Day 9, Afternoon Session

:00:34. > :00:39.Good afternoon. This time next week will all be sitting down for the

:00:40. > :00:44.first session of this year 's's jumping ship final but from what you

:00:45. > :00:51.have seen so far, who will be in that final? Higgins and Selby.

:00:52. > :01:00.Ronnie O'Sullivan is going to win it. It will be Ronnie O'Sullivan and

:01:01. > :01:05.John Higgins but keep an eye out for Marco Fu. It is interesting you

:01:06. > :01:09.mention that because possibly the best form from the first week has

:01:10. > :01:14.been shown by O'Sullivan and Higgins. Both of them 41 years of

:01:15. > :01:18.age and the owners of nine world titles between them. They are indeed

:01:19. > :01:23.on opposite sides of the draw. Nice one. I'm just throwing it out there

:01:24. > :01:26.for your attention but the uppermost for men who have already cemented

:01:27. > :01:46.their names into this year 's quarterfinal draw.

:01:47. > :01:58.Ronnie was just a little bit too good.

:01:59. > :02:05.Ding Junhui gets to the quarterfinals where he will play

:02:06. > :02:16.Ronnie O'Sullivan. A very confident young man. What a performance from

:02:17. > :02:25.John Higgins. He is back to his best in my opinion. Much was made of the

:02:26. > :02:29.fact that the draw was a little top-heavy with the top players, it

:02:30. > :02:32.is difficult to argue against that. It must looks like an invitation

:02:33. > :02:40.eight-man event, the top half, you have the big guns, Ronnie and Mac,

:02:41. > :02:46.Ding Junhui and Neil Robertson. Whoever comes through from the top

:02:47. > :02:51.half order it the hard way. That is greater when, to sweep to be the

:02:52. > :02:53.hard way. If someone comes through from the suffragan think them

:02:54. > :02:58.favourites to win the title. But attached at someone. The bottom half

:02:59. > :03:04.is no less competitive, but of all those players and it but Becky

:03:05. > :03:07.Wenner in that. You have to say John Higgins as the standard. It is

:03:08. > :03:16.starting to look possibly like a Higgins O'Sullivan final, he is the

:03:17. > :03:23.big name in their Kyren Wilson has been impressive and the other two

:03:24. > :03:29.second-round match still to finish. Barry Hawkins and Graeme Dott blogs

:03:30. > :03:38.tough match. I can see that going 13-11, 13-12. Pick a winner. Of the

:03:39. > :03:42.ultimate. On the form shown so far, Ronnie O'Sullivan. This is what

:03:43. > :03:49.really got coming up this afternoon for you. Ex-world number one Neil

:03:50. > :03:53.Robertson is a serious contender for a second world title. Marco Fu

:03:54. > :04:01.fancied for a first. What gives today? Graeme Dott times 40 next

:04:02. > :04:03.month as a bullet Barry Hawkins is that today the two will be

:04:04. > :04:13.celebrating after their opening session? Mark Selby is chasing a

:04:14. > :04:19.third world title. Xiao Guodong displaying him today. And Rory

:04:20. > :04:25.McLeod is for behind and Stephen Maguire would take nothing for

:04:26. > :04:31.granted. Graeme is next and there are no plans to make this a ranking

:04:32. > :04:35.event. And we would love to hear your questions and views so get in

:04:36. > :04:43.touch using the hashtag, BBC snooker. This middle Sunday should

:04:44. > :04:46.be a day for simmering emotion rather than boiling tension is

:04:47. > :04:49.unlike yesterday for never three fabulous finishes in the

:04:50. > :04:52.second-round, road, and another today due to come to a conclusion.

:04:53. > :04:55.That doesn't mean that they want but it is a day for sitting back and

:04:56. > :05:00.immersing yourself in the developing drama of second round and one of the

:05:01. > :05:04.most intriguing matches we think today will feature Neil Robertson of

:05:05. > :05:14.Australia against Marco Fu from Hong Kong.

:05:15. > :05:20.I'm very happy with my game. I have been practising really hard coming

:05:21. > :05:25.here, but never practised so hard before and two chips and I have done

:05:26. > :05:32.everything right so regardless of performance at least I know I've

:05:33. > :05:35.done everything I can. Since the UK I have been playing quite

:05:36. > :05:40.consistently, reducing the tip of consistency that I want and that is

:05:41. > :05:50.the most important thing especially coming to the World Championships.

:05:51. > :05:55.Marco has been clingy sniffer of his career hadn't had the low season.

:05:56. > :06:05.You look at the draw and there aren't too many players left,

:06:06. > :06:11.everyone fights to be death. We play some other type of game, you want to

:06:12. > :06:16.get amongst the balls and other clearance. Hopefully I can win

:06:17. > :06:20.playing as quickly as possible with the and relatively too many safety

:06:21. > :06:29.shots and try and attack the game. I am quite happy to be one of the

:06:30. > :06:36.lesser fancied, O'Sullivan, Judd Trump and Selby ahead of me in the

:06:37. > :06:43.betting and to go about my business. I'm sure it is good to be a tough

:06:44. > :06:46.challenge for both of us so it will be evenly matched contest and

:06:47. > :06:54.hopefully I can go there and play to my best and enjoy the occasional

:06:55. > :06:58.hopefully come out as a winner. Neil Robertson determined to rule the

:06:59. > :07:01.snooker world once more, Marco Fu image or do so for the first time

:07:02. > :07:06.and the Hong Kong player relieved to have the chance after that

:07:07. > :07:11.incredible comeback in the opening round from 7-1 down to win 10-9. If

:07:12. > :07:16.you were with us this morning you would've seen Neil Robertson lead

:07:17. > :07:20.4-2, both men with a century each so far and we pick it up on the seventh

:07:21. > :07:21.frame with Robertson marginally in front and it is being watched by Ken

:07:22. > :07:49.Daugherty and John Virgo. COMMENTATOR: Years wondering if you

:07:50. > :07:56.can make these two reds into a plant. It is very tight but he may

:07:57. > :07:57.be able to squeeze that second red one closest to the pocket in that

:07:58. > :08:21.line. It could go in and did. The sea have

:08:22. > :09:17.the green into the left-centre? He has to take this green on.

:09:18. > :09:32.Nicely on the blue and I think this red just above the black is

:09:33. > :09:42.available. It will be a nice one to get on and pull clear the black.

:09:43. > :09:51.He played that nicely to get on that road. He would prefer to be a bit

:09:52. > :10:33.straighter on this red. We saw the cue ball bounce but I

:10:34. > :10:42.think it is just OK. I think it might have worked to his advantage.

:10:43. > :10:48.It is not often depicted as that he's not actually on this thread as

:10:49. > :10:54.it turned out. If you didn't get the heavy contact, this red years

:10:55. > :10:57.playing no would have been lower and delivered more work to do with the

:10:58. > :11:18.cue ball. It had finished her food. A lucky kick.

:11:19. > :11:26.He took that opportunity to open those two reds, 17 point really one

:11:27. > :11:56.is definitely a frame-winning opportunity.

:11:57. > :12:07.Still looking for more points but you would certainly have fancied

:12:08. > :12:12.him... I know he was trying to ensure that of the pocket to retain

:12:13. > :12:16.good position on the pink but his schoolboy error missing the red.

:12:17. > :12:24.Trying to hold for the pink, blood sacrifice the pot. -- don't

:12:25. > :12:45.sacrifice the pot. He didn't leave anything easy for

:12:46. > :12:47.Neil except a possible read to the right-centre that was not the best

:12:48. > :13:19.safety shots has overplayed. What has she left this time? No two

:13:20. > :13:23.games of snooker are alike, we were commentating on John Higgins and

:13:24. > :13:27.Macau was that had any team any player made a mistake the other one

:13:28. > :13:29.cleared up. It is not happening in this match so far. Chances coming

:13:30. > :14:06.thick and fast for those players. But all those mistakes that Marco

:14:07. > :14:18.has made in this room will be put behind him if you can know when it

:14:19. > :14:26.after that wonderful long put. It is easy to forget your errors if you

:14:27. > :14:37.win the frame. It is never easy to forget though should you lose it

:14:38. > :14:41.from a simple error. Even though he has been a bit edgy this morning, if

:14:42. > :14:45.you can somehow manage to win this frame and cut the deficit to one he

:14:46. > :15:13.will be absolutely delighted. 33 ahead so he needs at least three

:15:14. > :15:22.more reds depending what value colours he gets so it is not a

:15:23. > :15:27.formality to get over the lingo. The three red on the job mission is

:15:28. > :15:35.tight he has no option to put to play for it. With the angle he has

:15:36. > :15:42.only black. I thought that was a nice angle but it is a bit more than

:15:43. > :16:01.he wanted. He still needs red, colour, red. A APPLAUSE

:16:02. > :16:15.It was almost like the red was hugging intrusion.

:16:16. > :16:24.-- hugging the cushion. Plenty of room at this road to put it into the

:16:25. > :16:38.left-centre. Here's a 49 points ahead with 51 remaining is just this

:16:39. > :16:52.red antinuke cut the deficit to one. Well played, Marco Fu. This had a

:16:53. > :16:57.couple of bites at the cherry but managed to win it in the end. The

:16:58. > :17:09.big last three moment for both players. Robinson will feel he has

:17:10. > :17:21.dominated the session and may come out of it all square should Michael

:17:22. > :17:27.winner this last frame. It is amazing how the psychology can swing

:17:28. > :17:35.back and forward between players. This has been the longest frame of

:17:36. > :17:39.the match so far which is slow by any means but I agree with you, I

:17:40. > :17:45.think this last frame of the session is quite an important one because it

:17:46. > :17:48.just looking at the way both players have played, I think Neil Robertson

:17:49. > :17:55.will be very disappointed if he came out all square. I think it will be

:17:56. > :17:59.certainly Marco Haywood psychologically have the edge. He

:18:00. > :18:11.has played at his best and he knows that. From Marco Fu's point of view,

:18:12. > :18:22.even if it is losing last frame, and is 5-3 behind, he would be too

:18:23. > :18:41.disappointed after the start he had. -- want to be disappointed.

:18:42. > :18:49.The pink didn't matter because the frame was one, Neil Robertson lead

:18:50. > :18:58.4-1 but then he is only one in front, 4-3. Marco Fu one of the

:18:59. > :19:04.Scottish open in fine style and one the finals of the two other majors

:19:05. > :19:06.this season and having been 4-1 down in this match, it can he get out of

:19:07. > :19:24.this opening session all square? COMMENTATOR: He have chance for Neil

:19:25. > :19:29.Robertson, this red. Just below the bank puts into the bottom right hand

:19:30. > :19:41.corner pocket. A natural angle back towards the goal area. So good at

:19:42. > :19:42.those type of shots. He wasn't using any force or power there, just

:19:43. > :20:03.cueing nicely. Not the best chance but there are if

:20:04. > :20:08.you open reds and the pink in the open and the blue nightspots. That

:20:09. > :20:25.flick on the pink was no hindrance. He wanted to put the cue ball and an

:20:26. > :20:31.area anywhere around that export area. Plenty of options but if you

:20:32. > :20:49.reds able to put. A good chance. Important for Neil

:20:50. > :20:59.Robertson to go into the next session with at least the lead.

:21:00. > :21:05.Particularly the way he has played this morning, he lost his way for a

:21:06. > :21:16.couple of friends. A good chance now to re-establish that to frame

:21:17. > :21:18.advantage. Both players in this first session to have unexpectedly

:21:19. > :21:26.missed putts he would ever expect them to miss and it can just know we

:21:27. > :21:28.at your confidence but he seems to have built up a nice head of steam

:21:29. > :21:49.here, the Australian. He has paused because he was too

:21:50. > :21:52.straight on the pink. If he had a slight angle he would just get down

:21:53. > :21:54.and knock down but he's just considering which is the best red to

:21:55. > :22:11.play for. I think he has decided to play to

:22:12. > :22:17.the one for the rich middle but he should have been just slightly the

:22:18. > :22:29.other side of street on this. And has cost him good position. He is

:22:30. > :22:43.not ideal on this pink. Just a bit careless with his positional shot

:22:44. > :22:46.there. He has rolled pink in nicely. Having to leave a mid-range red and

:22:47. > :22:52.this is the type of shot hurting missed in an earlier frame. He kept

:22:53. > :22:58.to thick the last time but no problem with that one. And that

:22:59. > :23:03.cluster of reds around the black, the top one goes to the right, and a

:23:04. > :23:18.that it will release one to the left corner so he is back in print

:23:19. > :23:36.position. His target is 68. When he puts this it releases to the left of

:23:37. > :23:42.it. I'm the one just above the black pots so the two reds of the black

:23:43. > :23:48.pot. It was careless to leave himself the wrong angle on the pink,

:23:49. > :23:52.he should have been straight when it obviously this one to the left of

:23:53. > :24:03.the black goes but he just keeps losing the cue ball a fraction. And

:24:04. > :24:05.now he has lost it completely. He was not perfect in this pink atoll.

:24:06. > :24:25.Making hard work of this. He is saying that rolled off but I

:24:26. > :24:30.don't think so. He can put his arm out as much as you like but you

:24:31. > :24:33.could see it was just snowballing, running out of position, not being

:24:34. > :24:51.on the ball he wanted to play on and the role of that much.

:24:52. > :24:58.It all started when he didn't get straight on that pink, that was a

:24:59. > :25:01.careless shot and he just needed to be straight for the two reds above

:25:02. > :25:12.the black and the opposite corner pocket. Did this rule of? Maybe he

:25:13. > :25:21.put a little bit of unintentional side on the cue ball and it may have

:25:22. > :25:30.just turned the pink. He doesn't want a kiss. It is still on the red

:25:31. > :25:43.but the kiss was not what was needed there. As we see it again, he is

:25:44. > :25:44.trying to avoid all contact with those reds, trying to get on the two

:25:45. > :26:04.reds above the black. If you can get on the loose one

:26:05. > :26:08.above the black with a nice angle and what that and bring the black

:26:09. > :26:28.into years having a look at maybe going straight in to the reds

:26:29. > :26:34.. He was contributing playing about shot from the blue. Going into the

:26:35. > :26:38.red closest to the black but you doesn't have to, there are two

:26:39. > :26:50.restraints available. There is his luck? It is not bad, not too bad.

:26:51. > :27:03.Nicely played. He purposely tried to hit that red and played very well.

:27:04. > :27:09.The fact that he is 34 points behind, that's tough year will come

:27:10. > :27:21.into play. If he gets that far from this brick. He is over this. What

:27:22. > :27:27.has he done here? As Neil Robertson before him, here's just not got

:27:28. > :27:33.complete control of the screwball, a lot of tension the cue. Ding a

:27:34. > :27:46.little bit of tension NVQ. Is he doesn't want the kiss on the

:27:47. > :27:55.brown. Not too bad a flick but he has to get this pupil travelling.

:27:56. > :28:03.It is so much easier if you get your nice position and all you have to do

:28:04. > :28:11.is roll the ball enemy the next shot easy. He is not out of the woods

:28:12. > :28:23.yet. He says little extension. 25 points

:28:24. > :28:38.behind now. He potted it but he's not on the black. I wonder if you

:28:39. > :28:56.will notice the opportunity, he has a nice angle on the black to try and

:28:57. > :29:02.get up? That is the possible choice. Train get in behind that red. He

:29:03. > :29:19.recovered with hitting it a little bit harder but he is OK.

:29:20. > :29:26.APPLAUSE The people in the front row there

:29:27. > :29:32.are new it was in before we did. But it is not ideal, too straight on

:29:33. > :29:39.this black. He may just put it and try and play is Nick on the road.

:29:40. > :29:51.You have to keep your head down on those, watch lift his head a little

:29:52. > :30:00.bit, he almost missed that. He was trying to pinch a bit. The 30 had

:30:01. > :30:04.missed that. He thought he had missed that. Watch his body, never

:30:05. > :30:18.mind the red. He thought he had missed it. How did that drop?

:30:19. > :30:24.Gravity. I knew you would see that. From behind his that he had had to

:30:25. > :30:31.them. But he is too straight on the black. And as we mentioned before,

:30:32. > :30:37.he has a lovely touch in and around the balls but he is not blessed with

:30:38. > :30:41.the muscular. For him to play a deep screw with lots of references to get

:30:42. > :30:46.onto the book mission, it is not in his armoury.

:30:47. > :30:52.He is contemplating about taking the pink off the side cushion, leaving

:30:53. > :30:59.the yellow there, not going for the black. He could just pot the black

:31:00. > :31:04.and play safety on the yellow but the difficulty will be playing a

:31:05. > :31:11.good safety from web the yellow is now. What is going through his mind

:31:12. > :31:23.is, I need that pink interplay, bring it out into the middle of the

:31:24. > :31:29.table, put Neil under pressure. That is very well worked out. I think he

:31:30. > :31:41.has the snooker. The pink out in the open.

:31:42. > :31:47.It is one of those incidents where potting the black would not make any

:31:48. > :32:11.difference. A good effort, he could not do much

:32:12. > :32:24.else. He could only see just half of the yellow. A big frame now. Both

:32:25. > :32:26.players have had chances, so whoever loses it will feel a little bit

:32:27. > :32:35.aggrieved. Not quite the snooker. But possibly

:32:36. > :33:04.the edge with Marco. He can get through to the potting

:33:05. > :33:08.angle of this year low. He may have to play the pot because it is one of

:33:09. > :33:20.those situations, I do not see a safety here.

:33:21. > :33:30.Fair play to him, he did. And that could be a telling one. He has got

:33:31. > :33:40.the snooker. And at this stage of the frame, it can give you a big

:33:41. > :33:47.advantage. He has got to hit this and try and get it safe. It is a big

:33:48. > :33:52.swerve he is trying here. The problem is you played that swerve,

:33:53. > :33:54.you don't get any pace into the object ball and he has left this

:33:55. > :34:17.yellow. Couldn't get as close as he wished

:34:18. > :34:29.to the green. This is a big shot here. He played that very nicely

:34:30. > :34:33.indeed. And there the fact that a fuse shots ago when he brought that

:34:34. > :34:43.pink into play could prove dividends. The last two frames are

:34:44. > :34:51.beginning to stretch out in time. It is a big one.

:34:52. > :35:00.He has played this nicely. Maybe just a little bit too pacey but he

:35:01. > :35:05.got a good line. If the blue had been on its spot, it would be ideal

:35:06. > :35:16.but he still needs a good pot on the blue and he needs the pink as well.

:35:17. > :35:22.Good shot on the blue. How easy he on the pink? The cue ball needs to

:35:23. > :35:30.slow down a little bit. Not ideal, but he has a chance if it pops into

:35:31. > :35:37.the Leicester centre and what right left-hand pocket. The left corner

:35:38. > :35:46.because you can turn the cue ball to the baulk end. He was up and out of

:35:47. > :35:48.that very quick, wasn't he? He has done that a couple of times in this

:35:49. > :36:07.frame. As soon as he hit it, he knew. And

:36:08. > :36:17.Neil has gifted him the frame. And Neil once again saying, intimating

:36:18. > :36:27.the table rolled off. This pink to square the match.

:36:28. > :36:33.APPLAUSE He had chances to stretch further

:36:34. > :36:42.and I think that from Marco Fu... The finish the first session, all

:36:43. > :36:46.square. Disappointment for Robertson delight for Marco Fu. They will be

:36:47. > :36:54.back for another eight frames this evening from 7pm. You can see that

:36:55. > :37:01.on the red button. We did identified this match as one of the key games

:37:02. > :37:04.of round two, particularly after Marco's reprieve. When you come

:37:05. > :37:08.through a much that is so tight and you have over the line in such a

:37:09. > :37:14.dramatic fashion, how does it set you up? You just breathe a huge sigh

:37:15. > :37:22.of relief and you go into your second round with a clear head. It

:37:23. > :37:33.is amazing. You could have been out and now you have a second chance.

:37:34. > :37:40.When were you ever 7-1 down? I have had to take first rounds, Gary

:37:41. > :37:46.Wilkinson, I think I was 9-8 down in one decider and the next round I

:37:47. > :37:50.played great. The pressure seems to com. We have underlined what a

:37:51. > :37:58.fantastic season Marco Fu has had and you guys watching him. He has

:37:59. > :38:06.become my guilty pleasure. I like watching him make a break. He is a

:38:07. > :38:12.cherry picker. Lots of times you see people splattered the balls

:38:13. > :38:18.anywhere. He prepares to cherry pick. It is all square. Neil

:38:19. > :38:23.Robertson, a 12 time was ranking event winner. He is out at world

:38:24. > :38:29.number nine, his lowest for nine years. Wants to re-establish himself

:38:30. > :38:34.at the top of the game. Is he going about it the right way? He seems a

:38:35. > :38:41.different character. He used to be full of confidence. Now he is saying

:38:42. > :38:49.he is happy to go under the radar, be a underdog. He is in danger of

:38:50. > :38:53.becoming on the second tier of the top players who is not regarded as

:38:54. > :39:01.favourites to win tournaments because I don't think he is the same

:39:02. > :39:04.player. Why not? I have no idea. Maybe his practice regime has

:39:05. > :39:12.changed, maybe he's not working hard enough. I do not know. Whatever it

:39:13. > :39:16.is, he is not quite at the levels he is at. Some of the levels he was at

:39:17. > :39:22.was stellar, but he's not up there at the moment. He did have a problem

:39:23. > :39:27.with video gaming and he has quipped that. He has turned over a new leaf

:39:28. > :39:33.in that regard and that will refocus his efforts. He is picking and

:39:34. > :39:39.choosing his events as well. He did not enter the China open, he chose

:39:40. > :39:43.to put more practice in for this, so if he comes up short in this, he

:39:44. > :39:50.will have to rethink his whole regime. We talk about the betting at

:39:51. > :39:56.the start of the tournament, he was 12-1, you could back him 16-1. They

:39:57. > :40:02.looked at him and did not think he was impressive in round one, but if

:40:03. > :40:07.he plays property, that is a massive prize. A lot of mileage in this

:40:08. > :40:14.match. I wonder if you remember a trick shot that we showed you at the

:40:15. > :40:19.Masters in January. It was staged at the Bristol all-stars club and it

:40:20. > :40:27.was Shane O'Hara who was the general manager who created this trick shot.

:40:28. > :40:31.We thought what could he create here in Sheffield? Perhaps his ambitions

:40:32. > :40:33.were not quite as foursome as back in January, but will they create

:40:34. > :40:46.another video viral success? Always some difficult shots here but

:40:47. > :40:50.none quite as tricky as these. Shane O'Hara, a name you may be familiar

:40:51. > :40:56.with when he pulled off a trick of all time and he is now back doing

:40:57. > :41:01.this 40th anniversary to try something new. Talk us through the

:41:02. > :41:08.challenge back in January. January was a very elaborate trick shot. It

:41:09. > :41:13.took place over ten tables, a flight of stairs and 20 metres section of

:41:14. > :41:20.bar so it was particularly elaborate. Gravity was the real

:41:21. > :41:27.winner in January's one whereas I have to take all the blame for this.

:41:28. > :41:32.We want to pot some balls using some other sporting equipment. I have

:41:33. > :41:35.been here for a while and I think I will surpass the amount of attempts.

:41:36. > :41:50.You have to watch it and see. Do you play all of these sports as

:41:51. > :41:53.well? Yeah, I am a jack of all trades, but a play a bit of

:41:54. > :42:15.everything to a modest degree. I need a few more goes at it to

:42:16. > :42:17.possibly nail it, but it wasn't bad. No, I was rubbish. I will get back

:42:18. > :42:26.to my real job now. We are officially throwing the

:42:27. > :42:32.gauntlet down. We want you to dream up some trick shots and film them

:42:33. > :42:38.and send them to us. I don't know what you will come up with, but I

:42:39. > :42:43.can imagine the kids getting the loo roll and facilitate out. It is

:42:44. > :42:48.better than the dreaded iPad. Let them have a go and send their

:42:49. > :42:55.efforts and your efforts to us. You guys might have a go. I am not so

:42:56. > :43:03.sure about this gentleman here. I cannot do trick shots. We are

:43:04. > :43:10.looking forward to seeing them. Graeme Dott, when it comes to horses

:43:11. > :43:13.for courses in major events, he is a runner. Particularly at the World

:43:14. > :43:20.Championships. He has proved that time and time again. He was in the

:43:21. > :43:25.final in 2004, two years later got his hands on the trophy and then

:43:26. > :43:30.battled through a third final in 2010, Neil Robertson got the better

:43:31. > :43:35.of him, but he is facing a man facing a similar affinity with this

:43:36. > :43:41.event, because Barry Hawkins stunned everyone to reach the final here in

:43:42. > :43:45.2013 having not won a single match for his first five years. Played a

:43:46. > :43:52.fantastic match against O'Sullivan and seems to have given him a taste

:43:53. > :43:58.for success. Two more semifinals. Today was a very special Crucible

:43:59. > :44:22.day for him. Please welcome the birthday boy, Barry Hawkins!

:44:23. > :44:31.38 today. Well done, Barry. Having a good laugh before his match. Two

:44:32. > :44:36.players who thrive in the pressure cooker environment of the Crucible.

:44:37. > :44:40.They started at ten o'clock this morning and Graeme Dott establishing

:44:41. > :44:44.a lead. We joined them in the fourth, it's the Scots to play.

:44:45. > :44:52.Being watched by Willie Thorne and Steve Davis. I guarantee you, both

:44:53. > :45:01.players will be straight to the practice table at the end of the

:45:02. > :45:10.session. To try and work out what is going wrong or just to get their arm

:45:11. > :45:17.going. Oh, no. This is just so uncharacteristic of not just Barry

:45:18. > :45:27.Hawkins but Graeme Dott as well. Hard to commentate on this, isn't

:45:28. > :45:35.it? We are as much to the new stairs they are. We have just been told by

:45:36. > :45:44.their starts that in his first round match he has never missed a black of

:45:45. > :45:48.the sport. It just shows you can get it one day feeling great, get up the

:45:49. > :45:50.next not feeling good. But what you have to do is get something out of a

:45:51. > :46:06.session. All I can think of other than the

:46:07. > :46:14.fact it is the morning session and it is best of 25, is that both

:46:15. > :46:19.players not relish laying each other because they know they are both hard

:46:20. > :46:25.on the table. Would it have been easy to fire yourself up against

:46:26. > :46:32.Ronnie O'Sullivan or Mark Selby with a little bit of expression Pella

:46:33. > :46:36.expectation that they could go through? I do not know. Or is it

:46:37. > :46:45.just on the day it has all gone wrong?

:46:46. > :46:54.As we currently sit, whoever gets out of this session with a 5-3 lead

:46:55. > :47:04.might as well go, that his bonus time. At this moment in time looks

:47:05. > :47:10.like Graeme Dott will be favourite to do that, especially if he goes

:47:11. > :47:14.3-1 in front. We normally would be talking of this position as a

:47:15. > :48:05.frame-winning opportunity. Luckily enough for Graham he has got

:48:06. > :48:10.it into the corner. Had to get top side of the blue to get that shot.

:48:11. > :49:08.Not the tallest so he will need the rest for this.

:49:09. > :49:16.Top cushion seems a little bit lively this morning. A few shots

:49:17. > :49:19.that Graham has played, it seemed to have bounced a bit more than he

:49:20. > :49:27.wanted. Maybe he has not got the pace yet.

:49:28. > :49:43.The new cloth was, was it yesterday ordered down -- or the day before?

:49:44. > :49:47.Time flies. First couple of sessions on the new cloth, the balls

:49:48. > :49:52.certainly don't bounce off the cushion fast, but they get brushed

:49:53. > :49:59.enough times that that Sheen gets brushed off and they quickly revert

:50:00. > :50:06.to their normal lively selves. A bit of balance here, Graeme. Considered

:50:07. > :50:11.easy enough that he will pot it regardless. Getting closer to the

:50:12. > :50:26.finishing line. Could win the frame, 31 points in front.

:50:27. > :50:37.Break goes to 51 which is the highest of the match so far.

:50:38. > :50:51.Oh, my God! Both players are feeling it. It is the first session. I don't

:50:52. > :50:56.think I will be upsetting either of these players if I said it is

:50:57. > :51:02.possibly one of the worst sessions I have seen an fault here in many

:51:03. > :51:11.years. But in its own way it is fascinating, isn't it?

:51:12. > :51:23.Shot. APPLAUSE

:51:24. > :51:32.It is fascinating who can kick start the engines?

:51:33. > :51:40.Great effort to release that red. A bit unlucky how bad has ended up to

:51:41. > :52:03.be quite honest. The fact that Barry is left-handed,

:52:04. > :52:08.that red on the side cushion has led to bigger problems than a

:52:09. > :52:13.right-handed player. It depends what angle he gets on the next colour. I

:52:14. > :52:18.am not too sure he can playback is on the red here. But he probably

:52:19. > :52:29.wants to make things as easy as he can. If he was playing great he

:52:30. > :52:35.might not have done that, to his credit, perfectly. But can he

:52:36. > :52:43.escaped with 2-2? Looks favourite now even though he is 21 behind.

:52:44. > :52:49.There is that cushion playing lively. Look at that. Yeah, that

:52:50. > :52:59.could cause some problems as the day unfolds as well. Not absolutely sure

:53:00. > :53:04.what the fitters can do. In the short space of time they get between

:53:05. > :53:20.sessions. Any sticking point here for Barry Hawkins. Yellow to green.

:53:21. > :53:31.A bit disappointed he finish is so back on the black. Just off straight

:53:32. > :53:44.to green but it is about right. Barry Hawkins will certainly enjoy

:53:45. > :53:48.his cup of tea more than Graeme regardless what happens, because

:53:49. > :53:52.Barry knows he could be 4-0 behind the way this game has gone so far

:53:53. > :54:16.and there is every chance it will level at 2-2.

:54:17. > :54:39.Slight kick on the blue there which took a little bit of pace out of the

:54:40. > :54:49.cue ball. The best frame of the by far. We are all square at 2-2. Both

:54:50. > :54:54.players can be a little bit amused with what has happened so far.

:54:55. > :55:01.Hawkins won a third frame in a row to take the lead for the first time.

:55:02. > :55:03.We will head back into the six now. The whole is trailing by 46 points

:55:04. > :55:31.to four. Very tempting. Hold on a minute,

:55:32. > :55:40.what has he spotted? A slow role behind the brown he has looked at.

:55:41. > :55:42.If the cue ball rolls off, it is not good. I think he is going for the

:55:43. > :55:53.pot. Perhaps he was not looking at the

:55:54. > :55:57.slow role behind the brown. Hoping to get back you ball in behind the

:55:58. > :56:03.brown somehow. Don't tell me he has left the perfect angle for Barry

:56:04. > :56:15.Hawkins, two or three cushions and flick the brownout. Awkward cueing

:56:16. > :56:21.so. It is Graeme Dott's saviour. The shot is definitely on apart from the

:56:22. > :56:23.awkward cueing. Side cushion, top cushion. He will certainly play it

:56:24. > :56:40.even though he is hampered. How does this look? Good effort.

:56:41. > :56:45.Great effort. That pot was made three times harder because of the

:56:46. > :56:50.cueing over the brown. Regardless he has the green in and now he has

:56:51. > :56:52.first crack at the good safety shot on the brown. It is good. Excellent

:56:53. > :57:07.weight. Graeme Dott's failure to clinch the

:57:08. > :57:10.frame in one visit when he was in prime position has given him a

:57:11. > :57:25.headache. Effectively a brown ball game. It is

:57:26. > :57:31.quite a nice target with the blue and pink being where they are but he

:57:32. > :58:11.has not played this well. I don't think Barry will be taking this on.

:58:12. > :58:24.What has he done here? What has he done here?

:58:25. > :58:32.Well, clearly he pushed the brown by the middle pocket, but as you can

:58:33. > :59:09.see, this is well pottable. Well, a very relieved to Graeme Dott

:59:10. > :59:21.I feel. And he walks off just to perhaps compose himself. 3-3. The

:59:22. > :59:29.standard has been a little better since the interval. Previous frame

:59:30. > :59:34.breaks 44 by Hawkins. No player has yet taken the frame by the scruff of

:59:35. > :59:54.the neck. You would expect a standard to get

:59:55. > :00:00.better without being rude. It couldn't have got much worse. Two

:00:01. > :00:10.great players, to Greek champions struggling out there. In this first

:00:11. > :00:24.session of the three session match. Nice to see them getting stuck in a

:00:25. > :00:27.bit. The black pots, the two reds are a problem by the black spot so

:00:28. > :00:38.perhaps you believe that alone for a while. A nice angle on the blue will

:00:39. > :00:43.give him options. There is a chance of going down on the right-hand side

:00:44. > :00:47.of the pack, pushing a red to the red corner, of course you can always

:00:48. > :00:57.smash into them if he wants. And he does. A bit unlucky perhaps. Nothing

:00:58. > :01:08.easy. And this is one through the gap. There is one through the little

:01:09. > :01:11.cluster of reds, the bottom one of the five watts into the corner and I

:01:12. > :01:25.think he can screw onto the black from here. Almost playing a cannon

:01:26. > :01:32.on the red helps, he completely cannon on the top cushion so that

:01:33. > :01:38.was pretty good. Should be able to shift these two reds at the same

:01:39. > :01:51.time. The wants to make sure he is not missing the black spot. Here's a

:01:52. > :02:02.bit delicate with kisses and sometimes. The black has to go as

:02:03. > :02:03.near as possible to its own sport without touching the right and has

:02:04. > :02:24.he snookered himself? It must be close. V is playing up

:02:25. > :02:27.the table away from the black and even know the pupil is fractionally

:02:28. > :02:36.behind the black as you can see from the overhead,, the amount of times

:02:37. > :02:46.he has had a look at this, it must be incredibly close. I do think it

:02:47. > :02:53.goes, he is swerving it. Obviously it can't be a touching ball so there

:02:54. > :02:59.is definitely that fraction which means for me he can hit it very thin

:03:00. > :03:04.and pocket. It is the type of shot, you have to talk yourself into

:03:05. > :03:13.playing, he's talking himself into it. I don't think it does go. If you

:03:14. > :03:20.play that on the left-hand side, you can swear of the cue ball around the

:03:21. > :03:31.black Sony doesn't have to hurt as much of it but cutting his losses.

:03:32. > :03:35.Disappointing. It was a bad cannon. He should have hit it far harder.

:03:36. > :03:49.What is the point of playing that with finesse. Has himself to blame

:03:50. > :03:56.for through the black finish. If you keep the right moral... It wasn't

:03:57. > :04:01.that he had to play with a local side, it was mostly plain ball shot

:04:02. > :04:12.to bring the two balls into play. We may be able to show you that tricks

:04:13. > :04:17.than what we are talking about. This was the positions he had on the

:04:18. > :04:25.black, displayed firm with a little bit of side, push-button reds out of

:04:26. > :04:28.the way. The fact he didn't hit it hard enough that the reason the

:04:29. > :04:34.black on its own sport and snookered himself. It maintains out of ten

:04:35. > :04:44.they would probably have resolved itself but just asking for a little

:04:45. > :04:53.bit of trouble and he got it, the flick, not enough. It could be a

:04:54. > :04:55.problem for Graeme Dott. On first viewing, this his escape path back

:04:56. > :05:20.to baulk seem limited. Trying to bring the cue ball to the

:05:21. > :06:33.same position that is there that he had that far too thick.

:06:34. > :06:45.Can he generate enough pace and, looks as if he has enough angle

:06:46. > :07:00.especially with this back in being a bit more responsive. He just got

:07:01. > :07:02.enough. He didn't want to finish straight, that is the reason he took

:07:03. > :07:39.a bit of time on that shot. As you can see, the red is available

:07:40. > :07:44.into the left-hand corner so he has to leave a thin cut. And that surety

:07:45. > :07:53.can guarantee missing two reds on the right. There is enough room in

:07:54. > :07:56.just to screw by them. Skim off the set edition and baulk addition to

:07:57. > :08:07.play for one of the baulk hours or even he blue in the middle. It is a

:08:08. > :09:05.good recoveries. Barry Hawkins is a lovely player to

:09:06. > :09:15.watch and around the black, the shoes are very smoothly, he is very

:09:16. > :09:18.parallel, a lot of things these days is slightly off parallel, a lot can

:09:19. > :09:53.go wrong with that action, almost the perfect cue action.

:09:54. > :09:59.A 57 point lead saw two more reds and Barry Hawkins will definitely be

:10:00. > :10:24.no worse than level going into the second session.

:10:25. > :10:30.Both reds available into the middle but he has the angle he will

:10:31. > :10:34.probably nudge one away, depending if he has a good angle on this

:10:35. > :10:43.black. Devoted to play for the middle, 72 point lid, 67 on, this

:10:44. > :10:55.rate was in, guaranteed to be frame over.

:10:56. > :11:11.So barring stickers, Barry Hawkins was 4-3 in front.

:11:12. > :11:18.Should Graeme Dott be able to successfully negotiate these to be

:11:19. > :11:37.reds and the top half of the table, a big if, that read the further data

:11:38. > :11:40.that is a poor shot. He has given. This in the Redwood in the middle

:11:41. > :11:48.pocket and Barry Hawkins gratefully received a 4-3 lead. Barry Hawkins

:11:49. > :11:52.has come to the Crucible in good form, winning the most recent of the

:11:53. > :11:56.world ranking titles but can he put some proper distance in this session

:11:57. > :11:57.between himself and the former world champion? Last of the session coming

:11:58. > :12:16.up. COMMENTATOR: That was in the balance

:12:17. > :12:20.is that Redwood in the table, in particular that was going in or not.

:12:21. > :12:36.Graeme Dott stayed there, he thought he had got it. First chance for

:12:37. > :12:46.Barry Hawkins. He can but the blue, cannon into the pink, it would open

:12:47. > :12:57.up some reds but you can't guarantee position.

:12:58. > :13:07.I don't know if he played it like that. He didn't hit it hard, he

:13:08. > :13:11.didn't go into them hard. He probably felt it would push a road

:13:12. > :13:16.towards a corner knowing he had this as a bonus should the position went

:13:17. > :13:20.wrong, a similar sort of shot here, he doesn't have to play it confirm

:13:21. > :13:25.that I will be playing in the red next to the bank equipped PC.

:13:26. > :13:30.He doesn't want to miss the black area because that is nice and free

:13:31. > :13:37.at the moment perhaps that is why he is going and softly. If he had the

:13:38. > :13:44.red next to the pink everything into play and should win the frame this

:13:45. > :13:47.position. That was an excellent shot. Lovely, and studied risk any

:13:48. > :13:55.of those rates creeping towards the black. It looks like the red to the

:13:56. > :14:15.right corner is the one even though he cueing is awkward.

:14:16. > :14:27.He cant stand it through the gap between the two reds. I don't think

:14:28. > :14:31.there is any way it can go wrong. You can just play the plain ball

:14:32. > :14:46.shot off this edition of as many red Square into the

:14:47. > :14:54.and shows you how cruel the scheme can be sometimes, if you miss easy

:14:55. > :15:00.shots like Graeme Dott stayed in the first four frames, he could and

:15:01. > :15:04.should have won the first four weakens out of the session 5-3

:15:05. > :15:10.behind. But out of the game but he knows he should be reading. A little

:15:11. > :15:13.bit frustrating having to prepare for tonight's second session with a

:15:14. > :15:23.little bit of negativity in your mind. And regardless of the

:15:24. > :15:26.mentality of both players, as every player deals with this appointment

:15:27. > :15:33.in different ways, it is a lot easier to recover from a bad session

:15:34. > :15:36.when you have ended up winning it. Barry Hawkins would beat himself up

:15:37. > :15:51.anywhere near as much as potentially Graeme Dott will. A fascinating

:15:52. > :15:57.session nonetheless. We're so used to seeing a bombardment of bricks

:15:58. > :16:11.and enthusing about the overall standard of these players but this

:16:12. > :16:14.in its own way is just as gripping. It shows you how difficult the game

:16:15. > :16:21.is and how much it means to both these players. Barry Hawkins one of

:16:22. > :16:25.the best players never to have won the World Championship, Graeme Dott

:16:26. > :17:10.trying to win it for the second time.

:17:11. > :17:14.Normal service has been resumed for Barry Hawkins. Looking much more

:17:15. > :17:33.like the predator he is. All of a sudden it doesn't look like

:17:34. > :17:34.he's going to put a foot wrong. At the start button quickly had two

:17:35. > :17:57.left feet. -- Springwatch this will be the

:17:58. > :17:59.highest break for Barry Hawkins of this black was, his highest only 54

:18:00. > :18:23.at the moment. He missed the little cannon but knew

:18:24. > :18:27.he would be on another one enemy. He had the choice of two a few reds.

:18:28. > :18:50.Either very surprised if he doesn't make a century now.

:18:51. > :18:58.APPLAUSE The knowledgeable Crucible crowd

:18:59. > :19:01.knew that that was frame ball and that that was all he needed and know

:19:02. > :19:17.he can concentrate on making a century.

:19:18. > :19:28.This is the only time either player has had the cue ball on a string,

:19:29. > :19:37.the perfect breakfast so far. Barry Hawkins has met 29 centuries this

:19:38. > :19:40.season, this will be his 30th. He has only had one in the tournament

:19:41. > :19:45.so far, this looks like being his second and this will be the 45th

:19:46. > :19:48.century, and surely record is going to go this year. I think there will

:19:49. > :20:06.be over 100 centuries before the finish.

:20:07. > :20:16.What a shame. But Barry Hawkins will have been more than delighted to

:20:17. > :20:26.have won the session by 5-3 going into the second session this

:20:27. > :20:30.evening. Back at seven o'clock for the next session of good play from

:20:31. > :20:37.Barry Hawkins and what really would be a tough tactical battle. But the

:20:38. > :20:43.scoring patterns be the deciding factor? Very much so. I said that to

:20:44. > :20:48.someone, said this would be the deciding factor, RA does score and

:20:49. > :20:55.win more frames and one visit. Remix a lot of 40 and 50 and 60 bricks but

:20:56. > :21:00.doesn't kill frames off on one visit the same with Barry does it I would

:21:01. > :21:07.expect to enjoy in this match. We were talking about green's

:21:08. > :21:13.consistency, 19 have centuries and three in the first match against Ali

:21:14. > :21:15.Carter, it is good scoring but with not being as regularly involved in

:21:16. > :21:23.the sharp documents, is that the contributing factor? Barry is at the

:21:24. > :21:30.business end of almost every two women, one of the names you can't

:21:31. > :21:32.discount, we talk about Selby or O'Sullivan to when Germans but we

:21:33. > :21:39.forget how consistent Barry Hawkins has become a drug Springwatch

:21:40. > :21:46.regularly getting to semifinals and finals so easy ferocious scorers

:21:47. > :21:52.when he gets going. He has had a couple of near misses and a lot of

:21:53. > :21:59.bit of bad luck as well. He was all but across the line and the Masters

:22:00. > :22:01.and he works hard, he has always underestimated coming into the

:22:02. > :22:06.Crucible, in some respects he is never one of the heavy favourites

:22:07. > :22:09.and the vetting. I'm as guilty as anyone and not including my choice

:22:10. > :22:15.as to when to women's, I think Marco Fu is another that deserves more

:22:16. > :22:22.attention and can't be overlooked. Going back to Graeme Dott, 50 bricks

:22:23. > :22:25.becoming a tough player to beat and very solid but to go on and win

:22:26. > :22:30.these two minutes you have to be killing off more frames and one

:22:31. > :22:33.visit. There is a lot of mileage left in this one but it is 5-3 in

:22:34. > :22:39.front. It and a half days in Sheffield have no past and a

:22:40. > :22:42.complete blur but imagine a sharply into focus of these fellas who are

:22:43. > :23:21.striding into the second week of the championship.

:23:22. > :23:27.If you were with us last night on the red button, you would have seen

:23:28. > :23:30.a superb conclusion to that John Higgins, Mark Allen match, one of

:23:31. > :23:35.the finest we have seen in many a year at the Crucible. It was a

:23:36. > :23:42.little controversy about the pot quiz and John was involved because

:23:43. > :23:48.many of you out there are received, wasn't John's tame cracker than

:23:49. > :23:52.Marco Fu? We can definitively assure you that there was at least three

:23:53. > :23:57.quarters of a second between Fu and Higgins, it is all very serious

:23:58. > :24:10.business. Graeme Dott exchange of that, let's see how he does. Welcome

:24:11. > :24:19.to another edition of pot quiz and contested today is the 2006 world

:24:20. > :24:22.champion Graeme Dott. Graeme, I have seen any questions because I am the

:24:23. > :24:28.question master and I estimate that you are going to be OK with at least

:24:29. > :24:34.four of these questions. If we look at our leaderboard so far, Marco Fu

:24:35. > :24:39.with one minute 27 seconds just popping John Higgins. What I would

:24:40. > :24:45.say is that it has been littered with mistakes from all the players

:24:46. > :24:49.so far so your first question Graeme, every question you get right

:24:50. > :24:54.a ball was taken off the table and you put all the goals and finish on

:24:55. > :25:02.the black. Who is the only manner that you have played three times

:25:03. > :25:12.year the Crucible? I knew I wouldn't get any of these right. It is not

:25:13. > :25:24.O'Sullivan. It is not Higgins. I don't know. There is no shot clock.

:25:25. > :25:38.That no tournament on, we can edit it, you can do what you like. I

:25:39. > :25:50.don't know. Have a guess. Think of a player. I could name a player but I

:25:51. > :26:04.know it is not him. It was Peter Ebdon. When you won the world title

:26:05. > :26:10.in 2006, who did you beat in the quarterfinal and semifinal? Neil

:26:11. > :26:19.Robertson and the quarterfinal and O'Sullivan and the semi final.

:26:20. > :26:33.Correct for Wenbo. What is your highest rate here the Crucible? 146.

:26:34. > :26:51.Correct. Who beat you on your Crucible debut in 1997? James

:26:52. > :26:54.Wattana. Correct. Question five, Ndon snooker question, what was the

:26:55. > :27:08.number one hit in the UK charts on the day you won in the world title

:27:09. > :27:26.in 2006? Was it a, Crazy, be Sorry or Edge of Heaven? Crazy. Correct. I

:27:27. > :27:42.can't possibly help you with the tactics. Frantic that breakaway. And

:27:43. > :27:47.that one and two more. You are losing tame, the shot clock will

:27:48. > :28:00.start the moment you hit the cue ball. And he is off. He is off the

:28:01. > :28:04.mark. A little jog around the table. Trying to say it doesn't matter to

:28:05. > :28:09.him but he wants to win the title. It just about snakes and. He has

:28:10. > :28:16.lost precious seconds by changing his mind. The most positive strike,

:28:17. > :28:32.but a straight as he would like. So far no mistakes. That was a good

:28:33. > :28:42.shot. I would say that is about 30 seconds Army be a bit more. 40

:28:43. > :28:49.seconds and we are of time. That is a confident shot. 50 seconds and no

:28:50. > :28:55.mistakes so far. Plenty of time. He has missed it. Oh my goodness. He

:28:56. > :29:09.doesn't have to wait for that red to stop. One minutes 04. He is playing

:29:10. > :29:15.the role, a nice line up there. That has got to go down as a schoolboy

:29:16. > :29:26.error. He was 120 and all of a sudden there is a growing that is a

:29:27. > :29:29.great recovery but it is just... Yes to get the rest out. A left-handed.

:29:30. > :29:46.A lovely finish, congratulations. I don't think I can build the

:29:47. > :29:52.tension appear, the lowest scorers Stuart Bingham, one minute and 44

:29:53. > :29:56.seconds. One minute and 39 seconds so and you go into that place

:29:57. > :30:11.there... A great champion and a great sport.

:30:12. > :30:16.Great to see him enjoying himself. The tension in the Crucible is about

:30:17. > :30:23.to ramp up again because we are about to go live for our afternoon

:30:24. > :30:29.sessions, so sit back and get ready. The action features Mark Selby. He

:30:30. > :30:33.completed that clinical victory over Fergal O'Brien on the opening day.

:30:34. > :30:41.He returned last night for his second round match against Shell

:30:42. > :30:48.Guodong. This is how their frames when class might. Every match is a

:30:49. > :30:54.tough game so you know you will not get any easy matches. Fortunately I

:30:55. > :31:04.played a decent game first round. That is quite the scoreline is like

:31:05. > :31:11.it was world number one defending champion. He is into the second

:31:12. > :31:16.round by ten frames to two. I do feel a bit more relaxed this year as

:31:17. > :31:21.defending champion, because I am not going in their blind, I know what to

:31:22. > :31:27.expect and I showed that in the opening game. I have only played

:31:28. > :31:33.Xiao Guodong a few times. I know he is a great player, played great in

:31:34. > :31:42.his first game, looked confident and he has been bordering the top 16.

:31:43. > :31:47.For -- hit a bit of a brick wall over the last two years but seems to

:31:48. > :31:52.have come into form. Probably it wasn't that confident because his

:31:53. > :31:57.season was not as good as he would like, but he has won three matches

:31:58. > :32:01.qualifying, come here, you have seen the confidence on the table and he

:32:02. > :32:18.will be confident going into my match.

:32:19. > :32:27.You are kidding me, just took his eye off the pot. Guodong had the

:32:28. > :32:42.last chance in this frame. That 58 ties up another frame for

:32:43. > :32:55.Mark Selby. He is in control here, he is 2-0 in front. What a fabulous

:32:56. > :33:02.pot. Mark Selby is one of those players that if he clears it here,

:33:03. > :33:12.wins the frame, you know how much that will hurt. Mark Selby in front,

:33:13. > :33:19.five frames to one. He struck out nicely. That will give him a bit of

:33:20. > :33:30.confidence. Closes the gap but he is still three behind at 5-2. A tough

:33:31. > :33:34.session for Guodong. But of course he is our defending champion, Mark

:33:35. > :33:47.Selby who wins this first session. Six frames to two. Second round

:33:48. > :33:58.second session. Mark Selby and Xiao Guodong.

:33:59. > :34:05.That man of many talents, John Parrott has exchanged his pundit's

:34:06. > :34:12.had fought that of our MC this afternoon and he wears it well. Two

:34:13. > :34:16.matches this afternoon both poised at 6-2 and what a fantastic

:34:17. > :34:27.atmosphere we have here in the Crucible today.

:34:28. > :34:35.And first out on table two, a man still going strong at the age of 46,

:34:36. > :34:51.a giant slayer in round one, Rory McLeod.

:34:52. > :35:03.And his opponent, a winner of five ranking titles, from Scotland,

:35:04. > :35:16.Stephen Maguire. On table one, a qualifier from

:35:17. > :35:50.China, Xiao Guodong. And his opponent, a class act on and

:35:51. > :35:58.off the table, the defending champion of the world, Mark Selby.

:35:59. > :36:19.So there is our afternoon line-up. That is online on the BBC sport out

:36:20. > :36:23.and website, but we are on defending champion watch for now. It is time

:36:24. > :36:28.to welcome two champions who fought out the odds in the past. It is

:36:29. > :36:40.Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. A very good afternoon. Xiao Guodong

:36:41. > :36:48.gets this first frame under way. Could quite easily, as you have seen

:36:49. > :36:53.there in the build-up, could quite easily have been 5-3 behind rather

:36:54. > :37:05.than 6-2, but he will be hoping to get off to a good start. Yes,

:37:06. > :37:27.Dennis, it is a tall order to beat Mark Selby in his backyard.

:37:28. > :37:42.He was concerned about cannoning into the black and red. It is a half

:37:43. > :37:50.chance here. The young Chinese player... That is quite low for Mark

:37:51. > :37:52.Selby, 29%. Maybe that is why he missed that opening attempt by so

:37:53. > :38:04.much. But with this gentleman, he doesn't

:38:05. > :38:20.always have to play at his best to win.

:38:21. > :38:30.And first chance he gets, he will try and get on the red that is

:38:31. > :38:32.closest to the black. There are another five reds that are away from

:38:33. > :38:47.the main bunch. He is on the one just above that,

:38:48. > :38:56.but this looks a decent chance as you can see. Pot bad, pot the black

:38:57. > :39:05.and then get the red next to the black. Pot the pink if he wishes.

:39:06. > :39:09.The only thing with their pink, it might just have to go in behind that

:39:10. > :39:23.little mini triangle of reds. And the black is only available to

:39:24. > :39:31.one part, so let's see if the pink's pot is in the clear. No, it is going

:39:32. > :39:36.as near to its own spot because all the other sports are occupied, so he

:39:37. > :39:44.needs a couple more shots to get back into prime position here. Very

:39:45. > :39:47.nice cue action Guodong has, a lovely guy and a good pro. A good

:39:48. > :40:06.diplomat, everything. Maybe not the best contact their or

:40:07. > :40:13.maybe just underhit that shot. Betwixt and between and a bit close

:40:14. > :40:15.to the blue to make the pot into the green pocket a certainty, so a bit

:40:16. > :40:31.more mileage with the cue ball. A lot of hilarity from the other

:40:32. > :40:36.table. One of the biggest problems here at the Crucible, with such an

:40:37. > :40:43.intimate atmosphere, you really do know what is going on at the other

:40:44. > :40:48.table. There have been times when players have been on 147 breaks on

:40:49. > :40:50.the other table and you know what is happening. It is hard to concentrate

:40:51. > :41:09.when that is happening. Who will ever forget when Cliff

:41:10. > :41:15.Thorburn was making the first ever maximum break it at the Crucible.

:41:16. > :41:24.His good friend, fellow Canadian with peeping round the curtain.

:41:25. > :41:32.When somebody is on a 147, you know the numbers in your brain, so if you

:41:33. > :41:40.hear the numbers, you hear the crowd a bit more animated. You hear the

:41:41. > :41:50.number 120 and then 122, play stops on the other table.

:41:51. > :42:01.Seems to have got into his rhythm very well here.

:42:02. > :42:40.Desperately wants to win this first frame, goes without saying.

:42:41. > :42:49.It was 2014 when he last played at the Crucible when he lost to Ali

:42:50. > :42:56.Carter ten frames to eight in the first round. It is hard to believe

:42:57. > :42:59.he has been a professional since 2008 so he has served his

:43:00. > :43:11.apprenticeship and he is starting to push on now. A smashing lad. They

:43:12. > :43:17.all are, they are all very nice, the Chinese players. I saw Liang Wenbo

:43:18. > :43:23.out last night when he lost and he was in the best of spirit, very

:43:24. > :43:31.jovial Chinese player. One of the characters in the game, you would

:43:32. > :43:39.have to say, Steve. Your interview was hilarious!

:43:40. > :43:47.It is no disgrace to lose in such a great match as the one that they

:43:48. > :43:49.played out. I would imagine he probably had a few spirits last

:43:50. > :44:08.night as well. He deserves them. Textbook cue action, everything is

:44:09. > :44:15.right, great start, right leg back brace, good solid stance. Nothing

:44:16. > :44:20.moves. Head rock solid. If he gets a good angle on the pink here he might

:44:21. > :44:22.be able to bring those reds and look at the shape of them, it's like a

:44:23. > :44:40.little... Has he got a good enough angle? He

:44:41. > :45:02.just needs a little angle as we show you this red wobble slightly.

:45:03. > :45:13.Now then, where does the pink go? As we show you the nice split. Is the

:45:14. > :45:19.pink going to make things a little awkward? We cannot tell at the

:45:20. > :45:24.moment. It will go as close to that red so it will not block the part of

:45:25. > :45:33.the red into the corner and he doesn't need that more pops. A bit

:45:34. > :45:38.close to the red for comfort. Some players struggle with this shot more

:45:39. > :45:51.than others. Obviously if you double hit the cue ball, it is a push shot.

:45:52. > :46:02.OK. Sounded a bit funny, might have got a kick on it a bit. It was

:46:03. > :46:09.definitely not a push shot there. What a start for this Chinese

:46:10. > :46:14.player, Mark Selby had a go at a long red, didn't get anywhere near

:46:15. > :46:54.it and he has had to sit there and watch this terrific break.

:46:55. > :47:05.That's the frame safe. Xiao can just relax now and see if he can make a

:47:06. > :47:17.century. What a way that would be to start. Just a second visit and he

:47:18. > :47:18.has never made a century at the Crucible, so that will be another

:47:19. > :48:07.milestone in his career. He is going to need a thin one to

:48:08. > :48:16.cut this into the right, middle pocket, unless that read next to the

:48:17. > :48:21.pink goes with it and I'm lucky. But he will not be too concerned about

:48:22. > :48:25.that. Mark Selby made one mistake and that was all it took for the

:48:26. > :48:32.young Chinese player to take the frame. He closes to three behind at

:48:33. > :48:35.6-3. STUDIO: Great wind therefore Xiao

:48:36. > :48:43.and thank you for sending in your trick shots. The best of the bunch

:48:44. > :48:49.so far is this one from Tom Hill. What is he going to make a? Let's

:48:50. > :48:57.find out, beautifully weighted shot. Look at that! And we love, love it.

:48:58. > :49:03.It doesn't say how many takes that was, but we don't care. What do you

:49:04. > :49:11.think, John? I would be giving that between seven and eight. Can you

:49:12. > :49:18.beat it? Do try. It does not have to be on snooker balls. Mr O'Hara we

:49:19. > :49:23.saw with basketballs, so use your powers of invention and get them to

:49:24. > :49:31.us. Meanwhile, back to the serious business and the defending champ.

:49:32. > :50:09.Thank you. Frame ten. Mark Selby to break.

:50:10. > :50:22.That could be touching. Which means Mark Selby can just run away up to

:50:23. > :50:47.the safe and of the table. I was just trying to save their

:50:48. > :50:53.before that noise from the other side of the arena, there was no

:50:54. > :50:57.point in Mark going behind a coloured their pickers Xiao could

:50:58. > :51:30.play the same shot again into the side of the red.

:51:31. > :51:44.Twice they have played, 2010, 2011, and they were just in the PTC

:51:45. > :51:58.tournament, so nothing major. 4-3, 4-2 to Mark Selby.

:51:59. > :52:08.Played very well on the second session against Ryan Day. It was a

:52:09. > :52:17.little bit edgy as Ryan was at the start of the match, but he was very

:52:18. > :52:25.solid. Oh, he has flipped one and he might drop on the yellow. He is

:52:26. > :52:30.holding his hand to apologise, but it was quite an attacking type of

:52:31. > :52:34.safety shot, but if he can pot this yellow and get up to the reds, he

:52:35. > :52:53.has an early chance in this second frame. Good shot.

:52:54. > :53:00.Always a risky shot opening reds up. That was quite a strange type of

:53:01. > :53:05.safety shot for it to happen. Could not have foreseen reds going towards

:53:06. > :53:09.the corner pocket, but hit it with such a pace that you cannot

:53:10. > :53:16.guarantee, well, a great chance here. And poop and read but this

:53:17. > :53:23.green is begging to be potted and such a wide area to cannon into.

:53:24. > :53:30.Couldn't fail to disturb reds. Has to go in hard though. Yes, they are

:53:31. > :53:45.all covering each other so that is the shot that Seve... -- Steve was

:53:46. > :53:51.suggesting. Didn't open that many up but he is nicely on the red. He can

:53:52. > :53:58.play a similar type shot to the one he just played. Could consider

:53:59. > :54:06.himself a little unlucky there. Could not really have foreseen

:54:07. > :54:19.pushing the black safe. Another bash. A controlled bash. Yeah. I

:54:20. > :54:50.would say, you know, give it plenty. Did not quite get enough right-hand

:54:51. > :54:54.side on that, so it didn't get the cannon as he intended. Can he pot

:54:55. > :55:05.that and screw back for the black? That would be some shot. Looks like

:55:06. > :55:07.it is a shot to nothing. A free go into the middle pocket. Be very

:55:08. > :55:26.unlucky to leave anything on. Well, OK, you can take in out for a

:55:27. > :55:31.poor positional shot there, I suppose, but it did sneak by.

:55:32. > :55:37.Perhaps it he was hoping for a full boy kiss on the red but he left it

:55:38. > :55:46.short. He got into it a bit too much, but he hasn't played that very

:55:47. > :55:51.well. There are two reds that Mark Selby is having a look at but I do

:55:52. > :55:53.not think they are a plant. Otherwise he would have been playing

:55:54. > :56:18.it. This is where he is so good, Mark

:56:19. > :56:23.Selby. Not only one of the greatest break-builders, he is a tactical

:56:24. > :56:27.player that is superb as well. Just enough room to play the one above

:56:28. > :56:36.the pink and get it thin to come back down again. He has pushed one

:56:37. > :56:41.over the pocket though. Oh, no, it is all right. As long as the cue

:56:42. > :56:47.ball pulls up. That will do nicely. He has blocked paths off the

:56:48. > :56:57.left-hand side of the table. Given Mark Selby a problem. These days, I

:56:58. > :57:06.think very few players at the top of the game art pour in the safety

:57:07. > :57:08.department, it is a means to an end. But it is tough to get your opponent

:57:09. > :57:29.to make a mistake from safety. Unless Mark Selby can, we have

:57:30. > :57:37.spotted a one-cushion escape, effectively escape onto the top

:57:38. > :57:48.cushion, he can have two goes at this as a miss. Nicely played.

:57:49. > :57:49.Guodong can more or less the Ellie repeat the operation, but that is

:57:50. > :58:07.very risky. Cue ball is going to end up more or

:58:08. > :58:15.less where it was a shot before. So with the red. Fractionally different

:58:16. > :58:19.position for the cue ball. Mark Selby doesn't seem to have the

:58:20. > :58:24.one-cushion escape, but what he does have as a last resort is to slowly

:58:25. > :58:31.roll the red down the cushion into the pocket and if he misses, there

:58:32. > :58:36.is the possibility that the cue ball well and up in the jaws of the top

:58:37. > :58:45.pocket, but that is very much a last resort shot.

:58:46. > :58:57.Just playing the red on the top cushion thin. Does not want to hit

:58:58. > :59:08.this thick. Good enough. Just perhaps, as I recover. He has left a

:59:09. > :59:13.possible long pot on. We know how good Guodong is that this type of

:59:14. > :59:17.shot, but just looking at the ankle he has, can he follow through

:59:18. > :59:29.without hitting the black? Ike do not think so. So he will have to be

:59:30. > :59:37.very precise with this. And that is a terrific shot and he is a little

:59:38. > :59:44.bit unlucky. A full ball cannon on the Redwood have left him an easy

:59:45. > :59:48.black, but they are so good at this type of shock, long pots, your

:59:49. > :59:54.safety has to be spot on. The only thing about that shot was position

:59:55. > :00:03.wasn't guaranteed, so perhaps Mark Selby made it just difficult enough.

:00:04. > :00:09.That is me digging myself out of the hole. He will probably pay up now,

:00:10. > :00:31.Steve. Good luck to him if he puts this black. This is visible.

:00:32. > :00:38.Are either was looking for a half ball cannon on that red but it just

:00:39. > :00:42.slipped past and I think they are all covering each other know. That

:00:43. > :00:46.was very unlucky. You can see the role in blocking each other but if

:00:47. > :00:52.he had just caught that red you would have left three easy reds for

:00:53. > :00:57.himself. He's looking at the possibility of a plant with quite a

:00:58. > :01:00.bit of distance between them, OK with a bit of safety and minty

:01:01. > :01:13.complete for a baulk colour but he would need to be carefully accurate

:01:14. > :01:21.with the plant. It wasn't in line for the pocket. That was what the

:01:22. > :01:27.risk because you were to be the brown there he didn't quite judge

:01:28. > :01:35.it. Mark Selby non-white would take this threat of pasty thing but the

:01:36. > :01:47.green is on the way. That has no value in risking that because he has

:01:48. > :01:53.hampered. There was a big area to play the safety shot into their with

:01:54. > :02:08.the blue Allsop between the yellow and brown.

:02:09. > :02:16.There are safety players and there are safety players and when Mark

:02:17. > :02:22.Selby does play the puts you bang in trouble. He knows exactly where he

:02:23. > :02:30.is going with the cue ball and that is the reason I nicknamed Tim Sutton

:02:31. > :02:50.because he that was such a good shot that Mark

:02:51. > :02:52.Selby played that the has created this opening by forcing the error

:02:53. > :03:46.from Xiao Guodong. He will need one of those two reds

:03:47. > :03:59.on the top cushion to win the frame in this visit.

:04:00. > :04:12.It is not necessary for a player to know this at this stage of the break

:04:13. > :04:27.but after a few more reds it would be more critical to do the maths.

:04:28. > :04:36.Most of your concentration, Dennis, his only shot in the hand, could you

:04:37. > :04:41.want the ball for the next shot. You can't be spending too much time

:04:42. > :04:45.analysing which holds you need so Ellie and a break that it is handy

:04:46. > :05:12.if you have a quick brain for that. That has just finished a little

:05:13. > :05:19.awkwardly, the cannon didn't quite work out and he might have to go up

:05:20. > :05:22.the table known with the blue not on its spot so you may have to play for

:05:23. > :05:32.the green from the situation believe that I'm not. If you can play a

:05:33. > :05:35.little cannon he might be OK. He has gone up for the green as I

:05:36. > :05:37.mentioned. It just wasn't the angle to play the cannon and stiffer pink

:05:38. > :05:53.or black. That screws you have two heads the

:05:54. > :06:03.ball when you play screw back shot, you're fitting it at six o'clock to

:06:04. > :06:11.screw back. But trademark shape of Mark Selby, one of the greatest much

:06:12. > :06:20.players the game has ever seen as a little shake of the body when he

:06:21. > :06:27.places shots. You wouldn't know it from the way he delivers the few

:06:28. > :06:35.delete cue, the same for John Higgins. Forget the movement side to

:06:36. > :06:41.side, people think he is moving on the shot, he is not, by the team he

:06:42. > :06:50.has pulled the cue back he is settled and rock-solid. The bit

:06:51. > :07:00.short of pace there. Made a bit more difficult. He doesn't want to clip

:07:01. > :07:15.on the other red, it is getting worse.

:07:16. > :07:34.He has possibly sacrificed in the ideal position on the black for the

:07:35. > :07:41.last two reds. This was critical and I think it is perfect. He has to be

:07:42. > :07:49.so precise that side. The other side is easier. It had been able to get

:07:50. > :07:56.into the circle they are secretive potted the black and cannon vote, a

:07:57. > :08:01.bit or margin for error, he had to be absolutely spot on there. This

:08:02. > :08:12.cannon is not guaranteed to develop a red. You would like to play it

:08:13. > :08:15.with power but it may be to wait for that, a controlled break is

:08:16. > :08:23.desirable if you knows exactly how it is going to go. I didn't think he

:08:24. > :08:29.could get the cannon. On the television that looked perfect. He

:08:30. > :08:41.only needs this and the Blackbird pink.

:08:42. > :08:47.It makes a big difference to the player's confident playing those

:08:48. > :08:59.shots that they have seen lots of them dropped. Do you think the

:09:00. > :09:06.pockets are big this year? What do you think, Dennis? They are supposed

:09:07. > :09:16.to be exact same size every tournament. A lot of players here

:09:17. > :09:19.feel they are slightly easier if. Meanwhile that should be enough to

:09:20. > :09:33.open up before frame advantage again. When you have a lead like

:09:34. > :09:37.6-2, at the back of your mind you think you can keep sharing in the

:09:38. > :09:44.sessions you're through to the next round. You think you can cost but

:09:45. > :09:58.there is never such a thing as costing. One thing I have noticed is

:09:59. > :10:02.that the slate didn't seem as sharp as it used to be. They used to be

:10:03. > :10:09.very sharp, a cliff edge but there is a bit of revelling on the slate,

:10:10. > :10:12.not easy to see from the camera positions that we have had mixed the

:10:13. > :10:16.cloth easier to pretend that makes it the fall of the slate bit further

:10:17. > :10:24.out. It makes the pockets of bit easier. That is much too interesting

:10:25. > :11:12.for me, Steve. Shut up. A kick. 42 behind, eight points in

:11:13. > :11:18.smokers needed so Xiao Guodong does not really want to put this red. It

:11:19. > :11:33.would be the wrong shots to put it. In my opinion. Surely he has not

:11:34. > :11:45.been to pot it. He has to get onto the black if he does. Oh well. He

:11:46. > :11:49.has got on the black. The reason why is he now needs to lots of smokers

:11:50. > :11:57.successfully gained as opposed to one and if we delete Mac free bowl

:11:58. > :12:02.and some weird things happening if you kept the red on the table.

:12:03. > :12:10.Sometimes one snapper is enough with the free bowl situation but he has a

:12:11. > :12:15.good chance to get the first of the stickers that he needs a few screws

:12:16. > :12:18.the right far enough up the table. Peter Ebdon got for smokers and his

:12:19. > :12:33.first run much, it is not impossible. Stuart Bingham declared

:12:34. > :12:47.a foul on himself at wasn't a foul and Peter won the frame.

:12:48. > :12:54.An excellent shot from Guodong, he has made it difficult. It is just

:12:55. > :13:01.highly unlikely against a top-class player that you can get him to miss

:13:02. > :13:08.on two occasions. One is acceptable but this is a good effort. There is

:13:09. > :13:12.an element of a problem with this. It looks OK is going up and down the

:13:13. > :13:16.table and reason Mark Selby will do that is that he gets two chances, on

:13:17. > :13:19.the way up and then off the back cushion as well. Quite a big target

:13:20. > :13:42.area. But it will still test here. I thought he was going to go and. It

:13:43. > :13:52.could be back behind the black again. But as you say, he needs to

:13:53. > :14:13.smokers but in theory he will need a lot more than that.

:14:14. > :14:19.Nice shot and in some ways this is a more difficult escape, sometimes

:14:20. > :14:26.harder to judge off one cushion. He has to be careful of the free bowl

:14:27. > :14:29.as well. Another chance to get in behind the black and will be a lot

:14:30. > :14:42.more distance between object and cue ball if you can judge it. I think as

:14:43. > :14:46.a matter of tactics that is wrong to put that last red and Guodong's

:14:47. > :15:23.position. Excellent shot again. This looks good.

:15:24. > :15:31.APPLAUSE I was just going to say before he

:15:32. > :15:34.played that shot, I watched in much for Mark Selby must've got five or

:15:35. > :15:46.six stickers, it was unbelievable sum of the snookers he was putting

:15:47. > :15:52.his opponent. Xiao Guodong has conceded and Mark Selby takes the

:15:53. > :16:02.second frame and he is back for Mac frames and if again at 7-3. You have

:16:03. > :16:08.been impressed with Xiao Guodong when it looked like he was going to

:16:09. > :16:14.really streak up the rankings. At that years ago in China anti-knocked

:16:15. > :16:19.in clearance and a 30 had every shot and the game commie effort after

:16:20. > :16:24.Ding he was good to be the next best thing from China. Very talented but

:16:25. > :16:30.it hasn't really happened for him in terms of getting into the top 16 are

:16:31. > :16:34.winning big tournaments are getting to semifinals, we don't see him

:16:35. > :16:38.regularly enough suffer what ever reason for the letters bottle or two

:16:39. > :16:45.freezers on the big stage, I don't not. He did get to the Shanghai

:16:46. > :16:50.Masters final, beating by Ding four years ago and he did it up to world

:16:51. > :16:53.number 19 but he is now down at number 44 and they had Mark Selby

:16:54. > :16:58.mention in his piece of video before we started this match and it is a

:16:59. > :17:07.bit of a mystery why he has not pushed on. Maybe he got as far as 19

:17:08. > :17:13.and that was his limit and whether he were still practising enough or

:17:14. > :17:16.other players have improved more but he just hasn't achieved what I

:17:17. > :17:21.expected him when I saw him years ago. Overall, the state of this

:17:22. > :17:29.match and we Mark Selby is playing, it was a very efficient job against

:17:30. > :17:37.Fergal O'Brien last year, we haven't really seen in the real Mark Selby

:17:38. > :17:40.yet. That's important, we know his credentials but it is was

:17:41. > :17:43.interesting to see the favourites when they are pushed, but they can

:17:44. > :17:49.come up with. Ronnie O'Sullivan was pushed in the first round of the cue

:17:50. > :17:55.with the goods. COMMENTATOR: He is faced with a shot but he had in the

:17:56. > :18:00.opening frame and he missed it and it sat down for the remainder of the

:18:01. > :18:12.frame. But he couldn't get closer with that one. Some nice words from

:18:13. > :18:35.John Parrott in the studio the, weather?

:18:36. > :18:51.Nearly potted two balls there,... Did you read going? That is the

:18:52. > :18:55.second very aggressive safety shot is that, he didn't have a clue

:18:56. > :19:01.Prydie reds were going to try to get a good football and though one could

:19:02. > :19:15.put on the green, but pressure on this. Excellent. He nearly potted

:19:16. > :19:20.three balls in one pocket and Tino has a plant which will leave another

:19:21. > :19:31.one of the pocket and he get onto the blackness. What a fluke. You

:19:32. > :19:56.couldn't ask for a nicer spot of reds.

:19:57. > :20:06.Guodong one of the players who before he starts to move the Hay/

:20:07. > :20:16.his last hit has his eyes fixed firmly on the object ball, that

:20:17. > :20:20.apparently is the theory of how to play the game and that's plenty of

:20:21. > :20:26.players don't use that method and some of the greats of the game. Ding

:20:27. > :20:29.Junhui does. Jimmy which does. Stephen Hendry didn't nodded Mark

:20:30. > :21:13.Williams. He looks to have a slight angle on

:21:14. > :21:21.the black. He could stun up the right-hand side of the table or

:21:22. > :21:30.screw back for the red into the same rocket or even into the left corner.

:21:31. > :21:31.Undecided so stunned up and regroup and make your mind up before you

:21:32. > :21:57.play the shot. He had to judge the weight of that

:21:58. > :22:08.pretty accurately, he could have played it more as a power shot from

:22:09. > :22:17.the red into the left corner. Starting to run out of reds in the

:22:18. > :22:30.open. A bit of a strange pack two triangle into.

:22:31. > :22:39.What he doesn't want to do with this one is the himself straight on the

:22:40. > :22:40.black. This is more or less the last red in that little bunch that is

:22:41. > :23:01.available to him. Does he have enough angle to play

:23:02. > :23:19.another cannon? I think so. This is an important shortcoming appear. He

:23:20. > :23:28.couldn't have played it any better. He caught that red absolutely spot

:23:29. > :23:31.on. He is going to do what he did in the opening frame but it was with

:23:32. > :23:43.the aid of a tremendous fluke, it has to be said. Give him credit for

:23:44. > :23:49.trying to force the issue during the second session. He knows he has to

:23:50. > :24:00.make something happen so that aggressive safety shot that he

:24:01. > :24:07.played mix means exactly is more or less over the line and this frame.

:24:08. > :24:10.Look at that. Still some work to do but surely he can get on one of

:24:11. > :24:24.these reds with a bit of left-hand side question. Within the angle of

:24:25. > :24:26.the cushion. No side. If you click the Li... He displayed for the red

:24:27. > :24:40.in the middle. My mistake. He screwed back slightly to find

:24:41. > :24:48.there are no people have to use a red again to stop the white from

:24:49. > :24:52.running up the table. That was just taking this little positional shot

:24:53. > :24:57.but he has played there. If he puts the black playing ball, it looks

:24:58. > :25:02.like he will collide with the left-hand side of the red and

:25:03. > :25:03.probably beyond the other red but he is playing it with back spin to try

:25:04. > :25:30.and change the angle. he is six to six ahead so just a

:25:31. > :25:31.couple of more parts needed and a chance to make his first century at

:25:32. > :25:49.the Crucible Theatre. That is the one that should see him

:25:50. > :25:54.over the line. This is the biggest match of his career to date I'm sure

:25:55. > :26:08.and probably his biggest audience back, and China. Willing him on.

:26:09. > :26:17.They saw a great match between Ding Junhui and then win ball recently.

:26:18. > :26:26.Apparently speaking to some of the Chinese press, they much prefer to

:26:27. > :26:27.see players playing against other players rather than their own

:26:28. > :27:13.countrymen. . We saw Xiao Guodong called his

:27:14. > :27:16.hand up apologising, I think if you had done that against me, Steve, I

:27:17. > :27:26.might have just smacked your hand off.

:27:27. > :27:40.I never really saw the point of apologising. Your deleted. -- you

:27:41. > :27:43.are dilated and obviously it is not something you play, it is a lack of

:27:44. > :27:55.skill, you apologise for a lack of skill?

:27:56. > :28:06.It needed to pull up and died. There we go, Xiao Guodong has made his

:28:07. > :28:20.first-ever century break at the Crucible Theatre. And coming just at

:28:21. > :28:24.the right time. 86 is the target that was reached last year to equal

:28:25. > :28:35.the greatest number of centuries, it will go this year.

:28:36. > :28:43.Every chance that that will be beaten although it is debatable

:28:44. > :28:46.whether it will get to 100 centuries. We are effectively

:28:47. > :28:49.halfway through the tournament but come the semifinals, we would only

:28:50. > :29:09.to a one-table set-up. The standard is getting better in

:29:10. > :29:21.this match. As is this Chinese player.

:29:22. > :29:32.A very tame layer 131 break for Xiao Guodong, he And his seat for the

:29:33. > :29:40.whole of the frame after that flick and he is just three behind, 7-4 to

:29:41. > :29:45.Mark Selby. A fantastic break and a landmark moment for any player to

:29:46. > :29:51.make your first at the Crucible. He would mind about that. Brilliant for

:29:52. > :29:54.him and just view it at a rear activating what Stephen said, he

:29:55. > :29:59.looks like someone who has all the shots over has he been? It doesn't

:30:00. > :30:08.matter where he has been, he is and it's no. Steve Davis was talking

:30:09. > :30:18.about sharp edges and the fall of the slate. What is he talking about?

:30:19. > :30:22.There is a fall on the pocket, Elaine and save the pocket with the

:30:23. > :30:27.Bollywood goes in or it doesn't and it used to be cut completely square

:30:28. > :30:33.so you knew when the ball was and not, they have slightly change the

:30:34. > :30:37.back of it but they are seeing it is not that is exactly how it used to

:30:38. > :30:41.be but the combination of that plus the new cloth is definitely making

:30:42. > :30:47.them play easier. What already are doing it, bowls along the top

:30:48. > :30:52.cushion should not be going in some debate as accommodation in age

:30:53. > :30:56.again. Because the cloth is so difficult to fit that is why they

:30:57. > :31:02.did it but a much should it is a good idea. Back we go.

:31:03. > :31:09.See what you started, Steve Davis, talking about the purple on the

:31:10. > :31:23.slaves. Everyone is talking about the powerful on the slate.

:31:24. > :31:37.If you see top-class golf competition on television, the holes

:31:38. > :31:40.cut very sharply. You go to the Minister Paul course, you slow down

:31:41. > :31:48.into the hole and that is what talking about. I will tell you a

:31:49. > :31:55.lovely story about a lady that sent a letter to David Vine in the early

:31:56. > :32:01.days of the Crucible. This is a safety battle. David Vine said the

:32:02. > :32:08.letter said, I realise why the game of snooker 's take so long, the

:32:09. > :32:10.fellow with the white gloves takes them out and puts the ball is back

:32:11. > :32:51.on the table. A bit of trouble, got to play this

:32:52. > :32:54.thin enough to avoid contacting the red on the left side cushion. Two

:32:55. > :33:07.sin. Too thin. Damage report, may have

:33:08. > :33:19.got away with it. I think he has. In its own way as much as a fluke as

:33:20. > :33:28.Pudong's -- Guodong's in the last. Don't think Mark Selby apologised.

:33:29. > :33:37.It could do with a touching ball here to resolve this little bit of a

:33:38. > :33:39.stalemate at the moment. There is no safety shot on to get back up the

:33:40. > :34:01.table. And as John Parrott, when he is with

:34:02. > :34:07.me says, we could have a little bit of tipping and tapping going on here

:34:08. > :34:15.until we can resolve this bit of a stalemate. I don't know what it is a

:34:16. > :34:21.tip and what is a tap. They play it a few more times, Brendan Moore

:34:22. > :34:30.might decide to have a look at the players and start again. Yes macro,

:34:31. > :34:38.it is more the players's decision these days. If they do not like it,

:34:39. > :34:45.just shut up shop and might as well be a rerun. I think the referees

:34:46. > :34:51.like that because it takes the tactical awareness that perhaps only

:34:52. > :35:12.a player would know. We don't want a premature rerack.

:35:13. > :35:20.This will catch on, this game. They are looking at each other now, we

:35:21. > :35:27.have had enough. Set them up, Brendan. The right decision. We were

:35:28. > :35:31.going nowhere with that stalemate. Meanwhile, a bit of noise on the

:35:32. > :35:38.other side of the arena. They are in between frames. As you can see

:35:39. > :35:46.there, the crowd, a few of them stretching their legs. Yes, some

:35:47. > :35:58.people in for all three sessions of today. That is a lot of sitting

:35:59. > :36:04.down. Good start from Guodong today. It is too- one up in this session.

:36:05. > :36:18.Would be nice to be 3-1 up at the interval. Mark Selby to break. Away

:36:19. > :36:25.we go with the 12th frame for the second time. And not the best break

:36:26. > :36:33.off unless it pulls up. He can have a go at this red that is to the

:36:34. > :36:37.right of the blue. This is a test of cueing. He will not leave a great

:36:38. > :36:53.deal, only the red that he is taking on.

:36:54. > :37:04.That was close. That was very close. But does that red go up past the

:37:05. > :37:09.blue? If it does, Mark will take it on. Screw back for the black, would

:37:10. > :37:15.not be leaving anything either, so this could be a good chance, because

:37:16. > :37:21.he if he left the white near enough the line at it is at the moment, he

:37:22. > :37:38.could pot the black and then go right into the.

:37:39. > :37:50.Although Mark is leading 7-4-macro, I think Guodong has spotted more

:37:51. > :37:58.long balls than Mark has. -- potted more long balls. That is heading up

:37:59. > :38:04.towards the corner pocket again. Needs to hit the green and it has

:38:05. > :38:43.come to the rescue there. Using those baulk colours as

:38:44. > :38:51.defenders, pretty decent safety shot, puts your opponent in trouble.

:38:52. > :39:16.Risking leaving that red in the baulk area.

:39:17. > :39:23.Not so much from a potting perspective, but if you can then

:39:24. > :39:28.send that red back down the table, you could possibly put your opponent

:39:29. > :39:30.in trouble. Swerve to hit the left-hand side of this red. Nicely

:39:31. > :40:04.played. No, the brown hasn't come to his

:40:05. > :40:12.rescue, so this is a bit of a chance for Xiao Guodong here. Very fast

:40:13. > :40:18.cloth. Any kiss like that on the red safety shot, tends to send the ball

:40:19. > :40:31.to that right-hand corner. Try to keep it away, but couldn't.

:40:32. > :40:42.Didn't really commit to strongly to that shot. Obviously the more effort

:40:43. > :40:47.you would have put in, the less accurate it could have been and he

:40:48. > :40:57.had to be sure of the pot, so this is not easy.

:40:58. > :41:11.APPLAUSE Not a bad chance now.

:41:12. > :41:19.Now the only problem is if you put the red and the black, you come

:41:20. > :41:24.round to see where the Blackwood spot because it looks as if the red

:41:25. > :41:29.on the black spot, it would go directly behind it and put the red

:41:30. > :41:44.out of commission. It might go on the green. It is just like the off

:41:45. > :41:50.its spot. He would not want that. He has got a more difficult red to

:41:51. > :41:51.play. But this is begging to be ported. We will soon see what his

:41:52. > :42:08.choices are. I wonder if he has looked at the

:42:09. > :42:20.green. He probably knows more than we do. It is a weird one, isn't it?

:42:21. > :42:28.Has he seen where the green is? He might think the green is sitting on

:42:29. > :42:39.its spot. We will find out very shortly where that black goes.

:42:40. > :42:44.Enough room on the green spot, is that blacks still available? Does it

:42:45. > :42:50.past the green, I wonder? It would be nice if it does. He has an angle

:42:51. > :42:58.on this red, straight back up for the black.

:42:59. > :43:04.APPLAUSE He did not seem like he had looked

:43:05. > :43:12.to check on that green spot, but he must have known. It is very

:43:13. > :43:19.impressive, Steve, the young Chinese player. He has made a break of 89

:43:20. > :43:25.and that magnificent 131, so he is playing really well here. And the

:43:26. > :43:30.mid-session interval coming up. If he could take this one and just be

:43:31. > :43:36.two behind, he would be in pretty good shape. Yeah, I don't

:43:37. > :43:41.necessarily think Mark Selby's fans or self would look at it exactly the

:43:42. > :44:59.same way. He would be focusing on the flukes.

:45:00. > :45:07.He has got one more red available after the black and then he will

:45:08. > :45:15.have two be looking for a way to bring a few more into play.

:45:16. > :45:24.Settling down very nicely in this second session of this best of 25

:45:25. > :45:29.match. He is busy playing decently, put paid to Ryan Day's chances in

:45:30. > :45:35.the first round and beat him comprehensively 10-4 and in the

:45:36. > :45:40.qualifiers he was pretty strong as well. Heat Mark King 10-4 in the

:45:41. > :45:49.final qualifying round. That was the mistake that Mark Selby

:45:50. > :46:11.made. Also in the round before, he beat

:46:12. > :46:15.the fast improving Sam Baird 10-4. Hasn't really been stretched.

:46:16. > :46:20.Meanwhile shakes his head, because when you play that shot that he

:46:21. > :46:24.played, difficult to judge when you are cannoning are the reds, the pace

:46:25. > :46:30.and it has finished up near the cushion, which sometimes you don't

:46:31. > :46:38.want to leave it short, that that time he just over did it and now he

:46:39. > :46:45.is in a bit of trouble, because he has a 54 point advantage, he was

:46:46. > :46:53.only one or two pots away from securing this frame. He could play a

:46:54. > :47:01.colour safe. As some insurance because... Once again, I would say

:47:02. > :47:06.probably a tactical error. He pops the black and he is 61 in front but

:47:07. > :47:14.Mark Selby has the counterattack with all the colours in open play.

:47:15. > :47:26.Why not play a colour safe? Maybe just a lack of experience probably.

:47:27. > :47:33.We will find out. If Mark Selby does get a chance, because the 54 point

:47:34. > :47:35.advantage co-direct Ellie could disappear rapidly the way the table

:47:36. > :47:39.is It is an error. It is a big error.

:47:40. > :48:09.Put a ball safe. Perhaps that goes some way to

:48:10. > :48:15.answering the question that Hazel was posing the lads in the studio,

:48:16. > :48:22.why hasn't he kicked on? Perhaps shot selection in the tactical

:48:23. > :48:33.department is slightly lacking. Close.

:48:34. > :48:41.Now when he plays this safety shot, he probably wouldn't want to push it

:48:42. > :48:46.over the pocket but he would probably want it towards a side

:48:47. > :48:57.cushion. Something near a cushion as a bit of insurance. There is a shot

:48:58. > :49:05.to nothing on for Mark Selby. He could cut a red into the right

:49:06. > :49:10.corner and had up towards a baulk car. He has another one closest to

:49:11. > :49:12.the black and I think the way the reds are sitting, if he closes this

:49:13. > :49:30.off, he is right back in the frame. Well, I know there is a long way to

:49:31. > :49:37.go, but we have seen Mark Selby dish up hundreds of times on our TV

:49:38. > :49:43.screens. You all know the significance of this one. Yes macro,

:49:44. > :49:51.this really would hurt the young Chinese player. Because he should

:49:52. > :49:59.have taken your advice and put a colour safe rather than just trying

:50:00. > :50:04.to get the extra seven points. Misjudged that pink somewhat. He

:50:05. > :50:14.wanted to pop that red by the black spot, so a bit more difficult.

:50:15. > :50:21.He will not be potting the black until the red has cleared from the

:50:22. > :51:40.black spot. He played for that red that is near

:51:41. > :51:45.the black spot. When he pops that he will play for the black. He will

:51:46. > :52:11.have that well worked out in advance.

:52:12. > :52:20.Well, you can really see the focus on Mark Selby's face. He knows the

:52:21. > :52:26.importance of possibly pinching this frame and keeping his four frame

:52:27. > :52:34.advantage. Mark Selby a fraction quick up of the shot after he has

:52:35. > :52:41.played it. It is OK, he is not moving on the shot, but if he is any

:52:42. > :52:47.quicker, he would actually be moving, but it is noticeably quicker

:52:48. > :52:53.than say a Shaun Murphy who keeps his head is rock solid or a John

:52:54. > :53:01.Higgins, for a little bit longer after he has delivered the cue.

:53:02. > :53:09.Now if he is straight on the black, he is going to have to screw on and

:53:10. > :53:15.off the cushion. Now he has a slight angle so he can power this in and

:53:16. > :53:22.slip in behind that red. He could screw back or power through. His

:53:23. > :53:29.screw back and he needs to pull up a little bit. It will finish a little

:53:30. > :53:34.bit awkward. Potting the red back into a blind pocket. He is coming

:53:35. > :53:41.round to look at the angle there. This is a nasty cut back. Especially

:53:42. > :53:45.if he's going to try and do anything with the cue ball. We saw Sean

:53:46. > :53:55.Murphy miss one of these. Beautiful shot. Just proving why he is the

:53:56. > :53:56.defending champion and has been world number one for almost two

:53:57. > :54:13.years. And Xiao Guodong just ran slightly

:54:14. > :54:22.out of position and decided to take the seven points, but should have

:54:23. > :54:26.put a colour safe. He is so clinical. He has done it so many

:54:27. > :55:21.times from this sort of position. He is not bothered about the black.

:55:22. > :55:27.And she looks absolutely delighted with himself. Xiao Guodong just made

:55:28. > :55:34.one little mistake and the world champion cleared up and keeps that

:55:35. > :55:40.four frame advantage, 8-4. That is how to slap your opponent down after

:55:41. > :55:46.he made 130 in the last frame. There was one situation that you think,

:55:47. > :55:53.John, sums up Xiao's approach. Look at this instance here. There is the

:55:54. > :56:00.table as it is. He cannot play position. He has got to put a colour

:56:01. > :56:04.safe. He needs an insurance policy on one of the side cushion is

:56:05. > :56:08.because all the balls in the middle of the table, you have nothing

:56:09. > :56:14.better to save you if the opponent gets the next chance. Mark plays a

:56:15. > :56:20.few safety shots after that but the balls are all there if it is opened

:56:21. > :56:27.up. It is the minute difference between being a good player and one

:56:28. > :56:31.of the top ones. It is not inexperienced because this fellow

:56:32. > :56:35.has been around for a while. Is it a difference in the way he thinks, is

:56:36. > :56:40.it a difference in the way that he and the other Chinese played the

:56:41. > :56:46.game? Is there a difference in style? I think it is just ring

:56:47. > :56:53.craft. Maybe the reason he missed it is because he knew it was a wrong

:56:54. > :56:58.shot. It is just a poor shot choice. It is not inexperienced, it is just

:56:59. > :57:04.trying to pinch seven points but when you play someone like Mark

:57:05. > :57:09.Selby, when you are at the top, you know when you should take your

:57:10. > :57:19.chance, times in matches when you should clear up. It is a massive

:57:20. > :57:27.difference. It is the right shot to play. The right shot is to give

:57:28. > :57:31.yourself an insurance policy. When I first saw it, I would have taken the

:57:32. > :57:37.black on but I bow to my esteemed colleagues and I would have played

:57:38. > :57:41.the wrong shot as well. It is all interpretation at the end of the

:57:42. > :57:50.day. He would have been perfect on the black and round-up. They are at

:57:51. > :57:55.their interval and we will carry on showing you a bit of inspiration

:57:56. > :58:00.because many of you at home have taken inspiration from Sean Murphy's

:58:01. > :58:04.incredible shot. It was not a trick shot per se but this one has

:58:05. > :58:12.launched quite a few copycats. It was against one ear is then.

:58:13. > :58:26.Remember this? Not sure what he is trying to do. Side cushion,

:58:27. > :58:31.unbelievable! What a time to play an exhibition country shot in the World

:58:32. > :58:41.Championship at the Crucible! What a shot! And copycat number one, Declan

:58:42. > :58:54.Murray. OK, Declan, show us what you are made of. Not bad. And this is

:58:55. > :59:00.Dan. Get in, Dan! And you can see how absolutely delighted he is. Not

:59:01. > :59:04.bad. I like both of them. But the last one is brilliant because it

:59:05. > :59:10.goes really wide and then it arcs the cue ball back. It brings back

:59:11. > :59:16.memories. Declan, you have a career in this. Keep them coming in. We are

:59:17. > :59:22.very much enjoying them but we are back into the heat of battle. It is

:59:23. > :59:31.Stephen Maguire. He won his first match at the Chris Ball for 35

:59:32. > :59:37.years. He has appeared into semifinals and has come here as a

:59:38. > :59:42.qualifier. He beat Anthony McGill in the opening round and he is up

:59:43. > :59:46.against Rory McLeod, the man who sent Judd Trump, the world number

:59:47. > :59:53.two packing. They came into this session with Stephen 6-2 ahead. Rory

:59:54. > :00:14.McLeod leaves by 22 points. The miss might not be taken because

:00:15. > :00:19.the red passes into the yellow pocket. I do not think it will take

:00:20. > :00:22.the mist. He will take their son. I was impressed with Stephen Maguire

:00:23. > :00:27.in the opening game against Anthony McGill. He kept Anthony McGill of

:00:28. > :00:31.the table so much that he scored one point in seven frames. I do not

:00:32. > :01:15.think that has ever been done at the Crucible before.

:01:16. > :01:22.You will probably notice, that is the difference between these players

:01:23. > :01:25.today, Stephen Maguire, if free chance he has to work the ball to

:01:26. > :01:31.win the frame at that visit, he will take that chance, whereas Rory tends

:01:32. > :01:36.to be more careful. A few moments ago, you mentioned that he has to

:01:37. > :01:41.score heavily. He has only had two breaks over 30 in the opening

:01:42. > :01:43.session. He needs to try and win a frame at one visit to get some

:01:44. > :02:13.confidence in the balls. Stephen Maguire will recognise the

:02:14. > :02:17.importance of this visit. With a 6-2 lead, he will be wanting to keep

:02:18. > :02:25.Rory McLeod under as much pressure as possible.

:02:26. > :02:37.Stephen score so heavily in amongst the balls, normally, that you feel

:02:38. > :02:39.Rory really will need to go up a gear or two to be able to compete in

:02:40. > :02:49.this match. That has not worked out perfectly.

:02:50. > :02:54.He does have a long red into the yellow pocket, which is pretty

:02:55. > :03:03.straight. Screwing back for the black. You can almost play this as a

:03:04. > :03:14.shot to nothing. Well played. Yes, that could be a frame-winner, that

:03:15. > :03:18.shot. If he can convert into several of the top scoring pockets. The

:03:19. > :03:26.black is available. Right into the heart of the pocket, this one. The

:03:27. > :03:34.only thing that was missing from Stephen Maguire was a high break.

:03:35. > :03:39.Highest break of 71. He has had lots of breaks above 40 in the opening

:03:40. > :03:43.session. This one will be very high. I thought he had a little bit of

:03:44. > :04:43.contact the, but still nicely on the red.

:04:44. > :04:50.At 38 point lead. He needs another two reds and two colours, then he

:04:51. > :05:32.can concentrate on making the century.

:05:33. > :05:39.A glance at the scoreboard. That will tell him he needs one more red.

:05:40. > :05:45.He will probably go around two cushions to play the pink into the

:05:46. > :05:50.right-hand corner. Just the right amount of side to bring it into open

:05:51. > :05:51.play. He could have done with a fraction harder, but it is no

:05:52. > :06:16.problem. A nice cannon on the pink to bring

:06:17. > :06:19.it on and off the cushion again. He is one of those people, Stephen

:06:20. > :06:30.Maguire, he believes you, doesn't the? -- he bullies you. You

:06:31. > :06:37.certainly have to be very strong when you play him. He certainly can

:06:38. > :06:49.be very intimidating around the table. Like anything else, you can

:06:50. > :06:59.only be intimidated if you let somebody intimidate you.

:07:00. > :07:10.But he is a great player, that is for sure. He is in great form. He is

:07:11. > :07:51.timing them really well. Already the highest break of the match so far.

:07:52. > :07:58.Very well played. Stephen Maguire's first century in this tournament. I

:07:59. > :08:12.am sure there will be more. What will please Stephen more than

:08:13. > :08:17.anything else, the balls are going right into the middle of the pocket.

:08:18. > :08:23.Rory McLeod will be disappointed not to have scored more. Stephen Maguire

:08:24. > :08:25.clears up with 114, two increases lead to 7-2.

:08:26. > :08:31.That is his first Crucible century of this Championship in the venue.

:08:32. > :08:36.If any more incentive were needed for Stephen Maguire, he is currently

:08:37. > :08:41.world number 24. If he gets to the semifinals, he will go back into the

:08:42. > :08:45.top 16. He is not there at the moment, which is why he had to

:08:46. > :08:50.prequalify for the Championship. Lots riding on this for the Scot.

:08:51. > :08:52.Into the next we go, and having established that great lead, it is

:08:53. > :09:05.McLeod, on a break of 48. He will be disappointed not to win

:09:06. > :09:44.the frame. But with 48, he will be right back into this frame.

:09:45. > :10:11.How good a safety shot is this? An excellent shot.

:10:12. > :10:21.From that excellent safety shot from Stephen Maguire, using lots of

:10:22. > :10:31.right-hand side, on the cue ball, against three cushions. Rory McLeod

:10:32. > :10:35.is now in all sorts of trouble. It is a good hit. It is the same old

:10:36. > :10:41.problem, he is not just taking the object ball, it is trying to get it

:10:42. > :11:00.safe. Unfortunately for Rory, he has not managed to do that.

:11:01. > :11:08.It looks like another frame that is going to slip away from Rory. That

:11:09. > :11:13.was a little unlucky, not to have left anything more difficult, when

:11:14. > :11:17.he hit the red calf ball. Every chance of getting the red safe, but

:11:18. > :11:22.the fact that he caught it so thick, it could have come more to this end

:11:23. > :11:27.of the table. He needs something ridiculous to happen to Maguire in

:11:28. > :11:32.the next few shot is to still be in this game and a few moments. He

:11:33. > :12:28.needs up to and including the blue to be sure of winning the frame.

:12:29. > :12:39.So, Stephen Maguire takes the first two frames. The first two in this

:12:40. > :12:46.afternoon's session. He will be delighted.

:12:47. > :13:04.They assured the next couple of friends, so at the interval, it is

:13:05. > :13:07.9-3. Maguire stuck in a break of 61 mainframe 12 to establish the six

:13:08. > :13:15.frame lead. That will continue online and on the red button as

:13:16. > :13:20.well. Perhaps, and I am sure Stephen has already thought about this, it

:13:21. > :13:25.is an early finish if he can get the better of Rory later. Before we go

:13:26. > :13:29.back to life play, we have had another trick shot. This is very

:13:30. > :13:42.innovative. Hello, Fergus Baxter, aged eight. You win the prize for

:13:43. > :13:51.the best use of breaks. Fantastic. -- Jenga bricks. Other building

:13:52. > :13:57.games are available. The defending champion has established a strong

:13:58. > :14:01.foothold in the game. An advantage of four frames once again.

:14:02. > :14:08.It is back to Dennis and Steve. Thank you, Hazel. As you join us, it

:14:09. > :14:19.is a pretty good break from the start. Mark Selby is snookered on

:14:20. > :14:25.all red. -- reds. It was a great frame before the mid-session

:14:26. > :14:29.interval, Mark Selby managed to pinch that, and it has made such a

:14:30. > :14:42.difference, keeping that four frame advantage.

:14:43. > :14:49.I suppose Mark would settle for more of the same if he could play this

:14:50. > :14:57.little mini-session and shade it 2-2. He would still have his four

:14:58. > :15:07.frame lead going into tomorrow's final session.

:15:08. > :15:19.That is balls potted for the whole of the match. Xiao ahead on points,

:15:20. > :15:28.but at the end of the day, he is ahead in the pot success rate, holy

:15:29. > :15:32.easy losing, 8-4? -- how is he losing. That is the most important

:15:33. > :15:55.part, the number of frames you win. There is a pot on to the left

:15:56. > :15:58.corner, he has to be accurate to get the gap between the black and red.

:15:59. > :16:08.Not even entertaining that. That is a typical Mark Selby safety

:16:09. > :17:13.shot there. It was like watching a game of bowls

:17:14. > :17:43.there. I am sure a lot of snooker players would be good bowlers.

:17:44. > :17:52.It is a keen popular in the Northwest. -- eight game popular in

:17:53. > :18:21.the Northwest. Not just the yellow but the blue

:18:22. > :18:37.helping as well, so Guodong has to keep these pretty thin.

:18:38. > :18:46.Well, he didn't get it as thin as he would have liked. Once again, Mark

:18:47. > :18:52.Selby is left with a possible pot into the left corner and may have to

:18:53. > :18:56.play some sort of cannon because I cannot see him finding a gap if he

:18:57. > :19:07.does, it's a very narrow the gap, with the cue ball.

:19:08. > :19:16.And the gap he found there was amazing. Not only a good pot but the

:19:17. > :19:29.gap he found for the cue ball... Wow!

:19:30. > :19:58.He would be delighted to see that get through.

:19:59. > :20:21.The black is out of commission at the moment, playing for the pink

:20:22. > :20:40.there. I keep going back into the cap he

:20:41. > :20:45.found for the first shot. He sent the white through that narrow little

:20:46. > :20:58.gap and this is what he intended, I think. That is so precise. Yeah,

:20:59. > :21:03.certain path is that the cue ball takes are a more natural than

:21:04. > :21:11.others, he didn't have to do a great deal in one respect but still a

:21:12. > :21:18.marvellous shot and that is not great... I wouldn't say that was the

:21:19. > :21:20.worst positional shot Mark has ever played but it is probably in the top

:21:21. > :21:42.three. I think he misjudged how wide the

:21:43. > :21:59.cue ball was going to go after he potted the red.

:22:00. > :22:05.Leads to put a telling safety and that wasn't quite good enough. Watch

:22:06. > :22:16.the difference between the safety shots.

:22:17. > :22:27.A bit too narrow this time and that is not the best shot he has left the

:22:28. > :22:28.pot on. The four-cushion safety is far more preferable to top cushion,

:22:29. > :22:59.side cushion. REFEREE: Keep the noise down,

:23:00. > :23:13.please, thank you. He might be able to get this in behind the yellow. It

:23:14. > :23:20.is on its way. Now, in this situation, Guodong has a chance, I

:23:21. > :23:25.read that second furthest down the table is a pot and an element of

:23:26. > :23:30.safety at the same time behind the yellow and he would be on the blue.

:23:31. > :23:47.I think the angles are there for that. He used choose the first red.

:23:48. > :23:57.You can't hit the ball any sweeter than that. To avoid the middle

:23:58. > :24:12.pocket, he had to get so much screw on that. A bit unlucky. The extended

:24:13. > :24:44.rest, as it is called. It was a great shot.

:24:45. > :24:54.I don't like this much, No Man's Land... Really should have and could

:24:55. > :25:05.have done better than that. He underhit it. If he had overhit it,

:25:06. > :25:08.he would have still been all right. He has got a couple of reds but

:25:09. > :25:41.missable. It is a tough pot, he had to spend a

:25:42. > :25:46.lot of concentration on getting the pot, perhaps a little less

:25:47. > :25:48.concentration on the exact placement of the cue ball, so he has lost it a

:25:49. > :26:05.bit. It must go... An important pot and he is in prime

:26:06. > :27:28.position. That was a poor effort, he has put

:27:29. > :27:36.himself under pressure with this shot. You expect him to get it but

:27:37. > :27:43.if the cue ball is another foot off the cushion, it would have been a

:27:44. > :27:52.certainty. Now, he also risks the type of shot where a kick can

:27:53. > :28:07.destroy the potting angle. If you complete with a bit of pace, it. The

:28:08. > :28:12.cake. -- if you can't play it with a bit of pace, it will then stop the

:28:13. > :29:26.cake. -- kick. A couple of choices here, that might

:29:27. > :29:58.be his choice... Still not an ideal position. But

:29:59. > :30:06.it's only the plaque on the green that's available, he can't get

:30:07. > :30:23.through to the blue. -- only the black or the green that's available.

:30:24. > :30:29.He has got to play this with lots of top spin and will be striking the

:30:30. > :30:47.cue ball near the top, just above centre.

:30:48. > :30:53.He has had a couple flicks this afternoon. There is another little

:30:54. > :32:01.trick shot. Sorry. He really does play that shot very

:32:02. > :32:14.well, the number of times he finds the baulk cushion with the cue ball.

:32:15. > :32:27.That has caused Xiao Guodong to hit the safety little on the thick side,

:32:28. > :32:32.but he will take this one on, because he knows if he gets it, he

:32:33. > :32:44.will give himself a very good chance.

:32:45. > :32:55.Close, and look where the cue ball was, he was right behind the black.

:32:56. > :33:06.He has to be a wee bit careful with the way that he plays the cannon, in

:33:07. > :33:08.potting this. He was probably thinking more about the cannon than

:33:09. > :33:54.the pot. It has just got a little awkward,

:33:55. > :34:07.this frame, the reds are all close to the cushion. It is only a 26

:34:08. > :34:10.point advantage, but with the table being awkward, it is not a bad lead

:34:11. > :34:37.to have. He has held his hand up again,

:34:38. > :34:53.simply because he covered that. But he played a good shot, so... He is

:34:54. > :35:25.so polite, Xiao Guodong. Such a very reserved, polite young man.

:35:26. > :35:32.He was a bit reluctant to move the red of the side cushion, but there

:35:33. > :35:39.is an easy safety shot after that one. He can get this down behind the

:35:40. > :35:46.brown. Has he hit it hard enough? It is heading in the right direction.

:35:47. > :35:57.Never easy, playing a safety shot from a red on the side cushion that

:35:58. > :36:03.is touching the cushion. Anything thick, and you get a double kiss.

:36:04. > :36:07.Alter them, and probably no risk of a double kiss on the way back up.

:36:08. > :36:27.Good shot. -- anything thinner and probably no

:36:28. > :36:33.risk. There is the possibility of getting in behind the brown. He

:36:34. > :36:45.chose the yellow, no problem with that, no argument.

:36:46. > :36:53.Down by the brown, the green and the blue are snookering balls. It is

:36:54. > :36:58.quite a big target area, that one. Is he taking this on? It looks like

:36:59. > :37:00.his body language means he is getting down and ready to play this

:37:01. > :37:15.shot as a pot. I thought he was going for the first

:37:16. > :37:23.one. The second one is a cut, a shot to nothing. Very nice. Perhaps

:37:24. > :37:26.another slight mistake from Guodong, not playing the red thinner, down

:37:27. > :37:31.behind the brown, unless he thought he would be leaving a red over the

:37:32. > :37:41.left corner. Perhaps I am reading too much into it, no. -- too much

:37:42. > :38:10.into it now. That is a clever shot. That is so

:38:11. > :38:14.clever, to leave the pink so he can bring all three reds into play. They

:38:15. > :38:17.are all tied up at the moment, so this one shot will open up the whole

:38:18. > :38:36.of the frame. And the pink going on the black

:38:37. > :38:46.spot. If anything, it is a help to Selby.

:38:47. > :38:54.I think this frame is going to be the frame where he really pulls away

:38:55. > :38:56.from the Chinese player. If he gets five frames in front, he will take

:38:57. > :39:14.some stopping. Yes, it would appear, though very

:39:15. > :39:15.unfair to judge just one match, that Guodong's Achilles' heel is the

:39:16. > :39:33.tactical department. It is tough at the top. We're only

:39:34. > :39:41.about fractions. And we are being ultra-critical.

:39:42. > :39:48.Sometimes wrongly as well. It must be said that we can get carried away

:39:49. > :39:54.with ourselves and the commentary box. A marvellous shot from Mark

:39:55. > :40:06.Selby. He has opened up this frame nicely. Haiyan the pink. Not high

:40:07. > :40:11.enough. That is a big mistake. All he has to do is make sure he was

:40:12. > :40:15.straight or higher on the pink. Now the black, more pace required. He

:40:16. > :40:27.made it look easy. Other than he could not guarantee as

:40:28. > :40:34.good position, so not so nice, cutting this bag. Yes, they wiped

:40:35. > :40:43.away from the cushion would have been straightforward. -- yes, the

:40:44. > :40:50.cue ball away from the cushion. But safely end. He cued that very

:40:51. > :40:52.positively. He wanted to play for a baulk colour, it just meant it was

:40:53. > :41:08.so easy to get onto the yellow. He just reads the game so well. He

:41:09. > :41:12.really is a class act. That is one of the reasons he has been number

:41:13. > :41:19.one in the world for not that far of two years now.

:41:20. > :41:25.He is going for his third title in four years. He is the man to beat.

:41:26. > :41:41.He is such a great pressure player. When he gets in the groove, he is

:41:42. > :41:56.like a machine. That is what everybody is striving for.

:41:57. > :42:01.Over the line. He would still like to get those blue, to completely

:42:02. > :42:22.seal it. He is not going to bother with the

:42:23. > :42:27.black. That is a fine break of 57. All of a sudden, Mark Selby is

:42:28. > :42:33.starting to bars. He extends his lead to five frames.

:42:34. > :42:37.9-4. Wall-to-wall snookering in Sheffield right now. If you are in

:42:38. > :42:42.the mood, not just for the live-action, but for a bit of

:42:43. > :42:45.nostalgia, because after all, this is the 40th anniversary of the event

:42:46. > :42:51.at the Crucible, then you're in for a treat this evening at nine

:42:52. > :42:56.o'clock. Join me, Steve Davis, for a Crucible celebration. There are lots

:42:57. > :43:00.of things that should not be right about the place, but it just is.

:43:01. > :43:04.When you get serious about Snickometer is where you want to

:43:05. > :43:10.play. The best moments of snooker have all been at the Crucible. He

:43:11. > :43:15.has done it. He was like this. The saddest person in Sheffield.

:43:16. > :43:19.Heartbreaking. I remember when he built his cab. So much history

:43:20. > :43:22.attached to it. It is the shrine of snooker. The Crucible, there is a

:43:23. > :43:36.buzz. Well, I will be watching that,

:43:37. > :43:41.following the great Steve Davis. It was a pleasure to be involved,

:43:42. > :43:51.talking to some great players, past champions. Some celebrities who love

:43:52. > :43:53.the game of snooker. It was great talking to Lauren Higgins, about the

:43:54. > :44:31.great Alex Higgins. Marvellous. Right behind the brown, or does it

:44:32. > :44:35.slip past? Once again, it is a big safety mistake, really. You do not

:44:36. > :44:51.want your opponent to get his hand on the table.

:44:52. > :44:59.Well, he was perfectly on the black if he had potted the red. At first

:45:00. > :45:32.glance, he has not left anything easy for Xiao Guodong.

:45:33. > :45:49.This is a tough red he's looking at. If he plays it in the middle pocket,

:45:50. > :45:56.there's an element of safety. But he is left with a long straight yellow

:45:57. > :46:14.or a tricky round macro to the middle. Brown it is.

:46:15. > :47:34.Maybe they chance this. -- a bit of a chance, this.

:47:35. > :47:45.APPLAUSE He has opened the reds up nicely.

:47:46. > :47:58.He found a gap and got just enough back spin.

:47:59. > :48:05.The pink is there if he goes too far, the only problem is looking at

:48:06. > :48:12.the angle of the pink is it is just taking away from the red. I'm not

:48:13. > :48:36.even sure if the red is on the pink. It might just time that red up that

:48:37. > :48:47.is in the middle of that little bunch of six there.

:48:48. > :48:57.Interesting, it a bit early, he's only 27 in front, he made a

:48:58. > :48:58.technical early when he was 54 in front and should have put a cover

:48:59. > :50:11.safe. He does like a fluke, does Xiao

:50:12. > :50:17.Guodong. In fact, it was an excellent cue ball but it will be

:50:18. > :50:21.even better if he can just land on the green. These are funny little

:50:22. > :50:29.shots, sometimes you can't just leave them short. That shot once

:50:30. > :50:40.again, not exactly understanding how the balls are going to split after

:50:41. > :50:47.the safety. Trusting to luck a bit, third type of shot like that that he

:50:48. > :50:52.has allowed a red to drift towards a corner and they have all gone in. On

:50:53. > :51:09.another day, they stay over in the pockets. Is this potentially hit and

:51:10. > :51:18.hope territory? Steve, you're talking about sat navs Selby here,

:51:19. > :51:25.you'll find a way out of trouble. It is a last resort. There is an area

:51:26. > :51:36.in the bottom left corner, he could probably try to get the cue ball

:51:37. > :51:45.too. Is there a path around the back of the red along the left-hand side

:51:46. > :51:47.cushion and then click off the red? What a great shot this would be.

:51:48. > :52:03.That would be very special. I don't think those angles are on

:52:04. > :52:15.and if they are not, then a change of plan. If he could get a path for

:52:16. > :52:19.the red, it's not going to be easy along the cushion that there are a

:52:20. > :52:36.lot of balls in a way to land on that red.

:52:37. > :52:54.Just checking the moment there. -- the monitor.

:52:55. > :53:04.I don't think the angle's on around the back of that red because it

:53:05. > :53:13.slides off the first cushion, the cue ball's going to slide. It's

:53:14. > :53:18.close enough. I'm wondering if he's going to try and get to that red

:53:19. > :53:21.near the left corner pocket, he would have to get an awful lot of

:53:22. > :53:34.side on it. He's trying to get the one I

:53:35. > :53:45.mentioned. Perfect. APPLAUSE Is it cut?

:53:46. > :53:59.He has come down to see if that read pot has passed the red. It must be

:54:00. > :54:04.tight. Do you think it makes a difference looking from the other

:54:05. > :54:09.side of the table? It's something I've never ever done. Saying here.

:54:10. > :54:22.I've never seen the point but a lot of players do it. Running out of

:54:23. > :54:28.room, he wants to stand back but the dividing wall is in the way. It

:54:29. > :54:37.looks like Mark Selby has got out of jail. It was a terrific escape route

:54:38. > :54:49.because the first one, he certainly wasn't going to try that again.

:54:50. > :55:20.Certainly not be telling safety shot from Guodong.

:55:21. > :55:50.Any thinner and he would have potted it.

:55:51. > :56:01.He is in trouble here. I knew you wouldn't think so.

:56:02. > :56:18.The shot is a tough one, very thin on that red you can see closest to

:56:19. > :56:22.the cue ball. Trying not to hit the blue that he wants to guarantee you

:56:23. > :56:29.can get back on the table with screw back, just about did it, borderline.

:56:30. > :56:36.Not so much the screw back but keeping control of the cue ball to

:56:37. > :56:39.hit the reds to get the screw back on. First player to play that escape

:56:40. > :56:47.route when he couldn't get back on the table is a Canadian player, and

:56:48. > :56:49.when he was in trouble, he used to wind up and just screw the ball back

:56:50. > :57:13.the full length of the table. And back in those days, to screw the

:57:14. > :57:26.ball back on the cloth was much more difficult. I sort of remember from

:57:27. > :57:31.some of the highlights of the funnies, how many times players have

:57:32. > :57:43.been rescuing and balls jumping off tables. He has got a pot on but it's

:57:44. > :57:57.so comfortable, I don't think that any way out of this. If he misses,

:57:58. > :58:02.he's going to leave them all up. He got out of it. Mainly because he was

:58:03. > :58:09.that far away with the pot. He's going to have to settle for that. If

:58:10. > :58:15.the red goes up past the pink, I wouldn't put it past Mark Selby

:58:16. > :58:22.knocking on this one in. And if this goes on... He will be right in

:58:23. > :58:39.amongst them. And this is the difference, you

:58:40. > :58:44.know, someone like world number one, world champion gets half a chance,

:58:45. > :58:52.seizes on it and now he is right in amongst them, no problem potting the

:58:53. > :59:43.brown label and he's got at least five reds to finish on.

:59:44. > :00:00.Just looking at Mark Selby's highest breaks, 76, but he has been very

:00:01. > :00:07.consistent. He hasn't made a century yet in this year's Betfred World

:00:08. > :00:11.Championship. But a century break only things you one frame. 50s, 60s,

:00:12. > :00:29.70s. He is close to the ball with his

:00:30. > :00:32.waistcoat. He was only just away from that red. He was very close.

:00:33. > :01:46.The referee had one eye on it. Ideally, he would like to win this

:01:47. > :02:03.frame without needing the yellow. He can afford two pinks, and one

:02:04. > :02:37.black. I think. Now he will not be winning the frame

:02:38. > :02:41.at this visit, because the blue has hampered him on the potential pot.

:02:42. > :02:46.He tried to flee to the other one over the middle pocket and he would

:02:47. > :02:53.have left himself a chance of two reds, but he did not judge the

:02:54. > :03:01.cannon. He was not far away. Not nice, how this has ended up. Have a

:03:02. > :03:07.look at this cannon he was playing on Andy Redmayne. He was not too far

:03:08. > :03:11.away. He just got a little too much action on it. He is quite a tall

:03:12. > :03:41.man, Mark. Fully stretched. I suppose, to some degree, that has

:03:42. > :03:42.made it a little easier for Guodong to win, if they can get amongst

:03:43. > :04:03.them. Well, it is a tough one, isn't it?

:04:04. > :04:05.Another day, he screws it back, the red goes safe, and you do not think

:04:06. > :04:20.anything of it. Yes, it is just slipping away from

:04:21. > :04:27.Xiao Guodong, this match. He knows he is being totally outplayed.

:04:28. > :04:37.But he is up against the current world number one and defending

:04:38. > :04:42.champion. It is not going to be easy to clinch the frame, especially if

:04:43. > :04:47.he finishes dead straight on this. He has got a slight angle to work

:04:48. > :04:58.with. He would have liked to have been closer to that red. Just noise

:04:59. > :05:14.from the other table, they are in between frames. So well struck. He

:05:15. > :05:17.is going to play this shot in between the blue and the side

:05:18. > :05:27.cushion, I would imagine, against two cushions. That takes out any

:05:28. > :05:37.danger of snookering himself behind the green or brown.

:05:38. > :05:48.He played inside the blue, just past the bomb. That was tricky. -- past

:05:49. > :06:05.the bump. A bit out of position on the green,

:06:06. > :06:25.but over the line. This is to seal it.

:06:26. > :06:31.He is not missing much, and Xiao, well, he cannot do anything about

:06:32. > :06:40.this. It does not matter about the blue. Both players leaving the

:06:41. > :06:48.arena. The defending champion moving further ahead. He now leads Xiao

:06:49. > :06:52.Guodong 10-4. Two more flames to play in that win

:06:53. > :06:59.this afternoon. There is one to play on the other side of the table. --

:07:00. > :07:05.frames. Stephen Maguire is eyeing an early finish in this one. Perhaps

:07:06. > :07:09.about to wrap up this match against Rory McLeod. He was 9-3 in front,

:07:10. > :07:16.but he has taken the next couple to go 12-3 up. The next three,

:07:17. > :07:24.obviously. He made a break of 90 in the 13th frame, he stole frame 14,

:07:25. > :07:29.he has made 57 in the 15th, and with one left, he can cross the magic

:07:30. > :07:35.finishing line and try and beat Rory McLeod with one session to spare. He

:07:36. > :07:41.has certainly got the motivation of the day off. He is eyeing a fifth

:07:42. > :07:45.quarterfinal at the Crucible. Let's get straight over, live with Peter

:07:46. > :07:50.Ebdon and Willie Thorne. Thanks, this has been a

:07:51. > :07:56.disappointing match for Rory McLeod. So much expectation coming with the

:07:57. > :08:01.victory over Judd Trump. Unfortunately, he has not produced

:08:02. > :08:07.today at all. Stephen Maguire has played OK. He has missed plenty of

:08:08. > :08:10.balls. Rory McLeod has been in first on at least four of the frames we

:08:11. > :08:14.have played this afternoon, but he has not scored enough. At this

:08:15. > :09:14.level, you have to score. We have got to the stage of the

:09:15. > :09:20.match were Rory might as well have a go on this one. He can play this as

:09:21. > :09:24.a shot to nothing and finish on the black. He is still playing the

:09:25. > :09:25.safety first way. I suppose he feels that will give him a better chance

:09:26. > :09:39.at some stage. Stephen taking the long red into the

:09:40. > :09:50.yellow pocket. At first glance, he has left very

:09:51. > :10:18.little. Rory needed to get a good cue ball,

:10:19. > :10:30.and he got a very good cue ball. Well played.

:10:31. > :10:41.This is a tough safety shot. He needs to be very careful of catching

:10:42. > :10:52.the jaws of the middle pocket. On the way back. That would leave the

:10:53. > :10:58.red into the left-centre. That is why he played it with pace. That was

:10:59. > :11:03.an excellent shot. Good cue ball. Yes, he had to make sure he got past

:11:04. > :11:08.the baize line with that safety otherwise the red to the left of the

:11:09. > :11:14.blue would be on. If he had played it then, the middle pocket jaws came

:11:15. > :11:17.into the equation, so he could not have played that better. Rory is a

:11:18. > :12:17.little bit of trouble. The chance of a long red for Stephen

:12:18. > :12:28.Maguire to the left-hand black pocket. There is a gap that he can

:12:29. > :12:34.play for as well. It just depends how he sees it. He can try and stun

:12:35. > :12:38.and hold for the black Mac, or Goran for the blue. He played for the

:12:39. > :12:43.black into the same pocket, knowing that the pink was also into the

:12:44. > :12:50.left-centre. And the left-hand side that you put on the cue ball, that

:12:51. > :12:56.meant that he threw the red slightly thick into the right-hand jaw, as

:12:57. > :13:04.you see it on the TV screen. An opportunity for Rory. He is under so

:13:05. > :13:10.much pressure now. He has had a terrible day. He has really played

:13:11. > :13:15.badly, he has not taken his chances, and he is under so much pressure. It

:13:16. > :13:35.is really difficult to see a way back for him.

:13:36. > :14:00.He expected to pot that one. Rory has just had a look at the pack of

:14:01. > :14:03.reds. The two reds, there may be a plant into the left-hand corner.

:14:04. > :14:12.They may be a little high, so at least they can get back into the

:14:13. > :14:16.baulk area. Once again, not a favourable kiss. These are the kind

:14:17. > :14:22.of things that happen when you're struggling. On a good day, you get

:14:23. > :14:27.the half ball kiss and you have the blue into the middle. On a bad day,

:14:28. > :16:02.you end up needing the rest. A great pot, unfortunately got into

:16:03. > :16:03.the cue ball to match this time. Don't know whether he can get

:16:04. > :16:54.through to the pink. This is a tough pot into the pocket.

:16:55. > :17:00.APPLAUSE A good pot but he certainly didn't play at full-blooded play, so

:17:01. > :17:11.he wasn't confident of getting the pink.

:17:12. > :17:17.It was an opportunity to score in amongst the polluters Mac. -- in

:17:18. > :18:16.amongst the balls. Is he going to have a dip at the one

:18:17. > :18:19.that is nearest the pocket? It's a pot he would fancy taking on. He

:18:20. > :18:31.could pot either of those two balls. Excellent pot. He will take the blue

:18:32. > :19:12.on, I'm sure. An excellent shot. It is there, all

:19:13. > :19:20.the way. Very nicely controlled from Stephen Maguire. And this is the

:19:21. > :19:33.opportunity that he has been looking for. To clinch frame and match. The

:19:34. > :19:38.balls are open, a lot of the reds are covering each other, so he needs

:19:39. > :19:43.to retain good session. This is an excellent chance now to win this

:19:44. > :20:22.match at this visit. He overscrewed that by eight or nine

:20:23. > :20:25.inches. I did mentioned previously that the reds were covering each

:20:26. > :20:27.other but I still didn't expect Stephen to play such a poor

:20:28. > :21:50.positional shot. Now, Rory, another chance.

:21:51. > :22:05.Nothing's coming easy for him at the moment, though.

:22:06. > :22:17.That was a decent pot. Almost certainly take the pink here because

:22:18. > :22:41.the blue is no good to him. Excellent pot. The black is tied up

:22:42. > :23:38.at the moment but that will open itself up.

:23:39. > :23:50.A kiss on the red and black would be nice here.

:23:51. > :23:59.Sometimes you have to take the chance of bringing balls into play.

:24:00. > :24:00.There's nothing wrong with that. But it might be tough to get on the pink

:24:01. > :24:30.from those reds. He has to play the colour this time

:24:31. > :25:31.on the black. He will regret it in a couple of shots macro time.

:25:32. > :25:53.Now you can see why he needed that black in play.

:25:54. > :27:09.An excellent pot from Stephen Maguire. The first chance he got, he

:27:10. > :27:23.played the cannon. The one that Willie Thorne suggested Rory could

:27:24. > :27:26.play a few shots I go. It's only because off all these reds on the

:27:27. > :27:28.left-hand side it's impossible to get behind them to get onto the pink

:27:29. > :27:51.but not to get onto the black. He may play this at pace, to bring

:27:52. > :28:15.the three reds into play. A very clever pot. -- a very clever shot.

:28:16. > :28:32.What a super tournament he has had, the favourite with some bookmakers

:28:33. > :28:37.and Judd Trump. He would have gotten a lot of confidence from a good win

:28:38. > :28:42.and that he will be disappointed with how he has played in this

:28:43. > :28:47.match. He has been in first for about five of the frames we have

:28:48. > :29:00.played this afternoon but just not score.

:29:01. > :29:09.Stephen Maguire will need the yellow to run the frame, interesting to see

:29:10. > :29:58.how he gets the yellow. If he misses the kiss on the yellow,

:29:59. > :30:58.he is on the black Origi pink. He tried to move the yellow and just

:30:59. > :31:05.caught the knuckle. The left-centre. He just missed the cannon. Just

:31:06. > :31:18.looking to play the snooker now, I think.

:31:19. > :31:22.Is he taking on the long blue, leaving himself a double on the

:31:23. > :31:30.yellow? He moved the yellow that time,

:31:31. > :31:52.Willie. Come on, Rory, this is your chance

:31:53. > :32:01.to take the match into the final session. Blue to paint is not a shot

:32:02. > :32:36.he would like to play. Ten points behind as we speak, so he

:32:37. > :32:42.will need the four remaining colours.

:32:43. > :33:08.-- not straight, surely. This blues missable if he plays it at pace.

:33:09. > :33:20.That is a great shot. Look at the side on that. What a shot.

:33:21. > :33:24.Needless to say, this is really tough viewing from right under the

:33:25. > :33:34.side cushion. That was tough, that was really

:33:35. > :33:54.tough. It was a very tough shot, right

:33:55. > :33:58.under the side cushion. A good opportunity to play a safety shot

:33:59. > :34:06.behind the black. A little too thick. The most important part of

:34:07. > :34:14.that shot was getting the pink safe. Which he has done.

:34:15. > :34:20.Rory McLeod does have the opportunity, if he wants to take the

:34:21. > :34:24.chance, of getting the cue ball behind the black, because he will be

:34:25. > :34:44.pushing the pink onto the yellow side cushion.

:34:45. > :34:51.But in playing the negative safety shot, he gave Stephen Maguire the

:34:52. > :34:52.opportunity to play a snooker of his own behind the black and he did not

:34:53. > :34:59.play that very well. This is a tough safety shot for

:35:00. > :35:26.Rory. He is trusting to the table. With

:35:27. > :35:30.Stephen Maguire being one point in front, he may decide to roll in this

:35:31. > :35:35.pink. You will have no shot on the black at all, but it will be very

:35:36. > :35:40.easy to get the snooker on the black. He will have two chances to

:35:41. > :35:42.win the frame and match. He is going to play a safety shot in behind the

:35:43. > :36:27.black, twice across. OK, the pink is safe, but another

:36:28. > :36:38.opportunity for Stephen Maguire to play a better safety shot.

:36:39. > :36:53.Trying to get the pink ban the black this time. He has slightly under

:36:54. > :36:57.hate it. -- underhit it. This is not an easy safety shot for Rory,

:36:58. > :37:09.because the pink is tight on the black cushion. Very difficult to try

:37:10. > :37:17.and get this thing. -- get this thin. Maybe playing the double kiss

:37:18. > :37:30.on the pink. That is what he tried, but he played it terribly.

:37:31. > :37:41.Just this black to win with one session to spare. The winner of Dott

:37:42. > :37:46.or Hawkins awaits Stephen Maguire. Rory McLeod's run is over. You will

:37:47. > :37:50.be pleased with his performance, Rory McLeod. He had a great

:37:51. > :37:59.tournament, but Stephen Maguire proved too strong. He goes into the

:38:00. > :38:02.next round, the 13-3 victory. Congratulations to Stephen Maguire,

:38:03. > :38:06.through to his fifth Crucible quarterfinal and his first for five

:38:07. > :38:11.years. There was an inevitability about that, but Rory McLeod fought

:38:12. > :38:17.hard, particularly in the last few balls. You're in a difficult

:38:18. > :38:21.situation. You do not want to see people are not trying, but when it

:38:22. > :38:26.gets to the stage that it is one frame, does he really want to come

:38:27. > :38:30.back tomorrow night? He was trying. It was a magnificent blue. He was so

:38:31. > :38:35.unlucky to land tight on the cushion for the pink. It was a good

:38:36. > :38:40.performance by Stephen Maguire. Let's get his reaction.

:38:41. > :38:43.He is speaking to rob. No win since 2012 on your back in the

:38:44. > :38:52.quarterfinals. I cannot believe it, can you? No, it is good. Two hard

:38:53. > :38:57.matches. I have come through them quite comfortably. I am over the

:38:58. > :39:01.moon. When you realised you would be facing Rory instead of Judd Trump,

:39:02. > :39:07.did it add nerves to the occasion, because you were now coming into the

:39:08. > :39:11.match is the overwhelming favourite? No, because who makes up the

:39:12. > :39:16.favourites? The bookies. I fancy myself against anyone. Whether aid

:39:17. > :39:22.was Judd Trump or not, if I am playing my game, it does not bother

:39:23. > :39:26.me. You have done it quite easily, even though you have had two hard

:39:27. > :39:30.matches. You have only conceded five frames en route to the

:39:31. > :39:35.quarterfinals. You are a pin sharp having come through qualifying in

:39:36. > :39:38.fine style. Do you feel as if your honourable, because you would be the

:39:39. > :39:44.first to say that in recent years you have not always produced your

:39:45. > :39:47.best at the Crucible, but that seems like it is different this year? I am

:39:48. > :39:52.definitely on a roll. I have won five matches in the World

:39:53. > :39:55.Championship already. In past years, if I won five matches I would be

:39:56. > :40:01.world champion. I am only in the quarters. I have come through

:40:02. > :40:06.comfortably, but I still have to raise my game. I am missing lots of

:40:07. > :40:13.balls. Rory had lots of chances but he did not settle. He made it quite

:40:14. > :40:18.easy for me. Next up, you have Barry or Graeme. In a way, I guess you

:40:19. > :40:23.would rather avoid an all Scottish clash, having played Anthony in

:40:24. > :40:29.round one? I would, but that would mean that I want Stephen -- Graeme

:40:30. > :40:34.to get beat, which I do not. I have not got a good record against

:40:35. > :40:39.Graeme. He beats me up all the time. For that reason, I hope Barry wins,

:40:40. > :40:46.but no bad blood. Do you think you can go all the way this year? I can

:40:47. > :40:50.only be two is in front of me. I am not thinking about any other round

:40:51. > :40:54.after the quarterfinal. I will go out there, whoever is in front of

:40:55. > :40:59.me, I will try and knock him down, and if I do not, hopefully the other

:41:00. > :41:05.guy will have to play well to beat me. Well done, see you in the

:41:06. > :41:12.quarters. Thanks. Congratulations to Stephen Maguire. The last time he

:41:13. > :41:19.was in a quarterfinal, in 2012, in effect, he hasten the end of your

:41:20. > :41:22.career. You are lovely person. It is just a piece of information. What

:41:23. > :41:28.was the score in that match? Lets not talk about that. That was when

:41:29. > :41:32.you decided you had had enough of professional snooker. I knew before

:41:33. > :41:37.the Championship started it was going to be my last one. Very early

:41:38. > :41:44.into that match, I knew it was near the end. Yes, he did a professional

:41:45. > :41:48.job against me and he has done a professional job against Rory

:41:49. > :41:53.McLeod. I hope Judd Trump is not anywhere near a TV set because he

:41:54. > :41:57.will be very upset. Yes, and obviously a taste and your farewell

:41:58. > :42:01.from the sport, but it did not do Stephen lots of good in terms of his

:42:02. > :42:05.World Championship performances. He got through to the semifinal, he was

:42:06. > :42:10.beating, added suddenly there is loss of form coming to the Crucible.

:42:11. > :42:13.What a relief that he has come through qualifiers and he is on a

:42:14. > :42:23.proper role. A couple of the matches he has lost, when he has been a

:42:24. > :42:26.seat, he has lost 10-9. He certainly lost to Ryan Day. The matches in the

:42:27. > :42:30.qualifiers have done him good. He was very impressive against Anthony

:42:31. > :42:36.McGuinness, 10-2 against him is a good score. He did the job he had to

:42:37. > :42:41.in this match. I am a fan. He heads the ball superbly well. He is a top

:42:42. > :42:46.16 player all day long. I think he's a top aide player. I am probably

:42:47. > :42:51.underselling him. If his head is on the right way, he can give anyone a

:42:52. > :43:01.game. He is the former world number two. He was the UK champion. He was

:43:02. > :43:06.in the top 16 for a decade. This has been a real awakening, for Bennett

:43:07. > :43:09.on Mac, the last couple of weeks. -- four Stephen, the last couple of

:43:10. > :43:13.weeks. Lots of people thought he would go on from the UK champion

:43:14. > :43:18.Gibran win World Championships. He has massively underachieved in the

:43:19. > :43:27.sport. What is the reason for that? I do not want to get involved. Has

:43:28. > :43:33.to asp Stephen. -- you would have -- you would have to as Stephen. I do

:43:34. > :43:40.not think many people strike the ball better than he does. He is

:43:41. > :43:45.seriously good. He can score. You have to stand up to him. He can give

:43:46. > :43:50.of Andorra that he wants to kill you. You have to stand up to him but

:43:51. > :43:53.when he hits it, he is as good as anyone. The importance of having all

:43:54. > :43:58.of tomorrow, because he would have been coming back tomorrow evening,

:43:59. > :44:08.that is a bonus ahead of the quarterfinals? He can relax, he does

:44:09. > :44:15.not have to get his big ego on. THEY ALL SPEAK AT ONCE

:44:16. > :44:21.He can have a night off, relax, and nothing like watching everyone else

:44:22. > :44:23.sweat when you have the night. Particularly Barry Hawkins and

:44:24. > :44:28.Graeme Dott. They will be coming back this evening for the second

:44:29. > :44:32.session. We have been watching the defending champion, Mark Selby, this

:44:33. > :44:39.afternoon, and we left him very much in control against Xiao Guodong. We

:44:40. > :44:41.will join them in frame 15. Selby is 18 points adrift. It is back to

:44:42. > :44:51.Steve and Dennis for this. Yes, I forget who I was playing,

:44:52. > :45:00.John Smyth, one of the top referees at the time, and he got it wrong. He

:45:01. > :45:03.said, please, can you keep that back quiet. He meant the sweetie paper. I

:45:04. > :45:56.knew what he meant. Is look for a minute right that red

:45:57. > :46:05.was going to cover the black but it trundled on. He's trying to give

:46:06. > :46:29.himself choices for two into the right corner. You sense a living

:46:30. > :47:13.here, don't you? -- you sense 11-4 here, don't you?

:47:14. > :47:19.The winner of this match and it certainly looks like it's the

:47:20. > :47:39.defending champion, will play either Marco Fu or the Robert -- Neil

:47:40. > :47:46.Robertson. A beautiful shot from Mark Selby, once again taking the

:47:47. > :47:55.weight out of the equation, it was always going to be one of those two

:47:56. > :48:02.reds. If he is dead straight, he's got to just screw back for the red,

:48:03. > :48:13.if he's got an angle he could perhaps play for one on the top

:48:14. > :48:21.cushion. Didn't really want to leave himself with the rest that the

:48:22. > :48:34.benefits are very straight, as they pot, much more preferable.

:48:35. > :48:43.Is he straight again? He would like an angle and he's got a fraction of

:48:44. > :48:55.one, just enough to make the cue ball go down to the top cushion.

:48:56. > :48:59.Talking about the pockets and a full of the slates, these shots are made

:49:00. > :49:08.easier if you hit the ball at the correct speed. But they are not that

:49:09. > :49:19.big, he took that to the EC. He assumed it was going to go in, he

:49:20. > :49:37.just didn't fully concentrate. It is so unlike Mark Selby, he plays very

:49:38. > :49:48.few careless shots. Now, where will the cue ball finish? That will do

:49:49. > :49:54.nicely, he is on the pink. A very difficult table he is faced with,

:49:55. > :50:04.just checking that red to see if he dropped in behind that, if it was

:50:05. > :50:26.available. And that tells you that it is.

:50:27. > :50:32.He's hanging on here but I think if he's going to have any chance of

:50:33. > :50:39.winning this match, Chris got to win this frame. -- he's got to win this

:50:40. > :50:59.frame. One easy read and one potentially

:51:00. > :51:16.missable red, similar to anyone Selby missed.

:51:17. > :51:26.May be more of an angle when he wanted, he's got to kill the cue

:51:27. > :51:32.ball, get that many nicely. I think you'll be seeing Guodong apply more

:51:33. > :51:47.concentration to this red than Mark Selby did to his.

:51:48. > :51:54.He has left himself a bit straight on the black and he's going to have

:51:55. > :52:00.to get a bit of action on this with the reverse side, as you can see,

:52:01. > :52:08.straight, lots of side, so when the white spins off the cushion, it has

:52:09. > :52:19.a lot of power. He claimed that beautifully. That was a cracker! The

:52:20. > :52:20.natural angle would be the right to come back towards the pink and look

:52:21. > :52:48.where he got it too. Showing great character here is Xiao

:52:49. > :53:01.Guodong. The pink. Striking the ball nicely. This is the most critical

:53:02. > :53:17.shot, judging the pace off two cushions. A little bit wrong sided,

:53:18. > :53:28.so he will leave himself a bit more distance.

:53:29. > :53:45.Mark Selby just waiting to see the outcome of this next shot. Well

:53:46. > :53:51.played! Very well played. It doesn't matter about the black, he has

:53:52. > :54:01.pinched the frame off the defending champion, Mark Selby now leads by

:54:02. > :54:13.ten frames to Fife. HAZEL IRVINE: A little shake of the

:54:14. > :54:17.head and Selby did not get it, so 28-year-old Xiao has nicked the last

:54:18. > :54:21.ten frames and still a lot of work for the defending champion to do

:54:22. > :54:29.tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure that will leave a bitter taste but he is

:54:30. > :54:33.not going away. He has nicked two games with clearance. He has had

:54:34. > :54:38.some luck, which helps but that's not to take away from the way he has

:54:39. > :54:44.played and if it stands up to Mark Selby, it is very good. Best part of

:54:45. > :54:49.his game would be quad? He looks good on the balls he knows all the

:54:50. > :54:55.shots, maybe the hard matchplay is not as good, we discussed shot

:54:56. > :54:59.earlier, when he should have played safe, watching Mark Selby's body

:55:00. > :55:08.language, he was not happy. Did you suspect that to be the case as well?

:55:09. > :55:15.You are still tens, especially when it is first to 13. They're coming

:55:16. > :55:19.back tomorrow afternoon. This evening, we have a couple of seconds

:55:20. > :55:24.sessions and these have been really good this morning I really enjoyed

:55:25. > :55:28.Marco Fu against Neil Robertson, the world number nine against the world

:55:29. > :55:33.number eight, provisionally speaking up to six at the moment for Neil

:55:34. > :55:37.Robertson and Marco Fu up to number five for the man who won the

:55:38. > :55:41.Scottish open in December. Neil Robertson one earlier in the season,

:55:42. > :55:46.last summer, for his only major title for the season. Barry Hawkins

:55:47. > :55:53.5-3 on his birthday, against former champion, the man who won here in

:55:54. > :56:01.2006, Graeme Dott. Let's just sum up this match between Robertson and Fu.

:56:02. > :56:07.How did you see this one developing? What are the main factors in this

:56:08. > :56:13.matchup? It is hard to pick a winner and Neil Robertson will be

:56:14. > :56:17.disappointed to get back to 4-4 from 4-1 up, so obviously Marco Fu is on

:56:18. > :56:22.the front foot but it is going to be a good and interesting session

:56:23. > :56:25.tonight because it is like moving day in golf, getting yourself into a

:56:26. > :56:31.good position going into the third one, hoping to get a lead, to

:56:32. > :56:36.pressure on Robertson, I think. Why? He has been talked about and

:56:37. > :56:40.probably expectation coming from himself to win this Championship. I

:56:41. > :56:44.think he has worked very hard for it and I think obviously outsiders will

:56:45. > :56:50.see him as a strong favourite, although Marco Reus the rankings and

:56:51. > :57:00.probably justified as having a chance as well. It is hard to pick a

:57:01. > :57:04.winner. I think it is just a case of sitting back and watching and

:57:05. > :57:09.enjoying. We were talking earlier when you are doing the introductions

:57:10. > :57:15.about the superior firepower potentially Barry Hawkins and Hockey

:57:16. > :57:22.that could be. Graeme will be disappointed because he led 2-0 and

:57:23. > :57:25.the last two friends not quite as high in standard, and he's up

:57:26. > :57:28.against a good match player, Barry Hawkins does not have a good record

:57:29. > :57:32.because he cannot play, he has a good record because he is an

:57:33. > :57:37.excellent match player. Just get your head down. It is a rejuvenation

:57:38. > :57:43.for Graeme Dott and he seems really happy and motivated around the table

:57:44. > :57:47.at the moment. Yeah, he is working with Chris Henry, who I used to do

:57:48. > :57:57.some stuff with in my career, he is very much into the mind staff,

:57:58. > :57:59.technical as well but very much getting you positive as well, so

:58:00. > :58:01.that probably helped. Barry Hawkins's scoring power might be too

:58:02. > :58:08.much. We believe you on a positive. You have been sending us in your

:58:09. > :58:15.trick shots all afternoon. This is a beauty, well done, David! Last one

:58:16. > :58:20.goes to David. It's been an eventful day because none of these matches

:58:21. > :58:25.today were supposed to finish but at the Crucible, it always pays to

:58:26. > :58:30.expect the unexpected. We will be back at seven o'clock on BBC Two, as

:58:31. > :58:34.we resume with the evening session but in the meantime from all of us,

:58:35. > :58:59.we will catch you again soon, goodbye for now.

:59:00. > :59:00.It's time to clock in... Whoooa!

:59:01. > :59:06.If they did challenge me, then they're going to lose.