Quarter-Finals UK Snooker Championship Highlights

Quarterfinal day at the Barbican in

York. First up today was Ronnie

O'Sullivan, fresh from a dramatic

6-5 win over 22-year-old Tyler and

sensation Sunny Akani. O'Sullivan

taking on Martin Gould, looking to

book a

taking on Martin Gould, looking to

book a

Martin Gould still scales 5-3, but

he is back in this match.

He played

his part in a magnificent match this

afternoon, very enjoyable, but it is

The Rocket who goes through.

Once

you get to the quarters, you think

it's there for the taking, so you

try and give it all you can. I've

got whatever I could out of myself

today and just tried to control the

balls. Every poor shot I played,

just try and forget about it and

move on and try again.

The Rocket

powers on. Ronnie O'Sullivan will

meet Stephen Maguire in a repeat of

the 2007 final. O'Sullivan won it

10-2. The choir meeting Joe Perry

earlier today by 6-3. -- Maguire

beating Joe Perry. Ronnie

O'Sullivan, same scoreline in the

Stephen Maguire against Joe Perry

match. Maguire lifted the title in

2004, and they meet tomorrow for

them should be a cracker. Next up,

Shaun Murphy against Mark King, who

knocked out John Higgins in the

earlier round. When we left you on

BBC Two, it was 2-1 to Murphy. We

join it in frame four.

JOHN PARROTT: good chance this. He

won't be happy with that shot. KEN

DOHERTY:

GOING TO GO OFF THE TOP

CUSHION. WILL TAKE THE ONE ABOVE IT.

This isn't nice. Well played. Good

shot. Recovered well.

What will he

do here? Play a cannon or try to

drop onto the red? Played the

cannon.

The red into the right centre. A red

that he is slightly hampered onto

the bottom right-hand corner pocket.

Looking to see what's wrong with the

one in the middle, he's taking it

now. Certainly easier to Cuba. I

don't believe it. Almost as if he

didn't want to take it. To do that,

Mark, major mistake.

Could be extremely costly.

Good choice to try to go into the

pack. Always knew he had a red open

over the right centre pocket. And

the split has worked out very nicely

indeed.

He's hitting the ball back

to good, he nearly missed the pack,

the shot before with the top spin,

just about clipped the side of the

pack. Getting so much work on the

cue ball.

Purposely try to get on the red.

Free up the pink spot.

Can we see him? Going for a sizeable

break without any lapses of

concentration? It's always around

40, 50, 60, just before his opponent

needs a snooker, that his

concentration seems to break down.

A

lovely shot to pot the pink and

screw onto one of the two reds

underneath the spot. A chance to

open up the reds about. Those two

might not be possible as it stands.

If he plays the cannon to the top

red, should be on for the one into

the middle. He has decided to play

for the red at the back of the

black, which is OK. Need to play a

little cannon into those two reds at

some point.

In fact, he doesn't have to. Even

more perfect chance. That's why he

didn't play the cannon before.

He is buzzing around the table. 18

seconds per shot. Ronnie O'Sullivan

would probably be a little bit

faster, 14 or 15 seconds today. It

tells you how quick he is playing.

It's quite intimidating as well when

you play a player like that.

Bouncing around the table, playing

at a fast pace. Everything is going

into the middle of the pocket OK. A

few little misses here and there,

but walks around the table with an

aura about him.

It's an aura of

confidence. He knows his game is in

good nick. Why wouldn't he? When you

are cueing as well as he is. You

would be walking around like that

yourself.

This is where he has to keep his

concentration. Getting to the

critical stage of this frame.

Just a few reds and colours away

from going into a 3-1 lead at the

interval.

A bit more to do here. Not

ideal at that shot. Thought he had

more than one red to go at but

negotiated it. Perfect again now.

Mark King's mistake to the centre

pocket will be very costly. Can't

afford to miss those. Just because

he changed his plan, was originally

going to play for the other red and

didn't concentrate hard enough on

that one. Fines himself 3-1 down at

the interval any second. -- he finds

himself.

This red and another colour, 48

ahead. Either pink or black will be

enough. Checking the score.

Double-checking. Prefer red and

black to put him 56 ahead with 51 on

the table, meaning your opponent

requires two snookers.

That's why

they call you crafty Ken.

Always

thinking. Red and pink is only 55.

Still the possibility of one

snooker. But if this goes in, it's

well beyond the hope of Mark King

coming back to the table. Showed

good concentration and focus.

He's not bothered about missing the

red. Mark says that's enough. Shaun

Murphy wins the fourth frame and

goes to the mid-session interval

leading Mark King 3-1.

STUDIO: Mark

King having their chances but Murphy

looking good when he gets in. It was

4-1 after the mid-session interval.

Into the sixth frame. Mark King has

had a break of 40 and is back at the

table.

JOHN PARROTT: Here we go. It's

unbelievable. The quality of his

long game has been absolutely

outstanding. Makes you wonder how he

cannot do that in and play such a

bad shot with the red over the hole.

Brilliant.

A flick on the green has now gone in

the worst spot possible because the

two reds on the right-hand side, he

would definitely take one of those,

and he can't see them.

He's going to

need a good pot here. It's not easy

with lots of balls in his way.

That's very good. It looked... Look

where the cue ball finished. So much

confidence of the red going in,

didn't even think about playing it

as a shock to nothing. -- as a shot

to nothing. Great pot. Gets him out

of trouble so many times, having

such a long ball game.

A wry smile

from Mark King sitting in his seat.

Not much you can do when someone is

knocking every long ball in. Played

a good shot. Shaun Murphy knocked it

in. Mark King looked at it, landed

on one, have you?

How important is

it to take the yellow for cushion.

Back on its own spot. Not as safe

ball on the table.

You just have to

give yourself the best possible

opportunity with a what if. What if

I get another chance. How will I

make it easier for myself to clear

up? He got the yellow for cushion,

and one excellent long pot later, he

has a very good chance of going 5-1.

So big a chance, in fact, that if he

doesn't take it, he will kick

himself. They are all there.

This is probably going to be his

most difficult pot. The scores are

level. He's going to need, after

this black, yellow, green, brown and

blue.

We talked about the difference in

players. And the scoring prowess.

That's been the difference tonight.

Apart from some of those outstanding

long pots, it's been the pot success

and the brick building from Shaun

Murphy.

This break here. Adding to previous

high breaks. He takes another frame,

just one more frame from a place in

the semifinal.

STUDIO: Inevitably,

just a few minutes later, Shaun

Murphy booked his place in the last

four with breaks of 32 and 35 to

knock Mark King out and seal a place

in the last four. Murphy beat King

on his way to lifting the champion

of champions title in November. And

then he went on to beat Ronnie

O'Sullivan. So is history about to

repeat itself here at the Betway UK

Championship?

repeat itself here at the Betway UK

Championship?

I'm over the moon. I

came here with a distant goal of try

to do better than last year. I have

now equalled my run from last year.

It shows good consistency. It's like

trying to lose weight of a specific

part of your body. It's impossible

to do. In the it's almost impossible

to time your good performances for

the major championships. You just

have to prepare as well as you can

all the time and hope that week is

your week. It's so nice at the

moment, I'm in a nice vein of form

and it coincided with the events.

Over the moon and I can't wait to

play again.

He's hitting the ball so

well. Shaun Murphy will play the

winner of the other quarterfinal

between Wales' Ryan Day and

England's Mark Joyce.

between Wales' Ryan Day and

England's Mark Joyce. Ryan Day

leading the career head-to-head

statistics. He has won his last

three against Mark Joyce. A great

start from Ryan Day to take the

first tomb dig two frames. -- to

take the first two frames.

DENNIS TAYLOR: no wonder he's

scratching his head. That was quite

an attacking shot he took on there.

Look what he's done with the reds.

They've got all sorts of extensions

these days. Extensions that go on

extensions. In the good old days,

Jim Meadowcroft, used a commentator

for the BBC, and a great player,

just passed away a couple of years

ago, he came up with a cue plus. It

was the first-ever extension, and it

just slotted over the bottom of the

cue and away you went. Little did we

think we would have all sorts of

bits of extensions to use.

Especially with the long, as we used

to call it the long tackle, but you

don't see that at the side of the

table is any more. You will if you

go to a snooker club. Big long cue,

and a big long rest. It used to

wobble when you put it on the table.

You were lucky to pot anything with

it.

Quiet as possible please, thank you.

Plenty of noise coming from the

other side, the table is on the

mid-session interval. They are

coming back into their seats. Not a

full pocket there. Well played.

PETER EBDON:

Would have liked a more

full contact on that. Still has the

choice of three reds.

Just once again, letting the cue

ball run on two or three inches

further than he intended. Shouldn't

miss this black, but should have

been straighter.

Because he's not getting on the

black as he is intending, he is

having to use cannons to stop the

white ball running up the table.

Once again, coming up a little bit

short and will have to play another

cannon. He doesn't need that many

more pots to secure this fourth

frame. And level the scores up.

Played it well this time.

Should be able to clinch the frame.

I know we felt that at the previous

frame, getting to 54 and then

missing the black off the spot.

And Ryan let him off the hook. Ryan

should have pinched the third. He

will not get a chance to do anything

about this frame. Has a little bit

to think about at the mid-session

interval.

That the frame safe now.

Ryan Day will know he has left Mark

Joyce off the hook here. Mark

certainly didn't settle early on. Of

the two players, he will be the much

happier at the interval, that's for

sure.

Now, Mark, can you treat us to a

century break here? I'm sure that's

something this audience at the

Barbican Centre in New York would

love to see.

One good cannon here and he has the

chance of a century. Hang on!

LAUGHTER

Smiles all around from Ryan Day,

from the audience. He still has to

pull out another good pot. We have

had 88 centuries this year so far.

It might be 89.

Doesn't want to land tight on it.

Might just be able to get it into

the corner.

Two centuries so far for Mark King

in the Betway UK Championship. No

reason why this shouldn't be his

third.

There we go, century number 89.

If that had gone in the pocket, it

would have counted as well. It

doesn't matter, he lost the two

opening frames. Ryan Day made a

careless mistake and had to sit it

out as Mark Joyce made the century

to level the match. STUDIO: It's a

good comeback from Mark Joyce,

winning frames five and seven with

Ryan Day pegging him back. We join

early in frame nine, back to Dennis

and Peter.

We can see that side of it. The jaw

hasn't helped in there.

I noticed,

Dennis, that Mark Joyce has been

reluctant to play those deep power

shots.

He may regret that now.

Smiles all round. He has plotted

both threads there. He would have

rather the other red had stayed over

the left corner pocket. Mark has

been unlucky. Catching the jaw of

the middle pocket to believe that

on. He has plotted two reds with

that shot. But you only have to plot

the one colour!

Ryan Day's viewpoint, it might not

be bad that he had a joke with

somebody in the audience, because it

might have broken the ice of it.

There is a lot of tension out there.

A bit of fun might help him relax a

bit.

Just a slight angle here.

I tell you what, I don't know how

many times that pink wobbled. Let's

have a look. One, two, three, four.

Four wobbles and in.

And this is where he's got to keep

his concentration and focus.

Give yourself that little extra

second or two just to compose

yourself and not slip up.

Once again, he'd have been better to

go straight on the pink.

This is the best that he's looked

for a good two or three frames,

Dennis.

All of a sudden, he looks as if he's

gone into Ryan Day tournament winner

mode.

And coming just at the right

time for him and all his supporters.

47 in front.

That's the sort of red you want to

leave yourself when you only need

that to leave your opponent needing

smokers. -- snookers. Up until the

previous frame, believe it or not,

Ryan Day's highest break was 38.

This is coming at just the right

time.

All of a sudden, Ryan Day looks like

a completely different. -- a

completely different player.

Looking

a bit like he did last season, when

he made 39 centuries. He's only made

13 this season. He's had three in

this year's Betway UK Championship.

And we've had 89 centuries so far

this year.

One more good positional shot, and

every chance of the century.

Yeah, that should be perfect.

Brilliant positional shot to give

himself the century.

Well played, Ryan Day. Very well

played. And the black to finish the

lot off. He was 4-3 down, he's come

back with breaks of 55 and that

magnificent break of 111. He is now

just one away from a place in the

semifinal. He leads 5-4.

A great

break to go 5-4 in front, but Joyce

then levels, so we have a final

frame decider.

Oh, wow, what a shot!

Have a look at this for a bit of

cueing. Never touched the sides.

Well, that unbelievable pot, he's

given himself a chance. If he's not

straight on this red, he may well...

No, he's got the cue power to get

back across on the black. He could

even stun it through, but it was

almost straight, and look where he's

got the cue ball to. Chances now for

the Welshman.

Well, he decided not to go into the

reds with a lot of pace. He's left

them very awkward. He'll need the

spider to get to this one.

That is awkward.

No. I think it was the shot before,

he didn't cannon the reds that he

wanted to when he potted the black.

He left that very awkward. Has he

got away with it? I think he has.

Hmm. That makes a vast difference

when you miss one, if you get away

with it and leave it safe.

Couldn't get in behind those colours

from where he was situated.

That's far too thin.

One good telling safety shot, Mark

Joyce could give himself a chance.

He's 31 points behind.

What a chance that was for Ryan Day.

They have now been playing for over

four hours, not very often this

happens on our highlights show, but

we are now going live, because Mark

Joyce is very much closing in on

victory. Can he booked a place in

the semifinal?

Let's rejoin Dennis and Peter. As

you join us, it's very tense indeed.

He's clawed his way back into this

deciding frame, and he potted an

unbelievable pink to give himself a

chance, close to the cushion, and he

stroked it in beautifully.

And that's another cracking pot, but

it's getting more and more

difficult, with the way the reds are

situated.

He's got an angle on the blue. But

he's going to have to play a

terrific positional shot here.

Can he get through to the reds

that's near the pocket? Even if he

can, that's the one he'd have to

play with a bit of pace to get to

the pink.

That was the problem with that shot.

He couldn't just drop it in. He

wouldn't have been on a colour. And

we've seen lots of those mist, but

under these circumstances, this is

the biggest match of his career to

get through to the semifinal of the

UK Championship, and it's

understandable you're going to see a

few misses like that.

Ryan is taking

the more difficult red, looking to

cannon away from the black. Oh,

that's perfect, well played.

Excellent pot and positional shot.

Lots and lots of pressure out there.

When he was 4-3 down, he made breaks

of 55 and 111 Mark Joyce did

remarkably well to level to take us

to a decider.

That puts him 19 in front. Red,

black, red.

Just leave yourself with a chance to

just roll the red in.

As easy as you like here. He's

puffing his cheeks. He won't want to

be forcing this, just make sure of

the red and then he can roll up

behind the black. It's there.

It turned out to be a fabulous match

here, both players were missing easy

shots earlier on, quite

understandable. Ryan Day has got one

foot in the semifinal.

Only one snooker needed. Can Mark

Joyce escape from this? And get it

safe? Just enough room to slip round

the back of that yellow.

And he has done, and he might hit

the black. That might be the end. He

missed the black. Had he hit the

black, it would have been all over.

He still needs two snookers. A

little smile, that was nice to see

from Mark Joyce. He's had a

brilliant UK Championship, and he's

not just out of it yet.

Ryan Day has done so well to get

himself back into this match and put

himself in a winning position. There

were times early in the match when

he literally couldn't pot a ball and

he was really struggling. He's done

tremendously well to hold himself

together.

You can't always play for your

snooker. Sometimes you've just got

to keep the object ball safe and

wait for a better chance.

He can just get past the blue. Not

an easy pot. This to make absolutely

certain of a place in the semifinal.

It's there.

Green up towards the black, white

behind the brown. Could have played

it better. But it's a tall order now

for Mark Joyce. 34, the difference.

It's a good effort. Got him

snookered behind the pink and blue,

and I don't think he can swerve

this. He's pretty good at swerving,

and he is going to swerve it, but he

might hit the ocean before the

brown. -- hit the cushion. Yeah,

well played.

Pink and black are not too badly

placed. 27, the difference. Just two

snookers now needed, because he'll

be getting five points for a

snooker, if he can get them.

A bit too pacey.

You've done well, Mark. You've done

really well this year.

A bit of a chance here, if he gets

enough side on this. Not a bad

effort. Not a bad effort at all! In

fact, a little bit harder, the

swerve escape wouldn't have been on.

He's tried this in the corner

pocket. But this is a bit of a

chance, off the left side of the

blue, a little trace of left-hand

side, Ryan possibly could be

snookered here.

It's pretty good.

But, once again, just enough room

for him to swerve around the pink.

He needs to get tight in behind one

of those colours, and it's not going

to be easy to do that.

Not a bad effort again, but I think

this time he can maybe just see

enough of the blue to take the pot

on. It's a very tough one.

It's in! And Mark Joyce comes

forward. These two boys have given

them a great match and, in the end,

it's the Welshman, and no wonder he

wipes the sweat off his brow, who

goes through this first ever

semifinal. Well played, Ryan Day.

Another late finish at the Betway UK

Championship 2017, and Ryan Day

delighted, win of the Masters this

season, and he is through to the

semifinal, where he will meet Shaun

Murphy,

semifinal, where he will meet Shaun

Murphy, and it's Ronnie O'Sullivan

against Stephen Maguire. Another

dramatic finish tonight, but we are

back tomorrow. Dust yourselves down,

BBC One 1:15pm, join us for Ronnie

O'Sullivan against Stephen Maguire.

Bye-bye for now.

HE CRIES OUT

Nice boots.

I haven't seen you in

a couple of days.

I've been busy.

GUNSHOT

MUFFLED CONVERSATION

I just... I just need to see him.