Perry takes early advantage

Joe Perry held a 6-3 advantage over Robert Milkins after the opening session of their first-round match at the Embassy World Championship in Sheffield today.

Perry, the 16th seed, was left requiring four more frames for a place in the last 16 and a shot at defending champion Mark Williams, who beat Dominic Dale 10-7 yesterday.

He won the opening frame with a run of 78 and could have made it 2-0 but missed a difficult black along the top cushion, leaving it in the jaws for Milkins to pot.

Milkins secured the third with a break of 67 before Perry upped his game to win three frames in succession.

The Wisbech-based player made it 2-2 with a break of 89, made 49 in winning the fifth and clinched the sixth on the black for 4-2.

Milkins closed to 4-3 through a break of 66 but despite forcing a re-spotted black in the eighth, he failed to take the frame and Perry opened a 5-3 advantage.

And the former European Open runner-up finished off with a break of 100 to carry a three-frame lead into the final session.

Perry, 28, has twice reached the second round at Sheffield. Five years ago, he edged Steve Davis 10-9 before losing to Ronnie O’Sullivan and he featured in the last 16 again in 2002 before suffering defeat at the hands of Peter Ebdon.

Milkins reached the last 16 of the tournament two years ago but was beaten 10-4 by Graeme Dott in the first round last year.

He has only won four matches in ranking events this season, although he did reach the quarter-finals of January’s Welsh Open.

The morning’s other scheduled match, Alan McManus v Chris Small, did not take place after Small withdrew on Saturday trailing 7-1.

The Scot suffers from a serious disease of the spine and was forced to pull out after a build up of fluid behind his eyes caused him discomfort.