Wednesday, 1st Round, Afternoon Snooker: World Championship

Good afternoon, we are going a bit intellectual today, not us,

actually, but player Michael Holt. After getting through and causing

yet another shock in this championship at The Crucible, the

only quoted a Roman poet, Ovid, who wrote that dripping water hollows

out stone, not through force but through persistence. And when it

comes to persistence, he is the living embodiment of that because

the waiting 11 years for another victory at The Crucible, he got it

at the expense of world number four Neil Robertson. The damage was done

in the first session, on reflection, it shouldn't have been any worse

than 5-4. Michael Holt gets the first frame of this final session

underway. I knew he would come out swinging, so I was prepared for a

bit of a comeback. I had to compose myself and focus for the

opportunities and I took most of them. I took a good first frame.

7-3, Michael Holt. Michael played very well, probably the best I have

seen him play in a big match, I would have to say. What a tremendous

pot. Composure is something I have lacked in the past, I get a bit

excited like a little 12-year-old running around but I have to grow up

at some point, unfortunately! I probably took a second longer than

normal but I wanted to make sure that I did and it worked out. What a

fantastic shot. Michael Holt is one frame away from

a place in the second round. You don't want to let it slip. Again, I

just had to refocus, one frame at a time it is a cliche but it's true. I

started to create a couple of chances for myself, still pretty

hard work but I got it back to 9-6 and 9-7 would have been interesting

because I was coming back and he started to take quite a long time on

his shots and I could see he was under pressure and wanting to close

it out. That is a fantastic effort, it really is, what a brilliant shot.

I can pull it out all the time, it is doing it out there and feeling

comfortable out there. It is there! Neil Robertson, sportsmen that he is

a big handshake. Obviously I'm gutted to be out of the World

Championships but from a personal point of view, I have nothing but

praise for how he played. Really happy with the way I played, I was

solid as a rock which is something I have been working on, especially in

the big arena so I'm really pleased with myself. After his stunning

victory last night, Michael Holt dedicated his win to his great

friend Ian who is about to start chemotherapy for a brain tumour. A

great victory and it means we have a very different picture because the

seeded players have been flying out. Number two, world number two, Stuart

Bingham, Murphy and Robertson, all out, the first time since 1982 that

three of the four top seeds have gone in the first round. We have

also lost Michael White and Stephen Maguire. That is five major seed in

the first 11 matches. Those are the numbers but what is behind it all?

It is a massive advantage being one of those top 16 that get straight to

The Crucible but only if you win your first match. It is very tough

for all of the qualifiers, winning three Best of 19 matches and

especially with the qualifiers finishing so close to The Crucible.

I had a three day break which I found tough. I felt like I could

have kept going, to be honest. The players coming through our match

sharp and the top 16 are under pressure. The standard is so high

now, it has been very evident from the results so far that the players

who have come through the qualifying our super match sharp. But you can't

say from the top 16's perspective that it is burn-out, that is not the

reason. Most of those players have had a very long season but I think

it is the match sharpness of the qualifiers that is making the

difference. You look at how well Michael Holt played against Neil

Robertson, I have never seen Michael handle things so well, especially on

the big state at The Crucible. He has been self critical in the past

but he was fantastic yesterday and thoroughly deserved to win. And top

17 to 32 art strong players. Absolutely dumb all the way down the

rankings, even 64 and below, they are all good enough to beat the

tournament winners on a consistent basis, even if they don't have the

experience to go on and win tournaments themselves. Snooker has

never been tougher. But there is no sign of burn-out with Steve and

Peter, always in peak physical condition. It is vegan power for

Peter, and there was a fantastic tweet we had the other day which it

said, isn't it appropriate that a man like Peter with a plant -based

diet should be working in a plant -based studio. How at home he feels

in the studio! But who will be at home inside because of the theatre

today? We have three matches to finish and three to start. -- inside

the Crucible Theatre. Mark Allen is 6-3 in front against Mitchell Mann.

Their final session is this morning. Martin Gould has waited two years to

get back you and returned as a major champion having won the German

Masters in February but has drawn arguably the most dangerous

qualifier, Ding Junhui, winner of 11 world ranking titles, everything

except the big one. The Hawk has his eye on another deep run in

Sheffield, he is in front against Zhang Anda and their final session

is this afternoon. The Juddernaut rolls into town as the outright

second favourite and could it finally be Judd Trump's year? His

match against Liang Wenbo is coming up. There is plenty to talk about

when Barry Hearn is in town and he is today. And will the world number

one finish at the top of the pot with chart? -- pot quiz. It is the

last full day of first-round action today so we are really moving on.

Things moved on this morning, starting at 10am between Mark Allen

and Mitchell Mann. Let's remind you of how this stood overnight.

Mitchell Mann, the only debutant this year, was in it for awhile in

opening session but that has quickly become 9-3 to Mark Allen who is on

the cusp of a place in the next round as we join them in frame 13

with John Parrott and Willie Thorne. COMMENTATOR: Mitchell Mann breaks of

frame 13. And basically, nowhere to go. He has the win this frame and

every one left to stay in at The Crucible this year. He hasn't really

got going this morning. Mark Allen has done what he has had to and he

will be looking to try to get this match over with as quickly as

possible. APPLAUSE And with shots like that, it will

help, that is the best shot of the morning, beautifully struck,

wonderfully controlled. Our director is putting the break

balls up already, do you think he is hoping! As it happens, he is likely

to go for it from this position, and if he does, he knows more than I do!

One red, one black... He will be leaving an angle on the black to go

into them and it is not a bad pack, there is one red at the front that

is not in line. He hasn't got the right angle this time but he can

easily get onto the reds in the middle. He played for the choice of

red, one in the middle and one to the corner but he doesn't look like

he is on either. What kind of angle does he have on this one?

A good one. And he is low on the black. And that outside red on the

right-hand side, stunned into it, don't screw it, open them up. How is

your luck? He got the reserve into the yellow pocket. And he has won in

the middle as well so he has brought two into play. He will definitely be

going for blacks now. I think when O'Sullivan was once 9-2 in front and

Stephen Hendry came back to and O'Sullivan won the match with a

maximum in the last frame. It has happened before.

Well, so far, so good, Mark Allen having a little smirk up at the

commentary box! He has actually not made a 147 in tournament play. He

can play this in the middle, playing ball, he would be on the black. Come

on, Mark, you know you want to! The weight he is looking at it, maybe

the in- off is on. It looks like a natural up and down. He is probably

torn also by the fact that he wants the match over with and he wants to

clear up but surely there is a chance.

Apologises to the audience! That is a nice gesture. He realises it is so

important, but the fact that he was leading 9-3, he might have taken a

risk but I don't blame him. If you needed any indication that he wants

the match over with, you have just had it. Just wondering if he will

leave the pink alone because the red at the top of the cluster goes but

if the pink is on its spot, it will not be pottable.

Certainly a funny way of going about it.

Strange way of going about it, I think. The only way to guarantee

bringing reds in the go for the pink.

Looks perfect to bring them into play but he might have spotted

something in the pack that we haven't. Well, Mark Allen is

normally a very good break-builder but he has gone about this very

poorly. Yes, he is well aware he has gone

about it the wrong way, he should have played on the blue, the loose

red, leave the one at the top of the cluster, pop that and open the rest

out and it is game over. He just played on the wrong colour before.

A very good break of 67 but I'm sure he is kicking himself he could not

get the match over with. One good pot, frame and match over.

APPLAUSE In goes the red, 68 in front, 67 on.

And I must say, as far as Mitchell Mann is concerned, it has been a

baptism of fire. He started well but he just hasn't competed. He will

learn more today and yesterday then he will ever have known about

playing snooker before. It is a cauldron to come and play here and

it is difficult to keep yourself together and to play at your best

and he hasn't done that but you write it down as experience and kick

on. He knows he is a lot better than the way he has played today and he

will know a lot more next time. Yes, you cannot buy experience and

that is what he has got here. We hope to see him again here at The

Crucible. Mark Allen is doing what he does best, potting balls at

speed. The referee cannot get the blue out! And if he plays to his

capabilities, Mark Allen, he will have a shout at the championship

this year. Amazing when there is no pressure on, how you can play. He

will have tougher assignments, of course, but he is capable. Not a

good morning for young Mitchell Mann but Mark Allen did what he had to

and won convincingly in the end and goes through to the next round,

10-3. And Mark is still smiling,

congratulations, through to the second round for the seventh time

will stop on paper you had the easiest of the qualifiers without

being disrespectful, but as you said before the match, matches are not

won on paper, you have to be professional. At the end of the day,

Mitchell has won three tough matches to get here and is more than capable

player. I could have been 3-1 down but after I got to 2-2, I put him

under pressure and he went a bit. It is to be expected at The Crucible,

it can do funny things to you first time and I was able to capitalise.

You were very focused, I'm looking at your season, winning in Bulgaria

and the Players Championship, your first title on British soil just a

few weeks ago. I'm wondering what different that has made to the

build-up here? Not really, it is nice to win in the UK and get the

monkey off my back but it means nothing when I come here. I'm here

to win, and just because I won the Players Championship doesn't mean

anything here. It is great for the confidence and decent for the bank

balance but here you are focused for five tough matches. The bank balance

is important! Terry Griffiths is in your corner this time and he has

made a big difference because you seem to be winning a lot of the

scrappy frames and your focus looks fantastic. Do you feel a difference

with him in your corner? I feel I'm in a better place mentally and it

stands me in good stead and those scrappy frames, I'm the first to

admit that I don't enjoy them but I've let it get to me in the past

and lost a few but I feel I'm in a good place and ready to battle. A

lot of people feel this man could put together a run here. Absolutely,

he is one of the most talented players in the world. There is no

reason he could not go all the way. It is very tough to become world

champion but he will be up there and he is one of the players nobody

wants to play because he can beat anybody. There was an interesting

development at the Welsh recently and I know you took something of

exception to something that Mr Davies said when he described you as

Championship material and not premiership material! They are doing

their job, but did it add fuel to your fire? It gives people something

to talk about in the media but we get on great and he is entitled to

his opinion. Now and again you get things wrong! It is one of those

things, until I prove it on the biggest stage, he was right after I

always felt I was good enough to be considered as a top player but until

I prove it on the table, opinions are valid. The fascinating thing,

don't discount the Players Championship, the more times you

beat the top players, and they know you are capable it is a two-way

thing. This is a massive event. That has to mean something. And not

turning the tables, but when Mark was talking about Stuart Bingham and

suddenly that got him going and he won the World Championships! If I

played any part in you winning the World Championship, I am pleased to

have been of service! But now you are a winner, I have to keep my

mouth shut! You can keep the opinions coming! It goes back a long

way, I1 point you said you did not think he had the bottle to win

titles and it looked like it was a major spur in his career. He hasn't

bought you a drink? He has bought me a few, I will say that them and we

had a good night out on the Legends tour and spoke about it. We get on

well and we are able to joke about it but I will hold my hand up and

say I was wrong about that because he showed last year, the toughest

draw available with O'Sullivan, Trump and Murphy, you don't fluked a

world title and he deserved it. And nothing ever stays the same,

whatever the history of player, you can change that and we have seen it

with Michael Holt. He was incredibly impressive, we spoke about how well

he handled the situation and he would be the first to admit that he

been self-critical in the past but he handled it big-time yesterday and

put Neil Robertson under so much pressure and it goes to show the

strength in depth in snooker. Michael has been a top player for a

long time and I wondered if he believed it but with that extra

belief from beating Neil Robertson, who knows how well he will do? It is

a good point, the example of Stuart Bingham, having been in the

so-called journeyman for 20 years and not doing it on the big stage

here, I wonder how much I hope and inspiration it has given other

players who have been on the scene for a long time as well? He said it

himself, it gives hope to a lot of people who might not believe they

could get to the top and he would be the first to admit, he was a bit of

a journeyman for a few years but has turned into one of the top players

in the game and if somebody else is in a similar vote, the likes of

Michael Holt who've been around, they are friendly with Stuart, they

can take a leaf out of that book. And further down the field, the

people who might not think they could progress, you look at how hard

those guys work and they get what they deserve. And you are feeling

good and ready? Feeling good, a few days to chill out and then get ready

for Sunday. Joe Perry or Kyren Wilson, it looks good. It'll be

tough whoever it is but I'm looking forward to it, I'm in control of my

game and my emotions and if I do that, I have a chance. Premiership

attitude! Thank you for coming over. We're now talking about one of the

great enigmatic players in snooker, Ding Junhui, who has been long

touted as a future World Championship. He has won so much in

the game apart from this one, the big one, and it has given his fellow

pros something to talk about. To the UK champion, 2011 Masters

champion, and a couple of seasons ago won five or six ranking events

and that is phenomenal. How do you get better than that? He forgot how

to lose for about a season! Clinical positional play. I remember seeing

him when he was 15, he came over from China with his then management

group and was around Northamptonshire where I was. He

came over to practice with me and I was thinking, who is this kid? He

made me look like an also-ran. He was phenomenal. His cue action is so

straight, his head never moves, and a wonderful touch, amazing

break-builder. Five ranking tournament in one season. Very

technically minded, we have seen him they shots over the years, you might

get down and look at his back hand, his grip, he is very concerned with

the technical aspect of getting the ball in the pocket. He pulls the cue

back, stops without pause, gets his eyes to the object ball and when

they are on the object ball, that is when he fires and it is the same

every time. Even on the easy at shots, the action does not change.

Everything is very cohesive. Why has he not won the World Championship?

For me, I think the answer lies firmly back in China. The amount of

pressure he is under from the Chinese media and the snooker family

of China as a whole is unbelievable. You have to be there to see it. When

he won those five events in one season, they considered it a failure

because he did not win the World Championship. There are so many

players with great talent who you think should win it. He is coming up

against the likes of O'Sullivan and Murphy and Selby and Trump who are

all playing at the very top level. The longer it goes on, the more the

pressure will build. The more likelihood is that he will not win

it than with it. I think the form and stats point in that direction

but of course he could rock up any time and played better than anybody

over 17 days and win. Jimmy White has the mantle of the greatest

player never to win the World Championship but you could make the

case that it is this man. At the age of 26, Ding Junhui has already

enjoyed a hugely successful career, winning 11 world ranking titles and

a Masters, two thirds of the way towards eight triple Crown but his

form and fortunes have veered violently in the last few seasons.

He had a stratospheric 2013-14 in which he equalled the record of

Stephen Hendry of five world ranking titles in a season and he made 85

goals -- eight finals in total. Last season he found it difficult to

follow up the previous successes, reaching the world number one spot

for a single week, went out in the quarterfinals in Sheffield. And

having changed his cue and now working with Terry Griffiths, he has

won another Asian tour event but having started the campaign as world

number four, he has dropped out in the world top 16 and had to come

through qualifying. What is your take on a very topsy-turvy few

seasons for him? He is a player of immense talent and we have known

that for some time also I spoke to Steve when he was 15, Ding, and I

was preparing to defend the world title. I could not get near him in

practice, he was unbelievable. I said that he was incredible and he

would be a top player. Personally, whatever he has achieved in the game

and he has achieved a lot so far, he has done that purely on ability,

technique and work ethic. Sometimes we question his resolve and if he

can find that, that steeliness and grit and determination that all

world champions need, I think you will see him become a multiple world

champion. There is also the question of pressure from China as Shaun

Murphy mentioned. The fact that despite winning the five ranking

titles and reaching eight finals, he went out in round one here and was

considered a failure and that is a heavy burden.

It is. I do think what Peter said is interesting. You might need to have

a little bit more passion to get over the line at The Crucible. That

is not to say you are going to cry when you win, or you have to be

demonstrative around the table. You may argue Ding is too much like a

robot. You have to play from the heart a bit out there. If you are

going through the A, B, C, perhaps that is not enough for that arena.

He is now working with Terry Griffiths who seems to have the

touch, you know. He's turned around Michael Holt. He's doing wonders

with Mark Allen. Who is to say that Ding understands a word Terry is

saying with the Welsh accent! If he is, then that could make the

difference. You are right. He is working miracles with a lot of

players. There is also the question, as you say, of fight. There is also

a question of appetite. Is it enough? He is sixth on the all-time

list. He is hugely popular and wealthy in China. Is that enough?

Has he gone soft? Let's hope it is enough. For him to find the desire

to want to become World Champion. There is no two ways about it, he

will consider his whole career a complete failure if he doesn't

become World Champion. Has he gone soft? Do you think he's gone soft? I

don't know. I think his class could see him through. It is very

interesting, this. I think he's learned a lot of English, he is very

fluent now. As we have got to know him, we have realised what a

charming, lovely fella he is. A lot of the general public are seeing

that now, too. That is really endearing them to him? He is a

lovely young man. We have spoken a long time about his ability. I will

be absolutely shocked if Ding does not win a World Championship. The

qualifiers, I thought they would suit him. I thought three

best-of-19s. It will put him spot on for The Crucible. Maybe the

qualifying is just what he needed. You may be right. He sailed through

that, of course. He's absolutely pin-sharp. The man he faces is

Martin Gould, who has waited two years, but he comes back here as a

major champion. Between the ages of three and six,

my dad used to always book two weeks off work when the Worlds was on and

in them days, you had it on from the first ball hit in the morning, right

the way through until last ball at night. Me and him used to be glued

to the sofa for two weeks. Mum never got a look-in. TV, upstairs if you

wanted to watch TV. Me and my dad were glued to the telly for two

weeks. That was the first memories of the World Championships. The

first time I ever went to The Crucible, I went to watch, and I

couldn't believe how small it was. My first appearance at The Crucible

when I played Mark Allen, I was getting my behind well and truly

whipped! It was getting a little bit to the point where it was starting

to get emotional. When you are sat in that chair and you are not, if it

is not going well for you, it is amazing how smaller that room gets.

Then you get the knock on the door with five minutes to go. That's when

you kind of, the nerves start to jangle a little bit. And you are

waiting backstage with the other players, you have got your own

thoughts to really go through your mind of what could go on and you

have to try not to think of the negative side of things. This is

what everyone plays for, the World Championship. If any other player

says they are not nervous when they are walking out to play, I have to

call him a liar. You want to get down to play your first break-off

and you want your arm shaking like a leaf until you have played a few

shots and got into your rhythm. I try to avoid looking at trophy if I

can. I don't want to look at something that I haven't got my

hands on yet, until it gets to that final, when you are having your

photos taken with it. I try to avoid having to look at it.

I wonder how he felt when he stepped out for his seventh campaign here at

The Crucible. It was Martin Gould playing Ding Junhui. Ding took the

opening frame of the morning with a break of 90. Gould to play in Frame

2. John Virgo and Stephen Hendry looking on here.

JOHN VIRGO: Tried to find the path through the reds, back to the baulk

area. He hasn't. He's left this red to the middle. It

all depends, if it is a natural, as we see him play that - that red was

much too thin. A bit thicker, he might have got the cue ball back to

the baulk end. The thing is with this red, the red is easy enough,

can he get nicely on a colour? It sounded a bit like a heavy

contact. He's the wrong side of the blue to come down to this end of the

table, but he's got that red near the yellow he can play for.

He's not having to work too hard for his chances here, Ding Junhui. That

will be worrying for Martin Gould. STEPHEN HENDRY: I'm sure, as we

talked about at the top of the show, Ding Junhui was probably the one

that everybody wanted to avoid as a qualifier. Martin Gould has to avoid

those thoughts in his mind that he's been unlucky this draw. He's got to

get on with it. It is such a different frame of mind, if he was a

qualifier coming through to play Ding, there would be a different

mindset. As we have seen so far in this

tournament, quite a few seeds going by the wayside. There is pressure on

the seed. This was always going to be a tough

match for Martin. Just got to try and get his way in here. At the

moment, the edge is with Ding Junhui because of his good safety. That

good safety there created this, or caused the mistake that gave him in

chance. Nice angle on the black here to cannon up to that cluster of

four, and bring them into play. He doesn't have to hit it too hard.

Well, is he on the red to the middle?

If he's not, it's gone a little bit astray. He's not, I don't think,

unless he plays a swerve. You would have to say he is unlucky

not having a red going into those four. This is a thinner cut. Just

looking at that again, I didn't think he had to play it with that

much pace. I don't think he quite hit the right red, did he? He missed

the red he wanted... He is playing the plant. This is tricky. Played it

well. He is on course now to take this

second frame. Had a nice break of 90 in the first.

Once again, you think he would play a little cannon, on those two reds

that are together. He just holds the white, saves you having to judge the

pace, just stun into them. He just keeps the cue ball at this end and

you can play a full shot if you like.

As we often say, this is how you set the balls up for a practice session.

You would be amazed if you missed. Once he pots this red, he will be 61

in front with 59 remaining. I will be very surprised if he

doesn't make the century. Maybe those three qualifying matches

have been good for him. Almost the best practice you could

get for coming to the main event. Match practice. I spoke to Nigel

Bond, who he beat in the second or third qualifying match, and Nigel

said he never missed, just every time he went to the table, the frame

was won in one visit. We certainly know that is what he is

capable of, which is quite remarkable why he's, as you said at

the start, fallen from Grace over the last few seasons. He's a top

four player in the world in my book. So, for him to have to qualify for

the World, he's got to - it won't be long before he is back in the top

16. But he belongs a lot higher than that.

The confidence from winning those matches, that is what everybody says

- you get confidence from winning. A little bit careless with that. It

is only for our interest. He's judged it well. Stuns the yellow in,

automatically on the green, for the century.

I'm sure he knew at the start, Martin Gould, but he's going to have

to up his game here. He's left Ding Junhui with a few nice, easy

starters and this frame, a poor safety shot has cost him dear.

Where's the cue ball going? Well, it didn't matter. That was a lovely

break of 110 and Ding Junhui putting down a marker. He is playing well.

What has Martin Gould got? 2-0. Ding Junhui's 28th Crucible century

of his career. Into Frame 3 and Martin Gould is up by 69 to 16.

It looks like he's covered this red. Can he get past it? He will be

running off the other red so there is a danger he could go in-off. He's

got a few points to play with so he could play this thin cut - and this

isn't the easiest of the pots. He doesn't want to play this red to

the left corner with topspin because it pushes the other red to the

cushion and the cue ball will be nowhere near the black, that is why

he is taking the more difficult pot on. He wants to play the easy one.

He did very well. As you say, Stephen, next one in and now it's

Ding Junhui, we could have a new favourite for this frame. You

wouldn't bet against him. That was a good shot. Maybe

travelled an inch or two more than would be comfortable, but cueing

over that red, as he was, that was a decent positional shot.

So, drop this red in for the black, you can't see any problems in

clearing up. He's finished in no-man's-land

there, really. It is one of those situations, you would rather be too

hard than soft because if you weren't on the pink, you would be on

the blue. He's on neither. Playing it around. It looks too pacy

for me, this. Does he get a good kiss? Well, it wasn't too pacy. I

thought it was. I think Junhui thought it was, but it slowed up!

You saw the smile from Ding. This is not what he was playing...

A quick glance at the scoreboard. He's going to need the last red and

colour. Green or above off this last red and

the six remaining colours. A body-blow for Martin Gould and a 3-0

lead for Ding Junhui. Not done much wrong. Maybe his shot

selection when Stephen said he could have gone into the reds and brought

them into play, he thought he would have another chance - he did - but

he couldn't develop that frame-winning red. He was one pot

away from winning this frame. We did say at the time, at this level,

many, many times it costs you the frame.

The only thing that can go wrong is his position from brown to blue. If

he gets nicely on the blue, it's a formality. If he runs too hard, then

it gets a bit trickier. Yeah, he was able to force the

angle. And get close to the pink. Still needs pink and black.

He got a heavy contact. He got a kick. And this black is a lot

thinner than he wanted. Could this be a lifeline for Martin Gould?

That's a lovely shot when you need a frame on the board(!) It will be a

relieved Martin Gould coming to the table. After getting the heavy

contact, I'm surprised that Junhui didn't have the cue ball cleaned.

But this black for the third frame. In it goes. Ding Junhui will be

feeling a bit aggrieved there. It was a case of rolling the pink in.

He got a heavy contact, left himself a thin black which caught him out.

Martin Gould won't mind. He's got his first frame on the board.

Martin, starting his seventh Crucible campaign, relieved to be

off the mark. In we go to the next, it is Martin at the table, but he is

trailing 17 points. Caught it much too thick and it is

one of those situations where if you are catching it that thick, you

would rather the cue ball have gone in-off into the pocket. But the

worst possible outcome, rattled the jaws, stayed at this end.

He's not having to work too hard for his opportunities here, Ding Junhui.

Most times he comes to the table he's got a pot on.

After what happened in the last frame, he will take nothing for

granted. This is a marvellous opportunity to take a two-frame

advantage into the mid-session interval.

This is where you really have to concentrate the mind.

In between frames on the other side of the petition. When you get that

murmuring noise. The referee should be more aggressive, on the referee

on this side telling them to be quiet. Yeah, I remember the late Len

Ganley, he didn't waste any time telling the crowd. No, he was in

charge, wasn't he? You would be playing on the other table, you

would get a fright when he shouted! If anyone is to call for the crowd

to settle down, it's the one on this table. The referee on the other

side, he could be shouting out "quiet" when someone was on a vital

shot on this side. So far, it's not affecting Ding

Junhui, although, having said that, just off straight on the black and

the wrong side of just off straight. He has to play a good shot here for

position, a deep screw, right-hand side.

Beautifully played. He nipped that cue ball perfectly. Those are tricky

shots. You have to nip them perfectly or you get no reaction on

the cue ball. Talking about the noise in this Crucible, all the

venues have multi-tables, but this one the players are used to the

noise and they don't seem to bother about it.

He is OK. He can play this green any way he wants - two cushions or one

cushion. He has such a nice angle on it.

I remember someone, many, many years ago Fred Davis how his brother Joe

would have coped with these two-table situations and his answer

was, he would refuse to play. Ooh, a bit harder, I don't think

that would have dropped. He was a bit of a diva, Joe Davis?

They had their ways of playing. And I think he was. I'm telling you, you

have to be, don't you, to stay at the top for that long?

That red now puts this frame to bed. 66 points the lead, 59 remaining.

This blue looks a certainty. 71 points in front, 59 remaining. It

looks certain 3-1 at the mid-session interval, Ding Junhui, the

qualifier. Certain it was. In fact, Ding went

4-1 in front. He's made a century and three 50-plus breaks to this

point. Martin Gould responded well and took the next two. It is the

Englishman in play here in the next frame.

This red is cuttable. It's a thin one. The cue ball will be going back

to the baulk end. You will feel certain he will be on green or

brown. Full-ball kiss on the yellow. But

not that kiss. Maybe he can just cue past the yellow. I think he's got a

slight angle on the green. It is all a bit congested around the

black spot area, so he may be adverse to potting the black early

doors here. The reds are nice and spread. He doesn't have to do much

to open them up. As I say, I think he can just cue

past the yellow to make this pot on the green a lot more easier.

He's going to have to settle for the red to the middle, I feel. I'm not

certain this is the one he played on. As I say, there were so many

loose reds, you would feel yourself very unlucky if you weren't on one

of them. The beauty of getting that red out

of the way, I think when the pink is re-spotted, it is certainly going to

be available comfortably into both middles.

Of course, if Ding Junhui was to win this frame, he would be guaranteed a

lead going into the final session this evening.

So, as you can see, the pink comfortably available into both

middles and once this red is out of the way, it'll go into this corner.

So this is a decent opportunity. I think he will concentrate on pink

and if he runs slightly out of position, the blue.

I think if he pops the black, he might tie up one or two of the reds.

He went to put his chalk in his pocket and missed it!

He has always been very good in these types of situations, playing

little stuns and screws. Without doubt, this is his strength.

Probably a little bit straighter on this pink than he was hoping by the

look of his body language. He was able to force it in. I can see why

he was disappointed, he is not perfect on this red, he would like

to pot this and not run into another but I don't think he can avoid it

and if he runs into a second red, it can always affect the position. Is

there a gap between these six reds that he can stump through? It is

tight, isn't it? -- stun through. He has played the direct screw shot and

he is on the black. I don't think he wanted to be on the black. But he

will settle for it. He could have been on nothing. If the black does

not go on its own spot, it will go on the brown spot.

He has just about got an angle on the blue. There you go, just the

right side, for him, of the blue line.

Slowly but surely picking these off. It just shows you, that one

positional shot that did not go right and he has struggled since.

Martin Gould will be sat there are hoping he gets an opportunity to get

back to the table. He may do. Again, possibly could have done with

another inch or two on the cue ball. He would rather be on the red to the

right corner but it is the wrong angle. Yes, he is looking at it. The

problem is, the one to the left corner, he has to do a bit with the

cue ball, as with the one to the right corner. I don't think he can

miss the pot, he can screw off the other reds but he is running off

them. Need a bit of luck with position. It is amazing, you just

get out of position once at the beginning of a break and sometimes

you never get that perfect position that again. And this is a perfect

example of that. APPLAUSE

Good, clean pot. And now the chances of Martin Gould coming back to the

table are looking a little remote. Yes, this frame looks like going to

Ding Junhui. It looks like he will be guaranteed a lead going into the

night's second session. That wiped its feet a little bit. Now the last

frame, he will be thinking of extending it to a three frame lead.

I didn't think he got the best contact. That pink, as it was going,

was drifting more and more towards the right-hand jaw, probably because

of the bad contact. Only the pink required to go 62 points in front

with 59 remaining. APPLAUSE

There you can see it. And he will be giving this Kroos along the top

cushion 100% -- this red. He will know that if he knocks this income

Martin Gould will need two snookers at least. -- if he knocks it in. And

if he pops the pink, there is no return for Martin.

APPLAUSE We had a century break in frame two,

looked certain to have one in frame five when he broke down on 87. Is he

going to treat us to another? He needs a good shot on the pink to get

on the awkward last red. It needs to run. He needs a double. It is not

there. It will not matter. It is an important frame and Ding Junhui has

taken it to go two frames in front and, more importantly, he is

guaranteed a lead going into the final session. Will it be two, three

or one? That is the question and what an important frame in the

context of this match. This is frame nine.

COMMENTATOR: Not at that pace, when you hit it that hard, it will always

check off the cushion and he was a long way away with the double. We'll

Martin be tempted with this long red? -- will he. He knows the

importance of this frame. Is he going to go for it? It looks likely.

Terrific pot. APPLAUSE The downside is that the cue ball

has finished tight to the side cushion but what a good pot it was.

And this brown is not far off being just as difficult, playing off the

cushion for the red to the left centre. He is bound to leave it if

he misses the brown. Well played. Very well played. And

now an opportunity offered this red to play for green or brown to try to

break the cluster of reds open. He decided to check it and play the

blue. Same difference, pot the blue, has the hit the pink full interface

to get the best effect and try to leave the cue ball in the middle of

the table -- full in the face. He would be unlucky not to be on a red.

He did not hit it full in the face and that is why he lost the white.

He hit the pink half ball and that is why he lost the cue ball.

I think if he could get to the bottom of the cue ball: he might

play this red to the corner but he can't do it. He is trying, digging

in, this is risky. It was risky, as I say. When you are

striking down like that, you have got to hit the ball so accurately

and it was not as if it was a shot to nothing. This red is sticking out

of the right-hand side of the cluster and it will tempt Ding

Junhui into playing this and if he pops it, he is bound to be on the

black. -- pops it -- pots. When Ding does miss, he misses by a long way.

I think he was playing with more pace because he was frightened that

if he soft stunned it he would have left want to the left middle but he

was still a long way away. Does this cut? It did. It is a chance for

Martin. He just overran it slightly but I think he can roll this blue in

and play for a red to the left corner. Yes, just off straight the

wrong side. Well played. Now the perfect angle

to go into this bunch of reds. What do you think, Stephen? The gap? The

angle might be a bit thin to go into the gap. He has played it very well.

To hold the cue ball, that was difficult. He stunned it rather than

screwed it. He has a chance now. And, as we were saying in between

frames, if he goes down out of this session just one frame behind, I

don't think he will be too displeased. As I said earlier, Ding

has been by far the heavier scorer in the match. Two 87s, 90, 110, 54

from Ding Junhui. 65 and 64 from Martin Gould and he has been

outscored so the only be one frame behind would be an excellent result.

We were also talking at the start of the match, how the mighty have

fallen. Everybody thought Ding Junhui, it was a formality that he

would beat world champion but the last couple of seasons have really

been disappointing -- he would be. We question why, and the pressure

will be heaped on him now because he will know he should have had a

bigger lead than this so how will it affect him this evening? Snooker can

be a mind game. He has the cue -- has to cue this

nicely but should be no problem. He just didn't get into it as much as

he would have liked. Now he has a problem, the pink and red on the

left side of the table. Just managed to find a gap. Green or

brown, he might favour the brown and play on that red that is closest to

the cue ball. He controlled it nicely. 56 in

front, 75 remaining so he is looking for red, colour, red.

This red now will put him 63 points ahead with just 59 remaining. A

shake of the head, frustration, not getting on this red perfectly, the

frame-winning red. It is there, though. APPLAUSE

This is a good performance from Martin Gould. We have seen a lot of

the seeds struggling against qualifiers and you could not have

had a tougher qualifier than Ding Junhui. Ding could easily have been

4-0 up at the mid-session interval. He got a kick on the pink and missed

a black which gave Martin his first frame but since the interval Martin

has dug in. And it is all to play for this evening. And I agree with

you, Stephen, that Ding Junhui may have scored better... APPLAUSE

But has he got the clink qualities that Martin Gould has shown so far

this morning? -- the battling qualities.

He got into that a bit too much, playing for the red into the far

right corner, not this near corner. Let's hope it goes in and a chance

of the century. Hello! And a little kiss on the pink, lovely. You will

not see many better pots than that in these 17 days at The Crucible. I

didn't think they went in at that pace. Another cracking pot. Come on,

Martin, this would be one of the best centuries we have seen in a

long while because it never looked on. Gently does it.

What a way to finish the session. This will give him a huge boost of

confidence going into the night. No doubt who will be the happier. --

into the night -- tonight. To make the century he will need the awkward

pink. But some of the balls he had spotted in the last few shots, he

probably thinks it is over the pocket -- he has potted. Where is

the cue ball going? Don't go in! Thank you. It would be a good

clearance from here! He is winding up! This blue may not stay on the

table. Hang on! CHEERING Yes!

Unbelievable! Don't miss the pink... CHEERING

What a century break that was! CHEERING

Wonderful entertainment from Martin Gould, that was something else. What

an end to the session. And it will taste good, that water, just one

frame behind going into the evening session. We can't wait for that,

what a match we have. We can't wait either if he continues to play like

that. So much reaction on the social media, people think the most

stupendous century at The Crucible. It never looked on from the start.

That red to the middle that he took on was not easy to start with. It

was thinner than he looked and he was playing with a lot right-hand

side and you could see the check on the cushion but he could not hold

the blue and that was more difficult than it looked. Because he uses such

a small tip... That was unbelievable, one of the most

amazing breaks I have seen. He seems to get more and more daring and each

one was more outrageous than the next. Incredible break, the red to

the right-hand corner, the blue, what a break. Ding has played so

well and scored so heavily but Martin is still in there. He is very

well respected as a potter on the tour, Martin, but we rarely get a

chance to see him play the spectacular stuff that he showed

there. He tends to leave the exhibition shots for the end of the

frame but he is so naturally talented and gifted and with that

small tip, it helps him to get extra spin. The shot to the middle pocket

with the yellow, deep screw with right-hand side and he got too much

into it and the cue ball literally did a banana but he will be

delighted to be only 5-4 down with Ding having played so well. How

concerned will Ding Junhui be? It looked to be going his way for a

long time. Martin Gould will not be shaken off. We look forward to it.

We will be seeing that again but let me show you how it leaves the draw.

We still have three first-round matches to start and we are stopping

the second round tomorrow. The odds of Ali Carter women have

been cut to 25-1 after his victory, Alan McManus is the most senior

player at 45, Ricky Walden scrambled across the line. Four centuries from

an impressive John Higgins. Really looking forward to Judd Trump

against Liang Wenbo. Ding Junhui is 5-4 up on Martin Gould but it was

entertaining. Mark Williams is in round two after four years. The

Hitman was superb in despatching Neil Robertson. Anthony McGill

marches on. Next for him is Marco Fu. It is the Hawk and Zhang Anda

resuming this afternoon at 6-3. Ronnie is safely through. Mark Allen

was decisive in beating Mitchell Mann this morning. Joe Perry and

Kyren Wilson are playing tonight. Sam Baird, the lowest ranked player

through so far and Mark Selby hoovered up the last three frames to

beat Robert Milkins. The historians among you will know that this will

champion the began in 1927 but the English amateur championship has

been going a lot longer than that and it is in fact the

longest-running and oldest championship of them all. Just ten

days ago, it celebrated anniversary, 100 years in Gloucester and we went

along to have a look. The world professional championship is the

pinnacle of any snooker player's career but there are other

prestigious events and recently Gloucester hosted the English

amateur championship and it reached a very special milestone. 100 years

is unbelievable all stuck it would be extra special to lift the trophy

this year. No doubt, having spoken to both finalists, they are very

aware of the history of this. But the tournament took place in 1916 in

the middle of the First World War. The highest break was only 30 so the

standard has come a long way. There are too many names to mention, this

event has been going longer than the World Championships. If you look

back, Stuart Bingham has won this, the current world champion. I love

the thought that people do a normal job and play snooker in their spare

time. Amateur sport should live on. A couple of guys who have won this

are better than the players on tour. 180 started out, only two remain,

Wayne Townsend and the Northern champion, Jamie Bodle. It is the

longest running tournament in the world. This is the one. Any amateur

wants to win this. The prestige, to be on the trophy with some of the

people who've won this event in the past, it means a lot. It would be a

dream. I am a bit older now and have a family. It's difficult but I want

to play at the top level. It would be great to win and put my name on

that trophy. They played best of 19 frames and Wayne took an early 4-0

lead. Jamie replied with 92 in the fifth, the highest of the match. At

the end of the first session, Wayne still had a 6-2 advantage. In the

evening it all changed when Jamie took four in a row. It all came down

to a deciding frame. With the clock approaching midnight, Jamie Bodle

claimed the title, winning the 100th English amateur Snooker

championship. And here he is, congratulations, a very special time

to win a very special event, real history. If I was going to win one,

this one would obviously be the one to win, the one that is remembered

the most. There was so much hype and the build-up to the event, with an

wish snooker and World Snooker getting involved, it feels great. --

English snooker. Ray Readman, Spencer, Griffiths, Bingham, Jo

Johnson, John panicked, Ronnie O'Sullivan. Martin Gould -- John

Parrott. It has always had that history and prestige about it.

Growing up, you always wanted to win it so to be on that trophy with big

names that have dominated the game, it's... It took a while to sink in,

two or three days what I have achieved. We know you are a fine

player, you were a professional at one stage and you are now in sales

and property and I believe you are going to take the plunge again. I

decided, I still love to play and the practice, I can easily do three

or four hours on my own and certainly a lot of players of my age

can't do that. I love competing, so I decided to give Q-School go and

see where it takes me. You have had a good warm up, you have played in

the world seniors as well because you are plus 40! Unfortunately! I

have just gone over 40 but I've played the seniors and beat Barry

Pinches but I lost to Dominic Dale. My game is OK, I don't have the

pressure... I have different pressure from before when I was a

professional because I have a full-time job so there is only the

pressure of the game now. It does say, the fact that he is willing to

give this and other goats, that the tour itself is in the Mendis health

that he wants to go for it. You have to follow your heart, do

what you love to do. It is wonderful that someone like Jamie wants to

give it another go. It is a tremendous story. With so much at

stake, in the final of the English Amateur, it was certain to go to a

decider. It was. As if it was the 100th, it was fitting that it went

to the deciding frame. Wayne played great in the final. I was hanging on

to him for long spells, and grinding some frames out. I won a couple of

frames that I didn't deserve to win, probably. I was hanging in and it

was very fitting it went to 10-9. We wish you all the very best. I know

your partner is Diana, how does she feel about trying to mix the two

jobs and going back to the professional ranks? He is a playing

herself. -- she is a player herself. I will continue to enter tournaments

and she is fully supportive. A couple of weeks to go until you get

into the Q School, and we wish you all the very best. Thank you. From

Jamie to Judd, the Ace in the Pack! Judd Trump comes to Sheffield in

tremendous form having won the China Open and the only other time that he

won that title was five years ago and very much in the groove, came to

Sheffield, made it all the way to the final. Perhaps it's a good omen

for him. He's up against Liang Wenbo and we got to know him better a few

months ago at the UK Championship. Do you remember that fascinating run

to the final where he lost to Neil Robertson? Significantly, on the way

in that run to the final, he played Judd Trump, he found himself 4-1

down and won the next five frames in a row. So, he's got some very good

recent history. He is a man that we find fascinating, funny and

fearless. I think 2008... No qualifiers for

two years at Crucible. I want to enjoy Crucible, make me ready and

play. I remember John Higgins, I got a

good chance and I missed a yellow. I was thinking too much. At this time,

I learn a lot. I'm ready. This year, I play well and I got to

the final of the UK Championship, I have a very good chance in the

final, but sometime I lose my experience and after the final, I

learn a lot, I change things myself and I try hard. I practice every

day, two or three hours. I think I'm ready. Sometime you have to be

strong inside. You have to learn everything.

I want to try and give Judd pressure. Maybe I have a chance

coming into the match. I will just enjoy. I work hard, I'm very strong.

You have to have the right thinking, play good snooker, enjoy the game,

and you have a chance coming into the tournament. Liang Wenbo taking

on Judd Trump. He's had some near-misses. Debut in 2007. When he

returned in 2011 he made the final against John Higgins. He has lost to

Ali Carter, he has gone out in a quarterfinal and two semifinals in

the last three years. You will remember that agonising defeat in

the decider last year against Stuart Bingham in that scintillating

contest on the Saturday evening in the semifinal. Might this be his

year? I wonder what they think about that in the commentary box.

Here we are with two experts that will guide us through play. You two

lads have the T-shirt, the full gambit of T-shirts here, and Judd

Trump is touted as a future World Champion, John. It is not easy when

your First Round opponent is the runner-up in the UK Championship?

There is a lot of talk about who you would want as a qualifier and they

mentioned Ali Carter and Ding Junhui. If I had been in this draw,

Liang Wenbo would have been high up that pecking order as well. He beat

Judd on the way to the UK Championship final. This is a

serious test. Dennis, it is no guarantee you end up with your name

on that trophy, Ding Junhui trying to. Judd Trump still has to get

there? I have tipped him this year. Maybe that is not a good thing(!)

2011 against John Higgins, he potted some of the balls in that year's

World Championship, I have never seen anything like it and I thought

he was going to beat John Higgins that year. He was two frames ahead.

I keep talking about one shot that he took two minutes on and he took

the pot on and that cost him. What is your future tipping like? I

tipped you to win six world titles! Fair enough. For these top 16

qualifiers, the top 16, it seems like every year the standard of the

qualifiers gets better? It does. We have seen already there's been a bit

of twitching. You turn up and the one thing you don't want to do is

lose First Round. He will have to play well. These two have been

practice partners for a long time. It's a potential banana skin for

Judd Trump. Over to our MC. MC: Thanks, Steve. Good afternoons,

ladies and gentlemen. This has to be one of the most eagerly-anticipated

sessions of snooker so far in this year's Betfred World Championship.

Who is going to happen? Let's find out. This is going to be huge. On

both tables, it is England against China for a place in the last 16.

Please welcome first of all, a player returning to The Crucible for

a third time and six years on from a memorable First Round debut against

Stephen Hendry. From China, Zhang Anda.

MUSIC: We Are Young By Fun feat Janelle Monae

And his opponent, he enjoyed a magnificent run to the final here

three years ago and he's made the last two semis. Some record! After

winning his first full ranking title in Australia, he's flourished over

the last four seasons. Ladies and gentlemen, he is Barry Hawkins.

MUSIC: My Love By Kele Le Roc

On Table 1, please welcome the most charismatic Chinese player on tour.

Quarterfinalist here on his debut back in 2008. This is his first

appearance at The Crucible in four years and what a run as we were

hearing to the final of the UK Championship. He wears his heart on

his sleeve, so put your hands together for Liang Wenbo.

MUSIC: Zhong Giou By Liu Dehua

His opponent, arguably the most exciting player of his generation.

He's also a two-time semifinalist. In great form, arriving here after

winning the Championship League in February and the China Open at the

start of this month. Her he is, can he bring that brand of naughty

snooker? He is the Ace In The Pack, here comes Judd Trump.

MUSIC: I Made It By Kevin Rudolf

STUDIO: The conclusion of the Hawkins-Anda match is on the Red

Button. We will watch the opening exchanges of what could be a very

interesting opening session. It's the contest of the lefties.

DENNIS TAYLOR: This could be one of the best matches of the First Round.

We have had some cracking games. The potential for this one, John, is

mouth-watering. JOHN PARROTT: Very much so. If Judd

is going to win this tournament, as a lot of people think he will, he

will have to do it the hard way. Make no mistake, Liang Wenbo is a

proper player. He is quite a character, Wenbo. We

saw that when he made his first appearance at The Crucible. He has

quite a sense of humour. He went to shake hands, but he had done so

already. He was introduced and his English is much better now. The

referee was introduced and Liang had to come back out of the arena. Then

he went back and went the wrong way down the corridor. Very funny.

Good to see him playing properly again, though. A few seasons ago, I

thought he was going to be the next big thing. He could score, play good

match play. For whatever reason, he went down the ranking list for a

while. This season, there has been a reemergence of his talents. We saw

in the UK how dangerous he is, reaching the final there. And Judd

won't be doing what he did in that match, he got 4-2 ahead and took his

foot off the pedal and Liang came back to beat him. I always think it

is dangerous when you know people so well, they are regular practice

partners, or have been, and sometimes that takes a bit of the

fear factor away. Well, it is the first attempt at a pot for Liang

Wenbo. He is a good long potter. It is early days. Can he knock his

first long one in? There's the answer. And look at the flick on the

red. Superb! What a terrific bit of cueing this

was. Have a look at that cue ball flicking the red away. Ten out of

ten for that. The balls are nicely placed here. He

needs a gentle cannon. He doesn't need to go into them at pace here.

He could have hit it softer than that and he would have been

straighter on this red. Looked a simple shot, but he didn't

get the cannon right, did he? Needed to hit the right-hand side of

that red to make sure that he had better position.

He needs the spider. We have a Chinese player, an English player

and a German referee. It is an international game these days,

snooker. One of the top referees now. A very nice fella indeed.

That's good with the spider. Now, he can go into the bunch. There is one

garn -- guaranteed to be there. The bottom red on the right is

available. You have to guard against sticking on the pack of reds here.

You don't want to hit them too hard, but you don't want touching ball.

That is the only way you could stop him getting on it. Played it well.

This is what I would expect this match to be like, Dennis. Two very

attacking players, they like to get on with it. Should be plenty of

scoring this afternoon. This will be his third black coming

up. Reds nicely open. They are blocking each other somewhat into

both corner pockets. Just overran that slightly. A tricky

little one. Not so much the pot, is it? You

would expect Liang to negotiate that. It is trying to make sure that

cue ball doesn't cannon into the reds. He will be trying to screw

this to avoid that cannon. Because of that, he's missed the pot and got

second prize. I have to be honest, it wasn't the

most convincing cue action from Liang. A bit of a poke.

I suppose when you say a little bit of a poke, the same as a little jab,

yeah? Yeah, he didn't look as fluent as the rest of that break and he

snatched it. He has to be careful. If he comes off the left side of the

table to land on that triangle of reds, he can leave the one near the

pink spot for the middle. That is why he is having to think a bit

about this. I mentioned second prize, but it's a big second prize.

It is really difficult to get safe, this.

I think I may be tempted to go the other way, come off two angles and

rest on the red on the right-hand side.

I think I would have been tempted to go two cushions the other way and

play on the bottom red there. At least I wouldn't have left the pot.

Safely negotiated. He wasn't sure where the cue ball was going to

finish up. It's gone closer to the cushion than he wanted. This is a

test of his cue action. The man next to me, if he was anywhere near a

cushion or on the cushion, he never missed, John Parrott, one of the

best in the business from near or on the cushion.

That's not bad. That was much more convincing. As I say, I mentioned

that was a bit statue the one he played before, but that was well

cued. So, there's a good bit of fortune

there, to leave Judd snookered. This is his second opportunity. But now,

he's going to be slightly hampered cueing wise.

At least he doesn't have to force it. If he drops the black in, he has

that red to the right of the blue that is available. He's hampered

here so he has to make sure of the pot and he will automatically finish

on the red. The red that is nearest to the pink

spot is available. REFEREE: Brown ball. The one on the

right-hand side in the open is. He's played on the one on the pink spot.

All the time, when these players are making the breaks, they are playing

into areas where if not perfect on the one they have played on, they

have another one to aim at, so giving themselves more than one

chance to continue with the break. That was another example of it

there, playing down that side of the table.

He almost slipped there, he was right on his toe. And he was fully

stretched and never a good thing to wear new shoes because as he

delivers the cue, watch this. He just... If you were to slip when you

were delivering the cue and your toe was to leave the floor, it is a foul

shot. Yes, whenever I got a new pair of shoes, I used to take them to the

cobblers to get them to take a shaving off. Not a good idea to be

sliding all over the place. Pretty good stuff at the moment from

Liang. REFEREE: Straightaway, please.

That might have been a sweet, someone trying to unwrap a sweet.

Marcel said, "Could you put it away, please?" There is nothing as

off-putting. It is silent here and someone is trying to get a wrapper

off a sweet. There would be fruit machines going off in the billiard

halls, but when there is absolute silence and all of a sudden

something comes along and that makes it worse. What a start for the

Chinese player here. He looks very comfortable around the table. Very

confident. He's a very positive type of person, is Liang Wenbo.

I'm with you, John. The fact that he does practice a lot with Judd, that

is why he is so comfortable. I always thought it was pretty

dangerous thing to do, playing with other professionals, especially if

you were going to meet them in tournament events. Some people like

that quality of practice. I was never a big fan of it. The amount of

times it happens, you know, you play somebody who you like as well, it is

difficult. You have to keep that little bit of distance between

yourself and the opposition. At the end of the day, you are there to

beat them. I think he is just OK. He's past the

winning post so he doesn't have to be too concerned. There is still a

red available into the right middle pocket.

Apparently, in practice, he rarely misses. He just makes break after

break. In his interview, I heard him say,

two to three hours. But most of the players these days, it is like a job

of work, they are playing six hours a day. When you come into an event

like this, it may be a case that all departments are good, so don't

overdo it. It depends on your circumstances. If you have not got

great form, you will be putting more hours in. If you are hitting the

ball properly, sometimes that is enough. Don't leave it on the

practice table, bring it here. He's been a professional 11 years

now, Liang Wenbo. He's made 164 century breaks in that

career. He's made 28 centuries this season.

That is ten more than he made last year, so he's improving all the

time. If he didn't know already, this is a

serious test for Judd Trump. Liang Wenbo got lucky missing that pot in

the middle and snookering, but since then, all he's done is sit and

watch. A great start. It is amazing how many great

left-handed players there are in the game nowadays and all great potters.

Two of them in this match. One on the next table. Barry

Hawkins. Then you have Mark Williams, Jimmy White, Mark Allen.

Neil Robertson is probably the best potter of the bunch.

We have had 27 centuries so far in this year's Betfred World

Championship. Liang has made four centuries at The

Crucible, so this will be his fifth. Very well played.

Every pot seemed to go in the centre of the pocket.

Well, what a start for this Chinese player. Didn't he take his chances

well? That is a magnificent century break and he leads 1-0.

STUDIO: It is living up to its billing. Let me show you the odds

right now. At the start of this session, this is for the outright

win, Ronnie is still the favourite. Judd Trump, the outright second

favourite. Then comes Selby, John Higgins' odds have come in to 9-1.

They like the look of Ding Junhui and Mark Allen, Ali Carter and a bit

of an outside bet, Barry Hawkins, and looking further down, 100-1 you

will get for Liang Wenbo, despite the fact this man reached the UK

Championship final. I know Peter and Steve have been watching this. This

is a very, very good start and he's playing his practice partner and the

two of you were having a discussion about whether that's a good thing or

a bad thing when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of a match like

this? It's a personal choice. I prefer to personally play people

because I feel as if I'm hitting balls when I'm practising on my own.

I think it is nice to re-create match situations and I'm lucky that

I have one of the best young players in the world to practice against,

Kyren Wilson. He could go deep in this tournament. John Parrott saying

it is good to keep yourself aloof from the other players and the

modern-day game has changed, but the only player that may benefit from

doing that is Ronnie O'Sullivan. Not sure if Ronnie O'Sullivan is

practising at the moment. Not sure myself. He maintains the mystique

around the table. We go back to Judd Trump, who finds himself 1-0 down.

Interesting stuff from the boys, as ever. Looking at that, Dennis, 100-1

for Liang Wenbo. That is amazing for the amount of talent this boy has

got. He's drawn the second favourite in Judd Trump. He is better than

100-1. Yeah, we always talk about a Chinese player winning the World

Championship and the talk is always about Ding Junhui. But I think there

is another contender in this talented player. What about that for

a pot? He's not only potting the balls, they are going right in the

centre of the pocket. That is always a good indication. Sometimes they go

in off the angle, have a look at that.

I always admire these overseas players, John, the way they come

over here, they learn the language. We have been travelling out to China

and Hong Kong, we are a bit lazy, we don't learn their language.

They are away from home, OK they have got some friends and fellow

professionals, but you have to admire them and the work they put

in. You are talking about travelling, the Australian boys,

Eddie Charlton made 110 flights from Australia, which is some going.

I thought I was doing well with 16 trips to Australia between 1975 and

'87. Still using your Air Miles, though, aren't you?

That had plenty of work on it and it's turned out not too bad.

Another great chance. Like shelling peas at the minute. What he is

doing, it he is taking his practice came to the match table, and that is

the hardest thing to do in the game of snooker. Some players, if you

practice with them, you never get a shot. But it is hard to recreate

them at the table in a match. You had tipped Judd Trump, I thought

he would have a massive say in this championship. I kept looking at the

draw, but I thought he would have a good tournament. But the is one

potential banana skin in the first round, he has just got it. Because

Liang can play, as we are seeing here.

He's got a nice swagger with him around the table. I like watching

this player. I don't think Judd was expect in

this. He knows how well Liang plays, but this is not what Judd was

wanting to happen. Olney has been doing is sitting in his seat,

watching his opponent. Just enough room in between the reds

this time. Tricky little spotting process. You need a steady hand to

do that, I can tell you. Could quite easily slip and scatter

the reds. I have seen that happen. I member Scott Lee, all the Reds went

over the table. He pulled them together and said, carry on.

All about the split here. Probably needs to get into the red, on the

right-hand side. He hits the end one, there would be anything

happening. He is a little bit unfortunate. I

don't know if he has had a bad run? He is having a clean one, maybe he

can hit the one to the left middle pocket. He is asking for the cue

ball to be cleaned. I am not a big fan of that. If I had been the

referee I would have said, I will leave it until the next shot. Unless

it is absolutely clear it is going, because from our commentary box,

maybe it is. There was a little bit of a gap.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that. When it could be touching, you just

have to say, we will clean that a bit later.

50 balls potted and Judd has unlocked one of them in.

When the cue ball is there for you to hit, it is up to you to do your

stuff. Not like the wonderful game of golf we love so much, when you

have your own ball. This game, you sit and watch and wait for your

opponent to miss. At the moment, it does not like it is going to happen.

This is very impressive. Cue ball control is excellent. He

has such a delicate touch when he is in and around the balls like this.

Players, little stunned shots and screw shots to perfection. He might

have to go in and out of the Balk area this time. Ritchie has done

nicely. Doesn't matter if he is slightly out of position, he just

plays a good shot and once again, back in prime position.

I am not sure how many players have started their first round match here

at the Crucible with back-to-back centuries. Every chance that is

going to be the case here. I know it is early on in the match, but it is

a great idea to concentrate as hard as you can and clear these up. We

have seen shots of Judd sitting in his chair, hasn't had a chance. If

you miss one, he could get to the table for a bit of practice, so just

keep him cold in the chair. Make the clearance.

This is as good a start as I have ever seen to match at the Crucible.

Unbelievable. Certainly the best start by 100-1 shot I have ever

seen. Absolutely brilliant. It doesn't matter he has ran out of

position. I don't think he can see enough of the yellow to clear the

colours. Doesn't matter, back-to-back centuries, it doesn't

get much better than that. He swerved that and he still potted

the yellow. Unlucky! What a start. He has made

back-to-back centuries and he now leads one of the favourites, GIB

Trump, by 2-0 frames. -- Judd Trump. He has sat in his chair the two

frames. There was a key shot in that frame? When he split the pack, if he

had the end read it would only cannon in and move one out. He plays

this and makes lovely contact with it. Plenty of screw on the ball.

Cannon the Redding macro as he wanted it, opened them up like a

bunch of flowers. He went on to make the century. He had the red behind

the black and thought if he screwed it too much he would have that one

available. In the end he rolled it into the middle pocket and kept Judd

in his seat. It is difficult when you are sitting so close to an

opponent. It is unusual. When you play other events, they are sitting

opposite each other. But here at the Crucible, they sit very close. If

you got next to a chain smoker or a drinker, it was very awkward, wasn't

it. I used to practice my jokes with the people sitting next to me.

Whoever was in the audience next to me. We have not seen Judd play yet,

because this has been a terrific performance from Liang.

Third frame, Liang Wenbo to break. You could see as he delivered the

cube, his eyes went to the object ball. People always ask, which ball

do you look at and the break of shot showed you his eyes going to the

reds as he delivered the cue ball. It is a pretty good safety shot from

Judd. He needs a couple of them to try and get a chance. Just coming up

a little bit short. I thought he was going to get in behind the green.

That is a pretty good return. If he can get past the blue, he might be

able to sneak one and get back down the left side. Well played.

Brilliant Potter and rig builder. You mentioned 2011 in the final

here, some of the balls he potted, top ten shot up the championship and

it was nearly all Judd. Some incredible shots on his way to the

final. You need to have a grasp of what is required safety rise and

tactically, and he has certainly improved in that department. This is

a good reply from Liang. Excellent. I must admit, since they recovered

the cushions on both tables, they are playing much better. They were

struggling, especially on this table. The other table was playing

OK at the start. But new questions on this table and did the same on

the other table. They looked to be playing beautifully now. The score

is telling you that as well. Great cue ball control from Liang, but

everything is possible. It is great the Association, so proactive when

the players tell them this isn't quite right. They get it sorted.

Everything is going right for Liang, everything.

They have been going something like 28 minutes. Judd, hasn't had

anything to look at. Is he ever going to get a chance to

pot the red in this match? This isn't straightforward either.

He has decided to play two questions. Foul and a miss. He will

be putting that one right back. Sometimes when they play that shot

they are cautious, to have a little look. They don't know how the

cushions spring off, so you expect them to get a bit closer with this

one. If he over swerved set it up put him right in amongst the reds.

He mustn't get extra swerve otherwise the White will stay in the

reds. He wants to look at the monitor.

Judd will help the referee out as much as possible. Near enough spot

on. Nothing worse for Judd here. Sat in

the chair of the two frames, watching his opponent pot

everything. He will be itching to get amongst the balls and make a

break. But he cannot get in and have a look at one. He cannot come off a

couple of questions and land on a red to the right because he will

either coupled to the left pocket. That is a brilliant shot. Where is

the cue ball going? It is OK. It was worth the penalty points. That was

so difficult to judge. I don't know if he can see enough of

this red to put it in and play the safety shot at the same time. Just

down the other side. Look at this... Look where he is going to finish up.

He has an easy escape of the red. But he wants an even better safety

shot. That is why he's getting out the extension on the cue and the

rest, to get in behind one of those colours.

He likes that yellow. He is in behind it again. I think Judd can

hit the one to the right of the bunch. But what can he do with it

rushed him he cannot get back down the table from it.

That is not the worst place to leave the cue ball. Have to get this a

little bit thinner than that. Not quite, this time. See if Judd

camp put a telling safety in. He has got to somehow create a chance for

himself. Brilliant again from Liang. This

will be as hard a shot he plays a safety shot, he has got to get this

then. That is brilliant. Not of the head from Liang and a tap

of the table. Quite right. Judd, is fresh from victory, one in China, so

he must be coming into this championship full of confidence.

Over 37 minutes this match has been going on Judd is yet to pot ball. He

hasn't had a ball to look at. I think Liang is looking at coming

past the green with a bit of side, a back flick of the cushion.

The first point is that Judd has got in this match is from a foul. He

would like to say he's off the mark, but he's not, really. As we always

say, you never settle in any match until you win your first frame.

In this case, he might not be settled in until he pops his first

ball. Played the same shot again, but

played it well this time. Look at the black, surrounded with five

reds. It is totally out of the game at the moment, as is the pink. That

has helped the situation, but he has pushed the black over. It is not

totally safe. The last thing Judd wants is a scrappy brain. -- frame.

What has he left? I think he has got away with it this time. He will be

pleased to see the cue ball finish where it has. Once he played the

shot, and he hit it wrong, he will be thinking, I have let him in

again. That was a pretty attacking safety

shot from Liang Wenbo. He has opened the reds. The pink is still out of

commission, but he has spread the reds. He has played a good shot.

The only shot open to him really, a deep, screw shot.

We know Liang Wenbo has got his potting boots on. Can he pull out

another long one? It is almost straight. He has a slight angle and

that tells you he can get towards the black or the blue. Fabulous.

Fabulous. Liang, front elbow really bent and

enabled himself to get the cue right through the ball. Not like the

old-style stuff. We will try to show you that later, but it enables him

to get through the ball. Look how close the curtain is, he was stood

right up against it, Liang Wenbo. That is how tight it is here at the

Crucible. See how Liang's elbow was bent. Just

bend that elbow if you are struggling, allows you to get

through the ball. He had that beautifully. Made a mess of his last

position shot. This could have been a lot easier. I don't know what

happened on the front row. Smiles all around. Marcel, just having a

word with someone on the front row. Amazingly, he could go wrong ball

completely and it ended up being a great safety shot. Definitely going

his way, at the minute. First one of the championship. How

long has it took? 45 minutes and he has knocked his first red in. It

went in-off the other red, but it doesn't matter how they go in. I

think he deserves a little bit of luck.

Let's see how well he is cueing because this is the first chance he

has had. This is a massive part of this

match. He has to stamp his authority on this game. This is the standard

when you are playing at, when it is your turn you have to be ready to

go. He has got them perfectly placed now.

You throw them on the table and practice with them like that.

Once he gets going he does not hang around.

He has said himself he has become more professional, more dedicated.

If you do that, you will get the rewards, if you have got a talent

like Judd has. No half measures when you are a professional snooker

player. It is not going to be easy to make a

frame-winning break here. A couple of tricky ones behind the

black. We might not have seen him for 45

minutes, but he is hitting it good. This is a great response from him.

Would you believe it? That was a lapse in concentration. All he was

thinking about was the position on the red and he took his eye off the

black. If you do not give every shot 100%, it is amazing what can be

missed. On that occasion he was thinking more about the position and

he took his eye off the pot. And with Liang also being left-handed,

when you make a mistake, you have set it up for an opponent who likes

the same shot as you do. Get the black in and flick the read

out. He will do well to develop these. He must have the angle on the

black otherwise he would not be looking at this. You need to hit the

outside. He can get the left-hand side won. He might develop both of

them. You called it right, John, it was

going to be tough to develop those and so it proved. He hit the right

red OK, he just could not get more impetus into it.

Not really much of a safety shot he can play from here.

Some players play a shot where they stand it in to both ball.

I'm sure he has thought about your shot. He has thought about it for

over a minute. He has tried the plant but that is

totally the wrong choice of shot. That has thrown the frame away. But

he thought long and hard, over a minute. He could have sent both

reads up, as you suggested, John. The shot selection was the problem.

He thought of everything by taking the plant on. You live by the sword,

you die by the sword. It was a bit too adventurous for my liking.

I am thinking Liang had a chance to take the frame after Judd missed the

black of the spot. That would have been another turning point and it

would have put him 3-0 up. They are a tough shot to pot along the

question without trying to plant it. That could be a mini turning point

in this best of 19. A little bit of Judd's naughty

snooker as they say at the end of the frame, to entertain and try

exhibition tight shots. A little bit like that one.

Though, my goodness! What was that? That was extra naughty snooker.

Liang concedes. He had a chance. Judd Trump will be feeling a lot

better. HAZEL: He did not put a ball in the

first couple of frames. It is the first time in round one that anyone

has ever made back-to-back centuries to start the match. It was a

blistering start. Really impressive stuff, although I am not so sure

about the plant he played. For all about their fantastic start, you

then present your opponent with a gift. Sometimes you can scrape 2-1.

But any at the shot he played look like it was a defensive safety and

then he loses the tactical part of it. You could possibly say it was a

very attacking option, but we sit here and most of the time in the

game you criticise when somebody get that little bit more attacking, as

we have done with Judd Trump when he plays long-range plans. Sometimes

these things will go when maybe they will not and you convince yourself.

There is a short that he could have played with both reds up the table.

But he probably did not feel comfortable playing a containing or

negative safety shot, having just made back-to-back centuries, which

was incredible, the perfect start. So he decided to play a very low

percentage plant. Personally it was the wrong shot, but he has made two

centuries. It looks as though both players are in form which is very

encouraging from our audience point of view. It is a game of decisions.

Sometimes a shot like that will go in. But it did not look like a seven

out of ten shops to me. Judd Trump never potted a ball for

45 minutes. From the confidence point of view Liang Wenbo would like

this frame to lead 3-1 after the way he started. I think he is OK going

down the left-hand side of the table. As long as he gets a good

length with the safety shot. I think he is thinking ahead. If he plays

that one down there, the one you are on about, Dennis, the one on the

left-hand side is the one that Judd will be jumping all over. The read

that he is clipping might knock red out of pack.

He has got the baulk colours to cover that red with.

It will be nearly two minutes thinking time. It looks like he is

going to try and drop on the red by the black.

He did. I would rather have left Judd along pot rather than leaving

him something like this. That was a classic example of overthinking.

That is a brilliant pot, do not get me wrong. He spent a lot of time

looking at it to play not a very good shot, Liang.

That was beautifully struck. Absolutely perfect position. Of all

the first round matches I was really looking forward to this and it has

lived up to its expectations. The two players are in very good

form, both open and attacking players.

He has got a slight angle on this which means he has to hit it a bit

harder to get onto the black. He made that look very easy, so he

is now very comfortable out there, John.

The yellow is the perfect angle if he wants to. The one just behind the

pink is available to the left corner. He hit that one very well as

well. That was a tough shot. He timed it beautifully.

He did not hit that one very well. He cued across it slightly. That is

why he did not get onto the red he intended. That is not the one he

played for, but that will do nicely. We have got a game on. I am really

looking forward to this, both players are cueing very well. It is

just a shame there is an interval coming, but there always is after

four frames. Just another colour and this frame

will be safe. He is moving nicely around the

table. The scoreboard changes quickly with these two players. This

has been a fabulous break. There are the old daisies as we used

to call them. I like to call them Strictly Come Dancing shoes. He will

be dancing going into the break. What a shame we did not get a

century break, but what a standard these two players are playing at. It

is all square at two each. It is blow for blow between these

two practice partners. They are just punching one another. Incredible

stuff, a fantastic start from Liang, a great response from Judd. This

could be an awesome match. It does magnify that Liang Wenbo had a

chance to keep the pressure on Judd Trump and he let him off the hook

for that session. We will quickly delve into events on the other side

of the character and because there is a lot riding on this for a number

of players because Barry Hawkins who has a good recent record here in the

last few years he has been up against quite a few players, and

this is a very impressive and consistent record here. In 2013 he

went all the way to the final. He got to the semifinals the next two

years. He has certainly got what John Parrott calls the Crucible

factor. He was up against Zhang Anda. We will join them in frame

ten. This is being watched by Ken Doherty and John Virgo. The

dreaded bumper. It could be costly. The reds could not be better spread.

All the colours are on their spots. It could give Hawkins a chance to

win at this visit. It is hard to see him not making the

most of this opportunity. Plenty of options.

He does not have to do much with the cue ball here.

He is coming around to have a look at the black. He does not have the

angle on the red. This is a strange choice of shot. He

was right. Sometimes you cannot see it from up here, but when you are

down at the line of the shop you can. It was a strange choice, but

the right one. This red to go 52 ahead with just 51

remaining. Well, they were all there for the

taking and he has taken them well. He went out of position a couple of

times. This is where he is dangerous. You never expect him to

miss an easy pot. He has lovely cueing action when he gets going.

The type that is suited to these type of tables.

He has missed the cannon, but it will not matter.

Zhang Anda has conceded. Barry Hawkins will be pleased.

HAZEL: At 12 Crucible campaign for Barry Hawkins and he is moving in

the right direction. We go into the next frame with Barry Hawkins having

ground to make up. That was half a chance for Barry

Hawkins to get back into the frame. It is not far away. But it was not

close enough. That is a good pot. He is just about

on the pink to the middle pocket. This will put him 45 points in front

with 59 remaining. He is still looking for one more red and colour.

The paint is available to the right middle. But where does the next red