:00:33. > :00:41.You are welcome back to the Crucible in Sheffield. Day three of the bed
:00:42. > :00:47.Fred World Tour Championship. Live snooker all this Easter Monday on
:00:48. > :00:51.BBC Two and on the red button. This morning, two former world champions
:00:52. > :00:56.slugging it out for a place in the second round. Peter Ebdon, champion
:00:57. > :01:06.in 2002, and Stuart Bingham, who lifted the Crown two years ago.
:01:07. > :01:15.Food. Any sort of food. Hopefully someone like Tom Hardy. I fell off a
:01:16. > :01:21.roof and broke both of my arms at the same time when I was eight. It
:01:22. > :01:25.was annoying. I would say that was my best attribute. Can be bit lazy.
:01:26. > :01:34.I have always got an excuse not to get fit. I would say it was
:01:35. > :01:40.definitely told in the hall. I see Robbie Fowler is the key growing up.
:01:41. > :01:45.He was a little man and I went up to him and said, can I have a picture?
:01:46. > :01:49.I can pick up nine pretty easy button is a bit of a push. I have
:01:50. > :01:55.never done a skydive, I have never been skiing. I'm too scared of
:01:56. > :02:02.getting hurt. Why won the world amateurs in 1997 in the final, I was
:02:03. > :02:09.seven up and I ended up losing 11-10. That sticks out and I would
:02:10. > :02:16.love to go back to that. Cameron Diaz. My favourite for years. A bit
:02:17. > :02:28.of golf in the morning, a bit of snooker. Sunbathing. And a romantic
:02:29. > :02:33.meal with the misses. Stuart Bingham is a top man, on and off the table,
:02:34. > :02:38.and this was the moment where the match possibly changed. He was
:02:39. > :02:44.leading into the ninth when, incredibly, needing four snookers,
:02:45. > :02:52.Peter Ebdon won it on a respotted black. Bingham, on Twitter, later
:02:53. > :02:55.called himself a plonker for fouling, without even touching a
:02:56. > :03:02.black ball. Look at the seams from the 2002 world champion. Peter
:03:03. > :03:07.Ebdon, loving every moment. I just saw him in the practice room and I
:03:08. > :03:10.said, what did you say? He said, come on! Is bang up for this
:03:11. > :03:18.morning. We left at 5-4 yesterday afternoon. They first met in round
:03:19. > :03:26.two of the 2003 championship, where Peter Ebdon won that by five frames
:03:27. > :03:31.to two. That is the live match for you on BBC Two this Easter Monday.
:03:32. > :03:38.And then, over on the red button, if you want to follow this, potentially
:03:39. > :03:56.a cracking match. Ding Junhui, last year's runner-up, taking on Joe
:03:57. > :03:59.Wheeler. -- taking on Zhou Yuelong. Let's say hello to the man with the
:04:00. > :04:02.make. Ladies and gentlemen, we started three wood make very
:04:03. > :04:09.intriguing matches on this table. Two former champions of the world
:04:10. > :04:13.who could not because. On the other table, and all Chinese Derby for the
:04:14. > :04:21.first time in Crucible history. There is never a dull day at the bed
:04:22. > :04:36.Fred World Snooker Championship. -- Zhou Yuelong.
:04:37. > :04:42.Please welcome one of two teenagers making a debut at the Crucible this
:04:43. > :04:49.year. Quarterfinalist at last season, and Champion of champions,
:04:50. > :04:57.former World Cup winner. In China, because in the jumping dragon, Zhou
:04:58. > :05:17.Yuelong! -- in China, they call him the jumping dragon.
:05:18. > :05:22.And his opponent, a man who has clearly inspired a generation of
:05:23. > :05:29.players back home. A semifinalist here at the Crucible in 2011. A
:05:30. > :05:32.fabulous run to the final last year. The reigning Shanghai Masters
:05:33. > :05:36.champion. After a decade of living in Sheffield, he is an adopted
:05:37. > :05:59.Yorkshireman. Enter the dragon, Ding Junhui way.
:06:00. > :06:08.And on table two, here comes a man who has a vast 24 Crucible
:06:09. > :06:14.appearances since that famous debut with the ponytail back in 92. Ten
:06:15. > :06:18.times he has at least reached the quarterfinals here. Champion in 2002
:06:19. > :06:22.in that last frame yesterday on the respotted black shows you he is as
:06:23. > :06:23.hungry as ever for success. Here comes the force, here comes Peter
:06:24. > :06:51.Ebdon! And finally, a man who also knows
:06:52. > :06:56.what it takes to lift the big one. He did so here two years ago. A
:06:57. > :06:59.fallow period followed his reign as world champion but this season he
:07:00. > :07:04.has proven that he is right back to his best. Three big finals and the
:07:05. > :07:07.wonderful win at the Welsh. Ladies and gentlemen, he is back at the
:07:08. > :07:13.Crucible for an 11th campaign. You comes the ball run, Stuart Bingham!
:07:14. > :07:34.-- here comes the bullrun. STUDIO: No better way to spend your
:07:35. > :07:40.Easter bank holiday Monday than with us here on BBC Two. Bingham and
:07:41. > :07:46.Peter Abdennour live match here. And on the red button, Ding Junhui
:07:47. > :07:52.taking on Zhou Yuelong. Let's say good morning to our commentary team.
:07:53. > :08:01.Thank you, Jason. Good morning everybody. And, well, it is going to
:08:02. > :08:10.be an interesting second session of this match. Stuart Bingham led 3-0,
:08:11. > :08:16.5-2. Only one frame in front. In this very important final session.
:08:17. > :08:23.Probably someone in the press box, a cameraman. You wait all morning to
:08:24. > :08:43.get started... We were looking at the stats for the
:08:44. > :08:48.first session and Stuart has been making all the big breaks. Peter, as
:08:49. > :08:53.he always does, is hanging on in there. Proving what a magnificent
:08:54. > :08:58.match player he is. He has not made a break over 50 but he has few
:08:59. > :09:02.contributions of 40 or above. As you mentioned this morning, I was not
:09:03. > :09:08.aware, I did not see the first session. Four snookers in the last
:09:09. > :09:14.frame of the evening, and did not win one. That would have heard
:09:15. > :09:25.Bingham. Not a good start for Stewart, 20% one pot success. --
:09:26. > :09:41.long pot success. Hitting it a little too hard. A nice starter,
:09:42. > :09:45.first thing in the morning. A little tricky behind the yellow but
:09:46. > :10:00.important to get tight. Well played. I have to be honest, at
:10:01. > :10:03.the latter part of my career, I could not play that shot. I used to
:10:04. > :10:19.have the yips. It is like you are not trying to hit
:10:20. > :10:27.the yellow because the pace of the table...
:10:28. > :10:45.Just the right pace, a little bit harder. It was a bit. Safe enough.
:10:46. > :10:56.It is hard to say what is going on. He had frame advantage twice. At
:10:57. > :11:02.this stage, the seed really does feel the pressure and it can build.
:11:03. > :11:11.No points for the seed if they lose the first round. It is a big burden
:11:12. > :11:19.to carry. And of course Peter is match sharp. I think he won two
:11:20. > :11:22.matches 10-9 in the qualifiers. And he beat Michael Bolt in the last
:11:23. > :11:36.qualifying match, always a good victory. He has had a good season.
:11:37. > :11:52.Excellent safety shot from Stuart. The reds are spread. This tactical
:11:53. > :11:56.exchange, very important. The problem with Peter, who plays the
:11:57. > :12:00.one just below the pink there, and he will be pushing the red towards
:12:01. > :12:04.the corner. If he plays two Reg towards the black, he has the same
:12:05. > :12:09.problem. When you are right under the cushion, you cannot put the
:12:10. > :12:46.right amount of side on sometimes. And he is trying to get back to the
:12:47. > :13:07.baulk. Well played. A little flick on the
:13:08. > :13:30.green did not do him any harm. Excellent shot.
:13:31. > :13:39.The safety exchanges so far this morning have been excellent. Amazing
:13:40. > :13:42.how it does not appear to be so important these days, playing safe,
:13:43. > :13:46.because there are such great break-builders but you can certainly
:13:47. > :13:51.win a few frames with good safety. Absolutely. If you do not have a
:13:52. > :13:55.good safety game, you are not going to win many tournaments because they
:13:56. > :14:04.are what you will rely on, when your opponent makes mistakes. It is a
:14:05. > :14:12.very risky way to go about it. There is the average shot time. No
:14:13. > :14:22.surprise. Peter a bit longer than Stuart.
:14:23. > :14:33.Another excellent safety shot from Peter.
:14:34. > :14:41.When we celebrate the 40th anniversary, we have that lovely
:14:42. > :14:45.evening on Friday, and this was the first time we ever came to a
:14:46. > :14:50.tournament. I don't know few remember, but they used to start at
:14:51. > :14:58.10:30am rather than ten o'clock. It was the first time we ever played in
:14:59. > :15:01.a match that early in the morning. It is a new format and it has worked
:15:02. > :15:07.over the years, standing the test for time. I am delighted that it
:15:08. > :15:11.will be here for another ten years. Great news.
:15:12. > :15:19.And if you have never been to the Crucible Theatre, and you are lucky
:15:20. > :15:29.enough to get a ticket, the atmosphere there, it is a picture
:15:30. > :15:32.that says it all. A wonderful arena. I am a little concerned, I'm not
:15:33. > :15:34.saying that Stuart Bingham is not going to win, but he certainly
:15:35. > :15:39.second favourite in the city department. He needs to play a
:15:40. > :15:44.little bit more open than Peter would do. He does not want to get
:15:45. > :15:48.bogged down. He's very good at cueing, Stuart. And this is not the
:15:49. > :16:03.start he would have been looking for, without long safety shot.
:16:04. > :16:11.It shows you once again the advantage of getting close. He tried
:16:12. > :16:18.the two-cushion escape but it is difficult to get side on when the
:16:19. > :16:27.cue ball is so close. To get side on, he will have to dig down a
:16:28. > :16:33.little bit. Trying it again. He does not want to catch the red too thick.
:16:34. > :16:43.That is exactly what he has done. A good safety shot from Peter. Forcing
:16:44. > :16:56.an opening. The first safety battle has been won by Peter. There must be
:16:57. > :17:02.some sort of mark on the red and he does not want to get a kick.
:17:03. > :17:12.I remember one time Peter was getting the cue ball clean almost
:17:13. > :17:15.every other shot. But that does not help them. It breaks off your
:17:16. > :17:29.rhythm. After nearly nine minutes of play,
:17:30. > :17:38.the first ball has been parted. The safety play, that little bout of
:17:39. > :17:41.safety was absolutely top drawer. This is an excellent chance to find
:17:42. > :17:53.out whether they are going to score heavily this morning.
:17:54. > :18:06.His big problem at the moment is the pink is tied up. The black is not
:18:07. > :18:10.available. Ideally he would get that white to the left of the black. But
:18:11. > :18:14.obviously he is not quite right on this red. Leaving himself a nice
:18:15. > :18:26.angle on the blue. As I always say, if you're going to
:18:27. > :18:32.be wrong on the blue, or on the wrong side, be well on the wrong
:18:33. > :18:38.side. I think he's playing the blue into the far right corner here.
:18:39. > :18:42.Ideally he would like to play at to the middle pocket. And develop the
:18:43. > :18:47.pink or the black, but the problem is the green is of its spot. That
:18:48. > :18:53.gap is not as wide as it normally is. I wonder whether he will still
:18:54. > :19:00.play that? He is playing it to the far corner.
:19:01. > :19:10.Right in the heart of the pocket. Nicely on this red but with the
:19:11. > :19:12.black not available, he is going to have to go back down the table for
:19:13. > :19:46.the blue. A nice angle on the blue, just
:19:47. > :19:49.enough. As I say, that red, near the top cushion, if you could get on
:19:50. > :19:58.that at some time and clear the black, but it does not feel as
:19:59. > :20:03.though it is worth the risk just yet. It is OK playing for the blue
:20:04. > :20:04.and the colours but once you have used the blue, the task becomes a
:20:05. > :20:53.little bit more difficult. He is now looking at the blue. I
:20:54. > :20:56.suppose the advantage of playing the blue, if he parts it and cannons the
:20:57. > :21:13.pink, he could bring the pink interplay. -- if he pots it. Quite a
:21:14. > :21:25.bit of work to do with the cue ball. Is it that well. -- he has heard
:21:26. > :21:30.that well. Yes, that cluster of four, it will free the pink, and the
:21:31. > :21:35.fact that you can go for a blue or baulk colour, looking at that angle
:21:36. > :21:44.now, the only thing that could go wrong here is if he catches the
:21:45. > :21:53.second red slightly too quick. It is definitely the right shot. This will
:21:54. > :22:07.definitely free the bank. Well done. He took it nicely. He decided to
:22:08. > :22:11.play a little screw shot. Personally, I would have tried to go
:22:12. > :22:18.up for the blue but as it turns out, he is on the pink. Pressure, playing
:22:19. > :22:25.to the far right corner. An easier part to play to the right middle. --
:22:26. > :22:35.and easier pot. He's going for the top corner.
:22:36. > :23:13.Solid, solid. A frame-winning chance now.
:23:14. > :23:17.The side bar there tells you that when he gets to 67 points, snooker
:23:18. > :23:39.is required. We tell you everything! The next three reds and pinks are no
:23:40. > :23:45.problem at all. He has worked really hard for this break. OK, the breaks
:23:46. > :23:53.took seven minutes up until now, but they went on. He is having to pick
:23:54. > :24:08.them up on the blue. One excellent positional shot a few moments ago.
:24:09. > :24:20.As I said in the first session, trailing 3-0, 5-2. Picking up a few
:24:21. > :24:32.reds and colours, he could've squared the match. We have a game on
:24:33. > :24:38.here. Surely there is a bit of value here in potting this pink. Just to
:24:39. > :24:47.run through, cannon onto their bread. -- onto that red.
:24:48. > :24:58.He has decided to screw over and play for the open red. He needs red
:24:59. > :25:02.colour red now. I agree with you, John because it is not so easy to
:25:03. > :25:08.get onto the red from the black at that other stage. You cannot really
:25:09. > :25:12.get on until you drop behind it. It was a plain short, nothing to do
:25:13. > :25:18.with the cue ball. Of course, you could bring the other reds into
:25:19. > :25:28.play. After a red and a colour, he's still looking for one more red.
:25:29. > :25:34.And now you can see why John mentioned that now because it is not
:25:35. > :25:40.easy with the angle he had. You might have to screw on and off the
:25:41. > :25:44.side cushion. The three reds there, get in between the gap. That is
:25:45. > :25:47.difficult. He missed a trick there. I think you called it exactly right.
:25:48. > :26:05.Let's see what happens. He is looking at screwing the blue
:26:06. > :26:17.in and just missing the hit on the pink. Unless he is trying to drop
:26:18. > :26:23.behind the left-hand side cushion. But the frame is still alive. Yes,
:26:24. > :26:55.61 points to the lead. But 67 remaining.
:26:56. > :27:06.A half-hearted attempt at a pot. But a nice 61 point lead. A little shake
:27:07. > :27:16.of the head tells you, he is disappointed not to clinch it at
:27:17. > :27:22.that visit. Having lost the last frame from 70 points in front, let's
:27:23. > :27:33.see if he can return the continent by winning this frame from 61
:27:34. > :28:15.behind. A nice little second case. -- a nice little second kiss.
:28:16. > :28:20.Normally Stuart would be playing the red on the right-hand side cushion
:28:21. > :28:25.but he wants to bring the black into play for both pockets. Should he get
:28:26. > :28:29.a chance of putting a ball, he has a chance of winning the frame. On the
:28:30. > :28:42.right-hand side, the black is going to be still tied up.
:28:43. > :28:53.A little more room around the black now. That is a good shot, almost an
:28:54. > :28:57.excellent shot. And forcing beater to move the red away from the
:28:58. > :29:04.right-hand side cushion, the only red he can hit. -- and forcing
:29:05. > :29:08.Peter. He does not want to bring the red into the open but I do not see
:29:09. > :29:15.any other option. Even now he has a 61 point lead, if Stuart was to get
:29:16. > :29:26.the next opportunity, 61 points and quickly disappear. If he just played
:29:27. > :29:39.across the bolt, the red could maybe cannon the pink. Is he playing a
:29:40. > :29:47.deep screw pot? You better hope he does not draw too much. What a good
:29:48. > :29:57.shot that is. Look where the cue ball is. But I do say, he had to get
:29:58. > :30:04.in the jaws and he got enough in the jaws. -- but as you say. He thought,
:30:05. > :30:12.if I go for the pot and play the deep screw... But he was fortunate
:30:13. > :30:13.enough to leave the gap. But he is a law unto himself with some of the
:30:14. > :30:27.shots he plays. Fungus over Stuart trusting the
:30:28. > :30:31.table, and it didn't let him down. Couldn't risk going back to the
:30:32. > :30:34.baulk end, because remember Peter needs only one more red to get to
:30:35. > :31:34.the snooker is required stage. What's happened there? He obviously
:31:35. > :31:39.thought both reds were going to go into the baulk area. He did, but
:31:40. > :31:47.then he misjudged that the second red was going to kiss the black. He
:31:48. > :31:53.has left it on. What a chance now for Stuart Bingham.
:31:54. > :31:59.There's not a difficult ball on the table.
:32:00. > :32:07.I know it might sound a bit strange but, for me, Peter is now second
:32:08. > :32:14.favourite for this frame, all things being equal.
:32:15. > :32:21.Yes, the next two reds and two blacks are no problem, and then he
:32:22. > :32:32.has enough to go and play for the baulk colours.
:32:33. > :32:38.Peter Ebdon, as we know, can be so negative sometimes. Then all of a
:32:39. > :32:44.sudden he plays an aggressive safety shock, like on the last visit, and
:32:45. > :32:46.you think, what is that all about? Sometimes he is a law unto himself,
:32:47. > :33:06.and that is one he could regret. He wouldn't have slept well last
:33:07. > :33:12.night, Stuart Bingham, having lost that last frame last night, having
:33:13. > :33:22.needed four snookers against him. He could be returning the compliment
:33:23. > :33:27.here. Nicely on the red. 37 behind. A possible 43 left.
:33:28. > :33:35.A couple of reds, a couple of browns. I would not play for the
:33:36. > :33:40.green, because if it went back on its spot, it would make the red to
:33:41. > :33:55.the right of the brown a bit more inaccessible. Brown or blue here.
:33:56. > :34:10.That's not good. Should have been straighter.
:34:11. > :34:19.And of course, because he was worried about when the brown was
:34:20. > :34:23.re-spotted snookering himself, he overhit it.
:34:24. > :35:01.It was an excellent pot, he would have played it with a bit of
:35:02. > :35:04.disappointment after the poor brown... This is the last one that
:35:05. > :35:13.could go wrong. Good cueing on the yellow. Peter
:35:14. > :36:24.will be kicking himself. Well, could that be a big turning
:36:25. > :36:29.point? Came to the table 61 behind, clears up with 62, Peter Ebdon will
:36:30. > :36:34.be kicking himself. Looked as though he was going to be all square, he is
:36:35. > :36:44.two behind again. Stuart Bingham bleeding 6-4. -- leading 6-4.
:36:45. > :36:54.He thought the second red was missing the kiss on the black.
:36:55. > :37:00.Completely misjudged it. Both would have gone up the table if it hadn't
:37:01. > :37:08.kissed the black. But I still didn't see it was the right shot to play.
:37:09. > :37:15.61 in front, why take any risk? I would have played thin off the two
:37:16. > :37:19.reds. Peter is a law unto himself. He plays so many negative shops, and
:37:20. > :37:26.then all of a sudden, an aggressive shot when he is 61 in front. Maybe
:37:27. > :37:33.he thought it might not my oh the black safe. You can overthink
:37:34. > :37:39.sometimes. -- it might knock the black safe.
:37:40. > :37:45.Stuart would have been under that much pressure having lost the
:37:46. > :37:50.previous frame yesterday, that was a marvellous clearance, it really was.
:37:51. > :37:53.It was one of those when you come to the table that you can't believe you
:37:54. > :37:57.have got the opportunity. And you know, clearing up, how your opponent
:37:58. > :38:04.is going to be hurting, sitting in his chair.
:38:05. > :38:15.A very, very disappointed Peter Ebdon, going down for the break shot
:38:16. > :38:20.in frame 11. I wonder whether that. Him in his tracks of thinking so
:38:21. > :38:27.positive, as he would have been coming into this morning session. --
:38:28. > :38:41.that will stop him in his tracks of thinking so positive.
:38:42. > :38:50.Well, half a chance. But as we always say, if you are going to miss
:38:51. > :39:59.those, miss them too thin. We saw a start early on in the first
:40:00. > :40:04.frame of Stuart Bingham's long game, not what it should be. His long
:40:05. > :40:12.potting has been very poor in this match. This one, a long way away.
:40:13. > :40:30.Two in every 11 long pots. Not good enough at this standard.
:40:31. > :40:38.He's going to have to sit there now, and wonder what's going to happen.
:40:39. > :40:45.You feel certain Peter is going to play the cannon into the pink.
:40:46. > :40:56.Surely it's worth going into them here. Plenty of pace.
:40:57. > :41:03.Couldn't have played that much better.
:41:04. > :41:11.But he's only finished up on one red, to the right middle. A bit of
:41:12. > :41:16.work to do with the cue ball. Unless the pink is available into the
:41:17. > :41:22.opposite middle. I think it is, John, but can he play its low enough
:41:23. > :41:27.to get on that pink. The red just in front of us in that picture, he has
:41:28. > :41:31.to judge the pace... Looking at the angle to do that. He hasn't got any
:41:32. > :41:50.other shot to play, he's going to have to risk it.
:41:51. > :41:56.Is he OK? We will let you know in a moment. His body language tells us
:41:57. > :42:33.he is. Yes, and on a red to the corner.
:42:34. > :42:40.Doesn't have to do much with the cue ball to come out for the pink again
:42:41. > :42:44.into the middle. A decent chance. Made a 55 break in the first frame
:42:45. > :42:48.this morning, should have won it to be honest with you. Played a nothing
:42:49. > :43:04.shot near the end of the break. And it came up and bit him. Yes,
:43:05. > :43:08.funny, Ebdon makes 55 and loses the frame. In the last frame of the
:43:09. > :43:33.evening session, Stuart Bingham made 66 and lost the frame. Tough.
:43:34. > :43:48.There was a bit of movement there. The hand and the cue...
:43:49. > :43:59.Trying to steer it in. Commonly known in the trade as a twitch.
:44:00. > :44:05.That's as good a word as any. We've all been there.
:44:06. > :44:13.Straight away, trying to bend it over. I do that with my tee shots at
:44:14. > :44:19.golf. I lean one way and the ball goes the other. A horrible feeling.
:44:20. > :44:29.Luckily for Peter, he has left an easy red in the middle but he can't
:44:30. > :44:31.get close to the blue. We'll have to play blue or pink into the top
:44:32. > :44:48.corner pocket. Could be hampered. Could have played for the black into
:44:49. > :44:56.the corner, but that was far too risky. He is obviously considering
:44:57. > :44:57.taking on the blue to the middle. First thing, avoid the kiss on the
:44:58. > :45:07.green. Couldn't play it any better than
:45:08. > :45:34.that. Probably has to play for the red in
:45:35. > :45:48.the baulk area now. Wondering whether he will get the
:45:49. > :45:51.pink onto its own spot. There is room to get on the black, obviously
:45:52. > :46:05.he won't play it on this shot. As long as he gets a nice angle on
:46:06. > :46:10.the blue, he can move one of the reds covering up the black.
:46:11. > :46:23.Decided to play for the green instead.
:46:24. > :46:29.I'm not sure whether one of the reds below the pink spot will pot into
:46:30. > :46:39.the corner. They must. Might be able to get on the black
:46:40. > :46:45.after this shot. Six or seven inches, plenty of room to get on the
:46:46. > :46:51.black. Another excellent positional shot. Perfect on this red to be able
:46:52. > :47:02.to hold for the black, as Willie says.
:47:03. > :47:08.Once he parts the black, the red to the left of the one he is playing
:47:09. > :47:22.now will become available. So beginning to open up.
:47:23. > :47:26.Stuart, one of the game's great break-builders, very good around the
:47:27. > :47:38.black spot area. One of the few players to have made
:47:39. > :47:42.over 300 competitive centuries. He missed the kiss. He played to flick
:47:43. > :47:48.the red that was covering the black. And now he is faced with a very
:47:49. > :47:52.difficult shot. Needed to kiss it half-ball. Needed a bit more
:47:53. > :48:02.left-hand side. He still has a red. But the black is
:48:03. > :48:04.not available, so he will have to cue well to get back up for the
:48:05. > :48:19.blue. Looking at the plant. This is called
:48:20. > :48:28.taking the easy way out. Obviously not comfortable with the
:48:29. > :48:39.red in the open. Screwing back to the baulk end, the
:48:40. > :48:46.element of safety. What he got the plant. Not the best kiss on the
:48:47. > :48:48.blue. OK, he is on the pink, but still has a job getting on the next
:48:49. > :48:58.red. Slightly awkward cueing. The red
:48:59. > :49:13.near the side cushion. What did he said his favourite day
:49:14. > :49:14.was? A fry up, a game of golf and then going out in the evening? That
:49:15. > :49:23.is why he is having to use the rest. Mmm. Never looked comfortable there,
:49:24. > :49:41.to me. And that was a good chance. All went wrong when he missed the
:49:42. > :50:05.cannon from black to red. Played for the blue. Overscrewed
:50:06. > :50:52.slightly, so will have to play a baulk colour now.
:50:53. > :51:03.Always looks immaculate, Peter. You think he irons his own shirts?
:51:04. > :51:08.Probably the best dressed snooker player out there at the moment.
:51:09. > :51:15.Along with Mark Selby, another one who is always immaculate.
:51:16. > :51:22.He did well there to get the cannon. A little grimace, as you saw on his
:51:23. > :51:25.face, because he is hampered by this red. But that was an excellent
:51:26. > :51:35.cannon. A little unlucky. It's always difficult, particularly
:51:36. > :51:38.when the hampering ball is so close to the cue ball, because you are
:51:39. > :51:45.striking down and you have not got it in your eye line.
:51:46. > :51:57.You have to hit the centre of the cue ball so you don't swerve it.
:51:58. > :52:05.And he'll be annoyed. Not because he's missed the black so much, the
:52:06. > :52:17.fact that he finished hampered as he did.
:52:18. > :52:23.This game is all about fractions. If the cue ball is half an inch further
:52:24. > :52:28.to the right, the black would have been no problem. Yeah.
:52:29. > :52:43.He still has it to do, though, Stuart. Not a formality.
:52:44. > :53:19.Two reds, two blacks to get to the snookers required stage. That
:53:20. > :53:28.knocked three times! A little smile to the crowd. His
:53:29. > :53:32.heart must have skipped a beat there. I think it was four times,
:53:33. > :53:53.John. If they are tight to the cushion,
:53:54. > :53:56.you can get it clinging, but just off the cushion, they are very
:53:57. > :54:01.missable. Once it hit the top cushion, I don't
:54:02. > :54:12.know how it went in. But it did. An Peter Ebdon now needs
:54:13. > :54:25.a snooker. Stuart Bingham will be very mindful
:54:26. > :54:29.of making sure he pots this red after what happened last night, when
:54:30. > :54:34.Peter Ebdon got four snookers and won. No heroics, he will be trying
:54:35. > :54:38.to play it dead weight and make sure it goes in.
:54:39. > :54:47.Be prepared, Vista Bingham, you could be here for a while now. But
:54:48. > :54:55.barring snookers, Stuart Bingham will lead 7-4. -- Mr Bingham.
:54:56. > :55:07.This was easier than the red he just potted along the top cushion. No
:55:08. > :55:09.reason for Peter not to pot this last red. He is not looking for a
:55:10. > :55:25.free ball, so just drop it in. What has he played here? He played
:55:26. > :55:32.for the pink. I can't understand. The pink is in a good position for
:55:33. > :55:36.getting snookers, so leave it there. I would have thought so. Anyway, the
:55:37. > :55:43.bump of the middle pocket has left him on the blue. He can't play
:55:44. > :55:45.anything less than the blue. If he plays the green, he would need two
:55:46. > :56:01.snookers. He has missed the blue. And that's
:56:02. > :56:06.enough. He is absolutely disgusted with himself, as well he might. I
:56:07. > :56:10.don't know why he didn't play for the black. A shake of the head from
:56:11. > :56:16.Stuart. He can't believe his good fortune. He will be happy to be
:56:17. > :56:20.three in front again. Everybody gets ready for their matches and
:56:21. > :56:24.practices. In the practice room at the moment, we have former champion
:56:25. > :56:29.of the world John Higgins getting ready for his match this afternoon
:56:30. > :56:32.against Martin Gould. He has started the season as good as I have ever
:56:33. > :56:40.seen him play. Just gone off the boil slightly lately. I think as you
:56:41. > :56:45.get older, that level of consistency... But you never know.
:56:46. > :56:51.As you say, he started the season as good as he has ever played, so maybe
:56:52. > :56:55.that will drop in form will mean a peak for this tournament. Always a
:56:56. > :57:02.player to be reckoned with. He has been there and got the T-shirt four
:57:03. > :57:12.times. Absolutely. Martin Gould is an excellent player himself. The pin
:57:13. > :57:21.potter. What was your nickname? Mr Perfection. How on earth you got
:57:22. > :57:27.that name, John, I will never know. You know, Willie, it takes one to
:57:28. > :57:35.know one! Stuart Bingham, a little drink of water. Interesting reading
:57:36. > :57:46.the stats so far. Peter Ebdon's high break, only 55. Just one century by
:57:47. > :57:52.Stuart. The pot success, both 89%. But the long pot success from
:57:53. > :57:58.Stuart... 18%. He needs to improve on that. But he is 7-4 in front.
:57:59. > :58:09.Stuart Bingham gets frame 12 under way. To me, Willie, a few worrying
:58:10. > :58:13.signs there for Peter. The pink that he missed in the middle where he
:58:14. > :58:21.moved on the shot. And then the blue. He needed one snooker to tie,
:58:22. > :58:25.but he did not cue it very smooth. Once you start getting the movement,
:58:26. > :58:34.you are not going to be consistently striking the ball. That's attention
:58:35. > :58:39.of the first round. Obviously this is massive for Peter, trying to get
:58:40. > :58:43.back in the top 32 to make things easier than they are at the moment.
:58:44. > :58:48.But in the first frame this morning, when it looked as though he was
:58:49. > :58:52.going to level the match, a break of 55... Should have clinched the
:58:53. > :59:01.frame, didn't. That may still be playing on his mind. A good safety.
:59:02. > :59:03.But it is not the safety that's the problem, it's when he gets in, can
:59:04. > :59:11.he score enough? 55 at this level is not going to win
:59:12. > :59:22.you many matches. It means you need more than one
:59:23. > :59:27.chance per frame. And sometimes you don't even get one chance.
:59:28. > :59:50.That will help his long pot success. Already gone up 7%.
:59:51. > :59:58.No. Too thin. One of them, you just concentrate on the black and forget
:59:59. > :00:04.about the positional side. Not a lot you can do with the cue ball. If the
:00:05. > :00:08.black had gone in, he would have been perfect. Just overcut it. Now,
:00:09. > :00:17.what can Peter do with this opportunity?
:00:18. > :00:28.Thank goodness for the kiss. Would have been snookered.
:00:29. > :01:00.Peter started at 32, he is now up to 33. I am glad Ken is not in the
:01:01. > :01:06.commentary box! Ken Doherty. Tirty tree seconds per shot!
:01:07. > :01:11.There were spells through his career, Peter, when he played quick
:01:12. > :01:17.and he looked a better player, for me. Any player, because in practice
:01:18. > :01:19.you would not play at this pedestrian style. You like to get a
:01:20. > :01:35.nice rhythm going. When you are out there in the heat
:01:36. > :01:41.of battle, you tried to play to get over the nerves, to give you time to
:01:42. > :01:45.settle. A classic example of that, going back to all those years ago,
:01:46. > :01:53.was Terry Griffiths. As an amateur, he was never a slow player. When he
:01:54. > :01:56.won the world title in 1979, he thought that was the way to calm his
:01:57. > :02:07.nerves, by taking longer over his shots. That was a good shot from
:02:08. > :02:14.Peter. Especially if he is straight on this thread, which hears. Stun
:02:15. > :02:18.them or all the tin. Some people just play a little bit of top spin.
:02:19. > :02:25.It will be interesting to see what way he plays it. A stun run-through.
:02:26. > :02:33.Could've done with another two inches of pace. Two red strictly
:02:34. > :02:39.above the black, if he hits the join, he is bound to be on a red.
:02:40. > :02:53.Interesting to see how he plays this. It looks like he is playing
:02:54. > :03:00.that short, as suggested. He is bound to be on one. But sometimes
:03:01. > :03:04.you play a shot and it is impossible to get on the ball. That was one of
:03:05. > :03:32.those occasions. That is the problem with that short,
:03:33. > :03:41.he was on it and there were elements of trust and luck. The kiss on the
:03:42. > :03:50.blue did not help. Striking down like that, all the tension is put on
:03:51. > :04:01.potting the red. He did not have much position.
:04:02. > :04:09.Getting his extension out. He's going to play a pot here. If you are
:04:10. > :04:14.going to play a pot, you would think you would play the green. It is a
:04:15. > :04:29.bit of a stretch over all these reds. This is strange, isn't it. He
:04:30. > :04:30.must be playing the pot because if he is just playing safety, you would
:04:31. > :04:49.surely use the rest. Once again, movement. Worrying times
:04:50. > :04:54.for Peter here. He is addressing the cue but when he brings it back, it
:04:55. > :05:00.is almost a blur as he goes back to hit the ball. It is almost like he
:05:01. > :05:04.cannot let go and he is trying to force it through. Nothing smooth
:05:05. > :05:14.about it. We go back to the great patsy frame, and in the end he would
:05:15. > :05:18.almost be unable to hit the ball. That is what is happening for Peter.
:05:19. > :05:20.The nerves have got the better of them. And it gets worse as you get
:05:21. > :05:47.older. The red that is to make down from
:05:48. > :05:52.the pink, he can play Finn of that one. Make sure you kiss the brown on
:05:53. > :06:05.the way back, and it makes it very easy to play the next safety shot.
:06:06. > :06:11.He is looking at the potting angle. There is a gap in between the reds
:06:12. > :06:29.and the black, but goodness me, this is tough. And there is the gap. What
:06:30. > :06:34.a brilliant shot. Brilliant. He has always been the same, he is a
:06:35. > :06:42.shotmaker, Peter. But what he has got to prove to me now is that he
:06:43. > :06:46.can win frames in one visit. It is all right knocking long ones in and
:06:47. > :07:38.getting the opening, but you have to take advantage. But a terrific pot.
:07:39. > :07:44.There is a little bit he can do with the cue ball. He could play a little
:07:45. > :07:54.cannon to get on the pink in the middle. He could hold it as well,
:07:55. > :08:04.but he concentrate so hard on the ball, and that was another very
:08:05. > :08:08.anxious little jab, almost. I am afraid it is not looking good for
:08:09. > :08:14.Peter at the moment. He just cannot get that cue going smooth. And you
:08:15. > :08:20.need to. You need to start jabbing on the superfine cloth is, otherwise
:08:21. > :08:47.the cue ball does not go where you are aiming it, pure and simple.
:08:48. > :08:54.Not perfect here. The red to the left middle. He may have wanted the
:08:55. > :09:11.left corner, but to get position on the colour... He could avoid a kiss
:09:12. > :09:16.on the pink. I thought he was going to run into the pink there. From our
:09:17. > :09:20.commentary position, it looked to be a certainty. My commentator's eyes,
:09:21. > :09:35.on the wane. A delicate cannon on that red. That
:09:36. > :09:40.one little kiss makes all the difference. Brought three or four
:09:41. > :09:47.might reds into play. He would like to be straighter but you cannot do
:09:48. > :09:52.that. He either as to fall for it, and bring the pink into play or play
:09:53. > :10:01.to the right, and screw off the cushion into the reds. He has taken
:10:02. > :10:07.a choice, by the look of things. Don't get into the cue ball there
:10:08. > :10:09.because it is not a strange part. Or use the reds to swing onto the
:10:10. > :10:38.black. Very good. The fact that Peter has missed these
:10:39. > :10:46.opportunities will only be adding to the confidence of his opponent. He
:10:47. > :10:50.will see the weakness in Peter at the moment. He will be gaining in
:10:51. > :11:05.confidence. It is a funny thing, sometimes you
:11:06. > :11:08.are on your table and you can hear what is happening on the other side
:11:09. > :11:13.and you know that there is going to be a big round of applause, or a
:11:14. > :11:15.raw, and maybe that is what Stuart was waiting for, but he has made a
:11:16. > :11:31.miss of that. That is a very disappointed Stuart
:11:32. > :11:36.Bingham. Any other shot would have been certain to be on the corner,
:11:37. > :11:41.but he hit the ball dead is to the wide. He will be very disappointed
:11:42. > :11:45.that the frame-winning opportunity has gone astray. It is not a
:11:46. > :11:49.straightforward safety shot now. If he plays Finn off the one he is
:11:50. > :11:58.touching, just to tie up the second red and push them together... But he
:11:59. > :12:00.is not a happy chavvy. That was an excellent chance to win the frame at
:12:01. > :12:39.that visit. -- happy chappy. OK, he played the right shot. I
:12:40. > :12:49.wonder where he got his name from? I think you give it to him, didn't
:12:50. > :12:57.you? Peter, just adding to the torment he is suffering at the
:12:58. > :13:03.moment. He needs to brace himself for the shot. If he doesn't get this
:13:04. > :13:17.safe, he is going to for four frames behind. And this is it, when the
:13:18. > :13:20.ball was running like that. But if you are being philosophical, you
:13:21. > :13:25.would say, well, it is my own fault because I missed my chance when I
:13:26. > :13:32.was here. But you don't think like that. You don't think like that, you
:13:33. > :13:54.think, how can this happen? And you forget what has gone before.
:13:55. > :14:02.What you think of that? I like it but I would probably play off one
:14:03. > :14:12.less cushion and try to rest on the red. It looks good to me. I just
:14:13. > :14:16.like the lines. The reason I would not go off one and two, I think the
:14:17. > :14:25.yellow was in the way of the shot you are suggesting. You get in
:14:26. > :14:33.situations like this sometimes and you think, I will do it, but because
:14:34. > :14:37.he is so close to the brown, the hit and hope is not on. The
:14:38. > :14:47.three-cushion escape, or the four-cushion escape, threes and
:14:48. > :14:53.fours, I don't know. And those two reds on the right-hand side of the
:14:54. > :15:02.table, that could certainly be made into a plant. It could be a W1A.
:15:03. > :15:09.What has he decided? -- it could be a double whammy. If he plays to the
:15:10. > :15:21.left of the pink there, he would be unlikely to hit it. That is the only
:15:22. > :15:34.one he can leave off. Very well done. He has got it safe. It was a
:15:35. > :16:34.controlled hit and hope. That is what I will say.
:16:35. > :16:46.A bit short of pace with that safety. A long, straight red.
:16:47. > :16:52.Fraught with danger, of course, if he misses it. We will leave him to
:16:53. > :17:21.make the decision. Has he decided to try to cut this
:17:22. > :17:40.one in? If it ever got anywhere near the
:17:41. > :17:44.pot, the way he had played it, it would have come into the two reds
:17:45. > :17:58.and the pink. But I think he has covered everything up. A wry smile
:17:59. > :18:03.from Stuart Bingham. You could see the red near the left corner,
:18:04. > :18:15.covered by the yellow. The problem Stuart has now, he got to cover that
:18:16. > :18:26.red. And that is why he went for the part. Not the best kiss on the blue,
:18:27. > :18:34.but a tremendous pot. More or less forced into it.
:18:35. > :18:41.But if he had kissed the blue full ball, it would have been nicely on
:18:42. > :18:51.the ground. Maybe he's thinking of the brown, with that red being
:18:52. > :19:01.adjacent to the left corner. That was a confident shot. A very
:19:02. > :19:10.confident shot. He deserved to win a frame after those last two parts. --
:19:11. > :19:18.pot capital mack. When you consider that he had not potted a long ball.
:19:19. > :19:19.It was two out of 12 at one stage. The first red was very, very good
:19:20. > :20:58.and the brown was excellent. Obviously this red, second down from
:20:59. > :21:03.the pink, is available. And that is just about perfect. The reason I say
:21:04. > :21:08.that, potting it, he will be able to bring the other red into play. A
:21:09. > :21:14.couple of reds and a couple of colours.
:21:15. > :21:30.Perfect on the blue. It looks like a formality now. Four frames in front.
:21:31. > :21:34.It just shows you the fine margins. Ebdon could've won the opening to
:21:35. > :21:44.make frames. But he has lost them. And there is another one he could
:21:45. > :21:48.have won. Fine margins. And of course, Peter had every chance of
:21:49. > :21:57.winning this first frame and making it five apiece. He made a 55 break.
:21:58. > :22:03.But Peter missed a trick in that frame. He should have won it. But he
:22:04. > :22:16.broke down at 55 and since then, he has looked very, very edgy. This
:22:17. > :22:20.frame is all over now. One more frame before the mid-session
:22:21. > :22:26.interval. It goes without saying that Peter needs it desperately now.
:22:27. > :22:34.I am not certain what he has got left in the locker. If you lose
:22:35. > :22:37.frames that you should have won, it gnaws away at your confidence. And
:22:38. > :22:55.your opponent just get stronger. It doesn't matter about the pink.
:22:56. > :23:02.And that is enough for Peter Ebdon. It looked at one time Square at 5-5
:23:03. > :23:14.but now he is four behind and Stuart Bingham leads 8-4.
:23:15. > :23:26.And this afternoon, a former champion from 2005, Shaun Murphy. He
:23:27. > :23:38.is 6-3 up against the 17-year-old Chinese sensation, Yan Bingtao. He
:23:39. > :23:46.will be taking nothing for granted. Certainly a contender, Shaun Murphy,
:23:47. > :23:50.as he is in every tournament. We have discussed on a number of
:23:51. > :23:55.occasions am I cannot see a winner this year. I do not know who is
:23:56. > :24:00.going to win. It is a tough one. Funnily enough, I have said it for
:24:01. > :24:02.the last few years, I think it is the most open World Championships
:24:03. > :24:07.but I think we're going to get that now because there are so many heavy
:24:08. > :24:11.scorers in the game. And if you are a heavy scorer, then you can win
:24:12. > :24:15.matches and you can beat anyone and Shaun Murphy comes into that
:24:16. > :24:22.category. The thing that worries me about people like Shaun and Judd
:24:23. > :24:25.Trump, they do not win enough scrappy frames. Exactly. They rely
:24:26. > :24:32.on their heavy scoring rather than having an all-round game. Back in
:24:33. > :24:36.the arena, Stuart Bingham will probably be very comfortable because
:24:37. > :24:39.he would've looked at this match, and we were talking about the seeds
:24:40. > :24:43.being under pressure. He does not have the best record against Peter,
:24:44. > :24:51.so he would have been looking at this as a bit of a banana skin. I
:24:52. > :24:55.would rather play Peter than Michael Holt, but he battled so well in the
:24:56. > :24:58.three qualifying games and he has been well in this match until now.
:24:59. > :25:00.As you rightly say, I'm not sure whether they can get back into it
:25:01. > :25:15.from this position. Peter Ebdon, a must win frame, as
:25:16. > :25:22.they all are. To go 9-4 behind, it is very unlikely he would win. At
:25:23. > :26:08.8-5, there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
:26:09. > :26:17.It would not surprise you if Peter played the pot on this red. He took
:26:18. > :26:22.it down to the top cushion. But he's put Stuart under no pressure there
:26:23. > :26:38.to play safety. Close to the red, the hand on the table. He asked for
:26:39. > :26:43.that. He has been fortunate that the red has been pushed over the corner
:26:44. > :26:47.but it is so hard to get behind. All your eggs in one basket, isn't it?
:26:48. > :26:59.It will be interesting to see how the cues this, keep his head still
:27:00. > :27:08.and push the cue through straight. It is like he's trying to them in.
:27:09. > :27:13.-- trying to swerve them in. Alex Higgins used to move a lot on his
:27:14. > :27:17.shorts. Look at his body language. All of a sudden he's leaning, hoping
:27:18. > :27:22.that it is going to go when rather than expecting it is going in. And
:27:23. > :27:26.that is not a smile, that is a grimace. Because the preparation for
:27:27. > :27:31.the shot is fine, but when it comes to the actual hitting the ball, as
:27:32. > :27:43.you said earlier, he is just not getting through it. And of course
:27:44. > :27:50.Stuart will pick up on that. What he's got to do is stay focused.
:27:51. > :27:56.I'm sure he feels at the moment that there is no way he can lose this
:27:57. > :28:36.match, and I think the only one who could beat him would be himself.
:28:37. > :28:39.His target will be the green fee is playing the reds to the left of the
:28:40. > :28:49.pink. Plenty of room to swing this round.
:28:50. > :29:24.Three cushions, get behind the green. Just a little bit thin.
:29:25. > :29:32.That was a good pot with a nice kiss on the green. Noticeable there that
:29:33. > :29:36.he pushed the cue through and stayed still, because he knew he had hit it
:29:37. > :29:40.right. When he knows he has not hit it right, that is when the body
:29:41. > :29:47.movement comes into it. But he played that one well. Now Peter
:29:48. > :29:50.needs to step up to the play it and keep his cue action smooth. -- step
:29:51. > :30:04.up to the play it. He would've liked to have been
:30:05. > :30:23.closer to the red. The closer you are, the easier the pot.
:30:24. > :30:42.Yes, he would love to get onto the red to the right of the black spot,
:30:43. > :30:48.and in such a way that he can get the black on its own spot.
:30:49. > :30:56.Because Peter is playing with lack of confidence at the moment, he may
:30:57. > :31:00.decide to play into the pink. He is just not cueing nicely enough to
:31:01. > :31:06.guarantee perfect position. Well, he has played for the loose red and he
:31:07. > :31:09.has got a good angle. Not sure whether the black passes the red
:31:10. > :31:19.nearest the pocket. Clearly not. Could have done with
:31:20. > :31:27.two or three inches of pace. We'll have to play for the blue again.
:31:28. > :31:41.Even that was very jabby. Just no confidence at the moment. Very quick
:31:42. > :31:42.with the final delivery. A bit of body movement. He is almost willing
:31:43. > :31:52.them in. But we know what great strength of
:31:53. > :31:54.character this man has got. Has seen adversity loads of times in his
:31:55. > :32:05.career and has come out fighting. Now, will he risk playing for the
:32:06. > :32:09.black? I would suggest no reason not to play for the black here. If he
:32:10. > :32:15.has any thoughts of winning the frame at this visit. And he's going
:32:16. > :32:19.to need good strength of character, because a few shots he has played in
:32:20. > :32:22.the last few frames would have knocked anybody's confidence. Has to
:32:23. > :33:22.did in now. -- dig in now. Doesn't have the angle to go into
:33:23. > :33:27.the bunch. Not a particularly good shot, to finish straight on the
:33:28. > :33:29.black. Could have rolled it in rather than coming on and off the
:33:30. > :33:32.cushion. We'll have to play for the red on
:33:33. > :33:59.the cushion now. Didn't really want to play for the
:34:00. > :34:05.red along the top cushion, but didn't have an alternative.
:34:06. > :34:43.But did enough for the pocket to take it.
:34:44. > :34:50.And that's what you get with that sort of dipping action at pace that
:34:51. > :34:57.Peter is playing. You can bet your life the cue ball was bouncing when
:34:58. > :35:00.it hit the black, which was then bouncing and that's why it
:35:01. > :35:05.eventually it bounced off the table. Nothing smooth about it. In
:35:06. > :35:15.fairness, the black wouldn't have gone in any way.
:35:16. > :35:27.Amazing. When everything is going right, all of a sudden he has a gap
:35:28. > :35:29.through the reds... When you go bad, you finished Chinese on that kind of
:35:30. > :35:53.shot. I know. It was a thin cut. He knew it was
:35:54. > :35:57.going to run into the black, but to finish like that, developing the
:35:58. > :36:03.black, opening up the reds, what a bonus.
:36:04. > :36:23.He will be disappointed there to have missed that, Stuart. It might
:36:24. > :36:27.seem an odd thing to say, but I think Stuart... You never take
:36:28. > :36:31.anything for granted, but he will be thinking he has won this match.
:36:32. > :36:36.Really what he wants to do now is finish on a high to take into the
:36:37. > :36:39.second round. You want to go in thinking, I'm really playing well
:36:40. > :36:45.now. Gives you confidence for your next match. Missing shots like that
:36:46. > :36:46.and winning the match scrapper Lee will not be doing a great deal for
:36:47. > :36:58.his confidence. -- scrapper Lee. He will spend an awful long time
:36:59. > :37:19.practising his long pots. Maybe that could be the turning
:37:20. > :37:27.point to get Peter's confidence going.
:37:28. > :37:40.You never know what can turn. A frame or a match.
:37:41. > :37:50.And when we talk about Peter, a lot of movement, not getting the cue
:37:51. > :37:59.through smoothly, he will be aware of that. So every time he will be
:38:00. > :38:04.thinking, bring it back, deliver it smooth, don't move, push the cue
:38:05. > :38:06.through straight. If eventually he gets it together, he could reel off
:38:07. > :38:15.a couple of frames. It certainly helps if your opponent
:38:16. > :38:20.misses opportunities that Stuart has just missed.
:38:21. > :38:30.Yes, this was the one you would expect Stuart apart quite easily.
:38:31. > :38:32.Just caught the near jaw. The middle pockets are playing quite tough, but
:38:33. > :38:43.the corners are not. You have to keep still on those. A
:38:44. > :39:12.bit of body movement but it went in nicely.
:39:13. > :39:19.Just watch his arm, just willing them in sometimes.
:39:20. > :39:25.It's always been a mind game this, John, hasn't it? It's between the
:39:26. > :39:35.ears, no doubt about that. Uncertain if you saw Peter in
:39:36. > :39:39.practice, he would be cueing as straight and smooth as anything. --
:39:40. > :39:45.I am certain if you saw Peter in practice.
:39:46. > :39:53.He has a chance here. Just got the black in the wrong side of the
:39:54. > :40:05.pocket, but still on the red second down from the pink.
:40:06. > :40:39.52 the lead. Just needs this red to go 53 ahead with 51 remaining.
:40:40. > :40:59.Just checking to see if the red pots, but if it doesn't he can play
:41:00. > :41:02.the cannon on the pink. I assume this road red goes past the
:41:03. > :41:50.pink. Just one snooker needed. Even if he
:41:51. > :42:00.plays the pink. Thought this would make it easier to
:42:01. > :42:16.get on one of the two awkward reds. But he didn't get nicely on the
:42:17. > :42:25.pink, so I think he will play the double here.
:42:26. > :42:40.46 behind, 43 remaining. Worth carrying on.
:42:41. > :42:53.I wonder if Peter will play the cross double?
:42:54. > :43:16.If Stuart can cue past the yellow, he can just about pot the red. Bound
:43:17. > :43:27.to be on the black. One snooker... Not the tallest order.
:43:28. > :43:32.38 behind... He's going to snooker himself.
:43:33. > :43:49.I can only presume he was trying to get on the red to parka it, and then
:43:50. > :44:00.the black, to get the snooker on the yellow. -- to pot it.
:44:01. > :44:27.A good hit, got it safe. Still has a slim chance in this frame.
:44:28. > :44:52.Stuart will be pretty pleased with that session, but he still has it
:44:53. > :45:02.all to do. STUDIO: Peter Ebdon still very much
:45:03. > :45:07.in this, two more frames for Stuart Bingham and he will be through to
:45:08. > :45:11.the second round. Meanwhile on the other table, a fascinating all
:45:12. > :45:15.Chinese affair. Ding Junhui who of course reached the final last year,
:45:16. > :45:22.losing to mark Selby, taking on Zhou Yuelong. We will join it in the
:45:23. > :45:23.third frame. Ding 27 in front. Commentary from Dennis Taylor and
:45:24. > :45:42.Stephen Hendry. Five reds up there now, and there
:45:43. > :45:46.might be another one heading in that direction after the next jot. Or
:45:47. > :45:51.does the red go in the middle pocket? He would be on the black.
:45:52. > :46:10.Good cueing, and it's the first chance he's really had. He's been
:46:11. > :46:14.kept off the table. It's a bit of an awkward table, but at least he is in
:46:15. > :47:14.the balls. It's worked out reasonably well. The
:47:15. > :47:22.only problem is he has to head up towards the yellow and brown.
:47:23. > :47:34.As Stephen mentioned at the start of the match, as long as you don't miss
:47:35. > :47:36.any easy balls, you give yourself a chance. He has missed a sitter
:47:37. > :47:57.there. Just can't afford to do that. He has hit this too thin. With a
:47:58. > :48:04.consequence the white has travelled a lot further than he intended.
:48:05. > :49:19.Just needs to make 40 or 50, Zhou Yuelong. To really settle into this
:49:20. > :49:38.match. Too far for the pink to the left
:49:39. > :49:44.middle. He is seven out of seven with long pots so far, so if he is
:49:45. > :49:54.not on the pink, he could fancy the yellow, possibly even black.
:49:55. > :49:59.Could play the yellow plain-ball for the red next to the brown into the
:50:00. > :50:29.same pocket. As long as he's not being put under
:50:30. > :50:31.any pressure by his opponent, those long pots are going to be very
:50:32. > :51:24.comfortable for Ding Junhui. 100% success rate, no that's just
:51:25. > :52:01.the long pots. All looking very comfortable for
:52:02. > :52:11.Ding Junhui this morning so far. First to 10 goes through to the last
:52:12. > :52:36.16. Just a safety shot. But barring a
:52:37. > :52:42.snooker, Ding Junhui is going into a 3-0 lead.
:52:43. > :52:46.STUDIO: He did take the next frame. Not going well for Zhou, making his
:52:47. > :52:49.Crucible debut at Sheffield this year. Let's show you what happened
:52:50. > :53:05.in the next. Zhou to play, no score. Just cued across it slightly. It's
:53:06. > :53:10.such a precise game and when you are under a bit of pressure, or a lot of
:53:11. > :53:18.pressure, the margins are very, very fine. You could see that wasn't a
:53:19. > :53:21.smooth delivery of the cue at all. With each frame that goes by without
:53:22. > :53:26.him winning one, the pressure gets more and more.
:53:27. > :53:32.Meanwhile, Ding Junhui is having a lovely time. He's very relaxed.
:53:33. > :53:40.Being put under no pressure whatsoever.
:53:41. > :53:52.And he played that beautifully. Didn't screw into the pack, stunned
:53:53. > :53:58.into the pack, and has opened up the reds beautifully.
:53:59. > :54:11.The only thing lacking this morning from Ding is winning a frame in one
:54:12. > :54:21.scoring visit. A century break. Even 70 or 80. He has had a couple of
:54:22. > :54:25.50s, a 60. Hasn't won a frame in one scoring visit. A good chance here,
:54:26. > :54:55.the reds are very well placed. A choice of reds to play for. One to
:54:56. > :55:06.left corner, one to left middle. It's going to be the one to left
:55:07. > :55:50.middle. The way the reds are sets now,
:55:51. > :55:56.depending how confident Ding is feeling, I would be shocked if he
:55:57. > :55:57.doesn't make a century break. It could only be a lapse in
:55:58. > :56:12.concentration that will stop it. ?10,000 for the highest break in
:56:13. > :56:20.this year's BetFred World Championship, but just 5000 on offer
:56:21. > :56:23.for a maximum. Pathetic. I think I mentioned yesterday, back in the
:56:24. > :56:32.90s, you made a maximum here and you got a motorcar worth ?180,000, and
:56:33. > :56:36.you are still driving it, Stephen. It just astounds me that there is
:56:37. > :56:40.not a major prize for a maximum. It's the most exciting thing that
:56:41. > :56:51.can happen on a snooker table. How can the maximum prize be less than
:56:52. > :56:59.the high break prize? You telle-- you tell em, Stephen.
:57:00. > :57:07.I might not commentate on that for a while, Dennis. I'm trying to get
:57:08. > :57:43.over that stat you just told me. Another clever little break-building
:57:44. > :57:50.shot there. Looks simple enough, but he plays them at the right pace.
:57:51. > :57:58.Most professional smoke players know that shot but sometimes they hit it
:57:59. > :57:59.too hard. -- snooker players. Every shot is hit precisely when he is in
:58:00. > :58:35.among the balls. Just about... Looked like he was
:58:36. > :58:41.going to nestle on the red, but fine.
:58:42. > :58:47.Mid-session interval coming up after this frame. I think Zhou Yuelong
:58:48. > :58:53.will have to head to the practice table, because he hasn't had much of
:58:54. > :58:57.a chance. Has just missed one or two... In fact I can only think of
:58:58. > :59:02.one easy shot that he missed. Hasn't had much to go at. Because Ding
:59:03. > :59:12.Junhui looks very comfortable out there this morning.
:59:13. > :59:20.Having to work a little bit now to try and make the century break.
:59:21. > :59:25.If the pink goes in, he will make it.
:59:26. > :59:50.We have had 12 centuries so far. Today, three.
:59:51. > :59:59.I think Ronnie has the highest, with 124. That would be superseded if he
:00:00. > :00:04.can clear them up. I think the record will be broken this year,
:00:05. > :00:07.centuries at the Crucible. From what I've seen so far, the pockets are
:00:08. > :00:10.not playing too difficult. You got the feeling it was
:00:11. > :00:33.inevitable. 441 in his illustrious career. 24
:00:34. > :00:38.this season. A nice way to head to the mid-session interval.
:00:39. > :01:52.What a break. You cannot play much better than that. He has finished
:01:53. > :01:59.this session with a century break. He leads 4-0. He looks in the
:02:00. > :02:05.groove. Marvellous from Ding Junhui. The highest century break so far at
:02:06. > :02:10.the Crucible, 136. Then Ronnie O'Sullivan with 124 and 122. Let's
:02:11. > :02:14.hope for more of the same. If you want to carry on watching that
:02:15. > :02:19.match, it is available online on the BBC sport website and at. Remember,
:02:20. > :02:24.all the matches are at your fingertips. In the meantime, live on
:02:25. > :02:28.BBC Two, let's return to our featured match, live coverage
:02:29. > :02:32.continues here. Stuart Bingham, to more frame is needed to go through
:02:33. > :02:39.to the second round, taking on Peter Ebdon. He has a real battle to stay
:02:40. > :02:48.in this year's tournament. Let's rejoin Willie and John. Thank you,
:02:49. > :02:53.Jason and welcome back everybody. This match looks as though it is
:02:54. > :03:02.going the way of Stuart Bingham but you never know. Intervals can change
:03:03. > :03:08.things. But from what we've seen so far this morning, I think Peter
:03:09. > :03:13.Abdoun has got to raise his game and find his best form. And also, try
:03:14. > :03:19.and get that confidence, pushing the cue through without the body
:03:20. > :03:24.language she has been showing. Every time he stuns the ball, he seems to
:03:25. > :03:29.lean into it a little bit. But he is blessed with an unbelievable
:03:30. > :03:39.temperament. And a never say die attitude. He going to be just
:03:40. > :03:43.scraped off the table. Let's see what body movement that is on this
:03:44. > :04:49.one. Not too bad. He is very close when he does not move.
:04:50. > :04:58.He will need a result here to get away with it. The red is available
:04:59. > :05:02.in the yellow pocket, but he might hit a safety. The blue is off its
:05:03. > :05:07.spot. Maybe he needs to play it into the yellow pocket rather than the
:05:08. > :05:20.black. He has not looked at it yet. Absolutely dead straight. This is
:05:21. > :05:35.not straightforward, this one. Very good.
:05:36. > :05:51.That was an excellent shot. Could've done with a little bit more.
:05:52. > :05:56.Obviously, he has got the red to the right corner, an easy one. But
:05:57. > :06:09.potting it, he is going to run into the red near the top cushion. It is
:06:10. > :06:19.not certain where the will finish. He played a double-kiss. Could not
:06:20. > :06:33.have gone much worse. He tried the double-kiss, but it did not work out
:06:34. > :06:36.that time. And no name colour. -- and now, name a colour. You would
:06:37. > :06:43.usually say yellow in those circumstances. The easiest one to
:06:44. > :06:45.hit would possibly be the brown from here but amateurs always take the
:06:46. > :07:00.yellow, always. I can see it coming, it is going to
:07:01. > :07:12.be yellow. Looking at a three-cushion escape
:07:13. > :07:21.for the yellow, to the right-hand side. I think the red closest to the
:07:22. > :07:24.top cushion is coming down on the natural angle. Looking this way, he
:07:25. > :08:02.might say green. Foul and the miss. It is sliding off
:08:03. > :08:15.the cushion. Because that red was close to the top cushion, I think he
:08:16. > :08:21.is cutting that out. There is no problem playing the brown, which
:08:22. > :08:27.would be the easiest in this game. If he is playing the yellow again, I
:08:28. > :08:38.don't think it is on. But you get closer to the left pocket here...
:08:39. > :08:44.Foul and the miss. If only he could have nominated. We are all wise
:08:45. > :08:47.after the event. He has got to get very close to the middle pocket. It
:08:48. > :08:58.is not out of the realms of possibility. Because he's going to
:08:59. > :09:08.slide off the third cushion. Pink? Is going for the pink. Trying to
:09:09. > :09:21.repeat what he did before. Oh and this. -- foul and a miss. Why is he
:09:22. > :09:30.not playing the two cushions? This is where the miss rule comes in. I
:09:31. > :09:42.don't understand that. He's going to call miss. Foul and a miss. A free
:09:43. > :09:48.ball? I thought it was going to run past. He is not going to nominate a
:09:49. > :10:20.blue note, is he? He had the yellow this time. Foul
:10:21. > :10:30.and a miss. Now,... Settle down, please. Hard to guess which one he's
:10:31. > :10:31.going to pick now. Somebody tell him to play the brown off two cushions,
:10:32. > :11:21.please? Just making sure in playing this
:11:22. > :11:24.safety shot he is not going to be pushing into the corners. He does
:11:25. > :11:27.not want to push it over the right-hand corner because this red
:11:28. > :11:35.will be cannoned into another red. And there it is. He did have a look
:11:36. > :11:36.at a possible plant. Did he come around to have a look? Difficult to
:11:37. > :12:12.say. Thank you to Willie and John for
:12:13. > :12:18.their time on BBC Two but you can continue watching this match on the
:12:19. > :12:24.red button. It red now for the live coverage. Peter Ebdon really needs
:12:25. > :12:28.this frame to stay in this tie. The other matches available on the BBC
:12:29. > :12:32.sport website and also on the app. We're back at 1pm with more live
:12:33. > :13:11.coverage. We will see you then. From all of us here, goodbye for now.
:13:12. > :13:14.Are you ready for some Car Share magic?