:00:15. > :00:19.Snooker is back on the BBC and back in York. After a five-year absence,
:00:19. > :00:28.the championship returns to this magical city and tour newly
:00:28. > :00:38.refurbished Barbican Centre. That is not all that is new. -- to a
:00:38. > :00:38.
:00:38. > :01:45.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:01:45. > :01:49.John Higgins is the UK champion. Brilliant!
:01:49. > :01:53.So take your pick. Any one of those champions and a whole host of
:01:53. > :01:57.others besides could be the man to win snooker's second most important
:01:57. > :02:07.event. Since we were last on air in May, times have been changing in
:02:07. > :02:08.
:02:08. > :03:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:03:51. > :03:55.Yes, the players have certainly been notching up the miles,
:03:55. > :03:59.travelling all the world. Steve Davis has a few stamps on his
:03:59. > :04:04.passport this season. John Parrott has watched it all from the comfort
:04:04. > :04:08.of his armchair. Lovely to see you both. Steve, it has been a full-on
:04:08. > :04:13.start for everyone, hasn't it? There have been 10 PCT tournaments
:04:13. > :04:17.and a couple of invitations. The players are certainly match sharp
:04:17. > :04:20.coming into the UK Championship. They may not be as fresh as in
:04:20. > :04:26.previous years but they certainly know what shot selection is all
:04:26. > :04:30.about. It really is a beery -- a busy
:04:30. > :04:34.period for everyone. There are one or two grumbles emerging about the
:04:34. > :04:38.workload. How healthy is the situation if you're a professional
:04:38. > :04:41.player these days? It has probably gone from the
:04:41. > :04:48.sublime to the ridiculous for some of them. They have had hardly any
:04:48. > :04:55.work and then suddenly they have had hardly a day off. It is
:04:55. > :04:58.difficult to play in every event. All of this means that the world
:04:58. > :05:03.rankings are chopping and changing all the time. These are the current
:05:03. > :05:07.headlines from the top 16. We have a new world No. 1, Mark Selby,
:05:07. > :05:17.taking over from Mark Williams. Judd Trump has moved up to number
:05:17. > :05:17.
:05:17. > :05:21.seven. Stuart Bingham has shot into Number 11. He will not is there is
:05:21. > :05:31.no Stephen Hendry. He has dropped out after two decades. There is no
:05:31. > :05:34.
:05:34. > :05:40.Stephen Ebden either. I wonder how everyone will react to this new
:05:40. > :05:45.format. John, give up the headlines from that. To win a match he
:05:45. > :05:49.previously had to get nine frames, now you have to get six. There is
:05:49. > :05:54.going to be a result in every single session. The disadvantage is
:05:54. > :06:04.that the top players are thinking, the more frames to play the bigger
:06:04. > :06:05.
:06:05. > :06:09.the chance I have of winning. -- frames I play. It was reduced to
:06:09. > :06:15.the best of five in the Grand Prix last year. I think it will happen
:06:15. > :06:20.here as well. They will soon get used to the format.
:06:21. > :06:26.It increases after the semi-finals. John Higgins has had something to
:06:26. > :06:33.say about this. As a 6-time winner in the longer format, what do you
:06:33. > :06:40.think and what is the current talk amongst the players? Players think
:06:40. > :06:43.they have a longer chance over a longer distance. The players who
:06:43. > :06:50.would like it to be shorter are the ones who perhaps take their chances
:06:50. > :06:57.of it. Back in the past and I would have wanted it as long as it could
:06:57. > :07:04.be. Barry Hearn has come in in the last two years, he has increased
:07:04. > :07:08.the price money -- the prize money. He has ruffled a few feathers
:07:08. > :07:15.because he has shortened some of the formats, perhaps tinkered with
:07:15. > :07:19.them too much for some of the purists. My take on it is, if you
:07:19. > :07:22.were inventing the tournament tomorrow, what type of tournament
:07:23. > :07:27.would you invent? We live in a faster world and people want
:07:27. > :07:33.results quicker. I think the best thing would be a balance. I think
:07:33. > :07:38.there is so little between the players at the top. I did a preview
:07:38. > :07:45.for the BBC website and when they mentioned each of the players I
:07:45. > :07:49.said, yes, he could win it, he could win it. It may prove to be a
:07:49. > :07:59.masterstroke. Here they are around here is how
:07:59. > :08:03.
:08:03. > :08:11.they all line up. -- here they are and here is how. Stephen's route
:08:11. > :08:17.here was trickier than usual. looking forward to playing at York
:08:17. > :08:25.again. Steve Davis is playing against
:08:25. > :08:29.Ronnie O'Sullivan. He is excited. People have to stop talking
:08:29. > :08:36.pathetically. It is a game of snooker, 11 frames. It is the same
:08:36. > :08:42.for everyone. Dominic Dale will try to bring down
:08:42. > :08:48.Judd Trump. I am going to focus on winning,
:08:49. > :08:52.whereas before I was just focusing on getting through the first frame.
:08:52. > :09:01.If I play like I did in the World Championships I think I have a good
:09:01. > :09:09.chance. Matthew Stevens won the UK in 2003.
:09:09. > :09:19.He meets Marcus Campbell. Graeme Dott's book hit the shelves
:09:19. > :09:20.
:09:20. > :09:27.recently. He takes on Matthew Selt. No matter what, it will be a world-
:09:27. > :09:37.class player who wins the event. Mark Williams has been runner-up in
:09:37. > :09:40.
:09:40. > :09:50.both of the major ranking events already. He is up against Joe Jogia.
:09:50. > :09:54.
:09:54. > :09:58.London's Martin Gould is at last in the top 16. I think the fact that
:09:58. > :10:01.there will be two tables in York this year, every match will be
:10:01. > :10:09.televised and you can watch it. I think that makes a massive
:10:09. > :10:19.difference. For me, that balances it out.
:10:19. > :10:20.
:10:20. > :10:30.Ali Carter is up against Robert Milkins. It has been a big season
:10:30. > :10:32.
:10:32. > :10:36.for Stuart Bingham. He is up against Marco Fu. The world No.
:10:36. > :10:39.is Mark Selby. It was only a few years ago that we
:10:39. > :10:44.only had six tournaments and we did not know where the next one was
:10:44. > :10:53.coming from. Now we're playing week-in week-out. It is just a few
:10:53. > :10:57.frames less, it does not bother me. Among the more tasty morsels in
:10:57. > :11:07.round one has to be Ronnie O'Sullivan and Steve Davis. Steve,
:11:07. > :11:08.
:11:08. > :11:12.you have played two qualifying matches. We got 96 on the tour. I
:11:12. > :11:20.am delighted to be here. When I knew I would be playing Ronnie I
:11:20. > :11:28.was delighted as well. There will be a lot of eyes on it. It is only
:11:28. > :11:36.the best of 11. It is like the best of one, best of 11. Anything else
:11:36. > :11:45.leap that you -- we power to achieve from that draw?
:11:45. > :11:49.The all-Scottish encounter. It is always fascinating to see Stephen.
:11:49. > :11:53.He is in here at the moment knocking a few balls around. He is
:11:53. > :11:57.obviously getting geared up for it. It is always fascinating to see
:11:57. > :12:02.what standard his game is at. It will be a good match.
:12:02. > :12:06.As tradition dictates we are going to start with John Higgins, the
:12:06. > :12:12.defending champion. You might remember that amazing comeback
:12:12. > :12:15.against Mark Williams in the final last year against -- in Telford.
:12:15. > :12:18.John has had a relatively quiet start to the season. We have been
:12:18. > :12:26.chatting to him about this championship and lots of other
:12:26. > :12:36.things besides. You might just get a clue that we spoke to him in
:12:36. > :12:40.November. This is obviously one of the biggest events that we play in.
:12:40. > :12:44.I would love to do well and give a good account of myself. It has
:12:44. > :12:54.taken a little while to get used to this season again. I think when
:12:54. > :12:55.
:12:55. > :13:03.you're in that sort of bobble for the last year -- bubble, and you
:13:03. > :13:07.were just playing match to match. Rory, a tough game. He does well in
:13:07. > :13:12.the qualifying matches but when it is on the TV he maybe doesn't play
:13:12. > :13:19.as well as he does in qualifying, but I am sure that will be his goal
:13:19. > :13:25.this year. A player in his 21st year as a
:13:25. > :13:35.professional, will they call them up The Highlander, Rory McLeod! --
:13:35. > :14:05.
:14:05. > :14:15.MUSIC: "Jamming" by Bob Marley The defending UK champion, John
:14:15. > :14:32.
:14:32. > :14:37.We have had record advance ticket sales for the championship.
:14:37. > :14:43.Remember, it is the best of 11. Just one session until the semi-
:14:43. > :14:51.finals. The first to six goes through. Rory McLeod has taken a 2-
:14:51. > :15:01.1 lead over Labour Scot in this match. The Southampton player is
:15:01. > :15:09.
:15:09. > :15:15.If he has gone far enough he might be able to come over and bring the
:15:15. > :15:19.yellow into play. It looks as if it has the perfect angle to go off the
:15:19. > :15:26.baulk cushion. I think he can force the angle of the plays it with a
:15:26. > :15:34.bit of right-hand side. I am not sure if he can force that angle. I
:15:34. > :15:41.think he might be able to pull this off. If he hits it hard he can move
:15:41. > :15:45.them. He is going to try and get the snooker. Not many players would
:15:45. > :15:50.have played to leave the snooker. A lot of players would have tried to
:15:50. > :15:56.disturb both of those. If he did not get the cannon you still have
:15:56. > :16:06.the chance of a snooker. Has he got the snooker? He does not want that
:16:06. > :16:06.
:16:06. > :16:13.yellow to career into the blue. He will be disappointed with that.
:16:13. > :16:23.This yellow will certainly tie up the frame for John Higgins. Where
:16:23. > :16:23.
:16:23. > :17:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:17:08. > :17:18.Barring a snooker we're going to If he can stand this white there is
:17:18. > :17:28.a chance of getting a snooker behind the black. He has potted the
:17:28. > :17:34.
:17:34. > :17:44.green. Has he? I do not think he can get past the black. This will
:17:44. > :17:46.
:17:46. > :17:54.be some shot. He would have to come off of two cushions to get the
:17:54. > :18:04.green. If he goes across the table he would have to get so much swerve
:18:04. > :18:10.
:18:10. > :18:20.on its. Not a bad effort but it is not there.
:18:20. > :18:37.
:18:38. > :18:41.NR25 points remaining. -- There are That will do very nicely. I think
:18:41. > :18:51.he has an angle to miss the middle pocket and get nicely on to the
:18:51. > :18:51.
:18:51. > :19:35.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:19:35. > :19:45.He played it well. He looks to have He has got that snooker and it
:19:45. > :19:46.
:19:46. > :19:49.looks as if he will tie the frame. That is a certainty now. When he
:19:49. > :19:59.rolled to the green to play the snooker he was up as if he had
:19:59. > :20:12.
:20:12. > :20:20.You always want to win the toss and put your opponent in. Rory wins the
:20:20. > :20:28.toss. John goes to the table. In the old days you played it up and
:20:28. > :20:33.down the sports to leave the black tights to the cushion. It will be
:20:33. > :20:43.interesting to see which way John plays it. You just have to avoid
:20:43. > :20:45.
:20:45. > :20:50.the double-kiss. He has played that very well. He has the cue ball near
:20:50. > :20:53.the cushion. But you always leave the possibility of the double.
:20:53. > :20:57.the cue ball up against -- up at the other end of the table. If he
:20:57. > :21:01.tries to flick the black on to the top cushion behind the black spot
:21:01. > :21:10.that can go wrong, so why not have a go at the double and leave plenty
:21:10. > :21:20.of distance between the balls? This may go close to the left corner
:21:20. > :21:33.
:21:33. > :21:43.He got us like double-kiss but he will settle for the outcome. -- a
:21:43. > :21:50.
:21:50. > :21:59.He has played it better this time. I do not think the double is on
:21:59. > :22:02.this time. That is a great shot that John Higgins has played. It
:22:02. > :22:06.looked very simple and straightforward but it was judged
:22:06. > :22:16.to perfection. The only advantage from Rory's point of view is that
:22:16. > :22:27.
:22:28. > :22:32.the cue ball as a little further Where is the black going to finish?
:22:32. > :22:42.He can cut this in but he has to keep an eye on the cue ball. It
:22:42. > :22:57.
:22:57. > :23:02.will be flying up and down the He safely avoids the in-off. It
:23:02. > :23:05.looked like Rory McLeod was going to pinch that frame. He did not. It
:23:05. > :23:08.is all square as we got to the mid- session interval.
:23:08. > :23:11.Rory is proving pretty stubborn and problematic for John Higgins, just
:23:11. > :23:18.as he was in the second round at the Crucible a few months ago when
:23:18. > :23:21.it was a very hard-fought match, something like seven hours. When
:23:21. > :23:27.they come back from the interval, Rory McLeod has taken the fifth
:23:27. > :23:36.frame. He leaves it 3-2. We're going to join them live now. This
:23:36. > :23:40.is frame six. And it is hello to Dennis and John.
:23:40. > :23:48.Hello to you, Hazel. Great to be back at the Barbican Centre and
:23:48. > :23:52.great to see Rory McLeod making the world champion work very hard here.
:23:52. > :23:59.That was a good friend that he won with a nice break of 54 that helped
:23:59. > :24:08.him on his way. He is proving he has quite a good temperament.
:24:08. > :24:11.He is certainly relishing the fact of playing the world champion. John
:24:11. > :24:17.Higgins is slightly up against it. He has not really produced his best.
:24:17. > :24:21.He had a break of VAT on the first. Since then he has not really been
:24:21. > :24:30.scoring that well when he has had his chances. He certainly had a
:24:30. > :24:36.chance in the last frame and broke down prematurely.
:24:36. > :24:46.He has hit is a bit hard. I do not know if the first red passes the
:24:46. > :25:02.
:25:02. > :25:06.black. -- hit this. He made decide -- he may decide. The reds had been
:25:06. > :25:12.split beautifully. You are always trusting a little bit to luck as to
:25:12. > :25:22.where the cue ball goes. It needed to run through another six inches
:25:22. > :25:32.
:25:32. > :25:39.APPLAUSE It went in, and that was the most important thing.
:25:39. > :25:49.There was a lot of pressure on that at 3-2 behind. He needs another
:25:49. > :26:04.
:26:04. > :26:14.You were right, John. What a golden opportunity he has left for Rory
:26:14. > :26:19.
:26:19. > :26:29.McLeod. Off we go with the sort of chance that you would set up for a
:26:29. > :26:44.
:26:44. > :26:49.John Higgins did have a little bit of a goal at the Association about
:26:49. > :26:54.the change to the number of frames. Players do like longer friends,
:26:54. > :27:04.especially someone like John. It adds a bit more pressure to him. If
:27:04. > :27:12.
:27:12. > :27:15.he loses this friend he has a lot You can see Ding Junhui in the
:27:15. > :27:20.background. Usually there is a curtain that comes down, a dividing
:27:20. > :27:30.wall, but this is open plan. It is the sort of thing that the players
:27:30. > :27:30.
:27:30. > :28:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:28:34. > :28:38.have got used to. It means the If he gets a nice angle on this red
:28:38. > :28:48.he will play for the blue. The pink is available. It is plain sailing
:28:48. > :28:59.
:28:59. > :29:04.Going way back to the second frame, it looked like Rory was going to
:29:04. > :29:09.fall behind. But he did make a nice break and won the frame and it has
:29:09. > :29:19.certainly given him the confidence to go on and produce this kind of
:29:19. > :29:19.
:29:19. > :30:27.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:30:27. > :30:37.He is in the driving seat at the Not bad. It is a little bit more
:30:37. > :30:47.awkward than he would have liked. He is having to use the rest.
:30:47. > :30:48.
:30:48. > :30:58.I think he has got an angle for the black. Pink to the middle, black to
:30:58. > :31:10.
:31:10. > :31:18.Just about perfect. I am seeing signs of a growing confidence in
:31:18. > :31:28.Rory. He is not the quickest player, I do not mean that as a detriment
:31:28. > :31:32.
:31:32. > :31:42.It is all about confidence. He is on the verge of getting himself
:31:42. > :31:48.
:31:48. > :31:52.into the top 32. Before I retired, I went to practise with him and he
:31:52. > :32:02.never missed in practice. He has never really produced the snooker
:32:02. > :32:33.
:32:33. > :32:43.that he consistently produces in Pot this red, goal in front... A
:32:43. > :32:46.
:32:46. > :32:56.formality, surely? Not much fun, practising with people who never
:32:56. > :33:01.
:33:01. > :33:09.I think that is one of the great pet hates of the snooker player.
:33:09. > :33:19.Playing with someone who never misses. Get the worst player in the
:33:19. > :33:29.
:33:29. > :33:34.club! That is the way I used to John Higgins currently has the
:33:34. > :33:37.highest break in this match. The break of 80 that he made in the
:33:37. > :33:42.opening frame. Sometimes when his back is against the wall, that is
:33:42. > :33:52.when he produces his best snooker. A remarkable comeback in last
:33:52. > :33:52.
:33:52. > :34:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:34:44. > :34:48.That is now the highest break of A terrific break. I do not know
:34:48. > :34:52.whether it was the UK Championship one year, he was when -- well down
:34:52. > :34:57.but he some the produced three centuries, it might have been in
:34:57. > :35:05.four frames. He did not win the match, but he certainly played some
:35:05. > :35:11.marvellous snooker. He has run out of position their slightly. I think
:35:11. > :35:20.he had so an eye on bringing the last red away from the pressure.
:35:20. > :35:30.Can he make the century? He needs to pop the blue. Not quite. John
:35:30. > :35:32.
:35:32. > :35:37.Higgins, world champion, in trouble, against Rory McLeod, who leads.
:35:37. > :35:44.Looking calm and composed. We know he has been playing well over the
:35:44. > :35:48.past few seasons. I think this is the story of things to come in the
:35:48. > :35:54.world of snooker. Rory has been a pro for 21 years. I could not
:35:54. > :36:00.believe that! For many years, considered a journey man, going
:36:00. > :36:03.nowhere. All of a sudden, instead of having six tournaments in the
:36:03. > :36:07.season, now we have got so many tournaments where the general
:36:07. > :36:13.standard has got better and a lot of the players who were considered
:36:13. > :36:17.the Jenny men are getting enough matchplay to become better players
:36:17. > :36:21.and also having enough confidence that they can perform at the level.
:36:21. > :36:23.Seeing the likes of John Higgins and Rory in some of the smaller
:36:23. > :36:29.tournaments, getting more opportunities to play, in that
:36:29. > :36:35.respect, is the fear factor of diminished slightly, John? I think
:36:35. > :36:39.so. Familiarity breeds contempt. Why not beat them in front of a
:36:39. > :36:49.television camera? That should not make a difference. That has held
:36:49. > :36:53.him back. If he was a race was, you would think that Rory McLeod never
:36:53. > :36:59.produces it on the racecourse. When he comes to the television stages
:36:59. > :37:05.and the camera, he never really did himself justice. He is now. He is
:37:05. > :37:11.indeed. From John's -- from the John's perspective, he knows that
:37:11. > :37:16.it is only best of 11 and suddenly he thinks, he has got to catch up.
:37:16. > :37:23.That is slightly problematic in itself. He is be difference between
:37:23. > :37:25.a best-of- 11 and best of 17. Perhaps John Higgins was looking at
:37:26. > :37:30.damage-limitation to get out of recession and come back in the
:37:30. > :37:35.evening. Now it is not damage limitation, it a couple of frames
:37:35. > :37:40.and he could be out. It is much more cut-throat. Normally, the
:37:40. > :37:49.players better under match conditions do come to the forefront.
:37:49. > :37:54.Back we go to the match. It is fascinatingly poised, this
:37:54. > :38:04.first round match with the defending champion slightly up
:38:04. > :38:17.
:38:17. > :38:24.Not quite. There is a possible pot here. He can get the cue ball round
:38:24. > :38:34.the back of the black. His long hot success rate is much better than at
:38:34. > :38:43.
:38:43. > :38:53.This would be a nice one up to slot in. Let us see what he can make of
:38:53. > :39:19.
:39:19. > :39:23.Slightly awkward here. But he can screw back for the blue Label --
:39:23. > :39:32.for the blue from this, to try to get the white whip on the position
:39:32. > :39:42.a little bit. -- away from the cushion a little bit. John normally
:39:42. > :39:48.
:39:48. > :39:53.goes into the pink fold ball. It is If he gets it right this time with
:39:53. > :40:03.a slightly better angle, he will then cannoned into the pink and
:40:03. > :40:14.
:40:14. > :40:24.He has underhit it slightly again. Still a bright colour at the back
:40:24. > :40:41.
:40:41. > :40:46.of the bunch, if he can't get into No, he has underhit back. That is
:40:46. > :40:51.probably the worst positional shot he has played for a while. He is
:40:51. > :41:01.going to have to force up the position here. He underscrew it
:41:01. > :41:07.
:41:07. > :41:17.back by car it a way. -- by quite a Look at where the cue ball has
:41:17. > :41:22.gone! That is a bit unlucky. Absolutely, very unlucky. Not only
:41:22. > :41:32.did the cue ball run through and get past the blue, the red you
:41:32. > :41:39.
:41:39. > :41:49.think he would be looking at, but Made no difference. If it stops
:41:49. > :42:14.
:42:14. > :42:24.short of the bold line, he won How is the cue ball? It has come up
:42:24. > :42:37.
:42:37. > :42:42.The two reds are not even a plant so he can not get that. Can he get
:42:42. > :42:52.past one of those reds to the left side of the table? It must be very
:42:52. > :43:02.
:43:02. > :43:12.He has done well. He put everything into the pot there and sacrificed a
:43:12. > :43:27.
:43:27. > :43:31.That looks much better this time. He has got a lovely little angle to
:43:31. > :43:41.pot best red and leave himself nicely on the black for the same
:43:41. > :43:41.
:43:41. > :44:37.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:44:37. > :44:44.He just went a little bit too far so had to play the cannon. He is OK.
:44:44. > :44:48.This is typical of the defending champion and current world champion.
:44:48. > :44:58.When his back is against the wall, that is when he does seem to be
:44:58. > :45:08.
:45:08. > :45:18.Look at that determination on his face when he his down on the shop.
:45:18. > :45:51.
:45:51. > :45:59.Needs a nice little cannon here to A couple of reds and a couple of
:45:59. > :46:09.colours would see him well in this frame. A little bit of work to do
:46:09. > :46:16.
:46:16. > :46:26.How is it running? He will not be getting the red this visit. That
:46:26. > :46:36.was careless. A positional shot on the blue back was the poor shot.
:46:36. > :46:42.
:46:42. > :46:48.Rory McLeod will be thinking he is This was the one that did not get
:46:48. > :46:58.the right side of the blue. He could do with the lifting this red
:46:58. > :47:20.
:47:20. > :47:27.That middle jaws is trying to spoil He has not got many points to play
:47:27. > :47:37.with. He can afford one pink. The rest will have to be blacks to win
:47:37. > :47:40.
:47:40. > :47:50.the frame in one visit. It may put him off playing the plant. Can he
:47:50. > :47:59.
:47:59. > :48:09.Looking at the angle, it he may be able to screw this white and get on
:48:09. > :48:16.
:48:16. > :48:21.He has not stuck anything up. Nothing easy, that is for sure. I
:48:21. > :48:28.think Rory when he took the plant on, thought, if I do not get this,
:48:28. > :48:33.I am going to lose the frame. was worth the risk, obviously. You
:48:33. > :48:43.have got to take some risks. He has got away with it. He will be coming
:48:43. > :49:06.
:49:06. > :49:16.John has managed to get two reds near the question which is a big
:49:16. > :49:29.
:49:29. > :49:39.John will not mind back. A pretty good shot from Rory. The red has
:49:39. > :49:40.
:49:40. > :49:50.cornered near the back kitchen. -- bap cushion. If he can just get
:49:50. > :49:57.
:49:57. > :50:07.I thought he could only see the edge of it but what a great long
:50:07. > :50:07.
:50:07. > :51:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:51:47. > :51:56.Terrific cueing going on here. Rory has not managed to score a point in
:51:56. > :52:06.this frame. As you said, that is what you expect from John Higgins.
:52:06. > :52:28.
:52:28. > :52:33.You have got to scrape this man off He will not bother about that. Back
:52:33. > :52:39.for tea break has a queue at the frame. He closes the gap. John
:52:39. > :52:44.Higgins is just one behind now. The world and UK champion looks
:52:44. > :52:49.like he is suddenly in the group. He is up against it. He is up
:52:49. > :52:53.against someone who you do not win frames easily against. That was an
:52:53. > :52:58.exemplary performance. Rory McLeod is very difficult to play against.
:52:58. > :53:01.If it does not help from John's perspective that after the World
:53:01. > :53:06.Championship he said that he did not get back into the start of the
:53:06. > :53:10.season very quickly. It has taken him a while to find his feet. He
:53:10. > :53:13.does have a tendency to produce the right form for the right moments.
:53:13. > :53:18.Is that more difficult with a crowded schedule to be able to
:53:18. > :53:22.manage? Possibly, but I think every player will get themselves in the
:53:22. > :53:26.right frame of mind for the event. The only difficulty is that
:53:27. > :53:32.sometimes in the first round, the first day, that is when you can get
:53:32. > :53:38.caught cold. He has got to switch his snooker brain on. He proves he
:53:38. > :53:45.is able to do that. The alarm bells will be ringing. What makes Rory
:53:45. > :53:53.such a tough opponent? Years have faced him a fair bet. -- him you
:53:53. > :53:56.have faced him a fair bet. He is a top-class snooker player. The big
:53:56. > :54:01.thing that has been missing his performance in front of the TV
:54:01. > :54:05.cameras, as I mentioned before, but that looks like it is in the past.
:54:05. > :54:11.He has taken flak for being a more methodical player. Fair or not?
:54:11. > :54:14.do not think it is flat, it is just how he is perceived. He is a
:54:14. > :54:19.quality player. He has the opportunity bit more events if to
:54:19. > :54:21.flourish. There was not enough before and people were perhaps not
:54:22. > :54:27.depressed but down in the dumps that they did not get enough
:54:27. > :54:32.matchplay. The other thing was that when they are so few events, you
:54:32. > :54:37.put so much effort in that sometimes you go up in trying not
:54:37. > :54:44.to miss a ball rather than thinking you can win the event. Beck is not
:54:44. > :54:49.a case of that at the moment. -- that is not the case at the moment.
:54:49. > :54:55.In terms of motivation for John, I read early on the season that he is
:54:55. > :54:58.now targeting seven world titles. He has clearly had to reassess his
:54:58. > :55:02.ambitions. How realistic a target do you think that is for John going
:55:02. > :55:08.forward? He is one of the few players I would think it is
:55:08. > :55:16.possible for them to when it got a budget in their 40s. It has not
:55:16. > :55:20.been done ball so long. -- to win the World Championship in their 40s.
:55:20. > :55:26.He is one of those players. His strike rate is very good. To
:55:26. > :55:35.compare him fog Ronnie O'Sullivan who says he has under-achieve, John
:55:35. > :55:38.does get himself in the right state of mind for the big events.
:55:38. > :55:48.Remember it is first to six who will go through. A few more minutes
:55:48. > :55:51.
:55:51. > :56:01.to enjoy the frame. Thank you, Hazel. A poor shot from
:56:01. > :56:19.
:56:19. > :56:25.Normally you would think, is he on a baulk colour? With the blue not
:56:25. > :56:34.being on its spot, he has got a chance with the blue. With any
:56:34. > :56:40.player playing Rory, for some reason, their style of play, you
:56:40. > :56:46.feel as though you are sat in your seat quite a while. Looking at the
:56:46. > :56:52.table time, Rory McLeod has 61% table time, John Higgins 39%.
:56:52. > :56:55.Sometimes you never seem to get a rhythm going, do you? You have got
:56:55. > :57:01.to readjust and concentrate that bit harder when you are playing
:57:01. > :57:04.like that. You are always going to come up against different styles of
:57:04. > :57:14.play and John has been able to cope with all of the styles that have
:57:14. > :57:14.
:57:14. > :57:58.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 67 seconds
:57:58. > :58:02.That was a bit unlucky. He may only I said it was a couple of minutes.
:58:02. > :58:08.Coverage will continue of both matches on this afternoon online
:58:09. > :58:14.and on the red button. We are back on the air again on BBC Two at
:58:14. > :58:17.4:30pm. Well under way here in York but we are certainly less jovial
:58:17. > :58:21.than usual because we are missing a couple of great friends and
:58:21. > :58:30.colleagues who lit up the snookers seen with their skills and smiles.
:58:30. > :58:35.We miss them both. A tremendously well respected referee died in