William Haggas has won many of racing’s biggest prizes, but there is one triumph he will treasure forever after Desert Hero became the King and Queen’s first Royal Ascot champion on an afternoon that will go down in history.
Only a year after his charge Baaeed embarked on a brilliant journey to superstar status, the Somerville Lodge handler could have helped secure racing’s future by ensuring royal success at the meeting many hold most dear.
Throughout the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, racing could sit back and bask in the comfort of knowing the royal family had its back. Royal Ascot was always the first event entered on the late Queen’s calendar and that in turn ensured the summer showpiece remained at the top of public consciousness.
However, her death marked a time of uncertainty for the sport, as rumours of the royal string being disbanded and the new King failing to share his mother’s love and enthusiasm for racing circulated.
It was essential that racing put on a show for its newest patrons and that is exactly what Desert Hero did as the ice-cool Tom Marquand threaded the eye of a needle to deliver a thrilling victory, to the delight of a jubilant King and Queen watching on from the royal box.
“It was a tremendous day for obviously lots of reasons, not least us having a winner at Royal Ascot, which is always a lot harder than it sounds,” explained Haggas.
“We made history a couple of times this year, but that was one of the good ones.
“This was very special for us personally, and for everyone involved with the horse in the yard. To win on such a big stage like Royal Ascot for the King and Queen was just fantastic.”
He went on: “We’ve been so used to the ruling monarch being a passionate supporter and follower of racing and when Queen Elizabeth II passed away, there was a seed of doubt that His Royal Highness wouldn’t be as involved as her.
“From what we can see, he is every bit as enthusiastic and obviously there has been a bit of trimming, but I can’t tell you the joy it appeared to give both of them, certainly after the race and the excitement beforehand, it was great.”
To many, Desert Hero’s success came somewhat as a shock. He was fairly unheralded, having finished out of the money in his only previous start at three, and the son of Sea The Stars was among the outsiders at 18-1 for the King George V Stakes handicap.
However, Haggas was always confident the best of Desert Hero had not yet been seen and, with a real urge amongst the royal trainers to be the one to provide a first Ascot triumph for the newly-crowned King, this race was always a central part of the Newmarket handler’s masterplan.
Haggas said: “He didn’t appear to be that fancied by the pundits, but we thought he would come on for his first run in the London Gold Cup and I suppose he was trying this trip for the first time.
“I’m not that clever, but that was always the race. All of us, all of the trainers and John Warren, were all keen to have as many runners with a chance for the King and Queen at Ascot, because they were going to be there for five days.
“So, it was an obvious target from quite a way out.”
Even the best-laid plans often need a stroke of luck to pay off and Desert Hero needed plenty when handed a nightmare starting position in stall 21.
From there, Marquand had no option but to sit tight and take his medicine, but fortune favoured the brave when, rounding the turn for home, the pacesetters turned into stragglers and the expert pilot was able to weave his way to the front with the winning post fast approaching.
A photo finish was called to add nerves to the excitement, before the grandstands erupted when horse number five was announced the victor.
“I actually think in the race itself, they went so fast and he was drawn so wide – he was drawn 21 of 20 if you can believe that – that Tom had no option just to give him a chance and you can only win doing that if they go a proper gallop,” explained Haggas.
“All the leaders fell apart between the two-furlong marker and the furlong marker and he stayed on with a few others and fortunately it was his head that was in front on the line.
“They were fading and coming back on top of him and he needed a bit of luck and he got it and it was great.”
That result was only the beginning of the Desert Hero story, as the colt marched on to Goodwood to land the Gordon Stakes and tee-up a shot at the final Classic of the season, the St Leger.
It was at Doncaster the royal silks were last carried to success in one of racing’s crown jewels by Dunfermline in 1976, and the momentum built up from both Desert Hero’s Ascot and Goodwood triumphs ensured there was a real sense of anticipation heading to the final Classic of the season.
With both the King and Queen in attendance, it was a day racing could look back on with pride and although Desert Hero could only muster a gallant third behind an imperious Continuous, there was a feeling that the unbreakable bond between monarch and the Sport of Kings had been firmly secured once more.
“He won nicely at Goodwood and unfortunately neither the King or Queen could be there,” continued Haggas.
“However, they did indicate a while out there was a chance they might go to Doncaster and I thought it was fantastic for racing that they went. While the horse didn’t win, I thought he ran with great credit.”
In the immediate aftermath of that Town Moor third, a tilt at the Melbourne Cup was mooted.
However, with that tentative idea failing to reach fruition, attentions now turn to 2024, when a return to the Royal meeting in quest of another historic victory appears top of Haggas’ wishlist.
“The obvious target for him in the early part of the season is the Hardwicke,” he added.
“We have just got to decide whether we take him to Australia, it has not been discussed and I think everyone is just waiting for us to indicate the horse is in good shape or ready to do it, and then a decision will be made which is out of our hands.
“If he doesn’t go to Australia, he will be prepared for the Hardwicke, with one or two races beforehand, I suspect.
“It is a very special week and it is helped if the ruling monarch is present every day, which he was this year. It is a week where everyone wants to be involved, not just the King and Queen.”
Otto Wallin believes Anthony Joshua is going through a "decline" and fancies his chances of dealing the Brit a fourth career defeat on Saturday.
Wallin will face Joshua in the main event of a stacked card billed as 'Day of Reckoning' in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after Deontay Wilder takes on Joseph Parker.
Joshua is reportedly close to agreeing to face Wilder twice in 2024, though a surprise defeat to Wallin would surely deal a fatal blow to those plans.
Joshua lost his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight belts to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 before failing to recapture them in a rematch last year, though he has since responded with wins over Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius.
Though Wallin is still wary of the threat Joshua poses, the Swede senses an opportunity to add to his opponent's woes.
"I think that he's still one of the best fighters out there and he's done really well in his career and he deserves respect," Wallin told Stats Perform.
"Losing to Usyk and [Andy] Ruiz, there's no shame in that, they're very good fighters. But I think there's been a decline in his game, he hasn't really been the same lately.
"But losing against those guys, anybody can. I think the timing of this fight is in my advantage. I have really good momentum and I don't know if he's in the same place."
Asked if he was confident of a surprise victory, Wallin said: "I am. I feel very good. I've done everything I can.
"I remember my dad, he always used to tell me that once you step in the ring, you've got to know that you've done everything you possibly can to be as prepared as possible.
"I kept that with me over the years and I always try to prepare to the best of my ability. If I'm not ready now, I'm never going to be ready.
"I'm ready to go in there, have fun, I feel like I have no pressure. He has all the pressure and I can just go in and have fun and just beat him.
"We found out about this fight about seven weeks before December 23rd. We didn't have too much time. I think we had enough time because I was already in very good shape.
"I had just had a win over [Murat] Gassiev on September 30th, I had a week off and then I was back training. I was in a really good place when we got the call so I was happy about that.
"Training has just been going really well. I think me already being in shape from the last fight and then also having the extra motivation for this fight made it all so much better and I feel like I'm in great shape, probably the best shape of my life."
Wallin has won his last six fights since losing to Tyson Fury via a unanimous decision in 2019, but the 33-year-old knows claiming the scalp of Joshua would be his biggest victory to date.
"It would be amazing. It's a big thing for me and a big thing for Sweden," he said.
"I get a lot of support over there. I think it would be amazing for me, my family, my team. So we are really excited about this opportunity."
Joseph Parker believes he can take advantage of any rustiness on Deontay Wilder's part when the fighters meet on Saturday, expressing confidence in his chances of a shock win.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder will face Parker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, with Anthony Joshua also fighting on the same bill as he takes on Otto Wallin.
Saturday's bout will be Wilder's first since a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in October 2022, while Parker has already fought three times this year, overcoming Jack Massey, Faiga Opelu and Simon Kean.
Wilder is reportedly close to agreeing a two-fight deal with Joshua for 2024, but Parker is confident he can deal a fatal blow to his hopes of facing the Brit on Saturday.
"When I beat him, then we're going to have a great 2024. When I beat him, I'm going to be celebrating on the flight back home," Parker told Stats Perform.
"I've had the best preparation for this fight. Like I said before, I started off in Ireland where we have a great setup. We've got a nice gym that we use, a great house that we stay in.
"We've got local shops that we go to, butchers that look after us, and we've got the sea right next to us that we jump in every day.
"Then we finished off in England and now we're here in Saudi Arabia. There's nothing more that I could have done to prepare for this fight. I am primed and ready."
With 14 months having passed since Wilder last stepped into the ring, Parker believes the American could struggle to acclimatise on his return to action.
Parker previously spent close to a year out of the ring before losing to Joe Joyce last September, and he says that absence impacted his performance.
"I feel like being out of the ring for a long time can definitely have an impact on performance, but we will soon find out if it's going to have an impact on him or not," he added.
"It did affect me. That's why this year has been a great year, keeping busy, having three fights already and having this fight as my fourth fight. It's going to be a great night for team Parker.
"I feel great. I feel like I've restarted my career but I have all the experience to help me with this new start and constantly learning off Andy [Lee]. Everything is perfect. It's now it's all up to myself to put it all on display on fight night, put it all together."
Former WBO middleweight champion Lee has been preparing Parker for the fight, having also been part of Tyson Fury's team as the Gypsy King overcame Wilder twice in 2020 and 2021.
Asked about the importance of Lee, Parker said: "Andy Lee as my trainer has got all the experience to pass on, being a fighter himself and a champion himself, and he was at the fights when Tyson was fighting Deontay.
"I was there for all three fights myself, it was good to see it in person. It's great to get a bit of advice off Tyson.
"But ultimately I'm going to be in the ring putting on best performance and I'm going to take care of business myself."
British player Tara Moore has been cleared of committing a doping offence and is free to resume her career after an investigation lasting more than 18 months.
The 31-year-old was provisionally suspended in May 2022 after testing positive for the anabolic steroids boldenone and nandrolone at a tournament in Colombia.
Moore immediately protested her innocence and an independent tribunal has now determined that contaminated meat was the source of the prohibited substances and she bore no fault or negligence.
Moore was ranked 83rd in the world at the time of her suspension and was Britain’s highest-ranked doubles player but she is now unranked having been unable to play since.
In a post on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, Moore wrote: “19 months. 19 months of lost time. 19 months of my reputation, my ranking, my livelihood slowly trickling away. 19 months of emotional distress.
“19 months and my team and I are finally given the answer we knew from the very start. It’s going to take more than 19 months to rebuild, repair and recuperate from what we’ve been through, but we will come back stronger than ever.”
She is not the first player to fail a doping test in South America having eaten contaminated meat, and the International Tennis Integrity Agency said in a statement: “The ITIA has issued, and will continue to issue, information concerning the risks of meat contamination in certain parts of the world to all players.”
Moore reached her second WTA Tour final at the tournament in Bogota where she tested positive.
Ante-post favourite Allaho heads a field of six for the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Willie Mullins’ runner has won eight of his 13 chase starts to date, including two wide-margin Ryanair Chase verdicts and a similarly impressive Punchestown Gold Cup win in 2022.
He made a satisfactory return to action after a 561-day absence at Clonmel last month and is short price for the Christmas highlight.
Last year’s victor Bravemansgame returns to defend his title for Paul Nicholls, although his campaign has not gone to plan so far this term with the eight-year-old having suffered odds-on defeats in both the Charlie Hall at Wetherby and the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
Frodon, winner of the race in 2020, gives Nicholls a second string to his bow, with regular partner Bryony Frost taking the ride.
The Nicky Henderson-trained Shishkin is also on something of a redemption mission as he makes his seasonal bow. He refused to start at Ascot last month while a planned Fighting Fifth Hurdle prep was scuppered by testing ground at Sandown.
The Real Whacker, winner of the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham last term, and Shark Hanlon’s Hewick complete the line up, with Gerri Colombe and Royale Pagaille absentees as expected.
Constitution Hill is the headline act in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle, which also has six contenders.
Henderson’s two-mile champion is long odds-on to extend his unbeaten run over obstacles, with the Nicholls-trained Rubaud the next best on ratings, albeit some 26lb behind.
The favourite will be joined by stablemate First Street, with Kerry Lee potentially double-handed with Black Poppy and Nemean Lion. Alan King’s Sceau Royal is the other runner.
Il Est Francais represents France in the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase.
Trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, Il Est Francais has been a dominant force at home and has five rivals at Kempton, led by Nicholls’ Hermes Allen.
Giovinco, Kilbeg King, Marble Sands and Tightenourbelts also line up, with no Irish representation after Mullins and Gordon Elliott did not declare Grangeclare West, Klassical Dream or Imagine respectively.
Manchester City’s Jack Grealish has denied being disrespectful towards Fluminense during Friday’s Club World Cup final victory.
Tempers briefly flared after the final whistle as City captain Kyle Walker and Fluminense defender Felipe Melo grappled in a heated argument.
Melo subsequently blamed Grealish for stoking tensions, claiming the City winger had shouted ‘ole’.
Grealish insisted that was not true, writing on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter: “Not once did I say ole.”
The situation quickly calmed down before City lifted their fifth trophy of the year following a comprehensive 4-0 win over the Brazilian side in Saudi Arabia.
Julian Alvarez scored twice, with Phil Foden also netting in the second half after a Nino own goal had put City two up.
Joel Embiid shook off an ankle injury to finish with 31 points and 10 rebounds in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 121-111 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.
Embiid scored all 31 points after landing awkwardly trying to block a shot with 5:25 remaining in the first quarter.
He recorded at least 30 points and 10 rebounds for the 13th straight game, the longest in the NBA since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it in 16 consecutive games in 1971-72. Embiid has scored 30 or more in 14 games in a row, the most in the NBA since James Harden’s 32-game run in 2018-19.
Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey each scored 33 points, marking just the second time in franchise history three players have scored 30-plus points in a game. The other was in 1961 when Dick Barnett, Hal Greer and Dolph Schayes did it for the Syracuse Nationals.
Philadelphia has won eight of nine overall and six straight meetings with Toronto.
Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 31 points.
Young makes history in Hawks’ loss
Trae Young had his sixth straight game with at least 30 points and 10 assists, but it wasn’t enough as the Miami Heat got 30 points from Tyler Herro in a 122-113 victory.
Young finished with 30 points and 13 assists for his sixth consecutive game with at least 30 and 10. That ties the second-longest such streak in NBA history, one that only Oscar Robertson has topped.
Robertson had such a streak twice – a six-game stretch in January 1964, then a seven-game run spanning December to January 1965.
Duncan Robinson had 21 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 19 for the Heat, who overcame an 11-point deficit in the third quarter.
Sabonis has triple-double to lift Kings
Domantas Sabonis had 28 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his fourth triple-double of the season as the Sacramento Kings rolled to a 120-105 win over the short-handed Phoenix Suns.
De’Aaron Fox added 23 points and broke Mike Bibby's Sacramento-era assists record in the third quarter.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points and Devin Booker contributed 24 for the Suns, who have lost four of five to fall to .500 (14-14).
Phoenix played without Bradley Beal (ankle), Josh Okogie (hip strain) and Jusuf Nurkic (personal).
Tottenham took the gamble of confirming managerial novice Tim Sherwood as their new head coach on this day in 2013.
Sherwood had no experience at leading a club prior to assuming Spurs first-team duties one week earlier in the wake of Andre Villas-Boas’ sacking.
Yet after one defeat and one win, the Tottenham board had no trouble in supporting Sherwood to lead them further up the Premier League table, with the then 44-year-old appointed on a contract running to the end of the 2014-15 season.
The north London club had been expected to challenge for a top-four finish after a heavy outlay over the summer, yet they sat seventh in the table and were four points adrift of the Champions League places.
Villas-Boas was dismissed a day after a demoralising 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool, while Tottenham had also shipped six goals at Manchester City.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy admitted he was loath to dispense with the services of Villas-Boas, but gave his backing to Sherwood, who played for the club as a midfielder from 1999 until 2003.
Levy told the club’s official website: “We were extremely reluctant to make a change mid-season, but felt we had to do so in the club’s best interests.
“We have a great squad and we owe them a head coach who will bring out the best in them and allow them to flourish and enjoy a strong, exciting finish to the season.
“We are in the fortunate position of having within our club a talented coach in Tim Sherwood. We believe Tim has both the knowledge and the drive to take the squad forward.”
Sherwood oversaw Tottenham finishing sixth in the table in the 2013-14 campaign before parting ways with the club two days later, with Levy saying in a statement: “We agreed an 18-month contract with a break clause at the end of the season and we have now exercised that option.”
Patrick Kane scored twice in Detroit’s five-goal first period and had the clinching shootout tally as the Red Wings squandered a four-goal lead before pulling out a wild 7-6 victory Friday over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Kane scored the game’s first two goals and Daniel Sprong, J.T. Compher and Shayne Gostisbehere also tallied to give the Red Wings a 5-1 lead after one period.
The Flyers, though, scored twice in the second period before Garnet Hathaway, Scott Laughton and Owen Tippett netted third-period goals for a 6-5 lead. Dylan Larkin’s bad-angle goal came just 37 seconds after Tippett’s and made it 6-6.
Detroit snapped a four-game skid while Philadelphia moved to 7-1-2 in its last 10 games.
Niederreiter, Hellebuyck keep Jets surging
Nino Niederreiter had two goals and an assist and Connor Hellebuyck carried a shutout late into the third period in the Winnipeg Jets’ 5-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
Josh Morrissey, Gabriel Vilardi and Adam Lowry also scored for the Jets, who moved back atop the Central Division with their eighth win in 10 games (8-1-1).
Vilardi has goals in five straight games with six goals and six assists during that span.
Hellebuyck kept the Bruins scoreless until Brandon Carlo’s goal with 5:38 remaining. He is 6-0-1 with a 1.86 goals-against average in his past seven starts.
Boston is winless in three straight games (0-1-2).
Oilers score 4 in 3rd period to beat Rangers
Zach Hyman triggered a four-goal outburst in the third period and the visiting Edmonton Oilers held on for a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers.
Blake Wheeler’s first-period goal stood up until Hyman scored the equaliser at 3:07 of the third. Evander Kane tallied 70 seconds later, and Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod added goals to put the Oilers up 4-1.
Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuyle scored late goals for the Rangers, who are 4-4-0 in their last eight games but still lead the Eastern Conference with 45 points.
Rebecca Welch will create history on Saturday by becoming the first female to referee a Premier League match.
Welch will complete her remarkable journey from the playing fields of north east England to the top flight when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley at Craven Cottage.
The 40-year-old from Washington in Tyne and Wear was still working in an administrative capacity for the NHS when she began her refereeing career in 2010.
Welch gained her badges through the Durham County Football Association and climbed through the ranks after taking charge of university and Sunday league games.
Just over a decade later – and two-and-a-half years after becoming the first woman to referee an English Football League match – Welch’s decisions will be scrutinised by millions of fans around the world.
It is no place for the faint-hearted, but Welch, who became the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League game in November, breaks new ground with the backing of Burnley boss Vincent Kompany and Fulham counterpart Marco Silva.
“It’s certainly a benchmark and milestone,” Kompany said ahead of his side’s trip to London.
“I think she’ll take great pride in having done it herself. There’s a lot of women – in general, but in the game as well specifically – who will see this as a way to achieve at the highest level.
“I am always pro any kind of extension anyway because what it does is widen the pool of talent.
“We need access to all the available talent, the best referees in the best league in the world.”
Both Kompany and Silva are adamant that their players will behave no differently with Welch in the middle rather than a male colleague.
Kompany said: “It shouldn’t be really about the official or the manager. It should be about the players and, in that sense, I can’t see why we wouldn’t have that normality.
“Of course the story is bigger and deserves to be bigger, but once the whistle blows every actor on the day will want the players to be highlighted.”
Silva said: “For us it will be a normal situation. Of course it will be the first time so everyone has to talk about it, but when the game starts it is going to be another Premier League game, with people with good ability to be a manager, a player or to be a referee.
“We will not even talk about it before the match because for us she is the ref, like she was the fourth official some weeks ago in our game against Manchester United, and for us it was a normal situation.
“We have to always respect all the officials and she’s going to be welcomed. She got this chance because she deserves it for sure and she has the ability to be at the level she is going to be.”
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery refused to be downbeat after his side missed the chance to go top of the Premier League.
Nicolo Zaniolo’s stoppage-time header rescued a 1-1 draw with struggling Sheffield United on Friday.
Cameron Archer, who joined the Blades from Villa in the summer, netted for the visitors – who climb off the bottom – with three minutes left to leave Villa on the brink of a first home league defeat since February.
But they salvaged a point, although their run of club-record 15 straight league wins at Villa Park ended, and they sit second in the standings, behind leaders Arsenal on goal difference.
Emery, whose side saw Leon Bailey have a goal disallowed by VAR while the hosts also had three penalty claims turned down on review, said: “It was a very good point at the end.
“At the start we were very excited and we were expecting Sheffield to be very strong, they were successful in their plan and they scored when we lost control of the game.
“The draw is fantastic for us because we are keeping the good feeling, not with three points but playing in the same way we are trying to do.
“We were upset and frustrated with the review of our goal, we have to understand each decision even if we don’t agree with them.
“We lost the control of the game in the last 20 minutes. At the end we were frustrated, I wanted three points but we have to accept how Sheffield defended.”
Villa dominated from the start without finding the breakthrough and had two penalty claims rejected by VAR, the first when Ollie Watkins was shoved by Vini Souza before George Baldock’s handball was studied.
Neither fell for Villa but they kept pushing and Wes Foderingham saved low from Moussa Diaby.
Sheffield United’s plan was working and they frustrated the hosts, with Villa’s expected procession to the summit failing to materialise.
But the Blades almost gifted Villa an opener after 58 minutes, only to be saved by VAR.
Watkins robbed Baldock as he failed to clear, swapped passes with Jacob Ramsey, and crossed for Bailey to sweep in but VAR disallowed the goal after Ramsey pulled Foderingham at the corner.
Another VAR reprieve for the visitors came 15 minutes later when Baldock survived a handball review as Villa Park became increasingly anxious.
It gave the Blades belief and Emiliano Martinez saved from Oliver Norwood before Archer, who came through Villa’s academy, tapped in after outstanding work from Gustavo Hamer with three minutes left.
United tried to cling on, Foderingham saving from Alex Moreno, but they were breached in the seventh minute of injury time when Zaniolo headed in Douglas Luiz’s cross.
“It always seems when we play at Villa Park it’s an interesting night. We were up against a team on a fabulous run, who have swatted aside better teams than us,” said Blades boss Chris Wilder, whose side host relegation rivals Luton on Boxing Day.
“I’m not going to be embarrassed in terms of the plan we had, because we have to have a structure. You do get close, you are ultimately a little disappointed but when the head is on the pillow we will be pleased with our efforts.
“We’re going to have to show character right the way through because we’re up against it. This football club is built on that. I’ve been delighted with the group and their attitude.
“Everyone in the world expects a home win. We had to have a structure, it’s not anti-football, it’s up to the opposition to break us down. They are the ones in form.”
Raymond van Barneveld rolled back the years to reach the third round of the PDC World Darts Championship with a 3-1 victory over Radek Szaganski.
The 56-year-old Dutchman – a five-time world champion – booked his post-Christmas place at Alexandra Palace and may fancy his chances of going further in the tournament with Peter Wright and James Wade eliminated from his section of the draw.
Van Barneveld next plays Welshman Jim Williams, the conqueror of two-time world champion Wright, and could meet teenage sensation Luke Littler in the last 16.
“Of course I look at it (the draw) but it gives you more pressure, right?” Van Barneveld told Sky Sports after averaging 99.81 and resisting a strong Szaganski recovery after the Pole had lost the opening two sets.
“Peter Wright has gone, James Wade has gone, but, hey, there’s a little guy named Luke Littler. Come on, he’s fantastic.
“I had a bad start. When I was practising backstage I never missed a treble. I’m thinking ‘all right’, but my finishing was really good and I’m really happy with this game.
“But it’s still not my A game and I can do a lot better.”
Chris Dobey, the current Masters champion, beat William O’Connor 3-2 in a match of high scoring and high quality.
The pair produced 17 180s – 10 for Dobey and seven for O’Connor – as the game swung one way and then the other into a final set.
Dobey, who this week celebrated the birth of his son Chester, held his nerve to win the decider 3-1 and finished with a match average of 103.09, his best at Alexandra Palace.
Florian Hempel ended Dimitri van den Bergh’s tournament hopes for the second time in three years.
Van den Bergh, the number 15 seed and World Championship semi-finalist 12 months ago, raced into a two-set lead after losing the first two legs of the match.
But Hempel stormed back to win 3-2 and will play Stephen Bunting or Ryan Joyce in round three.
Hempel’s fellow German Martin Schindler overcame Jermaine Wattimena 3-1.
Schindler dominated most of the match but Wattimena had the consolation of a 170 checkout in the third set.
Swansea manager Alan Sheehan urged his players to take confidence from a first home win since October as they edged a late 2-1 Championship victory at home to Preston.
Jamie Paterson completed his brace in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage-time to end Swansea’s run of seven home games without a win and deny North End a valuable away point after Liam Millar cancelled out Paterson’s opener.
As a result, Swansea – who have yet to appoint a permanent successor to Michael Duff – climbed four places to 15th in the table, while interim manager Sheehan has now taken seven points from five games in charge.
“We’re delighted with the win. We haven’t been good enough at home or got enough points but after the playing well and losing against Middlesbrough last time out, tonight was just about doing enough to win the game,” said Sheehan.
“We weren’t fluent with our performance by any stretch. We tried to play it through, looking for the perfect goal but it broke down each time.
“Preston are physical and try to ram it down your throat which we have to deal with. They came to make it hard for us and sometimes you’ve just got to grind it out and two moments of absolute quality from Jamie Paterson won us the game.
“We need to build confidence, resilience and a desire to win from this. When you win and have things to work on then that’s good. It wasn’t pretty but we got the job done and took a valuable three points.”
Preston continued their dramatic slide in form and slipped to ninth, with just one win from their last seven games.
They at least looked to have taken a point from their travels after substitute Millar cancelled out Paterson’s opener with a well-taken curling effort.
However Alistair McCann gave away possession inside his own half to gift Paterson the late winner.
Preston manager Ryan Lowe said: “I’m disappointed and gutted that we just couldn’t see it through to get what would have been a good point.
“I thought we were well worthy of the draw. It was a battling performance, nothing amazing and we dug in.
“We knew Swansea would dominate possession because that’s what they do but we handled their pressure well for long periods but individual errors have cost us.
“We played sideways instead of forwards for the second and left the man unmarked in the box for the first.
“It was disappointing because we had got ourselves right back in the game with a great goal and I felt we were in the ascendency.
“The players have character and effort but there were two lapses of concentration for the goals.
“I have to take responsibility as the manager, I know that and I have to lift myself first because I feel that I’m letting people down and I don’t like doing that.
“We could do with a bit of luck and to get that we need to keep working hard and digging in.”
Bristol City head coach Liam Manning reflected on winning a Christmas cracker against Hull and admitted: “We like to do things the hard way.”
His side led through Tommy Conway’s 24th-minute penalty, awarded for handball against Jacob Greaves, only to fall behind by half-time to Aaron Connolly’s solo strike and an Ozan Tufan spot-kick after referee Ben Toner spotted a dubious foul on Greaves in a crowded box.
Anis Mehmeti matched the brilliance of Connolly’s goal with a similar effort to equalise on 77 minutes and after Hull lost goalkeeper Ryan Allsop to an injury sustained trying to prevent that goal, Knight beat his replacement Matt Ingram with a deflected effort to settle the outcome.
Manning joked that he had aged 10 years during the previous home win over Sunderland and again had his emotions put through the wringer.
He said: “Up to our goal, we were excellent and caused them real problems. Then we got a bit emotional and they took advantage as a very good side who are well coached and on a good run of form.
“The less said about Hull’s penalty the better. There was so little contact on their player and I’m just glad the result wasn’t influenced by a poor refereeing decision.
“But we responded to the setback well, even in the final minutes of the first half, and the second-half performance was excellent.
“We got on the front foot and showed some moments of real quality. We spoke at half-time and there was so much good in the first half that I didn’t want to derail it.
“The message to the players was that we faced a terrific challenge and could either step up and build on our good first-half play or let the penalty decision have an adverse effect.”
Hull head coach Liam Rosenior, a former player for both clubs, was serving a one-match touchline ban and admitted: “Watching from the stand was horrendous. I have learned my lesson and never want to let it happen again.
“Credit to Bristol for playing well, but for us it was three points dropped. I sound like a broken record when I say that we didn’t get the result we deserved.
“Our level of performance was again good, but we have to manage games better because the end product is all-important. It’s so frustrating because we should have more points on the board than we have.
“The defeat was self-inflicted. There was so much good in the way we played.
“Ryan Allsop hurt his back diving for their second goal and that is just bad luck.
“I believe that if you perform consistently over the course of a season you will end up where you deserve to be. We were by far the better team, but key moments in the game have cost us.”
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