:00:33. > :00:39.Hello and welcome to snooker extra, extended highlights of the 2017
:00:40. > :00:44.Betfred World Snooker champion chip. It is the first round and our match
:00:45. > :00:54.tonight sees the 2005 world champion Shaun Murphy taking on Yan Bingtao.
:00:55. > :01:19.Kenny Doherty and Dennis Taylor are your commentators.
:01:20. > :01:30.He didn't want to catch the brown. He is a devastating ball Potter but
:01:31. > :01:33.it is early doors and it takes time getting used to the table but it
:01:34. > :01:41.would be nice to start off knocking this one in.
:01:42. > :02:05.Struck that lovely. Hitting the back of the pocket. Probably hit it too
:02:06. > :02:06.well, he has overrun the cue ball. Makes this trickier than he would
:02:07. > :02:25.have liked, the blue. Not quite sure whether the Blackwell
:02:26. > :02:38.pot into the right-hand corner pocket. Well, maybe it will. It's a
:02:39. > :02:46.bonus if he can get on it from you. -- if you can get on it from here.
:02:47. > :02:52.Surprised he played it that way, I thought he might have stand it and
:02:53. > :02:58.tried to take the black into the same pocket. The reason he cannoned
:02:59. > :03:06.into the other red is because he missed the red to the right.
:03:07. > :03:40.Just on Shaun Murphy's last shot, cannoning into the couple of reds,
:03:41. > :03:56.knocked the black into a safe position, can take the pink here.
:03:57. > :04:04.He won the world amateur Championship at the age of 14. Quite
:04:05. > :04:08.incredible. You used to say, in the 60s, to learn to become a top
:04:09. > :04:13.snooker player, top amateur, takes at least ten years. It's amazing how
:04:14. > :04:14.it has changed around these young players coming through. Great to
:04:15. > :04:29.see. You can see their he had a bit of
:04:30. > :04:40.safety in mind, also attempting that difficult shot with the rest.
:04:41. > :05:02.APPLAUSE That's a very useful little flick on
:05:03. > :05:06.the brown that's put the young Chinese player in quite a bit of
:05:07. > :05:13.trouble. That's what he is faced with.
:05:14. > :05:21.He will try to nestle onto the red. Just behind the black. Will he be
:05:22. > :05:42.OK? Just about. That's a bit ambitious. He was
:05:43. > :05:48.looking at taking that on to the middle pocket, hampered slightly. If
:05:49. > :06:18.he could drop it onto the pink you might have a go at it.
:06:19. > :06:27.He's just got to be careful, don't want to get the cue ball up. He's
:06:28. > :06:34.got to be careful coming off the cushion, could run into the blue.
:06:35. > :06:49.Decided against that shot now. What a pot. What a pot that was. It was
:06:50. > :06:56.worth the wait. Hampered like that and to knock that in the middle
:06:57. > :06:58.pocket was a bit special, I can tell you. He couldn't see an easy safety,
:06:59. > :07:14.so he thought, why not? Look back, bridging over the red and
:07:15. > :07:20.black. These are quite little pockets. Got to be absolutely spot
:07:21. > :07:22.on. It was the follow-through as well, the cue ball up as far as the
:07:23. > :07:48.blue was quite incredible. Peter and John were talking about
:07:49. > :07:53.his cue action. It is quite special when in full flow. Very nice
:07:54. > :08:27.pendulum cue action. It's hard to believe Shaun Murphy
:08:28. > :08:33.turned professional in 1998. We were talking yesterday about the school
:08:34. > :08:37.of excellence he and other players went through when they first turned
:08:38. > :08:42.professional but this one is a model professional. He's done everything,
:08:43. > :08:45.as a professional player, should do throughout his career, modelled
:08:46. > :08:53.himself on the old type professionals. Always very modest in
:08:54. > :09:24.his interviews. That is a lapse in concentration, he
:09:25. > :09:32.took his eye off the Potts. -- off the pot. They are bouncing around a
:09:33. > :09:48.little bit but that was a little lapse of concentration.
:09:49. > :10:02.Not ideally on the blue. Shaun Murphy can look so good at some
:10:03. > :10:07.times but every now and again, he throws in a particular shot and you
:10:08. > :10:18.can't believe he could miss such an easy pot. Don't know where his focus
:10:19. > :10:32.or concentration is. It's quite prevalent in his game and has been
:10:33. > :10:35.for quite some time. Here is one of them. OK, he is trying to get on the
:10:36. > :10:46.black but this one was almost unmissable.
:10:47. > :10:55.He's got to be careful in this match, Murphy, he is obviously a big
:10:56. > :11:00.favourite playing a debutante, but you don't want to give away too many
:11:01. > :11:03.easy chances with this boy, get himself settled early in the match
:11:04. > :11:09.and try to keep the pressure on as much as possible.
:11:10. > :11:22.He is such an attacking player. Look at this shot her selecting here.
:11:23. > :11:25.Maybe this time, might have been better off trying the easy shot to
:11:26. > :11:30.get back to the reds, but that is how he plays the game. He normally
:11:31. > :11:35.would pot that nine out of ten but it is his first experience at the
:11:36. > :11:39.Crucible. Maybe a hit of nerves which is quite understandable. That
:11:40. > :12:14.was a great chance to punish Shaun Murphy format. -- for that.
:12:15. > :12:25.APPLAUSE Not
:12:26. > :12:34.what he intended but at least he got a possible red up into the left
:12:35. > :12:38.corner pocket. If he can take that in such a way he is not cannoning
:12:39. > :12:40.into the two behind the pink, he will have a go at it, it just
:12:41. > :13:00.depends on the angle. Green, brown and blue pretty good
:13:01. > :13:06.targets to try to get behind. If he tries to pot that coming he would
:13:07. > :13:10.run into the other two rates. He couldn't get over behind those three
:13:11. > :13:34.on this occasion. Settling for the jaws of the pocket.
:13:35. > :13:43.This looks pretty good. Excellent safety shot. Pretty tight against
:13:44. > :13:59.that cushion. This is very good. This is very good
:14:00. > :14:07.indeed. Excellent shot. Nice tap on the table.
:14:08. > :14:15.Would have been nicer, had he been tied to this round, an easy escape
:14:16. > :14:20.and he has to be careful he doesn't leave a red to the opposite corner
:14:21. > :14:25.pocket. It's not a big deal hitting this red over this left-hand corner
:14:26. > :14:26.pocket. Has to be careful he doesn't leave the red to the opposite
:14:27. > :14:55.corner. He has left a tempter here for Shaun
:14:56. > :15:01.Murphy. This is doable but it is very risky, this red. Shaun Murphy
:15:02. > :15:16.is also a very attacking play. He is taking this one on.
:15:17. > :15:29.He made that last shot look very easy.
:15:30. > :15:43.Purposely held the pink spot. It is open into the bottom right-hand
:15:44. > :15:47.pocket. He really wants to get on the pink because he can use the pink
:15:48. > :15:56.to dislodge the two rates above the pink. That's a nice angle now he has
:15:57. > :15:57.got. Just pot the pink and stone into the left of the two read above
:15:58. > :16:29.it. That worked out pretty well. Big
:16:30. > :16:47.pots. After a couple of easy misses from
:16:48. > :16:48.Shaun Murphy, that excellent return to safety has given him the
:16:49. > :17:26.opportunity to win the frame now. He will want to clear all the balls
:17:27. > :17:32.up here just to give him that little bit of confidence, just to say... He
:17:33. > :17:37.has looked pretty good but missed a couple of sitters in this frame.
:17:38. > :17:57.Didn't take advantage. Watch how he screws back for the
:17:58. > :18:03.yellow, with very little effort. Hardly hit that and look at the cue
:18:04. > :18:11.ball, the way it spins back. It is all about timing. A little bit like
:18:12. > :18:46.a golf shot when you get the ball to spin back on the green.
:18:47. > :18:57.Doesn't matter about missing the blue. In the end, that was a nice
:18:58. > :19:06.break. 52. From the former world champion.
:19:07. > :19:10.A packed audience today, every day, tickets were sold out during the
:19:11. > :19:43.Championships last year. I wonder, like when both of us first
:19:44. > :19:47.came here, playing at the Crucible, you could hear the noise from the
:19:48. > :19:52.other table, sometimes it can take players a bit of time to get used to
:19:53. > :19:56.that. I know it took me a few frames to get used to it and of course, the
:19:57. > :20:02.proximity of the crowd so close to you. Yes, they are used to multiple
:20:03. > :20:04.table situations these days but there is nothing quite like this,
:20:05. > :20:15.look how close the tables are. The people on the other table could
:20:16. > :20:20.grab your cue, in fact, sometimes you wish they could do that if you
:20:21. > :20:25.are playing badly! It would be interesting to see how Yan Bingtao
:20:26. > :20:40.will settle into this match. An excellent pot from Shaun Murphy,
:20:41. > :20:45.flicked the black into play. It will be interesting to see how long it
:20:46. > :20:57.will take him to settle in and get used to the surroundings.
:20:58. > :21:09.Jason mentioned at the top of the show that Yan Bingtao leads Shaun
:21:10. > :21:12.Murphy two victories to one. Add a couple of close deciding frames in
:21:13. > :21:20.the internationals and also in the German Masters where Yan Bingtao won
:21:21. > :21:26.baton. He also has eight 4-0 victory over Shaun Murphy in the champion of
:21:27. > :21:32.champions so Shaun Murphy knows he can't afford to make many mistakes.
:21:33. > :21:34.He made a few in the opening frame but looks pretty comfortable and
:21:35. > :21:47.pretty relaxed out there at the moment.
:21:48. > :22:09.A nice angle on the black, a couple of loose reds he can still go up.
:22:10. > :22:12.Decided to try and open them because he had a nice angle. Hasn't worked
:22:13. > :22:32.out as well as he would have liked. If anything, he got with too much
:22:33. > :22:33.action into that shot. He looked at clipping back into the corner was so
:22:34. > :22:40.thin. He can't just glanced off the roads
:22:41. > :23:09.near the pink up the table. He didn't want that red to kiss on
:23:10. > :23:15.the other red and knock this one close to the corner pocket. He won't
:23:16. > :23:16.exactly know where the cue ball is going here, he has to try to avoid
:23:17. > :23:28.the reds on the way back. He ran into a red but it turned out
:23:29. > :23:37.nicely. He certainly would be happy with that. You always trust a little
:23:38. > :24:29.bit of luck, having such a fine cut on the red.
:24:30. > :24:35.Needed to travel just a few more inches thick, trying to get on those
:24:36. > :25:06.two reds, just below the black. He will feel better after that good
:25:07. > :25:12.pot now, can he get on these two reds below the black? The angle, you
:25:13. > :25:19.will have to force it in from the left-hand side.
:25:20. > :25:44.Looks pretty composed. I like this young player's style and his cue
:25:45. > :25:51.action. That's a pretty good stance as well, keeps everything still,
:25:52. > :25:55.head perfectly still. That's OK, the cannon has worked out nicely for
:25:56. > :26:03.him. He looks a classy player. This young man.
:26:04. > :26:13.Needed a bit more action on that, it is the wrong side of the blue now,
:26:14. > :26:19.it means he will have to leave a medium-range pot. You want to get to
:26:20. > :26:22.the right side of the blue line as you look at it. Back to the reds.
:26:23. > :26:42.APPLAUSE No problem, right in the centre of
:26:43. > :27:07.the pocket. That's what he's looking for. 66 as
:27:08. > :27:28.you see on the side bar. So far, no sign of nerves really.
:27:29. > :27:31.He's got to keep fully focused and he is not rushing things. Which is
:27:32. > :27:45.the correct way as well. This is the red he was trying to get
:27:46. > :28:02.on earlier. A couple more roads with colours
:28:03. > :28:26.will secure the frame. He is taking these very nicely indeed.
:28:27. > :28:33.Once he gets the frame out of the way, it is not often a debutant
:28:34. > :28:35.makes a century at the Crucible but he will certainly have a chance here
:28:36. > :28:51.in the second frame. Just got to be careful, he wanted a
:28:52. > :28:52.little angle on this black but he only needs the blacks are just make
:28:53. > :28:59.sure of the black. Excellent. Nice shot. Now the
:29:00. > :29:28.possibility of a century. It's amazing, we've only had one
:29:29. > :29:44.century so far. This would be a real bonus for Yan
:29:45. > :29:49.Bingtao, certainly settle him down very nicely into this match. You
:29:50. > :29:53.would think he has been here for ten years! He's just so confident and so
:29:54. > :30:05.comfortable out there. He has only made 11 centuries in his
:30:06. > :30:13.short career. Didn't quite screw back enough there. But should be OK.
:30:14. > :30:31.This is the tricky bit now. A long way from the brown, this is a test.
:30:32. > :30:45.Great shot. Don't go in off their... How is that for a positional shot?
:30:46. > :30:51.And he has done it. Have a look at the break. This is
:30:52. > :31:08.fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. There you go.
:31:09. > :31:13.A lot of support here and what are finished. Fantastic century from the
:31:14. > :31:16.young man making his debut here at the Crucible. What a start. It is
:31:17. > :35:30.1-1. That was a great safety. And he's
:35:31. > :35:39.left Sean with a little bit to think about here. No easy path right down
:35:40. > :35:42.the table. Clever to avoid those reds down the table. With the help
:35:43. > :35:44.of a few of those reds he has somehow got the white back down the
:35:45. > :36:02.table. I think Shaun when he eventually
:36:03. > :36:05.played the shot and tried to get around the back of the reds he
:36:06. > :36:11.realised he had made a complete mess of this. But a good outcome.
:36:12. > :36:17.Such a good outcome, that it is difficult for his opponent to get
:36:18. > :36:46.back down the table. The one off the red to the right of
:36:47. > :37:47.the black, he does not like them. Without doubt one of the best rest
:37:48. > :38:05.players we have had in the game, he misses very few with the rest.
:38:06. > :38:12.If he could try and get on a couple of reds to the left of the pink and
:38:13. > :38:18.try and free the pick-up into that pocket and that is what he is trying
:38:19. > :38:21.to do, but he overran it slightly -- free the pink up. Just make things a
:38:22. > :38:50.little bit easier for him. Just held the cue ball from the red
:38:51. > :39:38.to the left of the pink. He just had a look there, of what
:39:39. > :39:50.would pot into the bottom right-hand corner when releases this red. --
:39:51. > :39:55.when he releases this red. He will have another look again and think
:39:56. > :39:58.definitely the middle red of the three to the right of the black at
:39:59. > :40:05.the bunch at the black spot will pot.
:40:06. > :40:14.This is one of these type of breaks, each red that he pots, will open up
:40:15. > :40:32.another red as he goes on. He could have kept that a little bit
:40:33. > :40:46.better. -- he could have hit that a little bit better.
:40:47. > :41:14.And there you see it, he has done it again. He got a couple of easy balls
:41:15. > :41:20.and it is as if he seems to lose a little bit of focus. These shots are
:41:21. > :41:31.bread and butter, it has to be a lack of focus. It is amazing how
:41:32. > :41:37.many times he does it though, every time, just when you least expect it.
:41:38. > :41:44.He did all the donkey work to get himself into that position. Got
:41:45. > :41:50.himself into the perfect position and then he will throw in just a
:41:51. > :41:53.little casual one. Got away with it in the first frame, but whether he
:41:54. > :42:16.will get away with it here. ... I'm not sure if he can just drop
:42:17. > :42:22.this in for the black, he might have to head up for the blue, let's see
:42:23. > :42:27.what sort of angle he has got. As well as -- as long as he gets the
:42:28. > :42:31.right side of the blue, he is OK and this time he has, and there are two
:42:32. > :42:49.reds to the right. He's just underhit that slightly and
:42:50. > :42:52.it is left a little bit awkward and that is why he is looking at the one
:42:53. > :43:08.on the right corner. And I think if he can go on to
:43:09. > :43:12.clinch this frame, it will give Shaun something to think about,
:43:13. > :43:22.because he has missed another sitter, he did not get punished in
:43:23. > :43:29.the opening frame. Oh! That is the first Perlis won that the young
:43:30. > :43:38.Chinese player has put in. -- that is the first careless one.
:43:39. > :43:44.That is relieved Shaun Murphy that comes back to the table. -- that is
:43:45. > :44:09.a relieved Shaun Murphy. Wiped its feet. I wonder can he play
:44:10. > :44:39.a little, potting this red. Will you try and knock the other
:44:40. > :44:42.reds off the top cushion -- red. -- will he try and knock the other red
:44:43. > :44:56.off the top cushion? This looks pretty good, plenty of
:44:57. > :45:02.room in behind those are two reds, he will get this red nicely into the
:45:03. > :45:04.centre pocket. He would liked it to have been a little bit straighter
:45:05. > :45:31.but he should be APPLAUSE. He is working out exactly
:45:32. > :45:38.what he leads -- what he needs. So this final red, it is in the open,
:45:39. > :45:41.that is all he needs, with the colour, he will not need the
:45:42. > :45:50.difficult one that is on the cushion merited the left of the black. --
:45:51. > :45:54.that is on the cushion to the left of the black.
:45:55. > :46:46.Nicely played. APPLAUSE.
:46:47. > :48:02.He missed a sitter of a black and it is Shaun Murphy who now leads 2-1.
:48:03. > :48:07.Thank you. Shaun Murphy to break. The last frame before the
:48:08. > :48:09.mid-session interval, Shaun Murphy breaks off. He would love to go into
:48:10. > :48:25.the interval with a 3-1 lead. I'm sure this boy would like to
:48:26. > :48:30.level things up as well. Oh! That was pretty close and that is
:48:31. > :48:34.unlucky. You never really know where the red will finish, but that is a
:48:35. > :49:03.little bit unlucky for him. He was quite close with this pot.
:49:04. > :49:11.He has just gone a bit further than he wanted, he wanted to bring the
:49:12. > :49:18.reds interplay and because he finish straight, he couldn't, but now he
:49:19. > :49:28.can. He will get plenty of action on this, it is not an easy pack of reds
:49:29. > :49:33.to go into. Stuck in the back of the reds, but perfectly placed to open
:49:34. > :49:48.up there. It is a bit of a free shot, but it
:49:49. > :49:58.is a very tricky one into the pocket. Well, the only one he
:49:59. > :50:05.thought he could leave was the one that he tried. He did that, missed
:50:06. > :50:11.it and the red has come back again. If it hit the near one, the Bernabo
:50:12. > :50:23.would be safe, but once it hit that one, it was always going to be
:50:24. > :50:27.pottable -- the reds would be safe. He will want to put that sitter of a
:50:28. > :50:35.black he missed in the previous frame out of his mind. One good shot
:50:36. > :50:41.here could split the pack, there are a few loose reds. Did not have to go
:50:42. > :50:48.into them very hard and that has worked out OK. He has got a red to
:50:49. > :50:55.the right centre and the left centre. Very nicely controlled. He
:50:56. > :51:08.can get this red in and go right back on the black. Oh! Wow! Did not
:51:09. > :51:11.expect that. I was just about to say, that this is how you would set
:51:12. > :51:16.the ball is up for a practice session and then he puts that onto
:51:17. > :51:20.the near job, at any sort of pace, the middle pocket will not accept
:51:21. > :51:24.them, that glorious chance and you can tell by the little shake of his
:51:25. > :51:55.head, that he is disappointed. Got a nice angle on the green here
:51:56. > :52:01.to get back up to the reds. The black will not pot into the bottom
:52:02. > :52:02.left-hand corner. He can get on the black, into the right-hand corner
:52:03. > :52:54.pocket and that looks pretty good. He can try after potting the black,
:52:55. > :52:57.trying and get onto this red at the right-hand pocket because that will
:52:58. > :53:16.release the black. You could say, another lapse in
:53:17. > :53:19.concentration from Shaun Murphy, he should win the frame from this
:53:20. > :53:27.position. I was thinking exactly the same thing. Has to keep his
:53:28. > :53:31.concentration fully focused and make sure that you clinch the frame at
:53:32. > :54:20.this visit, there is no reason why he shouldn't.
:54:21. > :54:31.20 seconds for the average shot time and Shaun is doing better this
:54:32. > :54:39.season than last season, he had 25 centuries this season compared to 24
:54:40. > :54:51.last season. Once the frame is safe, he will try and go on and make a
:54:52. > :54:58.century. -- he will try and go on and make a
:54:59. > :56:00.Certainly playing with a very fast pace, when he gets motoring. Very
:56:01. > :56:26.free-flowing action. Very quick. He is introduced as The Magician and
:56:27. > :56:41.he is certainly waving his magic want at the moment. -- waving his
:56:42. > :56:47.magic wand. Just the two century so far, Ronnie O'Sullivan got 122
:56:48. > :56:56.yesterday. Yan Bingtao made the other one. That was in the second
:56:57. > :57:04.frame here. Smiles all round. Nearly spoiled the century there. But this
:57:05. > :57:07.is where the game is so tough, you have got to sit in your seat and
:57:08. > :57:20.watch your opponent do this and you know you had the first chance. The
:57:21. > :57:25.crowd applaud the century break. The third in the World Championship this
:57:26. > :57:34.year. It is building up nicely, Kenny. Yes, it has been top-quality.
:57:35. > :57:43.An excellent little exhibition shot and now, where is the black going to
:57:44. > :57:49.go? Calling all pockets here. Get in their! Oh! Unlucky. It didn't go in
:57:50. > :57:54.but still a magnificent 112 from the former world champion Shaun Murphy
:57:55. > :57:59.and he goes into the mid-session with a 3-1 lead over Yan Bingtao.
:58:00. > :58:15.Yan Bingtao to break. The young Chinese player gets this
:58:16. > :58:20.first frame after the mid-session underway and it wasn't too much
:58:21. > :58:26.separating both players. Both playing well, both missed a couple
:58:27. > :58:34.of sisters, especially Yan Bingtao, he missed a black off the spot, but
:58:35. > :58:44.95%, that is going some and the young Chinese player, 90%. There is
:58:45. > :58:57.another one. Is he going to get a kiss on the brown? Not quite. Great
:58:58. > :59:01.cueing there from not far of the cushion on the cue ball. Just out of
:59:02. > :59:20.position. Just nudging in the behind the
:59:21. > :59:25.brown, and out of breath Ken Doherty who is back in the commentary box.
:59:26. > :59:32.He is a fast mover. Look at my little legs, Dennis! I saw you on
:59:33. > :59:47.Strictly, I saw you moving pretty well as well! Twinkle toes!
:59:48. > :00:07.Average shot time from Shaun Murphy is now down to 19 seconds, 20
:00:08. > :00:33.seconds for Yan Bingtao, that is a good pace.
:00:34. > :00:40.This is a real test with the rest, he has to get so much action on this
:00:41. > :00:44.to try and get onto the black but if anyone can do it with the rest, it
:00:45. > :00:48.is Shaun Murphy. He has not missed one yet, five out of five. Make that
:00:49. > :01:03.six out of six. Glad they didn't have stats around
:01:04. > :01:41.in my day! I was useless with the rest.
:01:42. > :01:54.Doesn't have to go in to the park. -- into the pack. Tried to get onto
:01:55. > :02:00.that red directly above the black and he has played it perfectly, an
:02:01. > :02:06.excellent shot. Should try to leave a nice angle on the black now. And
:02:07. > :02:10.screw into the pack and he will always be honest red to the right of
:02:11. > :02:16.the black so he can bring more reds into play.
:02:17. > :02:26.Didn't get into it as much as you would have expected. The cue ball
:02:27. > :02:46.pulls back just through those reds. If he's onto this red left-centre,
:02:47. > :02:51.it's a bonus. The problem about this red to the right of the black is if
:02:52. > :03:02.you go too close to the black, you will be posting it. -- potting it.
:03:03. > :03:14.Nicely played. A bit fortunate to be on that red on the left centre.
:03:15. > :03:23.Certainly opened things up now. We all know what Shaun is like if he
:03:24. > :03:32.can get a couple of frames ahead, like a steam roller against his
:03:33. > :03:36.opponents. Doesn't matter who he is playing against, when he gets into a
:03:37. > :03:55.run like this and gets his nose in front. Takes some stopping.
:03:56. > :04:24.Can get himself up onto the black again here.
:04:25. > :04:45.That is his target, 68, as you can see on the side bar.
:04:46. > :04:54.I know it's early days but we could see another century here very
:04:55. > :05:16.quickly. Concentrating on winning the frame first obviously.
:05:17. > :05:24.Just looking at those four reds, the two bottom reds look like the plant
:05:25. > :05:31.into this to right-hand corner pocket. We can see from the other
:05:32. > :05:36.angle. It looks pretty close. Even if they are not, he has got the
:05:37. > :05:47.perfect angle to nudge the left-hand red. Only needed that delicate
:05:48. > :05:48.little cannon on the frame. He is now virtually safe, just need one
:05:49. > :06:04.more red. Very impressive. Missed some easy
:06:05. > :06:12.pots through lack of concentration but the rest has been superb. He is
:06:13. > :06:32.at 96% pot success rate. And that's going some.
:06:33. > :06:38.Have a look at this shot, the opening shot with the rest.
:06:39. > :06:51.Beautifully controlled. The centuries have been a little bit
:06:52. > :07:00.slow this year. But this could be century number four. Coming up. And
:07:01. > :07:23.a pretty quick one at that. 36 and a half minutes so far.
:07:24. > :08:07.Ronnie had 122, ?10,000 for the highest break this year. Only 5000
:08:08. > :08:12.if someone makes a maximum. Thought they might have offered a bit more
:08:13. > :08:14.than that. It rolls over if nobody makes a maximum break tournament by
:08:15. > :08:30.tournament. Exhibition positional shot from the
:08:31. > :08:37.Magician. Don't go in the middle. It hasn't. But even the Magician could
:08:38. > :08:50.not pot this. He can't cut this in can he? What a finish. He made that
:08:51. > :09:22.magnificent century. Shaun Murphy extends his lead.
:09:23. > :09:33.Didn't play the plant because he thought he could stay on the black
:09:34. > :09:42.if you did that. Doesn't have to do too much with the cue ball.
:09:43. > :13:02.That's very unfortunate. You can play that shot ten times and
:13:03. > :13:07.finished nicely on a red. But it just stuck on the one red and hit
:13:08. > :13:11.another one and left the white sticking into the back. Finished so
:13:12. > :13:27.awkwardly. He can play a safety shot but he
:13:28. > :13:53.can't get away with the table which is what he would like to do.
:13:54. > :14:20.He is having a good look, Yan Bingtao.
:14:21. > :14:28.That was a great effort. It really was. But now it could be costly but
:14:29. > :14:57.he wasn't far away from this. That's nine out of nine with the
:14:58. > :15:00.rest. He didn't get the action on it that one. He could still pot the
:15:01. > :15:06.yellow but it should have been a lot easier. Just wanted to be further
:15:07. > :15:09.across to the right so he didn't need the extension on this cue and
:15:10. > :15:46.on the rest. Well, he's the best rest player in
:15:47. > :15:54.the world or one of the best but maybe not the best long rest player!
:15:55. > :15:58.Once again, I think he was concentrating on the cue ball,
:15:59. > :17:59.didn't want to cannon the green. He's going to have to play a little
:18:00. > :18:06.cannon eventually on those three reds above the black if he is to win
:18:07. > :18:10.the frame from this position. He would rather play that little cannon
:18:11. > :18:18.from the black if he could, rather than the blue. So maybe time to pot
:18:19. > :18:23.this red into the corner pocket. Then try to bring those reds into
:18:24. > :18:30.play. That's exactly what he has done. He's got a lovely angle now.
:18:31. > :18:37.Just go into the little bunch of reds.
:18:38. > :18:43.Nicely played. It was always going to be on the red into the right
:18:44. > :19:05.centre. He's got a bit of work to do but if
:19:06. > :19:13.he can pinch this frame, which for all the money it looked like Shaun
:19:14. > :19:17.Murphy would win this frame. He could bring his death is it only
:19:18. > :19:26.down to one frame and what a boost it could give him. -- he could bring
:19:27. > :19:27.his deficit only down to one frame. He has been playing so well this
:19:28. > :19:47.morning. When Shaun made that magnificent 108
:19:48. > :19:55.break to lead 4-1, it looked like he might have taken control of the
:19:56. > :20:00.match. But as we mentioned at the top of the programme, at the start
:20:01. > :20:08.of this match, we could have a cracking game on our hands here.
:20:09. > :20:10.Just the red along the cushion, it is away from the cushion but it's
:20:11. > :20:23.imperative he gets nicely onto that. Just with enough angle to be able to
:20:24. > :20:34.roll the red to get onto the black. So that will be key.
:20:35. > :20:46.This is Shaun Murphy's only hope, maybe that this could be missed.
:20:47. > :20:57.Went in nicely. Hasn't had much work to do with the cue ball, the
:20:58. > :21:07.position proximity of the yellow to the left corner pocket. And showing
:21:08. > :21:16.what we were saying, an awful lot of bottle.
:21:17. > :21:23.He needs to keep coming with the little touch... Doesn't want to hit
:21:24. > :21:29.the green. That means he will have to get the extension out if he
:21:30. > :21:35.misses the green. It is straightforward. We saw Shaun miss a
:21:36. > :21:36.yellow in the opposite corner pocket with all the extensions on. This was
:21:37. > :22:08.the one. 21 points ahead so he just needs the
:22:09. > :22:17.green. No. Wow. He has been lucky. It's not a snooker.
:22:18. > :22:24.That's the last thing you would want to do, to make a 67 break and lose
:22:25. > :22:25.the frame but as you can see, you can't see enough of the potting
:22:26. > :22:38.angle. A big frame now in the context of
:22:39. > :22:42.the match and this looks good. Is it hard enough? Not quite. Pretty good
:22:43. > :23:22.effort with the snooker, though. This is a little bit sticking out
:23:23. > :23:25.but if the white was away from the cushion, it would be straightforward
:23:26. > :23:30.to come off the cushion from behind with a lot on the left-hand side and
:23:31. > :23:32.hit the green. The fact he is close to the cushion, he will have to
:23:33. > :23:47.swerve it slightly. Wanted to hit it a bit thinner than
:23:48. > :23:53.that. When coming off the cushion. Another chance for Yan Bingtao. To
:23:54. > :24:09.take the frame. Put everything into the pot, wasn't
:24:10. > :24:14.bothered about position on the brown but if he can slot the brown into
:24:15. > :24:18.the middle pocket, make absolutely certain, as you can see, 24 in
:24:19. > :24:26.front, only one snooker needed so he will put everything into this pot.
:24:27. > :24:37.Well, it's not there but barring that snooker I mentioned, this young
:24:38. > :25:02.Chinese sensation is going to be one frame behind.
:25:03. > :25:18.That brown will keep Shaun Murphy in his seat. Worth another look at this
:25:19. > :25:40.one. Shaun is coming back to the table.
:25:41. > :25:45.With the pink and black as they are, it's going to be very difficult to
:25:46. > :25:53.get the two snookers he needs to tie.
:25:54. > :25:56.Looking for snookers, you want one of the colours a little closer to a
:25:57. > :26:27.cushion to try to get in behind. He wants to keep the blue on the
:26:28. > :26:31.table but if he potted the blue, he would be two snookers on the pink to
:26:32. > :26:52.win, of course, he would only have the one ball...
:26:53. > :27:18.He walked around the table as if he played that!
:27:19. > :27:24.He might send the black into the same pocket as the pink but not
:27:25. > :27:26.quite. It might, it's not finished yet, coming back towards the pocket.
:27:27. > :27:38.No. He was 4-1 down from the last two
:27:39. > :27:46.frames and now Shaun Murphy leads by 4-3. Shaun Murphy breaks off in this
:27:47. > :28:14.eight frame. Probably be a little baffled
:28:15. > :28:18.himself, Shaun Murphy, the fact he has done all the running in this
:28:19. > :28:29.match and has made all the big breaks. Yan Bingtao made a wonderful
:28:30. > :29:46.109 in the second frame but Shaun Murphy, 412 among others.
:29:47. > :29:55.He has potted some cracking long balls but I think the fact he is now
:29:56. > :29:59.just one frame ahead, they are far from easy those shots but he so good
:30:00. > :30:05.at them. He didn't get away with it and the black was tied up after the
:30:06. > :30:42.break-off shot but it is not tied up now and this is an early chance.
:30:43. > :30:49.You know when you seem to be doing all the running, but you don't have
:30:50. > :30:53.much to show for it, you can't tighten up a little bit,
:30:54. > :31:00.particularly when your opponent keeps coming back at you.
:31:01. > :31:09.APPLAUSE. Contemplating some of those misses that he should have
:31:10. > :31:21.converted. Could have easily been 6-1 ahead by
:31:22. > :31:28.now, but he is in a match now all of a sudden.
:31:29. > :31:42.Nice angle to go into the pack if he wishes. Might go up for the red and
:31:43. > :31:50.baulk. Didn't catch them as he would have
:31:51. > :32:05.liked. Just let the white slip away, he
:32:06. > :32:14.still has a couple of parents he can go for. -- he still has a couple of
:32:15. > :32:25.heads he can go for. He knew straightaway, he did not
:32:26. > :32:39.push the cue through in a straight line. It is only fractions but that
:32:40. > :32:40.is what he did there, he did not push that cue through in a straight
:32:41. > :33:07.line. Yeah, that is telling you that there
:33:08. > :33:12.might be a little bit of tension there in the backhand. That is quite
:33:13. > :33:26.understandable, it is his first time at the Crucible Theatre.
:33:27. > :33:35.That was a wonderful positional shot. Nicely on this red, in the
:33:36. > :34:21.right-hand corner pocket and get onto the black.
:34:22. > :34:32.Don't think it has gone far enough for the red. No. Going to take the
:34:33. > :36:10.outside one. This is far from easy. He has got a red into the left
:36:11. > :36:16.corner which will require very good cueing. I did see him loosening up
:36:17. > :36:20.his back and when he went back to his seat, let's see if he can push
:36:21. > :36:24.that cue through on a straight line this time. That's perfect.
:36:25. > :36:30.APPLAUSE. That will quickly make him forget
:36:31. > :37:14.about the previous one. That's a bit unfortunate. Still I
:37:15. > :37:18.red that goes, the one next to the pink, but he is close to the cushion
:37:19. > :37:32.and this is another test when you are close to the cushion.
:37:33. > :37:42.But he hasn't left anything. Always difficult from there. John Parrott
:37:43. > :37:51.was the best in the game at potting balls when the white was tucked up
:37:52. > :37:56.in the cushion. Cushy Parrott, we used to call home, probably because
:37:57. > :38:08.the cue ball was always on the cushion when he was playing. He was
:38:09. > :38:11.a fantastic cushion player. He used to play with a massive big tip, it
:38:12. > :42:04.was ten millimetres. Nice angle on this thread, he can
:42:05. > :42:12.bring out the red, knock it towards the left centre pocket -- red.
:42:13. > :42:20.Caught it to full, wanted to capture to quarter-ball, knock it up the
:42:21. > :42:23.pocket. Caught it more a half ball. Just watch it, where he catches the
:42:24. > :42:35.red, almost full ball. He is back in the frame.
:42:36. > :42:58.APPLAUSE. GROANS FROM CROWD.
:42:59. > :43:13.APPLAUSE. What a clever little shop that was.
:43:14. > :43:37.Nicely judged. -- shot. The problem Shaun is if he tries to
:43:38. > :43:40.play a safety shot of the two reds, he could knock one out into a
:43:41. > :43:46.portable position for Yan Bingtao. He has got to be careful here. He
:43:47. > :43:55.has got to kiss one onto the other and knock it over into that corner
:43:56. > :44:09.pocket. Has he left his.? He may have. -- has he left his pot? He
:44:10. > :44:13.could be playing this of course with safety in mind, but there is the
:44:14. > :44:20.bonus of the green close to the corner pocket if the cue ball goes
:44:21. > :44:22.back into the Balkan area. There is a chance of this going on -- the
:44:23. > :45:30.baulk area. It was a similar type shot to the
:45:31. > :45:34.previous one although this term I don't know if he can take the pot
:45:35. > :45:38.on, if he hits it on and off, he could miss the black, but it is
:45:39. > :45:44.similar to the one he attempted previously. He got closer as well,
:45:45. > :46:10.but it is a pretty good cue ball. Shaun can get back down the table
:46:11. > :46:14.off this pot -- red, but he has to be careful where he sends the red,
:46:15. > :46:26.he has to be careful of where he sends that red and if he hits the
:46:27. > :46:31.brown... In fact, I think the two cloches off the popular finished
:46:32. > :46:50.awkward, but he got straight one. -- the two reds.
:46:51. > :46:56.I think he was trying to play that in such a way that he screwed back
:46:57. > :47:01.to leave an ankle on the black and possibly get to the difficult reds
:47:02. > :47:05.but might have been better making sure of the pot now -- to lead an
:47:06. > :47:18.angle on the black. He needs this to pull up. I think he
:47:19. > :47:20.is just OK, can just get through to the green, thought he had covered it
:47:21. > :47:56.there for a moment. You set yourself targets when you
:47:57. > :48:02.are playing along much like this, little mini sessions, you try to win
:48:03. > :48:07.the session, 3-1, then try and push on from that and you always know
:48:08. > :48:16.when you get to five, that you're going to have an overnight lead.
:48:17. > :48:22.Shaun is well on his way here. To getting to that number five. He used
:48:23. > :48:56.the whole of the pocket there. 15 ahead, so just up to the brown.
:48:57. > :49:00.That will leave his opponent needing a snooker and this will certainly
:49:01. > :49:05.steady the ship for Shaun, because it is a couple of frames that he has
:49:06. > :49:13.let slip and that his opponent back into this match. -- and let his
:49:14. > :49:18.opponent back in. This will ease the pressure slightly. He will be
:49:19. > :49:46.certainly very much relieved. In goes the pink and he will not
:49:47. > :49:49.bother with the black. Shaun takes the frame and now leads Yan Bingtao
:49:50. > :50:04.by 5-3. Yan Bingtao gets the final frame of
:50:05. > :50:10.this session underway and he could do with this one, to just be one
:50:11. > :50:15.frame behind going into the final session tomorrow afternoon. It has
:50:16. > :50:19.been a thoroughly entertaining match between these two players and he has
:50:20. > :50:27.done very well, the young Chinese player, on his debut year at the
:50:28. > :50:39.Crucible. -- on his debut here at the Crucible.
:50:40. > :50:50.6-3 behind, he could still be in with a shot, it is the first to 10,
:50:51. > :50:58.5-4, it would be all on for tomorrow, can he starred off with
:50:59. > :51:05.the nice opening pot here? -- can he start off here. Look at that. He was
:51:06. > :51:30.right on the black. The first chance in this final frame
:51:31. > :51:55.of this session for Shaun Murphy. He's got maybe four nice comfortable
:51:56. > :52:28.reds before he would have to play any cannons.
:52:29. > :52:40.Doesn't have the ankle to go into the pack, so people get on the loose
:52:41. > :52:53.red. Needs a nice angle after this red. Hoping for a slight little
:52:54. > :52:59.nudge off the bottom of the pack, take a look at this. The cue ball
:53:00. > :53:07.has gone through, wanted a little neck off that red to slow it down.
:53:08. > :53:17.He is going to play this with pace, that requires excellent cueing.
:53:18. > :53:31.Just made sure of it and left the red up into the yellow pocket. Four
:53:32. > :53:41.reds and I'm not sure if he will try and stay on the black here. Well, he
:53:42. > :53:57.is and what a fantastic pot that was. Brilliant shot. He has got a
:53:58. > :54:02.wonderful angle as well. Five red and five blacks, he is no stranger
:54:03. > :54:07.to the maximum break, he has done it on five occasions, one of the best
:54:08. > :54:14.break-builders in the game. He has covered it now, does the pink go,
:54:15. > :54:20.never mind the maximum break. More important that the pink pots,
:54:21. > :54:30.because it is all about the frame and to have a three frame advantage.
:54:31. > :54:36.And the pink did pot. Yes, you could see the disappointment on his face,
:54:37. > :54:37.couldn't you? He was not on the black, you could see what his
:54:38. > :54:51.intentions were. You could certainly set a very high
:54:52. > :54:59.target for the rest of the players to chase here. As Dennis said, he
:55:00. > :55:12.would want to have won the frame first of all, but still a possible
:55:13. > :55:20.1461. 122 is the highest, Ronnie O'Sullivan made that yesterday.
:55:21. > :55:26.First thoughts are on securing the frame, obviously.
:55:27. > :55:35.That is what he is looking for, you can see. 72 was the magic number and
:55:36. > :55:43.here is just the wrong side of the blue slightly, but at least they
:55:44. > :55:45.reds are nicely situated. It will be a comfortable pot, you would say, to
:55:46. > :56:02.keep the break going here. Just a little bit of noise coming
:56:03. > :56:08.from behind the commentary box, someone is wandering past and making
:56:09. > :56:12.a bit of noise. Do they not realise that there is a couple of tables
:56:13. > :56:22.with four players out here in the Crucible? John waiting -- shone
:56:23. > :56:32.waiting until they disappear. Yes, all quiet directly behind Ken and me
:56:33. > :56:37.now. Such a small theatre and 970 people, as you can see there, so if
:56:38. > :56:39.someone was wondering backstage, having a friendly chat, the players
:56:40. > :56:54.would hear them. Yes, and I'm glad he sort of kept
:56:55. > :56:58.his concentration, it did not disturb him too much, because it was
:56:59. > :56:59.quite a pivotal time during this frame.
:57:00. > :57:15.APPLAUSE. Good stuff in this match, in this
:57:16. > :57:18.first session. Shaun is on his way for his third century, he made one
:57:19. > :57:24.in the forward frame and then another one in frame five, and this
:57:25. > :57:32.should be a special way to finish the session. Doesn't matter if he
:57:33. > :57:38.does break down now, he has got that 6-3 advantage, always nice to finish
:57:39. > :57:49.with a century. APPLAUSE. Oh! I was expecting that
:57:50. > :57:58.just ?2 off the cushion a little bit more. This red into the green
:57:59. > :58:07.pocket, keep the break going. Such a shame. No century break. The young
:58:08. > :58:12.Chinese player did very well, but smiles all around for Shaun Murphy,
:58:13. > :58:21.he will be very pleased with the session and he takes a 6-3 advantage
:58:22. > :58:25.into tomorrow's second session. It is Shaun Murphy with the 6-3 lead
:58:26. > :58:30.going into the final session, which you can see live with us later today
:58:31. > :58:59.on BBC Two. From all of us here, bye for now.
:59:00. > :59:05.You are the cream of the French aristocracy.