Snooker: Davis hangs on in Newport

Steve Davis clung onto Robin Hull’s coat-tails at Newport today but the six-times world champion remains in real danger of missing out on a Crucible appearance for only the second time in 24 years.

Davis trailed Hull 5-4 after the first session of their best-of-19-frame final qualifying round encounter in the £1.6m (€2.6m) Embassy World Championship in Newport - but even that was a minor triumph for the 44 year-old veteran, who found himself 4-1 and 5-2 adrift.

Hull, a former world under-21 champion from Finland who has climbed from 86th to 41st in the provisional rankings this season, made the early running as runs of 62, 86 and 82 suggested that Davis was in trouble.

But snooker’s king of the 80s, an ever present in the championship proper from 1979 until his 10-6 defeat by Andy Hicks in the final qualifying round 12 months ago, claimed the closing two frames of the session to complete a damage limitation exercise.

Davis, who last got his name engraved on the trophy in 1989 but retains a fierce competitive spirit, stole the eighth frame by potting blue, pink and black before cruising through the ninth with a run of 68.

If Davis fails to qualify - and his involvement in the championship is restricted to his BBC television duties - 39-year-old Jimmy White will be the oldest player in the last 32.

Shaun Murphy, a 19-year-old thought by many to be the game’s most outstanding prospects, laid the foundation for securing his first Crucible appearance by building a 7-2 lead over Hong Kong’s Marco Fu.

The talented teenager from Irthlingborough, who won last season’s Benson and Hedges Championship and underlined his potential by beating Davis in the first round of the Masters at Wembley, fired in breaks of 85, 60 and four others over 40 on the way to seizing control.

Murphy, who has already negotiated four qualifying matches, was left needing only three more frames to be included in the draw for the first round to be conducted later this month at an as yet unannounced date.

Stuart Bingham and David Gray, each responsible for two major upsets in the 2000 world championship, were looking good for a return to Sheffield.

Bingham, who beat then defending champion Stephen Hendry 10-7 in the first round two years ago, rallied from 3-0 down to lead Nigel Bond 5-4 while Gray, Ronnie O’Sullivan’s Crucible conqueror in 2000, fired in a 129 break in earning a 6-3 advantage over Mark Selby.