Sunday, 2nd Round, Afternoon

:00:33. > :00:41.Good afternoon. 39,000 runners slugging away on the streets of

:00:42. > :00:47.London today. Meanwhile, in Sheffield, just about to cross the

:00:48. > :00:54.halfway mark in our annual snooker marathon, at the Betfred sticker

:00:55. > :00:59.World Championship. Anything better lazy Sunday. -- snooker World

:01:00. > :01:06.Championship. It was Tim Peake who got the race under way in the South,

:01:07. > :01:13.for once Ryan O'Sullivan not having it is always against Barry Hawkins.

:01:14. > :01:49.-- Ronnie O'Sullivan. Barry Hawkins doesn't have a great

:01:50. > :01:54.record against Ronnie O'Sullivan. Absolutely destroyed in the final of

:01:55. > :01:59.the Masters. He needed a good start, got that. He missed the black early

:02:00. > :02:09.on in the frame, Ronny Deila not take advantage, Barry Hawkins settle

:02:10. > :02:16.down -- settle down. All of a sudden, Barry played a bad safety

:02:17. > :02:23.shot. The Rocket, Ian, 139 break, highest of the tournament. Third

:02:24. > :02:37.frame Ronnie in the balls, you expect him to clear up. Simple black

:02:38. > :02:45.humanists. 2-1, to Barry. -- he missed. For frame, before the

:02:46. > :02:48.interval, Barry had a chance. Ronnie came to the table, looked like he

:02:49. > :02:55.would make a century, 88, good enough. Going into the mid-session

:02:56. > :03:01.interval 2-2. Barry Hawkins in first, did not make the most of it,

:03:02. > :03:09.another century from the Rocket. Superb, 3-2 in front, going his way

:03:10. > :03:21.again against Barry. All of a sudden, scrappy game, seem to suit

:03:22. > :03:27.are more than Ronnie -- suit Barry more than Ronnie. Once again,

:03:28. > :03:34.another tactical frame. Barry Hawkins competing with Ronnie in

:03:35. > :03:40.every department of the game. 4-3. Into the last frame of the session.

:03:41. > :03:44.Barry Hawkins knew he could not be behind, but would he have the

:03:45. > :03:50.advantage? Once again keeping Ronnie at a playing good, solid snooker, he

:03:51. > :03:59.was cueing well. Takes the lead, 5-3. Barry Hawkins resumes 5-3 in

:04:00. > :04:05.front of Ronnie O'Sullivan. The first time he has led the Rocket by

:04:06. > :04:10.two frames in any match since 2002. 14 years have gone by. Let's see how

:04:11. > :04:12.both of them fair this afternoon, our live offering. We have plenty

:04:13. > :04:21.more coming for you. We will keep a close eye on four

:04:22. > :04:34.time world champion, John Higgins will stop 40 centuries this season,

:04:35. > :04:40.five already this week. A finalist in snooker's most recent tournaments

:04:41. > :04:47.on the tour. Time to get our green matter going, one man for the job. I

:04:48. > :04:53.have a fiendish QI question for you later on. The burning question was

:04:54. > :05:01.the suggested burning of a misbehaving table one. We will talk

:05:02. > :05:06.about that later. And the Hawk Switzerland chance to go top of the

:05:07. > :05:16.table. He is under pressure, does not want to go over to minutes, 11

:05:17. > :05:27.seconds. Judd Trump against former number one,

:05:28. > :05:41.Ding Junhui. Shock in that other match, 7-1, Mark Allen losing to the

:05:42. > :05:45.qualifier. There have been tongue is firmly in cheek from two the guys

:05:46. > :05:52.who found themselves down in those matches. Judd Trump tweeted...

:05:53. > :06:09.They may be making light of it, but Peter Ebdon and Steve Davis, former

:06:10. > :06:14.world champions, how serious is it survives? The situation they find

:06:15. > :06:20.themselves, the shock of social media kicking in. If I had been 6-2,

:06:21. > :06:26.7-1 behind I would be throwing the phone out of the window, not talking

:06:27. > :06:31.to anybody for the rest of the day. Things have changed, estimate like

:06:32. > :06:35.this. Every session is different. It has been a very unpredictable World

:06:36. > :06:42.Championship. Nobody knows who the last four will be. Let's talk about

:06:43. > :06:44.the four in action this afternoon. The match between Ronnie O'Sullivan

:06:45. > :06:50.and Barry Hawkins, interestingly poised. Barry in the ascendancy.

:06:51. > :06:56.Despite the Rocket making two centuries and an 88. How do you

:06:57. > :07:00.assess that? We know what a great matchplay Barry Hawkins is. He will

:07:01. > :07:06.be determined to share the next session, possibly win 5-3. Depends

:07:07. > :07:10.on what sort of mode Ronnie is in. If he is in top form, he is

:07:11. > :07:17.unstoppable. We will be keeping a close eye on the John Higgins, Ricky

:07:18. > :07:25.Walden match. The players are making a guest appearance at the Winter

:07:26. > :07:29.Gardens. As MC today, it is the one and only Mr John Parrott. Firstly on

:07:30. > :07:32.table one, winner of three ranking events semifinalist in 2013, Ricky

:07:33. > :07:56.Walden. His opponents, winner of 28 ranking

:07:57. > :08:16.events, four times champion of the world, it is John Higgins.

:08:17. > :08:20.On table two, winner of two ranking events, finalist in 2013, Barry

:08:21. > :08:44.Hawkins. His opponent, winner of 28 ranking

:08:45. > :08:47.events are five times champion of the world, the Rocket, Ronnie

:08:48. > :09:07.O'Sullivan. We are off and running, this

:09:08. > :09:19.afternoon, day nine at the Crucible. You can catch the other match on the

:09:20. > :09:23.BBC sport website. We say good afternoon to Stephen Hendrie and

:09:24. > :09:27.John Virgo. COMMENTATOR: Good afternoon to

:09:28. > :09:35.everybody. I love the second round matches. When we get into these long

:09:36. > :09:39.before matches, the second session is always the big one in my eyes. In

:09:40. > :09:44.golfing terms, you would call it moving day. So important to get the

:09:45. > :09:49.lead, going into the final session. Barry Hawkins breaking off, knowing

:09:50. > :09:59.if he shares the eight frames, he will have a 9-7 lead. That is not a

:10:00. > :10:06.good break. It will give Ronnie chance. The first four frames were

:10:07. > :10:18.incredible. Average frame time of just over 12 minutes stop then it

:10:19. > :10:36.got a little bit slower after the fifth frame. Nice opening Red Bull

:10:37. > :10:42.from Ronnie. -- red from Ronnie. He gets in straightaway. What is the

:10:43. > :10:59.availability of the black? It is spotted. He would have liked to be

:11:00. > :11:02.little straighter on this red. Just nudging the other one away, making

:11:03. > :11:09.the black available into both corners. If he plays this with top

:11:10. > :11:14.spin, he can get the red closest of the black in the right corner. He

:11:15. > :11:21.has chosen to go into the bunch. That has worked out pretty good.

:11:22. > :11:26.Pretty good. I don't know whether he can get back for position on the

:11:27. > :11:35.black. Because of the red just above it, only available to the right

:11:36. > :11:43.corner. As so often we see with Ronnie, and anyone who is one of the

:11:44. > :11:46.great players, always looking to get the opportunity to get the ball is

:11:47. > :11:58.open and get a frame-winning chance stop he has won here. -- to get the

:11:59. > :12:06.balls open and get a frame-winning chance. He has won here. To play the

:12:07. > :12:13.game that way, you need great self belief. Slightly hampered here.

:12:14. > :12:29.Right in the heart of the pocket. The break off from Barry Hawkins to

:12:30. > :12:36.leave him that long red, I think that is feature of this World

:12:37. > :12:44.Championship, leaving opportunities from the break. You come round two

:12:45. > :12:47.cushions, then third cushion, if you don't get it right, it slides off

:12:48. > :12:58.the third cushion, always leaving red one. Ronnie, full steam ahead.

:12:59. > :13:04.Funny, I was in my room this morning, watching the play, whenever

:13:05. > :13:08.they went to the studio, in between frames, all I could see was Ronnie

:13:09. > :13:13.O'Sullivan practising in the background. He's putting his work in

:13:14. > :13:31.this morning, coming out, looking sharp. He knows how important this

:13:32. > :13:38.second session is. So often in these matches, longer session matches, he

:13:39. > :13:47.has one session where he tends to blow his opponent away. 6-2, 7-1.

:13:48. > :13:50.Looking for one of those today. Strike that beautifully. Needed to

:13:51. > :13:53.play that with left-hand side to widen the angle. He made it look so

:13:54. > :14:31.simple. JVC, 60 ahead. Black, then one more

:14:32. > :14:46.red getting him to the sniggers required. He has just missed just

:14:47. > :14:51.that. -- misjudged. There you go, he has jammed that that one, frightened

:14:52. > :15:01.at playing the push. All of a sudden, this frame is not over. 68

:15:02. > :15:08.points in front, but 75 remaining. Well, this would be the type of

:15:09. > :15:11.frame that this wing a match around, here. Barry Hawkins, never expected

:15:12. > :15:40.a chance. Straightaway, looks to have the

:15:41. > :15:49.angle. Maybe just too much of an angle. Perhaps does not want to take

:15:50. > :15:58.a risk just yet. Looking at the school board, 62 behind, 67

:15:59. > :16:02.remaining. That is with blacks. Will not be playing for the black here.

:16:03. > :16:13.He has a few points to play with, but not many.

:16:14. > :16:20.Again, the angle to take the red off the right cushion. Chronically won't

:16:21. > :16:31.take that opportunity. Cannot afford to miss the thing. It worked out

:16:32. > :16:38.nicely. Interesting to see where the pink will go. It does not go on its

:16:39. > :16:45.own spot, as close as it can with the direct line from the top

:16:46. > :16:49.cushion. Without touching the red. Certainly one of those reds

:16:50. > :16:55.available. Possibility the one closest to the pink is available to

:16:56. > :17:03.the right middle. This is made easier by the fact that Barry is a

:17:04. > :17:11.left-hander. Definitely a chance, not an easy one. These are the ones

:17:12. > :17:19.at this level you have the take. -- to take.

:17:20. > :17:32.Maybe he has stunned a little bit too far. He will be OK, he can roll

:17:33. > :17:39.it in. He has decided he could not hole, coming around the two

:17:40. > :17:52.cushions. Not bad. Not perfect. If he goes up for the blue, he won the

:17:53. > :17:56.blacks -- he will need blacks from the two remaining reds. That looks

:17:57. > :18:18.inch perfect to me. Able to disturb the red. He has a

:18:19. > :18:35.problem. Looking at the school board. That has stopped him in his

:18:36. > :18:49.tracks. Frightened of the push. If are placed for the pink comedy can

:18:50. > :18:58.only type -- if Barry plays for the pink, he can only tie. Pot this, 35

:18:59. > :19:11.behind with 35 remaining. Not ideal on the pink. Decided. Not thinking

:19:12. > :19:27.of the double. Thinking of playing a good safety.

:19:28. > :19:37.He has not got the snooker, but a good cue ball. The six remaining

:19:38. > :19:52.colours on the spots. Remember, he can only tie.

:19:53. > :20:07.Purposely playing at that pace. Enough pace to bounce off the baulk

:20:08. > :20:15.cushion. To tie, Barry needs this with a black. He does not want this

:20:16. > :20:26.to go in. He could have got the snooker, he has done. If Ronnie does

:20:27. > :20:40.not hit it. Barry can win the frame. He has missed it. Easy to leave free

:20:41. > :20:48.ball is now probably is. -- is he going to leave a free ball? Probably

:20:49. > :21:00.is. Free ball, new favourite for the frame. Very surprising Ronnie missed

:21:01. > :21:13.that red. Has he just let this cue ball run? Further away from this red

:21:14. > :21:17.then he wanted. This counts as a red, colour to follow. As he

:21:18. > :21:35.followed through far enough? Surely not. Has he got a kick on that blue?

:21:36. > :21:42.Incredible. You cannot believe that. OK, maybe able to hit this thin

:21:43. > :21:51.edge. When he got the free ball, I thought new favourite. He has missed

:21:52. > :21:57.a great chance here. If he does not pinch this frame, Barry might not

:21:58. > :22:04.recover from that. This frame is massive. Let's have a look at the

:22:05. > :22:15.contact. Is it a kick? Maybe a little bit bounce. Ronnie will be

:22:16. > :22:29.relieved. Now 25 points in front. Red and the colour needed.

:22:30. > :22:37.The red was too risky. Also felt there was the opportunity to knock

:22:38. > :22:47.the black off the spot, make it awkward.

:22:48. > :23:01.The type of frame, no matter who loses it, that will hurt.

:23:02. > :23:15.Not bad. Not quite the snooker. Ronnie will probably play with

:23:16. > :23:22.swerve. Going to play playing ball, he has two catches right. He could

:23:23. > :23:30.get to the right-hand side of the red. It needs to run. I think it

:23:31. > :23:42.cuts. Ronnie cannot believe he has left the red on to the middle. Being

:23:43. > :23:55.25 points behind, any colour from this red will do. It is in. What

:23:56. > :24:01.sort of position? He will settle for being on the yellow. This yellow and

:24:02. > :24:12.the six remaining colours for an amazing turnaround in this frame.

:24:13. > :24:30.Ronnie was on 68, cruising. One careless positional shot.

:24:31. > :24:40.I think this is a shot that will win him the frame. Black is office box.

:24:41. > :24:47.Don't see that as being the problem. This is a shot, for me.

:24:48. > :25:12.What a first frame, John. And believable, careless positional shot

:25:13. > :25:19.from running. This will really hurt him. He was looking for a fast

:25:20. > :25:33.start, looked to have made it. The pink Panther black. -- the pink and

:25:34. > :25:43.black. For a three frame advantage. Looks perfect. Well, what a frame

:25:44. > :25:47.that was. Barry Hawkins in the end needed a couple of chances. Ronnie

:25:48. > :25:52.will be wondering how he lost that one. Looking at the school board, it

:25:53. > :25:58.is there, in black-and-white. Three frames behind.

:25:59. > :26:03.STUDIO: Ronnie looked like was cruising. How important Barry

:26:04. > :26:13.Hawkins cleared up, sending him a strong message? Massive first frame,

:26:14. > :26:20.he did tremendously well there. You saw the shot Ronnie missed, wary of

:26:21. > :26:25.playing the push-up. Your assessment of the way Barry started? One thing

:26:26. > :26:31.getting on level terms with Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Crucible. Another

:26:32. > :26:36.thing beating him in a session. Not many people do that. When you are

:26:37. > :26:39.asked the question in the next session, can you press and your

:26:40. > :26:44.advantage, a lot of players wilful to. Barry Hawkins has proved how

:26:45. > :26:50.good a player he is, he has been to the final the World Championship,

:26:51. > :26:54.you expect that. Easy to panic, and think, what a great chance. To get

:26:55. > :26:59.in the moment, and think of the whole significance. Very impressive.

:27:00. > :27:05.We talked about Ronnie as a fantastic front runner. One thing,

:27:06. > :27:11.even at the Masters, the Welsh Open, nobody asked him difficult

:27:12. > :27:16.questions. Neil Robinson did, he had some very good answers. This is new

:27:17. > :27:20.for the last couple of seasons. We know he has the game to do it. Will

:27:21. > :27:26.he do it on this occasion? Time will tell. Stuart Bingham had the better

:27:27. > :27:29.of him last year on his way to the world title. Barry Hawkins

:27:30. > :27:35.acquitting himself very well so far. Back we go.

:27:36. > :27:41.COMMENTATOR: Frames like the last one can turn matches. You look back

:27:42. > :27:52.at the end of it, and think, remember that ninth frame. Barry

:27:53. > :28:16.eyeing up the possibility of the pot here. It is an absolute cracker.

:28:17. > :28:25.That was a peach. This black in its own way, just so difficult, there is

:28:26. > :28:30.pressure on it. He has missed it. You see the anguish on his face. He

:28:31. > :28:35.knew that was a chance. The funny thing is, looking at it, if he had

:28:36. > :28:42.got it in the middle of the pocket, he had notched the red towards the

:28:43. > :28:49.pocket. This appointing. -- disappointing. He needs to miss that

:28:50. > :28:53.yellow. Because the black is over the pocket, does not really matter.

:28:54. > :28:59.I will be surprised if he does not play the black. He is looking at the

:29:00. > :29:05.yellow. Maybe there are couple of loose reds he can play. Also the

:29:06. > :29:14.angle to go into the bunch, if he feels like it. Playing for the two

:29:15. > :29:21.loose reds. Probably thinking, if he leaves himself a quotable shot onto

:29:22. > :29:25.the black, he can play the cannon that way. As we saw in the first

:29:26. > :29:33.frame. Always looking for the opportunity to bring all of the reds

:29:34. > :29:37.into play. It looks to be the perfect start for him in the first

:29:38. > :29:56.frame. One loose positional shot, and we saw how frame can be turned.

:29:57. > :30:03.He decided to go up and get the right angle on the blue. Now

:30:04. > :30:08.deciding to play the black. It is difficult to judge the path of the

:30:09. > :30:15.cue ball when it object ball is near the pocket. And he is not on the

:30:16. > :30:24.cred he played for. He played for the red on the right-hand side. He

:30:25. > :30:31.ruined his position there. If he misses the pink, he would have been

:30:32. > :30:37.perfect. That flick just slowed the cue ball down. He is still on this

:30:38. > :30:45.red. It is automatic to just drop it down on the black. Amazing. His pot

:30:46. > :30:52.success with the rest, 89% when you consider that every opportunity you

:30:53. > :30:54.play left handed, I'm amazed at how good he is with the rest. He does

:30:55. > :31:15.not get a lot of practice with it. Still a loose red for the same black

:31:16. > :31:32.as the pocket here. When he pops this red, he will

:31:33. > :31:39.release another one. When there is a red that you can go, even play low

:31:40. > :31:46.on the red. The player can bring other raids into play. -- Rhodes

:31:47. > :31:57.into play. Does he go into them? Does he play into them? : the open

:31:58. > :32:05.red. These can go wrong, viz, when you are playing off other balls.

:32:06. > :32:17.He has played that beautifully. No pace. Easy as you like. In fact,

:32:18. > :32:23.that are no portable reds. -- Potter ball.

:32:24. > :32:31.Careful with the positional shot. It went to the last frame. Back for the

:32:32. > :32:52.blue, but he is straight back on it. That is pedestrian. He will have to

:32:53. > :33:05.give this a bit of thought. This is missable. He played it well. Can he

:33:06. > :33:09.get the right angle on the blue? I think there is a read. I know there

:33:10. > :33:12.is a red available on the right-hand side. But I think there is also a

:33:13. > :33:17.red available on the left-hand side that is available to the right

:33:18. > :33:22.corner. The problem is, with the reds to the right corner, he has to

:33:23. > :33:32.avoid stripping himself with the pink. -- snickering himself.

:33:33. > :33:43.He is playing with three cushions of the green. He needs to miss the

:33:44. > :33:48.blue! He didn't do. So that one poor positional shot off the black a few

:33:49. > :34:01.shots ago is making this difficult for Ronnie. But that is a nice pot.

:34:02. > :34:09.Still got a little bit to do. Still 67 remaining. And he needs a precise

:34:10. > :34:17.positional shot. There is one read that will go, but he needs to judge

:34:18. > :34:18.it well. That pink is the danger ball for me. Is it going to roll

:34:19. > :34:36.past it? Just. So this red and colour. For

:34:37. > :34:41.the frame. That was an excellent positional shot. Could not put the

:34:42. > :34:46.cue ball in a better place with his hand.

:34:47. > :34:56.He has a red to the middle, so it looks like no mistake this time. 63

:34:57. > :35:09.ahead, 59 remaining. The frame all over now.

:35:10. > :35:17.This is the way that we expected the first frame to finish, but the long

:35:18. > :35:19.positional shot caught him out in the last frame. He managed to play

:35:20. > :35:33.some good recovery shots. Already made two centuries in this

:35:34. > :35:38.match so far, has Ronnie. Two centuries and 88. Those have been

:35:39. > :36:22.the only three frames he has won! Up until now.

:36:23. > :36:35.Absolutely wonderful. The 54th century at this year's world

:36:36. > :36:41.Championships. Ronnie's fourth. Impressive, Stephen, considering the

:36:42. > :36:48.way that he lost the last frame. He has kept his focus on what he is

:36:49. > :37:00.here to do in this session. So, in goes the black. A marvellous frame

:37:01. > :37:04.of 118. The new Ronnie O'Sullivan putting the disappointment of losing

:37:05. > :37:09.the last frame behind him, and he has closed to two again. 6-4, Barry

:37:10. > :37:18.Hawkins. STUDIO: Paul Hunter today Day Day

:37:19. > :37:25.today. He died ten years ago this October. How appropriate that Barry

:37:26. > :37:34.Hearn is going to name the Masters trophy after Paul Hunter. When Barry

:37:35. > :37:39.made the announcement last week that the Masters trophy would be named

:37:40. > :37:47.the Paul Hunter trophy, my wife and I was overwhelmed and happy. It is a

:37:48. > :37:54.great honour and tribute to Paul. , and at wonderful legacy for his

:37:55. > :37:59.daughter. Doesn't she look beautiful, she really does. Ten

:38:00. > :38:03.years after Paul sadly died from cancer, just before plate started

:38:04. > :38:10.today, there was once again a minute's applause to honour his men

:38:11. > :38:12.at -- memory and legacy within snooker. Always beautifully

:38:13. > :38:18.observed, and always good to celebrate his achievements in the

:38:19. > :38:20.game. I think everyone absolutely thrilled that the Masters trophy

:38:21. > :38:26.will now beat the Paul Hunter trophy, and it will be played for

:38:27. > :38:29.every January in London. How appropriate is that? Back we go.

:38:30. > :38:48.O'Sullivan on the chase. 4-6 behind. COMMENTATOR: So Barry gets the third

:38:49. > :38:55.frame of this session under way. And once again, he has left the three

:38:56. > :39:06.callable red to the right corner. He is asking for trouble.

:39:07. > :39:26.And the ball needs to slow up. Just a little bit too far.

:39:27. > :39:33.Well, Ronnie playing P Tucker. But normally when all of the reds art

:39:34. > :39:39.altogether, you must think there must be an easy safety. But there is

:39:40. > :39:47.not necessarily one here. The reds are in a cluster. He needs to catch

:39:48. > :39:50.this right. It is a bit PC. As he left one of the middle? -- it is a

:39:51. > :40:03.bit pacey. We'll Ronnie be tempted? He has been

:40:04. > :40:07.given a touching ball. It makes it an easier returned to the Boult. He

:40:08. > :40:14.has decided that that is the better option. -- Boult.

:40:15. > :40:25.A little shake off the head from Ronnie. He has left an edge of the

:40:26. > :40:28.red sticking out. He just did not judge it correctly there. Only a

:40:29. > :40:38.fraction away. It makes all the difference. That was the one thing

:40:39. > :40:42.that impressed me, Barry Hawkins has shown there. He is playing some

:40:43. > :40:48.excellent safety shots. I don't care who you are, when you are cut --

:40:49. > :41:00.type to the baulk cushion, there's not much you can do. Ronnie's long

:41:01. > :41:02.shot success, 82%, that is excellent. So he has got to get the

:41:03. > :41:34.cue ball on the baulk cushion. He has to be careful in playing

:41:35. > :41:40.this, if you catch a too thin, the red is tight at the top cushion. And

:41:41. > :41:49.that is very unlike Ronnie. That is very unlike him. To fall for that.

:41:50. > :42:00.He knew the red near the cushion was the danger ball.

:42:01. > :42:11.Along with having a safety, keeping the cue ball on the baulk cushion,

:42:12. > :42:26.the only thing he can do is score. With these opportunities. That is

:42:27. > :42:35.Ronnie's mistake. Poor shot for him. For anybody at this level, come to

:42:36. > :42:40.think of it. But as you say, it is important now that when Ronnie makes

:42:41. > :42:48.these mistakes, and gives Barry these opportunities, he has to take

:42:49. > :42:54.them. He won the last three frames yesterday afternoon with breaks of

:42:55. > :43:03.43 in frame six, 49 in frame seven, 48 in frame eight. It is not

:43:04. > :43:07.record-breaking scoring. Breaks of 33 and 30. He is looking at

:43:08. > :43:18.opportunities. It is not going to be easy. That

:43:19. > :43:41.will certainly be a bonus. You cannot pass it if you are

:43:42. > :43:57.straight on it. -- pot it. Short on the blue, but the red

:43:58. > :44:18.between the blue and green means that is not a problem.

:44:19. > :44:26.If Barry can keep that cushion of tee frames throughout this

:44:27. > :44:31.afternoon, it is going to put more pressure on Ronnie, even in amongst

:44:32. > :44:37.the balls, it is going to put pressure on Ronnie keeps going the

:44:38. > :44:44.way he is. Once again, having a look at this black. He has a night angle

:44:45. > :44:49.on the blue to come down this end of the table for the red. I think he

:44:50. > :44:56.saw it, and he is going to take the risk to go for the black. You just

:44:57. > :45:02.feel that he is not going to win it off the blues. So if he can get the

:45:03. > :45:13.black on its spot, then it might be worth the risk.

:45:14. > :45:25.The problem with potting the black here, it is not on its spot.

:45:26. > :45:33.Just looking at the black spot, but this squeeze through to the right

:45:34. > :45:44.corner? He has another read anyway. I think he might play one or two

:45:45. > :45:46.shots to early there. It could be a possibility, to pop this read and

:45:47. > :46:00.play a cannon on the black. He played it with a lot of pace. He

:46:01. > :46:06.has knocked the black say. Was the cue ball to slow up a little bit. He

:46:07. > :46:10.did not want to risk playing the cannon on the black. So hitting it

:46:11. > :46:13.hard at he was not certain whether cue ball was going to finish. They

:46:14. > :46:18.could not have finished much worse, in all honesty.

:46:19. > :46:25.He would love to play the blue and just play off the cushions to get

:46:26. > :46:27.the pink into the right corner. I think the black is stopping it. So

:46:28. > :46:49.this is missable. Struck it well. Maybe it will be worth getting up

:46:50. > :47:05.cannon on the pink here. There looks to be value in it. He is

:47:06. > :47:12.absolutely perfect on the blue. To play that cannon.

:47:13. > :47:23.He is OK. He is on a red to the right corner. Now he has loosened

:47:24. > :47:30.the reds that were around the pink. A little unlucky to divert the pink

:47:31. > :47:31.in the possible position. A nice run to the winning line in this frame,

:47:32. > :47:42.you would have thought. Inch perfect on the blue. That is an

:47:43. > :48:04.amazing positional shot. He could play a little nudge. There

:48:05. > :48:08.is a half full contact. He could go for the pink in the right centre. He

:48:09. > :48:15.may not want to take that risk. It looks as if... He has played it. It

:48:16. > :48:23.is just a tricky pink in the middle, but I think he is OK. The pink will

:48:24. > :48:28.have to go in the black spot. You feel that if he pots this pink and

:48:29. > :48:34.get it on the red, it is the frame over. Bigshot now. Yeah, no danger

:48:35. > :48:44.in the heart of the pocket. An impressive visit, this, to the

:48:45. > :48:51.table from Barry Hawkins. Very composed. He missed a black on the

:48:52. > :48:57.spot in the last frame and was forced to sit down for the rest of

:48:58. > :49:07.the frame. You would forgive him for being edgy in this frame, but he has

:49:08. > :49:14.not been. This red and a reasonably sized colour... Well, if he pots the

:49:15. > :49:16.green, he would need one more red. That should not be a problem with

:49:17. > :49:27.the red in the middle of the table. He has never looked like missing to

:49:28. > :49:32.me. He is cueing lovely. He is cueing really well. His safety play

:49:33. > :49:46.has caused Ronnie problems. I think because of Ronnie's success

:49:47. > :49:55.in the game, we talk about Barry being such an underdog, but taken

:49:56. > :49:58.Ronnie out, he has won titles. So we Billy McCulloch talking about him as

:49:59. > :50:05.an underdog is not showing him enough respect.

:50:06. > :50:12.He really came of age when he got to the final and lost to Ronnie. That

:50:13. > :50:16.was the point where he realised and have belief in himself that he could

:50:17. > :50:36.do anything in the game. He is such a beautiful cue striker.

:50:37. > :50:48.A pity. No century break from Barry, but he keeps the three frame

:50:49. > :51:57.advantage. He took it well. He leads 7-4.

:51:58. > :52:10.So that is a potted history of Barry Hawkins. If you look at those stats

:52:11. > :52:12.closely, the longer the matches, the better his win percentage is. That

:52:13. > :52:32.was very noticeable to me. He needs the jaws of the pocket to

:52:33. > :52:34.come to his rescue here. He just brought the cue ball back to the

:52:35. > :52:51.position. No attempt to pop their from

:52:52. > :52:53.running. Just concerned with getting the cue ball back to be baulk

:52:54. > :53:13.cushion. It always amazes me watching Ronnie

:53:14. > :53:18.play safety shots. He rarely pays a safety shot playing baulk. He is

:53:19. > :53:27.always trying to manufacture angles, trying to get into the best

:53:28. > :53:32.position. He has forced a mistake. There you go, seeing the benefit of

:53:33. > :53:43.getting the cue ball close to the baulk cushion. It forced running

:53:44. > :53:46.into a mistake in the last frame, which Barry Hawkins took full

:53:47. > :54:00.advantage of. Can Ronnie do likewise?

:54:01. > :54:09.A bit wide. But it went in, and he has just about got an angle on the

:54:10. > :54:23.blue. This last frame before the mid-session interval. Just the right

:54:24. > :54:33.side of the blue line. I will be very surprised if he doesn't play

:54:34. > :54:37.for the black off the next red. Maybe not of this one, but then he

:54:38. > :54:44.will play for the red near the left corner. He wants the black on its

:54:45. > :54:48.spot as as soon as possible. When he plays for the black, he would like

:54:49. > :54:54.to keep the red near the top cushion. He does not want to do too

:54:55. > :55:03.much with it. He will not want to play for the black near the top

:55:04. > :55:08.cushion. Will that read the adjacent to the right corner? It will not

:55:09. > :55:13.matter if he has the straightest angle. He would like to have been a

:55:14. > :55:18.little bit straighter than this. Due care and attention needed here. He

:55:19. > :56:12.made light of it. Good shot. A few loose reds to play for, which

:56:13. > :56:21.I think will be the choice. He does not want to cannon into the

:56:22. > :56:47.cluster as it is. So obviously, there is a red on the

:56:48. > :56:57.right-hand side. He landed on it absolutely inch perfect. Look at

:56:58. > :57:00.that! The cue ball control, it is the speed that he plays it. It is a

:57:01. > :57:09.natural instinct. The touch, the feel. That is why he has so many

:57:10. > :57:25.admirers in the game. He just does it on instinct.

:57:26. > :57:33.He's got a slight angle on the black. It is the only one. If he is

:57:34. > :57:40.going to win the frame on this visit, pay the cannon? It is not the

:57:41. > :57:48.easiest bunch. That is quite a bit of space. Where is the red going? It

:57:49. > :58:02.is OK. He has landed closer to this red than probably planned.

:58:03. > :58:07.Well, that was delightful. He knew he was running into the black, and

:58:08. > :58:11.he played it with enough pace to get the black on and off the cushion.

:58:12. > :58:22.And that looks like end of frame now. Wonderful, wonderful visit. Do

:58:23. > :58:27.you think he played that cannon? I think you did, to be honest with

:58:28. > :58:35.you. Don't get me wrong, I think he was making certain of the pot on the

:58:36. > :58:38.red, but I think the red was admissible. He thought he would run

:58:39. > :58:45.into the black, and the black... I will give him the benefit of the

:58:46. > :58:53.doubt, anyway expect he has done what is required again. It looks

:58:54. > :59:00.inevitable that the train is going to be over.

:59:01. > :59:09.-- frame is going to be over. Well, he is annoyed that he missed the

:59:10. > :59:14.red. But Barry Hawkins is not going to come back to the table. They are

:59:15. > :59:18.both going back to the table. It is as you were. Ronnie O'Sullivan

:59:19. > :59:26.started to friends behind, and that is still the case. Barry Hawkins

:59:27. > :59:29.seven higher than five in front. -- 7-5.

:59:30. > :59:37.STUDIO: What do you make of the weight that he has responded? Both

:59:38. > :59:39.players, fantastic start. A bit of a shock in the first, but Ronnie

:59:40. > :59:43.O'Sullivan showing great character, as you would expect from a great

:59:44. > :59:51.champion. Barry Hawkins holding his end up very well. It set up so well,

:59:52. > :59:55.but as mentioned by John Virgo, if Barry Hawkins can share this next

:59:56. > :59:58.session, then that is a great advantage going into the last

:59:59. > :00:02.session. They know each other so well. This is the third time that

:00:03. > :00:10.Barry has played Ronnie in the last four years. He has been beaten in

:00:11. > :00:14.the last couple, but I just get the feeling that there may be a bit of

:00:15. > :00:24.embarrassment on Barry's Park. He does not make a 50 part -- 50 plus

:00:25. > :00:31.break. There are two things to be said. Every player in the game knows

:00:32. > :00:36.that Ronnie O'Sullivan come wipe the floor with you. The more times that

:00:37. > :00:40.a player like Barry Hawkins is put into the deep end, against the likes

:00:41. > :00:44.of Ronnie O'Sullivan, and the more times that Barry Hawkins plays at

:00:45. > :00:47.the highest competitive level, which he has done much more in recent

:00:48. > :00:51.years, he's going to get used to that scenario. The end result is

:00:52. > :00:55.that he is not going to be fearful, but he is going to be more tolerable

:00:56. > :00:59.in his surroundings. More culpable playing against Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:01:00. > :01:02.If we had played Barry Hawkins ten years ago, we were to say he is not

:01:03. > :01:11.mentally strong enough. The only player on the circuit that

:01:12. > :01:17.has made the semifinals in each of the last three years. He has what it

:01:18. > :01:28.takes at this venue. As John Parrott, our new MC said. He is

:01:29. > :01:32.comfortable here. A player can up his level of confidence, and it is

:01:33. > :01:40.down to hard work, dedication, and masses of talent. He may not look as

:01:41. > :01:46.fluent as Ronnie O'Sullivan, few players do. But every player at this

:01:47. > :01:50.level of play has bags of talent. They are enjoying a break. We are

:01:51. > :01:58.delighted and excited to have on our team this year a huge devotee of

:01:59. > :02:06.snooker. He also has a brain like planet, ladies and gentlemen, it is

:02:07. > :02:12.only Mr Stephen Fry. Hello, welcome to QI. Each day we have been posing

:02:13. > :02:19.you a question on snooker and related cues sports. It may have a

:02:20. > :02:24.tenuous, and fleeting association with the game we love so much.

:02:25. > :02:28.Celebrities will be having a bash at our questions, and so can you. Today

:02:29. > :02:49.the question is... Give us your ideas, get involved on

:02:50. > :02:55.social media. Use the hashtag below. Left-field thinking required, when

:02:56. > :02:57.Mr Fry is around. We will give you news on that, while we do some table

:02:58. > :03:17.talk. The hot topic is the tables. Ali

:03:18. > :03:20.Carter was so frustrated with conditions, he said he wanted to

:03:21. > :03:25.smash the place up. Michael Holt said they were interesting, it was

:03:26. > :03:28.down to who was the best and guessing. What is your best guess

:03:29. > :03:42.about what has been going wrong? Slow off the cushion. Goodness me.

:03:43. > :03:49.The table was disgusting, and the biggest tournament, yet the worst

:03:50. > :03:54.conditions. So frustrated with what is going on. So angry. Looks like

:03:55. > :04:00.with 1-2 punch somebody. You start second-guessing yourself, all you

:04:01. > :04:05.think about is getting a kick. -- he wants to punch somebody.

:04:06. > :04:11.Disappointing, to play on a table like that, when it is so important.

:04:12. > :04:20.No, not happening for Ali Carter this morning. He will be bitterly

:04:21. > :04:30.disappointed. It is just another bitter pill to swallow for me, I am

:04:31. > :04:36.afraid. I don't believe that. I have never seen the cushion bounce as

:04:37. > :04:43.badly as that, laughable. It is difficult to explain. The cue ball

:04:44. > :04:47.finishes where it should not. I was letting it get to me the first

:04:48. > :04:51.couple of sessions. Then I thought, except it, it is going to happen,

:04:52. > :04:56.will not be able to change it. Move on, play good match, and the

:04:57. > :05:06.conditions will improve. I will get to play good match. Can you believe

:05:07. > :05:10.that cushion there? Since day two, there were issues with table one,

:05:11. > :05:17.getting more big bounces off the cushions. It appears to be getting

:05:18. > :05:24.more kicks on the table. The players have been quite vocal about it, the

:05:25. > :05:29.commentators also picking up on it. Look at that. That has gone three

:05:30. > :05:35.feet further than it should do. Please, somebody set fire to this

:05:36. > :05:41.table. I was having a break, but in a black, dying to watch it back. Do

:05:42. > :05:50.not even consider is getting in the middle pocket. I blamed myself, but

:05:51. > :05:56.did not see it going anywhere near. The most frustrating part for me,

:05:57. > :06:01.they have got the solution in the office stop they can stop bounces

:06:02. > :06:04.like that, could do something to the balls, stopping bounces

:06:05. > :06:09.straightaway. You would never have one. If they don't do anything, it

:06:10. > :06:14.will keep happening. They have the solution that would get rid of it

:06:15. > :06:17.straightaway, why not use it? They looked at the conditions in the

:06:18. > :06:22.arena, the temperatures, the cushions, the environment around the

:06:23. > :06:28.tables. We have been monitoring that. Conditions are what we would

:06:29. > :06:35.think would be acceptable. If we have the answer, we would fix it. It

:06:36. > :06:38.is ongoing, World Snooker Are looking to provide the best

:06:39. > :06:42.conditions possible for the players. Unfortunately, for whatever reasons,

:06:43. > :06:49.table one is playing completely difficult from table two. I know the

:06:50. > :06:53.problem, but I cannot say, if I criticise who I think is the

:06:54. > :06:58.problem, I will get fined. When you turn the camera rough, I will tell

:06:59. > :07:05.you exactly why I think it is. That remains a secret, as far as Mr

:07:06. > :07:10.Williams is concerned. The players are reticent to speak out about it.

:07:11. > :07:15.They have done absolutely everything in the last few days, the table

:07:16. > :07:17.leaders, temperatures up and down. They have changed the cushions for

:07:18. > :07:23.the fourth time last night. They were here until 2:30am in the

:07:24. > :07:28.morning, doing everything they can. Peter Ebdon, you were in Ali

:07:29. > :07:33.Carter's corner when he said he wanted to smash the place up. How

:07:34. > :07:38.infuriated was he in that match? Not in a good place at all, to be

:07:39. > :07:41.expected. He let the table conditions get to him. It was the

:07:42. > :07:46.same for both players, but incredibly frustrating. I had a chat

:07:47. > :07:52.with him during the interval, much,, really focused and determined. Made

:07:53. > :07:57.a century, but one or two things happened with the table, taking him

:07:58. > :08:04.over the edge. Unfair with both players. Alan McManus put him under

:08:05. > :08:08.top-class pressure with his match game and safety. Making it really

:08:09. > :08:16.tough. The table conditions did not help. This is table two. There have

:08:17. > :08:19.been no problems with it last night. Or today. Something has gone right

:08:20. > :08:24.at last. Very difficult, when you don't trust the bounces you are

:08:25. > :08:30.getting. That must be really disconcerting. Mark Williams'

:08:31. > :08:35.solution, and some players would like this to happen, is that the

:08:36. > :08:39.balls are polished regularly, so it cuts down the friction between the

:08:40. > :08:47.ball and another ball. Even more importantly, when it is hitting the

:08:48. > :08:50.cushion. I would say the biggest problem is not with the balls and

:08:51. > :08:55.the polished, but we are playing on thin cloth all the time. Effectively

:08:56. > :09:01.the rubber underneath has more effect. If we went to the

:09:02. > :09:11.old-fashioned cloth, it has more of a cushion defect. You could go back

:09:12. > :09:15.to figure cloth. -- thicker. The biggest problem is it is too thin.

:09:16. > :09:22.The other problem, without boring the life out of you, the design of

:09:23. > :09:28.the snooker cushion. Compared to the design of the 9-ball pool table.

:09:29. > :09:35.This profile, there is a lump of rubber, the ball hitting that rubber

:09:36. > :09:44.like that. On a 9-ball pool table, it is a point. The ball hit the

:09:45. > :09:48.cushion at a point. The initial design of a snooker rubber, with a

:09:49. > :09:53.big thick lump is a problem. Especially with thin cloth. I'm

:09:54. > :10:01.boring the life out of myself, I'm going. We shall go as well, it has

:10:02. > :10:02.been fascinating. To lighten the mood, pot quiz, next contestant,

:10:03. > :10:14.please. Today's contestant, Barry Hawkins,

:10:15. > :10:25.the Distin dynamo. I'm not sure about that nickname. Not great, I

:10:26. > :10:34.preferred the Hawk. Every question you get right, you can remove one

:10:35. > :10:40.red. Then you have the time to beat. One minute. The embarrassing time

:10:41. > :10:45.would be some bloke who has retired, two minutes, 11 seconds. I have had

:10:46. > :10:51.a quick look at the question is, they are tough. First question, to

:10:52. > :10:54.remove one red. The year you reach the Crucible final, 2013, who did

:10:55. > :11:15.you beat in the first round? Jack . He was the World Championship

:11:16. > :11:23.Runner Runner, the year you were born present what year were you

:11:24. > :11:27.born? 1979. Championship runner-up. I have not got a clue. Joe Johnson.

:11:28. > :11:35.Dennis Taylor, losing to Terry Griffiths. Who was runner-up at this

:11:36. > :11:45.season's German Masters. Luca Brecel. Correct. You were in the

:11:46. > :11:49.semifinals of this month's Players Championship Finals. Who was the

:11:50. > :11:58.other losing semifinalists? Shaun Murphy. Correct. Three. Fantastic.

:11:59. > :12:03.This is really tough. Multiple choice. Very difficult. Which player

:12:04. > :12:15.have you met in tournaments most in your career? Ricky Walden, Peter

:12:16. > :12:29.Ebdon, Stephen Maguire, Ryan Day? That is a tough one, to be fair.

:12:30. > :12:40.Ricky Walden. So close, 20 times, Stephen Maguire 21 times. You can

:12:41. > :12:51.remove three reds. Take three of them off the table. I would not

:12:52. > :12:54.chosen that one. Thinking about taking that one. The furthest away

:12:55. > :13:03.from the pockets, in many ways. One more. Your time starts when you make

:13:04. > :13:21.a decision. Fair enough. Time starts when you hit the cue ball. Barry,

:13:22. > :13:25.the Hawk, is running. Does not want to go over two minutes, 11 seconds.

:13:26. > :13:30.Complaining his microphone got in the way. Not as fast as we expected

:13:31. > :13:38.from the Hawk, not sleeping. Good recovery. Playing for third place.

:13:39. > :13:43.Not going for one minute. He's not going for it. He has the trainers

:13:44. > :13:48.on, everything. The cue ball running around a table, adding to the time.

:13:49. > :13:57.Misjudging the pace of the table. A sorry situation. How many seconds is

:13:58. > :14:06.this? 45. He is playing safe on himself. This is embarrassing. He

:14:07. > :14:14.has completely... All gone wrong for the Hawk. Now we are going to see a

:14:15. > :14:18.true champion of the game, getting himself out of trouble. One of the

:14:19. > :14:25.naturally gifted left-handers in the game, under severe pressure. Time as

:14:26. > :14:41.we speak, one minute, 15 seconds. Skiddy get under two minutes.

:14:42. > :14:58.The reds almost going the pockets. Good game. We cannot even edit this

:14:59. > :15:04.one. If it goes enough, you lose. -- in. The time at the moment, one

:15:05. > :15:17.minute, 51. I could be you, Steve, that is all right. How did I do two

:15:18. > :15:33.minutes, 11? Rubbish. The time, one minute, 57 seconds. The Ditton

:15:34. > :15:40.Dollard goes just under Peter Ebdon. Congratulations.

:15:41. > :15:48.Are doing a whole lot better in the Crucible Danny did in here the other

:15:49. > :15:55.day. That was a speed test. Mr Fry setting you an altogether more

:15:56. > :16:01.Sruoga will challenge. If you remember I asked you...

:16:02. > :16:08.First we should hear what our snooker experts thought. I have

:16:09. > :16:16.absolutely no clue. Can I have a tenuous link? Not a clue. Life on

:16:17. > :16:22.Earth, pot black? That used to be a cookery programme. When I was

:16:23. > :16:30.cooking for us they used to film it in Birmingham. Pebble Mill. Was that

:16:31. > :16:37.a TV programme? I don't have a clue. I always end up with a poor team

:16:38. > :16:46.member. The music? Something to do with the theme tune. They were both

:16:47. > :16:58.on BBC Two. Some expectedly daft answers. Some barely sentience. Life

:16:59. > :17:02.On Earth was the ground-breaking TV series telling the history of

:17:03. > :17:11.evolution. The brainchild of Sir David Attenborough. You may

:17:12. > :17:15.remember, and no, in the 1960s, Sir David was a senior executive at the

:17:16. > :17:19.BBC. Second controller of the channel, director of programming.

:17:20. > :17:24.When BBC Two became the first channel under his control, to

:17:25. > :17:29.broadcast in colour, the first European channel. It was Sir David

:17:30. > :17:37.credited with taking advantage of the new technology, colour, by

:17:38. > :17:46.choosing snooker as a showcase. On the 23rd of July, 1969, on BBC

:17:47. > :17:52.television, Pot Black was televised. From there, countless careers were

:17:53. > :17:55.forged. Fast forward to 1977, this great World Championship was first

:17:56. > :18:00.broadcast from the Crucible, Sheffield. Two years after that,

:18:01. > :18:09.having long since resigned his management position on the BBC.

:18:10. > :18:13.David Attenborough's Life On Earth was broadcast. Terry Griffiths was

:18:14. > :18:18.World Championship but he had to share the limelight with the animals

:18:19. > :18:23.on the programme. Watching the giant tortoise of the Galapagos Islands.

:18:24. > :18:28.Very hard as one programme came on to know which was which. You knew

:18:29. > :18:35.which one was Terry Griffiths, because that was the slower one. The

:18:36. > :18:42.answer we were looking for was the great Sir David Attenborough. Thank

:18:43. > :18:50.you. Many of you were on the right lines. Getting in touch on social

:18:51. > :18:54.media. And that of get it right. Amongst them are champions, Marcus

:18:55. > :19:05.Ward, Wayne Roberts and Clive Stringer. Congratulations. You are

:19:06. > :19:09.our QI champions of the day. Back in the Crucible for the real thing.

:19:10. > :19:14.Dennis Taylor was on that video, out of hospital now. He's champing at

:19:15. > :19:20.the bit to get back, but we make and take the day off after his appendix

:19:21. > :19:25.operation. Let me hand you back to John, who had a poor team-mate in

:19:26. > :19:34.that QI session. But Stephen Hendrie is not bad at this game, anyway.

:19:35. > :19:39.COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Hazel. Those QI questions varied skill. Nothing

:19:40. > :19:49.insecure about this match. This is high quality. Very high quality. --

:19:50. > :20:05.nothing obscure. Looking at the potting success rate. 97%. 96% for

:20:06. > :20:11.Barry Hawkins. No red left on for a change. Needs a good safety. A

:20:12. > :20:19.little bit sick. Knocking a red towards the corner. Needs a good

:20:20. > :20:26.Duke ball. He has got one. He has left the red possible.

:20:27. > :20:31.He does not know whether he would be lower colour. The priority, do not

:20:32. > :20:58.miss the pot. Playing it with pace. He found the gap. He may have a

:20:59. > :21:03.slight angle on the green. The other thing I liked, Stephen, about Barry

:21:04. > :21:10.Hawkins, he has not ducked the issue. Saw a slight angle on the

:21:11. > :21:17.green, no hesitation playing it. He has been very positive.

:21:18. > :21:29.No way you could say he plays the percentage game of snooker. Plays at

:21:30. > :21:34.the right way. -- plays it. He was number four in the world at one

:21:35. > :21:38.stage, cannot get that high without playing the right brand of snooker,

:21:39. > :21:46.scoring heavily. I was thinking before they came out, Ronnie's

:21:47. > :21:51.target for this little session. Four friends would be ideal, getting out

:21:52. > :21:59.ahead in the final session. The final session is tomorrow evening.

:22:00. > :22:09.Plenty of time to mull over what has happened. In the second session.

:22:10. > :22:10.Landing nicely on the blue. There are couple of reds he could play

:22:11. > :22:25.for. In an ideal world, he would love to

:22:26. > :22:32.be on that red just above the black. He might just have got on it. Yes,

:22:33. > :22:39.he is honest. Clears the black spot. And the black into both corners.

:22:40. > :22:44.Something about Ronnie's targets for these four frames. Barry will have

:22:45. > :22:51.his own target to win the session 3-1. A 10-6 lead going into

:22:52. > :22:53.tomorrow's's session. One thing for certain, if he wins this frame, he

:22:54. > :23:17.cannot be behind. He will screw into the bunch here, I

:23:18. > :23:24.think. He has defined the gap. Able to get past. He really needed to

:23:25. > :23:29.grab the keyboard, just brushing the red as he went past. He is on this

:23:30. > :23:43.red into the corner. Just brushing it. Not got the right potting angle.

:23:44. > :23:51.He cannot afford the cannon -- avoid the cannon only second red. Needs to

:23:52. > :23:58.watch the right middle. In fact he played for the pink, excellent. Did

:23:59. > :24:13.not have to do much for the cue ball. Still in position.

:24:14. > :24:32.There is the side bar, telling you when he gets to 68, snooker is

:24:33. > :24:34.required. Already got 33 of them. He will have to go into the reds one

:24:35. > :24:52.more time, you would have thought. He has overscrewed that by a long

:24:53. > :25:04.way. OK, maybe able to get the cannon from the black into the reds.

:25:05. > :25:09.But the black is now missable. The three reds in line, would love to

:25:10. > :25:18.cannon the middle of those. He did do. A bit unlucky, you have to say.

:25:19. > :25:22.It was the poor shot off the red into the middle leaving him low on

:25:23. > :25:29.the black. Because the black was tricky. He wanted to make certain of

:25:30. > :25:31.the black. Certain of the amount of pace required. Looks like the end of

:25:32. > :26:20.the break. If he misses the brown, excellent

:26:21. > :26:30.shot. Just catching the brown, did well to get the cue ball back to the

:26:31. > :26:48.baulk end. Always the danger of the case. -- kiss. Came around to look

:26:49. > :26:56.at the potting angle. This is an aggressive shot. You would say he

:26:57. > :27:02.has to get it. If he misses, that will mean a careers into the others.

:27:03. > :27:08.Dangerous shot to take on. He has got it, finding the gap. He will

:27:09. > :27:31.finish on the blue. Very positive from Barry Hawkins. Excellent shot.

:27:32. > :27:42.Another good shot, there. Forcing the cue ball behind that red on the

:27:43. > :27:44.middle cushion. Needs to win the frame from here, cannot see any

:27:45. > :28:33.reason why he wouldn't. The match time is just over three

:28:34. > :28:43.hours. 13th frame. Tremendous standard. Just this red and a

:28:44. > :28:48.colour. He will go three frames in front again, more importantly going

:28:49. > :28:56.to eight. Cannot be behind at the end of this session. The best that

:28:57. > :29:02.money could hope for is 8-8, if he wins the next three. These blue to

:29:03. > :29:14.go 69 points in front. Just the seven remaining. -- this blue to go

:29:15. > :29:20.69 points in front, just the seven remaining. Great concentration and

:29:21. > :29:30.focus from Barry Hawkins. You have to say, this afternoon he has had a

:29:31. > :29:37.barrage of breaks from O'Sullivan, keeping his mind on the job of what

:29:38. > :29:42.he is here to do. Might not be scoring as heavily as Ronnie, but

:29:43. > :29:52.looks every bit as effective when he gets amongst falls. Does not look

:29:53. > :29:55.like missing. -- balls. A fair point, apart from the first frame,

:29:56. > :30:02.when he missed the black off the spot. Basically not missing any easy

:30:03. > :30:05.balls. If you don't miss easy balls, at least if you run out of position

:30:06. > :30:21.you can play a good safety. Yes, a lot of the matches that funny

:30:22. > :30:32.place against players, he gets in amongst the Bulls. Heat this is easy

:30:33. > :31:10.shots. -- he misses. There is a fear factor.

:31:11. > :31:20.No century on, but he has taken this very well. He ran out of position.

:31:21. > :31:26.Played safe, Ronnie could not keep the ball safe enough, but he got in

:31:27. > :31:32.amongst it and made 65. Those two breaks enough to stretch his lead

:31:33. > :31:40.once again to three frames. 8-5, Barry Hawkins. Well, Stephen, he got

:31:41. > :31:44.in first, he got a break of 41. Ronnie played a safety, just caught

:31:45. > :31:50.the brown, and it looked like there was no real damage done. But Barry

:31:51. > :31:59.sought out a read. He had a few safety options here. But he is an

:32:00. > :32:01.aggressive player. And first of all, I thought he was going to go through

:32:02. > :32:13.for the black. He had to get that. It would have

:32:14. > :32:22.cost the frames. He is higher in self belief. It is a daunting

:32:23. > :32:29.prospect playing someone with the talent of Ronnie O'Sullivan. But he

:32:30. > :33:05.is up for it. He certainly is. So Ronnie playing catch up.

:33:06. > :33:16.You always think it is a half decent break, when you have a long pot on.

:33:17. > :33:18.But Barry's safety play has been excellent. Can he find the baulk

:33:19. > :33:49.cushion again? These are tough shots. A single run

:33:50. > :33:57.through to the black in the right corner. This needs good cueing.

:33:58. > :34:15.You said it needed good cueing, and it certainly did. Just raced past

:34:16. > :34:27.the red that could have ruined position. So, it is OK. That is not

:34:28. > :34:34.great baulk colour. I have a feeling that he played for the red just left

:34:35. > :34:37.of the pink, but I think there are a few alternatives if he can get to

:34:38. > :34:41.the red just below the pink. That would be a bonus. Can he? It is

:34:42. > :34:55.tight, isn't it? I think you can just drop this in.

:34:56. > :35:07.He can play this on the cannon to the left, and no Parra problem here

:35:08. > :35:19.for Ronnie. -- apparent position. A little bit careless, that. Nudging

:35:20. > :35:56.the red, and blocking the black for the right corner pocket.

:35:57. > :36:07.He has a good angle here. He can play a good cannon. Once again, it

:36:08. > :36:11.shows the quick thinking here. He will play the red into the right

:36:12. > :36:15.corner. We know the black the noes to the left corner. Just slightly

:36:16. > :36:19.hampered. It is putting him off slightly. The black goes in the

:36:20. > :36:26.right corner, then no problem. It must do.

:36:27. > :36:33.Now the cannon on the left and side of the two reds, he is perfect to

:36:34. > :37:39.play the black. That is OK, but he could have been a

:37:40. > :37:46.bit straighter on this thread. Can he hold the black? Managed to avoid

:37:47. > :37:55.the kiss on the second red. Played it well.

:37:56. > :38:08.He does not want to beat two straight on this thread.

:38:09. > :38:18.I don't know if that red immediately is available. If not, he could play

:38:19. > :38:24.the cannon, but it could go wrong, this. He has played it well. I just

:38:25. > :38:27.thought, when it is two pulls together, you can not catch it with

:38:28. > :38:52.a few pace. At the moment, Ronnie is doing it in

:38:53. > :39:02.one visit, Barry is sometimes taking too. But both look in form. And they

:39:03. > :39:10.don't look like they are going to miss anything easy. O Sullivan Way

:39:11. > :39:21.past the point where his opponent needs sneakers. -- snookers.

:39:22. > :39:31.Well, look at the blue, right in the heart of the pocket. These two

:39:32. > :39:38.grades, and the one on the side cushion, -- reds. He can be

:39:39. > :39:54.contemplating another century break in this match for Ronnie.

:39:55. > :40:05.Not quite. But another excellent break from Ronnie O'Sullivan, just

:40:06. > :40:10.one chance. Barry knew that when he hit his safety too thick, it could

:40:11. > :40:16.cost him. Ronnie back to two behind again. 8-6 Harry Hawkins.

:40:17. > :40:24.I'd like you to describe the quality. It is brilliant stuff.

:40:25. > :40:28.Barry Hawkins has played brilliant match snooker. That was a wonderful

:40:29. > :40:32.response from Ronnie O'Sullivan. He knew that he had to produce there.

:40:33. > :40:36.He went up a gear there. It was fantastic to see. Some people have

:40:37. > :40:42.been talking about the last few frames yesterday, where Ronnie was

:40:43. > :40:46.doing his nails with nail clippers. They pointed to that as a slightly

:40:47. > :40:55.concerning development. But it does not seem to be something that has

:40:56. > :41:01.unduly bothered him today. World Snooker is trying to create

:41:02. > :41:08.characters within the game, and there is some undoing their nails

:41:09. > :41:12.expect he is a bit of an exceptional player. Rarely do you get two

:41:13. > :41:20.players playing so well at the same time. It does put you in mind of the

:41:21. > :41:23.final three years ago. They made eight centuries then. Fantastic to

:41:24. > :41:35.see them both at the top of their game again.

:41:36. > :41:39.COMMENTATOR: Absolutely. He hit the second one from the bottom. Was that

:41:40. > :41:47.purpose? May be to make it more aggressive? It is break off in the

:41:48. > :41:51.fifth frame, I did not see him break of the second red. He did not leave

:41:52. > :41:55.anything from that break off. But that was a complete miss it. --

:41:56. > :42:08.mis-hit. I remember it years ago on the old

:42:09. > :42:14.cloth, sometimes he would break off the second red from the end and open

:42:15. > :42:22.up the reds. But in the modern game, it is usually the end read that they

:42:23. > :42:28.break off from. That's back end red. As you say, this is a gift. Ronnie

:42:29. > :42:32.has had nothing to do to get this chance. And the way he is scoring,

:42:33. > :42:41.or has been scoring, it could be very costly.

:42:42. > :42:55.This is a fifth frame. He definitely played the second red. He has

:42:56. > :42:59.obviously chosen to changes break, which is good, we have seen

:43:00. > :43:03.something go wrong, but that is what can happen.

:43:04. > :43:18.You can get its a little bit too thick. You have seen how many reds

:43:19. > :43:21.he has opened up. You put it on the right-hand side. He has hit it a

:43:22. > :43:28.little bit too hard, and he has pushed it in, which is why he caught

:43:29. > :43:35.that second last read much too full. Now Ronnie, on the black, and when

:43:36. > :43:39.he pops the black, he will play for the red to the left corner, which is

:43:40. > :43:44.blocking the black in the corner pocket at the moment. You would not

:43:45. > :43:55.put it past him to win the frame at this visit now.

:43:56. > :44:04.That has not come out absolutely ideally. He has got the easier pot.

:44:05. > :44:14.But he is badly hampered further. In these little cannon to be on the

:44:15. > :44:20.black. Well! He decided to go for the blue. I thought the red had

:44:21. > :44:34.stopped there! Hell is this going in?!

:44:35. > :44:50.Here it is from a different angle. It looked wide. Clack, Clark, drop.

:44:51. > :44:58.Ronnie's heart must have been in his mouth when the red was rattling in

:44:59. > :45:11.the jaws. But he has recovered his position now, and now he has a blue

:45:12. > :45:12.to cannon into the reds. Looking at his body language, he has not got

:45:13. > :45:29.one. He is on nothing. Well, I say on

:45:30. > :45:36.nothing, but there is a red that is cut a ball if he got the long spied

:45:37. > :45:46.out. But that is much too risky. So just a safety. He is on such a hot

:45:47. > :45:52.streak of scoring, that he will be so frustrated not to win the frame

:45:53. > :45:57.at this visit. You always need a bit of luck. So you could say it was a

:45:58. > :46:02.little bit unlucky. He did not feel that he needed to hit it that hard.

:46:03. > :46:05.In hindsight, he just needed a little more pace on the cue. But

:46:06. > :46:21.that is in hindsight. A good cue ball he has therewith the

:46:22. > :46:26.safety shot. Barry maybe forced to take this on into the left corner.

:46:27. > :46:32.The safety is as difficult as the pot.

:46:33. > :46:36.He needs to be careful, because if he leaves Ronnie one more chance,

:46:37. > :46:59.that will be frame over. He caught that much to flu. He will

:47:00. > :47:05.be lucky not to leave a read on. He has left a read on. So this is

:47:06. > :47:12.Ronnie's chance now. He got 30 at his first opportunity. He just needs

:47:13. > :47:20.another 50 now for this opportunity and it will be praying over. --

:47:21. > :47:23.frame over. He does not have to play any cannons now. The reds that he

:47:24. > :47:38.needs are all in the open. Still a little bit short of pace,

:47:39. > :47:40.though. He is on this red to play for the black. We will have to go

:47:41. > :47:59.for the blue here. With the potting angle he got, he

:48:00. > :48:09.couldn't get on the blue. He wanted to make certain he was on a baulk

:48:10. > :48:16.colour. Just a little tricky shot to play here, yellow with the rest.

:48:17. > :48:23.And that has not helped, kissing the brown. But if he can get through to

:48:24. > :48:29.this red on the right corner, he gives him a chance to continue. But

:48:30. > :48:30.so far in this break, he has not had this cue ball under complete

:48:31. > :48:38.control. Good, solid part. But not quite out

:48:39. > :48:58.of the woods just yet. That long shot, you can see how

:48:59. > :49:07.still he keeps his head. It is one of those work you are half tempted

:49:08. > :49:13.to pinch it. He did not mind it with the more difficult black near. --

:49:14. > :49:23.near the cushion. So, if we take for granted that

:49:24. > :49:46.Ronnie is going to win this frame, then a massive 16th frame coming up.

:49:47. > :49:57.63 ahead, 67 remaining. Pop this, 64 ahead with 59 left. I think this is

:49:58. > :50:04.what all of the few frames where that one of the few frames where he

:50:05. > :50:08.has had a good opportunity, and normally, it has been one visit and

:50:09. > :50:12.he has Bohn the frame. But he managed to get the two opportunities

:50:13. > :50:21.here. As you say, what a last frame coming up!

:50:22. > :50:33.When he did lose position, an excellent safety shot to force the

:50:34. > :50:40.second mistake. But 90% -- 98% pot success is pretty special.

:50:41. > :50:49.Well, it did not matter. The frame is well over before then. Ronnie did

:50:50. > :50:55.not win it in one visit. He got 30 playing a good safety, forced

:50:56. > :50:58.another mistake, and now, he has reduced his arrears to one. One more

:50:59. > :52:02.frame to play in this session. I begun is.

:52:03. > :52:10.And the margins in the second round match are so fine. It was one poor

:52:11. > :52:14.shot from Barry Hawkins that gifted that frame to Ronnie O'Sullivan. The

:52:15. > :52:18.break off can sometimes things, but apart from that fact, if he is going

:52:19. > :52:24.to play a more aggressive shot, you could go wrong. But there is a red

:52:25. > :52:29.that Barry played, a lot of the pros are saying that the pockets are

:52:30. > :52:36.oversized. They are playing big, and that makes it... It is tough,

:52:37. > :52:40.because I am not saying it is a great leveller, but top players do

:52:41. > :52:48.not want massive pockets. They want them tighter. Would you agree? That

:52:49. > :52:53.can be down to a really good quality cloth, maybe to slipping a little

:52:54. > :52:57.bit more of the cushions. But the qualifiers, they were playing a lot

:52:58. > :53:01.tighter. Sometimes, the pockets can be too tight. But here, it is the

:53:02. > :53:06.other way. Well, Ronnie benefited if that was the case in the last frame.

:53:07. > :53:12.Because it wobbled a bit, and it went in. Now, it is just the one

:53:13. > :53:20.between them. Back we go. Commentator

:53:21. > :53:30.COMMENTATOR: Can he get level going into the final session?

:53:31. > :53:35.Can Barry Hawkins hang on to the two frame advantage? Who's going to get

:53:36. > :53:37.the first opportunity? Both players you fancy winning the frame if they

:53:38. > :54:13.get a chance. I do know whether running will be

:54:14. > :54:16.tempted to have a pot on this red. Barry has just bounced off the top

:54:17. > :54:22.cushion. The cue ball will go back to the Balkans. -- baulk end. It was

:54:23. > :54:45.worth a go. Decent strike. Barry taking this red

:54:46. > :54:56.on now. It is risky if he misses it. It is leaving a read on. He is

:54:57. > :55:06.leaving a read to the left corner. Understandable.

:55:07. > :55:28.They're black to play for. A choice of reds here.

:55:29. > :55:36.On the right-hand side, he was pushing the cue ball in. Normally,

:55:37. > :55:45.with that kind of shot, he wanted thin rather than thick. He courted

:55:46. > :55:51.much to thick. To me, that was a half-hearted attempt at a pot. That

:55:52. > :55:58.is what I always think, with long pot success, 66% is about right. A

:55:59. > :56:02.lot of times, you think you have gone for the pot, but they have

:56:03. > :56:25.erred on the side of safety. That is what he did there.

:56:26. > :56:37.He did not get a good cue ball, but Ronnie needs to catch this red just

:56:38. > :57:13.right. He courted much too thick. Lucky not to leave it.

:57:14. > :57:24.He pushed the red over the corner. Now that is covered by the green...

:57:25. > :57:37.Running, somehow, looked to cover that red himself. -- Ronnie.

:57:38. > :57:45.If you could get back to the baulk end, and leave it on the left-hand

:57:46. > :57:53.yellow side of the table, he can maybe cover the red. But not as safe

:57:54. > :58:00.as he could have had him there. He will be just playing a containing

:58:01. > :58:04.safety here. He does not want that cue ball in the pocket!

:58:05. > :58:13.He just caught the red fraction to fall. So the first chance. He is

:58:14. > :58:22.going to -- it is going to go to Barry Hawkins.

:58:23. > :58:28.He is going to have to get the cue ball somewhere near the brown. He

:58:29. > :58:43.can play with the black to the same pocket.

:58:44. > :59:07.Just wanted to avoid that. Still on the black. This has become missable.

:59:08. > :59:17.He has to avoid the cannon on one of those reds as well. Because there

:59:18. > :59:21.were lots of things to think about, that is why he has not been good on

:59:22. > :59:27.the next red. He was concentrating so much on the pot there. Now, it

:59:28. > :59:31.all depends on the potting angle. Not a lot you can do when it is me

:59:32. > :59:33.at the cushion. Can he roll it in? Can he role in the second read and

:59:34. > :59:39.get it on the pink? He has not caught the red full

:59:40. > :00:00.enough. That is end of break. If he catches the second red full in

:00:01. > :00:02.the face, and stop the paint, -- pink... It is not the easiest safety

:00:03. > :00:16.shot. If the red. Behind the cue ball, it

:00:17. > :00:28.would be comfortable to come thing of the back. Bridging over.

:00:29. > :00:42.Touching the cue ball. Taking the risky shot out of the equation. A

:00:43. > :00:43.little bit unlucky. Long red, that for the slight cannon, would have

:00:44. > :01:09.been perfect on the black. Good shot, from Ronnie. Looks to

:01:10. > :01:17.have blocked the path down the left-hand side. As we look, for the

:01:18. > :01:24.safety. That being the case, giving Barry Hawkins a problem. Very

:01:25. > :01:31.congested down the right-hand side. Looking if the general to the red

:01:32. > :01:41.tighten the top right corner. Would not leave any pots on. Different

:01:42. > :01:54.choice of red. Only a containing safety. He has hit it all wrong.

:01:55. > :01:59.Misjudged it completely. OK, these reds are tricky. Particularly as

:02:00. > :02:05.Ronnie will need to play with case to get on the pink and blue. Cannot

:02:06. > :02:11.drop it in dead weight. Does not like it. Looking for the red to the

:02:12. > :02:21.right middle, thinks that is the easier pot. It may be. He has two

:02:22. > :02:32.avoid the kiss on the brown, to get position. No. In his efforts to

:02:33. > :02:56.avoid the kiss, that is why he caught the red a bit too thick.

:02:57. > :03:31.This needs good cueing. The flick on the green has helped a lot. It was

:03:32. > :03:33.still a good path to find back to the baulk end, give him credit for

:03:34. > :04:03.that. Needs to avoid the blue and the red

:04:04. > :04:29.in the middle of the table. He has done. Excellent reply. Good shot.

:04:30. > :04:42.Top-class safety at the moment. Good contact on the object ball. But for

:04:43. > :04:45.the kiss on the green, would have been a better safety. Just a shake

:04:46. > :05:09.of the head, from Ronnie. -- looking at the two reds just

:05:10. > :05:19.above the Blackpool. Could be a possible target with this safety. A

:05:20. > :05:20.little bit too thick. That is why he has caught the brown full in the

:05:21. > :05:54.face. At first look, no harm done. Purposely running that red into the

:05:55. > :06:02.paint. You never know what the pink may run into, looking at the

:06:03. > :06:16.Ronnie's body language, he may have covered the path to it. He has had a

:06:17. > :06:26.result. Could that be the turning point in this frame?

:06:27. > :06:33.Barry intends on moving that red away from the corner. Decided to

:06:34. > :06:38.play into the blue, strange choice. It is his turn to have a bit of

:06:39. > :06:46.luck. I think Ronnie said something to Barry, doesn't usually have much

:06:47. > :06:49.conversation with his opponent. I think you said something that caused

:06:50. > :07:19.them both to have a smile. That is not like Ronnie. Mis-hitting

:07:20. > :07:27.that completely. Coming around to look what he has left. That tells

:07:28. > :07:35.you. He has left a red that Barry can drop in. You would think he

:07:36. > :07:41.would play for the blue. Looking at the table the baulk end. Just drop

:07:42. > :07:49.this in. Looks like big pockets to me. He made it a big pockets.

:07:50. > :07:57.Playing at that pace. He thinks he's bound to be on the pink. The way he

:07:58. > :08:08.played it, possibly missable. I can only assume he was going to be

:08:09. > :08:21.canning into the red. In the end, turned out lovely. That's bald

:08:22. > :08:27.eagles in. -- that ball wriggles in. Now he has the black on the spot,

:08:28. > :08:34.could be a decent virginity. He has been reliable on the balls so far,

:08:35. > :08:38.Barry Hawkins. A lot of pressure so far, delighted to get out of this

:08:39. > :08:40.session keeping his seam frame advantage, given Ronnie's pot

:08:41. > :09:04.success. There is Ronnie at 97%. Are not far

:09:05. > :09:19.behind, 96%. -- Barry. Just landed a bit awkward. You would not expecting

:09:20. > :09:32.to miss this red into the middle. He has to drop it in dead weight. No

:09:33. > :09:43.problem. OK would have liked to be a bit straighter on the thing. Being

:09:44. > :09:51.left-handed, more comfortable. I think the blue is available into the

:09:52. > :10:01.right corner. He would like to get that back onto the spot. Not this

:10:02. > :10:08.time. He just has to concentrate 100%, no careless shots. He has

:10:09. > :10:22.certainly picked up his pace for this visit, Barry.

:10:23. > :10:37.There is the target. 68 points. If he gets to that, Ronnie will need a

:10:38. > :10:40.snooker. He has looked confident around the table. Not tentative, at

:10:41. > :11:14.all. That shot tells me the blue does not

:11:15. > :11:19.go into the right corner. He's out of position by almost one foot.

:11:20. > :11:22.Surprised he played it like that, the easiest way would be to come off

:11:23. > :11:30.the top cushion, play for the pink into the middle.

:11:31. > :11:57.Do you know, Stephen, the last time he played on the think, playing the

:11:58. > :12:02.screw, I was going to say, he was lucky he did not catch the red fall

:12:03. > :12:07.in the face. This time he has done, completely out of position. That was

:12:08. > :12:18.very careless. A lot of margin for error. It was a poor shot. It has to

:12:19. > :12:37.be said. He knows it. 54 points in front. Still 75 remaining.

:12:38. > :12:52.He would like to make another colour safe, easier said than done here.

:12:53. > :12:58.Disappointed he did not win the frame at that visit. Still

:12:59. > :13:05.favourite, but you know how quickly these frames can turn around. You

:13:06. > :13:13.can see Barry Hawkins, 54 ahead, 75 left in the table. Another bad

:13:14. > :13:23.safety shot from Ronnie. That one will surely cost him the frame. Two

:13:24. > :13:29.in a row. Maybe a sign of the pressure. Starting to get to Ronnie.

:13:30. > :13:39.Unusual error from him in the State Department. -- safety Department. He

:13:40. > :13:43.plays a lot of shots with side, if you do not use them properly, that

:13:44. > :13:52.can happen. Yes, not the easiest return to baulk. We expect so much

:13:53. > :14:00.from Ronnie. Quick glance at the scoreboard, gave 62 points of front

:14:01. > :14:06.-- in front, 59 remaining. Looks as if Barry Hawkins has started this

:14:07. > :14:14.very important session, as we said moving day, nothing has moved, still

:14:15. > :14:19.two in front. He will be over the moon with that, going into the final

:14:20. > :14:29.session. He has stood up. Do everything Ronnie has thrown at him

:14:30. > :14:33.this afternoon. -- to everything. High quality snooker from two

:14:34. > :14:58.high-quality players. Can he two the red along the top

:14:59. > :15:02.cushion? No, they are tough. Ronnie Washington is hand, saying well

:15:03. > :15:06.played. We have everything to look forward to. Barry Hawkins will be

:15:07. > :15:10.pleased, sharing the eight frames in the second session, taking a two

:15:11. > :15:18.frame advantage into the important third one tomorrow evening. Cannot

:15:19. > :15:23.wait for that. We are due on that. Seven o'clock tomorrow for the

:15:24. > :15:27.deciding one. 9-7, Barry Hawkins please with his afternoon's work.

:15:28. > :15:32.Excellent session, as Stephen Hendrie mentioned in commentary,

:15:33. > :15:37.looking very focused. He's timing the ball excellent. We saw an

:15:38. > :15:45.example in the last frame, red over the left-hand pocket, he screwed it

:15:46. > :15:50.18 inches for that is how well he's cueing. How would you describe the

:15:51. > :15:55.pressure on Ronnie O'Sullivan at the moment? Not the type of person to

:15:56. > :15:59.dig himself into a hole when he plays, even at the World

:16:00. > :16:04.Championship. Sometimes you can feel the heat little bit. He knows how he

:16:05. > :16:09.can respond. He will be quite philosophical about things. Knows

:16:10. > :16:18.he's up against a good player who can play. Like all great champions,

:16:19. > :16:21.also sensing the fact that the final session sorts everybody out. I think

:16:22. > :16:28.Barry Hawkins does not produce again. A couple of years ago, J

:16:29. > :16:37.Perry had a similar lead, 9-7 going into the final session, Saturday

:16:38. > :16:43.morning. He went 11 -- 11-9 in front. Ronnie coming back, showing

:16:44. > :16:48.us what a competitor years. How do you think Barry will handle the

:16:49. > :16:52.situation. A little unusual in the last key meetings against Ronnie?

:16:53. > :16:58.This time he is at peace with himself. I get the feeling he may

:16:59. > :17:03.well be capable of handling anything Ronnie O'Sullivan throws at him.

:17:04. > :17:07.Fascinating prospect. It is indeed, we will tell you what has been going

:17:08. > :17:12.on on the other table today. John Higgins in action. The last three

:17:13. > :17:15.times he has reached the quarterfinals at the Crucible, he

:17:16. > :17:21.has gone on to win the title. I'm sure he is looking to get there

:17:22. > :17:35.again. Final number five could be in the offing. Floyd Mayweather, from

:17:36. > :17:41.recent time in boxing. Ryder Cup, all the time. This skills, the

:17:42. > :17:48.penalty kick competition. I was chosen by my school, and I won the

:17:49. > :18:00.Pantic conversation. I would love to win the world title again. The

:18:01. > :18:05.Crucible. Followed by the Irish Masters in island-macro. I would

:18:06. > :18:16.love to play for Celtic. Lately it is, are you still playing snooker?

:18:17. > :18:26.You do a little bit back. Ricky Walden, he throws a few shapes

:18:27. > :18:32.around the table. Andrew Higginson. Open defiance of it bigger, they are

:18:33. > :18:39.a little tight right now. -- opened the bag. Ricky Waldon, throwing

:18:40. > :18:43.shapes around dinner table. He took three years to get past the first

:18:44. > :18:49.round, then what an impact. A run to the semifinals, might have got to

:18:50. > :18:54.the final had he not run into Barry Hawkins. Running out of steam in

:18:55. > :19:01.that semifinal, as he admitted. He went home after round one last year.

:19:02. > :19:06.These players met three weeks ago, Walden getting the better of Higgins

:19:07. > :19:12.in the china Open. They began with Higgins 5-3 up. We join them in the

:19:13. > :19:15.first frame of the afternoon session. Ken Doherty and John

:19:16. > :19:27.Parrott in the commentary box. COMMENTATOR: A couple things could

:19:28. > :19:33.have happened. Flicking off the blue, going in. Hitting the blue,

:19:34. > :19:38.going say. Coming off the jaws, a chance for John Higgins. I was with

:19:39. > :19:43.you, Ken, I thought he would play tight off the top cushion. Not

:19:44. > :19:45.trying to screw behind the black. Because he has not got it, easier

:19:46. > :21:13.for John to cue. Obviously trying to flick the reds

:21:14. > :21:22.out. Could not have got much more out of it. He had to make sure he

:21:23. > :21:27.hit them hard enough, so they were at least passed the green. If he had

:21:28. > :21:29.played that softer, the Green could have been a blocker. That is why he

:21:30. > :21:58.had to do it. Straightforward to get on either of

:21:59. > :22:05.the two reds left. May just take the blue, prophesied cushion. The one

:22:06. > :22:15.near the middle pocket is not really possible. OK, the one he is on now

:22:16. > :22:27.is not a total game. I think you may not get one in. -- gimme. He could

:22:28. > :22:32.possibly put this one in the pocket. Has not looked at the double. He may

:22:33. > :22:38.come around and have a look. It might be an option. Does not like

:22:39. > :22:44.it. Funny, looks perfect. If you are going to do it. Sometimes tempting

:22:45. > :23:00.when the next red is more available. If he did get the double, total

:23:01. > :23:02.clearance maybe on. Excellent pot. Nice clean pot. What sort of angle

:23:03. > :23:14.does he have on the brown? Can he screw into the red. Little bit of a

:23:15. > :23:33.heavy bounce. The people in the front row will

:23:34. > :23:41.know this is only for John. Not there.

:23:42. > :23:50.Funny situation, you live and die by your decisions. It looked absolutely

:23:51. > :23:54.perfect on the back double. Sometimes you leave that to be the

:23:55. > :24:02.last one, when you have come perfect on the shot before. It is never

:24:03. > :24:09.ideal, cutting it back into the pocket. As opposed to being dead in

:24:10. > :24:13.line. I am never going to question John Higgins' shot selection. It has

:24:14. > :24:20.been fantastic for so many years. Just an option. Ricky will be

:24:21. > :24:53.kicking himself. Over that safety shot, because it is not one.

:24:54. > :25:03.He's just appearing a little bit tight, with his cue action, John.

:25:04. > :25:08.Not particularly cued well. A little surprised with the way he played

:25:09. > :25:14.this. I thought he may play with top spin, trying to hit it with a bit

:25:15. > :25:25.more pace. Ricky played the shop with top spin. Making the shot a

:25:26. > :25:32.little bit more easy to execute. He has come the wrong side of the blue.

:25:33. > :25:38.One ball he will not be taking is the green. Going right next to the

:25:39. > :25:53.brand. Not spotting the green, I would think. -- parting.

:25:54. > :26:11.Maybe just dropping the blue in. Taking the distant yellow.

:26:12. > :26:25.If he can pot this and get on the green, could be frame ball. Wow!

:26:26. > :26:30.Another chance for John Higgins in this frame. Not totally

:26:31. > :26:36.straightforward, yellow to green position. Obviously the pot is not a

:26:37. > :26:43.problem. Just getting that cue ball in the right spot for the green.

:26:44. > :26:48.Could not have hit that any better. He cue that beautifully. Could not

:26:49. > :26:53.have placed it better with his hand. Perfect. Ricky will be kicking

:26:54. > :27:00.himself. He had a couple of bites at the cherry, this frame. Saying

:27:01. > :27:04.earlier, John Higgins does not give you much, he has given Ricky lots of

:27:05. > :27:14.chances in this frame. He has not taken them.

:27:15. > :27:36.He has not been at his best in this frame, John Higgins. Managed to find

:27:37. > :27:43.a way to the winning line in this frame. In is the thing. Will not

:27:44. > :27:45.bother with the black. John Higgins continues where he left off

:27:46. > :27:54.yesterday. Winning the opening frame, leading Ricky Walden, 6-3.

:27:55. > :27:57.The first time he is opened up a three frame advantage in the second

:27:58. > :28:06.round match. We will join them in the next. Walden to play, 11 points

:28:07. > :28:17.in the game. COMMENTATOR: Very thin, could be

:28:18. > :28:20.shot. I will put this line in. Not sure where he has that line,

:28:21. > :28:25.possibly. He has tried to cut that one in. Come around the back of the

:28:26. > :28:30.red. I think you're shot was the right one. Certainly a lot better

:28:31. > :28:39.than that one. That was a complete miss it. -- mis-hit. Evidence that

:28:40. > :28:55.neither player has really settled down.

:28:56. > :29:07.He just got enough of the cue ball, he could drop the ball in. Just

:29:08. > :29:13.coming around to have a look at the red in the middle of a bunch of five

:29:14. > :29:19.reds. Just coming around to look at the pot into the bottom left corner

:29:20. > :29:24.pocket. The lower one in the bunch of five, certainly does pot.

:29:25. > :29:31.Going down for the one over the corner pocket. Considering being

:29:32. > :29:37.slightly hampered by that red, excellent shot. Good cueing. Never

:29:38. > :29:44.easy, when you have a side or a quarter of the ball. Generally why

:29:45. > :29:45.you Saigon. Trying to hit the middle of the white, sometimes you can't

:29:46. > :29:55.get to it. A bit of noise coming from the other

:29:56. > :30:24.table, table. This great auditorium. As you would

:30:25. > :30:33.expect on a Sunday afternoon for world championship. Very full.

:30:34. > :30:39.Meanwhile, John Higgins is going about this nicely. These are split

:30:40. > :30:58.very well. A sizeable contribution here.

:30:59. > :31:09.He is just going to try and tidy up the City Redss around the black

:31:10. > :31:10.spot. He did not get out with the cue ball. He wanted to beat high

:31:11. > :31:28.enough. Maybe that reds, you can see it from

:31:29. > :31:33.that angle there. It does... There are two sets of reds. Like a little

:31:34. > :31:38.corridor. The commands through them and know that you will be

:31:39. > :31:50.honourable. He has decided to screw back. He hit that while as well.

:31:51. > :31:58.Nice little touch that was. Beautiful. He just nicely. He is

:31:59. > :32:00.starting to look more like himself in this frame. He has the cue ball

:32:01. > :32:18.on a string. Nothing settles you down quite as

:32:19. > :32:29.much as your opponent in the new chances and missing his. It was a --

:32:30. > :32:34.it was important for Ricky tip picked this on, particularly with

:32:35. > :32:36.the two frame deficit. But you cannot be giving John Higgins

:32:37. > :32:52.chances like this. I thought he was struggling to look

:32:53. > :32:58.like the old John Higgins. He was having problem with keys. He looked

:32:59. > :33:04.like he was bereft of any confidence. He has become a

:33:05. > :33:05.tournament winner again. Fabulous season. Competing like he always

:33:06. > :33:26.did. His practice partner, Alan McManus,

:33:27. > :33:32.both 45 years of age. Reach the good fight -- reached the quarterfinals.

:33:33. > :33:41.Some life in the old boys yet. That is well played.

:33:42. > :33:54.He was upstairs in the players around taking a break from his usual

:33:55. > :33:55.stats. He has a keen eye on the proceedings this afternoon between

:33:56. > :34:03.these two. He has always been a top, top

:34:04. > :34:25.player. Slight problem with a break here.

:34:26. > :34:30.John just having a look to see whether there is a plant. Once he is

:34:31. > :34:35.on that side of the blue, he is looking to see what can be made.

:34:36. > :34:44.That is a little awkward. Down one side of the table. He has satisfied

:34:45. > :34:46.himself that it can be made. He can drop the blue in. It leaves himself

:34:47. > :35:20.the angle to make the plant. The cameraman full pan around to

:35:21. > :35:24.show that these two are dead set into the corner pocket. It looks

:35:25. > :35:31.like it is going towards the left-hand side of the pocket, but it

:35:32. > :35:38.should be OK. Yes. It just switched him a little bit. Nice shot.

:35:39. > :35:57.Those are bizarre things, plants. As soon as he saw a plant, heat got to

:35:58. > :36:19.play position of it again. Smack the plant in.

:36:20. > :36:23.66 ahead, 67 remaining. Just this pink to put another frame on the

:36:24. > :36:51.board. He can go on to make another angle

:36:52. > :37:04.on the pink here. He can not one of these reds into a possible position.

:37:05. > :37:08.He tried but did not make it. It is amazing. He has had 40 centuries

:37:09. > :37:19.already this season. Five in the tournament so far.

:37:20. > :37:35.As I mentioned earlier, his game is back in fine fettle.

:37:36. > :37:43.Into the centre pocket, that it will be the shot that he takes. Not this

:37:44. > :38:17.time. Great shot. It was not to be. But a fantastic

:38:18. > :38:30.break. 94 Johnson hit -- John Higgins. It is now 7-3 to the Scott.

:38:31. > :38:36.STUDIO: Frame 11 was won by Walden. 4-7 behind now. Into frame 12. The

:38:37. > :38:39.last before the mid-session interval. Waldon behind by ten

:38:40. > :38:51.points in this one. COMMENTATOR: Both players struggling

:38:52. > :39:01.to get the cue ball back down to the baulk cushion, and because of that,

:39:02. > :39:13.leaving tempters. The black is not able to park. -- pot. Lovely cueing.

:39:14. > :40:23.Not what you could call a good chance this. Colin Humphreys, black

:40:24. > :40:25.tied up. Making it very difficult to score. Sizeable contribution in this

:40:26. > :40:45.frame. In fact, this might be end of break

:40:46. > :40:50.now. Just looking to try and buy a plant cup. Plenty of distance

:40:51. > :41:02.between those two balls. Should he miss it, the red could come back up

:41:03. > :41:08.into the middle of the table. Great shot. Fantastic shot. What a shot

:41:09. > :41:20.that was! Fabulous. That amount of distance between

:41:21. > :41:29.those two balls, to play perfect position, brilliant shot. Can he

:41:30. > :41:34.somehow get the black interplay? He did not try it on this occasion. --

:41:35. > :42:34.the black into play. He had to force it in. Not a great

:42:35. > :42:50.angle on this thread now. -- this red.

:42:51. > :43:00.That is a little greasy bonus. Just chipping one over the corner. The

:43:01. > :43:06.wrong side of the blue. Doing well to keep this break going. It is

:43:07. > :43:30.fabulous. It was always looking difficult in this frame.

:43:31. > :43:38.He does not seem to be getting the cue ball clean. That he does seem to

:43:39. > :43:44.be getting the cue ball cleaned every shot. Three times in this

:43:45. > :43:51.break already. One good pot required here. Top cushion, side cushion. He

:43:52. > :43:58.has got to guard against snickering himself. And missing the blue! That

:43:59. > :44:09.was a very tough break. A little bit more difficult than it

:44:10. > :44:13.looks on-screen. Then contact required that one. Because that read

:44:14. > :44:16.on the right-hand side could have been a problem, it sometimes makes

:44:17. > :44:54.the pot more difficult. Funny frame, this. Just one of those

:44:55. > :45:00.awkward ones where it is difficult to score from. A big shot to take

:45:01. > :45:23.the blue on. He is looking at the blue. Eat

:45:24. > :45:30.potted a tremendous blue in the last frame. This is just as difficult. He

:45:31. > :45:37.has to hold it. Fabulous. Maybe just that blue, in that last frame, has

:45:38. > :45:41.given him a bit of confidence. That was a magnificent pop. He has just

:45:42. > :45:46.wrote it in. He has not tried to force it, he trusted his cue action.

:45:47. > :45:50.He has an option here to get the black into the play. I would prefer

:45:51. > :45:54.to play it quite firm, screw the Reading, Cannon on the black and

:45:55. > :45:55.screw out. He might develop the black interplay, but if you don't,

:45:56. > :46:13.try and get up on the blue. One of those where you need is a

:46:14. > :46:24.thicker contact. The blacked out pots. Can he get another red after

:46:25. > :46:31.getting the blue? Bigshot, Ken. He has potted ant couple of great

:46:32. > :46:39.blues, but it is asking a lot to pop this one and screw back. It might be

:46:40. > :47:38.an idea to bring the ball into the middle of the table.

:47:39. > :47:47.He has to be a little bit careful with this shot. The problem playing

:47:48. > :47:51.this round angles, but you have to try and avoid cannon Inc the red and

:47:52. > :47:56.pink on the way back. But also, you don't want to chip a read to the

:47:57. > :48:05.other corner. He might be taking the thin one, next of the pink. Don't

:48:06. > :49:20.hit the blue. But at least he got the red safe.

:49:21. > :49:25.A little dangerous, because that target behind the yellow is pretty

:49:26. > :49:33.big. John Higgins jumping all over this.

:49:34. > :49:41.Has he got the cue ball where he wants it? You bet.

:49:42. > :50:05.Ricky is playing the red that is next to the black. Side cushion, top

:50:06. > :50:06.cushion, back to baulk. Very good shot. Excellent shot. He played it

:50:07. > :50:47.very well. I think he might have enough of this

:50:48. > :51:21.red just deposit. It is, the same line as John Higgins's last attempt.

:51:22. > :51:58.red just deposit. It is, the same line

:51:59. > :51:58.red just deposit. It is, the same brown on. He has the angle. It looks

:51:59. > :52:20.like it brown on. He has the angle. It looks

:52:21. > :52:28.pressure on. He has played that in a way that tries to stop him from

:52:29. > :52:34.getting on the cushion. It is blocking it off to: the loose red. I

:52:35. > :52:43.cannot see the way he can get that, really. He is forcing him, more or

:52:44. > :52:53.less, to try and hit another red. Of course, they all really able to pot,

:52:54. > :52:59.those three. Tough position. Extremely tough. I am going to try

:53:00. > :53:06.and see if I can find away for Ricky to try and get this safe. I'm not

:53:07. > :53:11.sure whether it is there or not. You are crafty Ken, you must have away!

:53:12. > :53:23.I am having a look at the line there. If I just put a line up

:53:24. > :53:28.there. Go between the blue and pink. Ricky was having a look at that. I'm

:53:29. > :53:33.not quite sure whether he can get enough.

:53:34. > :53:42.I'm just wonder if he is going to play this screwing into the cushion.

:53:43. > :53:52.Maybe screw back, I don't know. He is going to screw back. That is a

:53:53. > :54:00.magnificent shot. What a cracking shot that is. Absolutely brilliant,

:54:01. > :54:04.that was. The way he was killing that, I thought he was going to

:54:05. > :54:09.screw back into the Boult area, but that was fabulous. Very thin, lots

:54:10. > :54:51.to run inside. -- the baulk area. Excellent. Really good pot.

:54:52. > :54:57.Considering he was in all sorts of trouble, heat has done very well to

:54:58. > :55:03.get into this position. Brilliant, that was.

:55:04. > :55:11.Obviously, the one red that is near the top cushion is going to be the

:55:12. > :55:15.big problem. And also, because the black is not on his spot. You cannot

:55:16. > :55:19.just drop it and get it on the black. But it is a bit more

:55:20. > :55:27.difficult when there is no black on the spot.

:55:28. > :55:31.He has not hit that last read the best. He would have liked to have

:55:32. > :55:57.been a little closer. He needs a little bounce off into

:55:58. > :56:11.that top cushion. He needs a nice angle, and he has

:56:12. > :56:18.got it. He does not have to do too much. He can drop this in. He can be

:56:19. > :56:29.on the pink, but also, the yellow is waiting for him.

:56:30. > :56:45.Well played so far. This is a big pink. If you knock it in, you are

:56:46. > :56:51.the massive favourite for the frame. I bet when the cue ball was running

:56:52. > :56:58.towards the blue, his heart stopped for a second. The only problem with

:56:59. > :57:05.that, just look at this. It just kissed the blue. It was near the

:57:06. > :57:14.middle pocket, and now, just a little bit more tricky to get. From

:57:15. > :57:20.blue to pink. And particularly now, he is little bit slow with the cue

:57:21. > :57:24.ball there. It will come up another six or eight inches to be lifted

:57:25. > :57:35.straight on the screen. He has a bit more work to do. Now the problem is,

:57:36. > :57:39.because the blue has been knocked down the table a few more inches, it

:57:40. > :57:45.just makes it a little bit more difficult on the brown, from brown

:57:46. > :57:54.to blue is no problem but Peter pink will be. Well, he put in a nice bit

:57:55. > :57:59.of left-hand side, so he is OK. He could not have played that much

:58:00. > :58:12.better. Perfect. He has done very well here. He is 5-3, 7-3, he would

:58:13. > :58:21.have been in big trouble. Great frame of snooker from Ricky Walden.

:58:22. > :58:25.He got a break of 48. He trails 7-5. STUDIO: Very good effort by Ricky

:58:26. > :58:30.Walden to get within two at the interval. Into the next we go. This

:58:31. > :58:32.is just after the interval. Waldon is making up ground once again. 22

:58:33. > :59:13.points behind. I don't think any of those red spot.

:59:14. > :59:40.-- reds pot. He will try with the black after this red. He

:59:41. > :59:44.has had a couple of goes. Because of that, he has not been able to get

:59:45. > :59:54.into the pack how he wanted. But he is fine now. A good pot on the

:59:55. > :00:01.black, and one could cannon, -- and one could cannon.

:00:02. > :00:14.Left it a little awkward. The bottom right-hand corner pocket, he is

:00:15. > :00:18.going to have to use the spider. Of course, he is not over the line yet

:00:19. > :00:23.in this frame. He needs a couple of reds and a couple of colours to do

:00:24. > :00:29.that. He cannot do anything with these, really. Easy to build the cue

:00:30. > :00:36.ball in and put side on these. Don't get overambitious. Good shot.

:00:37. > :00:51.Nicely played. 36 already in the lead. Just one more red after this.

:00:52. > :01:06.Ricky Walden will be needing sneakers. Cannot see a comeback from

:01:07. > :01:11.this position. -- snooker. Slowly but surely John Higgins getting a

:01:12. > :01:16.stronghold in this match. Not being at his absolute best, John Higgins,

:01:17. > :01:21.but cannot be in every session at the Crucible. What it can be is a

:01:22. > :01:25.consummate matchplay, which is what he is. He's incredibly difficult to

:01:26. > :01:36.beat, even when not on his game. There is an art to winning, and John

:01:37. > :02:23.Higgins cracked it a long time ago. He has missed the red. Ricky Walden

:02:24. > :02:30.says that is enough. John Higgins goes back into a three frame lead.

:02:31. > :02:34.This match always looked on paper like it would go the full distance.

:02:35. > :02:41.In head-to-head matches between the pair, it is 3-3. John Higgins

:02:42. > :02:44.keeping Ricky at arms length, is beginning to frame 14, eight points

:02:45. > :02:57.in this one. COMMENTATOR: The one before looked

:02:58. > :03:02.like a sitter, that was difficult, floating it straight in. Great shot.

:03:03. > :03:25.Very good. Not a lot of pocket to aim at. Well played. It might suit

:03:26. > :03:32.Ricky, the Green will not go on its own -- the pink will not go on its

:03:33. > :03:42.spot. It will go on the black spot. He needs a good angle. He has it.

:03:43. > :03:53.Anything with a bit of pace, you can miss them. You have to be so careful

:03:54. > :03:58.with them. The shot. Interesting the way he played there. Playing with a

:03:59. > :04:04.bit of screw. Some people would be dropping it in. He actually screwed

:04:05. > :04:09.it in. Very brave way of playing. Obviously a confident way. He likes

:04:10. > :04:18.that shot. Where he has finished his perfect. You would have to be very

:04:19. > :04:22.unlucky, not to land on one there. Despite the fact he missed the

:04:23. > :04:34.easier chance, he now has the best chance of the frame so far. I think

:04:35. > :04:41.when he pots this red, the pink will pot into the bottom right-hand

:04:42. > :04:49.pocket. Not too bad, not tied up. If the pink was tied up, this could not

:04:50. > :04:54.be frame-winning opportunity. Now I'm sure it will pot into the

:04:55. > :05:08.right-hand corner pocket. He has come around to have a look.

:05:09. > :05:28.Day you see it. -- there you see it. Slightly hampered, taking the pink.

:05:29. > :05:33.Bridging over the black. A little bit of a problem, ordinarily would

:05:34. > :05:40.like to care little cannon, but he has snookered himself on the other

:05:41. > :05:45.one. Needs to play a full run, move both reds out of the way. That is

:05:46. > :06:01.what he played the way he did. Just having a look, if the pink pots

:06:02. > :06:27.into the bottom left-hand corner pocket, as well.

:06:28. > :06:33.When he pots this pink, he will try to get on the red just to the right

:06:34. > :06:56.of the pink. Freeing up another red. He went a bit farther with the cue

:06:57. > :07:17.ball. Wanted tighter control. He has played that nicely. Very

:07:18. > :07:21.nicely indeed. Leaving himself options of pink or black, the way

:07:22. > :07:27.that worked out. So good on the pink. Did not need to play anything

:07:28. > :07:34.else. He has taken this well, Ricky. Knows the importance of the frame.

:07:35. > :07:36.Lose it, going four frames find to someone and John Higgins'

:07:37. > :07:44.capabilities, you are in big trouble.

:07:45. > :07:56.He just ran a little bit too far with the cable. He has to be careful

:07:57. > :08:11.here. -- with the cue ball. Would you believe it? Would you believe

:08:12. > :08:26.it? Referee confirming he has just touched the pink with the calf of

:08:27. > :08:37.his shirt. -- cuff. There you see it.

:08:38. > :08:43.Let's have a look at the matchplay years. John Higgins will be

:08:44. > :08:52.thinking, if I clear up from here, major body blow.

:08:53. > :09:01.I have played him in far too many matches, to know exactly what he

:09:02. > :09:03.will be thinking. He will try to get the nice angle on the pink, potting

:09:04. > :09:20.this red. He has come too far, to knock the

:09:21. > :09:28.one on the cushion out with this shot. A chance to get behind the

:09:29. > :09:31.loose red. You can see the determination in John's face.

:09:32. > :09:37.Absolutely desperate to win the frame with this contribution. It

:09:38. > :09:42.will be difficult. The ones on the site cushion a awkward. Even they

:09:43. > :09:46.Ricky Walden will be sitting in his chair, absolutely squirming. He was

:09:47. > :10:08.in, amongst the balls. Wow. It says left perfect angle to

:10:09. > :10:14.move the red off the site cushion. I thought he had missed it for one

:10:15. > :10:26.minute. Knock three times, you need the password. Perfect ankle, he will

:10:27. > :10:32.try to get the black on the spot. He had a chance to move the red off the

:10:33. > :10:35.site cushion with the thing. Once he drops this one in, natural angle to

:10:36. > :10:38.come off the black for the loose red. Could be a hugely pivotal frame

:10:39. > :10:53.this match. If you get somewhere inside the

:10:54. > :11:06.circle, that type of angle on the black. You cannot out that last red

:11:07. > :11:14.fools they have wiped their feet, but have gone in. This frame, Ken,

:11:15. > :11:20.all about this cannon. This one just about got there, gravity took over.

:11:21. > :11:33.Can he pot the black, and get the cannon? Does not want to hit it too

:11:34. > :11:36.hard. Not quite there. He played a back cross double in one of the

:11:37. > :11:42.earlier frames, missing it. Will he try it again? I don't think the

:11:43. > :11:46.angle is there this time, John. Maybe more prudent to play good,

:11:47. > :11:58.telling safety shot. All about the player's choice. He has played a

:11:59. > :12:04.safety shot, but not very well. Getting himself back in the frame.

:12:05. > :12:32.Level on points. Leaving Ricky Walden chance at this.

:12:33. > :12:50.To be fair to Ricky, he got a kick on that red. Unlucky. Nothing you

:12:51. > :12:55.can do about that. Just bad luck. He knew it, as soon as that was them,

:12:56. > :13:04.that red was hit badly, through no fault of his own. He may have done

:13:05. > :13:12.it in one, but John Higgins has a wonderful chance to complete this

:13:13. > :13:22.body blow, and win the frame. Only a couple of moments ago Ricky was in

:13:23. > :13:27.amongst the balls. Touching a pink with the cuff of his shirt. Looked

:13:28. > :13:32.like with go on and win the frame from that position. What a

:13:33. > :13:38.turnaround. John wins this frame, goes to nine, on the scoreboard. He

:13:39. > :13:43.lost two fights of the cherry to extend the lead. He knows he will be

:13:44. > :13:47.in front going into the final. As a couple more bytes to make the

:13:48. > :13:58.advantage even bigger. What a chance. How much of a detrimental

:13:59. > :14:00.effect will it have on Ricky Waldon present?

:14:01. > :14:02.effect will it have on Ricky Waldon Certainly would be native place.

:14:03. > :14:35.Hard to come back from this. It is a great deal from John

:14:36. > :14:41.Higgins. Ricky Waldon looked like taking the frame. The foul on the

:14:42. > :14:51.pink costing him. John Higgins ready to pounce. Extending his lead, 9-5.

:14:52. > :14:54.Important frame that could be. Ricky Waldon cursing the person who gave

:14:55. > :14:58.him those new cuff links for Christmas. Do you berate yourself

:14:59. > :15:03.doing something like that? All players do. That is one of the

:15:04. > :15:11.reasons players go for button shirts these days. It is inexcusable

:15:12. > :15:18.really. The look on his face, you should be checking. One area of the

:15:19. > :15:25.game where you could use the word careless, carelessly. John Higgins,

:15:26. > :15:30.9-5 in front. In terms of what we have seen, subdued in the scoring

:15:31. > :15:36.department. We have seen enough to know he is in very century heavy

:15:37. > :15:41.form. One of the greatest competitors we have ever seen. Such

:15:42. > :15:47.a tough man to beat, all-round game exemplary. Every single department.

:15:48. > :15:49.One of the toughest players ever is. Let's see how this one goes on frame

:15:50. > :16:23.15. -- John felt as soon as he has hit

:16:24. > :16:30.that. That is cued nicely. What he would not give FIFA quick frames,

:16:31. > :16:38.scoring heavily. Getting in 9-7 down.

:16:39. > :16:51.He looks pretty determined at the moment to step it up a bit. Increase

:16:52. > :17:07.the tempo. Nice position, these balls. The CV every shot time from

:17:08. > :17:22.both players. Ricky generally buzzes around the table. Certainly walks at

:17:23. > :17:26.a faster pace around the table. He tends to walk a lot more than John

:17:27. > :17:36.Higgins around the table. I think the time is being eaten up. Play for

:17:37. > :17:42.a red higher-ups. If you can leave a cannon, needs the cannon into the

:17:43. > :17:55.two reds right of the black. It would be perfect, that is fine. Or

:17:56. > :18:02.is it? Just having a look. I thought he would play the bottom one. They

:18:03. > :18:05.are tight. If the has a look around from the pocket itself. I think that

:18:06. > :18:16.red does pot. Not too confident that it does.

:18:17. > :18:26.Playing a nice little cannon off the black, bouncing it off the top

:18:27. > :18:31.cushion. Not too hard. He had to take the bottom one of the role.

:18:32. > :18:39.Worried about taking the other red. Looked tighter. He has left a fair

:18:40. > :18:43.bit of angle. Where Ricky is cueing, the red at the bottom of the main

:18:44. > :18:46.cluster, the only one he can not Ian. He cannot hold the cue ball for

:18:47. > :19:01.the others. He passive that one slightly sick in

:19:02. > :19:19.the pocket. In an attempt to keep the cue ball tight. He has done

:19:20. > :19:25.well. -- patted that one slightly thick. Nice angle. The time to go

:19:26. > :19:34.into the pack. Loose red in the pack. Plenty of back spin, opening

:19:35. > :19:45.the reds up. He went the other side instead, it will do. Just watch him.

:19:46. > :19:58.That is having lost the cue ball. Still in a very good position. Match

:19:59. > :20:02.time over the four hours Mark stop should not take much time, this

:20:03. > :20:07.frame, the Bulls have been nice. Steel

:20:08. > :20:18.-- steel four very civil balls. He was kicking himself after the last

:20:19. > :20:23.frame, fouling with his cuff. He will be kicking himself if he does

:20:24. > :20:29.not win the frame from here. Should have been straight on the previous

:20:30. > :20:35.red. He has to give up for the blue, now he's straight.

:20:36. > :21:01.He has two mind his work. -- to mind his work.

:21:02. > :21:07.That sounded good, felt better I'm sure. He cued that one really

:21:08. > :21:27.nicely. Always a nice sand when it hits the leather at the back of the

:21:28. > :21:33.pocket. I cannot remember. Just coming off straight. He has two

:21:34. > :21:38.force that Juanmi. This is a much trickier pot. -- he has two force

:21:39. > :21:57.that Juanmi. Good pot, though. Chest hairs to

:21:58. > :22:02.drop this one in, loose red on the right-hand side. The angle on the

:22:03. > :22:24.blue is slightly wrong, just rocked it in. -- drop it in. This red, not

:22:25. > :22:34.it in, should be 9-6. -- knock it in.

:22:35. > :22:45.OK. Good break. Considering the way he lost the last frame, great

:22:46. > :22:50.response from Ricky Waldon. Testament to a very good

:22:51. > :22:55.temperament. Must have been sitting in the chair, this is anything,

:22:56. > :23:03.losing the last frame. Would not know it here. Touching ball, should

:23:04. > :23:17.be OK. He has this red towards the right centre. Does he have the pace?

:23:18. > :23:20.He needs to blow it. Did not Kevin. Will not be bothered to much.

:23:21. > :23:29.Delighted to get another frame on the board. Closing the gap, John

:23:30. > :23:32.Higgins leads 9-6. This is what is happening live, right now inside the

:23:33. > :23:39.Crucible arena. We have caught them up. Looks as if John is about to get

:23:40. > :23:50.over the line. In fact, Ricky Waldon needs snookers. Going to be 10-6.

:23:51. > :23:56.They will come back tomorrow evening. Looks like it is going to

:23:57. > :24:00.be a long, three-day match. You know you are in for long matches, do you

:24:01. > :24:04.adjust your mindset? You know you're going to have long matches. In some

:24:05. > :24:09.ways, one session a day is quite nice. Getting your teeth into it.

:24:10. > :24:15.The morning and evening sessions become a chore. A tough, long day.

:24:16. > :24:20.Very hard to be on stand-by early in the morning. Seven o'clock in the

:24:21. > :24:25.morning, for your ten o'clock match, play a hard session, then switch off

:24:26. > :24:30.completely before the evening. Some people can do that, others prefer

:24:31. > :24:36.not to. He sleeps on that four frame lead, needs three more to get into

:24:37. > :24:39.the quarterfinals. Every time he has made the quarterfinals, the last

:24:40. > :24:48.three times, he has gone on to win the title. He tends to go home, or

:24:49. > :24:51.go on and win the title. Earlier we saw Chiron Wilson, what a

:24:52. > :24:59.performance from the 24-year-old from Kettering. 7-1 up against Mark

:25:00. > :25:05.Allen. You know this young man very well. Really nice lad. Tremendous

:25:06. > :25:14.player, I practice with him a lot. Serious ability. I think he can be

:25:15. > :25:18.good. I would not be surprised if the won the championship. He has the

:25:19. > :25:26.class to do it. Let's hope he has the Femina. He's a also Ding Junhui.

:25:27. > :25:32.Involved in his first session against Judd Trump, coming out 6-2.

:25:33. > :25:37.Promises to be an epic second session this evening. Let's have a

:25:38. > :25:45.quick look at the prowess of these two players. They fought out the

:25:46. > :25:50.epic semifinal a few years ago, Judd Trump winning it to go into the

:25:51. > :25:55.final. From what we have seen a Ding Junhui, how do you rate the way he

:25:56. > :25:59.has come into his game in the last few matches? We have been talking

:26:00. > :26:04.about it. Most players complaining about the qualifiers, so close to

:26:05. > :26:10.the main event. On the occasions Ding Junhui has struggled at the

:26:11. > :26:16.Crucible, what has to be different? Perhaps the qualifiers have helped.

:26:17. > :26:21.I thought the qualifying system may benefit him. He has struggled when

:26:22. > :26:25.he has had to play qualifiers, the matches have sharpened him up. He

:26:26. > :26:29.has an extra steeliness I have not seen before. Maybe working with

:26:30. > :26:35.Terry Griffiths, helping him mentally, making a difference. Also

:26:36. > :26:40.quite relaxed. Looked relaxed in the qualifiers. Playing against players,

:26:41. > :26:47.getting off to a good start. From Judd Trump's perspective, I did not

:26:48. > :26:51.see the session. Stephen Hendrie said a couple of the shots he played

:26:52. > :26:58.committee wanted to him in the dressing room. Hard to tell how it

:26:59. > :27:03.will pan out. In the interval, Dominic Dale said there is a

:27:04. > :27:09.colossal difference between Judd Trump and Ding Junhui with cue ball

:27:10. > :27:15.control. Judd Trump tweeted back saying, you are clueless. Watch my

:27:16. > :27:20.first 80 break. The fact he has time and is willing to do that, don't

:27:21. > :27:24.know what it says? For me, tells me he's not focusing on the match. In

:27:25. > :27:28.my personal opinion, should not be doing that, getting involved with

:27:29. > :27:33.someone else. Making to monetary comments. You should focus on

:27:34. > :27:38.beating Ding Junhui, a tough task, is on top form. Mentally he looks

:27:39. > :27:44.stronger. Perhaps that has been his downfall. He has always won his

:27:45. > :27:48.tournaments on pure class. If he can get the steeliness, perhaps his turn

:27:49. > :27:53.to win the trophy. They will be back this evening. What on earth does

:27:54. > :27:59.Mark Allen do in the other match, approaching the session 7-1 behind?

:28:00. > :28:03.One frame at a time, hoping his opponent sees the finishing line,

:28:04. > :28:07.Mark Allen using his experience to get back in the match. You will be

:28:08. > :28:12.on duty with John Parrott for that. If you are coming in, Ronnie

:28:13. > :28:17.O'Sullivan 9-7 behind, going into the final session tomorrow evening

:28:18. > :28:21.against Barry Hawkins. It has been an eventful old afternoon in

:28:22. > :28:50.Sheffield. Thanks your company, goodbye.

:28:51. > :28:53.You look like you've just seen the Grim Reaper.

:28:54. > :28:56.Well, it was a lot to take in, wasn't it?