2005 champion hammers Xiao Guodong 13-3
Hawkins leads Williams 10-6; Allen 9-7 up on Wilson
Shaun Murphy will savour some home comforts after beating Xiao Guodong with a session to spare and reaching the last eight of the World Snooker Championship. Murphy guaranteed himself a night off on Friday with a 13-3 second-round demolition of Xiao – and then revealed he was heading home before his quarter-final gets under way on Tuesday.
“Mathematically it’s possible to win with a session to spare but you don’t think it’s going to happen,” Murphy told the BBC after a fluent potting display that produced four centuries and seven further breaks over 60. “I kept getting those little chances and I’m really pleased how I played. It doesn’t happen often because everybody’s so good. We’re going to ship out of Sheffield for a few days. Go home now.
“I’ve got my practice table at home and I can do as much as I want instead of trying to dodge in for half an hour at the Crucible. [I will] spend the next few days getting ready for what’s going to be a big game.”
