Snooker star fined £7,000 for ‘extreme drunken behaviour’ wins Welsh Open title

Snooker star Robert Milkins celebrated a life-changing win at the Welsh Open less than a year after a boozy bender left him hospitalised at a tournament in Turkey.

World No.27 Milkins claimed just his second ranking title on Sunday as he beat Shaun Murphy 9-7 in Llandudno to claim a huge jackpot.

It was undoubtedly the best night of the 46-year-old’s career, having faced a number of issues away from the sport in recent years.

Milkins was fined £7,000 for ‘extreme drunken behaviour’ at the Turkish Masters in March 2022, after a birthday drinking session saw him end up in hospital with a cut face, and needing his stomach pumped.

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The Milkman had earlier been involved in an altercation with guests at the Nirvana Cosmopolitan hotel in Antalya. And as WPBSA chief Jason Ferguson attempted to help him, Milkins fell in the gents toilets.

He later admitted he had struggled to deal with the deaths of family members for a long time and feared he would be unable to pay the fine, having pocketed just £10,000 all season.

But Milkins paid tribute to his family for helping him get back on track as he picked up the £80,000 first prize in Wales, alongside a hefty £150,000 BetVictor Series bonus.

“That is a life-changing amount of money to me. There was so much pressure, the money of course but also the trophy most of all,” Milkins said, having been a 125-1 outsider at the start of the tournament.

“It won’t sink in for a couple of weeks. I can’t believe I have won the title and the bonus. It was a struggle all day, I was fighting my emotions. I didn’t play the way I wanted to play, but in the end I played ok, I dug in and I’m really proud of myself. I made nice little 60 breaks in that evening session. I am chuffed to bits.

“Having my three kids is here is amazing, and I’d like to thank Paul Mount, a friend Brett but I’d like to dedicate the trophy to Dean and Mandy over there.

“They have picked up all the pieces when things have gone wrong and I have lived there a few times, so this one is for them.”

Milkins rises to 16th in the official rankings ahead of the Players Championship, where he faces off against Tom Ford in the first round in Aldersley.

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