Murphy holds semi-final advantage

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Murphy, the 2005 champion, had salvaged victory from the jaws of defeat when recovering from 12-7 down to overcome Matthew Stevens in the quarter-finals.

The 24-year-old seemed determine to avoid having to perform similar heroics against qualifier Selby by racing into a 5-1 lead in the best-of-33 frame showdown at the Crucible Theatre. But Selby served notice that he can still pose a threat in a match which will span three days by taking the final two frames of the session.

Murphy was first to settle and had runs of 39 and 38 to open his account and a break of 70 in the next doubled the advantage of the player who two years ago had become the lowest-ranked player at 48 to win snooker's greatest prize.

Selby, at 23 the youngest player left in the tournament, appeared to be taking time to adjust to the one-table arena in front of a packed audience. A break of 55 steadied the Leicester potter's nerves in the third frame and he sealed it with a run of 30 to the final pink.

But Murphy made him pay for missing a brown into the right middle pocket in the next and an 84 break re-established his two-frame lead at the interval.

Murphy had a chance in frame five to equal the tournament's highest break of 144 by Ali Carter but he had to be content with 101 after missing the penultimate red. He stretched his lead to 5-1 in the next when, after some scrappy play from both players, a run of 55 proved decisive.

Selby, who had also won his quarter-final 13-12 against Ali Carter, stopped the rot with the help of 42 in the seventh and finally looked to have found the potting form which has illuminated the tournament.

Murphy fluked an outrageous red into the middle bag when snookered behind the black in the last frame of the session when trailing 55-16 but was unable to fully capitalise. A difficult missed final blue along the rail into the yellow pocket was his final shot of the frame as Selby squeezed home.

In the other semi-final Stephen Maguire and John Higgins shared the opening eight frames in the battle of the Scots.