Day 9, Part 2 UK Snooker Championship

Good evening. This time next Sunday we will be engrossed in Sports

Personality of the Year. But what is it they have been asking us? How

much more excitement can we take? Plen city the answer here in York,

with the final of the Williamhill.com UK Championship. So

Bradley, Mo, Jess and Andy will have to wait their turn. Tonight it

is Shaun Murphy and Mark Selby who are hogging the sporting limelight.

It is not often we predict a classic but after this afternoon's

opening session we are going for it P -- it. Fabulous crowds all week

here. Hope the final lives up to expectations. Two great friends,

but on the table the friendship Shufr has done what he wanted to do,

-- Shaun Murphy has done what he wanted to do, took the opening

Fantastic shot. Couldn't be closer. We are all square, two each. I like

Sorry is the word you are looking for. Seems to be the hardest word.

This is it. He needed to make a decent contribution,. That is what

A very interesting opening eight frames. Shaun Murphy will be

disappointed. He had a two frame advantage but we are all square at

four all. He is a world and UK champion. Shaun Murphy has

ambitions to become one of the legends of the game. Do that, he

has to become a multiple win over snooker's greatest prizes. Mark

Selby is at number one, he has won the Masters twice. There is a large

gap in his CV. He has yet to get his name engraved on the sport's

two most prestigious trophies, the world championship and the UK

Championship. He has been cracking in the long once all afternoon. If

he continues do that he will be so so hard to beat. The positives from

Mark Selby, the usual survival skills. 4-2 down and being

outplayed by Murphy, he has level at four frames all. So who will

whip this coveted UK trophy tonight? All will be revealed.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the former world champion,

MUSIC: "He's a Pirate" by Klaus And his opponent, the world number

one, the Jester from Leicester, Mark Selby.

HAZEL IRVINE: A possible 11 more frames to play in this best of 19

frames final and teaming up to take the first stint in the commentary

box is Ken Doherty and Dennis Taylor. Good evening. A very good

evening to everyone at home. What a reception, both players received

Looking forward to this Ken, you can't separate them. It looked as

Shaun was going to pull away, but he missed one or two longish pots,

and Mark Selby was right back in there. I am sure of the two players

Mark Selby the happier going ininto this session but a fantastic first

It is nicely poised. Possible 11 There is the match time there, just

over two hours and 45 minutes. REFEREE: Put your camera away.

referee ordering someone to put This could be an awkward frame with

Tactics will play a big part in this match. Shaun is ahead in the

That was a good shot, Shaun's last The red has gone near this right

hand centre pocket. It will probably make it more difficult for

Shaun to put this cue ball back on His long putting has gone off

slightly. He is a very aggressive player but I am not sure about that.

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He may have got the white safe had A lovely shot. It has a -- perfect

angle to do into the pack and still He played for a choice of reds

He was hoping to finish on either of those, he has gone a bit too far,

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so he has to control this cue ball It must be pretty tight. He might

That risky long red that Shaun took on, might just cost him this

It was dead straight and because he put the red on to right, of the

pocket, that is the reason he left Looking at that again, it wasn't as

risky, he just hit it wrong, didn't he. He did. We see it again. We see

where it has gone to the right, that is why the cue ball has gone

into the green. Still a risky shot, Mark Selby hasn't hit that as he

would have liked, wanted to have This table is flying, Ken. It is

quicker than it was when we had the two tables here, but this seems to

There is a red available. He is That is amazing, once you run out

of position on one shot, it does take you a couple of shots to get

that position back, he got 250 close to the cushion on the black,

played the black off two cushions, He will have to play this red after

I don't think that was hard enough. Defend if this red cuts into the

left corner. He can take it as a Looks like end of break, I don't

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think this red pots. Trith -- you REFEREE: Foul and a miss.

better off missing that on your That is where it was and that is

REFEREE: Foul and a miss. It is not easy to judge this, he is trying to

come off the top cushion and clip the extreme right of this red on

There is still plenty of reds on, if Shaun could pull this shot off.

Mark Selby would love to knock one of these reds in. He wants to try

and get as many safe balls, as possible, or close to the cushion

He will be happy with that. Good He needed one red safe to give him

that bit of insurance and what is Shaun doing? He is removing the

difficult red and bringing it back This is very good. Excellent shot.

Is there just enough room past the brown? He has to watch the pin fbg

he plays off that side. You can see there is a bit sticking out there,

but if he hits it thin he won't canon into the pink. This. I think

this red might be on for a pot, Stiements it helps when you have

got the brown and blue in your line of sight, because it gives you a

bit of a guide to the object ball, in this case being the red. --

REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Oh, well he has called it a miss, but I tell

you what, the referee is hoping he might not take it back. The bet of

You wouldn't do it on your best friend, would you. How lucky was

Mark to get away with that? After he mishit it and hit the black? We

It was a great effort, but he deadn't quite get the snooker. Had

he got tight in behind the green, what a situation Mark Selby be

There is a dumb of reds he could try and pot, certainly that one

there, but... He might try and pot it in such way he will leave the

There was no path back down the table, and he potted his way out of

trouble there. Now if the scores were the other way round and Shaun

Murphy was in he would be trying to pot the black in the middle pocket.

But Mark has that lead and that He is in a spot of bother because

the pink is in the way of the natural angle back down the table.

Will he be forced into having to The yellow is safe, one red safe

and there is a chance for a medium length pot from Mark Selby. In fact

he can cut the one into the middle, it has -- passes the other. That is

Now, then. A surprising miss. A bit of tension in this opening frame.

He is contemplating on trying to take the red off the side cushion,

but the problem is that unless he hits the two reds, that reds could

come back up into baulk. I am wondering if he is thinking about

trying to back double that, but it It looks as if he is going to have

another go at a red into this right Another chance for Mark Selby to

It is obviously was tactic, to try and pot his way out of trouble.

Well... Two great chances for Mark I think the red might go into the

same pocket at the pink. It might be a gap between the green and the

He tried to move the yellow. That is a pretty good shot. A positive

He has every intention of potting the remaining reds with colours if

We keep talking about the big part that psychology plays in this game.

If Shaun Murphy was to pinch this opening frame this evening, what a

psychological blow that would be for Mark Selby 4, who has had three

That would be difficult from this position, would have liked to have

got an angle on this red to take out the other red. Not sure if he

If he is straight enough he can pot into the middle and still be on the

Now everything is certainly in the open. He needs a good shot here.

will have to play with the rest. He doesn't miss many with the rest.

Missed one or two this afternoon, but 94% for the tournament with his

Going into the cue ball nicely and into the centre, trying to get on

That flick on the yellow from the pink, a few shots ago, could prove

very beneficial for Shaun Murphy here. He could try to get another

angle on the red off the green and bring the yellow into more open

play but there's still plenty of room behind the yellow should he

get the opportunity to position the He's having a little smile to

himself a, he is saying "what do I do? Do I try to get the yellow

further out on to the table, leave it where it is?" but what a steal

He absolutely relishes the sort of He is too straight on the red,

Plenty of room behind the yellow, and if he gets somewhere between

the yellow and the baulk Lin, he could get into the middle or to

what one of the corner pockets. That looks about perfect, excellent

A chance for Shaun Murphy to steal this frame and what a steal this

would be. This would hurt Mark This was a sitter really, he took

his eye off that and another one in the opposite middle pocket. And now

he must sit and watch Shaun Murphy - it has to be said, this is some

clearance because it was not on when he set off. He has had to work

so hard for these. This is the key shot, brown it to blue. If you get

this right, it should not be a What an opening frame this could

What an opening frame this Barbican crowd has had here this evening.

Mark Selby missed three chances to clinch it, Shaun Murphy had a

fabulous clearance and he is back in the front at 5-4.

HAZEL IRVINE: We thought this might be special and we have got the 11

times tight lists, showing that between them. 6 and 5 respectively

for Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. And between you, you have grace

something like 16 finals, two against one another. You know what

it is like. And rate that for a clearance. A marvellous, marvellous

clearance and I know exactly what it would be like to sit in the

chair and watch that happen in the first frame. Mark Selby will be

distraught inside, that was an awful frame to lose from his

perspective. Who has been the most fluent of the two? T day and for

the whole tournament, Shaun Murphy, no doubt about it. Mark Selby

missed two easy reds but he has done that all week, missing balls

he would never expect him to miss. His concentration and focus is

normally it much better than that. The cue look at the statistics, you

have got Murphy with three centuries to this point and Mark

Selby has outscored everybody with five but I take your point, Steve,

it Murphy seems to be making the breaks and seems to be more fluid

all round. Yes and cracking the long ones in and he started off in

this session by missing some long ones and we thought this was time

for Mark Selby to get going but he has an done that could work with

the two misses. Let see how badly it at all he is affected by that as

DENNIS TAYLOR: It will all be very fascinating this evening. Shaun

Murphy missed a couple of long pot. Someone living in his line of sight

there -- moving in his line of sight. Let's see if the his long

This would be a brave black to take on. He went all out for the pot. He

might have thought he would miss the cannon.

Say, when there's a distance between the two reds it's so easy

to judge the plant and he has not got away with it. He has left the

red but he tried to plant. -- that Excellent pot, straight into the

heart of the pocket, top side of He is certainly low enough on this

Well, he has put balls all over the table and he was hoping to drop

onto the black for that pocket but Just a little thin one off the back,

as long as he does not go in-off He has to be careful here, Mark

Bringing the cue ball back in to the baulk area, but a big target

behind the pink and the green but it is the old problem that the red

could come back up into baulk and that is why he might contemplate

leaving the cue ball down this end I didn't see that one, Dennis, that

one? I am surprised you didn't, it was a straightforward pot in the

end. He has to take advantage of this bit of good fortune as we show

you this. He was playing for on to the black there and as good a trick

What a chance and what a fluke that could prove to be if he could get

the black back on its spot, the pink is out of commission but with

the black and blue on their spots on the reds as they are, great

He wants to play for the black but I'll! I tell you what, how did that

drop in? It was there for a second or two and we all thought it was

going to stay right on the jaw of the pocket. It didn't look in at

Mark is a little bit fired-up and the adrenalin is pumping a bit too

strongly at the moment. Luckily, he can anded the red. -- he can anded

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He is just a little straight on the red, cannot get top side of the

blue it and that is why he is taking this one to bring back on to

Not the best shot in the world, he He is under pressure here, he just

wasn't comfortable. He was lucky a couple of times in that break and

he hasn't left anything, he was trying to get on those two reds

into the same pocket. A possibility of a plant into the bottom left-

He could play it and try to screw He has got an easy safety shot if

he wants but it looks like he wants to have a go at this difficult

He is looking to see if the red will go past the black. From the

angle, half in which he -- how thin would he have to hit the red?

think he is a bit concerned when he leaves the cue ball, that he will

be leading that opportunity for Mark Selby but I definitely think

this is what having a go. -- worth having a go. It is one of those, if

it goes in, great shot, if it And look where the red has gone. He

was hedging his bets a little bit there. Trying to screw back for

safety in case he missed the plant but he had a straight forward

That's amazing, he got a slight clip on the brown and that forced

If he can play a delicate little shot and get some way into this

circle, he would leave those two reds for the left middle pocket but

when they are a thin snick like this it is difficult to control the

cue ball. He has got more margin for error but he he goes any

further up the table, he will not have a pot on. It is a delicate

little shot playing with a little touch of screw, just to hold the

Never easy to control that. I think he has gone too far, Dennis. He can

only take this red with the rest As you said, the cloths on these

Again a bit short of pace. Sometimes when you are under

pressure, you can either overhit the ball or sometimes underhit it.

A bit of tension in your arm. He will be reading still from losing

If he rolls it in and plays the cannon, he will not be able to, he

will have to get the white moving. He has taken the more difficult one

and he got a perfect on the black He is struggling a little bit here

with the cue ball, getting it into the right position and once again,

he has given Shaun a chance. OK, it isn't easy, but it wasn't in the

Well, he is not going to clear up this time.

REFEREE: Settle down, please. crowd have got really involved in

this match. The reception they have both got this afternoon and this

evening. You don't often see a standing ovation at the start of a

This shot could be a frame-winner. Red over on to the black and then

Still a bit of tension there, there really is. He has not missed many

with the rest. He never even got it He could go for the open red over

the middle but he has got a lovely angle to take this red out with the

Has it gone too far? It might have, Ken, but there by a couple of

possibilities. 1 up into the corner and he can play this in such a way

to knock the red in. It depends whether he wants to go full-blooded

older pot both balls in. That is a sign of how confident he is and he

might be able to take the other red out if he wants to and if he

doesn't cannon the red, he has got the one over the middle. This is a

key shot now. A perfect angle on He could try to get in behind the

red but there are big moments in He has missed the red but he has

still got the insurance. Definitely in the shot to play there. He can

He will have to force this in to He is looking at the scoreboard, 15

points behind. He will need the With the yellow been off its spot,

he was dead straight, it would be a lot easier to get on the green but

then leave himself an easy yellow so he is absolutely dead straight,

he might not leave himself on the If he wants to, he can go past the

blue and leave a green that is Maybe the brown goes also. He is on

the yellow anywhere. Any of those colours were much better than

playing for the blue. I think he It's going to go on the pink spot.

Believe it or not and it is still able to be potted but the brown

would pass the yellow, he was just unlucky there. Because if he had

pulled up short, he would... It is It's great to hear the sound of the

He tried to get the cue ball behind the black. Not the best shot he has

He has got away with this one. That People from all over the United

Kingdom here at the Barbican. And it two couples. One from Dubai,

they have come in for the final and they are flying back tomorrow. One

shot from America and his wife is He could stun the yellow up the

table and get the cue ball behind the black or clip off the yellow,

big target behind the pink and He gutted behind the blue -- he got

it behind the blue but it is not what he would have liked. A chance

for Mark Selby to play the same shot. I and send the yellow behind

That is not a bad kiss on the green. Who is going to get in behind that

pink first? We have seen Shaun take He will automatically come up

Well, the black is in and where is Maybe the wrong choice, he is

thinking now. He has left a free ball. He can nominate the green as

a yellow. Not quite sure where he could do that and plant the green

If he is on the green, he could use the green as the free ball and the

green would automatically become a yellow, and cannon the green on to

the other, pot the yellow and then A narrow angle to come back across

past the pink but if he tried it that way, he could try to pot the

yellow, going round the angles. I am not sure if the black is that

the in the way. -- black is Look how close he would have to get

to the black. Not a lot else available to him. He is looking out

It might be the only way to him and it looks like he is. Somewhere near

Somewhere near that but look at the That was some shot!

That was a great effort and he was That was what you call knowledge of

the angles but the double-kiss You cannot separate these two

A totally different frame to the opening one, where there were just

two visits. 58 by Mark Selby and an unbelievable 64 the clearance by

28 is the difference. Two five. Snookers needed to tie. -- two

He wanted to pot the black, as well. And in it goes. And so does the

white - a trick shot to finish. We cannot separate these players at

the moment. It is 5-5. It is certainly eventful and Mark

Selby came out looking very positive at the start of the

session. He has wobbled several times. The score on because of the

first frame that he lost. He was presented with a very easy chance

after fluking the ball early on. He did not make the most of it and

then cracks started appearing. He missed some awful shot by his

standards. Looked a very wobbly indeed. From his perspective,

fairly fortunate that he got over the line in that one. He got on a

level par and might be able to steady the ship a bit. What do you

put this down to? I think it is a big night for both of them and they

respect each other's games. It might take one person making a

century to spark the other into life but at the moment collar it is

not great. There is a lot of pressure out there. It is quite

exciting. It has taken an hour for the first couple of frames. It

could be going late this evening. What is at stake for these guys? We

have already talked about this being the biggest event in the

snooker calendar. It means a huge amount. I don't know if Stephen

feels the same way but if you look at his career in the 1990s and mind

in the 1980s, we got lots and lots of chances to win events, and it

probably can't do down to a degree. But it is not guaranteed for these

COMMENTATOR: It is a fabulous seen. If you can't play in front of a

crowd like this, where could you You cannot hit the ball any better

It did not seem to be the time to go into them with that red away

from the bounce. Playing with a lot of top spin. Might be a chance to

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He is contemplating on taking this green. It is a tough pot. Good

He has to be absolutely spot on here. That is pretty good judgement.

Very well played. He might be able to go between the

reds there to get on towards the brown. He could go twice across the

table but can he see enough of it? Just a bit of a stalemate here for

the time being until one of the players can run away up the table

Could do with a touching ball to Might be a slight mistake, Shaun

could be in trouble, I am sure he can get twice across behind the

brown. I don't know whether he has opened the door for this type of

shot. It looks like he has. That Not far away. He has left a couple

of pots available, the pink would He could have a go at this,

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wouldn't leave a great deal. If it That is not a bad length of the cue

ball. One red has gone towards the right corner but it is not a

natural angle to take this pot on and go round the back of the black.

If he takes this on, I feel he That was a great shot from Shaun

A thin one on the green, he will have to come across the table twice

to leave that one to the left of the bunch. He cannot just stand up

to it. He must travel across. -- Having said that was perfect, the

He can screw back. With the cue power he has, he can run it through

He might be able to get on the Good shot. Nice angle on the red.

He beats himself a nice angle on the black by potting this red.'s

He wants to screwed past the three He did not get into them with

enough power. He got the are, White. He did not quite get as much as he

wanted. A -- he got the arc on at He can play a similar shot to the

I wonder whether he can judge it He will not be happy with that. He

has left one. It is a shot to You always expect with Mark Selby

that if he does not get them, they He was a wee bit unlucky there. He

has got second best. I am not sure if he can nestle on the triangle of

reds. The middle pocket may be slightly in the way but that is

what he would like to play. wonder whether people take the risk

of dropping on to the three reds. It is very risky. Mark tried to

play a to cushion escape. -- it COMMENTATOR: He does not mind

giving away the points here. Much better missing it than hitting it

thick. This one is slightly more difficult than the previous one.

The time before, he was just coming off the back cushion to flick the

I had it pretty much directly That is where it was before. Where

COMMENTATOR: Is it going to be third time lucky? This is exactly

what happened on the previous That was always the problem, wasn't

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it? It is always going to be He overscrewed that slightly and

He will have to get a nice angle to take the red out on the side

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Not a bad idea to get this one out It really was good thinking. Has he

come up far enough? The black was writing the way of moving the red.

He is certainly thinking very This is where the balls were. It is

blocking the path of the cannon of the black so that was great

His look could have been better. -- luck. If he cannot cut it in, he

might be tempted to take it into the corner and screw back towards

I did not think it would cut into the middle. It did not look like it

from this angle. An opportunity now for Shaun Murphy. In the end, he

did not hit it that thin so he 24 points ahead before he potted

that red so he will need up to and He might have to leave the pink

until he eventually gets on the brown. If he pots the brown and

cannons the pink out, he will still be on the blue. I think that is his

Has he got the angle to try to move the pink? Maybe not. There will

Just over four hours now off fascinating snooker. That is a

terrific shot. Does he have enough angle to pot the blue and bring the

That was unlucky. What a shot this Mark Selby will be absolutely

delighted. That was very risky. He could have played a snooker in

behind the black but Shaun Murphy went for it and it did not pay off.

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What a frame that was. It was all down to the pink and Shaun had a

choice. He could have flicked of the pink and but as snooker behind

the black but he was feeling very confident. That would have been

some shot to pot and get on the black.

REFEREE: Take your seats quickly, COMMENTATOR: One more frame before

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

the mid-session interval. People do The last time Mark Selby was in the

lead was in the third frame. He got 66 to go 2-1 up. He has had to wait

a long time but has got his nose I don't think he has played his

best snooker by any stretch of the imagination, Mark Selby, but he has

All champions have that even when You can always send one over the

pocket when you take that shot. I do not think the yellow has come to

his rescue. He can pot the red but look where the cue ball is going to

finish. There is a little tap that he could possibly go through. --

Well, that is unlucky. To go right through the reds, spread them all

over the table and finished there Because of the red either side of

the blue, it is not easy to roll to He has definitely got to try to

take the green and the red away from the right middle and screw

back to the baulk cushion. He has got to get the red away from the

right middle because that is the danger. Screw the green into the

red and try to get the cue ball Ken you believe he has knocked that

in? You could try doing that for a year and a half and it would not go

He needs to use the reds as a Nice tap on the table for Mark

Selby, acknowledgement that it was As the blue come to his rescue? I

don't think so. He is on this red That is not too bad, he will

certainly settle for that. Dead straight blue into the green pocket.

I feel he needs a big break, just The reds are perfectly placed here

but the pink and black are just off their spots so needs a bit of

That helps the situation getting the pink back on its spot. Shaun's

highest break has been 90 it and Last season, Mark Selby made 55

century breaks. Shaun Murphy made 34 Sir not many better players with

He will be disappointed, he got a bit of a heavy contact. Took the

You could see the cue ball bounce a He has been pretty good with the

Excellent. Not many players would have left

the white in that position, they would have wanted to get closer to

the red but he is so confident with I think he is one of those players

when he is under pressure, he seems to play some of his better snooker,

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Shaun. Ali Carter, the way he He may elect to pot this red,

All he needed was a glancing blow there. Take the cue ball back to

have the pink into the right centre. That is the perfect indication of

why players try to clear up without a little cannon. But he needed the

cannon on that occasion and it was a bit of a shocker, to be fair,

He wanted to hit that red half ball so the red finish nicely on the

It is as if he wants to put the That is a pretty good shot.

Not the best safety shot from Mark Selby will stop the mid-session

interval coming up and one good pot here and one good positional shot,

I think we were asked he would win this match and nobody would commit

themselves because it was so difficult to pick a winner. Look at

that, 169 balls potted each. Almost cloth frames of play already and

such a fine line between the players -- almost well frames of

play. -- 12 frames. I think we will be in for a late finish to this

match. We might have some late night drama here at the Barbican

Centre in York. A fabulous week. Play started here last Saturday,

the crowds have been superb throughout the tournament. And it

looks like they will have something a bit special here this evening.

There we have had everything in these first four frames. Lots of

drama, close frames. Yeah, the first frame was a belter,

wasn't it? 58 break by Mark Selby, missed a couple of chances but

Shaun cleaned up with the wonderful 65 and then some great match

A little exhibition shot here, possibly? Around the houses it is

in the pocket but he will not be bothered? And Shaun Murphy with the

aid of a 39 and that 38 break brings us all square again, we just

cannot separate them, what a final. It is six frames all HAZEL IRVINE:

Added think anybody was too surprised that we are even

Stephen's, if you pardon the pun. The quality has been up and down.

Moment of brilliance but also some bad position. They are playing

careless cannons, so none of them got into their scoring rhythm. It

is tough match play but I could do with looking for some big breaks.

Not your kind of March, Stephen. -- match. We have got two very

attacking players. Mark Selby, always an attacking player. And

Shaun Murphy will always try to take on a red that is sticking out

to try to get a point on the board and he is positive about going into

the pack early. Yes, and in the frame earlier, we saw him take on

an outrageous pink down the rail. We were talking in the roof here

while it was happening, we both agree but perhaps we would not have

taken it on and that is from me who is supposed to say that and Stephen

said the same. It is how you see it out there. The way he has played

and the way he won the World Championship, he went on fork shots,

he continued to go for them. You can get picked off, it is tough but

it is possible. And if Mark Selby does not had full speed, it could

work. It will be interesting to see when fatigue and concentration

start to play a part because it is now a 9:45 and they have been

playing since 2 o'clock, that must kick in at some point. I think the

adrenaline of the final takes that naturally. You have got something

to do out there, you have got to win the championship. A sugar

bruised as they look forward to the last few frames. But I am sure you

are rare that Ronnie O'Sullivan is taking an extended break -- aware

that Ronnie O'Sullivan. His absence plus the emergence of a new

generation of snooker players and their relentless new international

calendar means that there is real change in snooker right now as

Steve has been looking at the way I reached the televised stages

earlier this week at the tender age of 55. I know I am exceptional but

I am exception as snooker spread his wings beyond these shores and

entices younger stars onto the baize. While some are seizing

opportunities, others are finding the new world order a bit of a

# Stop me if you've heard this one # Stop me if you think you've heard

this one before. # Nothing has changed, I still love

you, oh, I still love you. # Only slightly, only slightly less

It is a shame that Ronnie is not here and I, for one, miss him being

at tournaments. A certain buzz that is not here. The run a factor but

there are so many other good players on the tour, the arrival of

the Judd Trump bringing a new wave and appreciation with him, it is

At the end of the day, sport cannot rely on one person so Ronnie has

been the flagbearer for the last 20 years so it is time somebody came

through with an attacking style of snooker. Big game is a lot more

attacking. -- the game is a lot more. It was pretty much

everybody's favourite, Ronnie O'Sullivan so they must learn to

love somebody else. I think it opens paths for other players. He

has achieved everything so if he wants to stop and it makes him

happy, he has got nothing left to I am not saying it because I and

just 16, I think I made the right decision, have a break, have a year

out. I am sure of not playing for a Ronnie has done a lot for the game,

and lots of people out there who adore him. Ronnie fans do not

realise he may not have entered the championship, some of them. Ronnie

is a great player and talent but he only played in one tournament this

year and the majority of the other tournaments have gone ahead and

still managed to attract good He has said before that he wants to

retire and he will not give up, Sir for his own benefit, I think a year

out is probably the best thing for It is the Ronnie O'Sullivan show

when he turns up. It is not now because he is not here. It is one

of those things, he has his own personal reasons why he is not

playing. I am sure he will be back next year and I think he might come

back for the Crucible but, who One of Ronnie's problems has been

the amount of travelling required for the modern professional and you

do not have to go too far down the road from Romford to find the man

that epitomises the game's new Give me a cue and a table, I will

play anywhere. Just playing in a lot of tournaments until I reached

about 30 this season. It is tiring, lots of jet lag and travelling. But

It just seems I am literally getting home one day, packing,

doing my washing, ironing, packing again and then off ago, come back

from China a couple of weeks ago on Sunday morning, Monday afternoon

hours going to cluster and playing in a PTC. People look forward to

staying in hotels but it seems like a bit of a ball sometimes. At the

end of the day, I am here to play snooker and it is a job. It is

playing a numbers game. I have won three tournaments of 30, you will

win at some if you play all the time, playing in good conditions

and your game is sharp. You will get a bit tired in China game after

game if you travel and play all the time. It is the best thing that has

ever happened, I don't know why people moan. I think there needs to

be more players come through for people to reach the top but if

people going over there and supported the game over there it

will get bigger and people from as many countries as possible, it will

There are so many tournaments now, it is impossible to peak for every

event so I am concentrating the -- on the ones that I want to do well

in. We finished playing in the world and the autumn season starts

again in the June. Before we were only classed as part tab

professionals and you could not class it as a job, you are only

playing for six months of the year but now it is full-time.

standard of play is unbelievable now. Either I am getting worse or

everybody else is getting better because it seems that you are even

50, 60, everybody is clearing up. It is not just the top 16 players,

There are a lot of players capable of winning every tournament now

because we are playing all the time, so sharp. Any tournament could be

You realise that our little game we play back in the UK and have done

so for many years is now worldwide as a sport and we are playing that

game, millions and millions of people are watching it here in

China. The globalisation of the game continues apace and the raft

of new Thomas is also rejuvenating snooker. With three teenagers

making their York debut this week, is this the shape of things to

# Hai, shining star # No matter Jack Lisowski! From Wales, Michael

White Lightning! The Belgian bullet, Me and Jack Lisowski have qualified

for this, it is good to be a professional now because you get to

travel a lot and if you do well, you get a bit of money and whatever.

It is good. I think the game will change and over the next few years,

we will see lot of other players Players are learning fast and the

best young players I am sure are coming through. Five years will be

Judd Trump, Luca Brecel, and me. We will be in the top 16 I think. It

is a good break through. You cannot expect to come to a major

tournament suddenly and win it so I do think I have to do things step

by step. By what to do it quickly but it helps if you can get to the

top ranks because you see some players who are brilliant but they

It could be now, or two or three years. I am not a big rush sort of

person. He is very dangerous, stays fluent. He can be scary.

tournaments that Barry is putting on now, it gives players a really

good chance. We are learning every week. It is really good that they

are starting to come through. You get to see some new faces on TV.

Hopefully it will improve snooker's image as well. I was on holiday in

Italy and I played bought there for the first time and when I came back

to Belgium, I played snooker for I felt pressure at the end but I

was just enjoying it. I don't know, I don't expect anything so I just

enjoy this moment and I do my best. DENNIS TAYLOR: And he's done

exactly and as he had done in the Luca has been the name of the

tournament. He will take some fantastic things from this week. If

he continues as he has been doing, he will be fantastic news. I like

it because I can shut people's mouths! Keeping the focus to stay

No. 1 is a tough proposition right now. For nearly three decades from

the start of my rain, only five players have held that exalted

position but in the last two, three men have broken that stranglehold

on the game. Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Judd Trump. Competition

has never been fiercer in the race When you good to number one,

everybody wants to bring you down. That was the same with Mark Selby,

he held the position for quite a long time. Everybody wants to be

number one so you must keep battling away. It is so tough

nowadays, if you take your foot off the gas, somebody will overtake you.

I have won two titles this season, one began one little 1, but I have

reached the last four finals so that has not been done for quite a

while. The way I am playing is consistent. The way the ranking

system is now, if you are playing well you benefit from that. Judd

Trump is playing consistently, same with Neil. And they have benefited

from that but a few years ago, you were protected and even if you did

have a good season, you could only move up a couple of places but now

To get to number one was a massive privilege because that is one of my

aims as a professional, to be world champion and to get to world number

one so I managed to come: Of them but at the time when I was number

one, I felt I was putting too much pressure on myself going into

tournaments and that the same time, losing the spot probably was not as

big as what I thought it would be. And I have come here to try to

enjoy the game. It is a huge achievement especially the

standards the way they are. The positions can change very quickly

so to get to number one is a massive achievement, even if you

It is a little bit different for me compared to Mark because I am still

a good four or five months away from being able to take the number-

The rankings have changed nowadays. The top of the ranks is going to be

a lot more volatile. You get players who are in form for a

couple of months getting to number- one and then they might drop off

and the next player will get to number one. And so many tournaments.

Whoever plays the most tournaments will have the chance of getting to

It would be nice to be world number one and world champion in the same

year. That would be perfect. There is a lot of time between now and

April. A lot can happen. I need to stay confident quality practising,

keep my head straight and keep Judd Trump's reign at the top as

the 10th world number one lasted five weeks. That is going to be a

sign of the times. Mark Selby, according to the new list that is

about to be published, is There is not much movement. Shaun

Murphy, whether he wins tonight or not, will remain at No. 4. Ronnie

It keeps the interest of the viewer with some good to talk about each

tournament. The way it used to be, number-one was guaranteed for a

whole season. It creates a talking point and create pressure on

whoever is number-one to stay there. It is something for younger players

to a match. We saw Jack Lisowski and Michael White and Luca Brecel.

He had a magnificent run to the quarter-finals. How long before we

see these young men and others fighting in the top 16? It is going

to get quicker. Up until now, the ranking list has been on ranking

points and if you were further through the event, you had a better

chance of getting the points. We have been running concurrently a

prize money ranking list to see how it fares. It seemed to fair very

well and as quick as we can, we are going to make it prize money

ranking. So if a good young player has a very good result, he will

jump up a lot quicker. You will see, even more volatile, a different

list. Changing times in snooker and healthy for it. Do you believe

that? Absolutely. When you are number one, you have got to keep

consistently performing because you know someone is going to take your

ranking. It creates tremendous competition between the top five or

six players. It is greater than we have the world number-one and the

world number four contesting this evening. John has managed to catch

up with a couple of very on edge spectators.

Yes, these are the other half of the respective finalists, Clare and

Vicky. Am I right in thinking this is the first match you have been 2

to see Shaun play? It is not the first but it is my first massive

I went to see him in Thailand but this is my very first big

tournament and I am really nervous! My next question was whether you

were coping all right. Not really! I am taking on the nerves for Shaun.

It feels like I am playing for him. I saw him relaxing before. If he

went in the restaurant and seemed very relaxed before the evening

session. He likes to chill out between the sessions. He puts

Celine Dion on! You should not have said that! He will kill me now I

have said that! This will be her last interview! Celine Dion has

ruined it! He will not mind. That is what we do to chill out. We go

and get some Italian food and just relax. No stress. The key, you are

used to this. Mark has been one of the top players for quite a while.

Does it get easier? Not at all. I am shocked to be here. I thought he

was going to go out twice. I was shocked that he came back against

Neil. I am really chuffed to be here. Has he been under a bit of

extra pressure because he has been trying to get back to number one?

don't think so. With his neck injury, but set him back a lot and

knock his confidence. It is just nice to see him in the final and

hope the be trying to enjoy it. He has been put in too much pressure

on himself early on, so hopefully he can just relax now and try to

enjoy the second session. I think you are very brave to watch. I

couldn't watch! I will remember that so been Dionne comment! Shaun,

what are you thinking?! But a group This has become a best-of- seven

now in the race for the UK title. We are playing musical chairs in

the commentary box it is all change, as Stephen Hendry has nipped out of

the studio like greased lightning and he is there alongside John

Virgo to guide us through the closing stages of this intriguing

JOHN VIRGO: It certainly is intriguing. It was like two boxers

throwing a punch for punch and playing outrageous shot.

Interesting to see what the mind set is now of both players as we

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

Another nice little runner for Mark. He left it tight near the baulk

He will have to catch this very thin. He has got to be careful not

Interesting to see if either of these players can step up a gear in

the second session. It has been a tough match but both players can

We have not had a century break in A little problem of where to put

What is beginning to show to me is that both players had a lot of

frights along the way to get to the final. They have been up and down

and not really played consistently It seems at the moment that they

are pushing it a little bit, trying to get things going. It is a risky

thing to do. Shaun has played one or two pots that I cannot imagine

anybody going for. The pink in the 11th frame... I can't think of many

players who would ever have played You are right. They are good

friends of the table and it is if they have too much respect for each

other. -- off the table. I don't know if either of them are just

scared to take the bull by the If one player start knocking big

That cue ball may have gone in the Not the best of safetys by any

means. That is poor, so close to the reds. It should definitely have

A fantastic shot. Find a path through all the reds. If he had

missed the pot, he would have been guaranteed to Korea through the

We know Mark Selby can score heavily. We have seen him do two or

three centuries in a row. Can he do And that is unbelievable. What a

miss that walls. -- walls. He hit I thought Shaun Murphy missed a

trick when he won that first frame with a clearance of 65. He had Mark

Selby wobbling but he could not take advantage of it. If you think

it is tends now, wait until we get closer to the winning line, which

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He caught that a bit too thin. A wry smile there from Shaun Murphy.

The one furthest away... There is one near the pocket which is

definitely cuttable. If he went for that, he would definitely have to

get it because the cue ball would be running into other reds. The one

further up is more of an open pocket and more controlled. It

Not ideal. If he decides to play the pink, there are quite a few

There is an easy safety shot off the green to be the white on the

baulk cushion but if he plays that, He just tried to cover the red but

One of the few times a pot has been You can see that you can clearly

He is looking at the pot on this You can see it clearly go. I think

at the moment, the occasion is getting the better of both players.

You just have to clear your mind Definitely one of those matches

where each player's play is affecting the other and that is why

it needs somebody to do something a little bit special, than the other

If there was one thing you could have relied on this week, it was

S, and he matched Shaun Murphy Mark Selby was 4-0 down to Neil

Robertson and managed to win that. He is not showing consistency. Fits

Once he pots the black, it it will be back on its own spot, available

to both corners. Reds are nicely spread. Could not wish for a much

This is just the sort of opportunity you would be looking

for if you were struggling or a The reds are set up like a practice

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He was not good on that red so decided to make certain of the pot.

He knew that the blue would hold the cue ball in the middle of the

He needs to get down on this black It has been a great atmosphere. We

have had great audiences all week. They have really come out and

support of this tournament and it He should be able to run this in,

come off the side cushion and put As you saw, the cue ball and the

object ball jumped of in the air but it did not affect the

Once again, having to go up for a baulk colour. It makes it that

little bit harder. If he pots this green, he goes 59 points in front

Just landed awkward on the green. If he plays the follow-through, he

is going to cannon the blue in. If he does a screw back, the cue ball

Frame ball. Cannot say it is a surprise. We have seen lots of

balls Mr This evening. -- missed Played that with a lot of right-

hand side. 51 point behind, 59 The awkward red is the one near the

Mark Selby will be sat there up ruling that missed opportunity.

He has got an angle now in playing this red to bring it away from the

Snooker players used to believe that you should never try to bring

the red of the cushion bind potting a red. But the reason was that you

won not guaranteed to be on a colour. You are never guaranteed to

He brought the red into play but was not certain where the cue ball

was going to finish. To be honest, it could not have finished much

He is building himself up for this one. Big shot.

APPLAUSE Such was the difficulty of the green, he had to concentrate so

hard on the pot that he has lost perfect position.

He is not on the black. He needs a colour, otherwise he will need a

He can afford to play the blue. If he plays and pots the green, he can

only time. If he pots the blue, he If ever he needed his long game to

50% - that is not what it has been A stunning pot. Just gone into it a

Tremendous cue power and timing. You just cannot have a ball better

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

Off this red, he needs a pink or Not certain whether he can get to

I was thinking just done of the right hand side of the red and then

cue ball on the pink. That was the He just did not get into it enough.

There is a chance here for Mark Selby. He needs this red. Shaun

Murphy will need two snookers if he Attention all pockets but the red

is running over the corner. But remember, it's got to be pink or

black with this last red. To win the frame at this visit. 33 behind,

35 remaining. By don't think he can He's on the black, that was a

tremendous attempt but he looks a little too straight to be able to

get back up for the yellow. That is really unlucky, that was a

Well, he is on the yellow but... It is not easy to get on that green

Tremendous shot to just missed the Playing a little drag shot, trying

to get in for the green, made the yellow more difficult but about the

only saving grace is that it had Believe it or not, that there is a

gap between the green and brown. Whether that is good for Shaun, I

don't know. He is looking to come off the two cushions but needs a

It up on the table from Mark Selby, He would like to hit the yellow off

Always a chance he might leave it but the blue may have helped him. I

don't know if he can cue The problem is the brown being so

The is all that -- the yellow is He certainly made sure of potting

the yellow, he has almost snookered himself on the green. Only one

snooker required. Shaun Murphy is It runs, it certainly does. And

there's a little bit of run around One snooker required and this is it.

Mark is looking off the side cushion, you could come off the

left-hand side cushion, top cushion. He has hit it. Good shot but

another chance now for Shaun to A tap on the table with the chalk

must mean that it is a tough shot Good hit, very good hit.

It depends on how he feels an way he can get this green. If he can't

play the snooker and cannot do a good safety, play the snooker off

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

He'll be wishing he could roll the Clever shot by Mark Selby,

cannoning the ball which has taken away one shot for Shaun Murphy's

The age-old problem, can he leave the green safe? He will settle for

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If you cannot lay the snooker, it There's a chance of playing a

snooker if he chooses to play cushion first with right hand side.

He must make sure he hits the green He didn't catch the green for

enough. -- full enough. That looks Another scrappy frame, really. In

Mark Selby made a 51 break and he's just about managed to hold the

No heroics with the pink, roles it in gently. Shaun Murphy once again

goes behind. Mark Selby leads seven frames to six.

HAZEL IRVINE: Certainly attrition also five. Frame ball almost every

frame so far. -- certainly a battle of attrition so far. Mark Selby got

to 60 ahead and needs one red to go up and all seven of a sudden it

goes differently. It is different a to how we expected. All of us in

the studio thought we would have quite a lot of big breaks and

frames won on one visit. I think we get spoiled by some of the great

snooker we see and we tend to think that these players can produce all

the time, even on the biggest of occasions like the final but of

course, tension does rear its ugly head and it can sometimes be the

determining factor. Adrenalin can push players up to another level

but it always happens that one player catches somehow and it is

great when you don't catch what the other player has got. I at the

moment, Shaun Murphy - this is not the pace of match that suits him.

It obviously doesn't suit either player but the way it is going,

Mark Selby can cope with it a bit better than Shaun. I think he looks

better in certain positions but he is not getting in to do it. You

have got to go through it. Big game is open and the balls are open, you

just have to win it. Shaun Murphy had the monstrous deal in the

opening frame and the thought he would push on from that but he has

not had the chance. That is the way it goes. Snooker, you never know

what will happen on the table. You hope it goes nicely on the day. You

can make your own luck sometimes but you can also dig yourself into

a whole and all you can do is try to forget about what has happened,

play the balls in front of you and it is the most boring thing that

when you sit in the dressing room in the interval sometimes, you

think "one frame at a time, one ball at a time, focus on the

moment", that is all you can do. Sometimes it is difficult out there.

Especially when the crowd are making noises. Groaning and the

like. What impact do you think we will see in the latter part of this

match? It will certainly get more, it tension-wise. The thing with

this game as Steve said, you do not know how the balls will break up.

Shaun can win a frame fluently people's break up. At the moment

the way it is going, Mark Selby is doing slightly better at it four

stock sometimes the finishing line, while you would imagine it will

keep things bad, it can help things. All of a certain there is a focus

which can go in the middle part of a game so in the best of 11 games,

we have seen focus happen very quickly. It is a long slog, best of

19 and a long day. They started at 2 o'clock and now they are starting

at 8 o'clock and hope the Freudian slip does not happen when we go

into tomorrow, but come the end of the day, they will focus again.

John, we will need to get the 80s and copies in because we are

definitely not leaving this -- will need to get the tea and coffee in.

We have had brilliant night, they have gone to Nick Knight and beyond

obviously but all these players -- to midnight. The players, are they

aware of the circumstances they are in? They are out there to win. Is

the balls open up, you can make 100. You have to lift the trophy.

JOHN VIRGO: Mark Selby with a decent enough break. I do not think

he has left a pot on that will tempt Shaun, it is just to get back

One of the reasons we are getting scrappy games is because these

players are not playing as well as they can and when you start missing

There have been some balls missed. A good opening red. A bit too close

to the cushion for comfort. Can he When people are missing balls, the

balls run awkward and both of them below 90% and remember that Shaun

Murphy at one time during this match was up 95%. That is a real

drop in standards as far as he's Never going to be a good safety

when you catch the baulk colourful in the face. -- when you catch the

Not a very good shot there, Mark Selby but the brown has come to his

rescue. I don't think Shaun will play as he was going to, hampered

But I am not certain of the alternative is. Certainly not an

If he played the pot on this red, he could leave the one he was

playing so as long as he avoids the Well, he did not. Not an easy shot

A little unlucky to become hampered by the brown. He could have played

more confidently than that. He has left the red to the right corner

but because he is so close to the cushion, he will think it is worth

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REFEREE: foul and a miss. gadabout it, these frames certainly

favour Mark Selby over Shaun Murphy. Shaun Murphy is an inspiration

player, these long periods of Three misses when you can hit a

Can he hit the red ball in the He can only hit the red half ball.

Shaun is now asking the referee, is he? He is saying you do not have a

full-ball contact so therefore he I could hit that red full ball.

REFEREE: Can you bring it up to check this?

Berry sporting of Shaun, he thought he could hit the red full in the

Some players stood there -- the two players stood there waiting for the

judgement. About there? That is where it was. And that is where it

It looks like he can get past the blue to hit it full in the face.

But the referee does not think he Well the Jester from Leicester

trying to have a joke with Shaun Murphy. I don't think he is in the

Obviously the red was not straight enough so he could play the pot and

run up the table but at the moment, just referring back to what Stephen

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

said, he is more comfortable with All things considered, that was an

excellent shot. Just one red are poking out but did well being in

Mark Selby will be trying to get I don't think there's a plant on.

He will be looking to see if he A chance of a pot in the left

corner but I don't know whether he can avoid the kiss on the second

red. If he deal he can't, it is a risky pot to take on. -- he feels

He potted it and found the gap, needs a good kiss and the blue has

gone over the middle. That is good It was a good pot and it was one of

those were we would be saying he is unlucky enough not to be on a

colour. He may choose to screw into Again, he has brought a red out.

This is what has been happening the the whole match. The pink and black

are in play. We keep getting that good angle on the blue. He has

managed it this time, that is a Value in playing the -- into the

It looks as though he has got it in his mind now. He has got the lead.

He is not showing off his potting Maybe it is a plant now not take

too many risks and just get what is That time, he did take the

opportunity. It looked as though he For me, that had a better angle the

last time. If it goes wrong, he would have left over the middle.

In potting the red, he is bound to That is a poor shot. The cue ball

should have been nowhere near the side cushion. He had a trace of

four reds to play on there. -- The problem is, when you keep

losing the cue ball, as Mark is to win, it is not going to be easy to

Everyone is enjoying this. It is getting later and later but we have

had some high drama in these finals. It looks as though that is what we

I don't know if the top of those He is asking for the extended rest.

He took the pot on but did not play it with positivity to definitely

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

get on a colour. He played it as a A little bit thinner than he would

have liked. He could bring a couple It is not ideal. There is work to

do with the cue ball to get The red on the right offers the

That is not too bad. Checking to see where the pink will go when it

is potted. The right hand side of those two reds in the middle is

The referee has his ball marker out. Has to go on the highest available,

a black spot. And that is not available so it looks like the

green spot. They will not matter to Mark Selby. He is looking for red-

If he gets a red after this blue, Shaun Murphy is going to need

snookers and looks certain to fall Should not be leaving yourself the

rest! He has a smile on his face. It should have been easier than

I did not really know what he has got to do. I think he would like to

play an attacking game and open the balls up but they are just not

running for that type of game at 69 points is the lead, with just 51

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

A good time of the match to open up Could we be about to see the first

The green is in an awkward position but because the brown is very close

to the left middle, that should not He has played this well. Lovely

We have had 33 centuries already. Mark has made five. Just a bit

Just did not get the right kiss. Our sponsor, williamhill.com, are

kindly donating �250 to the children's Hospice for every

century made. What a pity! He will not be too displeased with the

score line. Disappointed not to have made the century. Shaun Murphy

with quite a bit to think about I think we were discussing the

match when we were talking about the evening session and we wanted,

if you are not playing at your best, you need a B game. Mark Selby's be

game is a bit better and Shaun Murphy's. Definitely. He seems to

be a better scrapper than Shaun Murphy. He seems to be able to keep

his focus a bit better. Shaun Murphy relies on his long game to

get into the opportunities. If the long pots are drying up, as they

have been in the last three frames, you find it hard to see where the

opportunities are going to come And judging by that frame there,

where Shaun never potted a ball, it just looked as though it was just

tilting, this match, in favour of Mark Selby. I know he has her two

frame advantage but he just started to find the middle of the pocket

with his pots. Still not sure about his control of the cue ball but you

can always pot your way out of trouble. What can Shaun Murphy

produce? He needs to produce Shaun needs to produce some of the

form that he had against Ali Carter. He never missed a ball, Hann, for

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

That was a good shot. Couldn't get to the potting angle on that red.

It was too risky to play the pot in Shaun will be pretty pleased with

Much too thick. Is there a plant He missed it! Does he not see it?

I can only presume the third red was blocking it. You would not the

cue would no something like that. - - think he would miss something

Mark Selby did not hit that well. They are not going in at the moment.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

By playing it this way, he has made the black available into both

corners but he has underhit it It was questionable whether he

could make it for the black but he Mark Selby will be sensing that

Shaun is weakening slightly. Pots are not going in so this will be a

time to be the intensify his concentration and push for the line.

Whether he is on one and can play for the black is debatable. He has

the pot on. You can always go wrong Be handy if the red on the pink

spot pot to the right corner. I That is the one he has played on

but he wanted to be straighter on it so he could just roll it through

and play for the black in the It all depends on this type of shot.

If it is just a natural to pot it and go round the back of the bat,

it should be easy but if you have to do a bit with the cue ball, the

red is missable. Looser group round It was a natural to be on the black

He has run through a little bit further than he would have liked.

Once again, having to play a red The key shot to the frame is coming

up. The black is available to both corner pockets on the reds are

That was possibly the frame ball but look what has happened! He has

We always say, when you miss when you are in, it can cost you the

frame. Fortunate to get away with The biggest. Both players today has

probably been the positional play. -- the biggest fault of both

It is to have to keep putting all the time when you are out of

I would expect them to have a couple of centuries each by now but

It's very important safety exchange, He did not want the kiss on the

pink. This is very important for Shaun Murphy because if he was to

lose this frame... We are in the 46th minute since he has potted a

ball. But if he loses this frame, he is just one frame away from

Terrific pot but I do not think he is on the colour. Can he get

It was a good pot. But he knew how As I say, a very important frame -

if he was to lose this one, he would really be in trouble. Harder

to see him winning the match if you He tried to get in behind the green.

He thought that off the brown he could kiss the pink and it would

leave it near the baulk cushion. Did not really put much pressure on

A good lead, 43 points. If he gets the next opportunity, another 30.

Would see him over the line in this With good safety like that, the

chances are that he will get that opportunity sooner rather than

He has left a pot on. A pot that we have seen Mark Selby play quite a

few times this evening and knock them in. He will be able to stun

them in, find the gap between the red and black so he can play with a

bit of confidence. An element of shot to nothing about it as long as

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

A little unlucky to get tight on Could not get close to the red but

the red two old from the side is available. It is a big shot if he

knocks it in and get position on a Well Shaun Murphy get back to the

table? -- will. Missed it by a long When he misses, he is not leaving

He hit that far too thick. Was probably playing with fright and

signed. When you do not cue properly, you push the cue ball to

the left or the right hand side, He has not left anything easy.

Trying to get the cue ball behind He did not want to tie the black up.

I think the black is probably still It is always dangerous when you

push a red over the corner but once again, it is not easy for Shaun. It

is covered. If he plays the pot on the one above it, he has got to get

Well, that was a tremendous pot. Deserves a bit of luck here. Found

the gap between brown and blue. The Tremendous long pot, unlucky

perhaps not to get a cannon on the blue or brown but that is what he

must do to make things happen. You need to start getting the long

Just checking to see if the blue is available. The black is out of

commission at the moment. He has underhit that by a long wait. It

could work in his favour. Once he has potted the brown, the blue

becomes available into both centre He didn't play that well at all and

he's very fortunate to be on the Sometimes you need a run on the

ball and to be fair, it has favoured Mark more than him this

You see, to me there, and I don't question the shot choice, but

didn't he get down and play it quick? I think that type of shot,

you just need to give a couple of seconds extra thought. It wasn't

Perhaps he feels he must pick up Mark Selby has the lead and the

34 points is a big lead, the way The double-kiss has not affected

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

O, superb! Absolutely superb! He has given himself a chance, can he

Those reds are hard enough playing That was a great shot, for the

If he cannot go for the black, it is imperative that he goes for the

At this stage of a frame and the position he's in in the match, he

wants everything to be easy. He couldn't get close to the red so

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 45 seconds

He will need the six remaining Would you believe it? The balls he

Unbelievable. He did all the hard I can only think he was

concentrating so much on the cue Just this green to go 24 ahead with

There's mark's wife, she will be relieved. And Shaun potted those,

particularly along the top cushion with the red and he felt certain

And to miss the blue, it just gifted it. He is not bothered

whether it he is on the pink. Shaun That massed blue gifted the frame

to Mark Selby. He is going out of the arena to build himself up for

one more frame which he will need to make him become no champion.

HAZEL IRVINE: Never say never but this game looks like it will be

slipping away. So much of the hard work. -- he will be williamhill.com.

I remember Willie Thorne missing a blue similarly in the final against

Steve and he came back. He will have nightmares about that. He has

done all the hard work. Great red down the cushion, got the chance.

HAZEL IRVINE: Some brilliant shots to get into that place. Some