Hendry avoids another upset

Snooker: Stephen Hendry last night banished the memory of his shock first-round exit from last year's World Championship - but admitted he could have been heading home early again.

The seven-time former champion completed a 10-5 victory over Mark Davis of Sussex as he avoided another upset following his day-one defeat by Stuart Bingham 12 months ago.

However, the fact he was through to a second-round clash with rising star Paul Hunter was the only positive Hendry could draw from a match in which he struggled to kill off the world number 77.

"I'm delighted to have won - I wouldn't have been surprised if I had gone out," said the 32-year-old Scot. "I was playing so badly, but it's not just this match. I haven't played well for ages and I wasn't overly confident about winning."

Two second-round matches also started yesterday, each including one of the finalists from last year's all-Welsh final.

It was the runner-up 12 months ago, Matthew Stevens, who produced the better quality this time, racing into a 7-1 lead over Nottingham's Anthony Hamilton with some devastating break-building.

Defending champion and world number one Mark Williams, who like Hendry has been struggling to produce his best recently, won the last two frames of his session to edge a 53 lead over 16th seed Joe Swail.

Golf: American Scott Simpson holds a one-stroke lead after the first round of the $3.5 million Greater Greensboro Classic in North Carolina yesterday. The former US Open champion posted six birdies in a six-under-par 66 at Forest Oaks. Australian Aaron Baddeley and Americans Jerry Kelly, Dudley Hart, Robert Damron, Spike McRoy and Shaun Micheel were all on 67. Ireland's Richie Coughlan is two over par after shooting a 74 along with Scotland's Sandy Lyle.

Leading first round scores: 66 - S Simpson; 67 - J Kelly, D Hart, R Damron, S Micheel, S McRoy, A Baddeley (Aus), J Lankford; 68 - J Sindelar, J Kaye, M Sposa, S Dunlap, S Ames (Trin), S Hoch, B Quigley, G Kraft, I Leggatt (Can). Others: 74 - E Fryatt (Brit), R Coughlan (Irl), A McLardy (SA), S Lyle (Brit).

Tennis: A potentially lethal Danish one-man show seriously threatens Ireland's chances of progression in the Davis Cup Euro-African group at Riverview this weekend, reports Pat Roche.

The tie gets under way today and Kristian Pless, voted the world's best junior a couple of years ago, is set to inflict most damage on what is Ireland's strongest team in over 10 years.

Pless, currently ranked 92nd by the ATP, is a distance ahead of any other player in the tie. Ireland's singles players, Scott Barron and Peter Clarke, are ranked 269th and 390th respectively. Owen Casey and John Doran will form the doubles partnership.

The Draw (Irish first) - Singles, today (3.0): P Clarke v K Pless; S Barron v J Printzlau. Doubles, tomorrow (3.0): O Casey, J Doran v Pless, Printzlau. Reverse singles, Sunday (2.0).

Hockey: A penalty stroke converted by Charlie Carroll gave Dublin University a dramatic 6-5 win in a sudden death shoot-out after they had drawn 1-1 with Railway Union in the Leinster League Division One last-place play-off at Serpentine Avenue last night.

Ross Cullen gave Trinity the lead but although Padraig O'Brien equalised, it was Railway who ultimately were relegated. Thus reprieved, Trinity face Portrane, the second-placed division two side, in a promotion/relegation test match at the same venue on Sunday.