:00:40. > :00:47.After a magnificent summer of sport, whose will be a winter of content
:00:47. > :00:51.here in the York? Seven months after the Crucible in Sheffield,
:00:51. > :00:57.snooker is back with the williamhill.com United Kingdom
:00:57. > :01:07.championship. Put this trophy in the Cabinet and you will for ever
:01:07. > :01:24.
:01:24. > :01:31.be considered one of the big noises Steve Davis has now won the United
:01:31. > :01:41.Kingdom Championship six times. Tonight belongs to Ronnie
:01:41. > :02:10.
:02:10. > :02:15.You're champion, Judd Trump! Judd Trump is the latest box-office
:02:15. > :02:22.smash, since winning this championship eight years ago. He
:02:22. > :02:26.has now become the world's number one player. But the snooker season
:02:26. > :02:34.is halfway through and he is one of three players with more to pull
:02:34. > :02:39.titles so far. The prizes have been spread around remarkably evenly
:02:39. > :02:49.with 13 different winners of 17 event since June. They have been
:02:49. > :02:49.
:02:49. > :04:19.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:04:19. > :04:24.around the world and back since They have been around and cruising
:04:24. > :04:31.in rather relaxed fashion in the studio is recently retired Steve
:04:31. > :04:35.Hendry, while Steve Davis's engine is idling quietly ahead of wedding
:04:35. > :04:41.up, because he has gone and qualified for this championship
:04:41. > :04:46.once again. Since you called it the date in April, however is life as
:04:46. > :04:53.an ex-player? I have still been very busy. I have been in China
:04:53. > :04:56.once among since I retired, playing Chinese eight-ball pool. I'm
:04:56. > :05:04.enjoying my retirement. The is there anything you miss at all?
:05:04. > :05:11.Nothing, I should have done it years ago. Seriously? Yes. That is
:05:11. > :05:18.a keen affirmation of retirement, but no plans for you, Steve? I am
:05:18. > :05:22.going down the other road. It is part of my blood. Very hard to stop.
:05:22. > :05:26.I did hear that you had now reassess your goals and you're
:05:26. > :05:31.going to continue as a professional until you get your bus pass. You
:05:31. > :05:35.have five more years to go. That is the challenge, to see how long you
:05:35. > :05:40.can stay on the tour when the standard is brilliant, and the
:05:40. > :05:44.young Players of fantastic. In the UK championship event to see some
:05:44. > :05:50.of the new blood. To think I'm playing again some players and I am
:05:50. > :05:55.far older than their fathers. are thinking of taking back the Bus
:05:55. > :06:00.Pass the 65 in England, keep practising! There are plenty of
:06:00. > :06:06.other issues to update you with in the snooker world. If you look at
:06:06. > :06:10.the top 16 ranking she can see what I mean. Judd Trump's reign at No. 1
:06:10. > :06:17.began last month when he took over from Mark Selby. John Higgins is
:06:17. > :06:24.still very much a force in the game this season. Stuart Bingham is in
:06:24. > :06:29.late form of his career and is at No. 11. Barry Hawkins, after a
:06:29. > :06:34.breakthrough win in Australia is in this UK championship and did not
:06:34. > :06:39.have to pre-qualify because he is in for the suspended number nine,
:06:39. > :06:43.Stephen Lee. Conspicuous by his absence is a certain Ronnie
:06:43. > :06:49.O'Sullivan. As you are probably aware, because it has been all over
:06:49. > :06:59.the media, Ronnie announced last month that he would not be playing
:06:59. > :07:10.
:07:10. > :07:15.in any of the remaining events this I do not know how many times we
:07:15. > :07:21.have addressed this issue of Ronnie threatening to quit, and certainly
:07:21. > :07:27.taking a very long sabbatical. How big a shock has this been to the
:07:27. > :07:30.world of snooker, and is this the end? I do not think it is
:07:30. > :07:33.necessarily the end but it is a statement that he has not been
:07:33. > :07:38.happy playing on the table, and whatever has been happening in his
:07:38. > :07:43.private life. But think it is the right decision, because you have to
:07:43. > :07:47.be fully relaxed around the table. But the snooker bandwagon rolls on
:07:47. > :07:51.and is getting more and more popular worldwide. It will not make
:07:51. > :07:56.any difference in the end to snooker whether or not Ronnie plays.
:07:56. > :08:02.He can still come back for the World Championship. The entries are
:08:02. > :08:10.put in later, so if he changes his mind, he can do. But a fully fit
:08:10. > :08:14.and raring to go Ronnie O'Sullivan is what we've won. He finished last
:08:14. > :08:18.season at number nine and is now down to No. 19, and that will
:08:18. > :08:24.clearly slipped down. If you think of all the events he could have
:08:24. > :08:28.entered as world champion, how much might this hiatus cost him?
:08:28. > :08:33.longer that he stays away, the more he will lose the appetite to get
:08:33. > :08:36.back practising. I think when the best player in the world is not
:08:36. > :08:40.playing, I think it does make a difference, and Ronnie has been the
:08:40. > :08:47.best player in the world for a few years now. I think some of the
:08:47. > :08:52.players will be rubbing their hands, thinking I am now finding it easier
:08:52. > :08:58.to win tournaments. Could it conceivably be less difficult for
:08:58. > :09:03.him to pick up and run where he left off? Long term, I think the
:09:03. > :09:08.game is going to go to the situation where everybody comes in
:09:08. > :09:15.at the first round. Therefore, it does not matter so much from a
:09:15. > :09:19.seeding perspective. The Masters is an invitation event. But I do not
:09:19. > :09:23.think Ronnie is really bothered about that. He wants to play and
:09:23. > :09:29.enjoy it when he is playing. He's not enjoying it at the moment, so
:09:29. > :09:34.he is not playing, and that is end of story. We wait until he is ready
:09:34. > :09:39.to go. As Steve says, it is going to be tough. Getting back into the
:09:39. > :09:44.mental swing of things is difficult, and the hunger can go. It is in the
:09:44. > :09:49.balance, I think, whether he continues to be a force in the game.
:09:49. > :09:53.We do not know the specifics of the problems, and clearly we wish him
:09:53. > :09:59.well, if you're watching, Ronnie, because we would like to see you
:09:59. > :10:06.back in the game. Stephen Lee is under suspension at the moment from
:10:06. > :10:10.the game. This is while he is being investigated over suspicious
:10:10. > :10:16.betting patterns in his Premier League match against John Higgins
:10:16. > :10:26.in October. So, two notable absentees. But, at the show goes on
:10:26. > :10:26.
:10:26. > :12:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:12:36. > :12:44.without them and this is the look It is the similar situation as it
:12:44. > :12:49.last year. It is best of 11 frames with the want session finishes.
:12:49. > :12:54.That was a formula that seemed to work last year. Yes, I played here
:12:54. > :13:00.last year, and I do think it is an improvement at best of 11 matches.
:13:00. > :13:05.It is quite a long session, but it is great for the viewers as well.
:13:05. > :13:10.And no central curtain between the two tables today, so it the crowd
:13:10. > :13:14.will get to see an awful lot of snooker. I think it is something
:13:15. > :13:18.that was trials and it was generally considered to be good.
:13:18. > :13:23.There were some questions about when eight table was being brushed
:13:23. > :13:27.and I and and there was somebody out on the area that was not a
:13:27. > :13:35.player for referee, that it was disconcerting, but I do not think
:13:35. > :13:39.it was a problem. What is the stand-out match, of them many?
:13:39. > :13:47.Allen against Marco Fu is interesting after their shenanigans
:13:47. > :13:51.at Sheffield! The standard of players in the last 32, at so many
:13:51. > :13:55.great players and so many great matches, and the new kids coming
:13:55. > :14:01.through on going to have caused problems for some of the older
:14:01. > :14:11.brigade. You have Michael White, practising behind us at the moment.
:14:11. > :14:12.
:14:12. > :14:22.And also, of course, 7 red. He has been blasting through everybody and
:14:22. > :14:28.
:14:28. > :14:37.making great centuries -- Luca Brecel. He dumped Peter Ebdon in
:14:38. > :14:42.qualifying, 6-1. We got started at 11am, two tables, or three sessions
:14:42. > :14:47.in a date and six matches to finish. We start with John Higgins up
:14:47. > :14:52.against Michael Holt. Last season for John was a write-off. But he
:14:52. > :14:58.started this new season with a fresh attitude and a new cue, and
:14:58. > :15:03.it has led to a 25th world ranking title for John. He has also thrown
:15:03. > :15:08.in a maximum and want a smaller event as well. So he is in pretty
:15:09. > :15:16.good nick. It is not a bad record in this championship. A three-time
:15:16. > :15:25.winner of the title, first in 1998, beating Matthew Stevens. In 2000,
:15:25. > :15:31.he beat Mark Williams. Then, in 2010, it was Mark who was beaten by
:15:31. > :15:35.an amazing comeback from John Higgins. Today, he is facing the
:15:35. > :15:42.gloriously temperamental Michael Holt, who has beaten John Higgins a
:15:42. > :15:51.couple of times, most recently in Braque. But Ken John Higgins mess
:15:51. > :15:57.with his head, as he has done before?? Please welcome a player
:15:57. > :16:03.with two wins in the last two seasons. This year he has run for a
:16:03. > :16:13.half-marathon, he is studying for a degree. He is the pride of
:16:13. > :16:36.
:16:36. > :16:42.His opponent, one of the finest sportsmen Scotland has ever
:16:42. > :16:47.produced. Four times per world champion, three-time dig UK
:16:47. > :16:53.champion, he showed us all he still has it with a remarkable comeback
:16:53. > :17:03.in the Shanghai Masters. Ladies and gentlemen, the Wizard of Wishaw,
:17:03. > :17:40.
:17:40. > :17:46.It is Denis Taylor and John Parrott who are in the commentary box. We
:17:46. > :17:56.have the score at two frames a piece, just after the interval.
:17:56. > :18:03.
:18:04. > :18:10.John Higgins and may just be over DENNIS TAYLOR: Pretty evenly
:18:10. > :18:20.matched. John Higgins at 116 in frame three, but Michael Holt has
:18:20. > :18:22.
:18:22. > :18:32.A couple of Fair lead long frames where the balls got a little bit
:18:32. > :18:44.
:18:44. > :18:49.He will not worry about missing the black. John Higgins is in a bit of
:18:49. > :18:54.a hurry, but his back in the lead at 3-2.
:18:54. > :18:58.HAZEL IRVINE: Just when you thought you could relax, you have to do
:18:58. > :19:03.some work! Michael Holt has talk about his temperament and how he
:19:03. > :19:09.has had to work on it. What has been the problem for him? That
:19:09. > :19:16.stuff between the two years! He is quite open about that, he is a
:19:16. > :19:22.lovely guy. Temperament Wise, on the table, sometimes he just loses
:19:22. > :19:28.it. He wears his heart on the sleeve on the table, great to watch.
:19:28. > :19:35.What is that about losing it? Is it decision making, is it mechanical
:19:35. > :19:45.action, what is it that goes? think some days you can control it,
:19:45. > :19:47.
:19:47. > :19:51.some days it is so fragile that the slightest thing can throw him off.
:19:51. > :19:57.He is close with John so it looks like he has got it under control
:19:57. > :20:01.today. You're going to my shots, stupid things are going to happen
:20:01. > :20:05.out on the table, you cannot control close, but you can control
:20:06. > :20:10.how you feel about it afterwards and what happens after. Sometimes,
:20:10. > :20:17.Michael loses control and that is where sports psychologists can come
:20:17. > :20:25.in very handy. Michael has beaten John twice in their eight matches.
:20:25. > :20:33.Do you see the kind of hunger that we saw a couple of seasons back
:20:33. > :20:37.from John now? I've only just heard that he has got a new cue, so
:20:37. > :20:43.perhaps there were problems with that last year. That can sometimes
:20:43. > :20:47.give you a new lease of life. This year, along with Judd Trump, he has
:20:48. > :20:54.been the most consistent performer. How do you assess his performance
:20:54. > :20:59.this season? He has started to get his competitive juices going. I
:20:59. > :21:03.think he was a bit shocked that he did not perform last season. But
:21:03. > :21:13.this is the John that we know, more often than not a winning machine.
:21:13. > :21:42.
:21:42. > :21:45.The to screw back to Dennis. -- let The black is out of commission but
:21:45. > :21:55.to get the next shot correct he could finish on the red a pot the
:21:55. > :22:04.black and all the sudden it will be implied. -- apart the black and it
:22:04. > :22:14.We were talking earlier before you joined us about this cloth being so
:22:14. > :22:24.lively. JOHN PARROTT: It also makes you underhit the ball in certain
:22:24. > :22:28.
:22:28. > :22:38.shots because you are expecting John will consider that a chance
:22:38. > :22:39.
:22:39. > :22:49.The cue ball should not have been anywhere near the corner pocket
:22:49. > :23:03.
:23:03. > :23:12.Nice to see the boys in the studio there looking very relaxed. Stephen
:23:12. > :23:22.is enjoying his retirement. I just wish Stephen had gone for a few
:23:22. > :23:33.
:23:33. > :23:40.years earlier, it would have been The last BBC, was the world
:23:40. > :23:46.championship, it is quite a gap. But we have the Masters coming up
:23:46. > :23:51.in January, at Alexandra Palace. No curtain between the two tables, and
:23:51. > :24:01.a great crowd in for the first session of play. The Barbican
:24:01. > :24:08.
:24:09. > :24:14.Centre has always been very popular Looking at whether a week ago, I
:24:14. > :24:19.thought we were going to have debts went to the venue. It was certainly
:24:19. > :24:29.bad on the way up, there were a couple of football pitches with
:24:29. > :24:47.
:24:47. > :24:57.He hit that far too thick. This is a chance to pot the red and stun
:24:57. > :25:05.
:25:05. > :25:15.He missed hit it completely. I think he was trying to force it
:25:15. > :25:42.
:25:42. > :25:52.This is as good position as he has been faced with throughout this
:25:52. > :26:14.
:26:14. > :26:24.He could not hold for the red but I He has a much better angle now to
:26:24. > :26:30.
:26:31. > :26:40.screw back on to the next red and But he could not quite to that some
:26:41. > :26:51.
:26:51. > :26:56.There is applause from the other table, but when you are playing
:26:56. > :27:06.well, you do not notice it. If he was struggling you hear what goes
:27:06. > :27:13.
:27:13. > :27:17.Hazel mentioned that John is playing with a new cue this year. I
:27:17. > :27:27.spoke to him in the players' lounge and he said he only had one of what
:27:27. > :27:34.
:27:34. > :27:44.two to try. This was what he It takes a little bit of getting
:27:44. > :27:44.
:27:44. > :28:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:28:39. > :28:49.He has finished awkwardly. Even the red to the right of the blue will
:28:49. > :28:49.
:28:49. > :29:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:29:59. > :30:09.not pot. He will have to take the He has looked the more steady of
:30:09. > :30:09.
:30:09. > :30:54.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:30:54. > :31:04.He made a mistake there. I didn't Needs a bit of luck here. That was
:31:04. > :31:16.
:31:16. > :31:26.well played. Difficult to judge He is a bit unlucky. He couldn't
:31:26. > :31:26.
:31:26. > :32:18.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:32:18. > :32:28.He could have rolled up and been tight against the blue. He has
:32:28. > :32:36.
:32:36. > :32:46.thought about it for coming up to He was never going to leave
:32:46. > :32:55.
:32:55. > :33:05.anything easy after taking that He had looked at another one he
:33:05. > :33:32.
:33:32. > :33:42.might be able too to sneak in, the A slight angle on the brown, but
:33:42. > :33:45.
:33:45. > :33:49.everything is tough here. This time If he had landed on the brown he
:33:49. > :33:59.would have been taking it, come down the table and be on one of
:33:59. > :34:20.
:34:20. > :34:25.That was a hit and hope shot. He just played that, he has no plan,
:34:25. > :34:35.it was a matter of hitting those and hoping for the best. I tell you
:34:35. > :34:35.
:34:35. > :36:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:36:08. > :36:18.what, it hasn't turned out all that What sort of angle has he got on
:36:18. > :36:44.
:36:44. > :36:54.He needs a good angle on the colour If he leaves the cue back over the
:36:54. > :37:17.
:37:17. > :37:22.other side he could screw off both It all defend, if he can crew back,
:37:22. > :37:26.he might be able to move them. He needs a bit of angle though. How
:37:26. > :37:36.straight is he on this black? I think he can do this. If he screws
:37:36. > :37:55.
:37:55. > :38:05.back with reverse side, it will Well, I think that was the wrong
:38:05. > :38:05.
:38:05. > :38:47.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:38:47. > :38:54.choice there. Why did he not try What a mistake from John Higgins,
:38:54. > :38:59.that is an old billiard type shot. That is a shot you used to play in
:38:59. > :39:09.bill yards, it clings to the cushion, I am surprised. OK, how
:39:09. > :39:25.
:39:25. > :39:30.He has got into it too much. As it turned out, he is perfect. He can
:39:30. > :39:40.pot the pin, he can move the red, but that is no what he intended. He
:39:40. > :39:40.
:39:40. > :41:11.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:41:11. > :41:15.. He had a big chance there, he was That was about the best John
:41:15. > :41:22.Higgins could do. He knew he was sending it towards the corner
:41:22. > :41:32.pocket. This is a tough one. Not even an easy safety shot. He might
:41:32. > :41:54.
:41:54. > :42:04.be forced to have a go at the pot If the safety shot is different, he
:42:04. > :42:31.
:42:31. > :42:37.might as well have a good the pot. I don't blame him for going for
:42:37. > :42:44.that. If John sends the red on the black, he will have to be careful
:42:44. > :42:53.he doesn't plant the black into the REFEREE: Foul. That was always a
:42:53. > :43:03.possibility. He has the perfect white, but can you believe it?
:43:03. > :43:27.
:43:27. > :43:32.called it. That is exactly what It has been a struggle since that
:43:32. > :43:38.red. The balls don't forgive you. I don't know, this is the red that
:43:38. > :43:48.John missed earlier in the frame. Michael has decided to play the
:43:48. > :44:04.
:44:04. > :44:09.It is developing into a very good A chance here, the pink has gone up
:44:09. > :44:19.to the brown, which doesn't help Michael Holt's cause, but he has a
:44:19. > :44:19.
:44:19. > :45:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:45:02. > :45:07.Maybe gone a bit too far. It means he's will have a medium range,
:45:07. > :45:17.rather than an easier one. Looking at the yellow, whether the angle is
:45:17. > :45:36.
:45:36. > :45:41.It is all about getting a good He has to be careful. The only way
:45:41. > :45:51.he can get on the brown, is to make sure that the cue ball is to the
:45:51. > :45:58.
:45:58. > :46:08.right side of the green. He can Now he has to move the pink. He
:46:08. > :46:45.
:46:45. > :46:55.can't drop in behind it it. Just He will settle for that. Couldn't
:46:55. > :47:14.
:47:14. > :47:24.One more good positional shot and That is not bad, but he has a lot
:47:24. > :47:37.
:47:37. > :47:41.That is the first quick bounce we have had off a cushion and it has
:47:41. > :47:47.left him with a more awkward pink now That was a serious bounce. I
:47:47. > :47:57.mean, that is two foot, two-and-a- half foot further than he wanted.
:47:57. > :48:37.
:48:37. > :48:47.It kicked. First thing, yon is shaking his head. It took all the
:48:47. > :49:00.
:49:00. > :49:06.Very well played Michael Holt. That was a great win for molt. He is all
:49:06. > :49:15.square, three frames all. Quite. You were talking about some of the
:49:15. > :49:20.shots in that and particularly, the bounce, that he got off the blue.
:49:20. > :49:25.That was not a straightforward conclusion to the frame in the end.
:49:25. > :49:29.It looked like he was over the line. You can never be sure, you know,
:49:29. > :49:33.guaranteed position, and we were both sitting thinking perhaps he
:49:33. > :49:39.without pot the blue off two cushions. It went one. A couple of
:49:39. > :49:43.players start chatting, we talk about Ruth maps all the time.
:49:43. > :49:48.will test to that! He got a big bounce off the cushion. Monster.
:49:48. > :49:52.You were making observation Steven, during that frame, about the early
:49:52. > :49:57.rounds of big Championships like this, particularly for the stellar
:49:57. > :50:01.players like John. Yes John some mistakes in that frame, if he was
:50:01. > :50:03.in the semifinal he would never make. When you get to the business
:50:03. > :50:09.end of the tournament your concentration is dialled in that
:50:10. > :50:13.much more, he played a couple of lax positional shots. Put a
:50:13. > :50:18.careless safety in. You would never see him do it later on. He is most
:50:18. > :50:28.vulnerable in this round. Could have been 4-2 up. Suddenly we have
:50:28. > :50:28.
:50:28. > :51:25.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:51:25. > :51:29.a game on, 3-3. We certainly have He can't go over the right side of
:51:29. > :51:39.the table. He has to make sure he judges this correctly, just to land
:51:39. > :51:45.
:51:45. > :51:55.He has hit it too hard. This will open reds up and every chance he
:51:55. > :52:34.
:52:34. > :52:44.Baby snooker? I have never heard that before John. Once you one you
:52:44. > :53:03.
:53:03. > :53:07.don't give any attention to but you They are the type of shots when you
:53:07. > :53:17.think the cloth is fast, you underhit. John did there. Wary of
:53:17. > :53:22.
:53:22. > :53:32.it running away. He can drop on the I thought he was going to nestle on
:53:32. > :53:43.
:53:43. > :53:53.How can you get through a gap like that? He was just wanting a little
:53:53. > :54:17.
:54:17. > :54:27.Played that with a bit of bottom on the cue ball. Takes the pace out of
:54:27. > :54:40.
:54:40. > :54:50.He didn't hit that very well. Struggled in, but put his cue ball
:54:50. > :55:01.
:55:01. > :55:11.I have never seen him miss one by that much before. That wasn't a
:55:11. > :55:26.
:55:26. > :55:30.very smooth delivery of the cue He knows he should be 4-2 up.
:55:30. > :55:33.has happened quite a bit in this match. He has not left Michael
:55:34. > :55:43.stuck in the balls with an easy chance. It has been something
:55:44. > :55:44.
:55:44. > :56:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 90 seconds
:56:52. > :56:55.He is a more confident player, now, Michael. The fact he has won two
:56:55. > :57:00.evens has given hit added confidence, but this would be some
:57:00. > :57:10.feather in his cap, if he could pull this victory off. His ability
:57:10. > :57:15.
:57:15. > :57:25.is not in question. Certainly He could play on the loose red that
:57:25. > :57:35.
:57:35. > :57:40.is up near the black, if he wanted He would like to get that red out
:57:40. > :57:44.of the way. It would clear the black into both corner pockets. He
:57:44. > :57:54.couldn't get on it from the angle on the blue. He can get back to
:57:54. > :58:28.
:58:28. > :58:32.It is almost time for us to go, rugby and Wales against Australia
:58:32. > :58:41.is calling. But you can continue to watch this match shortly on the red
:58:41. > :58:47.button. Here is the situation between Barry Hawkins and Liang