JOHN Parrott, one of the few players to have won the UK title and Embassy World Championship in the same season, today started his second round clash with Alan McManus in this year's UK Championship at York's Barbican Leisure Centre.

Parrott, the 1991 double champion, had to dig in hard to edge past first round foe Bradley Jones 7-5 yesterday. The Liverpudlian, who is also in the BBC team of experts when television coverage starts on Saturday, led 4-1 but Jones won the next three frames. Parrott went 5-4 ahead then Jones made a 110 break to level before Parrott won the next two to meet McManus.

"We used to have some tremendous battles," he said ahead of his duel with the Scot.

"I played well to lead Jones 4-1 but then it was not so good. I made a 54 break in the seventh frame but then missed pink on its spot and it went wrong after that," he added.

"From 5-5, though, I am really pleased with the way I played and that is all you can ask."

Two of the big guns took centre stage today, with seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry and Peter Ebdon starting their best of 17 frames second round matches.

Hendry, who ended a 27-month drought without a title when he beat Joe Perry in the European Open final in Malta last weekend, is up against fellow Scot Drew Henry, who swept aside Alain Robidoux 7-1 in the first round.

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It's five years since Hendry won the last of his five UK crowns and his odds on claiming the £100,000 first prize on December 16 have been seriously reduced since his Valletta victory.

Hendry's return to form couldn't have come at a worse time Drew Henry.

"I'll have to play even better than in my first round match, even though I won 7-1" said Henry.

"I remember playing Stephen in the British Open five or six years ago. He didn't play very well because he only made breaks of 146 and 142!"

Ebdon, up to number three in the provisional world rankings after reaching to LG Cup final at Preston in October, takes on Dubliner Michael Judge, who scored back-to-back centuries (129 and 120) yesterday on his way to beating Accrington-based Pakistani Shokat Ali, 7-1.

Allister Carter, from Essex, beat Nigel Bond, the 1995 beaten world finalist, 7-4 yesterday to earn a crack at world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan starting on Saturday night. Today is O'Sullivan's 26th birthday birthday.

Last night Scot Chris Small won a marathon contest 7-6 against Robert Milkins to set up a second round match against UK defending champion John Higgins on Ssturday starting at noon.

The match lasted five hours and 23 minutes, with one frame taking more than 43 minutes, another five second short of 39 minutes, and two others more than 34 and 35 minutes.

Small almost pulled out of the tournament last week because of a chronic back problem. So he wasn't helped by going the distance with Milkins.

Fenlander Perry, whose defeat by Hendry in the European Open final was the first time he has reached a ranking tournament final, beat Scot Jamie Burnett 7-3 last night to earn a second round match against Leeds star Paul Hunter starting at noon on Saturday. Hong Kong star Marco Fu coasted to a 7-1 win over Essex teenager Luke Fisher last night for a second round duel with Jimmy White on Saturday.

Warrington's Nick Dyson, 54 in the provisional world rankings, knocked out Quinten Hann 7-2 last night and takes on former world champion and provisional world No 4 Mark Williams in round two starting tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow's matches

Second round

10am and 7pm: Mark Williams v Nick Dyson, Matthew Stevens v Steve Davis, Ken Doherty v Terry Murphy, Dave Harold v Dave Finbow.

2.30pm: Peter Ebdon v Michael Judge, Stephen Lee v Anthony Hamilton, Fergal O'Brien v Tony Drago, Stephen Hendry v Drew Henry.

Updated: 10:45 Wednesday, December 05, 2001