By Dan Warren BBC Sport at the Crucible

He might say 'good shot' when I miss one, so I'll just tell him to... Mark Williams on facing his mate Stephen Hendry

Mark Williams and Stephen Hendry are good friends away from the snooker table - but don't expect it to be all smiles when they meet in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Williams revealed that although the pair would enjoy a meal on Monday night ahead of their game, the joviality would end after dessert.

"There's a fair bit of sledging that goes on during a match between us," Williams said.

"He might sarcastically say 'good shot' when I go to sit down after if I miss one, so I'll just tell him to (Earthy expletives deleted - Ed)"

Shortly afterwards, the Welshman eloquently explained how the players' rivalry would play out under the lights at The Crucible.

"I hope we both play well and it is a great game. Well, actually, I hope that I play well, and Stephen plays like a fart."

The players' concerns over the cloth at the tables have been addressed, with new covering being fitted overnight between Monday and Tuesday.

Several players, including defending champion Peter Ebdon, had expressed worries that the tables were playing differently to normal.

Mark Williams was among the players predicting that the new fitting would help the players to predict the true path of the balls - and expecting a glut of big breaks to follow in the quarter-finals.

Alan McManus's defeat to Marco Fu has left the Scotsman pondering how to fill the summer months.

"I think I may get myself a summer job," he told amused hacks after crashing out of the tournament.

"No, I'm serious. I'm thinking about becoming a journalist - I'd do it for nothing," he added.

The room was then much less amused as the journalists realised that an eloquent Scot demanding no wages would probably be an attractive proposition to their salary-conscious editors.

If the manner in which McManus quizzed the assembled reporters about the chances of him getting a bit of work experience in August is anything to go by, the Scotsman looks like he'd be pretty good at interviewing.

Indeed, he looked on the verge of getting himself a contract before being forced to cut short his chat to allow Fu - waiting patiently on the sidelines - his own chance to wax lyrical.