Last 16 - Part 2 UK Snooker Championship Extra

Good evening and welcome to snooker

extra, extended

Good evening and welcome to snooker

extra, extended highlights of the UK

championship. We see Martin Gould

take on Xiao Guodong of China.

Commentary from Stephen Hendry and

Steve Davis.

COMMENTATOR: Xiao Guodong breaks. I

think this will be an attacking

match. Both players

think this will be an attacking

match. Both players like to get on

with it, go for their shots and

score heavily.

Not too sure what route Martin Gould

arrived here today, whether it was

on the back of a bike, or through a.

It might be a style. There is only

one winner?

Xiao Guodong, straight

from Strictly. Beauties. On a

serious note, I thought it Xiao

Guodong was going to be the next big

thing, got a lot of talent. But for

whatever reason, hasn't managed to

realise that talent. Played him in

an exhibition when he was only 14,

15, got a total clearance against

me. I thought, this guy has got

everything.

I do feel, slowly and

surely, a lot of the Chinese are

starting to make their mark on the

world scene.

Very aggressive and considering he

hasn't had much table time, that is

a shot he couldn't guarantee.

This red on the black spot is a good

one to get rid of, obviously. Won't

be able to play for the black this

time, but it makes break-building a

lot easier. Don't know if he can

screw through the.

Underrated player, Martin Gould.

Doesn't seem to be overawed by any

situation. Unusual in respect that

he wears normal glasses to play.

I

think they are special glasses he

looks over the top of two play shots

with.

Why is he wearing them if he

looks over the top of them?

Balance.

When he is looking at the table from

this position, looking through the

glasses and when he gets down he is

looking over the top, clear of the

rings. He obviously hasn't got that

poor eyesight, I would imagine. Not

the first time we have discussed

this, but it is quite fascinating.

Cannon on the middle read. The only

drawback is he has tied the black

dog for the right corner.

The harder

cannon would have pushed the red

free of the black line. Probably

won't be an issue. Very, very

efficient. This cue ball hasn't

moved any distance so far in this

break. That is the art of

break-building at the top of the

table.

To be fair, he was given a

gift in this opening frame. Just

what he wants, easy chance with the

balls everywhere. Very aggressive

shot by Xiao Guodong. Tough shot to

play, the cue ball was quite close

to the side cushion. It made the

shot even harder.

Getting harder

now, the lay of The reds. Got a bit

of a kick on the last red and that

has taken the pace out of the cue

ball. More work to do with the cue

ball here. Had to sacrifice a little

bit of distance between balls, but

as long as this red to the right of

the pink goes in, it's pretty

comfortable.

He is striking the ball nicely,

crisp.

Always nice to get off to a

good start, especially in one

session match. It is important in

even longer matches, but settling

down in matches, is never

guaranteed. Opus group that a

fraction. Didn't want to be that

close to the cushion. Although

perhaps it was unavoidable, to get

straight on one of these reds. He'll

expect him to get it.

The first shot but hasn't gone to

plan so far. Going to have to play

the pink to left middle. Which is

admissible.

One more red and this has been a

very comfortable visit to the table.

He's never looked in any danger,

very composed, very relaxed. Never

really had any tough shots to play.

And this is the best way of

punishing your opponent of his

mistake, winning the frame in one

visit.

But on another day, when you

are not as comfortable amongst the

balls, you could make an easy visit

like this very difficult. Good

control. Martin Gould, outdoing Xiao

Guodong in the belt department, that

is for certain. It is a beauty.

Jag or donk comes back for a bit of

practice, but it is going to be 1-0,

to Martin Gould. -- shall gong.

I don't see the point in coming to

the table to play a tough shot. If

Martin Gould had left an easy one,

then yes, pot some balls but

otherwise, I don't see the point.

Play a tough shot and missed them by

a mile, it is only going to make you

feel worse when you go into the next

frame.

Martin Gould with that impressive

break of 82. Takes the first frame.

Match is back to all square and now

it is the best of nine.

APPLAUSE

Decent break.

As is the done thing now, a player

knows when a risky shot, gets out of

the way of the shot and the referee

can look at exactly where the cue

ball is, should there be a file

called. Paul Collier, may have more

experience than these two lads put

together. Has been around for

centuries now in the game.

I didn't expect any harm to be done

from that shot, but he has left this

red. Bad judgment from Martin Gould.

I'm sure he was playing into the

bunch of The reds. Gets the cue ball

to stop and quickly. It hasn't done.

He's got enough angle to play-off

may be three or four questions.

Requires a lot of cute power,

although these tables help you out

in that department, more so than a

club table.

Five cushions.

Tough pot, I don't

think you will be playing this.

Maybe angle wide off the first

question. That is why the cue ball

has ended up at this down of the

table.

The flick on the brown has left him

perfect to get the cue ball back up

to this end of the table.

Aggressive shot. Everything was

covering each other, there wasn't an

easy red to play for. This red is

on. He can play of the cushion to

the pink for the same pocket but

when you are playing with more pace

and bridging over, the slightest

deviation, you miss this red.

Don't think he will be playing the

pink now, it will be glued to the

green pocket. Virtually nothing to

do with the cue ball. -- it will be

blue. Couple of reds available to

the right corner. Depends how far he

wants to screw the cue ball back.

Should he pot this blue, looking

further ahead, that black will be

difficult to get into open play. Hit

his hand on the edge of the table

then. Going through with the cube,

he hit his hands before he hit the

ball. Hurt his finger.

I thought he

had got an electric shock, sometimes

that happens on the table. But you

were right. Bad miss on the blue.

Had nothing to do with the cue ball,

just concentrate on the pot. Missed

it by a mile. Good opportunity now

for Xiao Guodong.

He will be disappointed with the

outcome. I would imagine he got a

bit low on the cue ball. I think

perhaps he was playing to stun onto

the cushion and then off again. Now

he has made a realistically chance

of winning the frame into a tough

one.

He never looked in a rhythm in

that break at any stage. When Martin

Gould miss the blue, it was a

comfortable chance. But he seemed to

take a long time over shots, Xiao

Guodong, when it looked pretty

straightforward. When Martin Gould

went to 82, had a good rhythm around

the table. Maybe he hasn't settled

down yet, Xiao Guodong. Still a bit

edgy.

Looked like he was creating problems

that weren't there.

That was a much better pot than it

looked, bridging over. Not out of

the woods yet.

Two reds beside the pink. This isn't

an easy chance.

APPLAUSE

Great shot from Guodong. Superb

control. Not guaranteed to get leave

from this, but it's not easy. I

think Martin Gould will be tempted

by the one cushion escape, dead

weight. He's got to be careful.

Wrong side of the red could develop

the other red. He doesn't want to

hit the pink, obviously. Left the

two alone, I think. The two alone by

the pink. Played that well, if

that's how he played it.

Misjudged safety.

All those three reds look to be

covering each other to the right

corner. That yellow is a little

tempter to try and get in behind.

That was a far better choice of

shots from Martin Gould there.

APPLAUSE

Returning the compliment. Guodong

down very quickly here. Playing this

ultra thin. Tough shot. He's playing

a container.

Chance to perhaps get the black into

play. Playing very thin on the red

by the black, on to the cushion

first, knock the black into play,

get the cue ball down the table. Red

is obviously available into the

right middle, the left middle. So,

once again, playing the positive

shot.

Didn't hit it particularly

positively though. I don't know

about that one. The way he played it

was less committal than the shot

itself.

APPLAUSE

Unlucky. Martin Gould had a problem

if he potted the red. It wasn't the

easiest of opportunities. It looked

for a second that Guodong had

punished him. That bump got in the

way. This is a lot tougher

proposition, screwing back with the

extended rest.

You almost wouldn't be surprised to

see the miscue here with the

extension. It become as possibility,

digging right down on that cue ball.

APPLAUSE

How well has he hit that? What a mag

enough September shot.

Unfortunately, I think he's hit it

too well he was hoping to be on the

red into the middle so he could drop

off the side cushion for the pink

into the right corner. He's come lob

sided on the red over the middle

pocket. He may not have the right

angle on the red into the left

corner. He would have to go back up

for the baulk corner.

16 point lead. These three open reds

would be enough.

Couldn't have judged that better.

From not doing too much in this

match, Martin Gould looks like he

will be going 2-1 behind. Obviously

the blue earlier in the frame looks

to be pretty costly.

Pink to leave Martin Gould needing a

snooker. Not trying to be too fancy

with this one, but he's played that

well. That's put paid to this third

frame. Another scrappy affair.

Sometimes the balls dictate, if they

go awkward straightaway, colours go

to cushions.

Looks to have the

perfect angle to break this red out

here.

Wanted to hit black first. 50 points

in front, Martin Gould won't be

coming back to the table.

Xiao Guodong goes into a 2-1 lead.

APPLAUSE

Decent pot, is he on a colour? Even

if he's on the green, it's not...

It's very difficult to control, to

get any position on the red. I think

the red only goes into the pocket

that the green is covering?

Yeah. He

could play cushion first on the

green, play with power. He's not

even attempting the green here. He

thinks it's a really low percentage

chance of getting on the red. Trying

to play a telling safety shot. Not

going to disagree with him there. He

does promote the yellow into a

pottable position. So clever little

shot here. Now the yellow is in

play. Didn't really want to let

Martin Gould have a one cushion

escape though.

Looks like he hasn't. So Martin

Gould hoping to push that red

towards the green pocket. That's a

safe area. Four ball kiss he'd be

happy with.

Three-ball.

REFEREE:

Miss, three-ball.

STEVE DAVIS:

Pretty wide of that.

Don't know if he could have come off

the side cushion. A lot more assured

of hitting the red if he could have

done.

He needs an angle on the yellow

after this green, just so he can

stun the cue ball across and leave

that red to the green pocket.

He really got into that. I mean he

overscrewed it. I mean, he's on the

green, but, in a way, you were

expecting as a play tore have an

easier shot. It seems to put a bit

more pressure on the green now. You

look stupid if you miss it. So, he's

got to regroup, just treat this as a

shot that would come up anyway in

normal play. Hit it postively.

-- positively. He nearly flicked it

out. He had two chances in a way. If

he flicked it out, it would have

been wonderful. He wasn't that far

off getting round the back of it for

the red, as Stephen said, into the

same pocket.

APPLAUSE

I can't believe I'm going to say,

this I think I would have rolled it

behind the yellow rather than play

the green there.

What? Are you

advocating a safety shot?

Yeah.

You

the green there.

What? Are you

advocating a safety shot?

Yeah.

You!

I might have got a few points from

safety. If Gould you willed had hit

the red he might have stuck it up.

Are you on antibiotics at the moment

or something? -- Martin Gould had

hit the red, he might have stuck it

up. Are you on antibiotics at the

moment or something?

Great effort. Dangerous effort. May

not be a four ball snooker, if at

all. It looks like you can even cut

it in.

Martin Gould, 20 points in front.

Guodong's going for this. Hit it

firm, black's on. Very important pot

there from Guodong. Can he hold it

for the black or is it going to

trundle down the table? He's trying

to tell it to stop. It's not going

to help. He's not happy. You can see

he's not happy. Even we could see

his eyes, they're not happy. If it's

too thin he can always roll up

behind the black.

I think it does cut in the black,

but then obviously it's so thin that

the cue ball's... You just lose

control of the cue ball.

The right middle pocket to think

about.

As long as you don't absolute

will I blast at it you think would

end up in the bottom half of the

table.

APPLAUSE

It must have been... He mustn't have

fancied the pot. I'd have been

tempted to just take my chances with

where that cue ball is going to end

up.

Yeah. If you said the cue ball

is in the baulk area of the table

you would be unlucky not to have a

pot at the yellow, some sort of pot.

But he has got command of this

frame. Even though he's 19 points

behind. Martin Gould has only got to

hit this yellow, he's got to get it

safe.

A nice way to play this would

somehow be to, if you did miss it,

end up in the top half of the table.

It may have been a possibility of a

way of doing that. You're committing

really this way. Trying to get lucky

if he misses somehow. If he misses

and Guodong doesn't like it, he's

going to be put back. Good effort

there from Martin Gould to try and

lay on that yellow. 12 feet of

distance of travel.

APPLAUSE

Has it gone round the back? P pots

and I think he's got a way of

getting on the green as well. Didn't

take much time on getting down on

this.

Has he got the pace right? No good.

No, the reason it's no good is that

brown, behind the pink. The angle

he's got on the green is natural if

the pink wasn't there for the brown

to the same pocket. He may have to

play for the brown to right middle.

Playing it slowly makes the green

missable. I don't suppose he will,

but getting perfect on the brown is

not easy. Oh, didn't know what he

was doing there. That was a weird

shot.

I can only assume he was

playing some sort of cannon into the

pink and brown.

Side spin. Stun with

right hand side.

Or just to come

round off two cushions, miss the

pink and leave the brown to the left

corner. Just make sure of the green.

Yeah. If he pots the green and he

doesn't get nicely on the brown he

can roll up nicely behind the pink.

Martin Gould can surely get off the

brown on one cushion here. Well,

he's two balls off winning this

frame and getting out of the session

at 2-2. I think 2-2 is a fair

result, neither player deserves to

be in front in this match.

He just about got on the blue.

In it goes. He will be relieved.

Mark Williams style effort here on

the pink. Perhaps not as good as

Mark, never mind. Guodong carrying

on for snookers, but I think it will

be 2-2 at the interval.

I don't know

if Martin Gould normally pots those

shots with ease. Why not take the

rest out and make sure you pot the

pink and get this frame over with.

OK, he's 99 times out of 100 he's

still going to win, but look at this

shot.

What you are saying is - you

want a cup of tea?

The last thing Martin Gould wants is

for 10, 15 minutes trying to get out

of snookers. Pot the pink, get on to

the practice table, get your arm

moving again. Very strange shot that

was.

Excellent effort, it really is.

Not been much to talk about in the

last three frames, but that is one

of the best shots we've seen.

Martin Gould, after that very

strange shot, to try and pot the

pink, has put himself under pressure

in this frame.

With ball-in-hand, you do get a

chance to play a better snooker, but

it's not an easy snooker. He's got

to get a good one, not just a

snooker. What is the weight like? It

looks pretty good. It might be a bit

too hard.

Yeah, what he had to do

was at least keep the object ball

safe. He hasn't done. Martin Gould

coming round to see what the

situation is. Cue ball in the green

pocket. That would be an error. I

wouldn't be surprised the way these

frames have gone. But it's in. It's

not been a snooker for the

puristses, you could say. Let's hope

it's better after the interval, but

it's 2-2 between Xiao Guodong and

Martin Gould.

-- pureists. So scoring opportunity

for Xiao Guodong. If you want to be

attacking, the green has a lovely

angle to go into the bunch. A big

target. He may not feel that way

inclined at the moment. Don't feel

that confident. It couldn't be

better on the green.

When I saw him as a Youngster he

doesn't have the same flow in cue

action he used to have. I can't

remember the word you use, Steve,

for it.

Unflowing. He's put the cue

ball in exactly the same position

now to go into the pack of reds. Is

he going to do it now, he might as

well have done it before. Perhaps he

will choose another positional shot.

Well played. He didn't go into the

reds, but it turned out perfectly.

He can stun this red for the black

into the same pocket.

It begs the

question why he didn't do it the

first time because he couldn't

guarantee he would get perfect on

the green. Regardless. This is now a

great chance.

At some stage in this match you

would expect the standard to rise.

Maybe it's who gets off the ground

first.

Yeah everyone has bad days, no doubt

about it. Whoever wins this match,

they know if they ply like this in

the next round against, we presume

it would be Ronnie O'Sullivan no,

disrespect to his opponent, whoever

wins this match will have to play a

lot better. They are going to be sat

in the chair for a long time.

The only red pottable to this one is

the red of the three. Either right

corner or left middle.

Quite straight on the black, so

screw back and touch of right hand

side. Take the cue ball up the

table.

Not the best angle. He should

get it right.

Played it nicely. Even

if he's not straight on the red,

there's a gap there to stun the cue

ball through with the black to the

same pocket. He could possibly play

with topspin to move the two reds

and leave pink to left middle. I

think the stun really.

He's going to

need these remaining three reds.

Cannon on the pink. Well played. So

playing with a little bit more

rhythm, Xiao Guodong. He has taken

these well so far. He doesn't really

want to be straight on the black.

That's careless if he is because the

shot they played previously, the

screwback shot, if he overdose it he

could snooker himself behind the

pink.

I don't know if he's checked

to see if there's a plant into the

left corner.

Because of the pink he played that

to the side.

Over hit that somewhat. Now this red

is missable. Just got a bit too much

into it.

That's the last thing he

wanted was the frame ball to be a

difficult one.

Would be a

It horrible ending to

this break should he miss it.

He got a kick on that.

Not his fault he got a kick. It was

his fault he was out of position.

It could be a big moment in this

match.

Finished in an ideal position.

Played that shot like a hit and

hope. Didn't seem to have a plan to

get on a colour.

This could be a moment in this

match. Xiao Guodong should have been

3-2 ahead by now.

I think I am correct in saying that

Martin Gould is still in with a

chance of sneaking into the top 16

in the race to the Masters.

If the information has changed, I do

apologise for my lack of knowledge.

Yesterday he was in the race.

Depending on other results, of

course.

Because the pink isn't on its spot,

he has played left to right middle.

But it came off the cushion quite

quickly.

This is a tricky cut back for the

black.

Look where the cue ball ended up. It

was an excellent frame. Xiao Guodong

should have won it. Didn't get

position on the last red. Martin

Gould takes it, 3-2.

Martin Gould

breaks off in the second frame after

the interval. Having won the first

against the head. Advantage, Martin

Gould.

Forced into that, he did well to get

the cue ball down the table. Makes

it difficult positional play the

Xiao Guodong.

You have to say, he's not had a

great brunt of the balls today, Xiao

Guodong. -- run of the balls.

I think Martin Gould has identified

the red next to the black as the

best idea of trying to get a hit and

safe.

He may have got away with that.

Bridging over the top of the ball

makes this a more difficult

prospect. You fancy him to get it,

but no guarantee of position. He can

probably get the blue, on second

thoughts. The blue cuts in, but

difficult to control the cue ball.

Nice choice from Xiao Guodong, that

if he accidentally missed it, he

might cover the pocket. Can he turn

this into a frame-winner? The pack

is tight, but one good angle on the

black could reap rewards.

I get the feeling it is not going to

be Xiao Guodong's day here. He's not

firing on any cylinders.

And now,

Martin is looking how he gets into

this bunch of The reds. Lots of

right-hand side.

It is a pretty big

target that way.

Pretty good, he wants to stun it off

the two cushions. Just get into the

middle of the pack.

Nice shot, bit

unlucky. More than a bit unlucky,

really. Even half of a ball, a

quarter of a bald more contact on

the pack, they would have opened up

and the cue ball would have stayed

in the top half of the table. Does

he try and keep this break going?

Has he got a shock to nothing at the

same time? It's hard to see him

turning this red down.

Very nice.

He may have to play this red with

lots of left-hand side to get the

right side of the blue. Needs to be

just off straight to be able to play

that shot. There is an argument to

say play for the black. Can stun

into the bunch. The only danger with

this sometimes, you hit the side of

the bunch of reds and the cue ball

goes up to the ball could end of the

table. -- ball end.

Excellent shot.

Not too far off

being perfect. A bit unlucky. Did he

get another electric shock or

something. He is twitching with his

hand again. Really unlucky. He has

given a belt into the meat of the

pack. A bit low on it, yes, but

splitting hairs, really.

If he

leaves the cue ball by this

left-hand side cushion, he's not

leaving anything. Certainly didn't

expect him to play like that.

He

hadn't got it totally safe. He still

left the red into the same middle

pocket. Wasn't even a benefit to

play it that way. Xiao Guodong has

unmissable red, but he could hold

for the black plate of these three

reds. Not like that. Didn't hit that

with enough conviction.

Good recovery from Xiao Guodong.

Little bit of work to be done with

the implements. Stunning across the

face of the black here, it looks.

Bit of screw back. That was strange.

What's happened there? Must have

just caught the red, bounce the

white ball. Thought he could screw

back without touching that one. Even

though I said it looked like it

wasn't going to be his day, he's not

really in unlawful position. Just

his general standard, he needs to

it. Either playing this game could

potentially just fall over the line.

It will be like pulling teeth, if it

happened that way.

Two reds on the pink spot. I don't

know if the bottom one goes to the

corner. Obviously it does. Sometimes

you need to be at the table to see

the true angle as to whether it goes

or not. You feel for his own belief

in winning this match, he has to win

this frame at this visit. If he

keeps failing, his confidence keeps

taking a hit and you wonder how he

can come back from it.

Couldn't keep position on the blue.

But always nice to have all colours

available. Little bit of danger on

where those three reds are to the

right. Could find yourself in a

positional trap. Is playing down the

right-hand side of the table. Looks

to have overscrewed this by some

distance. That is a long way out.

This red into the middle pocket,

wasn't one he played.

He was fortunate to have that red.

He was that far out with his

position. Good pot.

Red, colour, red.

Similar to the last frame. Frame

ball, he's left one that is

missable.

Doesn't have too played

position though. Should do, but

doesn't have too. Position was more

or less automatic. So he will be

feeling a bit better inside that he

has survived a little bit of a

storm.

I said before, although the

last two frames, he had a couple of

60 breaks, he's not been playing

well. But still he is 3-3.

50 points behind. A very unlikely

you can get back into the match from

this position. Barring snoopers, it

is 3-3.

-- snookers.

At professional level, it is a minor

miracle to win a frame 50 points

behind. 49 points behind you can win

with one snooker and a free ball.

Some fluke snookers. Some people are

clapping. They must think it is all

over.

Come on Xiao Guodong, green ball.

Well done. He will feel a lot

better. Should have won the last

frame, made a break of 62 but missed

the last red. He has missed the

green, but it doesn't matter, Xiao

Guodong levelled the match at 3-3.

Wonderfully struck.

You won't see a

better ball struck all week, I don't

care who you are watching. This was

perfection.

Black ball, tied up

again.

Has left himself a nice angle on

this red to get back out down the

table. I assume the pink spot is

occupied.

He has played for the pink. It goes

on the black spot. It's not too bad.

Where is the next red coming from if

he is wrong sided?

There is a possibility of a couple

of reds in the corner.

He had to trust a bit to look. He

has played an excellent shot. --

good luck.

Perfect on the blue. It looks such a

simple shot to play. He couldn't put

the cue ball any better if he had

picked it with his hand.

It seems a

more difficult shot on fast cloth.

Sheik of the head by Martin Gould.

He wanted to be a bit lower to get

back for the blue. Now he's got to

play a power screw back. Shaking his

head as if it was a bad positional

shot. As it turns out, where is the

problem?

Can only assume he didn't want the

pink back on the spot.

Some people just shake their head

for no reason. I think snooker

players, when you want to put the

cue ball exactly where you want to

put it and it doesn't go there. We

are all perfection when it comes to

the cue ball.

There is an example of

how difficult it is to get perfect

on the blue. He can do this, should

he want to play but the cue ball

will be running away. It takes some

good control to keep it under severe

control.

Unfortunate flick off the pink and

out of position. Tough pots

available into the middle pocket.

Bit of pressure on this.

He has missed that and now he has

given Xiao Guodong a chance.

He has an angle here, is it worth

the top spin and cannon into the

reds. Just to open things up a bit.

He could have done. But there are

times when that is perhaps the

correct mode of operation. Keep on

going back for the blue. Try to get

exactly the right angle on the blue.

That was a great shot. Can't argue

with that one. He has a couple of

reds into that left corner. Judging

by the first time he played it, he

may be going for one of those reds

into the left corner. Doesn't have

to go off the side cushion, can stun

down.

Might be in a bit of a trap. Might

be no way back.

May be forced to

play a cannon on the black.

Brave

shot, it could go wrong and he could

be made to look a bit foolish, I

suppose. He's looking at the line,

isn't he? Half ball cannon, very

softly. Can't afford to hit it too

hard. Might snooker him. Have two

hit it hard enough to get the other

side of it. I think I would have

preferred the softer cannon, even

though I would have left the black

closer to the question. Wasn't a bad

way of going about it. Tough pink.

This is a brave shot. You get it,

chance to go 5-3 ahead. If you miss

it, it is 4-4. Or you will go back

to your chair expecting it to be

4-4.

It is a tough pot, made

fractionally tougher than if it was

on its preferred spot. It is more of

an acute angle, by a fraction. I

don't like this shot, I don't like

playing it. Sometimes you have too.

He's already looked at the safety

option. I assume he's turning it

down, isn't he?

I couldn't turn this

down.

He looked at the safety

option. Why bother going down the

table, I suppose. Big shot in the

match.

In the end, I don't know why he went

down the other end of the table. He

put negativity in his mind. It was

the right shot to go for the pot, he

didn't have two hit it that hard.

It's probably cost him the frame. If

you going for the pot, go for it,

don't be thinking about safety shots

and then go back down and play for

the pot.

If you don't fancy the pink enough,

then you're not going to get it, are

you? If you absolutely don't like

the shot, perhaps then you don't go

for it, even if you get criticised

for not going for it. Tough

decisions snooker throws up.

But in the end that's what sorts out

the winners from the losers, being

able to make these decisions under

pressure, being able to play the

right shot. That's what, I suppose,

you could say in most sports, being

able to make the right decisions

when it really matters.

I'm sure a sports psychologists

would have had a field day with that

particular shot, once they

understood the game. Great chance

now for Martin Gould to get back on

level terms.

Hard to make a case for this match

going any other way but 5-5. At the

moment neither player seems to be

able to really take this match by

the scruff of its neck and win it.

One frame at a time it is. Neither

player can get up a bit of momentum.

Pink and a red to draw level.

This red for the frame.

APPLAUSE

Make sure to pot the pink and make

sure he pots one red to make sure

his opponent doesn't come back to

the table. 55, 43 on, there's every

chance that Guodong will come back

to the table and try for snookers.

Not now.

That's another frame were both

players had two or three chances,

but it's Martin Gould who wins it

and draws level again at 4-4.

APPLAUSE

Guodong can play an aggressive shot

here if he chooses. Pot this red,

screw the cue ball through the reds,

put them everywhere. You would think

he would have to be very unlucky not

to be on a colour.

Just got a bit too much forward

momentum on the cue ball. Just went

forwards first before it started to

come back. Well, we see Martin miss

a lot easier chance than this, but

Guodong can get his hand on the

table, straight cueing. Shots you

practice all day long.

Let's see how

hard he hits this. A pressure shot.

No need to hit it hard. Why is he

crewing back?

Why is he screwing

back? To get the right side of the

red. The red over the pocket, the

right middle. , he could get back

for the blue. That makes that shot

so much more difficult, putting that

extra pace in means that the ball

won't drop in the hole.

I don't think you would have seen

Ronnie O'Sullivan play that shot as

hard.

The priority there was potting the

blue.

He's out on the table. He can see

where that red is over the middle

pocket. If he pots the blue and

stuns it dead. It's a thinner cut

and the cue ball will come to the

top cushion, surely he can get it

back down the table again. I would

love to know what was going through

his mind there. That's tight. Enough

room though.

Will he risk dropping on the black?

Oh, dear.

Well, this isn't good.

He's got the red with the... He

didn't have much of a check up

before he played that shot. That in

itself was an error, not knowing

exactly where the pink ball was

going to spot. He always had this

red with the extended rest, but not

clever.

Can he drop on the black?

The black is available to the right

or left corner. Maybe there's too

much angle on this red. Play some

sort of cannon. He needs to be lucky

here. He has been. What a result,

what a result.

Played the aggressive shot. I

suppose you could say fortune

favours the brave. If he'd not been

on that black, we'd have been

digging out his positional sense.

Just about going to drop in.

That was in the middle when it

started, but ended up going in-off

the front jaw.

Well, here's a chance

for a frame-winning contribution.

First one fell short with a poor

rest shot, but he shouldn't be

needing the rest for a while here,

if at all.

Didn't really want to come away from

the black, but obviously felt he had

to.

He's over hit that a little bit, but

there's a red below the black that

goes. Doesn't have to stay on the

black, as I said, he can come back

up the table.

It's not ideal, is it, Stephen?

Play

for blue here, I think.

Yeah.

If he'd have gone wrong side of the

pink there he could have come

unstuck.

He's kept this break going and now

starting to look more like prime

position.

One more positional shot he's got to

get right with those five reds a bit

crowded in the middle of the table.

Ideally, he'd like to break them

open and have an insurance red at

one over the left corner, so perhaps

he's going to try to go into them

now. Though I'm not so sure he's got

the angle. Would have liked to have

been low on the black so he could

play some type of screw shot into

the reds. Leave himself on that one

by the left corner. Now he may have

to bite the bull in the that

department.

Guodong's only hope now is that

after this next black that somehow

Martin Gould gets unlucky. It's a

slim chance.

Another red to the right of the five

is the one to connon. If it goes

wrong though you're on nothing he

may choose to go into the main

bunch, hope for the best. He played

it well. He's got a choice of two

reds to either middle pocket. OK,

he's grimacing slightly

reds to either middle pocket. OK,

he's grimacing slightly. This is OK

surely.

He caught it more than he

wanted. It's still a good positional

shot. He should get this. That's

frame over.

APPLAUSE

Surprising missing the red. 69

points in front, Martin Gould, 59 op

the table. That was a careless shot

to miss that. If he pots that red,

his opponent doesn't come back to

the table.

Hanging on in here, 53 points

behind. One more red and black and

then keep that last red on the

table.

It's not come that well for snookers

on this red. 45 behind. Absolutely

no way he should pot the red. Even

if he could get on the black.

Not a bad try. Oh, nearly.

I think he can see enough to pot

this.

Yep, it's there. Martin Gould has

taken two frames in a row from 4-3

down, he's going to lead 5-4, one

up, with two play, as we say. Xiao

Guodong concedes. One frame to get

into the quarter-final. He leads

5-4.

Martin Gould breaks off hoping for

one good chance in the next two

frames. Ideally this frame.

It's getting to the sharp end of

this match, adrenaline, tension is

rising. Will that hone in the

player's concentration. He's going

for this.

Great shot.

APPLAUSE

He struck it so well, he's gone past

the baulk line. I don't know if that

was his plan. He's put it into a

safe position, but ideally those

type of shots you leave yourself

slightly short of the baulk line for

a good choice of a frame winner so

early on. He should get this green

into the middle. It's a bit of an

angle.

He's got two reds, perhaps three

reds, that go into the left corner.

He's got choices.

Wants to get way from this side

cushion. Cushion.

He doesn't want to be straight on

this red. A bit more difficult.

Somebody moving in the crowd, I

think. Somebody is doing something.

REFEREE:

The light is catching your

watch.

STEVE DAVIS:

Unlucky, reflection of

someone's watch. Just digging down a

bit makes this shot a bit harder.

He'll be happy with that strike.

Looks like he's going to go into

them here, the far part of the pack

would be a nice part to go into, not

screw it in, stun it in.

Could have gone piano them. There's

a couple of loose reds. Perhaps he's

seen a far more assured way. At some

stage he's got to open the pack,

though.

Yeah, I agree. Perfect angle, but I

suppose this red he can leave this

low, the red to the left corner,

leave it low. Maybe that was his

plan all along.

Screw back across

the face of them, nothing wrong with

that.

As long as you can guarantee getting

that positional shot that he's just

played. Play it with topspin it's a

little bit more in the lap of the

Gods where the cue ball end up. Oh,

my goodness. I mean the screw back

shot guarantees position on the

black. That in itself is probably

these days considered the wrong

shot. He's so worried about where

the cue ball is going he missed the

pot.

Yeah, I agree. The decision

should have been to go into the pack

off the black, two shots previously.

He's given Martin Gould an

opportunity to get this match over

and done with.

That's not a gimme. He knows as long

as he pots it, automatic position on

a red to either left middle or left

corner. Just keep still on this, cue

it nicely.

It's been a poor standard. It's just

who can possibly keep themselves

together to over the line in this

match. I can't say that any player

is favourite at this moment.

Player

with Martin Gould's experience

should have seized that opportunity.

Wrong side of the blue, so further

away from the reds than he wanted.

On what we've seen so far, I can't

say that I'm absolutely confident

this is going in.

Nice shot.

APPLAUSE

Yeah, in the end, it was very well

struck. But it's hard to know how

many chances in the frame that each

player needs to get the job done.

They are good for the morale though

when you knock one in, especially

after you've missed an easy one.

Topspin is a strange choice for me

here. Will be hard to get right side

of the blue.

Just looking for where

the break is going to end at the

moment, aren't you? It's a terrible

way to look, but it's just been that

type of game, you just don't fancy

there is going to be a frame-winning

clearance from here. We are talking

about the best players in the world,

just having a bad day in the office.

Motoring down there. Is there a red

that goes into the right corner?

This red to the left corner is OK,

but it's not so easy to get back out

into open play.

He may choose to

actually use the bunch here. Cue

ball into the bunch. Every chance if

he hits the bunch of reds the cue

ball could go up to that end of the

table, where the colours are,

possibly be in the pink.

If he hits

the right part of the bunch, of

course, yeah.

That's exactly what he

played. Good shot.

Yeah.

APPLAUSE

Good thinking. Criticised him for

some bad thinking, that was the

opposite. No! I don't think he's

even on a red.

He's not a red. From Martin Gould's

perspective, once again, you must be

pleased he's missed blue. Martin

Gould must come to the table

thinking - I've been left the Crown

jewels. Can he had pot one? Does one

goes past? Yes, it does.

Can he see

it?

You can have no excuses.

No, he's 37

points behind. He's basically

looking at a clearance.

If he doesn't do it from here, it's

only the situation, the fact that

he's not playing with full

confidence. You see another shake of

the head. Not where he wanted the

cue ball to be.

Does he consider he

had a bad contact there that took

some of the spin-off the cue ball?

It didn't sound like that one.

Play the cannon on the pink and

leave the pink to right middle here.

Pretty straight-forward shot, but I

think at this stage nothing is

straight-forward.

Yeah. You can play

off two cushions round for the pink

again.

A bit short of pace, perhaps. That's

a sign of tension.

Tension in the arm.

Blue in and out of baulk is never

certain, position Ali. --

opsitionally. -- positionally.

There's a lot at take for Martin

Gould, apart from the fact of a

place in the quarter-finals he's

involved in the mixup for the race

to the Masters. Couldn't have played

that much better.

No, I was going to

say, that could be the match winning

shot. Sometimes when you play a

perfect positional shot it gets you

back in, in the right frame of mind.

When you're struggling around trying

to get position, you don't seem to

fancy it, but now he's in, I don't

see him going wrong from here.

Couldn't have placed it better. Is

there going to be one more twist and

one more mini nightmare for Martin

Gould or can he get over the line in

style here?

Head shaking going on. He got in

perfect position from that good shot

on the blue, he managed to leave

himself needing a cannon, which he's

done very well. Just a series of

little stuns and screws now. The cue

ball shouldn't be travelling any

distance whatsoever.

You couldn't

ask for better. Around the pink

sometimes less pressure than around

the black.

You have four pockets to

play for, haven't you, rather than

two.

Wouldn't want to leave himself dead

straight on the pink. The line he's

got on the red is perfect to make

sure that he doesn't leave himself

dead straight.

So pot the pink, off the side

cushion, out into the open table. It

really is a guilt edged chance now

to get over the line.

He could play for the blue. If there

is tension in your arm, the green is

a safer option.

Perfect on the blue. If he got

straight on the blue.

Yeah not to

clever. The green is more

opportunities, but he looks good. He

looks like he's got himself together

an composed. He takes the lead.

Ahead by eight points. So he needs

another blue. Another blue and he's

won it.

A little bit further away from the

green than would have been

comfortable. With the way he's

feeling at the moment. Does he have

to screw for the brown for the same

pocket? No, he played it well.

That's normally the big shot in

clearing the colours, getting

perfectly on the brown. It should be

automatic from here.

Stealing himself for the big effort

to win these two balls.

He's done well, Martin Gould. He's

4-3 down, he's won three frames in a

row. Guodong has had plenty of

chances. He'll look back on this

match and look back at the mistakes.

APPLAUSE

It's been a good break this from

Martin Gould. It's not been a pretty

match to watch, by any means. Martin

Gould wins 6-4, beats Xiao Guodong

to go through to the quarter-finals.

APPLAUS

Hard-fought win for Martin Gould he

is through to the quarter-finals

they get under way later today on

BBC Two. We kick off at 1.00pm. See

you then, goodbye for now.