:00:37. > :00:43.It would make the record more special to do it here. If I had
:00:44. > :00:44.already done it before coming into the World Championships perhaps
:00:45. > :01:31.wouldn't be as special. Hello, welcome to the Crucible in
:01:32. > :01:36.Sheffield and the 2014 World Snooker Championship. In a week this venue
:01:37. > :01:41.will play host to the final. What an amazing event that will be. By then
:01:42. > :01:46.surely Neil Robertson would have become a record breaker by making
:01:47. > :01:48.100 century breaks for the season. Before that he had a tough second
:01:49. > :02:02.round match with Mark Allen. Mark Allen takes the opener and
:02:03. > :02:49.leads 1-0. Robertson with exactly 100 to take
:02:50. > :02:56.his tally to 98 for the season and 3-2 in front in this match.
:02:57. > :03:18.Oh! How unlucky was that? He came to the table 53 points behind but
:03:19. > :03:51.cleared with 55. He now leads 4-3. Very good. It is 4-4. I'm here with
:03:52. > :03:57.Terry Griffiths and John parrot. What did you make of the first
:03:58. > :04:03.session? Probably the best frame we have seen. High quality snooker. It
:04:04. > :04:10.looked a bit tense. You can see the edge is there. It looks a good match
:04:11. > :04:14.up? Yes, two of the best break builders in the game, two
:04:15. > :04:18.left-handed players. Mark Allen looked comfortable. He was ill in
:04:19. > :04:21.the first round, he had food poisoning. But this morning I
:04:22. > :04:25.couldn't pick anything between them. It was one of the best sessions we
:04:26. > :04:34.have had this year. Did you have much to say to him? He was very
:04:35. > :04:42.happy with himself. I said the best you can do is be 12-4 up. It is a
:04:43. > :04:47.phenomenal thing Neil Robertson is chasing to make a hundred centuries.
:04:48. > :04:52.Yes a lot of players don't do that in their own career. But Mark Allen
:04:53. > :04:57.will make it tough for him to make that century of centuries and to win
:04:58. > :05:04.this match. More of the same from the two players. Rob Walker it is
:05:05. > :05:09.all yours. We said they were four of the most talented players ever
:05:10. > :05:14.forced to contest a second round match here. And as you heard, so far
:05:15. > :05:19.all four have delivered. There is nothing to separate them and
:05:20. > :05:25.everything at stake tonight. As they continue their bid to join Ronnie
:05:26. > :05:28.O'Sullivan in the last eight here in Sheffield. What a night of
:05:29. > :05:39.entertainment we have in store here at the Crucible.
:05:40. > :05:45.Please welcome first of all a player rejuvenated over the last two years,
:05:46. > :05:49.the best form of his career has taken him back up into the world's
:05:50. > :05:54.top eight. Winner of two ranking event titles including this season's
:05:55. > :06:00.Aussie Open, he is back to the level which took him to the Cem Yips here
:06:01. > :06:05.in -- semies here in 06. Raise the roof for the pride of Hong Kong -
:06:06. > :06:26.Marco Fu. And his opponent a class act on and
:06:27. > :06:31.off the baize. One of the hardest workers in the sport. He skurped his
:06:32. > :06:36.fifth ranking event title in the world Open last month. He has
:06:37. > :06:45.changed his diet and embarked on a new fitness regime and he has also
:06:46. > :06:50.changed his walk on music. Here he comes, he is The Magician, she is
:06:51. > :07:09.Shaun Murphy. -- he is Shaun Murphy. And here on
:07:10. > :07:15.table 2, please welcome one of best break builders in the game.
:07:16. > :07:21.Overcoming food poisoning in the first round he is a double Crucible
:07:22. > :07:26.quarter finalist and he has won two European tour events this season. He
:07:27. > :07:53.is the pride of Northern Ireland, here comes The Pistol, Mark Allen.
:07:54. > :08:00.And finally, what a journey and what a story this Australian has become
:08:01. > :08:05.in the last decade. World champion in 2010, Masters winner in 12 and an
:08:06. > :08:11.emotional night in York in December when he won the UK title and
:08:12. > :08:16.completed snooker's Triple Crown. A break of 100 has left him within
:08:17. > :08:21.touching distance of snooker immortality. Could it be another
:08:22. > :08:28.mile sfoenest stone for the -- milestone for the current world
:08:29. > :08:46.number one. He is The Thunder from Down Under. He is Neil Robertson!
:08:47. > :08:52.Another superb noise in the Crucible. This one went all the way
:08:53. > :08:57.at the Masters in January, with Robertson winning the final two
:08:58. > :09:04.frames of their first round match to win 6-5. Shaun Murphy versus Marco
:09:05. > :09:16.Fu is on the red button and online. We are concentrating on Robertson
:09:17. > :09:26.versus Allen. And here is Dennis Taylor and. Really looking forward
:09:27. > :09:34.to this second session. The atmosphere as always fantastic. Both
:09:35. > :09:39.players in superb form. This is going to be a very interesting
:09:40. > :09:43.session indeed. The battle of the left-handers. Thank you, frame 9,
:09:44. > :10:03.Mark Allen to break. Mark Allen matched the world number
:10:04. > :10:38.one shot for shot and frame for frame.
:10:39. > :10:52.That is why there is very little to pick between them at the moment.
:10:53. > :11:03.Two centuries away from a century of centuries in one season. Quite
:11:04. > :11:34.incredible. Looks pretty good. Just a little
:11:35. > :11:47.narrow possibly. It may reach the yellow. Covered the most of reds.
:11:48. > :11:57.I think the ranking positions go out of the window in this match. This is
:11:58. > :11:59.going to be a tough match. Mark Allen is 14 in the world. He has
:12:00. > :12:15.slipped back this season a bit. The only thing Neil Robertson can do
:12:16. > :12:21.is slip back, because he is number one in the world. He caught that too
:12:22. > :12:25.thin. It could have been worse. There is a gap through to the one
:12:26. > :12:27.for the right corner. But the natural angle would take him into
:12:28. > :12:48.the red. Every chance he would finish
:12:49. > :13:22.nowhere. That is why he is playing the safety shot.
:13:23. > :13:30.I tell you what, this will be a tester for Neil Robertson. He can
:13:31. > :13:34.just get past the pink, but there is only a little bit of the red
:13:35. > :13:37.sticking out. The referee having a look. Neil stepped back in case he
:13:38. > :13:50.missed it. If he misses the red he will hit the
:13:51. > :14:00.black. So he must be very precise. No problem.
:14:01. > :14:10.They're not only potting so well, their tactical play is excellent.
:14:11. > :14:26.There is another terrific shot from Mark Allen.
:14:27. > :14:36.No escape route this time. He is going to have to find a place up in
:14:37. > :14:51.this end. Nothing very inviting there, is there?
:14:52. > :15:01.He has had a good look around. But possibly if he come off two cushions
:15:02. > :15:11.and landed on that, even then he might leave a red on.
:15:12. > :15:23.I don't blame him for having a good think about this. But that shot
:15:24. > :15:25.might not be too bad, you know? The two reds to the left, one of them
:15:26. > :15:48.might pot. He has miss-hit it completely. He
:15:49. > :15:54.wasn't trying to, he was trying to leave the white on the cushion. If
:15:55. > :15:59.he potted the red he would have just - there again if he hadn't potted
:16:00. > :16:06.the red he would be in trouble. He was in a big hole there was the
:16:07. > :16:08.Australian. You do get times out and there is no escape. It is just as
:16:09. > :16:20.well to go for a pot then. There is no point in messing your
:16:21. > :16:24.safety up. He played that second cannon off the red to try and get
:16:25. > :16:42.this side of the black, but he has left himself in an awful position.
:16:43. > :16:49.Very well played, but he never really had control of the cue ball.
:16:50. > :16:54.But he had to make sure of the pot. Because if you miss that, that means
:16:55. > :17:06.you could be on another red by missing the potting angle.
:17:07. > :17:12.He'd like to play the safety shot off the one that is on for that
:17:13. > :17:20.right corner, but I don't know if he can find the gap.
:17:21. > :17:32.Well played. If he misses the green that is even better. That is ot
:17:33. > :17:36.excellent -- another excellent shot. He has got Neil trapped again by the
:17:37. > :17:42.looks of thing. He had to stun that. That wasn't a natural. There might
:17:43. > :17:47.be a path down the table if he plays it with a bit of pace. I think Neil
:17:48. > :18:12.can get down off one of the reds. I think he can get it into the gap.
:18:13. > :18:18.Mark Allen has a path to take this red on into the corner. He may be
:18:19. > :18:34.able to avoid the reds and the black.
:18:35. > :18:39.He is close to the middle pocket. He is OK though. Behind the yellow
:18:40. > :18:50.would be a bonus. He went all out for the pot and
:18:51. > :19:12.hoped to get on a baulk. Neil Robertson might be the best
:19:13. > :19:17.potter in the game, but you can't pot them if you're in these sorts of
:19:18. > :19:24.positions each time. I can't see a path through to the red that is near
:19:25. > :19:28.the right corner pocket this time. He would be like to be able to lay
:19:29. > :19:30.on that. But there is balls covering that. Which ever way he would try to
:19:31. > :19:42.get to it. If he tries to lay on the two reds
:19:43. > :19:44.behind the black and red he will leave the one that is over the
:19:45. > :19:49.pocket. He would have to come into them from the left side of the table
:19:50. > :20:07.as which look at it. So he could go twice across and lay on that.
:20:08. > :20:12.He was always going to do well not to leave some sort of pot. But the
:20:13. > :20:38.pot he has left is an awkward one. Just having a look where he can
:20:39. > :20:49.place the cue ball. Make sure he doesn't leave that red available
:20:50. > :20:52.into the right corner. He is not looking for a snooker, but a good
:20:53. > :20:54.position over the left side of the table to the left of the brown and
:20:55. > :21:10.yellow. That would be just as good. Anywhere over there is pretty good,
:21:11. > :21:15.I think. Blocked the path off with the pink and black to come down the
:21:16. > :21:25.left side of the table and there might just be a path through to a
:21:26. > :21:29.possible pot. But you can see the one he is looking at that, the left
:21:30. > :21:37.of the three reds above that one that is nearest the pocket. If he
:21:38. > :21:48.took the pot op, he would cannon straight into them.
:21:49. > :21:58.He has been in a few tough spots has Neil Robertson so far in this
:21:59. > :22:04.opening frame. He has spent a lot of time, much more time walk around the
:22:05. > :22:07.table than he has been potting balls. He hasn't had a pot to go for
:22:08. > :22:27.yet, Dennis. Nicely played. Once again just
:22:28. > :22:32.having to get out of trouble. There no way he could put Mark Allen in a
:22:33. > :22:37.difficult situation there with the safety play. It is the pink and
:22:38. > :22:42.black is the problem, they're covering the left hand side of pack
:22:43. > :22:48.for all the shots Neil Robertson wants to play. This time the red is
:22:49. > :23:02.available. He will play that red now, get it
:23:03. > :23:22.out of the way. Neil will be getting a bit mixed up
:23:23. > :23:29.now he can see a red. It is amazing three of the frames have finished
:23:30. > :23:35.quicker than and we have only got one red gone.
:23:36. > :23:42.The last frame of the opening session only lasted just over 10
:23:43. > :23:47.minutes. This one has been going coming up to 14 minutes, bup it's
:23:48. > :23:49.just the way -- but it's just the way the balls have gone. There has
:23:50. > :24:11.been some brilliant tactical play. Where is that cue ball? It is going
:24:12. > :24:18.close to the corner pocket. Needs to pull up. It is not going to. At
:24:19. > :24:28.first glance, I don't think there is anything available. It has cost him
:24:29. > :24:32.four points. Oofbg the safety would have been - of course the safety
:24:33. > :24:34.would have been a lot more difficult for Neil if that ball had stayed in
:24:35. > :25:10.the jaws of pocket. Niamhs had breaks of 69, 50, 155.
:25:11. > :25:17.Not a break of 155. It was 100 and 55. I thought he was playing well!
:25:18. > :25:38.Of course Mark's had breaks of 62, 9 #2shgs 2, 56, 82. This is turning
:25:39. > :25:54.into an awkward frame, the way the balls are situated.
:25:55. > :26:05.Just the safety shot here. Well, the cue ball's come further up than Neil
:26:06. > :26:12.would have liked then. It is a red into the centre and the top corner
:26:13. > :26:18.pocket. Which ever one he chooses, they're going to be difficult after
:26:19. > :26:22.such a bout of safety. You're just trying to get your rhythm going. And
:26:23. > :26:43.a good test this. Well played. Worth another look.
:26:44. > :26:48.That is the key of the top players having a long bout of safety and
:26:49. > :27:00.then having the chance being able to take it. Well that is amazing. OK,
:27:01. > :27:08.he may not have left anything, but to miss the pink after cracking the
:27:09. > :27:12.long red in. Look where the pink finished. Blocked the path of the
:27:13. > :27:15.red that he played to get on. If I don't think I have seen a ball
:27:16. > :27:22.missed by that much. There was something strange about that, wasn't
:27:23. > :27:29.there? Look how far he misses this by. That is two inches. It is a
:27:30. > :27:48.hundred out of a hundred shot most of the time that.
:27:49. > :27:56.He is certainly taking a long time over a lot of shots, Neil. Coming up
:27:57. > :28:04.to a minute again. It is a straight forward safety shot.
:28:05. > :28:11.And Mark can get through to this red. So although he missed the easy
:28:12. > :28:13.pink, he was fortunate to have covered the easy red he played for.
:28:14. > :28:25.But this will cut in. Maybe Mark can't see that one that
:28:26. > :28:34.is over the pocket. That is pretty tight looking at that angle. That
:28:35. > :28:48.other red's in the way of cutting that one in.
:28:49. > :28:57.Is he playing it with side to bend it around the other red. He is and
:28:58. > :29:07.he has over-done it can you believe that? Swerved it and over. Right
:29:08. > :29:14.hand side and you had the perfect picture of him bending around the
:29:15. > :29:17.other red. A bit unlucky to over-cut that. Coming up to half an hour
:29:18. > :29:43.since Neil's last pot. Played with a lot of drag, just to
:29:44. > :29:47.hold the white. You hit the white on the bottom and you can hit it with a
:29:48. > :29:49.bit of pace, but striking the cue ball on the bottom, takes a lot of
:29:50. > :30:00.the pace out of it. It won't be easy with how the reds
:30:01. > :30:28.are situated. Straightaway, trying to move some
:30:29. > :30:37.reds to make this a chance to win the frame. The pink is available as
:30:38. > :31:04.well as the black. It looks as if he is going to play
:31:05. > :31:16.the plant. Well done. Well controlled. He did not want to risk
:31:17. > :31:26.trying that direct, it was pretty well judged. And now he has got the
:31:27. > :31:36.chance. Moving the reds really made such a difference. He has every
:31:37. > :31:42.chance now. The main difference is quite noticeable. There is a bit of
:31:43. > :31:53.tactics. This morning was a very quick match. Robertson is aware of
:31:54. > :32:08.that and the slowing things down. His average shot selection is much
:32:09. > :32:20.more than the times of Mark who likes a good open game. Good point,
:32:21. > :32:36.Terry, you know Mark's game inside out. Neil Robertson has thought
:32:37. > :32:54.about many of these shots for over a minute. That previous shot was poor.
:32:55. > :33:10.Does not want the pink and the blue spot. -- on the. He has left himself
:33:11. > :33:17.an angle for the black. Can the move some more reds with another cannon,
:33:18. > :33:41.but he has just played a delicate one.
:33:42. > :34:14.Couldn't do enough here. Purposefully held the black spot.
:34:15. > :34:28.A slightly different frame to what we saw in the morning session. Neil
:34:29. > :34:38.Robertson is looking very comfortable.
:34:39. > :34:45.42 ahead, still need quite a few to secure this first frame of the
:34:46. > :35:18.session. This red is tight and the cushion --
:35:19. > :35:25.tight on. That will help slightly. He has spotted something else on the
:35:26. > :35:44.cue ball this time. Something on the cloth? Don't move the red, whatever
:35:45. > :35:54.you do. When it hits that near cushion, how many times do you see
:35:55. > :36:03.the ball pot out? Just the pace took that into the pocket. He needs a
:36:04. > :36:16.good angle. The red and a black means the frame will be safe, that
:36:17. > :36:23.is his main concern. Just needs the black, but he will be disturbing the
:36:24. > :36:29.reds as he looks for another century break.
:36:30. > :36:45.Has not worked out. But the framers more or less secure. -- frame is.
:36:46. > :36:46.But he will need a new Robertson special to have any chance of a
:36:47. > :37:10.century. And that is a special! He will need
:37:11. > :37:27.to screw back to leave the red behind the black. Well! He was
:37:28. > :37:39.trying to do that. He will need to look at the tip of his cue to make
:37:40. > :37:42.sure he has not damaged it. But already won the frame with a break
:37:43. > :37:48.of 82. Another century break was not to be.
:37:49. > :38:04.Let's bring you up to date. Shaun Murphy has made a very good
:38:05. > :38:13.start to the second session. Looking calm and focused. He won the last
:38:14. > :38:22.game between these two Mac in the quarterfinals of the Masters. John,
:38:23. > :38:29.sometimes you get a sense of the atmosphere. There is an edge
:38:30. > :38:38.tonight. Is that affecting the players? It was just a highly
:38:39. > :38:48.tactical frame. But some cracking stuff. With a brilliant shot in the
:38:49. > :38:58.middle. Robertson played a lots of clever shots, you can see why he has
:38:59. > :39:06.made 100 centuries almost in a season.
:39:07. > :39:19.I am sure the crowd is enjoying it. That looks OK. Sometimes when you
:39:20. > :39:31.play that kind of shot you can take a little bit out of the tip, but
:39:32. > :39:39.thankfully it looks intact. It was always going to be difficult to get
:39:40. > :39:49.that century. An early half chance here.
:39:50. > :40:09.He is on the yellow. A chance to get back up to the reds. Once he gets
:40:10. > :40:13.potting, he is relentless. I will take that back! A very
:40:14. > :41:37.unexpected miss. Day he shot coming up. -- a key
:41:38. > :41:42.shot. Beautifully played. This is what he has been doing when Neil
:41:43. > :41:52.Robertson has taken the lead, hitting right back again.
:41:53. > :42:02.This must be tight. You can play it around to the back of the bunch. He
:42:03. > :42:42.has just made it. He has played for the red that
:42:43. > :42:53.Dennis mentioned, below the pink. Does not like the angle, so may take
:42:54. > :43:03.the red into the left corner. He plays with the rest using his right
:43:04. > :44:14.hand, a number of left-handers used to do that.
:44:15. > :44:26.There has never been more than one frame of a difference between the
:44:27. > :44:32.players in this match so far. Leaving the blue safe in the
:44:33. > :44:39.knowledge that there is a red near the bottom of the table as well. To
:44:40. > :44:52.construct on that one he needs a slight angle. It looks good.
:44:53. > :45:13.At the top of the show Jason alluded to the Masters match they played.
:45:14. > :45:22.Although new as well , that was a great match they played in the
:45:23. > :45:25.Masters. That has finished just a little awkwardly. Can still be taken
:45:26. > :46:01.into the middle pocket. Great recovery. Still a little bit
:46:02. > :46:11.to be done. A possible 67 left on the table. Needs this black and one
:46:12. > :46:20.more red. I think he has gone too far. There is not a plant in the
:46:21. > :46:28.middle. Just an awkward red up to the top corner. Must be close to
:46:29. > :46:38.being a plant, he is just double-checking. It must be very,
:46:39. > :46:48.very close. That is what he is looking at. He has now gone around
:46:49. > :46:55.the other side. It looks as if it is just going slightly to the right of
:46:56. > :47:01.the pocket as we look at it, but he can straighten that up, because they
:47:02. > :47:07.are pretty close together. Just to screw back onto the cushion, he does
:47:08. > :47:24.not need to get onto the black, just one more red. Well played, and he is
:47:25. > :47:39.on the black as well. Nicely judged. With a cannon here, every chance he
:47:40. > :47:43.might make a century. The other red had moved when he played the plant,
:47:44. > :47:58.so he didn't even need to play the cannon. Did not quite get the cannon
:47:59. > :48:07.he wanted one the pink, disappointing but not the end of the
:48:08. > :48:16.world. Eight of shot on the green need. -- a tough shot. Not quite,
:48:17. > :48:37.but an excellent effort. 5-5. You sense that both players have
:48:38. > :48:47.found their rhythm. That is why it is a good matchup. It will be punch
:48:48. > :48:59.and counterpunch) way through. -- right the way through. This is
:49:00. > :49:05.against a world number one. You know what to expect, it is about
:49:06. > :49:16.opportunities. Shaun Murphy has made a great start on table one. Does he
:49:17. > :49:25.have a world title in him? He took one in 2005 by potting everything
:49:26. > :49:34.except the lampshade! He has a chance. As for this one, I can see
:49:35. > :49:46.it going to the final session. Terrific snooker. Back to Dennis.
:49:47. > :49:59.If he takes this one he will go into the bunch of roads. -- reds. Every
:50:00. > :50:10.chance he could hit that bunch and finish on the black, but will he
:50:11. > :50:19.take the risk? Very evenly matched as John was saying. He thinks it
:50:20. > :50:32.could go all the way. That is the natural angle, play it like
:50:33. > :50:43.Hawk-Eye. But he is to attacking, for me, Hawk-Eye, he goes for
:50:44. > :51:19.everything! Will now reach? -- will that?
:51:20. > :51:29.A stalemate at the moment. The players would like to get that red
:51:30. > :51:35.between the blue and yellow back up the table and the frame back to
:51:36. > :51:44.normal but from this angle he is hampered. After another couple of
:51:45. > :51:56.shots like this, the referee might ask, do you want me to set them up
:51:57. > :52:01.again, boys? No score, and Mark is now looking to see if he can send it
:52:02. > :52:17.back up the table. Slightly easier for him to cue. He did not want to
:52:18. > :52:24.catch the Brown. Not against a player like Neil Robertson.
:52:25. > :52:53.That is not too high. Once again, a red comes on the pocket. He has got
:52:54. > :53:04.an angle, can he screw it in and slip past the black? A delicate
:53:05. > :53:17.little one. A pretty good effort. Just a bit too much screw. A
:53:18. > :53:32.difficult black now. He just got into that too much.
:53:33. > :53:50.Good safety. Must not be disappointed, he was not on the
:53:51. > :53:57.black. Very important to make sure you play a good safety, give your
:53:58. > :53:59.opponent something to think about. Should not be a problem, landing in
:54:00. > :54:28.the reds off two cushions. That was risky. If it hit full ball
:54:29. > :54:39.it would have left a red. I am sure he did not play to just glance like
:54:40. > :54:43.that. He got away with it. Needs to miss the yellow. Trying to get
:54:44. > :55:04.behind the Brown. No value in the red to the right
:55:05. > :55:16.corner. No colour available. Heading towards the ground again. -- brown.
:55:17. > :55:23.That is the target at the moment. Still terrific snooker, although the
:55:24. > :55:39.opening frame last 20 minutes, there was still a 70 to break. So a bit of
:55:40. > :55:48.everything. Some very good tactical play and two frame winning breaks.
:55:49. > :56:04.The pink is covering the reds on the left-hand side. That will limit both
:56:05. > :56:07.players. Hawk-Eye shows us that there is nothing on the right-hand
:56:08. > :56:19.side as we look at it now from that point of view. Trying to avoid the
:56:20. > :56:27.other reds when taking this one on. Everything moved! Green, red, white
:56:28. > :56:35.and the middle pocket... The escape route was on but the Brown made it
:56:36. > :56:41.so difficult. Otherwise he would have got back down the table. But
:56:42. > :56:53.that was always going to be difficult. The black is now free. He
:56:54. > :57:01.has tried for it. I think he is just about OK. He would have loved to
:57:02. > :57:10.have been on this in such a way that he could just nudge the red above
:57:11. > :57:17.it. That would clear things. But not as straightforward.
:57:18. > :57:34.He has played it well. A couple of little cannons, but he judged it
:57:35. > :57:50.very nicely. All of a sudden, a good chance for the Australian. Well! Can
:57:51. > :57:53.you believe it? An unexpected miss from the world number one. The
:57:54. > :58:08.chance falls to Mark Allen. That could be very costly for Neil
:58:09. > :58:17.Robertson. At this point we say good night to you on BBC Two -- goodbye.
:58:18. > :58:24.But you can follow this match as well as table one on the BBC sport
:58:25. > :58:29.website. Do join me for highlights at 11:20pm here on BBC two. Goodbye
:58:30. > :59:08.for now. BBC Radio 5 live
:59:09. > :59:12.is where news comes to life. And next week on 5 live Breakfast,
:59:13. > :59:16.we're travelling across the UK to explore the stories
:59:17. > :59:19.that matter to you...