30/11/2013

:01:50. > :01:57.Welcome to the brave new world of snooker. This is a brand-new format.

:01:58. > :02:05.Instead of the normal 32 players turning up, 128 men, the top

:02:06. > :02:09.professionals and seven amateurs all together since Tuesday in the

:02:10. > :02:31.opening round. No protection for the top guys and no What impact is this

:02:32. > :02:37.new format having? It will have a major impact. It certainly gives

:02:38. > :02:44.opportunities to other players. I am sure they are all excited about it.

:02:45. > :02:51.It is a different setup. Completely different from what we are used to.

:02:52. > :03:00.But I think it will be a positive setup. Some of the top players are

:03:01. > :03:12.already on record, Judd Trump says it feels like a circus, very busy

:03:13. > :03:18.and challenging. Obviously, the top players will be playing extra

:03:19. > :03:28.matches. They are expected to beat these lower ranked players. I do not

:03:29. > :03:33.know whether I am sold on it yet. There is an energy however. An

:03:34. > :03:41.unpredictably about what we are seeing. -- and unpredictability.

:03:42. > :03:48.Yes, some of the players here I have not met before. But it is exciting.

:03:49. > :03:54.When we started playing the game, we would have loved a system like this.

:03:55. > :04:03.What a way to learn. Yes, a great experience. If the game has two go

:04:04. > :04:12.forward, and the top players have to understand this, expand into new

:04:13. > :04:19.territories and sell the game into other countries, I think this will

:04:20. > :04:23.be the way forward. With the older protected system, it was too

:04:24. > :04:37.difficult for new players to come through. In tennis, or the top

:04:38. > :04:48.players come in at round one. -- all the top. If you had told the top

:04:49. > :04:52.players ten years ago that this was how they would play, would have

:04:53. > :04:58.liked it. Yes, the opportunities are there for the guys at the bottom as

:04:59. > :05:02.well. Overall, it is a fair system. Talking about the logistical

:05:03. > :05:10.challenge, it is a bit tight in here. There are eight tables on the

:05:11. > :05:15.goal, four in the main arena. Play began here at 930 this morning and

:05:16. > :05:23.the players have to make sure they are focused on their own matches and

:05:24. > :05:28.the attention does not wonder. The other three tables are in their

:05:29. > :05:36.site, the audience is walking in and out. As a consequence, we are in

:05:37. > :05:44.here, in the players lounge. There is a real buzz and a real energy

:05:45. > :05:48.about that. That is because we have been turfed out of our normal home.

:05:49. > :05:54.What do you think of that? Yes, our studio used to be down the

:05:55. > :06:03.other end. But we have four tables set up for the matches. These

:06:04. > :06:11.snooker players have really taken over. But where you are, that is

:06:12. > :06:15.where a good number of the surprise results have been taking place.

:06:16. > :06:21.There is not the intimidation factor in here. Younger players are used to

:06:22. > :06:37.playing in tables out against each other. As for the senior players, on

:06:38. > :06:43.this table here, we will have cue former 16 players and they will have

:06:44. > :06:49.to knuckle down and get on with it. You will have to keep the noise down

:06:50. > :06:54.in there this afternoon. His lips are sealed. We talk about

:06:55. > :07:00.concentration, is it a factor? You are able to see everything going

:07:01. > :07:09.on, is it distracting? I think that is a difficult thing. It is more

:07:10. > :07:19.open plan now. You can see what is going on on the other tables. It

:07:20. > :07:25.does take a lot of getting used to. That is what I find the most

:07:26. > :07:30.difficult thing. Before, when we played here, there was a wall there,

:07:31. > :07:39.nothing in your bed. Now there are guys moving around on both sides of

:07:40. > :07:46.the table. -- nothing in your way. This is the most high profile event

:07:47. > :07:53.in which it has been used so far. And there have been some high

:07:54. > :08:06.profile casualties. Marco Fu defeated by Mitchell Travis. Marco

:08:07. > :08:12.Fu had been fancied by many for this title in York, but it is the amateur

:08:13. > :08:19.from Sheffield who has created one of the greatest shocks in this

:08:20. > :09:17.event. That was yesterday. These are some of the other key results.

:09:18. > :09:35.next. We are all looking forward to seeing him. We talked about some of

:09:36. > :09:43.next. We are all looking forward to It is a bit of an inconvenience for

:09:44. > :09:43.Marco It is a bit of an inconvenience for

:09:44. > :09:52.never seen before. And some to seeing at the end of

:09:53. > :10:03.tournaments, very good players. to seeing at the end of

:10:04. > :10:13.through from round one, they do not to seeing at the end of

:10:14. > :10:34.are playing on these tables, it to seeing at the end of

:10:35. > :10:46.to. They have been playing these arenas before, five, six tables. It

:10:47. > :10:53.looks very similar to these. We may see a few more surprises. Think you

:10:54. > :10:59.will. We talked about space being at a premium, there is only one

:11:00. > :11:05.practice table here. It is not getting much use at the moment. The

:11:06. > :11:19.others are short walk away from here. -- are a short walk. Of the 64

:11:20. > :11:27.first round matches, only four remain and we will be showing you a

:11:28. > :11:33.fair bit of those matches. It feels like the third round of the FA Cup,

:11:34. > :11:39.a David and Goliath situation. Amongst the matches we will be

:11:40. > :11:48.featuring is that of Rhys Clark, 19-year-old from Strathaven. He is

:11:49. > :11:55.playing Ronnie O'Sullivan in the main arena this afternoon. We have

:11:56. > :12:10.got another man that you will want to see. In June the Mac -- then

:12:11. > :13:46.Junhui -- Ding Junhui. Runnymede have won the most recent

:13:47. > :13:59.event, but it has been the best year for Ding Junhui. He has won the last

:14:00. > :14:09.three major titles in a row. So what can Antony Parsons do today against

:14:10. > :14:15.him? He is a 1000 to one shot for the title here. We wish him the very

:14:16. > :14:30.best today. It is great to see him playing here

:14:31. > :14:42.today. I played his father about 30 years ago. We had a four hander in

:14:43. > :14:51.Middlesbrough. But that is the man of the moment. He is equalled

:14:52. > :14:57.Stephen Hendry's record. He is playing well. He is playing

:14:58. > :15:00.absolutely brilliantly. To win four, that really does go back to the

:15:01. > :15:01.Stephen Hendry yet. absolutely brilliantly. To win four,

:15:02. > :15:17.that really does go back There is the arena with the four

:15:18. > :15:52.tables. Times are changing. Antony needs to make a good start

:15:53. > :16:08.and get settled in. He is a good way. -- player. He is 35 years old.

:16:09. > :17:23.He has been around a while. But he must be nervous.

:17:24. > :17:46.Ding Junhui much more relaxed these days. Think he has worked on that.

:17:47. > :18:14.That is a good attacking safety shot. These are difficult shots.

:18:15. > :18:30.There is no easy safety shot, he may have to take this on.

:18:31. > :18:44.He is playing the safety shot. That sums up the way

:18:45. > :19:29.Not a good shot. That is a big mistake from Antony.

:19:30. > :19:40.He was trying to get up in the blue. Played it like you did not

:19:41. > :20:27.fancy the pot very much. He is looking at the port in the

:20:28. > :20:48.left corner. thing has got the early chance. --

:20:49. > :21:39.Ding. I thought he would play the one to

:21:40. > :21:42.the right corner which seemed easier. He congregated things there.

:21:43. > :22:58.He looks a bit edgy here. He is just not with it at the

:22:59. > :23:11.moment. He hit that so properly. Strange choice of shot. -- so

:23:12. > :24:04.poorly. This is poor.

:24:05. > :24:11.That has confused Antony little bit. You would think the cushions would

:24:12. > :24:32.all play the same, but he looked bemused by the ankle. -- angle.

:24:33. > :24:43.That is a good shot. He might be able to make things happen from

:24:44. > :25:44.here. He has got a choice now.

:25:45. > :29:38.He seems to have been our around for a long time, but he is only 26.

:29:39. > :30:21.First game is certainly Ding Junhui's. Yes, antennae

:30:22. > :30:28.That seemed to kick and the Pink seemed to straighten up.

:30:29. > :30:32.Anthony will come and get a bit of practice on the table. I do not

:30:33. > :30:51.blame him for that. That was heavy contact he had on the Pink there.

:30:52. > :31:04.It is difficult for Anthony, it really is. One. I think it is his

:31:05. > :31:09.first time playing under the television cameras in a major

:31:10. > :31:10.tournament. It is a big day for the man from Middlesbrough. He has got

:31:11. > :31:59.his wife with him as well. He has decided he has had enough.

:32:00. > :32:06.Ding takes the opening frame. He leads 1-0.

:32:07. > :32:15.Anthony Hamilton till to find his feet, Ding looks comfortable. I can

:32:16. > :32:18.see Jimmy White leaving there. He will be in action tomorrow

:32:19. > :32:24.afternoon. We have had some results from this morning's session and it

:32:25. > :32:34.is Allister Carter who has beaten Jimmy Robertson. Allister Carter is

:32:35. > :32:39.a two-time Crucible finalist. He has had health problems and it is good

:32:40. > :32:46.to see him looking fit. He is safely through to the last 64, but Peter

:32:47. > :32:51.Ebdon, a former world and UK champion is out. David Morris has

:32:52. > :33:00.beat him. The man from Kilkenny. He has had at horrific season. Peter

:33:01. > :33:08.Ebdon is going home. He has had a brilliant season. Antony Parsons

:33:09. > :33:14.about to get underway. What about that? Peter Ebdon. That was a pretty

:33:15. > :34:20.one-sided match. I am just going back to that 6-1

:34:21. > :34:30.defeat for Peter Ebdon. David Morris. He is from Kilkenny, a great

:34:31. > :34:37.part of the world. There is a possible part, I do not know if Ding

:34:38. > :34:48.will go for it. He could get himself onto the Black. He is having a go. A

:34:49. > :35:02.long way off. Perfectly on the Black, though. This would be a nice

:35:03. > :35:07.pot to knock in. It would be a confidence booster. Once again, he

:35:08. > :35:18.could leave the one that he is having a go at there. Oh, look what

:35:19. > :35:19.he has done! He has pushed one right over the pocket. Maybe it is too

:35:20. > :35:35.thin. You're meant to come into a match

:35:36. > :35:40.like this under no pressure. Sometimes the pressure is even

:35:41. > :35:44.greater for Anthony. There is a lot of hope and expectation he will play

:35:45. > :35:51.well. It is a different kind of pressure that he is under. He got

:35:52. > :35:59.away with that. Ding raised his hand because he was lucky. We know what

:36:00. > :36:06.that means in any language when you raise your hand! I would not think

:36:07. > :36:34.it is much of a consolation when someone puts their hands up to say

:36:35. > :36:40.sorry. A bit of courtesy. You can say Ding's I is going from that ball

:36:41. > :36:52.to the cue ball. Finally before he does the cue, he is looking at the

:36:53. > :36:58.object. You go back and forwards to the cue ball and the object ball.

:36:59. > :37:06.Looking at the object ball just before he delivers the cue. I

:37:07. > :38:12.remember Sam Torrance trying to change that.

:38:13. > :38:22.Ding has put Anthony in trouble. He has missed a couple already. Back

:38:23. > :38:27.and start to play on anyone's mind. He has looked at the left side of

:38:28. > :38:31.the table and may play a safety shot. If he played the one near the

:38:32. > :38:43.pocket he would have a chance of doubling that. It looks as if he is

:38:44. > :38:49.playing the other one. Same result. Not a bad idea. A couple of good

:38:50. > :38:54.safety shot from Anthony and that will hopefully force Ding into

:38:55. > :38:56.leaving him a comfortable chance in amongst the balls. It remains to be

:38:57. > :39:26.seen whether Ding will do that. Anthony should avoid that read on

:39:27. > :39:35.the cushion. He does not want go to the pack of Reds too closely. It

:39:36. > :39:49.leaves Ding something to go out on the right corner. -- go at.

:39:50. > :39:56.That is providing he missed the jaws of the middle pocket. That is a

:39:57. > :40:02.pretty bad mistake to make. It is not an lucky to get those, he should

:40:03. > :40:11.be aiming before the middle pocket to get behind the Yellow. It is not

:40:12. > :40:16.an easy chance for Anthony, the Pink is tied up and he will have to get

:40:17. > :40:21.back for the Blue, the Black will pass the Yellow. He has quite a bit

:40:22. > :40:26.to do with the cue ball, it is an easier chance that he needs, he has

:40:27. > :40:35.taken the more difficult pot. That is good. This is the first chance he

:40:36. > :40:42.has had. The Pink is tied up. He has a chance to knock a few balls in and

:40:43. > :40:49.hopefully relax a bit. One of his wins in the qualifying rounds was

:40:50. > :40:57.four - zero against Jamie Cope. I am sure he is a decent player. I wonder

:40:58. > :41:14.if he will play to knock the Pink interplay. -- into play.

:41:15. > :41:28.Your choice was the better choice. Let us see if he can manage it after

:41:29. > :41:36.this shot. He has a long way to travel in and out of the Baltic

:41:37. > :41:42.area. At least he has got the Brown away from its spot. It gives him

:41:43. > :41:53.room down the table. That is pretty good. It is pacey again. It looked

:41:54. > :42:02.good in running. It never seem to stop rolling. At that stage. It

:42:03. > :42:11.seemed to come off that cushion quite quickly. It kept on running.

:42:12. > :43:13.Does this read go into the right corner? I do not think so.

:43:14. > :43:22.He has got an easy safety shot, but not easy to get in behind a colour

:43:23. > :43:26.and hide the cue ball. I think there is a Red that would go to the left

:43:27. > :43:36.middle pocket, but no colour available, so no value in that.

:43:37. > :43:46.Nothing to get in behind there. Better chance for Ding to swing the

:43:47. > :43:50.cue ball over, he has got the Yellow and Black to cover the Reds. He has

:43:51. > :44:02.the Green now. Let us see where he finishes. That will do as well. If

:44:03. > :44:08.this comes past the Green... He is still OK. He is on the Green. If he

:44:09. > :44:15.had missed the Green, he would be on the Black. He picked this out

:44:16. > :44:23.nicely, there was very then contact. -- then contact.

:44:24. > :44:49.??APPLAUSE He has got winning ways at the

:44:50. > :44:53.moment. I think it is a tremendous achievement to match up those

:44:54. > :44:58.factories. He has not played well in every match. He was behind in a

:44:59. > :45:19.couple of the matches in the Indian Open. He won the decider with

:45:20. > :45:23.century breaks. Five. He has a chance now, he had some heavy

:45:24. > :45:28.contact there. He was playing it nicely on the Black, if he is too

:45:29. > :45:33.straight on the Black, he has got the Blue available and he can take

:45:34. > :45:40.the Blue and cannon into the Pink. Let us see what angle he has on the

:45:41. > :45:45.Black. It might just be OK. He can screw back and get up towards the

:45:46. > :45:51.Reds. He is heading the cue ball right down at the bottom. I tell you

:45:52. > :45:54.what, even though he made the half-century in the opening frame,

:45:55. > :46:02.he does not seem to be cueing smoothly. Look at the luck he has

:46:03. > :46:10.had here, missing this. He has got the Brown just about over the right

:46:11. > :46:12.corner. Talk about good fortune. If we were playing, it would have

:46:13. > :46:49.stayed in our memory for a while. That was a reaction to the previous

:46:50. > :46:58.shot, that is what he thinks. That was a bit like the old Ding. Anthony

:46:59. > :47:12.with an opportunity. It has been very busy in all the tournament 's,

:47:13. > :47:17.the man who Ding is playing here, he did not win at the weekend by

:47:18. > :47:23.missing those. He has not settled in. What we are realising is how

:47:24. > :47:27.tough this game is. It is made to look easy by all the great players.

:47:28. > :47:39.This guy complained the game, but at the moment he is struggling. -- can

:47:40. > :47:43.play the game. You do not see that often from Ding. He is disgusted

:47:44. > :47:51.with his form, because he gave the table a good old slap and I have

:47:52. > :47:58.never seen him do that before. I am sure we will see it again. I do not

:47:59. > :48:10.know whether that is telling us he is not all that happy with the way

:48:11. > :48:17.the table is placed. The one thing about Ding, is his cue ball control.

:48:18. > :48:23.Today he is not controlling it. He is very close with his waistcoat on

:48:24. > :48:32.that Red. I do not think he was all that aware of what was happening, he

:48:33. > :48:39.was millimetres away. He did not quite brush it with his waistcoat.

:48:40. > :48:41.He is one of the better referees. We have a great group of referees at

:48:42. > :49:28.the moment. Ding has got a horrible shot, how

:49:29. > :49:33.can he avoid a whole group of Reds? You just basically hit and hope.

:49:34. > :49:39.That could have been an awful lot worse. It was a good shot, but he

:49:40. > :49:54.probably deserves to be on one, but he split the Reds up perfectly.

:49:55. > :50:31.He can still pot the Yellow but it should have been much easier. Still

:50:32. > :50:45.a possible pot, one into the right corner. That extension will be able

:50:46. > :50:52.to make him reach this. It is a free shot. He can avoid cannon name into

:50:53. > :51:00.that Red. Will he commit and try and hold for the Blue? He certainly did.

:51:01. > :51:05.That is just about the best shot he has played so far in this match.

:51:06. > :51:10.That gives him a great chance to go on and take the second frame. This

:51:11. > :51:21.is the first sign that he has got to grips with the table. The Red by the

:51:22. > :51:25.Brown ball is going to be a problem later. If he can take the other Red,

:51:26. > :51:36.then the frame should be over by then. It might not be a concern for

:51:37. > :51:43.him. Interesting, it was like he tried to develop it. That was a bit

:51:44. > :51:54.of a guess as to where the cue ball would finish, once again. He did not

:51:55. > :52:03.quite judge the cannon. It was not a bad choice of shot. He will have to

:52:04. > :52:07.wait for another chance now. Just try to make it as difficult. You

:52:08. > :52:13.could quite easily go in behind the Green, but he feels he can put it in

:52:14. > :52:21.a more difficult spot. I think he is going for it. The White is past the

:52:22. > :52:24.line. It makes it at then 's neck. I cannot believe he took that on. He

:52:25. > :52:41.was passed the ball line. He has got away with it. Can you

:52:42. > :52:48.believe that? There is a Red to the middle. He took an old-fashioned

:52:49. > :52:54.liberty there. Going for the Yellow. There was a guaranteed

:52:55. > :52:56.snooker there are. Sometimes there is a way of being replayed for

:52:57. > :53:12.playing the wrong shots. He has left a big pocket, look where

:53:13. > :53:18.there's Red is coming across and that will go into the pocket or in

:53:19. > :53:25.of the other Red. That is the worst possible outcome for Anthony. I

:53:26. > :53:31.think you would like to go in of the other Red, rather than pot it

:53:32. > :53:42.directly. He might play it cushion first. It was a good shot. It was a

:53:43. > :53:49.big pocket. Surely now, despite Ding's loose shot on the Yellow, the

:53:50. > :53:52.frame will be his. He could have played the Red onto the cushion on

:53:53. > :54:07.the other end, but very accurate striking. He is a little bit

:54:08. > :54:13.awkward. That is well played and that definitely should be the end of

:54:14. > :54:21.the second frame now. It is a comfortable 2-0 lead for Ding.

:54:22. > :54:30.Antony Parsons has had his chances. He just has not been able to settle.

:54:31. > :54:36.Ding has played as shocking positional shot. Anthony has had a

:54:37. > :54:41.few chances. Fancy finishing over the top of that. He has got the

:54:42. > :54:45.Yellow ball there. It will be tricky to get from the Yellow down from the

:54:46. > :54:52.next Red if he plays it. He will take the Pink from the middle. It is

:54:53. > :55:02.his last hope in this frame. Now that it has gone in, it will be the

:55:03. > :55:07.second frame to Ding Junhui. At the moment, it is a bit of a stroll in

:55:08. > :55:20.the park for him even though he is not playing at his best. He is not

:55:21. > :55:24.getting a huge amount of resistance. We have seen sharks, but for the

:55:25. > :55:33.moment, Anthony concedes the frame and Ding has taken the first three

:55:34. > :55:45.-- the first two frames. -- we have seen sharks. We will be back later

:55:46. > :55:51.on. We are going to focus on another match which features Rhys Clark. He

:55:52. > :55:56.has arguably the plum tie of the whole Championship because he is

:55:57. > :55:57.playing Ronnie O'Sullivan. We will hear from both men ahead of their

:55:58. > :56:25.match. Let us start with Ronnie. I think the Crucible is different to

:56:26. > :56:31.other tournament is, it is really pressurised. I felt tension that I

:56:32. > :56:36.have never felt at any other tournament. To comeback in 2013 was

:56:37. > :56:54.pretty unbelievable. -- to comeback. I was back in the heart and I did

:56:55. > :56:59.not expect anything to happen in Sheffield, but I am back to play

:57:00. > :57:03.because they need to play. Everybody wants to be the world champion and

:57:04. > :57:15.it is how you process that and deal with the pressure. It was like a

:57:16. > :57:18.fairy tale, there have been a few things in snooker that I have done,

:57:19. > :57:27.but that is one of my greatest achievements. I do sometimes think

:57:28. > :57:31.that it is not how good you are, it is how tough you are, how much

:57:32. > :57:35.bottle, how much resilience you have and you need all of that, you need

:57:36. > :57:40.to have your game in position and have a bit of bottle and be up for

:57:41. > :58:15.the job. I think when I1-macro my first UK tournament,

:58:16. > :58:17.player will take you out. Sometimes, it adds pressure from a young age. I

:58:18. > :58:21.enjoyed that pressure, I would rather be expecting a win, bringing

:58:22. > :58:49.the sense of occasion on to myself than the person who has nothing to

:58:50. > :59:02.lose. Don't have much experience at this level, but I will take chances.

:59:03. > :59:19.I need to try my best. I do not feel that I cannot compete. Ronnie is the

:59:20. > :59:23.biggest player in the game. The amount of people who want to watch,

:59:24. > :59:29.the amount of tournament he has won, the world championships back to

:59:30. > :59:46.gap, -- back to back, it could not be a harder draw. I just hope that I

:59:47. > :59:50.can do something. Race card is only 19. He narrowly failed to get

:59:51. > :59:53.through the qualifying school earlier and he is here because he is

:59:54. > :00:01.one of the seven best amateurs that went through that process -- Rhys

:00:02. > :00:07.Clark. He has to hope that Ronnie O Sullivan starts his match like Ding

:00:08. > :00:25.Junhui. He will need him to miss a a few balls and he will be very

:00:26. > :00:32.nervous. We were watching his mum put on his bowtie! What I would say

:00:33. > :00:37.is go out and enjoy it. He has probably been dreaming about this

:00:38. > :00:45.since he first picked up a cue. He will be nervous, but just enjoy it.

:00:46. > :00:55.It is just an ordinary table, forget about who is watching, forget about

:00:56. > :01:01.your family. He is playing the best player in the world so just enjoy

:01:02. > :01:06.it. I think he needs blinkers on. I think everybody does, it is

:01:07. > :01:13.distracting. How much will run it now about him by Tamara does it

:01:14. > :01:21.matter -- how much will be only know about him? And does it matter? He

:01:22. > :01:30.probably does not know him. It is so important to have a good start.

:01:31. > :01:37.Home-made full will run EB -- how mindful will Ronnie O'Sullivan be

:01:38. > :01:43.after the previous games? He is very mature, has so much experience. Any

:01:44. > :01:48.time he goes out, you wants to perform. Opportunities do not get

:01:49. > :01:53.much bigger than this. Here comes the world champion Ronnie Sullivan

:01:54. > :02:01.and right behind him, I young man from Lanarkshire, Rhys Clark. One of

:02:02. > :02:10.the seven best amateurs in the qualifying school. These matches,

:02:11. > :02:13.best of 11 frames. I wonderful how -- I wonder how comfortable young

:02:14. > :02:26.Rhys feels out there? Ronnie just getting himself ready.

:02:27. > :02:53.Shaking hands with young Rhys. What an experience for him. That is

:02:54. > :02:58.the main thing. If you could hit one player were really you have nothing

:02:59. > :03:01.to lose, and I do not mean that likely, he is playing Ronnie

:03:02. > :04:24.O'Sullivan world champion, centrestage. -- lightly.

:04:25. > :04:38.If Rees was hoping -- if Rhys was hoping Ronnie O'Sullivan would start

:04:39. > :06:18.the match called, his hopes have been dashed. -- : cold.

:06:19. > :07:10.The problem is with that, if you are knocking the red towards the corner,

:07:11. > :07:18.you have to cover it. A little bit of a tester for Ronnie. He cannot

:07:19. > :07:24.widen the angle Has he been rescued by the brown? He

:07:25. > :08:06.has. A little bit fortunate to get that

:08:07. > :08:21.gap. Certainly was not playing for that. This is not easy.

:08:22. > :09:03.He may be forced into playing the pot.

:09:04. > :09:12.Rhys someone making a noise in the audience every time Ronnie Mrs --

:09:13. > :09:31.misses a ball. You can never be certain with that

:09:32. > :09:52.position. It would have been nice if the Queen

:09:53. > :10:24.had not been knocked off its spot. -- green.

:10:25. > :10:42.I think the important thing is for Rhys to play his natural game.

:10:43. > :10:47.The worst thing for Rhys would be if he came off the table without having

:10:48. > :11:04.given himself a chance to play well. That was a surprising this from

:11:05. > :11:35.Ronnie -- surprising miss. That was a bit careless. He may be

:11:36. > :12:42.in trouble next time he comes to the table.

:12:43. > :12:59.Quite a distance away. He has left a pot on for Rhys.

:13:00. > :14:13.Players always set great store by the first game.

:14:14. > :15:23.Young Rhys is in a spot of bother here.

:15:24. > :16:05.Just the red near the top cushion. He could not have played better.

:16:06. > :16:09.That shows us he knows his way around the snooker table. He will

:16:10. > :16:54.have to produce a good shot here. That means he goes 62 points behind

:16:55. > :17:45.with only 59 remaining. Another long pot that went astray.

:17:46. > :19:09.An opportunity here for Rhys. And that is enough. Ronnie had a

:19:10. > :19:13.fine start, missed a few after that. But he has won the first frame

:19:14. > :19:18.quite comfortably. It appears we have two ambidextrous

:19:19. > :19:25.players out there. What a marathon this other match was. Graeme Dott

:19:26. > :19:33.eventually prevailing. That is good news for him. He needs to stay in

:19:34. > :19:39.the world's top 16 players if he is to get an invitation to the Masters.

:19:40. > :19:46.A lot riding on this particular event for him. Observations about

:19:47. > :19:52.Rhys. He is not used to the environment yet. It is

:19:53. > :20:02.understandable. Just so difficult to settle down. And Ronnie started off

:20:03. > :20:13.well. There is all the periphery going on. If you are going to win

:20:14. > :20:29.this event, you have to win seven matches. If Rhys can pot a few

:20:30. > :21:23.balls, get settled into the game, that will help.

:21:24. > :21:35.This is strange. Ronnie refusing Street red. -- refusing a Street

:21:36. > :21:54.red. The red to the left corner, I cannot

:21:55. > :22:00.believe he refused that. He is obviously not fancying long ports

:22:01. > :22:19.from distance, especially that are straight.

:22:20. > :22:27.You only have to hit the cue ball slightly off centre and it throws

:22:28. > :23:14.the cue ball off-line. Ronnie root very impressive in the

:23:15. > :23:29.first frame, but looking a bit ragged now. -- Ronnie looked.

:23:30. > :23:44.A lot of encouragement from the crowd. But unfortunately, not a good

:23:45. > :23:50.kiss. He can just about get to the edge of the pink. He has to be

:23:51. > :24:24.careful. That could be costly. Taking the

:24:25. > :24:58.black on. Could not be replaced the reds any

:24:59. > :25:37.better here. As you say, it looked perfect

:25:38. > :25:54.opportunity score heavily. But that cost him.

:25:55. > :26:05.It is going to be hard for Ronnie and other top players in this

:26:06. > :26:11.tournament. He will be expecting to win this match, but he will also

:26:12. > :26:25.have to be focused. And he would not be the first player to let his guard

:26:26. > :26:34.slip a little bit. Then you have to try harder to get your concentration

:26:35. > :26:39.back. I would have thought that young Rhys would be encouraged by

:26:40. > :26:45.what he has seen so far. He has not been blown away, so to speak. But he

:26:46. > :27:09.has got to play better safety than that.

:27:10. > :27:20.If anything is going to give Rhys confidence, it is going to be seeing

:27:21. > :28:01.Ronnie missing these shots. He just wants the chance to put some

:28:02. > :28:15.easy balls and get his hand in. -- pot some easy balls.

:28:16. > :28:51.Why not put the red that was closest? I do not think he is

:28:52. > :29:17.thinking clearly. That is down to nerves.

:29:18. > :29:50.He is nicely on the next red. Excellent chance.

:29:51. > :30:08.Good chance to get your rhythm going, played a natural pace.

:30:09. > :30:32.14. He let the blue run loose. Unless he lets it get to that next

:30:33. > :31:19.corner, he has nothing. That was then! Will he be saved by

:31:20. > :31:22.the blue? He cannot believe it. All these good players get this run of

:31:23. > :32:02.the ball, it has never changed. It is a cruel game, caused by his

:32:03. > :32:08.bad shot, though. He had a good chance, and as we always say, if you

:32:09. > :32:14.get one good chance, and you do not take it, anything that follows is a

:32:15. > :32:20.little bit down to yourself, but that was very unlucky. The way these

:32:21. > :32:26.reds are, as he takes on thinking time, I can understand. I do not see

:32:27. > :32:36.how he can possibly not leave Ronnie a shot on here. He is trying to get

:32:37. > :32:46.to this red, trying to swerve onto this red on the top cushion. He

:32:47. > :32:52.played it well. Depending on the angle, he may have left this red for

:32:53. > :32:56.Ronnie. If Ronnie feels he can pot this and get the position on the

:32:57. > :33:06.collar, it looks as though he can get to the left middle. -- colour.

:33:07. > :33:49.At the moment, he just does not seem with it, Ronnie.

:33:50. > :34:12.Nice angle on the green, a good chance.

:34:13. > :34:57.The best positional shot for Ronnie, I am sure he was not playing for

:34:58. > :35:01.this red. If he plays to the top corner, it is a simple shot. You

:35:02. > :36:13.would expect to be 2-0 here. 19. So, now 41 points in front. 43

:36:14. > :36:19.remaining, but not for long. He had a chance in this frame, it did Rhys,

:36:20. > :36:23.and he will be disappointed that he played up a shot of the red when he

:36:24. > :36:27.was playing for the blue in the middle. . Ronnie has taken these

:36:28. > :37:43.nicely. What a lovely lady to from Ronnie

:37:44. > :37:47.O'Sullivan. He seemed to lose his focus at the start, but Rhys Clark

:37:48. > :37:55.could not take the opportunity and that was a lovely way to finish the

:37:56. > :38:00.frame. Ronnie leaves 2-0. Focus and losing focus and it was interesting,

:38:01. > :38:06.Ronnie said in his interview that it is not enough to be good enough, it

:38:07. > :38:11.is about how tough you are, how resilient and how are you are for

:38:12. > :38:16.the job effectively. Is it difficult to summon the same kind of

:38:17. > :38:20.application levels that you would in a final? Of course. Ronnie knows

:38:21. > :38:24.that he will probably get through this match, but the performance

:38:25. > :38:28.level and the concentration level may not be there when you are

:38:29. > :38:33.playing someone who is a nonentity in the game, just starting off as

:38:34. > :38:38.opposed to playing one of the top players. It is difficult. You have

:38:39. > :38:43.got to try and it into the mindset that you still want to perform, be

:38:44. > :38:48.proud of your performance, so when you do come up against it in the

:38:49. > :38:51.next round... You want to keep your concentration for your own levels as

:38:52. > :38:57.well, because if you start easing off, sometimes that can happen in

:38:58. > :39:06.the next match and you want to be on from the beginning. What did you

:39:07. > :39:09.tell yourself in these situations? To concentrate on every ball.

:39:10. > :39:15.Sometimes missing a couple of pots was the one thing you needed. Ronnie

:39:16. > :39:20.missed a few balls, you felt like saying that he needed to do better.

:39:21. > :39:25.You need to refocus and pick it up again and that happened in that

:39:26. > :39:37.frame. He is starting out on what he hopes will be a campaign to win a

:39:38. > :39:46.fifth UK title. There is a long pot missed. It was made a little bit

:39:47. > :39:52.more difficult because he was not sure were the cue ball would finish.

:39:53. > :40:05.There you go. They say the figures do not lie. But it is 100%. Rhys. If

:40:06. > :40:09.he could just get through to that red. Unfortunately he could not. Do

:40:10. > :40:14.you think there was a defining moment when you first came on the

:40:15. > :40:18.scene, Stephen, that you thought I am comfortable in these

:40:19. > :40:28.surroundings, or is it just the accumulation of results? Rhys has

:40:29. > :40:32.obviously idolised Ronnie, growing up watching him, and the first time

:40:33. > :40:37.I played Jimmy White, he was my idol, and the first time you do

:40:38. > :40:45.that, you are in all of them and it is hard to play.

:40:46. > :40:58.He spotted it well. That Brown he has gone for, he is really pushing

:40:59. > :41:23.the boat out. Now it is an excellent opportunity.

:41:24. > :41:50.28. 29. He will want to win this match as quickly as possible.

:41:51. > :41:55.Players like Ronnie and like myself, you see the first couple of

:41:56. > :42:03.matches as a bit of an inconvenience. I see where you're

:42:04. > :42:08.coming from. You do not want any long and drawn-out matters if you

:42:09. > :42:16.can help them. There will be no days off -- matches. No time to relax.

:42:17. > :42:22.You want to keep the matches to an minimum if you can.

:42:23. > :42:34.These first couple of matches, Ronnie will not show disrespect to

:42:35. > :42:40.his opponents, but these opportunities perhaps make a match

:42:41. > :42:44.for him. He would always be thinking that way. When he parted the black

:42:45. > :42:48.in the last frame, you thought he had everything in good position, he

:42:49. > :42:53.just lost his focus a little bit during the last frame, but it looks

:42:54. > :43:03.as though he has switched on now. 45.

:43:04. > :43:07.He is OK, I thought he was a danger, nestling on the green, but

:43:08. > :43:20.it is a nice position. 51. Little bit straighter on this blue

:43:21. > :43:26.would have been ideal, he might just be able to hold the white. No, he

:43:27. > :43:36.could not. That could have gone horribly wrong. But it is OK.

:43:37. > :44:10.62. 63. Rhys will need a snooker. Will he be able to make a centre

:44:11. > :44:18.here? Fax no -- excellent positional shot.

:44:19. > :44:39.He has over cut it. It is enough for Rhys. That was a decent break from

:44:40. > :44:48.Ronnie. A little bit disappointed he made the century, but he now leads

:44:49. > :44:53.3-0. It was an interesting part in that frame. Rhys had one chance, the

:44:54. > :44:57.red in the middle, missed it and then Ronnie potted the planned.

:44:58. > :45:01.Looking at this situation, if somebody said what will he play

:45:02. > :45:07.next, you would not have said he would have gone for the pot on the

:45:08. > :45:12.brown. It was amazing. He did not really have a lot of options. He

:45:13. > :45:16.could have came up -- came off the top cushion and gone for the black,

:45:17. > :45:21.but I think he will try and win this match as quickly as possible. People

:45:22. > :45:26.say he might be showing Rhys disrespect, but he is just playing

:45:27. > :45:31.the way he plays the game. Fair comment. When Ronnie plays you

:45:32. > :45:37.always get a packed house and he wants to turn it on for the fans.

:45:38. > :46:20.Nothing wrong with that. That brown was a bit special.

:46:21. > :46:31.Does this red past the yellow? It looks like it does. No look at the

:46:32. > :46:34.moment for young Rhys. What were we saying about Ronnie going to the

:46:35. > :46:52.maximum? Not a lot of players looking for the black there. That

:46:53. > :46:56.was an excellent shot. When he was left that red, it went past the

:46:57. > :46:58.yellow comic you saw him looking straight at the black potted and

:46:59. > :47:19.that is the only thing on his mind right now.

:47:20. > :47:49.Good part and just in -- just about perfect on this red -- pot. 25. A

:47:50. > :47:55.little bit straighter on the black, but the red is just right on the

:47:56. > :47:56.pink and will go into the middle. Undercooked it slightly, but he can

:47:57. > :48:20.still play for the black. Just need this cue ball to bounce

:48:21. > :48:24.out a little bit more and he is maybe just at a slight angle, but he

:48:25. > :48:37.will have to play at the right hand side. 41. He needs a bit of luck.

:48:38. > :48:45.And he is OK. There are certainly one red to the corner and he may be

:48:46. > :48:52.able to push that cue ball through for the black. And in playing it, it

:48:53. > :48:58.would open the other -- the other reds up. He is looking at the one to

:48:59. > :49:03.the left middle, but I like the one to the right corner. I do not think

:49:04. > :49:20.he wants to push the reds onto the cushion. 49. Unlucky, he snookered

:49:21. > :49:25.himself. And just caught the pink fraction too thick. He was not

:49:26. > :49:30.holding back, but he has got a 49 point lead. He has given his young

:49:31. > :49:37.opponent a great opportunity now. Can he relax and produce his best

:49:38. > :49:56.form? Ronnie, you concede, absolutely seething. -- you can see.

:49:57. > :50:06.That is the sort of thing he will not want to remember when he looks

:50:07. > :50:12.back on this match. You can call at what you like, pressure, but it is

:50:13. > :50:16.so hard. I have no doubt you would see Rhys playing in his snooker club

:50:17. > :50:22.practising, he would not miss a ball, but just out there, it is

:50:23. > :50:28.getting used to the surroundings, the harsh, the television cameras,

:50:29. > :50:34.nothing is there to put you off, but it is there in your mind, but it is

:50:35. > :50:40.important and just this red needed and Ronnie will go to the interval,

:50:41. > :51:05.certain to be 4-0 in front and disappointment for the young man.

:51:06. > :51:19.Just coming up to 45 minutes and it is definitely going to be 4-0. After

:51:20. > :51:23.being a little bit ragged in the second frame, Ronnie seems to have

:51:24. > :51:33.his mind back on the job. He definitely switched back on when

:51:34. > :51:34.he had the opportunity to make a maximum. You could tell how much

:51:35. > :51:54.more focused he was. He played the double and he is not

:51:55. > :51:57.bothered whether it goes in or not. They did not see it going, but I

:51:58. > :52:31.heard it. -- I did not see it go in. Where is the cue ball going? It did

:52:32. > :52:36.not matter, he was trying to play a few extra shots for the crowd. Rhys

:52:37. > :52:40.just asking the referee if it is an interval now, and he has been told

:52:41. > :52:46.that there is and Ronnie Sullivan goes to it leading by four - zero.

:52:47. > :52:51.He looks comfortable but he has not been given a huge amount to think

:52:52. > :52:57.about by Rhys Clarke. He is finding his feet. I think Ronnie can afford

:52:58. > :53:01.to take a few risks. Perhaps in the back of his mind, he knows he is not

:53:02. > :53:08.going to be punished as severely as he might have been by other players.

:53:09. > :53:13.He relaxed a little bit. Even going for the difficult paying to keep the

:53:14. > :53:18.break going, Ronnie would still like to knock in some centuries or big

:53:19. > :53:22.breaks, because no matter who you play, you always still want to

:53:23. > :53:27.entertain and he is a born entertainer. He wants to get the

:53:28. > :53:31.match over and done web as quickly as possible, the more arrest the

:53:32. > :53:37.better, because he has two Win seven matches to win the Championship. For

:53:38. > :53:44.Ronnie, it is an easy start for him. Rhys Clarke has a lot to think

:53:45. > :53:51.about. What would you say to him? Just to try and blank out what has

:53:52. > :53:56.happened and relax and go one play. 99 times out of a hundred, you will

:53:57. > :54:01.lose this match, just try and play and do something and come away with

:54:02. > :54:08.good memories. Just something you can take from it. We have seen a bit

:54:09. > :54:16.of craft from him. Yes. If they can take something, but a few good ball

:54:17. > :54:19.then. What ever happens, it is about enjoying it and he will remember

:54:20. > :54:25.this day even if he does lose. He will remember this day for the rest

:54:26. > :54:31.of his snooker life. He has a long way to go, but we will come back and

:54:32. > :54:37.see how the second half of the match goes. You might think that the top

:54:38. > :54:44.16 rankings are a thing of the past. If you think they are a thing

:54:45. > :54:48.of the past, you could be half right, because they are still

:54:49. > :54:51.important as the go-ahead to events like the Masters tournament and the

:54:52. > :54:57.World Championship, because they still require you to be in the top

:54:58. > :55:04.16 in order to qualify. This happens to be the last counting event before

:55:05. > :55:09.the Masters in January, so the scramble is on for places. At the

:55:10. > :55:15.bottom you have the likes of Graeme Dott, Joe Perry, Matt Stevens, all

:55:16. > :55:20.wanting to make sure they earned their place. Ronnie O'Sullivan,

:55:21. > :55:24.right now in the rankings, he is number 29. That does not make any

:55:25. > :55:29.difference for the bookmakers, because they see him at the start of

:55:30. > :55:36.the day, as the outright favourite to win this event and win it for a

:55:37. > :55:40.fifth time. He is the favourite. We have Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui

:55:41. > :55:46.highly fancied and Mark Selby. What do you make of the odds? There are

:55:47. > :55:53.no mistakes from the bookmakers. It is exactly what you would have

:55:54. > :55:57.thought. I did not see any mistakes. You could argue that Allister Carter

:55:58. > :56:03.plays well in the UK, Stuart Bingham is in the form of his life. I think

:56:04. > :56:07.Barry Hawkins is a player who is very capable. If you're looking for

:56:08. > :56:16.bigger odds, generally the way they have it is right. Who do you fancy?

:56:17. > :56:22.Mark Allen is a good outsider. Look at John Higgins. You would not have

:56:23. > :56:27.go back a long way before you would have got odds like that with him.

:56:28. > :56:35.Look at Mark Williams. Another UK winner. Big odds. John Higgins slept

:56:36. > :56:44.in Sheffield because he could not find a hotel room in your! He is

:56:45. > :56:51.sleeping in Sheffield. Hopefully he will manage to make his way here. It

:56:52. > :56:59.is full of Christmas shoppers. It is all happening in this amazing city.

:57:00. > :57:04.So far, so good. Ding Junhui is enjoying his visit because the last

:57:05. > :57:23.we saw of him he was 2-0 up on Antony Parsons. Antony is trailing

:57:24. > :57:32.as we rejoin them and it is back to Dennis and Neal. He is ready to

:57:33. > :57:38.play. That is not bad. He deserves a little bit of luck, the cue ball has

:57:39. > :57:45.travelled on a bit. He will maybe go for the blue. Very difficult to

:57:46. > :58:11.clear from here. If he takes the green, he has to

:58:12. > :58:37.force it up near the red. Worst possible outcome there. But

:58:38. > :59:00.unlucky, but if he had potted the blue, the White would not have gone

:59:01. > :59:10.near the pocket. Ding is not going through the ball as well as he

:59:11. > :59:15.would. And playing the safety shot, Antony will avoid going into the

:59:16. > :59:22.blue. Probably around the back of it would be the best way. He has done

:59:23. > :59:44.that. The red not going over the middle pocket, so that is all right.

:59:45. > :59:49.Well, I think he played something like that. Certainly, the cue ball

:59:50. > :00:16.he would have intended to get behind the baulk cover.

:00:17. > :00:34.It just caught the pink first beer. -- there.

:00:35. > :01:06.It is pretty comfortable for Ding at the moment.

:01:07. > :01:33.45 the difference. Antony is coming to the table.

:01:34. > :01:38.Antony Parsons made a good run in the next. The last before the

:01:39. > :01:47.interval. He is 65 points in front on this one.

:01:48. > :02:03.Nice pot. The colour might be awkward.

:02:04. > :02:10.He is doing everything he can to tighten up this frame. Still 75

:02:11. > :02:20.points on the table. He might have to chance his arm

:02:21. > :03:23.here. This is all round the houses. A

:03:24. > :03:35.great escape. Has he not had one? -- hit one. That is pretty unlucky. A

:03:36. > :03:47.great effort. He hit a lot of cushions, a lot of distance.

:03:48. > :04:15.Seven. Antony will just try to drop this red. At least he can go to the

:04:16. > :04:32.midsection feeling a little bit more comfortable.

:04:33. > :04:42.Ding concedes. Andy Parsons -- Antony Parsons has won the frame.

:04:43. > :04:49.Antony Parsons can feel pretty pleased with himself. He will be

:04:50. > :04:54.very pleased. A similar situation to the other guy. But so much different

:04:55. > :05:03.when you go into the dressing room 3-1 down. I remember being in a

:05:04. > :05:08.similar situation playing Steve Davis, I can remember being stuck in

:05:09. > :05:22.the chair, watching this course. -- watching a scoreboard. The top

:05:23. > :05:30.players do not notice everything around them. But Antony Parsons will

:05:31. > :05:34.feel about ten feet tall now. Do you start to genuinely believe you can

:05:35. > :05:39.do something now? Every journey starts with a single step. Once you

:05:40. > :05:47.get one frame on the board, your confidence lifts. You put a little

:05:48. > :06:00.doubt in your opponent's mind as well. You just never know in sport.

:06:01. > :06:05.You might get a little break on. This evening, we have a mixture of

:06:06. > :06:27.first and second round matches as well.

:06:28. > :06:36.Dylan's family is coming to watch, except for his mother who is too

:06:37. > :06:45.nervous to watch. And Shane Castle is only 15 years of age. His talent

:06:46. > :06:49.was first spotted by a surgeon Jimmy White. We caught up with Shane

:06:50. > :06:58.Castle a few minutes ago. You are taking on Mark Selby. How

:06:59. > :07:04.are you feeling? I'm feeling great. I'm happy with my game at the

:07:05. > :07:10.moment. I can't wait to go out and play. Did you get any sleep last

:07:11. > :07:20.night? Yes, about two o'clock in the morning. What about your

:07:21. > :07:28.preparations coming into this event? I'm excited to play. You must be

:07:29. > :07:37.buoyed by some of the shocks that have happened? Yes, it proves that

:07:38. > :07:48.anything can happen. I did not expect Marco Fu to lose, but let's

:07:49. > :07:53.hope the same happens. Tonight, you will be nervous, your family is

:07:54. > :07:59.supporting you? My dad is up here, but my mum is at home, sitting in

:08:00. > :08:07.front of the television. All my family is there watching, behind me.

:08:08. > :08:24.You're feeling confident? You have done some practice today. I have not

:08:25. > :08:34.had a chance to practice today. -- practise. From all of this year,

:08:35. > :08:39.enjoy tonight and the best of luck. He is playing Mark Selby tonight in

:08:40. > :08:48.the main arena. We wish him all the best, 15 years of age. Apparently, a

:08:49. > :09:00.real talent. Let me quickly update you with events here. We have tables

:09:01. > :09:22.five, six, seven and eight. Very quiet and hushed in there. Sian

:09:23. > :09:40.Sullivan... Feargal or Brian is 3-1 down to Mark

:09:41. > :09:55.King. There we are, rightly or Sullivan -- Ronnie O'Sullivan is 4-0

:09:56. > :09:59.in front. This was the first championship that Ronnie O'Sullivan

:10:00. > :10:09.one at the age of 17. Andy is playing Rhys Clark. Rhys is hoping

:10:10. > :11:34.to settle down. There is a holding prize for the

:11:35. > :11:48.tournament. 55,000 I believe it is now.

:11:49. > :11:55.Played nicely however. Just finished up with the perfect angle on the

:11:56. > :12:21.black. I'm not certain what is available.

:12:22. > :12:40.You would think he would be looking for a nice angle.

:12:41. > :12:51.Plenty of action on it, but the reds did not move as he would have liked.

:12:52. > :13:03.Just watch the reaction. We know he is going to play for the black.

:13:04. > :13:11.The critic you ball has finished. Safe as houses. -- look where the

:13:12. > :13:22.cue ball has finished. Went into them, but it has not

:13:23. > :15:37.worked out that well. 83 remaining. Rhys Clark gets another chance. Not

:15:38. > :15:41.as good as the last one. The green is out of commission. The green he

:15:42. > :16:18.missed. It does not look the most solid of

:16:19. > :16:30.bridges. A bit unfortunate there, he hit that

:16:31. > :17:55.one nicely. Just 59 remaining, but not for

:17:56. > :18:05.long. Rhys Clark has had a couple of chances in this frame. He won't be

:18:06. > :18:14.getting another shot in this frame. The average time for Ronnie, 12

:18:15. > :18:46.seconds per shot. But is quick. -- that.

:18:47. > :18:57.Those last two screw shots of the black have been hit beautifully.

:18:58. > :19:03.That was close enough. Ronnie is having to do a lot to get the

:19:04. > :19:07.chances because Rhys Clark is not taking his opportunities. He just

:19:08. > :19:22.needs one more frame. Ronnie is cruising, but not the case

:19:23. > :19:43.for Shaun Murphy. He is up against Paul Davison. He is 3-2 up on Shaun.

:19:44. > :19:49.He did not qualify for India. He knows what it is like to be under

:19:50. > :19:54.pressure, and he is clearly under pressure here. I spoke to him

:19:55. > :19:59.recently, he has lost a lot of weight, he is very fit but he has

:20:00. > :20:08.struggled so far this season. He is on a break of 20 here. What could be

:20:09. > :20:15.some of the problems? I noticed at the start of the season he is

:20:16. > :20:22.playing with new cues. Possibly chopping and changing between cues.

:20:23. > :20:36.He has struggled this season for a man whose cue action has been so

:20:37. > :20:47.good. And Paul is a capable player. Shaun Murphy has it all to do. And

:20:48. > :21:28.Rhys Clark trying to stem the tide with Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:21:29. > :21:47.Good cueing needed here. Just at the wrong side of the red.

:21:48. > :22:29.He is going to put a ball here that he has had trouble with in this

:22:30. > :23:05.match. -- pot ball. Maybe could have done with more

:23:06. > :23:12.angle on the black and he has got. Having to force the cue ball up the

:23:13. > :23:23.table. He needs to be straight on this red. I think he will be OK. To

:23:24. > :23:32.get position on the black. It is all know about finding a good angle on

:23:33. > :23:38.the black. He may have to play for the one loose red. Just looking now

:23:39. > :23:45.whether to play for the far right corner.

:23:46. > :24:21.He would be really annoyed with that last shot.

:24:22. > :25:15.Just a little bit awkward. He is looking at bigger things here.

:25:16. > :25:28.In an ideal world, you would want to lose that red. Play for the other

:25:29. > :25:52.reds. This black were pretty and 76 points

:25:53. > :25:56.in front -- will put him. Just a bit too much. He will have to play the

:25:57. > :26:13.red over the middle now. He has missed the red. He cannot

:26:14. > :26:20.leave out. -- he cannot believe that. 76 points in front, 75

:26:21. > :26:55.remaining. Rhys has had a few opportunities.

:26:56. > :27:03.Let's hope he can do better than that from this chance. He would be

:27:04. > :27:07.happy to take these reds if he could. He is not on the red that he

:27:08. > :27:43.played for. Followed that up with a pure safety.

:27:44. > :27:56.That was probably his last shot in the UK championship. Our shame. I'm

:27:57. > :28:01.sure he came here with, possibly not high hopes, but really looking

:28:02. > :28:05.forward to it. But there's nothing he can look back on our part from

:28:06. > :28:41.the experience. Just Mr Potts to reflect on --

:28:42. > :28:50.missed pots. Let's hope that Rhys can put this experience behind him.

:28:51. > :28:55.Ronnie O'Sullivan wins no problem. Exactly right. When you think about

:28:56. > :29:01.it, he was trying to get something out for the maximum in the last two

:29:02. > :29:08.frames. Yes, he had a couple of chances. It was looking good. But I

:29:09. > :29:14.think he will be pleased to get the match done and dusted and get ready

:29:15. > :29:21.for his next one. We talked about it being an inconvenience for him, but

:29:22. > :29:27.it is more of a warm up? You want to play well, even if your opponent is

:29:28. > :29:32.not playing too well, there is pride in your performance. You want to go

:29:33. > :29:40.out on a high. You just knew that he was looking to chase the maximum

:29:41. > :29:48.break. And there is a nice price to go with it this year. ?55,000. For

:29:49. > :29:52.Rhys Clark, a learning experience. What is the most valuable lesson he

:29:53. > :29:59.will take away? Just walking out there. Sitting on that arena, being

:30:00. > :30:03.on TV. You always remember your first time on TV. Even if you do

:30:04. > :30:12.lose to someone like Ronnie O'Sullivan. It is always something

:30:13. > :30:22.to tell your mates and talk about. It was a bad experience, but it will

:30:23. > :30:27.stand him in the long run. What did you take away from an experience

:30:28. > :30:32.like that? The next time he goes out on TV, he will not be so

:30:33. > :30:37.intimidated. The most intimidating person you can play, they all look

:30:38. > :30:43.up, all the young guys look up to Ronnie O'Sullivan. Going out to play

:30:44. > :30:49.him in the first round is very daunting for any young kid. But he

:30:50. > :30:59.would remember it for the rest of his life.

:31:00. > :31:04.It was tough, a big venue, he had never had that experience, he has

:31:05. > :31:09.probably never played like that. It is hard. I knew that. You have to

:31:10. > :31:16.take advantage of that and use it to your advantage. Were you able to

:31:17. > :31:25.take more risks? You decided to go all out. I just thought, it is a big

:31:26. > :31:31.prize, it is worth going for. Christmas is coming up... I had the

:31:32. > :31:40.school fees last week, the Christmas money this week. I was thinking like

:31:41. > :31:45.an accountant. With the greatest of respect to Rhys, it has been a good

:31:46. > :31:51.experience for him. It is a warm up for you and there is a lot of work

:31:52. > :31:57.to be done when you start at 128. You have got seven matches to win.

:31:58. > :32:04.It is a tougher proposition number four. You have to play two more

:32:05. > :32:12.matches. Roger Federer has to do it in tennis. It is the same for

:32:13. > :32:16.everyone. Are you on track? I am giving nothing away. I am enjoying

:32:17. > :32:24.it. I am looking forward to my next match. You're coming here on the

:32:25. > :32:30.back of a good win last week, you must be pretty confident? This is

:32:31. > :32:37.where it all started for you all those years ago. This is a major

:32:38. > :32:46.event for us. I was pleased to get a win last week. This was really my

:32:47. > :32:53.first real, what I call a decent tournament. You have to win is under

:32:54. > :33:06.your belt out of eight games so far, but do you have a plan for the big

:33:07. > :33:12.games? Not really. The more you play, the better you play. If you

:33:13. > :33:16.can focus on snooker and get rest in between the games, it is getting the

:33:17. > :33:21.right balance between practising and playing enough matches and it can be

:33:22. > :33:24.difficult. It is OK if you are single guy with no responsibilities.

:33:25. > :33:30.You can probably manage it better, but for me I have other stuff, but I

:33:31. > :33:36.choose to content with, and it is about finding what is right for

:33:37. > :33:40.yourself. You do not know when you will peak. Sometimes you have to buy

:33:41. > :33:45.a raffle ticket and hope for the best. The fact that there are so

:33:46. > :33:53.many tournaments now, you have to pick and choose. You cannot play in

:33:54. > :33:59.everything. My best year, I played a lot of events. I played most of the

:34:00. > :34:05.events. I played my best snooker. The matches do help you. I do not

:34:06. > :34:11.want to be playing in every event, so I am just choosing and trying to

:34:12. > :34:15.pick my own schedule. You have talked about perhaps re-focusing

:34:16. > :34:20.your overall ambitions in the game. You talked about Stephen Hendry's

:34:21. > :34:27.seven world titles, is a target like that something that keeps you going?

:34:28. > :34:34.It is a big mountain. I am coming 38. It is asking a lot. I do not

:34:35. > :34:43.look at it like that. It is an unrealistic target. To win one world

:34:44. > :34:49.title is hard, when you know what is involved in going to win one,

:34:50. > :34:53.sometimes it can be demotivating. It is not just about your play, it is

:34:54. > :34:58.about your mental state and wanting it bad enough. I just enjoy playing

:34:59. > :35:04.and I am not sure I want it as badly as they used to. I am happy with my

:35:05. > :35:11.career and want to enjoy it. How are the book sales? I think they are

:35:12. > :35:20.doing well. It is an interesting red. You have Adam Duffy in the next

:35:21. > :35:24.round. He was up until 2:30am to get through his first-round match, so he

:35:25. > :35:29.might be a little jaded! You get some sleep and we will see you

:35:30. > :35:35.soon. Getting back into the main arena. We are getting into that Ding

:35:36. > :35:43.Junhui match. Antony Parsons had nicked a frame, 3-1 up, going into

:35:44. > :35:56.frame five, Antony is leading by 11 points. That looks to be excellent,

:35:57. > :35:58.first-class. He may have got a little bit of the jaws of the pocket

:35:59. > :36:11.in the way. Just the knuckle of the pocket

:36:12. > :36:18.preventing him, not that he could get to the red, but the green

:36:19. > :36:30.perhaps. Just the nose of the pocket, the Parsons knows. Look at

:36:31. > :36:34.this shot. He attempted that, he normally hold his hand up to

:36:35. > :36:45.apologise, but he did try that, he could not have played it better. He

:36:46. > :36:49.was in a lot of trouble there. Even if he had got the safety shot part

:36:50. > :36:54.of it, there is no guarantee he could have covered all the reds.

:36:55. > :36:58.That would have turned things around again. Just when he was looking a

:36:59. > :37:03.little lacklustre. If he could have won the frame at this point, it

:37:04. > :37:09.would have been... Even more of a mountain to climb for Antony. Look

:37:10. > :37:12.at that, that is another ball that he has missed. Ding is another ball

:37:13. > :38:11.that he has missed. Cabbages really struggling.

:38:12. > :38:23.Another chance has slipped past for Antony. He is trying so hard.

:38:24. > :38:33.I have never seen Ding play so scrap bully. He is all over the place at

:38:34. > :38:37.the moment. He has not left anything, but he is looking

:38:38. > :39:44.confused. Nine. Antony felt he had heavy

:39:45. > :39:48.contact there, should not be a problem, he wanted to be a little

:39:49. > :39:57.bits straight on the yellow or the blue, but one of those three reds is

:39:58. > :40:04.available. In fact, when he removes this, it will help free the one next

:40:05. > :40:17.to it. So make sure you screw back and get the right angle on the blue

:40:18. > :40:20.this time. 12. He has overdone it slightly, he might be able to drop

:40:21. > :40:29.this blue and leave the reds for the right corner. Slightly hampered. No

:40:30. > :40:35.problem though. A good chance, this, and who knows? It could turn things

:40:36. > :40:39.around as he could get back to one behind. Ding is struggling. We keep

:40:40. > :40:50.saying he could raise his game, but will he? Certainly a cold that all

:40:51. > :40:58.shot on the blue. He will need that red, write cushion. That will be a

:40:59. > :41:04.potential stumbling block. He is not there yet.

:41:05. > :41:13.That is not bad. That is a good angle he has on this next red for

:41:14. > :41:14.the blue and it will all be about finishing top side. He has struggled

:41:15. > :41:25.with the pace of the table. He has played on the black. I can

:41:26. > :41:29.understand him playing that. He definitely had to play up for the

:41:30. > :41:37.blue because it is a better angle to get over to that last difficult red.

:41:38. > :41:43.You cannot get anywhere near it now. I suppose he is hoping that in

:41:44. > :41:48.potting the black, he will go 36 in front. That is probably what he

:41:49. > :41:53.tried. I can understand that. He needs to put it, I suppose. Two

:41:54. > :41:58.different ways, it was more difficult to slant the black than

:41:59. > :42:03.the blue. If he gets behind the red, off the blue, the frame is one. He

:42:04. > :42:14.is hoping to get to the point where there is one snooker needed. The

:42:15. > :42:18.frame is won. I didn't realise he just needed the black, but why did

:42:19. > :42:26.Antony not just roll the black in? It is baffling. That would have put

:42:27. > :42:34.in 36 in front. Anyway, if he knocks this end, it is all over. -- if he

:42:35. > :42:44.knocks this in. APPLAUSE.

:42:45. > :42:55.Before the start of the match, if someone had said to Antony, you will

:42:56. > :43:05.meet Ding Junhui and you're only going to be one frame behind, he

:43:06. > :43:18.would have taken that. So, from 3-0 behind, now he is just one down. So,

:43:19. > :43:23.slightly worrying times for Ding Junhui. He will be very comfortable,

:43:24. > :43:31.well Antony, and he takes the frame. He is now just one behind.

:43:32. > :43:36.3-2 to Antony. Antony Parsons holds down a full-time job as a warehouse

:43:37. > :43:39.manager in Middlesbrough. He practices at his parents house and

:43:40. > :43:52.he is giving a decent account of himself. Again, he has missed. He

:43:53. > :43:57.has missed three of those shots into that pocket now. He is giving a lot

:43:58. > :44:08.of chances. APPLAUSE.

:44:09. > :44:33.That is a success rate with the rest, 17%. One.

:44:34. > :44:46.Again, he lets a straightforward part, that he normally would not

:44:47. > :44:53.going... He cannot afford to keep missing them. You feel it is a

:44:54. > :45:13.matter of time before Ding starts performing.

:45:14. > :45:22.One of two people have queried the fact that he is on an unbeaten run

:45:23. > :45:31.of matches. Including the PTC 's, which you do get minor ranking for.

:45:32. > :45:41.As far as the big tournaments go, it is that long since he was beaten.

:45:42. > :45:49.Applause -- APPLAUSE. .

:45:50. > :45:59.As far as the big events are concerned, there has been a real

:46:00. > :46:05.dearth of British players figuring in the finals. Only John Higgins has

:46:06. > :46:12.made a final at a big ranking event. Neil Robertson has been in a

:46:13. > :46:21.couple, Marco Fu has played in a couple and Ding Junhui has won three

:46:22. > :46:28.of them. British and Irish players have not been performing and I think

:46:29. > :46:35.that changes now that we get to the UK part of the tour, with this, even

:46:36. > :46:41.though it was not a regular event, which Ronnie Sullivan managed to win

:46:42. > :46:49.last week, then after Christmas... 15. Ding Junhui has been the player

:46:50. > :47:03.of the season so far, no doubt about that. This time he looks to be in

:47:04. > :47:55.perfect position. 23. He has got the reserve to the right

:47:56. > :48:02.middle. He is not able to be got on. 38. He got to the table as a result

:48:03. > :48:11.of Antony missing a comfortable ball. 39. It is only a matter of

:48:12. > :48:19.time before Ding Junhui took advantage of that mistake. The

:48:20. > :48:27.suspicion is he will pick his game up if needed and that is probably

:48:28. > :48:31.where we are at now in this match. He picked the pace up a little bit

:48:32. > :48:33.and he was a bit more businesslike the way he was walking around the

:48:34. > :48:48.table. He is growing in confidence. They are all there for the taking,

:48:49. > :48:53.there is not a safe ball on the table, there is only the red next to

:48:54. > :48:59.the pink which is awkward. That little triangle of Fred 's -- of

:49:00. > :49:04.reds, when he pots the one closest to the pink it will free them up. A

:49:05. > :49:15.possible chance for the first century in this match. 51.

:49:16. > :50:23.64 breaks at the break. This is more like the Ding that we know. 65.

:50:24. > :50:39.He could go on and make a century if any of those red or pottable. If he

:50:40. > :50:44.can get to the bottom one... Ding has been a professional for ten

:50:45. > :50:51.years and he has made 335 centuries in what has turned out to be a very

:50:52. > :51:02.illustrious career. There was only that World Championship which has

:51:03. > :51:10.eluded him. He has made 35 this season already. It is not a record

:51:11. > :51:17.anything like that, because 61 is the record for Judd Trump. Heery are

:51:18. > :51:25.at the end of November with all these months of play ahead -- here

:51:26. > :51:35.we are. This is a welcome break for Ding. It is amazing how one shot can

:51:36. > :51:42.turn the whole thing around. Antony had the chance and missed a 30

:51:43. > :51:49.comfortable pot. All of a sudden, Ding is looking like the player we

:51:50. > :51:56.have been watching for the last three or four macro events. He is

:51:57. > :52:59.close to 101. That is also a really good shot.

:53:00. > :53:09.That was a lovely break. Ding Junhui now leads by 4-2. The man who has

:53:10. > :53:13.won three major tournaments on the trot over the last few months,

:53:14. > :53:18.perhaps sensing the danger from Antony Parsons and moving up a gear.

:53:19. > :53:35.Into frame seven and it is Antony at the table. Is he going to swing over

:53:36. > :53:40.towards the reds? It is far too thin. This white, if it keeps on

:53:41. > :53:49.running, and the red passes the blue... It is a bit of a chance. I

:53:50. > :54:10.think he was thinking more about the cue ball than the pot they are.

:54:11. > :54:21.This next shot could open those other three reds up as well. If the

:54:22. > :54:47.shot works out, it could pave the way for the frame for Ding.

:54:48. > :54:56.Certainly one of the reds will part, the bottom one will and that is the

:54:57. > :55:11.key. -- pot. It looks very tight to me.

:55:12. > :55:23.Only just got there. It look like it was going to stop horribly short. I

:55:24. > :55:32.do not think he meant to play at this slowly, I think he half hit

:55:33. > :55:42.that, but he held for the black. He did not push the cue through as he

:55:43. > :55:47.intended. He has left himself straight on the black. If he has,

:55:48. > :55:51.that is a pretty bad shot for Ding. He has got a slight angle so he may

:55:52. > :56:00.be able to get this in and come off the side cushion and get over

:56:01. > :56:07.towards the reds. He is 34 in front. The black could make it 41. Now,

:56:08. > :56:14.that is going to have to wait for another chance. Having said that, he

:56:15. > :56:19.could try and pot this at the cushion, it would be a shot to

:56:20. > :56:39.nothing. He has an easy safety there. Ding Junhui, 28. 41 the

:56:40. > :56:40.difference, but there is still a possible 51 on the table. He needs a

:56:41. > :56:48.good shot here, it does Antony. That is pretty good. In fact, that

:56:49. > :58:00.is excellent. That is a very good pot. It is most

:58:01. > :58:06.welcome at this stage, with the position nicely on the blue. He was

:58:07. > :58:22.in trouble there. That is why he took the pot, there was no real

:58:23. > :58:29.safety shot available. To win this frame from here, where the balls

:58:30. > :58:33.are, but red down on the black cushion, it is difficult to get on

:58:34. > :58:40.where it is. If you can get on at the blue here... It is played for

:58:41. > :58:45.the pink, but it is the same sort of result. He can play a cannon, free

:58:46. > :58:53.the black, part the plaint, if he does not knock at the black too

:58:54. > :58:59.far-away, he can roll the final red in -- pink. The frame has opened up

:59:00. > :59:07.and it is all about the shot. No, no, he took his eye off the pot. He

:59:08. > :59:11.did not quite get on the pink as he intended. He was thinking of a

:59:12. > :59:17.cannon on the black and took his eye off the pink. Divided

:59:18. > :59:22.concentration. If you could miss the pink, you could miss it on the thick

:59:23. > :59:27.side of the pot. It is the cannon he is trying. He is not prepared to

:59:28. > :59:34.take a risk. That is a good shot from Ding Junhui. I think he may try

:59:35. > :59:43.to roll that red in. That could have been very costly. 34 in it. Antony

:59:44. > :59:53.can still win. While the balls are on the table, it is a possibility if

:59:54. > :59:56.the chance came. The flick on the brown has given Ding the chance to

:59:57. > :00:28.win the frame at this visit. A lot of players would have taken

:00:29. > :01:15.that up into the corner, but Ronnie favoured the middle pocket -- Ding.

:01:16. > :01:31.It does not really matter are that the brown. Antony did have a slight

:01:32. > :01:33.chance, but Ding is now one away from victory.

:01:34. > :01:36.This is the situation life here at the Barbican Centre in York. We can

:01:37. > :01:58.enjoy this match live now. Ding has the balls perfectly

:01:59. > :02:07.placed. But Antony Parsons was a bit unlucky. He played this red, and the

:02:08. > :02:13.red jumped and straightened up. And that is the result. A bit unlucky if

:02:14. > :02:22.he goes out without shot. Yes, a bit unfortunate. The shot you so as you

:02:23. > :02:29.joined us was the one that made this possible. It opened the pack. You

:02:30. > :02:39.would not expect him to get it wrong here. We saw him make that century.

:02:40. > :02:54.A couple of signs of the forum that has taken him to such great Heights

:02:55. > :03:00.this season. -- form. Perhaps get all of the bad odour of a system in

:03:01. > :03:10.this one. -- the bad out of his system. Yes, he would have to do

:03:11. > :03:26.something silly to run out of position with the reds here.

:03:27. > :03:32.But Antony Parsons has had his chances. He just missed the odd ones

:03:33. > :03:48.here and there. Something he cannot afford to do.

:03:49. > :04:00.Ding looks a little bit fed up with himself. He sets such a high

:04:01. > :04:05.standard for himself. He knows it has not performed well in this much.

:04:06. > :04:20.He has struggled somewhat. -- in this match.

:04:21. > :04:34.Ding is down to 83%, not nearly enough at this kind of level. On a

:04:35. > :04:40.good day, he will be 95 or so. I think that proves something here. A

:04:41. > :04:50.little shout of encouragement for Antony Parsons. His supporters are

:04:51. > :04:55.urging him on, but he has not got an easy opener. This is quite

:04:56. > :05:08.difficult. Good shot. It might not be perfect

:05:09. > :05:16.on a colour, but he may have an angle on the yellow. That was a

:05:17. > :05:26.terrific pot. Probably his best of the match. He has recovered the

:05:27. > :05:36.situation without yellow -- with that yellow. Could be his last

:05:37. > :05:40.chance in this match. Full concentration required. I am pleased

:05:41. > :06:39.he is back at the table. The way things are, two high value

:06:40. > :06:45.colours. I do not know if he is straight enough. Just have to get

:06:46. > :06:54.nicely on his next colour. Landing on the final red.

:06:55. > :07:03.Just make sure you get the correct angle on the blue and then stun it

:07:04. > :07:16.past the black on the right side as we look at it. I think he is a bit

:07:17. > :07:24.straight on this red. Well, he can do it from the pink. If he drops of

:07:25. > :07:36.that thing, you will finish automatically on the red. He might

:07:37. > :07:46.have to use the rest. Some players like the rest of more than other

:07:47. > :07:53.players. Can you reach it? That would help. If you can get a top

:07:54. > :07:56.spin on this, he will avoid the black. That is well played. Very

:07:57. > :08:22.well played. Well done, Antony. He is still in

:08:23. > :08:30.this year's UK championship. OK, he has got it all to do, but... All

:08:31. > :08:38.credit to him. This is the best run of play in the match. The opening

:08:39. > :08:45.red was tough, he covered the situation well. Now that has gone

:08:46. > :08:52.in. He is starting to play. He will have to win the last three frames

:08:53. > :08:58.after this, but he is starting to play something like his best now. A

:08:59. > :09:04.lot of good players out there who do not have full professional status.

:09:05. > :09:10.Good to see them on the big stage doing themselves justice and he is

:09:11. > :09:29.starting to do that. A lot of people might have thought this would be a

:09:30. > :09:35.6-nil wind for Ding. -- win. Just the black to finish things off. Well

:09:36. > :09:39.played, Antony Parsons. He has won another frame. The match is still

:09:40. > :09:49.alive. You can see from his body language

:09:50. > :09:53.and demeanour he is starting to believe in himself. Yes, you has

:09:54. > :10:07.picked up. He took them exceptionally well. The top players

:10:08. > :10:12.have to concentrate. We've talking about the interval when he had got

:10:13. > :10:18.that one frame on the board, and we wondered if he would push on and he

:10:19. > :10:26.has. Yes, even the top players, they have to focus, Ding has lost his

:10:27. > :10:31.focus definitely. He is another tub at the match now. And starting to

:10:32. > :10:40.feel more pressure now. He will be thinking to himself, I should be

:10:41. > :10:46.back of my hotel room and relaxing. It is strange because when you look

:10:47. > :10:51.at Ding's progress this season, he has won three major events in a

:10:52. > :11:06.row, and that has not been done since the days of Stephen Hendry. I

:11:07. > :11:18.was sobbing and would be in the tournament... 20 tournaments is

:11:19. > :11:27.unbelievable. After that, you can bask in the glory, but then you have

:11:28. > :11:32.to go to -- then you have to go back to work. You cannot rest on your

:11:33. > :11:37.laurels. There are so many top players, so many tournaments that he

:11:38. > :11:42.would have had to pass by to achieve that success. It is a phenomenal

:11:43. > :11:47.record so far. He has proved that he is well capable of knuckling down

:11:48. > :11:52.and applying himself. I guess that is even more surprising when you see

:11:53. > :11:58.him in this situation. He is not in great danger. I think he knuckles

:11:59. > :12:00.down and get stuck in more in the tough matches. Let's see whether

:12:01. > :12:10.Antony Parsons can take this to him. Antony Parsons can take this to him.

:12:11. > :12:20.Ding Junhui On the cusp of it early. -- of victory.

:12:21. > :12:26.Ding has played a very good break shot. Open the reds up nicely and

:12:27. > :12:52.got in behind the green. Not easy to come off a side cushion

:12:53. > :12:55.and nestle into the bounce. That will do nicely. That is about all he

:12:56. > :13:25.could manage there. Ding will be hoping to get one good

:13:26. > :13:33.chance here and try and shut this match out. But Antony could have

:13:34. > :13:44.other ideas. Could have done without the case on the yellow -- kiss. Ding

:13:45. > :13:48.is not even looking at the red, he is playing a safety shot. Ding on

:13:49. > :14:07.form might have a go on that one. He needs the cue ball to find the

:14:08. > :14:17.perfect shot and he has done that. That was the correct choice of shot.

:14:18. > :14:33.Got the cue ball absolutely spot on. This is horrible for Antony. The

:14:34. > :14:40.red over the pocket is one problem. He can only get to run cushion, the

:14:41. > :14:46.right-hand side cushion. This is not nice. I cannot see anything that he

:14:47. > :15:08.can nestle onto. He is in big trouble here, Antony,

:15:09. > :15:13.he really is. I remember Cliff Thorburn seeing all those years ago,

:15:14. > :15:24.there is only one shot you and I do not know what it is. Looking to find

:15:25. > :15:34.a way onto our reds -- onto a bed. In Lancashire we used to say, when

:15:35. > :15:38.in doubt, give them a clout. All the technical thoughts in a shop like

:15:39. > :16:02.this -- in a shot like this... This is a great effort. I don't know

:16:03. > :16:10.if he has left anything. He has got it in the only sport where he could

:16:11. > :16:32.leave it safe. What I good judgement of shot. -- the only spot.

:16:33. > :16:48.If he tries the safety shot, he will have to be absolutely spot on or he

:16:49. > :16:58.believes that -- he believes that red.

:16:59. > :17:18.Have a look at this! He will certainly take that. That was a good

:17:19. > :17:24.line on the cue ball, to be fair. Two shots on goal, he was in all

:17:25. > :17:56.sorts of trouble. How things have changed. -- two shots ago.

:17:57. > :18:03.That is more only is the identical shot through the one that Antony

:18:04. > :18:11.played on the other side of the table. They are so good these days

:18:12. > :18:25.at the angles, these players. I don't know if you can get in behind

:18:26. > :18:27.the yellow of this red. Just concentrating on getting it closed

:18:28. > :19:12.to the cushion. Has he gone in behind the brown? He

:19:13. > :19:20.founded the gap, quite a good shot. Antony has to be very careful with

:19:21. > :19:30.his shot. Same line as before. Good shot.

:19:31. > :19:37.Antony has got a good bit of support here. He comes from Middlesbrough,

:19:38. > :19:47.not that many miles from York. Very little chance of leaving that

:19:48. > :20:23.red over the pocket now. I think he is just about OK. If he

:20:24. > :20:29.can block this is the off for Ding, he can put himself in the driving

:20:30. > :20:51.seat. Or, he has missed it completely.

:20:52. > :21:13.I do know if he can get to our pot. I don't think so. That was amazing.

:21:14. > :21:25.Let's have another look at this. Forced himself into a series of

:21:26. > :21:44.cannons. A little smile from Ding there.

:21:45. > :22:00.He has hit the wrong red. He played a cannon I hit the wrong ball

:22:01. > :22:22.completely. He had that half ball. -- he hit. The reds are well spread.

:22:23. > :22:31.No guarantees he will win the frame. Just get the table working for him.

:22:32. > :23:25.A lot of reds on the right which are blocking of that side of the table.

:23:26. > :23:36.And that is the worst possible position by the looks of things. The

:23:37. > :24:00.fact that it is touching, puffing his cheeks...

:24:01. > :24:09.It is so congested on that side of the table, there was always a chance

:24:10. > :24:18.it would go wrong. It is a horrible kind of frame the way it has worked

:24:19. > :24:30.out. It is as if he did not put all his concentration into it. It never

:24:31. > :24:50.ceases to amaze me what can happen. He's scratching his head.

:24:51. > :24:58.That was excellent. Using the touching boldly to its full

:24:59. > :25:14.advantage. Perfectly judged snooker behind the yellow. -- touching

:25:15. > :25:27.ball. I'm not even sure if he could get right in behind it. Still got

:25:28. > :26:02.this snooker. This has been a very tactical frame.

:26:03. > :26:29.He has called a miss. The red is over the pocket. The table is still

:26:30. > :26:50.not absolutely perfect. What an error has he played here? He is

:26:51. > :26:57.going to win it the hard way, this match. Just concentrating on the

:26:58. > :27:28.plant and forgot about the cue ball. I'm pleased for Antony that he has

:27:29. > :27:37.done so well, to get three frames against the man, the inform Ding.

:27:38. > :27:47.It's not over yet by any means, but... A possible transfer the

:27:48. > :28:01.middle pocket? -- a possible chance for the middle pocket?

:28:02. > :28:09.There is a bit of mileage left in that one. Unfortunately, we have to

:28:10. > :28:21.go. You can continue to watch this online. Barry Hawkins, this year's

:28:22. > :28:29.runner-up at the Crucible came through. Shaun Murphy is making a

:28:30. > :28:35.real comeback. One member of our team who has been missing is Steve

:28:36. > :28:48.Davis. He is in the jungle right now. He's not got much to say.

:28:49. > :28:55.Lovely to see you. Thanks very much for the company today. We will see

:28:56. > :28:59.you again later for the highlights at 1135. Goodbye.