Allen displays class against Hendry

Snooker : Seven-time champion Stephen Hendry is in danger of a first-round exit from the World Championship in Sheffield at the hands of Northern Ireland's Mark Allen.

Allen leads 6-3 after the opening session of a high-quality contest and needs only four more frames to claim his second victory of the season over the former world number one.

The 22-year-old from Co Antrim failed to win a point in the opening frame but then rattled in breaks of 70, 87, 91 and 49 to win the next four, Hendry managing only 42 points in reply.

The Scot has not won a ranking title since 2005 but showed his class with a break of 110 to reduce the deficit, only for Allen - sporting a terrible haircut with bright red streaks - to reply with a century of his own in the next frame.

Back came Hendry in the next with a run of 93 but it was Allen who had the last word, a break of 62 in the final frame proving enough for a potentially crucial three-frame cushion.

Hendry can at least think back to 12 months ago, when he trailed unheralded Dave Gilbert 5-1 at the same stage of the competition before battling back to win 10-7. He and Allen will play to a finish on Monday afternoon.

Swail did seal victory in the first frame after the interval, taking it 72-1 to complete a 10-4 success and set up a second-round meeting with former champion Ken Doherty or China's Liang Wenbo.