Milkins digs deep to set up showdown with Selby

» ROBERT Milkins dug deep to reach the last 32 of snooker’s Scottish Open with a 4-2 defeat of Stuart Carrington in Edinburgh.

The Gloucester man, ranked 28 in the world, trailed 2-0 and looked set to go 3-0 behind, but fought back for a fine victory, and faced Mark Selby last night (Wednesday).

Carrington knocked in breaks of 58 and 59 to establish his lead and was heading for victory in the next frame but broke down on 51.

Milkins, 46, stepped in and took the frame with a break of 57, then won the next two for a 3-2 lead.

He then sealed victory as a fluked red set him on the way to a match-clinching 52 break.

In his held-over qualifying match, Jack Lisowski was 4-1 winner over Gerard Greene, with four breaks over 50 to set up a clash with Allan Taylor yesterday (Wednesday).

He opened with a break of 57 before Greene levelled, but then the Northern Irishman only scored four more points.

World number 10 Lisowski, inset, then knocked in runs of 105, 89 and 93 to seal the win.

Before heading to Scotland, Lisowski and Milkins both reached the last

32 of the German Masters, to be played at Berlin’s Tempodrom in February.

Lisowski meets Zhang Anda in the last 32 after wins over two Welshmen, Duane Jones and

Jackson Page.

He beat Jones 5-2 with breaks of 70 and 80 as he opened a 3-0 lead, then runs of 74 and 52 to seal the win after Jones closed to 3-2, helped by a 100 break. In the next round, Page knocked in a 110 break to lead 1-0 and had a break of 60 in the next, but Lisowski responded with a 73 to make it 1-1. Page went in front again, but a 119 break made it 2-2 and runs of 63 and 74 saw him move 4-2 up, and the next two frames were shared as Lisowski booked his ticket for Germany. Milkins opened against former world champion Graeme Dott, who started with two centuries to lead 2-0.

Milkins levelled at 2-2, then had an 81 break to lead 3-2 and took the next for a 4-2 advantage.

Dott pulled one back with an 81, but Milkins took the next for a 5-3 victory.

He then faced Lukas Kleckers and denied the German a chance to play on home soil with a 5-2 win.

Milkins led 2-0 helped by a break of 59 in the second, then had a 68 to lead 3-1 after Kleckers pulled one back.

Milkins edged the next for a 4-1 advantage, and after Kleckers closed to 4-2, Milkins sealed the win and now faces Daniel Wells in Berlin after the amateur player’s shock win over John Higgins.