STEPHEN HENDRY and Steve Davis both won matches on the deciding frame to progress to the last 16 of snooker's Royal London Watches Grand Prix at the SECC.

Hendry, winner of the title on four occasions, battled his way to a 5-4 victory over qualifier David Gilbert from Tamworth, while fellow veteran Davis, a three-time champion, triumphed by the same scoreline against Australia's Neil Robertson.

Breaks of 69, 70 and 98 helped Hendry progress, but the world No.6 found life tough in his first-round match on home soil.

"I'm very relieved to get my first win of the season," admitted Hendry. "I've had a slow start to the season and, when you're not getting the wins, panic starts to set in a little bit.

"I was just thankful David gave me the chance in the last frame - he left me a pot on a blue ball over a corner pocket. I was delighted to get through."

Hendry added: "At times I felt really good. I made a couple of nice breaks, I potted some good long balls and made some good safety shots.

"But it's just the unforced errors which come when you're lacking confidence."

Defending champion Marco Fu was forced to produce a battling comeback to secure his place in the last 16 of this year's BBC-televised tournament.

The world No.14 trailed Jimmy Michie, a qualifier from Pontefract, 2-0 in their first-round clash but won five frames on the spin for a 5-2 victory.

Breaks of 139, 77, 94 and 48 did the trick for Fu, the Hong Kong cueman, who beat world champion and world No.1 Ronnie O'Sullivan in last season's showcase final in Aberdeen.

Ricky Walden, winner of the Shanghai Masters earlier this month, slipped to a disappointing 5-4 defeat against Welshman Ryan Day.

SPEEDWAY: Glasgow roared into an early 12-point lead against rivals Edinburgh but lost 47-45 as the Premier League champs rallied late on.

The defeat brings the curtain down on the Tigers' least successful campaign since they moved to Ashfield in 1999.