LEEDS amateur Peter Lines waved farewell to the Betway UK Snooker Championship but now hopes to cheer his son Oliver to glory at the Barbican.

Lines, who stunned defending champion Neil Robertson in the first round, was beaten 6-2 by Stoke's Liam Highfield - ending dreams of a possible meeting with his son in the latter stages of the competition.

The pair had become the first father-and-son duo to make the last 32 of a ranking event since Geoff and Neal Foulds in 1986.

Oliver, who sprang an upset of his own when beating number four seed Judd Trump on Sunday night, is due to play Jimmy Robertson on Tuesday afternoon for a place in the last sixteen,

His father, who dropped off the professional tour last season, said: "It's disappointing to get this far and lose but I will be back tomorrow supporting Oliver.

"It's a bit disappointing that we both couldn't go onto the last 16 but hopefully he does.

"Sometimes it is hard to follow-up a result like beating Judd but hopefully he can play as well as he played on Sunday night. He is practising hard and there is no reason why he can't go all the way or certainly go deep into it.

"But if Oliver is a bit below par, he will probably get beat - and, if Jimmy Robertson is below par, he will get beat, that's how snooker is.

"He's just got to stay focused and play his own game," added Lines. "He can't get caught up in how other people play. You have to do your own thing. If he does that, his attitude is always good, so he will have given himself a chance."

Reflecting on the family's success this week, he said: "I am proud of what we have done. I always wanted to be on the tour when he got there but I think it will be a while before a father and son get to the last 32 of the UK Championship at the same time again."

World champion Mark Selby breezed into the fourth round thanks to a 6-1 win over Gloucester's Robert Milkins.

Selby, who had beaten Andy Hicks and Daniel Wells to reach the third round, took control of the game in the third frame.

"I was happy with how I controlled the match at my tempo," he said, "But Robert didn't play anywhere near what he is capable of - if he does, it could have been a different scoreline."

Despite avoiding the same sort of giant-killing that has eliminated Robertson and Trump this week, Selby insists that the competition is no more easier to win.

"These players are going out to players who are also very good," he said. "You can't think the draw has 'opened up for me' because these players have just beat Neil and Judd, you have to concentrate on your own game. If you look too far ahead, you are packing your bags and going home."

Ronnie O'Sullivan was described as "not human" by his opponent Michael Georgiou after surging into the last 16.

O'Sullivan dropped his first frame of the tournament when Georgiou made a 52 break in the opener but the five-times former world champion reeled off six frames in a row to earn a 6-1 win.

World number 99 Georgiou said: "He's not human - the way he's playing at the moment I can't see anyone beating him."

But O'Sullivan, 40, insists he feels far from invincible, despite his stunning run of form in the tournament and the shock exits of Robertson and Trump.

Maintaining his insistence that he is now a "part-time" player due to his increasing commentary duties and commitment to exhibitions, he said he would take Georgiou's praise as a compliment.

"It's nice to get that recognition because I've been in the sport for so long and won all the titles but for a fellow pro to say that means they appreciate the way you play and that's the biggest compliment I could take away from snooker.

"I'm not even half-way through the event and there's such a long way to go, but hopefully I can stay in as long as I can and enjoy it as long as I can."

Ali Carter, meanwhile, was knocked out on the final black of his game against David Gilbert