01/12/2013 UK Snooker Championship Extra

Hello again, here in York we have been completing the round 1 stage of

the UK Championships. It is a new format this year with 128 players,

both professionals and amateurs. That has thrown up some interesting

ties. 1 featured the man of the season, a man of China, who has won

the last 3 titles in a row, something that hasn't been done

since the heyday 20 years ago. What could a full-time warehouse manager

from Middlesbrough do to derail his chances? We are about to find out as

the amateur prepares to win a 1000 to 1 shot.

With this new system, the players aren't introduced because the other

tables are on play. Times are changing. I guess things will settle

down when players are eliminated. There are 64 matches in the 1st

round alone. He needs to make a good start he and settle in. Clearly a

good player, 1 I have not seen before. You think when you think of

a new name of the circuits that he is probably a teenager but in this

case he is 35 years old. He has been around a while. He must be nervous.

He might be old enough to remember us. He has an awkward blue here, he

has to avoid the yellow. Almost went in the corner pocket. You see the

white heading and might drop in. Using the -- refusing the long pot

to the corner because the black is tied up.

Can he relax and go out and enjoy himself? Easier said than done. Ding

is more relaxed these days looking at his body language. He has worked

on that. A few years ago he slumped in his chair. Now he seems more

focused. That is a risky shot. He needs the yellow to come to his

rescue. It is a good cue ball. Good attacking, safety shot. He has

opened the reds up. The cue ball being weighed years, it has got in

all kinds of trouble. There is 1 possible pot, 2 from the left corner

pocket. I don't think he could screw around the back of the black.

Without careering into those. Just keep your eye on the cue ball and he

will take this pot on. He is playing the safety shot, I don't blame him

for that. In a way, that sums up the way that he is a more mature player

now. It was probably the only shot he had. Place the winner of the UK

Championships. -- Place -- twice. Not a good shot. Get past the blue

on those both with reds available on all sides. A big mistake by Antony.

It looked like he could hold for the pink, trying to get up on the blue.

He played its like he didn't fancy the pot march. -- much.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ding gets a point to play. As good as Anthony

Parsons is, he couldn't score as well as Ding could. I think that is

what he tried their and Ding is not perfect.

To reflect target now with the green, the brown, the blue. -- 80

great. This will take a bit of potting, far from easy. That is what

he didn't want to do, so Ding has the early chance. He has the black

in the open. When the cameras are on you, it makes things more difficult.

Ding's problem here is not the red or the black, it is an interesting

read he is going here for -- red. I thought he would play the 1 to the

right. It complicated things. He has hampered the cue ball again. He

looks edgy. He had obviously worked out a couple of shots in advance

working out how to clear the black. When you are striking over a ball

like that it is so easy to put a bit of side on. That is what happened.

He threw the white off-line. Can deem it take this opportunity? --

Ding. Apparently he is not with it at the

moment. He has to put antennae in a bit of trouble but that is so curly.

A strange choice of shot to play for the blue. I don't see any reason why

he couldn't have played on the pink. I think you play to swing the

cue ball around the ankles and get the blue into play. He has squared

up off the cushion is a lot. That is a couple of times that he could have

played for the pink, it would have gone on to the blue spot and he

could have taken the rate of the pink spot. -- red. This is poor.

That has confused Anthony a little bit. You think they all play the

same, but they are confused by the angle that came off that. Certainly

a big slide on these cushions. Different to what he has been

dressing on. -- practising on. He has it, that is a good shot. He has

a choice now, blue or pink. It looks make the pink. -- looks like. The

way they are situated, you can forget about the blue and the

black. It seems that Ding has been around a

long time that he is only 26. It has been a long, learning curve for him.

A brilliant player as a teenager, sometimes erratic. That was in his

early 20s when it didn't go his way. He is on the other side of that now

and he looks like he is up there in the top 2 or 3 players. He lost to

Ronnie O'Sullivan last week when he was 3-0 up. He probably doesn't know

how he lost that match. But he is exceptionally talented and the

standard he is playing is high. He was always under pressure

representing China with 100,000,000 people watching him.

It is 19 consecutive matches he has won in evidence. -- events. 2 of

those ended in a street draw. -- this would be quite something to win

the 20th match in a row. He certainly would be 1 of the players

to beat this week. Last year it was a different winner of 8 3 regular

event. -- every. He got his game together already after a shaky

start. He had his chances and didn't take them. He needs another red and

a colour to open this red frame. -- to win this frame. It was a shaky

start that he is right in his stride now. It was interesting listening to

the boys in the studio saying how difficult it is to get used to the 4

table situation with no petition in the middle. You can see in your eye

what is happening. The reds stay out but I don't blame

Antony. He has a bit of table time that the 1st frame is definitely

Ding's. Anthony could do with a few balls to

settle the nerves. He didn't get any of those and didn't get the

opportunity to get some pots under his belt.

That seemed to kick and the pink seemed to straighten up. Anthony

will get some practice on the table and I don't blame but on him at

all. It is difficult for Antony, it

really is. I think it is his 1st time playing under the TV cameras in

a major tournament so it is a big day. He has his wife down with him

as well, plenty of family support. I just hope he can get himself up and

Can he get to the black? It mightn't be a shot he fancies with all reds

surrounding it. How much does he fancy the shot? He will have 2 play

it, he can't refuse shots like this. It has a degree of difficulty about

it, stretching as well. That is a confidence booster for Antony.

There will always be distractions in the Barbican in this format. More

than ever, the players' concentration has to be is baht on.

-- spot on. If they are focused they could be oblivious to what is going

around them, but it is hard to get to that stage. That is another

long-range shot that is awkward. It is not straightforward.

That is a good shot, well played, Anthony. Still not an easy chance

for him yet. IRA a few loose reds. He could pot the blue and go into

the pink and hope for a nice little run of the balls. The black is

available into 1 corner. Let's see whether he takes the bull by the

horns and goes into the pink, here. He is just going to play for the

loose red. He bit closer to the cushion than he wanted. Not a bad

choice of shot. That will do, that will do very

nicely. Can he keep it going? It really is a good chance. Dear, oh

dear. Black off the spot and he will be disappointed to have missed that

1 just when he was finding a little bit of form.

I didn't think that was in. Attention of whether Ding is not

quite alive to this match thinking that he is good enough. But it is

all about professionalism. We have seen that from Ding in the last few

months and I expect to see that continue. We had a chat about this

after the 2nd frame and he said he was a bit ragged.

Sometimes if your opponent plays badly, it will drag you down a

little. Scoring will be tough with the pink and black where they are.

Always difficult to control the cue ball when the reds is so close to

the pocket. This is a tricky blue. They think you can avoid the cannon

on the green. That looks to be spot on.

I think he is too straight on this red to get behind the black. It

would be a deep screw this 1. Not quite as he intended. But he can

take it into the corner. Got to watch the black with the old

waistcoat. This anything again. Playing up the

table for the blue I suspect. I wonder whether he might chance

playing on the lack. A great shot, the best he has hit in the frame,

positionally. It is hard to imagine just potting reds and blues in the

frame. But it is 1 way to do it. He took the chance to develop that

reds. He went round the back of it. It would have been perfect on blue.

That is a good recovery but once again, this looks delicate. From

then, there is a distinct possibility. But it doesn't look

pottable. Didn't look on. He just forced that 1 a little bit.

I wonder whether Anthony will try and develop the other red. He has

the read into play. Not bad at all. He deserves a little bit of luck,

the cue ball has travelled on a little bit. Difficult to clear from

here. If he takes the green, he has to

force it to get up near the reds. He is back with the blue.

Had he had pocketed the blue, the White would not have been near the

pocket. It's as if Ding is not timing the

shot. He is not going through the ball as well as he normally does.

Playing this safety shot, Antony needs to avoid going into the back

of the blue. He has done that. The rate is not going of the middle

pocket, so that is all right. -- going over.

I think he played a something like that. Certainly, the cue ball was

intended to get behind a bulk colour. Fallon to mess. -- Foul and

a miss. Just caught the pink ball there. Chance for Ding. It's pretty

comfortable for Ding at the moment. is the difference. Even though,

Antony is coming to the table, that looks like 3-0 to Ding. to mess the

yellow is in a perfect spot to get the snooker in behind the brown but

he is not left himself the space to get in that position. He needs a

couple of snooker 's. He is working out, if I take the pink, will I need

an extra snooker? He could do with getting tight in

behind the brown to make it difficult to escape from.

that's a good hit. He needed to miss that to give Antony any sort of

chance. Imagine getting three snookers

against someone on top of his game like Ding. These players hardly

missed a snooker nowadays. To try is a very tall order.

That should be it, now. 3-0. That man has to do something about it.

Try to win the frame that follows. Try to get a foothold into the

match. It has been a 1-way traffic, in fairness. Ding has not been at

his best either. There is still time.

Very comfortable for the Chinese player at the moment. Ding Junhui

leads up to make 3-0. That's a great shot. Unless it has

just slipped on past the yellow, as Ding looks over to one of the other

tables. This is a chance for Antony. Look at that, dead straight! Can he

push it through in a straight line? That is one of the toughest shots

when you are under pressure. Delivering that cue in a straight

line. It requires examination of your cue action. If you miss one of

those by quite a way, I was guilty of that in my day, it knocks your

confidence a little because you think, what am I doing wrong?

Ding is certainly below par even though he is 3-0 up.

It is so close to the green here, he can't come off the side position. He

would have to go twice across. He is trying to see if he can land on the

red to the left of the three behind the black. I don't know if he can

get enough side on the cue ball for it to come off the cushion and avoid

the blue. He managed to avoid those two read

on the way down now he is behind them -- reds. He keeps under hitting

that type of shot. He has played a few where he left himself alongside

the blue. That is a bit of tension, really. You want to keep as close to

the next shot as possible to make things easy for yourself. He is a

little further from the red than he would have been if he were on the

correct side of the blue. He has a choice here of going through for the

black or for the blue. Has he just got enough angle this time? I think

that is a good shot. He is top side of it. It looks fine from the

commentary position. He is searching for the pace of the table because

there is nothing you can practice on that could recreate these

conditions. Even the practice tables would not be near as quick as these.

That bounced out of the pocket, I'm sure. That's a little unlucky. It

did not seem like he had missed it. I think it bounced out. He did give

it a thump, didn't he? At least he got away with it. Great target to

get in behind, there. If he slips past the brown, good

chance of a snooker. Played it well. Not sure if it's just a little bit

sticking out there. Not sure if he can get past the blue and sneak the

side of the red. Let the referee how the referee have a look at it. It

does not look like you can see enough of it there, but maybe just

the edge. No. Foul and a miss. It is one of those tricky ones. They are

difficult to read place. -- replace. It is sometimes helped by

the chalk mark on the question. That is very good -- caution. Well done.

Old eagle eyed Paul. Different shot this time. That will not reach, will

it? That is a mile away. Foul and a miss. It will skid off the cushions

end you will have to do some readjusting. If it just lands on the

rads, he won't leave anything. -- reds.

He just caught the safety shot a little too thick. It's not the end

of the world going in-off but it is a long cue in shot for Antony. I am

sure when he is fully confident, he would knock these in. Yes, very

nice! That is the best striking from him in this match. A real confidence

boost. This is where he has to concentrate harder than normal to

make sure he does not make an elementary mistake.

It just wriggle its way in. Would have liked to have been straight on

this Red Sea could go on to the red that follows. He can just about to

it. -- do it. I think this will open up a rates to the left corner. Some

things looking up in the frame. -- a red. The interval is coming up and

is Antony can take this frame, he will enjoy his couple of tea or

coffee. 4-0 down would not give him much of a chance. 3-1 means he would

have to play well to beat Ding but the chance would be there. This is a

key shot coming up because he can bring some more reds into play. He

needs some more. He needs to go through onto the black. Did not

really develop anything. It will not be easy unless he can cannon that to

read near the pink and bring it into play. There are still plenty of

points left on the table. That's OK! He will still need

another one of those difficult rates. He just developed the one.

This cueball has to go. He wants a little more than he has here.

Another red after this to make the frame safe. I would like to put a

cover safe... It's so easy to take it from behind the brown but I would

like a cover on one of those cushions. He has the best of both

worlds there. Good shot. More insurance that's Ding would not

clear up, if the chance came. Very well judged. So much right hand

side. He swerved it slightly to make that angle. Touching ball helps the

situation for Antony. He could play directly onto a colour if you wanted

to. -- he wanted to. That would make him an even stronger favourite than

he is now. Just checking it was a touching

ball. He will play off the green, put it somewhere safe, I think. He

has not quite manage to get it safe but he has played a good shot all

the same. Get in behind the yellow and blue

with a little fin one of the bunch here. If he gets a good cueball, it

doesn't matter if he knocks one or two of these reds out.

There is one red that Ding can take on as a shot or nothing here. The

one above the pink. Not quite. Another test of Antony's cue

action. He is pulling back with a little bit of safety in mind. He may

have left the gap for a possible pots for Ding. But, he played the

shot the correct way. Had he gone in, he could have rolled up behind

the yellow but look at this gap for this red. No. I don't think Antony

would have wanted to get the pink outs. That is the only downside to

his last shot. If Ding got a chance, he would be some way into getting

back into the frame. It is not over yet.

He could do with some cover here. That's a good shot. That's fine. The

rates are covering each other. -- reds.

Goodway back to there. -- back to baulk.

This time I think, while it is not easy, Ding might have left Antony in

the left-hand corner. If it goes in, he has won his frame before the

midsession interval. Nice pot. The colour might be

awkward. This time, to keep the pressure on, there are still plenty

of reds available. He is doing everything he can to tighten up this

frame. All the bold colours are being killed off. There are still 75

points on the table. Ding's shot here to lay up to a red looks

difficult. He might end up playing just hit and hope. Any way of

playing slowly, he would leave red in any way. He might have to chance

his arm here. This is all round the houses. Great

escape! Has he not hit one? Foul. Wow! He missed that on the left

cushion by nothing. That was pretty unlucky. Great effort. He has had a

lot of cushions. He has hit five cushions. He could hit all six

cushions, possibly, to get out of this. Foul. That has put the black

awkward. Antony needs to drop this red in the middle pocket and he has

his first frame on the board. Then, at least he can go to the midsession

interval feeling more comfortable. Dean concedes. Antony Parsons has

won the frame. Ding leads 3-1 at the interval. Ding gets frame five under

way. He was on the practice table in the players lounge. Trying to get

that cue action going. Although he leads, he did not look all that

comfortable. Antony was backstage and he could not wait to get back

out again. I walked past him and he was full of beans. He was delighted

at taking that last frame. 3-1 behind the best of 11 is not

that bad. This is a key frame. 4-1 would give an -- would not give

Antony a great deal of hope. Through the reds. Ding is in. There are four

or five reds that are available. He can give himself an early chance in

this frame. The frames were going from both

sides. It is a bold colour and 1 key shot and he is amongst them. Staying

with a long-range and if this goes in the rest, he will get all around

the black. An early chants. -- chance.

He missed 1 of the earlier arms halfway through the frame. Usually

very good with the rest. Once again, it could have been worse.

Snooker players' Pettitt to hit 1 of the colours when you play the safety

shot. -- pet hit. A good pot, he is not nicely on the

black but he hit the reds and that was the main part. To see and to cut

in. -- too thin. He wants to take the pot on anti-

currency and easy safety. He thought he was almost done to have a go at

the pot and he is looking at it again. The black is over the pocket,

he is bound to be on the black but this is a big shot. Didn't really

fancy that 1. You are right, he had to play it and get it.

He just under hit that and left himself awkward on the blues. He

definitely played for the blue they are and came up short.

That might leave the black available. I'm not sure. He's got

the pink and blue obviously, the reds aren't too badly placed.

Perfect play this time. He has a nice angle on the blue. You never

know with this game. The waiting -- Ding has looked, not on top of his

game. Anthony could not keep you in here, he could ask if you questions

and Ding could come up with the answers. Anthony plays well, Ding

will have 2 races game. -- raise his game.

I think he had plenty of room to get through. He is getting to feel that

maybe he couldn't do well in this match.

1st impression is that the angle is not good. He might be able to force

an angle. He has to be accurate. He has to use pace on it. That is a

decent shot. The next reds might go into the next redback -- red. It

sums up how the match has gone, a few awkward situations. You can't be

certain where the cue is going to finish. That is always going to be a

problem. It hasn't worked out well. He has to be precise with this

shot. If it chose to take the green and getting behind the brown, he has

to get it just right otherwise he could open the way for Antony to get

a snooker in behind the yellow. He didn't get in behind the brown but

it hasn't finished in such a way. The white is slightly more to the

left. That is not available to him at the moment.

That's almost as good as a snooker. Leaving awkward queueing here. --

cueing. An issue for Ding. Couldn't have played that any better.

Anthony looking whether he could leave the cue ball in the top right

pocket. He could cover the red down the table but it was the green he

was hoping for. He played well. If he plays it, it is a risky 1. That

looks to be excellent, 1st class. He may have the jaws of the pocket in

the way as well. Just the knuckle of the pocket

preventing him getting to the red. You can see the nose of the pocket

there. Look at this shot! He attempted that NT normally holds his

hand up to apologise but he did try that and he couldn't have played it

better. He was in a bit of trouble they are and even if he got this

ever shot, there was no guarantee he would have got all of the reds. He

turned around things again. He is looking lacklustre if he could get

in and win the frame. Look at that, another ball that he has missed. He

Antony felt he got heavy contact was trying so hard they are. --

Antony felt he got heavy contact bad, shouldn't be a problem, he

wanted it to be straighter on the yellow and blue. 1 of the 3 reds is

available. In fact, when he removes this, it will free the 1 next to it.

Overdone it slightly, he might be able to drop it beneath the reds.

Slightly hampered. No problem, though. They good chants. It could

turn things around here. While Ding races game? He certainly called a

little shot on the blue they are. There --. He will need the reds on

the cushion. He is not there yet. That is not bad. It is a good

angle. It will end up finishing top side. He has struggled with the pace

of the table. He has played on the black. I can't understand him

playing that. He deftly needed to play off the blue there. It is a

better angle. He can't get anywhere near it now. He is hoping that he

will pot the black van. He will go 36 in front and that is probably

what he tried. He needs to pot it I suppose. 2 different ways that, it

was difficult to play the black banned the blue. -- than. Getting to

the point where there is only 1 snooker needed. I didn't realise he

just needed the black. Why didn't he rolled it in? Instead of trying

to... It was baffling. If he knocks this in, it is all over.

Before they started the match, if Samiti had said to Antony that you

will be playing the 3 consecutive ranking title winner and you will

only be 1 frame behind, I think he would have taken that. From 3 - 0

behind, he is all of a sudden just 1 down. Slightly worrying times for

Ding. He will be comfortable, Antony. He takes the frame. He is

just 1 behind. 3-2 to Ding. A little flick from Ding there,

unintentional. I think he could just get to the reds on the right. He has

not played all that well himself, Antony. He is keen to make an

impression. He is not a youngster in terms of snooker at all.

He caught that safety shots much too thin. It crashed into the other

red, how much damage has he done? He has missed a couple of these, if

this goes in, the black is available. Again, he has missed. He

has missed 3 of those shots. He is giving a lot of cancers. --

chances. Only to make people have queried

that he is on 19 matches unbeaten. -- two. It has been a long time

since he was beaten. Of course, as far as the big ranking

events go, a lot of the Jewish players figure in the finals. I

think John Higgins has made the event. -- British. Aditya Mehta got

to the final in Delhi. It changes now that we get to the UK

championships. He has been the player of the season

so far. No doubt about that. He looks to be in perfect position.

He has the reserve to the right middle. He got to the table as a

result of Antony's uncomfortable ball. It is only a matter of time

before Ding took advantage of that mistake. The suspicion he was -- he

will pick his game up because of that, and that is where we are now.

He picks the peso per little bit there. It was more businesslike the

way he was walking around table. He is growing in confidence. They are

all there for the taking. That is not a safe all on the table. --

ball. There is a little triangle of reds. Possible chance of the 1st

century in this match. He could take a century if any of

those 2 reds are portable. -- pottable. Ding has been a

professional ten years now and he has made 335 centuries. It has been

an illustrious career. It is only the world championship alluding him.

He has made 35 this season. It is a record. 61 is the record. He we are

at the end of November with all these months of play a head. It is a

welcome break for Ding. It is amazing how 1 shot can turn the

whole thing around. Antony had a chance with a comfortable pot he

would normally not in. All of the sudden, Agro to is looking like the

player we have been watching for the last 3 or 4 tournaments. Very close

to 101. That was also a really good shot. He

has woken from his slumber. That was a lovely break. Ding now leads 4-2.

He must be able to plant one red on to another. Is he playing the cannon

onto the red? He hit the or on completely. -- the wrong ball. He

played a little cannon off the other to knock the ball in. It was getting

confusing on that corner of the cake Dunn table. -- of the table. No

guarantees he will win the frame. He has a good chance to score but he

has to get the table working for him. A lot of reds on the rights are

blocking off outside the table. -- right.

Don't want to land full on that red. That is the worst possible

position. Believe it or not, he may not be on a pot. The odds against

that happening are quite incredible. In fact, it is touching. He is

puffing his cheeks. It is one of those shots where it is

so congested on that side of the table. There is always a chance it

would go wrong. What does he do from here? Horrible kind of frame, the

way it has worked out. He did not really put in all his concentration

and he thought, there is no way I can't finish on a red. It never

ceases to amaze me what can happen on this table. No wonder he is

scratching his head. With the position he has finished in...

That's excellent! Excellent! Using the touching ball to his full

advantage with a perfectly judged snooker behind the yellow. I give

him 11 out of ten for that. Yes. I'm not even sure if he could get right

in behind it, the fact that he got the pace right. It was almost

alongside the yellow. But he still got the snooker. Highly tactical

frame. It's not as easy now to just lay on

one, as he did. I number of shots ago he picked out a little beauty to

land on a red but now, with the way they are situated, it is even more

difficult. Fallon to miss. -- Foul and a miss.

Imagine trying to get these all put back into the position they were

in. The table is still not absolutely perfect. What on earth

has he played here? How does he finished their? I don't know how he

has finished up in such an awkward spot. He is going to win it the hard

way. We thought he might win it with one visit but he certainly won't be

doing that. He just concentrated on the plants and forgot about the cue

ball. -- plant. Back in trouble again. Seems like he is having more

fun getting Antony in trouble behind that yellow than he is in winning

the frame. I think he is trained to torture him. -- trying. I and please

for Antony. He has done so well. To get three frames against the man,

the informer Ding. He has done well. Still not over yet, by any means.

Possible chance for the middle pocket. Black safe, blue is safe.

Plenty of snooker left in this frame, you would feel.

Just got the one point out of that. Might be able to get off the

right-hand side of the blue. I thought he could get in behind the

yellow but I am sure he will be pleased with that shot. It is

turning into a real struggle for Ding. Glimpses of his best but you

would feel that he would somehow come through it against Antony, who

has played with credit. Bit unlucky. The cue ball could have

finished anywhere. He has got first option at a safety shot, though. I

think he knew the cue ball is heading towards that bunch of reds

but could not do anything about it. He was very unlucky. If he had

pushed his way another six inches through the reds, he was in good

shape. You could make that into a plant if

you had the whites on the left side of the table but not from where

Antony is. You would have to hit it so thin. A normal safety shot would

take it into the pink of those two reds. That is why he's going to the

other side of the table. But this is from easy. In the end, he tried to

pot his way out of trouble. He was not far away. He is left with a

possible pot to the left middle pocket. I think he thought that was

in. He was on his way around the table, Antony.

Doesn't fancy the one in the middle pocket so he is keeping things

tight. Or is he taking this red into the corner? No, he is trying to get

behind the yellow again. That cue ball just ran and ran. Bang

on behind the brown for a long way. Very awkward. The high-value

colours. Difficult frame to score in,

certainly with the high-value colours the way they are. Some of

the reds are open but there is nowhere to go with them, is the

problem. Well played. Finding it escape routes, these two. Ding has

to find another one. -- finding escape routes. They could get close

to hitting the pink and blue here but not quite.

Bit on the 6-iron. He needs the whites to keep going and it hasn't.

He hit that much thicker than he intended. It was more of a 3/4-ball

contact he got. Where is the next colour coming from? He needs to get

one of the smaller value colours next to his hand.

More strife for Antony Parsons who is in trouble again. I think he has

probably been in more trouble in this frame then he has been in most

matches he has played. He might not be 1 million miles away from getting

to the red Army rights. It might be cushion first. Difficult shots to

lay on it. You have to get the pace dead on. I think he hit the jaws of

the middle pocket there. I think that is why the shot went wrong.

The trouble with the last shot he has played... I am sure he just

grazed the chore of the middle pocket which sent to the middle of

the table. I think that's why he missed it. The pace was perfect.

APPLAUSE. 32 points in front. With the way the balls are situated, he

is in a strong position to win this match, Ding. Good opening pot but he

was urging that white to keep on bouncing. If he had finished on the

brown he could have potted that and cannoned into the blue and pink,

maybe. He could have brought them into play. As it is, he is faced

with a difficult, long pink that he has had a look at. He has had a

quick look at the scoreboard, as well. Maybe just waiting for a

better chance. We have all tried that, urging the ball off the

cushion. It doesn't really help. Too much on that. It seems like a 31

point league, where the ball far, is a hugely. -- lead. Very strange

frame of snooker, this. Nothing has gone for either player. He has to

get over the line, doesn't he? That is what he is intent on doing. If he

has a go at this one, he can get on top onto the brown. Not an easy pot

but worth the risk. A long way. Where will the red finish? -- long

way off. Wobbled its way into the pockets. --

pocket. You can see the white jumping a little there. That is too

hard. It is in no man's land. He could maybe sneak it back into

the middle -- snick. A chance, now. If he can pot this and develop the

blue and red, he can open things up. Or is it to be in a snick? Yes, it

was. He could not play that shot. It will not be easy to score from here.

Maybe he has an angle to go through and disturb the reds and possibly

the black. Cardinal sin again. He took his eye off the pot.

Fortunately for him, this time, Antony did not develop the reds and

the black. You would never normally miss an easy shot like that. That

was just his concentration. It's just been one of those horrible

frames that you don't want to be involved in. There is so much riding

on it from Antony's point of view. If he loses this, he is out.

But 33 behind. There are plenty of reds left. In a couple of shots

time, he might get the black into play. He could do it now, actually.

He could play a thin safety shot off the red that is next to the black

and could back down the table and develop that black and open things

up. I think that's what he is attempting.

The idea was good but he did not get the red past the middle and it is

another chance for some in for Ding. Scoring has been very thin on the

ground in this frame. It has been going 35 minutes, coming up. Every

reds that goes down, it does not seem a lot, but it is actually

improving Ding's chances. Even if it does not get a colour with them.

Where the table is, it's very hard to imagine anyone clearing up. A 34

point league is a big lead. Good shot! Except, it has just gone too

far. All day, he has struggled with the cue ball.

APPLAUSE. Well, he hit that all wrong. What a fluke he had there.

That is all that Antony needed at that stage. He is coming to the

table smiling. He has been in so much trouble in this frame. He has

been in behind the yellow on about five occasions and then this to top

it off. Like you say, bad shot from Ding. Good contacts made. He only

needs one pot. One red would leave Antony needing snookers. APPLAUSE.

He has done well to take three frames off the man who was playing

some of the finest snooker of the season. Probably Ding and Ronnie

O'Sullivan are the best at the moment. It's not a snooker here

bites its Ding Junhui who will take the match, 6-3. -- but.

Where is the yellow ball going? And there is a free ball, by the looks

of things. The last couple of shots have been very unlucky. The fluke

that to Ding had and then that... The best player has won but to Ding

had a run of the green today, as well. He is looking at the

scoreboard. It's definitely all over. He had chances. He could have

gotten closer to Ding, the way he set off in this match. But it was a

big experience for him. To play on TV for the first time in a major

tournament, that tells you that it is the end of the match. He is

finishing off its cost of water. Well done, anyway, Antony. -- he is

glass of water. Ding knows he needs to improve drastically if he is

going to take the title for the third time.

And on the green. -- no cannon. A little frustration from Ding there.

He did not play at his best. Antony Parsons had his chances but could

not take them. Smiles all round as Ding is a worthy winner in the end.

Ding Junhui was pushed but he is through to the second round.

Coverage continues without this afternoon. We will catch you then.

Sleep well. Good night.