Chris Mason refused to let victory slip from his grasp as he carved out a 3-1 first-round win over ’Muffin Man’ Steve Hine in the Ladbrokes.com World Championship at Purfleet’s Circus Tavern tonight.

"Diamond" Dave Askew failed to sparkle as he lost his first-round match 3-0 to Canada’s Gerry Convery in the Ladbrokes.com World Championship at Purfleet’s Circus Tavern today.