:02:32. > :02:57.It was a great start from Anthony McGill there. An easy start there.
:02:58. > :03:09.His career centuries have then great. Anthony McGill is one of his
:03:10. > :03:22.own assuming snooker players. He just goes about his business very
:03:23. > :03:28.proficiently indeed. A lovely man and a top-class snooker player. He
:03:29. > :03:34.really is a fantastic ambassador for our sport. A really quiet guy, a bit
:03:35. > :03:45.of a silent but deadly assassin type. He is just that good. Yes,
:03:46. > :03:50.absolutely. The red that is beyond the cue ball, it will go beyond the
:03:51. > :03:58.packet. Whatever pace he likes really. APPLAUSE He just cut the
:03:59. > :04:23.wrong red. He needed to catch the one just to the right. He just
:04:24. > :04:36.missed it. This is very awkward cueing which is easily missed. What
:04:37. > :04:45.a fabulous shot! Well judged! 15. Yes, he played it well. He's looking
:04:46. > :04:52.at that pack again. He is going to try and go back into the pink if he
:04:53. > :05:03.wished. The yellow is there, he has still a few loose reds available.
:05:04. > :05:15.That has just worked out that street. What an excellent shot. -- a
:05:16. > :05:57.treat. A couple of shots and a half to save this frame is there for the
:05:58. > :06:42.taking, already. 21. He almost doesn't feel the shot. Most players
:06:43. > :06:46.feel the shot with their feathering. Hard to believe that he could have
:06:47. > :06:49.played that from the blue. Yes, he could have played that 100 times and
:06:50. > :06:57.would have in very pleased with those reds. You can feel that he
:06:58. > :07:10.would need to play an excellent safety shot. Marco Fu. Marco Fu is
:07:11. > :07:17.just such a great play. As we have said before at the start of the
:07:18. > :07:38.programme. I have just put in two pupils at the only two places that
:07:39. > :08:00.it would be safe. -- two pupils. Two cue Balls. He just gets those walls
:08:01. > :08:07.open in a loose positional shot. His position is now trusting to luck.
:08:08. > :08:28.You cannot forget to pot the red. Probably play with the left-hand
:08:29. > :08:50.side there. This is very thin. It is not as easy as it looks. A really
:08:51. > :09:11.been shot. -- A really thin shot. -- a really thin shot. The way that
:09:12. > :09:15.Marco Fu has played here. You can really say that he will wrap it up
:09:16. > :10:06.with an excellent shot on his next visit. He has an opportunity to play
:10:07. > :10:16.cannon on the left of the two. Just to open up the reds. It is a very
:10:17. > :10:20.well controlled. A very well controlled shot. I think he would
:10:21. > :10:29.have liked the cue ball controlled shot. I think he would
:10:30. > :10:40.another few inches. He has a great chance to go for the pink ear. To
:10:41. > :10:55.really develop the pink cueball. -- pink here. Did black is a difficult
:10:56. > :11:07.shot. -- the black. If he gets that, it is a frame when. -- frame
:11:08. > :11:15.winner. It is never easy when you are that far away. Especially when
:11:16. > :12:02.you are not at the right centre. He is such a good rest player. He's got
:12:03. > :12:07.the black in the corner pocket. A good chance the Marco Fu to settle
:12:08. > :12:13.any nerves now. This is to be expected from any players in this
:12:14. > :12:21.important last 16 match in the World Championship. When you play eight
:12:22. > :12:27.frames in the last 16 match, Peter, were you one of the players like
:12:28. > :12:34.myself that would play many sessions in the first few frames. Did you do
:12:35. > :12:40.that as well? Was it a bonus to you? Is that your philosophy? I think
:12:41. > :12:46.that is the same intention of the many snooker players. As you know,
:12:47. > :12:53.with the pressure out there, you need to take one ball and one frame
:12:54. > :13:02.at a time. As we both know anything and everything can happen on a
:13:03. > :13:07.snooker table and usually does. Yes, absolutely, especially when you have
:13:08. > :13:18.Marco Fu playing here. A player of his calibre here. It is expected to
:13:19. > :13:27.have a little bit of notes. However, he prides himself in this match. --
:13:28. > :13:48.nerves. Just read and a colour should be enough. -- just a red.
:13:49. > :13:58.If you watch, you can say that Marco Fu is timing that all just
:13:59. > :14:06.beautifully. He is really not putting a lot of effort in all of
:14:07. > :14:12.his shots. He does not hit as hard. Yes, he doesn't hit it hard, there
:14:13. > :14:19.are times you see him play softly even with the screw shots. He never
:14:20. > :14:27.really hits the ball too card. -- too hard. It is wonderful to watch,
:14:28. > :14:46.because we have great control over all of these balls.
:14:47. > :15:20.52. This is certainly a half red. Especially near the cushion. He
:15:21. > :15:31.could use it as a practice shot. Wow, what a lovely shot. On the
:15:32. > :15:40.reverse side there. Especially, for someone who says openly, that they
:15:41. > :15:47.did not have any cue power, that was certainly a great effort. He is
:15:48. > :16:12.trained to a whole all of these balls and keep McGill in the chair.
:16:13. > :16:35.He had his chance, Anthony McGill. He certainly did before. An
:16:36. > :16:43.excellent frame by Marco Fu. He leads in this first half against
:16:44. > :17:07.Anthony McGill. A great play by Marco Fu. That was good length with
:17:08. > :17:15.the cue ball. A good break. We can see the red on the other side of the
:17:16. > :17:41.table. Yes, he definitely took that well. He has been quite fortunate.
:17:42. > :17:52.He didn't really have that angle to get the cue ball on the angle near
:17:53. > :18:03.the yellow for Marco Fu. If he tries to get back to baulk, from this shot
:18:04. > :18:13.he needs to get this very thin. He needs to be wary of pushing the red
:18:14. > :18:16.into the right of the far pocket. That was an excellent safety shot.
:18:17. > :19:36.Very, well played! Here is Marco Fu. What an ex- --
:19:37. > :19:50.excellent view. He is coming off two cushions. He doesn't want this red
:19:51. > :19:59.to slip by. He has landed it perfectly. This is a really half
:20:00. > :20:07.red, along the cushion. However, the angle is there. If he pots it he can
:20:08. > :20:22.move the red a wave from the black and get it in the same pocket. --
:20:23. > :20:28.away. This is really tough. It is very missable.
:20:29. > :20:38.He chose not to play the gap, he was very precise. He played for the gap.
:20:39. > :20:52.He needs to be incredibly precise further positional play there. --
:20:53. > :20:59.for the. It is a tough one if Marco Fu chooses to play that. It doesn't
:21:00. > :21:14.look like the black will knock to red over. -- the. Straight into the
:21:15. > :21:23.right pocket. If he thinks he can play through. It is stuff because he
:21:24. > :21:34.needs to hit the red into the cushion and over the pocket thin.
:21:35. > :21:41.needs to hit the red into the tough shot. He tried to hit the
:21:42. > :21:48.cushion. However, he had a lot more room than he anticipated there. I
:21:49. > :21:58.think, Anthony McGill will not him is seeing this pot. So, can Anthony
:21:59. > :22:13.McGill settle his early match nerves. A great opportunity there.
:22:14. > :22:20.He would have liked to have been a little bit closer to the cushion to
:22:21. > :22:29.played the shot. He has decided to go for the blue. He has played that
:22:30. > :22:33.really well. There are a few loose reds, but he will take the
:22:34. > :22:45.opportunity to play the cannon into the pink. Especially, to play the
:22:46. > :22:56.reds. He will be a little bit thinner on the blue than what he
:22:57. > :23:02.would have liked. I am not sure what his angle is there. Some of the reds
:23:03. > :23:13.are in the corner pocket. That keeps grew in the yellow. -- deep screw.
:23:14. > :23:39.He has played that very, very well. He has cued it nicely. 11. That was
:23:40. > :23:41.a very nice He has cued it nicely. 11. That was
:23:42. > :23:53.Anthony McGill. It was very well worked out. He used it to play the
:23:54. > :24:01.cue. Yes, the red is knocked away from the red. He formed a
:24:02. > :24:01.cue. Yes, the red is knocked away past the other red. Both would have
:24:02. > :24:03.been past the other red. Both would have
:24:04. > :24:10.He would have been unfortunate in a past the other red. Both would have
:24:11. > :24:17.way there. He still has many options.
:24:18. > :24:25.That is why, sometimes it is better to go into the balls when you get
:24:26. > :24:29.the opportunity. You never know if you are going to get a better
:24:30. > :24:35.opportunity. However, the blue was better than he would have liked. He
:24:36. > :24:54.chose not to do that. Unfortunately, that is in the break. Hindsight is a
:24:55. > :25:29.wonderful thing isn't it can? -- can -- Ken. Yes, he would have been very
:25:30. > :25:37.disappointed. A great shot from Marco Fu. It affects Anthony McGill.
:25:38. > :25:52.His strokes the red from the left-hand side of the table. From
:25:53. > :25:55.the bottom left-hand side pocket. Fairy interesting to see Anthony
:25:56. > :26:01.McGill on the shot there. He has a very strong eyesight. It is an
:26:02. > :26:34.excellent take a shot. -- taker. That was an excellent return from
:26:35. > :26:39.Marco Fu. He was quite unfortunate to catch the returnable. -- return
:26:40. > :27:44.ball. This is a possibility for Bourdy. --
:27:45. > :27:53.Stephen -- Marco Fu. Happy he has not left a pot. The only uses the
:27:54. > :28:00.side when he really has two. We know how difficult it is to use on these
:28:01. > :28:07.superfine clots, especially with power. In this instance, he would
:28:08. > :28:13.have needed a lot of right-hand side which would have been a curable to
:28:14. > :28:18.the left, which is never easy to judge. That is another very good
:28:19. > :28:52.shot from Anthony McGill. Perfect. Certainly, winning the safety battle
:28:53. > :29:15.at the moment. APPLAUSE. He set himself up here. He
:29:16. > :29:22.has played, as Peter said, a few excellent safety shots. He has
:29:23. > :29:33.eventually forced an error. Can he capitalise?
:29:34. > :29:48.You are no stranger to playing excellent safety shots yourself,
:29:49. > :29:53.can, are you? It is a right to play good safety shots but you have to
:29:54. > :29:58.take the chances once you get in. You and not going to get a better
:29:59. > :30:03.chance than this. It is important for Anthony McGill to send a
:30:04. > :30:14.message, a very strong message to Marco Fu. If it takes a chance he is
:30:15. > :30:21.going to take it and put Marco and pressure. He needs to take full
:30:22. > :30:30.advantage of this. He would like to get the black open. He may have an
:30:31. > :30:35.opportunity here. He is going to try here but he has got a horrible kick
:30:36. > :30:40.on the curable. That is a very unlucky. Wanted to get on to the
:30:41. > :30:52.black. And free up but, look at that. OK, still on the pink but,
:30:53. > :30:58.apart from the pink, he will have to play a really good shot to get on
:30:59. > :31:08.the red. I know he was very unlucky to get a kick that but he seemed to
:31:09. > :31:14.be striking quite low on the cue ball, he almost decelerated. He will
:31:15. > :31:21.strive to be very precise to get onto the black. Yes, this is a tough
:31:22. > :31:38.pink. Especially when you play it at that pace. He has had a major
:31:39. > :31:42.result. These middle pockets are so tough, especially when you are
:31:43. > :31:47.playing with pace and especially with that sort of angle. We have
:31:48. > :31:52.seen that so many times already in this championship. Sometimes the
:31:53. > :32:03.ball looks like it is going into the middle but it can spin account with
:32:04. > :32:09.the pace. -- back out. He has been very fortunate, you see the red
:32:10. > :32:20.blocking. He has to be very careful to cause he does not want to leave
:32:21. > :32:28.Anthony McGill a shot. He needs that green to cover it. Has he done that?
:32:29. > :32:50.It is a very good effort. This is a really tough pot into the
:32:51. > :32:55.middle. It is more difficult than it looks on your screen, I promise you
:32:56. > :33:06.and that is a really good shot. Well played.
:33:07. > :33:12.APPLAUSE. They really are nervy sort of shots. They are horrible. You can
:33:13. > :33:26.easily make a mistake, then all the car. And he played that perfectly.
:33:27. > :33:37.-- then or thick. He needs to be precise in the next positional shot.
:33:38. > :33:42.I am not quite sure he can hold the black into the right corner pocket.
:33:43. > :34:04.He looks like he wants to come back round the back of the black full
:34:05. > :34:13.pink or blue. -- for. I think he has played it well. He just has a flick
:34:14. > :34:18.on the blue but I think he still has a bit of an angle. Can see the blue
:34:19. > :34:40.line. There it is. Green Wall. -- ball. How is this for
:34:41. > :34:58.a positional shot. How Green Wall. -- ball. How is this for
:34:59. > :35:05.positional shot! It is very unlucky. Lots and lots of right-hand
:35:06. > :35:11.side. It looked for a second it was going to be perfect. This is a
:35:12. > :35:19.tricky little shot he has left himself.
:35:20. > :35:25.He needs to give this his full attention because he will probably
:35:26. > :35:38.have to play this with a bit of pace. Oh, this is really tough,
:35:39. > :35:44.Kieran. Well played, that is an excellent shot. That is a very, very
:35:45. > :35:51.good cueing. Easy get unwanted side on these. He
:35:52. > :35:51.good cueing. Easy get unwanted side beautifully. Not straightforward,
:35:52. > :36:12.the way the balls are. Lots of cute power, Anthony McGill.
:36:13. > :36:27.Another very good shot. This is a little tester well played. Another
:36:28. > :36:38.very, very good shot. Now, can he flick the red above the black, away
:36:39. > :36:45.from these two reds. ? May be looking to push the red towards the
:36:46. > :36:53.middle. Yes, I think he may be looking at the red directly above
:36:54. > :36:57.the black and the other two reds. He's going to have to try and split
:36:58. > :37:03.the three of them. That is what he tried to do. He just tried to flick
:37:04. > :37:08.off the red into the other to bring them into play but it has gone
:37:09. > :37:13.wrong. It was a very good effort. He played the shot Yu said. He wanted a
:37:14. > :37:20.little connection to the top rate and it would have opened. A healthy
:37:21. > :37:29.56 point league but... Nothing is safe.
:37:30. > :37:40.The reason big target, of course, behind the brown and yellow. A
:37:41. > :37:46.chance to play a good safety shot here and put a red into the cushion.
:37:47. > :37:54.He has put two on the cushion, very well played full of
:37:55. > :38:05.APPLAUSE. --. APPLAUSE. Very good safety shot. You
:38:06. > :38:13.can see the red just behind the black. But not much of it.
:38:14. > :38:40.(CROWD GROANS). Now, as he left this red?
:38:41. > :38:49.Yes, good shot. APPLAUSE. Excellent pot. 57 ahead,
:38:50. > :39:43.59 remaining. Just the black. 15. Extreme. We have seen some
:39:44. > :39:46.excellent safety from Anthony McGill to create these chances because it
:39:47. > :39:53.did not look particularly settled in the first couple of frames but
:39:54. > :39:58.high-quality safety creates chances against any opponent in the world.
:39:59. > :40:03.Absolutely. A handful of really good safety shots forced an error from
:40:04. > :40:11.his opponent on a couple of occasions. He will be delighted to
:40:12. > :40:17.get his first frame on the board. You never really settle until you
:40:18. > :40:26.get that first frame on the board, is the saying and how true. I think
:40:27. > :40:33.it is going to be a really close match this, I really do. It has
:40:34. > :40:40.quality in store, I think. From both players, in this match. It is going
:40:41. > :40:45.to be very fluid, high-scoring. You can see all different departments of
:40:46. > :41:04.the game played at a high standard. 43. McGill, when he gets going, he
:41:05. > :41:11.plays very quickly, very fluently. He does not take too much time to
:41:12. > :41:22.play shots. Hit the ball with plenty of authority. -- hits.
:41:23. > :41:34.52. It is a nice little positional shot for the pink into the centre.
:41:35. > :41:47.58. APPLAUSE. Anthony McGill gets his
:41:48. > :42:02.first frame on the ball. It is 1-1.. (CROWD GROANS).
:42:03. > :42:21.Well... He has left a read here. There is room around the black, of
:42:22. > :42:36.course. Probably be going up full of blue. -- for a blue. Well! I do not
:42:37. > :42:43.know what happened there but it looks like almost at mishit. He has
:42:44. > :42:51.hit the top cushion stop that would certainly and nerve him a little.
:42:52. > :42:57.The way he missed it, when the Kibble came off the cushion, it was
:42:58. > :43:08.just a complete mishit. Misalignment. Most unusual.
:43:09. > :43:18.This is a really tricky red into the middle, now. And that is an example
:43:19. > :43:24.of what you mentioned in the previous frame, where how tight the
:43:25. > :43:31.middle pockets are and from the commentary box that looks as if it
:43:32. > :43:33.is going in that it just touches the knuckle and that is how small these
:43:34. > :44:24.middle pockets are. Very tough.. He could try to get the cue ball
:44:25. > :44:31.open to the corner pocket where the yellow is. Doesn't seem to be
:44:32. > :44:37.blocking the red if he did do that. The only problem about playing the
:44:38. > :44:45.shot, if he does not get a block on the brown, he has left Marco Fu a
:44:46. > :44:51.long read. Well... He has got the locker. He has played that pretty
:44:52. > :44:58.well but it was a bit dangerous for a safety shot. The pace he played at
:44:59. > :45:05.it, he could well easily have left a red over the right centre. So that
:45:06. > :45:12.was fraught with danger. He has left the spread down the bottom
:45:13. > :45:19.right-hand pocket. (CROWD GROANS). Wow! What a shot. That is a
:45:20. > :45:41.fantastic cueing. What a shot that is!
:45:42. > :46:09.Thank you. He has angle on the black. He does not have to go into
:46:10. > :46:19.the pack of breads but, if he does go into them, he has the red over
:46:20. > :46:27.the right centre. That is why he is just contemplating. If he goes with
:46:28. > :46:34.a lot of pace... If nothing comes out from the pack, a pupil could end
:46:35. > :46:38.up back on the middle of the table and still be on the red in the
:46:39. > :46:44.centre. It is certainly worth bringing it into play but if it does
:46:45. > :46:51.not... Nothing wrong with that either.
:46:52. > :47:06.Just tried to dodge one out. Not quite sure if he is on this red into
:47:07. > :47:13.the right centre. Just about. -- nudge. It is a very good shot. That
:47:14. > :47:23.was a lot more difficult than look, over the black. A little bit of
:47:24. > :47:24.side. So easy to miss these shots. Middle pockets are very small. That
:47:25. > :47:50.was very good from Marco. Played a good shot there. Developed
:47:51. > :47:59.more reds. Just needs to be careful with his cue ball control and with
:48:00. > :48:11.his waistcoat. The referees watching the seeding is very closely, there.
:48:12. > :48:16.-- proceedings. And this is where Marco Fu is so strong, in amongst
:48:17. > :48:31.the balls. One of the great builders of all time. Already.
:48:32. > :49:02.I have noticed recently that Marco is really concentrating on keeping a
:49:03. > :49:09.lot more steel than he used to. He is really trying to keep his chin on
:49:10. > :49:12.the cue. It has been very noticeable in the last few months and, of
:49:13. > :49:21.course, that will lead to greater consistency. Not an easy thing to do
:49:22. > :49:29.under pressure though. No. He works with Griffiths, his coach and
:49:30. > :49:38.mental. We have seen them on the practice table together.
:49:39. > :49:44.He is reluctant to take the red over the right centre because he wanted
:49:45. > :49:48.to keep it there for some insurance but he does not have any other
:49:49. > :49:59.choice. APPLAUSE. Just wondering... He has a
:50:00. > :50:04.good angle on the blue, will he go on the pack of reds will choose to
:50:05. > :50:12.go on the loose one? A couple of ways you can play these. Into the
:50:13. > :50:16.reds, which is what he decided to do and that is very cleverly played
:50:17. > :50:21.because he knew he would be opening up the reds that and the cue ball
:50:22. > :50:27.would be flicking off to the right and leaving himself a red into the
:50:28. > :50:31.opposite middle pocket. Very cleverly played. He has slightly
:50:32. > :50:35.lost the white little bit and would have liked to have been a bit closer
:50:36. > :50:46.to these red but it was very well thought out. Oh, that is very good.
:50:47. > :50:55.Heart of the pocket, very, very good. Very easy just to come across
:50:56. > :51:01.of those and for the red just to catch the near knuckle. That was
:51:02. > :51:06.very well played. Oh, he has lost the shoe ball, here, can. -- cue
:51:07. > :51:21.ball. This is partly because he overcard
:51:22. > :51:26.is the yellow. Off the right-hand jaw and that is why the cue ball
:51:27. > :51:34.travelled an extra foot. 18 inches more than he wanted it to so, a
:51:35. > :51:41.mistake there from Marco Fu, when in prime position. He would be bitterly
:51:42. > :51:51.disappointed with that. He cannot believe it. There may be a gap
:51:52. > :51:59.between the pink and green. He could possibly land between those four
:52:00. > :52:07.balls. There is always a gap, as JB says. I'm not quite sure, it says
:52:08. > :52:15.there is no gap when you look from the other side... It is amazing. I
:52:16. > :52:22.think that is wrong! When you look down from the backhand of the table
:52:23. > :52:27.you could almost see... Have a look at that. There was a definite gap
:52:28. > :52:51.through their, I'm sure. APPLAUSE.
:52:52. > :53:04.The problem with this shot is he may have to play to miss the blue and
:53:05. > :53:14.that could push the cue ball into the pink. He looks short on this.
:53:15. > :53:17.Fail and miss. That was interesting, I do not think I have seen that
:53:18. > :53:26.before a visually it looks like there is a gap. It is unusual, that.
:53:27. > :53:31.The Hawkeye indicated there was no way you could get through that.
:53:32. > :53:47.I do not think that is right. APPLAUSE. That is about right. There
:53:48. > :53:54.is definitely a gap there will stop APPLAUSE. I think cue ball was
:53:55. > :53:58.slightly more to the right, as we look at it. Yes, yes slightly more
:53:59. > :54:15.to serve right and behind. The durable needs to go to your left
:54:16. > :54:20.just a touch. -- that cue ball. I do not think it makes that much
:54:21. > :54:31.difference because he's coming off the side cushion anyway. Is it OK?
:54:32. > :54:39.It slowed up again. All these points are gathering up for Marco Fu. Now
:54:40. > :54:45.the gap could be really important. He would have to be warned if he
:54:46. > :54:49.could see the red through the gap. I am not quite sure whether the
:54:50. > :54:58.referee but down and had a look whether he had ball contact.
:54:59. > :55:17.Obviously not. I do not think that cue ball was there originally.
:55:18. > :55:28.This time! Well done stop APPLAUSE. He has left it touching
:55:29. > :55:35.the ball and that is not going to helpful of Marco could be putting
:55:36. > :55:41.the cue ball back there. He is going to get the cue ball behind that pink
:55:42. > :55:49.and green again. He has underhit that a bit but it was such a big
:55:50. > :55:54.target. What would you have done their best Mac safety. 62 point
:55:55. > :56:05.lead. If you put the yellow save... It is almost back in the same place.
:56:06. > :56:10.LAUGHTER. It is incredible. You see, he is not gaining much of an
:56:11. > :56:16.advantage by getting behind the pink and green. Now he does not have a
:56:17. > :56:23.touch and all. If he would have put safety on the yellow, he have had
:56:24. > :56:35.some insurance. Interestingly, Marco new where the gap was. -- he knew.
:56:36. > :56:42.Yes, Marco will be wishing he put a safe now.
:56:43. > :56:51.Hard to believe that the cue ball is not touching one of those to reds.
:56:52. > :57:53.There is a gap there, all right. Well, needless to say that is not
:57:54. > :58:07.the way that Anthony McGill played that shot. I think
:58:08. > :58:09.the way that Anthony McGill played reasonably fortunate. Even if this
:58:10. > :58:24.red goes into the left-hand lack pocket. As we look towards baulk it
:58:25. > :58:33.is not easy here. He is not straight enough to get that black into the
:58:34. > :58:35.is not easy here. He is not straight red pocket. Currently, he has a
:58:36. > :58:41.is not easy here. He is not straight point lead. He must concentrate on
:58:42. > :58:47.getting in the red. The reason he doesn't like it, if he doesn't have
:58:48. > :58:50.getting in the red. The reason he any aspirations to get that pot, he
:58:51. > :58:56.must use our loss of power. Otherwise, this pot could be
:58:57. > :59:07.missable. That is why he decided against taking it on. Well, that's
:59:08. > :59:20.does surprise me. He could have left the cue ball naturally where the red
:59:21. > :59:26.was and played a colour save. Quite a big target here between the green
:59:27. > :59:31.and pink. Quite a few myths judgements by Marco Fu. I just
:59:32. > :59:40.wonder if these will come back to haunt him. -- misjudgements. If he
:59:41. > :59:51.gets one chance went the reds are out in the open, there is no reason
:59:52. > :00:00.he cannot clear the table. It was half a dozen shots or so, when you
:00:01. > :00:07.suggested putting a baulk colour safe. It just depends how you see it
:00:08. > :00:13.at the time. It is not a straightforward shot. There is a big
:00:14. > :00:24.target between the green and pink, if he chooses to attempt that. It is
:00:25. > :00:32.not bad. Even though we have got to see the cue ball travel little but
:00:33. > :00:41.further. Marco Fu would love to see a red or two goes safe on to a
:00:42. > :00:51.cushion now. If the opportunity arises he would love to get a baulk
:00:52. > :00:59.safe, rather. That is not a bad flick. However, he has not got the
:01:00. > :01:18.cue ball on the right cushion, but he has a red relatively safe on the
:01:19. > :01:30.right-hand side cushion. Possible shot for nothing for Anthony McGill.
:01:31. > :02:03.APPLAUSE Well, that is one way to pot it. Wow what a timely flick for
:02:04. > :02:11.Anthony McGill. -- timely fluke. After the green is potted it will go
:02:12. > :02:14.into the pink spot. I'm just wondering if he played this well
:02:15. > :02:22.enough. Has he played it well enough? No, I don't think he hasn't.
:02:23. > :02:30.He is on the middle red of those three and left it on the green. I
:02:31. > :02:45.just wonder if that mistake of not potting that yellow safe earlier.
:02:46. > :02:57.Will it come back to haunt Anthony McGill? At this level, 62 point
:02:58. > :03:00.leave with your opponent, particularly nothing is safe. --
:03:01. > :03:43.lead. APPLAUSE Marco Fu is sitting in his
:03:44. > :03:49.seat at the moment, thinking that the only thing that can save him
:03:50. > :04:04.from going one behind in this match is that red on the side cushion. I
:04:05. > :04:10.think someone who is right-handed, who gets their cue ball anywhere
:04:11. > :04:17.behind it, you just can't see it missing. He is behind that red now.
:04:18. > :04:45.He may want to leave the tough first red for last. -- toughest. 34. 35.
:04:46. > :04:49.Yes, he would like a cue ball there. I am not sure if he has the right
:04:50. > :05:00.angle. He has run slightly too that with the cue ball. Yes, straight to
:05:01. > :05:07.that black. He needs a lot of power. He has decided to take the more
:05:08. > :05:17.difficult green for position. Well, that wiped his feet. Especially on
:05:18. > :05:21.this red. The only thing left in his advantage, without finishing so
:05:22. > :05:26.short here is that he can play this for the black. He doesn't have to
:05:27. > :05:28.put a lot of pace in the pot which gives it a lot of chance. Something
:05:29. > :05:50.like that! OK! APPLAUSE I bet he users are lot of top spin
:05:51. > :06:03.on the right-hand side to get that cue ball closer together. This has
:06:04. > :06:18.gone closer to meddle. -- to meddle. 46. 16 behind, the table. This
:06:19. > :06:32.requires our lot of great cueing. Excellent shot! Wow, what a shot! He
:06:33. > :06:41.is just there are cueing it now. Don't go behind the pink. Don't go
:06:42. > :07:20.behind the pink! Who put the pink there?
:07:21. > :07:34.Unbelievable the things that can happen. He is only placing it, just
:07:35. > :07:41.after the brown. That is not too bad. I don't think that brown
:07:42. > :07:50.passes. That is an another slice of good fortune for him there. Yes,
:07:51. > :07:59.this time the pink has not hindered his progress, but rather, come to
:08:00. > :08:08.his rescue. That is a good safety shot for Marco Fu. A good kiss on
:08:09. > :08:50.the blue. If Anthony McGill can see this brown, he definitely cannot see
:08:51. > :09:24.a lot of it. It is very tight. This is quite 8/2 pot for Marco Fu. --
:09:25. > :09:25.quite a tough pot for Marco Fu. Just a two to win this absorbing frame,
:09:26. > :09:53.that could have gone all of the way. He will build up his game and be
:09:54. > :10:03.quite delighted with that. This is Marco Fu.
:10:04. > :10:09.quite delighted with that. This is going to have a look and will need
:10:10. > :10:15.two snookers. He has looked at it and says that it is not enough. He
:10:16. > :10:18.has left it. Marco Fu almost lost the frame, that he takes it a 3-1
:10:19. > :10:45.lead. APPLAUSE I must admit, after 12
:10:46. > :10:50.frames in our opening match and 96% pot success red I was beginning to
:10:51. > :11:01.wonder whether Marco Fu was indeed human. Obviously, he is with the few
:11:02. > :11:13.mistakes that he has mated a cueing nowhere near as well. That is a very
:11:14. > :11:21.aggressive shot from Anthony McGill. At first Glantz, I would say that he
:11:22. > :11:38.is not even looking straightforward here. -- at first lands. -- at first
:11:39. > :12:07.Marco Fu. -- at first glance. It has a lot of
:12:08. > :12:13.top spin that. He has overcut it. It looks a lot flatter than it does on
:12:14. > :12:17.TV screens. I think, Anthony McGill will be very disappointed there.
:12:18. > :12:28.Normally if you miss those, you miss them quite thick. Maybe, he was just
:12:29. > :12:43.overcompensating. So, having potted that fabulous black and splitting up
:12:44. > :12:44.the reds Marco Fu now has the opportunity to make a significant
:12:45. > :13:03.contribution. Well, you say that, but at the
:13:04. > :13:07.moment he doesn't look very, very confident the way he is standing
:13:08. > :13:15.after this last match. Especially in that first frame. He doesn't look as
:13:16. > :13:20.self assured as he did before. Not as much as he was. This could be
:13:21. > :13:26.down to those few misses that he had. There were those chances where
:13:27. > :13:37.you expected him to score a whole lot more, but he hasn't. And there
:13:38. > :13:42.are, is another example of it. His confidence is absolutely shut. If
:13:43. > :13:50.Anthony McGill can get his game in order here, he could really get
:13:51. > :14:10.himself back into the match. Honestly, I cannot believe what I am
:14:11. > :14:14.watching, Ken. Yes, it just shows you what can happen in sport from
:14:15. > :14:18.one day to the next. You can play so well on one day and then you are
:14:19. > :14:49.just not with that on the other. It is just the way it goes. That was
:14:50. > :14:54.nicely played. A screw shot on the left-hand side. He will check the
:14:55. > :15:05.cue ball off the left-hand side cushion. He is in a good position
:15:06. > :15:10.now Anthony McGill. However, he really needs to make this count.
:15:11. > :15:42.This is because Marco Fu will not keep missing his opportunities. The
:15:43. > :15:47.red goes closer to the pink. Anthony McGill has a nice angle to slip past
:15:48. > :15:55.the red or he may choose to play at cannon. He may want to follow
:15:56. > :16:05.through and split past the red. -- slip past. 90. There is a noticeable
:16:06. > :16:12.change in pace from Anthony McGill here. He is striding purposefully
:16:13. > :16:14.around the table here. He is trying to get the pace up and get himself
:16:15. > :16:55.some confidence. His positional play needs to be very
:16:56. > :18:01.precise here. He could probably play the cannon to
:18:02. > :18:08.the left-hand side of the four reds on the left-hand side. If he drifted
:18:09. > :18:13.past the cannon and gone on to the left-hand side pocket. This is very
:18:14. > :18:35.thin. He has played it well. That is a nice cannon on the red. It
:18:36. > :18:44.was in good position on the green to the middle. Just a few balls into
:18:45. > :19:06.that middle pocket, today. It was very straightforward for Anthony
:19:07. > :19:29.McGill. This will put him 51 points ahead with another 51 remaining.
:19:30. > :19:41.That was some acknowledgement from the crowd. It was a frame ball. He
:19:42. > :19:50.is not having to do too much to get in on this opportunity, Marco Fu is
:19:51. > :19:54.wanting the green in the right-hand corner pocket. For him, it can be
:19:55. > :20:18.quite unnerving. Well Marco Fu come back to the
:20:19. > :20:27.table? He has to do his mathematics? He has done his
:20:28. > :20:32.mathematics and he has said it is not enough. It is still Marco Fu who
:20:33. > :20:51.leads three frames to two. I think normally, Marco Fu will be
:20:52. > :20:56.quite pleased, but the way he has been struggling over the last few
:20:57. > :21:01.frames. I think if he gets out of the session and has lead he will be
:21:02. > :21:06.quite relieved. Especially, with the way he has played. I cannot believe
:21:07. > :21:11.the way he has gone. If they start to share these next couple of
:21:12. > :21:15.frames. He is just struggling technically at the moment. I am sure
:21:16. > :21:25.he will be back in the practice round with his coach and friend,
:21:26. > :21:37.Griffiths, son of Kerry of course. There will be back tomorrow. I'm not
:21:38. > :21:42.sure of their schedule. I know that Marco Fu is an avid practice and he
:21:43. > :21:55.will be practising as soon as this match finishes. It was a lovely shot
:21:56. > :22:01.for Marco Fu here. I think, Marco Fu realises he needs to stay absolutely
:22:02. > :22:09.still and that is vital. Moving around leads to inconsistency. You
:22:10. > :22:13.cannot get complete consistency every time if you lift the ball. Did
:22:14. > :22:19.you see the way he lifted the ball there? If you time and really well
:22:20. > :22:25.and keep your eye on the ball he is not managing to do that under
:22:26. > :22:34.pressure at the moment. He is trying his best to keep still there.
:22:35. > :23:05.He is very disappointed not to have made more from this visit. I know
:23:06. > :23:26.that isn't the best safety shot in the world either, from Marco Fu.
:23:27. > :23:38.I can only assume, that that was an attempt on the pot. Yes, I think you
:23:39. > :24:23.are right. I think it was. That was very well controlled from
:24:24. > :25:34.Anthony McGill there. He took the more aggressive option.
:25:35. > :25:44.He played it really well. He is looking for a little bit of luck. It
:25:45. > :25:57.shouldn't be too much of a problem here. Well, he has taken the very
:25:58. > :26:03.aggressive black with pace. He is trying to open up the balls. This is
:26:04. > :26:06.a very good opportunity for Anthony McGill to regain his composure in
:26:07. > :27:03.this match. He has got an angle on the blue and
:27:04. > :27:12.it looks to be pretty straight. If he could just edge away a few
:27:13. > :27:27.inches, he could get the red away back from the pink. Well, I am quite
:27:28. > :27:34.surprised he has played it he could have dropped it in the cushion. He
:27:35. > :27:46.tried to go in on a red and go into the pink. It looks as if he is on
:27:47. > :28:13.the black with the rest. It is a very, very difficult shot.
:28:14. > :28:26.Again, another opportunity missed. He started off pretty well.
:28:27. > :28:37.After that it has been pretty lacklustre from both players. I
:28:38. > :28:44.think that Marco Fu has played nowhere near as well as in the first
:28:45. > :28:51.match has put Anthony McGill off a bit. It has dragged him down.
:28:52. > :28:59.Sometimes when your partner is playing that, unless you are taking
:29:00. > :29:05.advantage of it, you -- it can become contagious. Mishit coming
:29:06. > :29:12.into both players game. They will be delighted to see the backhand of
:29:13. > :29:20.this session. I remember the excellent Scottish professional
:29:21. > :29:25.player, Marcus Campbell, what a good player he is. Arab heathens saying,
:29:26. > :29:36.give me the guy that played well last match. -- I remember him
:29:37. > :29:41.saying. It is hard to follow up in the second game. It is rare that
:29:42. > :30:29.happens. That is an incredible statistic...
:30:30. > :30:31.McGill has scored two points more than Marco Fu but he is two frames
:30:32. > :31:43.behind. Quite incredible that. This is really difficult cueing here
:31:44. > :31:47.for Anthony McGill. It is easy where the EU are bridging over a ball and
:31:48. > :32:05.dig down into the white to get some unintentional side on.. It takes the
:32:06. > :32:21.cue ball off the intended path. It is a really good shot. That is not
:32:22. > :32:32.so good. Great degree of difficulty. A bit thinner than he intended. But
:32:33. > :32:37.it was really, really difficult. Not too much side on that. Too much
:32:38. > :32:41.left-hand side and that is not of very good safety shot at all from
:32:42. > :32:43.Marco. It has handed the very good safety shot at all from
:32:44. > :32:51.to Anthony McGill. very good safety shot at all from
:32:52. > :33:03.struggling, really feeling it out there, Marco. But Anthony is not
:33:04. > :33:17.punishing him. I think, can, it is a case that they dragged each other
:33:18. > :33:24.down in this match so far. -- Ken. (CROWD GROANS).
:33:25. > :33:38.I sure if Murphy is watching this game at home, he is probably
:33:39. > :33:45.thinking, he did not play like this against him. An opportunity for
:33:46. > :33:56.Anthony McGill to swing the cue ball around, back off the blue.
:33:57. > :34:08.Quite a long, long way away. Quite fortunate as he comes around to see
:34:09. > :34:17.if he has the cover. He get the cover and then puts his hand up to
:34:18. > :34:23.apologise. LAUGHTER. We can promise you that one of these players will
:34:24. > :34:25.win this match to reach the quarter-final but, at the moment, we
:34:26. > :35:56.no idea which one it will be. APPLAUSE. One. Very good shot and
:35:57. > :36:07.tight under the side cushion. APPLAUSE.
:36:08. > :36:52.16. 17. This has been quite a tough session for both players so far.
:36:53. > :37:16.Anthony McGill just needs this red to leave Marco snooker.. So we are
:37:17. > :37:20.going to fall-3, to Marco Fu and, given the way both players have
:37:21. > :37:26.struggled this afternoon, the final frame... The next frame, rather, is
:37:27. > :38:07.really important. Anthony McGill breaks in these final
:38:08. > :38:15.frame of the session. He would be delighted if he could still maintain
:38:16. > :38:21.his two frame advantage, Marco Fu. These guys are back for the second
:38:22. > :39:29.session tomorrow morning and I presumed to finish tomorrow evening.
:39:30. > :39:42.Still lifting on the shot, Marco. I'm not suggesting it is an easy
:39:43. > :39:49.thing to do, to state absolutely dead still under pressure, it is a
:39:50. > :39:55.difficult thing to do but for me, Marco times the ball so much better
:39:56. > :40:06.when he is keeping still. Not as much movement there from Anthony
:40:07. > :40:11.McGill. Steve Davis made that point yesterday for all young aspiring
:40:12. > :40:20.players, to keep still on the shot and not to move until the ball has
:40:21. > :40:25.actually reached the pocket. Yes. It is a good exercise just to keep your
:40:26. > :40:32.head still and, of course, your body still, until you get into that
:40:33. > :40:37.groove and becomes more natural. Just thinking of the top players,
:40:38. > :40:46.probably nobody better than John Higgins. John Davies used to be
:40:47. > :40:48.incredibly still. Great old photographs of Steve Davis and his
:40:49. > :40:56.father, Bill, who recently passed photographs of Steve Davis and his
:40:57. > :41:05.away at the used to put a cue, on keep it there to stop Steve 's head
:41:06. > :41:06.from a moving. It is quite an interesting wait to do it. It
:41:07. > :41:14.certainly worked. Lovely man, Bill, loved the snooker.
:41:15. > :41:41.Sadly missed. This is one of those situations
:41:42. > :41:45.where either player would like... Safety at their and they have to
:41:46. > :42:03.keep it down behind the black. What you do not want to do is hit
:42:04. > :42:17.the black. He has left an opportunity now, Marco -- for
:42:18. > :42:26.Marco, in the centre. Just looking through Marco's Crucible record and
:42:27. > :42:36.it is highly surprising to find that Marco has had 1/4-final... And that
:42:37. > :42:41.is a fantastic pot, fantastic. 1/4-final in one semi-final only, in
:42:42. > :42:47.all the years he has been here. You would never have said that for a
:42:48. > :42:55.player as good as him. Second-round matches. I think the closest he came
:42:56. > :43:03.is a semi-final against you stop again, as you mentioned earlier, it
:43:04. > :43:12.is when he uses power. Just watch it. Body movement again. Really
:43:13. > :43:19.struggling with power today and I feel he crept into bad habits again
:43:20. > :43:35.this afternoon. Lifting on the shot, under pressure.
:43:36. > :43:42.Played almost perfect snooker in his first round match. Did precious
:43:43. > :43:50.little wrong. Hardly missed the ball. Scored really well. His safety
:43:51. > :43:58.was excellent. His temple around the table was wonderful. He was keeping
:43:59. > :44:04.it really steal on the shot. -- tempo. And so far in this match, he
:44:05. > :44:12.has looked a shadow of the player we saw in the first round, here.
:44:13. > :44:23.That is the beauty of the long matches, isn't it, Ken? You can have
:44:24. > :44:26.a word with your coach and it is always important to always have
:44:27. > :44:36.someone in your corner who is watching what is going on out there.
:44:37. > :44:48.Absolutely. Either that or you just take it all out of him. -- out on
:44:49. > :44:50.him. That was a good recovery. I was just sitting down all the time so I
:44:51. > :45:11.did not ink that was the case. Taking all the loose reds. I wonder
:45:12. > :45:31.if he got the opportunity to get that black back on the spot...
:45:32. > :45:40.It looks like he's just going to concentrate on the blue. After a few
:45:41. > :45:45.shots tried to get the pink into play. Plenty of loose reds, he is
:45:46. > :48:42.building up a lead all the time. 53. He has kept it, as you can see,
:48:43. > :48:54.eight Blues and one brown. Moving ever closer to that winning margin.
:48:55. > :49:17.Just this and one more red. Can you believe it! Can you believe he could
:49:18. > :49:18.miss a yellow like that! Wow. What a chance and what a chance for Marco
:49:19. > :50:19.Fu now. What can he do? Well, he has gone through the gap on
:50:20. > :50:23.the way down and at least the reds. How close was to clip the reds?
:50:24. > :50:56.Pretty close. Marco Fu, six. That is not a bad
:50:57. > :50:57.safety shot from Marco. He would be very disappointed with that
:50:58. > :51:15.contribution. A huge frame these, the difference
:51:16. > :51:28.between 5-3 and 4-4. Well, can you believe that? Marco Fu, four. Quite
:51:29. > :51:34.fortunate not to leave a free ball of their. Especially with the yellow
:51:35. > :51:43.very close to the yellow pocket. APPLAUSE. But that four point is
:51:44. > :51:51.very valuable. He would have needed at least three reds and three pinks
:51:52. > :51:54.and all the colours. Now he has a little bit of leeway. (CROWD
:51:55. > :52:00.GROANS). Is it in one but not quite that
:52:01. > :52:51.then. Now than... Now, of course, the referee will
:52:52. > :52:58.have to warn Anthony McGill. He will have to hit the red this time. If he
:52:59. > :53:06.does not the red this time, he will forfeit the frame.
:53:07. > :53:47.Can't possibly play the same shot, surely.
:53:48. > :53:56.Changes is shot selection. Does not want to miscue. Well... That wasn't
:53:57. > :54:21.very good, at all. Marco with an excellent chance, now,
:54:22. > :54:26.to clear, to finish the succession leading 5-3. And considering the way
:54:27. > :54:35.he struggled technically, this afternoon, I think he would be
:54:36. > :54:41.relieved rather than pleased. I think that is putting it mildly,
:54:42. > :54:50.Peter, this would be a great still from Marco Fu. He is just checking
:54:51. > :54:58.the scores that he has a lot of points to play with. He is only 32
:54:59. > :55:07.behind with lots of points left on the table. That is a poor shot.
:55:08. > :55:10.Again, quite a lot of movement. It has been a very noticeable this
:55:11. > :55:16.afternoon that when a Marco has been a very noticeable this
:55:17. > :55:22.through the ball the same and not getting the same reaction from the
:55:23. > :55:29.cue ball. A lot of movement on the shot, you can see.
:55:30. > :55:55.Just the pace helped that drop in. For a minute it looked like it was
:55:56. > :56:06.going a bit wide. APPLAUSE. It was of the poor shot
:56:07. > :56:11.that he played previously that put him under pressure. Any more pace on
:56:12. > :56:20.that blue and it would not have gone into the pocket.
:56:21. > :56:40.21 behind. 27 on the table. APPLAUSE. He was a little bit low on
:56:41. > :56:43.the yellow. A bit further away than it would have liked on the green
:56:44. > :57:00.now. That is pretty good. Now, the
:57:01. > :57:11.difficulty is from brown to blue but there will be a bit of difficulty
:57:12. > :57:29.from pink to black. Does not want to be too straight on this blue. He is
:57:30. > :57:43.OK. Now, pink to black. Anthony McGill's only chance.
:57:44. > :58:04.APPLAUSE. (CHEERING). A black for a 5-3 lead and what a good clearance
:58:05. > :58:11.this would be. Oh, excellent black with the rest from Marco Fu and he
:58:12. > :58:18.would be a relieved Marco Fu, he did not play at his best. But it will
:58:19. > :58:27.give him confidence for the next session. STUDIO: A great start from
:58:28. > :58:33.Marco Fu. There are other possible to further sessions, both of them
:58:34. > :58:40.tomorrow - 10am and seven p.m.. We will be on parade bright and early
:58:41. > :59:16.and we hope you will be also. In the meantime, sleep well.
:59:17. > :59:21.Since the Earth affords no joy to me...