An out-of-sorts Hankey was swept away by Whitlock

Hankey, the 2000 champion known as 'The Count', again faced a hostile crowd and one spectator was ejected for booing.

The atmosphere did not unnerve the unseeded Whitlock, however, and a clinical performance saw him progress.

Whitlock will join Martin Adams in the last four after the defending champion edged out Scot Robert Thornton 5-4.

Interview: Martin Adams

Seventh-seed Hankey was clearly unsettled by the partisan crowd. He seemed pre-occupied with hecklers rather than his match and Whitlock took full advantage.

In the night's other match, Adams, nicknamed 'Wolfie', twice found himself a set down against the unseeded Thornton in the early stages but found his feet to lead 4-2.

Thornton fought back in the seventh set and a 120-checkout saw him level the match again at 4-4.

606: DEBATE Whitlock's finishing was top-drawer and you can only beat what's put in front of you astralwebber

Adams was never behind in the deciding set and the fourth seed finally clinched victory with a double four after 114 minutes.

A relieved Adams said: "Lakeside would not be Lakeside if I didn't have a close match.

"The crowd got a bit carried away at one stage and one fan made a wolf howl when I was throwing for a crucial double 10 in the eighth set.

"The boys and girls out in the crowd got really excited but they should know better than to shout when we are throwing for a double because this is the important bit."