:00:45. > :00:57.Mark Selby will be over the moon. The world number one is the UK
:00:58. > :01:07.champion. He wins the World Championship for
:01:08. > :01:13.the very first time. Good evening. Where amongst friends
:01:14. > :01:17.this evening, amongst 800 Saturday night theatre-goers in Sheffield and
:01:18. > :01:21.we are waiting for a performance that will see the fourth man through
:01:22. > :01:25.to the quarterfinals in the bet Fred World Championships this year. The
:01:26. > :01:29.world number one Mark Selby is very much hoping it will be him and he is
:01:30. > :01:34.in command of his match against qualifier Sam Baird so far. The
:01:35. > :01:38.final session to come this evening and we will share some of that with
:01:39. > :01:47.you. It has been a busy and eventful day here in the Crucible Theatre in
:01:48. > :01:51.Sheffield and also a successful one for the fortysomethings of snooker.
:01:52. > :01:55.By 45 the oldest man in the draw, Alan McManus, has fallen behind
:01:56. > :02:00.against Ali Carter. The man struggled for table positions. Ali
:02:01. > :02:06.Carter went behind after a miscue on the black. But the English man, a
:02:07. > :02:10.tenacious character on and off the table, made a century to state in
:02:11. > :02:19.the match. But in the next frame it was the
:02:20. > :02:23.canny 45-year-old who would prevail and books his fifth quarterfinal
:02:24. > :02:28.appearance in 25 years. Conditions are difficult out there.
:02:29. > :02:34.Some of the pics that we both had and the bouncing, it became really
:02:35. > :02:43.tough. -- kicks. It is difficult to explain. The cue ball just finishes
:02:44. > :02:51.where it should not. Meanwhile we had this big bounce against Mark
:02:52. > :02:55.Williams. Not happy. And later a brilliant shot helped Mark Williams
:02:56. > :03:04.take a lead at the start of the third session. After a re-rack, and
:03:05. > :03:09.apply with a brilliant opening red to take the next couple of friends.
:03:10. > :03:15.But it was not enough and Mark held on to win the match 13 frames to
:03:16. > :03:24.eight and into a seventh quarterfinal.
:03:25. > :03:31.Quite good except for the first session. I was pretty poor. I had a
:03:32. > :03:42.miracle to get out for- four. It could've been 6-2, 7-1. Rather than
:03:43. > :03:46.get frustrated you just have to have a laugh and that is what I tried to
:03:47. > :03:51.do. Some of the stuff going on there today was laughable. The other piece
:03:52. > :03:55.of news from this afternoon, Ronnie O'Sullivan made two centuries and
:03:56. > :04:01.still find himself 5-3 behind to Barry Hawkins who seem to enjoy his
:04:02. > :04:04.37th birthday out there. He made a century of his own an incredibly it
:04:05. > :04:09.is the first time that he is glad the Rocket by two friends in a match
:04:10. > :04:12.for fully 14 years. Stephen Hendry, strange times indeed and troubling
:04:13. > :04:17.times in some respects because table one is just not behaving itself.
:04:18. > :04:26.What is the problem and what can be done. A bonfire springs to mind! It
:04:27. > :04:28.is shocking, really. The finger has got to be pointed at the
:04:29. > :04:34.manufacturer, to not have good tables here is a scalpel. In terms
:04:35. > :04:39.of what is being done, a lot is being done. World Snooker are about
:04:40. > :04:43.to change the Russians on the table for a fourth time. They have changed
:04:44. > :04:46.the balls after every match. The players are told they are doing a
:04:47. > :04:51.lot but it does become a question of who's the best guess and that must
:04:52. > :04:55.be disconcerting. It is difficult when you're guessing. When the
:04:56. > :05:04.cushions are bouncing back all the time you are playing for those bad
:05:05. > :05:10.bounces and then you do not get one. It really saps your confidence and
:05:11. > :05:13.affects your cue action. I'm sure everything will be done to try to
:05:14. > :05:17.remedy the situation but in terms of the drama, plenty of it and the
:05:18. > :05:23.fortysomethings going well. I cannot praise them highly enough. I want to
:05:24. > :05:28.know what the secret is! But fantastic performance. Ali Carter
:05:29. > :05:35.lost the plot a bit, he let the table get to him more than Alan
:05:36. > :05:38.McManus but Alan McManus, fantastic. Mark Williams through as well and we
:05:39. > :05:49.will see who else will go through tonight. Mark is there with the
:05:50. > :05:54.world number one, Sam Baird. And very shortly Ricky Walden will be
:05:55. > :06:02.out there as well. It is always happy hour at seven o'clock for Rob
:06:03. > :06:05.Walker! It certainly is. Good evening ladies and gentlemen and
:06:06. > :06:09.welcome to the climax of date eight here at the World Snooker
:06:10. > :06:13.Championship full stop approaching the halfway stage of the tournament.
:06:14. > :06:21.Three players in the quarterfinals, let's find out who is next to join
:06:22. > :06:33.them in the last eight. APPLAUSE.
:06:34. > :06:36.Please welcome first of all three times ranking event winner who
:06:37. > :06:39.stormed to the semifinals here three years ago. He arrives in cracking
:06:40. > :06:44.form after making the players championship and China Open finals
:06:45. > :06:45.both within the last month. Poised and ready for a massive match
:06:46. > :07:11.tonight here comes Ricky Walden. And his opponent, one of the finest
:07:12. > :07:16.sportsmen in his country has ever produced. This is his 70th
:07:17. > :07:20.appearance in the second round here at the Crucible. Winner of three
:07:21. > :07:24.ranking event titles, last year alone. Four times champion of the
:07:25. > :07:42.world, the Wizard of Bush, John Higgins. -- of Wishaw.
:07:43. > :07:49.On table to please welcome a young man who has been lent in this, his
:07:50. > :07:53.first visit to the last 16 at the Crucible. A massive last frame
:07:54. > :07:58.earlier today has kept him in touch. This without doubt be the biggest
:07:59. > :08:05.win of his career so far. He has been so composed throughout. Can he
:08:06. > :08:27.keep it going, from Devon, he is Sam The Blade Berets. -- Baird.
:08:28. > :08:33.And his opponent, a man who never loses his cool under pressure. A
:08:34. > :08:37.winner here two years ago, bedding for a six Crucible quarterfinal, one
:08:38. > :08:40.of an elite group of players to have secured the triple Crown in snooker,
:08:41. > :09:01.he's the world number one, he is the gesture from Leicester, Mark Selby.
:09:02. > :09:05.-- Jester. And you can see that match on the
:09:06. > :09:12.red button or any device that gets you online. For the next hour or so
:09:13. > :09:24.we will be following the match between Sam Baird and Ricky Walden.
:09:25. > :09:34.Really looking forward to this final session.
:09:35. > :09:43.The second round match. It is Sam Baird and gets the 17th frame under
:09:44. > :09:47.way. The first 13, remember. There is the match time just coming up to
:09:48. > :10:04.four and three quarters hours of quality snooker.
:10:05. > :10:10.The average shot time is pretty good, the average frame time, I
:10:11. > :10:21.meant to say. And the pot success 90% above is what is required at
:10:22. > :10:33.this level and we have got that. A good line. And pretty decent
:10:34. > :10:38.length. Safety success, pretty good. Both have made century breaks. I saw
:10:39. > :10:41.Sam Baird for the first time I was watching the Welsh Open a couple of
:10:42. > :10:46.years ago and I thought where has he come from! I am impressed with his
:10:47. > :10:53.style of play. Good evening, John, good evening, everyone. I played Sam
:10:54. > :10:58.Baird a few times and he is a talented player, that is for sure. A
:10:59. > :11:07.good opening red from the world number one. He will be looking for a
:11:08. > :11:12.good start. He's certainly is the favourite coming into this match.
:11:13. > :11:19.Near couple of frames into the last session and you have got to hold
:11:20. > :11:24.your nerve. I think that this red above the black will go to the
:11:25. > :11:29.corner. Could lay for the red to the right of the black. -- play for.
:11:30. > :11:41.Someone forgot to switch their phone off.
:11:42. > :11:52.Mark is now a seasoned pro. Goes back to his seat, has a sip of water
:11:53. > :11:56.and starts again. This looks to be a good chance. He
:11:57. > :12:01.will have to play for the red. Just to the right of the black. He has
:12:02. > :12:14.got the angle to stand off the top cushion. This is a good chance now,
:12:15. > :12:25.Peter. Yes. Mark exhibiting close cue ball control as always.
:12:26. > :12:31.Phenomenal match player. A great ambassador for snooker. One of the
:12:32. > :12:39.hardest workers in the game if not the hardest worker. He gets
:12:40. > :12:47.everything that he deserves. A brilliant champion. And a really
:12:48. > :12:53.nice guy as well. Hard as nails when it comes to being
:12:54. > :13:00.a competitor, John! I remember a few years ago when he beat Ronnie
:13:01. > :13:02.O'Sullivan in the final of this championship. And Ronnie O'Sullivan
:13:03. > :13:11.threw everything at him. Ronnie played well. He stuck in there. And
:13:12. > :13:18.came out the winner. 70 points, if he gets to 70 points, would be the
:13:19. > :13:24.snookers required stage. A bit of work to do before he gets to that
:13:25. > :13:27.position. A couple of loose rents. One on the left-hand side of the
:13:28. > :13:43.table, one just separated from the main bunch. -- reds.
:13:44. > :13:54.He will have to disturb something. The pink is separated from the
:13:55. > :14:04.reds.. May consider leaving an angle on the black now. While he has got
:14:05. > :14:11.that loose red he could still be on the red in the open.
:14:12. > :14:18.So he will take this opportunity, you would think. That is not the red
:14:19. > :14:29.that he played to hit. He will settle for that! What a result!
:14:30. > :14:36.How frustrated must Sam Baird be feeling. Out of his chair. Just for
:14:37. > :14:51.a second or two. He thought he was on his way back to the table.
:14:52. > :15:01.You have got to be flexible to play a shot like this.
:15:02. > :15:08.I wonder if he does yoga! If I did that you would have to help me off
:15:09. > :15:13.the table! He played into a couple of reds and when he hit the single
:15:14. > :15:25.word he looked to be nothing and then the red appeared from nowhere.
:15:26. > :15:29.Into the cluster. This is a frame-winning opportunity now for
:15:30. > :15:36.sure. Could not have played it better. What a shot that was, the
:15:37. > :15:44.spin he got into the cue ball. Just phenomenal striking full stop --
:15:45. > :15:52.phenomenal striking. That really was incredible.
:15:53. > :15:56.So much spin, it spins again and again. It had three years! What a
:15:57. > :16:13.shot. -- years. Just the start that he was looking
:16:14. > :16:21.for. He might not have an angle on this loop, it would not matter, he
:16:22. > :16:25.has the red on the baulk end as insurance, but he will try to stay
:16:26. > :16:33.this end of the table. This is where you score heavy, red and pink and
:16:34. > :16:42.black. Just red a colour away from his opponent needing snookers. --
:16:43. > :16:47.red a colour. What has been impressive about this rake, the last
:16:48. > :16:52.ball that he potted, it was the first time that he has been more
:16:53. > :17:00.than 18 inches away. Incredible cue ball control. Good opening red. He
:17:01. > :17:05.did play a cannon, he was fortunate to be on the red, but sometimes you
:17:06. > :17:15.get a bit of luck and you have got to take advantage. That puts him 73
:17:16. > :17:22.points in front. 67 remaining. I thought Sam Baird played a half
:17:23. > :17:31.decent safety shot. But he did not get tight to the baulk cushion.
:17:32. > :17:41.Sam Baird, his safety shot was about three inches just short. It has cost
:17:42. > :17:47.him the frame. Played the cannon, just missed it.
:17:48. > :18:12.Always has that red in the baulk end.
:18:13. > :18:29.Already had 47 centuries. In the tournament. Just seven days in.
:18:30. > :18:42.86. Just a bit short. He might be able
:18:43. > :18:47.to play this red, get the kiss off the pink to come back to the black.
:18:48. > :19:12.It is there. On the black. That is his fourth century at this
:19:13. > :19:19.bet Fred World Championships. Only John Higgins and Marco Fu have made
:19:20. > :19:23.as many. Just the style he wanted. Same to his opponent, this is why I
:19:24. > :19:45.am world number one. -- saying too. Just an extra little bit of balance
:19:46. > :19:50.from the cushion he was not expect them. It will not affect the result
:19:51. > :20:12.of the frame. He is still on the green.
:20:13. > :20:19.Just trying to flick the pink away from the site cushion. Finished up
:20:20. > :20:33.with a nice angle on the blue just to come in behind that pink.
:20:34. > :20:42.Left-hand side. Natural to pop it in the middle and be on the black. This
:20:43. > :20:51.has been an exhibition of the highest quality. Superb from Mark
:20:52. > :20:59.Selby. Absolutely top drawer. Sam Baird played a safety shot and it
:21:00. > :21:04.was enough for Mark Selby to knock in a tremendous long red and clear
:21:05. > :21:09.up with a marvellous break of 134. 10-7. His third century of the match
:21:10. > :21:18.and he seems to be warming up beautifully. He has won four of the
:21:19. > :21:23.last frames. He is warming up. Looking very good, like a world
:21:24. > :21:28.number one. Excellent cueing. This shot, he's one of the best exponents
:21:29. > :21:33.of the screw shot in the game. Look at the length of his bridge.
:21:34. > :21:38.Excellent timing. Look at the power he gets on the cue ball. The cue
:21:39. > :21:44.ball keeps going. An example of it here, it goes for the first, a
:21:45. > :21:51.flight delay, just starting to speed up. Does not go through the reds but
:21:52. > :21:55.starting to pool to the right-hand side. And from that shot you detect
:21:56. > :22:00.that his confidence levels are increasing, to play that with such
:22:01. > :22:04.aplomb? He definitely seems to be coming into the frame, the first
:22:05. > :22:10.frame was important and as world number one you know that. Do you
:22:11. > :22:15.think that he had been ragged until this point? A little bit, he has not
:22:16. > :22:19.been match fit, he had couple of months off and missed the last
:22:20. > :22:24.couple of tournaments so perhaps having to play himself into a game,
:22:25. > :22:35.but starting to warm up nicely. Now three away from the finishing line.
:22:36. > :22:48.Mark will be feeling very good. Decent length.
:22:49. > :22:54.For Sam Baird the upside is he did nothing wrong in that first frame,
:22:55. > :22:59.nothing to reproach himself for. It is only when you're missing chances
:23:00. > :23:06.that it can affect you for the next frame.
:23:07. > :23:11.He has got a good line with this safety. And an excellent length.
:23:12. > :23:37.Well played. This is a tough safety shot that he
:23:38. > :23:48.is faced with. It needs to be very thin. It is not bad. There is a red
:23:49. > :23:55.available. To the left hand black pocket.
:23:56. > :24:03.You did the cue ball to be tight on the baulk cushion. It is one of
:24:04. > :24:13.those shots. The angle could be too thin for him to swing the cue ball
:24:14. > :24:20.round the back of the black. He played it with right-hand side just
:24:21. > :24:28.making the pot but more difficult. If you get it wrong, anything can
:24:29. > :24:33.happen. You get the red too thin. And that is why he hated almost half
:24:34. > :24:38.ball instead of quarter ball. Just looking to see what he has left. I
:24:39. > :24:43.think you left the red to the right corner. But with the cue ball so
:24:44. > :24:57.close to it, can he play and run through? If he stands backwards, can
:24:58. > :25:06.he get on the black? -- stuns. For Sam, hindsight is a
:25:07. > :25:10.wonderful thing but the deep screw shot with left-hand side would have
:25:11. > :25:20.been preferable. There was a degree of safety involved in the shot.
:25:21. > :25:31.Could not get the back spin. He just had to jab it. Did not get
:25:32. > :25:37.the necessary back spin. Nominated yellow, I presume, or he
:25:38. > :25:44.is inking about the yellow. He can hit the black but does not see that
:25:45. > :25:55.as a safety shot. Because he can hit the black,
:25:56. > :26:06.clearly, if he plays another colour, playing a delicate run off the
:26:07. > :26:14.black. You could say Sam Baird was
:26:15. > :26:19.fortunate not to leave him a better chance than he did. It only cost one
:26:20. > :26:25.point, that misjudgement on the pot he played. Interesting to see what
:26:26. > :26:31.kind of shot Sam Baird decides to play. Mark Williams would probably
:26:32. > :26:38.take the red to the left of the pink and play it dead weight into the
:26:39. > :26:47.green pocket. And leave the fight on the side cushion. Sam feels that was
:26:48. > :26:53.too dangerous. Probably because Mark Selby just cleared the table in the
:26:54. > :26:58.previous frame in one visit. -- white. . Mark Williams this from the
:26:59. > :27:03.Welsh School of hard knocks. I remember the great cliff Wilson, he
:27:04. > :27:07.could pick out the shot, go for the most outrageous plot, missed it, and
:27:08. > :27:13.when you see where the cue ball finish you realise it was not a
:27:14. > :27:21.risky shot after all. I think that was the better shot. Get that good
:27:22. > :27:28.links. -- length. Nothing is going to be easy.
:27:29. > :27:37.Mark Williams can pick up the shot to nothing is put up one of the
:27:38. > :27:45.cleverest players I have ever seen. -- shot to nothing. Sam showing
:27:46. > :27:51.patients. And maturity. I'm sure it will put good stead the rest of his
:27:52. > :28:01.career regardless of how this goes tonight. -- put him in good stead.
:28:02. > :28:10.This is a stern examination for him by the world number one.
:28:11. > :28:13.That was a terrible contact. He seemed to have hit it OK and the cue
:28:14. > :28:21.ball should have run through and finished on the top cushion. But
:28:22. > :28:27.with the balance, the cue ball was no bouncing as it went into the red.
:28:28. > :28:34.It took all the pace out of the cue ball and left a chance for Sam
:28:35. > :28:45.Baird. Chance as he has got to take if he is going to get anything out
:28:46. > :28:49.of this match. Sam, you have got to take those
:28:50. > :29:00.opportunities, he's not going to get that many away Selby started off
:29:01. > :29:04.this evening. We've seen a lot of pots missed into
:29:05. > :29:11.the middle pocket in this championship. And they are playing
:29:12. > :29:20.small, definitely. But on that occasion unfortunately, the red did
:29:21. > :29:30.not even threaten the pocket. What can Mark Selby do now in this
:29:31. > :29:36.chance. He is just the right side of the blue line. The red he would like
:29:37. > :29:48.to play is the one just to the right, sorry, the left, of the
:29:49. > :29:54.black. Thought it was not the right angle and not the right time to
:29:55. > :29:58.play. They want to get on sooner rather than later.
:29:59. > :30:03.as Plymouth threw everything at them. And out of the DW Stadium.
:30:04. > :30:09.It is always a good sign when a player is hitting the middle of the
:30:10. > :30:22.pocket, the sound of leather, the ball hitting leather. At the moment
:30:23. > :30:25.he is potting them clean. Mark strikes the ball with great
:30:26. > :30:29.authority, Shaun Murphy does a similar thing and so does Ronnie
:30:30. > :30:36.O'Sullivan. You have got to get through the ball. If you decelerate
:30:37. > :30:46.and these superfine class, the cue ball is not going to go where you
:30:47. > :30:56.have aimed it -- on these superfine cloths. He has played it nicely. The
:30:57. > :31:00.only thing in question, does the black when it is re-spotted
:31:01. > :31:21.interfere with these balls going? He could always stun behind the red.
:31:22. > :31:29.That is what he is trying to do. He has played it nicely. He knew when
:31:30. > :31:35.the black was on its spot that those two reds were not available into the
:31:36. > :31:44.left corner. A bit straighter and this red would have been perfect --
:31:45. > :31:51.on this red. But you would think he could manage the black. He did not
:31:52. > :31:56.fancy it. He has not got a good angle on the blue. I'm only
:31:57. > :31:59.guessing, but I guess he is straight on the blue line. Not quite. But
:32:00. > :32:22.almost. That is the problem when you are
:32:23. > :32:26.straight. This is a testy pot. He will have to play this with power
:32:27. > :32:43.and right hand side and it is easy to hit them sick. -- deck. Your most
:32:44. > :32:46.missed it thin -- he almost. It depends how you push into it, he
:32:47. > :32:53.probably played for the cue ball to push in. He just had the angle and
:32:54. > :33:03.the blue to be able to play for this red. As you can see. Just a couple
:33:04. > :33:08.of loose reds. You would think he will be looking for the angle to go
:33:09. > :33:15.into the cluster. 66 points is the target to get to the stoop required
:33:16. > :33:30.stage. What a lovely positional shot, using two cushions -- snooker
:33:31. > :33:35.is required. Plenty of back spin. He has got one to the right middle, I
:33:36. > :33:43.thought he was going to be unlucky. You can see the back spin. It has
:33:44. > :33:45.dislodged the reds enough to leave him with the one into the right
:33:46. > :34:29.centre. Impressive stuff so far. Mark Selby 49er head and 83
:34:30. > :34:36.remaining. At the moment, Mark Selby is going through the gears. -- 49
:34:37. > :34:43.ahead. As John said, this really is impressive stuff. His cue ball
:34:44. > :34:46.positioning has been magnificent. When you have the cue ball under
:34:47. > :34:54.control, it makes the game a lot easier. That is the first thing to
:34:55. > :34:56.go when players struggle. They don't time the ball quite as well and they
:34:57. > :35:15.run out of position. I said at the start of the frame, he
:35:16. > :35:20.did nothing wrong in the first frame of the session, but he had a chance
:35:21. > :35:26.in this one, and sometimes one chances all you are going to get. At
:35:27. > :35:37.this level against this quality of opposition. Just this red to go 64
:35:38. > :35:46.ahead with 59 remaining. Superb play from Mark Selby. He did leave a
:35:47. > :35:53.chance for his opponent. But it is a tough school when you are only
:35:54. > :35:55.leaving one chance. He put his hand up, as if to say to the cue ball,
:35:56. > :36:14.stop, and it did. There you go, points without reply,
:36:15. > :36:20.206. He has not scored a point tonight, Sam Baird. That is what
:36:21. > :36:24.makes this game so difficult. No matter how good you are, if you are
:36:25. > :36:31.sat in the seat, there is nothing you can do about it. Absolutely. It
:36:32. > :36:33.does not matter how good you are, when you are sitting in the seat,
:36:34. > :36:45.there is nothing you can do about it. That is what makes snooker so
:36:46. > :36:50.difficult. The break reaches 84. Will he take the chance to release
:36:51. > :36:57.the red from beneath the pink? I think he will. He was thinking of
:36:58. > :37:04.that. The frame was long gone by then. Sam Baird, he has only had one
:37:05. > :37:12.chance and he has lost the first two frames. STUDIO: That match is going
:37:13. > :37:17.towards its conclusion and the world number one is motoring now. Getting
:37:18. > :37:22.underway on the other side, John Higgins, the world number eight, and
:37:23. > :37:29.a four-time world champion, taking on Ricky Walden. John took the
:37:30. > :37:34.opening frame with a break of 62, he had four centuries in his 10-3
:37:35. > :37:38.demolition of Ryan Day. Ricky Walden now looking like he will take the
:37:39. > :37:45.second frame. This will be an interesting match. These two were in
:37:46. > :37:50.the semifinals of the China open recently and it was won by Ricky
:37:51. > :37:59.Walden in the final frame. From what you have seen from Higgins and
:38:00. > :38:02.Walden, how do you assess this one? If you look at the first round
:38:03. > :38:08.performances, you would make Higgins the overwhelming favourite, Walden
:38:09. > :38:13.was very poor in his first round, he was nervous and on edge. But he is
:38:14. > :38:18.through that, he will be a different player in this match, but I would
:38:19. > :38:22.still favour John. His biggest asset is his scoring, and I think he has
:38:23. > :38:36.made four centuries in his first round. He looks back, not to his
:38:37. > :38:40.absolute best, but very close. John has won two major titles in
:38:41. > :38:44.Australia and a title in China. He comes in after the run to the
:38:45. > :38:49.semifinals. John is a confidence player. His confidence is clearly at
:38:50. > :38:56.a very good level at the moment. Definitely. John is sharpest, he is
:38:57. > :39:00.similar to me, he likes to have time to practice and prepare, and it that
:39:01. > :39:06.is like he has been putting in the work and he looks sharp. -- and it
:39:07. > :39:10.looks like. Ricky Walden is learning, though, and in the first
:39:11. > :39:16.round he was very poor, but he can beat anybody on his day. Proved by
:39:17. > :39:20.his record. His form was abysmal for most of the season and in the last
:39:21. > :39:26.couple of ranking events he made both finals and he lost both of
:39:27. > :39:30.them, in Beijing and Manchester, but he suddenly seems to have found
:39:31. > :39:34.something towards the end of the season. I spoke to him at the
:39:35. > :39:40.players championship and he said he was working on how he is sighting
:39:41. > :39:44.the shot, seems like a crazy thing to do, and he realised that, and he
:39:45. > :39:50.has gone back to his original method. He strikes the ball so well,
:39:51. > :39:54.he has a great cue action and when he starts scoring he does so very
:39:55. > :39:59.quickly. Although John has a great all-round game, I did not think it
:40:00. > :40:04.will be much in the way of safeties in this match, it will be down to
:40:05. > :40:10.scoring. He has parted frame ball, this could be a concession. John is
:40:11. > :40:16.a very canny player, though, and he might keep going. That is the
:40:17. > :40:19.situation on the other table, and now we can go back to the world
:40:20. > :40:30.number one, Mark Selby, making progress. COMMENTATOR: You join us
:40:31. > :40:33.as Sam Baird played a safety shot. Earlier in the frame, Mark Selby
:40:34. > :40:47.played a very poor safety shot. He caught it much to thick. Half a
:40:48. > :40:52.chance he is going to get, but unfortunately for Sam he did not
:40:53. > :41:03.make it. He did not get position on that, and you are now up-to-date.
:41:04. > :41:14.It can clearly hit the red. Did not want to miss it this time. Where is
:41:15. > :41:18.the cue ball going? Rattling the jaws will do nicely. Might need a
:41:19. > :41:42.respray. LAUGHTER They have got the T-shirt. Was not
:41:43. > :41:45.the best safety shot from Mark. You always frightened of knocking a red
:41:46. > :41:53.towards the corner, but the brown has come to his rescue. Could not
:41:54. > :41:59.guarantee that. Sam in a bit of bother, does he risk going back to
:42:00. > :42:02.the ball? I'm wondering if he will take the opportunity to play an
:42:03. > :42:08.attacking safety shot with left-hand side. Swinging the cue ball around
:42:09. > :42:14.the ankles, getting the cue ball and the auction behind the yellow, if
:42:15. > :42:22.possible -- around the angles, getting the cue ball on the baulk
:42:23. > :42:26.cushion behind the yellow. I think that was well worth the risk and he
:42:27. > :42:31.has played it well. Just a little bit short of pace. That was unlucky
:42:32. > :42:39.because it was a good effort. It was a very good effort. As you rightly
:42:40. > :42:45.say, when you play the safety like that, you are going to knock reds to
:42:46. > :42:49.that side of the table, and a chance of covering the red near the left
:42:50. > :43:00.corner. Could have had a better white, but as it turns out it is
:43:01. > :43:05.good enough. I don't think Mark can get one to the near corner, but the
:43:06. > :43:12.one just above it, you can get that one, but that is a tough shot to
:43:13. > :43:24.take on. But if he does not see a safety, sometimes you force your
:43:25. > :43:30.opponent into playing a pot. The red into the right-hand pocket is not
:43:31. > :43:34.the natural angle to avoid the reds on the way back and so if he does
:43:35. > :43:38.the side to take it on he might have to play it with extreme left-hand
:43:39. > :43:44.side and that makes the pot much more difficult. He thinks he can get
:43:45. > :43:56.past the yellow to get to the potting angle of this red, maybe
:43:57. > :44:01.with a trace of left-hand side. He just could not see enough of the
:44:02. > :44:08.potting angle. He caught it to thick. I think you might have got
:44:09. > :44:17.away with it. Yes, it is looking like it. Maybe a red will go to the
:44:18. > :44:29.left centre, but where the colour comes from I don't know. That is
:44:30. > :44:47.since Sam Baird last potted a ball, we are in the 33rd minute. As I say,
:44:48. > :44:53.I think the red on the right-hand side of the table will go to the
:44:54. > :44:58.centre. Does this red go? No, deciding to play safe. In the ideal
:44:59. > :45:01.world he would have liked to have got the cue ball tight to the
:45:02. > :45:11.cushion, but in that case it did not really matter. Had no option to
:45:12. > :45:19.contain the situation. There has never been any difference in this
:45:20. > :45:23.game, when you are playing well you always seem to get the rub of the
:45:24. > :45:29.green. Absolutely. And when things are not going right for you, it can
:45:30. > :45:33.be the most difficult place in the world out there, all on your own and
:45:34. > :45:39.nobody to help. You have got to work it out yourself. Sometimes you do
:45:40. > :45:49.and sometimes you don't. That is careless. Very careless. The
:45:50. > :45:58.priority, he had to block a path to the red to the yellow, but kissing
:45:59. > :46:05.the brown, he has not done that. Mark might attempt a double here.
:46:06. > :46:22.But he would rather get a good cue ball.
:46:23. > :46:32.This is a tough safety shot that Sam Baird faces. He played it well.
:46:33. > :47:07.Contains the safety shot. And friend of mine, Richie Evans,
:47:08. > :47:17.from Coventry, he loves his snooker. I used to practice, I remember, and
:47:18. > :47:24.I used to take his bets to the bookie. I hope he gave you
:47:25. > :47:32.commission. Funnily enough. I remember he wanted ?10 on one and
:47:33. > :47:51.the bookmaker refused the bet. He loves his snooker.
:47:52. > :48:15.Oh! Much to thick on the red, plenty of side on. So this is a chance for
:48:16. > :48:19.Sam. Yes, John. Mark played it with extreme right-hand side. He was
:48:20. > :48:25.expecting the cue ball to throw to the left much more than it did.
:48:26. > :48:32.Which would have resulted in a much thinner contact. And then the Czech
:48:33. > :48:41.side would have taken the cue ball down to the baulk cushion, but he
:48:42. > :48:49.misjudged it. -- check. Perhaps fortunate to not leave something
:48:50. > :48:54.easier. If this was in practice, he would roll in the red and play for
:48:55. > :49:02.the black. So, playing the one in the middle. It needs to slow up. He
:49:03. > :49:13.might just be able to reach the green without using the rest.
:49:14. > :49:21.When he is hitting the ball is, what I like about him, he has a nice way
:49:22. > :49:28.of going about it. He reminds me of someone like Jason Dufner, in golf,
:49:29. > :49:31.a natural player. Get down and knock in the balls, but he has been
:49:32. > :49:36.knocked out of his stride by the form of Mark Selby. If he is
:49:37. > :49:43.standing around the angles, he needs to avoid the cannon and the yellow,
:49:44. > :49:48.and that is why he decided to play-off the cushions, and he played
:49:49. > :50:02.that very well. -- on the yellow. Excellent positional shot. Now, will
:50:03. > :50:07.he be tempted? No. Red in the middle for the blue. One of the reasons why
:50:08. > :50:12.he's not playing for the black, if he finishes straight on it, that is
:50:13. > :50:16.the end of the break. But you would take a chance and get the black on
:50:17. > :50:19.the spot, the likes of Ronnie O'Sullivan and the modern-day
:50:20. > :50:24.players would have taken the opportunity... That is the only way
:50:25. > :50:25.you would make a frame-winning contribution, if you can get the
:50:26. > :50:42.black available. Well, he had lots of right-hand side
:50:43. > :50:47.and that, which is check side, and on this occasion he took the pace
:50:48. > :50:56.out of the cue ball. If he had played the plane ball, he would have
:50:57. > :51:01.got another 3-4 foot travel of the cue ball, but the right-hand side in
:51:02. > :51:09.part it killed all the place. -- imparted killed all the pace.
:51:10. > :51:12.Because of that he had to play safe, and at this level that safety shot
:51:13. > :51:14.is not good enough, especially when you are playing the world number one
:51:15. > :52:03.Mark Selby. That is a bit fortunate again.
:52:04. > :52:13.Really is. You are playing to finish tied to the top cushion. -- tight.
:52:14. > :52:15.There was a possible cut on for Sam but for the extra role of the cue
:52:16. > :52:43.ball. Played the pot. In the end it was
:52:44. > :53:13.OK. He has not covered the possible red to the corner, as Mark did.
:53:14. > :53:25.Did not fancy playing the cut and he has left a pot on. OK, it looks as
:53:26. > :53:34.though, he's looking away from the pot, but I don't see how he can
:53:35. > :53:40.refuse this cut. Maybe he is thinking there is a big target and
:53:41. > :53:47.if the pots the red he will not be on a colour. He will be tempted by
:53:48. > :53:53.the pot. Maybe the one below the pink goes to the right corner. He is
:53:54. > :54:00.playing that one instead. Needs a good cue ball. He has put his hand
:54:01. > :54:04.up and apologised, he kissed a second red which was not part of the
:54:05. > :54:10.plan, but he will settle for the result. In taking on the red, he had
:54:11. > :54:19.to play that as a screw shot with right-hand side to avoid the red
:54:20. > :54:25.below it. He flicked the second red and that is why he apologised to
:54:26. > :54:28.mark. This needs to be very thin. The chance of getting the cue ball
:54:29. > :54:37.behind the brown if he strikes it well, but that is miles to thick.
:54:38. > :54:46.That is not the first time he has played a poor safety. Not left
:54:47. > :55:13.anything easy, though. He has refused a few risky shots
:55:14. > :55:19.before, and I don't see how he thought he was going to guarantee
:55:20. > :55:32.anything playing that red, he has hit the second red half ball. Mark
:55:33. > :55:38.Selby, getting up, after the noise coming from his side of the wall.
:55:39. > :55:46.That is experience. Get up and start again.
:55:47. > :55:50.It will be very close to this blue. I think he can just about get
:55:51. > :56:09.through to the brown. The quiet if possible, please. -- be
:56:10. > :56:13.quiet. Such a game of fine margins. When it is not your day the cue ball
:56:14. > :56:18.tucks itself behind the blue and you can't see the yellow and you can't
:56:19. > :56:28.see the brown. Very fine margins at this level. Deciding to play the
:56:29. > :56:37.blue. Needs to be careful of the Polish shot. -- push. Oh! I'm not
:56:38. > :56:41.sure about that. I've been in the commentary box for a few years and
:56:42. > :56:49.it is hard to tell from the sound... The referee was close and Mark
:56:50. > :57:03.actually said to him, have a close look. The referee did not think it
:57:04. > :57:06.was a push, so no foul. He certainly did very well to get the cue ball
:57:07. > :57:20.where he did, being so close to the blue, that is official. -- that is
:57:21. > :57:29.for sure. I think the pink goes to the right corner. OK, the pink is
:57:30. > :57:35.more difficult than the blue, but it offers him a good position. To be
:57:36. > :57:41.fair, knowing Mark Selby the way we do, if he had thought he would play
:57:42. > :57:46.a -- if he thought he had played a push shot, he would have been the
:57:47. > :57:50.first to call it. Absolutely. We have always been very proud of that
:57:51. > :58:15.in our game. This is not a frame-winning chance, this.
:58:16. > :58:25.STUDIO: We have got to leave it on BBC Two. Red button and online
:58:26. > :58:28.viewing is the way to continue watching this match, both are
:58:29. > :58:34.available through the BBC sport website, as indeed is every session
:58:35. > :58:40.in Sheffield. John Higgins has a 2-1 lead over Ricky Walden in their
:58:41. > :58:47.match. I hope you have enjoyed that. We are back with highlights later
:58:48. > :58:56.this evening. From me and the rest of the team, it is goodbye.