Selby in seventh heaven
Mark Selby leads Stephen Hendry 7-1 after the opening session, while Mark Allen progressed to the quarter-finals after a nervy win.
Last Updated: 23/04/11 10:37pm
Mark Selby took a giant step towards the quarter-finals of the World Championship after leaving Stephen Hendry in his wake in the first session of his second round clash at the Crucible.
The "Jester from Leicester" was in ruthless mood on Saturday evening, racking up breaks of 125, 108, 98 and 129 as he built up a 7-1 advantage.
Seven times a winner of the world title in the 1990s, Hendry looks to be heading out of what could be his final Crucible visit as a player, having admitted retirement is an option for him this summer.
It could be a painful exit, particularly if Selby beats him with a session to spare.
The players resume battle on Sunday and are due to finish on Monday afternoon, however with Selby requiring just six more frames to reach the quarter-finals it could be over early.
There was a reminder of Hendry's brilliance when the 42-year-old fired a break of 114 in the second frame, but it was fleeting.
Superb
Mark Allen claimed another plucky final-frame thriller and went close to 147 glory as he booked a place in the quarter-finals.
It looked like Allen was crumbling as he let a 12-9 lead over Barry Hawkins slip away, having earlier fought back superbly from 7-3 behind to go in front.
But he was gifted an immediate chance in the decider when Hawkins ran in to the blue off his break, and Allen plundered 12 reds and 12 blacks.
But off the last of those blacks he suffered a kick, and rattled a long red around the jaws of the green pocket, halting the break on 96.
Allen said: "I don't do things the easy way.
"I was just hoping to get a chance in the last frame because he'd played so well.
"I've never been so happy to see someone hit a blue off the break and give me a chance, because in a deciding frame that's all you're wanting.
"Luckily I knocked the red in and made a good break."
Allen plays fellow left-hander Mark Williams next and is relishing his clash with the world champion of 2000 and 2003.
"I'm looking forward to it," Allen said.
"I haven't played Mark in a long time. Obviously he's provisionally world number one now which is a major achievement considering he dropped to 42nd in the rankings at one point."
