Snooker: Hendry draws James' sting

STEPHEN HENDRY applied the sting in the quarter-finals of the Benson & Hedges Masters at Wembley Conference Centre yesterday.

After being 'petrified' by a wasp during the second frame, the world champion booked a place in the last four with a 5-2 victory over Steve James, who received a consolation cheque for pounds 18,000.

'I am absolutely petrified of wasps and I didn't want to make a fool of myself by running from it on television,' Hendry said.

Hendry, searching for his sixth Masters triumph in a row, said: 'After the World and UK championship, this is the title I look to win every season.'

In tomorrow's semi-finals, Hendry, now an odds-on favourite with the bookmakers to pocket the first prize of pounds 110,000, will tackle the Englishman Peter Ebdon or James Wattana, from Thailand, over the best of 11 frames.