Kent’s Barry Hawkins has eased through to the Second round of the World Snooker Championship after dumping out World number one Mark Selby.

Hawkins carried on from where he left off overnight, by taking his 6-3 lead and winning the next four to see his way comfortably through to the next round where he’ll meet Matthew Stevens.

Leicester potter Selby was the eighth seeded player to fall in the first round, equalling the record, though neither the result nor the scoreline were surprising given the neck injury that clearly hampered his play.

It had forced him to pull out of last month’s China Open

Selby, who will lose his number one ranking only if Judd Trump wins the tournament, told worldsnooker.com: “I’ve got a bulging disc at the top of my spine and there are shots I can’t play because of the pain. I can’t play with the rest because I get excruciating pain in my arm.

“Ten days ago it looked as if I would have to pull out, so I’m pleased that I was at least able to play and try my best. There’s never a good time for something like this to happen, but I wish it had been earlier in the season.

“Usually I go into a tournament with the mindset of wanting to win it, but this time was different because I knew it would be very difficult for me. I am having treatment from a sports physiotherapist and I need to put my cue away and rest it for a while. Hopefully I’ll be ok for the start of next season.”

Dartford potter Hawkins said: “When the draw came out people were saying that Mark had a bad neck and might be pulling out, but I just had to prepare properly and make sure I concentrated on my game. I played well in patches.”