Ricky Walden progresses to International Snooker Championship final in China

Keen runner Ricky Walden sprinted into the International Championship final as he moved one step away from the biggest title of his career.

The world number 11 stands to win £125,000 if he carries off the title in Chengdu, and should benefit from having a day off as Mark Allen and Mark Williams cue off for the right to tackle him in Sunday's final.

Chester-born Walden, who ran in the New York Marathon five years ago, brushed aside fellow Englishman Robert Milkins 9-2 with a commanding performance.

He notched breaks of 65, 107, 54, 87 and a match-clinching 74 as Gloucester-based Milkins struggled to make any headway. This week’s tournament offers the biggest top prize of any tournament held outside the United Kingdom, higher than any reward Walden has ever won.

The 2013 World Championship semi-finalist's success at the Chinese tournament comes as little surprise, given the 31-year-old has a history of saving his best performances for the country. Walden's two previous world ranking titles both came in China, at the 2008 Shanghai Masters and 2012 Wuxi Classic.