McManus stages brave fightback

Alan McManus recorded his first win since last season's World Championship when he defeated Dominic Dale at the UK Championship in York.

But a 9-7 scoreline did not tell half the story of a brilliant comeback by the 32-year-old Scot which he later described "the best of my career."

Welshman Dale looked a racing certainty to reach the last 16 when he led 7-1 after the opening session, notching breaks of 135 and 112 in the process.

But McManus refused to give up what looked to be a lost cause and he finished up a 9-7 winner.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to feature in one of these silly turnarounds and now I know," said McManus, who next faces Ronnie O'Sullivan or 2002 British Open runner-up Ian McCulloch.

"At 7-1 down I was 99 per cent certain to lose that game. Maybe one match like that in a 100 you will win.

"All you can tell yourself is to try and win the first four frames of the second session. But to be honest I thought I would be on my home.

"I checked out of my hotel and expected to be in Carlisle. Instead, I'm still in the tournament. It's crazy. I'm still wondering 'how the hell am I in the next round?'

"Dominic played out of his skin this morning and he probably hasn't played like that since he won the Grand Prix.

"I don't know what happened to him in the second session but I'm sure he will be gutted. I didn't say anything to him afterwards because I didn't want to patronise him."

Dale has taken defeat badly in the past before. After losing to Jimmy White in the 2002 world championship, he threw his cue out of his Crucible Theatre dressing room window into some nearby bushes.

Six-times UK champion Steve Davis is also out of the tournament and is still seeking his first win of the campaign. Davis, 46, lost 9-6 in an entertaining game to Essex rival Ali Carter.

Davis trailed 6-2 after the opening session though he did make breaks of 116 and 97. He later added runs of 63, 101 and 88 but world number 17 Carter from Colchester always had the edge.

"Ali played perfect snooker in the first session," conceded Davis. "I was just a spectator apart from the two frames I won. He potted the better balls and his positional play was better."

Carter's win prevented a nostalgic match for Davis against John Parrott or Stephen Hendry.

Matthew Stevens, the 1998 and 1999 UK runner-up, staved off a late rally by British Open quarter-finalist Gerard Greene to win 9-7. The Carmarthen cueman next plays John Higgins or Thailand's James Wattana.