Foster survives a scare as more seeds tumble

PAUL Foster became the first Scot to book a last-16 berth in the World Singles Championship at Potters in Norfolk yesterday, but he had to regroup several times before he got over the finishing line 2-8, 6-4, 2-1 against Cardiff's Richard Morgan.

On another day of shocks, two more top-seeded players crashed out of contention. The defending champion, Billy Jackson, lost to Canada's Hirendra Bhartu 7-7, 8-8, 2-1 while Anglo Scot Andy Thomson, the No 8 seed, went down 7-6, 6-5 to Exeter's Robert Paxton .

First of three Scots in action today will be 24-year-old Stewart Anderson, who made a big impact at the Scottish Open in Perth before losing in the semi-final to Foster. He's up against No 15 seed Mark McMahon from Brisbane.

Five-times winner Alex Marshall takes on local hero Tim Stone, while Darren Burnett faces No 13 seed Les Gillett.