World Snooker - O'sullivan 5-4 Liu, As It Happened

It were all fields round here when I were etc, and so on, and so forth. But let's face facts, snooker isn't as good as it used to be, when Alex Higgins used to brawl in the venue foyer, urinate in plant pots, swill quadruple vodka and oranges mid-break, and threaten opponents with sectarian reprisals. Thank God for Ronnie O'Sullivan, who starts his campaign for a third world title this afternoon against Liu Chuang, and is guaranteed to either rattle in eight century breaks in 37 minutes (including the interval) or have a walloping nervous breakdown and play the final seven frames of the session left-handed. As if to illustrate the point further, the game on the other table this afternoon features a man who met his wife in a God-bothering internet chat room. What went wrong?



2.35 PM: The guy who should really have a job presenting the late-night weather on Reading's 210FM, or doing the continuity links on HTV West, is calling the players into the arena. First it's Dave Harold and Shaun Murphy, and that's the last I'll be mentioning of them, then it's 17-year-old Chinese starlet Liu Chuang (born 1990). The 17-year-old Lui, 17, gets a great reception from the crowd, as of course does Rocket Ronnie as he rocks up with a swagger. And who should almost immediately start proceedings by sinking an amazing long red straight into the center of the top-right pocket? That's right, Lui.



2.45 PM: The BBC's coverage, by the way, is an absolute shambles and a disgrace to the nation. Not satisfied with jiggering the general ambiance by messing with the classic theme tune - a piece of cultural terrorism right up there with Nazi book-burning, and one for which heads should roll - they've now taken to not bothering to show any live action. Yesterday afternoon they cut off live coverage of Dott v Perry to show action from the previous session; now they're showing Dott v Perry from this morning while Liu v O'Sullivan is being played live. Presumably they assume everyone in the world either has a red button or access to the internet, which is obviously not the case; what you're missing is Liu rattling in a quick 31 but missing an easy black into the top-left corner to let Ronnie in. He's already racked up 46 and looks set to take the frame. These clowns are running snooker's showpiece and no mistake.



2.50 PM: OK, Ronnie's won the first frame; he was whipping the balls around like Higgins in that frame against Jimmy White in the 1982 semi. Wonderful stuff, although one danger sign already: he played the yellow left-handed. Oh dear. Not sure whether his break ended on the brown or the blue, because the BBC's web connection isn't brilliant and they can't be bothered to show snooker's biggest draw in the sport's biggest tournament live on national television. I don't wish to labor the point - actually, I do - but surrounded by eejits is what we are. O'Sullivan 1-0 Liu.



2.52 PM: It's a nervy start to the second frame from the 17-year-old; he misses an easy red into the left center to let Ronnie in again. This could already be frame over; he's already got 25 on the board when he pots the brown into the bottom left, comes off two cushions and smashes the pack open. The balls run kindly, almost in celebration of a spectacular shot, and this frame is here for the taking.



2.55 PM: CLOWNS ALERT!!! The BBC have gone to the racing for the world-famous 2.55 Intercasino.co.uk Heritage Handicap from Nottingham. O'Sullivan meanwhile has swept in an 87 break to take the second frame, only missing a chance of his first century of the tournament after over cutting a relatively simple red into the left center. This is a stunning performance from the nation's favorite snooker player, and one which nobody is seeing live. Maslak and Suits Me are neck and neck at Notthingham, mind. O'Sullivan 2-0 Liu.



3.00 PM: O'Sullivan gets a bit ahead of himself at the start of the third frame; he gets in among the balls but rattles a totally wanton long blue in the jaws of the bottom-left center pocket with Higginsesque elan - surely rolling it gently would have sufficed - and lets Liu in. Let's see what the 17-year-old can do with this.



3.05 PM: Oh dear. He's going really well - rolling in four reds, four blacks in total control - but then a rush of blood after potting his fifth red sees him end slightly out of position on the black. He should still clip it in, the ball on its spot, the white not too close to the right-hand rail, but he over cuts and the black rattles in the jaws. That's a very decent opportunity spurned, and one Ronnie - his aberration on the blue earlier in this frame notwithstanding - looks like he's in the mood to punish.



3.10 PM: Hold on, though, he's let Liu off the hook, slapping another wild long pot with a Higginsesque follow-through; that one, this time an attempt at a red towards the top left, only misses the pocket by one country mile. Liu has half a chance of a pot into the bottom right but overcuts again... and it's not long before Ronnie's in once more. This could be a painful introduction to Crucible life for Liu.



3.13 PM: Hold on again: at 38-33, Ronnie misses a red along the top cush; Liu's back in! I'll tell you how he does in a minute, BBC style, because Stephen Wolstencroft's here, and he's in a hot funk. "Couldn't agree with you more about the sensual Hazel and the redoubtable Stubbsy being hamstrung by their crackpot editors refusing to show live snooker on their regular live snooker programs. Not only is it lunacy, an astute viewer can quite easily pick out the frame result early on, much in the same way as you know a player is heading for an early bath if football highlights show them picking up a pointless booking. I'm fed up of missing out on the ebb and flow of matches in an effort to cram in more one-ball-short-of-frame-winning breaks and painfully repeated Virgo-isms." Preach on, brother. Anyway, unlike the BBC, I'm going to tell you what's happening at least within an hour of it actually occurring: Liu makes 13 from his aforementioned opening, which is fair enough as the last red was tight on the left cushion. It's a red Ronnie goes on to sink, but doesn't follow up with a color. At O'Sullivan 39-47 Liu, a safety battle on the yellow is being played out RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, AT 3.13PM!!!



3.20 PM: The green is just behind the brown, giving both players plenty of space to hide the white. O'Sullivan and Liu have laid two snookers apiece off three angles, and both players have yet to concede a foul - or leave a potting opportunity. This is absolutely fascinating top-notch tactical safety, bringing to mind the halcyon era of Eddie Charlton, Cliff Thorburn and Doug mount joy, only without the accompanying stench of real ale, stale fags and pomade.



3.25 PM: Ah man, what an unlucky end to that safety exchange for Liu, who so nearly leaves yellow on the baulk cushion and the white on the top. He misjudges only slightly, leaving the yellow clippable into bottom left - but only if he doesn't find the top cushion with the white. Which he would have done had he not only just clipped the black, taking the sting out of the ball. Ronnie rolls in the yellow, then all the colors he needs, and takes a wonderful third frame. The tough lesson for the young Chinese player continues, but that safety battle suggests he's got the nerve to fight hard. O'Sullivan 3-0 Liu.



3.30 PM: It's the 3.30 inter casino.co.uk conditions stakes from Nottingham! Thank you, my BBC! Thank you! Liu meanwhile has just played an outrageous shot at the start of the fourth frame. Three reds are free should he miss, but he cares not as he cuts the right-hand side of a red sitting left of the pink spot, sending it bouncing off the left-hand cushion and rolling precisely into the center of the right-center pocket. A perfect double, and a wonderful display of natural skill which Higgins, White, Ronnie and - yes - Hendry would have been proud of themselves.



3.35 PM: Liu is playing a staunch frame here; he's never been totally in control of this break, having been slightly unlucky splitting the reds, but he's still going and, after cutting a tight red into the bottom right and adriotly clipping an awkward green from the right cushion to over the center pocket, he's made 50. And he's still going! "Anyway, am just wondering, with the previous mention of the Virgo-isms," writes Owen Coggins, "exactly how many times so far today has the question been posed: 'Where's the cue-ball going? WHERE'S the CUE-ball GOING?'" A good and fair question, Owen, but one I can't answer, having opted to stick knitting needles into each eardrum rather than listen to Funnyman John's banter. Apologies for that.



3.40 PM: Simply brilliant stuff from Liu, who after a shaky start to the break - and indeed the match - recovers his poise to rattle in a 93 break. He should really have made a century, the colors all on their spots, but he runs out of position on the brown and, despite sinking it, can't finish well on the blue and misses a difficult long clip into the top-right corner. Still, he's unlikely to care too much, having just wrapped up his first-ever frame at the Crucible. O'Sullivan will of course be the happier player at the interval, but that will settle the young man's nerves. O'Sullivan 3-1 Liu.



Interval: We'll be back in ten minutes or so, after the players have had their break. It's been a sparkling match so far, but not one that's been representative of the tournament as a whole. So let's spend the interval taking a moment to consider: exactly why isn't snooker as good as it used to be?



Considering exactly why snooker isn't as good as it used to be: Nope, still can't think why.



BBC2 latest: An interview with newscaster Huw Edwards, who is reminiscing about Terry Griffiths' 1979 World Championship victory. Thanks, my BBC! But hold on... as they players come back from the interval, they've gone live to the session! On proper telly! Liu immediately picks up from where he left off, slamming in a long red into the top left corner from just behind the brown. "If Huw Edwards was watching, he'd have loved that shot," opines commentator Dennis Taylor. You couldn't script it. Nor, of course, would you want to.



4.10 PM: Apologies; our tools have been down for a while, some minor teething troubles with the new system. It's almost like watching the BBC. Anyway, we're back up and running now. OK, Liu ends his break after scoring a mere five points, with a preposterously ambitious attempt to thread the white through a gap in the pack to leave himself on the black. No matter; Ronnie can't capitalize and he's back in the balls at the very next visit. He racks up 30 quickly and is one decent break of the pack away from wrapping up this frame - but it doesn't happen for Liu; losing control of the white, he clips a lovely red into the center left pocket, but can't keep the break going for long and it ends on 37. Ronnie jumps back in and levels the points, 42-42, before there's a safety exchange on the last red.



4.15 PM: Ronnie sinks that last red, and now there's a safety bout on the yellow. And it's one Ronnie wins, as Liu leaves the object ball in front of the green, allowing O'Sullivan to stun the white dead behind the green and send the yellow down the other end of the table. Liu escapes the snooker, but can't avoid leaving the yellow over the top-right pocket. Ronnie makes the pot - but rattles a difficult green into the jaws of the bottom right. It's another safety battle, right here. This is a really engrossing match, so not quite the perfect time to continue moaning about snooker not being as good as it used to be. Still. "The players are simply too good these days," weeps Richard Rouse. "A century break is still nice to watch but it has lost its rarity appeal. Also a lot of excitement has gone. The players get decent position for nearly every shot and so most of the time we're watching them pot easy balls instead of having to take risks to keep the break going. A total clearance by Jimmy White had you gurning in anguish at the telly every third shot, a 147 by someone like Mark Selby is completed with such methodical, organized calmness that it barely registers as an achievement."



4.20 PM: Ronnie makes a total pig's ear of a safety, double-kissing the green near the top left and leaving it on. Liu sinks the pot, but exactly why I'm not sure; with the brown on the baulk cushion, he's left himself with one hell of a safety shot to play. But hold on... here's why... sending the brown off the top and top-right cushions, and the white behind the black, he's laid a brilliant snooker! Ronnie swerves round the blue and clips brown to escape, and luckily lays a snooker of his own - which Liu can't escape, smashing into the black and leaving Ronnie with a free ball. This frame is surely over...



4.25 PM: ... but it's not! Well, it is, but not how you'd expect. What a diabolical shot by Ronnie, who nominates pink - and shanks an attempt into the top left miles wide of the pocket! Dear God Almighty that was awful! Liu makes no mistake of clearing up the remaining colors and takes the frame. It's almost as though O'Sullivan felt guilty about the luck he had in the safety exchanges. O'Sullivan 3-2 Liu. Here, speaking of terrible judgment: "My personal favorite Virgo-ism," writes Niall McVeigh, "is when a player is facing up a tricky potting angle, and he says 'it doesn't look like he can get to this pot'. This phrase is invariably followed by the sound of the object ball being coolly drilled into the heart of the pocket."



4.27 PM: You only have to catch a glimpse of the strobing effect caused by Ronnie's oscillating eyebrows to know he's absolutely livid with himself as he sits in his seat. And he's sitting in his seat because Liu is already among the balls in the sixth frame.



4.30 PM: Liu only makes 15 at his first visit. Ronnie's next shot brings to mind his utter meltdown in the 2006 semi-final against Graeme Dott, smashing the reds hither and yon. But Liu can't captialise, missing a fairly easy long red into the bottom right and letting Ronnie in to wheech in a break of 27. He would have made more - but screwing into the reds off the blue he's dreadfully unlucky, one flying off into the top right. Liu's got a second chance to make good in this frame. Can he?



4.35 PM: No. He clips a dreadful red in the general direction of the left center pocket, and O'Sullivan's back in. He makes a quick fire 37 but, with two reds still on the table, he still needs one to secure the frame. Neither are pottable, so he attempts to lay a simple snooker behind the yellow - and makes a complete hash of it, hitting the white way too hard and leaving both reds on! It's difficult to describle how easy it was to stun the white behind that yellow. Liu takes red and color, then stuns behind the yellow himself to leave Ronnie in all manner of trouble. This is roller coaster alright.



4.40 PM: Actually, this is getting silly now. Ronnie should have wrapped up this frame ages ago, and now he's missed his first attempt to escape from behind the yellow. He manages it second time round, only to find himself a shot after snookered tight behind the blue. His attempt to find the red off five cushions is close enough for the referee not to call a miss, but no matter; Liu cuts an almost impossible red back into the top right - and sweeps in all the colors under immense pressure to steal the frame! Ronnie must be totally sick, but that is unquestionably brilliant from the 17-year-old Liu, who appears to have balls the size of Stephen Hendry's. This is an amazing performance; if Sullivan doesn't stop making silly mistakes, he could be facing a sensational early exit, because Liu is more than good enough to take advantage of them. O'Sullivan (who was 3-0 up) 3-3 Liu.



4.50 PM: Ronnie has lost it. Liu attempts an overly ambitious pot into the top left and leaves three reds into the top right. WIth the black free, plenty of points are going begging - but O'Sullivan misses one by a good six inches. He's not totally unraveled yet, but we've seen these signs before.



4.55 PM: Ronnie has just missed another ridiculous pot, and Liu is back among the balls. If he holds himself together, he could take the lead in this match from this one visit, because the reds are reasonably spread out. Let's see. Anyway, three days into our snooker coverage and we've yet to make any cheap jokes about balls, tips, or the gripping of firm wooden shafts. It's about that time, isn't it. "On the BBC, Steve Davis has just recommended that you give your jaded balls a good polish to bring back some life to them," writes Tristan Bray, from out of the Carry On films. "He even recommended using a machine, built for purpose. Wise words from the former champion."



5.00 PM: Liu makes a steady 59 before running out of position, failing to split the remaining four reds and leaving Ronnie with a simple snooker to lay. Which of course he misses by a mile. "Should Ronnie's meltdowns (like his press conferences) only go out after the watershed?" wonders Gary Naylor, making his snooker debut (unless he did that on Monday, I didn't read it). "It's a slow motion car crash after all."



5.05 PM: No matter; Ronnie gets back on track after Liu is desperately unlucky not to snooker his opponent behind the brown. One less roll and that would have been frame over; as it is he's left with an easy red, from which he makes a solid clearance. That's great from Ronnie, who for a frame or so there really did appear to be approaching meltdown, missing absolutely everything - but he took the opportunity to re-establish himself in this match with aplomb. O'Sullivan 4-3 Liu.



5.05 PM: Now it's the turn of the Good Ship Liu to list violently; he attempts yet another over-ambitious pot into the top left, misses by yards, the white crashing into the pack and letting O'Sullivan in. Surely a large break is on?



5.06 PM: Ah no, he's left a simple red in the jaws of the top-right pocket, with only 16 scored. Let's see what Liu can do with this.



5.12 PM: And what he can do is make a mere eight, leaving a red over the pocket which Ronnie can't get to. No matter, though, because Meltdown Ronnie is back, missing an easy-for-him red into the right middle and allowing Liu back to the table. He's made 50 already, though how much more is a moot point, because the remaining four reds are in tricky positions.



5.20 PM: Tricky schmicky; he's just sunk an awkward red along the baulk cushion into the bottom left, then soon after a long red into the top right, leaving Ronnie needing a snooker to tie. He stupidly attempts to develop the final two reds off the black, missing the pot and allowing Ronnie back in, but O'Sullivan's attempts to lay the one snooker he requires ends with the final red nestling in the jaws of the bottom right pocket, and so he concedes. This is some performance from Liu. O'Sullivan 4-4 Liu.



5.22 PM: Ronnie racks up a massive 13 break before missing yet another simple red along the rail towards the top-right pocket. This is getting old.



5.25 PM: Now Ronnie triple-kisses a red in an attempt to get back to baulk and leaves Liu in the middle of a spray of reds and a black. Old, old, old. Liu has a great chance to wrap up this frame.



5.30 PM: Oh dear. Liu misses a simple black off the spot. Ronnie comes to the table 40-13 down; can he clear up? In fairness to him, despite playing pretty poorly in this session, he's already stolen one frame after his opponent built up a handy lead. He really needs to do it again - the one problem being a red tight on the left-hand cushion. Can he move it?



5.32 PM: Yes. He cannons the white off it, sending it towards the top-right pocket and looks good for the frame. Which of course is his cue to miss a simple straight green into the bottom left through over stretching. It's 40-39 and a safety battle for the green - and the overnight lead - is on.



It doesn't last long. Liu leaves it over the bottom right; Ronnie makes no mistake in clearing up. Nevertheless, that's a great scoreline for the 17-year-old Crucible debutant; if O'Sullivan doesn't get his game face on in the next session, he could easily be heading home early. O'Sullivan 5-4 Liu. At which point the BBC start showing Shaun Murphy's 10-3 victory over Dave Bloke, and the world switches off. Ronnie v Liu was great, but snooker's still not as good as it used to etc, and so on, and so forth.