Day 1 UK Snooker Championship Highlights

Today saw the start of the UK If you're still in a state of

excitement over England's victory over the all blacks to date already

stated his belief over strictly, we hope you'll find something to suit

you in the we're was renewal. Today is the opening day of the

championship. We have three former winners of the event. Firstly, John

Higgins. He has picked up the trophy three times in the past. The

Scot at Dundee in to win at six frames to three. It started off OK.

But I was getting frustrated with myself. I thought Michael could

have won the seventh frame. My head was getting scrambled. I was

getting up tight. Meanwhile, Steve Maguire made history tonight as one

of the only players to recover three consecutive centuries at the

UK Championship. This was after a decisive win over Fergal O'Brien.

Top break of 131. That was impressive. Not everything was

impressive. Not everything was according to Stephen. If I am

honest, the table was rubbish. It was coming off the cushion too fast

and too slow. It was the same for both of us. In the last four, the

balls in to spice for me. I did not really need to use the cushion.

Everything was there for me. He's through safely. Today, perhaps he

had a score to settle against Ryan Day who spoke to him out in the

opening round at the Crucible earlier this year. Day has come

back just as he did seven months ago in Sheffield. He is now within

He has knocked in that some superb long pots. I think they have all

been at the same pocket. It is funny how you can fable one pocket

over another. He has definitely pulled a few beauties at into that

This is the second one into the Just got to be careful to go around

the two cushions. This is an excellent chance for frame and

match. This will be the telling He got into bad too much. He wanted

to leave the cue ball in the pack. But he has so much cue power. This

is a tricky shot he is facing now cutting this one back into the

Has he got enough pace on that cue ball? Just about. You never know

quite where the ball is going to end up. He would not have had any

idea where the cue ball was going to lend up. It is now a real good

He is cueing absolutely beautifully. It shows you that the standard

these days, you cannot take any No think the fact that these boys

are playing week-in, week-out, they match-fit. A few years ago there

were not that many tournaments to play. That was more emphasis on

You cannot fault either play in this match. The loser will go away

thinking I have had chances to win. When you are both playing at the

top of the game, as far as scoring is concerned,... Anything above 90

It looks as if it is staring him in He could not ask for a better

chance, the way he has the red Once again, if he goes on to win

this frame, then he has won three frames from potting an excellent

read and going on to make an He is not playing he like a player

ranked 22 in the world. He is playing like he should be in the

top eight. There is no reason why he cannot get back or get into that

top eight. He has an abundance of ability. If you set down and really

looked at all the players today I think he would -- I would have to

putting in my top eight players in the world. With the Rhine, I think

the only thing that is stopping him is that when he gets tense he holds

the cue a little bit tightly. When he is in the balls he looks as good

He is doing it in style. Always He is in a good frame of mind. He

looked at the commentary box with a It is there. Well-played Ryan Day

Ding Junhui has won this championship on two occasions. He

may have to wait another year. You cannot take anything away from Ryan

Day, he has deserved this victory. Always nice on the opening day to

get off on a win and beaten opponent -- opponent like Ding

Junhui. Ding Junhui will be a little bit down. You cannot do much

about this performance here. He has been nicknamed dynamite. He is

playing virtually at the top of his game. Ding Junhui has been playing

excellently. It is just a couple of shots. That is the only difference

What a shame. This is top quality. It is Ryan Day from Wales who wins

It is only one UK Championship in the year. All the players are first

round. I will go back to practice, ready for the next tournament.

Tony beat Ding Junhui is a good win. He has been the UK champion in the

past, twice. He put in a good performance. I know I could play

either Mark Selby or Michael White next. I might stay behind tonight

As Day does the double over Ding Junhui, and knocks him out in the

UK. And the Michael that Ryan is referring to his Michael White, he

was a duty this evening against the world number two. Mark Selby, a

former world number one. He has been suffering a disc problem in

his neck. He says he is almost back to full fitness. Mark Selby

galloped off to a 2-0 lead. This is the last frame before bit interval.

You live and die by the decisions of the snooker player. I think that

was a percentage that was not in his favour. He has had every chance

in every frame so far. There's a chance that Mark Selby without a

sizeable break could be going in Michael white has done all the

Played a very aggressive shot there. He has left himself slightly

hampered. Good news is that it is touching the cushion which should

make it a bit easier. All that the cannon it now. The angle he has

left himself on the black, he is going to have to dig down a bit of

it. Just play the cannon into the pink. They would be very unlucky

It is still on it but a very The frame does look to be all about

Another look at the scoreboard, he is 14 points in front. He is trying

to find a way to win without playing that awkward red. It will

be interesting to see how he negotiates. He's going to have to

play to move it out. Try and get an angle on the blue to get it into

And do not think that angle is good. That is one I would prefer to play

on the pink. Greater margin for error to get on that red. It has

He leads by 27 but this frame is all about that last red. A begets

that team would win the frame by He is one of the best safety

players in the world. There is also the possibility of

Hear be pretty pleased with the outcome. This is a lot more

difficult to get it safe. A problem with heating this red. -- hitting

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He needs the blue to come to his Iron Lady changed his mind there.

Cannot make a mistake from yellow to yellow. -- i am glad he changed

He had any frame the stolen on him early in this match. And he

Michael felt he had a bad contact there. Just got to make sure this

is the key shot. How bad did he hit It is a good job he is a good pop

And he has won at the next two frames. He could have lost them.

Welshman Michael White, 21 years of age, was the youngest player ever

to make a competitive century at the age of nine. He's certainly

done well in this match against Mark Selby. In we go to frame five

after the interval. It is Michael It is one of those, if you get the

pot he missed the kiss on the yellow. If you miss the pot, you'll

always kiss the yellow. That is what he was worried about. It could

be very costly now. Mark Selby is not playing at his best this

evening. Normally I would be saying he would win the frame from here.

I can only presume, the fact that he had a bit of flu, is alignment

is wrong. -- he's alignment is I thought he handled his time at

number one well. When you're at number one you become the hunted.

When you get up to number one you I was talking to him earlier today

and he said he was -- it was great to be back get one of the Bega

Him being a bigger time player coming back to the big venues is

going to suit him. That is a good point, even some of the best

players in the world are not natural players, they have to work

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at the game. There is more than one The old one was not a good thing of

beauty. Cue to a mile away from the cue ball. The last one was not very

Still got a little bit of movement. He has gotten a little bit still,

he's had used to move a lot. Trying Got the cannon, a miss the pot, it

is the eyes break of the match so Mark Selby finding a measure of

fluency into that one. Into frame six we go. BT is another tied 1.

Mark Selby is to back points behind. That black he played for, and

played it beautifully. Still a lot There is one of those ones we wish

I didn't think you can remember Mark Selby playing like this. It is

a test and to him. He is a long way Mark Selby, 60. What a difference

that has made. The pink is on the side cushion. If he pots this red

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The way he was looking at that I thought it was a tricky angle. It

was a good pot. Not as difficult as I thought it was. He played that

nicely. It is all about the pink ball. He has got the angle on the

brown to screw back. He can come off the back cushion. He has to

lead by quite a considerable margin. What is the angle like? Will he

play it or drop the dead weight behind the pink? Can he moved the

pink out? It looks like it will be the dead weight. A big shot coming

up. Do you play this? If he plans to stun it in he could miss it. If

he rolls that he could pot it. Very well played. He looked like losing,

but he has gritted his teeth. He won it on the pink. He levels at 3-

3. A great steel for Michael White. The man who has the 2007 Newcomer

of the year is now making -- making himself felt. In frame seven here's

That will be as poorer shot he has played this evening as a safety

shot. Far too thick. A great chance Already a 40 point lead. There is

plenty jour come. -- to come. just cueing down on the ball. His

coach will have to have a word with him. He's cueing very hard at the

moment. He is not hitting the ball in the centre. Anything but

straight. Where has he finished? Just about straight. He can cut

It did not appear that this red next to the black would pot, but it

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38. That takes him past the point where Michael will need snookers.

He will have to play catch-up. He has been doing that all evening.

Every time he has risen to the He will not be too worried about

that, Mark Selby. A nice break for fortified. -- 45.

A scrappy frame. Mark Selby pinched that one. We join them in frame

nine. He could be closing in on the This is dangerous if he is playing

to open up the reds. He has hit then thick, has he got it right? He

Mark Selby needs one good long pot here foreign outstanding chance to

win the match. He has been unlucky there. Can he get through the gap

of the black? He can, but it is only a stun shot. If you had played

the shot 20 times you could miss it two or three. Cueing down like this

you will swerve it. It would not be at all surprising if he missed this.

A good pot. He needs another one. I'll say it again, Mark Selby is

one good long pot away from having an opportunity. It requires good

A slight kick there, it has not done too much damage. I'm not sure

whether the black is available in the left-hand corner. The black is

not available to the left-hand corner. He will have to work quite

hard there. He got into that. As good a shot as he has played all

night. How well did he hit that? That was absolutely beautiful.

did it with precious little pace. Usually when players play a screw

back they hit it a lot harder than that. He struck it beautifully.

With all the reds as they are, you would think this is great. He has

That was a bonus, for that red. An excellent position. In horse racing

terms, he will improve for the run. He has not played well tonight.

He'll have to get rich in the day or two to get fit for his next

match. -- get rid of it in a day or It is to his friends this evening

as he has played the way he has. It looked like he is going to get

through this match. He can always improve by the end of the

tournament. He has been under the weather slightly. This is a good

result. If you're in, you can win. He would like this to be another

two inches further into the table. He may stun across the face of the

blue to get into the pocket. That is the thing with these top players.

When they sniff the chance to take the match they're very good at it.

Selby is exceptional. He was not frightened to win. You have got to

have belief in your game, that is what Mark Selby has got, a lot of

belief. He has somehow manufactured a result. This will be his second

highest break. What a time to do what, when it is frame and match.

Just laughing to himself there, the one place he did not want the cue

ball to land is where it has. Slightly hampered by the red. His

game and match, but it for be tricky. He does not want to play

the red on the left, because he is going to play cannoned. These reds

could stick. So worried about sticky on then, he has gone through

That is as good a shot as he has played all evening. He has played

two fantastic shots in this break. He has screwed back for the blue.

All the competitive duties other. He needs to find his game. He will

do that in the next week. It has been a very workmanlike into this

last frame when he has put in a few good balls. His long game is not

bad. He has been under the weather. Some credit to Michael White. He is

not playing his best other, he has pushed him all the way. 6-3 is not

a fair assessment of the match. Michael White could easily have won

the first to two frames. A couple of thing Salonen he will be a

player. If he got a school report this evening it would say to work

and his safety shots. He gave opportunities to Mark Selby. He can

pot and he can score. He also needs to improve when he plays the top

players. It has all been experience to him. You can get away with that

against a top player. They do not punishing as much. When you're

playing a cell the lorry Higgins, players have that quality, you get

punished. It is all part of the learning curve. He has not play

anywhere near his best. He looks as though he will make a century. That

is his 269th century of his career. Six of the season. He missed that

by a proverbial mile. He does not been pretty. Mark Selby goes to the

next round. Quite convincingly, six frames to three. They have seen

Michael play a little bit but I have never played him before. I did

not know what to expect. I heard a lot about him at the past few years.

He is were those players who is always talk about. He played well

up there tonight. I do not feel like I have done that much wrong.

It was not a fantastic letters from as breaks went, but Jeremy missed a

few balls. He showed great character. He has been to way

couple of venues. To go out there and perform like he did, he should

take it. Generous comments from Mark Selby this evening. One other

result to update to with. It features the pocket but of us,

Graeme Dott and Martin Gould. There were to a deciding frame, this is

it. It was won by the former world champion. Graeme Dott was not on

top form this evening. His tenacity has seen him through to the second