Ding claims two-frame lead

Ding Junhui is in pole position to claim a place in the UK Championship final after establishing a 5-3 lead over Stephen Maguire in the opening semi-final in Telford.

The world number 14 from China strung together a three-frame winning streak after the mid-session interval to move 5-2 ahead, but Maguire recovered to claim the final frame of the afternoon session to remain in touch.

World number two Maguire went into the match with the psychological edge having won six of seven prior meetings, but the momentum was with Ding, whose lone win came with a 5-1 triumph at October's Grand Prix in Glasgow.

It was the Scot, however, who drew first blood, rattling off 73 unanswered points in the opening frame.

Ding built a steady break of 35 to move into control of the next frame but a miss on an easy red gave Maguire the chance to come back.

The 28-year-old failed to make the most of his chance, however, and when Ding returned to the table a break of 66 pulled him level.

The Chinese star moved into the lead for the first time in the next, an assured break of 75 putting him firmly in the driving seat.

Maguire roared back in the following frame with a well-constructed break of 97 to ensure the players went into the mid-session interval locked at 2-2, but the remainder of the afternoon largely belonged to 2005 champion Ding.

He won a scrappy fifth frame and 3-2 became 4-2 as Ding's break of 83 further frustrated Maguire, who had grown increasingly agitated following several errors.

Ding sealed the sixth frame with a break of 54 but Maguire dug deep to narrow the deficit to two before the interval with breaks of 35 and 64.