STEPHEN Hendry was brimming with confidence as he raced to the last 16

of the #420,000 StormSeal UK snooker championship at Preston last night.

Hendry blitzed Barry West 9-1, compiling five half-century breaks plus

a total clearance of 141.

That break earned the 20-year-old Scot a #2000 bonus to add to the

#167,000 he has already won in prize money this season. It was tough

luck, though, on rookie professional Andrew Cairns, whose 139 -- made in

the qualifiers -- had stood until the final day of the pre-televised

stage.

Cairns, who lives at nearby Blackpool, was among the crowd at the

Guild Hall to see his break beaten. ''I made it in the nick of time,''

quipped Hendry. ''I'm potting as well as I have ever done. Now it's a

question of getting the consistency with my safety game.

''It's a nice feeling to know that when you're presented with a

chance, you can take advantage. Even when I was 30 or 40 points behind I

believed I could still clear up to steal the frame. It's great to have

that confidence.''

Hendry's fifth-round opponent on Sunday is Dean Reynolds, whom he has

beaten on their two previous meetings.

Welshman Mark Bennett is through to the fifth round for the second

successive year, beating Kirk Stevens 9-2. Other results:

Terry Griffiths beat Tony Jones 9-8, Tony Knowles beat Tony Drago 9-7,

Steve Davis beat Cliff Wilson 9-3.