Snooker: O'Sullivan stuns Bond: UK champion marches on

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN brushed aside the challenge of Nigel Bond in the quarter-finals of the British Open at Plymouth yesterday.

After 5-4 victories over Peter Ebdon and Ken Doherty in previous rounds, O'Sullivan took a short cut to the last four, overwhelming Bond 5-0 in only 69 minutes.

It was the first time since becoming a professional in 1989 that Bond, the world No 9, had failed to win a frame in a match. 'I'm sick to lose my record,' Bond, who managed only 28 points, said. 'I made a couple of silly mistakes but Ronnie played very well.'

O'Sullivan, the UK champion, made six breaks in excess of 40 with a top mark of 84 in the third frame. Despite the comprehensive nature of his fourth win in the tournament, O'Sullivan remained calm. 'It wasn't bad,' he said. 'I played a little better than in recent weeks.' In his semi-final O'Sullivan will play the world champion, Steve Hendry, who narrowly overcome his fellow Scot, Alan McManus, 5-4.

Steve Davis, the defending champion, began the day with a 5-0 win over the Welshman, Doug Mountjoy. He faces James Wattana in a repeat of last month's Thailand Open final. Wattana put out Tony Drago, of Malta, also by 5-0.Wattana said: 'I need to play better than this to beat Steve because he's been the most consistent player here this week.'

Results, Sporting Digest, page 35