STUART Bingham breathed a huge sigh of relief after showing his fighting spirit for a place in the UK Snooker Championship fourth round at the expense of rising star Joel Walker.

The 38-year-old could not find his rhythm early on in their third-round clash as breaks on 41, 59 and 56 were enough for Walker storm into the lead at the Barbican in York..

But after snatching a crucial frame to take it to 3-1 before the interval, Bingham battled back and saw off the 20-year-old with a break of 95 in the final frame decider.

He now faces Ricky Walden in the last 16 at 1pm today.

“It was just one of those days where I thought I brought Joel down to my level,” he said. “He stormed away to 3-0 and I was all over the place.

“But I slowed it down and ground it out, and to make a 95 at the end to finish the match off was unbelievable.

“I thought it was going to be one of those days at 3-0 as nothing was happening and I didn’t feel myself, so to make 50-odd to get to 3-1 kept me in the game.

“A couple of years ago I’d have maybe laid down and let him beat me, so to win like that just shows the last couple of years how my game has gone on.

“Joel had the first chance in the decider and was unlucky not to finish on a red after potting a good black. I then potted one myself under pressure and got a good break into the pack.”

World No.9 Bingham now faces in-form Ricky Walden in the next round in York – an intriguing match up with the 32-year-old ranked just one place above him.

And Bingham is naturally extremely cautious of the threat of Walden, who took victory at the International Championship in China just two tournaments ago.

“Ricky will be full of confidence. I think we play a very similar game and have had good games in the past,” he added.

“I’m expecting another good one and I’ll have to play a lot better to stand a chance. He’s confident but I am still in this tournament and tomorrow is another day.

“I’ve seen a couple of his matches and hopefully I can put on a good show when I get out there.

“But that was a bit gritty and I’ll be back on the practice tables tonight to get a bit of fluency. I feel lucky to still be in the tournament.”

British Eurosport is the Home of Snooker, showing 19 tournaments per season including the World Championship, UK Championship the Masters and all other ranking events. Available on Sky, Virgin Media & BT TV or online/mobile via eurosportplayer.com #eurosportsnooker