Friday, 2nd Round, Afternoon

:00:34. > :00:39.Good afternoon, only 16 players remain in this year's Betfred World

:00:40. > :00:42.Championship and at the start of the day after a first round that was

:00:43. > :00:46.dramatic from start to finish on Saturday night I'm sure you will

:00:47. > :00:48.remember, everybody in the Winter Gardens, defending champion Stuart

:00:49. > :00:51.Bingham went out in a final friend decide and the last of the

:00:52. > :00:55.first-round matches was concluded late last night as the clock ticked

:00:56. > :00:59.towards midnight, the world No 10 going home at the expense of Kyren

:01:00. > :01:06.Wilson, the 24-year-old from Kettering who went through to round

:01:07. > :01:10.two. In all, seven seats given the elbow in round one but we are left

:01:11. > :01:12.with quite a few of snooker's heavyweights, as we say seconds out,

:01:13. > :01:32.around two. # I will make a promise

:01:33. > :01:46.# To be true to myself # And always be honest

:01:47. > :01:57.# I will do what's right. # We are touching the sky tonight.

:01:58. > :01:58.# Yeah, yeah

:01:59. > :02:14.# We are touching the sky tonight. # The second round draw is now

:02:15. > :02:18.complete and it looks like this, two men who have done some damage,

:02:19. > :02:25.Carter and McManus squaring up, 5-3 in front, Ricky Walden and John

:02:26. > :02:31.Higgins is world's number nine and eight. The Trump- Ding Junhui tie is

:02:32. > :02:34.the tie of the round, both waiting for a world title, Mark Williams

:02:35. > :02:39.taking on Michael Holt. Anthony McGill up against Marco Fu, the man

:02:40. > :02:42.from Hong Kong slightly ahead. Barry Hawkins playing Ronnie O'Sullivan

:02:43. > :02:48.for the third time in four years. Mark Allen knows he will face Kyren

:02:49. > :02:51.Wilson. And Sam Bennett, the lowest ranked player left in the draw at 59

:02:52. > :02:56.takes on the man at the top, Mark Selby. Ken Doherty is with us for

:02:57. > :03:00.the afternoon as we take stock of what has been a hugely eventful

:03:01. > :03:05.first six days, losing seven seeds, just one shy of the record and in

:03:06. > :03:09.commentary terms we are a man down. Dennis Taylor is nowhere to be seen

:03:10. > :03:14.today. For old Dennis, he has appendicitis and if you are watching

:03:15. > :03:18.at home, a speedy recovery because if you are not here, who will

:03:19. > :03:23.mention 1985 again! He is in the recovery room, he's fine, no doubt

:03:24. > :03:27.he is watching now. Dennis, a couple of hours, I'm convinced you will be

:03:28. > :03:32.back for the evening session, get well soon. When it comes to looking

:03:33. > :03:35.at the seeds to go out there was almost a record equalling eighth

:03:36. > :03:38.yesterday because Judd Trump against Liang Wenbo found himself in all

:03:39. > :03:46.kinds of difficulties. He was actually 3-7 behind when the Chinese

:03:47. > :03:51.player took on a very risky shot. We have mocked it up on the table,

:03:52. > :03:55.explain what was going on. Liang Wenbo was 7-3 head, we've created

:03:56. > :04:00.the exact position. He's had a look at the green for the double here in

:04:01. > :04:03.that position. I'm going to have a go to demonstrate it, 7-3 up, you

:04:04. > :04:09.could try and keep the pressure on your opponent and player safety shot

:04:10. > :04:12.on the green, but this green for us professionals is relatively

:04:13. > :04:17.straightforward. If I go across the other side. Get into position, we

:04:18. > :04:21.will have a look at what he did, here it is. This was a heck of a

:04:22. > :04:24.risky shot to take on in the circumstances when there wasn't much

:04:25. > :04:29.pressure on him being so far ahead. 7-3 ahead, you would say he wants to

:04:30. > :04:33.keep his opponent under pressure, but is this a double you would

:04:34. > :04:38.expect to get? OK, there is a little pressure on it, but if he gets it he

:04:39. > :04:45.has the opportunity of this red and this red and possibly winning the

:04:46. > :04:48.frame and going into a more or less unassailable 8-3 lead. He may have

:04:49. > :04:52.put a bit of side on it and that is why he missed, but it is basically

:04:53. > :04:57.just across the table just like that. A little bit of side, just

:04:58. > :05:00.like I did. CHUCKLES

:05:01. > :05:04.That is why he missed it. Sometimes when you are in that situation, if

:05:05. > :05:09.you see the opportunity you've got to take it. If he plays the safety

:05:10. > :05:12.shot he doesn't get another opportunity and he would be kicking

:05:13. > :05:17.himself for a couple of frames and it may have cost him anyway. For me

:05:18. > :05:22.it was the right shot to play but he didn't execute it, just like me, as

:05:23. > :05:25.usual, in demonstrations. It was the turning point in the match because

:05:26. > :05:28.from their Judd Trump went on to win seven of the next eight frames and

:05:29. > :05:33.he goes through, and it was a very tenacious performance from the world

:05:34. > :05:39.number five. And true to his word, he did keep his promise to buy the

:05:40. > :05:42.drinks afterwards, he put ?200 behind the bar here in Sheffield on

:05:43. > :05:47.a first-come first-served basis, while I was on the makeshift I'm not

:05:48. > :05:52.sure what Ken chose for his free drink from Judd Trump. It will be a

:05:53. > :05:57.costly habit if he keeps it up. I'm sure everybody who had a drink will

:05:58. > :06:00.be delighted with the sore heads this morning but no woolly heads

:06:01. > :06:05.here today because we have a lot to do on day seven.

:06:06. > :06:11.Two-time champ Mark Williams hasn't got this far at the Crucible 4-for

:06:12. > :06:16.years and his opponent Michael Holt waited even longer, over a decade!

:06:17. > :06:21.Marco Fu knows he could be the first man into the quarters this evening

:06:22. > :06:26.but there is a long way to go. He has stealthily established a 5-3

:06:27. > :06:29.advantage. Twice a run-up here, the tenacious Ali Carter heading in the

:06:30. > :06:32.right direction again, he has his nose in front against the veteran

:06:33. > :06:36.Alan McManus, second session coming soon. World War I Mark Selby

:06:37. > :06:40.prepares to face the biggest outsider left this year, what can

:06:41. > :06:46.Birmingham's Sam Baird do to stop him cleaning up? Selby leads the pop

:06:47. > :06:53.quiz standings but what can he do about that? Fine control, as you

:06:54. > :06:58.would expect from a player still in the tournament. And maple or ash,

:06:59. > :07:03.one Court 2, we will discuss the finer points of the snooker cue. But

:07:04. > :07:06.first, at 10am this morning we were eager to catch a glint of something

:07:07. > :07:14.we hadn't seen at the Crucible since 2012. Yes, a Welsh potting machine

:07:15. > :07:15.in full working order into round two, to everyone's delight Mark

:07:16. > :07:30.Williams is still with us. I call him my hero. You could not

:07:31. > :07:33.possibly meet a more down-to-earth guy than Mark Williams. He's

:07:34. > :07:37.probably the most relaxed player I've played. He just takes his

:07:38. > :07:42.practice game into tournament and if he's good enough he wins and if not

:07:43. > :07:50.he doesn't, he doesn't moan. Mark Williams, I love him. He is so calm

:07:51. > :07:55.and laid-back. If he was more laid-back he would fall over. He

:07:56. > :07:59.always just looks as if every game is so easy to him. He just floats

:08:00. > :08:04.about the table and it makes you a little bit mad sometimes occurs you

:08:05. > :08:08.might be walking around the table feeling under pressure and he

:08:09. > :08:11.whizzes around as if he's out for a stroll. Funny, the one-liners are

:08:12. > :08:14.always very good, very witty and he likes to get involved in social

:08:15. > :08:20.media with a bit of banter with the fans, which I quite like as a

:08:21. > :08:24.player, up there with the greatest ever. He takes live not too serious,

:08:25. > :08:28.he takes his game not too serious but probably one of the all-time

:08:29. > :08:38.greats of the game. Great player, yeah. His clothing isn't as good as

:08:39. > :08:41.his snooker. The fashionista that is Mark Williams, what can you say?

:08:42. > :08:43.It's a good thing he's a good snooker player because his dress

:08:44. > :08:49.sense is just completely nonexistent!

:08:50. > :08:56.He is always suave, isn't he? This man certainly is, Michael Holt, the

:08:57. > :09:00.man who is taking on Mark today. Mark is one of his greatest admirers

:09:01. > :09:04.in Michael, who achieved arguably his best result in his 20 year

:09:05. > :09:07.career knocking at the world number four Neil Robertson in the opening

:09:08. > :09:13.round and he is well up for facing Williams right now.

:09:14. > :09:19.Amazing player, one of the greatest, nothing else you can say, he has won

:09:20. > :09:25.the lot, for one reason, because he's brilliant. Like I say, again,

:09:26. > :09:29.boring, just got to play the table and if I get my chances and take

:09:30. > :09:32.them he will have to play well to beat me.

:09:33. > :09:35.These two are great friends and fellow practical jokers, they are

:09:36. > :09:38.legendary on the snooker tour and this match has provided them with

:09:39. > :09:43.plenty of social media fodder, and indeed us, because this budding

:09:44. > :09:47.Crucible bromance really blossomed over the last couple of days. See

:09:48. > :09:53.you tomorrow, beautiful, love will. I will see my boy tomorrow, plenty

:09:54. > :09:56.of hugs, and on and on it went. Snooker watchers were discussing

:09:57. > :10:01.also on social media whether we would see a handshake, a cuddle, a

:10:02. > :10:05.European style cheek kiss, or a full on snog when they came into the

:10:06. > :10:10.arena. Shall we show you what happened? It wasn't far off, because

:10:11. > :10:13.this is what happened. I think this is what could be described as an man

:10:14. > :10:18.hug between them ahead of a huge match for both men. There was a lot

:10:19. > :10:22.of love in the room, as he can probably tell, and a lot of it early

:10:23. > :10:27.on for the fans of Michael Holt, because he strode confidently into a

:10:28. > :10:30.3-1 advantage, as we pick them up now in frame five after the

:10:31. > :10:38.interval. Commentary from John Parrott and Steve Davis.

:10:39. > :11:14.REFEREE: Foul and in this. Mark Williams, four. -- and a miss.

:11:15. > :11:17.This is a funny situation because if he puts Mark Williams back in he

:11:18. > :11:21.more or less knows Mark will hit the thin clip this time, he will stick

:11:22. > :11:28.him back down there, so not surprised he said to Mark, I will

:11:29. > :11:34.play from here. He has missed one or two in the last frame. His cueing

:11:35. > :11:35.has not been as good as it was initially, so let's see if it is

:11:36. > :11:56.back on track here. It certainly is. Beautiful cueing.

:11:57. > :12:02.Just a fantastic shot. He's got the cue ball down into a safe area as

:12:03. > :12:06.well. Obviously he couldn't have guaranteed that, had he missed the

:12:07. > :12:09.red, because the cue ball would have been travelling on a different path,

:12:10. > :12:17.depending on how far he missed it by. But he looks to be just the

:12:18. > :12:21.wrong side of the potting line for the yellow to get back up the table,

:12:22. > :12:30.so he's going to have to leave a red from distance. Terrible kick. It

:12:31. > :12:35.didn't make any difference to the pot because it was a straight pot,

:12:36. > :12:40.the kick is more of a problem for the angled pot, but not only did it

:12:41. > :12:43.destroy the path of the cue ball, it would have been afoot further

:12:44. > :12:47.forward, if not more. It just destroys the trust the players have

:12:48. > :13:05.on the table, the playing conditions.

:13:06. > :13:14.Another marvellous pot, John. Yes, it went a little bit ragged, by his

:13:15. > :13:17.incredibly high standards early on but he's got it back here, two

:13:18. > :13:28.excellent shots already in this break.

:13:29. > :13:36.Just checking whether he can play the thin blue and avoid contact with

:13:37. > :13:41.the yellow on the way back up off the baulk cushion. Or whether he can

:13:42. > :13:43.pot the pink, and play baulk cushion, side cushion, and come back

:13:44. > :14:03.up into the area of the reds. He chose another gap but got another

:14:04. > :14:19.flyer of a cushion. He absolutely whizzed off there.

:14:20. > :14:25.These are both tough shots, aren't they? He had won earlier in the

:14:26. > :14:28.frame as well, in the match, I should say, were it wasn't

:14:29. > :14:39.guaranteed position command it makes it a little bit harder. This is not

:14:40. > :14:45.an easy pot at all. Brilliant. Wonderful, wonderful touch to play

:14:46. > :15:18.that and drop the cue ball in there, you deserve everything you get.

:15:19. > :15:25.This didn't look a promising position but the shot before was a

:15:26. > :15:30.beauty, lovely little shot, dropped it in, played the positive shot,

:15:31. > :15:35.dropped the cue ball on a lovely spot on the black and he deserves

:15:36. > :15:40.everything he gets. Yes, superb. And also he had a bit of insurance. He

:15:41. > :15:46.got nicely on the black enough that he had covered the red if he had

:15:47. > :15:54.missed it. He does look to be cueing very well. Excellent control. He is

:15:55. > :15:58.a really busy player around the table. But I think he is controlling

:15:59. > :16:04.his emotions better this season, this year. We used to call him a

:16:05. > :16:13.bottle of pop, he was off fears around the table. We could probably

:16:14. > :16:15.say now he is maturing and a bit flat, and he's probably playing much

:16:16. > :16:39.better. Very well judged again. The amount

:16:40. > :16:44.of experience that goes into knowing how to play that shot correctly is

:16:45. > :16:53.white you practice every day around the black spot area, the little

:16:54. > :16:57.nudges and cannons. This would be a lovely frame to win in this visit,

:16:58. > :17:03.it really would be, re-establish command of the mini-session and get

:17:04. > :17:11.your opponent on the back foot again. Going back to the start of

:17:12. > :17:16.this break with the excellent long red that he took on, lots of players

:17:17. > :17:19.may have put the opponent back into bat but he didn't and took a

:17:20. > :17:23.positive approach and thought I'm going to take that long red and

:17:24. > :17:27.knock it in, and he's had his rewards ever since all stopped a

:17:28. > :17:34.couple of cracking shots at the start of the break. It all came from

:17:35. > :18:11.that positive attitude towards doing something himself.

:18:12. > :18:20.He didn't want to play that soft, the little deft screw across the

:18:21. > :18:24.face of the black. It was open to miss judging so he played it firmly

:18:25. > :18:32.and left himself more of an angle on the black and he would have liked.

:18:33. > :18:38.But the black is missable. I think just play the ball, just concentrate

:18:39. > :18:46.on the pot. He is playing it with back spin which makes it a little

:18:47. > :18:55.bit more difficult. He is striking it so well, though. He really is.

:18:56. > :18:58.The thing I like about it is his shot selection is extreme you

:18:59. > :19:02.positive, it usually tells you that the man is full of confidence. There

:19:03. > :19:04.have been no half measures in this break. If you think about it he has

:19:05. > :19:22.been fully committed. He has given that I whack, big

:19:23. > :19:29.bounce again. He did give it a whack but it came off quick, it came off

:19:30. > :19:34.twice the pace it went in. As it has turned out, he's on the brown in the

:19:35. > :19:38.middle pocket, which is a bit fortunate that he has the right

:19:39. > :19:41.angle on the brown. There again, you could say he was unfortunate to get

:19:42. > :19:45.the big bounce off the cushion. It does seem to be that section looking

:19:46. > :19:49.at the table just to the right of the black spot between the black and

:19:50. > :19:53.the corner pocket, right at the top of the table, that section of the

:19:54. > :19:57.cushion seems to be really reactive. I don't know why it should be but it

:19:58. > :20:03.seems like the worst bounces are coming off there. One thing that has

:20:04. > :20:07.never really been explored is the actual rubber used and whether a

:20:08. > :20:14.piece of rubber is uniform all the way along. I don't know anything

:20:15. > :20:26.about the subject. I don't even know where the rubber is supplied from.

:20:27. > :20:33.GROANS FROM CROWD Yellow mag if the cue ball had gone

:20:34. > :20:42.in-off things might have been different. But there is every chance

:20:43. > :20:54.that Michael Holt will be going 4-1 up.

:20:55. > :21:13.He played it in a way like it was the only one he could leave. That

:21:14. > :21:19.was quite a clever little shot. And as the red came off the middle and

:21:20. > :21:24.came back he was praying it would pull up because it was nearly coming

:21:25. > :21:31.into play. I'm saying he left it, what about this? This red is always

:21:32. > :21:36.on, isn't it? In this situation this looks like an easy little shot,

:21:37. > :21:41.doesn't it? But if you miss this you could be losing the frame. You've

:21:42. > :21:56.just got to be careful. He needs to pot the ball.

:21:57. > :22:04.Wow, that could have made a difference going on there, with the

:22:05. > :22:09.foul Mark Williams would have had the ball-in-hand in the baulk area.

:22:10. > :22:24.Lots of things could have happened there.

:22:25. > :22:35.Barring snookers Michael Holt will win this frame. But he doesn't

:22:36. > :22:43.necessarily need to try and pot the black, his opponent only needs one

:22:44. > :22:54.snooker he could try and put the black safe. I think that's a good

:22:55. > :22:59.choice. Yes. Perfect choice, twofold of course, puts the black on the

:23:00. > :23:04.side cushion safe and stops it from being a scoring colour. Michael Holt

:23:05. > :23:08.should be 4-1 ahead. 4-1 it was but Williams won a

:23:09. > :23:13.scrappy frame six and to underline that this top break was 31 and it's

:23:14. > :23:14.the Welsh double world champion to play in frame seven now, he's 11

:23:15. > :23:26.points ahead. Mark Williams again, he's played

:23:27. > :23:28.that shot a couple of times in this match and knocked them in. Very

:23:29. > :23:43.impressive. Slowly but surely, Steve, he is

:23:44. > :23:57.clinging on in this match. Yes, he looks like he is settling down. He's

:23:58. > :24:01.got in his corner, Lee Walker, a professional qualified World Snooker

:24:02. > :24:06.coach, good guy to have in your corner, on the practice room at the

:24:07. > :24:13.interval. Just calmly going about their business. Not panicking. Just

:24:14. > :24:19.get a bit of practice. It's nice to have somebody in your corner who has

:24:20. > :24:25.been there. He is obviously a good pal, but also somebody you can talk

:24:26. > :24:30.about the game with and you know the answers you will get your questions

:24:31. > :24:31.are going to be spot on. As you say, he's been there and done it in this

:24:32. > :24:43.venue. He is a good guy as well, good to

:24:44. > :24:51.have in your corner, he has a very sensible head on as a coach. Mark

:24:52. > :24:58.Williams was rubbing the cloth, but rubbing it in the wrong direction.

:24:59. > :25:04.Having said that, there is very little nap on these clocks. That if

:25:05. > :25:15.you were ever going to calm the nap down you want to rub it in the

:25:16. > :25:21.correct direction -- cloths. He could only strike half of the cue

:25:22. > :25:26.ball and it is easy to put too much side on this if you don't hit it

:25:27. > :25:30.properly. Yes, not surprised he missed that. When you can only see

:25:31. > :25:40.so much of the cue ball you know you are going to put side on it. No

:25:41. > :25:48.guarantees, that he will be totally punished from this position, because

:25:49. > :25:54.whilst the red is easy the black to the next red is not. I would think

:25:55. > :26:00.an angle on the black and then screw into the pack would be ideal. Three

:26:01. > :26:05.quarters ball angle on the black, perhaps leave it above the black

:26:06. > :26:09.spot. It's amazing when you see that and people say to you the black is

:26:10. > :26:13.over the hole and it must be easy but it's more difficult to get

:26:14. > :26:18.position, sometimes the jaws are in the way. It is difficult to judge

:26:19. > :26:22.that and the fact it is resting at the top cushion and not in them and

:26:23. > :26:29.love the pocket is making it more awkward. It is risky to pop this red

:26:30. > :26:35.and scatter the reds on this shot, it is an option but I don't think he

:26:36. > :26:40.would play it. What's that? Oh my goodness. I can see what he tried to

:26:41. > :26:47.do, just leave the cue ball to play the clip on the black and play it

:26:48. > :26:52.back. He got the cue ball too close to the black, further away and he

:26:53. > :26:57.would have had to cut it in still. He would like that one again. What

:26:58. > :27:04.is he considering? Going across the table? Across the table and come

:27:05. > :27:09.back and pot the black. With pace to try and get position, or just to try

:27:10. > :27:15.and Nick seven points? I think he's going to do it to get position. I

:27:16. > :27:19.don't think it is a guarantee. If he thinks it is guaranteed if he hits

:27:20. > :27:28.it fair enough, but he still has no guaranteed to get position.

:27:29. > :27:37.Excellent shot. APPLAUSE

:27:38. > :27:41.At that his coach Terry Griffiths had his heart in his mouth there.

:27:42. > :27:45.Fantastic opportunism. Grapeshot, hit the pack, and here is the best

:27:46. > :27:49.part about it, the shot he has been left on the middle pocket, if he

:27:50. > :27:54.stuns it over he is perfect on the pink to leave an angle, pot the pink

:27:55. > :28:03.and leave the reds open. Everything good that could have happened on

:28:04. > :28:06.that shot happened. He was a little bit hampered cueing wise. I think

:28:07. > :28:08.he'd have preferred to play that with a fraction of left hand side

:28:09. > :28:18.which he couldn't play because he was too close to the red. That was a

:28:19. > :28:22.chance, wasn't it? Even the two reds at the bottom of the pink were

:28:23. > :28:25.perfect. As long as he knocked that one in the middle and got any angle

:28:26. > :28:35.on the pink it was a brilliant chance. But now it's Mark Williams's

:28:36. > :28:39.turned. -- turn. Already has a 32 point lead. It is all about the

:28:40. > :28:41.positional shot here from the green around the angles for the two bottom

:28:42. > :28:52.reds. Which he has hit to absolute

:28:53. > :29:15.perfection. Too much on that. I don't think he

:29:16. > :29:17.can necessarily hold this, perhaps he can just get enough on the black

:29:18. > :29:30.to get into the balls. Nothing about that was good, trying

:29:31. > :29:33.to go in and out through the green and brown. He caught it far too

:29:34. > :29:43.thin. Just for a split-second before then,

:29:44. > :29:49.I was just thinking that was looking like the sort of praying Mantis of

:29:50. > :29:54.old as he gets down to his shots, and the next minute, one little

:29:55. > :29:57.small slip. That's the fourth black off the spot he has missed this

:29:58. > :30:02.morning, which is really unusual at this level, but for him it is

:30:03. > :30:05.unheard-of. It's one of the things that I think whilst there as players

:30:06. > :30:13.around like a Ronnie O'Sullivan Beasley into his 40s now, --

:30:14. > :30:20.obviously into his 40s now, I noticed unexpected errors started

:30:21. > :30:25.creeping in around the 40-year-old Mark for me and Stephen Hendry. It

:30:26. > :30:32.may just be coincidental but it destroys your confidence.

:30:33. > :30:42.Excellent shot from Mark, that. Excellent. Only really got a push up

:30:43. > :30:48.and down on the red on the left-hand side. All he can do, I think, is

:30:49. > :30:52.push the red up and down and he's a bit close to canning the black with

:30:53. > :30:56.the cue ball but you've just got to get yourself out of trouble. Well,

:30:57. > :31:03.if he's playing the thin one, he needs to make sure there's not a

:31:04. > :31:08.year. Good shot. -- make sure there's a black here. A high tariff

:31:09. > :31:25.of difficulty. Could have easily gone wrong.

:31:26. > :31:54.No problem getting to this red on the top cushion.

:31:55. > :32:07.The choice he's got is that what speed to play it. Dead weight of two

:32:08. > :32:13.cushions is nice. I'm not too sure it on from that direction. He went

:32:14. > :32:18.as close as he could possibly have got. He's left marker chance. --

:32:19. > :32:33.left Mark a chance. Despite not really having his

:32:34. > :32:38.shooting boots on this morning, Mark Williams, his safety play in the

:32:39. > :32:46.last frame also has pretty good. He's getting chances because of it.

:32:47. > :32:47.If he gets out of this session for frames all, he'll think he's won the

:32:48. > :32:58.pools. Yeah, and I think the great

:32:59. > :33:03.champions of the game are able to forget the standard they play at in

:33:04. > :33:06.a session and he'll be in a far more positive frame of mind coming into

:33:07. > :33:13.the second session if he can get for- four. Mark Williams is the type

:33:14. > :33:19.of player that doesn't worry about his form, not during the tournament.

:33:20. > :33:23.He knows how it can swing and go through ups and downs. He's blessed

:33:24. > :33:30.with a wonderful temperament, isn't he? He's got many qualities, Mark,

:33:31. > :33:35.but that's one of the best ones. Being able to get confidence from,

:33:36. > :33:39.bizarrely, paying badly but coming out of a session with a good result

:33:40. > :33:54.sees a strange thing to do but you can. -- seems.

:33:55. > :34:02.So he made 49, this black should see him safe in the frame. And it's

:34:03. > :34:08.there. So despite not playing anywhere near his best and looking

:34:09. > :34:10.like he was in serious danger in this match, he's clawed his way back

:34:11. > :34:20.to only one behind at 4-3. And it could have been so much

:34:21. > :34:31.better from Michael Holt's perspective. He's let a couple of

:34:32. > :34:35.chances slip. Of course, the second round, best of 25. A race to 13.

:34:36. > :35:24.There's a long way to go. A monster kick butt Mark Williams

:35:25. > :35:29.with a break of 40 and despite not being his best in the scoring

:35:30. > :35:32.capacity, he is clawing on in this match. It's packed any merit for-

:35:33. > :35:36.praetor Michael Holt. HAZEL IRVINE: That's Mark Williams

:35:37. > :35:39.adjusting to the referee that he wiped down the cushions with a damp

:35:40. > :35:43.cloth to try to lessen the build-up of static being generated. There's

:35:44. > :35:46.been a few concerns about that so let's see if it makes any effect as

:35:47. > :35:48.we go into the last of the opening sessions. Williams 33 points adrift

:35:49. > :36:05.in this one. JOHN PARROTT: And he does. And what

:36:06. > :36:09.a chance this is for a steal. STEVE DAVIS: That's perhaps the most

:36:10. > :36:17.authoritative hit Mark Williams has put on a long today. A crucial time.

:36:18. > :36:27.Controlled the cue ball beautifully. And only one safe, semi-safe red.

:36:28. > :36:31.It was the only redeeming feature of that shot for Michael Holt, the fact

:36:32. > :36:37.that when Mark Williams not that red, he can and the other one right

:36:38. > :36:42.into the top cushion and they're hard to negotiate. -- knocked that

:36:43. > :36:45.red. It's going to be the frame ball, isn't it, that one? If he can

:36:46. > :36:55.get on it now, he might play it. Doesn't have to, of course. I think

:36:56. > :37:00.because it's towards a pocket, rather than in the centre of the

:37:01. > :37:05.cushion, he feels it is probably easier love to get. -- easy enough.

:37:06. > :37:19.Worthwhile, perhaps, playing it now? Well, Stephen Hendry would always

:37:20. > :37:24.advocate playing that earlier than later. Good position on that is good

:37:25. > :37:31.position, whatever order its own. He's in a bit of a track now. He's

:37:32. > :37:35.not come nice on the red and he's now got a comeback on the red from a

:37:36. > :37:38.position that's more difficult. I never understood why players always

:37:39. > :37:42.felt they had to leave that to be the last red. If you get good

:37:43. > :37:45.position beforehand, take it. Anyway, we'll soon see. I don't

:37:46. > :37:50.think he can get on it, where he was going to be for. He's now got to

:37:51. > :37:58.screw off the side cushion and back across the face of the red or... Has

:37:59. > :38:07.he got the right angle just to nudge the red out?

:38:08. > :38:15.Well, you've got to say, John, wrong choice of positional shot on two

:38:16. > :38:20.occasions. With three reds left and two reds left. It's not very often

:38:21. > :38:23.we can sit here and criticise Mark Williams but there's a couple of

:38:24. > :38:26.shots today, one right in the very first frame of the match, where he

:38:27. > :38:33.is to get on the wrong cushion and then, why not play on the last red?

:38:34. > :38:39.If you've got better position, play on it. Very strange.

:38:40. > :39:09.Well, a poor shot and yet another chance for Mark.

:39:10. > :39:13.It's amazing but it looks like he's going to get out of this 4- for and

:39:14. > :39:22.I don't know how. Another big bounce of the cushion.

:39:23. > :39:53.It's still OK. Stickability is what Mark Williams

:39:54. > :39:57.has got. He's stuck around all day. Hasn't played remotely to his best

:39:58. > :40:00.in the session and he's going to get away four each. The story of the

:40:01. > :40:17.session is bounce ability as well. 4-4. Who would have believed that?

:40:18. > :40:22.Nowhere near his best. Salvaged a session is the best way of putting

:40:23. > :40:25.that. Outplayed for the most part. Michael has played pretty well,

:40:26. > :40:30.certainly the first part of the session, but it's going to be all

:40:31. > :40:39.square going into session two. The players shake hands. Michael Holt is

:40:40. > :40:44.4-4 with Mark Williams. He will wonder how it is.

:40:45. > :40:47.HAZEL IRVINE: They will be back tonight for that second session but

:40:48. > :40:52.intriguingly Mark Williams also went round the table with that damp cloth

:40:53. > :40:57.that we saw him hand to someone else. He was clearly frustrated

:40:58. > :40:59.about the playing conditions. What exactly is going on here? Because

:41:00. > :41:05.this is taking matters into your own hands. It is, doing a bit of

:41:06. > :41:08.cleaning work! What it does, it takes a bit of the static and take

:41:09. > :41:14.some of the chalk marks off the cushions. Sometimes the ball will

:41:15. > :41:16.hit chalk mark. He is obvious the very frustrated because there's

:41:17. > :41:21.nothing more frustrating than getting bad bounces. Sometimes you

:41:22. > :41:25.accept kicks because kicks have always been there and you just go on

:41:26. > :41:28.and you get the cue ball cleaned up by our very frustrating. But there's

:41:29. > :41:32.nothing more than straight and bad bounces and it saps your confidence

:41:33. > :41:35.because sometimes you might get a bad bounce and the next time you

:41:36. > :41:39.might be expecting a bigger bounce and it doesn't happen and you don't

:41:40. > :41:44.know whether to use the cushions, so it really frustrates the player.

:41:45. > :41:50.He won't feel unsettled about his form. He's got out of that new merit

:41:51. > :41:54.for- four. I think Michael Holt has missed a trick. He had the pink in

:41:55. > :41:59.the middle to go 5-1 and guarantee the lead, keep the pressure on Mark.

:42:00. > :42:06.Now all of a sudden it is knew X for- four. We will know the identity

:42:07. > :42:11.of the first of our quarterfinalists by the end of today. And we will

:42:12. > :42:16.know that it will be either Marco Fu or Anthony McGill of Scotland.

:42:17. > :42:20.They're both cut from the same cloth, these two. They're modest,

:42:21. > :42:23.unassuming, unflappable and both quietly brilliant. Let's see how

:42:24. > :42:27.their first session worked out yesterday.

:42:28. > :42:35.We've finally come up with an this guy. He is Anthony McGill. He is the

:42:36. > :42:51.pride of Hong Kong. He is Marco Fu. That's a very good shot. Well

:42:52. > :42:56.played. Takes the ultimate frame against Anthony McGill.

:42:57. > :43:12.That's a really good shot. A tough spot. Pot. What a cracker! What a

:43:13. > :43:17.beauty. It is Marco Fu who takes the frame and now leads 3-1.

:43:18. > :43:50.That's a wonderful pot from Marco. He takes it. He beat Anthony McGill

:43:51. > :44:03.4-2. -- leads. Can you believe it? A 5-3 bid. Lead. Marco Fu finishes

:44:04. > :44:06.this session 5-3 in the lead. The man from Hong Kong 5-3 up

:44:07. > :44:11.overnight and when they resumed with two more sessions to play today,

:44:12. > :44:16.morning and evening, it started with frame nine being taken by the Scott,

:44:17. > :44:21.Anthony McGill, with a break of 57. We're going to pick them up in frame

:44:22. > :44:27.ten. It is Marco Fu to play an Stephen Hendry and John Virgo will

:44:28. > :44:32.be our guides for this one. STEPHEN HENDRY: Taking this on to

:44:33. > :44:41.drop for the black. There is a red to the left middle, though.

:44:42. > :44:55.JOHN VIRGO: Just wondering, can you see enough of it from this angle?

:44:56. > :45:09.He's going down to play it. Yes, comfortably. Good shot. There

:45:10. > :45:16.is one more loose red to play on and I think that will probably be the

:45:17. > :45:24.choice. And try, if you like, to leave yourself low on the red.

:45:25. > :45:29.That's OK. He had to go into them there, John. He's got one loose red.

:45:30. > :45:34.I think it's perfect and then the cue ball can go in the gap. I think

:45:35. > :45:41.he's missed a chance there but his low on this red. He's played that

:45:42. > :45:46.nicely. You can always leave the cue ball glued to that side cushion.

:45:47. > :45:49.There's always two ways to play that, screw shot or top spin. I

:45:50. > :45:51.always prefer the screw shot. There's a bit more control. Nicely

:45:52. > :46:03.on the black. Shoelace! Do a double bow. That's

:46:04. > :46:08.what I do. LAUGHTER

:46:09. > :46:21.REFEREE: Thank you. Wright, Anthony, concentration,

:46:22. > :46:36.100%. No careless shots. A chance to draw level.

:46:37. > :46:46.This two reds to the right of the bunch. Might just be a little

:46:47. > :46:53.cannon. Yeah, well played. A great opportunity now.

:46:54. > :48:31.GROANING Well, careless. I can only assume...

:48:32. > :48:34.Normally when you hit those shots, you think he's just put a little

:48:35. > :48:37.trace of right-hand side and pushed the cue ball into the red. A bad

:48:38. > :49:32.miss, it has to be said. This is not a good start this

:49:33. > :49:35.morning, from Marco Fu. Considering he was 5-3 ahead, you'd think this

:49:36. > :49:44.morning he'd really push on and get this much won in the second session.

:49:45. > :49:51.You could have got 10-6, maybe an 11-5 lead. But he's not settled at

:49:52. > :50:00.all. -- he could have got. Can he get to this red? It's very tight.

:50:01. > :50:06.The reason, I think, he was looking there, he can maybe flick it over

:50:07. > :50:10.with a trace of left-hand side of the cue ball but he's wondering...

:50:11. > :50:17.He needs to separate the cue ball from three reds to be on the black.

:50:18. > :50:26.No problem! He's on the black. And once again, he's got a chance.

:50:27. > :50:34.Didn't make the most of it but immediately gets another one. Two

:50:35. > :50:39.awkward reds on the right-hand side of the table. They won't bother

:50:40. > :50:40.Anthony Forster he can win it with these reds in the middle of the

:50:41. > :50:50.table. Got into that little bit too much.

:50:51. > :50:53.He's got this red to the left corner but he missed a similar one when he

:50:54. > :51:08.stunned it off the blue. This time, no problem. And he's just

:51:09. > :51:13.about got perfect on the blue. Can't see him spurning this opportunity

:51:14. > :51:21.now. It's looking like he's going to level the match. And a foreign

:51:22. > :51:46.object on the table. So, 59 head, 75 remaining. Red, blue

:51:47. > :51:50.and red needed. Again, he's needed more than one opportunity to get the

:51:51. > :51:54.frame won but it's a great start. It's a start he wouldn't have

:51:55. > :52:02.creamed dog last night. First two frames, back to level.

:52:03. > :52:29.From the start, when you look at these two players, you wouldn't have

:52:30. > :52:37.known who was in front and who was behind, really. You would have

:52:38. > :52:48.thought maybe Anthony Watson one who was 5-3 ahead. That's a lovely

:52:49. > :52:51.release of those two reds. So Marco Fu will not be getting back to the

:52:52. > :52:56.table and yes, I agree, Stephen, he's looked very edgy this morning,

:52:57. > :53:07.Marco. It's always very hard to tell from Marco's or the language -- body

:53:08. > :53:13.language. But the lead he had coming into this session has gone. Yeah,

:53:14. > :53:16.it's impossible to tell from his body language, the way he sits,

:53:17. > :53:20.because he shows no motion whatsoever, it is perfect for a

:53:21. > :53:22.snooker player, but just in the way he plays his shots, I've noticed it.

:53:23. > :54:13.Very tentative. Purposely leaving himself the long

:54:14. > :54:20.blue, just a bit of potting practice, to get the cue through

:54:21. > :54:26.nice and smooth. He might as well have played for the blue. But

:54:27. > :54:28.anyway, he needed two chances, it has to be said, but he got them and

:54:29. > :54:42.my we're all square. HAZEL IRVINE: McGill won frame 11.

:54:43. > :54:48.It was a scrappy one. It was 16 minutes before a ball was potted and

:54:49. > :54:50.he would lead to 6-5. Back we go to frame 12. It's the Scott 19 points

:54:51. > :55:06.behind here. JOHN VIRGO: He's very close to that

:55:07. > :55:12.green. But he's got the plant and he's got a nice kiss on the blue and

:55:13. > :55:16.that's a good kiss on the blue. It held the white to the middle of the

:55:17. > :57:09.table. A good chance here to get right back in this frame.

:57:10. > :57:17.Get himself a nice angle on the pink, should he so wished, to screw

:57:18. > :57:21.back. Plenty of pace. He's got to be accurate with the pink.

:57:22. > :57:31.Well, you'd always trust a little bit to luck. He couldn't have played

:57:32. > :57:35.it much better. A tricky one to the left middle, possibly. Can't play

:57:36. > :57:49.this with much pace. I would have played its lower than

:57:50. > :57:50.that. A bit slow and lift the cue ball -- left the cue ball where the

:57:51. > :58:03.roof was. Her group the red. I suppose he's thinking, if you try

:58:04. > :58:08.to do it like that, the blue is a lot easier part than the pink. He's

:58:09. > :58:10.now thinking, can he roll the blue in and leave himself a shot at this

:58:11. > :58:25.red on the left-hand side? He's played with pace. Needs to Mr

:58:26. > :58:33.brown. Has done. Good shot. -- needs to miss the round. -- brown.

:58:34. > :58:44.Excellent cueing there. Careful one of them pinstripes

:58:45. > :58:58.doesn't touch the green. I don't think he's got the best of

:58:59. > :59:14.angles on the pink this time around. Back in front. Has he just got a

:59:15. > :59:23.slight angle to screw off the side cushion? He did. He did. Well, he's

:59:24. > :59:31.on this red to the left corner. A bit unlucky to be hampered as he is

:59:32. > :59:39.and I think to reach it... Touching ball? Obviously not. If it was, the

:59:40. > :59:48.referee would have told us. This is tricky. Can he reached it? Does he

:59:49. > :59:55.need the spider? He wants to play it. Well, you can reach it like

:59:56. > :00:00.that! APPLAUSE

:00:01. > :00:08.Nice one. Yeah, that's right. Clean up after your mess! He wants to go

:00:09. > :00:11.for it because the reds next to the black and from that angle it looks

:00:12. > :00:15.like it goes to the corner. If he can pop this and go for the pink,

:00:16. > :00:20.it's a chance to win the frame but I can't see him going for this with

:00:21. > :00:38.the spider. This is very, very tricky.

:00:39. > :00:49.Yes, it is, particularly when the cue ball is tight to be hampering

:00:50. > :00:58.ball, be careful you do not foul it. Letting gravity take over, but as

:00:59. > :01:07.Stevens said it was so difficult. -- Stephen said it was so difficult.

:01:08. > :01:13.I'm sure the red next to the black pots to the left corner, we will get

:01:14. > :01:17.a chance to look at it in a minute. When he played the red with the

:01:18. > :01:25.spider I had a quick glance and I didn't think it did. I trust you as

:01:26. > :01:30.the more experienced commentator. I just looks at it and now I've looked

:01:31. > :01:36.again I think it does go. Who is right and who is wrong? We will

:01:37. > :01:43.never know. We will never know. It did just go. Is he on the red when

:01:44. > :01:57.the black is re-spotted, that's the question. He is, he's down quick. He

:01:58. > :02:08.needs this frame badly, does Marco. Clumsy shot. Clumsy shot. Yeah, very

:02:09. > :02:17.unlike him, usually so meticulous around the pink and black spots.

:02:18. > :02:22.Again, you can see they're his lack of confidence, he had the angle

:02:23. > :02:31.toucan and the red on the black cushion, just trying to get the

:02:32. > :02:38.points on the board. What about that green.

:02:39. > :02:45.Perfect on the black, but the red along the top cushion, they are

:02:46. > :03:02.tricky. Again, maybe just an inch too far

:03:03. > :03:16.off the cushion for comfort. Bigshot. -- big shot.

:03:17. > :03:23.He will need a good shot here, I think he has a good angle so he

:03:24. > :03:35.doesn't have to hit it too hard. Well played. Or is it? He cued that

:03:36. > :03:42.nicely, he's 18 points in the lead now, he needs yellow and green. That

:03:43. > :03:47.would leave Anthony needing a snooker, and he will have got

:03:48. > :03:55.something out of the morning so far. He's lost the first three frames.

:03:56. > :04:03.Mid-session interval after this. Twice across, but to get on the

:04:04. > :04:14.green he needed a trace of side, didn't want to risk the yellow, he

:04:15. > :04:22.will have to play safe here. Blue, pink and black there if the brown

:04:23. > :04:30.doesn't get the snooker. But the brown has come to be involved in the

:04:31. > :04:39.snooker. Back to his seat, Marco. 25 points remaining. The old story, it

:04:40. > :04:51.looks easy enough to hit the green, one-cushion escape. Can he put it in

:04:52. > :04:55.a safe position? Paine he's playing the top cushion first. They wouldn't

:04:56. > :04:58.be my choice, I would play side cushion, this way I think you are

:04:59. > :05:04.knocking it towards the corner pocket. You could send the green at

:05:05. > :05:19.the table and white stays up this end from the side cushion.

:05:20. > :05:28.That would be my choice. The only thing about coming this way is if

:05:29. > :05:31.the green were to run into the pink or the black. But if it doesn't

:05:32. > :05:35.connect with the pink or the black and you hit it foolish it should go

:05:36. > :05:46.up the other end of the table and the cue ball stay at this end.

:05:47. > :05:51.Obviously you need a bit of luck. -- hit it fullish. Don't play it that

:05:52. > :05:52.hard, he now needs the snooker, he's now 26 points behind with 25

:05:53. > :06:02.remaining. Snooker needed. Marco Fu looks as if

:06:03. > :06:06.he's got his first frame on the board this morning.

:06:07. > :06:11.Relief for Marco Fu who had taken it to frame advantage into the morning

:06:12. > :06:15.session and relieved to get to be interval at 6-6 -- two frame

:06:16. > :06:18.advantage. What good would be interval do for the former Crucible

:06:19. > :06:30.semifinalist? Let's find out as we join them made frame 13.

:06:31. > :06:34.COMMENTATOR: He went full-blooded for that and couldn't have played it

:06:35. > :06:43.any better. You say he is limited in his cute power but he showed plenty

:06:44. > :06:54.there. Tremendous pot and position. -- cue power. With that fantastic

:06:55. > :07:02.opening shot we see here, will it inspire Marco to play his normal

:07:03. > :07:04.game? We already said this morning, this is his strong suit,

:07:05. > :07:25.break-building. He is straight on this red. From his

:07:26. > :07:33.body language I assume he is. Again, that is a poor shot. Yes, it is

:07:34. > :07:39.careless, isn't it? And if he is straight, which he looks to be, it

:07:40. > :07:48.begs the question, where does the colour come from? From that angle

:07:49. > :07:54.you think, can he force the red into the right-hand pocket? As he looks

:07:55. > :07:59.at it, a lot of top and right-hand side. That is what he has done. He

:08:00. > :08:04.got a lot of right-hand side on it and at least he has a pot on the

:08:05. > :08:30.black. Yes, he did well to make that angle.

:08:31. > :08:39.The obvious red he wants to get rid of is the one to the left of the

:08:40. > :08:54.black. It looks like it will be a few shots before he can do that.

:08:55. > :09:37.He would love to get the red that is just to the left of the black away

:09:38. > :09:42.from there, so you may play on the red now in the same pocket as the

:09:43. > :09:47.black. That is what he has done and that will clear the black for both

:09:48. > :09:53.corner pockets and give him a frame-winning chance. He looks to

:09:54. > :10:11.have come out with a little bit more purpose now, Stephen. Yes.

:10:12. > :10:18.He will have had a good long hard look at himself in the mirror in the

:10:19. > :10:22.dressing room because he was 5-3 up and to come out this morning way he

:10:23. > :10:27.has played, very tentatively in the first session, was very surprising

:10:28. > :10:33.for a player as experienced as Marco Fu.

:10:34. > :10:41.He has looked strangely flat in the first four frames, he wand the

:10:42. > :10:45.fourth, but it wasn't convincing. This looks a lot better. -- he wand

:10:46. > :10:58.the fourth. In a lot of these matches,

:10:59. > :11:02.particularly the long ones, he's probably come out this morning

:11:03. > :11:06.thinking I have a two frame advantage, if I keep sharing the

:11:07. > :11:10.sessions I will still have the lead but you've got to push on when you

:11:11. > :11:20.get the opportunities and this is a lot more like it. These 3- session

:11:21. > :11:26.matches, you can win them into macro sessions, maybe not necessarily get

:11:27. > :11:31.to 13, although that is possible, but you have to have it in your mind

:11:32. > :11:36.to get such a lead. We have seen him play another careless positional

:11:37. > :11:41.shot. 68 points is the lead, 75 remaining and he only needs the red

:11:42. > :11:46.and he has got one to the middle. He has a choice of reds to the corner

:11:47. > :11:51.but he would be badly hampered for those. One more red would put him 69

:11:52. > :11:53.points in front with just 67 remaining. It shouldn't be a

:11:54. > :12:15.problem. Now, if he was to come he has a

:12:16. > :12:25.black here, if he took blacks with the remaining reds, there is a

:12:26. > :12:35.possible 143 on. That would become the leader in the high break. Of

:12:36. > :12:41.which there is a ?10,000 prize for the highest break of the tournament.

:12:42. > :12:48.Now he has gone up for the blue, he can only get a 141, and that would

:12:49. > :12:57.equal the front runner at the moment held by Barry Hawkins.

:12:58. > :13:47.So, back on track to make a century. He can't get the high break now.

:13:48. > :14:03.There has been 36 centuries already in the championship this year. Marco

:14:04. > :14:07.has already made two. The red and the blue, the red and the brown, the

:14:08. > :14:29.red and the green, would all be 100. APPLAUSE

:14:30. > :14:36.37th century of this year's bet fair World Snooker Championship.

:14:37. > :14:46.We have not been here for a week yet, so plenty of opportunities for

:14:47. > :14:50.the record this year. That is more like it from Marco Fu, he came out

:14:51. > :14:56.with a lot more purpose and regain the lead, 7-6.

:14:57. > :14:59.That is Marco's third century of the championship so far this week and he

:15:00. > :15:04.regains the initiative as John said, in this match, in what is a race for

:15:05. > :15:09.a 13 frames winning post rather than the ten we had in round one. Back we

:15:10. > :15:20.go into the next and it is McGill 30 points behind. He's just got to stun

:15:21. > :15:23.the cue ball over. Could he get snooker behind the pink or the blue?

:15:24. > :15:28.The pink would be preferable. Get out of that.

:15:29. > :15:34.APPLAUSE The pink is in the open. If he

:15:35. > :15:39.wasn't snookered by the Pinckney would say possibly a new favourite

:15:40. > :15:43.for the frame. The blue and the pink make it not an easy clearance. I

:15:44. > :15:50.suppose the only thing from Anthony's point of view is if Marco

:15:51. > :15:55.was to miss getting out of the snooker he would have control of the

:15:56. > :15:59.table, Anthony, he could pot yellow, green and brown and play a snooker

:16:00. > :16:03.on the blue, or maybe play it safe and bring the blue and pink

:16:04. > :16:09.interplay. Does he hit the yellow? He has hit the yellow, he will be

:16:10. > :16:12.mighty relieved. Good hit, fair play. That was an excellent escape

:16:13. > :16:29.from Marco Fu. I thought he had forgotten about the

:16:30. > :16:32.yellow for a minute. They are a big target, the blue and pink, to play

:16:33. > :16:37.snooker is behind. That's what he's thinking of, pot the yellow and come

:16:38. > :16:39.thin off the green of the top cushion in behind the blue and pink

:16:40. > :16:54.again. No, he needed to get back further to play a

:16:55. > :16:58.thinner contact on the green. That shot is not on now. The reason being

:16:59. > :17:02.he will have to play the green bit thicker and more than likely it is

:17:03. > :17:05.going to bounce off the side cushion. The only way to play this

:17:06. > :17:12.is to go all out for the snooker, play it with pace and make sure you

:17:13. > :17:16.get tight behind. He has gone for that but he caught the jaws of the

:17:17. > :17:20.pocket. He needed to catch the green a lot thinner. He couldn't because

:17:21. > :17:45.he didn't screw back far enough off the yellow. Opportunity missed.

:17:46. > :17:58.Well, here is a snooker. Leave distance between cue ball and object

:17:59. > :18:03.ball. He's made that too easy, for me. You've got to try and avoid

:18:04. > :18:12.leaving your opponent the one-cushion escape. Yes, I think he

:18:13. > :18:24.was trying so hard to keep the green in the middle of the table he forgot

:18:25. > :18:28.about the cue ball. Wow. It's the easy ones that he's missing, the

:18:29. > :18:41.seemingly easy once. Absolutely amazing. So, now, Anthony McGill can

:18:42. > :18:47.win this frame. At the moment it is the second longest frame of the

:18:48. > :19:00.championship so far. It will be memorable for Anthony McGill if he

:19:01. > :19:07.can win it, needing two snookers. He finished up playing the Part. And

:19:08. > :19:11.now he's got it would could have a new favourite for the game. I'm

:19:12. > :19:20.surprised he took this on but it rattled and rattled and on it went.

:19:21. > :19:25.Just caught the bumper, tried to disturb the pink and the blue. He is

:19:26. > :19:31.right back in it, he has an easy safety shot now. If he had just

:19:32. > :19:36.missed the bump he would have had the cannon. It is easy to knock the

:19:37. > :19:41.blue to the top cushion behind the black and the cue ball up to the

:19:42. > :19:47.baulk end. I wouldn't try to get too clever with this. I know he'd like

:19:48. > :19:49.the pink away from the cushion. But not to sacrifice a good safety. I

:19:50. > :20:14.wouldn't. But he has played it well, he took

:20:15. > :20:22.the risk of losing the initiative, but he played it well. Coming from

:20:23. > :20:29.the left-hand side, which he didn't want to do. Where is the cue ball

:20:30. > :20:34.going? Where is the blue going, more importantly? This blue is on and

:20:35. > :20:47.it's a nice angle if he pops it to be back on the pink. -- pots it.

:20:48. > :20:51.Only 44% long pot success so far in the match, not been the strongest

:20:52. > :20:58.part of his game. GROANS FROM CROWD

:20:59. > :21:06.That was a long way off. Yes, it was a nice angle. Well, he could have

:21:07. > :21:10.left the pot easier for Marco, this is one of those frames that could

:21:11. > :21:15.turn a match on its head, I thought for all money Marco was going to

:21:16. > :21:22.regain that to frame advantage. Now it's all about this blue. Very

:21:23. > :21:44.fortunate, Anthony McGill. This cue ball is getting very close

:21:45. > :21:47.to the corner. It's in. And now Anthony McGill is favourite for the

:21:48. > :22:00.frame. Marco has just thrown away this

:22:01. > :22:15.frame. Even with that shot, he could have potted blue in the right

:22:16. > :22:21.corner. Pink and black for a frame. He could never have expected to win

:22:22. > :22:27.it. He looks certain to go two frames behind again. This is to

:22:28. > :22:34.level at 7-7. A big frame and a big blow to Marco Fu. It's there. Two

:22:35. > :22:41.snookers needed, the second longest frame of the tournament so far and

:22:42. > :22:45.it went to Anthony McGill by surprise. Marco Fu leaving the

:22:46. > :22:49.arena, he must be disgusted, it is 7-7.

:22:50. > :22:53.Two snookers required, there is no shaking this young Scotsman, Anthony

:22:54. > :22:57.McGill, who had a stunning victory over Shaun Murphy in round one. In

:22:58. > :23:00.we go to frame 15 and Anthony has already had a break of 62 at Marco

:23:01. > :23:19.has it all to do, 37 behind. COMMENTATOR: He covered the two reds

:23:20. > :23:22.to the left corner. He can get through to the red on the top

:23:23. > :23:25.cushion but he doesn't really want to move this red from the top

:23:26. > :23:47.cushion. So what do you think? That's one choice he will be

:23:48. > :23:54.thinking about. Mainly because he doesn't want to move the red off the

:23:55. > :24:00.top cushion. Even if he came off the two cushions as I indicated, he

:24:01. > :24:07.might still leave a red. But that's what he's going to do. He wants to

:24:08. > :24:09.go off the top cushion first. It is a good line. Is it hard enough?

:24:10. > :25:08.Just! Judged it to perfection. COMMENTATOR: Foul and a miss? I

:25:09. > :25:28.don't know who said "re-rack". It was funny. He missed the red. Miss

:25:29. > :25:48.called. Have it replaced. Here is the miss. " re-rack"

:25:49. > :25:53.if he was in such a situation he could not get near the ball wide as

:25:54. > :26:12.he play it again? I think he is asking him to play it

:26:13. > :26:20.again from there. I called it a miss. I wouldn't have let him play

:26:21. > :26:25.that, he could get back to the baulk end. I know he will take a risk but

:26:26. > :26:29.Marco is in a position where he has to take risks, he could possibly get

:26:30. > :26:41.a snooker. Even if he doesn't and forces and Anita take on a long pot

:26:42. > :26:48.from the baulk cushion. -- Anthony to take on. He took a long time to

:26:49. > :26:53.think about that. Trying to get in behind the pink and green, he has

:26:54. > :26:58.not got in behind, but he has left it awkward cueing. But that shot

:26:59. > :27:20.wouldn't have been on if he had had the ball replaced.

:27:21. > :27:27.And now Marco with a chance, OK it's not a frame-winning opportunity

:27:28. > :27:35.because of where the green and pink are, but certainly a chance to get

:27:36. > :27:40.right back in the frame. There has been some strange happenings this

:27:41. > :27:46.morning, hasn't there, Stephen? Yes, both players taking a very long time

:27:47. > :27:55.to think about shots and at the end of it playing strange ones. They are

:27:56. > :28:01.trying to think of good ideas, and as you say, in the end, come up with

:28:02. > :28:03.nothing new. It is like they are seeing problems that aren't there a

:28:04. > :28:43.lot of the time. Yeah. Not the best angle on this. He wants

:28:44. > :28:53.to make certain he doesn't miss this red. He used all of the pocket. But

:28:54. > :28:58.in it went. If you were playing in practice he would play a cannon of

:28:59. > :29:02.the pink of the cushion with a touch of right-hand side. I don't think

:29:03. > :29:15.for a minute Marco will play it here. Pot the yellow and he can play

:29:16. > :29:31.a good snooker behind the pink. And then he would have control of the

:29:32. > :29:48.table. Does this green pot? It may do, you know. It did do. All of a

:29:49. > :29:55.sudden Marco Fu is favourite to win the frame. And after what has gone

:29:56. > :30:03.on before in this match that was an excellent pot on the green. Making

:30:04. > :30:10.sure he was low on the blue he has come too far. If he has a slight

:30:11. > :30:13.angle he might be OK on the blue. Stun for the pink. He still needs

:30:14. > :30:24.blue, pink and black. Not the cleanest of pots and that's

:30:25. > :30:34.why the cue ball has run two or three inches too far but.

:30:35. > :30:42.APPLAUSE This is not a gimme, the way this

:30:43. > :30:58.match has gone this morning. But it's there and the last frame

:30:59. > :31:01.Anthony McGill won he needed to Snickers and Marco Fu would have

:31:02. > :31:05.been disappointed but he'll be happy to have won that. Never looked like

:31:06. > :31:10.the winner until he potted that good green at the end and he's now back

:31:11. > :31:15.in front. One friend to play in this session and Fu leapt eight sevenths.

:31:16. > :31:20.HAZEL IRVINE: After that frame in the 15th, the 16th, the clock was

:31:21. > :31:29.ticking here, as we join it. Marco Fu 40 - 30. The best effort from

:31:30. > :31:31.McGill, 13. And, in fact, the clock is ticking so much that they've

:31:32. > :31:37.actually had to delay the afternoon session by this point by 15 minutes

:31:38. > :31:43.to allow a change of audience a bit later on. Meanwhile, this one is

:31:44. > :31:49.very tense. An important frame. JOHN PARROTT: Anthony had but a good

:31:50. > :31:56.chance of that yellow but he hit it far too is slow. This is a very good

:31:57. > :32:00.performance from him. They both won frames they shouldn't have won.

:32:01. > :32:03.Anthony McGill won one with two stickers and Marco Fu nicked the

:32:04. > :32:07.other one so it's honours even in that respect or stop and you got to

:32:08. > :32:12.admire the way Marco Fu has come back in this session because McGill

:32:13. > :32:18.was very much in the ascendancy early on. Even in the first session

:32:19. > :32:22.I commentated on, Marco started off well and he seemed to lose his way

:32:23. > :32:25.for a couple of frames and couldn't pot a ball. But somehow he managed

:32:26. > :32:29.to recover. He's done that again during this session, from having a

:32:30. > :32:34.lead, losing it and then going back into a lead, and he'll be very happy

:32:35. > :32:38.coming out winning this frame and particularly having the lead going

:32:39. > :32:42.into the final session. That interval certainly seemed to come to

:32:43. > :32:46.his aid and he's thrown in the third century of his week on the way and

:32:47. > :32:51.Marco will take a 9-7 lead into the final session this evening. First to

:32:52. > :32:55.13 will go through. We always thought this one was going to be

:32:56. > :33:01.pretty hard to call. Are you now thinking it could go Marco's way?

:33:02. > :33:07.The experiences got me just stand him in good stead for this evening

:33:08. > :33:11.but as Ken said, he's a very funny player sometimes. I think is one of

:33:12. > :33:15.the best writers of the ball but occasionally he can blow a bit hot

:33:16. > :33:20.and cold so you never know but his experience might just come out on

:33:21. > :33:22.top. However, we could say a lot of great things about Anthony McGill,

:33:23. > :33:27.not least his composure, and when he's been down in matches before at

:33:28. > :33:30.the Crucible, as we've seen to quite dramatic effect, he's come back and

:33:31. > :33:35.caused some big studies. The scoreboard doesn't really affect

:33:36. > :33:39.him. It's a good attribute to have. He plays with a smile on his face.

:33:40. > :33:43.He walks around the table very composed. He seems to really enjoy

:33:44. > :33:47.the Crucible. A lot of players come here and Oliver Roberts in the

:33:48. > :33:51.headlights but he really enjoys the atmosphere, playing fluently and

:33:52. > :33:56.fast full top -- they are like rabbits in the headlights. I think

:33:57. > :34:00.it could be a cracking closing session tonight. If Marco Fu is

:34:01. > :34:04.going to win that, he will have to play well to do it because McGill is

:34:05. > :34:08.a very good match player, very competent, and he's not worried

:34:09. > :34:11.about being in the auditorium. They've got a few hours to think

:34:12. > :34:17.about what faces them. Before they get into that final session. But the

:34:18. > :34:23.contestants in our challenge have been getting progressively faster

:34:24. > :34:25.and faster. Mr Selby leads at the moment but what can Mr Alan do to

:34:26. > :34:39.change that? Welcome back to Pot Quiz and today's

:34:40. > :34:46.contestant is the newcomer to the Premiership level. Sorry about that!

:34:47. > :34:49.Mark Allen. Your five questions. Everyone you get right, you take a

:34:50. > :34:53.red off and you put all the reds, finishing off with a black. Your

:34:54. > :34:58.first question... Who did you play in your first-ever Crucible much?

:34:59. > :35:05.Ken Doherty. And for an extra point, what year? 2007? Correct but you

:35:06. > :35:08.don't get extra point. Just one red. You scored 146 of the Crucible, the

:35:09. > :35:16.equal highest that year. Which of the player got the 146? Graeme Dott.

:35:17. > :35:20.Correct for two points. At you been studying these? Have you seen these?

:35:21. > :35:28.Who was the World Championship runner-up the year you were born, in

:35:29. > :35:37.1986? World champion runner-up? That's not fair. I know who won it.

:35:38. > :35:45.Who won it? Joe Johnson. I'll have to hurry you. Who did Joe Johnson

:35:46. > :35:49.beat in 1986? You haven't got a clue, have you? I'm going to go with

:35:50. > :35:54.you because you weren't quite a lot of files back then. You're right.

:35:55. > :35:58.Congratulations. Three out of three. Ewan The Players Championship finals

:35:59. > :36:06.last month but who won it last year. -- you won. Joe Perry. Correct. This

:36:07. > :36:12.is astonishing! For a clean sweep of the balls, the multiple-choice final

:36:13. > :36:17.question, which player have you met most times in tournaments in your

:36:18. > :36:24.career er is it Ryan Day, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams or Judd

:36:25. > :36:31.Trump? Who were the options? Ryan Day, Neil Robertson, Mark Williams

:36:32. > :36:34.or Judd Trump. Ryan Day. Judd Trump, 22 times for stock still, a

:36:35. > :36:38.fantastic effort. You can take any for reds of the table, whichever

:36:39. > :36:42.ones you want, and then put the cue ball wherever you want. The most

:36:43. > :36:47.difficult bit is deciding which reds to take off.

:36:48. > :36:53.He's gone for the middle red. Three more to take. I can see the brain

:36:54. > :36:56.worming away. An interesting choice, that one. I don't think there's any

:36:57. > :37:01.rhyme or reason to this. He's taking off the ones on the left-hand side

:37:02. > :37:08.of the table. Basically, he can't be bothered to move them around! One

:37:09. > :37:14.more. This is fascinating. That is so lazy! OK, your time will start

:37:15. > :37:18.when you hit the ball. You've got one minutes, 14 seconds to beat Mark

:37:19. > :37:22.Selby and the embarrassing thing would be if you get more than two

:37:23. > :37:29.minutes and 11 seconds. That's me! That would be embarrassing. That

:37:30. > :37:35.would be embarrassing! And he's off and the clock is running.

:37:36. > :37:44.Fine control. As you would expect from a player still in the

:37:45. > :37:50.tournament! Just missed it, and that's going to cause problems. It

:37:51. > :37:56.is. 20 seconds gone. Still nice timing, though. The speed of the

:37:57. > :38:00.man! The speed! He's got his trainers on for this particular

:38:01. > :38:04.event, as well. Fantastic. 30 seconds. It's going good. This is

:38:05. > :38:15.good. Bose four reds have helped him. Watch that camera! Just two

:38:16. > :38:24.reds left. 45 seconds. It's not bad! If this goes in... Fantastic play.

:38:25. > :38:30.This has got a chance! He's rolled it towards the pocket. And it's in!

:38:31. > :38:36.CHEERING Congratulations. Fantastic!

:38:37. > :38:44.Absolutely marvellous! And the time... And the time... One minute

:38:45. > :39:01.exactly. One minute! You've slaughtered the field, as you

:39:02. > :39:06.would expect from a premiership player. You'd expect that! You've

:39:07. > :39:09.slaughtered it all, Mark. Congratulations. That was

:39:10. > :39:16.impressive. Twice as fast as me, and a bit more.

:39:17. > :39:24.Yes, Mark Allen right at the top of the charts and, guys, that was with

:39:25. > :39:27.one miss, 1-shot hampered by our camera but four out of five on the

:39:28. > :39:32.general knowledge for stock that's the way to go. That's the key.

:39:33. > :39:35.That's why it's called Pot Quiz, because if you get the questions

:39:36. > :39:40.right, you can take the reds of the table. I think that was the first

:39:41. > :39:45.time we had four. Ken, you're under pressure. When are you doing it? I

:39:46. > :39:50.don't know. I might need a bit of practice. I might need to know the

:39:51. > :39:54.questions. Do a bit of research. For a small fee... And other quiz

:39:55. > :39:59.question for you. You is the only man to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in a

:40:00. > :40:03.final? Mark Selby. Correct, and it was a couple of years ago. He came

:40:04. > :40:08.back here to try to be per Crucible Curse. He got around two. It all got

:40:09. > :40:10.to him but after five weeks' rest, he's back, fresh as a daisy and

:40:11. > :40:23.ready to try and win it. The Jester from Leicester. Behind

:40:24. > :40:31.that funny mask is a player that's very clever and very shrewd. A bit

:40:32. > :40:34.of a streetfighter. You have to scrape off the table and as a

:40:35. > :40:39.person, one of the nicest guys you will meet and very funny.

:40:40. > :40:45.Determination, gripped. You have to drag him off the table. A complete

:40:46. > :40:50.desire to win. He's funny, very hard-working, I think, and always

:40:51. > :40:55.tries his best. He's got so much bottle. He's got about eight

:40:56. > :41:02.players' were. Funny, witty, slow, safety. Very talented, works hard,

:41:03. > :41:07.great ambassador. When Mark is playing well, he's mentally

:41:08. > :41:11.extremely strong, not fearful of any player that he plays, and that makes

:41:12. > :41:17.him a very tough opponent. A class act on and off the table. Will be

:41:18. > :41:22.one of the smartest rest players. A dry sense of humour. He likes having

:41:23. > :41:29.a wind-up, like myself. We get on very well. Top large, top player. He

:41:30. > :41:35.can grind out a victory from playing badly or getting way behind and I've

:41:36. > :41:36.been on a few of them. And all-round... Probably the best

:41:37. > :41:46.player in the game just now. He's currently the world number one

:41:47. > :41:50.and the top-ranked player meets the lowest ranked player to get through

:41:51. > :41:53.to this second round. Its Birmingham's 27-year-old Sam Baird,

:41:54. > :41:58.the Blade, that's what they call him. He's moved up from 69th to 46th

:41:59. > :42:03.in the provisional world rankings after a first win here against the

:42:04. > :42:08.15th seed Michael White and, boy, did you feel him sprint across the

:42:09. > :42:13.line? Two centuries and he won the last four frames in a row. This is

:42:14. > :42:16.going to be a very big moment for Sam because it's the first time in

:42:17. > :42:22.his professional career he's ever played in a best of 25 frames match.

:42:23. > :42:26.So this whole best of three sessions thing is all new and it's a whole

:42:27. > :42:29.new learning experience for him. Yet, fantastic. You forget that

:42:30. > :42:33.because you just get used to players playing in this event. Best of 25 is

:42:34. > :42:37.totally different. He did really well to beat Michael White, who has

:42:38. > :42:41.health problems, but nevertheless he sprinted over the line and he's very

:42:42. > :42:44.attacking. He gets on with it. At will interesting to see how his game

:42:45. > :42:49.matches up to Mr Selby, who is tactically very adept. Very, very

:42:50. > :42:54.adept. What did you make of Mark Selby's performance against Rob

:42:55. > :42:59.Milkins considering he had that five game gap? When Milkins came back at

:43:00. > :43:04.him, he looked very shaky, looked a bit rusty, but the great thing about

:43:05. > :43:09.Mark Selby, as the lads said in the piece about him, he's got great

:43:10. > :43:13.matchplay instincts. He's got a great heart, he never gives up and

:43:14. > :43:18.even when the chips are down and he doesn't have his a game, he has his

:43:19. > :43:21.B game and his see game and his deep game can sometimes be good enough.

:43:22. > :43:28.He is such a tough player to play against and he is never knows when

:43:29. > :43:31.he is beaten. The thing that interested me in this match is, the

:43:32. > :43:35.other day he was with a little bit rusty, hadn't played for five weeks

:43:36. > :43:39.competitively at this level so, in racing terms, has the run brought

:43:40. > :43:44.him an? He'll be expecting to improve from the first round. He was

:43:45. > :43:49.in eco-mood as the Hoover the other day, he wasn't quite there, but I'm

:43:50. > :43:52.expecting him to step it up. It'll be interesting to see how Sam Baird

:43:53. > :43:57.copes with this as if this is tougher, playing Mark Selby ester 25

:43:58. > :44:00.is at others it's going to get. There is Mark Selby, the world

:44:01. > :44:04.number one, and there is Sam Baird, his opponent. We wish Sam well today

:44:05. > :44:09.in a brand-new adventure for him, a best of 25 frames match.

:44:10. > :44:12.Interestingly, the likes of Mark Selby is officially still number one

:44:13. > :44:18.but is moved down to provisionally number seven in the rankings. Selby,

:44:19. > :44:21.Walden, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Higgins, Mark Allen and Trump know that a

:44:22. > :44:24.victory here in the World Championship will mean they will

:44:25. > :44:28.finish the season as world number one, so there's an awful lot of

:44:29. > :44:36.issues over the coming days. Right. We. Talking and let them play. So

:44:37. > :44:40.it's over to MC Rob Walker. Thanks, Hazel. Good afternoon,

:44:41. > :44:43.ladies and gentlemen. It almost nonstop snooker here on day seven at

:44:44. > :44:46.the beck Tredwell championship. We've recovered after those two

:44:47. > :44:48.marathon matches this morning and we are poised and ready to go again.

:44:49. > :45:12.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Please welcome, first of all, a

:45:13. > :45:14.player bidding for his third appearance in the quarterfinals the

:45:15. > :45:19.Crucible, three times a ranking event winner. He's made two finals

:45:20. > :45:22.here and let's not forget, he knocked out the defending champion,

:45:23. > :45:26.Stuart Bingham, in round one. There is no one on tour with more

:45:27. > :45:27.determination than this guy, so raise the roof for the captain, Ali

:45:28. > :45:52.Carter. And his opponent, a player who first

:45:53. > :45:55.appeared here 25 years ago, bidding for a fifth Crucible quarterfinal,

:45:56. > :45:59.here after knocking out his good mate Stephen Maguire in the first

:46:00. > :46:00.round, twice a ranking event winner, he takes it all in his tartan

:46:01. > :46:26.stride. He's Alan McManus. And on table to, here comes a player

:46:27. > :46:31.emerging for the biggest match of his life so far but appear after

:46:32. > :46:35.knocking out Michael White in the first round, he has improved

:46:36. > :46:39.immeasurably since a slightly nervy Crucible debut three years ago. What

:46:40. > :47:01.a moment for the man from Devon. They call him Sam" The Blade" Baird.

:47:02. > :47:06.And his opponent, making a ninth appearance in the second round here,

:47:07. > :47:10.he came through a tricky match against Rob Milkins in the first

:47:11. > :47:15.round. World champion two years ago, multiple Masters winner. He is the

:47:16. > :47:31.world number one. He's the Jester from Leicester. He is Mark Selby!

:47:32. > :47:36.GABBY LOGAN: And that's what it's like inside the crews will be at. We

:47:37. > :47:45.will keep tabs on Ali Carter against Alan McManus. -- Hazel

:47:46. > :47:50.For the moment, we are heading to table two to watch the world number

:47:51. > :47:57.one in action in the company of Willie Thorne and Terry Griffiths.

:47:58. > :48:02.Good afternoon, gentlemen. WILLIE THORNE: Good afternoon,

:48:03. > :48:06.Hazel. Good afternoon, everybody. Sam Baird has won his first-round

:48:07. > :48:09.match so he's going into this match as a victor. It's the first time

:48:10. > :48:13.he's won a match at the Crucible against the legend that is Mark

:48:14. > :48:17.Selby, world number one, who's struggled a little bit, to be fair,

:48:18. > :48:25.against the Milkman in the first round.

:48:26. > :48:30.Robert Milkins played very well against Mark Selby in the first four

:48:31. > :48:38.frames and struggled a little bit after that. That's the tournament

:48:39. > :48:45.pot success, absolutely level, as you can see, 90% each, after the

:48:46. > :48:51.first match. Sam Baird's potting a few more long balls than Mark Selby

:48:52. > :48:55.but I would imagine the next stat, the safety, should be in favour of

:48:56. > :49:00.Mark Selby. No, amazingly enough Sam Baird is a little better at safety

:49:01. > :49:04.successful stop if he wins this safety battle, he's done very well

:49:05. > :49:08.against this young man. With me in the box, Terry Griffiths. Terry, I

:49:09. > :49:11.know you worked a bit with Sam Baird a few years ago. He's a very good

:49:12. > :49:18.break-builder, isn't it? TERRY GRIFFITHS: He is. He's come

:49:19. > :49:22.here and won around. That will settle him a bit. He's played Mark

:49:23. > :49:28.Selby a few times. He had a chance to beat him in the Welsh Open one

:49:29. > :49:39.year, Mr blue in the final frame. He lost the two matches.

:49:40. > :49:54.He was and that best, really, in their match against Rob Milkins.

:49:55. > :50:00.As we see the black again, I thought that was shot you can't afford to

:50:01. > :50:03.miss at any stage in any tournament but when Mark Selby had missed the

:50:04. > :50:07.green in the middle pocket, I thought that was a for Sam and he

:50:08. > :50:11.might kick on in the first frame to stay calm the nerves but that won't

:50:12. > :50:21.do anything for his nerves. That can only make it worse.

:50:22. > :51:28.Not great, this. Can only just get to the side of the cue ball.

:51:29. > :51:33.The fact that the blue and pink are both out of play at the moment... He

:51:34. > :51:36.might play a little slow cannon into the pink. Not bound to go right,

:51:37. > :51:40.though, cause there's no reds available into the middle pocket.

:51:41. > :51:45.He'd love to get the pink in open play. The black pot similar hand

:51:46. > :51:48.corner but it'll be to get on. Not necessarily going to play the cannon

:51:49. > :51:53.but Mark Selby usually plays the aggressive shot. Decided the blue

:51:54. > :51:57.looks a bit too thin. Playing the green in and out Balcombe, over the

:51:58. > :52:11.green spot, the cue ball will be travelling. -- in and out of baulk

:52:12. > :52:51.A little surprised he didn't play for the cannon, to be honest.

:52:52. > :52:57.A strange shot, wasn't it, that, for Mark? Refused it when he had a

:52:58. > :53:04.perfect angle before. But it's finished very nicely. Good to have

:53:05. > :53:09.split better, as long as this ruse goes in. -- couldn't have split

:53:10. > :53:45.better. We would expect to score quite heavily now.

:53:46. > :53:55.Mark Selby fully aware that if you can get a good break, it will

:53:56. > :54:30.unsettle him in his chair for a while.

:54:31. > :54:35.Play through the gap of the pink and the red and try to get down the back

:54:36. > :54:41.of the black. Could play the cannon on the two reds but that's a little

:54:42. > :54:44.dangerous. The red one up from the back pots in the corner. He will be

:54:45. > :54:48.playing off two cushions. That might not be hard enough. Just

:54:49. > :55:25.about OK. Just having a look now and he can

:55:26. > :55:37.play the cue ball out for the blue. If he can't reach this, of course,

:55:38. > :56:03.it's a bit more difficult. Just about travelled enough to give

:56:04. > :56:06.it a little nudge on the two reds. He'd probably like to hit them both

:56:07. > :56:10.together because that will push one towards the middle and one towards

:56:11. > :56:14.the corner. If he hits either one of them, he might not be on the red,

:56:15. > :56:18.amazingly enough. Just trying to make sure you can get the joint of

:56:19. > :56:21.the two reds that maybe he can just run through and just click them.

:56:22. > :56:23.That will leave them both in the middle pocket. The pocket where his

:56:24. > :56:34.handers. Played the flick and it's not

:56:35. > :56:41.worked. That's not like Mark Selby. The poor positional shot.

:56:42. > :56:53.It's still early days, although he's played one round. He's resettled

:56:54. > :56:57.himself down. The table doesn't play the same all the time, that's for

:56:58. > :57:03.sure. APPLAUSE

:57:04. > :57:06.It all depends. Perhaps the table next door might run a lot faster.

:57:07. > :57:24.You never know. Well, he played the pot with safety

:57:25. > :57:35.in his mind. He's 49 points behind now. Good angle on this brown. He

:57:36. > :57:40.may be able to get close to one of those three reds. If it's dead

:57:41. > :57:51.straight, it's hopeless. Just had a bit of an angle. This

:57:52. > :57:58.could be good. Straight on this red to stun through a few inches or even

:57:59. > :58:02.drop it in. It'll be on the black. Leaves the black on the spot for

:58:03. > :58:09.that red there. He's cueing quite deep. That's given him a chance to

:58:10. > :58:12.win the frame that this visit. Excellent positional shot from brown

:58:13. > :58:21.to red. Another good one from red to black. If this black goes in, he's

:58:22. > :58:22.right back into this frame. You need the black on its spots to make that

:58:23. > :58:57.an easier red. Another excellent positional shot.

:58:58. > :59:00.Good break-builder, Sam. He busy hasn't had the experience in the big

:59:01. > :59:26.time. Essential to be high on the pink or

:59:27. > :59:31.high on the black, whichever he decides to play for. High on the

:59:32. > :59:35.black is good because then he's got half a chance of bringing the red

:59:36. > :59:41.into play. He's going to have to play this speaker now. Can't get on

:59:42. > :59:42.this last red. He'll be disappointed he has left himself a better angle

:59:43. > :59:57.than this. One of the only places he didn't

:59:58. > :00:05.want to go. Should have been more careful.

:00:06. > :00:08.OK, he has cleared up but he's certainly back in the frame.

:00:09. > :00:35.APPLAUSE As usual, Mark Selby, one of the

:00:36. > :00:40.greatest players in the world tactically. What a great shot that

:00:41. > :00:42.was. Keeping the red safe was a problem. But as you can see, he has

:00:43. > :00:59.done it perfectly. Just Elizabeth of safety going on

:01:00. > :01:03.for a second. I would like to wish Dennis Taylor a speedy recovery. He

:01:04. > :01:13.was taken to hospital with an appendicitis last night and hopes to

:01:14. > :01:28.be back with us early next week. I am missing the lines already!

:01:29. > :01:59.Big shot here. Think he's got to take it on. A big boost for Sam if

:02:00. > :02:07.he wins this first frame after that black he missed earlier on. If he's

:02:08. > :02:12.got a weakness, he hits the ball and little too hard when he's under

:02:13. > :02:21.pressure, but who doesn't? Yes, that's one he could have stroked in

:02:22. > :02:27.would have helped the for the green. Being hampered over the green, I

:02:28. > :02:35.would be surprised if Selby tries to get this in. He'll be playing the

:02:36. > :02:40.safety shot. Make sure the reds doesn't make contact with the rent

:02:41. > :02:57.to make it around the ankles. Made sure of the good white.

:02:58. > :03:11.A good chance here for Sam if he fancies this red into the top left

:03:12. > :03:15.pocket. A tough pot, but he could also placement behind those three

:03:16. > :03:27.top covers. He's very tempted to play snooker. He may have still got

:03:28. > :03:35.one behind the pink. You can just see the edge I think of the red. I

:03:36. > :03:41.would need a set of binoculars to see that one. These top players have

:03:42. > :03:50.excellent eyesight. He'll need it here. I think Sam was unfortunate to

:03:51. > :03:55.get the snigger behind the pink. He has forced the opening. If it goes

:03:56. > :04:01.in, he can finish the frame. He needs to play for the brown or

:04:02. > :04:07.green. He shouldn't really play this because he's very close to it. Don't

:04:08. > :04:14.play for the top cushion. He has the pot, but where's the? He may have

:04:15. > :04:16.missed trick there. He made pot the brown and clear up that he should

:04:17. > :04:43.have played for a colour. A lot more difficult out there, of

:04:44. > :04:49.course. Mark Selby has been here many times and been through most of

:04:50. > :04:53.the things that you've got to put up with when you're playing in the

:04:54. > :04:59.Crucible. Starting off badly, starting off well, your opponent

:05:00. > :05:15.starting well. It all goes on out there. Foul. That's the worst I've

:05:16. > :05:20.ever seen from Mark Selby. Shouldn't have been anywhere near the brown or

:05:21. > :05:28.blue. Unless the cushion played a few tricks, I don't know. Not easy

:05:29. > :05:32.to fit these back I don't think either. It was in a straight line

:05:33. > :06:18.with the brown and blue spot. That's where they were. Just in my

:06:19. > :06:33.mail with the blue. He's moved it about 21 times already! Now then...

:06:34. > :06:38.It's the worst place for the referees when the balls in the

:06:39. > :06:43.middle of the table. I think he would have expected Mark Selby to

:06:44. > :06:49.miss either. He would have hit it, it would have been OK. Just looking

:06:50. > :06:54.at it from the side, Terry, how on earth did he kissed the blue from

:06:55. > :06:58.here? These cushions did come off quite quickly and that might have

:06:59. > :07:08.come off strangely so that could have happened. The thing is, is he

:07:09. > :07:12.going to alter the place on the cushion he is going to hits now

:07:13. > :07:22.after that? It has put him in two minds now after the normal escape.

:07:23. > :07:25.That's if it ever happens, that is! I can forgive the referee for not

:07:26. > :07:37.getting the yellow and blue in the right place but the white, he's just

:07:38. > :07:44.seen the play. I don't think it will make a huge difference whether white

:07:45. > :07:47.is. Unless you can't get to it, otherwise it will make a difference.

:07:48. > :07:57.There is no games here for either player. -- gain for either player.

:07:58. > :08:04.It's not about hitting the yellow, it's about getting it safe. Bush

:08:05. > :08:54.took to the side cushion. A brilliant shot. Very good.

:08:55. > :09:11.Well played. Didn't push the boat out there, just a good distance

:09:12. > :09:18.between the two balls. Seems like Mark Selby has dominated this frame,

:09:19. > :09:25.but not a lot in Israeli. -- not a lot in it really. He would like to

:09:26. > :09:30.play up and down, but the blue and green are in the way. He can't play

:09:31. > :09:36.a half bowl because the yellow will go into that right corner pocket.

:09:37. > :09:41.He'll have to try and find a shot and he has found one, an excellent

:09:42. > :09:43.shot. He has not got a snooker, but to get the yellow safe, that was the

:09:44. > :10:16.main thing. The first mistake really. That's got

:10:17. > :10:26.to be careful here with that balloon. -- blue. Not the line he

:10:27. > :10:30.would be normally. And that's the reason he overdid it, because that

:10:31. > :10:34.balloon made it a bit awkward. OK, he's got a bit of a chance with the

:10:35. > :11:05.green in the centre. Yes, 22 points in front. And that's

:11:06. > :11:24.a settler. Mark has had a couple of chances in this frame.

:11:25. > :11:34.That put him 26 in front with eating left, so barring snickers, Mark

:11:35. > :12:11.Selby will take the opening frame. -- 18.

:12:12. > :12:33.This is closer. Not quite hard enough. It slid off that cushion.

:12:34. > :12:40.Well, it's paid to put that blue right in the jaws of that pocket.

:12:41. > :13:16.One machines it has slid off slightly.

:13:17. > :13:24.50 break early on from Mark Selby was more than enough to take this

:13:25. > :13:29.first frame. Sam Baird stays in his seat. Mark Selby is delighted to

:13:30. > :13:33.have taken the opening frame and beads 1-0. Some interesting points

:13:34. > :13:36.there, Terry. Mark plays an unbelievable safety shot and left

:13:37. > :13:41.Sam Baird in a tricky position. How would you have played this? Would

:13:42. > :13:45.you have over the side cushion? Yes, I would have. That's what he did

:13:46. > :13:55.play but it caught it slightly wrong. The fact that he cottage

:13:56. > :14:01.thick and left it on, Terry, you were commentating and saying that

:14:02. > :14:05.the blue was in the way. Yes, it's in the line where Mark Selby wanted

:14:06. > :14:14.the cue ball to go after potting the yellow. And as it turns out, I can

:14:15. > :14:19.see it now, he puts too much power into the shot to avoid being

:14:20. > :14:24.slithered by the blue and is a bit fortunate to beacons of the green in

:14:25. > :14:29.the centre. He rolled the green into the middle pocket and went on to do

:14:30. > :14:34.enough damage to the Sam Baird in his snookers. Sam had three chances

:14:35. > :14:39.in that frame. We know it is best of 25, but when you are playing against

:14:40. > :14:43.a top player, this is how it's all starts. He did very well to get into

:14:44. > :14:47.the frame after missing the black. He's trying to hit the one behind

:14:48. > :14:53.that cluster. The choice of two reds. But he has flicked the other

:14:54. > :14:56.red and did not get into the cue ball as he hoped. But he can't be

:14:57. > :14:59.disappointed about how he got into the frame again that he will be

:15:00. > :15:08.disappointed about missing that black early on. Mark Selby leading

:15:09. > :15:17.1-0. Lining up for frame to. -- frame two. It's half a break off

:15:18. > :15:41.anyway! Pass that baulk line. He'll still have to come right away

:15:42. > :15:51.from the black. Excellent shot from Sam. Absolutely brilliant, wasn't

:15:52. > :15:57.it, Terry? He took the bull by the horns there. Bit of news that cue

:15:58. > :16:01.coming off the cushion. The tables have been recovered since his

:16:02. > :16:05.first-round match and having played some 19 or eating frames on this

:16:06. > :16:09.table, you would expect that wait to move higher and it's surprising how

:16:10. > :16:16.it finished though there. He has to play that read. With the screw back,

:16:17. > :16:19.it would be unlucky not to be near black. Getting the screw into the

:16:20. > :16:23.cue ball here, it's quite a thin red back when he was leaving the run

:16:24. > :16:29.them through. It might end up in your the pocket here. But no, he's

:16:30. > :16:39.played it lovely. He hasn't got a lot of weaknesses. You can score

:16:40. > :16:46.heavily. So far, he hasn't really got what I thought. He's a very

:16:47. > :16:49.talented player, Sam. He hasn't really had that out in the big

:16:50. > :16:54.tournaments he has played in. He has played a lot of qualifying rounds of

:16:55. > :17:00.course and in the end it starts to affect you, thinking you are more in

:17:01. > :17:10.the qualifiers then you are in the late stages of the determinants. --

:17:11. > :17:15.big turnouts. There is no doubt that Mark isn't at his best. He wasn't in

:17:16. > :17:20.the first round as you mentioned but he hasn't started great here either.

:17:21. > :17:23.He missed to tournaments as well. He missed the last two to try and get

:17:24. > :17:28.himself mentally and physically right for what is a wrong 17 days.

:17:29. > :17:33.He was very rusty I thought in the first round. I thought it was 17

:17:34. > :17:49.years! Just got an angle. He didn't have to

:17:50. > :17:55.play the cannon into the three reds, he could get in the gap. That's how

:17:56. > :18:02.you play cushion first. Lots of reds and so he does not have to worry

:18:03. > :18:07.about those three either. A bit more time playing, he has a strange

:18:08. > :18:12.rhythm. He takes quite a while to decide even the easiest of shots

:18:13. > :18:15.sometimes and then he hit the ball very quickly. Those don't seem to

:18:16. > :18:23.match for me, but it works well for him. He will be disappointed not to

:18:24. > :18:28.get the top side of the blue. The yellow will be a problem here. He's

:18:29. > :18:36.going to have to hit the yellow of the two cushions. That's the yellow.

:18:37. > :19:26.The missed it nicely so he should be OK.

:19:27. > :19:32.Another good recovery. Twice on the wrong side of the blue and twice got

:19:33. > :19:47.out of trouble. That one was a lot better. He goes to 45. Three more

:19:48. > :19:53.reds and three colours. His target is 69 so he needs another 24 points

:19:54. > :19:58.from here. Three reds, three colours to make sure that he leaves Mark

:19:59. > :20:01.Selby in a snooker. That's not his best. Very awkward. He needed to be

:20:02. > :20:24.another six inches further on. He's left himself to choices and

:20:25. > :20:31.both in the centre pockets. He would certainly have preferred something a

:20:32. > :20:41.bit better than this, a bit easier. It takes quite a while for him to

:20:42. > :20:49.take the shots and then it's gone. GROANING

:20:50. > :20:54.Well well. That was an absolute case of what you were talking about,

:20:55. > :21:02.Terry. He got down and pull back on the cue and then hit it. He hit it

:21:03. > :21:08.very poorly. I think it happens when he needs a bit of power. He goes a

:21:09. > :21:14.bit faster there and it was a blink of the eye, wasn't it, the blink of

:21:15. > :21:18.an eye for the delivery? He missed the black like that in the first

:21:19. > :21:26.round, with a similar type of shots. He's going to play the shot, gets

:21:27. > :21:30.down, one to three and off it goes. I've noticed when he plays screw

:21:31. > :21:33.shots, his bridge hand seems to be closer to the wire then a lot of

:21:34. > :21:43.peoples of he doesn't have time to get out of the way. A surprise that

:21:44. > :22:05.Mark didn't attempt apart there. Decided to wait for a better chance.

:22:06. > :22:13.Sam Baird holding his hand up there. He played a pot, is red. Miles to

:22:14. > :22:28.thin. As you can see, looks to have got away from. He will get back to

:22:29. > :22:42.baulk if he attempts this red. You won't get back to baulk like that.

:22:43. > :22:54.A long way off there from Mark Selby.

:22:55. > :23:07.Not the best case for Sam Baird there.

:23:08. > :24:10.He's playing the pink. This is a lot more difficult. Well played.

:24:11. > :24:18.APPLAUSE A bit of a round of applause. He is

:24:19. > :24:24.playing a bit games to Mark Selby, one of the circuit, so if you want

:24:25. > :25:43.to truly finish it off. Bowl, Mark Selby stays in his chair.

:25:44. > :25:48.A break of 53. One frame each. We've got to shut up so that you can win

:25:49. > :25:51.it to us. When Sam was in his position, he could either play back

:25:52. > :25:54.spin and screw back for the black but he played top spin. Tell us how

:25:55. > :26:03.they generate so much spin to push through the pack. You see the top

:26:04. > :26:06.spin working. As it goes through the reds, it opens a three reds out. You

:26:07. > :26:14.can hit the shot easier with the top spin. You see the striped bold here

:26:15. > :26:18.going round. You see the spin now is taking the secondary spin after it

:26:19. > :26:22.has hit the ball. It stops or more or less stops and then rolled

:26:23. > :26:27.through the reds but if you play your back spin shot and it will hit

:26:28. > :26:31.with a lot more pace and of course, the pocket will take it until it is

:26:32. > :26:40.accurate. But it is easier to generate more spin with top spin?

:26:41. > :26:43.With back spin, the ball is propelling itself backwards on its

:26:44. > :26:46.way to the object ball, but when it hits it, it's still going forward

:26:47. > :26:57.and then it has to start to come back. So, Sam Baird breaking. Relax

:26:58. > :27:02.now with his eight frames in this session. As we will see, you can

:27:03. > :27:08.never win a match in the first session but you can do a lot to lose

:27:09. > :27:09.it. So if you are going to lose in the first session, don't do it more

:27:10. > :27:35.than 5-3. GROANING

:27:36. > :27:41.Another folk from Leicester player! Goal, you can count on one hand,

:27:42. > :27:53.Terry. 26 years a professional. Never had one. Swinging round from

:27:54. > :27:55.the red which is on the black spots. He would love to finish low on it.

:27:56. > :28:32.He has a choice of reds. Two shots away from making this a

:28:33. > :28:37.chance to break into the pink and black but he needs to be straight on

:28:38. > :28:40.this next red and screw top side of the blue, half bowl and straight

:28:41. > :28:46.onto the pink. That is what he is thinking of here, three shots in

:28:47. > :28:47.advance. If he gets about a foot past the middle pocket, he will be

:28:48. > :29:15.happy if he pops this red. He's not doing great at the moment.

:29:16. > :29:21.A long time to go. You'd expect him to make this. By a long way, a

:29:22. > :29:35.player of his class. As it turned out, if this doesn't go

:29:36. > :29:53.past the yellow, he hasn't left one to hit either.

:29:54. > :30:05.Hawk-Eye shown that half the pocket. -- showing us. If there is

:30:06. > :30:06.competition for the safety shot of the tournament, that would be high

:30:07. > :30:37.up. He has put himself in trouble with

:30:38. > :30:41.that last safety shot. Knew that he'd be bringing black and pink to

:30:42. > :30:45.play so he decided to play the containing safety. He will be in

:30:46. > :31:16.trouble in a minute. It is touchy. Just letting the leathery look so he

:31:17. > :31:24.can see the centre of the plaque on the map pack, so if he wants to play

:31:25. > :31:28.the same shot as before, he can do. -- on the pack. APPLAUSE. This is

:31:29. > :31:38.excellent. JV would have been shouting his

:31:39. > :31:45.heart out there. Oh! Would have lost his voice there, even before 10-0.

:31:46. > :31:52.He has gone from playing the worst safety shot so far to the best one

:31:53. > :32:02.there. Fair play. Will need a few more of those against Mark Selby, of

:32:03. > :32:07.course. Wow! That's certainly didn't come off at the natural angle Mark

:32:08. > :32:12.Selby was expecting, came off very narrow. His face tells you that.

:32:13. > :32:25.Ray, it is impossible to come off at that angle. Where the cue ball is,

:32:26. > :32:32.it is not on. Mark Williams took a towel on and wiped all the cushions.

:32:33. > :32:35.I have never seen that before. Davis was waxing lyrical that he was

:32:36. > :32:42.pushing it the wrong way in the commentary. He decided because that

:32:43. > :32:50.was a completely different throw than he thought, they are going a

:32:51. > :33:02.different way. -- he is going a different way. I think he has left

:33:03. > :33:06.this red. That is very unlike Selby. There are not many better in the

:33:07. > :33:15.game at judging the angles than Mark Selby. Big crowd in here, that at

:33:16. > :33:23.times can change the atmosphere out there. Cushions playing a little

:33:24. > :33:29.different because of that. Could play off the black here, going

:33:30. > :33:33.behind the blue. Would loosen atop a little bit, probably bring a couple

:33:34. > :33:37.of reds. He will be very close behind the blue if he plays the

:33:38. > :34:18.black, that is what he is playing. Good choice, this.

:34:19. > :34:31.Worth trying to get behind yellow and brown here. He has hit that one.

:34:32. > :34:35.I was going to say he would have only left one read on and the pink

:34:36. > :34:40.and black were tied up, but he has made a bit of a mess of that. Still

:34:41. > :34:45.need a good shot here. Has long game has not been good. Let's see if he

:34:46. > :35:02.can cue this one nicely. Cue dipped well. And it has a very,

:35:03. > :35:21.very good case. -- cued it well. -- good kiss.

:35:22. > :36:32.When you get a bit of good fortune you have to make it pay.

:36:33. > :36:40.Overdid that slightly, trying to arc down there with back spin. Did well,

:36:41. > :36:42.let's have a look at that. You can see it arcing round, but it got too

:36:43. > :36:57.much spin on. APPLAUSE.

:36:58. > :37:02.The one leading the reds just below the pink there. You can see the

:37:03. > :37:30.three down from the pink. I think you can see the red I was

:37:31. > :37:35.talking about, down from the pink, that corner ball. In his position,

:37:36. > :37:47.he can't see enough of it. You can see that one, can't you,

:37:48. > :37:54.from that angle. That is what he's playing. The pace he's going to play

:37:55. > :37:58.at... He has played the other way round, but... I was about to say you

:37:59. > :38:04.cannot afford to push reds, always get a good cue ball, that is the key

:38:05. > :38:09.thing, then even if you play a bad safety you can get away with it. His

:38:10. > :38:16.turn to have a little bit of good luck there. Selby had a good shot.

:38:17. > :38:34.Totally missed it, I think he hit the wrong red, he was trying to pop

:38:35. > :38:38.that read, knowing the track of the cue ball would have been in line

:38:39. > :38:40.with these two reds on the right-hand side, but he hit the

:38:41. > :39:15.wrong red. . A good part from Sam, but no reward

:39:16. > :39:54.-- a good pot. Done without touching the brown.

:39:55. > :40:13.He played to catch that on the left-hand side and left the red on,

:40:14. > :40:15.but he has done the job. Again, given Sam Baird a chance to play a

:40:16. > :40:42.good safety. I thought four minutes it hit the

:40:43. > :40:43.ball. Played it very well, that one. Make sure you don't kiss the ball

:40:44. > :41:13.colours on the way down. He is having a look at the red, is

:41:14. > :41:15.he? To the right of the pink there. Might change his mind, the red by

:41:16. > :41:42.the black now, just a safety shot. The one Mark Selby was looking up

:41:43. > :41:44.before, onto the right of the pink, he will swing it around two cushions

:41:45. > :41:58.and playback in the fork. The cue ball was going to watch the

:41:59. > :42:07.cushion. It was a great pot. How much trouble can he put Mark in? If

:42:08. > :42:10.he wanted to brisket, the slow roll up to the blue would be harder to

:42:11. > :43:08.hit snooker. -- wanted risk it. Terry put the line-up that Mark

:43:09. > :43:37.Selby was going to play. Just misjudged it.

:43:38. > :43:55.Good pot, good case. Their -- good kiss.

:43:56. > :44:07.He can play it quite safely just past the middle pocket and get onto

:44:08. > :44:11.that loose red. Needs that white to slow down. Just hasn't got the pace

:44:12. > :44:14.this afternoon so far yet. It is early days, he will get the pace

:44:15. > :44:55.soon. He would have liked to have been on

:44:56. > :45:00.something here that was easy to part occurs with the red it is two sets

:45:01. > :45:07.of two balls together so quite easy for Mark Selby to possibly escape

:45:08. > :45:17.from a snooker. Cushion first, onto the blue. Oh, dear.

:45:18. > :45:24.That was difficult to miss, that one. He couldn't fail to get the

:45:25. > :45:38.snooker. Probably try and bring the black

:45:39. > :45:47.into play with his safety shot. That is what he has done. Where is the

:45:48. > :45:48.cue ball going? That is unlucky. He thought he had played the shot

:45:49. > :46:05.perfectly. That white looked to be kissing the

:46:06. > :46:08.brown for second, didn't it. -- for a second. Needs to play a telling

:46:09. > :46:41.safety shot. Whether it is a plant on here marked

:46:42. > :46:52.looks like he is going to take on, I think the black will still be out of

:46:53. > :46:57.play. He may even risk screwing back-up to the brown.

:46:58. > :47:14.Has he got it? No, he hasn't. The Greene or brown is on, but plenty of

:47:15. > :47:24.work to do. The pink is on as well if he wants to cut it in. Maybe hit

:47:25. > :47:36.it back round the red. He is playing to screw it in. The pink going to

:47:37. > :47:45.the black spot will help because those two... He couldn't have done

:47:46. > :47:51.it with the pink in its own spot. That is the angles left. Trying to

:47:52. > :47:52.push those reds along the cushion. He doesn't want to knock another

:47:53. > :48:13.read in. -- another Red Bull. Played everything, played both

:48:14. > :49:15.shots, played it lovely. Had to move the two reds and get onto that red.

:49:16. > :49:22.He has done well to make this a possible frame. There was nothing on

:49:23. > :49:29.when he came to the table. Had to do three or four kisses to get balls

:49:30. > :49:30.into play. 29 points in front. Just one more red needed after this

:49:31. > :49:36.black. This will put him 37 points in front

:49:37. > :50:01.with 35 remaining. Without playing anywhere near his

:50:02. > :50:05.best he's managed to scramble Watts looks like it will be a 2-1 lead. --

:50:06. > :50:09.what looks like. Some certainly looked better so far

:50:10. > :50:29.-- Sam. 40 point lead. Snicko's Sam Baird

:50:30. > :51:02.will be trailing 2-1. -- snooker's. Good shot. Slight double case that

:51:03. > :51:42.we will give it the benefit of the doubt. -- slight double

:51:43. > :52:14.needs to pot the pink for any possible chance in this frame.

:52:15. > :52:19.It looks quite straightforward to keep the white in behind the blue

:52:20. > :52:26.but if you push the yellow back into the middle of the table you are not

:52:27. > :52:30.bound to get this shot right. There would be a gap and all sorts of

:52:31. > :52:30.things here. He has played it OK, though, well done.

:52:31. > :54:33.APPLAUSE That puts the frame beyond any

:54:34. > :54:52.doubt. Quite a scrappy frame, Bis, marked

:54:53. > :55:00.it well to get the 29 break. A little exhibition shop there. Where

:55:01. > :55:10.is the black going? Breaks of 33 and 29 were enough. Just testing the

:55:11. > :55:16.cushions, trying to pot the pink down the rail. Sampaio had will not

:55:17. > :55:21.be happy at the moment -- Sam Baird will not be happy. He is trailing

:55:22. > :55:25.with Mark Selby not playing his best.

:55:26. > :55:31.We have been chatting in the studio about fluency and how much more

:55:32. > :55:35.difficult it seems to be able to be for Mark Selby to come by fluency. A

:55:36. > :55:41.couple of seasons ago he was winning the Masters every year, we make down

:55:42. > :55:46.-- nicknamed him the Hoover because they were all gone if you gave him a

:55:47. > :55:50.chance. He is not as fluid while he is scoring. I don't know why that

:55:51. > :55:54.should be because he is world number one and has the confidence but he

:55:55. > :56:01.has lost fluency when he scores. Why'd you think that is? I don't

:56:02. > :56:08.know, maybe confidence. Not quite sure. A run of victories, matches he

:56:09. > :56:12.has won lately, I don't know when his last tournament win was but it

:56:13. > :56:15.seemed a long time ago when he was winning tournament at tournament but

:56:16. > :56:22.only a couple of seasons ago he was doing that regularly so maybe it is

:56:23. > :56:26.upstairs in the head. He is not the most confident, as he should be. He

:56:27. > :56:31.is still world number one but doesn't betray that confidence as

:56:32. > :56:35.much as maybe some of the other players might do around the table.

:56:36. > :56:40.Maybe that is something to do with it, maybe it is just in the mind but

:56:41. > :56:45.maybe he's a run of good form. We have seen him play himself into good

:56:46. > :56:50.form before, haven't we? He will have two. Bassey currently stands,

:56:51. > :56:54.it is scrappy, it is only the start of the match, but there is a good

:56:55. > :56:58.chance he could play himself in. The level he is playing at the moment he

:56:59. > :57:01.probably will not win the championship so he will have to find

:57:02. > :57:07.something. The last before the interval.

:57:08. > :57:19.Very good from both lads there. Mark Selby doesn't look himself.

:57:20. > :57:26.A long way to go yet. I am sure he can find better form than he has

:57:27. > :57:55.shown so far. If he cannot the skill he has in the

:57:56. > :58:00.break game to that, if he will be a tough one to beat -- can add the

:58:01. > :58:07.skill. Safety has never been his strong suit, really. Like most of

:58:08. > :58:15.the younger players on the circuit, he is more aggressive these days.

:58:16. > :58:23.We'll go for long shots and leave the safety is to the other players.

:58:24. > :58:32.-- the safety shots. You don't see that shot played very often but boy,

:58:33. > :58:36.has he played it well. Unless this hits the cushion. His body language

:58:37. > :58:50.was like he might not see this thread. -- this red. That picture,

:58:51. > :58:55.what you think, Terry? Looks like it didn't catch the other read first.

:58:56. > :59:04.Just thinking, because he could play it slow or risk playing it off the

:59:05. > :59:09.left-hand jaw. It is a possibility. Sam, when he is playing, he doesn't

:59:10. > :59:17.care, he sort of swaggers onto the table very slowly. We know he cannot

:59:18. > :59:21.hit it full ball to play it in the centre of the pocket but he may be

:59:22. > :59:28.able to squeeze it into the left-hand jaw. The cue ball will get

:59:29. > :59:31.a bit closer to the black. I think it is worth the risk. You can see

:59:32. > :59:39.where he is aiming. He couldn't see it. He convinced

:59:40. > :59:56.himself he could see it! You see, it moved the other read. It

:59:57. > :00:05.was with his cue. I think he hit the red with his cue.

:00:06. > :00:13.So it looked for a split-second that sounded really good shot into the

:00:14. > :00:18.back of the reds. Now he is sitting down, thinking, what 's happening?

:00:19. > :00:33.He's pointing to the red on the rate of the pack there. He struck it

:00:34. > :00:39.well, but he's got a pot to go out. I would've liked to be a bit closer

:00:40. > :00:43.to the reds. He plays that shot so well, Terry, along with the top four

:00:44. > :00:46.players in the world. A lot of them don't go in with enough pace. He

:00:47. > :00:52.didn't want the unwanted side to go further up the but that's a good

:00:53. > :01:06.recovery. He will be disappointed if he doesn't score a well now.

:01:07. > :01:15.A lot of the players who practice with Mark Selby tell me that you've

:01:16. > :01:20.got to take a book with you because he doesn't miss. He's an excellent

:01:21. > :01:29.player. Not bad on the match table either. Yes, just recently had a

:01:30. > :01:34.table put in his house which is a couple of villagers away from myself

:01:35. > :01:38.in Leicestershire. Snedeker was finished and he has been playing on

:01:39. > :01:44.a table which apparently is very tight. A lot tighter than these. --

:01:45. > :01:47.snooker was finished. He didn't get into the cue ball enough there is

:01:48. > :01:59.hence he is very close to the occasion. -- percussion Mac. The

:02:00. > :02:05.cushion. I don't think that kicks. I think he mis-hit it. If you look at

:02:06. > :02:09.the back swing, look at the length of it when he pulls the cue back to

:02:10. > :02:14.drop red Kim. He has to do celebrates their and that can push

:02:15. > :02:19.it off line a bit. I don't see why he pulled the cue so far back then.

:02:20. > :02:26.He is a bit disappointed with his shot previously. Sam is back in.

:02:27. > :02:32.Looking a bit disappointed in the chair, but here we are. Mark will go

:02:33. > :02:38.back to his chair thinking, well, that was a frame-winning

:02:39. > :02:43.opportunity. I think if your opponent has more confidence than he

:02:44. > :02:50.has in his position. At least he has not lost the first session. He might

:02:51. > :03:02.still win it 3-1. Sam Baird in Ascension now though. Yes, I think

:03:03. > :03:08.Mark Selby is very similar to how Mark Williams used to be years ago.

:03:09. > :03:14.He would win a session 3-1. It's a great skill to have. They can win

:03:15. > :03:18.sessions when they are playing well, but we are being a little bit

:03:19. > :03:20.critical here of Mark Selby, but on the other side, we are so used to

:03:21. > :03:37.him playing at such a high standard. Now, this is a line-up situation

:03:38. > :03:44.here. He has to win the frame from here. If he doesn't, then he goes

:03:45. > :03:49.3-1 behind and he'll be devastated. OK, if you're opponent is giving

:03:50. > :03:55.breaks and not giving your chances, you can more or less turn around and

:03:56. > :03:58.give yourself, if you are behind 3-1, but that is not the case in

:03:59. > :04:14.this match. Sam Baird has had quite a few chances.

:04:15. > :04:20.Just on the road to the rate of the pink spot. Obviously opens the rest

:04:21. > :04:27.that is next to it. Hardly anything to do now just to keep hitting

:04:28. > :04:30.around the pink spot area. It should take around the winning line. He

:04:31. > :04:37.could've done with another two of pace and that therefore. Just going

:04:38. > :04:57.away from the reds. Shouldn't be a problem at all from here.

:04:58. > :05:12.Sam, what you doing? I don't know how straight years on the pink, but

:05:13. > :05:16.he can just roll this in a nudge the red because he needs to slow the

:05:17. > :05:23.white down or beyond nothing. He needs that cannon in the bottom row

:05:24. > :05:24.of the two. It looks like he's thinking about the blue, but surely

:05:25. > :05:41.the pink is a shot. He's hampered. Just get the angle he's got on the

:05:42. > :05:46.pink there. He's bound to make contact with either of the two

:05:47. > :05:49.rights which will leave him a shot on the metal pockets. I don't know

:05:50. > :05:57.if you will need the spider to reach it. If you can reach it, he has to

:05:58. > :05:59.play the pink. He does neither spider. I would rather take the blue

:06:00. > :06:23.then take the spider. Well, he played it as well as he

:06:24. > :06:26.possibly could there. He did not look in Kabul. That's what happens

:06:27. > :06:30.out there. You're in a straightforward position and then

:06:31. > :06:32.you have an awkward shot instead of an easy one. It's important to make

:06:33. > :06:51.that next. Glance at the scoreboard will tell

:06:52. > :06:54.him that he is 25 points in front. This will be 30. Two more breads and

:06:55. > :07:15.two colours. -- reds. He hasn't had the white under

:07:16. > :07:27.control for the last four shots. He needs one more good positional shots

:07:28. > :07:35.now. It's not straightforward. Of course, he is a young man who has

:07:36. > :07:38.not seen much in the Crucible. He is playing the number one in the world

:07:39. > :07:41.so there is a lot of pressure on him at the moment. Certainly unsettling

:07:42. > :08:19.his position of play so far. Checking again. The scoreboard, he

:08:20. > :08:27.is looked up a few times. He's got the black, so he is 44 in front. 53

:08:28. > :08:32.left, but he would've liked to have been better on this. Here's touching

:08:33. > :08:39.ball. But as we mentioned earlier, Mark Selby is very strong and

:08:40. > :08:42.getting snookers. Even though it is touching ball, I would much rather

:08:43. > :08:47.be pitting the black safe with a safety shot. That's what he is

:08:48. > :08:53.trying to do. Playing the cue ball back into baulk. I don't blame him

:08:54. > :09:59.for that. Because it was touching, it is deemed as playing the red.

:10:00. > :10:05.He was of legs and angle and that blue to bring the cue ball down on

:10:06. > :10:13.that side of the table. Get on the other side of the pink, but he can

:10:14. > :10:34.still do it. Just about made it all the way down. That was not easy.

:10:35. > :10:41.This is too close for an escape, but if you play at and missed the red

:10:42. > :10:54.then you'll leave a free ball so he'll need to be extra careful with

:10:55. > :10:58.his escape. You're right. The problem with that is when you play

:10:59. > :11:04.the Snedeker that you would normally play at pace, when you play it more

:11:05. > :11:07.gently, conditions just throw a little different so unique to

:11:08. > :11:14.readjust the angle that you would normally play four of the side

:11:15. > :11:18.cushion. It's hard to get into your mind. Playing it at pace when you

:11:19. > :11:35.just want to hit it. He is frightened of leading a free ball.

:11:36. > :11:41.Well, it's not so bad. He could have come forward a little bit fuller and

:11:42. > :11:52.he would have had a very easy snooker.

:11:53. > :12:05.He looks as if he's found a gap. Not quite sure Sam can cut this in. He

:12:06. > :12:16.may be able to. Were not going to see enough of it. Two players on the

:12:17. > :12:21.circuit you wouldn't want to be in this position against our Mark Selby

:12:22. > :12:24.and John Higgins. They have won a high percentage of games over the

:12:25. > :12:44.years when they needed snookers. Trying to force Saddam to get the

:12:45. > :12:52.black into play but that's one thing he won't want to do. -- Sam. He

:12:53. > :12:57.doesn't want to be playing it thin and going down to a few cushions. He

:12:58. > :13:00.would want to be going round a pocket. I wouldn't worry too much

:13:01. > :14:09.about the black if I knew I could play a safety shot. That's not bad.

:14:10. > :14:23.He's got behind the blue. He's had a bit of form there. He can just about

:14:24. > :14:29.get the red. It's his turn to have an unlucky one. Selby is down to see

:14:30. > :14:39.if you can see the edge of this red past the green. He can do. He

:14:40. > :14:49.doesn't want to be pushing that red towards the right film. Plays behind

:14:50. > :14:58.the pink. Needs a little bit more pace. Just hit it a little bit too

:14:59. > :15:04.hard. Sam Baird will be going for this one. Praying that it will

:15:05. > :15:43.going. A good attempt. Used all three colours to line them

:15:44. > :15:47.up. He has tight on the cushion. This is Mr Paul. He can't decide

:15:48. > :15:53.which side he watched on. He can go either way here. Maybe the yellow

:15:54. > :15:56.was just on the way of the left job, but he can easily hit the right-hand

:15:57. > :16:06.side cushion. There is lots of room around the back of this red. It is

:16:07. > :16:17.not a guaranteed hit. Penny for your thoughts?

:16:18. > :16:31.Yes, he had some good chances to win this year. He'll be worrying out

:16:32. > :16:39.there now. He hasn't lost yet, but he still looks like he's a long way

:16:40. > :16:45.from winning it. I'd see he'd hit the shot in these circumstances he

:16:46. > :16:49.is now, probably five out of ten, the chances. If it does go out the

:16:50. > :17:04.back, the chance of hitting the black way back. -- and the way back.

:17:05. > :17:18.The yellow appears to be in the way that way.

:17:19. > :17:27.That's the right way to play it. They did a bit harder than I thought

:17:28. > :17:39.he would. Good four or inches out there. The game is alive again. Mark

:17:40. > :17:50.Selby can win by one. With the black of course.

:17:51. > :17:54.A dangerous way to play, but he played it well. Half an inch away

:17:55. > :18:48.from being very good. I think Sam can get through to the

:18:49. > :18:56.edge of this red. The problem is, if he can, maybe you can see that

:18:57. > :18:58.angle. You'd play cushion first without any problem but he doesn't

:18:59. > :19:07.want to kiss into the pink on the way back. Forced played it nicely,

:19:08. > :19:40.played it very nicely. He will be happy with that.

:19:41. > :19:46.Sam's first chance to get the upper hand in the safety exchange. Play it

:19:47. > :19:53.thin on the right-hand side. Get behind the blue and black and push

:19:54. > :19:54.the red Army side cushion. Once again, the pink is the problem ball

:19:55. > :20:11.he's going to play that way. The key thing is if you are going to

:20:12. > :20:17.play the shot as it is, right in behind pink and black and Mitrea get

:20:18. > :20:20.the red safe. If it does kiss the pink on the way down, right in the

:20:21. > :21:24.middle of the table. That's a good way of playing it, it

:21:25. > :21:31.pace on the left-hand side. Trouble is, when you play at that gently, it

:21:32. > :21:36.comes off the cue ball a little bit before it reaches the cushion. Done

:21:37. > :22:22.the job. Hit the red and got it safe.

:22:23. > :22:40.Two cushions here. Hello. Where's the rest going? With a bit more

:22:41. > :22:48.pace, that would have been in. Mark Selby looked as if he was back into

:22:49. > :22:49.this, but now that the red has gone in, everything is a lot more

:22:50. > :23:19.difficult. There you are, Mark Selby has

:23:20. > :23:27.conceded. There are back to they are at the start and there are now at

:23:28. > :23:34.two frames each. HAZEL IRVINE: And it is positive from the perspective

:23:35. > :23:43.of Sam Bain. Yes, it has been a little bit scrappy, a bit pedestrian

:23:44. > :23:46.but he will be happy with it. Some fascinating insights from Terry

:23:47. > :23:53.Griffiths. Sam Baird having a strange rhythm where he seems to

:23:54. > :23:58.look, ponder his shot and then bang! No, he is very fast, very fluent and

:23:59. > :24:02.good to watch. As John said, it will settle him down, getting a couple of

:24:03. > :24:06.frames. It's his first time in a best of 25 and play in the world

:24:07. > :24:11.number one. It will certainly give him a bit of confidence to have a

:24:12. > :24:16.couple of frames. But he was quite pedestrian, to put it mildly. So,

:24:17. > :24:23.you should write up the pace a bit. We were talking about one piece, to

:24:24. > :24:36.piece but we are not talking about bikinis.

:24:37. > :24:43.What goes into making a good cue? Well, I think we have two is Bertie

:24:44. > :24:48.Ahern were little about it. After all, you have been holding bees all

:24:49. > :24:53.of your adult life. They have brought and good fortune. In your

:24:54. > :24:56.view, what does it make to create a good cue and what are the

:24:57. > :25:00.ingredients that though so? It depends on the timber. A good cue

:25:01. > :25:04.maker will have a bees of timber that he will get an book playing it

:25:05. > :25:07.down and will then be bit to rest. The important thing is when you see

:25:08. > :25:12.the resting cues in the background, they are left to settle a natural

:25:13. > :25:19.settlement. Then they will start to turn them. They probably take, I

:25:20. > :25:23.would think, up to 12 months before they are absolutely ready to be made

:25:24. > :25:26.into a proper cue. And how do you know when you have found the

:25:27. > :25:35.Jose-Maria Newell of cues? The special one? Good question. Some

:25:36. > :25:39.players may go through their career using many cues. This cue that I've

:25:40. > :25:45.had since I was 11 so I have had it a number of years. And it's quite a

:25:46. > :25:53.war, it's more like myself so that's why we get on so well! -- walked.

:25:54. > :25:58.Some people change, some people don't. But you do have a choice

:25:59. > :26:05.quite early on. Is it maple or ash? What are the differences? They are

:26:06. > :26:10.different woods. If you look at this, this ash one has a noticeable

:26:11. > :26:16.grain. I like the chevrons here and I use them for alignment. I would

:26:17. > :26:20.think, probably about 90% of players would use ash. It's a lovely solid

:26:21. > :26:25.wood but it has a bit of pliability as well. Maple tends to be... There

:26:26. > :26:30.is no noticeable grain in it and sometimes when you play abroad, if

:26:31. > :26:36.you had maple cue, is used to soak up the moisture and people who play

:26:37. > :26:42.with them you can't even get it to your bridge hand sometimes. It was

:26:43. > :26:48.crazy. So anyone who had an ash was miles ahead in that turnaround.

:26:49. > :26:52.Actually, John likes using the server and is but I like using the

:26:53. > :26:57.lines. I like looking down the grains so I always used to play this

:26:58. > :27:02.way and sometimes, why have around at the bottom, some players might

:27:03. > :27:06.have a bit of shaving in. Flat and your body can hold it, whereas I

:27:07. > :27:11.like to have it around so that you can flip it around and it is the

:27:12. > :27:15.same all around. The tip doesn't wear on one particular side. As the

:27:16. > :27:20.fashion for maple cue is diminished? What is more prevalent if you years

:27:21. > :27:24.ago? I think there was more maple. When I played in my father played

:27:25. > :27:28.is, a few members of the club had maple cues and now it has moved to

:27:29. > :27:32.ash. A lot of the better professionals would prefer to have

:27:33. > :27:36.ash. It interesting that this is a big thing in the last few years,

:27:37. > :27:39.three quarters cues. So the split there is not in the middle, it is

:27:40. > :27:44.there so it leaves three quarters of the shaft and the rest is on the

:27:45. > :27:48.butt. It's a good idea because you are not weakening the shaft. All the

:27:49. > :27:52.meat and everything is in there as you're not weakening it by putting

:27:53. > :27:55.it in there so you get a lot of players using three quarters cues.

:27:56. > :28:01.Snooker is different and strange because as technology has taken over

:28:02. > :28:05.many other sports, most notably golf, you have the carbon shafts in

:28:06. > :28:10.the golf clubs. Do you think we will ever replace wooden snooker cues

:28:11. > :28:14.with something different? Well, we used to have graphite cues. Black

:28:15. > :28:21.graphite cues. It never took off. They were so noisy! I had a friend

:28:22. > :28:28.with an aluminium cue. I used to live two streets away in Penny Lane

:28:29. > :28:31.and I could see him break. In the bathroom I could open a window and I

:28:32. > :28:35.could hear him break off in the club. If you left it in the boot of

:28:36. > :28:40.your car, you couldn't play because it was full of condensation. Used to

:28:41. > :28:46.have to play last. The man I knew with the black graphite cue, we

:28:47. > :28:53.thought he had a part in Zorro! What will you pay for a very good cue?

:28:54. > :28:56.Believe it or not, I was in the club is your only last week when the

:28:57. > :29:01.qualifiers were on, and one of the young boys on the tour had just got

:29:02. > :29:09.a new cue made and I asked him how much he paid for it. He goes, ?1000

:29:10. > :29:17.sterling. How much is your cue's I said I bought this for ?2. ?2, he

:29:18. > :29:27.goes I paid ?2 for this back in May 20 one. He was not born at the time.

:29:28. > :29:32.?1000! I want it to pop the balls for me at ?1000. But if you win with

:29:33. > :29:38.it, then it is worth its weight in gold. And you have one with that one

:29:39. > :29:40.before. Thank you very much for sharing the secrets of cueing with

:29:41. > :29:46.us. We are now pointed talk about the other match on the other side of

:29:47. > :29:51.the arena. It features Ali Carter and who knocked out the defending

:29:52. > :29:54.champion on the late-night thriller on Saturday. Afterwards, Stewart

:29:55. > :29:58.said to him that he hopes Ali goes on to win this because he deserves

:29:59. > :30:02.it. There is no doubt that of all the players in any sport around the

:30:03. > :30:07.world, Ali is perhaps one of the most tenacious and has achieved

:30:08. > :30:08.perhaps the most under Bewley are fickle circumstances and against the

:30:09. > :30:23.odds. Ali Carter, not a massive winner on

:30:24. > :30:28.the circuit over the years, but notably twice the World Championship

:30:29. > :30:33.finalist. His career, as we all know, blighted by ill-health. It is

:30:34. > :30:39.amazing that he has back and firing on all cylinders. Great to see him

:30:40. > :30:43.back, a great player. A bit unlucky in the World Championship because

:30:44. > :30:48.both finals he has been to view has come against Ronnie O'Sullivan, who

:30:49. > :31:01.was in format the time. You have to say he was a bit unlucky. But still

:31:02. > :31:04.he has been and done it, and who is to say he can't do it again? Top cue

:31:05. > :31:07.action. He is one of the best Cubists we have had in the game. The

:31:08. > :31:10.way he manipulates the cue ball, fantastic, minimal effort, great

:31:11. > :31:17.striker, a purist. He doesn't seem to hit the ball that had. That goes

:31:18. > :31:24.for every shot. Top spin or anything. If you can generate power

:31:25. > :31:27.without much effort, when you are playing the big solid pressure shot

:31:28. > :31:33.and don't have to move your body, it is a big advantage is. Absolutely,

:31:34. > :31:38.keeps nice and still. There is not much to go wrong in his swing. His

:31:39. > :31:42.technique is very solid. Very orthodox. Nice grip, good stance,

:31:43. > :31:47.keeps the head down, addresses the cue ball where he means to, no

:31:48. > :31:52.dipping or rising, really gets through it well, that's why he plays

:31:53. > :31:58.so nicely. If you can criticise him, temperaments. Maybe, he is not short

:31:59. > :32:02.on confidence, confident in his ability to play anybody, not afraid

:32:03. > :32:07.of playing anybody, that is for sure. Beats himself up bit? He might

:32:08. > :32:10.grab a table with his knuckles or Bangui cue on the floor and

:32:11. > :32:14.sometimes that can boil over and because of it he loses

:32:15. > :32:18.concentration. Because of that he loses matches he shouldn't. The

:32:19. > :32:22.problem with that is that it is not always what he does to you, because

:32:23. > :32:27.I do believe it is negative, I don't think it helps anyone, but it is

:32:28. > :32:32.what it says to your opponent. I think sometimes he gives that little

:32:33. > :32:37.bit too much away. He can be hot-headed. He is a great match

:32:38. > :32:41.player. We are nit-picking. He wouldn't be a great poker player!

:32:42. > :32:48.You can read Lott from his facial expressions. He let's too much away.

:32:49. > :32:52.Here's a good tactical player, a good long potter. Strong in all

:32:53. > :32:57.areas. If they could just be a bit tighter with what he gives away, I

:32:58. > :33:02.think he would win one of the big tournaments.

:33:03. > :33:12.As for Ali's opponent, at 45, Alan McManus enjoying another special

:33:13. > :33:16.year. He has done that for 25 years. Settled in so quickly after 1991

:33:17. > :33:21.that he made the semifinal for the next two years but it would be a

:33:22. > :33:25.long wait for a deep run thereafter. Quarterfinalist in 2005, slid down

:33:26. > :33:29.the world rankings and didn't qualify for another six years. He

:33:30. > :33:34.has been ever present ever since. The highlight of his fortunes was a

:33:35. > :33:39.run to another quarterfinal in 2014, and with wins over John Higgins and

:33:40. > :33:41.Ken Doherty. This series here has beaten 16 seed Stephen Maguire in

:33:42. > :33:55.the opening round. He looked last night in their opening

:33:56. > :33:57.session but also looked unsettled, muttering to himself. When Carter

:33:58. > :33:59.knocked in breaks of 71 and 65 to take the last two frames McManus

:34:00. > :34:02.began this afternoon's second session 3-5 behind and we will join

:34:03. > :34:06.them in the first of the afternoon, frame nine, Carter up by three

:34:07. > :34:17.points and Steve Davis and John Virgo teaming up here.

:34:18. > :34:26.COMMENTATOR: Amazingly, that red stayed in the bottom half of the

:34:27. > :34:36.table, and it is a very thin cut, one that Ali Carter couldn't have

:34:37. > :34:39.expected. Alan McManus would have had... Very thin, cue ball will go

:34:40. > :34:45.off the top cushion down into the green pocket area.

:34:46. > :34:58.Well, that was an excellent pot and a nice kiss on the green because it

:34:59. > :35:33.has left him the perfect angle on the pink.

:35:34. > :35:38.In an ideal world here, you would like to leave the cue ball close to

:35:39. > :35:43.the right-hand cushion to leave yourself an angle on the black or in

:35:44. > :35:50.the corner, then pot the black and stun across. I don't know if he has

:35:51. > :36:03.the angle to do that at this red now. -- off this red. That is what

:36:04. > :36:08.he is going for. Needs to get closer to the cushion. He has maybe just

:36:09. > :36:12.got the angle. So will he play the cannon? You think he would,

:36:13. > :36:17.otherwise the red along the top cushion will be tricky.

:36:18. > :36:32.Yes. Would have been delighted to have seen the path of that cue ball,

:36:33. > :36:35.which more or less guaranteed position on the red. Just got to be

:36:36. > :36:52.careful with this one. Would have liked to have been lower

:36:53. > :36:56.on the pink. So now some more work to do. Screw back off the side

:36:57. > :37:02.cushion just before the middle pocket.

:37:03. > :37:10.Court that very well. Nearly two well. -- he caught that. 19 point

:37:11. > :37:22.the lead, yellow and green required. So Ali Carter missing that

:37:23. > :37:23.straightforward pink to the left middle. Eventually cost him the

:37:24. > :38:17.frame. That is enough to Ali Carter. He had

:38:18. > :38:23.a great chance to extend his lead to three. It is reduced to one. He

:38:24. > :38:27.still leaves 5-4. These two players met in the first round at the

:38:28. > :38:31.gruesome last year and Carter came out an emphatic winner on that

:38:32. > :38:39.occasion but the Scot is on his tail here as we head into the next frame,

:38:40. > :38:48.McManus to play, 19 behind. COMMENTATOR: Got it much too thick.

:38:49. > :38:54.Much too thick. Well, I have a feeling that Alan McManus had other

:38:55. > :39:00.options. Apart from that shot. I would have to see it all again, too

:39:01. > :39:06.late now, regardless, he has left a lovely position for Ali Carter, but

:39:07. > :39:13.there was a bit of risk in that safety shot. Perhaps could have

:39:14. > :39:19.played for the top cushion somehow. Might be doing Alan a disservice

:39:20. > :39:22.there, but the last thing he wanted to do was open all the balls up in

:39:23. > :39:54.the situation he was in. Had to play for the pink in the

:39:55. > :39:58.middle pocket there. He has missed a couple of the medals, whether it is

:39:59. > :40:08.on his mind or not is another matter. Couple of the

:40:09. > :40:20.-- a couple of the middle ones. Frame-winning chance. Doing a great

:40:21. > :40:30.-- without doing a great deal of work. Poor shot. Very poor shot.

:40:31. > :40:35.Just look at this. Surprising the way he didn't play for the pink in

:40:36. > :40:40.the middle. Maybe the fact that he has missed a couple of them just put

:40:41. > :40:49.him off that. Anyway, he has ported the pink. -- ported. Hasn't

:40:50. > :40:57.recovered the positional side of it. Still got a pot on, but it is a

:40:58. > :41:03.tough one. I think you chose not to play the pink in the centre pocket

:41:04. > :41:07.because the position. Pink in the corner -- the position for pink in

:41:08. > :41:09.the corner was easy in his mind. He just got into the cue ball too much.

:41:10. > :41:23.This is a tough shot. Is he playing safe here? Yes,

:41:24. > :41:31.playing safe, trying to get in behind the brown. He didn't get in

:41:32. > :42:01.behind the brown but once again, and excellent cue ball.

:42:02. > :42:07.Oh, I don't believe that! I don't think I've ever seen a cushion

:42:08. > :42:16.bounce as badly as that. It is laughable. It must be some chalk on

:42:17. > :42:21.the cue ball that's just got in the way. Just ridiculous bounce. Like

:42:22. > :42:29.6-foot, it has bounced further than it was going to. Yes, that

:42:30. > :42:38.definitely came off a lot quicker than it went on. A springer. Any

:42:39. > :42:45.reason for it, do you think? I think the cushion has played very fast,

:42:46. > :42:51.and bordering on too fast. We have tried different cloth on the

:42:52. > :42:57.cushions. It is different cloth to the bed now but it doesn't slow them

:42:58. > :43:00.up enough. I think over the years, players have wanted faster and

:43:01. > :43:05.faster conditions and faster cushions rather than sluggish ones.

:43:06. > :43:11.We are now at the situation where the cloth is seemingly so thin that

:43:12. > :43:17.the rubber tends to play more of a part, there is no cushioning effect,

:43:18. > :43:23.and I know full well that Jimmy White is an advocate of thicker

:43:24. > :43:25.cloth on bed and cushion to try and stop kicks and bad bounces, but then

:43:26. > :43:39.of course you have slower tables. And of course if you have a slower

:43:40. > :43:43.table, you have to hit the ball is a bit harder, as we watch this

:43:44. > :43:47.excellent safety shot from Alan McManus. Just finished the point,

:43:48. > :44:04.slower table, you have two hit the ball is a little harder, makes the

:44:05. > :44:09.Pops more difficult. -- the pots. You are retired, you don't mind it

:44:10. > :44:14.being slower now, do you? I don't care now! I mean, the modern day

:44:15. > :44:18.players can play an excellent range of shops, and it wasn't that the

:44:19. > :44:23.older players couldn't do that but I don't think lots were as responsive

:44:24. > :44:31.back in the 70s and 80s. -- I don't think the cloth was as responsive.

:44:32. > :44:37.Didn't necessarily want to make contact with that read, you wouldn't

:44:38. > :44:43.have thought, but might cut back into the corner. If it does, he can

:44:44. > :44:58.do some damage to these six balls on the top cushion. He is playing the

:44:59. > :45:02.pot. Ali Carter a bit concerned here, although he has some insurance

:45:03. > :45:12.policy with green on the side cushion.

:45:13. > :45:23.Is this red going to spoil things? No. And that was the only thing Alan

:45:24. > :45:28.could hope for then. So it was a thin one. I have to be honest, I

:45:29. > :45:32.fancied him to get it. Maybe he had a bit more of an eye on the cannon,

:45:33. > :45:36.try to being the other balls into play, but Ali will afford the one

:45:37. > :45:45.point lid, chance to clinch the frame now. -- Ali will afford the

:45:46. > :46:11.one point lead. Yes, I commentated on the session

:46:12. > :46:22.this morning on this table between... Mark Williams and Michael

:46:23. > :46:29.Holt? Yes. They had so many bad bounces, so many. So much so that

:46:30. > :46:34.Mark Williams was trying to calm down the cushion covers with his

:46:35. > :46:43.towel to try to realign and get all the chalk off the cushions. It is a

:46:44. > :46:47.funny thing, since day one, this table, there have been plenty of

:46:48. > :46:53.complaints. After day two they recovered the cushions. Just this

:46:54. > :46:57.red needed. They recovered the cushions, and yet, the feedback from

:46:58. > :47:03.table two is that it is playing as good as any table they have played

:47:04. > :47:06.on in the Crucible, on the table on the other side of the wall, so I

:47:07. > :47:17.don't know why they can't replicated on this side. -- replicate it. 62

:47:18. > :47:18.ahead, just 51 remaining. If he gets this double, no way back to the

:47:19. > :47:32.table for Alan. Was this the table Stephen Hendry

:47:33. > :47:37.said should be burned, was it this one? I would think so because the

:47:38. > :47:43.other one is playing really well! That is the thing about Stephen,

:47:44. > :47:49.asking a question and he doesn't hold back his opinion! We are

:47:50. > :47:55.watching that, and Ali has finished the break and Alan McManus stays in

:47:56. > :47:58.his seat. He is now two behind as we started this session. Carter now

:47:59. > :48:08.leads 6-4. A quick look at what has been

:48:09. > :48:14.happening in the next frame, 7-5 to Ali Carter. Into the next we go.

:48:15. > :48:19.Here is McManus. Looks like he will steal one back here, in fact not so

:48:20. > :48:26.much as steel as a very emphatic performance here, because this is a

:48:27. > :48:32.break of 77. It will put him over the line here, and for a man coming

:48:33. > :48:38.here for 25 years he seems to rise to the occasion every time. It is an

:48:39. > :48:42.incredible record that he has at the Crucible. He is such a great player.

:48:43. > :48:46.I know he went into the wilderness for a couple of years but he has

:48:47. > :48:50.returned with a bang. The last couple of years he has been

:48:51. > :48:55.performing very well. He is so tough to beat and in a tough match with

:48:56. > :49:01.Ali Carter here. Considering he dropped out of the top 16 then the

:49:02. > :49:07.top 32 in 2007, he has come roaring back and it is great to see him

:49:08. > :49:11.doing well here. Just the in it now as we head into the arena live. They

:49:12. > :49:13.have three more frames to play this afternoon. Let's return you to John

:49:14. > :49:22.and Steve. COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Hazel and

:49:23. > :49:33.good afternoon. Steve Davis is with me here. He has got his pipe and

:49:34. > :49:40.slippers now he has retired. I think the story of the first four frames

:49:41. > :49:49.was told by the breaks before the interval, the highest break was 40,

:49:50. > :49:57.pretty disjointed stuff. Ali Carter not taking any risks. All didn't go

:49:58. > :50:03.that well, black tied up, and nothing really happened. That break

:50:04. > :50:08.by Alan McManus the most significant and he will be feeling a lot better.

:50:09. > :50:13.He started to beat himself up of it out there, things not going right.

:50:14. > :50:33.It all set up quite nicely now. Will anyone have a lead going into

:50:34. > :50:42.the final session tomorrow? First in the final 13 for a place in the

:50:43. > :50:46.quarterfinal. For those not watching this match last night, you

:50:47. > :50:54.commentated and said you felt Ali Carter had a game plan. To not take

:50:55. > :51:00.any risks and perhaps get Alan McManus to do less scoring,

:51:01. > :51:05.effectively, so in open play he felt he could outscore McManus and that

:51:06. > :51:10.was his game plan. We don't know that, of course. He didn't want to

:51:11. > :51:16.gift chances to Alan. That is a tremendous pot. Didn't get it. But

:51:17. > :51:36.an excellent opening read. Very difficult to get tight behind

:51:37. > :51:45.the Green of this type of shot. But at least he has covered the past two

:51:46. > :51:51.already is. Yes, the fact that there is less nap on the cloth than they

:51:52. > :51:55.used to be means that when the ball is hit each other they seem to

:51:56. > :51:58.separate more, so it is tough to get a roll-up behind one of those

:51:59. > :52:04.colours, tough to get it tight, anyway. It is one of the reasons why

:52:05. > :52:08.people say the game is slightly easier these days, because the pack

:52:09. > :52:15.of reds, not when you try to split them up, opens up easier. Well

:52:16. > :52:20.played, the two cushion escaped with pays. Much too thick. You have to

:52:21. > :52:24.say he has been fortunate there. He left what looked like a comfortable

:52:25. > :52:29.read to the right-hand corner, but not now that Alan is hampered by the

:52:30. > :52:34.blue. He will just have to play a safety unless you can cue past the

:52:35. > :52:39.blue for one of the two threads together. A massive shot with a

:52:40. > :52:45.spider to take on. He has looked to see if the black is available. Using

:52:46. > :52:50.the spider in an unconventional way, obviously the spider company went be

:52:51. > :52:56.happy with this! Don't know what he was doing there. LAUGHTER

:52:57. > :53:19.Marvellous shots. Well played indeed. APPLAUSE

:53:20. > :53:28.I can only assume the spider he plays in his club has a sort of the

:53:29. > :53:33.UK News side on, that is not as high, and McManus was checking if he

:53:34. > :53:46.could play it as he would do with his club spider, so to speak -- a V

:53:47. > :53:50.that you could use side on. And of course we went through a period

:53:51. > :53:54.where the grooves on the spider were around, and when you push the cue

:53:55. > :54:08.through, as the cue gets thicker it was getting stuck, which is why they

:54:09. > :54:13.went to the V. You don't want a U-shaped loop at the bottom of the

:54:14. > :54:16.spider rest. Maybe he has an old spider in his club that he practices

:54:17. > :54:33.with. Great chance now. Just coming in-off the back of the

:54:34. > :54:42.77 break in the last frame. He is in touch. Yes, and earlier on in this

:54:43. > :54:45.particular session, after about three frames, he had started to lose

:54:46. > :54:49.it a bit, started talking to himself, much ring in the chair,

:54:50. > :54:53.really seeming to be getting himself under pressure, -- muttering in the

:54:54. > :55:19.chair, but he has rectified that. Well, we have seen some

:55:20. > :55:23.particularly... Pinks missed off the spot that Ali Carter has missed in

:55:24. > :55:26.his match, and that is a couple from McManus just when he looked as

:55:27. > :55:34.though he had the frame in his mercy. Quite a way away, as well.

:55:35. > :55:40.Didn't even get close to the fall of the slate, even, to give it a

:55:41. > :55:46.chance. I suppose the only upside for him, the pink that he missed

:55:47. > :55:50.came and tied up the black, so if he's going to win this frame at this

:55:51. > :55:57.visit, at the moment, Ali will have to concentrate on blue and colours.

:55:58. > :55:58.Difficult to accumulate lots of points with only those four balls to

:55:59. > :56:44.go out. -- go at. It's tempting to try and open that

:56:45. > :56:47.pink and black somehow with a positional shot off the blue, but

:56:48. > :56:57.you could always go wrong doing that. It is not easy to see how he

:56:58. > :56:59.can really guarantee getting a frame-winning contribution without

:57:00. > :57:22.resolving that situation. That read just to the right of the

:57:23. > :57:29.back, it looks as though it goes. Yes, that helps. APPLAUSE That makes

:57:30. > :57:34.a big difference. Just wants to finish high on it so it will run

:57:35. > :57:53.into the pink and black. Looking now where he would like to be.

:57:54. > :58:00.Well, if he played for it, it was the wrong way around, but obviously

:58:01. > :58:06.you're as play for this read, I don't know why he didn't play for

:58:07. > :58:11.the red just above the black. It definitely pots. He will do well to

:58:12. > :58:16.get an angle on the blue again. A fantastic shot if he gets past

:58:17. > :58:21.there. Fractional angle. I think he was trying to play a positional shot

:58:22. > :58:25.off the side cushion so it is coming towards that read rather than the

:58:26. > :58:29.crossed the face of it by standing down the line. A few reds on the

:58:30. > :58:35.right-hand side of the table now depending upon the angle of the

:58:36. > :58:42.blue, that he can try for. He is bang on the blue line. He might just

:58:43. > :58:47.be able to create an angle across the table here, bounce it in.

:58:48. > :59:01.Superb, superb. APPLAUSE I am not certain if he has the ideal

:59:02. > :59:06.position on the red to pot it. You see that line we had on the table,

:59:07. > :59:12.more or less dead straight, I think it was more of an angle than it

:59:13. > :59:18.showed on the simulated screen, but even so, you can always pot the blue

:59:19. > :59:24.into the right-hand part of the pocket and create that angle. Yes,

:59:25. > :59:28.and it was an excellent shot because he did have the angle just to pot

:59:29. > :59:36.that read and get a nice angle on the blue. Now, which way will be

:59:37. > :59:43.playful here? No, still refusing to play for the red above the pink and

:59:44. > :59:49.black. The red by the middle pocket would be his target here, to try and

:59:50. > :59:54.flick that into open play. Not so easy with the extension on to judge

:59:55. > :00:00.the screw back, but if you can build a long bridge here, -- if he can...

:00:01. > :00:33.Now can he screw that ready to play? He may have just a slight angle on

:00:34. > :00:42.the blue. It looks like he is playing the run-through, playing the

:00:43. > :00:50.cannon. He's got the blue. Has he got the cannon? You'll settle for

:00:51. > :00:54.that. I said that, just to the top cushion a little bit more than he

:00:55. > :01:01.would like but it was a good shot. That was exactly how he played it as

:01:02. > :01:14.well. Tricky though this red along the top cushion. 19 points, the

:01:15. > :01:17.lead. Made light of it that plays it more or less as a shot for nothing

:01:18. > :01:22.and that's why he is not on the colour. I'm a little bit surprised

:01:23. > :01:31.he didn't fully commit there, particularly those to read some the

:01:32. > :01:35.right-hand side of the table. Yes, I mean, you could play for the brown

:01:36. > :01:40.in the middle pocket. It seemed like that's how he played it. I don't

:01:41. > :01:51.know if he understated. He certainly didn't seem too overrated. --

:01:52. > :02:11.overhit it. Bad contact. Took a bit of pace out of the cue ball.

:02:12. > :02:22.He's got a few options of safety shots here. With a 24 point lead, he

:02:23. > :02:32.needs to force the pace still rather than contain the situation. He did

:02:33. > :03:21.well there. Good 41, particularly where the balls were situated.

:03:22. > :03:28.Yes, I was going to say, I've heard of ways of getting cue ball into the

:03:29. > :03:40.top division, but you can leave the rest there for it to get the rest!

:03:41. > :03:55.-- can't leave the rest there. Pretty good length there. Of course,

:03:56. > :03:58.if Ali Carter was out at 24 point advantage was to win this frame, he

:03:59. > :04:07.couldn't be behind going into the final session. So Alan McManus has

:04:08. > :04:12.to be very careful here. And he is not a straight forward run back to

:04:13. > :04:16.the baulk there. If he catches this red too thin, he could run into the

:04:17. > :04:21.red letters on the right-hand side of the table. And if he catches it

:04:22. > :04:33.too thick, he could knock one over the left corner pocket so he has to

:04:34. > :04:44.be very accurate here. Well, decided to leave Ali a tester along the top

:04:45. > :04:51.cushion. And if the black goes into the left corner, at least he's got

:04:52. > :04:58.an element of insurance should he try along the top cushion. He can

:04:59. > :05:03.use those three balls to try to block the red if it stays over the

:05:04. > :05:08.pocket, but he is loath to play it. It looks like an natural shot. Yes,

:05:09. > :05:12.that's the shots to play no matter which way you look at it. He will

:05:13. > :05:28.believe anything should he miss it, and if he gets it, beyond the black.

:05:29. > :05:35.But it's not part of the plan! I'm not too sure what I'm missing here.

:05:36. > :05:39.I don't really know about his judgment on this, why he doesn't

:05:40. > :05:50.want to play this on the cup top cushion and beyond that black. I

:05:51. > :05:54.should it went, the black, we had a look at it, didn't we? Yes, the

:05:55. > :06:02.black went. But he didn't fancy the pot. Either bit worried that I count

:06:03. > :06:08.of work that one out. There must be a reason. It don't get me wrong, I'm

:06:09. > :06:12.not making light of it, but if Alan McManus can get the cue ball back to

:06:13. > :06:16.where it is now, then for me he will become favourite for the frame. He

:06:17. > :06:20.has to try and get it in behind those three balls if he is going to

:06:21. > :06:27.play that short because there is a red begging to be potted over the

:06:28. > :06:33.middle pocket and that's why a clever little container shot has

:06:34. > :06:44.been played. Now, Ali Carter could try to screw in behind pink and

:06:45. > :06:48.black but it is fraught with danger. Someone once described snooker as

:06:49. > :06:53.chess with balls and I think this is a classic example, isn't it? A

:06:54. > :07:01.couple of positive shots could have been played but neither player

:07:02. > :07:06.wanted to risk it. I think Alan could play it now though. A

:07:07. > :07:13.mathematician once said to me that if that is true, that is as chess

:07:14. > :07:21.with balls, then that means that chess is snooker without balls which

:07:22. > :07:29.was disrespectful to chess if you understand. OK! This is a chance to

:07:30. > :07:32.get behind pink and black. Pressure on it though. Perhaps a better shot

:07:33. > :07:47.is just a play into this left corner of the table.

:07:48. > :07:56.Surely this red doesn't pass the black, does it? It doesn't come back

:07:57. > :08:03.into the right corner. A big shot to take on. Is there a risk of it

:08:04. > :08:11.ending up in the middle pocket? Surely this is a better option he is

:08:12. > :08:16.playing now. He certainly doesn't want to present an easy opportunity

:08:17. > :08:23.for Alan McManus to get back into the frame. He's done that well.

:08:24. > :08:27.Perfect. The danger with that shot was either the red or the cue ball

:08:28. > :08:35.to run into the brown, but he hit it just as intended. This is not easy.

:08:36. > :08:48.If he plays Finn of the red, there might be a double-kiss. Perhaps not.

:08:49. > :08:59.Perhaps the red escapes. Perhaps it doesn't. This red goals. Well, I

:09:00. > :09:04.don't think so because Allen put his hand up and apologised with the red

:09:05. > :09:15.goes, it flies in. Alan has apologised for nothing. And he has

:09:16. > :09:21.left himself a nice angle on the black. And when it goes on, he will

:09:22. > :09:28.be 32 points in front, 51 remaining. He only needs a red, cover red. Then

:09:29. > :09:40.you'll be back to two frames in front. I don't think Alan thought

:09:41. > :09:44.that red went. Well, that's just about as awkward as it could be. The

:09:45. > :09:50.red closest to the cue ball has gone into the red middle but it isn't the

:09:51. > :09:59.best potting angle. You've got to take it on though. It's a

:10:00. > :10:07.frame-winning opportunity. He needs position as well, which makes it a

:10:08. > :10:15.bit more difficult. A bit wide. Well... For all of the swings in

:10:16. > :10:21.this match, Alan McManus has a pretty decent chance to level the

:10:22. > :10:37.scores. The last time he was level, it was 3-3.

:10:38. > :10:47.He came to the table 32 points behind. 51 remaining. So, basically,

:10:48. > :10:54.he doesn't need particularly high value colours with these three

:10:55. > :10:58.remaining reds. But he will need all the balls. Reds, colours the six

:10:59. > :11:10.remaining colours to win at this visit. Plays that nicely. His heart

:11:11. > :11:16.would have been in his mouth for a moment, looks like he was going to

:11:17. > :11:18.kiss the red but got past it. This red on the side cushion is far

:11:19. > :11:31.enough away from the division that it's quite nice to get in kind it

:11:32. > :11:35.for the red into the left centre. I think that's a really bad decision

:11:36. > :11:43.of Alan McManus' to try and shift that red. Amazing. I mean, as you

:11:44. > :11:49.say, he had a nice angle to go up for the blue and to try and bring it

:11:50. > :11:52.into play... I mean, it wasn't out of play totally. It was a sign

:11:53. > :12:01.perhaps of a player lacking in a little bit of confidence. Arguing

:12:02. > :12:09.Lee, a little bit of confidence. -- arguably. Well, he is not on the red

:12:10. > :12:15.now and he's still 22 points behind. That is a thin cut into the left

:12:16. > :12:22.corner as we look on our screens. The safety playing it that way into

:12:23. > :12:30.the right corner is braver in other respects. It's betwixt and between.

:12:31. > :12:33.Lined up for both and he is playing it into the right corner. No, he's

:12:34. > :12:48.not. He's playing safe. Not going to argue with that. Not

:12:49. > :12:51.going to argue with that at all. But he will be very disappointed he

:12:52. > :13:05.didn't clinch the frame at that visit. I think Ali can get in behind

:13:06. > :13:08.this red. The danger of this, to try and get writing behind it along that

:13:09. > :13:13.right-hand side, if you miss judge it, you don't want to hit the red on

:13:14. > :13:20.the way back. You could hit the black as well with the red. But he's

:13:21. > :13:29.got right behind its nicely. But he has left the chance of a pot. And I

:13:30. > :13:35.think Alan McManus can pot this and get round the back of the green

:13:36. > :13:39.perhaps for the black. If anything, he's going to miss this to the left

:13:40. > :13:46.cushion, play a bit wider to guarantee missing the green. He

:13:47. > :13:59.played it so. That's great. What a great chart! -- played it slow.

:14:00. > :14:08.Well, that's full commitment. Does the greenhouse round? It does. Still

:14:09. > :14:13.need this green and the six remaining colours to steal this

:14:14. > :14:19.frame. And what a big frame it is. In the context of the match. This is

:14:20. > :14:26.to draw level, looks certain to go to Mac behind. Ali Carter looks at

:14:27. > :14:30.the scoreboard. He is fractionally short of pace and that screw back.

:14:31. > :14:34.He has left himself a little more work to do with this yellow then he

:14:35. > :14:39.would have wanted under pressure. He played it twice across if he doesn't

:14:40. > :14:44.fancy rolling it in. No, he decides to roll it in. Stupid banks of the

:14:45. > :14:51.cushioning can have ruined the position. Absolutely destroyed

:14:52. > :14:54.thing. Pot is that perfectly, the pace of the shot was perfect until

:14:55. > :14:59.it bounced off the cushion and was stopped in its tracks by the bigger

:15:00. > :15:09.bounce that he should have had. Now he has to play a tradition stunt.

:15:10. > :15:15.With an extension on his cue that makes this unmissable. -- to

:15:16. > :15:25.cushion. Just trying to Dolly the red and of one cushion, nothing

:15:26. > :15:30.wrong with that. APPLAUSE

:15:31. > :15:37.I always say that the key to make appearance like this is the position

:15:38. > :15:40.from Browne to blue. Particularly as the pink is not on its sports and

:15:41. > :15:54.close to top cushion, he needs a good angle on the blue now. It's not

:15:55. > :15:58.bad. You showing great character here, and Alan McManus. This would

:15:59. > :16:06.be a wonderful frame to win would really boost his chances. It's all

:16:07. > :16:08.about this pink. It looks to have a nice angle. Doesn't have to do too

:16:09. > :16:26.much. GROANING

:16:27. > :16:34.They are never easy those, believe me. Giving the cushion is a gentle

:16:35. > :16:42.rub. But it was nothing to do with the cushions. You have to be so

:16:43. > :16:45.accurate and when you are actually playing it, you know how accurate

:16:46. > :16:57.you have to beat and it puts that this fear in you. But he has had two

:16:58. > :17:08.good chances, Steve, and not taken them. Yes. Unfortunately, you have

:17:09. > :17:12.to say that was just tension. You don't aim for the near shore, you

:17:13. > :17:26.aim for the far draw on these tables and they gulp the ball in. -- jaw.

:17:27. > :17:33.Safety shot. Pink onto the black. Leave the pink where the black is

:17:34. > :17:42.roughly. Obviously, the black does school safely to the site cushion.

:17:43. > :17:49.It's all about ink ball safely. Ali Carter with the advantage. He only

:17:50. > :17:53.needs the pink. Yes, but he has to do this and that was an excellent

:17:54. > :17:58.safety shot from Alan McManus. Playing the up and down. Not to

:17:59. > :18:07.leave it in the corner and halfway down the site cushion. He has made a

:18:08. > :18:10.pretty good fist of that. Alan McManus still putting his fingers on

:18:11. > :18:16.the cushions just disgusted with the bouncy got. Tempting to try and get

:18:17. > :18:19.this in behind the black with a lot of left-hand side, but he doesn't

:18:20. > :18:25.know whether the pink is going to go playing it like that. So he just

:18:26. > :18:36.once again concentrated on pink Ball safely. Now, this is one you've got

:18:37. > :18:40.to be very, very careful with. When the object ball is so close to the

:18:41. > :18:45.cushion like this, if you hit it just slightly thick, that pink will

:18:46. > :18:52.come down the table with the cue ball. You can send it up of two

:18:53. > :18:57.cushions towards the black, the side cushion just on the left-hand side

:18:58. > :19:02.of the table, or he can do what he has done which is the double-kiss.

:19:03. > :19:07.She couldn't have played it any better! You could not have had a

:19:08. > :19:14.better cue ball than that. It seems to be a much favoured shot these

:19:15. > :19:21.days. Yes, it's always a shot that was on but a lot of people were very

:19:22. > :19:24.reluctant to play it. I have to say, of all the chances of a speculative

:19:25. > :19:29.cross doubles their... Most of the time players are playing it these

:19:30. > :19:33.days, it seems to come out at the most advantageous of occasions. Ali

:19:34. > :19:38.Carter has a chance to get in behind the black. He is having a look at

:19:39. > :19:43.the potting angle as well. And he needs the pink. It may be worth the

:19:44. > :20:01.risk. And he's got it. He played it well

:20:02. > :20:06.whereas Ali Carter -- Alan McManus will be ruined those mistakes. He

:20:07. > :20:10.will be not be happy with the table but that will not matter to Ali

:20:11. > :20:18.Carter. He has a two frame advantage and will not be behind at the end of

:20:19. > :20:22.the session. He reads 8-6. HAZEL IRVINE: well, this is very

:20:23. > :20:27.interesting because this is the same table as was used this morning and

:20:28. > :20:34.there was a lot of static electricity. Alan clearly struggling

:20:35. > :20:39.with it as well. This table has been trouble since the start. They change

:20:40. > :20:45.the cushions earlier, claims the cloth on it earlier. They have done

:20:46. > :20:48.as much as they can do and done everything they can, but for what

:20:49. > :20:54.ever reason, it is playing a bit funny. It is. This is what happened

:20:55. > :20:58.earlier on. This was Mark William 's earlier. A bit of dusting and

:20:59. > :21:02.cleaning. The reason he has done this is because he is trying to wipe

:21:03. > :21:07.away the chalk marks here. A dap cloth here. Tell everyone why this

:21:08. > :21:12.helps. He's tried to rob away the chalk marks. Sometimes it can spin

:21:13. > :21:15.but he's practically static off as well. You are supposed to but Mackie

:21:16. > :21:20.is gone the wrong way their buttress posted down the nap on the cushions

:21:21. > :21:25.that you can see the frustration. And it is very frustrating. We get

:21:26. > :21:30.kicks and they are very frustrating, but bounces... You lose all your

:21:31. > :21:34.confidence then because sometimes you're expecting bouncers, you

:21:35. > :21:37.expect bigger bounces and then it doesn't happen and is very

:21:38. > :21:41.frustrating. He's actually not allowed to do what he has done

:21:42. > :21:45.there. There was a concert afterwards from people think you

:21:46. > :21:48.shouldn't have done it because it is in for all players, you shouldn't do

:21:49. > :21:52.it but I don't think any problem. They gave it to the referee at the

:21:53. > :21:55.time. He did it afterwards and got it sorted out but if all the players

:21:56. > :22:03.start doing it, you will never have a frame of snooker. This is the hole

:22:04. > :22:08.that Ali Carter was playing in against the Reed. There was trouble

:22:09. > :22:13.there as well. As we such as advising against Ali Carter, but now

:22:14. > :22:14.in Alan's might is a battle with this table as well and that never

:22:15. > :22:29.helps desert. Back we go now. Mark Williams town in the cushions

:22:30. > :22:34.down! Sacrilege! Wasn't it. He went the wrong way. When you brush a

:22:35. > :22:37.table you go from the DA to the black spot. That is how the nap is

:22:38. > :22:44.flattened down. He was going the other way. You captive at! -- you

:22:45. > :23:05.can't do that! It's like sharing a sheep from the

:23:06. > :23:15.wrong end, isn't it? Similar (!) that analogy never came to my mind,

:23:16. > :23:21.but why not? I don't know what the right end is, to be quite honest.

:23:22. > :23:31.No, I am not certain myself. Is it from the neck down? It depends if

:23:32. > :23:47.you have been to the opticians or not. Is it the collie dog?

:23:48. > :23:54.It's a long read into the yellow pocket. The cue ball running down to

:23:55. > :24:00.an area that's relatively safe if you want to try it. Not sure I would

:24:01. > :24:08.have liked to because there was a red to the right corner available.

:24:09. > :24:14.Clever shot. Knowing full well he didn't need to get the cue ball all

:24:15. > :24:20.the way down to the baulk cushion. That's actually made it more

:24:21. > :24:44.difficult by not doing so. A tap on the table from Ali Carter.

:24:45. > :24:56.Looks to be just playing a containing safety. Couldn't risk the

:24:57. > :25:00.return to baulk. It wasn't straightforward and of course that

:25:01. > :25:10.red being in the baulk just makes matters a little bit tricky. Well,

:25:11. > :25:13.Alan McManus has an easier chance now into the middle pocket. Arguably

:25:14. > :25:33.easier. Yes, it was half a chance. Those

:25:34. > :25:46.half chances sometimes all you're going to get in a frame at ago. -- a

:25:47. > :25:53.frame of snooker. Ali Carter, not too sure if he's able to get a good

:25:54. > :25:59.safety from this read by the yellow. Not absolutely sure whether it's a

:26:00. > :26:08.sort of tent of double. Not sure if it's the right thing to do, but he

:26:09. > :26:17.was tempted into it. The shot being a safety shot. Yes, the fact that he

:26:18. > :26:24.can get the cue near the ball cushion, it was worth taking on.

:26:25. > :26:32.Alan McManus can choose a couple of safety shot. Cue ball to the black

:26:33. > :26:53.cushion is probably the one with less danger.

:26:54. > :27:08.Ali Carter has got a red to the left middle, similar to Alan McManus'. A

:27:09. > :27:17.bit thin. He couldn't control the cue ball so keeping it tight again,

:27:18. > :27:21.John. Yes, very important frames now. Ali Carter will be thinking if

:27:22. > :27:30.he can win the next two, he will have a four frame advantage going in

:27:31. > :27:39.tomorrow. Break of shot. By Alan McManus. He's got reds over both

:27:40. > :27:44.corners. Got a good cue ball tool which helps slightly. Yes, he had to

:27:45. > :27:55.risk not knowing where the reds were going. He's blocked off the easier

:27:56. > :27:58.of the two from a positional perspective so Ali Carter, even if

:27:59. > :28:11.he does all this, can't guarantee getting on a colour.

:28:12. > :28:21.That's all he could do. Trust to luck. Most of the important part of

:28:22. > :28:26.that shot was to put the red. And tucked under the baulk cushion as he

:28:27. > :28:31.was, he had to give the pot good care and attention. Any colour he

:28:32. > :28:37.could pot would be the yellow. And if he could get his hand on the

:28:38. > :28:43.table then he may consider taking it on, but he can't, so just a safety

:28:44. > :28:46.shot. Covered the part of the red of the right corner. There's a couple

:28:47. > :28:50.of gaps here as well but he is playing into this corner which he

:28:51. > :28:57.knows is lined up with the blue. Has he hit it hard enough? Years short

:28:58. > :29:03.of pace. Looking at his body weight which, I think he has left it. Alan

:29:04. > :29:07.McManus, if you can pot this properly in the right part of the

:29:08. > :29:18.pocket, can get out for the pink at the very least.

:29:19. > :29:26.Yes, when you said the pink at the very last, I agreed with you. He is

:29:27. > :29:32.head that well. Not the right angle, but it shouldn't be a problem to get

:29:33. > :29:41.in between the yellow and brown, you would have thought. Coming in a

:29:42. > :29:44.straight line down. It needs to slow up. It's OK. Read to the right

:29:45. > :30:10.corner. Missed a few good opportunities in

:30:11. > :30:22.the last frame, did Alan. He needs to make the most of this one.

:30:23. > :30:29.This keeps him in close contact with Ali Carter. Good chance here to

:30:30. > :30:51.reduce his arrears to just one frame again.

:30:52. > :31:01.He obviously doesn't like it. And on the face of it, it doesn't look too

:31:02. > :31:08.bad. OK, if you don't want to be so precise to play screw back for the

:31:09. > :31:13.pink, then screw back for the blue. I think he has too played the screw

:31:14. > :31:19.back, get him out -- get it out to open play. A could have gone wrong.

:31:20. > :31:25.He took a lot of time to work out what looked like a relatively

:31:26. > :31:30.certain shot, but these are big moments for Alan McManus, he needs

:31:31. > :31:36.to steady himself. He has got a great chance for 7-8, and if he

:31:37. > :31:41.could get out of jail in this session and go 8-8, that would be

:31:42. > :31:46.amazing, wouldn't it? He hasn't looked the best player, that is for

:31:47. > :31:49.certain. It would be a real boost, and once he gets to the final

:31:50. > :31:52.session and the pressure is really on, anything can happen, as we see

:31:53. > :32:14.so many times. Fair to say that Ali Carter has not

:32:15. > :32:23.been scintillating himself. It has been a tough session for both

:32:24. > :32:31.players. Considering the way they played in their opening matches in

:32:32. > :32:38.this event, Ali Carter, brilliant match against Stuart Bingham, and

:32:39. > :32:45.Alan McManus was in wonderful form to beat Stephen Maguire 10-7. But

:32:46. > :32:50.neither player has really got motoring in this match, certainly

:32:51. > :32:58.not in this session. No, there have been chances going begging to both

:32:59. > :33:01.players. A few steals. This match will be played to the finish,

:33:02. > :33:24.starting at 10am. Just overrun that slightly, I don't

:33:25. > :33:30.know if you can drop this in, he may have to play a cannon. He wouldn't

:33:31. > :33:33.want to, but I don't see how he can guarantee position on a particular

:33:34. > :33:38.read. If he plays the cannon, I think he will be unlucky not to be

:33:39. > :33:46.on one. I think you can go two cushions in and out, just about

:33:47. > :33:55.avoid... Just about avoid! Just about! Back in prime position,

:33:56. > :33:59.though. I say prime position... Probably nicer to have played for

:34:00. > :34:03.the pink, perhaps, but he is going to make sure he gets the screw back

:34:04. > :34:08.on, get the right side of the blue, which is very nicely done. Screw

:34:09. > :34:17.back for the red into the left corner.

:34:18. > :34:26.Opens up the two reds into the right corner, so getting ever closer to

:34:27. > :34:30.the finishing line. These three reds in open play.

:34:31. > :34:53.Got a kick, made the red along the top cushion a little bit more

:34:54. > :34:58.difficult. Ideally, he could have perhaps left that for a bit later,

:34:59. > :35:09.but couldn't have counted for the kick, so a bit of care, in it goes.

:35:10. > :35:17.APPLAUSE Certainly didn't want to be straight on this. This pink will put

:35:18. > :35:22.him 57 points in front. Still 67 remaining. So he needs a red and

:35:23. > :35:32.colour after this. Trying to force it in. Now he has the red to the

:35:33. > :35:35.middle. 57 ahead, as soon as he pots the red he doesn't want nine

:35:36. > :35:41.remaining so just read colour required. -- red and colour. He is

:35:42. > :35:54.hanging on in there. APPLAUSE This contribution made

:35:55. > :36:00.possible by the careless, you would have to say, safety shot from Ali

:36:01. > :36:04.Carter when he needed to get the cue ball into the jaws of the pocket to

:36:05. > :36:10.cover a red ball in the opposite corner. Just underhit it. And at

:36:11. > :36:11.this level, just an insured two short and it could be your last

:36:12. > :36:39.shot. Here is an example. Well, pity, I thought we might...

:36:40. > :36:42.Carter will concede so Alan McManus hanging on them there, one more

:36:43. > :36:47.frame to be played in this second session. Will it be a two frame

:36:48. > :36:52.advantage or will we be all square? The next frame will tell us.

:36:53. > :36:58.McManus has settled himself well after a bit of grief at the play

:36:59. > :37:02.conditions earlier on. A quick note about the other table, the last we

:37:03. > :37:08.left it, world number one Mark Selby was 2-2 against Sam Baird, the world

:37:09. > :37:15.number 59. Selby made and 81 to go 3-2, but here is The Blade, the

:37:16. > :37:20.27-year-old from Devon, on his way to his third century of the week,

:37:21. > :37:23.100. Great performance from this young man who has shown he can pot,

:37:24. > :37:48.all right. He is certainly keeping pace with the world number one.

:37:49. > :37:51.Selby has made 62 in the seventh frame and Leeds 4-3, but this is a

:37:52. > :37:54.very fine effort from Sam Baird, and a third century from the man who has

:37:55. > :37:56.already beaten one seed, Michael White. 4-3 at us for Mark Selby.

:37:57. > :38:03.Let's get back to the other match on the other side. It is Carter to

:38:04. > :38:12.I think of the two players, if it finished eight apiece, Ali Carter

:38:13. > :38:16.would be the most disappointed. He played well last night in the first

:38:17. > :39:14.session. He has not reached those heights today.

:39:15. > :39:32.This red is on for Ali to the left middle. It looks, just looking at

:39:33. > :39:37.the potting angle, it may be colliding with the main bunch of

:39:38. > :39:40.reds, but that might not be a problem, as long as he catches them

:39:41. > :40:30.a glancing blow. Oh! He keeps missing those pinks in

:40:31. > :40:34.the middle! He missed one last night when it looked certain to go 4-1 in

:40:35. > :40:39.front, this one this afternoon when he looks to be going 16 in front.

:40:40. > :41:11.Easier than that, actually. A little bit of noise coming from

:41:12. > :41:14.the other side of the arena, so Allen, being the experienced

:41:15. > :41:21.competitor he is, just getting up and giving time for it to settle

:41:22. > :42:26.down -- so Alan McManus, being the experienced competitor he is.

:42:27. > :42:34.The advantage of playing this red, you bring the other reds into play,

:42:35. > :42:40.a few other reds. Just overstretching slightly, that is why

:42:41. > :42:45.he has refused it. Well, watch the middle pocket here.

:42:46. > :42:58.Well, didn't like it, but perhaps if he had got the extension out and

:42:59. > :43:04.played that shot, he would have opened the reds up, which is, to be

:43:05. > :43:11.quite honest, pretty important. He may not get a better chance to get

:43:12. > :43:15.the roads open. -- get the reds open. Now he has to play an

:43:16. > :43:30.excellent shot to get back on the blue.

:43:31. > :43:38.OK, he's still going, but if he had played that shot on the red, I know

:43:39. > :43:44.it was stretching a bit, but... He could have done some damage to the

:43:45. > :43:51.reds, and that would have been far more assured from a positional

:43:52. > :43:56.perspective. This blew in and out of baulk to get into a tight red on the

:43:57. > :44:00.left corner is not easy which ever one he goes for. I am thinking

:44:01. > :44:04.whether he could play a firm and come off two cushions and tried to

:44:05. > :44:13.open up that cluster of reds. It is a big target. Well, he's tried it

:44:14. > :44:25.but didn't get enough side on the cue ball.

:44:26. > :44:31.Well, that pink going over the pocket is a bit of a nightmare

:44:32. > :45:17.scenario. APPLAUSE All things considered that was a

:45:18. > :45:26.pretty good safety shot. Not the best length, but a spot of bother

:45:27. > :45:31.there. Alan decided to play this red to the right of the black. That will

:45:32. > :45:39.bring the black into play. Oh, but he's it is too thick, now, is the

:45:40. > :45:46.black going to help him? Oh, it has. But there is another red available

:45:47. > :45:50.to the left corner. Big shot. Big moment in the match, this, for me.

:45:51. > :45:59.Big misjudgement by Alan McManus. You can see him in his chair, there,

:46:00. > :46:16.steaming. Doesn't want to look! Doesn't have to do anything with the

:46:17. > :46:21.cue ball if he pots it, he will be on the pink.

:46:22. > :46:31.Well played. Had to fully commit, and that's exactly what he did. Now,

:46:32. > :46:33.Ali Carter has been given a chance to take a two frame advantage into

:46:34. > :47:21.the final session tomorrow morning. Well, I'm a little bit surprised

:47:22. > :47:31.he's left this much potting angle on the red.

:47:32. > :47:39.You would have thought you'd play that red to hold for the blue. Yes,

:47:40. > :47:43.obviously you will race got colours and he has a nice group across the

:47:44. > :47:50.face of the blue for the red into the right corner. Judged very

:47:51. > :47:56.nicely. It's all about opening the pack up, it would appear. Yes, and

:47:57. > :48:03.he'd like to do it off the next black. Yes, and screw back across

:48:04. > :48:10.the face of the reds. So low on the black. Kick. And he's also gone high

:48:11. > :48:14.on the black. For me, now, he'll just have to play for the reds

:48:15. > :48:18.that's next to the black. He could run into the red but he's not

:48:19. > :48:23.certain to be on anything, it certainly won't be on the one loose

:48:24. > :48:28.red. He's decided to play for the pink, this way he will guarantee

:48:29. > :48:32.being in a nice position on the red. But imperative now that he gets a

:48:33. > :48:38.good angle on the colour to disturb that cluster of five. Surely he

:48:39. > :48:43.hasn't got the angle to pot the red and screw across the face of the

:48:44. > :48:48.reds for the black on this one? This would be a very advanced shop,

:48:49. > :48:56.should he play this. A great way of opening the pack up. Oh, and he

:48:57. > :49:02.didn't hit it right! Oh, the anger! Oh! Well, as you said at the time,

:49:03. > :49:06.it was an advanced way to play it. For me, I couldn't dream of playing

:49:07. > :49:17.it like that. Not unless I was absolutely certain. I think he was,

:49:18. > :49:21.he just didn't hit it right. He got a bit too much angle on the pot,

:49:22. > :49:25.perhaps if he could have ported it into the right-hand side of the

:49:26. > :49:31.pocket a bit more he could have afforded a bit of leeway. He would

:49:32. > :49:36.have straighten the cue ball up, got more screw back on, but it is a

:49:37. > :49:47.lifeline for Alan McManus. He must have been fearing the worst. He has

:49:48. > :49:53.just ask it to him, what colour comic he said, I haven't decided

:49:54. > :50:03.yet. Green is nominated. Is it a one-cushion escape? Needs to hit it.

:50:04. > :50:16.Now. Because it will be called I miss -- I miss. Not digging the

:50:17. > :50:22.referee out... I suppose I am... Dig him out! I am not sure he should ask

:50:23. > :50:26.what colour he is playing. If Ali Carter wants to play a shot without

:50:27. > :50:33.nominating a colour, it is a foul, seven points away. But I think they

:50:34. > :50:36.have always said... If they are not certain, please nominate. Perhaps I

:50:37. > :50:41.am talking out of turn but it is down to the player to nominate,

:50:42. > :50:47.surely stop Wine but I think he would have nominated if he was given

:50:48. > :50:51.the chance to. I don't know the rules, I should do, I am on the

:50:52. > :51:04.rules committee! I was going to say, I thought she made the rules! No,

:51:05. > :51:08.no, no. Green again. No. The problem is, because he is striking down, it

:51:09. > :51:15.is difficult to get the amount of side on the needs. It would be

:51:16. > :51:19.easiest to hit the black, but he knows if he hits the black, he has

:51:20. > :51:26.every likelihood he will lose the red to the right middle. In defence

:51:27. > :51:31.of Terry, the referee is the sole arbiter of play and if he wants to

:51:32. > :51:37.find out it is down to him to ask so it is not a problem. I think on

:51:38. > :51:45.reflection. Great shot. Yes, hit it this time. APPLAUSE.

:51:46. > :51:54.Ali, who got himself into a bit of Belize, giving those foul shots

:51:55. > :51:56.away, is now four points behind -- a bit of a lead. A very vital frame

:51:57. > :52:06.for both players. This is the type of safety shot that

:52:07. > :52:14.Allen has not been hitting consistently. -- that Alan has not

:52:15. > :52:22.been hitting. Too thin or too thick. He is playing this one, just playing

:52:23. > :52:27.the containing safety, it appears. Didn't want to risk trying to play

:52:28. > :52:32.the orthodox back to baulk safety. He could have played the long deep

:52:33. > :52:39.screw back but it is not a shot Alan McManus favours. Judd Trump wouldn't

:52:40. > :52:43.have thought twice about that. Ali Carter I think would have considered

:52:44. > :52:51.it as well. No slouch in that department. Didn't want to collide

:52:52. > :52:54.with the brown. Free shot, perhaps, for Alan McManus, free try at a red

:52:55. > :53:00.in the middle pocket with an element of safety?

:53:01. > :53:10.Or does he just play the committed safety shot? To me, he has to play

:53:11. > :53:15.the pot. The only one he can leave is the one he's playing. Striking

:53:16. > :53:30.down like this, he is not playing the pot but the safety.

:53:31. > :53:38.Was it worth a try in the middle? It is hard to see the angle from here.

:53:39. > :53:42.It might have been a bit... We have said once or twice in this match

:53:43. > :53:51.this afternoon that there have been one or two strange shot selections.

:53:52. > :53:59.Yes, but the shot selections could have been strange from the

:54:00. > :54:03.commentary box! Absolutely. That is a nice kiss on the green. The thing

:54:04. > :54:11.is, when you are on the table behind the shop... You can see it. Yes. You

:54:12. > :54:15.are right, there have been a few. A few refused, a few positional shots

:54:16. > :54:22.we had questioned. That is what we are here for, though. LAUGHTER When

:54:23. > :54:29.Alan McManus does play this thread that as the two ball onto the --

:54:30. > :54:35.smack ball plant onto the back he doesn't know where the red will end

:54:36. > :54:42.up. He has a nice line between yellow, brown and blue.

:54:43. > :55:00.Terrific length with the cue ball. The only thing, and as good a safety

:55:01. > :55:05.shot as that was, high-density safety shot for Ali Carter, so he

:55:06. > :55:10.may decide to take this pot on -- I do not see a safety shot for Ali

:55:11. > :55:15.Carter. If it goes in he could set up a frame-winning chance. I don't

:55:16. > :55:16.see a safety. If you don't see a safety you may as well go for the

:55:17. > :55:33.pot. No, it was tough, but there was no

:55:34. > :55:38.return to baulk, so the opportunity for Alan McManus, this red will pass

:55:39. > :55:47.the black. Don't blame Alan for taking that on.

:55:48. > :56:01.Yes, such a tough shot, as I say, there isn't no other shot that was

:56:02. > :56:06.on. -- there is no other shot. Oh, well... Now, is it covered? I am

:56:07. > :56:14.looking to see if Alan is going to think of apologising to Ali. He

:56:15. > :56:20.shook his head a few times. Well, Allen gave it a good look. Ali

:56:21. > :56:34.Carter not even bothered. Ash max Alan gave it a good look.

:56:35. > :56:40.We are going to have to leave this there because we are coming to the

:56:41. > :56:44.end of our allotted time on BBC Two. It continues online so get your

:56:45. > :56:49.order buys is connected and go for it there. Before we go let me update

:56:50. > :56:54.you with the other match between world number one Mark Selby and Sam

:56:55. > :56:58.Baird from Devon. This young man has performed very well today, here

:56:59. > :57:03.here's making an 85 break in the last of their opening session to

:57:04. > :57:09.level the scores at 4-4. Both players 92% pot success, and

:57:10. > :57:13.there'd, however, outscored Selby today, and they return tomorrow

:57:14. > :57:17.afternoon for their second session. A very good day's work for this

:57:18. > :57:22.youngster, through to the second round for the first time. This

:57:23. > :57:26.evening, the bromance potentially continues between Mark Williams and

:57:27. > :57:30.Michael Holt. There was a lot of banter on social media ahead of this

:57:31. > :57:35.contest which got under way this morning, you might say a loving, and

:57:36. > :57:43.we retreat to see how they would start the match, and sure enough,

:57:44. > :57:46.they shared a hug. That is a first at the Crucible I think! This

:57:47. > :57:52.afternoon Mark's wife has posted this picture. She says today is the

:57:53. > :57:56.day, will the love continue? We shall see this evening when they

:57:57. > :58:00.come back for their second session. It is four friends apiece in that.

:58:01. > :58:05.Speaking of social media, we have had another tweet from our great

:58:06. > :58:08.friend and colleague Dennis Taylor, who says after his emergency

:58:09. > :58:22.appendectomy this morning: Dennis, you may be absent but I will

:58:23. > :58:27.certainly keep up the mentions of 1985 for you! Get well, Champ, from

:58:28. > :58:32.all of us. My thanks to these two, a bit of a loving for them as well! We

:58:33. > :58:36.will see you very shortly. Jason will have the highlights and enjoyed

:58:37. > :58:40.tonight's session online. Goodbye for now.