Hawkins and Wilson close in on semi-finals at Crucible

SNOOKER

BARRY HAWKINS moved to the brink of the Betfred World Championship semi-finals as he took an 11-5 lead over Ding Junhui last night.

Hawkins, who has reached the semi-finals in three of the past four years, continued his form in the evening session as three halfcentury breaks saw him increase his advantage from 5-3 to 8-3.

Ding, though, scored the first century of the match with 102, and a break of 52 got the Chinese cueman back within three frames.

But Hawkins regrouped and scored his eighth break of at least 50, before a 113 clearance saw him in complete control.

On the other table last night, Kyren Wilson closed in on his first Crucible semi-final as he went 11-5 ahead of Mark Allen.

World number nine Wilson is playing in the last eight for the third year in a row, and will go one step further if he can win two more frames when they return today at 2.30pm

Judd Trump begins this morning’s quarter-final session with a 5-3 advantage over John Higgins.

TREMENDOUS

With the score at 1-1 and Trump trailing 57-1 in frame three, he produced a tremendous clearance of 58 to steal it on the black.

From there the 2011 UK champion compiled breaks of 100 and 71 either side of the midsession interval to move into a commanding 4-1 lead.

In typically determined fashion Higgins dug deep to respond with a break of 74, before taking the following frame to reduce his arrears to 4-3.

However, a break of 77 saw Trump take the last and make it 5-3 at the close of play yesterday.

The showdown is a repeat of the 2011 world final, when Higgins triumphed 18-15 to pick up his fourth world title amid a sizzling atmosphere at the Crucible.

On the other table yesterday, Mark Williams and Ali Carter finished their first session tied at 4-4.

Welshman Williams started superbly with a break of 135 in the opening frame, and he made a 60 in the second, only for Carter to take it with a 63 clearance.

Essex cueman Carter went 2-1 ahead with a break of 126, then in frame four Williams cleared from green to black to level at 2-2.

A run of 84 gave Williams the fifth frame and he looked favourite in the sixth when he trapped his opponent in a snooker with two reds left. But Carter was lucky to escape and f luke a snooker of his own, and from the chance that followed he made it 3-3.

Carter’s break of 82 gave him frame seven, but Williams took the last of the session with a 68.

They return today at 2.30pm for eight more frames, then play to a finish from 7.0pm.

Williams is aiming for his third world title having lifted the trophy in 2000 and 2003.