Not the best for Williams

Hendry is meeting a dangerous opponent

Click here for the Embassy World Championship first-round draw

BBC Sport's Clive Everton previews the first round of the Embassy World Championship.

Two first-round matches stand out in the draw for the Embassy World Championship which was made at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield on Tuesday.

Those matches are 2000 champion Mark Williams versus John Parrott, and Stephen Hendry, seven times champion, against the youngest competitor, Shaun Murphy.

Earlier this month Williams won the China Open and Thailand Masters back-to-back.

Parrott, out of the top 16 after 14 years within it and therefore denied automatic qualification for the Crucible, came through qualifying by the skin of his teeth, beating Pakistan's number one Shokat Ali 10-9 in the last round.

Parrott can still perform to a high standard on his day, though, so this is not the best draw Williams could have had.

Crucible newcomers

The 19-year-old Murphy is more dangerous than his ranking of 169 might suggest.

He qualified for the Masters at Wembley 18 months ago and led Hendry 4-1 before losing 6-4.

He has not done all that well since but the class is certainly there and, I think, the temperament for the big occasion.

After beating Marco Fu, the world number 17, 10-4 in the final qualifying round, Murphy said of his Crucible debut: "I'm not going there just to make the numbers up.

Davis' conqueror

"My father and I have been preparing for the Crucible since I took the game up when I was nine."

Apart from Murphy there are three Crucible newcomers.

They are Robert Milkins, the world number 54 from Gloucester, Mike Dunn, the world number 72 from Redcar, and Finland's number one, Robin Hull, who has advanced from his start-of-season 86 to a provisional 41st.

It was Hull who beat Steve Davis 10-8 in the final qualifying round to confine the six-times world champion to a studio role at the Crucible throughout the championship's 17-day run from 20 April to 6 May.

Flamboyant characters

Stuart Bingham, the world number 66 from Basildon, has done little of note since achieving opening day glory at the Crucible two years ago by beating Hendry.

He opposes the 1997 champion Ken Doherty in the hope of again becoming a giant killer.

Two flamboyant characters, Paul Hunter, Benson and Hedges Masters champion, and Quinten Hann, Australia's number one, clash in the first round.

Ronnie O'Sullivan begins his title defence against Drew Henry, one of six Scots in the 32-man draw.

---

Embassy World Championship first round draw

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Eng) v Drew Henry (Sco)
Fergal O'Brien (Ire) v Robert Milkins (Eng)
Paul Hunter (Eng) v Quinton Hann (Aus)
Stephen Lee (Eng) v Chris Small (Sco)

Stephen Hendry (Sco) v Shaun Murphy (Eng)
Alan McManus (Sco) v Anthony Davies (Wal)
Mark King (Eng) v David Gray (Eng)
Ken Doherty (Ire) v Stuart Bingham (Eng)

John Higgins (Sco) v James Wattana (Tha)
Graeme Dott (Sco) v Robin Hull (Fin)
Matthew Stevens (Wal) v Mike Dunn (Eng)
Jimmy White (Eng) v Dominic Dale (Wal)

Peter Ebdon (Eng) v Michael Judge (Ire)
Joe Swaile (NI) v Joe Perry (Eng)
Dave Harold (Eng) v Antony Hamilton (Eng)
Mark Williams (Wal) v John Parrott (Eng)

Back to top