HENDRY: I CAN STILL COMPETE

STEPHEN HENDRY believes he can still hack it at the top of the game after a milestone victory in his comeback at the British Open.

The seven-time world champion, the world No.91, will take on world No.33 Gary Wilson in round two having beaten 59th-ranked Chris Wakelin 3-2 in the first round at the Morningside Arena in Leicester on Tuesday night.

Hendry (above) returned to the game last year after packing away his cue in 2012.

And despite a high break of just 47 against Wakelin, he notched a first victory in the final stages of a ranking tournament since 2012 in his first outing in front of a crowd for nine years. The Scot, a four-time British Open winner, said: “I can compete with the top players if I keep potting long balls and creating openings.

“That’s what the game is all about these days. It’s about potting a good long ball, getting in and killing off the frame.

“Every day, every session, it seems to get better and better, though I’m a long way from the finished article.

“I need to keep being in that pressure situation where I get that composure and think, ‘Right, what I used to do here was just win the frame’.

“I don’t think that belief is there just yet.”

The 52-year-old added: “I loved walking out there in front of a big crowd, though. That was one of the reasons for the comeback.”

That crowd will be cheering on local hero Mark Selby when he takes on Ali Carter in the second round tonight.

Two-time Crucible finalist Carter, 42, set up the clash with an edgy 3-2 win over China’s Lei Peifan and is relishing the chance to face Selby on his home turf.

“I had one eye in my match today on playing Mark with a full house, and you shouldn’t do that,” said Carter. “But playing top players in front of big crowds is why we play.”