Sydney Wilson said upsetting the rankings in the opening round of the Betway UK Snooker Championship at the York Barbican had been a confidence boost for him.

It is the 26-year-old player from Rivenhall’s first season in the World Snooker Tour and he enjoyed his debut at the prestigious UK Championship as he defeated top-16 player Michael White 6-5 in the opening round.

The tournament in York is considered to be the second biggest ranking event, after the World Championship, in snooker.

Welshman White, the Indian Open champion, had led 4-2 and 5-4 in his clash with Wilson, but the Rivenhall man recovered to 5-5 and eventually cleared from green to black to win the decider.

Wilson, who practices at the Stepfield Snooker Club in Witham and has played for them in the Braintree Snooker League, said: “It’s a very good result.

“I’m obviously very pleased because I’ve struggled for the last few events.

“To beat a player like Michael is great for me and good for my confidence.

“I actually feel fairly comfortable playing out there now.”

Wilson will face the winner of the first-round game between Mark Joyce and Barry Pinches in the second round.

The latter stages of the tournament in York are due to be screened on BBC television, starting on Saturday, and snooker’s first Triple Crown event of the season is due to end on December 6.