Snooker: Murphy makes Davis feel heat after fire scare

Leading 6-2 overnight, Murphy went on to extend his advantage to 10-3 and after a brief revival from the six-times former champion, he ended his day's work 11-5 up, having taken the concluding frame.</p>The afternoon action had been under way for less than an hour when the tournament director Mike Ganley entered the arena to suspend play after the fire alarm had sounded. Davis had just reduced his deficit to 8-3, and if anything the interruption affected him more, for Murphy was straight back into his stride on the resumption after a delay of around 30 minutes.</p>The defending champion produced some of the devastating potting that carried him to the title last year. After opening the stint with a run of 75, the 23-year-old knocked in a 74and capitalised on a series of errors from a below-par Davis. Two more frames are all Murphy requires to advance when the match is completed this morning.</p>The disruption - it transpired there was no fire, the alarm had been triggered by a heat sensor in a kitchen - was more significant in the adjacent match. Mark Selby, the first-round conqueror of John Higgins, was on a break of 26 when forced to put down his cue, and while he extended the contribution to 52 he still lost the frame to Mark Williams.</p>Scotland's disappointing fortunes in the Championship continued earlier yesterday when Stephen Maguire made a lacklustre start to his second-round match against Marco Fu. The two best-known Scottish players, Stephen Hendry and John Higgins, fell at the opening hurdle and now the fourth seed Maguire has his work cut out to avoid following them home. Told he could dominate the game for a decade by Ronnie O'Sullivan on his way to winning the 2004 UK Championship, Maguire looked far from a top-notch player as he ended the first session 6-2 down. </p>