Snooker star admits Just Stop Oil protest ‘helped’ him win thriller

Snooker star Rob Milkins has revealed the Just Stop Oil protest at The Crucible actually helped him defeat Joe Perry 10-9 following a stunning turnaround having initially trailed the contest 7-2. Play was interrupted during the clash at the start of the week after an activist invaded the arena and threw orange powder across the table – stunning an astonished crowd.

The delay meant Monday night’s play was abandoned before Milkins and Perry returned to action on Tuesday night.

The pair later concluded their match on Thursday morning as The Milkman defied the odds to produce a stunning comeback to book his place in the second round.

And in the view of the underdog, it wouldn’t have been possible without the delay to the schedule which enabled him to find his composure following a lacklustre start.

Milkins said: “I actually felt terrible out there in myself anyway at the start of the match, I haven’t been here for five years. It can be intimidating, I like the crowds on top if you but it takes getting used to.

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“As it turned out, the delay and the two days until the delayed last session helped me. I have had problems with the cue tip since winning the Welsh Open.

“It wasn’t good in that first session and in the end I was glad to get out 7-2. I went to a place in Sheffield to get it done, and played it in a bit.

“What happened on Monday… in a funny sort of way it done me a favour getting out of there. But it was a terrible thing to happen and ruined it for everyone. It was so quick, three or four seconds.”

To make matters worse for Milkins, MC Rob Walker got him mixed up with his opponent Perry as they made their way into the area.

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Somehow, Walker actually introduced Milkins as Perry, who was left bemused by the sequence of events on another bizarre day in Sheffield.

Nonetheless, he was able to get the job after playing some superb snooker although despite his victory, Milkins couldn’t help but sympathise with those who had tickets to Monday’s action.

He added: “I felt worse for the audience who had tickets for our match. I had a few friends come up who couldn’t stay from Tuesday to Thursday. They only saw my bad first session.

“It was definitely a match of two halves. Joe played well in the first session and I didn’t – and it was the other way round today. Once I got back to 7-4 I fancied the job.

“I got 9-8 up and it would have been the biggest nightmare to lose 10-9. I would rather have lost 10-2. But I got a good break to get over the line.”

Meanwhile, Perry was rather hard on himself as he bemoaned his lack of composure during the crunch frames.

The Gentleman was happy to concede that the protest did prove disruptive and that he wasn’t the same following the incident which he claims shook him up.

He said: “Look, I lost because I played so badly today. It was a shambles, I started badly and got worse.

“It wasn’t ideal what happened on Monday and seeing the second session delayed until Thursday, although I don’t see what else World Snooker could have done.

“I was a bit shaken up, until you realise your lives aren’t in danger – but you don’t know that at the time. It wasn’t very pleasant, and not something I want to experience again.”

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