Monday, Final, Evening

:00:49. > :01:00.Programmes! Programmes! I'm sure we're all set to go. In the

:01:01. > :01:08.final now... Good luck, mate!

:01:09. > :01:15.Oh, wonderful! Great moments there. Steve Davis...

:01:16. > :01:20.He's achieving what nobody else has done before.

:01:21. > :01:33.Stephen Hendry, the youngest ever champion. He's beginning to annoy

:01:34. > :01:39.me! It's a magnificent seven times for

:01:40. > :01:45.Stephen Hendry in the '90s. Ronnie O'Sullivan becomes world champion.

:01:46. > :01:51.John Higgins takes his fourth world title.

:01:52. > :01:56.Mark Selby, for the second time lifts the world title.

:01:57. > :02:00.It is ten years ago I got to my first world final. It was John

:02:01. > :02:04.Higgins the opponent. And now again we are meeting again. Next year is

:02:05. > :02:10.the 20th anniversary of the first time I won it. I am pleased to be

:02:11. > :02:15.competing against the best players. Since a junior all I have wanted to

:02:16. > :02:19.do is be world champion. 10-20 years' time, people will look back

:02:20. > :02:23.and say, he was half decent. When I finish my career and look at what I

:02:24. > :02:31.have achieved, I would be a part of that.

:02:32. > :02:38.Good evening. Since 1977 the Crucible is bringing us moments of

:02:39. > :02:44.pure sporting theatre, all in pursuit of this. And it will do

:02:45. > :02:48.again tonight, in what is the 4th anniversary final in the Betfred

:02:49. > :02:52.World Championship. Amazingly, the same two players as featured in the

:02:53. > :02:55.30th anniversary final are here again. Mark Selby, snooker's main

:02:56. > :02:59.man. The world number one. The defending champion. The owner of

:03:00. > :03:04.this, plays John Higgins, one of the greats of the game. Looking to land

:03:05. > :03:09.yet another big blow and with it a fifth world title. So, sit back,

:03:10. > :03:25.relax and settle in with us, as we bring you up to speed.

:03:26. > :03:34.Day one didn't go well for the defending champion. Looking jaded

:03:35. > :03:42.from his epic semifinal he had to drag the final session out from

:03:43. > :03:49.some. He must have slept well. He'll want to get off to a flyer today.

:03:50. > :03:54.There's no-one more tenacious than John Higgins. He has won this thing

:03:55. > :03:58.four times. After the initial disappointment of losing the first

:03:59. > :04:02.three frames he would have regrouped. He knows if he can share

:04:03. > :04:07.the session this afternoon he's got a healthy advantage tonight.

:04:08. > :04:14.Just to start, the defending champion was looking for. He's now

:04:15. > :04:16.reduced to a race for two. The first two frames, he's had all

:04:17. > :04:27.the run of the ball. Mark Selby, looked to have the

:04:28. > :04:31.frame... John Higgins will be mightily relieved. It might settle

:04:32. > :04:37.him down now. He's two frames ahead again.

:04:38. > :04:42.So this is the big shot! What a tactical battle we had in these

:04:43. > :04:48.first four frames. 11-10 to John Higgins.

:04:49. > :04:55.Wants to develop this for a chance and go for it here. Great shot. Mark

:04:56. > :05:00.Selby draws level. It is 11-11. It has been a phenomenal

:05:01. > :05:07.performance. 10-4 down. Just all over the place.

:05:08. > :05:12.Gorgeous shot. It really was. Selby was absolutely superb. He goes into

:05:13. > :05:17.the lead now by 13-11. John Higgins came into the session

:05:18. > :05:22.with a three-frame buffer. The early at thetial exchanges did not go his

:05:23. > :05:26.way. It was not before Mark Selby was back on level terms. Mark forced

:05:27. > :05:31.the head with provisional play and won the session 6-1. Coming into

:05:32. > :05:37.tonight's session it's now John Higgins firmly on the ropes.

:05:38. > :05:45.What a night in prospect. Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for

:05:46. > :05:51.the four-time champion of the world, John Higgins.

:05:52. > :06:20.And his opponent, world number one, defending world champion, Mark

:06:21. > :06:50.Selby. 18 is the magic number. The

:06:51. > :06:55.defending champion, Mark Selby, has the momentum. Remember he trialled

:06:56. > :06:59.4-10 and has come charging back to win nine of the last ten frames. He

:07:00. > :07:05.leads by two. How often has this final session produced a twist in

:07:06. > :07:09.the tale? Might it do so again? Let's find out, shall we, in the

:07:10. > :07:18.company of John Virgo and Stephen Hendry. Good evening.

:07:19. > :07:28.JOHN VIRGO: THIS IS IT, 17 HARD DAYS. THIS IS IT. JOHN HIGGINS WAS

:07:29. > :07:32.ALWAYS IN FRONT. He's in front no more. Thank you,

:07:33. > :07:36.ladies and gentlemen. John Higgins to break.

:07:37. > :07:43.I think the big question is, Stephen, what has he got left?

:07:44. > :07:49.I think the first frame tonight is absolutely huge for John Higgins.

:07:50. > :07:55.He's taken such a battering over the last session. The end of last

:07:56. > :07:57.night's session. He loses his first frame, I worry for what he does have

:07:58. > :08:11.left. Yes, of course, the shoe's are on

:08:12. > :08:16.the other foot now. Mark Selby was playing catch up. There you see the

:08:17. > :08:20.pot success, which is the reason why he's two frames in front. John

:08:21. > :08:24.Higgins, you got the feeling when he was in front, kept looking over his

:08:25. > :08:26.shoulder. And maybe just thought, keep it tight and I'll scrape a few

:08:27. > :08:42.frames together. It wasn't to be. If anything now, John Higgins is the

:08:43. > :08:52.one that can just maybe relax a little bit. He knows he's got to

:08:53. > :08:59.play well. And to be more aggressive tonight.

:09:00. > :09:01.He got in with the thin contacts of the reds, making sure you weren't

:09:02. > :09:04.leaving anything, rather than forcing the issue. He's much better

:09:05. > :09:16.when he's an aggressive player. Looked at the pot. Decided it was

:09:17. > :09:28.too risky. This could be a good cue ball if it

:09:29. > :09:44.runs. If they kept playing this afternoon

:09:45. > :09:48.that probably would have gone on longer.

:09:49. > :09:52.He's had the break. He's had the chance to re-group.

:09:53. > :10:13.Keen to take this red on. May feel the only red he could leave

:10:14. > :10:16.is the one he's playing. But right in the heart of the

:10:17. > :10:30.pocket! The cue ball here got very close to

:10:31. > :10:39.the middle pocket, which is why he's not perfect on the blue.

:10:40. > :10:47.He'll have to play for the reds and the blacks. May play the cue ball to

:10:48. > :10:49.this cushion. Now he's gone into them it could go wrong. Took a bit

:10:50. > :11:17.of a risk there. And just about got the right side of

:11:18. > :11:22.the blue. Stephen said he'd love to get that

:11:23. > :11:28.red that seems to be occupying the black spot. Maybe it isn't. Maybe

:11:29. > :11:30.there's enough room. There's two reds on the left-hand side of the

:11:31. > :11:43.table easy to play on. That's what he's decided to do.

:11:44. > :11:45.Maybe there's room for the black and that red's not occupying the black

:11:46. > :11:54.spot P he'll take this opportunity. Just what he was looking for.

:11:55. > :12:11.The first chance. Exactly the opposite to what his

:12:12. > :12:20.opponent was looking for. 49 points from here. Getting to

:12:21. > :13:29.snookers required stage. That's the red he wanted rid of. It

:13:30. > :13:34.is hard to see where the next one's coming from. He looks to be pretty

:13:35. > :13:38.straight on this black. Just at first glance the only one I

:13:39. > :13:44.can see is the one on the outside of this cluster.

:13:45. > :13:50.It would go to the far left corner. He's not looked at that yet.

:13:51. > :13:53.He's looking to screw on and off the side cushion. But this could go

:13:54. > :14:03.wrong quite easily. Have to make contact on the two reds

:14:04. > :14:06.below the pink. Perfect!

:14:07. > :14:18.Still got work to do with the cue ball here, unless, as we watch that

:14:19. > :14:23.again... A little bit of left-hand side just to bring the cue ball out

:14:24. > :14:27.in the open. I don't know whether he can play a cannon on the black or

:14:28. > :14:31.run around the back of the black here.

:14:32. > :15:15.A straightforward pot and position, it doesn't look like.

:15:16. > :15:19.In the end, he didn't like it. And he won't like this, because he's on

:15:20. > :15:33.nothing. Wanted a much thicker cannon on the

:15:34. > :15:35.red after potting the red he was playing sent the cue ball back up

:15:36. > :16:02.the table. The referee said, "Declare the

:16:03. > :16:10.colour." He can get through to the yellow.

:16:11. > :16:24.35, but didn't make the most of that opportunity.

:16:25. > :16:27.Being 35 points behind, he's got to get the next chance. If Mark Selby

:16:28. > :16:32.gets it, surely it's frame over. Can he get this cue ball in behind

:16:33. > :16:43.the yellow? Needs to miss the brown. That's no

:16:44. > :17:24.good. Didn't expect him to miss that, the

:17:25. > :17:32.way he started. And the way he finished the afternoon session.

:17:33. > :17:38.But just obviously put a bit to the left-hand side because he hit it a

:17:39. > :17:46.little bit harder than he expected. Pushed the cue ball into the red.

:17:47. > :17:49.That's why he caught it too thick. He gives John Higgins an unexpected

:17:50. > :17:52.chance here. He's got to play well now, has John

:17:53. > :18:21.Higgins, there's no room for error. The only problem is he's straight or

:18:22. > :18:26.just off-straight the wrong side. I'm not certain where the next red

:18:27. > :18:30.comes from. Just over ran it by a couple of inches. There you see,

:18:31. > :18:37.just the wrong side of that blue line.

:18:38. > :18:42.Can't even follow through the cue ball and play the red. It's closest

:18:43. > :18:59.to the cushion because the yellow's in the way.

:19:00. > :19:09.I said he needs to be aggressive and if he's taking the pink on, that's

:19:10. > :19:10.exactly what this is. Well, he won't play any more bigger pressure shots

:19:11. > :19:26.than this. Absolutely brilliant! That's what he

:19:27. > :19:31.needs to do tonight, John Higgins, for me. He needs to take the game to

:19:32. > :19:35.Mark Selby. What a brave choice that was! So

:19:36. > :19:38.difficult. Right in the heart of the pocket.

:19:39. > :20:07.Deserves everything he gets now. Under the circumstances, this is one

:20:08. > :20:12.of the pots of the final, if not the tournament. I have seen some

:20:13. > :20:18.fantastic shots played, but when you take into consideration what's at

:20:19. > :20:22.stake, if he missed that, he would have been three frames behind.

:20:23. > :20:45.The red off the cushion. I think the black goes. He's on the black.

:20:46. > :20:52.He's not going to be pleased with that. I'm surprised he stunned it,

:20:53. > :20:59.really. Looked to be better choice to have rolled it in. I think that

:21:00. > :21:03.was adrenaline possibly there. Just wanted to stun, just wanted the cue

:21:04. > :21:08.ball to come through an inch would have been fine.

:21:09. > :21:20.Just got into it too much. Purely adrenaline.

:21:21. > :21:30.Look at where the reds are as well. So disappointed John Higgins playing

:21:31. > :21:31.a safety shot now. Because of that disappointment frustration has

:21:32. > :22:02.played a very poor one. Mark Selby's long pot success was

:22:03. > :22:15.92%. So you make him favourite to knock this one in.

:22:16. > :22:24.Solid! Maybe the chance that John Higgins

:22:25. > :22:27.had to win the frame. -- of the win the frame has now

:22:28. > :22:36.gone. Not the cleanest of pots there, but

:22:37. > :22:54.it's in. Fortunate for that to go in, really.

:22:55. > :22:58.John, obviously that chance to win this frame, is that a chance to get

:22:59. > :23:15.back in the match gone with that chance?

:23:16. > :23:24.28 points ahead. 59 remaining. So, he'll need three of these remaining

:23:25. > :23:28.four reds. You have to be careful in potting

:23:29. > :23:34.this red that he doesn't run into the red near the top cushion. He's

:23:35. > :23:37.got to screw past that position on pink or black.

:23:38. > :23:46.With the extension on the cue. It is not beyond the realms of

:23:47. > :23:50.possibility he could make a mistake. Got to avoid the kiss on the second

:23:51. > :23:52.red. Can't reach it with the extension,

:23:53. > :24:19.got to use the rest. This black will put him 36 points in

:24:20. > :24:22.front. Another red and a black will get him to the snookers required

:24:23. > :24:33.stage. If it is followed by the plaque, it

:24:34. > :25:10.will go 44 points in front. It is an amazing comeback this, when

:25:11. > :25:18.you consider he trialled by 10-4. And now, he's going 14-11 in front.

:25:19. > :25:33.Last 11 frames, he's won ten of them.

:25:34. > :25:37.Potted a superb pink. Unfortunately couldn't capitalise on

:25:38. > :25:56.it. Mark Selby goes three frames clear.

:25:57. > :26:16.14-11. STUDIO: Hello, you are most welcome

:26:17. > :26:20.to be with us for this fantastic final evening. I know I asked you to

:26:21. > :26:27.settle in and relax and many of you have been doing just that. In fact

:26:28. > :26:32.Mrs D tweets us to say, snooker sal laid at the ready. I think you might

:26:33. > :26:36.be a bit hampered there. It was weak! Get it! I know that bread

:26:37. > :26:44.stick wouldn't last very long in our house. But for those who Justing

:26:45. > :26:47.joining us this story has been extraordinary. Yesterday it was John

:26:48. > :26:51.Higgins making all the running. He led and he was in total control. He

:26:52. > :26:54.missed a shot in the next frame. Since then Mark Selby has dragged

:26:55. > :26:57.something from somewhere that won the last three frames and has been

:26:58. > :27:02.fabulous today. It is fair to say he's getting a bit of help. John has

:27:03. > :27:06.not been at his best. And he made a very poor positional shot in the

:27:07. > :27:11.last one, didn't he? He looked amongst the balls. He put too much

:27:12. > :27:15.into that cue ball. He's ended up over the top of the pink. Safety

:27:16. > :27:20.shot was not great. Mark Selby locked in a fantastic red. Mark

:27:21. > :27:25.Selby is in the ascendancy. What a comeback this has been. Four more

:27:26. > :27:30.required for the defending champion, to join players who have won it

:27:31. > :27:31.back-to-back. He would, if this continues to be only the fourth in

:27:32. > :27:57.history to do it at the Crucible. JOHN VIRGO: A POSSIBLE pot here.

:27:58. > :28:03.If you're going to miss it, err on the side of hitting it too thin. But

:28:04. > :28:27.at the moment, he can't stop hitting the baulk colour with his safeties.

:28:28. > :28:34.Well he can certainly get through to pot this red.

:28:35. > :28:35.The only way he'd turn it down is if he didn't feel as though he could

:28:36. > :29:23.get position on the colour. He doesn't have the best angle on

:29:24. > :29:28.the black, though. The two reds above the black will go to the

:29:29. > :29:36.corner but you must really force the cue ball to get to that.

:29:37. > :29:51.No, didn't work out. As Stephen Hendry Leeds said, it was always

:29:52. > :29:54.going to be difficult because the cue ball hit the cushion and didn't

:29:55. > :30:09.have a lot of pace on it. Well, he's played better safety

:30:10. > :30:15.shots than that. John Higgins, playing an attacking safety here.

:30:16. > :30:17.Attacking safety means he won't put up the reds. A good target, the

:30:18. > :30:28.brown, to aim for. Decent line. A bit too pacey,

:30:29. > :31:18.though. Very good. Can't get through to this

:31:19. > :31:23.one to the corner. It's not an easy nestle to the main bunch because

:31:24. > :31:27.there are a couple of loose reds that you could leave on. You'd be

:31:28. > :31:39.fearful that you could leave them on.

:31:40. > :31:46.I mean, he thought about the two-cushion escape but if he doesn't

:31:47. > :31:54.get it right he could leave a red on. One cushion, he could leave one

:31:55. > :31:56.of the two reds just below the pink. Not a straightforward escape, by any

:31:57. > :32:15.means. Good hit but he's going to leave the

:32:16. > :32:16.red on. If it doesn't go to the right middle, it will certainly go

:32:17. > :33:08.to the far right corner. It was the pocket available.

:33:09. > :33:14.Considering that excellent shot, you'd be so wary when playing it

:33:15. > :33:21.that you might just hit the red and flick the pink. OK, not the right

:33:22. > :33:24.side of the blue but he's on the right hand side of the table and he

:33:25. > :33:43.can played that and get nicely on the black. Decent opportunity, this.

:33:44. > :33:57.I'm sure he'll play for the red below the pink. Not the most

:33:58. > :33:59.positive strike of the cue ball. He can play for the blue, pink or

:34:00. > :34:20.black, with this red. Not straightforward, this next

:34:21. > :34:26.positional shot. Everything's covering each other. To the right

:34:27. > :34:38.corner. Got to get into the cue ball here. He struck that very well.

:34:39. > :34:58.Plays these screw shots better than anybody in the game. Beautiful.

:34:59. > :35:09.He'd like to play that one again. Careless positional shot. He's that

:35:10. > :35:19.bad on the blue that he's looking at the yellow.

:35:20. > :35:46.Hmm. He can see what happens when you get across the ball.

:35:47. > :36:11.Come on, John, what have you got left?

:36:12. > :36:18.When you're playing catch up like this, you've got to play well and

:36:19. > :36:21.you need a bit of help from your opponent, particularly at this

:36:22. > :36:27.level. This was an unexpected chance.

:36:28. > :36:37.Perfect. Now, pot the black, you don't have to hit it too hard,

:36:38. > :36:46.cannon into the pack. You're still behind the red that the cue ball is

:36:47. > :36:57.closest to. He's opened the map -- opened them up. Now, can he temp WWE

:36:58. > :37:07.this red. If it's straightforward off the red,... He may have to go

:37:08. > :37:14.for the spider. Can he reach it? Just about.

:37:15. > :37:21.He once the angle on the black and he's got one. He is asking for the

:37:22. > :37:29.cue ball to be cleaned. Looks like a nice angle. The only slight problem

:37:30. > :37:56.is the yellow, it's just where he'd like to put his bridge hand.

:37:57. > :38:10.That's OK. Not too close to the right corner.

:38:11. > :38:33.Oh, no, no! These heavy contacts, when will they ever stop? I'm --

:38:34. > :38:43.unlucky. That's like he played a gunshot. That's horrific. -- a

:38:44. > :39:12.stunshot. This is when having a good match

:39:13. > :39:16.temperament comes into its own. I mean, it's hard enough for John to

:39:17. > :39:20.come into this match without that happening but he's got to try and

:39:21. > :39:41.put it out of his mind, try and stay positive, try and still believe.

:39:42. > :39:50.Controlling the object ball nicely there. John needs to reply with a

:39:51. > :40:09.good safety of his own now. He needs to miss the yellow. Needs

:40:10. > :40:47.to creep behind the yellow, and it has done. He deserves a bit of luck.

:40:48. > :41:05.Does it reach? Foul, and a miss. No hesitation, having the cue ball put

:41:06. > :41:09.back. It's hard to see Mark leaving the pot on here but when you finish

:41:10. > :41:14.short, there is a tendency to sometimes overcompensate. He doesn't

:41:15. > :41:27.want to hit the reds too firmly because he might knock one to the

:41:28. > :41:38.middle pocket. So, a bit of advice from Paul Collier, the scorer. OK,

:41:39. > :41:46.they're all happy. Attempt number two.

:41:47. > :42:23.Certainly hard enough this time. And a beautiful line. Good shot.

:42:24. > :43:10.Trying to get there by using side. It will hit the pink, if anything.

:43:11. > :43:19.Foul, and a miss. Free ball. Nothing to go at. These points, they all add

:43:20. > :43:29.up and can make the difference in a frame, whether you leave an awkward

:43:30. > :43:31.red at the cushion or not. John is desperately looking for a chance to

:43:32. > :43:38.score. Sliding past them, has he? If he

:43:39. > :43:59.does, he leaves the red. Only missing by a fraction. But

:44:00. > :44:33.that's what this game's all about. Well, he's still on the blue and he

:44:34. > :44:37.will play the blue. That pink just separated from the fire reds makes

:44:38. > :44:41.it a bit more difficult. If you're going to play the cannon, you've got

:44:42. > :44:48.to hit the pink full in the face to make it move the reds. Didn't catch

:44:49. > :44:55.it full in the face, needs a bit of luck and he's had some! He's had

:44:56. > :45:00.some! He's on a red. He deserves a bit of that after the horrendous

:45:01. > :45:06.kick early in the frame. OK, he didn't catch the pink at all full

:45:07. > :45:15.but he'll be delighted with the result, the pink and black still in

:45:16. > :45:22.the open. Surely he's going to get a frame on the board.

:45:23. > :45:37.He'll get such a boost if he can get this frame.

:45:38. > :45:46.31 ahead, 67 remaining. Three reds and three colours should do it. Just

:45:47. > :45:50.stop in his tracks. If he was straight on the red he would run

:45:51. > :46:01.through for the black but I don't think he wants to over complicate

:46:02. > :46:05.this. So deciding to play for the pink. The right hand of the three

:46:06. > :46:10.reds will definitely pot in the right corner, the same pocket as the

:46:11. > :46:29.pink. At bit concerned where the pink will be when it is re-spotted.

:46:30. > :46:48.A quick glance at the scoreboard. Red, colour, red required.

:46:49. > :46:56.Don't know if he's got the angle to drop behind the red to leave it to

:46:57. > :47:02.the right middle. Or is he going to try and take it off the cushion?

:47:03. > :47:13.He's playing the cannon. Oh, has he got a second cannon? Hmm. I think I

:47:14. > :47:18.might have been tempted to drop behind the red there. He took a

:47:19. > :47:24.gamble. Yeah, looking at the possibility of a plant on these two

:47:25. > :47:30.reds. He only needs a red. Is it worth the risk? He might consider it

:47:31. > :47:36.is with the red being tied to the right-hand cushion. He's eyeing up

:47:37. > :47:38.the plant. This red to go 46 points in front with 43 remaining. Here we

:47:39. > :47:50.go. It was tough but he thought it was

:47:51. > :48:06.worth the risk. Had it going in if he'd played it

:48:07. > :48:10.slower, is the place that kept it out. He chose to play it with an

:48:11. > :48:51.element of safety. I'd have dropped it dead weight.

:48:52. > :48:59.Hmm, close. Nevertheless, John Higgins will want to bring the red

:49:00. > :49:04.away from the left-hand side cushion. He just called the nearby

:49:05. > :49:12.and at-bat pace it's not going to go in. -- at that pace. The cue ball is

:49:13. > :49:21.going back to the Boult end so I think it's more or less risk-free --

:49:22. > :49:25.the baulk end. In the end he decided to play the safety. It's a bit

:49:26. > :49:40.pacey. Left the red. You wonder what John Higgins would

:49:41. > :49:52.have left to give if he lost this frame.

:49:53. > :50:00.He may have an angle on the blue, could be tempted to get the red off

:50:01. > :50:10.the side cushion with this blue. He's going to play the open red

:50:11. > :50:16.first. He's controlled this well. That's a really good positional

:50:17. > :50:24.shot. I say that, he maybe could have done with half an inch further.

:50:25. > :50:31.Yeah because you'd rather be potting the black into this pocket and then

:50:32. > :50:39.you'd have the last red in your eye line. But he has a nice angle on the

:50:40. > :50:49.black. He's going to try and nudge this to the pocket. This will take

:50:50. > :51:03.some judging. This will take some judging. Just too far. Just too far.

:51:04. > :51:10.Might be tempted, he is looking at the potting angle.

:51:11. > :51:17.Might be hoping if he takes on the pot and misses it, the pace he

:51:18. > :51:23.played it at, it may go along the middle of the baulk cushion and go

:51:24. > :51:34.safe. He's not taking it on. He's back in the frame. If we can somehow

:51:35. > :51:39.get a snooker here, he may become favourite. He's though, isn't he? It

:51:40. > :51:45.looks like a straightforward safety, playing the red twice across, but

:51:46. > :51:52.the culture of the modern-day game, you get a chance, try and win the

:51:53. > :51:59.frame. Coming up to the one-minute thinking time, safety or a pot? I

:52:00. > :52:13.think the pot, he's looking at the angle again. Red, colour, and the

:52:14. > :52:26.six remaining colours. He got so close. He's left it. It rattled the

:52:27. > :52:31.jaws and could have gone along the baulk cushion, but it didn't, and

:52:32. > :52:38.Higgins is 31 ahead with 35 remaining. Two snookers would be

:52:39. > :52:43.needed. It's been a long time coming, this frame. This epic

:52:44. > :52:52.comeback. Every mountain you have to climb begins with one step. Is this

:52:53. > :52:57.the first step? Yes, is this the injection of belief he wanted, the

:52:58. > :53:16.inspiration? He's not had much today.

:53:17. > :53:25.It hasn't gone in but it is the frame and at last, John Higgins has

:53:26. > :53:31.stopped the rot and has got a frame on the scoreboard. Still trails by

:53:32. > :53:37.three, sorry, by two. 14-12, the defending champion. STUDIO: The

:53:38. > :53:41.Higgins family with their hearts in a mouse but that is what John needed

:53:42. > :53:47.because he was struggling. A really good frame that he played but near

:53:48. > :53:53.the end, it's not often when you wonder about what shot Selby played.

:53:54. > :53:59.That last shot, all of his eggs in one basket and that isn't an easy

:54:00. > :54:06.pot and at-bat pace, he's guaranteed to stick it. You can't work out how

:54:07. > :54:09.it's going to wobble and be safe. He really gave John Higgins a bit of

:54:10. > :54:14.light at the end of the tunnel with that shot. When you have your

:54:15. > :54:18.opponent on the ropes, what you're advised to do is to make it hard for

:54:19. > :54:21.him to get back in the frame. The safety shot was easy. He could have

:54:22. > :54:26.played the more aggressive shot and played it harder, it may have come

:54:27. > :54:30.away from the pocket but I think that was giving John Higgins too

:54:31. > :54:35.much of a chance to get back in it. In it he is. Let's talk about John's

:54:36. > :54:39.longevity, this is his sixth final and it is 19 years after his first,

:54:40. > :54:44.a record at the Crucible. Only a couple of years ago, we were saying

:54:45. > :54:50.he was a journeyman professional but now he is the world number two and

:54:51. > :54:54.he is 41. It's remarkable, he beat me in 1998 when I was here! I've

:54:55. > :55:00.been on the end of a couple from him. It's a remarkable turnaround. I

:55:01. > :55:05.know that his long game was struggling and he was lacking

:55:06. > :55:09.confidence. His long game is still good and his competitive spirit is

:55:10. > :55:16.never doubted. His matchplay has always been top-class. Still in the

:55:17. > :55:24.final. COMMENTATOR: Well, the first time I've seen it in this final, the

:55:25. > :55:27.break-off shot has left a cut to the middle. Catching the end red too

:55:28. > :55:54.full. Yes, in it goes. If it stays short

:55:55. > :56:00.of the line, which it will. Disappointing when you break off and

:56:01. > :56:07.leave a red to the middle. Perfect angle to go into the bunch. Playing

:56:08. > :56:18.it with a lot of pace. I think he's OK. The one at the bottom of the

:56:19. > :56:23.bunch pots. He's done well because there wasn't much place in the cue

:56:24. > :56:32.ball, going into the bunch. -- there wasn't much pace in the cue ball.

:56:33. > :56:43.Interesting! Yes. And I think this red will go here,

:56:44. > :56:50.the only problem is, where does the colour come from? He's going to have

:56:51. > :57:03.to depart a lot of back spin on the cue ball to get it out of the reds.

:57:04. > :57:11.This was a surprisingly miss. Digging in, he's got to be accurate

:57:12. > :57:22.with so much pace. Got into it, got through the reds. Not good on the

:57:23. > :57:30.colour. On a good day he would have caught the pink and been planned for

:57:31. > :57:54.the left middle. -- been plumb for the left middle. Not today.

:57:55. > :58:04.Another inch or two roll and he would have been tied behind the

:58:05. > :58:14.yellow. The reds are spread. Could be telling for either player.

:58:15. > :58:23.Going back to the last frame, the red that Selby missed, along the

:58:24. > :58:26.cushion, possibly could have thrown Higgins a lifeline but sometimes it

:58:27. > :58:32.doesn't matter how difficult a shot is, you fancy it and I think that's

:58:33. > :58:39.the right way to think. He obviously fancied getting this. But it got so

:58:40. > :58:46.close that it was always going to stay there. Yeah and I think it was

:58:47. > :58:50.the type of shot, 14-11 in front, you'd play it, but if you were 14-11

:58:51. > :58:55.behind, you might have thought twice about it. We are all wise after the

:58:56. > :59:07.event. As you say, I think he fancied it and if it goes in, I win

:59:08. > :59:20.the frame. Does this red cut? It is thin. Couldn't be much thinner than

:59:21. > :59:22.that. Watching John's reaction, I don't think he thought this was

:59:23. > :59:50.pottable. HE WOULD LIKED TO HAVE BEEN STRAIGHT

:59:51. > :59:54.ON THIS red. He's got an angle. He can play for

:59:55. > :00:02.the left middle, you would have thought.

:00:03. > :01:01.And the reds are nice and spread. This is a good chance.

:01:02. > :01:07.Once again, taking his time, deciding which route to take.

:01:08. > :01:17.Looking a few shots ahead. Now I'll be interested to see where

:01:18. > :01:22.the pink is available. So is Mark. If it goes to the left

:01:23. > :01:26.corner. And it does.

:01:27. > :01:32.Quite clearly. Couldn't wish the ball to be in a

:01:33. > :01:35.better situation than this. And I must say, Stephen, when I looked at

:01:36. > :01:41.the table, when John played his safety, I didn't think that red was

:01:42. > :01:46.possible. When you saw how he played it, he played it with a ton the

:01:47. > :01:49.right-hand side. To be fair I don't think John thought it would be

:01:50. > :01:52.cuttable. Otherwise he would not have put the cue ball there, he

:01:53. > :01:56.would have put it near the yellow pocket. He would not have risked

:01:57. > :01:59.playing the snooker. I mine, again, if he misses that, he

:02:00. > :02:12.leads it over the pocket. It has been noticed, the difference

:02:13. > :02:17.in his attitude. Once he's got parity and went a few flames in

:02:18. > :02:20.front, he's been a -- frames in front, he's been more attacking.

:02:21. > :02:26.When he was attacking he was prepared to grienld it out, just to

:02:27. > :02:31.keep tabs with John and those three frames we have spoken about that

:02:32. > :02:48.reduced last night to three. Today, after those last three frames

:02:49. > :02:52.last night and today he's sniffed out weakness and he's pounced and

:02:53. > :03:05.he's never let go. That's what he does.

:03:06. > :03:17.He's going to play the run around off two cushions. Maybe one cushion.

:03:18. > :03:28.He's gone the two-cushion way. OK, he's on the red to the left middle.

:03:29. > :03:35.A blue or a baulk colour here. He thinks he can go for the pink.

:03:36. > :03:43.Quite comfortably. Thought he had more of an angle than that.

:03:44. > :04:19.Another 32 points to get from this point to the snookers required.

:04:20. > :04:24.Nicely on the pink. Possible plant here, but maybe a red is available

:04:25. > :04:39.to the same pocket as the pink. Three reds. Three high value colours

:04:40. > :05:16.- that's all that's needed. After John Higgins won that last

:05:17. > :05:21.frame, he needed to win this one to string a couple of frames together.

:05:22. > :05:40.It's not to be. It's starting to look ominous now,

:05:41. > :05:44.this final, I'm afraid. Mark Selby's doing what all the

:05:45. > :05:46.great champions do, he's getting stronger, the closer he gets to the

:05:47. > :05:55.winning line, not weaker. The applause tells you, we're at the

:05:56. > :06:05.snookers required stage. Now you see it now, 67 ahead. 59

:06:06. > :06:31.remaining. Apart from that one yellow, he's

:06:32. > :06:32.been down the business end, this is where you score your breaks. Played

:06:33. > :06:34.that well. Oh, well he missed it. He'll be a

:06:35. > :06:52.little disappointed. He didn't whip that one. Mark Selby

:06:53. > :07:10.goes three clear again. Now 15-12. He's just, John Higgins

:07:11. > :07:14.unfortunately, I mean that red that Mark potted there, as you say, I'm

:07:15. > :07:19.certain John didn't think it was on. Definitely didn't. He's trying to

:07:20. > :07:23.get the cue ball. Playing an aggressive safety. It's easy to put

:07:24. > :07:27.the cue ball on the baulk cushion. If he looked again he would have

:07:28. > :07:32.wanted to put knit the jaws of the pok -- put it in the jaws of the

:07:33. > :07:40.pocket. You look at it now, you don't think that red pots. But Mark

:07:41. > :07:47.Selby's been quite aggressive with his shot choice tonight.

:07:48. > :07:52.And he's played, on the right-hand side, so hard to judge. And of

:07:53. > :07:55.course potted it just crept this side of the baulk line and end of

:07:56. > :07:57.frame. REFEREE: Mark Selby to break.

:07:58. > :08:14.Quietly, please. So, mid-section interval after this.

:08:15. > :08:22.Every frame now you think is a must-win for John Higgins.

:08:23. > :08:28.We always say try and keep your opponent at a distance.

:08:29. > :08:31.Two or three frames from the winning line.

:08:32. > :08:38.It's getting closer and closer to the point of no return.

:08:39. > :09:27.A shout of, "Come on Mark." You need to be able to hit a red to come on.

:09:28. > :09:32.For someone of Mark Selby's knowledge of the angles that was a

:09:33. > :10:08.huge target. Did well to get back to the baulk

:10:09. > :10:12.end, but the cue ball not tight to the baulk cushion. I expect Mark to

:10:13. > :11:39.play a better safety shot than that. Wouldn't expect Mark Selby to miss

:11:40. > :11:41.it a second time around. I know he's got to catch it thin, but not that

:11:42. > :12:06.thin. He's caught it this time and where's

:12:07. > :12:11.that cue ball going to finish? Behind the green.

:12:12. > :12:20.My, he raised his hand there. He got the tinniest graze off the middle of

:12:21. > :12:29.the pocket there. Caught this too thin, really.

:12:30. > :12:49.That's the cue ball just there. Squares up the an angle.

:12:50. > :12:54.Well played. The other side of that, is that

:12:55. > :12:58.black at the moment, anything in the middle of the table is stopping it

:12:59. > :13:00.going in this corner pocket. But it's turned out very nicely for John

:13:01. > :13:26.there. Excellent pace with the cue BA

:13:27. > :13:47.That really is top quality safety shot.

:13:48. > :13:56.There's his view. You can see the red on the right-hand side, as he

:13:57. > :14:00.looks. There is possibly a path back to the ball again. But in playing

:14:01. > :14:02.it, he could knock a red over to the corner pocket. So needs a good cue

:14:03. > :14:14.ball here. Well, it could have been worse.

:14:15. > :14:27.He's not left anything easy. I did get the feeling that he hit

:14:28. > :15:16.that slightly too thick. If there was anything that would pot

:15:17. > :15:19.to the right corner, I don't think there is though - nothing he can

:15:20. > :15:27.see. Oh! Well, hand up.

:15:28. > :15:32.And apologise. I know he's a shot-maker, Mark

:15:33. > :15:38.Selby, but no-one could have envisaged that. Two reds on to that

:15:39. > :16:23.red, that red and other one goes in off the black.

:16:24. > :16:38.One of those situations if you don't see a safety, try and pot your way

:16:39. > :16:40.out of trouble. I always say the safety shot is as difficult as the

:16:41. > :17:39.pot. I know which way I'd be going. Mark Selby came to the table and his

:17:40. > :17:43.eyes were completely on this red. He's not even looked at a safety

:17:44. > :17:45.shot. He's looked for a path where he'll take the cue ball. There's

:17:46. > :17:48.pressure on this. But he's not looked at any other

:17:49. > :18:14.shot. Great pot. Certainly not the way he

:18:15. > :18:30.wanted the cue ball to go. As I said before; seems to be

:18:31. > :19:01.getting stronger. Yes, he'd have been disappointed he

:19:02. > :19:04.didn't finish up on the black. He's out safety played John Higgins

:19:05. > :19:09.so far in this frame. Straight on the blue. But that red

:19:10. > :19:14.immeadiately to are right of the pink is the one he can play for.

:19:15. > :19:18.After potting the blue to roughly where it is now.

:19:19. > :19:32.Unless he can roll through. He's decided to play the black.

:19:33. > :19:38.Strange choice. You see it better when you're down behind the shot.

:19:39. > :19:44.I think he can play the black, the cushion and then cannon a red to

:19:45. > :19:51.leave one, leave the cue ball with a right-to-left corner.

:19:52. > :19:57.I think probably expecting a thicker cannon than that red. He's OK. No

:19:58. > :20:04.problem. Black may be available to right

:20:05. > :20:08.corner now. He's done this phenomenally well.

:20:09. > :20:12.He's turned visits to the table. It's not looked like a frame-winning

:20:13. > :20:17.opportunity. All of a sudden one or two shots and he's got them there.

:20:18. > :20:21.He's very cleffer. He's got a very -- clever. He's got a very good

:20:22. > :20:38.snooker brain, has Mark. That 143 break he made was just

:20:39. > :20:45.incredible. As I said at the time, it's definitely up there with one of

:20:46. > :21:08.the best I have seen since commentating for snooker.

:21:09. > :21:11.48 points to get to snookers required stage. After this pink it

:21:12. > :21:54.will be 42 points needed. Very good with the wrist. Very good

:21:55. > :22:10.at every aspect of the game is Mark. Nicely on the pink to left middle.

:22:11. > :22:14.Gets a little bit more difficult because the red just to the right of

:22:15. > :22:23.the pink is easy to get on, but then he needs a good cue ball control.

:22:24. > :22:29.Not the most straightforward of frame-winning chances.

:22:30. > :22:49.I think the red just below the black will go to the right corner.

:22:50. > :22:58.Decided to go for the blue, but he's not on the blue, he'd have to play

:22:59. > :23:03.the pink. If he plays the pink, the only red he can play for is the one

:23:04. > :23:07.closest to the red corner pocket. He's got to do a little bit with the

:23:08. > :23:10.cue ball to get on that. A bit careless not to get the good

:23:11. > :23:36.angle on the blue. Couldn't have played it better

:23:37. > :23:46.though, could not have played it better. And I'm almost certain the

:23:47. > :24:11.ball goes to the right corner. A perfect angle on this red.

:24:12. > :24:30.Straight on it, or high on it, anything but this.

:24:31. > :24:42.He might have looked at the pink to middle there and screwed back for a

:24:43. > :24:44.red besides the black. But he's left this tricky little cut along the

:24:45. > :24:47.cushion. Didn't look like missing at the

:24:48. > :25:02.moment. Looks to have the perfect angle to

:25:03. > :25:07.follow through of one cushion or two cushions. Pots to the right corner.

:25:08. > :25:20.Maybe, as I say, he's not happy with the angle to play it at.

:25:21. > :25:35.If he's going to continue the break he may have to play.

:25:36. > :25:36.55 ahead. 75 remaining. More of less equates to red, cover red still

:25:37. > :26:10.needed. This is tough enough. Decent break but kept losing the cue

:26:11. > :26:29.ball slightly and in the end it caught up with him.

:26:30. > :26:58.75 remaining. He's still just about in this frame.

:26:59. > :27:04.And really played that purposefully a little thick trying to knock that

:27:05. > :27:09.black towards the side cushion, just a bit of insurance, but hasn't got a

:27:10. > :27:12.good cue ball. A chance for John here to gain the initiative in this

:27:13. > :27:24.at thetial battle, which he's got in this tacticle battle that he's

:27:25. > :27:30.got to win. He'll need a bit of a run of the

:27:31. > :28:10.ball and he's had some there. Good shot.

:28:11. > :28:23.Played it to perfection. Still John Higgins has the

:28:24. > :28:41.advantage. Can he make it count?

:28:42. > :28:48.On a good day you creep behind the brown.

:28:49. > :28:54.Straightforward safety shot is one of the reds on the left-hand side of

:28:55. > :28:59.the table, but Mark wants to keep them there because they're in an

:29:00. > :29:03.awkward position, with a 55-point lead he doesn't want to bring reds

:29:04. > :29:10.away from the cushion. But you can't refuse the right shot.

:29:11. > :29:26.He thinks he can get safe down the right-hand side of the table.

:29:27. > :29:33.Kissing the yellow. He's fortunate he's left his red right below the

:29:34. > :29:44.black. John Higgins will try and play safe

:29:45. > :29:46.off these reds. He's got to catch this perfect and get the perfect

:29:47. > :29:57.line. That was an excellent shot. And he

:29:58. > :30:36.has... Top drawer. With a player of Mark Selby's... One

:30:37. > :30:44.good shot isn't going to get you a chance.

:30:45. > :30:50.John Higgins shakes his head. What do I have to do to force an

:30:51. > :31:11.opportunity? Tough situation because 55 points

:31:12. > :31:16.behind, John knows if he leaves mark one more chance, that's the end of

:31:17. > :31:29.the frame. He's trying to come off the top cushion and catch this red

:31:30. > :31:37.thin. Big ask. It's going to run down the table. Foul. Mark Selby

:31:38. > :31:39.will come to the table and see if the pot is on. If there isn't, he

:31:40. > :31:58.might have it replaced. I think he'll have it replaced here.

:31:59. > :32:09.Can't blame him for that. John Higgins was in all kinds of trouble.

:32:10. > :32:17.And still is. Now the difference, 60 points.

:32:18. > :32:28.Another way John Higgins can play it, he camp late it to try and hit

:32:29. > :32:32.the red at pace, try and follow the cue ball up the table. Both shots

:32:33. > :32:55.are tough, not to leave anything. He tried. That's all he could do in

:32:56. > :33:00.the end. He thought, play the pot, try and screw back. I suppose if the

:33:01. > :33:11.red doesn't pass the blue, he'll have been safe. But the red does.

:33:12. > :33:15.One more red to go into the mid-session interval with a four

:33:16. > :33:32.frame advantage. Just two away from the title.

:33:33. > :33:43.Yes, turning into a bit of a procession now. John Higgins is just

:33:44. > :33:47.not able to get into the frames early. He's won one frame tonight,

:33:48. > :33:50.he hasn't been able to string any more together. I said before, it's

:33:51. > :34:12.looking ominous. In goes the pink. No way back now

:34:13. > :34:18.for John Higgins. What John Higgins needed was to play well and score

:34:19. > :34:24.heavy but he hasn't scored heavy. He's had a few chances. But against

:34:25. > :34:26.someone like Mark Selby, you can't rely on getting two or three chances

:34:27. > :34:43.a frame. No, and he's definitely sprinting

:34:44. > :34:49.towards the win, Mark Selby. Still need two more frames but it's hard

:34:50. > :34:58.to see any other result at the moment other than him retaining the

:34:59. > :35:04.title. I mean, you're right, you write off John Higgins at your peril

:35:05. > :35:11.but you look at things to give you hope and he's not been able to

:35:12. > :35:20.attack Mark Selby tonight. No, and when Mark Selby's in full flow, he's

:35:21. > :35:27.hard to stop. It's hard to get him in trouble with the safety, hard to

:35:28. > :35:36.outscore him. And now he's got that it in his step -- he's got that skip

:35:37. > :35:50.in his step that's making him look formidable. But every credit to him,

:35:51. > :35:55.then- four behind. Yes, he looked completely disillusioned yesterday,

:35:56. > :36:01.completely outplayed by his opponent -- 10-4 behind. Somehow he's found

:36:02. > :36:06.the well and the belief to win the last three frames last night. And

:36:07. > :36:12.he's certainly now playing with a smile on his face, the Jester from

:36:13. > :36:29.Leicester. He'll be enjoying it out there.

:36:30. > :36:44.And there is Danny Willett and Nico, from iron maiden. Enjoying the

:36:45. > :36:50.snooker. Talking to Nico, the drummer from iron maiden, he said he

:36:51. > :36:58.loves the theatre of the Crucible. What snooker creates, and it is real

:36:59. > :37:02.theatre. But at the moment, it's a virtuoso performance by the

:37:03. > :37:15.defending champion. Making breaks of 54 at the start of

:37:16. > :37:23.the frame, and that will take into interval, and John Higgins is going

:37:24. > :37:28.four behind. Mark Selby, just two away from his third World

:37:29. > :37:33.Championship. 16-12. STUDIO: And with it, a successful defence, only

:37:34. > :37:36.Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan have done that at

:37:37. > :37:40.the Crucible. It would be quite a bit achievement and it looks like

:37:41. > :37:46.he's marching all the way. You were saying fair that the confidence

:37:47. > :37:53.levels, the shot selection that he is now establishing -- you were

:37:54. > :37:57.saying off air. The pink wig going to show you, this is fraught with

:37:58. > :38:00.danger, if you miss it, it's a very good chance for John Higgins but he

:38:01. > :38:05.rolled it straight into the middle. Far from easy. Difficult to John

:38:06. > :38:09.Higgins not to consider that the writing is on the wall because not

:38:10. > :38:20.only does he know that Mark Selby is getting in the groove, but a couple

:38:21. > :38:27.of safety shots were quite cruel to him and it's hard to give up -- hard

:38:28. > :38:32.not to give up. But he won't come he can only try frame by frame but it

:38:33. > :38:35.seems inevitable now. It does, yes: but you never know, there's life

:38:36. > :38:41.left in the final and I'm sure you'll stay with us. But this has

:38:42. > :38:45.been, for 40 years, a sporting venue that has been ingrained in our

:38:46. > :38:52.consciousness. May bank holiday weekend means the Crucible final and

:38:53. > :39:02.that process started back in 1977. Hello, welcome to the final night.

:39:03. > :39:16.And the Will Champion, 1977, John Spencer, receiving his cheque for

:39:17. > :39:24.?6,000. And now, the world trophy. Does the sixth feel better than the

:39:25. > :39:29.first? As the years go on, because of the television, the game is

:39:30. > :39:35.getting bigger, it's getting harder to win, actually.

:39:36. > :39:45.I'm in the final now, you know! LAUGHTER

:39:46. > :39:56.Faded and gentlemen, Alex Higgins! CHEERING

:39:57. > :40:08.-- ladies and gentlemen. Good luck. Oh, wonderful.

:40:09. > :40:25.It's over. Thanks very much to everybody.

:40:26. > :40:43.Dennis Taylor, for the first time, becomes the Embassy world champion,

:40:44. > :40:52.1985. Do you believe what's happened? It happened late at night

:40:53. > :40:58.or stop -- late at night. So, another bit of late-night drama, one

:40:59. > :41:06.of the greatest late-night drama is we've seen at the Crucible. The most

:41:07. > :41:13.remarkable world final I've ever seen. It's been quite an interesting

:41:14. > :41:18.day, hasn't it? Certainly has. I hope we can still be friends!

:41:19. > :41:22.LAUGHTER You said to me last year that we've

:41:23. > :41:28.got to stop meeting like this but this is different. He paid me a

:41:29. > :41:35.consummate last year, there are many gentlemen in the sport and it's nice

:41:36. > :41:38.to keep that. The final at the Crucible is always special, so

:41:39. > :41:51.that's it for 1987, from all of us here, a very good night to you.

:41:52. > :42:02.The pressures on winning that match, quite strong. The further you get

:42:03. > :42:10.ahead, the more elastic is dragging you back. I'm not sure what to say.

:42:11. > :42:11.One of my greatest victories. Although it wasn't exactly the most

:42:12. > :42:28.interesting. One of the great nights again.

:42:29. > :42:37.Absolutely. Youngest ever world champion.

:42:38. > :42:40.Ladies and gentlemen, the new Embassy snooker champion of the

:42:41. > :42:46.world, John Parrott. The first session, fantastic snooker

:42:47. > :43:17.and I didn't get one in the final. Did he lose the title there? Oh

:43:18. > :43:32.dear, that was a little bit of tension.

:43:33. > :43:41.What can I say apart from happy birthday? He's beginning to annoy

:43:42. > :43:45.me! We all privileged yet tonight to see one of the great matches at the

:43:46. > :43:55.Crucible, one of the great matches in snooker history.

:43:56. > :44:08.Stephen once one more frame for his ultimate goal, the sixth Embassy

:44:09. > :44:21.world title. I've got three things now left to

:44:22. > :44:28.do. My commiserations to the loser and congratulations to the winner.

:44:29. > :44:37.Most of all I want to thank all of you for sharing my love of snooker.

:44:38. > :44:43.Ooh! It's not there and it's all over. Peter Ebdon turns to

:44:44. > :44:52.congratulate Stephen Hendry. And from me I just say, goodbye and

:44:53. > :44:54.thank you so much. Seeing as I'm a clown I thought I'd go out with a

:44:55. > :45:07.smile rather than a frown. And like all good theatre

:45:08. > :45:12.productions, there is an interval and we'll be back for the second act

:45:13. > :45:16.shortly when you've got yourself an ice cream. Fantastic memories. And a

:45:17. > :45:20.very sad one because today is the sixth anniversary of the passing of

:45:21. > :45:25.Ted Lowe, who was an integral part of snooker and great to see him

:45:26. > :45:29.remembered in that feature. He had a big part in starting my career

:45:30. > :45:32.because he came up with junior pot black so the juniors could go on

:45:33. > :45:37.there at pebble Mill, the best juniors in the country. It was a

:45:38. > :45:41.trauma that I won and the rest is history. We were having a laugh, the

:45:42. > :45:46.gala performance and the champions came in here and of the six finals

:45:47. > :45:51.you won, fantastic but are you more famous for the two you lost? The one

:45:52. > :45:54.against Dennis is the one that everyone remembers but when you look

:45:55. > :45:59.at the memories as they unfold, it brings them back up again so it's

:46:00. > :46:03.great to watch them back to back. And a very handsome head of hair.

:46:04. > :46:08.Nice to see black, isn't it! Goodness! Is this Championship

:46:09. > :46:12.getting bigger and bigger? It was difficult to win when you were in

:46:13. > :46:17.your pump, but the depth of players now, is it even harder to win?

:46:18. > :46:22.Harder to win and more people around the world are watching. Interesting

:46:23. > :46:27.how the British public thought that the game was in decline accounts

:46:28. > :46:31.perhaps not so many snooker clubs but people don't realise how many

:46:32. > :46:37.are watching worldwide here. Regardless of how many people are

:46:38. > :46:40.interested in the worldwide -- interested in the UK, the worldwide

:46:41. > :46:46.appeal is massive. We will discuss that last full -- discussed that

:46:47. > :46:48.later. We asked you to pick the shot of the Championship and in the end

:46:49. > :47:01.it wasn't a close run thing at all. In third place, Mark Selby's magical

:47:02. > :47:08.cue ball control against Ding Junhui. Loads of side. Have a look

:47:09. > :47:12.at that for a shot. One of the best positional shots you could wish to

:47:13. > :47:19.see. This, here was tremendous. It really was. Second place, Mark Selby

:47:20. > :47:30.again, this phenomenal blue, to cannon the remaining reds. Wow! Look

:47:31. > :47:47.at this for a shot. Unbelievable! Wow! But the winner is shot E, 60%

:47:48. > :47:54.of the vote, Shaun Murphy. This is risky. What a great shot. Oh, I'm

:47:55. > :48:01.believable! What a time to play an exhibition, trick shot. In the world

:48:02. > :48:07.jabbing ship at -- the World Championship at the Crucible. And I

:48:08. > :48:11.know many of you have been trying to replicate the shot up and down the

:48:12. > :48:17.country. Excellent shot, well done, Mr Murphy. Where did we get to in

:48:18. > :48:23.our 40 year meander through the Crucible vault? 1988, when the

:48:24. > :48:30.action sped up considerably. Ronnie saw to that.

:48:31. > :48:33.By always look forward to this and I'm sure many viewers at home look

:48:34. > :48:38.forward to it. Perfect. Yes, absolutely perfect. I

:48:39. > :49:03.don't believe this. What a break! What a phenomenal

:49:04. > :49:09.break that is. Ronnie O'Sullivan is delighted, the crowd is delighted

:49:10. > :49:21.and I'm delighted. Unbelievable maximum break. Sensational. There's

:49:22. > :49:22.no better feeling in the world. Champion at the Crucible Theatre,

:49:23. > :49:35.Ken Doherty. How embarrassing! A bearded man has

:49:36. > :49:36.told me that you are going to win the World Snooker Championship.

:49:37. > :49:51.LAUGHTER John Higgins clears with a break of

:49:52. > :50:01.118. He beats the defending champion, Ken Doherty, 18-12, to win

:50:02. > :50:11.the Embassy World Championship. As soon as I walk through the door, the

:50:12. > :50:21.adrenaline started pumping. Hopefully I can settle down and give

:50:22. > :50:27.it my best shot again. What a shame. Credit to Ronnie O'Sullivan who has

:50:28. > :50:36.made this match one of the all-time classics. Snooker for the gods. Pink

:50:37. > :50:44.and black to finish with a century. Not too bothered about that. He's

:50:45. > :50:50.just so pleased to have done it. Ray Reardon, six times world champion in

:50:51. > :50:52.the 70s. Steve Davis, six times in the 80s but it's a magnificent seven

:50:53. > :51:06.times for Stephen Hendry in the 90s. Mark Williams showing great

:51:07. > :51:38.resilience to recover, to win 18-16. Ronnie O'Sullivan wins the Embassy

:51:39. > :51:48.World Championship. He beats John Higgins, 18-14.

:51:49. > :51:52.Snooker might be the priority in Sheffield but that's not to say

:51:53. > :52:05.there is in some cup fever in the air. Let's have a kick!

:52:06. > :52:33.you walk into this huge arena, all of the space around.

:52:34. > :52:48.Wonderful, wonderful display by Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:52:49. > :53:07.Ladies and gentlemen, your own special welcome for a very special

:53:08. > :53:18.young man, Paul Hunter! CHEERING John Higgins! Fantastic! There's

:53:19. > :54:43.only one Stephen Hendry. We love watching him play. This

:54:44. > :54:49.could give him the urge to carry on. Absolutely incredible. Mark Selby

:54:50. > :54:59.makes one of the best comebacks I've seen in many years. Stuart Bingham,

:55:00. > :55:05.2015 world champion. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

:55:06. > :55:15.Is once again, your champion, Mark Selby! -- once again. From Tennessee

:55:16. > :55:23.Williams to Mark Selby, this theatre has seen it all and I wonder how

:55:24. > :55:28.popular a move it is for World Snooker to sign with Sheffield City

:55:29. > :55:32.Council to keep it here for another 15 years. I think it got a huge

:55:33. > :55:35.cheer on Friday before the tournament started and hopefully

:55:36. > :55:38.that. People asking the question whether it's going to China because

:55:39. > :55:44.it happens all the time. Barry said absolutely not, while he's at the

:55:45. > :55:49.helm. This is where it should be played. Young lads playing the game,

:55:50. > :55:54.come and play at the Crucible, this is where you aspire to play. As a

:55:55. > :55:58.sporting venue, not just a snooker venue, would you say that this is

:55:59. > :56:02.more on the bucket list of sports fans around the world, to sample

:56:03. > :56:07.this? It should be, the atmosphere is fantastic. I've been around

:56:08. > :56:11.Crucible Corner, nationalities from everywhere flying in for the final

:56:12. > :56:15.and they've never been here before. In for a treat, the atmosphere like

:56:16. > :56:20.nowhere else. People cueing up to get in here and the sadness is that

:56:21. > :56:24.there are empty seats which have already been sold. There must be a

:56:25. > :56:29.way of working out how to get extra people in. If you don't get in your

:56:30. > :56:33.seat by a certain time, they should be given to the real fans. They are

:56:34. > :56:40.certainly oversubscribed, we know that, for next year. It's been

:56:41. > :56:42.playing too fantastic houses. The Championship, the prize-money

:56:43. > :56:49.continues growing, 375,000 this year, going up to 425,000 next year,

:56:50. > :56:56.symptom of the boom times. Massive turnaround. There were seven

:56:57. > :56:59.tournaments I could have played in when I played, I could have booked a

:57:00. > :57:03.taxi, there were no tournaments to play in but now there isn't a weak

:57:04. > :57:09.that is free. If you want to play, you can play. Brilliant turnaround.

:57:10. > :57:12.The new season starts in a couple of weeks' time because we have cue

:57:13. > :57:18.School starting and then the summit events will be underway. First they

:57:19. > :57:23.got to finish off this season's climax. And is the defending

:57:24. > :57:27.champion, Mark Selby, now just two frames away from a third world

:57:28. > :57:34.title. Time to see the final over the line.

:57:35. > :57:53.COMMENTATOR: Good evening, Hazel. What have we left in store in this

:57:54. > :57:59.final? Can John Higgins come out and claw his way back? It's not beyond

:58:00. > :58:02.him, Ken. Definitely not his way back but -- definitely not beyond

:58:03. > :58:08.him but he will need dumping, draw on that fantastic experience he has

:58:09. > :58:17.had here -- but he will need something. He will need to play his

:58:18. > :58:23.best from now on in. Can he do it? It's going to be tough. This man has

:58:24. > :58:32.played, from 10-4 down, it's an incredible performance. It really

:58:33. > :58:36.is. And to think he could win it three times in four years in the

:58:37. > :58:42.modern game, that would be quite something. There's the little lady

:58:43. > :58:57.on the top that everybody likes to give a little kiss to.

:58:58. > :59:07.Oh, no. The dreaded double-kiss. Not the best start for John and there's

:59:08. > :59:09.one red at the back of the bunch that is available as well, so it's

:59:10. > :59:30.an early chance for Mark Selby. He's got a nice angle to pot this

:59:31. > :59:38.off the side cushion for a baulk colour. It slowed a bit off the side

:59:39. > :59:42.cushion. Shaping up to take on the green. He's having a look at the red

:59:43. > :59:49.you talked about at the back of the pack. If he can hold for that, he

:59:50. > :59:52.will. If he can't, he could possibly go offside, bottom cushion and into

:59:53. > :59:59.the pack. Let's see what he does here. I've noticed he's done quite a

:00:00. > :00:03.bit of that, he's down on the shot, then he gets up again and has a look

:00:04. > :00:17.at the angle. He's certainly making sure of things.

:00:18. > :00:22.He said good time to someone who just coughed when he was on his back

:00:23. > :00:30.swing. Needs the cue ball to get off that

:00:31. > :01:05.side cushion. He's not far off the cushion and he

:01:06. > :01:09.cued this beautifully. I mean right, smack, bang in the middle of the

:01:10. > :01:13.pocket, as Ken says. Right in the middle, up for the pink and then he

:01:14. > :01:15.can please himself because he's got a couple of reds available.

:01:16. > :01:31.Or he could go into the pack. Seems to be a few available. He's

:01:32. > :01:39.taking the blue to play it for the individual red there.

:01:40. > :01:45.When he was so far behind he lost his timing and people were saying

:01:46. > :01:47.might not have a session this evening the way John Higgins was

:01:48. > :02:01.playing. But what a turn around!

:02:02. > :02:12.He was very tired in that second session. How he's turned this match

:02:13. > :02:15.around is quite remarkable. It's what champions do. When you are

:02:16. > :02:19.playing well there's always something like this available to

:02:20. > :02:32.you. When you're struggling there's never a plant there.

:02:33. > :03:00.Body language suggests he's not on the red.

:03:01. > :03:14.He did get the spin, but it does spun into the reds. Just show you,

:03:15. > :03:19.watch the white as it stops here. All of a sudden it spins right back.

:03:20. > :03:25.There's something on one of the balls there. Said, I'll leave it

:03:26. > :03:32.until after this shot. It's a bit of an awkward place to be cleaning the

:03:33. > :04:35.cue ball. John looks a little tired, rubbing

:04:36. > :04:38.his eyes there. That red could make him feel better. Could do with a

:04:39. > :04:47.sizeable contribution here. He needs to pull up. It needs to

:04:48. > :05:17.pull up and it is. Got into it too much. It's OK.

:05:18. > :05:18.Hoping to be on blue and pink there. Overscrewed that by quite some

:05:19. > :05:43.margin. It is these situations that John

:05:44. > :05:45.Higgins really has to capitalise upon if he's to find a way back into

:05:46. > :05:55.this match. The early part of this match he

:05:56. > :06:01.would have won the frame from this position.

:06:02. > :06:31.A different story, kept out for so long.

:06:32. > :06:36.The blacks awkward from this right-hand side. He may have to play

:06:37. > :06:39.for the pink here. He's coming around to see if he can just reach

:06:40. > :07:10.it with the extension. Earlier this season against Stuart

:07:11. > :07:14.Bingham he was 7-7 and finished with three century breaks. Oh, what he'd

:07:15. > :08:23.give for finding that sort of form here.

:08:24. > :08:31.The red that's close to the outside cushion no problem for John Higgins

:08:32. > :08:35.being a right-hander. Just wondering whether the only red

:08:36. > :08:39.that may be the most difficult was the one next to the yellow. He's

:08:40. > :08:43.coming to look at that now. Does it pot into the green pocket? It looks

:08:44. > :08:50.very, very close. Almost touching that yellow.

:08:51. > :08:59.I think it may be on though. That's possibly thinking at least

:09:00. > :09:30.six shots ahead there. If he screwed over from the pink

:09:31. > :09:51.anywhere near that would be ideal. Beautiful shot. He's having another

:09:52. > :09:58.look at that red. He's rolled that red in. Nice angle on the black.

:09:59. > :10:30.One good positional shot. Looks tight, but it will go.

:10:31. > :10:34.Would have loved to have been on straighter. Just ran on that cue

:10:35. > :10:44.ball, just to make this pot more awkward than he would have liked.

:10:45. > :10:56.Any colour with this red would make the frame safe.

:10:57. > :11:13.Well, this has been a fantastic break.

:11:14. > :11:20.This has been John Higgins at his best, Denis.

:11:21. > :11:25.It is amazing the interval came at the right time for John. He would

:11:26. > :11:28.have had a chance to talk with his brother, Jason, talk things over and

:11:29. > :11:38.well, this is what he's had to do and he's done it.

:11:39. > :12:02.What about this for a positional shot?

:12:03. > :12:09.If ever a time John Higgins needed a good frame-winning break it was now

:12:10. > :12:24.and he's produced the goods. This is superb.

:12:25. > :12:36.Magnificent break of 88. 16-13.

:12:37. > :12:46.STUDIO: He summoned more. He's a class act. He always has been. He's

:12:47. > :12:49.made of Scottish girders. He the two hardest match players I played in

:12:50. > :12:56.all my career and he's the other one. If you got him in a draw it was

:12:57. > :13:00.a nightmare. He's got great qualities, never plays a wrong shot

:13:01. > :13:04.and an unbelievable desire to win. You are sitting like Mark Selby in a

:13:05. > :13:08.comfortable position now, but this man's on your tail. I wonder how

:13:09. > :13:11.comfortable that position really is under the circumstances for

:13:12. > :13:17.Well he has breathing space, but he's not even on the hill yet. There

:13:18. > :13:22.is room for John Higgins to get into it. All that's been thrown at Mark

:13:23. > :13:25.Selby in this match, I think he'll be in a pretty strong mental

:13:26. > :13:29.condition. John Higgins has been asleep quite a bit in this match. It

:13:30. > :13:35.is nice he's come alive a bit. It may be a little bit too late, but

:13:36. > :13:39.you never know! There's nothing focuses the mind thinking you have

:13:40. > :13:43.to play no missed snooker. That actually focuses your brain. You

:13:44. > :13:48.actually get yourself under pressure but you foes the yourself, thinking

:13:49. > :13:53.I can -- focus yourself thinking I cannot afford this. What it is you

:13:54. > :13:58.stop worrying. You've got nothing to worry about. You just play. So, it

:13:59. > :14:03.frees your mind up more. One of the biggest problems of a still-ball ga

:14:04. > :14:08.imis what goes in your mind before and during the shot. If all of a

:14:09. > :14:12.sudden all you can do is just play, you are in a great situation. He's

:14:13. > :14:17.trying to forget about the last few hours here. As a snooker player,

:14:18. > :14:21.when someone has punished you to the degree that Mark Selby has, winning

:14:22. > :14:27.12 out of 14 frames, how do you feel? How do you are eact? How do

:14:28. > :14:32.ask -- react? How do you ask yourself to respond over there? He

:14:33. > :14:37.has to find something here all the way in. His determination and his

:14:38. > :14:39.grit and he knows there is a winning post in this session and that makes

:14:40. > :14:49.all of the different. THE COMMENTATOR: The winning post.

:14:50. > :14:57.He's seen it many, many times over his career.

:14:58. > :15:01.Certainly produced the goods. Back against the wall and that frame, as

:15:02. > :15:04.John Parrott said in the studio, he's got to do it time and time

:15:05. > :15:07.again. He's got to play no missed snooker. A good start from John

:15:08. > :15:27.Higgins. As long as your opponent needs two

:15:28. > :15:30.frames you are in with a chance. It is when it gets to the 17 and they

:15:31. > :15:38.only need the one frame. A packed Crucible. Is there going to

:15:39. > :16:01.be some late-night drama? Have to be careful of the free ball

:16:02. > :16:10.here. Oh, just short of the A little bit of a smile there from

:16:11. > :16:15.John. John played a shot like this earlier today. I don't know whether

:16:16. > :16:19.he was thinking angt that. He went in -- about that. He went in off the

:16:20. > :16:24.brown three times. It was quite amusing. John was smiling. Mark was.

:16:25. > :16:25.The whole crowd was. Needed four attempts just to flick a red like

:16:26. > :17:51.this. Ten hours of hard match play

:17:52. > :18:35.snooker. He really has been keeping it as

:18:36. > :18:56.tight as he possibly can. He was after a thin one because he

:18:57. > :19:11.didn't want to knock a red over the corner pocket.

:19:12. > :19:21.A touch more to me. That is one of the senior referees as well.

:19:22. > :19:26.The reason why Mark Selby has gone down the left-hand side of the

:19:27. > :19:30.table, he's afraid of pushing the red if he plays the safety down the

:19:31. > :20:09.right-hand side. A bit better. He's got to avoid the blue.

:20:10. > :20:43.He's played it well. He's played it very well.

:20:44. > :20:51.Excellent return to safety. The fact that the cue ball is so close to the

:20:52. > :20:58.green it just hampered his cueing. A little grim mace from John will tell

:20:59. > :21:02.you this is not too pretty. Not straightforward to get the cue

:21:03. > :21:08.ball back to baulk. I think he'll have to hit this one

:21:09. > :21:12.he could easily go in off or wobble in the corners of the pocket here.

:21:13. > :21:35.That was fantastic! An excellent shot!

:21:36. > :21:46.He took the paint off it. Appreciation from Mark Selby - it's

:21:47. > :21:53.nice to see. Even in the heat of battle, playing for such a wonderful

:21:54. > :21:55.prize, they still applaud each other's fantastic shots. True

:21:56. > :22:39.sportsmanship. Doesn't make any mistakes our

:22:40. > :22:45.defending champion. This time he got that double-kiss. The dreaded

:22:46. > :23:05.double-kiss and John's got a chance now.

:23:06. > :23:29.-Kiss. The dreaded double-kiss and John's got a chance now.

:23:30. > :23:37.Thought for a moment that cue ball was going to pass that red and block

:23:38. > :23:45.this pot. It's certainly perfect now for him.

:23:46. > :24:09.A few reds here, decide to go into the pack.

:24:10. > :24:26.He's got that one to the right corner, as a little bit of

:24:27. > :24:29.insurance, should he not split them nicely.

:24:30. > :24:35.He'll have to get the spider out to get to that, though. He's certainly

:24:36. > :24:53.brought other reds into play. Doesn't spin back that much. In fact

:24:54. > :25:17.he needs a swan neck spider to get over a few of the reds.

:25:18. > :25:29.Well played. Good shot. Denise and the family look on.

:25:30. > :26:05.Now, does anything pot into this left-hand centre pocket?

:26:06. > :26:11.On the red to the right centre and he can drop it in for the blue or

:26:12. > :26:26.the pink here. Play a better cannon from the pink

:26:27. > :26:30.than the blue. Have the nice angle to stay for the

:26:31. > :26:33.pink. Looks like the blue, top side of the blue. He's back in prime

:26:34. > :26:50.position. It looks like he's stepped up his

:26:51. > :26:56.pace around the table as well. He seems to be playing with more of a

:26:57. > :27:00.spring in his step. Maybe that last frame has given him

:27:01. > :27:05.that bit of confidence that he was lacking over the last few frames.

:27:06. > :27:10.As I say, he had the interval just to have a chat probably with Jason,

:27:11. > :27:13.his brother, as I mentioned. He knows what he's capable of doing and

:27:14. > :27:32.this is terrific stuff from John Higgins. What a response this is.

:27:33. > :27:38.Potting this pink into the left corner pocket. He's got to play one

:27:39. > :27:45.slightly cannon just to the reds a bit more.

:27:46. > :27:50.Now, he's lost the cue ball. He just needed to glance off that

:27:51. > :27:53.red. It would have been perfect.

:27:54. > :28:00.Just hit a full ball, didn't he? More of a little stun that he needed

:28:01. > :28:03.there. This will still cut back and he can finish on one of the baulk

:28:04. > :28:32.colours. It's sort of a free shot. The boys were interviewed yesterday

:28:33. > :28:53.and they spoke very well. John must have been so proud of them.

:28:54. > :29:02.Of course John's mother. It was her birthday yesterday. His brothers are

:29:03. > :29:18.here also, as well as lots of friends.

:29:19. > :29:42.Just a couple more pots needed to secure this frame.

:29:43. > :30:02.Couldn't have played that any better.

:30:03. > :30:34.Every shot, waving the magic wand, that's for sure.

:30:35. > :30:40.But only is this going to give John Higgins a lot of confidence, it

:30:41. > :30:50.sends a message back to his opponent. Saying that if you give me

:30:51. > :30:58.a chance, I'm going to take it now. Just as important. A fantastic

:30:59. > :31:10.couple of frames from John Higgins, just when he needed it.

:31:11. > :31:16.Not going to be easy to get the century. They've had seven centuries

:31:17. > :31:21.in this year 's Betfred Ebor World Championship. Ding Junhui has had

:31:22. > :31:58.13. Will this just drop in? Well played, John Higgins. Fantastic

:31:59. > :32:10.stuff. Well played, John Higgins. Number 50 at the Crucible this

:32:11. > :32:19.season. That's brilliant. 672 centuries, he's made in his career.

:32:20. > :32:31.Only Ronnie O'Sullivan and Stephen Hendry ahead of him.

:32:32. > :32:41.Is the yellow going to go in? No, but a magnificent 111 from the four

:32:42. > :32:47.time world champion, John Higgins. He claws back another one, only two

:32:48. > :32:52.in it now but the defending champion Mark Selby still leads, 16-14.

:32:53. > :33:00.STUDIO: John's 50th century of the season. Our sponsors have donated

:33:01. > :33:07.?40,000 to the Jessie May children's hospice. They were going to do that

:33:08. > :33:10.if we smashed the 86 record from a couple of years ago but they decided

:33:11. > :33:14.to do it anyway, so thank you very much. I'm sure people will be

:33:15. > :33:16.pleased with that. This is what they wanted to see, the tension in the

:33:17. > :33:24.final session and they're getting it. I said he was tough, didn't I?

:33:25. > :33:30.He's lost 12-2 from being 10-4 up but somewhere the great champions

:33:31. > :33:34.find it. With your back to the wall, looking like you are done all ends

:33:35. > :33:38.up, where do you find that from? This is interesting because last

:33:39. > :33:44.year in the final against Ding Junhui, Mark Selby was 16-11 up and

:33:45. > :33:49.Ding Junhui won three in a row and then Selby broke him but he's had to

:33:50. > :33:52.withstand this before. Yeah but it's the swings and roundabouts of being

:33:53. > :34:00.in front and behind. From John Higgins' body language, he has

:34:01. > :34:03.nothing to fear. Mark Selby will be in the same situation, it's getting

:34:04. > :34:09.close so they're going to be running on adrenaline only.

:34:10. > :34:23.COMMENTATOR: Not a bad break-off shot. Mark Selby is now going to

:34:24. > :34:29.have to call on all of his experience. His third final in four

:34:30. > :34:37.years but he knows that his opponent is flying at the moment. And he

:34:38. > :35:01.looks, all of a sudden, quite a bit more fresh. He's up for this.

:35:02. > :35:12.He's pushed the red towards the pocket. Is there going to be a gap?

:35:13. > :35:16.No. Maybe, but Steve Davis is right, at this stage of the final, you just

:35:17. > :35:25.don't feel tired, it's adrenaline that keeps you going.

:35:26. > :35:41.The brown may be in the way for John Higgins for this long pot. Ooh. He

:35:42. > :35:46.was so confident, he was using the brown. That's why he played it so

:35:47. > :36:04.softly, to hold for the black. Yeah, a wry smile. Almost 30 minutes

:36:05. > :36:10.since Mark Selby potted the last ball. Now, what has the defending

:36:11. > :36:23.champion got? His back has been up against the

:36:24. > :36:24.wall in this Championship many times over the last four years and he's

:36:25. > :36:43.produced the goods. As I mentioned in the studio, 16-11

:36:44. > :36:50.ahead in last year's final, Ding Junhui came back to 16-14, three

:36:51. > :37:00.frames in a row. But Mark produced the goods to win the last two. He's

:37:01. > :37:12.going to have to do something very similar tonight. He's got great

:37:13. > :37:14.bottle, Dennis. One of his great and many assets, his temperament. He's

:37:15. > :37:36.not going to flinch. He is OK to play out for the single

:37:37. > :37:46.red. He's just looking to see if there's an angle there. Well, he

:37:47. > :37:53.would have played for this red to the middle pocket but now he's going

:37:54. > :37:57.to have to take it to the corner. Is he going to run through for the

:37:58. > :38:03.blue, which is the better angle to go into the pink and reds, or from

:38:04. > :38:10.the black? It depends on the angle for this red. He's going to screw

:38:11. > :38:12.back for the black, you can see him striking the bottom of the cue ball.

:38:13. > :38:25.APPLAUSE Key shot coming up, as we show you

:38:26. > :38:32.the red disappearing, the stun shot into the right-hand side of the reds

:38:33. > :38:39.rather than screwing it. And he's played it perfectly, that's a

:38:40. > :38:44.terrific shot. Couldn't have played it much better, as you said. Just

:38:45. > :38:49.eight stun shot and how he controlled the cue ball. Red to left

:38:50. > :39:00.centre. The red that's closest to the cue

:39:01. > :39:13.ball will possibly be his next choice after this black.

:39:14. > :39:20.Now, he's having a look to see if this will go. Into the left centre

:39:21. > :39:30.from the right-hand side of the table, it's a nice angle. After

:39:31. > :39:37.potting this red, on the black. There is one red available into the

:39:38. > :39:49.right centre. He's coming round to have a look at that now.

:39:50. > :40:00.He's played for it in the corner pocket. That's the loose red. The

:40:01. > :40:07.left-hand side of the pack. Five reds and five blacks but you can be

:40:08. > :40:14.sure that Mark Selby isn't thinking about any maximum here. He's just

:40:15. > :40:21.trying to win the frame from this position. I'm not sure what that was

:40:22. > :40:24.but he's had a look into the audience and Jan Verhaas has had a

:40:25. > :40:43.look so I'm not sure if someone said something. So close to the table.

:40:44. > :41:01.Ken said that he had no faults. It's all about winning the frame here.

:41:02. > :41:08.Oh, hang on a minute. Hang on a minute, what has he done there? He

:41:09. > :41:16.didn't hit it hard enough. Nestling in behind the yellow. What a mistake

:41:17. > :41:26.that was. She would have been surprised by that, Vicky. What it,

:41:27. > :41:30.he was concentrating on missing the brown but with the side, it took him

:41:31. > :41:57.behind the yellow. Needed more pace. 46 break but he'll be very

:41:58. > :42:05.disappointed he didn't get more. The cue ball behind the green, tight on

:42:06. > :42:18.the baulk Mac cushion, putting Mark Selby in trouble here. Got to get it

:42:19. > :42:25.tight. Mark on his way back there. Is he giving himself a little

:42:26. > :42:32.telling off there? It's unusual. He's fired up, that's for sure. Well

:42:33. > :42:38.he's looking at two reds to the bottom right corner pocket. Possible

:42:39. > :42:42.plant. There's a bit of distance. Going to the left-hand side of the

:42:43. > :42:47.pocket, but there's a bit of distance between the two reds. What

:42:48. > :42:51.a brave shot to take on at this stage. He's got to get it because

:42:52. > :42:57.he's going into the other reds and he would put them all over the

:42:58. > :43:06.table. He's pretty good, playing as the world full champion, also. --

:43:07. > :43:10.pool Champion. If he gets on a colour, he wins the frame but if he

:43:11. > :43:18.misses it, it could cost him the frame. He has a 46 point lead.

:43:19. > :43:25.Shaping up to take it on. This is extremely risky.

:43:26. > :43:43.He wasn't guaranteed to get on the black. He was on the black for the

:43:44. > :43:53.middle until the red blocked his path. Just tacking in behind the

:43:54. > :44:01.black. Foul. He didn't reach it. I didn't see it hit, Mark. No? No.

:44:02. > :44:13.Mark thought it did, we can have a look. We can have a... We can't have

:44:14. > :44:24.a replay. Difficult to see from that angle. It hit? OK, OK. If they say

:44:25. > :44:37.it hit, that's fine with me. John isn't querying it. I'm good with

:44:38. > :44:41.that. In our game we are so proud of players here. It makes a difference.

:44:42. > :44:47.Only the referee can overrule himself, no one else can. If they

:44:48. > :44:53.aren't sure, I didn't see it hit, and I'm going to stick with my

:44:54. > :45:01.decision. I'm not sure if anyone can overrule the referee. No, I'm going

:45:02. > :45:08.to stick with what I saw, and I didn't see it hit, so I'm going to

:45:09. > :45:23.stick with the file. -- going to stick with the foul. Didn't look

:45:24. > :45:26.like it moved. Jan is probably the best referee we've had in the game,

:45:27. > :45:41.23 years refereeing top-class snooker. I think he's made the right

:45:42. > :45:44.decision there. Very hard to see because Jan is such a big guy, he

:45:45. > :45:52.gets in the way and the camera couldn't pick it up. Mark has two

:45:53. > :45:57.drop onto the red onto the left-hand side cushion, try and hit it dead

:45:58. > :46:04.weight to cover the red over the side middle. He's got to be so

:46:05. > :46:15.precise. Excellent shot. Well played. Let's have a look from this

:46:16. > :46:35.angle. I don't think it did, Dennis, from that angle.

:46:36. > :46:56.Great shot. What a shot under pressure that was.

:46:57. > :47:17.Ooh, what a shot. The most difficult red off the cushion. What drama here

:47:18. > :47:25.at the Crucible. You just can't beat this. Getting very interesting and

:47:26. > :47:49.very exciting. It's getting very tense as well.

:47:50. > :47:57.The only problem ball that may arise is the one on the side cushion but

:47:58. > :48:01.again, John being right-handed, he can get the cue ball close enough to

:48:02. > :48:33.it and it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

:48:34. > :48:46.I think if Mark loses the frame, I think he's going to believe in

:48:47. > :49:08.himself that the hit the black but let's hope it doesn't affect him.

:49:09. > :49:33.He's got the easy red to play for but he may play for the red, that's

:49:34. > :49:37.where he wants to be. He's playing for the easy one first but now it's

:49:38. > :49:43.imperative that he gets a good angle. He's left himself a bit

:49:44. > :49:50.straight on this. He was looking for an angle to either move the red or

:49:51. > :49:56.just drop behind on the circle. The first sign of a bit of tension in

:49:57. > :50:12.the back of John's arm, overshooting the cue ball, two feet.

:50:13. > :50:22.Ooh that was a problem. He has an angle to the circle but the black is

:50:23. > :50:26.going to be so tough. If he rolls the black I'm sure he would finish

:50:27. > :50:35.in the cycle but the black is so tough. What a big shot this is.

:50:36. > :51:06.Yeah it wasn't the ideal position, was it, particularly after the

:51:07. > :51:12.previous blue to red. Still, the way he was playing, you fancied the pot

:51:13. > :51:19.but he never even had the cue ball close to the red. It's just

:51:20. > :51:31.pressure. That's a clever little shot from Mark Selby. Snooker on the

:51:32. > :51:39.pink. OK, easy hit. If he just lands on it, it's going to be advantage to

:51:40. > :51:46.Mark. It's going to be so easy for Mark to put him in trouble. Every

:51:47. > :52:19.chance of getting a snooker from this.

:52:20. > :52:36.No, he's got the gap. That wasn't the best that marks ever played.

:52:37. > :52:45.Crossing double here, or easy playing the red back to the baulk?

:52:46. > :52:56.This looks a bit heavy, if it bounces. Well, he's left a chance

:52:57. > :53:02.for Mark Selby. Not easy, he's coming around to look at the potting

:53:03. > :53:16.angle. It certainly pots into the top right-hand corner pocket.

:53:17. > :53:22.Oh, he's got away with that one. Thought he was going to avoid the

:53:23. > :53:27.cannon on the brown. I say he's got away with it but a chance for John

:53:28. > :53:34.Higgins to put in a really telling safety here and possibly a snooker.

:53:35. > :53:47.Just need the White where the red is all stop -- where the red is.

:53:48. > :53:58.He would have loved the red to have travelled towards the brown, would

:53:59. > :54:04.have made it very difficult for Mark Selby. The middle pocket seems to be

:54:05. > :54:10.slightly in the way of the one-cushion escape. He'll have to

:54:11. > :54:18.play it with a lot of side if he's going to come off one cushion.

:54:19. > :54:26.No matter how good you are, you need a little bit of good fortune when

:54:27. > :54:36.you're getting out of a snooker to get them safe.

:54:37. > :54:47.Coming off two cushions here. The same thing applies, can he hit it

:54:48. > :54:51.and knock it safe? Oh, it's going over the middle pocket, and where is

:54:52. > :54:57.the cue ball going? Surely not a snooker behind the blue? He's coming

:54:58. > :55:00.around anxiously to have a look all stop -- to have a look. He can hit

:55:01. > :55:43.it. Settle down, please. Thank you. Green puts him seven points ahead.

:55:44. > :55:48.The problem ball is the brown. He's going to need brown and blue. Mark

:55:49. > :56:06.Selby would need a snooker. What he would give to get in that

:56:07. > :56:08.circle, but he hasn't got the angle. He can leave the brown to the other

:56:09. > :56:22.middle pocket. Doesn't want to finish half and

:56:23. > :56:34.half. He's a bit close to the brown, isn't he? It will still go past the

:56:35. > :56:43.black. As you can see. Brown and blue needed to get another one back

:56:44. > :56:48.all stop -- to get another one back. The black is a good guide.

:56:49. > :57:03.Good shot. The crowd certainly like it. 16 points ahead. The blue, for a

:57:04. > :57:32.deficit of two. And in it goes, and the frame. Quite

:57:33. > :57:38.incredible. John Higgins is only one frame behind. 16-15. STUDIO: This

:57:39. > :57:42.final started at 2pm yesterday, we are in the 31st frame and is that

:57:43. > :57:48.one of the key moments that will decide the outcome of this final?

:57:49. > :57:56.The 40th anniversary Championship. Let's remind you what happened a few

:57:57. > :58:06.moments ago. Foul. Did it hit? I didn't see it hit. No? No. Free

:58:07. > :58:16.ball. I honestly didn't see it hit all stop -- didn't see it hit.

:58:17. > :58:27.If they aren't sure, honestly, I didn't see it hit, I'm going to

:58:28. > :58:30.stick with my decision. From that decision, John Higgins won the

:58:31. > :58:34.frame, he's only one behind in the final and let's get the opinions of

:58:35. > :58:38.Steve and John. You were watching closely, your impressions? I don't

:58:39. > :58:43.think it touched, I think the referee got it right. What's

:58:44. > :58:47.confusing, the light on the other angle. We can't see there because

:58:48. > :58:52.Jan is in the way but the light on the ball, you can see it coming up

:58:53. > :58:57.and it looks like it moves but I don't think it touched it. Because

:58:58. > :59:03.the ball is getting close, you can see it magnified on the black but I

:59:04. > :59:06.don't think it gets there. Steve? From one angle I thought it moved

:59:07. > :59:11.and from another, I don't think it did. If the cue ball comes to the

:59:12. > :59:20.black and rests on the black, that is deemed to have touched it, so

:59:21. > :59:24.there must have been a hit for there to be separation, otherwise Jan

:59:25. > :59:29.would have said touching ball. I don't think it touched it so I think

:59:30. > :59:35.Jan was correct. He was closest to it. The decision stands. Very much

:59:36. > :59:41.in Mark Selby's mind, how does he get it out of his mind and how could

:59:42. > :59:45.it affect him? He is the defending champion, the champion of the world.

:59:46. > :59:50.I know what his temperament is like and I think he'll cope with it but

:59:51. > :59:54.it's not a nice way to do it. It's inconclusive. Jan, ultimately the

:59:55. > :00:06.decision is with the referee. So Mark Selby breaks off.

:00:07. > :00:50.This frame, 32. The question was asked about John

:00:51. > :00:52.Higgins - what had he got left? He's certainly shown us the last couple

:00:53. > :01:16.of frames. Fantastic so far. Terrific cueing, under the

:01:17. > :01:22.circumstances. That was very special. His last positional shot

:01:23. > :01:26.was not the best. He can roll it into the corner. He's slightly

:01:27. > :01:35.hampered with that red. Didn't get much of a run of the ball

:01:36. > :01:46.earlier. Every time he missed, he seemed to

:01:47. > :01:49.stick one up and when Mark missed he got away with it. John's got away

:01:50. > :02:10.with it that time. That last shot again, watch Jan

:02:11. > :02:15.Verhaas coming into the shot. Look, Jan, he couldn't be any closer. He

:02:16. > :03:03.had the best view. That's why he's one of the all-time great referees.

:03:04. > :03:19.That's a terrific long pot. He'd wanted more pace to be on the black.

:03:20. > :03:21.He's got the straight blue, but it's not easy to get on the to a red from

:03:22. > :03:34.that. Feels he can see enough of the

:03:35. > :04:01.black. He's not on the red, but what a

:04:02. > :04:05.great effort. Another few inches not only would it have been a terrific

:04:06. > :04:56.pot, but a terrific positional shot. I just hope this next shot doesn't

:04:57. > :04:59.knock the black safe. He wouldn't want to see that either,

:05:00. > :05:41.the way he's playing. He could easily glance off the red

:05:42. > :05:45.and put the cue ball up towards the yellow pocket. That red is just

:05:46. > :05:51.sticking out left of the pack of reds, just left of the black there.

:05:52. > :05:53.So, that's why he's reluctant to play that shot.

:05:54. > :05:59.Doesn't want to leave a touching ball here when he plays this.

:06:00. > :06:01.He's touching ball. He could be in a bit of trouble.

:06:02. > :06:10.No touching ball. Surprised that Mark just rolled into

:06:11. > :06:38.the pack there, Ken? I thought it was a funny little shot

:06:39. > :06:44.to play. It didn't take them long to decide to start the frame again.

:06:45. > :06:49.They were going nowhere with that. Look at this, Ken. Look at the

:06:50. > :06:53.atmosphere. The crowds... Fantastic T I love this camera angle as the

:06:54. > :06:58.camera pans down over the crowd. It's blessed with such a, the home

:06:59. > :07:01.of the world champions here at the World Championships here at

:07:02. > :07:06.Sheffield. You can feel the tension, even here in the commentary box,

:07:07. > :07:12.Denis. Our hands are perspiring slightly.

:07:13. > :07:15.The atmosphere is electric. No better place to be for a

:07:16. > :07:50.professional snooker player. Not the best break off.

:07:51. > :07:52.See Mark as he peeled away towards his chair he was disappointed he's

:07:53. > :08:03.left John Higgins a few shot here. -- free shot here. He's not missed

:08:04. > :09:16.many of those the last few frames. So it's two cushions to the back of

:09:17. > :09:20.the reds. He'll still have to be a little

:09:21. > :09:30.careful. He'll have to judge it just right.

:09:31. > :09:50.Touching ball, but might just be able to reach this. He's quite a

:09:51. > :09:52.tall lad, Mark. He will need a little extension to help him

:09:53. > :10:10.possibly reach this, to cut it in. When he pots the red he'll be

:10:11. > :10:19.cannoning the red to the black. In turn it may push the black towards

:10:20. > :10:24.this bottom left-hand corner pocket. It's awkward. He might play around

:10:25. > :10:28.the angles now, get it in behind the green, tight on the cushion. Just to

:10:29. > :10:44.the right of where his chalk is there.

:10:45. > :10:52.Pretty good. Couple of reds down the right-hand side. OK, he's got a

:10:53. > :11:43.straightforward shot. We were here in the previous frame,

:11:44. > :11:45.we're back where there's not many options available. We could have

:11:46. > :12:28.another re-rack. A little bit of screw on it or just

:12:29. > :12:32.the pink also to bounce off. Yes, he's played off the red and the

:12:33. > :12:37.pink. The nudge on the green.

:12:38. > :13:36.It's helped John's case. He's looking at the red left of the

:13:37. > :13:42.pink. If the brown wasn't maybe so close

:13:43. > :13:49.to the cue ball, certainly wouldn't contemplate taking this on for so

:13:50. > :13:53.long. It's just cueing, got to be very careful with it.

:13:54. > :14:11.That is superb. Is he on the pink? That tells us a the story, he's not.

:14:12. > :14:18.What a positive shot to take on at this stage. Look what he was

:14:19. > :14:23.leaving. If the red doesn't go in as we show you this terrific cueing

:14:24. > :14:29.again. Very unlucky. He thought he was going to be on the pink.

:14:30. > :14:33.Straightaway he can tell, and the body language, there it is and he

:14:34. > :16:04.wasn't on the pink. But look where he left the cue ball.

:16:05. > :16:22.I think he's OK. There may be a red available.

:16:23. > :16:30.The green and blue's a good target. He's got choices of where he puts

:16:31. > :16:33.the cue ball this time. Green, brown are slightly bigger target to get

:16:34. > :16:38.back. Just be careful, John! You don't

:16:39. > :16:49.want to do yourself an injury at this stage!

:16:50. > :17:04.Too much haggis! Too much haggis he said!

:17:05. > :17:11.I don't know about this one. He hasn't got it over far enough.

:17:12. > :17:15.There's a gap through and the reds have opened up. This is a key shot

:17:16. > :17:19.coming up. Where's the gap? If he takes it on, he'll have to pot it.

:17:20. > :17:29.Look at those two reds and the black and the other reds.

:17:30. > :17:39.If you pot the red here, you are next to the pink, took it on, he was

:17:40. > :17:45.very, very positive. If there was a gap, straightforward

:17:46. > :17:52.gap to get back to baulk, you'd fancy him nine out of ten to pot

:17:53. > :17:58.this. But sometimes the reds just cloud your vision.

:17:59. > :18:04.Very good! Very good! Needs a bit of luck.

:18:05. > :18:22.You are never sure where they are going to finish. It was all making

:18:23. > :18:29.sure to knock the red in and he did that.

:18:30. > :18:32.He's got a slight angle on the yellow to play for the red, which is

:18:33. > :18:39.just to the right of the pink here. A few other reds available, but that

:18:40. > :18:43.would be the easiest one to get on. There's nothing easy. He's going to

:18:44. > :18:54.have to get so much screw on this yellow.

:18:55. > :19:05.How's your luck, Mark? He's OK.

:19:06. > :19:12.How well did he hit that yellow? He could hear the yellow hit the back

:19:13. > :19:16.of the pocket. So much pressure on that shot. He

:19:17. > :19:20.couldn't have hit it any sweeter. What a fantastic pot. And positional

:19:21. > :19:45.shot as well. Slightly hef you contact, taking a

:19:46. > :19:47.bit of the pace of the cue ball. -- heavy contact, taking a bit of

:19:48. > :20:41.the pace of the cue ball. That's what he was looking for

:20:42. > :20:45.there. He didn't get enough side on it.

:20:46. > :20:50.Left it just to the left of where he was playing it.

:20:51. > :21:08.And this is the result. Pink is on to the bottom right-hand

:21:09. > :21:13.pocket. He's looking at the black. I am just wondering as long as the

:21:14. > :21:15.black isn't tied up, the red to the right of the black spot, looks

:21:16. > :21:42.slightly in the way. What I have noticed Ken, he's moving

:21:43. > :21:55.around the table much quicker. He's back playing at his natural

:21:56. > :21:58.pace. Played that, didn't look much that

:21:59. > :22:02.shot, but he judged it to perfection.

:22:03. > :22:06.Needed to get on this red here. Pot the red.

:22:07. > :22:15.The red I spoke about earlier, the one sort of bottom right of the

:22:16. > :22:17.black. Needs that out the way as soon as

:22:18. > :22:43.possible. But it all came from that opening

:22:44. > :22:51.red. There was so much pressure on that.

:22:52. > :22:58.Play for that red that you mention, Ken. That is that opening red. Not

:22:59. > :23:01.sure what would happen on the cue ball. Such a good pot, deserved to

:23:02. > :23:11.be on something. This is why he's a defending

:23:12. > :23:15.champion and why he's been number one in the world for just over two

:23:16. > :23:17.years. Because he's producing this sort of

:23:18. > :23:59.stuff under extreme pressure. Calling for the cue ball to be

:24:00. > :24:03.cleaned. Composing himself. The pink will put him 50 points

:24:04. > :24:09.ahead. Two reds and blacks to follow.

:24:10. > :24:17.That will be 66 points ahead, with a possible 67 remaining. So he's going

:24:18. > :24:40.to need at least a contact with the five reds around below the pink.

:24:41. > :24:47.He's got the other red as a bit of insurance. Doesn't need to hit these

:24:48. > :24:51.too hard. Any sort of cannon will do, so long as he frees one of them,

:24:52. > :24:58.he's got the other to the left of the black there.

:24:59. > :25:05.Just needed a little nudge. That's all it took. I think there's one

:25:06. > :25:28.available at the back of that little bunch of reds there.

:25:29. > :25:37.Black will put him ahead. The bottom red of the five. Those pots, one

:25:38. > :25:43.more red and he's one frame away. One frame away from being champion

:25:44. > :25:45.of the world once more. This has been an incredible response

:25:46. > :25:49.from the defending champion. He needed a response. He's

:25:50. > :26:16.responded. What all the great champions are

:26:17. > :26:22.made of, when the back is against a wall, when you need a good break.

:26:23. > :26:24.You are able to hold yourself together under the extreme pressure.

:26:25. > :26:35.Boy, has he done it in this frame. This is a player that made 55

:26:36. > :26:39.centuries this season. 47 last season.

:26:40. > :26:44.47 3 in total. If he does get a century here, it

:26:45. > :26:54.will be one of his best. We've had 73 so far.

:26:55. > :27:11.Mark's had seven. It is a terrific effort, this, it

:27:12. > :27:20.has to be said. It all started with that long opening red.

:27:21. > :27:58.A tremendous opening red, followed by a very good positional shot from

:27:59. > :28:18.the yellow. What a session we've witnessed in

:28:19. > :28:38.these last few frames. A bit of controversy in the last

:28:39. > :28:46.frame. Mark Selby has duly put it out of his mind.

:28:47. > :28:55.Magnificent break. 121 from the defending champion. Mark Selby, he's

:28:56. > :29:00.only one away from re-claiming his crown. He leads the four-time world

:29:01. > :29:09.champion, John Higgins, by 17-15. STUDIO: At the end of the last frame

:29:10. > :29:14.I asked how he would put it out of his mind that controversy in frame

:29:15. > :29:17.31. Unbelievable! He could have sat there and let it fester, and worry

:29:18. > :29:20.about what has happened there. To come back with that century break,

:29:21. > :29:26.the opening Horrible shot, don't know where the

:29:27. > :29:31.cue ball will go. Made sure he hit the red in.

:29:32. > :29:39.The top-class sports people in the world go by the adage, stay in the

:29:40. > :29:45.moment, forget what is behind and don't look into the future. I think

:29:46. > :29:51.that is one of Mark Selby's greatest strengths. He won't take anything

:29:52. > :29:55.for granted, not against the four time John Higgins -- four time

:29:56. > :29:59.champion John Higgins, and what do you make of the way that Higgins

:30:00. > :30:06.took his chances, especially after that barrage he took against Mark?

:30:07. > :30:11.We are glad he came back but it's a tall order to overcome it. He's made

:30:12. > :30:18.a fight of it, for certain. If he crosses the line here, Mark Selby, a

:30:19. > :30:23.third title in four years, the most dominant performance in terms of

:30:24. > :30:27.years going by, since a certain Steve Hendry and Steve Davis. You'd

:30:28. > :30:34.have to feel that he's in that bracket. Of course, Ronnie

:30:35. > :30:37.O'Sullivan as well. Mark Selby's all-round matchplay deserves to win

:30:38. > :30:42.World Championships, it's every facet of his game. His safety play

:30:43. > :30:49.is excellent, if you want a scrap, he can do that, his temperament, as

:30:50. > :30:54.we've seen, is outstanding. He's an ultimate machine when it comes to

:30:55. > :30:57.playing matches. Currently, for somebody to come along and outplay

:30:58. > :31:02.him, it is some sort of standard they must produce because he will

:31:03. > :31:06.always be in with a shout in every World Championship. If he stays in

:31:07. > :31:10.the moment he's going to be here for a few more years. The nature of this

:31:11. > :31:16.tournament suits his style of play, he's going to get better and

:31:17. > :31:20.stronger. The Ding Junhui match took a bit out of him, which is

:31:21. > :31:25.understandable but the nature of this, the long format suits his

:31:26. > :31:30.game. His percentages, the shots he plays, the way he can play matches.

:31:31. > :31:37.His concentration and mental stamina, extraordinary but he still

:31:38. > :31:44.got -- but he's still to get over the line.

:31:45. > :31:55.COMMENTATOR: John Higgins breaks off in what he hopes won't be his last

:31:56. > :31:58.frame in this year's World Championships. He's anxiously

:31:59. > :32:03.looking to see if he's left a possible red but even if he has,

:32:04. > :32:11.it's not an angle to take on and be on the black. That's the angle and

:32:12. > :32:14.it would be heading towards the red. I think he'll push it back up the

:32:15. > :32:29.table, play a safety shot. He'd wait for it much better chance

:32:30. > :32:45.than that. 11 hours of some brilliant snooker.

:32:46. > :32:59.I think he's OK. It's going to wobble. There were a few casts from

:33:00. > :33:01.the crowd, thought it was going in. We needed John Virgo to ask where

:33:02. > :33:24.the cue ball was going! That magnificent 131 break, just

:33:25. > :33:27.under 11 minutes. To be precise, ten minutes and 48 seconds. But what a

:33:28. > :33:49.break. Someone making a bit of noise. Jan

:33:50. > :33:58.Verhaas giving someone the evil eye there. 23 years, he's been a top

:33:59. > :34:10.referee. Couldn't meet a nicer fellow, either.

:34:11. > :34:32.He hasn't parted it, has he? -- potted it it is What a shot that is.

:34:33. > :34:39.He looked at it a few times. Didn't have many options, he was looking at

:34:40. > :34:45.the pack of reds. It was a shot of safety and he's got a good cue ball

:34:46. > :34:53.behind the green. It's definitely safe now. What a cut it was. As John

:34:54. > :34:58.Virgo said a few times during the final, he's a shotmaker, Mark Selby.

:34:59. > :35:00.He can come out with some fantastic shots and this was certainly one of

:35:01. > :35:14.them. This is awkward, he's going to need

:35:15. > :35:16.the spider if he's going to come off a couple of cushions and go into the

:35:17. > :35:32.pack. Awkward cueing, this. That's what he's looking at. My

:35:33. > :35:36.first line is probably out a little bit but that's what he'd love to

:35:37. > :35:47.play. That's awkward with the spider.

:35:48. > :35:59.Foul. The green moved. He's going to have to have it put back again here.

:36:00. > :36:15.Not too many moved. He's hit the reds. Oh, it isn't a

:36:16. > :36:25.miss. He hit it with his cue. He's fouled it, so it's not a miss.

:36:26. > :36:34.That's a good call from Jan Verhaas. The cue ball hit the reds. It's just

:36:35. > :36:42.a foul. I think Jan knows the rules better than the players! Sometimes

:36:43. > :36:46.the players don't always know. Mark says, you've had a result there and

:36:47. > :36:53.he certainly has. OK, settle down, thank you. He has hit the reds. He

:36:54. > :37:06.hit the green with his cue. It's a good call, it's a brave call

:37:07. > :37:07.from Jan Verhaas. One of those rare situations where you gain an

:37:08. > :37:31.advantage after playing a foul. He'll be a bit upset, Mark Selby. He

:37:32. > :37:45.had John in all sorts of trouble there. One of those situations, the

:37:46. > :37:53.referee is perfectly correct. I wonder, if you asked the players,

:37:54. > :37:57.how many would get that right. Not many, but he's played an excellent

:37:58. > :38:03.safety shot. As a player, you'd feel aggrieved. You play a really telling

:38:04. > :38:07.snooker, you have your opponent in all sorts of trouble and he fouled

:38:08. > :38:15.the green with his cue, but technically he has hit the reds. He

:38:16. > :38:22.may be forced into trying to pot the red into the right corner. He's made

:38:23. > :38:29.a few terrific shots. What he would give for one now.

:38:30. > :38:41.No, he just played the safety shot. Because now John Higgins knows, one

:38:42. > :39:13.mistake and it's all over. Mark Selby saying it was a good

:39:14. > :39:17.shot. It's not straightforward to get the cue ball back to baulk and

:39:18. > :39:31.keep the reds safe over the right centre. He is worried about playing

:39:32. > :39:39.the red directly off the cue ball now. Where will the red be going?

:39:40. > :39:43.He's having a look where he once the cue ball. I don't blame him for

:39:44. > :40:35.taking his time over this one. Just wondering... John Higgins, he's

:40:36. > :40:41.coming around to look at the very difficult red to the right middle

:40:42. > :40:46.pocket. The angle he's looking at. There's one double, the one above

:40:47. > :40:52.the black, if he can find a spot for the cue ball where he is on the

:40:53. > :41:00.black and not leaving anything, he might take on the double. He was

:41:01. > :41:04.down to play the double, a change of plan. Back looking to the right

:41:05. > :41:19.middle. A big shot, this. Doesn't like it. Because he knows,

:41:20. > :41:33.one mistake and it's all over. The double is the safer option. It's not

:41:34. > :41:38.far away. It's pretty close. Ooh! Look where he was, if the red had

:41:39. > :41:56.dropped. Right in amongst them. Let's have a look at this one again.

:41:57. > :42:09.He may have thought it was in when he hit it. Mark Selby is the -- Mark

:42:10. > :42:16.Selby has to be careful, the double-kiss here. Get the cue ball

:42:17. > :42:22.over beside the green and brown. Good effort. Six, eight inches and

:42:23. > :42:55.that would have been excellent. A beautiful view of this wonderful

:42:56. > :43:02.theatre. The Crucible. 40 years of history here. A lot of great

:43:03. > :43:13.champions have graced that carpet and this is one of them, playing

:43:14. > :43:20.this shot. What a match we've enjoyed. And we still don't know the

:43:21. > :43:26.winner. He's in a bit of a predicament here. Quite a clever

:43:27. > :43:31.shot that Mark Selby played, he's got to nestle onto this red below

:43:32. > :43:41.the black on the left. Got to be very careful here.

:43:42. > :43:56.He's not even looking at the red next to it. Now he is. He can't get

:43:57. > :44:02.it onto the black. The red he would leave is the one that he'd be trying

:44:03. > :44:06.to pot along the cushion. He's just working out where to put the cue

:44:07. > :44:09.ball. It's a big shot but if it goes in, he's on the black. The only red

:44:10. > :44:35.he could leave. He doesn't like it. That's where Mark Selby's friends

:44:36. > :44:41.and family are. His good friend, his wife, Vicki, and Gareth Potts, one

:44:42. > :44:44.of the good pool players. Looking about whether he's going to take on

:44:45. > :45:23.this shot. He isn't. This is a good shot. This is an

:45:24. > :45:26.excellent shot. It's a brilliant shot!

:45:27. > :45:38.APPLAUSE Mark Selby immediately tapped his

:45:39. > :45:39.cue on the table because there's nothing to play there, only the

:45:40. > :46:01.brown. That's just saying, well played,

:46:02. > :46:09.John. Yeah he was just a couple of inches from all sorts of trouble.

:46:10. > :46:13.The cue ball just passed by the brown. The red that's closest to the

:46:14. > :46:19.right centre pocket, he can play a safety shot off that. But it's

:46:20. > :46:27.fought with a lot of danger. He has to be so precise.

:46:28. > :46:34.Nestling the cue ball on the bottom cushion here. That's good pace,

:46:35. > :46:46.there's the red to the left centre. That's what he's looking at, Ken.

:46:47. > :47:44.Now, what a shock this would be. Such a brave red to take on at this

:47:45. > :47:56.stage. The more difficult shot that John took on, and Mark Selby refused

:47:57. > :48:03.and Mac easier one. -- an easier one. He had a chance for the red to

:48:04. > :48:04.the black cushion. It was easier than the one that John dropped,

:48:05. > :48:17.believe me. It helps that the pink is on the

:48:18. > :48:28.black spot. It was occupied previously.

:48:29. > :48:38.Some of the snooker that John has produced to get himself back into

:48:39. > :48:47.this final, to lead 10-4, and then it was 12 out of 14 frames, and then

:48:48. > :48:52.to be playing like this. This isn't what he wanted. What have you played

:48:53. > :49:07.there, John? Well, he's found the gap. He can't

:49:08. > :49:12.believe himself. Just went into the cue ball too much. Any sort of

:49:13. > :49:23.contact on the red around the pink spot would have been perfect.

:49:24. > :49:29.He got down and thought, there's no problem with the positional side of

:49:30. > :50:35.it. And found the most awkward spots.

:50:36. > :50:44.Off the green and brown, the yellow is the only one you can get behind

:50:45. > :50:49.comic you're looking to get as tight to the cushion as possible and that

:50:50. > :50:51.was pretty good from Mark Sobhi. Can John returned the compliment? --

:50:52. > :51:24.from Mark Selby. No problem getting down the left

:51:25. > :51:29.side of the table here. It's who's going to get the white in the most

:51:30. > :51:37.record position, and that's what Mark has got in mind. We've seen

:51:38. > :51:43.John do that. Can the defending champion play a similar shot to the

:51:44. > :51:55.one John played a few moments ago? Here it comes, and there's plenty of

:51:56. > :52:04.of pace on it. Does John take this shot on? It will be very risky. I

:52:05. > :52:14.think he's just looking at the possibility of potting one into the

:52:15. > :52:22.corner. But if the green is over the pocket, is there a path for what

:52:23. > :52:27.he's playing? I think there is. Too thin and he has cannoned the blue.

:52:28. > :52:41.Is it going to come to the rescue? Not quite. Ugh. He mis-hit the red,

:52:42. > :52:51.over cutting it, and what a chance for Mark Selby. He's got to

:52:52. > :52:55.negotiate the cue ball. He has the pink, blue or green but he's got to

:52:56. > :53:04.get away from the reds that are close to the right-hand corner

:53:05. > :53:13.pocket. There is a gap. Yeah there are a few options. It would be risky

:53:14. > :53:18.to play a cannoned off the left, he would be perfect on the pink. He's

:53:19. > :53:25.thinking of all the options here. Blue, the green. He can please

:53:26. > :53:31.himself. As long as he doesn't get a full ball cannon. He would like the

:53:32. > :53:36.cue ball in the middle of the table to give himself some options. As

:53:37. > :53:45.long as he doesn't catch the pink full, he should be OK. He's played

:53:46. > :53:58.that very well. He's on the blue and the green. He's OK.

:53:59. > :54:07.The cue ball needs to go in and out of baulk.

:54:08. > :54:18.It's a chance that he may have been waiting for.

:54:19. > :55:06.Well, they all know that this is a big chance for Mark Selby. He won

:55:07. > :55:19.the final last year, 18-14 against Ding Junhui.

:55:20. > :55:25.The toughest frame to win is the one that gets you over the line but

:55:26. > :55:26.you're talking about the defending champion and world number one, he's

:55:27. > :55:55.used to it. Just a bit awkward. The cue ball

:55:56. > :56:03.needed to travel a few Mark inches. -- a few more inches. 67 points

:56:04. > :56:19.would be a third world title in four years. Good shot. Doesn't have much

:56:20. > :56:33.work to do with the cue ball. Red to the right centre. Possibly a couple

:56:34. > :56:38.of reds to the right below the pink. The black looks like it pots to the

:56:39. > :56:43.left corner pocket. He can get on the black here as well. He's coming

:56:44. > :56:48.around to have a look. If he drops the red and gets on the black that

:56:49. > :56:51.would open things up nicely. He would normally do that but I think

:56:52. > :56:54.he's looking at all of the options so nothing can go wrong, but that's

:56:55. > :57:32.the shot, on the black. He's OK. He didn't play for this

:57:33. > :57:40.one, he's trying to play for the one that the cue ball is closest to. He

:57:41. > :57:47.jabbed at it but he always had plenty of options. Four reds with

:57:48. > :57:54.high value colours would be enough. Five reds, four after this, and the

:57:55. > :57:56.black. He doesn't need those two reds below the black on the bottom

:57:57. > :58:12.cushion. All of a sudden you can hear a pin

:58:13. > :58:22.drop at the Crucible Theatre, as John looks on. Vicki, well, she's

:58:23. > :58:31.not looking at the moment. She knows he's very close.

:58:32. > :58:38.Looking at the school board -- score board, a bit of nervous energy

:58:39. > :58:53.there. That's fine, he isn't hampered this

:58:54. > :59:02.time. He held the cue ball nicely there. He's just composing himself,

:59:03. > :59:06.checking the scores again. He's done his calculations, he knows that he

:59:07. > :59:16.won't need those two reds below the black.

:59:17. > :59:29.You can see it, 29 points ahead, 67 remaining. He is honing in on a

:59:30. > :59:33.second World Championship in four and is coming credible achievement,

:59:34. > :59:37.Dennis. When you consider he was 10-4 down on us all at sea, he had

:59:38. > :00:03.lost his confidence. It's quite a remarkable turnaround.

:00:04. > :00:10.Every credit to John Higgins here, at 41 years of age she had a

:00:11. > :00:15.defending champion on the rack for a while. But he came back to river

:00:16. > :00:23.this evening with three frames, and 88 break and a century to put

:00:24. > :00:33.pressure on Mark Selby. Well, he's saying a few prayers there. 44

:00:34. > :00:42.points ahead, 51 remaining. This red will put him 45 ahead, which is 43

:00:43. > :00:51.remaining. This has been sensational, Dennis, such drama. It

:00:52. > :00:56.is worse for the people watching than it is the people out there

:00:57. > :01:00.playing. Both players have given us a fantastic final, and both families

:01:01. > :01:03.can be very proud. John's family have been down for the two days. He

:01:04. > :01:21.almost pulled it off. CHEERING

:01:22. > :01:26.Well, it's just a little reaction. And that's probably, with respect to

:01:27. > :01:37.John Higgins, how is he feeling? John Higgins looks very tired now.

:01:38. > :01:41.And it's hard to describe how he'll be feeling inside. John will be

:01:42. > :01:47.disappointed, because it looked as if he was going to defeat the

:01:48. > :01:54.defending world champion. It is Hogg is all around. John Higgins

:01:55. > :01:59.certainly ask the question. But in the end, Mark Selby certainly came

:02:00. > :02:05.up with all of the answers. Absolutely brilliant.

:02:06. > :02:15.APPLAUSE And an exhibition shot, look at

:02:16. > :02:24.this! That's the way to finish the World Championship! What a shot!

:02:25. > :02:34.APPLAUSE He has made some unbelievable shots

:02:35. > :02:38.in this year's Betfred World Championship, it has to be said.

:02:39. > :02:47.What a turnaround. 10-4, as you said. Selby has done it! The

:02:48. > :02:51.defending champion. Isn't it nice to see John Higgins coming forward, the

:02:52. > :03:04.perfect, the defending war champion, hogs all around. What a win for Mark

:03:05. > :03:06.Selby. -- hugs all around. He becomes the 2017 world champion.

:03:07. > :03:23.Well played, boys. Ladies and gentlemen, that was a

:03:24. > :03:28.final worthy of the 40th anniversary year at the Crucible Theatre.

:03:29. > :03:35.Congratulations to Mark, and severe and Vicky. And a family moment. With

:03:36. > :03:40.our heroic runner-up, John, six years to get back to us, the sixth

:03:41. > :03:44.Crucible final. You played such a courageous part tonight, what can

:03:45. > :03:50.you say about this man's adhesive qualities? He just will not go away?

:03:51. > :03:54.He is granite, absolutely granite. In the second session, I had my

:03:55. > :03:59.chances. The ball that held it for me was missing in the middle bag, I

:04:00. > :04:03.could have won 9-3 in the front. That may not have made the

:04:04. > :04:07.difference in the end, who knows, but that was a big, big frame. Mark

:04:08. > :04:11.did what he always does, clears up under the most extreme pressure.

:04:12. > :04:16.He's a fantastic champion. You pushed him all the way, John. It is

:04:17. > :04:21.19 years since you first appeared in a Crucible final, that is the

:04:22. > :04:24.longest span in Crucible history. It is a remarkable, remarkable

:04:25. > :04:30.achievement. Isn't it, ladies and gentlemen?

:04:31. > :04:39.CHEERING And, John, you've also shot back up

:04:40. > :04:42.to world number two at the age of 41. And there's so much to be proud

:04:43. > :04:47.about in this run. How much have you enjoyed being part of this final

:04:48. > :04:52.against? It has been an unbelievable tournament, the 40th year

:04:53. > :04:55.anniversary. I couldn't have asked... I gave everything and I

:04:56. > :05:00.just came up short to a great champion. He was too good on the

:05:01. > :05:04.day. I know you wanted a fifth, John. But next year is the 20th

:05:05. > :05:08.anniversary of your victory, come back and do it again! Thank you very

:05:09. > :05:14.much, John Higgins, ladies and gentlemen.

:05:15. > :05:18.APPLAUSE Here he is, our champion. Three

:05:19. > :05:22.times in Quadri years, you are getting the hang of this, Mark!

:05:23. > :05:25.Unbelievable, I can't believe it really. I'm still pinching myself

:05:26. > :05:31.now. I want to say congratulations to John. To get out 10-7 yesterday,

:05:32. > :05:35.I fault of the moon, because I literally hit the wall, I had

:05:36. > :05:40.nothing left. John outplayed me mostly yesterday. To get out 10-7, I

:05:41. > :05:51.felt over the moon. Today I came back fresh and played a lot better

:05:52. > :05:54.stop you said it yourself, six frame difference yesterday. You won those

:05:55. > :05:57.free at the end of last night, so crucial. You went on a run of 12

:05:58. > :05:59.frames in 14. What kicked in for your last night, Mark? I was more or

:06:00. > :06:03.less missing everything at 10-4, I had nothing left. I said to myself,

:06:04. > :06:08.try and pull yourself together and try and find something. Go down

:06:09. > :06:12.fighting, you know. I tried to find something, unfortunately enough for

:06:13. > :06:15.me John missed a few balls you wouldn't expect him to miss, he gave

:06:16. > :06:21.me a few chances to get back in the match. He came back at you, frame

:06:22. > :06:28.41, a really big frame. How did you put that out of your mind and come

:06:29. > :06:32.back fighting? I spoke to John, John and Steve and they said it didn't,

:06:33. > :06:36.to be fair for John he even asked if he wanted a replay, which was kind

:06:37. > :06:42.of him. I had to put it out of my mind. You are in the world final so

:06:43. > :06:45.you have to just all out. A big congratulations to John, he is a

:06:46. > :06:49.great guy off the table and a great guy on the table, a worthy champion

:06:50. > :06:56.and one of the all-time greats. To play him in another final as special

:06:57. > :06:58.occasion. Well said, thank you, Mark. Just finally, ladies and

:06:59. > :07:03.gentlemen, it means that you now drawing Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry

:07:04. > :07:07.and Ronnie O'Sullivan as the only guys to win back-to-back here at the

:07:08. > :07:12.Crucible. That is a club how special to be a member of it? Very special,

:07:13. > :07:17.to get over those two wins and to be out there on my own is unbelievable,

:07:18. > :07:21.really. To be only one of four players to defend it is just

:07:22. > :07:27.something I can only dream of. Ladies and gentlemen, your 40th

:07:28. > :07:39.anniversary champion, Mark Selby! CHEERING

:07:40. > :07:46.APPLAUSE Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome

:07:47. > :07:47.your presentation party. Barry Hearn, chairman of World

:07:48. > :08:01.Snooker. Ladies and gentlemen, your runner-up

:08:02. > :08:05.receiving a silver medal and a cheque for ?160,000. Two decades at

:08:06. > :08:10.the top, and he's still going strong. John Higgins!

:08:11. > :08:34.CHEERING And the winner, receiving a cheque

:08:35. > :08:39.for ?375,000. The trophy, and the title, 2017 Betfred World Snooker

:08:40. > :08:42.champion, Leicester's hat-trick hero, Mark Selby!

:08:43. > :08:55.CHEERING Once again, your champion, Mark

:08:56. > :09:14.Selby! So, the celebrations can start for

:09:15. > :09:19.real now for our champion once again. As we've been saying, three

:09:20. > :09:23.in four years. That really is a fantastic domination. He has been

:09:24. > :09:28.world number one for 116 weeks consecutively. Chua one bat on,

:09:29. > :09:31.Mark! And he finishes this season for the sixth year in a row as the

:09:32. > :09:36.world number one. What a dominant world champion he is. Truly

:09:37. > :09:40.brilliant player. Honestly, John Higgins couldn't have said it any

:09:41. > :09:45.better, granite. The pair of them are, they are two exemplary match

:09:46. > :09:51.players. John has won four world champions is off championships, that

:09:52. > :09:55.is no coincidence. They know their way around as said the table better

:09:56. > :10:02.than most. He is going to take a lot of knocking off the number one spot.

:10:03. > :10:05.He has won five big events this season. Joining Stephen Hendry and

:10:06. > :10:09.Ding Junhui, who also hold the record in world ranking events, the

:10:10. > :10:15.fifth win of the season, the first man to do the China open world

:10:16. > :10:17.double as well. And he smashes through the ?1 million earnings

:10:18. > :10:21.barrier in the two year rolling rankings as well. So many firsts

:10:22. > :10:25.that this guy is now beginning to achieve. Yes, and when we look at

:10:26. > :10:35.the field of players of potential winners, to think there is a

:10:36. > :10:37.dominant character forcing his way through is just amazing. I wonderful

:10:38. > :10:39.moment! Sofia is stealing the show! He is an exceptional player, an

:10:40. > :10:45.exceptional matchplay. It is going to be take some performance to knock

:10:46. > :10:48.off the perch in the next few years. Some young player will come through

:10:49. > :10:52.who actually take every part of his game on board but becomes stronger.

:10:53. > :10:57.You know, we are close to the ceiling of performance now. He was

:10:58. > :11:03.pushed so hard, the semifinal and final, but he just finds a way to

:11:04. > :11:06.win. The reserves, the stamina, the mental concentration, everything

:11:07. > :11:13.about him. He just wins. And it's happening a lot. And there's the

:11:14. > :11:17.question, how many more times is it likely to happen now? Because we

:11:18. > :11:20.might be looking at a guy who could seriously challenge in terms of

:11:21. > :11:27.maybe five or six or knows thereafter. He's only 33, John. He

:11:28. > :11:31.is the benchmark, it is simple as that. If you're going to win this to

:11:32. > :11:34.be injured, somebody is going to have to play exceptionally well to

:11:35. > :11:39.beat him, because he is a wiki is the man to beat -- to win this you

:11:40. > :11:43.will have to beat him. We have talked about the man's longevity,

:11:44. > :11:46.John Higgins. A couple of years ago he said he was a journeyman player

:11:47. > :11:55.and he was never going to be coming back. Look at this, world number two

:11:56. > :11:58.again stop it must inspire him, when he looks back at the season he has

:11:59. > :12:00.had, I think he will go, this is just wonderful. In what could be

:12:01. > :12:04.considered the autumn of his career, to get this confirmation, he will go

:12:05. > :12:08.for a few more years get himself. The celebrations will continue at

:12:09. > :12:13.the Crucible. Time to come. You never know, Mark Selby usually does

:12:14. > :12:16.little stint on the karaoke at the party afterwards, we are looking

:12:17. > :12:20.forward to seeing the champion strutting his stuff once again. And

:12:21. > :12:26.of course you boys, I know you've got a great voice! Thank you for

:12:27. > :12:31.your Steve off -- thank you, Steve and John for your company. After a

:12:32. > :12:35.17 day contribution, it is time for a big break from all of us! We are

:12:36. > :12:39.taking a long restful time being. Thank you for being with us on this

:12:40. > :12:41.journey this year, and of course every year for the last 40 years.

:12:42. > :13:50.From the Crucible, good night. You are not a fun person

:13:51. > :13:56.to share a trishaw with.