Thursday, Semi-finals, Afternoon

:01:00. > :01:15.And welcome to cruise at all. Now we've really want it a team of

:01:16. > :01:24.drops. We manage our brand-new name on that world famous trophy. -- we

:01:25. > :01:26.might have. Excellent pot. We might have a new favourite for the

:01:27. > :01:56.tournament. The world number one finishes in

:01:57. > :02:00.style. It really has been a brilliant championship so far. The

:02:01. > :02:05.quarterfinals did not disappoint last night either, because Marco Fu

:02:06. > :02:08.almost blew a neat frame advantage in his match against Barry Hawkins.

:02:09. > :02:18.Alan McManus had come from behind to beat John Higgins. Coming into the

:02:19. > :02:25.night I thought, Win 3-1 in the first session and then take it from

:02:26. > :02:33.there. Fascinating all Scottish battle. Has played is lovely, great

:02:34. > :02:39.shot. What a shot. Alan McManus is just one frame behind. Lovely

:02:40. > :02:45.credits to Alan, he played great. Looked like he was really enjoying

:02:46. > :02:51.it at the end. Can you believe what you're seeing is that he is rolling

:02:52. > :02:56.back the years and goes ahead of John Higgins, 12-11. One up with two

:02:57. > :03:00.to play, I thought, right, I'll get a chance. John Mr red in the middle

:03:01. > :03:09.and bagged six, I don't know how he missed it. Can you believe what

:03:10. > :03:12.you've just seen? John cannot. This place can you make you crack and I

:03:13. > :03:20.missed a couple of unforgivable balls in the last session. It was

:03:21. > :03:26.criminal. McManus has won four frames in a row to knock out before

:03:27. > :03:31.times champion John Higgins, gets himself into the semifinal for the

:03:32. > :03:35.first time in 23 years. At the very end I thought I would be playing one

:03:36. > :03:43.table tomorrow, which will be an enormous thrill. Barry Hawkins has

:03:44. > :03:48.done so deep, if the cat cannot -- get off to good start there could be

:03:49. > :03:54.some tension again. Started coming back with a strong and started to

:03:55. > :03:57.cue the balls beautifully. The brick building of Barry Hawkins has been

:03:58. > :04:03.out of the top drawer, he claws another one back. Now he only trails

:04:04. > :04:07.by 10-9. It still was not coming easy but I felt better that like I

:04:08. > :04:14.was up for the challenge more. I won a key frame to go, 11-9 instead of

:04:15. > :04:20.ten each. Marco Fu dog as deep as he possibly could to keep a two frame

:04:21. > :04:27.lead. Every I was one or two shots away from clinching it and could not

:04:28. > :04:32.that ball under pressure. -- dug as deep. That is the easiest ball he

:04:33. > :04:39.has missed in this match. Marco missed some unbelievable balls to

:04:40. > :04:42.fishmeal. -- finish me off. You can miss anything when you're under

:04:43. > :04:51.pressure. I fancied winning all Day long. Towards the end I was able to

:04:52. > :04:57.make one of the best clearances of my life to get to the semis.

:04:58. > :05:02.Fabulous game, standing ovation from this crowd. Marco Fu somehow found

:05:03. > :05:08.something, the 30-11 Victor, one of the best matches I've ever seen.

:05:09. > :05:11.Danty nitty-gritty of the Crucible, Yupeng sitting next your opponent

:05:12. > :05:17.for the first three rounds and suddenly he's over there. Here I am!

:05:18. > :05:21.It's a long way! Nice to see you. The first thing you notice is the

:05:22. > :05:25.space. Cramped as to table and now you have so much space, you could

:05:26. > :05:31.have a couple more rows. I'm not surprised they've not thought of

:05:32. > :05:34.that. Don't give them any ideas. Seriously, an entirely different

:05:35. > :05:40.persona. This is where it comes into its own, two gladiators with wooden

:05:41. > :05:44.sticks smashing it other and for me this venue is superb. No blood and

:05:45. > :05:49.guts, just a few mental scars. This table can be the best or worst place

:05:50. > :05:53.for the players. What about the semifinals? Deng versus McManus,

:05:54. > :05:57.both on qualifiers. Yes, their seventh match in the campaign and

:05:58. > :06:01.balls are doing quite well considering, their freshers daisies,

:06:02. > :06:08.Dean has had some more time but Alan McManus is like Peter Pan at the

:06:09. > :06:12.moment. 300-1 shot at the side of the tournament, unbelievable so far.

:06:13. > :06:17.Has been fantastic, great to see. Add in the practice room upstairs he

:06:18. > :06:21.has been looking fresh and great and is up for it. And the semifinal? I

:06:22. > :06:25.think whoever wins it is a great story, Mark Selby has come through

:06:26. > :06:29.under the radar to some degree. For a world number one that is

:06:30. > :06:34.astonishing. Yes, and Marco Fu, what a great story. Whoever wins, it will

:06:35. > :06:36.be fascinating from now on in. The funny thing is, even though you've

:06:37. > :06:40.got to this stage, you're only halfway through the number of frames

:06:41. > :06:45.you need to win, you have to monitor and decline to be champion. Eight

:06:46. > :06:48.sessions and come along way so far, that is lots of walking around and

:06:49. > :06:53.quite a long distance from your chair to the table, so it can be

:06:54. > :07:01.quite draining. A marathon of the mind. They think it's funny, it

:07:02. > :07:06.isn't. The semifinals get underway the cycling with Ding Junhui taking

:07:07. > :07:08.on Alan McManus. Both players had to qualify to get to the Crucible,

:07:09. > :07:13.meaning their achievement in getting this -- to the semifinal is more

:07:14. > :07:17.incredible. Adding a drop -- dropped out of the talks 16 and has not

:07:18. > :07:26.three lead players along the way, that McManus started his playing --

:07:27. > :07:34.campaign three weeks ago. We will have one qualifier in the final. I

:07:35. > :07:38.will quantify manifests to enjoy it. Play hard and if I play well I will

:07:39. > :07:46.give him plenty of problems and if I turn up and play my game I will be

:07:47. > :07:54.happy regardless. Last time we played I played great, had also

:07:55. > :08:01.lucky shots and had a hand in the match, this time it another chance

:08:02. > :08:08.to go. He is just arriving, and all some player. When he is on song, he

:08:09. > :08:11.probably has the best cue ball control on tour. He's coming into

:08:12. > :08:17.form again and like myself came through quite strongly and

:08:18. > :08:25.qualifying gave him a good foundation, in -- to come in. I'm

:08:26. > :08:33.looking forward to playing him. He is a tough player to play. I've

:08:34. > :08:38.played a few times and he beat me. I think we played a few times in PBC

:08:39. > :08:49.and once at the Crucible. He has very good safety and put me under a

:08:50. > :08:53.lot of pressure. Alan McManus, aged 45, makes the last four for the

:08:54. > :08:58.first time since 1993. They've played each other for times. Dane

:08:59. > :09:03.leads by 3-1, they played once at the World Championships back in

:09:04. > :09:13.2013, when in Game one 10-5 in the first round. The Crucible is packed.

:09:14. > :09:17.Good afternoon, what a match in prospect and what a story for the

:09:18. > :09:21.two men waiting backstage. One rolling back the years in style, the

:09:22. > :09:24.other carrying the old and expectations of a nation on a short

:09:25. > :09:31.list. We cannot wait for this drama to start. Welcome to the semifinals

:09:32. > :09:37.of this year prospect field World Snooker Championship. -- get freaked

:09:38. > :09:58.to limit. Please welcome a man who produced

:09:59. > :10:03.the most sensational story last night, beating John Higgins to book

:10:04. > :10:10.his first Crucible semifinal for 23 years. He has become the oldest man

:10:11. > :10:17.to make the one-table set-up here since Ray Reardon in 1985. What an

:10:18. > :10:24.incredible fortnight for the man who takes it all! In his famous tartan

:10:25. > :10:26.strides, he is the pride of Glasgow. Raise the Roof, here is Alan at the

:10:27. > :10:55.Angles McManus. And his opponent, a player peaking

:10:56. > :11:00.at just the right time. He came through qualifying and reminders us

:11:01. > :11:04.all why he is an 11th time ranking event winner. This is his first

:11:05. > :11:09.appearance in the semifinals for five years and an entire nation are

:11:10. > :11:10.junior and live from back home, ladies and gentlemen, enter the

:11:11. > :11:14.Chinese Dragon, Ding Junhui. MUSIC: Uptown Funk

:11:15. > :11:35.by Mark Ronson feat Bruno Mars. Great noise inside this wonderful

:11:36. > :11:40.arena. Two men who know what is going through the minds of Ding

:11:41. > :11:43.Junhui and Alan McManus are Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry. Good

:11:44. > :11:49.afternoon. Very good afternoon to everyone. This is when the Crucible

:11:50. > :12:03.comes into its own. The one table. Thank you, cameras away now free two

:12:04. > :12:08.please. The first frame. Alan McManus won the toss and he will get

:12:09. > :12:17.this fresh semifinal underway, quite incredible after 23 years he is back

:12:18. > :12:36.at the one table. -- first semifinal.

:12:37. > :12:49.Amazing performance, John and Stephen were saying both of these

:12:50. > :12:50.guys had incredible qualifiers. This is their seventh match in the World

:12:51. > :13:07.Championship. I do think that some of the pressure

:13:08. > :13:12.and expectation from China has been lifted being a qualifier, maybe that

:13:13. > :13:19.pressure has not been as intense as in previous years. I watched him in

:13:20. > :13:25.that Chinese tournament where he put himself out of the top 16, he was

:13:26. > :13:31.under a huge amount of pressure, but here is in the semifinal with as

:13:32. > :13:36.good a chance as ever to lift the title and be the first Asian player

:13:37. > :13:39.to do so. There is a lot of snooker to be played before we have a

:13:40. > :13:58.winner. They are both good tactical players.

:13:59. > :14:04.Alan McManus against John Higgins, John missed some easy ones, but some

:14:05. > :14:09.of our's tactical play opened the balls off to limit up as if to say,

:14:10. > :14:18.do it, and if you cannot, I have the balls for it. -- I can get the balls

:14:19. > :14:19.to do it. If we look at the tournament pot success, they are

:14:20. > :14:31.both very close. You would expect Damon to be heavier

:14:32. > :14:38.scorer. -- Ding. Alan has been knocking them in well.

:14:39. > :14:48.Very close on their highest breaks as well. Straightaway has a lovely

:14:49. > :14:57.angle if he wants to go straight into the pink. I think he has too,

:14:58. > :15:07.not many loose threads available. -- loose reds. Did not quite get the

:15:08. > :15:13.pink full on the face. It's the left-hand side of the pink, lucky to

:15:14. > :15:37.avoid the corner pocket with the cue ball.

:15:38. > :15:47.Good cueing, always test of the action on this type of shot into

:15:48. > :15:53.these difficult middle pockets. Interesting to see how the table

:15:54. > :15:56.plays, so much and so many problems at the start of the tournament, they

:15:57. > :16:05.seems to get better in the quarterfinals. -- they seemed. They

:16:06. > :16:08.always get to pick one of the tables to use in the semifinals but I think

:16:09. > :16:14.everyone knows which one it was going to be this time. As we

:16:15. > :16:18.mentioned, the arena changes completely when you get down to the

:16:19. > :16:21.one-table situation, changes for the people watching at all because there

:16:22. > :16:25.is no noise coming from the other table, when you're watching at home

:16:26. > :16:30.can hear the applause and wonder why they are clapping, because it's not

:16:31. > :16:39.for the table you're watching, it is the other table, but complete

:16:40. > :16:49.silence now. Still have got a red to the right corner. No better place to

:16:50. > :16:55.place and occur -- to play snooker. Everyone says we need to go

:16:56. > :17:13.somewhere bigger, but it would not have this atmosphere.

:17:14. > :17:23.It is a bit of a test now. He has not got on the black, long straight

:17:24. > :17:26.blue. Every player when they turn professional, their ambition is to

:17:27. > :17:33.become world champion and they want to do it at the Crucible. Long may

:17:34. > :17:38.that continue, listening to Barry Hearn and Jason Ferguson speaking,

:17:39. > :17:47.very little chance of moving away from Sheffield.

:17:48. > :17:56.First test for Ding Junhui. The tricky thing if he cannot just

:17:57. > :18:00.stunned the blue in because he will leave himself hampered by the blue

:18:01. > :18:03.when it is re-spotted. He has to work the cue ball a bit. It makes it

:18:04. > :18:17.more difficult. I don't know why he was bringing it

:18:18. > :18:22.all the way to this question, but missed it by a long way. He took a

:18:23. > :18:27.long time over this shot and in the end he did not even get it in the

:18:28. > :18:32.jaws of the pocket. Luckily he did not get on his intended red. I can

:18:33. > :18:47.only presume he was playing for the red. The left-centre. Could you? No

:18:48. > :18:48.problem. Thank you. There was something on the cloth, maybe a

:18:49. > :19:35.little fly. The perfect length of the safety

:19:36. > :19:38.shot. Blue, pink and red are awkward there for coming down that side of

:19:39. > :19:44.the table. Ding will have to make sure he gets a thin contact or he

:19:45. > :19:56.will put them into one of those balls. He has hit it much too thin.

:19:57. > :20:07.But nothing easy for Alan McManus here. Funny, in the match last night

:20:08. > :20:13.he had a go at a fourball plant when they were congregated over the other

:20:14. > :20:21.side of the table and misty fourball plant -- and he missed. The next

:20:22. > :20:23.shot he knocked a three-ball plant in. That is why he is called Angles

:20:24. > :20:34.McManus. You can see Alan just lifts his head

:20:35. > :20:39.as he delivers the cue, it is something he has always done.

:20:40. > :20:46.Probably has the longest pause in the game. Very deliberate style. You

:20:47. > :20:53.can see the head, slightly, very unusual. Similar to Marco Fu, the

:20:54. > :21:04.only two players that seem to do that. Another excellent safety shot,

:21:05. > :21:11.using the cheque to straighten the ball up when it hit the back

:21:12. > :21:19.cushion. APPLAUSE

:21:20. > :21:25.Ding raises his hand to acknowledge that fluke. You would expect Alan to

:21:26. > :21:29.get the better of these exchanges, if the frames go tactical it would

:21:30. > :21:45.definitely favour Alan. I could not agree more. I think that

:21:46. > :21:47.is why Ding will try and keep the ball is open and not get involved or

:21:48. > :22:04.to tactical. Please make sure your phones are

:22:05. > :22:14.switched off. The referee just telling the audience to make sure

:22:15. > :22:21.your forms are switched off. -- your mobile phones. You do not get any

:22:22. > :22:27.forms at the Masters golf, you aren't allowed to take a phone into

:22:28. > :22:28.a cluster. -- into Augusta. It is confiscated if you have a mobile

:22:29. > :22:56.phone. I'm talking about Augusta, Andy

:22:57. > :23:03.Sullivan played in the Masters in the first time, three-time European

:23:04. > :23:07.tour winner last season, very few players have done that in a season.

:23:08. > :23:13.But Andy Sullivan is one of them. And two years ago, for a hole in one

:23:14. > :23:30.he got a flight into space! I don't fancy that one.

:23:31. > :23:42.This has turned into a good opportunity for Ding Junhui to win

:23:43. > :23:53.this first frame. The side bar, 65 points. That is what he has got to

:23:54. > :24:12.get to. You want to win it at this visit, and keep Allen in his seat.

:24:13. > :24:19.Alan will not wanting to get into his scoring stride because he is an

:24:20. > :24:24.excellent front runner. But it will not want to Ding. When he gets a

:24:25. > :24:28.lead he just keeps scoring and scoring, as he has shown before. Big

:24:29. > :24:41.first session. That is interesting, you talking

:24:42. > :24:45.about scoring and scoring, he has made for seven centuries in his

:24:46. > :24:49.career, Marco Fu is around the same number, not many players have made

:24:50. > :24:56.over 400 centuries, the two of them from Asia.

:24:57. > :25:04.Every chance you could have an all Asian final at this year APPLAUSE

:25:05. > :25:14.World Championship. What a story that would be! But that

:25:15. > :25:18.is a long way off. -- at this year 's World Championship. Ding has made

:25:19. > :26:07.five and Alan has made three. The frame is safe now, and he will

:26:08. > :26:16.win the opening frame with one visit. It was not a bad read to

:26:17. > :26:22.start with. Very fortunate the way he got in for this visit. In this

:26:23. > :26:26.match Ding will have to concentrate, he wants to make sure the pots and

:26:27. > :26:32.off both to keep Alan in his seat because if we watch this fluke

:26:33. > :26:41.again, Alan is so good for playing Ding is, he could have a 15 or 20

:26:42. > :26:47.minute period at the end of frames. That could knock Ding out of his

:26:48. > :27:01.rhythm. He has to keep Alan in his seat and cold.

:27:02. > :27:13.Can he get between the pink and red to leave the possible last red for

:27:14. > :27:28.the corner? Not bad. Very well played. A bit awkward, we'll have to

:27:29. > :27:32.just roll the red in. Possible chance now. It is even more

:27:33. > :27:38.difficult when he's straight on the black. Watch the white, spins right

:27:39. > :28:03.up the table, pleaded beautifully. Very good shot.

:28:04. > :28:08.There is nobody better than the man next to me at starting a match with

:28:09. > :28:21.the century break, they always seem to do it. Doesn't matter if he has

:28:22. > :28:29.snookered himself. 66 centuries this year, tried to bend it round, does

:28:30. > :28:33.not matter. It started with a fluke, but everything else was absolutely

:28:34. > :28:39.perfect. In John Wayne takes the opening frame in style with that

:28:40. > :28:44.magnificent century break. In his 408 career centuries for Ding

:28:45. > :28:49.Junhui, what a fantastic start. Brilliant, never really set us down

:28:50. > :28:52.to get the first frame on the board, Alan hasn't had his hand on the

:28:53. > :29:00.table yet. Redford in to get a great start and keep him cold. -- good for

:29:01. > :29:02.Ding. In years gone by Ding has looked apprehensive because he has

:29:03. > :29:06.had the weight of expectation on his shoulders and looks like a different

:29:07. > :29:13.player now. He might have timed his performances to perfection this

:29:14. > :29:18.week, who knows? Snooker is a cruel game, and Ding flute red, McManus

:29:19. > :29:22.played a decent CV shot, that is how it goes. Things like that can

:29:23. > :29:27.dictate how a session unfolds. -- safety shot. While it is early days,

:29:28. > :29:32.if Ding gets his teeth into it, he can destroy a player very early on,

:29:33. > :29:37.like he did with Mark Williams. It impressed me more than anything is

:29:38. > :29:42.his attitude. Sometimes which team -- he has never looked like he

:29:43. > :29:45.wanted to be here before. The pressure, the venue, and his

:29:46. > :29:49.attitude has been great this time and working with Terry Griffiths has

:29:50. > :29:55.helped him. Has that had a big effect? Yes, it must have. It's can

:29:56. > :29:59.be, little bit like a football manager, change of plan. And

:30:00. > :30:08.regardless of what is being said, Terry would be seeing wise words to

:30:09. > :30:11.Ding. He has told in to calm down. Ding doesn't look like he gets

:30:12. > :30:19.agitated but you would never know unless you in the dressing room.

:30:20. > :30:25.I would think Terry is working with Ding more on the mental side rather

:30:26. > :30:30.than messing with his cueing action. Never a good thing to do if you are

:30:31. > :30:34.having good success. A couple of years ago, Ding won five ranking

:30:35. > :30:39.events, and that was before Terry was with him. Terry would be well

:30:40. > :30:42.aware not to tinker around with that cueing action. He certainly looks

:30:43. > :31:09.more calm. Terry's son, Wayne, is working with

:31:10. > :31:13.Marco Fu. Wayne Griffith has been out in Hong Kong for a fuel years

:31:14. > :31:19.now, has an academy out there, following in his father's footsteps.

:31:20. > :31:21.Terry's other son, Darren, is a golf professional who has just moved to

:31:22. > :31:35.Portugal. Pretty good shot from Alan there.

:31:36. > :31:40.Not easy to come off the side cushion and land in the pack echoes

:31:41. > :31:52.of the red either side. That's why he's giving this a bit more thought.

:31:53. > :32:00.-- in the pack because. Could still leave a pot here, despite coming off

:32:01. > :32:02.two cushions. Don't think you can get through to the one for the right

:32:03. > :32:19.middle. Or can he? No, he cannae. CHUCKLES

:32:20. > :33:16.I like that, Stephen. Finished a little awkward here.

:33:17. > :33:22.Before play today, the honours board, look at the name from 1986,

:33:23. > :33:28.Joe Johnson. He arrived at the Crucible still smiling. Doesn't look

:33:29. > :33:32.any different to when he beat Steve Davis 18-12. What a victory that

:33:33. > :33:36.was. One of the nicest fellas you could wish to meet. He wanted to sit

:33:37. > :33:47.in that seat before the start of play this afternoon.

:33:48. > :33:58.At the moment, Ding is just getting the run of the balls. This is

:33:59. > :34:02.awkward. Very difficult to strike the cue ball in the centre when you

:34:03. > :34:08.are bridging down. Played a containing shot because of that.

:34:09. > :34:16.He's left the red to the middle a little bit. The one to the left of

:34:17. > :34:28.the pink. Send the cue ball up back to the baulk cushion. These matches,

:34:29. > :34:35.they tend to even themselves out. Yeah, especially over three, four

:34:36. > :34:40.sessions, it certainly does. I think some of the tournaments they play

:34:41. > :34:47.these days, best of seven, luck can play a part. Now this is the first

:34:48. > :34:51.chance Alan has had. He can take the red into the right-hand corner, stun

:34:52. > :34:52.off the side cushion, get onto the black, and this would be a

:34:53. > :35:16.confidence booster. He got on the black but was a long

:35:17. > :35:20.way off the pot. It will take Alan a while to settle in after his epic

:35:21. > :35:28.battle with John Higgins yesterday evening. Yes, but he played it in a

:35:29. > :35:30.slightly negative way. Playing off two cushions. Normally in practice

:35:31. > :35:35.you would stun of the side cushion but he knew he would leave a red to

:35:36. > :35:43.the middle if you missed. There was an element of safety. Nice pot to

:35:44. > :35:48.the middle! APPLAUSE We haven't really seen that through

:35:49. > :36:16.the tournaments. He's been positive in the way he has played.

:36:17. > :36:33.I think Ding, Ronnie and John Higgins are the three best

:36:34. > :36:53.break-builders in the game. Always knows exactly when and how to

:36:54. > :37:22.go into the bunch with the cannons. Always plays the right shot.

:37:23. > :37:29.He will be looking for the angle on the blue this time. There is a red

:37:30. > :37:34.up the other end of the table as well, but we know Ding will go into

:37:35. > :37:39.the bunch the first chance he gets. He has hit back to thick! And I

:37:40. > :37:44.thought he had missed. Has to play for the red now. Stun up and leave

:37:45. > :37:55.the gap between the brown and yellow. That just went in-off the

:37:56. > :38:01.right jaw as he looked at it. It's a brand-new cloth and cushions on

:38:02. > :38:08.here. The pockets initially play a bit easier. I think they've been

:38:09. > :38:16.playing easier the whole tournament, but that's a whole new argument,

:38:17. > :38:27.Dennis. Certainly looking for an angle on the blue here. He has lost

:38:28. > :38:42.the cue ball... Has he? Yes. That's the end of break.

:38:43. > :38:55.He has tried to use the pocket, the circle area would be the only

:38:56. > :39:00.possible way to get on a red. Can he bend that around the first red to

:39:01. > :39:08.make the potting angle? I think he's going for it. I don't think he can

:39:09. > :39:14.hit the cue ball clean to play the safety shot. What a shot this is, a

:39:15. > :39:19.sign of how confident he is to try. This is far from easy, has to get

:39:20. > :39:26.lots of right-hand side to swerve around the first red and straighten

:39:27. > :39:34.up. Perfect picture. No. Didn't get enough on it.

:39:35. > :40:10.almost missed the red because he had so much side on that and he hasn't

:40:11. > :40:19.hit it hard enough. This is so tough now. Because if he wants to go into

:40:20. > :40:32.the bunch, he has to raise the bottom of the cue into the air.

:40:33. > :40:37.Definitely missable. Brilliant. This red next to the blue goes into the

:40:38. > :40:48.left corner. See how positively he plays, cannoning the blue to leave

:40:49. > :40:57.the options, as an element of safety about it.

:40:58. > :41:03.And there is the element of safety. I always feel if you have that in

:41:04. > :41:09.the back of your mind you never fully commit to the pot, don't give

:41:10. > :41:13.it 100%. Alan is just a bit edgy to get the first frame on the board.

:41:14. > :41:20.Obviously knows how dangerous an opponent he's got. The thing is, if

:41:21. > :41:25.Ding Junhui cuts this in, Alan will be thinking he should have gone

:41:26. > :41:46.full-blooded for the last one. And he has done.

:41:47. > :42:00.The little flick on the yellow could have been better.

:42:01. > :42:06.He's OK, you know. You can get past the blue. Looked like he would

:42:07. > :42:08.snooker himself behind the brown. Can get through to the potting

:42:09. > :42:27.angle. Great shot. To the right side of the

:42:28. > :42:54.blue. He has just let the cue ball drift

:42:55. > :42:59.again. Not a problem, he can still pot it, but to play for the black,

:43:00. > :43:02.he has to go back up the table now. In potting this red he might disturb

:43:03. > :43:17.another couple of them. Yeah, that's OK. When you are

:43:18. > :43:21.playing the cannon, as Stephen suggested, not easy to control the

:43:22. > :43:29.cue ball. But it's pretty good, near the cushion. At far enough away to

:43:30. > :43:37.be comfortable. -- but far enough away. And now, a great chance to

:43:38. > :43:43.take the second frame. Alan might be thinking of that red Stephen

:43:44. > :43:46.suggested he should have gone full-blooded four, and had an

:43:47. > :43:58.element of safety in his mind. He has to maybe just change how he's

:43:59. > :44:01.thinking at the moment. Why not play the positive shot again? He played

:44:02. > :44:09.it previously. Easier said than done. His first appearance in a

:44:10. > :44:14.semifinal for more than 20 years. At the Crucible. He will be feeling it

:44:15. > :44:24.out there, Alan, he will be desperate to get the first frame on

:44:25. > :44:28.the board. Yeah, not easy to come straight out after a match like the

:44:29. > :44:33.one he had against John Higgins. We saw it with Barry Hawkins after he

:44:34. > :44:40.knocked Ronnie O'Sullivan out. A bit of a reaction there. And Barry had a

:44:41. > :44:44.terrific fightback. But Alan needs to get in on the balls with a decent

:44:45. > :45:09.chance, just to settle down here. 53 ahead, he only needs one more

:45:10. > :45:13.red. You can see enough of the cue ball. The pink is a little bit

:45:14. > :45:17.action, but shouldn't affect him. And that is frame number two. --

:45:18. > :45:25.little bit of a distraction. He's looking good here, Stephen.

:45:26. > :45:43.Yeah, looks very relaxed. You would have to say he's had the

:45:44. > :45:45.run of the balls so far, but when he has got in, he looks like he will

:45:46. > :46:22.clear the table every time. He started with a century. There is

:46:23. > :46:31.every chance he could clear the remaining colours here.

:46:32. > :46:37.Very early days in this semifinal, but the best possible start for this

:46:38. > :47:19.very likeable Chinese player. Just over 17 minutes for this frame.

:47:20. > :47:24.The first frame was just over 16 minutes.

:47:25. > :47:32.APPLAUSE Well, you can't do much better than

:47:33. > :47:36.that. Starting with a century break, following it up with a break of 84.

:47:37. > :47:46.In general we leading Alan McManus 2-0. STUDIO: Ding going past the

:47:47. > :47:49.thousand mark, 1072 balls potted in this Crucible event. Looking

:47:50. > :47:57.fantastic. Hitting the ball beautifully when he's in. This one

:47:58. > :48:00.was superb. He's had a high tariff of difficulty. Ding Junhui out of

:48:01. > :48:06.position on the blue and he decides the only way to keep the break going

:48:07. > :48:10.is to pot the blue, use the jaws of the middle pocket and screw back.

:48:11. > :48:18.There was no danger in the shot, if you messed up, he could still go

:48:19. > :48:22.safe, and even if he went in-off it would not trouble the frame. This

:48:23. > :48:26.could be the Ding Junhui show if we are not careful this afternoon. The

:48:27. > :48:30.cueing, the shot he plays, he gets so much work on the cue ball,

:48:31. > :48:36.hitting through the middle of the white. Beautiful work on it, and it

:48:37. > :48:40.comes back like it's on elastic. Chatting to Terry Griffiths say few

:48:41. > :48:44.days ago in the players lounge, and he said Taiwan Mack decided to take

:48:45. > :48:53.six months off to get his mind right. -- and said Ding. Does he

:48:54. > :48:56.look like a different beast? If a player feels like that and it's the

:48:57. > :49:00.best thing for him, then do it. There's nobody better than yourself

:49:01. > :49:05.for knowing what you like. Working with Terry Griffiths. Stephen said

:49:06. > :49:08.in commentary, there might be no pressure on him this year. Every

:49:09. > :49:12.year in China there is pressure on him to win, but this year he came

:49:13. > :49:18.through as a qualifier. It might be a big factor.

:49:19. > :49:30.COMMENTATOR: Another big factor, Stephen, I think he has his own cue

:49:31. > :49:36.back. The old one that the won five events with. He did swap, but he has

:49:37. > :49:42.an original one back that's had a bit of work done to it. Being

:49:43. > :49:44.comfortable with the cue is so important for a snooker player. It's

:49:45. > :50:01.like an extension of your arm. It was like the cue you won seven

:50:02. > :50:05.world titles with, Stephen. And then an airline company managed to break

:50:06. > :50:10.it in four places when you were not allowed to take the queues on board.

:50:11. > :50:13.You used to be, but it was put in the hold. It wasn't even an

:50:14. > :50:32.expensive cue, but certainly expensive for you.

:50:33. > :50:45.Yeah, it's a snooker player's worst nightmare. When you're cue breaks.

:50:46. > :50:51.So close with that long red, Alan, and with the pace, he's left the red

:50:52. > :51:05.over the pocket. Playing this with lots of right-hand side.

:51:06. > :51:12.That cue ball has just left a lovely angle on the brown if he wants to go

:51:13. > :51:23.one cushion and into the bunch. There it is. APPLAUSE

:51:24. > :51:41.Fantastic shot. Yeah, well predicted, Stephen. And

:51:42. > :51:45.he couldn't have hit it any better. When you are playing well, this is

:51:46. > :51:53.the sort of thing that happens, a red over either corner pocket, and

:51:54. > :51:57.deserved it. His heart must have been in his mouth there. I thought

:51:58. > :52:05.he would lose the cue ball and end up touching the pink, but it stops

:52:06. > :52:10.in time. When Alan is in his seat sometimes you can see him chatting

:52:11. > :52:18.away to himself. Can't do much about this at the moment. Although he had

:52:19. > :52:23.a half chance there. Steve Davis might not be far wrong, if Ding

:52:24. > :52:24.Junhui carries on like this, it could be his show here this

:52:25. > :52:37.afternoon. Yeah, he just scores so heavily,

:52:38. > :52:50.that's his biggest asset. As we said, probably will not get

:52:51. > :52:52.the best of the tactical exchanges, but when you are doing this, who

:52:53. > :53:11.needs safety? Did you ever practice safety shots,

:53:12. > :53:15.Stephen? Never. Just think, you could have won another seven world

:53:16. > :53:37.titles if you'd been a good safety player as well!

:53:38. > :53:43.One nice little cannon here and he would really opened things up. There

:53:44. > :53:49.is one red he could cannon onto and it would be absolutely perfect.

:53:50. > :53:54.Yeah, just a gentle cannon, or he can play at pace, and he will be

:53:55. > :53:55.guaranteed to be on a couple of reds and it would really open up the

:53:56. > :55:04.game. Didn't have to hit too hard. He's off and raining running again.

:55:05. > :55:08.The only one I can think you missed, just came off the jaws of the

:55:09. > :55:16.pocket. Since then, it's been immaculate. And such is his control

:55:17. > :55:24.of the cue ball, you don't expect him to miss because he's not having

:55:25. > :55:33.to play a difficult pot. 96% success so far. Hard to see him keeping it

:55:34. > :55:42.that high in a best of 33, but if it's there or thereabouts, he will

:55:43. > :55:51.be very hard to stop. He really does keep so still on the shot, Ding.

:55:52. > :55:53.Doesn't matter how hard he hits the ball, the head keeps almost

:55:54. > :56:04.perfectly still. Just potted the pink into the

:56:05. > :56:12.left-hand side of the pocket, that's why he has just lost the cue ball is

:56:13. > :56:15.likely. Might have to play a cannon for the pink to left middle here.

:56:16. > :56:26.Screwing back for the pink to the same pocket. He has nudged the red

:56:27. > :56:30.in the way. Amazing, half an inch out of position, and it can take you

:56:31. > :56:35.a few shots to get it back. Would still expect him to pot this blue

:56:36. > :56:36.but he knows in his mind, it's not the shot he should have been

:56:37. > :56:53.playing. APPLAUSE

:56:54. > :56:54.The blue safely negotiated. He has another medium-range pot on this

:56:55. > :57:09.red. Right in the centre of the pocket.

:57:10. > :57:13.That's when you can tell a player is doing well. Sometimes they go in-off

:57:14. > :57:15.the angles, but when you are playing really well, they go right in the

:57:16. > :57:43.heart of the pocket. Doesn't play many roles through

:57:44. > :58:01.shots. Likes to play a stun. APPLAUSE

:58:02. > :58:07.The round of applause telling you the frame has been won. Certainly

:58:08. > :58:18.wouldn't bet against another century.

:58:19. > :58:27.Well, the table looks to be playing absolutely beautifully. Well, it is

:58:28. > :58:30.for one player at the moment. Alan, he's not sure how the table is

:58:31. > :58:39.playing, because he hasn't had a chance. Sat in his chair, far too

:58:40. > :58:47.experienced to be panicking at this stage. But he will be worried a

:58:48. > :58:50.little bit. Because when you're opponent is at the table making

:58:51. > :59:22.sentries every time, you wonder, what can I do to stop this?

:59:23. > :59:32.This is all looking very, very easy. It's like a practice session at the

:59:33. > :59:36.moment for Ding Junhui. There are a few players in the game who can do

:59:37. > :59:40.that, take out their practice game to the match arena, and he's one of

:59:41. > :59:51.them. APPLAUSE Magnificent stuff from this Chinese

:59:52. > :59:54.sensation. Tonne up. That's his seventh, and he's now the

:59:55. > :00:07.frontrunner, overtaking John Higgins, who had six.

:00:08. > :00:16.One more frame to be played before the mid-session interval. We say a

:00:17. > :00:21.player never settles until he gets his first frame on the board. Alan

:00:22. > :00:22.will be doing his utmost to try to take that frame, but will he get the

:00:23. > :00:53.chance? And amazing start from Ding Junhui.

:00:54. > :01:02.Has had to century breaks and an 84 and Leeds Alan McManus 3-0. It is

:01:03. > :01:06.tough out there at the moment. Make that 409 career centuries for him.

:01:07. > :01:13.If you wonder where he is in the practice room and has picked

:01:14. > :01:17.something up for us. Good afternoon. Ding is in imperious form and also,

:01:18. > :01:22.he played one shot, look at this. Set them up for the wonderful

:01:23. > :01:27.century break of receipt he is in a confident mood, what a beautiful

:01:28. > :01:33.split on the reds from the brown. From the initial position, lots of

:01:34. > :01:36.players on the brown, had an open red, some players like to go in the

:01:37. > :01:41.blue but had I wonderful angle of the brown so instead of tracking the

:01:42. > :01:47.loose red getting on a good smashing the pack, he's feeling good, smashes

:01:48. > :01:52.the pack open and the red goes over to the left pocket and over the

:01:53. > :01:59.right pocket, beautiful, set up the century. Are you watching Mark

:02:00. > :02:03.Selby? Mark Selby in the practice room, we get access to that room,

:02:04. > :02:08.we've seen in-off a lot of the Ding Junhui this year. That was a takes

:02:09. > :02:11.seven, I bet he missed six browns before he did that. That is the best

:02:12. > :02:17.I've ever seen him in a Demel. I'm overawed. More overawed with Ding,

:02:18. > :02:25.he looks like a machine. It will be tough. Very early in his semifinal

:02:26. > :02:28.for McManus but it is damage limitation for the rest of the

:02:29. > :02:32.session and he has really had his hand at the table. Did he not get

:02:33. > :02:37.the pink shirt memo that did you not get the pink shirt memo today? Thank

:02:38. > :02:45.you! People -- fourth frame. Ding Junhui to break. I think Steve

:02:46. > :02:50.Davies has been wearing some lovely shirts at this year APPLAUSE

:02:51. > :03:02.World Championship, for a change. -- at this year's. Alan McManus

:03:03. > :03:09.somehow has to try and get himself a chance.

:03:10. > :03:19.It would not be a bad thing just to have attacked goal frame to perhaps

:03:20. > :03:24.not Ding out of his stride. Noes a tactical. Look at the success rate,

:03:25. > :03:31.it's gone to 97 and we've had three frames. 131 four Alan McManus,

:03:32. > :03:59.eight, but he hasn't had a chance. He is left with a shot, we were

:04:00. > :04:04.clocking about it and one of the best shots in the match was a red

:04:05. > :04:08.similar to this from the top end of the table into the middle pocket,

:04:09. > :04:20.Allen said it was one of the best shots he played the match. He is

:04:21. > :04:25.looking at the two reds banged the pink -- behind. They're going to the

:04:26. > :04:30.left of the pocket and I don't think he can make it from there. It would

:04:31. > :04:36.squeeze the second red away from the pocket rather than into which, but

:04:37. > :04:40.maybe he can squeeze this one. He would need date it a very thin. He

:04:41. > :04:52.is refusing the one in the middle and will scatter everything, taking

:04:53. > :04:59.this plant on. To me, that club was not on.

:05:00. > :05:16.Strange choice, but I'm surprised he didn't just try and roll the rate in

:05:17. > :05:21.and get on the blue. It was certainly a risky shot. You have to

:05:22. > :05:28.give him the benefit of the doubt, he thought it was a certainty. When

:05:29. > :05:33.you've been and called for three frames, striking the cue ball at

:05:34. > :05:36.that distance where you're aiming becomes difficult. I agree with the

:05:37. > :05:43.straightforward red was probably the shot. Looks amused by what is

:05:44. > :05:58.happening at the moment. -- per amused. -- per amused -- bermused.

:05:59. > :06:13.The plant he took an opened all the game up and as we show you this,

:06:14. > :06:14.very nice of red. Ding Junhui is in straightaway with a decent

:06:15. > :06:34.opportunity. Another example of how he's getting

:06:35. > :06:39.another lovely run of the balls. On another Day that cannon could have

:06:40. > :06:44.blocked the black. Still available to the left, possibly to the right.

:06:45. > :06:50.When you are struggling little things go wrong. It is amazing, he

:06:51. > :06:55.played the cannon and it didn't tie anything up. As he flicks the red,

:06:56. > :06:56.it knocks the other red and when things are not going well, you will

:06:57. > :07:12.tie black up. But it is not the perfect angle to

:07:13. > :07:18.roll the same. He might catch the other red slightly. But not a

:07:19. > :07:40.problem. What a position he has the reds in.

:07:41. > :07:46.Doesn't need to move the tube or any distance at all. Just keep potting

:07:47. > :07:54.them, you are bound to be an red. -- to move the cue ball. He was warming

:07:55. > :07:59.up, this is how he would have them. You mentioned earlier about these

:08:00. > :08:05.little screw shops, this is the perfect example. It all looks so

:08:06. > :08:28.easy. But it takes years of practice to perfect.

:08:29. > :08:44.Did not quite get the white as far as he wanted. Might need a change of

:08:45. > :08:49.plan. The pink goes into the left corner, so it wasn't imperative he

:08:50. > :08:51.stayed on the black. He is looking for 71 to give himself all four

:08:52. > :09:19.frames in this first session. I'm sure Alan, well, he's got to

:09:20. > :09:23.head straight to the practice room because he has not had any practice

:09:24. > :09:27.here, that is for sure. If we go back to the previous frames when he

:09:28. > :09:33.played those middle-distance parts and screen back for safety to take

:09:34. > :09:40.on such an attacking shot like in this frame, seems contradicted the

:09:41. > :09:44.way he was going to Dott -- the way he was going before. This session

:09:45. > :09:52.for McManus, just get out of it what you can.

:09:53. > :10:04.Is it a reprieve? Looking at Ding Junhui's face as he walked around, I

:10:05. > :10:15.think he is just OK. He can get in-off the right

:10:16. > :10:21.jaw. From our position it looks like there is plenty of room and as if he

:10:22. > :10:37.can force it to get onto the black. He can just roll it. Hang on. Seems

:10:38. > :10:44.to be plenty of room. And a big cheer from the Crucible crowd as we

:10:45. > :10:49.show you that shot where he sent the red onto the other red. If the red

:10:50. > :10:52.wasn't there it would have been in the middle of the pocket, but he

:10:53. > :11:07.needed to put it off the left-hand side. Now, Allen with a chance.

:11:08. > :11:09.Nothing is easy at the moment, the way he is feeling. He will be very

:11:10. > :11:22.tense and very tight. He got a lot of encouragement from

:11:23. > :11:38.the crowd there as he came to the table.

:11:39. > :11:47.The obvious problem in making this a frame-winning chance is that red on

:11:48. > :11:54.the left cushion. Might not be thinking about that just now, to get

:11:55. > :12:01.back in the frame, pop some balls -- pot some balls and get your arm

:12:02. > :12:06.moving. That is a sign of tension, the black did not go in the middle

:12:07. > :12:11.of the pocket and he missed the cannon. Still on this bread. --

:12:12. > :12:33.still on this red. Tries to skew -- screw the cue ball

:12:34. > :12:34.back, he might play for the blue to avoid leaving himself awkward in the

:12:35. > :12:47.red closest to the right middle. I don't expect it to cause much of a

:12:48. > :13:03.problem. He could do without the distraction.

:13:04. > :13:11.You are absolutely right. It is a little awkward, but did not have a

:13:12. > :13:16.great deal to do with the cue ball. It is a very early in this

:13:17. > :14:20.semifinal, but this is a key frame from Alan's point of view.

:14:21. > :14:26.He finished awkward again. I still expected him to part of that but he

:14:27. > :14:31.had to force it to get position. Each time he was having to bridge

:14:32. > :14:36.over balls, and he got a bit of the right-hand side that was unwanted

:14:37. > :14:41.and it threw the ball off line. Just was not able to have the cue ball

:14:42. > :15:02.under complete control on a break. That is purely a sign of tension.

:15:03. > :15:10.Let's see, from this angle you cannot see if he has got bit of size

:15:11. > :15:11.that he did not intend. When you're striking down on the cue ball like

:15:12. > :15:25.that it can happen. I have just detected there, just as

:15:26. > :15:43.he delivered the cue he is slightly right of centre.

:15:44. > :16:35.If he decelerates on the way through, that is what will happen.

:16:36. > :16:44.They will be a lawful lots to think about in the mid-session -- Allen

:16:45. > :16:47.will have a lot to think about in the mid-session break and what he

:16:48. > :16:54.wants to think about is a positive thoughts on how he played with John

:16:55. > :17:03.Higgins and will work to forget these four frames quickly. He is

:17:04. > :17:09.going to be behind. It is damage limitation. The difference between

:17:10. > :17:16.losing 6-2 or 5-3. It could be massive in the context of the match.

:17:17. > :17:40.Even 6-2 and 7-1 could mean a lot. He still wants to put them all, even

:17:41. > :17:45.though we are going to the mid-session interval. Just over one

:17:46. > :18:16.hour for these first four frames. As Steve Davies said, the moment it

:18:17. > :18:34.is the Ding Junhui show. Maybe interval can change things around.

:18:35. > :18:39.Allen had no chance in the three opening frames, the only chance on

:18:40. > :18:45.that one, and he made a mess bridging over the pink and Ding

:18:46. > :18:52.Junhui, well, he is playing superbly well. He takes all four frames and

:18:53. > :18:55.Leeds 4-0. Solid style by Ding Junhui, he joked on Tuesday night

:18:56. > :19:00.that after eating Mark Williams that he did not win the slick with a

:19:01. > :19:04.session to spare so here it looks like you can have a Day off and it

:19:05. > :19:09.looks like that headspace has worked a tree full Shaun Murphy won the

:19:10. > :19:14.first three frames of his semifinal against Barry Hawkins and went on to

:19:15. > :19:17.win the match and reach the final. It goes to show you need a really

:19:18. > :19:22.good start in the semifinal like this. Myself and Steve were cocky

:19:23. > :19:27.about the fluke in the first frame. It sounds ridiculous to say the

:19:28. > :19:32.distance they will play over but the first frame is important. Noes were

:19:33. > :19:35.speaking about. Even in the second frame he got luck and lost position

:19:36. > :19:40.which could just squeeze past the red and potted the great red we

:19:41. > :19:43.spoke about. He has capitalised on his before urging early on but looks

:19:44. > :19:47.so clinical you can see this ending with a session to spare. I don't

:19:48. > :19:52.know how McManus can dig himself out of the hole because he tried to but

:19:53. > :19:56.he hasn't had any table time, he has got a goodly practice table and

:19:57. > :19:59.tried kick-start things today. I know we laughed about Ding Junhui

:20:00. > :20:03.finishing the match with Mike Williams was one session to spare

:20:04. > :20:09.and he said I'm looking forward to having a Day off, cannot have a

:20:10. > :20:12.massive effect when you're about to play one of the biggest matches of

:20:13. > :20:15.your life? I think it can, you will want breathing space. You must have

:20:16. > :20:19.had sessions which you want to spare. Wonderful when you do it, you

:20:20. > :20:26.feel like you are one up on your opponent because you're fresh and it

:20:27. > :20:29.is draining. The year I won the championship, I won one as a session

:20:30. > :20:39.to spare but I got the best team talk ever, so I went racing the next

:20:40. > :20:45.Day. The rub is that OK, I'm not sure how the sessions planned out,

:20:46. > :20:50.I'm not sure if Dean would finish in the afternoon on the Saturday, but

:20:51. > :20:54.if he was to win without having to play that last session he would get

:20:55. > :20:59.all of Saturday off in preparation for the final. That is how important

:21:00. > :21:02.it could be. There's lots of ifs. We have seen intervals that have

:21:03. > :21:07.changed managers and people come back and Allen has got to get to

:21:08. > :21:11.frames of the next four, at least a 6- did get a foothold in and at

:21:12. > :21:15.least John Higgins and Ali Carter, he was behind in both of those

:21:16. > :21:21.comeback to win them. One of the big problems is doing is one of the best

:21:22. > :21:25.front runners there is. You use the words Billy but when he is on the

:21:26. > :21:29.table it is all him. He is clinical. How you turn around it is clinical.

:21:30. > :21:35.He needs some chances and a few mistakes from Ding at the base of

:21:36. > :21:39.help. Thank you both. The players will be out shortly. In the

:21:40. > :21:49.meantime, let's have some fun in the interval. We would love to hear from

:21:50. > :21:58.you on today's UI. -- cue I. Hello, it's time for our daily dose of smog

:21:59. > :22:01.related fun. I celebrity cue is including Alan and Steve are all set

:22:02. > :22:09.for today's question. I trust you are as well. Rats, owls and

:22:10. > :22:14.aardvarks all suffer from daunting is that is what is it and why might

:22:15. > :22:25.that be tricky? Get involved in social media and I shall return.

:22:26. > :22:29.Thank you to Mr Stephen Fry. Get in touch with us and use the hashtag

:22:30. > :22:33.BBC snooker. Weeping having fun over the last 15 days with our wonderful

:22:34. > :22:44.pop quiz. Is have been. Today our Vic Tim, I mean,

:22:45. > :22:54.contestant is 11 times ladies world champion, Rhiannon Evans. Thank you.

:22:55. > :22:57.-- are a victim. In case you don't know the rules, five questions,

:22:58. > :23:01.every one you get right you can take a read of the table, then you put

:23:02. > :23:06.all the reds and finish with the black and to let you know and the

:23:07. > :23:11.crowd know that Rhiannon is sporting an injury. What happened? I sprained

:23:12. > :23:15.my ankle. No interesting story. A good excuse for getting the lowest

:23:16. > :23:19.time and making me feel better with two minutes 11 seconds? It should

:23:20. > :23:25.not make you feel better. One minute is the best time I Mark Allen. Who

:23:26. > :23:28.was runner-up to Alison Fisher in the ladies Snooker World

:23:29. > :23:43.Championship the year you were born, 1985? Stacey. Stacey Hilliard,

:23:44. > :23:48.correct. You played in the prequalifying round of this season's

:23:49. > :23:55.event in Gibraltar. Who went on to win the title? Did you take an

:23:56. > :24:04.interest after you lost that stop I went home. I have no idea. Marco Fu?

:24:05. > :24:14.Where did that come from? Correct. It is on his green in front of me.

:24:15. > :24:17.You came close to beating Ken Doherty in the qualifying rounds

:24:18. > :24:24.last year in the World Championship. What was the score? 10-8. That is

:24:25. > :24:35.not the question. Who was the referee? My life... It is so hard

:24:36. > :24:46.sometimes. You do not notice a good referee is there. No idea. Tatiana

:24:47. > :24:52.Woollaston. Tatiana! Who won the ladies World Championship under 20

:24:53. > :25:03.wonderment earlier this month. Joanna Shute. The sharper Sanjiv.

:25:04. > :25:11.The Indian girl! She must have been playing the same time.

:25:12. > :25:16.Multiple-choice. Vera Selby, who won the first ever women's World

:25:17. > :25:22.Championship, she won it in what city? It is a multiple-choice

:25:23. > :25:34.question, so the whole, Brixham, Middlesbrough or London? Michelle?

:25:35. > :25:49.Crowd? Solihull. Middlesbrough. Even with help! You can take to the reds.

:25:50. > :25:55.It is not the world. And your time starts when you strike the cue ball.

:25:56. > :26:09.We are off and running, nice first read. Very fluent amongst the bowls.

:26:10. > :26:13.The art of this is making sure you get the cue ball under control and

:26:14. > :26:24.not walking too far, especially with a limp today. This is very good so

:26:25. > :26:27.far. A little bit! A bit of Ronnie O'Sullivan, switching hands at the

:26:28. > :26:39.top of a hat. Things are going very well. Time so far is very good. 40

:26:40. > :26:43.seconds so far. Back for the red in the middle, gone a little far but

:26:44. > :26:47.still controlling it. Has not even talk show cue, there is the first

:26:48. > :26:56.mistake. That will be difficult to beat one minute now. Two minutes 11

:26:57. > :27:00.seconds. That is looking we are on one minutes now. Plenty of time. Ken

:27:01. > :27:23.Doherty. He was at one minute 55. And now

:27:24. > :27:34.just the black. This is a good score. A good time! 130, and that

:27:35. > :27:38.will be time. The time is one minute 34, putting you above Kyren Wilson

:27:39. > :27:48.but job -- below John Parrott. Congratulations. That was all about

:27:49. > :27:52.getting reds. Let's throw to another red, to Ken Doherty. Thank you, I'm

:27:53. > :27:57.in the practice room, we've had lots of e-mails about the break off,

:27:58. > :28:02.which has become very important these days because so many good

:28:03. > :28:05.players are so good at the long pot. With a conventional break off you

:28:06. > :28:09.are always wary of the bottom to reds, this one which sometimes comes

:28:10. > :28:14.and lands in this position or sometimes this rare here, which

:28:15. > :28:21.lands in this position, leaving your opponent with a possible break to

:28:22. > :28:26.pot, however Darren Hindley from Lancashire has asked why don't

:28:27. > :28:30.players break off from this position, cue ball as close to the

:28:31. > :28:35.green as possible, try and break off between the blue and pink is try and

:28:36. > :28:39.use the right-hand side to bring it around the ankles. The problem with

:28:40. > :28:43.this is that you have less of a target to hit and what happens when

:28:44. > :28:49.you're breaking off from here, you got to hit this red, and it is

:28:50. > :28:55.sometimes more difficult. We will try it now, lots of right-hand side.

:28:56. > :29:01.That wasn't too bad. And it's brought plenty of reds into play. It

:29:02. > :29:08.might be the new break, well done. There you go. Thank you, any views

:29:09. > :29:12.on breaking off? Did he hit the pink? You got to catch it quite

:29:13. > :29:18.accurately. I think that break was first played by Steve James in the

:29:19. > :29:22.90s, he did it for a while. It puts your opponent in lots of trouble

:29:23. > :29:26.sometimes but every cable breaks differently, and no two referees set

:29:27. > :29:32.the balls up exactly the same. A lot of ex-factors in that. Let's tell

:29:33. > :29:40.you about a wonderful programme on BBC radio six music that is to

:29:41. > :29:46.refit. We did this last year. It is on Monday at 9pm on six music.

:29:47. > :29:50.Terrific programme and what they will do is they will use a song

:29:51. > :29:54.title or band with a red in followed by a black and all of the colours.

:29:55. > :30:04.Weeping asking the players for their suggestions. 99 red balloons. Read

:30:05. > :30:09.by Daniel Merriweather. Yellow, yellow. Coldplay, yellow. Earl

:30:10. > :30:16.Green, I like him. Pretty green eyes by Ultra beet. That is a little bit

:30:17. > :30:31.more modern. James brown. Brown eyed girl. Golden brown. California blue.

:30:32. > :30:39.Blue suede shoes. Blue dabber di dabber die. Pretty in pink. Pink, I

:30:40. > :30:43.went to see her in concert, and she was... Nice. Black and Gold, Sam

:30:44. > :30:49.Smith. The black album, was there a black album?

:30:50. > :30:58.None of them mentioned shaking Stevens, Green door. Showing my age!

:30:59. > :31:11.One track that reminds me of being on holiday, Blue by simply red,

:31:12. > :31:22.lovely. Yellow, a six twin, the Richard Dean James album.

:31:23. > :31:38.Aphex Twin. We are asking you what Mark Williams and an aardvark have

:31:39. > :31:45.in common. They are both sufferers from Daltonism. What is that? I have

:31:46. > :31:51.no idea. The fear of watching Timothy in movies. He wasn't a very

:31:52. > :32:01.good James Bond! Can't let go of the cue? What's that called? Can't let

:32:02. > :32:11.go of the cue itis. It never really caught on as a name. It is like the

:32:12. > :32:15.yips? It could be colour-blind. Peter Ebdon and Mark Williams,

:32:16. > :32:24.sometimes they have to ask the referee if a brown get s moved up

:32:25. > :32:29.towards the reds. Let's go for colour blindness. Funnily enough, if

:32:30. > :32:36.you were watching television of mine in the Hotel room, there is no brown

:32:37. > :32:45.on the table. There are 16 reds. It wouldn't be colour blindness, would

:32:46. > :32:51.it? Peter Ebdon has that. That would make sense. I think we would have to

:32:52. > :32:57.say colour blindness. I think it might be something to do with the

:32:58. > :33:00.nervous system. I don't know, but colour blindness seems the obvious

:33:01. > :33:08.one. BELL Let's go with that. We know the

:33:09. > :33:15.popularity of snooker rocketed in the 1970s with the advent of colour

:33:16. > :33:21.television. But when not all households had colour TV sets, and

:33:22. > :33:23.it was once said in commentary, from those of you watching in

:33:24. > :33:31.black-and-white, the pink is next to the green. Daltonism is colour

:33:32. > :33:36.blindness, discovered by John Dalton in the 1700s. He inadvertently

:33:37. > :33:43.bought his mother a pair of racy stockings for her birthday, and they

:33:44. > :33:47.were bright scarlet, an act that scandalised his deeply Quaker

:33:48. > :33:53.family. Dalton thought they were blue. The red - green variety is

:33:54. > :33:57.predominantly a genetic condition inherited from your mother, and it

:33:58. > :34:00.affects one in 12 men, including at least three of the top players in

:34:01. > :34:06.the snooker, Mark Allen, and two world champions, Peter Ebdon and

:34:07. > :34:10.Mark Williams. That it doesn't seem to have held them back! Mark

:34:11. > :34:13.realised he was colour-blind as a youngster, and wasn't sure whether

:34:14. > :34:21.it was a red man or Green man on traffic lights until he was hit by a

:34:22. > :34:24.purple bus! He says that he's had to learn a sequence of what the balls

:34:25. > :34:32.lookalike to me, and work it out from there. After the grey, red,

:34:33. > :34:38.orange, yellow, page, chocolate, lilac and back. That's how he sees

:34:39. > :34:39.it. I fear a rather different version of snooker loopy is on the

:34:40. > :34:51.way. We have learned an awful lot over

:34:52. > :34:56.the last week. Well done to Aaron Wood, Chris Smedley, Esther Aubry

:34:57. > :35:00.and Samantha Remund, all four of you among the many of you getting it

:35:01. > :35:04.right. I assume you didn't use an Internet search engine. I trust you.

:35:05. > :35:09.What's the problem with Timothy Dalton? One of the best James Bond

:35:10. > :35:17.films of all time. The Living Daylights. It's not that bad, but

:35:18. > :35:21.Daniel Craig takes a bit of beating. Who will scare the living daylights

:35:22. > :35:30.out of Alan McManus? How important is this frame? Massive. He needs to

:35:31. > :35:35.get a foothold in this match. Actor Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry.

:35:36. > :35:45.COMMENTATOR: It's all very interesting. I love Stephen Fry,

:35:46. > :35:48.he's brilliant. A foothold in the match, he just wants a frame on the

:35:49. > :35:56.board. That's what Alan McManus is looking for.

:35:57. > :36:00.Played with lots of side there, didn't want to career into the red

:36:01. > :36:14.'s. Very interesting at the interval,

:36:15. > :36:17.mentioned Alan should go to the practice table, but Ding Junhui went

:36:18. > :36:19.as well. Wouldn't have thought he wanted practice, but he doesn't want

:36:20. > :36:33.to interrupt that rhythm at all. A typical example, when you are

:36:34. > :36:37.struggling a little bit, you always catch the baulk colour with your

:36:38. > :36:41.safety shot. When you are playing well you always seem to slide past

:36:42. > :36:47.and finish on the cushion. The brown is a good target to get behind. Ding

:36:48. > :36:52.will not want to push the boat out. He will carry on playing. I don't

:36:53. > :36:59.know if he wants to try to quit this in again with side. Exactly the same

:37:00. > :37:18.shot as he played previously. What he could do with Alan here is

:37:19. > :37:21.just a good old grinding frame. There was a player up in the

:37:22. > :37:27.Champion's lounge who was pretty good at that. Cliff Thorburn has

:37:28. > :37:36.arrived with Alan Robidoux. Great to see both of those players over from

:37:37. > :38:16.Canada. And that's a pretty good shot from Alan McManus.

:38:17. > :38:23.That's telling you what he was thinking about, quickly changed his

:38:24. > :38:28.mind. Was going to have a go at the red down the right-hand side, but he

:38:29. > :38:35.will nestle onto the two reds near the cushion.

:38:36. > :38:48.A little bit narrow, doesn't quite reach. Foul and a miss, Alan McManus

:38:49. > :38:55.four. Alan Cumming to the table. Quickly backed away. -- Alan, coming

:38:56. > :39:02.to the table. As long as Ding members the path to the cue ball,

:39:03. > :39:19.with a bit more pace, you will be safe. -- remembers the path.

:39:20. > :39:32.That's a better pace. In fact, it is coming narrow. Foul and a miss, Alan

:39:33. > :39:42.McManus, four. Alan will have a good look this time, but everything is

:39:43. > :39:47.safe. I think what Alan is hoping would happen, if he hits the first

:39:48. > :39:52.red in such a way, it might leave on a possible pot. Ding doesn't have to

:39:53. > :39:56.play the same shot, the first shot he looked at was to try to pot the

:39:57. > :40:01.red down the right-hand side of the table. Maybe get on the black. He's

:40:02. > :40:12.got to hit it this time, otherwise he loses the frame. Three misses and

:40:13. > :40:14.you are out. One of these days it will happen where the player miscues

:40:15. > :40:31.on the third attempt. APPLAUSE

:40:32. > :40:36.Well, he was forced into it. It was the first shot he thought about, and

:40:37. > :40:41.then he thought to play safe. He had two attempts, then had to hit a red.

:40:42. > :40:46.Look what he does. You don't see them any better than that. Yeah,

:40:47. > :40:57.excellent cueing from underneath the baulk cushion.

:40:58. > :41:02.Just dropping the black in, automatically on the red into the

:41:03. > :41:27.right-hand corner. What a sickener for Alan McManus,

:41:28. > :41:33.Dennis, wasn't it? What's the old saying, it never rains, but it

:41:34. > :42:20.pours. All depends on how many he makes from this.

:42:21. > :42:29.That's not as planned, played the cue ball to get through the gap to

:42:30. > :42:33.the red to the left corner. Now it looks I could will be the red to the

:42:34. > :42:38.far left corner pocket, the yellow pocket. If he can screw the cue ball

:42:39. > :42:43.back for the black, should he miss, you will not leave anything.

:42:44. > :43:19.He might even take it onto the left middle. No, left corner. APPLAUSE

:43:20. > :43:39.I think there's quite a few of those reds available. There's at least

:43:40. > :43:43.three available after this one. Yeah, perfect on the black, so he

:43:44. > :43:48.can come back past whether White is at the moment and he will have the

:43:49. > :43:54.choice of reds. We'll probably see that when he's down potting the

:43:55. > :44:03.black. And there you can see them, three of them lined up. In fact,

:44:04. > :44:09.when he... Could have done with another couple of inches. Might have

:44:10. > :44:12.to play for the pink now. As he removes this, it's clearing the path

:44:13. > :44:43.for another read into the opposite corner. -- another red.

:44:44. > :44:51.Is there enough room for the pink? If not, it will have to be the brown

:44:52. > :44:52.spot, the highest available. In fact, the only spot available at the

:44:53. > :45:27.moment. Hit that a little bit harder than

:45:28. > :45:31.intended, but no problem. On another day, if you are struggling, that

:45:32. > :45:38.white wood, another inch or so and it would be awkward. But having

:45:39. > :45:45.missed the escaped twice, he decided he might as will take on the pot.

:45:46. > :45:57.And what a pot it was. Looks like it will be a frame-winner. 89% long pot

:45:58. > :46:06.success. Alan has only had a go at two long pots and missed both of

:46:07. > :46:11.them. In between yellow and pink with left-hand side, come off two

:46:12. > :46:15.cushions. The cue ball needed to be closer to the pink. That's why the

:46:16. > :46:18.cue ball has come to the middle of the table. This is now a tricky shot

:46:19. > :46:34.to go on to the black. There is a chance he could get on

:46:35. > :46:44.the black here. If he screws this in. Would go near the left corner

:46:45. > :46:58.pocket, but could come onto the black through a couple of cushions.

:46:59. > :47:02.Rolled it in, and perfect. I say perfect, as we show you the shot

:47:03. > :48:11.again, I think he's just the correct side of the blue. Yes.

:48:12. > :48:15.It just looks inevitable when he gets in, that another frame will be

:48:16. > :48:36.over. APPLAUSE John Pulman, seven times world

:48:37. > :48:44.champion and BBC commentator used to say when somebody was like this,

:48:45. > :48:51."He's playing like a symphony or guest out there".

:48:52. > :49:15.This will be his third century in this semifinal. Eight in this year's

:49:16. > :49:24.World Championships. He's a potting machine. Doesn't matter about the

:49:25. > :49:28.red. He's unstoppable at the moment, is Ding Junhui. He takes another

:49:29. > :49:42.frame with a century break. It's now 4-0. In fact, it's 5-0! Absolutely

:49:43. > :49:46.amazing. He first thought about taking the shots down the right side

:49:47. > :49:50.of the table, then thought to keep it tight and come off the side

:49:51. > :49:56.cushion. The first attempt was so close, Stephen. Yeah, eventually

:49:57. > :50:07.parted the red and I was surprised he didn't go for it it in the first

:50:08. > :50:12.place. -- potted the red. Hit this one a bit harder, and it took a

:50:13. > :50:20.slightly different angle, missing by a long way. Covered his eyes, what

:50:21. > :50:25.have I done?! And that was probably the best shot of the match, without

:50:26. > :50:31.a doubt. Not only potted it, but got on the black and made the century.

:50:32. > :50:33.You have to say, from then on it looked inevitable that he would win

:50:34. > :50:43.the frame. It's also easy for Ding Junhui at

:50:44. > :50:50.the moment, under no pressure whatsoever from his opponent. Having

:50:51. > :51:07.a lovely time, coming to the table and making century breaks.

:51:08. > :51:16.Believe it or not, as Ding Junhui breaks off, it's his 100th frame in

:51:17. > :51:22.this year's World Championship, including the three qualifying

:51:23. > :51:27.rounds he had to win to get here. Alan McManus has played 114 frames,

:51:28. > :51:32.but he still looks fresh. It's just that he can't get in on the balls.

:51:33. > :51:52.-- in a among the balls. It's amazing the difference a Day

:51:53. > :52:21.makes. Well, he got a flick on the red, but

:52:22. > :52:29.Alan can take this red on to the right-hand corner. It's a bit of a

:52:30. > :52:35.free shot and he's being urged on by this Crucible crowd. Many Ding

:52:36. > :52:38.Junhui supporters in here, but they are a fair crowd and don't want to

:52:39. > :52:42.see everything one side. They would love to see Alan get started and

:52:43. > :52:46.this might be the one to get him going.

:52:47. > :53:05.Excellent pot, and played at an excellent pace. Could easily have

:53:06. > :53:16.rattled in the jaws of the pocket and stayed there.

:53:17. > :53:24.That's OK. I thought he was taking a slight risk going into the bunch

:53:25. > :53:27.there because he didn't have the best angle, but he will be delighted

:53:28. > :53:49.with the outcome. The red above the black at the

:53:50. > :53:53.bottom of the bunch goes to the left corner. You will have to play this

:53:54. > :53:57.with a touch of left side to get the cue ball to the right-hand side of

:53:58. > :54:02.the table. It's quite it have shot, he could go into the bunch. Yellow

:54:03. > :54:06.McKee could do, the first shot was aggressive of the black. He has

:54:07. > :54:19.played the one inside shot, and that was well hit. He could do. Well hit

:54:20. > :54:30.shot. Might even be one to the left of the pink.

:54:31. > :54:46.I think you will go into the bunch this time. No, you will screw off

:54:47. > :54:58.two cushions for the reds I was talking about into the left corner.

:54:59. > :55:06.The one on the right is definitely available.

:55:07. > :55:15.He's looking at this red now in the bunch... He's gone back, that would

:55:16. > :55:31.have been an aggressive shot to open up the reds. Changed his mind again.

:55:32. > :55:37.He had options on three reds there. I think just a bit of adrenaline

:55:38. > :55:38.kicked in. Played for the blue but has the baulk colour is available

:55:39. > :55:47.for him. I think he's just OK. Wants to be

:55:48. > :56:10.fairly straight on this. He thought he had missed that one.

:56:11. > :56:17.Went in-off the jaw, and back in prime position again. The red

:56:18. > :56:21.touches the left jaw as we look at it. Perfect angle on the black this

:56:22. > :56:31.time. Having a look at the bunch. Not a good pack to go into if he

:56:32. > :56:37.screws it. Better stunning into it. And he has played that screw shot

:56:38. > :56:47.and is nothing. Got more screw than stun there.

:56:48. > :56:53.It wasn't the easiest pack to go into directly from the black. Debtor

:56:54. > :58:05.being high on the black and using the cushion. -- better being.

:58:06. > :58:16.Little bit of an awkward frame with that red over the middle pocket. The

:58:17. > :58:34.safety zone is back behind the black and close to the cushion.

:58:35. > :58:46.That's pretty good. Might be forced into taking a tough pot on here.

:58:47. > :58:50.Because there's nowhere you can get back with the cue ball near the

:58:51. > :58:56.cushion. But there are a couple of possible cuts. He's looking at the

:58:57. > :59:00.one into the right middle pocket. Not quite a big pocket, I don't

:59:01. > :59:06.think it will go in-off the red close to the pocket, that it's a

:59:07. > :59:12.very thin one. Also a very thin one, if he can see enough of it, to the

:59:13. > :59:41.left middle pocket. Well played. But he hasn't dropped

:59:42. > :59:46.nicely on a colour. Put everything on the pot, and hoped he would have

:59:47. > :00:10.a bit of luck with positioning. This time he hasn't.

:00:11. > :00:25.Just thinking if he rolled to the yellow all the brown. He can snooker

:00:26. > :00:30.him on that red on the pocket. I think he has left a path through to

:00:31. > :00:38.this one. I wonder if he tries to flick it away. I thought that even

:00:39. > :00:57.using big yellow, to cue behind the brown. I think the better option.

:00:58. > :01:04.He did try to knock the red away. You see that lovely smile that he

:01:05. > :01:58.has that you see now and again. Slight movement up and down, someone

:01:59. > :02:02.in the first few rows. Of course, the crowd are further away from the

:02:03. > :02:06.table now when you have got two tables, if you are striking from the

:02:07. > :02:14.cushion people on the front row could almost grab your cue. Not now,

:02:15. > :02:21.plenty of room around the table. And it makes it much easier, and the

:02:22. > :02:26.cameraman can get around, two tables, fantastic job with very

:02:27. > :02:31.little room and now plenty of room in the Crucible. Every player's

:02:32. > :02:36.ambition is to play a one-table situation. It is amazing, a lot of

:02:37. > :02:39.great players have never managed to play at a one-table situation at the

:02:40. > :03:25.Crucible. He will be feeling a little bit

:03:26. > :03:30.better now, will Alan. 64 ahead. Sorry, he only needs this red.

:03:31. > :03:41.APPLAUSE So Alan McManus's semifinal has at

:03:42. > :04:04.last got underway. Well, did he catch that? A little

:04:05. > :04:12.trick catch. He is 71 in front with 59 on the table. He got an awkward

:04:13. > :04:12.kiss, there. He has changed his mind, he didn't catch it.

:04:13. > :04:28.Backhanded. James coming back to the table, but

:04:29. > :04:50.the final snooker and Alan McManus has got a frame on the board.

:04:51. > :05:06.Alan knocking this long read in to make absolutely certain.

:05:07. > :05:12.Being will be trying to get three reds and three

:05:13. > :05:26.blacks, and the snooker that is needed. The pink, just, might

:05:27. > :05:41.eventually, mean he needs an extra snooker.

:05:42. > :05:45.Little surprises carrying on, it is four snookers at the moment that is

:05:46. > :06:09.required. I can't think of many more difficult

:06:10. > :06:20.opponents in the game to get for snookers against and Alan McManus.

:06:21. > :06:26.Angles, as he is known. Especially the way that thing is scoring,

:06:27. > :06:36.scoring heavily, just get on with the next frame. Showing how

:06:37. > :06:54.determined he is. He is not letting McManus have the frames easily.

:06:55. > :07:06.That is the first snooker, Alan just has too be careful, that he does not

:07:07. > :07:10.leave a free ball. It is not a bad opening snooker. If he misses the

:07:11. > :07:15.red and hits it with any pace, he will have a free ball. If he plays

:07:16. > :07:20.it softly and misses the red, he will leave a chance to get the

:07:21. > :07:22.snooker behind the yellow again. Let us see if he can live up to his

:07:23. > :07:31.nickname, angles. Foul, Ding Junhui four. He made sure

:07:32. > :08:41.that he did not leave a free ball. He had a great shot Pharaoh for the

:08:42. > :08:50.long pause, that Alan McManus had in the free delivery is of the cue.

:08:51. > :08:58.Just watch, as he pulls the cue back, and he stops and then through.

:08:59. > :09:42.I suppose there is a joke there somewhere, why the long pause?

:09:43. > :09:50.I'm with you Stephen, the way that Dean was playing, I would not have

:09:51. > :09:52.wanted a tactical battle, to knock yourself out of a rhythm. That is

:09:53. > :10:13.what is happening at the moment. That was a thunderous kick but it

:10:14. > :10:20.might have worked to his advantage. He has got the snooker, and a big

:10:21. > :10:27.smile. They are talking about the cushion, and how that bounce, yes,

:10:28. > :10:49.an explosion, Alan. Sometimes Alan is very animated.

:10:50. > :11:43.He might pop this, Alan. He might pot this.

:11:44. > :11:48.Not quite. How would you describe a kick if you asked Alan McManus to

:11:49. > :12:31.describe a kick? Alan is going to describe, that is

:12:32. > :12:33.what a kick is and I have never seen it quite described like that before.

:12:34. > :12:52.Well done, Alan. APPLAUSE Well, he is having a little whistle

:12:53. > :13:03.to himself Alan, he has got a frame on the board. Doesn't matter about

:13:04. > :13:08.missing the green. He has had to wait an awful long time, but at

:13:09. > :13:13.last, Alan McManus has got the frame on the board that he has been

:13:14. > :13:19.looking for but he still trails 5-1. STUDIO: Relief all round in the

:13:20. > :13:23.theatre 14 McManus? Delighted to get the first frame on the board, two

:13:24. > :13:28.very big frames coming up and if he could win one of those it would be

:13:29. > :13:32.great. There was a funny shot Steve, it is interesting, you are playing a

:13:33. > :13:36.shot like this, doing is trying to get a snooker and he's trying to

:13:37. > :13:40.flick the red away with a brown and it is amazing when you think there

:13:41. > :13:44.are two parts of it hammy times you don't get one of them right. As long

:13:45. > :13:51.as he gets the cue tight yellow, but because he's trying to do things? He

:13:52. > :13:56.had a couple of options for shots, he tried to play a very aggressive

:13:57. > :14:00.snooker, he could have rolled in behind the ground, but he was

:14:01. > :14:06.worried that Alan McManus, potting into a pocket. He needs a bit of

:14:07. > :14:10.help as we said earlier. A couple more things going awry like that and

:14:11. > :14:16.you never know, whether you could get up a session 5-3. Interesting to

:14:17. > :14:21.hear the boys in commentary, talking about going for a couple of

:14:22. > :14:27.snookers. What is your view, would you almost conceded the frame and

:14:28. > :14:31.crack on? The one thing about doing, is scoring, I would have said OK pal

:14:32. > :14:35.that is enough. Some players you might think you might have a chance

:14:36. > :14:44.with but not Alan McManus, you won't get for snookers against him.

:14:45. > :15:02.Allen gets frame seven underway. A good length of the cue ball for the

:15:03. > :15:13.length of, but it has not covered the reds.

:15:14. > :15:20.He is a bit concerned about knocking a red over the left corner if he

:15:21. > :15:31.plays off the pack. Off the side cushion.

:15:32. > :15:44.Touching ball would help Alan's cause here.

:15:45. > :15:47.The referee saying that it is touching ball, one of the top

:15:48. > :16:08.referees now from Belgium. A very good one as well, and he is a

:16:09. > :16:10.nurse, he manages to get time off to referee some of the major events.

:16:11. > :16:34.Very likeable man. Well of course, he is a good friend

:16:35. > :16:38.of the young Belgian player, that didn't qualify this year, but we

:16:39. > :16:47.have seen him over the last couple of seasons, one to watch is Luca.

:16:48. > :16:54.Interesting to see if he plays a positive safety shot around the

:16:55. > :17:04.angles, opens it up. No, it is more of a containing safety shot. I was

:17:05. > :17:07.talking early in the match, it is a great length, against John Higgins

:17:08. > :17:10.he was playing it totally different. Opening the reds up, this time he is

:17:11. > :17:23.trying to keep them tighter. He is a very, very clever matchplay

:17:24. > :17:30.Alan McManus, and you could probably sense that he could put John under

:17:31. > :17:32.pressure like that. In, I think the last thing that he wanted to do was

:17:33. > :18:50.get the reds in the open. Much too thick. There is a red for

:18:51. > :18:56.the right corner, the only problem for Alan, is it is going to be

:18:57. > :19:04.awkward because he has cannoned the red behind the black bear. As he put

:19:05. > :19:09.the eggs in the basket, hoping that he gets a good cannon on the red and

:19:10. > :19:15.possibly finishes on the black. He could stun it in, and finds the gap.

:19:16. > :19:21.That is what he is attempting, finishing on the blue, or the

:19:22. > :19:23.colour. He hit it too thin, didn't intend to cannon the red. Where is

:19:24. > :20:21.this red going to finish? Very awkward frame now. There is a

:20:22. > :20:26.possible pot to the left corner, and the way that he is lining himself

:20:27. > :20:36.up, he will take it on. What a shot this would be. Maybe not. The way he

:20:37. > :20:40.got down, I thought he would immediately have a go at it but he

:20:41. > :20:47.knew if he had a tubal there, that red was not cuttable. I'm just

:20:48. > :20:50.wondering Steve, do you think he can possibly take one into the middle

:20:51. > :20:57.pocket into the black as a free shot? As I said earlier players very

:20:58. > :21:06.rarely get the cue ball team to play a safety shot. He is taking this

:21:07. > :21:31.read on. Simulating the cue ball, close to the bunch.

:21:32. > :21:38.He could have left something a bit easier, this, having to bridge over

:21:39. > :21:48.the bunch. The reds almost straight, that is awkward.

:21:49. > :22:11.Very difficult to control the cue ball from that position.

:22:12. > :22:35.Well, a great pot. As we show you it again, and the white bouncing all

:22:36. > :22:46.over the table. Does this read, go between the dots reds. -- the other

:22:47. > :22:58.two reds. It might, look at that for a gap and he has found it! A couple

:22:59. > :22:59.of fabulous pots from Alan McManus. It is going to make him feel much

:23:00. > :23:18.better. The crowd urged that all of the way,

:23:19. > :23:21.they thought he had not hit it hard enough. As a player, you know this

:23:22. > :23:58.will be going, don't you? He has kept that rest because if he

:23:59. > :24:10.takes it away and just catches the blue, it is a foul. You cannot leave

:24:11. > :24:17.it there, Alan. That was a bit tricky. And look how close it is to

:24:18. > :24:24.the red as well. LAUGHTER APPLAUSE

:24:25. > :24:34.Do you know Stephen, the great Fred Davis, ten times champion of the

:24:35. > :24:44.world, he would have expected the referee to take it away!

:24:45. > :24:51.That is one for the rules, could you ask the referee, you have played the

:24:52. > :25:04.shot, could you ask in to remove the rest? We will have to find out after

:25:05. > :25:14.this session. Oh dear, Alan, Alan, he missed that by a mile. That was a

:25:15. > :25:19.very poor strike. Again, that is massive to separation, delivering

:25:20. > :25:33.the cue there. -- massive deceleration.

:25:34. > :25:43.Things just going off the boil a little bit. In that ten minutes that

:25:44. > :25:48.he wasted, going for snookers in the last frame, it has not affected his

:25:49. > :25:52.rhythm. A little birdie has whispered in my ear, that players

:25:53. > :25:58.responsible for taking the rest away but I remember back in the old days,

:25:59. > :26:00.Fred used to leave the rest there, and the referee used to lift it off

:26:01. > :26:23.the table. It's just got an extra little flick,

:26:24. > :26:54.that red which has left it cuttable. Well, has he blocked the pocket?

:26:55. > :26:57.That might be the end of the break? That would have happened in the

:26:58. > :27:04.first four frames, on the yellow and the brown. Off the green hand in

:27:05. > :27:15.behind the blue seems to be the only shot here. Well he has got plenty of

:27:16. > :27:18.other shots part he wouldn't mind putting the cue ball behind the

:27:19. > :28:36.blue. It looks natural from the green.

:28:37. > :28:45.Look where the black has gone. Slip up from Dean, the blue is over the

:28:46. > :28:58.pocket but he has pushed the black into the bunch. Alan will settle for

:28:59. > :29:00.any sort of chance. Can he pot this read, get an angle on the blue and

:29:01. > :29:19.then somehow, get up into the bunch? He might be able to, I think that he

:29:20. > :29:25.can miss the brown here. Take it back up to the reds. There is one

:29:26. > :29:30.thereat the back. A little bunch of reds and pinks and black. As long as

:29:31. > :29:35.he does not cannon the brown, he can drop on that. And a couple of others

:29:36. > :29:46.are available. Has long as he misses the brown. And he hasn't. Still a

:29:47. > :29:47.possible one to the right of the black spot. Which should have been

:29:48. > :30:57.better. Very unlucky. Opens the reds and the

:30:58. > :31:15.black up, but it has not finished nicely on a red, and unfortunate

:31:16. > :31:22.affair. This is quite a thin one. Not as thin as I thought. Another

:31:23. > :31:53.one in-off the jaw of the pocket. It seemed to run straight, I thought

:31:54. > :32:04.it was in initially, but... If you touch the jar, this is what happens.

:32:05. > :32:15.You hit both of the jars, it was the little cannon that he played on the

:32:16. > :32:30.pink, that went slightly straight. APPLAUSE

:32:31. > :32:47.He's given himself a good telling off there.

:32:48. > :33:08.That meant that he could not control the cue ball. As well.

:33:09. > :33:11.Long on the right-hand side... That caused the White to finish up where

:33:12. > :33:43.it has. Now then! No rhythm to that short.

:33:44. > :33:49.Just going back to read, as we mentioned, the time when you did,

:33:50. > :33:53.what was he doing playing for four sneakers? He's lost some rhythm.

:33:54. > :34:01.That did not help, when he was messing around. He should have just

:34:02. > :34:06.got on with it. He is going to win this match by playing to his

:34:07. > :34:14.strengths, not by trying to outfox McManus in the safety Department.

:34:15. > :34:19.Concentrating his own strength, winning the frames in one visit, if

:34:20. > :35:19.he gets dragged into a tactical battle, what can go wrong?

:35:20. > :35:31.He can win this frame without having to play any cannons.

:35:32. > :35:37.These three reds are in pretty good shape. He might be able to get on

:35:38. > :35:45.the one that is nearest the pocket from here, that will free the other

:35:46. > :35:52.one for the same pocket. Just make sure that you do not Snooker

:35:53. > :36:28.yourself, if you will pay for that one -- play for that one.

:36:29. > :36:36.He just needs one more rate, then he has his second frame on the board --

:36:37. > :37:22.one more red. Just two hours and counting, McManus

:37:23. > :37:30.will be a lot happier than we are looking at now. It does not matter

:37:31. > :37:44.what happens, Ding Junhui will stay in his seat this time.

:37:45. > :37:53.Alan McManus with his highest break of the match so far, that break of

:37:54. > :38:00.46. It gives him a second frame, she closes the gap. It is 5-2.

:38:01. > :38:06.Let's have a look at this, Alan McManus is the fifth oldest

:38:07. > :38:14.semifinalist in Crucible history at 45 years, 98 days. Eddie Charlton

:38:15. > :38:23.made the last four. 52 years old, John Pullman. Fred Davies made the

:38:24. > :38:28.semifinals at the age of 64. That was way back in 1978.

:38:29. > :38:33.I know how much you love your music, especially you, Steve, I'm looking

:38:34. > :38:40.at what was number one the last time McManus reached the semifinal at the

:38:41. > :38:47.Crucible, in 1993... Think Britpop. Cadge a good go? That was the 1980s!

:38:48. > :38:56.It was George Michael, and Queen. They did a live EP. Let's go back to

:38:57. > :39:01.the snooker. If Alan McManus can get 5-3 into the next session, he's in

:39:02. > :39:05.with a chance. Bizarrely, Ding Junhui will be kicking himself, for

:39:06. > :39:08.the most part, as the dominant player, I agree with the

:39:09. > :39:12.commentators, I don't know what he was playing around, you should have

:39:13. > :39:17.continue doing what he has done, the game is changing, is not kept that

:39:18. > :39:23.rhythm, Alan has a foothold in the match. If he gets out of it 5-3 we

:39:24. > :39:28.will be delighted. Sometimes you see long frames, and matches, people win

:39:29. > :39:33.frames in blocks. It is difficult for the player in front to maintain

:39:34. > :39:38.the level of relentlessness that you sometimes need, even if you are 5-0

:39:39. > :39:45.in front, to win 8-0, it gets harder and harder. He is letting him off of

:39:46. > :39:48.the her, this is a big frame. Dennis, I remember you saying when

:39:49. > :39:54.Judd Trump beat Ding Junhui in the semifinals 2011, is you said it was

:39:55. > :40:01.one of the best semifinals you'd ever seen, are we looking at another

:40:02. > :40:06.epic today? Well, McManus is on his way back, that was an incredible

:40:07. > :40:09.semifinal. I thought Ding Junhui would be the world champion...

:40:10. > :40:12.Sorry, Judd Trump would be the champion. He played unbelievable

:40:13. > :40:22.snooker but he lost to John Higgins. But, Alan McManus, he is as fresh as

:40:23. > :41:07.a daisy out there. That is what he is looking at, no

:41:08. > :41:12.easy return to the safety area. It might be the slightest gap between

:41:13. > :41:25.the yellow and blue, but it looks very tight. You have to get back

:41:26. > :41:35.down the table. That is OK, as long as it does not bounce too far. Well

:41:36. > :41:41.judged. I'm just looking at the frame times for the match so far,

:41:42. > :41:47.Denis. These frames that Ding Junhui has been winning, they are all

:41:48. > :41:52.around 11, 14, minutes. The others are over 22 minutes. That shows what

:41:53. > :41:58.will happen if these frames go tactical for a majority of the time.

:41:59. > :42:06.Good safety from Ding Junhui. The reds are up, but he has left one.

:42:07. > :42:10.But what a test for Alan McManus, which ever side of the table he

:42:11. > :42:33.goes. There is one to the left, another to the right.

:42:34. > :42:47.He has taken one around the back of the black. That is a poor attempt,

:42:48. > :42:51.did not fully commit there. He is decelerating badly on a lot of

:42:52. > :42:52.shots, it is the long cue action, that's what happens when you

:42:53. > :43:10.decelerate, you miss it thin. Doing that rarely has that problem,

:43:11. > :43:19.he has a shot with a impact cue action -- Ding Junhui rarely has

:43:20. > :43:26.that problem. This is not what he wanted to see in the last frame.

:43:27. > :43:32.Ding Junhui is back in amongst the balls. Just a little careless

:43:33. > :43:36.positional shot there. Two or three inches too far with the cue ball,

:43:37. > :44:09.you want it to roll through for the black.

:44:10. > :44:53.Yes, it is amazing, the difference in the cue actions, as Stephen was

:44:54. > :45:00.saying, Ding Junhui does not bring the cue back very far at all before

:45:01. > :45:07.delivering. Alan has the deliberate long poles, quite a way back before

:45:08. > :45:24.he delivers the cue, Ding Junhui is more compact. -- pulls. No two cue

:45:25. > :45:30.actions the same in the game, it is all about knocking the ball into the

:45:31. > :45:36.pockets. As John used to say those years ago, part as many balls as you

:45:37. > :46:11.can. Big Break, used to love that show!

:46:12. > :46:23.It is incredible, how close Ding Junhui's tip gets to the cue ball,

:46:24. > :46:26.when he is addressing it. Not even a shadow on the cue ball when his tip

:46:27. > :46:47.approaches it, watch this... Look at that stop I suppose if you

:46:48. > :46:59.thought about it, you would not be able to do that, it's automatic, all

:47:00. > :47:03.of those years of practice. Another left-hander, Jimmy White, a player

:47:04. > :47:07.who addresses, sometimes he will further the white and play a foul

:47:08. > :47:19.shot but he's like that. He has the tip of the cue right on the cue

:47:20. > :47:26.ball. Could have worked out a lot better. Yes, this was never

:47:27. > :47:34.guaranteed, because the reds are so close to the black ball. Possibly

:47:35. > :47:35.did not need to play that with more pace and top spin to carry the cue

:47:36. > :47:47.ball through the reds. Screwing the cue ball off the

:47:48. > :47:59.cushion, and on again, for the black. A good shot. APPLAUSE

:48:00. > :48:09.I don't know whether Alan is saying "Good shot". He does talk away to

:48:10. > :48:12.himself. I think that he just thought, perhaps, Ding Junhui had

:48:13. > :48:18.lost position? He would come back to the table, and then he produces that

:48:19. > :48:24.excellent read to the middle. He tells little stories in the chair,

:48:25. > :48:32.Denis. Possibly not for repeating during the day... But what is it

:48:33. > :48:36.about the Asian players? It is amazing, the middle pocket, they are

:48:37. > :48:46.so good. James Watson, he would pot some fantastic balls into the middle

:48:47. > :48:47.pockets. Ding Junhui is right up there, he never appears to miss. The

:48:48. > :49:02.middle pockets. The reds next to the pink, potting

:49:03. > :49:13.into the left corner, let's see this short again. Excellent cue ball

:49:14. > :49:17.control. As has been the pattern in this match, whenever Ding Junhui

:49:18. > :49:26.gets in, it is frame over. The two frames that he has not, he has lost.

:49:27. > :49:36.He has made three century breaks, and 84 and a 64, has Ding Junhui. I

:49:37. > :49:41.suppose that, when you think about it, 5-0 behind, Alan McManus, he

:49:42. > :49:48.would have loved to have got out of it 5-3, but at 6-2, he would

:49:49. > :49:53.probably take it when he was 5-0 behind. 96%, that is terrific. A

:49:54. > :50:14.high break of 131. APPLAUSE Wouldn't that be something?

:50:15. > :50:16.If he made four centuries in his first session? It is going to be

:50:17. > :50:42.difficult, but it is a possibility. He has already made eighth

:50:43. > :50:45.centuries, we've had 68 in this years Bedford World Championship, 86

:50:46. > :50:56.is the record number centuries made at the Crucible. -- BetFred. And the

:50:57. > :51:02.highest number of centuries ever made at the Crucible in the World

:51:03. > :51:09.Championship, Stephen was just asking me... It is 16. John Higgins

:51:10. > :51:27.has had 14. I'm surprised you did not notice that.

:51:28. > :51:35.He would have to think, with that record, if Ding Junhui was to make

:51:36. > :51:49.the final... It would be in jeopardy.

:51:50. > :52:03.Plenty of tonne ups there, what a session.

:52:04. > :52:17.I didn't know Kevin was in. What a player. And what a pundit. And what

:52:18. > :52:27.a session we have had here from Ding Junhui. Yes, he has been a machine

:52:28. > :52:49.today. He has had a 132, his highest so far

:52:50. > :52:56.this year. Can have the evening off, they will be back at ten o'clock

:52:57. > :53:07.tomorrow for the second session, this has been a delight to watch.

:53:08. > :53:13.APPLAUSE It does not matter about the black,

:53:14. > :53:16.it has been the Ding Junhui show here this afternoon. Alan McManus

:53:17. > :53:21.would be too disappointed, he got two frames out of it but in the end

:53:22. > :53:29.after that magnificent display, Ding Junhui takes the session 6-2.

:53:30. > :53:33.STUDIO: Four centuries for Ding Junhui in this match, this has been

:53:34. > :53:37.brilliant from that young man? Superb, we've been entertained this

:53:38. > :53:41.afternoon, his matchplay has been fantastic and to be honest I think

:53:42. > :53:46.he needed to win the last frame, the way he dominated, if he did not come

:53:47. > :53:50.out 6-2, he would have been kicking himself. After an excellent start

:53:51. > :53:54.from Ding Junhui, with the help of a bit of fortune, I think Alan McManus

:53:55. > :53:58.would say, fair play. I have a couple of frames, that's the best I

:53:59. > :54:02.could have expected. He was shaking his head in the last when he thought

:54:03. > :54:08.that Ding Junhui had lost position, but it was a fair reflection on this

:54:09. > :54:12.afternoon 's play? Yes, I think Alan has been unlucky, coming back in the

:54:13. > :54:16.first session after John Higgins last night, that was hard fought. He

:54:17. > :54:19.can rest this evening and come back tomorrow fresh. I think he will play

:54:20. > :54:24.better. There were times when I was watching that, I was reminded, do

:54:25. > :54:28.you remember sitting in the studio in Alexandra Palace when Ronnie

:54:29. > :54:34.O'Sullivan strode Ricky Walden in the Masters semifinal? Yes. It was

:54:35. > :54:40.really into -- destroyed. That match was over in about 47 minutes? The

:54:41. > :54:49.most bizarre statistic ever, Ronnie had a 97% pot rate, Ricky Walden was

:54:50. > :54:52.100%. Ronnie won 6-0. He is clinical, after Ding Junhui went to

:54:53. > :54:56.the interval, we said that he would split the atom in his dressing room,

:54:57. > :55:01.everything was going right. Let's look at this evening's match, that

:55:02. > :55:05.begins at seven o'clock. World number one Mark Selby takes on Marco

:55:06. > :55:12.Fu. FUNKY MUSIC

:55:13. > :55:16.He hasn't got a weakness, I don't think.

:55:17. > :55:22.He is a very good matchplay. Everyone would understand. He's been

:55:23. > :55:26.here for a long time. He is very comfortable playing at the Crucible,

:55:27. > :55:31.especially the one-table set-up. It will be a big challenge for me.

:55:32. > :55:34.There's not going to be any favourites as such, I won't go out

:55:35. > :55:38.there believing that I'm one of the favourites, I will go out there and

:55:39. > :55:43.play one frame at a time and stay focused, see what happens. It's

:55:44. > :55:50.going to be a very tough game. I'm still a long way to go, with two

:55:51. > :55:50.matches, but it is a long way to go. Just take it one

:55:51. > :55:55.matches, but it is a long way to go. Just take it one match at a time,

:55:56. > :55:59.one ball at a time. Sitting in the semifinal, I feel like I've played

:56:00. > :56:03.all season and not had a day off. That is what the tournament does to

:56:04. > :56:07.you, it is so long, mentally and physically draining, but it is the

:56:08. > :56:10.same for everyone else. Whoever is the last man standing is strongest.

:56:11. > :56:14.You cannot predict the nerves you will feel when you go out there so

:56:15. > :56:23.hopefully I can stay calm and relaxed and play good snooker. Nine

:56:24. > :56:29.wins to Marco Fu's two. Selby leads the head to head. They've played

:56:30. > :56:34.each other in semifinals in the 2006 Masters qualifying, they met the

:56:35. > :56:40.first time in 2006. Mark Selby won that one. In the World Open in 2014.

:56:41. > :56:42.They also met. Very much going the way of Mark Selby when you look at

:56:43. > :56:42.those way of Mark Selby when you look at

:56:43. > :56:44.those graphics? World number one, we way of Mark Selby when you look at

:56:45. > :56:46.said that those graphics? World number one, we

:56:47. > :56:52.said that he's come under the radar considering he's world number one,

:56:53. > :56:59.when you play matchplay like he does, I Debaty 's been at his best

:57:00. > :57:05.but it's the semifinal. But Marco held his own last night? He's been

:57:06. > :57:09.in excellent form. The scoreline of nine matches to two, it seems that

:57:10. > :57:13.Mark Selby gets the better of Marco Fu, but you could argue and three

:57:14. > :57:18.the record books out for this situation, judging by the way that

:57:19. > :57:21.Marco is playing, he is buoyed up by that. Mark Selby is a very clinical

:57:22. > :57:28.player in the same way that Ding Junhui is. Marco was possibly that

:57:29. > :57:32.kind of style, if you have two players with a similar style but one

:57:33. > :57:36.is slightly better than the other, it is harder for the lesser

:57:37. > :57:40.fractionally. Do you believe, Steve, given that Mark Selby was pushed in

:57:41. > :57:42.the first and second rounds, especially by Sam Baird late on

:57:43. > :57:48.Saturday evening, that he's coming into the quarterfinals and the

:57:49. > :57:52.semifinal in better shape? He's been up and down, he's not been dominant

:57:53. > :57:55.in all sessions but I think he is happy that he's got here with

:57:56. > :57:59.relatively little fuss. His experience showed in the last match,

:58:00. > :58:07.I think he outmatched Kyren Wilson. He outmatched played him. Mark

:58:08. > :58:12.Selby, to be honest, that has gotten through so far. Marco Fu was under a

:58:13. > :58:17.lot of pressure, Barry Hawkins, last night? And what has it taken out of

:58:18. > :58:21.him? We will find out tonight. If Mark Selby wins the title and

:58:22. > :58:24.Leicester City wins the Premier League on Sunday... My phone will be

:58:25. > :58:28.horrendous! I've enjoyed your company, thank you very much. Hazel

:58:29. > :58:31.will be back at seven o'clock with further coverage. We will see you

:58:32. > :58:34.then, goodbye for now.