• UK Championship

Robertson sizzles in romp over Ford

Neil Robertson was in sizzling form in York © PA Photos

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Neil Robertson produced some blistering play as he romped to a 6-1 win over Tom Ford in the first round of the UK Championship.

The Australian, world champion in 2010, knocked in four centuries in the match to leave Ford reeling.

Robertson opened up the contest with a 129 and it set the pattern for the contest. He added a 112 in the third, after edging a tight second that Ford dominated for long spells.

A 74 break helped him secure the fourth and he came back after the interval with a third century of the contest.

Ford avoided the whitewash by knocking in a half-century break in the sixth, but it was just a blip as Robertson took the seventh with a superb fourth ton to seal his passage into the next round at York's Barbican Centre.

"Practice has been going very well and I've got a good record against Tom," Robertson said. "When I have played him previously I think it's been 6-0 and 6-1 and I knew if I could get on top of him early on then it would be tough for him."

Mark Williams followed Judd Trump out of the event, with the two-time winner falling to a 6-3 defeat to Mark King.

"I was terrible. Shocking," Williams said. "I felt all right going in but I couldn't pot three balls on the trot. The table was beautiful, there was a good crowd, everything you could want. It's getting boring for me to say how badly I am playing."

Luca Brecel held his nerve in a tense finish to edge out Ricky Walden 6-5.

An all-Welsh affair went the way of Matthew Stevens who eased to a 6-1 win over Dominic Dale.

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