GLOBAL SNOOKER NEWS

James Wattana continued his revival in form with an emphatic 5-1 win over Stephen Lee and booked his first quarter final place since the Welsh Open in January 1999.

The Thailand star started the season ranked outside the elite Top 32, having once been as high as number three, but already he has provisionally moved up to number twenty (see GSC Rankings).

But it was Lee who was first amongst the balls, piecing together 28 and 36 to take the first frame. Wattana retaliated in style, breaks of 51, 67 and 92 taking him into a 3-1 lead at the interval.

The Thaiphoon opened up in frame five with a run of 62, but he broke down and Lee countered with 55, but faltered on the pink, which Wattana sank to stretch his lead. Lee had chances, but missed too many balls and in frame six he twice potted reds but failed to capitalise and Wattana made a useful 41 from the leave and then closed Lee out of the match with a late run of 25.

Paul Hunter provides the next hurdle for Wattana. Snooker's pin up boy sauntered to a 5-1 win over Steve Davis, who couldn't get going at all, as Hunter raced into a 4- 0 lead aided by breaks of 71, 66, 43 and a superb 114. Davis suddenly found a bit form, clinching the next with 53 and he constructed a run of 57 in the sixth, but missed what was effectively fame ball, and Hunter stepped in with a 65 clearance to send Davis back to his television work.

Peter Ebdon became the latest big name casualty to crash out, losing 5-3 to Mark Selby, but not without his usual gritty fight. Selby opened up with breaks of 34 and 46 to settle himself down and take the first frame. But he sat down for the next twenty minutes as Ebdon responded with a 117 clearance to level. Two more thirty plus breaks gave Selby frame three, to which Ebdon responded with 71 to level.

Ebdon led with a 42 break in the next, but this time it was Selby who dished up, with 62. Back came Ebdon again, a run of 64 gave him the seventh. An early 32, followed by a vital 23 gave Selby the initiative in the eighth frame. Ebdon battled back but needed snookers, and it turned out to be Selby who got the snookers to send Ebdon home.

And he was quickly followed by Stephen Hendry, bringing the top eight casualty count up to five. Ian McCulloch, to the delight of his local fans, reproduced the form he'd shown against Jimmy White, beating Hendry for the first time in six meetings.

Hendry opened brightly, as breaks of 41 and 52 helped him to a 2-0 lead. McCulloch fired in 105 in frame three to get himself into the match and he cleared up with 85, after Hendry missed a difficult plant in the balls on 45,  to level the match at 2-2.

The Scot regained the upper hand with a run of 63 in the fifth, but McCulloch came straight back with 69 to level again and then won a scrappy seventh to move ahead for the first time.

It looked all over a decider as Hendry smoothly potted his way to 67 in the next, but unaccountably he missed the frame ball red, a straightforward ball to the centre pocket and McCulloch calmly compiled a 75 clearance to clinch a memorable victory.

There'll be another Scot awaiting the Preston man as Stephen Maguire wasted no time in despatching Nigel Bond 5-1.

Bond put the first frame on the board with breaks of 59 and 52. Maguire's response was breaks of 41 and 43 in the second. And The European Champion opened up frame three with 49, but broke down and Bond countered with 39, but couldn't close out the frame and Maguire cleared brown to black to move ahead.

He went further ahead with a break of 60, although Bond forced the frame into the colours, making 37, but he missed the green and it was the only ball Maguire needed.

Another run of 69 from Maguire and it was 4-1. Bond had hopes of keeping in the match as he compiled 56 at the start of the sixth frame. Maguire constructed 37 to the pink and eventually claimed victory on the black.

Michael Judge continued his excellent run with a 5-1 win over Marco Fu. The Irishman raced into a 3-0 lead, a break of 79 in frame two boosting his confidence. Fu snatched the fourth helped by a 40 clearance, but 60 took Judge into a 4-1 lead and he smacked in 62 at the start of the sixth and Fu couldn't get back into the frame.

Joe Perry will be Judge's quarter final opponent. He won a quick fire entertaining match against Aussie Neil Robertson 5-3. And not only did Perry recover from a 3-1 deficit but he fired in breaks of 133 and 103, 70 and 87 on his way to the winning line.

Ronnie O'Sullivan completed the quarter final line up, where he'll play Mark Selby. The World Number One repeated his World final win over Graeme Dott with an efficient 5-3 win. O'Sullivan led 3-1 thanks to a couple of fifty breaks and an 83. Dott pulled back to 2-3 and 3-4, but he couldn't stave off the inevitable and O'Sullivan chipped i with 46, 26 and 27 to wrap up victory.

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2004 GRAND PRIX

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RESULTS - LAST 16

Frame Scores:

Ronnie O'Sullivan 5-3 Graeme Dott

47-79(450, 79(50)-0, 91(54)-19, 83(83)-17, 40-75, 74(61)-8, 31-80(69), 99-4

Joe Perry 5-3 Neil Robertson

34-83, 133(133)-0, 45(41)-74(52), 28-72(52), 85(70)-30, 87(87)-41(41), 70(49)-24, 112(103)-1

Michael Judge 5-1 Marco Fu

54-18, 86(79)-8, 60(42)-34, 23-68, 70(60)-25, 72(62)-4

Stephen Maguire 5-1 Nigel Bond

0-111(59,52), 84(41,43)-16, 71(49)-39(39), 64(60)-49, 89(89)-13, 59(37)-57(56)

Ian McCulloch 5-3 Stephen Hendry

13-75(41), 7-61(520, 118(105)-2, 84(84)-45(45), 10-65(63), 89(69)-0, 58-38, 72(72)-67(67)

Mark Selby 5-3 Peter Ebdon

81(46)-8, 6-117(117), 82-35, 41(41)-72(71), 72(62)-42(42), 110(68)-25, 0-86(64), 68-23

Paul Hunter 5-1 Steve Davis

71(71)-1, 73(66)-21, 74(43)-2, 114(114)-22, 55(53)-70, 73(65)-57(57)

James Wattana 5-1 Stephen Lee

7-83, 66(51)-8, 96(67)-8, 100(92)-12, 69(63)-55(55), 72(41)-11