:00:00. > :00:34.It's a busy night here in York's Somebody turned around and said, I
:00:35. > :01:08.a pretty ordinary session became an extraordinary one.
:01:09. > :01:21.Ricky Walden won the toss and will break. Off we go then.
:01:22. > :01:57.Ricky Walden has his first frame, 2-1. Good shot. Excellent. 3-1 it
:01:58. > :02:05.is. Terrific pot there. Mark Selby opens
:02:06. > :02:30.up a two frame advantage. It's 4-2. It's there, ?59,000, if a player can
:02:31. > :02:33.knock a maximum in. What a big shot this is.
:02:34. > :02:43.Come on then, come on then! Drop on that blue. Fabulous shot.
:02:44. > :02:51.Get in! Oh, he's not on the black. He is going to have to roll it to
:02:52. > :02:55.the middle pocket. He's not on the black. What a shot he is going to
:02:56. > :03:09.have to take here. Here we go. Get in! Get in! Well
:03:10. > :03:16.played, Mark Selby. What a black he has knocked in there. Absolutely
:03:17. > :03:22.fantastic! That was the 100th official maximum break in snooker
:03:23. > :03:31.history. A real milestone the first made by a certain Steve Davis. How
:03:32. > :03:34.special a moment was that for Selby and for snooker, Stephen? Amazing.
:03:35. > :03:41.It lights up any tournament when there is a 147. It's the most
:03:42. > :03:46.special thing that can happen on a snooker table. Clearance from brown
:03:47. > :03:51.all through to the black. The black, a difficult shot into the middle
:03:52. > :03:57.pocket? There is a great camera angle. It's such a difficult shot.
:03:58. > :04:01.Into a blind pocket, as we call it. He wasn't quite sure whether it
:04:02. > :04:10.would fall a little bit. Thankfully it did. Magnificent break. Brown to
:04:11. > :04:13.blue was another fantastic shot. He could smile and joke with the
:04:14. > :04:17.audience in the middle of that tension. I don't have rapport with
:04:18. > :04:21.the audience when I was playing. I couldn't do that. It would ruin my
:04:22. > :04:25.concentration. Incredible how he had a laugh and come back to the table
:04:26. > :04:30.and pot that pink and black. He said his brain was scrambled in the game
:04:31. > :04:33.there after, he won that 6-2. What impact between this break between
:04:34. > :04:38.session also have on the two players? He can relax. During the
:04:39. > :04:44.time, he would have been full of adrenaline, buzzing. The break will
:04:45. > :04:50.do both players good. Reflections for Ricky Walden. He must win at
:04:51. > :04:54.least this mini session 3-1 to stay in this match. Anything can happen.
:04:55. > :04:59.The match is alive. It is not over yet. A mountain to climb for Ricky
:05:00. > :05:05.Walden. Neil Robertson is through to tomorrow's final. He was pushed hard
:05:06. > :05:09.all the way by Bingham. That was an epic semi-final. Are we going to
:05:10. > :05:13.have another one tonight? Both players are ready backstage. It's
:05:14. > :05:19.time to get them out here. There is only one man for the job, MC Rob
:05:20. > :05:24.Walker. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is the very last
:05:25. > :05:29.session of snooker before tomorrow's William Hill.com UK Championship
:05:30. > :05:33.Final. One magic moment this afternoon. Could we have another in
:05:34. > :05:39.store this evening? Stilt back and relax and enjoy as the fireworks
:05:40. > :05:47.fly, once again, in the Barbican Centre. -- sit.
:05:48. > :05:53.Please welcome, a player who has beaten plenty of big names en route
:05:54. > :05:56.to this his second UK Championship semi-final, twice a ranking event
:05:57. > :06:02.winner in China. He will give it everything to turn it round tonight
:06:03. > :06:11.and make his first UK ranking final. Let us hear a York raw for the pride
:06:12. > :06:37.of Flintshire, Ricky Walden. -- roar.
:06:38. > :06:47.His opponent, what a moment, 12 amazing minutes this afternoon. The
:06:48. > :06:57.100th tournament 147 with an outrageously good last black. He is
:06:58. > :07:27.the Jester from Leicester, here comes Mark Selby.
:07:28. > :07:39.We saw a brilliant fightback by Stuart Bingham last evening from
:07:40. > :07:45.8-3, how will Ricky Walden respond tonight. Gentleman, what was your
:07:46. > :07:49.take on the 100th maximum earlier on today? For me, absolutely magical,
:07:50. > :07:52.particularly with the four colours at the end because it didn't look as
:07:53. > :08:02.though he was going to get the 147. That is what made it exciting, and
:08:03. > :08:06.particularly the black. . Ricky Walden, he breaks off knowing he has
:08:07. > :08:10.to up his game. They are going to play four frames before a mid
:08:11. > :08:18.session interval. You feel, he has to win at least three of them? If he
:08:19. > :08:22.comes out of it 77-5, with any other scoreline he won't be in the match.
:08:23. > :08:25.There could be a chance that Selby will win the match before the
:08:26. > :08:35.interval, which is what he will try to do to get as much rest as
:08:36. > :08:38.possible should he go on to win this match tomorrow. Someone having
:08:39. > :08:41.trouble their ear piece at the moment. Mark Selby gets down for the
:08:42. > :09:01.second time. Tremendous opening red. A bit of a
:09:02. > :09:05.scream from the audience. It was interesting tonight, when both
:09:06. > :09:08.players were introduced tremendous reception. Great atmosphere at the
:09:09. > :09:17.Barbican this evening. It has been good all week. Someone has bet that
:09:18. > :09:20.Selby will pot the first red with our sponsor William Hill. That is
:09:21. > :09:27.why that roar went up, I'm sure. Probably had his wages on.
:09:28. > :09:36.He is taking a time out now, is Mark Selby, he asked our referee to clean
:09:37. > :09:41.the cue ball. Wants to compose himself. He had a good long red.
:09:42. > :09:52.It's a decent chance. Doesn't want to be put off by anything.
:09:53. > :10:19.Right in the heart of the pocket. It's always a good feeling Assad --
:10:20. > :10:24.as a player, particularly in the first frame.
:10:25. > :10:32.Look at the pot success, 91%, 78% is well short of what is required.
:10:33. > :10:45.Long pot success. That is excellent. I always thought in the mid 60% is
:10:46. > :10:48.right. 36% is too low. Lots of thing Ricky has to pick up on. He can't do
:10:49. > :11:06.it while he is sat in that chair. A little cannon. He will probably
:11:07. > :11:09.have to screw the black in to get it just right.
:11:10. > :11:33.Ideal, he would like to not kiss it it -- it at all.
:11:34. > :11:41.He tried something there, hitting the pink that hard. You have to be
:11:42. > :11:46.so accurate, I don't think he's left anything.
:11:47. > :11:51.Just the pace he was hitting it, it had to be right in the middle of the
:11:52. > :12:35.pocket, and it wasn't. Ran a fraction too much to cover the
:12:36. > :12:37.outside of the pack. He is making sure he will not push another red
:12:38. > :12:56.onto the right hand corner. He has played it a little bit too
:12:57. > :13:04.thick. Good job he didn't catch the pink. It turned out to be a good
:13:05. > :13:08.safety. He has nestled it up to the brown. He is in a spot of bother
:13:09. > :13:30.here, Ricky. He is trying tole on this red.
:13:31. > :13:45.Nestle on this red. He has hit the red so well. He has
:13:46. > :14:10.covered it anyway. So good escape. He will attempt that loose red on
:14:11. > :14:15.the right hand side. Anywhere in the jaws of the green pocket would be
:14:16. > :14:20.nice. He has to be careful he doesn't leave an easier red.
:14:21. > :14:26.Looks like he is going down the left hand side.
:14:27. > :14:44.The red he didn't want to leave, as you can clearly see, covered by the
:14:45. > :14:53.blue. A bit thin this. Is he going to be
:14:54. > :15:01.saved by the blue? He may decide to hold for the black
:15:02. > :15:41.here as well. He is in front in every department.
:15:42. > :15:48.Ricky Walden has been outplayed. He has had chances, losing in frame to
:15:49. > :15:55.-- two. He played to kiss the middle one of
:15:56. > :16:39.three and it drifted by it. You have to take your hat off to
:16:40. > :16:45.Mark Selby. He did have the tendency to miss the easy one every now and
:16:46. > :16:51.again. He does not let it linger in his mind. He puts the bad shots to
:16:52. > :16:56.the back of his mind, so that it does not affect the next. Every time
:16:57. > :17:02.I him, he is disappointed with the way he has played, but he is still
:17:03. > :17:09.getting results. And the big favourite, of course, in this match
:17:10. > :17:12.could be in the final tomorrow. The case has not turned out to be
:17:13. > :17:42.perfect. If he does not have the right angle
:17:43. > :17:48.on the pink, he will have two play the yellow. He does not want to play
:17:49. > :17:49.the yellow. He needs to get the cue ball back to the right-hand side of
:17:50. > :18:19.the table. He has a bonus with pecan and he has
:18:20. > :18:24.from the reds to the other Reds, bringing the other red into play --
:18:25. > :18:30.cannon. He just has too mind his work and he will be 7-2 in front. He
:18:31. > :19:04.has This was the one, and it was not
:19:05. > :19:29.difficult. The cue ball should have hit this side of the middle pocket.
:19:30. > :19:47.The way he jumped up, it was as though he got a heavy contact. We
:19:48. > :19:54.can have a look. I might give him the benefit of the doubt. I think
:19:55. > :19:56.the pink and went straight on. I did not notice the bounds until we saw
:19:57. > :20:09.it in slow motion. He would be disappointed with that.
:20:10. > :20:12.He did not get any action on the cue ball.
:20:13. > :20:22.Sometimes, when this game can seem easy to the players, and at other
:20:23. > :20:28.times, particularly when you are struggling, and things are not going
:20:29. > :20:32.your way... I thought it would have been easy to screw that back. I
:20:33. > :20:45.thought it would have been the best idea.
:20:46. > :20:54.If he had played the direct screw back... That was a hard shot. It was
:20:55. > :20:56.a strange choice. Unless he felt he was too close to the cushion. But he
:20:57. > :21:23.should have been on the black. I do not know about putting it
:21:24. > :21:32.back. I would not expect Mark Selby to make a mistake. Ricky Walden had
:21:33. > :22:22.his hand on the table. He could have brought the reds into play.
:22:23. > :22:32.That was a bit better, but no real pressure here of Mark Selby. -- on
:22:33. > :22:40.Mark. When he plays the red towards the other three, you would expect,
:22:41. > :22:43.if he hits it decently, the pink will lay the snooker. If not the
:22:44. > :23:12.yellow. In the end, he did not want to risk
:23:13. > :23:32.going back to the baulk end. As it happens, it is not a bad shot.
:23:33. > :24:11.He had to play a containing safety because he was in trouble.
:24:12. > :24:18.It is always risky to play it that slowly. He has not got the snooker.
:24:19. > :24:26.There is a gap between the black ball and percussion. -- the cushion.
:24:27. > :24:44.This red might pot. If he can screw back a little bit,
:24:45. > :24:46.he might be on the black. He is a little bit too close, otherwise he
:24:47. > :25:11.would definitely play it. The only problem is that it is such
:25:12. > :25:25.an easy safety shot now for Ricky Walden.
:25:26. > :25:49.Look at their faces. Absolutely unbelievable. Get out of that! Mark
:25:50. > :26:18.was offering the cue to the referee. When you are shooting into a
:26:19. > :26:26.cushion, you do not have a lot of idea about where it will go, so he
:26:27. > :26:33.is now playing five questions. -- cushions.
:26:34. > :26:48.We could be here for a while. This is the thing, with the miss rule. He
:26:49. > :26:52.can lose so many points. 39 behind, what price he will be in front by
:26:53. > :27:05.the time he gets back to the table? Well... He is asking for the white
:27:06. > :27:16.line to be put up! It is a bit tricky, we cannot even find it! What
:27:17. > :27:20.about off the jaw. The green is in the way. I know what you are saying.
:27:21. > :27:35.It is almost impossible, this. It is getting the pace into the cue
:27:36. > :27:44.ball that is the problem. And it is still not online to hit the reds.
:27:45. > :27:50.This is one of the hardest snooker 's I have seen laid, especially at
:27:51. > :27:55.this stage in the game when somebody has 40 odd points and they are
:27:56. > :28:01.almost set to win the frame. The harder he hits it, the harder it
:28:02. > :28:09.will swear up. He was never online with the reds.
:28:10. > :28:25.Oh! He has not called a miss. Congratulations to the referee. That
:28:26. > :28:26.was almost an impossible snooker. That is first class from the
:28:27. > :28:41.referee. Well done. Ricky Walden is not complaining
:28:42. > :28:48.about it. When you see how much it missed by...
:28:49. > :28:55.As long as referees are consistent, I do not mind. We have seen balls
:28:56. > :29:05.missed by less than that and being called a miss. Sometimes the referee
:29:06. > :29:18.will call them a miss regardless. That was good. I enjoyed that.
:29:19. > :29:26.That was a wonderful shot. If it did not drop, it he would have almost
:29:27. > :29:28.certainly have lost the frame. And now he has a chance of getting back
:29:29. > :29:49.into it. Gravity came to his rescue. He could
:29:50. > :30:11.have played the black a little bit better.
:30:12. > :30:19.He may elect to play the green. I am not certain he can hold the cue
:30:20. > :30:25.ball, if he plays the black. It is a tricky shot.
:30:26. > :30:33.He is looking at the green. If he plays the green, the cue ball will
:30:34. > :30:42.have two travel quite a distance. He needs to be good on this red.
:30:43. > :30:51.The green is not straight-forward, is it?
:30:52. > :31:16.That is pretty good, did well to hold it that well.
:31:17. > :31:24.When you are behind, as Ricky is, and strucking, as he is with his
:31:25. > :31:29.game, you want everything to be as easy as possible, because anything
:31:30. > :31:34.can be missed at the moment. He is struggling to find the centre of the
:31:35. > :31:38.white at the minute. He came out of that one there, maybe played it with
:31:39. > :31:44.a bit of side, to help the pot. It's one I expected him to pot. He has
:31:45. > :31:47.got away with it. Mark may play the pot here but... It's not
:31:48. > :31:54.straight-forward. A couple of mistakes are creeping
:31:55. > :32:12.in. At the looked at the potting angle
:32:13. > :32:47.of the red. It's going to be a thin one.
:32:48. > :32:59.Lovely shot. Slotted it in, couldn't have cued it better. Looks like
:33:00. > :33:03.another frame is going to slip away from Ricky Walden.
:33:04. > :33:13.With a lead now of 23 points, he just needs red and black or maybe
:33:14. > :33:22.red and blue. Red and green wouldn't be enough.
:33:23. > :33:27.You expect him to be on the yellow, but the green puts him 27 points in
:33:28. > :33:33.front with 27 remaining. The yellow will put him in the
:33:34. > :33:59.snookers required stage. Just looking at Ricky there, he will
:34:00. > :34:02.be very disappointed. He has had lots of chances in this match and
:34:03. > :34:05.you have got to take them when they come along, because you don't get
:34:06. > :34:13.many. Not at this level of the game. Same
:34:14. > :34:18.could be said about this afternoon. He had enough chances. Mark wasn't
:34:19. > :34:21.at his best this afternoon and clawed a 6-2 win out of the
:34:22. > :34:37.afternoon session. Knock the pink in. Wife, Vicki, very
:34:38. > :34:43.pleased, I think Mark Selby will be. He now stretches his lead to five
:34:44. > :34:47.frames. It's 7-2. The defending Champion looking very good indeed as
:34:48. > :34:53.we move towards that nine frame finishing line. There was one moment
:34:54. > :34:58.we were discuss, the miss and no foul called third time around. This
:34:59. > :35:02.is rather unusual. This was fendish, was it not? It's nice to see a
:35:03. > :35:06.referee use a bit of common sense. A lot of them are just told, if the
:35:07. > :35:10.snooker is missed, it's called a miss. They will be there all day.
:35:11. > :35:14.That was common sense. Good. You agree? Absolutely. You see the
:35:15. > :35:19.referee shaking his head saying, no, it wasn't a miss. Referees have to
:35:20. > :35:25.use their discretion at time about the can difficulty and degree agree
:35:26. > :35:29.of difficulty of the snooker. Almost impossible to hit. Nice to see the
:35:30. > :35:37.referee being brave to make that decision. Sometimes they may not
:35:38. > :35:40.feel brave. It wasn't contentious, Ricky potted a red down the rail and
:35:41. > :35:47.had a chance to counter attack. Thankfully it wasn't an issue. Fair
:35:48. > :35:53.play to Paul Collier, it was a brave decision and a right one at that. In
:35:54. > :35:58.the next frame, Mark Selby now five frames ahead. This is looking very
:35:59. > :36:03.worrying indeed for Ricky Walden the World Number 12 who made it to the
:36:04. > :36:06.semi-final stages of the Crucible seven months ago. He has a lot to do
:36:07. > :36:15.now. COMMENTATOR: He certainly has. He
:36:16. > :36:20.seems to stutter a little bit. He had a one chance of getting to the
:36:21. > :36:23.final of a major at the World Championship, he seemed to freeze a
:36:24. > :36:26.little bit there. He has done in this match. Nothing like the form he
:36:27. > :36:34.has shown throughout the tournament in this match. He probably thought
:36:35. > :36:38.watching Mark Selby struggling, he thought it would be a good chance to
:36:39. > :36:51.beat him, but Mark has found something.
:36:52. > :36:57.Just about enough room to go round the back of this red. If he hit the
:36:58. > :37:01.red thick, it would hit the other are red. If he pots it, it would go
:37:02. > :37:43.round the back. Too thick. I think he may have left
:37:44. > :37:55.this red to the left corner. You see it. You can't avoid leaving those
:37:56. > :38:10.chances. Mark Selby is two frames away from winning this match.
:38:11. > :38:20.That was good cueing. Just wanted to hold the cue ball a little bit more
:38:21. > :38:25.so that it wasn't so high up on this black. Nudge it towards the pocket.
:38:26. > :39:00.Well done. Just didn't catch that red full
:39:01. > :39:10.enough. I think that could be end of break.
:39:11. > :39:15.He didn't make the most of that good opening red. Just shows you a little
:39:16. > :39:21.bit of lack of confidence there. Most of the players now tend to play
:39:22. > :39:31.them along the top cushion. Mark decide to risk moving the red.
:39:32. > :39:39.He had a nice angle to leave the red where he was. He probably didn't
:39:40. > :39:45.feel that confident. He was trying to develop the red into an easier
:39:46. > :40:06.pottable position, and it went wrong.
:40:07. > :40:13.Passed the blue. Is there a red available? Yes, I think he can get
:40:14. > :40:19.through to the red closest to this right corner. He wouldn't have to do
:40:20. > :40:22.a lot with the cue ball to get position on the black. He is having
:40:23. > :40:27.to look from both sides. You feel it's one of those, just a little
:40:28. > :40:29.trace of left hand side on the cue ball should get to the potting
:40:30. > :41:12.angle. It did bounce a little bit. The cue
:41:13. > :41:21.ball is nowhere he wanted the red, close to the pink.
:41:22. > :41:29.Two decent chances already, he's not scored enough.
:41:30. > :41:38.Ricky has got to cut out these careless mistakes with the safeties.
:41:39. > :42:26.It looks like a better safety. A reasonable length much he should
:42:27. > :42:33.have been tight on the cushion. It makes it that little bit easier when
:42:34. > :42:37.your opponent can get to any part of the cue ball he wishes. When it's
:42:38. > :42:49.tight to the cushion, you can only hit the top quarter of the ball.
:42:50. > :42:55.Not got the pot, but this could be a very telling safety, come snooker
:42:56. > :44:12.here. He has to be careful he doesn't
:44:13. > :44:15.catch the jaws of the middle pocket on the way back.
:44:16. > :44:20.Once again, far too thick. Ricky has not played a good safety shot yet
:44:21. > :45:01.this evening. That was a poor safety shot from
:45:02. > :45:28.Mark. He just got away with it, but the kiss on the green.
:45:29. > :45:37.That'll rattle of the Jaws has ended up with a better safety shot than it
:45:38. > :45:48.looked like it was going to be. The cue ball is closed to the cushion.
:45:49. > :46:00.Sometimes, when you are close to the cushion, you have to avoid the bump
:46:01. > :46:06.of the middle pocket. And he did catch it.
:46:07. > :46:16.I would like to say it is a good chance, but unfortunately, it is
:46:17. > :46:25.not. The pink and black are tied up. It would take a good shot to pot
:46:26. > :46:27.the bed and go up for the blue. He is a player who has the power to do
:46:28. > :47:12.that. It is amazing. It is like the
:47:13. > :47:17.pockets are smaller when Ricky Walden comes to the table. He had to
:47:18. > :47:21.play that with pace to try to get back up for the blue and the more
:47:22. > :47:31.pace you put in, the more accurate you have to be.
:47:32. > :47:36.It helps that the Brown is not on its spot because you have more room
:47:37. > :48:08.to the go she ate the path back. He has a choice of screwing back for
:48:09. > :48:13.the blue, but he has to be careful of the in-off, or just potting the
:48:14. > :48:16.red and nudging the pink to the opposite corner. The in-off was on,
:48:17. > :48:34.if you screw back. I am surprised he played that like
:48:35. > :48:39.that. The in-off was always on. You could see that the pink would have
:48:40. > :48:43.been developed. Just that little bit of help that Ricky Walden leads. Can
:48:44. > :48:59.he make the most of this opportunity? And excellent pots. --
:49:00. > :49:00.pot. Ricky, this is your chance. That was to refix. He cued that
:49:01. > :49:25.really well. -- that was horrific. Terrific. I do not think he played
:49:26. > :49:35.for the red to the middle, but that would not be too bad.
:49:36. > :50:15.It goes without saying, you cannot miss those.
:50:16. > :50:31.Mark Selby's statistic has dropped to 90s. -- 90%.
:50:32. > :50:41.He played that nicely and should be on the yellow. And the reds are
:50:42. > :50:45.nicely spread and he has a 25 point lead. So, every chance to win the
:50:46. > :51:28.frame at this visit. He will not get a better chance to
:51:29. > :51:59.win the frame than this. He will beat three of the remaining
:52:00. > :52:17.reds. Two are quite simple. He has a lot to think about. So
:52:18. > :52:19.disappointing. The UK championship semifinal and you do not bring your
:52:20. > :52:40.a game. How frustrating that is. He left a good angle to make that
:52:41. > :53:12.positional shot quite easy. 56 points, the lead, and only 51
:53:13. > :53:26.remaining and that black to follow. Nicely developing the awkward reds.
:53:27. > :53:29.The red dropping in means that Ricky Walden will not be coming back to
:53:30. > :54:08.the table. He played an exhibition shot and
:54:09. > :54:10.almost got it. Unlucky. Obviously, it is a shot you can play when you
:54:11. > :54:27.are 79 points in front. Well, that was it. Ricky Walden
:54:28. > :54:32.could not play good safety and when he did get a chance, he could not
:54:33. > :54:35.take it. Mark Selby is one frame away from a place in the final.
:54:36. > :54:40.take it. Mark Selby is one frame away from a There seems to be an air
:54:41. > :54:46.of inevitability about this, particularly when Ricky missed the
:54:47. > :54:50.straightforward ball. In commentary they said this is your chance. He
:54:51. > :54:53.has had so many chances throughout the match.
:54:54. > :55:03.has had so many chances throughout Apart from the 147 and when Mark
:55:04. > :55:11.Selby won the frame in one visit. Losing to Ronnie O'Sullivan some
:55:12. > :55:20.years ago, 10-1, it and I was lucky to get one, you do get embarrassed.
:55:21. > :55:23.You get embarrassed about your performance and go into your shell
:55:24. > :55:29.and that is what is happening to Ricky Walden. You feel sorry for
:55:30. > :55:35.him. He can produce big breaks and this is not what he is capable of.
:55:36. > :55:40.He will be disappointed, the first semifinal in the UK championship
:55:41. > :55:45.will stop he would have had high hopes. His long potting has been
:55:46. > :55:54.poor, and that generates chances at the start of frames. Most frames,
:55:55. > :56:02.Mark Selby has been in first. It you are potting the long balls, you get
:56:03. > :56:05.in first. -- if. He is analytical and looks back keenly on his
:56:06. > :56:10.performances and tries to get something out of it. He will be
:56:11. > :56:16.disappointed he has not been able to capitalise. Mark Selby has not
:56:17. > :56:21.played well. He has given away chances in almost every frame. He
:56:22. > :56:26.will be more disappointed he got chances. Different if somebody plays
:56:27. > :56:31.so well and you do not get a chance, but he will analyse this. The
:56:32. > :56:47.defending champion is on the brink. WILLIE THORNE: I am not sure that
:56:48. > :56:48.Ricky Walden has the game to stage a comeback like Stuart Bingham last
:56:49. > :57:10.night. You never know, though. He is getting encouragement from
:57:11. > :57:21.this crowd at the Barbican. They would love to see a match.
:57:22. > :57:26.But that is not the best positional shot. He played for the red into the
:57:27. > :57:47.left middle pocket. That was a nice pot, though. And a
:57:48. > :57:49.decent angle on the blue, to pot that and cannon into the pink and
:57:50. > :58:04.open up the reds. He did not catch the pink full in
:58:05. > :58:12.the face. He will do well to keep this going now. That's type of
:58:13. > :58:14.shot, you have two hit it fall and it holds the cue ball in the middle
:58:15. > :58:35.of the table -- full. Pink and black are safe and so this
:58:36. > :59:59.frame could take a while to sort out.
:00:00. > :00:19.Maybe he can just slip past the green.
:00:20. > :00:41.The reds are now spread and so he needs a good safety.
:00:42. > :00:47.It looks like Mark is looking at the possibility of a plant. He cannot
:00:48. > :01:15.get to them direct. If he could get direct to the reds,
:01:16. > :01:17.it is a certain plant. He would have to play it as a three ball plant and
:01:18. > :01:35.then you could miss it. Unlucky. He can afford to chances
:01:36. > :01:40.his arm, the position he is in. Having got the plant, very unlucky
:01:41. > :02:07.to screwing off. It is just not happening. Sad to
:02:08. > :02:13.see. As they were saying in the studio, lot better than this. Lot
:02:14. > :02:19.better than he has shown. He's knocking on the door. Semi-finalist
:02:20. > :02:25.in the World an semi-finalist in the UK, but this is an unhappy
:02:26. > :02:29.experience he is suffering now. You learn nothing from this.
:02:30. > :03:09.I'm surprised he didn't try to get in and out of the reds to get up to
:03:10. > :03:15.this end. This blue is definitely missable. You fancy him knocking
:03:16. > :03:25.these in ten out of ten. Hampered cueing, not a certainty this one.
:03:26. > :03:34.Yeah, I thought he would get closer than though. Not the best chance
:03:35. > :03:39.obviously. We have mentioned the pink and black out of commission.
:03:40. > :03:42.The blue hasn't gone into a favourable position. I wonder if
:03:43. > :03:46.it's worth playing for the pink here? If he is going to make a
:03:47. > :03:54.sizeable contribution, he could do with that pink on its spot. He's
:03:55. > :04:25.decided to play for the pink. It did hit the size cushion. He
:04:26. > :04:32.didn't play it with that much pace, so the pocket accepted it.
:04:33. > :04:37.I think the blue will go as well, into the left corner, so a decent
:04:38. > :04:48.chance. With what has happened so far this
:04:49. > :06:08.evening, let's take nothing for granted.
:06:09. > :06:18.44 points in the lead. Just two of these remaining reds would put him
:06:19. > :06:29.in the snookers required stage. He's going to get a frame on the board.
:06:30. > :06:31.That could help him, if he was to find his best game. He can win
:06:32. > :06:38.frames in no time at all. The pink to leave Mark Selby needing
:06:39. > :07:10.two snookers. In it goes. Well done. A frame on the board that break of
:07:11. > :07:16.50 more than enough to keep Mark Selby sited in his chair, he still
:07:17. > :07:20.trails. It was a chance there for Selby to win the frame and match.
:07:21. > :07:24.For me, he should have played red in and out, but the blue he ended up
:07:25. > :07:28.playing was a strange one? Yeah. I think he had gone wrong a couple of
:07:29. > :07:32.shots before that when he played the blue and didn't get on the red
:07:33. > :07:37.right. Then he played the red, I think he was expecting a cannon on
:07:38. > :07:41.the second red to leave him a straighter blue, he didn't get it.
:07:42. > :07:45.He was left with a blue which, as you said at the time, this was the
:07:46. > :08:01.one. He wanted to catch that second red fuller, but he didn't. When we
:08:02. > :08:07.look at this shot. He is cueing high up, digging down at it because of
:08:08. > :08:13.the reds under his waist coat. He got half a kick. It was a long way
:08:14. > :08:15.away. Nice to see Ricky Walden take that opportunity. Now there is a mid
:08:16. > :08:22.session interval after this frame. Can Ricky Walden take us into the
:08:23. > :08:50.second-half of the evening? Deciding to come off the side
:08:51. > :09:24.cushion, shouldn't be a problem. Players always look to see if there
:09:25. > :09:27.is a possibility of knocking something over the corner. The way
:09:28. > :09:31.he looked there, is there a plant on?
:09:32. > :09:45.He really gave it a close look. I can't see anything myself.
:09:46. > :09:53.That's a better safety. Play a few more of them and he could get a
:09:54. > :10:17.chance as we just go past the four hour mark in this match.
:10:18. > :10:25.Everybody was looking at the referee there. Believe me, if he hadn't of
:10:26. > :11:11.hit it he would have said four away. Looks like he is going to play an
:11:12. > :11:16.aggressive safety here to make the next safety from Ricky tough. He is
:11:17. > :11:23.usually very careful in that department. Ricky, this is not the
:11:24. > :11:29.shot you need when you are trailing 8-3, but it's the kind of shots you
:11:30. > :11:41.are going to have to take on. He can play it plain-ball.
:11:42. > :11:57.Caught it slightly thick. You can't beat a bit of luck.
:11:58. > :12:07.Here we go. All of a sudden, it started to cling to that top
:12:08. > :12:16.cushion. Half way there it never looked like not going in.
:12:17. > :12:24.Blue didn't go in the middle of the pocket, did it? A tricky red this.
:12:25. > :12:27.If he had been straight on this red, you would fancy him not to miss it.
:12:28. > :12:30.Look at the blue there, we will look again. A little bit wide. He wanted
:12:31. > :12:50.it to be straighter on this red. Just a fraction wide. If it had been
:12:51. > :12:54.straight on it, I don't think there would be anyway he could have missed
:12:55. > :13:02.it. I thought it was in. We had a perfect picture. I thought it was
:13:03. > :13:07.going to go in-off the jaw. Makes you laugh when people say the
:13:08. > :13:14.pockets are buckets. Now, will he risk playing for the black or go up
:13:15. > :13:17.for the blue. Not a lot of room to get on the black. The pink is
:13:18. > :13:48.available as well. A chance for Mark Selby to win frame and match.
:13:49. > :13:56.Took that cannon nicely. I don't think the black is available into
:13:57. > :14:03.the... It may be. It can't be available into the right corner.
:14:04. > :14:08.It's certainly available into the left corner. This is a great chance
:14:09. > :14:26.now. May have played his last shot in
:14:27. > :14:33.this year's William Hill.com UK Championship.
:14:34. > :14:37.Careless there putting those two reds together, they are not in a
:14:38. > :14:50.pottable position now. All these top players, I talk about
:14:51. > :14:54.the top four or five players in the world, are usually so good at
:14:55. > :14:59.closing frame and match out. The fact that Selby has not been at his
:15:00. > :15:04.best this week he may find it different. This is the first time he
:15:05. > :15:05.has been in front, he has always had to come from behind. What a
:15:06. > :15:23.beautiful shot that was. Well, there you go. There you go. He
:15:24. > :15:26.was a little bit fortunate there, that red that didn't go in the
:15:27. > :15:29.middle came back and just nudged the cue ball towards the cushion. You
:15:30. > :16:00.didn't expect him to miss that. This is what happened. It left the
:16:01. > :16:10.pink perfectly and suddenly it was not on. And this is tricky.
:16:11. > :16:32.It was a good pots. It does not matter if he is straight.
:16:33. > :18:47.He obviously was not perfect on the pink.
:18:48. > :18:55.What a chance this is to take the match to the mid-session interval.
:18:56. > :18:57.We thought, when it was 8-2, it would be an early night for Mark
:18:58. > :19:24.Selby. Anything but, now. But that was a poor shots. He did
:19:25. > :19:29.not get into the cue ball. He is very good at this kind of shot,
:19:30. > :19:34.around the blackspot, he is one of the best in the world. This is
:19:35. > :19:35.tough. He will have two force through the red and he is not bound
:19:36. > :19:42.to be on a colour. Just about OK. It is not
:19:43. > :19:58.straightforward, though. JOHN VIRGO: he needed a little bit
:19:59. > :20:19.more pace, but he was concerned about missing the pot.
:20:20. > :20:28.Well played, but not quite hard enough.
:20:29. > :20:51.It would have been tight, John, anyway. I do not know which read he
:20:52. > :20:56.played for. There does not appear to be a path
:20:57. > :21:39.back to the ball Kent. -- book end. -- baulk end. That was much too
:21:40. > :21:57.thick. This is another chance for Ricky Walden.
:21:58. > :22:01.If he plays the one to the right corner, he has to find the gap
:22:02. > :22:15.between the red and the Black. I think he has the angle to run into
:22:16. > :22:55.the pink. Or just run by them. He is just a
:22:56. > :23:07.fraction short of pace, but I think he is OK.
:23:08. > :23:13.It is one of those nights. Nothing is coming easy. He is having to work
:23:14. > :23:40.for everything. He would not have minded the other
:23:41. > :23:48.red going in because it has blocked the path or the black ball to the
:23:49. > :23:54.corner. The pink is a little more difficult. And it goes without
:23:55. > :23:55.saying, that is a not more pressure. It is also tight. It could be his
:23:56. > :24:27.last shot. That was marvellous. I cannot tell
:24:28. > :24:32.you how good that was. If he had missed it, as Willie Thorne said, it
:24:33. > :25:07.could have been his lost -- last shot. Well played.
:25:08. > :25:10.He has increased his speed. He is more comfortable when he is playing
:25:11. > :25:26.aggressively. The match that we thought would be
:25:27. > :25:31.finished before the interval, is now going past the interval.
:25:32. > :26:02.There is always a chance, as we saw last night, when Stuart Bingham came
:26:03. > :26:04.from three frames behind. He has played his best snooker in these
:26:05. > :26:22.last two games. Safety has been the key thing
:26:23. > :26:35.today. He has not competed in the safety Department.
:26:36. > :26:48.After the interval, he will have to find baulk cushion a little bit
:26:49. > :26:56.more. And an exhibition shot, to boot. And what a good one it was.
:26:57. > :27:01.When your back is against the wall, you have to produce and he has.
:27:02. > :27:07.Those two frames take us to the interval.
:27:08. > :27:14.Mark Selby could have had the match wrapped up, if it was not for the
:27:15. > :27:19.resistance shown I Ricky Walden. Noticeably, he did pick up the pace,
:27:20. > :27:26.particularly as he went around the table with those two breaks. When he
:27:27. > :27:33.plays fluidly, he is very fast, he can score quickly. But his long ball
:27:34. > :27:39.game and his safety, as well as being totally way off, he has not
:27:40. > :27:44.been getting the chances and he has been behind, but he has not produced
:27:45. > :27:48.the form throughout this match. Stephen, what has been his problem
:27:49. > :27:55.tonight? He has not played well enough will stop he still probably
:27:56. > :28:01.does not believe he is going to win and that is why he relaxes. Your arm
:28:02. > :28:04.tends to free up a little bit. He needs to keep doing that and throw
:28:05. > :28:09.caution to the wind. See what happens. And the pride in
:28:10. > :28:16.performance, Ken Doherty mentioned it earlier on, feeling embarrassed.
:28:17. > :28:22.It will make him feel better to get the frames on the board. He will be
:28:23. > :28:29.delighted to go into the interval. Stephen said it, give it a go, he
:28:30. > :28:34.has nothing to lose. Sometimes, you can free up completely and suddenly
:28:35. > :28:41.pots go in and maybe the pressure will revert back to Mark Selby. If
:28:42. > :28:46.you missed last night's opening semifinal with Neil Robertson and
:28:47. > :28:51.Stuart Wing, you missed a treat. It was a classic in the history of the
:28:52. > :28:53.championship. You'll Robertson went into it 5-3 in front, but what a
:28:54. > :29:09.fight act from Stuart Bingham. A fascinating evening's of snooker.
:29:10. > :29:17.Who will be lifting that is little beauty tomorrow night -- on Sunday
:29:18. > :29:22.night? What a shot the Australian has made. Stuart Bingham cannot
:29:23. > :29:32.believe it. I think it is worth the risk to take it on.
:29:33. > :29:37.He is beginning to draw away in this semifinal. That was a little bit
:29:38. > :30:03.twitchy. Never in doubt! Hello! What a shot. Probably the
:30:04. > :30:10.best shot of the match. This could be a matchwinner.
:30:11. > :30:28.Absolutely brilliant, Stuart Bingham. It is going down to the
:30:29. > :30:34.final frame. From eight - three behind, all square at 8-8. All you
:30:35. > :31:04.are looking for is one chance at least. That is a brilliant pot.
:31:05. > :31:26.That's the one. What a fantastic semifinal we have had.
:31:27. > :31:30.Congratulations on reaching the final. How do you reflect on that
:31:31. > :31:42.fantastic match with Stuart Bingham? When I got back to the hotel I still
:31:43. > :31:48.could not believe it. He paid me back to 8-8. I went on to the BBC
:31:49. > :31:54.iPlayer and they had the highlights package on at about one o'clock in
:31:55. > :31:59.the morning. And I couldn't get to sleep. My head was still buzzing. I
:32:00. > :32:06.watched it over. It was just amazing watching it all happen. Especially
:32:07. > :32:13.that last frame. I was more keen to see Dennis's eruption in the box
:32:14. > :32:17.when I was on 50, or something, and it was one of the most tense
:32:18. > :32:22.deciding frames I have ever watched. Even though I won the match,
:32:23. > :32:26.something in my head was still saying that it was still going on,
:32:27. > :32:34.so I did not quite believe it until I potted the winning ball. It was a
:32:35. > :32:38.wonderful match to be part of. You are the world number one. How do you
:32:39. > :32:46.view your form over the week? My overall performance, perhaps 6.5,
:32:47. > :32:52.seven, out of ten. Last year, I peaked too early in this tournament.
:32:53. > :32:57.I hit a bit of a dead end playing Mark in the quarterfinals. This
:32:58. > :33:03.year, you like to work your way into actual limit. You cannot just say I
:33:04. > :33:08.am going to play well in this match. But, I seem to have steadily
:33:09. > :33:12.improved as every match has gone on. I feel good for the final. I feel as
:33:13. > :33:28.if my best snooker is ahead of ladies and gentlemen, your champion,
:33:29. > :33:32.from Australia, Neil Robertson. What will it mean to you to be one of the
:33:33. > :33:36.few players who have done that very select thing and win all three of
:33:37. > :33:43.these tournaments? Ever since winning the Masters, it is something
:33:44. > :33:49.that comes up, this time of year, the UK Championships, the one that I
:33:50. > :33:55.am missing. It would be amazing to join Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry,
:33:56. > :34:01.Williams, Higgins, and Ronnie, it would be amazing to join those guys.
:34:02. > :34:08.It would be a dream come true for me. The most important thing is to
:34:09. > :34:11.enjoy the match. I struggled all the way through to the final in the
:34:12. > :34:16.Masters and did not expect him to play as well as what he did. Whoever
:34:17. > :34:20.I play in the final, I will be much better prepared to produce my best
:34:21. > :34:28.snooker. It is looking like it is going to be Mark Selby. One against
:34:29. > :34:33.two, in the world. We have played each other a few times since the
:34:34. > :34:40.Masters. I was disappointed with how I played. I made it a little bit too
:34:41. > :34:47.easy for him. I was conscious of not being drawn into 35, 45 minute
:34:48. > :34:51.frames. He surprised me. He scored heavily, he played very good slicker
:34:52. > :34:55.and did not take any risks. He waited for me to make the creative
:34:56. > :35:00.mistakes. I have played in three times since. I played him in the
:35:01. > :35:04.quarterfinals of the World Open in China. And the finals of the China
:35:05. > :35:09.open and the semifinals of the Estoril you opened. Some of those
:35:10. > :35:17.have been some of the best games I have been involved in. -- the
:35:18. > :35:22.Australian open. I can see us playing and many more UK finals,
:35:23. > :35:31.Masters finals and possibly world finals. Neil is still in your
:35:32. > :35:36.practising ahead of this. He has been in here for two sessions.
:35:37. > :35:40.Interesting to hear him say that his head was buzzing and he had to go
:35:41. > :35:46.back and watch iPlayer. Have you done that with a close-run thing? It
:35:47. > :35:50.takes you some time to come down. I would not want to watch it back
:35:51. > :35:56.having let slip and a 3- -- 8-3 lead. But it was amazing quality and
:35:57. > :36:01.confidence in yourself to come through in that final frame. Because
:36:02. > :36:06.you are probably not the favourite at that point. Such class and such
:36:07. > :36:10.poise from Neil Robertson, in one of the most pressurised situations he
:36:11. > :36:15.had been in. Yes, it gets very nervy in the last frame. You want to be
:36:16. > :36:19.part of that final on Sunday. It is such a great occasion. If you can
:36:20. > :36:24.get the triumvirate of UK Championship, the World Championship
:36:25. > :36:27.and the Masters, that would be some achievement. But it will be some
:36:28. > :36:34.occasion. The Mark Selby gets through, whoever wins that match
:36:35. > :36:42.will be world under one. -- number one. Just going back to that match
:36:43. > :36:46.against Stuart Bingham with Neil Robertson. What should Stuart
:36:47. > :36:53.Bingham take from this campaign in York this week? He is learning all
:36:54. > :36:57.the time. He is getting closer to being considered as one of the top
:36:58. > :37:01.players, one of the favourites. He is not quite there yet, but he is
:37:02. > :37:04.getting there. Beating Ronnie O'Sullivan in a massive tournament
:37:05. > :37:09.like this will do wonders for his confidence. He is so close to being
:37:10. > :37:11.considered in the top four or five people you talk about in these
:37:12. > :37:17.events as potentially being the winner. He has brought us a lot of
:37:18. > :37:25.enjoyment this week. Well done to Stuart Bingham. Judd Trump recorded
:37:26. > :37:30.the 99th max mum break in snooker history this week. And he did it --
:37:31. > :37:38.he did it against Mark Selby. Today, Mark Selby had a chance to make
:37:39. > :37:44.history. This came after a grades and eight blacks had been ported. He
:37:45. > :37:53.couldn't do it, pretty -- eight reds and eight lacks had been potted. --
:37:54. > :38:08.blacks. This is possibly what Mark Selby
:38:09. > :38:18.needed to focus his mind. He has been breaking down a lot at 50 and
:38:19. > :38:31.60 in this match so far. That is the frame safe. Now to concentrate 100%
:38:32. > :38:37.on the big prize. Those four reds are in a nice position. The cue ball
:38:38. > :38:41.anywhere between the pink and blue spot you're going to be able to get
:38:42. > :38:48.back on the black, so just to play into that area, each time.
:38:49. > :39:01.He has achieved the maximum break on one occasion, 2009, in China.
:39:02. > :39:12.Quite a place to do it, in the UK Championship semifinal.
:39:13. > :39:16.If I was Mark, I would be looking to play for that read in baulk, before
:39:17. > :39:30.getting rid of the other three. -- that red. Perhaps stung off two
:39:31. > :39:50.cushions to get up to that read in baulk, would be a good choice.
:39:51. > :39:57.It will be interesting to see if he takes your advice, Stephen. That was
:39:58. > :40:05.a great call that you made, there. And he has done. He has done exactly
:40:06. > :40:18.as you predicted. The key shot coming up.
:40:19. > :40:45.And, if the brown passes the blue, if he gets that far, it may not be a
:40:46. > :41:10.problem. Good shot, to make sure he was high
:41:11. > :41:32.on that red. Absolutely perfect on the black. And
:41:33. > :41:35.even Ricky Walden would love to see all these balls disappear for that
:41:36. > :41:44.magical 147. Perfect. Playing the colours for a
:41:45. > :42:06.147. It is still very magical. To do it
:42:07. > :42:09.in a UK Championship, when you have been struggling with your game, this
:42:10. > :42:22.is something very special we are watching.
:42:23. > :42:32.Smiles from Mark, he knows he has come up a little bit short. Just
:42:33. > :42:40.another few inches and it would have been so easy. Now, he has a slight
:42:41. > :42:45.problem. Does he just dropped the brown, dead weight, or take a chance
:42:46. > :42:56.going a long way round between pink and black? What a big shot this is.
:42:57. > :43:08.Come on, then, come on, then, drop on that to extra measure Mark
:43:09. > :43:14.fabulous shot! -- drop onto that blue!
:43:15. > :43:19.That was a brilliant shot, round the angles and missing the right middle
:43:20. > :43:33.pocket. He is going to have another tricky
:43:34. > :43:39.thing. Can he reach it? -- tricky rink. He's going to have to screw
:43:40. > :43:51.off the side cushion or just drop it off one cushion. The old, the Jester
:43:52. > :43:59.from Leicester has a bit of fun with the crowd, and even Ricky Walden has
:44:00. > :44:06.two smile. It is a bit of a stretch. I hope that that joking has not
:44:07. > :44:15.spoiled his concentration. There was a massive amount of money on it,
:44:16. > :44:22.?4000 for the highest break, ?55,000 for the maximum. There is a lot of
:44:23. > :44:26.due sticking out there. Get in! Here's not on the black. He is going
:44:27. > :44:31.to have to roll this into the middle pocket. He is not on the black. What
:44:32. > :44:37.a shot he is going to have to take here. Come on, Mark, everybody is
:44:38. > :44:54.urging him on. Roll this black into the middle pocket. Here we go. Get
:44:55. > :45:00.in. Get in. Get in! What a player, Mark Selby, what a black he has not
:45:01. > :45:05.been, absolutely fantastic, the defending champion. Everyone gets to
:45:06. > :45:11.their feet. He has made the magical 147. What a special moment for
:45:12. > :45:19.everybody in the crowd. Absolutely brilliant.
:45:20. > :45:27.It was the hundredth in tournament play and professional snooker. I do
:45:28. > :45:31.not think we have seen one where the black ball has had to go into the
:45:32. > :45:37.middle pocket. I have never seen that before. The maximum was perfect
:45:38. > :45:43.until he got to the colours. The shots he pulled out was phenomenal.
:45:44. > :45:50.Have you ever witnessed that level of crowding gauge Mundt? I do not
:45:51. > :45:56.know how he kept concentration -- engagement. The brown was very
:45:57. > :46:01.difficult. The black ball was the most difficult. It was incredible,
:46:02. > :46:08.the last few colours. We were jumping up and down. It was
:46:09. > :46:16.incredible, the black, at any stage. To pot a black like that was
:46:17. > :46:22.fantastic. It was a landmark moment for your sport and are you happy
:46:23. > :46:30.that's it was achieved like that? His personality came out there. I
:46:31. > :46:37.said I would not be doing that. He will remember that for ever. It is a
:46:38. > :46:43.great moment in his career. It was terrific stuff. Business in hand
:46:44. > :46:47.tonight. He just needs one more frame to get into the final, where
:46:48. > :46:52.he hopes to defend this title. Back we go.
:46:53. > :47:02.JOHN VIRGO: there is the trophy that Ricky Walden would love to be in
:47:03. > :47:07.this arena tomorrow for, but he could not have woken off much worse
:47:08. > :47:18.than that. That was the last thing he needed -- broken off. That is the
:47:19. > :47:20.last thing he needed to, to give your opponent and easy starter when
:47:21. > :47:42.they just need one more frame. This is a good chance to get a 30
:47:43. > :47:48.point lead. Maybe he can hold for the black in the right-hand corner
:47:49. > :47:55.the way he played that. I caught Mark Selby in the corridor. He said
:47:56. > :47:58.he lost a little bit of focus. But to be fair, Ricky Walden played
:47:59. > :48:31.better, even though Mark missed a couple.
:48:32. > :48:39.Play on the loose red at the bottom of the cluster, leaving yourself
:48:40. > :48:41.low, so that, in potting it, you bring other reds into play. But I
:48:42. > :49:02.think he ran too far. He has left himself a nice angle to
:49:03. > :49:16.go into the pack. If it broke nicely, it could be a match-winning
:49:17. > :49:22.opportunity. It is not bad at all. I have never seen anybody better than
:49:23. > :49:27.this. It goes round the first red and pushes through that red. He
:49:28. > :49:35.deserved to be on one. But he lost the cue ball there. The rest did not
:49:36. > :49:44.go in the middle of the pocket, that is why.
:49:45. > :49:52.He went into the right half of the pocket, and that puts more pace on
:49:53. > :49:54.the cue ball. He will be disappointed that he did not make
:49:55. > :50:05.the most of that opportunity. But a big problem for Ricky Walden
:50:06. > :50:09.to get this safe. There are plenty of loose reds. He will do well to
:50:10. > :50:25.not leave a pot on. He needs to get to the three reds,
:50:26. > :50:26.but how does he get their? That is about the only safe place, but he
:50:27. > :50:45.cannot play that. He is playing for them. Going off
:50:46. > :51:08.four cushion is to rest into them. It is a possibility that shot is on.
:51:09. > :51:17.I feel that coming that way, maybe he is coming a little bit narrow. No
:51:18. > :51:22.reason to not play it again, it needs a minor adjustments. Because
:51:23. > :51:32.the reds are loose, he has to do catch it perfectly.
:51:33. > :51:47.That looked better, but it was not pacey enough. That was the line. As
:51:48. > :52:00.you say, if you play with more pace, its squares up a little bit more.
:52:01. > :52:59.He just cannot generate enough pace into the cue ball going that way.
:53:00. > :53:29.It is short again. These points are mounting up.
:53:30. > :53:35.Again, not hard enough. This time, he hits the black. Seven points
:53:36. > :54:17.away. Surely it is hard enough this time.
:54:18. > :54:26.He puts up his hand. He got there in the end. It was the only safe place.
:54:27. > :54:34.He has given away over 20 points. But he he led -- left on an easy
:54:35. > :55:01.read, it could have been the end of the match. -- red.
:55:02. > :55:05.It is essential not to hit one of the baulk end colours in this safety
:55:06. > :55:19.shot. Given that he is a left-handed
:55:20. > :55:29.player, it is probably better to play on the right-hand side. This
:55:30. > :55:36.red might be on, but it is tough at distance. He has made it difficult
:55:37. > :55:38.enough. The last thing he wanted to do was to leave any kind of chance
:55:39. > :56:02.for Mark Selby. He decided not to take the risk.
:56:03. > :56:03.With a 58 point lead, he thinks he might get a better chance than
:56:04. > :56:25.that. But it is a very open frame. And
:56:26. > :56:32.that was a good safety. The reds are away from the side cushions and the
:56:33. > :56:45.colours are in the open. If Ricky Walden could get a chance, that 58
:56:46. > :56:49.points might not be there for long. 107 points of remaining. -- are
:56:50. > :56:57.remaining. He played that poorly. That 58 will
:56:58. > :57:24.disappear very quickly. Already, slightly disappointed. He
:57:25. > :57:28.wanted to stun the cue ball a little bit more. He will be hampered by the
:57:29. > :57:46.red, I feel. That was very well played. And he
:57:47. > :57:50.did not get a kiss. He hatched to put so much concentration into the
:57:51. > :57:56.pot, he could not think about playing the Canon. But he probably
:57:57. > :58:08.thought he was bound to be on an easy read -- cannon. He is going to
:58:09. > :58:10.play the one at this end. If he plays it playing ball, he could kiss
:58:11. > :58:41.the red and stay on the black. That was very well played. If the
:58:42. > :58:45.scoreline was not as it was, you would have to suggest he was
:58:46. > :58:51.favourite, even though he is behind, where the reds are. But this is to
:58:52. > :58:53.stay in a match and it is not as straightforward. But he is starting
:58:54. > :59:14.to play better. He was short of pace with that
:59:15. > :59:15.positional shot. He wanted to be straight on the pink to the left
:59:16. > :59:37.middle. The green ball looks the best to
:59:38. > :59:53.play because he will have more control of the cue ball.
:59:54. > :00:01.It needed to slow up, and it did. He just needs a good positional shot to
:00:02. > :00:14.make life easier. Once again, he just ran a fraction
:00:15. > :00:36.too far. There are two reds above it on the
:00:37. > :00:40.left-hand side which will pot to the right-hand corner but importing
:00:41. > :00:49.this, they will all -- Britpop. He is going to the pink. Just brought
:00:50. > :00:55.that attraction too far. -- a fraction too far. It is not a great
:00:56. > :00:58.angle. He can screw around two cushions and get to the reds in the
:00:59. > :01:03.right-hand corner. Just past the reds with a little bit of right-hand
:01:04. > :01:13.side. He has played the two cushions. It needed to have been a
:01:14. > :01:23.fraction harder. Some of these fractions just make a difference.
:01:24. > :01:34.Importing this pink, he could nudge those two reds interplay, that are
:01:35. > :01:51.to the right of the pink. -- in potting this pink.
:01:52. > :01:57.Nicely getting those two reds into play.
:01:58. > :02:06.This is a terrific chance. We know the consequences, if he should miss
:02:07. > :02:40.at any time. His breaks have improved, 62, to go
:02:41. > :02:44.8-4, should he go on to win this match, he will get his highest break
:02:45. > :02:50.of the match. He still has got a bit of work to do. He is 11 points
:02:51. > :02:54.behind. That is not the best shot he has ever played. Just when you
:02:55. > :03:02.thought he had done the hard work and got good cue ball control, he
:03:03. > :03:10.has gone out opposition, slightly. -- out of position. It should have
:03:11. > :03:14.been easier than this. And Mark Selby now just five points in front
:03:15. > :03:18.in this frame and maybe getting a little bit concerned, because he has
:03:19. > :03:24.not played that well this evening. He has given Ricky Walden several
:03:25. > :03:29.chances, and he saw what happened to Neil Robertson last night. If you
:03:30. > :03:37.keep missing chances and giving your opponent hope, well, this is a big
:03:38. > :03:45.shot. He will take on one of the reds. He needs to get it, you feel.
:03:46. > :03:56.Well played. Well played. Nicely on the green. I say the green because
:03:57. > :04:04.that is the perfect angle to bring him down for the red. He may be
:04:05. > :04:14.thinking about the brown, stunning round off two cushions, he feels
:04:15. > :04:21.more comfortable with this. This, the last telling shot he the
:04:22. > :04:47.playwright. -- he needs to play right.
:04:48. > :04:55.Just a fraction, he needed to roll a couple of inches. It shouldn't be a
:04:56. > :05:02.problem. He is pretty efficient with the rest. Nicely played. Green,
:05:03. > :05:27.brown and blue. He has come up a bit short, you
:05:28. > :05:33.don't expect him to miss the blue, but it is the blue, for the frame.
:05:34. > :05:41.In it goes, very well played. He needed to play a couple of good
:05:42. > :05:47.shots. But the balls had to be potted. It was a poor safety shot
:05:48. > :05:53.Atleti men. And as I said, he is a fluent player, Ricky Walden. He can
:05:54. > :05:57.rattle frames off in no time at all. The frame is over. Will he be
:05:58. > :06:05.getting concerned, Mark Selby? Maybe a little. He has now reduced his
:06:06. > :06:13.arrears, to three. It is now 85 -- 8-5. Mark Selby, undoubtedly in my
:06:14. > :06:18.opinion is one of the top two players in the world in the safety
:06:19. > :06:22.department but he hit this one very poorly. I thought he would be
:06:23. > :06:28.looking to knock something into the side cushion. But a player that
:06:29. > :06:34.badly. And all the reds in the open. The colours wherein the open.
:06:35. > :06:41.But, you have still got to pot them and he took it very well. When he is
:06:42. > :06:44.playing quickly and fluently, he looks excellent. His safety has been
:06:45. > :06:50.poor this afternoon and this evening, but that little buzz of
:06:51. > :06:54.three frames on the trot could give him that little sperm, and he
:06:55. > :07:04.thinks, maybe I have got a slight chance. -- has given him a little
:07:05. > :07:11.spur. He has got some rhythm going at the moment. Apart from the
:07:12. > :07:16.maximum. Mark Selby has not been at his best. Not the entire
:07:17. > :07:23.tournament, to be fair. He has had to scrape through. They have had to
:07:24. > :07:27.change the black. The Black has got a mark on it from the Mac -- from
:07:28. > :07:34.the back of the pocket. They have had to change it. It has come off
:07:35. > :07:36.the leather of the pocket, bouncing about. It was like a game of
:07:37. > :07:49.ping-pong. Mark Selby breaking off in frame 14,
:07:50. > :07:55.he will be hoping that it is the last time that he has broken off in
:07:56. > :08:05.this match. Will it be this frame, or the next? If he loses another, he
:08:06. > :08:09.will not be too concerned, until about 8-6. Otherwise he has put
:08:10. > :08:44.pressure on himself for no reason. That was a nice shot. Very well
:08:45. > :08:48.played. You get the feeling that he is growing in confidence. His hopes
:08:49. > :09:09.are hanging by a thread. That red on the side cushion is
:09:10. > :09:12.causing him a little bit of a problem because it is slightly
:09:13. > :09:22.thinner than he would like. Has he hit the red? Goodness me. It turned
:09:23. > :09:29.out to be an excellent safety shot. A little tap on the table that, from
:09:30. > :09:37.Ricky Walden. In the heat of battle, I like to see the sportsmanship. If
:09:38. > :09:43.he misses the brown, this looks like another good safety. He is starting
:09:44. > :09:45.to find the ball cushion. It certainly helps. -- the baulk
:09:46. > :10:12.cushion. It must be like hitting a brick
:10:13. > :10:23.wall, hinting that cue ball. How could you tell from here?
:10:24. > :10:29.Commentator's I? -- commentator's eye. It is no good trying to get
:10:30. > :10:33.behind the colour here, they would rather get onto the baulk fission
:10:34. > :10:46.and try to force him to play a safety shot. -- the baulk cushion.
:10:47. > :10:52.He may try to open a few reds out. He has got to be careful here,
:10:53. > :11:02.because of that loose red. He does not want to leave a chance at a pop
:11:03. > :11:06.for Ricky on that. -- a pot. He needs to cover something. Does the
:11:07. > :11:13.brown country as rescue? I don't think so, I don't think so. -- come
:11:14. > :11:20.to his rescue. He can get through to this red. Suddenly, his safety has
:11:21. > :11:42.gone astray. Mark Selby, that is. Yes. A few errors creeping in.
:11:43. > :11:49.He had to play the red. Nothing is easy at this stage, particularly
:11:50. > :11:55.when you are trailing, as Ricky is. But, he had to take it on. He's not
:11:56. > :12:04.going to win this match, by refusing shots like that.
:12:05. > :12:12.He didn't have a lot of an idea of where the cue ball was going to go.
:12:13. > :12:20.But he has got an excellent case, and the brown is on. He could get on
:12:21. > :12:22.the red below the black. The one at the back of the pack does pot to the
:12:23. > :12:27.right-hand corner. He has played this one on the side
:12:28. > :13:30.cushion. Don't blame me for that! Because this is frame and match, he
:13:31. > :13:37.is trying to be a little bit ultra careful. There was a lovely gap
:13:38. > :13:44.between those two reds. If he gets through there, he opens them up. He
:13:45. > :13:53.is trying to be ultra careful at the moment. I like that shot, if he
:13:54. > :13:58.kisses the red on the outside, it is OK. We will just see whether he gets
:13:59. > :14:03.the case. He's going to have to open them up sometime, so why not when he
:14:04. > :14:12.has got the perfect angle? He is not laying it this time. -- playing it.
:14:13. > :14:17.It surprises me a little, I have got to be honest, especially the way
:14:18. > :14:25.that he has played that shot. He has gone into his shell little bit.
:14:26. > :14:35.Maybe thinking he will try to play a no risk game and, he's bound to get
:14:36. > :14:39.the frame he needs, but snooker is a funny game. If you don't play the
:14:40. > :14:44.right shots sometimes, it can come back to haunt you.
:14:45. > :15:00.He has got the blue. He could have finished up on nothing. If he ended
:15:01. > :15:07.up touching the brown, which he was only a fraction away from doing.
:15:08. > :15:18.He would like to get the white ball somewhere near where his knee is on
:15:19. > :15:25.the table at the moment. Which he has done, now, so it should still be
:15:26. > :15:30.OK. If he just cut the shot slightly thinner, he could lose the white
:15:31. > :15:55.little bit, but the pink will be available to the middle. It is all
:15:56. > :15:56.about getting rid of the red to the right of the black. That is causing
:15:57. > :16:12.the problem. He played into them, and that was
:16:13. > :16:35.nowhere near as good a chance to get into them as the previous time.
:16:36. > :16:50.That was the only read he was left with. He is not in perfect position.
:16:51. > :16:52.It was a good pot. A similar shot to what Ricky Walden had in the last
:16:53. > :17:20.frame. Both played them well. This is his chance to get rid of the
:17:21. > :17:26.red that is causing the problems. Because he can only play the black
:17:27. > :17:37.in one pocket at the minute. Now he has the chance for frame and match.
:17:38. > :17:45.Just over four hours and three quarters.
:17:46. > :17:49.I am sure Ricky Walden is sitting there, thinking he is highly
:17:50. > :18:23.unlikely to get another shot. Just a red and a colour is needed to
:18:24. > :18:38.seal the deal. This black will put him 72 points in
:18:39. > :18:56.front, with just 67 remaining. Ricky Walden will be very
:18:57. > :19:02.disappointed with the way he played. There was a little bit of a
:19:03. > :19:07.comeback from 8-2 down, but you always felt he left himself a little
:19:08. > :19:13.bit too much to do. Mark Selby has taken these very well. And what a
:19:14. > :19:18.final in prospects with the world 's number one and the world number two
:19:19. > :19:28.in the second-biggest tournament we have in our calendar. It will be
:19:29. > :19:34.something to savour. Mark Selby is the defending champion. There are
:19:35. > :19:42.not many players who retain this title.
:19:43. > :19:53.A chance of the 80th century of the tournament. And this will be his
:19:54. > :20:02.fall. I think he will remember his third for quite some time. -- his
:20:03. > :20:08.fourth. He did not get the best contacts so it might finish on 88.
:20:09. > :20:12.Are they tears of joy? Yes, she knows her husband has done the job
:20:13. > :20:18.this evening and not at his best. That was a good recovery. She is
:20:19. > :20:45.happy now. That was very well played indeed.
:20:46. > :20:49.There have been times this evening when he has not been at his best but
:20:50. > :20:58.you know there is something about Mark, he will dig in and somehow
:20:59. > :21:08.find a way. When a player is out of form, you do not expect them to make
:21:09. > :21:11.a century, never mind a 147. He has the perfect temperament for the
:21:12. > :21:18.game. It is not all about potting balls. When he came into the club as
:21:19. > :21:23.a 14-year-old lad, playing for hours on his own, never at that time did
:21:24. > :21:35.we think he could be doing what he is doing now, and doing it so well.
:21:36. > :21:48.He should have seen the kiss on the black coming, shouldn't he?! And a
:21:49. > :22:15.good pot on the blue. Will he finish on the pink?
:22:16. > :22:25.You are supposed to keep one foot on the floor, but it does not matter.
:22:26. > :22:30.What a way to finish the match. His wife Vicky and her father absolutely
:22:31. > :22:36.overjoyed. Spare a thought for Ricky Walden, who will be disappointed.
:22:37. > :22:40.But Mark Selby, the defending champion is in the final game, and
:22:41. > :22:48.tomorrow he will play Neil Robertson. What a matchup will stop
:22:49. > :22:54.England versus Australia. He will be mightily relieved. That MIDI
:22:55. > :23:01.comeback from which he -- Ricky Walden kept him on his toes. He was
:23:02. > :23:08.cheered on by his wife and father-in-law. Your assessment. He
:23:09. > :23:18.had a 147, but he seemed to struggle. If you take away the 147
:23:19. > :23:23.he will probably be disappointed in how he played, and disappointed that
:23:24. > :23:32.he got 28-2 and it lasted so long tonight. But he is in the final of
:23:33. > :23:41.the UK championship -- 8-2. Tomorrow's match is huge. He could
:23:42. > :23:47.return to world number one. Where would you rate his form? I have not
:23:48. > :23:56.seen him play at his best this week. He would say he is probably playing
:23:57. > :24:00.at 60% of what he can play. He still has the mentor a la tea that he digs
:24:01. > :24:08.in all of the time and that is a great asset to have. -- he has that
:24:09. > :24:12.mentality. Give us your assessment of how and why you have managed to
:24:13. > :24:20.get into the final. I have not played fantastic. 147 came from
:24:21. > :24:25.nowhere. I was struggling. Ricky had chances but did not take them. I was
:24:26. > :24:30.picking up the pieces when he missed. It was nice to finish with a
:24:31. > :24:35.century. Playing tomorrow, I cannot afford those mistakes. We will take
:24:36. > :24:48.you back to the shiny moment of the match. The only good moment. Up to
:24:49. > :24:54.the green, I thought I had played the perfect break. I was telling
:24:55. > :24:59.myself I must not under hit that and then idea to and after that every
:25:00. > :25:05.shot seem difficult. On the pink, I probably should have used the rest,
:25:06. > :25:11.but I did not feel comfortable under pressure. So I used the rest. It was
:25:12. > :25:17.lovely to see the interaction with the crowd at a pressure filled
:25:18. > :25:22.moment. It can't be down a little bit. If I did not do any thing, I
:25:23. > :25:28.probably would have thought up the shot. I felt OK during the break.
:25:29. > :25:46.When I got 280, I knew I had won frame. I felt OK -- once I got up to
:25:47. > :25:51.80. When I potted the pink, all I was thinking about was, do not miss
:25:52. > :25:59.it. When I saw where the white ball finished, I thought, not again. None
:26:00. > :26:07.of us can remember a 147 made with the black ball to that pocket. When
:26:08. > :26:12.I hit that, I did not think it was in at the start. On these tables,
:26:13. > :26:20.they seem to stay straight a lot of the time. It was the 100th maximum
:26:21. > :26:26.in professional snooker. I made one a few years ago but I was already
:26:27. > :26:32.out of the tournament, it was in the group stages, and I got ?1000. But
:26:33. > :26:36.to do it live on the BBC in a big tournament is a special moment. You
:26:37. > :26:45.now have Neil Robertson. The third big final you have played of 2013.
:26:46. > :26:51.He is a great player. He is world number one. He has been so
:26:52. > :26:55.consistent. It will be tough. I need to perform better, no disrespect to
:26:56. > :27:02.the opponents I have beaten, but I will have two perform better. The
:27:03. > :27:08.147 must give you inspiration going into tomorrow. It can only get
:27:09. > :27:15.better. It did, because I knew the next frame was huge. If Ricky had
:27:16. > :27:21.got out with 5-3, he would have been over the moon. I managed to make a
:27:22. > :27:26.good break afterwards. I want to know how he keeps winning when he
:27:27. > :27:34.plays 50%. It is so difficult to do, particularly with the standard of
:27:35. > :27:41.the game. I probably have played 50%, 60%. Sometimes I have played in
:27:42. > :27:46.patches, sometimes I have laid like an amateur. Maybe it is
:27:47. > :27:54.concentration, I do not know. Retaining the UK championship, you
:27:55. > :28:01.would overtake Neil Robertson in the rankings. It would be great. Having
:28:02. > :28:07.been there before, I do not see it like a milestone as before, when I
:28:08. > :28:10.got there for the first time. With the new format, apart from this
:28:11. > :28:14.tournament, when you are seeded number one, I do not think the
:28:15. > :28:20.rankings matter so much with everybody coming in. You have given
:28:21. > :28:28.us maximum entertainment. We wish you the best for the final. There we
:28:29. > :28:34.are. We will return tomorrow at 1:55pm for the start of the two
:28:35. > :28:38.session final. 128 players started and it is the world number one and
:28:39. > :29:01.world number two who will finish it. Goodbye.
:29:02. > :29:02.CHEERING As Bobby Moore
:29:03. > :29:08.Sports personality of 1970 - our 'Enry - Henry Cooper!