Semi-Final: Neil Robertson v Mark Selby

:00:32. > :00:40.Hello. It has already been a marathon day in York. After seeing

:00:41. > :00:42.the first summit final in this year's Betway UK Championship finish

:00:43. > :00:49.only about half an hour ago after a 1 PM start, it was China's you when

:00:50. > :00:56.both who eventually after a gruelling and fascinating match had

:00:57. > :00:59.the better of the game over David Grace. Liang becomes only the third

:01:00. > :01:04.Asian player to make it through to the final. This evening's contest in

:01:05. > :01:09.which we will find out who he will face tomorrow could be different. It

:01:10. > :01:16.features two of snooker's greatest players of the moment, indeed, other

:01:17. > :01:18.any time. Neil Robertson Australia and Mark Selby. Boat owners of the

:01:19. > :01:24.snooker triple Crown of world, Masters and UK champions. They run

:01:25. > :01:38.into each other at the business end of every one of snooker's big three.

:01:39. > :01:48.# I'm a fire # I'm the dark in need of flight

:01:49. > :01:54.# When we touch, you inspire # Feel the change in me tonight

:01:55. > :01:58.# Our hearts alight # Firestorm

:01:59. > :02:03.# When they strike, we feel the love #

:02:04. > :02:10.Sparks will fly # When they strike we light of the

:02:11. > :02:13.world # # It would be fair to say Neil

:02:14. > :02:18.Robertson has been the inform player this week.

:02:19. > :02:20.He's had seven centuries but a tough passage as well, particularly

:02:21. > :02:28.against John Higgins, fantastic match, 6-5. Have both had scares.

:02:29. > :02:32.Yes, Mark Selby could have gone out to Damian Jones. Mark Selby has

:02:33. > :02:37.improved a lot since that match. Neil Robertson has been in imperious

:02:38. > :02:41.form. If you are going to make the case for Neil Robertson to win the

:02:42. > :02:45.match, go ahead. He's scoring a lot more healthily than Mark Selby at

:02:46. > :02:48.this moment in time, and that may be the difference. They are both such

:02:49. > :02:52.good match players, they have great all-round game all around the table,

:02:53. > :02:58.great safety players and when they get in they pounce. What will Mark

:02:59. > :03:01.Selby have to do to win? He's got to believe in himself and have a lot

:03:02. > :03:06.more confidence than he has shown so far in this tournament but he has

:03:07. > :03:09.the ability, he is world number one. Neal will have to drag him off the

:03:10. > :03:13.table. Will always say that about Mark Selby, you have to drag him off

:03:14. > :03:18.the table. He never knows when he's beaten and that's a great attribute

:03:19. > :03:23.to have. If I asked you to put yourself not on the fence, who is

:03:24. > :03:26.going to win this match? It's very difficult. They are two of the best

:03:27. > :03:31.players in the world. Just tell me, just one player. They are both

:03:32. > :03:34.playing great snooker. I'll tell you what I will do, this is fair, it is

:03:35. > :03:39.going to go very close. CHUCKLES

:03:40. > :03:45.Let's get a clue from the players and then.

:03:46. > :03:50.I'm highly confident going into the semifinal, it's going to be tough,

:03:51. > :03:58.Neal is playing the best in the tournament so far so I need to bring

:03:59. > :04:01.me a game. You know with Mark he's going to stick in there no matter

:04:02. > :04:07.how well or badly he's playing. He'll never give in. He's one of the

:04:08. > :04:12.game's greatest players. I don't think Neal has any weaknesses, great

:04:13. > :04:17.long potter, scorer, all-round game is really good, just a really tough

:04:18. > :04:22.match. We have played each other lots of times in big matches over

:04:23. > :04:30.the last two or three seasons. They are always tough matches and well

:04:31. > :04:34.fought. I've played quite well in this tournament, so it's not a bad

:04:35. > :04:39.time to be peaking at this tournament and the Masters around

:04:40. > :04:45.the corner. Now it's about trying to add more trophies to the

:04:46. > :04:49.collection. My hunger for success is as strong as ever. I just need to

:04:50. > :04:54.keep trying to do everything I can to win these tournaments. As it

:04:55. > :04:58.stands Selvie has the edge in their previous contests six - five.

:04:59. > :05:03.Robertson beat the English man in York in this UK final two years ago

:05:04. > :05:08.but Selby has wand their two most recent contests since, including

:05:09. > :05:12.that brilliant late-night Crucible semifinal last year. I think we know

:05:13. > :05:16.what we are in for this year. Dennis Taylor and John Virgo do. You've

:05:17. > :05:22.been in this commentary box for six hours, how are you bearing up? I'm

:05:23. > :05:27.feeling good, I've had a nice cuppa tea and a lie down and I really

:05:28. > :05:32.enjoyed this afternoon. Many people did. John, it will be a different

:05:33. > :05:37.type of contest, what is the key for both players tonight? Neil Robertson

:05:38. > :05:41.is probably showing better form than anybody in the game at the moment so

:05:42. > :05:44.Mark Selby will have to cope with that. Ever since getting through

:05:45. > :05:48.that scare with Jamie Jones Mark Selby has upped his game and he is

:05:49. > :05:55.cueing a lot better. The key as usual is get your chances and take

:05:56. > :05:59.them. I think both players tonight will know whoever wins this, and it

:06:00. > :06:04.does have the feel of a final, is going to going to tomorrow odds-on

:06:05. > :06:06.favourite for the title. Yes, you would have to say that and I'm going

:06:07. > :06:18.to stick with Neil Robertson. Although you can never right off, he

:06:19. > :06:23.made three Sentry bakes, 69 and 66 and he lost, how often would that

:06:24. > :06:26.happen -- century breaks. Neil Robertson has destroyed two Scottish

:06:27. > :06:33.players. Can he do it against any display? That's the question. It's a

:06:34. > :06:39.special evening in York and the crowd are ready for the

:06:40. > :06:44.introductions. Over to Rob Walker. This is the last session of snooker

:06:45. > :06:47.before tomorrow's Betway UK Championship final. We promise this

:06:48. > :06:54.will have been worth waiting for. They have both won it again but only

:06:55. > :06:58.one can advance to night. Ladies and gentlemen, this is going to be

:06:59. > :07:15.absolutely epic. It's showtime once again here at the Barbican.

:07:16. > :07:23.Please welcome a player who has been simply sensational since his arrival

:07:24. > :07:30.from Australia just over a decade ago. Winner of 11 ranking event

:07:31. > :07:34.titles, including last month's Champion of Champions. The 2013

:07:35. > :07:37.winner here survived a steering comeback from John Higgins

:07:38. > :07:44.yesterday. He's once again poised and once again ready, so can you

:07:45. > :07:48.hear the Thunder from Down Under? Here is Neil Robertson.

:07:49. > :08:28.And his opponent, a player who never knows when he's beaten. UK champion

:08:29. > :08:32.here in 2012, he completed snooker's triple Crown winning the

:08:33. > :08:36.world title in fine style last year. He has a mental strength almost

:08:37. > :08:37.unparalleled in the modern game, he is the world number one, the Jester

:08:38. > :09:29.from Leicester, Mark Selby! COMMENTATOR: What a match we are in

:09:30. > :09:34.for this evening. Absolutely incredible the way these two players

:09:35. > :09:41.have played over the years. It is tough to pick a winner.

:09:42. > :09:59.REFEREE: Thank you, the first frame, Mark Selby.

:10:00. > :10:16.Mark gets this opening frame and away. -- underway. I tell you what,

:10:17. > :10:18.it was a tremendous reception both players got, Dennis. Great

:10:19. > :10:27.atmosphere here tonight in the Barbican.

:10:28. > :10:42.Just a little short of pace with that safety. Yes, we have two of the

:10:43. > :10:45.game's rate break-builders but they are both tactical players as well.

:10:46. > :10:58.It's going to be fascinating to see who makes the mistakes, and how.

:10:59. > :11:03.As I mentioned to Hazel, that match against John Higgins was very

:11:04. > :11:09.special. Mark Selby had a comfortable 6-1 win against Matthew

:11:10. > :11:14.Selt who could have won at least a couple of the frames. But Neil

:11:15. > :11:21.Robertson, John Major three Sentry breaks and two 60 plus breaks, what

:11:22. > :11:31.a wind that was for Neal. -- John made three century breaks. He had

:11:32. > :11:35.his hand on the table but he did not fancy a pot. He has not played the

:11:36. > :11:42.safety very well. He played it much too thin. Such a high standard this

:11:43. > :11:47.week from Neil Robertson, you wonder whether he can keep it up. Because,

:11:48. > :12:03.had together the against Stephen Maguire, it was as good a snooker as

:12:04. > :12:07.you have ever seen. Yes, I remember Stephen Maguire coming to the table

:12:08. > :12:14.to shake his hand. He had a big smile on his face as if to say, I

:12:15. > :12:17.could not do anything about that. Stephen Sutton off with a century

:12:18. > :12:28.break and never got a look at anything after that. Not the best

:12:29. > :12:33.safety once again. The reds are nicely spread. You would be looking

:12:34. > :12:41.to get in behind that green if you possibly could. It was a bit wide

:12:42. > :12:42.but as long as he doesn't kiss the brown it looks like a good length,

:12:43. > :12:57.and it is a good shot. Just looking to see if he landed on

:12:58. > :13:02.the red near the right corner, would he leave anything to the opposite

:13:03. > :13:09.pocket? But I think it is all pretty safe, so I think he may elect to do

:13:10. > :13:14.that. That's the shot available to him. He's having a look. There does

:13:15. > :13:20.not seem to be an escape route, so that might be the only thing he can

:13:21. > :13:24.play. Following your line, he'd like to get in behind it, if he doesn't

:13:25. > :13:31.he could possibly leave the red to the middle or the one close to the

:13:32. > :13:32.pink. He judged that to perfection, he could not have played it any

:13:33. > :14:16.better. If Mark can get past the brown there

:14:17. > :14:27.is a possible cut on to the right corner. OK, it is a thin one. If he

:14:28. > :14:31.hit it reasonably thin enough the cue-balled would have a path back to

:14:32. > :14:41.the baulk end. It looks like he can get past the brown. -- the cue

:14:42. > :14:44.ball. Almost a guide to the potting angle. You don't want to hit it too

:14:45. > :14:58.thick. Well played. He needs a good bounce,

:14:59. > :15:46.or a good flick on the green to get on a colour, and he's got one.

:15:47. > :15:56.You could not cue of all much better than that, right in the heart of the

:15:57. > :16:02.pocket, cued it beautifully. It's always nice to get a good start, get

:16:03. > :16:06.your hand on the table early. Some players don't like to look at the

:16:07. > :16:13.table. Look at Neal looking over Mark's shoulder to see if he's going

:16:14. > :16:23.to pot the brown. As you say, although the black is tied up, it's

:16:24. > :17:21.a good chance with the wave the reds I hit -- the way the reds are here.

:17:22. > :17:26.I would not think he will be too concerned at the moment about trying

:17:27. > :17:35.to get the black back into play, he can concentrate on the pink that is

:17:36. > :18:36.available to both centre, and to the corner.

:18:37. > :18:44.Over these players will love the atmosphere here. Down to one table,

:18:45. > :18:54.no distractions from another table. They have all the crowd around them.

:18:55. > :18:59.And there you can see it. The boys this afternoon, their first time in

:19:00. > :19:03.a major semifinal, Liang Wenbo and David Grace, in the first frame they

:19:04. > :19:06.could hardly pot a ball they were so nervous. But these boys are used to

:19:07. > :19:17.the big arenas. We might see quite a few frames in

:19:18. > :19:37.this semifinal won with one visit. So there you see it, 51 ahead, 83

:19:38. > :19:49.remaining. He will possibly need three of the remaining reds. This is

:19:50. > :19:54.the last of the easy ones to get on. He got a bounce off the caution

:19:55. > :19:57.there, and he stands there in disgust. He thought he had hit it

:19:58. > :20:06.well, and he came off the cushion very quick. A lot quicker than

:20:07. > :20:11.anticipated. The only consolation is he has got it up into the corner.

:20:12. > :20:21.But it would have been much easier than this. It's amazing, that bounce

:20:22. > :20:33.off the cushion spoiled Mark from clinching the frame. I still fancied

:20:34. > :20:36.him to knock that one in but I think the disappointment from the bounce

:20:37. > :20:44.off the cushion partly caused that miss. Neil Callan pot the red

:20:45. > :20:49.closest to the cue ball. I'm not sure how much he can do with the

:20:50. > :20:53.white. He has checked to see if there is a possibility of getting

:20:54. > :20:59.through to the black. Can he see enough of the black? If he rolls the

:21:00. > :21:05.red he is closest to and just cannons the second red, will he be

:21:06. > :21:13.able to pot the black? It is certainly going to be tight.

:21:14. > :21:21.He thinks he can. He'd know better from time the shot than we would

:21:22. > :21:49.from our commentary position. It just begs a little question, OK,

:21:50. > :21:55.I know Mark Selby was concentrating on the pink when he was in, but

:21:56. > :21:57.perhaps he could have, for the black. It seems to have gone in

:21:58. > :22:16.quite comfortably. It is a big ask to win the frame at

:22:17. > :22:18.this visit. The most awkward red is the one near the right centre

:22:19. > :22:47.pocket. You can see the referee having a

:22:48. > :23:06.long hard look at that red to make sure he did not foul it.

:23:07. > :23:12.These top players thrive on a situation like this, where it looked

:23:13. > :23:16.like they had almost lost a frame and they get a chance and a

:23:17. > :23:21.reprieve, and the number of times they clear up. It is so difficult

:23:22. > :23:24.from here. Now that he has finished a bit straight it is a bit more

:23:25. > :23:29.difficult. But they do it so many times. It was a careless shot off

:23:30. > :23:42.the black that left him without much angle and trying to force this, it

:23:43. > :23:47.is missable. He can still pot the black. He had a quick glance at the

:23:48. > :23:50.scoreboard, 27 behind and 43 remaining. He does not have to go

:23:51. > :24:32.for the pot. He was keen to cover the red on the

:24:33. > :24:37.left-hand side of the table, as we look. That would have left a potting

:24:38. > :24:43.opportunity for Mark. And of course, this was the awkward red. Would like

:24:44. > :25:29.to move it away from the cushion. He could get a snooker because of

:25:30. > :25:32.the yellow, green and brown as they are. If he can get the red back-up

:25:33. > :25:44.there is every chance he could get that snooker. He had a quick look,

:25:45. > :25:52.Neal, before heading back to his seat. That is what he was looking

:25:53. > :26:08.at. Good knowledge there. The tap on the table from Mark Selby.

:26:09. > :26:17.Delicate little swerve, just to fit off the red. I think he got too much

:26:18. > :26:21.on it. And he may be able to get through to the red over the pocket.

:26:22. > :26:28.That was a very tough shot he took on. He had to be so precise.

:26:29. > :26:38.He got too much on it, didn't he, John? He just wanted to flick off

:26:39. > :26:43.the reds. I think he would have liked to play off the side cushion

:26:44. > :26:49.and hit one of those reds full in the face. But it was being blocked.

:26:50. > :26:55.Here is Neil Robertson at the table again. A little bit easier than it

:26:56. > :27:02.was on his last attempt to pinch the frame. Although it looks as though

:27:03. > :27:08.he's come a little straight on the black forced up he may elect to play

:27:09. > :27:14.the pink. Being a left-hander the red is quite comfortable. He's just

:27:15. > :27:16.a bit straight. The pink is the better one to get on the last red

:27:17. > :28:07.that he will need. Just the black to leave Mark needing

:28:08. > :28:12.a snooker. I am looking at the scores the wrong way round at the

:28:13. > :28:24.moment. It is needed that is coming from behind. Six hours this

:28:25. > :28:29.afternoon. Understandable. The yellow is a much easier ball to get

:28:30. > :28:45.position on for a left-hander than a right-hander. So much margin of

:28:46. > :28:58.error. He couldn't play the best of the yellow, so the green is

:28:59. > :29:20.definitely admissible. Terrific. Terrific. Just blue and pink needed

:29:21. > :29:26.now. Mark looked as if he was going to take the frame and that quick

:29:27. > :29:37.bounce of the cushion and he has a kick there. Neil has a heavy contact

:29:38. > :29:42.there. He only needs the pink. Look at that. The White took off there.

:29:43. > :29:54.He doesn't have to get onto the black, so just make sure the pink to

:29:55. > :30:00.pinch this opening frame. Oh. Only just in the pocket. Mark Selby. They

:30:01. > :30:05.look at each other and have a smile. Mark Selby was on lucky with the 52

:30:06. > :30:11.break. Neil Robertson will be delighted. He leads 1-0. That sends

:30:12. > :30:18.a message to Mark Selby, does it not? Just have a look at this yellow

:30:19. > :30:22.that Neil Robertson plays. We were watching it. He could have been

:30:23. > :30:26.forgiven for getting on the green easier and he could have run through

:30:27. > :30:33.to get straight on the green in the middle pocket. He said immediately,

:30:34. > :30:38.he is so confident. Just watch the way he plays this. He is trying to

:30:39. > :30:42.get the cover on the blue-chip humus. It is clever. Right in the

:30:43. > :30:48.heart of the pocket. And nothing on the table is not safe. Has the

:30:49. > :30:55.patent been established? Big break after big break? Possibly. I think

:30:56. > :31:00.there will be a stealing of frames. Had the pink bean missed week would

:31:01. > :31:12.be talking differently. It is brisk business. Into frame to we go. That

:31:13. > :31:20.was an excellent first frame. Mark Selby will be feeling a little bit

:31:21. > :31:47.aggrieved. Neil Robertson cleared it really well. He smiled because need

:31:48. > :32:01.turned around and give him the look. Nice to see that though, great

:32:02. > :32:05.sportsmanship. Talking about great sportsmanship, just before we came

:32:06. > :32:10.into the commentary box, David Grace was getting his stuff together to

:32:11. > :32:15.leave and what a gentleman he is. He has had such a good UK Championship

:32:16. > :32:23.will stop delighted for him. I hope to see a lot more of David. A lovely

:32:24. > :32:29.lad. Just sad the way he went out, really. The pinky missed in the

:32:30. > :32:32.middle will haunt him for quite a while to come, I would imagine. You

:32:33. > :33:22.have two put it behind you. We have all missed them. You always feel

:33:23. > :33:27.there is a little bit of fortune with that shot because the player is

:33:28. > :33:32.trying to get the cue ball tied to the cushion. He had at that a little

:33:33. > :34:12.bit thinner than he wanted. He finished up getting a snooker out of

:34:13. > :34:16.it. Nicely negotiated. He hadn't got the angle there to get a snooker

:34:17. > :34:26.behind the green. He just had to make sure it was close to the

:34:27. > :34:35.cushion. Mark can get behind the colours now on his way back down. He

:34:36. > :34:39.is going to find the gap though. Is there a path through to the red to

:34:40. > :34:43.the left corner because the black is waiting for the red corner. No, he

:34:44. > :34:48.cannot see enough of that one. He might be able to park the other one.

:34:49. > :35:03.He will have defined the gap between the red and black if the path is

:35:04. > :35:25.this. -- pots this. He really is devastating at that type of shot.

:35:26. > :35:29.Never easy to really get tied behind is the green ball there and he has

:35:30. > :35:33.left a path toward the red near the top cushion. The problem is with

:35:34. > :35:38.this type of shot, if you did not catch it really then, chances are

:35:39. > :35:43.the red will go back up the table with the cue ball. This is one of

:35:44. > :36:01.the hardest safety shot you can play. Is there a gap between yellow

:36:02. > :36:12.and blue to play another red? Looks as though there is. Even though the

:36:13. > :36:17.court that a little bit too thick, it was a lot easier safety of blood

:36:18. > :36:30.red than the one tied to the top cushion. The black has come to the

:36:31. > :36:36.rescue to red from the left corner. Let's have a look. Look for the

:36:37. > :36:58.black is when it finishes. It blocks the path for that is near the left

:36:59. > :37:08.corner. I can't see a straight forward path back. It shows you it

:37:09. > :37:13.was not the best shot from Mark Selby. It has put Neil Robertson in

:37:14. > :37:23.trouble none the less. He might have two played the deep screw shot to

:37:24. > :37:26.get the ball back. You are never absolutely sure or at the ball is

:37:27. > :37:29.going when you plate that deep screw shot. There is no problem with the

:37:30. > :37:54.cube power. -- where that ball. It is not bad because the one that

:37:55. > :38:03.is near the left corner pocket looks to be dead straight. Might have a

:38:04. > :38:10.slight angle with it. Must be the way he is cueing it. Not much of an

:38:11. > :38:15.angle there. That was tough. Where are they going to finish this time?

:38:16. > :38:24.Where is this red go on? If he covers this with the blue he has had

:38:25. > :38:58.a result. Well, he hasn't covered it, but it is a pretty good outcome

:38:59. > :39:10.there. Once he took this on and missed it the polls could have

:39:11. > :39:23.finished up anywhere. -- the balls. The yellow is a slight distraction.

:39:24. > :39:28.Felt forced into it. That was always going to be a difficult shot. You

:39:29. > :39:32.are concerned about fouling the yellow when you push the cue

:39:33. > :39:42.through. Here is a chance now for Mark. That would have been a minor

:39:43. > :40:01.distraction and it caused him to miss the red. Good solid pot. It is

:40:02. > :40:08.not the best table with the blue of it spot and out of commission. I am

:40:09. > :40:14.not certain about the availability of the pink. I would suggest that at

:40:15. > :40:23.the first chance he gets Mark will try to get position on the black and

:40:24. > :40:30.get that on its spot. The pink may just be available into the right

:40:31. > :40:34.corner. He has a nice angle on this red, I think. He is just wondering

:40:35. > :40:42.where to put the bridge hand. This site or over of the blue? This is a

:40:43. > :41:00.new one. An extension on for a shot like this? He must practice those. A

:41:01. > :41:11.lot of distance between the bridge hand and the cue ball there. I have

:41:12. > :41:18.not seen many people put an extension on for that type of shot

:41:19. > :41:23.though. He just didn't get the right angle on the back, so he is playing

:41:24. > :41:33.the bank. The question is where does the pink go when it is re-spotted.

:41:34. > :42:06.That is OK. He can play for the blackmail. -- play for the black.

:42:07. > :42:26.This is a decent chance. He had 52 in the opening frame and finished up

:42:27. > :42:30.losing that. You could see the little chalk mark their next to the

:42:31. > :42:43.cue ball. That is when you play a screw shot. It leaves a little trail

:42:44. > :43:02.of chocolate. -- chalk there. A couple more reds are available for

:43:03. > :43:06.Mark. A little disappointed. He wanted that cue ball to be against

:43:07. > :43:13.the side cushion here. I think you can just about make the angle. He

:43:14. > :43:22.didn't want to be using the long rest and the extension. You don't

:43:23. > :43:45.expect him to miss it, but it can just affect perfect position on the

:43:46. > :43:50.pink. He has played it well. Only one more this red, so he may go into

:43:51. > :44:09.the bunch here. It is imperative he comes out nice on the bank. He has

:44:10. > :44:14.done. What has he done there? He will need a plant to come to his

:44:15. > :44:18.rescue. He felt he could nudge one out of the way, rather than go into

:44:19. > :44:25.them, but maybe he can make the plant which, if it is on, it has got

:44:26. > :44:32.out of trouble here. The last shot did not work out he intended. It

:44:33. > :44:43.makes me think that maybe those two reds, that is where he is playing

:44:44. > :44:48.for the plant. He got the plant, but misjudged the line of the cue ball.

:44:49. > :45:26.Kissing the black fruit in the face was not advantageous. -- food in the

:45:27. > :45:30.face. Did he develop the plant or was it there? I thought there was a

:45:31. > :45:35.chance of a planned. Why else would he try to not play the cannon?

:45:36. > :45:39.Anyway, the point is he has pulled out a good black there. Now, one

:45:40. > :46:13.good shot and he will be back in prime position. Has he covered them

:46:14. > :46:18.again? He is looking anxiously. If he has covered that one, which it

:46:19. > :46:23.looks as if he has, this is a similar scenario to the opening

:46:24. > :46:44.frame when he made the 52 break and finished up losing it. He is on 55

:46:45. > :46:49.at the moment. It turned out that the cue ball ran through. He will be

:46:50. > :46:55.disappointed not to win the frame at this visit. Especially as there must

:46:56. > :47:07.suggested about what happened in the first frame. He doesn't want that to

:47:08. > :47:28.happen again. There is no pop on because he is looking for the

:47:29. > :47:35.safety. -- pot on. Not bad but not great. Couldn't agree more. You need

:47:36. > :47:52.to get the white on the cushion rather than the baulk line when you

:47:53. > :47:57.have got need wide, and behind you. The two reds at the left side of the

:47:58. > :48:06.table, I am sure he can get through to the right-hand one. He is looking

:48:07. > :48:29.at one to the right corner, he is looking at the one to the left

:48:30. > :48:40.corner. He has got to get this. Brilliant. Absolutely terrific shot.

:48:41. > :48:53.Will history repeat itself in this frame? A superb pot. Good control of

:48:54. > :48:58.the cue ball. A very strange choice of safety from Mark Selby when he

:48:59. > :49:03.ran out of position. You have got to find the cushion with Neil

:49:04. > :49:07.Robertson, you cannot leave it, you are asking for trouble. He seems to

:49:08. > :49:15.be concerned about where the pink will go when it is re-spotted. Is it

:49:16. > :49:22.going to tie up one of these reds? He has played the cannon perfectly.

:49:23. > :49:33.What happens to the bank? No, it doesn't affect much. Still

:49:34. > :49:44.available. I think he can just get through to it. He has got another

:49:45. > :49:52.red. A quick glance at the scoreboard. 47 points behind, but 67

:49:53. > :50:00.remaining. Plenty of points to play with. The blue, which would usually

:50:01. > :50:07.be the awkward ball is not too bad for a left-hander. He would love to

:50:08. > :50:11.take the red next to the pink, but he will have two plate wanted in

:50:12. > :50:22.middle and grew up for a collar and then back up table again. -- will

:50:23. > :50:34.half to play. It just means he has lost close control, but one good

:50:35. > :50:40.shot will get him back there. I do not know whether he has an angle to

:50:41. > :50:46.pot this and nudge the pink and red, not quite. In an ideal world he

:50:47. > :50:57.would like to have been straight on this red and there would be no

:50:58. > :51:03.problem to play for the black. Leaving the black into the middle.

:51:04. > :51:16.Play for the red near the top cushion now. He just needs a little

:51:17. > :51:23.bounce. He has got it. Mark Selby will be sitting in his seat

:51:24. > :51:35.wondering whether it is deja vu. , first with a 52 break in the opening

:51:36. > :51:42.frame, lost it, 55 in this. May not be enough. He has looked long and

:51:43. > :51:46.hard at the red next to the pink to see if it would pot into the

:51:47. > :52:02.opposite corner. We will find out shortly. He will have another close

:52:03. > :52:13.look at this. I can just see enough of it. The perfect angle to drop in

:52:14. > :52:26.behind this last red. He can leave it for the middle order for the

:52:27. > :52:31.corner. -- or for the corner. As you said, that blue will be the cue ball

:52:32. > :52:53.and being a left-hander, it is the correct side of the table for me if

:52:54. > :53:01.he can get that far. -- for need. Played it nicely. The perfect angle

:53:02. > :53:07.on the pink year. Just enough to side cushion. He could get in a

:53:08. > :53:28.position on the green where he could move the blue away from the side

:53:29. > :53:33.cushion, depends how he sees it. He will be thinking a cue shots ahead.

:53:34. > :53:36.If he can get on the brown in such a way that he can drop into the middle

:53:37. > :53:42.of the circle he would be perfectly on the blue, being a left-hander and

:53:43. > :53:54.he could screw back up for the pink. I am sure that is what his plan will

:53:55. > :54:07.be. What sort of angle has he got on the brown? Yes. I think he can run

:54:08. > :54:18.it through and come back over. Somewhere in the middle of that

:54:19. > :54:29.would be perfect. That is good. He is closer to it. It has bounced a

:54:30. > :54:32.little further than he wanted. Four points behind. He checks the

:54:33. > :54:52.scoreboard. He needs the three remaining colours. He is quite a

:54:53. > :54:58.tall lad, so he can stretch round. Just overstretched a little bit

:54:59. > :55:03.there. He is not perfect on this link. The pink will put seven points

:55:04. > :55:09.in front. Of course, there will still seven remaining, so good

:55:10. > :55:19.during the year. Has he got the angle to roll this pink in, Ms

:55:20. > :55:24.Buchanan on the back? -- miss the cannon? Wonderful. He didn't miss

:55:25. > :55:45.the cannon. This is tricky. This is tricky. Rose it in. It gives it

:55:46. > :55:49.every chance. Once again, Mark Selby on the wrong end of it. Great

:55:50. > :56:01.clearance at 68 from Neil Robertson. Mark Selby must feel he's been

:56:02. > :56:05.mugged twice in this match. I'm sure you are fascinated by what is going

:56:06. > :56:10.on. If you fancy getting in touch, it's the usual channels, the guys

:56:11. > :56:16.are waiting for your comments and questions. Back to the job in hand.

:56:17. > :56:20.Ken Neil Robertson pushing the message home. Unbelievable

:56:21. > :56:23.clearance, Mark Selby will be dumbfounded and not know what hit

:56:24. > :56:27.him because he should have won those two frames. Neil Robertson

:56:28. > :56:35.absolutely mugged him. What a clearance and first initial pot to

:56:36. > :56:38.get in, still a lot of work to do, great pink off the side push and

:56:39. > :56:44.what about the bottle to drop it in-off the black as well, superb.

:56:45. > :56:50.Yes. When a great player like Ronnie O'Sullivan or John Higgins is in

:56:51. > :56:55.full flow their judgment of weight for the positional shot is

:56:56. > :56:58.absolutely spot on all the time and that's what Neil Robertson is doing,

:56:59. > :57:04.it's not just the clean potting, he's nailed on the next ball all the

:57:05. > :57:12.time. Rakes of 52 and 55 from Mark Selby and nothing to show for it so

:57:13. > :57:17.far. -- breaks of 52. COMMENTATOR: The pot success rate is 94% from

:57:18. > :57:25.Mark Selby and 97% from Neil Robertson.

:57:26. > :57:36.What a shot. What an unbelievable pot. That is a player who is

:57:37. > :57:38.thinking clearly, because if he misses that he would leave Mark

:57:39. > :57:47.Selby in and look what he would have left. I tell you what, that shot,

:57:48. > :57:53.what about the cueing on that? It is remarkable. In our conversation with

:57:54. > :58:00.Hazel just before the start of the match, you wondered, as Mark Selby

:58:01. > :58:06.has got better as the tournament has gone on but Neil Robertson has been

:58:07. > :58:12.playing superb snooker since his match against Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and

:58:13. > :58:16.his 145 and you think, can he keep doing it? The last frame was a

:58:17. > :58:19.wonderful clearance without opening red. I think he can keep doing it.

:58:20. > :58:54.Superb snooker. That was a pretty good effort. If

:58:55. > :58:59.anything he got too much action on it. Watch this, it was never going

:59:00. > :59:05.to stick in the bunch. Maybe it just caught the wrong red. Still a bit

:59:06. > :59:13.unlucky to finish up where he did. If you were directly behind it that

:59:14. > :59:17.might be a comfortable pot. A lot of the top players in the game think

:59:18. > :59:23.that this Australian is the greatest potter the game has ever seen. They

:59:24. > :59:32.are not far wrong. He really is something special.

:59:33. > :59:47.It was very tight. I thought from where he was it would be very

:59:48. > :59:58.difficult, but have a look at the outcome here. It's like one of your

:59:59. > :00:02.trick shots JV. Has again been any different? When you are playing at

:00:03. > :00:14.the top of your form you always seem to get the rub. That fluke has put

:00:15. > :00:19.him up to 90 B -- 98% pot successful stock the only thing is that he has

:00:20. > :00:23.not finished on the pink. He cannot get through to that. That would have

:00:24. > :00:28.been unbelievable if he had finished on the pink and cleared up after

:00:29. > :00:32.that unbelievable fluke. Ibis are priced if he didn't take their

:00:33. > :00:41.colour on here. As you say, tremendous potter. Well, he can't

:00:42. > :00:47.pot them all. Where is the cue ball going to finish? Mark Selby looking

:00:48. > :00:53.for an easy starter. I think he's got one. Well, I say easy starter,

:00:54. > :00:58.if that cube all were not so close to the side cushion. He might be to

:00:59. > :01:00.drop one into the middle behind the pink, maybe the one closest to the

:01:01. > :01:16.cue ball, this goes. Good shot. He's under a bit of

:01:17. > :01:22.pressure now. He made breaks of 52 in the first and 55 in the second

:01:23. > :01:26.and has nothing to show for it. He knows he's playing a man at the top

:01:27. > :01:30.of his game. When he gets opportunities like this he's got to

:01:31. > :01:34.make the most of them, his clock and put them this appointment of the

:01:35. > :01:41.first two frames behind him and concentrate -- he's got to put the

:01:42. > :01:59.disappointment of the first two frames behind him.

:02:00. > :02:14.They just need a little bit of sorting out here at the moment.

:02:15. > :02:23.Very well controlled. He judged the cannon perfectly and getting the

:02:24. > :02:30.pink back on its spot certainly opens the game up. He needs at least

:02:31. > :02:37.a 70 Break rather than a 50 break here, you feel. Yes and I just

:02:38. > :02:42.wonder if the red just below and to the left of the black, if it is

:02:43. > :02:49.available to the corner this is a great chance. It is. Nothing to do

:02:50. > :02:57.with the cue ball, you can play for the red and play the black into both

:02:58. > :03:51.corners. It is an opportunity, you feel he must take.

:03:52. > :03:57.If he'd been straight on the red into the corner pocket it would be

:03:58. > :04:01.no problem and he would have played it by now. He knows he has got to

:04:02. > :04:03.nudge into another red and he is a bit wary of being hampered by the

:04:04. > :04:17.second red. I think he has let it slip. He could

:04:18. > :04:21.not play for the pink. Can he get through to the middle of the cue

:04:22. > :04:29.ball without having to raise the bridge hand? I'm not sure. It's a

:04:30. > :04:44.bit trickier now. He made certain of the black and I

:04:45. > :04:49.don't blame him for that. He has not got good position now on the next

:04:50. > :04:53.red. He didn't want to play that with too much pace. He knew the

:04:54. > :05:00.black was miss of the. But this red is tricky. -- Mr Balls. He will come

:05:01. > :05:07.back up for the pink or the black here. He stunned it in rather than

:05:08. > :05:13.rolling it in. And once again he's left along part for Neil Robertson.

:05:14. > :05:17.I thought he might have had the angle to roll that in and come off

:05:18. > :05:47.the bottom cushion, but he played it to hold for the yellow.

:05:48. > :05:54.He played that in such a way he could leave pink or black. It seemed

:05:55. > :05:59.to come off the side cushion, the one that Mark Selby had a bad bounce

:06:00. > :06:45.off. As it hit the cushion it seemed to fly off it.

:06:46. > :06:50.You just can't afford to make any mistakes against this man, the form

:06:51. > :07:11.he is in. Now then, once again that has gone a

:07:12. > :07:16.bit too far. This is awkward. He's going to need the spider if he's

:07:17. > :07:22.going to take that on. He might be able to take the one to the right of

:07:23. > :07:36.the pink. He could cut that in but he would be heading up the table.

:07:37. > :07:39.That's his choice, having to finish on the yellow or the brown if he

:07:40. > :08:07.can. You would think he would play the

:08:08. > :08:16.yellow. He has a nice angle on the brown but the brown is missable. 18

:08:17. > :08:38.points is the lead. A couple of good positional shots

:08:39. > :08:42.are still needed. The way he's playing you would expect him to win

:08:43. > :08:55.the frame at this visit, but you can never take anything for granted.

:08:56. > :08:59.This black will put him 26 points in head, so still needs two of these

:09:00. > :09:11.remaining reds. It is perfectly on one of them and

:09:12. > :09:19.the other one is not too badly placed. He doesn't have to concern

:09:20. > :09:50.himself with the one near his pocket and safe for the moment.

:09:51. > :10:09.Just a little quick glance at the scoreboard there.

:10:10. > :10:22.Just wondering whether he should leave a double on the last red. 42

:10:23. > :10:59.ahead. Double to make absolutely certain.

:11:00. > :11:17.Hard to play against this sort of snooker. As he was against Stephen

:11:18. > :11:21.Maguire and John Higgins, he is up. Mark Selby could have won the

:11:22. > :11:32.opening two frames but he didn't. Neil Robertson is missing precious

:11:33. > :11:35.little and he leads 3-0. Well, JV, 97% pot success rate. He only missed

:11:36. > :11:41.couple of pots and they were awkward. Yes. That one he missed he

:11:42. > :11:48.was slightly hampered by the yellow, so that is forgiveable. The

:11:49. > :11:52.brown was always a tough shot, just trying to keep the break going. He

:11:53. > :11:59.did miss one red but flipped another, so does that not count? And

:12:00. > :12:03.then of course the green. -- flipped another. The thing Steve Davis said

:12:04. > :12:07.in the studio, he such a good potter, but he has the cue ball on a

:12:08. > :12:13.piece of string at the moment. His positional play is top drawer, and

:12:14. > :12:16.unless he gets a bad run of the ball, or a bad split when he plays

:12:17. > :12:25.the cannon, you don't fancy him missing. And as well as that, he's a

:12:26. > :12:28.terrific tactical player if needed. So, one more frame to be played

:12:29. > :12:37.before the mid-session interval. Mark Selby could do with it.

:12:38. > :12:47.REFEREE: Frame four, Neil Robertson to break.

:12:48. > :12:56.Mid-session interval after this frame. As Dennis said, Mark Selby

:12:57. > :12:59.could do with it badly. If he goes into the mid-session interval just

:13:00. > :13:07.two behind it won't be too bad, but four behind, it's hard to see him

:13:08. > :13:11.making a comeback from there. I know he is a great battler, but he's

:13:12. > :13:40.playing a man at the top of his game.

:13:41. > :13:54.He jumped up straightaway, Mark. He had got too much side on that and

:13:55. > :13:58.hit it too thick. He had to swerve that a little bit and he knew

:13:59. > :14:17.straightaway he had hit it a little on the thick side.

:14:18. > :14:23.I think he had a little trace of side on that but because of the pace

:14:24. > :14:29.he had on it it didn't come back between the green and brown. It had

:14:30. > :14:34.a little bit of left hand side on it. Usually that would take it past

:14:35. > :14:40.the green but it just came off the baulk cushion. But usually the case

:14:41. > :14:45.when you are playing well and you get a little cannon like that it

:14:46. > :14:53.works to your advantage. He had the green to the middle. When you are

:14:54. > :14:55.struggling a little bit and get a cannon like that, you never seem to

:14:56. > :15:50.finish on anything. He knew he would be lucky to have a

:15:51. > :15:55.red to the corner pocket. It is the opportunity to bring a few reds into

:15:56. > :16:01.play. He's played superb this week. In that match against Thepchaiya

:16:02. > :16:06.Un-Nooh, how times have we seen the missed black from the young man from

:16:07. > :16:11.Thailand? But up until then Neal was struggling a little bit and he did

:16:12. > :16:15.well to win the match. But from the moment he made the 145 in the next

:16:16. > :16:22.frame after the missed black on the maximum he has cued like a dream for

:16:23. > :16:27.the rest of the tournament. And when he gets these opportunities you feel

:16:28. > :16:30.unless he runs out of position, or plays a cannon and it doesn't work

:16:31. > :16:36.out right, you cannot see him dissing anything easy. It is a

:16:37. > :16:48.frightening prospect if you are his opponent. Can you believe it? He

:16:49. > :16:53.took his eye off the pot. How often does that happen? It does not happen

:16:54. > :16:55.very often with Neil Robertson. A sitter off the spot. Commentator's

:16:56. > :17:12.curse will work every time! It just shows you, even someone like

:17:13. > :17:14.Neil Robertson, if you lose that little bit of concentration, it's

:17:15. > :17:32.amazing what you can miss. He did not want that kiss, or he

:17:33. > :17:39.would have liked to have knocked it over the pocket. He's the wrong side

:17:40. > :17:47.of the blue now. He played to slip past that and get the right side of

:17:48. > :17:56.the blue. And now, a little bit of a tester for Mark. He's usually very

:17:57. > :18:16.reliable on this type of shot. Beautifully played. Probably a

:18:17. > :18:22.little unlucky if he is straight, black. If he has a little bit of

:18:23. > :18:58.angle he's OK. He's got a lot of great attributes,

:18:59. > :19:06.Mark Selby. One of them is his temperament. He could quite easily

:19:07. > :19:10.have won the two opening frames. He's the sort of player who quickly

:19:11. > :19:15.forgets that and gets on with things. He was thrown a lifeline

:19:16. > :19:20.thereby Neil Robertson. Can he take it? You won't see this happen very

:19:21. > :19:41.often. He just wanted to catch the split of

:19:42. > :19:45.the two reds. He still has one to be left middle but a little bit tricky.

:19:46. > :19:48.The one he caught, he caught it full ball, he wanted to catch them

:19:49. > :19:53.together and then he would have released them all. Should not be a

:19:54. > :19:58.problem. In the end he decided to play it to the top pocket. That did

:19:59. > :20:01.surprise me. Obviously he did not feel playing into the middle he

:20:02. > :20:11.could guarantee position on the colour. So he played it in the top.

:20:12. > :20:12.It was more difficult. But as I say he felt that was the right shot for

:20:13. > :20:35.position. He missed the pot. If he takes this red on and he could

:20:36. > :20:39.come between the yellow and brown and it is quite a thin contact, he

:20:40. > :20:46.might finish up on the black, believe it or not. He's looking at

:20:47. > :20:50.an alternate into the right corner. What has missing the black of the

:20:51. > :20:59.spot done to his confidence? We will find out with this shot.

:21:00. > :21:10.Absolutely nothing. And a perfect angle on the Bluetooth stunned up

:21:11. > :21:18.between the brown and green for the easy red. -- perfect angle on the

:21:19. > :21:37.blue to stun up. They have played each other twice in

:21:38. > :21:44.the UK Championship. Mark Selby won 6-4 in the quarterfinal in 2012. A

:21:45. > :21:49.couple of years ago Neil Robertson beat him in the final 10-7. They are

:21:50. > :22:07.so evenly matched, these two players.

:22:08. > :22:19.11 points the lead. Awkward red on the right-hand side of the cushion.

:22:20. > :22:26.I think the one near the middle pocket, as the referee drops his

:22:27. > :22:32.ball marker... The one near his hand will go into the middle pocket. So

:22:33. > :22:41.he might not have to play that difficult red. On the side cushion.

:22:42. > :22:48.Or not need it before he gets to the snookers required stage. It's funny

:22:49. > :22:55.how matches can go like this. Mark Selby looks reasonable form but he's

:22:56. > :23:01.lost those first two frames, and now he's struggling. As I've always

:23:02. > :23:04.said, and I do believe, until you get the first frame on the

:23:05. > :23:14.scoreboard you never really settled down. -- settle down. It was our old

:23:15. > :23:19.friend John Pullman who commentated for years on the BBC, ten times

:23:20. > :23:23.world champion, used to say that as well, you are never settled until

:23:24. > :23:30.you have first frame on the board. And how true that is. At the moment,

:23:31. > :23:32.it is looking for all money, that Mark Selby is going to lose these

:23:33. > :23:45.first four frames. This black would put him 34 points

:23:46. > :23:52.in front. He still needs two of the remaining reds. But as I say, I'm

:23:53. > :23:55.sure this one drops into the right middle. OK, you'd like to get right

:23:56. > :24:14.in behind it. And once again, positional play inch

:24:15. > :24:17.perfect. He can just drop this in now. But he will need another red.

:24:18. > :24:29.Red, colour, red required. As I say, perfect position just to

:24:30. > :24:34.roll it in. He just got a slight angle on the blue. Now, what makes

:24:35. > :24:39.these two difficult red is easier, he will only need the red. If he can

:24:40. > :24:43.drop in behind it, drop it in the pocket, he does not need to be

:24:44. > :24:49.concerned about a colour. I don't know if he can stun it incoming he

:24:50. > :24:54.hasn't got the angle to do that and he's not going to be on this one.

:24:55. > :25:00.The one behind a black might have been easier to drop on them but he

:25:01. > :25:05.felt he had not got the angle to stun up for that one. So, this

:25:06. > :25:15.fourth frame is not over just yet. 40 behind. Will he get a chance?

:25:16. > :25:20.I think he will just be happy that he knows he's going to come back to

:25:21. > :25:24.the table. That is why he's trying his hand is. He knows that Neil

:25:25. > :25:33.Robertson can't keep this break going now. Not unless he plays the

:25:34. > :25:40.red along the top cushion. If it was tight against the cushion you would

:25:41. > :25:45.fancy he could pot it. I think it is just off the cushion,

:25:46. > :25:47.that red. Yes, it is, so he won't be playing

:25:48. > :26:22.that one. Not to pot anyway. We say he is the greatest pot of the

:26:23. > :26:29.game has ever seen. Is this a pot to fire if he takes it on? Look at the

:26:30. > :27:00.cue ball. He tried to pot it but look where he put the cue ball. He

:27:01. > :27:12.only needed the red. He needs this red to run. Need it to run past the

:27:13. > :27:26.middle. That is end of frame. Just a red to go 41 points in front with 35

:27:27. > :27:30.remaining. It is a dream start for the Australian to be 4-0 up against

:27:31. > :27:37.Mark Selby. No one could see that coming. Selby has had as many

:27:38. > :27:43.chances as Neil Robertson, so you would not expect one to be running

:27:44. > :27:50.away with it. Three snooker is needed now. While there is one red

:27:51. > :27:56.left on the table you would feel as if you would carry on. You can

:27:57. > :28:01.always get the frame ball. That is white Neil is quite happy to put the

:28:02. > :28:04.red in the jaws of the pocket. Gravity to code there. There

:28:05. > :28:09.red in the jaws of the pocket. no return to the table now for Mark

:28:10. > :28:15.Selby. He will be on to his dressing room having lost the first four

:28:16. > :28:29.frames. A proverbial mountain to climb after the interval. That will

:28:30. > :28:35.be enough. He got nothing out of those first four frames. Robertson

:28:36. > :28:41.bid if feud mistakes in that frame, but it didn't matter. He leaves at

:28:42. > :28:45.the interval 4-0. A lot of you contacting us tonight saying that

:28:46. > :28:54.need Robertson is unplayable, on fire. We are reminded of three years

:28:55. > :28:59.ago, don't forget it was Neil Robertson who was for the up and

:29:00. > :29:05.Selby beat him 6-4. Came back back and won the last six games. You

:29:06. > :29:10.never could this man out. This would be a big ask. If anybody can do it,

:29:11. > :29:17.Mark Selby candidate. He needs to believe in himself. He has chances.

:29:18. > :29:20.Just the way the pulse of run. He has not capitalised the right Neil

:29:21. > :29:27.Robertson has. If there is one player in the game he would back

:29:28. > :29:33.coming from 4-0 down, it is Mark Selby. He has heart. He will have to

:29:34. > :29:39.draw on those experiences. He has been kept off the table in the last

:29:40. > :29:42.couple of frames. In the last one he got in on 21 points and then he

:29:43. > :29:48.missed the red to the yellow pocket. He put himself under huge pressure.

:29:49. > :29:52.The whole get deeper for him. He is getting a hiding here. It doesn't

:29:53. > :29:58.take much for it to swing. There was a big bouncy got that was not a big

:29:59. > :30:05.bite out of position. Same thing. All of the sudden, it does look as

:30:06. > :30:09.if Neil Robertson is in the ascendant. He is not totally

:30:10. > :30:15.unplayable. He hasn't parted everything, but he is very efficient

:30:16. > :30:23.and most balls. He is at the practice table behind this. That is

:30:24. > :30:33.the right thing to do. It would be silly sitting in the dirt --

:30:34. > :30:40.dressing room. We will grab a word with Barry Hearn. He is always

:30:41. > :30:45.interesting to talk to. I was able to have a brief word with them.

:30:46. > :30:50.First of all, your assessment of the season so far lesser Mark Adair have

:30:51. > :30:53.been landmark achievements from Mr Higgins and it has produced winners

:30:54. > :31:00.like Rory McLeod. Something for everything? The principle is that we

:31:01. > :31:05.try to bring in a level playing field. We have a seeded top 64, a

:31:06. > :31:10.random draw for the bottom 64. What it does, if you are good enough, it

:31:11. > :31:15.gives you the opportunity. My job is to give opportunity. I cannot play

:31:16. > :31:20.snooker. Even when I used to play I wasn't very good. The system we have

:31:21. > :31:23.in place now rewards winners. We are trying to breed the next new

:31:24. > :31:31.generation of winners. What we have seen with that is Michael White come

:31:32. > :31:38.through. We have seen the fantastic result in Shanghai. Jumped from

:31:39. > :31:43.number 56 just about into the top 20. That type of the story goes

:31:44. > :31:48.through snooker like a wildfire, because it shows everyone, you know

:31:49. > :31:53.what, if he can do it, I can did. The stories keep coming out. Young

:31:54. > :31:58.David Gilbert getting through. McLeod qualifying for the champion.

:31:59. > :32:02.The players generally feel now, on their day, there is not so much

:32:03. > :32:05.difference between the great players and the very good players. Now they

:32:06. > :32:10.have the opportunity to accelerate their career, change their life and

:32:11. > :32:14.we have the benefit of watching fabulous matchplay in a competitive

:32:15. > :32:17.environment. There is a lot of sticker on around the world. The

:32:18. > :32:22.last five years have been so much fun to try to rebuild the sport, but

:32:23. > :32:30.it takes the players to rebuild it. They are the ones giving us the

:32:31. > :32:33.level of entertainment and giving us great media stories as well. The

:32:34. > :32:36.underdog winning is something we in Britain have always enjoyed. We have

:32:37. > :32:41.always supported the underdog. We love a story. The new system is

:32:42. > :32:45.giving us those media stories. It is giving kids the opportunity to live

:32:46. > :32:48.their dreams as well. You can make a case to say that Neil Robertson

:32:49. > :32:52.looks like he is coming back to his best. Mark Selby is looking great.

:32:53. > :32:56.The difference between winning and losing is the smallest margin I have

:32:57. > :33:01.seen for 20 or 30 years. It is on the date now. It is all about

:33:02. > :33:06.ability, not about protection. As if to underline that, the evidence was

:33:07. > :33:10.all -- there for all to see. We've had the most bizarre affording many

:33:11. > :33:14.of us have ever seen in a major championship. We had to brother

:33:15. > :33:22.unfancied players in the other semifinal. You will know what I am

:33:23. > :33:26.talking about. We had David Grace, the lowest ranked semifinalist for

:33:27. > :33:32.25 years. Liang Wenbo battling through at the expense at the

:33:33. > :33:36.expense of Trump. They put us through a match that was grilling

:33:37. > :33:39.and compelling at the same time. After nearly five hours we were

:33:40. > :33:49.finally in a position to, perhaps, pick a winner. This is intent. Grace

:33:50. > :33:55.to play. 13 points behind. -- this is frame ten. I am surprised he took

:33:56. > :34:11.the pot on there because there was no way he could get on the green. At

:34:12. > :34:54.the moment, 13 is the difference. Leanne needs the other green, the

:34:55. > :34:59.brown. David needs all the colours. If he has an easy yellow to pot,

:35:00. > :35:03.there is nothing wrong with potting the yellow and then playing a good

:35:04. > :35:15.safety shot on the green if he could not get onto it. Then it would be

:35:16. > :35:28.A-frame for anyone to take. Good life with the cue ball here.

:35:29. > :35:32.APPLAUSE He has got to be careful here if he

:35:33. > :35:44.decides to try to send the yellow back up the table. The black could

:35:45. > :35:48.be an obstacle. He is looking to try to miss the black on the way down.

:35:49. > :36:07.That is a bit dangerous because it could hit the pink on the way back

:36:08. > :36:18.up the table. He managed just to avoid the pink, but left a possible

:36:19. > :36:26.pot for David Gray into this green pocket. -- David Grace. He has a

:36:27. > :36:43.slight angle on the yellow. It is tough, very, very tough. Just

:36:44. > :37:17.spotted something on the cue ball there. It is just in his line of

:37:18. > :37:29.sight. Now, he needs a little bit of good fortune here. He tried to pot

:37:30. > :37:35.the yellow and move the green there. He thought this might be the only

:37:36. > :37:56.chance he will get and it was a very ambitious shot, but you cannot blame

:37:57. > :38:01.him. Just cued across it slightly. There might be a gap here. I will

:38:02. > :38:05.tell you what. If you can cut the yellow then he will go down and

:38:06. > :38:10.could possibly bring the green into play. He traded off a very difficult

:38:11. > :38:16.shot, this is slightly easier than the last attempt, but just as

:38:17. > :38:24.tough. The natural ankle is there. He could cannon the green pots this.

:38:25. > :38:30.APPLAUSE Just slipped past it. Now he can

:38:31. > :38:37.play a telling safely and with the colours in the open it is now

:38:38. > :38:44.anyone's frame. A good attempt there. He could take the green on

:38:45. > :39:06.into the bottom right-hand corner pocket, but that be very risky. It

:39:07. > :39:14.has come down to a green ball game here. David Grace is 11 behind some

:39:15. > :39:35.people need to, including the black. And it must take on the green here

:39:36. > :39:43.could be costly. This is going toward the yellow pocket. Oh, it has

:39:44. > :39:50.just finished almost dead straight. There is no easy safety shot on.

:39:51. > :40:09.What a situation David is faced with here. Well, what a shock. -- what a

:40:10. > :40:16.shot. APPLAUSE

:40:17. > :40:27.He thought the White was in. I thought it was in. What a tremendous

:40:28. > :40:32.pot that was. He has a chance. We shall see it again. Look how close

:40:33. > :40:48.that was to going in. There is a chance on this brown. Brilliant.

:40:49. > :41:22.Absolutely brilliant. I will tell you what, the tension, ...

:41:23. > :41:28.Absolutely amazing. The pink again. Can you believe it. What an effort.

:41:29. > :41:44.The green was incredible. The brown was fantastic. It could all have

:41:45. > :41:50.gone with that one shot. After parting is such a good green and

:41:51. > :41:59.brown, couldn't see it missing that, to be honest. I thought we would

:42:00. > :42:18.have another last frame decider, but... You have got to feel sorry

:42:19. > :42:23.for David. That was such an effort he put in for those colours, but you

:42:24. > :42:26.have had a great UK Championship David, you have got to be proud of

:42:27. > :42:35.yourself. Your parents would be proud of you. This black for a place

:42:36. > :42:43.in the final. And that is what it means to Liang Wenbo. He was 4-2

:42:44. > :42:47.down. He has won four frames in a row and he gets himself through to

:42:48. > :42:52.the finals of the UK Championship. What does that mean to the Chinese

:42:53. > :43:01.player? Well, the answer is on your screen there. Fantastic. So happy.

:43:02. > :43:08.Today, I started badly. I started the first four frames badly. I was

:43:09. > :43:18.thinking too much. I note the match. If I win, I can play Masters. The

:43:19. > :43:23.top 60. It is important to me. After they changed the ranking, I have

:43:24. > :43:29.only three matches in the top ranking. When that pink is forgotten

:43:30. > :43:33.about, it was a phenomenal tournament. It could be a life

:43:34. > :43:38.changing tournament. If it keeps me on the top, I was never coming into

:43:39. > :43:44.this. If he had offered me this at the start of the week I would have

:43:45. > :43:51.bitten your. Now, no pressure. Just to have a good time, enjoy the game.

:43:52. > :43:55.That is it. Congratulations, David Grace. He will be thinking about

:43:56. > :44:05.that Mr pink all night. He acquitted himself so well. He did. Three

:44:06. > :44:11.days. The rest of your life. He was so close to getting it. It was

:44:12. > :44:16.magnificent back into that frame at the end. He nearly did it. He has

:44:17. > :44:19.been a breath of fresh air. Hopefully it keeps inside the top 64

:44:20. > :44:27.so he does not have to qualify next year. It is tied in that pot of the

:44:28. > :44:31.ranking. What about Liang Wenbo? He went through the mill. It was

:44:32. > :44:37.excruciating to watch. He was pulling faces, slapping himself. He

:44:38. > :44:41.was so pondered it wasn't funny. 80 of those slabs, I could feed them in

:44:42. > :44:46.the commentary box. It was bizarre. You could tell how much it meant to

:44:47. > :44:50.him. He spent three months in the top 16 once. Now he is back in

:44:51. > :44:54.there, he can play in the Masters and he was feeling the pressure. You

:44:55. > :44:58.felt for him a little bit. He also felt for a David Grace who had to

:44:59. > :45:03.sit through it as well. It was hard for him to watch. He is in the

:45:04. > :45:07.final. There is no pressure on him tomorrow. He can go and enjoy it and

:45:08. > :45:12.I hope he does and plays the way he can play because he is a very good

:45:13. > :45:15.player. He will be a massive second favourite in a matter which of these

:45:16. > :45:22.guys he plays tomorrow. Will that happen? It can, but it is all about

:45:23. > :45:27.the day really. A lot of the time, a player eventually crumbles in the

:45:28. > :45:30.final if they have not had enough experience there. Liang Wenbo has

:45:31. > :45:34.had a bit of experience, but he has the talent which is the most

:45:35. > :45:38.important thing. You see some of the situations we see ourselves in. The

:45:39. > :45:43.best player doubles the score of the other one. I am not absolutely sure

:45:44. > :45:47.how it will go. He will not be under pressure, he said that himself. A

:45:48. > :45:51.little bit of criticism about the shake hands at the end. He was so

:45:52. > :45:55.excited, do not think David Grace would have been upset. It was just

:45:56. > :46:01.the excitement. It was a strong handshake. There has been some

:46:02. > :46:05.reaction from players about that. They said he could have stood him in

:46:06. > :46:10.the eye and given him more respect. Perhaps the moment overcame him.

:46:11. > :46:16.When players lose they like to look the other player in the eye. I think

:46:17. > :46:20.he just got a little bit excited and I would not red too much into it. I

:46:21. > :46:23.do not think he was being disrespectful, but it is something

:46:24. > :46:28.to learn for the future. Which one of these men will be be seeing with

:46:29. > :46:33.them tomorrow in the final tomorrow? At the moment, Neil Robertson is

:46:34. > :46:36.bossing this semifinal. Is there any way back for Mark Selby? You might

:46:37. > :46:49.think so, he has done it before. Let's find out. Explain to us that

:46:50. > :47:09.he did do it before. 4-0 behind and can he repeat that performance? That

:47:10. > :47:14.is a good break of shot. I like that break of shot. He has opened five or

:47:15. > :47:56.six red top. It is a shame that one has landed on the black. Just an

:47:57. > :48:02.hour and 15 minutes and counting. Still 94% and 92%. Great pot success

:48:03. > :48:22.rates, but it is 4-0. But at that long pot success rate. -- look at.

:48:23. > :48:37.93% with the safety success. This is far from easy. Bit of a chance.

:48:38. > :48:42.Looking at the ankle he has, he is just running away from the green. I

:48:43. > :48:50.do not know if he can drop it in. This was a tough pot. He is going to

:48:51. > :49:02.have to force it in. He has tried to drop it in, but it means he has got

:49:03. > :49:28.to take the brown. The pink is tied up. The black is tied up. He can get

:49:29. > :49:32.through to a spread at the right of the black. Just having a look at the

:49:33. > :49:35.position. He may be able to can be able to cannon the black. Just

:49:36. > :49:39.having a look at the position. He may be able to cannon the back into

:49:40. > :49:43.play but he when it is re-spotted. He will not get a much better chance

:49:44. > :50:08.than this to play the cannon and try to bring the black into play. I

:50:09. > :50:17.think he is OK. I think he can just push through and get that red out of

:50:18. > :50:45.the way. Go. He has just overdone it. Quick bridging now. Good

:50:46. > :50:53.recovery there. Much more difficult than it looked, that is for sure.

:50:54. > :50:57.Absolutely. He was just too full for position on the black. He will know,

:50:58. > :51:03.he will have been in his dressing room at the interval, and training

:51:04. > :51:10.as he is, he will know that when he gets a chance he has got to take it.

:51:11. > :51:56.He has got to play no misses from here on in. He was just looking for

:51:57. > :52:03.an easy red to continue and he has not got that. He has got a choice of

:52:04. > :52:16.a couple of friends, but they are tricky. Then cut back to the corner.

:52:17. > :52:25.That looks to be his choice, but it is not straightforward. He needs to

:52:26. > :52:34.control the tuple to be on a colour. -- cue ball. That is not a bad case

:52:35. > :52:40.on the second red. That has helped him. But the yellow. Nothing to do

:52:41. > :52:59.with the tuple to be on the next red. He would settle for that. How

:53:00. > :53:05.many times have we seen the mid-session interval change things

:53:06. > :53:17.around. The 2012 quarterfinal here in the UK Championship. Need lead

:53:18. > :53:29.4-0 at the mid-session interval and Mark Selby won the match 6-4. Maybe

:53:30. > :53:50.at the mid-session interval, Mark was thinking those thoughts about

:53:51. > :53:56.what he did three years ago. Nice angle on the blue. Decision time.

:53:57. > :54:05.There is a red to play for, but he has a perfect angle to go into them

:54:06. > :54:14.should he so wished. There is another red available. That is why

:54:15. > :54:29.he didn't play the cannon. Pot in this he will be running through the

:54:30. > :54:35.reds. No guarantee of position here. He is just about on the blue. The

:54:36. > :55:06.red gone up on the blue has been the positional side of the shot very

:55:07. > :55:11.easy. This is going to come up a little bit short for him. In fact,

:55:12. > :55:16.so shortly will have to go in and out of the block area. He mustn't

:55:17. > :55:32.catch one of the colours on the way around here. And can you believe it?

:55:33. > :55:38.49 in front and because he didn't get the correct side of the blue,

:55:39. > :55:40.hammered it and it was in the pocket a couple of times, just the place to

:55:41. > :55:50.get back out of the pocket. It happened in the first frame when

:55:51. > :55:59.he made 52 and in the second frame when he made a break of 55. The blue

:56:00. > :56:03.was so close, but at that pace it has got to be right in the heart of

:56:04. > :56:12.the pocket. It was a poor positional shot on the blue, it has to be said.

:56:13. > :56:17.I think when the blue comes out like that, it's the fact that the ball is

:56:18. > :56:28.probably bouncing and it has hit the leather at the back. You could see

:56:29. > :56:59.it bounced two or three times. The Australian is in again here.

:57:00. > :57:10.It won't be the easiest run to the finish line in this frame, 40 points

:57:11. > :57:16.behind. If he leaves himself in a position needing blue and pink that

:57:17. > :57:30.will cause a big problem. With the blue being awkward, and the pink.

:57:31. > :57:36.He's got to get on the next positional shot in such a way he can

:57:37. > :57:44.keep getting back for the black because of the blue and pink, as

:57:45. > :58:11.John mentioned, awkward. Perfect to get through for the black again.

:58:12. > :58:18.Much better playing for the loose red. I'm not sure if one of those

:58:19. > :58:24.two is available to the right corner pocket. If not he will still be able

:58:25. > :58:31.to cannon into one of them for the black.

:58:32. > :58:36.Just looking at that angle I think it is going to have to be the

:58:37. > :58:41.cannon. The left of the two reds would be better, half ball, not

:58:42. > :58:46.fourball. Could play for the right-hand one, just depends how he

:58:47. > :58:57.sees it. He has missed it, can you believe it? A reprieve. It has to be

:58:58. > :59:01.said that was a straightforward cannon he wanted, he did not want to

:59:02. > :59:07.hit the red full ball, and he missed it altogether. I think he was

:59:08. > :59:11.desperate to catch the rate the little bit thinner so he could get

:59:12. > :59:15.on a red to come back for the black. If he could have got two reds and

:59:16. > :59:18.two blacks he would only have needed up to and including the blue. There

:59:19. > :59:36.is no excuse for missing the cannon. Mark Selby will come back to the

:59:37. > :59:53.table and he will still hold a 17-point lead.

:59:54. > :00:03.Just over the minute, thinking time. He's a little bit concerned that

:00:04. > :00:06.when he plays this safety he's going to leave the pot on one of the reds

:00:07. > :00:16.unless he gets it covered with one of the baulk collars. Let's see if

:00:17. > :00:32.he can avoid it. He's got a good cue ball there. Excellent cue ball. I

:00:33. > :00:35.tell you what, another roll it would have nestled on to the right corner

:00:36. > :00:39.of the pocket and it would have been a snooker. Sometimes you see that

:00:40. > :00:47.happen. We saw it earlier in the week.

:00:48. > :01:02.Total mis-hit. Is he going to fluke the red? What a fluke that is. A

:01:03. > :01:11.total mis-hit. And Niall wasn't smiling. Mark was looking at a meal

:01:12. > :01:23.having a little smile -- Neil wasn't smiling. What a result that was.

:01:24. > :01:34.This is just going to pass the pink, but it's a tricky one. He can just

:01:35. > :01:48.about see enough of it. Another 6-8 inches and it would have been

:01:49. > :01:53.perfect. It's one of these shops where he will take it on, I imagine

:01:54. > :01:58.-- shots. But it's into a blind pocket and that is what you fear.

:01:59. > :02:04.You can see the object ball but the pocket is right out of your vision.

:02:05. > :02:09.So you've got to pick a spot, or play a snooker, but is the snooker

:02:10. > :02:16.guaranteed? The pot could win him the frame.

:02:17. > :02:32.We will know before he does. They are not easy. As I say, playing them

:02:33. > :02:34.into a blind pocket. So, the fluke he had on the second to last red was

:02:35. > :03:03.not a frame-winner. I tell you what, he was

:03:04. > :03:17.there. He played to cannon the blue out. Make no mistake, he had eyes on

:03:18. > :03:21.just flicking the blue. He could quite easily play a snooker here if

:03:22. > :03:24.he rolls to the green. He's 20 points behind. I think it's the only

:03:25. > :03:47.shot for him. He did the two cushion get out,

:03:48. > :03:51.baulk cushion and side cushion, and hope to knock it safe. You're never

:03:52. > :03:55.guaranteed, no matter how good you are, of getting out of snooker Pulu

:03:56. > :04:07.Mac. It's tough to know how they are going to finish -- getting out of

:04:08. > :04:17.snookers. He will settle for this. He could not have hoped for much

:04:18. > :04:19.better. He can play the safety shot, just a little bit sticking

:04:20. > :04:42.out. A tap on the table from Mark. That

:04:43. > :04:52.was an excellent length from Neil on that safety. There is not as much

:04:53. > :04:57.pressure on the mark at the moment with the safety, because he will

:04:58. > :05:00.know the blue and pink and the way the black is situated are a bit of

:05:01. > :05:05.insurance for him. Whereas Neil Robertson knows that one mistake and

:05:06. > :05:41.Mark Selby just needs yellow, green and brown.

:05:42. > :05:48.The problem you always have with this shot is you have got to be very

:05:49. > :05:55.wary of the double-kiss. If you are playing across the yellow and trying

:05:56. > :06:00.to send it back across the table the double-kiss can always be on. He

:06:01. > :06:08.decided to play cushion first, so just a containing safety. I'm sure

:06:09. > :06:12.Neil Robertson would like to play safety shots at some time and try

:06:13. > :06:16.and bring blue and ink into the middle of the table. The main

:06:17. > :06:26.priority there was to get the yellow safety. He could not be much safer

:06:27. > :06:33.than this. -- blue and pink into the middle of the table. You'd have to

:06:34. > :06:40.say, it is a must win frame for Mark Selby. At 5-0 you would not give him

:06:41. > :06:42.much hope. At 4-1 he would have a bit of a chance to battle his way

:06:43. > :07:08.back into this semifinal. Just OK. Another couple of rolls and

:07:09. > :07:29.it would have been left on to the middle.

:07:30. > :07:40.Trying to run the yellow into the black. He didn't do it. And with a

:07:41. > :07:43.20-point lead, yellow and green needed, will he take this yellow

:07:44. > :07:58.on? It is make your mind up time. The

:07:59. > :08:13.blue and pink, as we keep saying, both awkward. Will he risk this?

:08:14. > :08:22.There is your answer. He has hit it far too thin. There is a chance here

:08:23. > :08:24.and he won't cannon into the black, I think he can miss the pink on the

:08:25. > :08:41.way back. No, he's missed one of his trademark

:08:42. > :09:04.pots. But he hasn't left an easy yellow, that's for sure.

:09:05. > :09:24.He was not tempted by the yellow. He didn't get the yellow safe, though.

:09:25. > :09:31.It is a beautiful pot but the cue ball needs to slow up. He's not on

:09:32. > :09:37.the green. He's looking accusingly at the top cushion, he thinks he got

:09:38. > :09:44.a little bit of a flyer off it. Can he hit the green? Is he snooker it?

:09:45. > :09:49.18 points behind. I think he is snookered. He will have to come off

:09:50. > :09:53.the cushion and hopefully hit the green half ball and sent the white

:09:54. > :09:57.up the table and send it down the other end.

:09:58. > :10:10.He will settle for that. This is not straightforward. You might think it

:10:11. > :10:16.is easy to get a snooker in behind the blue. But that would be very

:10:17. > :10:20.risky because he would have to make sure the green was safe just in case

:10:21. > :10:25.he didn't get in behind the blue. That is why he's giving this a bit

:10:26. > :10:29.of thoughtful stop it is a bit of a quandary. The last thing he wants to

:10:30. > :10:35.do is bring the blue into play. He could have a go at the pot on the

:10:36. > :10:39.green. If he could get it in the jaws it might be worth having a go.

:10:40. > :10:51.Green and brown needed. That is what he's going to do, the way he was

:10:52. > :10:55.looking at it. Well, it could not be much closer. And look at that,

:10:56. > :10:59.perfect on the brown. Dear me, that was close. A little less space and

:11:00. > :11:11.I'm sure that would have gone in. That's the angle he is faced with if

:11:12. > :11:18.he can pot the green. He's missed a few now. Although he's leading 4-0,

:11:19. > :11:23.just in this frame alone he's missed a few. They were not easy pots by

:11:24. > :11:45.any means but he would normally have knocked them in.

:11:46. > :11:54.Well, quite a bit of tension in this very important fifth frame. This

:11:55. > :11:59.green might go close to the right corner pocket, if not it will go

:12:00. > :12:02.over towards the black. He's played it well. He may have the snooker

:12:03. > :12:15.here. Very good shot. I think he can swerve around the

:12:16. > :12:20.brown. What he needs to do is get right in behind the green. He is

:12:21. > :12:24.coming off the side cushion. Is he going to play it with pace and try

:12:25. > :12:29.and kick the green up the other end of the table? That is what he's

:12:30. > :12:33.trying. He could not have hit it much better, but he's gone towards

:12:34. > :12:37.the corner pocket, and of course come of this frame has taken on a

:12:38. > :12:41.different complexion now because the pink is no longer safe. There is

:12:42. > :12:45.only one problem ball, that is the blue. So, this could be the chance

:12:46. > :13:01.that Neil Robertson has been looking for.

:13:02. > :13:07.That really is superb. The white was almost tight on the cushion and he

:13:08. > :13:11.has not only potted the green, he's left the angle on the brown. Worth

:13:12. > :13:17.another look, terrific cueing, and he has enough angle to swing the

:13:18. > :13:21.brown and offer couple of questions, and if he could drop

:13:22. > :13:37.their maybe he could just roll the blue into the middle. It is very,

:13:38. > :13:43.very tight. This is key in this match, it really is.

:13:44. > :13:58.Now, how is your luck? Well, not the best. This is so tough. If he takes

:13:59. > :14:10.this on with the rest. Mark Selby looking at Neil. If it goes in it is

:14:11. > :14:17.a frame-winner because he would be on the pink in such a way that he

:14:18. > :14:32.could get back up to the black. Big, big shot coming up.

:14:33. > :14:40.I think the way to play this is not really play it with too much pace

:14:41. > :14:45.and try and get a good angle. If you finish this side of the pink you

:14:46. > :14:49.could always run in and out of baulk, but the more pace he puts on

:14:50. > :15:00.this the less likely the blue is to drop. But it has done. Now what sort

:15:01. > :15:06.of angle has he got on the pink? What a blow this is to Mark Selby.

:15:07. > :15:11.If he's got enough angle he can come off the side cushion and get to

:15:12. > :15:20.where the line is to leave an easy black. He might be able to screw

:15:21. > :15:27.there. He had the angle but he hasn't got as close to the black as

:15:28. > :15:31.he wanted. We've seen him drop a black in in an earlier frame dead

:15:32. > :15:38.weight, but there is a bit more pressure on this one. This for 5-0.

:15:39. > :15:48.It's there. You just can't keep this Australian down. Mark Selby looked

:15:49. > :15:54.odds on with the way the colours were that he would win this frame,

:15:55. > :15:57.but Neil Robertson is marching on to the final and he leads 5-0. A lot

:15:58. > :17:04.for Mark to think about. And, three out of five frames so far

:17:05. > :17:08.have been steals from Neil Robertson. The way he went about the

:17:09. > :17:13.final break, the blue with the rest was a beautiful shot. Amazing shot,

:17:14. > :17:18.and they are so close which makes it even more difficult. They are so

:17:19. > :17:23.tight, but straight in the heart of the pocket, and the black was not a

:17:24. > :17:27.guinea. He looked like he got out of position, the way he played that

:17:28. > :17:30.dead weight, that is a sign of a player who is rock solid when it

:17:31. > :17:35.comes to the pressure shots. You could have forgiven him for finding

:17:36. > :17:38.it hard to get the white down the table. Lots of players would have

:17:39. > :17:42.made sure the white was down the other end and the black would have

:17:43. > :17:47.more chance to wobble but he dropped it in dead weight. He has Mark Selby

:17:48. > :17:53.in a hole here. Mark Selby has not capitalised and he's got in first on

:17:54. > :17:57.a number of occasions. Three times, 49 in the last frame, always around

:17:58. > :18:02.the 50 mark. I was looking at the records and the biggest victory Neal

:18:03. > :18:06.has had over Mark is 5-1 in the Premier League, not at this stage in

:18:07. > :18:09.a sunny final, but this is some going against the man who has

:18:10. > :18:15.pummelled the opposition throughout the last week, Selby. -- Neil. It

:18:16. > :18:21.was a magnificent performance. Those frames that you win that you

:18:22. > :18:24.shouldn't really win, take it out of your opponent. Marked just has to

:18:25. > :18:30.take it. It is hard sitting there knowing each be 3-2 to Selby on the

:18:31. > :18:37.chances. This couldn't be a whitewash, could it?

:18:38. > :18:43.COMMENTATOR: Neil Robertson breaks off and makes a decent break. If you

:18:44. > :18:48.don't leave the pot on that is good enough. I think thoughts of winning

:18:49. > :18:55.this match are disappearing for Mark Selby now. But what he has got to

:18:56. > :19:00.do, and there is no better player in the modern game than Mark Selby at

:19:01. > :19:05.just digging in now. As I say, don't think about winning. He will be

:19:06. > :19:11.playing for a bit of pride, obviously. He doesn't want to have

:19:12. > :19:17.the dreaded whitewash. You feel the way Neil Robertson is playing he

:19:18. > :19:24.will get at least two or three chances, and he's going to take one

:19:25. > :19:29.of them. He will want to get the match over

:19:30. > :19:34.as quickly as possible. He's got the best of 19 in the final against

:19:35. > :19:41.Liang Wenbo, if he can win this match. He should win the match. But

:19:42. > :19:51.the quicker he does it the better for him. He can relax a bit. They

:19:52. > :19:53.had a late start. Coming up to 9:50pm. This match has not been slow

:19:54. > :21:13.by any means. That is a great shot, he has a

:21:14. > :21:14.terrific length on the cue ball. He has also brought the black

:21:15. > :21:36.interplay. There is a gap back down the table,

:21:37. > :21:43.left side. He was up very quick, he knew he had hit it too thick. There

:21:44. > :21:47.may not be a pot on that would tempt Neal, but that safety play, and Mark

:21:48. > :22:00.knows it, is not good enough against this man. And he did leave the red.

:22:01. > :22:04.Look at that, we always say when you are playing well you get a nice run

:22:05. > :22:11.of the ball, he could not finished better on the blue. Yes, when you

:22:12. > :22:16.are struggling you hit the red and Finnish tight on a question

:22:17. > :22:25.somewhere. It has always been the way. -- finish tight. It is the same

:22:26. > :22:35.in any sport, when you are flying you get the run of the ball. I think

:22:36. > :22:38.the pink might be available but the black is now tied up. I think the

:22:39. > :22:45.pink goes in the right corner pocket. But is it sitting on its own

:22:46. > :22:50.spot, or are those two reds closer to it? Usually the pink spot is in

:22:51. > :22:53.line with the corner pocket and the middle pocket. That will not go on

:22:54. > :23:27.there, that's for sure. So, behind those five reds in a

:23:28. > :23:36.straight line with the blue and black for the referee. He made a

:23:37. > :23:43.great call in the David Grace Liang Wenbo final frame when there were

:23:44. > :23:48.three or four misses and David missed the escape by a fraction and

:23:49. > :24:00.he didn't call a mess and Martin Gould agreed and it was a great

:24:01. > :24:06.call. Lots of people were tweeting about it in the restaurant I

:24:07. > :24:08.call. Lots of people were tweeting But people congratulated the referee

:24:09. > :24:13.using the discretion to decide he could not do much better than he was

:24:14. > :24:19.doing. I didn't actually see the situation. But everybody seems to

:24:20. > :24:25.have said that Terry Camilleri made the right decision. Talking to

:24:26. > :24:30.Martin Gould last night, he said he is the referee and it's up to him.

:24:31. > :24:35.He took the decision on the chin. That's what they are therefore. Not

:24:36. > :24:38.only to keep the score and pull the balls out of the pockets.

:24:39. > :25:22.Occasionally they have to make a decision.

:25:23. > :25:28.Good pot, just the wrong side of the blue, so there is not much available

:25:29. > :25:31.to mark. As we saw in the previous frame when he hammered the blue it

:25:32. > :25:54.jumped out of the pocket. Will this one stay in? He nearly flicked it --

:25:55. > :26:00.Farook to -- fluked it. He's got away with it. He's going to keep on

:26:01. > :26:06.trying but the way he played that shot was maybe a little despondent.

:26:07. > :26:11.When you get into the situation Mark is in you are trying to make things

:26:12. > :26:19.happen, of course, the game is tough enough as it is. But this has all of

:26:20. > :26:25.the hallmarks of being a scrappy frame at the moment. As I said, he's

:26:26. > :26:28.got to forget the scoreboard, the scoreline, and take one frame as it

:26:29. > :26:34.comes and then see what happens. And if he's still here in a couple of

:26:35. > :26:57.hours he will be back in the match. Good prediction there, JV!

:26:58. > :27:06.He has left the red along the top cushion, he has left a red to the

:27:07. > :27:16.centre. These are tricky if you are going to play them at case. When

:27:17. > :27:20.they are just off the cushion like that, unless you drop them in dead

:27:21. > :27:28.weight, I do not think they go in at Pierce at all. There is a chance

:27:29. > :27:39.here for Mark to play a cannon onto the pink and red Sea when potting

:27:40. > :27:43.this one. That is what he tried and he has missed the point. If he had

:27:44. > :27:47.hit the pink and the red he would have had a big smile, he would have

:27:48. > :28:07.opened the game up. Just misjudged it. He doesn't usually misjudged

:28:08. > :28:11.that type of shot. As you said, it will be a scrappy frame by the looks

:28:12. > :28:16.of things. Simply because of the black on the side cushion and there

:28:17. > :28:22.is only the brown on its own spot. How often do you see that? All the

:28:23. > :28:26.colours of their spots, with the exception that brown. -- off their

:28:27. > :29:05.spots. The brown has come to Neil

:29:06. > :29:18.Robertson's rescue there. It is not a straightforward safety shot this.

:29:19. > :29:23.That is why he decided to play the pot. He manoeuvred the tuple in such

:29:24. > :29:35.a position that the only red he could leave is the one he was

:29:36. > :29:57.playing. Clever. The safety was too difficult and he thought he may get

:29:58. > :30:03.a pot. Well, that was equally as clever. He didn't quite bring the

:30:04. > :30:10.black into play, but it is in a better position now. He purposefully

:30:11. > :30:52.played to cannon the black out. He screwed past the yellow to cover

:30:53. > :31:34.that red to the right of the yellow. This semifinal hasn't been all about

:31:35. > :31:38.big bricks. -- big bricks. Not a lot to play behind at the other end of

:31:39. > :32:03.the table. Just the low Nick Browne up there. -- just the loner brown.

:32:04. > :32:18.APPLAUSE Justified applause for that. Once

:32:19. > :32:25.again, asking a big question. I always remember the first time I saw

:32:26. > :32:32.Neil Robertson play. They give him a place in the Masters. He played

:32:33. > :32:36.Jimmy White. All he was there was a potter. He had no B game. It just

:32:37. > :32:45.shows how he has improved over the seasons. He cannot be a world

:32:46. > :32:50.champion, UK champions, Masters champion, as he has become just by

:32:51. > :33:11.being able to pot. You need an all-round game and he certainly

:33:12. > :33:16.developed that over the years. He is the ultimate professional. He is 5-0

:33:17. > :33:26.in front and he is not thinking of any risky shots. He may have to have

:33:27. > :33:33.a go at this. Now, if this red to the right of the blue passes the

:33:34. > :33:40.other red, we will have a situation where there is not one colour on the

:33:41. > :33:46.spot. Maybe that red doesn't go past the other red for the corner.

:33:47. > :34:03.Clearly, it pots, but look at the ankle he has got. He cannot get

:34:04. > :34:08.position of that. I have never seen a table like this before. It really

:34:09. > :34:41.is strange. Not a ball of the other end of the table. How often would

:34:42. > :34:51.you say that? -- see that. The black is in the way. Down the right side

:34:52. > :35:02.of the table. It is coming up to two hours. A feud minutes left in this

:35:03. > :35:06.frame. -- a few minutes. Oh, now then, he has caught the middle

:35:07. > :35:10.pocket. This could have changed things. If he misses the middle

:35:11. > :35:27.pocket up in the right corner, he will be perfectly safe. What is Mark

:35:28. > :35:47.Selby feeling like? Not that good at the moment. That will take a bit of

:35:48. > :35:49.sorting out, this situation, because neither of the players out there

:35:50. > :36:02.will have ever seen a table like this. There is no possible way back

:36:03. > :36:30.down the table, he might just have the knowledge into the reds here. --

:36:31. > :36:34.nudge. That was all he could do. There is a gap between the green and

:36:35. > :36:38.the brown for Mark to get the table. I can tell you one thing for

:36:39. > :36:44.certain, he will not be getting a snooker. There is nothing up there.

:36:45. > :38:02.Just the cushion. That is what he is looking for. That was a bit

:38:03. > :38:11.careless. OK, we know the way the polls are situated. I don't see many

:38:12. > :38:19.frames pan out this way. There is a pot to the right corner. There is

:38:20. > :38:23.one to the left corner. You would think that green and brown would be

:38:24. > :38:43.the colours he would be looking to get on. The possibility to get on

:38:44. > :38:49.the pink. It is one of those situations. If you have a cab back

:38:50. > :38:54.down the table, there is no point in potting a red because you are only

:38:55. > :39:31.putting yourself in trouble. Very strange freedom. -- frame. That

:39:32. > :39:36.black is just awkward for the skip down the right side of the table.

:39:37. > :39:47.You could cannon into that. That is why he is choosing the one to the

:39:48. > :40:01.left. -- for the escape. Look at the Tube. Look at the length on the cue

:40:02. > :40:06.ball. Mark is going to be forced into trying to pot this red. Looking

:40:07. > :40:22.at the colours, it would be green or brown he will drop on. Brilliant. He

:40:23. > :40:27.is on the brown. Fabulous shot there. That has resolved this very,

:40:28. > :40:36.very awkward situation. Some pot from Tate on the cushion, I can tell

:40:37. > :40:55.you. -- plate on the cushion. -- plate. He could play for the black

:40:56. > :40:59.of this red but I do not know where the black would go when it is

:41:00. > :41:20.re-spotted. He has decided to play for the green. Can he get a little

:41:21. > :41:27.cannon here? Oh, he has hit the wrong red. If he got the talent on

:41:28. > :41:31.the one he wanted he would have brought the pink into play. He is

:41:32. > :41:36.trying to get past that red. He was going to leave one into the right

:41:37. > :41:41.corner, but it has all gone wrong. When you are struggling, that

:41:42. > :41:51.happens. When you're playing well you always get the correct contact

:41:52. > :41:54.case. -- contact or case. It is a little more normal now with the

:41:55. > :42:10.green and the brown on their own spots. It must have been declared a

:42:11. > :42:21.touching ball. A pretty good safety. He certainly made it awkward for

:42:22. > :42:25.need to get back to the book end. I think he might just be able to get

:42:26. > :42:54.off that one that is on the black spot.

:42:55. > :42:57.APPLAUSE When he misjudged the cannon the

:42:58. > :43:01.last time he was at the table, he did develop the pink in a way that

:43:02. > :43:05.it is pottable. To get position on the pink of this red he would have

:43:06. > :43:10.to drop it in dead weight. It would be a risky way to play it. He is

:43:11. > :43:26.probably of a mind that you have got to make things happen. Well, decided

:43:27. > :43:42.to play it with Pierce, now he needs a bit of luck. Is this red, so tied

:43:43. > :43:47.to the pink, go? There are each set, this is a chance. If the pink goes

:43:48. > :43:51.as well the black is on for the middle, for this is a great chance

:43:52. > :44:03.for the Australian. The game has opened up with the last shot that

:44:04. > :44:07.Mark played. The red was a bad distraction there. He had to play

:44:08. > :44:16.but with side. I still expected him to knock it in. He couldn't get to

:44:17. > :44:23.the middle of the cue ball. He had to put a bit of unwanted side on.

:44:24. > :44:28.They say when you are trying to get back in a match, and particularly

:44:29. > :44:38.when you are this far behind, you could do with a bit of help from

:44:39. > :45:59.your opponent. A little help from my friend. I have heard that before. He

:46:00. > :46:04.has got to take this chance now. Two of his supporters club there. I

:46:05. > :46:08.think they just want Mark to get a frame on the board. The last thing

:46:09. > :46:32.anyone would want is a whitewash. The Robertson wouldn't mind it. --

:46:33. > :46:36.Neil Robertson. He has got to be pretty accurate with the next

:46:37. > :46:39.position. The red is over the pocket and the one just above the red and

:46:40. > :46:46.blue is available into the right corner. I must admit, I was

:46:47. > :46:49.surprised with that choice of shot. He could've played the other red but

:46:50. > :46:58.he was frightened he might lose position on the black. Now he has a

:46:59. > :47:08.bit of work to do with the cue ball. That is not perfect by any means. I

:47:09. > :47:14.think he will have to get up for the green or brown again, because it is

:47:15. > :47:19.such a thing cut. There are still a couple of red available. The one

:47:20. > :47:35.behind the black also goes, as does the one I mentioned just above the

:47:36. > :47:39.red and blue. We all know how difficult this game is when you are

:47:40. > :47:44.having to send the tuple from one end of the table to the other, it is

:47:45. > :47:55.very hard to get pinpoint position and that is what he will need here.

:47:56. > :48:03.This will need to run. I don't think the red passes the blue. I can't see

:48:04. > :48:17.this break going on much longer. He is looking to see if he can pave

:48:18. > :48:20.this off the pink. Surely not? He is brilliant at this type of shot, but

:48:21. > :48:29.I think that would be the wrong shot altogether. He want to have a go at

:48:30. > :48:41.it, doesn't he? And he is going to attempt it. Totally the wrong choice

:48:42. > :48:51.there from Mark Selby. In the end he didn't even catch the pink. Trying

:48:52. > :48:54.to put that red ink of the pink was definitely the wrong choice. Had the

:48:55. > :49:05.scores have been level he would not have attempted that. Not cleanly in

:49:06. > :49:14.the pocket, that is why he is not nicely on the pink. It went in-off

:49:15. > :49:20.the right job there. -- sure there. The fact he is not nicely on the

:49:21. > :49:34.pink it means he cannot hold for that red between black and yellow.

:49:35. > :49:54.Not as straight forward now as it would have been had he been nicely

:49:55. > :50:16.on this link. -- pink. That is what happens when you get slightly out of

:50:17. > :50:27.position. It is a snowball effect. He looked at the black and yellow

:50:28. > :50:33.with the red, it is far too risky. That just demonstrates the mindset

:50:34. > :50:38.of the two players. Neil Robertson, 5-0 in front, not taking any undue

:50:39. > :50:44.risk. Mark Selby trying to play the red in-off the pink. Trying to make

:50:45. > :51:01.things happen, trying to affect the run of the ball is in some way. Mark

:51:02. > :51:10.cutting the safety shot much too thick. The green has come to his

:51:11. > :51:15.rescue. His lead of 17 doesn't mean a great deal now. Look at the

:51:16. > :51:31.colours are situated. They are all in open play. His turn to hit it a

:51:32. > :51:37.bit thick this time. This red passes the blue. People get a terrific

:51:38. > :51:59.round of applause if he knocks this one in. -- he will get. Just gone

:52:00. > :52:04.too far. Now then, as you said earlier, if this match was close I

:52:05. > :52:10.do not think he would take this green on, he would play a little

:52:11. > :52:15.roll up. Will he play the right shot this time? Will he play for the red?

:52:16. > :52:19.This time he is playing the right shot. He just doesn't hit it hard

:52:20. > :52:36.enough. He just needed if feud more rows. -- a feud more rows. He knew

:52:37. > :52:41.that pushing the green your decide cushion was no harm to Mark, because

:52:42. > :52:46.if it does get a chance on the last red and a high value collar, the

:52:47. > :52:57.yellow would put him in the state required stage. -- snooker required

:52:58. > :53:16.stage. A frame ball by the likes of things. He can take the brown. -- a

:53:17. > :53:33.frame ball. 22 the difference. A pink and a red with help them. Well,

:53:34. > :53:42.that is just the scoreline that is doing that. He could be in big

:53:43. > :53:48.trouble here. You don't see him miss many of those. He can get behind the

:53:49. > :54:05.black, but the red might go into the blue. That is his problem. It is a

:54:06. > :54:10.straightforward snooker to leave the wide with the red is. If he hits the

:54:11. > :54:24.blue, who knows where the red would go. If he misses that middle

:54:25. > :54:36.pocket, he had the snooker. Wouldn't it be ironic if Mark knocked this

:54:37. > :54:42.red in? He didn't even attempt it and I don't blame him. He has got

:54:43. > :55:03.the snooker, so this time playing the correct shot. Didn't force the

:55:04. > :55:10.issue that time. He could have got a snooker back here. You never really

:55:11. > :55:47.know where they are going. 22 behind, 35 remaining. You would

:55:48. > :55:52.think if he can naturally pot the red he could get position. This is

:55:53. > :56:00.the longest frame of the match by a long way. All because of where the

:56:01. > :56:16.balls went. There was nothing at the other end of the table. He nearly

:56:17. > :56:21.got the snooker behind the black, not sure he was playing that. Was he

:56:22. > :56:32.trying to bring the pink off this side cushion? He has not put Mark in

:56:33. > :56:37.real difficulty. Even for somebody like Mark Selby, it is difficult in

:56:38. > :56:44.these positions to keep positive thoughts despite being a good

:56:45. > :56:48.fighter. Ever since missing the free ball he has played the correct shops

:56:49. > :56:58.and not panicked. He looks like he is up for the fight.

:56:59. > :57:06.He hit that too thin. Otherwise he had a chance to get in behind the

:57:07. > :57:08.black. So this time he will have to take the pot on, and it looks dead

:57:09. > :57:20.straight. Well, you can't get your breath, and

:57:21. > :57:25.it is a free ball. How can you not the pink and from that situation? It

:57:26. > :57:31.is absolutely incredible Wahab and there. OK, he didn't get near the

:57:32. > :57:38.pot but to knock the pink in and leave a free ball, quite amazing. It

:57:39. > :57:50.is a tough pot just to knock it in without planting it into the pocket.

:57:51. > :58:01.All of a sudden he has a choice. He can play a snooker, push the green

:58:02. > :58:06.interplay. Just push the green towards the middle pocket and get

:58:07. > :58:12.the snooker. He has gone favourite. He got such a kick there. The green

:58:13. > :58:45.is still in play. Very nicely judged. You just feel at

:58:46. > :58:53.the moment that Neil Robertson has the upper hand in the safety

:58:54. > :58:59.exchange. This frame is for the match, of course, for the

:59:00. > :59:01.Australian. He is having the green cleaned as well after the heavy

:59:02. > :59:14.contact he had on it previously. There is a good chance of a snooker

:59:15. > :59:24.here. That is a poor shot from Neil, it

:59:25. > :00:37.really is. This red will cut. He will have to

:00:38. > :00:52.be a little bit careful of the right pocket. He maybe needs a little

:00:53. > :00:56.touch of side on it. He will settle for this. All of a sudden he's

:00:57. > :01:05.starting to get a good run of the ball, but is it all too late?

:01:06. > :01:16.Neil Robertson has just lost his edge, it appears to me. I was saying

:01:17. > :01:21.before that Mark Selby probably thinks he has lost this match, just

:01:22. > :01:28.trying to hang on in there and Neil Robertson probably thinks he's won

:01:29. > :01:36.the match. Just about hit the red, but no good because he's left it.

:01:37. > :01:39.Mark Selby comes to the table with a 16 -point lead. Red, black and the

:01:40. > :01:50.yellow and he would not need the green. Snookers would be required.

:01:51. > :02:00.Anything less than the black and he will need yellow and green.

:02:01. > :02:12.Unwanted kiss on the blue. He tried to run past the blue. Looking at the

:02:13. > :02:21.scoreboard. If he pots the black he will only need the yellow.

:02:22. > :02:41.Does it reach? Would you believe it? It just needed a fraction more pace

:02:42. > :02:47.to come off the cushion. Incredible. He wanted to make sure

:02:48. > :02:55.he held for the yellow and he just underhit it. He thought it was in.

:02:56. > :03:12.It is all about the green ball now. Mark had a look at the black on the

:03:13. > :03:37.way past, as if to say, how did you stop there?

:03:38. > :03:44.That is what we call a green ball fight, and at the moment advantage

:03:45. > :03:59.goes to Neil Robertson, you would have to say. Another inch there and

:04:00. > :04:13.it would have been difficult. Still not very inviting. You don't want to

:04:14. > :04:20.swerve it too much, you could knock the black in. He's swerved it that

:04:21. > :04:25.much he will land in the gap and the miss will be called. There is no

:04:26. > :04:32.reason for Neil Robertson not to have it replaced. Yes, there is not

:04:33. > :04:36.enough room for him to hit the green from behind. It is too close to the

:04:37. > :04:48.cushion. What a delicate shot he was trying from there. He's just saying

:04:49. > :04:49.to the referee, it was further to the left as we look at it, which

:04:50. > :05:14.makes it more difficult for him. But it's still advantage Neil

:05:15. > :05:21.Robertson. A little thin one and he could play the snooker behind the

:05:22. > :05:29.blue also. Fun and games now. Fun and games at the Barbican. I don't

:05:30. > :05:40.know if he can get the green away from the black. He might just be

:05:41. > :05:58.able to send the green up the table without knocking the black in.

:05:59. > :06:06.Well, big round of applause for that, but we've seen what Neil

:06:07. > :06:15.Robertson is capable of. He's tight on the cushion again. He might...

:06:16. > :06:25.How many times has he knocked a shot like that in? Mark looks at Neil as

:06:26. > :06:30.if to say, where did you get that from? Tight on the cushion, quite

:06:31. > :06:37.amazing how many of those he knocks in. Has he got an angle to get up to

:06:38. > :06:42.leave the blue for the right corner, JV? That is the problem because the

:06:43. > :06:46.black is over the corner pocket and he's got to play for it in the

:06:47. > :06:51.opposite corner. He has a nice angle but he has got to avoid the case on

:06:52. > :06:59.the pink and judge the weight of it. This looks absolutely inch

:07:00. > :07:06.perfect. He needs blue, pink and black. But the black is not a

:07:07. > :07:16.problem. Mark Selby's race looks to have been run if this blue goes in.

:07:17. > :07:22.And it does. So, it's been a match where Mark Selby will feel that he

:07:23. > :07:28.has had enough chances to run this very close. Neil Robertson has been

:07:29. > :07:31.playing great throughout the tournament, but Mark Selby,

:07:32. > :07:36.particularly in the first couple of frames had opportunities and didn't

:07:37. > :07:39.take them. And at this level sometimes just that one opportunity

:07:40. > :07:49.is all you need. So, this black for the whitewash, 6-0. Mark is off his

:07:50. > :07:56.seat and ready to shake his hand. Because, he was never going to miss

:07:57. > :08:03.that. Neil Robertson, the fall man of the tournament, you have to say,

:08:04. > :08:09.but -- form man. Mark Selby Mr chance early to run him close. This

:08:10. > :08:14.is the man of the moment and the man of the season, Neil Robertson and

:08:15. > :08:18.he's through to the final of the Betway United Kingdom championship,

:08:19. > :08:26.beating the world number 16-0. -- Mark Selby missed a chance. 6-0,

:08:27. > :08:29.very hard to hear for Mark Selby. That was a powerful performance from

:08:30. > :08:33.Neil Robertson. I don't think there is too many people who watch the

:08:34. > :08:36.game that would have predicted that scoreline tonight. We thought it was

:08:37. > :08:40.going to be close. There were lots of close frames in it, no doubt come

:08:41. > :08:44.and it could have been a closer match but I feel the difference

:08:45. > :08:48.between the two players, Neil Robertson took his chances better.

:08:49. > :08:52.Mark Selby had his chances but wasn't clinical enough. At the top

:08:53. > :08:54.of the show we set Neil Robertson has been scoring more heavily than

:08:55. > :08:59.Mark Selby through the week and that maybe the difference. Stealing those

:09:00. > :09:06.frames, even better to make a century break. 52, 55 and 49 and it

:09:07. > :09:10.was four steals in the end that did it for him. In hindsight it's the

:09:11. > :09:14.inner confidence they both have at the moment. Neil Robertson is in the

:09:15. > :09:18.ascendancy. I think Mark Selby has just lost a bit. I don't think the

:09:19. > :09:22.match against Jamie Jones instilled enough confidence in him. He got off

:09:23. > :09:27.the hook in that match but it was probably nagging away from him -- at

:09:28. > :09:31.him that it was a poor performance. It's nice to play all the time and

:09:32. > :09:36.that gives you inner confidence. He's coming in, congratulations,

:09:37. > :09:41.Neil, none of us predicted that scoreline. How much more that

:09:42. > :09:49.scoreline. How much more did it I think I added Selby in his own game.

:09:50. > :09:53.I kept winning frames and made a good few clearances, I was over the

:09:54. > :10:01.moon to be 4-0 up. On reflection it could quite easily have been 2-2. So

:10:02. > :10:06.it was a bit of a different match. There weren't great chances, but I

:10:07. > :10:10.thought I took my chances pretty well towards the business end of the

:10:11. > :10:14.frames. There was a couple of blacks that showed how confident you were

:10:15. > :10:18.along the top cushion. You didn't hit hard at them, you just rolled

:10:19. > :10:22.them in dead weight. You must have felt in good shape to drop them into

:10:23. > :10:25.give the pocket the best chance to take the black. Yes, one of my

:10:26. > :10:30.favourite players growing up was Mark Williams and he always just

:10:31. > :10:34.rolled the black in. I've always had that philosophy, just roll it in and

:10:35. > :10:38.if it misses and goes over the pocket so what, give the pocket

:10:39. > :10:41.every chance, don't try and stun it in. In that case, in the clearance

:10:42. > :10:45.in the fifth when you took the blue on with the rest and eventually came

:10:46. > :10:48.around, with the black at the end as you said, was that the key moment,

:10:49. > :10:54.your favourite moment from the match? Yes, it was a big shot. A few

:10:55. > :10:59.years ago I may have played safe but I'm much more positive now, trying

:11:00. > :11:01.to go about it like Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins. Whenever

:11:02. > :11:06.they get the chance to win the frame they go for it. I did that and it

:11:07. > :11:12.paid off. It was a strange match to win 6-0 but I will not complain. I

:11:13. > :11:17.was going to say, nobody with predicted 6-0. But when you make

:11:18. > :11:21.some of those steals and some of the dreams you made of the top cushion,

:11:22. > :11:25.rolling them in, even in the last frame, they really hurt your

:11:26. > :11:29.opponent, don't they? Yes, they do, they are crucial shots, that on your

:11:30. > :11:33.date if you get them they can really hurt and today was my day. And if

:11:34. > :11:40.you nick the frames like that it is even more good for your confidence,

:11:41. > :11:44.it's better than making a century break in a way. It is weird because

:11:45. > :11:49.I was aggressive tonight. I missed a few balls but I didn't really care

:11:50. > :11:52.because I showed my intentions, I'm going for my shots here, so you

:11:53. > :11:56.better not yours in because if you don't I'm going to keep going and

:11:57. > :12:01.clear up. And with Selby we were recording a quarterfinal here three

:12:02. > :12:08.years ago and he came steaming back and beat you 6-4 after being 3-0

:12:09. > :12:11.behind. I think Mark Selby and John Higgins are the worst players to

:12:12. > :12:17.have a big lead against, especially Mark because if you play a scrappy

:12:18. > :12:21.frame that might go for 30 or 40 minutes, he can quickly slot back

:12:22. > :12:24.into gear a lot quicker than some other players. I was very wary of

:12:25. > :12:29.that and to keep playing positive shots, even if they were safety

:12:30. > :12:33.shots, always try and create the frame-winning opportunity or a

:12:34. > :12:37.scoring opportunity. You have beaten Selby and Higgins to get into this

:12:38. > :12:42.final and now it's Liang Wenbo. I'm not sure what your perspective was,

:12:43. > :12:47.you thought you were on at 7pm and you were hanging around. This is an

:12:48. > :12:50.incredible moment for Liang Wenbo getting over the line against David

:12:51. > :12:55.Grace. You have played him seven times and always had the upper hand.

:12:56. > :13:00.What kind of character are you up against tomorrow? It looked like he

:13:01. > :13:06.had a trampoline! He's a great character and I really love the guy.

:13:07. > :13:08.That did not look that great but he's so relieved and there are

:13:09. > :13:15.millions of people in China watching. And also that was to get

:13:16. > :13:18.into the Masters. There is an awful lot of pressure on him. I'm happy

:13:19. > :13:23.for him from that point of view. It is unlucky for Michael White but I

:13:24. > :13:26.will do my best to get the result tomorrow. You will be the

:13:27. > :13:32.overwhelming favourite, are you aware of that? Yes, I've been there

:13:33. > :13:36.before. The Masters final, Sean was a better player than Liang Wenbo but

:13:37. > :13:40.everyone saw me as the favourite there and if you don't play well you

:13:41. > :13:43.can get turned over by anybody, as this tournament shows. I've got to

:13:44. > :13:47.go about my work and convince myself I have got to play really well to

:13:48. > :13:51.win. We wish you well and look forward to seeing you tomorrow. 1pm

:13:52. > :13:55.is the start time. It has been a heck of a day and thank you if you

:13:56. > :14:00.shared all of it with us, since 1pm this afternoon, ten hours on the

:14:01. > :14:02.air. It was a great day. We will catch you for the final act 1pm

:14:03. > :14:25.tomorrow. See you then, bye. 'Being a British guy

:14:26. > :14:28.in 2015 is not easy.'