02/12/2013

:00:32. > :00:41.Hello. This time last week, 128 players were queueing up to get into

:00:42. > :00:44.the Barbican Centre, at the start of this wiilliamhill.com championship.

:00:45. > :00:49.After a weekend of big breaks and a few big surprises we have got the

:00:50. > :00:53.number down to 40 survivors. We have got the number of match tables down

:00:54. > :01:02.as well. We now simply have the four main tables in the main arena. This

:01:03. > :01:06.second arena is the second room. All of which means, that we have at

:01:07. > :01:11.last been able to decamp to our studio. It is from here that we will

:01:12. > :01:20.be watching events. In fact, this is what we have coming up for you

:01:21. > :01:26.today. Jimmy Robertson is the world number

:01:27. > :01:30.one player. He's well into the swing of things here. It is just as well

:01:31. > :01:36.because he meets Robbie Williams today. Not that one! This one - yes,

:01:37. > :01:40.he's from Wallasey and he can entertain. So can Mark Selby.

:01:41. > :01:54.There's no escape from him, from table duty at home or at work. His

:01:55. > :01:58.wife, Vicky, will watch today as he meets his opponent.

:01:59. > :02:04.India could be next. We will take you to the birthplace of the game

:02:05. > :02:09.and show you why. And, I have two former world

:02:10. > :02:13.champions for company. I have John and Ken here with me. Is the thick

:02:14. > :02:18.fog of competition beginning to lift for you? Do you know what's going

:02:19. > :02:23.on? Just about now! Certainly after today we'll know what's going on

:02:24. > :02:27.with the main tables being out in the auditorium, down to 32 and

:02:28. > :02:32.progressing. We got rid of the first couple of rounds which were probably

:02:33. > :02:38.a logistical nightmare. We have four second-round matches today. And the

:02:39. > :02:41.rest are third-round matches. Mark Williams said, that is me through to

:02:42. > :02:49.whichever I am in now. You are in the last 32. How has it been from

:02:50. > :02:54.your perspective? It has provided some real logistical challenges? As

:02:55. > :02:58.we see four tables in here - practise tables. This is the first

:02:59. > :03:07.time I've been in to see it. I was out in the main aarena. We've had --

:03:08. > :03:12.arena. We've had some fantastic stories. We had Jimmy White playing

:03:13. > :03:16.as well. The first time on TV for a number of years. There have been

:03:17. > :03:20.challenges, but a lot of great stories in there as well. I am sure

:03:21. > :03:25.we'll have more before the tournament is finished. Some have

:03:26. > :03:32.not enjoyed it - Mark King did not enjoy his time here and trumped it

:03:33. > :03:39.as a bit of a circus. There has been defence of the

:03:40. > :03:43.events. It has been said purists and activists say I am messing a great

:03:44. > :03:47.event - that is rubbish. We know the venue is not right. We have made

:03:48. > :03:52.some mistakes and next year that will change. The 128-draw stays.

:03:53. > :03:57.There's no U-turning from that, gentlemen. Absolutely not. I think

:03:58. > :04:01.he's right. A few years ago, players sometimes have a short memory.

:04:02. > :04:04.Sometimes you can get spoiled with conditions, particularly the top

:04:05. > :04:09.players. A few years ago we were qualifying for the UK Championship

:04:10. > :04:15.in a room with the referee and your opponent. At least here we you are

:04:16. > :04:19.at the evend. Fur gus said he was playing in the room, and there were

:04:20. > :04:24.150 people. You could not get in here. You're in it from round one.

:04:25. > :04:28.You feel you are part of the event, rather than qualifying in an event

:04:29. > :04:33.to get to the event - that is completely different, from a

:04:34. > :04:37.player's perspective who grew up playing in snooker clubs. This is

:04:38. > :04:41.fantastic - you are playing in front of good crowds. That is what you

:04:42. > :04:44.aspire to as a young player. At the top, when you are used to playing in

:04:45. > :04:49.the main arena, when you come in here it is a culture shock, but you

:04:50. > :04:53.have to get used to it. If the game is going to go forward. A few years

:04:54. > :04:57.ago the game was dead here in the UK. If it is going to go forward, I

:04:58. > :05:01.think this is the way forward for it. Let's move on. The results have

:05:02. > :05:05.come thick and fast since we got here. There's been so much

:05:06. > :05:10.happening. There's one or two significant results this morning.

:05:11. > :05:16.They have played since 9. 30am. Stuart Bingham, we saw him barge

:05:17. > :05:22.barging past yesterday morning. He has managed to get past Anthony

:05:23. > :05:26.McGill, 6-2 this morning. An easier passage. He looks much more

:05:27. > :05:28.comfortable than he did yesterday. Anthony McGill has had a string of

:05:29. > :08:55.good results We only had six tournament in the

:08:56. > :08:59.season so we went playing that frequently but now we play all the

:09:00. > :09:01.time so if you get to number one under the current system you are the

:09:02. > :09:09.most consistent player in the world. Getting to number one while it is a

:09:10. > :09:15.ranking points system is something I wanted to do. When it moves to the

:09:16. > :09:18.money list, number one... I will not say it is not like being number one

:09:19. > :09:22.but it is going to change all the time, and not necessarily through

:09:23. > :09:25.something being much more consistent than another, just winning eight to

:09:26. > :09:30.get tournament than someone else. You can win three ranking event in a

:09:31. > :09:35.row, someone can win one that has more prize money than the three of

:09:36. > :09:39.them and they overtake you. That is part of the way that snooker is a

:09:40. > :09:42.balding, isn't it, much more like golf and tennis where there are more

:09:43. > :09:46.prestigious event on the circuit and lesser offence, if you like, and it

:09:47. > :09:51.is up to you to pick and choose, and therefore to do well in those ones

:09:52. > :09:54.that you choose. How much of an inexact science has that been over

:09:55. > :09:59.the last couple of years? There have been major issues as a consequence

:10:00. > :10:03.of trying to do too much. I have felt as though, with myself last

:10:04. > :10:08.year, especially in the world championship, that I entered too

:10:09. > :10:11.many tournaments. I was not making excuses through burn-out because you

:10:12. > :10:16.are not forced to play in the tournaments, but I did have a

:10:17. > :10:21.feeling when Robert Milken is pretty much potted the match-winning ball,

:10:22. > :10:30.it was in the back of my mind, I get a good three or four weeks off now.

:10:31. > :10:36.My choice this season is to not play in as many European tools, not enter

:10:37. > :10:40.any of the Asian tours, so I can better performing the finals. Do you

:10:41. > :10:45.think you have nailed it now? Do you find the ingredients to help you win

:10:46. > :10:48.your ones you want to win? Just because you prepare really well for

:10:49. > :10:52.the UK Masters or the World Championship does not mean you will

:10:53. > :10:56.win them. But all you can do is give yourself every chance that you will

:10:57. > :11:00.do as well as you can. I have been playing really well. Knocking in a

:11:01. > :11:05.lot of century breaks, playing better than I ever have, so I need

:11:06. > :11:10.to be patient, keep doing what I am doing.

:11:11. > :11:16.A lot of century breaks is an understatement, 51 so far. Judd

:11:17. > :11:21.Trump holds the record of 61 in a season, so he is working towards

:11:22. > :11:28.that. Neal is a born entertainer but what about his opponent today,

:11:29. > :11:32.Robbie Williams? While his famous pop star namesake is with with a

:11:33. > :11:39.microphone, this young lad is making a name for himself with a snooker

:11:40. > :11:45.cue in his hand. The first season went OK, but this season I have

:11:46. > :11:49.really pushed on, I think. Getting to the semifinal in Germany and

:11:50. > :11:52.India shows I can mix it with the big boys and hopefully can continue

:11:53. > :11:57.to do so. I have shot up the rankings in the last few months. I

:11:58. > :12:01.am higher on the order of Merit, which will be the rankings for next

:12:02. > :12:05.season, I am lower down in the seedings list, so this has helped

:12:06. > :12:10.me. Playing better players earlier on, you get used to playing the

:12:11. > :12:14.better players. Since I have shaved my hair, I have got the results, so

:12:15. > :12:19.maybe I will start a trend and all of the players will have shaved

:12:20. > :12:22.heads! I guess it will be tough against Neil Robertson but I have

:12:23. > :12:26.got to take off the pressure and see where it gets me. He is desperate to

:12:27. > :12:31.win it and get the triple Crown, but even if he does not do it this year,

:12:32. > :12:36.he is bound to do it, he is too good a player not to, number one in the

:12:37. > :12:42.world, so I expect him to win it but hopefully not this year! I look up

:12:43. > :12:47.to him, I tried to model my game on his as much as possible but it is

:12:48. > :12:51.not as easy as he makes it look. I remember the headlines in the paper

:12:52. > :12:58.has a few years ago, probably one of the best ones, now and again on

:12:59. > :13:12.Twitter I get, give us a song. Keep them coming, Robbie. Will

:13:13. > :13:19.Robertson go gentle on Robbie, or will this match swing both ways?

:13:20. > :13:23.Oh, dear, that is the end of the song title references from me. So,

:13:24. > :13:32.take that, John Virgo and Stephen Hendry!

:13:33. > :13:38.While, the two players just coming out. Neill Robertson, of course, we

:13:39. > :13:46.all recognise, the world number one, but Robbie Williams, someone was

:13:47. > :13:54.saying that if we were going to have any introduction music it would be I

:13:55. > :14:00.Am Loving Angles Again. Always a whit backstage. But he knows his way

:14:01. > :14:12.around a snooker table. This is a big moment for the young man,

:14:13. > :14:16.playing the world number one. I did play him a few years ago in Ireland.

:14:17. > :14:24.I managed to win that event. He's had a good result. A couple of good

:14:25. > :14:28.semis. That is obviously improving quickly. A big test today.

:14:29. > :14:49.Thank you, the first frame, Robbie Williams to break.

:14:50. > :15:04.You see that so many times. What happens is they play a lot of sides

:15:05. > :15:10.to swing it around off the two cushions. Probably just a little bit

:15:11. > :15:18.of tension in the arm. Put a little too much pace in it and the cue hole

:15:19. > :15:24.gets pushed into there and that is why you can't have them too thick.

:15:25. > :15:28.You don't want to be leaving Robinson the opportunities - he's a

:15:29. > :15:30.heavy scorer and has become the all-round match player. That's why

:15:31. > :15:49.he's world number one. The only real chance he's got of

:15:50. > :15:52.winning the match is if he gets off to a good start and puts Robertson

:15:53. > :16:06.under pressure. So, this is not what he wanted.

:16:07. > :16:11.He will look to pot it and follow the cue ball through and dislodge a

:16:12. > :16:59.couple of reds. 17. Would have liked the cue ball to

:17:00. > :17:24.come back. He is thinner on this Black than he would have liked.

:17:25. > :17:34.Three Reds, three Blacks. I think he could play for the Black,

:17:35. > :17:48.whether he would be comfortable or maybe he'll go back up for the Blue.

:17:49. > :17:53.Spoil spilt! -- spoil-spoilt!

:17:54. > :17:56.If he's going to go in here, somewhere between the Pink and the

:17:57. > :18:13.White. There's a gap there. He found that gap. He flicked the

:18:14. > :18:18.Pink, which was not the intention. He didn't hit it thick enough to

:18:19. > :18:25.spoil it and he's knocked a Red on. He's not really on the Reds that

:18:26. > :18:28.much, but it is just a case of dropping this Red in. He should be

:18:29. > :18:31.able to hole for the Black, you would have thought, in the opposite

:18:32. > :18:58.corner. Once again decided to go for the

:18:59. > :19:11.Blue. Just look at the possibility of whether a Red will go. Well, the

:19:12. > :19:15.Red may go and that plant looks pretty well set. He's got a nice

:19:16. > :19:16.angle on the Blue, so just got to bring it over to the left-hand side

:19:17. > :19:52.of the table, as we look. I remember I was moaned at, saying I

:19:53. > :19:55.was left two or three plants when I went out of position. It looked

:19:56. > :20:13.unmissable, that one. A little bit of a jump. He could

:20:14. > :20:17.have played for the Pink. I think if he thought if he played to r the

:20:18. > :20:21.Pink, more than likely the Pink would block a few Reds. He would

:20:22. > :20:26.have wished he played for the Pink now he's the wrong side of the Blue.

:20:27. > :20:51.I can not see where the next Red comes from.

:20:52. > :21:02.Could have got there by stunning the Blue in. It is a safety shot. Be

:21:03. > :21:11.careful it doesn't push your Red over the corner.

:21:12. > :21:23.APPLAUSE Left a red to the right corner. I

:21:24. > :22:04.think there's enough for it to go up to baulk. A shot to nothing.

:22:05. > :22:11.You always feel, as a player when you come to the table and you are if

:22:12. > :22:15.snookered behind the Green that our opponent has been a little bit

:22:16. > :22:20.fortunate. When they play those safety shots, they are trying to get

:22:21. > :22:27.the cue ball as close to the cue cushion as they K he's just hit it a

:22:28. > :22:31.-- as they can. He's just hit it a little bit thin. He's in a spot of

:22:32. > :22:33.bother here. It will be very difficult to hit a Red and not leave

:22:34. > :22:51.one on. He's coming off. He's trying to

:22:52. > :22:56.catch one of these Reds thin here. Anything thick, and he'll be leaving

:22:57. > :23:04.everything. Oh, couldn't have played it better! Where's the cue ball

:23:05. > :23:10.going. Doesn't deserve this! Didn't deserve it! That was very well

:23:11. > :23:12.judged. Any thick contact on the Red there and you would think the frame

:23:13. > :23:33.was over. APPLAUSE

:23:34. > :23:35.He must be thinking, what have I done here?

:23:36. > :23:40.APPLAUSE An excellent shot and comes back to

:23:41. > :23:46.the table and he's more or less back in the same position.

:23:47. > :24:09.Trouble - with a capital "t." Well played!

:24:10. > :24:16.Can't be a touching ball because the referee would have called it

:24:17. > :24:42.immediately. So, looking at it, not touching. No pass back to baulk.

:24:43. > :24:57.He couldn't get it any closer, could he?

:24:58. > :25:04.The only problem with that shot, of course, it gives an easy run to

:25:05. > :26:01.there for Neil. Just a bit pacy and Jimmy Robertson,

:26:02. > :26:05.certainly one of the best long-potters. He won't be far away

:26:06. > :26:14.with this, you wouldn't have thought. He played the one that was

:26:15. > :26:21.lower, but same result. He'll be one of those players who, you know, puts

:26:22. > :26:28.pressure on your safety. Such a good, long potter.

:26:29. > :26:41.So, just playing a trickle behind the

:26:42. > :27:09.Certainly not giving Robbie Williams a sniff at the moment.

:27:10. > :27:17.He may have left it some - just around the back of it. If he can't,

:27:18. > :27:21.or he doesn't fancy the Red, there's senty a Red to the left -- certainly

:27:22. > :27:44.a Red to the left middle. It's not an easy shot, that. He

:27:45. > :27:51.knocks them in so frequent that he's surprised when they don't get them.

:27:52. > :27:56.He's got a Red to the corn. He's got to do something on a cue ball,

:27:57. > :28:04.unless he tries to develop the Black.

:28:05. > :28:08.That's what he did. Unfortunately not into a possible

:28:09. > :28:15.position. At least he's got a point on the board. It's a nice, long one

:28:16. > :28:19.as well - right into the heart of the pocket.

:28:20. > :28:36.Nothing left, but to play a good safety.

:28:37. > :28:47.What seems such a straightforward shot, to hit the cue ball. If you

:28:48. > :28:50.don't give it 100%. I don't think he's much unpot-wise, but a

:28:51. > :29:07.comfortable safety. A good, long putt. As you say, he's

:29:08. > :29:12.just collapses contrags. The one thing that was imperry --

:29:13. > :29:18.concentration. The one thing that was imperative, was get that cue

:29:19. > :29:25.ball into position. Didn't want to be potting that Red.

:29:26. > :29:35.It is amazing the amount of players and myself - I was guilty of this -

:29:36. > :29:39.I did not have a tension shot that saved my tension as a pot. I think

:29:40. > :29:45.probably with that shot, he's thinking he does not want to have

:29:46. > :29:49.the Green near the cushion. He wants to keep it in play. Make certain you

:29:50. > :29:53.get that cue ball tight on the cushion. That is the only way you

:29:54. > :29:58.will create that for yourself and the way the Reds are lined newspaper

:29:59. > :30:04.the middle of the table -- lined up in the middle of the table, it will

:30:05. > :30:14.be a miracle if he doesn't leave a Red on here. And just hit it 100

:30:15. > :30:35.miles per hour and hope to get out safe.

:30:36. > :30:42.Well, he couldn't have hoped for anything better than that. He's

:30:43. > :30:50.potted the Red and finished perfect on the Pink. It's a funny old game!

:30:51. > :30:56.This is incredible! What a result. With the side of the cushion to

:30:57. > :31:05.finish perfect on the Pink. What a chance! He's apologised, but make

:31:06. > :31:12.the most of it. Many times the balls will run against you.

:31:13. > :31:46.As you say, Stephen, what an opportunity this is!

:31:47. > :32:00.The Red to the right of the Pink, he would like to leave that last. It is

:32:01. > :32:02.a matter of stunning the Red to the corner, so it goes back to its own

:32:03. > :32:27.spot. Oh, dear! He never, ever, to me

:32:28. > :32:32.from, the moment he got to the table looked comfortable. No excuse for

:32:33. > :32:48.missing those. So, looks like this Black will cost

:32:49. > :32:54.him the first frame. What a chance he had and a bit of luck, should

:32:55. > :33:01.have taken full advantage. So, that puts Neil 35 points in front now w

:33:02. > :33:08.43 remaining. Pot the Red and go 36 points in front, with only 35 left.

:33:09. > :33:22.Nicely on the Blue. You'd be surprised if Robbie Williams came

:33:23. > :33:27.back to the table. That missed Black will made him feel more confident,

:33:28. > :33:32.if he wasn't already. Your opponent will not punish you for mistakes.

:33:33. > :34:42.This is pretty much an unforgiveable mess.

:34:43. > :34:58.28, 33, 39... It is a frame that could have gone the other way,

:34:59. > :35:06.surprisingly enough. Robbie Williams just gifted the first frame to the

:35:07. > :35:12.world number one, Jimmy Robertson. He has not lost a frame so far this

:35:13. > :35:17.year. We will bring you up with another result. Barry Hawkins -

:35:18. > :35:24.Barry has seen off Gary Wilson, who is the world number 91 by 6-4. Here

:35:25. > :35:28.he is just finishing things off. Gary Wilson, well, he's thinking

:35:29. > :35:33.about going full-time, but in the mean time he's working as a taxi

:35:34. > :35:36.driver. He'll be back doing a few shifts in the coming months before

:35:37. > :35:42.making his decision at the end of January. Good luck to him. As for

:35:43. > :35:46.Jimmy Robertson, an eighth world ranking title earlier in the season.

:35:47. > :35:49.Everything he does looks classy at the moment. He has a wonderful cue

:35:50. > :35:56.action. What I like about him as well, he's got a great attitude. We

:35:57. > :36:01.saw him win 6-0 against an amateur. I think his attitude, even since

:36:02. > :36:07.he's won the World Championship, he's determined to keep on going on.

:36:08. > :36:12.Stephen talked about winners - when he won, it gave him the appetite to

:36:13. > :36:17.want to win more. He's a fantastic player. He cannot miss Blacks like

:36:18. > :36:20.that. Robbie's got himself into position. If he's got any chance in

:36:21. > :36:23.this match against Robertson, he can't do that. Stephen and John,

:36:24. > :36:48.back to Couldn't get cue ball back to baulk.

:36:49. > :36:54.He's left a possible pot on her to the far right corner, but Neil, as I

:36:55. > :36:58.said in the first frame, has become a complete player, really. He

:36:59. > :37:04.doesn't go for everything... I remember the first imsaw him played,

:37:05. > :37:09.he played Jimmy White at the Wembley conference centre. That is how far

:37:10. > :37:13.back it was and Joe Perry, who practiced with him, said, what a

:37:14. > :37:20.potter he is and that's all he had. And I think apart from yourself, I

:37:21. > :37:24.think you have got a bit more than potting to win. You don't get to

:37:25. > :37:27.world number one without having the complete game. And there's no doubt

:37:28. > :37:52.Robertson has got that now. He's showing his opponent every

:37:53. > :37:57.respect as well. His shot gets 100% of his attention. I think you have

:37:58. > :38:01.to do that. I think if you show your opponent respect you are also

:38:02. > :38:06.showing the game respect. I think with any ball game, if you don't

:38:07. > :38:12.show it respect, the balls can certainly turn against you. He will

:38:13. > :38:18.not be too happy with that safety. Much too hard. This Red may cut to

:38:19. > :38:41.the left middle - well it will cutful - it's a thin one.

:38:42. > :38:46.In the end he made sure the pot wasn't really 100% positive. Still

:38:47. > :39:10.got a Yellow to the right centre. APPLAUSE

:39:11. > :39:12.Looking to see if he gets it to the right corner whether the Black will

:39:13. > :39:27.be re-spotted. Would like to be low on the Black,

:39:28. > :39:31.to give that Red a nudge away from the Black spot. I don't know if that

:39:32. > :39:44.Red will still be available once he pots the Black here. It is

:39:45. > :39:50.interesting. It is going to have to go as close to its own spot as it

:39:51. > :39:55.can, or it spot. Kit not be touching and it is -- it cannot be touching.

:39:56. > :40:02.If it was square on it probably wouldn't pot, but there, definitely

:40:03. > :40:08.goes. Possibly could have got that Black a

:40:09. > :40:16.little closer to the Red. I think even... Well, he's... It's not often

:40:17. > :40:23.the referee looks younger than both players, is it, these day? Everybody

:40:24. > :40:32.looks younger than everybody else to me these days. That That's fair play

:40:33. > :40:37.- he was saying couldn't he get it closer. If it was square-on, it

:40:38. > :40:41.wouldn't go. As I say, it cannot be touching. The thing is that the

:40:42. > :40:47.tables, when they are played on, you get that little bit of a thing with

:40:48. > :40:56.the spots and they just sort of wobble back. I tell you what, if he

:40:57. > :40:59.spots it and cannot pot the Red, there's tremendous sporting from

:41:00. > :41:04.Robbie Williams. First the Red could clearly pot. Oh, the Red's moved

:41:05. > :41:09.now. I would have just got on it with

:41:10. > :41:14.really. Wouldn't you? It does not make a lot of difference. At the

:41:15. > :41:18.moment it looks touching. Because that Black keeps getting put back on

:41:19. > :41:24.its spot, you get a little indentation in the clothe. It should

:41:25. > :41:28.go. -- cloth. It should go.

:41:29. > :42:09.You see, it clearly goes. Concentrated on potting the Red,

:42:10. > :42:19.he's not got a great angle on potting the Black.

:42:20. > :42:24.Didn't really get them moving on the cue ball he was after. You can get

:42:25. > :42:26.that a lot when you are just a little bit tense in the arm. You

:42:27. > :42:40.don't push it through the same. Couldn't get the right side of Blue.

:42:41. > :42:46.This is a plant amongst that cluster. All he can do is roll it

:42:47. > :42:53.in. A possible pot on that

:42:54. > :42:57.left-hand-side cushion. This is a tough pot. But he will probably take

:42:58. > :43:10.it on, he's thinking the only Red he can leave is the one he's playing.

:43:11. > :43:18.Could not have hit that any better! A fabulous pot! If anything it too

:43:19. > :43:36.well. He got the perfect line. He just

:43:37. > :43:39.needed more pace. I think he may be on one. He may be on one to the

:43:40. > :44:08.right corner. This is good stuff though from

:44:09. > :44:12.Robbie, missing that easy Black in the first frame. Looks a lot more

:44:13. > :44:53.composed now around the table. Now, just needs to be anything but

:44:54. > :44:59.straight here. He's got - if it is straight, it's a

:45:00. > :45:06.problem. A slight angle.

:45:07. > :45:33.So, back in perfect position. Didn't play that as positively as he

:45:34. > :45:40.might have done. A couple of bunches should would have been perfect, with

:45:41. > :45:48.the Red to the right-centre. Should be the Blue if he drops it in.

:45:49. > :45:55.As I said a few moments ago, in perfect, back in perfect position,

:45:56. > :46:00.but didn't take long for him to be back up at the baulk end, which is

:46:01. > :46:06.not where you want to be when all the Reds are congregating between

:46:07. > :46:12.the Pink and Black. Just looks a little bitten taive, a little bit

:46:13. > :46:22.nervous - understandable! Played the Blue. I think that's

:46:23. > :46:56.end-break. APPLAUSE

:46:57. > :47:56.That contribution will make him feel a lot better.

:47:57. > :48:03.Just looking to see if he can get the gap between the bunch and the

:48:04. > :48:08.Black there and go for the right corner.

:48:09. > :48:21.On the end, obviously felt no, so that is why he refused it.

:48:22. > :48:31.Not a bad shot. Pushed the Red past the middle pocket. If Neil is

:48:32. > :48:41.thinking of playing it into there, he has to be careful he doesn't

:48:42. > :48:58.leave a path to that Red. He's played it. Got a good length with

:48:59. > :49:03.the cue ball - that was imperative. As you can see covered the Red. Now

:49:04. > :49:11.there's a lot of pressure on this safety for Robbie. And if he tries

:49:12. > :49:15.to get back to baulk, of course, the same problem.

:49:16. > :49:17.It's a lot more difficult when you are tight under the baulk cushion to

:49:18. > :49:51.get the right contact. The problem is, leaving this Red,

:49:52. > :49:56.even if you don't leave the pot on and the initiatives to your

:49:57. > :50:07.opponent, he'll play better safety now and give you a problem.

:50:08. > :50:11.Which he's done - he's done, no doubt about that. And that Pink will

:50:12. > :50:17.look like a very big ball to Robbie. If he's going to play thin off one

:50:18. > :50:20.of the Reds to get back to baulk, that Pink catches your eye. You

:50:21. > :50:36.don't want to collide with that. To avoid that, of course, you think

:50:37. > :50:38.you're doing it too thick - which is what he's done, so a chance for

:50:39. > :50:58.Neil. The angle that Neil's got on this to

:50:59. > :51:03.the right corner T cue ball is going to finish up close to the side

:51:04. > :51:09.cushions. He's going to have to play two difficult shots here to get this

:51:10. > :51:18.break going. Unless he may plays it with pace up to the Blue.

:51:19. > :51:22.This Black is tough. Yeah, it was one of those, we want to see that

:51:23. > :51:26.shot again. He didn't hit the Red in the mid-ol the pocket. If he had --

:51:27. > :51:30.middle of the pocket. If he had, then the cue ball would have bounced

:51:31. > :51:43.off that baulk cushion a little bit more. Is he considering not taking

:51:44. > :51:57.the Black on? They are tough - about they? Give you in a nothing!

:51:58. > :52:03.-- aren't they? Give you a nothing! I am very surprised he's turned that

:52:04. > :52:13.Black down. It wasn't an easy shot. Had it gone in, he would have been

:52:14. > :52:15.favourite to win the frame. He's giving Robbie every bit of respect

:52:16. > :52:34.here. Once again a little bit thick. Is

:52:35. > :52:42.the Yellow going to come to his rescue? Red to the left corner. I

:52:43. > :52:49.think he can just get past the Yellow. Yes! Just a fraction -

:52:50. > :52:57.another quarter of an inch and he wouldn't be able to pot this.

:52:58. > :53:11.In it go. He'll be nicely on Blue or Pink.

:53:12. > :53:17.Definitely the best in the world at that shot. And by the look of it,

:53:18. > :53:21.the way the White comes around off the two cushions he plays them

:53:22. > :53:27.playing ball, doesn't he? You see a lot of those shots missed because

:53:28. > :53:32.people are putting the side on the angles, it is a natural thing to do

:53:33. > :53:37.but I think on these super fine cloths you need to be a plain-ball

:53:38. > :53:44.potter, particularly for the long ones. And you watch him, when he

:53:45. > :53:46.pushes the cue through it is always gun-barrel straight. Not hitting

:53:47. > :54:20.across the ball. He would like to have an angle to

:54:21. > :54:31.the Red to the left cushion now. The open Red. So, a good chance it

:54:32. > :54:51.will be on a Pink. Decided to play it then. I tell you

:54:52. > :54:56.what, he's a little unlucky. I think the Red will go if he gets right

:54:57. > :55:01.behind it. If he got a fraction forward it would have been the

:55:02. > :55:08.perfect shot. I think he's knocked that Red into a possible position.

:55:09. > :55:11.As long as he's straight, he doesn't have to do anything with the cue

:55:12. > :55:31.ball I will be to the right-centre. Just drop in behind this Red.

:55:32. > :55:41.Just got to drop this Red in. Now, it looks easy enough, but just got

:55:42. > :55:50.to mind your work with these - don't take liberties, no pace. I think he

:55:51. > :55:56.may just be on the Blue, which would be the better ball to be on. Looks

:55:57. > :56:03.like it was the right decision. Turned down that dodgy Black. We'll

:56:04. > :56:10.never know! It is good, solid match snooker and Robbie, had a chance in

:56:11. > :56:16.the first half of this frame. In all honesty he'll be thinking he didn't

:56:17. > :56:21.make the most of it. How confident has Jimmy Robertson looked in this

:56:22. > :56:28.break? The speed he's looked in. He didn't look in doubt at any pointed.

:56:29. > :56:32.He's maid it -- made it so easy, it makes the game look simple. For

:56:33. > :56:36.anyone who has played, they know it's not.

:56:37. > :56:45.He's the real deal is this Australian.

:56:46. > :56:56.Just a quick glance at the score board - the Pink seals the deal.

:56:57. > :57:05.Pink was enough - so Robbie Williams got in first. He made a break of 46.

:57:06. > :57:10.It wasn't enough and Jimmy Robertson wins the second frame. He's 2-0 in

:57:11. > :57:13.front. Still 100% record for Jimmy

:57:14. > :57:17.Robertson so far. The results are coming thick and fast. We have

:57:18. > :57:21.another one for you. This time it involves a former semi-finalist, Joe

:57:22. > :57:27.Perry. 6-3 win over Scott Donaldson, the man who knocked out Mark Davis

:57:28. > :57:31.yesterday. The teenage Scot is heading home. Well done! He's

:57:32. > :57:38.through to the last 16. Behind us you will see the players preparing

:57:39. > :57:43.and practicing. In fact they will be playing in the

:57:44. > :57:55.third round. You are in the 32 - just to remind you. We have OBrien

:57:56. > :57:58.behind me. Impressions of the way that Jimmy

:57:59. > :58:04.Robertson has started that match out on the main arena? Typical of him.

:58:05. > :58:07.The chance to make the clearance. He made it look very easy. It is

:58:08. > :58:11.winning the frames you shouldn't do that change the score line so

:58:12. > :58:15.quickly. That is why he's the champion - that is why he's the

:58:16. > :58:17.winning machine he is. He's so clinical when he gets into that

:58:18. > :58:22.position. That is the difference between the top and the guys who can

:58:23. > :58:26.possibly create an upset if they win those types of frames. Those frames,

:58:27. > :58:30.when you lose them, particularly from Robbie Williams' point of view

:58:31. > :58:35.it is such a killer, it really is - it is, what do you call it - a blow

:58:36. > :58:38.to the soul - that is what it would feel like. In terms of

:58:39. > :58:42.professionalism, and we talked about this and you made a comment earlier

:58:43. > :58:47.on, we heard that Neil said he wouldn't take any liberties, any

:58:48. > :58:51.chances against so-called lesser opponents and has not gone for the

:58:52. > :58:55.chances, even if they might have been on. I guess it is a mind-set,

:58:56. > :59:02.you want to get it over with as fast as you can for the early rounds? You

:59:03. > :59:09.take liberties with it, all of a sudden it could be 6-0. It is 6-5.

:59:10. > :59:14.Why put yourself through that? He has got a commendable attitude - get

:59:15. > :59:19.it over with and get down to the business end of the tournament.

:59:20. > :59:28.Let's see what Robbie can do to respond in frame three.

:59:29. > :59:35.Just the break of one Robbie Williams, he flicked the blue and

:59:36. > :59:42.left the long spot on. He has not missed many. This is the long pot,

:59:43. > :59:47.once again, nicely played. He will be a bit disappointed with that

:59:48. > :59:51.positional shot, though. He is asking for the referee to clean the

:59:52. > :59:57.cue ball so maybe he was not too happy with the contact. He played

:59:58. > :00:01.for the one to the left corner, but I doubt whether he would play it

:00:02. > :00:06.now, hampered by the group. He has got one to the right corner, a thin

:00:07. > :00:09.cut but at least he would take the cue ball back to the baulk end, so

:00:10. > :00:41.he could play it as a shop for nothing.

:00:42. > :00:50.A look of amusement on his face. He did not expect the cue ball to run

:00:51. > :00:57.that quickly, but it was a income tax. -- it was a thin contact. He

:00:58. > :01:11.got the red but nothing to follow. I say that, he has gone for the

:01:12. > :01:19.green. Well, that is a tremendous pot! There is us saying he will not

:01:20. > :01:23.take any risks, he is tied on the cushion, he runs in the green. He

:01:24. > :01:31.may have been thinking if the Greens stops in the jaws that the red would

:01:32. > :01:34.not be pottable. Maybe he has got those first two prince under his

:01:35. > :01:36.belt and feels as though he can push the boat out a little bit more --

:01:37. > :01:47.those first two frames. He is supremely confident out there.

:01:48. > :01:57.He never looked in doubt in the last frame.

:01:58. > :02:02.Pop success rate not too bad from Robbie, either, but still too high

:02:03. > :02:23.from the road down. He tried to leave himself low on the

:02:24. > :02:47.red to disturb the bunch. I was expect in the cue ball to have

:02:48. > :02:50.right-hand side and stay on the black kid but it had left hand side

:02:51. > :02:58.and went to the other end of the table. -- and stay on the black

:02:59. > :03:05.here. After that green, I don't expect him to refuse any pot now.

:03:06. > :03:09.The problem is, there is only one loose red to play for, and if he

:03:10. > :03:28.potted the yellow he would not be certain to be on it.

:03:29. > :03:33.It is handy here being left-handed. If he was right-handed, the green

:03:34. > :03:35.would be where he wanted to be his hand, but being left-handed it does

:03:36. > :04:21.not interfere with the shot. The red closest to the black is the

:04:22. > :04:33.one he will want to make contact with. He needs to make a half ball

:04:34. > :04:37.contact on the red. Any screw shot you can just come back of the red

:04:38. > :04:55.and finished near the top cushion. He is playing below. -- planeload.

:04:56. > :05:00.You could not bring all of the reds into play from that shot. He can

:05:01. > :05:16.just about pop this one. Those pockets must be looking like

:05:17. > :05:23.manhole covers to him at the moment, it is unbelievable, you just look at

:05:24. > :05:39.them and knocks them in! -- he just looked at them.

:05:40. > :05:51.He has got a couple of options here. It just shows how his state of mind

:05:52. > :05:54.has changed. In the first couple of frames you expected him to trickle

:05:55. > :06:02.off and play a snooker, keep it tight, but with two frames on the

:06:03. > :06:06.board he is pushing for home. In goes the blue. How is your look?

:06:07. > :06:14.Just about on the red to the left corner.

:06:15. > :06:51.It is a thin pot, he will not have much control of the cue ball.

:06:52. > :06:57.No hesitation in taking the blue, and that was a tough shot.

:06:58. > :07:03.Certainly, the game plan seems to have altered. You can't keep putting

:07:04. > :07:32.them all. No matter how good you are. -- potting them all.

:07:33. > :07:44.It was a decent effort, but it didn't go in, that's the problem. A

:07:45. > :07:49.long red possibly on for a meal here. Slightly hampered by the green

:07:50. > :08:02.which made put him off playing the pot.

:08:03. > :08:09.He played the other red, played the safety. He could not have played it

:08:10. > :08:50.much better than that. Good shot. He was in his bottle over there. If

:08:51. > :08:53.the red did not kiss the black it would have been said, but it isn't.

:08:54. > :09:11.-- he was in a spot of bother. If you are going to play the pink,

:09:12. > :09:24.you need to get the rest out. This has been powerful snooker from

:09:25. > :10:36.Neil Robertson. If there is a way in snooker of one

:10:37. > :10:40.opponent being able to dominate -- one player being able to dominate

:10:41. > :10:44.his opponent, this is it. He is getting quicker and quicker. It was

:10:45. > :10:48.as though the first couple of frames, make certain he got off to a

:10:49. > :10:53.good start, which all of the top players like to do in the first

:10:54. > :10:59.couple of frames, and then once he got those under his belt, it is now

:11:00. > :11:03.all systems go. He is in attack mode.

:11:04. > :11:17.It has been a weakness of players over the years, I have seen it

:11:18. > :11:25.happen, you can give your opponent sometimes too much respect, but it

:11:26. > :11:29.doesn't matter now, and Robbie concedes, so Neil Robertson is

:11:30. > :11:39.absolutely flying and Leeds three frames to nil. Just talking about

:11:40. > :11:44.how he changed, as I say in the first, there was the pink that he

:11:45. > :11:51.missed, the black he refused, played safe of the pink, and the signs were

:11:52. > :11:54.there, he potted the long red, in the first two frames certain to roll

:11:55. > :12:01.up behind the green, you would have thought. Absolutely, there was a

:12:02. > :12:02.chance he could leave the green over the corner pocket, should he miss

:12:03. > :12:14.it. It showed how confident he was. By

:12:15. > :12:20.stealing the second frame in the manner that he did, he felt he was

:12:21. > :12:26.going to pot the green. Sometimes you do just get a feeling, no matter

:12:27. > :12:31.how difficult the shot is, you are going to pot it. Also, I think after

:12:32. > :12:34.the first couple of frames he has realised he is cueing well, he has

:12:35. > :12:42.got the pace of the table. Some players just expect it to happen.

:12:43. > :12:46.Neil just took his time, got his cue arm going, and, as I say, when he

:12:47. > :12:50.played the green it came as a bit of a surprise, with what had gone

:12:51. > :12:57.before, but he is obviously feeling very, very confident in himself, and

:12:58. > :12:58.there is no better feeling. That confidence can transmit to your

:12:59. > :13:29.opponent. These shots are hard enough, never

:13:30. > :13:35.mind when you have been dominated for three frames. So much the

:13:36. > :13:45.harder. Might choose to play the cannon on the black here.

:13:46. > :13:54.He did play to leave it at the right corner, but it just flicked off. He

:13:55. > :14:01.would have liked to have hit the red and the black together. Still got

:14:02. > :14:14.the pink to the left middle. The black is a bit risky.

:14:15. > :14:30.They always missable, though, don't get me wrong, but he is such a good

:14:31. > :14:36.potter. At here is a chance for Robbie.

:14:37. > :14:45.Nicely played. Mid-session interval comes up after this friend, so it

:14:46. > :15:13.would be good to have a frame on the scoreboard.

:15:14. > :15:34.He hit that well, that was a great shot. Excellent cueing.

:15:35. > :15:47.Even the pink into the right centre is an opportunity.

:15:48. > :16:03.It happens, there is always the danger of the in-off. When you play

:16:04. > :16:09.at that pace, the right-hand side he needed to put on, it just does not

:16:10. > :16:11.take effect enough. There was a chance, he did not make the most of

:16:12. > :16:26.it. Disappointing end. And unusually poor safety shot from

:16:27. > :16:46.Neil. He just managed to avoid the pink

:16:47. > :17:15.but he has still left a long red on. So, last visit, a poor safety, this

:17:16. > :17:18.visit he has missed a long red. He almost looks shocked when he misses

:17:19. > :18:00.one. Can he play the pot on this red and

:18:01. > :18:12.mind the Gap actor baulk? -- back to baulk. He did.

:18:13. > :18:19.Big problems for Robbie now. The red he would like to make contact with

:18:20. > :18:25.is the one near the right corner pocket.

:18:26. > :18:46.But how do you get their? -- there? He is looking at the possibility of

:18:47. > :18:50.a slight swerve around the yellow. There are two reds in line, but if

:18:51. > :18:53.you swerve it too much and catch it too thick, the cue ball will

:18:54. > :19:25.struggle to get past the blue spot. Maybe he played to hit the red.

:19:26. > :19:32.Maybe he looked and saw he will not leave anything on by hitting the

:19:33. > :19:38.red. He has left an opportunity of one to the right middle. Not the

:19:39. > :19:47.best choice of escape. But, once again, it seems to be the ones to

:19:48. > :19:52.the middle that Neil is having a problem with. He is just hitting

:19:53. > :19:54.them to fall. He seems to have gone off the boil a little bit in the

:19:55. > :20:44.last five or so minutes. Full stretch, boy! He is close to

:20:45. > :20:53.the yellow. The referee was there having a good look. Sometimes the

:20:54. > :20:57.camera angle foreshortened it, it looked as though he was on it but

:20:58. > :21:05.the referee never said anything. He was looking. Maybe the yellow is

:21:06. > :21:08.just a bit this side. As I say, the eagle eyed referee was making

:21:09. > :21:26.certain. From never looking like missing the

:21:27. > :21:31.ball, playing all the right shots, as you say, Stephen, for some

:21:32. > :21:43.reason, we don't know why, maybe he just thought, oh, I am pre-0 up now,

:21:44. > :21:50.it is all very easy for me -- 3-0. 91%, it was 98% a few shots ago. I

:21:51. > :21:57.seem to think Robbie Williams was about 96.

:21:58. > :22:02.I don't think this is a plant, but pretty close. Neil is coming to have

:22:03. > :22:15.a look. It is not far off. If they were

:22:16. > :22:18.closer together you may be able to reverse it. I don't think it is

:22:19. > :22:21.right in the heart of the pocket, it might be going to the left jaw as we

:22:22. > :22:29.look at it. There is a little gap between the

:22:30. > :22:37.two reds. He will be screwing the cue ball

:22:38. > :22:55.back up to the baulk end for safety. Close, but, as I say, at that pace

:22:56. > :23:02.it was a case of whether the pocket would accept it. It didn't. A bit

:23:03. > :23:12.slugger, you would think that would have dropped. -- a bit slower.

:23:13. > :23:16.This red looks straight, which is fine because he can stand for the

:23:17. > :23:31.group to the left centre. That was not the red he meant to

:23:32. > :23:39.pot! The run-through plant, not many of those in the pound! Played one

:23:40. > :23:41.onto the other, it rattles but got out of the way and let the other one

:23:42. > :23:57.go through. Don't you think you find this, we

:23:58. > :24:01.saw this with Jimmy yesterday, you are a bit tense in the arm and don't

:24:02. > :24:10.get the movement you expect on the cue ball so it doesn't travel like

:24:11. > :24:16.it should. It is as if, when you draw the cued back, that you could

:24:17. > :24:17.do with another inch just to get that break in your wrist which gets

:24:18. > :24:41.you the timing. That was nicely played. Nice

:24:42. > :24:45.recovery. He needs to make the most of this opportunity to go to the

:24:46. > :24:51.dressing room at the mid-session interval with a few positive

:24:52. > :24:59.thoughts. A nice break here will give him that.

:25:00. > :25:15.You may have heard a bit of noise, I don't know what it was.

:25:16. > :25:23.Just got enough angle on the blue. He will have to find a way of

:25:24. > :25:27.playing for the black. He does not want to play this break with all

:25:28. > :25:41.blues. There is a gap to stun down for the

:25:42. > :25:53.black if he wanted to play it, but it is risky.

:25:54. > :26:03.No doubt he will take the blue on, but a bit of pressure on it.

:26:04. > :26:15.He has to put a bit of pace into the cue ball for position.

:26:16. > :26:27.Put all of those factors into it, and you can miss the blue.

:26:28. > :26:33.There were a couple of positional shots prior to that, he should have

:26:34. > :26:37.been thinking, try to get the black on the spot, getting the black on

:26:38. > :26:43.the spot is a frame winning opportunity. Always a bit ASCII to

:26:44. > :26:47.do it off the blue. Now Neil can play for the black. -- always a big

:26:48. > :27:01.ask. He played the Canon purposefully but

:27:02. > :27:08.does the reds top the black from going into the left corner where it

:27:09. > :27:19.is on its spot? If it does, it has made it a little bit awkward.

:27:20. > :27:25.If it does he will probably pay for the pink to the yellow pocket, if

:27:26. > :27:35.the black is blocked to the left corner.

:27:36. > :27:43.As we can see, the black will go, but I don't think he was certain so

:27:44. > :27:49.he left a lot of angle on the red. He could just about hold for the

:27:50. > :27:57.black. Just looking now. If he can stay at this end of the table, he

:27:58. > :27:58.would much prefer that to happen to run the cue ball up and down to the

:27:59. > :28:14.baulk end and back. That was not perfect. He is not good

:28:15. > :28:21.on the pink. The blue is a little bit straight. A good shot needed,

:28:22. > :28:51.and good cueing. It is amazing when you play one poor

:28:52. > :28:55.positional shot how it affects the next shot as well and carries on.

:28:56. > :29:00.The choice of yellow, pink or blue with the previous red and he did not

:29:01. > :29:58.get any of them. He is still not in perfect position.

:29:59. > :30:07.That was a super recovery shot. Judged the Canon to perfection, half

:30:08. > :30:10.ball off the second red, took the pace of the cue ball, held for the

:30:11. > :30:22.black. Could not have been played better. So, six points the lead.

:30:23. > :30:49.Four remaining reds. Then going into the mid-session interval with a 4-0

:30:50. > :31:01.lead. And now he has got the perfect angle on the blue-macro. -- the

:31:02. > :31:06.blue. Bit scrappy. He missed a few shots we expected him to get. In the

:31:07. > :31:13.first frame, he was superb. Young Robbie, had if you opportunities, it

:31:14. > :31:38.is not easy playing the world number one. It is a learning curve.

:31:39. > :31:59.One hour, 13 minutes. Much time. -- match time. It probably feels about

:32:00. > :32:02.effective second to Robbie Williams. The quicker he gets his one over,

:32:03. > :32:27.the better for Him. The last remaining amateur in

:32:28. > :32:33.this year's draw in a while. First, impressions of Neil Robertson.

:32:34. > :32:38.Sometimes your concentration can drop a little bit. Robbie Williams

:32:39. > :32:42.hasn't settled. He should have won a couple of friends at least. It is

:32:43. > :32:51.very difficult when somebody looks to be on imperious form, especially

:32:52. > :32:58.in those first few frames. We were looking at Neil Robertson's results

:32:59. > :33:02.this season. He has won four matches. Many of the other top

:33:03. > :33:07.players have been tripped up in the early stages with the new format. He

:33:08. > :33:12.doesn't seem to have been affected by it. Why not? Probably because

:33:13. > :33:27.he's playing so well, he is super-confident. He's very focused.

:33:28. > :33:34.He is not giving them a. He's been really clinical. His approach is a

:33:35. > :33:42.lesson for all the younger players watching. Watch how he goes about

:33:43. > :33:53.his business. He is not letting up. Exactly. Any distractions, he has

:33:54. > :34:02.never really been affected. Not at all. I was reading, and in the

:34:03. > :34:07.paper. -- I was reading comments in the paper. He said the conditions

:34:08. > :34:16.aren't good, there are good crowds, people love it at the Barbican, so

:34:17. > :34:20.he likes the setup and he does not grumble. It shows the mental

:34:21. > :34:27.attitude. He is not going to crumble. He is happy he is playing a

:34:28. > :34:35.game he loves playing. He is at the top of the tree and is enjoying

:34:36. > :34:41.himself. Neil Robertson is four - zero. Seven amateurs started here

:34:42. > :34:58.last Tuesday. One of them remains. That is Mitchell Travis. He knocked

:34:59. > :35:03.out Marco Fu, and this morning he dispatched Kurt Maflin. He is

:35:04. > :35:14.through to the last 32. We can have a word with this young man. There

:35:15. > :35:18.really is, the man of the moment. It is a fantastic fairy story so far.

:35:19. > :35:29.What a week for you. It is unbelievable. Beating Kurt Maflin

:35:30. > :35:34.and Marco Fu, it is unbelievable. You have beaten world number six. It

:35:35. > :35:41.is important you keep up the same level. Yes. My dad and grandad were

:35:42. > :35:44.trying to keep my feet on the ground. I went back to the practice

:35:45. > :35:51.table and thought, I have a chance of winning if I play like that.

:35:52. > :35:57.Realistically, what did you think was possible? I spoke to my dad and

:35:58. > :36:02.grandad before I started playing and they told me to make a good account

:36:03. > :36:15.of myself, and to try to get a few friends. -- frames. I actually know

:36:16. > :36:28.your dad. Because what happened? You beat me, 4-2. I am a lot better now,

:36:29. > :36:36.so if you fancy another match! . Joking aside, you must be very proud

:36:37. > :36:41.of him. I am. The funny thing is, when is your birthday? December the

:36:42. > :36:46.8th, when the final is. I am going to be in the final. That is

:36:47. > :36:51.confident I am at the moment. I fancy going all the way. I am going

:36:52. > :36:59.to do the best of three with your dad. Fantastic stuff. We wish him

:37:00. > :37:04.well. We have had the world number one out there this afternoon. We

:37:05. > :37:10.also have the world number two, Mark Selby. He's always very dapper. What

:37:11. > :37:15.is he like at home? I had the privilege of speaking to him and his

:37:16. > :37:22.lovely wife Vicky in their house a few weeks ago. We have been here to

:37:23. > :37:27.years, and I have Bobby spent six months at the most here. With the

:37:28. > :37:41.snooker calendar being so busy, it seems like a holiday being at home.

:37:42. > :37:44.As soon as he comes home, we put our onesies on and chill in front of the

:37:45. > :37:51.TV, we go for a few meals and drinks. You have got beautiful

:37:52. > :37:54.countryside and a lovely back garden, it all seems so tranquil.

:37:55. > :38:01.You even have a swimming pool. Do you use it much? I don't. The

:38:02. > :38:12.village is great. It has no shop and no pulp. -- pub. Vicky goes in the

:38:13. > :38:24.swimming pool a lot, but I can't swim. I have got inflatables. How

:38:25. > :38:30.does it work? You have a husband and wife relationship and a business

:38:31. > :38:36.relationship. With Vicky playing pool, she sorts of understands the

:38:37. > :38:43.work I need to put in, which is great. She is always behind me,

:38:44. > :38:51.always willing me on and supporting me. When I get home, it can be

:38:52. > :38:57.difficult if I am going through bad patches and I bring my work home

:38:58. > :39:02.with me. Vicky is like a rock to me. We do play a little bits, or if the

:39:03. > :39:16.family, , it is a nice social thing to have. I let him win so he gets

:39:17. > :39:19.his confidence back. We always see her at tournaments. Do you prefer

:39:20. > :39:30.her being there watching? Yes, definitely. I've have seen to do

:39:31. > :39:36.well at the tournaments she has been at, if not win them. When she came

:39:37. > :39:40.to the latter stages of the Masters, I seemed to go on and win. When she

:39:41. > :39:45.is not there, I probably have not done so well. If I could, I would

:39:46. > :39:51.probably take it to every tournament, but with the season

:39:52. > :39:55.being so long, it is not beneficial. She must be one of the very few

:39:56. > :40:06.partners who do understand exactly what you are going through. As far

:40:07. > :40:11.as pool goes, she wins a lot and she understands what it takes to get to

:40:12. > :40:22.the top. It is great. I think that is why we work. When you met him,

:40:23. > :40:28.but did he have? When we first got together, I used to travel to see

:40:29. > :40:33.him. He had a flat in the middle of Leicester and literally had nothing

:40:34. > :40:40.in it. His kitchen was that clean he obviously never used it. He did not

:40:41. > :40:48.have pots, or anything. I used to take things to him. We had a

:40:49. > :40:54.conversation about you come in to interview him if he did win a

:40:55. > :40:59.tournament. We joked, saying we would have to pretend he had been

:41:00. > :41:05.burgled because that was so little in the house. It is surreal but you

:41:06. > :41:10.are here now. Thank you. My favourite colour as well. There are

:41:11. > :41:14.a real team and it was lovely to spend the day with them. Mark has

:41:15. > :41:23.played today's opponent, Tian Pengfei. He has enjoyed some pretty

:41:24. > :41:32.good days in his professional career. He has beaten Ronnie

:41:33. > :41:37.O'Sullivan along the way. It was into the match that we go now. Selby

:41:38. > :41:44.won the first frame with a break of 65. It is Willie Thorne and Neal

:41:45. > :42:03.Foulds who are on top of this. That was a poor shot. He put a lot

:42:04. > :43:27.of pressure on himself playing it that way.

:43:28. > :43:41.That is actually a good shot. He's one of a group of Chinese players I

:43:42. > :43:44.have seen who are right into his technique. He's not the most natural

:43:45. > :43:48.player but he worked very hard on his technique. He hits the ball

:43:49. > :44:01.well. When he initially turned

:44:02. > :44:03.professional, I thought it was going to do well. He has not quite got on

:44:04. > :44:39.with it. He turned professional in 2006, so

:44:40. > :44:50.he has been around a while. That was a really good shot.

:44:51. > :44:58.Best performance was in 2010. Fairly slim pickings. It is very tough in

:44:59. > :45:26.the qualifiers. Players like Mark Selby other reason

:45:27. > :45:34.people like Tian struggle to progress. -- players like Mark Selby

:45:35. > :46:07.are the reason people like Tian struggle to progress.

:46:08. > :46:16.One has to be careful here. You would expect him to level the ball.

:46:17. > :46:27.He's not putting in the middle at the moment. He just lost a cue ball

:46:28. > :46:40.fractions. -- he just lost the cue ball a fraction. I know.

:46:41. > :47:10.He has the second choice, the one below the pink.

:47:11. > :47:40.He has got a lovely cue action. Quite impressed.

:47:41. > :48:50.Good been on something better than this. -- could have been on

:48:51. > :48:52.something better than this. He played that like he knew it was

:48:53. > :48:59.frame ball, which it was. I think he knew the score before he

:49:00. > :49:28.played that last shot. Nice break of 64. He levels the

:49:29. > :49:38.match. Indeed, he took the next frame as well. Bed-macro is 2-1 in

:49:39. > :50:10.front. We are going to pick up live now. - - Tian is 2-1 in front.

:50:11. > :50:24.It is like he has been spurred into life.

:50:25. > :50:55.The Blackwood of gone directly behind the red. The black would have

:50:56. > :50:58.been brought into play. He should be able to get rid of that red now that

:50:59. > :51:19.has been causing the problems. That has worked out really well.

:51:20. > :52:09.This was beautifully played. Once again, the pink will go back

:52:10. > :52:16.onto the brown macro spots. -- the pink will go back onto the brown

:52:17. > :52:17.spot. Seven points in front. You would expect him to win the frame

:52:18. > :52:32.from here. The slightly unusual nature of the

:52:33. > :52:40.frame is making him concentrate harder.

:52:41. > :52:52.This clears the pink spot, I think. That is whether Black go next. --

:52:53. > :53:20.that is where the black will go next.

:53:21. > :53:29.Just keep the cue ball under control.

:53:30. > :53:44.Certainly, all the hard work has been done.

:53:45. > :54:02.Not much angle there. It is risky, playing the straight.

:54:03. > :54:07.He should finish perfect, but it is not guaranteed. That was an

:54:08. > :54:59.excellent shot. He may have missed a trick here,

:55:00. > :55:08.Tian. He's looking at the prospect of losing this frame, and he knows

:55:09. > :55:13.he should be in front. Tian Pengfei is a pretty new player. It hurts you

:55:14. > :55:30.sometimes going into the interval known you should be in front.

:55:31. > :56:09.His matchplay is supreme. There is no weakness in his game.

:56:10. > :56:26.This has been top drawer, hasn't it? It is looking pretty straightforward

:56:27. > :57:03.at the moment now. An excellent break of 66. He has not won it yet.

:57:04. > :57:14.That wasn't an easy shot. It looked good from that camera angle. Selby

:57:15. > :57:33.might have had a reprieve there. He needs to put this. -- pot this.

:57:34. > :57:44.I think there was a little bit of the XL oration there. He will be

:57:45. > :57:54.really annoyed with that. -- I think there was a little bit of

:57:55. > :58:07.the acceleration there. These are the kind of frames he

:58:08. > :59:09.needs to win. He can't afford to make any more

:59:10. > :59:11.positional errors. It is essential he gets a good angle on the next

:59:12. > :59:51.caller. -- colour. With the brown where it is, where

:59:52. > :59:57.the cue ball is now, that would be perfect for the green. That is not

:59:58. > :00:06.the best, but it is still the right side of the table.

:00:07. > :00:25.The pressure is building. It is one of those. He would like to finish as

:00:26. > :00:27.close to the ground as possible. -- who would like to finish as close to

:00:28. > :00:46.the brown as possible. I don't think he can get nicely on

:00:47. > :00:50.the brown here. It is hard to judge with the extension of the queue. If

:00:51. > :01:00.he could play normally, I think he would be fine.

:01:01. > :01:07.He did very well, that was a much better shot than it looked. What is

:01:08. > :01:08.the angle like on the brown? Look how he played the shop, he had to

:01:09. > :01:28.dig into the cue ball. Mark Selby will be kicking himself.

:01:29. > :01:33.He has had two glorious chances to win this for frame. -- this fourth

:01:34. > :02:02.frame. What a steal this would have been.

:02:03. > :02:08.He had a second bite at the cherry. A fabulous break of 49 to steal it

:02:09. > :02:18.by one point. Mark Selby will be disappointed going into the

:02:19. > :02:23.mid-session interval. A very solid player there, he has been on and off

:02:24. > :02:26.the tour a couple of times. Quite surprising because he has got

:02:27. > :02:33.a very solid cued action, he goes about his business quietly. That was

:02:34. > :02:37.excellent under pressure. That was a friend that Mark Selby should have

:02:38. > :02:45.put to bed a lot earlier. A fantastically runs. Suddenly Selby

:02:46. > :02:48.found himself 3-1 down, he did against a 15-year-old amateur the

:02:49. > :02:56.other day. He does not want to keep doing this all the time. He did not

:02:57. > :03:01.get the rest of the pocket properly. He has given himself a

:03:02. > :03:05.unnecessary hardship. Totally the opposite to what we were talking

:03:06. > :03:10.about Neil Robertson, he is a lot more clinical. He would not have

:03:11. > :03:13.made those mistakes in the four frames he was playing whereas Mark

:03:14. > :03:17.Selby has put himself through the Ringo unnecessarily. We all know

:03:18. > :03:24.that Mark has not been particularly well last week, had to spent a few

:03:25. > :03:28.days in bed, so he has not come into this feeling in the best of health,

:03:29. > :03:35.and by suspect that have a knock-on effect. It can do, but it could be

:03:36. > :03:40.the view where the wounded golfer syndrome, as well. You never know

:03:41. > :03:45.what you will get. At the moment, there is a bit of leeway, it is the

:03:46. > :03:50.first to six, not by it, so you would expecting to come out do

:03:51. > :03:54.better. Indeed, work to do for the world number two. What about the

:03:55. > :04:02.world number one? Back now live into frame five. We saw Neil Robertson

:04:03. > :04:07.making crisp work over Robbie Williams but it is Williams at the

:04:08. > :04:12.table right now. Back to John and Stephen we go.

:04:13. > :04:18.Thank you, Hazel. This has been a scrappy frame, but Robbie Williams

:04:19. > :04:33.has got in, the balls are situated nicely.

:04:34. > :04:45.I don't think it is far enough for the blue this time. You will have to

:04:46. > :04:49.pay the green. -- he will have to play the green. He has not got

:04:50. > :04:58.complete control of the cue ball at the moment.

:04:59. > :05:34.This will certainly help things, pot the blue and it will move the red

:05:35. > :05:51.away from the blue spot. 45 ahead, 67 remaining. To be

:05:52. > :06:02.certain, he will need three of the remaining reds.

:06:03. > :06:37.I can only assume he was trying to avoid the cannon on the pink and

:06:38. > :06:41.took his eye off the pot. Just when he seemed to be getting things in

:06:42. > :06:50.the open, he had done all the hard work, then took his eye off the pot.

:06:51. > :06:58.I don't think Neil will take on this red because it is dead straight,

:06:59. > :07:43.there is no, after this red. -- there is no colour after this red.

:07:44. > :07:53.This is an excellent safety shot. Perfect contact on the red, almost

:07:54. > :08:05.half ball contact. Probably the best safety shot he has played today.

:08:06. > :08:12.That was an excellent shot. You could say a bit lucky to get the

:08:13. > :08:19.flick of the brown, but... Just a bit! Just a bit! If you wear his

:08:20. > :08:25.opponent, you would be thinking, and not! He has just played the best

:08:26. > :08:32.safety shot of the match, then this happened! How cruel can this game

:08:33. > :08:39.be? ! And particularly when you are 4-0 down. When you need a bit of

:08:40. > :08:42.luck, you do not get any. He caught that to fall, a chance for Neil

:08:43. > :08:48.Robertson. Not a great chance, it has to be said. He comes to the

:08:49. > :08:54.table 46 points behind, but, at the moment, pink handbag out of

:08:55. > :09:01.commission -- pink and black out of commission.

:09:02. > :09:09.He could do it with blues and still be able to win when he gets to the

:09:10. > :09:10.colours, but the black will soon be a problem because he will need to

:09:11. > :09:30.clear up to win this frame. Has he got an angle to take the

:09:31. > :09:43.black off the cushion here? Deep screw, worth the risk.

:09:44. > :09:47.He managed to get past being straight on the blue, so an OK

:09:48. > :10:24.position. Just checking the school. As I say,

:10:25. > :10:27.he can do it with blues off the remaining reds, but he will stop as

:10:28. > :10:47.the problem of the pink and black. Whittling away at the lead. Which is

:10:48. > :11:03.a good one, the way the balls are. He is thinking about playing for the

:11:04. > :11:08.black, potting this and coming across the table. The black is not

:11:09. > :11:12.in a bad position for a left-hander. He has decided to play for it.

:11:13. > :11:39.He does not want to finish tied on the cushion. These are tricky.

:11:40. > :11:44.Cue ball behind the black, red into the baulk end, right back in this

:11:45. > :11:56.frame, Neil Robertson. He did not want the half ball

:11:57. > :12:21.contact on the yellow and brown. He has not got the snooker.

:12:22. > :12:27.He was frightened of playing it then, 14 might cut it towards the

:12:28. > :12:34.far left corner, but needed to make a better job of it than that because

:12:35. > :12:45.the red is certainly possible. -- pottable. Any, of the Redwood do. --

:12:46. > :12:47.any, off the red would do. He keeps playing those shots to the middle

:12:48. > :13:00.pocket, keeps hitting the far jaw. He was walking as though he thought

:13:01. > :13:18.he had spotted it. A snooker behind the brown, surely?

:13:19. > :13:24.Now Robbie Williams has come a massive favourite to get his first

:13:25. > :13:51.frame on the scoreboard. REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Robbie

:13:52. > :13:52.Williams, four. Even a free ball would not have got

:13:53. > :14:19.me out of my seat their! He could not get a better snooker

:14:20. > :14:27.than the one he has. Maybe he is thinking, put the yellow safe. But

:14:28. > :14:33.that was a bit negative. Still not easy to hit this. 20 of room. --

:14:34. > :14:48.plenty of room. But he has hit it. He will be forced into playing the

:14:49. > :15:13.long red here. This is frame ball. If he loses this frame, I'm afraid,

:15:14. > :15:17.Robbie, you have only got yourself to blame. Why you didn't have the

:15:18. > :15:24.cue ball replaced when it was tight behind the brown, I don't know. I

:15:25. > :15:28.think some of the less experienced players, when they are out of their

:15:29. > :15:32.comfort zone, are not eating straight, and you cannot blame them

:15:33. > :15:37.sometimes. When he looks back at the frame, watches it back, he will

:15:38. > :15:39.regret that decision, if he goes on to lose this frame. He is still

:15:40. > :16:01.favourite. Neil is giving this plenty of

:16:02. > :16:09.thought because he wants to try to get the snooker from the safety, it

:16:10. > :16:15.could give him the edge in this tactical battle. If it misses the

:16:16. > :16:18.green, it won't be too bad. But it just flicked it. I think Robbie can

:16:19. > :16:43.just get through to this. He did not get far enough in behind

:16:44. > :16:44.it. This is half a chance. 30 points the difference. In potting the red,

:16:45. > :17:59.he needs a green or bigger. We always say this game is about

:18:00. > :18:03.fractions. Another inch or two, he would be behind the yellow. He

:18:04. > :18:10.hasn't. It is a thin snick, but Robbie knows he will win the frame

:18:11. > :18:21.if he cannot it in. -- if he can knock it in.

:18:22. > :18:28.He did not get close to the pot in the end. I don't think he played it.

:18:29. > :18:35.He played for the corner ball off the side question and back to the

:18:36. > :18:37.top cushion. A little bit of a bonus, he has knocked the green near

:18:38. > :19:14.the baulk cushion. Has the brown continual's rescue? It

:19:15. > :19:17.has. -- come to Neil's rescue. If he hits this fall, he could get a

:19:18. > :19:25.snooker behind the yellow. Anything but fall, he could leave it. He

:19:26. > :19:38.caught it in. Put his hand up, apologised.

:19:39. > :19:43.He has had some bad luck in this frame, so he is entitled to a bit of

:19:44. > :19:51.fortune, Robbie Williams. He will get a chance to win the

:19:52. > :20:06.frame here and now. Just read needed to go 31 points in

:20:07. > :20:23.front with 27 remaining. -- just the red needed.

:20:24. > :20:30.Nice kiss on the black, that will do nicely. That will definitely mean he

:20:31. > :20:51.will win the frame, so he has avoided the dreaded whitewash.

:20:52. > :21:01.Now, a decision from the. That is enough from Neil Robertson. He

:21:02. > :21:04.concedes. Not the best of friends but it will be remembered by Robbie

:21:05. > :21:10.Williams because he gets his first frame on the scoreboard but he still

:21:11. > :21:13.trails 4-1. And that is the first frame that Neil Robertson has lost

:21:14. > :21:17.in this particular championship this year.

:21:18. > :21:21.You can keep watching online, if you wish. Neil Robertson apparently on

:21:22. > :21:26.his way, although I am sure Robbie Williams will have a few things to

:21:27. > :21:32.say. Mark Selby not failing soap simmering the against Tian Pengfei,

:21:33. > :21:38.a solid talent whose fourth frame steel put him 3-1 up, so Selby needs

:21:39. > :21:41.to get moving. Neil Foulds and Willie Thorne, what has been the

:21:42. > :21:48.difference between the two men so far?

:21:49. > :21:52.At the moment, Mike is missing one or two pots. I think things will

:21:53. > :21:59.change in the second half of the match. He has played too well but I

:22:00. > :22:03.suspect he will have to raise game again if he is going to go on and

:22:04. > :22:10.cause what would be a big shock in this match. It really would be.

:22:11. > :22:14.Selby had a good chance a few moments ago before you joined us. He

:22:15. > :22:22.was nice on a red, just got hold of it too much. That is virtually all

:22:23. > :22:27.that has happened in this frame so far. You would expect Selby to win

:22:28. > :22:29.virtually every tactical battle but he is just not scoring enough when

:22:30. > :23:04.he does win a tactical battle. He was hoping it would be a

:23:05. > :23:10.shot-to-nothing. The red has crashed into the pack of reds. It if he has

:23:11. > :23:15.got away with this, he is lucky. Even if the parties on in the

:23:16. > :23:22.middle, the in-off is very close and he is not far enough away to stun

:23:23. > :23:28.the red in the middle. That is a result and a half, isn't it?

:23:29. > :23:46.Looks like he will play safe of the red he is nearest to.

:23:47. > :24:02.Second prize is that he has got to in big trouble here.

:24:03. > :24:12.He has got to play back to baulk, which is very difficult to do. He

:24:13. > :24:15.looks deep in thought, doesn't he? Saturn very quietly in the

:24:16. > :24:22.mid-session interval in the player 's room. Trying to think about what

:24:23. > :24:30.had happened. This would be the biggest victory of his career if he

:24:31. > :24:34.could eat the defending champion. I think the only real shot here is

:24:35. > :24:38.going off the side cushion and resting on the middle pocket. You

:24:39. > :24:50.would expect him to be able to judge the pace right.

:24:51. > :25:34.The way this event has gone so far, with 128 players here in York, one

:25:35. > :25:55.or 21-sided matches, it has to be said, but we have had times when

:25:56. > :25:59.shocks have taken place. Marco Fu was knocked out earlier in the

:26:00. > :26:08.championship. Barry Hearn was saying they are giving parameters a chance.

:26:09. > :26:13.-- giving amateurs a chance. Tian is far from that, but he is 64 in the

:26:14. > :26:22.world so it would be a big shock if he could get a win. For now, he is

:26:23. > :26:28.in all kinds of trouble here. Once again, playing as if snooker.

:26:29. > :26:39.Looking at controlling up to a red, perhaps. -- at rolling up to a red.

:26:40. > :26:51.I don't see this being on. He has been a little bit fortunate, he has

:26:52. > :27:36.left a red in the middle, but the position side is not perfect.

:27:37. > :27:57.It would not surprise me if he tried to go into them from this, I think

:27:58. > :28:01.he almost has to. Identity would go into them at any pace, just

:28:02. > :28:24.dislodging a few is what he is after.

:28:25. > :28:28.It did not look good but it has not worked out too badly with the red to

:28:29. > :28:52.the right middle. He trailed 3-1 in his previous round

:28:53. > :29:12.against a 15-year-old. I think he would certainly be near

:29:13. > :29:17.the top of your list if you had to have a man to win a final frame

:29:18. > :29:19.decider. He would certainly be one of the players I would pick to put

:29:20. > :29:39.my last few pounds on. A little bit like the previous

:29:40. > :29:43.frame, which he should have won. Everything is hard work at the

:29:44. > :29:47.minute. The pink is in play, but the reds are in the way of each other so

:29:48. > :29:52.a couple of kisses are needed to make this frame continue. If he

:29:53. > :29:56.plays a cannon into the two reds in the gap, it would open things up a

:29:57. > :30:03.little bit. I think it is worth the risk, this one. Then everything

:30:04. > :30:08.should start to be a little bit easier.

:30:09. > :30:15.He played it at pace, it hasn't worked. Has he flicked one at? He

:30:16. > :30:19.has. He showed his hand in apology. He did not play that, you played a

:30:20. > :30:50.cannon on the two reds, as I suggested. He's not looking too

:30:51. > :31:29.comfortable out there. There is the difficulty about the shot. Still not

:31:30. > :31:31.perfect on this red. It should start to get a little easier than it has

:31:32. > :32:43.so far. Aside from just winning the frame,

:32:44. > :32:52.it would be good for Mark's confidence to do well here. He lost

:32:53. > :33:12.a similar frame to this before the interval. High-value, as Rowley once

:33:13. > :33:27.this time. That was all he wanted in the previous frame. The break has

:33:28. > :33:41.not been easy with low value colours. If he was feeling edgy,

:33:42. > :34:54.this might hopefully settle him. He has not started this season as

:34:55. > :36:27.well as he could. Very few better than Selby. Neil

:36:28. > :36:34.Robertson is looking on from the other table. He is still trailing

:36:35. > :36:45.3-2. The century there, and one just the

:36:46. > :36:50.other side of the dividing wall. Neil Robertson has knocked in his

:36:51. > :37:00.52nd century of the season. Extraordinary, and he finished his

:37:01. > :37:08.this often rather fine style -- he finishes this off in rather fine

:37:09. > :37:16.style. It is 5-1. Robbie has an awful lot to do if you used to climb

:37:17. > :37:23.back into this. Robertson 5-1 up and apparently cruising. That was a

:37:24. > :37:29.great response from Mark Selby. That is what you would expect. We have

:37:30. > :37:36.called the Hoover on many occasions because that is what he used to do,

:37:37. > :37:49.who balls up. -- Hoover the balls up. He prevails in a comeback. I

:37:50. > :37:58.remember last year him being 4-0 down and coming back up. He seems to

:37:59. > :38:02.enjoy the comeback, and is very good at it. Is that instinct is not to

:38:03. > :38:09.lose since to kick in. It does so rather late in the day. He is well

:38:10. > :38:11.back into this match now and is beginning to retrieve the

:38:12. > :38:29.situation. Another port break their from Tian.

:38:30. > :39:08.-- Another poor break there from Tian.

:39:09. > :39:31.Both players have got pressures of their own.

:39:32. > :40:01.He seems to be a player that works hard on his technique. It is times

:40:02. > :40:22.like this that your cue action comes under scrutiny.

:40:23. > :40:35.I don't know whether he will play for the black office red, the pink.

:40:36. > :41:01.Can he get back to that one loose red? That was a poor shot.

:41:02. > :42:00.Looks a little thin to guarantee getting in the pack. Yes, it was a

:42:01. > :42:37.little thin. That is not the best of safety

:42:38. > :42:54.shots. He has got an excellent chance here. He timed that

:42:55. > :43:14.absolutely perfectly. Great pot. That is the one he will be playing

:43:15. > :43:53.for. That might be a very lucky case on

:43:54. > :44:46.the green. -- kiss on the green. He has got to be careful he does not

:44:47. > :44:55.lead over the pocket. That is where he played the single

:44:56. > :45:28.red instead. That looks to be a fine safety

:45:29. > :46:33.shots. He has missed quite a few shot you

:46:34. > :47:37.would expect him to pot. This was horrible. He didn't get

:47:38. > :48:28.into the fault at all. The cue ball had time to move.

:48:29. > :48:45.The two reds look very close together.

:48:46. > :48:56.The next few shots are an important part of the match.

:48:57. > :48:59.When they are virtually all touching, you have to go into them

:49:00. > :49:06.twice. He has developed this into a chance

:49:07. > :50:29.to win the frame. The red up the table next to the

:50:30. > :50:38.green might come into play. It made me laugh, thinking of Mark Selby

:50:39. > :50:44.being called the Hoover. He does tend to Hoover the balls up. Not the

:50:45. > :52:47.best break of the game. Little bit twitchy there. I think he needed the

:52:48. > :53:04.He has over screwed Hoover there.

:53:05. > :53:04.He has over screwed behind the green. You should not be

:53:05. > :53:20.thinking like that. behind the green. You should not be

:53:21. > :53:20.Mark has not got the confidence at the moment.

:53:21. > :54:32.In hindsight, it seemed the wrong way. He was unlucky. I don't think

:54:33. > :54:38.you can criticise him for that shot. No, I am just saying he seems

:54:39. > :54:56.to be lacking confidence. He's just not quite timing it perfectly.

:54:57. > :55:10.The odd shot here or there shows he is not feeling 100% confident about

:55:11. > :55:54.his game. The next frame is really important.

:55:55. > :56:02.The world number two making a game of it. Meanwhile, Neil Robertson

:56:03. > :56:11.made absolutely sure against Robbie Williams in this frame and cleaned

:56:12. > :56:16.up here with a break of 90, a 6-1 win. He has lost only one friend so

:56:17. > :56:26.far. This was a thoroughly professional performance. Yes, very

:56:27. > :56:31.clinical. He has already had 51 centuries, which is incredible. That

:56:32. > :56:37.in itself is an incredible achievement. He is going to be very

:56:38. > :56:51.difficult to beat this week. I think it is imperative to get this match

:56:52. > :56:56.is over with early. It is important you leave plenty of petrol in the

:56:57. > :57:05.tank for later. We were asking. Is that plenty of petrol left in the

:57:06. > :57:12.tank? Yes. The first couple of rounds, the top players want to try

:57:13. > :57:16.and get over as quickly as possible, doesn't really matter how

:57:17. > :57:22.well you are playing because you can be playing really well but that is

:57:23. > :57:32.different to when you face someone like Ronnie Ding Junhui. Happy to

:57:33. > :57:48.win 6-1. I went for a lot of shots and I was not too disappointed. I

:57:49. > :58:00.kind of bullied him on the table a bit. We had been talking about your

:58:01. > :58:08.attitude coming into these events. Can you describe your attitude when

:58:09. > :58:13.you come in at the 128 stage? How much is it is born of the fact that

:58:14. > :58:17.you have had to do this throughout your qualifying career and have come

:58:18. > :58:30.to the top of the pile now? I said after my first match, when I came

:58:31. > :58:46.back, I wanted to give it a real good proper go. It is much better

:58:47. > :58:56.like this, so much better. The first prize is ?150,000. That is all I

:58:57. > :59:02.care about. There is for table set up in a closed room. That is better

:59:03. > :59:11.than what a practice when you would be. Overall, it has been fantastic.

:59:12. > :59:19.If you get past the first two rounds, it can be great. It is

:59:20. > :59:26.refreshing to hear the world number one say that. Please only thinking

:59:27. > :59:36.about winning the tournament. -- he is only thinking about winning the

:59:37. > :59:42.tournament. You can understand. The top 64 have that layered system. I

:59:43. > :00:02.think it is fair for the players coming through. We have since and

:00:03. > :00:04.great stories this week. For me, this is the second biggest

:00:05. > :00:14.tournament in the world. People think it is too similar. That is one

:00:15. > :00:20.grievance people have. It is changing. You have to have this

:00:21. > :00:29.attitude because that is the way it is. You get on with it. It might

:00:30. > :00:33.have been the second biggest tournament in the world but you have

:00:34. > :00:42.to do something to freshen it up. It will freshen up and appealed to the

:00:43. > :00:46.public. Also, I think it is good to give them TV exposure and

:00:47. > :00:57.experience. It is not fair to be in the top 16 and some players are not

:00:58. > :01:02.on TV, I do not think that is fair. A lot of the players will lose in

:01:03. > :01:07.the back room and think, there is no way he could be me and the TV. That

:01:08. > :01:15.is not really fair. F1 should be given the opportunities.

:01:16. > :01:23.You have thrived in this system, I have to say, 52 centuries this

:01:24. > :01:28.season alone. We say you are on the form of your life now? I am playing

:01:29. > :01:31.really well. I beat John Higgins in the final, that was the best final I

:01:32. > :01:34.have ever played in. If you told me up that I would keep

:01:35. > :01:41.playing like that and making these breaks, I thought I would have a

:01:42. > :01:43.couple more and make a big -- a few more big tournament is to my name.

:01:44. > :01:48.Ding Junhui has beaten me into quarterfinals, Ronnie O'Sullivan

:01:49. > :01:54.beat me 6-5, so the players I am losing two are the best in the

:01:55. > :01:57.world. If I am losing in last 16 Tomich one stuff like that I would

:01:58. > :02:06.reassess my form but I am playing well. -- if I am losing in last 16s

:02:07. > :02:14.and stuff like that. We saw how Mark Selby had managed to level things

:02:15. > :02:21.3-3 against Tian Pengfei. What is the situation now?

:02:22. > :02:28.A good opening read for Mark, which he cracked in. There were a couple

:02:29. > :02:32.of kisses onto other balls and it has left him a pressure one now if

:02:33. > :02:38.he takes it to the right-hand pocket or less so perhaps to the middle.

:02:39. > :02:46.You feel there is a turnaround here, although that is a big

:02:47. > :02:53.miscalculation. To go near to the corner pocket, Willie?

:02:54. > :02:56.Especially someone of Mark's class. He has played to stun it into the

:02:57. > :03:01.left-hand cushion first, and I am reprised each was to play that one.

:03:02. > :03:16.Interesting conversations with the lads there, with JP, Ken and Neil.

:03:17. > :03:18.I was interested to hear he said you should make your situation and you

:03:19. > :03:23.have to give other players a chance, I enjoyed what he said.

:03:24. > :03:30.I think Mark is similar to that, he does not complain a lot. What I

:03:31. > :03:35.would say is that it is quite exciting to see a lot of different

:03:36. > :03:40.players. The format, I think, is good. I cannot say I would be

:03:41. > :03:46.feeling that way is a top 16 player, necessarily. With all the bad

:03:47. > :03:51.results we have had, we have had some bad matches, 6-1s, but we saw

:03:52. > :03:56.the young lad beating Marco Fu, that is a story in itself, an amateur

:03:57. > :04:00.player getting to the television. It is a great story and one that

:04:01. > :04:05.Barry Hearn will use to defend it. I have enjoyed it. I can understand

:04:06. > :04:09.why some players wouldn't necessarily like the changes. The

:04:10. > :04:15.changes, I think, they will have to get used to. Our old friend Barry,

:04:16. > :04:22.he doesn't take many backwards steps, does he? If he says it is

:04:23. > :04:25.Christmas, sing jingle Bells! He is not frightened to make the

:04:26. > :04:30.changes. I agree with the lads that this is the second guest tournament

:04:31. > :04:35.and maybe it needed a change. I disagree with Ken that the

:04:36. > :04:38.tournament was dying, I think the three major tournament will always

:04:39. > :04:43.stand in good stead and will always get massive met -- viewing figures.

:04:44. > :04:47.It did need revamping in other departments, and I think Barry has

:04:48. > :04:52.done that. I think we all agree on that, we would all like to see the

:04:53. > :04:57.World Championship stayed just about as it is.

:04:58. > :05:04.That is the other thing that will always be set in stone. It doesn't

:05:05. > :05:09.always have to be at Sheffield, but just the format.

:05:10. > :05:17.Whoever wins this tournament will have won the UK Championship in the

:05:18. > :05:18.usual way, lots of hard work, lots of tough matches. They will be very

:05:19. > :05:31.well rewarded for it. This is proving to be a tough match

:05:32. > :05:34.for O'Prey. Tactical frame may be against him now even though he is

:05:35. > :05:41.starting to score better. -- this is a tough match for Mark. You like to

:05:42. > :05:47.think he would be in a better position against Tian Pengfei.

:05:48. > :05:51.This red is on, he is wondering whether to play back into baulk. If

:05:52. > :05:55.you are playing great you would fancy playing this shot, but I am

:05:56. > :05:57.not sure whether Mark is cueing well enough to be able to attempt this at

:05:58. > :06:15.this stage. I'm lucky. Very unfortunate. He hit

:06:16. > :06:18.that great. -- unlucky. I agree, that is showing positive

:06:19. > :06:23.intent, he just couldn't quite get the desired hits. If he had missed

:06:24. > :06:27.at first red he would still have been OK, but it is heartening to

:06:28. > :06:30.think he is starting to play the big positive shot 's now that he is back

:06:31. > :08:10.in the match. I don't think that is very

:08:11. > :08:12.I was not sure about this one at first. The pace of it allowed the

:08:13. > :08:26.ball to drop. The last few seasons, the way that

:08:27. > :08:33.Mark has become the player he is now, he has often one managers -- he

:08:34. > :08:36.has often won matches where he completely stops his opponent from

:08:37. > :08:41.scoring, closes the door on any chances coming, because he has this

:08:42. > :08:46.terrific safety name, then the chances arrive and he scores. Text

:08:47. > :08:50.with snooker, it reminds me a bit of the way Steve Davis used to play the

:08:51. > :08:55.game back in the 80s, used to describe his opponent.

:08:56. > :08:59.A couple of strange pictures in the press with young Steve today, I

:09:00. > :09:03.don't know whether you noticed them. He was showing a little bit of the

:09:04. > :09:08.rear. I didn't see that.

:09:09. > :09:17.Yes, it was a red top, Neil, you don't read those, do you? You are a

:09:18. > :09:23.Financial Times man. I didn't see it in the racing Post.

:09:24. > :09:33.He is doing very well, Steve. I must admit, I have wasted about

:09:34. > :09:36.?300 on telephone calls trying to get him to eat all sorts of against

:09:37. > :09:39.your things, all of against your things, although the beatings he

:09:40. > :09:45.gave me over the years. -- all sorts of obscure things.

:09:46. > :09:50.I think we are on the same boat there.

:09:51. > :09:58.This has been a very good performance from Mark Selby, he

:09:59. > :10:01.almost makes himself play well. He would have been very disappointed. I

:10:02. > :10:04.had a chat with him in the corridor and he felt he was playing too

:10:05. > :10:10.negatively in the fourth frame, which he should have won. Excellent

:10:11. > :10:17.clearance from Tian Pengfei to make it 3-1, but he certainly should have

:10:18. > :10:20.won that. He is certainly shaping up to play a

:10:21. > :10:26.cannon. Even has not gone as far on this like as he would have liked. He

:10:27. > :10:30.wanted to be a bit straighter, because we are assuming there is

:10:31. > :10:31.going to win the match. He is still far from home, but at the moment all

:10:32. > :10:47.the momentum is with him. If anything, that has tightened the

:10:48. > :10:49.reds up even more. It would be advantageous to go up for the blue

:10:50. > :11:09.hue. He did not get away with that one

:11:10. > :11:14.earlier on in the break. How on earth does he get the pack open? He

:11:15. > :11:16.cannot do anything with the red, too much of an angle, but he has to play

:11:17. > :11:51.the same shot, topside of the blue. Exactly where he did not want it.

:11:52. > :11:57.Also, I do not see any point in the snooker year. This is no man's land.

:11:58. > :12:01.He will have been rolling behind the blue, I admit, but with the rear of

:12:02. > :12:07.the reds are you cannot make anything from this. I agree, why not

:12:08. > :12:15.just run up to the yellow and forced Mark to play a good safety shot?

:12:16. > :12:19.It is almost likely better to let Mark see a red, because he would

:12:20. > :12:32.maybe miss hit it. He cannot stick anything from this.

:12:33. > :12:38.He can get back in behind green and brown here, I think. If he can miss

:12:39. > :12:47.the kiss on the black, missed the jaws of the middle pocket he should

:12:48. > :12:53.get close. He would like to get near the baulk cushion, but he should let

:12:54. > :13:00.him see a red. A much better shot. He can see it, I

:13:01. > :13:56.don't know if he can see all of it. He cannot risk running up to the red

:13:57. > :14:19.this time because the red below the black will pop. -- pot.

:14:20. > :14:28.That is a fabulous safety shot. He swung it round the baulk colours to

:14:29. > :14:36.make contact on the red. He has brought two or three reds into

:14:37. > :14:46.play. Look at the aid of the side he used to swing it around the green.

:14:47. > :14:49.-- the amount of side. Mark will be reluctant to move that red away from

:14:50. > :14:54.the black comedy will keep things tight at this end. -- away from the

:14:55. > :15:17.black, you will keep things. Another excellent safety shot.

:15:18. > :15:26.You just feel that Mark is turning the screw a little bit here. Tian

:15:27. > :15:30.has a clear shot at reds this time, but how on earth does he find the

:15:31. > :15:35.edge of one of those reds? This is awkward. He has to just drop onto

:15:36. > :15:49.the reds, I think. The only problem with that, he is

:15:50. > :15:51.leaving that in the middle pocket. I think the red will past -- will pass

:15:52. > :16:01.the pink. He is looking at the angle, not only

:16:02. > :16:07.if he can get on the pink, but he doesn't want to leave the cut red to

:16:08. > :16:15.the left of the black if he misses this. It is a shot you would expect

:16:16. > :16:18.to pot. REFEREE: Can you put that bag away,

:16:19. > :16:22.please? He has left the red to the left of

:16:23. > :17:36.the blue. Now, the weight on this is not good,

:17:37. > :17:40.it is the only place he cannot put a ball from, down there. It was never

:17:41. > :17:44.going to be an easy shot because he was up against the side cushion and

:17:45. > :17:51.could not play it with any stun or anything. A little bit harder,

:17:52. > :17:54.perhaps, coming off two cushions and up would have been better. The break

:17:55. > :19:19.ends very quickly. I cannot explain just how difficult

:19:20. > :19:24.that shot is, especially because he is playing it with swearing. When

:19:25. > :19:30.you swerve onto the first cushion in snooker, getting the pace of the

:19:31. > :19:59.shot is so difficult. -- he is playing it with swerve.

:20:00. > :20:08.This is right up there with one of the best safety shots you are likely

:20:09. > :20:11.to see. Completely as planned, as well. The

:20:12. > :20:13.red was very close to the bottom cushion, not an easy shot.

:20:14. > :20:30.Beautiful. At the moment, he is on the

:20:31. > :20:36.defensive, Tian. But there is no more than he could do than hit that.

:20:37. > :20:43.Playing it that way, you would now assume he is in more trouble.

:20:44. > :20:50.He cannot get to the left side of the reds, and he cannot do a lot on

:20:51. > :21:07.the right-hand side of the table, either.

:21:08. > :21:18.This is a little bit more difficult because it is so near the cushion.

:21:19. > :21:24.It is very easy to hit these too thick, but he played it very well.

:21:25. > :21:31.He could not have played that a lot better, very good.

:21:32. > :21:38.All credit, he is matching Mark Selby in this apartment, which I

:21:39. > :21:43.thought would be very unlikely. He is all of these points behind, 34,

:21:44. > :21:46.in a tactical frame. The colours are still on various spots, or knew of

:21:47. > :21:51.him, so if he wants to have a chance, this frame isn't over at

:21:52. > :21:55.all. This red can cut into the corner. If

:21:56. > :22:05.he hits it slightly sick he will career into the two reds. Will he

:22:06. > :22:15.risk playing the cut? -- if he hits it slightly thick.

:22:16. > :22:18.That was a shot where he knew it would possibly put him in trouble

:22:19. > :22:42.but he felt it was worth the risk. It is quite good fun to see a

:22:43. > :22:46.tactical frame of snooker, especially when players are playing

:22:47. > :22:50.it to this level. It is something you don't see very much in the

:22:51. > :22:51.amateur game, players who can play this kind of safety against each

:22:52. > :23:07.other. Once again, look at this.

:23:08. > :23:12.Tremendous. More trouble for Tian. Yes, it was a shot that was on. It

:23:13. > :23:21.is quite a big target, behind green and brown, but Selby is so good at

:23:22. > :23:25.that kind of shot. This is worrying times for Tian, he not only has to

:23:26. > :23:30.fit one, he has to get into a position where he can leave it safe.

:23:31. > :23:49.Selby is getting back into position at the moment.

:23:50. > :24:12.Mark does not want them this, this red is on. How hard has he had to

:24:13. > :24:18.work to get this opportunity? This is very tight match snooker.

:24:19. > :24:21.I must admit, I really enjoyed the last five minutes of play.

:24:22. > :24:25.That was as good a safety battle as I have seen in some time. Tian

:24:26. > :24:31.Pengfei played his part in that safety battle. This has developed

:24:32. > :24:32.into a chance to win the frame at this visit and it was an excellent

:24:33. > :25:20.bout of safety. So, he will be delighted to have got

:25:21. > :25:24.in front in this match, trailing 3-1.

:25:25. > :25:33.The pressure is slightly off in a longer match, but it is not really

:25:34. > :25:41.about that. It is about the way that he has done it. Still not quite at

:25:42. > :25:47.his best, I don't think, but his all-round game - well, he is a true

:25:48. > :25:48.champion. 241. He is in a bit of a rush to get through this frame, it

:25:49. > :25:57.seems! He has not won the match by any

:25:58. > :26:01.means, but psychologically that is quite a big deal, and Tian is

:26:02. > :26:06.thinking he may have to go to the plan B and be a bit more attacking,

:26:07. > :26:21.because ultimately he lost the safety duel.

:26:22. > :26:35.What a shot. His game is very measured, everything he does is like

:26:36. > :26:39.that, he does not play any risky shots. Even the flashy shots he

:26:40. > :26:48.plays with lots of skill. He will not be concerned about fat, Mark

:26:49. > :26:53.Selby, from 3-1 down, is 4-3 up now. STUDIO: And that is the score on

:26:54. > :26:57.table number three were Jamie Burnett is ahead of John Higgins.

:26:58. > :27:01.John has had a bit of an up and down season, started off really well

:27:02. > :27:05.getting to the final against Neil Robertson, but he has not been

:27:06. > :27:09.passed the last 16 in any event since then, and it is Jamie who has

:27:10. > :27:15.the distinction of being the only player to make a break officially

:27:16. > :27:19.over 147, 148 in the qualifiers of this event some years ago. Jamie

:27:20. > :27:26.Burnett going well, 4-3 against John Higgins. Meanwhile, Shaun Murphy,

:27:27. > :27:33.the 2008 champion runner-up here to Mark Selby, 5-2 up on his bonnet,

:27:34. > :27:39.Noppon Saengkham, and Shaun Murphy looking well so far.

:27:40. > :27:43.-- up on his opponent. And we head back to table two, Mark Selby has

:27:44. > :27:50.turned things around and now leads his Chinese opponent as we return to

:27:51. > :27:53.Willie and Neil. Thanks very much Hazel, Mark is

:27:54. > :28:00.waiting for his opponent to come back into the arena. He still does

:28:01. > :28:07.make but ice he does not look at these, he has been ill. I love Mark

:28:08. > :28:13.Selby to death, he started playing at club level at 14 years old so I

:28:14. > :28:20.have known him most of his life. I think he is playing too ill at the

:28:21. > :28:26.moment. You can burn yourself out for major tournaments. He has not

:28:27. > :28:29.turned up for tournament very well in the past two years.

:28:30. > :28:33.He lost to Barry Hawkins earlier this year at the World Championships

:28:34. > :28:38.and he did not have a lot to offer, to be honest. He played too much. I

:28:39. > :28:42.think these players have been manage the season, look at maybe getting a

:28:43. > :28:47.break before this Championship, if you can find one, and get another

:28:48. > :28:52.one about three or four weeks before the World Championships.

:28:53. > :28:56.It was interesting to listen to Neil Robertson earlier when he said he

:28:57. > :29:01.was going to pick and choose and not play so many Asian ones. Mark wants

:29:02. > :29:05.to play in everything, he just loves the game. Even when he was a young

:29:06. > :29:10.boy practising in my club, he would be there five or six hours a day,

:29:11. > :29:14.playing every day, on his own, up in a corner somewhere, not even playing

:29:15. > :29:21.on my match table, he would just try and include all the time.

:29:22. > :29:24.He was asked what would you rather be, world number one or world

:29:25. > :29:30.champion and he said, world champion. That in itself would tell

:29:31. > :29:36.you the gives himself a cancer being one. A lot of players have won the

:29:37. > :29:40.Masters and not one the World Championship, you cannot win

:29:41. > :29:43.everything, can you? Undoubtedly in the Masters, sometimes he has played

:29:44. > :29:47.absolutely perfect snooker and he could never eat someone the likes of

:29:48. > :29:52.O'Sullivan without playing perfect snooker because he is probably one

:29:53. > :29:59.of the game's greatest of. -- you could never beat. Mark Selby

:30:00. > :30:03.just looks unbeatable at times. He has no one to beat out of their

:30:04. > :30:07.now because Tian Pengfei has disappeared, but the good news is

:30:08. > :30:10.his cue is still there, he has not gone home.

:30:11. > :30:16.He will be kicking himself. He had an excellent chance to win the

:30:17. > :30:18.frame, but it is nice to see Tian Pengfei battling in the safety

:30:19. > :30:22.department. I would put Mark Selby in the top

:30:23. > :30:25.two of the world tactically and he stood to him there. It wasn't until

:30:26. > :30:30.he got to him there. It wasn't until he got in behind the green light in

:30:31. > :30:35.my opinion was the frame winner. Tian Pengfei is good to get a

:30:36. > :30:39.telling off or a plan B now, because I would think he would have to be

:30:40. > :30:44.more attacking, to take more risks and get in and go for balls. If you

:30:45. > :30:48.get sucked into a safety battle with this man he is going to lose it. He

:30:49. > :30:56.did lose it in the previous frame, maybe that is where he will go from

:30:57. > :31:03.here. Having taken an extended break, which is a bit unsports man

:31:04. > :31:39.like, he comes to the table trailing having led 3-1.

:31:40. > :31:47.He is in front, he may decide to play the power shot. It looks like

:31:48. > :31:51.he is playing a safety shot. Yes, he is playing the safety. A confident

:31:52. > :31:55.Selby would have been digging that in round the back of the black. He

:31:56. > :32:01.is playing perfect match play snooker. He knows he hasn't got a

:32:02. > :32:04.100% game at the moment. So he is trying to outplay him in the safety

:32:05. > :32:27.department. Mark is playing a similar shot, to

:32:28. > :32:31.get the cue ball up the other end again.

:32:32. > :33:13.No need to take undue risks, yes, just a holding shot.

:33:14. > :33:34.No need to take undue risks, yes, just a

:33:35. > :33:40.No need to take undue risks, yes, This time Mark is playing back

:33:41. > :33:40.No need to take undue risks, yes, So it made it look like he hit it

:33:41. > :34:02.too hard, So it made it look like he hit it

:34:03. > :34:05.We are going to find out what he has to offer, now he is behind with his

:34:06. > :34:35.chance. Looks like a difficult one for the

:34:36. > :34:41.referee. Can he get that pink ball in among

:34:42. > :34:45.all of those? This could take a while.

:34:46. > :34:58.Doesn't go in on its spot, it goes right in that little gap.

:34:59. > :35:04.A bit of a thankless job being a referee. We can criticise if they

:35:05. > :35:10.make the wrong decision but they never get a pat on the back when

:35:11. > :35:14.they play the perfect match. A good referee you never see, do you but

:35:15. > :35:25.they do a great job the referees, on the whole.

:35:26. > :35:28.I don't know where that black is going to go when it is potted. The

:35:29. > :35:54.red is on the spot. So careful the to make sure he is as

:35:55. > :36:10.near as possible. I think the red will still go in the

:36:11. > :36:15.left hand pocket, so this is a great chance to level the score, but when

:36:16. > :37:04.you have lost three on the trot, it is not so straightforward.

:37:05. > :37:11.It is one key shot away from making this a really good chance. He need

:37:12. > :37:16.to get in among them. Taking the red that he just has, just keep s the

:37:17. > :37:39.break going until the big shot arrives.

:37:40. > :37:44.Narchlingts is causing all the problem. You can see from that

:37:45. > :37:48.camera angle there, it doesn't pot in the left hand corner, if he plays

:37:49. > :37:54.to get on the black, he needs to get on it low. Not that low, goodness

:37:55. > :37:58.me, that was a twitch. It is one of those, now he has

:37:59. > :38:00.finished there, it might come in his favour, but he was fuming to finish

:38:01. > :38:07.there. Now he has, he still has to play the

:38:08. > :38:16.black, he will move the red, and this could go either way.

:38:17. > :38:21.It's a good pot but barring a plant I don't think the break can

:38:22. > :38:25.continue. So, could have made more there, just

:38:26. > :38:30.30, a bit similar to a previous frame where he got in first. That

:38:31. > :38:35.was unlucky not to have got on a red. Know it was a bad shot on the

:38:36. > :38:39.previous red but he played the black nicely. But as you said he was 30 in

:38:40. > :38:46.front in the last frame and let it go. I wonder what is going to happen

:38:47. > :38:51.here. Indeed. That was... Could have gone 4-2 up. Same thing happened. It

:38:52. > :39:29.is not going to hurt Mark Selby those kind of breaks.

:39:30. > :39:35.Gl right side of the table is covered, but this could be

:39:36. > :39:41.dangerous, in that I think that Tian is forced into going for the left

:39:42. > :39:43.corner. Sometimes player can be dangerous when forced into a shot.

:39:44. > :39:54.No safety shot available. The fact that the black doesn't pot

:39:55. > :39:56.in the right hand corner, makes it a bit more difficult to get on to a

:39:57. > :40:05.colour. There is no easy path back to baulk.

:40:06. > :40:09.O'Sullivan would potting it and screwing back on to baulk, because

:40:10. > :40:26.that is the only way he can get on to a colour.

:40:27. > :40:33.There is a long red for Selby. Yes, played the cue ball, that is all he

:40:34. > :40:39.was hoping for. You never know where the reds are going to finish. The

:40:40. > :40:44.object ball could go anywhere. This is is a big shot for Mark.

:40:45. > :41:01.It is dead straight this shot. Beautiful shot. Fabulous cueing. I

:41:02. > :41:04.mean, this would be a shot you would practise. Just couldn't hit it

:41:05. > :41:10.better than that. It is the kind of shot that Willie

:41:11. > :41:15.Thorne enjoyed watching there, didn't you? . A bit of pressure was

:41:16. > :41:19.taken off the shot, the fact the only #red he could leave on was the

:41:20. > :41:23.one he was going for. He was bound to leave the red. It couldn't have

:41:24. > :41:28.been played at a better pace, nicely on the blue. Even though he was 30

:41:29. > :41:45.points behind, he is favourite to win it.

:41:46. > :41:52.That wasn't the best shot he has ever played but the two reds are in

:41:53. > :42:00.play now. Just use those as a stopper.

:42:01. > :42:05.The poor shot has turned out to be in his favour, now he has everything

:42:06. > :42:32.in open place. -- play.

:42:33. > :42:40.The black didn't go in cleanly. But this has turned out fine. He

:42:41. > :42:45.looks suspiciously at the cue ball If he did get a kick, it is amazing

:42:46. > :42:49.the black got it. Usually when they kick they go off square. We will

:42:50. > :42:55.have another look. I don't think that was a kick. I don't think so.

:42:56. > :42:57.He probably felt he had a bad contact on the white. But that is

:42:58. > :43:10.where he was playing the cue ball. So far has it has been a good

:43:11. > :43:15.performance from Selby. He has hardly put a foot wrong in the next

:43:16. > :43:22.four game, when he hat got in he scored heavily. Apart from the one

:43:23. > :43:26.16 he has not been winning a frame at one visit.

:43:27. > :43:43.But he has scored better than he did before the interval.

:43:44. > :43:50.Choice of reds to the right middle. That is a good shot.

:43:51. > :43:52.Time to accumulate the reds in the middle of the table and make the

:43:53. > :44:04.frame his. A bit careless not getting top side

:44:05. > :44:09.of the blue. But the fact he doesn't have to do too much with the cue

:44:10. > :44:12.ball. Doesn't really want to be straight

:44:13. > :44:36.on the red. He wanted another two inches of pace on the cue ball.

:44:37. > :44:44.Kneels he can get better position that way. -- kneels he can get

:44:45. > :44:48.better position that way. He is looking at getting on the blue but

:44:49. > :44:54.he is not dead straight on the red, playing it that way. It shouldn't be

:44:55. > :45:02.a problem, because he can reach it. Yes, he will play a canon from blue

:45:03. > :45:11.to pink and leave the red in the opposite corner.

:45:12. > :45:20.If he plays the canon the pink will go on its own spot. He has to be

:45:21. > :45:25.careful not to snooker himself. Has he held the spot with the cue ball?

:45:26. > :45:32.I think he has. He didn't forget that, he could have easily forgot

:45:33. > :45:39.the pink goes back on its own spot. He looked at the scores and 21, he

:45:40. > :45:40.could take the two reds with blacks, and wouldn't need the one down the

:45:41. > :45:51.cushion. 36 in front in front then.

:45:52. > :45:52.It is a short of pace, I think. That is quite a wide angle he is left

:45:53. > :46:10.with. That red is going to come into play.

:46:11. > :46:14.As by disappointed to have left the white so -- a bit disappointed to

:46:15. > :46:19.have left the white so close to the cushion. He has an angle to get on

:46:20. > :46:23.to pink. He didn't want the white this close to the cushion. Has he

:46:24. > :46:29.missed it? I don't think I have seen him miss a shot like that before.

:46:30. > :46:40.That was a surprise, because it was in complete control up until then.

:46:41. > :46:50.His face changes into a rueful smile. He can't work out how that

:46:51. > :46:54.happened. All of a sudden, he looks pretty disappointed.

:46:55. > :46:57.He can't believe the shot he has missed, now, he knows that if he

:46:58. > :47:02.can't get to the red in the middle of the table, he has to play the

:47:03. > :47:07.safe red. It is almost beneficial to play the

:47:08. > :47:10.swerve, to try and hit the red rather than bringing the red off the

:47:11. > :47:12.cushion. That is why he is playing off one cushion, but he has to hit

:47:13. > :47:29.it though. It is where it will end up. This

:47:30. > :47:33.frame has a look about it of one he could somehow throw awayle and I

:47:34. > :47:47.think he knows it. -- throw away.

:47:48. > :47:53.He has to hit it this time or he will be warn.

:47:54. > :48:03.-- warned. That is all right. He has got himself out of that little mess.

:48:04. > :48:09.Clever shot. OK Tian Pengfei can bring one of the reds into play, but

:48:10. > :48:18.to win the frame he needs both of them.

:48:19. > :48:25.He has played the double kiss on the red. He has played it terrible. Very

:48:26. > :48:31.difficult to judge how hard you hit those, he played this double kiss,

:48:32. > :48:37.it is not very well played at all. Anything could happen there.

:48:38. > :48:50.The fact he gave that four points away, now means he needs both reds.

:48:51. > :48:57.What kind of angle on a colour can he leave to bring that red into

:48:58. > :49:01.play. He shouldn't have any trouble potting the rein the middle. Not

:49:02. > :49:05.sure he can avoid the kiss on the green without playing a bit of stun.

:49:06. > :49:30.He needs to miss the baulk colours coming in and out of baulk.

:49:31. > :49:43.I am not sure how he can get on the red from this.

:49:44. > :49:48.Pretty straight on the brown. It will be a hell of a shot if he could

:49:49. > :50:01.get on there. He clearly couldn't. That is about the only place that

:50:02. > :50:08.makes the safety shot difficult. That was a very poor shot. He will

:50:09. > :50:24.have to try and get on the red or leave the ball on the cushion.

:50:25. > :50:39.REFEREE: Foul. Well, strange one, because he played

:50:40. > :50:44.the shot on the brown, to give himself the first option at a good

:50:45. > :50:50.safety shot on the last red, but where he finished seemed like where

:50:51. > :50:51.it was meant to finish, he saw the result and Selby has this for the

:50:52. > :51:09.frame. It is not the first of those he

:51:10. > :51:14.missed. He has lost his composure. No doubt about that. He knows that

:51:15. > :51:20.in his mind if he can win this frame, he will win the match, but if

:51:21. > :51:27.it goes 4-4 in the frame he should have won, he will get twitchy.

:51:28. > :51:33.Well, what a chance. And this would be an absolute steal if he could win

:51:34. > :51:52.this. You could see the difficulty would

:51:53. > :51:56.be getting from brown to blue, I think that might be an awkward shot.

:51:57. > :51:59.But otherwise, not much to stop him, apart from the pressure of the

:52:00. > :52:42.situation. Most players would go two cushion

:52:43. > :52:46.here and try and play on the green in the top right. Doesn't have to be

:52:47. > :52:55.played that way, play on the green in the same pocket as the yellow.

:52:56. > :53:03.He has played it pretty well, hasn't he. That is a good shot.

:53:04. > :53:05.What has been a very tense frame is going to build up to the shot after

:53:06. > :53:28.the next one. Not a great angle. He will have to

:53:29. > :53:33.force it, he can punch the brown and just miss the middle pocket. Two or

:53:34. > :53:40.the three inches to the left or play the direct stun up.

:53:41. > :53:50.Why would he think about playing that side?

:53:51. > :54:00.He knew immediately, as soon as he hit this, he knew he had

:54:01. > :54:07.overscrewed. And Dr Tannian there with the sword!

:54:08. > :54:16.He can get to the side of it, clearly he has to find a safety shot

:54:17. > :54:21.which is not easy. If he hits it thin and tries to get

:54:22. > :54:24.the white somewhere where it is now. There is one thing I couldn't do is

:54:25. > :54:31.that. It may not be so bad if Mark can't

:54:32. > :54:36.get the blue up and down the table, but that was his chance, perhaps, I

:54:37. > :54:44.wonder if that will be his last chance in the frame. When first saw

:54:45. > :54:48.this I thought Selby could get him in a lot of trouble. I don't know,

:54:49. > :55:01.it is not as simple at that to get the distance between two balls.

:55:02. > :55:40.With it being eight points he has to make sure that the blue goes safe.

:55:41. > :55:46.Mark will need the one ball. Has he left this over the middle? Ances on

:55:47. > :55:52.a postcard! That is unbelievable.

:55:53. > :55:58.He has tried to get just past the middle. I am sure of that. Over

:55:59. > :56:02.compensate, if he can do anything on that. It might be he hit it too much

:56:03. > :56:13.angle on the blue. I am not certain he played on the

:56:14. > :56:17.pin it can the right middle. Look up to the heavens there, a big sigh

:56:18. > :56:22.there because he knows it is a frame he tried to throw away, but Mark

:56:23. > :56:27.Selby disgusted with himself but he should be happy he goes two clear

:56:28. > :56:31.now. It is looking good for Mark Selby although he has made a bit of

:56:32. > :56:35.hard work. He has broken down on frame ball two or three time,

:56:36. > :56:40.however he has prevailed in that one, and there is a result from the

:56:41. > :56:47.arena and it has gone the way of Shaun Murphy. Six frames to 2. He is

:56:48. > :56:52.through to the last 16. The former UK champion. In fact that equals his

:56:53. > :56:58.best progress all season in the major event, he has made the last 16

:56:59. > :57:03.in Australia and shaings high, he has lost -- Shanghai. So Shaun

:57:04. > :57:07.making progress, he is through, and good to see him playing well.

:57:08. > :57:14.Looking so well. Doesn't he look great. Lost a fair bit of weight and

:57:15. > :57:19.a happy, I am sure after today. So, good work from Shaun Murphy today.

:57:20. > :57:26.How do you rate his season so far? It is not been, the absolute upper

:57:27. > :57:30.echelons of the sport. A bit in consistent but he has a tendency.

:57:31. > :57:34.When he is good he very good. Sometimes his matches he loses you

:57:35. > :57:40.think he should never lose. Some people have better sunshine vial

:57:41. > :57:45.instinct that Shaun. Some still know how to get over the line but he

:57:46. > :57:50.doesn't. When he is at his best he is seriously good. A new cue? Yes he

:57:51. > :57:55.had that champion the one he won the World Championship with. He started

:57:56. > :57:59.off with a new cue. I don't know if he still has it. So maybe, you know,

:58:00. > :58:04.trying to get used to that is more difficult, but as John said his cue

:58:05. > :58:10.action when he is on song there is nothing better to watch. No Noppon

:58:11. > :58:14.Saengkham is a gentleman we don't know a huge amount. He is a world

:58:15. > :58:18.under 21 champion, and it was as a result of winning that title that he

:58:19. > :58:22.got on to this tour, and it is opportunities like that that are

:58:23. > :58:28.afforded to players round the world, that has to be a good thing. He

:58:29. > :58:32.plays in the academy with the likes of James Wattana and Dechawat

:58:33. > :58:36.Poomjaeng. So they have a nice group of thy players there. That helps,

:58:37. > :58:40.because when you come from a country, many miles away, you know,

:58:41. > :58:44.being away from home, from your family, but he has a group there,

:58:45. > :58:50.and he will learn a lot from James Wattana as well, who has got bundles

:58:51. > :58:55.of experience. You have fantastic ready made partner, so that has to

:58:56. > :58:59.help you. Ding played Wattana and beat him and said after it was

:59:00. > :59:04.really difficult. Because they know one another so well. Knelt like it

:59:05. > :59:08.was a practise match It was the same when I used to play some of the

:59:09. > :59:12.Irish lads, it was difficult. You practise with them regularly, so

:59:13. > :59:15.there is more pressure and of course, you know, bragging rights

:59:16. > :59:26.when you go back to the academy as well, it always helps! Speaking of

:59:27. > :59:32.that, quarter-finals of the world Six Reds championship he beat you.

:59:33. > :59:40.Let us move along! It seems to have an affinity with that format of

:59:41. > :59:47.snooker. Why is that? I don't know, they like that format in the Far

:59:48. > :59:54.East, the quick shot format, and he has gained confidence by beating me!

:59:55. > :59:59.Would have helped him. It is a great format with the six reds. Also,

:00:00. > :00:02.playing at that stage against some of the top players and going the

:00:03. > :00:07.distance in a tournament will give you confidence, as well. Whilst I

:00:08. > :00:10.trawl through the archives to see if we can come up with more defeats of

:00:11. > :00:15.Ken Doherty... I have a catalogue here!

:00:16. > :00:22.We will get back to Mark Selby, shall we?

:00:23. > :00:29.COMMENTATOR: Let's see we can think of a few others, Willie, shall we?

:00:30. > :00:34.Defeat 's? I think we have enough of our own to worry about over the

:00:35. > :00:39.years. I think Mark Selby was really relieved in the previous frame.

:00:40. > :00:45.He scrambled over the line, the match is of course not over yet, but

:00:46. > :00:50.he must be feeling a lot better about things now.

:00:51. > :00:59.I am surprised how many bad because there have been in this match. Mark

:01:00. > :01:08.Selby did not get the white anywhere near the baulk collision, but the MP

:01:09. > :01:09.has -- Tian Pengfei has played that really nicely. I'm lucky to kiss the

:01:10. > :01:18.blue. Yet we got a little bit lucky,

:01:19. > :01:20.because the red and the cue ball flicked each other to make it

:01:21. > :01:24.pottable to the right middle. He has made an effort to speed his

:01:25. > :01:35.game up. This could be dangerous in this

:01:36. > :01:41.frame now, the pressure in some ways is off him from 3-1 up, he has lost

:01:42. > :01:45.four in a row, it would not surprise me if he knocked a few in. That is

:01:46. > :01:52.the way the game is, psychologically. A bit of a backlash

:01:53. > :01:58.from what has gone on before. It looked like he may have played

:01:59. > :02:24.the cannon there on the blue. He is nicely on a baulk colour.

:02:25. > :02:42.Purposefully trying to leave himself low on the black so he can go into

:02:43. > :02:51.the bunch. He has that one loose red. He can play this powerfully.

:02:52. > :02:56.He has brought a couple of reds out. A lot of players would have gone

:02:57. > :03:02.into them a little bit harder than that.

:03:03. > :03:15.He has miscued. Can you believe that? What a time to miscued. It

:03:16. > :03:21.didn't look like it was possible from there.

:03:22. > :03:28.No, he is hitting it slowly and it is rare to miscued playing the ball

:03:29. > :03:35.slowly. This match has taken a very similar pattern. A lot of the

:03:36. > :03:38.frames, Tian has gone in first and made a few but he has not punished

:03:39. > :03:59.Mark Selby enough. It may not be that bad, after the

:04:00. > :04:08.last shot that Mark played. He finished in the middle of nowhere

:04:09. > :04:24.there. It may be worth the risk-taking the

:04:25. > :04:29.middle one of those three reds. He can get nicely on the black and will

:04:30. > :04:33.not leave an easy pot on. He has decided to play a safety. You can't

:04:34. > :04:37.blame him, he is not playing great, just trying to keep things tight at

:04:38. > :04:41.the moment. He played a bad positional shot, as Neil mentioned,

:04:42. > :05:57.on the last visit, so here's hoping for an easier chance.

:05:58. > :06:31.He has tried to cover the red in baulk with the brown.

:06:32. > :06:36.I think there could conceivably be a gap between the baulk colours. Mark

:06:37. > :06:48.might be able to get to the pot. He may not have gone for the pot,

:06:49. > :07:02.actually. He certainly didn't, looking at the cue ball.

:07:03. > :07:09.Yes, the fact it is glued to the baulk cushion makes this safety very

:07:10. > :07:14.difficult. There is no clear avenue to get back into baulk so he may

:07:15. > :07:19.have to leave the cue ball at this end of the table. The red behind the

:07:20. > :07:23.black is pottable, so he will have to play a good safety shot. He is

:07:24. > :07:30.looking at playing up and down and leaving the cue ball in the jaw, but

:07:31. > :07:34.Selby will be able to play along the question if he does that. -- along

:07:35. > :07:40.the cushion. This is a very dangerous shot, but

:07:41. > :08:54.he has played it well. Good shot. That was a good escape from Mark

:08:55. > :08:58.comedy has left him in a tough position once again. It is tough to

:08:59. > :09:01.gain the upper hand on the safety exchange. -- that was a good escape

:09:02. > :09:12.from Mark, he has left him. There is no point taking on the pot

:09:13. > :09:17.because pink and blue are safe. If he tries moving the cue ball down

:09:18. > :09:22.this end of the table as I mentioned before Selby could play the red

:09:23. > :09:24.behind the black. He is playing to rest on the one near the black. This

:09:25. > :09:38.looks a bit narrow to me. Well done, he has not left apart. --

:09:39. > :09:44.a pot. I think he could be in a snooker

:09:45. > :09:48.after this shot. Mark is trying to get in behind the black, I think.

:09:49. > :09:55.The reds are so widely spread he will have to be tight against the

:09:56. > :10:00.black. I don't think he has sniggered him completely on the red

:10:01. > :10:01.to the left of the table. He might not be too disappointed about

:10:02. > :10:39.leaving that one. Well, he obviously played that a lot

:10:40. > :10:43.harder than he wanted to and very nearly left and easy opening red for

:10:44. > :10:53.mark in the middle, but at this angle it is not straightforward. --

:10:54. > :10:58.and easy opening red for Mark. Think -- Mark is trying to leave the

:10:59. > :11:00.white exactly where the Q-Tip is. Hopefully he will get in behind a

:11:01. > :11:30.baulk colour. Once again, an excellent safety shot

:11:31. > :12:29.from Mark. The red in the middle has turned up.

:12:30. > :12:37.That is a good shot. A very good shot.

:12:38. > :12:43.He played it quite positively, he is not right in behind the black. He

:12:44. > :12:45.doesn't have to go that far away from the reds for this, even though

:12:46. > :13:07.the angle slightly against him. Well, he nearly missed this, because

:13:08. > :13:08.he over cut it. The cue ball has travelled too far and he cannot

:13:09. > :13:19.believe he is not on the next red. I think Mark is feeling the

:13:20. > :13:26.pressure, even though he is in front. Look at this. You don't get

:13:27. > :13:31.many emotions out of Mark Selby. They call him the Jester from

:13:32. > :13:37.Leicester, full of laughs. But I think he is feeling the pressure a

:13:38. > :13:40.little. The second match in a role he has been behind in. It has been a

:13:41. > :13:46.hard one. Three hours, they have been playing, it has been a long

:13:47. > :13:48.slog to get to this position. From his perspective, he just has to

:13:49. > :14:08.finish Tian Pengfei off now. Tian possible -- Tian's

:14:09. > :14:16.concentration I don't think is as good as Selby's now. He keeps

:14:17. > :14:24.looking over at the other table. He just did it again there.

:14:25. > :14:32.I suppose after a while, playing someone like Mark, the grind of it,

:14:33. > :15:33.he doesn't get many opportunities, it takes its toll.

:15:34. > :15:47.What a shot that is. He is unlucky to finish where he hands. It is a

:15:48. > :15:54.good shot, natural. You look at Mark and you know he is feeling it, but

:15:55. > :15:57.clearly Tian, every now and then aims to want to know what is

:15:58. > :16:01.happening on the other table. Some signs that maybe he is not

:16:02. > :16:33.concentrating now as well as he could after three hours of play.

:16:34. > :16:39.This is the first time Mark has been faced with a situation where it is

:16:40. > :16:45.tough to get back into baulk. He could hit the red at the extreme

:16:46. > :16:49.right hand side of the table and come back into baulk that way, but

:16:50. > :16:55.it is one of those shots if you had it slightly thick you will kiss the

:16:56. > :17:34.red on the way back. -- if you hit it slightly thick.

:17:35. > :17:43.Well, he found there was no safety shot to place all went all out for

:17:44. > :17:51.the plot -- for the pot. Look at this shot here.

:17:52. > :17:56.That is what they say, if you cannot find a safety shot you might as well

:17:57. > :18:01.take a pot on, however difficult it is. I wonder if he fancies the next

:18:02. > :18:06.one, though. This might win him the match if this goes in.

:18:07. > :18:34.It struggled in, but it gives him that important chance now.

:18:35. > :18:43.He appears to have just got topside of the black, there is only one more

:18:44. > :18:47.loose red he can get onto, the one next to the yellow. He would like to

:18:48. > :18:53.bring more reds into play at some stage if he can, he may try and do

:18:54. > :18:57.it of the next colour. If he gets topside of the blue, it is a nice,

:18:58. > :19:02.big target to go into the pink and open the remaining five reds, which

:19:03. > :19:06.could open them in such a way to give him a match-winning

:19:07. > :19:10.opportunity. This is a big shot. It needs an angle. The pink and the red

:19:11. > :19:21.pot as well. It looks like he is playing for the pink.

:19:22. > :19:28.Finishing straight on this suggests he might not be able to get to the

:19:29. > :19:33.next red. He is pretty straight. I think he can just flick the other

:19:34. > :19:37.red in, which means it will push the white to the right of the yellow,

:19:38. > :19:47.meaning the red will be available to the opposite middle.

:19:48. > :19:54.That is what he has played, to leave the red in the middle, but I am not

:19:55. > :20:02.sure when the pink goes on its spot whether it will pot.

:20:03. > :20:14.The red seems to pot, I think, he looks purposeful about this shot.

:20:15. > :20:21.There was a lot of things moving there. We saw his body on that shot,

:20:22. > :20:27.things just moving around. He does move on his shots a little bit.

:20:28. > :20:36.Probably that was the last shot he would need to win this match. He has

:20:37. > :20:41.not left much long pot there that is difficult. 15 points is a slender

:20:42. > :21:22.lead where the balls are. Once again, Selby's safety very

:21:23. > :21:24.tight. He has not got the snooker, but he does not get many chances

:21:25. > :21:48.away on that safety exchange. That was an attacking shot from

:21:49. > :22:03.Tian. Things have opened up a lot here.

:22:04. > :22:10.Yes, as a safety shot, pretty straightforward, but unless he finds

:22:11. > :22:14.the baulk cushion, this red on the left-hand side will be pottable. He

:22:15. > :22:18.would like to get the cue ball anywhere in that area it is now,

:22:19. > :22:32.because the green and blue will cover that red.

:22:33. > :22:40.Now, how is the weight? It looks pretty good to me. Even if he can

:22:41. > :23:07.see the red to pot it, it will be difficult. He can see it.

:23:08. > :23:15.Brilliant shot from Tian. As Willie said, it was on, but by no means was

:23:16. > :23:51.that red easy, at all. He has over Scrooge sat a little bit

:23:52. > :23:53.too much. -- screwed that. It will now be easy to get on the one in the

:23:54. > :24:06.left-hand corner. That is a little bit unlucky. He

:24:07. > :24:11.could still cut this one in without too much problem.

:24:12. > :24:16.I think he flicked the red on this shot. I am sure the top red was

:24:17. > :24:22.flicked there. Either way, this next shot is difficult.

:24:23. > :24:25.He cue it very nicely. He has found a bit extra in this break when it

:24:26. > :24:29.looks like he was beginning to get out bit demoralised by relentless

:24:30. > :24:40.safety from Mark Selby, giving him no chances.

:24:41. > :24:47.Well, that is what I thought might happen at the start of the break. He

:24:48. > :24:55.had shown he was still in concentration, but he was very

:24:56. > :24:56.tentative on that one. Selby was very quickly out of his chair for

:24:57. > :25:05.this chance. It will be tough to win the frame

:25:06. > :25:13.and match at this visit, yellow to green will be tough on this one. I

:25:14. > :25:15.wonder if he could be playing for the gap between black and red here

:25:16. > :25:29.to get onto this last red. He would like to get onto the black

:25:30. > :25:33.in such a way that he could move the yellow nearer the pocket, because

:25:34. > :25:34.yellow to green will be very tough. He would like to bring the yellow

:25:35. > :25:46.into play. He has not got the angle to move the

:25:47. > :25:49.yellow, so he is trying to look for an angle to get from yellow to

:25:50. > :25:54.green. A lot of balls have been missed in this corner pocket.

:25:55. > :25:55.He is looking at finishing low on the yellow, which would mean the cue

:25:56. > :26:05.ball is right on the cushion. That is not the greatest angle over.

:26:06. > :26:21.At least he is close to it, though, which helps. Which way will he go?

:26:22. > :26:27.That was quite well controlled. It helped he was really close to the

:26:28. > :26:31.object ball there, that made that shot pottable.

:26:32. > :27:02.Green and brown needed. Well, Mark Selby has not played at

:27:03. > :27:05.his best, but one thing you can see, he is a real professional,

:27:06. > :27:10.because he has battled hard, his safety has been immaculate. He has

:27:11. > :27:16.given chances away, but he was 3-1 down and has come back to win. That

:27:17. > :27:23.is why he is defending champion. Good match between the two of them.

:27:24. > :27:28.Tian Pengfei led 3-1, Mark Selby rattled off five in a row,

:27:29. > :27:33.tactically brilliant and won 6-3. He is through to the last 16. Once

:27:34. > :27:39.again, his baffling instinct to come to the fore, the defending champion

:27:40. > :27:44.goes through to the last 32. And John Higgins is around the head,

:27:45. > :27:49.he has just secured a victory over Jamie Burnett 6-4. It was very tight

:27:50. > :27:54.in this frame, it all came down to the pink and black. John had to

:27:55. > :27:58.think this one to big his place in the last 16. That is the furthest he

:27:59. > :28:03.has been in any major world ranking tournament since. Having popped this

:28:04. > :28:11.one in he will play either Liang Wenbo or fellow squat -- Scott

:28:12. > :28:17.Stephen Maguire. John Higgins, three-time champion, goes through.

:28:18. > :28:19.Well done to John. Vets reflect on the match with Mark Selby, probably

:28:20. > :28:24.harder work than he may have expected today, John.

:28:25. > :28:28.Yes, I would be interested to see when we speak to him what he is

:28:29. > :28:32.feeling like health wise. He looked very pale, we know he has been ill

:28:33. > :28:36.for a couple of days and it may be just one of those matches have to

:28:37. > :28:41.get over the line with and rest for a few days. But listen, you just

:28:42. > :28:44.have to get over the line. Yes, second time he has actually fallen

:28:45. > :28:50.three - one behind and had to force a comeback.

:28:51. > :28:52.Even at the interval, there is one of those players who revels in

:28:53. > :28:58.coming from behind. He has done it so many times, he did it at the UK

:28:59. > :29:01.Championship, we saw it in the World Championship with that great run to

:29:02. > :29:07.the final. He is very professional, he digs his heels in and never gives

:29:08. > :29:11.up. He has that survival instinct and has a great matchplay game. Even

:29:12. > :29:16.when he is playing bad or not at his best, he can still beat these types

:29:17. > :29:20.of players. On another day he meet have turned him over. We're just

:29:21. > :29:23.saying nice things about you, congratulations.

:29:24. > :29:28.Harder work than you may have liked to Michael I have played Tian a few

:29:29. > :29:34.times so I know what to expect comedy beat me in Wuxi a few years

:29:35. > :29:37.ago in group format. I played him in the classic earlier

:29:38. > :29:41.this year and I won that one. He always plays well against me. Today

:29:42. > :29:50.come in patches I played OK. I looked at the scoresheet at the end

:29:51. > :29:54.I had 87, two 100s but there were a lot of balls I missed. How is your

:29:55. > :29:59.health? You have looked a bit odd peel.

:30:00. > :30:03.-- you have looked a bit pale. I normally do!

:30:04. > :30:05.Obviously you were unwell last week, has that impacted preparations

:30:06. > :30:09.for this? I felt under the weather last week

:30:10. > :30:14.but now I feel fine. Even if I lost today that would ever

:30:15. > :30:18.be an excuse. Obviously at this early stage you

:30:19. > :30:21.want to be playing smoothly through, but having had two reasonably

:30:22. > :30:27.difficult matches where you were pushed, how does that stand you

:30:28. > :30:32.going forward? It shows that my battling qualities are still there.

:30:33. > :30:35.I could have won the match is a lot more convincingly, but at the end of

:30:36. > :30:38.the day I am still in the tournament, which is the main thing.

:30:39. > :30:44.How do you feel when you are behind? Some players tighten up a little

:30:45. > :30:48.bit, but you, how do you feel when you go into that 3-1 down?

:30:49. > :30:54.It doesn't seem to faze you as it right others. It seems to happen a

:30:55. > :31:00.lot with me, I get off to a slow start and go 3-1 behind.

:31:01. > :31:07.But I was saying earlier, I seem to be more relaxed when I am behind. It

:31:08. > :31:12.is like you feel you are going out so your arm goes free. On a scale of

:31:13. > :31:16.one to ten, where do you think your form is?

:31:17. > :31:20.-1? Obviously I played well against

:31:21. > :31:24.O'Sullivan, I played well against the group in the champions, but

:31:25. > :31:30.overall or probably six or seven. But it is a long tournament. And it

:31:31. > :31:33.is a long season, normally you set off very quickly in a season but you

:31:34. > :31:35.have taken the time to start winning things.

:31:36. > :31:39.As you say, and were a couple of weeks ago, argue constant --

:31:40. > :31:43.consciously trying to tailor your season to peak for the bigger ones?

:31:44. > :31:46.But really, every tournament you going to try and win.

:31:47. > :31:50.To try and win even one tournament is really tough, the standard is as

:31:51. > :31:53.high as it has ever been. If you were to go through a tournament

:31:54. > :31:56.season and are not win a tournament, you would be disappointed, but you

:31:57. > :32:03.cannot be too disappointed because it is hard. Neil Robertson was on

:32:04. > :32:05.Elliott debating the merits of the new introductions, where do you

:32:06. > :32:09.stand? I like everyone on the same round,

:32:10. > :32:14.that is a good thing, but I think 128 is probably too many.

:32:15. > :32:19.I am all for keeping 32 at the venue and just having two match tables.

:32:20. > :32:24.But the qualifiers, whether it is in Barnsley or Gloucester, then the

:32:25. > :32:27.players come to the venue then. Overall confidence levels when you

:32:28. > :32:30.come to defending your title, how have you done over the years

:32:31. > :32:37.defending titles? What does it bring out a new?

:32:38. > :32:40.I am not too sure, obviously you come more team, you want to try and

:32:41. > :32:42.keep your hands on the trophy as long as possible, but it builds

:32:43. > :32:47.pressure, as well, because everyone is gunning for you. We'll see how it

:32:48. > :32:52.goes, I will time at best as always see what happens. Mark, you are

:32:53. > :32:56.through, well played today. Well, this is one of the main stops

:32:57. > :33:00.on the new snooker tour. In fact it was all over the world

:33:01. > :33:03.now and six weeks ago there was an interesting trip to India. The

:33:04. > :33:09.birthplace come in fact, of this sport. Ken was part of the circus

:33:10. > :33:25.that went there and a good time was had by all.

:33:26. > :33:32.This is a dream come true. We have been working on this for quite some

:33:33. > :33:36.time now. We started talking about this two years ago, in Bangkok, when

:33:37. > :33:43.I met Jason Ferguson for the first type. The idea was mooted there in

:33:44. > :33:48.Bangkok, and from there, we, it has been a long journey to get here, but

:33:49. > :33:52.I am proud now, today, that Indian Open is finally happening, and that

:33:53. > :34:00.world snooker has come back home, to the country where it started.

:34:01. > :34:04.It is a very very significant moment in cue sport in the country. I feel

:34:05. > :34:09.very excited to be part of it, as a player, as a professional snooker

:34:10. > :34:11.player, when I joined the professional snooker circuit a

:34:12. > :34:15.year-and-a-half ago, I never thought there would be a ranking event in

:34:16. > :34:20.India so soon and I would qualify for it and I would play in front of

:34:21. > :34:27.my home fans and get a lot of support from my relatives.

:34:28. > :34:37.It is great you have two fantastic players. It is good that the Indian

:34:38. > :34:41.people have someone they can back against the world's top player, so

:34:42. > :34:48.hopefully in the future India can embrace the sport and be a top

:34:49. > :34:53.country to hold many events. It is not that long ago we went to

:34:54. > :35:01.China with one major ranking eent we have five now. -- vent. So that is

:35:02. > :35:05.how marketing and a nation can grasp on to their heros that play. We have

:35:06. > :35:11.seen the passion for cricket here we believe we can bring that same

:35:12. > :35:18.position to -- passion to our sport. I have been in India a few time, my

:35:19. > :35:24.wife is Indian, visiting Delhi is really nice.

:35:25. > :35:32.I saw a few pash minute that, like to my my mam and my wife one when I

:35:33. > :35:36.am away, particularly anywhere in Asia.

:35:37. > :35:40.The Irish are like, they a bit like the Scottish and the Welsh, they

:35:41. > :35:53.rabbit tight. We will have to do some bargaining when we come back.

:35:54. > :36:00.If you take from 1958 India has held 28 international tournaments, 14 of

:36:01. > :36:06.them have come in the last seven years.

:36:07. > :36:10.So India has become the hub now, for cue sport, and several academies

:36:11. > :36:17.that are coming up, one academy is already there in Bangalore, one is

:36:18. > :36:23.coming up, a world class academy is coming up in Hydrabad. They will any

:36:24. > :36:27.chur talent, the youngster, and all these people will take to the game.

:36:28. > :36:36.-- nurture. This is a great start, obviously, in

:36:37. > :36:41.the first ever professional event and hopefully we can move forward

:36:42. > :36:44.from there and have a lot more professional events, and more

:36:45. > :36:50.importantly, build a good tradition of, and create a lot of great

:36:51. > :36:53.player, I am sure the game itself is something that India will appreciate

:36:54. > :36:58.a lot. It is just a matter of showing them what this game is

:36:59. > :37:02.capable of, and what kind of future it promises.

:37:03. > :37:06.A real home coming for snooker, because it was invented in the 1880s

:37:07. > :37:12.there and you are a student of the game. Did that resonate with you? It

:37:13. > :37:15.was great to go back to India. I first played there in 1987 I think

:37:16. > :37:20.it was. So it was nice to go back. Hopefully, as Jason said there, that

:37:21. > :37:26.it will open the door to many more events, and the fact they have got

:37:27. > :37:31.two high quality player s, who both got to the semi-final there, it was

:37:32. > :37:36.a dream come true, but it was a fantastic event and it was a great

:37:37. > :37:41.success, it was nice to play there. The fact we have two Asian players

:37:42. > :37:47.in the final, it is end distinctive of the power change. I agree. We use

:37:48. > :37:51.toed go to Thailand, when James Wattana was a top three player, it

:37:52. > :37:55.was like the Beatles turning up at the airport. Having their own

:37:56. > :38:02.players doing well, it is a massive difference. I got I got a good deal

:38:03. > :38:06.of the scarf by the way! You are given the chance to travel the

:38:07. > :38:09.world, how difficult is it to strike a balance between making the most of

:38:10. > :38:15.the opportunities and keeping your mind on the business at hand, you

:38:16. > :38:19.went off to the Taj ma hall. Yes, it took us seven hours to get there,

:38:20. > :38:25.but it was quite an eventful day, but yeah, you have to find a nice

:38:26. > :38:30.balance, sometimes it is nice to get out and see a bit of the city. That

:38:31. > :38:34.is what we decided to do. A few of the player, we got down and saw the

:38:35. > :38:37.Taj many hall, and that was an experience in itself, so, it was

:38:38. > :38:43.nice to take in a bit of the culture, as well as like being a

:38:44. > :38:49.a... It is not always like that. I was in China, they said come and see

:38:50. > :38:54.the great wall, you have to remember who you are mixing with! Happily, I

:38:55. > :38:59.know that world snooker have signed a contract with Indian snooker and

:39:00. > :39:05.we will be going there for another two world ranking events over the

:39:06. > :39:09.next couple of years. We are going to get back to the business here in

:39:10. > :39:15.York and we are concentrating on a match from last night, featuring

:39:16. > :39:21.Mark Allen, he has won European tour events and that has put him at the

:39:22. > :39:26.top of the Order of Merit rankings he, he is never short of an opinion

:39:27. > :39:32.but largely he has let his snooker do the talking. He was up against

:39:33. > :39:36.Dave haar record. Hard man haar rolled who is nerve a push over for

:39:37. > :39:45.anyone. We will join them in frame eight. Allen is 5-2 in front. It is

:39:46. > :39:51.Stephen Hendry and Dennis Taylor looking on.

:39:52. > :40:40.He will have a choice now, with his next shot.

:40:41. > :40:42.Either just play it for the loose red or twie and develop the two that

:40:43. > :40:57.is behind the black spot. That has brought both into play. As

:40:58. > :41:02.long as this red doesn't, well it has blocked the path for the blue

:41:03. > :41:08.into one pocket, but he can stun down towards the pink and black

:41:09. > :41:11.here. Leave the blue into the other

:41:12. > :41:28.corner, the centre pocket rather. I won't be easy to make a frame win

:41:29. > :41:32.ing chance this. Especially the red on the top cushion, that is going to

:41:33. > :41:43.take some shot to get up for a colour.

:41:44. > :42:25.May try to develop the pink here. Is he snookered? I think he is OK. I

:42:26. > :42:29.he might not be able to get the right angle to get up to that

:42:30. > :42:33.difficult red Steven mentioned. If he gets on to it, he will have to

:42:34. > :42:35.play wit a bit of pace to get up from the blue. It is not

:42:36. > :42:47.straightforward. Using the jaws of the pocket to get

:42:48. > :42:52.himself the other side of the blue, but... We are all square, score wise

:42:53. > :43:05.in in frame. So just tucking the... He has taken

:43:06. > :43:14.the blue on. That was a bit of a wild one.

:43:15. > :43:15.To pot this red and get up on the blue, even if he had knocked that

:43:16. > :43:27.blue in was going to be tough. He started throwing his arm at a few

:43:28. > :43:29.shot, Dennis. Mark Allen, he has had to hit the ball hard, he has not

:43:30. > :43:34.timed it well. He is a tricky one here.

:43:35. > :43:54.So far behind. Well play ed.

:43:55. > :44:06.Every chance now for Dave to get another frame back.

:44:07. > :44:25.He didn't have quite as much to do to get on the blue, because it

:44:26. > :44:29.wasn't on its spot. He will be starting to get irritated

:44:30. > :44:41.now, Mark Allen, sat in his chair. This match should have been over.

:44:42. > :44:47.He has done a lot of looking round the arena, Dennis, I don't think

:44:48. > :44:53.that shows his concentration is 100% on the match.

:44:54. > :45:17.He has been looking at the table to his right and the table to his left.

:45:18. > :45:27.That is another frame on the board for the man from Stoke, and keeps

:45:28. > :45:34.his hopes alive but it is still a long way back for Dave Harold. He is

:45:35. > :45:39.till there. 5-3 to Mark Allen. Mark Allen frustrated by that shot on the

:45:40. > :45:48.blue, and he let Harold back in. But Allen trying to finish the job in

:45:49. > :45:50.frame nine. That was a tricky shot. Played with

:45:51. > :46:04.a degree of safety. There is a red on, the one between

:46:05. > :46:08.the pink and green, up into the left corner, past the blue, but he is

:46:09. > :46:12.just having a look to see where he could leave the cue ball, he could

:46:13. > :46:17.be on the green, and maybe he wouldn't leave a great deal, so this

:46:18. > :46:32.is a half chance for Dave Harold here.

:46:33. > :47:02.. He would like to drop the green into the left centre for the two

:47:03. > :47:05.reds to the left of the pin. It looks ass if he may have too much

:47:06. > :47:22.angle do that. I just think the way he got up

:47:23. > :47:27.there, maybe he thought he didn't quite hit it hard enough.

:47:28. > :47:38.When he played your shot, he has given himself a good chance now.

:47:39. > :48:27.He can get himself back up round the black spot area now.

:48:28. > :48:34.That is a shock er. I mean he is away back to his seat. He has put

:48:35. > :48:35.the cue down. He will be absolutely livid with that.

:48:36. > :48:51.What a chance that was. Well, the chance is now there for

:48:52. > :48:53.Mark Allen. Dave Harold might just put a jerky action in there with the

:48:54. > :49:42.rest. . Mark Allen, needs his cons tracing

:49:43. > :49:43.back together and finish this match off.

:49:44. > :49:53.-- concentration. Yes, it looks comfortable at 5-1. It

:49:54. > :49:58.doesn't matter what scores you win, as long as you win.

:49:59. > :50:10.That is OK. The perfect angle to pot the black and split that little

:50:11. > :50:13.group of five reds, he has the other one next to the black that is

:50:14. > :50:20.available, should that go slightly wrong.

:50:21. > :50:25.Perfectly played. He will want to go a few rounds better than he did last

:50:26. > :50:30.year, he lost to Marco Fu in the last 32. He got to the final the

:50:31. > :50:34.year before, when he lost to Judd Trump and I think he played well in

:50:35. > :50:40.that final, didn't he, a few century breaks if I remember.

:50:41. > :50:46.He made four SENs in that final, I think.

:50:47. > :50:50.-- centuries. The knowledge of the seven times

:50:51. > :51:24.World Champion, he has a head full of stats.

:51:25. > :51:29.He is going to leave himself further away from the red tan he would have

:51:30. > :51:32.liked. If he follows through off the cushion, he has hit that have have

:51:33. > :51:55.well. That is the best shot he has hit for quite a while.

:51:56. > :52:03.That should open everything up for Mark.

:52:04. > :52:08.Just any can on the two reds, he would be lucky not to finish on,

:52:09. > :52:18.well, maybe all four of them. -- canon.

:52:19. > :53:06.That was all it needed. 33 in front, looking good now.

:53:07. > :53:58.Just a couple of potsia I from securing this match.

:53:59. > :54:03.-- pots away from securing this match.

:54:04. > :54:09.Think he thinks that is the shot that has won him this match. He has

:54:10. > :54:15.been by far the heavier scorer of the two player s and that has been

:54:16. > :54:21.the difference. Dave Harold has had chances but hasn't scored heavily

:54:22. > :54:26.enough. He started off with a 54 break in

:54:27. > :54:32.the first set, 73 in the second. 64 and 50 in the third.

:54:33. > :54:38.52 in the fourth. And the sixth frame he had a 70 and 72 break. So

:54:39. > :54:42.he did score pretty heavily. He won't bother about missing that red.

:54:43. > :54:48.Dave Harold comes forward and in the end, well, it should have been

:54:49. > :54:52.easier but it was quite comfortable for Mark Allen and he runs out a

:54:53. > :54:59.comfortable victor in the end at six frames to three. So Mark Allen

:55:00. > :55:03.playing Michael Holt, so we won't go any further with that. So let me

:55:04. > :55:08.tell you about some of the matches this evening, the ones that will be

:55:09. > :55:17.televised via the red butt top and on line. Judd Trump expecting to be

:55:18. > :55:21.pushed hard er by his chiens opponent.

:55:22. > :55:25.-- Chinese. We have Ronnie O'Sullivan who takes on Adam Duffy

:55:26. > :55:27.who is ranked 66th in the world. We should have his thoughts on his big

:55:28. > :55:41.date tonight. I have dreamed about this for year,

:55:42. > :55:46.play lay playing runny in a BBC tournament. I would think I would

:55:47. > :55:53.love to play you and I have my chance tonight.

:55:54. > :55:57.My third season on the tour. 24-year-old, from Sheffield. Best

:55:58. > :56:04.friends with Judd Trump. Believe it or not. He is a little varmint at

:56:05. > :56:09.times. I like to go out and stuff and socialise when I'm not playing,

:56:10. > :56:16.work hard and try and get the results if I can.

:56:17. > :56:21.I am cueing well, so I am confident going into it, but Ronnie is a class

:56:22. > :56:27.act, and I will have to play really really well. Everyone fear s him but

:56:28. > :56:31.hopefully I can play my own game and see what happens.

:56:32. > :56:34.I played him in Germany the year before, first year on the tour,

:56:35. > :56:41.first televised event I played against him. He has a 147 as well.

:56:42. > :56:47.Beat me 4-0. I tried to forget that. It took about an hour as well.

:56:48. > :56:52.I am sure he has not been scarred by that one bit. You know him, he is a

:56:53. > :56:56.big friend of Judd Trump and like him, he can pot them. He is a nice

:56:57. > :57:01.lad, as I said, it's a great opportunity for him, he is on TV and

:57:02. > :57:04.I hope he goes out and enjoys himself. He can pot them off the

:57:05. > :57:10.lamp shade there is no doubt about that. I don't think there will be

:57:11. > :57:16.too many safety shots. Trump's match, that is a tough one in store

:57:17. > :57:22.for Judd Trump. It will be tougher than the first one. He is up to 28

:57:23. > :57:28.in the rankings the Chinese boy. So that you have to give him plenty of

:57:29. > :57:32.respect. His safety will have to be good, Judd. He can play. There are

:57:33. > :57:39.another couple of match, they won't be on the box but we will keep tabs

:57:40. > :57:44.on them. Graeme Dott and Ali Carter meeting in the top 32. That has a

:57:45. > :57:49.real tough edge. There is no doubt about that, it will be tough to you

:57:50. > :57:55.know, establish who is going to win that match, but it has all the

:57:56. > :58:03.hallmarks of going the distance. That is 6-4, 6-5 all over for me.

:58:04. > :58:09.Graham sticks in there, tough game for both players. Stephen Maguire

:58:10. > :58:14.thought he was out and his reward Liang Wenbo. It might give him a

:58:15. > :58:18.lift and kick on, but tough match. And in terms of that match against

:58:19. > :58:23.Wenbo, Wenbo much improved this season. Looks like he is focussed

:58:24. > :58:28.again. I thought he was going to be the next big thing. It has take en a

:58:29. > :58:32.while, but he is a top class player. We will see how his form measures up

:58:33. > :58:38.against that of Stephen Maguire and you can do so either live, indude,

:58:39. > :58:43.watching the other two matches, or Jason Mohammed will be here with the

:58:44. > :58:48.news and highlights at 11.20 so you will be in excellent hands. For the

:58:49. > :58:50.time being, from us, it is goodbye for now.