JOHN PARROTT REACHES BENSON & HEDGES QUARTER FINALS

Snooker

John Parrott averted a potentially disastrous weekend by reaching the quarter-finals of the Benson and Hedges Masters at Wembley Conference Centre yesterday with a nail-biting 6-5 victory over Tony Drago. When Parrott accounted for the seventh frame with a cool 117 clearance to edge 4-3 ahead it appeared as though he had rediscovered the winning form which had been strangely absent from his game at Newport on Saturday when he was beaten 9-3 by Williams in the Welsh Open final.

REGAL WELSH OPEN (Newport, Saturday) Final: M Williams (Wal) bt J Parrott (Eng) 9-3.

BENSON AND HEDGES MASTERS (Wembley Conference Centre) Wild card play- off round: M Stevens (Wal) bt T Griffiths (Wal) 5-3. Second round: J Parrott (Eng) bt T Drago (Malta) 6-5.