Second Round: Part 2 UK Snooker Championship Extra

Hello again. After the dramatics on

Saturday of the exits of the world

number one, Mark Selby, and prior to

that, earlier in the week, of the

world number three Ding Junhui, all

of the top seeds left in this year's

Betway United Kingdom championship

are taking nothing for granted in

the early stages, especially not the

world number six, Shaun Murphy.

Despite the fact he's a terrific

season so far, three big finals and

he's converted one of them, the

Champion of champions title, he knew

he could be in for a bit of a tough

match against the world number 69,

Liam Highfield. The Stoke potter who

after all went on a run to the last

16 in this very championship here,

12 months ago. We are going to watch

this one, best of 11 frames, in the

company two former world champions,

Dennis Taylor and Ebdon. -- Peter

Ebdon.

COMMENTATOR:

Was Liam Highfield knocking the

excellent long red in, Shaun Murphy

will be sitting on his feet now

thinking, I wish I'd taken the red

into the yellow pocket. Unusual for

him to turn a shot like that down.

He's a very aggressive player, very

attacking. That's a poor positional

shot.

Just didn't get through the

cue ball there. He knew his red

wouldn't go past the pink and has

tried to come up past it, to leave

it for the middle. He might be able

to cut in, three reds to the right

of the pack, may be played as a shot

to nothing.

Yeah, that one there,

closest to the black, you can just

see enough of that I think to try to

cut it in. Well played.

Now back in a reasonable position.

He'd love to get on the red, near

the right corner pocket, but the

white has just run a little bit too

far to make it a comfortable blue to

drop on that.

But he should be OK, one decent shot

here, if he plays the cannon and

finishes on a red. Well, a little

bit more pace would have been better

there.

Red into the centre here, but this

really did -- this is really tricky,

very difficult cueing. That was

really tough.

Shaun looks as if he is considering

taking the thin cut into the left

centre. Make cannon into the red,

closest to the right centre, and

that would stop the cue ball, and

would be on the blue. If he misses

the cannon on the red, he could be

onto the black, into the left

corner, so decided to play it as a

screw shot. With right-hand side,

controlled the cue ball well. But

not ideally on a colour.

That's a good pot, never easy when

you are digging down into the cue

ball, raising the butt of the cue,

he played it with a touch of

right-hand side as well which made

the pot even more difficult. So it

was a good pot, under the

circumstances. A couple of very good

pots, this is now a very good

opportunity for Shaun Murphy to

extend his lead.

Can he get on the red that's near

the right corner? Yeah, he can.

Because removing this red clears the

path for the black into the same

pocket and he's taking the red.

Let's see if he can knock in a

reasonable break here.

Is not aggressive enough for you?

That was the order of the day. He's

given himself an excellent

opportunity now. Couldn't have the

reds sitting much better than this.

It was a shot off the black that

opens them up, shot that left the

table like this.

But that cue action, even when he's

in among the balls, he still pulls

his cue back quite a long way. It's

just his natural way of playing, we

keep talking about the Rolls-Royce

cue action that he has and sometimes

when you're in close control it can

be a little bit of a disadvantage.

But that pause and then delivering

the cue, that's the key to this game

of snooker.

Very well controlled stun runs

through from Shaun Murphy. When he's

in full flow, he really is a

beautiful play at the watch. He

times the ball so well. I remember

when he beat John Robertson in the

final of The Masters, a little while

ago. I think it was as well as I've

ever seen anybody time the ball

Forster P cued so well in that

tournament. -- he cued so well in

that tournament.

When he won the

world title against Matthew Stevens,

he came behind in that and it was

incredible how he played. I remember

travelling down on the coach with a

lot of the Welsh supporters and they

thought Matthew would be world

champion, but Shaun had other ideas.

Talking about is break-building,

he's made 438 centuries in his

career. Well, he's going to have to

pot the long blue, a trademark of

Shaun Murphy. Not safe, so there's a

bit of pressure on this. Let's see

if it goes right in the heart of

pocket. No. So even with that cue

action, when you know the importance

of the shot, even the great players

can miss.

Well, the chance is there for Liam.

He had a bit of a chance in the

opening frame, even though he was 60

odd behind. What can he make of this

opportunity?

Big pressure on Liam

Highfield here. He knows the

importance of this visit. He really

wants to get a foothold in this

match and draw level.

The pink is on the right side of the

table for him, being a left-hander.

So the balls are there for him. It's

just about keeping himself together

now.

The company of John, any harder,

that would have stayed out.

He'll have to come up for the blue

here. He'd rather stay for the

black, but underscrewed it slightly,

so it's imperative he gets the other

side of the blue. Doesn't want to

come up short. I think he's just

about OK, a glance at the

scoreboard. 17 behind.

He's trying to work out as to

whether he'll need the pink, adding

the score up in his head there.

As Peter said, the pink won't be a

problem, being a left-hander he can

drop in behind that if he gets that

far.

And once again, must get the good

angle on the blue, so he can drop

writing behind the pink. -- right in

behind the pink. Needs to run, and

it's come up short. Wow, that's made

such a difference. If it was the

other side of the blue, he just

rolls it in, gets about 18 inches

behind the pink. Now he's got to

force it in. And that's a pretty

good effort, if it keeps running.

Needs to pull up. He's going to be

too close to the pink. Oh, dear. But

it was the previous shot, he got the

wrong side of the blue and this

would be a body blow, because he was

odds-on favourite to level the

match. He's so close to the pink,

it's not easy to get it safe.

It's

such a shame, because he'd held

himself together so well up to that

point.

He's unlucky there.

Just a fraction,

he followed it all the way down and

now that it's flicked the black,

Shaun Murphy could cut this Ping Lin

and the white will go close to the

left middle pocket but if he cuts it

in and it doesn't catch the middle

pocket, he could finish on the

black. Oh, close.

Liam will be absolutely delighted to

see the black going very close to

the top cushion there. We only just

needs this pink, where Shaun Murphy

needs both balls. He can take this

on, just needs to avoid beat in off

into the left-hand black pocket.

Which she has done and that's an

excellent pot, well played, Liam

Highfield. Levelled this match, one

frame each.

Frame three, Shaun Murphy to break.

Not the best break off shot in the

world, with the brown coming to his

rescue. Maybe not. There is an early

chance for Liam Highfield here,

because he can pot this and he can

get on the black. Even the pink

might be available, but it shows you

the importance of a good break off

shot. If he knocks this in he's got

a great opportunity. You can see

what he's doing with the cue there,

that's telling you he didn't push

the cue threw in a straight line.

This is one of the toughest things

about the game of snooker. You had

the opportunity, you played a poor

shot, and you have to go back to

your seat and watched your opponent

pot the balls you know you should

have been taking on.

Liam Highfield got that read in the

middle and showed everybody why he

thought he'd missed it and cued

across the ball. It's probably not

the wisest thing in the world to

show a confident and attacking

player like Shaun Murphy that sort

of negative body language. OK, if

you miss, you miss, but don't let

your opponent know that you've cued

across it, because that will just

give him confidence.

That last shot on the black, he

could have done with a little bit

more pace on the shot. I thought he

was going to have an easy choice of

reds, but the white just stuck in

the reds there stop this is very

awkward.

It's a pretty good shot, but look

where the cue ball has finished.

Shaun was having a good look at the

black cushion there, he feels he got

a bounce there, in the sense that

the cue ball came off the cushion

with a lot more pace than he put

into the shot. It's always one of

the most difficult things for a

player to contend with.

Because it means that you lose

position. And at the highest level,

you don't get that many chances in a

frame, although that is a very, very

poor shot from Liam Highfield. A

total misjudgement. He will be

absolutely devastated with that.

He'll be really annoyed with

himself.

He can't keep giving these type of

opportunities to a player Shaun

Murphy's class, because when he gets

on a roll he can score very, very

heavily, in three, four, five

frames, and disappear in no time at

all. I think one or two signs of

nerves that Shaun had at the start

of this match will be dissipating

very quickly.

You wouldn't expect many long frames

with both these players. They are

both attacking, a bit scrappy, the

balls, that's why it lasted nearly

half an hour.

Doesn't need many more pots, pink,

red, colour. It will be enough. You

see it, 65 ahead, so he only needs

this red, the way they are sitting I

wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't

what we say, doesn't dish up here of

the lot.

Maybe not now that he can and the

red. He's a bit close. You might be

able to pot the pink, but he's got

to be careful he doesn't push this.

Well done.

There is the possibility of a

century.

In fact, he made 37 centuries last

season. He's on 20 so far this

season.

I think the table is playing a bit

better today. It doesn't seem to be

quite as heavy. As you said, the

atmosphere can affect this. It's a

beautiful day in York. The sun was

shining. I was out for a little walk

this morning, a gentle walk, no

jogging for me. Maybe for you.

Interestingly, Liam Highfield was

one of the fittest guys on the

circuit. He's a really serious

runner. Very lean and trim. And that

really helps, especially in the

longer matches.

Yeah, this has been a terrific

effort from the former champion

here, Shaun Murphy.

He overscrewed that slightly.

Just the pink for the century.

Oh! Unlucky, but he won't be too

concerned. It was a great effort, he

got one chance there and he took it

all stop there was enough to win the

frame. He's back in the lead, 2-1.

Just trying to compose himself. He

knows this is a tough shot. That's

very well cued, well played.

And look where he left the cue ball,

he was always going to be on the

black, but had he missed the red,

look where he put the cue ball. That

was a very clever shot. He had no

intention of missing the pot though.

So what chance now, to get right

back into this fourth frame. Well,

he has a chance to go to the

mid-session all square, but there's

an awful lot of balls to be potted

before that happens.

Yes, it was a

very clever shot, the way he played

it, he took a bit of pressure out of

the pot because he knew that in

playing it in such a way he wasn't

going to be leaving an opportunity

for Shaun Murphy, should he miss, so

well played, well thought out.

Not ideal here though, the wrong

side of the blue.

Needs to avoid the cannon on the

brown on the way down. Played it

with right-hand side, just needs the

cue ball to run. Well played, well

controlled. He's looked at this pink

a couple of times. It looks as if it

does go.

A chance to play for the black

instead. Shouldn't be too much

trouble here. He can play the black

off one cushion, with top spin and

have the joins Webber choice of at

least two reds into the centre. --

and have the choice of at least two

reds into the centre. Under him that

and may -- he has underhit that and

may have to take the more difficult

red into the green pocket. He's

taken it into the centre. Now he's

back in prime position. Nice pot.

I think he's just OK for a moment,

thought he had covered that red to

the left middle, but he's OK. Just

four points behind now. It's the red

near the left side cushion that will

be the key to this fourth frame.

That's worked out very nicely. Did

well to avoid the brown and the

green. Didn't intend to get on the

red in that fashion, but it worked

out very nicely for him. He's

probably playing for the red to the

right of the pink.

Just thinking a few shots ahead,

when they decide to give themselves

an ankle on the road to the left of

the pink, to develop the red. Away

from the left-hand side cushion.

He's got the opportunity to do that

now, if he wants to. Looks like he

is playing behind the red, though.

He got a kick Paire. -- there.

Yes,

and it might have helped him, does

he have a slight angle here? He

could roll it in but this is a tough

one. This is virtually a frame ball.

The difference is 23, to this red.

Blue, pink or black would be enough

that this is an awkward little one.

That was an awkward one. He knew the

importance of that, if he knocked it

in he would have been into the mid

session all square. A little

annoying...

Shaun still has to knock the men,

though. -- knock them in, though.

Not the best shot he has ever

played, did not want to be coming

into the blue there.

Hmm... Can he just cue passed the

blue? No. He got a little bit of

unwanted side on that. A left off...

4-macro to there, when you are

reaching over a ball like that, it's

a possibility. Leading the yellow

and the green. A very thin snooker

this. He can screw along the

cushion, from the yellow towards the

pink and the black.

I definitely

think that is the right chart. --

the right shot, to screw the cue

ball in from here. Could not have

played it any better.

He is looking

anxiously to see is he has got the

sneaker. -- snooker. He may just be

able to sneak the yellow and play a

safety shot but having said that, if

he does that with the yellow

committee could play into the black

with the cue ball. Playing to swerve

this. Together, a full-ball contact

on the yellow. If you hit it thin

enough and avoid going into the

black, you can get a yellow save and

a White safe.

There's the option of

coming off the top cushion and

catching the yellow thin on the way

back. It's a very good shot. Could

not have played it any better. It

was excellent. As Dennis alluded to,

it was fraught with danger because

it was so easy for him to get a

double-kiss, playing with a cheque

side, hoping to avoid a kiss but

that was a gem, could not have

played it better. An excellent shot.

That was equally as good because

there was very little room for

manoeuvre there. Shaun can cut the

yellow in and, if he does, the White

will be heading back up towards the

green, as long as he does not career

into the pink but it is a tough

cart. It is there. How is the kiss

on the brown? It isn't bad.

One good positional shots now. This

would be a steal. For Shaun Murphy.

Liam Highfield has to go to the next

session interval all square but a

slip up and Shaun Murphy pounced. He

now goes to the mid-session interval

leading three frames to one.

Six, having to break...

Liam Highfield breaks off, looking

at frame six. Would liked to have

had the cue ball tip on the baulk

cushion. And that is why. A

wonderful opening pot from Shaun

Murphy. One of the very best in the

business at that type of shot. He

has been a little unfortunate to

finish so tight to the green side

cushion.

He cued that in nicely. He is OK for

pace. An opportunity for playing for

blue or pink here.

That is just OK. Going straight...

Electing to play for the black this

time...

He might play the attacking shot

here and go to the reds and stay on

the black. He played it well. He

would have liked to have seen the

cue ball going away from the side

cushion another few inches. He has

been unfortunate to finish straight

on the black as well. Just off, as

you can see. From the angle. Just

off straight.

He has taken a more difficult pink.

This is really tough. Just composing

himself, some movement behind the

shot. If you miss these, you tend to

miss them thin. There is a lot of

movement going on in the background,

unfortunately. That is twice he has

got up off his shot. He is just

composing himself again. This is

really tough... And that is an

excellent pot. Well played.

A nice cannon between the gap would

do... Was always going to be on a

red, having played it the way that

he did.

The pink was the shot there when he

looked at the black and he took the

more difficult pink to keep the

break going. Sean is one of those

players who could put bitter

disappointment behind him. He missed

an easy red when playing a cannon on

the black but he is such an

experienced campaigner these days,

he quickly forgets about it. He has

come out firing here on all

cylinders.

He has gone up a gear

here, Dennis. Steve Davis talks

about the top player sensing danger.

Then, responding under pressure.

Shaun Murphy is certainly doing that

at the moment, despite a kick on the

black there.

This has been an impressive response

from Shaun Murphy.

Very well controlled. Did not have

to be in with a lot of pace.

It was

a nice and gentle cannon. Look what

he has done with the reds. Put them

all in positions with a delicate

positional shot there. He has

already got a 57 point advantage.

Well on the way to opening up a two

frame advantage again.

64 points ahead, 75 on the table.

I thought he was going to go on and

make a Huybrechts there. Certainly a

sentry would miss them in the

middle. He will not be too

concerned. He stepped up a gear

there. Now he is back with a two

frame advantage at 4-2. -- I thought

he was going to go on and make a

Huybrechts there, certainly a 100

would miss them in the middle.

There it is. An excellent shot.

That is another one... It wasn't

easy by any means, as Peter

mentioned, a few frames back, these

middle pockets are very very tight.

It is difficult to explain to

people, the player, the clubs, they

think their tables are tight but a

club table is completely different

to these match tables. The middle

pockets are very narrow indeed. On a

normal club table, the middle

pockets are very easy.

I have

noticed a distinct change in the cut

of the pockets over the last few

seasons. If you have the Corbel --

if you have the cue ball in hand and

you try and pot the yellow in the

pocket that Shaun Murphy just

missed, you can only drop it in that

way, if you play it with pace at

all, it will not go. They are

playing very, very small. I've seen

more balls missed into the middle

pockets in these last couple of

seasons than in my entire career.

It's an excellent opportunity now,

for Liam Highfield. This is all

about keeping his composure here.

Retaining good control over the cue

ball.

Yes, there's a really good chance

for him. He would have liked to have

got the red away from the pink spot

area, the one to the left. The paint

is still available at the moment.

There isn't a lot that he can do

with the black at the present. --

the pink is still available at the

moment. That will do! Could have

played for the pink but the yellow

was sacked over the pocket. As long

as he got past the blue, he had

agriculture could have got back from

the reds to the yellow. He would

have liked to have been straight on

it, he doesn't want to have to play

a little cannon into the pink. It

should be OK... I say that, he is

now the wrong side of the blue! It

was a careless short, two shots ago,

when he did not leave the correct

angle. It's about making the game as

easy as possible for yourself. If he

was straight on the red committee

wouldn't have had to play the

cannon. -- if he was straight on the

red, he would not have had to play

the cannon. He will be faced with a

difficult next round. He has got

more and more confident. But I tell

you what... This is a tough one, to

keep the break going. He goes in,

and it is nicely on the blue and it

could be a frame-winner but...

Hmm...

That was the problem. On the red, he

has missed it. It was pottable. They

say when you are under pressure it

is always nice to leave yourself

close to the next pot. He is usually

pretty good at this type of shot.

Let's see what Shaun makes of this.

How is your luck here, Shaun? How is

your luck? Not very good! Is he on

it? Maybe... Maybe just? Yes, he is.

That type of shot there, he makes it

look so easy. He barely hits the

ball, but the action he gets on

it...

Having to concentrate on the blue at

the moment.

He played the previous shot very

nicely. The screw on the right-hand

side, a choice of -- a choice of two

reds on the right-hand side.

He wants to get on the right side of

the blue, he wants to play it with a

lot of right-hand side. Content to

play for the pink.

I think when you

are so good with the rest, you don't

mind leaving that type of shot.

There are a couple of reds near the

cushions, especially on the

left-hand side of the table, that

will be a key ball. A quick glance

at the scoreboard, but he is still

four points behind. So... He knows

that he is going to need that

difficult red! For others are not

ideally placed... -- the others are

not ideally placed... Removing this

red clears the path from the one to

the left of the black into the same

pocket. Playing for the blue again

here... Ooh, too fake! He's done it

a few times, missing a few balls, I

did not expect him to. They are

proving costly. I'm sure it is fair

to say, he could have had this much

over and done with, can he?

Yes. To

be fair to Shaun, the red looked as

if it straight and upon impact say

he may have had a slight kick on the

previous shot. He will not be

worried now because he has a golden

opportunity.

We've said a number of

times, nowadays with the equipment

that they have, you can use your own

kind of cue, they played with a long

rest and a long cue and you would

have had no chance of playing it. He

has two screw it back to get onto

the pink. In fact, if anything, he

has screwed it too much. That red is

now clear for the right corner

pocket, the one closest to the

black. This needs some good cueing.

An excellent pot.

Good angle on the black to drop in

behind the difficult red on the

left-hand side of the table. It is

still far from easy, this. 19 in

front. They like to follow. 26, if

you roll the red in. 27 in front, 27

on the table. This is a tough one,

with the extended rest and the

extension on his cue. As he goes

full blooded and tries to drop it

into the pocket.

I think so...

That

was always the problem.

He needs it

to be tighter in behind the red. All

of a sudden, the chance is there.

Any colour would do for Liam, that

is why he played up the table rather

than playing for the black. If he

can hold himself together here, we

will be all square.

Always the tricky one, brown to

blue.

Using the back cushion and he has

played it well. He has played it

very well!

That is another good clearance under

pressure from Liam Highfield. What a

frame that was. Shaun Murphy, in a

little bit of shock because all of a

sudden it is 4-4.

So, it is yet another lifeline,

thrown to Liam Highfield. Highly

unexpected. Can he retain his

composure?

Well, he has the black

back on the pink spot. It is a big

advantage. What a chance. He showed

last season what a good player he

was. He lost 6-5 to Mark Williams in

the UK championship last year, and

he lost 10-9 in the World

Championship to the same player. You

could see the scarlet jump there but

it did not affect the shot much. He

is quite capable, another big shock

if he could pull this off from 4-2

behind, it looked to be plain

sailing for Shaun Murphy.

Just a delicate little hand here,

just to knock the other red away. --

delicate little cannon here.

Yeah, the reds are not partly placed

because if he get someone to the

right of the little bunch of four,

it will clear the path for another

red. -- the reds are not badly

placed. The other one might go,

which is even better. Yeah, that

will pot clearly.

The two reds, I'm not sure if one of

those will go, so it's not

straightforward run to the winning

line in this frame.

I've noticed

that Liam is very happy to play

these soft stun drag shots, and he's

very nearly pulled a few of them

then. It's not really the ideal type

of shot to be playing when the class

is playing a little bit heavy.

Yeah,

earlier in the match he just cued

across a few shots like that.

across a few shots like that.

Now, he's a left-hander, so the red

is the wrong side of the table for

him there. He will have to use the

rest, for this one. 36 in front.

Red, colour, red, still needed.

It's harder to get to the red that

he needs. He can't get close behind

that one. It's the left side of the

table. The other two are covering

each other.

Is he going to try and go round the

table? Even then it will be

difficult to get on the red. No.

He's coming towards the red. He

wants to go round the back of it

now, which he has. It was a great

effort. He put everything into the

pot there. He almost cannoned that

red out.

I'm wondering if Shaun Murphy can

pot red into the middle Loft the

blue here. He's not looked at it. A

chance to get a good cue Balde here,

send it towards the brown. -- cue

ball. Just about OK.

Liam can just click the red thin.

He's played that very well, unless

the blue goes in.

That would have been disaster. He

would have left free ball there.

Yeah, it was close to just flipping

the blue in.

Now, he had to play this on the

thick side to get over behind the

green.

He needs this red and any colour

from the brown upwards to leave

Shaun needing a snooker.

Could have done without the kiss on

the brown bear, just wondering, it's

a natural angle, if he can take this

pot Iqbal cannon into the two reds,

which would be the last thing he

would want to happen. He's such a

good long potter, he doesn't want to

cannoned the reds, he'd have to

force it a little bit and that makes

the pot more difficult. A big shot

coming up. He's digging down, far

from easy, this.

Yeah, the white was bouncing around,

as you could see there, but it was a

frame-winner, had he have knocked it

in.

I'm just wondering if Shaun Murphy

might be tempted to play the cross

table double here. Might be a little

bit thin for that. But the blue is

over the middle. And I wouldn't

blame him for taking it on. Because

he can get a good cue ball.

It would certainly give him a chance

to win the frame in this visit, if

he did play the cross table double.

And he's not certain to leave the

red if he misses it.

I think he did try and he got the

worst possible kiss.

It's what you

call the TDK, the dreaded double

kiss, and it could have cost him.

The dreaded double kiss. So all of a

sudden, from 4-2 behind, Shaun is

going to have to win the last two

frames. Who would have thought.

Just a little bit of adrenaline

there, he overscrewed that.

This red to make absolutely sure and

keep Shaun in his seat.

It's not over just yet, this frame.

OK, Shaun needs a snooker, but... I

think it was just a little bit of

adrenaline, when he screwed the blue

in here, just overscrewed it.

Another double-kiss coming up.

He had a terrific shock yesterday,

when Scott Donaldson played

fantastically well to knock out the

defending champion, Mark Selby. Is

there another shock on the cards

here today?

Shaun still coming to the table, but

Liam well past the winning post you

would say, in this frame.

I'm surprised Shaun is playing on

here.

There's the difference, 53, with

only 35 on the table. He's just

signalled over to Liam. He concedes

the frame. What a turnaround from

4-2 behind, all of a sudden Liam

Highfield is now just one frame away

for another big shock.

Needs the angle here to help him out

and if he kisses the brown, he's OK.

The white was heading up into the

corners there, but that angle in the

middle pocket just helped things.

Shaun knows how tough it is to win

the frame that gets you over the

line. The more experienced. He knows

that Liam Highfield will be under

it.

Well, I don't honestly believe that

Shaun felt he was going to get

another chance in this match, not

one that red went into the right

centre. He probably thought that was

it. So this is an unexpected

opportunity.

He might be hampered slightly here,

because of the green and he's got to

get a little bit of action on the

cue ball. He took the other red,

which he's just played a little bit

too hard. Have to take the blue book

into the corner now. -- he will have

to take the blue up into the corner

now. I mean, the pink back on it

spot in a couple of goes time would

really help this situation.

Amazing. That Rolls-Royce cue action

has let him down on a pretty

straightforward pot there. He was

aware looking at the pink, so he was

a few shots ahead. Well, another

chance for Liam Highfield.

Listen, at this stage of this

player's Korea, the chance of taking

a big scalp, everything is not

straightforward. Straightaway he's

left himself almost straight on this

red, which means he's got to get a

lot of action on the cue ball. It's

amazing. It's all about the tension

at the moment that is causing these

slight errors.

Shaun did look at the pink when he

was at the table. Peter has told us

a good few times how tight the

middle pockets are. He doesn't want

to be playing this with too much

pace.

He's going to need both reds with

colours to secure this match. It's

not going to be easy.

Once again, that was just pressure.

So close. Didn't even hit the jaws,

really.

Could have done without that kiss on

the brown bear.

Yes, not the best

safety shot in the world from Shaun

Murphy, at the time when he needed a

really good safety shot.

Oh, that's a wonderful pot a

wonderful pot.

Well, Shaun will be

getting quite anxious as we show you

that terrific long pot from Liam

there, and he's got an angle on the

brown to get onto the red. If he

could finish about 18 inches either

side of this red. And this looks

pretty good to me, if it bounces off

the question. He's in pretty good

shape. That's an excellent shot.

As we show you the positional shot

again, he still needs this red, and

any colour above the yellow would

leave Shaun needing a snooker is, so

this is the key. No. That just pure

tension and pressure. So near, but

yet still so far away from this

upset here.

It's not a straightforward table, is

it, to clear up from, with the black

on the side question, the green near

the right cushion. -- the black on

the side cushion. Lots of tension

out there for both players.

He's hit it a bit too hard now. Is

he just about OK? I think he can

take it in the left corner, but it

could have been a lot easier than

this.

It certainly could. The only

thing is it is a good angle. We

should be on the brown, if he gets

it. It's a great shot. That's a

great shot. Unfortunately he

couldn't control the cue ball.

Yeah,

it was as if he put everything into

the pot there. And look where he is

finished.

I think once he potted the green, he

thought he would be on the brown,

but look where it finish.

Well, if this was in practice, Shaun

Murphy would probably cut the brown

in with loads of Czech side, but

this isn't practice.

Needs to pull up a little bit, if he

can get past the blue.

Where is the brown going? Where is

that brown going? Well, it's going

to be all about the black. He

thought he could see enough of that

to pot it.

I'm just thinking of a couple of

frames ago, Shaun Mr red. It was in

the same position that the black is,

so if he pots the blue and drops in

behind the black, it's not going to

be easy. It will be interesting to

see if he leaves an angle on the

pink to see if you can bring the

black into play.

I was just going to

suggest that and he's got that

angle. He's got the angle to move

the black, if he wants to.

If he plays the black, he needs to

be right behind it. He's played the

cannon. This is a really, really

tough black. If he decides to take

it on, that is. There's an awful lot

of pressure on this and this is

really tough.

Make your mind up time for Shaun

Murphy.

Is the crossed table double

on?

He may have looked at that, but

it's all down to how he feels.

It might be on, almost, but he

always knew he could get it safe.

Here we go, we've got the tensions

of a black ball fight. One player to

win the match, the other to stay in

it. Oh, the double kiss, but it's

not bad.

Will he get a chance to shut the

match out? Good shot from Shaun

Batt, acknowledged by Liam. Just

tapped the table.

Oh, what a time to catch the jaw of

the middle pockets. Well, he's had a

couple of golden opportunities to

knock Shaun Murphy out and we'll

show you the black just catch the

middle pocket. And in it goes, and

somehow Shaun Murphy has kept

himself in this year's Betway UK

Championship, for all the world it

looked as if he was out. No wonder

he's smiling. We are down to a

decider.

Good safety shot from Shaun Murphy.

Lots of pressure on every single

safety shot now.

Yeah, as John Parrott always says,

the deciding frame, all you do is

you need at least one chance. Who's

going to get that first chance? This

is a little gem here, if you missed

the brown he would have had the

snooker again.

Good opportunity here though to

possibly get the cue ball behind the

brown. Unlucky. Good effort.

I'm

just wondering if we'll see a Shaun

Murphy special, but there's quite a

bit of pressure on Shaun as well.

But this type of shot here, he's one

of the best in the game at it.

You've got the perfect picture. Can

he deliver that cue in a straight

line? There's the answer. So the

first chance falls to the former UK

champion.

Shaun will be looking to

move the red away from the black as

soon as he possibly can.

If he can get to the red off either

the yellow or green, but he needs to

be accurate with his positional play

here.

Yeah, we did see that red

previously. I don't think it goes,

baby that's why he didn't play to

get on it. It was very, very tight

-- maybe that's why he didn't play

to get on it. I think he can get

through to the one for the right

middle pocket.

I mean, they're not ideally placed.

The reds are open but they're all

sort of covering each other

somewhat. We'll find out now if that

red pots next to the black, but he's

got the other one just above it. You

see, I don't think you can get on

that even if he finished short, so

he's got to leave that for the time

being.

That helps his cause somewhat, but

once the pink goes back on its sport

it's still not going to be available

into all pockets. Well, he's just

got to sit there and hope that

something will go wrong here for

Shaun. And I think it has gone

wrong, straightaway.

It's not too bad, let's have a look

how he's finished it. Yeah, he's

just OK. Looks as if he can play up

for the blue here. And there's a few

obstacles in the way.

There are a few obstacles in the

way. He wants to be ultra-careful.

He doesn't want to get down, can the

read and put himself of position. --

cannon the red.

This is the most

difficult thing about our incredible

game. Liam Highfield is really

struggling in his seat, now. He is

really going through it. It's a

tough game to handle mentally. You

have to be so, so strong. The

disappointment paw always far

outweigh the victories and it is

very difficult to handle. Even when

you have not taken your chances...

It is even tougher.

Shaun Murphy is

calling on all of his experience

here. You can tell by the expression

on his face as he left the arena,

they levelled. He's pleased to be in

this UK's championship this year,

still. Now, he's well on his way to

a victory. Already 37 in front. He

had to get himself in the perfect

position to get on that red next to

the black and I think this time he

has just about managed it...? Yes.

That is exactly where he needed the

cue ball.

Hmm, well, hang on a minute, Liam.

Let's see what Shaun has done with

his positional shot. Is he just OK?

He wanted to cannon the pink. A full

ball. They are all covering one

another so perhaps it isn't all over

just yet for Liam Highfield?

Shaun

was looking at a plant there,

Dennis, having run out of position

it would be very dangerous. I think

that he can play this red with the

rest, and screw the cue ball around

the ankles to the right-hand side,

and if the red goes in he can play a

snooker with a Billy McCullough,

potentially the brown. I think those

are the value shots, especially with

a 45 point lead. He needs to play

this with some pace, though. If he

plays to cut the red in, he could

leave it.

That red does not go, he

is playing a safety shot.

I thought

that the red went in, my apologies.

So, he is in the driving seat. It

has to be said, he should have shut

that match out there. He knows it.

It has thrown a lifeline to Liam

that he did not expect to be

getting. For all the world, he would

have been convinced to sitting in

his seat that he would be out of

this year's UK championship. This is

a tough pot that he has taken on

here. That could be the end.

That

was a huge shot that he took on

there. He is normally so good at it

but under these kinds of conditions

and what happened in the previous

frame, when he knows in his heart of

hearts that he should have won the

match. But every credit to Shaun

Murphy. He thought that he was on

his way out, but far from it, now.

He has come up a little short here,

he should have been straight on the

red to make it as easy as possible

for himself.

I think he got a miscue there, it

was a positional shot but what a

time to miscue it.

This match has

had a bit of everything. Deep screw

shot on the left-hand side, a miscue

at that vital time... And another

lifeline. Can Liam Highfield take

the opportunity this time? It is

there. An excellent shot, well

played.

I've been around the blocks

it a few times but my hands are

starting to perspire in the

commentary box. This is getting very

exciting. We thought it was over in

the last frame... We thought it was

over there and then Sean miscues,

what else do we have in store for

you?

These balls may look

straightforward... This is a huge

test of character for Liam

Highfield. He will be under

incredible pressure out there. He

did not cue that very well, either.

They have got heavy contact but it

goes to show what pressure can do.

This time, if he had the red up the

other end of the table, which came

to the rescue. The keyboard is the

red next to the brown. A long way to

go before he gets to the final red

but the chance is there.

I'm sure

that Liam would be delighted to get

that far, Dennis. Then, potentially,

play a snooker. He has not played

this very well... Did not play it

very well at all. Lost a cue ball

there. This red is no gimme, with

the rest. If he misses it, it will

save right over the pocket. Well

played...

There was a bit of

pressure. He has gone a little too

far, he has to take the blue into

the corner but should be able to

take the red. Both were available

but it would have been better in the

middle pocket. No problem. So far,

so good. He is looking at the black

to make sure that it passes the red.

It must be tight, that is why he has

played for the pink.

He got a kick and some heavy contact

There. I will not blame him for

that. Let's have another look. Yes,

the pink leopard off its spot.

Unbelievable! -- the pink Spring off

its spot. 18 points behind, and the

red next to the brown is going to be

a key ball. Webb there could still

be some drama in this match, where

that red is.

If he does not get on the road to

put the pot on, it's an easy snooker

behind the brown. Make sure you have

plenty of chalk on the tape because

he is going to have to play this

with a lot of screw and side.

He

would have preferred a better angle

than this, Dennis. This is a lot of

cue power. He is going to need all

of it here.

Where he is pointing the

tip of the cue, he isn't even going

to take the black on. I don't know

what he was pointing the cue at, if

he does not get on the red, he

leaves himself in such a position he

does not get the snooker. You don't

want to overthink it. Well, he is

not taking the pot on. It is a tough

one to hit.

It is a tough one to

hit, Dennis. But, should he hit the

red? Where the yellow and the pink.

He may even look a snooker? I

wouldn't be surprised with how this

match has gone so far.

Playing a

trick shot here, now they look to

the referee to put these back! A

free ball, Sean may take the black

and leave the balls where they are.

Having a look at the scoreboard,

take the black as the extra red. 23

is the difference. The black only

counts as a point.

Maybe he should have them put back?

Oh, dear! He looks at the referee

and says, yes please! Well, we could

be here a while. But we have the

monitor to help...

He had a choice, he could have

potted the black and played for the

blue down, then got the snooker on

the last red. Liam Highfield is in

such a hole here...

23 is the difference. If he was to

miss again, he could only afford two

more misses. He sits in his seat and

reflects on what has gone on. I

should have been in the next round.

He really has gone through it in

this match.

I feel sorry for him, he

has done so well, from 4-2 down, to

get three in a row, it looked like

he got victory, and it would have

been terrific to knock out the

former champion.

This is tough for the referee and

the marker who has the modest. With

so many balls move to... I mean, we

can show you where they were

originally. That is the position.

The blue is on its spot. They will

get there eventually. The shot that

Liam was trying, he was trying to

hit the cushion and make the angle.

It was not a natural angle when he

was trying to get out of the

snooker, he tried to come off the

side cushion and you are swerving

the ball. We can show it again. This

was the attempt. It isn't a natural

angle. He was trying to make it but

got too much on it. That is why he

hit the green. He is playing a deep

screw shot off the side cushion.

Just to square the angle up.

It is a

shame that this match will finish

with this. It's the last thing you

want. You cannot blame Sean, he is

completely in the driving seat, he

knows what has gone on in this

match. All he is concerned about is

getting into the next round. He has

one foot there already. We cannot be

too far from it now...

We could see

a fracture of the red, I cannot see

it any more.

Lets see where they

were. That is where they were.

It is

pretty good, this. That is not bad.

Give me the picture...

Yes, I think

that you are almost there... Yes,

that looks good to me. And I think,

really, our referee deserves a round

of applause here! Well...

Thank you.

It sums it up! Well done! Liam comes

to the table, will he attempt the

same shot again? I hope he does not

hit the green again. Just

double-checking, I think it is

almost spot on. It is like a trick

shot that he tries here. Ooh! He may

go back again but at least that is a

bit easier to replace this time!

Once again, a free ball. Now, 27 is

the difference, to pot the.

--

to

pot the blue. It is a shame, that

the outcome of this brilliant match

will be decided on a fewer missed

shots. But, those are the rules.

Third time lucky for Liam...

Foul. A

miss. Shaun Murphy for a free ball.

Now...

If he misses this time, it

would be a tidy but if Sean takes

the black as a free ball, he would

not need that difficult last red,

now. Once again, he is putting them

back in.

Would you just check,

please?

If he misses the red this

time, he would be 35 behind. If he

does not hit one of the higher

valued colours... There is no other

easy escape route. He will get such

a raw if he escapes from this. It is

a tough shot that he is attempting.

He needs to hit it up further along

the commission, with all of that

back spin that he is playing...

Brilliant!

Ooh! Will the blue come

to the rescue? He has! He looks at

Sean and smiles. Suddenly, there are

smiles all round. What is going to

happen next in this match?

This is a

brilliant escape, having to make the

cue ball out, to hit the red. He

thought it was over the end, he

looks down the line, and he has got

the snooker. Ooh...

31 is the difference, there is still

plenty of tension.

Plays the cue

ball up and down, the red across the

table, behind the back. It is a

corker. What a shot that is.

Well, what a finish to this match.

If he can take this from behind, get

a snooker behind the black... Ooh,

he has hit the black. It is a free

ball. I tell you what, it is a free

ball. He could bring the yellow into

play, get in behind pink and

suddenly, Liam... In fact, you can

see enough of the pink to take the

pot on.

Would you be taking this

pink on, Dennis?

There's a chance he

did not think he would get the way

the situation was... It is there.

Suddenly, he is right back in the

deciding frame. What a finish!

Did well to play for the gap between

pink and brown there. The balls are

at his mercy. Can he hold himself

together? To knock out the former UK

champion.

He needs it to pull up. He has gone

too far. The brown is slightly in

the way of putting the blue. Going

up and down the table... Just a

little bit of adrenaline there, he

would have been much better

finishing even shorter, because he

had the brown and the pink. He

overhit it slightly. Can he avoid

these colours and get back to the

yellow?

Missing the black, he

hasn't.

This looks OK.

As we show you the gap there, Shaun

needs yellow, green and brown to

seal a victory.

With 12 points the difference, if

Liam can get a chance, he will not

need a difficult black, yellow to

pink would be enough for him.

There

have been so many twists and turns

towards the end of this match, it

has been incredible. Some

unbelievable drama, here. At the

Betway UK championship.

You can

screw the yellow and missed the

pink, leaving the white on the

cushion that he is concerned that

the yellow does not career into the

black. Needs to be a bit careful.

Just decided on a containing safety

there. It's all right, but it may

have handed the advantage to Liam,

if he can get a good cue ball behind

the pink or stopping behind the

black, there are a couple of

options. That is OK. No matter how

good a player you are, to come off

the cushion and hit the yellow, to

get it safe you need some good

fortune.

It does cut the yellow...

This is a very thin cynic, and he

plays it on the right-hand side

which means he will have to play two

overcut it, allowing for the throw.

And he didn't. Can you believe this

match? It's quite incredible. The

reason why the yellow went thick was

because of the right-hand side, that

he imparted on the cue ball. Can

Shaun Murphy play a good positional

shot here?

It is too card, much too

hard. He still needs the green and

the brown. Well, the number of times

that we have told you that this is

the best player in the game, using

the rest, does he need it now?

A good green. Some good cueing is

needed on the brown.

Just push the cue through in a

straight line, the man in the

studio, John Parrott, was brilliant

from this position. Unfortunately

for Sean he needs to get this, he

played it with dead weight but what

a great shot!

Sometimes you get a bit confused,

but Liam does need a snooker. As

Peter said, we've had absolutely

everything in this deciding frame.

Surely Liam can get the snooker and

keep it going? He has potted the

blue and he did not want to. It is

going to be tough to get a good

snooker with the black sat as it is.

A possible snooker here. He has not

hit it hard enough, has he? No.

What an incredible deciding frame

that was! Smiles all round. A great

match in the end. Liam Highfield was

4-2 down, winning three in a row and

then it looks like he was going to

knock out Shaun Murphy that in the

end he puffs his cheeks and scrapes

over the line, 6-5.

end he puffs his cheeks and scrapes

over the line, 6-5.

STUDIO: You want

drama committee gets drama at the

Betway United Kingdom championship,

Shaun Murphy 3-1, then 4-2 up, then

having to win the last couple of

frames. A fantastic match this

evening. We hope you've enjoyed the

show. There will be plenty more

theatre to enjoy when we resume live

coverage at 1pm this afternoon when

Graeme Dott, the former world

champion, takes on the juggernaut

Judd Trump. Not to be missed. Good

night!