Ray Stubbs introduces live coverage from tonight's best-of-25-frames quarter-finals from the Crucible in Sheffield, where the difference between winning and losing at this stage of the competition is f 39.500.
The quarter-finals are the midpoint of the tournament with the increased number of frames allowing sufficient leeway for the top players to make a poor start and still recover. Last year at this stage, eventual champion Peter Ebdon cruised past Anthony Hamilton 13-6 on his way to a classic semi-final with Matthew Stephens , who overcame 1998 champion John Higgins with relative ease in the other quarter-final in the bottom half of the draw. The games at the top half of the draw were much closer, however, with seven-time winner Stephen Hendry squeezing past 1997's champion Ken Dohertybythe narrowest of margins and Ronnie O'Sullivan eventually beating Stephen Lee 13-10.
Commentary is from Ray Edmonds , Clive Everton ,
Terry Griffiths , Dennis Taylor , Willie Thome and John Virgo.