Rob Milkins completes epic comeback to beat Joe Perry at the Crucible

The match was delayed due to the protest at the Crucible on Monday, finally being played to a completion on a rescheduled Thursday morning session.

Perry had opened up a huge 7-2 lead on Tuesday evening and was overwhelming favourite to progress to the second round at that stage.

However, the match turned around spectacularly, with Milkins eight of the next 10 frames, knocking in six half-centuries, to complete a miraculous victory.

‘I’m chuffed to bits, it was definitely a tale of two halves,’ said Milkins. ‘He played well first session, I wasn’t so good.

‘It seemed like every shot to nothing he went for he got, then it was the opposite today. I got off to a good start, didn’t seem to have any pressure on me.

‘I thought I’d just go out there, make the effort and try and make the score look respectable. After a couple of frames I started fancying the job.’

A disappointed Perry had no complaints, but bemoaned his own performance after tossing away the lead.

‘It was just a shambles today,’ he said. ‘ I never got going. Started bad and gradually got worse. I just didn’t play well enough, that’s all there is to it.

‘I was disappointed I couldn’t make anything happen. I didn’t feel that Rob was doing anything extra special to come back, it was just all down to how bad I was today.’

After the first session of the match Milkins changed the tip on his cue, had Wednesday to start knocking it in and it clearly helped him as he surged to victory.

‘Any player knows you can’t knock a tip in within a day,’ he said. ‘But it was alright, it was okay, it was a lot better than the other one.’

Perry, frustrated with his performance, admitted that he has now lost the consistency at 48 years old that he enjoyed for much of his career.

‘That’s where my career is now,’ he said. ‘I’m quite aware that my best days are behind me. I’m still going to have some good moments because I’m capable, like I did the other day.

‘I’m capable on my day, but my days are not regular enough anymore.

‘I put it together last year in the Welsh [Open], day in, day out, but it’s a whole different kettle of fish in a best-of-seven to a two-session, three-session match at the World Championship.’

Milkins is into the last 16 for the fourth time in his career, where he will play either Shaun Murphy or Si Jiahui.

MORE : ‘I was in constant pain and hating myself’ – Shaun Murphy recalls dark time that led to Si Jiahui outburst

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