Monday, Final, Afternoon

:00:40. > :01:13.Hello, it's still one day and we are still here. We have been turning

:01:14. > :01:19.night into day in this year's Betfred World Championship. It was

:01:20. > :01:23.12:30am when world number one Mark Selby and Ding Junhui of China have

:01:24. > :01:28.staggered out of this arena and what was a Herculean struggle on the 16th

:01:29. > :01:33.day in Sheffield. Ding Junhui looked like he was emotionally overwhelmed

:01:34. > :01:37.but has shown tremendous fortitude to battle his way back into this

:01:38. > :01:41.match in his quest to become the first Asian winner of this beautiful

:01:42. > :01:46.trophy. Mark Selby, this is his third Crucible final but the first

:01:47. > :01:48.time he has ever slept on an overnight lead. Now the hunter has

:01:49. > :02:00.become the hunted. COMMENTATOR:

:02:01. > :02:04.Every player's ambition of when they turn professional... Very aggressive

:02:05. > :02:16.this, if he is going for this plant. Questions about the choices... I

:02:17. > :02:23.tell you what, there is not a lot wrong with that new tip when you

:02:24. > :02:30.knock that short end. Fantastic. A long way to go. Another magnificent

:02:31. > :02:39.century break. Mark Selby. Ding Junhui, a mountain to climb.

:02:40. > :02:44.And now, surely... Ding Junhui will get his first frame on the

:02:45. > :02:53.scoreboard. Well, tremendous atmosphere in this

:02:54. > :03:03.pact Crucible Theatre. So low on the cue ball, Mark Selby,

:03:04. > :03:16.when he plays screw shots... Excellent part. Getting his rhythm

:03:17. > :03:40.back. Stand up, everybody. That is brilliant. He is looking

:03:41. > :04:04.very good, Ding Junhui. Yes, it is in. At long last! Ding

:04:05. > :04:07.Junhui manages to take a frame, he has had to wait an awful long time,

:04:08. > :04:23.just one frame behind. What has he done here? What has he

:04:24. > :04:29.done here? A lot of tension out there, the last frame of the

:04:30. > :04:35.session. It has been a hard day's night here again... Mark Selby,

:04:36. > :04:44.opening up a three frame advantage. 10-7, to the world number one. What

:04:45. > :04:48.that footage doesn't show is how an attritional session it was last

:04:49. > :04:53.night. The safety play was immense. An attacking game. When you have two

:04:54. > :04:57.players likes of these two, so good at hiding the cue ball, they can

:04:58. > :05:01.still each other from attacking, a cancel each other out to some

:05:02. > :05:05.degree. At the end of the frame, it looks like they got over the line

:05:06. > :05:10.but they never parted the next ball, 40 minutes played. If you need to -

:05:11. > :05:15.three smokers, you cannot afford to give the framing. The only way you

:05:16. > :05:20.could do that, you can get on with the next frame and keep it going,

:05:21. > :05:27.you have to go for it. On a couple of occasions, they were unlucky. You

:05:28. > :05:31.said last night, a great line, what did Mark Selby look like? They

:05:32. > :05:36.played for so long yesterday, by the end of it, I think he looked like

:05:37. > :05:39.the night Porter from help but Ding Junhui looked the fresher of the

:05:40. > :05:46.two. It goes to show, all the hours of training, day in and out, trains

:05:47. > :05:50.the brain. What do we expect today? Not necessarily more of the same.

:05:51. > :05:54.The balls may present themselves in a different way, as it gets closer

:05:55. > :05:58.to the finishing line, the adrenaline may kick in and they

:05:59. > :06:04.become more attacking. It could be a case of the last man standing. The

:06:05. > :06:08.15th time these men have been called backstage at the start of the

:06:09. > :06:14.session over the last 17 days. Ding can take great heart after

:06:15. > :06:17.recovering from 6-0 down, Mark Selby needs at more frames to claim his

:06:18. > :06:22.second world title and fresh as a daisy, it is time for Rob Walker to

:06:23. > :06:27.get act three of this dramatic final under way. Thank you, Hazel, good

:06:28. > :06:32.afternoon everyone. This is a day that the long lead in the memory of

:06:33. > :06:37.the players waiting backstage. By the end of tonight, one of them will

:06:38. > :06:41.be crowned 2016 Betfred World Snooker champion. In massive

:06:42. > :06:44.afternoon, this one could be going all the way, today, this famous

:06:45. > :06:45.Crucible Theatre Arena is the Theatre of sporting dreams.

:06:46. > :07:15.CHEERING Please welcome our player emerging

:07:16. > :07:19.for the most important session of snooker in his career so far.

:07:20. > :07:25.Bidding to become the first Asian to win the world title. From 6-0 down

:07:26. > :07:28.yesterday, this 11 time ranking event champion showed all his heart

:07:29. > :07:33.and class to come right back into this match. An entire nation willing

:07:34. > :07:39.him to win from the other side of the world. Please welcome, the

:07:40. > :07:47.legend that is, enter the Dragon, Ding Junhui!

:07:48. > :08:10.And his opponent... Aiming for his own piece of sporting history today,

:08:11. > :08:14.can he add his name to an illustrious list of multiple world

:08:15. > :08:18.champion is here at the Crucible? He demonstrated his stamina and mental

:08:19. > :08:23.strength under pressure last night, can he deliver a game as he so often

:08:24. > :08:26.dolls, exactly when it counts. He is the world number one, the Jester

:08:27. > :08:50.from Leicester... Mark Selby! There are eight frames to play this

:08:51. > :08:54.afternoon, these two men know exactly how much effort, skill and

:08:55. > :08:58.self leave it takes to win this title. In the commentary box, good

:08:59. > :09:03.afternoon, Stephen Hendry and Dennis Taylor!

:09:04. > :09:10.COMMENTATOR: good afternoon, Hazel and good afternoon, everyone. Finals

:09:11. > :09:13.day at the Crucible Theatre. The atmosphere, electorate.

:09:14. > :09:23.APPLAUSE CHEERING

:09:24. > :09:30.The 18th frame, Mark Selby to break. I am not sure how well both players

:09:31. > :09:38.slept last night but they both looked mentally exhausted.

:09:39. > :09:47.Quite an unbelievable session. Ding Junhui, the way he came back,

:09:48. > :09:54.fantastic. Mark Selby, not the best break-off shot, leaving an early

:09:55. > :10:15.chance for Ding. An early confidence booster?

:10:16. > :10:23.A shake of the head from Ding Junhui. Those are shots that a

:10:24. > :10:25.professional would expect to get. He needs a good start this afternoon.

:10:26. > :10:40.To get back into this match. He did fantastically well to get

:10:41. > :10:44.back into the match. Trailing 10-7 after the second session, great

:10:45. > :10:59.effort. Needs to start all over again.

:11:00. > :11:05.Eg start from both players, quite understandable. The blue ball

:11:06. > :11:15.catching the right jaw of the pocket.

:11:16. > :11:28.Frame 15, was a huge frame. He just had runs, two 80 breaks and a

:11:29. > :11:36.century, he was flying, in that frame, 55 break, needed to roll in a

:11:37. > :11:41.long red, Mark Selby spent 40 minutes trying to get snickers and

:11:42. > :11:47.almost pulled it off, but took a lot out of Ding Junhui.

:11:48. > :12:11.Because it upset his rhythm, the way he was playing. -- snookers.

:12:12. > :12:19.Hit that a little bit harder than he intended. Has a red to the left of

:12:20. > :12:28.the bunch, he may be able to hold on. Yes, the good thing about this,

:12:29. > :12:35.if he misses the black,... He has not missed it. Good shot.

:12:36. > :13:17.He has had to play it with a trace of side, headed a little bit too

:13:18. > :13:21.hard, hoping to leave an angle to pop bus and open the reds at the

:13:22. > :13:26.same time. He will have to do it from the black.

:13:27. > :13:38.I think I would rather finish high on the black and use the cushion.

:13:39. > :13:42.This is not guaranteed. You are going to play bottom of the cue

:13:43. > :13:53.ball, the cue ball can screw of the black and you will get nothing.

:13:54. > :14:03.Played a clever shot, but he has been unlucky. Lots of left-hand

:14:04. > :14:05.side, the ball went up the cushion. Watch the cue ball when it hits the

:14:06. > :14:58.side cushion. Clever shot. This is a good return safety shot.

:14:59. > :15:03.APPLAUSE In fact, the safety play in this

:15:04. > :15:08.final has been exceptional. Brick building, very good. Mark just ahead

:15:09. > :15:34.by 9%. -- break holding. Last night, it is not my type of

:15:35. > :15:38.game, but some of the tactical play last night was incredible.

:15:39. > :15:53.Some of the shots Mark Selby was playing bordered on genius.

:15:54. > :16:02.He kept the green on the table for something like, I think it was 12-30

:16:03. > :16:06.minutes, looking for snookers. He kept putting the green safe and also

:16:07. > :16:07.getting snookers but Ding Junhui kept escaping from them.

:16:08. > :16:48.Fascinating. I think the cannon on the yellow has

:16:49. > :16:55.left a path through, the red nearest the pocket. How will he play this?

:16:56. > :17:11.It is very tight, whether he can get to the potting angle.

:17:12. > :17:22.Interesting to see why positive he plays this. Will he play it with

:17:23. > :17:28.drag? Does he play more percentage? He played the second shot.

:17:29. > :17:38.I bet Ding doesn't play that shot! He has a much fuller potting angle

:17:39. > :17:50.so I expect Ding to play for black or pink.

:17:51. > :18:07.APPLAUSE Just making sure... He can get back

:18:08. > :18:08.up amongst the reds and green. The pink might possibly be available...

:18:09. > :18:22.But maybe not. This is a great chance in this

:18:23. > :18:31.opening frame. A couple of edgy shots from Mark Selby in this

:18:32. > :18:35.opening frame. Roy Keane, he was here last year and is here again,

:18:36. > :18:43.lost his snooker and he will be getting ready for the month of June,

:18:44. > :18:46.with the Euros, Martin O'Neill and the Republic of Ireland, Northern

:18:47. > :18:50.Ireland, both qualifying. As did England. Lots of sport to look

:18:51. > :19:02.forward to. And of course, I shouldn't forget, I

:19:03. > :19:29.live in Wales, and Wales qualified as well, so...

:19:30. > :19:38.43 in front, just having the cue ball cleaned. Excellent chance.

:19:39. > :19:41.Plate with top spin here. I don't know if he can get through for the

:19:42. > :19:53.black but the pink certainly available.

:19:54. > :19:59.We expect Ding to go ahead and win this very important first frame for

:20:00. > :20:13.him. You could see when Ding was

:20:14. > :20:17.addressing the ball, he plays it with left-hand side, a lot of

:20:18. > :20:24.players would hit it right in the centre. You can see, slightly left

:20:25. > :20:33.of centre, the way... Certain players cue up through the ball.

:20:34. > :20:41.I think most players play with a little bit of side, I think it's

:20:42. > :20:50.rear for snooker players to hit the middle of the fight. -- the middle

:20:51. > :21:09.of the white. I favoured a touch of right-hand side.

:21:10. > :21:18.This is the sort of thing that Ding wants in this third session.

:21:19. > :21:23.When some quick frames with big breaks. Pile the pressure on Mark

:21:24. > :21:49.Selby. Against Alan McManus he made seven

:21:50. > :21:55.century breaks, a record. Not far away from Stephen Hendry's record,

:21:56. > :22:06.13 this year, Stephen back in 2002 making 16.

:22:07. > :22:15.John Higgins, second in line with 14 centuries.

:22:16. > :22:27.APPLAUSE That is the frame one. It will be

:22:28. > :22:33.interesting to see today, if he gets to the point when Mark Selby needs

:22:34. > :22:50.snookers, if you can concentrate... Forget what happened last night.

:22:51. > :22:53.He looks pretty fresh, considering it was after midnight when they

:22:54. > :23:13.finished last night. He has done precious little wrong in

:23:14. > :23:17.this opening frame, just missed his first attempt at a long pot but this

:23:18. > :23:36.has been superb. APPLAUSE

:23:37. > :23:46.Not going to be easy to compile a century but there is a chance...

:23:47. > :24:19.We have had 83 centuries so far this year, the record last year, 86.

:24:20. > :24:29.Exactly what he needed in this first frame. Winning with a century break.

:24:30. > :24:33.Even if he had won it and it was a scrappy frame, it would not give him

:24:34. > :24:40.the confidence that this is giving him, the belief. He has got to force

:24:41. > :24:46.this one to get up for the pink. And safely in the pocket.

:24:47. > :24:53.Doing what all great champions do. Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, the

:24:54. > :24:54.number of times they started a session with a century break... It

:24:55. > :25:06.doesn't matter. Nothing edgy about Ding Junhui, that

:25:07. > :25:13.magnificent century break, he is within two frames, 10-8.

:25:14. > :25:16.Interesting times, interesting to note three added the last five

:25:17. > :25:20.champions have been behind at the Crucible and they went on to win,

:25:21. > :25:25.two of them by the same scoreline as we had at the start of the session,

:25:26. > :25:32.Mark Selby himself, a couple of years ago against Ronnie O'Sullivan

:25:33. > :25:42.and John Higgins against John Trump. -- Judd Trump. Infinitely doable...

:25:43. > :25:47.Absolutely. We mentioned that Ding looked fresh last night but what a

:25:48. > :25:53.case, as Stephen Hendry said, to win it in one visit, the game got a bit

:25:54. > :25:57.scrappy and I agree with him, 100%. He has to make sure the game ball

:25:58. > :26:03.and the one after that goes in the pocket. That was the story of the

:26:04. > :26:07.opening day. If you are joining us on Bank Holiday Monday, you are most

:26:08. > :26:12.welcome and I know a lot of people do on this last day, the story

:26:13. > :26:16.yesterday, Ding was getting close to the line, maybe getting over it,

:26:17. > :26:24.needing a snooker from Mark Selby and he fought and fought. It was

:26:25. > :26:27.20-30 minutes of aggro at times. And then the reverse happened to Mark

:26:28. > :26:34.Selby, close to the finishing line, then a lot of safety play. I have a

:26:35. > :26:38.feeling it will be more fluent amongst the balls, able retain

:26:39. > :26:43.position a bit better. I don't think you could get as an lucky as we were

:26:44. > :26:47.yesterday, all things panned out but you have to concentrate on clearing

:26:48. > :26:53.the balls. Kill off the frames, I think Ding Junhui winning that first

:26:54. > :26:57.frame quickly will help him. He is coming into this match, the

:26:58. > :27:04.scoreline is two frames behind. Back we go.

:27:05. > :27:09.COMMENTATOR: No way back for Mark Selby, he had

:27:10. > :27:16.to send the red up towards the yellow. And Ding immediately wanting

:27:17. > :27:18.to get it back up the table so it doesn't possibly develop into an

:27:19. > :27:37.awkward frame. What a shot he pulled out, almost

:27:38. > :27:43.tight and the cushion. He knocked this in... Getting the perfect

:27:44. > :27:52.angle, a loose red but got a great angle to get up to all of the reds.

:27:53. > :28:01.Needs to pull up a little bit... He has hit it too hard and this table

:28:02. > :28:09.is a quick. It will still cut but it is very thin. Careering into the

:28:10. > :28:15.reds. What an opener. Yes, no for it safer than putting the red in the

:28:16. > :28:21.pocket. Very aggressive... Screwing to stay on the black.

:28:22. > :28:38.He has left Mark Selby this red but depending on the angle, it could be

:28:39. > :28:40.awkward. To stay on the lack he might have to leave the cue ball

:28:41. > :28:55.close to the cushion. -- the black. In fact, he is looking at heading up

:28:56. > :29:00.towards the blue, because of the red, he could snooker himself

:29:01. > :29:05.behind... He has gone even further up the table.

:29:06. > :29:16.Yes, he didn't pot that cleanly at all, lucky it went in.

:29:17. > :29:27.Very fortunate, actually. That is why the cue ball ran so far. Still

:29:28. > :29:36.nicely on the brown. What sort of reply can Mark Selby give?

:29:37. > :29:45.Just as capable as Ding... Rolling off perhaps five frames with a big

:29:46. > :30:01.break... Left himself early straight, as you

:30:02. > :30:03.can see. Slight angle. He will have to play it with a lot of top spin,

:30:04. > :30:20.left-hand side. Just have to be a little bit careful

:30:21. > :30:24.here. If this is dead straight, the other is slightly in the way. Make

:30:25. > :30:33.sure he gets nicely on the black, I'm not sure if he's straight. He

:30:34. > :30:39.can hang on that other red. Once again, he needs to give it care and

:30:40. > :30:51.attention. Something moving in his eye line.

:30:52. > :31:04.He has lost his concentration. He has got down. He throws his

:31:05. > :31:11.extension onto the table. Yes, he's disgusted with that shot. And if you

:31:12. > :31:17.are disturbed by something, you should still be able to get back

:31:18. > :31:30.down the shots. He has experienced enough.

:31:31. > :31:36.When players look for excuses, Dennis, it means they are not

:31:37. > :31:40.focused property and concentrating. He's concentrating 100%, he does not

:31:41. > :31:51.bother what is going on. And of course, it is totally

:31:52. > :31:56.different now with the one table. When you have the two, there's noise

:31:57. > :32:02.all around the arena with the other table in play. And applause from the

:32:03. > :32:14.other half of the Crucible Theatre. And when you get to the one table,

:32:15. > :32:18.everything is so quiet. That is what every player wants to achieve, to be

:32:19. > :32:37.playing here at the Crucible when there's just one table.

:32:38. > :32:45.That is another excellent long pot from Ding Junhui. Nothing wrong with

:32:46. > :32:59.his concentration this afternoon. We talk about long matches, but

:33:00. > :33:03.these players, they practice six, seven hours a day. There are a lot

:33:04. > :33:08.of Chinese players based in Sheffield. Playing long matches

:33:09. > :33:11.against each other. It is just the mental stamina when you are in the

:33:12. > :33:44.World Championship. He has got the red above a black

:33:45. > :33:50.spot, it goes into the right corner. One good shot and he can get nicely

:33:51. > :33:55.into the corner. He has got enough room. He's looking at the one down

:33:56. > :34:01.past the black, and with the rest, that is another option. It depends.

:34:02. > :34:10.Depends how he feels. It is his first race. Well, maybe not. --

:34:11. > :34:29.first Joyce. He feels this is slightly easier.

:34:30. > :34:53.Straightaway, Ding would have known that was not going in the pocket.

:34:54. > :35:00.Look at where it stopped. To prevent the black from being potted. And

:35:01. > :35:05.this one into the right corner, it is far from easy. Let's see if Mark

:35:06. > :35:57.Selby has settled and if he knocks this in, it will help.

:35:58. > :36:08.There's a path down the table, near the pink spot, but he may not want

:36:09. > :36:10.over the right corner pocket. That is why he's debating about playing

:36:11. > :36:33.that shot. He needed that to pull up a little

:36:34. > :36:37.bit shorter. That has given the advantage to Mark Selby, he can see

:36:38. > :36:42.that red the left side of the table. If he can put the cue ball where he

:36:43. > :36:55.wants, it is going to be difficult for Ding Junhui, the next shot.

:36:56. > :37:03.He could have played a lot of the dumb that, he should have blocked

:37:04. > :37:25.off this path. Ding can get back down the table now.

:37:26. > :37:36.I think he's just all right, or is he? Is there a path for the one near

:37:37. > :37:47.the right corner? Possibly just seeing enough of it. He could cannon

:37:48. > :37:54.into the two reds, you would expect. And he has got to get along quite up

:37:55. > :38:01.the table to get on a colour. I don't think he can slip round the

:38:02. > :38:08.back of those two reds. Just a little bit sticky. He will want the

:38:09. > :38:35.cue to be running nice and smooth between his finger and thumb.

:38:36. > :38:52.It looks very edgy this afternoon, the play of Mark Selby, he missed

:38:53. > :39:00.that by a long way. How far away is that from the pocket?

:39:01. > :39:50.He's fortunate not to leave something.

:39:51. > :40:03.Just a chance to play a red onto the black to knocks that close to the

:40:04. > :40:06.left corner. Maybe not on this attempt, but maybe at one point in

:40:07. > :40:13.this frame, the players will get chance to do that.

:40:14. > :40:18.It is possibly what he was trying, just by the way he played it. Very

:40:19. > :40:37.aggressively. That last shot brought the black

:40:38. > :40:42.into play for a couple of seconds but the red went right next to it

:40:43. > :40:49.and tied it back up again. I think he felt he could maybe just pot that

:40:50. > :41:04.direct. But this is tough. He might not even be taking the pot one. Yes.

:41:05. > :41:14.There's a route back down the table of the one to the left of the pink

:41:15. > :41:23.spot. I think you can get it past the black and back up, missing the

:41:24. > :41:27.blue. That sort of line, he will not do that because he hit the blue, but

:41:28. > :41:32.that is the sort of shot available to him. He has decided to go the

:41:33. > :41:49.other side. It is not too bad. In fact, he's pleased to see the

:41:50. > :41:56.white girl in the pocket rather than wobble in the jaws and go in amongst

:41:57. > :42:02.the reds. There's one possible pot, to the left of the pink spot and to

:42:03. > :43:45.the right that Mark could take on and get back to the safety zone.

:43:46. > :43:55.I think there's a gap to the one that is near the pocket. You cannot

:43:56. > :44:01.be sure what is going to happen to the cue ball here but the pot is on.

:44:02. > :44:05.But the blue is near the middle pocket so if he goes anywhere near

:44:06. > :44:10.the right side of the table near the pink spot, there's every chance. He

:44:11. > :44:16.will have to play this with extreme pace, Ding Junhui. I think he's

:44:17. > :44:20.going to take the cue ball to the right of the one he's going for

:44:21. > :44:28.which will put the cue ball closer to the left corner. So I do not see

:44:29. > :44:42.how he's going to get a colour here. He's playing a stun.

:44:43. > :44:50.He played with a lot of top spin. And as long as he got anywhere out

:44:51. > :44:52.into the table, the blue would always be available. But it was a

:44:53. > :45:33.great shot. Well, this will help, it landed

:45:34. > :45:37.lovely on the pink to get it back up on its part because the black is out

:45:38. > :45:44.of commission. That was a nice little bonus. -- spot. Playing into

:45:45. > :46:07.an area because it was not easy to control the cue ball.

:46:08. > :46:29.I think the one to the left of the red and the other black spot is

:46:30. > :46:40.available as we go again. Yes, not sure what he played there! Direct to

:46:41. > :46:55.the black cushion. It looks like he's on the red to me.

:46:56. > :47:28.A very low scoring frame. Simply because of the way the balls were

:47:29. > :47:32.tied up. And it just shows you, you never cease to learn in this game.

:47:33. > :47:38.There was an incident yesterday were after the foul, it was not quite a

:47:39. > :47:42.snooker behind the jaws and I said it could be a free ball, but it

:47:43. > :47:47.cannot be if you are angled. You and Stephen Hendry did not know that

:47:48. > :47:53.either and two of us got that wrong. There you go! It is that sort of

:47:54. > :47:59.situation, if it was only the 15 macro on the table and you played a

:48:00. > :48:03.foul, you would not get a free ball, you could put your opponent back in

:48:04. > :48:08.again and even though you cannot see the object ball on both sides, it is

:48:09. > :48:53.not a free ball. So you learn something every day!

:48:54. > :49:21.It really is an awkward table to play a good safety shot with the 210

:49:22. > :49:25.macro the right side, the red the left side, any return to the safety

:49:26. > :49:32.area and you have got to be finding a gap. -- with the two reds the

:49:33. > :49:53.right side. And that the time, he could not see

:49:54. > :49:57.a gap to get back up the table. He just attempted to pot that. But it

:49:58. > :50:03.was more or less played as a shock to the nothing, he was keeping the

:50:04. > :50:10.white safe. Push shot. It would have to be a safety off the red beside

:50:11. > :50:17.the black here. Search the cue ball up towards the green pocket. I think

:50:18. > :50:23.that is what he's thinking about. And in the back -- bringing the

:50:24. > :50:24.black into play and cover the one over the corner pocket, so well

:50:25. > :50:39.spotted. It makes such a big difference, that

:50:40. > :50:46.one shot now, leaving the black in the open. And pink and blue on the

:50:47. > :50:55.spots. One mistake could be costly now.

:50:56. > :51:01.One thing that has impressed me about Ding Junhui in this final, he

:51:02. > :51:05.has been prepared to go toe to toe with Mark Selby in the safety

:51:06. > :51:11.Department. Quite easy to lose your patience and play an erratic shot in

:51:12. > :51:15.desperation to get the frame open. He has been prepared to go through

:51:16. > :51:41.the ten, 20 minute periods of safety play.

:51:42. > :52:07.Already over a minute thinking about this safety shot.

:52:08. > :52:17.I think he may have covered that one. But he has not covered the one

:52:18. > :52:25.near the right corner. And the pink is available. This is a key shot,

:52:26. > :52:32.facing Ding Junhui here. He just needs good cueing, just straight. A

:52:33. > :52:37.good angle here, and see how still Ding Junhui keeps his head. Watch

:52:38. > :52:45.his head, it just will not move at all.

:52:46. > :52:56.Excellent cueing. Excellent technique. Yes, just watch that

:52:57. > :53:03.head, as he said. It is so difficult to do. It was the bit more pace

:53:04. > :53:06.would have been ideal. -- a little bit more. Not a straightforward pink

:53:07. > :53:16.but he's so good into the middle pocket. Now, it was not easy. It was

:53:17. > :53:24.not easy at all. He could not get his hand on the table, he had the

:53:25. > :53:34.bridge using the pocket. And you can see his hand gripping the pocket. He

:53:35. > :53:42.has got a shot here, Mark Selby. This red, those two reds close to

:53:43. > :53:46.the right middle pocket, he can play a cannon on those. He would be

:53:47. > :53:51.locked dashing would be lucky to leave the cue ball stuck on that

:53:52. > :53:56.side cushion if he plays with pace. He missed a cannon, at he would

:53:57. > :54:03.always be on a colour should he missed the shot on the red.

:54:04. > :54:22.He could also play at off the blue, the baulk cushion, with pace, to

:54:23. > :54:28.move those two reds. It just needs to top spin and a touch of left-hand

:54:29. > :54:36.side to check the cue ball for baulk cushion. Here it comes. He's all

:54:37. > :54:53.right, he has got a red to the middle.

:54:54. > :55:12.Well played! That red went absolutely dead straight.

:55:13. > :55:20.And he has played this well! And all of a sudden, within a couple of

:55:21. > :55:32.shots, he has developed most of the reds. The table looked very safe a

:55:33. > :55:36.couple of shots ago. He played that blue, the shot that Stevens

:55:37. > :55:42.adjusted, developed a red on the left side of the table and now he

:55:43. > :56:05.has brought those two into play -- that Stephen suggested.

:56:06. > :56:14.Unusually low, that side, that showed you the 57 with the number

:56:15. > :56:30.he's looking for. Ding Junhui needing a snooker.

:56:31. > :56:42.He's going to need one of the difficult reds. One more red is

:56:43. > :57:09.readily available. The other two much more difficult.

:57:10. > :57:15.If he plays black from the black, he's looking to see if he can run

:57:16. > :57:20.through and develop it, but screw back from the black and bring one

:57:21. > :57:24.into play. That is what he has elected for. This next shot could be

:57:25. > :57:35.the key to winning the frame. Unlucky. He just needed any sort of

:57:36. > :57:54.contact. Looking at this red he's faced with,

:57:55. > :57:58.he was leading 6-0, I was watching and he had a shot like this and I

:57:59. > :58:01.thought he would put in a good safety, he took it on anti-wobbled

:58:02. > :58:08.debt and Ding got his first frame on the board. -- and he wobbled it. He

:58:09. > :58:22.can double this across the table and send the white up to the green.

:58:23. > :58:36.Mark Selby, 36. APPLAUSE. So Mark needs one more red and brown

:58:37. > :58:47.or above the life Ding requiring a snooker. -- to leave. This looks

:58:48. > :58:59.good. If he keeps on running, it is just a little bit short.

:59:00. > :59:07.That would be very ambitious. But what he's thinking about is knocking

:59:08. > :59:13.the black safe. Mark is thinking, could I put the red in-off the

:59:14. > :59:20.black? From where the cue ball is, he could maybe get that shot in in

:59:21. > :59:21.30, but it is moving the black is what he's thinking about and

:59:22. > :59:31.knocking it safe. In the end, he tried to put it

:59:32. > :59:51.in-off the black and never even made contact with it.

:59:52. > :59:58.If he took this part on... And rolled round tight to the green...

:59:59. > :00:08.We will find out shortly. He has potted it!

:00:09. > :00:14.APPLAUSE He can now roll tight in behind the

:00:15. > :00:30.green and make it very difficult for Mark Selby to escape from.

:00:31. > :00:42.Missed his very first attempt in the first frame but since then... Really

:00:43. > :00:47.sighting the long ones very well. Mark is looking to see if he can get

:00:48. > :00:53.a snooker act! That is showing a little bit of confidence! This was a

:00:54. > :01:01.feature of his game last night, the long frames. Get out of the snooker,

:01:02. > :01:02.leave it said, always managing to hit the right part of the object

:01:03. > :01:32.ball. -- leave it safe. Just looking to see if Ding could

:01:33. > :01:37.get the cue ball in behind the pink. I do not think that is on. Stephen,

:01:38. > :01:47.he wasn't far-away from getting in behind the pink himself, Mark Selby.

:01:48. > :01:59.Be careful he does not push this... Well judged! A fresh air shot... Not

:02:00. > :02:03.a foul. If it was golf... It would be a foul!

:02:04. > :02:16.Turning into quite a tense frame. This second frame of the session.

:02:17. > :02:26.He seemed to just hit the red first, but he has left the red on and he

:02:27. > :02:29.can get on the black. This is a chance for Ding Junhui. He called

:02:30. > :02:55.the red first... What a chance. He did not quite get through that

:02:56. > :02:59.one. That was a nervous one. After me saying his long potting looked

:03:00. > :03:03.very impressive, that was the easiest one he has faced for a

:03:04. > :03:07.while, the most important fun, a chance to pinch the frame. And he

:03:08. > :03:39.did not hit it properly at all. Advantage, Mark Selby. Ding Junhui,

:03:40. > :03:45.decelerated on that last shot, his plan was to pot the black, get the

:03:46. > :03:50.black back onto its spot, because the pink was a little awkward, but

:03:51. > :03:54.with the black back on its spot, there was every chance of a

:03:55. > :04:00.clearance. Now he is faced with a tough snooker. Either one cushion or

:04:01. > :04:08.two cushions... Sometimes you feel it is easier to judge of two

:04:09. > :04:17.cushions... Really, he has got to hit this and get it safe.

:04:18. > :04:28.File... And a myth... Mark Selby. If he misses it this time, he will need

:04:29. > :04:29.a snooker. But before the difference, now it is a must hit

:04:30. > :04:42.situation. -- foul and a miss... Difficult to judge. It really is.

:04:43. > :05:11.Mark? APPLAUSE

:05:12. > :05:11.CHEERING What an escape!

:05:12. > :05:21.When you are in that situation, you have got to hit and hope and I tell

:05:22. > :05:26.you what... 34 with a difference. The black is over at the corner

:05:27. > :05:35.pocket, there is no problem for Ding if he gets a chance.

:05:36. > :05:41.Let's see what Mark Selby can make of this, if he can hit in behind

:05:42. > :05:43.this, he could possibly get a snooker back again, believe it or

:05:44. > :05:48.not. APPLAUSE

:05:49. > :06:01.He has had a result as well... Even if there is a gap, it is still

:06:02. > :06:15.a pretty good result. Playing with lots of left-hand side.

:06:16. > :06:19.The cue ball in behind Green and brown.

:06:20. > :06:29.Did not get enough side on the cue ball.

:06:30. > :06:42.Having directly and this time. -- having the red cleaned. Having to

:06:43. > :06:47.bridge over the green, if he could cue this he could cut this red in,

:06:48. > :06:54.that is what he is faced with, very awkward cueing. If he was to try and

:06:55. > :06:59.cut that in, even if the green was not there, the corner pocket... In

:07:00. > :07:25.line for a possible in-off... It is a containing safety but he

:07:26. > :07:29.could be in trouble. Yes, thought it was worth the risk. As you say,

:07:30. > :07:41.Dennis... Does not quite get the snooker. The

:07:42. > :07:56.cue ball... I suppose Mark does not want to send

:07:57. > :08:00.the red to the other end of the table, if he leaves a pot on, the

:08:01. > :08:21.black is there and Ding needs a black.

:08:22. > :08:36.Coming up to not far off 42 minutes, the second frame.

:08:37. > :09:01.Mentioned about the long frame last evening, lasted 67 minutes,

:09:02. > :09:06.unbelievable. At one stage Mark Selby got 13 snickers. -- snookers.

:09:07. > :09:23.On the green. Not bad from Mark Selby's point of

:09:24. > :09:40.view. Note pot on. As we mentioned, he has got to get

:09:41. > :09:42.black with this last red and all the colours to pinch the frame by a

:09:43. > :10:17.point. Keeps getting Mark in the snooker.

:10:18. > :10:29.One of these times... Mark is going to leave the red on.

:10:30. > :10:34.It's not straightforward to hit this off either side cushion. Fairly

:10:35. > :10:59.difficult. He has got to be careful, if he

:11:00. > :11:19.misses the red there is every chance he could leave a free ball.

:11:20. > :11:34.The black, is it? Foul and a miss... This will go back. Very key frame.

:11:35. > :11:44.Ding Junhui could get to just one point behind. Yes, at that pace, he

:11:45. > :11:50.hits the red full ball, towards the far left corner. That is why he

:11:51. > :11:58.missed it, just aiming to flick this red very thin.

:11:59. > :12:12.APPLAUSE Fantastic shot. To judge that shot,

:12:13. > :12:19.to hit that red thin on that side... It takes incredible skill. Not many

:12:20. > :12:24.in the game can do that. Usually just tried to get out of the snooker

:12:25. > :12:34.and hope you get it safe. Ding got the four penalty points, a red and

:12:35. > :12:43.any colour above the yellow, he can win the frame. This is another

:12:44. > :12:57.little gem he has played... It really is.

:12:58. > :13:04.He certainly can mix it. Made a century break in the opening frame.

:13:05. > :13:10.Here he is, playing some fabulous tactical snooker. I have to admit,

:13:11. > :13:17.are side of his game I have not seen a lot of before. His strongest suit

:13:18. > :13:45.is his high-scoring. But he has mixed it up so well.

:13:46. > :13:53.He is looking at the potting angle, a tough one, automatically finish on

:13:54. > :13:57.the black, you would feel. The sort of a shot, if he misses the pot, he

:13:58. > :14:03.could quite easily get the snooker again.

:14:04. > :14:08.A cracking shot! APPLAUSE

:14:09. > :14:11.CHEERING He is not going to run in behind the

:14:12. > :14:13.green... He is just OK... Brilliant.

:14:14. > :14:38.Brilliant shot from Ding Junhui. Equally good shot. What a shot at

:14:39. > :14:55.the service. Just a minute and a half away from

:14:56. > :14:57.getting to the 50 minute mark and these long frames, if you can win

:14:58. > :15:08.them, makes such a difference. From a psychological point of view.

:15:09. > :15:10.It is not a straightforward run to the winning line. The pink near the

:15:11. > :15:32.cushion. Talking about playing all facets of

:15:33. > :15:36.the game. He won the last frame in one visit. This frame, mixing it

:15:37. > :15:50.tactically. He would love to be able to get the

:15:51. > :15:55.white sum for in the Oval, to roll the pink along the cushion and get

:15:56. > :16:28.the black. What angle has he got on the blue?

:16:29. > :16:52.CHEERING The concentration he put into that

:16:53. > :17:01.pink was immense. To get a little bit longer. It was worth waiting

:17:02. > :17:13.that second longer. And now this... For the frame.

:17:14. > :17:20.Ding Junhui has come out, he won the opening frame with a 100 break, he

:17:21. > :17:27.has won that tactical frame on the black and is now one frame behind.

:17:28. > :17:32.10-9, Mark Selby. 50 minutes of enthralling brilliance. What are we

:17:33. > :17:38.discovering about Ding Junhui that perhaps we didn't know already? We

:17:39. > :17:42.said last night, we saw some of the things happening, some emotion

:17:43. > :17:47.creeping into it, very exciting. From my perspective, the game was a

:17:48. > :17:53.bit ragged, through luck, more than anything. Ball is going all over the

:17:54. > :17:58.place, no one could get a foothold but this is fascinating. John, you

:17:59. > :18:04.are seeing him or demonstrative than we have ever seen, giving it a

:18:05. > :18:08.little bit of this... Fired up. That is exactly what I was going to use,

:18:09. > :18:15.great determination, four-day clearance. That last red, fantastic

:18:16. > :18:22.shot, to make the clearance, what nerve on the pink, they are very

:18:23. > :18:28.smelly down the cushion. The quality of the snookers at the end,

:18:29. > :18:31.absolutely wonderful. Mark Selby, Ford or your observations about the

:18:32. > :18:37.first couple of frames? I am following social media, people are

:18:38. > :18:44.saying he looks like he might be running on fumes. He looks like he

:18:45. > :18:50.might be a little punched out? Every time someone says that he comes back

:18:51. > :18:53.and wins the next few frames. I have given up working out what kind of

:18:54. > :19:00.reserves he has. Back we go, Stephen, Dennis, what are your

:19:01. > :19:03.observations? COMMENTATOR:

:19:04. > :19:07.Incredible stuff from Ding Junhui, we thought he would win the

:19:08. > :19:12.mini-session 3-1, let's look at this black again, the second frame, on

:19:13. > :19:16.course for that. That little bit of determination from the Chinese

:19:17. > :19:25.sensation. A couple of cracking frames. Yes, Mark Selby will

:19:26. > :19:30.definitely be concerned. Fair enough, you would expect Ding to

:19:31. > :19:37.score heavily in this match. To be outplayed... From the tactical

:19:38. > :19:45.Department... It'll give him cause for concern. He has got to find some

:19:46. > :19:49.gears, Mark Selby, in this match and session. Because Ding looks up for

:19:50. > :20:03.it. How aggressively will he play this

:20:04. > :20:24.shot? Just seems prepared to play the same

:20:25. > :20:26.game as market, not bothered if he gets into long frames, tactical

:20:27. > :20:40.snooker. Foul... Ding Junhui, seven. Little

:20:41. > :20:47.bit short on the safety shot, the black going in, costing him seven

:20:48. > :20:53.points. Ding is prepared. He wants his first world title and he is

:20:54. > :21:05.going to win at, whatever way is needed.

:21:06. > :21:13.That was a good pot but he didn't play as positively as I thought he

:21:14. > :21:18.might. I thought he might play for stopping the cue ball short of the

:21:19. > :21:22.baulk colour, make sure he was on something. Where is the next red

:21:23. > :21:45.coming from? The red will cut into the right

:21:46. > :22:01.corner, looks very positive. Certainly looks fresh.

:22:02. > :22:08.Even if he has covered it, and I don't think he has... But it's not a

:22:09. > :22:11.great chance. The pink tied up, black tied up. Unless he goes into

:22:12. > :22:21.the pack from this red. Not surprised he didn't take a

:22:22. > :22:31.chance. A huge target. Particularly when there is not many

:22:32. > :23:02.more loose reds. He is calling to have to try and

:23:03. > :23:07.develop the black, perfect, looks as though it was hampered.

:23:08. > :23:13.He is so good at this type of shop. Not a good bunch to go into but he

:23:14. > :23:29.generates so much spin. He plays that shot as well as anyone

:23:30. > :23:35.I have ever seen. Stunning, screwing the cue ball back. Not a big target,

:23:36. > :23:56.only one red to hit. Played to perfection, as you say.

:23:57. > :24:03.What will Mark Selby's response be to losing the first two frames of

:24:04. > :24:08.the session? How many times have we seen this man when his back is

:24:09. > :24:10.against the wall? Against Ronnie O'Sullivan, a couple of years ago,

:24:11. > :24:27.10-7 down, came storming back. What we mustn't forget, he is still

:24:28. > :24:33.in front. Leading 10-9. Very little to pick between these players.

:24:34. > :24:35.Played each other 20 times, 10-10. Only played once in a World

:24:36. > :24:51.Championship. Back in 2011, the quarterfinal, Ding

:24:52. > :24:54.Junhui won the match 13-10. Not a lot to pick between them. Even

:24:55. > :25:02.though dark Selby as the world number one. -- Mark Selby. Ding had

:25:03. > :25:10.to play three qualifiers. You would say, Ding Junhui is a top

:25:11. > :26:22.4-5 player all day long. Mark Selby could do with winning the

:26:23. > :26:28.frame this visit. Get himself back in the session.

:26:29. > :26:33.He is superb at these long, tactical frames but he would much rather be

:26:34. > :26:40.doing this, winning the frame in one visit. Hasn't had many chances,

:26:41. > :26:42.breaks of 30 in a lot of the frames. Ding doing all the heavy scoring in

:26:43. > :26:47.this fight back. Coming at the right time for the

:26:48. > :26:59.world number one. But it is typical of Mark Selby as

:27:00. > :27:04.John Parrott said in the studio. People will think he looks tired but

:27:05. > :27:12.he is far from tired, I can assure you!

:27:13. > :27:20.There is no chance Mark Selby is feeling any tiredness.

:27:21. > :27:38.I think there is only six players who have won more than two or more

:27:39. > :27:53.world titles. He has taken these beautifully, he

:27:54. > :28:30.really has. The break time, only six minutes, by

:28:31. > :28:39.no means, a slow player. Sometimes the boss dictate the speed of a

:28:40. > :28:46.frame, the speed of a shot. -- sometimes the balls. Excellent

:28:47. > :29:09.response. This is his highest break since he led 6-0.

:29:10. > :29:27.Just the one century break in this match so far from Mark Selby, it

:29:28. > :29:32.would be a great time for his second.

:29:33. > :29:44.Again, making sure it this red... That. Ding Junhui coming back to the

:29:45. > :29:56.table. Concentrate on trying to make the century break.

:29:57. > :30:05.He has made at centuries in the World Championship this year.

:30:06. > :30:21.Dropping onto this red... Little touch of side, watch the side

:30:22. > :30:23.spinning. Played perfectly. Does the yellow go? I think it's just passes

:30:24. > :30:45.the pink. Closing in on that record. 86

:30:46. > :31:02.breaks. 86 century breaks that was made last year. That is a century!

:31:03. > :31:06.Century number 84! After losing the first two frames, that is exactly

:31:07. > :31:15.what he has done. Excellent, the world number one. It is what you

:31:16. > :31:21.expect from the world number one. Yes, we had that 50 minute second

:31:22. > :31:26.frame, but both players making centuries. And the standard, top

:31:27. > :31:48.class. And look at this for a positional

:31:49. > :31:53.shot. Every time that Ding Junhui closes in on the world number one,

:31:54. > :31:57.he produces something like that! What a break! A break of 126, he's

:31:58. > :33:14.back two in front again, it is 11-9. One more frame to be played before

:33:15. > :33:15.the mid-session interval. Fascinating snooker and a very high

:33:16. > :33:21.standard. Thank you, frame 21. Ding Junhui the

:33:22. > :33:42.break. This Crucible crowd is buzzing. They

:33:43. > :33:52.are certainly enjoying this final day's play here. They are all so

:33:53. > :33:55.close to the action. People that have come here for the first time

:33:56. > :34:17.cannot believe how close they are to the table.

:34:18. > :34:36.He has been quite good at the shots, how positively will heap played

:34:37. > :34:45.that? Just hit the cue ball short of the colours this time.

:34:46. > :35:15.Straightaway, he was up on the shot, he hit it far too thick and he knew

:35:16. > :35:22.immediately because he almost stood up on the shot.

:35:23. > :35:35.That is red. You don't see Mark Selby misjudging safeties eye that

:35:36. > :35:39.much very often. I think there's a gap to get to the cue ball through,

:35:40. > :35:58.two cautions for the black. Just going into the bunch. It all

:35:59. > :36:07.depends on the angle of this black to the middle. The cue ball is going

:36:08. > :36:08.to be in and out of baulk, can he get a side on the cue ball to

:36:09. > :36:20.control it? This looks very good. This looks

:36:21. > :37:23.very good. Yes, well judged, that was.

:37:24. > :37:33.A decent opportunity, this, for Ding Junhui. It is the sort of

:37:34. > :37:35.opportunity he had against Alan McManus, it was virtually a done

:37:36. > :38:00.deal he would make a century break. APPLAUSE. I think he's just about

:38:01. > :38:06.all right. The white will start to spin again to wriggle free from the

:38:07. > :38:12.red. I did mention Ding had a century in the opening frame but he

:38:13. > :38:14.potted the pink and screwed off to spoil the century. So just the one

:38:15. > :38:37.century in this mini-session. To be honest, I will be very

:38:38. > :39:05.surprised if he does not make one now, the way the reds situated.

:39:06. > :39:13.Just cut have done with another couple of inches. Just follow

:39:14. > :39:34.through to the black in the left corner. No problem.

:39:35. > :39:48.This looks perfect. Five reds, five blacks. He had one opportunity

:39:49. > :39:51.against Alan McManus and he missed the final black to go for the

:39:52. > :39:58.colours. He will not be thinking about that yet, by any stretch. He

:39:59. > :40:02.could not have the reds in a better position. If he plays a little

:40:03. > :40:14.cannon as if he was trying to cannon pink. That line.

:40:15. > :40:26.Just showing you that delicate little cannon he played. He has made

:40:27. > :40:39.a maximum break on six occasions. That shocked that you mentioned,

:40:40. > :40:47.Stephen, he might play that this time. -- that shot. The two reds

:40:48. > :40:52.below the pink, if he gets in the joint, the gap between those two

:40:53. > :40:57.reds, it would be perfect. He's a bit low on the black to make it a

:40:58. > :41:10.miserable if he concentrates too much on the cannon. He did not quite

:41:11. > :41:14.get in the joint of those two reds. The one to the right of that, if he

:41:15. > :41:20.just goes through the middle of those two, it would be perfect. I do

:41:21. > :41:30.not know if he can stay on the black here, it does not look like it. Yes,

:41:31. > :41:36.it is all about winning this frame and winning this mini-session 3-1 to

:41:37. > :41:44.get himself just one frame behind. A great response from Ding Junhui

:41:45. > :42:07.here. After Mark Selby. After he made that magnificent century.

:42:08. > :42:18.He has got a possible break of 145. But he would have to take all reds

:42:19. > :42:26.and blacks, and the highest break of the moment is 143 made by Kyren

:42:27. > :42:29.Wilson, a magnificent effort. He may well be a future world champion.

:42:30. > :42:48.Personally, I think he can do that, a very talented player.

:42:49. > :42:57.Just the tiniest bit of angle on this blue to follow through off the

:42:58. > :43:29.cushion. Yes. It really is a superb standard here.

:43:30. > :43:34.This afternoon. We had that break of 89 in the opening frame and it would

:43:35. > :43:44.have been a century but for screwing off the pink when he potted it. All

:43:45. > :43:45.this of a very poor safety shot. Unusually poor safety shock from

:43:46. > :44:10.Mark Selby. -- safety shot. If he could make a century here, it

:44:11. > :44:18.would equal John Higgins's 14 centuries. In one World

:44:19. > :44:20.Championship. The record still with Stephen Hendry, 16, made back in

:44:21. > :44:32.2002. John Higgins had 14 centuries in

:44:33. > :44:56.1998 here at the Crucible. Potting this red is him a nice angle

:44:57. > :45:04.on the pink to get on the last red. -- gives him.

:45:05. > :45:19.Superb way from Ding Junhui! APPLAUSE. -- play.

:45:20. > :45:23.Torn up, all around the Crucible. It does not matter if that does not

:45:24. > :45:30.reach, it is curling away from the pocket. We go to the mid-session

:45:31. > :45:35.interval, what a standard these two boys are giving us here. Ding Junhui

:45:36. > :45:39.is only one frame behind now, 11-10, Mark Selby.

:45:40. > :45:47.We have seen something special this afternoon in part three of the

:45:48. > :45:51.Crucible session, Ding Junhui levels the effort of John Higgins, two shy

:45:52. > :45:58.of the record held by Stephen Hendry in 2002, 16 he knocked in all those

:45:59. > :46:02.years ago, the 85th century of this year's Championship. We are in

:46:03. > :46:09.record-breaking form here. What a standard both of them are producing.

:46:10. > :46:12.The running on fumes theory has now gone! Mark Selby is still punching.

:46:13. > :46:18.Fabulous standards, a proper final with serious scoring. One frame went

:46:19. > :46:25.on a bit but the other three were about scoring, fantastic. From 6-2

:46:26. > :46:29.-- from 6-0 down, Ding Junhui, who knew this would happen? A swing

:46:30. > :46:36.between big rakes and solid tactical play. It shows you have to play the

:46:37. > :46:39.balls on the table and while you can sometimes dictate the game,

:46:40. > :46:43.sometimes you have to go with the flow. A lot of criticism yesterday

:46:44. > :46:50.about players trying to slow the game down and put gamesmanship onto

:46:51. > :46:54.it. Basic rubbish, to be honest. In snooker, you have to play as hard as

:46:55. > :46:59.you can do, every player wants to pot the balls and win in one visit

:47:00. > :47:02.but sometimes you have to play a different game. When given

:47:03. > :47:07.opportunities and the balls go nicely and they play into the pack

:47:08. > :47:11.and they open up, you make the boat -- you make the breaks. Over two

:47:12. > :47:16.days, the pace will change and that is happening. A lot of your

:47:17. > :47:21.professionals have been joining in on the debate on social media. Mike

:47:22. > :47:24.Dunn said, last night was fascinating, it is a massive prize

:47:25. > :47:29.and if you were Mark Selby, it you would do anything to win this. Peter

:47:30. > :47:34.Ebdon who has worked with us here, good stuff, enjoying it immensely.

:47:35. > :47:39.Others have weighed in. You can say what you want, but that is final is

:47:40. > :47:45.so intriguing, so many twists and turns, I love it. -- this final. If

:47:46. > :47:54.you are a snooker player, this is for you. You are feeling every

:47:55. > :47:58.emotion. Ding at 6-0 and he gets back to 8-7 last night and he has a

:47:59. > :48:03.chance. Mark Selby finishes 10-7 behind. And he had to win the

:48:04. > :48:07.mini-session and he has done that. It is all to play for but those

:48:08. > :48:13.players at home will be loving this and going through every ball with

:48:14. > :48:19.these boys. We have now played 2366 frames of snooker this year! From

:48:20. > :48:24.the beginning of the qualifying period to this mid-session interval.

:48:25. > :48:29.Nearly 240,000 points have been scored. What about the quality of

:48:30. > :48:42.the potting? The choice is yours! Which pot is the green going to go

:48:43. > :48:53.in? That's nearly rolled off a little

:48:54. > :49:02.bit. My goodness, that is one of the best shots I have ever seen!

:49:03. > :49:07.This is the shot and if it goes wide of the green, he will not leave it

:49:08. > :49:39.on. Yes, excellent shot! Super shot. And he has made a pretty good fist

:49:40. > :49:45.of that. This is an absolute cracker Jack! What a shot that was! They do

:49:46. > :49:49.not, much better than that. Wonderful. -- they do not get much

:49:50. > :50:22.better than that. Fabulous pot. That really is a

:50:23. > :50:32.fabulous pot. Now, that is what you call an absolute confidence booster.

:50:33. > :50:48.Fabulous shot! Very good. When you consider all those balls, they are

:50:49. > :50:58.three or four inches apart. Maybe three ball plant this time.

:50:59. > :51:00.Yes, possible 3-ball plant. And this time coming he has got it and he's

:51:01. > :51:21.on the black! He has tried to use the pot. The

:51:22. > :52:03.only possible way to get on a red. What a hit! Where is the cue ball

:52:04. > :52:13.going? Behind the black! Yes! Unbelievable! Well, he smiles, but

:52:14. > :52:36.he will appreciate that escape from Mark Selby.

:52:37. > :52:50.A great effort. What a hit! What a hit! The shot of the Championships,

:52:51. > :52:52.both of those shots. Fabulous. Mark Selby, how on Earth has he hit that,

:52:53. > :53:14.he said?! This time, it is close. This time,

:53:15. > :53:20.it is really close. There it is! He finishes with a trick shot. He takes

:53:21. > :53:32.a bow! APPLAUSE.

:53:33. > :53:38.You can vote now on the BBC website by flicking on the shot of your

:53:39. > :53:45.choice, voting closes tonight at seven o'clock. We will bring you the

:53:46. > :53:48.results tonight and on the website. Terms and conditions available on

:53:49. > :53:52.the website. We saw in the early part of the last frame, Ding Junhui

:53:53. > :53:57.looking like he might go for a maximum and he went for the blue,

:53:58. > :54:04.fair enough. We are going for maximum musical impact this evening,

:54:05. > :54:08.do tell all! What we have done for the last two

:54:09. > :54:14.years and this is the first time we will do it at the Crucible which is

:54:15. > :54:22.amazing, we will build a 147 rate. A record that references red and

:54:23. > :54:26.black, 15 of those each and clear the colours, 36 records in the three

:54:27. > :54:30.hours, timed to perfection and the usual mix of music people expect.

:54:31. > :54:34.And that is what we will attempt to do tonight at the Crucible. This is

:54:35. > :54:38.your first attempt at looking at what is going on this afternoon,

:54:39. > :54:42.what you think? What a fantastic place to watch sport. Incredible

:54:43. > :54:49.place to incredible atmosphere. We watched the first two frames,

:54:50. > :54:54.including the mammoth second, it is so absorbing. I do not know how long

:54:55. > :54:58.that took, probably 60 minutes. About 50 minutes. I hope it has

:54:59. > :55:02.given new inspiration because have you got the tracks nails down? Yes,

:55:03. > :55:08.we have the planet so it fits. We have some leeway. The shortest

:55:09. > :55:11.record we will play is about one minutes long and the longest is

:55:12. > :55:19.about 12 minutes. And those in between. And we have a stand-by

:55:20. > :55:27.snooker referencing section we can do and we can play those. The pot

:55:28. > :55:31.black theme. Around that, it is nailed down. If you need

:55:32. > :55:41.suggestions, we have some from the players, look at this.

:55:42. > :55:48.Always useful. 99 red balloons. Red. Red, red wine. Yellow, Coldplay. All

:55:49. > :55:53.green, I like him. Pretty green eyes, Ultra beet. That is a little

:55:54. > :56:04.bit more modern! James brown. Brown eyed girl. Golden brown. California

:56:05. > :56:10.blue, Roy Orbison. Blue Suede shoes. That Song from the late 1990s.

:56:11. > :56:17.Blue... Strange track. Pretty in pink. Pink. I went to see her in

:56:18. > :56:25.concert. He was nice. Black and Gold. Sam Smith. Black album.

:56:26. > :56:33.Metallica. You tell me! Blue Hotel is my suggestion. That would do.

:56:34. > :56:43.Steve Davis... We had to make sure he chose records. And he has

:56:44. > :56:49.chosen... I do not want to give too much away. One record does reference

:56:50. > :56:54.brown so it will be in. Slightly mysterious, I will make sure I catch

:56:55. > :57:00.you afterwards. All the very best. Thank you for chatting about it.

:57:01. > :57:04.Thank you. Speaking of music, we will stay with the musical theme,

:57:05. > :57:09.did you know it is 40 years since a gentleman called Dogwood wrote the

:57:10. > :57:15.theme tune to the BBC snooker coverage -- Douglas Wood. 40 years

:57:16. > :57:23.on, we have only tracked him down to the studio in America!

:57:24. > :57:32.I was a regular kit, I had a paper round and I rode around on my

:57:33. > :57:40.bicycle a lot but music was always essential in my life. I lived and

:57:41. > :57:43.breathed music as much as I could. Playing music came relatively easy

:57:44. > :57:48.to me. I played the guitar. My parents encouraged me on the piano,

:57:49. > :57:56.I took piano lessons when I was three years old. You had a set drink

:57:57. > :58:03.-- he had a string, starting at 12 years old. A string of bands. They

:58:04. > :58:07.were really good bands. I was always putting together bands from guys I

:58:08. > :58:11.knew, and would find a bass player and a drummer and we would go out

:58:12. > :58:16.and play parties and dances and it was fun. They could mesmerise a

:58:17. > :58:22.gymnasium of 1,000 people. We got married when we were 20, we were

:58:23. > :58:26.still young and he was playing in a band and he played every Friday and

:58:27. > :58:36.Saturday night. We had a busy life. In music. Not making much money!

:58:37. > :58:42.Patty's father was a film producer. And he said, work for me. And so I

:58:43. > :58:48.did. My father recognised how talented he was in music. And so he

:58:49. > :58:52.gave Doug an opportunity to write some film scores for the films he

:58:53. > :58:56.was producing. Patty's father encouraged me to begin my own

:58:57. > :59:01.company and Patty and I were the only employees and we did this in

:59:02. > :59:07.our living room. I had one of the first multitrack tape recorders so I

:59:08. > :59:10.could play the parts because I could not hire musicians, I could not

:59:11. > :59:20.afford to go into a recording studio or anything. I knew that this was

:59:21. > :59:24.really something I wanted to do. I think a name popped into my mind and

:59:25. > :59:33.I thought I wanted to write a piece that had that driving energy behind

:59:34. > :59:34.it. I pretty much captured that, there's a lot of energy in that

:59:35. > :00:01.guitar part. I played all the instruments, I had

:00:02. > :00:05.this four track record of. Until that time, if you wanted to play

:00:06. > :00:11.more than one instrument, you had to be in a recording studio. But along

:00:12. > :00:13.came a consumer recorder weight you could record one instrument, listen

:00:14. > :00:31.to that, play another with it. The big breakthrough was from Don

:00:32. > :00:36.Gale who took dug under his wing. He was one of our first foreign

:00:37. > :00:43.distributors. He wrote to me and said the BBC has picked one of your

:00:44. > :00:47.tracks for the team for snooker. I thought, OK, first of all, I do not

:00:48. > :00:51.know what snooker is. I had never heard the word before. It seemed

:00:52. > :01:00.like a funny British word. I had no idea what it was. Doug made me

:01:01. > :01:05.promise that I would not call it schnooker because it is not, it is

:01:06. > :01:10.snooker. I went to London to visit my friend. We landed at Heathrow

:01:11. > :01:20.Airport at 530 in the morning will stop we were tired, bleary eyed. I

:01:21. > :01:25.am going through customs and the guy said, oh, you are a composer. Have

:01:26. > :01:30.you written anything I know? I don't know why, but I remembered snooker,

:01:31. > :01:40.and I told him that. And he looked at me, and he hummed the June. I was

:01:41. > :01:45.so astonished I didn't know what to do. The next thing I know, he got on

:01:46. > :01:52.the microphone and he announced to all of the other customs guys in

:01:53. > :01:56.Heathrow. Hey, everybody, this is the guy who wrote the snooker Song!

:01:57. > :02:05.I was astonished. I had never been so astonished in my life. It finally

:02:06. > :02:08.began to dawn on me that snooker was this really popular programme that

:02:09. > :02:19.people were watching and they really love this piece of music the BBC had

:02:20. > :02:22.picked. When the royalties came through, for me, it wasn't a

:02:23. > :02:27.tremendous amount of money, but firmly at that time, it was a

:02:28. > :02:34.significant amount of money and it really helped us establish ourselves

:02:35. > :02:37.and provide a basis to come and build our business on so it really

:02:38. > :02:50.turned out to be a very important thing in my life. It was a great

:02:51. > :02:55.moment for me. What an absolutely superb story. Dog would. He is the

:02:56. > :02:59.Dogwood band and he launched his career and he has become part of

:03:00. > :03:05.this great history of the sport and we all know the tune and indeed Mr

:03:06. > :03:10.Barry Heron does. What a great story. It is a fantastic story and I

:03:11. > :03:15.get the story is how much longer will we be listening to that song on

:03:16. > :03:22.the BBC? The good news is that in a full night of snooker, across the

:03:23. > :03:26.board, is that you have got to put double that a little bit longer, so

:03:27. > :03:33.we have agreed a new two-year extension with the BBC so next year

:03:34. > :03:39.will be fine and we are now guaranteed until 2019 and I fancy

:03:40. > :03:44.quite a few more years after that, but today, to my dears on top of the

:03:45. > :03:49.other good news makes this a World Championship to remember. It does

:03:50. > :03:54.indeed. We are delighted about what is happening out here. What do you

:03:55. > :03:57.make of it? What I make of it is a significant stepping stone,

:03:58. > :04:00.obviously with the Chinese market. Apparently, the world's economy is

:04:01. > :04:05.in trouble because no one is going to work today and tomorrow in China.

:04:06. > :04:11.They have enough problems which has now been exaggerated by the success

:04:12. > :04:16.of Ding Junhui. To make the final, he has a lot of pressure on him,

:04:17. > :04:22.because he has a whole nation hoping. He is playing one of the

:04:23. > :04:26.greatest players of all time, Mark Selby. But this is a toss of a coin,

:04:27. > :04:33.I think. As we said before, I was slightly worried when it was 6-0,

:04:34. > :04:38.because I predicted a classic. But then I can be educated at any time

:04:39. > :04:42.but it looks like it is going to be one of those classics so don't miss

:04:43. > :04:46.a ball, because it is going to be special. In some respects, there is

:04:47. > :04:53.a huge amount of goodwill for Mark Selby as a former champion, and how

:04:54. > :04:58.important would it be where Ding Junhui one, in terms of your efforts

:04:59. > :05:01.to grow the sport? I think Mission accomplished already, to be honest.

:05:02. > :05:04.I think for him to be the first Asian player to make the final and

:05:05. > :05:07.the fact that he has obviously come back already from 6-0, looking as

:05:08. > :05:13.though he was a bit nervous, although Mark Selby had the harder

:05:14. > :05:19.semifinal, late on, the job has already been done in as far as China

:05:20. > :05:22.is concerned. If Ding Junhui goes on to win it, there will be another

:05:23. > :05:25.spur of interest, but we are already established as the massive sporting

:05:26. > :05:33.China, and it is only going to get bigger. Mark Selby gives the British

:05:34. > :05:39.ban something to cheer. But coupled with Leicester, you could retire and

:05:40. > :05:43.buy a small island. You could. It has been a fascinating final. Great

:05:44. > :05:46.news about the extension to the contact and indeed great news were

:05:47. > :05:50.your revenues are concerned for the Crucible because we are hearing that

:05:51. > :05:54.the tickets went on sale at 9am this morning. You have already generated

:05:55. > :06:02.in ticket sales almost ?1 million and tickets for the final sold out

:06:03. > :06:07.in five minutes. All four sessions were gone within half an hour. But

:06:08. > :06:11.there are still sessions available and the box office number is right

:06:12. > :06:16.there on the screen. The message is, you had better get in quick. Never

:06:17. > :06:21.has the sport being greater health. Thank you very much. Enjoy the rest

:06:22. > :06:31.of today. The players are back out. Thank you for joining us here in the

:06:32. > :06:35.studio. Thank you, Hazel. This match is finally tuned. Who would have

:06:36. > :06:40.thought Ding Junhui could have come back from 6-0 behind? The question

:06:41. > :06:47.is, can Mark Selby find his best game today? Yes, absolutely. Looking

:06:48. > :06:59.forward to these next four frames. Much better snooker, it has to be

:07:00. > :07:05.said. Mark Selby breaks off. Certainly, I am sure, when he went

:07:06. > :07:14.into the dressing room... That is a nervy one. That will not help his

:07:15. > :07:26.nerves. It will certainly give Ding a little bit of encouragement.

:07:27. > :07:45.He will have to find a little bit of side if he wants to find the gap.

:07:46. > :07:50.APPLAUSE Plated beautifully, didn't he?

:07:51. > :07:59.Perfect. A full ball cannon on the red. He can hit the black if he

:08:00. > :08:10.wishes to go ahead now. APPLAUSE

:08:11. > :08:16.Got a good split but this is certainly not easy. He may want to

:08:17. > :08:33.split again. Could have done with a little bit more back spin, just to

:08:34. > :08:40.come off the cushion. A tough pot. Always have. He was very unlucky.

:08:41. > :08:48.That cue ball was three or four inches of the cushion. Very, very

:08:49. > :08:58.tough when you have to push it around. Mark Selby needs to assert

:08:59. > :09:07.his authority now. He can't let Ding with reds like that. He's left with

:09:08. > :09:13.a tough pot. The red below the pink in the centre. It is almost

:09:14. > :09:16.straight. Maybe better take the 1- footer at the table. Less pressure

:09:17. > :09:24.on this one. He could also play for the blue. Takes a bit of the fear

:09:25. > :09:38.factor out of the red. APPLAUSE

:09:39. > :09:46.Played nicely. That red that is just below the pink might be as target

:09:47. > :09:49.here. Looks like he has overrun it slightly, but he is still OK. This

:09:50. > :09:59.one just below the red is all right as well. Throughout this magical he

:10:00. > :10:06.has not been judging these little cannons right. He could play the

:10:07. > :10:10.cannon onto the red to hit the pink, but if he pushes it further, you

:10:11. > :10:13.could put sugar and get on the pink or the black, so it is just watching

:10:14. > :10:21.out how the cannon is going to react. I think the better choice is

:10:22. > :10:24.probably playing the cannon for the black, so if you slightly overhits

:10:25. > :10:36.this comedy will be out of position on the pink.

:10:37. > :10:40.APPLAUSE E, he is not judging the cannons

:10:41. > :10:51.right at the moment. This black is going to be tough. He just played it

:10:52. > :10:58.with top spin. Trying to stun the cue ball and keeping the quite new

:10:59. > :11:04.to the pink. It looks pretty straight. It is a good pot.

:11:05. > :11:12.APPLAUSE Just had to drop it in, almost dead

:11:13. > :11:37.weight. Relieve himself that difficult red into the centre.

:11:38. > :11:52.I expected him to pot that. There wasn't any real pressure on the pot.

:11:53. > :12:02.The tension is going to build and build in this match now. It is very

:12:03. > :12:06.close. Yes, absolutely. Mark needs at least a couple of these four

:12:07. > :12:12.frames just to have the lead going into the final session, even if it

:12:13. > :12:16.is just one frame, just to reassert himself and given that little bit of

:12:17. > :12:17.confidence because the moment he looks the more nervous of the two

:12:18. > :13:31.players. APPLAUSE

:13:32. > :13:39.The red to the right of the pack he could obviously pot. He will

:13:40. > :13:47.probably look for an alternative safety shot, maybe find some sort of

:13:48. > :13:55.pot out of that. Just the safety shot. It is a very good safety.

:13:56. > :14:03.There has been some very good safety in this session. Excellent safety

:14:04. > :14:12.from both players. You would expect Mark Selby to be ahead, but Ding is

:14:13. > :14:21.certainly competing with him. That magnificent frame he won when he

:14:22. > :14:30.laid those snookers and cleared that last red. Quality stuff from both

:14:31. > :14:40.players. A safety success and that does not surprise me. 89% in the

:14:41. > :14:46.session alone. That is quite high. Probably the reason he is 3-1 in

:14:47. > :14:53.front. To get those big breaks, you have to win the safety battle. A

:14:54. > :14:58.little bit of movement in the crowd. Can you make sure the door is shut,

:14:59. > :15:04.please? Someone coming through one of the top doors. This is where Mark

:15:05. > :15:19.Selby's cube power comes into operation. -- cue. Missed the pot,

:15:20. > :15:24.but tried to screw it back in and didn't get enough action on the cue

:15:25. > :15:32.ball. Left the possible pot now for Ding. He could get across the pink

:15:33. > :15:54.into the left centre. APPLAUSE

:15:55. > :15:59.Yes, lovely pot. I was expecting him to get one on that particular shot.

:16:00. > :16:07.Of course, the red sort of helped a little bit. The red that was closest

:16:08. > :16:12.to that bottom left-hand corner pocket. An opportunity now for Ding.

:16:13. > :16:19.Black available into the corner pocket. He will want to remove the

:16:20. > :16:22.red that is closest to the left hand corner pocket, possibly after this

:16:23. > :16:56.red and black. He will have the black available for both pockets.

:16:57. > :17:06.A slightly worrying time now for Mark Selby. Ding now cueing like he

:17:07. > :17:15.did in the semifinal, when he was awesome. He has his potting bits on

:17:16. > :17:21.in this session. But we know what a battle that young man is, Mark

:17:22. > :17:30.Selby. He may start to wonder what is going to happen. One thing is for

:17:31. > :17:35.sure, I think it will be a long night. Yes, all of the hallmarks of

:17:36. > :17:44.going right to the final couple of frames. This has been an incredible

:17:45. > :17:50.turnaround for Ding Junhui. Yesterday in the first session.

:17:51. > :17:54.Everybody was worried about him and worried about this final being

:17:55. > :18:05.completely one-sided, but he managed to dig in, found a bit of form and

:18:06. > :18:15.the disbelief -- a bit of belief. Poised to level the match from this

:18:16. > :18:19.visit. Just as I say that, the commentator comes into operation.

:18:20. > :18:24.Hit the wrong red. He expected to hit the second red and had the first

:18:25. > :18:31.one. Look at this again. He had the red the middle of those three. Just

:18:32. > :18:34.pushes through it. Yes, and he's normally so precise with those

:18:35. > :18:39.cannons. He's one of the best in the world that playing those wonderful

:18:40. > :18:48.cannons into reds and making breaks and it is very unusual to see him

:18:49. > :19:14.break down. He leads by 25 points, so a good safety needed now.

:19:15. > :19:20.If you would get on the right-hand side of the cue ball, you could try

:19:21. > :19:24.to put one on the top cushion. At least guarantee a good white and

:19:25. > :19:33.also the red would come away from the pocket if misses. He is still

:19:34. > :19:44.going to try and play it. If it goes in, it is a bonus. A little bit more

:19:45. > :19:57.to the right and it would have been easy to play safe. Normally he plays

:19:58. > :20:02.the shot quite well with a lot of top spin and back. Let's see how

:20:03. > :20:11.confident he is if he goes that way or if he tries to stay on the black.

:20:12. > :20:17.He played it very nicely. APPLAUSE

:20:18. > :20:25.. He played at full of confidence. Just cued this in. Tried to hit it,

:20:26. > :20:30.but not too hard, tried to trust his cue action and it was a great pot.

:20:31. > :20:34.It has been said all through this tournament that he has not been

:20:35. > :20:39.quite on time with his ball. But he could not have played that much

:20:40. > :20:42.better. This is one of those particular situations you were

:20:43. > :20:49.referring to earlier where he has steeply a delicate cannon. -- he has

:20:50. > :21:04.to play. He may try to play a cannon on the red just of the pink.

:21:05. > :21:12.Found the gap through the reds and that is OK. Played that well. Let's

:21:13. > :21:23.have a look at that gap between those couple of reds. These are the

:21:24. > :21:27.kind of frames that hurt your opponent when your opponent is in a

:21:28. > :21:33.bad area and does not score enough to win the frame. He will be sitting

:21:34. > :21:40.down now and thinking one shot now and this is when you have two helped

:21:41. > :21:41.your opponent. When this one, and Ding will be kicking himself that he

:21:42. > :22:30.did not win more. Judged it nicely, just to be topside

:22:31. > :22:36.of the blue so we can just run down to the red at the bottom. The three

:22:37. > :22:44.reds are available into this left-hand corner pocket. That will

:22:45. > :22:50.open the path for the one just above it. To this bottom right-hand corner

:22:51. > :22:56.pocket now. He's going to need the four reds. He will need that for the

:22:57. > :23:18.difficult one below the black. Just has too pulled the cue ball

:23:19. > :23:20.back just a couple of inches. It is all about that last red on the

:23:21. > :23:45.cushion. You could hear the kick there. He

:23:46. > :23:50.has had a few kicks. Very disappointing, it has just taken the

:23:51. > :23:56.pace out of the cue ball. It would have liked to be a little straighter

:23:57. > :24:09.on the black, but he is OK. Cue ball stopping in its tracks.

:24:10. > :24:15.APPLAUSE Didn't effect on too much. There is

:24:16. > :24:18.never a good thing about a kick, bits because he is so thin on the

:24:19. > :24:28.black comedy could play with confidence that would happened he

:24:29. > :24:35.could cover the pocket. Just red now to be assured of taking a 2- frame

:24:36. > :24:38.lead once more. He has an angle on the black dude tried to disturb the

:24:39. > :24:46.red and push towards the corner pocket. Doesn't look like he will

:24:47. > :24:50.take that option. So Ding pot a pink when he made that really good

:24:51. > :25:02.clearance earlier. This is a similar type of shot.

:25:03. > :25:07.APPLAUSE His heart may have skipped a beat

:25:08. > :25:19.when it rattled in the doors of the pocket. -- jaws. Wellcome he tried

:25:20. > :25:27.to make sure. A little smile up to the commentary box. He knew that was

:25:28. > :25:33.probably it, and he cannot afford to miss those. He obviously thought he

:25:34. > :25:47.did all the hard work getting the difficult last red and forgot about

:25:48. > :25:54.the black. This looks a good line. Looks a very good line. Cook

:25:55. > :25:59.APPLAUSE Just a gap between blue and brown.

:26:00. > :26:07.If there is not a gap, it is not straightforward. He will be

:26:08. > :26:15.absolutely kicking himself. Maybe there isn't a gap. Maybe he has two

:26:16. > :26:31.play-off two cushions or one cushion, just a slight swerve. Oh,

:26:32. > :26:43.well. Well, the referee can't colleague miss because the scorers

:26:44. > :26:49.are the same. -- cant call eight. You can't call a mess when your

:26:50. > :26:55.opponent needs a snooker. He was just questioning the referee and

:26:56. > :27:02.then realised. It is amazing, he played a foul shot there and he is

:27:03. > :27:23.actually better off. It is a little unfortunate there, to be honest.

:27:24. > :27:30.This is a bad shot. Hit that poorly. The only problem with this is that

:27:31. > :27:33.putting this yellow, the cue ball will be going towards the ground. If

:27:34. > :27:36.you misses the yellow committee may bring the brownie to play and there

:27:37. > :27:44.is a little bit of pressure on this. He needs to play this softly. Oh,

:27:45. > :27:49.very good putt. He managed to curate in lovely and missed the brown as

:27:50. > :28:01.well. A sigh of relief from Mark Selby. Because of that one shot, he

:28:02. > :28:06.can now get the black. That would really have hurt him, missing the

:28:07. > :28:10.black. He will feel pretty confident again.

:28:11. > :28:31.APPLAUSE Ding just deciding whether to

:28:32. > :28:43.concede. He has. It should have been more. Ms the black to make sure he

:28:44. > :28:46.got the frame. Yet another in a series of very big frames and that

:28:47. > :28:50.could have been all square in the match, but yet again, he has kept

:28:51. > :28:55.his nose in front, Mark Selby. Yes, and it looks for all the world like

:28:56. > :28:58.it was going to be Ding Junhui. He was going into the pack of reds and

:28:59. > :29:02.the trouble with trying to predict how the bowls are going to go and

:29:03. > :29:06.then split when you play the shot is amazing. So Ding pot the black and

:29:07. > :29:09.we see him going towards the reds and it looks like there is no danger

:29:10. > :29:14.and he will get a split open and they just conspire in a way to track

:29:15. > :29:19.each other and hard to say whether it is a mistake or it is just the

:29:20. > :29:24.way they go when you split them up sometimes they all bunched up around

:29:25. > :29:28.each other. John, when you're trying to take on an aggressive shot like

:29:29. > :29:33.that, you must trust a little bit to luck. You cannot control be spinning

:29:34. > :29:36.entirely, surely. No, I mean, he was trying to get slightly thicker

:29:37. > :29:39.contact on it but we are talking about millimetres and fractions here

:29:40. > :29:45.and the tube just carried on that little bit extra, but you can play a

:29:46. > :29:52.bad shot and it can be perfect. Sometimes luck plays a part. Assess

:29:53. > :29:55.where we are in this final now. We both be in finals. Describe what it

:29:56. > :30:01.is like when you have your nose in front and the other guy is coming

:30:02. > :30:07.back at you. It is marvellously poised. What Mark Selby will be

:30:08. > :30:13.delighted with is how he is responding. He has had to look over

:30:14. > :30:16.his shoulder for a long time in the game, six - zero in front. He has

:30:17. > :30:21.had to see the other guy come on strong and struggle a bit and now he

:30:22. > :30:25.has responded. Now they're both in the match, they're both on the right

:30:26. > :30:34.moment and anything can happen from now on as much as scoring. The pace.

:30:35. > :30:43.Over to the third session. Ding breaks off.

:30:44. > :30:53.Some interesting comments from former champions in the studio with

:30:54. > :31:01.Hazel. Steve Davis quite rightly said, he has had to look over his

:31:02. > :31:05.shoulder, Willie, Mark Selby. As this thing has got closer, he has

:31:06. > :31:10.responded like all great champions do.

:31:11. > :31:18.We have hacked -- we have had a lot of of close misses this year. This

:31:19. > :32:12.is his sixth 100 right now. He thought he could find a gap

:32:13. > :32:20.around the black and he will be very disappointed. He thought there was

:32:21. > :32:24.enough room as the black and back up for baulk. What is worse for Mark,

:32:25. > :32:32.that is not the best shot he has ever played. He wanted it to be

:32:33. > :32:39.another 12, 18 inches towards the blue so he could pot the black and

:32:40. > :32:47.get down to the reds. He did not seem to commit to the screw shot. He

:32:48. > :32:49.could have got on that a lot more. But that was just a very special

:32:50. > :33:04.shot. Under the circumstances, that was a

:33:05. > :33:06.fantastic shot. A lot of top spin, raging over the pack of reds and

:33:07. > :33:22.back down for this red. -- bridging. Obviously perfect to go into the

:33:23. > :33:28.pack. He may decide to place low with a little right-hand side. To

:33:29. > :33:33.get the two reds together. But normally, you would go to the pack

:33:34. > :33:43.from this shot. This is an option. He could play that shot or he could

:33:44. > :33:50.play into the bunch. He missed the cannon, he missed the black. If the

:33:51. > :34:04.pots the black, he can get the cannon.

:34:05. > :34:09.Sometimes, that can happen. You concentrate so much on making the

:34:10. > :34:14.cannon that you click a bit of side under the cue ball and that is why

:34:15. > :34:46.he has missed it. A let off, for Mark Selby.

:34:47. > :34:58.Considering he hit the hardball, it shows you how badly he misjudged

:34:59. > :35:02.that shot. If there's a gap between the pack of reds and this red over

:35:03. > :35:09.the corner pocket, that is quite incredible. The cue ball has

:35:10. > :35:18.travelled probably in excess of 25 feet and it has landed possibly in a

:35:19. > :35:35.place where the only place he could pot this red is through the pack. I

:35:36. > :35:40.was reluctant to say it, Mark Selby was very fortunate. He played the

:35:41. > :35:49.half ball to get in behind the yellow. Ding is entitled to be a

:35:50. > :36:09.little aggrieved. Surely not? Surely not? Oh! Mr

:36:10. > :36:34.Selby, you having a good run at the moment. -- you are having.

:36:35. > :36:42.He had to play that anti-platelet with a little bit of frustration.

:36:43. > :36:46.Just playing the slow plant here and remaining on the black and hopefully

:36:47. > :36:58.the red will make the black little bit easier.

:36:59. > :37:06.And after two of the worst shots he has played in this final so far, it

:37:07. > :37:48.has developed into a chance to score heavily.

:37:49. > :37:58.He has got the extender rest and he has to use the full extent of his

:37:59. > :38:04.extension here! It is almost like you are going fishing with this type

:38:05. > :38:14.of stuff, it is as long as a fishing rod! He's over six foot and he might

:38:15. > :38:20.need another extension on less! -- on this. Just as well he's over six

:38:21. > :38:27.foot, and would need is that played to play Bishop! Because he's dead

:38:28. > :38:33.straight, he has to screw it back -- to play this shot. It is so

:38:34. > :38:37.difficult to screw back with the extension on your cue and it is not

:38:38. > :38:39.beyond the realms of possibility you can missed this. He has to be very,

:38:40. > :38:58.very careful. APPLAUSE.

:38:59. > :39:01.Years ago, we used to play on the long rest and they would be wobbling

:39:02. > :39:06.all over the eyes playing that kind of shot! It was terrible! -- all

:39:07. > :39:22.over the place. He has got to concentrate now.

:39:23. > :39:29.Trying to make one of those cannons, just to hold the cue ball here. He

:39:30. > :39:38.did not play it well. Again. And he has lost position.

:39:39. > :39:44.He just seems to have lost his way in bit. He knows it cannot be any

:39:45. > :39:49.worse than novel going into tonight's session, he's thinking,

:39:50. > :39:54.just when one of the next two frames. Very precarious the way he

:39:55. > :40:06.has played one or two shots in this frame.

:40:07. > :40:36.He has to take a lead into the final session.

:40:37. > :40:46.APPLAUSE. Good cue ball. You can just about

:40:47. > :41:08.see enough of this red into the right corner pocket.

:41:09. > :41:28.He has got the blue. Not quite sure whether he's going to take on this

:41:29. > :41:37.red. He could try and screw it in but the odds stacked against potting

:41:38. > :41:44.that red. I don't think you can reach it. He may have to use the

:41:45. > :41:48.rest. That makes it more difficult. Maybe better to play a good safety

:41:49. > :41:54.and getting the cue ball down the right-hand side of the table.

:41:55. > :42:02.Somewhere behind the if possible. -- the green.

:42:03. > :42:10.As long as he covers down the left-hand side of the table, as we

:42:11. > :42:25.look, and I think he has done that. He cannot hit an outside edge of the

:42:26. > :42:44.red, to the left of the pink. He has got to be careful of the red

:42:45. > :42:48.closest to the top cushion and to the one close to the right-hand side

:42:49. > :43:07.of the cushion. That is why he's taking his time on this shot.

:43:08. > :43:12.He got the cannon right but he misjudged the pace of the red coming

:43:13. > :43:20.back to this end of the table and the red is pottable if he takes it

:43:21. > :43:22.on. He has got the perfect cue ball but he just caught the red too thick

:43:23. > :43:51.and it came back down. That is hitting the near jaw. That

:43:52. > :43:57.was not easy at all. When they roll very, very slow like this, you aim

:43:58. > :44:02.for the far jaw in case it hits the jaw and it comes back, so you always

:44:03. > :44:22.favour middle of the pocket or near jaw with that kind of shot.

:44:23. > :44:36.APPLAUSE. By his reaction, I'm not quite sure,

:44:37. > :44:40.I don't think he played that. He did have a look at that red to see

:44:41. > :44:48.whether it would go towards that corner pocket.

:44:49. > :44:54.Do you think you may play that? I will give him the benefit of the

:44:55. > :44:59.doubt because he did go round to look at whether it would pass

:45:00. > :45:06.between black and red. He's almost thinking, please kiss the blue. It

:45:07. > :45:11.is a shot most people play, that kind of shot. Maybe his reaction was

:45:12. > :45:19.that he did not get a kiss on the brown or the blue or the yellow. And

:45:20. > :45:24.rather than... If it has been a fluke, I'm sure he would have put

:45:25. > :45:32.his hand up, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt on that. Does

:45:33. > :45:40.the middle red have that little cluster of seven pot? He's looking

:45:41. > :45:45.at this now, it's certainly pots from the left-hand jaw and he cannot

:45:46. > :45:47.get onto the black. The pink is available now. As you can see, only

:45:48. > :46:11.the left-hand jaw is available. Very, very good. Another chance now.

:46:12. > :46:16.Another chance to score quite heavily, so that is a very good

:46:17. > :46:26.position. A series of little stun shots. The way he has played that

:46:27. > :46:30.tells us... The pink goes on to the blue spot. What a chance this is for

:46:31. > :46:48.13-10. He would like to get that red just

:46:49. > :46:54.to the right of the black, just try and get that out of the way to make

:46:55. > :47:10.the black available in the baulk corner pockets.

:47:11. > :47:19.He could have played that a little bit better, but he's all right. He

:47:20. > :47:27.has a red, not sure if he can hold for the pink here. If not, a baulk

:47:28. > :47:34.colour after this red. Just about held it for the pink, he played

:47:35. > :47:41.nicely. He has got a nice angle to go into the three reds around the

:47:42. > :47:53.pink spot, if he wishes. He does not have too, a couple of reds into the

:47:54. > :47:56.right corner pocket. Yes, it is a huge frame in the context of the

:47:57. > :48:01.match and if he wins this frame, he takes the lead into the final

:48:02. > :48:06.session. How big a red will it be? Will he get past 68? That is his

:48:07. > :48:17.target. Another 25 points needed to make this frame safe.

:48:18. > :48:26.His shoulder strap with disappointment that he has not got

:48:27. > :48:43.the right side of the pink -- drop. The dreaded blue line.

:48:44. > :48:52.Not bad at position, this, the just screws that a couple of inches past

:48:53. > :48:57.the corner pocket. Not as far as the white. He can play this one quite

:48:58. > :49:07.confidently but he has to get top side of the pink.

:49:08. > :49:51.I thought that was in, to be honest, and so did Mark.

:49:52. > :50:01.Well, he was trying to pot the red and he judged the cannon on the red,

:50:02. > :50:10.on the top cushion. Just the fact that he had to make that cannon made

:50:11. > :50:17.that pot more difficult. And he has been gifted a chance now on Mark

:50:18. > :50:33.Selby to win the frame. That was a lot of, for Mark. -- a let off.

:50:34. > :50:42.I did not expect him to miss that one. No, I did not. I was worried

:50:43. > :50:46.about the cannon. He was trying to misses the cannon and he just caught

:50:47. > :50:49.it to them. Just make sure you finish high on this next red. -- too

:50:50. > :51:04.thin. I think the bottom red of the two

:51:05. > :51:12.touching will pot into the same as this red, so he does not have to

:51:13. > :51:17.play the cannon into the three reds. He just needs one more red. To take

:51:18. > :51:30.a three frame lead. And he played that one nicely. 57

:51:31. > :51:57.ahead, just this red. This is impressive stuff from Mark

:51:58. > :52:03.Selby. Every time the question has been asked, he has answered. He has

:52:04. > :52:08.had to win this frame with a couple of visits, but he has showed a lot

:52:09. > :52:14.of character and a lot of resolve out there. Ding has been pushing him

:52:15. > :52:21.all the way and he keeps responding. When you consider he had two

:52:22. > :52:26.outrageous bets of play. A terrible safety shot, but he left another 480

:52:27. > :52:39.macro and he thought he could get through the gap. De he left another

:52:40. > :52:43.four Junhui. It is swing and roundabouts and Ding had his chance

:52:44. > :52:55.and he missed the red so he should not have any complaints. A very

:52:56. > :53:01.important couple of frames now. Especially for Ding Junhui. Going

:53:02. > :53:07.into the night's session, he wants to be as close to Mark Selby as

:53:08. > :53:11.possible. Last night, he got right back into the match and you thought

:53:12. > :53:16.if he could win one of the last two frames... He lost them both, now he

:53:17. > :53:40.has to win them both to stay close to Mark Selby.

:53:41. > :53:46.Stopped in his tracks as he was walking around the table! A bit of

:53:47. > :54:48.bounce off that outside cushion. Well, he had a couple of attempts,

:54:49. > :54:52.but more importantly for Mark Selby, he gets another frame on the board

:54:53. > :54:56.and he now leads Ding Junhui by 13-10.

:54:57. > :55:03.The gap is back to what it was overnight, Ding Junhui within one

:55:04. > :55:07.frame and now he has a lot to do. What do you sense about this young

:55:08. > :55:13.man from China now? That cannon that went wrong has turned this match on

:55:14. > :55:17.its head. He had them are meant to go 11-11, it looked as

:55:18. > :55:22.straightforward cannon, it just went wrong. From there, it has not gone

:55:23. > :55:25.his way. Mark Selby has had two outrageous pieces of fortune and he

:55:26. > :55:31.could have left him better chances. Ding missed one later but when meant

:55:32. > :55:36.was with him, that cannon has changed the match. Dispiriting? Yes,

:55:37. > :55:42.he will fight all the way. Snooker is a game of the turn of a fact --

:55:43. > :55:46.the turn of a ball all over the place. You could make a case for

:55:47. > :55:50.golf, so many things, they are just fractions and you could look back

:55:51. > :55:53.during a match and go, that was a turning point. What if it was a

:55:54. > :55:59.turning point, that would not have happened. That did not matter, that

:56:00. > :56:04.was a turning point. And keep going. We analyse it to pieces but

:56:05. > :56:08.generally, Mark is just in front all the time and Ding is playing

:56:09. > :56:14.catch-up, doing a job, but how does he overhaul him? Good question. It

:56:15. > :56:19.has been a test of character, 6-0 down in the final is not great, he

:56:20. > :56:24.has got back into it. These next two frames, if he loses both, this final

:56:25. > :56:28.is done and he will not give Mark Selby a five frame lead. He has to

:56:29. > :56:34.win one, two is fantastic, but he definitely has to win one. He has

:56:35. > :56:39.climbed the mountain at least once from 6-0 to get back in, very frames

:56:40. > :56:44.down overnight and he got within one again. And now he has got it all to

:56:45. > :56:50.do again, three frames behind in the penultimate frame of this session.

:56:51. > :56:55.I cannot agree with John Parrott more. Ding has to win at least one

:56:56. > :57:23.of these remaining two frames. APPLAUSE. Wonderful. He perhaps

:57:24. > :57:32.could have won both frames. That was a fabulous pot. Yes, I liked the way

:57:33. > :57:37.he played it. Look at where the finished, in the middle of the

:57:38. > :57:42.table. He was not playing the shot. He fully committed to the shot. And

:57:43. > :57:58.he has left himself nicely on this blue.

:57:59. > :58:05.The red directly above the black pot, in the right-hand corner

:58:06. > :58:25.pocket. Now he has got a wonderful angle and

:58:26. > :58:31.he's blessed with a lot of cue power. He will still be on this red

:58:32. > :58:40.to the right of the black. That is a lovely shot. Beautifully controlled.

:58:41. > :58:43.The red was at the edge of the black, just to slow the cue ball

:58:44. > :58:49.down, he could not have played it better. Yes, I totally agree. I

:58:50. > :58:56.think he needs to win at least one of these just to keep within sight

:58:57. > :59:02.of Mark. If he can win these last two frames, he's beautifully poised

:59:03. > :59:08.for this evening's session. He must win at least one of these. I think

:59:09. > :59:13.John Parrott said in the studio if Ding were to lose these two frames,

:59:14. > :59:20.15-10 behind going into the final session, difficult to see him coming

:59:21. > :59:45.back from that. Such massive frames, these are, for Ding.

:59:46. > :59:53.It will certainly take some bottle to get a frame-winning break from

:59:54. > :00:17.here, but the balls are nice. A break of 103 in frame 21 but since

:00:18. > :00:20.then, his highest contribution has been just over 30. He has to take

:00:21. > :01:23.the pressure off himself. Played on two reds there. These two

:01:24. > :01:24.reds that are closest together, the bottom pots into the right-hand

:01:25. > :01:50.corner pocket. A bit straighter on the black and he

:01:51. > :01:56.would have liked. There is a loose red close to his arm, that will be

:01:57. > :02:06.his next choice. He's on it nicely. He's going to need one good cannon

:02:07. > :02:09.after this red from the black into Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu,

:02:10. > :02:13.possibly, if he's going to win the frame on this visit -- into the

:02:14. > :02:25.reds. 61 points, that would leave his

:02:26. > :02:28.opponent needing a Snooker. So, pot the red, but he must finish with a

:02:29. > :02:46.nice angle on the black. Oh, dear. The cue ball has gone too

:02:47. > :02:50.far to make it an easy shot. If he plays it as a plain ball, he will

:02:51. > :02:55.kiss the outside red but he wanted to be a lot straighter on the black

:02:56. > :03:03.than this. He can kiss the outside red but he can't push it towards the

:03:04. > :03:16.pocket. He has to kiss the second red yeah. -- here. He deserves

:03:17. > :03:17.something. Not straightforward. The previous red was the poor shot, not

:03:18. > :03:40.the black. He was hoping to push the red to the

:03:41. > :03:41.middle. It just pushed past. Looking for the plant. Surely that's too

:03:42. > :04:09.dangerous. Maybe he's looking at the plant, but

:04:10. > :04:15.it's too risky and this stage, too much of a gap between the reds. He

:04:16. > :04:21.would like to brush off these reds, cannon black the top cushion and put

:04:22. > :04:27.it in a safe position. He also has to be aware that he may leave a red.

:04:28. > :04:34.That's not too bad. Clever little shot, wasn't it? Trying to get the

:04:35. > :04:38.ball tight to the cushion. I thought, if he hit it full in the

:04:39. > :04:49.face, would he leave the pot in the middle? Excellent shot. He made the

:04:50. > :04:56.52 break, I thought it was back in the second frame, and Mark Selby won

:04:57. > :05:06.the frame with a Snooker. This 52 break will hopefully win the frame.

:05:07. > :05:10.This is a possibility, off the red, the reds into the paint and tried to

:05:11. > :05:18.get the cue ball behind the black. Now, where is the cue ball? It needs

:05:19. > :05:25.to run a little bit. Not bad. OK, it didn't go behind the black, but it

:05:26. > :05:29.is tight enough to the top cushion that it makes it really very

:05:30. > :05:39.difficult for Ding Junhui to get back. The fact that the red has gone

:05:40. > :05:48.over to the white centre, a couple of reds to the left-centre, can't

:05:49. > :05:54.leave the cue ball down the baulk area, so it may force him to take on

:05:55. > :06:04.the pot. Extremely difficult position, he's in here.

:06:05. > :06:14.What do you think, Willie, will he take the pot to the left-centre?

:06:15. > :06:21.Very difficult. I can't see any area at the baulk end because there is a

:06:22. > :06:26.red on the left-hand side and one on the right-hand side so he will have

:06:27. > :06:27.to take the pot. He would do well to cover both of the reds to the middle

:06:28. > :06:55.pockets. Just one red, if he campaigned the

:06:56. > :06:59.shot, not it towards the table and leave the cue ball on the left-hand

:07:00. > :07:06.side of the cushion. He would be covering the reds below the pink and

:07:07. > :07:15.Mark Selby won't be able to pot the red from the left, from the right

:07:16. > :07:20.centre. Whatever the equation, he's in big trouble here. He has a 52

:07:21. > :07:30.point lead but that could go very quickly.

:07:31. > :07:38.Don't like this shot, surely he has left this red on. His body language

:07:39. > :07:50.and the wry smile tells me he has all stop -- he has. Mark Selby

:07:51. > :07:55.thinks it's a bit tight. If he hasn't left the straighter red to

:07:56. > :08:00.the left-centre, certainly the outside one, just to the left of

:08:01. > :08:05.that. Straight one that Mark Selby looked at, but this one certainly

:08:06. > :08:10.pots, if he can stay on the pink to the right centre. Not so much

:08:11. > :08:19.pressure on the pot because he certainly won't believe in a red. He

:08:20. > :08:24.can play this quite comfortably, he can have the pink to the right

:08:25. > :08:33.centre. The playing time is just over the ten hour mark. You'd expect

:08:34. > :08:44.him to pot this. Yes, the heart of the pocket and he's on the pink.

:08:45. > :08:50.Excellent shot. I mentioned earlier on in commentary, the break of 50 he

:08:51. > :08:58.had earlier in the second frame. That got his mindset. Oh, that's

:08:59. > :09:06.kicked, by an absolute mile. That absolutely went sideways. Very

:09:07. > :09:10.unlike Mark Selby to show emotion but he's entitled to be annoyed with

:09:11. > :09:13.this one, look at the pink, going straight on. Incredible kick. That

:09:14. > :09:35.is so frustrating. He nearly missed that! He has just

:09:36. > :09:38.come past the baulk line to make this almost a certainty to win the

:09:39. > :09:42.frame, but that was very frustrating for a smoother player, especially

:09:43. > :09:48.how he carved out the opportunity for himself, and the importance of

:09:49. > :10:10.the frame, of course, which was at his mercy.

:10:11. > :10:18.Certainly doesn't get the cue ball cleanly as much as Ding Junhui, Mark

:10:19. > :10:27.Selby. You wonder, playing those kind of shots, something he could

:10:28. > :10:34.consider. He had it cleaned after a kick himself. 62 points in front.

:10:35. > :10:49.Mark Selby needed a Snooker. Acknowledgement from the crowd,

:10:50. > :10:57.frame ball. The lands were talking in the studio about how matches can

:10:58. > :10:59.change to and fro, sometimes an incident like that can change a

:11:00. > :11:19.match as well, Willie. 68 ahead, 59 remaining. Sometimes a

:11:20. > :11:25.player, a shot like that, a kick like that can stay with a player. He

:11:26. > :11:29.knew that was a chance to clear, even though he was 52 behind. I

:11:30. > :11:39.wonder if he's going to carry on now. Plenty of reds on.

:11:40. > :11:47.And the frame. So he concedes, Ding Junhui with that 52 break, he could

:11:48. > :11:52.have been an more but he gets the second bite of the Cherry and he

:11:53. > :11:56.closes to within two. STUDIO: They say that luck evens itself out and

:11:57. > :12:00.this time, Mark Selby is the aggrieved party. He played a

:12:01. > :12:06.fabulous shot to get the cue ball up, look at the shot he played. He

:12:07. > :12:10.hit it so well. OK, not right behind the black but look where the cue

:12:11. > :12:13.ball finishes. The way the table is, I was looking at it and thinking,

:12:14. > :12:19.that's trouble because I couldn't see an avenue to get away from it.

:12:20. > :12:23.He gets his opportunity, he comes in, the balls are at his mercy and

:12:24. > :12:29.he gets the dreaded kick. He might have had good fortune at the start

:12:30. > :12:33.of the frame, and it's not often you see him losing his temper. For all

:12:34. > :12:38.of the skill involved in the game, we are at the vagaries of physics

:12:39. > :12:41.and when you get a bit more grip between the two balls, whether it is

:12:42. > :12:47.chalk, sometimes the balls are very dry in the heat of the atmosphere

:12:48. > :12:52.and the tables, if they get too dry, they seem to grip more than at a

:12:53. > :12:59.Snooker club and you get a bit of extra friction, the cue ball riding

:13:00. > :13:04.up the red, it can pull the red into the air, destroying the angle of the

:13:05. > :13:10.pot. And it destroys your confidence, it is really

:13:11. > :13:20.frustrating. Some this up? One word, massive. COMMENTATOR: I don't know

:13:21. > :13:27.if our viewers saw Mark Selby as he sat in the chair. His head was still

:13:28. > :13:33.shaking, still reeling from the kick on the pink. I hope it doesn't

:13:34. > :13:45.affect him. He has to get it out of his mind very quickly. This is a

:13:46. > :13:54.massive frame for both players. Yes, one or three, that's the scenario

:13:55. > :14:02.here. Odds on to win the World Championship, if he wins it but if

:14:03. > :15:17.he loses it, it rose between them. -- it goes.

:15:18. > :15:30.The two reds touching up the front, by the reds he's looking to play the

:15:31. > :15:35.safety off. He dare not risk leaving Mark Selby a foot away from the

:15:36. > :15:41.cushion because he can pay one of the reds down the right-hand side.

:15:42. > :15:45.-- he can play. He can't afford to leave the cue ball more than three

:15:46. > :15:46.or four inches away from the cushion. This is perfect, very good

:15:47. > :16:06.shot. This is what Mark can see. Couldn't

:16:07. > :16:09.have played it much better. Excellent shot. A bit of trouble

:16:10. > :16:31.here. This could take a bit of time,

:16:32. > :16:37.working this one out. He doesn't have the angle to come off the

:16:38. > :16:44.right-hand side cushion, to land on the reds. It must be a tough one,

:16:45. > :16:57.you haven't got a line up yet! The one that is next to the pink, he

:16:58. > :17:00.can play two cushions and try and hit it half ball, but if he gets it

:17:01. > :17:06.any thicker than that he will stick them all over the place. He has two

:17:07. > :17:20.cushions to try and hit it half ball. If he catches it too Dick, it

:17:21. > :17:27.could be the frame. Two thick -- too thick. That's beautiful picture. The

:17:28. > :17:33.back of the auditorium, right down to the table, wonderful camera

:17:34. > :17:41.angle. A eye view. This is very dangerous.

:17:42. > :18:20.Ooh! Foul, and a Miz. That was quarter of an inch away. -- a miss.

:18:21. > :18:30.Yes, similar shot. He has to be so precise with this. He has to just

:18:31. > :18:39.kept the outside of the red and get the pace on its good -- on it to get

:18:40. > :18:42.the cue more back to the baulk end. -- the cue ball. That's the best it

:18:43. > :18:50.could have hoped for, excellent shot. -- he could have hoped for. He

:18:51. > :18:56.may have forced Ding to take one on here. Doesn't look like he's getting

:18:57. > :19:23.down to play the pot. Just a safety. If Mark Selby plays this down the

:19:24. > :19:29.right-hand side, he has to watch the red just to the side of the one he's

:19:30. > :19:34.going to pot. There is a circle on the red, the one that I'm talking

:19:35. > :19:38.about. On the way back down he may just kissed the red that's about it,

:19:39. > :19:42.so he may need to play it with a bit of side. There may be one that he

:19:43. > :19:56.feels is better. -- kiss the red that's about it --

:19:57. > :20:10.above it. That was a wonderful pot from Mark

:20:11. > :20:35.Selby. Nice kiss on the red. Yes, two good pots. That one had

:20:36. > :20:44.slightly more pressure, he didn't play the kiss, he played the shops

:20:45. > :20:48.to nothing, now he has the chance to build a frame, although the colours

:20:49. > :20:57.are not perfect cars the shot to nothing. -- the shops to nothing.

:20:58. > :21:37.He is entitled to feel the pressure now.

:21:38. > :21:44.He judged that nicely off the right-hand side cushion.

:21:45. > :21:52.Concentrating on the pink because it will go to the left and right corner

:21:53. > :21:56.pockets. You could see the two reds just below the red closest to the

:21:57. > :22:03.pink spot, both of them will go to the bottom right-hand corner. There,

:22:04. > :22:09.you see. Five pinks without having to hit any cannons, won't even be

:22:10. > :22:26.contemplating getting on the black at this stage.

:22:27. > :22:36.He campaigned for the choice of three reds, those two together or

:22:37. > :23:03.the one just above them. Playing for the pink to the left

:23:04. > :23:14.centre. The next red will be the one just below the pink.

:23:15. > :23:21.In his remarkable career, he has potted a lot of pressure shots, but

:23:22. > :23:25.the first red and blue were right out of the top drawer to give

:23:26. > :23:33.himself an opportunity to take the three frame lead. He lost the first

:23:34. > :23:37.session. He was keen to at least share this second session but he has

:23:38. > :23:43.actually won it. If you go back to the start of the frame, Ding played

:23:44. > :23:48.the wonderful safety shot and he had Mark Selby in a lot of trouble and

:23:49. > :23:56.he found a wonderful escape off the second attempt. From being in that

:23:57. > :24:02.position, to getting himself in this position now to try and win the

:24:03. > :24:06.frame. Not quite perfect on the red, he may have to play it with some

:24:07. > :24:10.right-hand side, to drift past these four reds. There is the side, not

:24:11. > :24:34.quite enough. He can play on the choice of two

:24:35. > :24:37.reds here. The red closest to the pink, almost directly below it, and

:24:38. > :24:57.also the one that's on the left-hand side of the table.

:24:58. > :25:05.He is reluctant to play the red just below the pink because he will have

:25:06. > :25:11.to judge the cannon off the three reds just to the left of it. He'll

:25:12. > :25:47.have to use the little extension on the end of his cue.

:25:48. > :25:54.Looks like he's decided to play for the red at the baulk end because he

:25:55. > :26:04.can't get perfectly on the red by the side cushion.

:26:05. > :26:17.He could've done with that a bit harder. Probably playing for the red

:26:18. > :26:23.or the Green now. 51 in front, three more reds and three more colours, to

:26:24. > :26:37.go into the final session with a three frame lead. He is getting the

:26:38. > :26:46.cue ball clean this time. -- cleaned. He doesn't want a kiss on

:26:47. > :26:53.the red. He can only hope that he can get back to the table. It's not

:26:54. > :26:58.looking good. He's going to drop in the red almost dead weight, doesn't

:26:59. > :27:14.have to do anything with the cue ball. Ooh! Well...

:27:15. > :27:29.Didn't see that one coming. He's looking at it on the television

:27:30. > :27:44.screens, wondering whether it rolled off, I couldn't detect that. No, it

:27:45. > :27:54.kept perfectly true. To be ultra-critical, it was the previous

:27:55. > :28:01.red that was the pro shop, as was that shot from Ding. -- that was the

:28:02. > :28:11.poor shot. Looking at the left-hand corner pockets. -- pocket. No, he's

:28:12. > :28:21.on nothing here. Hasn't played that well at all. If the bottom red of

:28:22. > :28:25.the three doesn't pot, I don't know what he will play for. Very unlike

:28:26. > :28:41.him, with position. I suppose he could have tried to

:28:42. > :28:47.check it and go across the face of the red to go to the corner pockets

:28:48. > :28:53.but whichever way he played it, the tension got to him and he didn't get

:28:54. > :28:58.to the cue ball enough. Reluctant to push a red towards the side cushion

:28:59. > :29:26.because he is 44 behind. Looking to play behind the yellow and brown.

:29:27. > :29:36.He has underhit it by a proverbial mile. He has played some excellent

:29:37. > :30:23.safety is this afternoon, but that wasn't one of them. -- safeties.

:30:24. > :30:32.I do not see the value of playing the pot in some ways. If you could

:30:33. > :30:36.guarantee to get the black safe, I think that is what he would do.

:30:37. > :30:41.There's no point taking the black. Just for those seven points. It

:30:42. > :30:50.might be more prudent to put the brown or yellow safe. You could try

:30:51. > :31:00.to get the black safe and get the cue ball up behind yellow and brown.

:31:01. > :31:03.But he has a 45 point lead. My blog the bad idea to play the brown and

:31:04. > :31:09.try to hide the cue ball behind the yellow. Put brown on the left-hand

:31:10. > :31:26.side cushion. But having a look at the black. He has played the pot.

:31:27. > :31:49.Not sure if that was the correct choice, we will know in a minute.

:31:50. > :32:05.He is eyeing up the pot and this is a brave shot to take on. Back then

:32:06. > :32:16.the back of the black. Tremendous shot!

:32:17. > :32:20.Just a bit short. Could have done with another few inches with that

:32:21. > :32:21.cue ball. Just needs the black to put himself 60 points ahead with 59

:32:22. > :32:37.remaining. We're looking at miracles but Mark

:32:38. > :32:42.Selby has noticed the line of the black will kiss both of the reds and

:32:43. > :32:51.there's a slight chance cue ball could go close to the middle pocket.

:32:52. > :33:00.So he has got to be very careful. The black has gone in.

:33:01. > :33:12.Well worked out. He has come up with a couple of

:33:13. > :33:34.great reds. This looks pretty good as well. This

:33:35. > :34:08.is really good. Much better snooker from Mark Selby.

:34:09. > :34:26.He could push the pink to decide cushion. -- the side cushion.

:34:27. > :34:37.Trying to push the pink safe and get the cue ball behind the brown and

:34:38. > :34:57.yellow. Just a little bit thick. Nice flick.

:34:58. > :35:05.Oh, dear. He needs the green to come to his rescue and it has not. A

:35:06. > :35:19.possible concession. It is a concession! That is amazing. He is

:35:20. > :35:25.very happy about that. He leads now 14-11.

:35:26. > :35:28.The difference with three frames coming into the session this

:35:29. > :35:31.afternoon and remains three frames. Mark Selby knows that he needs just

:35:32. > :35:37.four more to become the 13th multiple world champion that this

:35:38. > :35:43.sport has produced. Quite a target for him and he looked so determined.

:35:44. > :35:46.He has been run it for much of the match and this man is just so tough

:35:47. > :35:52.to beat. He knows how to win, as simple as that. He is an animal on

:35:53. > :35:59.the table. He was in a situation, Ken and everyone in the studio, we

:36:00. > :36:02.thought he had to put brown said on the side cushion, he went for the

:36:03. > :36:09.black and white for a risky red, he took that framed by the scruff of

:36:10. > :36:14.the neck. For all the frames where he is granite, he can also attack

:36:15. > :36:24.when needed. That is his skill. A couple of red and long pots on the

:36:25. > :36:28.reds. When he needs it the most. When it is like this in the heat of

:36:29. > :36:32.battle, he can find it from somewhere. It is a phenomenal talent

:36:33. > :36:39.and that is why he is world number one. And Martina Navratilova is

:36:40. > :36:43.watching, speaking of champions, she just said, he plays like Novak

:36:44. > :36:48.Djokovic, precise and methodical. Never letting you off the hook. She

:36:49. > :36:56.is so right. And that about sums it up. And for Ding he has got to try

:36:57. > :37:01.to win the next session 7-3, a tall order considering what we have seen.

:37:02. > :37:06.But it is possible one frame at a time. From what you have seen, do

:37:07. > :37:10.you think he was wilting under the constant pressure towards the end? I

:37:11. > :37:14.think just getting a bit sick, every time he looks like getting close to

:37:15. > :37:19.him something happens. His attitude has been brilliant but he must be

:37:20. > :37:24.getting second because it looks like he's nearly there and then Mark

:37:25. > :37:31.Selby finds a couple of frames from somewhere. What is it like for these

:37:32. > :37:35.guys coming out, the final session, after 17 days of play. Like another

:37:36. > :37:39.day in the office to some degree other than it is the most important

:37:40. > :37:44.session of your career. For Ding he knows how he would love to win for

:37:45. > :37:47.the whole of China but he has just got to stay in the moment all the

:37:48. > :37:52.time. He's up against a rock of player. And do the emotion start to

:37:53. > :37:57.run more freely, do you have to try and keep them in check? I think

:37:58. > :38:01.those have been doing a good job all the way through. It is a big ask for

:38:02. > :38:07.Ding to win tonight, but he can do it. Mark Selby needs four more to

:38:08. > :38:11.become world champion once again. I hope you will join us tonight, it is

:38:12. > :38:16.bank holiday Monday evening, made for snooker at the Crucible. We're

:38:17. > :38:20.coming towards the conclusion of our 17 date snooker marathon and I hope

:38:21. > :38:24.you have enjoyed it so far. Another intriguing chapter to come tonight,

:38:25. > :38:29.we will be on air from seven o'clock this evening, ready for one final

:38:30. > :38:35.push. Hope you will be with us. Goodbye for now.