Snooker with Good Spirit _ Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Alfie Burden _ 2022 Championship League ‒ Group 1

I think these two over the years have practiced together quite a bit. Surprisingly, they've only played each other on one occasion in a pro tournament. It was last season. How Sullivan won 4-1 last 32 of the Northern Ireland Open. Yeah, it's funny that. Both been around for so long and only played each other once. But it's all forgotten now that, anyway. It's all about today. Beyond the sort of yellow line would be a good spot to find if you can find it. I don't think that's too bad a line. Probably not hard enough. That's it. That's what I meant. Got a good chance of this red. But he's not going to have much idea where the white's going to go. It's a bit of hit and hope, really. Trying to avoid a thick cannon and get up the table. But he's got to make sure he gets the red. Both can on the black. Missed the red. He's already looking. Had to get back down the table. Now he's going to plot his way down there. Just going to nudge him away. Push him. Just make his way down there. And I'm going to plot the black sooner or later. Get that on his spot. Go straight away. He's going to plot it. Make the table look more familiar. His average shot time against Farrukh Ajaib was 11.7 seconds. It's amazing. It just shows you how relaxed he is. After saying all that about Ron, he's a human being at the end of the day. And the game's really hard. So they can miss. In a way, Alfie's mindset is a good place because he knows he's got to win. No looking behind himself. He just has to keep putting balls and winning. Sometimes that can help you mentally. And you just get on with it. You can fully commit to everything you play. But he'll be disappointed there was a good chance. Eight. Nine. Sixteen. Seventeen. Twenty-four. Twenty-five. Ronnie looks great here again. He puts the white in the perfect area. Thirty-two. Got full control again. Thirty-three. Teeniest misjudgment there to leave a little bit awkward cueing. But it was never going to be any kind of problem. Incredible, really. Just always in the right position. Never has to test himself. Forty-eight. Yeah, just incredible player. Forty-nine. And when the best of all time eventually exits stage left. Fifty-five. Yeah, I mean, to me, it looks like he's won for years. Yeah, I don't think that's close. But eventually it will happen. It'll be a massive loss of the game. But obviously other players will come through and replace him. But sixty-two. You know, I think for me, at times, he's just took it to a new level. I think not only the standard he plays. It's just the way he does it. It looks so good. So yeah, fantastic. It's like you could make 50 break. But it looked better than somebody making 140. Just, just effortless. Ronnie O'Sullivan, 68 on the first set. So there, that's frame over again in double quick time. O'Sullivan makes a break of 68. And with that, he takes a 1-0 lead. Four frames played, four frames won. Whether it's 3-0 or 3-1, he'll only need a draw against Alexander Ursenbacher. In the closing match tonight. To top the table and come back at the end of the month for phase two. Yeah, hopefully he'll be disappointed because he did have a good chance. He missed that black off the spot. Then missed it. And then he left Ronnie in to win. So he'll try and take that out of his mind. Not landed again. But he can get high on the blue here. It's a good pack to go into off the blue. Get that pink. Although, I think I might have spotted a little bit of a plant into this corner. On the left corner. But you're not playing it on this shot anyway. There's a red going towards there. 12. It's that pink on the top. It's just nudging a red towards that pocket and it can go in. 30. 20. If he does get going, he can reel frames off. 20. But obviously that's easier said than done. I don't know whether any reds go now. So he's got to move something on this. He can play it in the middle. But I've not got to go into him now. So he's got to hit this well. Is it that brilliant pin unlucky there? Is it a really good shot there? 28. One of the toughest ways to split the bunch. Going off the top cushion first. 29. He's been unfortunate. Try and get a cannon off one of these reds to stay down the table. And he's missed him and now he's on the other red. Looked like he was spoiled but he's back in perfect position. 31. If you just come around to see if this red next to the black goes in the right hand corner. Because that's the only thing that'll be upsetting him in a minute. As far as where these reds are. A bit awkward. But I think he's still got the red in the middle. He was so frightened of hitting a push shot there. Not hit it. Make you look daft. Yeah, just so mindful of not pushing. He didn't do anything. Now Sullivan slightly over screwed the white here. He's made that shot his own. Yeah, he just, you know, it's not a shot that he'll find particularly hard. But that's just that champion's mindset. Brilliant to watch really. 12. Don't know whether he can plant the pink here to go into him. I think that's what he's played. Yeah, so putting this pink is going to move the reds out. Just make sure that it doesn't stick onto anything. So try and put a bit of spin on maybe. Just to get away from the reds. There you are, look. Now he's absolutely A1. Knows exactly what to do. Yeah, and he just trusts himself. He backs himself. You know, he sees a shot. He plays it. You never see him sort of play a negative shot. He knows that's a shot he'd play in practice. So he just plays it. And now he's just landed. 25. Saying all that. But yeah, he's just got so much belief in his own ability. And why wouldn't you? 26. And look at that. Not just bling the cue ball to stop before the ball client and leave him. The green there. Again though. That's two bad position shots. I'm picking myself off the floor now. 30. Thanks. But record recovery again. I think one of the most intimidating things about playing Ronnie is the fact that he looks so calm. And when he keeps knocking those testers in, he's sort of a bit demoralizing. 33. A little tester again. I don't know where this red near the black goes. I think it does. So he's not going to panic cannon yet, but he's missed the red. So another chance for Alfie. He should take, he wants to take this. Not on the black. So try and play a good snooker. Always trying to put a ball safe, maybe brown safe. That's what he's done there. And he's played a decent shot there. Foul. And a miss. Alfie Verdon 7. I think those cheers represent the championship league, don't they? Big cheers. Well over a decade. It just wouldn't be the same without him, would it? He's got to develop. So he's got to really make sure he gets a good angle now to be able to move that red. I don't think the pink goes. So, yeah. If he's going direct, he needs to catch it off ball. He knows if he drifts past it, he might be in trouble. I don't think he's got the right angle. He's just trying to play safe next, maybe. If he's disappointed, he didn't give himself a good chance to move that red. The first red was the bad shot. He didn't get the right angle. In a few moments time, will O'Sullivan be clearing up to go 2-0 ahead? Or will Alfie Verdon be giving the reigning world champion in World No. 1 something to think about? Still favourite. That's a great pot. He could play a snooker. Or he could play the pot with trying to get a snooker as well. But he's put the black safe. He's produced so many extraordinary clearances over the years. Verdon will not be taking anything for granted. The outsider needs yellow and green. He could live to regret that, Michael. Yeah, and he's left a chance. If he can get on a green here with a good angle. Oh, he's developed the brown. Oh, that's... He'll take that. Five. Just shows you how it can all change there. Fourty. Could get on this or try and move it. I think he's tried to move it. As he remains with an unblemished record today. He leads Alfie Verdon 2-0. Turned out to be a nail-biter. Let me quickly tell you over on table two. That's available on Matchroom.live and on the Matchroom Multisport YouTube channel. Former World Seniors Champion 2-0. And what's more, Jones has played superbly to take that lead. Breaks of 79 and 134. Now Sullivan, if he wins this one, he would still need a draw against Alexander Ursenbacher in the last match of the night to go through. We've had players win groups with five points. Now then, another mistake from O'Sullivan. Unless you're like Jamie there, you know, and he was also getting away, you might have to win more than two. Or at least get another draw, like you say. So... One. It's very rare you're completely out of it. Probably try and work his way down to the black somehow. Got loads of options. Six. Seven. Now it's all about just those blue spreads up. Forty. Fifty. Twenty. Stay focused. Twenty-one. Very easy to let your mind slip. Twenty-nine. Thirty-four. Thirty-five. He is a fantastic snooker player. Forty-three. But there's a lot of others out there that are as good. He might play a cannon here and he'll be on choice of probably three reds. Focus on the next shot. Don't start thinking about the hundred because he's still got to pop some balls yet. Keep focused, get the white in the right spots so it can't go wrong. Fifty-eight. Fifty-nine. The last black he played he just was a bit low on the red. Sixty. And then he had to play up for the blue and then he had to sort of put a little tester there but back in perfect position. But it just highlights there how quickly it can go wrong from absolutely perfect. But it looks like he's sort of navigated that. Seventy. Seventy-two. Seventy-nine. He's done nicely in this frame, Neil. Although the break will end there. Seventy-nine. No century but more that's efficient for Ronnie O'Sullivan to lose his first frame of the day and for Alfie Burton to retain hope of gaining a draw against the world champion. O'Sullivan's lead is cut to 2-1. If he were to win this match, i.e. win this frame, he would only need a draw against Ersson Bakker. If he loses this frame, he needs to beat Ersson Bakker 3-0 or 3-1 to top the group. Yeah, as you were saying earlier about Alfie having a new cue. Alfie's the sort of player that plays with quite a lot of side on his pots. He's a lot of helping side. So with the new cue, it might throw a little bit different. It's going to affect him more than it would other players. The philosophy towards cues seems to me to have really changed. Back in the day, you'd stick with the same cue come hell or high water. Now, lots of players change very regularly. Kieran Wilson being the prime example. Yeah, the old school players, they'd stick one. It's like the top of their arm. And if they lost it, they'd break their arm. But yeah, I think players have just got a better mentality when it comes to that now that it's just a cue. But yeah, just get a cue, stick with it. And yeah, you'll be all right. You might have left something there. So you'll already be thinking those reds above the black. You want to probably try and maneuver them at some point. I don't know whether the red on the left goes. Eight. The left of the three above the black I meant there. No. See him try and work out which way he's going to go. Didn't see anything that simple. So he went and moved it straight away. Because even though they were there, they're in the way of scoring those three reds were. So he's tried to move them really early on. Brian Sullivan, 60. It was thin. And now Sullivan hit it way too thin. Left and red of the two closest to the black. They could split nice. He wants to stun into him, not punch into him. I know he's not. He's not played it. Well, he might play that because he was perfect. Playing that little cannon there could have gone wrong and it has done. Eight. But he was on one. He's had a little moan and he's on one. Old school games, they are. Do you think he had a moan and then he realized afterwards he was on the red? I think I'll give him the benefit of the doubt there. I think he might have done. Just seeing his body language, knowing him like I do. Because he played a little cannon and thought he drifted past the red. But it's all sweetness and light again. He's probably going to have to move those reds at some point. So he's got a few options. Obviously get on the black, but there's a red above just next to the pink. At any stage, you can get high on that red and just screw off it for the pink. In the same pocket, you can move them with no risk, really. But again, there's loads of options. Has he gone high enough to play that shot now? 28. If he does pop this red and I've got the angle, he can play on the pink. Might be an option to play on the pink now. High on the pink. Pop the pink, cannon the red and stay for the reds in the left-hand middle. He's not gone high enough for that shot. So reds are running out, but not going to panic yet. 35. 36. 43. He's looking there to get on the yellow, I think, to be able to come down and move them reds under the pink. 44. That's not the greatest angle. So he might have to play on the red on the side rail. He tried to make an angle that wasn't there. It's a problem sometimes. 44. I don't know whether he tried to get an angle to move the reds earlier, but if you keep running out of reds, sometimes you end up not having to break down because of it. One. Really good shot, that. Yeah, fantastic shot, really. Hit it so well. He's not going to amaze him. He's going to play a tough shot here and he's hit that lovely. 60. 70. 24. 25. Yeah, I think he couldn't try and move the red here. Stay on the red. Yeah, that's what he's tried to do. He's missed the cannon. 31. So he might be able to get low on this black, maybe. No, he's missed it. I don't know what he's played there, to be honest. He might have fluked it. Running on sort of 31. I thought he looked very good in his first match against Farak Ajay, but not so sharp in this one. A lot might depend on this shot. Yeah, he's got a double on. If he wants to take it, it's risky. That's a problem with doubles. You've got a chance of leaving it. I don't like doubles for that reason. I always leave it. One. To have an angle to try and develop the yellow there. Try and move it here. He's got an angle. I didn't realise that. That's a great shot. A bit unlucky. He's still on it. Still on it. Eight. Just caught a sliver of the middle pocket jaw with the cue ball, and that's why he's not quite where he wanted to be. I still think he's going for it, though. No, he's not. He's running on sort of 11. It's a good shot. I think he might play this with a bit of pace, maybe. God knows. Yeah. Yeah, take your chances trying to get it safe. Alfie said, get in, and it nearly did. That's what you always used to hear the old commentators say, wasn't it? The match is played in a good spirit. Yeah, it's really all insincere. Yeah, there was one old journalist, too. When someone cracked a joke at the crucible, he always used to write the story the next day. So-and-so put a smile on the face of Snooker yesterday. As you say, all completely fatuous. It's a good shot. Very easy to catch that. It's a little bit unlucky not to get the snooker, really. Foul, and a miss. I don't know whether he's just trying to get a thin edge off it. He plays with a good pace. He plays at the right pace. He'd be unlucky to leave it if he hits it foolish, but he's not. He caught it quarter ball and knocked it up the floor of the pocket. 19 ahead of Sullivan, so he needs the green and the brown. It's a good hit, but he might be in trouble next. That's the problem with playing, you're sort of slow. You're always giving your opponent a good chance of putting you in trouble, or back to where you were. And again now, I think he's snookered again, so he's in the same similar position, really. Yeah, he keeps getting good shots, and now he's in the blue, so this looks trouble. Right on Sullivan five. Yeah, from there. Yeah. So he's not having the cue ball put back. He's asking Burden to play from there. I know Sullivan's making the argument that he didn't play to miss, but that's not the rule anyway. No, he just said you crack on, mate. You get on with it. Could be one of those situations where it's a big turning point. Alfie Fluke's the green. Draw. Foul. Miss. Alfie Burden four. Back. Well, you said it now, so it's got to go back, so yeah. I think it's going to cost him dear at some point of a big tournament. Yeah, I mean, it could cost him here. If he ends up losing this frame, I think that means that Alexander only has to draw, doesn't he? That's right. Alfie Burden four. Yeah, there is a case with a miss rule. If you don't hit it, it's always going back. When you can miss it by nothing, really, and it goes back, and my argument is if you can play to miss it by that much, you might as well play to pot it. Sometimes you just miss it, but maybe Ron is thinking like that. He's not going to knock the glue in here, but it's still life in this. He's got one good pot here. He's got a great chance to win the frame. It's going towards the pocket. That might be it. Well, he couldn't reach. Left-handed, so had to play with the rest, but he's knocked it in regardless, and he's on the brown. 12. O'Sullivan made a 68 break in the first frame. He won the net on the brown. And such of this group, a draw against Alexander Ursinbakker will be sufficient for Bonio O'Sullivan to top the grid.