoon here at
:10:26. > :10:31.the Dafabet World Snooker Championship. Four world-class
:10:32. > :10:41.players waiting backstage. The action continues in style. Please
:10:42. > :10:47.welcome, first of all, one of the biggest characters on the circuit.
:10:48. > :10:51.Twice a ranking event winner in 1997 and 2007. Coming through qualifying
:10:52. > :10:55.against Andrew Higginson to book his place at the Crucible, he's trained
:10:56. > :10:59.operatic singer who yesterday proved he can also play the game. Will he
:11:00. > :11:01.hit the right notes again today? Here comes the spaceman, Dominic
:11:02. > :11:38.Dale. And his opponent, twice a world six
:11:39. > :11:42.champion, he's got the class to mount a comeback this afternoon.
:11:43. > :11:51.Please welcome the battler from Hastings, Mark Davis.
:11:52. > :12:01.MUSIC: "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson.
:12:02. > :12:06.And here on table two, please welcome a player making his 12th
:12:07. > :12:11.consecutive appearance at the Crucible. He has repeatedly shown
:12:12. > :12:16.huge character off the table in recent years. He is fit, well and
:12:17. > :12:20.back at the arena where he has twice graced the sport's biggest final.
:12:21. > :12:22.The three-time ranking event winner. When he is flying high, he's the
:12:23. > :12:48.captain. Here comes Ali Carter. And finally, his opponent, a player
:12:49. > :12:51.who is always ice cool under pressure. He displayed all that
:12:52. > :12:55.commerce in the first round, beating Michael White in the decider. Three
:12:56. > :13:00.times a Masters champion, three times a ranking event winner and
:13:01. > :13:05.Hebrew Joost one of the greatest 147s in history in York in December.
:13:06. > :13:13.Ladies and gentlemen, here comes the Jester from Leicester. Here comes
:13:14. > :13:23.Mark Selby. MUSIC: "Fast Fuse" by Kasabian
:13:24. > :13:28.JASON MOHAMMAD: The Crucible once again looking magnificent.
:13:29. > :13:33.The best of 25 frames in the second round. It's Selby versus Carter.
:13:34. > :13:35.Let's join our match commentators Steve Davis and John Virgo. Good
:13:36. > :13:46.afternoon, boys. JOHN VIRGO: Good afternoon, Jason,
:13:47. > :13:52.and in the seeds' mind, this is where the tournament begins. Both
:13:53. > :13:59.want to avoid a potential banana skin, none more so than Mark Selby,
:14:00. > :14:05.who had a scare from Michael White. So now he can relax. A three session
:14:06. > :14:18.match. The best of 25. Mark Selby, world ranked number
:14:19. > :14:32.three. Ali Carter, world ranked number 11.
:14:33. > :14:39.Mark Selby's tournament but success, below 90%, is something he needs to
:14:40. > :14:50.improve on. Ali Carter, 90 present, that's OK. The long pot success is
:14:51. > :14:53.about right. About two out of three. Safety is pretty low for both of
:14:54. > :15:03.these players because they are good all-rounders.
:15:04. > :15:10.Neither player has made a century. Ali caught that read too thick.
:15:11. > :15:14.Better to go in the pocket than rattle the jaws. And interesting
:15:15. > :15:23.game, Steve. STEVE DAVIS: Yes, and match worthy
:15:24. > :15:26.of a here at the Crucible. Tough in many ways for these players to have
:15:27. > :15:32.to play each other so early in the tournament. Both showed great
:15:33. > :15:42.character to get through their first-round matches.
:15:43. > :15:54.I suppose we're all right. You can relax a bit more. At the Crucible,
:15:55. > :15:57.it's tough to say the word "relax". Of course, three sessions, and it's
:15:58. > :16:04.got to be played like three sessions. The aim is eight frames.
:16:05. > :16:07.If you can come out of it 5-3 in front, you would be happy with your
:16:08. > :16:19.day's work. But what players are looking for now
:16:20. > :16:22.is to really find their a game. If they're going to go all the way in
:16:23. > :16:28.this great championship, nothing else will do.
:16:29. > :16:37.Judged that nicely. Usually we find at the Crucible, in the World
:16:38. > :16:41.Championship, even though there is great tension - and you can
:16:42. > :16:45.certainly see that in the first round match - the longer the players
:16:46. > :16:50.stay at the Crucible, the more rounds they can get through, the
:16:51. > :16:54.more they become immune to the tension. It becomes just another day
:16:55. > :17:10.in the office. You've got to earn that right.
:17:11. > :17:15.Not one of Mark's best safety shots there, just finding the baulk line,
:17:16. > :17:28.rather than the baulk cushion. Looking at those roses near the
:17:29. > :17:34.left-hand side cushion, it's going to be very awkward to play safety.
:17:35. > :17:41.-- those reds. Even though he's on the baulk line, he's got to be very
:17:42. > :17:45.careful here, Ali. He has got a pot that he can screw across the face of
:17:46. > :17:49.the pack for the black into the same pocket but there is a red close to
:17:50. > :18:23.the black that he would be wary of. It wasn't the best safety shot from
:18:24. > :18:24.Mark Selby. He comes back to the table with half a chance. Not an
:18:25. > :18:35.easy one. APPLAUSE
:18:36. > :18:51.Well, that was a lovely clean pot. Would have preferred to have got
:18:52. > :18:58.onto the blue, rather than tying the pink up.
:18:59. > :19:09.He doesn't really want to put that pink out of commission.
:19:10. > :19:19.A little bit more risk in that shot, trying to guarantee position. A
:19:20. > :19:22.little bit short of pace. Don't think he's completely hampered by
:19:23. > :19:25.the green but it makes the shot... Oh, he is a fraction. It makes the
:19:26. > :19:40.shot a bit harder. GROANING
:19:41. > :19:43.he will be a bit disappointed there. He's playing reasonably well but
:19:44. > :19:49.he's hampered for the pink in the middle, which is what he played for.
:19:50. > :19:54.Just a series of positional shots just fractionally out all the time
:19:55. > :20:04.has led to this difficult blue having to be taken on.
:20:05. > :20:13.Correct shot? I don't know. Wise after the event. It needed good
:20:14. > :20:17.straight cueing. I'm certain that the type of ball he's been
:20:18. > :20:23.practising on the practice table before he came out. My argument
:20:24. > :20:27.would be that so early in the match, you don't really know how the day is
:20:28. > :20:33.unfolding in terms of cue action so why leave your opponent an easy
:20:34. > :20:36.chance? But against that, the aggressive, try and get in first. --
:20:37. > :21:00.be aggressive. I think he can get through to at
:21:01. > :21:20.least one red to the left corner. Whilst this is best of 25, the first
:21:21. > :21:30.frame of every session can dictate a pattern of play for that particular
:21:31. > :21:38.session, so... Difficult to know what the right method to play the
:21:39. > :21:43.first frame is. Ali Carter is out of position, past the baulk line, the
:21:44. > :22:12.cut-back brown very risky once you get past the fault -- baulk line.
:22:13. > :22:15.Well, he hasn't put Mark Selby in as much trouble as maybe you thought he
:22:16. > :22:36.could have done there. I think he could have played a lot
:22:37. > :22:39.better safety than he did on his last visit. He's not playing the
:22:40. > :23:00.pot, just playing the safety. And a good one it is, though Ali
:23:01. > :23:05.just stopped in his tracks to look at the two reds on this side of the
:23:06. > :23:08.table. Are they a plant? Not far away and I think they are close
:23:09. > :23:17.enough together that it could be made.
:23:18. > :23:25.Mark Selby hasn't even looked at the plant so he's got a long pot with an
:23:26. > :23:33.opportunity to get through the table.
:23:34. > :23:43.Well played, Ali. I think that plant may have been an option if the black
:23:44. > :24:09.had gone into the left corner. Mark Selby's containing safety shot
:24:10. > :24:23.always leaves the door open to a far better safety shot.
:24:24. > :24:34.The only reason I'm thinking about the bottom read is that it would be
:24:35. > :24:36.safe. If he hits the bottom red, it may leave a ruse onto the left
:24:37. > :24:40.middle. -- a red. That is the safest place
:24:41. > :24:59.but it's got to be judged very well. There may be some kind of four
:25:00. > :25:09.cushion escape round the back of the blue. It's a bit further for me to
:25:10. > :25:19.reach to the teller -- graphics machine to do that.
:25:20. > :25:39.Does this red next to the black pot? Misjudged the release of the cue
:25:40. > :26:14.ball off the side cushion. Perhaps it squared off a bit.
:26:15. > :26:19.A very heavy scorer, Ali Carter, but it's an interesting fact that he's
:26:20. > :26:27.been a professional three years longer than Mark Selby and yet Mark
:26:28. > :26:33.Selby's career centuries are 333 and Ali has had 178. It just shows you,
:26:34. > :26:43.you'd think that Ali was one of the top scorers.
:26:44. > :26:51.Yeah, I think to be a prolific century maker, a type of
:26:52. > :26:57.relentlessness at the end of the frame after you've won it. Some
:26:58. > :27:04.players, like Mark Williams, who would basically, once a won the
:27:05. > :27:09.frame, ease up mentally... You don't see that with the likes of Mark
:27:10. > :27:17.Selby. He still tries to make a century even if he's won the frame.
:27:18. > :27:26.Yes, and I agree it isn't necessarily a guide. Mark Williams
:27:27. > :27:32.was the perfect example. As you say, he just wanted to get the next frame
:27:33. > :27:36.started. But of course, with all the stats now and the records, you know,
:27:37. > :27:43.it just makes everybody so much more aware.
:27:44. > :27:57.He won't be happy with that one. It was funny, harking back to the first
:27:58. > :28:00.chance he had when he potted the red into the corner and overhit it, at
:28:01. > :28:06.the moment, he's just not stroking the ball. He seems to be hitting the
:28:07. > :28:10.cue ball. Probably a bit of tension in the arm and it will soon settle
:28:11. > :28:21.in but one or two that he hasn't cued as well as he would have liked.
:28:22. > :28:29.This time, he is underhit it by a long way. Unless there is a plant in
:28:30. > :28:35.the right corner, not the two reds on the side of the table but the two
:28:36. > :28:40.reds in that little cluster of four to the right, that looks spot on. If
:28:41. > :28:48.he hits the first red in the correct place, it can't be missed. A big
:28:49. > :28:52.saver for Ali Carter if he gets this in.
:28:53. > :29:04.Effectively a massive insurance policy on poor position, that plant
:29:05. > :29:12.being on. Now a realistic chance to get very
:29:13. > :29:27.close to the finishing line. Queued to that one nicely. -- he
:29:28. > :29:47.cued that one nicely. Health problems for Ali Carter
:29:48. > :29:55.recently but signs of a return to form. We saw those in the China open
:29:56. > :30:01.recently, where he got to the semifinals, I believe.
:30:02. > :30:12.A big bounce off the cushion, or overhit. Either way, well out of
:30:13. > :30:17.position. He's got to do some good cueing to keep this under control.
:30:18. > :30:25.Could come down for the pink or blue here. I think you were right there.
:30:26. > :30:31.It looked like a quick bounce off the cushion. We've seen it so many
:30:32. > :30:39.times. I sometimes wonder whether the table heaters help.
:30:40. > :30:50.That is what Hawk-eye says without the bounce.
:30:51. > :30:59.My sleeve judged but unlucky. The natural part of that shot would have
:31:00. > :31:06.sent it into the four reds. She could have risked putting the red
:31:07. > :31:07.and spreading those reds over the place and hoped to get McCullough.
:31:08. > :31:34.But now, more work to do. That was particular Inc. -- that was
:31:35. > :31:38.better cueing. A quick glance at the scoreboard, he probably needs three
:31:39. > :32:02.of these reds. You can see the easy one.
:32:03. > :32:14.Trying to disturb something. He said never tried to bring a red into play
:32:15. > :32:17.when you are trying to potter red because you are never certain you
:32:18. > :32:28.are never certainly will end on colour. I think he has done very
:32:29. > :32:35.well. He had to disturb the reds in one way, shape or form. It wasn't
:32:36. > :32:48.all bad, then. Eddie Charlton was wrong! He has landed in the middle
:32:49. > :32:56.of those three. None of them are absolutely ideal pots to get another
:32:57. > :33:00.colour. If he plays this one to the right corner, he has to be careful
:33:01. > :33:06.he doesn't go into the red the top cushion. He just needs one red and
:33:07. > :33:23.the colour. That was the natural potting angle.
:33:24. > :33:38.This black will put him 54 points in front. A few loose positional shots
:33:39. > :33:40.but he overcame them. And he knows it is very important to get the next
:33:41. > :34:47.red. he may be coming to this event
:34:48. > :34:50.timing it perfectly. Struggling with a bit of form earlier on. A few
:34:51. > :35:03.health problems. Fighting hard to get back up the
:35:04. > :35:09.ranking list and get a win under his belt. Signs of improvement in China.
:35:10. > :35:22.And we know full well that he enjoys the Crucible. A tough match for Mark
:35:23. > :35:26.Selby. This would be the perfect start because if he clears these
:35:27. > :35:33.five remaining, he will have a break of 102. He is yet to make a century
:35:34. > :36:08.break. His best of the tournament so far is 81.
:36:09. > :36:20.The Crucible crowd love a century. The perfect start for Ali Carter.
:36:21. > :36:24.Earlier wrong, he was just hitting the ball rather than stroking it but
:36:25. > :36:29.he got his cue action on in the end. The seventh century so far in the
:36:30. > :36:34.World Championship. He takes the first frame. Ali Carter has only
:36:35. > :36:41.14-macro frames in the previous matches. What a start. He got a
:36:42. > :36:47.little bit fortunate. He ended up with the plant that he hadn't
:36:48. > :36:52.actually played on but he hit really well. Sometimes, with a plant, you
:36:53. > :36:55.don't go all out for positions. He played it really well, it could not
:36:56. > :37:01.have come out every better, very impressive start. Would you make of
:37:02. > :37:07.the way Ali Carter has played today and also in his first round match?
:37:08. > :37:13.He fancies himself to have a long run. In the last two finals and the
:37:14. > :37:19.semifinals, a few months playing here. Mark Selby can probably
:37:20. > :37:24.consider himself playing -- unlucky to be playing him in this second
:37:25. > :37:30.round. How important is it to get the first frame on the board and
:37:31. > :37:36.also hold a break like that? That is the key. One thing Michael White did
:37:37. > :37:40.not do against Mark Selby, his highest break was about 42, he had a
:37:41. > :37:44.62 after that, but he wasn't punishing mark when he made
:37:45. > :37:52.mistakes. If he makes mistakes against Ali Carter, he will pay
:37:53. > :38:04.heavily. The longer the tounament goes on, you should improve. Into
:38:05. > :38:12.frame two. Back to our commentators. A decent break-off shot. There is
:38:13. > :38:18.one red going out but I don't think it is the right potting angle to
:38:19. > :38:26.tempt Mark Selby. It will be a tough pot anyway. It looks as though it
:38:27. > :38:30.would just be running into the middle top cushion, behind the
:38:31. > :38:36.black. If it was a bit straighter, he could roll it in play for the
:38:37. > :38:52.back -- black but it is too risky with little reward. Well, he did
:38:53. > :38:57.take it. He nearly left it. After the blue in the first frame, and
:38:58. > :39:09.that read, do you think he has got his attacking head on? Some days,
:39:10. > :39:14.you get 50-50 decisions and you make what could be construed to be the
:39:15. > :39:23.wrong choices in people's eyes. And I, like you, thought perhaps he was
:39:24. > :39:29.going to play safety across the top cushion, I think he picked out quite
:39:30. > :39:34.a clever little opportunist shot to try and not only put the red but get
:39:35. > :39:39.perfectly on the back to smash into the pack with very little risk. But
:39:40. > :39:49.you never know if you miss a shot where the red is going to go. Well,
:39:50. > :39:55.not ideal from Mark Selby at the moment. He misjudged that by some
:39:56. > :40:01.way and very unfortunate to end up on top of the green. It gives Ali
:40:02. > :40:06.Carter a problem. Although I think he can probably play the cue ball up
:40:07. > :40:10.to the top cushion with very little risks, should he want to. I think
:40:11. > :40:16.that was probably the right shop now. It'll be a big ask to get back
:40:17. > :40:21.to the baulk end. The problem is when you are hampered like this, you
:40:22. > :40:27.are striking down. The cue ball and the object ball isn't in a direct
:40:28. > :40:32.line as it would be normally. You really have to stop moving your eyes
:40:33. > :40:40.up and down. I don't think he can get the edge of the cue ball. No, it
:40:41. > :40:44.is tough, this. Very hard to judge the middle of the cue ball when you
:40:45. > :40:54.are striking down on it. Going into the pack, he has missed this up. --
:40:55. > :40:59.messed this up. He has left Mark Selby won into the yellow pocket.
:41:00. > :41:06.The red into the middle, over the top of the other red is moored to
:41:07. > :41:10.vocal than this long red. -- more difficult than this long red. A bit
:41:11. > :41:17.of pressure on this, especially after missing the blue. He is about
:41:18. > :41:40.a foot closer. It does make it slightly easier.
:41:41. > :41:47.He tried to force it over. If the red had gone into the middle of the
:41:48. > :41:51.pocket, he may have had forced it over a bit better put the blue in
:41:52. > :42:17.the left middle but Lou into the far left corner is not too bad. -- blue.
:42:18. > :42:26.I think that opening red by Mark Selby was played with a certain
:42:27. > :42:32.tension in the arm. He really didn't strike as well as he would have done
:42:33. > :42:37.later in the session. But that is testament to how good this player
:42:38. > :42:42.is, that even when he doesn't hit the ball is purely as he would like,
:42:43. > :43:20.he can still put the ball, that is a massive advantage as a player.
:43:21. > :43:27.He has got a good angle on the blue but you can see with pinkies. If the
:43:28. > :43:35.pink wasn't there, he would play the Canon, but that is not an option.
:43:36. > :43:59.Beautifully played. As the mutual, as a spectator, this
:44:00. > :44:05.is what you want to see, both players hitting the ball well,
:44:06. > :44:13.playing at their best. -- as a neutral. Mark knows that after that
:44:14. > :44:20.flying start from Ali Carter that he needs to make alley where that
:44:21. > :44:33.should alley make a mistake, he will take full advantage as well. -- Ali
:44:34. > :44:54.Carter. When he puts this pink, it will be
:44:55. > :45:01.closer to the red when it is re-spotted. That pink is acting as a
:45:02. > :45:27.blocker. So, not guaranteed to be on one
:45:28. > :45:33.here. Ali Carter will consider himself unlucky. That was the poor
:45:34. > :45:41.safety shot by Mark Selby. He got out of a snooker but he left the red
:45:42. > :45:50.on. Where is the red going? That is the problem, when you get that...
:45:51. > :45:55.Our colleague Willie Thorne calls it a flat. When you hit it with any
:45:56. > :45:59.kind of stunt or back spin, the cue ball comes away from the reds and
:46:00. > :46:14.heads towards the top cushion so he has nothing easy to go on here.
:46:15. > :46:26.It wasn't easy. He came to this day -- table. However many minutes
:46:27. > :46:31.later, he comes back, he is back where he once. This time, of course,
:46:32. > :46:52.it is a little bit easier to play it.
:46:53. > :46:57.A half-hearted attempt at the double. The main thing was to cover
:46:58. > :47:16.the red with the green and it looks as though he has done that.
:47:17. > :47:23.It looks like he is going to attempt to get the cue ball on the top
:47:24. > :47:28.cushion, he is just checking which red and where he would like to
:47:29. > :47:33.ideally leave the cue ball. He has already thought about clearing the
:47:34. > :47:42.red on the left of the table and putting the cue ball down behind the
:47:43. > :47:48.black. But he has spotted another type of shot. Is he playing this
:47:49. > :48:01.full in the face or is he possibly attempt in the pot? He placed the
:48:02. > :48:04.safety, very fortunate in the end. He misjudged that a bit, I think he
:48:05. > :48:16.wanted to play at full ball. His heart would have been in his
:48:17. > :48:20.mouth for a fraction there because it looked as though it could have
:48:21. > :48:31.run through enough. He will settle for it now though.
:48:32. > :48:37.Ali Carter will not be getting the best of this safety exchange. He
:48:38. > :48:46.pushes this red up the table but then sacrifices the safety exchange
:48:47. > :49:10.is Mark Selby now has first crack at getting a good safety.
:49:11. > :49:21.He got a huge bounce of the cushion. The white ball, that was. And the
:49:22. > :49:25.red came all the way down as well. That player would not have misjudged
:49:26. > :49:35.both of those balls unless that side cushion. In two bounce quite
:49:36. > :49:44.severely. -- unless that cushion was starting to bounce quite severely. I
:49:45. > :49:57.think he has sacrificed one of the reds. Not guaranteed, positionally,
:49:58. > :50:15.but you would expect Mark Selby to put this red. -- to pot this read.
:50:16. > :50:23.-- red. That was the problem. He was always going to run into the blue.
:50:24. > :50:40.Just got to roll it in for position. All play it further than that. That
:50:41. > :50:47.was a very good pot. He already has a 46 point lead. Another 40 point
:50:48. > :50:56.and he will be well past the winning line here. You can see them coming.
:50:57. > :51:02.Colours are available, reds are nicely situated. I would be
:51:03. > :52:28.amazed if he did not win the frame at this visit.
:52:29. > :52:41.67 remaining but not for long. This is a good reply from Mark Selby.
:52:42. > :52:52.He may have been a little bit fortunate to get this chance stop he
:52:53. > :53:02.played a poor safety and left Ali hampered. But there will be many
:53:03. > :53:06.twists and turns in these matches. When you have a little slice of
:53:07. > :54:05.luck, take full advantage. It will soon go the other way!
:54:06. > :54:18.Can't make a century but as Steve alluded to at the start of the
:54:19. > :54:25.match, Mark Selby gives every shot 100% concentration, and let's be
:54:26. > :55:01.fair, it is all a good bit of practice, isn't it?
:55:02. > :55:23.A little bit of an exhibition shot. He played it nicely.
:55:24. > :55:38.Another little exhibition shot. How was that for position on the black?
:55:39. > :55:49.Not quite. It didn't matter. Well, that was good. He showed Ali Carter,
:55:50. > :56:53.give me the chance and I will take it. It is one apiece.
:56:54. > :57:02.1-1. The second match. John Parrott and I were discussing what many
:57:03. > :57:06.people have been saying on social networks, saying the standard has
:57:07. > :57:11.not been up to scratch so far and yet, look at what we have seen
:57:12. > :57:16.today. Yes, two great players playing against to each other and to
:57:17. > :57:22.fabulous opening phrase. This is the highest standard we have seen so far
:57:23. > :57:28.in any match. There were lots of people saying the standard hasn't
:57:29. > :57:32.been very good. I was one of them. But when you get to players like
:57:33. > :57:36.that, they know they have to play well to beat the other. So, you
:57:37. > :57:38.would expect this to be a high standard. Thank you. Actor John and
:57:39. > :58:00.Steve. -- back to John and Steve. He decided playing it to sin was
:58:01. > :58:47.very risky so he played the safety. -- playing it too thin.
:58:48. > :58:54.Excellent return. You know players are playing well when they miss the
:58:55. > :59:23.baulk colours. Mark Selby didn't miss the yellow so
:59:24. > :59:27.every smoke pressure on this next shot from Ali. -- there is no
:59:28. > :59:38.pressure. Interesting there. That close-up of
:59:39. > :00:30.Mark Selbys last shot. Head shaking. I think he thought he hadn't reached
:00:31. > :00:36.for a second there. Not the first player we've seen at the Crucible,
:00:37. > :00:41.great player, who has some sort of head shaking.
:00:42. > :00:56.The great John Higgins was another player who, if you're a little
:00:57. > :01:00.nervous, it can focus the mind. But as long as it doesn't affect your
:01:01. > :01:20.back arm... Well, he's managed to miss the baulk
:01:21. > :01:25.colour this time. But it's a decent safety shot.
:01:26. > :01:35.Can't see any return back to the baulk end. We could see Ali playing
:01:36. > :01:51.a pot on this. Is there any value? I don't think the black is available.
:01:52. > :02:01.Jan the Haas was trying to get past him and Mark Selby warned him not to
:02:02. > :02:08.tip a bottle of water over. -- Jan the Haas.
:02:09. > :02:17.Venue blamed Alan McManus for not putting the top on the bottle. Could
:02:18. > :03:11.get in tight behind the yellow year. He's having it we placed. I can't
:03:12. > :03:13.believe that Ali will not be able to make the adjustment. Just got to try
:03:14. > :03:50.and nestle in. That's the line he's looking for. S
:03:51. > :04:02.he's used a lot of side. It's really sprung off the second cushion. He's
:04:03. > :04:05.got to try and put in a lot more to create that angle. He's left this
:04:06. > :05:28.red on to the right of the black. A tricky shot, this. But it is in.
:05:29. > :05:30.Beautiful! APPLAUSE
:05:31. > :05:49.What a recovery that was. Another little cannon that wasn't as
:05:50. > :06:04.planned. His cue ball will be flying round
:06:05. > :06:11.the table. Maybe it isn't as thin as it looks.
:06:12. > :06:25.Oh, well! Knock three Times and ask for Joe! In playing that with some
:06:26. > :06:30.back spin, he made that a bit harder but it did stop the cue ball from
:06:31. > :06:37.flying around the table. He didn't think he'd be getting the
:06:38. > :06:47.kiss on the red on the top cushion. The cue ball bounced off the black.
:06:48. > :07:34.This is a test. It was hard to generate the type of
:07:35. > :07:37.PC needed. Is he on the red to the corner here? The cue ball trying to
:07:38. > :07:51.get into them again but there was not enough space. -- case. -- pace.
:07:52. > :07:59.Spill Mark Selby is not found wanting that often but that was a
:08:00. > :08:03.huge amount of power and back spin required. I think Ali Carter has
:08:04. > :08:08.probably got him beaten in that department. But we are spitting
:08:09. > :08:20.hairs at this level really. -- splitting.
:08:21. > :08:26.JOHN VIRGO: In all honesty, he did well to get 32 there. Very good
:08:27. > :08:33.recovery shot to keep the break going. But just didn't split the
:08:34. > :08:38.reds. STEVE DAVIS: It's the second time he
:08:39. > :08:43.hasn't got a favourable kiss on the main pack. That was going to be very
:08:44. > :09:19.hard. They weren't ideally placed for that shot from that angle.
:09:20. > :09:25.As it isn't a straight black, the cue ball will go forward slightly
:09:26. > :09:30.and then come back in at an angle. Then you hope once it hits the red
:09:31. > :09:45.that there is enough back spin to spin them a little bit further.
:09:46. > :09:55.Well, the red ran on but is their value in trying to drop this red
:09:56. > :09:58.into the right middle? I know it's a very acute angle but the only one he
:09:59. > :10:17.could leave was the one he was playing, you would think.
:10:18. > :10:23.Deciding that it's too difficult a pot so trying to get the cue ball
:10:24. > :10:35.tight. Don't kiss the blue, whatever you do.
:10:36. > :10:47.He gave that cushion a nasty look as he walked past it but the cue ball
:10:48. > :10:53.effectively slid off that cushion in colliding with the blue. He
:10:54. > :10:57.misjudged the amount of side he put on the shot. It changed direction
:10:58. > :11:02.fractionally after hitting the cushion.
:11:03. > :11:15.The worst thing for a snooker player getting used to a table is if the
:11:16. > :11:23.different six commissions act differently -- six commissions act
:11:24. > :11:28.differently. Looking back on that safety shot when he caught the blue,
:11:29. > :11:31.he caught the ball much too thin. If you are going to put loads of side
:11:32. > :11:38.on that type of shot, you need to hit the red very thin. That was
:11:39. > :11:41.merely a good shot but just didn't get into the cushion enough. --
:11:42. > :12:05.nearly a good shot. Cushions There does look to be some
:12:06. > :12:07.type of plant into the right corner but I don't think any player can get
:12:08. > :12:18.to it. A nice shot, that, from Ali. And
:12:19. > :12:48.decent length. He's got to catch this thin to avoid
:12:49. > :12:57.the jaws of the corner pocket. Shouldn't be a problem. But was!
:12:58. > :13:28.The two reds together... The right-hand one went past the black.
:13:29. > :13:32.If it didn't, he'd be having the balls replaced. It's a half chance,
:13:33. > :13:39.this. Just a fraction out. As he left it?
:13:40. > :13:49.-- has he left it? He apologises to Ali Carter. He's
:13:50. > :14:43.got on the pink. It wasn't the wrong shot for Ali
:14:44. > :14:53.Carter to take the red instead of putting Mark Selby back in.
:14:54. > :15:01.He would have fully expected Mark Selby to have made the adjustment if
:15:02. > :15:06.he had put him back. There was a chance. He was a bit unlucky, Ali
:15:07. > :15:30.Carter. He hit that well. Yeah, it's a funny old game at
:15:31. > :15:37.times. In the first frame, Ali Carter had a chance with a wonderful
:15:38. > :15:41.102 break and he hasn't really been in the balls since. No. Great
:15:42. > :16:09.response from Mark Selby. He'd certainly consider, as has been
:16:10. > :16:10.mentioned before... It is a tough first-round match for players of
:16:11. > :16:21.this quality. The general standard of play in the
:16:22. > :16:26.first round of the World Championships can always been nervy
:16:27. > :16:34.but the general standard of the top 16 is very high. Very unlikely to
:16:35. > :16:42.get a player who is playing that poorly. There was a time when a
:16:43. > :16:48.player that was in the top 16 was out of form and the ranking system
:16:49. > :16:53.protected them to some degree but now anybody in the top 16 must be
:16:54. > :17:41.informed, must have proved they are in form during the season.
:17:42. > :17:49.He played for the red he is closest to. Just underhit it. Still 75
:17:50. > :17:59.remaining. Don't get me wrong, it's a big lead
:18:00. > :18:03.the way those three reds are on the left-hand side of the cushion, but
:18:04. > :18:09.Ali Carter will just be glad to still have a chance in this frame.
:18:10. > :18:15.If you moments ago, I'm certain he thought that Mark was going to
:18:16. > :18:17.clinch it at this visit. Yeah, no way of guaranteeing clearing the
:18:18. > :18:25.balls up in one visit at the moment. But a few safety shots can
:18:26. > :18:31.always change the equation. The layout of the reds... Its Mark
:18:32. > :18:37.Selby's job now in this frame to contain the situation.
:18:38. > :18:41.Ali Carter has got to try and open the reds up without leaving one on.
:18:42. > :19:06.That's always quite difficult. The half butts are no longer even
:19:07. > :19:12.put on the tables. So many players now have their own extensions. Every
:19:13. > :19:20.player now has their own extension. A great shot.
:19:21. > :19:27.The long spider and the long extendable rest are now put in the
:19:28. > :19:39.hooks running down the long side of the tables.
:19:40. > :19:55.APPLAUSE Just went behind the blue but it was
:19:56. > :20:00.an excellent safety. Mark may decide to take this on.
:20:01. > :20:05.Plenty of insurance with those three reds that are close to the left-hand
:20:06. > :20:10.side cushion and if he was to pot this red into the left corner, he
:20:11. > :20:14.would go 69 points ahead with only 67 remaining. Surely it has to be
:20:15. > :20:35.worth a go. He went for it but he's not got away
:20:36. > :20:39.with it. He's left this red on. So Ali's got a few points to play with
:20:40. > :20:53.here. He doesn't have to play all lacks, thankfully. -- blacks.
:20:54. > :20:57.But we've already highlighted the problem balls, those three on the
:20:58. > :21:11.left-hand side of the table. In a way, it isn't as bad having
:21:12. > :21:15.those three on the side of the table as it would be having a red on
:21:16. > :21:20.either side because it is a big bunch to go into to try and open
:21:21. > :21:28.them up. Has he got an angle off this? A bit too straight for that.
:21:29. > :21:35.He's got one more chance to get a good positional angle off colour.
:21:36. > :21:43.He could, of course, try and disturb reds with this red. But in this
:21:44. > :21:45.situation, he needs to guarantee being on a colour. He may be forced
:21:46. > :21:54.to do it. Yes, but you're right. If he puts
:21:55. > :21:55.this red and doesn't get on a colour, he's going to need a
:21:56. > :22:07.snooker. That's why he didn't play the cannon
:22:08. > :22:12.off the red. Is he going to screw directly into these reds or has he
:22:13. > :22:15.got to screw off the top cushion? Because there are three together, he
:22:16. > :22:26.will have to put plenty of pace into this. Going directly into them.
:22:27. > :22:32.APPLAUSE Well, that's pretty good. To bring
:22:33. > :22:41.all free interplay was asking an awful lot. -- all three into play.
:22:42. > :22:56.He could have done more damage had he come off the top cushion.
:22:57. > :23:06.He can consider himself a little bit unlucky to be right on top of the
:23:07. > :23:26.red. A safety behind the blue. Showing good patients here. --
:23:27. > :23:42.patients. Patience. This, for Mark Selby, is frame ball.
:23:43. > :23:46.46 ahead, 51 remaining. The pot this red, 47 ahead with only 43
:23:47. > :23:56.remaining. APPLAUSE
:23:57. > :24:02.And a terrific pot. Wasn't bothered about position, new that was frame
:24:03. > :24:10.ball. So one snooker to tie at the moment for Ali.
:24:11. > :24:45.A great pot but a poor safety for Ali Carter at this level of play.
:24:46. > :24:52.The problem facing Ali Carter is somehow having to get this safe. He
:24:53. > :24:54.knows that if he doesn't get it safe and the other red goes in for Mark
:24:55. > :25:16.Selby, the frame is over. I'll tell you what - this is a great
:25:17. > :25:19.effort. He's done very well to get that cue ball back to the baulk end.
:25:20. > :25:45.A good shot. Certainly knows his way round a
:25:46. > :25:50.table, Mark Selby. Former eight ball pool world champion so he knows
:25:51. > :25:56.clever shots. He made try to nudge the black to the cushion.
:25:57. > :26:33.This is the one red that Mark Selby didn't want to play. He was quite
:26:34. > :26:43.happy leaving it tight against the cushion. There is a red in open play
:26:44. > :26:52.that he can't get to. 14-macro point snooker needed for Ali Carter to
:26:53. > :26:57.tie. -- one snooker of four points needed.
:26:58. > :27:07.APPLAUSE Well, that's outrageous.
:27:08. > :27:13.Outrageous! He was forced into it and it's as sweet as a nut.
:27:14. > :27:25.So that's the end of this frame and since the first frame, when Ali made
:27:26. > :27:31.the break of 102, it has been all Mark Selby. Not winning frames in
:27:32. > :27:39.one visit particularly, but playing good, solid match snooker.
:27:40. > :28:10.Great shot! Take nothing away from the shot and the positional play.
:28:11. > :28:14.If there was a shot of the championship, that would probably be
:28:15. > :28:30.included in the nominations. As you say, John, frame over. Shots
:28:31. > :28:31.of the championship are sometimes determined by the significance of
:28:32. > :28:56.the shot in relation to the match. Lovely shot! I'll tell you what -
:28:57. > :29:06.he's in good touch here. REFEREE: Foul. Foul because the cue
:29:07. > :29:10.ball haven't stopped moving. Mark Selby is now looking very good. He
:29:11. > :29:15.is now in the lead by one frame. JASON MOHAMMAD: A decent comeback
:29:16. > :29:20.for Mark Selby. The longest frame of the match so far.
:29:21. > :29:26.Ali Carter started with a century break and Ben hasn't had his hand on
:29:27. > :29:31.the table. No decent chances because Mark Selby has dominated since then.
:29:32. > :29:36.That's the difference between this stage of the tournament and the
:29:37. > :29:39.first-round stage. Yes, you know you are coming up against a better class
:29:40. > :29:45.of play as the tournament goes on so you have to be at the top of your
:29:46. > :29:49.game. To say Mark Selby has only won three ranking tournaments, it's
:29:50. > :29:52.quite incredible. That's probably his only weakness - he has to start
:29:53. > :29:57.winning more. He's one of the best players in the game. When you look
:29:58. > :30:01.back on his career, he has to start winning more big tournaments. Last
:30:02. > :30:05.year we had this discussion at this moment when he won the Masters and
:30:06. > :30:08.the UK championship. The UK championship. People said was his
:30:09. > :30:12.best opportunity to win the triple Crown but it didn't happen. No, but
:30:13. > :30:19.this is an agreeably hard tournament to win. Stevie Ward said it was an
:30:20. > :30:25.achievement to win. I won one of them. There is added pressure
:30:26. > :30:28.because he's come year after year ended hasn't happened. He was
:30:29. > :30:33.involved in the best match I've ever seen when someone got beaten at the
:30:34. > :30:37.Crucible when he lost to John Higgins in 2000 and 913-12. I think
:30:38. > :30:41.that knocked him a bit because nobody could play that well and get
:30:42. > :30:56.beaten. I think it knocked him. Back to John and Steve.
:30:57. > :31:02.Willie Spears to frame advantage for the Jester from Leicester? -- will
:31:03. > :31:34.it be at two frame advantage? He came down and got the rest out.
:31:35. > :31:39.Very quick to be playing this. It shouldn't cause too much of a
:31:40. > :31:45.difficulty. Just giving himself that extra little pause for thought,
:31:46. > :32:15.which was necessary. He has played a good safety of there.
:32:16. > :32:23.That was a good shot. Whether he found the baulk cushion or not, he
:32:24. > :32:28.was in until bit of bother there and he's had to swerve around the blue
:32:29. > :32:44.and he just missed the pink and caught the edge of the red. Just a
:32:45. > :32:48.bit weak with that safety. Ali, in the last couple of frames, hasn't
:32:49. > :32:54.had too many chances. You usually create chances by playing good
:32:55. > :33:02.safety. He needs to play better safety than that. A chance for the
:33:03. > :33:12.red. Mark Selby has put his potting boots on so far in this match.
:33:13. > :33:19.Leaving your opponent on the baulk line is dangerous. It could be
:33:20. > :33:26.costly now. The one red he would love to get on is the one that is
:33:27. > :33:33.roughly occupying the black spot. Well, she decided that he would go
:33:34. > :33:39.into them. It could have worked out better. At first glance, he is not
:33:40. > :33:43.on anything that easy. I think the reason he went into them was the
:33:44. > :33:48.pink was tied up and the black was on the top cushion, he was hoping,
:33:49. > :33:58.maybe, to release the pink. That never happened. He is saying to yen
:33:59. > :35:19.the house to watch this closely. Well, that was nicely played, a good
:35:20. > :35:28.positional shot to get. The lack is available into both corners.
:35:29. > :35:31.Excellent scoring opportunity. And to take two frame advantage into the
:35:32. > :36:57.mid-session interval... Wrong side of the blue. It would
:36:58. > :37:02.appear that he has a lot more work to do now. Not too much of an angle
:37:03. > :37:10.on this blue to go in and out of baulk. Obviously, he has been
:37:11. > :37:17.checking to see whether bottom red on the left goes. He has big
:37:18. > :37:20.problems if it doesn't go. He made that look very easy. She really did
:37:21. > :37:39.strike that well. What a great shot Baptist. -- what a great shot.
:37:40. > :37:48.Really getting into his rhythm here. Whilst he has been nicknamed
:37:49. > :37:54.the torturer by Ronnie O'Sullivan as opposed to the Jester from
:37:55. > :38:01.Leicester, when he is in the right frame of mind, the terminology that
:38:02. > :38:15.John Parrott came out with was apt. The Hoover. He starts to
:38:16. > :38:19.relentlessly mop up the balls. He has got too much of an angle on the
:38:20. > :38:25.blue. It may force him into playing the cannon. He has enough loose reds
:38:26. > :38:30.without having to play the cannon. That is why he is playing the brown
:38:31. > :38:38.here. He can pick off three loose reds after this brand. Well, it just
:38:39. > :38:42.shows you. You just run out of position. That is not the ball he
:38:43. > :38:48.played for. It was an afterthought to play the brown ball. He didn't
:38:49. > :38:52.want to play the blue because he did not want to play the cannon, so now
:38:53. > :39:03.a chance for Ali. And a good chance, really.
:39:04. > :39:13.Roll too short. and I don't think there was any heavy contact there.
:39:14. > :39:23.He just realised how solid that second red would be. He may have a
:39:24. > :39:35.bit of a bounce on the cue ball. Tricky shot, this. He needs to get
:39:36. > :39:39.it, though. Very well played. OK, he is a bit close to the side cushion,
:39:40. > :39:46.a lot closer than he would have liked to have been. Putting the
:39:47. > :39:54.black was the most important then. Now, can he pot this red and get an
:39:55. > :40:01.angle on the blue? Well, he couldn't. If he had played it any
:40:02. > :40:09.harder, the cue ball would have gone into the middle pocket. I'm not sure
:40:10. > :40:12.whether he was trying to get as close to straight as possible and
:40:13. > :40:20.then he would have run through with the cue ball. But he ran too far. I
:40:21. > :40:25.think he was getting -- trying to get as close as he could. Now, he
:40:26. > :40:32.has left himself further away for this pot. A tough pot. But also
:40:33. > :40:36.tough to keep good position on the black. He has two screw across the
:40:37. > :40:49.face of the black, here. There was a bit more angle than I
:40:50. > :40:59.thought. So, he didn't risk trying to hold for the black. It looks like
:41:00. > :41:03.a straight one on the blue. Just a slight angle. But whether that is
:41:04. > :41:08.enough to enable him to force it off the side cushion, the brown ball may
:41:09. > :41:13.be in the way. There is a chance to put this but the orbit of left-hand
:41:14. > :41:25.side and hit the pink. That would open things up very nicely. Well,
:41:26. > :41:30.very credit. He could not have played that any better. And in all
:41:31. > :41:33.honesty, he deserved to be on something easier than this. I
:41:34. > :41:41.thought the brown might be in the way. A tricky red to the right
:41:42. > :41:45.middle. The pink was really the ball that was going to guarantee
:41:46. > :41:53.position. But even so, he can consider himself a bit unlucky. He
:41:54. > :41:55.has looked at the one in the middle. The problem with that if he
:41:56. > :42:13.will have to play a bit of pace. Nicely played. It needs to bounce.
:42:14. > :42:23.On this side of the baulk line. Well, the yellow is onto the middle
:42:24. > :42:30.but tough. He is right back in the frame. Just 26 points behind now.
:42:31. > :42:46.He played it nicely. So, this frame, well and truly back on.
:42:47. > :42:50.The only small thing in Mark Selby's favour is that the brown is
:42:51. > :43:09.not ideally placed for the clearance.
:43:10. > :43:27.Very nicely played but not nice enough. A miss.
:43:28. > :43:35.It was only a fraction away but he will have to be careful. In making
:43:36. > :43:40.that minor adjustment, it may come off the cushion slightly different.
:43:41. > :43:45.He doesn't want to run past this red he is trying to hit. You put a bit
:43:46. > :43:52.of extra pace and it squares up off the first cushion. That is the one
:43:53. > :44:02.thing also in Mark Selby's flight favour, I don't think the red below
:44:03. > :44:10.the pink is pottable. So, even if he does present an opportunity to Ali
:44:11. > :44:11.Carter, Ali Carter still have to play a positional shot that breaks
:44:12. > :44:31.open those two balls. Yes, he did at that time. A chance
:44:32. > :44:40.now for Ali to just flicked off that red that is just below the pink. He
:44:41. > :44:45.can bring the red into play. But it needs a good pupil. If these to be
:44:46. > :44:52.tight to the baulk cushion. -- a good cue ball. It is going the other
:44:53. > :45:03.way because he doesn't want to stick the red up to the other pocket. A
:45:04. > :45:10.chance for Mark Selby but no guarantees with this speculatively
:45:11. > :45:16.long red, should you try it into the right corner, then he can get back
:45:17. > :45:22.down the Bible, so he is playing the more difficult left corner. -- down
:45:23. > :45:35.the table. Getting the green would be lovely for Mark Selby. I have
:45:36. > :45:41.always said, and I will say it again, the player coming to the
:45:42. > :45:44.table always feels as if his opponent has been a little bit
:45:45. > :45:50.fortunate because nobody is really trying to come off the baulk cushion
:45:51. > :45:55.behind the ball. Mark Selby missed the red by quite some way. That
:45:56. > :46:02.tuple had more speed on it and also had a slightly different line, had
:46:03. > :46:06.he taken if he had parted the red. So, a little shake of the head from
:46:07. > :46:11.Ali Carter as he walked to the table, feeling that you grieved. He
:46:12. > :46:22.feels that Mark Selby was very lucky there.
:46:23. > :46:32.A big problem now to get it safe and he needs to get its say. 18 points
:46:33. > :46:36.behind. He is trying to come off to cushion is an play this red on the
:46:37. > :46:39.left-hand side of the table. I tell you what, it is a witty good line.
:46:40. > :47:05.What a great shot. Well played. Ali Carter will feel as if he
:47:06. > :47:11.deserved that. Perhaps the chance to get behind the green, unless he
:47:12. > :47:18.wants to play it within behind the yellow. He didn't really get it
:47:19. > :47:23.right, that. The trouble with playing it thin was that he could
:47:24. > :47:31.not get the red back into the middle of the table. A chance for Ali
:47:32. > :47:38.Carter but not the type of shot you want to play trying to put a red,
:47:39. > :47:47.colliding with red and black, not knowing whether it tuple is going to
:47:48. > :47:58.go. He has got to take it on. -- not knowing where the cue ball is going.
:47:59. > :48:10.What a wonderful pot that was. It kissed the black. This was a
:48:11. > :48:14.terrific shot. It nudges the blacks towards the side cushion but the pot
:48:15. > :48:21.was so important, it keeps him in the frame.
:48:22. > :48:32.And a terrific pot on the rink. He had to force that angle. It wasn't a
:48:33. > :48:37.natural. You can see the pink bounce there after he hit it. It just shows
:48:38. > :48:48.you, when you play with so much pace, it is hard to keep the ball is
:48:49. > :48:56.on the bed at the table. He needs a good angle on this pink, it doesn't
:48:57. > :49:03.want to be straight. Straight enough. He may even just have the
:49:04. > :49:10.angle here to pot the pink, come off the side ocean and maybe can and the
:49:11. > :49:23.red. -- side cushion. Maybe that is a positive. -- stability. He did. It
:49:24. > :49:27.worked out pretty well. So, only the problem of the brown. For Ali
:49:28. > :49:41.Carter. That is not to make light of the
:49:42. > :50:03.fact that the red was tough. I know it is strange thing to say,
:50:04. > :50:09.it is early on in the match, but this would be an important frame for
:50:10. > :50:19.Ali to win. An important one. The mini session coming to an end.
:50:20. > :50:25.It seemed that Mark Selby was calling all the shots until he just
:50:26. > :50:29.ran out of position and missed the brown which stopped him in his
:50:30. > :50:36.tracks and gave Ali a chance to get back in the frame. But this is the
:50:37. > :50:44.key shot, from green to brown. That was the brown that got Ali back to
:50:45. > :50:47.the table. The blue is looking like it could be in the way for a
:50:48. > :50:49.positional shot but if he plays it right, he can take it out of the
:50:50. > :51:05.equation. That was very close to being
:51:06. > :51:15.perfect. He has a sniff of the brown over the green pocket. He has looked
:51:16. > :51:21.at the scoreboard, brown and blue is all he needs so maybe worth taking
:51:22. > :51:27.the brown on. He doesn't have to do a lot with it tuple. A big shot,
:51:28. > :51:37.though. In his favour, the black is not on the spot.
:51:38. > :51:46.Has he got away with it? I don't think he has. He has. No, he has
:51:47. > :51:55.left it. You can see the swipe of the cue. That is something he needs
:51:56. > :52:12.to keep under control. Eight points, the difference.
:52:13. > :52:19.You wouldn't think it would be a problem to get from blue to pink but
:52:20. > :52:28.stranger things have happened. But he does need the black, you are
:52:29. > :52:36.back. -- you are right. He is nowhere on the pink. Just somewhere
:52:37. > :52:49.on the pink, apologies! And funnily enough, because he is a little bit
:52:50. > :52:52.further out, positionally, he could play a very aggressive positional
:52:53. > :52:55.shot, potting the pink, in and out of baulk, but he has looked at the
:52:56. > :53:21.double. He has lined up the double. I mentioned earlier on, he was the
:53:22. > :53:27.world eight ball pool Champion. Can he play it as a safety shot at the
:53:28. > :53:32.same time? That would make it much more attractive. I am not so sure he
:53:33. > :53:43.can get the cue ball back to the bottom cushion.
:53:44. > :53:52.If he could get the cue ball to the cushion, then, you know, he can miss
:53:53. > :53:58.the double. But, boy, he has played a good safety there. Ali will do
:53:59. > :54:13.very well not to leave a pot on this black. Seven points behind.
:54:14. > :54:24.Is that correct, John? Did your maths, you are more of a gambler
:54:25. > :54:45.than me. Three to one favourite? Yes, that is right.
:54:46. > :54:53.It was a bit of a shot for him, Ali Carter, to get the black like that.
:54:54. > :54:56.I think he thought it was a little bit of good fortune, it was a little
:54:57. > :54:57.bit of good fortune, hitting that black bear. All is fair in love and
:54:58. > :55:12.war. He made certain he got it safe but
:55:13. > :55:16.he has left the cue ball and object ball close together. He could be in
:55:17. > :55:38.more trouble next time around. In trying to get the black
:55:39. > :55:49.absolutely tight on the baulk cushion, he quit a bit on that shot.
:55:50. > :56:07.It's a very difficult attempt here, big cue ball going perilously close
:56:08. > :56:15.to the middle pocket as well. Fantastic pot. Deciding frame. Every
:56:16. > :56:26.spot. I don't know whether the referee has worked this out yet but
:56:27. > :56:38.it is every sporting black. Ali would take that! Account later for
:56:39. > :56:42.Yan Verhaus. Ali Carter potted that quite thick into the pocket. It
:56:43. > :56:48.could have very easily wobbled and stayed there. 50-50 now. For a three
:56:49. > :57:11.- one lead of 2-2. That is the modern way of playing
:57:12. > :57:22.it. It can cause problems. If you get the right problem -- angle, it
:57:23. > :57:35.causes a problem. Every hard to now play the shot.
:57:36. > :57:44.He's tried something similar before and didn't get that close to the
:57:45. > :57:50.pocket. That is the problem. So, it is a frame. An exciting frame. Some
:57:51. > :57:54.good pots from Ali Carter but in the end, he just wobble them black and
:57:55. > :58:01.she goes into the mid-session interval trailing Mike -- Mark Selby
:58:02. > :58:07.by three frames to one. We have had top quality snooker so far. A
:58:08. > :58:11.brilliant frame before the interval. Ali Carter has played an excellent
:58:12. > :58:16.frame but snookered just to lose it on the re-spotted black. There was
:58:17. > :58:19.one shot a that he could have played differently. He has got on the
:58:20. > :58:24.brown, after getting the green, if you're playing the shot, the way the
:58:25. > :58:29.school is, Ali only needs brown and blue so if you can played this a
:58:30. > :58:32.little softer and leave the cue ball near the side rail, the one thing
:58:33. > :58:38.you don't want to do is play at a faster pace. He had to played a
:58:39. > :58:43.little bit slower. He only asked to drop the blue in after that. I know
:58:44. > :58:49.he has taken the brown on with no intention of missing it. You can see
:58:50. > :58:56.what that meant to him. He was a bit annoyed with himself. It was such a
:58:57. > :58:59.brilliant break up to that. Keep up with a fantastic long red. Did all
:59:00. > :59:06.the hard work, got on the brown, but then, the fatal error, stops, turns
:59:07. > :59:10.around and looks at the school. Obviously, the importance of the
:59:11. > :59:15.shot puts more pressure on him. She could have played it perhaps a
:59:16. > :59:18.little bit less pacey but looking at the score just reinforced how
:59:19. > :59:25.important the shot was. Interesting body language. He is annoyed with
:59:26. > :59:30.himself. Mark Selby gets down and he can just sniff an opportunity. You
:59:31. > :59:35.are bound to be a bit annoyed. He put a lot of work into that frame
:59:36. > :59:40.and has nothing to show for it. A lot of hard work has gone into it,
:59:41. > :59:44.that is when it hurts. You don't mind long frames like that as long
:59:45. > :59:48.as you win them. We will now show you the best of the action from one
:59:49. > :59:55.of the remaining matches between Mark Davis and Dominik Vale, that is
:59:56. > :00:13.taking place on table one. -- Dominic Dale. First, a masterclass.
:00:14. > :00:37.I am going to jump the white ball over that. All right, lie down.
:00:38. > :01:01.This short here, I will spin the ball as long as possible. I will hit
:01:02. > :01:27.the right, then it is going to spin, spin, and we will see when it stops.
:01:28. > :02:16.There is usually time to take a drink.
:02:17. > :02:22.He is potting a bit of fizz into the afternoon at The Crucible. It is
:02:23. > :02:25.ladies day here today, and that is the subject of the table trick shot
:02:26. > :02:47.today. It is of course not the trip shots,
:02:48. > :02:52.we have done that! We have a previous champion here today, and
:02:53. > :02:59.recently trained the World Champion on Tuesday. How do you feel? I
:03:00. > :03:04.obviously over the moon. It is ladies day here, what is the idea of
:03:05. > :03:09.that? We want to get more women and girls involved in snooker all over
:03:10. > :03:15.the world, we're hoping to improve the game. What is the standard
:03:16. > :03:19.like? At the moment it is not too good. Most of the top players went
:03:20. > :03:23.to play pool. We want to bring them back and build up the circuit. Many
:03:24. > :03:28.people watching will perhaps not know your back story. How did you
:03:29. > :03:35.get involved? Watching my brothers playing, and I picked up the cue
:03:36. > :03:39.macro and started potting balls. I used to play in the clubs with my
:03:40. > :03:45.brother, I did not have a table in my home. How many women played at
:03:46. > :03:49.the World Championships? There was 32. A big improvement on last year.
:03:50. > :03:57.I did not know more stuff the players this year, so ladies day has
:03:58. > :04:03.obviously worked. How easy is it for girls to get involved in snooker? It
:04:04. > :04:06.is easy, but financially people cannot afford to come over and play
:04:07. > :04:11.in England, because that is where most Germans are based. Hopefully we
:04:12. > :04:16.can get into Asia and Europe as well. When you were growing up,
:04:17. > :04:20.where you interested in other sports? My mum would have preferred
:04:21. > :04:25.me to play tennis, but I love snooker. I wanted to be like my
:04:26. > :04:31.brother, not now! My brother was nearly professionally changed --
:04:32. > :04:37.trained. He needed sponsorship back then and had to work in the end.
:04:38. > :04:54.Stephen Hendry does not like to talk to anyone who has won too many World
:04:55. > :04:59.Championships! Today you have been given a few demonstrations to some
:05:00. > :05:04.budding snooker players. And some coaching. Yes, we want to make sure
:05:05. > :05:07.they are comfortable when they are playing, and improve the game. You
:05:08. > :05:10.have to start right at the bottom, get them involved and interested in
:05:11. > :05:16.snooker, and hopefully we have done that. Did you spot any budding
:05:17. > :05:24.talent? One girl had never picked up a cue and hit the ball well. So
:05:25. > :05:31.there was potential. Had any of them played beforehand? Now, everyone
:05:32. > :05:40.seemed to be involved in school sports, not snooker. In this country
:05:41. > :05:44.we are obsessed with football, rugby, cricket and tennis, how do we
:05:45. > :05:51.get more people involved in the game? It is difficult because a lot
:05:52. > :05:57.of the girls I see look really good and hold the cue well, but they are
:05:58. > :06:03.just playing pool. -- used to playing pool. Are few of them have
:06:04. > :06:07.talent on a pool table but not on the snooker table.
:06:08. > :06:18.What should we be doing to get more people involved? Getting people to
:06:19. > :06:24.be able to do this on the after school curriculum, just to get
:06:25. > :06:28.snooker noticed. Some youngsters, it is games consoles and things like
:06:29. > :06:37.that, but fingers crossed, they will move on. Do you think the whole of
:06:38. > :06:43.the sport needs to do more to get young people involved? I think you
:06:44. > :06:46.can always do more. During the world championship lots of people were
:06:47. > :06:55.watching on TV and they want to play snooker. So hopefully we can keep
:06:56. > :07:01.this up. On Saturday mornings at the clubs, we used to do 10-12 with the
:07:02. > :07:04.juniors, you could not wait to get in there. These things have sort of
:07:05. > :07:08.dropped off in the clubs, and it would be great if the clubs could
:07:09. > :07:14.reintroduce this, give juniors two hours in the morning and a couple of
:07:15. > :07:31.coaches. There are less and less snooker clubs. That is the problem.
:07:32. > :07:37.When I was younger, we had 60 snooker tables and everyone's living
:07:38. > :07:46.room! It is like football has taken over, that is all kids want to play.
:07:47. > :07:51.Hopefully I will be involved in the two next. Would it be a dream for
:07:52. > :07:54.you to appeared at The Crucible? I have played here to race through the
:07:55. > :08:00.ladies, but it would be fantastic to get here. She said you wanted me to
:08:01. > :08:05.enter the world championship so she could get me back! How nasty is
:08:06. > :08:10.that! Thank you for popping in for a chat. Are you doing any more
:08:11. > :08:16.watching? We are nearly finished, but we'll see what happens. Thank
:08:17. > :08:20.you very much indeed. In a few moments we will show you Dominic
:08:21. > :08:35.Dale against Mark Davis. This is one of the then use that Dominic Dale
:08:36. > :08:41.loves coming to. When you come here to play, there is not an atmosphere
:08:42. > :08:45.like it. The crowd are right there with you, you could almost push the
:08:46. > :08:47.cue, they are so