03/12/2013 UK Snooker Championship Highlights

The pink will possibly go on the brown spot.

This has been an excellent performance from Barry Hawkins. He

has a really good chance here. The way the balls are spread.

A great cue action, rarely do you see any movement? Early on in the

match he missed a couple of easy pots, which is unlike him. But now

he has made Raikes of 87 and 50. He is scoring when he gets the

opportunity. Still on course to win the frame at this visit.

This could be the key positional shot. There is that cluster of five

above the black, but the top two will go into the same pocket as the

black. He needs to get a cue ball back up the table. He has underhit

it, so he will have to go for the blue. That is OK as long as you get

a nice angle on the blue. Could not have placed it better.

He has an angle to disturb the red that is above the black. That will

bring both reds into play. He has got to play the cannon here.

He should have played it. As we saw in the frame before the interval,

Shaun Murphy left it until the last minute to get onto the awkward red

and did not get on it properly and it cost him.

He could have played it before. As it turned out, he got the second

opportunity. Just this red required. Cannot see

Shaun Murphy getting back to the table. Barry Hawkins beginning to

score now when he gets the opportunities. You have two say,

Ken, after his performance in the World Championship, getting to the

final there is no cauldron like the Crucible is there in the final? When

you have been through that, you would think you could cope with any

kind of treasure. Absolutely. I am sure even though disappointed he

would have been to lose that final, it would have given him tremendous

confidence. Also, self belief which is a major part of any sport. He has

gone about this very nicely indeed. Another good part. It was his

opening red, he took the black, you said he could have taken the green

as well, but the black was the right choice, and now has played some

lovely shot during this break. We'll bring two reds into play here. He

has made 149 career centuries. Only seven this season, 35 last season.

Career century number 150. That is a nice milestone for any player. Well

played, Barry Hawkins. Excellent break. He is always in complete

control of the cue ball. The frame is well and truly over. Nicely

played. The highest break at the moment is held by Neil Robertson. He

will be disappointed with that. He made the 100, won the frame and for

the first time in the match, he is in front.

So, Barry Hawkins getting his 151st century break in frame five. Very

tight. Into frame nine we go, it is a tactical battle.

You would have to say at the moment, AdVantage, Barry Hawkins.

He could part this red, but it is very, very difficult will stop. He

has gone in-off the red. Playing it slow, going in-off, he leaves the

red over the pocket. Normally we would be saying the

yellow is very awkward, but it is not a problem as long as you can get

on it nicely. You would probably think he would favour playing on the

blue to get onto the yellow. He nearly went too far. He will have

two force this a little bit. Needs to get near the baulk cushion.

With the green being over the corner, this yellow is not as

difficult as it might have been. Just gone over the 50 minute mark.

It's one of those frames that when you lose it, it does hurt. You put

so much effort into it. In it goes. He's come straight on

the blue. He will make certain he rolls the blue in. Two snookers

required. Two snookers required. Well, it is

conceded by Shaun Murphy. Barry Hawkins is now within one frame of

winning this match. 5-4, he leads. Looking to fin tish off. We go into

frame 10, can Murphy stay in this match? He has no other option but to

take this on, I feel. He was a long, long way away with

that one, wasn't he? Is this black available? If it is, it might be a

half decent chance for Shaun. If the pink and black are tied up, it just

makes it more difficult. We will soon know.

He would liked to have screwed a little bit further up the table.

That was a good pot. When your object ball is surrounded by other

balls, it's sometimes easy to take your eye off the pot, but played it

well. Now, is he going to be on the pink?

Well, I think he will probably be able to sneak it in. The reds are

now nicely open. That's worked out a treat. Excellent

shot. Never easy those shots when you're cutting it back into a blind

pocket. He has potted a couple of good balls

in this break. Everything there now in the open.

It looks like we will be heading for a decider.

I think, on reflection, of what has happened tonight, Ken, I think five

a piece is about the right scoreline?

Very high quality match, there is no doubt about that.

We have had only one really slow frame. There was a lot of tension in

that, a lot of safety. It lasted over 50 minutes. Other than that we

have had a couple of centuries. An 80, 350 breaks. Another 50 plus

break here. -- three 50 breaks. Another 50 plus break here. Ow, when

we look at this deciding frame, just this red to seal it, 36 ahead, with

just 27 remaining, you always think that a deciding frame is the toss of

a coin, but just feel that Barry Hawkins had a chance in this frame,

didn't he. He got in first. Missed a black off the spot, when opening the

reds. He may be going into that final

frame with maybe a few more negative thoughts than Shaun.

Good time to make your highest break of the match.

Oh, anyway, it didn't matter. The frame was well and truly over. So we

have a decider. Barry Hawkins had a chance to clinch it, he didn't. That

good high break of the match for Shaun Murray has levelled us at five

all. What a match. This is why we love the game of snooker. A final

frame decider and the nerves are jangling.

Oh, once again just a fraction out. This time he has not covered

anything. He has left Barry Hawkins a chance. If he can't get through to

the one to the left corner, he can certainly pot the one to the right

corner. I don't know whether he can drop the

red in. He will have to stun around the back of the black and play the

black into the same pocket. He's got a chance, anyway, that is all you

can wish for. He has to be careful here. Just on his back swing when he

is taking the rest and cue away he doesn't take his eye off the cue he

could hit... Oh, just watch it. Come on back. Sometimes you can take your

eye off it and hit a red with the cue and the rest. He slipped by the

black, just enough. He will have to go into the reds

here and rely on a bit of luck. OK, he almost has this red over the left

hand corner pocket, but... That was an excellent shot. Decided

to open up the reds. Knowing full well he always had that insurance

policy over the left hand corner pocket. Definite, played the

positive shot there. Shaun will be sat there wondering if

he will get back to the table with a chance or are his UK chavrp nship

hopes slipping away? The reds are nicely spread. He

scored heavily. OK, he missed out in the last frame, Barry.

As we mentioned earlier on in this match, that is experience of getting

to the final of the World Championship at the Crucible will

stand him in good stead in situations like this.

Maybe a little bit straighter on the black than he would have liked, but

he has got quite a few reds to play for. I think the one to the left of

the pink will go to the right middle.

He has slightly overscrewed it. Wanted to be a little bit straighter

on this red. He managed to miss the red just

below the pink. It was a good shot. When he pots this red it will be six

reds, six blacks, I'm sure he is not thinking about the maximum at this

stage. He does have a slight angle to come

off the top cushion and stay on the black.

He didn't want to risk playing the run round of two cushions. He's not

perfect on this black, by mill means. I mean, OK, the black is easy

enough to pot, but it's not a guarantee to be on the next red. He

needs to manoeuvre that cue ball. A better angle on the black would have

made it a little bit easier. I definite think one red will go into

the right centre, middle pocket. If he can just part of the black and

bounced a cue ball off the top cushion, he will have that red. But

it is not easy. He has managed to hold for it into the right corner,

that is a good shot. Another role and he would not have been on this

red, but he played it nicely. I thought he had missed that. I am

sure his heart skipped a beat. It's certainly wiped its feet going in,

that red. He is 58 points ahead, he needs a

red, colour and then one more red. Then he will have a place in the

next round. Yes, quarterfinal place. This looks OK. He can run this lack

in an cannon the two reds. He has just found the gap. How many times

do we see it happen. Just when you get near the winning line, 66 ahead,

but there is still 75 remaining. I did say a few moments ago, would

Shaun Murphy get to the table? He is back to the table.

STUDIO: Shaun Murphy could not stop Barry Hawkins as he sealed his place

in the last eight of this tournament, and his first ever

victory over Shaun Murphy. Well played, Barry Hawkins.

What a match. These to come through it in the end. I thought I played

city well throughout the match, scored quite well, had a great

chance and got myself into a winning position. Had the balls perfect, I

was kicking myself when it hit the jaws. But I held myself together

quite well in the end. I was thinking about and maximum at one

point, 147, but then I just thought no, concentrate on this for now. To

come through and beat him and played decent, I am pleased.

It was a pulsating match. So now to an all Scottish affair, Stephen

Maguire took on John Higgins. McGuire made a strong start with

rakes of 90, 49 and 59. He is looking good in the sixth.

John Higgins down at 81%, who would have thought that? It is all about

confidence and he cannot get in with a sizeable break. John's highest

rate is 47! Stephen had the 90 break in the

opening frame. Stephen has survived a couple of close matches. As you

mentioned earlier, he beat Luca Brecel, the Belgian. It has not been

the easiest passage through. Not a good pack to go into from the

black. If it does go in this time, he will

have to get plenty of screw on this so he does not stick in the reds. No

problem with cute power with Stephen Maguire. -- cue power.

Still the two loose reds. He has to get into that little triangle of

reds. The black is the only ball he can go

into the reds off, unless he gets perfectly onto the pink. But that is

a couple of shots away from now. He cannot go into them from the blue,

as you can see. He found an angle there he did not think he had. Took

him quite a long way away from the next red. It is amazing the angle

you can make with these very fast cloth is. There wasn't a lot of

angle, but look where he has finished getting the cue ball. It is

going to be tough getting these reds open.

The bounce off the cushion was possibly misjudged by Stephen.

Either way, it looks much too straight. He does not have any

angle, he could screw into them perhaps. If he can get Dean of pace

on it. Talk about an exact point. He had loads of top spin. The white

ball shot forward with the top spin on it. It was a clock face, around

about 12 o'clock to create that spin. You hit it around about six

o'clock it you want to screw back. If you can imagine the white ball as

a clock face? Those reds are lined up perfectly to the right corner.

He just seems to be grabbing hold of this match now, Stephen Maguire.

There have been a couple of mistakes made, but Stephen has stepped up.

John had pegged him back, but he just moved up again. He is a couple

of frames in front now. Has been a really good rake, this. -- break.

Came up a little bit short with this screw shot, but the frame is safe.

This is a little bit more like Stephen Maguire. He is one of those

players, if he gets in front he can start to bully you. He is like a

steam roller, just keeps on going. He is quite an aggressive player.

Just the way he plays the game is aggressive.

You can see he is taking high value colours. I saw Robertson make a

break of 141 here. He can beat that will stop he could get as many as

144. Difficult to get on the black from that red at the top of the

table. McGuire has moved up a gear. That is his 13th century of this

season. And that is the 68th century here. 68 centuries in this year's

UK, but that means he will not be able to beat Ian Robertson's hide

break now. I think he will have a go, but he will be disappointed to

finish where he has. What a shot! He has got to play the blue here. Up

and down, it is a natural. That was some shot with the rest. He was

almost on top of the red. He was disappointed to get there, but a

great recovery. It has been a lovely break.

?1000 for the highest break in this year's UK championship. If somebody

should make a maximum, it is 5000 on top. Some of the players have had a

go in earlier matches. That was not a great shot. At least he is

straight on this. Very fluent, just one or two

difficulties along the way. That is a lien break, 142, the

highest so far of the UK championship.

STUDIO: And that 142 is the highest tournament break so far. Neil

Robertson made 141 this afternoon, but it is Stephen Maguire top of the

pile now. Back to the action, Higgins is at the table. He needs

something to stay in this match, but he has been struggling all evening.

There is a glimmer of hope for John Higgins to get back to just one

behind. It's a tall order, the way the balls are.

OK, if he is tight on the cushion, it makes them a little bit easier.

He will automatic automatically finish on blue or pink. We have seen

so many of these missed. If he could have dropped that in, it would have

gone in the pocket. People say these tables are easy, that proves they're

not. The amount of people who come up and say, they are playing on

buckets these guys, that's rubbish. There. As that last shot proved.

It's hard to explain to people how tight these match tables are.

38 the difference, with just this red needed.

He has pretty much seized the opportunity. The body language tells

me that John Higgins will be conceding quite soon. He is deep in

thought there. He didn't start that badly, he has

gradually got worse. He is at odds with himself, I feel, in his chair

there. Something is not right with his game, he knows it.

I think we have all been there. We know what it's like being out there

and not playing at your best. The standard he has set, 25 ranking

titles, it's a very high one. He won't be happy about any of this,

the way he is playing here. Yeah. He is coming to the table. Maguire

marches on. He is one frame away from a place in the quarter-final.

John Higgins pulled one frame back. The man who won this title in 2004,

sealed it in the ninth frame. Stephen Maguire looking very good in

this tournament. The World Number Five through to the quarter-finals.

At two each, you know, anything can happen. John can maybe start potting

a few and getting his rhythm going. After the interval I knuckled down

and made a couple of good breaks and played well. I'm missing

unforgiveable balls, especially I think the fifth frame. I missed the

black easier than off its spot. That gave Stephen the kick. After that

you think, you say to yourself, it doesn't mat are I leave him

anything, he is not going to do anything off it. It gives him lots

of confidence. My confidence went down. I played better there than I

did in the first three matches. I felt good there. In the end I felt

any ball that was there, I fancied potting it. Which is a nice feeling.

Just practice tomorrow and keep that feeling for the quarter-final. Is

looking good. Plenty for John Higgins to think about then. If you

want more snooker, Hazelel is up next with Snooker Extra. We are back

later today with more live coverage from the UK Championship at the

Barbican in York. The match we are looking forward to tomorrow, Judd

Trump taking on Mark Allen. Do join us, 1.00pm, live coverage from the

2013 UK Championship. See you then. Goodbye for now.