| - Thanks for following this weeks action with us from Bahrain. Keep up to date with all the latest snooker news with eurosport-yahoo.com. Goodnight! | |||
| 7-9 That's it. Robertson takes the title with a deserved victory. | |||
| 7-8 The Aussie breaks down on 56 but there's three reds safe now which favours Robertson. | |||
| 7-8 Robertson has a great chance to wrap up victory at this visit. The reds are at the 'wrong end' of the table but he's on a break of 52 and taking his time on every shot. | |||
| 7-8 Robertson moves back ahead knocking in a 39. He needs just one more frame for victory. There's been plenty of twists and turns in this match though so would take a bold prediction still to pick a winner. | |||
| 7-7 The Australian, who now lives in Cambridge, scores 53 but it's not enough to take the frame with four reds remaining. | |||
| 7-7 Robertson makes sure that the crowd are still awake by squatting a fly on the rail that was in his line of vision on his shot. | |||
| 7-7 Stevens misses a tricky final black into a blind-pocket before leaving a real tester for Robertson which he holds his nerve to take. Back to all-square then at 7-7. | |||
| 7-6 Stevens makes 38 to take a two-point lead before finding the long grass for safety after falling short for position on the next red. | |||
| 7-6 Robertson scores a 36 before leaving a red short of the pocket to hand the cahnce he created to the world ranked number 17. | |||
| 7-6 Well, after a marathon frame Stevens goes into the lead for the first time in this match after sinking the blue. | |||
| 6-6 No sooner than Robertson gets the foul points he needs Stevens flukes the green to leave him needing snookers once again. In fairness though, the man from Melbourne would have been snookered if the green hadn't dropped in the pocket. | |||
| 6-6 A long bout of safety ensues as Robertson is determined to get the snooker required. At the moment he's finding the snookers but Stevens has come up with some good escapes. | |||
| 6-6 Robertson leaves the yellow on but Stevens then snookers himself on the green which he misses. The Australian still requires a snooker. | |||
| 6-6 Stevens makes 52 to leave Robertson needing snookers but he should have made sure of the frame but for leaving a black in the jaws of the right-corner pocket. | |||
| 6-6 Stevens wins the frame in one visit with a break of 110. Just the start he needed after break and there are definite signs of improvement from the Welshman. His decision to turn down a possible 147 tells it's own story of how much a ranking tournament win would mean to him. | |||
| 5-6 The man from Carmarthen takes 5 reds and blacks but then opts to play for blue to make sure of continuing the break following a red in baulk. | |||
| 19:00 The players are back out after the intermission and Stevens is at the table with a good chance of a sizeable break. | |||
| 5-6 The pair share the four frames up to the mid-session interval so Robertson holds that one frame lead from when they started this evening. Stevens has improved from the first session so this match still hangs in the balance and could be either player's title. | |||
| 5-5 Stevens tries to squeeze through the narrowest of gaps with side to pot a red when on 22 but catches the pink. No too much damage done however as he's soon back at the table to play a safety. | |||
| 5-5 Robertson is guilty of going for one shot too many and pushing the boat out. The reds fly round the table and Stevens wraps up the frame with a 71 and is back on level terms. | |||
| 4-5 Stevens adds a further 20 points to go 39 up in this frame and tucks up behind the yellow to put Robertson in trouble. | |||
| 4-5 Stevens starts with 19 but again will feel it could and should have been more. He plays a good safety though after losing position. | |||
| 4-5 Stevens finds himself in a similar situation to the last frame needing the final colours up to pink to clinch the frame and this time he seizes the chance. | |||
| 3-5 Robertson makes 31 and puts Stevens in a nasty snooker on the last red in the baulk area. Stevens makes a great escape off three cushions to which the crowd show their appreciation but only manages to leave the red on. | |||
| 3-5 Stevens does well to create a good opportunity developing the reds nicely but can only go on to make 30 as he misses a red with slightly awkward cueing. That's been Stevens main problem - not scoring heavily enough when amongst the balls. | |||
| 3-5 Stevens plays a poor safety and gives Robertson a chance leaving the black near the left corner which the world number 10 takes. | |||
| 3-4 Stevens clears the three reds with blacks and colours apart from a tough final black with the cue-ball tight against the side cushion. | |||
| 3-4 The run of the ball is with the Australian at the moment. He's lucky not to go in-off when the white rattles in the jaws of the bottom-left corner. | |||
| 3-4 Robertson makes a 63 and is then forced into a safety with the three remaining reds tied up. Stevens can only draw though being 51 points behind. | |||
| 17:00 Welcome to the final session of the final of the Bahrain Championship. Robertson played the better in the first session but Stevens has remained in touch at just one frame behind. | |||
| 3-4 Another big frame for Stevens as he ends the first session with a break of 70 for a 75-0 finish. Looks like we could be in for a close one after all... Robertson's turn to get pegged back after he did the same to Mark Allen in the semis. | |||
| 2-4 Stevens gets to the colours over 50 points ahead to reduce the arrears. A couple of tricky pots on the way, including a red cut to the bottom left. | |||
| 1-4 The break ends at 75, another sterling effort. That is a poignant frame as if Stevens had won again, he would have been on a roll and gained great confidence while moving within a frame of his rival. As it is, he is three adrift. | |||
| 1-4 Robertson over 50 with that black but there are two reds near the bottom cushion and three close together. Stevens with one point - the Aussi needs one more red to make sure... and he gets it. How far will he get with the break? | |||
| - The players go off for a cup of tea or a bathroom break or whatever they do in the mid-session interval. They only have 15 minutes. | |||
| 1-3 But no - Stevens clears the table with a 35 to better his earlier 34 and snatch it 69-68!! Another half century from Robertson though... all 68 of those points were scored in one go. A lovely brown along the top cushion was the most awkward of the colours. | |||
| 0-3 Stevens, with over 30 points on the board, looks set to lose a fourth frame in succession as Robertson gets to the table... | |||
| 0-3 Robertson unstoppable!! He scores over a hundred without reply, only missing out on another century break when a long colour up the cushion ends up in the jaws of the top left pocket. Just the 96 for him then on that visit. | |||
| 0-2 And Robertson absolutely clinical in clearing again for a 117 break. Stevens needs to get a grip on this match as soon as he is able. | |||
| 0-1 Stevens with a chance to do something in the second frame but it only lasts as far as the 17th point. | |||
| 0-1 Robertson with a century run in the first frame, compiling a 129 clearance to take the lead. When he's on form he is really on form: lovely positional work. | |||
| 0-0 You can read more of Johnson's thoughts on our snooker homepage. The match begins cagily before Robertson begins to build the first break. | |||
| - Former world champion and Eurosport commentator Joe Johnson had a word before the start of the match: "If pushed for a winner I'd go for Neil Robertson. He's won a couple of tournaments already so he knows how to finish it off. The pressure's off Matthew Stevens now though; he has been out in the doldrums for quite a while (until this week). It'll be an attacking game. It'll be pretty close: we're looking at 9-6, 9-7, something around there. I don't think either player will run away with it." | |||
| 0-0 The players emerge to the customary introductions. The match is the best of 17 frames. | |||
| - 'Melbourne Machine' Neil Robertson and 'Welsh Dragon' Matthew Stevens are the players involved after their respective 6-4 wins against Mark Allen and Stephen Hendry. | |||
| - Welcome to LIVE text coverage of the final at the Bahrain Championship. |