Fourth Round - Day 2

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:00:29. > :00:35.the table to try and get a bit of potting practice. Against Judd he

:00:36. > :00:38.conceded the opening frame without potting the ball and then the same

:00:39. > :00:46.thing happened in the next two frames. So a good idea just to try

:00:47. > :01:29.and knock a few in here, just to settle down.

:01:30. > :01:51.It would be nice if he could clear the remaining balls up here.

:01:52. > :01:57.In fact, he doesn't - for some reason, he has decided, "That's

:01:58. > :02:05.enough, I have had enough practice", so he concedes the frame and Tom

:02:06. > :02:25.Ford with the aid of that early 40 break wins the frame and leads 1-0.

:02:26. > :02:30.Well, there's two reds there just gone close to the black. He has got

:02:31. > :02:34.a good cue ball but just tied the black up. It's amazing the number of

:02:35. > :02:37.times that happens. Some players, they never go near the black with

:02:38. > :02:41.the reds. It just must be which red they hit. And Tom Ford, well, he

:02:42. > :02:49.will be delighted with this start - played two and won twoment -- two.

:02:50. > :02:52.Got to be careful if he goes down the right side of the table, because

:02:53. > :03:03.that red near the cushion - he could catch that. Probably hit it a little

:03:04. > :03:07.bit thinner than he intended and that was because he didn't want to

:03:08. > :03:08.cannon that red. Now, Liang has struggled with his long potting so

:03:09. > :03:21.far. Looks like it's just going to be a

:03:22. > :03:35.safety shot, because there's no colour available, if he was to risk

:03:36. > :03:43.a long one. I liked that shot. Because he played it purely to bring

:03:44. > :03:53.the black into play. Mind you, if Tom rolls this red in and gets on

:03:54. > :04:02.the black... Which he is thinking about. It was a good shot. Good shot

:04:03. > :04:07.to get the black into play, but not a great cue ball. Any time a player

:04:08. > :04:17.can get his hands on the table, he generally likes to take a pot on. I

:04:18. > :04:20.suppose he has got to -- got a two-frame lead here and he is just

:04:21. > :04:24.trying to keep the pressure on his opponent. Doesn't want to leave him

:04:25. > :04:27.with an easy chance should he miss the long pot. He has been a bit

:04:28. > :05:01.fortunate with that knock off the middle pocket.

:05:02. > :05:07.He looked at a couple of reds, I don't think they will plant into the

:05:08. > :05:11.right corner. He can't get to it, but - well, they are - he would have

:05:12. > :05:20.to knock one red on to those. This would be a three-ball plant. If he

:05:21. > :05:22.would have been directly behind that planted, it would have been

:05:23. > :05:25.unmissable, but the fact he had to knock that one on to it, it was

:05:26. > :05:44.always going to squeeze it away from the pocket.

:05:45. > :05:52.This red pots into the bottom right-hand corner pocket... He would

:05:53. > :05:54.be on hold for many of the ball colours here. It is in all the way.

:05:55. > :06:11.Nice pot. Plenty of reds to go on here. He has

:06:12. > :06:13.had a quick look at the black, to see, does the black pot into the

:06:14. > :06:28.left-hand corner pocket? It certainly does, but unfortunately

:06:29. > :06:34.the black spot is covered by the red, so there's no point in getting

:06:35. > :06:37.it. Trying to pot the black at the moment - try and leave the cue ball

:06:38. > :06:46.somewhere in the middle of the table. He has got four or five reds

:06:47. > :06:50.there, out in the open. Sometimes, when you've got so many options,

:06:51. > :06:54.Dennis, you get a little bit confused, don't you? I think what he

:06:55. > :07:00.is thinking about is getting on the red near the left corner pocket to

:07:01. > :07:04.clear it out of the way. He ploughed it into the middle of the table,

:07:05. > :07:08.but, yeah, he would have to get that red out of the way, get up for the

:07:09. > :07:10.blue and then get the red that's on the black spot before he can even

:07:11. > :07:20.think about getting the black back into play. A few kicks on this table

:07:21. > :07:23.today. Yesterday, I think it was the other table, I think I can only

:07:24. > :07:28.remember a couple of kicks in the whole match. Yeah, Peter Ebdon was

:07:29. > :07:37.complaining about this table yesterday, after his match. A lot of

:07:38. > :07:45.kicks and a lot of bad bounces. Oh, that's poor from Tom. That's a

:07:46. > :07:47.let-off for Liang Wenbo. Just confused himself a little bit there

:07:48. > :07:51.- he had so many options on his position, even though he had got a

:07:52. > :09:39.bad contact with the brown, but it wasn't a great positional shot.

:09:40. > :09:46.Now, we mentioned that the black spot was covered, but let's have a

:09:47. > :09:49.look - all of the other spots are covered also, so the black might

:09:50. > :09:51.still be available. It would have to go in the direct line behind its

:09:52. > :10:01.spot. So it might still be available when it's re-spotted.

:10:02. > :10:15.But is there enough room in between those two reds? Is there loads of

:10:16. > :10:33.room? Plenty of room! Mustn't be touching that red.

:10:34. > :10:42.Well, he could definitely pot it back into the same pocket as the red

:10:43. > :10:47.is going in. He has a little angle on that black here. He may be able

:10:48. > :10:54.to push that red out of the way and bring that into play and free up the

:10:55. > :10:57.black spot. Just tried to nudge it, but just got into the cue ball too

:10:58. > :10:58.much. But he is still OK. The black will go in the same position and

:10:59. > :11:12.still be available. The referee is just making sure the

:11:13. > :11:15.black is in line with its spot and it should be in line with the pink

:11:16. > :11:17.spot and, of course, the blue and the brown. That's what he is looking

:11:18. > :11:53.at at the moment. See, the black's available but the

:11:54. > :11:57.red isn't available that's next to the black. That's why he tried to

:11:58. > :12:56.just nudge it away a couple of shots ago.

:12:57. > :13:06.Just can't make his mind up here, which red to take. Still can't make

:13:07. > :13:10.his mind up. I know the black will go into the right corner - it may

:13:11. > :13:15.not go into the left corner. If that's the case, he may have to

:13:16. > :13:22.swing the white around here. Maybe it does go into the left corner, as

:13:23. > :13:39.well. Just about. Looking at that picture.

:13:40. > :13:45.Well, the speed he played that black, I'll tell you that he tried

:13:46. > :13:49.to just clip that red away from the black spot and he has missed it, of

:13:50. > :13:51.course, and the red has gone up the table, so he is going to have to use

:13:52. > :14:16.the rest here. Nicely played. Now, has he got the

:14:17. > :14:20.angle, again, on the black? It looks fairly straight again. Just wanted a

:14:21. > :14:22.couple more inches there and it would have been absolutely perfect,

:14:23. > :14:24.just to pot the black and nudge that red away. But it looks very straight

:14:25. > :14:42.from this angle. He judged that nicely. A bit

:14:43. > :14:44.frustrating for Tom Ford to be sitting in his seat watching this,

:14:45. > :14:48.because he had a terrific chance and he just got himself a little bit

:14:49. > :14:58.confused. He couldn't make his mind up early on which red to play on.

:14:59. > :15:03.Yeah, he'd so many options, hadn't he? So many reds in open play and

:15:04. > :15:10.couldn't really decide which one to go for and it sort of got his wires

:15:11. > :15:17.crossed. It could cost him. Yeah, I think it's important for Liang to

:15:18. > :15:22.score enough here to keep Tom in his seat and get his first frame on the

:15:23. > :15:26.board. He just came around to have a quick look to see, does this red,

:15:27. > :15:29.just below the pink, pot into this bottom aren't corner pocket. That

:15:30. > :15:33.tells us it does and this will certainly open up the other two reds

:15:34. > :15:56.into the bottom left-hand corner pocket now.

:15:57. > :16:01.It wasn't straightforward when Liang Wenbo came to the table, but he has

:16:02. > :17:04.worked his way through this break quite well.

:17:05. > :17:06.He's just a couple more pots away from making this a frame-winning

:17:07. > :17:26.effort. Shouldn't be a problem - he is a

:17:27. > :17:29.little bit close to the red for comfort and having to use the rest,

:17:30. > :17:40.but he hasn't got much to do with the cue ball.

:17:41. > :17:53.There's only a possible 59 left on the table now. He is already 60 in

:17:54. > :17:57.front. Yeah, can't move it now, Liang. The referee can't move the

:17:58. > :18:02.black now. I don't know why he should bother. Why doesn't he take

:18:03. > :18:07.the pink? I was wondering if he got the black clean there, Dennis, what

:18:08. > :18:14.would happen? Well, the referee was up to it straightaway there - he

:18:15. > :18:22.knew that and was surprised that Liang asked him.

:18:23. > :18:31.Yeah, that would have been a way, yeah, "Can you clean the black,

:18:32. > :18:38.please"? Should be on the spot, it goes back on the spot. Yeah. That's

:18:39. > :18:45.why they call you "Crafty Ken", you see! You're always thinking, Ken! I

:18:46. > :18:55.used to be crafty - I'm more clueless now, Dennis! I prefer the

:18:56. > :19:28.Darling of Dublin, Ken DoD. He has took these well, has Liang.

:19:29. > :19:29.He had eight centuries this season and made 18 last season. He has made

:19:30. > :19:45.144 in his career. And eventually he nudges the red

:19:46. > :19:53.away. But he has given a big smile! He has tried on about four occasions

:19:54. > :20:01.to nudge that red! He is quite a character, is Liang. I'll never

:20:02. > :20:04.forget when he was first introduced at the Crucible and they introduced

:20:05. > :20:11.the referee and he thought it was him, so he had to go back out of the

:20:12. > :20:15.arena again. It was like a Benny Hill sketch, it was so funny! I

:20:16. > :20:21.remember well - I was playing him, Dennis. Couldn't stop laughing for

:20:22. > :20:31.the first couple of frames! Wouldn't it be nice if he could get a century

:20:32. > :20:38.here? Because the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice gets a nice prize

:20:39. > :20:39.every time a century is made. It's over ?13,000 at the moment. A great

:20:40. > :21:36.gesture from our title sponsor. 87 centuries so far this year in

:21:37. > :22:17.this year's UK Championship. Well, he really has taken these very

:22:18. > :22:22.well, indeed. Oh, he has missed the black! It doesn't really matter, but

:22:23. > :22:26.what an effort that is - a beautiful break of 122 from Liang Wenbo and he

:22:27. > :22:38.gets his first frame on the board. But Tom Ford still leads 2-1.

:22:39. > :22:46.So Tom Ford breaks off. His fourth frame - the last frame before the

:22:47. > :23:07.mid-session interval. Yeah, a lot of noise from the people

:23:08. > :23:11.on the next table moving out of the arena, but it won't really bother

:23:12. > :23:14.these lads. They're well used to people moving around now at

:23:15. > :23:17.tournaments. As long as they're not in their line, Dennis - you know

:23:18. > :23:20.when you are down on the table and down on an important shot and

:23:21. > :23:25.someone gets up in the crowd and it sort of catches your eyeline. Sort

:23:26. > :23:44.of a pet hate for players. Oh, this red is going close to the

:23:45. > :24:05.right centre. He won't get an advantage unless he

:24:06. > :24:12.gets this until it's like almost touching the black - not easy from

:24:13. > :24:15.the top cushion. Knew he would be possibly leaving an easy safety

:24:16. > :24:28.shot, but he has left, also, a pot for Tom here.

:24:29. > :24:35.I wouldn't try and leave the cue ball where - he's sort of judging it

:24:36. > :24:37.now. I'd sort of pot this and roll the cue ball towards the centre

:24:38. > :24:40.pocket as well and leave it tight on the cushion and try and get up for

:24:41. > :24:50.the blue, rather than try and play for the pink here. I wonder if he

:24:51. > :24:54.can leave the cue ball and go for this red. OK, if he misses it, at

:24:55. > :24:59.least the cue ball is close to the cushion and it's not straightforward

:25:00. > :25:03.for Liang Wenbo. But this way, if he misses it, he is going to be leaving

:25:04. > :25:05.something. Well, he has potted it, so that takes out of the equation!

:25:06. > :26:14.And he is nicely on the pink. He has gone too far for the one in

:26:15. > :26:17.the middle and not far enough for this one, so he can't run through

:26:18. > :26:25.for the black. So a slight change of plan. It's all about keeping close

:26:26. > :26:29.control of that cue ball and making it as easy as possible for yourself

:26:30. > :26:43.. The referee just asking the crowd on

:26:44. > :26:50.the other side of the arena just to be quiet. Probably play up for the

:26:51. > :26:58.blue and then get back up into the high-scoring section of the table.

:26:59. > :27:05.He had to sit out the last frame - he had the first chance, with the

:27:06. > :27:14.balls nicely placed, and he ran out of position early on. And he hasn't

:27:15. > :27:18.hit that hard enough and that is where he hasn't delivered the cue.

:27:19. > :27:29.He is tapping the table as if to say, "Nice shot, Tom". That's a pet

:27:30. > :27:37.hate of any snooker player - it's a bit like deaccelerating. And what a

:27:38. > :27:41.mistake that is. And the mid-session interval coming up after this frame

:27:42. > :27:46.and if Tom goes to the mid-session interval 2-2, he will be very

:27:47. > :28:10.disappointed, because he was in with a glorious chance there.

:28:11. > :28:17.Well, Liang has overhit that by a good couple of inches. He will have

:28:18. > :28:20.to run into the pink here and try and stun it towards the left-hand

:28:21. > :28:24.centre pocket and he has run into the reds as well. OK, he has always

:28:25. > :28:32.got the blue over it, but he has got to get high enough up the table with

:28:33. > :28:36.the red. He has judged that nicely. Just kept the cue ball clean, but

:28:37. > :28:41.there has been a few more kicks already in this match. But going

:28:42. > :28:45.back to Tom Ford, what a glorious chance he had. He had a chance in

:28:46. > :28:49.the previous frame, as well. And he will have to hit there and ponder

:28:50. > :29:16.those chances that he had. Very disappointed.

:29:17. > :29:25.When he gets going, Liang, he looks very confident around the table. You

:29:26. > :29:49.know, it's as if he owns the venue when he is in full flow.

:29:50. > :29:55.It's amazing where the time goes - he has been around for ten years. It

:29:56. > :30:22.doesn't seem that long since Liang turned professional.

:30:23. > :30:28.He can score enough to leave Tom needing a snooker with the open reds

:30:29. > :30:31.- he doesn't need that one that's closest to the mru, the one that's

:30:32. > :30:34.-- blue, the one that's out of commission at the moment. The other

:30:35. > :31:08.four are pretty comfortable, it has to be said.

:31:09. > :31:14.Well, he has hit that much too hard, when he had the blue over the

:31:15. > :31:16.pocket. That's a little bit of insurance, but he should have been

:31:17. > :31:20.straight over the pink. Now he has got to get over the baulk area to

:31:21. > :31:25.get back up the table. So he has got to be a little bit careful here not

:31:26. > :31:30.to catch one of those colours. Banging it with lots of side, as you

:31:31. > :31:40.can see. Squared the cue ball up there. All played with loads of left

:31:41. > :31:45.hand side on the cue ball there. Yeah, judged it perfectly -

:31:46. > :31:56.excellent positional shot. A choice of two reds - one into the

:31:57. > :32:35.left corner and one into the right centre.

:32:36. > :32:41.Well, he made a century in the previous frame and it looks as if he

:32:42. > :32:57.is going to clinch the frame with this visit.

:32:58. > :33:02.He has got a nice angle. He can use the red just to hold the cue ball

:33:03. > :33:12.here, if he wishes. He doesn't need to, of course. Maybe avoiding taking

:33:13. > :33:15.that red out of play. Just making sure of the frame - and that's

:33:16. > :33:22.exactly what red does. -- that red does. The crowd acknowledge that. 41

:33:23. > :33:30.points ahead, with just 35 remaining. Yeah, in different

:33:31. > :33:42.circumstances, he would have brought that red into play. He has left the

:33:43. > :33:46.double. The break goes to 66, so a black or pink with this last red and

:33:47. > :33:55.he could make another century if the double goes in. It's there -

:33:56. > :34:02.excellent shot. And this is a marvellous response from Liang

:34:03. > :34:07.Wenbo. Oh! Such a shame to miss the black and try and make the century.

:34:08. > :34:11.Yeah, he is very disappointed, but most importantly he has got another

:34:12. > :34:15.frame on the board. As Tom Ford goes out, he will be very disappointed,

:34:16. > :34:40.but Liang will be over the moon. He has levelled the match to 2-2.

:34:41. > :34:49.That's an excellent safety shot. Very good - top drawer. I think the

:34:50. > :34:54.way the balls are situated early on in this frame, Tom is thinking to

:34:55. > :34:56.himself, "I just want one chance in around the black and pink and I

:34:57. > :35:05.could get myself into the quarterfinal of the UK

:35:06. > :35:10.Championship". The match has been going just over three hours, as you

:35:11. > :35:14.can see there. Liang now has to be so careful, because he can't risk

:35:15. > :35:23.anything, otherwise he could be out of this year's UK Championship.

:35:24. > :35:33.He is just trying to lay on these reds closest to the top cushion.

:35:34. > :35:37.That looked a bit pacy. I'm just wondering, Ken, he'll have a look at

:35:38. > :35:41.this red and he'll have a look to see if there's a possibility of

:35:42. > :35:44.taking the pot up into the right corner and getting on the black and

:35:45. > :35:48.he might try that, if he wouldn't leave anything easier. The only

:35:49. > :35:51.thing that's maybe stopping him from doing that is the red to the right

:35:52. > :36:01.of the pink. If it wasn't there, he would have a go at this.

:36:02. > :36:16.Keeping it tight. The way they're opening up here, one mistake could

:36:17. > :36:21.prove very costly for either player. Yeah, I'm just surprised he played

:36:22. > :36:24.those with a pretty straightforward shot but he could be in a lot of

:36:25. > :36:28.trouble here - he really wanted that cue ball over to the left hand side

:36:29. > :36:30.of the table and Liang Wenbo has an opportunity here. Down between the

:36:31. > :36:42.yellow and brown. He has gone between the green and

:36:43. > :36:46.brown, but still, he needs to get it over that side of the table and

:36:47. > :36:49.cover everything over to the right hand side of the table and make

:36:50. > :36:51.things much more difficult for Tom Ford. He has put himself in a bit of

:36:52. > :37:10.trouble now, Tom. Can he find the gap here and swing

:37:11. > :37:16.this around? That could be up behind the green.

:37:17. > :37:23.Not that he intended that - he wanted to get close to the cushion.

:37:24. > :37:27.And there's one long pot - one to the left of the blue - and Liang

:37:28. > :37:32.earlier in this match couldn't knock a long pot in. And he's not even

:37:33. > :37:44.contemplating that red. I don't blame him - he has only got

:37:45. > :38:05.a long pot success of 23%. I mean, we say in the game, the top

:38:06. > :38:09.players are not bothered about the money, they're just playing to win

:38:10. > :38:13.titles, but for players like this, Ken, the money means so much for

:38:14. > :38:16.someone like Tom Ford, to get through to the quarterfinal of the

:38:17. > :38:17.UK Championship. It really does cost these boys a lot of money to travel

:38:18. > :38:36.around the world these days. Well, he didn't want that kiss on

:38:37. > :38:44.the red. That's exactly what he didn't want to give his opponent. An

:38:45. > :38:48.easy opportunity like this - it gives him the chance to get a few

:38:49. > :38:51.points on the board. But you're dead right - it is a lot of money for

:38:52. > :38:56.someone like Tom Ford. I mean, probably the expenses for the

:38:57. > :39:04.players to stay on the tour and to play in every event is around -

:39:05. > :39:08.well, it must be between ?25-30,000. So a cheque of ?20,000 would go a

:39:09. > :39:19.long way to your expenses for the year. Yeah, it's much the same as

:39:20. > :39:26.golf, isn't it? The boys have got to pay for caddies and coaches and, you

:39:27. > :39:30.know, a great lifestyle if you are right at the top in golf and - well,

:39:31. > :39:33.the money in golf is incredible now, but you need to get into the top ten

:39:34. > :39:46.in the snooker world to make a really good living, you would have

:39:47. > :39:47.to say. I think it's getting better again, the prize money, and the top

:39:48. > :40:53.boys can earn quite a bit. That's a little beauty, that shot.

:40:54. > :41:00.Couldn't have judged that any better. Not only a good pot, but the

:41:01. > :42:29.perfect cannon. He has showed what a great player he

:42:30. > :42:34.is. He was 4-1 down and he has come back. He was delighted that that was

:42:35. > :43:08.the best win of his career. The way the balls are situated

:43:09. > :43:29.here, when he is amongst it it is just his game. Bit of bounce off

:43:30. > :43:39.that cushion. He has to take that right centre pocket. Getting rid of

:43:40. > :43:50.the chalk marks. I bet he is a tricky good gardener -- pretty. Is

:43:51. > :44:10.ashamed that he has to take the more difficult shot now -- it is a

:44:11. > :44:38.shame. That is a good recovery. He has just overshot it a little bit.

:44:39. > :44:44.If it is touching the cushion it just makes it a little bit more

:44:45. > :44:57.difficult. He has found one into the right centre. May have been better

:44:58. > :45:06.off going for the other one. I did not expect him to miss that one. I

:45:07. > :45:10.think he was thinking that this is a free ball for me, and now that he

:45:11. > :45:16.has missed it, that 46 point advantage could disappear rapidly

:45:17. > :45:22.the way the balls are situated here. It looked to be tight in the

:45:23. > :45:27.cushion, and defeated them at the same time, Tom could take that and

:45:28. > :45:32.move it onto the blue. I would fancy him to move that one in because it

:45:33. > :45:40.is tight. The way that I would look at it is to expect him to score. He

:45:41. > :45:45.does not seem to want to have a go at that one. It is just to the left

:45:46. > :45:57.of the pink and the green pocket as well. He could hold the pink into

:45:58. > :46:08.the right centre -- hole. He might have to cannon one of the reds on

:46:09. > :46:25.the way back. He just had to roll that. It was his choice and he did

:46:26. > :46:32.not get close to that. He is gifted. He has not played a great

:46:33. > :46:47.shot there, however, he is too straight.

:46:48. > :47:31.A delicate little screw shot. He's taking the easier red than the

:47:32. > :47:38.rest. 61 points ahead. That colour red will close the gap to one

:47:39. > :47:51.again. This has been a heated frame, he would have to say. Ford must be

:47:52. > :47:57.disappointed. It is hitting off the cushion a little bit. He only needs

:47:58. > :49:44.a rate to secure the frame. With that red tight on the cushion

:49:45. > :49:55.it made it an easier pocket and he tried to try a much more difficult

:49:56. > :49:59.pot up in the corner. He is going to have to wait for the next frame to

:50:00. > :50:29.get into the quarter-finals of this UK's championship.

:50:30. > :50:41.He has looked very fluent today. I know that he has missed a lot of

:50:42. > :50:49.longshots, Liang. He has missed a couple of 40s and the frame seven.

:50:50. > :52:06.He already had a 46 in this frame. Chuen earlier break of 46 and then

:52:07. > :52:21.he cleared them up with that magnificent effort of 88 -- with

:52:22. > :52:44.that. Tom Ford still leads five frames to four.

:52:45. > :52:58.Liang need the last two possible remaining frames. There is a bit of

:52:59. > :53:06.confidence. He is playing the safety shot off the right side and making

:53:07. > :53:11.sure there wasn't a planned shot. He was looking to see if he could push

:53:12. > :53:16.one over the pocket, but this is straightforward safety. Maybe he

:53:17. > :53:29.feels that he might possibly make the plant. He is certainly knocking

:53:30. > :53:33.the two reds and if it isn't a plant that will go close he has to hit

:53:34. > :53:45.with pace to make sure he does not leave it open with a pocket. He made

:53:46. > :53:59.sure he hit it with enough pace to bring it back across the table. That

:54:00. > :54:05.was pretty good. When you have had a 5-3 lead you are just looking for

:54:06. > :54:12.one chance amongst the balls to clinch the chance. He will be hoping

:54:13. > :54:19.for a chance in this frame and hopefully will not go 5-5. It look

:54:20. > :54:26.like he panicked a little bit in the last round and pushed a ball out. He

:54:27. > :54:38.will get a better chance than what he did. He was a bit close to those

:54:39. > :54:44.pots in the last frame. He will definitely get another chance, I

:54:45. > :55:25.feel. Maybe a couple of chances before this match ends.

:55:26. > :55:34.That is not a bad little flick of the green. I don't think he can get

:55:35. > :55:40.to the potting angle for the one on the right. I don't think he can see

:55:41. > :55:52.that one. I am pretty sure that that green is. Bat. -- I am pretty sure

:55:53. > :56:03.that the green is in the way of that. Keeper nigh on the cue ball --

:56:04. > :56:40.keep an eye on the cue ball. Once again, he is seeing if he can

:56:41. > :56:46.push over a pocket. He has got the back end of the table with all of

:56:47. > :56:56.those reds and now he has other choices. This one he will descend

:56:57. > :57:13.into the reds and then back down the table. Pretty good shot, this one.

:57:14. > :57:42.Well played. The other two reds he is looking at

:57:43. > :57:50.are not a plant. That one near the right middle pocket is in an awkward

:57:51. > :58:07.spot and he could quite easily catch that on the return to the safety

:58:08. > :58:15.area. Good shot. Just managed to miss the red. Could have done with

:58:16. > :58:21.getting Mac cueball tighter to the cushion, that he will be happy with

:58:22. > :58:45.that -- but he will be. He needs to be careful playing the

:58:46. > :58:59.safety shot this way. He played it thin enough and another at good

:59:00. > :59:14.return safety shot. Might not have blocked the path down the left-hand

:59:15. > :59:32.side yet. This looks good. This looks very good, indeed. Again, just

:59:33. > :59:37.enough. Just another sticking out. If heating get the cue ball down

:59:38. > :59:56.towards the green pocket it will still make things very awkward for

:59:57. > :00:04.Tom Ford. Excellent shot. Getting very congested around the black spot

:00:05. > :00:20.area now. Six reds around the black spot. As we look at it now and just

:00:21. > :00:25.the one to the right could find the gap down the left-hand side of the

:00:26. > :00:29.table. I think he could. Yes, he has spotted that one. Maybe go down the

:00:30. > :00:39.other side which is slightly more difficult. The catch going down that

:00:40. > :00:58.right hand side of the table is that he never looked at the other side.

:00:59. > :01:05.First chance to Liang. That was a nervous shot. Let us have a look at

:01:06. > :01:12.that again. It certainly did not go into the pocket cleanly. We have

:01:13. > :01:32.seen that happen a couple of times. The pink spot is available. I don't

:01:33. > :01:41.think it will tie the pink up. There are those middle pockets, as well.

:01:42. > :02:36.Plenty of chances to put a good score on the board here.

:02:37. > :02:44.As I mentioned, all of those reds are very awkwardly placed around the

:02:45. > :03:32.black spot area. Still another three available reds.

:03:33. > :04:01.Just over and around the cue ball slightly. But his success has been

:04:02. > :04:27.very good today. Just thinking that is a stranger shot from the rest.

:04:28. > :04:34.He is picking off all of the easy reds and it will start to get a

:04:35. > :04:41.little bit more difficult now. In a couple of shots time. Still another

:04:42. > :04:52.three I can that are available to him. Once the left, right and below

:04:53. > :05:02.the pink. He does not have to play them just yet. He does like to keep

:05:03. > :05:19.the table mice and clean, doesn't he Liang -- nice. Back for the blue

:05:20. > :05:33.because the pink is not available for this pocket. Now it is available

:05:34. > :05:37.for the two middle pockets. It is just over on the cue ball again, he

:05:38. > :05:47.wanted it to be a little bit straighter. He is going to have to

:05:48. > :05:57.play a cannon now. This could go wrong so he has to be very careful.

:05:58. > :06:05.I don't think it is a natural cannon onto the two reds. Is not quite a

:06:06. > :06:17.plant, but he can be careful if he cannons in the first two red. I

:06:18. > :06:39.don't think it is an issue. That is coming off the cushion. That is what

:06:40. > :06:44.he tried. He is still on that red. He is looking at the yellow up into

:06:45. > :07:00.that top pocket. A bit more confident with that. Good shot. Does

:07:01. > :07:07.he have an angle on that pink? It was worth another look. That was a

:07:08. > :07:13.good pot there. If he is dead straight on the pink he may have to

:07:14. > :07:19.play for that plant. It is a plant that can be made. The red that is to

:07:20. > :07:24.the left of the black spot will go into the left corner but I don't

:07:25. > :07:33.think he has the angle get onto that. He definitely fancies his

:07:34. > :07:38.plight after the pink, doesn't he? There is just enough room. There is

:07:39. > :07:44.a bit of a gap between the red and that makes it a bit easier to be

:07:45. > :07:58.able to make the plant. It is not dead set. He was trying to play two

:07:59. > :08:12.shots in one there. He will try to put the pink in and possibly get the

:08:13. > :08:21.red to the left of the black spot. Good shot. Excellent shot. He does

:08:22. > :08:30.not want the red to cover the pink but it has covered the pink into the

:08:31. > :08:49.corner. But he still has the blue. A few big sighs from Liang there. He

:08:50. > :08:57.could go between a few options but I think that the screw is the shot.

:08:58. > :09:07.That is a poor shot and the blue back on its pot will cover that. He

:09:08. > :09:28.has given himself a little slap there. You don't want to be hitting

:09:29. > :09:32.yourself too hard. Take that. I hate to ring them up but happen to

:09:33. > :09:46.another player where he almost knocked himself out. A good safety

:09:47. > :10:21.shot. Excellent. You have to be very happy with that when a cueball is

:10:22. > :10:45.finished... That is very good. Can he hit the red pass to the black?

:10:46. > :11:03.That is the question. He hit it so hard. He has to make sure with the

:11:04. > :11:09.red. You would not say it is a great chance, but it is some kind of

:11:10. > :11:24.chance that Tom Ford did not think he would get. Is the first shot he

:11:25. > :11:31.has potted in quite a while -- it is. It may look awkward, but I think

:11:32. > :11:39.that all of these reds are available in the corner pocket. It is not a

:11:40. > :11:47.bad chance. They are all covering each other into the right corner.

:11:48. > :12:02.But they are all available. They are all pottable lining up in a line.

:12:03. > :12:16.Just the fact that the black is in an awkward position means that he

:12:17. > :12:26.will take all of those in a line. Still, a good chance. Certainly to

:12:27. > :12:31.get back into this frame. Of course, the pressure is always building at

:12:32. > :12:36.the same time and at this stage anything can be missed. And as you

:12:37. > :12:42.said, he thought that the frame was over. He was probably getting ready

:12:43. > :12:45.to a final frame decider and then all of a sudden he is handed a

:12:46. > :12:51.lifeline. That takes off the pressure as you get closer to Liang

:12:52. > :12:55.in this frame and its pressure will transfer its self back onto Tom.

:12:56. > :12:59.That was a chant he did not think he was going to get. Has he got a good

:13:00. > :13:05.enough angle to stun over any of those reds? He is going to have to

:13:06. > :13:12.leave one to the right corner and maybe the back one. He just about

:13:13. > :13:20.what's the one to the right there. That is a nice angle of the red and

:13:21. > :13:29.off the cushion for the pink. It does not want to be straight. I tell

:13:30. > :13:36.you what he has made some decision on the pink. If he could clear up

:13:37. > :13:40.here it would be one of the best breaks of his career. Absolutely. He

:13:41. > :14:41.has left it awkward again. It looked like it was five each.

:14:42. > :14:44.Liang just ran out of position. Tom has kept getting himself slightly

:14:45. > :14:50.out of position, but the chance he didn't think he had then all of a

:14:51. > :14:56.sudden he could pinch the match. It has just become a little bit awkward

:14:57. > :15:06.now, because he could pot this red, but the red above it is in the way.

:15:07. > :15:17.He could try to stun the cue bowl out, -- the cue ball. He is playing

:15:18. > :15:28.for the black, this will be tough. This is easily missed.

:15:29. > :15:38.The black is just off the cushion, which makes it difficult. Oh! I

:15:39. > :15:45.thought it was going to drop! It looked close, but it just seemed to

:15:46. > :15:49.leave the cushion slightly, and once you touch that there is no chance of

:15:50. > :15:58.it going in. He has to get himself ready for a decider. He beat Mark

:15:59. > :16:07.Williams 6-5 in the last one. He will have to do it again.

:16:08. > :16:14.I just thought the black was going to fall towards the cushion a bit

:16:15. > :16:25.and drop. He played it at the right pace. He had won the scream earlier,

:16:26. > :16:30.but he made a mistake and this is what he did, which was quite

:16:31. > :16:32.amusing. He had a good laugh, giving himself a smack on the side of the

:16:33. > :16:46.face. That puts him 34 points ahead, just

:16:47. > :17:13.35 remaining. We are going to a decider, Dennis.

:17:14. > :17:21.He did it against Judd Trump, knocking out the pretournament

:17:22. > :17:27.favourite. We always say it is the toss of a coin in the deciding

:17:28. > :17:28.frame, but Liang has won the past two, so you would have to say he is

:17:29. > :17:36.slightly He has won twice against Tom Ford in

:17:37. > :18:13.minor events. He got a horrendous kick, but he

:18:14. > :18:20.won't be worried about it. He puts his cue down and goes out for a

:18:21. > :18:32.break as Tom sits and reflects that missed black.

:18:33. > :18:43.You can't beat a one frame shootout. Liang almost with a good

:18:44. > :18:48.break off but you can tell by that facial expression he has left a

:18:49. > :18:53.possible pot for Tom Ford, but a lot of pressure on this because he may

:18:54. > :19:01.not find the gap. He couldn't find the gap between the black and red,

:19:02. > :19:08.if he doesn't... That was close. I think the crowd thought that was

:19:09. > :19:20.in. I think Tom thought it was in when he struck it. The crowd is

:19:21. > :19:24.getting excited. John is always saying that you just want one chance

:19:25. > :19:40.at the deciding frame, who will get the first real charts? -- chance.

:19:41. > :19:52.Trying to bring some more red balls into play, that is an excellent

:19:53. > :20:00.shot. He just hasn't covered those two reds. They may be close, it

:20:01. > :20:07.would be careering into the reds if it was in line, but perhaps they are

:20:08. > :20:12.not in line. As we move around, we will show you it is going to the

:20:13. > :20:21.left of the pocket, so it is not that debts it planned -- dead set

:20:22. > :20:43.plant. I am also having a look at it, and I

:20:44. > :20:51.would love to see if there is anything portable on the left-hand

:20:52. > :21:00.side. Just having a look at the plant again, but taking that time,

:21:01. > :21:02.because it is not set, it is not certain that the cue ball will be on

:21:03. > :21:30.a colour. He has played some good safety in

:21:31. > :21:38.this match. He played some very good safety against Judd Trump as well.

:21:39. > :21:43.He is a good tactical player, Liang. This is good, this could be

:21:44. > :22:08.very good, in fact this could be excellent. A super shot. One, two,

:22:09. > :22:19.three, four cushions. And behind the yellow.

:22:20. > :22:29.85% safety success rate, that is impressive. This is not

:22:30. > :22:43.straightforward, he needs to be careful with the pace of this.

:22:44. > :22:53.It is not bad, I don't know if that went to the left of the red and

:22:54. > :23:00.passed the black, but even if it did he doesn't have a good angle. With

:23:01. > :23:09.the pace of that last shot, he hit it a bit hard, but he is still

:23:10. > :23:19.looking at this. Maybe it is just a safety. If you get the cue ball

:23:20. > :23:22.anywhere near the green pocket, it certainly won't be leaving an escape

:23:23. > :23:32.route down the left-hand side of the table. It is quite congested on the

:23:33. > :23:40.right-hand side of the table. He will see if he can get it somewhere

:23:41. > :23:42.down towards the green pocket. He couldn't get it down there, but he

:23:43. > :23:58.will settle for this. Wonderful shot.

:23:59. > :24:11.Run the risk of getting the red closest to the right and centre. A

:24:12. > :24:24.similar shot again from Liang. The same thing applies, be careful with

:24:25. > :24:33.the pace of this. I think he has left that red this time. It is not a

:24:34. > :24:41.great angle. Tom not even looking at it. We know the red passes the

:24:42. > :24:49.black, but not a good angle to risk it, he feels. He is back looking at

:24:50. > :24:52.it again though. It is very risky, it could run into the other red, it

:24:53. > :25:12.could double kiss the other red. This is a really good tactical piece

:25:13. > :25:23.of play, who will crack first? It is a bit of an awkward frame, which can

:25:24. > :25:31.sometimes happen in a decider. It is a bit like a game of chess at the

:25:32. > :25:36.moment, just trying to get the first opening. He has got to put the cue

:25:37. > :25:39.ball down the left-hand side of the table, it is imperative he gets as

:25:40. > :25:48.close to the top cushion as possible. That is not the best shot

:25:49. > :25:58.he has ever played. I think he might have left this corner pocket.

:25:59. > :26:05.This is such a big match for both players, to get through to the

:26:06. > :26:20.quarterfinal of the UK championship, what a feather in the cap that would

:26:21. > :26:26.be. It could not be more tents. -- tense. This long pot is so

:26:27. > :26:56.important. He hasn't been good on the long

:26:57. > :27:01.balls all afternoon. That has left things very awkward for Tom. He is

:27:02. > :27:06.hampered slightly with the yellow, can't come off the side cushion,

:27:07. > :27:12.that is to the right of the table near the corner pocket. There is

:27:13. > :27:16.another one avoiding that, no easy path back down the table. He will

:27:17. > :27:24.have to give this a little thought. Maybe he will come off the side

:27:25. > :27:34.cushion and nestle into the reds. Similar shot to a couple that Liang

:27:35. > :27:43.played. As you said, like a game of chess, one of the great commentators

:27:44. > :27:56.and world champion John Pulman used to say, it is like a game of chess,

:27:57. > :28:05.sometimes, Snuka. -- snooker. Just looking at this red, you might be

:28:06. > :28:14.tempted up into the corner he could lay down off it, getting in behind

:28:15. > :28:31.the yellow. Maybe he is having a look at that

:28:32. > :28:37.rate, seeing how good it would be to get a queue between the two reds.

:28:38. > :28:49.You would be bringing the cue ball off the side cushion and seeing if

:28:50. > :29:03.does pot. It is awkward between those two reds. He has got to get

:29:04. > :29:19.the cue ball close to the cushion. That looks to be pretty well

:29:20. > :29:53.judged, have a look at the pace on that! We knew straightaway that that

:29:54. > :30:01.was too thick, is he going to be OK? It might have got away with it, but

:30:02. > :30:05.straightaway Tom was up off the shot, he knew he had not made the

:30:06. > :30:15.correct contact. It is awkward when you are that close to sneak off

:30:16. > :30:24.them. When you see a player asking a referee to do that, it means he is

:30:25. > :30:30.going to take it on. He has missed a lot of long pots, this will be a key

:30:31. > :30:45.one. Dead straight, pushing the cue through in a straight line. Good

:30:46. > :30:56.queueing. He doesn't have to do a lot, this cue ball just dropping to

:30:57. > :31:04.the left. Liang has had the first chance, it will be interesting to

:31:05. > :31:09.see how much it can take from that. -- cueing. Look at the way it is

:31:10. > :31:31.spread. Around the pink and black spot he

:31:32. > :31:34.has been excellent all afternoon. It is just these are the parts that

:31:35. > :31:41.have let him down. Will Tom Ford get another chance to come back to the

:31:42. > :31:51.table? We would be fearing the worst for them, with the balls lying

:31:52. > :31:55.around this pink spot. It is the deciding frame and it is amazing

:31:56. > :31:59.what can happen in a deciding frame. We are used to seeing the top three

:32:00. > :32:09.or four players, they know how to clinch a match, they are used to

:32:10. > :32:14.it. It is always the toughest frame to win, the decider, but we couldn't

:32:15. > :32:20.have the ball is better placed. The black is out of commission, but that

:32:21. > :33:12.doesn't matter. He has just flicked the red, that he is OK. Taking his

:33:13. > :33:27.time getting the cue ball clean, settling himself.

:33:28. > :33:36.Has got out far enough? May be just about. He looked a bit nervous, as

:33:37. > :34:13.you could see. Four reds, four pinks, this is just

:34:14. > :34:19.trying to keep close control of the cue ball. Try to make the next pot

:34:20. > :34:40.as easy as possible. He still has another four comfortable rounds, and

:34:41. > :34:47.he won't mind taking the pinks. Five pinks, five reds, he will go for the

:34:48. > :34:51.blue if he doesn't fancy the red. The correct side of the blue and it

:34:52. > :34:55.is now developing into a very good chance. Just passing the four-hour

:34:56. > :35:08.mark for this match. There has been a lot said about

:35:09. > :35:14.kicks already this week, and when you are a player sitting there and

:35:15. > :35:20.your opponent is that the table, that is all you are hoping for, that

:35:21. > :35:24.it does get a kick. You can't really see him failing from where he is at

:35:25. > :35:30.the moment. A little shake off the head from Tom, he knows he may not

:35:31. > :35:38.get back to the table, and the one chance he was looking for. He led

:35:39. > :35:45.5-3 and was looking comfortable, but Liang has come back again as he did

:35:46. > :35:47.against Judd Trump. 4-1 down, and he won five frames in a row to win

:35:48. > :36:32.6-4. He keeps coughing very loudly, that

:36:33. > :36:38.is a bit off tension, a little bit of release. He knows how close he is

:36:39. > :36:56.and he is wandering around again. Just steadying himself. Puff of the

:36:57. > :37:00.cheeks... Would you believe it? He has gone around the table twice,

:37:01. > :37:13.what was he looking at? Just carry on with your actual game. That was

:37:14. > :37:18.pure tension. What a mess. The only consolation is that he has got a

:37:19. > :37:24.good lead and most of the reds are safe. That was a chance to get into

:37:25. > :37:32.the quarterfinal of a major event. Why didn't he just try to hold the

:37:33. > :37:43.pink spot or just drop the pink? He could still have got this in the

:37:44. > :37:53.corner pocket. Tom would love to get a fuller kiss on that pink. What

:37:54. > :38:06.were the boys saying in the studio in the last round? He was six behind

:38:07. > :38:43.in the penultimate frame, and he was... Well...

:38:44. > :39:02.That is a great shot, it really is. A second chance to clinch a

:39:03. > :39:16.quarter-final spot. He has been very good with the rest of it, 95%,

:39:17. > :39:26.21/22. He couldn't believe it, how did I miss that? He is very anxious

:39:27. > :39:36.at the moment, he is getting up and down. He is so close. Just a little

:39:37. > :39:47.bit of movement on the shot. Not a little, quite a lot! We don't blame

:39:48. > :39:58.him for that. Just watch this... He just needs the pink to leave Tom at

:39:59. > :40:02.the snooker's required stage. That tells a story. He was so close, and

:40:03. > :40:21.three in front. Even on the pink! It just shows what

:40:22. > :40:38.it means for these boys out there. A little fist pump, but he still needs

:40:39. > :40:47.to make sure... One more red. As he covered it? He may have covered it?

:40:48. > :41:08.Barring a snooker, you would think he is in the quarterfinal.

:41:09. > :41:14.He is so close, he is almost there, and when he missed that, that is

:41:15. > :41:22.another one! That is twice he has smacked them self in the face!

:41:23. > :41:41.-- himself. He needs to Mr Green but he won't, so one long pot -- Miss

:41:42. > :41:56.the green. Peter Ebdon, that is what it means!

:41:57. > :42:01.We haven't had one of those for a while! We used to hear that from

:42:02. > :42:08.Peter Ebdon in the early days of his career, but it just shows what it

:42:09. > :42:16.means to these young players. Come on! That was better than Peter

:42:17. > :42:22.Ebdon! He is not being disrespectful to Tom Ford, Icher shows what it

:42:23. > :42:29.means to this Chinese player. He will be absolutely over the moon --

:42:30. > :42:38.it just shows. It has been a fantastic comeback, 5-3 behind, Tom

:42:39. > :42:46.Ford looked like he had one foot in the quarter-finals, but he will be

:42:47. > :42:50.on his way back to Leicester and this man... This is his first

:42:51. > :42:56.quarterfinal in the UK Championships, I think. It doesn't

:42:57. > :43:02.matter, Tom looks very disappointed, but look at Liang! He takes the last

:43:03. > :43:06.three frames and he is absolutely delighted. He goes through to the

:43:07. > :43:14.quarter-finals, winning that deciding frame 6-5. What a comeback

:43:15. > :43:20.from Liang today, and he goes back to meet Hong Kong's Marco Fu. It is

:43:21. > :43:24.an overseas match up to see who will be into the semifinals of the

:43:25. > :43:26.championship. The quarter-finals action gets going this afternoon,

:43:27. > :43:29.1pm on BBC Two. Good night.