Parrott won his only World Championship title in 1991

John Parrott's hopes of a return to the World Snooker Championships ended in a 10-3 defeat by Matthew Couch.

Despite Parrott's late rally, featuring the match's highest break of 131 in the ninth frame, Scunthorpe's Couch dominated the fourth qualifying round.

Lee Spink and Judd Trump are also one match away from the Crucible after wins over Adrian Gunnell and Joe Delaney.

Former champions Steve Davis, Ken Doherty and Mark Williams will be among those in the final round of qualifying.

606: DEBATE John Parrott has had a mixed season mathmo

Couch, who had previously seen off Michael Georgiou and Andrew Norman, roared into a 7-1 lead, leaving Parrott with too much to do to avoid missing the finals for a second successive year.

Ricky Walden, who upset Ronnie O'Sullivan to claim the Shanghai Masters earlier this season, kept on course with an emphatic 10-1 win over Rod Lawler.

The final qualifying stage starts on Sunday with the players setting their sights on a place in the televised finals which begin on 18 April.

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