World Snooker Championship: David Gilbert leads as Robert Milkins throws cue

David Gilbert needs only one more frame to move into the quarter-finals of the World Snooker Championship as opponent Robert Milkins struggled, throwing his cue to the ground at one point.

Milkins, the 16th seed, missed a red when 7-4 down and showed his frustrations by chucking his cue down as Gilbert managed to build a large lead before the final session.

Gilbert defeated 2023 champion Luca Brecel in the first round on the opening day and holds a commanding 12-4 advantage, with that match resuming at 19:00 BST.

Former world champion John Parrott, speaking on BBC Two said: “Milkins is so frustrated with his own level of performance but to throw your cue, it’s very unusual to see that.

“You can do damage to it, knock the tip off. He’s not happy at all.

“Vesuvius has been bubbling under for a day and a bit – and unfortunately she just blasted off.”

Gilbert is 31st in the world and battled through two rounds of qualifying to get to the Crucible, making an instant impact by beating Brecel 10-9 after a deciding frame.

After also winning 10-9, against China’s Pang Junxu, Milkins described himself as “a dodgy horse” that is incapable of leading.

After that win on Tuesday, he said: “I’ve had such a bad season and that win turned a bad season into a fairly bad one. I was fighting my demons and played so bad, it was like watching two amateurs knocking around in the club.”

Those “demons” were present again on Friday as Milkins cut an agitated, frustrated figure in his chair and appeared to be suffering with a neck issue as Gilbert managed to maintain his composure.

Gilbert held a 6-3 lead after the first session, although Milkins won the opening frame of the day. But Gilbert then raced clear with six in a row, including breaks of 67, 84, 136 and 123.

Wales’ Jak Jones, the lowest-ranked player left in the tournament at 44th in the world, enjoyed a fine opening session to lead 6-2 against 2023 semi-finalist Si Jiahui of China.

Si made breaks of 50 and 64 in the opening two frames, only to lose both frames on the black, although Si made it 2-2 following breaks of 62 and 84.

However, Jones, himself a quarter-finalist last year, won the last four frames of the session, aided by breaks of 66 and 71 to gain a four-frame advantage, before that match resumes at 19:00.

Elsewhere on Friday, world number three Judd Trump leads 6-2 against Tom Ford and could win his match with a session to spare – if he takes seven of the eight frames in the afternoon session.

Meanwhile England’s Shaun Murphy, the 2005 champion, begins his match with Scotland’s Stephen Maguire, a two-time Crucible semi-finalist.