Snooker: Murphy Turns the Screw and Puts an End to Parrott's Party

Shaun Murphy, the 2005 champion and winner of February's Malta Cup, snuffed out a spirited challenge from John Parrott, the 1991 champion, 13-8 to reach the quarter-finals of the world championship.

Like an ageing gunslinger itching for one last chance to show that he can still do it when it matters most, Parrott recovered from 7-4 to reach 8-8 at lunch only for the 24-year-old Murphy to begin the evening session with a total clearance of 131, run away with the next frame with 35 and 60 and clear the colours for a black-ball win to lead 11-8.

Parrott, 43 next month, could not respond but relished competing so strongly against the current world N05 on snooker's most famous stage. If he cannot qualify to grace it again his performance could stand as an acceptable farewell. "I haven't been that nervous for a very long time. It felt as though I'd got a family of ferrets in my waistcoat," he said. "Of course I'm disappointed but at my age you won't hear me complaining. It was fun."

Stephen Maguire is slowly regaining the sort of form that gave him the 2004 European and UK titles and brought him within a couple of pots of eliminating Ronnie O'Sullivan on the opening day of the 2005 championship. He won only four matches last season but with two semi-finals to his name in the current campaign he starts his final session this afternoon with a commanding 11-5 lead over Joe Swail, twice a semi-finalist here.

Swail started with a break of 104 and led 2-0 only for Maguire to accumulate an 8-2 lead. Breaks of 73 and 75 featured as Swail reduced his arrears to 8-5 and almost to 8-6 after needing two snookers. Maguire, though, managed to hold on and dominated the day's remaining two frames.

Matthew Stevens, who in his past six visits to Sheffield has lost two finals and three semis, all of them close, led Mark Allen 4-0, but the 21-year-old Irish left-hander demonstrated his rich promise by running away with the next three frames before Stevens secured a 5-3 overnight lead with a run of 80.

Anthony Hamilton, three times a quarter-finalist, and Ian McCulloch, a semi-finalist two years ago, stood at 7-7 after a trio of black-ball wins, 64 by McCulloch to level at 6-6, 63 by Hamilton to regain the lead and 48 by McCulloch to equalise.