SCHOOLBOY star Jackson Page showed nerves of steel at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena, as the Coral Welsh Open wildcard beat Jason Weston on a re-spotted black.

Under-18 world champion Page, from Ebbw Vale, demonstrated outstanding composure for a 15-year-old, fighting back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 and secure a place in Wednesday's second round.

“It’s unreal,” said the teenager after his win over snooker’s world number 123. “When that black went in I didn’t know what to feel.

“I came into the tournament as a wildcard and everyone was telling me just to enjoy it for the experience, but I knew I could do well and hopefully win a few games.”

The Ebbw Fawr Learning Community student produced a brilliant clearance on the colours, including a sensational pink, in the deciding frame to tie the scores and force a re-spot.

“I was a bit straight on the blue so really I was just hoping to get the black out and in play,” he added. “With the pink I just thought ‘go for it’ and luckily it went in.

“It was a tough black as well, tight on the top cushion and a bit awkward, but when it went in I knew I could do it.”

On the manner of his comeback, he continued: “I knew my potting had to be on form to break build and pot him off the table, but that didn’t happen.

“I had to compete with my safety and, to be fair, I did. I don’t know if I would usually but I have been working on it and it paid off. Winning through safety and tactical play gives you a lot of confidence.”

Page, who faces John Astley next, edged a gruelling opening frame on the black after both players had toiled away for more than 40 minutes.

England’s Weston responded by taking the next two frames and then moved to within one of reaching round two after Page snookered himself on the yellow.

But the youngster wasn’t finished and levelled at 3-3 thanks to a big slice of luck in the sixth frame when he potted the blue in trying to escape from a snooker.

The deciding frame was another nervy affair and it looked to be going Weston’s way when Page hit the black instead of the last red.

But, back at the table 27 behind with 27 remaining, the youngster pulled out all the stops to take it to a re-spotted black and then win it after a Weston miscue.

While Page was on his way to a sensational victory, his coach, Newbridge’s Lee Walker, was beating Rhys Clark 4-2 on one of the arena’s other tables.

After losing the first frame, Walker, a former Crucible quarter-finalist, won the next three and then fired in a break of 94 to go 4-1 up.

Clark did close the gap but Walker eased home, getting over the line thanks to a 50 break.

“I’m delighted with the win,” he said. “I’ve lost my last few games on the tour so it’s always nice to get a win, no matter how you play.

“With it being a home tournament, and I’ve got a lot of friends and family here, you would like to play well.

“I started off quite badly, I was lucky that Rhys wasn’t quite on his game, and I could easily have been 3-0 down but was 2-1 up.

“In my last few matches I seem to have run into players in great form, so I was very pleased to get the win and hopefully I can play a little bit better in the next game.”

He added: “I got away with it a little bit because Rhys didn’t play well, and he is a very good player.

“He didn’t play so well and that was good for me, and I did manage to play a little bit better towards the end.”

Newport's Ian Preece lamented his inability to close out frames following a 4-1 defeat to John Astley in the first round of the Coral Welsh Open.

Preece was referring to frame three of his clash with Gateshead’s Astley, who won it to go 2-1 up despite the Welshman seeming to be in control after a break of 60.

Astley then won the next two frames to set up a showdown with Ebbw Vale teenager Jackson Page in Wednesday's second round.

Reflecting on his loss, Preece said: “It’s disappointing really.

“I didn’t start off great but made it 1-1. I made 60 in the next and looked like going 2-1 in front but somehow lost the frame on the black.

“They are frames you can’t afford to lose and recently I’ve been losing too many of them.

“It’s disappointing because I know I can play a whole lot better, but I’ve lost countless frames from being 50 or 60 in front this season alone.

“They are frame-winning positions and I’m ending up coming out of the frame losing it. It’s a killer blow, especially in a best-of-seven.”

He added: “It’s not through a lack of practice because I’m playing every single day, but it’s just not clicking for some reason.

“I’m probably playing the wrong shot at the vital time. When I was on 60 I took on the brown to put me 36 in front with only 35 on.

“I’ve got an easy snooker. The brown isn’t easy but I should get it. I was questioning myself then, should I have rolled in behind the black and put him in a snooker?

“But I didn’t see the point in that because the snooker was easy to hit and the brown was virtually frame ball.

“I think it’s being away from the game for six years and maybe just a bit of rustiness. Maybe I need a bit of sharpening up on my game because I tend to be playing the wrong shots at the wrong time.”

Meanwhile, Carmarthen’s Matthew Stevens was second best to Stuart Bingham, losing 4-2 to the former world champion.

Bingham was quick out of the blocks with a century in the first frame, but Stevens responded well, knocking in 62 to get back on level terms.

The duo shared the next two frames before Bingham secured the win with a break of 64 and then an 85-1 scoreline in the sixth.

Dominic Dale had no problems seeing off China’s Zhang Anda, racing to a 4-0 triumph in no time.

A run of 81 in the third frame was Dale’s best break of the match, as Anda couldn’t keep up with the Welshman.

Cwm cueman Mark Williams begins his quest for a third Welsh Open title on Tuesday when he plays Elliot Slessor.