Second round: Afternoon session - Featuring Ronnie O'Sullivan

:00:37. > :00:43.A big crowd is coming in from the cold in the beautiful city of York

:00:44. > :00:50.to watch Ronnie O'Sullivan's first televised match since he last won

:00:51. > :00:54.the title in 2014. He was on an 8.5 month sabbatical this time last year

:00:55. > :00:57.and chose not to defend the title so no wonder there is an extra degree

:00:58. > :01:04.of excitement about his appearance today. This is the Championship that

:01:05. > :01:15.launched him into our consciousness as one of Great Britain's most

:01:16. > :01:21.mesmerising sportsmen. He plays snooker the way that it is meant to

:01:22. > :01:27.be played. He is now the people's champion. He is the most naturally

:01:28. > :01:31.talented snooker player I've ever seen in my career. Enigma, genius,

:01:32. > :01:59.he is here today. I truly believe Ronnie O'Sullivan

:02:00. > :02:04.was born with a cue in his hand. Let's hope he walks out with a cue

:02:05. > :02:10.in his hand, the crowd always turns out for Ronnie O'Sullivan. There's

:02:11. > :02:15.always an atmosphere. There always abuzz even behind-the-scenes. You

:02:16. > :02:19.don't know what to expect from him. He will play sublime snooker one

:02:20. > :02:25.minute, shake your hand and walk out. We've seen some fantastic

:02:26. > :02:31.snooker but it's not just about the shot but he plays. There's an era of

:02:32. > :02:40.electricity every time he's in the building. Just the way he plays is

:02:41. > :02:43.so natural. He was definitely born with a cue in his hand and there's

:02:44. > :02:55.no doubt about that but he does have that buzz about him. Some other top

:02:56. > :03:06.players are playing here, let's have a look at what is on the menu. From

:03:07. > :03:21.boy to man. Now he's a pro, you will hope to their far better. We will

:03:22. > :03:36.see Ding Junhui. It is five years since Mark Allen appeared. He is on

:03:37. > :03:41.show in the main arena. As is Liang Wenbo. He is fizzing after landing

:03:42. > :03:46.his first Championship last month. John Parrott got his hand on this

:03:47. > :03:51.trophy 25 years ago. Some exciting names out there. How do you rate

:03:52. > :03:57.Ronnie's season so far. By most people's standards he has had a good

:03:58. > :04:08.one, but when you talk about Rory O'Sullivan, you expect him to do

:04:09. > :04:15.that. He started, 56 minutes it took him to beat his opponent. He looks

:04:16. > :04:22.sharp. That is incredible. Next time you play best of 11 in the club, see

:04:23. > :04:28.what the score is after 56 minutes. I guarantee it will not be 6-0. He's

:04:29. > :04:34.in unbelievable form but the happiest years is when he is out in

:04:35. > :04:37.the auditorium. Finding work life balance is difficult for everybody,

:04:38. > :04:41.there are a couple of quotes, it is a bit of a distraction, getting my

:04:42. > :04:48.cue out is a pleasure. It was all that I had to do. I felt like I was

:04:49. > :04:54.trapped in a prison, now it is exciting. It is great for him.

:04:55. > :04:59.Sometimes you have seen that he has not been comfortable but it looks

:05:00. > :05:07.like at the moment, worryingly for his opponents, he is up for it. Rhys

:05:08. > :05:14.Clark is up against him. He has been a professional racer. He has some

:05:15. > :05:25.competitive experience under his belt. Ronnie has 25 years in the

:05:26. > :05:35.game. Rhys Clark only now beginning to cash some checks. Has beaten some

:05:36. > :05:47.very strong players. What a test this will be. When he first came on,

:05:48. > :05:51.what a daunting test. You can have easier assignments than that. Let's

:05:52. > :05:59.see how much he has progressed. Indeed. The players are waiting. Rob

:06:00. > :06:04.Walker, it is all yours. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

:06:05. > :06:09.What a sense of anticipation we have building at the Barbican. One of the

:06:10. > :06:13.most anticipated sessions of snooker so far. You can expect the sparks to

:06:14. > :06:27.fly in Yorkshire. Please welcome our player emerging

:06:28. > :06:34.for one of the biggest matches of his career so far. He came from 5-2

:06:35. > :06:38.down to beat Joe Swail in the first round. After Goodwins on the Asian

:06:39. > :06:41.tour he is ready for the challenge. From Russell Borough -- muscle

:06:42. > :07:05.Borough, Ross Muir. His opponent is right back to his

:07:06. > :07:12.best after temporarily dropping out of the top 16. In September he won

:07:13. > :07:18.the Shanghai Masters. Twice winner of this UK Championship and a

:07:19. > :07:23.national hero in China. Enter the Dragon, Ding Junhui.

:07:24. > :07:45.On table one, a player who qualified for the first time last year. Here

:07:46. > :07:51.after a thrilling 6-5 victory in the first round. What an occasion for

:07:52. > :07:56.this proud young Scot, here he comes, Rhys Clark.

:07:57. > :08:17.Finally, his opponent, a man whose epic journey to the top of this

:08:18. > :08:21.sport began when he won this title in 1993. Since then he has produced

:08:22. > :08:27.some of snooker's most memorable moments. Five times champion of the

:08:28. > :08:42.world, blink and you will miss him, the Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:08:43. > :08:53.We are intrigued to see what Ronnie and Rhys Clark have in store for us.

:08:54. > :08:59.You can find coverage of Ding Junhui against Ross Muir on the red button.

:09:00. > :09:08.For now we are joining John Parrott and John Virgo. Good afternoon.

:09:09. > :09:13.Always an air of expectancy when Ronnie O'Sullivan enters the arena.

:09:14. > :09:17.I saw the young Rhys Clark waiting to go on. You know those last five

:09:18. > :09:24.minutes. He looked a bit red in the cheeks but as I said to him, this is

:09:25. > :09:27.what you practice for. Looking at his record this season he's done

:09:28. > :09:37.pretty well. I think he's on the upgrade.

:09:38. > :09:45.Somebody trying to turn the lights off.

:09:46. > :09:51.I'm really interested to see how this young fellow has progressed.

:09:52. > :09:54.When he first came on the television it was all a bit too much for him

:09:55. > :09:58.and obviously you're playing Ronnie O'Sullivan, that is not much help.

:09:59. > :10:02.He's had plenty of experience in the last few years, eat some good

:10:03. > :10:08.players. Hopefully now getting used to it. He's reached the last 16 of

:10:09. > :10:14.the China open, the European Masters and the English open.

:10:15. > :10:20.Anyway, looks like we've sorted out the light problem and it is Ronnie

:10:21. > :10:35.O'Sullivan who's going to get this match under way.

:10:36. > :10:48.Got a nice pace with the cue ball, break off that shot. I think Rhys

:10:49. > :10:54.Clark can see the red but doesn't fancy playing that. He makes have

:10:55. > :11:17.left a chance here. To the price of one. Two for the

:11:18. > :11:40.price of one. He didn't hit the red as he wanted

:11:41. > :11:44.to but he will settle for that. It is not a brilliant chance but with

:11:45. > :11:49.that shot, flicking the red away from the black. What this. He flicks

:11:50. > :11:53.that one away. Doesn't go in five which can help. That can happen

:11:54. > :12:14.sometimes with that shot. This is a good chance.

:12:15. > :12:26.That claim in his last match, 56 minutes. That is ridiculous. It is

:12:27. > :12:31.amazing. When he's in full flow. It is brought about by positional play.

:12:32. > :12:32.I can only think of one person who could compare with something like

:12:33. > :12:50.that. You're not talking about Arak

:12:51. > :13:23.amateur but a top professional. -- a rank amateur.

:13:24. > :13:46.That could have worked out better. Thin cut on the black.

:13:47. > :13:54.Played that nicely but now one of these tricky red balls along the top

:13:55. > :13:59.cushion. This has got to be accurate.

:14:00. > :14:17.Beautifully played. BR had shots. That they are had shots. That was

:14:18. > :14:19.made to ridiculously easy. Not straightforward for the position

:14:20. > :14:25.unless he can force an angle. It wasn't totally straightforward,

:14:26. > :14:36.that. But he's playing the planned. He's been doing incredibly well to

:14:37. > :14:51.keep this break going at the moment. Straight in the middle of the

:14:52. > :15:01.pocket. He can only sit and watch. Well...

:15:02. > :15:48.That was unexpected. I thought that would have been his

:15:49. > :16:12.shot but decided he went for the pot. We could have a match here.

:16:13. > :16:33.You see the pace. Don't they bounce about? Here is a chance for Rhys.

:16:34. > :16:43.He needs a kiss on the black to be on a colour. Not quite. Just got

:16:44. > :16:56.into it a little bit too much with the cue ball.

:16:57. > :17:08.He could tuck up behind the black. In his heart, he knows he will not

:17:09. > :17:30.get much from it. Should be an easy escape for Ronnie.

:17:31. > :17:36.It will be interesting to see what his approach will be today.

:17:37. > :17:40.Unfortunately, he may have left him a chance into the corner pocket. And

:17:41. > :17:50.it is there. It shows you, I thought he would not

:17:51. > :17:55.get much out of that snooker but Ronnie overhit it slightly. This

:17:56. > :18:14.black is missable. Good chart. -- good shot. You look

:18:15. > :18:21.do that shot he played recently, he will have thought, I might as well

:18:22. > :18:29.go full-blooded, see what happens. As I say, he's been to the last 16

:18:30. > :18:35.of the tournament is in his rookie season, so to speak. He's certainly

:18:36. > :18:44.got the game. But this is a test of it. Playing in front of the

:18:45. > :18:51.television cameras. A big crowd which generates a great atmosphere.

:18:52. > :18:54.The referee seeing if you can get the yellow on his spot. They cannot

:18:55. > :19:08.be touching. Well... That will be disappointing

:19:09. > :19:16.for him to miss that. As we know, when you are a little

:19:17. > :19:54.bit tense, anything can be missed. In an ideal world, Ronnie would have

:19:55. > :20:02.liked to avoid the red on the side cushion. This is a tough shot.

:20:03. > :20:19.He's as good as you're to get off the cushion. For anybody watching,

:20:20. > :20:21.he's got plenty of cue, takes it back a good distance and let it do

:20:22. > :20:32.the work. When he was sighting the cushion, he

:20:33. > :20:49.had to make certain of the pot so this blink is not a gimme. Another

:20:50. > :20:54.terrific pot. 40 points to lead, just this red and the back and you

:20:55. > :21:00.get to the snooker required state. -- the black.

:21:01. > :21:11.Rhys will not need me to tell him that if he gets a chance like that

:21:12. > :21:15.he cannot miss. That was a shocker. Thinking how he played the yellow,

:21:16. > :21:26.he played it to perfection. Could not have played any better. Just

:21:27. > :21:32.waiting may be interrupted his concentration. The one thing you

:21:33. > :22:16.cannot do at this level, you cannot miss when you are in.

:22:17. > :22:25.The Green didn't matter. You cannot mess easy part is when your end.

:22:26. > :22:31.That gifted the first frame to Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:22:32. > :22:38.It is always busy and there is always lots of bars in here. We are

:22:39. > :22:46.focusing on this one specifically, your observations of his progress in

:22:47. > :22:51.the first frame? He needed a couple of chances, Rhys gave him that. When

:22:52. > :22:55.he got his second chance, this was not easy by any means. Could have

:22:56. > :23:03.easily missed that. The scorers, still enough points. How easy did he

:23:04. > :23:07.make this work? It was fantastic. Even the shot he was cueing off the

:23:08. > :23:16.cushion, this was wonderful. Beautifully controlled. Killed the

:23:17. > :23:22.frame. There were a couple of chances he missed. Possibly lacking

:23:23. > :23:28.concentration. The left-handed one, he could have got it in one visit.

:23:29. > :23:34.We assume he's not as good left-handed as he is right. In terms

:23:35. > :23:39.of Rhys, you know how he plays because he's played you, Ken. What

:23:40. > :23:51.would you say are the hallmarks of his game? He's a very good player,

:23:52. > :23:55.but don't try to beat him tactically, you will not. He's too

:23:56. > :24:01.experienced. Play your game and try and play the way that you can. He is

:24:02. > :24:07.good if he gets a chance. Lets see if he gets one in the second frame.

:24:08. > :24:12.The break shot from Rhys Clark left the red on. Ronnie went into it a

:24:13. > :24:21.little too much. In the last frame, cannot leave

:24:22. > :24:50.anything off this. We're always talking about how

:24:51. > :24:53.important it is to get a good start in these matches but you feel it is

:24:54. > :24:59.important for Rhys Clark to get a foothold in it. You don't want to

:25:00. > :25:03.see the scoreboard changing quickly. The tournament running away from

:25:04. > :25:10.you. That can happen. We know how good he is. Get a frame on the

:25:11. > :25:14.board. I think that is the perfect word. Feeling comfortable out there.

:25:15. > :25:22.We know Ronnie is comfortable. It is his home. It is the office for him.

:25:23. > :25:35.But these are the moments when he puts all the hard work in fourth. To

:25:36. > :25:42.test himself against the rest. I think there may be a red to the

:25:43. > :25:54.right middle that body can play and possibly get position on the black.

:25:55. > :26:04.On to the far corner. He missed that and has left a chance. That may have

:26:05. > :26:18.made it even better. There you go. He's that good... That

:26:19. > :26:22.was lucky not to leave an easy starter. Most unusual for Ronnie,

:26:23. > :26:27.the cueing was right across the ball. That was another indication of

:26:28. > :26:29.how badly he'd hit it. He's got one in the middle but this is more

:26:30. > :26:41.tricky than it could have been. We say that it's all about

:26:42. > :26:45.fractions. He would have had a nice easy start if that had not come back

:26:46. > :26:51.down the table. Missing the red in the middle has presented a Ronnie

:26:52. > :26:53.with an easy start. I don't know if the black is available into both

:26:54. > :27:11.corner pockets. Probably not. There is a good chance. I don't know

:27:12. > :27:19.about you but whenever you play the top layer is it always felt like a

:27:20. > :27:23.good run of balls on top of it. When the ball started running for them,

:27:24. > :27:25.you're trying to hold back the tide. That was a whopping piece of luck he

:27:26. > :27:58.had there. That was clever, purposely using the

:27:59. > :28:06.jaw of the middle pockets to get position on the red.

:28:07. > :28:10.He'd love to get that read closest to the top cushion which is stopping

:28:11. > :28:30.the black going in both corners. Lovely positional shot and now a

:28:31. > :28:38.chance to play the black and get rid of that red that is blocking the

:28:39. > :28:41.black for the opposite corner. As we said earlier, it is all about cue

:28:42. > :28:46.ball control, positional shot from brown to that red. If you picked it

:28:47. > :28:48.with your hand you could not have played it any better. It was inch

:28:49. > :29:38.perfect. Certainly, the one on the right hand

:29:39. > :29:46.side... You need to be plum behind it but this will tell us.

:29:47. > :30:02.He will want an angle of this one because it looks like you will need

:30:03. > :30:06.to manoeuvre the red out. He's left the perfect angle. If he feels as

:30:07. > :30:23.though he's got to go into it. And he did have to go into them.

:30:24. > :30:30.Could not have hit them much better. The one to the right middle, he has

:30:31. > :30:39.hampered. Thankfully for him, there is the one that's to the left

:30:40. > :31:11.middle. That is blue. One more red. That's all that is required.

:31:12. > :31:19.A lesson for release. This is not the ideal start, obviously. He's

:31:20. > :31:24.trying to get a foothold in this and get comfortable, but the bit of luck

:31:25. > :31:29.that Ronnie O'Sullivan had early in the frame did not help. Also, this

:31:30. > :31:36.is what it is like when you play the top boys. Make a mistake, sit and

:31:37. > :32:02.watch. Toth school. -- Toth school. Just about got the angle on the

:32:03. > :32:37.blue. Looking like it could be century

:32:38. > :32:45.number 845, John. He is wonderful to watch. The control of that white

:32:46. > :33:07.ball is something to admire. And, of course, he had the three

:33:08. > :33:26.centuries in his first match. This is his fourth century. Well, he

:33:27. > :33:33.missed the pink, but it a career century. Rhys Clark might be upset

:33:34. > :33:35.that he did not get an opportunity early on, but Ronnie has run away

:33:36. > :34:48.with the ball and he leaves 2-0. It's a bit of a career. Setting the

:34:49. > :34:58.balls up. Frame three, Ronnie O'Sullivan to play.

:34:59. > :35:08.And in less than 23 minutes actual playing time, Ronnie breaks off in

:35:09. > :35:13.frame three. You mentioned there, a bit of a career. I can remember the

:35:14. > :35:22.first time I ever saw him play in a tournament early in the 90s, 1992.

:35:23. > :35:26.It was in Birmingham. I saw two young lads playing in the final. One

:35:27. > :35:30.was John Higgins, the other was Ronnie O'Sullivan. I saw them

:35:31. > :35:36.playing and I thought, I better get some prize money quickly. Yes,

:35:37. > :35:42.strike while the iron is hot. Once again, he'll have to work for this

:35:43. > :35:49.opening, Ronnie. A decent break off. He will be disappointed with that.

:35:50. > :35:52.Did he get a bounce off of the top cushion? He will be kicking himself

:35:53. > :36:15.he is not on the black. That difficult blue mist. That

:36:16. > :36:19.mistake from Rhys has not cost him. Can he now make the most the

:36:20. > :36:25.opportunity? That was a funny little shop. It was half of a stumble

:36:26. > :36:32.through. He did not get low enough on the cue ball and lost it

:36:33. > :36:44.slightly. Well, he has come to work. Is he any good the other way? Not

:36:45. > :36:47.bad at all. It makes me wonder whether or not the wrist rests will

:36:48. > :36:51.be extinct. Everyone seems able to switch hands. This will be the

:36:52. > :37:22.second good chance, you could say. Well played. Purposely went into the

:37:23. > :37:28.reds to get them open. The only thing is he is not good on the black

:37:29. > :37:36.and the pink is a little bit tricky. Well played. Bit of pressure on

:37:37. > :37:51.there, too- zero down. Not the easiest of shots. Got that in

:37:52. > :37:55.beautifully. -- 2-0 down. He played the cannon nicely. Now this could

:37:56. > :38:00.really settle him down if he can make a sizeable contribution at this

:38:01. > :38:09.visit. Quite frankly, John, he has got to school here. He doesn't want

:38:10. > :38:39.to give Ronnie O'Sullivan a three frame start.

:38:40. > :38:50.Just overrun it slightly, but he's OK. I think this red will go to be

:38:51. > :39:04.left corner. There's one to the right corner. If he can get to the

:39:05. > :39:08.one nearest to the pocket, even better. A little bit careless about

:39:09. > :39:16.positional shot. A little bit low on the black. You need more options.

:39:17. > :39:26.Where he has played it, he's stunned it a little bit too much. Yes, and

:39:27. > :39:36.the UC. Wrong angle. He had to screw back. He did not pot it cleanly and

:39:37. > :39:41.he has lost the cue ball. He has played the side. When you play with

:39:42. > :39:45.side, it depends on how hard you hit the ball and whether it will throw

:39:46. > :39:54.one way or another. He still got this red to the middle. Oh, that has

:39:55. > :40:02.ruined the position somewhat. Will he play the yellow all the brown? Is

:40:03. > :40:12.he in an attacking position? Whichever one he plays, he has got

:40:13. > :40:24.to pozz it. -- to pot it. Well played. I think he's OK. He would've

:40:25. > :40:38.liked to have been on the rates to the left of the cluster around the

:40:39. > :40:41.pink. -- on the red. Its more difficult than the one he would've

:40:42. > :40:50.liked. That is always a problem with that shop. If you hit it too hard,

:40:51. > :40:57.the left-hand side pushes the cue ball into the red and that is why he

:40:58. > :40:59.caught it too thick. He has potted some nice balls there. It could

:41:00. > :41:38.settle him down. A little bit twixt them between

:41:39. > :41:49.numbers. He's thinking if he plays the blue... He'll give himself

:41:50. > :41:53.options. He is likely hampered on the blue, but you wouldn't expect

:41:54. > :42:00.him to miss it and he wouldn't have to do much on the cue ball. Quite a

:42:01. > :42:08.clever little shop. A chance of blue or pink. He has played the cannon

:42:09. > :42:12.bed, took a chance on it. Does it go? I think it's one of those. If

:42:13. > :42:18.you are right behind it, you wouldn't miss it, but he is into a

:42:19. > :42:30.semi-blind pocket here. This is no gimmick, this is tough. Played it

:42:31. > :42:34.well. Played it very well. Already you can see in this match, and it's

:42:35. > :42:40.understandable, he's arguably the best player that has ever play the

:42:41. > :42:47.game, but the quality of cue ball control is a difference. I might be

:42:48. > :42:54.giving it the commentator's urs, but with Rhys, it wasn't quite there and

:42:55. > :42:57.with Ronnie so far it has been immaculate. It's basically the

:42:58. > :42:59.difference between the two players at the moment, just having hold of

:43:00. > :43:21.that cue ball. Now, where does the pink go? Does it

:43:22. > :43:30.stop the pot on the red just below the pink? If it does, it might not

:43:31. > :43:40.be on anything. Maybe the red he is closest to is a fine cant. -- fine

:43:41. > :43:53.cant. He plays a lot of right-hand side. Now in perfect position. When

:43:54. > :44:03.he pots the black he will be eight behind. This is why he has made 845

:44:04. > :44:14.centuries. His cue ball control is so good. It is the art of

:44:15. > :44:19.break-making. Always making it look simple, giving yourself options.

:44:20. > :44:23.When you see Ronnie played, it look simple and you think, I could do

:44:24. > :44:31.that myself. That's what we always used to say about the best breaks.

:44:32. > :44:41.You say, I could have potted that. It's not about the potting, it's

:44:42. > :44:46.about the movement of the cue ball. He needed to be straight on the

:44:47. > :44:55.green to drop that in and leave himself on the red in the middle

:44:56. > :45:01.pocket. I think the camera is in his line of sight. Ideally he would have

:45:02. > :45:15.been on the green for the stun shot, so a change of plan.

:45:16. > :45:32.A glance at the scoreboard. He's got a 5-point lead. And now that's gone

:45:33. > :45:39.in, it looks a formality. Can't really have any complaints, Rhys, in

:45:40. > :45:43.this frame. He was in, in a good position, but he just lost the cue

:45:44. > :45:50.ball. In the second frame me had a chance as well. More chances than

:45:51. > :45:56.the first time he played Ronnie previously a few years ago. It's

:45:57. > :46:03.harsh to say, that this is the level he is playing up. Absolutely. When

:46:04. > :46:08.he potted the brown, he wanted to be on the blue, but it was the black

:46:09. > :46:15.early on in the break that should have come low. It's all of those

:46:16. > :46:24.things that make a difference. The blues in France with 13 remaining.

:46:25. > :46:36.-- the blue is in front with 13 remaining.

:46:37. > :46:45.As we said, it's a friend that could have gone either way, but it's gone

:46:46. > :46:53.like the first two, two Ronnie O'Sullivan. Ms Clark up against it.

:46:54. > :46:58.He trails 3-0. It's a tough call out there against Ronnie O'Sullivan.

:46:59. > :47:00.That check can be lonely. When you are out there you are playing

:47:01. > :47:06.arguably the best player who has ever played the game. Certainly the

:47:07. > :47:10.most naturally gifted. It's so difficult. The crowd are all about

:47:11. > :47:13.Ronnie and he does not have the experience that Ronnie has and

:47:14. > :47:18.Ronnie is making the game look simple. He has had chances, but he

:47:19. > :47:23.hasn't taken them. Three years ago he came here as an amateur, his

:47:24. > :47:28.first match on television. He was 19 years of age and a bit of a rabbit

:47:29. > :47:33.in the headlights, I'm sure he would've that. He will be expecting

:47:34. > :47:39.more of himself this time, that is adding to the pressure, I'm sure? It

:47:40. > :47:43.is going in The Deep end playing on the match table in Ronnie's office

:47:44. > :47:49.effectively. There is a possibility that you don't get a lot of

:47:50. > :47:52.experience playing on the TV tables and they played differently to the

:47:53. > :47:58.outside tables. There is more heat and they are slicker. From his

:47:59. > :48:03.perspective, it is a learning curve. Perhaps playing in two Ronnie's

:48:04. > :48:08.hands in as much as he is a fast attacking player. If he does not pot

:48:09. > :48:12.those balls, you have a problem because Ronnie will mop them up.

:48:13. > :48:22.Ronnie is having a nice work-out today. The trails considerably in

:48:23. > :48:27.his previous match, but he is a good cue man and he's making progress

:48:28. > :48:30.this season. He will make progress and even sometimes bad experiences

:48:31. > :48:34.like this will stand him down the road because when he plays in the

:48:35. > :48:39.qualifiers against someone of a lower rank, he will have a bit more

:48:40. > :48:43.confidence about him, you know? But at the moment he's finding it tough.

:48:44. > :48:47.The chances are very few and far between and if you don't take

:48:48. > :48:51.advantage of them when you do get them, you are in trouble. If you

:48:52. > :48:55.could have a wedding is a, what would you say? You can only play the

:48:56. > :49:00.shots you see, but long-term, a match like this, when he plays in

:49:01. > :49:06.the smaller events on the outside tables, it doesn't matter what is

:49:07. > :49:11.thrown at him, he won't be so overwhelmed because it's a learning

:49:12. > :49:25.curve. It certainly is. Last frame before the interval.

:49:26. > :49:38.Ronnie has not a red towards the corner pocket. I'm sure that Rhys

:49:39. > :49:46.will take this on. He was up and out of it. Halfway there he knew he was

:49:47. > :49:50.going to catch it a bit fall. He has left Ronnie this red along the top

:49:51. > :49:56.cushion. Not easy. It is just a case for Rhys of trying to gather his

:49:57. > :50:02.thoughts. Every miss is magnified out of all proportion now because of

:50:03. > :50:17.who you're playing. And even more so when you are pre-0 down. -- 3-0

:50:18. > :50:21.down. Not easy on these tables those shots. They might look it, but they

:50:22. > :50:31.really aren't on those tournament tables.

:50:32. > :50:44.Not quite. The red has run over the corner. Will the blue come to his

:50:45. > :50:46.rescue? Well, maybe he could bend it a little bit to the right-hand side.

:50:47. > :51:06.Or maybe come to cushion first. You try to bend it a little bit.

:51:07. > :51:17.Couldn't get enough on the red. He doesn't seem to have left anything

:51:18. > :51:24.too easy. A funny situation here, John. It takes it on and misses it

:51:25. > :51:29.and it looks like a rash shot, but he has got that one in the baulk

:51:30. > :51:33.area. I combine him taking that on, he has just missed it. He didn't

:51:34. > :51:55.have a great deal of alternatives there.

:51:56. > :52:04.This red that is just above the black, I don't know if Ronnie can

:52:05. > :52:09.knock it onto the red towards the middle. No he couldn't. He is just

:52:10. > :52:14.clearing the middle pocket. It could have stopped near the baulk cushion

:52:15. > :52:17.and gone over the corner pocket. He is going to have quite a bit of

:52:18. > :52:22.safety at dissent. The key to the safety exchange is trying to find

:52:23. > :52:34.the top cushion. Leave it tight. He could not play that any better.

:52:35. > :52:36.Excellent shot. Very well played. It's his best shot of the match so

:52:37. > :52:52.far. Certainly not an easy safety shot

:52:53. > :52:57.over here, and it's not one of those situations where you can think that

:52:58. > :53:02.Ronnie might be able to pot his way out of trouble. There is a red that

:53:03. > :53:07.cuts to the right middle, but it is risky. He may be forced to take it

:53:08. > :53:11.on. I don't know if the pig is stopping the red, but he could come

:53:12. > :53:27.off the site cushion and drop down on the red. He is taking the one in

:53:28. > :53:33.the middle. Good pots. -- potter. The kiss on the second red has not

:53:34. > :53:40.left anything easy. There is no real safety. He is having a look to see

:53:41. > :53:48.if he left the cue ball down at this end of the table. He could play the

:53:49. > :53:52.pink. Push the pink up and down and try to leave the cue ball at the

:53:53. > :54:03.other end. He has got the choice. You'll probably played the pink.

:54:04. > :54:14.He only got one point, but it was a good visit from Ronnie. A good pot.

:54:15. > :54:20.He could control of himself. He could have played the yellow all the

:54:21. > :54:24.brown, but keeping it tight. Yes, and if he has covered the red on the

:54:25. > :54:30.right-hand side that Rhys would love to play, I think the black is in the

:54:31. > :54:34.way. It's an even better shot than he thought. That's why he probably

:54:35. > :54:39.came down to this end. It looked insignificant at the time, but it's

:54:40. > :54:47.very important. It makes it more difficult for Rhys to find the

:54:48. > :54:52.safety. Can he find a pot to get himself out of trouble? The red to

:54:53. > :54:59.the far right corner? He has gone for it. It's not a mile away. Oh,

:55:00. > :55:07.did that drift slightly to the right jaw? I thought it was in there.

:55:08. > :55:18.Maybe it was always favouring the right jaw.

:55:19. > :55:24.A couple of shots ago Ronnie O'Sullivan looked like he was

:55:25. > :55:30.serious trouble the. Rhys Clarke played his best shot of the match.

:55:31. > :55:35.He's got himself out of that position on the bottom cushion and

:55:36. > :55:43.now he has got a chance. Looks like he's come a little bit thin on the

:55:44. > :56:01.blue, so it may be the brown. Back to the blue. I think he's OK. He

:56:02. > :56:07.just can't get through to the red that over the right corner. He has

:56:08. > :56:12.got another red to go at, but a little bit more to do with the cue

:56:13. > :56:25.ball. The black is available to the opposite corner. The grimace. He's

:56:26. > :56:30.on the blue, right on it. That was a funny little shop there. We had to

:56:31. > :56:37.dig down into the ball. Another one coming up here. Very easy to play a

:56:38. > :56:45.push with those. You need to jab it and take your cue back as quick as

:56:46. > :57:25.you can. And this is looking very ominous in frame four.

:57:26. > :57:32.I don't know if it is any advantage to get the pink back on its spot. I

:57:33. > :57:40.don't know if it is clear. He doesn't want it tying reds up.

:57:41. > :57:59.That's why he's decided to play for the green. Always thinking, Ronnie.

:58:00. > :58:06.You have to go back up for the blue again here. You'd love to get that

:58:07. > :58:11.read away from the near right corner. He hit that a little bit

:58:12. > :58:17.fall. He didn't go through with that. Another example. He's playing

:58:18. > :58:20.the right-hand side. He didn't hit it smooth, the right-hand side

:58:21. > :58:28.pushed into the red and he nearly missed the pot. It could've been

:58:29. > :58:35.perfect the blue. He didn't cue it smooth. That straight on this one.

:58:36. > :58:45.We'll see the cueing here. Never in doubt. He has got these in a lovely

:58:46. > :59:02.position now. It looks like someone's told Ronnie

:59:03. > :59:04.he is not getting paid for overtime. 6-0 in his first match. Could be the

:59:05. > :59:33.same in this one. Lovely frame time. Just under 11 and

:59:34. > :59:38.a half minutes. He just overrun that slightly, but I wouldn't think it

:59:39. > :59:42.would be a problem with those two reds in the middle of the table.

:59:43. > :59:48.Having said that, he has stopped and thought about it. If you were forced

:59:49. > :59:53.into it, you could play a little cannon in the middle of the table,

:59:54. > :59:58.but that could go wrong. A screw to avoid it and he just about managed

:59:59. > :00:10.it. Red and a colour, that is what is required. Just a little screw

:00:11. > :00:14.back on the left-hand side to make it look even more easy. Nobody even

:00:15. > :00:38.blinks when it does that now. When he first started doing it was a

:00:39. > :00:44.tremendous furore. Being disrespectful.

:00:45. > :01:31.That's absolutely inch perfect. Most people would like to use a cushion

:01:32. > :01:49.there. My dad used to see it was like shelling peas. Playing an

:01:50. > :01:54.exhibition shot on the green. No joy, he goes back to the dressing

:01:55. > :02:04.room, Ronnie O'Sullivan, it has been all about the Rocket. He leads 4-0.

:02:05. > :02:08.He looks entirely comfortable. His first televised match since winning

:02:09. > :02:21.the final two years ago. Such is the way that careers ebb and flow, you

:02:22. > :02:25.for get he took nine months off. I think he enjoys playing when he

:02:26. > :02:31.wants to play. He can do it without worrying about the result too much,

:02:32. > :02:39.and that's why he very rarely has scrappy matches. You see the other

:02:40. > :02:42.players get on the table and really struggled to get their form. He

:02:43. > :02:50.gives himself every chance to find his form every match. He has a great

:02:51. > :02:58.knack of bringing his practice came to the table. If everybody could do

:02:59. > :03:02.that they would win more practices. He's already 4-0 in less than an

:03:03. > :03:11.hour. It's like he has the cooking on and a chicken in the oven. He

:03:12. > :03:14.said he's been having some big conversations with himself over the

:03:15. > :03:21.last few weeks and feels more confident about getting that

:03:22. > :03:33.balance. Do you sense there is a more content Ronnie O'Sullivan? You

:03:34. > :03:44.see the media stuff, years writing books, best sellers. Even around the

:03:45. > :03:51.tournament, he is not so much. There is a tough balance. If you have your

:03:52. > :03:56.finger on the pulse and then take it off and are not totally committed,

:03:57. > :04:00.somebody else will beat you. Talent usually get him through in that

:04:01. > :04:09.respect but if he goes too far back then he has a problem. Getting the

:04:10. > :04:18.balance is right. Plenty more going on in York. The other match is

:04:19. > :04:24.available via the online matches. -- online options. Plenty more in the

:04:25. > :04:33.main arena. A very interesting match between Yan Bingtao and Liang Wenbo.

:04:34. > :04:42.He was this amazing UK finalist last year. He pushed Judd Trump all the

:04:43. > :04:56.way. He's in a very good match and this fellow is going places. It is

:04:57. > :05:01.his first season on the tour. He could not get a Visa last year and

:05:02. > :05:10.now is beginning to make headway. This is an interesting match. That

:05:11. > :05:15.is on the go. There are other matches on the go in the sports

:05:16. > :05:26.hall. Robert Milkins is 1-1 against Hammad Miah.

:05:27. > :05:39.David Gilbert is enjoying a resurgence in his career.

:05:40. > :05:48.We never tire of watching Ronnie O'Sullivan knocking a century after

:05:49. > :06:01.century but it is not something we say about a veteran. It has been 26

:06:02. > :06:10.years for him in this sport but he produced this. This had the makings

:06:11. > :06:23.of a very hard match, they are very experienced, they give nothing away.

:06:24. > :06:37.Look at this. Fergal went 3-1 behind. Then he got three on the

:06:38. > :06:42.trot, to go 5-4 ahead. Barry took it into a decider and Fergal is in the

:06:43. > :06:51.balls again. If he decides to screw back he must

:06:52. > :07:13.be very precise with the position. The break goes to 58. If it goes

:07:14. > :07:22.then he has the frame and the match at its mercy. Possible chance for

:07:23. > :07:47.the fifth century. Very well played. The idea.

:07:48. > :08:04.He's had breaks of 74, 95... And he is going out of the Championship.

:08:05. > :08:10.Not that many shots away from leading 5-2. After that, he's been

:08:11. > :09:02.sensational. Coming into the UK Championship

:09:03. > :09:28.having reached the final. He certainly wasn't expecting this.

:09:29. > :09:38.Straight on the black so he will need to play with a lot of reverse

:09:39. > :10:06.side. That is maybe slightly easier. I've enjoyed every shot in this

:10:07. > :10:20.match. Without doubt one of the best matches. What a match we've

:10:21. > :10:21.witnessed here. Must be absolutely buzzing inside hoping he can make

:10:22. > :11:09.the fifth century. All the century breaks he's made,

:11:10. > :11:21.his positional play has been superb. Absolutely incredible. It really is

:11:22. > :11:27.very special. He's coming round to take the black as well. Barry

:11:28. > :11:31.Hawkins, one of the nicest people you could hope to meet, comes

:11:32. > :11:36.forward to congratulate Fergal O'Brien on a stunning performance.

:11:37. > :11:45.He is saying well done for one of the best matches I've seen for quite

:11:46. > :11:51.a while. Look at that big smile. No wonder he beats Barry Hawkins.

:11:52. > :12:05.The big Irish mail is still on his faced. Where did that come from? I

:12:06. > :12:12.don't know. It's a new record. I can only remember five being done.

:12:13. > :12:18.Reminded me. Fantastic. Had it been coming? Had there been any sign of

:12:19. > :12:21.that sort of form? Not that but this season I've been practising very

:12:22. > :12:26.hard. The last month I've played a lot more matches, accessing hard.

:12:27. > :12:32.Going into matches and there was not much flow. I was getting some good

:12:33. > :12:36.results but nothing great. Recently it has been more getting into the

:12:37. > :12:56.flow. The five is extraordinary but what

:12:57. > :13:00.about three in a row? In a tournament I've never done it. Maybe

:13:01. > :13:11.the last time was against this fellow 15 years ago.

:13:12. > :13:29.Even three in a row... He played fantastic as well. We did expect a

:13:30. > :13:40.Battle Royale between you. I don't think any of you expected the high

:13:41. > :13:45.level of scoring in that match. It's an incredible record. We know how

:13:46. > :13:49.hard he works and how hard he practices and how much practice he

:13:50. > :14:01.puts into the game. It's fantastic to see it. Can you keep it going?

:14:02. > :14:06.There is a feeling that you've done this, you know it's there, can you

:14:07. > :14:13.call upon it and how difficult is it to call upon it again? As much of

:14:14. > :14:21.the next match, but it gives you confidence to be in that kind of

:14:22. > :14:33.form that the tournament. We will be going from there. It is a tough

:14:34. > :14:39.match. He is quaking in his boots. Your nickname has always been

:14:40. > :14:43.fearless Fergal. It is now five tonne Fergal. It is usually

:14:44. > :14:55.different F words. Look forward to seeing you again. We saw Mark Selby

:14:56. > :14:59.struggling yesterday afternoon. Then came Stuart Bingham last night. He

:15:00. > :15:03.was involved in a real scrap as well and this time it didn't work out

:15:04. > :15:11.quite so well for a former world champion. He was up against the

:15:12. > :15:19.world number 62 and had grafted his way to lead 4-3. But the 29-year-old

:15:20. > :15:26.won the next three frames in a row to nip this one from Stuart Bingham,

:15:27. > :15:29.who becomes the highest ranked player to head out of it so far.

:15:30. > :15:33.Great performance from this young fellow. He's vetted all sorts of

:15:34. > :15:55.things over the last few seasons. Watch the session at 1pm. Has been

:15:56. > :16:06.an hour before I had to get ready. I dropped off to sleep. It took me 2-3

:16:07. > :16:16.minutes to focus on the phone. I went on the practice table. I took

:16:17. > :16:22.it to the table. I had little spurts where I was trying to gee myself up.

:16:23. > :16:34.Everything was hard work tonight. Absolutely gutted. If I had another

:16:35. > :16:43.cue I would snap it. You've got to take it on the chin and get on with

:16:44. > :16:50.it. Living proof that if you snooze, you lose, and he has gone home. Give

:16:51. > :16:56.us your reaction. That was going on at the same time you were playing.

:16:57. > :17:04.In terms of the shock factor, that's a big one. Being world champion, one

:17:05. > :17:13.of the most consistent performers on the circuit. He's taken some scalps

:17:14. > :17:20.but you could not see that coming over the best of 11. You would think

:17:21. > :17:32.it would come true. Particularly the way that he's been playing. So it's

:17:33. > :17:39.a big shock. Suddenly it seems like China's strength in depth is coming

:17:40. > :17:47.to the fore. We heard about him even before he came over. He's one of the

:17:48. > :17:52.lads who won the World Cup. There's plenty others like them. To come

:17:53. > :18:04.through. There is a feeding off that. Great times ahead for Chinese

:18:05. > :18:09.snigger. Thank you again. You will notice Steve Davis is not with us.

:18:10. > :18:12.Having announced his retirement from professional snooker, apart from

:18:13. > :18:16.chin wagging with us on the sofa, what else do you do as a retired

:18:17. > :18:24.snooker player? We might have found the answer.

:18:25. > :18:52.Even though he might not be the same animal, if you were considered that

:18:53. > :19:03.way, we've had so much excitement from the game, perhaps we need a

:19:04. > :19:11.buzz. Paddy beans? -- have you been skiing? Never been skiing. You

:19:12. > :19:17.should do it. Running a marathon might be my thing when I slow down

:19:18. > :19:21.with snooker. What is the most you've done? S the way I will do it

:19:22. > :19:27.is live in Kenny ever-6-mac is, train properly, come back and try

:19:28. > :19:37.and win it. I would like to do under three hours. I would want to go

:19:38. > :19:49.under three hours. Try and break that. That's something. S you

:19:50. > :19:57.stand on the corner of the street, there will be 30 runners coming

:19:58. > :20:03.along, current Olympic champions, sit on the back of them, hang on as

:20:04. > :20:07.long as you can, gradually get faster and stronger. I've read a

:20:08. > :20:12.book on some guy that done that and that is me. I want to do that. That

:20:13. > :20:23.is definitely a bucket list of mine, to go to Kenya. I can vouch for

:20:24. > :20:29.parachute jump. If you want to scare the living daylights out of

:20:30. > :20:39.yourself. Not good with heights. How did you get into that? I had to

:20:40. > :20:45.because of a programme I was on. The jungle? I've always fancied the

:20:46. > :20:54.brother. This is just around the M25. You could just decide you'd had

:20:55. > :21:03.enough. Do you think you would fit the bill? S if you go on those

:21:04. > :21:06.programmes, you've got to see a psychologist. I would fly through

:21:07. > :21:13.them, I know the right answers for that. I've seen so many

:21:14. > :21:22.psychiatrists I know exactly what to say. I would be fine with that one.

:21:23. > :21:29.We both do a radio show. At the same radio station, Phoenix FM. I'm just

:21:30. > :21:37.following in your footsteps. I'm copying everything you've done. I'm

:21:38. > :21:45.actually a stalker. I cannot do the boring bit. Even that I think is

:21:46. > :21:53.quite good, to have that character. I think after a while you would

:21:54. > :22:02.think, I've done it now. That is the problem long-term, how do you

:22:03. > :22:08.replicate the excitement? It is so much of a buzz. Turn up for the

:22:09. > :22:14.World Championship. Is it? I find it a lot of stress and pressure. You've

:22:15. > :22:18.got to wait around for those odd moments. Then you get that fleeting

:22:19. > :22:23.moment when you win it and you're in the zone and you're flying and that

:22:24. > :22:30.is an amazing feeling but 17 days of it, it is a war of attrition. Yes,

:22:31. > :22:34.but towards the back end of it, you are playing every other day. I've

:22:35. > :22:43.been in the semifinals thinking, this could go wrong. That is not

:22:44. > :22:48.nice. Join the real world. I am six or seven up and I am thinking, this

:22:49. > :22:56.could still go wrong. The Crucible does that to you. Snooker players go

:22:57. > :23:09.slowly mad. I've got to get you out. I've got others.

:23:10. > :23:21.Brilliant. Who else has he had in the? Watch this space. Ronnie's

:23:22. > :23:24.bucket list, six months of training in Kenya. I love that line about the

:23:25. > :23:31.psychologist, I know all the answers. He certainly has the

:23:32. > :23:50.answers here. It will possibly be rapid end to this. Back we go.

:23:51. > :24:02.What a lovely insight that was. At least he was looking at the road.

:24:03. > :24:19.You watch these movies and they are not looking at the road. I don't

:24:20. > :24:26.imagine he is the quickest driver. He called that too thick and called

:24:27. > :24:38.the blue. Success for Ronnie. You've got to be at this level.

:24:39. > :25:18.Watch how he queues this, there's plenty of cue, the way that he hands

:25:19. > :25:29.it back, plenty of cue. One of the best I've seen of occasion. -- of a

:25:30. > :25:33.cushion. Let me down there. With that type of shot and the pace he

:25:34. > :25:36.was playing, just been dropping in on it easy. I was expecting him to

:25:37. > :26:10.get that but he's not let anything. He's a very good runner, Ronnie

:26:11. > :26:14.O'Sullivan. He was waxing lyrical about it. So he went to watch some

:26:15. > :26:30.running yesterday. That is the one thing you've got to

:26:31. > :26:33.remember. People say, how many years have you got left in the game. Fair

:26:34. > :27:01.play to him. This puts a little bit of pressure

:27:02. > :27:08.on him. He's got to cover a path to that red. Cannot play safe at this

:27:09. > :27:21.end. Covering the red with the brown, I

:27:22. > :28:31.think he's just about done it. Some interesting spectators as ever.

:28:32. > :28:43.Not everyone comes with the same mode of transport. He's a legend in

:28:44. > :28:51.the art world. No doubt about that. Very good at keeping Ronnie's feet

:28:52. > :29:02.on the ground. He said that OK but to hide, much to hide. A nice easy

:29:03. > :29:06.starter for Ronnie. We mentioned he was going all out attack. His cue

:29:07. > :29:14.ball has not been taken off, Rhys Clark. Beer is the culmination of a

:29:15. > :29:27.safety battle. Not going his way today. Make no mistake, this is a

:29:28. > :29:32.big learning curve. A lot more about it after this afternoon. In very

:29:33. > :29:51.exalted company here. It is a little bit congested. I

:29:52. > :30:01.don't think it will go in any other corner pockets. It is nice to see

:30:02. > :30:02.how he works out a break. It isn't straightforward. Will need care and

:30:03. > :30:45.attention. As you mention, John, definitely not

:30:46. > :30:53.straight forward. The black is not imposition. He has chosen to go

:30:54. > :31:04.around the reds. He's come up a little bit short. A few shots away

:31:05. > :31:13.from having this as a brilliant chance.

:31:14. > :31:25.He is again playing for the pink, but just a little bit short. There

:31:26. > :31:30.is a red at the top, around the pink spot area, that he could play for.

:31:31. > :31:38.Just entered that a little bit too much. That is not as desired. Not

:31:39. > :31:49.sure if he can get a grip on the pink off of this. Well, it is a nice

:31:50. > :31:53.kiss on the pink, but even if he had not kissed the pink, he would've

:31:54. > :31:58.been on a baulk colour. He played it well. When you consider most of the

:31:59. > :32:12.time that he plays right and left handed... Oh, that is a foul. Ronnie

:32:13. > :32:20.must have leaned down. He touched the red. Schoolboy error. Probably

:32:21. > :32:25.just as he was delivering the cue. It's not something you would feel,

:32:26. > :32:36.obviously. Just your waistcoat touching it. That is what the

:32:37. > :32:38.referee is therefore. An unexpected opportunity for Rhys. What can he do

:32:39. > :33:02.with it? Writes, come on young man. We know

:33:03. > :33:06.you're a good player. You would not be at this stage of this tournament

:33:07. > :33:11.if you weren't. You got to go to work here. Keep the cue ball nice

:33:12. > :33:26.and tight. It's your last chance saloon.

:33:27. > :33:33.He had to be precise on this black, but it's a little bit short of

:33:34. > :33:37.perfect. The reason I say that is if you have the Pele Oblak with a trace

:33:38. > :33:51.of right-hand side, if he's going to play for one of those two reds. In

:33:52. > :33:56.the end he played the plane pot with the cannon and it's worked out all

:33:57. > :34:06.right. As we know, you have to be accurate with this. And that was the

:34:07. > :34:10.problem there. He had to play that one with the right-hand side and

:34:11. > :34:15.once you play with side, you have got to allow for the throw. And with

:34:16. > :34:25.that other red being close to the cue ball, it may be took his eye off

:34:26. > :34:35.of the pot. He might not get another chance this frame, I'm afraid.

:34:36. > :34:48.I don't think he will now. Lovely cannon. Beautiful little shocked.

:34:49. > :35:19.I'll be very surprised if he makes a mistake from here.

:35:20. > :35:28.34 ahead. 59 remaining at the moment, but don't think that will be

:35:29. > :35:45.for long. So this black and one more red and a colour. 42 ahead. 43

:35:46. > :36:27.remaining. So just the pink to go 49 in front with 43 left.

:36:28. > :36:34.Once again, beautifully cute left-handed. Absolute class. Aside

:36:35. > :36:38.from what the experience in years he's been around, John, I think it

:36:39. > :36:43.is very noticeable the difference in the quality of cue ball control. If

:36:44. > :36:47.the young man is going to progress in this game, and I think he has got

:36:48. > :36:56.plenty of talent, he's just going to have to tighten up with that cue

:36:57. > :37:00.ball. It's a bit loose. If I was giving him any advice it would be

:37:01. > :37:12.work on that and tighten it up a little bit. It's difficult of

:37:13. > :37:17.course. He's against the maestro here, but that's what he's got to

:37:18. > :37:24.improve that. Well, that was like a double banana shot! Finish nicely on

:37:25. > :37:32.the pink. Put the cue through straight. No problem. He is a joy to

:37:33. > :37:46.watch and that is why people pack in to see him. Brilliant! Brilliant!

:37:47. > :37:53.Ronnie O'Sullivan just marches on. Rhys Clark had a chance, although it

:37:54. > :37:59.wasn't the best of chances. Tricky red at the top. 5-0. I've done quite

:38:00. > :38:04.a few shows with runny. I don't play him, I just compared the evening and

:38:05. > :38:09.the look on people's faces when he is playing, it is just jaw-dropping

:38:10. > :38:13.sometimes. The people who have turned up to watch or play the game

:38:14. > :38:19.or had a go at it, realised how difficult it is and he just stands

:38:20. > :38:25.there and makes it look so easy. He is an extremely talented man and to

:38:26. > :38:29.pave the way he does left-handed, I think he is the most naturally

:38:30. > :38:34.talented sports man I have seen in our sport. Absolutely. The config of

:38:35. > :38:38.anyone he swaps hands like he does. And of course this season he has

:38:39. > :38:41.played in most of the tournaments. He has had seasons where he has

:38:42. > :38:47.played in a lot of tournaments, but he is playing in lots of tournaments

:38:48. > :38:52.because he wants to avoid having to qualify for the Crucible. When you

:38:53. > :38:57.think of what he has done at that venue, it will be crazy if he had to

:38:58. > :39:04.qualify. He looks as if he is in good nick. I think he will have a

:39:05. > :39:14.good run this week. Make no mistake, it will take someone playing really

:39:15. > :39:18.well to beat him. So, young Rees gets the sixth frame under way.

:39:19. > :39:24.He'll be hoping it's not the last time he breaks off this afternoon.

:39:25. > :39:40.Much time is just over an hour 45 frames. -- match time. Well, just

:39:41. > :39:41.about OK. If it had caught the green Fuller, it would have left a pot on

:39:42. > :39:57.here. He had a little tap on the table

:39:58. > :40:04.there from runny because Rees did not play the pot there. He was just

:40:05. > :40:14.finding a path for the cue ball back to the baulk end.

:40:15. > :40:22.That shot of made a difference to the frame. This ended up in the

:40:23. > :40:25.baulk area. Com play safe down there any more, so I think a tap is coming

:40:26. > :40:43.up. I don't know about you, John, but I

:40:44. > :40:47.hated these frames. They are just so messy, aren't they? Yes. You just

:40:48. > :40:52.know there would be a chance, or you would expect a chance for around

:40:53. > :40:56.five minutes and then all the other balls finish up at the end of the

:40:57. > :41:08.table. You've just got to be patient.

:41:09. > :41:17.But I think that is something that Ronnie is prepared to do now, be

:41:18. > :41:27.patient. Not push the boat out too much. I always felt that I was very

:41:28. > :41:36.patient when I was 5-0 up as well! No need to panic. Well, he might

:41:37. > :41:42.have left a pot on here. A red to the far left corner. Funny looking

:41:43. > :41:48.to see if the black can pass the red to the corner at this end. It looks

:41:49. > :41:59.like it does. Just. And wondering if he can plate in a way to screw back

:42:00. > :42:09.here and cover the red. It might be a shock to nothing if you use it

:42:10. > :42:18.properly. -- shot to nothing if you use it properly.

:42:19. > :42:29.Close, but not quite the. I think he has played it in such a way that he

:42:30. > :42:48.felt the anyone he could leave is the one that he was playing.

:42:49. > :43:05.That's a bad mistake. Much too thin. OK, he hasn't shall we say lift

:43:06. > :43:10.anything easy, but he should have got it safer than this. Yes, he'll

:43:11. > :43:22.take the red up into the green pocket and try to hold the cue ball.

:43:23. > :43:26.Oh, I fancied him for that. I thought he'd get it. Yes, I think it

:43:27. > :43:55.was just slightly awkward cueing. It's funny the way he played that

:43:56. > :44:00.shot, Ronnie. He hasn't left him anything particularly easy here for

:44:01. > :44:07.the safety. He can play a safety shop, obviously, but it's not

:44:08. > :44:18.totally straightforward. -- safety shot.

:44:19. > :44:38.Has he left enough for this red so Ronnie can pot it into the middle?

:44:39. > :44:50.Well, he had. Now the bread just to the left of the blue, he can get

:44:51. > :45:00.through to this. -- the red just to the left of the blue. It went in, so

:45:01. > :45:29.he has got a chance to get a frame on the scoreboard.

:45:30. > :45:43.Does it drop? No, it may have done with a little bit more pace.

:45:44. > :45:55.It just didn't have the pace to just flick off of the cushion and drop

:45:56. > :46:01.in. It was another good chance. Just looking at the red in the middle,

:46:02. > :46:06.Ronnie, but he also has got the option of coming off of the side

:46:07. > :46:08.cushion. He can play this. If he gets the pace right, he can end up

:46:09. > :46:24.on the back. He has potted it, which is the

:46:25. > :46:42.objective, but it's a really difficult shot on the back. --

:46:43. > :47:01.black. Terrific pot, and maybe that shot from Rhys on the pocket, it may

:47:02. > :47:07.be his last shot. As I say, he's had a good start to his career and Steve

:47:08. > :47:51.Davis was saying in the studio, it's all about a learning curve.

:47:52. > :48:05.He's gone into an area where he can give himself options. Perfect on

:48:06. > :48:11.this red. Rhys Clark is talented, if he was that he wouldn't be at this

:48:12. > :48:16.stage in the tournament. He is only 22. He can put this in the category

:48:17. > :48:25.marked a day at school. He is playing against the maestro here and

:48:26. > :48:31.now he'll know what is required from him at the top level. He will have

:48:32. > :48:35.easier matches than playing against Ronnie O'Sullivan live on TV. He can

:48:36. > :48:48.use this and come back to fight another day. Never easy sitting in

:48:49. > :48:52.that chair watching someone pot all the balls. It can feel like you have

:48:53. > :48:58.not done yourself any justice, but we know he can play. This will

:48:59. > :49:18.helping to prepare for his next event. -- help him.

:49:19. > :49:27.So, just over one hour and 11 minutes. We're not far from the end

:49:28. > :49:34.here. He's slowing down in his old age. It was 56 minutes the other

:49:35. > :49:45.day. Yes. To be fair, he has missed a few. He is only human and Rhys

:49:46. > :49:57.definitely had a chance to win one frame, but now 65 points the lead.

:49:58. > :50:12.Just this red needed. And that's it. 66 points the lead, just 59

:50:13. > :50:21.remaining. Seven to -- 72 points the lead now. No way back to the table

:50:22. > :50:27.for young 20-macro. First time I have seen in playing. I have looked

:50:28. > :50:33.at the record. Three last 16 is in the first season, that is good. So

:50:34. > :50:47.an end to remember for the future. There is no doubt that he has got

:50:48. > :50:52.talent. Absolutely. You'll just have to tap into the experience and as I

:50:53. > :50:59.said, tight knot with his cube ball and he will be a very, very good

:51:00. > :51:02.player. Needs a kiss on the red. He hasn't got it. You'll have two

:51:03. > :51:16.result to be doubled. Well, not quite. Yes, yes! Now, missed the

:51:17. > :51:34.brown, come off the side cushion, notched the red. Superb! We might

:51:35. > :51:49.see century break 846. We will do! Oh, he thought he missed it.

:51:50. > :52:04.On the second last bread is when he didn't get the double, Rhys was out

:52:05. > :52:10.off his seat. -- the last red. He hasn't suffered. If you don't enjoy

:52:11. > :52:15.playing centre stage against one of the top players in the world, then

:52:16. > :52:18.do something else, but honestly he would've liked to have played

:52:19. > :52:25.better. One or two shots he will look at and think, he could've

:52:26. > :52:38.played it better. A few little exhibition shots from Ronnie. And

:52:39. > :52:44.there is another one. Give us a clue, which pocket! You can hear

:52:45. > :52:50.from the roar of the crowd how much they enjoyed that. Well played,

:52:51. > :52:55.Ronnie O'Sullivan. Sympathy for Rhys Clark, but believe me, he will be

:52:56. > :53:04.back. He is a talent, but so is that man, who rockets off a winner, 6-0.

:53:05. > :53:08.And that incidentally it was Ronnie's 95th century in the UK

:53:09. > :53:13.Championship. He is now only ten shy of Stephen Hendry record of 105 in

:53:14. > :53:20.this particular championship, the second most prestigious in the game.

:53:21. > :53:23.He is closing in on a tonne of times. It looked as if he was

:53:24. > :53:28.enjoying himself out there in the latter stages of the match. All the

:53:29. > :53:32.great snooker players who have played the game are bullies and they

:53:33. > :53:36.like it the way. Everyone likes to dominate the table and he was not

:53:37. > :53:42.giving much resistance today. As it has turned out, what could be

:53:43. > :53:47.construed as a good work-out for him. Rhys will consider himself

:53:48. > :53:53.unfortunate to not even get a couple of frames on the board. Yes. He

:53:54. > :53:57.probably built himself up big time for the match and would've expected

:53:58. > :54:02.to pay better. Unfortunately as it turned out it has not been a good

:54:03. > :54:06.day for him. But you can't get too upset about things sometimes. Even

:54:07. > :54:12.put it down to experience, but it hurts at the time, I'm sure? He will

:54:13. > :54:16.be disappointed. He had a chance on television, it hasn't gone right any

:54:17. > :54:21.hasn't shown his potential. It's a case of licking your wounds, going

:54:22. > :54:26.back to the grind the match table in the practice table. The good thing

:54:27. > :54:31.is there are good players who are struggling, people like Mark King,

:54:32. > :54:34.and it gives you hope and inspiration. And John Virgo

:54:35. > :54:41.mentioned he has had good results this season. Not the last that we

:54:42. > :54:48.will see of this fellow. It was as if you are enjoying yourself there?

:54:49. > :54:55.Yes, try to enjoy it and enjoy the moment. Have a bit of fun. That is

:54:56. > :55:01.your 95th century. Your ten shy of Stephen Hendry's Corp. I'll get

:55:02. > :55:09.there. How do you rate your workload this week? I have been in bed for

:55:10. > :55:16.three days, chilling out, relaxing. I just fancy it watching TV. I

:55:17. > :55:21.thought you said you were going marathon running. I have fractured

:55:22. > :55:25.my foot, so the running is on the back burner. I am relaxing between

:55:26. > :55:30.matches and my busy workload. It's nice to chill out. We were talking

:55:31. > :55:32.before the match that you're trying to get this worklife balance and

:55:33. > :55:37.you've been having some big conversations with yourself and you

:55:38. > :55:40.seem to have found a balance. Does it feel like that to you? Yes. If I

:55:41. > :56:09.lose here, I'll go back to London. I couldn't get on with my other

:56:10. > :56:13.work. I went through a phase where I thought if I can stop putting

:56:14. > :56:19.pressure on myself to win and do well, I would enjoy it. Is it

:56:20. > :56:24.because you have been in the game so long that you have to find different

:56:25. > :56:28.ways to enjoy? Not really. There are probably only two or three

:56:29. > :56:34.tournaments I enjoy playing and the rest are just about going through

:56:35. > :56:40.and hitting a few balls. For me, all the investment are put into snooker,

:56:41. > :56:46.I'm not getting any rewards. I've tried a few things now and snooker

:56:47. > :56:55.has become a bit of a hobby. If I lose, I won't be thinking I have to

:56:56. > :57:06.wait for the next tournament. Our you spotting other things now? You

:57:07. > :57:10.do. Positional shots? Just everything. On TV you don't get to

:57:11. > :57:15.see the whole thing. When you are watching it, you watch the body

:57:16. > :57:19.language, how they strike the ball, what they are right when they are in

:57:20. > :57:24.front and behind and under pressure. Not that it helps me when I play

:57:25. > :57:29.them, but it is good fun to watch. You put a lot of work in this

:57:30. > :57:37.season. You've played seven out of 12. Has it been hard? It has. I

:57:38. > :57:42.accepted that my game is in great shape. A lot of the tournaments I

:57:43. > :57:46.was contracted to go. I did my best with the preparation that I have

:57:47. > :57:51.done, but as each tournament has gone on, I've had a few days at

:57:52. > :57:55.home, sometime practising. I need that. I'm not one that can go from

:57:56. > :57:59.tournament to tournament and by my game. I feel my form is coming back

:58:00. > :58:03.a little bit, but it's not the be all and end all any more. If I do

:58:04. > :58:12.lose, it's not like I'm waiting for the next event. How are you enjoying

:58:13. > :58:17.being here? When you won in 2014, you didn't defend it in 2015. Did

:58:18. > :58:27.you in hindsight missed it last year? Not really. I was writing a

:58:28. > :58:35.book. You proud of it? It's your new novel. Yes. Was it the Labour of

:58:36. > :58:41.love? Yes. From start to finish, it took two years. I am over the moon

:58:42. > :58:47.with it. It is but then my autobiographies. With this we have

:58:48. > :58:53.been able to have fun with it and put some twists in it that aren't

:58:54. > :58:59.true, but a lot of it is true. It is a hybrid book. Are you really the

:59:00. > :59:03.main character Frankie? Or, if you know what I've been through in my

:59:04. > :59:07.life and you followed it a bit and know a bit about me, you will read

:59:08. > :59:13.it and the character will remind you of what I have been through and

:59:14. > :59:18.situations that I haven't been able to elaborate on. You can read in

:59:19. > :59:28.between the lines. The second book is the one. Well, it's gone so well,

:59:29. > :59:32.they're talking about doing another one. I'll have to find time in my

:59:33. > :59:38.schedule. Let's talk about the schedule here. Going forward, you

:59:39. > :59:44.only have five of these UK titles. You're trying to match him on six.

:59:45. > :59:49.Unhappy with five, if another one does, Lonard take it. I'm not greedy

:59:50. > :59:53.like this guy. We are different animals. Will you be happy to equal

:59:54. > :59:58.his efforts? Are you in the kind of form but you think you could? I need

:59:59. > :00:02.to be thinking I want it. If you don't have that kind of ambition and

:00:03. > :00:07.drive, you won't win. It's finding that balance of being carefree, but

:00:08. > :00:11.also being competitive. The longer you stay in the tournament, there is

:00:12. > :00:15.a chance you can find your form both. That is the good thing. I'm

:00:16. > :00:22.playing all right, and if it comes it comes, if it doesn't it doesn't.

:00:23. > :00:26.I'm not there to bash myself up. A few top players dropping out will

:00:27. > :00:33.help? I'm not really following the snooker. Someone is always on form.

:00:34. > :00:41.You're not going to get to the semis of the finals and you'll be playing

:00:42. > :00:45.numpties. You have two in all types of players. There are no numpties in

:00:46. > :00:47.this game. There are a few. They will remain nameless. I need to keep

:00:48. > :01:04.my mouth shut! At would you allow this fellow with

:01:05. > :01:17.his driving press... He's not bad, he is a bit cautious. Keep it up. It

:01:18. > :01:24.is time to talk about Ding Junhui, the man who was runner-up in the

:01:25. > :01:36.World Championships. He made seven in his semifinals. He's got a

:01:37. > :01:38.technique that has the fellow pros drooling.

:01:39. > :01:47.The art of making anything look brilliant is making it look simple.

:01:48. > :01:52.If anything is simple it is long gone away with that cue ball

:01:53. > :01:56.control. It is the best I've ever seen. I remember Steve Davis saying

:01:57. > :02:00.that through the 80s he was always the correct side of a ball and for

:02:01. > :02:11.me, he has taken that to the next level. Getting from a to B always

:02:12. > :02:23.seems so simple. There are never any complications. He's always in the

:02:24. > :02:28.right place. Players always have a cue ball that is further away. That

:02:29. > :02:34.looks like it is making it as easy as possible. It looks like he grew

:02:35. > :02:37.up on a table that was the third of the size and is always used to being

:02:38. > :02:46.up there. When I was a young player, growing up, we would draw a line

:02:47. > :02:52.about halfway in and this was the gutter. Not allowed to finish in

:02:53. > :02:57.this area. I don't know if he's done the same thing but his cue ball

:02:58. > :03:06.makes the game look ridiculously easy because there are so simple.

:03:07. > :03:13.You've noticed something about his practice routine. I have not seen

:03:14. > :03:20.him practice at his practice facility. He does it at the venues

:03:21. > :03:31.where we do line-ups. Any variation. He will practice scenarios. He will

:03:32. > :03:42.be practising shots that come up in games and if you think about it that

:03:43. > :03:46.is how we should be practising. We are practising line-ups whereas we

:03:47. > :03:54.should be practising actual scenarios. He's very good at that.

:03:55. > :03:58.The other thing to say is if he's trying to play the red for the blue

:03:59. > :04:05.he always finishes the correct side to be able to go where he wants to.

:04:06. > :04:14.Imagine a straight line, he's always on the correct side of that line.

:04:15. > :04:19.He's always on the black with the correct angle to play where he once.

:04:20. > :04:29.When he does that correctly he's almost unbeatable. Precision player.

:04:30. > :04:37.He won the title as an 18-year-old in 2005, followed it with another

:04:38. > :04:39.win in 2009. His Edinburgh opponent is trying to tame the dragon today.

:04:40. > :05:38.We join them in frame one. I think he may be able to do this

:05:39. > :05:55.and get up to the reds. Is it going to be hard enough? It is perfect.

:05:56. > :06:18.Fergal O'Brien gave one of the finest displays I've ever seen.

:06:19. > :07:11.I love watching Ding Junhui. Really is superb.

:07:12. > :07:25.Took the bait. A lot of the great players, John Higgins, Mark Selby,

:07:26. > :07:27.different category, but sometimes use the white little bit. When he's

:07:28. > :08:01.in full control, wonderful to watch. Talking about the match, I don't

:08:02. > :08:08.think he went out once. That takes some doing. It is nice when you're

:08:09. > :08:57.cueing. Didn't want that kiss, but just make

:08:58. > :09:02.the OK. Not hampered at all. You could see him hit the cue ball with

:09:03. > :09:40.left-hand side. Swinging it off the cushion.

:09:41. > :09:52.Trying to avoid the kiss and going through the gap. You can see that

:09:53. > :10:04.he's hampered now. Not past the winning line just yet. No problem,

:10:05. > :11:11.excellent shot. Hadn't hit that hard enough but the

:11:12. > :11:15.weight keeps rolling. He's still got a possible chance. There was one

:11:16. > :11:22.there, the little triangular red, one point of that was available. He

:11:23. > :11:26.can still get through to that one. He could see that all the way. He

:11:27. > :11:43.can play for that. Just a matter of whether he can go

:11:44. > :12:04.on to make a century break. Something Steve Davis bid on many

:12:05. > :12:52.occasions throughout the 1980s. He is going to need the cushion if

:12:53. > :13:21.he's going to make a century. Not as tricky as it was before but

:13:22. > :13:47.still needs a good shot. No century break but what a great

:13:48. > :13:53.start from Ding Junhui. He takes the opening frame and he leads 1-0.

:13:54. > :14:05.That start promises much. But Ross Muir, in his fourth season as a pro.

:14:06. > :14:10.He beat Joe Swail two are in this chance. He showed no fear and he's

:14:11. > :14:25.got himself on the scoreboard. Here we are, the third frame, 9-9.

:14:26. > :14:32.He's hit a couple of them on the fixate. -- thick side. This is a

:14:33. > :14:49.reasonable chance. Unlucky not to make a century and

:14:50. > :15:12.since then he has looked all at sea. These young players will get plenty

:15:13. > :16:20.of chances. Can he take this one to get the lead?

:16:21. > :16:24.Under normal circumstances, would expect to make 50 or 60 from here.

:16:25. > :17:38.Not enough to win the frame. He should be OK. He wanted the

:17:39. > :17:44.angle. Maybe he has a slight angle. This shows how much he can make the

:17:45. > :17:54.cue ball swing away from almost being straight just by powering the

:17:55. > :18:08.shot. The only problem from here it is you cannot just drop this red and

:18:09. > :18:21.give in on the backside. He's not hit that hard enough.

:18:22. > :18:47.He's got a long way to travel. Should not be a problem.

:18:48. > :18:53.That is a disappointing end to that effort. He had a great chance to

:18:54. > :19:13.take that frame. costly I thought he would look all

:19:14. > :19:52.at sea. Definitely got off the ball. That was a golden opportunity. Not

:19:53. > :20:20.listen. I'm sure he wasn't expecting to come

:20:21. > :20:53.back to the table as quickly as this so can he take full advantage?

:20:54. > :21:01.That should have been further up the table. This is still possible.

:21:02. > :21:12.Should have been a lot easier than this.

:21:13. > :22:17.I'm not too sure whether this is easy or not.

:22:18. > :22:29.The Reg to the left of the pink would be enough to leave being John

:22:30. > :22:36.Reid needing a smoker. -- leave home needing a snooker. That is just

:22:37. > :22:45.about perfect. Very good shot. Dead straight. Almost on the red. Just

:22:46. > :22:58.needs a quick glance at the scoreboard to confirm that.

:22:59. > :23:04.Delighted, he knows he started off with a very good 99 but he has

:23:05. > :23:54.missed a few since then. That has put the frame beyond any

:23:55. > :24:01.doubt at all. A little bit concerning for fans of Ding Junhui.

:24:02. > :24:15.He looks a little bit at sea. At the minute he is not doing it. Sometimes

:24:16. > :24:22.he gets a little bit down on himself when he is missing shots that he

:24:23. > :24:27.knows he should not mess. His body language is much better. He used to

:24:28. > :24:39.slump in his chair but he does not do that any more. Very nicely

:24:40. > :25:16.played. Doesn't matter even if the white

:25:17. > :25:26.goes in which it doesn't. Has had another break and he now leads 2-1.

:25:27. > :25:36.That has put Ross in the lead. In his dead you season he actually beat

:25:37. > :25:42.his opponent so he will not be overawed at the thought of playing

:25:43. > :25:58.this guy. In we go to the last frame for the mid-session interval and it

:25:59. > :26:04.is Ding at the table. Maybe he is going to keep missing him. Not

:26:05. > :28:11.looking happy with his game at the moment.

:28:12. > :28:23.This is his second chance in this frame. He knows himself he's got him

:28:24. > :28:30.feeling very down on himself. This is where experience comes in. He

:28:31. > :30:00.must win this frame at this visit. He is doing his best to make it hard

:30:01. > :30:06.worker at the moment. Not sure if that will go back onto its own spot

:30:07. > :30:12.when it is potted. The blue is available, but he'd like to keep the

:30:13. > :30:24.black on its spot. Borno in a moment whether or not that response. He has

:30:25. > :30:29.really missed a trick so far. OK, he might go on and win the frame, but

:30:30. > :30:31.he might go into the interval thinking, how on earth am I not

:30:32. > :30:56.leading 3-1? I do think the black will go back on

:30:57. > :31:02.its spot. It will be on the blue spot, which will be OK for Ding

:31:03. > :31:19.Junhui. We'll find out shortly. A lot of room there. Maybe it does.

:31:20. > :31:26.Possibly touching the red. It still pops the back. It would be better to

:31:27. > :31:30.be on the blue spot. The pink is out of commission at the moment. It

:31:31. > :31:35.might go into the left middle pocket or up into the corner, but the reds

:31:36. > :32:15.around the pink are making it awkward.

:32:16. > :32:22.A clever little shop there, just to nudge the red out of the way,

:32:23. > :32:29.knowing that he can still get back onto the black from the cushion. The

:32:30. > :32:38.pink is available into the middle as well.

:32:39. > :32:47.Could just do with an angle on the black, just to flick the red away

:32:48. > :32:55.from the black spot. He has got the angled to do that. He'll be thinking

:32:56. > :33:00.thank goodness for Ross giving me these chances because I'm not

:33:01. > :33:05.playing well at the moment. It looks as if he has got every chance of

:33:06. > :33:10.winning the frame at this visit and bringing things level by the

:33:11. > :33:33.interval at 2-2. As we said, one of the other frames

:33:34. > :33:39.should not be a problem. He missed a fairly comfortable pot. It's the

:33:40. > :33:42.same situation here. There's no reason why he should not go on and

:33:43. > :34:15.take the frame. Disappointed he did not get enough

:34:16. > :34:30.side when he played for the red at the side of the pink there. He could

:34:31. > :35:05.always play for two red at a time. -- two reds.

:35:06. > :35:13.Just needs this red and he can go to the mid-session interval. He can

:35:14. > :35:19.then go to the practice table and work on his cue action because it

:35:20. > :35:23.clearly hasn't been there. It was in the opening frame, but since then it

:35:24. > :35:30.has been messy for him. Ross has missed a bit of a trick because he

:35:31. > :35:37.could quite easily be leading 3-1. He has had a few chances, but maybe

:35:38. > :35:40.just a bit inexperienced. Playing on BBC television, it's not as easy as

:35:41. > :35:51.it will be on one of the outside tables. Ross coming back to the

:35:52. > :35:58.table. Ding Junhui am not going into the interval are very happy man at

:35:59. > :36:02.all. Ding Junhui does not look as if he is in a happy place out there at

:36:03. > :36:12.all. You know, Steve, he just scraped through the first round

:36:13. > :36:18.against the Brazilian. At one point he was 67 points ahead. We had a

:36:19. > :36:24.chance to close the match out with one red. There was a miraculous

:36:25. > :36:28.clearance to win on the black and heavy years now. At times he looks

:36:29. > :36:34.fantastic and at times it looks as if his concentration is out the

:36:35. > :36:37.window. He had an interesting international in China. He got all

:36:38. > :36:44.the way to the final hours playing great and Mark Selby destroyed him.

:36:45. > :36:49.It as if Ding Junhui through the towel in at 4-1. It felt like he

:36:50. > :36:55.would not get back any frames and Mark Selby was playing decent stuff

:36:56. > :36:59.at the time. Maybe he has reached a barrier of enthusiasm. Maybe he

:37:00. > :37:03.needs to get that back on the grid. The irony is that he has already won

:37:04. > :37:09.the Shanghai Masters, beat Mark Selby just before this. At the

:37:10. > :37:15.Crucible he was 6-0 down and had to claw his way back. Maybe it's too

:37:16. > :37:20.much of an ask? It could be the ups and downs of a season. You can't

:37:21. > :37:29.always be up and positive. You will have peaks and troughs. Hopefully

:37:30. > :37:34.you peek for the right events. It's nice to peak for the right events,

:37:35. > :37:38.but it's easier said than done. You can't count on it. You can't skip

:37:39. > :37:44.that one and then concentrate on the UK. It doesn't work like that.

:37:45. > :37:49.Sometimes his concentration wavers a lot more than the other top players.

:37:50. > :37:56.His body language is not great. He lets people know. He's very

:37:57. > :38:16.readable. And that gives confidence to your opponent. Neil Robertson hit

:38:17. > :38:21.a wall. He came back and and unfortunately lost though. I see

:38:22. > :38:27.that you and Ding Junhui are both channelling your cheque vib? Yes,

:38:28. > :38:45.because it's Sunday. Now, this young man is only 16 years

:38:46. > :38:50.of age. He has already beaten Liang Wenbo, he was our runner-up here in

:38:51. > :38:55.York 12 months ago. He beat him when he was 14, 15 years of age. He has

:38:56. > :39:02.been threatening to burst onto the scene for a long time. And the

:39:03. > :39:06.update on the other matches, because we have had eight of them under way

:39:07. > :39:13.this afternoon, with another eight in the second round to complete this

:39:14. > :39:27.evening. Mark Allen is 3-2 in front of Rod Lawler. Hamid Mia dropped off

:39:28. > :39:42.the tour and clawed his way back. Martin Gould is now 4-3 down.

:39:43. > :39:47.They've Gilbert is looking more comfortable now at 4-1 up against

:39:48. > :39:53.Mark Joyce. We are going back to the Ross Muir and Ding Junhui match.

:39:54. > :40:10.Will join them after the mid-session interval. -- we will join them. I

:40:11. > :40:27.think the one next to the pink will go.

:40:28. > :40:42.Straightaway he has left himself the wrong angle on the pink to get that

:40:43. > :40:50.triangle of reds. His first shot was not the best. It should be OK and

:40:51. > :40:59.screwing back. It's as if his focus is not quite there.

:41:00. > :41:05.No disrespect to Ross to eet is playing, but he of the came into the

:41:06. > :41:11.match thinking he could have it his own way and Ross has played pretty

:41:12. > :41:17.well in the match so far. Ding is not playing anywhere near his best

:41:18. > :41:25.at the moment. He just can't keep on making safety mistakes like he just

:41:26. > :41:34.did. He needs to get his confidence back again. We know what a fantastic

:41:35. > :41:36.break Ding is. It's going to be difficult now for him to win this

:41:37. > :43:04.match. 38 points in front. This is 44. He

:43:05. > :43:10.needs at least four more rates. The others are quite tricky, so he's not

:43:11. > :44:26.bound to win the frame at this visit. -- four more reds.

:44:27. > :45:05.Oh, that wobbled a bit, but safely in. Just one more red needed.

:45:06. > :45:13.Oh, that kicked. The red jumped a mile. So it's 67 ahead with still 67

:45:14. > :45:59.on the table. As you can see, he needs five reds

:46:00. > :46:10.and five blacks to time. The first black is no problem.

:46:11. > :46:25.That's pretty good. That's brought at least, well, you can make him

:46:26. > :46:32.seeing -- you can see him making the five blacks he needs.

:46:33. > :47:32.It is very difficult of course when you need blacks off of every red.

:47:33. > :47:38.You have to make sure you get the right angle off of the red to get

:47:39. > :47:42.back onto the back. Now, he should play for the one on the cushion here

:47:43. > :47:47.this time because he has a perfect angle to get on it, rather than

:47:48. > :47:57.risking getting onto the one made the middle pocket. -- near the

:47:58. > :47:58.middle pocket. Slowly but surely he is getting himself back into the

:47:59. > :48:18.frame. That is a poor shot. It had a bit of

:48:19. > :48:24.a chance to get a re-spotted black the, Ross. That was the tricky one

:48:25. > :49:51.that he played for first. Still expected him to knock that in.

:49:52. > :49:57.He certainly looks much sharper after the mid-session interval. He

:49:58. > :50:06.got a kick and Ross had a chance, but he didn't take it. Ding Junhui

:50:07. > :50:09.now leads 3-2. Ding Junhui has had a torrid relationship with this

:50:10. > :50:20.tournament. He has had early exits in the last couple of years so any

:50:21. > :50:33.fluency is greatly welcomed. He's in front as we head into frame six now.

:50:34. > :50:37.When you have the part of the cue and you are striking down on a shot

:50:38. > :50:45.like that, it is so difficult, but once again, he has been a bit

:50:46. > :50:48.unlucky. The one thing he -- the one he has tried to pot has come over

:50:49. > :51:36.the middle pocket. He would like to get the red away to

:51:37. > :51:44.the left of the black, but he doesn't have the angle. He will need

:51:45. > :51:50.some sort of a cannon here. Maybe he will just hit them hard and hope for

:51:51. > :52:02.the best. He has done. It has worked out pretty well. The my best to just

:52:03. > :52:11.screw between the reds the. He can run through and leave it for the

:52:12. > :52:16.middle. It's his choice. Just wondering if the pink will be tied

:52:17. > :52:24.up somewhat when it goes back onto its spot. So he has got a little bit

:52:25. > :52:29.of work to do for that good chance. Pecan stunt in between the gap of

:52:30. > :52:38.the red and the black. He can get rid of them in both pockets. He's

:52:39. > :52:53.playing top spin though. He must be playing for one of the loose reds on

:52:54. > :52:59.the side of the table. And maybe the pink is available. He is looking

:53:00. > :53:04.long and hard at it to see if it goes in the right corner. We'll find

:53:05. > :53:17.out shortly by the way he plays the shot. If it's not the pink, he will

:53:18. > :53:22.play for the blue. That is a bit tight, that. It looks as if it will

:53:23. > :53:51.go, but it is a bit tight. That's why he decided on the blue.

:53:52. > :54:01.Just about OK. It's still not straightforward just yet. He's got

:54:02. > :54:07.the pink, but a little bit to do with the cue ball just get back that

:54:08. > :54:13.loose red. You'll have two notch another red. He has played that

:54:14. > :54:18.nicely. As I said, the black were the left corner that's why at some

:54:19. > :54:24.stage he'll need to get on red. I'm not sure with the angle he has got

:54:25. > :54:31.on the red that he can get on the pink softball. Getting on the next

:54:32. > :54:41.red is going to be very difficult. There is no problem with the red and

:54:42. > :54:47.pink, but the one after that could be. He needs to get the cue ball

:54:48. > :54:53.somewhere where the black is. He could screw back and try to get

:54:54. > :54:58.straight on the red. He may think it is too risky. So anywhere near where

:54:59. > :55:04.he is now is not too bad. He has gone for the gap. Has he got the

:55:05. > :55:20.Gap? What a great shot that is. Well done.

:55:21. > :55:27.Yes, if anything, he overscrewed it slightly. He may have to go for the

:55:28. > :55:40.blue was looking for the cot on the red. A good shot coming up if he can

:55:41. > :55:44.pot the blue. He doesn't want to hit them hard because the white ball can

:55:45. > :55:52.go towards the left corner pocket. This is the key shop maybe to go on

:55:53. > :55:54.and take the frame. No, not quite. He's going to have to wait for

:55:55. > :57:07.another opportunity. All very difficult to return the cue

:57:08. > :57:12.ball back down if he plays the red behind the pink and catches one of

:57:13. > :57:21.the reds on the right-hand side of the table. On the other side he has

:57:22. > :57:29.got to find a gap as well. In the end, that was all he could do. Just

:57:30. > :57:53.roll up to the red. There weren't many choices for him there.

:57:54. > :58:05.Schoolboy error. Massive target to miss the blue there. A

:58:06. > :58:09.straightforward safety shop. We has to be careful because what he has

:58:10. > :58:16.been doing has been concentrating on the cue ball. The Pacers brought it

:58:17. > :58:26.back into them the middle of the table. -- the pace. Good shot.

:58:27. > :58:48.Excellent shot. You are better off missing it and

:58:49. > :58:57.giving four points away. Rather than hitting the red on the thick side.

:58:58. > :58:59.Make the judgment terry-macro adjustment and catch it, as he

:59:00. > :59:14.intends to. Amazing that when you miss the ball,

:59:15. > :59:26.you always hit it the second time. This red will cut. He is planning to

:59:27. > :59:32.cut into the left-hand corner. The cue ball is going very close to the

:59:33. > :59:39.yellow pocket. Needs to be careful about where the cue ball is

:59:40. > :59:41.travelling to. Just being a little bit cautious with this shot at the

:59:42. > :00:28.moment. He will be very disappointed by how

:00:29. > :01:36.much he missed that by. I don't think that red next to the

:01:37. > :01:43.pink goes. If it does, it is easy. If not, he will have to play a

:01:44. > :01:45.cannon. He feels it passes the pink to the middle. It must be quite

:01:46. > :02:02.tight. Plenty of room. Oh... kick. That was

:02:03. > :02:04.a bad kick. Just as he was about to clinch the

:02:05. > :02:15.frame, he gets a heavy contact. It just straightened up a little

:02:16. > :02:44.bit. It is going to be very tough to get

:02:45. > :02:51.right back into the frame from here. Just make sure you make 20-30 here,

:02:52. > :02:56.just get close to him. Just looking to get to the

:02:57. > :03:00.left-hander of the three reds. He can also get onto the black and get

:03:01. > :03:09.ready to play. He does not want to be straight on this next red.

:03:10. > :03:15.He decided he could not get onto the red three away from the black. He

:03:16. > :03:20.played that well, though. No problem getting on the choice of

:03:21. > :03:26.pink or black. He would like to bring the three reds into play.

:03:27. > :03:32.Surely he is not thinking of putting the red and cannoning into the reds

:03:33. > :03:34.on this shot. That would rely on luck. Looking at the angle, what do

:03:35. > :03:53.you think? He did have the angle to play the

:03:54. > :03:59.cannon, but as you can see there, the tables are so fast.

:04:00. > :04:02.Now he has to pop a black and go between green and brown, into the

:04:03. > :04:25.red on the left-hand side of the table.

:04:26. > :04:34.He is just struggling to get into good position. As I say, when you

:04:35. > :04:36.are not at the top of your form, on these very fast tables, it is

:04:37. > :04:54.difficult to control the cue ball. I don't know if he can get down

:04:55. > :05:04.behind the blue. Maybe a cannon onto the blue. He has put it behind the

:05:05. > :05:10.yellow, which is just as good. I was surprised Ding played that last shot

:05:11. > :05:14.the way he did. He would rather missed the ball on

:05:15. > :05:20.his first attempt and hit it too fig. So he will have two hit a thin

:05:21. > :05:26.one here. He doesn't want to bring the three reds into play.

:05:27. > :05:31.He did catch it. Ross can bring the three reds into play with his next

:05:32. > :05:36.shot. There is no worry whether black is. The black should cover it.

:05:37. > :05:42.OK, you can't get a good white. He will try to get the White in the

:05:43. > :05:48.jaws of the green pocket. Somewhere near the green pocket, bring all the

:05:49. > :05:53.reds into play. He played the thin one. He missed a

:05:54. > :06:32.trick there, he could have got them all into play there. Poor shot.

:06:33. > :07:33.53 ahead, just 51 on the table. 4-2 four certain.

:07:34. > :07:41.It is getting away from him, the match, Ross. He only has himself to

:07:42. > :07:48.blame if he goes on to lose the match. Fabulous experience playing

:07:49. > :07:57.one of the top players on a TV table.

:07:58. > :08:06.Ding, slowly but surely getting his cue action back again. He seemed to

:08:07. > :08:40.have lost it in frames three and four.

:08:41. > :08:49.Started this frame with a break of 45, he will finish it with a break

:08:50. > :08:51.of 46. -- 56. Ding Junhui is getting control of this match now. He goes

:08:52. > :09:03.two clear. He leads 4-2. HAZEL IRVINE: Something less

:09:04. > :09:07.comfortable and far more exciting happening at the table right beside

:09:08. > :09:11.them. Mark Allen, the Northern Ireland schmo who has been a UK

:09:12. > :09:17.championship finalist here the last couple of balls and this is a

:09:18. > :09:30.potential maximum for the man who is a real combustible player, a sixth

:09:31. > :09:39.of the season. The first of Mark Allen's rear. What a milestone.

:09:40. > :09:43.?10,000 bonus. If anyone else makes one, but congratulations Mark Allen,

:09:44. > :09:52.a fantastic achievement. It takes 4-3 up against Rod Lawler. He is in

:09:53. > :09:58.command of the match. Back we go to the Ding and Ross Muir match. It is

:09:59. > :10:09.COMMENTATOR: He really could do with locking in a sizeable break here. If

:10:10. > :10:18.he falls 5-2 behind, you wouldn't give him much of a chance. At 4-3,

:10:19. > :10:22.he is right in this match. Important minutes coming up for the young

:10:23. > :11:11.Scot. One very interesting stat about

:11:12. > :11:15.Ross, because they place a mini tournaments in China now, he has

:11:16. > :11:22.actually learned Mandarin. Whether he will go to live in China, I'm not

:11:23. > :11:28.sure. I have enough trouble speaking English.... Some people would say I

:11:29. > :11:46.struggle with that! He is just looking to see if he can

:11:47. > :11:49.get onto this bottom red. If he can't, he has the perfect angle on

:11:50. > :11:51.the black to bring reds into play. He does not have to play for that

:11:52. > :12:13.one loose red. Took too much time, didn't he,

:12:14. > :12:15.making sure the cue ball. You cannot afford to miss blacks off the spot

:12:16. > :12:31.at any standard. Just a little bit of lack of

:12:32. > :12:35.experience on the big occasion for Ross. Normally, he would never miss

:12:36. > :12:41.the black off the spotlight that. This could open the game right up

:12:42. > :12:44.here. He has played for the individual one, but didn't play it

:12:45. > :12:48.well. I thought he would screw back into the red and open them all up.

:12:49. > :12:56.This will open a fume or up. He is not on the red as he intended. -- a

:12:57. > :13:00.few more. He will have to rely on a bit of luck. It is a case of getting

:13:01. > :13:04.the white in open play here. You don't necessarily know if you will

:13:05. > :13:08.be on the blue, pink or black. But he has played it nicely. He played

:13:09. > :13:13.it very nicely, and he does that very well.

:13:14. > :13:17.OK, he has pushed a couple of reds onto the side cushion, but he won't

:13:18. > :13:26.need those if he keeps potting reds with pinks. Enough there to leave

:13:27. > :13:35.the frame say. Does the pink spot? If not, it will

:13:36. > :13:36.have to go behind the red. I will show you the shot here. He played it

:13:37. > :13:51.well. The referee making sure that the

:13:52. > :14:16.pink is near to the red in a direct line behind the spot.

:14:17. > :14:23.This is the key shot coming up. I don't think the reds are available.

:14:24. > :14:32.He will need a cannon into the triangle of reds there. It is stuck

:14:33. > :14:35.on the red. You could play that another ten times and it wouldn't

:14:36. > :14:41.finish in that position. He will have to wait for another chance.

:14:42. > :14:44.He doesn't really want to bring one of the reds of the cushion. But he

:14:45. > :14:53.has to, because it is the easier safety shot.

:14:54. > :15:49.In the last frame, it Ding led by 50 odd points.

:15:50. > :15:57.Top-class safety shot their from Ross. Just over the two hours, six

:15:58. > :16:36.frames played. Ross needs that black into play as

:16:37. > :16:38.well. He has got to get in. The black tied up is not helping his

:16:39. > :17:09.cause. He has brought the black into play,

:17:10. > :17:16.so he will be happy with that shot. It is worth another look.

:17:17. > :17:25.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Ding attempting the two cushion escape,

:17:26. > :17:48.and he will have to have another go at it.

:17:49. > :17:58.REFEREE: Foul and a miss. Ross Muir, four.

:17:59. > :18:03.A third attempt coming on. Of course, he is smooth good. So he can

:18:04. > :18:17.have as many attempts as he won. Missed three times and you lose the

:18:18. > :18:22.frame doesn't apply. -- he is snookered. It looks as if the yellow

:18:23. > :18:37.is slightly in the way. The green slightly more to the Right

:18:38. > :18:52.here. He might have two changes escape

:18:53. > :18:57.route here, because I think the yellow in the way of the two

:18:58. > :19:08.cushion. He has tried it three times and the angle is not there.

:19:09. > :19:11.Looking at the angle, I think he can play on one cushion and rest on the

:19:12. > :19:13.right-hand side of the table in the middle of the right-hand side

:19:14. > :19:19.cushion. He would be very unlucky to leave

:19:20. > :19:27.anything easy should he play that way.

:19:28. > :19:30.That wouldn't be a bad choice if the red closest to the pink doesn't go

:19:31. > :19:38.into the left corner there. One between the pink and black spot, the

:19:39. > :19:48.blue, he is going to have to get a lot of side on this.

:19:49. > :19:53.Well, I don't know what that was. I just cannot understand what he has

:19:54. > :20:12.just played. What was he trying to hit?!

:20:13. > :20:22.He just seemed to play as if he hadn't quite made his mind up. If he

:20:23. > :20:25.lands on that correct, he sticks the one up that Ross spotted. It was a

:20:26. > :20:39.strange choice. That's so careless. Those three reds

:20:40. > :20:46.were all available. All he had to do was miss the colour on the way back

:20:47. > :21:29.and he will be fairly disappointed with that last shot.

:21:30. > :21:45.What a fluke that is. And that could give him this frame. Have a look at

:21:46. > :21:55.this. It will come back, flick the white back across the table. Wow. At

:21:56. > :21:58.least two reds and two colours would have brought him back into the

:21:59. > :22:04.frame. But as you say, this will cost him the frame now. An

:22:05. > :22:06.unbelievable fluke. What a difference that is, 5-2 or 4-3,

:22:07. > :22:51.incredible. 34 ahead. He needs this red and any

:22:52. > :22:56.colour will do. You have got to feel a little bit sorry for Ross. A bit

:22:57. > :22:58.of a chance to get back to just one frame behind. But to see the red fly

:22:59. > :23:30.into the middle pocket. Once the double went in, that was it

:23:31. > :23:36.all over. Any sport, you can't beat a bit of

:23:37. > :24:21.luck. He certainly had a slice of good fortune there.

:24:22. > :24:28.Well, a very nice 58 clearance, but we have to say he was helped by an

:24:29. > :24:33.unbelievable fluke in the middle pocket. He is looking very

:24:34. > :24:37.comfortable now, Ding Junhui. He leads 5-2.

:24:38. > :24:46.HAZEL IRVINE: Refereeing today in that match, Tatiana Willison, whose

:24:47. > :24:54.husband Ben Woollaston is playing in the sports hall. Very much a family

:24:55. > :24:56.affair for those two. She has two concentrate on matters in frame

:24:57. > :25:23.eight. Played that shot quite cleverly

:25:24. > :25:27.knowing that the red appeared to be going in the right-hand corner. He

:25:28. > :25:34.could screw in behind the brown here on this shot. Ross is looking at the

:25:35. > :25:39.one red just above the black. It will pass. That is the one, there.

:25:40. > :25:56.Tight, though, isn't it. You have got to play it, don't you.

:25:57. > :26:05.He has had a really good look at it. Scratching his head, but our picture

:26:06. > :26:14.showed you that it potted. But he's but behind it. It definitely pots.

:26:15. > :26:19.Dear me. Coming around the other side now, but it definitely does. He

:26:20. > :26:23.can play the choice of pink or blue, leaving the White six inches further

:26:24. > :26:56.down the table on two further colours. But it clearly pots.

:26:57. > :27:03.Yes, clearly available. And as we thought, he has the choice of blue

:27:04. > :27:09.or pink. He would like the pink pack on the back spot, I can't see

:27:10. > :27:15.clearly whether the pink spot is available. -- black spot.

:27:16. > :29:25.Just one more good positional shot from Ross here to make the break a

:29:26. > :29:28.little easier. He needs to be straight on this red in the middle,

:29:29. > :29:44.or he will have to play a cannon of some sort.

:29:45. > :29:52.He is certainly not straight. He played that nicely. The pink will go

:29:53. > :29:55.back onto its spot now. He has to be careful where the next red is coming

:29:56. > :30:01.from. At first glance, I can't see a trade forward way of getting onto

:30:02. > :30:08.it, actually. -- straightforward way. There must be one that pots

:30:09. > :30:18.somewhere. From this position, I can't see where.

:30:19. > :30:29.He will have a very difficult one to play in the middle. Looking at the

:30:30. > :30:37.angle, he might be able to roll this one and then came the red and then

:30:38. > :30:55.he will be on the black all the pink -- and then cannon. It is not quite

:30:56. > :31:03.the acute angle. 54 in front. He doesn't want to just attempt

:31:04. > :31:30.something that he doesn't fancy. And put Ding in.

:31:31. > :31:38.Just wondering if Ding will take this along the cushion, because he

:31:39. > :31:47.can get onto the pink. 54 behind. He has had a look at this. He's looking

:31:48. > :31:53.at this again. If this goes in, from that angle, leave the pink for the

:31:54. > :31:58.middle pocket, but now he is digging right into it. He did that to play

:31:59. > :32:37.the red up the table. That was a bit dangerous, playing

:32:38. > :32:42.that pot. Does not appear to have left anything easy but Ding can

:32:43. > :32:45.bring the reds into play. He would like to get them opened a bit, even

:32:46. > :32:56.though he is playing the safety shot. -- open a bit. Those two reds

:32:57. > :33:08.are open but he has left a pot in the corner. Two more reds he needs

:33:09. > :33:38.to make the frame safe. He thought, if I can knock this in,

:33:39. > :33:46.I will win the frame, but he has missed it. There's enough there for

:33:47. > :33:57.Ding. It is a tall order. But when you are this far behind you tend to

:33:58. > :34:01.concentrate a bit harder. His focus has not been 100% this afternoon in

:34:02. > :34:09.this match. He has looked good in spells and then has missed

:34:10. > :34:14.relatively easy shots. Could he make a clearance when it is needed to

:34:15. > :34:28.shut out the match? I would not be surprised. Just one good positional

:34:29. > :34:36.shot needed. To get onto Ping or black and opened the red away from

:34:37. > :34:46.the black. -- to get onto pink. As Dennis said, no surprise if he goes

:34:47. > :34:48.on to clear from here. The reds are all him play but he has got to get

:34:49. > :35:21.the white amongst them. -- in play. He has come up a little bit short.

:35:22. > :35:34.That red to the side of the blue is not available into this corner. Not

:35:35. > :35:40.the ideal position just yet. He needs to be dead straight on this

:35:41. > :35:46.red to leave himself the pink and then he can open things up. He is

:35:47. > :35:58.absolutely dead straight. This is a good chance after this goes in. He

:35:59. > :36:09.can now develop the red and the black. Just a gentle nudge will do.

:36:10. > :36:13.And they are there for the taking. Yes, just one shot away from making

:36:14. > :36:29.that they frame-winning chance and that was the one just there. -- from

:36:30. > :36:31.making that a frame-winning chance. Ross can only sit and hope that he

:36:32. > :36:48.loses position. It is all about experience for

:36:49. > :37:01.player like Ross. He has had chances here. He could have led 3-1. If you

:37:02. > :37:06.were in his corner, what would you take away from this match? Mind you,

:37:07. > :37:14.that could be the end of the break. It is the end. Amazing, absolutely

:37:15. > :37:20.amazing, they were there for the taking, but then suddenly with a

:37:21. > :37:25.little cannon he has messed it up. What I would say to Ross, you are

:37:26. > :37:46.not out of this match yet. LAUGHTER Elegant little shot. Amazing. That

:37:47. > :37:56.was purely careless. He needed to kiss the red half ball. Well,

:37:57. > :39:07.another chance. He will have to take the green if

:39:08. > :39:12.he's going to win the match at this visit. That was a very poor

:39:13. > :39:30.positional shot that Ding played. Amazing, these top players normally,

:39:31. > :39:35.when they see the winning post, they go by it very quickly. Ding seems to

:39:36. > :39:40.be struggling to get past the winning post. His track record in

:39:41. > :39:49.the UK in the last couple of years, he has lost to a player outside the

:39:50. > :39:50.top 64 in both of his last visits to the Barbican centre and he is not

:39:51. > :40:21.open the line yet in this match. That is the red. Amazing. Just needs

:40:22. > :40:31.to pot a colour. If the pink pots, he should take it on, would you take

:40:32. > :40:38.it on? As a shot to nothing. Or play the snooker. He could do with

:40:39. > :40:40.knocking the pink into the right-hand corner. I would

:40:41. > :41:04.definitely go for that. He is not done quite yet. But that

:41:05. > :41:31.was a good pressure pot from Ross. Pressure pot on the pink, barring

:41:32. > :41:32.snookers, Ross will get a frame back, but he will still be trailing

:41:33. > :42:18.5-3. A great chance of snookers the way

:42:19. > :42:20.the balls are sitting. He should have had the match done and dusted

:42:21. > :42:40.with the chances he had. Can't just roll a he would have to

:42:41. > :42:49.play a stun shot, so maybe a slight change of play. -- can't just roll

:42:50. > :43:48.it, he will have to play a stun shot. Not bad, but an easy escape.

:43:49. > :44:00.How did he miss that one? Sometimes when you miss a shot like that, and

:44:01. > :44:11.that is a sitter he has missed... He could lose this match now. Yes, Ding

:44:12. > :44:14.was hoping to play the green onto the brown to leave the green where

:44:15. > :44:20.the brown is and it would have been a snooker. But it is not a snooker

:44:21. > :44:38.because of the kiss on the brown. Just trying to be too careful, don't

:44:39. > :44:44.you think? Yes, it would not be a bad idea for Ding to pot the green

:44:45. > :44:48.and get the brown off the cushion because it is out of the game at the

:44:49. > :44:58.moment. I think there is a gap for the green. Maybe not. Maybe not.

:44:59. > :45:02.He can certainly hit it off the side cushion but has got to be careful he

:45:03. > :45:35.doesn't go in-off it. Ideally Ding would like to pot the

:45:36. > :45:41.pink and brown and then there is the chance to get the snooker. Ross

:45:42. > :45:42.needs to pot one of these green or brown very quickly otherwise he

:45:43. > :47:26.could be sweating in a few moments. That is bit unlucky, when you are

:47:27. > :47:34.playing a swerve, but that is the last thing you want to do, take the

:47:35. > :48:20.brown towards the corner. Obviously Ding can't do this now, though.

:48:21. > :48:27.There is a way of playing with lots of left-hand side, trying to wrest

:48:28. > :48:29.the cue ball between the blue and the black, but he wants to keep them

:48:30. > :48:43.together. You are kidding. I thought for a

:48:44. > :48:52.second he had gone behind the brown. That would have been a shot.

:48:53. > :49:02.This is the longest frame of the match so far. The mentioned that

:49:03. > :49:08.Ding had a couple of chances to shut the match out but played a couple of

:49:09. > :49:41.careless ones. Interesting to see if he has a go at

:49:42. > :49:47.this cut. And then misses it and leaves it on. Ding could get the

:49:48. > :50:16.snooker on blue blue which is next to the black. -- on the blue.

:50:17. > :50:30.Another bit of a chance, this. Clever shot, to use the jaws. He has

:50:31. > :50:35.got to play this with a lot of side. Needs to be careful if he hits the

:50:36. > :50:49.green towards that pink, though. You don't want to be knocking the pink

:50:50. > :51:04.in. Well, now then. Does Ding pot the green and the brown? No, did not

:51:05. > :51:09.play to pot it. He went to get the Stoker, but I would have been

:51:10. > :51:15.tempted to have a guaranteed snooker -- he went to get the snooker. In a

:51:16. > :51:21.heartbeat. I cannot believe he refused the green. Very strange

:51:22. > :52:50.choice, especially if he moves the Greenaway now. -- green away now.

:52:51. > :52:56.He's doing his best to put himself under pressure. Only one snooker

:52:57. > :53:07.needed. Another two inches and that would

:53:08. > :54:41.have been a very tough one to hit. The blue is now in a better spot to

:54:42. > :54:53.get a snooker behind but maybe not from this position. It is better,

:54:54. > :55:07.closer to the cushion than out in the middle of the table.

:55:08. > :55:16.You can't get your breath. He almost missed the green, but to hit that

:55:17. > :55:25.thin and not the pink in, and this is a free ball. -- knock. That is

:55:26. > :55:30.incredible. You could stand there for a month of Sundays and you could

:55:31. > :55:37.never make that shot. How unlucky? But he has missed so many easy balls

:55:38. > :55:48.to clinch the frame. As Ross. -- has. Is he going to bring the blue

:55:49. > :55:55.into play? Very good effort. Great positional shot from Ding bringing

:55:56. > :56:05.the blue interplay, but he needs a good shot on the green. Natural

:56:06. > :56:15.angle is coming up on the brown. He has hit that too hard. Great pot but

:56:16. > :56:20.look where the white is finishing. Maybe there is value in taking the

:56:21. > :56:24.brown into the middle. Because you can then take the blue into the

:56:25. > :56:36.corner. It is technically worth the risk. Decided against it. -- it is

:56:37. > :56:41.definitely worth the risk. You wonder what is going on at the

:56:42. > :56:55.moment. Amazing how the pink ended up going in there. He might have got

:56:56. > :56:59.the sticker back. -- snooker. He deserved a bit of good fortune after

:57:00. > :57:10.what happened previously when he accidentally knocked the pink in. Is

:57:11. > :57:21.the pink coming to the rescue? I think it might. Can he get through

:57:22. > :57:35.to it? I don't think so. He is going to knock it safe again. He has hit

:57:36. > :57:43.and hoped. Hit that a little harder than I thought he would do. He

:57:44. > :57:53.hasn't stuck the brown up. It is a brown bull fight, you would have to

:57:54. > :57:57.say. Who ever pots the brown, wins the frame. -- it is a brown ball

:57:58. > :58:39.fight. He is struggling at the moment,

:58:40. > :58:46.Ross, the cue ball should have been typed on the baulk cushion. He just

:58:47. > :58:52.decelerated. -- should have been typed. You can see the Burmese and

:58:53. > :58:54.on his face, he can't believe how badly he hit that -- you can see the

:58:55. > :59:58.amusement. Oh! Look at this shot. I thought he

:59:59. > :00:03.was going to drop in behind the black. Come on, Ross, you have

:00:04. > :00:11.mistake you easy frame-winning balls. Almost 50 minutes ago he had

:00:12. > :00:16.an easy green into the pocket -- 15. He missed a sitter. Can he knock a

:00:17. > :00:34.more difficult one in? He can avoid the middle and corner

:00:35. > :00:39.pocket if he pots this spring. He will automatically add up towards

:00:40. > :00:47.the pink. It is a thin one, but every chance.

:00:48. > :01:02.Is he going to drop nicely on the pink? He has.

:01:03. > :01:08.And he had a couple of chances are pinching this frame, didn't take it.

:01:09. > :01:16.Ross, well, what an experience for the young Scott. He started so well.

:01:17. > :01:20.He could have led at the mid-session interval. He didn't. But Ding

:01:21. > :01:25.Junhui, he hasn't played anywhere near his best form, but that doesn't

:01:26. > :01:26.matter. He got the result. In the end, it was quite comfortable. He

:01:27. > :01:37.wins the match 6-2. Congratulations, a long time at the

:01:38. > :01:45.end to win the match. I was lucky. In the last two frames, he got bad

:01:46. > :01:49.luck to knock the pink in. I think I don't want to be another frame. I

:01:50. > :01:54.tried hard in the last few balls. You had a decent run of 50 breaks to

:01:55. > :01:57.put yourself in position to close the match, do you think you are

:01:58. > :02:07.gaining momentum after the difficult match in the first round? I don't

:02:08. > :02:17.play great, but I just keep thinking well. Also, I have my mind out of

:02:18. > :02:22.the match. I had to bring it back to concentration. I will try in the

:02:23. > :02:27.next match, tried to practice on the practice table. When you consider

:02:28. > :02:31.last year you dropped out of the world top 16, it has been a good

:02:32. > :02:35.start to the season, winning in Shanghai, you have been in a couple

:02:36. > :02:42.of big finals, do you think things are back on the right track overall

:02:43. > :02:51.across the season? Yes, it is a great start to the season. It is

:02:52. > :02:57.like 2013 and 2014 seasons. I am not too sure that my form is back or I

:02:58. > :03:03.can win any more tournaments, I just want to leave the pressure away,

:03:04. > :03:11.thinking straight to the match. That is the easy way to go. Sometimes I

:03:12. > :03:16.put myself in a compensated way to think about that. Finally, some

:03:17. > :03:20.banter going around the press room about the suit, Terry Griffiths came

:03:21. > :03:23.in and said you chose it yourself. It is pretty snazzy, is it your

:03:24. > :03:29.Lucky suit for the tournament? Hopefully it is a Lucky suit, I can

:03:30. > :03:33.do something special. Everyone wears black and white, white shirts and

:03:34. > :03:36.black suits, I wanted to try something different. We are loving

:03:37. > :03:42.it in the press room, well done, Ding. See you in minutes round.

:03:43. > :03:48.Thank you. Well done to Ding Junhui, mixing it up with the chequered

:03:49. > :03:51.suit. This is an important match for Ding Junhui, when you think about

:03:52. > :03:56.his record in the last couple of years, he has gone out at the very

:03:57. > :04:01.early stages. He hasn't gone past the last 32 for over three years. It

:04:02. > :04:05.is strange for a man that has won the tournament a few times. It was

:04:06. > :04:13.hard to exactly understand. Sometimes the translation is lost in

:04:14. > :04:17.the interview. Trying to explain how he feels coming into tournaments, it

:04:18. > :04:21.feels like sometimes he over tries. That is what he is saying. He wants

:04:22. > :04:32.to play like Ronny Deila is by getting out there and letting

:04:33. > :04:40.himself flow. -- like Ronny Deila -- Ronnie does. Clearly, he is

:04:41. > :04:45.expecting more of himself. I would say so. I would say there is still

:04:46. > :04:49.an awful lot of disappointment from losing that final in the World

:04:50. > :04:53.Championship. You would expect him, because of his talent, he will be

:04:54. > :04:57.there or thereabouts, but that was his first final. Losing to Mark

:04:58. > :05:02.Selby. In the manner that he lost, getting off to a bad start, but

:05:03. > :05:03.coming back strong. Still, he will be disappointed, despite the good

:05:04. > :05:26.start. He is a wonderful player. Sometimes he can

:05:27. > :05:28.be so sublime. The next time, he is looking up and doesn't want to be

:05:29. > :05:31.there, almost. His concentration is out of the window. I don't know how

:05:32. > :05:34.he won that match 6-2. Richard have been the other way around if Ross

:05:35. > :05:36.took more chances. He is still working with Terry Griffiths, and he

:05:37. > :05:39.has been fantastic for him, but he has to work on his concentration a

:05:40. > :05:42.bit more. Did you like what Ross Muir offered out there? The last

:05:43. > :05:44.frame, when he knocked the pink in, that was unlucky. Thinking back, he

:05:45. > :05:47.had a great chance on the green to clinch it and missed the green. If

:05:48. > :05:50.you look back at those games, if you look at the negatives, sometimes you

:05:51. > :05:53.miss some of the other points. Ding always had his nose in front, and

:05:54. > :05:59.you expected him to win. But it was a decent effort by Ross. This is

:06:00. > :06:08.what is going on on the other tables at the moment. Robert Milkins, a

:06:09. > :06:19.thriller against Hammad Miah. Martyn Gould has been beaten by Mei Xi Wen.

:06:20. > :06:24.A great scalp for him today. Ben Woollaston is one away from victory

:06:25. > :06:29.against Paul Davison. Dave Gilbert has wrapped up a 6-2 victory over

:06:30. > :06:35.Mark Joyce, who caused an upset here if you years ago against then

:06:36. > :06:39.defending champion Judd Trump. -- a few years ago. It has been an

:06:40. > :06:45.eventful day. We saw this man Mark Allen make a 147 in this match

:06:46. > :06:49.against Rod Lawler. Here is Mark finishing off his win over Rod

:06:50. > :06:54.Lawler today. It was 6-4 in the end. It was a bit of a battle. Rod has

:06:55. > :07:02.come back into form in the last couple of years. The handshake, and

:07:03. > :07:10.Rob Allen through. Here he is. Congratulations. You had the thrill

:07:11. > :07:16.of the 147. Describe it for us. It was a big buzz because I have never

:07:17. > :07:24.made one on tour. The ball sat so nicely from 24. With a couple of

:07:25. > :07:28.reds so, you don't expect to get it. But they were all sitting. You can

:07:29. > :07:32.only mess it up from there. For those of us that will never do this.

:07:33. > :07:39.Can you describe exactly what it felt like? Relief that the black

:07:40. > :07:44.went down. I was nervous and shaking. If you miss it, you look

:07:45. > :07:48.silly. The other thing you got after that is a match to win. Therein lies

:07:49. > :07:58.a problem, because you are all over the place after a 140 Zevon. Or you

:07:59. > :08:04.could well be. Then all of a sudden, -- 147. It becomes a frantic

:08:05. > :08:09.struggle to the final. To be honest, I went to the toilet afterwards to

:08:10. > :08:14.calm myself down, some deep breaths to get the shakes away. Then I felt

:08:15. > :08:19.ready to start the next frame. I was ready to win the match. As you say,

:08:20. > :08:22.you have do make it tough as well as you are playing. It was a weird

:08:23. > :08:32.match because I felt I played better than 6-4. Rod won a couple of close

:08:33. > :08:35.frames. I honestly could have won 6-1 or 6-2, but he just hangs on.

:08:36. > :08:48.Video top lawyers have been knocked out. -- plenty of top players. It

:08:49. > :08:53.looks like you are just beginning to come nicely into form for this. Who

:08:54. > :08:59.knows? I came into the tournament two years ago and lost in the second

:09:00. > :09:03.round. That sums up snooker. I feel my game is in good shape and

:09:04. > :09:07.confidence is a massive thing around here. When you think back to five

:09:08. > :09:10.years ago, the final against Judd Trump, that was the first of the

:09:11. > :09:14.triple Crown finals you have been to. You were so close thereafter,

:09:15. > :09:18.but does that remain especially moment for you getting so close

:09:19. > :09:21.those years ago? It is one of the biggest match I have ever played.

:09:22. > :09:25.But I didn't win it, so I am disappointed. Getting to finals

:09:26. > :09:29.isn't what I want to do, I want to win tournaments. To win at the

:09:30. > :09:35.Barbican is such an historic venue for us as players. It would be a

:09:36. > :09:40.dream come true. I am only in the last 32, I don't want to get carried

:09:41. > :09:43.away. It is a long couple of weeks. There is lots of waiting around in

:09:44. > :09:48.between your first and second matches. I have waiting around for

:09:49. > :09:53.Tuesday night. Once you get through that, you play every day, so you can

:09:54. > :09:58.get on a roll. Well done today. Thank you for the thrill of the six

:09:59. > :10:02.maximum break. If you are just joining us, a quick

:10:03. > :10:07.reminder of the other main headlines today, and usually when Ronnie

:10:08. > :10:11.O'Sullivan is on the prowl at the snooker venues, things always

:10:12. > :10:16.happen, and they did again today. He had already made a century as we

:10:17. > :10:24.join this match against Rhys Clark, 22-year-old from South Lanarkshire.

:10:25. > :10:31.He was 5-0 up at this stage, 5-0, rather than 5-5, but it was 5-0, and

:10:32. > :10:34.Ronnie was in the mood to get through this one as quick as

:10:35. > :10:42.possible. Let's reflect on the last frame. COMMENTATOR: Has he left

:10:43. > :10:46.enough of this red so that Ronnie can put it into the middle?

:10:47. > :10:55.Well, he had. Now, the red just to the left of the

:10:56. > :11:19.blue, if he can get through to this. Good pot. It went in.

:11:20. > :11:46.So he has got a chance. He can get a frame on the scoreboard.

:11:47. > :12:01.Does it drop? No, it may have done with a little bit more pace.

:12:02. > :12:13.Just didn't have the pace to flick off the cushion and drop in. But it

:12:14. > :12:19.was another good chance. Just looking at the road in the middle.

:12:20. > :12:27.He has the option of coming off the side cushion. He could end up on the

:12:28. > :12:37.black people face this at nice place. We want to hit the cushion

:12:38. > :12:38.first to get on the black. But this is a really difficult shot on the

:12:39. > :13:10.black. Terrific pot. And maybe that shot

:13:11. > :13:18.from Rhys, it could be his last shot.

:13:19. > :13:25.As I say, he has had a good start to his career. As Steve Davis was

:13:26. > :13:32.sailing in the studio, it is all about a learning curve. -- saying in

:13:33. > :14:16.the studio. In an area, giving himself options.

:14:17. > :14:20.He has gone perfectly onto this red. Research obviously has plenty of

:14:21. > :14:25.talent, John. He wouldn't be at this stage of the tournament. Only 22, he

:14:26. > :14:38.has plenty of snooker in front of him. If he can put this anywhere, he

:14:39. > :14:42.can put this down as a day at school. He knows what is now

:14:43. > :14:47.required at the top level. He won't get many matches like this one,

:14:48. > :14:51.playing against Ronnie O'Sullivan on TV. So he can use this. And come

:14:52. > :15:04.back to fight another day. Never easy sitting in that chair

:15:05. > :15:08.watching someone pot all the balls. Especially when you feel like you

:15:09. > :15:11.haven't done yourself any justice. But we know he can play. He has

:15:12. > :15:16.beaten some players in his time, Rhys. He will have to prepare for

:15:17. > :15:41.the next event. Just over one hour and 11 minutes,

:15:42. > :15:53.and we are not far from the end here. He is slowing down in his old

:15:54. > :15:56.age, 56 minutes the other day. Yeah. He has missed a few, but he is only

:15:57. > :16:10.human. We Stefanie Reid had a chance to win one frame. -- Rhys definitely

:16:11. > :16:16.had a chance. Just this red needed. That's it.

:16:17. > :16:25.66 points the lead, just 59 remaining.

:16:26. > :16:38.72 points the lead now. No way back to the table for young Rhys. The

:16:39. > :16:44.first time I have seen him play, but I have looked at the record, as you

:16:45. > :16:49.say, and three last 16 is in your first season, that is good. So a

:16:50. > :16:56.name to remember for the future there is no doubt he has talent.

:16:57. > :17:08.Absolutely. -- 16s in your first seasons.

:17:09. > :17:16.He could be a very, very good player. He needs a kiss on the red.

:17:17. > :17:19.He has not got it. He will have to resort to the double. Well, not

:17:20. > :17:39.quite. Yes! Yes! Now, miss the brown. Come off the

:17:40. > :17:44.side cushion, nudge the red. Superb. We may see century break. We will

:17:45. > :18:10.do. On that second last red, when he

:18:11. > :18:17.played the double, Rhys was out of his seat to shake his hand. But he

:18:18. > :18:21.had to run back. He will not suffer, because he will have enjoyed this

:18:22. > :18:26.experience. No doubt about that. If you can't enjoy playing on the

:18:27. > :18:33.centrestage against one of the top players in the world, then do

:18:34. > :18:38.something else. But obviously, he would have liked to have played

:18:39. > :18:49.better. One or two shots, he could have played them better. Now, a few

:18:50. > :19:00.little exhibition shots from Ronnie. There is another one. Give us a

:19:01. > :19:08.clue! Which pocket?! A roar from the crowd how much they enjoyed that.

:19:09. > :19:18.Well played Ronnie O'Sullivan. Rhys will be back, he is a talent. So is

:19:19. > :19:22.that man, who rockets off a winner 6-0.

:19:23. > :19:27.It is early days, it is too early to start judging your form and what you

:19:28. > :19:33.are doing. Seven matches to win a tournament, I only won one. So far,

:19:34. > :19:35.so good. But I will speak to you in a couple of days and it might be a

:19:36. > :19:39.different story. It is tough. It is tough even for me

:19:40. > :19:44.sometimes and you are not firing all cylinders. You are playing someone

:19:45. > :19:51.at the top of their game, you are hanging onto finding a way to stick

:19:52. > :19:59.in. It is a brutal sport. Only the brutally survive in many ways. It is

:20:00. > :20:01.a tough, tough it is as it is tough. I don't envy anyone coming into it.

:20:02. > :20:17.Now what -- that is how it is. Every

:20:18. > :20:21.month you have two or three players playing well. The next month, it is

:20:22. > :20:25.another two or three players, then it is someone else. You have to hang

:20:26. > :20:30.in and wait until it is your turn. If you play in 20 events, you are

:20:31. > :20:37.bound to win 2-3. It is like a conveyor belt of tournaments. You

:20:38. > :20:40.just have to look at it. You don't get too disappointed, because you

:20:41. > :20:43.think there is one around the corner. There is always something

:20:44. > :20:46.going on to stop you pondering on the disappointment if you haven't

:20:47. > :20:52.done so well in the event you have just been playing. STUDIO: A

:20:53. > :20:58.philosophical response from Ronnie. What was your impression of him

:20:59. > :21:07.today? Looking good, cueing well, if you miss is, as John said, but he

:21:08. > :21:12.will be happy with his first couple of matches. He has breezed in

:21:13. > :21:16.without flapping too hard at all. He looks very good. And really relaxed.

:21:17. > :21:22.He was in here for a chat afterwards. And it is a different

:21:23. > :21:26.mindset as Ronnie O'Sullivan said. There are so many tournaments and

:21:27. > :21:30.players, you can't expect to be top form or the time. You have lulls in

:21:31. > :21:35.your season. That was not the case when he first started, when everyone

:21:36. > :21:39.was judged on their form in a few events. And you had to keep the

:21:40. > :21:43.standard. Now you have got to expect that you will have bad areas of a

:21:44. > :21:47.season. That could play on some peoples minds more than others. Some

:21:48. > :21:54.players might struggle to have even one little bit of bad season in a

:21:55. > :21:58.season. He is into the last 32, and will play Michael Georgiou, the

:21:59. > :22:01.Londoner, he is next to take on. It should be an interesting match.

:22:02. > :22:12.There is another match out there right now, it has been firecracker.

:22:13. > :22:21.Liang Wenbo, he is in trouble. This fella has had a great season so far.

:22:22. > :22:33.He won the endless open, -- English open. He is up against it. Trying to

:22:34. > :22:35.get over the line at 5-4 stop this guy's temperament has improved

:22:36. > :22:45.hugely over the last couple of seasons. Not just that, he is a

:22:46. > :22:48.fighter as well. Along with John Higgins, you can see on his face how

:22:49. > :22:52.much he has the grit and determination. It would be another

:22:53. > :22:59.big shock if he went out because he has been on a roll recently. He has.

:23:00. > :23:07.We have to leave that one and leave Liang to his work. Another match has

:23:08. > :23:11.been completed, Robert Milkins, 6-5 over Hammad Miah. He will now face

:23:12. > :23:15.Mark Selby, the world number one. These are nights matches. The

:23:16. > :23:19.trumpet against Oliver Lines, who was Rookie of the year on the

:23:20. > :23:30.snooker tour last year. And Shaun Murphy against Robin Hull. Use C

:23:31. > :23:36.Oliver Lines, very unusually we have both Oliver and his dad, 46-year-old

:23:37. > :23:39.Peter still in the tournament. Peter knocked out the defending champion

:23:40. > :23:45.Neil Robertson earlier this week. He is already through into the last 32.

:23:46. > :24:05.Can Oliver follow suit this evening? I did think I played quite well. I

:24:06. > :24:09.thought I held myself together well. It is obviously a boost to beat a

:24:10. > :24:12.player of meal's warranty. Often, my safety is good. But I don't take the

:24:13. > :24:18.chances when I get them. But the other night, I took them.

:24:19. > :24:22.I watched the second session with my stepmum. We were both really

:24:23. > :24:26.nervous. It is a lot more nerve wracking watching than it is

:24:27. > :24:30.playing. Normally I am not bothered when he

:24:31. > :24:37.plays. I know he will win and lose some. My stomach was churning, I

:24:38. > :24:41.couldn't believe it. Thankfully, he won. Also, I don't think I could

:24:42. > :24:52.possibly have won if he had lost, so he did me a favour!

:24:53. > :24:57.We ended up with him getting the hump when he was younger. Now that

:24:58. > :24:59.he can beat me, he wants to play before. Beforehand, he didn't want

:25:00. > :25:05.to know! He did used to try to coach me when

:25:06. > :25:08.we were playing before. It used to be very hard to concentrate against

:25:09. > :25:15.each other, and then you miss a few. Then you just call it a day. It

:25:16. > :25:19.never used to work. But now it works and dad picks balls out for me all

:25:20. > :25:25.day! I am looking forward to playing Judd

:25:26. > :25:30.. I have never played him before in a tournament. We have practised

:25:31. > :25:38.together a lot now, so I am excited. It is nerve wracking because you are

:25:39. > :25:43.playing for such a big prize. Judd doesn't like to play a lot of

:25:44. > :25:48.safeties. It is all about his scoring power. My safety, if it can

:25:49. > :25:52.be as good as my dad's I will create chances for myself. You need both

:25:53. > :25:58.games, really, I would say, to be the best. I am obviously more proud

:25:59. > :26:00.of the person that he is. The one thing he has got that a lot of

:26:01. > :26:05.players haven't got, he has a fantastic to promote and a fantastic

:26:06. > :26:08.attitude. Nothing fazes him. He loses, he wins, he gets on with it,

:26:09. > :26:13.goes back, goes back home and works even harder. It is all you can

:26:14. > :26:17.really ask for. I only really did it to spend time

:26:18. > :26:21.with him because he was always down the snooker centre. He has always

:26:22. > :26:32.been my inspiration ever since I was a little boy. To actually read

:26:33. > :26:36.decent at the game, it is just good. STUDIO: What a fantastic story it

:26:37. > :26:43.is. The first father and son duo on tour since Jeff and Neal Foulds.

:26:44. > :26:49.They clearly inspire one another. It makes you emotional when you see it.

:26:50. > :26:54.Marvellous. You can all relate to that! We might see more of Oliver

:26:55. > :27:01.Lines over the next few years. He is a good player. Peter is through, and

:27:02. > :27:06.Oliver has it all to do against Judd Trump. Judd Trump is having a good

:27:07. > :27:09.season. He really seems to have got himself focused this season, he

:27:10. > :27:13.wants to climb the rankings. It is difficult when you play someone who

:27:14. > :27:19.is a practice partner or one of your friends will stop you see them on

:27:20. > :27:26.tour, and you hang around. It is difficult. It will be difficult, not

:27:27. > :27:29.one that he will relish. Judd Trump beat Ronnie O'Sullivan in the

:27:30. > :27:35.Masters. He is steady at number three. Ronnie said after the victory

:27:36. > :27:40.in Romania by Judd, he reckons he will be number one surely. He sees

:27:41. > :27:46.big things. Every player aims to get all the way to the top, but where

:27:47. > :27:50.Oliver plays and web Peter Lines plays in Leeds is a hotbed of

:27:51. > :27:56.snooker players. They all get together and drag the standard up.

:27:57. > :27:59.David Grace, they all play together. Sometimes a player like Oliver Lines

:28:00. > :28:03.will jump up a level without even knowing it, and he is ready to do

:28:04. > :28:06.some damage to players in the top part of the game. Also looking

:28:07. > :28:11.forward to seeing Shaun Murphy take on Robin Hull. A new dad, Shaun

:28:12. > :28:16.Murphy, always an interesting adjustment as a new father. I think

:28:17. > :28:19.he has found it hard a bit. It is difficult changing nappies instead

:28:20. > :28:23.of practising, but it will be a tough game. We look forward to all

:28:24. > :28:30.of that. We will be able to see it on the red button from 7pm, it is

:28:31. > :28:33.all their fee you. I will be back at 11:15 with the highlights programme

:28:34. > :28:40.to see how Judd Trump and Oliver Lines get on. We also have Joe

:28:41. > :28:43.Perry, Marco Fu, all in action. A lot to look forward to tonight.

:28:44. > :28:47.Hopefully you will join us, in the meantime, thank you for my guests.

:28:48. > :28:59.And thank you for being with us. Goodbye.

:29:00. > :29:04.to signify the Africans who were here.