Third Round - Part 2 UK Snooker Championship

Good afternoon. We are spending our

week here in York for UK

Championship. This is one of the

landmarks of this city, very popular

at this time of year, with the

Christmas markets in full swing. But

not far from here somebody is going

to win a sizeable Christmas bonus at

the Barbican centre. This afternoon,

we have the class of 92. They are

like the sporting greats Ryan Giggs

and David Beckham but these guys

have been dazzling the crowds for 25

years. They are John Higgins, and

the man who celebrates his 42nd

birthday today, The Rocket, Ronnie

O'Sullivan. Thank you very much.

Brilliant!

I played Stephen Hendry and Steve

Davis, the legends of the game, and

they've won the most, but I think

he's somebody who just makes it look

easy, right-handed and left-handed.

He's just a one-off.

He's probably

one of the greatest players of all

time. You know, me, John, Mark

Williams, we've noted each other,

we've probably been good for each

other.

Still standing indeed. Both

42 years young, O'Sullivan and

Higgins are now very top two players

left in this Championship, at four

and five respectively, and they both

have something in common today. They

are fighting off the younger

generation.

Ronnie is officially the top man

here in York now. So say both the

rankings and the bookies, who make

him a runaway favourite for his

sixth title. Michael Whyte is in his

way today. He has also struck

lightning in the silverware. John

Higgins has been putting in the

miles ahead of his match back and

forward to be tiptop today. Because

he faces the amazing 17-year-old

Yann Byng Tao -- Yan Bingtao, who

reached his first semifinal. Any

questions or queries, you know where

to send them.

These guys were once sensations

themselves. This is a truly old

Championship. It's getting very

precarious now all those top seeds

have gone, especially after that

final frame decider last night.

Yes,

we all say you don't have to get

that much from your top standard.

They think is a bit easier to win

but you just can't let your guard

down.

We have two cracking matches

this afternoon. That's talk about

this amazing 17-year-old, Yan

Bingtao, against a wily John

Higgins. How much of tasks as John

face today?

I've been watching Yan

Bingtao and he has been improving

hand over fist and he's a top, top

competitor. Jermaine has a

potentially very difficult

afternoon. He's incredibly talented

and works very hard. -- John has a

potentially very difficult

afternoon.

It was Ronnie who won

this title at 17 years of age. This

guy is only 17 as well. Let's focus

on Ronnie and John's longevity. It's

incredible.

I went round looking at

the junior event once and then I saw

these two, and once these two suss

out what it it -- what is needed to

be a professional, my goodness! And

then to still be playing 25 years

later, remarkable. Willie is the

favourite for the event and John's

matchplay is incredible. -- Ronnie

is the favourite.

Will this be more of a contest for

Ronnie today?

It depends how he

plays, because when he puts his mind

to it he has as good a safety game

as anybody in the game and you would

expect him to dictate the exchanges.

Michael is seriously talented and

he's going to have to play his own

game today, so it will be

fascinated.

We are ready for it. We

have another couple of crackers for

you as well, on tables three and

four. A former semifinalist here.

Martin Gould, who knows there's a

possible route back into the top 16

world rankings, if you can keep this

one going this week, he takes on the

23-year-old Iranian player Hossein

salsa, who has already been to a

quarterfinal of an English Open. But

it is Ronnie's match we will be

watching festival. It has been clear

skies and plain sailing for him but

he doesn't want to get hit by White

lightning today.

It would be nice to win a sort of

major tournament but I'm quite happy

in general. I'm quite confident that

it's going to happen. If not this

week then maybe this season may be

next season, because I'm doing all

the right things to put myself in

the best position I can, so my game

is in a pretty good place at the

moment and hopefully I can soon get

back into the top 16. I've worked a

lot on my safety. It's been a bit

inconsistent. It's going to have to

be as good as it can be. If I do get

the chance is going to have to take

them. I need to enjoy it and not put

too much pressure on myself, which

I'm trying not to, but it will be a

great occasion for me. I think a lot

of pressures came when I won my

first tournament and I don't think I

dealt with it as well as maybe I

could have, but I was young at the

time. I'm still pretty young. I've

got years ahead of me so, yeah, I

think I'm sort of getting back to

playing some of my best snooker.

COMMENTATOR: Once again, your

champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

He's the greatest player that has

ever lived in my eyes, so he's going

to be tough to beat, especially in

the Barbican, where he is so

comfortable. He's won numerous

times. If I turn up and play as good

as I can, I can do myself justice.

Well, this is the biggest stage upon

which these two have met so far. The

two previous matches, the most who

profile of which was a tournament in

Belgium. Michael has become a

multiple trophy winner this season,

most notably in Germany. It might be

Ronnie's birthday but Michael would

be in the room -- in the mood to

hand him any gifts yet! Let's get

the show on the road.

So many of the top 16 have gone but

many of the all-time greats are

still in contention in this

Championship. Two of the member

stage have amassed an incredible 59

ranking titles between them. This

promises to be a very special

Tuesday here in Yorkshire.

Please welcome the most exciting

teenage player we've seen for many

years. Former world amateur champion

and World Cup winner, he was one

frame away from becoming the

youngest ranking event champion in

history last month in Northern

Ireland, so here comes the Chinese

sensation Yan Bingtao!

And his opponent, one of the finest

sportsmen Scotland has ever

produced. He's been at the top for

well over 20 years adding yet

another ranking title to his huge

collection in India this season.

Four times a world champion, here

comes The Wizard of Wishaw, here

comes John Higgins!

About to emerge on table one, a

classy Welshman who's been banging

in competitive centuries since the

age of nine. His senior breakthrough

came in India two years ago and

earlier this season he doubled his

ranking event collection, winning

the Paul Hunter classic. Here comes

Michael White Lightning!

And finally, a man who has been

thrilling snooker crowds for a

quarter of a century. Superb form

this season has seen him win the

English Open and the Shanghai

Masters. 30 ranking titles in all,

five times a champion of the world,

blink and you'll miss him, The

Rocket, Ronnie O'Sullivan!

So, here's how we are going to play

this. Higgins-Bingtao will be on the

Red Button. We'll be keeping you

updated here on BBC Two and the

matches are also available via the

BBC sport website. It is table one

where we are heading, and, Dennis

Taylor and Ken Doherty, are you

ready?

DENNIS TAYLOR: We are. We are both

looking forward to seeing how the

birthday boy is playing today. A top

Welsh opponent in Michael White. So

off we go, then. Ronnie gets the

match underway. And pretty good

break-off shot there.

Yeah, really

looking forward to this match,

Dennis. A classic already this

season, Michael. But other than

that, he hasn't played particularly

well. But he's a man for the big

occasions, you can certainly say

that, and this is one of those.

I think if he gets off to a good

start, settles down quickly, then it

could be a very interesting match.

But like any player playing Ronnie

O'Sullivan on the big stage, it

depends how fast Ronnie starts as

well.

Another pretty good safety shot.

From Ronnie. But Michael White, I

mean, we're looking at a player here

who made his first competitive

century when he was nine years of

age and won the world amateur when

he was 14. That's amazing.

He's got

bundles of talent, no doubt about

that. And he's very, very quick

around the table. Scores very fast.

It was quite interesting in the

intro when he was being interviewed,

he said his safety has to be

top-notch. It certainly has to be,

but also scoring has to be top-notch

as well today, to put Ronnie under

any pressure. It's one thing that

sometimes we forget about with

Ronnie O'Sullivan. For all his big

breaks and 147s, his safety is among

the best that there is. A match for

anybody.

Well, this is not the best safety

shot he's played if this red keeps

on running. It's pulled up just in

time. Looked like it was going to go

right over the corner pocket there.

And it's put Michael in a spot of

bother, the fact that it's finished

there, because it's not easy to

knock this in, and there's no easy

safety shot on. So he just might

have to take it on. It wouldn't

normally be his choice. He's looked

at the potting angle. If he doesn't

get this, you could leave Ronnie

right in amongst them. -- he could

leave Ronnie. And that's a terrific

shot. Deserves to be on the black.

Superb queueing there.

That's not bad.

Looks to be a bit straight on this

black.

Didn't get into the cue ball the way

he would have liked. A lot of cue

power but didn't use it there at

all. Trying to get onto that red

just below the pink. Playing at off

the cushion now at this angle makes

it a lot more difficult.

This is missable.

Yeah, as Ken said, it was certainly

missable from that angle. It was the

shot just before where it was more

of a stunned than the screw. He just

didn't cue it the way he normally

would have. And you can see Michael

looking to see what Ronnie was going

to do with that shot and he's just

looking around the corner, around

the back of Ronnie there.

Just a bit awkward on the blue and

that's the reason he's taking the

yellow.

Ooh! Now, then! He might get away

with this even if the white goes in

the pocket. There's a pottable red

to the middle but that was an

unexpected miss. No one saw that

coming.

He's got a couple of rates to the

left centre. -- a couple of reds.

Not easy with the jaws of that

pocket. But certainly worth having a

go at it. He's looking at the safety

shot.

Well, quite a long way away from

that one. Has he left it?

That's a bit too thin from there.

Just planning the safety shot. He

could do with a gap here between the

green and the blue to get down the

left side of the reds, and there

just might be a gap.

And there was, and he's played it

well. Very good shot.

Another mistake from Ronnie.

Unexpected. But he hasn't left

anything.

It doesn't half make a big

difference, that. That's twice

Ronnie's missed one pot. He got it

safe and then hitting the jaws of

the pocket. He could quite easily

have put Michael in on both

occasions.

This cue balls come very close to

this pocket. He's played it very,

very well. He has him in a spot of

bother here.

It's a bit of a messy

table, though, isn't it? The black

where it is. The pink off its spot,

the yellow up this end of the table.

You never know how it's going to pan

out but it's bit of -- it's a bit of

a scrappy frame. You never know how

the balls will finish up.

Well, that was a great shot. That

was an excellent return from Ronnie.

He duly acknowledges it.

It's the type of frame both players

went really enjoy very much. --

weren't really enjoy. A bit of cat

and mouse at the moment. Trying to

find the first opening.

He's covered most of the reds. The

one between the pink and the red and

the pink spot is the only one that

is possible to pot.

If he took that on, the white would

be going towards the right corner

pocket, so he's got to try to cut

this in the middle, but this is

awkward cueing. That wasn't easy.

The cannon on the brown has kept

everything safe, though.

But gradually they are starting to

open up.

There's a couple of words Michael

could have a go at here. That one is

almost straight. A bit of angle. But

the yellow is up this end of the

table. That's what he's looking

that, to see if he stopped it dead,

would he be on the yellow? If he

stopped it dead he would be

snookered on the yellow with the red

to the left of the one he would be

taking. Playing it with topspin,

he's got to be careful the white

doesn't follow it in.

It wasn't easy, that.

He was hoping to get the cue ball

behind the brown but he's left this

red inside the blue. A very

straightforward safety shot from

Ronnie here.

Just wondering, can he cut this one

into the right-hand corner pocket?

There's a couple of friends he can

go at. Maybe get back up for blue or

yellow. -- a couple of reds.

Some

good long balls already in this

frame. That's another good pot.

Trying to get back out for the

yellow into that corner pocket. Does

it go into the right centre? Well,

it's very tight.

No. Very tough to judge, those.

He let the white runaway there.

Good cueing. And just look at the

table. There's very few points

available but it's one of the

situations sometimes where Ronnie

O'Sullivan is good at break-building

when there's not a lot there. But

he's not timing the ball just as

well at the moment. He didn't get

into that one.

It is the first frame and it takes

the players just a while to settle

in.

He's got an angle on this red to

clip the black and the red on the

right side of the table. Doesn't

have to but it's possibly on.

Didn't take the opportunity. But it

worked out OK.

Now, he needs a nice angle after

putting this red. Hopefully for the

blue. Then try to go into those four

reds at the top there. It's a tough

target.

Well, he hit them OK but nothing

available.

Certainly not the type of framework

were expecting to start off. The

balls can sometimes get tied up.

Just got to be a bit careful here he

doesn't capture -- catch a colour on

the way back down. The yellow and

blue are in the way of the cue ball

heading back down the table, but

this will cut in. The referee,

Marcel Eckhardt, just removing the

foreign object of the cue ball.

It was a bit of a free shot, as I

say.

That's a few times Ronnie has put

Michael down in this position, and

it is always a very tough to cue.

Almost over the pocket.

You have got to be so precise.

It wasn't the best safety shot, but

he will certainly be happy with it.

APPLAUSE

Good effort.

Well, how many times have we seen

that white up in the jaws of that

top corner pocket? But this will cut

in. It is a half chance for Ronnie.

APPLAUSE

It has gone close on numerous

occasions, and there again it is in

the jaws, but he is on the brown,

and there is a red, the one that is

nearest the right corner.

The other one might possibly be.

He is now looking at the green. But

you would think the brown would be

the better one for position. Yes,

back to the brown.

Oh, the flick on the blue. What's

the outcome? I tell you what, it

might not be bad, because he flicked

the red away, and now the black is

available. So that could turn out to

his advantage, that flick on the

blue.

APPLAUSE

I tell you, that really takes superb

cueing. That was a fantastic shot.

The brown wasn't that easy either.

Those two shots on their own will

tell you how good he is cueing.

Now,

watch this, it was amazing. When he

flicked the blue, I thought it was

all going wrong, but look at the

other flick on the red to free the

black.

This is another tough one coming up.

It is not straightforward.

He doesn't want this red to knock

the black safe, he is playing a

safety shot, that's OK.

28 points, the difference. The game

has now opened up. So, one mistake

could be costly.

At the moment, he may not be timing

the ball as well as he would like,

but his safety so far has been

excellent.

And Michael's hasn't been too

shabby, either.

First loose one.

And as I say, we have had a lot of

safety, because the frame went very

awkward. Can Michael White convert

this long read, give himself a

chance?

Oh, dear. There was a lot of safety

play. This might be in, off the

brown, is it? He cued that one very

poorly, have a look at this. That is

not the sort of thing you want to

see happening.

Yes, quite a lot of movement, and

that will certainly worry him a

little bit.

Now, a chance for Ronnie to get a 28

point lead.

He can hold for the black here with

a little kiss on the yellow. Just

the black and one more red for this

opening frame, that has been a bit

scrappy. He won't mind, they all

count. He has got to judge a little

cannon into these two reds here.

That hasn't worked out well at all.

No attempt at the double there,

although the red almost went in off

the pink. But Michael has got to get

the white back up the table, and

somewhere to the right of the yellow

and towards the black, otherwise he

will leave that red near the pocket,

so it will be interesting to see how

he plays this.

And he did. Now he has got the white

up the table, but not the way he

intended. I was just about to say

that that was the frame over, until

he double-kissed the red.

Another good safety from Ronnie

O'Sullivan, still waiting for that

one red that he needs. This friend

coming up to almost 29 minutes.

He has got to be careful here that

he doesn't leave this red on.

REFEREE:

Foul and a miss.

He has got hit it this time, because

he is 40 behind.

It is so easy to push this red into

a portable position.

APPLAUSE

And where is the white going to

finish? On the blue spot.

46 ahead.

Bit of a scrappy opener, a lot of

safety, the balls went a bit messy.

Yes, you never know how the frame is

going to pan out. It will possibly

turn out to be the longest frame of

the match.

I think we spoke about Ronnie's

safety game that is up there with

the best as well, and a few little

shots during that frame just showed

how good he was, got into all sorts

of trouble a couple of times, and

ultimately it cost him the frame.

Yes, he has kept his focus, which

you have to do, when you get an

awkward frame like this. They are

just as important to win, probably

more important. It doesn't matter

about the pink wobbling in the jaws

of the pocket. It is a frame that

lasted just over half an hour, and

Ronnie O'Sullivan takes it, and he

leads one frame to nil.

Hazel IRVINE: Ronnie off and

running, and there were points when

the decisions needed to be made by

most Michael White and Ronnie. He is

in the situation, he is 30 points

behind, the two reds on the table, I

would have been tempted to play the

other one that was in the baulk

area. He plays it another way, clips

the red, and he is making it harder

for himself to make a clearance if

he gets it anyway, by potting

another red close to the cushion.

He clips the red like this, and now

he is snookered. It is funny how

people see the game differently. I'm

not saying what he did was wrong,

but it is the way of looking at it

and thinking, how will I get back

into the game?

He certainly played a

fantastic safety shot from there,

and it was such a difficult shot to

play, there was a chance of going in

off, so it was an excellent safety

shot.

You can't fault his

preparation, he was here for a

couple of hours, and beta you have

been privy to the fact that he has

been doing a lot of work recently.

Yes, I popped into the Academy in

Sheffield yesterday, and I had a

best of nine with one of the lads

before I came to York, and he was

practising there. He was still there

when I left, he is potting a lot of

hard work in.

And he is paying off,

he has been in three of the four

recent finals, he has two major

titles under his belt this season,

and he seems to be very committed.

And he was fully focused, and if he

keeps winning, and his attitude

there was unquestionable.

Dennis,

back to you.

That is a long pot, looks a little

quicker than the other day, but

playing absolutely beautiful.

That was a good point Peter Ebdon

made about the practice, you think

here's a natural player, doesn't

have to practice, there has never

been a player that could play and

get to the top of the game of

snooker without putting the hard

work in. There is no secret to

getting to the top of this game, you

have to put in the hours and hours

of practice.

A great quote from the

great Sir Alex Ferguson, he said

talent without hard work wins

nothing. Ronnie has got bundles of

talent, but he works hard to go with

it, and that's why he's been so

successful. 25 years ago he won this

championship, just 17 years of age.

And of course, he has won it five

times, he is bidding this year to

equal Steve Davis's six. A

remarkable career, still going

strong.

Totally the opposite to the opening

frame.

Just a couple more reds available.

Even the great players take their

eye off the pot sometimes. He

concentrated on the cannon into the

reds there, had to play it with

side, and just took his

concentration of the pot.

It is very

important for Michael White here to

knock a few in just settle down. But

in off the left jaw.

If he had hit this any harder, just

have a look at this. It would have

come back out again. But he is a

very talented player, so he could do

with knocking in a few here to get

right back into this second frame.

Yes, it is situations like this that

he really has to score from, not

only to give himself a bit of

confidence but just to let Ronnie no

that he is going to have to play

well to beat him.

He has to make Ronnie know that if

he misses, he is going to get

punished. It is an important break,

this, for Michael.

I think the red that is close to the

pink doesn't pot, so he might leave

the angle close so that he can nudge

the red into play, that looks

perfect.

The only awkward red would

be that one just below the black on

the cushion, you would have to say.

That may be the key to this frame.

I think he tried to move it there.

He definitely tried to take it off

the cushion.

He has changed his mind a couple of

times there. That's OK.

Very easy to get up for that red to

the right of the blue.

And he got a kick, he almost missed

the pot. That would have been

unlucky, he got a heavy contact

there. It just jumped a little bit.

Now, how is he going to go about

this red that is behind the black?

Is he going to play to get on it for

either corner pocket? Or if he

doesn't fancy that, he can leave the

white in such a position that he

could put Ronnie in all sorts of

trouble. It will be interested to

see how he goes about this and what

his decision will be. When you are

at the table, sometimes you think, I

am going to go for it, but that is

what he is already debating in his

own mind.

I think he has got to try

to get on that baulk, try to get

somewhere close to that red.

I would just put a little cue ball

up there, Dennis. If he gets

anywhere within that vicinity, then

he leaves a nice angle on the red.

Has he missed the black? Just got a

little flick on the black.

He could

put everything into just potting

this. He has a slight angle, but

that is the problem with these

pockets, if you force them...

It is OK we knew are just dropping

the men along the cushion, but when

you have to put in any pace, it is

so easy for this to happen. I mean,

it looked good there. But this was

the position that Michael could have

put Ronnie in. But you can't blame

him for trying to knock the red in.

Yes, maybe laying a snooker for

Ronnie O'Sullivan. If you just drops

the red in, the angle wasn't

fantastic to get up for the black,

but he could have dropped it in and

maybe played a little snooker just

up behind the black and put Ronnie

and a lot of trouble, and now he has

got to not only try and hit this

red, but get it safe, that is going

to be the most difficult part of

this equation.

He is going for the swerve shot,

right down the cue. Now, where is

the red going to finish? And where

is the blue going to finish? Is the

blue coming to the rescue on the cue

ball? It is, he holds his hand up.

APPLAUSE

You never know where they are going

to finish, and what a result there.

That was a case of, anything you can

do, I can do better.

He has to clip the edge of this red,

because if he clips it fourball, the

Green will take all of the pace out

of the cue ball, so he has to clip

the edge. That is not too bad, he

will be happy with that.

I don't fit Ronnie can pot this red.

If he sends it all around the angle,

he will get somewhere behind the

black, I would think. And here it

comes. He caught the jaw of the

pocket, otherwise he would have got

the red in behind the black. I tell

you what, if Michael can play one

good safety shot here, double the

red across, the white back up

towards yellow and brown, the red

might go close to the right corner

pocket.

Played it well, this is a very good

shot. Excellent.

Is there a gap?

I think there is.

Well, Ronnie's time to be extremely

lucky, he got the double-kiss.

There is a big target there, the

green, and the pink and of course

the blue, he can use them as

Brockers. The yellow is not a bad

one, either.

That is a great safety, and he will

need a little bit of luck, two

cushions.

REFEREE:

Foul, and a miss. Michael

White, four.

Ronnie is not playing just hit this,

he wants to clip it.

And this could be a free ball, this

could be very costly, it could have

cost him the frame. It is, and I

know it is the best of 11 and it is

early days, but this is a huge frame

for this young Welsh player.

REFEREE:

Yellow ball.

The yellow counts as one point.

I don't know about you, Dennis, but

I think I would like to get the

greenback up on its spot here, just

to make the break a bit easier. OK,

he is 18 points ahead, he could go

blue, red, blue or pink and then

yellow, and then Ronnie Wood need

snickers, but he could go for the

green here, if he wished.

No, he is going to go red, blue,

yellow. And Ronnie will need one

snooker. This is a frame that Ronnie

really should have won.

Yes, surprised he left a three ball

-- free ball there.

But as you can see, only one snooker

required, so this green might go

past the black. I'm not sure.

I

think this was the problem. By not

getting the greenback on its spot

he's made life a bit more difficult

for him. Well, just about.

Well, Ronnie says that's enough so

Michael White name gets his first

frame on the board. It's 1-1.

HAZEL IRVINE: So, one frame apiece.

The way he went about getting over

the line there, there was much

discussion between you two about

that process.

Yeah, you don't expect

O'Sullivan to miss the way he's done

that, miss the red and then the free

ball. The first shot out have been

playing was yellow off side cushion,

get the green, dead straight,

greenback on its spot perfect and

then the clearance is much easier,

but he went another way and got over

the line but did it the hard way.

Questions of Michael so far, Peter?

It's been an interesting game.

They've shared excellent safety,

potted a lot of balls. Michael White

now really have to play his own game

and he's gone out and attacked

Ronnie but he's also tried to

compete with him in the safety

department, which will be difficult

over the course of the match, but

he's doing well and that was an

important frame to him to win.

This

is one of the first times that he

opened my eyes to think he could be

one of the best players was when I

saw him not at his best but, boy,

did he compete. He took Selby to a

final frame decider. He didn't have

his best game that day but he showed

me that even without his best game,

he's a good competitor and he's

difficult to beat.

He has had a

rough time of it of late. He came

back and won an event in Germany. He

has taken some matches against Selby

this season, but even with that,

he's had some mental health issues

and address those and really seems

to be getting back to where he was a

couple of years ago, which is

fantastic to see. In terms of his

competitive ability, how would you

rate him as a 26-year-old in this

game now?

He's a very good

competitor and he such a natural

talent as well, isn't he? When he's

on his game he is capable of beating

anybody. Going back to his mental

issues, this is the most difficult

game in the world bar none. When you

get beat, when you sit and make a

mistake -- when you met mistakes,

then sit in your chair. There's so

much luck involved as well.

It's a

story we've heard from many players.

It's a hard game to master and it

does inflict psychological blows

upon you the longer you stay in.

Scars, too, as we talked about,

John. Back we go. One frame apiece.

DENNIS TAYLOR: Once again, another

very good break of shocked. --

break-off shot. Tight to the

cushion. That's what you're looking

for. Michael pap the table there to

acknowledge that. -- Michael tapped

the table.

Of course he plays it

left-handed as well. You tend to

forget about Ronnie breaking off

left-handed and it just becomes so

customary. You take it for granted.

Coming off two cushions to try to

get to the red.

REFEREE:

Foul and a miss.

That's the perfect line. Can he

remember where he hit the cushion?

Well, if he doesn't hit it this

time, this looks a bit weak as well.

Will it reach? Yes, well played,

well played.

Good pot from Ronnie into a cute

angle there -- a cued angle there.

This is the only other red that's

available. And those two reds are a

bit awkward to get a good split here

but he's so good at this type of

shot. And he's played that very well

indeed.

Just going back to what the boys and

Hazel were talking about in the

studio about mental strength in this

game... I haven't seen Doctor Steve

Peters, who arrives a lot of the

time with Ronnie. A sports

psychiatrist rather than

psychologist. When he's around,

Ronnie's always in a good frame of

mind.

Yeah, well, I think his good friend

Damien Hirst is here as well, the

artist. Always seems to have a

calming influence on Ronnie. They

get on very, very well together.

We talk about how tough this game

is. Michael White bounced out of the

arena after winning that close last

frame. He's in a difficult position.

No shot, plays out of snooker and

has been sitting in his chair for

the rest of the frame. Tough game.

This just improves the importance of

getting a good break-off shot and

Ronnie have the perfect one. -- had

the perfect one. I mentioned at the

time I thought the first frame would

be the longest of the match. It's

certainly proving that way at the

moment. Last frame was just 15

minutes.

Should be OK. Just need to avoid the

baulk colours and a few reds still

available.

That was a lovely little

shot Ronnie played there, and that's

part of the art of break-building.

He used the pack of reds, a bit of

left-hand side to bring some more

reds back into place to go up for

the blue. Beautiful shot. And the

control that goes with it.

Ronnie's up at 95%. That's

excellent.

Yeah, you're watching a player who's

made 908 century breaks in his

career. That's remarkable! He's made

two in this tournament. Made 50

centuries last season. 34 this

season. The highest break at the

moment held by Ronnie's opponent,

Michael White. 142.

Another marvellous century from

Ronnie. Never been out of position

once. A wonderful break. So

effortless, so easy. And often that

break off...

Just coming up to eight

minutes in this third frame. He is

slowing down a bit, isn't he?

Everyone always brings up the

maximum break in five minutes and 20

seconds! That was made in 1997 at

The Crucible. Can you believe it?

Well, what a magnificent frame from

Ronnie O'Sullivan. It was the great

break of shocked that opened the way

for him to get that chance, and

didn't he take it well? -- the great

break-off shot.

HAZEL IRVINE: You two were waxing

lyrical about the shot that enabled

him to go on and win previously.

Yeah, he plays the cannon,

deliberately just sending the white

through there to leave himself the

red into the opposite corner.

You've

got to get the correct angle

absolutely on that. If you don't, it

can and is the red out of the way,

you don't get back on the ball. But

so poetic. Every positional shot was

perfect, the touch, the way he works

around the break. You know they are

going to go in. The touch is

phenomenal.

We were saying at the

weekend, he crossed that 900 ton

mark and now he's going so quickly

to try to establish the 1000th. It's

off the chart, really, that

achievement, isn't it?

He is

phenomenal. I did an interview

recently for the BBC website and

he's a creative genius. That's

exactly what he is as well. Even the

red he played, the hardest on shot,

he didn't perfectly get on the blue,

then he played a lovely controlled

screw shot. Brilliant and beautiful

to watch.

The trouble is, he makes

it look too easy. I could do that!

You can't! Trust me, you can't!

There's nobody like him.

Does he see

a break differently? Does he go

about it in a way that is

fundamentally different?

He does,

and he's proved that because he's

made more centuries than anybody

else, but as John alluded to there,

it's his touch, on these very

difficult cloths. Just a genius.

Brilliant to watch.

Ronnie has given

us some artistry, as Peter said, and

it is Michael White with it all to

do as we head into the last before

the interval.

KEN DOHERTY:

Interesting from the

studio there. It's a great sight

when you see Ronnie O'Sullivan in

full flight. Particularly some of

the shots he sees, and he sees them

so quickly. And plays them with the

greatest of ease and aplomb.

It would be some feat when he

eventually does reach the 1000 mark

in the century 's department. I

don't think he's going to be too far

away. Already 999. A couple of

seasons, maybe.

Could well reach

that thousand but you never know

what's around the corner for anyone

in sport or life. You just enjoy it

while you're doing it.

And the double-kiss. Well, I thought

it might come to his rescue but he

can pot this one to the left corner.

Just a couple of the long pots

Michael's had a go but, he hasn't

queued them very smoothly. He needs

to get in amongst the balls but he's

not getting any chances. -- he

hasn't cued them very smoothly. Not

getting in at the moment. Though he

might get one here. Not happy with

that shot.

He was playing a delicate pot and

the cannon to hold the black there.

Well, I did mention there that

Michael needed a chance in amongst

the reds and he's got that. If he

can go into the mid-session interval

at two -- to-2, he would be a happy

bunny.

I like that shot. I really do. He

took the risk there to open up the

reds and stay on the back. Did it

perfectly. He made it look very easy

but could quite easily have run onto

the cushion. So the chance is there.

Can he knock this sizeable effort

in?

Just having a quick look at that top

two. Doesn't feel they are on,

otherwise he would have gone

straight there. Try to stay on the

black here. Potting this red.

The top red of those two, the right,

we'll popped into this pocket.

Really open things up for him. --

we'll popped into this pocket.

Ooh!

He didn't have to hold for the

blue there. By doing that it just

made it a bit more difficult. He

could easily have gone for a baulk,.

-- a baulk colour. Could cost him

dearly.

It certainly quickened up on this

table. A couple of the tables were

playing a bit heavy but not now.

Would you believe it? At first

glance he hasn't left anything. The

only possible red is the one up past

the pink into the corner but he's

down on one knee there and he

thought he would be in his seat for

a while! That's tight, isn't it? If

he was right behind the red he might

be able to take that on.

He tried one in the middle pocket

that caught the yellow with it and

that was similar to this. He's

missed it to the right.

He thought he would put the white in

a safe position but Ronnie can knock

this in. No, yes!

That second chance. How many can he

make this time?

Not gone far enough but still

pottable. Wanted to be straight on

this red.

Just makes this next positional shot

is a bit more awkward. He played a

nice cannon on that red to hold for

the pink.

Would like to get that red away from

the blue. Just sizing it up there.

Just trying to leave a nice little

angle on the red, and when he opens

the blue up it will help his cause,

back down for the black or the pink,

you would suggest.

It's not completely straightforward

to win the frame from this visit. A

few difficult pots to negotiate.

Hmm, unexpected miss there, but when

you force them into the middle

pocket, that can happen. The red

jumped there, so... It was in the

pocket for a split-second but it

jumped back out. That was the that

caused that. -- that was the kick

that caused that.

That was a careless one. Now, will

the red next to the pink... It might

not pot but... It will go to the

middle pocket as we look at it, so

that is for a few shots' time. But

not going to score many points from

this petition with the way the reds

are situated. He's just checking

whether the red next to the pink

goes to the left middle pocket. --

many points from this position.

He didn't want to be hitting the

yellow. That's very careless.

He had already planned his strategy

there. That yellow spoiled all that.

A good escape.

He's played that nicely. Terrific

shot there. He couldn't go down the

other side of the table because of

the reds near that cushion. He would

have cannoned into bins. -- into

those. That's opened them up. He

needs a good cue ball here and he's

going to come up a long way short.

Maybe the brown's helping him

slightly. A long, straight red. He

is hampered by the brown so he'll

take one of the others. Those two

there to the left of the pink.

Well...

That red, he's just had a look and

that red closest to the pink will

pot into the centre pocket. So he

doesn't have to nudge that. Nudge

that red out.

The black will put him 27 ahead.

Just one red and a colour to make

certain of this frame. A quick

glance at the score.

And it's a frame that Michael White,

Dennis, will feel has got away from

him. He had a good chance.

Yeah,

he's going to go into the middle

session with things not all that bad

but you can imagine if he had gone

two each, he would have really

enjoyed his cup of tea.

Just that

red to the middle that he missed to

try to hold for the blue. It cost

him this frame.

This is the one that Ken was talking

about, if he had rolled it in, it

would have been much easier, but

there was no way he was expecting to

miss that, and it cost him.

APPLAUSE

Ronnie O'Sullivan takes his chance

with a nice break of 64, and he goes

into the mid-session now leading

Michael white 3-1.

What percentage increase in Ronnie's

level do you think we are seeing

today?

Slightly, but Michael is a

much better player than he showed in

the opening session the other day,

we know that. The difference in the

match so far for me is the quality

of the cue ball control. It was the

shot before, he was perfect on the

black and shouldn't have been

anywhere near playing that shot. You

wouldn't expect it to miss it, but

when they have got in, the

difference in who has got the cue

ball in the best positions is

noticeable. Sullivan has got it on a

string.

Full of admiration for him

today, are you?

Even the positional

shot he played at the end from black

to yellow was just sublime.

More of the same possibly when we

come back after the mid-session

interval, but we are looking forward

to seeing John Higgins plate Yan

Bingtao from China, the 17-year-old

wonder kid. After his last victory,

he had a few problems with his cue,

specifically the tip of his cue, and

said he was going to go back to

Glasgow to get it fixed, but in the

end he went back to the eminent Les

Dodd in Southport, and you might

remember he did that also at the

Crucible in May. That is the kind of

level of attention to detail and

dedication that has brought John so

much success over the years. Either

that or he just likes driving!

John Higgins was born on the 18th of

May 1975 in Wishaw, Scotland.

He has

been a professional snooker player

for more than a quarter of a

century.

He has been in the top 16

in the world for an incredible 23

years.

He married Denise in 2000,

and they have three children.

The

couple appeared in a TV show Mr and

Mrs and won the final.

John has also

appeared on Celebrity mastermind,

where his specialist subject was

Dallas, the TV show.

His nickname is

the Wizard of Wishaw.

Last season at

the age of 41 he became the oldest

Crucible finalist for 35 years.

John

has won more than £7 million in

prize money during his career.

In

2008, he was awarded an MBE in the

New years Honours list.

He has achieved a whole lot, and

John knows he is going to have to be

in tiptop form today. The defeat

last month to Yan Bingtao is still

raw, this teenager who were still

two months away from his 18th

birthday is apparently afraid of no

one. He became the second youngest

player ever to reach the Crucible

final stages in April, and in the

last month, he became the youngest

player ever to reach the final of a

world ranking event when he appeared

in Belfast, Northern Ireland, open

final, beating any end by Mark

Williams. Sophie is a bull who is

charging headlong up the rankings

right now. The first frame of this

match was a 41 minute one, and was

taken in the John Higgins, and we

are going to pick them up in frame

two. It is Alan McManus and Steve

Davis in have the ringside seats for

this one.

STEVE DAVIS: John Higgins has looked

at the possibility of playing this

down into the low pocket, he will be

more concentrating on screwing the

whiteboard back to the black

cushion. If it goes in, what a

bonus.

And to big white honest, he

didn't play for the cue ball on the

back of the cushion. That was a very

aggressive shot.

What a pot, wasn't

it? I think even John will be a

little surprised he has potted that,

that was so difficult. We spoke

about his cue action.

And attacking shot from John

Higgins, nobody would have forgiven

him for just playing a safety shot

to the top cushion.

OK, but even so, you have to be

careful where these red Czar, you

could, Cropper. -- you have to be

careful where these reds are, you

could come a cropper. It is closer

than he would like to the middle.

That little clip on the brown was

nice, makes this yellow and little

straighter, more controllable.

That red that you mentioned earlier

by the blue, still causing John

Higgins some problems. The way to

open this frame up would be possibly

to use the blue to get into the

pack. It is not so easy from where

the balls are currently.

He can maybe get things opened up

now, little glance at the pink, I'm

not sure it goes to the corner.

Unless there is a plant, he is going

to have to develop one or two.

This

wouldn't be the most ideal way of

going about opening the pack off the

bat cushion. Players like to go

indirectly.

He doesn't have to open the pack,

but you feel like you would be

tempted. This is the experience of

John Higgins, knowing full well that

going into the pack doesn't always

come out correctly. And if that red

is now going to be cleared, that you

talked about at the start of this

frame, but he still needs a good

positional shot to get back on these

four reds at some stage. But he has

got a couple of reds to play with.

I

think again, not going into the pack

a couple of shots ago is out of

respect to his opponent. Against a

lesser player, he would think, nice

angle on the black, let's get them

open and win the frame in one visit,

but he has to build his way into the

match, build the frame if you like.

But if this goes wrong, then you

could make the case if you were

being critical that that was a

chance gone begging.

I think the

reason he refused the split is

simply because his opponent has got

him under some pressure. Just

clearly doesn't want to take any

undue risks come possibly having a

new tip was a factor in this shot

selection.

He needs an angle on this

black.

And he has got a nice angle, and

this time, he will go into the pack,

but I suppose it does beg the

question, perhaps he should have

gone into it last time, doesn't it?

Some fascinating shot selections

today.

It is an ice pack, because

they are set diagonal, you would

expect to get a decent split.

But

there is a situation, you are not

guaranteed. I think he is all right.

It is funny, you can see the cue

ball is actually in the way, I don't

know whether this goes. I think it

will. No problem.

And it doesn't matter how John

Higgins ever... Well, of course it

matters how he plays, but almost

regardless of how he is playing, he

is so difficult to play against, so

difficult to get on top. He keeps

chances at a minimum, stingy he is

as far as making mistakes.

But there is no player in the game

that can add class John Higgins, so

it's no disgrace from Yan Bingtao's

perspective to be going 2-0 down

here. It is going to be a good

work-out. Coming out with the

cliches, he has got plenty of time

and all that, he will be desperate

to win, get a ranking tournament

under his belt, as young as

possible. But it is about learning

your trade as well. And he could do

worse than picked John Higgins as a

master to learn from.

Well, no century. John Higgins goes

into a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Looks comfortable, as Alan said, and

Steve, too, but John was quoted as

saying he would have to play 100

times better to see this fellow off

in this match. He has great respect

for him, and as Alan says, with that

new tip on, he is not taking any

liberties as we head into frame

three.

STEVE DAVIS: Made that opening reds

look a lot easier than it was,

didn't just blast at it.

A couple of loose reds.

Nicely judged. I think he's got

enough of an angle that he can

bounce the cue ball off the top

cushion. And get back on that red.

Might be going into reds here,

though. First shot, I thought for a

minute, it looked like he was

setting up to disturb more. Now he

will need a nice angle on this black

to go into the pack, though. A

little flick on that red creates the

angle. And that second red of the

two that are at the back looks

inviting. That should disturb things

quite nicely. Stun into it.

Got a bit too low on that, I think,

didn't he? Preferred more of a power

stun there.

May be just felt the

shape of the wasn't conducive to

going in with power and deep screw,

but he has got one.

Tough little red to middle, but

should it going, they are opened,

and it has. John Higgins slowly but

surely finding his way into a bit of

form.

Yes, just sizing up the situation

here, is it worth playing for a

choice of pink and black?

I wasn't sure what she was doing,

whether he was deciding to play onto

the blue because he doesn't like the

shape of the pack? That is the only

reason I can think of that choice of

up and down. The pink as well as you

say, but why he kept looking at that

red in the middle pocket, I'd know.

Perhaps he wasn't looking at the

red, looking at the pink.

I never really used to like this

kind of shot, but sometimes you have

to play it. Not always easy to

guarantee how they are going to

split. Now what?

That was a

brilliant shot, actually.

It looks

like that pink doesn't spot.

But he

may be covered. I think it will go

close to it, but can he still get

the red in the middle?

The referee has got to make sure

this is absolutely perfect, as close

as possible to its own spot in a

direct line with the line of the

spots, but not touching the cue

ball, as close as possible to it.

It is actually very classy of John

to just go back to his chair and

have a little sip of water. Wherever

she replaces the pink, he will deal

with it. By his body language, he

can still get it. Tatiana there

doing a very good job.

She is doing a fantastic job, not

only is she refereeing this, she is

looking after two children and Ben

Woollaston as well, the ups and

downs of the snooker player.

That was a brilliant shot, he is an

lucky that he is not on one.

I think I am correct in saying that

Tatiana, Ben's wife, she can't

referee his matches. But also I

don't think she can referee matches

where he might have an interest.

Just to be seen to be correct, not

anything untoward, but correct

decisions. That was tight, but he

got it. So, this black is not

guaranteed, he is a little bit out

of position, said the biggest shot

of this frame so far for John

Higgins. Wouldn't want to take his

foot off the pedal here.

Well, after a tough start, this is

starting to look like a John Higgins

masterclass here today.

Perhaps it needed a match of this

quality for John to focus properly,

or it could be the fact that he has

had tip problems, one of the two.

Yes, we are getting the full gambit

of John Higgins' abilities. These

first two and a half frames, he has

toughed it out, a couple of really

clever shots, that red into the

yellow pocket that set up the frame

when in chance in frame two.

Yan 's highest break still only...

Higgins building up of steam. It is

that ability to just slip into

scoring mode, even though it appears

he is not quite on top of his game.

Still well capable.

No century, but a classy break of

80, and John Higgins is halfway

home. 3-0. And John impressively

freezing out this youngster for now,

you can keep watching this on the

red button, and we will be back for

more of that later on. Mark King

took the first with a break of 86

against Luca Brecel, and he is now

3-1 up at the break. And on table

four, Martin Gould lost the opening

frame, against the very impressive

remaining player, Vafaei, and Gould

has just taken the second. But the

top match we have been enjoying an

table one, Ronnie O'Sullivan's 900

and century, made against this man,

former world number 15, Michael

White, now at 26 in the world

standings. And Michael, he got a

handle on this match at 1-1, but

Ronnie has pushed on with a 132 and

a 64, and has a 3-1 advantage. So we

hand you back to Dennis and Ken.

DENNIS TAYLOR: Thank you, Hazel. He

has made some very good breaks so

far, not quite as good this time. He

has left a possible long pot to the

left corner pocket, but it is far

from easy, that's for sure, and with

the way the reds have opened up

already, it puts a lot of pressure

on this opening chance. Could quite

easily have been two each, he has

had the chances, he is just

limbering up to take this pot on.

He has missed a few long pots by a

long way, and where is the red going

to finish? Sometimes you get away

with it, but he missed that by a

long way.

Yes, I think there has

been a little bit of movement from

distance, and I think again a slight

bit of movement on the backswing

there. Quite a long way out, he has

put its good long balls, but some of

the ones he has missed, he has

missed the by quite a considerable

margin.

Not a straightforward, that red

below the black is just slightly out

of the way, he couldn't avoid

hitting it.

There is a red that will go up into

a left corner pocket, you know,

there is a gap between the pink and

the other red, and that is what he

is looking at there. He would be

able to get back for the black.

Oh, that jumped.

Maybe he didn't hit it as well as he

want, but have a look at the red

here. Through it off-line slightly.

Well, that was just the pace that

kept that in the pocket. It was

slightly drifting towards that near

knuckle.

Now, time for Michael White to fill

his boots here. He has really got to

make the most of these chances if he

has any ambitions to win this match.

Make it a contest.

I'm sure the red below the pink

pots, and that will free up the pink

into all four pockets.

Well, did he get a kick on that? We

will have to have a look at that

again. I'm not quite sure.

I'm going to give him the benefit of

the doubt, the way he pointed the

cue, I think it did just jump

slightly.

Well, he certainly can't grumble

about the chances he's had, Dennis,

in these first few frames.

He just hasn't made the most of

them. Ronnie O'Sullivan has been a

little more clinical, whereas

Michael White hasn't, and that has

been the difference.

Let's have another look to see what

happened with that black there. It

is hard to see the kick, but...

Usually the ball lifts off the bed

of the table.

I'm not convinced it

was a kick. I think he has just been

struggling. He didn't look

comfortable. Even the cannon he

played, the pot on the red before

the black wasn't played properly, he

wasn't even trying to get on the

black.

DENNIS TAYLOR: It's not the best of

chances here because the pink is in

the way of splitting the red, so he

might play for green or brown here

rather than the blue. Because if he

had played for the blue, the pink

was in the way of the cannon, so now

he's got the green off beside

cushion and into the reds and he

could open the whole game up here.

-- the green off beside cushion --

the side cushion. It couldn't have

played it better but has he covered

them all? I think he's having to

bend this. He'll have to play it

with a lot of left-hand side to

create the potting angle.

He made it look easy but he had to

bend that slightly.

The red just below the pink pots.

This wondered straight into this

corner pocket as well. -- this one

dead straight.

He's already 37 points to the good.

I think when you're playing Ronnie

O'Sullivan it doesn't half add a lot

of pressure to your game, because

you know if you miss he's going to

do this. A lot of the top players

will do this but more so if you're

playing and you're at the table and

you know you make a mistake, you

know you're really going to be

punished.

Yeah, and it's not only the pressure

on the balls when you're in amongst

them yourself and you do have

chances, its pressure on your safety

shots and you've got to try to cope

with it. We thought after he won the

second frame it might settle him

down a bit. Hasn't made the most of

his chances. I think you'll be

kicking himself when he looks back

on this match and went for micro-1

down. -- went for-1 down.

Like Ken

said, did have a chance there but it

was Ronnie O'Sullivan with that one

opportunity who made enough to

secure the frame and an advantage.

KEN DOHERTY: An incredible career

this man has had. Birthday boy

today. He was only ten or 11 years

of age when he moved over and we

used to practice together at the

snooker centre together. When I

moved over from Dublin. You could

tell how good he was going to be.

I

think the darling of Dublin sounds

better than the darling of

Guildford! You spent many years

practising there before moving back

home, didn't you?

Yeah. A couple of

weeks before the World Championship

in 97, we practised every day for

almost two weeks and of course he

made that magical 147 that year.

I was lucky enough to avoid him in

the draw and go on to win the

Championship! But we had a lot of

great days in Ilford practising with

each other. He used to beat me up

over time. I didn't like it that

much! But certainly good practice!

-- beat me up all the time.

That was

a tough enough black if he had

rolled it in but to stun it in at

that pace - excellent. No. He's

anxiously looking to see if he

covered it. And he hasn't. So a

chance for Michael. It's time for

the man from Neath to go to work

here. This is a must-win frame. All

about the cannon on the reds.

Mustn't let that white slip away.

That's nicely played.

We will just show you it again.

Still very unlucky. Wanted to screw

past that red. Unfortunate to stick

on them but just cannoned the wrong

red there. But that's normally the

case when you are struggling a bit.

That sort of thing happens. When

you're playing well, even if you can

the wrong ball, you always finish on

one. -- even if you cannon the wrong

ball. Where's the safety shot coming

from? Can't do much with this.

Might be touching both reds here. It

is. You don't see that very often.

At least it solves the problem.

Michael can come off this cushion

behind the black and back up, and

the frame will be back to normal.

But this is a must-win for him. You

wouldn't give him much of a hope

with it being 5-1.

That's a wonderful safety shot. Down

the right-hand side. We'll have to

use two cushions past the blue. --

had to use two cushions. Very well

negotiated indeed.

Might be tempted to have a go at

this red into the left corner. He

could get himself on the black. He's

coming round the table to see what

he could leave. If he takes it on

and doesn't get on the black there

is one available to the left middle.

Let's see how this works out. A

marvellous shot! I say marvellous

shot. It was a marvellous pot but

didn't get the cue ball where he

wanted.

He went full-blooded for it because

he was leaving a red to the left

middle pocket, but just lost the cue

ball.

He's left this red. You can't see a

direct but he can play the plant.

Put this red and still stay on the

black, I think, pocket off the

cushion. -- pot it off the cushion.

Wow! Over swerved it.

It's funny. It looked as if he could

just play it off the side of the

cushion but the swerve took it right

into the other red, as we will show

you. But the way they finished up

here, and Ronnie knows only too

well, that it's not easy to get good

position from. If he can use the

rest it might not be too bad. He

might be able to get onto the black.

But the spider would have been

tough. He's played that nicely.

It's just not happening for Michael

White. For a few shots he looks OK

and then like that, he just cued

across it slightly. It's tough out

there. Just at 79% there, as you can

see.

That didn't even get in the jaws of

the pocket, that one.

There's nothing over that side of

the table to play behind because the

green's off its spot. The brown's

out of commission as well. Just

plain to get the cue ball as close

to the cushion as possible. And

that's pretty good. -- just playing

to get the cue ball.

Doesn't want that red coming over

the left centre pocket. And it looks

like it's come far enough. I think

this can cut in.

Needs a bit of luck with the cue

ball. If it runs past the red he

could be on the pink... No.

A slightly bewildered look from

Ronnie O'Sullivan. It's not there so

the cue ball will be going back.

REFEREE:

A foul and a miss.

Ronnie

hasn't moved from the position. Just

to make sure. Let the referee know

exactly where the cue ball is going.

LAUGHTER

Never seen that before. He's staying

there! He's not moving, he's not

moving... He's still there.

He's not

going to play this shot again, I'm

sure, because he's going to get

warned. He had forgotten about that,

Ronnie, I think.

He can just play

the black and leave the white kite

on this cushion. -- the white tight

on this cushion.

APPLAUSE

He's got the white tight on the

cushion but the trouble is he's put

the black safe as well.

Well, that's

a poor effort from Michael. Ronnie's

29 points behind, and, OK, he's got

the blue in play but the pink's not

ideally placed.

There's no way he should have had a

shot at that red. A bit careless

from Michael there.

He's just lost his concentration,

Ronnie O'Sullivan, at the moment.

Not a chance for Michael White.

Normally such a proficient long

potter, Michael White, but has been

completely off today.

Delicate little shot there, nice

cannon on the blue.

May have to win this frame by taking

blues with the remaining reds.

Yeah,

that's why I mentioned when he

pushed the black safe it was going

to make it awkward for himself.

That's not the best. Although he's

on the blue. Could quite easily have

snookered himself there. Shouldn't

be a problem.

Good pot but he's going to need

another good position shot to get up

the top side of the blue. --

positional shot.

Sweet. Very sweet.

Seems to like that blue up into the

corner pocket.

Wonderful shot.

Well, he's had five blues up to now.

This will be number six. But at that

pace, it was never going to be easy.

He didn't want the cannon on the

pink. That was the problem. Almost

tight on the cushion to force that

blue in. Was always going to be

difficult.

The percentages against getting onto

the last red there were very low

indeed. As I mentioned earlier, this

is a must-win frame for Michael

White. He's still in it, just six

points behind.

Well, that's amazing. You could say

the red shouldn't have been near the

pink but still very unfortunate to

leave it over the pocket.

Had to be thin. Oh! That's a Michael

White special coming at the right

time! Is he going to drop nicely

onto a colour? I think he's OK. He's

got the yellow, which will come back

nicely onto its spot. But the

brown's going to be the problem

ball. But the fact that the blue is

up there means if he gets as far as

the brown, he won't have much to do

with it. But having said that, he

hasn't left himself perfectly placed

here by any means.

He's missed it. He was trying to get

through that gap.

He's struggling a

bit, Ken, isn't he? We've all been

there. You have to feel a bit sorry

for him but he's struggling with his

game at the moment.

When he part of the yellow after

that good opening red he just didn't

get into the cue ball enough to

leave himself straight on the yellow

again. Had to use the rest.

Struggling a bit.

But if you hang on in there, you

never know what can happen, because

Ronnie's lost a bit of focus, you

have to say.

That's close.

Does this green go past the pink? He

can play the snooker if it doesn't.

REFEREE:

Foul.

He had to hit it to

get it safe but to get it into the

corner at that pace... I mean,

goodness gracious me! You could

stand there for a year and not see

that happen again.

Well, it's not over just yet! As I

say, I think Ronnie has lost a bit

of focus at the moment. That was

very careless there. He only needed

the blue. So any distance across the

table and he was on it.

It's not a gimme. It's certainly

potable into the

It's not a gimme. It's certainly

potable into the right centre

pocket. He only needs the blue.

Looks like 5-1 now, Denis.

Two snookers has made a very tall

order.

And where the black is, it's highly

unlikely that he will get the two

snookers that's required.

This is not a bad effort. No, he's

decided that he wasn't going to be

able to get the snookers and he

concedes the frame. He had his

chances though, in that frame,

Michael White. But it's Ronnie