Second Round - Part 2 UK Snooker Championship

I'll come back to the Barbican

centre for our first day of coverage

of the first of the three major

championships in any given season,

the Betway UK Championship and

reappear in the lounge with Steve

Davis, you have won six UK titles,

the only record you still own the

these days. But my change, Ronnie

O'Sullivan could match your record,

he starts in round two tomorrow but

it is the reigning champion, Mark

Selby, but we are watching. In round

two this afternoon, Borini UK and

world champion and he is playing

Scott Donaldson. From Perth and

Scotland, world number 66. Playing

one of the most high-profile matches

of his career so far, this man has

made it to the semifinals of the

Welsh Open, his greatest progression

in his career. He has beaten mark on

one previous occasion but he has his

hands full with the man who just

thrives in these big major events.

We can return with the score at 1-0

to Mark Selby, Stephen Hendrie is an

commentary, alongside Dennis Taylor.

Thank you. As we can see Mark

rolling up behind the yellow, he has

a chance, knocking that cracking

long red to go in and looked like he

was going to go on to make a winning

contribution and look at where he

left that cube all, the red over the

left corner. And he has snookered

himself on the red ball.

He was a little bit fortunate, the

cue ball just grazing the blue. It

would be somewhere up in that

direction anyway, but he has been

staggered. If you can get to this

one, just to the left of the table.

Mark got in, just as we were

switching channels, and this was a

long red he got in, I thought he was

going to go on to make a big break

but he just left that white tight

against the reds.

I am not sure if this red will go

past the green, it might do.

Yes, every chance of getting onto

the black. Oh, no!

A long way off. There is no real

pressure on that one. And Scott just

tying his shoelace.

He can play this red to the far left

corner, he will not leave anything,

the only red that he can leave is

the one that he is playing. There is

not much pressure on this one.

Concentrate, Orlando %. -- 100%.

That is a long way off as well.

These are only half chances but

these are the chances he has to take

to win this game.

Scott feels... He was looking at the

potting angle, he can miss those

reds, onto the pink, playing the

safety shot. He did have a look at

that potting angle but that was

risky. I think he is still quite

tense, Scott. The last attempt at

the long red showed that he has not

fully relaxed just yet.

He has to get that white back to

somewhere near where it is sitting

at the moment, tighter on the

cushion with the letter and he can

screw off the cushion. Well, he

tried to screw that straight back.

Just getting a little bit of a messy

table, all of those lower value

colours, all off their spots.

The red directly below the pink,

potting to the right middle. That is

risky to take on. I wonder if Mark

will -- Mark will be tempted. He is

taking the long red, the same

pocket. That was a great shot!

Played with a degree of safety,

where the cue ball is.

He think he is looking at the none

too reds to see if there is a

possible plant into the right

middle, I do not think he can get

past the black to see if there is

enough of that to take that plant

on, it is not far-away... He cannot

see enough of the red to have a go

at that.

If he leaves the cue ball

and plays the red, just touching the

pink, off the left-hand side, that

leaves the Care Bill up near that

yellow pocket, not a safe place. --

cue ball.

He would have to be pretty accurate

but that is a possibility.

Well,

that is on the cushion, that is a

big help. It has worked out that the

red would not pass the blue, the one

near the yellow spot.

Or does it? It does. So, that wasn't

the best shot from Scott.

It is

amazing, he came around to look

after playing the shot so it

obviously he did not look before

playing that safety shot so that is

pretty careless, if that is the

case.

Well, he thought any sort of cannon

and he would be nicely on the red

and it is amazing how things work

out sometimes. He played that well

enough. But... Absolutely nothing.

And very thin snick, if you take

that on to the right corner.

APPLAUSE.

I suppose he is looking at the

possibility of cutting that in, he

would not really leave a great deal,

but this is so thin.

Well, it is in.

APPLAUSE.

He will have to play for the red

knew of the brown, here. -- near the

brown. I don't think he will be

taking that on now. The cue ball

behind the brown.

Yes, the green is there as insurance

if he does not get tight behind the

brown.

Problems for Scott. He probably will

attempt the two-cushion escape just

to glance off... The one near the

pink, you would think.

There is no easy one to just land

on, that one is near the cushion.

There is no path through to that so

that two-cushion flick to the red.

Is he trying to land on one of them?

The two-cushion, has he judged that?

That is pretty good, that is a very

good effort.

He might be behind the brown again,

here.

APPLAUSE.

That looks like being the

frame-winning shot.

I think Scott Donaldson has to do

something different, he has to shake

things up, the way thing is going,

he is not putting Mark Selby under

any pressure, these continuing

safety exchanges. If it keeps going

like this, you can only see one

result and that is a comfortable

afternoon for the world number one.

Yes, he could do with a good chance

in amongst the balls, just to get

some confidence. Scott has had a few

chances but he has not settled.

This is the key shot coming up here.

It is not an easy one.

That opening

long red... His head shaking. That

was a solid part. Does not red pass

black. -- those that red past the

black?

That means that Scott needs a

snooker, 36 is the difference with

just 35 remaining.

The red did not part but he has to

make sure of the bank. Barring that

snooker, the defending champion will

be leading to know. I don't think he

can push the red past the black,

here? No... Hang on a minute... If

that keeps running... Well... I

don't think it is quite a snooker

but he might not be able to see

enough to pot that, not without a

trace the side. -- aside. He played

that with left-hand side. And he

secured that pot and the frame.

Yet to be put under any pressure, so

far, in this much, Mark Selby. --

this match.

-- this match.

He is not going to bother with the

black, that was a scrappy frame,

that is why it lasted almost 35

minutes but at the moment it is

pretty comfortable for the defending

champion, Mark Selby leading 2-0.

That is part of the reason this

domination that the bookmakers think

that Mark Selby has a very good

chance of defending his title and

making it a third UK title. It is

Ronnie O'Sullivan that they have as

a favourite, not surprisingly,

because a fantastic record this

season. Real application, four

finals and he has converted two of

them to sit on 30th world ranking

titles.

He does look great? He does

but looking down that list to some

of the players featuring in the

final stages of events recently,

there are some big prices and there

are plenty of people who will be

interested in trying to find some

value in the betting and even though

this is not my specialist subject,

there is value all over the place.

Mark Selby only 3-1.

Others are

producing at such a young age. He

made the final in Belfast at the

weekend.

Sean Hamill, lots of people

who could win this and that is the

fascination of snooker these days,

you just do not know when the next

winner will come from and West, yes,

Ronnie O'Sullivan, on the big stage,

Mark Selby is dominant but you must

play these bread matches, the best

of 11. You must keep yourself in the

frame and you can only win it if you

are in it.

Absolutely right but the

breadth and the number of different

winners this season does add up to a

potentially fascinating nine days in

front of us. Back to the third

frame.

I was just going to say that Scott

did not make a particularly good

break of that shot. The fact that

Mark Selby missed that long red has

given Scott a chance, as we show you

that attempt at the long pot. As

Stephen said, he has to make

something happen. And now is not a

bad time to start. Very capable and

a very talented player.

, straightaway, he has a good angle

on this blue, smashing that into the

pink.

Well done. That was a good shot. If

anything, he did not get the pink,

full ball, but he has a choice of a

couple of raids to the left middle.

He just catches the pink on the

left-hand side as he looks at it.

That was a good attacking shot. This

is not easy.

Well done. He has to score, here.

There are a few reds he can play for

but he would like to get the one to

the right of the black potted, it

doesn't have to go that way but that

red is a little bit of a

distraction, there.

The imperative is that he gets onto

the black, here.

As I said, that red is a little bit

of a distraction, to the right of

the black spot. When it goes back

onto its a spot...

APPLAUSE.

That has caused us a little bit too

far, he was hoping to be nicely onto

the blue and then putting that red,

but I have managed that one to the

right of the black, he was hoping to

be in a nice position to get onto

that... But... That is not the

correct angle for that.

He has a couple of choices, he could

play the green and screw back for

the yellow to the left corner. That

would be a simple safety shot, this

positional shot, than this.

He has played the cannon but he is

still on this red to the right

corner, he can use a couple of

questions for the black to save the

pocket. An opportunity... --

cushions.

Yes, he has an angle, if

he plots that and screw is somewhere

near that line, he will leave

himself on the black.

That is nicely played and now he can

play for that red to the right of

the black and getting that out of

the way just clears the black spot

area somewhat.

A couple of choices, he can play for

the loose red or play for that

cannon, those six red is closest to

the white, he can play the cannon on

that... His heart was in his mouth,

he played that a lot firmer than I

thought. Very forcibly, but still in

a good position...

We always say, you never really

settled until you get your first

frame on the board and he had a

couple of chances in the opening

frames but he looked a little bit

tense. This is much better from

Scott. He has to keep things going,

though...

And this is the key shot coming up

because he will come in those three

reds and he must make sure he gets

onto the black, he does not want to

stick into the reds, so that he can

play that with quite a bit of top

spin to make sure the white runs

through. Yes, nicely played. This is

much more positive, as you were

saying, this is exactly what he had

to do, he had to make something

happen and they are certainly doing

that here.

-- he is. He has to keep

his concentration here. Another four

or five pots to make this friend

said, look at the way the balls are,

that as an elite -- easy clearance

for Mark Selby.

That is a good

performance from Scott Donaldson.

He

has not really had much of a chance

to score in the first few frames. He

is taking advantage of this very

well so far.

He wants

He wants to get this frame put

beyond doubt at this visit. The last

thing he wants is 15 minutes of Mark

Selby going for snookers.

Yeah, just

coming up to the hour. That second

frame was almost 35 minutes.

The frame well and truly safe now,

so he can just concentrate on trying

to knock in a century break. At the

moment, 137 is the high break - Judd

Trump and Joe Perry both achieving

that.

That's interesting. Scot's highest

ever break in competitive play is a

137, back in 2016. He had a couple

of centuries in round one. Can he

get nicely on this red to give

himself a chance? Nicely played.

A little bit of distraction from the

other table - he won't be too

disappointed. He's got himself on

the scoreboard, that's the main

thing.

HAZEL IRVINE: In fact Scot played

very well in his opening round to

win six two,including a couple of

century breaks, and that was his

first win in ten matches, he's been

on a terrible run.

Yeah, and trying

to get form these days is very

difficult, even though there are

more tournaments, if you get on a

bad role, it can unravel. All of the

confidence from previous seasons

matter for nothing, and sometimes

you just need one lucky match or

just a good performance, to get you

off and running. Sometimes one good

pot can make a difference as well.

As Stephen Hendry was saying in

commentary, it was a confidence

building shot, and he went on to

convert the frame.

As an aspiring

pro, it's tough in the early stages,

particularly with so many vying for

the top 64 spots on the tour, and

we've got 128 professionals here -

it is just the odd shot which can

make the difference between a

successful start to your career or

not?

Yeah, and the first problem you

have is getting onto the

professional ladder. You celebrate

that but that's when the problems

start! The next biggest problem is

trying to keep your tour card. This

64 cut-off is a very, very important

thing for most players.

Currently

world number 66 is Scot. Shown some

real province promised over the last

couple of years. He has come through

qualifying to become a professional

in the first place. And here he is,

one behind.

DENNIS TAYLOR: Once again off the

break-off shot, I think it has

happened in most frames here, the

black tied up. Amazing how that

happens so many times. As Hazel

mentioned, the interval is after

this fourth frame. It's the best of

11, so I suppose it is nice for the

players to be playing best of 11. A

lot of the tournaments these days

are best of seven.

APPLAUSE

The yellow is quite nice target to

try and get in behind, off its spot

but it's in a good position to try

and get a snookered behind. Can he

swing around the angles? A little

bit too thick. FAR too thick! Well,

if he's got away with that, he's

very fortunate to. He was attempting

to get round behind the yellow, and

just got too much side, and it

through the cue ball into the red.

STEPHEN HENDRY: Just looking to see

where the black is going to be

spotted after he pots it here.

He can play for the black again

here, stun off the cushioned get

that black back into play as soon as

possible. If he runs a bit short,

he's always got the blue.

Well, heap did play for the back,

but -- for the black, but it has

furnished just as you predicted,

Stephen! The pink is totally out of

commission, but there are 45 loose

reds. The black on its spot would

really help. -- four or five loose

reds. He'll have to just concentrate

on the blue for a couple more shots.

He could leave an angle on the blue

and then go straight into the pink

and reds.

Staying on the blue.

And

he's got the chance now to go

straight into the pink, as I

mentioned, and he could bring quite

a few reds into play and hopefully

free the pink.

If he plays that

shot, as long as he hits the

right-hand side of the pink as we

look at it, he will be OK. If he

hits the pink on the left-hand side,

he could lose it, he could even go

in off.

That's OK. As long as he had that

side of the pink he was always going

to have reds to the corner pocket.

The problem is, the pink has gone

safe.

Yeah, he's got a comfortable red to

go at but he has what to find a path

to the pink... Yes, took his eye off

the pot. He didn't find the path,

either. So, probably lost a little

bit of concentration there. He was

more concerned with the cue ball and

took his eye off the red there. That

was a golden opportunity that he's

let slip.

The

good news from Scot's point of view

is that he hasn't left Mark Selby

with an easy opener.

I suppose he could get the red up

into the corner and he would be on

the blue if it goes in.

Well, almost a minute and a half

thinking about this one. This red is

a little bit of a distraction, the

one just under his waistcoat.

Well, he felt it was worth the risk,

because had that red dropped, just

look at the way the balls were

situated. Now, can Scott yet on the

black, as we show you this red? If

he could not on the black here and

get it back on the spot, it would be

another great chance.

One good positional shot and with a

21 point advantage, and the

mid-session interval coming up, it

could be 2-2.

A lot of balls to be

potted, though.

That's perfect. Great chance.

Already 28 points up in this frame.

I don't expect him to miss this

black, but he could have done with

another couple of inches on the cue

ball there. He's going to player

cannon, but he has to keep his eye

is on the pot.

I thought he was

going to cannon the OTHER red, and

he would have been perfect! He would

have been in perfect position. This

is a little bit of a cutback.

Nicely played. It's all about

keeping your full concentration

here. It is an important frame, from

Scott's point of view.

He would have preferred not to be

playing little cannons, but he's

going to have to play one here.

Just slightly awkward bridging now,

but shouldn't be a problem. Doesn't

have a great deal to do with the cue

ball. Wow! I think he thought he had

missed that! Any harder, that

wouldn't have dropped. It just shows

you, when you have to play a little

cannons that you don't really want

to be playing, it can finish

awkward. I'm sure he felt that

wasn't going to go in.

STEPHEN HENDRY: I actually can't

believe it DID go in! That will have

sharpened up his concentration, thus

little scare!

DENNIS TAYLOR: It was all looking

pretty comfortable for the defending

champion, first couple of frames,

but he now knows that he should we

heading off to the mid-session

interval all square. Just a couple

more pots to make absolutely sure.

Well, that's very careless indeed.

He's 67 in front. Just needs the

black to make sure of the frame.

It's as if he was concentrating on

the cannon. And well, the balls are

a little bit awkward here, but there

is the possibility of a respotted

black.

And if there is one player you don't

want to leave a glimmer of hope for,

it's Mark Selby, and Scott can't

believe he missed the black.

He can just crop the black in and

leave the red to the left of the

pink spot.

I don't think it was the wrong shot

to play the cannon - I think he

played the right shot, it's just he

took his eye off it. Could have just

rolled the black in, I suppose, but

he played a positive shot. Don't

expect to miss us.

Do you think he

had in the back of his mind that it

was frame ball? It's amazing what it

does psychologically to a player,

even great players sometimes.

Well, would you believe it? Mark

Selby, world number one, misses a

black off the spot. Giving himself a

little bit of a telling off there.

You don't see that very often. It'll

be a relieved Scott Donaldson,

that's for sure. Two snookers

required.

APPLAUSE

The balls are in ideal positions for

snookers. The black, the pink and

yellow. So, Scott will have to be a

little bit careful here.

A little beauty. He's played a

little beauty there. Mark Selby just

tapping the table.

And there you've got the perfect

picture to watch this swerve shot.

Oh! No problem. I say that, but

Scott will roll in this red, and

we'll all head off to the

mid-session interval - hopefully. A

little bit of a distraction, with

the other table going after the

interval. That's the problem you

have, with four tables in play, and

the dividing wall. Can see what's

going on on the other tables. And

that will do nicely. It has to be

said, he's done very well. OK he

missed that easy black, but he had a

break of 88 to take the first frame

- or HIS first frame. And we will go

off to the mid-session interval.

Scott Donaldson will be more than

happy to be all square at two frames

each.

HAZEL IRVINE: I'm sure he is,

especially having come back from,

and suffer down. The man who won the

European amateur to get his career

going, and he's been there or

thereabouts since 2013. He's really

dragging him into a fight now,

Steve?

Yeah, it was a really good

third friend, and he's reaped the

rewards. That frame was not good

from Mark Selby in a few ways. The

first one was playing this red down

the rail. I'm not sure if he was

committed to having to play it that

slow. You would like to play it

where if you missed it, the ball

would escape from the pocket. He

more or less committed totally to

that. It missed, and all of a sudden

Scott got back in at the table.

Something else the players have been

mentioning quite often - Scott

played this one and it looked like

it was going to the near. , and

really a ball off the near jaw

shouldn't really be going in the

pocket. And there's been talk that

the corner pockets are playing a

little bit easy. Not saying they're

bigger at they're playing a bit

easy. A lot of people saying the

corners are getting a little bit

sloppy. I have been chatting to the

table fitters about, it can

sometimes be that the slate is a bit

rounded - it certainly isn't. The

templates seem accurate. It could be

good conditions, try cloths, thin

cloths, conditions are helping it go

in.

An opponent who had never

actually won a of snooker in his

professional career actually took

four off Mark Selby and really put

him through the mill. So, he doesn't

want to get dragged into that again?

No, he doesn't, but towards the

sharp end of the match, Mark Selby

seems to focus everything down. He

is tough to overcome if it gets down

to a best-of-three, the last

frame... He knows how to dig in at

the end of a match.

We will update

you as to what's going on on some of

the other tables. On table three, we

thought this one would be a good one

- Mark Allen, a runner-up in this

tournament, he's 2-2 at the end of

interval against Oliver Lines. And

Mark Williams, the man who became

the Northern Ireland champion on

Sunday, his first world ranking

title since 2003, well, Andrew

Higginson, a former Welsh open

runner-up, he has come back from 2-0

down as well. The witness warrior,

who turns 40 next week, is certainly

in the match as well. -- the Widness

Warrior. This is one of the three

majors of the season, as we've been

saying. We have got this?

128

players turning up. We've got the

Masters at Alexandra Palace.

Traditionally that was an

invitational event - but it is

invitational no more, because they

actually have to qualify. It's the

race to the Masters these days, and

it's based on the current world

ranking seedings. This is the way it

looks at the moment, but you will

see at number 17 is Neil Robertson,

a former Masters winner himself,

Triple Crown winner indeed. Neil is

having a few problems in terms of

the points that he's acquired,

particularly in the 2015 UK

Championship - they drop off after

this, which means that provisionally

he's out of the rankings. He's got

to try and achieve a finish here in

York urges better than that of the

16th placed player at the moment,

Ryan Day. Now, he has won an event

this season, it was an invitational

event in itself, the Hong Kong

Masters. But he has had a bit of an

up and down season, the Australian,

and earlier this week he explained

that its family matters rather than

matters on the table that have been

his priority of late. In fact he

took to social media to explain and

to praise his partner for combating

and beating depression and anxiety.

It has been very difficult to have

that kind of killer instinct,

winning at all costs attitude, which

are usually have, they just have

been more important things going on

and coming into this was the right

time because she is doing very well,

winning the battle at the moment and

this is something people generally

bottled up inside and you never know

for a lot of people. For a lot of

people it has got to the point where

it is too late to help before

something disastrous happens. She

has adopted the best possible

attitude, she has bottled on and has

a first-class degree at Cambridge

University from last year and to be

able to deal with anxiety and

depression and to raise our son for

the most part, while I am travelling

away, it is incredible. The focus is

shifting more on me, the first time

for about 2.5 years that I have been

able to practice every day for as

long as I want to. Knowing

everything at home is OK, Alexander

is OK and I know that my game is

definitely coming back and hopefully

I will be a better player than two

years ago.

We are delighted to see

his wife and her son here in York.

Courageously speaking about that.

Making it better for other families

going through the same thing. And we

were talking about life as a

professional sportsman or woman and

how difficult it is to come into

family life and then go away, how

difficult is the balance to strike

when life gets in the way?

It is a

tough problem for a family unit. To

have one person, talking generally,

not specific situations, because

depression can strike in always,

shapes and forms and it is not

dependent on anything else but that

person. Thinking back to the time

when you are self-centred and

self-motivated, on the road all the

time, you are not much help at all,

let's be honest. By nature, anybody

involved in a top-class sport, they

have to be selfish and if there is a

problem in any other part of the

relationship, any other problems,

that is tough to deal with when you

have to be selfish yourself at the

end result is possibly becoming more

and selfish and your game suffers in

some way.

A very difficult balancing

act. Neal has been very open about

this, as has his wife and that is a

very courageous step they have

taken.

It is good to talk and once

you get past the level of the

problem and to the stage where you

can talk about it, perhaps you have

broken the ice and you can get on

with the job in hand. I don't things

like this go away quickly so this is

something you have to keep on top of

God from Neal's perspective, he

feels there is a weight lifted off

his shoulders by talking about it.

He can fully concentrate on his

second-round match against a rather

rejuvenated Ken Doherty. He fell off

the tour last season and Jimmy White

with him was given an invitation to

keep going for another two years and

he has made the most of it. Just a

little taste of this much... Neal at

the table in the opening frame, Neal

is 29 points clear and watching

this, Allen McManus and John

this is dangerous. Going towards the

left corner? That is unfortunate.

That was an excellent safety shot.

The total difference of having the

cue ball type under caution as

opposed to eight inches away, that

made all the difference and made it

much more difficult for Neil.

Well... Ken Doherty, 30 in front. I

great chance to take the opening

frame, he can score here. This is

not bad on the blue, the natural

question...

On to the pink spot.

I

wonder if they think will pass into

the left corner? He has overcooked

this.

If he has landed on the red just

above the pink and that goes, that

is an absolute result. I think he

has...

Wow! What a result that was!

I'm not sure if he knew that the

raid was on, I think he played for

the loose one. Either way, this is a

frame-winning chance. 43 point lead.

That is even nicer with a black

going onto the pink spot.

He looks

confident. Hitting the ball well.

The safety has been superb. Looking

good at the moment. And both of us

are dismayed by the fact he still

has excellent eyesight at his age!

We were both using glasses, he was

showing off last night, he does not

need those any more!

Like an eagle. He must have eaten a

lot of carrots!

It has been a good

start, his safety has been exemplary

in the first frame, we can expect

that from Ken Doherty. The ideal

start. We said earlier in this

friend, he is going to make Neil

work for his chances. -- in this

frame. Nothing is happening in the

opening frame to make me change my

mind. Great matchplay.

Yes, never has been afraid to be

anybody. If we both have a cue,

let's go into battle, he has always

been the same.

That was a good idea to clear up, as

well. Keep Neil off the table. In

the first frame, keeping your

opponent at bay, that will help you

in the second frame, keeping them

cold. A bit of tension.

Just going

back to that blew that he played up

and down the table and he landed

plum on the next red, that is what

happens when you are feeling

confident and in good form, the end

result is he will win this frame

with a decent contribution. Things

like that, when they just go your

way... Just clearing the table.

Getting a feel of the cloth and the

way the cushions are playing.

The ideal start for Ken Doherty.

Leading Neil Robertson 1-0.

HAZEL IRVINE:

No surprise, become

Ken Doherty has been putting in the

work, he made the semifinals of the

first event of the season in July,

losing there. This is a rejuvenated

Ken Doherty. And indeed, he went 2-1

in front over another former world

champion and we will join them in

the fourth frame, just before the

interval, Neil Robertson with a 38.8

Vantage.

The area behind the green

is a good spot if you can lead the

cue ball player. -- 38 point

advantage. He tried.

He would love

to take this red on, Ken Doherty. He

is weighing the sub, is it worth it?

More pertinently, the question is,

how do I feel about it? Sometimes

you feel confident. Can I leave the

cue ball somewhere where I can maybe

get away with it?

I don't think this

is one of those situations? This is

one where you have to put all of

your eggs into one basket, you must

be committed to the pot and not

worry about what will happen. If you

are taking this on, it needs to go

into the pocket.

I could not agree

more. How is he feeling? Taking this

on? What a shot!

APPLAUSE.

And the perfect cue ball.

He deserves everything he gets after

that shot, absolutely excellent.

Lots of players might have played

the long stalled shot with that but

Ken Doherty just drop that in. The

way he fancied. -- stunt shot. It is

just a matter of keeping the cue

ball under control and a first

priority is get yourself back into

the frame.

He has not really made a good shot

after the last red, he has left

himself slightly awkward here. The

yellow is a problem. The blue...

That long bridge. Great shot. To

find the gap. And that was quite

deliberate.

Quite back in perfect position, I

don't know if he can hold for the

blue, playing this red to the left

middle. It is not quite in position.

Is he? Scrapping for it.

Potting

some great shots. The last

positional shot was better than a

blip. He just needs a really good

positional shot, and do not miss the

Brian! Goodness me! I did not see

that coming! -- brown.

Amazing, this

game. All the professionals tell

you, you can miss anything and you

cannot take your eye off at Forest

at second, you will miss it.

It is

funny how it happens because he has

played the tricky shots, the gap, it

is almost as if your concentration

drops and you don't put it all in

for the next pot.

I am wondering if this could be a

big turning point in the match? Ken

has done really well so far this

afternoon. The first really big

mistake he has made.

We always said

this was going to be a big frame.

With the mid-session. The insurer.

It always is. A shrug of the

interval. This black and one more

red... For more insurance, then it

will be all square again. Towards

the interval. Already passed the

point, once this red disappears,

then Ken will not return to the

table.

Yes, concession from Ken Doherty, it

will be 2-2, all to play for when

they return. Neil Robertson makes it

2-2.

HAZEL IRVINE:

You can continue

watching that on the Red Button

right now. In fact, they are at the

interval and behind me, Neil

Robertson's son, Alexander, has been

lapping up the attention. He is

featured at the Masters also, he was

at the table when Neil Robertson

Juan Mata, here with Ben

Woollaston's son, they are playing

on the practice table. Always go,

here. Always chock-a-block and the

players want to make large. They

come to this wonderful city of York

to spend some time with families in

this amazing city whilst are

playing. We have much as

professional or our minds as world

number one, Mark Selby, is coming

back out to resume his second-round

match against Scott Donaldson and

there is poised at 2-2. Is the best

of 11. The first two six booth

through to round three. Bafta

Stephen Davis and Dennis. Hugh

Dennis.

Hazel and Steve are doing a

great job on that very tight

players' Lounge, huddled in the

corner together. This will change

once we get the studio back. Those

outside tables are being used. Great

atmosphere in the players' room, I

just popped in for a coffee. He does

make a mean copy, Stephen Hendry! I

never get one but he doesn't mean --

make a mean copy! -- Coffeegate.

-- coffee. That was a poor shot from

Mark Selby. They are normally bread

and butter to him, there was

continuing safety is. But is has

left Scott with the red to the left

middle. -- he has left Scott.

That was a long way out. In that

player 's modern Atlanta, there are

no practice table is because they

are using that room for the matches.

There is one table in the lounge,

very tight but Mark Selby has spent

his whole time potting long balls.

Not easy, with those distractions,

lots of people. He needs to get his

focus back in this match. Scott

played well to win the third and

fourth frames. You could sense that

Mark Selby was getting a little bit

too easy, he let his concentration

levels drop. He needs to get back

and stamp his authority back on this

match.

With the black awkward and getting

tied up, he gets a good angle on the

blue after potting thus, he can open

this frame up.

Having said that, but has little bit

too straight, there is a red to the

back of the bunch are available but

he had some heavy contact, I am sure

he was wanting to leave the angle on

the blue and cannon straight back

into the pink and open things up,

but... Slight change of plan. Just

playing with a little bit of dry,

hitting the white on the bottom...

Just a slight kick. -- little bit of

drag.

Can he get the correct side of the

blue this time?

He has probably overcompensated this

time.

I think he is just about OK, then

contact. The pink full ball would be

great, here. Half all, there might

be a red into the middle pocket but

he did not get the cannon.

That was not easy, but that was a

long way out. Great chance. For

Scott Donaldson...

APPLAUSE.

Into the reds, here. He needs to

kill the pace of the cue ball. If he

plays this at decent pace, he could

possibly bring the black into the

open as well. There are reds to play

for but he could be tempted to go

into the bunch, here.

And that also seemed to jump a

little bit, it has taken some of the

pace out of the cue ball, he was

hoping for the plant and you can see

both reds to the left of the one

that he just potted, maybe the fact

he is to the wrong side of the blue

does not matter because of those...

Yes, he has got the red to the right

of them also. But there did looked

to be a plant. Yes. -- bearded look.

And if he gets enough screw on this

shot when he takes the plant, he

will finish back on the blue. And

possibly the pink...

Just a little bit... In between,

here.

Yes, stretching a little bit,

he could not get the action of the

cue ball but he wanted. It takes the

blue to the far right corner. This

is testing.

The sort of shots that professionals

spend hours practising. Solid pot,

right in the middle. Of the pocket.

It would be ideal if he could get

onto the black but it does look a

little bit tight because of the red

to the right of the black. He has

got plenty of other options are

available to him, here. He is on the

pink but he will be just have a look

at the black again. -- maybe just.

If you can pot the black and nudge

that red away, he would have

everything in the open. He played

that in such a way as if he did not

feel that he could see enough of the

black, he was always going to have

the pink...

If he is on the black he has to play

it, obviously he is not. Because

that is the shot...

He has come up a little bit short

body can screw up for the left of

the blue. It just depends on the

angle he has. -- but he can screw.

Yes, nicely played.

He is starting

to look comfortable in this match.

Scott Donaldson. He is starting to

look like they are starting to

believe. That he can do something

here this afternoon. -- like he is

starting to believe.

Just one more easy red available to

Scott. The one next to the black. I

don't think it will pot, there is

one either side of the table.

Ideally placed, no problem. For the

red that is just to the right of the

black and red. It is not a

straightforward run to the winning

line in this frame.

Look at that. They both scored 221

points.

Dead straight on the red, as you can

see. No problem screwing that back.

What does he do? Try to drop behind

that red on the right side of the

table? I think that probably is the

shot, if you try to move that you

could maybe put that in a worse

position.

Does the pink block the path? He has

played that to move it but the bank

might be blocking the path. That

could be the end of the break, a

little bit unlucky, there. Look at

that. It is amazing. Just fractions.

That is what this game is all about.

He might have to just come off the

side cushion. Hit love to be able to

get past the yellow just to flick

this red and get back up to safety.

He's playing it with a touch of

swerve, as you can see. He's got to

be careful he doesn't get too much

on this.

He was always pushing one towards

the corner, but I'll tell you what,

overall, that is a pretty good shot

there.

The thin safety shot, hit could get

the double kiss, so I wonder whether

he will attempt to pot it. Now,

Scott had a look at this black. It's

very, very tight. I was just

watching Mark's face and he gave a

nice smile, as if to say, I don't

think I can pot this.

Very good safety shot there from

Scott Donaldson, you can see the tap

on the table of appreciation from

Mark Selby.

Very high standard of safety so far

from both players. Donaldson more

than holding his own at the moment.

DENNIS TAYLOR: Now, one good long

pot here, he could yet himself onto

the blue in such a way that he could

then bring the red next to the black

into play. But he's got to knock the

red in first. There's the red. It's

going to bit too far for comfort to

be able to pot the blue and cannon

that red. I suppose you'd have to

say, that's a trademark shot from

Mark Selby.

That was about the best he could do,

there was no way he could get onto

that red or play a cannon from that

position, it was very difficult. But

the frame is now in the balance,

even though Scott leads by 90

points. All the colours are on.

-- 19th points.

He could do with kicking this red

off the top cushioned try and get a

bit of distance between red and cue

ball. No, he's just playing to

nestle onto it. But you could put

yourself in trouble playing it that

way. He could be in a worse position

for his next shot.

Yeah, this sort of situation, Mark

Selby, so strong. Very few players

get the better of him. Disappointed,

he's just left the left edge of that

red out - that careless.

Well, I'm

right in line with the shot and I

think he's going to have to come off

the baulk cushion. He's only 23

years of age, his eyesight's a lot

better than mine, that's for sure.

But... If he comes off the baulk

cushion, the red could go over

either corner pocket.

Well, he'll settle for that. You're

never absolutely sure where they're

going to finish.

STEPHEN HENDRY: The red may have

travelled just an inch too far for

the double. So, cue ball in behind

the black, red on the baulk cushion.

Well, he's completely mis-hit that.

Well, this is a chance now. You

would think he would automatically

finish on a colour. This could be a

frame winner.

It's

And he's played it nicely, as long

as it doesn't drop on the side

cushion. Well, he's finish a little

awkward, because if he pots the

black, he's going to be 27 in front,

with 27 remaining. Just make sure

you don't smoke yourself on the

yellow.

And every chance now that he could

take this frame - that would be

three in a row, from 2-0 down. But

there's plenty of snooker left in

this frame.

Well, he looked at the potting angle

there, so he may be taking this on.

He's played a few shots in this

frame where he's been way out with

his judgment. Scott Donaldson will

pick up on that.

Look whether white's finished! 21

ahead, he needs one snooker to tie,

and Scott can't believe where the

cue ball has finished, because it's

not a straightforward escape,

either. He would have felt when he

potted the yellow, well, that's the

frame secured. And look whether

white's finished up.

If he's going to come off the side

cushion, Mark Selby knows that he

will have to have a lot of swerve on

this death raising the butt of the

cue, as you can see.

The brown is the only good ball in a

position to get snookers behind.

That's a bit of insurance for Scott

- it's safe there on the side

cushion. Might just be able to get

up behind the brown this time.

He's caught it a bit thin.

Now, can he judge it better this

time? Well, he's going close to the

pocket. It's not a bad effort,

though.

A bit unlucky to knock the pink in.

He has conceded the frame. So, Scott

Donaldson, having been 2-0 down, all

of a sudden he's leading the

defending champion by 3-2.

HAZEL IRVINE: That certainly

defending champion by 3-2.

HAZEL IRVINE: That certainly was not

in the script but fair play to Scott

Donaldson. That was a tough frame,

and to come out on top of it, a real

Philip?

Yeah, and Mark Selby has

effectively stalled the bit. Every

player like to be dominating amongst

the balls, but the scrappy stuff

is... Those matches can be up in the

air sometimes. It is going to be a

fight for him now. The second of the

tournament.

And we spoke about the

first-round Duke he has actually

when you think about it had

reasonably slow starts in the early

rounds here in York on his way to

winning two UK crowns in the past.

He seems to get momentum as he goes

along, but he can't afford to wait

too long?

No. Often it can be a

victim of your own success, how you

judge yourself. The level of

expectation a player has coming into

every tournament. Mark Selby

obviously asks a lot of himself. It

would be lovely to target events,

and to some degree at the start of

the show Stephen Hendry said that

perhaps Mark Selby does that better

than most. But the general form can

wax and wane. This is an event he

would like to do well in, but he

can't guarantee it.

And being the

defending champion and the world

champion, every time you meet a

player from the Linux, it's an FA

Cup final for them in effect. And

they tend to raise their game! Fair

play to Scott Donaldson! Back we go.

STEPHEN HENDRY: He's done very well

to get himself into this position in

this match, Scott Olsen. Sometimes

you can see the pressure reversed

and he might start to get

promotional thoughts of winning this

match. -- Scott Donaldson. That was

a big mistake early in this sixth

frame.

That was not the cleanest pot in the

world.

DENNIS TAYLOR: That certainly helps

Mark's cause, the pink going on the

blue spot. He mistimed that

completely. In fact he's going to do

well to get onto that red to the

left of the bunch of. As we show you

the shot again... Yeah, his timing

is slightly out at the moment. Look

at the top spin he's generated

there, and his finished on that red

to the right of the bunch that I

mentioned. In fact there's a couple

of reds available, there might even

be three into this left corner

pocket. But once again, the black

was tied up off the break-off shot.

Mark would say to me at the interval

that he thought the table was not as

fast as perhaps the players expect

these days, a little heavy. He's

underhit that shot as well.

When you're not timing the ball as

well as you should be, it does make

the table seem heavier.

He opened up with a break of 68 in

the opening frame, but this has been

his highest rate since then. -- his

highest break.

It doesn't matter how good you are

or how big you are in the game... He

would be too happy with that

positional shot. Playing this red

into a blind pocket - can be missed.

Chance of a couple of reds to the

right corner here.

Getting the red

to the left of the black - that's

the more exact positional shot, is

he on it?

Well, he's smiling to

himself, so I don't think he is on

it. Just ran a little bit too far.

And once again, just a fraction

making all the difference.

That was a useful little angle on

the middle pocket to leave himself

nicely on the pink.

He's not getting

through the cue ball well at the

moment, Mark Selby - that was

another slight deceleration. Didn't

get the stun on the cue ball.

Yeah, enough loose reds there to

secure this sixth frame.

So, he's stopped that mini run from

Scott Donaldson, who took three

frames in a row. As we both

mentioned, he had lost his way a

little bit earlier in this frame,

the timing was just out. But we know

that Mark Selby can soon play

himself back into top form again -

and he'll have to do that to beat

Scott Donaldson here.

It doesn't matter, the fact that he

has not dropped on a red, he can

still have a go at this but it does

not matter whether it goes in or

not. So, he has stopped the run of

three in a row from Scott Donaldson

and the defending champion, Mark

Selby, is back at all square, he

deserves that drink!

HAZEL IRVINE:

I will tell you who

else deserves a drink, Ryan Day,

becoming

. After that six frames to three

when over their child and no, a

great relief because as we told you

earlier, he is clinging on the 16th

spot in the world rankings,

guaranteeing that he plays at the

Masters but snapping at his heels is

the provisional number 17, Neil

Robertson, who we have been watching

earlier. There is a lot at stake, in

these early rounds, not least the

title, but going forward?

It is a

very exciting ranking list, people

have their own ideas on the money

ranking list and with the Masters

and the World Championship being

affected by the top 16 spots, two

points in the season, everybody has

to scramble for the top 16 so it

makes things quite nail-biting for

those players around that mark.

Going back to Scott Donaldson and

Mark Selby, Ryan Day is officially

out of the conversation which starts

with, who is the best player never

to win a world ranking title? After

that victory at the Masters, and at

long last.

All of a sudden he had

his cue broken and he is playing

with a relatively new cue, any

performance at the moment with

basically a brand-new piece of wood

is fantastic.

Snookered gives and

takes away at the same time! Back to

the match... -- snooker.

We will surely that attempt again at

that long pot, usually a trademark

of Mark Selby's but he has done

remarkably well with the outcome,

once he missed the red he would have

felt he would stick Scott Donaldson

in amongst them.

APPLAUSE.

I did not spot that plant, but was a

good safety shot. Does he have the

angle on the brown to capitalise on

that flicked plant? Or does he roll

up tight to the yellow? -- fluked

plant. He could drop the brown and

play left to the blue, he is a

pretty good long potter, Scott.

That is what he has done. He needs

good cueing, the sort of shot that

players practice. For hours on end.

You mentioned that he used to play

at your club in sterling, I used to

watch Stephen Hendry at Spencer's

practising this type of shot.

APPLAUSE.

It looks like he is enjoying this

challenge at the moment, Scott

Donaldson, potting that red quickly

and walking around the table to see

what the situation was. Decent

opportunity, this. The black is

available, to the left corner.

Decent long pot success Scott

Donaldson, three quarters. Just

edging out Mark Selby, his success

is 52% with long pots, not good, not

what you would expect.

That is the sadistic we did not

expect, 94% with the safety success

rate against Mark Selby's 91%. --

sadistic. That statistic. Almost

played perfectly, he can leave

himself on the black full -- black.

Yes, I think you sum that up nicely,

Stephen. He is enjoying himself, he

did look edgy for the first two

friends. He knows he is quite

capable of causing an upset here. --

frames.

He has had breaks of 88, 47 and 50

one. -- 51. He did not score in the

previous frame, 37 and 50. But this

is a great response from Scott,

here.

He looks confident. You could argue

and say he looks the more confident

of both players at the moment.

He certainly looks like the more

likely to win a frame in one visit.

Just coming up a little bit short, a

few more inches and he could have

played nicely onto the black. As you

can see, the angle he is left with,

he has to be careful because he is

not that many points away from

winning the frame.

Yes. He avoided the cannon on that

red, that was good. Nicely played,

the last shot. He did not want to

cannon that red and he managed to

get around the back of it.

APPLAUSE.

Mark Selby needs a snooker. It has

been very good break, Scott

Donaldson.

He has played this with a lot of

authority.

Just letting the cue ball drift a

little bit, the frame has been one,

he wants to make a century. He can

use the red to cool down the pace of

the Kubot. Well done. -- cue ball.

He will need the difficult red as

well to make that century, four

centuries this season so far, and

Ford of them last season and he made

24 in his professional career,

turning professional in 2012. If he

can get this difficult red, he has

overscrewed that a little bit. He

will have to take it because the

other red doesn't bounce to the

other. This has to go in to make the

century, it is not imperative but

always nice if you can. What a

shame.

APPLAUSE.

He took that and made a fantastic 90

break. Back in the lead. 4-3. Very

impressive from the young Scott.

Losing both opening frames and then

coming back to win three in a row

with breaks of 88, 47 and 50 one.

And 90, terrific. He makes up for

it, losing the first two frames and

be thought Mark Selby would have a

lovely time this afternoon and

breeze through this but Scott

Donaldson is back into this and he

looks the more confident player

around the table. Mark Selby is not

striking the cue ball very well. He

does not look comfortable. This is

the last thing you want as the

defending champion, a tough match

like this in the first round.

He is

thinking right because he could have

rolled up behind the yellow in that

frame added at the brown in the

middle and went on to make that

magnificent break. Thinking very

positively at the moment, the young

Scott Donaldson.

He just has to stay in the moment,

Scott Donaldson, and not start to

think ahead, which is what might

happen. This would be a massive

victory for him but there is a long

way to go. One frame at a time, one

shot at a time.

There is a red to the right middle.

But he has to get it. He has to

leave something on, if he misses

that red it is going up to the left

of the blue.

Again, a long way off the pot. He

has left Scott Donaldson with an

easy opener.

This time, the black is not tied up,

the pink is the black is available

and the red next to it is also

available. He is thinking a few

shots ahead, as you can see, where

he was pointing the cue.

He missed that completely.

He has been pretty good at this sort

of shot, so far. Mid-range. Again,

right in the middle of the pocket.

There is a chance to play for the

black, here. Stun the cue ball, side

cushion.

Another excellent pot.

When he pots this red it will clear

the path for the red at the back of

the bunch. It will then become

available into the right corner. And

then, that is it. No other red

available so he will already be

plotting his path to bring them into

play.

He has to go into them. That

is a big target. Top spin, attached

to the right-hand side. Into that

main bunch, you must miss that loose

red between the black and the pack.

Well played. Very well played.

Excellent shot.

Worth another look.

That is the best shot of the match

so far, right there. Can he go on

and pulled himself together and put

himself in a very strong position?

He would only need one more frame to

cause quite an upset. He looks

pretty cool and calculated at the

moment. He still needs quite a few

points to secure this frame.

Showing good composure. Having a

look around the table at the

situation, not getting too excited.

It is very easy to let things run

away and play too quickly.

Composure. That is the name of the

game at the moment. For Scott

Donaldson.

And that man has got big problems.

If he wants to stay and defend his

title.

A couple of longish frames, it all

went a bit scrappy, but the rest of

the frames have been won virtually

with one visit. He could have done

with bouncing a little bit further.

He is going to have to use one of

the reds as a stopper. If he can

cannon the one that is in between

the pink and the red to the left, he

will be perfectly placed. It is all

about putting the black. Bind to be

on a red, you would feel. Well, he

has cannoned the wrong red. He still

has this on to the left corner but

he played a delicate cannon and he

wanted to hit the one between the

pink and the red to the left of it.

This one. He should be OK. He can

stand behind the black again. --

stunned.

-- stun.

I think he is going to have to play

a screenshot of this right-hand

cushion, but he has to get this

well. He has to take the cue ball

into the middle of the table. --

screw shot.

He doesn't look like missing at the

moment. Very, very impressed with

Scott Donaldson. I mentioned his

breaks, 88, 47 and 51 and 90 in the

last frame and then he is doing

this. We mentioned that Mark Selby

had lost his timing a little bit.

But a lot of that is down to the way

this young man is playing. He is

going to have to win three in a row

to stay in this year's Betway UK

Championship. He is going to be

unlucky again. He has had a few

chances to get essentially break and

that has just finished very awkward.

-- as century break.

He nods to the referee, concedes the

frame, so Scott Donaldson with that

magnificent break just putting

himself one frame away from causing

quite the upset here.

HAZEL IRVINE:

This would be the

upset of the season! He has surely

come on strongly in the last couple

of frames and he has outscored Mark

Selby 38 - 71, he is

of frames and he has outscored Mark

Selby 38 - 71, he is outplaying him.

The upset of the season in one

respect is from being 2-0 behind,

not just from level scores. For Mark

Selby, he seems to have dug himself

into a whole. How do you explain

that? I don't have a clue, this

player should be dominant in his

arena. If it goes 2-0 up against a

player who has not shown any form,

the next minute it all unravels. He

is not over the line yet, this is

the toughest one to win but when you

look at the respective performances

over the season, Scott Donaldson has

not had a great time, where has this

form come from?

He had lost ten

matches in a row before coming here

and suddenly he has found something.

There are cycles in your form, one

minute you play badly and the next

minute you find something that

inspires you in practice but this

would be a turnaround in this

particular match, defined form and

get over the line and perhaps have

your biggest scalp.

Mark Selby has

succumbed to a lesser opposition,

with the greatest of respect, Jo

Scott in the past, David Morris, one

of the lower ranking players,

beating at this stage into -- 2014.

My goodness, this would be a feather

in Scott's CAB, I'll be looking at

something dramatic featuring the

world champion and the defending UK

champ in. -- champion.

That needs to pull up. I say that,

there is still a possible pot to the

right middle pocket.

With the white right in the jaws of

the pocket, it is very difficult

indeed. Maybe this is a young man we

are looking at that just likes the

big stage, likes playing on

television, and a lot of those

defeats would have been in the

best-of-7s and that. Maybe he is a

big occasion player and he is

showing that here, that is for sure.

That was good judgment, that was too

tough other pot to risk. -- too

tough apart.

-- too tough a pot.

He would like to take the red next

to the yellow and get the frame back

to normal but it is a bit awkward.

With the yellow next to the red.

We could have one of those awkward

frames, there is another red corner

of the table.

Just a little bit of a stalemate at

the moment, with three reds at the

other end of the table. There is

nothing much available to other

players here. -- either player.

Touching again. It does not matter.

He can play off the other red. As

long as you don't move the red that

you are touching. If you do that it

is a foul shot.

It might just take a few shots to

resolve this situation here.

Whoever

gets the first chance, it's normally

a good one, because the players has

spent so long bringing the reds into

the open.

The most difficult frame to win,

though, the one to get over the

winning line.

Of course, as the reds loosen up, it

is not easy just to roll up to one

and keep everything safe.

You'd have

to be tempted by this red to the

right middle. Looks like it's the

containing shot. Oh, that was a bit

pacey. I don't know if he meant to

hit it is hardest asked. -- to hit

it as hard as that.

DENNIS TAYLOR: Well, this man is

going to have to call on all his

years of experience here to keep

himself in this year's UK Snooker

Championship, that's for sure. He

knows he can't make many more

mistakes. But how many times have we

seen him in the World Championship,

the UK Snooker Championship, who

various Championships, where his

back has been against the wall, and

that's when he's been at his best.

STEPHEN HENDRY: Mark Selby will know

how much pressure his opponent is

under, so he certainly won't be

taking any risks.

Just enough room to get a bit of tax

being and get the white back. -- to

get a bit of backspin. There might

be a long red up into the corner,

but there's nothing easy, that's for

sure.

Over half an hour since his last

pot.

Yeah, the last thing Selby

wants is a pressure pot, where if he

misses it, it could be his last. He

wants an easy opening at the moment.

Has he got a choice of two or three

reds to the right middle? He's got

to take something eventually.

Is there gap through to the red?

There might just be enough room. And

there was. Now, is he coming far

enough? Yes.

Yeah, and as I said

before, after that safety exchange,

look at the reds now. What a chance.

You'd have to say, not a lot to do

with the cue ball - just keep

potting balls. He'll play a cannon

into the three reds near the pink

spot here, just to kill the cue

ball, stop it running away. That's

good, that's very good.

Yeah, he

played your shot, Stephen, and the

red has just bounced that little bit

too far. He was hoping to be nicely

on the black.

This is like a practice setup now,

the way the reds are. It's all about

keeping your composure.

The backswing is getting a little

bit shorter - that's down to

pressure. Won't get a better chance

than this to win this match.

Mark

has beaten him four times. Scott has

had one victory against Mark Selby,

4-2, a couple of seasons ago. The

first three times they played it was

4-0, 4-0, 4-1 to Mark Selby, but

he's facing a much better player

now. Scott, the way he's performed

in this match has been fabulous, it

has to be said. Can he keep it

going?

You'd have to say, it's only going

to be nerves or a careless shot,

because as I said, there's virtually

nothing to do with the cue ball.

Pink and black both in the open. Oh,

he's let that cue ball drift. He's

got red to the middle. Maybe if he

had played a cannon into the two

reds, that would have been the

better shot.

You could tell he was

thinking, I don't really want to

have to risk playing a cannon geek

he tries to hold it -- to risk

playing a cannon, and he tried to

hold it. Oh, that's OK. Not an

intentional cannon on the red, but

he's recovered the situation.

You have to say, from 2-0 down, he's

been by far the better player. He's

struck the cue ball with more

authority than his opponent. And

when he's got in, he's looked more

likely to win the frame in one visit

than his opponent.

That's fantastic, 94% pot success

rate. His long pot success rate is

way above that of Mark Selby, and I

think he's outplayed Mark in all

departments, even the safety success

rate. And maybe as I mentioned he is

one of these players that loves the

limelight, loves to play on centre

stage, because the way he's playing

here against the defending champion

is brilliant. Still needs a few more

to be safe.

That was a bit of a nervy one, hit

could have done with screwing the

cue ball a little bit to leave this

think straight. He's just not

getting into the cue ball is much.

That's understandable, a huge result

this would be for Scott Donaldson.

You have to say, he's hit a poor

slump in form recently, Mark Selby,

by his standards. Didn't play in

Northern Ireland last week, so he's

had a break, but it's not worked.

APPLAUSE

DENNIS TAYLOR: Just taking his time,

composing himself a little bit.

Applause from one of the other

tables.

Now, 55 ahead. Two more reds with

two high-value colours would be

enough. And that's just about

perfect. He can put his white into a

position where he will have a choice

of three reds. You can see the angle

he screwed the white into. Leaving

himself options. 61 ahead - what a

performance from this young Scottish

player.

Yeah, there will be a lot of

talk about how poorly Mark Selby has

played today, but they'll have to

talk about how well Scott

Donaldson's played. He's outplayed

world number one.

And I like his temperament, he's got

a very good temperament. We thought

he might struggle a little bit in

this frame, the one that gets you

over the winning line, but when he

gets the chance, he's certainly

taken it. And it's hard to describe

how this young man will be feeling

inside here, beating the defending

champion, world number one, current

world champion.

He's a very modest young man, but

I'll tell you what, inside, he'll be

absolutely over the moon.

Yeah, I am

delighted for Scott. Sometimes you

need these results just to kick

start your career, a results like

this.

I think I detected a nice little

smile there. Like he suddenly

realised what he's achieved here.

He'll be gutted, absolutely gutted.

Well, he's come so close to making a

century break in two or three

frames. Can he get the cannon...?

Oh, I'm lucky! Hit it as hard as you

can, and hope for a fluke, but...

Well, he lost the two opening

frames, and Mark Selby comes forward

to congratulate this young Scotsman.

Absolutely brilliant! Brilliant

performance from a Scott Donaldson,