05/12/2013 UK Snooker Championship

And established tournament. An expanded event.

Balls potted. Matches won.

And winners regress. The losers fall.

Now, eight remain. Hello, good afternoon, it is

quarterfinal day he wrapped the Barbican in York at the 2013 William

Hill .com UK Championship. Mark Selby and Barry Hawkins are

practising ahead of the match this evening and what a quarterfinal draw

it is shaping up to be. Mark Selby takes on World

Championship runner-up Arie Hawkins tonight, that starts at 7pm on table

one. One table to this evening it is Mark Allen who dumped Judd Trump out

yesterday. This afternoon will bring you action from table to come an

intriguing match between world number one Neil Robertson and

Scotland's Stephen Maguire, that is later, but we will be concentrating

on world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan. He destroyed his

opponent in just 68 minutes last night. He takes on world number ten

Stuart Bingham. The pressure is off for me now, I

have won lots of tournament 's so it is about enjoying the game.

You know what you get with Ronnie. He is making the quarters and SMEs

in most events he turns up in. He is one of the most consistent players

on the circuit. He is missing a few but he is getting through at the end

of the day so it will be tough. I will try and enjoy it, have fun,

and if we both play well it will be a great match. If I fancy it, I will

go for it, if I don't, I don't. I am still in it, so I have a shout.

It is nice to be doing something like this on my birthday. I don't

want people to start singing happy birthday to me before I go out

because I will not be in the mood to be celebrating, it is just another

day to me. Happy birthday, Ronnie. These two

have met nine times, Bingham won just once in 2010, Ronnie O'Sullivan

the most recent winner with that 10-8 victory in the Champion of

champions last month. Good afternoon, fellows, will that recent

defeat by Ronnie O'Sullivan play on the mind of Stuart Bingham today?

No, they play each other a lot of times with the tournament these

days, you quickly forget that and move on to the next.

Not at all, you heard Stuart Bingham talking about being confident, he is

up for it. There is one of those consistent

performers in the last few years. Winning that first big tournament in

Australia has given him that extra confidence that you need against

better players. Until you win your first big tournament there is always

the seed of doubt, can I do it when it is needed? I think winning that

it has been proved he can beat anybody on his day.

Ronnie this week has been playing down his chances, we expect that,

but last night he showed just why so many people said he is the man to

beat. I commentated on that match last night and Robert Milkins made

it easy in the first couple of friends by missing too easy balls in

the middle pocket, but Ronnie had to do some hard work.

He had some superb clearances and then on it was the O'Sullivan show.

He is looking really sharp. Let's bring you the action, then, this

match started at 1pm. Stuart Bingham won a scrappy first

frame. We join it in the second frame, O'Sullivan at the table,

there is no score. COMMENTATOR: Just a containing

safety instead. That may be a bit loose, Dennis. He

played to get on the yellow, but he couldn't, and that red is available,

John. Pretty careless from Ronnie. And

with four reds opens in May to be sitting there for a while. -- he

might be sitting there for a while. He has the four loose reds but I am

sure that is pretty much a plank at the back, as well. -- plant. He

could put the plant and open up the reds a bit more, so this is a great

opportunity. Not quite how he played it there,

the cue ball has gone on a bit further. That is sometimes what you

have to do when you are making breaks, you cannot be perfect in

your position all the time. You have to take an alternative if it is not

absolutely plumb. Yes, he got plenty of action on that

cue ball. That prevented it from sticking in the reds.

It is just an awkward angle there, he cannot run through for the black

on that one, not straight enough, so taking on the other.

Just going back to the Champion of champions a couple of weeks ago, it

was the first to ten and a was a very close final, because Stuart

only lost 10-8. I think the biggest thing the

victories have given Stuart is the confidence to be out in the big

arenas playing against the best players and feeling comfortable

doing it. I always thought he had plenty of talent. But he can

certainly now produce his best on the big stage. He is also one of the

nicest lads you can meet, isn't he? Yes, smashing lad, Stuart. As you

know, not bad on the old golf course. He plays off a high -- five

handicap. His handicap will be going up, instead of down, like yours did,

John. I cannot believe you went up to 12

handicap at one stage, you are back to where you should be at two.

He nearly went astray there, you just glanced off that, but he's OK.

A bit straight on the black so he will have to take the loose red.

He made just screw right back, he may have to leave it to the right

middle. In fact, you cannot do that from that angle.

That is a good shot, he tried to disturb a few more reds, but he is

on that one. A lot of topspin on that.

Yes, he played it well, he sought. Street cue ball, it has a pause,

then it gets forward momentum. The good news with that, if he wants to

go for the blue it is ideal to go into the pack of reds. Before, the

pink was at the top, which would have made it more difficult.

I don't think anything else is going.

He is OK, it is not going to drop in the middle, it looked as if it was,

but maybe he is out of position now. Once again, striking down on the new

ball to create the backspin. This time it did not work out too well

for Stuart. If he can pot that, it is good to be very awkward. -- it is

going to be. Does this one go? Even this is awkward. He could push this.

I don't like this very much. As you say, Dennis, it has push and

shove written all over it, that shot. The referee will keep his eye

on it. Well, it wasn't that bad after all.

He lifted the cue in the air, I thought he was gone to have to

really get down on it quickly but it wasn't that bad. Yes, the one time

he wanted to put a little steady cue action in to get the tip out of the

way. And that is a good split. 61 ahead. Just a couple more pots and

he will be 2-0 in front. And, really, this will be the first

test for Ronnie O'Sullivan, following 2-0 behind.

We already know he is over the line on this, and this may sound a bit

daft, but I would be trying double hard to make a clearance on this. I

would want to make sure this was a top clearance and keep Ronnie

sitting in that chair. Yes, John, we have had 72 centuries

so far in this year's UK Championship. The standard is just

getting higher and higher. Stuart has made 216 in his career,

18 this season, 36 last season. This is great stuff, it really is,

he is hitting the ball beautifully in this break.

There is the century, well done. You cannot do much better than that.

He can equal his highest break in this year's UK Championship, Stuart

had 131 earlier. He has had all sorts. He has had a yellow, two

greens, for Browns, three pinks and seven black 's. He has been all

around the table. Well, that certainly has given The

Rocket The Rocket something to think about.

He reached 2-0. A fine break and a solid start by Stuart Bingham.

Could Ronnie O'Sullivan bounce back in frame three? Let's find out.

DENNIS TAYLOR a little bit PC, he needs the brown to come to his

rescue. It has not. What a positive shot this would be,

he is cueing so well his confidence will be high, but they are not

Guineas by any means. -- gimmes. Yes, in the context of the match,

the way the balls are positioned, you would fancy Stuart to make a few

there. He doesn't quite get the pressure on Ronnie.

He has got such a quick snooker brain, he sees everything

immediately and knew what he wanted to do there. He wanted that black in

the open, and it will be after this next shot, you would feel. But he

may not be on a red here. He has cleared the black spot area but he

hasn't got a pot, so just a safety by the looks of it.

Yes, obviously he was not happy with the cannon he was going to get off

the black. It didn't look like it would be that difficult to do it,

but he decided to play it more positively. A strange one. I thought

he could have screwed it back and nudged the other red away, but maybe

he did not quite have the angle. He did not play a great safety, either.

Well, he wants that to pull up. What a difference that has made. He

looked like he nearly got away with that, Stuart.

Second chance here, and he has to take it just to get his confidence

up and running. They are the nicest shot in the

game, the stun run-throughs, you never get fed up of looking at that

type of shot. He makes it look so easy, and it takes much practice to

perfect them. Yes, you need to know where to hit the cue ball, how

softly or how hard. It is a shot that is quite difficult to teach.

The blue might be slightly in the way. No, he is OK.

He had a couple of chances in this frame, Stuart. Not completely easy,

they were long reds, but he needs to knock at least one of them in, just

to keep the pressure on. He knew at some point, Dennis, O'Sullivan would

start scoring. Yes, it was just a matter of time, wasn't it?

Your form just does not disappear overnight. The thing is, when he

does start scoring it is very quick. He is already over the line in this

frame. This has been in a blink, this break.

Three minutes, Dennis. Cliff would not have his cue out of the case by

then! John, talking about the grinder,

Cliff Thorburn. Well, he nearly pulled up trouble

off. Stuart coming to the table, but that

break of 59 should be more than enough to give Ronnie the third

frame. Indeed, that break was enough to

give Ronnie O'Sullivan his first frame of the afternoon. Let's show

you what happened in the next frame. Bingham is 34 points ahead and is in

the middle of a break. We have had three fairly quick

frames, one just under 15 minutes, the other just over ten minutes, the

other just over 11. Still at 96%. That is fantastic. You

have to be in the 90s, Ronnie is just an 86%.

Yes, good break this, but one shot I was very impressed with, this pink.

Tricky, blind pocket, but never in doubt. A lot more difficult than

they look, those shots, but that was beautifully played and he deserves

everything he gets. And, of course, the red that he got

into get on for that pink. It was not easy, it was a long putt -- it

was a long part, this was the one. The black was tied up, this was

superb. I was just about to say this is the

last hurdle in this frame for him. Tricky little shots, these, and if

you look at the front job they do not go in. That is what has

happened. -- front jaw. Now, can there be a counter

clearance? This could be quite a big turning

point in the match. It is so difficult, but you know with Ronnie

that he relishes this sort of situation. It is a tall order, but

if anyone can do it it would be Ronnie.

The cannon isn't how he wanted it and so far his mid to long range

potting has been a bit awry. How is he going to cue this one?

Pretty good, is the answer. Now, how is the cannon going to,? -- come

out? Once again, pretty good. Ordinarily, Dennis, the red on the

left-hand cushion would be a problem, but Ronnie being so good

left-handed, you always fear the worst, don't you?

There is the lovely little cannon he played, but it is still going to be

difficult, isn't it? He has over screwed that. He has

over screwed that by about 6-12 inches there. He can still cut this

in. He is just looking at the school, he has plenty to play with

at the moment, he does not have to get down for pink or black. Brown

around the ankles if he wants it, to come back for the red, or the green.

It looks like it is the brown. Look at this short, for cushions to

drop on this red. -- look at this shot, four cushions.

Well, three cushions, he didn't quite make the fourth.

Beautifully cute. -- cue. Well, that is the one around the

ankles, if he tries it. It needs to Mr brown. Didn't quite get his first

line right. -- he needs to miss the brown. He is back in this, that is

for sure. He screwed that with left-hand side

but he wanted to be somewhere around the baulk line, rather than on this

side of it. That is a great shot, very clever

from Stuart. In fact, a little bit harder and he would have had a

snooker. He might just be able to see this.

If he takes the pot on the right will go towards the right middle

pocket. But if he pots it the frame is safe. It was a short you could

not get sick, that. That is exactly what he has done. You always have

two error on the side of caution, those, he has left Ronnie a chance.

He is definitely heading across a future day. -- a phew.

Yes, I think the more power he puts into his cueing he seems to come

across it. You could just see the hand coming out on the left, as we

look at it. Well, with a series of flicks he has

managed to knock the black safe. From a psychological point of view,

it is such an important frame, this, because it looked almost certain it

was going to be 3-1, and if Ronnie can somehow pitch this -- pinch this

Stuart would not enjoy his cup of tea at the mid-session interval.

How thinly can you hit the ball? Strictly on what they have done so

far in this match, Bingham has been the better player.

If they came out 2-2 at the interval he would be very disappointed.

He didn't want to, but he didn't have much choice there, he had to

bring the black into play, saw only the yellow ball is safe.

A snooker would help, but I think it is a bit too PC, and another chance

for Stuart to maybe snick that read in. He would love to see it into the

corner pocket. -- a bit too PC, another chance for Stuart to maybe

snick that red in. You also has a little bit of insurance of the cue

ball comes down behind pink and black.

It would have done if he had headed anywhere near the angle but he

completely missed it that one. A chance for Ronnie to bring the

yellow into play and play a good safety here. It could be anyone's

frame. And all of a sudden... And if he

gets the snooker he might just go favourite.

and interesting way to play. He played it the other way around.

Anyway, they are all there. If the red bounces, that is a mistake. A

chance therefore money now. -- a chance of there for Ronnie now.

And that was Ronnie's turned to hit it too thick. It is pretty tight.

Definitely some of it is snooker -- snookered.

He decided to play the clip across, and that is OK, but if Ronnie's is

good, it could be behind the yellow. He decided to play it

another way. I thought he might have pushed it down the table. But he

decided to play this one. Everybody is having a look. It must

be very, very tight. If you were 12 inches behind it, you could pull

this pot off. But he is a long way from it. Yes, but what have you got

to play safe fit? -- safe off it? It's not great this.

If you were in behind the red, you could knock a capacity yellow -- you

could knock it past the yellow. But not at such a distance away. If you

tried a little thin stick to put it on the cushion, you could get the

double-kiss. That is the shot I like.

It was nearly good. If you are Stuart Bingham, you have got to take

this on. He only needs the red. And that is a terrific shot! That

was a great pot to secure the frame. He will be quite believed

after that earlier break of 61. -- quite relieved. Yes, he will be

delighted with this first session, playing against Ronnie O'Sullivan

and to take it 3-1. He goes to the interval quite pleased with himself.

At a fixed up by Stuart Bingham. The players are on an interval, we will

join them live in a few minutes. But final red showed the confidence of

Stuart Bingham. Yes, you have to get a good start in the match against

Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ronnie is on the back foot little bit. He is not

looking as sharp as he did last night. What is interesting, looking

at Stuart's performances so far, he has not been tested yet, but he

seems to be rising to the challenge. He likes the challenge. A few years

ago, he might have felt more nervous. But he is more confident

and self-assured. He is working with a different culture that is giving

him confidence as well. Looks very comfortable out there. He is not

afraid of any of the top players. He looks a lot more assured. Have we

now got to the point where we expect to see Stuart Bingham in the final

four of big tournaments like this? I think so. You have got to consider

him as one of the winners of these events. He is still not looked upon

as one of the glamour players, but you have to consider him for every

tournament. Ronnie O'Sullivan's long game is not as good as it should be.

His long ball game, we have seen a few instances, particularly this

type of shot. Look at his back R, it has come out a little. -- look at

his back arm there.

Thank you. Let's rejoin our match commentators. First of all, I told

you that Everton would Godwin last night.

I know. Next to me is a Manchester United fan, so I do not want to say

too much. Ronnie needs to do a little bit better. We know that the

mid-session interval can change things around a little.

He gets his first frame after the interval and the. -- underway.

Ronnie is not quite sure what is law -- wrong with his long game. He

leads to improve on that. -- he needs. That is where Stuart is way

ahead. That was a pretty good break. It has

got him in a spot of bother. They could not have played that much

better. He could do without touching ball --

he could do with our a touching ball. That is more or less identical

to where it was previously. Where was it the last time? Let's

have a look. Not far away. Just a matter of inches. What is he looking

at here? He would have to get a cannon to make the plant. I think he

is going to take this on. He is going to play a cannon of one red.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Have a look at the reds. That was a

superb cannon. He is keeping the pressure on

Ronnie. That was a good shot from Stuart. With the way the reds are

spread there, he may have to pot his way out of trouble. There is no

other shot. He may have to take it on and played a lot of pace -- and

play with a lot of pace. This could go wrong. He pleaded on the wrong

side. -- he played it. He nearly got away with it. He hit

it so badly that he could not get back up there. It is a tricky start

to this break. He needs to get the cue ball right. This is a very big

black. This is a big shot in the context of the match. Can Stuart

pull off a John Parrott special? John is the best in the business .

Terrific. But was excellent. No problem at

all. That was a great pot from Stuart of

the cushion, but as it came through, it just clicked that red.

This is how you would set the ball is on the table if you were in the

club and having a practice session. What a chance to take a 4-1 lead. He

looked very relaxed in the players lounge. He was having a cup of tea

and chatting to people. To his coach.

A little bit disappointed with that shot, should not have been hampered

playing there. Once again, beautifully struck. It

is all coming very easy for Stuart this afternoon. He is playing well.

Can you believe it? 42 ahead, the reds sitting as they were and all of

a sudden, he misses the black off the spot.

He has hit that too hard, that is very careless. It was a delicate

little screw shot, but what a great chance he had to come right back.

It is a good cue ball. He just ported it into the left of the

pocket. Also one of those shots that he thought he might have dropped in.

He obviously thought he could hold it, playing it like a stone, but it

ran away. -- like a stun. When you knock the ball like that

in, you deserve a good case and that was a good case. You deserve a good

kiss. I agree with you. He deserves to win the frame of that. Ronnie has

let that chance slip away. Leave the fight tight on the cushion and then

see Stuart knocked out in. Just the blue needed now. What a

test for Ronnie O'Sullivan now. He will have to produce the snooker

that he produced against Robert Milkins last night. Keep one the six

frames with one chance per frame. That is better, straight through the

ball. He hit right through that one. The wrong side of the blue, but he

can get back up to the reds. That is careless, to catch the

yellow. It is as if a little bit of focus is missing. This is tough.

Brilliant. A bit unlucky with the kiss. But

this is first class. A bit more like it.

When you were on a break like that and you lose the cue ball, sometimes

you can be struggling to get it back. But he has got it back now.

This is a good chance. This is a must win frame for Ronnie

O'Sullivan. 5-1 behind would not even give Ronnie much of a chance.

It makes it even more fascinating just to see what he can produce

here. just to see what he can produce

It makes it even more fascinating just

What a shot that was. But how has he not got a cannon? He has done it

again. Unbelievable. We have seen some amazing shots,

there was a lot of distance between the two reds.

He has made some unbelievable breaks in his career, but this one is up

there with the best. I think the one with the blue with the rest is the

one for me. The frame safely in the bag now for

Ronnie. A frame that he really did need badly. This break has been

quite amazing. Watch the blue. Perfect on the red

to bring the black into play. Be difficult to make the century, the

two reds at a bit awkward. But he made.

He has made 721 century breaks in his career, and that is up there

with the best of them. He is creeping ever closer to

Stephen Hendry's record, I think he is about 50 centuries ahead of

Ronnie. Absolutely phenomenal thing that

Michael break, so many good shots in it. In no time at all, as well, just

six minutes. Incredible stuff. We knew he needed to go to work,

Dennis, but that was just worth watching.

His highest break before this was a break of 108. He has superseded

that. Stephen Maguire still holds the

highest break in this year's UK Championship of 142. But what break.

-- what a break you have just with West. He needed it, and he produced

it. Ronnie O'Sullivan compiles on -- and unbelievable break of 135 and he

gets himself back to 4-2. Sometimes as we are sitting in the studio in

broadcasting and you say it is a pleasure to be here, when you see

Ronnie in full flow it is a joy to watch, isn't it?

He has made some centuries and sometimes but that -- at sometimes

but that is up with the best. Look at this, down for the Kubo ice

cue ball, reminiscent of Alex Higgins in 1982. Without this, he

screwed it in off to cushions to keep the break going. He has missed

the plant there, but he plays this point, the cue ball going into the

baulk area, but still a lot of distance to keep the break going. A

collection of God shots. Yes, you started to think as he

bothered with this match, throwing caution to the wind sort of thing.

Most players can play these shots but to think for a split second that

gets Bernard play them casually, that is what separates them. That is

what makes him so different and that is why people watching him now love

to see Ronnie O'Sullivan at these big tournaments.

Yes, watching it he looked as if he had given up, he does not work

focused, but he gets a chance like that and switches on.

The thing about Ronnie O'Sullivan is, when you look at him when he is

at the table you would not know whether he is behind or in front.

Some players you can tell immediately from the body language.

With him, he just plays the same shot, as soon as he sees it. A lot

of players may play those shots when they are in front, but when you are

4-1 behind and you know that Michael those shots would not come into

Europe thinking at all. -- those shot would not comment to your

thinking. You may think looking at Ronnie and

the shots he has missed, Stuart Bingham might be thinking I have

Ronnie here, but then he hasn't. That is what makes him so special.

Back to the boys. DENNIS TAYLOR: as we always say, a

century break always -- only wins one frame. Stuart Bingham still has

the highest break of the match, he is still in the driving seat,

leading by two frames. No attempt at the pot there, just a

safety. You always feel, as long as your

opponent needs to frames, you always feel that you have a chance. -- two

frames. Stuart does need to frames to get to the semifinal. Ronnie

meets four. -- Stuart does need two frames, Ronnie needs four.

I am not sure if he is dead straight on this red to the right of the

pack. If he was, he might take it on and follow through and finish on a

baulk colour. It must not be, he's just playing a safety shot.

He is fully focused now all right, that was a great shot. One of the

disconcerting things about Ronnie, despite the fact he is very good, is

that the scoreboard changes quite quickly. You think you have a nice

lead and all of a sudden you are all square or behind very quickly. Some

players, to frames behind it may take them an hour to get back. --

two frames. But not O'Sullivan. A bit difficult to get down on the

right side of the table, but he can just get past the pink to sneak the

red. The extra flicked on that red

helped, he was still going to be down there anyway. He played a good

shot. Ronnie just playing a safety shot, no attempt at the pot.

That has put the brown out of commission now, so only yellow and

green to try and get in behind. At first glance, it is not

straightforward to get back down the table here. This will have to be a

thin one. That is one way of getting the fight

back down the table. He looks a bit disappointed, but if this red does

not pass the black you will have to take the other one to the left of

the red and black and pot it. Good long pot, that, and I think

when he is dropping on the ball and playing run-through is they are just

going as smoothly as they have ever done. When he is putting screw or

stun on these long pots it is going slightly awry. Lastly we were

talking about that, Stephen Hendry and I were doing a match and we were

talking about he was floating those in.

-- last night we were talking about that. He knocked them all in last

night. Not an easy table, by any means, as

you can see. The moment, the black, hampered slightly with that red next

to it. Generally, they are not too many

puzzles on a table O'Sullivan cannot solve. The mode of times I have seen

him come to the table and I think there is nothing on here, the next

thing they all go. He has over screwed that one by although --

quite away. He will do well to keep it going now.

Just deciding whether to take the risk. He might be better just to

play a good safety, and that is what he is going to do.

And he has covered all the reds. There is a route back down the table

of the red next to the black but he will have to use quite a bit of side

to swing around and Mr reds. He is close to the cushion, -- and missed

the reds, not always that easy to get the aid of side -- the amount of

side. You felt it was too difficult, in

fact it might have been better to attempt that, because he has left a

half chance here. Not very good. Needed to miss those,

because he is straight on the black comedy is raging over all the rents,

-- Street on the black, he is bridging over all the reds.

It was always going to be difficult to get onto a red there. He said

that too hard, you can end up bouncing the cue ball.

-- if you hit that too hard. That would be big trouble with Peter

Ebdon, the brown being there, for Peter Ebdon, there is colourblind.

-- he is colourblind. Hard to believe as good a speaker player as

he is. That would be no help to Peter.

Now Stuart is having a look to see if he can possibly make the plant

with a safety shot in mind. I did not think the second red would pass

the other red to go to the pocket. Well, it was on. That was a bit of a

free shot. He did well to put that on, but he

did look at it. And it is not bad, because it is not

easy. He cannot, of the side cushion and just land on the one to the left

of the think. -- he can come off. That is pretty good. I think Stuart

missed a trick there, he should have been making sure that when he laid

up behind the green. He should have had to made -- he should have made

sure Ronnie would have to go the other way because that was always

going to be on. He would have liked to stay on the

right-hand side and tighter than that. Little shots those. Especially

on these very, very quick class. -- cloths. I do not think he has a

natural angle to get behind the yellow year. You will have to do a

bit of work on the cue ball. The best he can do is the jaws of the

pocket, you would feel. He has managed to get a little bit of stun

on it, but not quite hard enough. Ronnie is looking at a planned now.

And there you go. -- plant. You would think Alan Titchmarsh was out

there playing, there has been that many plants.

He must not have been able to get to it before that, that would be the

only reason you would refuse that, but unfortunately there is nothing

on. It is a totally opposite frame to

the previous one, where Ronnie made that unbelievable 135 break with all

sorts of difficult pots in the middle of it. This is a more

awkward, tactical frame. But just as important, because 5-2 behind, he

would have to win four in a row. Quite a good shot, that, it looks

like he has cut off the right-hand side of the table.

He has to be a bit careful here, Stuart. He can play down the table

of the one in the circle, on the left-hand side as we look at it, but

he would have to get a good length. Yellow and green are in a good spot,

I think he can just click the edge of that one. A bit too thin. The

white is coming back up. A funny sort of shot, that. It is

one of those ones if you try and be too precise with it, sometimes you

have just got to find the baulk ocean. -- cushion.

What a mistake that is. Has he got away with it? He had a couple of

possible pots there and I think he just lost a little bit of focus.

There is one that will go. The safety was so good and all of a

sudden he just played a careless one there.

Now, that is the first time a little bit of tension has crept into

Stuart's game. He is leading 4-2 and has been so smooth, but he did not

cue that one very well. That is a sign that he is maybe getting a

little tight, which is understandable after what happened

in the previous frame. Yes, good news and bad news in that

one. The bad news is he missed the pot, the good news it was difficult

to get on a collar of the red. Brown and black are tied up. Good cueing

that is. Absolutely superb. I tell you what, John, if you show a

little bit of weakness to Ronnie, that is the sort of thing you will

do. He was surprised that Stuart missed that previous chance.

Yes, no hesitation to get on the pink and back in the scoring zone.

How many chain -- how many times have we seen matches turnaround just

because of one or miss. That is the first time in a while Stuart has

missed one I thought he was going to get.

Just glancing over at the other table, Stuart. He knows that this

frame is gradually slipping away. And, all of a sudden, that 4-1

advantage Stuart had has disappeared rapidly.

I think if I was Stuart I would be having a little comfort break at the

end of this frame to collect my thoughts a little bit. A solitary

team talk. Yes, the way that Stuart has to think now is, before the

match started, if they had given him a 4-3 advantage he would have

snapped your hand off. And his pot success rate has jumped

up to 93%. You are right, John, Stuart is going

to take comfort break, so after leaving 4-1, we have seen Ronnie

O'Sullivan close the gap to just one frame, it is 4-3 to Stuart Bingham.

We thought this was going to be a terrific match, it is turning out to

be, Ronnie is turning the screw. I asked you before that frame weather,

psychologically, Stuart might be thinking I am on such a great start,

Ronnie has made a 135 break and whether Ronnie is on his way to

victory. I thought whoever would win that

frame would win the match. That was a really big frame. We have seen the

first signs of tension in Stuart Bingham, he missed here by quite a

long way. These are shots that you would expect to pot, that was a long

way off. That let Ronnie in and a couple of minutes later, Ronnie got

in and played a bad position of shot, and this blue, if he misses

this he leaves Stuart in, but this is hit as good as you can hit a

ball. Let's pick up on some of Stuart's

Mrs Connor in the first few things he was making those sorts of pots.

-- some of Stewart's missed shots. It would have been so nice for

Stuart Bingham to be able to keep that gap of three frames, just one

from victory, such a huge frame. There are signs, some evidence he is

feeling the pressure now, even though he still has the lead. It is

bound to happen, everyone feels pressure. Everybody feels nerves and

pressure can do is just a matter of... Especially if you are playing

Ronnie O'Sullivan knowing what he can do.

It doesn't matter who you are playing, all of the top players feel

it, it is a matter of being able to control it, deal with it, and keep

the cue arm straight, we topped about it being kept a straight and

straight action, but it did not happen for Stuart Bingham. You know

you have to come yourself down, you don't know what is good to happen,

it is just a matter when the cue is delivered it does not go through

right. As John said, you would expect

Stewart to have got that shot but he missed it, and that stays in the

memory. What is also fascinating is hearing ex-players talking about the

pressure of these big tournament 's when the camera is in.

Being on television ads to the drama and tension. It does, we will that

matter we see a lot of players who have not been in front of the camera

for long while or are new to the cameras, but these guys are well

used to the cameras, it is not the cameras of the crowd, it is the

occasion. It is a massive tournament and all

of the guys want to get their hands on this trophy and that adds to the

pressure, as well. It is going to be cracking. Back to John Parrott and

Dennis. DENNIS TAYLOR: thank you, Jason. It

is what you turn professional for. You spent years trying to get to the

televised stages and then you get used to it, there is no better place

to be. But you are on your own ad there. It is not like a team game

where you can hide. -- you are on your own out there. There is no

place to hide in a snooker or arena. -- arena.

That is a good safety shot from stewards that. I think Ronnie can

just get past the green to return the right to the baulk end of the

table. -- that is a good safety shot from Stuart.

He will hit this slightly thicker than he would have liked, he has to

be careful not to promote one to a corner pocket, like that. Has he got

away with it? He has covered the one on the left, that is for sure.

Yes, what happened to Stuart in the devious frame, with the ball he

missed, he wants a nice easy starter. -- previous frame. There is

nothing easy out here, this is a tough one years looking at.

He mentioned earlier he has been working with his coach on cueing and

getting the ball straight, he will have to do that here.

He kept his head still and delivered the cue in a straight line.

A golden chance now for Stuart Bingham.

Can he hold himself together? The ball are there for the taking.

Yes, in matches like these this is all you can hope for - chances. OK,

he saw a few dolls on the table and Ronnie wanted everything. But all

you want when you are playing at this level is to get the chances. If

you can make the most of them as you would do in the club when you are

practising on your own, then you can win a lot more matches. As we

mentioned earlier in this match, this is a bit like a little practice

routine. You throw the ball is up. A good pick Michael on here for

Stuart. And without having to do a lot of work. -- a good rate Michael

on here. It is the circumstances that makes it difficult. -- a good

break on here. Fourth black coming up.

Last night, Ronnie against Robert Milkins, when he was flying, Stephen

Hendry called it before he potted one red, he said Ronnie is going to

go for a maximum here, and he did. This is all blacks so far, and

Stuart Bingham has made three maximum breaks in competitive play.

And there is a little matter of ?55,000, plus ?4000 for the high

break, if a player can achieve that. That will buy a few Christmas

presents. He just needed a slight cannon on

that read, the cue ball slipped past it. -- on that red. He just wanted

to cannon this one here, but not quite enough into the cue ball. It

should not be a problem, knocking this red, but it has changed his

position on for this break. He might just be able to drop it in.

Well, he tried to screw off one cushion, he had a few shots

available. He was trying to stay on black, but the most important thing

was the frame. I don't know if that red jumped or not. Maybe he just did

not cue it very well. At least he has got it safe, that is one

consolation. He took that on in such a way that

he would be on the black and if you missed it the only red could leave

was the one he had a go at. missed it the only red could leave

was the one he had a Absolute superb cueing. Really

fluent. If Stuart does not win this frame,

he has only got himself to blame. Good cueing required on this.

He is well past the winning post. Good cueing

Rowley signals there. -- Ronnie signals there. He now leads by five

frames to three. That was such an important frame from Stuart's point

of view. I supposed Ronnie was a bit unlucky. You never know what is

going to happen. It was a little bit unlocking. -- unlucky.

He his holding himself together very well.

Pretty good break off from Ronnie, who has to win three frames in a row

if he is to get in the semifinal. He played one of these earlier in

the match. We have done it again. The natural angle would have taken

him to the back there. When you play the full length of the table with

the side, it is difficult. It is still a fascinating match.

Ronnie knows he can't make many more mistakes.

He did not do too much wrong in the last frame. It just didn't work out

in his favour. He is on the pink, the black. He has

played for that one. He has played it well. It is key that he gets a

good angle. There might be one available to the

left of the bunch. Yes. Has he stuck on the red? I think he

has. The only possibility is that difficult one in the middle. It

looks very tight. Fantastic. A brilliant shot into the

middle pocket. They always like to see as planned

going in. It really has been great to watch. It is a long way from

being over yet. Ronnie O'Sullivan is in really good nick at the moment,

the way he is hitting these balls. Shubin has been playing

fantastically well. -- Stuart Bingham has been playing

fantastically well. 74 centuries so far. This might be

75. This is another important contribution.

What a way to keep your thought in the match. Superb stop -- what a way

to keep yourself in the match. Genius at work. Absolutely

fantastic. He still has to do it another couple

of times, hasn't he? What a way to keep yourself in the UK

championship. The pink is safe. It might not be

after the next shot. Bit unlucky. He is still firing on all cylinders.

He keeps himself in the championship. He is still one frame

behind. What a match. A cracking break therefrom Ronnie

O'Sullivan. This is how the top ten centuries looks.

All Ronnie can do is keep putting Stuart under pressure. Sometimes,

when you get to that stage like Stuart, you hope for a chance to win

it as soon as possible. Yet again, Stuart is sitting in that chair

helpless. Yes, helpless. He only needs one chance. The way Stuart has

been playing, he has been playing really well. He will be waiting for

one chance. He has got to keep that cueing ball tight as possible. If

you are Stuart, do you think, I am just one frame away from the

semifinals and knocking out the current world champion? Is it

concentrating on the game? It is different when you are playing the

best player in the world. You can't get away from that fact that it is

Ronnie O'Sullivan. There will always be that thing in the back of his

mind. When you look at their body language now, Ronnie O'Sullivan

hasn't got a care in the world. Yes. When he is in full flow like

that, there is nothing better from a snooker perspective. The matches in

the balance. It is anybody's game. Here we go.

A pretty good cue ball. This is tough but he will have a go.

That was a little bit unlucky. Stuart Bingham is looking for that

one chance that would get him into the semifinal.

I thought he was good to have a chance to take that red in the

corner. That red on the right-hand side, he could've played out. --

played that. That was a much better shot than it

looked. He has managed to organise these

balls into pottable positions. He seemed to get a bit of a

surprise, the way that came off the cushion.

Because of that, he has lost position.

This is coming up to two hours of fascinating snooker. Very, very

entertaining. He is going to play a screw off the

side cushion. He has to be careful if he goes down

the left side of the table that he does not catch that cushion.

Pretty good, depending on what happens to the cue ball. The red has

come up quite a way. Is he going to be tempted? I will tell you what, it

is going to be some break even if he knocks it in.

He has pushed that over the middle pocket.

He given at the blacks simply because he didn't cue the red too

well. It is amazing what can happen in this game.

Still a lot of work to do here. That is much better.

He will have to carry on with the brown one of the other colours at

that end of the table. It is not a real problem. It is just making

things the more difficult. He is a bit closer to the cushion.

Not that easy to control the cue ball.

This is going to develop into quite a tense affair, this frame. The

frame that would keep Ronnie O'Sullivan in the championship, a

frame that would put Stuart Bingham into the semifinal.

This looks pretty good to me. What a terrific shot he has played.

That is a long way off. He had a good margin for error there. He just

seemed to watch that. -- he just seems to rush that.

Still going to need one of the difficult reds on the side cushion.

It is a lot more difficult money could have been.

Not a bad effort, but, once again, it will cut back with the red, he

will be heading up towards the colours at the other end of the

table. And now, what sort of angle has he

got here? He is a little bit straight on the brown and blue. He

just had a quick glance at the scoreboard.

I think he played to leave a double, but maybe he has gone a bit

too far. Particularly with the other red being on the cushion maybe he

thinks this is good value to take on the double.

Yes, 35, the difference. Still 35 on the table. This is to win the match,

you would say. And it is there. It has been a fabulous match we have

commentated on, John, some superb stuff. It has been great stuff from

both players. Stuart Bingham has played superbly well, Ronnie

O'Sullivan tried as hard as he could to get back in this match. It has

been brilliant to watch. Just over two hours, high-quality stuff.

Still looking at the scoreboard, 42 the difference, 35 on.

That is the first of the speakers, he might be able to swerve around

it. -- the first of the snookers. Well played by Stuart, he didn't hit

it hard enough so he could go in-off.

Definitely a chance here. If he knocks this in it will be shake

hands. The brown is now out of commission

with regard is leaving a snooker behind. -- regarding leaving a

snooker. That is pretty well played again. Not as easy to fit this time,

there is a rim round the red, he only needs two snookers. -- there is

a rim. The problem is you want to play it slowly so you don't leave a

free ball, but with yellow and blue around there he needs a snooker.

Careful. Great shot.

He had to hit that, because the pace he pleaded that he did not want to

leave the free ball and if he had missed it it would have been easy

for a second snooker for Ronnie. Well, he did attempt that. He also

attempted the snooker. This is awkward.

He does not want to pot that red, but if it keeps on running it will

go past the yellow, this could be Stuart's big chance.

There you see it, and no you don't. What a performance from Stuart

Bingham. Ronnie will be the first to congratulate him. He had a close

match in the Champion of Champions with Ronnie, he beat him a couple of

weeks ago 10-8, but Stuart Bingham has played a superb match here.

Every credit to him. Ronnie came storming back from 4-1 down, at 4-3

it was anyone's quarterfinal. He will not bother about that, Ronnie

comes forward to congratulate him. They have played ten times, it is

the second time Stewart has beaten him and he has beaten him twice in

the UK Championship, but this will give him a lot of satisfaction. He

really did perform to the top of his game, well done Stuart Bingham, he

runs out when, 6-4. STUDIO: Well done that man, round one of the 2010

UK jumping ship was the first time Stuart Bingham beat Ronnie.

Ronnie's bid to lift the trophy is over. A titanic battle. That is the

best way to describe that, well played Stuart Bingham. I think he

has proved today by years one of the big contenders for the big events.

He just stood his ground when Ronnie came back, he was focused on what he

had to do and came through the winner. 56 years ago maybe he would

not have done. All afternoon you have been saying he just needs a

chance. Despite that great fightback I

Ronnie O'Sullivan he just needed a chance and it came.

Yes, when you are sitting in the chair, every -- even though he was

5-4 up, Ronnie threw everything at him.

There were a couple of times and incidents there was a little bit of

tension creeping in, but when he got his chance in the last frame he duly

took it and kept it tight. He potted some really good ball in the end, a

lot of pressure balls. He felt himself well together and Ronnie was

in fantastic form. What impressed you most about Stuart Bingham? That

he managed the tension towards the end? Yes, I think he looks the

complete player now, he just looks the real deal.

He is probably the most improved player on the circuit. He looks like

he belongs as one of the top players and one of the favourites for every

tournament and he proved it there. Just congratulating you, Stuart, we

were just saying the impressive thing today of course in that final

frame was managing the tension. We looked at your body language when

Ronnie was coming back, Ronnie swaggered into the arena and we

detected some tension from you. Definitely, from 3-1, even at 4-1, a

couple of shots when my cue action went to pieces but I felt myself

together. It is different playing Ronnie

because you know he is the favourite, it is a little extra.

Yes, I knew he was going to come back.

I put his back against the wall and he came out, like you said. I played

a loose safety shot, he made 127 and I thought, here we go.

When you are sitting there and you have only had one win in nine,

sometimes you are thinking, this has got to be another match that is

going to slip away, you think you have had him. Do you think about

previous games you have played against you only played them last

week. Definitely, there was a few negative shots, I missed the black

off the spot. You always have a few negative thoughts in your mind. He

said something after the final, not to meet, but in the media, he said

about himself, going for your chances when you have a winning

chance, and I tried to have that in my mind, if you get a chance, go for

it. You kept going for your shots, you

always played the aggressive shots which is the way to play, I think.

When you are sitting seeing Ronnie clearing up is it difficult to

remain positive and focused thinking, I am still in this and I

am going to see this through? Definitely, you have to somehow keep

your focus on your own game and cue action and hope it stands up when

you get the chance. Before today you had only dropped a handful of

frames, five frames in four matches and the boys were saying at the

beginning of the afternoon that you play with a lot of confidence and

seem to have a lot of them at the moment.

Yes, I suppose I am beating people I should be beating, I am coming up

against people like Ronnie and losing there and they are. I played

David Morris a couple of weeks ago and he beat me 4-1, he did not miss

a ball. I have been playing people playing a little bit better than me

and I have been playing pretty solid most of the season. I much

confidence will this game gives you? This will give you fantastic

confidence for the rest of the tournament. I'm looking forward to

see the winner of Neill and Stephen Maguire.

I don't know if it is tomorrow or Saturday, but I am looking forward

to it. The UK semifinal tomorrow for the first time. It is all grins. And

you should be, you have beaten the world champion, many

congratulations. You hung on in there. I had to, that

is the only way to beat Ronnie, I think. I picked his back against the

wall and he started firing, and I got over the line somehow. That was

the tax it, to go out and get the two frame cushion two yes, 3-1, I

have been watching Ronnie's games all week and people have not been

taking their chances. He's giving loads of chances away,

at 3-1 I was taking my chance. I thought, you have to try and put him

on the back foot and when you get a chance, take it. You have to try and

do it with one hit because his safety is so good that if you don't

take that chance he put you in trouble when he gets the chance. We

have thoroughly enjoyed watching you this afternoon, thank you very much

indeed, congratulations and good luck for the rest of the tournament.

In two will play the winner of Neil Robertson and Stephen Maguire, the

other match we are concentrating on this afternoon. -- Stuart will play.

Our experts have been running through.

Neil Robertson's technique is absolutely superb. If ever you want

an example of pushing the cue through, and barrel straight, that

is what you get with Neil Robertson and that is what makes him one of

the best long potters in the game. His temperament is absolutely

superb. He would have made a great poker player, you never know when he

is under pressure. He keeps that same poker face, whether he has just

missed an easy shot or whether he has knocked in a century break.

When you talk about appeal, you have to put Neil Robertson in that

category. A consistent player, a great long potter and that is why

the public love watching him play. Neil Robertson's break building has

improved over the last four seasons and it shows in the fact he has now

made over 300 competitive centuries. That is top drawer. He has certainly

become one of the most consistent players of the game after dropping

off the main tour in the early part of the millennium.

He came storming back in the mid-tournament is all over the

world. He is one of the big players who has won the big three, the UK,

the Masters and the World Championships. Sometimes he goes

into his shell, he does not play all-out attacking.

I think the more attacking key is the more dangerous he can be.

These two have met 14 times since 2001, Robertson has six wins to

Maguire's eight. We join them in the second frame, Neil Robertson won the

first, your commentators is John Virgo.

He needs to score heavily if he has any hope of beating the world number

one, I think. His safety is not up to scratch, as well.

He went after that full-blooded lay. -- full-blooded.

Well, that was a nice pot, and he had purposely played it to leave a

nice angle on the blue. He is making sure there are no planss to knock a

red into the corner when he smashes into the pink, because that would be

his intention. -- there are no plants. With all the players today,

the safety is improving but they never refuse an opportunity to try

and get all the Reds into play. It could have been better. All of a

sudden, the red appeared into this left corner, that is all you are

looking for, just one red to continue. But the reds could have

opened better than they have done. I good little cannon there, and he

is right in amongst them. The three reds below the bike will be a

problem, he is always going to finish low, unless he tries to

cannon one note. If he is above the black it will be hard to get onto

the next red. -- cannon one out. Whether he is hoping to 91. If not,

he can just screwed to the right of one to keep the break going.

That is OK. Except it is just a little short of pace, which means he

goes into the pack on the next shot. That is always the problem with that

shot, you are never sure how the cue ball is going to react being so

close to the -- being so close to the cushion. He may be able to leave

himself a pot but it will be a little bit more difficult than he

would have liked. This black is no gimme.

A wonderful shot, when you are that close to the cushion, to play up our

shot like that, top drawer. Well played. -- to placing all micropower

shot. He is very confident. He has done a

lot of hard work in this break just to get here. You would like to think

that it should not be that difficult from this point to get to 60, 70.

That should be enough. As King once again for the cue ball

to be cleaned. He is OK, almost straight on this red, comfortably to

the black. He is maybe just pre-empting getting a kick by having

the cue ball cleaned before rather than after.

He needs, you would think, at least three of these reds. It is not a

formality that he wins the frame at this visit.

It seems a slight angle, if any, that he has got. He had to hit that

with pace, just to widen the angle. All of a sudden he may be looking at

one of those reds down the cushion, and he certainly would not have been

aiming to get on those. Well, it looked like a heavy

contact, there seemed to be a bounce on impact between the cue ball and

the object ball. I am a little surprised he went for that one,

though. Having the bonus of having the red down the side cushion may

have tempted him to play that, being left-handed, as you said. Yes, the

fact that he would have needed one of those anyhow may have been a

better chance to play on those. The bottom line is, he got a kick

anyway. It is coming up to half an hour since Stephen Maguire's last

pot. And we saw that a couple of times last night, Neil Robertson

chocked Joe Perry out for more than 30 minutes twice. Maguire needs to

get himself back into this match as soon as he can.

He was having a laugh. I don't know what Stephen was thinking. The only

place that would not have gone was straight, I think.

There are plenty of points to spare for Stephen, 53 behind, 83

available. The way the reds are, if you did get a chance he would be

lucky to make 16. You would think his priority, I know

there are reds in the open, when at all possible try and bring these

reds close to the cushion is in play. -- close to the cushion four.

There is no value in getting on a red if you cannot get a high-value

colour. He has points to spare but he needs to bring his game about

that. Well, he decided and half -- a half

attempt at the pot, but I think he was more concerned about getting the

baulk -- cue ball back to the baulk cushion. He has played that well and

the fact he has covered the red in the middle of the table may force

Neil into playing something. That black, I am sure he would have

tried to play safety of one of the three reds of the cushion, but has

the black covered that? He can just snick the red if it gets

past the black. When you're behind, balls like this, you have to be very

patient. At last, a mistake. But I tell you,

things could have been a lot worse. He winces slightly, he knows that

his opponent's opening red is far from easy. When he does make a

mistake, which is rare, at the moment he is not leaving much.

Well, name seven -- Stephen's has had a look to see if the black goes

into the left corner. That is OK if this red is straight, but this is

one of the toughest shots in the game, this.

I think it was difficult, John, and the fact it was a really good shot,

considering he was 35 minutes cold, having not potted a ball, a

remarkable shot. Now, he doesn't really want the

black to spot for once. Measurement time. Marcel Eckardt squeezing the

black onto the spot. With both reds he is hampered. He has them in a

nice pottable position, but the problem is if he pots it you looks

certain to cannon the red. He will be on the black, but close

to the cushion, once again. In the end, he tried to avoid the

cannon on the red on the left-hand cushion. But he flicked it, so it is

not good, he needs another good pot here, to be guaranteed position. The

yellow as the ball to take on. Just looking at the scoreboard, he has

plenty of points to play with. If he punches the yellowing he is bound to

be on the red. Of course, there is pressure on it, it is not a gimme.

Yes, the pressure was that he probably loses the frame if he

misses it. There was always a chance if he did miss it he would thing --

knock the red away. Robertson with an opportunity again. He doesn't

usually need a second invitation. Whatever: He takes, one further red

is all he requires. -- whatever colour he takes, one further red is

all he requires. That will do. Not in complete control of the cue

ball. That is break is enough for

Robertson to go up. McGuire to play. -- Maguire to play.

Stephen Maguire has drawn a blank so far, trailing 3-0.

At the moment, all the safety exchanges have gone against him.

Maybe he will pot one now. The problem is with this, you just know

you were going to be running into other reds. The main thing here, pot

the red. I wouldn't expecting to miss this

under normal circumstances, but when you are 3-0 behind, there is

pressure on every shot. The statistics do not lie. You can

sense he's getting edgy there. Players have been missing these

shots from on high with the black. It did not look as though they were

going to break well. That is not good news for Stephen

Maguire. He knows he has completely frozen

Maguire out of the game. I do not think that is part of the

game plan. I might have thought something

little bit more adventurous than that. They may be a bit too clever

there. It has been very one-sided, the

first part of this match. In these situations, you cannot

really play a positive safety, just contain it, that is all you can do.

You hope that when it is resolved, you get the first chance.

He took a long while over that shot. He has a lot of thinking to do in

this match. Pretty good shot, isn't it? It has

turned out a lot better, hasn't it? He is in big trouble now. 51 points

behind. If he leaves his opponent one more chance, he will be 4-0

down. You chance your arm. Or just trickle

up to the back red. At least you would be leaving anything easy for

your opponent. -- at least you won't be leaving anything easy.

He has a smile on his face. If this back was tight against the cushion,

but it is just off the cushion -- this black.

Well played. Very well played indeed.

The table creaked a little bit there. That sometimes happens. --

the table creaked. The most important thing is just

hold your concentration and do not look too far ahead. He has put that

red into more portable position, and he has done that. -- into a more

pottable position. He had looked as if he could put

that red adjacent to the centre pocket. It is one of those where if

you get nicely behind it, it is fine. Otherwise, it is tricky.

He went into the mid-session interval 4-0 up. He has been Serena

and not looked in any danger at any time. He started his matches very

sharply. We were talking about Stuart Bingham and how many friends

he dropped. He has got just five frames in his match performance. He

is such a strong player. He has an aura about him. It is like the way

O'Sullivan had. He gives off the aura that he owned the table.

Players pick up on that. He feeds off it. He is very confident. The

fact that even got into the quarterfinals, he was the first man

into the quarterfinals a few nights ago, beating John Higgins, does that

make a difference? I don't think so. Going back to Neil, his long potting

is so strong. He creates so many opportunities for himself. It is

probably one of his biggest assets. So the winner of this match will

play Stuart Bingham. The news if you have just come in. The big news is

that Ronnie O'Sullivan, the world champion, is out, beaten by Stuart

Bingham. After the mid-session interval, the question is can

Stephen Maguire haul themselves back into this match?

He may have the shot to get in behind the brown and yellow.

That cue ball could have gone anywhere. When you are in front and

playing well, things seem to go your way. It was nice of Neil to

apologise, but I do not think you will be holding back. -- I do not

think he will be holding back. It means Maguire is back at the

table. There is a possibility he could win

the frame at this minute. He needs good control of the cue ball.

He should be able to get enough points.

They look easier from that angle, but the distance between the reds is

greater than what you think. It was one of those, if you get

straight behind it. He might be able to get a run through and disturb

something. He is trying to disturb them. That has not worked out. He

has got a nice lead. The reds are awkward. It is a good lead. He

doesn't want to bring that black into play. He wants to keep that

tied up if he can. He might be a bit disappointed. He

is a clear favourite for this frame. I think that is all he could have

tried. And a very clever shot. He freely to

the black and the red. -- he freed. Not quite sure what he achieved by

playing that. He might have lost the advantage.

He will be pleased with that outcome.

Does this red go to the corner? Can he see enough of it. He is having a

good look? He has over cut it. But he has not

left it too nice for his opponent. Every time Stephen has had a chance,

there has been something a little bit tricky about it.

How frustrating this game can be at times. I know what Stephen is going

through. Immense frustration. Just a little bit short of pace. He

will have to play for the green. But ES having a good look at the

scoreboard. -- he is having. He has held it for the blue. Now he

can play for the loose red. At the new would prefer the loose red. -- I

think you would. It depends how he that is very close to where he

wanted to be. I do not know if it drifted a little

bit. It was a decent chance. I figure it did pull in.

That was a good shot from Stephen. He did well to get it safe.

He has given this plenty of thought. He is worried about the red on the

left. It is the red over the middle that

is the big problem. He was in an impossible position.

Good thinking. He has had a couple of chances now.

He is looking at the red. He is just wondering whether the red Bull pass

the black -- red will. He has left exactly the shot he did

not want. Yes, his worst fears. He was a little frightened of

pushing that red ball towards the cushion.

He has hit it all wrong. Here is your chance, Stephen.

And that was enough. At least he has avoided the whitewash. But he still

trails. It will take a fightback to get back

into this match. He has been a little bit subdued

since the mid section interval. He can't believe it finished --

where it finished. That was a let off for Stephen

Maguire. You would expect him to score a lot

heavier. You need encouragement when you are trailing. You need a little

bit of help from your opponent. It is not the best scoring

opportunity. That is the perfect way to play that

shot. He is having to think about this

break because he cannot quite get into prime position.

Giving every shot 100% concentration.

It has gotten into prime position. At last.

He has run into life, once again. -- sprung into life.

Excellent work. That is 55 centuries this season so far. We pick it up in

the next frame. Robertson to play. It is very congested. Most inviting

table for Maguire to come to. Wonder if the red could possibly

squeeze past the black. You would have to be right behind that.

There is a chance for this red. Nicely played.

The blue is the easiest. He has to negotiate those callers. -- callers.

The pink is miscible, but the blue should not be. -- missable.

That went a little bit further than he was expecting, but it is OK. It

has not turned out to bad. Second month -- Maguire was not

blessed with a lot of opportunities early on.

That puts him fall to find in front. He should have potted the black. He

is still in it. Stephen Maguire hanging on in there.

We will show you what happens in frame eight. It is Maguire at the

table -- it is Maguire at the table. That was a terrible misjudgement.

Yes. He has left the chance on here for Neil Robertson. He cannot afford

any more mistakes, Maguire. Maguire was not in a lot of trouble.

That wasn't one of Robertson's best, either.

Their only appears to be one red available. You would think it would

be looking to try and bring other reds into play. Can he screw

directly into the reds? That is what he has attempted. He will be pleased

with the results. The two reds have both become portable. -- pottable.

There is a surprise. He missed that by quite a distance.

He is playing low so he must be playing the Canon. He has played for

the loose red. Can he pot this red just below the black? It is tight.

That is not a very kind split of the bunch.

It is easy to say played with a bit more space. -- it is easy to say

play it with a bit more pace. I think his mindset is to try and win

the frame in one visit. Disappointed as he goes back to his seat.

It will infuriate Stephen Maguire. There is his reaction.

This is what has he done wrong here? Gone a bit too high. He has put

himself under pressure. Frustration for Neil Robertson. He

should never have been in that position to be playing that shot. An

unexpected reprieve for Stephen Maguire.

The frustration is there. I feel for him. I hope it does not hurt himself

doing that. Robinson was very quickly out of his chair there. --

Robertson. He got himself in a bit of a tangle the previous visit to

the table. It cost him the frame. He has the chance to put that right

here. This looks a bit speedy. His cue ball control today has not been

up to the standard we expect from him.

Identity had much of a clue where it would finish. Frame and much. At his

mercy now. It has not been his day. We said at

the start, these two heavyweights were both great players. Sometimes

it is just about all on the day. Stephen Maguire got a chance and

didn't make the most of it, then didn't really get much of an

opportunity after that. It was good snooker. Neil Robertson will be

quite relieved. He is through to the semifinals.

The whole game just changed. I had a wee chance to come back but I do not

think it would have made any difference. There have been a lot of

big bounces off the cautions. It is a tough sport to play. So many

elements can affect your shots when you have done nothing wrong. I felt

for Stephen. I think I just properly dealt with it a little bit better

and was a bit more solid on the day. How do you react to players who

start talking about the conditions and the state of the table? You are

in a better position when you have one, otherwise it's a fact sour

grapes. If the players don't say anything perhaps nothing will be

done about it. It can be annoying. Neil had quite a comfortable ride.

You have sympathy? Yes. Conditions can change. It is amazing. I know

they are in the same arena and next to each other. Sometimes a bands can

have cost you the frame. It is important that the players say

something. If they don't, then nobody knows. It is important you

mention it. We are taught by Stuart Bingham and the fact he has thrown a

few friends. If they players while we're in for a cracker a semifinal.

Neil Robertson will no doubt be glad that Stuart Bingham one. He would

rather play him then Ronnie O'Sullivan. He gives the ultimate

respect to every single player. We will look ahead to this evening.

First, Mark Allen and Ricky Walden. Ricky can hear us. He is practising

there. Who do you fancy? It is hard to pick a winner. They're very

evenly matched. I am commentating tonight. Barry Hawkins is fantastic.

You I have enjoyed your company. Thank you very much. We are back

this evening. Hazel will be in the hot seat when you live coverage. Can

Mark Selby lift this trophy? Goodbye.