Day 15, Semi-Finals, Afternoon Session - Pt 1 Snooker: World Championship


Day 15, Semi-Finals, Afternoon Session - Pt 1

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Transcript


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Good afternoon. We know there are walls waiting to be painted, shelves

:01:19.:01:32.

and begging to be put up and Gardens longing for some TLC. Let them wait.

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This weekend is all about invents indoors here at the Crucible

:01:38.:01:42.

Theatre. We are about to find out who will stride force into our

:01:43.:01:51.

final. Things are not pretty but John Higgins is somehow finding a

:01:52.:01:57.

way in his semifinal. He is inching towards a sixth world final. Barry

:01:58.:02:02.

Hawkins cannot seem to get going. He has banned chance after chance with

:02:03.:02:11.

Higgins therefore the taking. Mark Selby has thrown everything at his

:02:12.:02:15.

opponent in the other semifinal. Ding Junhui will not be broken. They

:02:16.:02:20.

resume at 12 frames appease afterword the greater sessions we

:02:21.:02:25.

have ever seen in 40 years here. We will introduce you to the tournament

:02:26.:02:31.

director, if he can stay still for long enough. You can send in your

:02:32.:02:36.

questions and videos. We will look at those, picked the best ones for

:02:37.:02:41.

the day and we will try to make your snooker game better. If you were up

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early this morning for the full life experience from the Crucible at

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10am, well done to you. The first four frames between Barry Hawkins

:02:57.:03:00.

and John Higgins will have done nothing to seize any sore heads. It

:03:01.:03:05.

was painful stuff. Nevertheless compelling forgiven what is at

:03:06.:03:10.

stake. John Higgins helped the four frame advantage at 10-6. He is

:03:11.:03:17.

searching for the magic ingredient that will bring back the emphatic

:03:18.:03:22.

form. Barry Hawkins chasing the game but it has been a curiously

:03:23.:03:28.

tentative performance from the Hawk. Bwemmy left at midday on BBC Two,

:03:29.:03:33.

Hawkins had fallen six frames behind, trailing 13-7. Higgins is

:03:34.:03:39.

eyeing an early finish. He needs all four remaining frames to book his

:03:40.:03:42.

place in a sixth Crucible final. Settle down. Harry Hawkins to break.

:03:43.:04:03.

-- Barry. This is a much better break off from Barry Hawkins. He has

:04:04.:04:15.

made a few poor break of shots so far in this session. That was

:04:16.:04:17.

better. Well, that good break of shots from

:04:18.:04:56.

Barry Hawkins has left himself with a chance here. John did not return a

:04:57.:05:01.

good safety. These are what you call confidence boosters. You must start

:05:02.:05:03.

knocking these in. It will be tough for Barry. 13-7

:05:04.:05:21.

behind. It really is. He is usually so good at that type of shot.

:05:22.:05:30.

What Barry has to do is win at least one frame of this last four to take

:05:31.:05:38.

the match into the final session tonight. John Higgins could get a

:05:39.:05:46.

night off which maybe he would like. He would not mind that at all. I has

:05:47.:05:55.

had -- have had a text from Les in Southport. He told me John was there

:05:56.:06:01.

last night. He drove to Southport. John was in his club knocking balls

:06:02.:06:06.

around at one o'clock this morning. He has had to drive back to

:06:07.:06:10.

Sheffield. That is probably why he is looking a little bit tired. Just

:06:11.:06:18.

over five hours there and back. He may be thought he pushed it

:06:19.:07:23.

there. He called the push himself. He was trying a little shot where

:07:24.:07:29.

you deliberately miscues so you do not push it. The referee would never

:07:30.:07:37.

have spotted that. But Barry... He is trying to miscue and he felt that

:07:38.:07:42.

he pushed it slightly. He will play it again. Yeah, that was OK. Surely

:07:43.:07:53.

they can get off this thread and get the cue ball back near the yellow or

:07:54.:07:56.

something like that. -- this red. Well, what was that! He hit that so

:07:57.:08:20.

hard and has left them read on. That has baffled him, that last shot. --

:08:21.:08:29.

left the red on. Aid to refit reception for that long

:08:30.:08:44.

pot. The Crucible crowd would like to see a bit of a comeback. -- a

:08:45.:08:55.

terrific reception. Stunned it into the reds rather than screw it.

:08:56.:08:58.

Played it to perfection. If he screwed that, he would have

:08:59.:09:15.

stuck into the back of the reds. You have to hit it half ball and not

:09:16.:09:22.

full. He could not have played it better. He needs to give himself a

:09:23.:09:31.

little bit of competence. -- confidence and

:09:32.:09:38.

He has done that so often this match. Finishing straight on the

:09:39.:10:15.

black. Another three or four inches of pace, it does not matter. As long

:10:16.:10:21.

as your hand is on the table, the black is unmissable. He would have

:10:22.:10:25.

loved to have gone into the bunch went knowing there is a break off

:10:26.:10:35.

over the middle pocket. -- a red over the middle pocket.

:10:36.:10:51.

Just looking at the bunch, in a couple of shots time, he will

:10:52.:11:02.

probably play for the green. That suggests the red with a nice angle

:11:03.:11:07.

on the green. From the blue, the pink is in the way. Definitely worth

:11:08.:11:11.

playing on the green here. Has he gone far enough across? He

:11:12.:11:29.

can still pot the green right-hand side. If he misses the pink but he

:11:30.:11:38.

can open the reds up. He has hit the pink and that has spoiled things.

:11:39.:11:43.

Did not quite get the cannon, as he intended.

:11:44.:13:07.

Yes, he called a shot at the previous visit when Barry Hawkins

:13:08.:13:15.

was playing the green into the reds. This is the line you would expect

:13:16.:13:21.

him to take. That is what he was trying and he caught the pink.

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He is playing the safety shot that saying, just maybe, I might be able

:14:01.:14:10.

to knock a plant in as well. I suppose he would call it a plant to

:14:11.:14:19.

nothing. No. Just the safety. He did look at the plant but he has a good

:14:20.:14:24.

one. It is in behind the yellow by the look of things.

:14:25.:15:09.

Left a tempter into the middle. If he can find a way to play it as a

:15:10.:15:20.

shock to nothing he will take it on. Otherwise he will go safe.

:15:21.:15:27.

He can get through to the one that is comfortable, to the right of the

:15:28.:15:38.

blue. If this one cuts, he will definitely take it on.

:15:39.:16:08.

Barry Hawkins comes to the table 29 points in front. An easy read

:16:09.:16:15.

start-up of the couple of the reds are available into the corner

:16:16.:16:17.

pockets. -- and easy red. Now, he has been finishing straight

:16:18.:17:22.

on a lot of blacks. He will have some sort of shot to play on into

:17:23.:17:31.

the bunch. Bringing that through quite a long way. If he gets nicely

:17:32.:17:38.

on one in the middle it will open another read -- red up.

:17:39.:17:58.

That last shot on the break off and into the middle was a terrific shot.

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At that angle, to pot at that pace was top class. -- that last shot on

:18:25.:18:32.

the red and into the middle. He is the only player that does that. Now

:18:33.:18:38.

the cannon into the right side of the reds. The two reds near the pink

:18:39.:18:45.

will open everything up. He played beautifully.

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Absolutely spot-on. You do not get a better split than that. This will

:18:56.:19:00.

make Barry feel a bit better. I will tell you what. That will not

:19:01.:19:29.

make him feel very good. That was a relapse in concentration. What a

:19:30.:19:36.

time to miss an easy pot! Looking at that, I think the pink

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lifted. It seemed to jump a little bit.

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Let's have another look at this in slow motion. I am sure the pink

:20:13.:20:20.

jumped here. It did a little bit. Maybe we are doing Barry and

:20:21.:20:21.

injustice. 51 points behind as we speak. In

:20:22.:20:57.

normal circumstances we would be saying it is a great chance for John

:20:58.:21:03.

Higgins to pinch the frame. I'm not sure either parents playing well

:21:04.:21:08.

enough to do that at the moment will stop -- either player is playing

:21:09.:21:12.

well enough to do that at the moment.

:21:13.:21:32.

He almost missed the pot. That is why he flicked the black.

:21:33.:21:54.

He will take that. He is still getting used to the new tip. Five

:21:55.:22:08.

and a half hour drive to Southport his good friend, Les Dodd, to put a

:22:09.:22:22.

new tip on and practice. Then the drive back. It is not like a tennis

:22:23.:22:26.

racket where you can just pick another one up.

:22:27.:22:37.

What a steal this would be! It will not be straightforward. As John has

:22:38.:22:46.

a look around, he is 28 behind. You would think it would all be about

:22:47.:22:48.

blue to pink. If he gets that far. That is amazing. He has overrun by

:22:49.:23:13.

five or six inches. I am not saying he is going to miss the green but I

:23:14.:23:16.

would rather him play the blue to get onto the yellow than the green

:23:17.:23:22.

at distance. Anything but straight is fine.

:23:23.:23:43.

Another couple of inches would have been fine. He looked a little bit

:23:44.:23:53.

down on himself. He did not get a good angle on the green.

:23:54.:24:24.

He has an angle to come off the top cushion. He could leave it for the

:24:25.:24:38.

corner. He must be so precise here. A bit too much side on it. A

:24:39.:24:48.

misjudgement. That is the new tip. That shot is the natural shot when

:24:49.:24:52.

you are used to the tip. That means he has not had enough time with this

:24:53.:24:57.

tip to judge that shot was not that shot he would definitely have played

:24:58.:24:59.

where Dennis said. That was a strange shot. I agree

:25:00.:25:26.

with the run-off. Barry could play this as a pot. Get the white tight

:25:27.:25:35.

on the baulk cushion. I wonder if he will take it on. He is not playing

:25:36.:25:48.

it. He is playing safe. He has played it well. It needs to bounce.

:25:49.:25:56.

It needs to balance. It has not stop this will cut. He is just looking up

:25:57.:26:04.

and back at the table. He knows John can sneak the pink in and the White

:26:05.:26:08.

will come automatically to the black.

:26:09.:26:17.

It is there by way of the cue ball. It will be a tough black, a very

:26:18.:26:23.

tough black. It is 14-7. The four-time former

:26:24.:26:48.

world champion has pinched that frame from Barry Hawkins. As I say,

:26:49.:26:51.

it is now 14-7. The 22nd frame. John Higgins to

:26:52.:27:57.

break. He left one in the middle which he

:27:58.:28:33.

will be taking on. Might be worth a double here for

:28:34.:29:02.

Barry. The free shots will be on the black. Wouldn't leave a great deal.

:29:03.:29:15.

John now has a seven frame advantage. He might be tempted with

:29:16.:29:37.

the red. The white will be going towards the green for them he will

:29:38.:29:41.

be going towards the red which is right middle pocket.

:29:42.:29:47.

A prolonged round of applause. He had a little bit of help from the

:29:48.:30:09.

green. And now, one good angle probably on the yellow here and he

:30:10.:30:14.

can go right into the bunch. Could be a good chance in a couple of

:30:15.:30:21.

shots time. Played for the blue. Same thing. Into the pink full ball.

:30:22.:30:25.

Make sure there are no plants on. I don't think those two reds will go

:30:26.:30:46.

near the black so it hasn't worked out perfectly for John. And now that

:30:47.:30:50.

the bloom is up next to the pink, the red into the middle pocket... --

:30:51.:31:01.

the blue is next to the pink. Not quite full ball but he was still

:31:02.:31:05.

unlucky not to drop on one. He is going to take this up into the

:31:06.:31:08.

corner and played for the black, it is a bit of a freak shot. APPLAUSE

:31:09.:31:26.

-- a free shot. Perfectly played. He is growing in confidence now, as he

:31:27.:31:30.

should do with a seven frame advantage. Playing a little flick

:31:31.:31:38.

off the red to open those two up just by the black. He has got second

:31:39.:31:43.

prize, pushed one over the middle pocket but he didn't play for it. He

:31:44.:31:50.

did open the two reds to the right of the black and there is a gap

:31:51.:31:54.

between them so he will be playing up for a baulk colour.

:31:55.:32:05.

You can tell by the shots he is playing, he is not anywhere near

:32:06.:32:14.

used to his tip but he is somehow 4-1 up in this session.

:32:15.:32:31.

Has it come far enough for the straight one or will he have to take

:32:32.:32:39.

the one closest to the black? It is the one closest, it shouldn't be a

:32:40.:32:44.

problem, a nice little stone shot. -- stun shot.

:32:45.:33:04.

It is not always essential to break into the pack when there is a red on

:33:05.:33:10.

because he knows he does not have to go into them because when he pots

:33:11.:33:14.

one ball, another will become available. If they were applied up

:33:15.:33:20.

-- if they were tied up he would have played the black into the bunch

:33:21.:33:22.

to stay on to this red. John Higgins highest break in this

:33:23.:33:42.

match amazingly is only 89 and that is in winning 14 frames. His highest

:33:43.:33:48.

break in this session has only been 48 and he has won four frames.

:33:49.:34:18.

It has run a little awkward if he can't get past this red because the

:34:19.:34:34.

one near the corner pocket is tight on the cushion.

:34:35.:34:42.

Just enough room. He has to head up the table again, though. He could

:34:43.:34:55.

hold for the black. It is a portable black but he could not have help it

:34:56.:34:57.

any more than that -- pottable. John Higgins, 45. He probably played

:34:58.:35:22.

it with a little touch of right-hand side and didn't allow for the throw.

:35:23.:35:38.

Well, he's having a bit of a nightmare now, Barry Hawkins. He

:35:39.:35:44.

knows this semifinal has slipped away from him.

:35:45.:36:02.

There was enough room for the red to pass the black but it wasn't a full

:36:03.:36:11.

pocket. When he touched the black, that was going to happen.

:36:12.:36:39.

I thought for a second he was going to kiss the red full ball and be on

:36:40.:36:46.

nothing. He played to go round the back of it without cannoning it but

:36:47.:36:49.

he did move it into a better position. He only needs two more

:36:50.:36:58.

reds to be assured of it and to leave Barry sitting in his seat. One

:36:59.:37:06.

more red and colour would leave snooker is required but if he pots

:37:07.:37:10.

to more, which he should do, Barry will not come back to the table.

:37:11.:37:16.

He will be so disappointed at not even competing, really. John Higgins

:37:17.:37:26.

highest break is only 48 and at this level you can't win frames with just

:37:27.:37:30.

48 but he has won five of them. Regardless if he wins this match

:37:31.:38:04.

with a session to spare or not, he will be on the practice table with

:38:05.:38:12.

that new tip. Because all the odds are he will get through to the final

:38:13.:38:15.

and he will want to play as many frames as possible to get used to

:38:16.:38:25.

it. Even that one, it doesn't matter about the black. Barry leaves the

:38:26.:38:33.

arena, as does John, and it is all too easy for the former four-time

:38:34.:38:35.

champion Andy is now leading 15-7. Racing toward you would think of six

:38:36.:38:45.

Crucible final six years after his last. We are in the practice room,

:38:46.:38:50.

Mark Selby the defending champion getting some practice and work done

:38:51.:38:55.

before his final session at two 30p against Ding Junhui after a

:38:56.:39:00.

sensational session last night in which Mark went 12-10 up and Ding

:39:01.:39:05.

came straight back at him with back-to-back centuries. It is

:39:06.:39:08.

beautifully poised in that one and we can't wait. I will not disturb

:39:09.:39:13.

him any more, we will get back to the match between John Higgins and

:39:14.:39:17.

Barry Hawkins and John definitely has eyes on the winning with a

:39:18.:39:22.

session to spare. Two more frames remaining in their third session.

:39:23.:39:23.

Can he win them both? Another good break-off shot from

:39:24.:39:51.

Barry, he has hit a different red to normal, you don't see them spread

:39:52.:39:56.

around like that. Barry will give it his best shot, playing for pride now

:39:57.:40:01.

and give it frame by frame, give it your best shot. That is not bad,

:40:02.:40:10.

really. Better in the pocket than wobbling in the jaws and staying up

:40:11.:40:12.

amongst the reds. The pace of his safety shots this

:40:13.:40:41.

morning has been the worst I have ever seen from Barry.

:40:42.:40:52.

Good pot from John Higgins but he should not have had it that easy. He

:40:53.:41:03.

didn't have to do an awful lot with the cue ball, it was a plain ball

:41:04.:41:10.

pot. The pink and black are tied up, I wonder if he will try to do some

:41:11.:41:15.

big about the black, if the powers in the blue with side and comes off

:41:16.:41:19.

the cushion he might be able to cannon the black and red and make

:41:20.:41:22.

something happen because they are tied up at the moment. That is what

:41:23.:41:30.

he has tried. He has brought the black into play. Is he on a red?

:41:31.:41:40.

That is unlucky, Dennis. He played your shot, and it is amazing he has

:41:41.:41:43.

not gone onto a red. I mean this semifinal means so much

:41:44.:42:08.

to both players but John Higgins, it is 2011 since he lifted the title

:42:09.:42:13.

here, beating Judd Trump in a fabulous final. He has had to wait

:42:14.:42:21.

another six years to get back to the one-table situation. Another loose

:42:22.:42:28.

safety shot. Exactly the same think he did not find the baulk cushion

:42:29.:42:35.

again. Somebody just come into the press box, John just had to get up

:42:36.:42:48.

off the shot. You always fancied him parting that on, it was almost

:42:49.:42:52.

identical to the previous one. And those types of pots always give you

:42:53.:43:00.

confidence with a new tip. They make you feel pretty good.

:43:01.:43:08.

Needs a bit of luck here. And he has got it. It is usually the case when

:43:09.:43:19.

you are out in front, I would say John is at the top of his form, but

:43:20.:43:24.

when you get a lead like that you tend to get the run of the ball and

:43:25.:43:29.

he got it there. And with that one little flick off the reds to finish

:43:30.:43:32.

on a red he has a great chance here. Just a little bit thin on the blue

:43:33.:44:46.

but doesn't have to do much with the cue ball, a bit of left-hand side to

:44:47.:44:48.

straighten it up off the cushion. There is one loose red at the bottom

:44:49.:45:57.

of the pack but he will need some sort of cannon in a minute, he might

:45:58.:46:01.

as well played to finish low on it so he can pot it and bring others

:46:02.:46:07.

into play and he has done that so he will be flicking off the pack and

:46:08.:46:11.

going up for blue or baulk colour and all of the reds will be in play

:46:12.:46:14.

after this shot. And that is perfect with the two

:46:15.:46:31.

reds below the pink potting in the corner so he will be playing for a

:46:32.:46:34.

choice off this yellow. You can see, 54 is the difference,

:46:35.:47:19.

he needs a few more pots to secure the frame. It should not be a

:47:20.:47:29.

problem and he will have one thing in the back of his mind now and that

:47:30.:47:33.

is to win the match with a session to spare. Then he can relax this

:47:34.:47:41.

evening and play that new tip in but it looks pretty good at the moment,

:47:42.:47:46.

he looks very comfortable with it. This is already his highest break of

:47:47.:47:48.

the morning session, Dennis. APPLAUSE

:47:49.:47:56.

That is frame ball. Can he make a century? 22 frames

:47:57.:48:18.

without a century! I never thought I would be saying that about John

:48:19.:48:23.

Higgins. But they only win one frame. And the next shop will

:48:24.:48:30.

determine if he can possibly get it, if he misses the pink and cannons

:48:31.:48:38.

the reds... He has got a bit of a chance. This will go into the

:48:39.:48:47.

corner. He might play it firm to try to flick another read off the

:48:48.:48:50.

cushion and that is what he has done. APPLAUSE

:48:51.:49:00.

He's playing to pot this black and cannons into the second Kroos, the

:49:01.:49:09.

one nearest the cushion. What a good shot.

:49:10.:49:14.

John Higgins is one of the best players of doubles in the game. He

:49:15.:49:43.

has been a fabulous break-builder over the years. I expected him to

:49:44.:49:50.

pot that's what a shame, note century break this morning but he is

:49:51.:49:55.

now just one away from victory with that 90 break and it is 16-7.

:49:56.:50:06.

Floyd Mayweather, from the recent time watching boxing. Celtic being

:50:07.:50:17.

the first British to win the European cup in 1967. The Ryder Cup.

:50:18.:50:21.

We had a penalty kick competition and I was chosen to go and I want

:50:22.:50:28.

it. I would love to win the world title again, that would be amazing.

:50:29.:50:37.

The Crucible. Followed by closely where we used to play the Irish

:50:38.:50:41.

Masters in Ireland. I would love to play for Celtic! Lately it has been

:50:42.:50:52.

stopped. But you do a bit back home. I would have to invite McGuire, he

:50:53.:50:57.

would bring the alcohol! Ricky Walden, he throws a few shapes

:50:58.:51:01.

around the table. And Andrew Higginson. I think the bags are a

:51:02.:51:06.

bit tight right now! So John Higgins breaks off in what

:51:07.:51:32.

he hopes will be the last frame of this semifinal. But Barry Hawkins,

:51:33.:51:40.

he has got a lot of pride, and I would love to see him knock in this

:51:41.:51:43.

long red. Unlucky. There is one that will cut

:51:44.:51:59.

back, I think. But that has tied up the black. He wasn't far away with

:52:00.:52:08.

this. No cutback, just a safety shot. He hasn't put the cue ball in,

:52:09.:52:21.

has he? Very good judgment, John! Got the pace of the table. You lucky

:52:22.:52:24.

boy! Barry was banging the table! If that

:52:25.:52:38.

White did happen to drop in, I think it is only allowed about two or

:52:39.:52:43.

three second and then it would be replaced, not like one of your

:52:44.:52:50.

putts... Gravity normally takes it! Barry is looking at a three-ball

:52:51.:52:54.

plant, if he takes it on the reds will be spread far and wide and I

:52:55.:52:57.

think he might as well have a go and try to make a 147 to beat Ronnie

:52:58.:53:04.

O'Sullivan's 146. The reds will be going everywhere if he is playing

:53:05.:53:11.

it. He has played it and what a shame! The White has gone in! He

:53:12.:53:17.

went all out to try to bring the black into it and make a sizeable

:53:18.:53:25.

break. He wanted to throw his cue into the crowd. He is such a lovely

:53:26.:53:31.

fella but he is struggling out there. But have a look at the focus

:53:32.:53:36.

on the face of John Higgins. He did not get involved in all that

:53:37.:53:43.

laughter. He is out there to do a job. APPLAUSE

:53:44.:54:15.

That is the hit, he needed to be straight on this, I don't know if he

:54:16.:54:21.

can pot it and miss the bunch but if he can eat and get on to blue or

:54:22.:54:27.

baulk colour but the harder he plays it, the wider the white will throw.

:54:28.:54:34.

He has managed to hold it for the black, amazingly enough. But this is

:54:35.:54:38.

missable am by no means easy. Having missed a just off straight

:54:39.:55:01.

black early in the match, that was a tough one, but he had a feeling it

:55:02.:55:06.

could win him frame and match if it went in. And earlier in the week

:55:07.:55:11.

that might have gone in off the far jaw, they aren't now. Come on,

:55:12.:55:18.

Barry, take us to the last session with a century.

:55:19.:55:41.

That just shows you how much he is struggling, he played to finish on

:55:42.:56:05.

the blue half ball. All at sea at the moment.

:56:06.:57:40.

He wobbled that want into the pocket.

:57:41.:57:47.

-- that one. He is doing well here, playing for pride at the moment,

:57:48.:58:01.

Harry Hawkins. -- Barry Hawkins. Having a bit of a laugh with the

:58:02.:58:05.

crowd and I think they would love to see him take this frame. John

:58:06.:58:10.

Higgins wouldn't. That black that he missed, he put himself under a bit

:58:11.:58:13.

of pressure even though he is so far in front because he wanted to win so

:58:14.:58:17.

he did not have to come back this evening. But the way things are

:58:18.:58:22.

going, he might have too. It wasn't a sitter.

:58:23.:58:31.

We just watched the black for a second time as Barry overhits that.

:58:32.:58:40.

Those blacks were going in off the far jaw but they aren't any more.

:58:41.:58:46.

Barry Hawkins has lost position, he is 40 in front, it doesn't appear as

:58:47.:58:53.

if any of these reds would be easily attainable from a positional shot.

:58:54.:59:00.

He will have some sort of pot into the yellow pocket if it goes in,

:59:01.:59:02.

maybe one into the middle. He needs this red and Green or

:59:03.:59:26.

above. No. But he is odds-on favourite, especially now that the

:59:27.:59:31.

white has finished up their. APPLAUSE

:59:32.:59:38.

He is having a little smile, a nice time to get a good run of the ball,

:59:39.:59:42.

16-7 behind! He will not be taking the miss

:59:43.:00:03.

because he now just needs to pot this red. 52 in front, don't go in

:00:04.:00:17.

off! Every chance we are coming back this evening.

:00:18.:00:25.

No. No, you are kidding. The white disappears. Barring sneakers, we are

:00:26.:01:00.

coming back this evening. -- snookers. Only the one snooker

:01:01.:01:07.

needed. The way they are situated, the

:01:08.:01:22.

colours, a bit of a chance that John could still close the match out in

:01:23.:01:29.

this session. I just wondered if he pops the three reds and the yellow

:01:30.:01:34.

then he could make a really telling snooker. A great call. Let's see if

:01:35.:01:44.

he will do that if he got in behind the green, he could put a telling

:01:45.:01:51.

snooker in behind the blue. Where do you see a player not leave the last

:01:52.:01:59.

red on. Trying to get onto the yellow.

:02:00.:02:10.

That is exactly what he is going to do. It is all about getting a good

:02:11.:02:18.

angle on the yellow so he can get behind the green and leave the

:02:19.:02:20.

perfect angle to get in behind the blue. Has he got the angle? He would

:02:21.:02:32.

love to be able to get over that and roll the green tight behind the

:02:33.:02:36.

blue. I don't think he can do that. I think he has finished a little

:02:37.:02:41.

straight on the yellow. Yes, absolutely straight full study can

:02:42.:02:43.

still send the green around the table and get in behind the blue. --

:02:44.:02:47.

absolutely straight. Another example of the new tip. I'm

:02:48.:03:13.

not sure he can get behind the blue now without a kiss. He has potted

:03:14.:03:25.

the green. Can you believe it? He got the dreaded double-kiss. He

:03:26.:03:33.

might get another double-kiss if he plays really thin on the left-hand

:03:34.:03:37.

side of the brown. If you can avoid the double-kiss this time he can get

:03:38.:03:42.

right in behind the black. Just seeing if there is any value potting

:03:43.:03:49.

the brown. Three cushions and he could get right in behind the black.

:03:50.:03:53.

It looks like he will pop the brown instead. -- he will pot.

:03:54.:04:19.

I think he would have to go thin if he were to get in behind the black.

:04:20.:04:28.

It would have to be a very precise shot. A little thin one might just

:04:29.:04:40.

get him there. He is trying it off one cushion but the middle pocket is

:04:41.:04:42.

in the way. He will hit the black. Safely in. A terrific cheer for

:04:43.:06:33.

Barry Hawkins. It is not all over just yet will stop handshakes. Well

:06:34.:06:39.

done, Barry Hawkins. Playing for his bride. They have to come back this

:06:40.:06:44.

evening for the John Higgins only needs one frame to come back for his

:06:45.:06:47.

sixth final. That was a pretty tough session.

:06:48.:06:55.

Both to play in and to watch. It looks like he is there. Do you see

:06:56.:07:01.

any way back for Barry Hawkins? No it is all over. Barry Hawkins showed

:07:02.:07:07.

his character. It is easy to think, do I really want to come back

:07:08.:07:12.

tonight? Get my suit on and pretend I am practising hard. He has done it

:07:13.:07:19.

but the match is over. John Higgins could probably have done with a

:07:20.:07:24.

night off. Tip gate has reared its ugly head again. He has been away

:07:25.:07:30.

half the night to Southport to see Les Dodd. How much of the toll will

:07:31.:07:34.

all of this play on him? I could have told him the end 62 has had a

:07:35.:07:43.

lobotomy. That has been wrecked for 20 miles. He has come in on back

:07:44.:07:47.

roads to get back here. He was panicking thinking, is he going to

:07:48.:07:53.

get back here? It is psychological. If it is in your head that it is not

:07:54.:08:01.

right, go and see him by all means. He did have the journey in hell.

:08:02.:08:09.

Even when he is playing well, he is searching for something. I think it

:08:10.:08:17.

is nerves of the occasion. That is getting to him a bit. The whole send

:08:18.:08:26.

-- semifinal he has not had a break. He has got through because his

:08:27.:08:30.

opponent has not put him under any pressure. He has had a comfortable

:08:31.:08:35.

match. All of this is sheer pressure of the occasion. He has not been in

:08:36.:08:43.

the one-table set-up for six years. You just wonder, at the tender age

:08:44.:08:49.

of 41, whether the pressures and stamina levels required are now

:08:50.:08:52.

beginning to catch up. They could be. I spoke to him yesterday,

:08:53.:08:57.

messing around with the tip and stuff. His sleeping patterns are all

:08:58.:09:03.

messed up. This is a marathon. If you have not done this for awhile,

:09:04.:09:07.

you are waking up at three o'clock, four o'clock in the morning, leaving

:09:08.:09:11.

the menu in the hotel. You're not going back to sleep or it can be

:09:12.:09:17.

like that for all the players. You have described how difficult it is

:09:18.:09:21.

to last and keep performing to your best. The two tournaments he have

:09:22.:09:30.

one -- has one this season have been 16 man offence. It is a completely

:09:31.:09:37.

different test of everything. -- events. He has one to go, he hopes,

:09:38.:09:47.

this evening from seven o'clock. The other semifinal everyone is itching

:09:48.:09:52.

to see is the concluding session between Ding Junhui and the man he

:09:53.:09:57.

beat in last year's final. They played frames lost at which will go

:09:58.:10:01.

down in Crucible folklore. It really does not get much better than this.

:10:02.:10:12.

Going to be a important session in this semifinal. -- a very important

:10:13.:10:24.

session. Good at the Angles. He is pretty good at the angles. A few

:10:25.:10:33.

whistles as well. That is a magnificent break of 128. Mark Selby

:10:34.:10:37.

extends his lead. Oh! A great shot on the pink. The

:10:38.:10:51.

standard here it is absolutely superb. A screw off the side and top

:10:52.:11:00.

cushion with loads of side. Have a look at that for a shot! That is one

:11:01.:11:04.

of the best positional shots you could ever wish to see. He could do

:11:05.:11:16.

with this one. Wonderful! He takes the frame. Now he is just one behind

:11:17.:11:19.

the defending champion. Colour red required. Would you

:11:20.:11:38.

believe it! That is a great shot. That is a terrific shot. Boy, is he

:11:39.:11:42.

good under pressure! It is there. What a frame that was!

:11:43.:11:49.

What a steal! What about that! A fabulous pot. The

:11:50.:12:08.

pressure was right on him for that he came straight back with that

:12:09.:12:11.

magnificent frame for them here's just one behind again. -- that

:12:12.:12:21.

magnificent frame. He is just one behind again. This is the icing on

:12:22.:12:30.

the cake. To finish the night in style. Ding Junhui takes is standing

:12:31.:12:35.

ovation. He has dug deep and one that session 5-3. 12-12. They are

:12:36.:12:45.

just in the practice room at the moment. Ding Junhui with Terry

:12:46.:12:52.

Griffiths. Ding Junhui has been with Terry Griffiths for eight months.

:12:53.:13:01.

Bobby Lee is in the background with Mark Selby. There were back-to-back

:13:02.:13:09.

centuries last night when he was 12-10 behind, Ding Junhui. I think

:13:10.:13:13.

we learned an awful lot about this man last night, didn't we? We did.

:13:14.:13:18.

From the start of the semifinal I think he has been competing any time

:13:19.:13:30.

-- better than any time but I have not seen him compete as well as he

:13:31.:13:37.

has done in this event. He had the time to get over the line against

:13:38.:13:41.

Ronnie O'Sullivan. That, last night, that, I think is the best you have

:13:42.:13:46.

ever seen him play. He went up a level for me last night. He went up

:13:47.:13:53.

a level when he beat Ronnie O'Sullivan. And he has done it in

:13:54.:13:59.

style. He has been a machine in this one in so far. Even when Mark Selby

:14:00.:14:04.

had a really good run of balls committees that in his chair,

:14:05.:14:13.

Serena. Nothing was bothering him. -- serene. Sir macro he will be

:14:14.:14:22.

looking at the other semifinal and thinking the standard was not as

:14:23.:14:27.

good. You must put that to the back of your mind. This is the best I

:14:28.:14:32.

have seen Ding Junhui compete I cannot wait. We will see who gets

:14:33.:14:39.

into the final. Steve Davis is with two men who think they have won the

:14:40.:14:43.

lottery getting the commentary seeds today. Here in the commentary box

:14:44.:14:49.

with Dennis Taylor and John Virgo. It feels so exciting. You have

:14:50.:14:52.

commentator Don loads of stuff. There is something special about

:14:53.:14:59.

this one, isn't there? I have never seen a session like that. It was the

:15:00.:15:03.

best session I have ever commentated on. Unbelievable snooker from both

:15:04.:15:10.

players. I am so impressed with Ding Junhui. I think he has another

:15:11.:15:16.

little bit of help out there. His mum passed away suddenly in February

:15:17.:15:19.

and I think he is out there to bring it for his mum because I know

:15:20.:15:24.

exactly how he feels. I watched it again on the highlights last night.

:15:25.:15:29.

It was so exciting. You are just involved in the match. There was an

:15:30.:15:33.

air of anticipation in the crowd that they started to get behind Ding

:15:34.:15:40.

Junhui. This is fascinating. He has more support today and he has ever

:15:41.:15:47.

had from an Englishman, Mark Selby. Mark Selby is defending champion.

:15:48.:15:51.

They are looking at what they thought is the underdog. He embraced

:15:52.:15:56.

the crowd for study made a foul in a session I went back to his seat,

:15:57.:16:00.

laughing. That is why he has the crowd on his side. The snooker he

:16:01.:16:06.

produced has been fantastic for the peak gave them something to cheer

:16:07.:16:10.

about. I will not even ask who will win this. It is great for us all to

:16:11.:16:15.

sit back and then enjoy. Over to Rob Walker.

:16:16.:16:21.

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. As we have just heard,

:16:22.:16:27.

this is developing into one of the all-time Crucible classics. Eight

:16:28.:16:32.

breaks over 50 and nothing splits ahead of this last session. There is

:16:33.:16:42.

only room for one. This is sporting drama of the very highest quality.

:16:43.:16:44.

It is showtime in Sheffield. Please welcome home, a man whose

:16:45.:17:12.

importance for the global game should not be underestimated. Winner

:17:13.:17:17.

of 12 ranking titles, he has inspired millions back home. His two

:17:18.:17:22.

big breaks late last night to level the match were superb. 13 centuries

:17:23.:17:29.

from him in the tournament so far. A national hero in China. Enter the

:17:30.:17:31.

Dragon, Ding Junhui. And his opponent, ten years on from

:17:32.:18:00.

his first world final. He is now established as one of the sport was

:18:01.:18:05.

my key players. World number 14 two years. Winner of 11 ranking titles.

:18:06.:18:11.

He so often demonstrates nerves of steel exactly when it cancelled the

:18:12.:18:16.

UK champion and defending world champion. Here comes the Jester from

:18:17.:18:19.

Leicester, Mark Selby. Well, the real Ding Junhui stood up

:18:20.:18:42.

and was counted last night. Such composure and nerves. Mark Selby is

:18:43.:18:46.

renowned for his legendary strength under pressure in the final stages

:18:47.:18:50.

of matches. He may need that again today. First to 17th wins it and it

:18:51.:18:57.

will be one this afternoon. Dennis, John, over to you. Thank you very

:18:58.:19:02.

much. Good afternoon, everyone. What a reception both players had.

:19:03.:19:12.

Especially for Ding Junhui. He is Sheffield's own snooker champion.

:19:13.:19:18.

Look at that picture! Ding Junhui to break. Put your cameras down now,

:19:19.:19:30.

please. Thank you. He gets the first frame under way. Is it possible the

:19:31.:19:35.

standard can continue that we witnessed yesterday evening? It is a

:19:36.:19:42.

big ask. What a session we have in store! First 217 for a place in the

:19:43.:19:47.

final, to be played to a finish in this session. He has outplayed Mark

:19:48.:19:54.

Selby in the safety success department. Who would have thought

:19:55.:20:03.

that? Looking at Mark Selby, as he was being introduced, he has his

:20:04.:20:08.

game face on. He looked very focused. He has been up and down the

:20:09.:20:15.

corridors, 40 minutes before play. Pacing up and down. A little bit

:20:16.:20:20.

like the great Steve Davis used to do before playing.

:20:21.:20:35.

Not really an attempt at the red. Mark with his hand on the table. He

:20:36.:20:41.

expected a better safety. But that one is a little bit pacey

:20:42.:20:53.

as well. If it runs behind the green, he will not mind.

:20:54.:21:04.

That is what he is looking at. Not a lot available. Into the side of the

:21:05.:21:14.

bunch. That is close to the pink. Foul and a miss.

:21:15.:21:24.

He wants to get into the reds, as close to the pink as possible.

:21:25.:21:45.

It is that way. You can see the monitor, that is perfect. The cue

:21:46.:22:02.

ball... A bit back. Perfect. It is not crucial with this position but

:22:03.:22:14.

it is -- that it is absolutely spot-on but sometimes it can make a

:22:15.:22:20.

difference. That is better. APPLAUSE

:22:21.:22:24.

I don't know if Mark can get back down the table or not here, John.

:22:25.:22:38.

That will be a thin one. Yes, he can do it.

:22:39.:22:52.

What about the first frame of the session last night. 18 minutes

:22:53.:22:59.

without a ball being ported. The crowd loved every minute of it. The

:23:00.:23:07.

safety play was extraordinary and stop -- was extraordinary.

:23:08.:23:14.

That was a better length for the safety shot. In that frame, Mark

:23:15.:23:24.

Selby made a century in it, eventually when he got a chance.

:23:25.:23:32.

Last night's session just had everything. Everything that snooker

:23:33.:23:37.

can give you. The enjoyment you can get out of the game. I agree with

:23:38.:23:42.

you, Dennis, it was the best I have ever had the pleasure of

:23:43.:23:46.

commentating on. It was fantastic. Everyone I spoke to last night and

:23:47.:23:51.

this morning, they were all buzzing about it. It was a feast. There was

:23:52.:23:56.

a lot of pressure in this session, of course. Two players who

:23:57.:24:02.

desperately want to make it through to the final. Did not play the pot.

:24:03.:24:10.

It was not the right potting angle to go back around the black. That

:24:11.:24:16.

has been the game plan of Mark Selby throughout this match. Keeping it

:24:17.:24:24.

tight. Trying not to gift any easy openings for Ding Junhui. The way he

:24:25.:24:30.

has been scoring, 13 centuries in that one in so far, he had a chance

:24:31.:24:38.

in amongst the balls. A lovely length of cue ball. That has been so

:24:39.:24:45.

impressive about him. The fact he has matched Mark Selby in safety

:24:46.:24:48.

play. I did not really think he had that in him. I think he has

:24:49.:24:59.

played... Have a look at that exclamation that is the safety

:25:00.:25:02.

success rate for the tournament. -- have a look at that! So, that, as we

:25:03.:25:12.

see this red come towards the corner pocket, that safety success rate

:25:13.:25:20.

with 13 centuries, Mark must have a few friends up in the balcony. He

:25:21.:25:24.

was doing a lot of that last evening. That is Vicky, his wife,

:25:25.:25:32.

and Bobby on the left. Just trying to work out whether cue

:25:33.:26:03.

ball will go. I think it is one of these. You just concentrate on the

:26:04.:26:07.

pot and you have to trust little bit of luck for position. The main

:26:08.:26:09.

objective, do not miss the red. He is not on pink or black. Will he

:26:10.:26:38.

play the blue? As you can see, the pass of the cue ball just trusts a

:26:39.:26:43.

little bit to luck. It is not over here. He knows the importance. If

:26:44.:26:48.

this were not the first frame, I would expect him to play the blue.

:26:49.:26:50.

Because it is, he may not. How did that Blue Nile drop in once

:26:51.:27:40.

it ran along the cushion? -- that blew not drop in? Look at that! It

:27:41.:27:50.

was clinging to the cushion. How did it stay out. A three shot from Mark

:27:51.:27:57.

Selby. The blue is right across the pocket if it goes in.

:27:58.:28:10.

As you say, Dennis, it is a free shot. He will be disappointed he did

:28:11.:28:17.

not get closer to the pocket than that.

:28:18.:28:39.

They are tough shots. Just a fraction off. He has missed it and

:28:40.:28:49.

he has left Mark Selby with an easy starter. It was not easy.

:28:50.:28:59.

Understandably, the players will be just a little bit edgy in this

:29:00.:29:05.

opening frame. It is so important to get your nose in front again. There

:29:06.:29:22.

is a red in the baulk end. He will be looking to bring the cue ball

:29:23.:29:27.

down into the business end. It is never easy to judge. Judging the

:29:28.:29:37.

pace is all important. This looks superb. What a touch!

:29:38.:30:27.

This shot, as we zoom in, shows you how big a snooker table is. 12' by

:30:28.:30:36.

6'. Mark still has that bit of a shake

:30:37.:31:01.

in his head, it is something he has always done. It is not as bad as it

:31:02.:31:06.

used to be but it doesn't affect his game. It is just the natural way he

:31:07.:31:14.

plays. You could see on the side bar, another 43 points required from

:31:15.:31:19.

this position to get to the snooker is required stage. He is going to

:31:20.:31:25.

have to open some more reds, there are not enough there to clinch the

:31:26.:31:30.

frame without having to play a cannon of some kind. And you could

:31:31.:31:37.

see his eyes, they were on the object ball as he delivered the cue,

:31:38.:31:43.

looking from the cue ball to the object ball back and forwards and

:31:44.:31:47.

then focusing on the object ball as you deliver the cue. You can see his

:31:48.:31:54.

eyes, focused on the object ball. The fact he is taking so long over

:31:55.:32:15.

this blue, he is just a fraction too straight. There looks to be a red

:32:16.:32:21.

two down from the pink that is available to the left corner but you

:32:22.:32:25.

can see he is fairly straight and looking at that virtual image, maybe

:32:26.:32:29.

that one second down from the pink doesn't go to the left corner. I

:32:30.:32:33.

think he would have to play for the one behind the black. Watch the

:32:34.:32:44.

side. The first side and he has got a bit too much on it. That is the

:32:45.:32:49.

problem when you are trying to force the angle. He has played the stun

:32:50.:32:56.

screw back but with the side as Dennis said, see how it flicked off

:32:57.:32:59.

the cushion and this is a tough red now.

:33:00.:33:09.

APPLAUSE He has played it well but this is

:33:10.:33:19.

the difficulty with the red, he put all his concentration into potting

:33:20.:33:25.

it and he is not great here. A bit of pressure on this brown.

:33:26.:33:32.

Just looking at the angle he has on this red, you might choose to go up

:33:33.:33:57.

for the black here. He would love to be able to hold for the blue and

:33:58.:34:01.

straight into the pink but he might still be able to do that. Yes, just

:34:02.:34:09.

about. But having said that, the only way into those reds, he is dead

:34:10.:34:15.

straight on the blue so he can't get to them now. Look at that. Almost

:34:16.:34:26.

dead straight. This is a big shock he is ticking on, to pot the brown

:34:27.:34:32.

and split the reds. Nowhere near. Has he got away with it? I don't

:34:33.:34:43.

think so. That was a bit ambitious, that one. Strange choice of shot. He

:34:44.:34:49.

had played a controlled match so far and that was out of character, have

:34:50.:34:56.

yet played the match in the previous sessions. I don't know if he was

:34:57.:34:59.

consciously thinking of attacking a bit more but that was probably

:35:00.:35:02.

pushing the boat out a bit too far. What has he done here? He is not on

:35:03.:35:24.

a colour, he was hoping to be on the blue. Is a little bit of a tense

:35:25.:35:31.

start for Ding Junhui here. And as per usual, and that has been

:35:32.:36:01.

the impressive thing from Ding in this match, when he has run out of

:36:02.:36:06.

position like he did there, he has put the disappointment behind him

:36:07.:36:09.

and played an excellent safety and he looks to have snookered mark on

:36:10.:36:11.

Allred 's. Tight would be better. Almost. And

:36:12.:36:58.

that is the problem with that shot. You always feel you would like to

:36:59.:37:03.

leave it tight, and he has left a plant as well. A bit of a gap

:37:04.:37:09.

between the two reds but it on if he catches the first one right. That's

:37:10.:37:14.

the thing, you try to get tight behind the green but if he had left

:37:15.:37:20.

it tight on the book Mac -- tight on the baulk cushion, this would not be

:37:21.:37:26.

available but Mark now has control of the cue ball and you fancy this

:37:27.:37:32.

plant. Right in the heart of the pocket, with his hand on the table

:37:33.:37:36.

he could control the cue ball and this is a chance to take the first

:37:37.:37:41.

frame. He already has a 38 point lead with a colour to come.

:37:42.:37:57.

He could do with getting the blue out of the way here. If the red is

:37:58.:38:04.

dead straight he can drop it in for the black but if not, he can roll

:38:05.:38:09.

through and leave the black in the opposite corner.

:38:10.:38:25.

No reason why he shouldn't take the frame from this position, already 43

:38:26.:38:39.

in front. And this black, he is having a look at the blue, obviously

:38:40.:38:46.

the red immediately to the left of the black will go he could play

:38:47.:38:52.

black and play for it in the same pocket as the black. This is to go

:38:53.:38:56.

50 in front with 67 remaining. He is looking for red, colour, red

:38:57.:39:14.

now. It's OK from that little cluster of three, one of them goes

:39:15.:39:19.

to the right corner so if he drops this in and plays for the blue

:39:20.:39:24.

because the black doesn't go in this pocket. It is just a case of potting

:39:25.:39:32.

the blue and playing the left-hand one of the three reds and that would

:39:33.:39:40.

be the frame clincher. He took on a very ambitious brown in this frame.

:39:41.:39:49.

It didn't cost him. The red to go 57 ahead with 51 remaining.

:39:50.:39:57.

If he knocks in this next red, no way back to the table for Ding

:39:58.:40:34.

Junhui. He would like to clear the remaining

:40:35.:41:12.

balls here. He made a magnificent 128 break to lead 10-7 and then Ding

:41:13.:41:19.

bounced straight back with 95 to take it back to two and it was just

:41:20.:41:24.

awesome snooker but this is a good start from the defending champion.

:41:25.:42:10.

Looking very good here, just that one shot that John mentioned, the

:42:11.:42:16.

brown which was a bit ambitious and he missed it by a long way but it

:42:17.:42:18.

did not cost him in the end. He has had that cue ball in the

:42:19.:42:41.

perfect position virtually every shot in this break.

:42:42.:42:53.

APPLAUSE That is a terrific way to start for

:42:54.:43:01.

Mark Selby and he has come out with a determined look on his face and he

:43:02.:43:06.

has taken the opening frame and is now leading Ding Junhui 13-12. It

:43:07.:43:13.

was Ding who led 5-3 after the first session but has been playing

:43:14.:43:15.

catch-up ever since and just when he gets on level terms last night, the

:43:16.:43:19.

defending champion gets his nose in front again. Typical. Absolutely,

:43:20.:43:27.

and Ding looks a bit edgy because he had a couple of shots and his cue

:43:28.:43:31.

ball was not controlled and I put that down to his arm being a bit

:43:32.:43:38.

tight. Steve? Mark Selby missed the most glaring pot, he was not

:43:39.:43:41.

absolutely comfortable at that stage but got the best chance after the

:43:42.:43:46.

luck of how the pack sorted itself out when the plant was on and he

:43:47.:43:50.

capitalised on that. And the opening exchanges. We have 13 world titles

:43:51.:43:57.

between us here in the studio and there is another who has one, John

:43:58.:44:01.

Parrott, he is there to improve your game. If you're having a few

:44:02.:44:09.

problems with your cueing, you can send him a message or a video of

:44:10.:44:12.

your style and he will attempt to put you right. 7-3 to contact John,

:44:13.:44:19.

but back to the serious business. Mark Selby will be nicely settled

:44:20.:44:42.

after making that lovely clearance at the end of the frame, but as I

:44:43.:44:48.

said, there was a sign when he played the brown, which did not cost

:44:49.:44:53.

him, but maybe he will be a bit more on the attack than he was in the

:44:54.:44:55.

first three sessions. APPLAUSE

:44:56.:45:08.

That is in the heart of the pocket and it needs to kiss the green. It

:45:09.:45:16.

didn't but I think he has got the green to the middle. Has he got the

:45:17.:45:21.

potting angle to get back to the reds? Yes, there is the angle and

:45:22.:45:31.

there are three he can get on. That was so close. He thought he had that

:45:32.:45:39.

but it hit both jaws of the middle pocket and he played the cue ball

:45:40.:45:44.

into the perfect position. Have a look at this green, touching the

:45:45.:45:45.

near jaw. Mark Selby in with a very good with

:45:46.:46:09.

another three reds available here -- a very good chance.

:46:10.:46:26.

He did very well there, he was almost straight and widened the

:46:27.:46:35.

angle with a stun run through to get on these reds. Excellent positional

:46:36.:46:37.

shot. Here you go look how he widened the

:46:38.:46:53.

angle and the cue ball bouncing but it landed perfect. And it is one of

:46:54.:47:00.

these situations, particularly with the green near the left middle,

:47:01.:47:06.

there is a red to the left and bottom of the cluster. If at some

:47:07.:47:14.

time he will play for that, he can leave himself low and in potting it

:47:15.:47:19.

bring others into play knowing he will have the green to the left

:47:20.:47:20.

middle. Just underhit that slightly. I'm

:47:21.:47:32.

just wondering if he might take the chance here, that have a look at the

:47:33.:47:38.

angle, if the pot of this and careered into the reds, the green is

:47:39.:47:43.

available but he is screwing back so he will not be moving any reds here.

:47:44.:47:49.

He still has that want at the back of the bunch that is available. And

:47:50.:47:54.

he has an angle to go straight into them here, it depends how he feels.

:47:55.:48:02.

He has played for the single one. It is not a great pack to go into from

:48:03.:48:10.

the black. It surprises me, I wouldn't question his break-building

:48:11.:48:14.

for a moment but I can't believe he hasn't tried to leave himself low on

:48:15.:48:19.

this and try to nudge reds open. It is not a great pack to get into, as

:48:20.:48:23.

you said and as Willie Thorne describes it always, a flat back

:48:24.:48:30.

pack. He has got to play at stun shot into the left side of them but

:48:31.:48:36.

he is screwing it. That was never going to work, unless he is

:48:37.:48:49.

fortunate. No. Unless he pulls off an unbelievable pot, it is in the

:48:50.:48:55.

break, but there is a chance this could go into the middle. He could

:48:56.:49:00.

get on the black but what an angle he is faced with here. It bare.

:49:01.:49:08.

-- it is their and he flicked the black, which helps.

:49:09.:49:32.

He split them but the problem with that shot, because of the back spin,

:49:33.:49:39.

the cue ball will always come away from the reds. He has want to the

:49:40.:49:43.

middle and if he knocks this in it could be a frame-winner but there is

:49:44.:49:53.

pressure on it. APPLAUSE He sacrificed a bit of position to

:49:54.:49:58.

make sure of the pot, straight on the pink would have been better.

:49:59.:50:07.

Another little cannon needed here. And just about. 50 S head. -- 50

:50:08.:50:22.

ahead so not much more needed to secure this frame.

:50:23.:50:36.

It is a great start to the session from the defending champion.

:50:37.:50:55.

He has just got a slight angle, you would think he would run round off

:50:56.:51:04.

two cushions for the one just to the left of the pink for the right

:51:05.:51:08.

middle. He just has the angle to play the runaround. Didn't hit that

:51:09.:51:19.

to welcome he tried to force the angle, felt it was a bit straight

:51:20.:51:23.

and if he had run through normal he might have got in the jaws that you

:51:24.:51:27.

could see the cue ball was bouncing when it hit the black and the black

:51:28.:51:31.

bounced and it took all the pace out of the cue ball. He didn't seem to

:51:32.:51:38.

be striking the cue ball right at the top which creates the top spin

:51:39.:51:43.

in the follow-through. As you said, John, it was more of a stun shot.

:51:44.:51:50.

He has a tough red into the middle pocket. This is another.

:51:51.:52:03.

No danger, right in the heart of the pocket and that is frame over now.

:52:04.:52:22.

Just the red required and he is perfectly on it and it will be

:52:23.:52:28.

followed by pink or black and leave Ding Junhui needing two or three

:52:29.:52:36.

snookers. It is all about fractions, this game. Ding Junhui played a

:52:37.:52:43.

green and just flicked the near jaw and stayed out. And this has been

:52:44.:52:52.

the result. This was the green, it just caught that near jaw and it

:52:53.:52:56.

looked for a second as though it might just drop. He needs a chance,

:52:57.:53:09.

Ding in amongst the balls but you don't get that many chances against

:53:10.:53:10.

Mark Selby. Good pot. And every likelihood now

:53:11.:53:18.

we will see a century here. Mark has already had six centuries

:53:19.:53:36.

and we are up to 69 in the tournament. Yes, 86 is the record, I

:53:37.:53:41.

don't think it will be beaten but you never know. As I said, Ding has

:53:42.:53:50.

had 13 centuries. I think the record is 16. I think that is John Higgins.

:53:51.:53:59.

In fact, it is Stephen Hendry, sitting in the studio, sorry,

:54:00.:54:00.

Stephen! I think John Higgins had 14 in one

:54:01.:54:05.

year. This red and a colour. What a pity. No century but Mark

:54:06.:54:42.

Selby is proving once again that he is going to be very tough to beat

:54:43.:54:48.

and he gets his two frame lead back. It is now 14-12.

:54:49.:54:52.

Ding had that chance with the green and missed it and I wonder what

:54:53.:54:57.

these great champions are feeling about the start from the reigning

:54:58.:55:02.

champion. It looks like he is smelling blood and sensing weakness

:55:03.:55:07.

and that is what he does, he pounces. Is a great visit, a couple

:55:08.:55:12.

of tricky red into the middle, but the way he played them, neither

:55:13.:55:19.

looked in doubt. You can sense signs, when is the time to put the

:55:20.:55:23.

foot down and the hammer down and so far this session that is what it

:55:24.:55:27.

looks like. Are you hearing that mood music as well? It is always the

:55:28.:55:32.

case that Mark Selby to give since every chance to win event like this

:55:33.:55:36.

because he is relentless. While Ding put in a fantastic performance to

:55:37.:55:40.

get back level last night, and if the match had continued into the

:55:41.:55:45.

night it might have been a different story, you reset for every session.

:55:46.:55:49.

Mark Selby, you can see the look of determination on his face when he

:55:50.:55:53.

came out, he is there to do a job today. I'm not saying Ding Junhui is

:55:54.:55:59.

not, but every time Mark Selby makes it difficult for you and it is tough

:56:00.:56:02.

for Ding Junhui but we know he is up to the job. We do and it will be

:56:03.:56:07.

interesting because there is a huge amount of support for Ding Junhui

:56:08.:56:11.

here. He is one of Sheffield's adopted sons, he has been here for

:56:12.:56:16.

the last ten years and think a lot of people would love to think it is

:56:17.:56:20.

his time at the World Championships. He has a lot of support, back we go.

:56:21.:56:30.

90% pot success rate for both players. Mark slightly ahead in the

:56:31.:56:37.

longer pot success Department. In fact I'd been told 59%, Mark

:56:38.:56:51.

Selby won the tournament with that pot success rate last year when he

:56:52.:56:53.

defeated Ding in the final, 18-14. That could be a useful little flick

:56:54.:57:17.

off the yellow. It certainly was. Not a problem getting out of the

:57:18.:57:24.

snooker but a little flick like that can make a difference.

:57:25.:57:35.

Just means that Mark as the slight advantage here in the safety

:57:36.:57:51.

Department and if he can get another good cue ball...

:57:52.:57:57.

Important for Ding Junhui to return a good safety and hopefully not push

:57:58.:58:07.

a red over the corner but there seems to be four balls that might

:58:08.:58:12.

send one out of the bunch towards the right corner pocket so he will

:58:13.:58:23.

have to be careful here. He doesn't want too thick contact otherwise he

:58:24.:58:31.

will do that. Yes, he got a thin contact which sacrificed a little

:58:32.:58:36.

bit of what he could do with the cue ball. There can't surely be another

:58:37.:58:42.

plant on? It would be a three-ball plant. You never know with Mark

:58:43.:58:48.

Selby. One red onto the other two, it is going to the left of the

:58:49.:58:53.

pocket, he might be up to make this. He would be playing the safety shot

:58:54.:58:55.

at the same time. Not quite a plant but he got a good

:58:56.:59:25.

cue ball. There is this red to the left corner but Ding Junhui has to

:59:26.:59:30.

be very careful if he plays it. He looks bound to run into a red or

:59:31.:59:35.

even the black. There is no shot for nothing. Is it worth the risk? That

:59:36.:59:44.

is the question. He has lost the first two frames and he needs to get

:59:45.:59:46.

a foothold now in the session. He found the gap. Where is the red

:59:47.:00:12.

going? That's not too bad, safe enough. He did well to find a gap

:00:13.:00:19.

through the reds in playing that pot. And of course he will be more

:00:20.:00:29.

concerned with the gap than the pot. There is a shot on, I'm wondering if

:00:30.:00:34.

Mark Selby will have a go at it, he can send this into the pink and red

:00:35.:00:38.

and screw back into the safety zone. He is looking at the very thin snick

:00:39.:00:44.

which tells me if he can pot the red in the right middle, could he get up

:00:45.:00:49.

and down the table? No, he is going for the one I mentioned, screwing

:00:50.:00:54.

back and sending the red into the pink and reds. That's a good cue

:00:55.:01:06.

ball. He was always going to have plenty of stoppers to prevent the

:01:07.:01:08.

red from coming back up the table. He has a bit of a problem here, Ding

:01:09.:01:18.

Junhui. All things considered, that was an

:01:19.:02:02.

excellent safety. He did not find Bob cushion. He was in a spot of

:02:03.:02:09.

bother and he had to catch the red perfect, so as not to leave

:02:10.:02:11.

anything. He has not left anything. That is the art of safety. It is the

:02:12.:02:41.

perfect example. You do not kiss baulk colour. The pace Mark got on

:02:42.:02:47.

the cue ball, Ding Junhui once again has quite a bit to think about. I

:02:48.:02:55.

cannot see a return to baulk unless he catches the red so Finn. If he

:02:56.:03:05.

catches it sick, he will run into the red in the end he did not want

:03:06.:03:10.

to risk it and played the containing safety. I think it is all right.

:03:11.:03:13.

Just. As I mentioned, Ding Junhui needs to

:03:14.:03:26.

get in among the reds to get a bit of confidence going. That is what

:03:27.:03:32.

the game is all about. At the moment he cannot get that chance. Mark

:03:33.:03:39.

Selby is keeping things very tight. He had breaks of 74 and 96.

:03:40.:03:59.

He might not have blocked the route off down the table. He needs a thin

:04:00.:04:06.

contact but he needs a telling safety to try to force an error from

:04:07.:04:15.

Mark Selby. That is a pretty good return. Very good. Excellent. A

:04:16.:04:28.

superb shot. Normally in these situations you see a player tapping

:04:29.:04:32.

over the table. This is of proper match. Excellent return. Excellent

:04:33.:04:51.

return. It is very difficult to force a mistake from Mark Selby in

:04:52.:04:56.

the safety exchanges. That is what Ding Junhui needs to do full Tubby

:04:57.:05:02.

cannot rely on Mark Selby getting in amongst the balls. That and in the

:05:03.:05:07.

first frame of this session, in all honesty. He needs to try to force an

:05:08.:05:10.

error that he is on the back foot. That might have rocked back. It

:05:11.:05:28.

could be touching, which would have helped mark. No, not touching. He

:05:29.:05:35.

can still play of that red. Touching ball makes it easier. But he can

:05:36.:05:40.

just glance of this. -- off this. He can not pop many balls when you

:05:41.:05:58.

are stuck on the baulk cushion all the time.

:05:59.:06:19.

In the end, a fraction too thin. If he leaves Mark Selby with his hand

:06:20.:06:27.

on the table, he is asking for trouble.

:06:28.:06:53.

For once, he did not take advantage. Nearly had a result but the cue ball

:06:54.:07:09.

just stopped short. I think there is a gap between blue and pink. There

:07:10.:07:12.

is. If you cut down the escape route

:07:13.:07:31.

down the left-hand side of the table, your opponent is in trouble.

:07:32.:07:34.

Ding Junhui has just gained initiative.

:07:35.:08:06.

That is what Mark is looking at. There is very little available to

:08:07.:08:10.

him. Looks as if he will have to leave

:08:11.:08:28.

the white at this end of the table. He is trying to find a spot. He is

:08:29.:08:32.

having quite a bit of thinking time to pick that spot out.

:08:33.:08:49.

It just means at the moment that Ding Junhui has the slight advantage

:08:50.:08:56.

in a tactical battle. He's looking at the possibility of the red into

:08:57.:09:04.

the middle. This would be quite some pot! He could maybe finish on the

:09:05.:09:14.

brown and draw the green. The last time he potted a ball. Well played!

:09:15.:09:31.

Just a little bit too far as we show you that terrific pot again. The

:09:32.:09:37.

white just ran about 6-8 inches further than he intended. Brown

:09:38.:09:43.

ball. Ding Junhui, one. I think he has

:09:44.:10:04.

just got the snooker. Maybe he can just hit the edge of this red on the

:10:05.:10:08.

right-hand side of the table but he cannot get back to baulk. He is

:10:09.:10:21.

having a good look around. If he cannot see the pass, it is an escape

:10:22.:10:28.

route for him to land the red left of the black. If he can get to land

:10:29.:10:33.

read he is cueing up to, that would be just as good. There might just be

:10:34.:10:38.

a gap through to that done the right side of the table.

:10:39.:10:45.

That is a bit weak. It is not good. The initiative in that tactical...

:10:46.:11:54.

This tactical exchange. He may have handed that initially back to his

:11:55.:11:59.

opponent now. There is a pot on to this right corner. Hard to see how

:12:00.:12:02.

he could get position on the colour. It is obviously not a straight run

:12:03.:12:25.

back to the baulk end. If he was tight against the baulk cushion, it

:12:26.:12:30.

would be almost impossible. With his hand on the table you would expect

:12:31.:12:32.

him to find a path. He did not find that path that you

:12:33.:12:46.

said, John. At first glance, he might. There is a red available the

:12:47.:12:51.

left corner foot once he got the cannon, he cannon, he knew he would

:12:52.:12:56.

leave something. Now... One good pop here... -- pot. This is his first

:12:57.:13:05.

chance in amongst the balls. The black is ad of commission but it

:13:06.:13:21.

all depends if and when he pops the pink. He will pot it at some time.

:13:22.:13:27.

Where the pink will go. He may have to pot a few reds around the pink

:13:28.:13:34.

spot. This is his first real chance. Can he now stop producing the form

:13:35.:13:38.

of last evening? Just about OK. Two wonderful

:13:39.:14:04.

centuries last evening to get back to all square. He has coming towards

:14:05.:14:18.

the table. That has showed the angle he has faced with the brown. He must

:14:19.:14:24.

play a nice screw shot past the middle pocket. A few reds available

:14:25.:14:38.

to him. Is he going to drop nicely on one? Still not in an ideal

:14:39.:14:49.

position. Can he cue past the pink? This will make all the difference.

:14:50.:14:55.

If he is hampered by the pink, this is a tough shot. He is hampered.

:14:56.:15:08.

Decision time. He will take the pot on. Does he make the pot more

:15:09.:15:15.

difficult by trying to play a stunner for them baulk colours or

:15:16.:15:29.

does he totally commit to the pot. Nicely in. What a shot that was! Now

:15:30.:15:40.

in perfect position. Playing for the pink now. This is

:15:41.:16:04.

where he is so good, in and around the pink area. He will have to try

:16:05.:16:12.

to win this frame without the help of the black. He can forget about

:16:13.:16:21.

the black completely. Does the pink go to the right corner when it is

:16:22.:16:29.

re-spotted? It does. This is a good chance for Ding Junhui but there is

:16:30.:16:31.

pressure. There you go. Another 33 points from

:16:32.:17:19.

this position to get to the snooker -- snookers required stage.

:17:20.:17:31.

When he pops this, it will help the situation. The two reds left of this

:17:32.:17:41.

will then be available. He did not play that very well. That was just a

:17:42.:17:47.

little edgy one. It just means a little bit more to do. Should be OK.

:17:48.:17:55.

Well played. He has those two reds are mentioned. Cleared the path.

:17:56.:18:06.

There is a couple of Ding Junhui supporters. A great shot from the

:18:07.:18:15.

balcony. And, once again, he has come up a little bit short. Now he

:18:16.:18:19.

will have to go all the way around the angles if he is to get on one of

:18:20.:18:25.

the reds. There is one to the right corner. He has just underscrew that.

:18:26.:18:32.

A wee bit of pressure on this. He will get a terrific cheer if he pops

:18:33.:18:38.

it and gets on a red. Here comes the white. He misses all the colours. It

:18:39.:18:42.

is not bad. Ding Junhui, 52. Coming up a little

:18:43.:19:18.

bit short of clinching the frame. He was playing to get on the one that

:19:19.:19:25.

was near the black spot. He still lords on to win the frame. You know

:19:26.:19:31.

what Mark Selby is capable of... And look at where the red is situated.

:19:32.:19:45.

They are never easy. If it were straight, you would not expect him

:19:46.:19:54.

to miss it. A good safety shot now required from Ding Junhui. 53 points

:19:55.:19:58.

the lead and 75 points remaining. He is basically looking now for eight

:19:59.:20:05.

couple of reds, a couple of colours. A good safety once again.

:20:06.:20:48.

He has looked long and hard to see if he can get the edge of a red that

:20:49.:20:57.

he cannot. Hands to come off the edge of the side cushion. Just

:20:58.:21:04.

feathered the red. A good shot. I don't know if he can get past the

:21:05.:21:54.

blue to clip that read. I don't think he can.

:21:55.:22:03.

Yes, and he's not got the option this time to nestle near the reds on

:22:04.:22:12.

the top cushion on the right-hand side of the table. If he tries to go

:22:13.:22:18.

twice, of course for that is very risky. Will he play the two cushion

:22:19.:22:25.

escape with a bit of pace? That is where he is playing. Played it

:22:26.:22:31.

lovely. Where is the red going? Where was the cue ball going? He has

:22:32.:22:39.

the cover. He has the cover. Or has he? Hold the front page. Settle

:22:40.:22:46.

down, John. Settle down. He can just get through to it. He will have to

:22:47.:22:48.

swerve it slightly. Still needs another red after the

:22:49.:23:13.

blue. He can just avoid a kiss on the red when potting the blue. He

:23:14.:23:24.

has played it perfectly. He is pulling 60 points ahead with 59

:23:25.:23:26.

remaining stop That is a bit unfortunate.

:23:27.:23:55.

Glancing around at the scoreboard. Could have worked out a lot better

:23:56.:24:04.

than that but it is only one snooker that is needed. We know what Mark

:24:05.:24:08.

Selby is like when it comes to finding slippers. I cannot think how

:24:09.:24:13.

Ding Junhui can knock it on to another cushion. By Megahey will

:24:14.:24:22.

play the correct option. That black being tied up, OK, we are saying one

:24:23.:24:30.

snooker required. Yes. He has gone for the pink.

:24:31.:25:11.

That should be the end of frame. It was going to be a tall order with

:25:12.:25:21.

Mark Selby with the black tied up there. Nestles in behind the yellow.

:25:22.:25:33.

Hopefully on to the brown. Mark should stay in his seat, you would

:25:34.:25:41.

feel. Yes, he nods to the referee. Ding Junhui lost the first two

:25:42.:25:47.

frames. They are some of his fans. They are delighted. Just one behind

:25:48.:25:54.

now. 14-13. The defending champion is keeping him at arm 's length that

:25:55.:25:57.

is having to send him off once again. This is a great, positive

:25:58.:26:02.

attitude we are seeing from Ding Junhui. It is not exactly the bully

:26:03.:26:10.

versus the kid who has been beaten up in the school playground every

:26:11.:26:14.

day. Let's assume that is the case. You keep pummelling somebody but

:26:15.:26:18.

they keep coming back for more. In the end, finally, you will end. He

:26:19.:26:23.

was fighting a bit with the cue ball. Do you think he is settling in

:26:24.:26:30.

a bit now? Not one ' visit stuff. We are used to him knocking in

:26:31.:26:33.

centuries all over the place was that it did not matter how he did

:26:34.:26:38.

it. It does not look like a three frame gap opening. He keeps coming

:26:39.:26:45.

back. That is back to one frame. We will be saying it all afternoon. A

:26:46.:26:50.

big frame coming up before the interval. He is having to play

:26:51.:26:56.

cagily and wait for his chance and then have to pounce. He has shown as

:26:57.:27:04.

he is capable of doing that. Last night there were signs he was asking

:27:05.:27:08.

questions of Mark Selby in the safety department. He had an easy

:27:09.:27:16.

safety shot that would have kept the pack together. He really would blast

:27:17.:27:22.

them open. It would risk a ball over the corner pocket. Mark Selby, in

:27:23.:27:28.

the end could did miss a green ball that cost him the last frame.

:27:29.:27:36.

Wonderfully poised. I can only guess what the ratings would be in China

:27:37.:27:42.

right now. Skyrocketing into the 150 million at the moment. Mark Selby

:27:43.:27:52.

gets the frame under way. There is a mid-session interval after this.

:27:53.:27:56.

Every frame now is so important to both players. It looks like a good

:27:57.:28:03.

break-off shot on the face of it. Can he just get past the blue? He

:28:04.:28:11.

obviously can. Needs to catch the red thing though. Caught it little

:28:12.:28:16.

bit too thick. That is why the cue ball has only just got past the

:28:17.:28:25.

blue. He has left a read on. The few weak safety shots he has played in

:28:26.:28:26.

this match. -- he has left a red on. A little bit of a tense one hour

:28:27.:28:44.

from the defending champion. We expect him to not back in. Temple

:28:45.:28:49.

Micra has a similar type of shot. More difficult than the one Mark

:28:50.:28:56.

had. -- Ding Junhui has a similar type of shot. He is taking the one

:28:57.:29:03.

nearer the pocket to get himself on the black.

:29:04.:29:10.

No. Where is the red? He has left a long, straight one past the blue. If

:29:11.:29:20.

it goes he will be able to go back onto the black. I am not sure if it

:29:21.:29:27.

pops. He will be disappointed to have missed that. He knows he will

:29:28.:29:34.

have to play his best game today. So far he is not there. The chance for

:29:35.:29:44.

Mark. Straight red into the top. We don't see that very often. He gets

:29:45.:29:47.

the first good chance. Ding Junhui took the very positive

:29:48.:30:00.

shot to try to get onto the black. He had the other one he could

:30:01.:30:05.

possibly have potted and come round for a baulk colour. I think he was

:30:06.:30:10.

just thinking very positively but did not execute the shot as he would

:30:11.:30:16.

have liked. He might have to sit in his seat now for a while.

:30:17.:30:34.

I think sooner rather than later Mark Selby will play for the red

:30:35.:30:44.

that is immediately above the black. Leave himself low on it and he might

:30:45.:30:52.

even elect to play the cannon on the end of the cluster, but it's not

:30:53.:30:56.

leave himself low on it so he can pot it and bring others into play

:30:57.:31:01.

and that is exactly what he has done. He can open them up here and

:31:02.:31:05.

it is all about keeping control of that cue ball to retain position on

:31:06.:31:13.

the black or even on the pink. Good control needed because he will be

:31:14.:31:23.

bringing reds into play here. I thought he would hit it a bit harder

:31:24.:31:29.

than that, he was obviously frightened of screwing back and

:31:30.:31:32.

finishing on the cushion but it was sooner than he wanted as you can

:31:33.:31:42.

clearly see. Safely in. -- it was thinner than he wanted. Four reds,

:31:43.:31:45.

four blacks. Playing for the red, straight is no

:31:46.:32:42.

problem but if he plays the run-through he is going to kiss the

:32:43.:32:47.

red just below the one he is potting so he has to judge the cannon off it

:32:48.:32:53.

or he is maybe even looking at screwing into them. You would think

:32:54.:32:57.

he would be able to judge it. It is hard to tell unless you down on

:32:58.:33:01.

shot. But straight would not be a problem. If he has a bit of work to

:33:02.:33:08.

do with the cue ball, it could go wrong.

:33:09.:33:31.

That is quite a thin cut to take the pink on. He was hoping to just push

:33:32.:33:51.

that pink into a better position than it has finished up. 41 in

:33:52.:34:02.

front. Does he keep things tight here? He is back looking at the

:34:03.:34:12.

pink. That is where he would like to put the cue ball if he can, cut the

:34:13.:34:18.

pink into the middle pocket and that is what he is going to play. Key

:34:19.:34:21.

shot. No. Has he got onto that red or has

:34:22.:34:38.

he been fortunate? If Ding can get through to it, he can get across the

:34:39.:34:45.

table for blue or pink. Yes, he can get through it but he has to be a

:34:46.:34:49.

bit wary of the in off into the middle pocket. He will be aware of

:34:50.:34:54.

that. Had struggled in that he has landed

:34:55.:35:12.

absolutely perfect on the blue. There is one loose red at the site

:35:13.:35:16.

and I think the reason it struggled, he was a bit aware of the

:35:17.:35:21.

possibility of the in off. I think he should play the cannon here, not

:35:22.:35:27.

play it hard, a gentle cannon to open the reds. It is too difficult

:35:28.:35:32.

to play for a particular ball but he needs a good split. And he has got

:35:33.:35:37.

it. What a chance now. Mark Selby

:35:38.:35:54.

thought long and hard about whether to take the pink or put a colour

:35:55.:35:59.

safe and play a safety shot and he decided on the tricky cut into the

:36:00.:36:11.

middle and it did not come off. He came to the table 41 points behind.

:36:12.:36:17.

All of the reds in the middle of the table. But it needs total

:36:18.:36:26.

concentration and, in particular, good cue ball control. That will

:36:27.:36:30.

make it easy, or easier. He doesn't have to play any cannons,

:36:31.:37:31.

the little triangle of reds, if he pots the one to the left, it will

:37:32.:37:37.

clear the other two. It is all about keeping close control.

:37:38.:37:43.

Concentration. He was thinking of running through but it could go

:37:44.:37:50.

wrong so back up for the blue. If he had played the run-through for the

:37:51.:37:55.

black, he would have been running into another red but he has just let

:37:56.:38:01.

that slip. Has he got an angle on this blue? I think he might just

:38:02.:38:07.

have one. He needs one. He is almost straight but I think he can still

:38:08.:38:11.

get on that one to the left of the four. He is playing the run-through

:38:12.:38:21.

so he feels he can pinch of it here. -- pinch a bit here. This is where,

:38:22.:38:30.

psychologically you start thinking about the frame. He is seven points

:38:31.:38:36.

behind, red and a black would put him one point in front and then he

:38:37.:38:39.

knows exactly what is required to clinch the frame at this visit. He

:38:40.:38:45.

has not thought about it so far, just thinking about getting those

:38:46.:38:51.

points. And he has missed it! And he missed it because he did not get the

:38:52.:38:55.

right angle on the blue, if he had done he would have been closer to

:38:56.:39:00.

the red. For the first time we see a reaction from him, he is annoyed

:39:01.:39:07.

with that. That was a pretty easy pot that he missed.

:39:08.:39:20.

He is on the pink but he might be absolutely dead straight here which

:39:21.:39:34.

means he can't do much with the cue ball.

:39:35.:39:46.

He feels he has got a slight angle here, it looks straight, there is

:39:47.:39:55.

not much of an angle. This is a similar type of shot to the one that

:39:56.:39:59.

Ding missed into the other corner. This is a frame that I am sure Mark

:40:00.:40:13.

Selby was sat in his seat a few moments ago thinking it had passed

:40:14.:40:20.

him by. He is favourite to take it now and go to the mid-session

:40:21.:40:23.

interval with a two frame advantage. It was just a little lapse in

:40:24.:40:42.

concentration from Ding. I mean he would normally knock that in 19

:40:43.:40:52.

times out of 20, even more. But it just shows you how you can play one

:40:53.:40:56.

poor positional shot, he was just too straight and even though that

:40:57.:41:00.

red looked easy, it was just off straight but if it was straight he

:41:01.:41:04.

could have stunned it in and no way he was missing it but with the angle

:41:05.:41:08.

he was trying to pinch a bit of the pocket. That black going in now, 29

:41:09.:41:17.

points ahead, no heroics on this red, just roll it in and go 30 ahead

:41:18.:41:24.

with 27 remaining. He will be birdieing this. Not bothered about

:41:25.:41:32.

the colour. He will be quite happy just to roll to the black and play

:41:33.:41:36.

the snooker, 30 ahead with 27 remaining. And Ding Junhui has

:41:37.:41:43.

missed a golden opportunity to square the match before the

:41:44.:41:48.

mid-session interval. He will have that interval to think about the

:41:49.:41:50.

missed red. Ding, you never know, if he can hit

:41:51.:42:06.

this yellow and get it says, once snooker. It would not be the first

:42:07.:42:08.

time we have seen it happen. It is coming over the corner pocket,

:42:09.:42:24.

hang on! I thought he might have fluked the snooker. Maybe he can't

:42:25.:42:39.

pot it. It is tight. He can't risk playing a little swerve because he

:42:40.:42:44.

could hit the black. And at all costs you would not take that

:42:45.:42:52.

chance, Dennis. He is looking at the side cushion to come off it and pot

:42:53.:43:03.

the yellow, that is quite ambitious. Not sure about that one. I think he

:43:04.:43:06.

could have played thin off the yellow. Up on the balcony there, a

:43:07.:43:11.

reaction from family and friends. Ding didn't quite get the required

:43:12.:43:30.

screw to get in behind the black. It was difficult but if the yellow

:43:31.:43:36.

doesn't pass the brown, at least it is safe and it doesn't. He will

:43:37.:43:44.

still have a chance here and with that black there, it is not a bad

:43:45.:43:48.

position to try to lay a snooker behind. I was thinking exactly the

:43:49.:43:53.

same, John. But will England wait to get a chance to get in behind it? --

:43:54.:44:00.

will Ding Junhui get the chance. Mark Selby is pretty good at playing

:44:01.:44:10.

snooker 's as well. Just one four point snooker needed by Ding Junhui.

:44:11.:44:21.

That is usually the best way to stop the opponent getting a snooker,

:44:22.:44:25.

snooker him. Easy to hit, he has got to get it

:44:26.:44:42.

safe. He has got to get it safe. Hang on! He is in behind the brown!

:44:43.:44:50.

Would you believe it? The twists and turns that can happen on a snooker

:44:51.:44:55.

table. A puff of the cheeks tells me that Mark Selby can get to this off

:44:56.:44:57.

one cushion and if he can, easy hit. This frame is not over just yet.

:44:58.:45:16.

There could be a possibility to get this cue ball in behind the black. I

:45:17.:45:21.

know he can stun it and get the snooker behind the pink but if he

:45:22.:45:27.

can get tight behind the black... He is just playing the up and down

:45:28.:45:34.

shot. I don't blame him for that. It needs to slow up to make it

:45:35.:45:38.

difficult and it has done. This is not a guaranteed hit. Mark Selby

:45:39.:45:48.

does not miss many, that is for sure. And I suppose that was the

:45:49.:45:51.

right way to play it because you were more or less guaranteed the

:45:52.:45:54.

snooker but you do not fancy him to miss this. Is he going to push the

:45:55.:46:04.

black? It is not quite as good now as it was before. For the snooker in

:46:05.:46:14.

behind. It is the first to 17 that goes through to the final.

:46:15.:46:24.

Can he get the snooker that could bring it back all square? Mark Selby

:46:25.:46:38.

just with a bit of nervous energy. Obviously a good favourite to win

:46:39.:46:41.

the frame but you never know, you are on a knife's edge when somebody

:46:42.:46:45.

need the snooker but the imperative thing for Ding is to get the yellow

:46:46.:46:52.

safe. If he can't get the snooker, at least if you get the object ball

:46:53.:46:56.

safe you can get another chance but if he leaves it on, that is end of

:46:57.:47:02.

frame. If he hits the cushion first, there is a way of knocking it up

:47:03.:47:06.

past the black and possibly getting in behind it. If he comes off the

:47:07.:47:12.

side cushion and hits the yellow football, it would double the yellow

:47:13.:47:13.

out past the black. That is not a bad effort. There

:47:14.:47:30.

might be a gap. If it is full ball behind the blue, but there is a gap

:47:31.:47:39.

between brown and blue to hit the cushion. Another easy escape. That

:47:40.:47:49.

hasn't helped, putting the green safe, that hasn't helped Ding but he

:47:50.:47:54.

might be able to get white behind the black this time with a little

:47:55.:47:58.

screw shot. It is more difficult to get behind now than before it was

:47:59.:48:01.

moved. Here it comes but where is the

:48:02.:48:13.

yellow? Almost doubled the yellow but has he got the snooker? APPLAUSE

:48:14.:48:27.

You have got to cut out the one-cushion escape at this level if

:48:28.:48:35.

you are going to get any reward for the snooker. Where is this cue ball

:48:36.:48:40.

going? Mark could have a snooker of his own here. That is amazing, to

:48:41.:48:47.

get the yellow over that pocket and the white over this pocket from that

:48:48.:48:51.

position. What a result he has had their.

:48:52.:49:06.

He has left the yellow on. I think it is into full-time. -- it is

:49:07.:49:20.

interval time. Ding might decide to play on because you would not think

:49:21.:49:24.

that Mark could get position on the green so it is two snookers required

:49:25.:49:29.

and where the black is, it might encourage Ding to play on.

:49:30.:49:36.

Absolutely. He has no intention of walking out of the arena just yet

:49:37.:49:37.

for the mid-session interval. A chance here, push the green up and

:49:38.:50:09.

down the table and get that cue ball in behind the black. He needs it

:50:10.:50:19.

tight behind but it just swung off the cushion. He might have the

:50:20.:50:22.

snooker but even if he has it looks like an easy swerve. He doesn't need

:50:23.:50:30.

the swerve. Mark trying to knock the brown near

:50:31.:50:48.

the top cushion but he has left it in a position where, if he got a

:50:49.:50:52.

snooker behind it, it would be good but he will be trying to get in

:50:53.:50:56.

behind the black again and this is at a better place and a good line

:50:57.:51:05.

and is it tight? APPLAUSE Has he cut out the one-cushion

:51:06.:51:06.

escape? He needs so much side on this, he

:51:07.:51:15.

will have to try to make the angle with loads of left-hand side to

:51:16.:51:20.

swing it over towards it. He had a bit more room than I thought and

:51:21.:51:28.

there was no problem. He can always pot the green because the brown is

:51:29.:51:36.

not in an ideal position here. It just means there is one less ball to

:51:37.:51:41.

snooker behind. He would love to lead the green on the table but I

:51:42.:51:45.

don't think he can avoid putting it. He had to. He couldn't have finished

:51:46.:51:58.

much worse than that in all honesty. He can't get in behind the black,

:51:59.:52:02.

just maybe get the snooker behind the pink. But if he is going to

:52:03.:52:08.

force Mark Selby to miss, he has got to get it tight to these snooker

:52:09.:52:13.

rink balls and so far he has not been able to do that. -- snookering

:52:14.:52:19.

balls. That was a good shot from Mark. Can

:52:20.:52:42.

Ding get the brown safe? He didn't want to risk trying to cut

:52:43.:53:19.

the brown in because there was a possible in off to the right middle

:53:20.:53:24.

pocket. If he doesn't get the double-kiss, he might get over

:53:25.:53:28.

behind the black here. The double-kiss is on.

:53:29.:53:43.

But if he pots it, it is definitely frame over. APPLAUSE

:53:44.:54:02.

And in it goes and Mark Selby, he started this session with a two

:54:03.:54:09.

frame advantage and was pulled back to 12 or at the start of this

:54:10.:54:16.

session. He has now won three of the first four frames and nonchalantly

:54:17.:54:20.

knocks in the pink and tries to pot the black while it is moving. That

:54:21.:54:26.

is what Mark Selby wanted, winning three of the first four frames and

:54:27.:54:30.

Ding Junhui is two frames behind again but don't rule him out.

:54:31.:54:35.

But as you said, Mark is only two frames away from a place in a fourth

:54:36.:54:43.

final and has shown such positivity. There was just a sign from Ding

:54:44.:54:47.

Junhui when he missed that red after failing to get position from the

:54:48.:54:52.

blue that he was getting a little agitated. By this time of the

:54:53.:55:00.

tournament, you are not supposed to be missing anything but of course

:55:01.:55:04.

it's impossible. You are forever trying to pinch part of the pocket,

:55:05.:55:08.

not always right in the middle and you would have hoped that Ding

:55:09.:55:12.

Junhui could have rolled that in. But unfortunately, as John Virgo

:55:13.:55:16.

said, if you play a dead straight stun shot and hit the ball with

:55:17.:55:20.

authority you usually get it in but when you parole them in, there is

:55:21.:55:24.

always the possibility it might roll off -- you have to roll them in.

:55:25.:55:30.

Mark Selby is obviously not impervious to pressure and there was

:55:31.:55:33.

a couple of moment he thought he did not get a good run of the balls. He

:55:34.:55:40.

has friends in the gallery and if things don't go right he is smiling

:55:41.:55:44.

at the commentary or the studio and he is feeling it as well definitely.

:55:45.:55:49.

There is no need to begrudge bad luck because he has had a fair share

:55:50.:55:53.

in this match, it tends to even out over long matches, but it was a

:55:54.:55:58.

differs -- a disappointing miss for Ding Junhui. A couple of times he

:55:59.:56:02.

has given it the heavy shoe walk back to the chair, trudging a bit,

:56:03.:56:06.

and that is a bad sign because he has looked pretty positive through

:56:07.:56:09.

most of the match. If you were in his corner like Terry Griffiths will

:56:10.:56:14.

be, what encouragement can you give him at this stage to keep punching?

:56:15.:56:18.

I don't think there are many words left. It is a case, he knows what

:56:19.:56:23.

yesterday when he comes out, he doesn't have that much breathing

:56:24.:56:27.

space. He will probably get himself in a better frame of mind for this

:56:28.:56:32.

second session because he will go, I've got nothing to lose, I've got

:56:33.:56:35.

to go for it. He doesn't have the worry of anything behind him,

:56:36.:56:39.

looking over his shoulder, it is foot to the floor and let's see what

:56:40.:56:43.

we can do and compete. He always goes to the practice table, whatever

:56:44.:56:47.

the score, he will always be on the practice table, it is just what he

:56:48.:56:53.

does. He will be getting a bit of rhythm going and hopefully if he

:56:54.:56:57.

gets a chance he can get active at one visit scoring which has been his

:56:58.:57:02.

strength. I know you were both very dominant champions and Mark

:57:03.:57:05.

currently is that add his opponent is the underdog and getting quite a

:57:06.:57:10.

lot of support, a syndrome you both recognise? Exactly come interesting

:57:11.:57:15.

how the crowd are responding, it is the ultimate testament to how good

:57:16.:57:21.

Mark Selby is. Nobody is doing yet! He is not at our level yet! --

:57:22.:57:29.

booing. He is certainly getting to that level where people expect him

:57:30.:57:38.

to win. We will be back very shortly over on BBC Two because while they

:57:39.:57:43.

are at the interview will -- at the interval we will switch channels and

:57:44.:57:47.

we will be back for the deciding session. I hope you will join us

:57:48.:57:51.

there in just a few moments. Put the kettle on and we will see you in

:57:52.:57:53.

about ten minutes. Goodbye for now. The East End girl who became the

:57:54.:58:01.

nation's favourite. We don't know what it is,

:58:02.:58:04.

but she definitely has... Something.

:58:05.:58:10.

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