Hendry remains on course

Stephen Hendry, the youngest-ever world champion, again showed that time has not caught up with him at his favourite venue.

The 35-year-old Scot, the oldest of this year’s quarter-finalists, is well in command of his Embassy World Championship tie against Lancastrian Ian McCulloch at the Crucible in Sheffield.

Hendry, who collected the first of his seven world crowns 14 years ago, takes a 6-2 lead into tomorrow’s back-to-back sessions.

And the world number two looks determined to avoid a repeat of his previous round close shave against Barry Pinches.

McCulloch, appearing in his first world quarter-final, compiled the highest break of the afternoon as Hendry again failed to boost this year’s century tally.

But McCulloch’s effort of 117 was one of his few bright moments as Hendry set about clinching a probable semi-final against arch rival Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The experienced Scot knocked in breaks of 57 and 68 to lead 2-0. After McCulloch calmed his nerves with 72 in the third, Hendry pulled further away with additional breaks of 71, 52 and 60.

McCulloch, a first-round winner over 2002 champion Peter Ebdon, has only taken four frames off Hendry in three previous meetings.

It seems unlikely he can capture 11 of the next 15 frames to make the last four-even with the help of his sports psychologist Graham Slater.

It could yet be a first all-Scottish final as Graeme Dott made an excellent start to the battle of the quarter-final debutants.

Dott, responsible for the last 16 defeat of 1998 champion John Higgins on Monday night, leads Surrey rival David Gray 6-2.

Dott secured the first three frames with a top break of 67. Gray, untested by Welshman Lee Walker in round two, clinched the final frame before the mid-session interval with 60.

However, another Dott hat-trick pushed him almost to the half-way point before world number 12 Gray, like McCulloch, stepped in to reduce his overnight arrears.