UK Championship: Sam Baird postpones pint for winning feeling

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Sam BairdImage source, Getty Images
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Sam Baird lost to India's Aditya Mehta on the final was knocked out in the first round of last year's UK Championship

Betway UK Championship

Venue: York Barbican Dates: 27 November-9 December

Coverage: Watch live across BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, Connected TV, the BBC Sport website and mobile app from 1 December.

First-round winner Sam Baird said he was thinking about supping his first pint after slipping 5-1 behind against 2015 runner-up Liang Wenbo in the UK Championship.

The 30-year-old from Devon took the opener with a classy break of 78.

But the Chinese world number 27 replied in magnificent style, scoring two tons and four breaks of more than 50.

"At 5-1 down I was picturing my first pint because he was playing too well," said Baird, who fought back to win 6-5.

"I broke off at 4-1 down and he made 130 and that's when I stopped being annoyed and just started admiring him.

"He played fantastic. He made every long pot and made some brilliant breaks."

But the world number 105, who had to win back his place on the main snooker tour at Q School after dropping off at the end of last season, showed commendable grit to "hang in" and then take advantage of his increasingly frustrated opponent.

Having got back to 5-3, Baird hit back-to-back half centuries before taking the decider in confident style.

"I didn't give up and thought if I could put him under pressure then maybe he would start twitching a few," added Baird, who only won three matches in the main draw of ranking events last season.

"Normally I would fall apart when I have been in my seat for five games.

"It's easy to do that when you have no rhythm. But I started the match quite well and still felt I could do something if I got a chance.

"When I started coming back at him I knew it would be horrific for him. At 5-4 I knew he'd be panicking. It's got to be my best ever comeback."

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