:00:10. > :00:32.Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd. E-mail: accessibility@bskyb.com.
:00:33. > :00:38.Hello, we have reached the second round of this week 's World
:00:39. > :00:42.Championship. It is the first of the second round matches that will be
:00:43. > :00:48.featuring tonight between two men who have stayed the course in the 17
:00:49. > :00:53.day marathon. Mark Selby reached the final in 2007 where he was beaten by
:00:54. > :01:03.John Higgins. Ali Carter has gotten that Weiss, on both occasions losing
:01:04. > :01:12.to Ronnie O'Sullivan. -- there twice. The second round matches are
:01:13. > :01:13.now best of 25. They are played over three sessions. This is the first of
:01:14. > :01:34.them. Mark Selby, below 90%. That is
:01:35. > :01:47.something he needs to improve on. Ali Carter 90%. That is OK. Pots
:01:48. > :01:56.Success, that is about right. Safety, that is pretty low full boat
:01:57. > :02:07.as players -- both these players. A good all-round game. Neither player
:02:08. > :02:17.has made it. Better to go in the pocket then stay at this end. An
:02:18. > :02:22.interesting game, Steve. Yes, and a match worthy of a final here at the
:02:23. > :02:29.Crucible. Tough in many ways for both his players to have to play
:02:30. > :02:37.each other early in the tournament. Both showed great character to get
:02:38. > :02:43.through the first round matches. I suppose you are right, I suppose we
:02:44. > :02:52.are all right. You can relax a bit more. At the Crucible, it is tough
:02:53. > :03:02.to say the word, relax. Three sessions, it has to be played like
:03:03. > :03:12.three sessions. If you can come out of it 5-3 in front. You would be
:03:13. > :03:18.happy with your day 's work. What the players are looking for now is
:03:19. > :03:33.to find their a game. Looking to go all the way in this great
:03:34. > :03:37.championship. Nothing else will do. Usually we find at the Crucible and
:03:38. > :03:42.the World Championship that, even though there is great tension, and
:03:43. > :03:47.you can see it in the first round match, the longer they can stay in
:03:48. > :03:50.and the more rounds they get through, the more they can become
:03:51. > :03:58.immune to the tension. It becomes just another day in the office. You
:03:59. > :04:21.have to own the right -- and in the right. Not one of his best safety
:04:22. > :04:27.shots there. With his hand on the table, looking at those Reds neither
:04:28. > :04:33.left side cushion, they are going make it very awkward to play safety
:04:34. > :04:43.down the left-hand side. Even though he has run the bolts line, he has to
:04:44. > :04:48.be careful. He has a party can screw across the face of that pack --
:04:49. > :05:22.pot. He has to hit this just right. It wasn't the best safety shot from
:05:23. > :05:40.Mark Selby. He comes back to the table with half a chance, not an
:05:41. > :05:48.easy one. That was a lovely, clean pot. Would have preferred to have
:05:49. > :05:56.gotten onto the blue rather than tying the pink up, as it looks like
:05:57. > :06:05.he is going to play. It looks like he was going to. He doesn't put that
:06:06. > :06:12.pink out of commission. A little bit more risk in that shot. Trying to
:06:13. > :06:36.guarantee position. A fraction short of pace. Don't think he is
:06:37. > :06:41.completely hampered by the green. He will be disappointed, their. He has
:06:42. > :06:48.played reasonably well but he was hampered in the middle. That is a
:06:49. > :06:55.series of positional shots that have led to this difficult blue having to
:06:56. > :07:10.be taken on. Not having to be, but he is going for it. Correct shot?
:07:11. > :07:16.Don't know. Uncertain that is the type of ball he has been practising
:07:17. > :07:23.on the practice table before he came out. My argument would be, so early
:07:24. > :07:32.in the match, we don't really know how the game is unfolding cue action
:07:33. > :08:01.wise. Against that, the aggressive, try to get in first. Can he get
:08:02. > :08:12.through to this red? And think you can get through to at least one. --
:08:13. > :08:21.I think he can. While this is the best of 25 match, the first frame of
:08:22. > :08:31.every session can detect the pattern of play for that particular
:08:32. > :08:42.session. He ought to know what is the right method. Ali Carter, out of
:08:43. > :09:10.position. It is very risky once you get past the ball line. You can see
:09:11. > :09:28.his intention here. He has put Mark Selby in as much trouble as he could
:09:29. > :09:34.have done there. . It has not made it any easier for Ali Carter, but as
:09:35. > :09:50.I say, he could have played a lot better than he did on his last
:09:51. > :10:03.visit. He is playing the safety. A good one, it is. Ali just stuck to
:10:04. > :10:13.his tracks. They are not far away. I think they are close enough to get
:10:14. > :10:20.it. It could be made. Mark Selby hasn't even looked at the plant so,
:10:21. > :10:28.he has a long pots with an opportunity to get back down the
:10:29. > :10:38.table. Exactly right Steve, well played. A far better shot, I feel.
:10:39. > :10:45.He is not going for it. I think that plants may have been an option if
:10:46. > :11:05.the black hat have gone in to the left corner -- had have. A very good
:11:06. > :11:08.shot from Ali Carter there. Mark Selby's containing safety shot
:11:09. > :11:35.always leaves the door open to a far better safety shot. That is a
:11:36. > :11:42.possibility. If he hits the top red, he may leave it to the top
:11:43. > :12:01.middle. But that looks like the safest place. There may be some sort
:12:02. > :12:08.of four cushion escape with the back blue. After my first prediction, I
:12:09. > :12:19.am not going to go too far down the line. If he hits the top, he could
:12:20. > :12:33.leave it. He wants to hit the low red. This red next to the black.
:12:34. > :12:42.Misjudged the release of the cue ball off the site cushioning -- side
:12:43. > :13:16.cushion. Very heavy scorer, Ali Carter. He
:13:17. > :13:30.has been a professional three years longer than Mark Selby. Yet, Mark
:13:31. > :13:43.Selby's career century is 323. It just shows you, you think that Ali
:13:44. > :13:48.is one of the top scorers... I think that to be a prolific century
:13:49. > :13:53.maker, you have to have a type of relentless less at the end of a
:13:54. > :13:58.frame after you have won it. Some players, like Mark Williams who,
:13:59. > :14:05.after he won the frame, would ease up mentally. You don't see that with
:14:06. > :14:17.Mark Selby. Every chance, he will try to make a century. Even if he
:14:18. > :14:28.has won the frame. Yes, I agree. It isn't necessarily a guide. As you
:14:29. > :14:38.say, you just wanted to get the next rain started. Look at the stats and
:14:39. > :14:51.the records. It makes everybody more aware. He won't be happy with that
:14:52. > :14:57.one. It was funny, back to the first chance he had to get the red into
:14:58. > :15:03.the corner and he overheated, he is just not stroking the ball. He seems
:15:04. > :15:29.to be hitting at the cue ball. He will soon settle in. This time,
:15:30. > :15:34.underhit it I along shot -- by. There are two Reds in that it'll
:15:35. > :15:44.cost of four to the right. That looks spot on. If he hits it in the
:15:45. > :15:59.first place, it can't be missed. A big saviour for Ali Carter if he
:16:00. > :16:13.gets this in. Effectively a massive insurance policy on Acra one
:16:14. > :16:33.position -- pot position. A good chance to get close to the finishing
:16:34. > :16:48.line. Feud that one nicely -- cued. A tough season for Ali Carter.
:16:49. > :16:52.Health problems. Signs of a return to form in the China Open,
:16:53. > :17:05.recently. Heading to the semi-finals, I believe. Big bounce
:17:06. > :17:14.off the cushion or overhit. Either way, well overhit. He has to do some
:17:15. > :17:29.good queueing to keep this under control. -- cueing. I think you are
:17:30. > :17:51.right. Sometimes you wonder whether the table is is out -- eases out.
:17:52. > :18:00.Nicely judged but unlucky. The natural path of that shot would have
:18:01. > :18:08.sent it into the fall Reds. He could have missed -- risked cutting the
:18:09. > :18:24.red. Now there is more what to do. Another long green. He got nicely
:18:25. > :18:31.through that one. A beautiful positional shot. 39 ahead. A quick
:18:32. > :18:40.glance at the scoreboard. He only needs three of these Reds. You can
:18:41. > :18:58.see the easy one. The other four, not that easy.
:18:59. > :19:16.He is trying to disturb something. He said, never try to wring a red in
:19:17. > :19:22.-- bring. I think you have to weigh it up with the risk of the shot. He
:19:23. > :19:43.has done very well, to be quite honest. Well, he is on the pink. It
:19:44. > :19:52.wasn't all bad than Toure then. -- then. None of them are absolutely
:19:53. > :19:59.ideal pots to get on another colour. He has to be careful going
:20:00. > :20:07.into that red. He just needs one red and a colour. He will be
:20:08. > :20:28.disappointed not to seal the fate here. This black will put him 54
:20:29. > :20:38.points in front, just 51 remaining. A few of those positional shots but
:20:39. > :20:39.he overcame them. He knows that it is very important to get the next
:20:40. > :21:16.red. Mark Selby, he is your man. I know it is very easy to come out
:21:17. > :21:25.with predictions, especially with the players looking in control, but
:21:26. > :21:34.it tells me that Ali Carter is going to be a tough player to beat this
:21:35. > :21:47.year. Mentally, he may be coming into this event, timing it
:21:48. > :21:55.perfectly. Struggling with a bit of form early on. Fighting hard to get
:21:56. > :22:06.a cup the ranking list and get a win under his belt -- rack up. Signs of
:22:07. > :22:22.improvement in China and we know that he enjoys the Crucible. A tough
:22:23. > :22:27.match for Mark Selby. This will be the perfect start. If he clears
:22:28. > :23:08.these remaining colours, it will be 102. He is 18-1.
:23:09. > :23:20.The Crucible crowd love a century. And in it goes! The perfect dark for
:23:21. > :23:26.Ali Carter. He got his cue action together at the end. That is a 17th
:23:27. > :23:44.century so far in this year's World Championship. He takes the first
:23:45. > :23:55.break. Decent break. There is one red poking out, but I don't think it
:23:56. > :24:02.is the right potting angle. It would be a tough pot anyway. It looks as
:24:03. > :24:08.though it would just be running into the top cushion, behind the black.
:24:09. > :24:18.If it was a bit straighter, you could roll in and play for the
:24:19. > :24:32.black. I think it is too risky. He did take it. He nearly left it.
:24:33. > :24:45.After the blue in the first frame, do you think he has his attacking
:24:46. > :24:48.had on? It is funny, and clumsy get 50-50 decisions and you make what
:24:49. > :25:00.could be construed to be the wrong choices in people 's eyes. I thought
:25:01. > :25:06.he crossed the top to the safety position was what he was going for.
:25:07. > :25:15.He picked out a clever opportunist shot to get perfectly on the black.
:25:16. > :25:26.You never know, if you miss a shot where the red is going to go. Well,
:25:27. > :25:31.not ideal for Mark Selby at the moment. Misjudged that by some way.
:25:32. > :25:40.Very fortunate to have ended up on top of the green. It gives Ali
:25:41. > :25:42.Carter a problem. Although, I think he can probably played the cue ball
:25:43. > :25:50.to the top position with very little risk, if you wanted to. I think it
:25:51. > :25:58.is the right shot. A big ask to get back to the ball and. The problem
:25:59. > :26:04.is, you strike down so the cue ball and the object ball are not in a
:26:05. > :26:08.direct line. You really have to start moving your eyes up and down.
:26:09. > :26:17.I don't think you can get the edge of the cue ball. It is tough. Very
:26:18. > :26:27.hard to judge the middle of the cue ball when you are striking down on
:26:28. > :26:34.it. He has messed this up. He has left Mark Selby going into the
:26:35. > :26:39.yellow pocket. The red into the middle, over the top of the other
:26:40. > :26:50.red, is more difficult than this long red. Bit of pressure on this.
:26:51. > :26:54.Especially after missing the blue. He is about one foot closer, which
:26:55. > :27:19.does make it slightly easier. Just a little bit straight. I think
:27:20. > :27:23.it is the red and the yellow in the middle of the pocket, and he may
:27:24. > :27:55.have just forced it over. A bit better for the blue. Not too bad.
:27:56. > :28:02.I think that opening rate by Mark Selby was played with a certain
:28:03. > :28:06.amount of tension in his arm. -- Redox. He didn't really strike it as
:28:07. > :28:11.well as he would have done later in the session. But that is testament
:28:12. > :28:16.to help good display areas, that even when he doesn't hit the ball is
:28:17. > :28:19.purely as he would like, he can still pop the ball. It is a massive
:28:20. > :28:38.advantage as a player. We can only assume that the red at
:28:39. > :28:57.the top of the cluster is available to the right.
:28:58. > :29:05.It has a good angle on the loo but you can see where the pink is. If
:29:06. > :29:07.the pink wasn't that, he would be thinking about playing the cannon
:29:08. > :29:12.into the main cluster. Beautifully played. Just using the
:29:13. > :29:37.pink just to hold the cue ball. As a spectator, this is what you
:29:38. > :29:46.want to see. Both players looking to be hitting the ball well, paying
:29:47. > :29:53.their best. Mark knows that after that flying start from Ali Carter he
:29:54. > :29:57.needs to make Carter aware that should he make a mistake, he is
:29:58. > :30:32.going to take full advantage as well.
:30:33. > :30:42.You would think he would like to go into the reds of the blues. -- off
:30:43. > :31:05.the blue. Ali Carter will consider himself
:31:06. > :31:16.unlucky. It was a poor safety shot from Mark Selby.
:31:17. > :31:32.That is the problem. You can see how flat it was. When you hit it with
:31:33. > :31:34.any kind of stunt or backspin, the cue ball comes away from the reds
:31:35. > :31:59.and into the top cushion. It wasn't easy, but Carter came to
:32:00. > :32:05.the table and hampered over the green. However many minutes later,
:32:06. > :32:27.he comes back. This time, it is a bit easier to play.
:32:28. > :32:34.A half-hearted attempt to the double. The main thing was to cover
:32:35. > :32:35.the red in the baulk end with the green. It looks as though he has
:32:36. > :32:58.done that. It looks like he is going to attempt
:32:59. > :33:03.to get the cue ball on the top cushion. He is just checking which
:33:04. > :33:10.red and where he would like to ideally leave the cue ball. He has
:33:11. > :33:14.already thought about clearing the red on the left of the table and
:33:15. > :33:18.putting the cue ball down behind the black. He has spotted another type
:33:19. > :33:42.of shot, has he? He played the safety. Very fortunate
:33:43. > :33:47.in the end. He misjudged but a bit. -- that.
:33:48. > :33:55.His heart would have been in his mouth for a fraction because it
:33:56. > :34:07.looks as though it could have run through enough.
:34:08. > :34:20.Ali Carter won't be getting the best of the safety exchange by playing
:34:21. > :34:24.this shot. He sacrifices the safety exchange, as Mark Selby now has
:34:25. > :34:46.first crack at getting a good safety.
:34:47. > :34:59.Huge bounce off the cushion. The white ball, that was, and the red
:35:00. > :35:02.came a long way down as well. A player wouldn't have misjudged both
:35:03. > :35:12.of those on less the site cushion was starting to bounce quite
:35:13. > :35:19.severely. -- unless the side cushion. Anything can happen here. I
:35:20. > :35:29.think he has sacrificed one of the reds.
:35:30. > :35:34.Not guaranteed position Lee, but you would expect Mark Selby to pop this
:35:35. > :35:54.rate. -- pot this red. That was the problem. He was always
:35:55. > :36:01.going to run into the blue. The black goes though. He just has to
:36:02. > :36:14.roll it in for position. He played it firmer and that was a
:36:15. > :36:23.very good pot. Good control of the cue ball. He already has a 46 point
:36:24. > :36:29.lead. Another 40 points and he will be well past the winning line here.
:36:30. > :36:36.You can see them coming. Colours available. Reds nicely situated. I
:36:37. > :38:09.will be amazed if he doesn't win the frame at this visit.
:38:10. > :38:17.This is a good reply from Mark Selby.
:38:18. > :38:27.He may have been a little bit fortunate to get this trance. He
:38:28. > :38:41.played at poor safety and left Ali Carter hampered. But there will be
:38:42. > :38:44.many twists and turns. When you have a little bit of luck, take full
:38:45. > :39:42.advantage. It could soon go the other way.
:39:43. > :39:54.He can't make a century but as Steve alluded to at the start of this
:39:55. > :39:59.match, Mark Selby gives every shot 100% concentration. Let's be fair,
:40:00. > :40:37.it is all good practice, isn't it? A little bit of an exhibition shot.
:40:38. > :41:01.He played it nicely. Another little exhibition shot. How
:41:02. > :41:13.is this for position on the black? Very nicely played but not nice
:41:14. > :42:19.enough. He is only a fraction away but he
:42:20. > :42:23.will have to be careful. With a bit more pace, he may come off the
:42:24. > :42:30.cushion slightly different. He doesn't want to run past the red. He
:42:31. > :42:39.misjudged that one. You put a bit of extra pace on it and it squares up
:42:40. > :42:48.more. In Mark Selby 's slight favour, I don't think the red load
:42:49. > :42:54.the pink is pottable. Even if he does present an opportunity to Ali
:42:55. > :43:06.Carter, Ali Carter still has got to play a positional shot that breaks
:43:07. > :43:16.open those two walls. -- balls. This looks nice. He got it that time but
:43:17. > :43:23.a chance now for Ali Carter to just flick of that red per load the pink.
:43:24. > :43:29.Bring that red into play. He needs it could cue ball on the cue ball
:43:30. > :43:38.that's going to be tight to the baulk cushion. It's going the other
:43:39. > :43:46.way because he doesn't want to stick the red up to the left pocket.
:43:47. > :43:55.A chance for Mark Selby are no guarantees with this speculative
:43:56. > :44:02.long red, should he tried into the right corner. He is playing the more
:44:03. > :44:06.difficult left corner. Safety in mind. The green would be lovely for
:44:07. > :44:24.Mark Selby. As I've always said, and I will say
:44:25. > :44:28.it again, the player coming to the table always feels as though his
:44:29. > :44:31.opponent has been a little bit fortunate because nobody is really
:44:32. > :44:36.trying to come off the baulk cushion behind the ball. Mark Selby, as you
:44:37. > :44:41.would have seen from that shot, missed the red by quite some way.
:44:42. > :44:49.The cue ball had more speed on it and a slightly different line had he
:44:50. > :44:56.pointed the red, or got closer. A little shake off the head from Ali
:44:57. > :44:57.Carter as he walked to the table. He feels as if Mark Selby was very
:44:58. > :45:12.lucky. A problem now to get this safe, and
:45:13. > :45:20.he needs to get its face. 18 points behind. He is trying to come off two
:45:21. > :45:25.cushions and play to this red on the left-hand side of the table. It is a
:45:26. > :45:31.pretty good line. It is eight grapeshot! Well played. -- it is a
:45:32. > :45:51.great shot! Ali Carter will feel as if he has
:45:52. > :46:00.deserved that. Perhaps a chance to get behind the green.
:46:01. > :46:07.He didn't really get it right. The trouble with playing it then is that
:46:08. > :46:21.he couldn't get the red into the middle of the table. A chance for
:46:22. > :46:54.Ali Carter, but not the type of shot you want to
:46:55. > :47:02.He just nudged it to the site cushion. It puts him in the frame.
:47:03. > :47:29.-- side cushion. You could see the pink bounce after
:47:30. > :47:50.he hit it. It is hard to keep it going. He might just have the angle
:47:51. > :48:02.here to pop the pink, come off the site cushion and maybe cannoned the
:48:03. > :48:12.red. He did and it has worked out very well. Only the problem of the
:48:13. > :48:31.brown for Ali Carter. Not to make light of the fact that
:48:32. > :48:33.even that red was tough. It is the only part of the game that can go
:48:34. > :48:49.wrong for him. It is an early on in the match, but
:48:50. > :48:53.this would be a big frame for Ali Carter to win. An important frame
:48:54. > :49:10.from his perspective. It seems like Mark Selby was calling
:49:11. > :49:14.all the shots until he just ran out of position and missed that brown.
:49:15. > :49:22.It gave Ali Carter a chance to get back into this frame. But this is
:49:23. > :49:27.the key shot, from green to brown. This was the brown that got Ali
:49:28. > :49:32.Carter back to the table. The move is looking like it could be in the
:49:33. > :49:38.way for a positional shot but if he plays it right, he could take it out
:49:39. > :49:42.of the equation. Maybe screwing onto the top cushion. Try to get round
:49:43. > :49:50.the back of the black. This would be a fantastic effort. Very close to
:49:51. > :49:56.being perfect. He has a sniff at the brown in the green pocket. It is a
:49:57. > :50:02.deft shot to keep control of the loot in the middle. He has looked at
:50:03. > :50:07.the scoreboard. Brown and blue is all he need. Maybe worth taking the
:50:08. > :50:10.brown on. He doesn't have to do a lot with the cue ball. The black is
:50:11. > :50:32.not on its spot. Has he got away with it? I don't
:50:33. > :50:36.think he has. He hasn't. You can see the swipe of the cue, and that is
:50:37. > :50:38.something he needs to keep under control. Eight points is the
:50:39. > :51:02.difference. Brown, blue and pink. You wouldn't think you would be a
:51:03. > :51:07.problem to get from blue to pink. But stranger things have happened.
:51:08. > :51:13.Looking at the scoreboard, he needs the black here. It would put him
:51:14. > :51:22.seven points in front. He is nowhere on the pink. Apologies, just
:51:23. > :51:35.somewhere on the pink. Funnily enough, because he is a little bit
:51:36. > :51:41.further out, he could play a very aggressive positional shot, potting
:51:42. > :51:53.the pink, but he has looked at the double. He has lined up a double.
:51:54. > :52:08.As we mentioned earlier, he was the world eightball pool champion.
:52:09. > :52:16.Can he play it as a safety shot at the same time? That would make it
:52:17. > :52:22.much more attractive. I'm not so sure he can get the cue ball back to
:52:23. > :52:30.the bottom cushion. I don't think he is playing the double now. If he
:52:31. > :52:40.could get the cue ball to the cushion, he could get the double.
:52:41. > :52:45.But he has played eight good safety. Ali Carter will do very well not to
:52:46. > :52:58.leave a pot on this black. Seven points behind.
:52:59. > :53:16.Is that correct? Is the 3-1 favourite? Yes. 3-1 favourite to win
:53:17. > :53:27.this frame. Mark Selby will get two bites of the cherry.
:53:28. > :53:39.It was eight bit of a shock for him, Ali Carter, to get that. Mark
:53:40. > :53:47.Selby thought it was a bit of good fortune, hitting that black. But all
:53:48. > :53:57.is they are in love and war. -- fair. He made certain he got it
:53:58. > :53:58.safe. The only downside is that he has left the cue ball and object
:53:59. > :54:21.ball close together. He tried to get the black absolutely
:54:22. > :54:49.tight on the baulk cushion. The cue ball going perilously close
:54:50. > :55:10.to the middle pocket as well. Fantastic pot. The deciding frame.
:55:11. > :55:26.Take that. He needs a calculator. Ali Carter pottage that quite fit
:55:27. > :55:48.into the pocket. It could have very easily wobbled and stayed there.
:55:49. > :55:57.That is the modern way of playing it. It is a pretty good one. If he
:55:58. > :56:01.can get the right angle, and I would say that he nearly has the right and
:56:02. > :56:06.will, because as a problem that you cannot play these kind of shots.
:56:07. > :56:21.Very hard to now played this shot. He tried something similar before
:56:22. > :56:26.and he didn't get that close to the pocket. That is the problem if you
:56:27. > :56:36.do get close to the draw, you are going to leave it. It is a frame, an
:56:37. > :56:41.exciting frame. Some good pots from Ali Carter, but he just wobbled the
:56:42. > :57:04.black and he goes into the interval trailing Mark Selby by 3-1.
:57:05. > :57:31.If he gets this Canon Wright, he will be on the black. -- cannon
:57:32. > :57:38.right. Just didn't get the pot. This is what I was suggesting. I am
:57:39. > :57:47.certain that is what he has played, but just didn't get the red far
:57:48. > :58:02.enough. He missed the pot, and of course, the canon. It must have been
:58:03. > :59:15.unmissable. The way he has played it. Finished nicely on the blue.
:59:16. > :59:35.Not as plate, at least I don't think it was -- played. Looking pretty
:59:36. > :59:42.sharp ear, Mark Selby -- here. After a nervy couple of shots to start off
:59:43. > :59:49.the match, and then losing the first frame. He has looked very sharp and
:59:50. > :00:01.very strong. Turned it around very nicely. That is not good. He would
:00:02. > :00:11.have been disappointed with that, and even more so now that the pink
:00:12. > :00:15.spot is not available. If he could have played this read more
:00:16. > :00:21.comfortable it, a bit more control, but now he can only just drop the
:00:22. > :00:39.red in. Not the easiest position to put that spider. Got to be careful.
:00:40. > :00:45.He wants to be able to play this as softly as possible to leave him and
:00:46. > :01:01.nice angle on the pinks to go into the red. He just let the cue
:01:02. > :01:09.ball... He is the one that has to remove it from the table, he can't
:01:10. > :01:15.ask the referee to do it. Delicately done. A round of applause for taking
:01:16. > :01:23.a piece of equipment off the table, it really pleases the crowd. Greg
:01:24. > :01:27.Davis used to leave it on the table for the referee to take it off. He
:01:28. > :01:40.wouldn't have done it in a situation like that. Nicely controlled. Gave
:01:41. > :01:53.himself every chance of being on a choice of red is there. I don't
:01:54. > :02:04.think the pink pots into the right corner. What do you reckon? Probably
:02:05. > :02:14.not. Possibly, it will go to the left corner, but he may have to get
:02:15. > :02:23.back for the blue, here. Got the blue to the right corner here. He
:02:24. > :02:29.doesn't have to do much with the cue ball. What he had to do was make
:02:30. > :02:42.sure he had the correct side of the blue, there. Even going down one of
:02:43. > :02:47.the ball colours was an option. Doesn't want to stick on the blue.
:02:48. > :03:09.Just got enough pace and this. Only just. Trying to clear the pink
:03:10. > :03:18.spot. Oh, that was a bit of a risk to be honest. Pop that red and clear
:03:19. > :03:28.it away from the pink. He didn't have to play it in that way. No, the
:03:29. > :03:44.cue ball just stuck whether red was. A little bit trickier, this.
:03:45. > :03:50.Right in the heart of the pocket. The lower read of the three, just
:03:51. > :04:08.below the pink, is available. -- red. He is back effectively in prime
:04:09. > :04:14.position he. -- here. I think we spotted it from the first frame when
:04:15. > :04:21.he played the blue. We thought then he would come out with a positive
:04:22. > :04:29.attitude, and he certainly is showing, he looks very confident.
:04:30. > :04:40.Very confident, indeed. He has all the ability in the world as Mark
:04:41. > :04:47.Selby. Ali Carter has played good safety, it is just that Mark Selby
:04:48. > :04:55.seems to be getting the chance. Ali is being frozen out. We were saying
:04:56. > :05:00.in the first match against Michael White that it didn't look
:05:01. > :05:08.impressive, albeit, he closed the match out in great style to get over
:05:09. > :05:13.the line. I think this is the difference between the top-class
:05:14. > :05:19.players. Desperate to get their teeth into the tournament, get past
:05:20. > :05:31.that first match. This is certainly a different Mark Selby that has come
:05:32. > :05:46.out of the starting blocks today. Where is the cue ball going? ! He
:05:47. > :05:56.got a flick on the pink which means he wasn't absolutely sure where the
:05:57. > :06:08.cue ball was going. The difference, 57, there is 59 remaining. Frame was
:06:09. > :06:12.over until that cue ball dropped. Ali Carter looking at playing the
:06:13. > :06:18.most aggressive shot he can. Split opened the two Reds on the top
:06:19. > :06:34.cushion. He needs a total clearance. He has changed his mind. He is back
:06:35. > :06:41.to playing a stunned shot. Can you turn your earpieces down, please, ?
:06:42. > :07:28.The volume is a bit loud. Oh dear. A big problem, the earpieces. I will
:07:29. > :07:33.be honest, I am not a fan. Well, for some reason he doesn't fancy the
:07:34. > :07:47.middle of the table. I don't know why, only the red needed. Just 51
:07:48. > :08:01.remaining. Where is the cue ball going? Once the red went in, of
:08:02. > :08:21.course, even if it had gone in off, as it turned out. Probably a bit too
:08:22. > :08:34.late now, 58 points. Two points for Lucas. He can pot this and get
:08:35. > :08:57.position on the black. Even release a red. That was a good shot. That
:08:58. > :09:04.face! One snooker required and a free ball. That is another
:09:05. > :09:14.scenario, and he is going to have a good shot at the snippet here --
:09:15. > :09:18.snooker. Can he get a ten in one? It is very difficult to get a
:09:19. > :09:27.misjudgement of an escape these days from the players, but, you never
:09:28. > :09:38.know. He has lost the cue ball and it. It may have poked its nose out
:09:39. > :10:11.past the pink. Yes it has. He has just over spun that. The colours are
:10:12. > :10:15.not too badly situated. You need to be tied in behind the colour. Where
:10:16. > :10:52.is the yellow going? Well, he has doubled the red so that
:10:53. > :10:59.is the end of this frame. Ali Carter sits back in his seat. He now knows
:11:00. > :11:01.it is for-1 behind against the man who was playing well and must be
:11:02. > :12:02.full of confidence. Just playing a little exhibition
:12:03. > :12:11.shot but it just shows you how well he is cueing. A little bit of side
:12:12. > :12:19.he used to get around the table. Not all that about the black. Cueing
:12:20. > :12:33.well. A good moment for Mark Selby, he stretches his leads to three. He
:12:34. > :12:41.now leads by four frames to one. A bit of a whole now, Ali Carter.
:12:42. > :12:47.Fantastic turnaround by Mark Selby. Yes, eight frames in these
:12:48. > :12:56.sessions. These two sessions of eight. A possible nine remaining
:12:57. > :13:03.frames. The first session may come to 25. Ali needs to win a couple of
:13:04. > :13:23.these frames, he would like to win all three obviously. Only two
:13:24. > :13:32.sessions of play today. Afternoon and evening. He has sent the Reds to
:13:33. > :13:36.the two corners. Got a good cue ball but he couldn't really guarantee how
:13:37. > :13:40.the Reds were going to split. A very aggressive opening of the pack.
:13:41. > :13:45.Perhaps feels as though he has to force the pace a fraction. The
:13:46. > :13:51.problem with that shot is that it was the correct path of the cue
:13:52. > :13:55.ball, so he had to hit its pretty thick. Yes, and he has a good cue
:13:56. > :14:06.ball. He has played some good safety in this. It is just that Mark Selby
:14:07. > :14:12.has been very good. I think that is 79% safety. Made to look worse just
:14:13. > :14:19.by the fact that Mark has been knocking in his balls. This is as
:14:20. > :14:26.good as I have seen Mark Selby for quite a while. I remember speaking
:14:27. > :14:33.to him in the UK and he said that, although he got to the final of the
:14:34. > :14:41.UK, he was lacking in confidence. Maybe he expects to much for himself
:14:42. > :14:55.sometimes. Air, he has had a really good season -- the air -- yeah. On
:14:56. > :15:06.the big stage in the ranking events, frustration at the final
:15:07. > :15:14.hurdle. But he is going to be making Ali go for it here. The standard
:15:15. > :15:20.that I think he produced in winning the Masters, at his very best, I
:15:21. > :15:33.think he is a potential world champion this year. One of the few
:15:34. > :15:35.players in the game that has genuinely caused Ronnie O'Sullivan
:15:36. > :16:20.problems on the table. I am not certain if the black will
:16:21. > :16:37.go into the right corner pocket. If it doesn't, it is not going to be
:16:38. > :16:49.easy for the break. You see the black. He will do well to make a
:16:50. > :17:00.frame winning contribution here. A nice angle on the blue. A huge
:17:01. > :17:06.amount of experience goes into working out the correct order of
:17:07. > :17:21.taking these red. What he is doing here is clearing one of the two Reds
:17:22. > :17:32.that blocks the path of the black. He could have been forgiven for
:17:33. > :17:39.playing those two Reds that go into the pocket. He has to use one of
:17:40. > :17:48.those to go into the black. He has to use the right side of the blue,
:17:49. > :18:01.that is the critical shot at this level. A little grimace. Just about
:18:02. > :18:09.got away with that, he had lots of left-hand side spin. He just about
:18:10. > :18:15.got the cue ball to stay in the top half. He has to get back now, the
:18:16. > :18:31.correct side of the blue. Very difficult, very awkward cueing. He
:18:32. > :18:36.didn't really get as far back as he would have liked, that is why he is
:18:37. > :18:44.close to side cushion. He will do well to keep this going now. It is
:18:45. > :18:49.certainly not straightforward now. A bit of an advantage playing with
:18:50. > :18:54.pointed shoes though. You get a bit more ability to reach over the
:18:55. > :19:02.table. If you have clown shoes on, you could reach even further. Are
:19:03. > :19:15.not Shane -- I am not saying they are clown shoes, but they are
:19:16. > :19:18.pointed. I was watching on the red Button, and that meant playing on
:19:19. > :19:28.the other table, it looked like something out of Madagascar. They
:19:29. > :19:39.are the ones we are talking about. I love them, but would you wear them?
:19:40. > :19:48.They are Dominic's shoes. He is involved on the other table. A bit
:19:49. > :19:58.of a clash with the socks but, let's not get involved down this road. A
:19:59. > :20:04.kiss on the yellow, look at Ali's face. He just can't get any table
:20:05. > :20:23.time at the moment. He is so frustrated this game. Well, it is
:20:24. > :20:31.the first shot that Mark has let off the hook for a while. Yes, it just
:20:32. > :20:42.seems a minor mistake from Ali. Can he now get a foothold back in the
:20:43. > :20:46.game? He has not got an easy one. Even though he expected to get this,
:20:47. > :20:58.it is missable. He hasn't had many shots recent league -- recently.
:20:59. > :21:02.That is the problem in the game of snooker. Sometimes you can be
:21:03. > :21:06.sitting and not getting table time, and when you get a chance like that,
:21:07. > :21:21.you have to come to the table and produce. It is not easy. I think he
:21:22. > :21:26.has covered everything. He may be thinking of the possibilities. If he
:21:27. > :21:32.could get past the black, the possibility of a plant. But I don't
:21:33. > :21:45.think you can see anything if he goes past the black. I don't think
:21:46. > :21:54.you can even risk going back to the baulk. Of course, he could play the
:21:55. > :22:01.ultra- containing shot which is to lay into the pack. Any other shot is
:22:02. > :22:11.a risk. He is going to the table, spotted a double. Great effort. Had
:22:12. > :22:21.to get the screw back the right amount as well. Well, Ali sits back
:22:22. > :22:40.in his seat, shakes his head. There is nothing you can do about it.
:22:41. > :22:44.FairPlay to Mark. Sometimes, there have been players who have
:22:45. > :22:50.criticised Mark Selby for being negative. Well, he certainly isn't
:22:51. > :22:56.showing this. I never really thought that was a view for me, but that was
:22:57. > :23:08.an aggressive opportunist shot he took out their. To me, from shot
:23:09. > :23:40.one, he has looked in a positive frame of mind. When he is good, of
:23:41. > :23:49.course, he is very good. A bit low on this, but that could have been
:23:50. > :23:56.intentional. There was the other colour. He is on the blue to the far
:23:57. > :24:04.right corner. If he knocks it in, you can see that the way the Reds
:24:05. > :24:14.are, there was never any danger on it. Smacked the back of the
:24:15. > :24:26.leather, clean as a whistle. Just read needed to stretch his lead even
:24:27. > :24:35.further -- red. Very impressive. Yes, this is as clinical an outing
:24:36. > :24:47.as we have seen so far in this tournament. There have been other
:24:48. > :24:58.players that have been extremely clinical. This is the level of
:24:59. > :25:35.snooker you need to produce to win the event. Perhaps the other two
:25:36. > :25:44.players, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson playing relentless snooker
:25:45. > :25:52.to this level. Obviously, on occasions, Shaun Murphy as well.
:25:53. > :25:58.Yes, and you could include Ali Carter in that. But with snooker, if
:25:59. > :26:07.you sit in your seat, there is nothing you can do about it. Ali is
:26:08. > :26:12.going through that at the moment, the frustration of your opponent
:26:13. > :26:19.playing well and not giving you any chances. It doesn't matter about the
:26:20. > :26:27.red. Ali Carter, even in its first session, you can just see him
:26:28. > :26:44.slipping away slightly. Now four frames behind. Selby leads. They
:26:45. > :27:00.have the Crucible arena to themselves, the walls have gone up.
:27:01. > :27:08.Another excellent safety shot for Ali Carter. He hasn't done hardly
:27:09. > :27:17.anything wrong. He is looking at a five one deficit at the moment. Two
:27:18. > :27:27.more games to be played. If he can win the next one, look at that.
:27:28. > :27:34.Found the line. Great pot. It is relentless at the moment. I think,
:27:35. > :27:53.as he sits in his chair, he is hoping he wins at least one of these
:27:54. > :27:58.two frames. He doesn't fancy the brown. He had what looked to be at
:27:59. > :28:02.decent angle on the brown. This is where the matchplay comes in. In
:28:03. > :28:09.many ways, Mark Selby reminds me of a modern day to explore burn. He
:28:10. > :28:33.scores heavily but has a good tactical game. -- Cliff Thorburn. He
:28:34. > :28:43.has missed this by a long way. He didn't like the bounce of the
:28:44. > :28:49.cushion. I can only assume that the shot he played isn't on. He was
:28:50. > :28:50.trying to make it stick to the cushion with lots of right-hand
:28:51. > :29:05.side. But he missed the red. Unless it comes to the other side of
:29:06. > :29:16.the middle pocket. And that is what he decided to do. He will be pleased
:29:17. > :29:26.with that. There is a red to the far right corner, slightly hampered
:29:27. > :29:26.cueing. At the moment, Ali Carter is probably frightened to leave
:29:27. > :29:53.anything for Mark. Slightly awkward cueing. Isn't that
:29:54. > :29:57.always the way in this game? When you are in front, playing well, you
:29:58. > :30:11.always seem to get a good one of the ball. -- good run. It is a big risk.
:30:12. > :30:20.He was slightly hampered. I think he will take this red on here. There is
:30:21. > :30:25.enough separation between the two balls that you can control the cue
:30:26. > :30:28.ball. Send the cue ball across to the left-hand side of the table. A
:30:29. > :30:49.bit of insurance involved in that. Good shot. He played it the brave
:30:50. > :30:52.way. If the red doesn't drop, more than likely it would have stayed in
:30:53. > :31:02.the jaws of the pocket. He fully committed. Can he make the most of
:31:03. > :31:06.this opportunity? It is not an ideal opportunity, it has to be said. He
:31:07. > :31:23.really needs to get the right angle on the blue.
:31:24. > :31:36.Really well struck. If that red touching the black pots, he will
:31:37. > :31:43.want to get it out of the way as quick as possible.
:31:44. > :31:50.That tells us that he doesn't think it is available. Has he got an angle
:31:51. > :31:59.on this red to get nicely on the blue? He must think he has a chance.
:32:00. > :32:05.Now, here it is. Full bloodied, into the pink. He just has to make sure
:32:06. > :32:21.there is no obvious plants on, because he wants to go in at pace.
:32:22. > :32:35.He has a red to continue with. But the pink that he hit has gone safe.
:32:36. > :32:41.He would have also may have loosened the black. No such luck. He might be
:32:42. > :32:54.able to get out round of the black for the blue.
:32:55. > :33:05.It is tight. It would go in the middle. That would be some
:33:06. > :33:13.positional shot. But maybe there is no alternative. I think that is too
:33:14. > :33:21.tight for this corner pocket. He couldn't risk it. At the end of the
:33:22. > :33:27.day, he was trying to go up the table for the blue. There is no way
:33:28. > :33:34.you could be on the black. It had to hit the black first. Just a safety.
:33:35. > :33:36.It was a misjudgement, not being able to get through that gap behind
:33:37. > :33:49.the black. A scrappy frame developing here, and
:33:50. > :33:54.one that Ali Carter doesn't really want to get involved in. To some
:33:55. > :33:58.degree, he wants to get his hand on the table. Mark Selby will not be in
:33:59. > :34:17.any rush here. If it green doesn't come to his
:34:18. > :34:26.rescue, Ali Carter can potted. He can. He just hosted begin here now.
:34:27. > :34:32.He has to have the attitude that no matter how you do it, win this
:34:33. > :34:38.frame. He has to be careful to control the cue ball.
:34:39. > :34:50.Very nicely comptroller. -- controlled. I don't think Ali Carter
:34:51. > :34:55.is playing badly, it is just we haven't seen much of him. It is
:34:56. > :35:02.tough at the top, that's for certain. That's the fascination of
:35:03. > :35:05.three session second rounds. It is advantage Mark Selby and looks like
:35:06. > :35:19.being a healthy advantage. But as long that Ali Carter believes
:35:20. > :35:25.in himself, who is to say he can't turn the second session around? That
:35:26. > :35:30.is a fair point because if this was a first round match, first of ten,
:35:31. > :35:33.5-1 behind, you would be thinking he definitely used to win the next two
:35:34. > :35:36.frames to keep himself in the match. Sometimes players seem to
:35:37. > :35:53.forget it is three sessions. If he can get out of the session
:35:54. > :35:58.5-3, he will actually sort of go back and spend the rest of the day
:35:59. > :36:05.thinking, that wasn't so bad. I really was up against it. I am only
:36:06. > :36:17.tee frames behind. He has just enough angle on the blue.
:36:18. > :36:27.That black is now pots. That misjudgement by Ali Carter may well
:36:28. > :36:31.have helped him. Look at this pink. It is very tight but if he is right
:36:32. > :36:40.behind it, I think I fancy it. I do think it did go. -- I don't. I
:36:41. > :37:00.thought it went. I do apologise. He is the bit close to the cushion
:37:01. > :37:08.here. It makes controlling the cue ball harder. He had to hit that a
:37:09. > :37:18.lot softer than he would have wanted. Superbly played. Has he come
:37:19. > :37:24.far enough? No. He just hesitated. You just saw him slow down when he
:37:25. > :37:25.was walking. If it had just run another six inches, it would have
:37:26. > :37:38.been absolutely perfect. He played that very nicely. He
:37:39. > :37:43.didn't put a lot of effort in but he got the screw back on. That is the
:37:44. > :37:55.advantage of having great cue power and good timing of the shot.
:37:56. > :38:01.This is the big frame for Ali Carter. He has a chance to win it. I
:38:02. > :38:07.think he has got to take it, just for his own self-esteem. He has been
:38:08. > :38:13.frozen out, for no fault of his own, just reach play from his
:38:14. > :38:31.opponent. He has got a bit of a problem here.
:38:32. > :38:57.This would be an excellent frame winning break.
:38:58. > :39:33.He played that well. He played that well. It was a delicate little
:39:34. > :39:41.shot. He had to get immediate reaction the cue ball. Sometimes
:39:42. > :39:47.when we see these shots played, they make them look very easy. But it is
:39:48. > :39:57.definitely one that needs care and attention. He needs a red and a
:39:58. > :40:08.colour to clinch the frame. He has got the red. The cue ball needs to
:40:09. > :40:10.slow down. Its OK. The blue will do. The blue to go 54 points in front
:40:11. > :40:24.with 51 remaining. It looks like he may have stopped
:40:25. > :40:37.the rot. He has lost five frames on the trot.
:40:38. > :40:47.He would have loved to have seen that going. But one Snuka required.
:40:48. > :40:56.He knows it is not over yet. -- snooker. Just a fraction out. Still
:40:57. > :41:03.favourite. Don't count how Mark Selby. He needs only one Snuka. --
:41:04. > :41:48.snooker. He is looking at this red and
:41:49. > :41:54.looking at the pot. If he pots it, he needs the black. If he pots the
:41:55. > :42:04.pink, he will need a four point snooker to tie. No. I think he would
:42:05. > :42:11.like to concede now. It is not etiquette to do that when it is your
:42:12. > :42:18.opponent 's turn at the table. That is why he hasn't conceded. There is
:42:19. > :42:31.no way Ali will miss this red. He needs to be careful here.
:42:32. > :42:39.So that is end of frame. Ali will be relieved and will nail immediately
:42:40. > :42:46.be thinking of the last frame of the session. -- and will now
:42:47. > :43:00.immediately. That shows you what he thinks about
:43:01. > :43:05.that! He just wants to get on with the last frame of the session, but
:43:06. > :43:10.at least he has stopped the rot. He lost five in a row but he has won
:43:11. > :43:34.that one. Can he reduce it to two in the final frame?
:43:35. > :43:43.A decent break. Just one red sticking out. I think Mark could
:43:44. > :43:52.just get past the green to play the pot. He thought that the only red
:43:53. > :44:08.map or he could leave it on his mind. -- only red he could leave is
:44:09. > :44:17.on his mind. That is just about available.
:44:18. > :44:25.He just didn't hit the red straight enough. There is a red into the
:44:26. > :44:32.right middle, the right-hand side of the cluster. Mark Selby is roughly
:44:33. > :44:41.about where he started. Ali Carter just drops slightly.
:44:42. > :44:50.The reason he played that one is he thought he was going to cover the
:44:51. > :44:53.one near the left middle. He felt as if he had more control of the cue
:44:54. > :44:55.ball to be on the black. But this red to the right of the blue does
:44:56. > :45:02.pot. It perfect chance to get the right
:45:03. > :45:24.angle on the blue. He chose to play for a baulk colour.
:45:25. > :45:28.He hit it a lot harder than I thought he was going to. Perhaps it
:45:29. > :45:44.was a bit wider shot than I first anticipated. No accounting for that.
:45:45. > :45:48.The sound effects we got there... Is exactly what was going through Ali
:45:49. > :46:03.Carter 's mind. What a fluke that was. He has not got enough pace on
:46:04. > :46:04.the cue ball. He has got the moored difficult read into the middle
:46:05. > :46:32.pocket. -- the more difficult red. He overheats that by six inches. --
:46:33. > :46:36.overhit. Now he is looking to come in between the baulk colour is,
:46:37. > :46:41.brown and green, and then back up the table. That would be a fantastic
:46:42. > :46:48.positional shot if he got this right. Wrong side of the green and
:46:49. > :46:55.the wrong cushion hit first. End of break.
:46:56. > :47:01.It could be end of break but I think there may be a possible cut here on
:47:02. > :47:20.this red. He has knocked it in and controlled
:47:21. > :47:35.it well. This is making Ali School are much in his chair. These are all
:47:36. > :47:48.of the fluke. -- squirm in his chair. It was a great pot that he
:47:49. > :47:56.picked out. Ali Carter is frustrated. He is picking shots
:47:57. > :48:13.out. He will be struggling to keep it now
:48:14. > :48:17.though. Is it OK if I say end of break now, John? I think you have
:48:18. > :48:28.half a chance of being right this time, Steve. A bit unlucky really.
:48:29. > :48:30.He hit them quite well. He needed a bit more pace to get that tubal of
:48:31. > :48:54.the side cushion. -- cue ball off. A bit careless to kiss the green.
:48:55. > :49:14.But he got 22 points from an uncle Regius fluke. -- outrageous.
:49:15. > :49:26.Terrific pot. He needs it did kiss on the brown. -- a good. Has he got
:49:27. > :49:33.an angle on the yellow that will tempt him? If it just trickles up
:49:34. > :49:35.behind the yellow, you wouldn't think it would cause too much of a
:49:36. > :49:42.problem for Mark Selby. It is a very aggressive yellow into
:49:43. > :50:08.the top corner pocket. You have two more or less guarantee
:50:09. > :50:14.the yellow to play this shot. Has he gone far enough for this red that is
:50:15. > :50:18.tight against the pink? Can he get to it? I think he felt he didn't get
:50:19. > :50:21.the best of contacts playing the runthrough, but he's got far enough
:50:22. > :50:48.down. Well played. That shot required a
:50:49. > :50:58.good cue action, but he is showing great character out here at the end
:50:59. > :51:09.of the session. To make that angle and force it round, does the red
:51:10. > :51:14.pass the pink? Brilliantly struck. He has got one to the right corner
:51:15. > :51:18.but it is not straight enough to run it through for the black in the
:51:19. > :51:20.opposite corner. If this red passes the pink, surely this is the one to
:51:21. > :51:33.play and stun down for the black. This has been a fascinating session
:51:34. > :51:43.of snooker between two heavyweights of the game.
:51:44. > :51:58.Ali Carter is cueing beautifully. This was the tremendous red. We have
:51:59. > :52:01.watched Ali squirming in his seat. Mark Selby is similar. He needs so
:52:02. > :52:19.much. He judged that nicely. Under severe
:52:20. > :52:36.pressure in his first match, he produced at the right time.
:52:37. > :52:43.It is not easy to keep this break going. He has another red at the top
:52:44. > :52:51.of the pack. It goes into the same pocket is the red he just potted. Of
:52:52. > :52:56.that cluster, the left-hand one might go to the left corner pocket.
:52:57. > :53:00.He doesn't have to play any cannons just at the moment. He has a 6-point
:53:01. > :53:11.lead now. That is a bit too straight on the
:53:12. > :53:36.black to risk letting the cue ball travel any distance.
:53:37. > :53:56.The red on the extreme left. Is it available to the middle?
:53:57. > :54:07.He has played for the red to the middle. Even in the modern game,
:54:08. > :54:11.they make the shots look very easy, that it is still an acute angle. He
:54:12. > :54:13.has to be so accurate and played with pace. A little screw shot
:54:14. > :54:33.coming back for the black. Nicely played. He has got a nice
:54:34. > :54:37.angle on this black. I don't know if he has a enough angle just pot it
:54:38. > :54:45.and play a cannon on the outside red. He would have to force it. The
:54:46. > :54:50.left-hand red does go to this corner pocket, the same pocket as the
:54:51. > :54:58.black. Can he play a cannon and leave himself on that red? He can.
:54:59. > :55:04.It has worked out absolutely perfect. He has got the frame at his
:55:05. > :55:18.mercy. This is a big frame for Ali Carter.
:55:19. > :55:30.What a match this is turning out to be. Two more sessions yet to come.
:55:31. > :55:41.I said earlier that it was a match that was worthy of the world finals.
:55:42. > :55:52.The standard is that high at the moment. Mark Selby will need a
:55:53. > :55:58.snooker. Both of them on 91% pot success. But this has been more
:55:59. > :56:05.about potting balls, this match, it has been about both players playing
:56:06. > :56:13.well and one of them, who was frozen out for a while, showing great
:56:14. > :56:21.character. The black to get the snooker required stage. So Ali
:56:22. > :56:31.Carter at least will take something out of this session now. Obviously
:56:32. > :56:37.he will be disappointed to have lost the session, when he lost five on
:56:38. > :56:43.the trot and was 5-1 down, he had to deep deep. These last two frames
:56:44. > :56:47.were very important. If you speak to Mark Selby, he will have been
:56:48. > :56:56.pleased to have won the session. He has not done a lot wrong. Ali Carter
:56:57. > :56:59.started with a century. Could he top and tail of this session? Highly
:57:00. > :57:15.likely. When he made the one in the first
:57:16. > :57:17.frame, that was the 17th century of the tournament so far. This could be
:57:18. > :57:45.number 18. This is for the century. 102 in the
:57:46. > :57:54.first. Marvellous! Absolutely marvellous! He has played a man at
:57:55. > :57:58.the top of his game. He was sat in his seat for most of the session.
:57:59. > :58:06.But what a session from both players. Absolutely top draw. That
:58:07. > :58:10.is what you get at the Crucible. It is the World Championship, and that
:58:11. > :58:18.was World Championship quality. Mark Selby wins the session by 5-3.
:58:19. > :58:24.Fascinating session. Ali Carter really gave himself a lifeline in
:58:25. > :58:30.this match. They are back early in the morning, 10am, and you can sit
:58:31. > :58:35.on BBC Two. That is their second session. I hope you can join us for
:58:36. > :58:39.that. In the meantime, good night and sleep well.