:00:36. > :00:41.Hello again, here in York we have been completing the round 1 stage of
:00:42. > :00:47.the UK Championships. It is a new format this year with 128 players,
:00:48. > :00:54.both professionals and amateurs. That has thrown up some interesting
:00:55. > :00:59.ties. 1 featured the man of the season, a man of China, who has won
:01:00. > :01:05.the last 3 titles in a row, something that hasn't been done
:01:06. > :01:10.since the heyday 20 years ago. What could a full-time warehouse manager
:01:11. > :01:19.from Middlesbrough do to derail his chances? We are about to find out as
:01:20. > :01:32.the amateur prepares to win a 1000 to 1 shot.
:01:33. > :01:45.With this new system, the players aren't introduced because the other
:01:46. > :01:59.tables are on play. Times are changing. I guess things will settle
:02:00. > :02:09.down when players are eliminated. There are 64 matches in the 1st
:02:10. > :02:13.round alone. He needs to make a good start he and settle in. Clearly a
:02:14. > :02:19.good player, 1 I have not seen before. You think when you think of
:02:20. > :02:26.a new name of the circuits that he is probably a teenager but in this
:02:27. > :02:32.case he is 35 years old. He has been around a while. He must be nervous.
:02:33. > :02:41.He might be old enough to remember us. He has an awkward blue here, he
:02:42. > :02:57.has to avoid the yellow. Almost went in the corner pocket. You see the
:02:58. > :03:02.white heading and might drop in. Using the -- refusing the long pot
:03:03. > :03:15.to the corner because the black is tied up.
:03:16. > :03:43.Can he relax and go out and enjoy himself? Easier said than done. Ding
:03:44. > :03:50.is more relaxed these days looking at his body language. He has worked
:03:51. > :03:59.on that. A few years ago he slumped in his chair. Now he seems more
:04:00. > :04:04.focused. That is a risky shot. He needs the yellow to come to his
:04:05. > :04:15.rescue. It is a good cue ball. Good attacking, safety shot. He has
:04:16. > :04:22.opened the reds up. The cue ball being weighed years, it has got in
:04:23. > :04:28.all kinds of trouble. There is 1 possible pot, 2 from the left corner
:04:29. > :04:40.pocket. I don't think he could screw around the back of the black.
:04:41. > :04:50.Without careering into those. Just keep your eye on the cue ball and he
:04:51. > :04:55.will take this pot on. He is playing the safety shot, I don't blame him
:04:56. > :05:02.for that. In a way, that sums up the way that he is a more mature player
:05:03. > :05:07.now. It was probably the only shot he had. Place the winner of the UK
:05:08. > :05:27.Championships. -- Place -- twice. Not a good shot. Get past the blue
:05:28. > :05:47.on those both with reds available on all sides. A big mistake by Antony.
:05:48. > :05:59.It looked like he could hold for the pink, trying to get up on the blue.
:06:00. > :06:19.He played its like he didn't fancy the pot march. -- much.
:06:20. > :06:32.I wouldn't be surprised if Ding gets a point to play. As good as Anthony
:06:33. > :06:39.Parsons is, he couldn't score as well as Ding could. I think that is
:06:40. > :06:46.what he tried their and Ding is not perfect.
:06:47. > :07:06.To reflect target now with the green, the brown, the blue. -- 80
:07:07. > :07:16.great. This will take a bit of potting, far from easy. That is what
:07:17. > :07:26.he didn't want to do, so Ding has the early chance. He has the black
:07:27. > :07:37.in the open. When the cameras are on you, it makes things more difficult.
:07:38. > :07:54.Ding's problem here is not the red or the black, it is an interesting
:07:55. > :08:01.read he is going here for -- red. I thought he would play the 1 to the
:08:02. > :08:14.right. It complicated things. He has hampered the cue ball again. He
:08:15. > :08:21.looks edgy. He had obviously worked out a couple of shots in advance
:08:22. > :08:25.working out how to clear the black. When you are striking over a ball
:08:26. > :08:38.like that it is so easy to put a bit of side on. That is what happened.
:08:39. > :08:40.He threw the white off-line. Can deem it take this opportunity? --
:08:41. > :09:14.Ding. Apparently he is not with it at the
:09:15. > :09:21.moment. He has to put antennae in a bit of trouble but that is so curly.
:09:22. > :09:31.A strange choice of shot to play for the blue. I don't see any reason why
:09:32. > :09:47.he couldn't have played on the pink. I think you play to swing the
:09:48. > :09:52.cue ball around the ankles and get the blue into play. He has squared
:09:53. > :09:59.up off the cushion is a lot. That is a couple of times that he could have
:10:00. > :10:02.played for the pink, it would have gone on to the blue spot and he
:10:03. > :10:20.could have taken the rate of the pink spot. -- red. This is poor.
:10:21. > :10:30.That has confused Anthony a little bit. You think they all play the
:10:31. > :10:37.same, but they are confused by the angle that came off that. Certainly
:10:38. > :10:50.a big slide on these cushions. Different to what he has been
:10:51. > :11:03.dressing on. -- practising on. He has it, that is a good shot. He has
:11:04. > :11:19.a choice now, blue or pink. It looks make the pink. -- looks like. The
:11:20. > :11:20.way they are situated, you can forget about the blue and the
:11:21. > :12:09.black. It seems that Ding has been around a
:12:10. > :12:17.long time that he is only 26. It has been a long, learning curve for him.
:12:18. > :12:22.A brilliant player as a teenager, sometimes erratic. That was in his
:12:23. > :12:27.early 20s when it didn't go his way. He is on the other side of that now
:12:28. > :12:35.and he looks like he is up there in the top 2 or 3 players. He lost to
:12:36. > :12:45.Ronnie O'Sullivan last week when he was 3-0 up. He probably doesn't know
:12:46. > :12:57.how he lost that match. But he is exceptionally talented and the
:12:58. > :13:00.standard he is playing is high. He was always under pressure
:13:01. > :13:17.representing China with 100,000,000 people watching him.
:13:18. > :13:37.It is 19 consecutive matches he has won in evidence. -- events. 2 of
:13:38. > :13:46.those ended in a street draw. -- this would be quite something to win
:13:47. > :13:56.the 20th match in a row. He certainly would be 1 of the players
:13:57. > :14:09.to beat this week. Last year it was a different winner of 8 3 regular
:14:10. > :14:21.event. -- every. He got his game together already after a shaky
:14:22. > :15:01.start. He had his chances and didn't take them. He needs another red and
:15:02. > :15:08.a colour to open this red frame. -- to win this frame. It was a shaky
:15:09. > :15:25.start that he is right in his stride now. It was interesting listening to
:15:26. > :15:32.the boys in the studio saying how difficult it is to get used to the 4
:15:33. > :15:34.table situation with no petition in the middle. You can see in your eye
:15:35. > :15:55.what is happening. The reds stay out but I don't blame
:15:56. > :15:56.Antony. He has a bit of table time that the 1st frame is definitely
:15:57. > :16:24.Ding's. Anthony could do with a few balls to
:16:25. > :16:26.settle the nerves. He didn't get any of those and didn't get the
:16:27. > :16:42.opportunity to get some pots under his belt.
:16:43. > :16:52.That seemed to kick and the pink seemed to straighten up. Anthony
:16:53. > :16:58.will get some practice on the table and I don't blame but on him at
:16:59. > :17:26.all. It is difficult for Antony, it
:17:27. > :17:29.really is. I think it is his 1st time playing under the TV cameras in
:17:30. > :17:39.a major tournament so it is a big day. He has his wife down with him
:17:40. > :18:17.as well, plenty of family support. I just hope he can get himself up and
:18:18. > :19:05.Can he get to the black? It mightn't be a shot he fancies with all reds
:19:06. > :19:17.surrounding it. How much does he fancy the shot? He will have 2 play
:19:18. > :19:29.it, he can't refuse shots like this. It has a degree of difficulty about
:19:30. > :19:55.it, stretching as well. That is a confidence booster for Antony.
:19:56. > :20:09.There will always be distractions in the Barbican in this format. More
:20:10. > :20:18.than ever, the players' concentration has to be is baht on.
:20:19. > :20:24.-- spot on. If they are focused they could be oblivious to what is going
:20:25. > :20:33.around them, but it is hard to get to that stage. That is another
:20:34. > :20:47.long-range shot that is awkward. It is not straightforward.
:20:48. > :20:56.That is a good shot, well played, Anthony. Still not an easy chance
:20:57. > :21:01.for him yet. IRA a few loose reds. He could pot the blue and go into
:21:02. > :21:07.the pink and hope for a nice little run of the balls. The black is
:21:08. > :21:16.available into 1 corner. Let's see whether he takes the bull by the
:21:17. > :21:24.horns and goes into the pink, here. He is just going to play for the
:21:25. > :21:25.loose red. He bit closer to the cushion than he wanted. Not a bad
:21:26. > :21:48.choice of shot. That will do, that will do very
:21:49. > :22:03.nicely. Can he keep it going? It really is a good chance. Dear, oh
:22:04. > :22:08.dear. Black off the spot and he will be disappointed to have missed that
:22:09. > :22:26.1 just when he was finding a little bit of form.
:22:27. > :22:41.I didn't think that was in. Attention of whether Ding is not
:22:42. > :22:50.quite alive to this match thinking that he is good enough. But it is
:22:51. > :22:53.all about professionalism. We have seen that from Ding in the last few
:22:54. > :23:03.months and I expect to see that continue. We had a chat about this
:23:04. > :23:15.after the 2nd frame and he said he was a bit ragged.
:23:16. > :23:28.Sometimes if your opponent plays badly, it will drag you down a
:23:29. > :23:44.little. Scoring will be tough with the pink and black where they are.
:23:45. > :23:57.Always difficult to control the cue ball when the reds is so close to
:23:58. > :24:08.the pocket. This is a tricky blue. They think you can avoid the cannon
:24:09. > :24:24.on the green. That looks to be spot on.
:24:25. > :24:39.I think he is too straight on this red to get behind the black. It
:24:40. > :24:49.would be a deep screw this 1. Not quite as he intended. But he can
:24:50. > :24:51.take it into the corner. Got to watch the black with the old
:24:52. > :25:52.waistcoat. This anything again. Playing up the
:25:53. > :25:58.table for the blue I suspect. I wonder whether he might chance
:25:59. > :26:09.playing on the lack. A great shot, the best he has hit in the frame,
:26:10. > :26:11.positionally. It is hard to imagine just potting reds and blues in the
:26:12. > :26:39.frame. But it is 1 way to do it. He took the chance to develop that
:26:40. > :26:57.reds. He went round the back of it. It would have been perfect on blue.
:26:58. > :27:12.That is a good recovery but once again, this looks delicate. From
:27:13. > :27:30.then, there is a distinct possibility. But it doesn't look
:27:31. > :27:39.pottable. Didn't look on. He just forced that 1 a little bit.
:27:40. > :27:52.I wonder whether Anthony will try and develop the other red. He has
:27:53. > :27:57.the read into play. Not bad at all. He deserves a little bit of luck,
:27:58. > :28:05.the cue ball has travelled on a little bit. Difficult to clear from
:28:06. > :28:33.here. If he takes the green, he has to
:28:34. > :28:47.force it to get up near the reds. He is back with the blue.
:28:48. > :29:05.Had he had pocketed the blue, the White would not have been near the
:29:06. > :29:19.pocket. It's as if Ding is not timing the
:29:20. > :29:36.shot. He is not going through the ball as well as he normally does.
:29:37. > :29:43.Playing this safety shot, Antony needs to avoid going into the back
:29:44. > :29:52.of the blue. He has done that. The rate is not going of the middle
:29:53. > :30:12.pocket, so that is all right. -- going over.
:30:13. > :30:23.I think he played a something like that. Certainly, the cue ball was
:30:24. > :30:43.intended to get behind a bulk colour. Fallon to mess. -- Foul and
:30:44. > :30:55.a miss. Just caught the pink ball there. Chance for Ding. It's pretty
:30:56. > :31:47.comfortable for Ding at the moment. is the difference. Even though,
:31:48. > :32:14.Antony is coming to the table, that looks like 3-0 to Ding. to mess the
:32:15. > :32:19.yellow is in a perfect spot to get the snooker in behind the brown but
:32:20. > :32:27.he is not left himself the space to get in that position. He needs a
:32:28. > :32:31.couple of snooker 's. He is working out, if I take the pink, will I need
:32:32. > :32:49.an extra snooker? He could do with getting tight in
:32:50. > :33:30.behind the brown to make it difficult to escape from.
:33:31. > :33:37.that's a good hit. He needed to miss that to give Antony any sort of
:33:38. > :34:12.chance. Imagine getting three snookers
:34:13. > :34:16.against someone on top of his game like Ding. These players hardly
:34:17. > :36:08.missed a snooker nowadays. To try is a very tall order.
:36:09. > :36:18.That should be it, now. 3-0. That man has to do something about it.
:36:19. > :36:24.Try to win the frame that follows. Try to get a foothold into the
:36:25. > :36:30.match. It has been a 1-way traffic, in fairness. Ding has not been at
:36:31. > :37:12.his best either. There is still time.
:37:13. > :37:20.Very comfortable for the Chinese player at the moment. Ding Junhui
:37:21. > :37:55.leads up to make 3-0. That's a great shot. Unless it has
:37:56. > :38:00.just slipped on past the yellow, as Ding looks over to one of the other
:38:01. > :38:06.tables. This is a chance for Antony. Look at that, dead straight! Can he
:38:07. > :38:11.push it through in a straight line? That is one of the toughest shots
:38:12. > :38:16.when you are under pressure. Delivering that cue in a straight
:38:17. > :38:21.line. It requires examination of your cue action. If you miss one of
:38:22. > :38:25.those by quite a way, I was guilty of that in my day, it knocks your
:38:26. > :38:35.confidence a little because you think, what am I doing wrong?
:38:36. > :39:20.Ding is certainly below par even though he is 3-0 up.
:39:21. > :39:28.It is so close to the green here, he can't come off the side position. He
:39:29. > :39:33.would have to go twice across. He is trying to see if he can land on the
:39:34. > :39:38.red to the left of the three behind the black. I don't know if he can
:39:39. > :39:41.get enough side on the cue ball for it to come off the cushion and avoid
:39:42. > :40:50.the blue. He managed to avoid those two read
:40:51. > :41:03.on the way down now he is behind them -- reds. He keeps under hitting
:41:04. > :41:07.that type of shot. He has played a few where he left himself alongside
:41:08. > :41:17.the blue. That is a bit of tension, really. You want to keep as close to
:41:18. > :41:23.the next shot as possible to make things easy for yourself. He is a
:41:24. > :41:29.little further from the red than he would have been if he were on the
:41:30. > :41:40.correct side of the blue. He has a choice here of going through for the
:41:41. > :41:46.black or for the blue. Has he just got enough angle this time? I think
:41:47. > :41:55.that is a good shot. He is top side of it. It looks fine from the
:41:56. > :42:02.commentary position. He is searching for the pace of the table because
:42:03. > :42:05.there is nothing you can practice on that could recreate these
:42:06. > :42:18.conditions. Even the practice tables would not be near as quick as these.
:42:19. > :42:26.That bounced out of the pocket, I'm sure. That's a little unlucky. It
:42:27. > :42:39.did not seem like he had missed it. I think it bounced out. He did give
:42:40. > :42:49.it a thump, didn't he? At least he got away with it. Great target to
:42:50. > :43:07.get in behind, there. If he slips past the brown, good
:43:08. > :43:14.chance of a snooker. Played it well. Not sure if it's just a little bit
:43:15. > :43:19.sticking out there. Not sure if he can get past the blue and sneak the
:43:20. > :43:23.side of the red. Let the referee how the referee have a look at it. It
:43:24. > :43:33.does not look like you can see enough of it there, but maybe just
:43:34. > :43:44.the edge. No. Foul and a miss. It is one of those tricky ones. They are
:43:45. > :43:53.difficult to read place. -- replace. It is sometimes helped by
:43:54. > :44:12.the chalk mark on the question. That is very good -- caution. Well done.
:44:13. > :44:21.Old eagle eyed Paul. Different shot this time. That will not reach, will
:44:22. > :44:33.it? That is a mile away. Foul and a miss. It will skid off the cushions
:44:34. > :44:48.end you will have to do some readjusting. If it just lands on the
:44:49. > :45:29.rads, he won't leave anything. -- reds.
:45:30. > :45:45.He just caught the safety shot a little too thick. It's not the end
:45:46. > :45:52.of the world going in-off but it is a long cue in shot for Antony. I am
:45:53. > :46:00.sure when he is fully confident, he would knock these in. Yes, very
:46:01. > :46:17.nice! That is the best striking from him in this match. A real confidence
:46:18. > :46:24.boost. This is where he has to concentrate harder than normal to
:46:25. > :46:36.make sure he does not make an elementary mistake.
:46:37. > :46:44.It just wriggle its way in. Would have liked to have been straight on
:46:45. > :46:53.this Red Sea could go on to the red that follows. He can just about to
:46:54. > :47:03.it. -- do it. I think this will open up a rates to the left corner. Some
:47:04. > :47:12.things looking up in the frame. -- a red. The interval is coming up and
:47:13. > :47:18.is Antony can take this frame, he will enjoy his couple of tea or
:47:19. > :47:24.coffee. 4-0 down would not give him much of a chance. 3-1 means he would
:47:25. > :47:31.have to play well to beat Ding but the chance would be there. This is a
:47:32. > :47:38.key shot coming up because he can bring some more reds into play. He
:47:39. > :47:48.needs some more. He needs to go through onto the black. Did not
:47:49. > :47:52.really develop anything. It will not be easy unless he can cannon that to
:47:53. > :47:53.read near the pink and bring it into play. There are still plenty of
:47:54. > :48:10.points left on the table. That's OK! He will still need
:48:11. > :48:27.another one of those difficult rates. He just developed the one.
:48:28. > :48:35.This cueball has to go. He wants a little more than he has here.
:48:36. > :48:47.Another red after this to make the frame safe. I would like to put a
:48:48. > :48:52.cover safe... It's so easy to take it from behind the brown but I would
:48:53. > :49:02.like a cover on one of those cushions. He has the best of both
:49:03. > :49:21.worlds there. Good shot. More insurance that's Ding would not
:49:22. > :49:25.clear up, if the chance came. Very well judged. So much right hand
:49:26. > :49:32.side. He swerved it slightly to make that angle. Touching ball helps the
:49:33. > :49:42.situation for Antony. He could play directly onto a colour if you wanted
:49:43. > :49:43.to. -- he wanted to. That would make him an even stronger favourite than
:49:44. > :49:58.he is now. Just checking it was a touching
:49:59. > :50:07.ball. He will play off the green, put it somewhere safe, I think. He
:50:08. > :50:09.has not quite manage to get it safe but he has played a good shot all
:50:10. > :50:40.the same. Get in behind the yellow and blue
:50:41. > :50:47.with a little fin one of the bunch here. If he gets a good cueball, it
:50:48. > :50:58.doesn't matter if he knocks one or two of these reds out.
:50:59. > :51:05.There is one red that Ding can take on as a shot or nothing here. The
:51:06. > :51:36.one above the pink. Not quite. Another test of Antony's cue
:51:37. > :51:49.action. He is pulling back with a little bit of safety in mind. He may
:51:50. > :51:54.have left the gap for a possible pots for Ding. But, he played the
:51:55. > :51:58.shot the correct way. Had he gone in, he could have rolled up behind
:51:59. > :52:06.the yellow but look at this gap for this red. No. I don't think Antony
:52:07. > :52:15.would have wanted to get the pink outs. That is the only downside to
:52:16. > :52:19.his last shot. If Ding got a chance, he would be some way into getting
:52:20. > :52:39.back into the frame. It is not over yet.
:52:40. > :52:48.He could do with some cover here. That's a good shot. That's fine. The
:52:49. > :53:24.rates are covering each other. -- reds.
:53:25. > :54:19.Goodway back to there. -- back to baulk.
:54:20. > :54:26.This time I think, while it is not easy, Ding might have left Antony in
:54:27. > :54:29.the left-hand corner. If it goes in, he has won his frame before the
:54:30. > :54:51.midsession interval. Nice pot. The colour might be
:54:52. > :54:59.awkward. This time, to keep the pressure on, there are still plenty
:55:00. > :55:03.of reds available. He is doing everything he can to tighten up this
:55:04. > :55:17.frame. All the bold colours are being killed off. There are still 75
:55:18. > :55:24.points on the table. Ding's shot here to lay up to a red looks
:55:25. > :55:28.difficult. He might end up playing just hit and hope. Any way of
:55:29. > :55:34.playing slowly, he would leave red in any way. He might have to chance
:55:35. > :56:17.his arm here. This is all round the houses. Great
:56:18. > :56:27.escape! Has he not hit one? Foul. Wow! He missed that on the left
:56:28. > :56:38.cushion by nothing. That was pretty unlucky. Great effort. He has had a
:56:39. > :56:46.lot of cushions. He has hit five cushions. He could hit all six
:56:47. > :57:01.cushions, possibly, to get out of this. Foul. That has put the black
:57:02. > :57:06.awkward. Antony needs to drop this red in the middle pocket and he has
:57:07. > :57:08.his first frame on the board. Then, at least he can go to the midsession
:57:09. > :57:38.interval feeling more comfortable. Dean concedes. Antony Parsons has
:57:39. > :57:53.won the frame. Ding leads 3-1 at the interval. Ding gets frame five under
:57:54. > :58:02.way. He was on the practice table in the players lounge. Trying to get
:58:03. > :58:07.that cue action going. Although he leads, he did not look all that
:58:08. > :58:14.comfortable. Antony was backstage and he could not wait to get back
:58:15. > :58:16.out again. I walked past him and he was full of beans. He was delighted
:58:17. > :58:39.at taking that last frame. 3-1 behind the best of 11 is not
:58:40. > :58:47.that bad. This is a key frame. 4-1 would give an -- would not give
:58:48. > :58:55.Antony a great deal of hope. Through the reds. Ding is in. There are four
:58:56. > :58:57.or five reds that are available. He can give himself an early chance in
:58:58. > :59:22.this frame. The frames were going from both
:59:23. > :59:29.sides. It is a bold colour and 1 key shot and he is amongst them. Staying
:59:30. > :59:37.with a long-range and if this goes in the rest, he will get all around
:59:38. > :00:02.the black. An early chants. -- chance.
:00:03. > :00:15.He missed 1 of the earlier arms halfway through the frame. Usually
:00:16. > :00:41.very good with the rest. Once again, it could have been worse.
:00:42. > :00:48.Snooker players' Pettitt to hit 1 of the colours when you play the safety
:00:49. > :01:16.shot. -- pet hit. A good pot, he is not nicely on the
:01:17. > :01:30.black but he hit the reds and that was the main part. To see and to cut
:01:31. > :02:46.in. -- too thin. He wants to take the pot on anti-
:02:47. > :02:51.currency and easy safety. He thought he was almost done to have a go at
:02:52. > :02:57.the pot and he is looking at it again. The black is over the pocket,
:02:58. > :03:12.he is bound to be on the black but this is a big shot. Didn't really
:03:13. > :03:53.fancy that 1. You are right, he had to play it and get it.
:03:54. > :04:32.He just under hit that and left himself awkward on the blues. He
:04:33. > :04:50.definitely played for the blue they are and came up short.
:04:51. > :04:58.That might leave the black available. I'm not sure. He's got
:04:59. > :05:53.the pink and blue obviously, the reds aren't too badly placed.
:05:54. > :06:00.Perfect play this time. He has a nice angle on the blue. You never
:06:01. > :06:09.know with this game. The waiting -- Ding has looked, not on top of his
:06:10. > :06:13.game. Anthony could not keep you in here, he could ask if you questions
:06:14. > :06:23.and Ding could come up with the answers. Anthony plays well, Ding
:06:24. > :06:38.will have 2 races game. -- raise his game.
:06:39. > :06:54.I think he had plenty of room to get through. He is getting to feel that
:06:55. > :07:23.maybe he couldn't do well in this match.
:07:24. > :07:39.1st impression is that the angle is not good. He might be able to force
:07:40. > :07:50.an angle. He has to be accurate. He has to use pace on it. That is a
:07:51. > :08:00.decent shot. The next reds might go into the next redback -- red. It
:08:01. > :08:05.sums up how the match has gone, a few awkward situations. You can't be
:08:06. > :08:09.certain where the cue is going to finish. That is always going to be a
:08:10. > :08:33.problem. It hasn't worked out well. He has to be precise with this
:08:34. > :08:37.shot. If it chose to take the green and getting behind the brown, he has
:08:38. > :08:50.to get it just right otherwise he could open the way for Antony to get
:08:51. > :08:54.a snooker in behind the yellow. He didn't get in behind the brown but
:08:55. > :09:02.it hasn't finished in such a way. The white is slightly more to the
:09:03. > :09:16.left. That is not available to him at the moment.
:09:17. > :09:41.That's almost as good as a snooker. Leaving awkward queueing here. --
:09:42. > :10:05.cueing. An issue for Ding. Couldn't have played that any better.
:10:06. > :10:12.Anthony looking whether he could leave the cue ball in the top right
:10:13. > :10:24.pocket. He could cover the red down the table but it was the green he
:10:25. > :10:37.was hoping for. He played well. If he plays it, it is a risky 1. That
:10:38. > :10:39.looks to be excellent, 1st class. He may have the jaws of the pocket in
:10:40. > :10:56.the way as well. Just the knuckle of the pocket
:10:57. > :11:08.preventing him getting to the red. You can see the nose of the pocket
:11:09. > :11:14.there. Look at this shot! He attempted that NT normally holds his
:11:15. > :11:25.hand up to apologise but he did try that and he couldn't have played it
:11:26. > :11:28.better. He was in a bit of trouble they are and even if he got this
:11:29. > :11:38.ever shot, there was no guarantee he would have got all of the reds. He
:11:39. > :11:48.turned around things again. He is looking lacklustre if he could get
:11:49. > :13:08.in and win the frame. Look at that, another ball that he has missed. He
:13:09. > :14:23.Antony felt he got heavy contact was trying so hard they are. --
:14:24. > :14:28.Antony felt he got heavy contact bad, shouldn't be a problem, he
:14:29. > :14:37.wanted it to be straighter on the yellow and blue. 1 of the 3 reds is
:14:38. > :14:59.available. In fact, when he removes this, it will free the 1 next to it.
:15:00. > :15:08.Overdone it slightly, he might be able to drop it beneath the reds.
:15:09. > :15:20.Slightly hampered. No problem, though. They good chants. It could
:15:21. > :15:33.turn things around here. While Ding races game? He certainly called a
:15:34. > :15:44.little shot on the blue they are. There --. He will need the reds on
:15:45. > :15:55.the cushion. He is not there yet. That is not bad. It is a good
:15:56. > :16:01.angle. It will end up finishing top side. He has struggled with the pace
:16:02. > :16:06.of the table. He has played on the black. I can't understand him
:16:07. > :16:16.playing that. He deftly needed to play off the blue there. It is a
:16:17. > :16:24.better angle. He can't get anywhere near it now. He is hoping that he
:16:25. > :16:30.will pot the black van. He will go 36 in front and that is probably
:16:31. > :16:36.what he tried. He needs to pot it I suppose. 2 different ways that, it
:16:37. > :16:45.was difficult to play the black banned the blue. -- than. Getting to
:16:46. > :16:56.the point where there is only 1 snooker needed. I didn't realise he
:16:57. > :17:06.just needed the black. Why didn't he rolled it in? Instead of trying
:17:07. > :17:25.to... It was baffling. If he knocks this in, it is all over.
:17:26. > :17:34.Before they started the match, if Samiti had said to Antony that you
:17:35. > :17:39.will be playing the 3 consecutive ranking title winner and you will
:17:40. > :17:51.only be 1 frame behind, I think he would have taken that. From 3 - 0
:17:52. > :18:03.behind, he is all of a sudden just 1 down. Slightly worrying times for
:18:04. > :18:06.Ding. He will be comfortable, Antony. He takes the frame. He is
:18:07. > :18:49.just 1 behind. 3-2 to Ding. A little flick from Ding there,
:18:50. > :18:56.unintentional. I think he could just get to the reds on the right. He has
:18:57. > :19:08.not played all that well himself, Antony. He is keen to make an
:19:09. > :19:41.impression. He is not a youngster in terms of snooker at all.
:19:42. > :19:52.He caught that safety shots much too thin. It crashed into the other
:19:53. > :19:55.red, how much damage has he done? He has missed a couple of these, if
:19:56. > :20:11.this goes in, the black is available. Again, he has missed. He
:20:12. > :20:19.has missed 3 of those shots. He is giving a lot of cancers. --
:20:20. > :21:45.chances. Only to make people have queried
:21:46. > :21:49.that he is on 19 matches unbeaten. -- two. It has been a long time
:21:50. > :22:12.since he was beaten. Of course, as far as the big ranking
:22:13. > :22:20.events go, a lot of the Jewish players figure in the finals. I
:22:21. > :22:45.think John Higgins has made the event. -- British. Aditya Mehta got
:22:46. > :22:46.to the final in Delhi. It changes now that we get to the UK
:22:47. > :23:23.championships. He has been the player of the season
:23:24. > :24:04.so far. No doubt about that. He looks to be in perfect position.
:24:05. > :24:19.He has the reserve to the right middle. He got to the table as a
:24:20. > :24:29.result of Antony's uncomfortable ball. It is only a matter of time
:24:30. > :24:40.before Ding took advantage of that mistake. The suspicion he was -- he
:24:41. > :24:46.will pick his game up because of that, and that is where we are now.
:24:47. > :24:54.He picks the peso per little bit there. It was more businesslike the
:24:55. > :25:03.way he was walking around table. He is growing in confidence. They are
:25:04. > :25:12.all there for the taking. That is not a safe all on the table. --
:25:13. > :25:21.ball. There is a little triangle of reds. Possible chance of the 1st
:25:22. > :26:50.century in this match. He could take a century if any of
:26:51. > :26:58.those 2 reds are portable. -- pottable. Ding has been a
:26:59. > :27:10.professional ten years now and he has made 335 centuries. It has been
:27:11. > :27:20.an illustrious career. It is only the world championship alluding him.
:27:21. > :27:34.He has made 35 this season. It is a record. 61 is the record. He we are
:27:35. > :27:46.at the end of November with all these months of play a head. It is a
:27:47. > :27:54.welcome break for Ding. It is amazing how 1 shot can turn the
:27:55. > :27:57.whole thing around. Antony had a chance with a comfortable pot he
:27:58. > :28:03.would normally not in. All of the sudden, Agro to is looking like the
:28:04. > :28:14.player we have been watching for the last 3 or 4 tournaments. Very close
:28:15. > :29:14.to 101. That was also a really good shot. He
:29:15. > :29:41.has woken from his slumber. That was a lovely break. Ding now leads 4-2.
:29:42. > :29:52.He must be able to plant one red on to another. Is he playing the cannon
:29:53. > :30:04.onto the red? He hit the or on completely. -- the wrong ball. He
:30:05. > :30:12.played a little cannon off the other to knock the ball in. It was getting
:30:13. > :30:22.confusing on that corner of the cake Dunn table. -- of the table. No
:30:23. > :30:25.guarantees he will win the frame. He has a good chance to score but he
:30:26. > :30:36.has to get the table working for him. A lot of reds on the rights are
:30:37. > :31:27.blocking off outside the table. -- right.
:31:28. > :31:31.Don't want to land full on that red. That is the worst possible
:31:32. > :31:38.position. Believe it or not, he may not be on a pot. The odds against
:31:39. > :31:40.that happening are quite incredible. In fact, it is touching. He is
:31:41. > :32:01.puffing his cheeks. It is one of those shots where it is
:32:02. > :32:07.so congested on that side of the table. There is always a chance it
:32:08. > :32:18.would go wrong. What does he do from here? Horrible kind of frame, the
:32:19. > :32:22.way it has worked out. He did not really put in all his concentration
:32:23. > :32:26.and he thought, there is no way I can't finish on a red. It never
:32:27. > :32:34.ceases to amaze me what can happen on this table. No wonder he is
:32:35. > :32:52.scratching his head. With the position he has finished in...
:32:53. > :33:01.That's excellent! Excellent! Using the touching ball to his full
:33:02. > :33:15.advantage with a perfectly judged snooker behind the yellow. I give
:33:16. > :33:19.him 11 out of ten for that. Yes. I'm not even sure if he could get right
:33:20. > :33:22.in behind it, the fact that he got the pace right. It was almost
:33:23. > :33:24.alongside the yellow. But he still got the snooker. Highly tactical
:33:25. > :33:45.frame. It's not as easy now to just lay on
:33:46. > :33:49.one, as he did. I number of shots ago he picked out a little beauty to
:33:50. > :33:51.land on a red but now, with the way they are situated, it is even more
:33:52. > :34:17.difficult. Fallon to miss. -- Foul and a miss.
:34:18. > :34:27.Imagine trying to get these all put back into the position they were
:34:28. > :34:34.in. The table is still not absolutely perfect. What on earth
:34:35. > :34:41.has he played here? How does he finished their? I don't know how he
:34:42. > :34:53.has finished up in such an awkward spot. He is going to win it the hard
:34:54. > :34:59.way. We thought he might win it with one visit but he certainly won't be
:35:00. > :35:10.doing that. He just concentrated on the plants and forgot about the cue
:35:11. > :35:18.ball. -- plant. Back in trouble again. Seems like he is having more
:35:19. > :35:22.fun getting Antony in trouble behind that yellow than he is in winning
:35:23. > :35:30.the frame. I think he is trained to torture him. -- trying. I and please
:35:31. > :35:37.for Antony. He has done so well. To get three frames against the man,
:35:38. > :35:43.the informer Ding. He has done well. Still not over yet, by any means.
:35:44. > :35:51.Possible chance for the middle pocket. Black safe, blue is safe.
:35:52. > :37:11.Plenty of snooker left in this frame, you would feel.
:37:12. > :37:21.Just got the one point out of that. Might be able to get off the
:37:22. > :37:24.right-hand side of the blue. I thought he could get in behind the
:37:25. > :37:29.yellow but I am sure he will be pleased with that shot. It is
:37:30. > :37:35.turning into a real struggle for Ding. Glimpses of his best but you
:37:36. > :37:39.would feel that he would somehow come through it against Antony, who
:37:40. > :38:12.has played with credit. Bit unlucky. The cue ball could have
:38:13. > :38:16.finished anywhere. He has got first option at a safety shot, though. I
:38:17. > :38:24.think he knew the cue ball is heading towards that bunch of reds
:38:25. > :38:34.but could not do anything about it. He was very unlucky. If he had
:38:35. > :38:36.pushed his way another six inches through the reds, he was in good
:38:37. > :39:49.shape. You could make that into a plant if
:39:50. > :39:53.you had the whites on the left side of the table but not from where
:39:54. > :40:01.Antony is. You would have to hit it so thin. A normal safety shot would
:40:02. > :40:05.take it into the pink of those two reds. That is why he's going to the
:40:06. > :40:13.other side of the table. But this is from easy. In the end, he tried to
:40:14. > :40:17.pot his way out of trouble. He was not far away. He is left with a
:40:18. > :40:21.possible pot to the left middle pocket. I think he thought that was
:40:22. > :40:33.in. He was on his way around the table, Antony.
:40:34. > :40:40.Doesn't fancy the one in the middle pocket so he is keeping things
:40:41. > :40:42.tight. Or is he taking this red into the corner? No, he is trying to get
:40:43. > :42:24.behind the yellow again. That cue ball just ran and ran. Bang
:42:25. > :42:27.on behind the brown for a long way. Very awkward. The high-value
:42:28. > :42:52.colours. Difficult frame to score in,
:42:53. > :42:58.certainly with the high-value colours the way they are. Some of
:42:59. > :43:11.the reds are open but there is nowhere to go with them, is the
:43:12. > :43:24.problem. Well played. Finding it escape routes, these two. Ding has
:43:25. > :43:30.to find another one. -- finding escape routes. They could get close
:43:31. > :44:08.to hitting the pink and blue here but not quite.
:44:09. > :44:16.Bit on the 6-iron. He needs the whites to keep going and it hasn't.
:44:17. > :44:24.He hit that much thicker than he intended. It was more of a 3/4-ball
:44:25. > :44:30.contact he got. Where is the next colour coming from? He needs to get
:44:31. > :44:39.one of the smaller value colours next to his hand.
:44:40. > :45:11.More strife for Antony Parsons who is in trouble again. I think he has
:45:12. > :45:18.probably been in more trouble in this frame then he has been in most
:45:19. > :45:22.matches he has played. He might not be 1 million miles away from getting
:45:23. > :45:32.to the red Army rights. It might be cushion first. Difficult shots to
:45:33. > :45:37.lay on it. You have to get the pace dead on. I think he hit the jaws of
:45:38. > :45:54.the middle pocket there. I think that is why the shot went wrong.
:45:55. > :46:00.The trouble with the last shot he has played... I am sure he just
:46:01. > :46:03.grazed the chore of the middle pocket which sent to the middle of
:46:04. > :47:19.the table. I think that's why he missed it. The pace was perfect.
:47:20. > :47:30.APPLAUSE. 32 points in front. With the way the balls are situated, he
:47:31. > :47:41.is in a strong position to win this match, Ding. Good opening pot but he
:47:42. > :47:45.was urging that white to keep on bouncing. If he had finished on the
:47:46. > :47:50.brown he could have potted that and cannoned into the blue and pink,
:47:51. > :47:55.maybe. He could have brought them into play. As it is, he is faced
:47:56. > :47:58.with a difficult, long pink that he has had a look at. He has had a
:47:59. > :48:07.quick look at the scoreboard, as well. Maybe just waiting for a
:48:08. > :48:08.better chance. We have all tried that, urging the ball off the
:48:09. > :49:09.cushion. It doesn't really help. Too much on that. It seems like a 31
:49:10. > :49:22.point league, where the ball far, is a hugely. -- lead. Very strange
:49:23. > :49:26.frame of snooker, this. Nothing has gone for either player. He has to
:49:27. > :49:31.get over the line, doesn't he? That is what he is intent on doing. If he
:49:32. > :49:37.has a go at this one, he can get on top onto the brown. Not an easy pot
:49:38. > :49:42.but worth the risk. A long way. Where will the red finish? -- long
:49:43. > :50:13.way off. Wobbled its way into the pockets. --
:50:14. > :50:18.pocket. You can see the white jumping a little there. That is too
:50:19. > :50:42.hard. It is in no man's land. He could maybe sneak it back into
:50:43. > :50:44.the middle -- snick. A chance, now. If he can pot this and develop the
:50:45. > :51:11.blue and red, he can open things up. Or is it to be in a snick? Yes, it
:51:12. > :51:24.was. He could not play that shot. It will not be easy to score from here.
:51:25. > :51:32.Maybe he has an angle to go through and disturb the reds and possibly
:51:33. > :51:38.the black. Cardinal sin again. He took his eye off the pot.
:51:39. > :51:44.Fortunately for him, this time, Antony did not develop the reds and
:51:45. > :51:45.the black. You would never normally miss an easy shot like that. That
:51:46. > :52:21.was just his concentration. It's just been one of those horrible
:52:22. > :52:30.frames that you don't want to be involved in. There is so much riding
:52:31. > :52:43.on it from Antony's point of view. If he loses this, he is out.
:52:44. > :52:49.But 33 behind. There are plenty of reds left. In a couple of shots
:52:50. > :52:58.time, he might get the black into play. He could do it now, actually.
:52:59. > :53:02.He could play a thin safety shot off the red that is next to the black
:53:03. > :53:06.and could back down the table and develop that black and open things
:53:07. > :54:20.up. I think that's what he is attempting.
:54:21. > :54:28.The idea was good but he did not get the red past the middle and it is
:54:29. > :54:31.another chance for some in for Ding. Scoring has been very thin on the
:54:32. > :54:39.ground in this frame. It has been going 35 minutes, coming up. Every
:54:40. > :54:45.reds that goes down, it does not seem a lot, but it is actually
:54:46. > :54:51.improving Ding's chances. Even if it does not get a colour with them.
:54:52. > :54:57.Where the table is, it's very hard to imagine anyone clearing up. A 34
:54:58. > :55:03.point league is a big lead. Good shot! Except, it has just gone too
:55:04. > :55:10.far. All day, he has struggled with the cue ball.
:55:11. > :55:33.APPLAUSE. Well, he hit that all wrong. What a fluke he had there.
:55:34. > :55:41.That is all that Antony needed at that stage. He is coming to the
:55:42. > :55:46.table smiling. He has been in so much trouble in this frame. He has
:55:47. > :55:50.been in behind the yellow on about five occasions and then this to top
:55:51. > :56:08.it off. Like you say, bad shot from Ding. Good contacts made. He only
:56:09. > :56:20.needs one pot. One red would leave Antony needing snookers. APPLAUSE.
:56:21. > :56:23.He has done well to take three frames off the man who was playing
:56:24. > :56:29.some of the finest snooker of the season. Probably Ding and Ronnie
:56:30. > :56:42.O'Sullivan are the best at the moment. It's not a snooker here
:56:43. > :56:58.bites its Ding Junhui who will take the match, 6-3. -- but.
:56:59. > :57:11.Where is the yellow ball going? And there is a free ball, by the looks
:57:12. > :57:18.of things. The last couple of shots have been very unlucky. The fluke
:57:19. > :57:22.that to Ding had and then that... The best player has won but to Ding
:57:23. > :57:28.had a run of the green today, as well. He is looking at the
:57:29. > :57:32.scoreboard. It's definitely all over. He had chances. He could have
:57:33. > :57:40.gotten closer to Ding, the way he set off in this match. But it was a
:57:41. > :57:45.big experience for him. To play on TV for the first time in a major
:57:46. > :57:49.tournament, that tells you that it is the end of the match. He is
:57:50. > :57:58.finishing off its cost of water. Well done, anyway, Antony. -- he is
:57:59. > :58:01.glass of water. Ding knows he needs to improve drastically if he is
:58:02. > :58:20.going to take the title for the third time.
:58:21. > :58:37.And on the green. -- no cannon. A little frustration from Ding there.
:58:38. > :58:43.He did not play at his best. Antony Parsons had his chances but could
:58:44. > :58:48.not take them. Smiles all round as Ding is a worthy winner in the end.
:58:49. > :58:53.Ding Junhui was pushed but he is through to the second round.
:58:54. > :58:57.Coverage continues without this afternoon. We will catch you then.
:58:58. > :59:01.Sleep well. Good night.