SHEFFIELD,(England), April 25: Matthew Stevens was on the brink of the world championship quarterfinals after establishing a 12-4 lead over Jimmy White at the Crucible Theatre on Sunday.

Stevens was in commanding form, giving crowd-favourite and six times runner-up White few opportunities at the table.

The 27-year-old Welshman was 5-3 up when play resumed on Sunday evening and he lost only one of the eight frames in the session.

Stevens finished with a flourish, compiling back-to-back centuries in the last two frames.

The match plays to a finish on Monday afternoon with Stevens requiring just one frame to reach the last eight.

Qualifier Shaun Murphy was 9-7 up overnight against Scotland’s John Higgins.

The pair were tied at 4-4 when played resumed and it was Murphy who edged ahead, winning the first two frames of the session.

Higgins opened his account for the evening in the 11th frame, but Murphy went three frames ahead at 9-6 with breaks of 97 and 72.

Higgins, who won the title in 1998, reduced the arrears by winning the final frame of the session with a 68 break.

Two-times champion Mark Williams posted a 5-3 lead over Ian McCulloch at the end of the opening session in their second round match.

Williams, who won the tournament in 2000 and 2003, followed his maximum 147 break in the first round with two century breaks.

McCulloch had a good chance to level at 4-4, but his positioning on the black let him down and Williams potted it to end the session with a two-frame lead.

Results round second (Best of 25)

Stephen Lee (England) leads Peter Ebdon (England) 6-2 (76-43 0-63 111-7 78-0 52-50 70-6 69-76 67-19); Shaun Murphy (England) leads John Higgins (Scotland) 9-7 (7-72 9-89 40-63 56-55 0-82 129-0 80-20 79-0 70-43 61-56 0-65 97-0 12-74 97-1 72-6 13-88); Matthew Stevens (Wales) leads 11-Jimmy White (England) 12-4 (61-62 83-1 45-70 83-17 80-8 64-20 49-63 76-50 58-30 83-0 68-1 97-0 66-1 18-71 110-13 121-3 ) Mark Williams (Wales) leads Ian McCulloch (England) 5-3 (71-78 143-0 42-60 79-0 102-30 115-16 0-90 70-68).—Reuters