Fergal O'Brien was sensationally knocked out of the £600,000 LG Cup at Preston's Guild Hall when Londoner Barry Hawkins came from 4-2 down to claim a place in the last 16 with a 5-4 win late on Tuesday night. The Dubliner surrendered a commanding position to the 22-year-old left-hander, who is ranked 85 in the world, and joins fellow Dubliner Ken Doherty on the exit trail.
Hawkins will fulfil a lifelong ambition when he joins idols Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and John Higgins in the last 16. He admitted: "I've always looked up to players like Ronnie and to see them walking around in the players' room makes you want to make sure you qualify for all the other tournaments. There were so many twists and turns in that match but I always thought I could pull it around."
Hawkins now plays Hong Kong's Marco Fu, who beat Doherty 5-2 earlier in the day. Elsewhere, Stephen Lee beat Steve Davis 5-1, Williams beat Australian star Quinten Hann 5-4, Higgins triumphed 5-1 over John Parrott and Dave Harold recorded a 5-2 victory over Jason Ferguson.
Filed by Shane Murray
