WILSON LEFT HANGING ON DESPITE 147

KYREN WILSON knocked in a brilliant 147 – but still breathed a huge sigh of relief after reaching the second round of the UK Championship.

This year’s World Championship runner-up eventually saw off world No.126 Ashley Hugill 6-4 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.

World No.4 Wilson, 28, was one of the favourites for the title and looked well on course after his superb maximum – the third of his career – in frame six to go 4-2 up.

That should see the Kettering pro pocket an extra £15,000 – but Hugill, who had not won a match or earned a penny all season, levelled at 4-4 and suddenly a seismic shock looked on the cards.

Wilson (top), a four-time rankingevent winner, is chasing a first success in one of the game’s three majors having got to finals at the Crucible and also the Masters.

He said: “It was amazing to get another 147, especially in a Triple Crown event.

“It can mess with your head when you have created snooker perfection in one frame and been spot-on with your position every shot.

“Then the next frame I was struggling to make 12.

“Mark Allen (above) was telling me in the interval before the maximum that I was using the wrong chalk and reckoned I might get a kick if I got to 140!

“I haven’t done so well in the UK – it is probably because I love the usual host city of York so much and spend too much time going round the Christmas markets. Maybe I’ll knuckle down more here.

“I was proud of the way I held it together today and kept telling myself to stay calm and a chance would come.

“It was a really strange day and match, I kept getting so many kicks.”

And he added: “Ashley is a dangerous young player and hopefully he will push on.”