Hendry’s tough passage

STEPHEN HENDRY described his epic 13-12 victory over Barry Pinches as “one of my hardest ever Crucible battles” after reaching the Embassy World Championship quarter-finals in Sheffield last night.

At 35, Hendry is the oldest player left in the tournament but his experience did not look as though it was going to pull him through.

In the end, qualifier Pinches made a fatal error in the deciding frame, missing a black off its spot and giving the seven-times champion an opportunity to finally put the contest out of reach.