:00:36. > :00:43.Good morning to you. The Rocket's engines are firing early on a Monday
:00:44. > :00:46.morning. He has had overnight to put some more fuel in the tanks before
:00:47. > :00:50.Ronnie O'Sullivan tackles the second deciding session of his opening
:00:51. > :00:55.round in this year's World Championship. His opponent, David
:00:56. > :01:03.Gilbert of Staffordshire, who is the world ranked 22 will be going out
:01:04. > :01:06.there number -- shortly. We also have John Higgins up against Ryan
:01:07. > :01:11.Day this morning so plenty to look forward to on a Monday morning, but
:01:12. > :01:15.as for the Rocket, he is the favourite to land a sixth world
:01:16. > :01:27.title and as always, his fellow professionals are full of admiration
:01:28. > :01:39.for his game. Snicker is lucky to have him in the way he is, the way
:01:40. > :01:43.he carries himself. I think if he does the way that Hendry did, I
:01:44. > :01:53.think we could see snooker in a different light. It is a loss for
:01:54. > :02:00.the tour when he was not playing. I take advice from him in most things
:02:01. > :02:03.he does. Talented player, but unfortunately sometimes not quite
:02:04. > :02:07.there mentally and that is what makes them vulnerable and that is
:02:08. > :02:13.part of why people come to see him. Jekyll Hyde. That's all I can say,
:02:14. > :02:16.really. When he is on the top of his game coming here is more or less
:02:17. > :02:22.impossible to beat. The best player I have ever seen on the table. I
:02:23. > :02:33.think most people would agree with that. In the last four or five
:02:34. > :02:37.years, he has mentally been as good as he has ever been in his career. I
:02:38. > :02:43.have known Ronnie since he was nine years old and he came into King's
:02:44. > :02:51.Cross Snooker club. I thought he had serious ability. Could have been the
:02:52. > :02:55.best player we have ever seen, but currently the records suggest
:02:56. > :02:59.otherwise. I think on his day, he can be anyone he wants and if he is
:03:00. > :03:08.in his right frame of mind, you cannot beat him. Great anticipation
:03:09. > :03:30.to see how well he is going to play here. Good shot. Excellent cue ball.
:03:31. > :03:39.The best possible start for David Gilbert, who has taken the opening
:03:40. > :03:48.frame. Hard to see how well Ronnie is cueing. That shows to Riddick
:03:49. > :04:04.focus there. -- terrific. That was awkward. There is definitely a new
:04:05. > :04:11.favourite. Ronnie O'Sullivan goes to the mid-session interval with a 3-1
:04:12. > :04:27.advantage. Brilliant cueing. And that is a magnificent break. Got it?
:04:28. > :04:44.Well, that is so unlucky. He has got him again. Very well played from
:04:45. > :04:54.Ronnie O'Sullivan. 4-2. That was better. And that magnificent break
:04:55. > :05:08.of 125 takes into just one frame behind. He is a long way off. Some
:05:09. > :05:18.of the safety shots he has played have been quite exceptional. Eight
:05:19. > :05:22.to refix shot. And a great way to finish for the favourite. He will be
:05:23. > :05:30.delighted, you would have to say, and he takes the session by 6-3. And
:05:31. > :05:33.there is David Gilbert, the man who has got a little bit of ground to
:05:34. > :05:37.make up on the Rocket if he is to get past today. The first and then
:05:38. > :05:40.go through and Dave starts behind. One match will conclude this
:05:41. > :05:44.morning, another will get underway, and it features the four-time world
:05:45. > :05:48.champion John Higgins, who like Ronnie O'Sullivan has been coming to
:05:49. > :05:53.the Crucible over 20 years. Just fixing the dickie bow tie and there,
:05:54. > :05:55.looking very smart. John taking an Ryan Day, who came to qualifying
:05:56. > :06:02.after a win in the last round against another former champion, our
:06:03. > :06:03.own Ken Doherty, so who likes Monday mornings? We are about to find out
:06:04. > :06:13.with MC Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
:06:14. > :06:19.It is day three year at the snooker World Championship and after today,
:06:20. > :06:23.happy places will have been taken. Sit back, relax, and enjoy. We have
:06:24. > :06:25.your Monday morning entertainment all under control right here, right
:06:26. > :06:50.now, in Sheffield. Please welcome a proud Welshman who
:06:51. > :06:55.came through the qualifiers in excellent form to book his 11th tilt
:06:56. > :06:58.at the title, three times a quarterfinalist here, he has enjoyed
:06:59. > :07:01.some huge moments here at the crystal ball, he is right in the
:07:02. > :07:26.groove, it is Ryan dynamite day. MUSIC PLAYS: The Passenger by Iggy
:07:27. > :07:30.Pop. And his opponent, a player to some thought was past his best a
:07:31. > :07:34.couple of seasons ago, and how he proved he has still got the touch,
:07:35. > :07:39.winning three ranking event titles last year, taking his tally to 28 in
:07:40. > :07:41.total, or times a champion of the world, he is the Wizard of Wishart,
:07:42. > :08:05.he is John Higgins. And on table two, a player
:08:06. > :08:11.rediscovering his best form this season. He reached a ranking place
:08:12. > :08:17.in November and is on a bird of the place in the world's top 20. Here
:08:18. > :08:18.comes the man who calls themselves the angry farmer. It is David
:08:19. > :08:43.Gilbert. And finally, the most exciting
:08:44. > :08:48.talent the sport of snooker has ever known, bidding for a 21st appearance
:08:49. > :08:52.in the second round here at the Crucible, five times a champion of
:08:53. > :08:53.the world, blink and you'll miss them, the Rockets, Ronnie
:08:54. > :09:16.O'Sullivan. This is Ronnie's 24th appearance at
:09:17. > :09:21.the Crucible. It is the fourth time for his opponent today, David
:09:22. > :09:25.Gilbert and he played very well, David Gilbert. It will be
:09:26. > :09:29.interesting to see how he plays this morning. Do they like Monday
:09:30. > :09:32.mornings? I know that our commentators certainly do. Good
:09:33. > :09:54.morning, Hazel. So it is David Gilbert who gets this
:09:55. > :09:57.second session underway. 6-3, probably not a true reflection of
:09:58. > :10:09.what happened in those first nine frames. No. We saw some clips of
:10:10. > :10:22.yesterday afternoon's session. He definitely could have won, but you
:10:23. > :10:26.never know what may have happened. I think he was a little bit
:10:27. > :10:31.demoralised in the final frame. It will be interesting to see if he can
:10:32. > :10:37.play the same way he played yesterday. His shot choice was
:10:38. > :11:02.aggressive, his long putt was aggressive. He did not get a great
:11:03. > :11:12.run of the balls. That may change. Cot that much too thick. He has left
:11:13. > :11:18.the red to the right middle, but it could have been easier. He may be
:11:19. > :11:35.hampered by the other reds. You don't have to do a lot with the cue
:11:36. > :11:43.ball. Played it nicely. Whoever pots the first red, you know there is a
:11:44. > :11:55.chance of getting a viewpoint. -- few points. He is a good player, is
:11:56. > :11:58.Dave, just hovering outside of the top 16. He has certainly got the
:11:59. > :12:08.ability to be a regular top 16 players. I was very impressed with
:12:09. > :12:12.him yesterday. I played him a long time ago when he first came onto the
:12:13. > :12:16.scene, and I don't know if you can judge someone on their first
:12:17. > :12:29.appearance, but I was very impressed with his shot choice.
:12:30. > :12:37.See there, the tip of the cue, very similar to Ronnie. A final pull-back
:12:38. > :12:49.in the tip comes almost back to the film. -- thumb. I am not quite
:12:50. > :13:00.certain which read he played for and there. I think he would rather be on
:13:01. > :13:03.the one that is next to the black. He could have been a bit further
:13:04. > :13:11.down and halted that and they do the black available to both corners. He
:13:12. > :13:19.has a little bit of work to do here with the cue ball. It is imperative
:13:20. > :13:31.you get position, and he is obviously not happy. He is going to
:13:32. > :13:38.town on the black. -- cannon. Decided to take the risk of not
:13:39. > :13:40.developing the black and all things considered that could have worked
:13:41. > :14:12.out much better. Both on 147 balls. He played that
:14:13. > :14:17.nicely. That was very well struck. Quite an angle on the blue, some to
:14:18. > :14:26.get the action on the cue ball was good. Perfect.
:14:27. > :15:58.APPLAUSE He may have risked going into the
:15:59. > :16:07.five reds there. When there are one or two loose, that is possible. He
:16:08. > :16:23.may be a little wary of going into early.
:16:24. > :16:38.To win this, he will have to go into those reds at some point. Two loose
:16:39. > :16:44.threads. But not be enough. He is taking this very well and this is
:16:45. > :16:49.the thing we always say about why snooker is such a tough game, Ronnie
:16:50. > :16:54.O'Sullivan is one of the most natural talents who has ever played
:16:55. > :16:58.in the game but he will have to sit in his seat now and hope that his
:16:59. > :17:05.opponent misses so he gets a chance of getting back in. Once you're in
:17:06. > :17:10.that chair, and this was it, he caught it a fraction too thick and
:17:11. > :17:17.caused the cue ball to get in the jaws of the pocket and ran into the
:17:18. > :17:25.reds. Now it is up to whether Dave Gilbert can score enough points in
:17:26. > :17:43.the frame in one visit. 52 ahead, 83 remaining.
:17:44. > :17:52.With a couple of reds and a couple of blacks, he could win it APPLAUSE
:17:53. > :17:56.. But these reds along the top cushion, particularly if they are
:17:57. > :18:05.just off the cushion, are very tricky. But he certainly has not got
:18:06. > :18:12.the angle on the black to bring that cluster of five into play. This
:18:13. > :18:19.black will put him 60 points in front, still a possible 75
:18:20. > :18:31.remaining. Is he going to come off the side cushion into the cluster?
:18:32. > :18:43.The cue ball seem to come of their very square.
:18:44. > :18:49.APPLAUSE I think he just hasn't put the cue
:18:50. > :18:53.ball exactly where he wanted to. A touch on the left-hand side and he
:18:54. > :19:04.would have missed the pack the other way so it has been a very good
:19:05. > :19:09.visit. Well, that was a very good contribution. He has a 60 point
:19:10. > :19:20.lead, but as I say, there are still 75 remaining. He is favourite. But
:19:21. > :19:32.if Ronnie was to box the next red, it could actually turn around. --
:19:33. > :19:40.pot. Cot that much too thick. Maybe that is the mistake that Ronnie has
:19:41. > :19:45.made there. Getting David Gilbert his first frame of the morning. 250
:19:46. > :19:59.shots Ronnie has played, and both thick. -- two safety shots.
:20:00. > :20:11.67 points remaining. He would have liked an easier black than this, but
:20:12. > :20:12.just couldn't get to the cue ball, perhaps concentrating too much on
:20:13. > :20:40.the pot. Yeah, well done.
:20:41. > :20:48.APPLAUSE And that is sometimes all it takes.
:20:49. > :20:54.67 remaining. All Ronnie has done is just play two safety shots and a
:20:55. > :21:19.little bit too thick. Now he needs a snooker.
:21:20. > :21:32.APPLAUSE It is not a bad hit but if Dave was
:21:33. > :21:51.to pot this, Ronnie would not bother coming back to the table.
:21:52. > :21:55.APPLAUSE Well, he's done what he had to do
:21:56. > :22:03.this morning. That was his target, Dave, to win the first round. 7-3
:22:04. > :22:09.down would have been a good frontrunner. I think you have any
:22:10. > :22:13.chance in this match, I said yesterday, I thought the match was
:22:14. > :22:16.partly over, but if Dave could somehow win the first three out of
:22:17. > :22:20.the first four frames, you never know. He has certainly played very
:22:21. > :22:29.well in this opening frame this morning. Ronnie has not had an
:22:30. > :22:30.opportunity. What Dave has done, he has done it well.
:22:31. > :22:53.APPLAUSE A little bit disappointed there that
:22:54. > :23:00.he is not on the spread, but it does not matter. Very important to get
:23:01. > :24:32.this first frame of the morning. Very good going.
:24:33. > :24:38.APPLAUSE Very good.
:24:39. > :24:46.Very classy that from David Gilbert there. Kept Ronnie O'Sullivan in his
:24:47. > :24:54.seat. As Stephen said, just what he needed. He has closed the gap to
:24:55. > :25:01.two. He still trails, though. And it was all about Ronnie just not being
:25:02. > :25:10.able to find the right contact on his safety shots. Very unusual.
:25:11. > :25:22.Normally, his safety is as good as anybody's, but this is way too
:25:23. > :25:25.thick. This one Dave was a little bit fortunate here to cover the
:25:26. > :25:31.right-hand side of the bunch. This is a tough shot, very easy to hit
:25:32. > :25:35.this one thick. He has got to favour that way, rather than hit it then,
:25:36. > :25:40.because that would have been no good at all. Yesterday, he may have
:25:41. > :25:44.covered that red with the banks so there is a little change today. You
:25:45. > :25:52.never know what will happen in these long matches. I must say, from Iona
:25:53. > :26:04.experience, -- from my own experience, it was not easy at 10am.
:26:05. > :26:09.This used to be the only tournament was played in the mornings. Yes,
:26:10. > :26:15.absolutely. When we first came here to Sheffield, we used to start at
:26:16. > :26:23.10:30am and I thought that was bad enough, and then it went to 10am. He
:26:24. > :26:35.may even cannon into the bed and lack. I still expect him to get
:26:36. > :26:38.this. He was not a mile away, and he fully committed. Now what damage has
:26:39. > :26:46.he done? I think he has left Ronnie and easy starter. Oh, that's a
:26:47. > :27:09.bonus. You wouldn't have minded leaving the
:27:10. > :27:18.red, and he left it absolutely perfect, didn't he? So he could roll
:27:19. > :27:34.it in. You can watch an artist at work now.
:27:35. > :27:57.Going back to yesterday afternoon's session, Ronnie was still very, very
:27:58. > :28:04.impressive. He always thought it was inevitable he was going to win the
:28:05. > :28:14.frame in one visit. Just looking at the success there, 94% from David
:28:15. > :28:24.Gilbert. That would put you in front in most matches. 96%, Ronnie. And
:28:25. > :28:34.long part success. If Ronnie is knocking the long ones, that makes
:28:35. > :29:04.him very hard to beat. I think anything over 66% is good.
:29:05. > :29:15.In opportunity, only because of the angle he has on the black. I was
:29:16. > :29:23.going to say, he always knew it would be in the same pocket but it
:29:24. > :29:29.has gone wrong and that is the risk. Is that a sign? That is what
:29:30. > :29:37.happened a couple of times to Dave yesterday. You can count those on
:29:38. > :29:50.one hand, the sorts of shot that Ronnie has played there. Yeah, he
:29:51. > :29:54.did not expect to kiss the second red and then he hits the third red.
:29:55. > :29:59.Time for a counterattack. APPLAUSE
:30:00. > :30:12.This is the type of frame that can turn. I can't stress how important
:30:13. > :30:20.it is if Dave was to win this match, this visit to the table. Oh, no.
:30:21. > :30:34.This does not look good. You could say that is a bad shot.
:30:35. > :30:39.Look at the amount of reds in the open and the area he had to land the
:30:40. > :30:46.ball in. Yes, you could say it was unlucky but that red was there all
:30:47. > :30:58.the time. Yeah, it's just one of those things around the ball. He's
:30:59. > :31:06.not going to make the most of this opportunity. Just a safety.
:31:07. > :31:20.Where is the red going? I think the Green may have come to his rescue,
:31:21. > :31:29.so he has not left that red on. There you see it. But it quite
:31:30. > :31:36.easily have left it on. But the fact that he hasn't has given Ronny Deila
:31:37. > :31:41.full problem here. He can't play a safety shot back to the baulk and
:31:42. > :31:47.because he would leave that shot to the middle and there isn't really an
:31:48. > :31:54.option where there is an easy containing safety. Is he going to
:31:55. > :32:01.have to play this red closest to the blue to the right corner? Try on pot
:32:02. > :32:08.his way out of trouble? Yeah. As you say, I can't see a safety shot. Mind
:32:09. > :32:18.you, I never could! I'll be honest, I can't see a good one myself. He
:32:19. > :32:23.may try and pot his way out of this. Well, he decided in the end to play
:32:24. > :32:32.a safety shot and that is a very poor one. Much too thick, again. Has
:32:33. > :32:36.played three safety shots, two in the first frame at that one, and he
:32:37. > :32:42.is supposed to be hitting them just less than quarter ball and each one
:32:43. > :32:48.he has hit half ball. It takes all the pace out of the cue ball and it
:32:49. > :32:52.has gifted this easy starter. As we said in the first frame, it doesn't
:32:53. > :32:55.matter how good you are, when you are sat in your chair and the other
:32:56. > :33:01.fellow is at the table, there's nothing you can do about it.
:33:02. > :33:10.So what can he make with this opportunity?
:33:11. > :33:18.Looking at his body language there, there are two reds close together.
:33:19. > :33:26.The one in the middle just passes those two reds. I agree with you,
:33:27. > :33:27.Stephen, he's got to take these opportunities now. He's been gifted
:33:28. > :33:41.this chance. Running having to sit there and
:33:42. > :33:45.wonder if that poor safety will cost in this frame. -- Ronnie. Not a
:33:46. > :34:17.straightforward run to the line. He may choose to play for the pink
:34:18. > :34:25.of this red. -- off this red. Take the chance of snookering himself on
:34:26. > :34:27.the other red out of the equation. No, he has played for the black.
:34:28. > :34:46.Decent little shot. The red to the right of the black
:34:47. > :34:52.spot, if he gets himself low on that one, he could play to take the red
:34:53. > :35:00.on the right-hand cushion off and leave himself on the pink. He would
:35:01. > :35:04.love the cue ball where it is right now on that red to the right of the
:35:05. > :35:11.black, that would be perfect. Yes, that's perfect.
:35:12. > :35:30.He did. He just wanted to catch the red a bit fuller. OK he has
:35:31. > :35:34.developed the red, but it would have been nice if he could have played
:35:35. > :35:47.this without using the rest. Just wanted to get in behind it a bit
:35:48. > :35:51.more. It is quite straight. He will stun the reds at the left middle.
:35:52. > :35:57.Make sure you don't miss the pot, whatever you do.
:35:58. > :36:07.And this red to the left middle, when he pops it, will make the
:36:08. > :36:17.points all square. Ideally he would like to screw back for the red to
:36:18. > :36:22.the left corner but that makes this pot a lot more difficult. -- for the
:36:23. > :36:24.black to the left corner. He's playing for the black. This is the
:36:25. > :36:35.right shot. Well, he will have to play the pink
:36:36. > :36:42.now. I think he was just trying to minimise the difficulty of the pot.
:36:43. > :36:52.He needs a good angle off this next red after the pink. To get good
:36:53. > :36:55.position on the red just off the top cushion. That is a bit more
:36:56. > :37:12.difficult. GROANS FROM CROWD
:37:13. > :37:16.Oh! Did not expect that. There you see maybe another side of the run of
:37:17. > :37:21.the ball is changing today. He has got away with it. Think in those
:37:22. > :37:28.situations, who has got away with it? As Dave got away with it or has
:37:29. > :37:36.Ronnie got away with it? Ronnie must have been sat there thinking... That
:37:37. > :37:43.he would not get another shot this frame. An expected Mr. He did not
:37:44. > :37:49.see that coming. As a player, you have got to look at it positively.
:37:50. > :37:57.Not the fact that you have not been left an easy pot, but the fact that
:37:58. > :38:03.your opponent hasn't cleared up. He's worried about the plant of
:38:04. > :38:10.knocking the pink into the corner if he played that red. This is a better
:38:11. > :38:19.cue ball. This is a much better shot. Very good. He was worried
:38:20. > :38:27.about leaving the red but he'll soon knew that if he got a good cue ball
:38:28. > :38:29.then everything would be difficult. That is the case and he has lived
:38:30. > :38:38.with him both reds. This is the view that Dave has got.
:38:39. > :38:43.He can't get past the blue and he can't get past the yellow for the
:38:44. > :38:45.other red. He is in a spot of bother here. Six points in front and he is
:38:46. > :39:21.now second favourite for this frame. Well, all you can do here is just
:39:22. > :39:30.hope that you hit the red. No problem hitting the red but whether
:39:31. > :39:41.he can get the red safe or not is another matter. And if he doesn't
:39:42. > :39:46.coming in those it could cost him the frame. Just trying to play a
:39:47. > :39:56.little flick. Could be a free ball, this. It all depends whether Ronnie
:39:57. > :40:05.can hit both sides of the red that is just to the right of the pink. If
:40:06. > :40:12.he can't... REFEREE: Free ball. Free ball! And
:40:13. > :40:17.he is nicely on the brown. This will count as a red, remember.
:40:18. > :40:23.So there is the one point, and a colour to follow. Now Ronnie with
:40:24. > :41:14.the frame at his mercy. Ronnie purposefully going up for the
:41:15. > :41:20.baulk colour. He knew that way that he could play green or brown and be
:41:21. > :41:29.nicely on the yellow. Little glance at the scoreboard. 11 points in
:41:30. > :41:33.front. Make that 14. Yellow, green and brown to get to the snooker is
:41:34. > :41:54.required stage. Well, Dave Gilbert had a chance.
:41:55. > :42:01.Very surprising miss on that red in the middle. As Stephen alluded to at
:42:02. > :42:06.the time, he has to take these opportunities. These half chances.
:42:07. > :42:08.He's not going to get a lot of opportunities from Ronnie
:42:09. > :42:14.O'Sullivan. But when he gets them, as he did in the first frame, he has
:42:15. > :42:18.to take them. He had two half chances in this one. Didn't make the
:42:19. > :42:25.most of it. Doesn't matter about the pink. Dave Gilbert won't be bothered
:42:26. > :42:32.about coming back to the table. He notes to referee Jan Verhaas and
:42:33. > :42:34.both players are leaving the arena. Ronnie O'Sullivan back three frames
:42:35. > :42:41.in front, 7-4. It's funny, the first frame Dave
:42:42. > :42:46.really looked good and then Ronnie once again played a poor safety sub
:42:47. > :42:53.and gave him a chance. You just think the shot selection here was
:42:54. > :42:57.wrong? Yes. Although it makes the shot much more difficult, you have
:42:58. > :43:06.to think, and were going to clear up and win the frame that this visit?
:43:07. > :43:10.He wants to play the red on the black fish and first because the red
:43:11. > :43:16.near the middle pocket is trickier than it looks. He wants to just drop
:43:17. > :43:26.that one in later. He wants to play for the black here so he can drop on
:43:27. > :43:33.the red on the cushion. That is why people lose position, isn't it? They
:43:34. > :43:37.are making certain of the pot and not actually playing the correct
:43:38. > :43:44.shot. I will be honest, I know what you're saying about these type of
:43:45. > :43:48.pots in the middle, they look a lot easier on the overhead shot than
:43:49. > :43:52.they actually are at the table, but I never expected him to miss this. I
:43:53. > :43:57.didn't either, but he is playing it with slower drag and a touch of
:43:58. > :44:03.right-hand side. That is the thing with his long cue action, if you
:44:04. > :44:12.decelerate the slightest bit, I didn't expect him to miss it. And of
:44:13. > :44:15.course while he is playing that red into the middle, he is thinking I
:44:16. > :44:18.can't get on the right side of the blue so I have to leave myself an
:44:19. > :44:22.angle on the pink and all these things are going through his mind as
:44:23. > :44:26.he is playing the shot, because he needed an angle on the pink to get
:44:27. > :44:31.on the awkward last red. It's just bad shot selection at a vital time
:44:32. > :44:35.that can cost you at this game. Ronnie will be very pleased to have
:44:36. > :44:41.got a second opportunity. He got in first in that frame. He would have
:44:42. > :44:45.been very pleased to see Dave miss the red to the middle and get
:44:46. > :44:51.another opportunity. To be fair, he played an excellent safety shot of
:44:52. > :44:59.the second last red and sniggered Dave -- snookered Dave. Fine margins
:45:00. > :45:06.but that is what the game is all about at this high level.
:45:07. > :45:15.When Dave Gilbert came into this match this morning 6-3 behind, you
:45:16. > :45:19.set yourself little goals. He was probably thinking, the first four
:45:20. > :45:26.frames, if I can win three of them... I will cut the gap and only
:45:27. > :45:35.be one behind. He had a chance to win the second frame but missed that
:45:36. > :45:40.red into the middle. It is those half chances he has to be taking if
:45:41. > :45:42.he is going to push Ronnie all the way. Which he's certainly capable
:45:43. > :46:00.of, he has proven that. Looking at this red to the left-hand
:46:01. > :46:05.corner. Is he playing for the black? That's the right way of playing it.
:46:06. > :46:13.He is. The red he was playing was the only one he could leave. Unless
:46:14. > :46:18.there is a gap through a bunch for a red to the right corner here. The
:46:19. > :46:23.plant? I was going to say, you would only play the plant if you thought
:46:24. > :46:27.you were certain to be on the black, this is tough, this. Well, he played
:46:28. > :46:48.it and he got it! It had to be made, it wasn't dead
:46:49. > :46:55.set on, if you like. Ronnie just slightly hampered. Will he play in
:46:56. > :47:02.left-handed? He has decided to play it in the far corner rather than the
:47:03. > :47:10.middle. Well, that's beautifully played. Absolutely exquisite. The
:47:11. > :47:36.action he gets on the ball without seemingly hitting it hard.
:47:37. > :47:41.He will have to play a little cannon here. It's going to leave it a
:47:42. > :47:51.little bit to luck. That is the problem when you run
:47:52. > :47:56.into them like that. He caught it too full and it didn't really leave
:47:57. > :48:00.anything. He has got this red to the left middle, but tricky. That is the
:48:01. > :48:05.problem. When you're tight against the cushion, there's not really a
:48:06. > :48:13.lot you can do with the cue ball. He's potted the red but that's all
:48:14. > :48:27.he's going to get, the extra point. He's on nothing, note colour.
:48:28. > :48:38.So, he didn't make the most of that opportunity. Dave having a look at
:48:39. > :48:46.the plant. It looks dead set to me. The only thing is, can he get past
:48:47. > :48:49.the green to hit it? And he has got the problem of not letting Ronnie
:48:50. > :48:55.see it. Getting that safety shot near the
:48:56. > :49:12.yellow on the side of the table. Well, it looks as though he tried to
:49:13. > :49:20.move the plant. He could be in trouble next time around. If Ronnie
:49:21. > :49:22.can get this cue ball stuck behind the yellow.
:49:23. > :49:35.Well, he's made a mistake there, Ronnie. Particularly if he has left
:49:36. > :49:38.Dave the chance to hit the red on the right-hand side of the table. It
:49:39. > :49:41.will be an easy safety shot, this. We'll be trying to get the cue ball
:49:42. > :49:58.in behind the yellow. He's got the advantage now. When
:49:59. > :50:07.Ronnie played his attempted snooker, he needed to be tied up to the
:50:08. > :50:14.yellow. As it happens, Ronnie could just get past that yellow to hit
:50:15. > :50:16.that red as he liked. So it was a bit of a let off. And he's played it
:50:17. > :50:43.well. Dave Gilbert's turn to play a safety
:50:44. > :50:55.shot and hit it much too thick. Well, just the yellow makes this
:50:56. > :50:59.slightly awkward for Ronnie. But he played with wonderful control of the
:51:00. > :51:03.cue ball to hold for the black. Fully committed. Chance to win the
:51:04. > :51:14.frame now from this visit. He played that red well. Look at the shop
:51:15. > :51:21.time. 14 seconds a shot. 22 seconds is pretty quick! But 14 seconds for
:51:22. > :51:27.Ronnie. That fast shot time is caused by how good his cue ball
:51:28. > :51:31.control is. He's never having to walk around the table half a dozen
:51:32. > :51:35.times like a lot of players do, his cue ball is just automatically
:51:36. > :51:39.there. I've heard you say that before Stephen, and that is
:51:40. > :51:40.absolutely correct. No need for a lot of thinking time if you have got
:51:41. > :52:14.good control of the cue ball. He has played that well. 55 points
:52:15. > :52:23.is the lead. Three more red is required. It looks a formality but
:52:24. > :52:27.you take nothing for granted in this game. But he doesn't have to bring
:52:28. > :52:28.anything into play will stop everything he needs is out in the
:52:29. > :52:49.open. So, this lack to go 69 points in
:52:50. > :52:54.front with just 67 remaining. -- this black.
:52:55. > :53:14.There you see it. APPLAUSE
:53:15. > :53:24.We've had one century in this match and funnily enough, that was made by
:53:25. > :53:28.Dave Gilbert, in the seventh frame. He made a marvellous break of 125.
:53:29. > :53:52.Ronnie is yet to make one. I know we say it about top players
:53:53. > :53:57.all the time, Stephen, but he has made this looks so simple, hasn't he
:53:58. > :54:03.come from the opening red onwards? Yes, as I say, when he gets in
:54:04. > :54:07.position in a frame you are surprised if he doesn't win the
:54:08. > :54:15.frame in one visit all the time. And if he is doing that, not missing
:54:16. > :54:19.easy shots and finding good position, it's going to take someone
:54:20. > :54:20.playing excellent snooker to beat him in this championship, it has to
:54:21. > :54:32.be said. I don't really see any other players
:54:33. > :54:33.out there with that air of inevitability when they get in the
:54:34. > :54:49.balls. Now, if he can pot this yellow, you
:54:50. > :54:51.fancy the century. Oh! Once again made it look easy. Perfect.
:54:52. > :55:24.Beautiful play, exquisite. This would be the 12th century of
:55:25. > :55:30.the tournament so far and we're earlier today absolutely superb!
:55:31. > :55:34.There was and it air of inevitability from the moment he
:55:35. > :55:41.potted the first red. Didn't matter about the black, he got the century
:55:42. > :55:43.and make the crowd happy and that is absolutely sublime from Ronnie
:55:44. > :55:54.O'Sullivan and he now grows further clear. Four in front, 8-4.
:55:55. > :56:00.Let's have a look. When he first got in, you think he's going to score,
:56:01. > :56:08.but he didn't, but then he played this outrageous plant. I think the
:56:09. > :56:14.line of the cue ball to the first red was quite good, it gave him the
:56:15. > :56:17.angle to play it. This blue was just an excellent positional shot, screw
:56:18. > :56:25.with a touch of left-hand side to come around the angles. He didn't
:56:26. > :56:28.win it at that visit but he potted that great long red with wonderful
:56:29. > :56:33.control to get on the black and then needed this yellow to make the
:56:34. > :56:39.century, tough shot, but made it look so simple. And that was Ronnie
:56:40. > :56:45.O'Sullivan at his absolute best. Wonderful cueing. That's what it is,
:56:46. > :56:50.it's all about the cueing. At the end of the day, if you can't pot
:56:51. > :56:55.balls you will never be able to play this game, but not only have you got
:56:56. > :56:58.to be able to pot balls, it's the art of controlling the cue ball and
:56:59. > :57:00.everything that goes with it, and he is an absolute artist when it comes
:57:01. > :57:27.to making big breaks. Looking down the line of this shot
:57:28. > :57:38.and I think Dave can just get to this red to the corner. Maybe not.
:57:39. > :57:44.Yeah, I think the only red he can hit is the one on the side of the
:57:45. > :57:50.table. Looking at that, he just can't get past the green to get to
:57:51. > :57:52.the potting angle. Coming off the side cushion just to nestle into
:57:53. > :58:05.them. Hitting the pink, isn't he!
:58:06. > :58:10.REFEREE: Foul and a miss, Ronnie O'Sullivan six. I would be surprised
:58:11. > :58:21.if Ronnie doesn't have it replaced. Now the danger is here, do you
:58:22. > :58:28.overcompensate and miss the reds on the other side, which would be no
:58:29. > :58:32.good? I think that's why he finished up hitting the pink, because he was
:58:33. > :58:38.trying to avoid slipping past the reds, as you say, Stephen. He
:58:39. > :58:51.overdid it. He's going to play the same shot. But as you say, he
:58:52. > :58:54.doesn't want to overcompensate here. A bit harder and he might have
:58:55. > :59:28.slipped past them, but he is OK. Safe enough.
:59:29. > :59:35.Well, he's hoping to get round the back of the black. They thought he
:59:36. > :59:38.had to raise the butt of the cue to hit lower on the cue ball but it
:59:39. > :59:48.doesn't look like he's doing that. That was an amazing shot. He trusted
:59:49. > :59:52.himself to pot that. Because if he didn't, with top spin, he was going
:59:53. > :59:58.into a lot of other balls on the table. Excellent pot. It just shows
:59:59. > :00:02.you the difference. If Ronnie had hit that cue ball and got it tight
:00:03. > :00:07.to the bottom cushion, that shop would not have been on. Just a
:00:08. > :00:15.fraction, that's all it was, Ronnie underhit the safety shot slightly.
:00:16. > :00:17.This red above the black is really no good to Dave because the black
:00:18. > :00:32.doesn't pot to the left corner. He is just seeing if the thing is
:00:33. > :00:40.available. It doesn't look as though it is. He will have to screw through
:00:41. > :00:46.the reds to the back pocket. He hit that superb. It was a fantastic
:00:47. > :00:52.shot, really. I know he is four frames behind but he is playing
:00:53. > :01:03.well. I didn't do the first session but he is cueing well. And there is
:01:04. > :01:07.the proof of it. Look at his pot success. 94%. I have done some
:01:08. > :01:12.matches this week in the mid 80s but he is 8-4 down with a pot success
:01:13. > :01:22.like that. Yes, I said that yesterday when he
:01:23. > :01:24.was behind in the match. A lot of players would have been in front,
:01:25. > :01:51.the way he was playing. He will have to play for the blue
:01:52. > :02:00.here because the black is not available into the opposite corner.
:02:01. > :02:06.Just overscrewed it. You couldn't really get on the blue. He would
:02:07. > :02:14.like to play for the red on the left-hand side of the table.
:02:15. > :02:20.Just overscrewed it slightly. If he can get on the red on the left-hand
:02:21. > :02:27.side of the table and play for the black off that read, then there is
:02:28. > :02:31.that possibility of playing for the black for both corners. Then he
:02:32. > :02:34.would have a chance of winning the frame at this visit. But not if he
:02:35. > :02:44.had to keep going back for the blue and particularly not now. Not a good
:02:45. > :02:51.angle on the blue this time. Screwing between brown and green,
:02:52. > :02:55.some right-hand side. Didn't quite get into the cue ball enough then.
:02:56. > :03:18.He is still on this red. I think he has got an angle to drop
:03:19. > :03:22.on the red to the left of the black, into the top corner. He may choose
:03:23. > :03:29.to go for the pink. Yes, that is what he is doing. Playing the
:03:30. > :03:39.cannon. Where is the red ball going? That is unlucky. I say unlucky.
:03:40. > :03:46.Usually you see a player have a look at the pack and the fit can be
:03:47. > :03:54.spotted. Could it be spotted? No. Unlucky.
:03:55. > :04:04.Terrific pot for Ronnie. He made that look easy. He is playing so
:04:05. > :04:06.well and just one mistake can cost you. Such a high standard in this
:04:07. > :04:31.match. Dave will be sitting in his seat
:04:32. > :04:34.thinking it is 9-4, the way this match is going. Unfortunately that
:04:35. > :04:40.is three frames where he has been stopped in his tracks through no
:04:41. > :04:48.fault of his own. That is snooker at this level. It is tough. Yes, he
:04:49. > :04:57.played the right shot, he played the blue. No way he could have foreseen
:04:58. > :05:03.that read going in the corner. Well! Ronnie has taken his eye off the
:05:04. > :05:15.ball, literally. That was purely concentration, lack of.
:05:16. > :05:22.Yes, just assumed the black was going to go in and you can never
:05:23. > :05:25.assume anything in this game. Dave Gilbert is now two points in front
:05:26. > :05:37.and has the chance to clinch this frame. There is a mid-session
:05:38. > :05:39.interval after this one. If it was 8-5, OK, as you were, as they
:05:40. > :06:02.started this morning. Ten points ahead, so he needs the
:06:03. > :06:18.four remaining reds to clinch the frame at this visit.
:06:19. > :06:29.I think he played to move that red. Yes, he did, and he will be
:06:30. > :06:33.disappointed that he didn't because that is the only tough red and he
:06:34. > :06:42.needs the three remaining reds to get to the snooker is required
:06:43. > :06:47.stage. Maybe screw the cue ball over there. I don't think that red passes
:06:48. > :06:54.the pink to the right corner. If it doesn't, he will have to think
:06:55. > :07:12.about moving it. It does go. It is an option to drop
:07:13. > :07:16.behind it, but it will have to be as close to the red as possible and it
:07:17. > :07:22.is not a shot you want to play from any distance.
:07:23. > :07:33.Try and get virtually straight on this blue.
:07:34. > :07:41.Well, he has got just enough angle on the blue to be able to take it.
:07:42. > :07:45.Just the right side of the blue line, from this point of view.
:07:46. > :07:55.Having another close look at whether the red passes the pink. Very tight.
:07:56. > :08:05.That is not where he wanted to be. He will not be playing the pot now
:08:06. > :08:14.because he is going into a blind pocket. 34 points in the lead and 35
:08:15. > :08:17.remaining. Easy snooker, should he so wished. Push the red to the top
:08:18. > :08:32.cushion, snookered behind the pink. He has decided to put some distance
:08:33. > :08:38.between cue ball and object ball. I would prefer to get the guaranteed
:08:39. > :08:42.snooker. I don't know if Ronnie can pop this red cushion first. It looks
:08:43. > :08:55.like he is coming off the baulk cushion and kicking the red up the
:08:56. > :08:58.table. He has hit that hard. Safe enough but Dave Gilbert still with
:08:59. > :09:31.the tactical advantage. Just coming up to the three-hour
:09:32. > :09:36.match time. The average frame time? Well, there you go. You wouldn't
:09:37. > :09:42.want to play in the snooker club, would you?
:09:43. > :09:50.The average shot time from Ronnie is unbelievable, 14. 22 is good, not
:09:51. > :09:59.pedestrian. He is giving this plenty of thought because he knows he has
:10:00. > :10:05.got to get the red safe or give Ronnie the chance of a pot. That is
:10:06. > :10:11.OK but if Ronnie can get past the yellow, he could get the advantage.
:10:12. > :10:23.This is a safety battle. In the end, because he was tied to
:10:24. > :10:28.the baulk cushion, or he could do was concentrate on getting the red
:10:29. > :10:36.safe, not really putting Dave Gilbert under any pressure. Coming
:10:37. > :10:41.round to look at the potting angle. If he does go for the pot and he
:10:42. > :10:45.misses it, the red is hopefully going to come away from the pocket
:10:46. > :10:48.and the cue will go to the baulk end. Doesn't need a colour, just the
:10:49. > :11:13.red. That was careless from Ronnie. He
:11:14. > :11:19.needs a snooker now. 36 point in it and only 35 remaining. That was a
:11:20. > :11:31.pretty clumsy shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan. Yes, I thought it was a
:11:32. > :11:38.formality to hit the red. I said earlier, take nothing for granted in
:11:39. > :11:45.this game, and in any ball game. And that red has gone in, meaning that
:11:46. > :11:49.Dave Gilbert clinches the frame. Ronnie will not be too disgruntled.
:11:50. > :11:52.He started the session with a three frame advantage and he will go into
:11:53. > :12:03.the mid-session interval with those three frames as a cushion. Certainly
:12:04. > :12:06.signs that if Dave Gilbert gets opportunities, then he is playing
:12:07. > :12:13.well enough to take them. Ronnie needs to be on his mettle and not
:12:14. > :12:17.take anything for granted here. I think Dave has got to take heart
:12:18. > :12:18.that in every frame he has had chances. Sometimes you don't get
:12:19. > :12:36.any. It didn't matter about the brown.
:12:37. > :12:41.Ronnie O'Sullivan, if you loose shots but some good ones. Dave
:12:42. > :12:45.Gilbert looks in good form, they both do, but there is still a three
:12:46. > :12:51.frame advantage to Ronnie O'Sullivan, just as there was at the
:12:52. > :12:55.start of the session. Yes, Dave is giving a good account of himself and
:12:56. > :13:03.Ronnie has some work to do if he is to get a win here at the Crucible.
:13:04. > :13:06.We will be back after the interval, but first the other match going on
:13:07. > :13:10.at the other side of the Crucible. It features John Higgins, who has
:13:11. > :13:14.been having a tremendous season, particularly before the Christmas
:13:15. > :13:18.break. He won big titles in Australia and in China, and that
:13:19. > :13:24.took him to 28 world ranking titles in his career, equalling the Hall of
:13:25. > :13:30.Ronnie and of course Steve Davis, only surpassed by a certain Stephen
:13:31. > :13:32.Hendry on 36. At the tender age of 40, John Higgins's game is still the
:13:33. > :13:46.envy of many a fellow professional. John is probably the best all-round
:13:47. > :13:51.player we have ever had. Every time we write him off, he seems to
:13:52. > :13:54.rewrite the record books, come back and win another tournament. If you
:13:55. > :13:57.look for total mastery of all elements of snooker, I give it to
:13:58. > :14:01.John Higgins because he has tactical. He knows everything about
:14:02. > :14:05.the game. One of the greatest part is you will ever see. For me he is
:14:06. > :14:09.one of the best players ever to play the game. Off the table he is a
:14:10. > :14:13.really nice guy as well. John Higgins is one of my favourite
:14:14. > :14:18.players of all time. Technically he is brilliant. He has a phenomenal
:14:19. > :14:22.snooker brain. Great safety. Tremendous cueing. He hasn't got a
:14:23. > :14:27.fault. John Higgins is one of the greatest match players we have ever
:14:28. > :14:31.seen. He is probably the best all-round player currently playing.
:14:32. > :14:34.Great attacker, great defender, really good at scrapping those
:14:35. > :14:41.frames out that he shouldn't really win. On his day, unbeatable. He
:14:42. > :14:44.started at the same time as me and he is still up their winning
:14:45. > :14:51.tournaments which shows how good he is. I think he has got four world
:14:52. > :14:55.titles. I wouldn't be surprised to see him winning another one. He is
:14:56. > :14:59.so hard, a complete rock, and off the table he is absolutely the best
:15:00. > :15:03.you could ever meet. The most generous guy I have ever come
:15:04. > :15:10.across. Great company. I can't speak highly enough of him. John is facing
:15:11. > :15:16.regen's Ryan Day and their paths have crossed at the Crucible before.
:15:17. > :15:20.The Welsh's first match on his debut in 2004 was against John Higgins,
:15:21. > :15:24.and what if rightly gave him. The only rookie to make three centuries
:15:25. > :15:27.on his debut, taking him all the way to a decider. Since then, Ryan Day
:15:28. > :15:33.has reached the quarterfinals three times but he has not made it beyond
:15:34. > :15:37.round two since 2012. These two grades also fought out the Grand
:15:38. > :15:43.Prix final in Glasgow in 2008, said their paths have crossed several
:15:44. > :15:49.times on significant occasions. Higgins has nine wins to Ryan's four
:15:50. > :15:51.in their personal series. Let's joined them in round one for
:15:52. > :15:54.commentary from Dennis Taylor and the man that Ryan knocked out this
:15:55. > :16:11.year, Ken Doherty. Twice he has missed a ball that he
:16:12. > :16:18.intended to hit. He might have left a free ball here. Yes, free ball.
:16:19. > :16:26.Unlucky. He has got the blue one to the right centre here. The ball has
:16:27. > :16:31.been drifting down that side of the table, Dennis. A couple of players
:16:32. > :16:35.playing safety shots have missed the ball coming down the left-hand side
:16:36. > :16:40.of the table as we look. This is the table that the players have been
:16:41. > :16:46.complaining about. The other table on the other side of the curtain is
:16:47. > :16:52.playing terrific. Very unusual to have two tables that are identical
:16:53. > :16:56.but playing totally different. I think we have had only two sentries
:16:57. > :17:01.on this table and on the other we have had about eight in the
:17:02. > :17:08.tournament so far. -- centuries. That tells a little story. That is
:17:09. > :17:14.not the worst shot that Ryan Day has ever played but it is certainly up
:17:15. > :17:19.there! In the top three. He tried to miss the red and it went into the
:17:20. > :17:25.same pocket as the blue. Just did not get into the cue ball. Trying to
:17:26. > :17:33.go by that red and get it into the same pocket as the blue. That could
:17:34. > :17:37.be end of break. Yes, sometimes when you play a poor shot, you are
:17:38. > :17:41.looking for some kind of plant, and you have to forget about it and play
:17:42. > :17:46.the safety shot and carry on from there. Pretty straightforward safety
:17:47. > :18:01.shot. He could have played it better than
:18:02. > :18:07.that. An early test for John Higgins's cue action here. The red
:18:08. > :18:12.into the left corner. Looking at the angle, he might cannon the red to
:18:13. > :18:15.the right, coming off the back cushion here. He has got to pot
:18:16. > :18:38.this. He did cannon that red but he forced
:18:39. > :18:43.it in and can end it on the way up. That is an early confidence booster
:18:44. > :19:01.for the four time champion. Nice little cannon on the red,
:19:02. > :19:20.beside the black, to keep it over the pocket.
:19:21. > :19:26.Holding for the black, digging down on the cue ball. Playing a nice
:19:27. > :19:37.cannon here. Yes, these players have played each
:19:38. > :19:44.other 13 times. It is 9-4 to John Higgins. They have played twice in
:19:45. > :19:53.the World Championships, one each. John won 10-9 in round one back in
:19:54. > :20:05.2004, but Ryan beat John in 2009 in the second round, 13-9. Ryan Day is
:20:06. > :20:07.one of those capable players. On his day, excuse the pun, he can beat
:20:08. > :20:46.anybody. Nicely played, judging that cannon
:20:47. > :20:53.perfectly. Should be able to push through for the black year. -- black
:20:54. > :21:13.here. He got heavy contact there,
:21:14. > :21:15.preventing the white from running round into perfect position. This is
:21:16. > :21:40.more awkward now. Yes, he was on All Blacks there,
:21:41. > :21:52.five reds and five blacks but he can't now.
:21:53. > :22:00.Still a couple of reds available. He has got an angle but he could have
:22:01. > :22:02.done with a couple of inches further up the table. Two reds are available
:22:03. > :22:54.but he may have to go into them now. That was a wonderful shot. Obviously
:22:55. > :23:00.played for the black. Off the pact of reds, to bring more into play,
:23:01. > :23:43.but also stay on the black. Very well controlled.
:23:44. > :23:52.Nicely on the blue and the right angle as well. Coming down for the
:23:53. > :23:54.red just directly above the black, or the extreme one on the right hand
:23:55. > :24:15.side. One below is pink as well. This all came from that wonderful
:24:16. > :24:21.long shot, which was a test of course, but it always is, the first
:24:22. > :24:22.long pot of the session. The cue ball has been absolutely pristine so
:24:23. > :24:35.far. Yes, he started the match missing
:24:36. > :24:44.two reds altogether, playing thin safety shots. But once he got in, it
:24:45. > :24:45.is vintage John Higgins. He has been playing well for the last couple of
:24:46. > :25:01.seasons. This is a player that has made 616th
:25:02. > :25:22.centuries in his career. 35 so far this season.
:25:23. > :25:36.What a nice start it would be, to go on and make a century in this frame.
:25:37. > :25:40.Cued up nicely. He has already scored 616th centuries, which is
:25:41. > :25:51.incredible, only just behind Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan.
:25:52. > :26:02.Stephen is on 775 and Ronnie well over 800. But the way he is cueing
:26:03. > :26:23.here and getting through the ball, a great start. It really is.
:26:24. > :26:31.His nickname was The Wizard of Wishaw and he is certainly waving
:26:32. > :26:40.that magic wand in his hand in the opening frame. Fantastic start. If
:26:41. > :26:41.you can make a century in the opening frame, it is a big
:26:42. > :26:54.confidence booster. Very difficult to pot this red down
:26:55. > :27:02.the cushion if he is trying for total clearance. Doesn't really
:27:03. > :27:06.matter. Almost got it. But Ryan Day couldn't do anything about that.
:27:07. > :27:12.John Higgins got one chance and he made a century break and he leads
:27:13. > :27:16.1-0. That is a wonderful start for John Higgins in that match. We have
:27:17. > :27:22.some golden oldies on parade. Alan McManus, John, Mark Williams, Ronnie
:27:23. > :27:27.O'Sullivan, all over 40, and so are you, Stephen Hendry. Get your cue
:27:28. > :27:31.out again! Let's talk about the Ronnie O'Sullivan match. Ronnie two
:27:32. > :27:35.frames away and we will rejoin that shortly. Give me your impression of
:27:36. > :27:39.the way Dave Gilbert has made a proper fight of this for him. Yes,
:27:40. > :27:44.his potting success rate is well over 90%, and playing a lot of
:27:45. > :27:49.players in the tournament so far, he would have been ahead. At 6-3 down
:27:50. > :27:52.he was unfortunate. Some frames he would have won with a better run of
:27:53. > :27:57.the ball. I have been impressed with him. The way he strikes the ball and
:27:58. > :28:02.his shot selection is perfect by and large. He plays well. Ronnie has
:28:03. > :28:06.done what he does. When he gets to the table, he just clears it. He is
:28:07. > :28:10.unlikely to have come up against someone like Ronnie O'Sullivan. We
:28:11. > :28:16.know that he has had a good run in the international championship last
:28:17. > :28:21.year, but I wonder how much mileage there still is in this contest. I
:28:22. > :28:24.don't think he will win. 6-3 down overnight was too much for David to
:28:25. > :28:29.overcome and he will need to do something special to win the first
:28:30. > :28:33.four frames this morning. I think he has got to take confidence that he
:28:34. > :28:38.has played such good snooker against one of the favourites for the
:28:39. > :28:48.tournament. He is not out of it yet. Stephen, get back to the commentary
:28:49. > :28:58.box. John will be missing me. JOHN VIRGO: Thank you, Hazel. It is a
:28:59. > :29:05.safety. John doesn't really like to talk about safety. He is more of a
:29:06. > :29:12.potter and a break-builder. That has gone wrong, very wrong. That is the
:29:13. > :29:17.last thing that you need to do for someone like Ronnie or any top
:29:18. > :29:18.player. How did that happen? You just misjudged how the red was going
:29:19. > :29:51.to spin away from the others. When he potted the first one, I
:29:52. > :29:55.thought it was maxi time, but not now. The pink will go in the same
:29:56. > :30:37.pocket at the red that he has just potted.
:30:38. > :30:48.It is plan B, if he can get through to the red to the right idyll, or
:30:49. > :30:51.maybe he can't. Slightly awkward cueing but he doesn't have to do
:30:52. > :30:59.much with the cue ball, just drop this red in. Didn't feel as though
:31:00. > :31:05.he could comfortably hold for the black, so it's not perfect position
:31:06. > :31:15.on the colour. As you can see from the shake of the head.
:31:16. > :31:22.Just seeing what you were saying to Hazel, I agree with you. Dave
:31:23. > :31:26.Gilbert has certainly acquitted himself very well in this match,
:31:27. > :31:33.hasn't he, and Ronnie has had to play well to keep this lead. Yes, if
:31:34. > :31:37.Ronnie wasn't winning all these games in one visit, if he wasn't on
:31:38. > :31:50.his game, this match would be a lot closer. I do think the way Dave
:31:51. > :31:57.plays suits Ronnie. He plays at a decent pace, he plays an open game.
:31:58. > :32:01.He plays the right shots. When someone plays the right shots and
:32:02. > :32:04.they are in the balls and all of a sudden they miss something goes
:32:05. > :32:07.wrong, inevitably the balls are in a good position when you come to the
:32:08. > :32:13.table. Yeah, you're going to get chances. Also as you say, because it
:32:14. > :32:24.is a cleaner game, invariably the colours are always on their spots.
:32:25. > :32:37.He judged that nicely. That's exactly what he played. He was
:32:38. > :32:39.running into the outside reds and knocking that one of the top
:32:40. > :32:55.cushion. Played it well. Not certain if there is a red
:32:56. > :33:04.pottable. The cannon is not certain to go right. Not certain to go
:33:05. > :33:09.right! Well. I was a little bit surprised, there. There's only one
:33:10. > :33:16.or possibly two reds on either side of the table, as we look, there. He
:33:17. > :33:20.was never guaranteed to be on a red, playing the cannon. It was the side
:33:21. > :33:30.that he had on the cue ball that eventually forced the White to drop.
:33:31. > :33:44.How brave is David Gilbert going to feel with this shot? He's going to
:33:45. > :33:46.take the pot on. If he misses it, it will probably cost in the frame.
:33:47. > :33:56.Every shot is a pressure shop now. Of course it's always made that
:33:57. > :34:02.little bit more difficult when you're trying to screw the ball back
:34:03. > :34:07.to make it in effect that the only red you can leave is the one you're
:34:08. > :34:15.playing. That extra bit of power just makes the pot more difficult.
:34:16. > :34:31.Too risky to play the pot there. And Ronnie quite rightly treating Dave
:34:32. > :34:36.with every respect. He is warranted that, he's played well in this
:34:37. > :34:52.match. Yes, 8-5 ahead there is no need for Ronnie to take chances.
:34:53. > :34:54.Just play his normal game and his opponents will be under a lot of
:34:55. > :34:59.pressure to get back into this match.
:35:00. > :35:04.Of course the other great advantage that Ronnie has got is that his
:35:05. > :35:15.safety play is as good as anyone's in the game. It's not as if you're
:35:16. > :35:19.going to outfox him, so to speak. Well, safety success. He would like
:35:20. > :35:25.to see it a bit higher. But with both players playing so well and
:35:26. > :35:28.potting so good, that's what keeps the safety success percentage a
:35:29. > :35:36.little bit lower than you would normally expect. But he's having a
:35:37. > :35:42.look to see if he can see enough of this red to possibly play the pot.
:35:43. > :35:43.That would be pushing the boat out but sometimes if there is not an
:35:44. > :36:00.easy safety... Cross double, possibly. Main concern
:36:01. > :36:10.was getting this cue ball back to the top cushion, and he's played it
:36:11. > :36:18.very, very well indeed. Good shot. This is thin. But he's looked at it,
:36:19. > :36:26.so it must go. It looks too thin from our position, doesn't it?
:36:27. > :36:32.Well, he's fortunate, having missed the pot, not to have left anything
:36:33. > :36:46.easier on. It looked a very thin pot, but he
:36:47. > :37:03.was looking to find the gap between the red and the blue.
:37:04. > :37:14.42 point lead, has Ronnie. You feel as though if he pots the next red,
:37:15. > :37:18.that is game over. Then again, he doesn't want to take too many risks.
:37:19. > :37:23.But if he can't see any easy safety, he may as well play the pot. He is
:37:24. > :37:31.eyeing up this one to the right middle. It's tough. Yeah, it was
:37:32. > :37:32.tough. This is a chance now for Dave Gilbert to get right back into this
:37:33. > :38:09.frame. The red to the left of the pink, if
:38:10. > :38:12.he can hit that at a nice angle he can get that off the left-hand side
:38:13. > :38:17.cushion. I'm sure that's what he will be thinking now. I know it's
:38:18. > :38:21.early and he wants to get back into the frame, but if he wants to win
:38:22. > :38:26.the frame at one visit he has to be thinking about that. And also, if he
:38:27. > :38:30.plays that cannon that you're talking about, with the two reds
:38:31. > :38:33.being in the baulk end, it's no disadvantage being that side of the
:38:34. > :39:03.blue. He has that chance now. He would want to play this red on
:39:04. > :39:06.the right-hand side cushion first, before you go for the other two reds
:39:07. > :39:14.will. He's not going to, not the way he
:39:15. > :39:24.has played that shot, anyway. The brown is in a little bit of an
:39:25. > :39:45.awkward position at the moment. 18 points behind now. Plenty of
:39:46. > :39:51.points to play with. He will certainly need high value colours
:39:52. > :39:55.off these remaining reds. And he's landed absolutely perfect on the
:39:56. > :40:04.blue to play for that red that is near the right-hand cushion.
:40:05. > :40:10.That Kubot has just stopped. For a moment I thought it was just going
:40:11. > :40:16.to run a couple of inches too far and leave is a much more difficult
:40:17. > :40:25.shot. But this is fine. The only awkward ball you can see now is the
:40:26. > :40:26.brown. Good chance. Stun for the pink to the left corner. That is
:40:27. > :40:37.perfect. Obviously got to avoid the middle
:40:38. > :40:41.pocket here. I'm sure he will do that no problem, but just hit the
:40:42. > :40:46.cushion before the middle pocket. I think he has got choices, I think
:40:47. > :40:54.this red will go in either baulk pocket. Well! He got very close to
:40:55. > :40:58.that middle, didn't he, but as it happens it has ended up absolutely
:40:59. > :41:03.and is perfect. The one thing we said was to avoid the middle but
:41:04. > :41:09.what he didn't want to happen was to be on this red in a position where
:41:10. > :41:14.he would have to avoid a cannon on the green, and he is perfect. For me
:41:15. > :41:18.it is just that positional shot from green to brown, which shouldn't be
:41:19. > :41:25.too difficult. That is the only thing I can see stopping him.
:41:26. > :41:32.Just one point behind, now. That means he will need up to and
:41:33. > :41:47.including the pink. For a second, I think he thought he
:41:48. > :41:50.overcut the yellow but it went into the right-hand side of the pocket
:41:51. > :41:58.and that is why the cue ball has come across so far. Just a little
:41:59. > :42:01.bit of work to do now with the cue ball to get a good position on the
:42:02. > :42:13.brown, which is imperative. Well, he's played that with a lot of
:42:14. > :42:22.right-hand side. Couldn't have played it better. Great shot. Just
:42:23. > :42:25.one good pot on the brown. Is he going to be slightly hampered by the
:42:26. > :42:40.blue? No, you can just cue past it. APPLAUSE
:42:41. > :42:48.Right in the heart of the pocket. He pots the blue and goes 13 points in
:42:49. > :42:56.front with 18 points remaining. He still needs the pink. One cushion? I
:42:57. > :43:02.think one cushion is the shot. He has got into that cue ball far too
:43:03. > :43:08.much. Well, it stand out perfect, but that is not the way he played
:43:09. > :43:13.it! Great, great response. Just a sniff of a chance and he has taken
:43:14. > :43:22.these really well. Well played! Very well played. Ronnie O'Sullivan was
:43:23. > :43:32.an when he... I was an excellent clearance and
:43:33. > :43:41.Dave Gilbert gets within two now. That was an excellent clearance.
:43:42. > :43:47.Just saying, there, he knocked the red in but of course it was the cue
:43:48. > :43:52.ball that went in. Just one of those situations at the moment, if Ronnie
:43:53. > :43:58.makes a mistake then Dave Gilbert is there ready to pick up the pieces.
:43:59. > :44:02.Yeah, this was a tough shot. There is a gap between the pink and the
:44:03. > :44:05.reds and he had options to play for either read on the right-hand side
:44:06. > :44:11.of the table but he chose to go into them. This is what happens if you
:44:12. > :44:15.don't hit the pink full in the face. This is what can happen. Just off on
:44:16. > :44:20.the face and he just loses the cue ball. Yeah, and there was a little
:44:21. > :44:25.bit of side that just caused it to drop. But then after that there were
:44:26. > :44:28.a couple of good safety shots, particularly one from Dave Gilbert
:44:29. > :44:33.when he was in a spot of bother and he played across double and brought
:44:34. > :44:37.the cue ball to the top cushion, played it really well and forced
:44:38. > :44:42.Ronnie into playing a risky read to the middle which Ronnie missed, and
:44:43. > :44:50.then he did the business. -- a risky red. He's not going to go and lie
:44:51. > :45:00.down, Ronnie is going to have to play well to win this match. Yeah,
:45:01. > :45:04.that's all Dave can do. Just take one frame at a time and keep potting
:45:05. > :45:07.balls. That clearance was excellent, every shot was the correct shot.
:45:08. > :45:38.Very impressive. I was watching Dave in his chair
:45:39. > :45:44.after he made that clearance, John, and he was breathing so deeply! He
:45:45. > :45:48.was really excited, coping with the pressure well. But he has to get
:45:49. > :45:58.back down onto an even keel in this frame now. Absolutely. I always a
:45:59. > :46:05.member I was watching a bit of snooker a few weeks ago and they
:46:06. > :46:12.showed that deciding frame that you played against Ronnie O'Sullivan
:46:13. > :46:15.when you clear up with a 147. And I remember you held a glass of water
:46:16. > :46:20.and your hand was as still as anything. Me, my hand would have
:46:21. > :46:26.been shaking all over the place! That's a lovely shot.
:46:27. > :46:42.Not ideal on the brown but you just feel that Ronnie will take it on.
:46:43. > :46:49.It's just half chances. This match has been all about half chances. And
:46:50. > :47:02.when you get them, taking them. Every credit to both players. If he
:47:03. > :47:07.is on the pink, that's very fortunate. He did put his hand up
:47:08. > :47:09.and half apologise really, didn't he? Because that's not what he
:47:10. > :48:26.played. He just let the cue ball run a bit
:48:27. > :48:31.far for the blue. A bit of work to do with the pupil. No problem, just
:48:32. > :48:40.swing the cue ball... Well! I thought there was no problem. You
:48:41. > :48:48.can see from Ronnie's reaction how badly he thought he hit that. It
:48:49. > :48:52.would be a shock that he would not have expected to miss. Maybe just
:48:53. > :48:57.thinking too much about the position. We see at happening all
:48:58. > :49:04.the time with players, thinking about getting on the next ball and
:49:05. > :49:13.forget the pot. Lucky not to have left anything easier than this. It
:49:14. > :49:46.wasn't easy. He has played that well. He missed
:49:47. > :50:04.his first opportunity. I don't spectrum to miss this one.
:50:05. > :50:11.Well, that could have gone nicer. Still on this red to the left corner
:50:12. > :50:22.but a bit of work to do with the cue ball. It is not a natural pot the
:50:23. > :50:30.red and bound to be on a colour. Where's the cue ball going? ! In the
:50:31. > :50:38.pocket. I just got the feeling that when he parted the black to go into
:50:39. > :50:45.the two red, he didn't have to go into the two reds. It was sort of a
:50:46. > :50:51.hit and hope shot. Maybe starting to feel it a bit. First rounds are
:50:52. > :51:03.always pressurised. This is a tough shot to take on, though. If he goes
:51:04. > :51:05.for it, 100%. No thought of safety. Get on the black. Yeah, just good,
:51:06. > :51:19.straight cueing needed. He just seemed to hit that one a
:51:20. > :51:20.little bit harder than he has been. It's understandable with the
:51:21. > :51:33.pressure out there now. Surely now. A third chance to win
:51:34. > :51:45.the frame from here. He's had three good opportunities,
:51:46. > :51:48.which, at this level, you are thankful for that. It doesn't happen
:51:49. > :52:11.too many times. 57 points in front. So, the colour
:52:12. > :52:53.and one more red will put this frame way beyond Dave Gilbert.
:52:54. > :53:03.Well, didn't he cue that beautifully? He has had three
:53:04. > :53:07.chances but I think the subtle difference with Ronnie nowadays to
:53:08. > :53:12.maybe a few years ago... He missed an easy brown early on in this frame
:53:13. > :53:15.and he didn't let it affect him. If you seasons ago he would miss a
:53:16. > :53:32.brown like that and it would affect him for the rest of the frame. No, I
:53:33. > :53:36.think he has learnt how to win match is and tournaments by not playing
:53:37. > :53:37.your A game. Not learned, but I think what he has learned is that he
:53:38. > :53:55.can do that. Well, didn't matter about the
:53:56. > :53:58.yellow. OK, he needed three chances, but unfortunately Dave Gilbert had a
:53:59. > :54:03.couple of long pots that he'd couldn't quite make and now Ronnie
:54:04. > :54:11.O'Sullivan is one frame away from a place in the second round. He leads
:54:12. > :54:15.by nine frames to six. Let's just have a look at those couple of
:54:16. > :54:22.mistakes that Ronnie made. He has not made many, but this brown was...
:54:23. > :54:28.He played for the blue and he just overscrewed it slightly. Thinking
:54:29. > :54:33.about position rather than the pot. Yes, he has missed this by so far.
:54:34. > :54:40.The position was nowhere when Dave came to the table. You see the
:54:41. > :54:46.reaction from Ronnie... This was the previous shot, it was a poor
:54:47. > :54:52.reaction going into the reds. He just brushed that red. Knocked the
:54:53. > :54:57.cue ball into the pocket. Because he makes so few errors, the ones he
:54:58. > :55:00.does make are highlighted. Absolutely. But it's fair to say
:55:01. > :55:05.just before he went in-off he played a cannon that he had no need to
:55:06. > :55:10.play. He played a cannon in the last frame that customers well. It's as
:55:11. > :55:12.if he just wants to get over the winning line and get this match over
:55:13. > :55:25.with. Not the best break of shot from Dave
:55:26. > :55:32.-- break-off shot. Ronnie just coming round to have a look at what
:55:33. > :55:40.is available. Long pot success, 90%. That's very good.
:55:41. > :55:47.Well, he hadn't missed one this morning until that one. But as
:55:48. > :55:57.always seems to be the way when somebody is in front... Dave Gilbert
:55:58. > :56:01.needs a few easy starters and Ronnie is a bit fortunate not to leave any
:56:02. > :56:25.thing there are having missed the red as he did.
:56:26. > :56:44.This isn't the easiest return to baulk.
:56:45. > :56:59.Yeah, nice pot. Not the best safety shot from Ronnie. Go into them here,
:57:00. > :57:04.Stephen? I think it's worth it. The black is off its spot, it's a big
:57:05. > :57:10.target. And he couldn't have figured better. He hit the pink absolutely
:57:11. > :57:25.plumb in the face. Just got to be careful, if he's
:57:26. > :57:31.going to play this with the' black to the same pocket, say tough shot.
:57:32. > :57:33.If he's playing for the blue, he has to avoid the right middle. Well
:57:34. > :57:47.played. Yeah, he couldn't have played it
:57:48. > :57:51.better. He's opened all the reds now. He doesn't have to play any
:57:52. > :57:57.more cannons, it's all about precise positional play. But I think once he
:57:58. > :58:02.pots the black, it's still going to be available into either corner --
:58:03. > :58:06.it's not going to be available into either corner pocket, that's why he
:58:07. > :58:10.is looking at a red he can play to make the lack available. But it's a
:58:11. > :58:31.decent chance. -- the black available.
:58:32. > :58:37.STUDIO Well, Dave Gilbert well in the balls
:58:38. > :58:41.here and he is still well in this match. Ronnie just waiting for a
:58:42. > :58:50.chance. But we have to leave you right now. We will be back here at
:58:51. > :58:57.1pm. The coverage continues now online on your connected devices.
:58:58. > :59:06.The action continues in an hour, plenty more to come. See you soon.
:59:07. > :59:09.This small, ordinary town in the middle of Italy