Stephen Maguire moves step closer to sealing World Championship spot at Crucible

Scotland's Stephen Maguire is one win away from guaranteeing a place at the Crucible for the 19th straight year after winning his opening World Championship qualifier on Saturday evening.

The former UK champion was forced to go through qualifying for the first time since 2003 after dropping out of the world's top 16.

Maguire hit two century breaks as he beat China's Zhang Jianking 6-3 to advance to the final round on Tuesday.

Elsewhere at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, Michael White - a quarter-finalist in 2013, but now playing as an amateur after dropping off the tour - also moved closer to reaching the showpiece tournament after brushing aside veteran Mark King 6-1.

There will, though, will be no Crucible return for Ricky Walden this year after the 2013 semi-finalist was beaten 6-4 by Allan Taylor.

Ireland's 1997 world champion Ken Doherty missed out on making it into the third qualifying round on Friday night, while Michael Judge and Fergal O'Brien also exited at the second round stage, the latter to Welsh teenager Liam Davies who had eliminated Cork's Aaron Hill in the opening round.