Day 3

:01:02. > :01:08.Good afternoon. 12 men are already through to the second round of the

:01:08. > :01:12.williamhill.com United Kingdom championship. This is one of

:01:12. > :01:17.snookers big three events with the World Championship at the Crucible,

:01:17. > :01:21.and the Masters in London been the other two. Neil Robertson already

:01:21. > :01:28.owns two of the three main titles and as me therefore and said, that

:01:28. > :01:32.isn't bad. This is the one he needs to complete the set. His -- he's at

:01:32. > :01:36.odds of so doing were sharply reduced with the departure of last

:01:36. > :01:44.year's runner-up, Mark Allen of Northern Ireland, and the defending

:01:44. > :01:49.champion and world number one, Judd Trump, this was a shocker. I went

:01:49. > :01:52.into that game expecting to beat, I know there was a lot of pressure on

:01:52. > :02:00.the defending champion, snooker is one of the hardest games in the

:02:00. > :02:06.world when you are under pressure. When you get out there, especially

:02:06. > :02:10.when you are not used to it, the pressure to perform, you're playing

:02:10. > :02:18.on the BBC, everybody is watching back home, there is a pressure to

:02:18. > :02:24.put on a good performance. There was no atmosphere out there. I was

:02:24. > :02:27.trying to force it a little bit, playing a few shots I should have

:02:27. > :02:36.done to get the crowd involved. He's into bit miserable. A bit

:02:36. > :02:46.depressing. I think it was 4 1/2 one when I put the pink into the

:02:46. > :02:49.

:02:49. > :02:57.pocket. 4-2, I kept fighting. I didn't do too much wrong at 5-2, it

:02:57. > :03:05.just wasn't meant to be. It didn't matter, he is now one frame away

:03:05. > :03:15.from a place in the last 16, 5-2. Just about on the yellow. Lots of

:03:15. > :03:17.

:03:17. > :03:22.In my opinion, if the yellow had stayed straight, I would have won.

:03:22. > :03:28.He needed a little bit of help, played nowhere near what he can,

:03:28. > :03:38.neither did I. Overall I think he deserved to win, I take nothing

:03:38. > :03:42.

:03:42. > :03:47.I knew I could have beaten. There was another surprise as Mark Allen

:03:47. > :03:52.he played so brilliantly to reach the final last year was put out by

:03:52. > :03:56.Marco Fu, himself a former runner- up in this event. It was a very

:03:56. > :04:00.good performance. Allen through in the towel in the last of the frames

:04:00. > :04:05.and have it thrown straight back. It was a pretty in century

:04:05. > :04:14.background to the match with the Crucible comments about the Chinese

:04:14. > :04:19.players being revisited. Allen out, Marco Fu is through. I didn't try

:04:19. > :04:26.any harder tonight. I just wanted to play a game of snooker. I didn't

:04:26. > :04:31.try any harder to beat Mark. Just a normal opponent, which was probably

:04:31. > :04:33.a good attitude for me, because in the past I was playing the player

:04:33. > :04:41.rather than the table and tonight I displayed the table and it really

:04:41. > :04:45.work. If I have anything to say any more I will get it on paper first,

:04:45. > :04:49.because no matter what a say in the press it always seems to be twisted.

:04:49. > :04:53.It will be interesting to see what you ghost talk about with me and

:04:53. > :04:58.Judd Trump out of the tournament, it might be a shame you have to do

:04:58. > :05:05.about snooker. I am here with a couple of press boys. And what did

:05:05. > :05:11.you make of Judd Trump? Shocking, he has been playing superbly. It

:05:11. > :05:16.was quite a scrappy match against Mark Joyce. At 5-2 he looked a

:05:16. > :05:20.certainty. Credit to Joyce, he kept battling. He managed to fall over

:05:20. > :05:24.the line and it is wide open. hate to use the word disrespect, 30

:05:24. > :05:29.the take a couple of liberties. takes a couple of Liberty's in

:05:29. > :05:32.every match, that is why he is so exciting. He plays about this

:05:32. > :05:39.figure that I think is a precedent you. We have seen so many fast

:05:39. > :05:49.attacking players, it is not always going to come off, yesterday it

:05:49. > :05:50.

:05:50. > :05:57.didn't. What did you make of Mark Allen's exit? Reportedly, Marco Fu

:05:57. > :06:04.was great Marco never looked like missing. Credit to have he did take

:06:04. > :06:08.a couple of cavalier shots.. He lost his head a little bit. I

:06:08. > :06:12.thought Marco Fu was Willie. there was an undercurrent because

:06:12. > :06:16.of comments Mark Allen made at the championship? I don't see why that

:06:16. > :06:20.should be effective. He should seek other sports where more serious

:06:20. > :06:24.things go one. If you are a professional sportsman he should be

:06:24. > :06:28.with your mind of what you were doing. Going back to the press,

:06:28. > :06:31.Judd Trump has said one or two things. It is a two-way sort, you

:06:32. > :06:36.cannot really expect them to say nothing. If they sit there, it all

:06:37. > :06:40.the time it would be any good to you. There is a fine line between

:06:40. > :06:43.speaking your mind at saying something legitimate the you have

:06:43. > :06:46.to be careful not to cross the line it to commence you cannot

:06:46. > :06:50.substantiate that a legally dubious and that is what plays have to be

:06:50. > :07:00.mindful of. We have got to the players out of the draw, plenty of

:07:00. > :07:06.

:07:06. > :07:10.players looking where they are in round two. And he will face

:07:10. > :07:15.Allister Carter, who dispatched Steve Davis back to his other day

:07:15. > :07:23.job with us in the studio. Jack Lisowski asked questions of

:07:23. > :07:25.Stuart Bingham last night that Basildon's own had all the answers.

:07:25. > :07:30.Stephen Maguire await after impressing against Fergal O'Brien,

:07:30. > :07:39.three times on the trot for the Scot in that one.

:07:39. > :07:49.Did to who Marks me this evening for the right to face either Ricky

:07:49. > :07:54.Walden Luca Brecel. He was 2-0 down, Graeme Dott one to

:07:54. > :08:03.come through against Martin cooled. He has earned the right to play

:08:03. > :08:09.Shaun Murphy. John Higgins, very much on track

:08:10. > :08:15.for a 4th UK crown. Got past Michael Holt 6-3. He will run into

:08:15. > :08:23.a pretty confident Mark Davis. His victory was a mess of that so far.

:08:23. > :08:28.Those two Welshman are scheduled for this afternoon. And awaiting

:08:28. > :08:35.one of those is Marco Fu after a highly polished performance against

:08:35. > :08:39.last year's runner-up, Mark Allen. Semi-finalist last year, a quarter-

:08:39. > :08:43.finalist the year before, Neil Robertson is getting close, he

:08:43. > :08:46.stars his campaign against Tom Ford shortly. Barry Hawkins, this year's

:08:46. > :08:56.Australian Open winner, watched very closely because he will play

:08:56. > :09:04.the winner. Great win for Ryan Day. That sets up a date against the

:09:04. > :09:14.world number two, Mark Selby, he said Michael White home. -- who

:09:14. > :09:21.Mark Selby could be going back to number-one were he to make the

:09:21. > :09:26.final the Sunday. We were examining the fall out of Judd Trump's

:09:26. > :09:31.departure. He said I should never have played that badly, it you will

:09:31. > :09:35.never see another world number one play as badly as that. What did you

:09:35. > :09:40.hope he has let? I think you should be able to learn

:09:40. > :09:44.from every performance. You learn more from losing and winning. He

:09:44. > :09:47.obviously said a few things afterwards lead no atmosphere, and

:09:47. > :09:52.we head Philip start talking about that is his way of playing,

:09:52. > :09:56.entertaining. But you cannot entertain at this sharp end of the

:09:56. > :10:01.event if you are not in it. There is a point in this game, it is just

:10:01. > :10:04.about winning. It is a sport and you have got to get over the line.

:10:04. > :10:08.I wouldn't say disrespectful, but sometimes when you take liberties

:10:08. > :10:13.with the game the balls never forgive you, they punish you, and

:10:13. > :10:16.you let your opponent back in. Judd Trump, it does he decide to go down

:10:16. > :10:26.the road of just playing entertaining snooker, orders he

:10:26. > :10:32.

:10:32. > :10:39.tried to be more of a winning We plough on here without them, and

:10:39. > :10:43.top of our wish list a to cracking matches featuring these fellows.

:10:43. > :10:48.The Wallabies may have Nick a win in Wales but Neil Robertson would

:10:48. > :10:51.rather avoid the last gasp stuff in his opening match today.

:10:51. > :10:56.Tom Ford must summon all of his powers of resistance, he fell at

:10:56. > :11:01.this first hurdle to Robertson here last year.

:11:01. > :11:04.Fuelled by memories, Matthew Stevens returns to the scene of his

:11:04. > :11:11.greater success when he lifted the trophy nine years ago.

:11:11. > :11:19.No doubt of it in the practice room is his opponent, this baseman,

:11:19. > :11:23.Dominic Dale. -- spaceman. There's tell you a bit more about Neil

:11:23. > :11:33.Robertson, the most successful overseas player in history of the

:11:33. > :11:40.

:11:40. > :11:45.game with six world ranking titles Always one of the best players in

:11:45. > :11:48.the world. Always well prepared, always gives 100%, one of the

:11:48. > :11:52.players, if you had to give somebody a shot to play for your

:11:52. > :12:02.life he would be one of the people you would choose. Lovely person,

:12:02. > :12:04.

:12:04. > :12:08.He is brilliant, he cues the ball very straight, which surprisingly

:12:08. > :12:18.enough not many of the top players in the world do that. Always

:12:18. > :12:25.

:12:25. > :12:30.conducts himself very well. Just One of the best out there, hits the

:12:30. > :12:37.ball better than anyone. Has the temperament under pressure. He's

:12:37. > :12:47.the one to have your money on. knows every part of it, very strong.

:12:47. > :12:51.

:12:51. > :13:01.He has changed completely. He went from unbelievably attacking,

:13:01. > :13:08.

:13:08. > :13:13.probably an all-round match player year-old from Leicester. 12 years

:13:13. > :13:23.in the sport, a winner of too small events, hit a maximum break earlier

:13:23. > :13:29.

:13:29. > :13:36.in the season. Hendry and Taylor In this match today, we haven't

:13:36. > :13:40.seen a lot of Tom Ford on TV, what way -- what can we expect? He has

:13:40. > :13:46.won two smaller events, he perhaps hasn't fulfilled his potential in

:13:46. > :13:49.the big events but he can score. any match you want a good start but

:13:49. > :13:54.you feel with somebody who hasn't been on TV it is good to get a good

:13:54. > :14:02.win today. If he doesn't get a good start against Neil he could

:14:02. > :14:07.steamroller him. There is a lot to play for. The three big ones have

:14:07. > :14:13.been the Masters, the world champion and the UK. He beat Shaun

:14:13. > :14:19.Murphy 10-6 so he will be after the UK this year. Added pressure, know

:14:19. > :14:24.Ronnie O'Sullivan won at the moment, Judd Trump out yesterday. -- no

:14:24. > :14:27.Ronnie O'Sullivan at the moment. They are all in with a chance. He

:14:27. > :14:35.does add pressure, even though he's seems to make it easier, it adds

:14:35. > :14:44.more pressure. The defending champion has gone. Thank you for

:14:44. > :14:50.Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. What a dramatic start we

:14:50. > :14:55.have already enjoyed to the Sears williamhill.com championship. We

:14:55. > :15:00.complete the line-up. Please welcome the player who has shot

:15:00. > :15:05.into the world 32 winning an event in each of the last two seasons,

:15:05. > :15:15.produced a sparkling one for 7 in Bulgaria, from Leicester, Tom Ford.

:15:15. > :15:37.

:15:37. > :15:43.And his opponent, a player with a superb temperament for the big

:15:43. > :15:47.occasion, winner of six ranking event titles including the 2010

:15:47. > :15:57.World Championship, the reigning Masters champion, can you hear the

:15:57. > :16:23.

:16:23. > :16:28.Thunder from Down Under? He'll -- HAZEL IRVINE: This is our feature

:16:28. > :16:38.match but you can access table two throughout the afternoon by looking

:16:38. > :16:43.

:16:43. > :16:53.Best of 11 frames stretching before Another good crowd here at the

:16:53. > :17:06.

:17:06. > :17:14.Barbican Centre in York. Wiping his Tom Ford gets the opening frame

:17:14. > :17:20.under way. Pretty good length with the cue ball. Left that red to the

:17:20. > :17:30.right. Might be worth Neil having a go at this. Could get himself on

:17:30. > :17:33.

:17:33. > :17:38.Not the easiest of opening shots. It is certainly one that is a huge

:17:38. > :17:48.confidence boost if he can get it. It has become his trademark over

:17:48. > :17:53.the years. I don't think he has Somebody's ear piece is really loud.

:17:53. > :18:03.An interesting choice. Might be a little bit tight as to whether the

:18:03. > :18:18.

:18:18. > :18:27.Interesting to see how come place today. He has had success in the

:18:27. > :18:35.smaller events -- how Tom plays. Yet to have any major success on a

:18:36. > :18:40.fall television tournament. I think with those events it is giving

:18:40. > :18:46.players the confidence. They don't play as often on television but the

:18:46. > :18:52.more they play them, if they had success, we have seen that with

:18:52. > :19:00.Mark Joyce against Judd Trump, fantastic comeback to knock out the

:19:00. > :19:05.defending champion. Also it they are getting used to playing the top

:19:05. > :19:07.players more regularly. Before we used to have them seven rate

:19:08. > :19:12.tournaments, you wouldn't get a chance, only when they qualified

:19:12. > :19:22.for these venues. Very nervous playing against the top players,

:19:22. > :19:33.

:19:33. > :19:39.Neil has dropped down to No. 6 in the world rankings. He will want to

:19:39. > :19:43.do something about that. He has started playing well again, a great

:19:43. > :19:53.victory in the Masters. That was back in January. A bit of a chance

:19:53. > :20:00.

:20:00. > :20:09.With the cue ball he had safety in mind. A very risky brown he's

:20:09. > :20:16.looking at. With the reds open, that is what you call a shot to

:20:16. > :20:26.nothing. This could pay dividends if he knocks this brown in. That is

:20:26. > :20:28.

:20:28. > :20:35.all you need. The only consolation is he may have snookered in -- Neil.

:20:35. > :20:45.Have a look at this. Certainly doesn't do your confidence any good

:20:45. > :20:56.

:20:56. > :21:01.He didn't cover that red. And mention the one he played, very

:21:01. > :21:11.unlucky when that happens. Don't mind if he played a bad shot leave

:21:11. > :21:25.

:21:25. > :21:35.One of the best cue actions in the game, Neil Robertson. Effortless

:21:35. > :21:38.

:21:38. > :21:45.I don't know what it is about the left-handed players, the best

:21:45. > :21:52.potter is in the game, going back to the South African, Mark Williams,

:21:52. > :22:02.Judd Trump, Mark Allen, Jimmy White, it is amazing how they a look so

:22:02. > :22:33.

:22:33. > :22:40.good at potting. -- how they are so Want to know where they he has got

:22:40. > :22:50.a new pair of shoes on, but he is slipping slightly. -- weather. Got

:22:50. > :23:06.

:23:06. > :23:10.to be careful. You can do yourself I actually remember playing Ken

:23:10. > :23:20.Doherty, I hadn't paid for maybe 10 years, looked over the table and

:23:20. > :23:30.cracked a rib. Couldn't believe it. They are mocked by a new shoes as

:23:30. > :23:30.

:23:30. > :23:40.you can see. -- they are not brand new shoes. This is the red he

:23:40. > :23:53.

:23:53. > :23:57.wanted to play for. Clears the Never ceases to amaze me, Tom Ford

:23:57. > :24:04.got himself psyched up for this match, newt it was going to be very

:24:04. > :24:10.tough, -- he knew it was going to be very tough. Watch him pot the

:24:10. > :24:20.balls he was going to pot. Just going to show it to you one more

:24:20. > :24:25.

:24:25. > :24:35.time. Looked as if he struck it There is that cue power that

:24:35. > :24:36.

:24:36. > :24:46.Stephen was talking about - effortless. He is playing a cannon

:24:46. > :25:10.

:25:10. > :25:18.Timing the ball beautifully at the moment. He will want to stamp his

:25:18. > :25:22.authority on the match as quick as possible. Tom will be disappointed

:25:22. > :25:32.with his kick from the brown and he will want to keep him in that state

:25:32. > :25:57.

:25:57. > :26:05.Neil is doing what all the great players down the years seem to be

:26:05. > :26:13.able to do - get off to a quick start. Stephen, who is sat next to

:26:13. > :26:23.me, was a past master at that, along with Steve Davis. As Stephen

:26:23. > :26:27.

:26:27. > :26:31.I used to think you could almost win the match in the first two

:26:31. > :26:34.frames if you got off to a good start. You put so much pressure on

:26:34. > :26:44.your opponent if you can keep them off the table for the first few

:26:44. > :26:53.

:26:53. > :26:57.He can't do anything about this. He's just got to get himself ready

:26:57. > :27:07.for the first frame. You have just got to put it out of your mind,

:27:07. > :27:10.

:27:10. > :27:20.Neil Robertson is a great break- builder. Looking at his centuries

:27:20. > :27:36.

:27:36. > :27:46.He is good to watch, Neil. He is very fluent around the table. A

:27:46. > :27:49.

:27:49. > :27:52.couple of seasons ago, he wasn't Not keen on the shot clock they

:27:52. > :28:02.have on some of the tournament but when he gets going, he is very

:28:02. > :28:19.

:28:19. > :28:23.That little cannon on the red gives Another reason Tom will be

:28:23. > :28:26.disappointed with the kick on the brown is that he could have played

:28:26. > :28:30.end easy safety shot but he chose to play the right shot and was

:28:30. > :28:40.punished for it. I was thinking the same. A lot of players would have

:28:40. > :29:03.

:29:03. > :29:13.ducked behind the green with the We have had 12 centuries so far and

:29:13. > :29:23.we are only into a 3. Stephen Maguire and Marco Fu have both made

:29:23. > :29:28.

:29:28. > :29:32.He was hoping to drop in on the pink to be nicely behind the red.

:29:32. > :29:42.He can screw in from behind the blue. He might need his extension

:29:42. > :29:45.

:29:45. > :29:55.He took the brown to get right behind the red. He has played that

:29:55. > :30:17.

:30:17. > :30:27.The sponsors are giving �250 for every century break to charity.

:30:27. > :30:55.

:30:55. > :30:59.That is 22 centuries he has made I think Marco Fu is the most

:30:59. > :31:09.impressive so far, along with Stephen Maguire. They have both

:31:09. > :31:19.

:31:19. > :31:22.played exceptionally well but Neil Well, that is a fantastic start

:31:22. > :31:30.from the Australian! You can't do better than that in the opening

:31:30. > :31:36.frame. He has cleared a lot with a break of 129 and he beads 1-0.

:31:36. > :31:40.That is the way to get going in a match, isn't it? Just after saying

:31:40. > :31:43.that Tom Ford needed a good start, he goes and gets a horrendous kick

:31:44. > :31:48.on the brown in the middle pocket and Neil Robertson with a break

:31:48. > :31:52.like that wins the frame. significance of that could be the

:31:52. > :31:57.storyline of the match. Even though it is just one frame, one shot, if

:31:57. > :32:00.you don't get off the ground in a match, and you are left Gordon the

:32:00. > :32:04.starting blocks, that can be the story of the day. Neil Robertson

:32:04. > :32:09.has done his job. He has mop up the tears very well and Tom Ford is

:32:09. > :32:13.still on 0. If it Neil Robertson wins the next and the next, all of

:32:13. > :32:21.a sudden Tom Robertson goes into the press conference and says,

:32:21. > :32:26."that kick, second shot of the match, cost me the match." If you

:32:26. > :32:29.look at the last season, he was a bit slow to start. He has already

:32:29. > :32:33.started in that frame with a smaller victory and has been

:32:33. > :32:38.thereabouts. Do you see him started to get the crispness that would

:32:38. > :32:42.indicate that he is coming to the ball? Yes and I think he is a

:32:42. > :32:46.massive occasion player. The bigger the occasion, the better he plays.

:32:46. > :32:51.He has won the Masters and the world. This is the one he wants to

:32:51. > :33:01.complete his CV. Frame two. I am sure Tom Ford will feel like he has

:33:01. > :33:08.

:33:09. > :33:13.He has been hit with the Thunder Stephen mentioned in the previous

:33:13. > :33:16.frame, Tom Ford was very positive. He could have tucked up behind the

:33:16. > :33:26.green but went for a positive shot and got that horrendous kick, which

:33:26. > :33:32.

:33:32. > :33:38.was his last shot in the opening Not the best kiss in the world for

:33:38. > :33:48.Tom, catching the brown. These are one of Neil Robertson's trademark

:33:48. > :33:53.

:33:53. > :33:56.shots. There are two reds I think He can get through to the one that

:33:56. > :34:06.is near the pocket and he can take the one to the right of the blue. I

:34:06. > :34:15.

:34:15. > :34:25.He can get through to the one near the pocket, which is the one he is

:34:25. > :34:54.

:34:54. > :35:02.I am going to put you on the spot, Stephen. I said Judd Trump was the

:35:02. > :35:06.best potter I had ever seen in the game. Up until then, it was Neil

:35:06. > :35:10.Robertson. Who is the best potter you have played against? It is

:35:10. > :35:14.difficult to say because on the day, all of these players can pot

:35:14. > :35:20.fantastically. I gauge it on who is the most consistent and you have to

:35:20. > :35:30.say Neil is right up there. He consistently gets the long balls. I

:35:30. > :35:39.

:35:40. > :35:47.He is so close to the brown. There he is - one of the greatest potter

:35:47. > :35:57.as I have ever seen, Mark Williams, looking very smart! He is right up

:35:57. > :36:01.

:36:01. > :36:11.Tom is trying to negotiate the snooker off four cushions to get

:36:11. > :36:35.

:36:35. > :36:45.He did not quite make the 4th It is somewhere near those lines.

:36:45. > :37:16.

:37:16. > :37:22.He is just telling the referee he Neil Robertson is looking to the

:37:22. > :37:32.top corner. He is having a think about it. He does not like it so he

:37:32. > :37:36.

:37:36. > :37:39.Can it be third time lucky? The line he went, if he had hit it a

:37:39. > :37:49.bit harder, he might have got into the pack but he could have pushed a

:37:49. > :38:22.

:38:23. > :38:32.red on. It is not a bad choice if If he has left and so straight on

:38:33. > :38:45.

:38:45. > :38:55.That was the best he could do. In a couple of shots' time, he might get

:38:55. > :38:56.

:38:56. > :39:06.back up into the reds. He needs to pull up if he is going to go into

:39:06. > :39:07.

:39:07. > :39:10.the bunch. He may have to come off If one of the reds pots of the

:39:10. > :39:20.right corner, he does not have to try and get into the bunch on this

:39:20. > :39:45.

:39:45. > :39:50.A lovely angle if he chooses to follow through for the cushion with

:39:50. > :40:00.lots of top spin into the pack. Always good to do it when there two

:40:00. > :40:13.

:40:13. > :40:23.He is wishing he hadn't gone into them, maybe, but that is pretty

:40:23. > :40:24.

:40:24. > :40:34.careless. He just forgot about the pot. I think he was concentrating

:40:34. > :40:44.

:40:44. > :40:50.on where he was leaving the cue He wouldn't have up and over again.

:40:50. > :41:00.-- he would like to have that one over again. The cue ball ran away

:41:00. > :41:07.

:41:07. > :41:13.The last thing Tom wants to be thinking is about the kick in the

:41:13. > :41:23.first frame. He will just have to be patient and wait for a decent

:41:23. > :41:35.

:41:36. > :41:45.He has played it well, to get over those reds and the pink. An easy

:41:46. > :42:13.

:42:13. > :42:18.safety off the red on the left side He wanted to be careful where the

:42:18. > :42:27.pink went. That is OK. I think he has covered the left-hand side so

:42:27. > :42:37.that as a good shot. -- that is a good shot. I think he can just get

:42:37. > :42:50.

:42:50. > :43:00.past the blue to play that red and A chance for Tom to use that target

:43:00. > :43:14.

:43:14. > :43:24.If he opens the pack, he has got to It needs to run because of red has

:43:24. > :43:31.come up over the middle. It has He has snookered Neil on all the

:43:31. > :43:41.reds. His heart was in his mouth, willing that cue ball down the

:43:41. > :43:44.

:43:44. > :43:48.He has to be very precise to come off a couple of cushions and nestle

:43:48. > :43:58.into that bunch. He could easily leave one on and there are only

:43:58. > :44:19.

:44:19. > :44:29.five reds in that little cluster He slipped away. I don't think he

:44:29. > :44:52.

:44:52. > :44:56.This is important for Tom. He has to try and win this frame at this

:44:56. > :45:06.visit, if for no other reason than to show his opponent he is capable

:45:06. > :45:08.

:45:08. > :45:17.A nice positive shot, opening the reds up straight away. Still lots

:45:17. > :45:27.of reds to play for. He has made two 147s so he knows his way around

:45:27. > :45:47.

:45:47. > :45:57.He played for the red into the left centre pocket. He has gone a bit

:45:57. > :46:33.

:46:33. > :46:35.too far. He has left himself He will want to use the red

:46:35. > :46:45.immediately to the right of the pink to take it off the side

:46:45. > :46:51.

:46:51. > :46:58.cushion. A half ball pot on that Tom has a nice tempo round the

:46:58. > :47:08.table. I like his style. Another very good player coming from

:47:08. > :47:09.

:47:09. > :47:19.The red Stephen mentioned he has brought into play so that was

:47:19. > :47:29.

:47:30. > :47:33.He is now doing what John Parrott said he had to do - he had no

:47:33. > :47:37.chance in the opening frame after the kick but he has still got quite

:47:37. > :47:43.a bit to do here. It would be nice if he could win this frame with

:47:43. > :47:53.this visit. That would help him forget what happened in the opening

:47:53. > :48:06.

:48:06. > :48:16.I think he thought he had missed that! I don't think any of the two

:48:16. > :48:43.

:48:43. > :48:50.He can play for the left red into He can't run through and much that.

:48:50. > :48:53.The only problem with the pink is that he has got to make sure he

:48:53. > :48:59.gets on it this time because playing on to the blue, there is no

:48:59. > :49:02.way he can cannon into the reds because of the pink. I would have

:49:02. > :49:12.liked to have seen him play for that left red into the centre for

:49:12. > :49:22.He had to leave himself nicely on the pink. It looks not to have a

:49:22. > :49:29.

:49:29. > :49:39.The energy needed - he hit it a little bit harder than that. -- the

:49:39. > :49:40.

:49:40. > :49:50.You could say he is a bit unlucky but a different shop would have

:49:50. > :49:55.

:49:55. > :50:00.taken that out of play. A good shot. Heading towards the green and brown

:50:00. > :50:04.with the cue ball. He could slot this into the corner pocket. Even

:50:04. > :50:14.if it didn't finish on green or brown, he could put Neil Robertson

:50:14. > :50:23.

:50:23. > :50:27.in all sorts of trouble. This would A very good shot indeed. Look at

:50:27. > :50:37.the brown! But he has not got the angle this time. The one in the

:50:37. > :50:42.

:50:42. > :50:45.opening frame he got a kick on was Well played. Maybe if he had hit

:50:45. > :50:55.the brown a little bit harder, but he has got it safe and got the

:50:55. > :50:55.

:50:55. > :51:52.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:51:53. > :52:02.snooker. Advantage Tom Ford in this These balls are nicely placed to

:52:03. > :52:12.

:52:12. > :52:21.get snookers behind. Especially if He may take the pot on to the right

:52:21. > :52:31.corner but just played a safety. If he can make contact, he can head up

:52:31. > :52:35.

:52:35. > :52:45.behind the yellow but can he see He can only see the other side of

:52:45. > :52:45.

:52:45. > :53:33.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:53:33. > :53:43.He will be having a go at this. It looks to be absolutely dead

:53:43. > :53:50.

:53:50. > :54:00.straight - the type of shot that Just cued across it slightly. It

:54:00. > :54:17.

:54:17. > :54:27.will pot. He has left it on. It That was pretty attacking. He tried

:54:27. > :54:45.

:54:45. > :54:51.to develop the brown in potting He has covered the escape to the

:54:51. > :55:00.left cushion, closest to the yellow. Quite a big margin of error to hit

:55:00. > :55:10.the yellow. That is the sort of line he could take, interesting to

:55:10. > :55:31.

:55:31. > :55:41.He has gone right around the back A miss was called. Neil will not

:55:41. > :55:57.

:55:57. > :56:03.Big advantage being left-handed here. He might be able to drop in

:56:03. > :56:13.behind the brown. I think he will play this with a lot of right-hand

:56:13. > :56:14.

:56:14. > :56:24.Try and get in behind the brown or even bring the brown off the

:56:24. > :56:42.

:56:42. > :56:52.All is not lost for Tom Ford in the second frame. It is a bramble fight,

:56:52. > :56:56.

:56:56. > :57:05.whoever pots the brown should win That seemed a strange shot. He

:57:05. > :57:15.might have put himself in trouble with that safety shot. Give the

:57:15. > :57:31.

:57:31. > :57:41.advantage stated on. -- straight it Could he would love to play cushion

:57:41. > :57:42.

:57:42. > :57:52.first here but I don't think there Maybe just a little bit too close

:57:52. > :57:55.

:57:55. > :58:03.He will have a shot at it, Tom, there is a lot of pressure on this.

:58:03. > :58:13.He needs the brown and he needs the blue. The position is automatic,

:58:13. > :58:13.

:58:13. > :58:23.just concentrate 100% on getting That is just the pressure of the

:58:23. > :58:23.

:58:23. > :58:33.occasion. He has left the brown for Neil Robertson. It is all about

:58:33. > :58:43.

:58:43. > :58:50.trying to deliver that crew through He doesn't miss many of those, Neil

:58:50. > :58:59.Robertson. He has got very little to do, position wise. A similar

:59:00. > :59:09.situation to come. Pot the blue and you on the pink. It looked as if

:59:10. > :59:19.

:59:19. > :59:29.Tom Ford was going to level it. He Neil Robertson gets himself into a

:59:29. > :59:32.

:59:32. > :59:41.two frame lead. HAZEL IRVINE: Very nicely done. As you can see, there

:59:41. > :59:48.is Tom's current rating. Neil Robertson right near the top. You

:59:48. > :59:55.fancy John Higgins slightly ahead. I should imagine the 5/1 on offer

:59:55. > :59:59.is probably changing all the time. Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, it is

:59:59. > :00:09.rather strange not to have Judd Trump in the next. That has had an

:00:09. > :00:14.

:00:14. > :00:24.bit of value further down, Mark Williams is playing pretty good.

:00:24. > :00:29.

:00:29. > :00:37.14/1, might seem a big price for Assess what we have seen so far

:00:37. > :00:41.from Tom for a's perspective. cruel game, in a way. -- Tom Ford.

:00:41. > :00:46.It looked like he was going to have an opportunity, but cast your mind

:00:46. > :00:52.back to the two reds below the pink, he failed to resolve that situation

:00:52. > :00:58.and has paid the ultimate price. When he looks at that situation he

:00:58. > :01:08.had, it could have been 1-1 if he resolved that. Third frame, we are

:01:08. > :01:10.

:01:11. > :01:16.Not a bad length with a break-off shot. Some players seem to be able

:01:16. > :01:26.to get the white further to the left. Most players are coming up a

:01:26. > :01:32.

:01:32. > :01:42.little bit short of reaching a Neil is still treating come up with

:01:42. > :01:44.

:01:44. > :01:48.lots of respect, the chance of a Treating the play with utmost

:01:48. > :01:54.respect, you have got to do that no matter who your opponent is, that

:01:54. > :02:04.is close to the pocket, that could be in. You cannot take liberties in

:02:04. > :02:04.

:02:04. > :02:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:02:48. > :02:54.this game, it kicks you right back That is the difference between the

:02:54. > :03:04.two players at the moment, that was the type of shot Tom Ford had a

:03:04. > :03:08.

:03:08. > :03:18.There is the long pot success rate, five out of five. They it is pretty

:03:18. > :03:28.consistent, 100%. -- that is pretty consistent. There is a trick shot

:03:28. > :03:37.

:03:37. > :03:47.You would not see a better trick shot than that. He was thinking

:03:47. > :03:47.

:03:47. > :05:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:05:20. > :05:30.I think you should really get 11 Perfect contact on the red. Pretty

:05:30. > :05:45.

:05:45. > :05:51.He is aiming down on the right-hand side to bend it around the green,

:05:51. > :05:59.clip the edge of the red. It is dangerous. You did would to swerve

:05:59. > :06:09.too much and catch the red thick. I think this is a see the shot. --

:06:09. > :06:18.

:06:18. > :06:28.sailfish shot. Gone back to his Just getting a little bit messy now,

:06:28. > :06:54.

:06:54. > :07:00.knocking the blue on to the side That might be a free ball. It is.

:07:00. > :07:10.Neil can take the brown, that is amazing. You cannot believe what is

:07:10. > :07:20.going on at the moment. Thought he would have a couple of goes. He

:07:20. > :07:20.

:07:20. > :08:05.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:08:05. > :08:11.Exactly the same brown from the Potting the red, cannoning into the

:08:11. > :08:21.path, hopefully leaving herself -- leaving himself with the pink.

:08:21. > :08:22.

:08:22. > :08:32.Couldn't have played it much better The only thing is it has put the

:08:32. > :08:36.

:08:36. > :08:46.black out of commission, it was Is the pink spot available? It may

:08:46. > :08:56.

:08:56. > :09:06.be tied up. The blue is out of Looking at the bottom of those two

:09:06. > :09:18.

:09:18. > :09:23.There seems to be enough room for the pink to go back on the spot.

:09:23. > :09:28.Just about, that is the pink and black out of commission. He will

:09:28. > :09:38.have to go for one of the bulk colours and cannon into the pink

:09:38. > :09:43.

:09:43. > :09:53.and black. Yellow would probably be He is a little bit straight on the

:09:53. > :09:56.

:09:56. > :10:06.green. He will have to play for a single red. Playing this off three

:10:06. > :10:16.

:10:16. > :10:26.cushions. I am just wondering if he He needs a bit of angle to attempt

:10:26. > :10:42.

:10:42. > :10:52.He might be able to see enough of the black. This will open more of

:10:52. > :11:27.

:11:27. > :11:37.He tried a delicate one of rather than forcing the black. It is

:11:37. > :11:42.

:11:42. > :11:52.He feels he can pot this red without the red he is touching. If

:11:52. > :12:06.

:12:06. > :12:12.that moves affection it is a foul Play this black with a touch of

:12:12. > :12:21.right-hand side. Given the choice of the red beneath the black or the

:12:21. > :12:31.red to the right. A nice shot that was. Always a danger if you flick a

:12:31. > :12:38.

:12:38. > :12:46.bit too much side on you can miss He has got such a delicate touch,

:12:46. > :12:54.as he proved with that lapsed shot. -- the last shot. That didn't sound

:12:54. > :13:04.too healthy. Might work to his advantage, he is forced to go into

:13:04. > :13:11.the bunch. Certainly opened the remaining reds up. If he drops on a

:13:11. > :13:21.colour it will be 3-0. If he cannons the two reds there can only

:13:21. > :13:24.

:13:24. > :13:34.below the pink and promote the pink towards the middle pocket. He just

:13:34. > :13:47.

:13:47. > :13:57.You can see the whites pinning up the table. I don't think he was

:13:57. > :14:02.

:14:02. > :14:07.expecting to get that far up the He's not doing much wrong at the

:14:07. > :14:12.moment, Neil Robertson. Tom Ford had a chance to take the second

:14:12. > :14:22.frame. Neil Robertson looks in fine fettle as they used to say in

:14:22. > :14:41.

:14:41. > :14:51.During a real professional job on time today, -- he's doing.

:14:51. > :15:04.

:15:04. > :15:13.Even when Neil plays soft shots the cue always accelerates through the

:15:13. > :15:23.ball, almost the perfect cue action. I the key to a lot of games is to

:15:23. > :15:24.

:15:24. > :15:29.follow through. The number of times they forget to do that. Golf is a

:15:29. > :15:39.typical example. If you quit on the shot and did follow-through it will

:15:39. > :15:43.

:15:43. > :15:52.be a bad shot -- do not follow Worrying times for Tom Ford.

:15:52. > :16:02.Playing all the right shot, gets in, never misses. There has never been

:16:02. > :16:12.a better format. Good, tactical Force your opponent into making an

:16:12. > :16:40.

:16:40. > :16:49.A little bit of everything here, an Apart from when he got the kick on

:16:49. > :16:58.the black, he has out of danger. Had to negotiate earlier wrong when

:16:58. > :17:04.the pink and black were blocked up a little bit. Done it so well.

:17:04. > :17:08.great staying, the cue ball is on a piece of string. Sometimes we need

:17:08. > :17:13.them while struggling you have it on the end of a piece of rope --

:17:14. > :17:22.sometimes when you are struggling. Absolutely fantastic from Neil

:17:22. > :17:28.Robertson, his second century of this match. He's 23rd this season.

:17:28. > :17:34.-- it is his 23rd this season. He has made 236 centuries in his

:17:34. > :17:44.career. A little exhibition shot to try and move the blue. Things are

:17:44. > :17:48.

:17:48. > :17:52.going so well. He might try and loch -- knocked the blue out. Look

:17:52. > :18:02.at the side on not. Watch the white spinning off those cushioned. It's

:18:02. > :18:12.

:18:12. > :18:19.And then a delicate little 1 up the cushion. It is just coming away

:18:19. > :18:29.slightly. What a fabulous break. Two centuries in three frames. He

:18:29. > :18:30.

:18:30. > :18:39.leads 3-0. His all-round game is unbelievable. His long pot success

:18:39. > :18:44.is at 100%. Talk us through these. His very first pot of the match.

:18:44. > :18:48.Time it so well. When you knock in the first one it gives you so much

:18:48. > :18:52.confidence for the rest of your game. Sometimes if he missed the

:18:52. > :19:02.first ball you go for it can have you a little bit on edge -- if you

:19:02. > :19:02.

:19:02. > :19:05.miss. Seen a couple of dental long pots. Not forcing them. -- gentle.

:19:05. > :19:13.This is a Neil Robertson special. They used to be a Stephen Hendry

:19:13. > :19:19.special. I don't think I had his cue power. Very little effort goes

:19:19. > :19:29.into it. That last red, I remember when he used to go up to sterling,

:19:29. > :19:39.keep an eye her new practising. -- Stirling. He very rarely misses

:19:39. > :19:57.

:19:57. > :20:05.One more frame before the mid- session interval. Tom Ford, he

:20:05. > :20:15.badly needs this frame. I don't think going to the mid-session 4-0

:20:15. > :20:22.

:20:22. > :20:28.down would be what he's after. That is the beauty. Needs a little

:20:28. > :20:32.bit of good luck when he plays the cannon here. If he can hit the red

:20:32. > :20:37.at the end of the pack it would be better than heading the one above

:20:37. > :20:42.it. If you could cannon that when it would be even better. He has hit

:20:42. > :20:52.the other one, a little bit of good fortune, there is one gone over the

:20:52. > :20:59.

:20:59. > :21:08.He played that very well. Almost as a spun it rather than he screw shot

:21:08. > :21:12.it to make sure the white doesn't come back towards the black.

:21:12. > :21:20.white is tight and the red in a middle is dead straight so he

:21:20. > :21:28.cannot get the correct side of the blue. Go he has got to give it a

:21:28. > :21:38.bit of care and attention. A slight angle. Forced to leave himself the

:21:38. > :21:42.

:21:42. > :21:52.wrong side of the blue. He is struggling, these situations all we

:21:52. > :21:52.

:21:52. > :24:17.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:24:17. > :24:27.seem a little awkward. The landed No kick for Neil Robertson. Perfect

:24:27. > :24:40.

:24:40. > :24:45.I think he can leave the white where the black is. He wants to

:24:45. > :24:55.clear that red away. He wants to put the black on both corner

:24:55. > :25:02.

:25:02. > :25:12.Makes it more awkward because he is left-handed so he has to lean over

:25:12. > :25:33.

:25:33. > :25:43.If it was straight for the black, he could screw back and leave the

:25:43. > :26:04.

:26:04. > :26:14.red on to the opposite right corner. Just about perfect. He had to be

:26:14. > :26:39.

:26:39. > :26:49.aware that the black when it was A little bit careless. Had to bring

:26:49. > :26:52.

:26:52. > :27:02.the cue ball over to the left side He will probably play with what we

:27:02. > :27:07.

:27:07. > :27:17.It is one of those where you have to hit the ball on the cushion at

:27:17. > :27:25.

:27:25. > :27:35.Everything is just so easy for Neil Robertson at the moment. He looks

:27:35. > :27:44.

:27:44. > :27:54.in superb form. One more good shot The blacks struggled. Wiped its

:27:54. > :28:04.

:28:04. > :28:14.This will go to the middle pocket and he can get nicely on the black

:28:14. > :28:20.again. A bit of a quick bounce. It may have to be the pink now. He is

:28:20. > :28:30.such a good long potter and all he has to do is bring the white back.

:28:30. > :28:42.

:28:42. > :28:50.Then he has got an easy red Those shots are a lot more

:28:50. > :29:00.comfortable when you 1 3-0 up, rather than 3-0 behind. The-year-

:29:00. > :29:08.

:29:08. > :29:15.old when you are. He has a He got to the quarter final of this

:29:15. > :29:18.UK championship in 2010 and lost, he got to the semi-final and lost

:29:18. > :29:28.to Judd Trump and I think he wants to go one better this year and add

:29:28. > :29:45.

:29:45. > :29:48.the UK title to that illustrious Wouldn't it be something if he

:29:48. > :29:58.could make another century? That would be three centuries in four

:29:58. > :30:24.

:30:24. > :30:29.frames. Stephen Maguire did that in Frank Callan was the daddy of them

:30:29. > :30:33.all in regards to coaching. They all learned from him. He used to

:30:33. > :30:41.coach at least five or six world champions. A lot of them who are

:30:41. > :30:51.coaching nowadays learned from Frank. Myself included. Had some

:30:51. > :30:59.

:30:59. > :31:09.I wish him well if he is watching. I am sure he is. He bus his snooker.

:31:09. > :31:19.

:31:19. > :31:23.Meanwhile, Neil will be trying his hardest to make a century. He is

:31:23. > :31:31.one of the players that will try his hardest to clear the table.

:31:31. > :31:41.the frame, will just relax but Neil really wants to finish this off.

:31:41. > :31:50.

:31:50. > :31:53.Well, we are not going to get three centuries but what a performance

:31:53. > :31:59.from Neil Robertson. He has missed virtually nothing in this match so

:31:59. > :32:05.far. Two century breaks and that one is 74. He goes into the mid-

:32:05. > :32:09.session interval leading 4-0. Extremely impressive and you get

:32:09. > :32:14.the impression... We talked about the level of professionalism in his

:32:14. > :32:19.performance and T just seems ready to do a job today. Exactly. When

:32:19. > :32:24.you have Tom Ford, who is in excellent form, 147s and started to

:32:24. > :32:27.qualify for the next stage, looking to try to improve his standard at

:32:27. > :32:32.top class level and you come up against Neil Robertson, it is so

:32:32. > :32:36.tough. You don't need many mistakes before it all comes undone. He has

:32:36. > :32:41.not done a great deal wrong but is really up against it. What has been

:32:41. > :32:47.the hallmark of his play? His total professionalism. He is one of those

:32:47. > :32:52.players who when he has you on the black will make sure you stay there.

:32:52. > :32:57.There is no let-up in him at the minute. One or two players this

:32:57. > :33:01.week have let people off the hook. It goes back to your point before

:33:01. > :33:06.we got the match under way with regard to whether you were going to

:33:06. > :33:12.be an entertainer or a wing machine. Neil has chosen the latter. --

:33:13. > :33:17.winning machine. Yes, Neil Robertson, having dropped off the

:33:17. > :33:23.circuit and struggled at one stage, comes back and appreciates the need

:33:23. > :33:28.to win more. He has learned that it is all about winning and now there

:33:28. > :33:32.is a winning machine on the table. He does destroy you and he does not

:33:32. > :33:36.look like he has got anything else in his mind other than that. It

:33:36. > :33:41.sounds stupid but you go into the table looking to win the frame and

:33:41. > :33:45.looking at every shot. It is very entertaining doing it. He is making

:33:45. > :33:49.century breaks and a big long pot. Entertaining but it is a quicker

:33:49. > :33:53.way to win. They are going to have to think about that. Tom will be

:33:53. > :33:57.thinking about it during the interval. Whilst they do that, we

:33:57. > :34:03.will look at events on the other table. Matthew Stevens, a man who

:34:03. > :34:13.loves this venue - it was here that he won his only world ranking event

:34:13. > :34:18.

:34:18. > :34:21.in 2003. Let's open the profile on Looking back 10, 15 years, I would

:34:21. > :34:26.have predicted that Matthew Stevens would have been a multiple ranking

:34:26. > :34:29.tournament winner with his talent but it hasn't happened. No, and a

:34:29. > :34:34.lot of people would have thought that he had wasted his talent.

:34:34. > :34:39.Seems to, from the outside, have gone off the rail a few times.

:34:39. > :34:47.Leaves on the track or whatever. But to his credit, still a top 16

:34:47. > :34:53.player, or knocking on the doors. Like Stephen Lee, when they first

:34:53. > :34:56.came on the seen, everyone predicted great things but perhaps

:34:56. > :35:04.they enjoyed themselves a bit much. But they have dragged themselves

:35:04. > :35:09.back. The reason for Matthew Stevens is his huge talent. Also,

:35:09. > :35:12.regardless of how he must have felt confidence wise, form wise, he has

:35:12. > :35:17.not changed his game at all. He still plays exactly the same

:35:17. > :35:20.attacking, brave snooker. He is never going to shirk his

:35:20. > :35:25.responsibilities on the table. Great cueing and when he gets

:35:25. > :35:30.amongst the balls, he is likely to shake them up. He has given himself

:35:30. > :35:32.a chance to win matches by doing that. They fact that he is more

:35:32. > :35:36.active got playing tournaments all the time, has helped him. There is

:35:36. > :35:41.no chance of being bored at home for weeks on end with nothing to

:35:41. > :35:45.look forward to. He is playing every week and that is important.

:35:45. > :35:50.UK champion, of Bisley, and failed at the final hurdle in the World

:35:50. > :35:58.Championship. Difficult to say for sure if he would get back to those

:35:58. > :36:02.levels. On his day, he is a match for everybody. He has got every

:36:02. > :36:07.shot in the book. He has failed at the final hurdle a couple of times

:36:07. > :36:11.but he has been UK champion, so he knows what it takes to win big

:36:11. > :36:15.tournaments. It remains to be seen if he can push on. He has got

:36:15. > :36:23.himself almost in the top eight - can he go on and win tournaments

:36:23. > :36:27.again? This is how his opponent's record looks. He is now 40 and

:36:27. > :36:32.still capable of good performances. He is a double ranking event when a

:36:32. > :36:38.but has always struggled in this event, curiously. This is his 21st

:36:38. > :36:44.campaign - never got past the third round. Willie Thorne and John Virgo

:36:44. > :36:54.are going to talk you through those frames. Matthew is at the table. No

:36:54. > :37:11.

:37:11. > :37:21.JOHN VIRGO: You can always just run off a little bit. A chance to

:37:21. > :37:35.

:37:35. > :37:45.Lives in Berlin, now, Dominic. He has moved away with his fiancee to

:37:45. > :37:57.

:37:57. > :38:01.Berlin. He is enjoying himself over Didn't get that red into the middle

:38:01. > :38:04.of the pocket, which is why it is going to be a little bit thin. A

:38:04. > :38:13.bit further down the table and he would like but there are reds

:38:13. > :38:17.Going back to the fact that he is unwell. He of looks as though he

:38:17. > :38:23.has got a rash on his face. It can work both ways when you don't feel

:38:23. > :38:27.too good. Sometimes, if you get a bad start, you start thinking about

:38:27. > :38:33.your ailment, but if you get a good start you sort of forget about it

:38:33. > :38:37.and top to concentrate a little bit more. They say beware of the

:38:37. > :38:41.injured golfer. Beware of the injured snooker player. Remains to

:38:41. > :38:49.be seen how he will play during this match. This is his first real

:38:49. > :38:59.scoring opportunity. Not many bad players have ever won a ranking

:38:59. > :39:07.

:39:07. > :39:17.event. He won won a few years ago A great student of the game. He

:39:17. > :39:22.

:39:22. > :39:26.really builds all the facts and He is asking for the cue ball to be

:39:26. > :39:36.cleaned but I think he misjudged the contact on the second red. That

:39:36. > :39:57.

:39:57. > :40:07.is why he didn't get through it. It That was an excellent shot. Awkward

:40:07. > :40:20.

:40:20. > :40:26.cueing for the next red but the pot Can't do anything but stun this in

:40:26. > :40:32.to miss the kiss on the black. He really has to get into this. He

:40:32. > :40:42.decided to play for blue. He knew it was a risk. Not the best kiss in

:40:42. > :41:15.

:41:15. > :41:21.the world, even though he is on the That was a lovely controlled

:41:21. > :41:26.positional shot, potting the blue. Swan it round of the two cushions.

:41:26. > :41:32.The cannon helped to get perfect position. Couldn't have played it

:41:32. > :41:42.better. Considering he has got out of his sickbed to be here this

:41:42. > :41:45.

:41:45. > :41:49.afternoon, this is a good start. The two reds up of -- above the

:41:49. > :41:59.black, he would like to kiss that off and that would bring the others

:41:59. > :42:06.

:42:06. > :42:16.I don't know whether he is on anything but he is playing for the

:42:16. > :42:27.

:42:27. > :42:37.Couldn't get the right side of the blue. I am not certain he played on

:42:37. > :42:44.

:42:44. > :42:54.that black before when he ran into He has got a bit of work to do with

:42:54. > :42:58.

:42:58. > :43:08.the cue ball here. Why doesn't he play the straight one? He didn't

:43:08. > :43:43.

:43:43. > :43:49.need to. Judged that to perfection. The red just above the pink was the

:43:49. > :43:59.one he played for but he may be on the one just below the pink. I

:43:59. > :44:05.

:44:05. > :44:15.can't believe he played for this After this black, one more red and

:44:15. > :44:26.

:44:26. > :44:29.a colour and he will win the first He played to the pink for an

:44:29. > :44:39.opportunity to get on the next red. Exactly right. Could not have

:44:39. > :45:00.

:45:00. > :45:10.That put him 71 points in front with just 67 points remaining. Very

:45:10. > :45:12.

:45:12. > :45:19.well done indeed. Matthew had the first chance with a long red but he

:45:19. > :45:23.missed. I was going to say, maybe we would see a century, but Dominic

:45:24. > :45:28.Dale has taken the first frame, but for snookers.

:45:28. > :45:32.That was enough to nail down the opening frame. Dominic not feeling

:45:32. > :45:42.very well. He has got a rash and we are hoping he is not contagious! I

:45:42. > :45:58.

:45:58. > :46:08.I don't know whether he was trying to blow the ball in all wave a fly

:46:08. > :46:18.away their! He left Matthew a nice easy contingents because once he

:46:18. > :46:20.

:46:20. > :46:30.missed, he was very lucky not to Gave him another chance. Cued that

:46:30. > :46:38.

:46:38. > :46:44.That blue put him 53 points in front. The fact that the black is

:46:44. > :46:48.tied up will not bother him. If he pots the one of the cluster of

:46:48. > :46:58.three that is just above the black, it will open up the others, so a

:46:58. > :47:34.

:47:34. > :47:43.chance to win the frame in this He would like to have that one

:47:43. > :47:53.again! A very poor positional shot. Looking for one more colour and of

:47:53. > :47:53.

:47:53. > :49:03.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:49:03. > :49:13.red. Should have been bet on the If he gets this, he is almost

:49:13. > :49:13.

:49:13. > :50:09.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:50:09. > :50:19.certain to get on to a colour. The T7 is his lead, 67 on the table.

:50:19. > :50:40.

:50:40. > :50:50.Just this red needed. -- 67 is his Tried to develop the black there

:50:50. > :50:55.

:50:55. > :50:59.I am sure Dominic will remain in his chair. He nodded his head of

:50:59. > :51:03.the referee soap largely due to a break of 43, Matthew Stevens has

:51:03. > :51:06.levelled. We will bring you a little more of

:51:06. > :51:10.that match later but if you want to continue watching it, let me remind

:51:10. > :51:15.you of the many ways you can keep the cost all of the event at the

:51:15. > :51:20.Barbican Centre this week. In addition to BBC Two's coverage,

:51:20. > :51:30.you can watch uninterrupted live coverage through you're connected

:51:30. > :51:31.

:51:31. > :51:35.TV, mobile or computer. There will also be regular updates on Radio 5

:51:35. > :51:42.Live, and check the BBC Sport website for the latest on demand

:51:42. > :51:48.highlights, news and interviews from the Barbican Centre.

:51:48. > :51:53.There's a lot more to winning that particular trophy this week. Neil

:51:53. > :51:57.Robertson has got close in the past. Semi-finals last year. He fell to

:51:57. > :52:03.Judd Trump. No Judd Trump now, though, of course. Appeal is

:52:03. > :52:07.playing very well against Tom Ford. Two centuries in four frames. --

:52:07. > :52:14.and Neil is playing very well. Back to Stephen Hendry and Dennis Taylor

:52:14. > :52:17.we go. We were in the players' room as we

:52:17. > :52:22.watched that shot and Tom was very philosophical about what happened

:52:22. > :52:26.and said he was going to go and make a maximum break. It is 10

:52:26. > :52:29.grand for a maximum so he is current a give it it is best shot.

:52:29. > :52:37.I always felt that as long as your opponent needed two frames, you

:52:37. > :52:47.were in for a shot no matter what the score was. And 97% success rate

:52:47. > :52:52.for Robertson. That is going some! 102 out of 105. His safety success

:52:52. > :52:57.rate has just gone down after that shot! Come on, Tom, let's get the

:52:57. > :53:02.frame on the board that you need. The last thing a player wants is a

:53:02. > :53:08.whitewash. Tom will be hoping that the interval will have got rid of a

:53:08. > :53:12.little bit of Neil's intensity and his concentration. If he had

:53:12. > :53:19.carried on the match without an interval, there would be a danger

:53:19. > :53:29.of losing this match 6-0. But sometimes an interval can make you

:53:29. > :53:30.

:53:30. > :53:40.That would be a big advantage of the red above the black was

:53:40. > :53:42.

:53:42. > :53:48.available in a couple of shots' At the moment, the black is totally

:53:48. > :53:58.out of commission. If that red would pass the black, it would make

:53:58. > :54:12.

:54:12. > :54:22.quite a difference. Might not be He has played for that red that we

:54:22. > :54:23.

:54:23. > :54:33.showed you. It is not the correct Might b able to miss the bunch and

:54:33. > :54:55.

:54:55. > :55:05.I did know whether that was a bad shot or a heavy contact. -- I do

:55:05. > :55:30.

:55:30. > :55:37.not know. It seemed to to square up. The I mentioned earlier about the

:55:37. > :55:47.red next to the black, there was no problem, both the red and black

:55:47. > :55:49.

:55:49. > :55:59.I'm sure the black was sitting on its spot, even if it wasn't it was

:55:59. > :55:59.

:55:59. > :57:03.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:57:03. > :57:13.as near as possible, the red still Purposely leaving an angle so he

:57:13. > :57:29.

:57:29. > :57:39.He makes that look so easy. The cue One more good positional shot.

:57:39. > :57:48.

:57:48. > :57:58.Another sizeable break coming up, We were saying in the studio he was

:57:58. > :58:13.

:58:13. > :58:17.Obviously the pot is no problem, the position is not quite as

:58:17. > :58:27.guaranteed as it would if the cue ball was down at this end of the

:58:27. > :58:37.table. Got to be careful with the red. He may even play the cannon on

:58:37. > :58:46.

:58:47. > :58:56.that red. He has chosen the blue. This time is -- the red is not

:58:56. > :59:04.close to the pocket. Not quite as easy to get good position. The red

:59:04. > :59:14.was over the pocket. When you can pot the way he does he doesn't mind

:59:14. > :59:22.

:59:22. > :59:32.That red, that is blocking the path for another couple of reds into

:59:32. > :59:52.

:59:52. > :00:02.Can he hold for the black this He slowly drag shot. Potted them

:00:02. > :00:04.

:00:04. > :00:10.both. Played back round the angles comfortably. One positional shot

:00:10. > :00:20.here and the frame is at his mercy. That will be the 4th had he has

:00:20. > :00:21.

:00:21. > :00:28.said that. He opened with a break of 129, then 112, 74, and now this.

:00:28. > :00:38.It is hard to compete against this type of player. Tom Ford just

:00:38. > :00:38.

:00:38. > :01:41.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:01:41. > :01:46.Even that shot he made look very easy. It is also comfortable and

:01:46. > :01:56.easy for Neil Robertson, he is at the top of his form here, making

:01:56. > :02:21.

:02:21. > :02:31.everything look ridiculously easy Have a look at that pot success

:02:31. > :02:35.

:02:35. > :02:45.rate, 98%. Looking at the greatest a Australian player there has ever

:02:45. > :03:02.

:03:02. > :03:10.He is up there with the greatest potter the game has ever seen. Give

:03:10. > :03:16.himself a chance to play a little exhibition shot. He makes sure of

:03:16. > :03:26.the century. Three centuries in five frames. It doesn't get any

:03:26. > :03:35.

:03:35. > :03:45.Quite out standing there wait this straight Ian is playing, three

:03:45. > :03:52.

:03:52. > :03:58.centuries in five frames. -- the this season, his 24th century into

:03:58. > :04:04.third place. He was jointly holding that position with Stuart Bingham.

:04:04. > :04:09.Marco Fu is having a great season, 26 century so far. Way out in front,

:04:09. > :04:18.Judd Trump. There will be no more of those from him in the next week,

:04:18. > :04:23.Three out of five, pretty good. Hitting the ball beautifully, a lot

:04:23. > :04:26.of authority. This form he is in is the form he was in when he won the

:04:26. > :04:32.championship and it took O'Sullivan at his very best to knock him out

:04:32. > :04:40.so we he will have a good chance. Demolishing a very good player, Tom

:04:40. > :04:44.Ford. You don't do that by occasionally potting balls, it has

:04:44. > :04:50.got to beat brother stuff. It is the type of form you need to win

:04:50. > :04:56.events these days. When we have seen Mark Selby effective bleak

:04:56. > :05:01.repetition of his cue action, not monotonous, but keeping going, that

:05:01. > :05:07.is what he is doing. Is it mentality, good form or a

:05:07. > :05:11.combination? You talk about focused and calm -- concentration, is it a

:05:11. > :05:21.mind set you have to get yourself into? You are there to do a job,

:05:21. > :05:28.

:05:28. > :05:38.Just looking at their centuries that have been made this season,

:05:38. > :05:45.

:05:45. > :05:55.Neil Robertson last season made 54 I work to an Judd Trump's match

:05:55. > :05:57.

:05:57. > :06:07.yesterday. -- I work on. -- I worked on. Neil Robertson is

:06:07. > :06:41.

:06:41. > :06:51.That can happen if you put it in the jaws of the pocket at that kind

:06:51. > :06:51.

:06:51. > :07:01.of pace. Just catches in the jaws of the pocket. Not quite the

:07:01. > :07:07.

:07:07. > :07:17.I suppose Tom Ford is a little bit demoralised now. We will never

:07:17. > :07:30.

:07:30. > :07:39.really know how well he is playing, It is tough when you are 5-0 down.

:07:39. > :07:45.Very difficult. You can feel like it is the first time you ever

:07:45. > :07:53.played snooker, the cue doesn't feel normal in your hands.

:07:53. > :08:01.would you know that, it you would never 5-0 down in your life!

:08:01. > :08:11.found that the last couple of games, that is why I am here with you now.

:08:11. > :08:15.

:08:15. > :08:25.He may have left everything safe. Not delivering the cue in a

:08:25. > :08:51.

:08:51. > :09:01.Obviously didn't plan on the red When you need a good kiss, you

:09:01. > :09:11.

:09:11. > :09:21.rarely get one. It is awkward, the It is just not happening now for

:09:21. > :09:50.

:09:50. > :10:00.Tom. I think he just wants to get Not going to be easy to get onto a

:10:00. > :10:16.

:10:16. > :10:26.red. The blue is much more A good think he will be taking a

:10:26. > :10:26.

:10:26. > :10:32.good -- any liberties, keeping thinks tied. Very professional.

:10:32. > :10:36.That is what you have got to do. If you can let your opponent off the

:10:37. > :10:41.hook slightly the game can take the lead changed around. Mark Joyce

:10:41. > :10:51.from 5-2, behind against Judd Trump, what a terrific performance. Things

:10:51. > :11:20.

:11:20. > :11:27.The pot was good, played with some that side so he didn't cannon into

:11:27. > :11:37.the reds. Everything is going nicely for Neil. Even this type of

:11:37. > :11:38.

:11:38. > :11:43.shot playing with that aside, has to be very well judged. The two

:11:43. > :11:49.reds to the left of the black, the one hirer, there is a gap through

:11:49. > :11:59.the two bunches of reds for a cannon to be made. Whether they can

:11:59. > :12:18.

:12:18. > :12:24.If he can get somewhere near that circle the red would be able to

:12:24. > :12:34.play the cannon. Given up plenty of thought. -- given that. A long way

:12:34. > :13:00.

:13:00. > :13:05.That is the one he is looking at. That is a superb shot. Tom cannot

:13:05. > :13:10.believe what is happening. He wasn't looking at the table but he

:13:10. > :13:20.is watching the player at the top of his form. It wouldn't matter who

:13:20. > :13:20.

:13:20. > :13:30.you are, you can't do anything about this. The shot before the

:13:30. > :13:40.

:13:40. > :13:46.green was a fantastic positional It bounces off three cushions here.

:13:46. > :13:56.Couldn't really have placed that cue ball in a much better position.

:13:56. > :14:04.

:14:04. > :14:14.Mentioned before about these table, playing beautifully, the cloths are

:14:14. > :14:16.

:14:16. > :14:22.They played beautifully if you are on your game. If you are off your

:14:22. > :14:32.game it is so easy to run out of position. The way Neil Robertson is

:14:32. > :14:33.

:14:34. > :14:43.I don't know where the you can watch poetry, listen to it, you

:14:44. > :14:50.

:14:50. > :15:00.know what I mean -- I did know A little bit careless with the

:15:00. > :15:19.

:15:19. > :15:29.cannon he played before. A little Probably a deep screw on the yellow,

:15:29. > :15:59.

:15:59. > :16:08.two reds to the right of the pink They have all been pretty quick

:16:08. > :16:18.frames, the second month 26 minutes. The rest 14, 12, 11. The average

:16:18. > :16:34.

:16:34. > :16:44.That whitewash is clearly on the cards now. Not nice to see for any

:16:44. > :16:50.

:16:50. > :17:00.player to not win a frame. It may I think his biggest margin would be

:17:00. > :17:05.

:17:05. > :17:15.2003, it 9-4. He has never Over the last five or six seasons

:17:15. > :17:30.

:17:30. > :17:40.That is when we used to have two sessions, before the format change

:17:40. > :17:41.

:17:41. > :17:48.to the best of 11. -- changed. I am in agreement with you, you think it

:17:48. > :17:55.is a fair amount of frames. It is nice when you can tune in and see a

:17:55. > :18:03.result in one session. That is the first careless shot he has played

:18:03. > :18:13.in the whole match. That is what he thinks of it. Tom Ford, you have

:18:13. > :18:19.

:18:19. > :18:29.got a chance to try and prevent That will annoy Neil. Such a

:18:29. > :18:38.flawless display today. He wanted to win this match in one visit.

:18:38. > :18:41.These type of shot I usually easy but when you off five-zero down.

:18:41. > :18:51.You don't usually get a lot of expression from Neil but he didn't

:18:51. > :18:53.

:18:53. > :19:03.Tom Ford, keep your concentration, try and clear these up. Get your

:19:03. > :19:03.

:19:03. > :19:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:19:48. > :19:58.The yellow just off its spot, shouldn't cause a problem, just

:19:58. > :20:00.

:20:00. > :20:10.makes it a little bit different. -- Just roll this in and back over the

:20:10. > :20:25.

:20:26. > :20:34.He has only been playing for just over two minutes. A 43 break. Well

:20:34. > :20:44.done. He will get a big round of applause. Nobody likes to see a

:20:44. > :20:48.

:20:48. > :20:52.Well done, Tom Ford, he prevented that whitewash. Terrific clearance,

:20:52. > :21:02.that break of 50 it keeps him in the championship, a long way back,

:21:02. > :21:02.

:21:02. > :21:06.He will be a little bit relieved. He has got a mountain to climb but

:21:06. > :21:11.it was interesting to see Neil Robertson's expression when he

:21:11. > :21:17.missed that red. His performance today has been

:21:17. > :21:24.outstanding, hardly missed a pot. He will be wanting to win the match

:21:24. > :21:30.6-0 and have that flawless display. That will annoy him now. I am not

:21:30. > :21:36.saying, is going to win the match, but it is irritating when you want

:21:36. > :21:44.to keep that performance as good as possible. His long pot success rate

:21:44. > :21:52.is still outstanding. 80%. He was at 100% for a lot of the early

:21:52. > :21:58.frames. Just having a look at the other tables to see what is

:21:58. > :22:02.happening as our referee complete setting the balls up. Another good

:22:02. > :22:12.crowd in here at the Barbican Centre in York. Great crowds for

:22:12. > :22:33.

:22:34. > :22:43.A very good break-off shot. You're always trying to get the white over.

:22:44. > :23:19.

:23:19. > :23:23.Just enough past the green to come Because of the red up past the blue

:23:23. > :23:33.makes the safety shot slightly more difficult. You have got to get a

:23:33. > :24:07.

:24:07. > :24:17.The green and brown are now a pretty good target for the safety

:24:17. > :24:42.

:24:42. > :24:45.Very delicately played, that one. black is out of commission. Not

:24:45. > :24:53.sure if the pink spot is going to be available or whether he will

:24:53. > :25:03.have to go on to the brown spot, which will hamper it slightly.

:25:03. > :25:12.

:25:12. > :25:18.Plenty of room there, as you can Not quite as intended. It needed to

:25:18. > :25:28.go through a little bit further. That red might be a slight

:25:28. > :25:58.

:25:58. > :26:06.Potting this red into the left corner and then put in the pink

:26:06. > :26:16.into the same bag. That is the shot Stephen was talking about somewhere

:26:16. > :26:18.

:26:18. > :26:26.Neil will be determined not to miss out on this chance to close off the

:26:26. > :26:36.match. Already missing the last frame will be like an alarm bell.

:26:36. > :27:00.

:27:00. > :27:09.Make sure his concentration is 100% Just forget about the black. He has

:27:09. > :27:13.the pink and if he goes astray, he has the blue. Obviously much easier

:27:13. > :27:16.playing your break on the pink because the pink goes into four

:27:17. > :27:26.pockets where is the black only pots in two. It makes closing the

:27:27. > :28:02.

:28:02. > :28:12.This will be his 5th pink. He has landed dead straight on the pink,

:28:12. > :28:22.

:28:22. > :28:30.which makes it slightly awkward to That was a very delicate one. It

:28:30. > :28:40.had to be to leave the gap. The only thing here is if he takes the

:28:40. > :28:52.

:28:52. > :28:55.risk, he may have to play a cannon It has gone further up the reverse

:28:55. > :29:00.side of the table. Watch the white as it hits the cushion. You think

:29:00. > :29:10.it will be perfect on the blue and then the side kicks in. Now it is

:29:10. > :29:20.

:29:20. > :29:28.the green you would feel that will Looking at those reds, they are all

:29:28. > :29:38.plucky to the into the left corner pocket. The one at the side of the

:29:38. > :29:45.

:29:45. > :29:55.That's OK. He has got the one near the black spot. He is back in prime

:29:55. > :30:17.

:30:17. > :30:23.That last frame rang a little alarm bell and he has not made the

:30:23. > :30:27.mistake this time. That was not his fault. That was a heavy contact

:30:27. > :30:37.just as he was creeping nearer to the winning line in this match. The

:30:37. > :30:40.

:30:40. > :30:50.red jumped and took the pace out of Without that heavy contact, it was

:30:50. > :31:03.

:31:03. > :31:07.a straight forward run to the He has played for the plant, like

:31:07. > :31:14.Willie Thorne used to say about you, Stephen. There was always a plant

:31:14. > :31:24.available for you! It is clearly not in a direct line so he has

:31:24. > :31:24.

:31:24. > :31:34.taken the other one. Nicely into the gap of the two reds there. He

:31:34. > :31:44.

:31:44. > :31:48.has got that cue ball under perfect I think we have got a new favourite

:31:48. > :31:57.for this year's UK Championship on this form, Stephen. I was just

:31:57. > :32:00.thinking that. This is by far the most impressive performance I have

:32:00. > :32:04.watched this week. He has not been put under a lot of pressure but

:32:04. > :32:14.that is mainly because of the fact he has played so well. Looked

:32:14. > :32:17.

:32:17. > :32:20.comfortable from the very first I commentated on Marco Fu's match

:32:20. > :32:30.against Mark Allen and he played remarkably well so he is in with a

:32:30. > :32:35.

:32:35. > :32:45.shot, the way he played. That is That makes absolutely sure, right

:32:45. > :33:00.

:33:01. > :33:10.A distinct possibility that he could make another century, and

:33:11. > :33:12.

:33:12. > :33:16.that would be four centuries in six frames. I think it was the UK

:33:16. > :33:20.championship sway you made five centuries in seven frames, Stephen,

:33:20. > :33:23.and seven centuries in 10 frames when he defeated Ken Doherty. I

:33:23. > :33:30.thought that was a record that would never lead beaten but he is

:33:30. > :33:35.going to get close to it if he makes the century. It is a great

:33:35. > :33:39.feeling when you are in that zone and everything is coming easily,

:33:39. > :33:44.you are getting everything perfect, every positional shot is perfect. A

:33:44. > :33:51.great place to be. Not always like this. Snooker is a very difficult

:33:52. > :33:59.game, believe it or not. It is for most of was! It has certainly been

:33:59. > :34:03.tough for Tom today. -- most of us. Tom has had few chances today and

:34:03. > :34:13.has done very brittle wrong. He will be the first to hold his hand

:34:13. > :34:35.

:34:35. > :34:45.up and say Neil Robertson has been Unbelievable! It really is

:34:45. > :34:55.

:34:55. > :34:59.unbelievable from this Australian. This is just like a practice

:34:59. > :35:04.session for Neil Robertson and there are not many players that can

:35:04. > :35:14.take a practice game to the match arena. But that is exactly what he

:35:14. > :35:31.

:35:31. > :35:36.That is one way of getting on the black! Well, you won't see any

:35:36. > :35:41.better than this. Neil Robertson, former world champion, as made four

:35:41. > :35:47.century breaks and two defeats Tom Ford with a fabulous display of

:35:47. > :35:53.snooker, up 6-1. He acknowledges the crowd. He has a half standing

:35:53. > :35:57.ovation. He is being treated royally this afternoon.

:35:57. > :36:02.Exactly the same scoreline as he managed last year against Tom Ford

:36:02. > :36:08.in the same round, but how much more impressive this time around?

:36:08. > :36:13.You can't ask for anything better. At one missed a ball? Very, very

:36:13. > :36:18.high standard. The trouble with that, I suppose, is trying to keep

:36:18. > :36:23.it up. But Tom Ford will be going back to his dressing-room wondering

:36:23. > :36:29.what happened. No question of him playing his way quietly into a

:36:29. > :36:33.championship this time. You could see he was disappointed when he

:36:33. > :36:36.missed that red not to win 6-0 because he just wants to get it

:36:36. > :36:40.over with. The level of his performance today was the best I

:36:40. > :36:46.have seen so far. Marco Fu was excellent the other night and

:36:46. > :36:50.Stephen Maguire made some centuries in the last four Lycra games of his

:36:50. > :36:57.match so that was very good. Would you say it is the best performance

:36:57. > :37:02.we have seen so far, as he pops in to see us? Yes, I think so. From

:37:02. > :37:07.Neil's perspective, a job well done. We were just saying that is without

:37:07. > :37:15.question the best performance we have seen here all weekend colonial.

:37:15. > :37:20.What is your feeling about it? -- all weekend, Neil. I was really

:37:20. > :37:25.sick the last frame. I know how much Stephen Hendry takes it when

:37:25. > :37:27.he does not make a century and he was right there and I missed and I

:37:27. > :37:34.look to put him straight away and he was just laughing because he

:37:34. > :37:38.knows how I was feeling. I scored fantastically well. The other two

:37:38. > :37:43.frames - or one of them I won on the black, which was good. Really

:37:43. > :37:47.happy. I really pushed on and tried to keep scoring. A couple of

:37:47. > :37:52.matches I have lost this year, a couple of close ones, to judge in

:37:52. > :37:58.the final international. I was 8-6 up and just sat back and waited for

:37:58. > :38:01.mistakes do happen. We have been talking about the better players

:38:01. > :38:05.like cue at the start of major championships like this not having

:38:05. > :38:12.as much time to feel your way end, having to be really sharp from the

:38:12. > :38:18.off. Are you conscious of that? Because it is the best out of 11?

:38:18. > :38:21.That and the standard overall that we are seeing now. On paper, it

:38:21. > :38:27.looks like there have been a few upsets already in the tournament

:38:27. > :38:35.but if you ask a lot of the players, maybe the one where Judd Trump

:38:35. > :38:41.lost... Marco Fu BT Mark Allen is not an upset. We will probably

:38:41. > :38:47.never see a core of players like the top 10 of 2000, 2001, where

:38:47. > :38:54.there were it incredible players, but the players from 10-40 in the

:38:54. > :38:59.world are fantastic. It must be good for you. With this being a

:38:59. > :39:03.major event, you can practice here, but your name down and get a time,

:39:03. > :39:08.more than some of the tournaments way you are playing in the cubicles.

:39:08. > :39:14.You are a big occasion player. You would like to win this one for your

:39:14. > :39:20.CV. Yes, I would love to win it. I still see it as there being three

:39:20. > :39:26.majors in the game. For me, it takes a lot of history to become a

:39:26. > :39:30.major championship so for me, the Masters, worlds and the UK

:39:30. > :39:36.Championships other three majors. I would love to be one of the players

:39:36. > :39:40.to have won all three. The standard in the game - playing superb stuff

:39:40. > :39:45.and you still can't guarantee to win the matches and the tournament.

:39:45. > :39:51.There are so many players cueing up to win them. You've got to retain

:39:51. > :39:53.the confidence even though he will not always be on the podium. Yes,

:39:54. > :39:58.with how may tournaments there are, you are bound to play someone along

:39:58. > :40:03.the way to a final playing really well, as well. You need that bit of

:40:03. > :40:07.luck and just to be patient. I have when, one of the European PTCs

:40:07. > :40:11.earlier this season, lost in a couple of Cemaes and a final

:40:12. > :40:18.international. Not hugely disappointed. -- a couple of semi-

:40:18. > :40:22.finals. Is there conscious change in your attitude over the last few

:40:22. > :40:29.years? We have just been discussing the nature of entertainment this

:40:29. > :40:34.has been a winning machine. Did you have to change your mentality? --

:40:34. > :40:39.entertainment against a being a winning machine. Sometimes I can

:40:39. > :40:43.look at safety shots a little bit too much but I think, when I was

:40:43. > :40:48.younger and I was coming through, the lunatics style of play that I

:40:48. > :40:53.used to play - or when you are coming up against people like Peter

:40:53. > :40:57.Ebdon and Ken Doherty at their best... Ever so many match players

:40:57. > :41:00.in the game now compared to what there were, so it is easier for all

:41:00. > :41:05.our players in tournaments. You don't see so much of the craft in

:41:05. > :41:09.the game and the tactics. It is a little bit of a shame but that is

:41:09. > :41:14.just the way the game is played now. I have had to a does my game for

:41:14. > :41:17.sure because people like Stephen Maguire - I lost to Stephen Maguire

:41:17. > :41:23.eight times in a row because I was too attacking and made it too easy

:41:23. > :41:31.for him. He was the player who made me change my game to become more

:41:31. > :41:34.aware. I have had good results. want to remind everybody about the

:41:34. > :41:41.story of the international champion to way you got into the runner up

:41:41. > :41:48.spot. You had a major wobble about the visa. Oh, come on! It is always

:41:48. > :41:51.me! Mark Selby did not have a visa and had to go to Hong Kong to get

:41:51. > :41:57.one. He was on the way to China, had to stop off halfway, go back to

:41:57. > :42:07.Ireland to get his passport, so it is not just me! I got there and I

:42:07. > :42:11.

:42:11. > :42:15.got to the final! I was very lucky at the immigration. I had a whole

:42:15. > :42:18.nightmare getting there. World Snooker help me out getting me to

:42:18. > :42:23.China in the first place. Once I got there, that was when the hard

:42:23. > :42:27.work began. I was at immigration for about five hours but the funny

:42:27. > :42:31.thing was that I was just signing autographs, taking pictures with

:42:31. > :42:35.them, watching movies... I don't think it was the normal treatment

:42:35. > :42:39.if you turn up in China without a visa. Luckily, snooker is Ready big

:42:39. > :42:48.there. I was watching movies with them. They went out and they were

:42:48. > :42:51.getting the food and everything. know that your brother Mark was

:42:52. > :42:56.very keen to join the snooker fraternity. We saw him over the

:42:56. > :43:03.last couple of years helping you out but he gave the cue school ago

:43:03. > :43:07.this year. Yes, he didn't do too bad. P won half a dozen matches and

:43:07. > :43:12.got to the 4th round a couple of times. It was a bit of fun. I was

:43:12. > :43:17.trying to convince him to stay in the UK with mean. If he can play a

:43:17. > :43:21.bit of snooker, that is good. It is very tough. Once you qualify for

:43:21. > :43:25.the main tour, it is still a lot of work. It is up to him if he wants

:43:26. > :43:32.to have another crack at it, and I will be more than happy to support

:43:32. > :43:36.him. Looking ahead, it is going to be Barry Hawkins next. Prospects of

:43:36. > :43:41.that and the improvement in Gary's game over last couple of months -

:43:41. > :43:45.what do you think? He has really become a winner. He has always been

:43:45. > :43:49.very capable of winning tournaments. I was very happy for him in the

:43:50. > :43:54.Australian Open. He played very well against Peter Ebdon. It will

:43:54. > :43:58.be a tough match. He has got a very good all-round game. Another

:43:58. > :44:02.performance like that will probably be enough to win. Thank you very

:44:02. > :44:05.much. We are going to go back to the

:44:05. > :44:11.match we were watching earlier on table two, which features Dominic

:44:11. > :44:21.Dale. He is everybody's hero as a non-conformist. He is well loved on

:44:21. > :44:27.

:44:27. > :44:36.the snooker circuit but who is our I have always enjoyed watching the

:44:36. > :44:41.tennis player Boris Becker. Be glad -- a gladiatorial guy, a 6 ft 3

:44:41. > :44:45.lumbering German and a great match player. He was in the shadow of

:44:45. > :44:50.somebody like Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, who was world number-one

:44:50. > :44:54.for many years, but when Boris played him or anybody, he was the

:44:54. > :45:04.number one and I recognise that in him. I had just turned professional

:45:04. > :45:07.myself. People like guys that have been interesting off the court life

:45:07. > :45:17.in tennis all of the table live in snooker. He has a great deal of

:45:17. > :45:20.

:45:20. > :45:26.charisma. He showed that on the Dominic is not short of charisma,

:45:26. > :45:36.either. 1-1 is where we left this match and we are going to head into

:45:36. > :45:49.

:45:49. > :45:59.frame three. Willie Thorne and John Four frames before the mid-session

:45:59. > :46:15.

:46:15. > :46:19.interval so this is the third one. Not there. He will be lucky if he

:46:19. > :46:28.has not left anything here. There certainly was a red available to

:46:28. > :46:38.the middle. Maybe the one behind This is a lot tougher but it is a

:46:38. > :46:38.

:46:38. > :48:12.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:48:12. > :48:20.No problem hitting a red but how does he get it safe? I can't see a

:48:20. > :48:24.position where he can not leave himself on the black. In that case,

:48:24. > :48:34.it is the two-cushion escape with pace. But he will have to be

:48:34. > :48:49.

:48:49. > :48:58.There is the red just below the pink and the red just above the

:48:58. > :49:06.pink. Even if he managed to catch the pink, he would still get

:49:06. > :49:16.another chance because it would be called a miss. Is he trying to rest

:49:16. > :49:31.

:49:31. > :49:36.No hesitation from Matthew. He just fancied stretching his legs, just

:49:36. > :49:40.to come round. There was no way he was not going to have that put back.

:49:40. > :49:45.I suppose there was a slight chance there could have been a plant

:49:45. > :49:51.somewhere. It but like it was going to be very difficult. Dominic has

:49:51. > :49:56.decided to play the same way. When you hit them a bit harder, they

:49:56. > :49:59.widen. Let's see if he misses it further to the left this time. He

:49:59. > :50:09.has played it nicely this time. Well played. Excellent, Dominic.

:50:09. > :50:23.

:50:24. > :50:29.When you look this close, you assume he is considering playing a

:50:29. > :50:36.thin cut and trying to pot this red. If it was a safety, you would not

:50:36. > :50:46.give it this much care and attention. He managed to sneak it

:50:46. > :51:17.

:51:17. > :51:22.in. You wonder how he is going to That shot was played beautifully.

:51:22. > :51:32.It really was. He is trying to get a choice of reds there, one either

:51:32. > :51:32.

:51:32. > :52:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:52:40. > :52:46.Pretty soon, he is going to have to leave an angle on that to get into

:52:46. > :52:56.the pack. He could just told this red to leave the black half ball.

:52:56. > :53:02.

:53:03. > :53:08.He is just seeing if there is a He has left an angle to go into

:53:08. > :53:12.them if he wants. He is very powerful. He does not want to hit

:53:12. > :53:18.the one directly above the black. He wants a real deep screw and come

:53:18. > :53:21.back into the cue ball. He does not want to go straight into them. It

:53:21. > :53:25.is fortunate to get that one so easy but that was a way of

:53:25. > :53:31.splitting them. If you screwed directly into them, you could end

:53:31. > :53:41.up firing them wide into the back cushion behind the black. He played

:53:41. > :53:41.

:53:41. > :54:40.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:54:40. > :54:44.that really well. He will be If there is not one available, he

:54:44. > :54:47.can go into them. He didn't even look to see if there was one

:54:47. > :54:52.available into this corner. There is one available in the middle of

:54:52. > :55:02.the pack. With the reds being split like that, if he does pot the red,

:55:02. > :55:07.he will be bringing other reds into play. That red he is on is bound to

:55:07. > :55:15.bring at least one red into play. He is looking close. Can he get to

:55:15. > :55:25.the potting angle? The red just above the one he has been thinking

:55:25. > :55:30.That was not the red he wanted to be on. He was running into other

:55:30. > :55:37.reds. He has got a chance for this blue. Not many better potters in

:55:38. > :55:42.the game. A bit of work to do with the cue ball. If this blue was

:55:43. > :55:52.straighter, I don't think there would be a problem but a little bit

:55:53. > :56:08.

:56:08. > :56:13.He did cue it well. He is one of those players that can get lots of

:56:13. > :56:23.action on the cue ball without having to hit it hard. It is all

:56:23. > :56:39.

:56:39. > :56:49.It is like Mike chipping in golf, it has improved tremendously!

:56:49. > :56:55.

:56:56. > :57:02.I wish I could explain how about your chipping was to the people

:57:02. > :57:05.listening. It was a sight to behold! It was like somebody trying

:57:05. > :57:15.to Rolland behind the brown and finishing about four inches short.

:57:15. > :57:15.

:57:15. > :58:33.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:58:33. > :58:43.Dominic still has a chance in this He is 68 in front now, so he can

:58:43. > :58:54.

:58:54. > :59:04.Not on the red, but with 75 points in the lead, I wonder whether

:59:04. > :59:13.

:59:13. > :59:23.Dominic will carry on. It is a big ask, two Snooker's to tie. --

:59:23. > :59:29.

:59:29. > :59:39.He has conceded. He stood up, worked out how many were needed,

:59:39. > :59:46.

:59:46. > :59:51.thought it was too much, so it is Matthew Stevens will be quite

:59:51. > :00:01.relaxed, having lost the opening frame, to win the next two. Dominic

:00:01. > :00:01.

:00:01. > :01:08.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:01:08. > :01:14.really needs to try and level. His It was difficult because it was on

:01:14. > :01:24.the top cushion but, nevertheless, he will be disappointed. Most of

:01:24. > :01:52.

:01:52. > :01:58.these matches at this level are all A bit of noise coming from the

:01:58. > :02:02.other side of the arena, there are between frames. But this is part

:02:02. > :02:12.and parcel of the modern game. You have to focus on what you are doing

:02:12. > :02:39.

:02:39. > :02:46.He would have liked to finish higher on the pink so that he could

:02:46. > :02:50.have gone through and brought the reds into play. He is looking where

:02:50. > :03:00.he needs to finish. He needs to come back about an inch and he will

:03:00. > :03:11.

:03:11. > :03:21.I will be surprised if he is on it there. He stunned it. But he must

:03:21. > :03:28.

:03:28. > :03:33.be, because the pink does not go on When there is no spot available, it

:03:33. > :03:43.has to go in a direct line with its own spot and the direct line with

:03:43. > :03:45.

:03:45. > :03:55.the middle of the top cushion. He is having a look to see where he

:03:55. > :04:03.

:04:03. > :04:07.would like to leave position on the He tried to leave an angle to go

:04:07. > :04:17.between the gap between the pink and the red, but he cannot play it

:04:17. > :04:20.

:04:20. > :04:30.He kissed the pink first, and that is what happens, invariably you

:04:30. > :04:40.finish up on nothing. He left himself a little bit too much angle

:04:40. > :04:40.

:04:40. > :05:23.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:05:23. > :05:33.We assume he has not left anything, other white-clad double would have

:05:33. > :05:47.

:05:47. > :05:57.It is not as easy to play safe in the baulk end no because that red

:05:57. > :06:22.

:06:22. > :06:32.is far enough beyond the middle The road ran towards the left

:06:32. > :06:34.

:06:34. > :06:44.corner, but I think it is covered. -- the red. The tap on the table

:06:44. > :06:44.

:06:44. > :07:28.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:07:28. > :07:38.tells you that he is appreciating The red just managed to run safe,

:07:38. > :08:13.

:08:13. > :08:18.This is tempting for Dominic. There are reds in the middle. If he was

:08:18. > :08:23.in front, he would feel there was an advantage in going for it. But

:08:23. > :08:29.when you're behind, you know that if you miss this, you are likely to

:08:29. > :08:34.lose the frame. Then you ask yourself, is there an option of an

:08:34. > :08:44.easy safety? I cannot see that one. If there is no easy safety, you

:08:44. > :09:05.

:09:05. > :09:15.He cannot see enough of the red to left of the black in order to just

:09:15. > :09:25.

:09:25. > :09:31.cut that and leave the option for That was the more difficult of the

:09:31. > :09:36.two reds. I would have taken the one near the pink spot. He was

:09:36. > :09:46.forced into playing the pot, and it was a tough one. He got close, but

:09:46. > :09:59.

:09:59. > :10:09.He could not wish for a much better chance to take a 3-1 lead into the

:10:09. > :10:34.

:10:34. > :10:40.Of all the places in all the world, he nearly finished in trouble!

:10:40. > :10:50.he can just get past this red. As long as he avoid the kiss on the

:10:50. > :11:26.

:11:27. > :11:32.second red it should not be a Matthew always used to overstretch

:11:32. > :11:38.m used the extensions and I said he did not like using the rest. He

:11:38. > :11:48.said, I loved using the rest! We don't talk about it any more!

:11:48. > :11:55.

:11:55. > :12:02.was one of the first player to do Whether Dominic is poorly or not,

:12:02. > :12:09.he has not had much of a chance in this match so far. He is only had

:12:10. > :12:14.one chance, I think. I cannot remember him missing an easy pot.

:12:14. > :12:24.His pot success rate is down at 77 %, which is certainly not good

:12:24. > :12:29.

:12:29. > :12:33.enough, but it does not look too could. -- good. Worst thing in the

:12:33. > :12:43.world, to come out in a major championship and be under the

:12:43. > :12:43.

:12:43. > :13:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:13:51. > :13:59.weather. You would not wish that on He was unlucky to cover the black

:13:59. > :14:07.but the frame is now safe. This is good cueing from Matthew. He is

:14:07. > :14:13.looking in good form. The tournament is getting more and more

:14:14. > :14:23.open. The bookmakers are four to want the field, and we are not in

:14:24. > :14:33.

:14:33. > :14:43.the second round, that is unusual. It was a foul, but it did not

:14:43. > :14:44.

:14:44. > :14:49.matter, and I am short Dominic will concede. Matthew Stevens leads

:14:49. > :14:54.quite comfortably, three frames to one.

:14:54. > :15:04.Not proving to be a perfect day for Dominic so far. I wonder if things

:15:04. > :15:04.

:15:04. > :16:14.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:16:14. > :16:18.It is very awkward with hampered REFEREE: Foul and a miss.

:16:18. > :16:28.hesitation in putting it back but I do not really see that he is going

:16:28. > :16:45.

:16:45. > :16:52.to leave much here. As long as he He did not hit it full face. Does

:16:52. > :17:02.that red go to the right middle? Obviously not, because he is

:17:02. > :17:35.

:17:35. > :17:42.He needed a good cue ball there, and I do not think the blue has

:17:42. > :17:52.come to his rescue. He can get through to the red and has enough

:17:52. > :17:52.

:17:52. > :18:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:18:39. > :18:49.Pink and black are tied up at the He hit back really well. Just

:18:49. > :18:56.

:18:56. > :19:06.He may be able to get on the blue from here. There is a window

:19:06. > :19:15.

:19:15. > :19:25.through to reds two away from the He is apologising to Dominic. That

:19:25. > :19:31.

:19:31. > :19:41.is one of the luckiest positional It is hard to work out how you can

:19:41. > :19:49.

:19:49. > :19:59.miss intended position by so much The black cannot be touching that

:19:59. > :20:14.

:20:14. > :20:24.He has gone up for the blue, so maybe the black does not go into

:20:24. > :21:03.

:21:03. > :21:09.He ideal red to get on is the one just a left of the black. If he

:21:09. > :21:19.could, he would release the black. If he is straight on the yellow, he

:21:19. > :21:22.

:21:22. > :21:32.He has a lovely, it lazy cue action. He can get plenty of pace without

:21:32. > :21:52.

:21:52. > :22:02.If he can get the red just to the left of the black, the one almost

:22:02. > :22:07.

:22:07. > :22:16.touching it, then he can get the We talked earlier about how you can

:22:16. > :22:20.make an angle that is not there. This cloth is so fine and the balls

:22:20. > :22:29.also lively there are things you can do it that were not available

:22:29. > :22:34.some years ago. That is true. He is the wrong side of the blue and

:22:34. > :22:44.needs a good shot now. He wants to come down the right hand side of

:22:44. > :22:57.

:22:57. > :23:05.A lovely line and a pretty good length. Not inch-perfect. He may be

:23:05. > :23:11.able to push through the red and still be on the black. Once again,

:23:11. > :23:21.though, going up for the blue. It is hard work, at the moment. He is

:23:21. > :23:35.

:23:36. > :23:40.having to play with plenty of He has over screwed that by a good

:23:40. > :23:50.two feet. That is the problem when the cue ball starts to travel

:23:50. > :24:04.

:24:04. > :24:14.distances. It is not that easy to Matthew always has a look at the

:24:14. > :24:22.

:24:22. > :24:28.He did not want the kiss on the middle pocket. Maybe a snooker

:24:28. > :24:38.behind the green is the order of the day. It depends on the angle

:24:38. > :24:59.

:24:59. > :25:09.It was a big asked to get on the next red. He leads by 47, with six

:25:09. > :25:36.

:25:36. > :25:46.of the reds safe. He is thinking This is the 55th minute since

:25:46. > :25:50.

:25:50. > :26:00.Dominic Dale last potted a ball. He's having a tough afternoon of it.

:26:00. > :26:00.

:26:00. > :26:50.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:26:50. > :27:00.For roll, and a miss, Dominic Dale, He realises there is a good chance

:27:00. > :27:00.

:27:00. > :27:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:27:48. > :27:54.to get in behind the brown, here. The Liberal problem for matter is,

:27:54. > :28:04.it is unlikely that Dominic can get a sizeable break, from where the

:28:04. > :28:09.

:28:09. > :28:16.He took a chance and played it firmly. He has got to be careful it

:28:16. > :28:20.is not a free ball, now. Now, in fairness, Dominic should pot the

:28:20. > :28:30.yellow and two half ball blue and go into the reds, that is what he

:28:30. > :28:30.

:28:30. > :28:40.should be doing to get back into the frame. The way that the balls

:28:40. > :28:40.

:28:40. > :28:48.are situated, he's not going to get a lot out of the snooker. He hasn't

:28:48. > :28:51.even looked at the yellow, just roll the yellow in. They can

:28:51. > :29:01.forgive him for that, but it was elementary to pot the yellow, or

:29:01. > :29:37.

:29:37. > :29:47.He has moved this red just above the black, which is on, for Dominic,

:29:47. > :30:27.

:30:27. > :30:36.if he can judge the screw round of These are reds are very congested.

:30:36. > :30:46.He could decide to try and bring a few of them into play. How's you

:30:46. > :30:57.

:30:57. > :31:02.It would have been up at the baulk end, so I assume that the red

:31:03. > :31:12.doesn't go to the left corner. A little unlucky with that, to be

:31:13. > :31:39.

:31:39. > :31:49.I don't think he can hit it done enough to miss the black, can he? -

:31:49. > :32:14.

:32:14. > :32:20.- thin enough. He is going to have Unlucky in both ways, the fact that

:32:20. > :32:28.he wasn't on a red and that he couldn't play at telling safety,

:32:28. > :32:37.having said that he has left the red near the corner, so, touching

:32:37. > :32:47.ball? No, if it had have been, referee Colin Humphries would have

:32:47. > :33:21.

:33:21. > :33:27.called it. The referee always calls If he flicks it off this red, is a

:33:27. > :33:37.chance he could get in behind the brown? He possibly could. I know

:33:37. > :33:38.

:33:38. > :33:44.that he is worried about this red He has got to be careful of a push

:33:44. > :33:54.shot match here, which is when the tip of the cue hits the cue ball

:33:54. > :34:06.

:34:06. > :34:13.He doesn't fancy her ting it from the off the red, back to baulk, so

:34:13. > :34:20.he will just hit a little tap, here. He doesn't fancy it. And I fancy

:34:20. > :34:24.this one even less! At least there was a bit of room between the red

:34:24. > :34:30.on the right and the cue ball, more than there is with the one on the

:34:30. > :34:40.left. Back to getting it done Lee and trying to get behind the brown?

:34:40. > :35:20.

:35:20. > :35:30.It was on, if he misses the yellow, If he hits this red Aston the as he

:35:30. > :35:37.

:35:37. > :35:45.possibly can he can get the cue He has hit that far too thick - has

:35:45. > :35:55.he left one over the middle? 23 points in front, Matthew, so this

:35:55. > :35:55.

:35:55. > :36:55.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:36:55. > :36:59.is half a chance for Dominic to get You can see the disappointment in

:36:59. > :37:05.his body language there. That is how important it was to get top

:37:05. > :37:15.side of the blue. He may just have to run through the blue and leave a

:37:15. > :37:19.

:37:19. > :37:29.He has missed the brown, he hasn't missed the yellow, though, unlucky.

:37:29. > :37:33.

:37:33. > :37:43.He hit that really well. I can't believe that, at that angle he had

:37:43. > :38:01.

:38:01. > :38:09.That is unlucky. If it wasn't Neil the jaws of the pocket the red

:38:10. > :38:16.wouldn't have come down the table with the cue ball. -- near the jaws.

:38:16. > :38:21.Three reds and three blacks would be enough. But this is a thin can't.

:38:21. > :38:31.I think it is on, but there are those two awkward reds near the top

:38:31. > :38:35.

:38:35. > :38:45.cushion which certainly don't make And kissing that red want week it

:38:45. > :38:45.

:38:45. > :40:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:40:16. > :40:26.any easier, either. -- won't make Much too thick. Half a chance for

:40:26. > :40:37.

:40:37. > :40:41.Dominic, ten points behind as he Well, that was half a chance and he

:40:41. > :40:51.missed the red by a long way. He may not get another one in this

:40:51. > :40:51.

:40:51. > :41:32.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:41:32. > :41:42.My not the best positional shot, I know the red wasn't that easy, but

:41:42. > :42:01.

:42:01. > :42:09.the choice, you would think, the It is one of those, you would not

:42:09. > :42:19.want to play it with too much pace. Stun and hold for the red into the

:42:19. > :42:33.

:42:33. > :42:40.opposite middle. I assume that this Just a bad. -- just about. Good,

:42:40. > :42:50.clean pot, and if this bounces he will be cleanly on the black, the

:42:50. > :43:02.

:43:02. > :43:09.black leaving him 24 points in Not the best shot that, played with

:43:09. > :43:13.side, and he didn't get any on. He has left it about a quarter ball on

:43:14. > :43:19.the yellow, he needed a half ball. Now, he's looking at the safety

:43:19. > :43:29.shot. Surprised that he came off the cushion. He could have stunned

:43:29. > :44:07.

:44:07. > :44:15.He only needs the yellow but he is Foul, Matthew Stevens, four.

:44:15. > :44:20.never rains but it pours, does it? That four. Match penalty... Well,

:44:20. > :44:30.he needed a snooker, anyway. He has just missed the yellow, he is

:44:30. > :44:31.

:44:31. > :44:37.leading his head on the table, but, bar the snooker, it is 4-1. It is

:44:37. > :44:40.41 -- 4-1 and this is heading for an emphatic scoreline. They are all

:44:40. > :44:50.friends and have been playing in competition for 17 years, so what

:44:50. > :44:56.

:44:56. > :45:02.could Dominic Dale do to stem the Matthew Stevens getting frame six

:45:02. > :45:08.under way, he will be pleased with his afternoon so far, he lost the

:45:08. > :45:18.opening frame, but since then, has dominated. Dominic Dale has had

:45:18. > :45:39.

:45:39. > :45:49.chances but has still to capitalise The obligatory half ball red, here.

:45:49. > :45:49.

:45:49. > :46:30.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:46:30. > :46:39.Good pot, it has stopped short of I presume this black will go back

:46:39. > :46:49.on its own spot. Dominic would certainly like it too. Just a

:46:49. > :46:51.

:46:51. > :46:55.little bit under it, there. -- underhit. I think he thought it

:46:55. > :47:05.would have to go as close its own spot as it could, he didn't think

:47:05. > :47:05.

:47:05. > :47:53.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:47:53. > :48:00.the pink spot was a below. -- Couldn't get close to the next

:48:00. > :48:10.intended red. He can just about reach it, but it would be if full-

:48:10. > :48:13.

:48:13. > :48:17.stretch, and the yellow will be in That is a good pot. There is every

:48:17. > :48:23.reason now to play the yellow and play a cannon, but if he plays the

:48:23. > :48:33.cannon, he could release, certainly the black, he would like to blink -

:48:33. > :48:37.

:48:37. > :48:41.- bring into play. That is not too bad. He is a little unlucky. He is

:48:41. > :48:51.on this red now, and he can play for the black. It is not as bad as

:48:51. > :49:17.

:49:17. > :49:21.Nice little cannon, there, from Dominic. He can certainly see the

:49:21. > :49:27.right hand jaw of the pocket, if he plays the slowly, I should be able

:49:27. > :49:37.to pocket -- pot it, then on to the black and he has the frame at his

:49:37. > :49:50.

:49:50. > :50:00.That is amazing. I thought that red went and he decided to play the

:50:00. > :50:07.

:50:07. > :50:17.Strange shot choice from Dominic but, when you're at the table you

:50:17. > :50:50.

:50:50. > :51:00.see it completely differently from He doesn't necessarily have to

:51:00. > :51:15.

:51:15. > :51:19.The problem is, not playing to cannon that time, if you don't get

:51:19. > :51:29.it on the next one, then the cannon is not on, but it is essential to

:51:29. > :51:55.

:51:55. > :52:01.get the angle this time. He has got Has he been lucky? That red has

:52:01. > :52:11.gone near the middle, but, can he get past the yellow and play the

:52:11. > :52:11.

:52:12. > :52:21.pot? Now, so it was a poor cannon that he played, and he did not get

:52:22. > :52:22.

:52:22. > :53:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:53:59. > :54:07.He's looking at the potting angle, but surely he is not thinking about

:54:07. > :54:17.taking the pot on. The Stuarts cuts in but it is unlikely he will play

:54:17. > :54:33.

:54:33. > :54:40.it, because he cannot avoid a Just a bit short of pace, there, so

:54:40. > :54:50.this is a chance for Dominic. He is getting to that stage where he

:54:50. > :54:51.

:54:51. > :54:56.needs to be taking all these half chances. Another one, missed. This

:54:56. > :55:03.match is beginning to slip away from him. I know that he is not

:55:03. > :55:13.100%, help-wise, but he has got to dig in, he has missed another good

:55:13. > :55:17.

:55:17. > :55:27.chance to clinch the frame. -- health-wise. As you can see, he has

:55:27. > :55:27.

:55:27. > :56:23.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:56:23. > :56:27.That was an excellent shot. Because of the difficulty of the pot he did

:56:27. > :56:31.not have much control of the cue ball and has left himself tight

:56:31. > :56:39.against the side cushion. A lot will depend on the potting angle on

:56:39. > :56:49.this red. If he has to do something with the cue ball then it is very

:56:49. > :56:53.

:56:53. > :57:03.He struck that beautifully and he had the natural angle. Could not

:57:03. > :57:21.

:57:21. > :57:31.A little bit lower than he would have liked but he still has the

:57:31. > :57:31.

:57:31. > :58:16.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:58:16. > :58:20.He just lost the cue ball a little Considering he was so close to the

:58:20. > :58:30.side cushion, he played that beautifully. Kept control of the

:58:30. > :58:51.

:58:51. > :59:01.But he got into the brown a bit too That helps! He has had a few little

:59:01. > :59:22.

:59:22. > :59:28.kisses today that have worked for It will be a thin cut on the red

:59:28. > :59:38.and he will not be certain where the cue ball is going. But he just

:59:38. > :00:05.

:00:05. > :00:13.needs this red and a decent, high When the balls run nice, doesn't

:00:13. > :00:20.this game look easy?! He has been the dominant player, regardless of

:00:20. > :00:25.the run of the ball, but he had two every just pieces of good fortune.

:00:25. > :00:35.Dominic has not had many chances today. He has been played --

:00:35. > :01:13.

:01:13. > :01:20.Matthew Stevens goes one away from He is a phenomenally talented lad,

:01:20. > :01:23.great player. He has won the UK and the Masters, very tough to beat.

:01:23. > :01:33.has an arrogant air about him which gives him a lot of self-belief

:01:33. > :01:39.

:01:39. > :01:44.He can maybe win the world championship one day, but he deftly

:01:44. > :01:48.should have won it before, because he has had the chances. But there

:01:48. > :01:58.is still time because he is another one who has put himself back into

:01:58. > :02:02.

:02:02. > :02:08.Matthew Stevens has always had the potential. He has probably wasted

:02:08. > :02:12.it a little bit but still achieved could things in the game. I think

:02:12. > :02:18.people enjoy watching him, the way that he goes about his business, he

:02:18. > :02:25.does not mess about, does not show most -- much emotion, and plays the

:02:25. > :02:35.game very well. I would not write him off just yet. He is showing

:02:35. > :02:46.

:02:46. > :02:49.signs that he is heading back to Dominic Dale has to win the

:02:50. > :02:59.remaining five frames. It is a tough order when you are feeling

:03:00. > :03:30.

:03:30. > :03:36.well. When you're not feeling well, Believe me, you cannot cue a ball

:03:36. > :03:46.better than that. Right in the heart of the pocket. Look at the

:03:46. > :03:50.

:03:50. > :03:55.reaction on the cue ball. Super shot! That was the pot of the match

:03:55. > :04:05.so far and has given him the chance to try and make -- take frame and

:04:05. > :04:05.

:04:05. > :04:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:04:59. > :05:09.He changed his mind because he might have cannoned the black. He

:05:09. > :05:14.

:05:14. > :05:24.tried to play for two reds. In that I do not know what that noise was.

:05:24. > :05:42.

:05:42. > :05:46.Someone stood on a cat's tale?! -- He has a lazy sort of style but he

:05:46. > :05:53.can generate so much without seemingly hitting the ball too hard.

:05:53. > :06:03.Not many players can do that. was a prime example of what you're

:06:03. > :06:17.

:06:17. > :06:27.talking about. The white went into There are reds available in both

:06:27. > :06:27.

:06:27. > :07:15.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:07:15. > :07:19.I couldn't make 20 left-handed, Has he got the snooker? Dominic is

:07:19. > :07:25.definitely feeling not so well. It took him an age to get out of that

:07:25. > :07:35.chair. He has been out there quite a while, under the television

:07:35. > :07:42.

:07:42. > :07:52.I would imagine secretly he would have wanted Matthew Stevens to have

:07:52. > :07:56.

:07:56. > :08:03.won the frame at that visit. But he has to continue prattling.

:08:03. > :08:13.buckling. He now lives in Berlin, so he has the journey home to

:08:13. > :08:31.

:08:31. > :08:36.contend with, and that is not a He managed to find a gap, which has

:08:36. > :08:46.left the red on for Matthew. Nothing going right for Domnick at

:08:46. > :09:08.

:09:08. > :09:18.That could have been a helpful Whenever it you are playing a thin

:09:18. > :09:30.

:09:30. > :09:35.pot you're always likely to lose He would have liked to have played

:09:35. > :09:45.it better than that. He has left himself hampered. He just flicked

:09:45. > :09:45.

:09:45. > :10:44.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:10:44. > :10:54.the red and that has left him I would much rather see a player do

:10:54. > :11:22.

:11:22. > :11:26.that, rather than risk getting on Just when we were thinking that

:11:26. > :11:36.must you might go on to win the frame, he has given Dominic Dale

:11:36. > :11:54.

:11:54. > :11:59.He is their struggling. -- now struggling. I think he has not

:11:59. > :12:04.conceded, but he knows that if he was to win this match he has to win

:12:04. > :12:07.the next five frames and I do not think he has that in him at the

:12:07. > :12:15.moment, the way he is feeling and the way that Matthew Stevens has

:12:15. > :12:19.been playing. But he has done well, he has turned up. There was

:12:19. > :12:27.definitely a case of in not doing. He went to the hospital this

:12:27. > :12:37.morning. I think, from what I can gather, but could not see him

:12:37. > :12:37.

:12:37. > :13:19.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:13:19. > :13:26.straight away, so he decided to He is 57 in the lead but there are

:13:26. > :13:36.still 59 remaining. He got a heavy contact from the first red which

:13:36. > :13:37.

:13:37. > :13:47.stopped the pace of it. It might be worthwhile playing the cut along

:13:47. > :14:23.

:14:23. > :14:33.the black. He can play it as a shot Dominic Dale sat there, quite as

:14:33. > :14:33.

:14:33. > :15:58.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:15:58. > :16:08.that figure in a wage. -- quite as That was a very clever shot.

:16:08. > :16:15.

:16:15. > :16:25.Absolutely. Now Matt he wishes that he had taken the black on. --

:16:25. > :16:39.

:16:39. > :16:48.He has done well to get it safe, that is an excellent shot. One

:16:48. > :16:56.think about the Welsh players, they know their way around the snooker

:16:56. > :17:06.table. Yes, Ray Reardon, Terry Griffiths, two of the all-time

:17:06. > :17:20.

:17:20. > :17:30.Dominic Dale, of course, is also Welsh. He is a good singer.

:17:30. > :17:50.

:17:50. > :17:59.likes to do a Roy Alderson, tries When Matthew played his safety shot

:17:59. > :18:09.he also played the red on to the side pocket as well. Yes, he has a

:18:09. > :18:15.

:18:15. > :18:22.That was unlucky. What a tremendous pot and he desperately needed to be

:18:22. > :18:26.on the black or the pink, and he is on neither. I was looking at

:18:26. > :18:36.Matthew's face and he just nodded there. He did not know how that

:18:36. > :19:05.

:19:05. > :19:10.I do not think he can get through He had to play the cut in the

:19:10. > :19:20.middle, and I would suggest that is his very mere handshake now because

:19:20. > :19:26.

:19:26. > :19:32.Snooker's are required. -- it is He will be pleased to get out of

:19:32. > :19:37.here. He has done very well to turn up. He came and tried his heart out.

:19:37. > :19:45.In fairness, he would have done well to beat Matthew, the way he

:19:45. > :19:50.has played. Always a great sport, Dominic Dale. A lovely lad, but he

:19:50. > :19:56.has lost this match quite convincingly. Matthew Stevens goes

:19:56. > :20:00.into the next round. He has had a few moments to think about it. Very

:20:00. > :20:05.well played. A bit more straightforward than you might have

:20:05. > :20:10.imagined. Definitely. Obviously, you saw that Dominic Dale was under

:20:10. > :20:14.the weather there. He started off very well. But I played really

:20:14. > :20:19.solid today. It is always tough in the first round match of the

:20:19. > :20:25.biggest events so far this season. But very happy with the way that I

:20:25. > :20:29.played. Did he mention what was wrong, and he was feeling? At, did

:20:29. > :20:33.not get has this beat him afterwards. He did look really bad.

:20:33. > :20:40.It is obviously disappointing on his behalf but I just up to

:20:40. > :20:44.concentrate on my game. You have been playing each other for

:20:44. > :20:51.something like 17 years. In terms of the way you were allowed to play,

:20:51. > :20:56.how pleased we with your own game? Nothing spectacular, but I got the

:20:56. > :21:06.job done. The boys will say, it is always nice to get off to a

:21:06. > :21:07.

:21:07. > :21:15.comfortable win. Is it true that your game completely turned around

:21:15. > :21:19.at 2 lost 4-1-Steve Davis. Yes, I pot it cannot get any worse, so I

:21:19. > :21:25.put a few extra hours in! It has paid off. But getting serious

:21:25. > :21:33.about... It is all very well if your opponent is not playing great,

:21:33. > :21:37.but you still have to eat keep your level up. After the first frame I

:21:37. > :21:43.felt really nervous, because although we have had a lot of

:21:43. > :21:48.events this year, this is the big one now, just before Christmas.

:21:48. > :21:53.few upsets already. We played the International in China but it is

:21:53. > :21:56.never the same as playing at home on the BBC. You have been at the

:21:56. > :22:06.World Championships, the UK, you have played well in all of those,

:22:06. > :22:11.the be Givenchy play well. It is always nice to come back somewhere

:22:11. > :22:17.where you have won before. I have won nine years ago and have breach

:22:17. > :22:21.two finals. I have the pedigree to do all right. We ran a feature

:22:21. > :22:25.during your match in which we got a lot of opinions from other players

:22:25. > :22:32.and most of them said they felt you are coming back to meeting your

:22:32. > :22:37.best again. Would you agree? It has been difficult. I was out of the

:22:37. > :22:41.top 16 for former years and doing about six events a year. You lose a

:22:41. > :22:47.match and then you have got six weeks off. I was getting fed up

:22:47. > :22:53.with the game and could have jack it in nearby had enough money, but

:22:53. > :22:57.obviously did not! But it is nice be playing every week. There are

:22:57. > :23:02.one number of players that it may have helped that there is now a

:23:02. > :23:06.full season. You either embrace it all say you do not like it. Yes,

:23:06. > :23:11.there is no pressure on each match because you know that if you lose

:23:11. > :23:17.you can go out and play next week. You have not got going to the club

:23:18. > :23:23.to practice so much because John match sharp. Marco Fu is next,

:23:23. > :23:29.obviously playing very well. At the Crucible, the beat him on the way

:23:29. > :23:32.to the semi-finals in April. That was issued moment for you. What did

:23:32. > :23:42.it do for you and what are your memories of playing him over the

:23:42. > :23:43.

:23:43. > :23:47.years? We have played a lot of times. We both did not playing

:23:48. > :23:53.really well up the world's last year. He beat me in this event a

:23:53. > :23:58.few years ago when he made it to the final and he played fantastic.

:23:58. > :24:06.I took him to win the tournament that here. He is one of the best

:24:06. > :24:11.scorers in the game so I will have my hands full. It is tomorrow. You

:24:11. > :24:17.are 5-4 up in wind. I'm not sure that galvanises the confidence, but

:24:17. > :24:21.they you go! This time yesterday we were watching what turned out to

:24:21. > :24:29.beat a very exciting match featuring the new world No. 1, Judd

:24:29. > :24:35.Trump. It that to be plain sailing. But his opponent, Mark Joyce, it

:24:35. > :24:45.would simply not capitulate. He won three frames in a row and forced

:24:45. > :24:58.

:24:58. > :25:03.The winner gets to the UK Championship. It might be looking a

:25:04. > :25:13.little bit further away from Judd Trump than it did at the start of

:25:14. > :25:14.

:25:14. > :26:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:26:02. > :26:12.this match. I don't think he can It is now a three ball plant. He is

:26:12. > :26:12.

:26:12. > :26:17.not going for it, and I don't blame him. That safety, much too thick,

:26:17. > :26:25.and not for the first time, the first chance to Mark Joyce. It

:26:25. > :26:35.seems every frame he is getting the opportunity to score first. Judd

:26:35. > :26:37.

:26:37. > :26:42.Trump is going to have to sit there and suffer. One saving grace that

:26:42. > :26:49.red is dead straight, so, he might not be able to get close to the

:26:49. > :26:59.black to make it a compatible pot, and to get position on the next red

:26:59. > :27:08.

:27:08. > :27:18.That is what happens when you try to force it, to get the white

:27:18. > :27:46.

:27:46. > :27:50.closer to the black. So, that first Just one of those shots where that

:27:50. > :27:54.was not straightforward, but if you are just a little bit of centre on

:27:54. > :28:04.the cue ball, it will throw it away, off line, that is what happened

:28:04. > :28:13.

:28:13. > :28:23.It doesn't help Judd Trump that the black spot was not available there.

:28:23. > :28:44.

:28:44. > :28:54.That is not the best positional Running down this line, it needs to

:28:54. > :28:59.

:28:59. > :29:05.slow up a little bit. It just slowed up enough. Now, he would

:29:05. > :29:10.love to be in position, but that white ball next to hurry, and yes,

:29:11. > :29:16.he has played it well, so he can pot the black and play for the red

:29:16. > :29:26.that is occupying the black spot, leaving the black at this end of

:29:26. > :29:45.

:29:45. > :29:55.This is what you would expect from the world number one, to step up a

:29:55. > :29:57.

:29:57. > :30:03.gear, when it is required, to get the match over in one visit.

:30:03. > :30:08.can't become world number one without having those qualities. It

:30:08. > :30:15.is his second try at getting at that red that is occupying the

:30:16. > :30:25.black spot. And it is all about this shot. That looks pretty good

:30:25. > :30:33.to me. OK, he may be straight on it, but he has enough cueing power to

:30:34. > :30:43.play a little bit of screw on the left-hand side. He played it well,

:30:44. > :30:45.

:30:45. > :30:52.very well. He has a choice now, he has a chance to play the perfect

:30:52. > :30:59.cannon into the pink. Is that what you would be playing, Stephen?

:30:59. > :31:03.think so. Anything that goes to the left-hand side of the pink as we

:31:03. > :31:10.are looking down the table is going to cannon the other reds, but he

:31:10. > :31:14.does not want to hit the right hand side of the pink. He is looking at

:31:14. > :31:19.the loose red but he knows in the back of his mind at that that ball

:31:19. > :31:25.not be good enough to win this frame and match at this visit but

:31:25. > :31:35.he needs to think positive, and play the cannon. He has turned it

:31:35. > :31:40.down. He wouldn't have turned it down early on in the match. He can

:31:40. > :31:50.open reds from this pot, perhaps that was the reason he didn't go

:31:50. > :31:55.

:31:55. > :32:01.Desperately hoping to be on a colour, you could say he is just

:32:01. > :32:11.about on the yellow or that brown, but not perfect, and in the

:32:11. > :32:11.

:32:11. > :32:51.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:32:51. > :32:59.He used all the pocket. Finished perfect. Off the left hand jaw,

:32:59. > :33:03.with a little bit more pace, it might not have gone in. If he was

:33:03. > :33:13.going to win this match in one visit, what a time to do it, it

:33:13. > :33:23.That was not a positive stroke. Most of the time you would have

:33:23. > :33:23.

:33:23. > :34:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:34:34. > :34:44.Obviously, this red passes the Where is the red going? He almost

:34:44. > :35:13.

:35:13. > :35:20.He is not going to be punished. Judd Trump will be hoping this red

:35:20. > :35:30.is covered by the black. Is it? It is. He has had a bit of luck, there.

:35:30. > :35:38.

:35:38. > :35:44.He just can't get to the potting That was a world number one's run

:35:44. > :35:54.of the ball, there, just when you need it. You have all had it, you

:35:54. > :36:06.

:36:06. > :36:10.That has not turned out too bad with that red going off to the

:36:10. > :36:20.left-hand corner, but the brown is covering the pot, and the blue is

:36:20. > :36:27.

:36:27. > :36:37.covering the pot, so I think he is That was a world No. 51 of the

:36:37. > :36:39.

:36:39. > :36:43.ball! -- 50 run of the ball. It is also up because there is a lot of

:36:43. > :36:47.tension out there, normally you the suggest common off the right hand

:36:47. > :36:55.cushion and dropping into the reds just by the pink, but if you hit it

:36:55. > :37:05.too hard, you could knock a red on. Is it hard enough? Is it hard

:37:05. > :37:14.enough? Foul, and a miss, Mark Joyce, four. Just some concern that

:37:14. > :37:17.he might not a red on, if he hits it too hard. In these situations,

:37:17. > :37:23.you start to see problems that sometimes are not there, because

:37:23. > :37:30.you can just see things going wrong. Potter can only when there has

:37:30. > :37:40.never been a hint of a problem up until the last few frames. --

:37:40. > :37:44.

:37:44. > :37:54.particularly only. Has he got it That red in the middle of the five

:37:54. > :38:19.

:38:19. > :38:24.Where is the cue ball going? Oooh! Well he might have angled in front

:38:24. > :38:31.of the main bunch of reds, he could possibly get to the red to the left

:38:31. > :38:39.corner, now, you see it, and that is the only red he can play. Then,

:38:39. > :38:44.you are bridging in the jaws of the pocket. There is not a lot of cue,

:38:44. > :38:54.well, not a lot of Bridge you can get, I think he can just get to

:38:54. > :39:04.this red. But it is not the nicest shot to be left with. Funny how

:39:04. > :39:27.

:39:27. > :39:30.It was tough. It has left the red This was tough. Just enough angle

:39:31. > :39:40.to pot the red and follow-through off the side cushion and bottom

:39:41. > :39:48.

:39:48. > :39:58.I agree. The main thing is, don't try and sacrifice support for

:39:58. > :40:12.

:40:12. > :40:18.position. Make certain of the red. Can he pot the pink and stun into

:40:18. > :40:23.the four reds together? A little bit too much angle for that,

:40:23. > :40:27.perhaps. He has missed a couple of blacks in the match, so far.

:40:28. > :40:37.think he has got the angle of the pink to cannon into the four reds.

:40:38. > :40:38.

:40:38. > :40:45.If it went right, it could be a frame and match winning chance. Now

:40:45. > :40:55.was the time to put your foot hard to the metal and go for it. Just

:40:55. > :41:03.

:41:03. > :41:08.trust your technique. This could be The right shot and, as far as Mark

:41:08. > :41:18.Joyce is concerned, the right result. Will Judd Trump get back to

:41:18. > :41:40.

:41:40. > :41:43.I always found in these high pressure situations if you try to

:41:43. > :41:49.commentate through each shot, tell yourself exactly what you want to

:41:49. > :41:54.do with the white ball, it helps to focus and take your mind off the

:41:54. > :42:01.other nonsense that goes on in these situations. Everybody has

:42:01. > :42:10.their own way, and it seems that Mark Joyce's way as to give every

:42:10. > :42:20.shot due care and attention. But there is still a little bit of

:42:20. > :42:20.

:42:20. > :42:27.tension in the air, thankfully there, he had the yellow in was out.

:42:27. > :42:37.-- in reserve. You can't imagine what is going on in his head, the

:42:37. > :42:39.

:42:39. > :42:49.stomach-churning. He looks quite composed from the outside. He has

:42:49. > :42:50.

:42:50. > :43:00.Unless he pots this red I don't think he makes the other two reds

:43:00. > :43:03.

:43:03. > :43:08.available. He has now got a one- point lead. So, if he can clear

:43:08. > :43:18.these three reds with colours, after this black, Judd Trump will

:43:18. > :43:18.

:43:18. > :43:59.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 57 seconds

:43:59. > :44:09.need snookers. And the big, big I can only assume these two reds

:44:09. > :44:11.

:44:11. > :44:17.are available, at least one of them is. They are, so it should be, it

:44:17. > :44:27.should be plain sailing, he needs two reds, two colours, then Judd

:44:27. > :45:03.

:45:03. > :45:10.It is absolutely remarkable what has happened here. 3-0, 4-1, 5-2,

:45:10. > :45:14.and this black, now, to go 32 points in front with just 27

:45:15. > :45:24.remaining, against the world No. 1 and defending champion, who looks

:45:25. > :45:27.

:45:27. > :45:34.to be on his way out. I don't like that, when you go back to the cheer.

:45:34. > :45:39.It makes you think about it a little bit more. Still don't expect

:45:40. > :45:49.they to miss the black. What a phenomenal performance by Mark

:45:50. > :45:58.

:45:58. > :46:02.Joyce to win this match, should he He took his time, he had the cue

:46:03. > :46:12.ball cleaned, and Judd Trump is sitting there reflecting on what

:46:13. > :46:14.

:46:14. > :46:24.might have been or maybe what should have been. He has missed the

:46:24. > :46:25.

:46:25. > :46:28.yellow, Judd Trump will carry on, but he needs two snookers. That

:46:28. > :46:32.left Judd Trump desperately playing for those of two snookers, he got

:46:32. > :46:38.one of them, but fell short in the end. It is the second time Mark

:46:38. > :46:42.Joyce has beaten Judd Trump at this championship and in this venue, but

:46:42. > :46:46.that looked unlikely for much of this match, and Judd Trump

:46:46. > :46:52.contributed to his own demise during that match. Full tribute to

:46:52. > :46:57.Mark Joyce for a very spirited performance from the world No. 50.

:46:57. > :47:00.You will have heard us talking about the lessons that Judd Trump

:47:00. > :47:10.might have learned from that performance, and indeed, possibly

:47:10. > :47:16.his treatment of some of the situations as early in the frame.

:47:16. > :47:19.I've felt that Judd Trump was doing damage in the early Park. You do

:47:19. > :47:25.not let a player off the hook if you can possibly help it, and it

:47:25. > :47:29.appears that is what Judd Trump did, and paid the ultimate penalty. That

:47:29. > :47:33.is what Judd Trump has to deal with, to decide what type of player peas

:47:33. > :47:37.Cup to be, whether he's going to be a winning machine, or an

:47:37. > :47:43.entertainer. We know that he plays entertaining snooker, but now we're

:47:43. > :47:48.going to judge him by a different yardstick, how often he converts

:47:48. > :47:53.those exciting matches. So he has to knuckle down and get the job

:47:53. > :48:00.done, as Stephen is suggesting. is what number one, but he's only

:48:00. > :48:05.23, he still has much to learn about the game. They do not give

:48:05. > :48:10.you sniff of any balls, and get the match over with and get back to the

:48:10. > :48:13.will tell, and he played that game yesterday, but great credit goes to

:48:13. > :48:17.Mark Joyce, because he had no game at the start of that, he was

:48:17. > :48:25.struggling in the first session, he kept going and going unstuck in,

:48:25. > :48:31.and comes out with a lot of credit. Mark Joyce continues, but I'm sure,

:48:32. > :48:37.he will be sharpening his resolve, Judd Trump for the Masters and B on.

:48:38. > :48:41.We have two more first red matches to complete in this championship,

:48:41. > :48:44.it is the first time Ricky Walden has faced Seventeen-year-old Luca

:48:44. > :48:49.Brecel, the first time that the young Belgian has made it to the

:48:49. > :48:56.final stages of a championship, and something has to give in the match

:48:56. > :49:06.between Mark Williams and Mark King. They a lot in at six victories each

:49:06. > :49:13.

:49:13. > :49:16.I am winning matches at the moment, which is the main thing. I

:49:16. > :49:26.qualified for the German Masters, so things are going OK, I just want

:49:26. > :49:30.to keep winning, really. It is going OK, I suppose, I have not

:49:30. > :49:36.potted many long balls the last couple of years, but if I get in

:49:36. > :49:45.amongst the balls, I am not too bad. So where just got to pot some long

:49:45. > :49:50.ones. -- I have just got to. uses his break power, Mark, he has

:49:50. > :49:55.done more than I haven't the game, world champion, UK champion, and he

:49:55. > :49:59.is a tough opponent, some days he cannot play just as well but you

:49:59. > :50:07.still hard to beat, so I have got to be on top of my game. I have

:50:07. > :50:13.played against Mark a few times. Going back to 2004. But it makes no

:50:13. > :50:23.difference to me. I will go out tonight and try my best, like well

:50:23. > :50:25.

:50:25. > :50:30.was to and if I win great, and if I lose, well so bad. They have been

:50:30. > :50:33.ducking and diving and bashing each other up at the snooker table for

:50:34. > :50:41.almost two decades and will come out of their respective corners

:50:41. > :50:46.once again at 7 o'clock. How do you read this contest? Obviously, Mark

:50:46. > :50:52.Williams as one of the tournaments, but it also shows that Mark King is

:50:52. > :50:55.a good competitor. Two things will be key, Mark Williams has got to

:50:55. > :51:01.stop telling everyone that he has got a bad long game, because that

:51:01. > :51:07.does not do you any good, and Mark King has to score better, if he can

:51:07. > :51:12.hit frames in the 60s and 70s, he is a match for anybody. He is hard

:51:12. > :51:18.to beat. One area of the game that Mark Williams is great at, apart

:51:18. > :51:24.from being a great pressure player, he's a great scrapper able to win

:51:24. > :51:29.se frames. That is why Mark King has good records against him, he

:51:29. > :51:32.knows how to play the tactical match. If it does not become an all

:51:32. > :51:38.out attacking game, because you never know how the balls are going

:51:38. > :51:42.to go, it is down to two has caught the most clever again. And Mark

:51:42. > :51:52.King is clever, as well. Contrasting characters, and there

:51:52. > :51:56.

:51:56. > :52:02.was a rumour that Mark King's people have asked him to walk out

:52:02. > :52:10.to Gangnam Style! He's a very keen exponent of the dance routine on

:52:10. > :52:14.the way down. We saw that with his walk on at the Masters. From the

:52:14. > :52:18.perspective of Mark Williams, Wells t might not be as outgoing as Mark

:52:18. > :52:23.King, he's very funny and laid-back, and the type of person who could

:52:23. > :52:32.not say that I am not playing well but secretly inside knows he's

:52:32. > :52:38.playing OK. What about Luca Brecel? I have been told that he's

:52:39. > :52:42.improving, but I might just go for Ricky Walden on that one. We have

:52:42. > :52:47.ways of letting you see exactly what is going on, and these are

:52:47. > :52:51.they. In addition to BBC Two's extensive coverage you can watch

:52:51. > :52:55.uninterrupted live matches from both tables through a connected TV,

:52:55. > :53:04.computer, public or mobile phone, with the red button always keeping

:53:04. > :53:07.you in touch with the best of the action. Also, regular up dates on

:53:08. > :53:13.the Radio 5 Live and click on to the BBC Sport website for the

:53:13. > :53:18.latest on demand highlights, news and interviews from the Barbican

:53:18. > :53:24.Centre. From what we have seen this afternoon, has Neil Robertson be

:53:24. > :53:33.installed as the new favourite for the title? When John Higgins is in