Wednesday, 1st Round, Morning Snooker: World Championship

Good morning to you. He's the man with a power game and the powerful

name. He's Judd Trump and many expect him to power through this

year's Betfred World Championship in the Crucible in Sheffield. He turned

up here as the joint favourite to win a first crown. Finally, one of

the most exciting players of his generation. Judd Trump.

The question. He has enjoyed a consistent season with two titles

and he's featured in five world ranking finals. Looks like he was on

his way against Rory McLeod and ranked 52 places below the world

number two. Trump powered 4-0 in front but Rory McLeod found his

rhythm and halted him in his tracks claiming the next four to level.

With a stunned Trump, crossed the line to take a 5-4 overnight lead.

This was not in the script. They will come back this morning to pay

-- played ten frames. Will we get a charging Judd Trump this morning? He

is capable of rattling off multiple frames in concession. He leaves a

spark of inspiration. There is Judd Trump backstage. He is getting ready

to face Rory in this final session. Keeping himself quiet away from the

cameras right now. There is Rory McLeod. Ryan Day is the only

Welshman in this draw. He is playing Xiao Guodong. It was a late night in

hair with a long evening session. Rob Walker is as fresh as a daisy

and he's ready and waiting in the arena. Good morning. Good morning

ladies and gentlemen. Day five will keep the Crucible dream alive for

more players and by the end of tomorrow night, we will have

completed the round-up for the second round of the Betfred World

Championship. The action continues here at the home of snooker.

CHEERING. Please welcome, first of all, a man

whose securities second Crucible appearance after beating Mark King

in the qualifiers. One of six Chinese players to make it here to

the Crucible. Xiao Guodong. And his opponent, back for the first

time in six years stopped three times he's made the quarters here

and runner-up in this season's World Grand Prix Darts. The only Welshman

in the Championship, he is Ryan Day. Music plays.

On table two a man defying the years. At 46, the oldest player

still in the tournament. Yesterday he drew on those decades of

experience to turn a 4-0 deficit into a 5-4 lead. What a day it was.

It is the Highlander, Rory McLeod. And finally, a player who has been

at the top all season. Five big finals, two more titles, the

European Masters and the World Championship runner-up. Will he come

out all guns blazing? He is the ace in the pack. Judd Trump.

All live on the red button. You can enjoy the climax right here on BBC

Two. It is Judd Trump against Rory McLeod. We are watching a

potentially fascinating session here. Good morning to Peter Ebdon

and Dennis Taylor. Sorry, it is John Virgo and Stephen

Hendrie. It is early. Good morning, everybody. This is a very

interesting session we have got here. Judd Trump led 4-0 and looks

like getting away with this. Then was 5-4 behind. No slip-ups today

for one of the favourites of this tournament.

Playing for the red that is just to the right of the black. This looks

to be inch perfect. Well played. Beautiful shot.

A shocker of a kick. You saw them jump there. Unlucky but in the

situation he is in, he can't afford to have any bad runs of all. He

wants all things to be equal. In the second half of the match

yesterday, he was maybe trying too hard. He doesn't want the frames to

get scrappy. Ends up frustrated. Somehow, the cue Paul ended up

finishing close to side cushion. -- ball.

That was well played. First frame of the morning. That was nicely

controlled. Sounded like another heavy contact

there. Has he had a result? Can he get through to the red below the

pink? Certainly can. No problem. Didn't strike that one

with a lot of authority. This is not the stop Judd Trump

wanted. He's just got to think about the result, now.

The most important thing is getting the result.

He has two fight the frustration factor.

He didn't make the best job of that. Try to play cannon, there. Nowhere

near. There is a gap between the green and

brown. He has quite an easy safety shot here. The way he is looking, I

think you can get to that red. Pretty good. The red on the

left-hand side of the table is in a portable position.

That is what he tried to do. How is your luck? 20 points behind.

Quite comfortably. But it's gone wrong. This is where he's got to

show a bit of patience. Something he didn't do in the second sessions.

First nine frames. That is a pretty good safety shot.

You can just get past the blue. That's a good shot. That is

absolutely top drawer. That is an excellent reply. A great

shot. You won't see too many better shot than the last two.

Doesn't really want to play off the red.

Pretty good. The pace is not so good. He's not left anything. This

is dangerous, as well. He's not going to even take it on.

Just a bit thin. That's why he caught the blue. Can't afford any

slip-ups this morning. He's put himself under pressure in this

match. Excellent length. As you can see,

can't get through to the porting angle on this red. Match time, just

over three hours. Both players at 88%. That is below

what is required, usually, to win a match at the Crucible. Long pot

success, that is pretty good for Judd Trump. This is the key one for

me. Job -- Judd Trump, highest break, 55. You expect him to score

higher than that. The swing of the Cuban shows Rory

think that rolled off. I don't know what he has spied here.

Does that read go? It is tight. -- does that red go?

If you are going to play it, you had better be sure.

Is he doing a little bit of meditation there? For me, that was

the right shot and it was a good one.

This is turning into a massive frame, now.

Trump wants to play an aggressive safety shot. 5-4 down from there he

can't go -- can't afford to go 6-4 down. He can't afford to the four

frames. Desperately trying to force a

mistake from Rory. You can almost see the frustration

in Judd Trump's face when he comes to the table.

The position he has found himself in, he has to mix it up. Try and win

the frame at all costs. It might be messy, it might not be as clean.

The most important thing is to win the frame.

Not a bad kiss on the green. He has to keep going the way he is going

and has got to lead and try and frustrate Judd as much as he can.

The angle he has finished up on, he will have to play for the black and

leave himself high on it. Just about OK. Always need a little

bit of luck. A little bit too much angle on the

black to get fit contact right into the middle of the bunch.

Can only assume there he put a little bit too much side on it. You

could see a little bit of movement there. Just enough to prove that is

tension. I didn't expect him to miss it. A

little bit of tension in the arm and it only needs a fraction.

Played that pretty well. He has the cue ball tight to the cushion. It

will not be easy for Judd to get it back there.

That was a very poor shot from Judd. I don't know what he was trying to

do, in all honesty. He was trying to play the cross double and get the

cue ball down the end of the table. Close. Judd, a little bit fortunate

not to leave anything easier than mat. I expected Rory to knock that

in. We talk about the pressure on Judd

Trump to win this but also the pressure on Rory McLeod, he finds

himself ahead against one of the favourites for the title. And a

chance to win. He will be under it as well.

It is just not happening at the moment.

Like the other red he missed in the pocket, it was straighter, art, he

hit it on the wrong -- but he hit it. Just not getting

through the cue ball straight at the moment. That seems the only

possibility. The more he misses, the more it will enhance the confidence

of his opponent. Well, I suppose, you can understand

his refusing them. If he were to refuse it he should not have run the

cue ball into the yellow. He is struggling out there, Judd

Trump. It is funny, the position he has

found himself in. And that did not sound like a good contact, but every

bit of bad luck that goes against him will be multiplied.

He got in early in the frame and had a bad contact.

This could be behind the brown, if it runs. He has played excellent

safety shots. This red is pottable. The reason I say pottable, I think

he will take it on. It is easier than the safety.

Now whether -- has he got away with it? I think he has.

Good pot. Right in the middle of the pocket. That is what he needed.

A nice angle on the yellow to screw the cue ball back up the table.

This is where he has to play one shot at a time. Not to get ahead of

himself. The first frame is so important.

One of the main reasons he came into this tournament, I mean people said

he was favourite, I thought he was joint favourite with Mark Selby, is

because people thought he had matured and his all-round game has

improved. He has proved that with excellent safety. Yesterday, when he

got the 4-0 lead, he went back to the old Judd Trump. You cannot win

the championship playing like that. Still looking for two reds, two high

value colours. It is not a formality. Asking for the cue ball

to be cleaned. He was not happy with the contact. It is not too bad. The

green is in an awkward position. He has to be careful he is not covered

by the green. The cue ball with a natural angle on

the black, to drop in on this red, which was happy.

A snooker needed. He would have liked to play the cannon on the red.

He will be extra careful. One snooker, we have seen so far in the

tournament, does not guarantee the frame.

He will be breathing more easily now. A good, long red. Leaving his

opponent needing a snooker. He cannot afford to let his

concentration slip yet. A great chance now to clinch this

first frame, which is so important for Judd Trump.

This red will finish it off. He has played this frame pretty

well. He missed a couple of long pots but some of his safety shots

have been excellent. He has perhaps not won the frame he would like but

at this point in the match, it does not matter. It is just getting those

frames on the board. We can see the importance of it. As

Rory... I do not know whether it is meditation, or he wants to rest his

eyes. The longest frame of the match so far, that is how important it was

to both players. An exhibition shot. If it drops, he

gets a nice round of applause, but not quite. That is enough. Rory

opens his eyes and says yes, that is enough, refereed. Judd Trump led 4-0

and went to 5-4 behind, now it is all square. I was saying that Judd's

safety in that frame was the key to creating chances. He had a couple of

chances before that and a couple of reds like this, which he missed. A

bit worrying. Maybe it was too much angle to follow-through off two

cushions. The movement is slight. It proves it was not a smooth delivery.

He is almost gritting his teeth. That is purely tension.

This one, give him a little bit because he was hampered. He struck

it not bad. When you miss opportunities, you are trusting to

luck you do not leave the red on. And he was fortunate not to do that.

Anyway, he will be glad he won the first frame. The question is, can he

push on? Perhaps yesterday Judd Trump was

frustrated by Rory McLeod's play and on the other side of the coin, if

Judd can be patient, play good safety, that will frustrate Rory.

Perhaps Rory will expect job to come out and try everything today. I am

sure he looked at that possibility. With an attacking player you can

always think, I will get chances. That relaxes you more, you feel you

do not have to push the boat out. In the first frame, Judd's safety play

was better than Rory's. Not only missed the red, but in such

a way he has left an easy starter for Judd. That is not what he

wanted. He is looking at this. There are two

ways to play it, he could play the run-through, or he could play the

stun. He would release the pink. He could possibly be on the black. I

preferred the stun to the run-through.

In the end, he seemed to be more concerned with getting on the next

colour. Judd is looking at the pack. He is

not looking at a plant, but if he gets an angle on the blue, if he

goes into the pink to smash the reds up, will he not a red in? He will

play for a baulk colour to go into the bunch. Half ball angle on the

yellow would be nice. Oh, dear. You have to pop the red first. That is

careless. It is the World Championship. It has

its own type of pressure. Sometimes you play a shot like that and relax,

thinking, I cannot miss it. Take nothing for granted here. If he is

going to win the match today, he has to put everything into every shot.

Rory McLeod has the angle I was talking about, the yellow. It is a

big target. The line of reds below the pink.

Well, he has missed the main bunch but he has been fortunate he is on

this red. That is the red Judd was looking at, it was always going

towards that corner pocket. He is OK. He has a nice angle to

stun this in. Maybe he would have liked more of an angle to go into

the cluster and still play for this red. I do not think at the moment he

is thinking that far ahead. Just pick off what is there.

Not a great pack to go into. The red closest to the black, if he could

stun into that, it could release reds and that could be developed. He

played a screw shot. He has nothing to go out. The way he

is eyeing this up, the red passes the yellow. He has a good cue action

for this type of shot. Solid, pushing the cue through straight. I

did not expect him to hit it that hard.

There was nothing smooth. That is not good cueing. There is no need to

hit it at this pace. That was pretty well paid. He knew

he would be on the black and knew he was not moving anything. Maybe the

red he played. He knew the cue ball would end up there.

If I were Judd Trump, that would give me heart, the way Rory played

the last red. Another excellent safety shot from

Judd. Missed it on the way up, where will

it go? Again, how hard did he hit it? REFEREE: Foul and a miss.

Judd has to take encouragement from his play now. He said put it back

and the referee was too busy looking at something else. Pay attention!

Has the cue ball ran? Well, it is not a bad safety shot now. Always

difficult to cue in the jaws of the pocket.

The dreaded double-kiss. For once, it has not done any damage.

He has to beware, if trying to get back to baulk... He didn't. He has

got the double-kiss and this time it could be costly. That is twice, he

has played a similar shot and got the double-kiss.

You cannot gift opportunities like this. Rory McLeod is here on merit.

He has won three qualifying matches to get to the Crucible. He can

score. LAUGHTER Rory McLeod can breathe a sigh of relief.

He thought he would end up a high into the red. Watch 's reaction.

Rory McLeod has played two nervy shots. Do not give him easy openers,

let him relax. A choice of reds to either pocket

here. I can see two reds that definitely

pot. He will need more than that. A bit straighter on the black would

have been better, as well. There is an opportunity to go into the bunch

because it is the perfect angle to do that and it is easier than

playing for the open red. I would have taken the risk there. He might

not get that perfect angle again. This is too much of an angle, now.

He can get into the three reds, but the black becomes missable. You need

to float easy and rather than hit them hard. -- float them in. He

missed the black, as you say. It is a let off for Judd Trump, but he

comes to the table 42 points behind. One red, tight to the right-hand

side cushion, will be a major hurdle to overcome.

Coupled with the fact the black is at the other end of the table and

the pink does not go. It is a tough ask to win the frame at this visit,

but he can certainly get himself right back into the frame.

He has looked at the availability of the red below the pink. It is not in

a direct line. You can only assume it is pottable. It is not one of

those you would like to play the cannon on the pink to release it. I

wonder if it is worth taking the red off the cushion. That is what he is

thinking. There, perfect on the blue. Once

again, looking to see if this red will go. If it was in a direct line,

it would not, but the way it is situated, it looks like it would

pot. From that angle, the red he had the cannon on a couple of shots ago,

I do not think it is pottable. You could not play it at pace.

He does not have a good angle on the pink to get the red on the right.

He was trying to disturb it. Wonderful. Good shot. On a bad day,

he could have knocked it in the middle. It was a good shot to judge

the cannon and have the right pace. He just has to negotiate the path

and not make contact with baulk colours. Oh, dear. He has been

lucky. He has been very lucky. This last red is not too hard for Judd,

with him being left-handed. I said lucky to have the good angle on the

yellow, he has not played that well. He has already missed and easy red

with the rest in this frame. Not ideal. When he played the shot

before, the cannon and the green, he has not put it in the ideal place

for a clearance. He is potting the yellow after the red and this yellow

will come back on its spot. The cue ball beads to run. It has not. It

will take one heck of a shot to get position. He has colours to avoid.

You would think the first would be the pink and possibly the blue. If

the green were on its spot, they would not be a problem.

Getting position on the green is now... If he is looking at a path to

go around the table with cue ball between blue and pink, you have a

problem with the right corner pocket.

This is why he played at the other side of the pink. It is nowhere near

hard enough. We will have a tight safety battle now at the end of this

second frame. It will be a key one. Rory McLeod will be ready to get out

of his seat here. It is all about the green in this

frame. That was excellent length from Judd. It is anybody's frame.

Needing the blue to help him. Not quite. This is a simple shot Judd

missed a few times in the last frame. There is so much pressure on

all of these shots now. If Judd can get ahead in the match, he might be

able to pull away, but at the moment, there is pressure on every

single shot. He has left it where Rory does not

have a lot to do with the cue ball. It is a plain ball pot. Judd is

sitting there, I'm sure, fearing the worst.

That was a natural angle to follow through. Best chancy has of getting

the balls is by stunning them. Right in the heart of the pocket.

He's swinging it around nicely. 21 points in front.

Judd's conceded. He got what he wanted. He is now still one frame

behind against the outsider, Rory McLeod.

This is a great performance from Rory McLeod. As you know, this is

day five of the Crucible here in Sheffield. We've got three of the

last first round matches underway today. Tomorrow sees the start of

the second round also and it will see the return of Ronnie O'Sullivan.

There were a lot of comments about bullying and intimidation by, he

says, World Snooker. There was a robust denial. Ronnie issued a

statement last night and let me give you the details of that. Ronnie

said, there has been speculation... It does remain to be seen how Ronnie

performs when he turns out to get Shaun Murphy. Adding to the intrigue

of this fascinating World Championship. Rory McLeod, 52 places

in the rankings. Lower than the world number two, job Trump. Making

a fight of this. This first session of the final

session before they go to an interval. Two more to be played. Two

very big frames. A proverbial mountain to climb for

Judd. It is all building up very nicely

but not for the two players at the table.

When further double but I think he has left a red sticking out. Wasn't

without risk, that double. Sometimes when you play a tactical

opponent, it is quite easy to get drawn into either playing the game

with him or trying holding up the reds. I think the position judges in

at the moment, he will want to keep it tight. If Rory does get a chance,

he has to work the balls himself. Once again, that sling of the cue

macro to one side. Sometimes you forget when you are

under pressure yourself, you forget your opponent is under pressure, as

well. Signs that Judd is becoming more

frustrated again. Good run of the ball.

Jed had a better running on the last frame.

Judd feels very frustrated at the moment.

In the back of his mind is the fact that he led 4-0. It is

self-inflicted. This is risky. Did not see the value

in that shot whatsoever. Wrong shot, for me.

He is on the red just above the pink.

Obviously too straight on the black. Certainly not easy. I don't think

that end red, I don't This is a little bit frustrating

with Judd sat there. Looking around. This is the type of player Rory is.

He is taking 28 seconds a shot. Judd will be sat in his chair and his

opponent will be annoying him. We're not criticising Rory. He's just

going about his job. The way he plays the game come he is not as

flashy as some players. That is what Judd is fighting against. Lots of

emotions going on. You look at that. He has gone around and is not one

for bringing all the reds into play early on. When he does mess, though

there's not a lot to go on. I played in the days of Cliff Thorburn. The

frames were over and he was clearing up but he trying hard. You've got

the frame. You have to sit there and suffer.

At the moment, this is all suiting Rory McLeod. Judd has come to the

table always 40 or 50 behind. You pick your moments when you were

going to open them up. There was a couple of safety shots he played

early on in the first frame. He's got away with that, by the way. Only

if you can guarantee getting a good cue macro ball.

Just caught the near jaw. It is in. Can believe it.

It is a very tense final session. We are going to leave it here for a

moment. Coverage continues on the red button and online. Also

available on table one, Xiao Guodong has taken a 2-0 lead.

We have more coverage later on today. Graeme Dott is 6-3 in front.

Thank you for sharing the early part of day five with us. I will catch

you again at 7pm on the red button all evening. Farewell.