A DISAPPOINTED Paul Davison was ruing what might have been as he exited the Betway UK Championship.

The Pickering potter lost 6-3 to Kyren Wilson in the York Barbican's main arena but revealed his frustration at a contest he felt could easily have gone the other way.

Buoyed very some vocal supporters, the 44-year-old took the lead - edging a tight opening frame thanks mainly to a superb pot on the yellow with the rest.

But Wilson levelled right away, with an effort of 69, on his way to leading 3-1 at the interval.

He fell further behind on the resumption and, though a break of 52 in the sixth frame seemingly put him in control, Wilson had other ideas.

A snooker behind the brown left Davison in severe difficulty and, after his second effort to escape hit the jaws of the middle pocket, Wilson surged in and took the frame with a break of 51.

Davison dug in strongly, though, and a break of 52 helped him cut the deficit to two frames at 5-3.

But the gap proved just too great and Davison said: “I don’t think 6-3 reflects how the match went, really.

"There were at least three frames that I should never have lost. I was 50-odd up in one frame, there were a couple of close ones on the colours - where I was well in front - and they just didn’t go my way in the close frames.

“I played okay. He played well and it was a good match all in all. But it was just disappointing to lose in front of my home fans.

“There was a good crowd there with Jimmy White and Stephen Maguire on the other table. The majority were there to see them but it made it a good atmosphere.

"I had a lot of friends from Pickering and York come over the watch me (as well) and it was great. It's a great arena and I can't fault it.

"It would have been nice to make it to when the TV starts and I would have been playing again on Saturday night. It would have been a good atmosphere."

White and Maguire fought out the match of the first round with the Whirlwind rolling back the years before falling 6-5.

The six-time World Championship finalist started in fine form, hitting a break of 77 and 104 on his way to a 3-1 lead.

Maguire, the UK winner at York in 2004, dug deep and successive breaks of 97 left him a frame away from victory at 5-3.

White was not finished, though. He stroked in a 52 to halve the deficit and the 53-year-old was then in charge in the next and took it to a decider.

He lost out in the shootout, Maguire benefiting from a outrageous fluked red on his way to making a decisive break, but still said he could take positives from his performance.

Maguire said: “It’s a great result for me. There was a lot of pressure on that match - just playing Jimmy White. Against him and Ronnie O’Sullivan it’s a totally different atmosphere. It was busy enough and I know 99 per cent of the crowd are for Jimmy.

“It’s perfect, I would rather play like that but it’s just added pressure.

“I knew after he made the break in the first frame that it was game on. He looked sharp. I felt sharp. I made a 70-odd to go 1-1 and, at 3-1 down, I didn’t do a lot wrong so I didn’t get too down on myself.”

White, who described the resut as a "sickener", added: “I played well and I was competing with him at all levels. It was a really tough draw. He’s a really attacking player and I like the way he plays. But if I had an easier draw, I would have had a good run.

“I know I am playing well. I have been playing Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Snooker Legends all over the country and I have been competing with him.

“If you can compete with him, you can compete with anyone."

Neil Robertson had to hold off a revival from amateur Alex Taubman as he came through 6-3.

The world number three led 4-0 and 5-1 but Taubman responded with tremendous efforts of 75 and 123 to cut the gap to two frames.

Robertson closed out the match, however, to book a second round encounter with Aditya Mehta.

“I was playing pretty well,” he said. “From 5-1 to 5-3, he has made 70-odd and 120-odd and it’s crazy to think you can play an amateur who can do that in front of a pretty decent crowd.”

Robertson added: “The earlier rounds have never been tougher, there is no doubt about that. Seven or eight years ago, if I was playing someone like that and went 5-1 up they would have just crumbled but they dig in these days and they try to make a match of it.”