Snooker: Hendry shows no mercy

Scotland's Stephen Hendry stayed on course for a record-breaking fourth Skoda Grand Prix title in Derby yesterday. The 25-year-old world champion became the first player to reach the quarter-finals of the pounds 325,000 tournament with a 77-minute 5-0 whitewash of the Englishman Rod Lawler. Hendry fired a superb 133 second-frame clearance to take the lead for the highest break prize of pounds 2,400. With Lawler still reeling from a 4-0 deficit at the interval, Hendry racked up a break of 95 to finish off the match. 'Rod started off potting some incredible balls,' Hendry said. 'But when I got the 133 that knocked him back a bit.' Hendry now faces the Dubai Classic winner Alan McManus or England's Dave Harold next Thursday for a place in the semi-finals.