Day 5, Part 1 UK Snooker Championship

Good afternoon. The ladies and gentlemen of the press have had

plenty to sink their teeth into in recent days. Ronnie O'Sullivan said

goodbye and painted again that a final goodbye not be far away. --

hinted. John Higgins is also on the way home early. And Mark Allen has

been getting a telling off over some of his comments here a few

days ago. Plenty of column inches He has missed it. It is building

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

What a horrible way to end a match. He took everything the Rok could

throw at him today. He has played Judd is a great player. He is

probably the most dangerous player I have ever played. He will take a

lot of stopping. I did not play great today. A lot of my game was

not great. When you play like that and you can still beat Ronnie,

ladies and nice confidence boost. I am still in the tournament.

It was a brave fightback from the Welshman. Doing is absolutely

delighted. -- Ding Junhui. Absolutely Maya Pedersen from

Stephen probably -- Stephen Maguire probably a deserved winner.

defeat is devastating. What if you know you have not played well

enough, you have no complaints. beat the world champion, I beat

John Higgins. It is a great result for me. I have not been getting

many results against the top Wise. They do not come across any better

And eventful 48 hours. Even more sensational headlines this morning.

Barry Hearn has hit back at Mark Allen over his comments on Monday.

We have three members of the press. Terry Rushmore, Neil Goldie and

Jimmy brought in. Firstly, you take on Mr Alan? I can understand why

Barry was upset. He came into the game at a time when many people

thought it was sinking. He has delivered more prize money. In

general he is doing a lot of good for the game. Is there a silent

minority in agreement with Mark Allen with regard to the changes?

think there is. A lot of people have not said it. Mark was pretty

bald to say it. He may be sued for it. The only thing he did regret

was swearing and the press conference, which is understandable.

I spoke to him off the record and he is unhappy. He also feels as if

he is being harshly treated about the disrepute charge. More players

need to say things end of the press. It does give good column inches for

snooker. Jamie, your listeners on Radio 5 Live very interested. What

is your take on at? It is very interesting that Mark Allen has

been so outspoken. John Higgins was very critical about this shortened

format. None of them think Barry Hearn is doing a bad job. Only Mark

Allen has been this outspoken. Still column inches left in this

one. Ronnie Oswell that always makes good copy. -- Ronnie

O'Sullivan. It looks as if he may be thinking of calling it at bay

again? You'll have to excuse me if I do not by too much into this one.

I am sure we have heard this before. I am sure we will see him next

month at the Masters. Dr Steve Pietersen working very effectively.

For me it was pretty heartfelt. He seems pretty lonely away from the

table? He does. Ronnie has had some knelt dance. He is one of those

unpredictable characters. -- knelt down. Steve Peters is helping him.

What will he do if he quits snooker? Nobody knows. When he

quit? Only he knows. Finally, from your perspective, Ronnie O'Sullivan

is always great box-office for snooker. How much do people want to

see him? The crowds of people cueing to get in yesterday proved

he is still the Marky player. He is the one we want to write about and

talk about. Snooker needs him. If it is a question of his men --

health and battle stability, so be it. Couldn't -- goodness knows what

stories we are going to one Earth today. -- on earth. Mark Williams

accelerated to the top of the sport again last season. He is struggling

here. He would have to turn on the power today. Especially against

Ricky Walden, one of only two unseeded players through to the

last 16. Shaun Murphy won this title in Telford three years ago.

How he would love a second success in York. He needs Martin Gould, who

could always swap his cue for some arrows. And we're a frank and

fascinating interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan. -- we here. I have

become virtually a nightmare to be around, probably. I do not know.

That is how I feel inside. I do not want to put people through that no

more. I want to have a life. I have tried and I didn't think I can have

a live and play snooker. -- I don't think. And Mark Allen's response to

the controversy over his comments about Barry Hearn. I do not

understand the changes he is making. He will ruffle a lot of feathers.

It is a pity that I am the only one standing up to them. Not time to

mess about today. Our two second round batters got under way. --

matches got under way at midday. Would Mark Williams bothered to

walk to his seat, or hop over his And his opponent, one of the finest

Welsh players ever to grace the modern game. His laid-back approach

has taken into just about every title in the sport. Will he jumped

over the set this time or walk all the way round? Here comes the Welsh

No short cuts firm mark this afternoon, especially after Ricky

Walden was on a break of 68. Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor in the

It is going to come back across the table. Even then he has left it for

the other corner. In potting this red, if Mark Williams decided to,

he could try to knock the pink out. He is not going to. It was an

option. He has now got a good chance. The key to this frame will

be how he gets on at the blue. -- He has got to be absolutely spot on.

I am thinking a few shots ahead. If he can get the white somewhere near

It is a similar shot. This is more difficult now. Screwing Oudin and

off the cushion. -- screwing it in. Being a left-hander, he could

possibly dropping behind it. -- drop in. There are two options.

Move the pink all around the table. He wants to move the pink but not

too far up the table. He played for the double. He is a bit short of

An unusual choice to leave the double rather than trying to move

That is an excellent shot. What a good start for Ricky Walden. Mark

Williams was in first. Ricky will be delighted to have taken the

Ricky breaks off in frame two. A little bit short of pace. Possible

pot into the left corner and he could keep himself on the black. --

That was a terrific shot. A poor break off a shot from Ricky Walden.

You cannot afford to leave it potter like Mark Williams would

have a chance. -- with half a chance. It really was a superb shot

Mark Williams played to start this potential break. Lovely way around

the table. Get on with the shops but does not rush anything. -- he

Opening the pack of raids. Still some work to be done. It was a good

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

Fantastic close control. His shot time is so quick. As fast as

anybody in the game. It just does not look that way. 16 seconds per

shot at the moment. And all of these shops any of the club players

could play. Easy position. The skill is in the control. The right

This will be his 7th black coming He may be in a predicament here. He

was trying to get on the red to the Close. What a massive shot. He was

going for the 147. He had to keep the break going as well. The

trouble is, he has let Ricky Walden in. If Ricky Walden could steal

this frame, Mark Williams has played effectively two fantastic

frames and would be two behind. A big frame, I reckon. Look at how

the balls are sitting. Of a confidence boost this would be if

Ricky Walden could clear from here. -- what a confidence boost. I am

just looking at those three red balls near the pink, they can all

The raid in line with the blue pocket has caused a problem. -- the

red. Ricky has run out of position, even though it does not look it. It

is weird how that can happen. played for the other red, the two

behind the pink. It is not a problem, but there was a better way

he could have gone. Anyway, as long as you keep knocking them in, Steve.

He did not really want to pot this pink until he had cleared the reds.

That is why he has run out of position. There will be some work

to do to split the pink away from the wreck. It has only tied 1 red

He has left himself a choice of Does that raid go passed into the

right corner? I think it does. -- red. I do not know why I even

asked! If that one goes, there is the possibility that red Bull Pot

into the right middle. -- will pot. The pink will be available. The

pink will go back on its spot and Probably after this pink, the red

He he is looking in great form. Mark Williams looks in great for me.

So much so, Mark was trying to make a maximum break. He makes sure you

score enough to win the French before you concentrate on a maximum.

He last met her friend. -- win of Ricky has taken his chance

beautifully so far. Very fluent with the queue. Not ideal on the

blue. First problem. Played that very well. I was not certain he

could hold the cue ball up there. He should clear the balls. He just

needs to concentrate a little bit harder. A little bit of noise from

the other table. I do not think Mark was expecting this. He has

played these absolutely to Mark Williams was on his way to

make a maximum. He missed a red and Ricky Walden has cleared. He is two

friends in front. At very fast start indeed from the Chester

player. He not been a break of 81 in the third frame. At 3-0

advantage as we enter friend of four. Williams trialling. -- frame

I think Ricky felt he was going to cover that with the red. A chance

for Mark Williams. He has got to take advantage. He just clipped the

red. It has missed his position up straight away. He was looking to

hit that read full. Collide with some of the pack behind it. This

will take some working out to get on the black. Perhaps it can and

onto the raid to the right of the Pot the black, screwed into the

rest of the pack, retain position. -- screw. He needs to make this

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

He would have liked to have been on the blue. A lot more difficult now

to win the frame in this visit. Looking at one of the ball Collor's

Is their any value in potting the blue. --? If he does not like the

blue, he could put the pink saved, put the ball safe. This is very

aggressive. I think he may be thinking of a safety shot. The

plant is a risky. We know what happened in the second frame when

he was on his way to a possible Frame before the mid-session

interval, superbly. And also with the plant, he did not panic. He

controlled it nicely, gave the red up every chance to go into the

pocket. Very close to being over One more red. And he has got on the

For a left-hander, not so bad. Any colour will do and he has

finished perfectly on the black so this is a good response from Mark

The gentlest of cannons has pushed one on. Just showing what a great

Because Ricky Walden has done very He has been a finalist in the first

two ranking tournament of the season so you would expect him to

He wants to get to the mid-session interval and a great performance

from Ricky Walden, Mark Williams did very well to take that frame

and he will be pleased slightly because he is 3-1 behind.

HAZEL IRVINE: Comparisons in the studio with Ken Doherty and John

Parrott. Your assessment of the way Ricky Walden came out of the box

like a shot. He has not missed a ball. He looks very at ease and

comfortable in and around the balls, knocking them in and made a

brilliant break particularly in the second frame. It was a big frame

from Mark Williams there and he made a terrific plant and it just

shows you. Characters have a lot of friends left in this match but a

great start for Ricky Walden. you look back at recent form, the

first competitive maximum and a runner up in one of the small

events as well so it seems like his form is coming to the peak at the

right time. He is a quick score as well. Mark Williams did a brilliant

response there. Two behind at the interval instead of four? A lot of

snooker left. What were your impressions of what was a pretty

faltering performance against Joe Jogia? His own expression were the

wheels came off. Joe Jogia put him up to it a little bit. And Mark

said he had better get his head down and for the last two frames he

was good again but in the middle of the match, he did not know where he

went. You see the difference, it is amazing. When Judd Trump bashes the

balls around and Mark Williams is the opposite, he floats around the

table and plays lots of slow roles. Completely different but just as

effective. It is shaping up to an intriguing match. We hope you stay

with us. If you have been skimming through the newspapers and as we

indicated at the top of the programme, a fair bit of interest

in Ronnie O'Sullivan following his exit to Judd Trump and that came

after one day after his 36th birthday and he has raised the

possibility that he might be ready to think about calling time on her

snooker career. He has also talked openly about the difficulty he

finds in achieving a work-life balance. This is what he was

If I had won that match I would have found it difficult to enjoy my

life in between matches and -- matches in between tournaments.

Sticker has been great and I love it but you know what, there's so

much more that I want. I don't feel comfortable with me let alone

trying to blend in, I have shut myself off from a lot of people

just because I want to continue my career and I know that sometimes I

am not the easiest person to be around when I am carrying some of

those emotions. I don't want to be a lonely old man

at 45 having gut-wrenching anxiety. I feel I am not a good person to be

around when I am trying to... I think I have come round to

admitting to it. When I have four months off in the summer, I was a

different person, a joy to be around and I want to be that person

that is good to be around. I want to share my life with somebody.

Probably the reason why I am not with my partner now or whatever was

because I was so hard to be around. I had two kids and I am not with

her no Mall and I have kind of... - - I am not with her any more and I

put that down to being obsessed with getting snooker right that I

neglected people. I neglected people that, at the time, should

have mattered but in my little world I was so consumed by it, they

did not become unimportant but they become the second thing I need to

concentrate on. I become virtually a nightmare to be around, probably.

I don't know but that is how I feel inside. And I don't want to put

people through that no more, I want to have a life but I have tried and

I don't think I can have a life and Well, Ronnie is brutally honest as

he can glee and your impressions on listening to that, first of all,

John. He has got a lot going on, hasn't he? He seems very controlled

in the venues and very happy and to be around the other players and

tournaments are looking at that, he is not. It is very sad. He is the

type of guy... We love watching him play and you want to give him a big

hug, he has got a lot of demons obviously. Some players when they

go home to their families they can leave snooker at the venue. But

some can't. We all have to deal with pressures and to be successful.

Getting over matches that he would have lost and some find it harder

than others. Ronnie during the bad times takes it home with him.

Instead of leaving it at the snooker venue, being a different

person around your family. Ironically, working with Dr Steve

Peters as we have discussed, in terms of his competitive attitude,

that night and day is so much better he seems so much focused

around the table. That is why the interview was strange because I am

thinking the same thing. He went out in the tournament playing

really good stuff. He is his own worst critic so he might not say

the same but he played a great match yesterday. Every part of it,

he tried as hard as he could. It has not always been the case, we

know that. But at the moment, he is trying the best you can put away

from the table he seems to be having problem. He has been on tour

since he was 17 and has undertaken a demanding schedule with the new

changes coming through. You change in the way you have philosophise

and John, you have had to give it up. What was the catalyst for you

do it any more? The level of performance and through it, the

enjoyment of the game. I still think it is a fantastic game but I

do not want to play at that level because I was losing two players

that I would have beaten before. I have had a great career, I have

played in some wonderful venues. Why try to compete against a 17-

year-old that he would have beaten before and you then lose. That is

when you know. The artist of the situation for Ronnie because he is

still a very competitive force. is still the man to beat. I know he

went out yesterday but had he got through, he was still the favourite

for the tournament. He is at the top of his game and it is about

enjoyment. It is about the level of performance but also the how much

you enjoy a competing at these events and should be enjoying the

game. If you are not, I mean, look at Steve Davis. He still loves

playing the game and has passion. He still get beat, he is not

playing to the level he was playing 20 years ago but he still gets

great enjoyment and that is maybe something. Maybe Ronnie could talk

to Steve about it. Are you confident we can see him at the

Masters? Very, I just thinking used to cool off and reassess. He will

speak to his doctor and that will be a help to him. -- I just think

he needs to call off. I am sure Steve will understand. We hope

you're back, Ronnie and it will be great to see you at the Masters.

Let's look at what is shaping up as a very intriguing last few days.

These are the remaining second taking on Marco Fu, one of the only

unseeded players through to this stage. And Ali Carter plays the

person who has been making plenty of headlines, Mark Allen. In fact,

the Northern Irishman does seem After his criticism of Barry Hearn.

He will be called before a disciplinary committee because of

his language at a press conference when he made those comments but he

does seem to stand by them despite the fact that there could be a risk

I have not been one to shy away from speaking my mind and that is

what players need to do more, because lot of people have said

exactly what I said amongst themselves but they are not man

enough to say it to the public and Obviously I was criticised for

swearing and it is not setting a good example but I stand by

everything I said. I was very negative towards Paris but it does

seem that way, I do not know him, he is probably a nice man and has

done well in the past for the tournament and I am sure he will do

a good job for snooker but I just think in the short term, he is not

making goods changes that will benefit the sport and the players.

I do not understand the changes he is making and he will ruffle a lot

of feathers. It is a pity that I am the only one standing up to him.

have heard the Commons that he has been critical about Barry Hearn, I

am sure that story will look at the issue himself with Mark Allen but

generally speaking, it was the use of inappropriate language that we

were concerned about, the matters has been referred to our

disciplinary chairman who will take a view and that will be decided on.

It looks very promising when you look at it but 12 of the events are

PTC events and only eight of them are �12,000 for the winner and

expenses to go to those 12 events you are looking at close to �10,000.

You need to win at least one of those events just to break even. It

is about finding the balance, I think. We need more tournaments but

the money he has put into 12 PTC events could have been put into

three more major ranking tournaments. That is what every

player would want. We make ourselves available to discuss

these issues and we consult with the players face to face while we

are at the tournaments and I am disappointed we have not had

opportunity to discuss that the 4th. HAZEL IRVINE: Taking this on and I

know that Ricky was discussing it with you guys, the alleged response

from Barry Hearn is that he might be formulating a case to sue mark

for slander. Your response first of all to the way that Barry has come

back on the story. He is obviously very upset about it and looking at

the comments, he probably should be. It is difficult to argue a case

that the game has not been improved. Obviously the PTCs... It is my view

and I do not play anymore, I think they need a few less of them and

they may need tweaking and some of them that our domestic, a few of

the players may not be happy. And with the prize money, it may

appease some of the players but it is difficult to argue with the

prize money that has been increased and with this week, record ticket

sales and attendances, very difficult to make an argument

against at the moment. I ask people in the press room if they knew of a

strong but silent minority he might be in agreement, what is your take

on but? I think a lot of players may be unhappy about the PTCs and I

think people are delighted that we have more tournaments on. Paris has

increased the prize fund up to �6.5 million and on the way to �10

million which will be great. -- Barry has increased. The

opportunity to get players to play more for prize money that far

greater sums. We have got a tournament in Brazil, more

tournaments in China, a World Cup this year which was successful and

we will have more tournaments maybe in India and China and Australia of

course. I don't know where he is coming from in that respect. I

think most players are happy that he has come in. Big changes but

there have to be tweaks, more money in the PT sees because a lot of

players cannot play in them. -- in What do you think it will be like

going on? It depends if he can look A few issues arising from this but

we will discuss pure snooker for the rest of the afternoon because

on the they come, Mark Williams who has not hopped over the set this

time, he has walked to his seat and he will get a bit of a move on

because 1-3 behind Ricky Walden who is playing beautifully and cueing

beautifully. Certainly in the groove. Goes to Stephen and Dennis.

Mark Williams will get it under way after the mid-session interval. A

little bit too hard with the break- off shot. Hazel mentioned about

Mark taking a short cut into the arena and we might be able to show

A pretty good length on that. In fact he has got Mark in a spot of

He may be forced to play the cue ball to the top cushion here. It is

the any safety option, he is just checking where the cue ball may end

Look at that pot success rate, And three out of three on the long

Just as effective, that side, I The red pot into the left corner. -

- pots. Difficult to see how we will go on a colour but he is going

A big mistake by Mark Williams. What a great shot from Walden, well

Perfect. Yeah, it did not look on but loads of top spin to take the

white through and 10 out of 10 for There's four reds in the open but a

perfect angle to stun into the edge of the pack. He does not want to

screw into the middle of that pack But Ricky is a pretty attacking

The white has just treated at the It would be a precocious plant but

they are dead set for the pocket. The plant that Mark Williams played

in the frame before the mid-session interval was much tougher and he

went on to take the frame but it is a tricky one. I wonder if he will

be tempted if there is no safety Are not sure what the success rate

on the plant would be. A bit higher than he would think, probably. But

the balls are significantly far enough apart that there is an

Risky with that as well but he went for it. The red does go past into

the yellow pocket, I think. A shot to nothing in some ways for Mark

No, it was always going to go on the near jaw. Mark is still there,

maybe he thought he would have potted it and it drifted slightly

but we were right behind it and we There is a difference between the

likes of, say, Judd Trump and Mark Williams. Judd Trump and other

modern-day players hit the balls a lot harder. The harder you hit the

shot, the less likely that the ball goes off Lin if there is a bit of

I think it goes into the middle pocket. It is a thin one but he has

He has looked about and I think he It looks like the safety option is

the one to the top cushion but this Whereas the cue ball going?

REFEREE: Foul. Possible turning point as well for. That is so

unlucky. Not only the in-off but a It could be a turning point as you

say, Steve. Very unlucky to come There's a very keen snooker fan

watching today, I know. I was speaking to him, he has not been

very well but he is back to his fighting best, the great Frank

Carson will be watching snooker in Blackpool, one of the greatest

comedians this country has ever produced. I am glad that you are

keeping a bit better, Frank. It is What a great catchphrase from Frank

Carson, "it's a cracker, it is the Meanwhile the Welsh Potting Machine

is trying to get himself right back Similar shot to the one that Ricky

played, he does not want to go into As long as he did not stick in that

bunch of reds, he was mine. -- he A little mention for the Tucker he

has not been in the best of health, everybody in the London area knows

Lee Tucker. He's getting married to his girlfriend on the nap of

despair -- 9th December, have you Has that red covered the pocket? It

has. He might be able to get to the potting angle for the pink and play

for the red that is up past the blue. But think it is the pink, not

Ken was talking about Mark Williams and you're also talking about how

Still the three reds around the I am not sure if the two reds near

the pink are pottable. Mark is having a look at one of them and

that is pretty tight. I don't know if it is the one nearer the pink he

I don't think he is sure, he has been on the shot for a long time.

It is certainly tight, but there is one near the blue he could take. He

may have to finish up doing that but he would rather take the easier

He has thought for about a minute He would probably be able to play

the shot with right hand Spain and He could play it in a way that he

would not leave anything on the red he is taking on. Take it on, stun

over for the pink. Those two reds will not pot. It may even past the

Nearly two minutes by the time he plays this.

This was always the correct shot. If he thought it was too tight, the

47 is the difference, just one more It is amazing, even for a seasoned

campaigner like Mark Williams, that ball that takes you past the

winning line in the frame seems to A lifeline he did not want to give

Ricky with a problem of not only potting the red but retaining

And now forced to play the black into the yellow pocket. He is

looking at the score board, he has to pot it otherwise he will need a

snooker. He is having the cue ball When mark played the shot, if he

thought it rolled off to the near jaw it will be a problem for Ricky

It has gone in-off the green! is a monstrous fluke. It really is.

An even better, it has cleared the path for the yellow into the pocket.

Wow! That is awful. Not awful from Ricky Walden's point of view. That

is for sure. He has missed hit that a little smile, he has let slip

there. It definitely would go but it was like a spitball, the way he

-- split ball. He is saying things to Ricky on the weight. He has such

a wicked sense of humour, Mark Williams. He got away with it as

That is a much better Sharp, cent of the rare back behind the black.

-- that is a much better shot. Send That is the correct shot. A very

nice outcome. He could not have asked for that to happen. Whilst

Ricky Walden foot to the black of I do not really think that was on.

You have to get really close to the plaque to get -- read. - the black

to get the red. He can tie at the moment. The referee is just

explaining that. The rules have changed recently. Obviously the

rule has changed because Ricky Walden did not want to eat himself

in a situation where Mackie could not win the frame. -- leave himself

in a Sicher way Sinn where he could No problem as the rate goes in. 3-2

the score line. Mark Williams will A Mark Williams special Honda are

shot with power. -- underarm. It is amazing how we can generate the

power. -- he can generate. It is Amazing. That is just what Mark

Williams needed. He is just one frame behind. - leaves the arena,

we will show you how he entered the arena. -- - Williams leaves the

arena. He is a laid-back character. He slips over the barrier. Before

play starts they usually have an introduction. This is Barney Miller.

That is what you call an entrance. This lovely lady is getting married

on 17th December. It is a bit of fun that Robert Walker has with the

people. How very nice way to come into the arena. She is waiting. --

What a good frame from Mark Williams. He was a bit lucky. This

is what has happened so far in the We will show you this shut again. -

Yes, he had a chance later in the frame. That went awry. Mark

Williams is one of the most dangerous players in the game. It

is very hard to shake him. Even though he was three behind in this

game, nothing seems to faze him. He can always get himself back in.

Mark Williams, the first two ranking tournaments of the season,

he has got to the final in bulk. Back in his brilliant best after a

time out of the top 16. We just saw the beautiful trophy. Mark comes

back into the area. He does not usually go out after every frame.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

The difficult long raid into the left corner that Wicky is looking

at. -- added to that long red into the left corner that Ricky Walden

Ricky played a pretty good shot. Mark has played a better one.

difficult on these very fast cloths to get the cue ball completely

behind the brown. It would look like he has given Ricky an easy

David Bryant at his very best could not have done that. Perhaps he

could! One of the great indoor bowlers. We have not had too much

tactical play in this match. Breaks The fourth raid in from the left

looks to be a ball he can play safe of to get back down the table. --

That is the one. He may cannon another over the pocket. He has got

a few options. How did he find the gap? That was superb. Great

opportunism. You have got to know exactly how the ball is going to

react. He found the gap. Did not necessarily get away with it. Mark

Williams makes the most of a half chance. Cannae get back up Eee Top

half of the table? -- can he get What a miss. He may have got away

with this. If he has, he is very fortunate. He mishit that raid.

Never got near the pocket. He has been very fortunate. He should have

stuck Ricky Bourgain in here. -- Wicky Bourgain. The big difference

between the two players is on the When Mark played that one of the

cushion, he was perhaps a bit more A Puffin chance for Ricky Walden. -

- potting chance. Absolutely no guarantee of position. If he does

pot at this into the corner, and play a run-through for the blue,

there is every likelihood people can and that second red along the

cushion in the top. -- cannon. A straightforward safety shot.

Maybe that might be the better choice. He is quite an attacking

player. But he was 3-0 ahead. That can earn on the alarm may have left

a chance for Mark. -- cannon on the the yellow. That was a split

decision on whether to go For the Pot or play safety. He has given

Mark a chance. Same problem. OK, you pop the ball, but is it too

Great shot. That is an absolute classic shot to nothing. If the

rate goes in, he has got the green. If he misses the pot, he has got

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

He might be able to get up behind This shot Ricky Walden can pot and

get back up the table for the blue. All things considered, a couple of

nice cases, even though he is the wrong side of the blue. -- kisses.

You cannot beat a nice kiss, Steve. Not easy from this position. He

should not have been anywhere near the cushion. That is one of the

worst position all shot he has played for some time. -- positional

A very frustrating conclusion to this mini-break. It is difficult to

see if he can pot this. I do not think he can. No. The pink is

slightly in the way. He may have to play with some screw to try to get

up towards the green. He does not like the life. That is why he is

taking another route. That is not the best either. He cannot leave

Marvellous shot from Mark Williams. He has got options. It is not the

type of situation where he pops the blue and goes into the reds. -- pot.

What about the pink? That is an I thought he was going to play the

brown from the ears. He had three choices. Pink was the better for

the position. That was a dog of a shot. The two players have played

some great shots in this matter. A little bit of tension creeping in,

perhaps. He will automatically head The shot to nothing for Mark

Williams. A clever shot. Obviously low percentage on the raid. -- red

Almost swung it all the way around the ankles. It is who gets the real

telling safety shot. It is fascinating to watch this puzzle. -

This is a frame that Ricky Walden would desperately like to win. Try

to get some more breathing space. Do you think Marquez got the pace

of the table? -- be think Mark Williams has got the pace? From a

situation where it did not look as though he was going to put Ricky in

trouble, he has got a small problem. He will be happy with that. No

damage done at all. OK, the cue ball has come out of both, but an

Very good again. A very good bout of tactical play. A phone call this

morning from -- about our dear old lady who came to the Crucible for

30 years. Sadly passed away recently. I think she was in her

90s. For more than 30 years she sat in the front row in Sheffield. Her

granddaughter informed us. Very sad to hear about your grand mother,

Emily. She was a lovely lady. She used to send me a bunch of

That has turned out interesting. This is a tough pot from Mark

You talk about Mark Williams stroking the ball. This was played

similar to Judd Trump. When he needs it, he can power them into

the pocket. How clever as well. He Just need to come out enough to be

able to pot the red next to the There are a few of those reds

available. It was not imperative He has spotted another raid that

goes, which is helpful. If he is dead straight on this, he can go

through for the black in the opposite corner. If he is not,

Airey is still some work to be done. -- their rhys mack. -- their rhys

He struck that nicely. Perhaps he Definite chance to level the match

here. It has been a very high standard, this match. Mark Williams,

when he starts knocking this type of shot in and at pace, you have to

watch out. Both players cueing really well. In a few shots we

could be all-square at three apiece. The pot success rate, both still in

the 90s. It looks to be a marvellous recovery from Mark

Williams to have got back to level scores. Still enough of the match

left a bit short of pace there. I am not too sure if he can play this

with side spin. No real problems. Just this red. He does not have to

I think we all thought Mark would be here as the defending champion.

The final last year in Telford was unbelievable. Mark LED John Higgins

9-5. John won five frames in succession to pinched the title. It

was a remarkable performance from That is the end of the break.

Unless he can pull a spectacular shot off. I thought he had done.

Mark Williams, the Welsh potting machine, is right back in this. It

is all square. Three each. Yes, and Ricky Walden's early

Yes, and Ricky Walden's early momentum has dissipated somewhat.

lesser player may have been swamped this afternoon. The way Ricky

Walden started this match was The he was covering the raid over

the pocket. He is a master tactician. Brilliant at playing

scrappy frames. When it goes awkward, he is very clever. He is

on orthodox but very clever. He is a master tactician. That last frame

before the interval was so crucial for Mark Williams. Captain in the

matter. By -- it kept him in at the match. He has got a lot of

character, a lot of heart. Also, terrific consistency this season.

Ind two finals, Australia and Shanghai. He lost both. When the

key events come round, he has been able to phase in his form

gradually? Yes. And he has come back. He was playing in qualifiers

for a couple of seasons. He had lost his ranking in the top 16. He

was qualifying. He has come back and he has got his game back. I

love watching him play. He is one of those players I never get tired

of watching. There is something unorthodox and led the way he plays.

There is always something there that you say, I did not think of

that. How do you think he would feel about losing his No. 1

ranking? He started the new season as No. 1 again. Mark Selby has

overtaken him. Well that bothered him. I do not think so. He would

obviously still like to be number one. I do not think they are

preoccupied with the number one. They like to win the major

tournaments. That is where the -- that is what they feel is the most

important thing. The rankings will look after themselves. I do not

think you will be preoccupied with It is all square, three apiece.

DENNIS TAYLOR: It is now the best of five to see who will get through

That is a bad mistake, he hit that far too thin and he has stock this

red up. If he had have got that it would have been on the black but

that is the worst thing that Ricky Lost three frames in a row. -- when

Dear me, what a kick and heavy contact. He might have got away

What a swipe there with the cue when he got that kick. You could

Martin Gould is on the other table and will wonder what on earth

happened. I amongst the balls, he Very good and he is perfect on the

blue and he will go straight into the pink full ball and send the

reds all over the place and this is a key shot coming up, he needs to

get himself going again. He has had to sit out and watch Mark Williams

for the last three frames. He looks to see if there are any of this

He is left with a thinner pot against the right corner. You're a

master at that shot, he did not hit You are always trusting to luck.

You hope if you open up the balls you will get some sort of leaves

and you would feel aggrieved if you don't. He nearly got Mark Williams

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

A bit awkward with the pink and Ricky Walden is not a bad tactical

player but he would do well to out to Mark Williams, one of the finest

An excellent return from Ricky, he It two-cushion escape. What about

Also helped with a nudge on the green. There is a pot on the match

but when you are against this cushion, I don't know if you could

pot it and then get back up. If he gets away with this, he has

had a result. He has had a result! This red is very thin on the top

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

There's no easy way back down behind the green and brown. A few

You can see how much side there was on it, that is the reason he got no

where near the pot. When you put that amount of side on it on this

fast cloths it is so difficult to judge. He was in an awful lot of

trouble and it had to be struck If he can convert this chance, what

a turnaround in this match. Totally Clever, he wanted to get the black

onto its spot and only had the blue to work with there. The first

opportunity, he has taken it. To get the black back on to its spot.

No heroics with the under the body The lowest red pot past the pack

once in the spots, I think so just Every chance of converting this

That is a bit like the old Mark Williams, looks in control and then

put in a careless one. That was just concentration, chance a little

and did not push the cue through. Excellent shot from Ricky Walden,

so can he kick start the engines again? He has got to do here

because Mark Williams is taking control of this match but that

could all turn back in Ricky's You could not ask for them to be

The only thing different from a practice set up his the pink is off

its spot. He might have to play a little cannon here, he does not

want to be but it has not pushed That is the advantage of being tall,

That cannoned caused him a bit more of a problem than before he played

He wouldn't want to be playing into the middle pocket this early in the

The last two seasons in the UK Championship, Ricky Walden has lost

to John Higgins 9-7 and then Mark Selby last year in the first round,

9-6. He will be helping to keep his Just a little bit short of pace, he

will have to go back up for the He is ranked 23 in the world at the

moment. It looked like he would get himself into the top 16. He is

taking these very nicely, just starting to get a bit more

difficult now for him. 27 in front so he will not need the difficult

That carelessness from Mark He just seemed to lose his

concentration and was thinking about the position and for got the

Under the circumstances, this is very good from Ricky Walden. He has

been frozen out from the last three frames. He got off to a flyer with

the breaks. That is a poor shot. He is 43 ahead with 43 on the table,

such a margin for error. How could you leave yourself short there,

Ricky? OK, the red was hampering him a bit but he will have to wait

He can't play it off the red behind the pink and get into the green and

brown because of the angle they are sitting at. It would not be a bad

shot to flick off that and clear the pink but he has got the reds

open. If he played extra thin on that red, he may be able to lined

the three balls up. Playing to the It is as good a shot as anything,

that, because if he does flick the pink he might even put it on the

cushion and if he was to leave the white tight on the cushion, not a

snooker, it would be a pivotal position for Mark Williams, I like

your shot. In some ways not putting the pink on the cushion may help as

well but obviously from our point of view of Mark William clearing

the balls up, it would be nice That is definitely a good shot.

may be able to play to the side He doesn't have to but if he knocks

it in, p frame would definitely be over. At the moment, Mark Williams

wants several balls to tie. This is the type of shot that Ricky

That is going to be OK. If Mark Williams can somehow get in behind

the green and brown, he might not be able to do it off the one next

Ricky will be pleased to see the green going tight on the cushion.

So one good shot now, a shot to nothing. I don't think he will

He has now brought the pink out No, but it was worth the chance

Not that easy for Ricky to play a good safety shot because he does

not want to push one of the reds into a pottable position. He could

hit the cushion first and then flicked the first red which would

take the white up the table but what we did do with the red? He may

be able to... Play the hard stun shot and try to get both reds up

the table away from the black spot area as well because Mark needs

blacks with both reds. You could risk this. Belt the life out of it

and stun the white ball dead on the cushion, send the reds up the

table... Somewhere! If they were closer to the cushion, it would be

on and if he gets the shots to the other side of the table, needing

two blacks, that is a good call because if one of the reds would

certainly go up the other end of It is whether he can guarantee the

second red would not wobble and stay at the top of the table

somehow. The first red would go down the table. Or he can of course

just drop on it but it is a bit He may leave them touching or a

chance for Mark to put him in Well, he didn't but I am just

wondering if Mark will attempt this I didn't think it was and now he

has left himself no chance at the Not the best from Mark, I think. He

was not playing the snooker behind the blue and he was trying to get

behind the black. Outside chance of a snooker behind the brown off two

cushions but it is risky, I am not He did not play it hard. And for

that reason I don't think he would have got behind the brown anyway.

Big shot for Mark Williams to take on to try to pot this and retain

position on the black. Is that his He seems to be looking at the

He has tried the snooker and he has played it... I was going to say

pretty good but the fact the red is near the cushion, he can come off

the side cushion and on to that red to escape. If it had bounced a

fraction it would have been easier for Ricky Walden. But a bit of pace

with this, I don't think there is any choice intro to land on it

because he could stick it up. -- any choice in trying to land on it.

How is the pace on this? It might play a snooker but he can see

enough of the side cushion to hit He will settle for that. He has

knocked the brown awkward and has More likely that Mark Williams will

now play for snookers rather than play for the red with the brown

It would be difficult to clear the colours from one visit in this

position, it would have been easier if the brown had gone safe. I would

be tempted to double this into the right corner pocket because you

have got a great chance of getting a snooker and if he doesn't knock

the red into this right corner He is trying to keep distance

between the balls but Mark might have a go at this. Under those

circumstances, you have got to keep the object ball safe as well.

Williams will only pot this red if he can feel he can guarantee

How was the cue ball? He did not play it in his pocket, amazing shot

to get round that side. He held his He has missed it... Oh, that looked

as if it would wobble. Are we going to have a re-spotted black? Any

more pace, it would not have And a chance, well, he is left-

He really put everything into that position. That flick on the brown

may have cost him the frame. It looked like he would have got away

with that until that brown kissed into the cue ball. That was a bit

of a chance to have a re-spotted That will be a pretty relieved

Ricky Walden. The last thing he wanted what -- was a re-spotted

Mark Williams will probably leave the arena. That is enough, Ricky.

Ricky Walden with that break of 58 gets his nose in front again, he is

back in the lead, 4-3. HAZEL IRVINE: It looked like we

might head for a re-spotted black but for that Williams miss on the

brown. What did you put that one down to,

Ken? He played a lovely shot before that and not the green out. He was

trying to deep screw it with a lot of left-hand side to get back up

for the blue and it is never easy when you are putting that much side

spin on a cue ball. It could have gone for a re-spot but he would

back in the match -- he was back in the match. Signs that Ricky was

looking a bit wobbly early in the frame. The site will largely a

snooker is weird. Mark Williams is 3-0 down in no time, he has fought

his way back but for some reason he cannot find his way in front. A

very interesting frame, a put couple of Mrs from by the -- a

couple of misses from both players. He will go out and dust himself

down and get ready for the next frame but there's still a lot of

snooker. But as well the beauties, even if you are 3-1 down, there is

still a lot of snooker to play. think best of nine is not a lot.

Best of 11 is a good test. It feels a lot longer. By the way, we hear

that Mark Williams is tweeting a fair bit of the time which is

unlike him and he has been tweeting in between frames. He has got the

bug or they seven. I think it is something nasty about Steve Davis'!

Steve has been very good at commentary today because he has not

said too much about Mark. They have a healthy relationship of slagging

each other off! The Twitter is between the two of them. In terms

of general terms, who is looking the stronger of the two? Equally

balanced. You could not discount Mark, he is a frame behind but you

can never discount the great champion. He has so much more

experience and that is the test for Ricky. Although he has been

successful at the business end of tournaments, he is only one

tournament and the Shanghai Masters. -- that is the Shanghai Masters. It

may be the talent factor. Back we go and Steve, what about this

Twitter thing? Have you been We are playing each other in a

shoot-out so it is getting strained out there. He thinks he has a

chance of beating me in a one frame shoot-out match. Ridiculous! I

would advise you not to look at his How the game of snooker has changed.

Imagine the great Joe Davis tweeting in between frames! No

tweeting back in the 40s and 50s. Mark needs to be concentrating on

this match, never mind tweeting, because he might not have anything

to tweet about it he loses. Davis would have probably sent a

And early chance for Mark Williams. The path of the cue ball is a bit

difficult, a few reds in the way but around the back of the black is

OK but after that it becomes a Has he got away with it? He has

been very fortunate indeed. He could have stopped Ricky Walden's

right in the balls. -- he could have stock. That is a dangerous

plant. He was very lucky. That is a sign of repetitive strain injury.

thought he was going to leave Ricky ride in amongst them. Well, he did!

When you play a shot like that and get away with it, it is a great

The blue has covered the red near the corner pocket. That means Mark

Williams has got very little to play. That is nowhere near. In fact,

it is so short, Ricky Walden may play the pot and leave himself on

the blue. He could play this shot in such a way, he would not leave

the red on for the corner pocket but he would still be on the blue.

He hedged his bets. It was at 3 Sharp the way he played it. -- it

was a free shot. He should have played more -- he should have made

more of that attempt. It did not look like he was lined up for the

pot. Years back it was the decision of the referee. Now it becomes the

players. That is the end of that frame. Or the start of that frame!

I do not blame them for doing it. They knew they were going nowhere.

Not enough time for Mark to tweak this time. -- to two weeks. He was

a little unhappy with the red he missed into the black pocket. Judd

Trump is very good at knowing -- letting his fans know what is

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

happening in all other matters. -- That was a poor shot from quickie.

He knew straight away. -- a poor That was an half chance for Mark

Williams and he did not get near the pot. Ricky Walden's poor safety

All of a sudden, it is a good chance. A little bit awkward at the

He may have to go back up the table if he is not high enough. Obviously

the blue is the best ball to go into the pack from. Getting the

correct side of the blue is important. I think he has got an

angle to storm of that red. -- took Still a great line. This is the key

shot coming up. A bit unlucky again. That time he hit the pink. But he

did not screw it in. He lost the It gets a bit technical to explain.

As group shot would have kept the wide near the pink spot area. --

had he played a screw shot. After potting the blue, if you put back

spin on the cue ball, but wide ball is effectively spinning in that

direction. Every shot you see on the table, some sort of spin has

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

I followed every single word of At trick shot from the Welsh

He needs a little bit of angle on this ride macro. -- red. He had not

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

got that angle. That is why he had That was a bit careless. He was

trying to play at delicate screw shot. He did not push through the

cue ball as he intended. He did not get the intended spin he was

Ricky Walden practices that are shot. They do say practice makes

perfect. He has got a Championship table in a chapter -- Chester at he

practises on. He kindly let me use his table just before the legends

games, the tour that we did. It is a lovely table to practise on. Very

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

Maeda -- he just needs a gentle Just losing the cue ball at the

moment. A very important friend. If Ricky was to go 5-3 ahead, it would

be a tall order for Mark Williams. He does seem to play that shot

particularly well, into the middle pocket. James Watt Tanner from

Thailand was excellent. As indeed are a lot of the Chinese players.

45 ahead, 75 remaining. No problem getting on the black of this use

He has got the angle on the black to get a cannon. This is the key to

He is thinking about this. He knows the importance of this shot. Is

there a plant? Cannae get through the gap? I think he is looking at

the plant. He had the perfect angle to cannon that. That looks to be

going to the right of the pocket. He made it look very easy. He just

squeezed it slightly and made the He has given himself some breathing

space in this match. He will have three cracks at getting over the

line. And I am sure he thinks, as long as he gets some decent chances,

he may convert one. Worrying times for Mark Williams and his legion of

Twitter fans. Very good from Ricky Walden. 3-0 ahead. He lost three in

succession. He has come back with this. A very good indeed. -- very

He is doing it in style. At 58 break in the previous frame.

He will not bother about that. Very good from Ricky all that. -- Ricky

Walden. He just needs one more frame for a place in the quarter-

final. Steve was talking about spin and what happens to the ball. We

have got a wide ball with the red spot on. It is amazing what happens.

Have a look at what happens. Have a look at this. It keeps on spinning.

That is so clever that, to show you exactly what happens with the cue

ball. It is still going. That why it has got more spin then you have.

-- that ball. Every time you play a shot with side spin, you're trying

to change the angle of the cue ball off the cushion. Top spin is

usually employed to make the ball go forwards or backwards. Different

spins for different jobs. Meanwhile, that is a better break from Mark

Williams. He cannot afford to make many more mistakes or he could be

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

Apparently that a cue ball is still He could have played that harder

and tried to get behind the green. He felt the angle was not perhaps

This looks very good. That is what Mark Williams need to do. He is

having a glance at the other table. He has got to be pretty precise

He has played that beautifully. Well judged. Touching would help

Mark Williams. The referee has spotted it is touching one of the

A similar type shot. Still quite A bit short of pace. Just a bit

A chance for Ricky to return the He got away with that. Or has the?

It looked easier on the screen than it actually was. Mark will still be

disappointed to have missed that. He should have not begin. He has

been rather fortunate that it has They have played each other three

times. Mark is leading 2-1. Played in the UK Championship in 2007. 9-3

to Mark Williams. Ricky may be in a bit of trouble here. He may have to

jack the Ku up right in the air, 90 degrees to the table, effectively

potting a lot of black -- back spin. Bring the cue ball back into both.

You were one of the best at the game -- in the game at playing this

particular shot. You need to be very tall to get that ball in the

air. The other option is to touch I have seen some strange rewrite

positions before, but this would be the strangest of all. If there is

one, I will take you out for a meal tonight. He will be delighted with

that. He will be absolutely delighted. He will have just

returned to his chair and just die! He tried that very difficult shot

that you mentioned. He did not pull it off. That is a little bit too

pacy. He wanted to finish on the blue. He may still be able to get

background. -- back around. He has got a long way to travel. He has

got a pretty decent angle on it be That was unlucky. He played this so

well. Unlucky. Yes, he has got the chance of the red macro into the

Well, this is a judgment Sharp. It could be a match-winner if this

It could be Ephraim the loser, of course, as well. -- affray and

He has got one to the middle. could not have hit those rates

better. The perfect cannon. -- The rates just open enough. -- the

reds. Only a couple out at the That was very well played. There

was not much room for error. A little knowledge of the pink to

He is on that red. Not as he would have liked. He indicated by his

reaction that he got a little bounce of that cushion. -- of the

cushion. Yes, throws his hand up in the air. Maybe it was a cake. --

kick. He will have Buchanan a mother of red in potting this one.

-- he would have to cannon another Ricky Walden really had a good

One certain thing about it Mark Williams, he never gives up. He

will try to the end. This is a big He made that he shot look a lot

easier than it was. Perhaps go into Not too sure if he likes that one.

I think he should have gone into the pack. I will not start to

He has done exactly what we keep all done did. -- Ricky Walden. Just

because they were not perfectly on the black. It looked as if it was

in. All of it -- all the sudden it touched the jaw and it did not drop.

Here is Ricky Walden's first chance That red and a possible plant is on,

that is what Ricky is thinking about. He does not want to play it

this time, he has got the easy red to the middle pocket but he is

wondering if he should play for the I would not play that shot,

bridging over the pink? I would rather have the one in the middle

If he thinks those are tied, he can The black, it is. And it is

difficult to judge the cue ball when you are so close. It would not

be a bad idea to hit the cushion just before the black and it would

taken towards the triangle of reds. It just a delicate little shot but

I think it will be the one to play in he just hit before the pocket. -

I think he has got to be happy with that. Yeah, he can get on the blue

nicely or the pink and the two red He couldn't have played that better,

he needs the right angle. It is all about the red on the left cushion

as to whether Ricky can win frame This would be an easier clearance

for Mark Williams, being left- handed. The question is, does Ricky

Walden try and get the red out or try to play his down the rail? I

would suggest that it is far enough down the table away from the middle

pocket that he may be forced to It depends how becomes on the

He chose to leave it to last. only problem with that red, if he

leaves it down the cushion, and he missed one earlier in the match

with the rest, it depends how comfortable you are with the rest.

He is thinking that he may have to leave himself behind the difficult

red. I think it is red to pink and then pink to read. A pretty simple

He tried to move it with that shot so he obviously does not fancy

leaving it up the cushion and he still might have an angle. The

black brings it out but he is looking back again to see if it

He is back there again and he will have to use the rest. If he just

leaves the white a few inches further up the table here he will

have an angle to roll the pink in and get on the yellow and he is

just ten-points behind, this could send Mark Williams out of this

year's UK Championship if this next Under normal circumstances, you

would be screwing back for the blue but it is a nice ball to be on the

He chose the blue and that is a perfect position for the yellow.

Nothing wrong with that choice, a much more difficult pot, forcing it

in. He missed one earlier but he did not miss that. It would have

been easier to get on the yellow from the blue but he is on the

cushion. What a performance this is from Ricky Walden, this will be one

of his best wins for quite some time. He defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan

in the final of the China Open a Under the circumstances, he got off

to a flyer, 3-0 in front and then you see, Mark Williams won three in

a row and it looks like he will win three in a row to clinch the match

but we know what can happen under Just coming up to two hours, 22

With the pink being off its spot, it is just a little bit more

difficult. Having the cue ball cleaned, that is the way he wants

He is hoping to drop nicely on the It is not absolutely dead straight.

He will be playing it in the middle. We saw Mark Williams plays a

similar shot to this earlier in the frame. He would expect to get it.

He can play safe with the cue ball It is there, what a great victory

for Ricky Walden. He lost three, he had won three and he has won the

most important frame, the deciding frame there and takes it into the

quarter-final. In the end, it looks quite comfortable. 6-3 to the

likeable man from Chester. HAZEL IRVINE: Well played, Ricky

Walden. That represents the best progress she has made in this

championship, never been beyond round two and there he is. It was a

well deserved victory in the end. You, fantastic clearance. He did

miss a black in the early part of that frame. -- yes, fantastic

clearance. It seemed to fall on to the top cushion and fair play to

him, he held himself together. It was a really good pressure

clearance and you could see how much he enjoyed that because it is

a big win for him. And a tail two clearances. He has won 6-3 but he

cleared up and it shows you there is so little between the players at

this field. A strange pattern to the match. 3, 3 and three in a row.

Difficult to explain to people at home and they say, how does that

happen? People in the ascendancy. That is the way professional

snooker is. Here he comes, Mr Walden. Congratulations for the of

well done. Well done, into the quarters. We were talking about the

pattern of the match what did you think when Mark came straight back

at 2 to level the scores at three apiece? I knew he was playing well

so I was just waiting to my chances to happen. It is just trusting my

game. You have been playing really well the last few weeks and he made

the maximum at the last of the PTC events, you have been a PTC final,

runner up there. What has changed? The standard with the qualifiers

and the PTCs. I have been working a little bit harder, trying to do the

right things on and off the table. What are you doing better off the

table? Not as much drink, really? You won the Shanghai. Has it been

tricky after that? After I won that, I expected myself to kick on but it

does not always work like that. I struggled in a few games here and

there and just seems to get picked up the post. Hopefully I can get

get back to lifting trophies and back on form. So little between the

players, those clearances you make it in the second and last frame,

such a difference. Obviously, the balls were there to be taken but

you still have to do it and I managed to keep myself together for

a few frames which was the difference in the match. You looked

but -- looked pretty pleased. It is a big win, it will give you a lot

of confidence. Attitude -- thank you, made. Tough to play against a

very clever player. Yes, one of the best on the tour. You have got to

take the chances when they come up. Well done, Ricky. We are about to

show everybody happening in the match which will fit your next

opponent in the quarter-finals. Because it has been topsy-turvy, we

will it Ricky go and relax before the quarter, and we were just

remind you of what is happening on the other side of the arena today.

An amazing match between Shaun Murphy, former winner of this

championship and Martin Gould who is now in the top 16 for the first

time. Shaun Murphy straight ahead, a 5-0 lead and for a while it

looked over but Martin won frame six with a break of 133 and then

this happened. This was the seventh frame and Murphy had this ball

effectively the pink for victory and a place in the quarter-final.

He missed it and gentlemen, this was getting very twitchy at this

point but somewhere and from some place, Martin has summoned reserves

of strength and nerve and look at this. The type of frame like that

can change a much. I am surprised Shaun played it the way he did. Why

did he play the ball like that? Martin has gone on on won the frame

from him. This one to stay in the That made it 5-2 and he went on to

a 5-4. He has won four in a row and you can continue to watch this

match on the red button or on line because it is still going and as I

look at it right now, it is Shaun Murphy at the table, he is... It is

22 points apiece. That is the situation live as we look at it. It

is very tense. If you want to continue watching that, press your

red button now and you can do so. Gentlemen, it is a bit nervy.

very nervy and twitchy. We were saying off camera, I can remember

anybody coming back from 5-0 to win 6-5. A fantastic performance from

Martin Gould. It shows you that you never throw in the towel. Every

frame, particularly in snooker, is particularly different. If you take

it one frame at a time and fair play to Martin Gould. If you are in

front and see him go 5-1, 5-2, you think that the pressure is all on

you. What do you make of the match going on the other side? That big

turning point in the match and Martin can really score so it is

anybody's game. A weirdly enough, he is doing to Shaun Murphy what

Neil Robertson did to him in that amazing second round at the

Crucible. It just shows you the momentum can swing so vehemently.

He must keep it going and that is what he has done. He has not

shirked any shots and good luck to him. Gentlemen, thank you to you.

Continue to watch with the red button or online but Rishi Persad

will be back and will tell you exactly what happens and also have

the action from this evening's matches, it is Carter against Alan