Robert Milkins admitted he had “disrespected” snooker for too long after being knocked out of the World Seniors Championship by Ronnie O’Sullivan. The Rocket was made to work hard for his place in the final by the Milkman, who led 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4 in the best-of-13 contest at the Crucible.
But in a scrappy match, O’Sullivan’s extra quality told as he took a 7-5 victory. Milkins’ defeat came after the loss of his professional tour card following a dramatic drop-off in form for the 2023 Welsh Open champion. Just two years ago, he reached the last 16 at the World Championship but now faces a battle to regain his tour card via Q School, which takes place this summer. Following his defeat to O’Sullivan, Milkins, 50, admitted he only had himself to blame for his woes.
He said: “I’ve disrespected the game for too long. I was struggling to get back into it. There are signs of playing well but I just missed too many easy balls. It will come but I’ve got to put a couple of weeks in now before Q School.”
The 50-year-old then admitted how he finds playing against the seven-time world champion intimidating. He added: “Ronnie scares the hell out of me always. I respect Ron. No other player does that to me. It is bad enough playing him when you are playing well. But when you are struggling, you’ve got no chance.”
The loss of Milkins’ tour card, which he first won in 1995, was confirmed when he was beaten by top amateur Patrick Whelan in World Championship qualifying. Speaking to the Metro ahead of the World Seniors, he had said: “My heart weren’t in it [against Whelan]. And I know it’s sad because it’s such a big game. I sort of panicked a bit, even from 1-0, 2-0, 3-0, thinking, ‘What the hell is going on here?’
“He didn’t really miss much. His safety was really good. I give him a lot of credit. I thought he was very good. But it’s just up to me to get out of the rut now and try and get back to where I should be. At least on the tour.”
Meanwhile, O’Sullivan said on Saturday how the conditions at the Crucible weren’t ideal, off the back of issues with the table earlier this week. He said: “None of the players would make excuses, and we’re not making excuses.
“I thought me and Milkins were cueing well. But sometimes, you can fall out of position, chasing the ball. It’s hard to keep potting, especially under pressure. So I thought we did well under the conditions.”
O’Sullivan will play the winner of Saturday night’s semi-final between Craig Steadman and Joe Perry. Sunday’s best-of-19 final, which begins at 12.30pm, will be broadcast live on Channel 5.