06/12/2013 UK Snooker Championship Highlights

Good evening. It has been a highly significant night for global News,

with the sad passing of Nelson Mandela. He loved sport and he told

us that with the sad passing of Nelson

Mandela. He loved sport sport has the power to change the world. It

has the power to inspire, the power to unite people in the way that

little else does. It speaks to use in a language they understand. It

can create hope where once there was only display. Mr Mandela loved sport

and use of his passing which does during our evening session. When we

were in the middle of our quarter-finals. Earlier, we had been

watching these matches. Neil Robertson completing a conference of

women over the world number five, Stephen Maguire. Ronnie O'Sullivan

on his 35th birthday, down Stuart Bingham in uncharitable mood. Let's

show you how both of those matches went.

That is a good shot. He has cleared the table with a magnificent 131. He

leads two frames to nil. Ronnie O'Sullivan will be much

happier now. Good killing here. -- cueing. Lillian. Absolutely

brilliant. He now leads for-1. This is tough.

Brilliant. Look at that for a shot. What a shot. It is 4-3. He now leads

five frames to three. There you see it. Now you do not. Well done to

Stuart Bingham. 6-4. He has gotten better. Another brilliant

tournament. He is having a good season again. Has got to the latter

stages of most of the major in events. I congratulate him and wish

and the best of luck. Whenever you get chances, you have to take him. I

have played in three times in the last three weeks. He had chances to

beat me every time. It is nice to get one on his birthday. There you

go, right in the heart of the pocket. 4-0 is a fair scoreline, I

think. Robertson, pretty pleased. He is through to the semifinals,

comfortable in the end. 6-2. I felt for Stephen. He had some massive

bounces off the cushion. To be completely out of position. It

happened to me as well. I probably dealt with it an little bit better,

was a bit solid on the day. That left us with two matches to play

this evening. The top half of the draw looked like this. Judd Trump

was knocked out. Two of the toughest players in the sport when head to

head for a six time this year. Barry Hawkins facing our defending UK

champion, Mark Selby. Obviously Mark Selby is so hard to

play because he is so good at everything. He is a different class.

He can score unbelievable as well once he gets going. It cannot get

any tougher. I have beaten him a few times. Hopefully he will think the

same. That he has a tough game with me. We have played each other

recently in Shanghai. He won five - four. It was a great game. Hopefully

it will be a good match. Whoever comes out on top, let the best man

win. A big BBC event, to be in the thick of it again, confidence is

getting high. I am in the quarter-finals, the business end of

things. Anything can happen. To win it last year was fantastic. It would

be nice to defend it this year. But there is a long way to go. Hawkins

established a 2- one advantage early on and now they are ring frame four.

A one for two. To match that of Stephen Maguire the other day. The

high break of the tournament. He had a career change in run in April.

Before that, his first big title in Australia. It looked like he had

rediscovered some inspiration in York. Superb player from the world

number eight. He took a 3-1 lead into the interval. Once they

returned, Selby claimed two of the next three frames, to find him only

one behind as we pick them up in frame eight. It is Hawkins to play,

29 points adrift. He has got it. Absolutely perfect on

the collar. This is a testy Black that he has got.

Excellent pot. Could not have played it better. He needs a good angle on

the black, to try and bring the two reds into play. If you get the cue

ball somewhere. Somewhere around there. Not too bad. If he makes the

connection to the red, closest to the cushion... Towards the corner

pocket. Could have done it with a little more distance. Very close

together. It makes it a bit more awkward, this shot.

Also got to be careful when the cue ball comes off the top cushion, it

does not hit -- hit the top of the cue. Well played. Excellent shot.

Just wondering, will he leave a nice angle and pot the black? He has come

around to look at the difficult read. He could leave a nice angle on

putting the black. So that he can try to knock the other red off the

site cushion. He has a lovely angle. He can play for the black, but he

has a lovely angle to drop the red in, take the red of the site

cushion. He will still be on the black if he wants. With being

left-handed, he will like the red. Maybe if you were a right-handed

player, of course... Eddie Charlton, the great Australian player, he used

to say, never tried to bring a wet of a play into an other red. As it

turns out, he was okayed. I think if he would have been right-handed, he

would have thought twice about it. Bringing the rate out, but steady

Eddy's argument, but he was. He hit that well. Just a little bit

short. Had to be AB straight on the blue. -- a bit. He can take the blue

and tried to come off the top cushion. As we have seen, they are

hard to control. It is going to be back for yellow again. Well played.

He is on the yellow again. Excellent shot.

Mark Selby, sitting there. Watching the spores being ported. He had his

chants. -- the ball is being potted. He will be feeling worse now. Barry

Hawkins is just a couple of pots away from winning the frame. He will

be one frame away from a place in the semi-final. So in it goes. He

has a 17 point lead. He is on the pink. So they will be no return to

the table for Mark Selby, the defending champion. The defending

champion is in big trouble now. He had his chants in that frame and he

did not take it. It is Barry Hawkins who goes for a comfort break.

Comfortable at 5-3. Never discount the world number two,

Mark Selby, who seems to specialise on turning on his best form when he

is bearing squarely at defeat. He won a tight tactical ninth brain to

go one behind. How book and is would love to close his quarter-final out.

He is ten points behind. -- walkins. If that is a phone, can you make

sure it is switched off, please? So often we have seen Mark Selby do

this. He has forced a decider. It is all square. Can the defending

champion see it through? We have a ready plate 22 minutes in this

decider. -- already played. He took his eye off the pot. It is

amazing what can be missed. It really is. When you are thinking

about avoiding the raids, and trying to get position on the collar.

It is just like a dagger in the heart, how have I taken my eyes off

that pot? But everybody has done it. Just get out of the moment and just

look at one shot ahead, if they get out of the one in front of you. How

costly will it be? The last two World Championships...

Barry Hawkins has beaten Mark Selby. In round one in 2012, in the second

round in 2013. They say that revenge is sweet. Can Mark Selby lay to rest

the ghost of crucibles past, so to speak was Jamaat --? He has got a

perfect angle. He has looked at the two reds. If he wishes to go into

the red and the black in the top cushion.

For me, that was the wrong shot. He had to be so precise. Really should

have taken the chance. Try to hit the red just above the black. But

does not catch it properly. It could possibly go off the other red. Two

reds into play. Where is that shot that he played, he had to be

absolutely pinpoint. He has got a big bounce off the cushion.

He has got a 21 point lead. Maybe that was in the back of his mind. He

was trying to protect that as well. Just chip away at the reds and build

up a substantial lead. But sometimes, as we have seen before,

if you do not take the opportunity when it presented itself, it comes

back to haunt you. Mark Selby, 18. Disappointing that

he has not beaten the red. He has played safety. Out of the top

drawer. This is a possibility. Again, he has

to be so precise. Trying to hit the middle red off the tree. Is that

enough? It looks very short. Foul and a miss. That is a huge miss

calculation. The pace from Barry Hawkins.

He will be disappointed not to have a better angle on the blue than

this. If he had a nice angle on the blue, has Barry Hawkins missed his

chants in this match? Maybe not just yet. Three of these reds are

required. It will not be easy. Taking this blue on in the corner

pocket. He will be 43 ahead with 43 left. Great shot.

Red and blue will be 43 ahead with 43 remaining. Still some life left

in this frame. Mark Selby will be in a commanding

position. He really has battled hard, has Barry Hawkins.

Well, there's only one thing is certain. He is going to run the blue

in. He's just looking for which way to do it. No heroics. That means

that Barry Hawkins can only tie. The one thing that Mark Selby will not

want to do is to bring the black into play, if he can help it. I

suppose there is an argument for playing the red. If he can play that

without moving the black. As I say, he just does not want to bring the

black interplay. -- into play. Three points in front. 43 remaining. Ten

out of ten. There is no way that Barry Hawkins can play any type of

pot on the red. If he does the red, he has to do the black.

26. It was a tricky shot. And that could be big end of the match. He

has left it on. He will be very disappointed. Barry Hawkins, when he

was leading five-three, you thought it was his match. He has beaten Mark

Selby the last few years, so he has the pedigree to beat him over the

longer distances. But it's not over yet. What a mess that was! Not

reaching the pocket... And if he can get on this black... I know it's

going to be tough. But he has a slim chance. But it is slim. I wonder,

can he get on the black? Was he tried to go for the blue and go for

a snooker? He is playing for the blue. He need the cue ball to run.

He does not want it to be straight. I would be very disappointed. He

wanted to pot the blue, come down and get close enough to that read

and not get somewhere near the pink and put the cue ball somewhere near

the black. Well, he has got a chance. The other

thing is that it might not leave the black in a safe position. Swing it

around, trying to get the cue ball in behind the brown. It's not a mile

away. And they traded snooker is for

another 13 minutes as midnight approached. And here we are again,

Barry Hawkins still giving chase. COMMENTATOR: Excellent shot from

Barry Hawkins. You called it and he played it. This is not

straightforward. It looks like the blue was on the way, coming across

the table. Not quite sure... He does not want to do that because there is

a possibility he might hit the black. If he does, Barry Hawkins

Goodwin. -- Barry Hawkins could win. He has got to be very, very

careful. This is very dangerous. That's a fantastic shot! Absolutely

brilliant! And the secret of that was to play it slowly and it just

gave time for that side to, that side spin that he put on, to take

effect and grip the cloth. If he played any harder, he would not have

hit the greenback hit the black. You need to give all the time in the

world for that side to keep turning and turning that cue ball. This

looks good as well. What a shot! Another tremendous shot! And this is

why they call it snooker! Unbelievable! This is another tough

one to hit. Fair play to Barry Hawkins, who is giving this is best

shot. The last two have been exquisite. This is a possibility.

Side cushion, top cushion. Trying to green. But again, lots of... He is

good at getting out of snookers, but... Very dangerous. How's he left

the free ball? Oh, my goodness! Can you believe it? So whatever ball he

nominates, if he puts it, it counts as three points, it counts as a

green. And that will have him 24 points behind with 25 remaining. If

he can pull a pot out here, he can win. He has got to go for the pink.

He has got to go for it. He will be hampered by the blue, but he has to

have a go for it. He can come up and down the table.

In a way, he is a little unlucky. I was looking at the black and

wondering whether that would be an easier pot.

He played the pot. He just missed it on the way up. Has he got the

snooker? You can just about see the show of the green. Mark Selby's

heart was in his mouth just for a second. He won't be that confident.

He will be very cautious about being snookered again. This looks good,

this looks very good. What a shot! What a shot he has played there. I

was just going to say, John, the pink down near the black, if he did

have a chance... What a shot that Mark Selby played there. Absolutely

brilliant. It goes without saying that Barry Hawkins has to hit this

and he has to get it safe. Great shot. Good hit. Does this green pass

the pink? It does. This will be the matchwinner.

But it's not there. That's a little bit fortunate. Now the brown is not

really a ball you could snooker behind but you can snooker behind

the pink, if you have a chance. Why did he hit it so hard? Why didn't he

just roll it into the pocket? Barry Hawkins, you have lost your

opportunity. Well, maybe he thought he could put the pot on the green.

He has put up a great fight. He has given himself a chance from

nowhere. Will he carry on? Even if he does,

he needs two snookers to tie. It looks like an impossible task, now.

Mark Selby will be relieved. This is the end. Every credit to Barry

Hawkins, who never gave up. Mark Selby was at his best. He is into

the semifinals once again will stop he has defeated Barry Hawkins by six

frames to five. I feel frustrated because I let it slip out of my

hands. Barry was the better player of the match. I happy to have one at

the end of the day, but the performance was not good. I have got

to improve if I have any chance of winning the tournament. Tomorrow, I

will be practising all day. winning the tournament. Tomorrow, I

will be practising Mark Selby's competitive instincts kicked in

right at the nick of time, holding onto his title but only just. Who

will he meet in the last quarter-final? Ricky Walden enjoyed

that are the run of the crushable semi-final only in the year. --

Crucible. This is a man who has done marathons in his spare time but he

was looking ready to sprint today against Mark Allen.

This is the eighth frame. Walden is at the table.

COMMENTATOR: Well, Ricky Walden won't get a better chance than this.

Two rents, yes, but the other formats are out in the open. -- red

balls. He will need both of them. But he will have a chance with one

of the pinks that he is playing. Not in a bad position, to be honest.

Even though the black is out of play, he can concentrate on the pink

early. He has beaten mark twice. -- Mark Allen. Yes, he would like to

leave an angle on this one. He won't be able to do it this time. It's

gone too high. Is he dead straight on this one? If he is, he could hold

the pink spots. Nothing wrong with putting the pink -- potting the

pink. And that is what he has done, I think. That is very close to

snooker ring himself. That was a very poor shot. He should have been

straight on this pink in the middle. Well, he is getting the chance to

shut this match out and he is not taking them. You know, sometimes

things can just turn around. Very attacking shot from Mark Allen,

there. Developed one of the reds. Well, that's a man lacking in

confidence. I have watched a lot of Mark Allen. He is such a talented

player and a future world champion, I feel, but he has certainly not

performed. To be fair, maybe if it sounds different to what it normally

is, that's not helping his cause but I don't think it's all down to that.

This needs a good pot past the green. 13 in front. A long way to

go. With the yellow safe, it's far from over. He would like to get

virtually straight on the blue, should he put the red. That's a very

good shot. Is it enough to put the yellow into play? He could drop in

behind it but he had to be a little closer than this.

19 the difference. Yellow and green. He does not have to hit this

too hard. He will be on the green. I don't blame him for rolling that

in. It makes it slightly easier. He only needs the green to get himself

into the semi-final and gain revenge from a couple of years ago. That's

safely in the pocket. And he will be feeling pretty good about himself,

Ricky Walden. 24 ahead with just 22 on the table. The brown to make

absolutely certain. Well played. And it's a great feeling for a player as

he walks around the table, knowing that he has won the match. Mark

Allen definitely did not perform. Ricky Allen was the more consistent

player on the evening. And with that string of breaks, he runs out a very

comfortable winner in the end. It was not a great game, to be honest.

Mark Allen was struggling. The pressure was on me to put my chances

away. My game has been in good shape generally. It has not been near my

best. This will be my second semi-final. Last time, I did not do

so well and I lost to Mark Allen. Hopefully I can do well this time

and get to the final. It's everything that you play for as a