ANDY Murray battled past his second British compatriot in as many days to book a last-four Queen's showdown with fifth seed Marin Cilic.

Defending champion Murray fought his way into the last four courtesy of a scrappy 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Kyle Edmund, the day after seeing off fellow Brit Aljaz Bedene.

Murray's victory pits his own super coach Ivan Lendl against Croat Cilic's famed mentor Goran Ivanisevic, with a final against Milos Raonic and his star back-room man John McEnroe still in the offing.

Former Pocklington School pupil Edmund showed exactly why, on the eve of this Aegon Championships clash, Murray had tipped him to break the world's top 20, producing a gritty performance steeped in encouraging signs for a bright future.

The 21-year-old Yorkshireman claimed an error-strewn second set to force a decider against Murray, before the world number two finally reasserted his authority to ease home.

Beverley-based Edmund had dispatched world number 18 Gilles Simon for the best win of his career in the first round and can leave west London proud of his week's work.

Despite slipping on the turf several times, Murray insisted he was "fine" before again backing Edmund for a bright future.

The Scot said: "I train with Kyle a lot, so I know how good he is. He's a big strong guy, a very powerful game, and when he's on he's very tough to play against and I felt that in this match.

"I was a bit disappointed to lose the second (set) but Kyle served extremely well there. I just tried to up my intensity, be a bit more aggressive, and it worked.

"Obviously Kyle's the future of the game in this country. It's important that he's given time to develop at his own rate and not too much pressure is put on him. If he's given time and a little bit of space to keep developing, then he can go very far."

Murray's clash with Edmund was the first time two Britons had met in the last eight at Queen's since the start of the Open era and the first anywhere since Tim Henman edged out Greg Rusedski at Adelaide in 2002.

Edmund spent pre-season with Murray at the Scot's training base on Miami and hailed the two-time grand slam winner as "the biggest inspiration for players my age," ahead of facing his de facto mentor in west London.

Edmund remained positive in defeat, quickly able to reflect on a big week in west London.

He said: "I'm pleased with the way I played. No-one likes losing but once you reflect, it's important to take the positives.

"It's been a very positive week for me. I thought I played well but Andy's shown why he's so tough to beat and has been at the top of the game for so long."