Snooker: Maguire Bursts Into Four-frame Lead

Stephen Maguire, at last recapturing the commanding form that gave him the 2004 UK title, burst 14-10 clear of John Higgins in their best-of-33-frames semi-final of the world championship as the high quality of the 26-year-old's performance was underpinned by inflexible resolve.

Three times the odd frame in front in the morning session, he was still held to 8-8 at lunch but early in the evening stood on the verge of a 10-8 lead. Higgins, needing a clearance, made a difficult 50 only to miss the black; Maguire potted it from distance only for the cue ball to travel diagonally into a baulk pocket to give Higgins 9-9.

Many players would have been shaken by this disappointment but Maguire impeccably ran 82 to regain the lead and at last went two clear by resolving an engrossing 51-minute frame with a resounding yellow from distance to initiate his clearance to pink. Although his total clearance of 131 was negated by one of 134 by Higgins, Maguire kept his fellow Scot scoreless with 32 and 41 to lead 13-10.

His worst shot of the evening, a failed red when he had scored 53 from 0-43, gave Higgins a reprieve in the last frame of the day but the 1998 champion, unable to exploit it, must now win seven of this afternoon's nine frames to reach the final.

Mark Selby, the 23-year-old qualifier from Leicester who has already eliminated three members of the top 16 in Stephen Lee, Peter Ebdon and Allister Carter, goes into this morning's penultimate session of his semi-final against Shaun Murphy at eight frames all.

Selby fell 5-1 behind on Thursday but won the two remaining frames of the day and yesterday won four of the first five frames, the last in this sequence with a total clearance of 128. The three remaining frames of the day were hard fought, taking 84 minutes, but Murphy was twice able to respond to the pressure of being the odd frame behind to equalise.

Chief among the championship's sub-plots is the struggle for top-16 places in next week's end-of-season rankings, which guarantee appearances both here and in the Masters at Wembley next season as well as seeding advantages.

Steve Davis has satisfied his last remaining declared ambition, a top-16 ranking at the age of 50, but Stephen Hendry sinks to eighth - or ninth if Maguire wins the title. Either way, it will be his lowest placing since he was on his way up 19 years ago.