:00:36. > :00:43.A very good morning to you, welcome to coverage of the 2016 World
:00:44. > :00:50.Snooker Championship. There's no better way to spend your morning
:00:51. > :00:53.than with others. It is another busy day, this afternoon we will see
:00:54. > :01:00.Ronnie O'Sullivan take on Barry Hawkins, a repeat of the 2013 final.
:01:01. > :01:06.We look forward to that. But our match this morning on BBC Two is Ali
:01:07. > :01:13.Carter, twice a defeated finalist, taking on Alan McManus.
:01:14. > :01:16.Ali Carter with a two frame advantage. It will be interesting to
:01:17. > :01:35.see how this session pans out. Fantastic shot.
:01:36. > :01:44.Would you believe it? Will he play the cannon? He played it well.
:01:45. > :01:52.Played it very well. That is enough for Ali Carter who still leads, 5-4.
:01:53. > :02:03.I don't believe it. I don't think I have ever seen the cushion bounce as
:02:04. > :02:05.badly as that, it is laughable. Alan McManus stays in his seat. He
:02:06. > :02:28.is now two behind. This looks good. This looks good...
:02:29. > :02:36.This looks very good. Alan McManus has reduced his arrears to just one,
:02:37. > :02:41.still trails, 7-6. He played it slow, that is brave,
:02:42. > :02:49.what a great shot. It is all about this pink.
:02:50. > :03:01.They are never easy, those, believe me. Worth the risk. And he has got
:03:02. > :03:07.it. He leads, 8-6. Alan McManus, hanging on in there.
:03:08. > :03:15.Super shot. It is there. Ali Carter should be
:03:16. > :03:19.the happier of the two, he leads at the end of the second session, 9-7.
:03:20. > :03:28.So Ali Carter with a slender lead. They
:03:29. > :03:32.met in the last round last year, Carter winning it 10-5, he then went
:03:33. > :03:37.on to be knocked out by Neil Robinson in the second round, but do
:03:38. > :03:40.not rule out Alan McManus. He has been in the practice room and is
:03:41. > :03:49.looking confident but he needs to play well in this final session. His
:03:50. > :03:55.20th Crucible appearance, that is our live match for you on BBC Two
:03:56. > :04:00.this morning. Over on table two, Mark Selby continues against the
:04:01. > :04:03.English qualifier, Sam Baird. 4-4 in that one. The players are ready.
:04:04. > :04:15.Let's join Rob Walker. Ladies and gentlemen we started with
:04:16. > :04:18.32 of the best players in the world, only 15 remain, and we expect
:04:19. > :04:45.another cracking session of snooker here on St George's Day.
:04:46. > :04:52.Please welcome, into this famous arena, first of all, what a session
:04:53. > :04:58.yesterday for a young player in uncharted territory. Four breaks
:04:59. > :05:03.over 50 and a century helped him level against one of the finest in
:05:04. > :05:08.the sport, this is the most important day of his snooker career
:05:09. > :05:31.so far, give it up, he has come all the way from Devon, he is Sam Baird.
:05:32. > :05:38.And his opponent, making his ninth appearance in the second round, a UK
:05:39. > :05:43.champion, and a multiple Masters champion. He completed the triple
:05:44. > :05:48.Crown two years ago, his finest moment in the sport so far. He is
:05:49. > :06:09.the world number one, the Jester from Leicester, Mark Selby.
:06:10. > :06:16.And on table one, they played to a conclusion this morning. Please
:06:17. > :06:20.welcome the three-time ranking event winner, his first quarterfinal here
:06:21. > :06:25.in four years, twice he has made the final. He has already knocked out
:06:26. > :06:30.the defending world champion, Stuart Bingham. A great opportunity for a
:06:31. > :06:36.man and courage or the termination, here comes the captain, Ali Carter.
:06:37. > :06:55.-- determination. And his opponent, still going
:06:56. > :07:01.strong, 25 years after his Crucible debut. Defeating good friend,
:07:02. > :07:04.Stephen Maguire, in the first round, he's going for a second quarterfinal
:07:05. > :07:16.in three years, twice a ranking event winner, these days he takes it
:07:17. > :07:18.all in his tartan stride, he is Scotland's Alan 'The Angles'
:07:19. > :07:38.McManus. We are all set for another cracking
:07:39. > :07:45.day of snooker. Mark Selby versus Sam Baird is available on the red
:07:46. > :07:56.button and the BBC sport app, but live we are in the company of Peter
:07:57. > :07:59.Ebdon. Good morning, everybody, frame 17,
:08:00. > :08:07.the final session of an absorbing match the tween Ali Carter and Alan
:08:08. > :08:19.McManus. It has been a very tough match of snooker so far. Alan will
:08:20. > :08:30.be very pleased with his break shot there.
:08:31. > :08:33.The long pot success rate. You would expect Alan McManus to be in front
:08:34. > :08:47.in the safety Department but you can see he is not. His highest rate is
:08:48. > :08:56.not that high at 77 but he is staying on Carter's coat-tails. Alan
:08:57. > :09:01.will probably have to take on the long red. Just looking at the two
:09:02. > :09:07.all plant that may be in line to play the reds over the corner
:09:08. > :09:12.pocket, on this picture we are going to show you in a second, it looks
:09:13. > :09:16.pretty close. It would be dangerous to take it on because it could
:09:17. > :09:22.career into the pack of red spot you need to move that read over the
:09:23. > :09:25.pocket. Somebody like Judd Trump would have
:09:26. > :09:39.the cube power to play it is a screenshot. -- cue power. But I am
:09:40. > :09:48.not so sure that Alan possesses that sort of power. If you doze for this,
:09:49. > :09:55.he will go for it full-blooded. He did, and at first glance he appears
:09:56. > :10:01.to have been very fortunate. Really had no idea where the cue
:10:02. > :10:02.ball was going but as you say, Peter, very fortunate, pink and
:10:03. > :10:34.black in of -- open play. That was the problem. He was always
:10:35. > :10:43.careering into that read. The brown may pot. The body language tells me
:10:44. > :11:08.that the brown is available, so he will be taking it on.
:11:09. > :11:16.They will have been relieved to notice that the brown was available,
:11:17. > :11:18.and got to that ball head, I thought when it went to all he was playing a
:11:19. > :11:45.safety shot. -- to baulk. The cannon has not worked out. Not
:11:46. > :11:53.as Ali would have liked. He would have liked full contact on the red,
:11:54. > :12:01.possibly even catching it on the right-hand side. The yellow is on
:12:02. > :12:02.but it is very thin. The problem is if you get a slightly heavy contact,
:12:03. > :12:23.it goes thick. Now he is in good position.
:12:24. > :12:35.He has just finished in position this red where it is tough to get
:12:36. > :12:40.out for the pink. Did not get the desired spin. Not an easy shot to
:12:41. > :12:49.play, he got a little bit of ounce that took the pace out of the cue
:12:50. > :12:53.ball. There was definitely a click, you could hear from his reaction
:12:54. > :13:00.that he was not happy, the cue ball jumped when making contact with the
:13:01. > :13:13.red, it took all the spin out of the shot. This is a real test of his
:13:14. > :13:21.cueing. A long blue to the yellow pocket, that is beautifully cute,
:13:22. > :13:25.well played. He can practice those and play them for hours on end. On a
:13:26. > :13:32.number of occasions in the match you need to be that long blue, you get
:13:33. > :13:39.it 19 times out of 20 but of course in the World Championship, the heat
:13:40. > :13:47.of the battle, it comes down to 15 or 16 out of 20, but you would still
:13:48. > :13:57.expecting to what it and it was a great pot. --
:13:58. > :14:16.expect him to pot it. He used all the pockets with this one. Caught it
:14:17. > :14:31.slightly thick. Only has the yellow to go for with the rest. He has got
:14:32. > :14:37.options. He can play the yellow with less pace, with the red in baulk, to
:14:38. > :14:48.the same pocket, and that is what he has played. I think the red may pass
:14:49. > :15:02.the cream. If it does, he is OK. -- the green. He has either overhit it
:15:03. > :15:16.or under it, but it does go. You can clearly see that the red pots. Not
:15:17. > :15:26.got the cue ball under control yet in this little break. It has flew
:15:27. > :15:29.off the cushion again. Goodness me. He played to finish low on the blue
:15:30. > :15:39.so he could come down to the reds, that has come to feed further than
:15:40. > :15:50.he expected. -- two feet. A huge bounce. We experienced last night
:15:51. > :15:55.when watching the Williams- Holt match. Mark Williams got probably
:15:56. > :16:00.the biggest bounce I have ever seen in tournament play. Travelling seven
:16:01. > :16:12.feet down the table to end up between the blue and the ink. --
:16:13. > :16:16.pink. He will be disappointed because of the way it bounced off
:16:17. > :16:34.the cushion. Of course, he cannot afford to do that. And after that
:16:35. > :16:45.miss he has overcut the blue, it is now his turn to have Everton but of
:16:46. > :16:51.-- a little bit of good fortune. Never easy when the cue ball is so
:16:52. > :17:03.close to the object. Very easy to hit these thick. He has played it
:17:04. > :17:09.well, but not that well. Totally misjudged the cue ball.
:17:10. > :17:17.We were watching the red and did not look at the white, he missed it
:17:18. > :17:23.completely. He will be delighted that they miss and the blues only
:17:24. > :17:33.going to cost him one point. -- the miss on the blue. He obviously felt
:17:34. > :17:37.he had the angle to avoid the corner pocket and he was so disappointed
:17:38. > :17:41.with the result of the shot but maybe he got slightly heavy contact
:17:42. > :17:49.us well, which would have taken the cue ball towards the pocket.
:17:50. > :17:57.Possibly. He went just below the pink, should be on the brown or the
:17:58. > :18:06.green, should he pot that. Completely mis-hit that. Ali Carter
:18:07. > :18:09.has looked over to the other side of the table, there was a little bit of
:18:10. > :18:21.noise on his backswing and it which at that. -- he twitched. Look at how
:18:22. > :18:32.much he has missed it by, the proverbial foot. Yes, unfortunately,
:18:33. > :18:39.just as he was coming through somebody's mobile phone rang on the
:18:40. > :18:48.other side of the auditorium, he was not too impressed with that. And
:18:49. > :18:58.that is not what the doctor ordered. I hate to keep going on about the
:18:59. > :19:04.way the cushions are bouncing but Alan may have played that almost
:19:05. > :19:11.expecting the bounce, to get on pink or black. Yes, and on that occasion
:19:12. > :19:26.he got a normal one and has finished and -- on knees. He could play for
:19:27. > :19:32.the blue or green but it could take two or three shots to get that
:19:33. > :19:38.contact right. That is a gap but he would need to play the green to play
:19:39. > :19:51.it that way, off the top cushion. He is in a mess here.
:19:52. > :19:54.Pink. He is playing the ink so it will
:19:55. > :21:08.need to be pacey. Pink. Excellent escape. The second
:21:09. > :21:19.attempt, he got it perfect. Yes, and that was an escape judged
:21:20. > :21:23.very well. If you caught it slightly thicker there is a good chance of
:21:24. > :21:33.leaving the red into the green pocket, just in front of the yellow.
:21:34. > :21:46.A tough safety, he has caught it too thick. Does this red go into the
:21:47. > :21:58.green pocket, past the pink? Alan is having a close look. It is quite
:21:59. > :22:25.tight. You see it, it does go. So that was a mistake from Ali Carter.
:22:26. > :22:36.No problem with missing the cannon on the green of the blue and
:22:37. > :23:01.screwing back up the table. Hit that a bit harder.
:23:02. > :23:09.That was very nicely controlled from Alan. They'd leave drag shot with
:23:10. > :23:24.lots and lots of left-hand side, to check the cue ball off the cushion,
:23:25. > :23:31.perfect and the pink. His bridge hand is a lot flatter than most
:23:32. > :23:35.layers. He's playing the kiss on the red and black just to get them into
:23:36. > :23:43.play, but unfortunately it has not worked. Because he missed the
:23:44. > :23:50.Blackie has caught the red from behind, of course that has put the
:23:51. > :24:00.white near the cushion. This is a pressure pot. Very good. Excellent
:24:01. > :24:06.pot. You see on his bridge hand how much lower it is than most players,
:24:07. > :24:11.and that makes him extremely parallel, most players are like
:24:12. > :24:15.Ronnie O'Sullivan now, everybody has quite a high bridge and queues down,
:24:16. > :24:27.Allen prefers to be very, very parallel.
:24:28. > :24:44.He needs to be careful not to foul on the black, bridging over both the
:24:45. > :24:49.black and the red obviously had an impact on the results of that shot.
:24:50. > :25:02.Alan will be disappointed with that. A transfer across table 44 Ali
:25:03. > :25:07.Carter -- a chance for a cross table double four Ali Carter. Not the best
:25:08. > :25:12.safety shot in the world, he will be disappointed with that. A chance
:25:13. > :25:20.again for Alan McManus, there is only one point in it, very hard for
:25:21. > :25:22.either player to win the frame in one visit with where the balls are,
:25:23. > :25:38.a lot of life in this game. Alan played the stunt short with the
:25:39. > :25:49.left-hand side, taking the cue ball away from the bank. A very good
:25:50. > :25:56.recovery shot and a fantastic attempt at the cannon. Very
:25:57. > :26:06.unfortunate. Deliberately played to cannon into the red and hopefully
:26:07. > :26:12.push it toward the green pocket, and excellent attempt and very
:26:13. > :26:21.unfortunate. That was unlucky again, not to lay the snooker. This is a
:26:22. > :26:27.tough safety shot now. He has got to play in very thin and avoid the
:26:28. > :26:30.black. If he gets a good white it could be behind the yellow on the
:26:31. > :26:36.cushion but he decides to play the other wife. He won't be happy with
:26:37. > :26:57.that at all. -- decides to play the other way.
:26:58. > :27:11.The older you get the harder the long game becomes. The other players
:27:12. > :27:25.still can score heavily. But he missed it by quite a way. This was
:27:26. > :27:33.half a chance for a 20 point lead, but of course, the two reds on the
:27:34. > :27:41.cushion are a problem because you need the pink on the spot quickly to
:27:42. > :27:47.get those reds in play. I thought he would take the opportunity to cannon
:27:48. > :27:49.into the red to bring the black into play and leave himself the pink in
:27:50. > :28:09.the middle. Plenty of life left in this frame.
:28:10. > :28:15.Massive, of course, four Ali Carter, to go three clear, but under
:28:16. > :28:21.tremendous pressure, if Allen wins it he will feel he is right back in
:28:22. > :28:28.the game. This angle on the pink could ring the red back into play.
:28:29. > :28:40.The yellow is not to bad but the only problem is if he drops onto the
:28:41. > :28:47.cushion in between the two reds... It is not a great situation, this.
:28:48. > :28:51.He did not look at the blue but it is not a bad angle on it, he could
:28:52. > :29:01.have played with screw to get that back on as well. That is the worst
:29:02. > :29:15.possible kiss. So unlucky. As it is now, should win the safety exchange.
:29:16. > :29:21.I was a little surprised, to be honest, that he did not even look at
:29:22. > :29:32.the blue. And that is another poor safety shot. I am surprised how
:29:33. > :29:40.poorly he has played it. The first of all time in this frame so far he
:29:41. > :29:49.has played a poor safety shot -- the third or fourth time. Handing the
:29:50. > :29:55.advantage back to Alan McManus now in this frame.
:29:56. > :30:04.Alan had a quick look at the blue and thought the green was in the way
:30:05. > :30:11.to screw back of it so playing a shot like Ali Carter to use two
:30:12. > :30:15.cushions to get back to the red. Anything that is straight is OK. If
:30:16. > :30:26.it is straight it is going to be good. That is no good.
:30:27. > :30:35.Alan will be rolling the red in and probably playing a snooker behind
:30:36. > :30:42.the black. And you would think that Ali Carter will come to the table
:30:43. > :30:55.and be in a considerable amount of trouble. Just playing the cushion
:30:56. > :30:58.first. It is not the best shot in the world, to be honest, because he
:30:59. > :31:10.has given Ali Carter the opportunity to come off the baulk cushion and he
:31:11. > :31:13.could clip the yellow and the cue ball could come back down behind the
:31:14. > :31:23.black. He does have the option on the
:31:24. > :31:28.yellow as well to send it back down the table. I think he will be quite
:31:29. > :31:38.pleased with that result, Willie? I'm not sure. A bit hampered with
:31:39. > :31:42.the blue, playing very thin, round three cushions, trying to get the
:31:43. > :31:55.white in with the blue. It is a little bit heavy.
:31:56. > :32:00.Ali will probably play the yellow up and down the table but there is the
:32:01. > :32:06.option with the yellow behind the black and the white behind the
:32:07. > :32:11.brown, here. And unless that is a snooker, it really is a poor shot.
:32:12. > :32:16.He is absolutely disgusted with himself. He did have options there.
:32:17. > :32:22.He probably played to send the yellow past the middle pocket,
:32:23. > :32:25.behind the green. But there was a good chance of playing the snooker
:32:26. > :32:32.behind the brown and sending the yellow behind the black, so some
:32:33. > :32:39.poor safety from Ali Carter in this opening frame this morning. This is
:32:40. > :32:46.one of those shot where you have to go for it. the only good thing is he
:32:47. > :32:50.can play quite slowly, so if he snookers the green, should he miss
:32:51. > :32:54.it, doesn't have to play too hard, he will still be on the brown.
:32:55. > :32:58.bouncing off my tradition, the chance of a snooker, should i get
:32:59. > :33:00.it, and if he misses it... if he gets the green he could win the
:33:01. > :33:47.frame. Played it firmly. Oh, dear. What on earth was that? So
:33:48. > :33:57.much pressure on these two guys. Blue on the cushion, possibly behind
:33:58. > :34:04.black... Certainly was not very happy with the contact there. And
:34:05. > :34:08.perhaps the bounce of the side cushion as well, Ali Carter, just
:34:09. > :34:15.brushing the side cushion there, as he came around. Faced with a very
:34:16. > :34:23.tough safety shot now. We have had three relatively easy safety shot he
:34:24. > :34:31.has actually played very poorly. this is a tough one. will he play
:34:32. > :34:39.this one better? there is a chance here, Willie, but if he played the
:34:40. > :34:48.very thin slick there is a chance the cue ball could come back behind
:34:49. > :34:51.the pink -- very thin snick. The problem is of course he will not get
:34:52. > :34:56.the blue away from the right-hand pocket so would be playing a
:34:57. > :35:00.different shot to that. Blue in open play but a very good white. That is
:35:01. > :35:05.as good as he could have done from there. I did shot.
:35:06. > :35:26.APPLAUSE -- a good shot.
:35:27. > :35:43.Good effort. It is not about hitting this. Will Hughes going to finish.
:35:44. > :35:45.-- where he's going to finish. Points in front, so just the blue
:35:46. > :36:06.needed. Wow, that was a wide. Got through
:36:07. > :36:12.that very quickly, didn't he, Willie? That is the problem, if you
:36:13. > :36:16.throw the cue ball offline you can see he is playing a screw shot there
:36:17. > :36:20.which throws the cue ball to the right and hit the object ball fix. I
:36:21. > :36:30.was a bit surprised he did not just play that... He needs the blue as it
:36:31. > :36:41.is -- blue. And, as it is, a lifeline for Ali Carter. A very easy
:36:42. > :36:52.safety shot but he decided to play the pot. Because Alan cannot do
:36:53. > :37:03.anything but play this plane ball, I fancy him to get closer on this one
:37:04. > :37:11.than on the last one -- plain ball. Well, another bad contact. It really
:37:12. > :37:16.is unbelievable, the number of bad contacts and expenses both players
:37:17. > :37:26.are getting here. It really does destroy a player's confidence and
:37:27. > :37:30.concentration -- and big bounces both players are getting here. He
:37:31. > :37:38.really will not be able to believe that. Another chance for Ali Carter.
:37:39. > :37:49.To win a frame in which he has made plenty of mistakes, Willie,
:37:50. > :37:57.especially in the safety Department. He got into that little bit too much
:37:58. > :38:04.but he will be delighted to get into the pink with an angle, well, I see
:38:05. > :38:15.an angle... He could maybe force an angle to try to get into the middle.
:38:16. > :38:28.I thought he would have risked the black and green pocket their,
:38:29. > :38:33.perhaps, Peter? I must admit I do not understand that shot. Every
:38:34. > :38:39.chance of going in off it, and now he has left himself the double. A
:38:40. > :38:49.pretty strange choice of shot from Ali there. That is close, but not
:38:50. > :38:56.close enough. I think with the mistakes both players have made in
:38:57. > :39:00.this frame, I think black ball is probably the right outcome. Alan
:39:01. > :39:06.will play the double and hopefully double the black in but the key is
:39:07. > :39:09.getting a good white here. How is the black doing? Good safety shot.
:39:10. > :39:47.APPLAUSE A little bit PC. Definitely having a
:39:48. > :39:47.pop at this one. -- a little bit pacy.
:39:48. > :40:00.APPLAUSE . He will be delighted to get back
:40:01. > :40:03.within one. Peter, the last black he has played there, it is one of those
:40:04. > :40:07.you cannot play, you have to dig down to try to get a good white and
:40:08. > :40:11.he could have done that one better. Yes, he got through that very
:40:12. > :40:14.smoothly. A fantastic shot. Could not have done that one better.
:40:15. > :40:21.Playing the stunt shot on the right-hand side, he cued is
:40:22. > :40:24.beautifully. The reason he is playing that is to make sure if he
:40:25. > :40:29.misses that he will get very close to the back cushion. Yes, and you
:40:30. > :40:36.just feel in that frame, Willie, that Alan McManus perhaps was
:40:37. > :40:40.fortunate to win the frame, in the sense that Ali gave him so many
:40:41. > :40:46.chances and I just feel Ali lost his composure, somewhat, in that frame.
:40:47. > :40:51.I totally agree. Four or five great safety ball shots on the trot and I
:40:52. > :40:59.think Alan was just hanging on to his coat tails throughout that
:41:00. > :41:02.frame. Very disappointing, that frame, not from the players' point
:41:03. > :41:07.of view, but from the way the table is played. The first frame in the
:41:08. > :41:11.morning, just Ireland and brushed and ready for the morning's play,
:41:12. > :41:18.you would expect no bounces in the early part, perhaps later when
:41:19. > :41:21.things are roughed up a little. -- ironed and brushed. Very
:41:22. > :41:24.disappointing, and we hope what do it like this is not what we will get
:41:25. > :41:27.for the rest of the morning because it spoils the game and removes the
:41:28. > :41:30.confidence from the players. You do not know firstly whether it will
:41:31. > :41:34.bounce off the cushion or secondly, whether it will kick. Is, it can
:41:35. > :41:40.certainly make a player very anxious. -- yes, it can certainly.
:41:41. > :41:47.Let's have a look. Here's the first frame. It bounced, but luckily the
:41:48. > :41:56.pace was taken out of the cue ball. The other one, Alan with the plain
:41:57. > :42:00.ball shot. What the bounces here. He is playing a shot here to get onto
:42:01. > :42:06.the blue and it ran three feet further. There were no collars
:42:07. > :42:11.available on the right-hand corner. Short of the blue, 18 inches past,
:42:12. > :42:14.and I hate making excuses for the players because it sounds like sour
:42:15. > :42:20.grapes, but another bounce there of this liberal it the red interplay --
:42:21. > :42:32.no colous available. There is something drastically wrong with
:42:33. > :42:38.this table. -- and that brought the red into play. He has just gone out
:42:39. > :42:43.for quite a considerable unmet of time. Of course there is the rule
:42:44. > :42:48.now, Peter. Do you know what that is, on how many times you can go out
:42:49. > :42:56.of the session? -- considerable amount of time. I think the referee
:42:57. > :43:01.can use their discretion. I know that rule was brought in recently
:43:02. > :43:04.because it was considered one or two players were abusing the rule and
:43:05. > :43:26.going out after the frame. A perplexed Ali Carter getting the
:43:27. > :43:36.next frame under way. That was a very pedestrian frame, that one. As
:43:37. > :43:38.you can imagine, the time is a little longer than most, the minutes
:43:39. > :44:19.per frame. Once again not the best safety shot
:44:20. > :44:43.from Ali. He is just not with it in the safety department.
:44:44. > :44:55.Allen should be on the black if this red goes on. He has decided not to
:44:56. > :45:07.play at... -- goes in. That is a nice flick on the green. Ali needs
:45:08. > :45:12.to be very careful with the safety shot here, avoiding the red near the
:45:13. > :45:20.left cushion. He came round the back of it nicely. But not the greatest
:45:21. > :45:27.of line. APPLAUSE
:45:28. > :45:45.It has been mostly safety play, then the foot of the cushion...
:45:46. > :45:55.It's never looked like going in, but it came very close in the end. This
:45:56. > :45:59.is a tough safety shot. The one that is two away from the black, he could
:46:00. > :46:04.hit that thin but then would possibly be cruising into the two
:46:05. > :46:08.reds on the left-hand side. Plain round the back of the black spot.
:46:09. > :46:16.You cannot get a great white here but the key is getting it passed the
:46:17. > :46:25.ball. Kissing the blue this time? He can't avoid kissing colours at the
:46:26. > :46:50.minute. APPLAUSE
:46:51. > :46:55.Just put the extension on because he is cueing over the yellow. By the
:46:56. > :47:01.time he gets to the black it will be a very delicate shot. He has played
:47:02. > :47:12.it, and played it very well indeed. APPLAUSE
:47:13. > :47:38.Unfortunately for Alan he has finished fairly straight. Just not
:47:39. > :47:46.enough angle to screw back. A choice of two reds. Slightly hampered
:47:47. > :48:00.cueing. He needs to be accurate with his striking here. Slightly overcut
:48:01. > :48:05.the red. But it dropped. He can see -- as you can see, slightly overcut.
:48:06. > :48:18.Any harder and that might not have gone in. This is a good chance now.
:48:19. > :48:24.For Alan McManus to make a sizeable contribution in a very important
:48:25. > :48:39.frame. A frame which takes him to nine frames each, should he go on to
:48:40. > :48:49.win it. And after an excellent controlled crack shot, to start off
:48:50. > :48:57.this break -- drag shot, he has now given himself an excellent
:48:58. > :49:03.opportunity. The picture there, Ali Carter, trying to get his emotions
:49:04. > :49:08.under control. Perhaps breathing to calm himself down, after the
:49:09. > :49:13.previous frame's stress. Not looking at Alan playing. He is one of those
:49:14. > :49:18.players who wants to roll everything in rather than play little kisses
:49:19. > :49:25.and cannons. This is the first real chance we have had in this match
:49:26. > :49:29.where a player has a chance of winning with one visit. He is on 32
:49:30. > :49:39.at the moment and his target is to get to at least... He has played
:49:40. > :49:52.that well. APPLAUSE
:49:53. > :50:04.He can see five reds. The balls are not ideally placed for Alan. The
:50:05. > :50:05.pink is out of commission and he is forced to play with the black at the
:50:06. > :50:24.moment. Playing into the middle red of the
:50:25. > :50:28.three reds here, just above the play. The three reds on the
:50:29. > :50:32.left-hand side, that is. Hoping to split the pink to play as well. I
:50:33. > :50:44.cannot believe he has not played the cannon. In two shots' time, he will
:50:45. > :50:49.steer in another two reds. A chance that was unmissable to bring reds
:50:50. > :50:58.interplay, and still be on a red, he made deeply regret that -- into
:50:59. > :51:35.play. We will see in a few moments. -- might deeply regret that.
:51:36. > :51:41.He can still play on the loose red, but as I said earlier he is going to
:51:42. > :51:43.need at least one more red after this next one he will get on, and if
:51:44. > :52:23.he doesn't get the kiss right... So nine reds, a possible nine
:52:24. > :52:49.blacks. He needs to get the cannon Wright. -- right. Very well done.
:52:50. > :52:52.Trying to get on the BlackBerry. -- black there. Alan concentrated so
:52:53. > :53:01.hard he might not realise he is on that at the moment. He will miss the
:53:02. > :53:04.kiss on the yellow should he pot it but he can go up and down. Slightly
:53:05. > :53:19.hampered, so I think he will play for the black. They all go about
:53:20. > :53:23.breaks in different ways. I cannot quite tell if the red which is
:53:24. > :53:29.closest to the cue ball cuts into the right-hand black pocket. If that
:53:30. > :53:37.goes, Willie, he could cut that in, screw off this reds and stay on the
:53:38. > :53:44.black, but... He knew that was frame ball so he was trying to get onto
:53:45. > :53:48.the black, but he will be absolutely delighted to have won the first two
:53:49. > :53:52.frames this morning, which he looks like doing now. 141 is the highest
:53:53. > :54:00.I've moment. APPLAUSE
:54:01. > :54:03.. And the fact he brought the yellow interplay on this previous shot, it
:54:04. > :54:18.has given him a chance to do just that -- into play.
:54:19. > :54:32.He has equalled his highest break so far. Surely he will eclipse that
:54:33. > :54:33.with this red. What a wonderful chance this is to be the highest
:54:34. > :55:43.break of the tournament. The right-hand of these two reds
:55:44. > :55:53.will go into the same pocket. APPLAUSE
:55:54. > :56:01.That is nicely played. For Alan McManus, just when he needed it. The
:56:02. > :56:04.41st century of the tournament played and Alan was a chance for his
:56:05. > :56:09.personal highest break here. Personal 145 is the highest he has
:56:10. > :56:10.made in -- is on and the highest he has made in tournament play is 143,
:56:11. > :56:37.so that would be a milestone. Taking the pink, so still a possible
:56:38. > :56:41.one for four. Green to brown is not too bad whether brown is. If it was
:56:42. > :56:44.on its spot, it would be slightly more difficult. The fact the green
:56:45. > :56:48.is where it is makes the brown a little easier to get. With his
:56:49. > :56:51.angle, though, I do not know how he can stay on the green on Letty
:56:52. > :56:57.placed the cannon with the brown. He played that nicely. Well done.
:56:58. > :57:03.APPLAUSE -- unless he plays the cannon with
:57:04. > :57:11.the brown. He has played this break beautifully. Oh, what a shame. An
:57:12. > :57:22.excellent effort from Alan McManus. Levels the match at 9-9. What a
:57:23. > :57:27.shame. It is amazing, when he was trying to go for it, he didn't
:57:28. > :57:30.realise he was on it for quite some time, until he got into this
:57:31. > :57:34.position here and when he realised it was frame ball he was trying just
:57:35. > :57:37.to avoid the yellow and perhaps he could have played that between that
:57:38. > :57:40.and the yellow and come down on the right-hand side of the pink. As we
:57:41. > :57:45.let it go you you can see he was trying to come inside the yellow and
:57:46. > :57:49.come back to the loo. Perhaps not, maybe was aiming for the gap and
:57:50. > :57:56.just misses it. Broke into the balls, and I thought he was good to
:57:57. > :58:01.break his -- beat his highest break and beat the tournament one, which
:58:02. > :58:05.is still 141. Ali Carter, I know you spent an awful lot of time with him,
:58:06. > :58:08.and this is an enormous match for him in the context of what has
:58:09. > :58:13.happened to him over the last couple of years. Yes, he has been a
:58:14. > :58:25.tremendous fighter. Had to battle serious illness on a couple of
:58:26. > :58:29.occasions. Alan McManus, he will be delighted. He has got himself right
:58:30. > :58:38.back into this match, breaking off in frame 21. You just feel that Ali
:58:39. > :58:41.has lost his composure a bit this morning so far, Willie, and I think
:58:42. > :58:46.the table has a lot to do with that. The kicks and the bouncers are very
:58:47. > :58:50.off-putting for both players and I think Ali has just let that affect
:58:51. > :58:55.him this morning, which is understandable.
:58:56. > :58:59.APPLAUSE He has been practising. Once again,
:59:00. > :59:06.looking at the safety shot there. How is he himself, Vermont? Is
:59:07. > :59:09.great, yes. He has been working really hard, his fitness and diet is
:59:10. > :59:12.really good at the moment. He is looking the best I have ever seen
:59:13. > :59:20.him, to be honest, really for this match -- how is he looking himself,
:59:21. > :59:27.at the moment? Alan is such a great match player, such a great
:59:28. > :59:34.competitor. I don't know why Ali is complaining about something there.
:59:35. > :59:39.He just miss hit it. That is a real reprieve for Ali Carter. He has got
:59:40. > :59:44.away with it. Time to start playing some good safety, Ali. That is just
:59:45. > :00:32.not good enough. Ali Carter has lost his composure
:00:33. > :00:40.this morning. He is obviously unhappy with the playing conditions.
:00:41. > :00:47.But he just got down and played that safety was a very little thought,
:00:48. > :00:55.opened the balls up, and you just cannot do that against somebody of
:00:56. > :01:04.the class of Alan McManus. That one wiped its feet. Fortunately for Alan
:01:05. > :01:12.it went in. Played the drag shot slightly thick into the pocket. I
:01:13. > :01:25.would like to have seen the cue ball release another three or four inches
:01:26. > :01:35.but he should be OK here though. And now this is a very good chance. He
:01:36. > :01:37.will be used to playing around the black spot having had nine reds and
:01:38. > :01:44.nine blacks on the previous occasion. I know it is early but
:01:45. > :02:16.this is a slightly better chance than the last one.
:02:17. > :02:24.Forced into playing a cannon now because he finished a lot lower than
:02:25. > :02:29.he wanted to, he did not want to go there because there are plenty of
:02:30. > :02:46.reds on, but there's no option. Good recovery. Because he is hampered he
:02:47. > :03:34.will be playing for a lower baulk colour off the red in the middle.
:03:35. > :03:39.This has been a remarkable performance from Alan in the early
:03:40. > :03:42.part of the morning session. In the first frame everything went wrong
:03:43. > :03:55.for both players but Alan came through it with a very good hot on
:03:56. > :04:00.the black. -- very good pot. And now, should win the frame from this
:04:01. > :04:12.position as well. There may, what was that? -- dear me. Ali Carter
:04:13. > :04:16.could find a much drifting away from him, if you losers this he needs to
:04:17. > :04:24.win the final frame before the interval. -- if he loses. Then try
:04:25. > :04:35.to get mentally right to come back out again. What he does not want is
:04:36. > :04:45.to be a nine behind. -- to be 11 - nine behind. Very tough,
:04:46. > :04:54.unfortunately got a kick and that is the reason the red went thick. You
:04:55. > :04:58.can see it jump on impact. An incredible number of kicks in this
:04:59. > :05:01.match and it seems to be particularly on this side, this
:05:02. > :05:08.table, rather than the table on the other side of the screen. I would
:05:09. > :05:12.say 80% more on this one. The other is playing quite nicely. Just cannot
:05:13. > :05:31.get going, Ali Carter. A typical example of when things are
:05:32. > :05:38.going not so well your head drops. When we watch the slow motion the
:05:39. > :05:47.red jumped as well. Another bad contact. But you will get those when
:05:48. > :05:51.you are playing screw backs. But I know what you are saying. But if you
:05:52. > :05:59.watch slow motion replays of every shot plate, you can see the red just
:06:00. > :06:04.bouncing. Definitely jumped. That shouldn't happen, the bounce.
:06:05. > :06:14.That has gone wide. The cue ball is closer than close.
:06:15. > :06:22.Well, you have got to gain your composure now. Make 30 or 40 at
:06:23. > :06:43.least and get your confidence back because it is shot at the moment.
:06:44. > :06:51.A wry smile from Ali Carter. He has overrun his position on the blue,
:06:52. > :07:14.maybe forcing him to take the pink. That was one of those where he
:07:15. > :07:38.probably expected a bounce. Everything going awkwardly
:07:39. > :07:40.for Ali Carter at the moment. If he gets top side of the blue that also
:07:41. > :08:19.Tim fine. -- that will suit him. Not only was it a poor attempt but
:08:20. > :08:26.he did not get into the cue ball either, he was trying to hold it for
:08:27. > :08:30.the red he was closest to. Worrying times for Carter supporters now. He
:08:31. > :08:32.is just not happy with anything at the moment, he needs the interval
:08:33. > :09:42.and quickly. He obviously feels there is a plant
:09:43. > :09:53.on, otherwise he would have played the cannon. The two red appear to be
:09:54. > :10:01.makeable. Can play naturally behind the black but he would not want to
:10:02. > :10:10.stun it. OK, I was going to say do not stunted because you finish
:10:11. > :10:12.straight on the black. -- stun it. He is not a happy chappie at the
:10:13. > :10:41.moment, Mr Carter. Not quite high enough to be certain
:10:42. > :10:46.to what this rate, -- to pot this red. He may feel it is a bit of a
:10:47. > :10:50.risk, he has got Ali Carter in a mess and does not want to gift him
:10:51. > :11:08.an opportunity, but he is taking it on. That is unbelievable.
:11:09. > :11:28.So, the long spider, trying to get the red tide and the black cushion
:11:29. > :11:54.-- tight on. Alan McManus leading by 51 point, 59 remaining.
:11:55. > :12:04.He can play it in the middle pocket, OK, the angle is acute but he is
:12:05. > :12:18.bound to be on the black. If he misses the far jaw he can almost
:12:19. > :12:26.play it as a shot to nothing. It is certainly tough.
:12:27. > :12:50.Had to play to the near jaw, could not hit far jaw.
:12:51. > :13:06.It puts him 52 points in front, and can take this yellow one with a
:13:07. > :13:10.little more confidence. I sure the people in the audience are as amused
:13:11. > :13:25.as we are at the way things have happened this morning. -- team --
:13:26. > :13:30.bemused. Conceded. 51 point behind only, only needed one snooker, Ali
:13:31. > :13:39.Carter is in trouble, mentally and physically. Once again he is just
:13:40. > :13:47.disappearing to try to, I don't know, taught himself? Did you ever
:13:48. > :13:53.do that, look in the mirror and tell yourself you are in trouble?
:13:54. > :13:58.I did not need to look in the mirror to do that. It is all about getting
:13:59. > :14:03.yourself up for it. He is not in a great face because of what has
:14:04. > :14:08.happened. He has really struggled, his safety has been poor, but it is
:14:09. > :14:14.easily done, we have all done it, we have all been there.
:14:15. > :14:20.Let's look at some of the pain he is going through this morning. We will
:14:21. > :14:27.let this run. There he is, in deep concentration. Just trying to get
:14:28. > :14:31.things together. It has been a very tough day at the office for him so
:14:32. > :14:37.far but he can turn it around by winning the next frame.
:14:38. > :14:42.I think he must win the next frame. He could come back, no question, he
:14:43. > :14:47.is one of the best in the world, but he is getting prostrated and you can
:14:48. > :14:57.see him there, so angry, almost as if he wants to punch somebody in a
:14:58. > :15:04.moment. -- frustrated. This is another bad contact you talked
:15:05. > :15:09.about. Bangs his head on the table. Neither player wants this but it is
:15:10. > :15:16.so frustrating, you have work all year for the World Championship.
:15:17. > :15:28.Ali Carter, raking in frame 20. And I feel it is one he needs to win.
:15:29. > :15:47.His frame of mind is not good at all at the moment.
:15:48. > :15:56.This is a tough safety shot that Alan McManus is faced with here. He
:15:57. > :16:13.played it very well. This is a chance for the long pot
:16:14. > :16:18.for Ali Carter. The way things have gone this morning so far for him it
:16:19. > :16:34.would be a very brave shot to take on.
:16:35. > :16:44.He has left a couple for Alan to go out, and was fortunate not to leave
:16:45. > :16:58.the red over the middle. He cued it nicely. But just not quite nicely
:16:59. > :17:04.enough. I am almost beginning to think it could be a light white ball
:17:05. > :17:11.because it is bouncing all the time when it makes contact with the
:17:12. > :17:21.object ball. Another excellent positional shot from Alan. Very well
:17:22. > :17:27.controlled. This was the attempt from Ali, and yes, the red jumped
:17:28. > :17:31.again. There has been a lot of bad contact this morning, very
:17:32. > :18:10.frustrating from the point of view of the players.
:18:11. > :18:23.Alan realises he can really get a few cold in the quarterfinals by
:18:24. > :18:36.winning this frame -- foothold. He knows that Ali Carter will be
:18:37. > :18:42.seething, and is favourite to do this now. That is what you need to
:18:43. > :19:10.do when a player is struggling. Make every post a winning post.
:19:11. > :19:31.The wrong side of the blue. He hit that very heart, and the cue ball
:19:32. > :19:42.went nowhere. -- very hard. Another dull reaction. A tremendous amount
:19:43. > :19:47.of cue power required to get back down to the reds, he decided against
:19:48. > :20:01.it, happy to take the points, play safe, keep Ali Carter under
:20:02. > :20:10.pressure. This rate -- red goes. Good shot. If he can miss the pack
:20:11. > :20:18.of roads on the way down, to the right of the pink, if he gets this
:20:19. > :20:20.positional shot right, he can bring the red away from the pink, and then
:20:21. > :20:57.he is of -- off to go. The black obviously goes on to the
:20:58. > :21:04.pink spot so this will open things up a little bit. If the black is
:21:05. > :21:26.available in the middle, there is no problem. And there is no problem.
:21:27. > :21:48.Well, what can we say? That was a twitch, not a bad contact, he just
:21:49. > :21:53.to -- twitched, it is amazing what can happen at the Crucible Theatre,
:21:54. > :23:48.and as you see, that wasn't a bad contact.
:23:49. > :23:59.That was a better safety shot from Ali Carter. Very unusually, his
:24:00. > :24:04.safety has been poor, so far this morning. Normally one of the
:24:05. > :24:37.strongest part of his game. That is a decent cue ball from Alan
:24:38. > :24:40.McManus, but this bed is on, -- red, and is an opportunity that Ali
:24:41. > :24:49.Carter really does need to make the most of.
:24:50. > :24:59.Now, it is just not happening for him this morning. He will be
:25:00. > :25:10.bitterly disappointed, really struggling to control his emotions
:25:11. > :25:13.now. I know that Alan made a wonderful century a couple of frames
:25:14. > :25:25.ago but he has not had to do an awful lot this morning, the way Ali
:25:26. > :25:33.has played. He has to go all out for this and play for the black in the
:25:34. > :25:38.middle. Ali, this is your moment now to get back into this match, because
:25:39. > :25:41.it is drifting away from you. He just turned and said to himself,
:25:42. > :26:19.come on. He is finding everything difficult
:26:20. > :26:24.at the moment. Those two reds together, he could stunt into that
:26:25. > :26:30.for the black in the middle. But if he goes off the cushion he is in
:26:31. > :26:39.trouble again. This is missable. Why is he not playing the one with the
:26:40. > :26:45.rest? And difficult to avoid the cannon onto the other red.
:26:46. > :26:48.He has had some fortune because he mis-hit that but luckily for him it
:26:49. > :27:16.has come onto the black. This is all he needs with his
:27:17. > :27:20.concentration as it is, the match and the other table has reached the
:27:21. > :27:28.interval first, there will be a lot of movement around, and that is what
:27:29. > :27:29.you don't want. Well done. Good shot in the context of what is happening
:27:30. > :28:11.next. -- next door. That is certainly not ideal. He has
:28:12. > :28:18.made this very awkward for himself now, he wanted it much straighter on
:28:19. > :28:30.this red, this is missable. Well played. The reason Peter said that
:28:31. > :28:36.was missable, it was what he had to do with the cue ball. You know you
:28:37. > :28:45.can get close to pink or black playing that shot. 22 points behind
:28:46. > :28:55.so will need virtually all the reds that are available. This is a good
:28:56. > :29:01.choice of shot to get the pink back into play but once again a very poor
:29:02. > :29:03.positional shot. He has a wry smile, he knows it should not have been
:29:04. > :29:28.anywhere near the yellow. A very good shot from Ali Carter,
:29:29. > :29:34.just what he needed under the circumstances, it has been a really
:29:35. > :29:43.tough morning for him so far, but struck that one beautifully.
:29:44. > :29:53.Trying his hardest to dig deep now and find something. And he needs to.
:29:54. > :30:37.He needs to, fast. He has got himself to within one
:30:38. > :30:47.point but he will need all four reds and all colours, and I think he
:30:48. > :30:53.should port the two loose reds at the moment to get a little more
:30:54. > :30:59.confidence. Because if you miss is the one near the cushion he will be
:31:00. > :31:01.even more annoyed. He had to do that because of the state of mind he is
:31:02. > :31:10.in. Know there is a bit of cue ball
:31:11. > :31:22.movement and that was well cured again -- now. He is in form.
:31:23. > :31:30.Just gone into that red a little too much. He can still hold for that on
:31:31. > :31:41.the cushion but, as we all know, these are missable. Because he will
:31:42. > :31:47.have to play a dead weight. What a chance he missed when he missed that
:31:48. > :31:50.red a few moments ago. That is not there, is it? Goodness me!
:31:51. > :31:58.APPLAUSE It was just the case, Willie, wasn't
:31:59. > :32:05.it? Slightly overclocked that. Just the pace allowed it to drop. He has
:32:06. > :32:10.a good angle on this black. But the next red is very tricky. And he has
:32:11. > :32:28.another bounce off the side cushion there. A wry smile. Cue ball
:32:29. > :32:31.bouncers, you can see there. -- bounce. A bigger bounce than he
:32:32. > :32:39.expected or wanted. This is really tough. Not tight to the cushion.
:32:40. > :32:43.This is tough. It looks tight. He missed that, though. He will be very
:32:44. > :32:48.frustrated. He did all the hard work there. But unfortunately for him he
:32:49. > :33:16.is only 22 point oh in front, with 35 on. -- points in front.
:33:17. > :33:22.If he is not straight on this yellow, he still can hold for it yet
:33:23. > :33:31.again, but I think he is OK. I don't blame him for that because it is
:33:32. > :33:33.easier to clear up. This is a massive shot, in context of the
:33:34. > :33:58.game, of the match. That one shot just made McManus
:33:59. > :34:03.favourite to win this frame, and when all formats of the morning
:34:04. > :34:19.session, to go 11-9 in front, still with a possible four to play. -- and
:34:20. > :34:24.win all four of the morning session. He wanted to bring it level the
:34:25. > :34:49.He wanted to bring it level to 10-10, and this was the shot.
:34:50. > :34:58.This is Ali's last chance of coming back to the table, if he doesn't get
:34:59. > :35:02.it nicely on the pink. If he dolls, pink and black are a formality. --
:35:03. > :35:29.if he does. APPLAUSE
:35:30. > :35:47.What a remarkable shot! He goes into the interval leading 11-9. She go
:35:48. > :35:52.what a fantastic morning it has been for Alan McManus, life in the old
:35:53. > :35:56.dog yet. They are having an mid-session interval and mean well
:35:57. > :35:59.we will show you table two. Mark Selby, number one, taking on the
:36:00. > :36:06.qualifier Sam Baird. They got it yesterday and this is the story of
:36:07. > :36:09.the first session. COMMENTATOR: The biggest match of
:36:10. > :36:14.Sam Baird's life, against Mark Selby, the world number one. That
:36:15. > :36:30.will not do anything for his nerves! That might make him worse. It has
:36:31. > :36:42.finished very nicely. Mark Selby, he will be delighted, taking the
:36:43. > :36:57.opening frame. Very well played. He has gone level now. He cued it well
:36:58. > :37:07.and he has a very, very good kiss. Back to where they were at the
:37:08. > :37:28.start. Hit beautifully, a very good shot. He is back in front again.
:37:29. > :37:39.Well played. His third century of the Crucible this year. It is 3-3.
:37:40. > :37:52.Back in front again at 4-3. Well played.
:37:53. > :37:58.Very well played. He levels up at 4-4, going into their second
:37:59. > :38:01.session. Considering this is Sam Baird's second appearance at the
:38:02. > :38:06.stadium, showing no nerves whatsoever. He has never beaten Mark
:38:07. > :38:11.Selby. 4-4 at the end of the first session. Sam Baird won the first
:38:12. > :38:25.frame of this session. We join them in play. Mark Selby to play,
:38:26. > :38:31.trailing by eight. COMMENTATOR: You don't get the balls
:38:32. > :38:35.at your mercy this often, like this. It is a tough situation, though. A
:38:36. > :38:53.bit of pressure on, knowing you should make a frame-winning break.
:38:54. > :39:52.That did not go into the centre of the pocket. That is why he is lost
:39:53. > :39:57.on that little bit. Still OK. Probably just what Mark Selby
:39:58. > :39:59.needed, just the balls in this type of position, just to get his hand
:40:00. > :40:27.going again little bit. Such a marvellous at cuist. Very
:40:28. > :40:31.hard to keep under wraps, so to speak -- cueist. Very controlled and
:40:32. > :40:38.very precise in his way around the table. He hits the ball beautifully,
:40:39. > :41:01.and very rarely plays poor position. Just wondering, is there an
:41:02. > :41:07.opportunity to try to get that black on the spot now? He could deep screw
:41:08. > :41:16.off the side cushion and take the black to this bottom left corner
:41:17. > :41:21.pocket. It looks pretty straight, this red. It could come off beside
:41:22. > :41:30.cushion, hitting the black properly here... Deciding to go up for the
:41:31. > :41:40.blue. He would love to have that black on it spot at some stage. I
:41:41. > :41:48.think the bottom of the three reds together goes into the wrong corner.
:41:49. > :42:01.So getting straight on that black would be nice. Or roughly straight
:42:02. > :42:16.on it and just play off the cushion, hitting that red.
:42:17. > :42:21.APPLAUSE Just getting that black on the spot
:42:22. > :42:32.makes this break now so much easier. It is very hard to make a frame and
:42:33. > :42:43.a break just with all blues. Not in the middle, but from where Mark
:42:44. > :42:46.Selby was standing, as he hit that ball, he would have known
:42:47. > :42:53.immediately it was then. From behind the pocket, sometimes because you
:42:54. > :42:56.cannot see the fall of the slate, you sometimes think the player is
:42:57. > :43:01.going to miss the shot, but if you were in your club and standing where
:43:02. > :44:22.Mark Selby was, you would know that that was in, instantly.
:44:23. > :44:38.59 ahead now, 59 remaining, so straightforward. Mark Selby, just up
:44:39. > :44:43.the order. A bit unlucky with the split, of course. Made a wonderful
:44:44. > :44:51.red and black, and so unfortunate not to be on an easy red. But there
:44:52. > :44:53.is no chance of me getting into a position like that, snooker table,
:44:54. > :45:05.position like that on a snooker table, Steve, not with my legs!
:45:06. > :45:17.It would be nice if you could play this one left-handed! That
:45:18. > :45:23.position... The half lotus! LAUGHTER
:45:24. > :45:40.He must be using cod-liver oil, to be that flexible. Linseed oil in
:45:41. > :45:46.summer, for the cue, anyway. -- for the Cure. Yes, and cod-liver oil for
:45:47. > :45:51.the joint! Eight there was a time in the summer months when snooker
:45:52. > :45:59.players had the summer off, you would soak the oil with your cue and
:46:00. > :46:03.let it settle for a couple of weeks. I don't think the players even have
:46:04. > :46:28.time to retake their cues these days. -- re-tip.
:46:29. > :46:34.A lovely shot. APPLAUSE
:46:35. > :46:45.Great positional shot, knocking the red over, and the possible chance
:46:46. > :46:54.now of the century. He has made 410 career centuries, as we watch this
:46:55. > :46:54.wonderful positional shot here. Sam Baird scored a century...
:46:55. > :47:18.APPLAUSE Yes, and if Mark Selby was feeling
:47:19. > :47:23.the heat, in any way, shape or form, as we mentioned earlier, Ken, about
:47:24. > :47:27.the possibilities playing against a younger player, and that putting you
:47:28. > :47:29.under pressure, well, he has not shown it in this. He has been very
:47:30. > :47:52.controlled. He really has not put a foot wrong.
:47:53. > :47:58.And he has done his job here. He was asked the question, balls all the
:47:59. > :48:05.open. A little bit of an exhibition. Tried to finish off, don't think the
:48:06. > :48:15.black has the pace... Mark Selby get it level. 5-5. Corlett Drive End
:48:16. > :48:20.excellent break for Mark Selby. He won the next frame to make it 6-5
:48:21. > :48:28.and we will now show you what happened in frame 12, Mark Selby at
:48:29. > :48:32.the table, trailing by 54 points. COMMENTATOR: Sam Baird is going to
:48:33. > :48:36.be having a crack at the red, perhaps in behind the green, round
:48:37. > :48:39.the back of the black. Did not try to pot the red, although a great
:48:40. > :48:46.effort. APPLAUSE
:48:47. > :48:54.Contained the situation as best he could there. This is a long-range
:48:55. > :49:06.pot. Not easy. APPLAUSE
:49:07. > :49:19.Great pot, wasn't it? Very confident. It was lucky it was over
:49:20. > :49:23.the hole, that red. Just got down, mentally relaxed on the yellow. You
:49:24. > :49:35.would have to issue and it is frame over. Once again, Sam Baird would be
:49:36. > :49:48.back on level terms. -- you have to assume. A repeat performance would
:49:49. > :49:55.do the trick. APPLAUSE
:49:56. > :50:05.Exactly the same shot, wasn't it? Pretty good at that shot. Mark will
:50:06. > :50:11.come back to the table, I don't think, no. That is enough for him.
:50:12. > :50:14.Time to go for a cup of tea and Sam Baird's will taste that little bit
:50:15. > :50:20.nicer after getting back on level terms. It is 6-6.
:50:21. > :50:25.STUDIO: Is superb snooker match and you can keep up-to-date with that
:50:26. > :50:30.match via the BBC sport website, and on the red button as well, and on
:50:31. > :50:33.the app. We are on the earth for another nine minutes or so so have
:50:34. > :50:40.that red button standing by if you want to continue with live coverage
:50:41. > :50:43.from the Crucible. We shall now rejoin our commentary team of Willie
:50:44. > :50:48.Thorne and Peter Ebdon. WILLIE THORNE: Heater is not back in
:50:49. > :50:51.the commentary box yet because he had an awful lot of work to do at
:50:52. > :50:55.the interval trying to get Ali Carter into a frame of mind where he
:50:56. > :51:00.could compete and get back into this match -- Peter is not in the
:51:01. > :51:05.commentary box yet. Ali Carter, decided he is not going to play that
:51:06. > :51:10.one. It will be interesting to see what Peter is allowed to see the us
:51:11. > :51:21.when he rejoins me in the commentary box, which he is doing just now.
:51:22. > :51:26.McManus played so very well in those first four frames. The first one was
:51:27. > :51:31.one to forget but he won it. He dominated the next three, albeit
:51:32. > :51:40.Carter had an excellent chance to win the last frame of the session.
:51:41. > :51:44.Well, Peter, am I allowed to ask you how the conversation went, or is
:51:45. > :51:50.that player's privilege? PETER EBDON: Obviously it was a
:51:51. > :51:55.tough one, Willie, because things did not go that well for him there
:51:56. > :52:02.out in the first four frames this morning. But he is a class player,
:52:03. > :52:13.two-time world finalist. And now is the time to show some character. And
:52:14. > :52:28.he will be feeling a lot better after that excellent long red.
:52:29. > :52:37.He needs to play a little delicate cannon to the two read, not one,
:52:38. > :52:44.because he may snigger himself. -- two reds. He may not have snookered
:52:45. > :52:49.himself so he has played that nicely -- him a smoker himself. He needs to
:52:50. > :52:51.really make a frame-winning break, just to get the confidence back.
:52:52. > :53:24.APPLAUSE Purposely not playing that because
:53:25. > :53:30.there are still those more reds. His choice of four reds if he gets it
:53:31. > :53:47.nicely. Well played. And, without doubt, the interval
:53:48. > :53:54.came at the right time for Ali Carter. I am sure if the match had
:53:55. > :54:02.gone on without the interval, Alan McManus would probably have won
:54:03. > :54:08.13-9. A chance to chat to our other commentator, Peter Ebdon, and his
:54:09. > :54:11.manager, no doubt saying things to be as encouraging as they could to
:54:12. > :54:18.get him back into the right frame of mind, and it looks like it has done
:54:19. > :54:22.the trick. Well, we promised him an organic banana smoothie, if he won
:54:23. > :54:34.this match, and that could well make all the difference!
:54:35. > :54:40.APPLAUSE I am not too sure whether he can
:54:41. > :54:44.hold on either side of the pink or if he will have to screw though the
:54:45. > :54:48.cushions, but he has decided to go into them. When things are not going
:54:49. > :54:53.right for you... Out on lucky is that? To get them absolutely like
:54:54. > :55:00.that. Unfortunately the white double-kissed the pink place there.
:55:01. > :55:08.It just slowed the weight down, very unfortunate. He could not have hit
:55:09. > :55:14.that shot much better. -- white. And now is the time to take stock, play
:55:15. > :55:21.an excellent safety shot. The problem with the safety shot here,
:55:22. > :55:32.is he playing the double? Is he playing the double? What a shot!
:55:33. > :55:59.He took a risk there. He knew the only kiss that would be good was the
:56:00. > :56:03.half ball kiss, but unfortunately it was full ball. He had no option
:56:04. > :56:14.because he did not want the black to go up on the brown. Surely that is
:56:15. > :56:24.another double... The problem with the safety shot here is that he
:56:25. > :56:28.needs to cover the two reds into the left-hand black pocket because they
:56:29. > :56:31.could be made into a plant. If he is taking this into the middle that is
:56:32. > :56:39.really tough. What a shot that is! He has been sought unlucky -- so
:56:40. > :56:53.lucky there at the end. That really was a fantastic shot. No prizes for
:56:54. > :56:59.what is coming up next. So I'm excellent 47 break. He will be
:57:00. > :57:03.feeling much better about things after that visit -- an excellent 47
:57:04. > :57:13.break. A very good effort, and Alan McManus is in some trouble now. They
:57:14. > :57:19.call him Angles McManus, and my good friend Dennis Taylor recovering in
:57:20. > :57:25.hospital would be quick to put a line in here about getting him to
:57:26. > :57:29.the desired red. If anybody., the picture of Dennis in this morning
:57:30. > :57:33.with his thumbs up, and I suggest he will be drawing white lines on
:57:34. > :57:37.circles on the walls to get him in practice for coming back next week,
:57:38. > :57:40.but, like I said, this one is a tough one. No problem hitting the
:57:41. > :57:46.red, but hitting a red where you can get safe, and he would like to come
:57:47. > :57:50.back in behind the two in the left-hand corner pocket. This is
:57:51. > :58:16.tough. Corlett Drive End thanks to Peter
:58:17. > :58:19.Thorne and -- Willie Thorne and Peter Ebdon. This is where we say
:58:20. > :58:25.goodbye on BBC Two but if you press your red button you can continue
:58:26. > :58:30.watching Alan McManus and Ali Carter, and in the other match Mark
:58:31. > :58:35.Selby is now ahead of Sam Baird, leading 6-6 -- 7-6. Hazel will be
:58:36. > :58:41.here at 1:30pm on BBC Two when Ronnie O'Sullivan begins his quest
:58:42. > :58:42.to win a world title once again, taking on Barry Hawkins. Goodbye for
:58:43. > :58:52.now.