Local favourite John Higgins coasted into the second round of the Royal London Watches Grand Prix in Glasgow, thrashing Anthony Hamilton 5-0.

The three-time champion needed just 92 minutes to book his place in the last 16, firing in breaks of 134 and 97.

"I hit the ball OK but I'm still not that confident," said the 33-year-old, who also had runs of 65 and 58.

Meanwhile in the other match, Joe Perry was pegged back from 3-0 to 3-3 by Barry Hawkins but won through 5-3.

Perry moved into what appeared to be a dominant lead with runs of 64, 41 and 59, but Hawkins kept the match alive with a 75 and 61.

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He almost forced the contest into a deciding frame but Perry held on, although admitted afterwards: "I never felt comfortable out there.

"We're really good friends, so it felt really strange out there. For some reason I just couldn't get going, I was a little bit nervous.

"I didn't play anywhere near my best form. But luckily the last frame went scrappy, which helped me, because I never fancied clearing up at one visit."

For the first time in the event, each round is randomly drawn and Higgins said: "I'm all for it, it adds something different."

Looking ahead, Higgins said: "I'm capable of stringing a few matches together but I'm not doing that regularly enough.

"I've been struggling for the last couple of years and I'm not sure why. I know I've won the world title but that's the only tournament I've won in three years.

"This is a big season for me. I've never been one to dedicate myself to snooker in the way that (Steve) Davis and (Stephen) Hendry did, but I've still got the desire and the hunger to win titles."

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