Second Round: Featuring Mark Selby - Part 2

:00:33. > :00:40.A good jn to those of you just joining us on the first day of our

:00:41. > :00:45.coverage from York. 6 players getting under way in what is the

:00:46. > :00:48.second round, surprise news early in the week Neil Robertson is already

:00:49. > :00:54.out and this afternoon we are keeping a close eye on the world

:00:55. > :00:58.number one Mark Selby who is under way against Daniel Wells today.

:00:59. > :01:04.Ranked 67 places below him. There is a battle in the opening frame and it

:01:05. > :01:10.is the Welshman in the ascendancy. Dennis Taylor and Steven hen tri,

:01:11. > :01:14.all yours. He knocked that red in, he could just see enough of it so

:01:15. > :01:20.another chance for Daniel, to take this opening frame.

:01:21. > :01:28.Mark got in early on but an awkward black off the spot when he tried to

:01:29. > :01:30.power it in. Then it became a bit scrappy, that was the black, the

:01:31. > :01:39.white will bounce before it gets to the black as you can see there.

:01:40. > :01:46.They are very tough those. So an early confidence boost for the

:01:47. > :01:49.Welsh play here. 26 ahead. Not quite over the winning

:01:50. > :02:29.line just yet. He is going to need one of the

:02:30. > :02:34.difficult reds. He will only need the red, should he get a red and

:02:35. > :02:42.high value colour, which shouldn't be a problem.

:02:43. > :02:50.He has an angle on the pin, to play up for the red next to the yellow,

:02:51. > :02:53.although she left happeneder he would have preferred to be on the

:02:54. > :02:58.black to roll it on the cushion to secure the frame, but having to take

:02:59. > :03:03.the pink. -- he is a left-hander.

:03:04. > :03:12.And he is going to need the extension on his cue to reach this,

:03:13. > :03:27.he is 40 ahead, so he can just roll the red in.

:03:28. > :03:56.Coming up to 32 minutes. The black went a bit awkward, as did the pin

:03:57. > :04:06.for early on in the frame. -- pink.

:04:07. > :04:15.I think Mark will carry on the way the balls are situated. It is only

:04:16. > :04:25.the green that is in a bad position. In a pretty good spot for snookers.

:04:26. > :04:33.That's a snooker and the red over the pocket.

:04:34. > :04:50.Messy shot. Round the black. Might even pot this.

:04:51. > :04:56.Didn't really want to pot it, but a beautiful shot to watch though,

:04:57. > :05:15.wasn't it. So he needs this black, really.

:05:16. > :05:56.Couple of snookers needed. You see, 35 behind, 27 on.

:05:57. > :06:02.Chance of a snooker here. He is checking the score board. He

:06:03. > :06:09.needs two snookers to tie at the moment. If he could get the yellow

:06:10. > :06:11.somewhere in behind the black, stun in behind the brown, leave it

:06:12. > :06:27.awkward. Didn't want the kiss on the blue. A

:06:28. > :07:02.lovely picture of another little swerve shot coming up.

:07:03. > :07:09.Would you risk trying to get through that gap or would you rather come

:07:10. > :07:13.off the cushion, he could hit the pink or black, it is more or less

:07:14. > :07:29.the equivalent of two snookers if you give six or seven points away.

:07:30. > :07:42.Ooh! Where is the cue ball? In the pocket. He just flicked the edge of

:07:43. > :07:48.it. A bit unlucky to go in-off. Have a look at this.

:07:49. > :07:51.To hit the black and hit the pink, to go in the middle pocket. I mean,

:07:52. > :08:04.how's your luck? Just one snooker to tie now. And the

:08:05. > :08:07.black is in a good spot for a snooker, maybe not from this

:08:08. > :08:26.position, but it is ideally placed. And he's gone in behind it. Very

:08:27. > :08:30.clever shot, because he used the green as a stopper, otherwise the

:08:31. > :08:35.yellow would have come back up the table. He really does no his way

:08:36. > :08:44.round a snooker table. Look at this shot. I mean that is just as he

:08:45. > :08:53.played it. Enough for him to slip round the back of the yellow here.

:08:54. > :08:59.Two cushion, I think, or is he trying to get it off one? That is a

:09:00. > :09:03.two cushion, it looks good. Nicely played, Daniel.

:09:04. > :09:35.Acknowledged by Mark, just tapping the table there.

:09:36. > :09:44.What Mark Selby does well, everybody if he doesn't get a snooker, he

:09:45. > :09:49.never leaves his opponent a pot on. Daniel must have thought, he had

:09:50. > :09:59.this frame in the bag. Ten minutes ago, but he has a lot of work do,

:10:00. > :10:03.still, to get his first frame. Try and cut this yellow thin, second it

:10:04. > :10:13.to the green, bring the cue ball back down the table.

:10:14. > :10:18.Yellow behind the pink. He will cue back behind the black if he is

:10:19. > :10:25.playing baulk. He is perhaps using the green as a cannon here, didn't

:10:26. > :10:29.get into the cue ball enough. Commentators curse, say never lose a

:10:30. > :10:33.pot on, very next shot. It is dead straight, so he has to play this

:10:34. > :10:38.with a lot of bottom and leave the white with the yellow, as it looks

:10:39. > :10:53.to be plum, there it is, right in the middle of the pocket.

:10:54. > :11:52.Clever lit 8 shot from Daniel. He knocked the black shaif. Might be

:11:53. > :11:59.snookered after this shot though. -- he knocked the black safe.

:12:00. > :12:07.This is not straightforward to escape from.

:12:08. > :12:12.Don't think he can reach to bend it round the blue and come off the

:12:13. > :12:20.baulk cushion. And the brown looks to be in the way of the cushion. And

:12:21. > :12:26.the middle pocket on the left side of the table sightly in the way of

:12:27. > :12:35.quings escape. -- one cushion.

:12:36. > :12:38.It looks as if he missed the middle pocket slightly. He could get it off

:12:39. > :12:49.one cushion. Well... This should be the end of

:12:50. > :13:32.the first frame. This time Mark looks to the referee

:13:33. > :13:36.and he concedes, so that earlier break of 47 paved the way for the

:13:37. > :13:41.Welshman to take the opening frame, and he leads the world champion by

:13:42. > :13:45.one frame to nil. HAZEL IRVINE: Yes 43 minute opening

:13:46. > :13:49.frame. We are in the player's lounge, a great play to enjoy a cup

:13:50. > :13:53.of takes I tell you what, right from the outset he is having to work very

:13:54. > :14:00.hard for anything he is getting from Mark Selby. Yes fascinating first

:14:01. > :14:04.frame. Daniel Wells looks to be cueing nicely but the difference

:14:05. > :14:08.between being the winners is the confidence level, and we spotted a

:14:09. > :14:14.shot earlier, that Daniel Wells had on the brown. It is funny because

:14:15. > :14:17.players like the play the shots they like, this is running side, down at

:14:18. > :14:20.the cue ball and swing the white round the table. It is not the right

:14:21. > :14:23.shot to play for that situation, but we have all done it. This is certain

:14:24. > :14:27.shots you like on the table. He should have been dropping that in

:14:28. > :14:31.coming down the table. He would have had the option of three reds to win

:14:32. > :14:36.the frame with. You have to play the right shot even if it is not the one

:14:37. > :14:40.you fancy. It is about comfort levels, you know you are up against

:14:41. > :14:44.the number one, what makes you comfortable is not the right shot?

:14:45. > :14:46.It is about trying to win the frame when you get an opportunity and

:14:47. > :14:50.Stephen Hendry will sayness, once you get a chance among the balls you

:14:51. > :14:53.have to make the most of it. Daniel Wells let control of the table go

:14:54. > :14:57.back to Mark Selby, he got back in the frame but I think Daniel did

:14:58. > :15:03.well to win it. He could have killed the frame off by playing the correct

:15:04. > :15:07.shot. He chose a risky shot and all of a sudden it was hard to get over

:15:08. > :15:10.the line. ? We know what he will be facing, Mark Selby will not give him

:15:11. > :15:26.an inch here, into frame two we go. The way Mark Selby started that

:15:27. > :15:33.frame where the beautiful long red. A tough black from the side cushion.

:15:34. > :15:38.Thought possibly he was off to one of his fast starts. He will be

:15:39. > :15:41.disappointed the way the flame turned out after that. The top

:15:42. > :15:50.player, you want to stamp your authority on a match quickly.

:15:51. > :15:52.-- the frame. You get through the early rounds

:15:53. > :16:19.hassle free. Yes and you had a few hassle free

:16:20. > :16:23.games your time Steven. Just a few! That is an excellent safety from

:16:24. > :16:26.Mark, there. Say an excellent safety, it is so

:16:27. > :16:28.good that Daniel might have to take the pot on because there is no easy

:16:29. > :16:45.safety shot. What a nicely controlled pot that

:16:46. > :16:50.was, he couldn't see a safety shot, he thought I will have a go at this.

:16:51. > :16:54.He is a bit unlucky. How is this for confidence? You can see with the cue

:16:55. > :17:04.ball, what he is leaving if he missed that. He was virtually forced

:17:05. > :18:25.to play it, so that pace was good. Very unlucky not to be on the black.

:18:26. > :18:30.Straightforward this safety, that is who I he is getting back up again,

:18:31. > :18:33.there is a red near the middle pocket he could cannon into if he

:18:34. > :18:41.doesn't get the correct contact. So change of plan.

:18:42. > :18:53.-- that is why. Well, that is a bit of a risk,

:18:54. > :18:59.because Mark Selby, if he pots this, he will automatically be on the

:19:00. > :19:03.black and Daniel felt, well, I'll tease him, but the fact that the

:19:04. > :19:08.white has finished tight on the cushion might, no, he is still going

:19:09. > :19:12.to have a go at it. Mine, he doesn't like it.

:19:13. > :19:17.If that white was fractionally off the cushion. He would have taken

:19:18. > :19:29.this red along the cushion behind the black.

:19:30. > :19:31.Much more open frame, THE this, than the first frame which went very

:19:32. > :19:41.awkward. I think Mark Selby used his

:19:42. > :19:46.experience there, he got down as if he was going to take the tricky

:19:47. > :19:50.black along the cushion and decided I've lost the opening frame. Let's

:19:51. > :20:04.keep things tight. Don't leave Daniel right in among the balls.

:20:05. > :20:30.Well played. Swung that wide round lovely there.

:20:31. > :20:38.He just acknowledged that good safety shot with a tap on the table

:20:39. > :20:42.again, but a there is no easy route back down to the safety zone for

:20:43. > :20:46.Mark Selby. He might have to be tempted to play

:20:47. > :20:51.one of those deep screw, the first player that ever played this type of

:20:52. > :20:55.shot was the Canadian bill Werbeniuk. No path down the table,

:20:56. > :20:58.he has so much cue power he used to screw the white back down the table

:20:59. > :21:17.from this sort of position. Bill Werbeniuk. No path down the

:21:18. > :21:20.table, he has so much cue power he used to screw the white back down

:21:21. > :21:21.the table from this sort of position.

:21:22. > :21:23.I said the frame was nicely open, but straightaway the blue has been

:21:24. > :21:54.knocked on to the side cushion. This is a out a chance for Mark

:21:55. > :21:58.Selby. He should finish on pink and he has

:21:59. > :22:01.the yellow and brown in the open. Green and blue is south of

:22:02. > :22:12.commission but shouldn't be a problem here.

:22:13. > :22:16.I said it shouldn't be a problem. It is not bad.

:22:17. > :22:20.He has the yellow to the middle and can get back up. So a couple of

:22:21. > :23:06.shots time he might be in round the black spot area.

:23:07. > :23:10.A bit edgy, Mark Selby now. He missed that yellow in the middle,

:23:11. > :23:57.that red was never going in. He was up straightaway, he knew he

:23:58. > :24:05.mis-hit that. A shake of the head, chance for Mark

:24:06. > :24:09.Selby now. This will bring the pink back on to

:24:10. > :24:12.the spot. The black is in the open, the reds are nicely placed. Don't be

:24:13. > :25:04.surprised if he doesn't knock a few in here.

:25:05. > :25:11.Daniel Wells won't be expecting to get back to the table, certainly

:25:12. > :25:12.been able to win the frame -- certainly won't be able to win the

:25:13. > :25:23.frame. The best positional shot he could

:25:24. > :25:33.have played there. He is still comfortable on the pink but it is

:25:34. > :25:37.not pinpoint position. The situation if the players having

:25:38. > :25:44.to use the cushion, it means they haven't got that cue ball on an

:25:45. > :25:46.absolute string, the way the reds are situated, they will usually be

:25:47. > :26:12.playing little screws and stuns. Definitely one of the great

:26:13. > :26:17.break-builders in game, Mark Selby. He has made 439 century break, 47

:26:18. > :26:20.last season, he is on 21 so far this season. He has made the maximum

:26:21. > :26:38.break on two occasions. Again another example, he didn't cue

:26:39. > :26:42.that nicely at all. The red on the wrong side of the

:26:43. > :26:47.pocket, and again, he is on the pink but not as he wanted. Here you see

:26:48. > :26:58.he wants, he virtually hit that straight on there.

:26:59. > :26:59.Not sure if that wasn't a slight kick the red seemed to jump there,

:27:00. > :27:21.as we showed you that shot again. Come up a bit short again, have a

:27:22. > :27:25.look at the red here. Maybe it just threw it into the

:27:26. > :27:38.right side of the pocket as you mentioned, Steven.

:27:39. > :27:44.Well, there is a SatNav Selby special, all the ray round the

:27:45. > :28:01.angles. -- all the way.

:28:02. > :28:15.That is the frame-winning shot right there.

:28:16. > :28:19.Yes that last shot was not unlike the black he missed off the spot. It

:28:20. > :28:24.was slightly more difficult but it was a well controlled shot that one,

:28:25. > :28:31.we showed you again there. Totely different frame to the

:28:32. > :28:38.opening frame. -- totally.

:28:39. > :28:51.This is where all snooker players like to be in round the black spot

:28:52. > :29:03.area, with the reds open. Frame well and truly safe now. And

:29:04. > :29:05.you just notice there with Mark Selby, for the last couple of

:29:06. > :29:09.seasons he doesn't move round as enough as he used do in the shot.

:29:10. > :29:11.Still had all the success in the world of but he has worked hard in

:29:12. > :30:02.keeping that head much stiller. That is a pretty good shot. If he

:30:03. > :30:06.drops this in, he will have a nice angle on the black to drop on the

:30:07. > :30:14.last red and give himself the chance of a century.

:30:15. > :30:20.I think this is one of the beauties of Mark Selby, quite a tactical

:30:21. > :30:26.frame because the ball 's world awkward. The frame just over 40

:30:27. > :30:39.minutes, but here he is. Virtually his first real chance. He is

:30:40. > :30:43.finishing second off in style. Mind you, he has to play a good shot

:30:44. > :30:51.to get onto the yellow to get a century. Not much to work with

:30:52. > :31:04.there. That was about the best he could do.

:31:05. > :31:09.Tricky yellow for his first century in the televised stages.

:31:10. > :31:31.Well done. Doesn't matter about the green. He

:31:32. > :31:37.got the one chance and he took it. A lovely century break, and he levels

:31:38. > :31:42.the score at 1-1. HAZEL IRVINE: That is Mark's and century of the week,

:31:43. > :31:46.because he beat Andy Hicks 6-1 in the first round with 100 there as

:31:47. > :31:53.well. We were talking during the frame about the consistency this man

:31:54. > :31:59.has shown. He has won three big events. Absolutely thumped Ding

:32:00. > :32:06.Junhui. Really consistent now. Very consistent. Scoring as well,

:32:07. > :32:10.winning frames in one visit. When he starts doing that, allied to his

:32:11. > :32:14.ring craft, which is second to none, he is a handful for anyone. He

:32:15. > :32:18.forced a mistake from Daniel and made a century from it. He is

:32:19. > :32:21.playing really well at the moment. You can only be consistent if you

:32:22. > :32:27.win a lot of the bread and butter matches. To get yourself into the

:32:28. > :32:31.Frank to win tournaments. What Mark Selby does very well, even if he is

:32:32. > :32:35.in a spot of bother, he can dig himself out of a whole easily. He

:32:36. > :32:39.does not look totally comfortable in the first frame, or the first part

:32:40. > :32:43.of the second frame, but he got one chance, really decent chance, dug in

:32:44. > :32:47.deep and made a century break. He might have missed a couple of shots

:32:48. > :32:51.before that, but we talk about big games and all of that, but he has

:32:52. > :32:55.fantastic fighting qualities. It is not easy on the eye for some people,

:32:56. > :32:59.but snooker players love to watch him grafting.

:33:00. > :33:03.The proof is that he has now occupied the number one spot for a

:33:04. > :33:07.longer period of time since the rolling ranking system came in and

:33:08. > :33:11.that was 2010. He is dominating the sport, perhaps those that are not

:33:12. > :33:12.watching it a great deal failed to realise how dominant a personality

:33:13. > :33:22.he is at the moment. You have got to earn that. He works

:33:23. > :33:26.very hard at his game, allied to everything else. If you get the

:33:27. > :33:32.results he has been getting, he lost in a final as well, so he has won

:33:33. > :33:38.three finals and lasting one. It takes a very good player to knock

:33:39. > :33:41.him out. Back we go. COMMENTATOR: It is difficult to

:33:42. > :33:45.knock him out if he keeps sniggering you like he has done there. It

:33:46. > :33:53.shouldn't be a problem for Daniel to come off the side cushion and into

:33:54. > :34:00.the reds. He has stuck a red up. Where is the

:34:01. > :34:07.colour coming from? The Blackwood go, the pink is tied up -- black

:34:08. > :34:24.won't go. He did well there. Quite a fit lad,

:34:25. > :34:32.Mark Selby, as you can see him on the table there.

:34:33. > :34:42.Well, where is the blue going? That is a very disappointing mess

:34:43. > :34:50.after the century in the last frame. It is the sort of shot that in

:34:51. > :34:54.practice he probably can pot 20 times in a row. A mid range, long,

:34:55. > :36:27.straight blue to the corner. Lovely angle to top spin into the

:36:28. > :36:32.main bunch here. He can leave himself on the bread between the

:36:33. > :36:38.black and the pack. Oh, dear. The break is still going, but I thought

:36:39. > :36:52.he would have taken an opportunity there. -- on the red.

:36:53. > :37:17.Absolutely perfect there. And now he is not even on the red.

:37:18. > :37:28.Doesn't matter the fact that he is straight on

:37:29. > :37:33.he needs a good angle on the blacklist time to go into the bunch.

:37:34. > :37:37.He still has a loose bread there, but you want to leave that as a bit

:37:38. > :37:45.of insurance. Give yourself a couple of options. Oh... what did he do

:37:46. > :37:53.with that? Did he put a trace of side? Whatever he did, he made a bit

:37:54. > :37:57.of a hash of that one. It was fairly straightforward. I think you put a

:37:58. > :38:41.bit of side, and has taken the cue ball off line.

:38:42. > :38:49.Just a wee bit unlucky there, because he knew the red over the

:38:50. > :38:57.middle, he could develop one of the two reds. He got the cannon, but

:38:58. > :39:14.none of them went into a pottable position.

:39:15. > :39:22.Well, a good chance now. As long as he misses the pink, he can get into

:39:23. > :39:29.the bunch here. He has to be precise. The pink is a little bit

:39:30. > :39:34.awkward, but he should be able to avoid cannon ink onto the pink. You

:39:35. > :39:41.can see where he has got the cue, that is where he would like to hit

:39:42. > :39:43.them. Somewhere near the line there would avoid the pain. He has got to

:39:44. > :39:58.be very precise. I think that's the end of break,

:39:59. > :40:57.unless there's something. As you can see, nothing will go.

:40:58. > :42:37.The far left corner, there is a pocket for the blue as well.

:42:38. > :42:45.I was going to say, he was unlucky for a minute there, but maybe he

:42:46. > :42:48.still can. You can pop the pain, but he can't do much with it. If he

:42:49. > :42:58.didn't hit the middle pocket, he would have been nicely on the blue.

:42:59. > :43:01.On the pink and it would have been a nice chance to secure the third

:43:02. > :43:05.frame. He is limited with what he can do. He has two just rolled it

:43:06. > :43:19.in. But there will be one. It will go to the left middle pocket.

:43:20. > :43:32.He had to say, once the cue ball, he was unlucky for it to land, hampered

:43:33. > :43:37.by the pink. If he had, it would be frame over.

:43:38. > :43:40.Still, he should get the red to left middle, but it is more difficult

:43:41. > :43:49.than it would have been. Nothing to do with the cue ball, really.

:43:50. > :43:56.I think everything pots to this right corner, it is a matter of

:43:57. > :44:02.putting the cue ball down the left-hand side of the table.

:44:03. > :44:08.He will be very disappointed with that one.

:44:09. > :44:14.Well, I think we heard a sigh from Daniel as soon as he hit that. He

:44:15. > :44:21.knew he didn't play that very well. As Stephen said, such a margin for

:44:22. > :44:24.error anywhere, up past the middle pocket, and he was left with the

:44:25. > :44:29.choice of five reds, believe it or not.

:44:30. > :44:36.Now, he can pop this one but it is awkward. -- pot.

:44:37. > :44:49.Instead of clinching the frame, he is now in a position where he could

:44:50. > :44:51.quite easily lose it. He had a 31 point advantage, which is not much

:44:52. > :45:43.for where the balls are sitting. A very good safety shot from Daniel

:45:44. > :45:46.Wells there. His heart would have been in his mouth a little bit when

:45:47. > :46:58.he saw the red going towards the left corner.

:46:59. > :47:10.Very unlike Mark Selby to catch the jaw of the middle pocket there.

:47:11. > :47:14.Really, it looks as if he has handed this frame on a plate to Daniel

:47:15. > :47:31.Wells. Just a few high valued colours with a couple of reds.

:47:32. > :47:36.Yeah, that really was a shocker from Mark Selby there. He really miss hit

:47:37. > :48:13.it. Very unusual. Another red and a pink would be

:48:14. > :48:17.enough. 46 ahead, as you can see. Very unlike Mark Selby to hit a shot

:48:18. > :48:34.like that too Finn. -- Finn. He is coming around to look at the

:48:35. > :48:38.school board, the Welsh player, to make sure he is safe. You don't get

:48:39. > :48:43.a running total there, you have to work it out.

:48:44. > :48:55.Poor shot from the red, on the wrong side of the blue. The blue puts him

:48:56. > :48:56.32, 51 on the table. He won't want another 20 minutes of sniggering and

:48:57. > :49:39.safety. -- snookering. Barring a snooker, he has got

:49:40. > :49:46.himself in the lead again. Perfectly placed.

:49:47. > :50:15.One good pot and Mark Selby won't come back to the table.

:50:16. > :50:24.He can pop the brand, or roll up to the brand, and leave a snooker --

:50:25. > :50:55.brown. Mark Selby looks at the referee and

:50:56. > :51:00.concedes the frame. The man from Wales will be delighted, he leads

:51:01. > :51:06.the world champion to- one. He will be absolutely delighted with his

:51:07. > :51:10.performance so far -- 2-1. There was a shop where he should have polished

:51:11. > :51:15.the frame. He gave a big sigh when he played the blue. He left himself

:51:16. > :51:23.a nice angle, he had so much margin for error. Anywhere, he had a choice

:51:24. > :51:30.of reds. He sighed because he did not play it as intended, and left

:51:31. > :51:38.the white nowhere. He hit it far too flick. He tried a difficult red. But

:51:39. > :51:47.went on to win the frame with an uncharacteristic mistake on safety

:51:48. > :51:50.from Mark Selby. A century apart, and reds were perfect for a century

:51:51. > :51:54.in the previous frame. Apart from that, he has looked ragged today,

:51:55. > :52:03.Mark Selby. This is just something you never see him doing. He just

:52:04. > :52:08.completely miss hit it, and caught the jaw of the middle pocket. One

:52:09. > :52:12.more frame before the mid-session interval. The world number one and

:52:13. > :53:12.current one champion could do with it. -- current world champion.

:53:13. > :53:20.He's left this red on to left middle.

:53:21. > :53:30.He's not even going to entertain that shot.

:53:31. > :53:41.He doesn't want his cue ball to bounce too much. Another very poor

:53:42. > :53:48.safety shot from Mark Selby. Sometimes, when a player plays bad,

:53:49. > :53:55.you can take missed pots, but you don't often see bad safety shots

:53:56. > :54:05.from him. Not one of the mill ones like that -- not run-of-the-mill.

:54:06. > :54:13.He's not been punished. You have got to punish these mistakes. As the

:54:14. > :54:33.match goes on, Selby is going to get stronger.

:54:34. > :54:46.It wasn't a sitter, but I still expected Mark to pot that. I was

:54:47. > :54:55.surprised he didn't even look at the red to left middle. He couldn't do

:54:56. > :55:16.much with the cue ball on that shot. Good shot, good solid pot.

:55:17. > :55:23.He really does keep very still on the shot. That long red that he

:55:24. > :55:35.knocked in, it was a good indication of that.

:55:36. > :55:48.A little bit of noise coming from one of the other tables.

:55:49. > :56:01.In between frames. Four tables here at the Barbican. There are other

:56:02. > :56:07.tables on the other side of the reader also. There are the four

:56:08. > :56:13.tables. They are used to all sorts of conditions. The first time they

:56:14. > :56:16.had four tables at the Barbican, a very good crowd in today, all on one

:56:17. > :56:22.side, which changes when you get down to two tables. You can't have

:56:23. > :57:00.people all around the table on three sides.

:57:01. > :57:17.Doesn't want to be straight on this black. He might have a slight angle

:57:18. > :57:20.to power it in and come off the cushion into the reds. A little bit

:57:21. > :57:29.of angle there. There is a red near the pocket. That will go. He would

:57:30. > :57:38.even be dreaming about a possible maximum break at this stage. I think

:57:39. > :57:44.his highest break in tournament play was 136 in the 2015 German Masters.

:57:45. > :57:49.But a good angle on the blue here, after putting the red, straight into

:57:50. > :57:53.the pink, and he could have a terrific chance to go to the

:57:54. > :58:02.mid-session interval with a 3-1 lead. It is all about the shop from

:58:03. > :58:05.the blue into the pink and red. -- shot.

:58:06. > :58:14.The two rents below the pink, the second one just brushes off the pack

:58:15. > :58:18.towards the left corner pocket, that is what he is worried about. He

:58:19. > :58:22.might not play this with so much pace. He might brush the left-hand

:58:23. > :58:29.side after the pink as we look at it, and the red slightly away from

:58:30. > :58:30.the bunch, try to promote that. I would be surprised if he goes into

:58:31. > :58:43.them at pace here. He has played a controlled shot, and

:58:44. > :58:48.has played it very well. He is unlucky with that red on the

:58:49. > :58:49.cushion. That is very unlucky. He couldn't have played that any

:58:50. > :59:06.better, really. Now, is there a gap between the two

:59:07. > :59:08.reds to take one into the right middle, he had a look at it, but it

:59:09. > :59:19.must be tired. He is looking again. He deserved to be on something, the

:59:20. > :59:23.way he played that last shot, that Steven explained so well.

:59:24. > :59:36.Oh, he can't see enough of that. 46 in front, and as you mentioned

:59:37. > :00:03.Steven, a bit of good fortune there, and he would have had a 3-1 lead.

:00:04. > :00:17.If he stuns the cue ball when the red is here he will be on the black,

:00:18. > :00:22.to the right conner. -- corner.

:00:23. > :00:28.Chose to play it with top-spin. And that for me made the pot more

:00:29. > :00:33.difficult. Oh, I thought he was going to block the pocket but I

:00:34. > :00:41.don't think he has, the red will go. Well there is a couple of reds will

:00:42. > :00:52.go. Another chance for Daniel, after that misfortune. He ran out of

:00:53. > :00:56.position. He looks pretty calm, cool and

:00:57. > :01:00.collected, but he is under a lot of pressure out there, but he's giving

:01:01. > :01:06.a very good account of himself here, so far. Oh that one wobbled. He

:01:07. > :01:12.knows the importance of this frame and he knows he is pretty close to

:01:13. > :01:18.the winning line, and this frame before the mid-session interval, pot

:01:19. > :01:28.Sui success sup at 95%. That is excellent.

:01:29. > :01:32.Smashing lad. From Neath in South Wales. Eighth year as a

:01:33. > :01:37.professional. A couple of those seasons, he was

:01:38. > :01:41.off the circuit, had to play his way back on to it again. He hasn't

:01:42. > :01:55.played the best of positional shots there.

:01:56. > :02:01.The last couple of shots he has looked a bit nervous. He is thinking

:02:02. > :02:32.how important this frame is. Straight on the black. Come back off

:02:33. > :02:36.the cushion. Finished just off straight. You have to cue these

:02:37. > :02:58.really well. A lot of left-hand side, if he is going to play the

:02:59. > :03:03.screw shot. That will do. Not winning the frames in one visit,

:03:04. > :03:16.but he is just doing enough at the moment.

:03:17. > :03:31.Very important that Daniel punishes him, he has done, he is 3-1 up.

:03:32. > :03:36.Yes the fourth time these players have played. Mark has won the

:03:37. > :03:39.previous three, but the last one was in India in 2013 and Mark only one

:03:40. > :03:59.on the deciding frame, four frames to three.

:04:00. > :04:05.Well, he is OK, if the red passes the pink. It doesn't matter about

:04:06. > :04:36.that being touching, he is playing away from it any way.

:04:37. > :04:47.Highest break so far was in the opening frame when he made a break

:04:48. > :04:57.of 47. This is a timely effort here. But it is the best of 11, so 3-1 is

:04:58. > :05:01.a healthy lead, but when you are up against world number one and current

:05:02. > :05:07.world champion, you are a long way from the winning line, but it's a

:05:08. > :05:23.great start for the Welsh player. Doesn't matter about that. Mark

:05:24. > :05:28.Selby only one frame. The man from Neath go into the mid-session

:05:29. > :05:33.interval 3-1. HAZEL IRVINE: 3-1 in front. And the man who made the new

:05:34. > :05:37.cue he is playing with John Parrott is sitting behind you. He seems to

:05:38. > :05:41.have a new lease of life this season, this young fella. Yes,

:05:42. > :05:45.apparently Daniel said that the cue that he had before that, was so

:05:46. > :05:50.lively that he was getting too much action on the cue ball on these very

:05:51. > :05:54.lively conditions. So therefore perhaps you know, the art of trying

:05:55. > :05:59.to get the right cue for the table, whereas that might not be the right

:06:00. > :06:05.cue for a club table, it is like playing on the Masters of golf with

:06:06. > :06:08.a different type of putter. Yes, sometimes you go into bigger

:06:09. > :06:13.diameter on the cue, to make it, it takes a bit of work off, if you play

:06:14. > :06:18.with something eight-and-a-half millimetres as oppose to ten you get

:06:19. > :06:23.too much screw back. He is still producing the goods. You have to say

:06:24. > :06:27.how comfortable do you feel 3-1 against Mark Selby. I don't think he

:06:28. > :06:31.is. He has lost the cue ball a few times, it took two or three chances

:06:32. > :06:35.to get over the line, he is thinking to himself t 3-1 is a good score, he

:06:36. > :06:39.lost the cue ball a couple of time, you get anxious in front. It is a

:06:40. > :06:42.funny psychology, he has done well to hold himself together. He is

:06:43. > :06:47.looking the better of the two players against Mark who has only

:06:48. > :06:50.made that century break, I think considering the fact this is

:06:51. > :06:55.supposed to be Mark's office, he has been on the television cameras for

:06:56. > :06:58.the last few years all the time, and for Daniel he doesn't get many

:06:59. > :07:02.opportunities to be in this big a frame. I think that is an excellent

:07:03. > :07:07.performance in the four frames. A couple of years ago Mark in the last

:07:08. > :07:10.64 as we are now went out, it was real shock, to David Morris of

:07:11. > :07:15.Ireland, that was a big scalp for David and Mark had become a father

:07:16. > :07:19.at the time, as things happened with new babies and new families it was a

:07:20. > :07:23.turbulent time for him. But I wonder whether an event like that entering

:07:24. > :07:27.your mind, the fact you are scarred a bit from an experience like this

:07:28. > :07:31.at this stage. It shouldn't be for him. He is too good a player and too

:07:32. > :07:35.experienced. We are talking about Daniel being inner vows, Mark Selby

:07:36. > :07:38.will be nervous as well. With any match a different day, you don't

:07:39. > :07:42.know how the balls are going to run. You have to stamp your authority on

:07:43. > :07:46.a game. If you goes wrong you can put yourself in trouble which he is.

:07:47. > :07:52.Your assessment of the way Mark has started so far. He has got off to a

:07:53. > :07:56.pretty ragged start by his standards, he dug in well to win

:07:57. > :07:59.that second frame but he is back against the wall as much as his

:08:00. > :08:05.point who you would expect was going to be the one who falters first, he

:08:06. > :08:08.is knocking them in, they are going in the pockets, and for Mark's

:08:09. > :08:12.position, he has been there many times before, the latter part of the

:08:13. > :08:16.frame when the match where the best players usually come to fruition,

:08:17. > :08:22.but you can't guarantee it. Best of 11, you haven't got too much

:08:23. > :08:27.breathing space. To news is on him to start playing. In this interval

:08:28. > :08:30.we will reflect on what is a burgeoning snooker tour, it started

:08:31. > :08:35.two weeks after the Crucible final and it has been going great guns

:08:36. > :08:38.ever since, they have been to 12 different big events in eight

:08:39. > :08:42.different country since then, it is the first time in history, that the

:08:43. > :08:46.total prize money for the tour has topped ?10 million, and that really

:08:47. > :10:20.is a big milestone. Let us give you a look at the winners to date.

:10:21. > :10:26.A couple of multiple winners and new champions but we should go back to

:10:27. > :10:32.that point. ?10 million threshold, and 23 or so major events throughout

:10:33. > :10:36.the whole season, a few years ago these guys were having part-time

:10:37. > :10:41.work to keep going through six ranking event, what a turn round.

:10:42. > :10:45.All credit to Barry for turning it round. To be 18, to be playing six,

:10:46. > :10:49.seven hours to have your game and playing, what an opportunity to earn

:10:50. > :10:54.a fantastic living plained in a wonderful sport. It has brought up

:10:55. > :10:58.another problem, because to play on the tour now, costs a certain amount

:10:59. > :11:04.more money, that throws up, you have to decide how strongly you fancy the

:11:05. > :11:07.job of being a professional, because all of a sudden your overheads are

:11:08. > :11:11.higher so you have to generate the prize money, when there was only six

:11:12. > :11:16.events there was not much snooker but it didn't cost you so up many on

:11:17. > :11:19.the tour, so the second phase is now can you justify being a

:11:20. > :11:24.professional? Indeed. But those who have made their way and are doing

:11:25. > :11:30.really well, some of the stand out things for me, Ali Carter's return

:11:31. > :11:38.after getting the second all clear, to win, that was a huge milestone or

:11:39. > :11:45.for him. You have had Antony McGill and Mark King, 25 years this man has

:11:46. > :11:49.been on the tour, never won a world ranking tournament until last

:11:50. > :11:53.Sunday. He did it against Barry Hawkins and it was hugely emotional.

:11:54. > :11:58.He was joined by his family. I know you have been a great mentor to this

:11:59. > :12:03.fella. Look at the joy in his face. How meaningful is that? To all of

:12:04. > :12:09.his friends and associates in the game? Romford born and bred, he is a

:12:10. > :12:14.fantastic character, everybody would have been rooting for him, he has

:12:15. > :12:19.been through a journey, in life as well as on the table, and you can

:12:20. > :12:23.only think, well, not only is it great for him because he is a

:12:24. > :12:26.character, but all of the other players further down the rankings go

:12:27. > :12:32.this is another inspiration not to give up, if it is going wrong, get

:12:33. > :12:35.back on the horse and try again. It has been a fantastic journey --

:12:36. > :12:38.journey for him. Would you believe it, he was knocked out in round one,

:12:39. > :12:42.still in a daze here in York, in fact so much in a daze was he, he

:12:43. > :12:45.forgot take his cue back into the arena after the mid-session interval

:12:46. > :12:49.and was docked a frame. So he has gone, but he is going to join us on

:12:50. > :12:55.Thursday, to reflect on that fantastic achievement, so from all

:12:56. > :12:59.of us Mark, very well done indeed. John Higgins is full of confidence

:13:00. > :13:04.as he should be, because he has won back-to-back events in November, and

:13:05. > :13:11.in technical term, there are very few that get as good as the Wizard.

:13:12. > :13:19.When you talk about match players John Higgins falled into that

:13:20. > :13:23.category. John is on the top of most lists but consummate match player,

:13:24. > :13:26.tactical player, all round player, you can't have those conversations

:13:27. > :13:33.without mentioning him. What ability his technique? It is different from

:13:34. > :13:37.others? His action is longer than would be accepted in the modern day

:13:38. > :13:41.game, but on these cloths that we play on, trying to control the ball,

:13:42. > :13:43.but that comes from years of practising with Stephen Hendry in

:13:44. > :13:48.the old days where he would have seen what Steven was doing, John's

:13:49. > :13:53.action repeats, it is very deliberate, and he will be down long

:13:54. > :13:58.waggle, they are usually in the same rhythm. Doesn't hit it until he is

:13:59. > :14:06.ready. A nice pull back, it is always the same. . He never zel

:14:07. > :14:11.rates. -- decelerates. No, his shot election enables him to play with

:14:12. > :14:15.commitment. He is never half, 50-50 on a shot where you can decelerate

:14:16. > :14:20.because you are not committed to it. He is always thinking hard about the

:14:21. > :14:26.shot and he can give it 100%. What about his break-building? You think

:14:27. > :14:30.it is different. This is a very fine point, but from the start of a

:14:31. > :14:35.frame, in a break-building position I would have him down as what I

:14:36. > :14:39.would call a picker, myself, I might be looking into getting the reds

:14:40. > :14:43.open as soon as possible. You here with Stephen Hendry, Ronnie

:14:44. > :14:50.O'Sullivan, Judd Trump first good chance to get that pack open, they

:14:51. > :14:54.splash the reds everywhere. Higgins is an older stale player, he will

:14:55. > :14:58.look to pick the loose reds off, that is in case it goes wrong, he

:14:59. > :15:03.leaves you the puzzle. Many players would get to the 50, 60 point mark

:15:04. > :15:07.and the reds are everywhere. If it goes wrong you can lose in two or

:15:08. > :15:11.three minute, I have played John so many time, where something will go

:15:12. > :15:16.wrong at 50 or 60, you come to the table, and you have got a Rubik's

:15:17. > :15:20.Cube of a problem to solve. He has left you nothing and not by

:15:21. > :15:24.mistakes. He is 41 but still winning, why? I have done a bit of

:15:25. > :15:30.thinking about this. Since we have had European tour and the PTCs with

:15:31. > :15:36.the young player, we have 128 draws, I think John's and players like him,

:15:37. > :15:41.they are experienced, which you can't buy, just counts for so much.

:15:42. > :15:45.He very rarely leaves himself exposed to danger, he has been

:15:46. > :15:48.through the mill so many times he has so many battle scar, he knows

:15:49. > :15:59.the right shot to play and he usually plays it.

:16:00. > :16:04.Thank you. John back in the top four, beating Noppon Saengkham.

:16:05. > :16:07.Noppon is part of a healthy Thai contingent, most are based at the

:16:08. > :16:11.star academy in Sheffield. These two share the first couple of frame, we

:16:12. > :16:15.will go into the third and it is Noppon Saengkham to play. 16 points

:16:16. > :16:19.down. Watching this match the man who lost to him in round one Ken

:16:20. > :16:35.Doherty and John Virgo. He is hitting the pink is he?

:16:36. > :16:40.Hitting the pink, does that leave a nice easy starter for John Higgins.

:16:41. > :18:43.Think it does. There you see it. Gift.

:18:44. > :18:52.Nicely little controlled cannon on the red. Hit it on the left-hand

:18:53. > :18:57.side as the cue ball travelled to the red. He had to make sure he lit

:18:58. > :19:01.it -- hit it on the left-hand side, to nudge it into play. Last of the

:19:02. > :19:10.open reds this one. Two to the left of that, this red,

:19:11. > :19:16.may still pot into this right-hand side corner pocket as well. Looks

:19:17. > :19:23.like it did do, may not have to play into the pack here, could drop the

:19:24. > :19:27.black in and either of those two reds directly above the cue ball as

:19:28. > :19:43.we look, he has had a quick look to see both of them pot.

:19:44. > :20:05.Building up a nice healthy lead in this frame.

:20:06. > :20:16.69. Ahead, but there will be 79 on the table. He will need one more

:20:17. > :20:24.red. He will need the black first. Incredible. Seeing a lot of balls

:20:25. > :20:33.and misjudgments we haven't seen over the last few weeks from John.

:20:34. > :20:36.Been in imperious form. At the minute, he hasn't just settled in

:20:37. > :20:41.and settled in with the pace of this table. He is missing, playing some

:20:42. > :20:45.strange shots at the moment. Yes. And if you look where the cue ball

:20:46. > :20:51.finished he didn't really finish on a red. Now I would be surprised. The

:20:52. > :20:55.red closest to the cue ball, or the one just separated, will go to the

:20:56. > :21:01.far left corner. I don't know why he doesn't play the pot here, he could

:21:02. > :21:05.screw back, he would be on the black if it goes and wouldn't leave

:21:06. > :21:12.anything if he didn't. If he tries to play safe he could leave a red to

:21:13. > :21:22.this right corner. Is he playing it to the far right corner? He must be.

:21:23. > :21:25.Ooh so close. The only thing with playing it that way, If you miss it

:21:26. > :21:54.you Leigh one. I couldn't believe he didn't get the

:21:55. > :22:19.cue ball down tight to this top cushion.

:22:20. > :22:23.Again disappointed, he didn't to be using the rest and extension, it

:22:24. > :22:31.shouldn't make a great deal of difference, he has the black, but he

:22:32. > :22:37.is still look for one more red. Once he pots this red and the black, he

:22:38. > :22:49.will be 68 points in front, but there will still be 75 remaining.

:22:50. > :22:56.Decided to go for the blue. That is OK, as long as he doesn't come too

:22:57. > :23:04.straight. I think he just has the angle to play for the red along the

:23:05. > :23:11.baulk cushion, to tie up this frame. I say that, 66, 67 and of course,

:23:12. > :23:16.the black over the corner. He has got everything worked out

:23:17. > :23:24.here. So this red goes 67 ahead, 67

:23:25. > :23:47.remaining. As I say, the blacks a formality.

:23:48. > :23:57.74 points the lead, 76 remaining. Nicely on the red to the middle. I

:23:58. > :24:10.don't think any returns to the table for Saengkham here. Four frames

:24:11. > :24:42.there will be an interval. Spotted a plant.

:24:43. > :25:01.This is like Gardeners' World I have never seen as many plants.

:25:02. > :25:16.John Higgins will be concentrating here, because he just hasn't found

:25:17. > :25:21.the pace of the table just yet. OK, he will have a 2-1 advantage, he

:25:22. > :25:25.knows this is a chance to have a bit of practise, any way he misses the

:25:26. > :25:30.black, so that is it. So, that was a bit more like it, but still got the

:25:31. > :25:36.odd miss in him. John Higgins now leads by two names

:25:37. > :25:41.to one. But not getting too comfortable. Noppon Saengkham won

:25:42. > :25:45.the next and went into the internatural at -- interval at two

:25:46. > :25:48.frames a piece. And this young man, a long with several other Thai

:25:49. > :25:53.players on the circuit, you might notice he is wearing a black

:25:54. > :25:57.armband, that is in memory of the king of Thailand who passed away

:25:58. > :26:02.last month. But Saengkham on a big break here guys and we are seeing a

:26:03. > :26:06.very good talent here. He is on the verge of going 3-2 in front. A great

:26:07. > :26:13.result in the first round. Yes and he looks like he is a seriously good

:26:14. > :26:19.cuist. He has kept going for his shots. Shots. He keeps playing the

:26:20. > :26:24.right shot. It is positive. I don't want to dig Ken Doherty. Anyone who

:26:25. > :26:29.beats him 6-0 he has to have something about him. Ken can usually

:26:30. > :26:33.tie up players. This is something Shaun Murphy was talking about after

:26:34. > :26:37.one of his matches earlier in the season, the general standard of the

:26:38. > :26:41.players all the way down the ranking list is so high, there is very

:26:42. > :26:51.little breathing space for the top players even, if they are not on

:26:52. > :26:57.form. You have the likes of him and others, and it is interesting that

:26:58. > :27:01.James Wattana, who was such a trailblazer is still on the scene

:27:02. > :27:04.and mentoring these young fellas. He has masses of experience, a

:27:05. > :27:09.brilliant player in his time. Still playing on the circuit now, he lost

:27:10. > :27:13.to Judd this week so he is still knocking round, there wouldn't be

:27:14. > :27:19.too much Jame didn't know about it. It. Snooker in Thailand has been

:27:20. > :27:23.round longer than anybody in in the UK thinks, they were playing in the

:27:24. > :27:28.60, they have history and more so have the Chinese players. I didn't

:27:29. > :27:35.want to mention the fact he beat Ken Doherty. I said how did you lose 6-0

:27:36. > :27:39.to Ken? I am finding out why. He is moving round the table smoothly and

:27:40. > :27:42.with a great deal of self confidence. This is Noppon

:27:43. > :27:48.Saengkham. He is the world number 73.

:27:49. > :27:53.24-year-old going 3-2 up on a four time world champion and you can

:27:54. > :27:57.continue to watch that match via the BBC sport app, if you so choose. But

:27:58. > :28:03.let me bring you up-to-date with with events on table four. We have

:28:04. > :28:06.Mark Williams, a two time UK champion of course, and this is

:28:07. > :28:15.Andrew Higginson, he has taken the first one after the interval. So he

:28:16. > :28:18.is 3-2 down, Mark Williams. 3-2 up. Let us update you on the other

:28:19. > :28:21.scores currently going on at the moment. So that is the situation

:28:22. > :28:27.after five frames in that one. And there is a lot going on, four

:28:28. > :28:31.matches out in the main arena, four in the sports hall. This is the

:28:32. > :28:40.situation, Stephen Maguire trying to get back into the world top 16

:28:41. > :28:49.having dropped out. 3-1 up. Wang Yuchen another good Chinese player.

:28:50. > :28:57.Luca Brecel is 4-2 down against Sam Craigie. He knocked out Mark King. I

:28:58. > :29:01.am hearing it has gone 4-3 so Luca Brecel back on the charge and Graeme

:29:02. > :29:06.Dott could be on the verge of an exit here, because Dominic Dale, 5-2

:29:07. > :29:12.up needing one more to knock out the former world champion. But we are

:29:13. > :29:17.going back out to the match we have been enjoying as Daniel Wells from

:29:18. > :29:21.Neath with that 3-1 advantage, Mark Selby, we have lost the defending

:29:22. > :29:28.champion Neil Robertson, could there be another big surprise in the

:29:29. > :29:32.making this afternoon? Could there just be that Hazel? Daniel has done

:29:33. > :29:36.very well, but you know what Mark Selby is like, we have seen so many

:29:37. > :29:50.times he produces his best snooker when he is put under pressure, and I

:29:51. > :29:54.suppose he is at 3-1 down. That is the first pot in this frame. Quite a

:29:55. > :30:00.bit of tactical play. In fact the pink and plaque were tied up before

:30:01. > :30:03.you joined us, -- black. A couple of shots clear. The table starting to

:30:04. > :30:28.open up somewhat. All a little bit congested as we

:30:29. > :30:36.show you that nice pot into the middle pocket. If the pink is in

:30:37. > :30:49.there, it will be out of commission. Four reds surrounding the cross for

:30:50. > :30:50.the ball marker. It has definitely tied the that is

:30:51. > :31:06.sure. I am just looking at it, the

:31:07. > :31:17.Blackwood had to go on the green spot, so not a good chance by any

:31:18. > :32:08.means yet. -- black would have to go.

:32:09. > :32:27.There is enough room on the pink spot for the black to spot.

:32:28. > :32:37.And the next shot will certainly bring reds and black in to play.

:32:38. > :32:47.Don't hit the black on the bright side as we look at it. -- right

:32:48. > :32:59.side. Four reds around the pink. The black

:33:00. > :33:07.out of commission. No chance to win the frame at the moment. But every

:33:08. > :33:08.cannon he plays becomes easier. He needs to get a move on in this

:33:09. > :33:27.match, Mark Selby. Creeping up now, Mark Selby. Pot

:33:28. > :33:47.success at 95%. He holds his hand up to apologise

:33:48. > :33:51.for that nice little cannon there. Does he have the angle on the blue

:33:52. > :33:59.to follow through on the right side cushion? Lots of top spin and he can

:34:00. > :34:02.go into the four reds and pinks. At the very worst, he has the red on

:34:03. > :34:14.the cushion to the corner. There we go. OK, he has a red to the

:34:15. > :34:19.right corner, playing off two cushions to the right-hand side. Can

:34:20. > :34:23.he just nudge the red away from the pink?

:34:24. > :34:35.He missed the cannon. End of break. He wanted to nudge the

:34:36. > :35:07.red away from the pink there. He did make contact. But not enough.

:35:08. > :35:23.Two shots, putting the brown is safe and also a smoker. -- snooker. The

:35:24. > :35:33.colour is safe, a bit of insurance. Coming the wrong side of a red here.

:35:34. > :35:41.Having to put the white back, it ran too far to get the red along the

:35:42. > :36:04.commission. -- along the cushion. Smiles all around. I had a chat with

:36:05. > :36:12.Dan at the interval, lovely lad. He said there are no snooker clubs in

:36:13. > :36:17.Neath now. There was a famous snooker club there. I remember going

:36:18. > :36:21.there as a 19-year-old to play. Three professionals, but no snooker

:36:22. > :38:09.club. Keeping things nice and tight here.

:38:10. > :38:14.Daniel could do with getting the pink or black in to play at some

:38:15. > :38:43.stage. He could play it down off the reds

:38:44. > :38:48.near the black, but he would have to get a very good cue ball. It would

:38:49. > :38:51.bring the black interplay, but leave a pot in the corner. If he was to

:38:52. > :38:55.release the black, he would have to make sure he has a good cue ball. So

:38:56. > :39:08.he will have to wait. I think he can get past the blue to

:39:09. > :40:10.sneak this red in. He is usually pretty good at that

:40:11. > :40:14.type of shot. He has left a possible chance here. The cue ball is close

:40:15. > :40:18.to the cushion, but this would be a handy one to knock in. He has two

:40:19. > :40:26.drop on the blue because the smaller colours are all out of commission.

:40:27. > :40:35.That is exactly what he has done. He will take it in the corner, but if

:40:36. > :40:39.it had pulled up short, he could have potted the blue in the middle

:40:40. > :40:43.and nudged into the black and two rents. But he can't do that now. --

:40:44. > :41:09.black and two reds. I'll tell you what, if he is on the

:41:10. > :41:13.red in the middle, that was a terrific shot there. Now he has the

:41:14. > :41:15.black in open play. A bit of a chance to come right back at Mark

:41:16. > :41:29.Selby in this ring. Has he got enough pace to get the

:41:30. > :41:30.right side of the blue to get to the two reds to the right of the black?

:41:31. > :42:56.I think he is OK. And being a left-hander, the reds

:42:57. > :43:01.are not too bad on that left side of the table. With a bit more pace on

:43:02. > :43:13.that, it would have been easier. He will have to get the extension out.

:43:14. > :43:14.Just another three or four inches on the cue ball and he would have been

:43:15. > :43:40.perfectly placed. He said he was very comfortable out

:43:41. > :43:47.there when he was just losing position a little bit in those first

:43:48. > :43:59.four frames. He just overhit that one slightly as well. I am not sure

:44:00. > :44:02.how long he has been using that new cue, Stephen, but it is certainly

:44:03. > :44:10.working at the moment for him. This is a key shot coming up for him

:44:11. > :44:17.here. Yes, right in the middle. Yeah, what happens is some players

:44:18. > :44:22.are not used to it, and try to make sure they pop the ball, and the

:44:23. > :44:33.position is not as automatic as it would normally be.

:44:34. > :44:42.He has done well to get right back into this frame. He doesn't want to

:44:43. > :44:48.be straight on the black, because that could be end of break. If he is

:44:49. > :44:50.dead straight. Look at that long pot success rate,

:44:51. > :45:04.seven out of seven. Unless he plays a double, and he is

:45:05. > :45:16.straight on the black, it could be end of break. He has a great chance.

:45:17. > :45:27.How is the pace? Nearly. Had he dropped in behind the yellow,

:45:28. > :45:33.he would have had Mark Selby in all sort of trouble. Still pretty good

:45:34. > :46:00.as it is. But in behind the yellow would have been perfect.

:46:01. > :46:06.He has got to be a little bit careful here he doesn't slip past

:46:07. > :46:11.the red that he is trying to land on. He has gone two cushions and

:46:12. > :46:19.back down the table. REFEREE: Foul and a miss.

:46:20. > :46:26.It was risky to try to land on the red. He knew that if he did not get

:46:27. > :46:31.it right, he would leave Daniel in. Try number two, better to miss it

:46:32. > :46:37.rather than hit it thick with the first attempt.

:46:38. > :46:41.And he has hit it thick. But I think he is OK. I don't think that one

:46:42. > :47:12.next to the pink goes. The target now is to try to get in

:47:13. > :47:31.behind that yellow. Oh... REFEREE: Foul and a mess. I

:47:32. > :47:35.wouldn't put him back in here, I would play the shot myself and try

:47:36. > :47:52.to swing that right round towards the yellow. -- miss.

:47:53. > :47:58.He doesn't have to try to get in behind the yellow, as long as he

:47:59. > :48:04.gets a good cue ball approach to the cushion anywhere near the green is

:48:05. > :48:08.good. But he is looking if he can swing it round the angles. But if

:48:09. > :48:19.you try to get the snooker, you have to get the red fairly safe also.

:48:20. > :48:25.He is just deciding, should I try to get these snooker, or just try to

:48:26. > :48:40.get the cue ball? In fact, in the end, he has decided

:48:41. > :48:47.to put it back again, which he thought long and hard about, and

:48:48. > :48:53.decided was better. Mark is looking for as thin and edge as possible. I

:48:54. > :48:54.thought he might have attempted to swing it around the angles towards

:48:55. > :49:01.the yellow. The same shot played harder, and he

:49:02. > :49:14.would have got in behind the yellow. A big shot coming up for the

:49:15. > :50:04.Welshman here. Just looking at the school, if he

:50:05. > :50:12.takes the pot onto the right corner, there is no colour available, but he

:50:13. > :50:15.could put Daniel in a very difficult snooker -- score. Failing that, he

:50:16. > :50:22.would have to try to get on the blue. If he was to just knock the

:50:23. > :50:25.red in and roll in tight behind the yellow, he would have Daniel in all

:50:26. > :50:54.sorts of trouble. There was nowhere to the last red,

:50:55. > :50:58.even if he potted it he would be on the blue. The black was preventing

:50:59. > :51:05.him from putting the blue and bringing up the red to bring it into

:51:06. > :51:17.play. He has overcome that by a long way. -- overcut that. If Daniel went

:51:18. > :52:23.4-1 up, what a great position that would put him in.

:52:24. > :52:31.The last shot Mark Selby played opened up the red. He was hampered

:52:32. > :52:34.by the pink, and now a poor safety shot from Daniel, he can get right

:52:35. > :52:45.back into the frame now. He is only 12 behind. He is not going to win

:52:46. > :52:50.the frame at this visit, but he can put himself in a commanding

:52:51. > :52:53.position. If he can get two reds, and two colours, and an excellent

:52:54. > :53:15.safety shot on the yellow. He can leave himself a half more

:53:16. > :53:21.black. As long as he hits yellow first with the cannon, and not

:53:22. > :53:25.cushion first, he will have a chance to pot the yellow and get on green.

:53:26. > :53:29.But green to brown will be virtually impossible. He has gone too far to

:53:30. > :53:44.the black. Mind, if he can't get to the yellow,

:53:45. > :53:53.leaving the white, he can snooker him behind the brown.

:53:54. > :53:56.He can't do that now. If he had left the white near the blue, he could

:53:57. > :53:58.have stunned in behind the brown and sent the yellow running around the

:53:59. > :54:20.angles. He can't do that now. I think he's OK. I think he can get

:54:21. > :54:23.past the blue with a little bit of swerve to avoid hitting the green,

:54:24. > :54:28.then come off the cushion and hit the yellow from behind. Lots of side

:54:29. > :57:00.on this. Much better to come off a couple of

:57:01. > :57:15.questions. You can judge it slightly better.

:57:16. > :57:22.He could choose left centre, hit a cannon and get a good safety off the

:57:23. > :58:12.green. He will be hoping to get the green

:58:13. > :58:16.somewhere near the black, you would think.

:58:17. > :58:23.Oh, it just caught the jaw, otherwise he would have had the

:58:24. > :58:24.green up near the black with the possibility of the snooker behind

:58:25. > :58:47.the blue. He only just hit the green, but look

:58:48. > :58:56.how it turned out. It has opened the game up now the brown is in play.

:58:57. > :59:06.Just trying to get in behind the brown. That's the pot and he has

:59:07. > :59:13.done it. He needs to Mr brown, he doesn't want to cannonade. And he

:59:14. > :59:16.played it perfectly. -- miss the brown. That really is a

:59:17. > :59:24.frame-winner, and it deserves to win any frame.

:59:25. > :59:25.That could be the shot that sparks the world number one into life in

:59:26. > :59:58.this match. A 36 minute frame and the world

:59:59. > :00:05.number one will be delighted that he has taken it. Now he is just one

:00:06. > :00:08.frame behind, it is 3-2 to the world number one. HAZEL IRVINE: A hugely

:00:09. > :00:14.important frame. We have been dipping into table two action, where

:00:15. > :00:21.John Higgins is 1-0 down to Noppon Saengkham of Thailand. But he is in

:00:22. > :00:27.frame six, and John Huh has been cueing beautifully in the last

:00:28. > :00:36.couple of months says he is probably better an 15 years ago. Here he is

:00:37. > :00:40.on his way to a very good break of 126. The second century he has made

:00:41. > :00:44.in the championship this week after a 132 in his first round victory a

:00:45. > :00:53.couple of days ago. So all square in that one, 3-3. And we have one

:00:54. > :00:57.result from the second round here, Dominic Dale is the first man

:00:58. > :01:00.through to round three, because he has completed a very good win over

:01:01. > :01:04.former world champion Graeme Dott, who has never had the best of luck

:01:05. > :01:15.in this championship, it has to be Z. Dominik played well, 6-3. He was

:01:16. > :01:21.4-1 up and Graeme staged somewhat a revival, but will be going back home

:01:22. > :01:26.tonight. I understand this is the busiest day in the Christmas market

:01:27. > :01:29.up to Christmas and there are coachloads aplenty coming into the

:01:30. > :01:34.city at the moment. But we have a full audience here at the Barbican

:01:35. > :01:38.Centre. This is turning into an intriguing match.

:01:39. > :01:47.Daniel Wells had a good chance, you don't get many of those, but you

:01:48. > :01:50.expect even in the situation Mark Selby to wriggle off the hook. I

:01:51. > :01:57.expected it near the end of the frame. The balls were awkward. He

:01:58. > :02:00.has so much ring craft ant him, so much experience, he is brilliant

:02:01. > :02:04.about we needling away the ball, playing the right safety shot. There

:02:05. > :02:07.was an inevitability about him going to win that frame. A lovely pot on

:02:08. > :02:12.the green to finish it off. That is right. You would expect the player

:02:13. > :02:16.that is, you know, miles ahead in the money list, to be good under

:02:17. > :02:20.pressure, but every match, especially in the early stages you

:02:21. > :02:25.have to stamp your authority on it. He hasn't done as yet, I don't think

:02:26. > :02:28.the frames have been won in one visit other than the century break

:02:29. > :02:36.he made. Perhaps it is time for him to move through the gears. It could

:02:37. > :02:43.have been 4-1, instead it is 2-3. Selby has broken off.

:02:44. > :02:50.Not the best break-off shot he has made for Daniel toe have a go at. It

:02:51. > :02:56.is the only one he would leave if he should misit. Would be on the black

:02:57. > :03:05.if it goes in. He has potted -- some lovely long balls in this match.

:03:06. > :03:09.I think that is the third long shot, similar, dropping them in dead

:03:10. > :03:13.weight off the cushion for a colour. Can he cannon the middle one of

:03:14. > :03:35.those three reds? Any contact on that would be good.

:03:36. > :05:22.A key shot if he fetes the blue and gets the pink on the cannon, he can

:05:23. > :05:23.open up things here. A quick look to make sure there is

:05:24. > :05:47.no plants on, if he plays that shot. Amazing, he might be sitting in his

:05:48. > :05:57.seat for quite a while now, he forgot the most important part of

:05:58. > :06:01.the shot. The pot on the blue. You couldn't have the balls better

:06:02. > :06:04.placed than this, that is one of the most frustrate things about the game

:06:05. > :06:13.of snooker, you miss a pot, you open the reds up, and you have to sit and

:06:14. > :06:14.watch your opponent knock in all the balls you should have been knocking

:06:15. > :06:55.in. He didn't catch the ping as he

:06:56. > :06:57.intended, but look at the way they split,

:06:58. > :07:10.he has pecked the pace up quite a bit, Mark Selby.

:07:11. > :07:24.They don't have to take as long as the balls are like this.

:07:25. > :07:39.Can't really see a problem for Mark Selby here, they are all going to

:07:40. > :07:44.clear each other. The reds. The only two, I think they are all available.

:07:45. > :07:48.Even the two tobl together to the right of the Pink, one might go in

:07:49. > :07:51.the corner. So they are all there for the taking. Pink, one might go

:07:52. > :08:03.in the corner. So they are all there He will have to play a little cannon

:08:04. > :09:11.here, but that shouldn't be a problem.

:09:12. > :09:17.Seemings to have a more focussed look on his face in this match Mark

:09:18. > :09:22.Selby. I mention that green he potted in the last frame. Sometimes

:09:23. > :09:40.it takes one shot, to spark you into life.

:09:41. > :09:45.S to have a more focussed look on his face in this match Mark Selby. I

:09:46. > :09:47.mention that green he potted in the last frame. Sometimes it takes one

:09:48. > :09:50.shot, to spark you into life. Moving up the gears Steve Davis said. He

:09:51. > :10:09.has been pretty much in neutral for most of this match.

:10:10. > :10:16.He had the week off last week, he didn't travel to Belfast for the

:10:17. > :10:19.Northern Ireland open, which was a fantastic tournament. The crowds

:10:20. > :10:25.were fantastic, the atmosphere was superb, a few of the top players

:10:26. > :10:30.didn't go. Neil Robertson, Judd Trump, Stuart Bingham, but overall

:10:31. > :10:35.it was fabulous tournament and for Mark King to win his first ranking

:10:36. > :10:41.event after 25 years was something special. And the crowd absolutely

:10:42. > :10:48.loved it over there. In the Titanic Exhibition Centre. And right next to

:10:49. > :10:51.that building, opposite was where the film Game of Thrones. -- where

:10:52. > :11:17.they filmed. Wondering if Daniel has missed the

:11:18. > :11:22.boat. He had a bit of a chaps to go 4-1 and -- chance to go 4-1 and Mark

:11:23. > :11:27.Selby is looking like a different player now, all do, but he is still

:11:28. > :11:30.all square, if someone had given hem 3 each with the current number one

:11:31. > :11:43.and world champion before the match he would have taken it.

:11:44. > :11:54.You would have been surprised if Mark Selby continued to play as

:11:55. > :11:58.poorly as he was the whole match, so, that opportunity, to really put

:11:59. > :12:08.the hammer down and go 4-1 could be costly and obviously in this frame,

:12:09. > :12:10.missing that blue off the spot. Presenting Mark with this

:12:11. > :12:15.opportunity which he has taken very well. He has had the cue ball in

:12:16. > :13:22.complete control. That is another terrific century

:13:23. > :13:34.from Mark Selby. The second of the match.

:13:35. > :13:41.Doesn't matter about missing the black. He is back on top form with

:13:42. > :13:44.that lovely century break, and Mark Selby draws level, it is three

:13:45. > :13:47.frames each. HAZEL IRVINE: He looks like he has

:13:48. > :13:52.retrieved the situation for the time being. Three frames all as Denis was

:13:53. > :13:56.saying and we have another result come through. It's the Welsh potting

:13:57. > :14:07.machine Mark Williams through to the third round. He has completed a 6-2

:14:08. > :14:12.victory over Andrew Higginson and Mark is in his 25th season as

:14:13. > :14:17.professional. He said the other week, I'm rubbish compared to what I

:14:18. > :14:21.used to be, I am still in the top 16, sometimes I laugh at myself. He

:14:22. > :14:25.has a pragmatic approach to life, but good to see him getting through,

:14:26. > :14:31.a former two time UK champion, and he goes through at the expense of

:14:32. > :14:37.Andrew Higginson today. But a very very interesting match on

:14:38. > :14:40.table two, we have seen John Higgins draw level in frame six, into frame

:14:41. > :14:52.seven and this is extremely tight. Back to Ken and John.

:14:53. > :15:09.Too thin! Well, would you believe it? It is hard to believe. The cue

:15:10. > :15:13.ball is lying close to this baulk, but ping very close to this corner

:15:14. > :15:20.pocket but this is no gimme, and he has to play it to stay on the black.

:15:21. > :15:25.He has to He has to trust the table here. Oh and he did, and it didn't

:15:26. > :15:37.let him down, we are going to a respot, surely.

:15:38. > :15:47.We are. Well, this is now an absolutely enormous frame, because

:15:48. > :15:53.both players have had chances. Noppon Saengkham had his chance in

:15:54. > :15:57.among the ball, missed the last red and John Higgins overcutting the

:15:58. > :16:00.ping, that was a surprise, so someone is going to get something

:16:01. > :16:10.out of this frame, and it is going to be whoever pots this black.

:16:11. > :16:16.-- pink. Noppon has won the toss and he will, John will break. The normal

:16:17. > :16:18.shot for the players is black on the side cushion cue ball on the side

:16:19. > :16:23.cushion. What will John Higgins do here?

:16:24. > :16:37.He has gone for the double. Is it comes over this corner pocket? Is it

:16:38. > :16:41.coming over this corner pocket? Ooh! Well, you could say it might just

:16:42. > :16:49.cut, but beware the middle pockets, if he goes for the cuts, that cue

:16:50. > :16:55.ball is going to be running loose, and in-off is likely. Strange shot

:16:56. > :17:01.from John Higgins. Watch the cue ball.

:17:02. > :17:06.Where is the cue ball going? Not in the pocket, so what a result. Very

:17:07. > :17:11.strange choice of shot from John Higgins, he paid the ultimate price,

:17:12. > :17:17.it cost him the frame. He trails 4-3. This young Thai player has only

:17:18. > :17:20.one three opening matches in the ten events he has entered this season

:17:21. > :17:24.and gone no further but he is putting up a real fight against a

:17:25. > :17:30.very very well regarded opponent in John Higgins. So that one still

:17:31. > :17:35.available via the BBC app, on all of your connected devices but we are

:17:36. > :17:43.straight back to table one which has gone 3-3. What did we miss here?

:17:44. > :17:49.Hazel you missed a nice trick shot from Daniel. Missed it, look at the

:17:50. > :17:56.other one. It comes over into the pocket. But unfortunately for him,

:17:57. > :18:00.he knocked the black off its spot, so... Mark let him in with quite a

:18:01. > :18:19.poor shot, so just a safety here. And this was Mark Selby's shot here,

:18:20. > :18:24.attempted a long pot. He was feeling good after than century, but he put

:18:25. > :18:31.Daniel right in among them there, and he should have made more from

:18:32. > :18:55.that chance. Obviously feeling the tension is Daniel now.

:18:56. > :19:04.Almost mis-hit there from Mark Selby.

:19:05. > :20:57.Doesn't even get close. Well I think he might have left a

:20:58. > :21:02.path through. That is unlucky, he played a great cue ball. He knew he

:21:03. > :21:06.was opening the reds up, to knock one over the pocket and leave a gap

:21:07. > :21:08.like that, it is a bit unfortunate. So another chance for the world

:21:09. > :21:22.number one here. Reds are nicely placed but the

:21:23. > :22:33.colours are not perfect. He won't be playing for the black

:22:34. > :23:10.until gets rid of the red that is to the left of the black spot.

:23:11. > :23:21.Just having a look to see where the pink will go, if he puts it when it

:23:22. > :23:27.goes back on its own spot. -- pots. He is playing for the pink, so must

:23:28. > :23:28.go on its own spot. I would be very surprised if he potted it and it

:23:29. > :23:52.went on the black spot. He has to just judge it himself, he

:23:53. > :24:08.can't ask the referee for any help with that.

:24:09. > :24:11.With his ball marker there, just checking and there is plenty of

:24:12. > :26:27.room. Could have been better. Should be OK

:26:28. > :26:45.though. Just needs one good positional shot

:26:46. > :26:56.to get him back in to prime position here.

:26:57. > :27:09.This could be the key to maybe going on and taking this frame, this shot

:27:10. > :27:14.here. Now then, I don't think he can get through to it. I was looking at

:27:15. > :27:18.his body language, think he has run out of position, it was a key shot

:27:19. > :27:24.but it is end of break as you can clearly see there.

:27:25. > :27:28.That can happen when you play a cannon into another ball. He had ran

:27:29. > :29:32.slightly out of position, just previously.

:29:33. > :29:41.Well cut in, the white will be flying round the table.

:29:42. > :29:54.Where is that cue ball? It is OK. Good pot, well controlled. There is

:29:55. > :30:03.not that many reds available, there is is a couple of reds that will

:30:04. > :30:05.pot, after this blue. Was that a kick or did he just

:30:06. > :30:11.mis-hit that? Not hitting the cue ball clean,

:30:12. > :32:10.let's have a look at this. Good pot but is he straight on the

:32:11. > :32:16.blue? If it is straight, he can't get on the red.

:32:17. > :32:28.It must be dead straight. Is he going to try to force an angle

:32:29. > :32:51.here? Well, it's not a bad effort. This is

:32:52. > :33:07.a tricky one, though, that he is faced with.

:33:08. > :33:19.The only red that he could leave is the one he is having a go at. But if

:33:20. > :33:24.it goes in, he can develop again. No.

:33:25. > :33:36.The only red he could leave was the one he was playing, and I think he

:33:37. > :33:42.has left that. It is a free shot for Mark here, as we show you that

:33:43. > :33:46.attempt again from Daniel. Definitely one of those reds cuts,

:33:47. > :34:28.that's for sure. Where is that cue ball? REFEREE:

:34:29. > :34:34.Foul. I think Mark was lucky, but he would have had a spot of side on it.

:34:35. > :34:42.Let's have a look, where was it going? He thought it was going onto

:34:43. > :34:46.the side cushion. If you looked at whether Green was

:34:47. > :34:50.when he potted it, you can't see how there is a path to the corner

:34:51. > :36:16.pocket, that is why he is used by that. -- where the green.

:36:17. > :36:25.One of the best shots he has played in the last 2-3 frames. He played it

:36:26. > :36:29.positively. Could have played the cue ball, but an aggressive shot for

:36:30. > :36:39.pink and black. What a chance now to take a 4-3

:36:40. > :36:56.lead. If he has any ambitions of winning

:36:57. > :37:00.this match, these are the opportunities he has to take now at

:37:01. > :37:19.3-3. You can't leave these chances begging now.

:37:20. > :37:27.He shakes his head. That was a poor shot. He was perfect on the pink. He

:37:28. > :37:30.could put the cue ball basically wherever he wanted there. This is

:37:31. > :37:49.now very missable. Yeah, he didn't want that little

:37:50. > :37:53.flick off the brown, he would have been perfect on the yellow. He will

:37:54. > :38:10.have two role in behind the brown now. -- to roll in behind the brown

:38:11. > :38:14.now. Just four points behind in a frame that would get him back into

:38:15. > :38:18.the lead. You never know where you are going to knock these, no matter

:38:19. > :38:21.how good you are at getting out of this sort of snooker. You can see

:38:22. > :38:29.where the red is going. Always the possibility of that

:38:30. > :38:33.happening when escaping from a snooker. The brown is the key ball

:38:34. > :38:48.here. If he was playing in his club, he

:38:49. > :38:54.would have played with lots of left-hand side to play the brown out

:38:55. > :39:15.from the red. I am surprised he has not played it from there as well.

:39:16. > :39:18.Imperative that he gets nicely on the green to give himself a chance

:39:19. > :39:42.to get over to the brown. The only problem with the brown for

:39:43. > :39:58.a left-hander is it is the wrong side of the table.

:39:59. > :40:12.Daniel, you can't do that. Such an easy pot, and he took his eye off it

:40:13. > :40:14.completely. All he thought about was how he was going to force a white

:40:15. > :40:33.over to the brown. It was such a top shot to get on the

:40:34. > :40:39.brown. Make sure of the green and he could have put Mark in trouble on

:40:40. > :40:42.the brown. That is what Mark has done, made sure of the green and get

:40:43. > :41:07.a good safety here. He needs the blue to come to his

:41:08. > :41:24.rescue here. He can see enough of it, but it is a

:41:25. > :41:35.tough shot if he wants to take this on and get onto the blue.

:41:36. > :41:40.And all he will do is think for a while. It is not an easy safety

:41:41. > :41:42.shot, so he will have a go at it. He had to get the cue ball back to the

:41:43. > :41:55.blue. A mile away. Where is the brown

:41:56. > :42:03.going to finish? Where is the brown going to finish. Surely not in the

:42:04. > :42:07.pocket. Surely not in the pocket. Wow... what a fluke that would have

:42:08. > :42:13.been. A tough way to play that brown. With

:42:14. > :42:20.top spin. You have got to hit it so hard. I thought he might have played

:42:21. > :42:27.it with bottom. You can see the cue was all over the place.

:42:28. > :42:29.What an easy couple of shots to win such an important frame for Daniel

:42:30. > :42:49.Wells. He will be absolutely delighted. He

:42:50. > :42:55.lost two frames in a row, but he is back in front again. Daniel Wells

:42:56. > :43:01.leads the current world champion by a frame, it is for- three. HAZEL

:43:02. > :43:11.Daniel Wells giving himself a sound account of himself. We have another

:43:12. > :43:18.match that has finished, and it is a victory for Stephen Maguire, 6-2.

:43:19. > :43:30.Zhao Xintong is a very good player in the making. He beat Stephen in

:43:31. > :43:34.the World Cup along lasted. Finishing off with a 128. The man

:43:35. > :43:42.that has already made a maximum early in the season making a good

:43:43. > :43:46.account of himself. That is the situation. Gentlemen, I know Stephen

:43:47. > :43:52.Maguire is really fired up to get into the top 16, and has made a good

:43:53. > :43:55.start to the season so far. He has always been a strong player,

:43:56. > :43:59.but he has his focus back. For a long time we wondered what was wrong

:44:00. > :44:06.with his game, is he not giving it enough attention? Now, I think he is

:44:07. > :44:11.a more rounded player. He seems to have decided to focus on the hard

:44:12. > :44:17.work, John. What I have heard is that he has put a table into an

:44:18. > :44:22.office situation, and no longer a club, so that it feels like he is

:44:23. > :44:29.going to work every day. It is a different focus for him. You have

:44:30. > :44:34.got to try something different. I didn't realise, Shaun Murphy was

:44:35. > :44:38.telling me, he has been prone to changes cue and you can't keep doing

:44:39. > :44:43.that all the time. You have two five when you settle with and play with.

:44:44. > :44:47.But changing your cue so much will help. He has everything to

:44:48. > :44:50.consistently win tournaments. He should win a tournament every year.

:44:51. > :44:58.He is capable of winning events every year, and it is a mystery why

:44:59. > :45:02.he hasn't done it. Daniel Wells is in a good position, and is holding

:45:03. > :45:08.himself together well here as we head back to Stephen and Dennis.

:45:09. > :45:12.COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Hazel. Attempting that long pot, he is

:45:13. > :45:27.eight out of ten, I think, so far. But he didn't get close to that one.

:45:28. > :45:35.Mark also a long way off that attempted long pot, and black is

:45:36. > :45:42.near the cushion and the pink it out of commission. It has all the signs

:45:43. > :48:21.of being a very scrappy frame already.

:48:22. > :48:30.Mark might have made a couple of century breaks, but a couple of his

:48:31. > :48:31.long pot is missing by a long way. It is an indication that the timing

:48:32. > :49:07.is not quite there. No value this time in attempting a

:49:08. > :49:09.long pot because of the pink and black tied up. So a safety off the

:49:10. > :50:44.edge of the pack here. I would love to see that shot again.

:50:45. > :51:09.Daniel was having a laugh about it. He has missed one of these in the

:51:10. > :51:18.match already a lot closer than this.

:51:19. > :52:31.He just needs to get the match won now by any means he can.

:52:32. > :52:39.Certainly struggling a little bit at the moment, Mark. With the pink tied

:52:40. > :52:47.up and the black tied up, maybe he has lost a little bit of focus at

:52:48. > :52:51.present. The white somewhere near the yellow

:52:52. > :53:26.would do nicely. Behind it would be even better.

:53:27. > :53:37.I thought Daniel's shot the previous time, he had a great chance to get

:53:38. > :53:40.in behind the yellow, but he just played a safety shot, blocking off

:53:41. > :54:13.the left side of the table. Now he has got himself in a bit of trouble.

:54:14. > :54:22.We have had a few awkward frames where the ball has gone safe early

:54:23. > :54:30.on. We had a couple of century breaks from Mark.

:54:31. > :54:36.You can't do much about it when they go awkward like this. You just had

:54:37. > :54:41.to battle away and play some good safety, hopefully getting a chance,

:54:42. > :55:16.and getting one of the bigger colours into play.

:55:17. > :55:24.One thing is for sure, Mark Selby will put everything into this frame,

:55:25. > :55:35.because 5-3 behind, you have to win three in a row.

:55:36. > :55:43.It might be worth taking a chance, putting this red, and going into the

:55:44. > :55:48.red and pink. If not that, if he can get a good position on the blue, he

:55:49. > :55:54.can cannon into the pink and red. There are two ways of going about

:55:55. > :55:58.this. Now, is he going to get the right

:55:59. > :56:06.angle? I don't think so. That's no good.

:56:07. > :56:08.Bit of a chance. With a nice angle, he could have brought the red and

:56:09. > :56:33.pink into play. This is quite a thin one. Difficult

:56:34. > :56:38.to judge when you are that close. He is going to get the little

:56:39. > :56:40.extension, which means he will try to take the blue on and get back to

:56:41. > :57:09.the reds. STUDIO: As Daniel starts out here to

:57:10. > :57:14.try to make some hay in this frame, I'm afraid we have to go, as we have

:57:15. > :57:20.live rugby next, Wales taking on South Africa on BBC Two. The match

:57:21. > :57:25.continues on the red button. A live update from table two, and it has

:57:26. > :57:30.gone wrong for John Higgins. He was in a good position, failed to get is

:57:31. > :57:35.issued on red. And thumped the table in frustration, actually. He is in

:57:36. > :57:42.the ascendancy, but has let Saengkham in. It continues on the

:57:43. > :57:46.red button. An update on the other matches still going, we have Mark

:57:47. > :57:50.Selby and John Higgins involved here. The other two are finished

:57:51. > :57:54.with wins for Stephen Maguire and Mark Williams. In the sports hall,

:57:55. > :58:01.the other four matches, two are complete. Luca Brecel came from

:58:02. > :58:06.behind to win against Sam Craigie 6-5. Dominic Dale is rude, 6-3. It

:58:07. > :58:12.is squared between Liam Highfield and Wang Yuchen. And Michael

:58:13. > :58:19.Georgiou has the advantage over Mike Dunn. The evening session starts at

:58:20. > :58:24.7pm. The pick of them on the red button. I think the pick of the

:58:25. > :58:31.bunch has to be Stuart Bingham against you to Lou. And Barry

:58:32. > :58:39.Hawkins, who was starting his staff in Northern Ireland on Sunday, a

:58:40. > :58:42.former British open finalist in Fergal O'Brien. It is not a foregone

:58:43. > :58:46.conclusion for some of the top names, have you enjoyed it? I was

:58:47. > :58:49.laughing with Fergal this morning because he is notably slow, and he

:58:50. > :58:53.said there are tickets available for his match to light. Gentlemen, thank

:58:54. > :58:58.you very much. Highlights later this evening, but in the meantime we will

:58:59. > :59:03.see you, it is strictly snooker for us tonight. Goodbye.