LUKE Milligan, a 19-year-old from Barnet, achieved one of the most extraordinary British victories at Wimbledon when he defeated Nicolas Lapentti, of Ecuador, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 6-7, 6-1 after 3 hours, 46 minutes on Court 13 yesterday.

Both men hirpled around suffering from cramp and Milligan only clinched the win on his eighth match point.

This is his first year in the championship, he is ranked only No.278 in the world and here he is in the third round. His opponent, ranked No.86, also gave a brave performance as the home crowd cheered to echo every home winner.

It was Cool-Hand Luke's driving forehands which earned the virtually unknown Briton his finest hour. Among the spectators was his taxi-driver father Jim - hopefully not with the meter running.

Milligan stormed into a two-set lead and had his first match point in the third. He lost that on a tie-break and the next when it looked at one point as though he might have to retire. The teenager slumped to the ground after a serve and get up very slowly. Yet in the deciding set it was Luke who held, and hit, the aces. He powered to 5-0, lost one game, but came through in fine style. ``I was cramping in both legs,'' said Luke.

``Towards the end of the third set my hamstring seized and I fell over at the start of the fourth.

``The coach told me afterwards he thought of coming on when I fell but I never had any intention of quitting. At the start of the final set I noticed he was suffering as well. We were a bit like two bozers by then.''

Milligan's success means he is guaranteed #15,900, more than he has earned in any single year so far. ``I don't have debts except to my parents,'' he said. ``They have worked hard to give me this opportunity and I just know they are very proud. This win means there will be a Briton in the fourth round. Milligan meets the winner of the all-home tie between Tim Henman and Danny Sapsford which did not finish last night.

Henman took the first set and it was 5-5 in the second.

Said Milligan: ``Tim or Danny? I haven't even thought of that yet.''

The only Brit to be beaten yesterday was Colin Beecher. The Monte Carlo-based Italian Renzo Furlan was just a little smarter and wiser. Still, home spirits are high.

Boris Becker, the second seed but most people's first favourite, looked anything but convincing for the first half hour against Tomas Carbonell, one of a legion of Spanish clay-courters.

The German hit loose shots to parts rarely reached on Centre Court as he conceded the first set 6-4. Boris the Bad raged at himself and it did the trick. The next three sets went with the form book and the organisers breathed again.

``That should have been an easy match for me but he is a tough player to beat,'' said Becker. ``For 10 or 15 minutes he does nothing then he hits great winners on my serve.

``You always have upsets during the first week at Wimbledon and I am just relieved to be through.''

It is not, apparently, to be Becker, the Lord of Wimbledon. He assured us he was not the person who paid #188,000 for the title yesterday. ``I don't know if a title is going to make much difference to my life. If you have to buy a title it cannot be worth that much.''

The men's singles title will be just fine.Yet the cull of men's seeds continues. Thomas Enquist, of Sweden, was turned over in three sets by American MaliVai Washington 6-4, 7-6, 6-3.

Enquist, seeded No.9, had 14 double faults and looked about as happy on grass as he would have been on cut glass. Washington, from New York, was once selected as one of the ``Top 50 Most Beautiful People in the World'' by a US magazine. His shots looked pretty good, too.

Was it to be but fleeting fame for Doug Flach, the qualifier who sent Andre Agassi dashing for the airport? No, no, the Atlanta player's good run continued as he despatched another American, Jared Palmer, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

How has the win over Agassi affected his life? ``It has been absolutely fantastic,'' he said. ``I phoned my mum after the match and CBS was interviewing her in our living-room. I thought ``Wow'.'' Well, one would.

The tenth seed, Michael Stich, one of the men I believe has a real chance of the title, polished off Sjens Schalken, of Holland 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. The Dutchman is a fan of Dire Straits and was very soon in them during the resumed match.