Second Round - Part 1

:00:07. > :00:13.Hello. When you turn up in York at this time of year there's so much to

:00:14. > :00:18.look forward to. The famous Chris mat,et is in full swing. Very

:00:19. > :00:21.tempting. But so too is the snooker championships over the next nine

:00:22. > :00:23.days. It's the second biggest event of their year. If you are a sports

:00:24. > :01:13.fan, the shops can wait. 39th UK Championship. Get in! What a

:01:14. > :01:29.shot by Selby. 12 days of competition. ?732,000 to be won. 128

:01:30. > :01:38.players. 11 former champions. One winner.

:01:39. > :01:42.Hello. It's great to have your company here in York's Barbican

:01:43. > :01:45.centre, this is where Ronnie O'Sullivan won his 5th Betway UK

:01:46. > :01:51.title last year. But the defending champion is not here to try and pick

:01:52. > :01:56.it up again. In fact, Ronnie hasn't played competitively for over seven

:01:57. > :02:00.months, not since the Crucible and the World Championship in April.

:02:01. > :02:02.With or without him it's always a superbly special event. And we are

:02:03. > :02:07.at the second round stage already. We have four matches on the go. A

:02:08. > :02:17.whole lot to look forward to over the next three-and-a-half hours.

:02:18. > :02:22.It all started on Tuesday. 128 players all scrapping it out. It

:02:23. > :02:27.always produces a few gasps of surprise and this year was no

:02:28. > :02:32.different. Former world number one and twice a winner of this event was

:02:33. > :02:35.sent packing by the amateur Adam Duffy.

:02:36. > :02:40.Another ex-champion year, Matthew Stevens lost out in a final frame

:02:41. > :02:45.decider with 23-year-old Chris Wakelin. And also going home to

:02:46. > :02:52.Wales Michael White, that's a second top 16 player out already, this time

:02:53. > :02:57.from the hands of Sydney Wilson. But no such jitters for a world

:02:58. > :03:00.champion Stuart Bingham and a win over Jordan Brown, Stuart is in our

:03:01. > :03:06.line-up today. And so indeed is John Parrott.

:03:07. > :03:09.Lovely to see you. Are you starting up here rather than down there

:03:10. > :03:13.obviously. You starred in this championship 24 years ago and Stuart

:03:14. > :03:16.is trying to do what you did back then and do a significant double.

:03:17. > :03:20.Yeah, trying to win the world and UK championship in the same calendar

:03:21. > :03:22.year. It's you have to do. You know, our World Championship comes at the

:03:23. > :03:25.end of a season. It gets fractured because you have the summer break

:03:26. > :03:28.and you come back and you have to re-establish yourself and go through

:03:29. > :03:32.the gears again and try and win the second biggest tournament and it's

:03:33. > :03:37.tough to do. These days arguably it's getting tougher because we have

:03:38. > :03:43.128 to start. These early rounds are pretty precarious. Yeah, and the

:03:44. > :03:44.players used to playing in a cubicle situation are more at home. We have

:03:45. > :04:01.seen people already this week, Barry Indeed. It's Maguire who goes

:04:02. > :04:04.through. He is playing obviously but in terms of this set-up what's

:04:05. > :04:07.difficult, how difficult is it to keep concentration when there's so

:04:08. > :04:10.much play around you? I think the players have got used to that

:04:11. > :04:13.situation now. It's not just something on the circuit, it's been

:04:14. > :04:17.there for a while and rewards if you like is you get to come to the final

:04:18. > :04:22.stages with the table separated, just two of them there. You have to

:04:23. > :04:26.come through it, as my father used to say you have have beens on toast

:04:27. > :04:30.before you can have steak and chips. Don't know what it means but I like

:04:31. > :04:34.it! It's a busy day. We have 16 matches to get through today, eight

:04:35. > :04:38.this afternoon. Four of them here. But there is another venue, as well.

:04:39. > :04:44.It's a venue within a venue. We have the sports hall next door. Waiting

:04:45. > :04:47.in the shadows there is the record six times UK champion, Mr Steve

:04:48. > :04:51.Davis. Here I am in the sports hall at the

:04:52. > :04:56.Barbican centre, another four matches are in action. Eight players

:04:57. > :04:58.who are every bit as good as the players in the main arena and these

:04:59. > :05:04.matches could be just as good on paper. Of course making the analogy

:05:05. > :05:08.with Wimbledon and tennis, these are the outside courts. None like to be

:05:09. > :05:12.here because the standard is so high they've got to be in this room. It's

:05:13. > :05:16.a place where perhaps it's the graveyard for players dropping down

:05:17. > :05:21.the rankings, they've to fight for survival. Graeme Dott and Doherty.

:05:22. > :05:24.It's also a place where future champions fight for a right to get

:05:25. > :05:29.on to the TV tables. Everybody has to do it at some stage.

:05:30. > :06:10.This is the line-up through here in the main arena.

:06:11. > :06:15.The honour is with the world champion, we are going to start with

:06:16. > :06:19.his match today. I wonder, it's only seven months since that epic triumph

:06:20. > :06:24.at the Crucible. What changes in the year after you become a world

:06:25. > :06:27.champion? The first thing for him will be the euphoria of winning,

:06:28. > :06:31.it's an achievement for every snooker player. You come to venues

:06:32. > :06:34.now and you are the world champion, it's a massive thing to carry.

:06:35. > :06:37.Sometimes it takes time to settle down. Also from being the hunter,

:06:38. > :06:41.you become the hunted because people want to take you as a scalp and

:06:42. > :06:44.think I am playing the world champion and people start playing

:06:45. > :06:48.better against you. Stuart has found it difficult to settle in a bit

:06:49. > :06:52.because he has gone out in the opening round of four major

:06:53. > :06:55.tournaments this season. In terms of an achievement like that really

:06:56. > :07:01.sinking in, does it take a real long time? It can do. It can be months.

:07:02. > :07:04.The only good thing from this point of view is it's the World

:07:05. > :07:09.Championship, so it finishes and you get time off. The circuit is busier

:07:10. > :07:12.than it used to be, so you are back in playing. No better place to

:07:13. > :07:17.kick-start than the UK. He will be hoping that. When we look back a few

:07:18. > :07:23.months ago no one will ever be able to take away whfs a shining moment

:07:24. > :07:27.for him when at the age of 38 he became -- what was - he became a

:07:28. > :07:31.worthy if surprise world champion and the oldest since 1947. Let's

:07:32. > :07:32.show you the memberships after he walked out as world champion after

:07:33. > :07:44.beating Shaun Murphy. -- show you the minutes. What

:07:45. > :07:52.happened with that table? He buys it! You can if you want. Yeah, I

:07:53. > :07:53.will have it. Done! Half-price is it? Half-price for the world

:07:54. > :08:08.champion. Are you tired? Oh! Your dad agencies

:08:09. > :08:13.a world champion. -- Your dad's a world champion. I think it's helped

:08:14. > :08:16.all the other players on tour. I have been around 20 years and people

:08:17. > :08:21.think that they can't do it and they look at me now and I think

:08:22. > :08:24.everyone's inspired. All it takes is a couple of good weeks and obviously

:08:25. > :08:30.a lot of heart, a lot of determination. A lot of hard work.

:08:31. > :08:38.You can get your dreams. That's all I have kept believing. He is the

:08:39. > :08:48.2015 Betfred world champion. What a feeling. Unbelievable. Win Irwiner,

:08:49. > :08:54.chicken dinner! -- winner, winner, chicken dinner! Missed the boat as

:08:55. > :09:00.they say and to finally lift that trophy you can see in my face at the

:09:01. > :09:03.end, it was a dream come true. No one can take it away from me but

:09:04. > :09:09.it's like I want to get on with the season. I need to start practising,

:09:10. > :09:13.I didn't really practice that much before the last trip, I need to put

:09:14. > :09:17.the hours in and get back to what I do. Very, very pleased. Been close a

:09:18. > :09:21.couple of times to get to the final. The last two years I have been in

:09:22. > :09:27.the semifinals. To get the final, to think of picking that trophy up will

:09:28. > :09:31.be great. The Masters for me is to win one game. I just look forward

:09:32. > :09:36.now to every tournament. I still sort of look at Mark Williams and

:09:37. > :09:41.John Higgins, they've won it multiple times but I have my hand on

:09:42. > :09:44.the same trophy they've done and what we are all striving for, it's

:09:45. > :09:50.nice to have the name on the trophy and it will be there forever.

:09:51. > :09:53.What a great shot that is. Facing the World Championship Anthony

:09:54. > :09:59.Hamilton with over a quarter of a century of experience as a pro. He

:10:00. > :10:03.spent much of that time going by the dodgy nickname of the sheriff of

:10:04. > :10:07.Potting ham but his snooker pedigree is not in question. He has had a

:10:08. > :10:10.neck injury the last few seasons that has seen him slide down the

:10:11. > :10:14.rankings a little bit. There you go, that's who we are watching today.

:10:15. > :10:19.It's great to see him back. If you want UK champions I will see you and

:10:20. > :10:26.raise you. One here, three down in that commentary booth, Steve.

:10:27. > :10:35.As usual, here on the BBC experts crammed into the commentary box or

:10:36. > :10:41.possibly ex-experts. I am not sure. 1979 champion John Virgo and Steven

:10:42. > :10:43.Hendry. Expectations on Stuart Bingham but more importantly

:10:44. > :10:47.expectations from within Stuart Bingham are the biggest problem and

:10:48. > :10:54.hurdle. Absolutely, the Crucible must seem a long time ago now. He is

:10:55. > :10:56.there now and is the world champion and that brings a pressure and also

:10:57. > :11:00.he is a scalp. People will try harder and go back to the club and

:11:01. > :11:03.say I beat the world champion, you know. Everything's up against him

:11:04. > :11:06.but he has the game, he proved it in Sheffield and I think he will start

:11:07. > :11:13.producing. Any tips for Stuart Bingham as a defending champion, all

:11:14. > :11:16.of a sudden now? It's a great experience being introduced as world

:11:17. > :11:19.champion into every arena. There is expectation within himself. And from

:11:20. > :11:24.the crowd how well he is going to play. Sometimes maybe as he reached

:11:25. > :11:32.the pinnacle in his career? Maybe he at thats taken his foot off the

:11:33. > :11:34.pedal a little bit. Anthony Hamilton, newer viewers won't have

:11:35. > :11:39.seen as of much of him. Explain what they're likely to see today. I

:11:40. > :11:44.haven't seen him play in a big venue for years. He was a prolific scorer,

:11:45. > :11:47.you could sometimes go three, four frames making century after century.

:11:48. > :11:51.Looking forward to seeing how he performs. Predictions, lads. John, a

:11:52. > :11:55.player in form against a player struggling perhaps to find form.

:11:56. > :12:01.It's an interesting balance. Yeah, but Stuart will be up for this. Not

:12:02. > :12:06.many people has got the world and UK in the same year. What an incentive

:12:07. > :12:11.that is for Stuart. Anthony if he plays his game is dangerous? We have

:12:12. > :12:15.seen this season that nobody is that strong a favourite on the day. It's

:12:16. > :12:21.a big occasion for Stuart. Not only experts in the commentary box but an

:12:22. > :12:25.expert is an MC today. Three-times he played Steven Hendry, an unbeaten

:12:26. > :12:31.record against the world champion at the time. Mark over to you.

:12:32. > :12:38.Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, the Betway UK

:12:39. > :12:49.Championships, 2015! APPLAUSE AND

:12:50. > :12:58.CHEERING First, a young man in fine form, from China, please welcome

:12:59. > :13:07.Tian Pengfei. He is up against a legend in the

:13:08. > :13:17.world of snooker, four-time world champion, ladies and gentlemen, the

:13:18. > :13:22.mighty John Higgins! APPLAUSE

:13:23. > :13:34.Table one. Great to see this man back in the big time. A great talent

:13:35. > :13:41.and fantastic cue action, please welcome Anthony Hamilton!

:13:42. > :13:50.APPLAUSE He is up against the best in the

:13:51. > :13:54.business, seeded number one, he holds the biggest title of them all,

:13:55. > :14:01.ladies and gentlemen, the champion of the world, Stuart Bingham!

:14:02. > :14:24.APPLAUSE Bingham and Hamilton is where we are

:14:25. > :14:26.heading this afternoon. Steve and and John, hello again, we are in

:14:27. > :14:35.your capable hands. There he is, Stuart Bingham. First

:14:36. > :14:40.thing I asked him, what sort of a summer did you have? He said, a

:14:41. > :14:44.hectic one. Now it's back to business. Anthony Hamilton, who we

:14:45. > :14:52.have not seen for quite a while but as we said before the match, a

:14:53. > :14:58.prolific scorer when he is in stroke.

:14:59. > :15:05.I think the most important thing here, Steven, is the fact that he

:15:06. > :15:12.will have played Stuart on many occasions, there won't be a fear

:15:13. > :15:19.factor for Anthony? Years ago when Anthony was more regular in the TV

:15:20. > :15:32.stages, used to be ranked higher for Stuart for a lot of his career.

:15:33. > :15:37.Got a bit of disco lights here. We either get them off or players start

:15:38. > :15:41.dancing! Sglp Get them off!

:15:42. > :15:55.Just waiting. Is there a sparkie in the house?

:15:56. > :15:59.None of the other tables seem to be bothered about it. Yeah, they've

:16:00. > :16:03.gone. Just while we are waiting for this, it's an interesting stat, that

:16:04. > :16:09.they played on eight occasions and it's 4-4.

:16:10. > :16:14.As I say, Anthony has dropped down now. 68 in the world. Of course, we

:16:15. > :16:19.know Stuart's rise to fame, comes in here as world champion.

:16:20. > :16:40.So the lights are settled. Pretty bold shot that. Didn't look

:16:41. > :16:45.to me a natural angle. He finished on the black. If he potted it, I

:16:46. > :16:49.don't think he was going to be on anything. Playing at that pace was

:16:50. > :16:56.always going to leave this red on should he miss it.

:16:57. > :17:26.So this was where Anthony was at his absolute best.

:17:27. > :17:34.He does know his where around the table, particularly at the black

:17:35. > :17:36.spot area. This is a decent opportunity.

:17:37. > :17:46.Although it's at the start of the match, there will be nerves there.

:17:47. > :18:00.Always had a very deliberate cue action, Anthony Hamilton.

:18:01. > :18:58.Might have to force it wider than it is. He obviously thinks the red will

:18:59. > :19:13.go to the right middle, if it does, he is on it perfectly.

:19:14. > :19:19.Noticeable so far, playing at a nice pace, Stephen. Yeah, I was talking

:19:20. > :19:24.about his cue action. He gets the cue moving nicely. Sometimes if you

:19:25. > :19:30.are nervous you are unable to take that cue back and forward. The right

:19:31. > :19:42.hand becomes a bit tight. But looks pretty relaxed. Cueing nicely.

:19:43. > :19:49.Trying to find a place for the pink. As close as it's own spot without

:19:50. > :19:54.touching any other ball in direct line in the middle of the cushion,

:19:55. > :19:58.this black cushion. No other spot is available. There you see, the direct

:19:59. > :20:11.line. Black, pink, blue, brown. Talking about Anthony's cue action.

:20:12. > :20:19.We used to share the same coach years ago, Frank. He used to call

:20:20. > :20:31.them waggles, when you bring the cue back. Yeah, Frank, of course, not

:20:32. > :20:37.only yourself and Anthony, Steve Davis and John And turned Doug

:20:38. > :20:41.Mountjoy's game around when Doug won this great championship in 1988,

:20:42. > :21:04.turned it around completely. That's pretty good. There is no

:21:05. > :21:06.other reds available, so could be a frame-winning chance if this works

:21:07. > :21:23.out. That's pretty unfortunate. Hit that

:21:24. > :21:29.really well. If anything he would have liked to have hit the red to

:21:30. > :21:34.the left as we look at it. He couldn't have hit it any better.

:21:35. > :21:39.Definitely expected once the blue had gone in to be on something. He

:21:40. > :21:51.has possibility, but it's risky. He has played the double. He played

:21:52. > :21:53.it as a shot for nothing. Now the double's gone in. It could be a shot

:21:54. > :22:10.for something, the frame! Yeah, a clever shot. He thought that

:22:11. > :22:16.was going to be the only easy red he was going to leave.

:22:17. > :22:25.There is the barometer, needs to get to 78 points to get the snookers

:22:26. > :22:31.required -- 68. Will be disappointed with that one.

:22:32. > :23:03.Should have been better on the red than this.

:23:04. > :23:14.Doesn't want to pot it. That's well done. If that red has gone touching,

:23:15. > :23:19.I don't think he can pot it. 68 is the target. He can just about cut it

:23:20. > :23:24.in, but it won't get him to that 68 points. Looking at the cluster of

:23:25. > :23:32.reds at the business end he is going to need at least one of those.

:23:33. > :23:41.They're not aeks in the -- exactly in the open. He overcut it.

:23:42. > :23:45.Yeah, it all came from that careless shot on the black. The shot on the

:23:46. > :23:54.red where he should have been able to play for the black.

:23:55. > :24:04.If it's not tight on the cushion you would fancy it going in.

:24:05. > :24:10.It's one of those where it's so thin you really are hoping to be on a

:24:11. > :24:15.colour. He is on the green. You expect him to play the cannon

:24:16. > :24:23.here, off the side cushion into the reds.

:24:24. > :24:32.I think he is OK. I think he can get the red to the

:24:33. > :24:34.right corner. All of a sudden within a couple of shots we may have a new

:24:35. > :24:53.favourite for this frame. This is the best of 11, this has

:24:54. > :24:57.already become an important frame, an important visit for Stuart

:24:58. > :25:00.Bingham. This would really hurt Anthony the way he started, if he

:25:01. > :25:13.was to lose this. He had his chance. This was the bad

:25:14. > :25:34.shot. Stuart had the option there of

:25:35. > :25:39.playing for pink or black. Doesn't have to disturb anything. They're

:25:40. > :25:49.all there for the taking. Will be disappointed with that.

:25:50. > :25:53.More screw was needed, rather than stun.

:25:54. > :25:54.But played that one well. That was an excellent shot. He made it look

:25:55. > :26:15.easy. Didn't get into it enough.

:26:16. > :26:22.So what looked a golden opportunity, he is making hard work of.

:26:23. > :26:28.More stun needed to miss the kiss and he would have been on a choice

:26:29. > :26:32.of three reds. He can still pot this.

:26:33. > :26:38.He played it well and was able to control it.

:26:39. > :26:48.A problem but he coped with it well. Anthony just having to sit there now

:26:49. > :26:50.and suffer. He knows that this frame was there

:26:51. > :27:03.for the taking. If Stuart could win this frame from

:27:04. > :27:10.this position, it would be a nice confidence boost. OK, best of 11,

:27:11. > :27:12.but it will be a nice frame to win. I am certain at one time he was

:27:13. > :27:38.thinking it was Anthony's. The player that's expected to win,

:27:39. > :27:42.it's always good to put an early psychological marker down and this

:27:43. > :27:46.would certainly do it if he can win this frame in one visit. Needs to

:27:47. > :28:01.hit this well. Played it nicely. With that type of

:28:02. > :28:05.shot you have to play them a soft screw so gives a chance for the back

:28:06. > :28:12.spin to impart on the cue ball. He couldn't have played it better.

:28:13. > :28:20.Deciding to go for the blue. Not quite hard enough.

:28:21. > :28:24.If he pots the blue, it will be 12 points behind.

:28:25. > :28:26.He will need up to and including the pink to win the first frame.

:28:27. > :28:43.He played that nicely. This is what the world champion is

:28:44. > :29:09.supposed to do. 56-0 down and one chance to pinch

:29:10. > :29:12.the frame and he has done it. Just gone a little bit too far. The

:29:13. > :29:15.reason I say that, obviously, just roll the blue in, but he is going to

:29:16. > :29:18.be further away from the pink than he would have liked.

:29:19. > :29:42.The pink is frame ball. Well played. Right in the heart of

:29:43. > :29:45.the pocket. You can see the look on Stuart Bingham's face and the look

:29:46. > :29:49.on Anthony Hamilton's face, the difference. He will be very pleased

:29:50. > :29:53.with that. An excellent opening frame to the championship. Anthony

:29:54. > :29:56.Hamilton looked to have had it for all the world but played a poor

:29:57. > :29:59.positional shot and Stuart Bing hall, world champion, takes the

:30:00. > :30:06.first frame. -- Bingham. That's a smashing start to our coverage

:30:07. > :30:10.today. What a great frame. We are in the players' lounge. This is because

:30:11. > :30:14.clearly there are four tables in the room where we normally put our

:30:15. > :30:16.studio. It's busy here in York. We are here for the next couple of

:30:17. > :30:28.days. Brilliant frame, John. And then Timmy Hamilton made a good

:30:29. > :30:33.break. As Stephen said in country, that is what world champions have

:30:34. > :30:37.got to do, clear the table. We haven't seen Anthony on our screens

:30:38. > :30:47.for a long time. He is one of the very few who have made over 100

:30:48. > :30:52.maximums. A great scorer. He has always been a threat. Therein

:30:53. > :30:56.lies the problem for a player trying to keep up with modern day

:30:57. > :30:59.standards. You don't get many good chances against good players and if

:31:00. > :31:05.you do not convert a situation, you want the back foot. It sums up how

:31:06. > :31:12.form happens. A relentless level of standard that

:31:13. > :31:16.Stuart put in. It was inevitable he would clear up. Anthony sank in his

:31:17. > :31:18.chair. The world champion is off in a

:31:19. > :31:29.positive fashion. A decent break-off shot from

:31:30. > :31:33.Stewart, good length with the cue ball. This bread on the left-hand

:31:34. > :31:38.side is the type Stuart took on in the first frame which he missed

:31:39. > :31:43.giving Anthony a chance. I do not think Anthony will be tempted by

:31:44. > :31:48.this one. He is looking to see if he can get

:31:49. > :31:53.past the yellow to play safe, but he cannot.

:31:54. > :31:59.I can't see him playing the pot on this bed. He couldn't be on a

:32:00. > :32:04.colour. Just plain the containing safety. -- playing. He did not get

:32:05. > :32:34.it absolutely perfect. Good length of cue ball, that is

:32:35. > :32:52.what you need. The reds are nicely spread. Good safety shot needed.

:32:53. > :33:02.A little bit pacey. If Stuart can get his hand on the table, then the

:33:03. > :33:08.safety hasn't put him under any pressure really.

:33:09. > :33:16.The obvious is the red to the right-hand corner. Left corner

:33:17. > :33:22.pocket. The way the reds are split, this is a great opportunity should

:33:23. > :33:31.he get this. He seemed to hit that a little hard.

:33:32. > :33:40.Couldn't agree with you more. The way he has played it, he might as

:33:41. > :33:41.well have tried to play the school -- be screw that. He didn't fully

:33:42. > :33:49.commit on that. The cue ball just about shotting --

:33:50. > :34:36.stopping short of the baulk line. He could clear the black to both

:34:37. > :35:15.pockets. He will try to use through the cue

:35:16. > :35:25.ball directly back. The one directly next to the black he would love to

:35:26. > :35:31.be on. I am wondering whether he can avoid the red knee his hand, to

:35:32. > :35:38.screw back. In the end, he felt he couldn't. He has left himself a red

:35:39. > :36:03.waiting to go back up for the blue. Now, I think he his just pointing

:36:04. > :36:09.where he would like to be, playing for that bed. Then the black will be

:36:10. > :36:25.available into both corner pockets. -- for that raid.

:36:26. > :36:34.He played it with side but he's not on that bed. He might be OK. If he

:36:35. > :36:38.pots a red then the black, if the black is on its own spot, then it.

:36:39. > :37:08.Be available. Then, fine. He played it with top spin to nudge

:37:09. > :37:15.the red towards the pocket, he has played it nicely. Slightly awkward

:37:16. > :37:19.cueing. It all depends in this situation how much you have got to

:37:20. > :37:23.do with the cue ball. If you can bounce off the top cushion and be on

:37:24. > :37:33.the black, no problem, it looks as if he can.

:37:34. > :37:41.Again, Anthony's first real chance in this frame. He will be

:37:42. > :37:44.disappointed not to win the frame from this visit. The way it looked

:37:45. > :38:08.in the first frame... He may have too played a red to the

:38:09. > :38:14.right centre if he wants to stay on the black. He still feels he can

:38:15. > :38:24.follow through the second red to stay on the black.

:38:25. > :38:31.Again, John, it would only be a careless shot which would stop him

:38:32. > :38:38.at the moment. Yes. He has put the deployment of

:38:39. > :38:44.losing the first frame behind him. -- the disappointment.

:38:45. > :38:56.He used all of the pocket there. And he breathed a big sigh of relief.

:38:57. > :39:01.A little careless shot. You wouldn't expect him to miss it but it has

:39:02. > :39:02.become missable from not putting that black in the middle of the

:39:03. > :39:21.pocket. He played that well. Leaving himself

:39:22. > :39:25.straight on the black and he would like. You always try to leave a nice

:39:26. > :39:29.angle on the next ball, it makes it that easy to get position. This will

:39:30. > :39:42.put him 48 points in front. Still a possible 91 remaining. Quite

:39:43. > :39:46.a bit of work to do. He has landed nicely. A choice of reds to the

:39:47. > :40:06.right middle, one to the right corner.

:40:07. > :40:11.This time, he has left himself a nice angle on the black, he will be

:40:12. > :40:36.stunning it off the top cushion. Two reds, two colours is what is

:40:37. > :40:58.required. The barometer says 68. So, the

:40:59. > :41:15.black... One more red and a colour, and it

:41:16. > :41:30.looks a formality, this is a good response.

:41:31. > :41:34.As I said before in a chat with Steve, a prolific scorer when he

:41:35. > :41:51.gets going. Great build up, all the right shots.

:41:52. > :41:55.When you see him like this, it is a pricing we have not seen him on the

:41:56. > :41:59.screen for quite a few years. Now, there is so much talent out

:42:00. > :42:09.there, you have to keep producing this kind of form.

:42:10. > :42:18.You can imagine he is one of those players, I know for a fact from

:42:19. > :42:26.people who used to factors with him, he was putting balls into of the

:42:27. > :42:52.time. -- into pockets all of the time.

:42:53. > :43:11.If he can make a century, it will be number 248 in competition.

:43:12. > :43:19.He turned professional in actual fact four years before Stuart

:43:20. > :43:27.Bingham, Stuart is on 225, 200 and Cindy for centuries in his career.

:43:28. > :43:35.-- 274. Anthony has been in the wilderness for quite a while. That

:43:36. > :43:43.is probably why he has dropped back on the centuries made tally. After

:43:44. > :43:49.the disappointment of losing the first frame, this is an excellent

:43:50. > :43:50.reply. Well played, very well played

:43:51. > :44:09.indeed. Stuart Bingham missed a straight

:44:10. > :44:14.long bed. That will put more pressure on his long parting. If

:44:15. > :44:25.this is what is going to happen when he misses. -- potting.

:44:26. > :44:36.A comfortable long shot for an experienced player. He would

:44:37. > :44:41.probably do that 99 times out of 100.

:44:42. > :44:50.He hit it a little too hard. That is a sign where a player is not that

:44:51. > :44:59.comfortable on the shot. You would float it in more than anything.

:45:00. > :45:01.A tremendous standard so far. Great first frame, it could have gone

:45:02. > :45:07.either way. And then one chance and Anthony

:45:08. > :45:33.Hamilton wins the frame. Century number 248 in his career,

:45:34. > :45:35.beautifully played. Stuart Bingham had first chance, long red missed

:45:36. > :45:48.it, that is all took. All square and ironically the name

:45:49. > :45:55.of Anthony Hamilton is not on this graphic, he is 100-1. The joint

:45:56. > :46:01.favourites, Neil Robertson and Judd Trump, Robertson, fresh from that

:46:02. > :46:05.champion of champions when. If you had someone here winning

:46:06. > :46:14.every single event, they would be 5-1. Judd Trump, you can't put a big

:46:15. > :46:19.price because the punters like to see him play. Mark Selby, former

:46:20. > :46:25.winner. Trump was runner up last year. Shaun

:46:26. > :46:30.Murphy, runner-up at the Crucible. John Higgins, a surprisingly

:46:31. > :46:35.generous price is to knock he was put in at 14-1.

:46:36. > :46:40.An article in a racing tabloid put him as an each way selection. You

:46:41. > :46:47.can see he has gone from 14, down to 11.

:46:48. > :46:52.Steve, for you, of the better value on the other side, who stands out?

:46:53. > :46:58.Not necessarily on the other side. Kyren Wilson has jumped up a level

:46:59. > :47:03.you would assume by winning a ranking event. On the left hand,

:47:04. > :47:10.Mark Allen has been in great form, he looks like he is ready to move on

:47:11. > :47:17.a bit. World champion 20-1 is weird, the bookmakers do not believe in

:47:18. > :47:23.him. Is he a one-hit wonder? Looking at the strength on the right hand,

:47:24. > :47:29.Ali Carter, a massive price. Anthony McGill. He has had a 142

:47:30. > :47:33.total clearance here. The possible winners are everywhere.

:47:34. > :47:37.It is refreshing. We always miss one a bit icky as

:47:38. > :47:43.defending champion, not the first time he has done this, he did not do

:47:44. > :47:48.it in 1998. The interesting point is, will he come and play in the

:47:49. > :47:52.Masters? He has until the end of play on Tuesday to decide whether he

:47:53. > :47:56.will turn up. A few rumours on social media he

:47:57. > :48:02.might but he has squashed those saying he is not sure himself. You

:48:03. > :48:07.don't really know. Perhaps he doesn't have a plan. We are all like

:48:08. > :48:13.that. You move from one feeling to another as a player. It is down to

:48:14. > :48:17.whether he wants to have the competitive instinct and the drive

:48:18. > :48:22.back in his game. Currently, he has not been showing those instincts.

:48:23. > :48:29.Perhaps he can reassert those over Christmas and get the bit between

:48:30. > :48:32.his teeth. We shall see. The battle to replace him as UK

:48:33. > :48:39.champion continues, back to the match.

:48:40. > :48:54.Looking at the pot success. 98% Anthony Hamilton.

:48:55. > :49:02.That was a good pot, he played it confidently to keep that cue ball

:49:03. > :49:11.short of the baulk line and beyond a baulk colour.

:49:12. > :49:15.Those are always nice shots. A natural angle at the back of the

:49:16. > :49:42.black. Stroking it in nicely. I always feel particularly when the

:49:43. > :49:48.reds are not spread, that these few positional shots at the start of a

:49:49. > :49:55.break very important. Obviously, you want to get round to those two reds

:49:56. > :50:01.just above the black. That is where you will do the highest scoring,

:50:02. > :50:09.obviously. Finishing nicely on the pink. Now on the reds just above the

:50:10. > :50:11.black. The pink spot is not available so nestling it into the

:50:12. > :50:18.cluster. It will not bother Stuart. Such is the standard so far. You

:50:19. > :50:41.have to make the most A nice angle on this bed to finish

:50:42. > :50:46.high on the blue. -- on the red. That is not bad to go into them. A

:50:47. > :50:50.couple of loose reds. The fact they're rather than the two at the

:50:51. > :51:08.top of the pack makes it a bigger target.

:51:09. > :51:18.It could have worked out better. Flicking that third red. Other than

:51:19. > :51:22.that, the cue ball had come back into the middle of the table. I

:51:23. > :51:27.think this one to the left corner may cut. It is a thin one. Where the

:51:28. > :52:32.cue ball goes, nobody knows. Just overdone it slightly. Unless

:52:33. > :52:37.this red it is closest to those in between the pink and black. He has

:52:38. > :52:43.won to the left middle but I don't think it does. He is looking. I

:52:44. > :52:49.don't think he can get the angle on the blue he needs. Well, if he can

:52:50. > :52:51.play it like that, he cued it beautifully. In fact, if anything,

:52:52. > :53:40.he cued it too well. He knew he was taking a bit of a

:53:41. > :53:41.risk, but he thought it was worthwhile. I don't think it has

:53:42. > :53:56.worked out too well. There, you see it, the pocket

:53:57. > :54:01.covered by the pink. The one to the right of the black does not go. Can

:54:02. > :54:11.he dropped this in the middle? He has done. But he was never going

:54:12. > :54:24.to be good on the blue. Now, can he drop the blue in and

:54:25. > :54:33.delete himself with a chance with a thin cut to the right corner.

:54:34. > :54:42.He played it with confidence. That kiss on the brown is not too bad.

:54:43. > :54:54.They are missable, these. I imagine he will be playing it with

:54:55. > :54:58.a bit of drag on the cue ball, keeping the cue ball away from those

:54:59. > :55:11.three beds. Playing the drug shot, he still cue positively.

:55:12. > :55:18.He didn't seem to do that positively for me.

:55:19. > :55:25.That type of shot, if you are playing it firmly, no problem, but

:55:26. > :55:26.with a bit of drag and side, on these superfine class, it is not

:55:27. > :55:52.easy to judge. It nearly worked out for him. This

:55:53. > :55:57.is the drug shot. Because it is travelling a distance, you see the

:55:58. > :56:02.back spin slows the cue ball. If you just had to pop the red into the

:56:03. > :56:08.middle, then, all of a sudden, see how it changes, and you get the top

:56:09. > :56:15.spin. A great shot. But he potted the red, of course he did.

:56:16. > :56:22.A good pot, he could have done without that kiss on the second red.

:56:23. > :56:29.He is still on the blue but he had to take the cue ball in and out of

:56:30. > :56:35.baulk, now. If he had missed the kiss he would have been perfect on

:56:36. > :56:51.the blue. It is all about line and length here.

:56:52. > :57:00.Maybe four christens. -- cushions. He has used four. Is he on it? Just.

:57:01. > :57:05.Maybe too straight to get onto a colour. Too close to play a deep

:57:06. > :57:19.screw. A 41 point lead. Can he get out of

:57:20. > :57:31.position here? No. Unless he can get through to the pink M note. There is

:57:32. > :57:46.proof. Just a safety shot. 42 points in the lead. Still a possible 83

:57:47. > :57:59.remaining. Anthony Hamilton, not out of this frame by a long

:58:00. > :58:06.Anthony would love to play the red on the right-hand side of the table

:58:07. > :58:09.here. If he could get past the green. Bring it away from the

:58:10. > :58:22.cushioning, then all of the reds are in place -- play. He can just get

:58:23. > :58:27.through to it. The only thing is with this shot, you play the red

:58:28. > :58:28.thin, you have to be careful, too thin and you can get the

:58:29. > :58:40.double-kiss. You have to avoid that. He couldn't have played it better,

:58:41. > :59:29.well played. Much too thick, he will be lucky to

:59:30. > :59:37.get away with this. Very lucky to get away with it, and I think he

:59:38. > :59:48.has. Having hit the safety shot so badly, Stuart was very fortunate

:59:49. > :00:00.there. He hit it so thick, you thought he was bound to be on a red.

:00:01. > :00:10.Needs to miss the yellow for this to be a good safety. He hasn't.

:00:11. > :00:13.But Anthony will be feeling aggrieved there that he wasn't left

:00:14. > :00:48.with a potting opportunity and I wouldn't blame him.

:00:49. > :00:55.That shot made easier for the fact he didn't have to do anything with

:00:56. > :01:00.the cue ball, just concentrate on the pot.

:01:01. > :01:10.I think there is a slight angle on the yellow.

:01:11. > :01:29.He played it well. The beauty of this shot now is he

:01:30. > :01:40.doesn't have to do a lot, pot the red. Bound to be on the pink.

:01:41. > :01:54.This pink will put him 52 points in front.

:01:55. > :01:58.He will be very surprised if he didn't win the frame now from this

:01:59. > :02:26.visit. 60 is the target. A little bit fortunate not to leave

:02:27. > :02:33.a pot on for Anthony. But the best of 11, the run you

:02:34. > :02:43.would hope would even out. Couldn't have been all luck, could

:02:44. > :03:06.it, 13 titles? That was a strange shot. Didn't get

:03:07. > :03:09.into the cue ball at all like he wanted to. It doesn't matter, the

:03:10. > :03:14.frame was over but shakes you shake your head a little bit. That's

:03:15. > :03:18.enough, that's kept Anthony Hamilton in his seat. It was just with luck

:03:19. > :03:24.from Stuart on a poor safety. But Stuart Bingham now leads by 2-1.

:03:25. > :03:32.We are enjoying a high-quality match so far. You spotted a nugget, if you

:03:33. > :03:38.will pardon the pun. Nobody else in the auditorium spotted it. Look at

:03:39. > :03:42.this yellow Stuart played to get position.

:03:43. > :03:48.Perfect position on the red. This typifies the modern day game. We are

:03:49. > :03:54.so used to seeing so much brilliance that a shot like that, that perhaps

:03:55. > :03:58.back in the 80s would have had the house in uproar. All of a sudden

:03:59. > :04:03.now, nobody in the auditorium clapped. Commentators went that's

:04:04. > :04:08.just the way it is, that's the level we are used to. We are going it's

:04:09. > :04:11.fantastic. These two fellas are no spring chickens and they've come

:04:12. > :04:14.through that. They've learned how to play the game in a more aggressive

:04:15. > :04:15.way. They came through at a time when the game was beginning to

:04:16. > :04:23.change. In every sport the levels of

:04:24. > :04:27.excellence seem to improve, in golf they're going more for the pin, in

:04:28. > :04:30.gymnastics they're having to do more somersaults to get marks. In snooker

:04:31. > :04:34.now you have to be aggressive, you have to go for shots. We are all

:04:35. > :04:38.taking that on board, and now it's becoming difficult for commentators

:04:39. > :04:42.and experts to criticise or make analysis in as much as what is the

:04:43. > :04:48.right shot or what is a great shot? We expect so much. Indeed. John,

:04:49. > :04:52.from what we are seeing here we always expected it to be a fluent

:04:53. > :04:57.free-flowing match but as I said at the start this is no foregone

:04:58. > :05:00.conclusion. Anthony's record is superior to that of Stuart in

:05:01. > :05:04.head-to-head matches. I can believe that. It is the worst backhand

:05:05. > :05:08.compliment I can give him, he is probably the most underachieving

:05:09. > :05:12.player on the circuit. I think he is a fantastic cuist. He is a wonderful

:05:13. > :05:23.scorer, Anthony Hamilton. He can make 100 after 100. He did it to me

:05:24. > :05:26.one year, he made four centuries I think, 460-odd points. He said how

:05:27. > :05:31.are you playing, I don't know, I haven't had a shot yet! I don't

:05:32. > :05:39.think he has won an event. In two finals. For somebody who plays as

:05:40. > :05:49.well as he does and he is a top cueist. It isn't enough. Back we go.

:05:50. > :05:54.Mid-session interval after this frame. Will it be two-frame

:05:55. > :06:09.advantage to Stuart Bingham or all square?

:06:10. > :06:14.Steve complimented that yellow Stuart played. I said he would

:06:15. > :06:15.finish perfect on the red, you called the shot. He is right, nobody

:06:16. > :06:33.applauded. Oh! The dreaded rattle run along the

:06:34. > :06:38.cushion and disappearing in the other pocket. Hand up to apologise.

:06:39. > :06:41.I don't know why players do that. It's not going to stop him putting

:06:42. > :06:50.every energy and every thought into potting this black.

:06:51. > :06:56.Oh! We will see a few of them this week. You seem to get tables like

:06:57. > :07:08.that. Rattle and run along the cushion.

:07:09. > :07:25.Played for the black. Didn't play it as a shot to nothing at all.

:07:26. > :07:31.This has to be potted in the middle of the pocket or he could lose

:07:32. > :07:42.position here. He played it nicely.

:07:43. > :07:47.Maybe a little bit straighter on the black than would be ideal, but he is

:07:48. > :07:55.getting down pretty quick, so he must have a slight angle.

:07:56. > :08:27.Another opportunity in potting to black just to cannon into the

:08:28. > :08:35.cluster. A chance for a few reds here.

:08:36. > :08:50.He is stuck on them. That noise was a bit of thigh slapping, should have

:08:51. > :08:57.gone in a bit more. Didn't get power on the cue ball. When it hit the

:08:58. > :09:30.pack it should have come to the right side of the table.

:09:31. > :09:36.Well, I am not being critical but being close to reds that cue ball

:09:37. > :09:42.should have been tight against the baulk cushion. It makes it that much

:09:43. > :09:46.easier, but disappointment of breaking down and it was a

:09:47. > :09:56.positional shot that cost him. Just a contakening safety.

:09:57. > :10:43.Not played it great -- containing. The red on the left side of the

:10:44. > :10:49.table that Stuart could play, and get the cue ball back to the baulk

:10:50. > :10:52.end. There is a red on the right of the table which could possibly give

:10:53. > :10:56.him position on the black if he potted it.

:10:57. > :11:20.Is it attack or defence? It was sort of half of one and half

:11:21. > :11:25.of the other really. Never looked that committed to the

:11:26. > :11:29.shot. It's almost as if he didn't really mean to go for the pot.

:11:30. > :11:31.Didn't hit it positive enough for the cue ball to get around for the

:11:32. > :11:42.black. Looks bemused. A choice of a couple of reds to the

:11:43. > :12:08.left-centre here. Left-centre it was. He has not

:12:09. > :12:15.missed many. I don't think he has left the red he played. Anything 90%

:12:16. > :12:34.or above is acceptable. Nothing left, it doesn't appear.

:12:35. > :12:40.Neither player yet has found that baulk cushion.

:12:41. > :12:50.Once again short. I think for both players they would

:12:51. > :13:02.rather be this end of the table making big breaks and potting balls.

:13:03. > :13:08.The green is just covering the escape down the right side of the

:13:09. > :13:12.table and a cluster of reds below the pink. Don't think he can get to

:13:13. > :13:20.them. Might try and swerve. The only thing

:13:21. > :13:22.is when you swerve like this you are never quite certain on the contact

:13:23. > :13:29.with the object ball. He is swerving it.

:13:30. > :13:38.Have to miss the blue. Where is the cue ball going?

:13:39. > :14:14.He had a chance there, Stuart. Only half a chance but sometimes that's

:14:15. > :14:16.all you get now. Anthony has to be careful here trying to get this cue

:14:17. > :14:33.ball back to the baulk end. Has to find the gap, which he has

:14:34. > :14:37.done. Once again, not a great length with

:14:38. > :14:40.the cue ball so no real pressure on Stuart here to play a better safety

:14:41. > :15:12.shot than that. That could be the first telling

:15:13. > :15:19.safety shot of this frame. Anthony is snookered on all reds, I

:15:20. > :15:24.think. Can't get past the yellow.

:15:25. > :15:31.I am sure he can't get down the other side. A little bit of a

:15:32. > :15:36.problem here. OK. Shouldn't be a problem hitting a

:15:37. > :15:54.red, but you have to judge this well. And have the right pace.

:15:55. > :16:02.There is one possibility, if he nestled up to that red he wouldn't

:16:03. > :16:04.leave anything. But he has other things in mind

:16:05. > :16:16.obviously. Maybe he feels that the red just

:16:17. > :16:20.above the one that I isolated was getting in the way of the one

:16:21. > :16:26.cushion. Off two cushions but still trying to hit that red near the top

:16:27. > :16:30.cushion. He has hit it. That's not exactly

:16:31. > :16:31.how he played to hit it, but he will settle for it. He has left nothing

:16:32. > :17:05.easy. I think the red just left of the

:17:06. > :17:10.pink spot will pop to the right-centre.

:17:11. > :17:27.Played it positively. It's Christmas, it's that time of

:17:28. > :17:33.year. Where is the sacks, lads! You need a sack! Reindeers. That's the

:17:34. > :17:57.only beard that's worth wearing. Obviously couldn't pot that red.

:17:58. > :18:06.Well, that's not a bad safety shot as it turns out. He has a good cue

:18:07. > :18:08.ball, in the jaws of the pocket. Doesn't make cueing that easy for

:18:09. > :18:18.Stuart. Of course, Stuart 24 points behind,

:18:19. > :18:26.he knows one more mistake and that could be end of frame.

:18:27. > :18:43.Where is the cue ball going? Doesn't necessarily leave Anthony a

:18:44. > :18:48.pot that he would be tempted by but with his hand on the table will be

:18:49. > :18:50.expected to play a good safety shot here. Imperative you get a good

:18:51. > :19:11.length with the cue ball. The red closest to the left corner

:19:12. > :19:20.does pot, but he has to take it on 100%. The cue ball will be Canoning

:19:21. > :19:23.into other balls. I am looking, is there an alternative? I always look

:19:24. > :19:30.at situations is it an easier safety shot than having to go for the pot?

:19:31. > :19:33.Don't think it is. He doesn't normally shy away from

:19:34. > :19:47.the attacking shot. Played a great brand of attacking

:19:48. > :19:49.aggressive snooker at the Crucible. Can't see an alternative. He has to

:19:50. > :20:05.get it. Not even close.

:20:06. > :20:09.With that type of shot you just fully commit, but he hit it so full

:20:10. > :20:14.he didn't again eat in the jaws of the pocket so a chance for Anthony

:20:15. > :20:17.Hamilton, comes to the table with a 28-point lead. A chance to level the

:20:18. > :20:21.match going into the mid-session interval. He has not left it

:20:22. > :20:27.straightforward. He would love to play this red to the right corner

:20:28. > :20:30.and cannon the red above it and just leave the pink. But maybe there is

:20:31. > :20:33.to much angle on this red to do that. In and out of baulk it looks

:20:34. > :20:52.like. Disappointing.

:20:53. > :20:57.Very disappointing that was. It was as if he wasn't certain where

:20:58. > :21:02.the cue ball was going to finish so he was hitting the ball hard.

:21:03. > :21:05.For me, the one thing you have to do in that situation is make certain of

:21:06. > :21:18.the pot. This could be a big frame now. In

:21:19. > :21:22.the context of this match, a chance for Stuart Bingham, albeit he has a

:21:23. > :21:28.bit to do, to take a two-frame advantage into the interval.

:21:29. > :21:39.He may choose to go into the pink here. He held the cue ball.

:21:40. > :21:52.Not messing about. Just over the arc.

:21:53. > :22:00.Over shot time, both the same. You can see from the outset that Anthony

:22:01. > :22:05.was playing at a nice pace. He can sometimes get bogged down, Anthony,

:22:06. > :22:16.but he is playing at a good place. He will be concerned now.

:22:17. > :22:21.Because this is a really good opportunity for Stuart, although the

:22:22. > :22:22.way he was scratching his head there with venom maybe he wanted to be

:22:23. > :22:38.straighter on this red. Played the cannon nicely on the

:22:39. > :23:19.black to retain good position. He had to play it.

:23:20. > :23:24.A little bit straighter on this blue would have been ideal. He has to

:23:25. > :23:33.control the cue ball here. Gone a little bit further than he

:23:34. > :23:50.would have liked. I thought he maybe could have

:23:51. > :23:55.cannoned into the pink. That was a little clumsy, that shot. I think he

:23:56. > :24:02.can still hold for the black. Never like to be playing these across the

:24:03. > :24:12.table dead weight, though. May choose to play three cushions back

:24:13. > :24:17.up for the blue even. Has to watch that middle pocket. Well played.

:24:18. > :24:27.Would like to have been straighter on the blue. This time it's a little

:24:28. > :24:32.bit easier because he has two reds available to the right corner.

:24:33. > :24:43.He must have a nice angle, just enough angle.

:24:44. > :25:17.That's handy. He was always going to need one of these reds.

:25:18. > :25:21.If he was going to clinch the frame at this visit, so took the first

:25:22. > :25:26.opportunity to play on one of the reds.

:25:27. > :25:36.The three reds in the middle of the table, if he can cope with those, he

:25:37. > :25:41.would go into the interval with a 3-1 lead.

:25:42. > :25:45.Anthony Hamilton, although he has a very good and high pot success, will

:25:46. > :25:57.be disappointed. Doesn't always tell the story, does

:25:58. > :26:02.it? 95% Anthony Hamilton, 88% Stuart Bing hall.

:26:03. > :26:07.It looks like Stuart is going to have a 3-1 advantage. -- Bingham.

:26:08. > :26:12.Long pot success 100% for Anthony. 30% for Stuart.

:26:13. > :26:30.Funny old game! Total points Anthony is in front.

:26:31. > :26:37.I will have to check the scoreboard in a moment!

:26:38. > :26:47.This is the only shot to me that can go wrong. When he plays this red to

:26:48. > :26:52.the corner he has to be careful he doesn't knock one to the side

:26:53. > :26:57.cushion. Played it firm enough to send it on and off the cushion.

:26:58. > :27:05.Still a clear run to the winning line in this frame.

:27:06. > :27:12.You would have to say he has looked good today, Stuart Bingham. Could

:27:13. > :27:15.have been nervous, big event and defending world champion. A couple

:27:16. > :27:16.of long pots he would like to have hit better, but generally looks

:27:17. > :27:38.confident. As world champion he will be looking

:27:39. > :27:42.forward to this event, John. Closely followed by the Masters in January,

:27:43. > :27:47.so two massive events. Yeah, absolutely.

:27:48. > :27:52.Just this red now to give him that 3-1 advantage.

:27:53. > :28:02.Right in the heart of the pocket. Yeah, has been some great

:28:03. > :28:08.tournaments in the season so far, over in China and the Champion of

:28:09. > :28:12.Champions, of course, but nothing like what we call the three majors.

:28:13. > :28:14.A bad contact there but shouldn't make any difference. 49 ahead, 35

:28:15. > :28:33.remaining. The frame to Stuart Bingham.

:28:34. > :28:37.I think that's enough for Anthony. He has conceded.

:28:38. > :28:40.The referees had a lack at the watch telling them when to come back and

:28:41. > :28:42.Stuart Bingham will be very happy as they go into the mid-session

:28:43. > :28:52.interval to hold a 3-1 lead. John mentioned the season, it's been

:28:53. > :28:59.running for sometime. In fact, only the week after we finished February

:29:00. > :29:01.Crucible we started in the qualifying school with the

:29:02. > :29:04.professionals trying to get on the circuit and in June they were back

:29:05. > :30:12.from tournaments from Australia to right here in York.

:30:13. > :30:21.A real spread of talent and prizes. Out of ten finals, we have only had

:30:22. > :30:26.two featuring the top 16 players in them.

:30:27. > :30:33.There is no doubt about the man of the season, it is John Higgins who

:30:34. > :30:37.has won two big titles, in Australia and China, the International

:30:38. > :30:43.championship. With the Welsh Open this year, three in a year and

:30:44. > :30:48.counting, takes him to 28 major titles in his career, putting him

:30:49. > :30:53.second in the all Time stakes with Steve Davis, one ahead of Ronnie

:30:54. > :30:59.O'Sullivan, eight short of Stephen Hendry. He is a major force and very

:31:00. > :31:09.much back in business. Let us remind you who he is playing, up against

:31:10. > :31:14.Tian Pengfei. 28, recently a runner up in Germany to Rory McLeod. How

:31:15. > :31:20.pleased we were to see Rory get a title under his belt. We join them

:31:21. > :31:21.in the first frame. Your commentary comes from Willie

:31:22. > :31:45.Thorne and Dennis Taylor. Not that bad, he has left a ready

:31:46. > :31:57.macro to the right-hand corner -- left a red. A few of those reds will

:31:58. > :31:59.go. Taking the left-hand red, to get back down on a colour.

:32:00. > :32:16.The middle one would go as well. He has detectable advantage of this.

:32:17. > :32:23.Seeing his opponent missed a few easy shots. Yet this first frame

:32:24. > :32:42.under his belt. That will fill him full of confidence.

:32:43. > :32:48.That will help his confidence as well, you don't often see them

:32:49. > :33:12.wobble, go across in the opposite pocket on these tight tables.

:33:13. > :33:18.This is a great chance now, a delicate little touch on the other

:33:19. > :33:29.red will leave him in perfect position.

:33:30. > :33:34.Most matches have been the best of seven, not the case this time, best

:33:35. > :33:48.of 11. The reason I mention that, with the

:33:49. > :33:50.best of seven, the only thing Higgins will be perturbed about is

:33:51. > :34:30.missing three very simple shots. I haven't seen too much of Tian. His

:34:31. > :34:31.cue action, he has a few pauses before the final, a little bit

:34:32. > :34:37.unusual. But, the key is delivering that cue

:34:38. > :34:53.in a straight line. Just this red along the cushioning.

:34:54. > :35:54.And the first frame will be his. He is in the snooker is required

:35:55. > :36:01.stage but he needs to make sure of this last red. Make sure he plays it

:36:02. > :36:06.nice and slowly. That can't go in, surely?

:36:07. > :36:15.He is looking at the school board, John. And besides, no, he has had

:36:16. > :36:16.enough, he concedes the opening frame. Tian will be absolutely

:36:17. > :36:26.delighted. That advantage was quickly cancelled

:36:27. > :36:32.out, Higgins won the second frame with a break of 60, we join them in

:36:33. > :36:49.frame three, Tian leads by 42 points.

:36:50. > :37:01.The referee just asking Tian to tuck his shirt in. From Romania, one of

:37:02. > :37:08.the newer referees on the screen. It must be a new role, asking a

:37:09. > :37:09.player to tuck his shirt in. Look at that for a shot, have a look at

:37:10. > :37:20.that. You mentioned earlier being a great

:37:21. > :37:29.safety player, that was a prime example of that.

:37:30. > :37:39.As we said in Lancashire, trouble at the mill! I can't see a red he can

:37:40. > :37:52.rest on to lead a pot. Even though he is 42 points in

:37:53. > :38:21.front. And he is second favourite. He made a nice 60 breaks to secure

:38:22. > :38:41.the second frame. He might have one of them into the

:38:42. > :38:48.middle of the pocket but he does not have the pace of the table.

:38:49. > :39:16.Still should be OK. Keep it as easy as possible.

:39:17. > :39:24.You couldn't ask for the ball to be sitting any better. He has every

:39:25. > :39:35.chance of going on to take this frame now.

:39:36. > :39:43.Not always a long pact that gets you into a frame. That was an excellent

:39:44. > :39:47.snooker, it was almost impossible to hit one and get its head. What Tian

:39:48. > :39:55.did not want to do is to open the play.

:39:56. > :40:03.Now, he can only sit and hope the green will come to his rescue will

:40:04. > :40:05.stop looking at the points, he will need the green, John Higgins, that

:40:06. > :40:58.could be the saviour. Glancing at the school board, John.

:40:59. > :41:09.Working out he will need the difficult green. -- score board.

:41:10. > :41:12.He would need to get perfect on the yellow if he gets that far to give

:41:13. > :41:26.him a chance of getting onto the green.

:41:27. > :41:36.He will have to go up the table this time. All he can hold for the pink.

:41:37. > :41:45.How he leaves himself on the yellow here...

:41:46. > :41:55.Doesn't want to be straight. And he doesn't get onto the green, he

:41:56. > :42:02.leaves himself of playing an easy snooker. He had an angle and could

:42:03. > :42:15.force it across the table. He will need the brown as well.

:42:16. > :42:19.One of those, you would like to be dead straight because it means you

:42:20. > :42:24.can see the pocket in your eye line. If he rolls it in, it is a certainty

:42:25. > :42:34.to pop the green. But he is screwing it in which makes the pocket

:42:35. > :42:40.tighter. This is admissible. -- missable.

:42:41. > :42:46.Very good. What a clearance this has been.

:42:47. > :42:51.You can tell he is growing in confidence. He had a few mistakes.

:42:52. > :43:05.But, starting to look very good indeed.

:43:06. > :43:16.It doesn't matter about the blue. Still checking the school board. --

:43:17. > :43:25.score board. But he would like to make sure of the blue and run it in.

:43:26. > :43:39.Awkward. You can't find a place to put the rest head.

:43:40. > :43:45.Not quite over yet. Barring the Snooker, John Higgins goes into a

:43:46. > :43:55.2-1 lead. 2-1 indeed. That is on the BBC sport

:43:56. > :44:00.website, you can do it online. Some sad news, in September, slicker

:44:01. > :44:08.lost a prominent figure in its ranks, Jim Meadowcroft, former world

:44:09. > :44:12.number 12, a coach, admin, and a commentator for BBC and ITV on some

:44:13. > :44:16.of the most iconic moments of sport, we have been looking back at his

:44:17. > :44:23.career. Jim was a proud Lancastrian, born in

:44:24. > :44:28.1946. As a professional snooker player, he reached the UK

:44:29. > :44:32.championships, the first one in 1956. Quarterfinals, before losing

:44:33. > :44:37.to Patsy Fagan. People forget how good a player he

:44:38. > :44:44.was, the first to develop the maths side, the deep screws. Jim was doing

:44:45. > :44:48.it before John Spencer. After retiring, he took up coaching and

:44:49. > :44:54.was a fixture at Butlins holiday camps, and became a well respected

:44:55. > :45:00.commentator for the BBC. He was very good, you could watch

:45:01. > :45:05.him play, with the cue, a good knowledge of the game. One of the

:45:06. > :45:10.nice guys in the game. I hadn't seen him for many years, you get caught

:45:11. > :45:13.in your own little bubble. I saw him a lot, we commentated a lot

:45:14. > :45:19.together. They were the days when you could have cigarettes in the

:45:20. > :45:25.commentary box, rolled up cigarettes he had. You couldn't see the table

:45:26. > :45:28.sometimes for the smoke! A nice lad, a pleasure to know and a pleasure to

:45:29. > :45:35.work with. It was Jim who was alongside head

:45:36. > :45:44.low in the Crucible box on the 1985 World Championship final.

:45:45. > :45:51.COMMENTATOR: The biggest shot of his life. Jim was a great commentator, a

:45:52. > :45:55.great knowledge, he could read the game very well.

:45:56. > :45:59.A sad loss to the game of snooker. One of the really good guys of our

:46:00. > :46:03.sport. Jim will be sadly missed by his

:46:04. > :46:10.daughters, grandchildren and his many friends and colleagues in the

:46:11. > :46:14.sport. Very sad actually. These fellas knew

:46:15. > :46:21.him well, John, he gave you a lot of help in your young days.

:46:22. > :46:26.He invited me to his house. I went up for the afternoon. Mesmerised by

:46:27. > :46:30.how good he was. He never produced on the tournament table as in

:46:31. > :46:35.practice. Seriously one of the best I have seen in practice, all of the

:46:36. > :46:41.shots. A genuinely nice man. When I started to do well, he gave me every

:46:42. > :46:48.encouragement. Like you, a player turned commentator in the end.

:46:49. > :46:52.Commentated on that famous of nights when you and Dennis were battling it

:46:53. > :46:57.out. An excellent commentator. Economic

:46:58. > :47:02.with words, he knew the game. Gave everybody credit when they had

:47:03. > :47:08.done something well. He didn't seem like a person who was jealous that

:47:09. > :47:13.the game had become more successful and popular and he had missed the

:47:14. > :47:17.boat. A solid guy. He knew the game. It is nice to know someone gives you

:47:18. > :47:22.credit the something who has been a player.

:47:23. > :47:28.We went to the Romilly Foreman and played Terry Griffiths in the

:47:29. > :47:38.qualifier in 1939, and got beaten in the final frame decider. Terry went

:47:39. > :47:43.on to win at the Crucible. We are back on here in the UK

:47:44. > :47:51.championship. Not much happening in the main arena apart from one match.

:47:52. > :48:01.Tom Ford, against a twice winner of this, Mark Williams. Williams needs

:48:02. > :48:05.-- leads 49 points. Let me just show you what is

:48:06. > :48:11.happening all over this Barbican arena. Marco Fu making short work of

:48:12. > :48:20.Yu Delu in these best of 11 frames. Graeme Dott against Yong Jack Liz

:48:21. > :48:25.Askey. Ken Doherty the former world

:48:26. > :48:32.champion. And in the sports hall, Martin Gould who has been to a major

:48:33. > :48:35.final, playing John Higgins in that international championships final,

:48:36. > :48:41.giving a good account of himself. Gary Wilson has been to a big final

:48:42. > :48:47.in the last year. That match at the bottom has just

:48:48. > :48:53.gone 2-2. Marco Fu I am hearing has gone 4-0.

:48:54. > :48:59.That is the situation in the main arena. Heading back to the world

:49:00. > :49:07.champion, 3-1 up in a very entertaining and high-scoring match.

:49:08. > :49:20.Yes, Stuart Bingham back in the arena. A nice lead. First to sixth.

:49:21. > :49:24.Talking to Anthony at the interval and he was saying he hasn't been

:49:25. > :49:29.playing on these match tables under the TV lights for quite a while.

:49:30. > :49:34.Having a problem getting the pace of them, they are lightening quick.

:49:35. > :49:44.Probably why he has not been getting a good length with the cue ball.

:49:45. > :49:51.That is pretty good. He has been quick in the

:49:52. > :50:01.break-building and potting, in the main.

:50:02. > :50:08.That is the problem with that shot, if you catch them then, the danger

:50:09. > :50:18.of a double-kiss. A gift now for Anthony.

:50:19. > :50:20.Every frame now is very important. When you are playing catch up. You

:50:21. > :51:07.have to take these chances. It is important for Anthony, these

:51:08. > :51:09.opportunities, this is his strength. Stewart may have the upper hand if

:51:10. > :51:23.he does not win from these visits. He is ten points in front. But the

:51:24. > :51:53.scoreline shows 3-1 behind. He has overdone it slightly, another

:51:54. > :51:54.example of not getting the pace of the table right. This was a little

:51:55. > :52:19.bit clumsy. Needs to slow down a little bit. Run

:52:20. > :52:24.it a bit too far. He is having a look, can he make it into a plant.

:52:25. > :52:28.As you see, they are not directly in line but there is a little gap

:52:29. > :52:30.between them. If he did make the plant he would be automatically on

:52:31. > :52:45.the black. He is interested. Now, when you point, you have to hit

:52:46. > :52:53.that first read where you are pointing at. If he pots it, he will

:52:54. > :52:56.be on the black. Played it nicely. A bit of a bonus, I don't think he

:52:57. > :52:58.played for the plant but he could not have landed on it better as it

:52:59. > :53:17.turned out. You can hear the sky, immediately

:53:18. > :53:23.asking for the cue ball to be cleaned. He has not really ruined

:53:24. > :54:26.his position. He is still on the red he played for.

:54:27. > :54:36.How is your luck? It is not bad. These are tricky. Very close as you

:54:37. > :54:44.can see, this red directly in line to the corner. Hit them pretty well.

:54:45. > :54:49.It is getting a run through on this. Another couple of inches

:54:50. > :54:54.further away, and easy to get onto the black, but be careful of the

:54:55. > :54:59.push. The fact the cue ball will be canning into another ball makes it

:55:00. > :55:06.even more tricky. If this was dead straight he would have played it

:55:07. > :55:09.already. He was looking to dig down and screw back thinking the same

:55:10. > :55:16.pocket or pink in the middle. I would rather play that and play

:55:17. > :55:42.through to the black. -- Dan play through.

:55:43. > :55:48.That was the problem. You could say a little unlucky. As Stephen said,

:55:49. > :55:54.he was always going to run into another red, and the red he has won

:55:55. > :56:05.into has made the black not available.

:56:06. > :56:15.A nice pot on the pink, though. It doesn't get any easier from there.

:56:16. > :56:22.He is on a red to the left corner but can he hold for the pink to the

:56:23. > :56:27.middle? I think if he was in the club then this further away from the

:56:28. > :56:33.cushion, he could stand across and nudge the red away from the black.

:56:34. > :56:45.Can he play that shot in the arena? I doubt it.

:56:46. > :58:30.You can tell from his face, a little gap there. Can he get through to

:58:31. > :58:43.this red? You mentioned the shot he played

:58:44. > :58:48.before, if it was in the club. He would play this with a trace of

:58:49. > :58:55.left-hand side on the cue ball to turn the red River. But this is a

:58:56. > :59:19.safety. -- to turn the red ball over.

:59:20. > :59:31.This needs good cueing to screw the ball back into the baulk area.

:59:32. > :59:37.They always look worse when they battle the jaw. He got into that cue

:59:38. > :59:58.ball, he has finished up near the baulk line. Leaping about.

:59:59. > :00:08.Once again, that up and down safety, it is not good enough. It is a

:00:09. > :00:12.chance of a pot, the red to the right of the pink. A big shot to

:00:13. > :00:30.take on. You would think if he is playing

:00:31. > :00:38.this for the pink, if he misses it it could cost him the frame. He

:00:39. > :00:49.chose to play up with an element of safety. He tried to hedge his bets

:00:50. > :00:57.there. He has released the black. That is the worst thing that

:00:58. > :00:58.happened from that shot. 25% loan pot success. He needs to improve on

:00:59. > :01:56.that. That should clinch the frame. Stuart

:01:57. > :02:02.Bingham has had a couple of chances here. A couple of long parts which

:02:03. > :02:26.is normally one of his strengths, but he has been disappointing with

:02:27. > :02:30.them. You felt this one he could have fully committed but the problem

:02:31. > :02:38.was not only did he miss it, but he brought the black into play. He

:02:39. > :02:42.still needs one more red. He is still looking for one more red. He

:02:43. > :03:26.is not perfect. A bit of a groan. Not as subtle as

:03:27. > :03:36.he used to be. -- supple. Right in the heart of the pocket. The crowd

:03:37. > :04:18.here know that that should be the frame-winner.

:04:19. > :04:27.Didn't clinch it but 70 points in front. With just 59 remaining. I can

:04:28. > :04:32.only assume that Stuart Bingham is carrying on because it is the first

:04:33. > :04:36.frame after the mid-session interval and he wants a bit of table time.

:04:37. > :05:19.Surely not much hope of winning this frame.

:05:20. > :05:26.It is etiquette that you don't give up but I am certain that Stuart will

:05:27. > :05:43.concede after this next shot. I will be surprised if he doesn't.

:05:44. > :06:55.The frame was well and truly over the four so Stuart Bingham's lead is

:06:56. > :07:04.reduced to just one frame and so this match is truly over. 3-2. The

:07:05. > :07:08.world champion. It is great being in the player's lounge for a couple of

:07:09. > :07:12.days because you get to meet loads of people and introduce yourself to

:07:13. > :07:18.a few friends. I am glad to say that Lexi Perry is here, daughter of Joe

:07:19. > :07:26.Perry. This young lady has never actually watched you play. No. We

:07:27. > :07:29.thought it would be a great opportunity, come down and do a bit

:07:30. > :07:41.of shopping and she could watch me tonight. How do you think he will

:07:42. > :07:45.do? Well. I like that confidence. We were watching Stuart Bingham who is

:07:46. > :07:52.a great mate of yours and is a very popular lad among all the people

:07:53. > :07:56.here. You are in his generation bracket. What has he done for all of

:07:57. > :07:59.you guys? He has given us that extra bit of belief that there is no age

:08:00. > :08:06.limit on being a snooker player before. Now you have people who are

:08:07. > :08:10.near 40 threatening to win the world title and it seems to be the age

:08:11. > :08:14.where people are in form and it gives you that extra bit of belief

:08:15. > :08:18.that it is worth still plugging away because you never know. You have

:08:19. > :08:23.been in it for a long number of years as well. Up to number ten and

:08:24. > :08:26.you're already won a player's championship in the springtime and

:08:27. > :08:31.suddenly your levels have gone up. How confident are you feel this

:08:32. > :08:37.time? I'm confident in general with every tournament I enter. But it can

:08:38. > :08:41.all go wrong in a heartbeat but in general I am really confident. The

:08:42. > :08:46.draw structure has made a hell of a difference to all of us and given is

:08:47. > :08:49.that competition that we have craved to keep our game at a consistently

:08:50. > :08:56.high level and we all seem to be benefiting from it. I wish you well.

:08:57. > :09:08.What is your dad like when he comes after a match? Always happy, aren't

:09:09. > :09:11.I, Lexi? Thank you for coming in. Lovely to chat to you. Don't spend

:09:12. > :09:25.all of your dad's prize-money. Not the best break of shot from

:09:26. > :09:27.Stuart Bingham. Left a red to the middle which Anthony coped with but

:09:28. > :09:34.he has not played the best positional shot there. Funnily

:09:35. > :09:46.enough, Joe Perry, I was looking at the betting and 50-1. I think he has

:09:47. > :09:50.been playing very well this season. Thinking about some of the older

:09:51. > :09:56.players doing well, the hardest thing, do you not think, is

:09:57. > :10:02.practice? Now, with all of the tournaments, there is your practice.

:10:03. > :10:06.Yes, and I think most of the players practice with each other now rather

:10:07. > :10:12.than doing a lot of solo practice, which are used to do. It gets much

:10:13. > :10:22.harder to put the five or six hours a day in on your own. That was a

:10:23. > :10:29.pretty speculative attempt. Ambitious, to say the least. There

:10:30. > :10:36.was so much distance between the two balls. As he went through coming he

:10:37. > :10:42.knocked his chalk out of his pocket and left it on the table. You would

:10:43. > :10:52.get a free drop for that, wouldn't you? Shaking his head. Well, what

:10:53. > :11:10.would you believe it? Would you believe that one? Hit right across

:11:11. > :11:19.this one. He has been lucky. He could have left an easy red to the

:11:20. > :11:25.right corner. A tough starter, but automatic on the black, if he gets

:11:26. > :11:49.it. Doesn't have too play at a great pace. Just shows you the run of the

:11:50. > :11:57.polls in this game sometimes. He went for an outrageous plant, did

:11:58. > :12:09.Anthony, in his last one, and Stuart missed an easy bowl. Didn't leave

:12:10. > :12:18.anti-anything that easy. -- didn't leave his opponent anything that

:12:19. > :12:32.easy. Couldn't do a lot with the cue ball and he is not ideal on this by

:12:33. > :12:46.any means. Mistake cannon on the yellow. He missed the yellow and

:12:47. > :12:50.also a little bit wary of being off. All of those things he was thinking

:12:51. > :13:18.about, he forgot about potting the blue. That wasn't straightforward.

:13:19. > :13:21.He saw too many obstacles there. I don't know why Anthony didn't just

:13:22. > :13:25.play for the blue because I think if the cue ball was on the right-hand

:13:26. > :13:28.side of the table, he wasn't leaving anything apart from the red he was

:13:29. > :13:44.going for. I think he missed a little trick there. Maybe just a

:13:45. > :13:50.little bit of tension starting to creep into this match. Yes,

:13:51. > :13:56.certainly with that safety shot and a couple of Steward's last visit, he

:13:57. > :14:04.will not be happy. He is trying to clear his mind. As we said, he has

:14:05. > :14:08.not had the best start to the season, a bit hangover from the

:14:09. > :14:22.World Championship, no doubt about that. 84% pot success is low. Tried

:14:23. > :14:38.to skim past the blue but hit the blue. Got to try to find the target

:14:39. > :14:42.in behind that yellow if you can. That's the target for both players

:14:43. > :14:47.and then you can have a real good telling safety, which could force a

:14:48. > :15:26.mistake and give you a chance of getting to score some points.

:15:27. > :15:32.Yes, there is an escape passed on the right-hand side of the table as

:15:33. > :15:37.really, but he is going to miss the pink if he catches it to them, and

:15:38. > :15:47.he is going to miss the red if he catches it too thick. He has played

:15:48. > :15:49.it pretty well. He has not left anything. Sometimes that is all you

:15:50. > :16:50.can hope for. He needs the brown or the Jelle to

:16:51. > :16:59.come to his rescue. -- yellow. I do not think it has. No, he can just

:17:00. > :17:17.get through to the edge of this red. My commentator's I is back! -- eye.

:17:18. > :17:27.In aid goes. If you stops near the baulk fishing, he will have a nice

:17:28. > :17:42.angle on the green. It has gone too far.

:17:43. > :18:05.Well, he should have had the snooker. OK, it is not going to be

:18:06. > :18:07.the easiest safety shot for his opponent, but he should have been

:18:08. > :18:49.snookered behind something. He has got to be careful with the

:18:50. > :18:55.part of the cue ball. He caught the red thin enough. No damage, but if

:18:56. > :19:04.he had caught it thick, it could have been an in-off. It is all a bit

:19:05. > :19:22.messy. The pink and the Black are out of commission. That is much too

:19:23. > :19:26.thin. Much too thin. It is OK. They cannot get through to the red over

:19:27. > :19:47.the coroner and if he can get through to it, he has to cover it.

:19:48. > :20:50.Now pass through there. -- no path through there.

:20:51. > :21:00.Well he decided to go all out and he has played it beautifully, he is on

:21:01. > :21:07.the blue. He purposely played the cannon. He did not see a path back

:21:08. > :21:17.to baulk or to the red. It was a bonus landing on the blue. Slightly

:21:18. > :21:25.hampered. Gravity took over. It never looked end. How did it drop?

:21:26. > :21:44.Gravity. You have got to get closer than that

:21:45. > :21:49.for gravity to take over and once again, I little shake of the head.

:21:50. > :21:55.It is getting a little bit nervous now, for Stuart. He made a good

:21:56. > :22:07.opportunity for himself there. He should not be missing those. This

:22:08. > :22:18.must go past the green. Foul. And a free ball, is it? Three ball. That

:22:19. > :22:24.is when you cannot hit both sides. You have got to say, it is a little

:22:25. > :22:30.unlucky to knock in the green. So, the free ball being taken, brown

:22:31. > :22:42.nominated. This will count as a red. No. It was a very good start to this

:22:43. > :22:48.much, but it has gone very scrappy. -- match. Yes, both of these players

:22:49. > :22:54.are attacking players, they want to be in the centre of the table making

:22:55. > :23:01.breaks. This kind of frame does not suit either of them. At the moment,

:23:02. > :23:06.both players have lost their 40s. They have lost a bit of

:23:07. > :23:22.concentration. It is easily done in this type of frame.

:23:23. > :23:30.He has played a good safety shot. He needs good length. He has not had

:23:31. > :23:35.one for a while. That is pretty good. He has left the cut on this

:23:36. > :23:41.red, the closest to the right corner, but it is very dangerous. As

:23:42. > :23:51.we have said on many occasions, is it more dangerous to try and get it

:23:52. > :23:55.save? Now guaranteed safety shot. I think if the pink or black were on

:23:56. > :23:59.their spots, it would be worth taking their son, but when is the

:24:00. > :24:16.colour coming from if he should pot it?

:24:17. > :24:26.Well, as I say, you make your decision. His decision was to go for

:24:27. > :24:33.the pot. It could not have had a worse outcome. It has brought five

:24:34. > :24:38.reds into play. With Stuart Bingham coming to the table with a 12 point

:24:39. > :24:44.advantage, he could build up a really useful lead and win the frame

:24:45. > :24:46.at this visit. Doubtful. That was a terrible position shot to start

:24:47. > :25:18.with. -- brown. Another bad positional

:25:19. > :25:26.shot. The way the reds work, you would expect four, five reds and

:25:27. > :25:34.colours. Once the cue ball starts travelling distances, it is hard to

:25:35. > :25:40.be certain of positional play. If he stops short of the baulk line, he

:25:41. > :25:50.will be OK, green or brown, or even the blue.

:25:51. > :25:55.I do not know whether he has been suffering from anything, Stuart, he

:25:56. > :26:25.has got a bit of a cough. It looks as though the blue would

:26:26. > :26:30.have been a better ball to play. I can only assume that the blue would

:26:31. > :26:41.not go on its own sport and this red was occupying it.

:26:42. > :26:45.Knows he will mark mind putting the blue because he has got the red near

:26:46. > :26:57.the right middle. As I say, the chances of winning the

:26:58. > :27:04.frame at this visit, well, it is difficult, but he has three nights

:27:05. > :27:22.reds in the open. He can build up a big lead. Not a frame-winning one,

:27:23. > :27:29.but it is a chance. This is an important frame for Stuart to get

:27:30. > :27:35.his focus back in this match. If you can regain his two frame advantage,

:27:36. > :27:42.it will settle him down. He has been very nervous in this frame. You saw

:27:43. > :27:49.on the barometer there, he needs 62 points to get to that stage. He has

:27:50. > :27:55.got 37 of them now. As I say, a couple of open reds. Straight on the

:27:56. > :28:06.blue. That is not going to help his cause. He wants to be on this blue

:28:07. > :28:12.so he can get close to the next red. Cleverly holding the blue spot. The

:28:13. > :28:27.blue will go on the black spot, which is the next one available.

:28:28. > :28:33.This blue will put him 45 points in front. Still a possible 67

:28:34. > :28:52.remaining. There you see it. He is going to

:28:53. > :29:34.need three of these remaining reds. I think he will have to risk playing

:29:35. > :29:42.the cannon, Stephen, I do not see any other way he can play it. There

:29:43. > :29:46.is a red available to the right corner, but it is quite a tough

:29:47. > :29:54.positional shot to land on that red. If it is a natural angle on the

:29:55. > :29:59.blue, yes, I would play the cannon. That is what he has played. He has

:30:00. > :30:10.taken his eye of the blue. That was careless. I have to say, worrying,

:30:11. > :30:16.slightly worrying. He has brought the blight into play. The reds are

:30:17. > :30:20.still a little bit awkward, but when you get opportunities like that, you

:30:21. > :30:24.do not expect him to miss an easy blue from the spot. After the first

:30:25. > :30:29.couple of shots in that break where he could not get position, he has

:30:30. > :30:31.started to look more comfortable. That is what happens when you're not

:30:32. > :30:55.focused. Completely took his eye off the pot

:30:56. > :31:01.there. Anthony could play some sort of cannon with two threads

:31:02. > :31:21.together. That would be a good shot. -- to rents. -- reds. I think that

:31:22. > :31:27.is what he played. If he can pot this red and skew the cue ball

:31:28. > :31:32.directly, he may still be able to take that red of the cushion. It is

:31:33. > :31:36.a very attacking shot. The only worry with this type of shot,

:31:37. > :32:06.particularly as he is digging in, you have to be so accurate. Played

:32:07. > :32:14.it well. Just past that red. Don't see what option he has got now. He

:32:15. > :32:15.is 39 points behind. I would like to pot the blue, if it was only just

:32:16. > :32:42.for the five points. He made a fist of that. That is a

:32:43. > :32:52.terrific shot. Just to give himself a chance of a pot. Top drawer. I

:32:53. > :32:56.think he is looking to see is that pink was pottable to the right

:32:57. > :33:00.centre. It is tight but if he was straight on it, he would be on the

:33:01. > :33:13.last red to the right corner. If he is playing for the likely does

:33:14. > :33:21.not have the angle to drop on the red. No. I think he did play for the

:33:22. > :33:25.black. He wanted to be a bit further out in the middle of the table so he

:33:26. > :33:30.could not be black and just dropped behind the red. Looks like pop the

:33:31. > :33:34.black and then tried to play a snooker, send the red around the

:33:35. > :33:47.table, snigger behind the pink possibly. -- snooker. Always feel

:33:48. > :33:51.with this shot there are two things that can go wrong with it. You have

:33:52. > :33:57.got to miss the black and then you have got to miss the bomb at the

:33:58. > :34:02.middle pocket. If he judges it right, he could have a snooker

:34:03. > :34:15.behind the pink. Got to avoid the black.

:34:16. > :34:30.Is it hard enough? Yes, it is! Now, that is a very telling safety shot

:34:31. > :34:34.at this stage in the frame. Stuart Bingham 26 points in front. He needs

:34:35. > :34:52.to hit those red and somehow get safe.

:34:53. > :35:04.Hello? He missed it for times, I think. I will be surprised if

:35:05. > :35:09.Anthony doesn't have this replaced. Tell-tale sign, eating to the table

:35:10. > :35:16.with a towel in his hand. -- he came to the table. There is no natural

:35:17. > :35:30.angle here so he is trying to force the angle. Now, where is the red

:35:31. > :35:35.going? It is on to the left corner. The only hope for Stuart Bingham if

:35:36. > :35:42.Anthony was to knock this red in is the position of the pink because he

:35:43. > :35:48.is going to need the pink. 22 points behind. Can't win it without the

:35:49. > :35:55.pink. I wonder if he is looking to cut the red to the left centre and

:35:56. > :35:56.play the cannon on the pink. This is probably the more straightforward

:35:57. > :36:13.pot. Right in the heart of the pocket.

:36:14. > :36:23.Because he needs the six remaining colours after this colour. It didn't

:36:24. > :36:34.matter which colour he played for. He could basically say this is a

:36:35. > :36:39.pink ball game. He is having a look to see if it will go in the middle.

:36:40. > :36:42.I can't believe it will pot in the middle because he could have played

:36:43. > :36:43.for it before but the pink is in the position where you think maybe he

:36:44. > :37:14.could play a double on it. Seven. Ten. I always feel with this type of

:37:15. > :37:18.shot, if you tried to play the cannon, because the pink is in the

:37:19. > :37:23.middle, you can always just nudge it past the middle, can't you? You have

:37:24. > :37:26.to get just enough angle to get nicely on the blue. He needs brown,

:37:27. > :37:45.blue, pink, and black. I agree with you. He will leave

:37:46. > :37:51.himself the double but he has got too much angle on the blue now so

:37:52. > :38:06.will he play the cannon? I think it is too tight and angle to play for

:38:07. > :38:13.the black when it is here. He has given himself a shot. If he is

:38:14. > :38:17.straight on the pink, there is a chance and Stuart Bingham has had

:38:18. > :38:27.opportunities in this frame. This will hurt if he loses this one. You

:38:28. > :38:38.can look at the scoreboard as much as you like, but you need pink and

:38:39. > :38:43.black. This is one of those where you just pick and angle and just

:38:44. > :38:58.hope that you pick the right one. Keep still on the shot. Pity. Stuart

:38:59. > :39:06.Bingham has been given a let off here. He needs the pink, don't get

:39:07. > :39:21.me wrong. But pink is all that is required.

:39:22. > :39:29.Yes, solid. Cute that beautifully. Not that is how you should play the

:39:30. > :39:37.long shots. Don't make them so hard. He will be mighty relieved.

:39:38. > :39:42.Anthony had a chance there, for sure. We will be back to that but

:39:43. > :39:46.the first man in the second round has just been revealed. The third

:39:47. > :39:55.round, I beg your pardon. It is Marco Fu. It compared to victory

:39:56. > :40:00.over Yu Delu. He won an event in Hong Kong at the weekend. He has

:40:01. > :40:10.brought that good form here to York and after the first round, that is a

:40:11. > :40:19.6-0 victory over Yu Delu and Marco Fu going through to face either

:40:20. > :40:25.Gerard Greene or one of the others this weekend. That shot on the pink.

:40:26. > :40:29.Did he ask too much of it? It is one of those shots, where the more you

:40:30. > :40:35.try to put into the cue ball the more it bounces on the cloth and he

:40:36. > :40:40.had a chance to get back in the frame. If the black is an opera job,

:40:41. > :40:44.at least you got first goal on it. Sometimes you can ask too much of

:40:45. > :40:49.yourself. Just make the pink and then you have a shot at the black.

:40:50. > :40:53.It is the age-old problem for a snooker player of judging how they

:40:54. > :40:57.are going to go about clinching the game. He knows full well that if he

:40:58. > :41:02.had knocked the pink in years got an easy black, so does he play the pink

:41:03. > :41:07.dolly in and then have the difficult shot or play the difficult shot

:41:08. > :41:11.first and that is shot selection and effectively your success as a

:41:12. > :41:15.snooker player is determined to some degree by how many times you get the

:41:16. > :41:19.decision right or wrong. If you miss a shot, you do not know where the

:41:20. > :41:23.ball is going, so you could get away with it. There was a good example of

:41:24. > :41:33.that from Anthony, because what was he going to do, and then he played

:41:34. > :41:35.that wonderful shot to get into the penultimate round as well. He played

:41:36. > :41:38.a fantastic blue around the ankles. There were some great shots in that

:41:39. > :41:40.frame and Stuart will have been mightily relieved to pots that link

:41:41. > :41:43.especially after he had missed the glaring error of the frame which was

:41:44. > :41:48.the blue. How comfortable does the world champion looked at the moment?

:41:49. > :41:52.I think is any really good match with someone who is playing very

:41:53. > :41:57.well. Anthony Hamilton hasn't had very many finals over the years but

:41:58. > :42:01.he is playing someone who is very good today. Stuart is in very good

:42:02. > :42:06.form and it has been a cracking match. It is a really good standard.

:42:07. > :42:11.One of the things about the UK championship, even though it has

:42:12. > :42:14.been produced from best of 17 to best of the 11 and we have discussed

:42:15. > :42:23.this in the park just the fact that you get a result in every session.

:42:24. > :42:29.Well, Stuart Bingham is breathing slightly more easily at the moment.

:42:30. > :42:30.He has a 2 frame cushion on Anthony Hamilton as we head into the next

:42:31. > :42:47.frame. I have had a text to tell me that

:42:48. > :42:52.Anthony Hamilton comes here on the back of winning a tournament. Jimmy

:42:53. > :43:43.White laid it -- played in it. I don't know if the red next to the

:43:44. > :43:46.black will pot in the corner because that would stop him playing the

:43:47. > :44:09.black and he does not want to leave that. Wasn't tempted. But it was a

:44:10. > :44:12.bit risky. But if you played the part and played for the black he

:44:13. > :44:19.would lose the red just above the black. This could turn out to be one

:44:20. > :44:23.of those frames now. There is not really a safety shot into the baulk

:44:24. > :45:18.end. Stuart Bingham and a little spot of

:45:19. > :45:25.bother. He is not certain to get this safe. Yes, I think this is an

:45:26. > :45:30.instance where the safety might be as difficult as the pot to the left

:45:31. > :45:38.centre. I feel that this is worth a go.

:45:39. > :45:44.It is a tough shot, but as you say, where is the easy safety? I cannot

:45:45. > :46:05.see one. That is a lovely shot. I think

:46:06. > :46:13.winning that last frame was big for Stuart. You got the Birds Eye view.

:46:14. > :46:21.Excellent. He stayed down on the shot. It is funny, sometimes the

:46:22. > :46:26.shots can be dictated to you. I do not think it is a red he would have

:46:27. > :46:32.liked to have taken on, but there was no other option, so he was

:46:33. > :46:43.forced into potting it. Now he has got it, what a chance!

:46:44. > :46:53.We said earlier, the red next to the black does pot to the left corner.

:46:54. > :46:55.He will be desperate to get rid of that, because the black does pot to

:46:56. > :47:13.both pockets at the moment. He is in a rush. We have just hit

:47:14. > :47:17.the two Aramark. The last couple of frames have gone a little bit

:47:18. > :47:23.scrappy, but that has just added to the tension, if you like. Before the

:47:24. > :48:03.interval, it was excellent snooker. This time he can play that red that

:48:04. > :48:32.is just above the black. He cued that nicely, he has left

:48:33. > :48:36.himself a nice angle on the black, and he knows now that if he does not

:48:37. > :48:44.make any silly mistakes, he will be one frame away from a place in the

:48:45. > :48:46.third round. You have got to keep your focus and take nothing for

:48:47. > :50:30.granted. Nothing you can do when you're sat

:50:31. > :50:34.in your chair. He did not bother trying to bring the two reds in the

:50:35. > :50:38.middle of the table into play because he does not need them. He

:50:39. > :50:45.can clinch the frame without them. No need to risk a cannon. He has the

:50:46. > :50:49.red that is close to the far left corner. He would like to play

:50:50. > :51:05.another red and leave that as the reserve. He will have to play it

:51:06. > :51:14.now. A red and the brain would put him 60 points in front. Sorry, red

:51:15. > :51:20.and the blue would put him 67 points in front with 68 remaining. It is

:51:21. > :51:36.the brown and one more red to get to the snookers required stage.

:51:37. > :51:44.I think the way he won that last frame, the good, long pink, that he

:51:45. > :51:51.struck perfectly, it seems to have given him his timing back. He has

:51:52. > :52:07.played this break really well. He has never looked in trouble.

:52:08. > :52:19.He just nudged in the reds in. 68 in front. There is only 59 remaining.

:52:20. > :52:25.Just pot the brain. Maybe he is thinking, the chance of a century.

:52:26. > :52:35.He has missed a few blues in the middle. Will Anthony Hamilton decide

:52:36. > :52:43.to play on? Three snookers required. That is if he takes blacks of the

:52:44. > :52:49.reds. There you see it, 68 behind, 59 remaining. He has got to get high

:52:50. > :52:53.value colours if he has got to get high value colours if he's snookers

:52:54. > :53:17.will go to four snookers. He worked to doubt that he could

:53:18. > :53:37.afford the brain, but he is not even on the brain. -- brown. Good pot. 63

:53:38. > :54:13.points behind, 51 remaining. Three snookers to tie.

:54:14. > :54:22.So, in the grand scheme of things, pot this red, pot this black, and

:54:23. > :54:30.try and play snookers of the last red. Stuart will not be too

:54:31. > :54:35.concerned. Hopefully you can get the snooker, get your opponent to miss

:54:36. > :54:43.it, and leave you a free ball. One snooker would be enough. When does

:54:44. > :55:21.it happen? Once in a blue moon. These bowties are getting bigger,

:55:22. > :55:34.aren't they? Very snazzy. Wyatt are used to have one like that. -- Wyatt

:55:35. > :55:42.Earp. He is trying to sneak the cue ball behind the pain, but the red

:55:43. > :56:18.needs to run on. A decent chance missed, just short of pace.

:56:19. > :56:26.If Stuart knocks this end, that will be the end of the frame. Let's see

:56:27. > :56:31.how he cues this? When he potted the pink at the end of the last frame,

:56:32. > :56:38.he cued it smoothly. There was nothing smooth about that. He head

:56:39. > :56:46.right across it. No consistent striking at the moment. In golf, it

:56:47. > :57:05.would have been out of bounds. Anthony still needs three snookers.

:57:06. > :57:20.Where is the red ball going? That is the last thing they wanted. OK, he

:57:21. > :57:40.can part of the black, but now there is no opportunity for free balls.

:57:41. > :57:51.39 behind, 27 remaining. Three or four point snookers, 12 points, and

:57:52. > :58:04.he could tie. Once again, he has missed an

:58:05. > :58:09.opportunity to nestle behind the pink. He will not get out of his

:58:10. > :58:28.seat if Stuart can roll this yellow in.

:58:29. > :58:52.He has left the yellow on. One of these, you would be thinking, I do

:58:53. > :59:00.not want it going in-off, but surely, pot this. No return. He will

:59:01. > :59:07.go on frame away from a place in the third round. His cueing action has

:59:08. > :59:11.been a little bit up and down. Not the consistency we saw at the

:59:12. > :59:19.Crucible earlier run this year. He will be glad to get this match out

:59:20. > :59:22.of the way. He has not won it by any means. Anthony Hamilton has proved

:59:23. > :59:48.that it he gets in around the pink and black, he will score heavily.

:59:49. > :59:57.Well, not close with the pink. Where is the cue ball? It does not matter.

:59:58. > :00:03.Anthony Hamilton really up against it now. The world champion, Stuart

:00:04. > :00:09.Bingham, just one frame away from victory. He leads, 5-2.

:00:10. > :00:14.It is looking good for Stuart and Marco Fu, who has become the first

:00:15. > :00:18.man through to the third round. This is not bring your daughters to work

:00:19. > :00:23.day, but Michael has brought his daughter. It is lovely to see you.

:00:24. > :00:31.You have Roger family and I think that atmosphere is something the

:00:32. > :00:38.guys love. There is a lot of friends and family here. Yes, coming up to

:00:39. > :00:46.Christmas it is a lovely place to be. That's me! Before we start

:00:47. > :00:51.speaking about Disney princesses and things like that, let's talk about

:00:52. > :00:53.your victory. You must have been delighted. Yes, it looked

:00:54. > :00:58.straightforward but I could have lost four of the six frames because

:00:59. > :01:02.I was 50 or 60 points behind for most of the frames and I managed to

:01:03. > :01:06.take some good chances and make some good clearances and took some

:01:07. > :01:11.friends which was quite important. It is a relief for you fellows to

:01:12. > :01:16.get through and now you're down to the last 32. You are one of the

:01:17. > :01:22.first casualties if you years back and it is a hard lesson to have to

:01:23. > :01:27.learn. Very hard because we used to just be seeded through to the last

:01:28. > :01:33.32 and we did it for granted. It is very difficult because all of the

:01:34. > :01:37.players have a chance. Because players have more opportunities to

:01:38. > :01:42.play against top players in big arenas and with the cameras there,

:01:43. > :01:46.so they feel a lot more comfortable now against the top players which

:01:47. > :01:51.makes it very difficult for all of us. Well, you are through and we

:01:52. > :01:54.will see you in the next round. I guess you now have two perform your

:01:55. > :02:11.fatherly duties. Yes. Just having a look. He knows that

:02:12. > :02:23.one more mistaken that could be the end of the UK championship.

:02:24. > :02:29.Going to be difficult to get the cue ball back. The red on the right-hand

:02:30. > :02:37.side, you could do, but we know there is always a the chance of a

:02:38. > :02:49.double-kiss. He has to give this every due care and attention. He

:02:50. > :03:09.avoided the double-kiss. I tell you what, it is not too bad, this. He

:03:10. > :03:18.can clearly cue past the green. Just about got past the baulk line. I

:03:19. > :03:23.tell you what, it is not too bad. I think Anthony can get to this

:03:24. > :03:27.cluster of red just below the pink. But he needs a good cue ball because

:03:28. > :03:38.he is going to be bringing every red into play now.

:03:39. > :03:50.That is not a great cue ball by any means. Only just reached the baulk

:03:51. > :03:55.line, never mind the baulk cushion. I think generally the safety has

:03:56. > :04:02.been brought today. -- has been poorer today. Stuart Bingham has had

:04:03. > :04:16.a look at this rate to the right corner.

:04:17. > :04:22.If he is going to play this with power he has to watch that he

:04:23. > :04:38.doesn't go left of centre if he is going to be screwing the cue ball

:04:39. > :04:43.back. The chance to win the match. He is playing a containing shot. A

:04:44. > :04:56.little surprised at this choice. He normally takes the aggressive play

:04:57. > :04:59.to Stuart. I suppose there are two ways of looking at it. He has got

:05:00. > :05:18.the lead and put the pressure on your opponent to take the risk. Once

:05:19. > :05:37.again, considering he is so close to the reds, to cannon the yellow,

:05:38. > :05:50.unforgivable. There you go. It is a head dropper.

:05:51. > :05:57.You are always going to make that more difficult if you are going to

:05:58. > :06:36.going to try to deep screw and paying it back to the baulk end.

:06:37. > :06:45.Took a little bit of paying it back to the baulk end.

:06:46. > :07:11.Took a little bit of spread. The

:07:12. > :07:15.Took a little bit of Three. What you have got to do here

:07:16. > :07:16.is clear your mind off the scoreboard and forget you are a 5-2

:07:17. > :07:34.behind. Well, he seemed to be in two minds

:07:35. > :07:38.there as to whether to play for the pink or screw back for the pink. He

:07:39. > :07:47.finished in between. I think he played for it into the right middle

:07:48. > :07:57.and just overdid it. Pink is tricky now. The next red is not guaranteed.

:07:58. > :07:58.He is forced to take it on. He knows he has got to take these

:07:59. > :08:19.opportunities. In it goes. Nice double-kiss. He

:08:20. > :08:26.will settle for that. Eight double-kiss off that red there and

:08:27. > :09:01.pull the Dubai -- rule the cue ball into the centre of the table. 11.

:09:02. > :10:26.Just stretching slightly. He would want to get the rest out of the way,

:10:27. > :10:52.with the blue being where it is. Right in the heart of the pocket.

:10:53. > :10:56.Well played. Digging in. The reds that is closest to the left corner,

:10:57. > :11:13.he is considering playing that but the trouble with the reds is that

:11:14. > :11:36.they are admissible. -- missable. He thought that was the only one he

:11:37. > :12:31.could play for. 31. Rolled it in nicely and he has just about got an

:12:32. > :12:51.to the left corner and you have one to the right corner. Still

:12:52. > :12:59.to the left corner and you have one He has got to guide it. 37. Just

:13:00. > :12:59.short He has got to guide it. 37. Just

:13:00. > :13:08.can be. If you are going to be short, the eight

:13:09. > :13:08.can be. If you are going to be going to be very difficult now to

:13:09. > :13:33.force this going to be very difficult now to

:13:34. > :13:39.baulk. Needs to slow up a bit if he is going to have any chance of a

:13:40. > :13:43.pot. Maybe there is one just to the left of the black I think there is a

:13:44. > :13:49.red that is pottable but close to the side cushion. Doesn't make the

:13:50. > :14:17.pot any easier. He is on it, but where does the colour come from? 43.

:14:18. > :14:38.Well, fully committed. Fair play. Just dropped it in dead weight. Left

:14:39. > :14:45.himself on the pink. Now these two reds together on the right-hand

:14:46. > :14:50.side. Screw of the first red and then the second red should take him

:14:51. > :15:05.back up the table for pink or blue. 66 points to target. That is your

:15:06. > :15:12.worst result, finishing so close to cushion. Yeah, and with the way the

:15:13. > :15:14.reds are now there is a bit of pressure is he is going to roll the

:15:15. > :15:29.reds in. He's going to leave this red closest

:15:30. > :15:40.to the left corner, I think. He will run the blue in.

:15:41. > :15:46.He obviously feels he can get through to this red. The only thing,

:15:47. > :15:50.that Green will make it slightly awkward. He has got to be wary of

:15:51. > :16:09.the green underneath the cue. That is almost back to where it was

:16:10. > :16:15.before, but this time, it he cannot just roll the blue in. He will have

:16:16. > :16:23.to play that role pink which Stephen did not like the look of, and

:16:24. > :16:30.neither would I. You would think this is frame ball.

:16:31. > :16:39.Yes, he played it nicely. He has taken those well. When he came to

:16:40. > :16:46.the table, it certainly did not look like an easy chance to win the frame

:16:47. > :16:49.in one visit. Having done it, you would fancy him to go on and maybe

:16:50. > :17:16.make his second century of the match.

:17:17. > :17:22.That just confirms that Stuart Bingham will not be coming back to

:17:23. > :18:30.the table. There you see it, 69 ahead, 59 remaining.

:18:31. > :18:36.That is the only question now, the frame well and truly in the bag, can

:18:37. > :18:45.he make his second century of the match?

:18:46. > :18:52.There is every chance he can. He has got to drop the pink end and leave

:18:53. > :18:55.the cue ball close to the top cushion. He will be able to get past

:18:56. > :19:41.the black for the last red. He made his 248 career century. That

:19:42. > :19:52.was in the second frame of this match. This for 249 career

:19:53. > :19:59.centuries. What a pity. What a pity. Never mind, job done. He is going to

:20:00. > :20:08.make Stuart Bingham fight hard for this victory. Now he is two frames

:20:09. > :20:12.behind. 135 and the 98 from Anthony

:20:13. > :20:16.Hamilton. He has not lost that cue action. He will have to watch that

:20:17. > :20:22.one on the red button or online on the BBC sport website. We are just

:20:23. > :20:25.about to end the first of our transmissions, but we can quickly

:20:26. > :20:29.have a look at John Higgins, who looks like he is almost over the

:20:30. > :20:39.line in his match. Let's join Willie and Dennis.

:20:40. > :20:46.That nearly popped out again because he had to hit it at that pace to get

:20:47. > :20:52.on the right side of the blue. It looks like the end now for Tian

:20:53. > :20:57.Pengfei. It looks like it is a comfortable win for John, 6-2, but

:20:58. > :21:03.there were a few frames that Tian Pengfei could have won. Absolutely.

:21:04. > :21:07.We talked about it in between frames, the fact that he has got to

:21:08. > :21:15.sharpen up a little bit in his safety play, but he looks very

:21:16. > :21:23.capable in all departments. He could have easily won at least two more

:21:24. > :21:32.frames of this. Can he finish with the century?

:21:33. > :21:37.Yes, banning the opening frame for year looked edgy and Mr couple of

:21:38. > :21:48.easy chances, everything else has been pretty good. 63, 96, 55, pretty

:21:49. > :21:52.solid stuff. I have not seen anything apart from that first frame

:21:53. > :21:58.that gave me the impression that he is not one of the favourites to win

:21:59. > :22:05.this tournament. What a feather in his camp -- what a feather in his

:22:06. > :22:12.cap it would be if he could win the UK Championship, the second major,

:22:13. > :22:16.at more than 40 years of age. Generous odds for him, 12-1, but I

:22:17. > :22:24.think they were even higher before the tournament started. He will take

:22:25. > :22:36.some bit of beating on this form. He is safely through this match. If he

:22:37. > :22:42.can make one more century, he will be in the 600 century club. There

:22:43. > :22:48.are very few players in that. O'Sullivan, Stephen Hendry. I cannot

:22:49. > :22:53.think of any others off the top of my head. No.

:22:54. > :23:03.Absolutely superb. John Higgins completes the match with 103. His

:23:04. > :23:10.second century in the match taking him into the second round. He went

:23:11. > :23:15.6-2. A good victory for John today. He is only conceded three frames in

:23:16. > :23:20.two matches. This is the situation in the other matches. Jack lives of

:23:21. > :23:28.ski, the 24-year-old, has come from 5-2 down to win that one and send

:23:29. > :23:35.the former world champion home. Martin Gould is also over the line

:23:36. > :23:41.against Gary Wilson. Liang Wengbo is in a similar situation. Lots going

:23:42. > :23:47.on. I hope you will join us this evening. 11:40pm for highlights

:23:48. > :23:52.programme. We have Shaun Murphy on parade. And Joe Perry, we met him

:23:53. > :23:57.and his daughter earlier run. That is it from our opening transmission

:23:58. > :24:00.at this year's UK Championship. We will see you much later tonight and

:24:01. > :24:01.thank you for your company.