Day 4 World Championship Snooker Extra

Our match is the opening session between Ding Junhui, who is tipped

to win the title and Alan McManus. Ding Junhui is wearing a black

armband in memory of the 188 people who lost their lives in the session

one province. We join the action in where he put the cue ball. He was

not 100% committed to that shot. Certainly not to the position

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There was another red corn up next to the brown and two reds. -- gone

up. We have got the new game of snooker here. The idea is to send

all the reds up to the other end of This black this Cup, but the thin

one is going to be going into the You called it and it was risky, and

the only consolation for Ding Junhui is that the black has gone

safe. If the black had stayed in the open that would have been a

very good chance for Alan. First time I have seen someone with a

little chalk poached attached to their trousers. Usually the chalk

What a shot he has played there, that was unbelievable. He could

have done anything with that cue ball. It made him look silly, there,

didn't it? More reaction on the cue This will test his angles, trying

to come off two cushions to try and land on the green and maybe try and

get a snooker. That's why they call him "Angles". He will be delighted

with that result. Not only I don't see how Ding Junhui can get

this safe. It will be hit and hope. You need the red near the cushion

to try and land on, 1, 2, or even Even that red to the right of the

brown and red, it would have to be a dead weight, to land on it. He

has mishit that completely. Well, and a miss. Alan McManus, four.

Ding Junhui has got to be spot-on with this escape. It is a similar

shot to the one that Allen played, probably slightly more difficult.

He's tried to land on the red that's beside the brown. If he hits

it full ball, he should be pretty safe. Foul, and a miss.This will

be a free ball. I don't see Allen seeking the green on. -- Alan

He can hit the red on the extreme Left side, as we look at it. So,

the second chance for the very He has got a chance now to take the

frame but he has to get to the A little bit awkward to get onto

the blue this time, although he has an angle to develop the pink and

black, that was not what he was after and that has got an element

of risk to it if he was to cannon the black. He would have preferred

to stay on the blue, he is 22 in front, so he could have won the

frame if he had stayed on the blues. He might be able to find the path

through, but he hasn't. And these are pesters, especially when you

have been away for so long from the Crucible Theatre. -- testers.

will stun the white ball and leave the red to the left corner. That

was well struck. That was a great shot. Havel cat the pause, and

through as straight as you possibly can, with the delivery of the cue -

that is the key. He still does it. He used to lift a little bit as he

delivered the cue, Alan, and came up a little bit short there, but

He's not hanging around when he is playing his shots. He is a more

deliberate player than Ding Junhui, Just underhit that slightly, but

there is a path between the yellow and that red that is next to the

brown. He didn't want to cannon into one of those. Bringing the

break to a premature end, here. That is nicely played. Played that

with a touch of right hand side, check side as they call it. Well

control. -- controlled. He finished awkwardly on that red to the right

of the cue ball, having to take A little bit straight on the blue

again but it should not be a problem, just screw the white back

to near enough what it is no. A few inches away from where the cue ball

was at the moment. -- knew enough where it is now. 46 ahead, so just

He didn't want to finish with the cue ball on the cushion, but he

saved the negotiated the blue. -- safely negotiated. In the only

meeting they had, Ding Junhui won all five frames, so this is Alan

McManus's first frame win against Doesn't matter about the pink. He

played it with a lot of side, and Ding Junhui he's stays in his seat,

so the best possible starter or Alan McManus. It looked like it

would be a long frame, but in the end it wasn't, and with the aid of

that 47 break, he gets himself 1-0 That stung that the floor before he

plays shots, like he wants to get himself lined up properly. Which is

a good exercise to do. It help you concentrate. He was still at the

table almost until the white got back up onto the cushion. He's

purposefully making himself stayed down on the shot. He does lift a

little bit, Alan, he always has And, in complete contrast, Ding

Junhui doesn't move his head a fraction. Just look how still he

keeps on the shot. A little bit like Michael reach Stephen Hendry

here. How did you manage to keep that he so still for all those

years? In it wasn't working the last two or three years, I'll tell

you that. Ding Junhui went for that long shot. It was the lonely one he

could leave, and he has done. -- the only one. He just has to roll

the black in and can and does two reds. Plenty of reds available, so

he doesn't have to do too much with this stun shot. It might keep the

white there. All, no, he has missed He can't afford many of those

unforced errors today against Ding I consider Ding Junhui to beat one

of the top two or three break- Just looking, he has made 51

century breaks this season alone. Lots of players don't make that

many in their career. It is amazing he has been a professional for 10

years, with six ranking titles, yet to win the Masters or the world. We

still have the four majors, we used to call them, World Championship,

UK Championship, the Masters and the Grand Prix, and the Grand Prix

is the the World Open, which is no pleading China. -- now played in

China. That is a tournament that Mark Allen seems to like. He has

He will be looking to leave an angle on the black. He wants to

open the reds up as soon as He won't be going into them this

If he was dead straight he might have to screw back off the cushion

and take the white out towards the pink. He is just off straight. If

he screws this back we have got the perfect picture. It will come back

off the cushion and head out That will do nicely. Anywhere near

the pink. It might have finished a little awkwardly. I think he can

due to the side of the cue ball here. -- cue to the side. Just a

He has got an easy pink to the centre to get the one remaining

loose red, but he needs an angle on the black to go into the bunch of

It looks as if it is going to be pink, red, nicely on the blue,

possibly to go into the bunch. He had an angle. It didn't look as if

he had an angle on the pink, so now, he has caught the reds open nicely.

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Such a simple, effective style, hasn't he? He just gets darling,

straight back, in a positive straight line. It is difficult to

When you Huw bingeing re getting interviewed now, his English is

getting better by the week. -- when you hear Ding Junhui getting into

view. -- interviewed. If he just plays a nice little cannon onto

Every chance, no, of making a We have had seven centuries so far

this year at the Crucible. Ricky Walden still at the top of the

I'm sure when the draw was made, Alan knew that he has picked one of

the toughest. He didn't know in the first frame, but he will know now

what he's up against. This guy scores so heavily. He will remember

the black that he should have knocked in, and you said, you

cannot afford to do that against at their like Ding. -- a player like

Ding. That one mistake has almost certainly cost him this second

He has made 294 centuries in his 10 He is good to watch when he is

He has never looked like being out of position at my stage in this

break. Yours chance of that of luck when you go into the reds, but he

has been flawless. -- you always This means to pull up a little bit,

but it hasn't. I don't think he can see enough of this, he's going to

have to fluke it, or try to bend it slightly round the pink. I am not

sure, but he has done it, so well That is a terrific century break

from this very talented Chinese I tell you what, there will be lots

of people watching this back in China, delighted to see their hero

As Stephen Hendry said, this break What a great response from Ding

Junhui. He lost that opening frame, but didn't he bounce-back? That was

a rig the doesn't break of 131, and they are all square. -- a

Isn't it amazing what can be in your eye line in snooker? He can

spot a little red or something - and it caught his eye. It is quite

slippy, this carpet. There was a shot that Graeme Dott played and he

was stretching and he took off his That was well played. If he can

pull this off, Stephen, he can get himself a chance. Yes, a matter of

stunning over for the black to the same pocket here. If he can get

somewhere near the line towards the Just overran it rationally. --

He took a slight risk there. He is unlucky he has gone slightly past

this red. That is a little bit I think he wanted to make sure he

didn't miss the black. He missed a black in the previous frame and sat

down whilst Ding Junhui clear up Ding will probably play a safety

shot off three cushions in behind the green, here. He didn't get

enough side and bottom on the cue ball. That is why he has collided

with the blue. There was another chance for Alan. Needs to play this

with a touch of right hand side to Yes, he got the side on and he got

the pot on this time. It makes it for the five times more difficult

when you play it with lots of side, because you have to judge the

angles, not just sighting on the normal position on the object ball,

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you have got to allow for that site. advantage now at this time in reply

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frames from to put any pressure on the number of players back using

1-piece queues. Alan has a 1-piece cue there. You used a 1-piece. Andy

Carter, all the rage was to peace queues. I was the first player in

1975 to use a 2-piece cue. And then John Spencer won the first world

Championship here at the Crucible with a 2-piece cue. Had them just

purely for travelling, they were much easier to travel with. Now you

are not allowed to take them on the aircraft. So it doesn't really

matter whether it is a 2-piece or a aircraft. By one four titles and

smashed into pieces. Yes, after that happened I went to the 2-piece,

purely for convenience. A lot of the top 16 that use one pieces have

always had them and are reluctant to change. Quick look at the

scoreboard, 46 in front. If he takes the blue, Ding can only tie. If it

takes the green, he has to get a cannon on one of the reds. The groom

is a much easier part, but the blue will also take him into those two

ringing somewhere in the Crucible. A very intimate theatre, the Crucible.

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it is for you, Stephen. How do they onto the two reds, so Ding can still

tie at the moment. Are you a little bit surprised he did not play the

cannon, Stephen? I think a lot of players would have played the

cannon. I think Alan is a very deliberate player. He would know

that the blue putting him 51 ahead would make it difficult for Ding to

win the frame. Not wanting to take you need to be right in behind it.

No, can't see enough of it. For a moment it looked as if he might

if he plays it off, he can leave it on for the left corner so he needs

to get the cue ball past the green Alan is not quite safe in this third

that read safe on the cushion. But he was fourth to. This frame isn't

over yet. Three reds, all near the black and off the table. Not

difficult to get three reds and free see enough of the reds to get back

down the table. You would not mind knocking the black safe here, if he

watch the middle pocket with the cue ball here. A little bit of side

before he got the middle pocket. It was one of those situations,

Stephen, if he parts of the red he is still in good shape. A foul would

not have cost him. But it is a good response from Alan McManus, here. He

made one mistake in the last frame, longer matches and little mini

sessions and four frames before the midsession interval. Alan knows he

will not be behind going into that interval. If he can go in 3-1 in

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front, I think you will be well McManus, there. He has not quite hit

himself at the Crucible this morning. Trying another little trick

shot, didn't quite follow off. A good start from the Scott with

breaks of 46 and 40 getting him into near hard enough. He has left a long

read for Ding. Let's see if losing that last frame has knocked Ding out

of his stride. He has an angle to stun this in. And go around the back

of the black. This won't be a shot to nothing, playing for the black

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already and Alan McManus is in the onto the two reds at the back of the

the side of the bunch here. He has plenty of loose reds, but he could

open the game out. It does not want to go into the back of those reds,

but he stunned into it, he would really open things up. Or even into

the back of them, he might just have gone to the middle. Thought he would

have played more of a stunt shot into the left side of the bunch,

Stephen. Yeah, I think he was expecting to be on the red just

below it in the right corner. It would have been easier and the way

you said it, Dennis. Still, it is through to the right centre.

this time, playing with side caused him to miss the pot. He was playing

that with left-hand side to get the right angle on the blue. You can see

him just to the left of the cue ball. That is a bad mistake from

Alan. Now can he get on the black of times, but there is a lot of

pressure on Ding to try and lift this world title. He has been the UK

champion, but everyone in China would love him to be the very first

of time in China and they adore sporting heroes. If Ding was to

become world champion, he is already huge in China, but he would be

come back the day before, from China, before you played in the

world Championship and you thought you would be a bit rusty and you

went out on a maximum break. Then style, making a maximum break at the

shot he has played. He can still pops the red to the left corner, but

he will hope to be in the black missed that for a minute.

If he had hit it harder, it would not have gone in. It is going to the

right of the pocket. I, like you, intended having the bridge over the

going to be more difficult, he is the wrong side of the blue so he

needs another good shots to get back natural angle would have taken him

into the yellow. A little touch of the right-hand side straight in the

cue ball up. Clever shot, that. Played for a choice of two reds to

either corner pocket. If the pink goes, it will still be the white for

to say maybe I did not quite cite it correctly. Alan is a pretty good

player at doubles and he might take a double on here and get himself

nasty little shots, aren't they? You are frightened that you don't reach

and venue leave a free ball and put yourself in all sorts of trouble.

Just wondering if he can see enough of this to screw back behind the

black. I don't know if he can see enough of it to take the popcorn. He

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pink. He will have to play for the red, and then the white and the

blue. The only problem, when he pot the red, if you was to leave himself

with the blue and the kinks in the way and can then enter the four

reds. He may have to change his plan pink? Can he roll it in with a bit

of top spin and bring the reds into play? Just about OK, I think. I

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don't think he will slip past the had a 47 break in the opening frame

and then that last frame had 46 and just a quick glance at the

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Alan playing this snooker in from behind the black. He hit it too hard

missing a part, but when you play a shot like talented, it is

snooker and Alan McManus, he will be delighted with the way he has

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played. We go to the midst -- an shots than that today. That was

excellent. To be tight onto the baulk caution and get the cue ball

back to the baulk cushion is great will leave a red to the middle. He

is frightened of leaving a pot on, tight on this caution and he

misjudged that badly. I think he got heavy contact. A big sign from Alan.

The cue ball made contact with the object all. Just killed the pace and

just had his hand up there. He would going to be here? The frame before

the midsession interval, Alan played to roll up to the black, hit it a

bit too hard and it cost him the frame. Wonder how much that Kate

will cost him here? He would like to play for the red right next to the

pink here, to clear the pink spot and play for that read into the

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top of the cue ball there to give himself top spin. Hitting the ball,

if he had used the cue ball as a clock face, he is striking at 12

o'clock to create the top spin. It will screw back if he hit it at six

show you what happened. Strike above centre and watch, it stops and

follows through. You can see the it is a bit easier to break from the

pink because you have four pockets to play for rather than to with the

black ball. Positional play is very comfortable. I will be very

surprised if Ding does not win the frame at this visit. Just a series

of stands and screws and follows through. The reds are covering each

other so they will have to go to each corner pocket. Almost like a

are awful lot of years of hard practice going to perfecting all of

those little stone and screws shot path for another read. He is just

making sure that the red to the left of the two is available into the

left corner. He will be clearing the a bit like the old traditional

stamps. The great Joe Davis who was 20 times world champion. Still a

little bit like this. One foot slightly ahead of the other. Some of

the modern-day players are a bit Anybody who has just cued into the

snooker this morning at sees Ding Junhui wearing the black armband,

it is because of the earthquake in China. There was no music played as

the Chinese players into the arena, as a mark of respect. -- entered

the arena. Getting a little more difficult low as he approaches the

Looking to play the cannon off the side cushion to the red for this

away from the pocket, if he can force the angle. It is very

straight. We used very lively cloths, you can create an angle. It

was very difficult to do that with the old, figure cloths. Almost

straight, just watch the cue ball. He tried a shot you mention than

almost pulled it off. He just try to flick that red away, but now he

has cannoned that one he might be able to pot the one to the right of

the black. He would have to play it with a touch of side but he would

be on the pink if he could make the Because of the swear, I could not

put as much power on the cue ball as he would like to get back into

Is he in the pocket? No. He is 60 in front with a possible 67 on the

table. He would have liked to have won the frame at this visit, but he

will have to wait for another I wonder if he will try at the

plant - he only needs to one red. He has looked at it and seems to

have forgotten about it, and is backed looking at it again. Can't

quite see enough of the one that is nearest the pocket to Cup it in. He

doesn't want to bring the black into play too much. The black is

Very good effort. Her the high standard continues in this first

Alan McManus, far from out of this frame, certainly with the black

That is a clever shot. Purposely played to hit the red full ball.

The snooker with double-kiss the red and take the white back up the

table. It is a shot you do not see The chance of a red going near the

left corner here, leaving the plant on. The contact for Roux than I

expected, and he has played a good That was a short work you do not

see played often - very clever. -- that was a short whack you do not

He has done it again. This time it has not worked. That has cost him

the frame, that one. He hit it too He was coming across that the

second time at war with angle, that is what made it more difficult. --

It has been pretty fluent stuff, hasn't been a lot of tactical play,

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It doesn't matter about the yellow, it was the Maestro to wipe break of

61 that paved the way for Ding Junhui to get himself into the lead.

Again, not the best of break offs He would expect to get these.

has the angle he can take if he pots the red, he can miss the black

8 foot 6 is the distance. He is boat to get that, because it is the

Chinese lucky number. -- bound to Anything over six feet is classed

My favourite distance is about 18 If he plays to the black to the

right, and then gets on the red to the left of the black, he has the

black to baulk pocket. -- to both Those two reds between the pack and

black are making it a little bit awkward. He decided just to get

this red out of the way to the left No prizes for guessing what he will

do here, though. He plays the shot I bet he has watched you play this

shot many times on DVD. He might just be OK, able to sneak the right

into the centre pocket. He did not get the quintet -- the contact he

expected. The natural angle looks like it will take him into the blue.

If he plays this clean ball, but he is playing it would stung, to avoid

that. -- with stun. If he misses the yellow, he is OK. Good recovery

I tell you what, there are very few mistakes in the match. Even Alan

McManus has made very few mistakes. He's safety department has cost him,

but he's not missing much. Yes, it has been no a very high standard.

Pot success rate of 92%, that is very good, especially the first

round. The top players tend to get better as the tournament goes on.

It is all about the result in the first round. If you play well, it

is a bonus. Win it is best of 25 frames, that is when the Crucible

When you get to the single table, that is when the real business

starts. It is one of an angle than he would like. -- will of an angle

-- more of an angle. He can and do well red, there, that is why he has

lost the cue ball a little bit. -- he can end the roll a rig. -- he

cannoned the wrong red. If he hadn't cannoned that red you

mentioned he would be in a good position to clinch the frame. It is

quite a thin one. Well played. I think he's OK. He has an angle to

pot the green and come back across the table, a natural angle and on

for a red. Anywhere near that line, he has a choice of three or four

reds. Nicely played. Warning signs for Alan McManus. Ding started

looking very impressive. When he gets on a roll he takes some

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stopping. He was slipping slightly Looking odds on that Ding is going

to make his second century of this session. He's made 51 centuries

this season before the World Championship started. He's already

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made that 131. Eight centuries so He reminds me of somebody. Somebody

who has made over 750 centuries, Stephen Hendry, still well out in

Ding Junhui has made 295 centuries in his ten-year career. I out there

Day four at the Crucible. And Ding looks as impressive as anyone.

Ricky Walden looked good and had that 140 break but Ding looks, as

they say in Lancashire, in fine fettle! 141 and frame too. And he

goes into a two frame lead. 4-2 to He's good at the angles but he'll

have to get this one right. He certainly knows his way around the

table. He certainly took a risk. It wasn't too difficult to go into the

bunch, dead weight. But his angles are as good as anyone that's ever

been, I think. That two-cushion escape short, the first person I

ever saw playing that was Cliff Thorburn, when he came over to the

UK, all time a go, 1973. -- a little time ago. My first ever

Worried about coming down this left side. He could cannon the red to

the left of the bunch on his way back down. This is a clever shot,

off this red to hit two cushions to get back to baulk. Is the yellow

going to come to his rescue? Well, it hasn't. He hit that thinner than

he intended. Had he hit it thicker, Looking to play the cannon into the

bunch of reds here from this black. Easy to get on to the two reds that

He judged it pretty well. He is on that red to the left centre pocket.

We will show you this again, lots Looking to drop onto the blue, into

That is what he has split. -- he has played. He wants the blue back

on its spot. I just one very he can drop onto that red to the right of

the pink and black and leave it dead straight, leaving the black

If he is dead straight on this, you just needs the white where the red

is, and the black is on, and he is dead straight. He is going round to

have a look. I'm not sure if the pink goes, but the black certainly

He is close to what would have been his first target of the day,

getting to fight frames, to ensure a lead going into the second

session. -- five frames. Again, he didn't come high up enough on the

He has lost the cue ball a little I think he thought he missed that

when he first hit it, it went in- off the far jaw. It was just the

pace that took it into the pocket. Alan McManus must be thinking, this

is like the 90s, when I used to play Stephen Hendry. He is not

doing a lot wrong but he's sitting watching his opponent clearing up.

This is four frames in a row for Ding Junhui, from 2-1 down with two

frame still to play in this session. For Alan to have any chance of

winning this match, he needs to win Just the colour needed. To make it

4 run the roll, as Stephen said. -- 129 to go 4-2 up, and 50 and

That little kick there, it doesn't No pink, but that doesn't matter.

It is another good display from Ding Junhui, and that break of 52

Similar break off. To the previous one, as the match goes over the

two-hour hour mark -- mark. This one is more difficult than one that

he knocked in, in and earlier frame. Now, then. This is the first chance

Alan McManus has had for quite sometime. Couldn't ask for a better

opportunity. If he had potted the red he would not have cannoned the

It is coming up for 18 minutes since Alan has potted a ball, so a

bit of pressure on this visit. It is important that he scores heavily

from here. Just a little knowledge is all that is needed here on that

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perfect angle, but it might be because he could have gone too much

into it and played into the reds and got stuck in the back of them. He

has been kept off the table for four frames. I don't blame him on that

occasion for not going into the After this red. He can't hold for

the blue, looking at that angle. Still a few loose reds available to

him. Big target here, though. Straight into the gap between the

pink and the two red that are Stephen mentioned the angle he has

on the green. That would take him on to the reds. There are a few reds he

could play on, but this looks to be the angle, so maybe he will take

anticipated and he is left with a very difficult one. A little bit too

much side, otherwise he would have gone into that gap and open them up.

It is the sort of shot who would normally knock in, but under the

circumstances, having lost four frames in a row, it was always going

to be difficult, that. It was slightly fortunate that he

missed it by so far that he didn't the right shot and did not get as

good a result as he would have a cannon. A nice opener therefore

been terrific down the years at potting balls in the centre pocket.

You see the black disappear in the a pot into the middle pocket so far

in this match. James Watson was fantastic and the parts into the

intended. He wanted a full ball contact on the two reds and pinks.

He just lost the cue ball slightly. The red still pot, but more

difficult to control the cue ball. There is a gap they can play off the

the red slightly above and to the right of the black. You would leave

himself quite high. I don't think this one is on. He might cannon

another red. He could not get enough action on it to go over the line,

there. He has just played a plain ball, but he has found the gap.

because of the way he is going to play at the pink here. He has

dropped the pink deadweight into the left-centre and can in the two reds

is having to work very hard. The pink is going to go near to its own

spot directly behind it meaningfully can't take the red up into the right

corner. The pink is blocking it. has cannon and the red and is having

to work so hard for these at the missed the blue by. What happened

there? Let's have a look at the cue going through. Well, he is just

indicating that he did not push the pots today. That was a shocker,

wasn't it for Ding. Certainly the worst one he has hit

the blue finished up there? How has it got between those two reds?

Amazing. If this red goes next to red looks very close to being a plan

to the left corner. If you pots the two open reds, he may be able to

play one red onto the blue to pot that you mentioned. He still has to

negotiate this pink and screw across the loose red or that possible

through ball plant. I think the three ball plant would be on if the

red was nearer the cushion there. What, is he 23 in front? Plus the

six, 29 so he will need two of those the corner. Get himself nicely on

pink or black. The only ball he could leave is the one he is having

through ball plant that Stephen mentioned. If he hits the first red

onto the cushion and then hit the blue, as you see, he might possibly

make it. It would be a nice little put Allen). He is coming round to

make absolutely sure if he sends the first red onto the cushion and then

hit the blue, will he make it? don't think he can see the red, but

I was thinking he could have played that as a shock to nothing and

doubled that red up and down the table onto the blue and left the cue

ball in baulk. Looks like he is playing the tricky three ball plant.

special. That took a little bit of judging. Trusting old eagle eyed

Stephen Hendry to have spotted that the cushion first before hitting the

blue to create the angle and make the plan. Excellent shot. He has

lost the cue ball here though. He has gone too far and will have to go

round the table to get on this last red.

If he goes around the table, he has to negotiate the pink and the middle

pocket. So he has got to give this one plenty of care and attention. He

has got to hit quite a few cushions. One two, three and then he has to

avoid the colours on the way round. The fact that he finished near the

cushion makes this pot more difficult. This will hurt if he was

to lose this frame, Stephen. I was just going to say that, Dennis. He

will be very annoyed to let this frame slip after playing that great

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 65 seconds

Ding, when the cue ball came round Good point Stephen, yeah. He had the

chance to get back to 5-3. Ding was unlucky when he did not hit the

be five in a row for Ding and a lot for Alan to think about.

Still needs to negotiate this positional shot, but if he gets in

the blue it will be frame over. If he is dead straight on the blue, he

will be happy. He is dead straight, so he will have to screw back of the

caution, just passed his hand and get back into friends behind, but

that clearance has put Ding in a very strong position now. He leads

much pace. He will bring a couple of reds into play if he just flicks one

away. If you nudge is that out of the way, he will leave the other two

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 65 seconds

available. Doesn't have to hammer not screwed the white back far

enough, believe it or not. A little bit careless, so it is more

difficult. This is a bit of a test good pot. He was disappointed with

his positional shot, but right in got the classics done a runner

through to leave the black, strike the white in the middle. He could

table so a little bit of noise coming through. I think the players

are used to, not only at the Crucible, but at the PDC events.

Some of them have four or five tables all in one room with plenty

of noise going on. Yeah, it is one of those things that if you are

focused on your own game, you don't even notice it. The only time you

notice other noises is when you are not focused on the job you are

pack after this red. As a pack I would prefer to be higher on the

black rather than low. He looked at the red at the back of

the bunch to see if it would pot. Maybe he might be output to pot the

black and then split the pack. If he doesn't, he will have to go into

them this time, as you say. It is not bad, little more pace and he

would have been perfect. They are all a little bit half and half here.

Tricky cut back to the corner. one.

I think he knew immediately. He knew as soon is he made contact with that

but he had put it on the far jaw. I thought it was safe, but Ding

blue on and leave the red to the left of the pink? I think you may

do. He is 40 points behind. That is another one now. Difficult to play

with the cue ball as close to the are red available into the left

corner, if not, he will have to play a cannon. No use just cannoning the

single red near the pink. He could do with catching the one at the back

of that little group of four reds. rescue here, the one near the

cushion. But that could easily be safe just yet. He has an angle now

to pot base and bring it into play, but he wouldn't want to risk it yet,

I would feel. If he cannons the red ball, he would leave the cue ball on

the side of the cushion. He might feel it is worth the risk, but he

needs a half ball contact, that is left of the pink that he could lead

himself on eventually and try and missing a comfortable lead into the

right centre. He has a good chance himself on this red to the left of

the pink with . He is just showing you where he would like to put the

cue ball and then pot that and can then the other one out. You would

think you would finish on pink or key shot coming up. If this works

out. It would be six frames in a and red and bringing another red

into play, he just did not catch it as he intended. He wanted a slightly

fuller contact and he would have been perfect on pink. Tricky one to

pot and a tricky one to hold for able to stay on the red. It is

from Ding Junhui, it has to be said. 2-1 down and he has taken complete

control of this match, Stephen. amongst the balls. Now just starting

to run away from his opponent. He has done nothing to change my mind

as one of my strongest fancies for this world championship.

Yes, I think there might be one or two people in China thinking along

your lines, Stephen. Wouldn't that be a story? Along Hardaway to win a

world title here at the Crucible. 17 days, got off to a fabulous start.