Ronnie O'Sullivan V's Mark Allen (9 & 10). Snooker UK Championship Final 🏆.

Alan this is what you pick up a cue for as a young child to play in moments and finals like this absolutely fantastic yeah spine tingling intros fantastic reception for both players as Ron Walker mentioned as Ronnie O'Sullivan on a path to reach the promised land of a seventh United Kingdom title these first couple of frames Ken are massive aren't they yeah huge and particularly for Mark Allen must win three of these four frames before the mid-session interval give himself a chance it's been done before tall order and particularly the way the defending champion played this afternoon and has been playing all week imperative for a good start but if anything he is a fighter Alan isn't he is you know he he won't give up the ghost he's a very determined young man yes probably two worries that have for him is number one he said last evening that he doesn't feel all that comfortable with his game and number two the evidence of the first session he didn't score did he I know Ronnie did most of the did most of the work but just a 74 breaking frame three for Mark Allen the only real contribution of any note being right here for Ronnie O'Sullivan get nicely on the black nice clean pot and eight yeah that's a little story to be told in those stats Ken 22 seconds Ronnie that's about well you'd never really use the word slow but it's about the slowest I've ever seen it in terms of those numbers but it's a good thing isn't it the way he's actually approached this match absolutely totally agree and I was just an observation of this week just the way his approach to each shot you know he's developed this little mannerism we'll see it as he wipes his cue down when he's taking on a very important shot something that he's just developed and I know he's using a new new coach Steve Feeney sight right but he's I've never looked I've never seen him looking so focused and so determined he knows he's on the precipice of being the greatest player Steve Feeney there next to his good friend first and of course uh yeah if he wins this one of the three majors as we call it he will surpass Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis Steve Davis of course has won six UK championships this will be Ronnie's seventh if he does go on to lift it tonight 22 and I don't know whether that has been an element of his focus and concentration this week on what do you think yeah I agree as Ronnie plays this red oh it's gone high we did see actually for that red so early but yeah on your question Kenny um how much has he been thinking about it he's the only human after all and uh you would imagine that yes that's focused his brain his mind all week long it's a huge milestone isn't it if he could get to 19 in terms of triple crown events blank middle pocket there is one loose red he's already having a look at the pack got a nice angle on the black if he wishes to go into them decides against it this time 16 he's just looking at a possible two ball plant in the middle of the pack there into this bottom right hand corner pocket he's thinking a couple of shots ahead here well he's tracked the two ball plant and by playing this shot will dislodge more reds there you see it he's got to make it it's not dead set he's screwing back possibly for blue here very unlucky it can offset it in a strange way here that you know I think he played it to give it every chance you're going in the plan see unfortunate yeah unfortunate but there's always when you're playing it for the black of the pink there there's always the possibility that a red might come out if he maybe had a screwed up for the blue he was sort of taking that chance away still very unlucky not to be on a color there that's not the best of runs but that could change at least he's got a really good safety in there nice and tight for the ball cushion there's the view a wonderful view of this packed auditorium tonight the crowds have been so good all week Alan's been fantastic here is he playing the double the cross double good effort good cue ball a good look at it now just checking for a full ball and the problem for Mark Allen he's now pat down the left hand side of the table now pat down the right hand he's looking at the main but two cushion escape but that is indeed fraught with a lot of danger must not get anything more than a half ball here all right he's hit a full ball now has he got lucky well he's on a red but it's not straight forward here that's what he'll be coming around to look at that red just up into the left of the black isn't it a little half ball top side of that I know he's not he's topping this through so perhaps he's trying to get down on black he's at the tail one he's had a couple of looks at this black there's a pot into the right center will he take it on will he just play a safety shot just a safety he's got to get it somewhere close to the bulk line that will block the path to the red next to the yellow and that's pretty good excellent shot you have to judge that not get it close to the ball cushion this time but get it close to the bulk line and there you can see he's blocked the part the red just left of the yellow nice little on the table from Mark Allen an appreciation an acknowledgement of a good shot he would have thought that was in when he hit it very very good and I must say Alan the spirit and which the final is being played from both players has been excellent yeah you wouldn't expect anything else I mean but it has been this but it's going to be hard fought we know that that basically Mark Allen is a kind of up and at sort of player character but yeah the best of spirits now usually with a shot you'd go across twice and try to find and behind the green wants to make sure of covering that red well for him a decent chance this red black's not in black's not in this shot he can't cannon that pink of course is ready and waiting interestingly it's not dissimilar to the first frame this afternoon that was quite scrappy colors going off their spots and reds a couple of reds and cushions not easy to score one thing you do know I won't continue this session plays out one of your Sullivan using the brown and blue was a cover didn't want to leave Mark Allen a possible shot denoting on one of these reds here it's right near the pink spot no obstacles in the way back to bulk I think he'll have just checked the pink the cue ball's path here's going to go pretty much between the yellow and green he would have wanted to know whether be able to cut that pink back but our excellent length with the cue ball game facet of his game but it's not often recognized he's so recognized for his fast play and his high scoring long potting but this safety game is up there with the best that's why he's in all sorts of trouble once again well once again mark has to count himself a little bit had it full blood attempted that red was very very close could not have foreseen the red resting over this left hand corner pocket and now gifted Ronnie O'Sullivan with a chance to win the frame from this position the fact that Ronnie with the extension out tells you that he's playing for black here he wants to leave the pink in it's a little saver just that when he plays this with his left hand he doesn't quite have the control but he should be able to stay down on the black played it actually quite a clever way clean out that in one to give us some easy access now to the next red we're left at the pink spot he was always going to be okay the two reds that are close together both of those will pot into the bottom right hand corner pocket and he will have checked the scores and done his maths five reds and five blacks will be enough you won't need that red that's very close to the left hand side cushion 16 17 there you see him having a look at the scores again just to make sure already taking quite a number of shots ahead just overshot that one a little bit i think it'll be straight around this red into the left center i wonder if he thought it was recover the situation that's why he kept the pink in reserve though yes but now slight difficulty he's got to judge this cue ball between these two reds to make sure that he's on at least one of them doesn't want to hit it too hard it's not fantastic it's okay but all the way we're going to be a little closer with this red so this could go wrong 29 ahead of course just the two reds and two high-value colors good shot third shot and how's the kiss on the blue it's not bad 82 no this is a fantastic well if it slows up just run out a little bit more than he would have liked another check on the this red to leave mark allen meeting the snooker no it's not there so still a chance for mark he'd love to get this red off the left hand side cushion bring it out into open play doesn't want to kiss on the blue be very disappointed with that a lot of margin for error there yes he was just trying to slip past him obviously but yeah ronnie was a wee bit fortunate having mr red where it finished mark really couldn't do anything with it and of course being so keen to get the other red and open play this is a chance he was saying earlier as well about the the way that ronnie approached this match and he almost seems content to win a scrappy frame that is just i don't know i've ever seen that before from him but it's a great thing that he's doing in my opinion it's like really focused and every ball on the table it's a good attitude to have well he won't be bothered about the green and you know i wouldn't be wanting to be telling everybody but look people are all different if he you know i heard steve you talking about it today some people want to go out and just tell the world about whatever it is but i think he probably should have just kept that one to himself he's nothing if not honest mark allen back with you yes it's starting to get serious again steadies himself for this long red attempt potted one earlier it looks pretty wayward in the evidence of the match so far would have felt good saying that one opening red hit in the back of the pocket chance these are the chances that he's been scoring we're all weak needs a good break he would feel just on his back get himself 17 so at this stage of the match i haven't watched mark allen in big finals before i think he visibly is just quickening up the pace here i think he knows that if he's going to have any chance of winning this he's going to have to put together a three or four frame burst at some stage and the only way he's going to do that is by playing the greatest angle on the black is very very straight i'm looking to see if you can get on this red the bottom of the pack it's okay now pop this 32 you will definitely disturb all the reds but you've got to concentrate the pot here that's better 40 well it's five reds five blacks but off the plate for the maximum let's get a frame on the board it's more important 41 a little shake of the head and a half ball yellow with the option to go into the bunch he's not in any trouble he can still play for the red we'll go past the green any panic he's angry right now that's the way he got that rest out yeah for the rest then we've got his down there up here mark allen 44 looks a bit like the two cushion show now he's coming just a noise disturb in there a delivery 49 it is his target to get to 68 we'll need a snooker let's see what angle he has on this pink now can he pop the pink and maybe disturb some reds force it disappointed really wanted to win the frame from that visit we're only a servant safety play it's been immaculate so far in this match he's got him glued to that ball cushion he's now got him all the rats on the table be very careful here playing the two cushion escape oh and a miss it's called nothing to go at so ronnie will say yes please put it back yeah i think part of the difficulty here ken that he can't he can't really spin the cue ball it's right under the cushion and these players are used to spinning the way to get the control this time he's just got to go and trust the cushions straight line never easy to judge he's trying to get as much right hand side on it as possible oh well done maybe do a bit of luck just break the tension perhaps as well yeah i'm gonna look after his mates open the audience there nice smile i think he did the reason i was surprised that the red at the back of the bunch goes to right middle that's not hindsight i thought maybe just pushing the just a fraction yeah he's thinking good pot for any doubt at all gravity yeah good pot oh this will definitely make my column feel a lot better 67 ahead 67 remaining just this red we'd love to go on here just to pop the rest of these balls just to a little bit of fluency yeah i know the frame's one but you can see him trying to quicken the pace here can't you he knows he's got to almost start hustling if he's going to make any inroads five frame deficit that by one doesn't see how he approaches his next frame i think he's just set his heart now i'm going to play on instinct and see where it takes me 37 37 yes ronnie can see it's a good