:01:50. > :02:01.APPLAUSE Good evening.
:02:02. > :02:07.It's Strictly Snooker here at the Barbican. Plenty of balls but no
:02:08. > :02:12.sign of Eddie, fortunately! We've had a few upsets already here in
:02:13. > :02:18.York, not least the departure of last year's champion, who was beaten
:02:19. > :02:21.in the opening round. The 128 stage. But safely navigating his way
:02:22. > :02:27.through that was the world number one, Mark Selby. He strode out into
:02:28. > :02:31.the arena today at the start of round two.
:02:32. > :02:38.He is the reigning world champion, he is the current world number one,
:02:39. > :02:40.he is the just from Leicester, he's Mark Selby!
:02:41. > :02:49.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE -- the Jester from Leicester.
:02:50. > :02:54.Well, as you might have seemed earlier this afternoon, the
:02:55. > :02:57.Leicester man wasn't having it easy against Daniel Wells, ranked 67
:02:58. > :03:07.places below him in the world rankings. The former European
:03:08. > :03:10.amateur champion. He went into a pre-1 lead but back came the Selby
:03:11. > :04:17.man and we pick it up. STEPHEN HENDRY: How is the angle on
:04:18. > :04:23.this yellow? Excellent red into the middle of the pocket. He needs so
:04:24. > :04:27.much right-hand side with this cue ball here. Watch this take effect
:04:28. > :05:09.here... Great shot. DENNIS TAYLOR: Already planning his
:05:10. > :05:24.root out as to how he can get to the pink, get it into play. -- route. Up
:05:25. > :05:30.to the cushion and down again. He'll have to do it from the blue. A nice
:05:31. > :05:34.angle on the blue. He wants to be up this side of it so he can pop the
:05:35. > :05:43.blue of the baulk cushion and then hopefully bring the pink into. --
:05:44. > :05:50.pot. He's had enough angle to try to move the pink from there. It's a
:05:51. > :05:56.great effort, you know! But the blue is off its spot. But what a great
:05:57. > :06:02.effort that was. Played with lots of top left-hand spin to send the white
:06:03. > :06:03.towards the pink. Had he hit the pink fullbore it would have been
:06:04. > :06:39.straightforward. -- full ball. Here comes the white and it is hard
:06:40. > :06:43.enough. Daniel taps his head. Mark Selby has just played some of the
:06:44. > :06:52.best snooker of the match. Somehow he gets himself into the lead and it
:06:53. > :06:57.is now 5-4 to the world champion. HAZEL IRVINE: What does the Welshmen
:06:58. > :07:06.have next left? Let's find out. The Welshman is trailing by 25 points.
:07:07. > :07:18.DENNIS TAYLOR: If this goes in, they are there for the taking. Ooh!
:07:19. > :07:28.Close. But not quite close enough. Does the red pass the green? Just
:07:29. > :07:34.the pace kept it out. Any slower, that would have dropped in. That
:07:35. > :07:35.doesn't go but there's one up into the left corner, being a
:07:36. > :07:44.left-hander. He's getting a bit edgy now, is
:07:45. > :11:53.Daniel. outside cushion. He's 19 in front.
:11:54. > :12:21.That will be 26. He will want to pot this red and
:12:22. > :12:27.move the other red at the same time. He is guaranteed to be on pink or
:12:28. > :12:35.black. Can he pull this off? He did very well.
:12:36. > :13:04.The yellow's a big shot. He's in there looking at some way to leave
:13:05. > :13:25.the cue ball safe. Looking at the pink.
:13:26. > :14:08.Just making his mind up whether to take the pot on.
:14:09. > :14:18.He's going to wait for another chance but he's played a good shot
:14:19. > :14:23.here. A beauty. He thought long and hard about whether to take the pot
:14:24. > :14:32.on and decided, let's get the snooker, I'm in the driving seat.
:14:33. > :14:40.33. He's got to hit this. Otherwise he will need a snooker. It is a
:14:41. > :14:47.must-hit situation for the Welshman. Every chance he would leave a free
:14:48. > :14:54.ball if he doesn't hit it but he has to hit it otherwise you feel it's
:14:55. > :14:59.all over. He's looking to see two cushions. Players prefer to do that
:15:00. > :15:04.rather than just come off the one cushion. He's got to go round the
:15:05. > :15:06.back of the yellow if he's going to play two cushions. Get close to that
:15:07. > :15:35.middle pocket with lots of side. I wonder if he'd be tempted to take
:15:36. > :15:40.this red on to the far corner. Where the green and brown is, it's not the
:15:41. > :15:55.easiest clearance in the world should he missed it. -- mist it.
:15:56. > :16:06.That was the perfect picture as to whether it was going to go in or
:16:07. > :16:19.not. And right to the pocket! Daniel Wells has put up a great fight here.
:16:20. > :16:25.And he comes forward... The world champion and world number one. He
:16:26. > :16:30.had a couple of century breaks but in the end, Mark Selby is through to
:16:31. > :16:35.the last 32, beating Daniel Wells 6-4.
:16:36. > :16:41.It was a strange match and patches I felt I was scoring well but other
:16:42. > :16:46.patches where I felt I could miss anything. So very strange game.
:16:47. > :16:50.Thought my focus was in and out or match, and when I needed to sort of
:16:51. > :16:54.getting the zone at the end when I looked like going behind and was
:16:55. > :16:59.potentially getting beaten, I played my best stuff. I've not won a game
:17:00. > :17:04.on TV. I've come close a few times and pushed a few players close so
:17:05. > :17:12.felt like a bit of a monkey on my back, really. Had to get ready in
:17:13. > :17:16.front to, I suppose, roll over the line. I did commit to a few shots I
:17:17. > :17:22.didn't win which could have swung it in my favour. Once I had made the
:17:23. > :17:27.centuries I thought, this is it, I'm going to kick on and play better,
:17:28. > :17:30.and then in the next round, it was back to square one! Just glad to get
:17:31. > :17:35.over the line. Mark Selby was the only one involved
:17:36. > :17:42.in a real tussle against a youngster. John Higgins was involved
:17:43. > :17:51.in a real tussle ago -- against 24-year-old Thai player Noppon
:17:52. > :17:57.Saengkham. He has had to come from 2-3 behind to finally get ahead at
:17:58. > :17:59.5-4. He was itching to get over the line but Saengkham was at the table.
:18:00. > :18:10.This is being watched by John Virgo. JOHN VIRGO: He's just made it easy
:18:11. > :18:35.for him to play the safety shot. In behind the brown and close to the
:18:36. > :18:36.baulk cushion. He didn't get in behind the brown but the black has
:18:37. > :18:56.come to his rescue. He's got to judge this perfect, with
:18:57. > :19:00.the jaws of the pocket and the cue ball. This could be the chance John
:19:01. > :19:10.Higgins has waited for. It looks like a free ball to me. Wow! What a
:19:11. > :19:17.mistake. Yeah. Inexperienced there. The one thing he couldn't afford to
:19:18. > :19:18.do was miss like that and this is John Higgins' chance now to clinch
:19:19. > :19:34.frame and match. I think the positional shot from
:19:35. > :19:39.green to brown has the perfect angle. He's just got to drop the
:19:40. > :19:48.green in-off the side cushion and then just above the rights centre
:19:49. > :19:56.pocket he'll be nicely on the brown. Yes, and now just needs brown, blue
:19:57. > :20:02.and pink. And after over three hours of play, John, I mean, he's done
:20:03. > :20:03.everything right... Just one simple error there and it could have cost
:20:04. > :20:24.him this match. So just the simplest of pinks now to
:20:25. > :20:35.secure his place in the last 32. And I would suggest it'll be a very
:20:36. > :20:38.relieved John Higgins. It's there! He had a chance to clinch the match
:20:39. > :20:46.earlier in that frame but didn't do it. Showing a lot of frustration.
:20:47. > :20:51.Keep your eye out for Noppon Saengkham. He's got a bit to learn
:20:52. > :20:56.but John Higgins today was just that bit more experienced and he is
:20:57. > :20:58.through to the last 32 with a 6-4 win over the young man from
:20:59. > :21:08.Thailand. When he won the seventh frame on the
:21:09. > :21:12.spotted black I thought, well, I deserve to lose after losing that
:21:13. > :21:18.frame, but luckily for me, you get a bit of a bad run the next frame and
:21:19. > :21:23.then lucky to still be in the event. He missed a couple of crucial balls
:21:24. > :21:28.at the end there. Lucky for me. But he's a really, really good player. I
:21:29. > :21:35.made a clearance to make it 5-4 and then got a terrible kick. Whereas I
:21:36. > :21:41.felt good. I felt I could win the match 6-4. But, no, I'll get a new
:21:42. > :21:46.tempo and try to come back and play better.
:21:47. > :21:50.HAZEL IRVINE: Also this afternoon, two more former winners were
:21:51. > :21:54.involved in matches in the main arena and won. First of all, Mark
:21:55. > :21:58.Williams, who's clinging onto his top 16 status in the world rankings,
:21:59. > :22:07.up against the ever competitive Higginson. Mark goes through. Whilst
:22:08. > :22:12.Stephen Maguire, the winner of the title in 2004, finished his 6-2
:22:13. > :22:19.victory over up-and-coming the 19-year-old Chinese men Zhou
:22:20. > :22:26.Yuelong. Closing a break there. Glasgow's number two looks full of
:22:27. > :22:30.resolve this season. And so to tonight's matches, and one contest
:22:31. > :22:35.has really dominated proceedings. A proper heavyweight contest, this,
:22:36. > :22:41.between two of the most rock-solid, wily and experienced campaigners in
:22:42. > :22:45.snooker. England's former Crucible finalist -- finalist Barry Hawkins
:22:46. > :22:51.and Fergal O'Brien, a former veteran of the circuit and former champion.
:22:52. > :22:55.It is four frames apiece and by this point O'Brien has made three
:22:56. > :23:03.centuries and two consecutively to level the scores. Really is in
:23:04. > :23:11.vintage form tonight. In fact, here is Fergal on a third century on the
:23:12. > :23:19.trot! This is now four times in nine frames so far to go ahead 5-4. He is
:23:20. > :23:23.now ranked at world number 50. He's a former masters finalist, of
:23:24. > :23:25.course. That was way back in 2001. But he's taken it to walkins here,
:23:26. > :23:42.who has hit a purple patch recently. -- Hawkins. They take this into a
:23:43. > :23:48.final frame decider. It's going all the way to the wire. It's Fergal to
:23:49. > :23:49.play 20 points behind. It left Dennis Taylor enthralled, as were we
:23:50. > :24:08.all! DENNIS TAYLOR: Well played. Doesn't
:24:09. > :24:14.want to be straight on the brown. Well, they both had that one chance
:24:15. > :24:21.you were talking about now. So a player can be unlucky in this match.
:24:22. > :24:26.As you mentioned, you might be slightly straight. He's not got down
:24:27. > :24:28.on it yet to play the shot, so it must be more difficult than it looks
:24:29. > :24:53.from here. Key shot coming up. He's got himself
:24:54. > :25:09.on that read to the right corner and very little to do with the cue ball
:25:10. > :25:13.to finish on the black. -- red. Steadying himself. He knows the
:25:14. > :25:27.importance of this next shot. Just a bit of a stretch with the
:25:28. > :25:34.yellow there, so that's why he's using the extension, which makes it
:25:35. > :25:51.a bit more difficult. Just concerned about the yellow and leaning over.
:25:52. > :26:07.Well, I can see at least another three or four reds available. For
:26:08. > :26:14.Fergal. Who's going to hold themselves together in this deciding
:26:15. > :26:17.frame? That is the question. Yes, Barry can only hope now that Fergal
:26:18. > :26:22.loses position, because, as you rightly say, the next few should be
:26:23. > :26:27.relatively straightforward and then the work starts. I tell you what,
:26:28. > :26:35.you got a kick there from heavy contact. -- he got a kick. Luckily
:26:36. > :26:43.it was close to the pocket. The referee's giving the black a clean
:26:44. > :26:48.there. And it spoiled it a live of it, that heavy contact, because the
:26:49. > :26:53.black is only available into the left corner pocket. -- spoiled it a
:26:54. > :27:03.bit. Just had to miss the case on the
:27:04. > :27:43.black. -- the kiss. Just trying to see what angle he
:27:44. > :27:49.needs on this next black to go into the bunch.
:27:50. > :28:04.How was the ankle? If this goes right, the chance of frame and
:28:05. > :28:14.match. -- how is the angle? He's been a professional since 1991. As I
:28:15. > :28:27.mentioned before. This is one of the finest matches I've ever seen Fergal
:28:28. > :28:31.play. And that's OK. That is fine. 44 years of age and it's amazing.
:28:32. > :28:37.They keep saying it's a young person's game, but the 40 plus is
:28:38. > :28:54.showing there's still plenty of life left in the senior players.
:28:55. > :29:01.Well, he's a bit straight on the blue but he could screw back and
:29:02. > :29:10.leave on the two red there. Just a bit of a nervous one there.
:29:11. > :29:15.It's all about keeping close control and making the next pot as easy as
:29:16. > :29:52.possible. Well done, therefore the taking. Can
:29:53. > :30:22.he hold himself together? A remarkable performance.
:30:23. > :30:32.This is a red in the middle of that little group of four that will go.
:30:33. > :31:26.Then threw onto the black. Barry Hawkins a little unlucky.
:31:27. > :31:32.Moved a few reds and didn't finish nicely on one. This has been
:31:33. > :31:36.brilliant from Fergal O'Brien, already 30 in front. Can he hold
:31:37. > :31:57.himself together for the terrific win?
:31:58. > :32:08.Just a little lock for those three reds. Might have to play a cannon.
:32:09. > :32:19.If you just can in the one on the left. Maybe a bit reluctant about
:32:20. > :32:20.playing a cannon at this stage but it is the shot he would normally
:32:21. > :32:35.play. That's OK. The break goes to 58 and
:32:36. > :32:55.this is the key shot. The chance for a possible century
:32:56. > :33:11.number five. Very well played and they are for the taking now.
:33:12. > :33:19.She is OK. He didn't intend to cannon that red, he only needs one
:33:20. > :33:27.more and what a performance by Fergal O'Brien.
:33:28. > :33:37.He is going out of this year's championship. Just not that many
:33:38. > :33:42.shots away from leading 5-2 and missed an easy one but after that
:33:43. > :33:50.Fergal O'Brien has been absolutely sensational. Three centuries in a
:33:51. > :33:56.row. Barry threw a 78 break to level at 5-5 and Fergal O'Brien has
:33:57. > :34:05.responded like the best, the best he has ever played. 5 cents a decent
:34:06. > :34:23.total in six frames he has one, quite amazing.
:34:24. > :34:30.Barry came into this UK championship having reached the final of the
:34:31. > :34:35.Northern Ireland open where he lost the last train to mark King. He
:34:36. > :34:41.certainly wasn't expecting a bad Irish like this. -- barrage like
:34:42. > :35:06.this. APPLAUSE. Straight on the black soul
:35:07. > :35:11.if he screws back he will have to play the reverse side and he is
:35:12. > :35:30.looking to the pink. Maybe slightly easier.
:35:31. > :35:41.I have enjoyed every shot in this match. Without doubt, one of the
:35:42. > :35:43.best matches, and this is only day one of the televised stages, but
:35:44. > :35:55.what a match. He must be absolutely buzzing inside
:35:56. > :36:14.just hoping he can make his fifth century. Boy, does he deserve it.
:36:15. > :36:33.It would give him another century. And do you know, all the century
:36:34. > :36:42.breaks he has made, his professional play has been superb.
:36:43. > :36:52.Absolutely incredible from Fergal O'Brien. It really is very special.
:36:53. > :36:58.He is coming round to take the black as well but Barry Hawkins, one of
:36:59. > :37:03.the nicest people you could ever wish to meet will come forward and
:37:04. > :37:08.congratulate Fergal O'Brien on an absolutely stunning performance. He
:37:09. > :37:13.is saying well done. One of the best matches I have seen for quite a
:37:14. > :37:18.while and Fergal O'Brien has made five century breaks in the six
:37:19. > :37:26.frames he has one. No wonder he beats Barry Hawkins 6-5.
:37:27. > :37:31.To win 6-5 and there have been seasons I haven't had five centuries
:37:32. > :37:41.so in the best of 11 it is fantastic. He just blew me away. I
:37:42. > :37:44.missed three easy balls, a lapse of concentration, but I am speechless
:37:45. > :37:50.how well he has played. Unbelievable. You probably won't see
:37:51. > :37:57.a better match now for the rest of the tournament. Five centuries in
:37:58. > :38:02.the six frames is fantastic, to be fair, so fair play to him. Probably
:38:03. > :38:08.the last few weeks I have been playing a lot more and probably
:38:09. > :38:12.playing too much on my own and when I have come to matches I have been
:38:13. > :38:18.struggling for fluency and read them, so played a lot more matches
:38:19. > :38:26.with the lads back home. I was 3-1 down at a very big frame, that he
:38:27. > :38:31.won in one visit, and at 4-2, he had every chance of a maximum and he
:38:32. > :38:37.missed a simple red and from there I made a break and just got in the
:38:38. > :38:41.groove. Nothing I can do, really. Just got to go out and get drunk and
:38:42. > :38:47.go onto the next one. Quite the right! Actually he was mentioning
:38:48. > :38:53.the pot success, 95% tonight in a quite extraordinary match. Five
:38:54. > :38:58.centuries in a best of 11 and only Ronnie O' Sullivan has better that
:38:59. > :39:07.with five any best of nine silly little bit of Tess Daly this evening
:39:08. > :39:11.and hats off to him. Stuart Bingham, the world number two, trying to
:39:12. > :39:15.follow up that Crucible success 18 months ago with a first trophy since
:39:16. > :39:20.then, was having all canes of struggles against Yu Delu, ranked at
:39:21. > :39:26.60 seconds with a strong record against some leading players. Stuart
:39:27. > :39:37.Bingham has fought back from two lead 4-3 but Yu Delu won the next
:39:38. > :39:42.two frames and is now 5-4 in front, so nervous times and trailing by 26
:39:43. > :39:43.points and Stephen Hendry and John van Gogh have teamed up for this
:39:44. > :39:49.one. -- John Virgo. Played it pretty
:39:50. > :40:35.well. He has not left anything. Every shot he plays has got to be
:40:36. > :40:44.perfect. This doesn't look too bad. Just a little bit to pacey and has
:40:45. > :40:45.left his opponent with a hand on the table so you would expect a better
:40:46. > :40:55.safety shot than that. This just those two reds together.
:40:56. > :41:20.There is a thread that will go. It could be a guide. He courted to
:41:21. > :41:31.spend. He has left the chance for Stuart Bingham, to get past the
:41:32. > :41:34.pink. He can. This will answer a few questions for us. Can he make the
:41:35. > :41:52.most of this opportunity? He can't believe it and neither can
:41:53. > :41:59.I. That is unbelievable. He is normally so reliable on the long
:42:00. > :42:06.potting. Apart from one frame this evening, he has done none of it. I
:42:07. > :42:07.am giving him the benefit of the doubt, he may have had a bad
:42:08. > :42:40.contact. The red definitely jumped. In many ways the way he has played
:42:41. > :42:44.tonight doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt but I will give him
:42:45. > :42:51.that. A lot of the time those things happen when you don't cue properly.
:42:52. > :42:57.He probably had to play on the right-hand side to bend its likely
:42:58. > :43:01.and may be that through the red off but he is back in his seat and
:43:02. > :43:08.wondering if he will get another chance.
:43:09. > :43:12.You can do more in your bad luck but he has had enough chances to win
:43:13. > :43:52.three matches. The left-hander in the cluster of
:43:53. > :44:11.five goes into the pockets of that was perfect. No problems yet.
:44:12. > :44:28.If he doesn't miss anything easy the match is at his mercy. You would
:44:29. > :44:31.think. The angle and the position he gets on the black ball, the
:44:32. > :44:45.trickiest shot he has got. If he gets an angle, it is much over
:44:46. > :44:49.and if it is straight it is OK, just a matter of screwing off the side
:44:50. > :44:58.cushion. Body language is not perfect. That was the last hard shot
:44:59. > :45:01.he had to play, to get on this black properly and he has not managed it.
:45:02. > :45:20.He may have to risk the cannon. He has done. It looks as though it
:45:21. > :45:26.is perfect. He will not mind being straight.
:45:27. > :45:31.He can put the black in the same pocket. A bit more of a balance but
:45:32. > :45:48.it is only the black that is needed. And Stuart Bingham's run in the UK
:45:49. > :45:54.championship is over. So we have lost the reigning champion and it
:45:55. > :46:01.looks for all money as though we will lose the world number two.
:46:02. > :46:11.You have to give Yu Delu credit, this last frame has been a great
:46:12. > :46:16.effort. We have perhaps not given him as much of a shout. He has been
:46:17. > :46:22.able to hold his temperament together. Still focus on winning the
:46:23. > :46:30.match, something the world number two has not been able to do. We just
:46:31. > :46:35.saw in the corner Stuart Bingham taking the ball tie off. Perhaps it
:46:36. > :46:40.said he will not be coming back to the table and he is shaking his head
:46:41. > :46:45.and looks very annoyed. One of the nicest people on the circuit and one
:46:46. > :46:49.of the nicest people you could meet. Just didn't have the fire in his
:46:50. > :46:51.belly tonight it seemed. He has got it now but it is too late, I am
:46:52. > :47:02.afraid. A long time since I have seen
:47:03. > :47:11.someone that has projected in the chair as that.
:47:12. > :47:22.The red didn't go in. Congratulations. Very disappointed,
:47:23. > :47:28.the world number two. He had chances but didn't take them but credit to
:47:29. > :47:31.the young man from China. Yu Delu thrilled at 4-3 and Stuart Bingham
:47:32. > :47:38.was getting into his stride but never gave up. He runs out a 6-4
:47:39. > :47:44.winner and is in the last 32. Well played.
:47:45. > :47:52.I watched the session at six o'clock and had some food and came back and
:47:53. > :47:58.had an hour or so before I had to get ready and actually blocked off
:47:59. > :48:02.to sleep and woke up at 5:30pm and it took me maybe two or three
:48:03. > :48:08.minutes just to focus and come round. I went on the practice table
:48:09. > :48:16.and everything was going wrong. I took it to the table. I had little
:48:17. > :48:22.spells where I was trying to cheer myself up but everything was hard
:48:23. > :48:28.work tonight. I cannot... I was gutted. If I had another cue I would
:48:29. > :48:33.probably snap the cue how bad that was, but it happens and it is sport
:48:34. > :48:39.and you have to take it on the chin and get on with it. Quite literally,
:48:40. > :48:44.you snooze, you lose. A rather surprising evening with a few other
:48:45. > :48:50.headlines for you. Ali Carter through against Robbie Williams.
:48:51. > :49:00.Michael Holt, a big defeat with a surprise loss to Yuelong. Michael
:49:01. > :49:12.White lost his compatriots. The former world champion Graeme Dott is
:49:13. > :49:20.out, and 6-2 to Jamie Jones against this year's Crucible semifinalist.
:49:21. > :49:24.Smoker extra follows next and we're back at one p.m., BBC Two, Sunday
:49:25. > :49:27.afternoon with much more of the live stuff with Ronnie O'Sullivan
:49:28. > :49:35.returning. One more UK territory will will put him tied with Steve
:49:36. > :49:38.Davis and we will also see the Crucible winner in action which
:49:39. > :49:39.sounds like a recipe for the good afternoon to meet! We will catch you
:49:40. > :49:53.then, good night. There is an image system at work
:49:54. > :49:57.in the world. To behave in accordance with these
:49:58. > :50:00.images bores us. To deviate from them fills us
:50:01. > :50:04.with anxiety. So we wait for an experience
:50:05. > :50:09.brutal enough