Welsh Open champ at relegation threat after admitting ‘I’ve been lazy’ | Other | Sport

But the Milkman has been absent from the 2026 edition in Llandudno this week after losing to youngster Liam Pullen in qualifying. The defeat continued a worrying trend for the 49-year-old, who has been ever-present on the World Snooker Tour since 1995. However, this season he has faced the prospect of losing his card. In October, he was provisionally ranked as low as 74th, with players finishing the season outside the top 64 losing their cards and needing to go through the brutally tough Q-School to get them back.

A run to the last 16 of the Xi’an Grand Prix in October lifted him back into the top 64 but he hasn’t been able to back up that performance since. As it stands, Milkins, now 60th on the provisional list, would cling on to his tour card for another season.

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However, unless he can string some wins together, the Bristol cueman will be looking nervously over his shoulder over the final months of the season. Milkins was a seed at the 2024 World Championship but his fortunes have nose-dived since.

Last year, he admitted he had only himself to blame for his woes, telling Metro: “I’ve just been a bit lazy again, to be honest. Not putting enough time in. When you disrespect the game, it can kick you.

“The one area I’m struggling with at the moment is making breaks. I’m looking at my 50-break rate in the last two years and it’s been disgusting, shocking really. The whole game, safety, knowledge is always there now, but I need to remember how to make breaks.”

If the latter can beat the four-time world champion, he would get his hands on the £150,000 bonus for finishing top of the Home Nations Series, which encompasses the English, Scottish, Northern Ireland and Welsh Opens. Milkins won the Home Nations Series himself in 2023, but that is a distant memory now as he strives to keep his place on the tour.