Second Round - Part 3 UK Snooker Championship

Good afternoon. If Walls could talk,

these could tell a few stories from

the Tyne & Wear. These structures

have stood in this magnificent city

since the 13th century, but it was a

tale over there in the Barbican

Centre that we were telling

yesterday. The world number one and

defending champion was beaten by a

man who had never even won a match

until he turned up here and played

in the shadow of this wall. Winter

is coming for Mark Selby a bit more

quickly than he expected.

The defending champion Mark Selby

leads 2-0.

All square at two frames

each.

Scott Donaldson puts himself one

frame away from causing quite an

upset here.

A brilliant performance from Scott

Donaldson and he knocks at

A brilliant performance from Scott

Donaldson and he knocks at the

defending champion. Scott Donaldson,

a name now written into the history

of this event. And we have lost the

world number one Mark Selby and Ding

Junhui has also gone, leaving the

way in the bookmakers programmer

might at least Ronnie O'Sullivan. He

has been entertaining the crowds in

this for 25 years. Check this out,

you will be seeing him once again

today.

This young man is not a team yet.

Stephen Hendry will shake his hand.

A wonderful exhibition by this young

man. -- 18.

And with that 70 break Ronnie

O'Sullivan wins the UK Championship

for the second time.

# I can see clearly now the rain has

gone.

# I can see all the obstacles in my

way.

# Gone are dark clouds, it is going

to be a bright, sunshiny day.

I will

not take anything for granted. It is

important I put a lot of effort in

and I will try my best from the word

go.

He is UK champion for the fourth

time.

# I can see clearly now the rain has

gone.

Superb, absolutely superb! He is a

genius!

Yes, 1992 was the first time

Ronnie O'Sullivan played in the UK

Championship and 25 years later he

is still play in the big crowds here

in the Barbican Centre. His

second-round match is coming up for

you live this afternoon. He enjoyed

a blistering start to the season

with four finals and two more titles

to add to his collection. He played

and beat Michael Georgiou here a

couple of months ago. The Cypriot

aims to rewrite the script this

time. Shaun Murphy has not changed

his tune.

He is still playing the aggressive

game that has brought him silverware

this season.

And we will reflect on how the

unflappable Scott Donaldson

outplayed the world number one

yesterday. In fact, we have got

eight matches in total on the go

this afternoon in the second stage

of the championship.

Luca Brecel won his big title of the

season earlier on this year.

Ricky Walden is aiming to climb the

ladder into the top 16.

All that to look forward to and

could it get any more perfect? We

get to spend it in this excellent

company. Is that not lovely? A lot

to talk about on our first day of

coverage yesterday. Notably Mark

Selby. What was your perspective on

the magnitude of the achievement for

Scott Donaldson and how do you think

Mark Selby will respond to that

disappointment?

He will be extremely

disappointed. The Masters and the

majors are the ones who are governed

by. I think he will be in a state of

shock more than anything. He had and

95% portrait which is only bettered

by Robertson. He made three times to

make 97%. It will be sore for him.

For the lad who won he has to back

it up in the next round. From his

point of view he took a big scalp.

They go there and they think, I have

not got a chance of winning and they

play freely. They are not thinking

about winning the tournament.

Does

it change the complexion of the draw

knowing that the world number one

has gone?

Absolutely. It perks up a

lot of the other top seeds in the

draw. The top half is wide open. And

the number two seed, and Ding Junhui

has gone. A lot of them will be

saying one of the hardest men to

play, Mark Selby, is out.

What about

the man who opposed you yesterday,

Mark Robertson?

You are commentating

on that match. I thought Ken played

fantastic yesterday. But the three

frames where he was absolutely

incredible, and you had no chance

yesterday.

Thankfully the chair was

nice and comfortable. I was sitting

back and admiring it. He looked to

be back to his best and I have not

seen him play that well for a long

time and nobody has played as well

as that against me for a long time.

You could see he was confident. He

looks like a peacock around the

table and his queueing was great.

Last season he looked around the

table a bit too much and he was

confusing himself, but if he keeps

that up, he will be one to beat.

The

man who was playing for fun, Jimmy

white, he was playing in the Garrard

at the back. He was very frustrated

about that. You have played him,

what difference does it make to you?

It makes a big difference. OK, Jimmy

is way down in the rankings, but he

is one of the biggest names in the

game. Why not put him out here in

front of that crowd? We do not know

how long he will be playing,

hopefully for a long time, BT has

been a great ambassador. He has won

this championship, he should have

been out there.

Nonetheless he went

down. Let me remind you of some of

the other results because it was an

eventful day.

Only the top 16 in the world

rankings will be invited to

Alexandra Palace in the New Year. A

word about ticket sales. In July and

August this year's final of the UK

Championship was sold out. It has

been extraordinary that the public

have given it so much support.

It is

wonderful to play here, they love

the snooker here. Last year the

final was one of the best matches I

have ever seen. If it is like last

year, we are in for a treat.

Great

atmosphere, great crowds and it is

firmly established as the number one

championship in the UK.

We mentioned

the rocket was in last year's final

and many people expect him to be

there in a week's time. However,

there is a lot of work to do and as

you know for Ronnie it is not all

about business. What hobby would you

get into if time and money were not

an issue?

Art. I just love art. I

never thought I would, but a friend

of mine is very good at art and he

has brought me into the studio a few

times and I try to have a go and I

thought what an amazing feeling it

is. Like snooker you can get lost in

what you are doing.

What is the most

inane question that people ask you?

When this your next tournament. Very

annoying. Or can I have a selfie?

As

the only human left on Earth, what

would you do?

Celebrate. Yes, no

humans! Beautiful planet.

What do

you hope your last words will be?

Just be nice to each other, no more

wars, just let's cuddle each other,

be friends.

What do people think is

weird about you?

Everything, I am

just a weirdo.

In your group of

friends what role do you play?

The

feeder. I do like my food. We never

go hungry in his firm.

What would

you be if it was a spirit animal?

Are taught us, nice and slow, nice

and relaxed, chilled out, just

taking my time.

What light do you

tell most often?

I am a very good

snooker player.

What was the best

compliment you receive?

You have got

great biceps!

I am here in the

commentary box with Stephen Hendry

and we will be talking you through

the action. It is always a joy to

commentate on Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Yes, we are going to see snooker how

it is meant to be played. We will

see cue ball control, the right shot

played at the right time. Although

he is playing Michael Giorgione, and

we expect Ronnie to win, he will

give him respect.

As one of the

greatest break builders and someone

who spearheaded break building, that

is one of the strengths of your

game, it must be a joy to watch

Ronnie O'Sullivan do it. Does he

ever surprise you with different

shots you would not think of?

He is

one of the players you know what

shot he is going to play. I know

what he is planning two or three

shots ahead and it is a joy to

comment on. There is now an argument

to say this is Ronnie's championship

to lose with Mark Selby out.

Tactical play was not your strong

point. Does he ever surprise you?

His tactical game is as good as

anybody's. He really forces

opponents to make mistakes.

We are

looking forward to the match.

Stephen is commentating on break

building and porting and I am doing

tactics, which means I have got an

easy day.

Ronnie B Michael

. He changed his nationality so he

could compete for Cyprus. He says he

is determined to develop the sport

there in the coming years and aims

to open Snooker Academy in coming

years. Big ambitions today and in

the future. We wish him well with

all that. We welcome back the one

and only Rob Walker.

Good afternoon,

ladies and gentlemen. It is

brilliant to be back here at the

Barbican for the 2017 UK

Championship. What an atmosphere in

this very special arena. We are

poised for a sensational session of

snooker.

Please welcome on table two, a

player who has produced some of the

best form of his season. Hoping to

repeat his great run here 12 months

ago, here comes Liam Highfield!

And his opponent, a man who has once

again underlined his status as one

of the world's finest this season,

making three big finals and winning

the champion of champions. Sean the

magician Murphy.

On table one here comes a player

making his third consecutive

appearance in the second round of

the UK championship, beating Alfie

burden in a tense decider in the

opening round. This is a huge day

for the former world under 21

champion, Michael Georgiou.

And finally, 24 years after first

winning this title he is back once

more and in superb form. This season

he has already won the English Open

and the Shanghai Masters, five times

champion of the world, the rocket

Ronnie O'Sullivan.

It is all eyes on this match, table

one right now. We will see the other

match later, but it is also

available on the BBC sport website,

so you can watch it wherever you are

this afternoon. I know that Stephen

and Steve are more than happy to

watch this from the comfort of the

commentary box.

Welcome to the Ronnie O'Sullivan

show.

Ronnie O'Sullivan to break.

There is always huge expectation

when Ronnie takes to the table. He

did beat Michael last year in this

event. I cannot remember if it was

6- 06- one, but obviously he is very

comfortable.

I have been informed it was 6-1.

It was not the plan to put the red

in the right corner pocket.

This is

tough because there is no real

advantage. Forcing the cube or the

table and by doing that he made it a

lot harder. But he was forced to

play it.

In an exhibition you might be

tempted to play at topspin banana

shot. But I do not think that would

be played in the UK Championship!

Instead played to develop the black.

It is the first frame and he has

only scored eight.

There are not many players in the

game when you watch them from the

commentary box who seem to settle

down so much so quickly. You would

not put it past Ronnie O'Sullivan to

make a frame winning break, or a

large century.

Yes, the many

strengths that Ronnie has is he is

one of the best players in the world

in the first frame and the last

frame. He seems to play his best

snooker. The first frame settles him

straightaway and then he has the

last frame to win the match.

That was always going to be the

problem with that shot going into

the main bunch.

Just a bit thicker

on it than he wanted. A hardball

collision.

He made that look easy.

Awful contact. It took all the spin

of the cue ball.

It was not Ronnie O'Sullivan's fault

that break came to an end so soon.

That cost Michael possibly the first

frame. But it is such a pressure on

these players, the long game. You

never know, whenever you miss it

could cost you the frame.

Yes, both

those shots were missed to the left

of the pocket. No player likes to

have a slice or a hook in the game.

He is not quite on the black as he

wanted. Has to do a bit more with

the cue ball here. Perfectly played.

There really is no one else in the

game who has such good cue ball

control. That is partly why he is so

fast, he does not have to think.

Also, Stephen, he has such a quick

brain for working out his shots and

that helps his rhythm. If you are a

player who gets confused in

positional play and you have to stop

to work things out, that can destroy

your rhythm easily.

It is speeded up off the cushion.

He hit that well.

Well, a solid performance in the

first frame.

He definitely looks in

the groove as he has indeed done all

season. Let's have a look at his

record. Four finals and converted

two of them into victories.

Significantly the Shanghai Masters

was his 30th world ranking title

overtaking John Higgins and Steve

Davis on 28. Only Stephen Hendry to

beat on 36. Could he get there?

Absolutely, particularly with the

amount of ranking tournaments we

have now. There is more variety. I

know he does pick and choose, but he

seems to have peaked over these last

few weeks. He looked a bit jaded

when he came back from China and in

Northern Ireland he looked a bit

tired, but this is a tournament he

wants to play well in and I think he

has his target on six UK

Championships. I think that is what

inspires him, these targets and

records and he will be chasing

Stephen Hendry's 36.

Why would you

not want to break all records? He

already owns the Masters record that

was previously owned by Stephen

Hendry, that was his seventh title,

and he seems to have that ambition

and drive again.

Yes, he has found

it from somewhere. He loves the

game. He always liked practising. So

to have that longevity and we saw it

in the VAT, when he was at 17, and

to be playing at the standard that

he is playing at, higher than

everyone else, it is a phenomenal

talent. People say we should enjoy

him when he is playing because we

will not see another one like him.

Less enjoy. Let us enjoy.

Michael Georgiou clearing away

straightaway from the black.

Thinking negatively as a player

against Ronnie O'Sullivan perhaps

you would be a bit scared to leave

that out in the open. But there is

no way Michael is going to win

without being positive today.

A choice of reds into the left or

right middle. If he misses it, it

will be a shock to nothing.

Pressure, really. -- shot to

nothing.

I think that is the thing

with Ronnie these days. He is

prepared to win with his big game

and even his seagoing. A couple of

times the performance meant more

than the result. He's talking about

targets and titles and it's all

about the result now. He is prepared

to scrap it to win ugly. Doesn't do

that very often. But he is prepared

to do it.

Yes, I think there is a

mind shift to be able to do that.

And if you can get pride out of

winning, as you say, ugly, enjoy the

challenge when it's not a day which

is fluent, you end up winning a

match playing your beading. You go

back to your hotel room and think I

have been proud of that, I have done

a workmanlike job instead of

worrying about how it looked. It

makes you an even stronger player.

Players in the past would think

hopefully Ronnie will get

frustrated. Those days don't come

along any more.

It's really hard to see what kind of

game plan Michael should have today.

Perhaps even himself expects to lose

this match. How do you go about

playing it? Just enjoy it?

The first

thing is you have to play the ball

is. Sometimes you don't get the

shots to attack or sometimes you

don't get to defend. It's just how

the game unfolds, how the frame

unfolds. Especially when you get a

couple of reds at the bottom half of

the table. You are obligated to play

safety to the top fish and. No

players really like this type of

game but they are forced sometimes

to do it.

Yes, and whoever gets the

first chance after this exchange, it

would be a good one, because all of

the reds have been moved.

He was not playing to put the black

say. If that was the plan, it was an

awful plan. He was not planning to

play negatively. You just overheated

on the spot. -- he just overhit it

on the spot.

Ronnie, not even looking at the red.

I think he is prepared to wait it

out. First mistake. I think that is

a pretty big one.

Couldn't have done more damage from

a safety shot if you had tried

there, could you? I mean, it was a

positive shot. He got the white

where he wanted but must read where

the reds were going to end up. --

miss read.

That was a nice little

gap to find. The blue did not go to

the left middle. He has found the

gap. The first chance in these

exchanges is normally a good one

because the reds are everywhere.

Not the worst result.

No. If he uses the brown as the

black ball, to break build, the only

difference is he won't be

progressing points wise, as

strongly. He will need more reds to

get over the line.

He is on the black if he wants,

but... Does not leave the position

to chance. Something he very rarely

does.

I feel like going into the

pack off the blues is something

which is strongly on his mind.

If he

is going to go into the red above

the pink, as long as he does not hit

it to the left side as we look at

it, which is what he didn't do. He

had to go on the right-hand side. He

just overdid it.

Got too much into

the cue ball there. Not enough back

spin to get on the far side. Ended

up just getting a bit too far. A bit

unlucky, though, to have got that

result.

Assuming the red does not go into

the middle pocket, it does go into

the corner. It wasn't particularly

that much of a shot to nothing the

way Michael Georgiou played it.

Quite tight into the middle.

I think the corner is much more

desirable here.

OK, Michael Georgiou is left with a

long read into the green pocket. So

far, on the long shots, he has

missed to the left of the pocket.

Hit it pretty well, to be fair. He

did not hit it that hard.

APPLAUSE

That's something we are both jealous

of, being able to pot balls like

that.

That is a scary shot.

Not just the

fact he hit it and got it in the

pocket, but the control and the

striking, left-handed. You get used

to hitting the ball with your right

hand but to do it with your left

hand... I wonder if Eakin throw with

his wrong hand? -- I wonder if he

can throw with his left hand?

Incredible. That is a skill to have

in your armoury.

Although, it has to

be said, far more players now are

starting their careers and

practising left-handed, opposite

handed.

Just hit the absolute perfect to

read there.

Still not got one red gone safe.

Played that last positional shot

disregarding where the pink was

because the pink is not so easy to

get back, so getting the right side

of the blue, two reds going to the

right corner.

One into the left.

So far, as we said at the top of the

show, it is the Ronnie O'Sullivan

show, but not just a big breaks.

Also considered safety play, as

well. Being patient. And he has got

his reward.

Yes, Ronnie O'Sullivan I

think has become almost, percentage

rise, makes him sound defensive, but

he does not feel the need to take

risks. The opponents are under so

much pressure before they even come

to the table, there is no need. He

just plays his game, forces

opponents to make mistakes. Most

players he plays are beaten before

they even come to the table, it has

to be said.

Yes, that is a big

problem for a player coming to play

against Ronnie O'Sullivan although

he didn't have it all his own way in

the first round. He played Jackson

page from Wales, who lost 6-3 in the

end. Don't think Michael Georgiou

will be coming back to the table so

Ronnie O'Sullivan goes into an 2-0

lead.

Ronnie, 2-0. His opponent Michael

Georgiou yet to score a point.

Looking at his body language, he

does not look full of confidence you

would have to say, but you can't

blame him. He has had the toughest

draw you can get.

He needs to get some feeling back in

his cue arm because, at the moment,

it must feel really tight. Once

again, he is going to be left with a

long red. The red on the black

question makes it comfortable to get

the cube will back up to the baulk

end. -- cue ball.

That will make him feel a bit

better. His first long pot. Now

needs to get the cue ball as tight

in the baulk cushion as possible.

Mis-hit that one. Quite a long way

out there with the safety.

He very

rarely plays a safety shot. He's

always trying to manoeuvre angles,

similar to the way Alex Higgins used

to play.

It is the type of shot you

feel like you are going to take on,

really, but you don't want to. It

looks like Ronnie O'Sullivan has got

away with that. Would you have gone

for that read? It did not look good,

the angle. When your opponent makes

a mistake these days, you want to

try £2. -- to pounce.

Again, that target behind green and

brown, looking for the cue ball,

just having to look. Looking to see

if there's any plans but if he plays

a safety, will he knock a red over

the safety pocket?

It does look to

be some sort of plant on their into

the right corner.

Hit that pretty poorly, as well.

Far

too thick. That plant is on. A

stupid four ball plant looks

possible. Four balls in a line.

Not now.

Has that red poked its snows out?

No. -- it's nose out first

this is dangerous.

He has got to get

this right.

Well, it looked like he got the

right line there but the vast leap

overhit the shot. Whether that was a

big cushion bounce or just a bit of

tension in the arm. It's not looking

that good for Michael Georgiou at

the moment. Nowhere near settling

down in this match.

I suppose the only thing Ronnie

O'Sullivan has got to guard against

today is his complacency. Not being

put under any pressure, sometimes

your concentration can be affected.

But he still looks very focused. And

I think that is something he does

better than most top players. Even

when he is playing he is expected to

beat easily, he still looks focused

in the job.

It's always nice to have things your

own way, have the table to yourself,

dominate things. Ronnie O'Sullivan,

as a great champion, also has the

ability to be a great bully.

A choice of three red is going to

the left corner. -- reds. No need to

get the black.

Is not easy to continue this break

for a while. Bit of resolving to be

done. Quite a clever shopper there

to get on the pink -- clever shot.

Could disturb a few reds. Struck

that nicely. Perhaps too nicely?

I

enjoy watching these breaks. He has

got to work everything out. All the

red block each other.

This is where

he makes it so easy. And also he has

great touch. You find he very rarely

gets the wrong side of the ball.

That is his strength.

Used every bit of the pocket there.

I thought for a minute there was a

possibility that was going to miss.

That is not right. Very wide on that

pink. Still expect him to get it.

Michael Georgiou concedes. It's been

pretty easy so far. 3-0. I thought

possibly...

HAZEL IRVINE: I thought was going to

finish that thought. Your thoughts

on what we have seen so far.

It's

produced and forward. Yes, it's hard

for Michael Georgiou. You are

produced and forward. Yes, it's hard

for Michael Georgiou. You are

playing in front of the cameras.

It's a bit different playing there

as opposed to at home. There's so

much pressure as Stephen Hendry said

commentary. Every long ball, safety

shot, there's so much pressure on

you and he is not settled down. It's

very easy for Ronnie O'Sullivan at

the moment.

Is there a degree of

rising panic in this situation

because you don't want to let

yourself down and you want to show

what you have got because he's very

serious about his profession.

I

remember last year, when he played

in the tournament, he said he was

intimidated. But also he said you

sit in the chair and you are

watching and thinking, how good is

he? You forget what you are supposed

to be doing which is going to work.

Looks like it's happening exactly

the same today. He has not settled

down at all. I don't blame him for

going out and composing his thoughts

about.

225-1 is the score the

moment. It was about 400 odd points

Neal Robertson scored against you.

Thanks for that.

I merely mention

because that's what players feel

when that happens.

I met in this

morning. I said good luck today. I

told him to go and enjoy it. You

have to enjoy it and sometimes, even

if the other guys playing so well,

you have to wait your chance but

enjoyed the whole scenario. There's

not many chances are playing one of

the best players who has ever played

the game and you have to enjoy those

moments but when your chance comes

along, you have to take it and

compose yourself and, at the moment,

he's not getting any chances.

The

longer it goes on it gets magnified.

That's a problem he's got. In a

perfect situation he would have got

a dolly chance in the first frame.

It's not happened. Now it is 2-0,

3-0, getting worse and he feels like

he is in quicksand so we've got to

school the next one. If it goes to

4-0, it is all over.

It's

unfortunate because Michael has

worked so hard to get himself on the

tour. He fell off it last year. He

came through the cue School,

qualifying school, really tough way

to come through.

It shows his

confidence and composure. He has the

game to upset and has got a few good

results so far this season. But this

is a different kettle of fish.

It's

a different game that's for sure.

Steve, you were saying?

I can't remember what I was going to

say. It was so long ago. He could

have got his cue arm going and

potted a view. -- a view. -- a few.

That is a knife wound to Michael

Georgiou.

A possible red to left middle.

It

was a great attempt to make

something happen off quite a tight

pack.

He had a little look. I do not think

he has left a read.

If he has, it is

a tactical mistake. He has played it

as a shot to nothing.

Every bit a stalemate. He does not

want to be tip tapping around, but

there is no alternative. Ronnie

O'Sullivan is very clever at

stopping stalemates usually. He

works out some clever shots.

He could send the cue ball down into

the jaws of the yellow pocket.

Spotted a nice place on the cushion

that does no damage whatsoever. That

is the end of the stalemate.

Oh, my goodness! A marvellous pot.

OK, he is not perfectly on the

black, but you would expect him to

cut this back. He has had most of

the table time today. Nope. First

mistake. Has he left anything easy

for Michael Georgiou?

He has got a read to the far left

corner, but it is not the easiest

opportunity.

Well done. But the problems have not

ended. He has to get the cue ball

out from that pocket.

He perhaps caught it a fraction V or

did not hit it hard enough. I think

your choice of short, a half of all

black, was the better option. That

shot would not have relied on

perfect weight.

Good shot. But the problems do not

stop. Awkward cueing.

One good pot with the green and he

has got a decent opportunity in this

fourth frame.

But he is just under so much

pressure every time he comes to the

table. He is just a bit overawed out

there.

That was a long way out. He

got some left-hand spin on the ball

and pushed the cue ball into the

green. He did not play that one

correctly. But still a chance of the

black similar to the one he had

angle wise before.

That is another black of its spot.

When Michael comes to the table he

is entitled to think he might have

an easy read to start with.

But you

make your own problems because that

shot when the black was over the

pocket, going into the reds was a

more positive way of going about it,

opening it up, trying to make

something work.

Yes, the balls do

not forgive you if you do not play

the right shot.

Ken told him to just go out and

enjoy it. I do not think he is

enjoying it, Michael Georgiou.

You

cannot enjoy it if you are not doing

yourself justice out on the table.

It is an awful feeling. As you

mentioned earlier, Stephen, about

the different Ronnie O'Sullivan we

CDs days. In the past it has been

about his performance and not

getting over the line and winning.

Sometimes in a match like this,

missing two blacks off the spot, he

would have beaten himself up. He

does not do that now.

It goes

straight out of his mind and it is

about the result.

This match has long gone as a

contest.

Currently this is a bread-and-butter

performance for Ronnie O'Sullivan,

to be as clinical as possible and

get into the next round. Save the

major accolades for the latter

rounds. It is all about getting into

the final and enjoying the final.

In the commentary box Stephen is

laughing at me about that last

remark. But surely it is all about

getting into the final?

At the top

of the show we talked about the big

shock yesterday, Mark Selby.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was one of the

only people who could have beaten

him will stop so now he is one of

the favourites to win the Champion.

We have seen a few balls recently

where he hit the near jaw and it

dropped in. People will say the

pockets are playing too easy. With

that particular one Ronnie expected

it to drop.

He tried to shift those two reds

away from the black.

The vast majority of shots Michael

Georgiou has missed today I missed

to the left of the pocket. He will

know that as much as we can see in

the commentary box. Somehow he is

inadvertently putting side spin on

the cue ball going across the face

from the middle when he hits the

ball.

His right hand on the cue, he is

gripping it so tightly, his cue

action is not flowing. It does not

get through the ball. It is due to

the fact he is out of his comfort

zone out there unfortunately.

That is what I was talking about

earlier. Guarding against losing

concentration because things are too

easy. That is Ronnie's biggest enemy

today.

I did not expect Ronnie O'Sullivan

to lose his grip on forging ahead,

but he has left a door ajar for

Michael Georgiou. But you get the

feeling it is not going to happen

for him.

That was a tough shot.

He had to play that slowly otherwise

it would have gone into another area

of the table. That is a great safety

shot from Ronnie O'Sullivan.

He made it look very easy.

He is in

trouble here as well. Two cushions.

He has got to get this right. The

pace and the line have to be

perfect. You cannot argue with that.

He could, however, be in some

trouble now.

He has got to try and keep the ball

safe as well, so if he does choose

to go across the table, what he is

hoping for is not a full-ball

contact. Does he decide to try and

hit one side of the red or the other

or does he trusts to a bit of luck.

REFEREE: File and a miss.

Not the

right amount of side spin.

He cannot afford to miss the game,

otherwise he will require snookers.

It is nothing to do with the cue

ball. Just make sure you pop the red

because you will automatically be on

the pink.

I beg your pardon, he needs two

blacks.

Getting on the yellow would not be a

bad thing.

Good and bad. But he will

be more interested in getting

another black off this red. Sorry to

keep on going on about it, Michael,

he missed to the left of the pocket.

You can tell yourself that is

unlucky, but you should not have

been missing the red in the first

place.

Well, that is the end of the frame.

Ronnie O'Sullivan will be going into

a 4-0 lead and looking very

comfortable. There is the

concession. 4-0, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

A bit of inaccuracy from both men.

Steve made a good point, it must be

difficult when as a contest it seems

to be over but you still have to go

out there and do the professional

job.

He is not really getting any

opposition at the moment. Michael is

a very competent match player, but

he is not showing up at all today.

From Ronnie's point of view he just

needs to keep doing what he is

doing. Michael needs to get some

sort of foothold. To be 4-0 down to

Ronnie O'Sullivan makes it look as

if it is all over.

On the outside

tables there has been all sorts of

excitement. Michael King is very

close to being a maximum man here,

but he missed. On the outside tables

we have got eight matches going on.

That would have been a £15,000

bonus.

What they call a Christmas

present.

Even out in the so-called

garage the pressures come on. What

is the pre-eminent moment in your

spot to get the maximum?

I managed

to do it once, but I am more famous

for missing the black for the

maximum. It is a nice feather in his

cap. Unfortunately for Mark, missing

the pain, he will be horrified at

missing out on a nice Christmas

present. But Mike King is doing very

well. He is totally rejuvenated. 20

odd years as a professional, so it

is great to see him back and playing

so well.

Who knows? We might get the

maximum. Ryan Day missed on the

green. It looks like we might be

building up to one. We have had a

few events here in the past few

days. Ding Junhui, the second seed

and the world number three who

departed. Ali Carter was ranked in

the top 16 as well and he went out.

But yesterday, the world number one

Mark Selby departed the scene and it

was all down to a man called

Donaldson.

Scott Donaldson gets it

under way.

The defending champion Mark Selby

leads 2-0.

All square at two frames

each.

Scott Donaldson puts himself just

one frame away from causing quite an

upset.

A brilliant performance from Scott

Donaldson and he knocks out the

defending champion.

And here is the man of the hour.

Congratulations. How have the last

24 hours been? What has the reaction

been like?

I had a lot of messages,

but I am not going to get carried

away. It does not matter who you

beat, it is just another win.

Delighted to get through.

You were

very calm and measured yesterday

considering you had been 2-0 down

and you came back. You took the

chances so well. That is what

everyone was saying. You were given

a few chances, but you catch

yourself together. How did you do

that?

I can't tell you. It is a

strange game at times, as you know.

Some days you cannot pot of all and

luckily for me yesterday they all

went in. On another day I could have

missed them all. I cannot really get

an answer to that but I am happy to

be able to take my chances and get

through to the next round.

It is a

great confidence booster as well.

You have beaten the world number one

on TV. You have been working hard,

but it is great to get. This is what

your season needed, a kick-start?

It

is also good to get a decent couple

of wins in a bid to match like this.

That is pleasing. But I have been

disappointed in my form in the last

few months, so I changed stuff on my

cue and did nefarious things.

You

did hit not rock bottom, but you did

tweet something I am not sure if you

remember. If anybody is walking and

they see my game are lying on the

floor, could they please hand it

back to me as soon as possible?

That

was only last week in Belfast. I was

so low. It shows you how things can

change in a couple of days. Never

give up.

Is there any one thing or

did it just start flowing?

Maybe

because I tweeted that it may be a

bit annoyed and angry.

When I saw it

I laughed because I could relate to

it. I'm sure all of us can relate to

it. Sometimes the game leaves you

and you do not know why and you are

still working hard and practising.

But you need the confidence. It is

like a vicious circle. You are

trying to get on that roundabout.

Hopefully this will be the

kick-start for him.

We talked about

the impact it will have amongst the

other players, the departure of Mark

Selby. From what you have said what

has been the reaction of the other

players?

In terms of?

Are they

slapping you on the back?

I have

definitely had a lot of

congratulations but I do not really

take much notice of that. I do not

care if people say it is good or

bad. I am just staying in my own

head and giving myself calm and

keeping myself calm.

That is very

wise because you now have a match

against Lee Hann of China who has

gone pretty far in a couple of

events. In the semifinals of the

China championship. But your record

against him is good.

Yes, I have

beaten him twice. He is a great

player, I have watched him a couple

of times and he scores heavily.

At

hard part now is after climbing

Everest against the number one it is

to come down to earth. That is the

right attitude. Forget about that

much, it has gone, just think about

this match and recreate all the

great moments from yesterday.

It is

like in Wimbledon sometimes you see

somebody beating Federer Rafael

Nadal in the first round and then

you never see that guy again.

That

is a very excellent way to thing.

Well done again. You have created a

lot of headlines. 12 years ago a

young Shaun Murphy created a lot of

headlines as well. He was only 22

when he turned up at the Crucible

and won the World Championship. He

was only the second ever qualifier

to do so. Since then he has gone on

to become one of the greats of the

game and has won all of the major

titles and this season he is proving

he is in very good nick.

Shaun

Murphy was born on the 10th of

August 1982.

His nickname is the

magician. At the age of 13 he

secured a £5,000 a year sponsorship.

In 2000 he received the world

Snooker newcomer of the year.

Sean

is a keen pianist and talented

golfer who occasionally hit a subpar

round.

His first title was the 2005

World Championship beating Matthew

Stevens in the final.

As well as

winning at the Crucible he has taken

the Masters and the UK Championship

titles.

He has been ranked in the

top eight in the world in the past

12 years.

He donates £100 for every

century to the Royal Manchester

Children's Hospital.

He has won more

than £3 million in prize money.

And

that adds up to a whole lot of good

snooker. This fellow has been

playing good snooker as well,

27-year-old Liam Highfield.

He comes from Stoke and when he is

not putting in the hours on the

practice table, he is putting in the

miles on the roads because he is a

very keen long-distance runner and a

half marathon bag as well. We picked

this one up in frame two. Murphy has

taken a 1-0 lead. Your commentary is

from Peter Ebdon and Dennis Taylor.

Not ideally on a colour.

That is a good pot. It is never easy

when you are digging down into the

cue ball. He played that with a

touch on the right-hand side as well

which made it even more difficult. A

good pot in the circumstances.

Can he get on the red in the right

corner? Yes, he can.

It clears the path for the black

into the same pocket. Let's see if

he can knock in the reasonable

break.

Is that aggressive enough for you,

Dennis?

It was the order of the day.

He has given himself an excellent

opportunity now.

You could not have the red sitting

much better than this. It was the

shock off the black that opened them

up.

But that cue action, even amongst

the balls, he pulled the cue back

quite a long way. It is just his

natural way of playing. We keep

talking about the Rolls-Royce cue

action that he has. Sometimes when

you are in close control, it can be

a bit of a disadvantage.

That's the key to this game of

snooker.

Very well controlled.

When he's in full flow, he really is

a beautiful player to watch. He

times the ball so well. I remember

when he beat Neal Robertson in the

final of the Masters, Dennis, a

while ago. I think it was as well as

I had ever seen anybody time the

ball. He cued so well in that

tournament. When he won his world

title, against Matthew Stevens, he

came from behind. Absolutely

incredible how he played. I remember

travelling down on the coach with a

lot of the Welsh supporters and they

thought he was going to be world

champion but Sean had other ideas.

Talk about break buildings, he's

made 438 centuries in his career.

Well, he will have two pot a long

blue. A trademark of Shaun Murphy.

He is not safe, so there is a bit of

pressure on this. Lets see if it

goes right into the heart of the

pocket. No. So even with that cue

action, when you know the importance

of the shot, even the great players

can miss.

Well, the chance is there for Liam.

He had an opening frame chance even

though he was behind. What can he

make of this opportunity?

Big pressure. On Liam Highfield. He

knows the importance of this visit.

He would love to get a foothold in

this match. And draw level.

The pink is on the right-hand side

of the table for him, as well, being

a left-hander, so the balls are

there for him. It's just about

keeping himself together now.

Any harder, that would have stayed

out.

He will have two come up for the

blue here. Went instead for the

black. Just screwed it slightly so

it is imperative he gets the other

side of the blue. Doesn't want to

come up short. I think he's just

about OK. A quick glance at the

scoreboard. 17 behind.

He has tried to work out whether he

needs the pink to level the score

up.

As Peter said, the pink won't be a

problem because he's a left-hander

and can dropping behind it. -- drop

in behind it.

And, once again, must get a good

angle on the blue so he can drop

right in behind that pink.

Needs to run and he has come up

short. That has made such a

difference. The other side of the

blue, you just roll sitting and get

18 inches behind the pink. Now he

has got to force it in. And that is

a pretty good effort if it keeps

running. He needs to pull up. Is

going to be too close to the pink.

Oh dear. But it was the previous

shot. He got the wrong side of the

blue. And this would be a body blow

because he was odds-on favourite to

level the match. He is so close to

the pink. It's not easy to get it

say.

It is such a shame, Denis,

because he held himself together so

well up to that point.

Just a

fraction. He followed it all the way

down and now he has flicked the

back, Shaun Murphy could cut this

pink in. The White will go close to

the left middle pocket. If he does

not catch the middle pocket, he

could finish on the black. Oh,

close.

Liam will be absolutely delighted to

see the black go very close to the

top cushion there. Liam only just

needs this pink. Shaun Murphy needs

both balls. He can take this on.

Just needs to avoid the left-hand

pocket. Which he has done. And

excellent parts. Well played, Liam

Highfield. Levels this match. Frame

each.

HAZEL IRVINE: That match continues

on the red button and online on the

BBC sport website if you are so

inclined.

Let me bring you up to date with the

other two televised tables. Table

three where Yu De Lu is just making

sure to go

three where Yu De Lu is just making

sure to go into it with Kyren

Wilson, a top 16 player with a

promising season, 2-2, there. And

Aditya Mehta up against Luca Brecel

and it is Luca Brecel who has taken

a 3-0 lead. Versus Aditya Mehta at

the table, the man from them by, the

star from India, they call him. The

first Indian player to make a

maximum break in 2014. He was

runner-up in the Indian open 2013.

Interesting stats. He is a lovely

fellow and a very talented player

but he's got a job to do against

Luca Brecel from Belgium. Meanwhile,

our star attraction, Ronnie

O'Sullivan is due out any second.

Here he comes. He is in control

today against Michael Georgiou, 29

years old, representing Cyprus.

Ronnie, a 4-0 advantage. He has

outscored Michael by about over 300

points now to only 19 so let's hand

you back to the commentators. How is

the commentary discipline working

there? Big breaks and tactics? Is

that working for you?

COMMENTATOR: We have tried not to

stray into each other's expertise

areas. Not too much.

The game is not

as simple as that, is it?

That trademark left-handed break off

from Ronnie O'Sullivan. He won't be

particularly happy with that. I

think he feels he can swing the cue

ball round better from a left-handed

perspective than right, but, in that

case, after the mid session

interval, called it wrong.

Nice pot.

And, for the first time in this

match, Liam Michael Georgiou has a

chance to put the black of the spot.

The first in in this frame, what

does he make of it? I have to say,

straight into the bunch with pace,

plenty of screwball to bring the

black to the right-hand side of the

table. Very well played. Deserved to

be on the red. Hit that very well.

He scored 19 points in the first

four frames.

It may not be too long before he is

doubling his overall total score.

Already he can screw the black to

the right middle. He was low on the

black and can be red to the

right-hand corner.

Still in a good

position.

Already out of position. It's just

the art of brick building, really.

Recognising the patterns you have to

go through. To make it easier.

Should be able to screw this offer

two cushions. To the right corner.

Well done.

I did not think that was going in.

Gravity working. Good shot. Good

recovery. And the angle he has got

here lends itself to going into the

pink. A bit perhaps too far away

from the blue to make it

comfortable, but there are loose

threads, though. Choices. -- loose

reds, though.

Yes, I think as long

as he hit the right-hand side of the

pink... Anything left of the pink

would have been bad. Very lucky to

be going that way.

Very close to the cue ball.

He could have got closer to these

two reds.

Well, he has got himself out of

position by fractions a few times in

this break. Just enough the right

side of the blue. There have been a

couple of potential banana skins in

this break so far. But some good

pots. Still has that 6-ball pack to

resolve. To get pack -- past the

winning line.

He would like an angle

on the black to go into the bunch

and stay on that red into the right

corner. He can't do that now from

this angle. It's always nice to have

a bit of insurance. Have at least

one loose red when you go into the

bunch.

Michael Georgiou are just

coming around to check if the pink

was a viable proposition to open up

the pack. Decided the black was more

straightforward. And, this time, he

has got the angle to go off the top

cushion into the pack. He has got to

get a bit of pace into this one.

That can make the party more

difficult. -- that can make the pot

more difficult.

Just when he did all the hard work.

A good break. 60. Is it going to be

enough? Plenty of reds left for

Ronnie O'Sullivan to pinch this

frame. Which is normally very good

at.

The second ball that has been very,

very close to going in into the

middle pocket but pretty tight,

these middles.

Black and one more red.

Showing

showing signs of letting its

gameplay become more comfortable

now. As if there is less pressure on

him now and he has decided to try

and relax and enjoy it a bit more.

That is the way to get back into

this game.

He would like to part one more red.

Ronnie O'Sullivan may come back to

the table if he misses this.

I suppose he has done the first job

and avoided a whitewash.

Will Ronnie stay in his seat?

He does do.

APPLAUSE

Avoided a 6-0 whitewash.

That was an important factor in

winning his first frame, but he

still trails 4-1.

HAZEL IRVINE: He avoids the

whitewash and of course last time,

12 months ago, it was a 6-1 win for

Ronnie Barker. In some respects, is

it a massive relief when you're

under so much under the cosh at that

point?

under so much under the cosh at that

point?

Yes, is another word with

himself and said, come on, we know

he's much better than what he shown

this afternoon. The occasion has got

the better of him, so he's thinking,

at least let's make the score

respectable and show people we can

actually play and that's what is

done.

It's nice why had to get a

frame on the board and salvage

something. You know, what can you

say? Is going to be up against it,

you don't expect him to win from

here, but he will get a little bit

of confidence to get satisfaction,

other than a whitewash.

The other

thing it does as well, Hazel, some

of these players, are used to

playing in cubicles and get adept

and then when they go into the main

arena, this is all new to them. It

doesn't matter that they have been

professionals for a long time. He

has not done that very much.

They

need to become acclimatised to

playing in cubicles so it's like a

different ball game.

He's got the

combination of the arena and the

best player who has ever lived, so

he is under it before he even

starts.

he is under it before he even

starts.

Stephen asked at the start

of the commentary what Michael will

have learned from his experience on

exactly this stage, albeit a round

earlier from last year, and I guess

he is asking himself the same

question out there right now as we

head back into frame six.

COMMENTATOR: Well, of course, when

you were talking about the cubicle

style of snooker with multi-table

setups, it has changed slightly in

as much as it's more open plan now

and you can actually see other

tables. But when it is a multi-table

setup at one of the ranking in the

early stages, various still that

cubicle style feel that your match

is one of many and no real eyes are

on it, so this is a different

scenario at the Barbican. A full

packed crowd watching Ronnie

O'Sullivan. You have got to deal

with that as well.

Ronnie's intensity has definitely

slipped in the last three frames.

The standards he sets are so high,

you don't expect him to miss shots

like that.

Perhaps overstretching a

bit. Michael Georgiou has an awkward

situation with the green and his

left arm, but that goes in. He would

have loved to have been on the

correct side of the blue but Michael

Georgiou is getting some

encouragement from Ronnie

O'Sullivan.

Very unlucky there. That was an

excellent positional shot Michael

played. Possibly three reds he could

have been on, but he is none of

them.

Desperately in. -- desperately

unlucky. He hit that blue is the

best he could hit it. Good safety

but there is an edge sticking out.

Got the possibilities of a four

cushion safety. Come-down behind the

yellow. Playing the thin safety. Hit

it a bit hard. Nasty shot for Ronnie

O'Sullivan from underneath the

cushion. Makes his shot a lot

harder.

Look at that red. Taking this on

with his good cueing.

He has done very well with the cue

ball. Just as he was playing that

shot, something fluttered down from

the ceiling. May have distracted

him.

We've not seen much of Ronnie

O'Sullivan's long game today.

Everything has been close in, so

it's an opportunity to see.

He is

committing himself. All the eggs

coming in the basket here. He found

a gap. Did not think that was on. So

there was an element of safety in

the shot on a shot to nothing. I did

not think he could get through that

gap.

Just run away with it there. The cue

ball has gone a little bit too far.

Ronnie was playing the blue. He

looked to see where it went, usually

you tell players not to do that, get

up again and think what you are

going to play. That is why the cue

ball ran an extra bit.

Could be end of break.

It does look like there is a red

which goes past the black. And he is

left-handed. He may be able to reach

over and cut this in. Half ball cut.

Doesn't feel it with a left hand for

the shot. Perhaps it's too much of a

stretch.

Fantastic shot.

And for someone like Ronnie

O'Sullivan who can play

right-handed, left-handed, on a

daily practice basis, he wouldn't

necessarily be using his wrist that

much. So it could become something

to be fearful of but he is a great

player. Is he going into the pack

here? With speed, he misjudged it

quite a bit and that is end of

break.

Decent safety shot in many ways. Cut

of escape routes back down the table

and may have forced Ronnie

O'Sullivan to go for this pot. With

no guarantee of position. So a bad

risk reward proposition coming up.

I thought that was in. Well, a

chance for Michael Georgiou, it

looks like an easy one, into the

left corner, and guaranteed position

on the black.

That was a bit straighter than I

thought, but, even so, a bad miss.

Just when he was getting some slight

signs of encouragement, he has won a

frame, Ronnie has started missing a

couple.

Poor shot. The poor shot was that

angle on the black. It can still put

this, but it has become missable.

It would have been unlucky to have

not been on a colour.

From Michael Georgiou's perspective

he cannot have any complaints. He

has not been strong enough today so

far.

What a shot. Just fantastic. Made a

bit easier because the frame was

finished. Whilst it has not been a

sparkling performance from Ronnie

O'Sullivan today, it has been a

comfortable day at the office for

him. 5-1, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

In terms of Michael Bosman case in

round one where he won the last

three to beat Alfie burden to be

here, it is an entirely different

question when he is facing Ronnie.

He has got one frame and he has got

a little bit of confidence.

He could

have made another nice little break

and he will be kicking himself now

because he had a chance to put a few

points on the board and put some

doubt into running's nine. It looks

like Ronnie has gone off the boil.

His concentration has gone because

it is too easy for him.

Do you read

it in same way?

Absolutely. That was

a chance. It is the first to 6, it

is not the best of nine. But it is a

massive mistake missing that.

We saw

Michael go out earlier on to give

himself a pep talk. Has this just

happened to Ronnie?

He will not be

happy with the way he has played. He

will be happy that he has had an

easy match and a little run out, but

he will not be happy with the way he

has played. In patches he looks

good, but his concentration has gone

and he has missed a lot of balls

that you would not normally see him

miss. It will be different in the

next round, he will have a tougher

match. It is a little run out as it

were today.

In his first-round match

he made two centuries and those were

the 907th and 908 of his career. You

will not have realised that he

crossed the 900 barrier last month.

His top break to date is 69. When

you look at his career that is an

extraordinary number.

I do not see

that ever getting beaten. No one in

a million years is ever going to

beat that. When he finishes playing,

I think he better get even further.

I do not think it will take him

long. I do not think it will take

him many seasons to get 100

centuries.

He has not shown that

century form today. However, he is

just one away from a place in the

last 32 in a championship that he is

attempting to win for the sixth time

and that would be a record equalling

number with a certain Steve Davis

sitting in our commentary box.

STEVE DAVIS: Wreckers either be

broken. There are few you do not

think will be broken. Possibly Judd

Trump is best placed to beat one of

them. It depends on how long he can

stay at the top of the game.

STEPHEN HENDRY: I said at the start

of this match that in the first

frame and the last frame he is at

his strongest. I know which way I

would be betting. He is so good at

killing and match off.

You are asking for trouble!

Steve, I bet you a pound he wins the

match at this visit!

A lot of players with a frame to win

the match go into their shell a bit.

He is exactly the opposite. He can

smell the opportunity.

To get the job done. One more easy

ride.

I think I will have that bet

with you just to see the look on

your face when you have to pull a

pound out!

A touch of left-hand side to make

the cue ball arch into the bunch.

Did not go in with as much

conviction as I thought he would.

If the pink goes under the pack,

there is possibly another read to

the left-hand corner. The red is on

the pink spot. This is starting to

look ominous for Michael Georgiou.

I

think you have one yourself a quid

here.

Great pace to get the right side of

the blue. Very good at that shot.

Getting that perfect angle on the

blue a significant amount of time

when you play it can make the game

very easy.

It is an amazing amount

of breaks you see end. A lot of

players get on the wrong side of the

blue.

It is like the friend of the

snooker player, but it can also be

the enemy.

This is the last of the pottable red

in the middle of the table. Looking

for some sort of angle on the black

on this.

on this.

That will do.

No century break so far. Can this be

the way he finishes this match?

14 seconds shot. Pity brisk. --

pretty brisk. Match ball. £1 for

Steve Davis!

Michael has had an afternoon of

suffering out in this main arena,

but it is being put to an end now.

Can you change a fiver? !

APPLAUSE

And very easy victory for Ronnie

O'Sullivan. Neither player will be

happy with their game, but it was

all about the win today for Ronnie

O'Sullivan.

Ronnie goes through and he will face

either Michael White or Matthew

Selt. They will be playing later

today. In the end a conference of

victory, the same scoreline that he

inflicted last year. We'll Michael

take any more crumbs of comfort from

this performance as compared to the

last one?

The experience of playing

one of the greatest players who has

ever played the game. It is in the

main arena on TV. Even though it is

a baptism of fire, the next time he

goes out and he plays in the garage

or wherever he has that experience

there. He is a good lad, he is a lot

better than he was today. He has to

take some sort of crumbs of comfort

from it.

We did not see too much

break-building from Ronnie. It was a

comfortable performance, he got over

the line. How will he reflect on it

himself?

He will not be happy, he

lost his concentration. He has been

cueing pretty well over the last

couple of months. It will be

interesting to see how he feels, he

has done a lot of travelling back

and forwards to China. He has been

at a lot of events recently. But he

is cueing quite well and is the man

to beat.

There were 5/2 centuries in

that match. We talked about the fact

that he has got over 900 centuries.

At what point do you think he will

hit 1000?

If he is averaging about

50 or 60 season, he is still a young

man and only 41, we do not know how

long he will stay and when he will

go or hang up his cue, but you can

see him being around in the next six

years at least, at least 30 or 40

centuries.

Is he the man to beat?

Yes, he is. Mark Selby was the man

in form and a lot of people would

try to avoid Ronnie, but there is a

long way to go in this tournament,

there are a lot of great players and

it remains to be seen how big will

pan out.

Here he comes. Good to see

you. 4-0 and it was all over as a

contest. How did you feel the match

went in general?

It was hard because

Michael really struggled out there.

You should not feel for someone but

you could see everything he tried

went wrong, which is good for me. I

played all right. I never worry

about who I am playing or how they

play, I always try to keep the ball

in my court and think as long as I

put in a good performance, it will

take someone to play well to beat

me. I was therefore taking but he

had to play better than he did

today.

The concentration was going

because it was easier than you

expected?

Definitely not. When I

went through that spell of missing

balls it was not because of

concentration, you know how

difficult this game is, when you are

not completely on it you can steer

balls and things like that. It is

how quickly you can get through that

period. It lasted for a frame and a

half until that last frame and then

I had the tubal on a bit of a

string. I have got this new chalk

out there and it is great for

balance and pushing. I still think

the triangle is the governor and I

felt a different feeling out there

in the last frame.

We have to

congratulate you, it has been a

blistering start to the season. Four

big finals, two titles, 30 major

world ranking titles. Is there

anything you have done differently?

You are playing an awful lot.

I have

probably played about half what

everyone else has played. Last year

I had 70 exhibitions and some of the

tables you play on... I am playing

people who cannot even make ten, all

club players. You lose your match

focus and everything. But I winged

it and I did all right last year.

Before this year's World

Championships I put in about six

weeks practice and my game improved

again and I thought I owed it to

myself to give it a good go. I have

cut down the exhibitions, I am

playing more tournaments, doing more

solo practice.

How are you feeling?

We talked about you going back and

forwards to China for tournaments.

How are you feeling mentally?

Are

you getting a bit tired? I do not

feel tired at all. I have been

eating well, I changed my diet 12

weeks ago.

What do you do

differently?

I was eating too much

and drinking tea and coffee, so I

was having a lot of highs and lows.

At the moment I do not feel like

that, I feel pretty strong. That was

a revelation, I thought I had to run

seven or eight miles to keep the

weight off. I can stay slim if I eat

the right stuff.

That is the new

book for Christmas!

The Ronnie

O'Sullivan diet.

We did talk about

records and chasing records and we

talked about you getting over 900

tons, but this 30 world ranking

titles, Stephen Hendry has got 36.

You have got that in your site. We

talked about motivation, but that

has got to get you up in the morning

chasing these things?

No, absolutely

not. I want to play for the

enjoyment of it. It is the hardest

thing I do. All the work that I do,

I find it tough sometimes. That will

never change, I have to manage it as

well as I can and I am doing that

pretty well. Records are something I

am not bothered about. I try and

keep it as businesslike as I can. I

do not want to get too emotionally

involved with playing. It is helping

me to do other stuff. I am not all

totally into snooker. It does not

work for me.

What gives you the

bars?

Just playing. If I am playing

terrible, I am the most miserable

man in the world. Somebody is

helping me work on that and it has

helped, but I find it hard to

accept. Winning is a by-product for

me if you play the game properly and

do all the right things. But if you

do not play properly, the standard

the way the game is, you will not

win no matter how good you are. It

is very black and white for me in

that respect.

The two titles you

have already got, that would be a

successful season for most guys. Is

everything else is a bonus? Can you

afford to think like that or are you

going for more?

It is nice to have a

bit of comfort to know you do not

have to worry about qualifying for

the Masters, but I wanted to win a

tournament in China. That was a goal

at the start of the season. But do

not rest on your laurels. You have a

little moment when you think if I do

not win for the rest of the season,

I will be all right. What is the

point of thinking like that for six

months? That is a loser's attitude.

They are in the bank and out of the

way and it is about pushing on and

doing better.

A couple of shots

already in this tournament.

When

Scott Donaldson was playing Mark

Selby I said if Mark Selby is not on

it, he can win. Anyone with a great

temperament can beat any of the top

guys. He has got a very good match

temperament. Most Scottish people

have, and the Welsh people. They are

very tough. And the Irish! It is not

a surprise to me. If Mark played his

top game, then he probably would

have won. But if you do not play