:00:36. > :00:45.Hello again. This weekend of the UK championship is amongst the busiest
:00:46. > :00:54.in any snooker season. We have had 16 matches, 64 players marching in
:00:55. > :00:59.and out of two arenas in York. They then come to the players lounge to
:01:00. > :01:04.celebrate or commiserate with family and frames. It is a precarious
:01:05. > :01:10.business. Yesterday, we lost the world number ten, 12 and 13. Joe
:01:11. > :01:16.Perry, Ricky Walden and Mark Williams. This afternoon, some of
:01:17. > :01:25.the biggest names came through unscathed. Judd Trump was successful
:01:26. > :01:33.over the world number 60. It included a single century. There
:01:34. > :01:37.looks to be more to come from the favourite. It was a bit scrappy, my
:01:38. > :01:41.concentration was a bit scrappy, my concentration get through. I haven't
:01:42. > :01:52.had a great last couple of tournaments, but I just want to get
:01:53. > :02:05.into it. I just want to produce my best work -- I hope I just get
:02:06. > :02:11.through. This much finished with a 97. It was class, all right. I think
:02:12. > :02:17.Oliver did not really settle as well as he would have liked. You could
:02:18. > :02:25.tell he was a bit nervous. I got off to a good start, I could put him
:02:26. > :02:33.under the a lot of pressure. 136 in the first frame, and I managed to
:02:34. > :02:46.continue that. This afternoon, we have rain day at the hands of the
:02:47. > :02:56.charismatic player -- Ryan Day. He has really return to form. This is
:02:57. > :03:59.the latest of many in a stellar career.
:04:00. > :04:16.Tonight's matchup, a clash of the. We have the former Indian open
:04:17. > :04:20.finalist, making an official 147 last season. We pick it up in frame
:04:21. > :04:47.three, one frame apiece so far. Through the gap of the pink and
:04:48. > :04:58.blue. They even take it on. He has a natural angle to get it to the
:04:59. > :05:02.green. Where is he going to finish? I think he has been a bit fortunate.
:05:03. > :05:23.A little hold. BC the top players I think he has been a bit fortunate.
:05:24. > :05:31.always had the luck -- they say. -- have.
:05:32. > :05:42.Has he covered the yellow? If he has, he has to be careful. You don't
:05:43. > :05:53.want to play it with pace, you just want to keep the initiative from
:05:54. > :05:58.your opponent. Nearly. He has actually claimed the advantage in
:05:59. > :06:06.the safety by playing it poorly. Not easy to get this into position,
:06:07. > :06:23.leaving a snooker for his opponent. The key thing is to get the object
:06:24. > :06:41.ball safe. I'm not sure he can avoid a double-kiss. The top of the table
:06:42. > :06:49.at billiards, that is an art. The double-kiss. Giving Robertson a
:06:50. > :07:02.chance. I don't know if he can plot the yellow and avoid pictures -- the
:07:03. > :07:40.kiss on the green -- pot. A reflection of these opening three
:07:41. > :08:09.frames, they have both had plenty of chances. It looks like Robertson
:08:10. > :08:19.will take the lead. That was a horrible contact. The pink is almost
:08:20. > :08:33.unmissable. Just watch it, it went dead. Should still pot the pink. No
:08:34. > :08:41.breaks of significance from Robertson in this frame. You won't
:08:42. > :08:50.be too disappointed not making a sizeable break. He now leads 2-1.
:08:51. > :08:55.Robertson spent about five weeks at home in his native Australia. It is
:08:56. > :08:59.the first time he has done it and missed a chunk of the season since
:09:00. > :09:05.moving here as a professional about 12 years ago. Hopefully will stand
:09:06. > :09:08.him in good stead in this important middle part of the season. Let's see
:09:09. > :09:17.if he pushes on from here in frame for. -- four.
:09:18. > :09:32.Playing the cannon to the right of the black. I think he did, do you?
:09:33. > :09:45.He knew if he didn't get it, it would be on the pink. Where does the
:09:46. > :09:58.pink bow? -- go? Does it fit in the middle? Known. -- no. Close to his
:09:59. > :09:59.own spot, lining it up with the top cushion without touching the other
:10:00. > :11:02.balls. The gloved hand. He is actually playing for the one
:11:03. > :11:18.behind the pink. It has gone about two feet further than he thought. No
:11:19. > :11:40.problem, still pots eat. Everything seems heavy. All these top players
:11:41. > :11:46.are exceptional front-runners. They seem to be gaining in confidence.
:11:47. > :11:55.Had a few chances today, hasn't he? He has. He will be a bit
:11:56. > :12:04.disappointed. Once the top players to get their nose in front, they do
:12:05. > :12:20.get confident. He will be thinking, I'm not playing my best yet, it is
:12:21. > :12:36.yet to come. Still not an easy opportunity. The pink and black are
:12:37. > :12:42.tied up. Played that nicely. Definitely released the pink, but is
:12:43. > :12:48.it worth it? He could bring the black into play, but it could mess
:12:49. > :13:04.the reds up. I can't see an alternative but to play the cavern.
:13:05. > :13:19.-- cannon. Not a hard cannon, just a soft one. Having a look to see
:13:20. > :13:33.whether there is a gap to the same pocket. The pink, is there a gap?
:13:34. > :13:44.There is always one. A bit risky, swinging it around the back. It is
:13:45. > :13:53.easy to get on to the blues. -- blue. He played the cannon for the
:13:54. > :13:59.back. He knew if he didn't get it, he would have been on the pink. He
:14:00. > :14:36.is thinking better, this is a golden opportunity to seize the frame.
:14:37. > :14:44.Seems to be getting a lot of heavy contacts. Didn't like the sound of
:14:45. > :14:56.that. I thought the cue ball would have been further back. A little
:14:57. > :15:04.bounce in the black. Only one good positional shot to make this a frame
:15:05. > :15:10.break now. Want to make sure he hits it right. A lot of players try to
:15:11. > :15:14.finish perfectly, sometimes you just need to give yourself options.
:15:15. > :15:41.Playing that shot, he knows he has options of the brown and yellow.
:15:42. > :15:53.He's got three reds in the open, more than enough to play a cannon
:15:54. > :16:00.into those. He might just play a little cannon, you saw the red just
:16:01. > :16:13.below the pink. He doesn't have to. He can win this with enough points
:16:14. > :16:32.with those two open reds. He did play the cannon. Does it help using
:16:33. > :16:35.your left hand? This black to go 65 points in front. After this black,
:16:36. > :19:05.one more red required. And the pink for the 100. Well
:19:06. > :19:14.played. Is -- easy once he played the cannon on the red to get a
:19:15. > :19:28.black. Getting the balls into the middle of a -- the pocket.
:19:29. > :19:35.Mehta will know now that he has to produce his best to get anything out
:19:36. > :19:45.of this much, Robertson is starting to get on a roll -- match. That can
:19:46. > :19:50.take a toll on you, if your opponent gets a bit scrappy. You think you
:19:51. > :20:15.don't have to do your best. But now, Robertson is finding full stride.
:20:16. > :20:28.APPLAUSE The world number three goes to the next session leading 3-1. He
:20:29. > :20:32.took the next as well, with a 93 in the sixth before Mehta slowed him up
:20:33. > :20:35.in the seventh frame. But Robertson is perhaps waiting to pounce in
:20:36. > :21:42.this, the eighth frame. Once he gets the black on the spot
:21:43. > :21:49.it makes things a lot easier. It is all about this next shot. There will
:21:50. > :21:58.be three or four reds he could get, for a sizeable lead. That is not the
:21:59. > :22:06.shot he was looking for, the black is admissible. Not very good at all.
:22:07. > :22:15.No excuse for being short. The pink to the left, it is a poor positional
:22:16. > :22:29.shot. Playing it with a trace at the left-hand side. Sometimes a bad shot
:22:30. > :22:34.can help you. If the black goes in, he will move the reds around.
:22:35. > :22:38.Looking at the pink as an alternative if the black is too
:22:39. > :23:00.difficult. You can get to the red on the outside of the pack -- he.
:23:01. > :23:07.That's one of the reasons you don't really want to be potting the pink.
:23:08. > :23:15.I think he can play on the black. If he gets on the black, the yellow
:23:16. > :23:42.spot looks unavailable. APPLAUSE It is just like he is
:23:43. > :24:00.getting nothing out of the white, it is like a dead weight. A bit of
:24:01. > :24:15.bounce. You can see it again. Whether he can call the pink now is
:24:16. > :24:24.a different matter. -- he can hole. Got the right angle on the blue,
:24:25. > :24:37.there is one loose red. Maybe he will decide to go into the cluster
:24:38. > :24:51.with pace. Gave it the old kick of the leg. I think he's OK. Trying to
:24:52. > :25:24.get it through the gap. A match-winning opportunity.
:25:25. > :25:31.Doesn't have to play on the pace this time. The three reds to the
:25:32. > :25:39.left of the pink, if he could hit the front one, he could tie the pink
:25:40. > :25:49.up. That's the problem playing it that way. I would have pleaded a lot
:25:50. > :25:59.slower than that -- played it. He didn't get the nickname Mr maximum
:26:00. > :26:04.for nothing. He wouldn't want to release a cannon unless he was
:26:05. > :26:18.straightforward. Now he can concentrate on the blue. Left the
:26:19. > :26:33.black nicely, it would have come up on the pink spot. A bit of work to
:26:34. > :26:46.do from here. I think there are enough loose reds. He just needs to
:26:47. > :26:54.find a nice angle on the next ball. Here is a possibility, if he wanted
:26:55. > :26:59.to pot this red. It could go wrong. At the moment you are looking for
:27:00. > :27:13.things that can go wrong. I would much rather go for the black, I
:27:14. > :27:28.think. If he plays for the black or blue, can't go wrong. Good trace,
:27:29. > :27:47.well done. Mr Maximum and Mr Cannon.
:27:48. > :28:03.He needs to more reds and two more colours -- two. This cannon plays
:28:04. > :28:17.perfectly, but the next shot very badly. A lot of bounce off the
:28:18. > :28:29.cushion, appeared to be a little bit too hard. Still might out of the
:28:30. > :28:44.woods. The pink is not straightforward. -- still not. He
:28:45. > :29:00.feels the blue is an easier shot than the pink. And it is. A little
:29:01. > :29:15.bit of noise in that one. Kept getting it back. This pink will put
:29:16. > :29:24.him in the snooker required stage. He may have to go back to practise,
:29:25. > :29:29.Mehta. Start break-building and scoring quickly. We know he is a
:29:30. > :29:41.decent safety player. He has to get in quickly. I think he will know
:29:42. > :29:51.that. We need to get opportunities, you need to weigh them up. He hasn't
:29:52. > :30:03.done that. He has missed a few times. He has had enough
:30:04. > :30:13.opportunities to be a bit closer to Robinson than he is.
:30:14. > :30:24.As Assad at the start of the match, always one of the main contenders
:30:25. > :30:29.for any tournament that he plays at. On his top game, a match for
:30:30. > :30:44.anybody. Didn't have to be at his top game this evening.
:30:45. > :30:56.Break of 114. Have been a 93 break in frame six.
:30:57. > :31:02.So a good pot on the pink needed. It's a natural, if he pots in on the
:31:03. > :31:12.middle, it will finish on the yellow.
:31:13. > :31:50.Well played. The second century needed. And to finish the match off
:31:51. > :31:57.in style. Much appreciated by this Barbican crowd. As I say, one of his
:31:58. > :32:04.best performances. If I was giving him marks out of
:32:05. > :32:19.ten, I would say seven. But this is what he is capable of,
:32:20. > :32:27.and I'm sure there is better to come. A decent match. It never
:32:28. > :32:32.really put him under any pressure, and he could have, Neil wasn't on
:32:33. > :32:35.his A-game, but his B game was enough, and the world number three
:32:36. > :32:42.goes through into the third round. He wins by six frames to two. It
:32:43. > :32:49.looks like a pretty convincing scoreline, with the breaks I made as
:32:50. > :32:53.well. The table was pretty tough to play on, and reflected in some of
:32:54. > :33:01.the unusual shots being played. Overall, repleased with the way I
:33:02. > :33:05.handled the table actually, and yeah, you know, played, considerably
:33:06. > :33:10.a fair bit better than my first round match. Building up nicely.
:33:11. > :33:14.Five rounds more to go if Neil is to win this UK title for the second
:33:15. > :33:22.time in only three years. It's amazing to think it's over ten years
:33:23. > :33:26.now, since this Championship launched Scotland's Steven Maguire
:33:27. > :33:31.into the snooker spotlight. He won it in 2004, and he has a strong
:33:32. > :33:39.record since. He made it through to another three semis and quarters. He
:33:40. > :33:45.can count himself lucky this time, after sweecking through in a decider
:33:46. > :33:52.in the first round. He was tonight taking on Jamie Cope, a quick heavy
:33:53. > :33:59.mega scorer. He is now 30, and climbing back into the rankings
:34:00. > :34:03.after a tough couple of years to stay in the sport, after hereditary
:34:04. > :34:11.condition that causes his hands to shake. This is going to same way.
:34:12. > :34:25.Maguire, 4-0, with a top break of 60. And it's Dennis Taylor and
:34:26. > :34:30.Stephen Hendry in charge. He has not looked comfortable on the long pots.
:34:31. > :34:36.And even though he is 50 in front, look how the reds are situated. It's
:34:37. > :34:38.almost like he knew in importance of that red, knew it was frame ball.
:34:39. > :34:53.Didn't really get close. He could practically become
:34:54. > :35:24.favourite for this frame. It's very early days, but the only
:35:25. > :35:28.colour that, having said that, he played a terrific pool shot there
:35:29. > :35:33.and got such a margin for it. He may just be OK. The red that is closest
:35:34. > :35:38.to, he can pop that and stun past the two reds to leave himself on the
:35:39. > :35:45.black. Don't know whether he can get to this one, to the left corner. May
:35:46. > :35:53.be even to see enough off it. A little trace aside will help. Yeah,
:35:54. > :36:05.I was going to stay, the pink is the only ball off its spot.
:36:06. > :36:09.Unless he does something careless, the only ball that can come to
:36:10. > :37:35.Jamie's rescue, you would feel. Is that a kick? It took a bit of the
:37:36. > :37:40.pace out the cue ball, but he is still OK. He can get the blue. So
:37:41. > :38:39.long as he avoids the baulk colours, he can get up for the last red.
:38:40. > :38:52.So as previously mentioned, a key ball is going to be the pink.
:38:53. > :38:59.Popped into Stephen's dad in the corridor. He is down to watch his
:39:00. > :39:08.son. Travels around quite a bit to watch Stephen.
:39:09. > :39:28.Well, if he is dead straight, he is going to have the leave the white
:39:29. > :39:33.where the blue is, and leave slightly more difficult pot on the
:39:34. > :39:38.pink, I mean, you could screw the white back, when then you need to
:39:39. > :39:44.rest. So yep, see where he is cueing up? Just leave it there. A better
:39:45. > :40:13.angle on the blue, he would have got a lot closer to the pink.
:40:14. > :40:22.And the pink is safely in the pocket as Jamie Cope had a chance to get
:40:23. > :40:29.his first frame on the board, only made 40. And Stephen Maguire with
:40:30. > :40:34.that terrific clearance of 63, he extends his reed. He just needs one
:40:35. > :40:38.for a place in the next round. And that is his top break of this match.
:40:39. > :40:43.It's put him on the verge of a place in the next round. He played Jamie
:40:44. > :40:49.on four previous occasions and in three of them, he has won them for
:40:50. > :40:57.the loss of only three frames. Can he complete the whitewash this time?
:40:58. > :41:04.He keeps his head so still on the shot and look at the kiss on the
:41:05. > :41:10.red. That is what happens when you are playing well. You always get the
:41:11. > :41:18.favourable kiss. He left himself on the pink. He was hoping to get back
:41:19. > :41:20.up the table when he took that red on, and but he cannoned the other
:41:21. > :42:36.red. He finished absolutely spot-on. If he can get on his red to the left
:42:37. > :42:42.of the black, it could clear the black in both corner pockets and
:42:43. > :42:46.give himself a great chance. In this sixth frame. If he takes it, it will
:42:47. > :42:57.put himself into the next round. Couldn't quite get on the red on
:42:58. > :43:04.this occasion but may be able to do it vet shortly. -- very shortly.
:43:05. > :43:13.Should be able to get on that red to the left of the black now.
:43:14. > :43:27.He opened the match with a break of 60, which even that opening frame...
:43:28. > :43:34.His highest break was in the last frame after Jamie Cope made a 40. He
:43:35. > :43:39.cleared up with a 63. Looked like all the top players seem to be able
:43:40. > :43:49.to close the match out with a frame-winning effort. It wasn't the
:43:50. > :43:51.best cannon he ever played. May have to take the one to the right of the
:43:52. > :44:02.pink now. He had a look at that. Doesn't fancy
:44:03. > :44:30.it. Just got to be careful when you are
:44:31. > :44:39.aiming down on the cue ball. You don't want to put any unwanted side
:44:40. > :44:44.on it. Looks pretty relaxed now. Obviously, 5-0 up, hasn't been put
:44:45. > :44:58.under too much pressure tonight. He has dominated this match.
:44:59. > :45:07.It would be very disappointing for Jamie Cope. In the last round, he
:45:08. > :45:14.beat Rory McCloud in a deciding frame 6-5. Rory won his first
:45:15. > :45:20.tournament this year, on the PTC events. Like to see that. Jamie
:45:21. > :45:25.would have been looking forward to this match, after getting through on
:45:26. > :45:27.a deciding fraim, but he never got going since he missed that black
:45:28. > :45:54.early on. The second to third frame. He is looking to this red, to the
:45:55. > :45:59.right corner. You can go up and cannon up towards the pink. If he
:46:00. > :46:05.wanted that, it would open them all up. If the red goes, he'll play for
:46:06. > :46:15.that. Oh, he played the cannon. On the red to left corner, you suggest
:46:16. > :46:27.that's match over. Always plays the aggressive shot, Stephen Maguire.
:46:28. > :46:34.As I said, he hasn't been put under that much pressure. You still got to
:46:35. > :46:47.do it. Been a very solid performance.
:46:48. > :46:56.He made 28 centuries last season. Only five this season. 307 in total
:46:57. > :47:03.in his professional career. He turned pro in 1999. A big incentive
:47:04. > :47:10.for all the players, for every century made, the charity gets a
:47:11. > :47:16.nice prize and it's over ?9,000 at the moment. Not going to be easy to
:47:17. > :47:30.make the century, with the red near the cushion. Via the black here.
:47:31. > :47:37.Reminds me of you. You used to start the matches with a century break,
:47:38. > :47:41.and the number if times you finish would a century break was amazing.
:47:42. > :47:46.And this is the one, but it's going to be very, very difficult. It would
:47:47. > :47:58.be nice if he could drop this in. Get in. Get in, there! Come on, keep
:47:59. > :48:01.going! Oh, what a shame! No century break but what a terrific
:48:02. > :48:07.performance from the Scot, Stephen Maguire. Jamie Cope never really got
:48:08. > :48:15.going in the match. Never nice to see a whitewash, but that's what we
:48:16. > :48:20.have. The start of the match, you know, it was a bit tighter. And
:48:21. > :48:26.then, I think that Jimmy lost a bit of interest once I stole a frame to
:48:27. > :48:30.go 3-0. He looked a bit disinterested in the end. I know
:48:31. > :48:36.Jamie. He has beaten me a few times before. It was tough conditions
:48:37. > :48:42.tonight and it was just me managed to get two more chances than him.
:48:43. > :48:46.6-0 was good. It could have been a lot messier and go on for a few
:48:47. > :48:53.hours. The other significant results. He won the Bulgaria yain
:48:54. > :49:08.Open. He is through. Ali Carter back in the winning groove. And Ryan Day,
:49:09. > :49:14.a big surprise for him. Hawkins, the highest seed to depart so far. His
:49:15. > :49:20.miserable fortunes in this event continues. The world number 17 is
:49:21. > :49:25.gone as well. That is one of the best results of David Grace's
:49:26. > :49:32.career. He is through. So it's been a very costly evening for some. Now,
:49:33. > :49:37.there's much more snooker to come. I know it's a school night, but
:49:38. > :49:43.Snooker extra continues after his programme. Otherwise, you can join
:49:44. > :49:48.us again at: a lot on our plate at the start of the last 32. Higgins
:49:49. > :49:53.versus Ali Carter is our featured match. It's not how you start, it's
:49:54. > :49:56.how you finish in a major championship. And we made a good
:49:57. > :49:59.start so far. Great stuff. Bye for now.