Milkins has the nerve to beat Perry in the deciding final frame

Robert Milkins produced a memorable comeback to beat Joe Perry 10-9 in their delayed first round clash at the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield.

Milkins’ match against Perry was disrupted earlier this week when a man wearing a T-shirt reading “Just Stop Oil” jumped onto table one and sprayed orange powder onto the cloth.

Attendees of Monday night’s game received free tickets from the event organizers to Thursday’s unscheduled morning session at the Crucible, and watched Milkins defy the odds to reach the last 16.

Perry entered the morning session that began at 09:30, the earliest start for a World Championship game, with a 7-2 lead in the best-of-19 matchup.

However, Milkins, who won the Welsh Open in February, took the first two frames of the session to move within three frames of his opponent.

Perry responded by winning the next frame only for Milkins to immediately respond by moving back within three frames, then cutting Perry’s lead to two after the former semi-finalist missed a simple brown.

An out of sorts Perry changed his lines as he stuffed a red into the middle pocket with a relentless Milkins making no mistake moving to one behind, then leveled to set up a three-frame shootout.

Milkins secured the next frame to put him on the verge of glory before Perry scrambled to produce a 63 clearance and push the match to a decider.

But it was Milkins who kept the nerve to clinch the final frame and seal a memorable comeback. He will face either Shaun Murphy or Si Jiahui in the next round.

Mark Selby overcame a determined challenge from qualifier Matthew Selt as the four-time champion began his bid for a fifth crown with a hard-fought 10-8 win.

Selby led 6-3 overnight before advancing 8-4 on Thursday afternoon, but Selt refused to back down in an increasingly grueling battle to cut the deficit to 9-8.

But Selby, winner of this event in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021, notched a break of 112 to wrap up the win and set up a clash with Gary Wilson in the next round.

Elsewhere, three-time champion Mark Williams and qualifier Luca Brecel were tied at 4-4 after the first session of their second-round encounter.