Alex Borg has bowed out of the Northern Ireland Open after going down to Norway’s Kurt Maflin 4-1 in Belfast yesterday.

The Maltese player, who had the better of Thailand’s Dechawat Poomjaeng 4-1 in the first round, was soon on the backfoot as he lost the opening frame 68-62 after forfeiting a commanding 62-27 lead.

Maflin also won a tight second to move 2-0 ahead before Borg managed to pull one back when taking the third 72-16.

Maflin soon regained control, winning the next two frames in comfortable fashion and compiling the only century break of the match, a 112, in the fourth frame, to complete a 4-1 victory.

Maflin takes on European U-21 champion Josh Boileau in the third round today.

Maximum Higgins

Also yesterday, John Higgins made the eighth 147 break of his career during his second-round match.

Higgins’s perfect run came in the last frame of his 4-1 defeat of Sam Craigie. The key shot was a brilliant cross-double on the final red which dropped into a centre pocket, allowing the Scot to pot the 15th black and clear the colours.

It’s worth £10,000 from the rolling prize pot for 147s – plus the £2,000 tournament high break prize, as long as it’s not equalled this week.

Higgins stands behind Ronnie O’Sullivan (13) and Stephen Hendry (11) on the list of players with most official 147s.