:00:32. > :00:41.Hello. We are at the last 32 stage of snooker's Betway UK Championship
:00:42. > :00:44.and on Extra tonight we are going the feature a man who is the
:00:45. > :00:49.reigning world champion Stuart Bingham and a man who wore the crown
:00:50. > :00:53.13 years ago Brad Ebert. Student is struggling a little bit to live up
:00:54. > :00:58.to what was his greatest achievement of his career in May, but, Peter at
:00:59. > :01:03.45 years of age, still going strong and still very much in love with the
:01:04. > :01:07.sport and he came into this match at 1 clock in the afternoon having only
:01:08. > :01:11.completed his second-round match against Dominic Dale at 1:30 the
:01:12. > :01:15.previous morning. Did he have much left? Well, yes, was the answer.
:01:16. > :01:26.Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor found out.
:01:27. > :01:30.UMPIRE: thank you. Brad Ebert to break. Brad Ebert did win the toss
:01:31. > :01:47.and he's elected to break off. -- Peter Ebden did win the toss and
:01:48. > :01:55.he's elected to break off. It should be a pretty good break off. The
:01:56. > :02:01.current world champion Stuart Bingham against the current world
:02:02. > :02:03.champion Peter Ebden. Peter is away - and he's spotted something on his
:02:04. > :02:35.glass. He got a fresh glass there. Great days to pick between both
:02:36. > :02:38.players, in fact Peter has won six times against student's five wins.
:02:39. > :02:46.They are very evenly matched. You have to say on the last couple of
:02:47. > :02:51.years form Stuart Bingham would be favourite for this match. He had a
:02:52. > :03:22.tough one -- he had a tough one on his hands here.
:03:23. > :03:27.Looks like Peter Ebden can get through the gap. At least I think he
:03:28. > :03:41.can. Perhaps not. He would have liked to have been
:03:42. > :03:45.able to take the one that is nearest the pocket, but the other red is
:03:46. > :03:58.slightly in the way. Or is it? Maybe he can just pass it and sneak this
:03:59. > :04:04.in. Yeah, he could. A bit unlucky with the kiss, really. But he
:04:05. > :04:09.couldn't really control the cuable path, so a very missable brown here.
:04:10. > :04:13.There is an opening colour. I tell you what, if he takes the brown on,
:04:14. > :04:17.Steve, there is a chance he could finish on the red next to the black
:04:18. > :04:22.because he won't counter into the blue on the way across the table.
:04:23. > :04:25.No. But if he misses it, he presents Stuart Bingham with a very nice
:04:26. > :04:40.opening chance for the frame. A tough shot.
:04:41. > :04:46.He's just dropped it dead wait, but still a good pot, as Steve said.
:04:47. > :04:50.He's still a red to the right corner. Had he played it with much
:04:51. > :04:55.more pace he could have dropped it on the one closest to the black. In
:04:56. > :04:59.a couple of shots time he will be trying to get onto that one and then
:05:00. > :05:01.he will be freeing the black up. Imperative he gets the right side of
:05:02. > :05:21.the blue on this shot. UMPIRE: 6. Nicely struck. A little
:05:22. > :05:32.bit unfortunate that it is going to be awkward cueing. Blue ball. Just a
:05:33. > :05:44.fraction - I think it was OK there. I can see that distinctive black
:05:45. > :05:50.plastic feral that Peter Ebden uses, as opposed to more urge brass feral
:05:51. > :05:56.at the end. The plan for that type of feral is it throws a ball off
:05:57. > :06:03.less when you are putting side spin on. Any time you play a shot with
:06:04. > :06:08.side spin a cue ball skirts away from the line of the -- squirts away
:06:09. > :06:09.from the line of the cue. The plastic feral doesn't push off so
:06:10. > :06:40.much. Ite
:06:41. > :06:53.UMPIRE: 90. I haven't seen Peter play for a
:06:54. > :06:58.little while. He seems to have changed his stands. He's always
:06:59. > :07:03.played with a -- stands. He's always played with a bent back leg but he
:07:04. > :07:13.has a wider stands and his right leg seems to be much more of a side-on,
:07:14. > :07:22.but perhaps he feels like he gets more solidity. Ore solidity.
:07:23. > :07:31.UMPIRE: 25. Standing with his hips a little less square to the shot than
:07:32. > :07:34.I remember him a few years back, at the very least. Meanwhile, he
:07:35. > :07:41.underhit that. He wanted to be straighter on this red for the left
:07:42. > :07:46.corner. If he plays a canon onto the other red, not guaranteed to finish
:07:47. > :08:04.nicely on the black. All about the cannon here.
:08:05. > :08:09.Just about and just about on the black here. He's started off very
:08:10. > :08:13.APPLAUSE Fantastic judgement of pace here. I
:08:14. > :08:33.would imagine this table is playing faster than the outside table he
:08:34. > :08:43.played his match on yesterday. UMPIRE: 33.
:08:44. > :08:50.Make no mistake about it, Peter Ebden, one of his greatest strengths
:08:51. > :08:54.is the mentality side of things. He really is so focused. I have never
:08:55. > :09:00.seen a player, in all of my years in the game, that focuses as much as
:09:01. > :09:06.Peter. He puts everything into every single shot. His powers of
:09:07. > :09:12.concentration are quite incredible. Yeah. Obviously, his reputation
:09:13. > :09:18.proceeds him as being a slow player and -- precedes him as being a slow
:09:19. > :09:25.player and tactical player and deliberate player, but that belies a
:09:26. > :09:32.huge amount of talent. I would go as far as to say, the most talented
:09:33. > :09:37.slow player you have ever seen in the game. If he chose to play at a
:09:38. > :09:39.paster speed, it would be very easy for him to do so, but he likes to be
:09:40. > :10:02.in control at all times these days. That is a little unlucky. He can
:10:03. > :10:08.still cut the one into the left of the pink, but he played that very
:10:09. > :10:12.well. Had he got a good split he would have been guaranteed with
:10:13. > :10:18.taking the opening frame with that 49-point advantage. He can still pot
:10:19. > :10:26.this. Can he get past the pink? Surely not. He can.
:10:27. > :10:35.Oh, that is a bonus. He deserved that, but it looked a bit tight.
:10:36. > :10:45.What a start from Peter Ebden! He's been very clinical so far. Even
:10:46. > :10:55.though it is the best of 11, first frames are so often vital. A nasty
:10:56. > :11:01.kick there. Awful quick. Destroyed the backspin on the cue ball. --
:11:02. > :11:03.awful kick. Destroyed the backspin on the cue ball.
:11:04. > :11:11.APPLAUSE UMPIRE: 57. It was a relatively
:11:12. > :11:16.straight pot at speed, so it didn't affect the path of the black, didn't
:11:17. > :11:20.miss the pot, but still dried the cue ball path. He should be able to
:11:21. > :11:40.pot this, though. Once again, judged the pace nicely.
:11:41. > :11:48.Looked a bit jaby with the wrist. But, a bit of pressure on the shot.
:11:49. > :11:51.A couple more balls and he is over the line. A great start from Peter
:11:52. > :11:56.Ebden here. He shot. A couple more balls and he is over the line. A
:11:57. > :12:03.great start from Peter Ebden here. A flick on the red perfect. There is
:12:04. > :12:13.the difference 65. UMPIRE: 65. So this red and black or
:12:14. > :12:23.pink has got the first frame under his belt. Every possibility of
:12:24. > :12:30.starting the match with a century break. Wouldn't that be something?!
:12:31. > :12:49.UMPIRE: 66. He's made plenty of centuries in his career, 347, in
:12:50. > :12:59.fact. Such a wide stance these days, wow! Oh, was that a kick as well,
:13:00. > :13:01.strangely enough? I am not sure. UMPIRE: Peter Ebden 66. It is hard
:13:02. > :13:08.to see. APPLAUSE
:13:09. > :13:12.Looked like he overhit it. Well. I am not sure what happened there. I
:13:13. > :13:16.tell you what, it was frame ball. Terrible. He could pinch this frame
:13:17. > :13:18.now, could student. We know he is in fine form. He made that magnificent
:13:19. > :13:34.143 break in the last round. If it wasn't a bad contact,
:13:35. > :13:41.sometimes not obvious on a hard shot, it was a sign of not being
:13:42. > :13:47.able to get over the line, which was not a nice feeling for Peter Ebden.
:13:48. > :13:50.Stuart Bingham, in his last match, was presented with a similar
:13:51. > :13:54.opportunity in the first frame, which he took so easily, as that one
:13:55. > :13:56.red down in the bottom half of the table that needs some work to be
:13:57. > :14:09.done. Perfect. What a great shot that is.
:14:10. > :14:13.UMPIRE: 6. The only problem is he has got to stay on the black. If he
:14:14. > :14:24.takes the pink, he will only be able to fire then. You can see 50 behind
:14:25. > :14:29.with 51 on the table. Can he play this and hold it for to be black?
:14:30. > :14:34.No, he's played it with a lot of side to get on the black.
:14:35. > :14:42.UMPIRE: Stuart Bingham 60. That is the than he missed that. As soon as
:14:43. > :14:46.you put side on the ball, you have got to allow for judgment when you
:14:47. > :14:52.are making contact with the object ball. Especially when you add a bit
:14:53. > :15:04.of weight to the cowboy iting an extension on, even a small
:15:05. > :15:11.extension. -- wait to the cue, by putting an extension on, even a
:15:12. > :15:17.small extension. So a reprieve for Peter Ebden and even though he
:15:18. > :15:22.hasn't converted that, it is now very difficult for Stuart Bingham to
:15:23. > :15:29.get enough points as the balls are currently situated. If he gets back
:15:30. > :15:37.up for the black, pink off this shot, it will be a bit special.
:15:38. > :15:42.UMPIRE: 1. If he takes the blue, he will need a snooker. He has got to
:15:43. > :15:51.take the pink. Even then he will still only be able to fire -- tie.
:15:52. > :15:53.And advantage Peter Ebden strongly. Tie -- tie. And advantage Peter
:15:54. > :16:18.Ebden strongly. Well, he is on the red, but of
:16:19. > :16:26.course he needs blacks. He's got to play the rescue into the pink. --
:16:27. > :16:30.rescue into the pink to hold the cue ball. Shouldn't be that difficult.
:16:31. > :16:44.All. Shouldn't be that difficult. It shouldn't be that difficult.
:16:45. > :16:50.He could hold it without. Very nicely judged. Crewing into the pink
:16:51. > :16:56.would have been better in that it had the better angle, but perhaps it
:16:57. > :17:02.was too wide to screw into the pink. I would be leaving the white in such
:17:03. > :17:10.a way that he can then weigh a snooker. All of a sudden, even
:17:11. > :17:16.though Peter Ebden made a break of 66 and should have secured the
:17:17. > :17:27.frame, it is anyone's frame at the moment. If this comes in behind a
:17:28. > :17:29.colour here. It is OK. He tried to get in behind the black, but that
:17:30. > :17:35.will do nicely. APPLAUSE
:17:36. > :17:45.There is a very, very thin edge poking out, but it is pushing the
:17:46. > :17:52.reds to the corner pocket. He has got to be careful he doesn't push it
:17:53. > :18:00.up over the left corner pocket. It is not ideal, really, that - it
:18:01. > :18:05.would have been nicer to have kept the red down the end of the table,
:18:06. > :18:07.but there was no nice way of doing that. A good chance to draw here for
:18:08. > :18:18.Stuart Bingham. Boy, that was close. Wobbled a few
:18:19. > :18:24.times. It looked like we were going to have a respotted black there had
:18:25. > :18:29.that red of dropped. But, this cut end to secure the opening frame,
:18:30. > :18:47.which Peter should have won about six or seven minutes ago.
:18:48. > :18:57.Yes, the shock of missing that black and will now have vaporated from his
:18:58. > :19:19.body. An open-frame advantage secured.
:19:20. > :19:38.UMPIRE: 9. Well, he slotted that in nicely with his opposite hand. He is
:19:39. > :19:42.catching on, this switching hands. UMPIRE: 12.
:19:43. > :19:49.APPLAUSE 16.
:19:50. > :20:13.21. 27. Well, what a start for the former world champion Peter Ebden.
:20:14. > :20:17.He had breaks of 66 and then that 34 - a good start. He leads the current
:20:18. > :20:50.world champion one frame to nil. ANSMIT Once again the red going next
:20:51. > :20:55.to the black and tying it up. It is a pretty good one. Two more frames
:20:56. > :21:08.before the mid-session interval. Straight away, the only shot
:21:09. > :21:14.available to student there was to send that red up -- Stuart there was
:21:15. > :21:17.to send that red up the other end of the table. People are usually
:21:18. > :21:21.reluctant to do that. You don't want the red knocked up towards the
:21:22. > :21:27.yellow, green and brown. It makes it an awkward frame. I know a lot of
:21:28. > :21:32.players would remove this red from the black. They would open it up. He
:21:33. > :21:36.could do that and just play a nice little safety shot. Could do that
:21:37. > :21:43.and just play a nice little safety shot.
:21:44. > :21:49.He's gone for the pot and what a pot! What a shot!
:21:50. > :21:56.APPLAUSE Didn't think it would go past the
:21:57. > :21:59.other red. It is a clever shot because he wasn't going to leave a
:22:00. > :22:19.great deal. What an angle that was. He is off and running again. That
:22:20. > :22:26.black was very well played as well. Very easy to have played that great
:22:27. > :22:36.opening red. Very opportunistic and then to play the black, a bit more
:22:37. > :22:43.pressure on the black. UMPIRE: 9. I think the other thing,
:22:44. > :22:48.Steve, this match he had be Dominic Dalethat went on past 1:00 in the
:22:49. > :22:48.morning and to win it on a deciding frame.
:22:49. > :22:52.APPLAUSE It sort of puts you in a good mental
:22:53. > :22:56.state because you think, "I could have been out of the tournament. I
:22:57. > :23:00.am here. I am still in" and he is playing there and doesn't appear to
:23:01. > :23:05.be under any pressure whatsoever. He is straight back in the driving
:23:06. > :23:12.seat, in the saddle, and I would imagine, as well, the TV table
:23:13. > :23:15.playing slightly better than tables in the sports hall from last night.
:23:16. > :23:20.APPLAUSE There were a few complaints that the
:23:21. > :23:22.conditions had worsened so this is probably nice for him. He is in the
:23:23. > :23:32.zone. Yeah, I know they have table heaters
:23:33. > :23:37.and have had for many, many year, but then cans outside can play a
:23:38. > :23:42.part and we've had a lot of rain around - well, every part of the
:23:43. > :23:48.country - not only in York, but that can affect the atmosphere. He's
:23:49. > :23:55.deliberately left - I think he's deliberately left this cue ball
:23:56. > :24:02.short of the red, which means in potting the red, he's going to be
:24:03. > :24:09.opening up the pack. He's got to try and get the cue ball out into open
:24:10. > :24:16.play, though. Perhaps he would have liked a fraction more angle, but it
:24:17. > :24:22.looks OK. The chances are the pink is going to be pushed down no the
:24:23. > :24:32.ball -- what baulk area. He's got to get the white up the table. Couldn't
:24:33. > :24:36.guarantee how they were going to split, so he decided against going
:24:37. > :24:49.into the pack. I think that was the plan originally.
:24:50. > :24:59.Appear chance to go into the pack here. But it is independent ideal.
:25:00. > :25:07.So, I am not sure exactly what he is playing. -- but it is not ideal. So,
:25:08. > :25:10.I am not sure exactly what he is playing. Controlled split of the
:25:11. > :25:17.pack. A bit unlucky. Couldn't guarantee it. Looks like into break
:25:18. > :25:29.unless he can cut the second red in next to the black. Perhaps that is
:25:30. > :25:36.too thin. I don't know. Yeah, I think the black is covering that one
:25:37. > :25:46.that you suggested, Steve. There is no pot on .
:25:47. > :25:53.He's not got one down into the yellow pocket, has he, with a bit of
:25:54. > :25:56.safety in mine as well? What a great shot this is.
:25:57. > :26:00.What UMPIRE: 31. Does the pink go in the
:26:01. > :26:06.middle pocket? LAUGHS
:26:07. > :26:17.. It does. He's a bit close to the cushion, but does the black go? I
:26:18. > :26:22.think the black does go. Wow! He has picked a few cracking pots out in
:26:23. > :26:26.this match so far. A few belters. I think he can try to lay the cue ball
:26:27. > :26:32.near the brown somewhere. Perhaps he is on the red into the yellow
:26:33. > :26:43.pocket. Ohhh. He played it perfectly wait-wise. But there was pressure on
:26:44. > :26:47.that black. First mistake, first genuine mistake since the missed
:26:48. > :26:51.clinching of the first frame and so now from Stuart Bingham's
:26:52. > :27:00.perspective, a chance he would like to take.
:27:01. > :27:13.APPLAUSE APPLAUSE
:27:14. > :27:19.You would have to say it is Stuart's first chance, really, in amongst the
:27:20. > :27:31.balls early on in the frame. I don't know whether that jumped. It
:27:32. > :27:37.got a bit of a kick there, I think. Once again, destroying the book spin
:27:38. > :27:40.on the cue ball. He was playing for the cue ball to be a lot further off
:27:41. > :27:50.the cushion than that. UMPIRE: 6. Now he's got a missable
:27:51. > :27:55.red. Which ever one he takes on. Probably pushed himself into this
:27:56. > :28:05.middle pocket pot a bit easier. Another bad contact. Went thick.
:28:06. > :28:12.Balls are kicking a bit. It has been a big issue in the game recently. I
:28:13. > :28:18.heard them talking in the players' lounge that they are trying out an
:28:19. > :28:23.anti--kick cloth. If anyone knows anything about that, it has got to
:28:24. > :28:39.be you, Steve. I have never heard of that before.
:28:40. > :28:44.Well, there is a million theories currently out there about why the
:28:45. > :28:50.balls are kicking and why the cushions are bouncing. I think we
:28:51. > :28:54.are trying to try and come up with a solution and everybody is working
:28:55. > :29:01.towards that. Some people would like it to be sooner rather than later.
:29:02. > :29:07.So your answer is you haven't heard. I do know the whole sort of scenario
:29:08. > :29:14.is that, if you want the whole theory, I can completely bore the
:29:15. > :29:19.life out of you. We might have a little safety battle
:29:20. > :29:24.here, but a short version, just one line would do, Steve. Different
:29:25. > :29:28.material. Cloth might not dry the ball out as much and obviously
:29:29. > :29:32.perhaps even a thicker cloth on the cushions might stop the cue ball
:29:33. > :29:41.bouncing as much. That is the sort of general theory, I think. The
:29:42. > :29:46.balls themselves have come under criticism in an effort to make the
:29:47. > :29:49.surfaces of the balls better. There is all sorts of views on whether
:29:50. > :29:58.they should be polished with wax and a variety of substances. I told you,
:29:59. > :30:17.you would lose the will to live. A poor shot from Peter Ebdon there.
:30:18. > :30:23.This is the way, if you were going to have a mini practice session, you
:30:24. > :30:27.would throw the balls on the table like this and practice your stun
:30:28. > :30:32.shots and positional shots. He had a couple of bad contacts when he was
:30:33. > :30:34.at the table previously. It is time to go to work for the world champion
:30:35. > :30:53.here. My theory, Dennis, are you
:30:54. > :30:59.listening? My theory is you get more kicks in tournament play than we do
:31:00. > :31:03.do in practice and the massive difference between the two
:31:04. > :31:07.situations are that we have a referee with white gloves on and you
:31:08. > :31:10.never practice and clean the balls as much as when they are in matches,
:31:11. > :31:14.so perhaps the gloves themselves destroying the surface of the ball
:31:15. > :31:15.out and giving them more friction. It is goodnight from me and
:31:16. > :31:35.goodnight from Dennis. Oh, what has he done? Has he covered
:31:36. > :31:49.the black? Might just be OK. Oh, it is tight.
:31:50. > :31:56.Just...I can see it is back in prim position again. He really could do
:31:57. > :32:06.with clinching the frame with this visit just to get that confidence up
:32:07. > :32:08.and running. As against Anthony Hamilton, he played very well
:32:09. > :33:00.against the tournament break. APPLAUSE
:33:01. > :33:04.Most likely Stuart Bingham is going to need the red on the top cushion
:33:05. > :33:16.to win this frame. UMPIRE: 24.
:33:17. > :33:22.Doing the maths, I think he might be able to get over the line before
:33:23. > :33:31.that. It depends on what colours he takes.
:33:32. > :33:59.I don't think Stuart's quick count-up it might be worth while
:34:00. > :34:03.having a quick count-up now. He might get over the line with three
:34:04. > :34:04.blacks and not need that last red. Perhaps it was worth having a look
:34:05. > :34:18.at the score board there. Yeah, he is going to need that red
:34:19. > :34:22.that Steve mentioned, but if he can get that far, he will just drop in
:34:23. > :34:24.behind it and help to roll it along the cushion and won't have to force
:34:25. > :34:38.it. He can be 35 in front, coming to
:34:39. > :34:45.that last red. APPLAUSE
:34:46. > :34:52.Had it been tight on the cushion, it would have been more of an issue. I
:34:53. > :34:57.think he still should have had a look at this before. It is easy to
:34:58. > :35:01.sit here in the commentary box and do the maths, but when you are out
:35:02. > :35:05.there, you are just looking at the situation of the balls and just get
:35:06. > :35:10.on with it, high colours. As I say, if he had just dropped in behind the
:35:11. > :35:14.red, he doesn't have to worry about forcing it to get on the black. He
:35:15. > :35:19.can just roll the red in and make sure that the pocket accepts it.
:35:20. > :35:24.Normally, if he had got it out on the black, he would have to hit it
:35:25. > :35:30.hard but just drop it in nicely and the frame is his and the frame that
:35:31. > :35:35.he badly needed. UMPIRE: 61. He would be feeling a
:35:36. > :35:38.little better now because the way that Peter Ebdon started, he would
:35:39. > :35:45.have been getting a little concerned. There is one more frame
:35:46. > :35:47.after this before the mid-session interval.
:35:48. > :35:59.UMPIRE: 68. APPLAUSE
:36:00. > :36:25.UMPIRE: 70. UMPIRE: 77. Not enough points to
:36:26. > :36:47.make the century break, but this has been excellent.
:36:48. > :36:56.Always nice if you can clear the lot, though. Well, it doesn't matter
:36:57. > :37:00.about the black not going in. A great response from the current
:37:01. > :37:06.World Champion. He lost the first two frames but that was a
:37:07. > :37:11.magnificent frefert Stuart Bingham and he -- from Stuart Bingham and
:37:12. > :37:18.he's just behind and it's 2-1 to Peter Ebdon.
:37:19. > :37:24.Stuart gets the fourth frame under way. The mid-session break coming up
:37:25. > :37:29.after this, and have a look at the two reds wrrks they finished. How
:37:30. > :37:33.many times have we seen that? More or less identical position to one of
:37:34. > :38:05.the earlier frames, and straightaway put the black out of play.
:38:06. > :38:13.It might have looked a little bit reckless, that, but that's exactly
:38:14. > :38:46.what he tried to play, swing the red and white around the cushion.
:38:47. > :38:49.Well, easy safety shot for Peter Ebdon. Is he thinking of something a
:38:50. > :40:17.bit more aggressive here? Just wondering if he's going to take
:40:18. > :40:20.a chance here and pot the red and cannon the right and send the black
:40:21. > :40:26.towards the left corner and bring it in to play. It's a pretty aggressive
:40:27. > :40:30.player, is Stuart. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't have a go at
:40:31. > :40:38.that. He's unlucky. Very unlucky. Just
:40:39. > :40:42.caught the red. A little thinner on the one next to the black, otherwise
:40:43. > :40:45.he would have sent that over to the left corner pocket. But he's brought
:40:46. > :42:13.the black in to play, at least. Long potting hasn't really been
:42:14. > :42:28.Peter's forte this afternoon. Tried to get the cue ball in to a
:42:29. > :42:33.safe area at the same time, but couldn't really keep it that
:42:34. > :42:38.contained. That was nicely struck from Stuart Bingham. I think that's
:42:39. > :42:41.a sign, really of a player, the in-form players seem to make the
:42:42. > :42:47.longer shots look a lot easier. It is key. Peter's looked fantastic
:42:48. > :42:51.when he's been in amongst the because, especially in the two
:42:52. > :42:58.opening frames. But any long pot has been a long way off.
:42:59. > :43:06.And that's the key these days. The game has changed. The standard
:43:07. > :43:12.probably a little bit of difference, but the better longer pot as they
:43:13. > :43:18.take on more long pots. I mean, we did have some fantastic long
:43:19. > :43:19.potters. Many years ago, but there's a long pot success rate, Stuart
:43:20. > :43:39.Bingham well ahead of Peter. Talking about great long potters, I
:43:40. > :43:55.mean three times World Champion John Spencer, a fabulous long potter.
:43:56. > :44:06.Oh, that's horrendous. That is the biggest kick we've seen yet. And
:44:07. > :44:16.that is frustrating. It really is. It makes you look silly.
:44:17. > :44:26.The referee from Manchester cleaning both the white and the red. And as
:44:27. > :44:32.you say, Steve, with the gloves, when you rub away at the red there
:44:33. > :44:41.and you know, it does possibly create a little bit of static. It's
:44:42. > :44:48.not just the static, I think. It's also the fact that you're drying out
:44:49. > :44:56.the surface of the ball and they've proven that if you were to really
:44:57. > :44:58.dry out the surface of the ball by cleaning them with alcohol,
:44:59. > :45:07.isproprol, you actually get kicks with no chalk. So it's a connundrum,
:45:08. > :45:11.really. Where if you're playing in your snooker club, with greasy dirty
:45:12. > :45:13.hands with the balls out of the pockets, then you get less kicks.
:45:14. > :45:42.Very strange. That's an important shot to get
:45:43. > :45:48.right, and it must have been in Peter Ebdon's mind that on that top
:45:49. > :45:58.of cut, that type of pace, that he could have got a kick himself.
:45:59. > :46:03.Just look how he's steadying himself up. I mean, it's a straight forward
:46:04. > :46:07.shot, but just look at the focus there. He knows the importance of
:46:08. > :46:12.this frame before the mid-session interval. If he could leave 3-1,
:46:13. > :46:27.what a chance. Didn't quite get enough screw on
:46:28. > :46:34.that because the pink is on, but he's just going to the right of the
:46:35. > :46:42.reds. I don't know if he can just pass them. Just about!
:46:43. > :46:51.Played that nicely. Pink having to go on to the highest available spot
:46:52. > :47:11.on this occasion, it was the yellow. It's the only spot available.
:47:12. > :47:20.The way these six reds are situated in the remaining part of the pack, I
:47:21. > :47:27.don't think... There might be a red that goes in to the left corner
:47:28. > :47:33.through a gap, but it may be easier to open the reds up, if that's what
:47:34. > :47:40.he's planning to do from the pink or the green rather than the blue. So
:47:41. > :47:45.that doesn't go in to the pocket, so now he's obleated to try to open the
:47:46. > :47:51.reds up. Obviously off the blue is easier. But he can't guarantee
:47:52. > :47:54.controlling the cue ball, so a decision to be made for Peter Ebdon.
:47:55. > :47:59.Potting the pink or the green and coming off a side cushion in to the
:48:00. > :48:01.side of the pack is more desirable, but you've still got to judge it
:48:02. > :48:14.right, of course. UMPIRE: 22. Well, you said sometimes
:48:15. > :48:18.it's difficult to predict what Peter is going to do, and this time he
:48:19. > :48:22.decides to screw all the way back up from the black to play the cannon in
:48:23. > :48:28.to the bunch. He had to be pretty precise on that. Too far and it
:48:29. > :48:31.would have been a missable cut. A little bit less pace and he would
:48:32. > :48:42.have been too close to the cushion. Still isn't a certainty, though.
:48:43. > :48:49.Hit the wrong red. And he's put himself out of position because I
:48:50. > :48:56.don't think that this red goes up past the blue. So misjudged the
:48:57. > :48:59.cannon there. Yeah, I was with you. I thought he would have played for
:49:00. > :49:04.the green or pink and then played to go in to the pack of reds. But Peter
:49:05. > :49:10.has his own way of going about things. But he can get in behind the
:49:11. > :49:14.yellow here. That's a good safety shot. And it doesn't matter houng he
:49:15. > :49:29.thinks about it, that's the shot he'll play.
:49:30. > :50:08.UMPIRE: Peter Ebdon, 29. little bit too much pace.
:50:09. > :50:16.Well, he hasn't knocked a long one in yet in this match. Peter has
:50:17. > :50:17.looked very good in amongst the because. What a time this would be
:50:18. > :50:31.to knock this long red in. Well played! That was an important
:50:32. > :50:48.pot. And a great chance now. Five
:50:49. > :50:49.comfortable reds, and even the red near the cushion, those two reds,
:50:50. > :51:09.one of them is available. Well, he could have played that
:51:10. > :51:15.better. That's gone too far. Yeah, overhit that. Just a little bit of
:51:16. > :51:16.tension in the shot and when you're not absolutely comfortable, you tend
:51:17. > :51:30.to want to strike them a bit harder. This red not that much of a problem,
:51:31. > :51:40.as long as he can reach it. But position is a problem. So if he
:51:41. > :51:46.chooses this red to the left, more missable. They look roughly the same
:51:47. > :51:47.shots, don't they? But it's in to a more closed pocket, this red to the
:51:48. > :52:00.left, than the one he first chose. Of course, if he does play this red,
:52:01. > :52:02.the less he can come down the table. So there's not so much pressure on
:52:03. > :52:24.that part of the shot. Yeah, he took quite a while on that
:52:25. > :52:29.shot, and can't blame him. He knew the importance of it because his
:52:30. > :52:33.previous shot and he overhit it, he got quite a lot of margin for error
:52:34. > :52:35.and just misjudged it completely. So one good shot could get him back in
:52:36. > :52:48.to prime position. The pink would be ideal if it wasn't
:52:49. > :52:56.for the fact that it ties up the three reds. So this is not as easy a
:52:57. > :53:16.positional shot. Played it nicely. He still needs one decent pot and a
:53:17. > :53:22.positional shot to get on these three reds to open them up. It
:53:23. > :53:32.shouldn't create too much of a problem, this red. It is missable.
:53:33. > :53:46.Struggling to keep the control of the cue ball. And he doesn't want to
:53:47. > :54:02.play the pink, really. He's got some work to do with the brown.
:54:03. > :54:11.Yeah, he didn't quite get the top spin on that. He played it more of a
:54:12. > :54:36.stun shot, unintentionally, and he's left with a very difficult red now.
:54:37. > :54:41.Well, he's still knocking them in. He's pulling out a few good pots to
:54:42. > :54:50.keep the effort going. What is he now? 34 in front? The blue to follow
:54:51. > :54:54.- 39. Yeah, great shot. Screw between brown and green with not too
:54:55. > :55:01.much side spin on. Don't get too much side.
:55:02. > :55:10.Very nice. Absolutely spot-on, because he'll just now nudge the
:55:11. > :55:11.other red away. He can roll this in. Nudge the other red out of the way
:55:12. > :55:31.and he's got the black. Just a little bit of noise on one of
:55:32. > :55:35.the other tables at the mid-session interval, so he only needs this red
:55:36. > :55:41.and the black. What's the difference? He doesn't want to hit
:55:42. > :55:49.this too hard, but he could over screw it if he's playing with back
:55:50. > :55:53.spin. He couldn't play it with top spin, so it's like just a little bit
:55:54. > :55:58.tricky that shot. The end result is that he's more or less over the
:55:59. > :56:01.line. Just needs the black and that red that's sitting to the left of
:56:02. > :56:07.the black. That's why he played it gently so that he didn't push the
:56:08. > :56:09.red on the cushion. It's been a terrific performance from Peter
:56:10. > :56:22.Ebdon it has to be said. And it says a lot for his mental
:56:23. > :56:26.strength to come back after winning that deciding frame at way past 1:00
:56:27. > :56:32.in the morning to come back out here and put in this performance against
:56:33. > :56:36.the current World Champion. Yeah, Peter is applying the anaesthetic
:56:37. > :56:41.there to Stuart. It's not been flowing, Peter Ebdon, but it's been
:56:42. > :56:46.very precise stuff in general. He's a tough cookie. Not easy to get a
:56:47. > :57:02.rhythm going against Peter. Just roll this red in to make
:57:03. > :57:36.absolutely certain. Well, the red is not in but barring
:57:37. > :57:37.a good few snookers, Peter Ebdon is gone to the mid-session interval,
:57:38. > :57:52.you'd feel, 3-1 in front. Pink and yellow, not too badly
:57:53. > :57:59.placed for the snookers that Stuart needs. Ve chance to get up behind
:58:00. > :58:02.the yellow now. Off the left side of the red. Twice across the table and
:58:03. > :58:20.try to get in behind it. Not good there to collide with the
:58:21. > :58:35.blue. At the moment, Stuart needs three
:58:36. > :58:42.4-point snookers, a red, a black and all the colours to tie. Hoping for a
:58:43. > :58:47.free ball situation which means not only would he like to get a snooker,
:58:48. > :58:51.but he'd also like to get the red close to a colour. Which would
:58:52. > :59:01.increase the chances of getting a free ball.
:59:02. > :59:09.Not easy to control the cue ball there. Quite a way out, so Peter
:59:10. > :59:32.would like to kill this off now. Chak this one in - all over!
:59:33. > :59:36.Very good chance that Stuart Bingham could get in behind this yellow from
:59:37. > :59:54.the two cushions. Well, it was nearly a far better
:59:55. > :01:15.effort. UMPIRE: Peter Ebdon 13 and the
:01:16. > :01:19.frame. It's been a good start for Peter Ebdon, up against the current
:01:20. > :01:23.World Champion and he goes to the mid-session interval. He must be
:01:24. > :01:42.delighted. He leads Stuart Bingham three frames to one.
:01:43. > :01:50.He will hit it, I'm sure. Yeah, I'm very sure. UMPIRE: Foul, Peter
:01:51. > :01:57.Ebdon. Yeah, he hit it, but he hit the
:01:58. > :02:21.wrong one, didn't he! So Stuart already needing a snooker.
:02:22. > :02:31.Once he made contact with that black.
:02:32. > :02:34.Peter can't make his mind up whether he needs the extension on his cue or
:02:35. > :02:46.not. So after hitting that black, it
:02:47. > :02:49.means he needs a snooker and barring that snooker, Peter Ebdon is going
:02:50. > :03:12.to be two frames in front. At 4-2. At the moment, Stuart needs one
:03:13. > :03:30.4-point snooker to tie. He might be able to pot this red.
:03:31. > :03:48.But can he get back up? It's a must-pot on the black.
:03:49. > :04:10.Otherwise the frame will be over. And with the blue and the black as
:04:11. > :04:14.they are, and the yellow is in a pretty good position... It's not a
:04:15. > :04:26.certainty now this frame. Stuart is still in with a chance.
:04:27. > :04:35.That's not a bad effort, I can tell you. Should be pretty comfortable
:04:36. > :04:39.off the side cushion. Just this side of the middle pocket, left side of
:04:40. > :04:44.the table. I think will get him to the red.
:04:45. > :04:49.But you've got to give them due care and attention, especially on the
:04:50. > :04:57.cushions if they're sliding slightly. But you would think if he
:04:58. > :05:02.just goes beyond the middle pocket, he'll be OK.
:05:03. > :06:42.Played that well! In fact, he made that angle.
:06:43. > :06:48.Pretty good. Might be able to swerve it. Got to make sure that he gets
:06:49. > :06:52.the swerve on the cue ball fairly quickly, otherwise it will be
:06:53. > :06:55.heading a little bit towards the pink and then back again. Going
:06:56. > :07:06.right down to the cue ball there. Another chance for maybe a better
:07:07. > :07:08.snooker this time. If he can get tight in behind that yellow, it
:07:09. > :07:30.won't be as easy to escape from will I think he's OK. Peter can swerve
:07:31. > :07:34.around the brown a little bit and come off the side cushion and hit
:07:35. > :07:39.that red. It's not that difficult, really.
:07:40. > :07:47.Even if it's not a natural angle, he can get a little bit of side and
:07:48. > :07:52.swerve on it. That's what he's having to do, raising the butt of
:07:53. > :07:58.the cue. Oh, he's hit the black. Can you
:07:59. > :08:02.believe it! I thought that he could have hit that easy, and now, Stuart
:08:03. > :08:06.Bingham can win. He could only tie with one snooker, but the fact that
:08:07. > :08:09.he's hit the black - didn't expect him to miss that! It was as if he
:08:10. > :08:14.jumped a little bit at it when he played it with the swerve. Now, this
:08:15. > :08:19.could be a huge turning point in this match because ten minutes ago,
:08:20. > :08:22.it looked as if it was 4-2 to Peter Ebdon. All of a sudden, Stuart
:08:23. > :08:49.Bingham has got a chance. Well, that's not a good sign. I
:08:50. > :08:56.mean, what a chance he's let slip there. Lost a little bit of rhythm
:08:57. > :08:59.at the moment with all the tactical play that's been going on. But,
:09:00. > :10:23.well, that's what he thinks about that situation. He can't believe it.
:10:24. > :10:26.That definitely is the end of the frame now, but a topsy-turvy frame,
:10:27. > :10:39.it has to be said. I know that Stuart Bingham has a
:10:40. > :10:46.great temperament, always good under pressure. But Peter Ebdon is
:10:47. > :10:50.throwing the gauntlet down here. And he's going to have to up his game as
:10:51. > :11:00.the World Champion. It doesn't matter about cannoning in
:11:01. > :11:19.to the pink. Stuart will stay in this. He's going
:11:20. > :11:22.to leave the arena, but Peter Ebdon handed Stuart a lifeline when he
:11:23. > :11:26.didn't get out of the snooker and missed the black, but Stuart missed
:11:27. > :11:27.that black and didn't take it, and now Peter Ebdon leads four frames to
:11:28. > :11:55.two. Nothing is easy at the moment, is
:11:56. > :12:13.it. He just can't properly get going.
:12:14. > :12:18.Yeah, just can't get in to a rhythm, can he? He's trying to hard to get
:12:19. > :12:47.something to happen for himself. Stuart would have been hoping on his
:12:48. > :12:52.first tournament back on the BBC as World Champion, to have had a good
:12:53. > :12:58.run in this event. If he was to go on and lose this particular match in
:12:59. > :13:03.the style that he would lose it in, it would be a very big
:13:04. > :13:09.disappointment. He just hasn't really produced, so far. So starting
:13:10. > :13:12.to be attacking. Starting to try to make things happen. But is he
:13:13. > :14:17.playing in to Peter Ebdon's hands? That's a poor shot from Peter, it
:14:18. > :14:25.really is. Trying to drop in behind the black and he's left a pot on.
:14:26. > :14:30.Now, he could do with knocking this in just to restore a bit of
:14:31. > :14:34.confidence here. A bit of a weird one there from Peter. He had a lot
:14:35. > :14:41.easier opportunities than that, and that's just a gift, really.
:14:42. > :14:48.Obviously if he could have played a perfect snooker, but it's hard to
:14:49. > :14:51.get the perfect snooker there. I'll tell you what, this could be a big
:14:52. > :14:54.turning point in this match, because if he had have got in behind this,
:14:55. > :14:58.he had Stuart in all sorts of trouble. Because he played it poorly
:14:59. > :15:03.and he's left Stuart a chance now to get a bit of rhythm and get a head
:15:04. > :15:06.of steam going, and he knows if Stuart Bingham can get things going
:15:07. > :15:12.and if he can win this frame, he's only one behind. It's game on again
:15:13. > :15:16.at 5-2. Peter would be a strong favourite, but Stuart's got the
:15:17. > :15:20.opportunity now to show his class, as he did against Anthony Hamilton.
:15:21. > :15:27.He made 143 break - the highest in the tournament in that match. So he
:15:28. > :15:32.knows he has been cueing well, it's just been a little bit disjointed,
:15:33. > :15:40.some of the frames here. And he's lost a little bit of rhythm, but
:15:41. > :15:41.could get it going here. But once again, just finishing a little bit
:15:42. > :16:08.awkward. If Stuart doesn't make the most of
:16:09. > :16:12.the situation, I think the writing is on the wall that it's not his
:16:13. > :16:19.day. Even that's finished a little awkward. Yeah, I know. I don't think
:16:20. > :18:09.it's a problem really, here, is it? No. It was always on.
:18:10. > :18:17.He's having to work hard for everything at the moment.
:18:18. > :18:22.So even with that shot, he had to are careful that he could have
:18:23. > :18:30.screwed quite easily in to the middle pocket. So he's 30 in front.
:18:31. > :18:38.So the wrong side of the blue. Plenty of cue power, has Stuart.
:18:39. > :18:42.Even this, it's amazing. When you ve you get out of position. It takes a
:18:43. > :18:48.good few shots to get back in to prime position. So he's having to
:18:49. > :18:49.work really hard for these. As long as you keep potting them, you'll win
:18:50. > :19:04.the frame. Oh, dear, would you believe it! He
:19:05. > :19:11.was only a few more pots away from securing the frame. And it is a big,
:19:12. > :19:15.big frame for Stuart Bingham, this. Because 5-2 behind and it would be a
:19:16. > :19:24.tall order. 4-3. You'd put him favourite again, almost.
:19:25. > :19:52.Peter Ebdon, as you can see, carrying on with every shot.
:19:53. > :20:18.Not a great deal of work to be done with the cue ball here. Pretty sure
:20:19. > :20:20.that the yellow goes past the brown in to the top left corner as we look
:20:21. > :20:54.on our screens. Pressure on the clearance in as much
:20:55. > :21:26.as Peter Ebdon knows the significance of this frame.
:21:27. > :21:34.Well, he just seemed to hit that much harder than he intended to.
:21:35. > :21:43.It seemed like there was a bit of body movement as well. And just
:21:44. > :21:49.reach for the shot a bit too much. Stuart has made a bit of a mess of
:21:50. > :21:52.that. What's going on? Yeah, he wanted to get close to the red and
:21:53. > :22:06.now he's going to leave himself further away from it. Good recovery,
:22:07. > :22:13.but he's not certain - can he reach? He only needs the red. As we
:22:14. > :22:18.mentioned before, even though this little bit is much more preferable
:22:19. > :22:50.than playing with the rest, it still does change the queue a fraction.
:22:51. > :22:57.Talk us through that one, Stuart. What did you do with that? He could
:22:58. > :23:01.have gone up the other side and left the yellow, but... Well, even though
:23:02. > :23:06.it doesn't really matter, I think he's over the line in the frame. I
:23:07. > :23:14.think it sums up that Stuart Bingham is not totally firing on all
:23:15. > :23:19.cylinders, really got to grips with the cueing arm tud. Well, he's got
:23:20. > :23:22.out of the snooker that he put himself in, and barring snookers
:23:23. > :23:41.from Peter Ebdon, Stuart Bingham is only one frame behind now.
:23:42. > :23:47.Highly unlikely that Peter Ebdon will get the snookers, but of
:23:48. > :23:50.course, he's got it try for them. And Stuart Bingham's frustration is
:23:51. > :23:55.that he can't get on with the next frame. He wants to get going and
:23:56. > :23:56.it's all been disjointed, even clinching the frame. It hasn't been
:23:57. > :24:02.clear-cut. He'll probably try here. What a
:24:03. > :24:54.fantastic try. Another foot more... Yeah, much too much stun on that. He
:24:55. > :25:34.was trying to get in on the brown. It's amazing when the frame is over,
:25:35. > :25:56.how bigger the pocket seems to grow. It was a frame that Stuart Bingham
:25:57. > :26:01.badly needed. Peter Ebdon had chances but he let them slip and now
:26:02. > :26:02.he only leads the World Champion by just one frame. It's 4-3 to Peter
:26:03. > :26:29.Ebdon. Not a bad length with the break
:26:30. > :29:09.shot, but once again, two reds puts it out of commission early on.
:29:10. > :29:16.Peter Ebdon knocked in an unbelievable red at the start of
:29:17. > :29:20.this frame. In fact, we can show you that. He just hammered the red and
:29:21. > :29:26.he was trying to cannon the black, believe it or not there, because the
:29:27. > :29:30.black has been tied up off the break in at least four or five frames. For
:29:31. > :29:40.some reason, every time they break off, there's a red going either side
:29:41. > :29:44.of the black. But as Peter Ebdon has been doing every shot in this match,
:29:45. > :29:48.every shot he's putting everything in to it. It doesn't matter how easy
:29:49. > :29:49.or how difficult, he puts the same concentration in. You've got to
:29:50. > :30:04.admire this fellow. And to be fair, he had chances in
:30:05. > :30:10.the previous frame. Stuart did very well to win that. And at one stage,
:30:11. > :30:18.Peter looked like he could possibly open up a 3-frame advantage, but
:30:19. > :30:22.Stuart right back in this now. Neither player has exselled here
:30:23. > :30:26.this afternoon, but I think the style of the game is played more in
:30:27. > :30:34.to Peter Ebdon's hands than it has, Stuart's.
:30:35. > :30:44.Red available in to the middle pocket but no positional play. No
:30:45. > :30:46.risk taken. It has been, as I said, a relatively disjointed
:30:47. > :30:50.break-building. Of the two players, fair to say that Stuart is the one
:30:51. > :30:55.that's more frustrated, I think. With his own standard for the day.
:30:56. > :31:05.Peter is just getting on with the day, really. Playing his usual brand
:31:06. > :31:10.of tough snooker. Well, that last safety shot has opened the black up.
:31:11. > :31:15.Stuart came out after the mid-session interval and he seemed
:31:16. > :31:19.to be bashing around the tail. He wanted to make something, but it's
:31:20. > :31:26.not easy. Especially if the balls go rather awkward, and they did do on a
:31:27. > :31:29.couple of frames. Peter has an obvious safety shot, but he hasn't
:31:30. > :31:34.even considered that yet. He's got his eyes on that loose red. And
:31:35. > :31:39.where can he attempt it and where can he put the cue ball that doesn't
:31:40. > :31:43.leave his opponent with a shot? He's looked terrific in the balls, Peter.
:31:44. > :31:46.He's knocked a couple of long ones in, but he's missed quite a few of
:31:47. > :32:04.them. So it will be interesting to see how close he gets to it.
:32:05. > :32:11.Fantastic shot and exactly where he played the cue ball. He'd already
:32:12. > :32:15.looked at where he wanted the cue ball to be. It was a shot to
:32:16. > :32:17.nothing, effectively. And he's got a red at the back of the pack here.
:32:18. > :32:25.The top cushion. That wasn't the certainty. A bit of
:32:26. > :32:31.pressure there. He knew it was tough. He would have dearly loved
:32:32. > :32:34.that one in there and that was the trouble playing the shot to nothing
:32:35. > :32:46.from the cushion. It did make the blue missable.
:32:47. > :32:52.Three hours of pretty tough match play.
:32:53. > :33:14.Stuart's highest break, # 8. -- 88. And Peter's 66.
:33:15. > :33:23.They're very evenly matched over the years. In fact, Peter Ebdon has had
:33:24. > :33:27.six wins to Stuart's five. One of those wins for Stuart was in the
:33:28. > :33:36.world championship in 2011. And Peter has had two wins in the UK
:33:37. > :33:40.championship. 2003 and 2006. Of course, Stuart over the last couple
:33:41. > :33:43.of seasons has been the player in form and that's the reason he's
:33:44. > :33:46.currently world number two, even though he hasn't had the best of
:33:47. > :34:34.seasons. Wow, that did appear a fraction
:34:35. > :34:42.rushed. It might have just been the way he played it, but it just seemed
:34:43. > :34:49.like he played it a little bit hurridly. Trying to get an ideal
:34:50. > :34:53.position on the black to then screw in to the pack and over hit the
:34:54. > :35:06.shot. It wasn't dead in the middle so it rattled and wobbled out. No
:35:07. > :35:09.damage done unless Peter can slot the red in the middle pocket and
:35:10. > :35:18.play a shot to nothing at the same time. Might be a bit thin. That red
:35:19. > :35:22.next to the pink is potable. I don't think is potable, but the one to the
:35:23. > :35:35.right of it, which is even thinner, might be a potential. Unlucky
:35:36. > :35:40.obviously not to have the red. What about the double? Or am I thinking
:35:41. > :35:45.too aggressively for Peter at the moment, and myself, even? You were
:35:46. > :35:46.always far too attacking, Steve! That's why you only won six world
:35:47. > :36:06.titles! He could get to that red. Wow! Well,
:36:07. > :36:44.he took a hell of a long time working out that shot.
:36:45. > :36:52.It's not quite a key shot coming up here. And it's not great to go in to
:36:53. > :36:56.if he hits the pink full ball or the red full ball when he hits the
:36:57. > :37:03.cannon, he could stick in the back of these. On occasions Peter, when
:37:04. > :37:07.he's had to put a bit extra in to the shot, there's some body movement
:37:08. > :37:10.and missed a couple of key pots. Of course, you wouldn't expect him to
:37:11. > :37:18.miss the black from here, but he would have to give this quite a
:37:19. > :37:20.whack, I would think. Cheese to control it more than anything else.
:37:21. > :37:46.And he's got the reward. So at least three reds that's
:37:47. > :37:47.potable. So he doesn't have to think about playing any cannons the just
:37:48. > :38:11.yet. Just came up a little bit short
:38:12. > :38:15.there. Quite a margin for error and the white anywhere further up the
:38:16. > :38:18.table, an easy one to the middle and an easy one to the corner. And the
:38:19. > :38:22.fact that he's come up short makes it more difficult now from a
:38:23. > :38:30.positional point of view, as you can see. Wouldn't have been so much of a
:38:31. > :38:34.problem had the blue been on-the-spot. Pot this screw back
:38:35. > :38:40.using reds. Come back towards the middle pocket. And now what's he
:38:41. > :38:48.doing? Top spin. Can never guarantee these going right. But he'd be
:38:49. > :38:56.pleased with the outcome. Nicely controlled.
:38:57. > :39:15.Great chance of 5-3 here. Can he hold himself together?
:39:16. > :39:20.I mean, if he could pull off a win against the World Champion, what an
:39:21. > :39:24.achievement it would be. I mean, there's an awful lot of balls to be
:39:25. > :39:29.potted, but you've got to give this man every credit the way he's come
:39:30. > :39:32.out after finishing at almost 1:30 in the morning and he looks
:39:33. > :39:39.pretty... He looks a lot fresher than Stuart, it has to be said. But
:39:40. > :39:46.it's Stuart that's under the pressure, but he's such a fit bloke,
:39:47. > :39:50.is Peter Ebdon. Mentally, I've never known anyone in the game stronger in
:39:51. > :39:54.that department. And there's that wide stance that Steve was talking
:39:55. > :39:57.about. Change of stance for Peter Ebdon. As if he's getting right down
:39:58. > :40:17.lower on the shot. I haven't seen Peter playing for
:40:18. > :40:20.quite some time, but he definitely has changed his stance at the table,
:40:21. > :40:30.as you can see. Look at that, he never used to stand like that.
:40:31. > :40:37.Yeah, he's certainly standing more side-on than I've ever seen him.
:40:38. > :40:43.He's always had a bit of a bent back leg, that's all been a trade mark as
:40:44. > :40:50.a way of getting lower for a taller player. Just a little bit more body
:40:51. > :40:56.movement and head movement than would be ideal. A lot more players
:40:57. > :41:02.these days are text book, absolutely rock solid with their head and upper
:41:03. > :41:09.body on the shot. But so talented is Peter Ebdon that sometimes you can
:41:10. > :41:14.break those theoretical rules. Well, he needs a red, he needs a colour
:41:15. > :41:17.and he needs one of the difficult reds that are near the pink spot.
:41:18. > :41:23.They're all covering each other, so he's going to have to get a cannon,
:41:24. > :41:25.so it's imperative that he gets on the black correctly to bring at
:41:26. > :41:42.least one of those reds in to play. That looks good! He's got enough
:41:43. > :41:48.angle. As long as he doesn't hit the first red and stick on it. So any
:41:49. > :41:53.sort of contact other than full ball and the frame will be his. As long
:41:54. > :42:00.as he actually collides with the reds. I think he's more likely to
:42:01. > :42:06.get a lead than not. But it wasn't certain.
:42:07. > :42:14.A bit too straight on the black, I think. He would have liked a little
:42:15. > :42:19.bit more angle. When he hit the red in the wrong side. I mean, what's he
:42:20. > :42:22.looking at here? He's 50 ahead with 51 on the table. The red doesn't
:42:23. > :42:34.pass the pink. It would be nice to get the black
:42:35. > :42:38.safe, wouldn't it. The trouble is that you'd sacrifice a good safety
:42:39. > :42:46.and just flick the black back on to the cushion.
:42:47. > :42:51.Yeah, that's a pretty clever shot. He may have left a red on, but he
:42:52. > :43:00.knows that Stuart needs three reds and three blacks and all the colours
:43:01. > :43:07.to win the frame by one point. Purposely did what Steve suggested!
:43:08. > :43:14.Not ideal in as much as Stuart will have opportunities should he get
:43:15. > :43:28.back to the table. Break it out and the black could be broken out in
:43:29. > :43:31.general safety play. He could argue that Peter could go for the red,
:43:32. > :43:38.should he so want, with a little bit of insurance. There's plenty of
:43:39. > :43:55.safety options as well. What about that for a shot. That's a
:43:56. > :44:05.little trick shot there to clinch the frame. Stuart will stay in the
:44:06. > :44:09.safety. So Stuart looked good when he got back to just one behind. But
:44:10. > :44:13.Peter Ebdon, well, he's still playing well. He's enjoying every
:44:14. > :44:15.minute of this and he extends his lead now. It's 5-3. He only needs
:44:16. > :44:38.one more for a bit of a shock. Peter was out of the arena for
:44:39. > :44:43.almost three minutes there in that little mini interval. This is
:44:44. > :44:46.something that Barry Hern is looking at, only allowing the players to go
:44:47. > :44:55.out at certain times. I don't know how he's going to implement that,
:44:56. > :44:56.but they're looking at it. And Stuart just trying to make something
:44:57. > :45:10.happen there. Peter was studying that from a few
:45:11. > :45:40.different angles. He gets the flick and look at that,
:45:41. > :45:45.what an early chance this is. Stuart had a go at that very difficult red.
:45:46. > :45:49.He was a bit unlucky for it to come back over the middle pocket, but the
:45:50. > :45:54.flick on the blue has really given Peter Ebdon, just watch this here
:45:55. > :46:07.and he nudges the blue. Nothing better than one of those when your
:46:08. > :46:14.opponent is there. That little screw, has he played it perfectly?
:46:15. > :46:25.In the really. He would have liked to have stayed on the black, but I
:46:26. > :46:31.don't think that he can. I think he was playing for the red behind the
:46:32. > :46:38.black. And he's still OK, he's still got a very good chance here. A lot
:46:39. > :46:39.of scalp this would be if he can clinch this frame here and the
:46:40. > :47:15.match. There's certainly a few points to be
:47:16. > :47:41.had before. The main pack has got to be smashed up. Another five reds.
:47:42. > :47:46.One thing that you do know about Peter Ebdon, you don't win the world
:47:47. > :47:47.championship without being able to smell the winning line and actually
:47:48. > :48:16.get over it. The world ranked 34 at the moment
:48:17. > :48:23.playing the world ranked number 2. Isn't he playing well. You've got to
:48:24. > :48:27.say, the adrenaline is kicking in for Peter Ebdon now. He's walking
:48:28. > :48:30.around the table with a bit more authority, a bit more of a spring in
:48:31. > :48:34.his step. Fancies the job here. Just come up a little bit short, though.
:48:35. > :48:37.He's going to have to leave a longish one. Another couple of
:48:38. > :48:40.inches there and he would have been absolutely perfect. It's all about
:48:41. > :48:50.trying to make it as easy as possible for yourself at this stage.
:48:51. > :48:56.This is as rythmical as Peter has been in the whole match. He's upped
:48:57. > :48:57.the pace a fraction. Still careful. But he's playing more on auto pilot.
:48:58. > :49:27.He senses a victory. Peter has won nine ranking titles in
:49:28. > :49:41.his illustrious career. His last was back in 2012 in the China Open.
:49:42. > :49:47.Just look at that concentration on his face. Every single shot, no
:49:48. > :49:48.matter how easy, no matter how difficult. He puts the same effort
:49:49. > :50:08.in. They're not a good bumple to go in
:50:09. > :50:12.to. Those three reds. Got to be careful that he doesn't stick in the
:50:13. > :50:16.back of them. But he's played a few shots and he's made a pretty good
:50:17. > :50:24.job of it. He could with a good split here.
:50:25. > :50:31.Yeah, coming off the side of them and if this one goes past the three
:50:32. > :50:37.reds, he's in really good shape here. Maybe it doesn't. He's having
:50:38. > :50:54.to take the one with the rest. Perfect time to go in to the pack.
:50:55. > :50:59.He's got four reds still available, arguably five reds which are in open
:51:00. > :51:04.play. He can win it here and now. He's just got to hold himself
:51:05. > :51:07.together. It will be a big scalp. Perhaps not as massive as a young up
:51:08. > :51:14.and coming player who beats the World Champion, because Peter has a
:51:15. > :51:19.track record, but even so. Peter fighting for his survival within the
:51:20. > :51:30.game, like all the older players are, this is a great effort.
:51:31. > :51:39.Just a couple more reds available. It's not a straight forward run to
:51:40. > :51:47.the winning post. I wouldn't want to be playing any cannons at this
:51:48. > :51:56.stage. She's there with the available reds. Already 51 in front.
:51:57. > :52:05.To play a cannon just yet, he could win enough or score enough.
:52:06. > :52:17.It was just short of pails. Wanted to be the right side of the blue.
:52:18. > :52:37.A lovely way also for the confidence there. This is the key one coming up
:52:38. > :52:43.now. The plant is not on but the other one, he can pot and glance off
:52:44. > :52:46.the reds and hopefully finish nicely on the black. This could be a match
:52:47. > :53:01.winner. He's played it well. This really is
:53:02. > :53:07.a bit special from Peter Ebdon. OK, Stuart never really got going. But
:53:08. > :53:16.take nothing away. Peter Ebdon started very well in this match.
:53:17. > :53:22.Made a 66 in the opening frame. Solid match snooker and I tell you
:53:23. > :53:29.what, he's only a couple of pots away from knocking out the current
:53:30. > :53:34.world snooker champion. And what a scalp, Steve said. He's giving it
:53:35. > :53:42.everything here. But he never really got going. Will he get another
:53:43. > :53:48.chance? I'm not sure. It would be interesting to see how Stuart sums
:53:49. > :53:56.up his performance today. He's usually very candid and honest about
:53:57. > :54:05.things. Such a great season. Tough to keep going forever without having
:54:06. > :54:09.some sort of a blip. I think he was really looking forward to this UK
:54:10. > :54:12.championship and the way that he played against Anthony Hamilton in
:54:13. > :54:32.the tournament high break of 143. Peter Ebdon has stuck to his game
:54:33. > :54:38.plan and it must be a great feeling now. Stuart needs a snooker. And
:54:39. > :54:41.there's another red available and there's no better feeling when you
:54:42. > :54:50.clinch a match. And this is a big match, it has to be said, for Peter
:54:51. > :54:58.Ebdon. It really is. It would be very easy now to perhaps mentally
:54:59. > :55:04.ease up. Peter Ebdon will certainly be trying to make a century break
:55:05. > :55:09.and go out in true. Every reason to believe that he's going to. His
:55:10. > :55:14.confidence levels must be as high as they've been through yut the whole
:55:15. > :55:17.match. It goes without saying, I suppose, really. But he's cueing
:55:18. > :55:21.lovely. He really is striking the ball very nicely. And wouldn't it be
:55:22. > :55:26.fitting if he did make a century, and at the moment, it is over
:55:27. > :55:35.?10,000 to the snooker's charity. Has been for a couple of years. The
:55:36. > :55:45.Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice. The sponsors, Betway, have been
:55:46. > :55:47.donating money for century breaks and there's well over ?10,000 at the
:55:48. > :55:55.moment. Come on, Peter, finish in style! This is tough for Stuart
:55:56. > :56:02.Bingham, but Stuart is a great ambassador for the game and he's
:56:03. > :56:10.travelled around the world as World Champion. I'm sure that he'll put up
:56:11. > :56:15.a great defence. Er of his championship when he get to the
:56:16. > :56:26.Crucible in April. One of the nicest fellows you could ever wish to meet.
:56:27. > :56:33.But today belongs to the former World Champion, Peter Ebdon. I'm
:56:34. > :56:39.sure he'll get a generous round of applause if he does make the
:56:40. > :56:53.century. He must be feeling so good inside. He really must.
:56:54. > :57:05.APPLAUSE UMPIRE: 103. Yellow goes in to both
:57:06. > :57:17.corner pockets. Even though it's not on its spot. So no real problems.
:57:18. > :57:21.He's now made 348 centuries in his career. That as his 11th this
:57:22. > :57:22.season. He's made the magical maximum on a couple of occasions.
:57:23. > :57:40.Messed it up a bit. He's gone a but too close to the
:57:41. > :57:49.cushion. It doesn't really matter much at all. If ever you were going
:57:50. > :57:56.to knock one of these in, it's when you've won the match and you've
:57:57. > :57:59.already made 100. Doesn't matter about the yellow.
:58:00. > :58:04.What a magnificent way to finish a match. He started winning the two
:58:05. > :58:08.opening frames and he finished with that superb century break. It
:58:09. > :58:13.certainly is a bit of a shock. Peter Ebdon wins in style and in the end,
:58:14. > :58:19.you'd have to say quite comfortably, six frames to three.
:58:20. > :58:26.So, we say farewell to the world number two and the reigning World
:58:27. > :58:29.Champion, Stuart Bingham. Can he find something in time for the
:58:30. > :58:32.Masters next month. But for Peter Ebdon, a hugely significant win for
:58:33. > :58:38.him. It's the fifers time in to the last 16 of any of the big events
:58:39. > :58:44.this season. He marches on in York. Now, we'll be back at 1:00 this
:58:45. > :58:50.afternoon with more live coverage of the last 32 matches featuring triple
:58:51. > :58:53.crown winner Shaun Murphy, and the man who reached the Welsh Open
:58:54. > :58:55.final. I do hope that you'll join us for that. In the meantime, have a
:58:56. > :58:59.good sleep. Goodnight.