EBBW Vale’s Jackson Page upset the odds by knocking out 2023 Welsh Open champion Robert Milkins to join fellow Gwent snooker star Mark Williams in the second stage of the BetVictor Championship League ranking event.

Milkins missed out on a win in the opening match at Morningside Arena in Leicester against Ukrainian Iulian Boiko, who forced a 2-2 draw with crucial potting in the final frame.

Andrew Higginson initially seemed the favourite to qualify, starting with a century break of 121 in his opening match against Page.

Higginson followed up with a 2-2 draw against top seed Milkins, and a 3-1 victory against Boiko to complete his day.

Milkins entered his last match desperate for a 3-0 win to top the group.

However, a stunning 127-century break from Page in frame two, followed by runs of 72 and 60, allowed the 22-year-old Gwent ace to make a surprising comeback and qualify from Group 10 ahead of both Milkins and Higginson.

In contrast to Milkins’ performance, 2019 World Open runner-up Thepchaiya Un-Nooh cruised through, kicking off with a 3-1 victory against English cueist Mark Joyce in the opening match.

Un-Nooh continued his momentum into the evening session, delivering a formidable performance against Julien Leclercq with breaks of 106, 67, and 104 to claim a 3-0 win.

Despite finishing the day with a 2-2 tie with Neath’s Daniel Wells, Un-Nooh was guaranteed to progress to the second stage, being the only player in his group to claim two wins.

Page joins Cwm potter Williams and fellow Welshmen Matthew Stevens, Ryan Day, Michael White and Jamie Jones in the second stage.

Three-time ranking semi-finalist Jones cleared the table in his opening match on Saturday, executing quick runs of 65, 124, and 80 against Scotsman Chris Totten.

However, Jones struggled in his second match, falling short in the first two frames against Indian cueist Ishpreet Singh Chadha.

‘The Welsh Warrior’ made a comeback to level the match 2-2, with runs of 55 and 69.

Jones completed the day with another 2-2 draw against Liu Hongyu.

Thanks to a difference in frame losses and his top break of 124 in the opening match, Jones remained top of his group and advanced to the next stage.

The Championship League is the first ranking event of the new season and was won last year by the 2005 World Champion, Shaun Murphy.

The opening tournament of the season runs until July 3. In the first phase, 128 players are split into 32 groups of four, with those 32 group winners going through to the next round.

The tournament takes place over three stages, with winners’ week running from June 28 and concluding with finals day on July 3.

The eventual winner will also receive an invite into the 2023 Champion of Champions in November alongside the £20,000 first-place prize.