South Korea's top player Lee Daegyu continued his impressive run at Q School event one as he beat Liam Highfield 4-2 to reach the last 32, moving within three wins of a place on the pro tour.
Daegyu, age 28, is the leading cue sports player in his homeland, and has been in Sheffield for the past few weeks to prepare for Q School, even making a 147 in a practice match. Having beaten Oliver Brown 4-1 in the previous round, he knocked out another recently relegated pro in Highfield, coming from 2-0 down to win four frames in a row with a top break of 56. His next opponent is Joshua Cooper.
Allan Taylor, looking to bounce straight back to the main circuit, saw off Lewis Ullah 4-0 with a top break of 61. "There are a few butterflies out there," said Taylor. "Any of the pros who have dropped off the tour will be favourites against the amateurs, you have to try to use experience to your advantage. I've played some of the best players on the planet live on TV, and I've also been Master of Ceremonies in front of 1,200 people which was more pressure than playing. This is a totally different environment but I'm just trying to draw on all of my experience."
Asked about Jak Jones' recent run to the final of the Cazoo World Championship, Taylor added: "It wasn't a surprise to most players on the tour, even if it might have been for the viewers. Jak is a great player, he can scrap out a few frames and then make a 130 with perfect cue ball control. And Martin O'Donnell is a close pal of mine, he reached the final of the Welsh Open which was fantastic to see. You sit at home and think 'If he can do it then so can I.' But it's up to me to prove that."
Iulian Boiko looked sharp as he beat Andres Petrov 4-1 with runs of 79, 60, 94 and 52, while Mark Joyce scored a 4-2 success against Yu Kiu Chang. Scotland's Keith Keldie saw a 3-0 lead against Barry Pinches disappear, but eventually took a 43-minute decider by clearing from yellow to pink to win 4-3.
Rory McLeod saw off Ryan Thomerson 4-1, while Dylan Emery came from 3-1 down to edge out Fergal Quinn 4-3 and former Crucible semi-finalist Andy Hicks beat Sean O'Sullivan 4-3.
The last 32 and last 16 take place on Saturday in Leicester, followed by the crucial quarter-finals on Sunday morning.