Snooker: James Wattana made life difficult for Stephen Hendry and Jimmy White in Sheffield as he made an encouraging start to his Embassy World Champion-ship second round tie with the six times world champion.

The Bradford-based world number 15 from Thailand can only save his top 16 status and leave White on the outside looking in by reaching his first ever Crucible Theatre final.

It's a massive task for the Bangkok-born professional whose poor results this season have dropped him to number 25 on the provisional rankings.

However, often he reserves his best form for Sheffield as Hendry found to his cost.

Scotland's world number two was only one ball from a 5-2 advantage. Instead when the game resumes this afternoon Hendry will be tied at four frames all.

The six times world champion led 46-0 in the seventh frame when he missed a straightforward red.

Wattana's clearance of 63 to the brown wasn't the highest break of the day but it was a superb effort.

Unfortunately for the former world amateur champion he missed the blue into a top pocket.

Hendry potted blue and pink but missed the black, cueing awkwardly off a side cushion.

Wattana sank the black for 4-3 and then compiled a magnificent 130 clearance in the final frame of the night, forced to take the pink with the majority of reds.

It was the 26th century of the tournament though John Higgins's effort of 142 against Gerard Greene on the opening Saturday remains in the lead for a £20,000 high break prize.

Hendry, who struggled in the first round to defeat Leeds qualifier Paul Hunter 10-8, had earlier won three frames in succession to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead.

His break of 74 in frame six was his highest of the match to go with earlier efforts of 64 and 65.

Hendry and Wattana must play their remaining two sessions today back to back.

It's fortunate that they are speedy players otherwise they could have faced completing 17 frames with hardly a rest.

Hendry has lost only four of his 20 matches against Wattana and defeated the Thai in the 1997 Embassy semi-final.

That's why, despite the closeness of the opening session, he remains favourite to meet Welshman Matthew Stevens in the quarter-finals.

TODAY'S ORDER OF PLAY:

10am0 R O'Sullivan (England) v J Perry (England). O'Sullivan leads 9-7. S Lee (England) v A McManus (Scotland), Lee leads 6-2. 1430. S Hendry (Scotland) v J Wattana (Thailand) level at 4-4. M Williams (Wales) v N Walker (England), Williams leads 9-7. 1900 Lee v McManus, Hendry v Wattana.

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