Stevens through to quarters on pink - 2004-04-25 22:07:18
Matthew Stevens is through to the quarter-finals of the Embassy World Championship after an epic 13-12 victory over friend Paul Hunter yesterday.

Stevens : 'Even when I got on the blue I felt I could miss anything' In an enthralling final frame, the final blue became the key ball and when Hunter's safety shot sent the cue ball into the pocket, Stevens rolled the blue in then added the pink for victory. "The last frame was incredible - he was 40-odd in front but anything could have happened on the colours," said a relieved Stevens afterwards. "Both of us were going for shots and missing them. It was like the Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor final. Even when I got on the blue I felt I could miss anything because I was shaking like a leaf. I've lost a few close games here in the past so it was nice to finally win one." World No 9 Stevens won the first four frames of this afternoon's session with breaks of 58, 53, 64 and 73 to level the score at 10-10 and test Hunter's mettle. Local Leeds favourite Hunter, nickamed "Beckham of the baize", came back from the mid-session interval and won the next frame 81-0 to regain the lead. Needing only two more frames to take his place in the final eight, Hunter hit an impressive 99 in the next to go 12-10. The 23rd frame swung one way and then the other until Hunter looked to have made a breakthrough, only to miss the match-ball final pink. Stevens crashed the pink into a centre pocket and added the black to win it 58-50. The penultimate frame was equally as tense, with Stevens again fighting back when he looked in trouble to level again, before clinching the match in the decider. "Before my career is over, I'll definitely be winning that silver trophy," said World No 8 Hunter, who lost 17-16 to Ken Doherty in an equally dramatic match last year. "Matthew was a bit lucky at the end on the blue. Pressure does get to you but he deserved it." The Masters champion added that he will aim to forget about the match and look forward to his wedding to Lyndsey Fell in Jamaica later this month...to which Stevens is still on the guest list. Carmarthen cue-man Stevens will face Joe Perry in their quarter-final tie, which begins on Tuesday at 10am. First round Alan McManus (Scot) bt Chris Small (Scot) 10-1 Mark Williams (Wal) bt Dominic Dale (Wal) 10-7 Andy Hicks (Eng) bt Quinten Hann (Aus) 10-4 Joe Swail (NI) bt Ken Doherty (Rep Ire) 10-5 John Higgins (Scot) bt Ryan Day (Wal) 10-9 Matthew Stevens (Wal) bt James Wattana (Thai) 10-7 Joe Perry (Eng) bt Robert Milkins (Eng) 10-7 Ian McCulloch (Eng) bt Peter Ebdon (Eng) 10-8 Barry Pinches (Eng)bt Jimmy White (Eng) 10-8 Graeme Dott (Scot) bt Mark King (Eng) 10-9 Lee Walker (Wal) bt Stephen Lee (Eng) 10-7 Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) bt Stephen Maguire (Scot) 10-6 Stephen Hendry (Scot) bt Stuart Pettman (Eng) 10-2 David Gray (Eng) bt Ali Carter (Eng) 10-7 Paul Hunter (Eng) bt John Parrott (Eng) 10-7 Anthony Hamilton (Eng) bt Steve Davis (Eng) 10-7 Second round O'Sullivan bt Hicks 13-11 Perry bt Williams 13-11 Stevens bt Hunter 13-12 Hamilton bt Swail 13-11 Latest scores Hendry level Pinches 7-7 Gray leads Walker 10-4 Dott leads Higgins 5-3 McCulloch leads McManus 7-1