08/12/2013

:01:14. > :01:19.Pencils and paint are all very well, but it is getting your name

:01:20. > :01:27.etched onto this trophy that counts in the final of the UK championship.

:01:28. > :01:31.Long considered one of snooker's biggest three titles, this event has

:01:32. > :01:38.been among the liveliest we have ever known. 128 players began. We

:01:39. > :01:43.have had shocks, surprises. But we have ended up with the world than

:01:44. > :01:48.the one against the world number two in this final. -- world number one.

:01:49. > :01:58.Neil Robertson takes on Mark Selby today.

:01:59. > :02:12.He is world number one for a reason. I need to cut out and forced errors.

:02:13. > :02:16.I have got a great chance -- cut out and forced errors. It is nice to

:02:17. > :02:23.know I have a lot of gears to go through. That is exciting. Mark is

:02:24. > :02:27.such a fantastic match player. He got the better of me in the Masters

:02:28. > :02:33.final. I beat him in the Masters last year. Since then, he's has

:02:34. > :02:40.seemed to have the edge over me. Hopefully I can turn it around. I am

:02:41. > :02:51.looking forward to the final. To have your name in history, it would

:02:52. > :02:57.be a great feeling. The record... You would obviously put me in the

:02:58. > :03:02.group of one years 11, Stephen Hendry, other players who have won

:03:03. > :03:09.all three. To join those guys would be amazing. He has got such a great

:03:10. > :03:12.technique, very straight. He has not got that many weaknesses. His safety

:03:13. > :03:19.has tightened up over the last few got that many weaknesses. His safety

:03:20. > :03:30.Neil, he will be calm and relaxed. He seems really keen this week.

:03:31. > :03:37.Playing really well. He has a solid all-round game. He likes to attack

:03:38. > :03:40.and I am sure if we both play our best, it will be a great final.

:03:41. > :03:47.There is tasty rivalry between these two.

:03:48. > :03:51.They have both managed four wins a piece in previous matches. This is

:03:52. > :03:59.the third major final this year they have met in. Selby nicked Neil

:04:00. > :04:07.Robertson's crown at Alexandra Palace in January. We have got John

:04:08. > :04:12.Parrott and Stephen Hendry, both winners of

:04:13. > :04:15.Parrott and Stephen Hendry, both today. One and two in the world, we

:04:16. > :04:20.cannot complain. Would be -- could be a reversal of that situation

:04:21. > :04:26.today. A classic occasion. The prestige that comes with the trophy,

:04:27. > :04:31.a considerable first prize, but if you win today, you will be world

:04:32. > :04:35.number one. Mark Selby is trying to become the first man since you in

:04:36. > :04:39.1996 to retain this trophy. He has already knocked in a maximum. What

:04:40. > :04:43.are we to make of his overall form this week with Mac he has not been

:04:44. > :04:49.his scoring best. He scrapped through a lot of matches. He has got

:04:50. > :04:52.the results. He will be looking to play better today. Apart from the

:04:53. > :05:00.maximum, he will have to score heavier today. A historic 100th

:05:01. > :05:04.maximum in snooker. The UK championship is to play for today.

:05:05. > :05:09.It is a very exclusive group he would be going into. He knew every

:05:10. > :05:14.player who had done it before. It is very significant and he knows about

:05:15. > :05:21.it. The triple Crown is on the line. From Neil's point of view what is

:05:22. > :05:29.key for him to date? His long potting is his strength. Yesterday,

:05:30. > :05:33.Ricky Walden was not able to put the long balls. If Neil Robertson does

:05:34. > :05:36.that today, he will be the favourite. I cannot wait. It is

:05:37. > :05:43.going to be terrific. Best of 19 frames, best two players in the

:05:44. > :05:48.world. One of the showpiece event of any season in snow cover. It is now

:05:49. > :05:54.time for the MC2 get things going. Good afternoon, ladies and

:05:55. > :05:57.gentlemen. We started with 128, now there are two. This is the big one.

:05:58. > :06:06.Welcome to the final of the UK championship. This could be epic.

:06:07. > :06:26.Let us get the boys on the baize. CHEERING

:06:27. > :06:34.Please welcome a man for whom it has been an incredible story and an

:06:35. > :06:37.incredible journey over the last ten years since he arrived from

:06:38. > :06:43.Australia. World champion in 2010, Masters winner in 2012, today

:06:44. > :06:49.bidding to join and a late group -- an elite group of players to do the

:06:50. > :06:53.hat-trick. His mum has flown in. Please welcome the world number one,

:06:54. > :07:02.the Thunder from Down Under, Neil Robertson.

:07:03. > :07:18.MUSIC: "Heart Of Courage" by Two Steps From Hell

:07:19. > :07:24.and his opponent, one of the most colourful characters on the

:07:25. > :07:28.circuit, his amazing maximum yesterday is a moment none of us

:07:29. > :07:33.will ever forget, bidding to become the first player to defend this

:07:34. > :07:42.title in 17 years, he is the reigning UK champion, he is the

:07:43. > :07:58.Jester from Leicester, Mark Selby. MUSIC: "Fast Fuse" by Kasabian

:07:59. > :08:05.tremendous sense of excitement here at the Barbican Centre for the

:08:06. > :08:09.final. Best of 19. It is an all-day affair. This is the first of two

:08:10. > :08:13.sessions. Eight frames to play this afternoon. Now it is time to say

:08:14. > :08:18.hello to Willie Thorne and Ken Doherty.

:08:19. > :08:22.This is what you play for in professional snooker, the final of a

:08:23. > :08:24.major championship, the UK championship, they are just about to

:08:25. > :08:29.have their picture taken with the trophy. What a great match this

:08:30. > :08:35.could be. Snooker's number one and two in the world. Whoever wins goes

:08:36. > :08:39.to number one. It could not be closer. I am really looking forward

:08:40. > :08:45.to a great matchup. It has all the hallmarks of a fantastic final. What

:08:46. > :08:54.a great crowd here at the Barbican in York. Super crowd. Two very good

:08:55. > :09:00.friends as well. Hazel mentioned that they have played each other

:09:01. > :09:08.eight times and won four matches each. One has made 313. One has made

:09:09. > :09:12.316. They are close in every department. Robertson at this moment

:09:13. > :09:29.in time is scoring a little heavier than his opponent, Mark Selby.

:09:30. > :09:36.A little conversation with Mark Selby in the players' lounge before

:09:37. > :09:39.this match. He said was he disappointed, the way he has been

:09:40. > :09:44.playing. He said, I want to play better, I want to score more.

:09:45. > :09:50.Hopefully he will find a bit of form in this final. It is an amazing

:09:51. > :09:53.ability to have, even when you're not playing so well, you can still

:09:54. > :09:57.manage to beat these top players. That is what he is blessed with,

:09:58. > :10:02.Mark Selby. It is going to be tough. He is up against the world number

:10:03. > :10:12.one who has been in fantastic form all week.

:10:13. > :10:27.He could get on the one next to the pink.

:10:28. > :10:32.His long potting might cause a few problems for Mark Selby. I am a

:10:33. > :10:39.little surprised he is not taking the green on, looking at the angle.

:10:40. > :10:46.He could have left it in the jaws of the pocket. I don't blame him. Selby

:10:47. > :10:53.looks to be his normal self again, smiling again. He had lost that bit

:10:54. > :10:57.of Jester from Leicester. If he gets back to enjoying it, I think he has

:10:58. > :11:05.been trying to hard over the last season and a half.

:11:06. > :11:14.What a wonderful maximum the other day. To make 147 in a semifinal. It

:11:15. > :11:36.came completely out of the blue. Playing that snooker behind the

:11:37. > :11:42.green, it is a nodding shop. So simple. That is why I thought he

:11:43. > :11:50.would play to put the green. First frame. Needs to settle. Amazing

:11:51. > :11:53.crowd pictures. Always packed. We have both played in the final of

:11:54. > :12:00.these big tournaments. There is no better thrill. The crowds have been

:12:01. > :12:03.good here. Packed out in the beautiful Barbican arena. All week,

:12:04. > :12:25.so was supported. If the black was available, you may

:12:26. > :12:34.see him take it on. Just a safety shot.

:12:35. > :12:40.An army of supporters have come up from Leicester. Mark's mother-in-law

:12:41. > :12:46.came on the train, arrived ten minutes before the game. Must be a

:12:47. > :12:47.little bit difficult for Neil. His mother is here which is tremendous

:12:48. > :13:03.but... Neil Robertson's mother has come

:13:04. > :13:11.over specially for Christmas to see her grandchild. Another shot he has

:13:12. > :13:16.not been knocking in this week. Fantastic pot. Nice angle on the

:13:17. > :13:27.blue as well. Still the same problem. The black is

:13:28. > :13:32.only available in the right-hand corner. He will have to go for

:13:33. > :13:54.colour again after this. If you had to put your head on the

:13:55. > :13:59.line, you would have to favour Robertson slightly. Yes, I think

:14:00. > :14:05.overall form, Robertson has been scoring better and been disposing of

:14:06. > :14:12.his opponents quite easily, you would have said. Whereas Mark has

:14:13. > :14:16.struggled. But, as we say in sport, and particularly in snooker, every

:14:17. > :14:23.single day is different. Some days you play well and the next day you

:14:24. > :14:30.come out and it is not there. I am sure Mark Selby will be hoping he

:14:31. > :14:40.can improve his game, at least 20%, 30%. I remember last year in the

:14:41. > :14:43.quarterfinals he was 4-0 down to Neil Robertson. He came out after

:14:44. > :14:56.the interval and won six in a row. If you can get on the black in the

:14:57. > :15:02.same pocket, he has every chance of getting rid of the road that is

:15:03. > :15:09.causing a problem. Needs to finish higher on the black. Perfect angle

:15:10. > :15:11.to play the cannon. Also a good angle to come around the back of it

:15:12. > :15:51.and play it in the same pocket. Purposefully played high on the

:15:52. > :15:57.blue, travelled on a little bit but he is still OK. There is a red in

:15:58. > :15:59.the middle of the bunch that is available into the right corner

:16:00. > :16:05.pocket but he has to be quite precise with that.

:16:06. > :16:15.He may like to go into the reds here.

:16:16. > :16:21.A little bit unlucky that the red has gone in such a way that he may

:16:22. > :16:28.have to play the Plantier. It is not guaranteed. Probably just played to

:16:29. > :16:33.a glance off the front to reds but where'd that red has gone on the

:16:34. > :16:35.left-hand jaw, he has got to be careful of this plant. Yes, well

:16:36. > :16:48.done. A nice angle on the black, he can

:16:49. > :16:55.merge the red out of the way and still be on the one to the corner.

:16:56. > :17:08.An excellent opportunity now to win this frame at this visit.

:17:09. > :17:18.It makes you wonder, Ken, how Mark can doubt himself sometimes. He is

:17:19. > :17:27.not as confident as he normally is. He is such a wonderful player. I

:17:28. > :17:29.have known him since he was 14 years of age and to see the improvement in

:17:30. > :17:43.this young man is quite remarkable. He is checking that the act red

:17:44. > :17:45.double pot. If it does, he will not have to play the cannon. -- that the

:17:46. > :18:06.back red will pot. The cue ball has gone a little close

:18:07. > :18:07.to the cushion but he still has a nice angle on this red into the

:18:08. > :18:20.centre, back down for the black. Break goes to 58, so he needs one

:18:21. > :18:44.more red after potting this black. This should be a great final. This

:18:45. > :18:49.is Robertson's first shot at the table, right into the pocket. As if

:18:50. > :18:53.to Selby was not to be outdone, what a great shot that is. It has got him

:18:54. > :19:01.into this frame winning break, possibly.

:19:02. > :19:16.That is the frame. Perfect on the brink. You could not pick it up by

:19:17. > :19:24.hand and put it better than it finished there.

:19:25. > :19:33.It is quite evident, Willie, just from the first opening exchange in

:19:34. > :19:40.this frame that Mark Selby has picked up his pace a little bit. No

:19:41. > :19:44.doubt about that. He must be feeling a lot better after yesterday. Maybe

:19:45. > :19:48.that 147 as well will give him a little bit of confidence that he has

:19:49. > :19:56.been lacking. I think that is the thing, Ken. He realises he can play

:19:57. > :20:02.that they want -- played that way when he is not at his best.

:20:03. > :20:07.Missing the cues on the brown here will be tough, playing in and out of

:20:08. > :20:16.baulk. What a fabulous shot. He deserves a

:20:17. > :20:39.century now. Our title sponsors,

:20:40. > :20:42.williamhill.com, have kindly donated ?1000 for every century made this

:20:43. > :20:53.week. We have 10,000 at the moment. What a fantastic start to the UK

:20:54. > :21:25.final. Vicky enjoy that. -- enjoyed that.

:21:26. > :22:21.Over the years, it is amazing how the

:22:22. > :22:38.Mark Selby's wife is looking very pleased. A long way to go.

:22:39. > :22:44.As a statement of intent, pretty impressive. It is like boxing,

:22:45. > :22:49.getting in the first bunch. Neil Robertson potted his first long pot,

:22:50. > :22:54.fantastic. Mark Selby potted his first long pot. He has done that in

:22:55. > :22:59.a couple of matches, the one I dominated with Graeme Dott, the

:23:00. > :23:05.first frame, bank on it. Interesting to see how he'd react in the next

:23:06. > :23:10.few. Neil Robertson knows that it is the food were that have turned up.

:23:11. > :23:13.We have been talking all week that he has been winning without scoring.

:23:14. > :23:19.Neal will know that, he has been watching the games as well, but this

:23:20. > :23:23.will change as mind. We talk about the big occasion, he tends to

:23:24. > :23:26.produce something when it matters. That is a skill in itself.

:23:27. > :23:35.Absolutely, this is when you need to produce your best snooker. Well,

:23:36. > :23:40.Neil Robertson knows he is in a match today and we are building our

:23:41. > :23:53.hands because we know we have got one, too.

:23:54. > :24:15.KEN DOHERTY: We certainly do. A pretty good break off.

:24:16. > :24:23.Robertson has not missed a ball and a safety shot because he snooker

:24:24. > :24:28.team. That is amazing. -- because he snooker to him.

:24:29. > :24:47.We talked about Selby's 147 break, his pot success rate only moved down

:24:48. > :25:09.1%, he was a typhoon three in front and eventually 19 hyphenate.

:25:10. > :25:47.He has got to be careful with the safety he is looking at.

:25:48. > :26:22.Great return, super-short. -- super shot.

:26:23. > :26:29.Half a chance for Neil Robertson. A couple of bread to go out but he

:26:30. > :26:40.doesn't have the angle to get back into baulk. Not a good safety. That

:26:41. > :26:44.was pretty straightforward for a safety shot, he will be disappointed

:26:45. > :27:00.that he called the red. As he left anything?

:27:01. > :27:09.They are blocking key to the. There is one red, of course. But it would

:27:10. > :27:24.be very hard to control the cue ball.

:27:25. > :27:33.That was a very clever shot. He would have had a tough safety shot

:27:34. > :27:36.if he had not been lucky enough to kiss a corner. Rather than play the

:27:37. > :27:39.risky shot, he brought the black into play with that safety shot, and

:27:40. > :28:23.moved to the top cushion. I think he can get through to the

:28:24. > :28:27.one to the right of the black. It is not straight, he could have got on

:28:28. > :28:35.the black. I don't know whether he can bounce it in between the two red

:28:36. > :28:56.Sox -- between the two reds. This thread is on, but, again, no

:28:57. > :29:13.real control. It makes the pot a little bit more difficult. So, just

:29:14. > :29:22.a good safety. He is not risking any. Shot at the minute. -- not

:29:23. > :29:28.risking any sort of shot at the minute. There is no point in

:29:29. > :29:32.bringing the tubal down the same side of the table as it is now, he

:29:33. > :29:36.really wants to swing it behind the groin or the brand because anywhere

:29:37. > :29:48.on the right-hand side of the table -- behind the Queen for the brown.

:29:49. > :30:02.The red appears to have travelled to far past the middle pocket to make

:30:03. > :30:06.it pottable. I don't know if he can risk playing back into the same

:30:07. > :30:19.area. He may have to roll up to that red and push it kind the cushion. --

:30:20. > :30:26.push it behind the cushion. That is what he is looking at, maybe to push

:30:27. > :30:29.it towards the reds, use the knuckle of the middle pocket to try to

:30:30. > :30:37.spring the cue ball back into baulk. Maybe just roll up to it, as you

:30:38. > :30:46.said. He may use the corner of the middle pocket here. No, just rolling

:30:47. > :30:52.up. Has he left anything? It is pretty good.

:30:53. > :31:03.So far the safety has been top drawer.

:31:04. > :31:12.I do not see the problem playing Finn and back into baulk. -- playing

:31:13. > :31:44.Finn. Certainly one part of Neil

:31:45. > :31:49.Robertson's game over the last few seasons that has improved immensely

:31:50. > :31:58.is his safety. He is renowned for his break-building and long potting.

:31:59. > :32:01.His knowledge as well has just improved quite dramatically and that

:32:02. > :32:07.is what has made him so consistent as well. I have mentioned a few

:32:08. > :32:09.times on commentary, both of these players started at my club in

:32:10. > :32:15.Leicester and Robertson when he first came over lost his tour card

:32:16. > :32:20.and was a fabulous potter but did not break-building very well, safety

:32:21. > :32:30.was not good enough. Then when he got his wild card, he had improved

:32:31. > :32:36.100%. And Selby very similar. He was not the best player in the club. He

:32:37. > :32:40.was third or fourth. He used to cue three or four inches away from the

:32:41. > :32:46.white then he got very close and improved 100% overnight. Now here

:32:47. > :33:39.they are, number one and two in the world.

:33:40. > :33:47.Got a chance of getting Mark in trouble here. As long as he avoids

:33:48. > :33:53.the jaws, should be able to get behind the green on the baulk

:33:54. > :33:57.cushion. You do not want to snooker a person in this position. It is too

:33:58. > :34:08.risky to play up wind them, the reds, that is why most players play

:34:09. > :34:13.for the baulk cushion. Now, this thread could be pottable in the

:34:14. > :34:20.right-hand corner. Playing the cue ball back into baulk, the one above

:34:21. > :34:25.the pink, that is the one he is looking at.

:34:26. > :34:53.That is Mark Selby's first port safety shot.

:34:54. > :35:04.An example there of how well he can get through the cue ball. Look at

:35:05. > :35:08.the distance the cue ball cover so quickly. Perfectly on the blue as

:35:09. > :35:14.well. That will be a bonus, getting it back on its own spot. A couple of

:35:15. > :35:20.reds he would love to get rid of, particularly the ones next to the

:35:21. > :35:22.black and another one that is pottable into the right-hand corner

:35:23. > :35:34.pocket. There is a chance to play the blue

:35:35. > :35:38.and play the cannon into the pink. Both

:35:39. > :35:42.and play the cannon into the pink. at the moment. He is not playing it

:35:43. > :35:46.He is going to have a bit of work to though.

:35:47. > :35:51.He is going to have a bit of work to do to get onto the blue or the baulk

:35:52. > :36:00.colour. Lovely screw shot. The white do to get onto the blue or the baulk

:36:01. > :36:11.stops and the spin takes. I love looking at those shots.

:36:12. > :36:18.Have a look at the cue ball. Stops for a moment and spins back.

:36:19. > :36:25.Excellent chance to go into the pink now, if he wishes.

:36:26. > :36:32.Quite unlucky there. Could have had more of the cue ball to work with.

:36:33. > :37:06.Perfectly played cannon. Just tried to slide past that read

:37:07. > :37:11.without touching it, trying to be on the pink into the same pocket as he

:37:12. > :37:25.potted the red. That is the end of the break now. Just lucky. It does

:37:26. > :37:27.not put Mark into trouble with his safety. He may decide to play

:37:28. > :37:41.different shot. I do not really see the point of

:37:42. > :37:57.playing the pink to get the white on the baulk cushion. He could have got

:37:58. > :38:00.there by just rolling up to the yellow so I do not know why he

:38:01. > :38:04.wanted to put the pink out of play. Maybe he wants to knock Mark out of

:38:05. > :38:45.his stride. He has left a possibility here into

:38:46. > :38:54.the right corner pocket. There may be a gap around the back of the

:38:55. > :38:57.black. Trying to... He is refusing it. He does not think he can find

:38:58. > :39:29.that gap. That is a surprise. He has definitely covered the

:39:30. > :39:41.pocket. -- covered the red over the pocket.

:39:42. > :39:47.The red two away from the Black will pass the black into the corner. He

:39:48. > :39:50.will have to be careful he does not leave the cue ball three or four

:39:51. > :40:54.inches off the cushion. We are still in a position where

:40:55. > :41:02.both players have 100% pot success rate. Every ball they have gone for

:41:03. > :41:06.at the moment has gone in. That was a dangerous choice of shot for Neil

:41:07. > :41:12.Robertson. I think he may have left this red. Mark is coming down to

:41:13. > :41:23.have a look from the back of the red. I think it does pot. There is a

:41:24. > :41:28.gap of the top cushion to get back for blue.

:41:29. > :41:40.He probably feels that to get back for blue or org-macro colour, he

:41:41. > :41:51.would have to fit it too hard. -- baulk colour.

:41:52. > :41:57.That is the first pot that has been missed in this match so far. How

:41:58. > :42:54.costly will it be? May have got heavy contact on the

:42:55. > :43:01.cue ball. Just taken the place out of it a little bit. He is still OK.

:43:02. > :43:09.The yellow and brown are of the spot, and easy pathway back down for

:43:10. > :43:15.a couple of reds that are closest to the right-hand corner pocket. He

:43:16. > :43:20.would probably like to maybe take the two reds and two blues before he

:43:21. > :43:32.contemplates bringing more reds into play.

:43:33. > :43:40.He has a nice angle now. Sometimes if you have the angle, sometimes it

:43:41. > :43:47.is better just to take a chance here. He has got the bonus if he

:43:48. > :43:51.gets a bad case, the one second away from the black pots and the one in

:43:52. > :43:54.open play is clearly available. It is worth the risk. I bet he wishes

:43:55. > :44:05.he had not put the pink safe now. That is handy. It has moved the

:44:06. > :44:09.black into a position where it puts into the right-hand corner. --

:44:10. > :44:41.pots. Looking at the situation, it is

:44:42. > :44:47.still going to be really tough for him to make more than about 30, 35

:44:48. > :44:51.from here. The black is really hard to get onto in the right-hand

:44:52. > :44:58.corner. Anything above 30 will be good. In fairness, he could have

:44:59. > :45:10.played that a bit harder and brought the reds into play.

:45:11. > :45:19.He may play at this time, what do you think? Lady cannon into the two

:45:20. > :45:20.reds near the black. He may do. Two reds are close to the right-hand

:45:21. > :45:33.bottom corner pocket. He has hit the wrong side of them.

:45:34. > :45:38.He was always going to be on this red. It is not the one he wanted to

:45:39. > :45:42.be on. He has brought the black into a pottable position now so he just

:45:43. > :45:59.has to trickle this red along the cushion. Let gravity take over.

:46:00. > :46:13.This is not a gloomy, this black. -- this is not a gimme. If he puts it,

:46:14. > :46:18.he should win the frame. A bit of pressure.

:46:19. > :46:25.Nicely in, and perfectly on the red. Excellent shot. He made it look very

:46:26. > :46:53.easy. 52 points ahead, the Black would put

:46:54. > :46:55.him 59, just one more red remaining. Neil Robertson would like to reply

:46:56. > :47:20.to Mark Selby with a big break it. He has had a look at the plant in

:47:21. > :47:22.the corner. He still has not missed a pot that he has gone for yet in

:47:23. > :48:01.two friends. -- two frames. Once again, the knowledgeable crowd

:48:02. > :48:03.applaud to say they acknowledge the situation. But he has to be sure of

:48:04. > :48:14.the red. We thought we might have a classic

:48:15. > :48:31.match, and that looks exactly what it is so far. Both look to be in

:48:32. > :48:34.good form today. He is having a look at those two reds, to see if they

:48:35. > :49:02.plant. What a wonderful shot that was!

:49:03. > :49:07.Bringing the two reds into play as well. Might we see another century

:49:08. > :49:18.break? Such a shame from Neil Robertson. But a wonderful 63 break.

:49:19. > :49:22.He is off the mark. Mark Selby, Neil Robertson, one frame each. We saw a

:49:23. > :49:29.long pot, this is the first one that Mark Selby have missed. We have

:49:30. > :49:32.looked from directly behind, he was worried about not being able to see

:49:33. > :49:37.enough of the red and actually saw too much of it. Yes, he was just

:49:38. > :49:41.worried about, was there enough of a gap? But he could have glanced off

:49:42. > :49:48.the two reds to get back of four blue, but as you said, Willie, he

:49:49. > :49:50.almost hit it full ball. That is what caused the opening for Neil

:49:51. > :50:08.Robertson to make that 63 break. HAZEL: Neil Robertson has gone out

:50:09. > :50:13.of the arena for the moment. It took awhile for that frame to get

:50:14. > :50:20.underway. Will that be a future for the next few frames? When the black

:50:21. > :50:23.when safe, top players don't like it, it tends to spoil the frame a

:50:24. > :50:28.little bit. But I think there will be a lot of frames like that because

:50:29. > :50:36.they respect each other's game so much. Something we talked about with

:50:37. > :50:42.Neil 's game is his care with his shot selection. How important is

:50:43. > :50:50.that against Selby? He came here to make sure there was no banana skin

:50:51. > :50:58.in the first few rounds. He came in, 6-1, 6-0, demolished everybody.

:50:59. > :51:04.He has been a man on a mission, made sure he has not put his opponent

:51:05. > :51:07.amongst the balls if he did not need to. He has been focused in that

:51:08. > :51:19.respect. The bookmakers make him odds-on favourite. Yes, Selby was

:51:20. > :51:30.very popular, looking like it might be like that.

:51:31. > :51:36.WILLIE: yes, it was a little bit pedestrian, but the safety was

:51:37. > :52:50.superb. Safety is about 90% for each of them, 57% each. -- 87% each.

:52:51. > :52:57.Neal will come down and have a look at the pack of reds. He will be

:52:58. > :53:01.quite reluctant to hit the pack too hard, always a chance of knocking

:53:02. > :53:12.one of those reds by the corner pocket.

:53:13. > :53:21.See, the red did come out but he has been slightly fortunate because a

:53:22. > :53:31.red has come out to block the potting angle for that particular

:53:32. > :53:37.red. Mark Selby have half a chance. Long red to right corner. He would

:53:38. > :53:49.probably have to deep screw the cue ball back to the baulk.

:53:50. > :54:00.Oh, super shot! Super shot! Well, he deserved a little bit of luck there,

:54:01. > :54:05.Willie. He deserved to kiss that brown. He looked up at the

:54:06. > :54:09.commentary box, we have been having a chat over the next couple of days

:54:10. > :54:13.and we have said, you have to enjoy what you are doing. A little look up

:54:14. > :54:22.to the commentary box there, wouldn't it be lovely to get that

:54:23. > :54:31.kiss on the brown? Not his best to, Neil can get through, Conte? Maybe

:54:32. > :54:36.not, might be a bit tight. A little look to the commentary box, how

:54:37. > :54:37.unlucky was that? I don't think you can get through to the potting

:54:38. > :54:48.angle. Well, that is a mistake. If the

:54:49. > :54:56.black goes, it could be a costly one. Mark has just had a quick

:54:57. > :55:01.glance at the black. The black definitely pots. A little bit

:55:02. > :55:22.careless from Neil Robertson there. In it goes. Does he have an angle?

:55:23. > :55:27.If he does not have an angle to move the red, the black may spot on the

:55:28. > :55:40.brown spot, because I think the brown spot is available.

:55:41. > :55:50.Yes, the pink spot is covered so it goes on the highest available, which

:55:51. > :55:54.is the brown. Would have loved a nice angle to pot the back and move

:55:55. > :56:07.the red off the black spot. But he is still OK.

:56:08. > :56:17.The pink will not spot on its own spot, so now the black spot has

:56:18. > :56:26.opened up so the pink can go on the black spot. There is a chance with

:56:27. > :56:30.the way the reds have spread here. Just concentrate on the pink now for

:56:31. > :56:38.the next five or six reds. If that cue ball comes another two inches,

:56:39. > :56:42.he can play into the bunch. Just watch the bounce, probably took two

:56:43. > :56:46.inches of pace out of the white said the cannon is not on, which he would

:56:47. > :57:21.have liked to have played. You will get another chance, though.

:57:22. > :57:34.He has got a choice of two reds here, the bottom red, at the bottom

:57:35. > :57:41.of the pack of seven, was pot. I am surprised he has taken this one.

:57:42. > :57:45.This will not necessarily... He should be OK, as long as he comes

:57:46. > :57:52.into the side of the pack he will be OK. Normally there is not a better

:57:53. > :57:55.player in the world at this type of shot and Mark Selby. He normally

:57:56. > :58:00.gets a bit more gear on than that and screws the White passed the

:58:01. > :58:08.pack. But still OK. He has played a lot of those shots this week. Yes,

:58:09. > :58:12.he is very, very good at that. Obviously did not want the pink spot

:58:13. > :58:19.to become available so he took the pace of the cue ball little bit. If

:58:20. > :58:23.he had hit the cue ball any harder, the pink spot may have been opened

:58:24. > :58:27.up, put the pink out of commission, said it was a clever shot. Good

:58:28. > :58:53.point, Ken, I never thought of that. Good thinking.

:58:54. > :59:01.It looks like these two players are in excellent form. You cannot afford

:59:02. > :59:08.to miss anything easy. Neil Robertson played a poor safety which

:59:09. > :59:15.gave Mark Selby a chance. Has he got on one? At first glance, probably

:59:16. > :59:27.not. Just needed one more positional shot there.

:59:28. > :59:36.You would have to say this is frame ball, so there is pressure on this.

:59:37. > :59:50.Sometimes that little bit of added Drescher, he knew how important it

:59:51. > :59:58.was, virtually frame ball -- that little bit of added pressure.

:59:59. > :00:05.I think Neil will have to take on one of these reds, he cannot afford

:00:06. > :00:19.to play a safety shot here. You have got to be a little

:00:20. > :00:28.concerned with the red on the left-hand side. That is a reprieve

:00:29. > :01:02.for Mark Selby. I fancied Robertson to knock that one in.

:01:03. > :01:11.Part of you would have - a pot you would have expected Mark Selby to

:01:12. > :01:14.get. And this is' only because of the importance of that particular

:01:15. > :01:18.shot. The frame would have been the importance of that particular

:01:19. > :01:26.over, if he was home and dry, I'm sure that wouldn't have touched the

:01:27. > :01:30.sideds. But a little bit of extra pressure, sometimes you hit them

:01:31. > :01:33.with a bit of side or hit them harder than you normally would.

:01:34. > :01:48.APPLAUSE Yes, a good pot. He is on the blue

:01:49. > :01:55.nicely. He would have been in Yes, a good pot. He is on the blue

:01:56. > :01:59.travelled a few more inches. As it is, I think he can play the one

:02:00. > :02:03.behind the blackspot. I don't think the one at the back of the three

:02:04. > :02:10.pots, into the left-hand corner. We'll have a little look now for

:02:11. > :02:14.you. It doesn't look like it can, does it? No, that doesn't pot. A

:02:15. > :02:18.couple of reds are lined up into that corner pocket, but there is

:02:19. > :02:21.quite a distance between the two reds for a possible plant. He is

:02:22. > :02:27.having a look at this red that's over near the left-handside cushion.

:02:28. > :02:42.So maybe pot this blue or take that red from mid-distance.

:02:43. > :02:49.Well, a Robertson special needed here. He can't get on to the pink T

:02:50. > :02:57.would be helpful to screw-back and get on to the black. If he can get

:02:58. > :03:01.the white away from the cushion, he could screw-back and play for the

:03:02. > :03:05.black. Mark Selby has been let off a couple of times in in frame. This is

:03:06. > :04:01.the first frame we've had balls missed.

:04:02. > :04:08.Just having a look at the cross double here, off the red. It is not

:04:09. > :04:12.on. He is probably playing the one on the blackspot, having another

:04:13. > :04:16.look at that cluster ball there. If the cross double is not on, he has

:04:17. > :04:20.to be careful he doesn't push that other red that's to the right of the

:04:21. > :04:27.blackspot close to the corner. He played it thin enough to make sure

:04:28. > :04:48.he didn't. -- thass' close to the blackspot.

:04:49. > :04:58.You'd be thinking of putting a red safe here, Ken, wouldn't you, if you

:04:59. > :05:02.can? Yes, particularly with a a 44-point lead and not a safe ball on

:05:03. > :05:06.the table, you'd like to have a little bit of insurance. Swinging

:05:07. > :05:10.this around off four cushions and may even try to plant this red off

:05:11. > :05:14.the other red and into the corner pocket here.

:05:15. > :05:43.Missed the Cannon on the other red, but good cue ball.

:05:44. > :05:50.LEAR That was an excellent safety shot. Good connection on the red.

:05:51. > :05:56.Excellent shot. APPLAUSE

:05:57. > :06:15.He couldn't have hit that much better.

:06:16. > :06:30.He has got Mark Selby in a bit of trouble here.

:06:31. > :06:36.He is trying to swerve around the green. The second red up from the

:06:37. > :06:39.top cushion. Oh, that was close. UMPIRE: Foul and miss. It'll

:06:40. > :07:11.certainly be put back. He just has to have a look at it to

:07:12. > :07:17.make sure it is in the right place. He knows the swerve is on. Thing is,

:07:18. > :07:21.Ken, he has a choice, if he doesn't hit the first red, he can hit the

:07:22. > :07:25.second. That's right, if he was trying to hit the first red and

:07:26. > :07:28.missed the and missed the second red by a fraction, it was close to it.

:07:29. > :07:32.That's exactly what he is trying to play here. If he misses the first

:07:33. > :07:48.one, he'll get the second one. An excellent shot. Well-played. He will

:07:49. > :07:51.be happy with that. Very well well-thought-out, wasn't it? It

:07:52. > :07:54.looked risky when he was playing the swerve, until I realised what he was

:07:55. > :08:03.trying to do just look at the reaction he gets on the cue ball

:08:04. > :08:06.here. Now, possible a choice of shots. He can play a

:08:07. > :08:09.straight-forward safety shot but there is possibility with his cue

:08:10. > :08:13.action and cue power, of course, that you could take this red on down

:08:14. > :08:51.the cushion, but he is not looking at it.

:08:52. > :09:02.Good pot. Where is the cue ball? Oh . It could have been a little bit

:09:03. > :09:09.kinder to Mark Selby there. Excellent pot.

:09:10. > :09:20.This game has all been about fractions. Another half inch, a nice

:09:21. > :09:24.easy blue into the corner. It has just finished in between. It looks

:09:25. > :09:32.like he'll attempt the green here. 41 points in front. I think he's

:09:33. > :09:41.just going to - he may put it safe. Oh, I'm in the quut sure. -- not

:09:42. > :09:45.quite sure. Well, he is going for it. It is a positive approach. An

:09:46. > :09:54.excellent shot. Brilliant. Very good. It certainly sends out a

:09:55. > :10:09.statement as to what sort of frame of mind Mark Selby is in. A very

:10:10. > :10:12.positive shot. He was on a 40-point lead at the time. That was a good

:10:13. > :10:17.shot. A chance to win the frame from this. The four reds are pretty safe,

:10:18. > :10:22.apart from this. He needs two reds, two colours, we can see this one

:10:23. > :10:29.disappearing, but does he have an angle to drop on that red on the

:10:30. > :10:34.side cushion? It looks like he has. It looks a little bit straight. He

:10:35. > :10:37.would have loved that at an angle to stun that pink in and get close to

:10:38. > :10:44.the red furthest away from the cushion on the left. But there you

:10:45. > :10:50.see the angle. Very straight. I'm not sure what he - yeah, maybe just

:10:51. > :10:57.pot it and play a good safety. He could attempt a double as well. I'm

:10:58. > :10:59.not sure - well it looks like he may be attempting the double. It may be

:11:00. > :11:09.worth the risk. You can tell from where you put the

:11:10. > :11:16.cue, he is going to attempt it. It is worth the risk, 51 ahead. Just

:11:17. > :11:23.needs the red. Just leave the white safe on the cushion there.

:11:24. > :11:27.Obviously a great safety player. Players have to play a lot of

:11:28. > :11:33.doubles. Pretty good thinking there. It couldn't leave anything at all.

:11:34. > :12:11.Strong favourite to win this third frame and take a 2-1 lead.

:12:12. > :12:17.A good safety shot from Neil. Mark will be reluctant to move the red

:12:18. > :12:23.off the side cushion and reluctant to split those two reds, but can he

:12:24. > :12:28.get through to this one? A fraction of a swerve this time. Watch the cue

:12:29. > :12:33.ball arc be around the green and arc around the blue. He'll push out

:12:34. > :12:38.first and then go the other way it play the swerve.

:12:39. > :12:43.Just over an hour's play. The play has been very good. Safety superb.

:12:44. > :12:56.Break-building good. An opportunity for Neil Robertson.

:12:57. > :13:03.Take the red off the right-hand side cushion and bring it into open play

:13:04. > :13:11.and try to bring that cue ball up into that big target, of green,

:13:12. > :13:17.brown and black. Oh, he has hit that very bad. I think that's the worth

:13:18. > :13:21.safety shot he has played all week. Very good in terms of safety. He

:13:22. > :13:28.will be very disappointed with that. A chance for Mark Selby here. Just

:13:29. > :13:35.the red required. Still not happy with kind of what obviously, the

:13:36. > :13:40.position, he needs the one red but every time it is game ball, he seems

:13:41. > :13:50.it get up and down off the shot. But that won't worry him now. It is in.

:13:51. > :13:57.It is interesting to hear Stephen Hendry's comment yesterday, Ken, he

:13:58. > :14:03.said when he was playing these sessionses in UK, he had in

:14:04. > :14:06.mind-set, not 5-3 but 6-2. You could always, as Stephen would say, you

:14:07. > :14:10.could never win it the in first session but you could certainly lose

:14:11. > :14:13.it. He always loved to have a big lead going into the evening session.

:14:14. > :14:17.I don't think that's going to happen in this match. I think it is going

:14:18. > :14:22.to be nip and tuck all the way, Will. I think this could go right

:14:23. > :14:27.down to the wire, both players. They are both in great form.

:14:28. > :14:31.Particularly Mark Selby, a vast improvement in his play this

:14:32. > :14:38.afternoon, from what we've seen. He looks a lot more positive. You see

:14:39. > :14:42.another excellent pot there. He looks more positive and confident.

:14:43. > :14:50.Getting through the long shots better, not jabbing at them. Hello,

:14:51. > :14:57.Ronnie O'Sullivan, left-handed. UMPIRE: Frame. Mark Selby takes a

:14:58. > :14:59.2-1 lead. ?

:15:00. > :15:04.STUDIO: This is a much more positive Mark Selby than we have seen for a

:15:05. > :15:05.couple of days here in York. To give you an idea of how close these guys

:15:06. > :15:19.are: It is the conversion rate in major

:15:20. > :15:24.finals that is of interest. Mark's conversion rate is considerably

:15:25. > :15:27.better, winning eight out of 13, whereas Mark has only converted

:15:28. > :15:31.three into titles. That doesn't take into account the Masters in which

:15:32. > :15:35.Mark has won three out of four finals and Neil Robertson has won

:15:36. > :15:40.one out of two, John, what does this tell us about their liking for the

:15:41. > :16:04.big occasion? It tells us about Neil Robertson, he is not one

:16:05. > :16:04.out of 12 for Selby, does that surprise you, Stephen I said in

:16:05. > :16:08.commentary yesterday, he has probably under-achieved when you

:16:09. > :16:11.think how long he has been in the game and how good a player he is. I

:16:12. > :16:15.know the three Masters are different. But to only have won

:16:16. > :16:21.three Rajjing events is very surprising. That will change.

:16:22. > :16:26.Clearly he has the upper hand here. But looking at what is at stake,

:16:27. > :16:32.Neil Robertson to go on and win this would make nine world ranking

:16:33. > :16:38.titles, to put him 7th on the all-time list. And he would still be

:16:39. > :16:40.some 27 titles short of the tally amassed by a certain Stephen Hendry.

:16:41. > :16:58.Quite some way to go. An interesting statistic. Mark

:16:59. > :17:03.Selby, conversion rate, Willy, 12 finals and has only won three. Quite

:17:04. > :17:07.surprising. A long way away from that, doesn't he? It pushed into t

:17:08. > :17:13.the cue ball. These cloths are so fine. When you are digging down on a

:17:14. > :17:15.ball to swing it at pace, the side doesn't get time to move. He pushed

:17:16. > :17:44.straight into the ball. Well, that was a surprise. Pretty

:17:45. > :17:54.straightforward there. He wasn't using any pace on the cue ball.

:17:55. > :18:17.Mark Selby out of his chair like a greyhound. Couldn't believe it.

:18:18. > :18:24.He has overran the blue but he is still OK. He has got it into this

:18:25. > :18:28.corner pocket. Now, will anything go into the red corner pocket? The red

:18:29. > :18:31.to the right of the black does pot but he has to be fairly - he has to

:18:32. > :19:03.be very, very precise. You can see the black somebody

:19:04. > :19:08.available into the same pocket as the red but you are going to have to

:19:09. > :19:12.get there. If the red is either side of the black, both pot into the

:19:13. > :19:17.left-hand corner. He maybe able it dig down on this blue and get on to

:19:18. > :19:20.the reds in the pocket. But you can see he is coming around to see if

:19:21. > :19:24.there is anything available in the other corner. That bottom one is not

:19:25. > :19:29.available. He may go into them here. It is a big gap. That little gap in

:19:30. > :19:35.between the two, the red to the left of the pack and the pack. If he can

:19:36. > :19:41.get into that gap there, these will split nicely.

:19:42. > :19:46.Cueing down. He needs a bit of stun. He won't screw it in. Oh, he decided

:19:47. > :20:13.just to play the holding shot. Well, he has got a much better angle

:20:14. > :20:20.now, hasn't he? The cue ball not so close to that right pocket. As you

:20:21. > :20:26.said, Willy, plenty of pace here to screw into the pack of reds. He

:20:27. > :20:33.needs a bit of luck now. He has lost the cue ball. How is his luck? He is

:20:34. > :20:38.OK. He is on to the red in the right-hand corner pocket. It is

:20:39. > :20:43.funny. I saw that shot slower into that bunch. He was almost bound to

:20:44. > :20:45.nudge the back from one of the reds. He is on the red but he'll have to

:20:46. > :20:56.go for the blue again. His pace has been very, very good in

:20:57. > :21:10.this match so far. A nice little swerve. He had to

:21:11. > :21:14.swerve it around the black. But, as you said, the pace of the

:21:15. > :21:52.right-handside cushion, to hold it for the blue, perfect.

:21:53. > :21:59.He is a bit fortunate. He didn't play on that red. He lost the cue

:22:00. > :22:07.ball but managed to still be on it and pot it. He needs another good

:22:08. > :22:14.positional shot here. He really has to get a nice angle, hasn't he, off

:22:15. > :22:19.one of these reds. Try to get back on to the blue and maybe get the

:22:20. > :22:24.black into play at some stage. In potting this red, he'll have room

:22:25. > :22:29.for the one below the pink spot there, so he may not play that this

:22:30. > :22:35.time. But looking at the situation, is that one more loose red?

:22:36. > :22:42.The one nearest the pink spot, he'll probably play for that this time and

:22:43. > :22:49.as long as he gets a good angle, go for the blue. The black does pot

:22:50. > :22:57.into the bottom left-hand corner pocket, if he is lining up down

:22:58. > :23:01.there. Now he has the chance to - well, he is just going to

:23:02. > :23:06.concentrate on blues and build up a nice lead for the moment.

:23:07. > :23:12.It is going to be tough now. Neil Robertson, amazingly enough in the

:23:13. > :23:15.UK Championship, has never been behind in any match, this could be

:23:16. > :23:25.the first time he is facing a deficit. This is an unusual start,

:23:26. > :23:33.What an improvement we've seen - I know we've said it a few times - but

:23:34. > :23:41.what an improvement from Mark Selby here. A lot of mistakes against

:23:42. > :23:46.Ricky Walden. Of course, no-one has retained the UK Championship since

:23:47. > :23:52.the great Stephen Hendry did a few years ago. Now he has lost position

:23:53. > :23:59.here and he won't want to bring the black into play. If he thought that

:24:00. > :24:04.kiss was on, why not use the kiss there to bring those two into play.

:24:05. > :24:08.That's the first misjudgment of pace from today, Ken. I'm sure he was

:24:09. > :24:12.trying to though, the red, to the right of the black spo. The black

:24:13. > :24:22.did pot into that left-hand corner pocket.

:24:23. > :24:33.UMPIRE: Mark Selby, 39. Well, he is a 39-point lead but I'm disappointed

:24:34. > :24:38.he didn't win the round from that position. A chance for Neil

:24:39. > :24:42.Robertson to open things up here. You can see the frustration, there,

:24:43. > :24:46.Mark, sitting down. He chalked that cue very hard. He knew that was a

:24:47. > :24:50.good chance to win the frame at that visit. But he is going to get

:24:51. > :24:55.another one, unless the brown comes to his rescue. It hasn't. Winds

:24:56. > :25:02.again the same scenario. He has to go for the blue. The reds are all in

:25:03. > :25:11.the way of one another. To get into the reds and let's see what happens.

:25:12. > :25:23.With the brown being off it's spot, would you want to spin this around

:25:24. > :25:27.and bring reds into play He is coming down to have a look. I think

:25:28. > :25:32.the top red, closest to the cue ball, that pots. Maybe you could

:25:33. > :25:37.swing it around off two cushions and still get on to that red. The one

:25:38. > :25:43.just directly above the black - it looks a bit pacy, this. I'd

:25:44. > :25:47.definitely have been playing into those two. It was a massive target.

:25:48. > :25:50.Impossible to miss the target. Still OK, I think you can just about clip

:25:51. > :26:20.it in. Put his hand up there to acknowledge

:26:21. > :26:25.a good kiss. He was planning on go in and out of baulk. He got nicely

:26:26. > :26:28.into brown. We'll know from this shot whether one of these reds are

:26:29. > :26:34.available. It looked to be pretty tight. The top one pots. And this

:26:35. > :27:06.looks to be just about right. Well done.

:27:07. > :27:43.Still probably needs two more reds. It's hard work, isn't it, this?

:27:44. > :27:50.He hasn't found the gap, has he? That was so close, wasn't it? Look

:27:51. > :27:55.at that. He played the gap there for that black red. I think he is just a

:27:56. > :28:01.fraction too far. Now, the safety is not easy. He may have to play the

:28:02. > :28:06.plant. An easy shot off the one next to the pink but would he want to

:28:07. > :28:10.bring that one into play, Ken? Probably not. The only difficulty

:28:11. > :28:14.with the plant is that there is quite a big distance between the two

:28:15. > :28:22.reds. But he may not have an alternative. He is so reluctant to

:28:23. > :28:26.move it, isn't he? You can't blame him but he lays down on to any of

:28:27. > :28:31.these reds here, Neil will certainly bring that red into play. It maybe

:28:32. > :28:37.worth having a go at the plant. But he still needs a colour. I can't see

:28:38. > :28:43.how he can get on to a colour. Well, it looks like he is going to be

:28:44. > :28:47.forced into it. - into taking this red off the right-handside cushion

:28:48. > :28:54.and that would bring, in turn, the pink into play as well. I would love

:28:55. > :29:00.to leave that red where it is, it is impossible to bring it into play and

:29:01. > :29:01.get the cue ball back off the baulk. That red being out of play is so

:29:02. > :29:15.much in his favour. I'm wondering if he did play the

:29:16. > :29:19.plant, if he cannot get a colour, if the red goes in, at least he can put

:29:20. > :29:23.a colour safe up in baulk and that would be an extra insurance. It is

:29:24. > :29:28.worth having a go at this. Yes, well-played.

:29:29. > :29:38.Well, I say well-played, but he has not had a colour. He was looking for

:29:39. > :29:44.the green, wasn't he? Now, can he leave the back on the back cushion

:29:45. > :29:46.and get the black safe? Maybe play the black on to the two cushions and

:29:47. > :30:00.on to the top baulk cushion? That's what he is looking at now.

:30:01. > :30:04.Looking at playing the black in between the blue and yellow and in

:30:05. > :30:08.hyped the brown spot area. If he screws back on to the cushion, it is

:30:09. > :30:12.going to be very difficult, then, for Neil Robertson to win this

:30:13. > :30:15.frame. It is difficult now, but with the black and the pink out of play,

:30:16. > :30:21.very difficult. How is the weight? Not very good. He needed that black

:30:22. > :30:36.back on the cushion. That's not very good for Mark.

:30:37. > :30:41.He has the possibility of trying to get that cue ball tight behind the

:30:42. > :30:46.black. There is the poblted of a pot, as well, of course, into the

:30:47. > :30:56.green pocket, but the fact that he has come down towards the black, it

:30:57. > :31:03.is a big target but I'm not quite sure whether he is going to take

:31:04. > :31:06.that. He'd love to bring the red into plain the pink, that are close

:31:07. > :31:18.together. -- into play and the pink. I'm

:31:19. > :31:23.wonder whether it is worth having a go at this red, into the green

:31:24. > :31:28.pocket and try to get up for the blue. The pace he would have to play

:31:29. > :31:30.it, Ken, would he almost kiss the pink? Safety it is. Trying to get

:31:31. > :31:46.the cue ball behind the black. Mm, he has lost the safety exchange

:31:47. > :31:50.there, not getting the snooker. Mark will have the insurance of two reds

:31:51. > :31:57.being safe. He has the chance of getting another red safe here. He is

:31:58. > :32:03.a little bit concerned about pushing the red on to the corner, and

:32:04. > :32:06.pushing one red on to the other but at least he can try to get a good

:32:07. > :32:26.white. Another good safety shot there. Just

:32:27. > :32:32.pushed that red towards the cushion. Now he has gone massive favourite -

:32:33. > :32:47.obviously clear favourite before those last two or three shots.

:32:48. > :32:57.He will be pretty pleased, won't he, with the kiss off the yellow? This

:32:58. > :33:02.is horrible. Probably play thin as you like, but then you would be

:33:03. > :33:12.concerned about pushing the second red over the corner pocket.

:33:13. > :33:40.He'll do very well not to leave a pot on here.

:33:41. > :33:48.Well, he gets a round of applause, but he didn't play it like that. He

:33:49. > :34:17.caught the cushion first there and that was rather fortunate.

:34:18. > :34:28.He is contemplating trying to bring the pink and those two reds into

:34:29. > :34:36.play here. It is very risky. I'm not sure where the reds are going to go.

:34:37. > :34:40.He's maybe taking a chance screwing the cue ball back into baulk and

:34:41. > :34:44.bringing, well, all three reds and pink into play here. But it is a

:34:45. > :34:48.very risky shot. Reds could come up and down the table and hit the baulk

:34:49. > :34:52.as well. He has to do something, because he is going to need all

:34:53. > :34:54.these reds in open play and to put any pressure on Mark Selby, try and

:34:55. > :35:24.get them into play. That was the difficulty. So, just

:35:25. > :35:27.this red needed. Well-played Mark Selby.

:35:28. > :35:31.He dominated the safety exchange and the break-building. Robertson has

:35:32. > :36:49.gone behind for the first time in this tournament.

:36:50. > :37:13.Well, that was a superpositional shot. And this is good stuff from

:37:14. > :37:17.Mark Selby, no doubt about that. So, Neil Robertson has a few things to

:37:18. > :37:21.ponder during the mid-session interval. The first time that he

:37:22. > :37:35.will be faced with being behind all this week.

:37:36. > :37:42.And a much-improved Mark Selby, there is no doubt about that. It has

:37:43. > :37:46.been a good start, these opening exchanges. He won't be bothered

:37:47. > :37:50.about missing the blue. He will be happy with his contribution so far,

:37:51. > :37:55.as Mark Selby goes off to the mid-session interval. He leads Neil

:37:56. > :37:58.Robertson by 3-1. ?

:37:59. > :38:02.STUDIO: As the guys were saying, that's the first time in the entire

:38:03. > :38:08.week that Neil Robertson has found himself with work to do. John, how

:38:09. > :38:12.would you character size this display with Mark Selby compared to

:38:13. > :38:18.yesterday when he said he was playing 50 to 60% of his form A lot

:38:19. > :38:23.sharper. A couple of frames have gone hard tactically, he he is a

:38:24. > :38:27.matcher. As for Neil, he wants a frame to get his hands on the table

:38:28. > :38:33.and get in to skoemplt he has had a 63 in one but other than that, he

:38:34. > :38:40.has been frozen out. What is your assessment. Neil looks --

:38:41. > :38:44.intimidated is maybe too strong, but maybe it is intimidated. He doesn't

:38:45. > :38:48.like the grind. I think he wants it get in there and pot long balls. We

:38:49. > :38:54.said he played a good percentage game. If it stays like this Selby

:38:55. > :38:58.could dominate the final. I think he has a healthy respect for his

:38:59. > :39:02.opponent. He knows he can give him trouble. If he sees him knocking a

:39:03. > :39:05.few balls in. You know, it is obvious, there are some players you

:39:06. > :39:11.like playing and some you don't. I remember at the Masters, Neil found

:39:12. > :39:15.himself 3-8 behind, 1 of 5, but it was all too late from. His

:39:16. > :39:20.perspective he has to be careful this game doesn't run away from him

:39:21. > :39:25.with memories of that strongly in his mind. Absolutely. He has to get

:39:26. > :39:31.in and try to play the game at more his pace. Obviously the balls, if

:39:32. > :39:38.the balls run awkward, it is hard to really impose it and impose your

:39:39. > :39:44.game that much, but he has missed some balls. I saw him practising the

:39:45. > :39:49.ball he missed. He has missed a few easingy ones. He needs to get into

:39:50. > :39:53.his own pace One real good chance in amongst the balls, get yourself back

:39:54. > :40:00.in cueing properly and scoring in one visit and re-establish yourself.

:40:01. > :40:05.Well Neil doing practice, as you can see and I'm sure he will stay here.

:40:06. > :40:09.We'll concentrate on events which are of historical significance for

:40:10. > :40:14.this sport. A maximum break is a moment of perfection in snooker,

:40:15. > :40:20.obviously. The first maximum break was made in 1992 but Steve Davis. 31

:40:21. > :40:24.years' later we were on the cows am of history yesterday with the 100th

:40:25. > :40:29.maximum break waiting to be slotted away T came in the 7th frame of Mark

:40:30. > :40:35.Selby's semifinal with Ricky Walden. If he haven't seen this, you have

:40:36. > :40:37.got to see it. We'll pick them up, eight blacks, and eight reds potted

:40:38. > :40:51.so far. COMMENTATOR: Equals the record along

:40:52. > :40:56.with Ronnie O'Sullivan. He has a chance here, Stephen Absolutely. The

:40:57. > :41:00.only obvious problem is the red in baulk, it is not too difficult if

:41:01. > :41:05.you get a nice angle on it, to get back for a black. This is possibly

:41:06. > :41:12.what Selby needed to really focus his mind. He has been breaking down

:41:13. > :41:18.a lot on the sort of 50s and 60s in this match so far.

:41:19. > :41:34.That's the frame safe. So now concentrate, 100% on the big prize.

:41:35. > :41:35.Our reds are in ace position. You would think the cue ball anywhere

:41:36. > :41:38.around the pink or would think the cue ball anywhere

:41:39. > :41:43.are going to be on the red to get back for the black. It is just

:41:44. > :41:51.are going to be on the red to get matter of playing for that area each

:41:52. > :42:02.time. He has achieved a maximum break on one occasion, 2009 in

:42:03. > :42:09.China. What a place to do it, in the UK Championship semifinal?

:42:10. > :42:16.If I was Mark, I would be looking to play for that red in baulk before

:42:17. > :42:19.you get rid of the other three reds. If you don't get on to it properly,

:42:20. > :42:28.you have the insurance of having another pot. Perhaps high on the

:42:29. > :42:29.black here and stand off two cushions to get on that red in baulk

:42:30. > :42:48.would be a good choice. It'll be interesting to see if he

:42:49. > :42:57.takes your advice, Stephen. It is a great call that you made there.

:42:58. > :43:04.And he has done. He has done exactly as you predicted. Key shot coming

:43:05. > :43:42.up. It's there. It's there. And if the

:43:43. > :44:10.brown passes the blue, if he gets that far, it may not be a problem.

:44:11. > :44:25.Good shot. He needed to make sure he was high on that red.

:44:26. > :44:33.Absolutely perfect on the black and even Ricky Walden would love to see

:44:34. > :44:45.all these balls disappear for that magical 147.

:44:46. > :45:03.All the colours for a 147. It still is very magical. I know it happens

:45:04. > :45:06.more often but to do it in the UK Championship and when you have been

:45:07. > :45:08.struggling a little bit with your game, this is something very special

:45:09. > :45:26.we are watching here. Oh, smiles from Mark there, he knows

:45:27. > :45:31.he has come up a little bit short. Oh, dear. Just another few inches

:45:32. > :45:39.and it would have been so easy. Now he has a slight problem. Does he

:45:40. > :45:44.just drop the brown in dead weight and leave a long blue or take the

:45:45. > :45:50.chance of going around in between the pink and black? He is going

:45:51. > :45:58.around the angles, I think. What a big shot this is. Come on then, come

:45:59. > :46:09.on then. Drop on that blue. Fabulous shot.

:46:10. > :46:17.APPLAUSE That was a brilliant shot. Around

:46:18. > :46:26.the angles and missed the in-off in the right, middle pocket.

:46:27. > :46:33.He needs to pull up. He is going to have another tricky pink. Can he

:46:34. > :46:36.reach it? He is going to have to screw off the side cushion or just

:46:37. > :46:52.drop it in off one cushion. The old Jester from Leicester has a

:46:53. > :46:59.bit of fun with the crowd. And even Ricky has to smile. It's a bit of a

:47:00. > :47:03.stretch. I just hope all that joking isn't spoiling his concentration.

:47:04. > :47:09.This is a massive pink. And there is a massive amount of money on it.

:47:10. > :47:21.?55,000 for the maximum. ?4,000 for the highest break. There is a lot of

:47:22. > :47:25.cue I can sting out there. Get in. Oh he is not on the black. He is

:47:26. > :47:30.going to have to roll it to the middle pocket. He is not on the

:47:31. > :47:35.black. What a shot he is going to have to take here. Come on Mark,

:47:36. > :47:51.everybody is urging him on. Roll this black into the middle pocket.

:47:52. > :47:59.Get in, get in. What a black he has knocked in there. Absoluly

:48:00. > :48:08.fantastic. The defending champion - as everyone gets to their feet - has

:48:09. > :48:09.made the magical 147. What a special moment for everybody in the Barbican

:48:10. > :48:26.Centre. It was a fantastically special

:48:27. > :48:39.moment. You still get goose bumps seeing it now.

:48:40. > :48:46.It was a fantastic moment for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It was

:48:47. > :48:52.almost like the Jester of Leicester came out It was completely natural.

:48:53. > :49:08.Like it was in a practice game. It was really good -- it was a

:49:09. > :49:13.fantastic moment for the Championship.

:49:14. > :49:17.What has contributed to the huge increase in the numbers of maximums

:49:18. > :49:22.we are seeing now? Standards are far more aggressive. People want it make

:49:23. > :49:27.big breaks. They are much better winning the balls. The standard -

:49:28. > :49:31.more good players than there was in the 80s. You are starting off

:49:32. > :49:35.younger and practising line-ups. You want to get in the match and make

:49:36. > :49:39.big breaks. They have seen the players in the 80s and 90s doing it

:49:40. > :49:48.and the players coming in now want to do it. In the '80s and '90, and

:49:49. > :49:53.then you came along and were sticking in 1 # 00s every day of the

:49:54. > :50:00.week Yes people have watched myself and the owe soul vans and Higgins,

:50:01. > :50:04.all the best break-builders and are making the most. It was a lovely

:50:05. > :50:08.moment. A great 12 months or so for Mark Selby. Not only did he win this

:50:09. > :50:12.event, four weeks later he went on to win the Masters. The Masters is

:50:13. > :50:18.very much on our minds. It was Mark who beat Neil Robertson in the final

:50:19. > :50:22.at Ally Pally in January this year. We are getting ready for it on 12th

:50:23. > :50:27.January T starts again. Indeed we are now about to make t draw for the

:50:28. > :50:33.fist round of the Masters. Let me remind you of the players who will

:50:34. > :50:38.be in T the scramble for places. The world's best 16 get N these are the

:50:39. > :50:41.seedings. Mark Selby is the defending champion. And Ronnie

:50:42. > :50:47.O'Sullivan the World Champion, number 2. On world rankings, Ronnie

:50:48. > :50:53.wouldn't be there, but he is the World Champion: Joe Perry managed to

:50:54. > :50:59.grab the last spot. Courtesy of his gross to the quarter-finals. With

:51:00. > :51:04.the likes of John Higgins at 13 and Shaun Murphy at nine, we could get

:51:05. > :51:11.interesting first round match-ups. Time to see who will be facing whom,

:51:12. > :51:16.Rob, over to you. Welcome back for our live draw for

:51:17. > :51:21.the Masters. We have never done this before. We are very excited. Ladies

:51:22. > :51:28.and gentlemen, can we have a round of applause for John Parrot and

:51:29. > :51:30.Jason Ferguson, Chairman of the WPBSA.

:51:31. > :51:36.OK, John, you are going to be drawing out the seeds, 1-8. Jason

:51:37. > :51:41.you are 9-16. John, take it away. Who is the first ball Give them a

:51:42. > :51:46.good shake. The first number out, number 1. Mark Selby.

:51:47. > :52:08.Very popular after that 1 # 47. CROWD: Whhoo!

:52:09. > :52:16.The ace in the pack, the pride of Bristol. It is like a pantomime,

:52:17. > :52:22.this. Playing Marco Fu.

:52:23. > :52:27.Number two, hold your breath, it is the rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:52:28. > :52:31.CHEER. He will play.

:52:32. > :52:40.Much Number 14. Robert mill kins. He will be making

:52:41. > :52:45.his debut at the Masters -- Milkins. Number 8. Stuart Bingham. A A

:52:46. > :52:49.brilliant run in the semis. Only just losing out to Neil rob Earthed

:52:50. > :52:57.son. He will play. Number 13. John hiking begins.

:52:58. > :53:04.-- Neil Robertson. Number 6.

:53:05. > :53:14.Stephen Maguire. 16. The gentleman, Joe Perry.

:53:15. > :53:26.Number 3. Neil Robertson. CHEER Won the title at Ally Pally in 2012.

:53:27. > :53:31.And he will play? 11. Mark Allen, great match.

:53:32. > :53:36.Number 4. Ding Junhui.

:53:37. > :53:42.Number 9. Will play number 9, Shaun Murphy. What a match, fantastic.

:53:43. > :53:53.Finally, Rob. Last but by no means, least. Number 7. Barry hue kinces.

:53:54. > :54:00.The last player in the bag, number 12. Ricky Walden.

:54:01. > :54:02.-- Barry Hawkins. That's the matches to come in

:54:03. > :54:06.January. Plenty of talking points. ?

:54:07. > :54:47.STUDIO: Now a quick recap for you. Selby opens up against Mark Davis.

:54:48. > :54:55.Barry Hawkins and Ricky Walden, a repeat of the Crucible final this

:54:56. > :55:00.year. Ronnie beat Rob, it was a white wash

:55:01. > :55:07.earlier in this Championship. He wrapped it up in.68 or 9 minutes.

:55:08. > :55:10.Rob I'm sure will be in two minds about that. So much to look forward

:55:11. > :55:16.to. That's just the opening round. You will, I'm sure, look forward to

:55:17. > :55:19.enjoying the Masters with us at Alexandra Palace from 12th January,

:55:20. > :55:24.at the start of what is a huge year of sport in 20146789 we are really

:55:25. > :55:28.looking forward to going there, a venue this has proved so popular

:55:29. > :55:33.since the move there a couple of years ago. -- in 2014. Stephens

:55:34. > :55:35.knows what it is like to win the Masters. What is it, six times over

:55:36. > :55:38.the years. Masters. What is it, six times over

:55:39. > :55:42.the You regarded it as the second most prestigious title, why? Because

:55:43. > :55:45.it is the top 16. The World Championship takes precedence over

:55:46. > :55:47.everything. After that, the Masters was the one I wanted to win every

:55:48. > :56:07.season. You are judging your own was the one I wanted to win every

:56:08. > :56:07.top 16 player but was the one I wanted to win every

:56:08. > :56:10.the world. I was laughing at Milkins. He won't be enjoying his

:56:11. > :56:15.Christmas looking forward to that in January.68 minutes this week. Yes.

:56:16. > :56:20.The other thing we must talk about is Alexandra Palace, which has

:56:21. > :56:23.proved very successful. What has been the main point of difference

:56:24. > :56:29.between that and Wembley over the last couple of years. It is better

:56:30. > :56:35.than the Wembley Arena. It has atmosphere. The old conference hall

:56:36. > :56:40.was fantastic, a tremendous venue but Alexandra Palace has created a

:56:41. > :56:43.tremendous atmosphere. It has. We are looking forward to going back

:56:44. > :56:47.there in a few weeks' time, after the new year. That's four weeks from

:56:48. > :56:51.now. Now it is time to get back out into the arena. We have a change of

:56:52. > :56:58.commentary team, as we say good afternoon now to Dennis tailor and

:56:59. > :57:06.John Virgo, as Neil and Mark come out for another four frames to be

:57:07. > :57:13.played in this opening session. -- Dennis Taylor.

:57:14. > :57:24.Enjoying it so, far, gents? Dennis Taylor: Yes, thank you, Hazel,

:57:25. > :57:30.superb. There is a fightback, for Neil Robertson. An awful long way to

:57:31. > :57:35.G UMPIRE: Frame five, Mark Selby to break. Put your cameras down.

:57:36. > :57:48.The referee just telling people to put the cameras down.

:57:49. > :57:59.That is That's a praety good break-off shot from Mark Selby. He

:58:00. > :58:03.looked very sharp at the start of this match. I thought it was an

:58:04. > :58:06.interesting interview that Neil Robertson did yesterday, when he

:58:07. > :58:10.said he lost in the final of the Masters, because he watched Mark

:58:11. > :58:14.play during the tournament indidn't expect him to play that W well, you

:58:15. > :58:17.don't judge a player like Mark Selby, just by the way he has played

:58:18. > :58:21.in the tournament. You just have to accept that you are going to have to

:58:22. > :58:26.play Mark Selby at his best. I just got the feeling that Neil felt he

:58:27. > :58:38.took his eye off the ball in the Masters final. But 3-1 down. He

:58:39. > :59:07.needs to make in-roads. Up at 94%. That's excellent.

:59:08. > :59:13.Another four frames to be played and then the remainder starting at

:59:14. > :59:35.7.00pm this evening. Stone the target in this final. Best

:59:36. > :59:39.of 19. -- ten is the target. A tap on the table, you might have heard

:59:40. > :59:45.as we were looking for Neil Robertson, from Mark Selby. He has

:59:46. > :59:50.to be careful. The two reds available. So he needs a good cue

:59:51. > :59:52.ball here. He has hit this a bit thin. He will be lucky not to leave

:59:53. > :00:06.a pot on here. I think he has got away with it.

:00:07. > :00:11.Everything is covered into that left corner, by the looks of things. Even

:00:12. > :00:28.though, as John said, he hit it too thin, he is OK.

:00:29. > :00:37.The crowd started ohhing and ahhing as that red went across the table.

:00:38. > :00:41.He almost cut it in, even though he is playing a safety shot. I can't

:00:42. > :00:45.see how he can plant one on to that and he can't get around the two reds

:00:46. > :01:02.to the left of the cushion to flick it i

:01:03. > :01:09.At least if he played that there is a chance he could get a cue ball

:01:10. > :01:11.back to where it is now, which as we can see is covering the red near the

:01:12. > :01:41.left corner. Mark Selby was as eager as Neal to

:01:42. > :01:47.see whether he could get through. You could possibly see him playing a

:01:48. > :01:49.slight swerve and maybe potting this but I could see him going in-off as

:01:50. > :02:05.well, if he did play the swerve. Can he see enough of the one to the

:02:06. > :02:21.right of the three that onto the two reds? Nearly.

:02:22. > :02:35.There is a gap, you can clearly see it.

:02:36. > :02:41.You know, if he could hit the question first, I don't know if he

:02:42. > :02:43.can, just to the left of that, he would flick the other red out of the

:02:44. > :02:55.way. He nearly flicked the other one out

:02:56. > :03:04.of the way, but look where he has finished.

:03:05. > :03:16.Oh, what a spot to finish in there. Well, he can hit the black. That is

:03:17. > :03:20.all you can say for it. He will have to roll to the black, try to

:03:21. > :03:32.generate a lot of pace but it is going to be difficult.

:03:33. > :03:36.Mark is asking, is it touching the red? It doesn't really matter, if

:03:37. > :03:44.the red means it is a foul anyway. I think he can sneak through to hit

:03:45. > :04:09.the black. APPLAUSE

:04:10. > :04:21.There certainly wasn't much available to mark there.

:04:22. > :04:43.He couldn't play of the left, that is why he had to hit it full-ball.

:04:44. > :04:58.Mind you, at first glance I don't think he has left anything. He tried

:04:59. > :05:05.to screw back off that to make the plant. He tried to screw straight

:05:06. > :05:09.onto the black there. But not a bad outcome. It has cost him four points

:05:10. > :05:16.but everything looks reasonably safe. There is maybe one red to the

:05:17. > :05:20.right, but it he would have to find a gap back down the table if he

:05:21. > :05:28.takes that. There is a lot of reds there to avoid. Yes, he could

:05:29. > :05:32.clearly see it was a planned and because it was a plant you could say

:05:33. > :05:36.that was not a very good shot from Neil. He should have screwed back

:05:37. > :05:42.direct to make contact with the black. A good long pot but not on

:05:43. > :05:49.our colour. This time I don't think you can see one, not to get through

:05:50. > :05:53.to directly, so as you say, it is not cost Neil Robertson much, that

:05:54. > :06:03.four points away. Yes, there were so many balls in the

:06:04. > :06:10.way there to try to find a path axed down the table. -- back down the

:06:11. > :06:15.table. If he can get this right he could land tight on the yellow. I

:06:16. > :06:17.think he can see enough of the question just to do that. --

:06:18. > :06:42.caution. REFEREE:

:06:43. > :06:53.Foul and amiss. He will have this put back, just looking at the table.

:06:54. > :07:02.He is having a good look at it. I suppose he knows that Mark is going

:07:03. > :07:06.to get it right next time so he will play a safety shot from here. There

:07:07. > :07:11.shouldn't be any difficulty with the safety and if he gets a snooker at

:07:12. > :07:17.the same time, he will have mark in all kinds of trouble. If he has it

:07:18. > :07:19.replaced, every chance that Mark will do better the next time and hit

:07:20. > :07:38.the yellow. I don't think he has quite covered

:07:39. > :07:43.the escape down the right-hand side of the table. That is what he was

:07:44. > :07:49.hoping to put out of the equation but I think he can just get, swing

:07:50. > :07:54.the cue ball wrapped round and play safe down the right-hand side. If he

:07:55. > :08:11.could not, he would be in a spot of bother here.

:08:12. > :08:21.Well, that pocket has now cleared. There may be a red that will cutting

:08:22. > :08:28.past those two reds and he can get past the black to sneak this in.

:08:29. > :08:36.There will be a bit of a chance. Maybe he can't get past the lack to

:08:37. > :08:49.the potting angle than the one I suggested. It is just a safety shot.

:08:50. > :08:57.A little bit short of pace, leaving your opponent with his hand on the

:08:58. > :08:59.table and the possibility of a long pot, it is not what he was looking

:09:00. > :09:10.for. He is always introduced as the

:09:11. > :09:14.Jester from Leicester, Mark Selby and a couple of weeks ago I went to

:09:15. > :09:19.the funeral of one of our old buddies, the great Jackie Rae, who

:09:20. > :09:23.kept the game of snooker life back in the 60s. Passed away, 92 years of

:09:24. > :09:33.age. He was the crown prince of snooker.

:09:34. > :09:42.I know you also got a mention at the funeral. He introduced a different

:09:43. > :09:46.way of playing snooker exhibitions did Jackie Rae, what a great

:09:47. > :09:54.character. His wife Betty was there, they had been married for 55

:09:55. > :09:59.years. A few of the players turned up, David Taylor was there. Joe

:10:00. > :10:03.Swail, just got back from China was there. He really was one of the best

:10:04. > :10:17.exhibition players the game had ever seen.

:10:18. > :10:30.That is the view you would get if you were sat in the Barbican.

:10:31. > :10:36.I good effort. Has he got it? It is the one on the right-hand side of

:10:37. > :10:41.the table he wants to cover. Don't think he can just come off it. It is

:10:42. > :10:52.no easy safety. Yes, at first glance he would like

:10:53. > :10:57.to get to the red near the left corner pocket but all the reds are

:10:58. > :11:02.escaping the route to land on that one.

:11:03. > :11:14.It looks as if he will land on the one near the middle pocket.

:11:15. > :11:20.I don't think he is guaranteed to not leave a pot one if he plays it

:11:21. > :11:25.off the Bork cushion and less long that red. He may leave a red to the

:11:26. > :11:42.right middle. If he lands in behind it he might be

:11:43. > :11:53.OK, but he will have to be very precise.

:11:54. > :12:02.Will it reach? It is a good line. APPLAUSE

:12:03. > :12:09.It has reached. He has left the red that John mentioned to the middle

:12:10. > :12:15.pocket but it is difficult to negotiate the cue ball round for

:12:16. > :12:17.colour. The natural angle would take him into the reds, you would feel,

:12:18. > :12:29.if he took that pot on. If he plays with pace, the White

:12:30. > :12:30.would hit somewhere near that angle so he wouldn't really avoid the

:12:31. > :12:46.reds. What was his problem there? A good

:12:47. > :12:47.pot, just a little bit of luck, on a good day, maybe on the black, but he

:12:48. > :12:59.is not. But it was a good solid pot and it

:13:00. > :13:03.is the type of shot that would give you confidence, because there was

:13:04. > :13:05.pressure on it. If the red doesn't go in it would have left the red for

:13:06. > :13:24.At least he has covered the danger Mark.

:13:25. > :13:25.At least he has covered the danger reds on the left-hand side of the

:13:26. > :13:33.table. He has got the safety shot on down

:13:34. > :13:37.the right-hand side. I don't think you can get to the red near the

:13:38. > :13:39.right-hand caution but it is one of those, particularly when you are

:13:40. > :13:43.close to the cushion, those, particularly when you are

:13:44. > :13:45.tight on the cushion it would have been more difficult but

:13:46. > :13:49.tight on the cushion it would have to be very accurate with this. If he

:13:50. > :13:54.catches it too thick the cue ball will struggle to go past the blue

:13:55. > :13:58.spot. If he catches it to think the red near the right-hand cushion

:13:59. > :14:19.comes into play. He has to hit this one just right.

:14:20. > :14:27.He could not have caught it any better than that.

:14:28. > :14:30.APPLAUSE Probably the best tactical player in

:14:31. > :14:39.the game at the moment, certainly in the top two or three.

:14:40. > :14:44.That's the reason he is battling here, to see if you can get back to

:14:45. > :14:48.number one in the world, but he will have to win this final to achieve

:14:49. > :14:59.that. A Neil Robertson special coming up. Almost. Now, where are

:15:00. > :15:06.those reds going to finish? And it's not bad. There's no easy opener.

:15:07. > :15:14.Unless this cuts into the middle pocket. He was more or less forced

:15:15. > :15:20.into playing that part. A fraction too full. This red does catch to the

:15:21. > :15:28.right middle. It's all about controlling the cue ball.

:15:29. > :15:37.Well, he hated that all wrong because look where the cue ball has

:15:38. > :15:40.finished. -- hit that all wrong. It's a bad mistake from Mark Selby

:15:41. > :15:45.and it gives Neil Robertson atrophic chance here. He played with a lot of

:15:46. > :15:50.right-hand side. He played a lot of cue ball, and it caught the red

:15:51. > :15:53.toothpick. The priority for Neil Robertson is to get the black bonnet

:15:54. > :15:58.spot as soon as possible. That's how you make big breaks. -- black on its

:15:59. > :16:32.spot. Could have done with coming just a

:16:33. > :16:37.little bit further across the table. Make the black slightly easier, but

:16:38. > :16:41.I don't know if he's canning into the red onto the caution if he pops

:16:42. > :16:45.this. It would leave the white tide on the caution. He has still got

:16:46. > :16:48.reds you can pop. He does not like the black. He is taking the blue

:16:49. > :17:02.instead. Well, slightly worrying times for

:17:03. > :17:07.Neil Robertson and his fans, because how often do we see him miss a shot

:17:08. > :17:11.like that? Yeah, I mean, we expect him to pot the blue. I can't believe

:17:12. > :17:23.you didn't fancy the black. But it was a good chance if he had

:17:24. > :17:31.got that black on spot. Immediately, Mark Selby is on the black. This is

:17:32. > :17:39.a great chance to extend his lead. That's an unusual statistic. 25%

:17:40. > :17:48.with a long putt success rate for Neil Robertson. One of the best part

:17:49. > :17:54.is we have had in the game. -- potters. He's under pressure here,

:17:55. > :17:58.the he is 3-1 behind. We saw Mark Selby miss that easy read in the

:17:59. > :18:00.middle and Neil Robertson should punished for that, that Mark Selby

:18:01. > :18:12.is back at the table. You don't see that very often, a

:18:13. > :18:18.little shake of the head. He has got one of the best temperaments in the

:18:19. > :18:24.game. That little shake of the head tells you that he has given himself

:18:25. > :18:41.a bit of a telling off. I think he's saying there, "I can't believe it" .

:18:42. > :18:48.The problem is, with this game, when you make that mistake you have got

:18:49. > :19:03.to sit there and suffer. I mean, I suppose nine out of ten,

:19:04. > :19:09.you expect him to pot the blue. But it's always funny, isn't it, Dennis?

:19:10. > :19:15.He played for the black. The blue was the second thought. It just puts

:19:16. > :19:19.a bit more pressure on you when you are playing a ball you didn't play

:19:20. > :19:58.for. As I say, he's now got to sit there and suffer.

:19:59. > :20:08.Just two more easy read is available. After this black. -- easy

:20:09. > :20:11.reds. I suppose the one on the right side of the table is not too badly

:20:12. > :20:32.placed for a right-hander. So, his plan here will be lack, red,

:20:33. > :20:41.black game, and then just stop in behind the red on the white.

:20:42. > :20:56.Very quick glance of the scoreboard. 67 remaining. Still needs two

:20:57. > :21:00.colours. Not a formality as such. Yeah, he will want to leave this

:21:01. > :21:03.last read full salinity could get anywhere in the circle, leave a

:21:04. > :21:09.slight angle, on that red, he would be nicely on the black. Roundabout

:21:10. > :21:10.there would be ideal if you could just drop the black in and get

:21:11. > :21:17.there. I didn't even see the other red at

:21:18. > :21:28.the other end of the table. That's what took you off the tour,

:21:29. > :21:49.Dennis! Right, I will put that circle of the

:21:50. > :21:56.game. He is 51 ahead. He is going to take the pink and make sure.

:21:57. > :22:30.And excellent 57 break. He capitalised on Neil's mistake. He

:22:31. > :23:04.needs a couple of snooker is, in fact. -- snookers.

:23:05. > :23:13.Look at the average shot time. You could say that Mark Selby is making

:23:14. > :23:18.the running here. In more ways than one. 32 seconds. Good shot for Neil

:23:19. > :23:36.Robertson. That's very slow for him. Nice 130 in the opening frame from

:23:37. > :23:52.Mark Selby. Niall Mac was highest, 63. -- Neil's highest, 63. But, he

:23:53. > :23:56.has not even getting in very often. Yeah, he took the chance to bring

:23:57. > :24:02.the black into play. The only problem is, he has left the red.

:24:03. > :24:07.Percentage time, 62% of the table time goes to Mark Selby.

:24:08. > :24:16.Where is the cue ball going? UMPIRE: Foul.

:24:17. > :24:26.Bothered, the writers appearing there. He has got a red off the

:24:27. > :24:30.table. -- I don't think he is too bothered there with the white

:24:31. > :24:41.appearing there. He got rid of one of the red.

:24:42. > :24:51.That is a good pot. Is it too little, too late? Now, pop the

:24:52. > :25:00.black, leave the red rarities, snooker, and, strange as amazing, at

:25:01. > :25:09.the moment, when he parts this black, only 35 remaining -- read

:25:10. > :25:15.where it is. But one snooker, if he wants to get a free ball, that one

:25:16. > :25:28.snooker would be enough. Yet, at the moment he needs four points.

:25:29. > :25:42.He has got in behind the black but he wanted to be directly behind the

:25:43. > :25:48.black and it would have blocked off this escape route.

:25:49. > :25:54.Just load the middle pocket. Two cushions. He's pretty good at

:25:55. > :26:12.getting out of snookers. The commentator's curse. Mark thinks

:26:13. > :26:19.the red moved. He has asked the referee. The referee said he did not

:26:20. > :26:22.see it move, so let's see if we can have a look. This is not privy to

:26:23. > :26:26.the players out there. Did you see it move? Boy, it was close. Another

:26:27. > :26:57.lock? -- look? He has a little smile at the

:26:58. > :27:06.referee. Boy, dear me, how close was that? But I did not see it move.

:27:07. > :27:10.Yeah, I think our referee, called it right. He has not got the view we

:27:11. > :27:22.have. Well, how could you tell? Well, what

:27:23. > :27:28.I'm looking at is the overhead lights which are deflecting the red.

:27:29. > :27:34.They don't move, so if they did not move, surely the ball did not move?

:27:35. > :27:45.Just look at the reflection of the lights. They don't move. If the red

:27:46. > :27:47.had moved, they would have. But it properly does matter because it

:27:48. > :27:55.looks as though this red is going to be left on. Oh, is it? Could play

:27:56. > :28:01.the cat. -- cut. No reason why not to. Even if you missed it on the way

:28:02. > :28:07.up, you can hit it on the way back because you're coming at it from an

:28:08. > :28:10.angle. And he just played to hit of the as thin as he could. He knows,

:28:11. > :28:16.if it goes in, it's the end of frame. If you miss it on the way up,

:28:17. > :28:26.you are bound to hit it on the way back.

:28:27. > :28:38.That's not going to reach the pocket.

:28:39. > :28:44.The yellow, brown and blue are in a pretty good position for snooker. It

:28:45. > :28:48.would be easy to get a snooker when you are faced with one. We have a

:28:49. > :28:53.perfect picture of him playing this with a lot of side, a little but

:28:54. > :29:02.it's worth to hit the cushioning and then the red. He looks around to

:29:03. > :29:06.Mark Selby and the referee. Neil Robertson concedes the frame and

:29:07. > :29:11.Mark Selby goes marching on. He now leads by 4-1.

:29:12. > :29:14.HAZEL IRVINE: You get the feeling Neil Robertson is beginning to get a

:29:15. > :29:21.little bit rattled out there, especially after that Mr blue,

:29:22. > :29:22.Stephen? Yes, this is a shot he normally pots with his eyes closed.

:29:23. > :29:32.-- mist blue. But almost like the back of a spot

:29:33. > :29:38.for Neil Robertson. Snooker players are bullies, basically. He has

:29:39. > :29:44.bullied everybody all week but does not like getting bullied today. Yes,

:29:45. > :29:49.he seems subdued either situation and can't seem to get any momentum

:29:50. > :29:53.going. Not at all. Sewers you see a sign of weakness, you jump on it

:29:54. > :29:57.also he made a great 57 break on Mark Selby, Anderson with new

:29:58. > :30:02.Robertson was over, he knew it was important part of the match. He's

:30:03. > :30:08.not looking comfortable. This was his chance to jump on it. Neil

:30:09. > :30:12.Robertson's shot time, 32 seconds. This is the man who consciously,

:30:13. > :30:16.deliberately speeds it all up this season. With great results so far.

:30:17. > :30:21.Yeah, he's been quite vocal complaining about other players,

:30:22. > :30:26.being slow. Saying referees need to stand down. He's obviously not a fan

:30:27. > :30:32.of slow play but we are him looking confident. And knocking balls in.

:30:33. > :30:36.But he's out of his comfort zone completely today. Do you sense this

:30:37. > :30:46.inhibition now beginning to creep into his play? This is dangerous. If

:30:47. > :30:50.this goes the wrong way, this had 10-8 written all over the match but

:30:51. > :30:54.if the next couple of frames go the wrong way it will not have that

:30:55. > :31:22.scoreline. He has no momentum, he made a 63 earlier

:31:23. > :31:23.scoreline. He has no momentum, he not the one you wanted to play, you

:31:24. > :31:28.are not confident about it. He still should have taken the black on. He

:31:29. > :31:32.needs to do something risky, just to change something. He needs to change

:31:33. > :31:37.the momentum of how he is playing. If an opportunity comes, he has to

:31:38. > :31:41.score. He needs 70 oh eight to rake fluently, wins it in five or six

:31:42. > :31:47.minutes, just feel as if he is playing. White bobbin we have talked

:31:48. > :31:50.about the rivalry between these two because they are playing each of the

:31:51. > :31:54.more frequently especially on big occasions. Neil seems to think quite

:31:55. > :31:59.deeply about his matches against Mark Selby. He has talked a lot

:32:00. > :32:04.after matches about Mark's style, how difficult it is to play against

:32:05. > :32:08.him. Is there any suggestion he has a mental block when it comes to

:32:09. > :32:12.playing somebody like Mark? Possibly. It does not look as if he

:32:13. > :32:17.is playing this type of snooker. Selby is not dominating the game or

:32:18. > :32:21.winning in one visit, so when it gets down to the colours going

:32:22. > :32:25.safely, he is out of his comfort zone. The problem which is really

:32:26. > :32:30.difficult, we are saying try and get involved, if you open up the balls

:32:31. > :32:34.against Mark Selby, they are let in. You can think he will bully him that

:32:35. > :32:36.way, you have to weigh up the opportunities. It is difficult

:32:37. > :32:44.because Selby's matchplay is fantastic. He is a tough customer.

:32:45. > :32:45.He sure is. 4-1 up, dangerous time for the number one in the world,

:32:46. > :32:53.Neil Robertson. COMMENTATOR:

:32:54. > :32:59.I could not agree with John and Stephen Moore. He is such a tough

:33:00. > :33:02.competitor come Mark Selby. All week we have been saying he's not playing

:33:03. > :33:06.that well and I don't know if Neil has taken that on and thinks he is

:33:07. > :33:12.coming into this match feeling very confident, that he was going to get

:33:13. > :33:14.the better of Mark, but the first frame all has come as a bit of a

:33:15. > :33:29.shock to him. But as I said last evening as we

:33:30. > :33:32.watched that poor safety shot from Mark, which she may be lucky and get

:33:33. > :33:37.away with, if he playing that he does not let it affect him, he will

:33:38. > :33:46.dig in and find a way. A lot of people can't do that.

:33:47. > :34:02.I am not sure if he can get past the brown to clip the reds. He would

:34:03. > :34:13.like to. He might have to play at with a bit of side.

:34:14. > :34:24.Well judged. If it hits the green though, well, it has clipped off the

:34:25. > :34:28.green, I thought he would leave a possible pot to the right corner but

:34:29. > :34:37.he has clipped off the green. That is the one that Neil possibly could

:34:38. > :34:48.have taken on if he had been able to see it. A good safety required here.

:34:49. > :34:55.It is a bit like back in the 80s, playing Steve gait -- playing Steve

:34:56. > :34:58.Davis, you had to have good tactical play, good telling safety shots to

:34:59. > :35:03.get a chance, otherwise he would play you out of the game. Mark Selby

:35:04. > :35:08.is that type of player. He has a good tactical game. You can't just

:35:09. > :35:13.throw your cue at something and be reckless otherwise he will walk all

:35:14. > :35:17.over you. Absolutely, you open up the balls, they get in, he will

:35:18. > :35:21.score heavily. When he played the blue, he should have played the

:35:22. > :35:26.black. All right, bes he may not have fancied it is tricky but if he

:35:27. > :35:26.had potted the black, he had a frame-winning chance, Neil

:35:27. > :35:55.Robertson. I am not certain about directing the

:35:56. > :35:59.cue ball around the past to get back on a colour. You would not want to

:36:00. > :36:07.risk playing this for a lot of Czech side but he needs this pot. If you

:36:08. > :36:18.see the ball the way it came off the cushion, a bit of luck! Not quite.

:36:19. > :36:26.John mentioned he had so watch right hand side, the White would normally

:36:27. > :36:42.have gone in the bunch. Look at the angle it took off, almost fluked it.

:36:43. > :36:50.Well, what a little flick that is. You can now pot the brown and get up

:36:51. > :36:53.to the reds. It is amazing, when you are playing well you always get the

:36:54. > :36:57.run of the ball. If you are struggling, you don't get those

:36:58. > :37:01.little flicks. It is one good positional shot and he could be up

:37:02. > :37:19.in around the black spot area. Blacks only available into the left

:37:20. > :38:01.corner, the pink looks as if it is pottable. It is not a bad chance.

:38:02. > :38:11.Just passing the two hour mark. They know the right angle on the pink to

:38:12. > :38:15.stay close to the reds. He would like to have been straight on this

:38:16. > :38:18.red so he could have played for the black in the opposite corner but I

:38:19. > :38:24.don't think it is an option. Back up for the blue.

:38:25. > :38:30.He is having a look at the black. I don't know if he can get position on

:38:31. > :38:33.the black. He would love to, he would love to get the black on its

:38:34. > :38:45.spot but I think he's going for the blue.

:38:46. > :38:51.He may just have a fraction of an angle. That is all he will need

:38:52. > :39:13.because the reds are available to the left corner. Just enough angle.

:39:14. > :39:26.Now how is he on the red here? Looks pretty good. Got a nice angle.

:39:27. > :39:31.Took his eye off the pot, it happens to even the greatest players in the

:39:32. > :39:45.game. How lucky was he there because there

:39:46. > :39:49.was an easy starter for Neil and the red he missed has blocked the

:39:50. > :39:57.pocket, so we're certainly having a good run of the ball at the moment.

:39:58. > :40:03.Yes, and that will just make Neil more and more frustrated. To see

:40:04. > :40:04.your opponent miss when he is in, that is usually when your best

:40:05. > :40:20.chances come. I think the reason he will take the

:40:21. > :40:24.plant on, he will leave the white on the caution here and he may not

:40:25. > :40:28.necessarily leave it so he thought about it -- cushion. He is back

:40:29. > :40:41.looking at the safety shot. I don't think it is a bad choice,

:40:42. > :40:54.this, the only red macro he could leave is one of the reds.

:40:55. > :41:06.Well played! APPLAUSE

:41:07. > :41:10.Well, Stephen Hendry was saying that Neil has to make something happen.

:41:11. > :41:18.Could that be that something? Just there.

:41:19. > :41:23.Not the best angle on this black, he is looking to see if anything is

:41:24. > :41:50.available into the opposite corner. It does, so he has to make the most

:41:51. > :42:22.of this opportunity. A great angle to bring the reds into

:42:23. > :42:29.play. A little triangle of reds. Lots of bottom.

:42:30. > :42:34.Can you get your breath? E has done exactly the same thing that Mark

:42:35. > :43:01.Selby did, took his eye off the pot. As John Parrott was saying in the

:43:02. > :43:03.studio, a couple more frames from Mark Selby and this match could slip

:43:04. > :43:24.away from the world number one. No excuse for missing the black like

:43:25. > :43:41.that. This is the way it has been dictated

:43:42. > :43:45.by Mark Selby. That was Neil Robertson's first attempt at a black

:43:46. > :43:54.off the spot in this match so far. An amazing statistic, that.

:43:55. > :44:46.around the pink or black spot. You wonder what is going on, I

:44:47. > :44:53.this will bring the black back onto its spot and one of those six reds

:44:54. > :44:58.will be available, you would think, into the left corner. Just coming

:44:59. > :45:11.round to have a look. I think the one in the circle goes

:45:12. > :45:32.into the left corner. The other three may be covering each other.

:45:33. > :45:38.Maybe that red did not part into the left corner. He tried to develop

:45:39. > :45:51.from the black, but it hasn't worked out. -- pot. Yes, that red

:45:52. > :45:57.definitely would not have potted. This is the thin slick he's looking

:45:58. > :46:28.at at the near cushioning. He is growing in confidence, the man

:46:29. > :46:33.from Leicester, he really is. It's quite interesting, he was on that

:46:34. > :46:36.red, and used a cloth to wipe his hands. He thought it was going to

:46:37. > :46:45.get back to the table pretty quick, but it didn't happen. Still the

:46:46. > :46:46.chance to win the frame, now, Mark Selby. Does not want to be hampered

:46:47. > :47:03.by the pink. It's OK. Neil is one of those players who

:47:04. > :47:09.always likes to see what's going on on the table. Some players tend to

:47:10. > :47:16.not want to get too involved when an opponent is at the table.

:47:17. > :47:26.That could have worked better. Might have an angle. The red to the left

:47:27. > :47:29.of the white is available. Has he got an angle to screw across and

:47:30. > :48:32.leave that on? Yeah, he can do it. So he's not on the black but he has

:48:33. > :48:33.got second prize. The pink to the left corner. A little bit more

:48:34. > :48:47.pressure on this. 59 left. That was the one. Now, do does that

:48:48. > :48:53.pink go across? Won't reach. So share is your chance, Neil

:48:54. > :48:55.Robertson. Here is your chance. He comes to the table, 39 points

:48:56. > :49:25.behind. 59 available. It's not a straight run to the

:49:26. > :49:31.winning post. The Green near the crash and there, I'm surprised Mark

:49:32. > :49:35.Selby hit the pink so hard. He really did. He gave it a good old

:49:36. > :49:55.belt. So difficult for the pot, at that

:49:56. > :49:57.pace. Could be a big, big turning point in this final. Played that

:49:58. > :50:06.well. The red is easy enough and he can go

:50:07. > :50:11.for the blue, but he could have played for the black. Under

:50:12. > :50:14.pressure. You want everything to be simple. You don't want that cube

:50:15. > :50:28.running loose. -- cue ball. And he has not recovered the

:50:29. > :50:39.situation. The wrong side of the blue. Positional shot needed.

:50:40. > :50:48.In the previous frame, we saw a medium length pot on the blue. One

:50:49. > :50:49.that you would knocking nine times out of ten. Left himself a medium

:50:50. > :51:10.part here. -- pot. Tee shot coming up. Mark Selby knows

:51:11. > :51:18.if he pots for black and gets a good angle on the angle, you can get on

:51:19. > :51:28.the green. -- important shot coming up. Need to pull up. And it hasn't.

:51:29. > :51:33.Now, I don't know if he has got enough angle to get around all the

:51:34. > :51:41.angles here. It may be too thin. To do that. It just shows you, though,

:51:42. > :51:47.he potted the black, he was short, OK, he left himself a medium length

:51:48. > :51:51.pot on the red which he knocked in nicely, but you just felt then

:51:52. > :51:55.there's maybe a bit of tension in the air, because he ran out of

:51:56. > :52:02.decision. A straightforward black to play for one of those two reds. That

:52:03. > :52:07.one, too much pace. So he is feeling it out there. He has got to do the

:52:08. > :52:12.deep now. If he pots this and get onto the green, it will be one of

:52:13. > :52:21.the best shots of the championship, because it is so thin, this.

:52:22. > :52:29.It was so difficult to get anywhere near the green. And this is quite a

:52:30. > :52:35.thin snick. What a scenario if he takes this, he has got to come up

:52:36. > :52:40.the table towards the back and then back down the table, but if anyone

:52:41. > :52:47.can pull a shot like this off, it is Mark Selby. He knows his way around

:52:48. > :52:51.the table. Better than most players. It is a thin snick. If he takes it

:52:52. > :52:55.on, he has got to Mr brown and the blue and pink. Is he taking it on? I

:52:56. > :53:21.think he is. It was always going to be a problem.

:53:22. > :53:26.A very tense six frame, this. So important. 5-1 behind. Maybe just

:53:27. > :53:44.two. Well, that is pretty good, really.

:53:45. > :53:50.He was always going to have a good cue ball. You just feel from the

:53:51. > :53:56.state of mind for new Robertson, this is a big frame. He has missed a

:53:57. > :53:59.golden opportunity. -- Neil Robertson. The only way he can get

:54:00. > :54:09.something out of the frame, for me, is to win it. Well, he's thinking

:54:10. > :54:15.about the pot. We have seen him knocking some fabulous pots, but he

:54:16. > :54:23.has looked at the angle. Is he still going to go for it? Is it the

:54:24. > :54:31.safety? He went for it. Where is the green going to finish?

:54:32. > :54:39.It is a long green and he has got very little to do to get onto the

:54:40. > :54:47.brown. 11 points in front. He will lead green, brown and blue, but the

:54:48. > :54:51.green, you feel, will be the frame when, automatically going to be on

:54:52. > :54:53.the brown if the green goes in. What a body blow this will be for Neil

:54:54. > :55:09.Robertson. APPLAUSE

:55:10. > :55:18.I think he enjoyed that. She knew the importance of that

:55:19. > :55:25.green. But he did not hit it hard. He stroked it beautifully. So this

:55:26. > :55:31.is definitely one which has got away from Neil Robertson. I said at the

:55:32. > :55:41.time, it was one he needed. A four frame deficit. Still two more frames

:55:42. > :55:47.to be played in this session. Mark Selby really is in the ascendancy.

:55:48. > :55:56.The defending champion is now a four frames in front, 5-1. Well, we said

:55:57. > :56:02.that Neil needed to make something happen. And he did in that frame. He

:56:03. > :56:08.took on a very, very difficult plant. It was a superb shot to pull

:56:09. > :56:11.off. He played with a little bit of safety in mind but to judge from

:56:12. > :56:16.that position and distance between the reds, was played to perfection.

:56:17. > :56:23.And, of course, he has got himself in, and then he can and the three

:56:24. > :56:28.reds. He didn't want to come at the back of triangle all bowl and he was

:56:29. > :56:34.thinking more about the cannon and this is what he did. He didn't get

:56:35. > :56:37.the cannon as he intended but he took its eye off the pot, and you

:56:38. > :56:42.can't afford to do that against someone like Mark Selby, John.

:56:43. > :56:48.Absolutely. And then, of course, he got a second chance, on the blue.

:56:49. > :56:58.And a great chance when he potted the black. He overran his position

:56:59. > :57:01.on the lower lobe -- yellow. Maybe, in retrospect, he should've made

:57:02. > :57:05.certain of the yellow and paid the safety shot on the green. But once

:57:06. > :57:11.you get those opportunities, you just feel you have got to take them.

:57:12. > :57:20.UMPIRE: Take your seats, please. Mark Selby to break.

:57:21. > :57:28.So, two more frames to be played in this session. The last session will

:57:29. > :57:33.start at 7pm this evening. And the world number one, Neil Robertson,

:57:34. > :57:34.definitely needs at least one of these two. He could do with them

:57:35. > :57:55.both. 6-2. 7-1, what a mountain to climb.

:57:56. > :57:56.It is the first to 10. As we take you around the back of the audience

:57:57. > :58:07.here. You can see our cameramen in the

:58:08. > :58:14.distance who give you all of those wonderful pictures at home. That has

:58:15. > :58:19.opened the reds app that he has cannoned the yellow. Can he get

:58:20. > :58:24.through to the one for the right corner?

:58:25. > :58:34.There you see it. Quite an interesting choice of safety from

:58:35. > :58:40.Mark Selby. Maybe he feels Neil is struggling a little bit, so it was a

:58:41. > :58:46.very aggressive safety. Not safe, but he's not certain to be on a

:58:47. > :58:54.colour here. He needs a good shot. The reds are spread, so he must pot

:58:55. > :58:58.red. He must pot red. The way the balls are. And that's why Mark Selby

:58:59. > :59:05.played the aggressive safety. He just feels, at the moment, he has

:59:06. > :59:15.got a new Robertson. A chance to test home his advantage here -- got

:59:16. > :59:21.Neil Robertson. A good opportunity. Neil knows that the pink is out of

:59:22. > :59:25.commission and the black is safe, so he knows there's not a chance really

:59:26. > :59:30.for Mark Selby. Red which are available, just to the right of the

:59:31. > :59:39.black, can't really get on a colour. 91%, he was 94%. Look at new

:59:40. > :59:57.Robertson, 79%. We don't see that very often, from the Australian.

:59:58. > :00:06.Back looking at these reds which are to the right of the black, and he is

:00:07. > :00:09.striking down a little bit. Where is the cue ball? Where is it going to

:00:10. > :00:17.finish? I'm not sure about that choice of shot.

:00:18. > :00:25.Well, that is a let off for Neil Robertson.

:00:26. > :00:43.Yeah, I thought he could hit the other red but, obviously couldn't.

:00:44. > :00:46.He needs to dig deep down, the Australian. They are usually pretty

:00:47. > :00:59.good at it. He hasn't pushed that red too far.

:01:00. > :01:16.He should be OK. If he could somehow get an angle on

:01:17. > :01:18.the blue and pop the blue and red macro cannon on the pink, he could

:01:19. > :01:29.open things up. The delicate little cannon here just

:01:30. > :01:31.onto the pink has to be the order of the day and could really give him a

:01:32. > :01:45.chance. He is still OK, he wanted a fuller

:01:46. > :02:03.contact but he still has reds to the right middle.

:02:04. > :02:12.The fact he did not hit the pink full-ball, it is still tied up

:02:13. > :02:13.there. He could do with a frame-winning effort here just to

:02:14. > :02:47.get his confidence back again. Well, once again he needs an angle

:02:48. > :03:03.on the blue. He hasn't quite got that better

:03:04. > :03:06.angle. He is still OK but another little cannon on the pink would have

:03:07. > :03:11.opened things up again but he has loose reds and at the moment he will

:03:12. > :03:13.have to stay on the blue. I don't think the pink goes into the left

:03:14. > :03:22.corner. But there is nothing wrong with

:03:23. > :04:07.keeping taking reds and blues. All he is thinking about now is, do

:04:08. > :04:11.I just stick with the reds and blues, or do want -- or do I try to

:04:12. > :04:32.get the pink interplay? It is now awkward to get back to the

:04:33. > :04:54.blue. I don't know if he will risk playing

:04:55. > :04:56.for the black in the top cushion. The red, just above the top cushion,

:04:57. > :05:18.he could play on that red. Will he risk playing for the black?

:05:19. > :05:25.Probably an easier blue than the one he missed in the last frame, or the

:05:26. > :05:27.frame before. He has got the cue ball, the blue and the pocket all in

:05:28. > :05:37.line. APPLAUSE

:05:38. > :05:42.Nicely on, but he is not out of the woods just yet because the red is

:05:43. > :05:51.on, the one to the right middle would not give him a good angle on

:05:52. > :06:04.the blue. I don't think he can pot the one to the right corner.

:06:05. > :06:15.He's having to leave himself a long loop again. -- along blue again. You

:06:16. > :06:22.would expect him to pot it but there is pressure on these.

:06:23. > :06:30.After slotting those two, you wonder why he missed that one and the other

:06:31. > :06:33.frame but it wasn't his first choice, he played for the black and

:06:34. > :06:36.finished up playing for the blue. It is a different mindset. He played

:06:37. > :06:55.for the blue there, both times. He has done well here. He keeps

:06:56. > :07:01.getting the correct side of the blue. He has had seven blues, this

:07:02. > :07:04.will be his eighth, but there is nothing one -- there is nothing

:07:05. > :07:14.wrong with winning a frame just by taking reds and blues.

:07:15. > :07:21.If you keep potting balls, no matter what value they are, you will win

:07:22. > :07:32.the frame. A great amateur used to say, pot all the balls, you are

:07:33. > :07:35.bound to win. But winning a frame just potting blues is

:07:36. > :07:53.bound to win. But winning a frame because every time you have to get

:07:54. > :07:54.The wrong side of the blue this the good angle on the blue.

:07:55. > :07:59.The wrong side of the blue this time, so he will

:08:00. > :07:59.The wrong side of the blue this shot here. He has plenty of cue

:08:00. > :08:03.power here but if you want shot here. He has plenty of cue

:08:04. > :08:22.wrong side, you want to be well the wrong side.

:08:23. > :08:29.They are all sort of covering each other into the right corner pocket.

:08:30. > :08:35.It helps slightly the yellow is off its spot macro.

:08:36. > :08:46.Does this read at the back of the pink go? You did have a look at it.

:08:47. > :08:50.He is not many pots away from winning this frame that he badly

:08:51. > :08:59.needs. But that looks a little bit tight.

:09:00. > :09:08.No, he has hit the pink. He still potted the red but the pink did

:09:09. > :09:17.move. We knew it was going to be tight. The pink just moved first.

:09:18. > :09:34.It shows you how players convince themselves they can pot a ball.

:09:35. > :09:43.But he has not been punished. OK, Neil has not got a pot on but he has

:09:44. > :09:58.a 48 point lead, 67 remaining, but it could have been a lot worse.

:09:59. > :10:05.He would like the brown to have gone tight against the cushion. He has a

:10:06. > :10:11.few insurance policies. He has the yellow, the two reds near the top.

:10:12. > :10:13.He is a big favourite for this frame but he will take nothing for

:10:14. > :10:48.granted. He has a good cue ball. He will not

:10:49. > :10:53.want to disturb the reds near the top cushion. If it was not tight

:10:54. > :10:58.against the top cushion he may play the pot to the far right corner but

:10:59. > :11:00.it is risky, the cue ball being under the cushion as it is but at

:11:01. > :11:15.least there is a good safety. Mark Selby, should he get an

:11:16. > :11:18.opportunity, needs all the remaining balls. Neil Robertson is just

:11:19. > :11:36.looking for a couple of reds, a couple of colours.

:11:37. > :11:41.He tried a very difficult one into the middle pocket but the red has

:11:42. > :11:48.gone safe next to the brown. The other red, not quite on the

:11:49. > :11:56.question. And easy opener for Mark Selby. He is looking to see if he

:11:57. > :11:57.can pot the red and cannon of the red that I mentioned because the

:11:58. > :12:16.brownies over the pocket. He might just have an angle to pot

:12:17. > :12:17.the brown and develop the two reds that are up to the right of the

:12:18. > :12:38.black spot area. It looks natural. Not quite, but that was a chance

:12:39. > :13:18.there. What I pot, you could see down his

:13:19. > :13:24.cue, you could see the lovely pause which is a factor for a good cue

:13:25. > :13:37.action. He delivered it perfectly there.

:13:38. > :13:44.He will try to develop the awkward red on the left-hand side of the

:13:45. > :13:48.table. When he came to the table he just thought, if he gets 20 points

:13:49. > :13:55.of this situation he will have done well because the way the reds were,

:13:56. > :14:02.the way the colours are, he was never going to win this frame in one

:14:03. > :14:53.visit. This is what he will do, use his tactical Knauss. -- ability.

:14:54. > :15:01.I'm sure if Mark could get the red safe, he will play safe off the two

:15:02. > :15:06.reds together. Keep them in play. Of course, if he plays safe, he will be

:15:07. > :15:42.wary because of the red available to the left corner. Well, is

:15:43. > :15:43.wary because of the red available to tactician. That is as bad a safety

:15:44. > :15:47.shot as he could've played. Now needs a red and colour long shot,

:15:48. > :16:06.bad shot. He has an angle on the green here.

:16:07. > :16:14.He's having a quick look at the scoreboard. The blue to red is much

:16:15. > :16:23.more difficult. 38, the difference. If he pops the blue, Mark Selby

:16:24. > :16:27.could still tie -- pots. Then he could play a safety shot. If it was

:16:28. > :16:32.the other way round, and Mark Selby was at the table, he would take the

:16:33. > :16:38.green and move the reds. Yes, I suppose he feels a little bit of

:16:39. > :16:41.insurers that the black is up the other end of the table. 43 ahead. 43

:16:42. > :16:59.remaining. He has covered the red to the left

:17:00. > :17:05.corner. There's not much of a gap between brown and blue. The danger

:17:06. > :17:16.red is covered by the pink. Neil Robertson should win this frame. He

:17:17. > :17:19.is looking to play cushion first. If he parts this, he will need the

:17:20. > :17:30.black. -- pots. He should be able to snick this red

:17:31. > :17:49.in and go round to the blue. Brendan Moore from Sheffield lives a

:17:50. > :17:54.few minutes walk from the Crucible Theatre. His second UK championship

:17:55. > :18:06.final. A great referee. And very nice lad, as well. Where is the cue

:18:07. > :18:14.ball? It's in the pocket. Yet, he won't be bothered about that. The

:18:15. > :18:21.red was the important thing, knocking it in. The cars that red

:18:22. > :18:30.now means he is 39 points in front with 35 remaining. Mark Selby needs

:18:31. > :18:37.a snooker. -- because. Just the one snooker to be able to tie. I have

:18:38. > :18:43.seen Mark Selby in the past window frames where he has needed three and

:18:44. > :18:46.four snookers. If anyone can do that, it's this fellow. He knows his

:18:47. > :19:01.way around the table so well. He has dropped his chalk now. That's

:19:02. > :19:19.one of the few pockets he's missed today.

:19:20. > :19:54.Not a bad effort but there is a gap there.

:19:55. > :20:02.Had that red pulled up short, he would have had the yellow, to bring

:20:03. > :20:13.it into play. That will help him, but he's not been able to do that.

:20:14. > :20:53.Now the red has bounced, Neil might be able to snick this one in.

:20:54. > :21:04.One good long pot. And the frame will be safe.

:21:05. > :21:34.It was a must win frame. For Neil Robertson.

:21:35. > :21:40.Mark looks at the left really and concedes. The Australian world

:21:41. > :21:46.number one, he badly needed that frame and has taken it but still

:21:47. > :21:49.have a long way back. 5-2 behind. HAZEL IRVINE: Let's talk about that

:21:50. > :21:54.frame and the overall context of the match. Have needed was that for Neil

:21:55. > :22:01.Robertson? Very much so and the next one. 6-2, trying to peg Mark Selby

:22:02. > :22:07.back is very, very tough, so he needs this one as well. You have

:22:08. > :22:11.already said the last frame is absolutely monumental but described

:22:12. > :22:16.the body language that we are seeing. What is Neil Robertson

:22:17. > :22:20.telling us? Usually when he comes out, his chest is puffed out and is

:22:21. > :22:24.working around like a peacock and he believes his opponents but is not

:22:25. > :22:30.doing that today. And he just seemed a little bit subdued. His body

:22:31. > :22:33.language is subdued. Everything usually about him is so commanding

:22:34. > :22:38.but today, against Mark Selby, it's not there. Usually he is so in

:22:39. > :22:42.control of himself out there. Are these the kinds of signs Mark Selby

:22:43. > :22:50.will be working upon now? Yes, you always keeping an eye on someone to

:22:51. > :22:56.see the reactions. You can feed off it if he's not confident. You can

:22:57. > :23:03.red signs for that. Yeah, he doesn't look like he's enjoying the sort of

:23:04. > :23:10.battle. He's not looking happy, basically. Indeed, after the Masters

:23:11. > :23:13.final in which Neill lost to Mark Selby, 5-3 down at the end of that

:23:14. > :23:17.first session and went on to lose it, he said he tried not to

:23:18. > :23:24.deliberately watch Mark Selby at the table to play with a bit of fluency.

:23:25. > :23:28.In hindsight, he said that was a big mistake because he was not body to

:23:29. > :23:31.go to the table. A game, in this question of trying to give over

:23:32. > :23:36.them, he has been kept off the table by Mark Selby. A bit, but that is

:23:37. > :23:39.down to the way he's playing. He has had plenty of chances but not

:23:40. > :23:45.capitalised on it. The thing we looked at before, his shots are

:23:46. > :23:49.slower. Mark Selby is not slowing the game down but Neil Robertson is

:23:50. > :23:56.playing at a pace which does not suit himself. 5-2 down. Let's see it

:23:57. > :24:02.from Mark Selby's perspective. How confident does he look? Very

:24:03. > :24:06.comfortable. He enjoyed the last frame as much as Neill did. Neil's

:24:07. > :24:12.long game, I said at the start of the show, his long game need to work

:24:13. > :24:16.to get in first and stop these frames are dragging on and it has

:24:17. > :24:22.not happened today. He has missed things by a long way. He has not

:24:23. > :24:27.been that impressive in terms of scoring and stuff, but he is more

:24:28. > :24:33.comfortable in this situation. It is saying something that Mark Selby

:24:34. > :24:39.outscored Neil Robertson already. Indeed. It wasn't on the cards from

:24:40. > :24:42.what we have seen all week, but he has got to find a spark from

:24:43. > :24:48.somewhere because today he has been subdued. And this eighth frame is a

:24:49. > :24:52.key one in the overall context of this match.

:24:53. > :25:03.COMMENTATOR: Yes, last frame of this session. Just picking up on what we

:25:04. > :25:08.said about being knocked out, the average frame time is just over 20

:25:09. > :25:14.minutes. In the modern game, I don't know whether Neil Robertson refers

:25:15. > :25:24.that but he is slower than Mark Selby anyway.

:25:25. > :25:32.Well, what a result he has had there. Once he took that difficult

:25:33. > :25:38.pot on and cannoned into the other balls, look at this here. He has hit

:25:39. > :25:45.the red and white and gone back up the table. Boy, that doesn't half

:25:46. > :25:52.help when you get a bit of a run like that. Especially in the last

:25:53. > :25:58.frame. The average shot time there, getting closer.

:25:59. > :26:09.Of course, the various a possible 11 frames to be played this evening. It

:26:10. > :26:15.is the first to 10. I am with Stephen Hendry. 6-2 down would be a

:26:16. > :26:21.long way back, but with it being the first to 10, it can be done. But,

:26:22. > :26:26.5-3, it is anyone's final. Safety shot from the Robertson catching the

:26:27. > :26:32.yellow ball and he has left a plant here. A possibility of getting

:26:33. > :26:38.position on the black. -- Neil Robertson. He will be disappointed

:26:39. > :26:43.to have missed that. Played with the elegance of safety, but didn't fully

:26:44. > :26:46.commit to the plan and played for the black. He made the plant

:26:47. > :27:03.miserable. -- Mr Bull. There is pressure on the man in

:27:04. > :27:13.front as well, isn't there? Mark knows the importance of this. Yeah,

:27:14. > :27:21.it could mean we could have a little tense final frame to this session.

:27:22. > :27:26.The target now is to try and play as if you were trying to get a cannon

:27:27. > :27:38.onto the yellow. Where the talk colours are, there's

:27:39. > :27:54.not that many to get in -- . Offer their spots, the yellow and

:27:55. > :28:00.green. If you did calendar yellow, you would be guaranteed a snooker.

:28:01. > :28:12.-- if you did cannon the yellow, you would be guaranteed a snooker.

:28:13. > :28:28.It's every professional snooker player's dread, really. When you

:28:29. > :28:35.consider that coming back at 7pm to nine, there's not much time to turn

:28:36. > :28:44.around. A big shot he is taking on here. Lots of screw.

:28:45. > :28:55.And that has knocked the blue off its spot, but it is left to chance.

:28:56. > :29:01.Now the black is free, we said there might be a little bit of tension.

:29:02. > :29:04.Even though he is leading 5-2, John, he's thinking, if I could get a four

:29:05. > :29:34.frame advantage, wouldn't that be good?

:29:35. > :29:49.He looks to be a bit straight on it. There you see it. He could run

:29:50. > :29:58.through and try to develop those two reds. He may elect to do that.

:29:59. > :30:06.Sometimes, that cannon doesn't always work out for you.

:30:07. > :30:15.That is why he is looking for an alternate. There may not be won. He

:30:16. > :30:20.may have to play the cannon on the two reds. You can see he's got a

:30:21. > :30:27.slight angle. He's trying to work out whether they will finish, but

:30:28. > :30:31.now he has changed his mind and is screwing back. Didn't want to risk

:30:32. > :30:40.it. He did not play that very well. A

:30:41. > :30:56.bit of pressure on this pot. That was an excellent shot, oh, I

:30:57. > :31:03.thought the red was going to kiss the cue ball. He has to find the gap

:31:04. > :31:07.between the green, brown and yellow to get the cue ball back to this end

:31:08. > :31:10.of the table but he will be pleased with that outcome because running

:31:11. > :31:16.into the reds as he did, he could have stuck their and I wondered if

:31:17. > :31:18.he would get the white and knock it into the middle but he is OK. He has

:31:19. > :31:28.to find the gap. He flicked the yellow, inch perfect,

:31:29. > :31:55.well played. One of Neil Robertson's great

:31:56. > :32:01.strength is his temperament. He showed that against Stuart Bingham,

:32:02. > :32:03.8-3 in front, came storming back to level at 8-8 and then Neil held

:32:04. > :32:20.himself together in the decider. It has gone a little bit closer to

:32:21. > :32:28.that red. Did not quite get the cannon he wanted. Should just be OK.

:32:29. > :32:38.He will have to play up for the blue.

:32:39. > :32:44.They are fully little shots when you are so close to the object ball. --

:32:45. > :33:03.funny little shots. If he's going to play a cannon on

:33:04. > :33:08.those three reds immediately above the black, the two reds, he will

:33:09. > :33:11.have to play with a trace of side. That makes this black missable, but

:33:12. > :33:28.that is what he played for. At least he was playing with a bit

:33:29. > :33:39.more pace. That was an excellent shot.

:33:40. > :33:46.He seems to have a bit more purpose about him in this frame and if he

:33:47. > :33:53.could get out 5-3, he would be very pleased, having been 4-1 behind, 5-1

:33:54. > :33:57.behind, it looked as if he was -- it looks as if it was running away from

:33:58. > :34:07.him. Winning the last frame was a bit of a struggle.

:34:08. > :34:16.If he could win this, he would have to be pleased. Just OK. For a split

:34:17. > :34:22.second I thought the white was going to slip past the red and snooker

:34:23. > :34:25.himself but he can still get to the potting angle. He needs the spider

:34:26. > :35:02.to get him over the pink. Well, I think he is showing now why

:35:03. > :35:06.he is the world number one. Did he get down and play for the red

:35:07. > :35:11.thinking it would go and now it doesn't test -- and now it doesn't

:35:12. > :35:18.get past the black? What an error that would be. I can't believe that.

:35:19. > :35:26.The thing was, the Black was on the spot and the red definitely went

:35:27. > :35:33.so, anyway, it goes now. You are entitled to ask the referee to

:35:34. > :35:38.re-spot it. Yes, we don't have spots, it is a little cross and it

:35:39. > :35:42.has to go right in the middle of the cross. Yes, but this table has been

:35:43. > :35:51.recovered for the final so there should not be an indentation.

:35:52. > :36:10.APPLAUSE .

:36:11. > :36:18.This is the last of the loose reds and looking at the angle with the

:36:19. > :36:37.little cross, you can just see, he will screw up.

:36:38. > :36:41.If the red goes to the right corner, he is fine. It looks as if

:36:42. > :37:02.he is OK. 61 ahead, 83 remaining. Two reds,

:37:03. > :37:19.two colours. Should be enough. A good time to make your highest

:37:20. > :37:34.break in the final, isn't it? The fact he is only going to be two

:37:35. > :37:37.frames behind, we have a great evening and I am sure Alison will be

:37:38. > :37:48.looking forward to this evening as well.

:37:49. > :38:02.70 points the lead, the black to follow, 77 points in front with 67

:38:03. > :38:28.remaining. That should do it. Three snooker is

:38:29. > :38:33.required. There would not be much of a turnaround. It has been a bit

:38:34. > :38:37.pedestrian, this final. You have to be back for 7pm and they like to

:38:38. > :38:39.have 20 minutes on the practice table so there would not be time to

:38:40. > :39:02.go back to the hotel. It will be a test of endurance this

:39:03. > :39:03.evening. Does that drop? It does. Mark Selby will not be coming back

:39:04. > :39:18.to the table. This match started with a tremendous

:39:19. > :39:24.break of 130 by Mark Selby. Can Neil finish with a century?

:39:25. > :39:45.That is a little awkward. Just the pace, any harder and it would have

:39:46. > :39:47.stayed out. Can we get the century to finish the session off? That

:39:48. > :40:11.would be a bit special. A bit of a spring in the

:40:12. > :40:22.Australian's step, all of a sudden. He has his chest puffed out again.

:40:23. > :40:30.A superb display in this final frame. I don't think he has Mr blue

:40:31. > :40:32.since he missed the one in the yellow pocket a few frames ago,

:40:33. > :40:38.which cost him the frame. This for the century. Well played,

:40:39. > :40:56.very well played. He will be pleased, he will be very

:40:57. > 3:34:00pleased to come into the final session