Pinner potter Martin Gould insisted a mystery illness was to blame after he crashed out in the first round of the UK Snooker Championship in York on Wednesday.

Gould, the world No.24, would have hoped to make short work of the lowly ranked Christopher Norbury in their opening encounter at the Barbican.

But Gould could never get settled and Norbury, the world No.112, grew in confidence and by the end looked almost unplayable in wrapping up a 6-3 win.

And 32-year-old Gould admitted afterwards that he had felt on the verge of collapse during his match in York as his energy levels disappeared.

“It was very difficult, I felt really good and I have no excuses for losing but I really did not feel well,” he said.

“At one point I really felt like I was going to fall over, I just had no energy left in my legs whatsoever.

“From the moment I entered the arena my throat closed up and I was coughing a lot and you can hear from my voice, I don’t sound too clever.

“I don’t know what’s come over me but I started feeling really rough, I had a couple of bananas during the interval but that didn’t help and I started to feel really sick.

“This is just one of those things you have to take on the chin. But Chris played really well, he fed off all my mistakes and as the match went on he just got better and better.

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“I take my hat off to him and wish him all the best. You have just got to try and forget about everything, but when your opponent is potting balls of lampshades there is not a lot you can do.”

Gould’s first half of this season has not matched the heights of last that saw him crowned winner of both the Championship League and the Shoot-Out events.

But, despite his under-par showing in York, Gould is confident that his best form is not far away, as long as he can get back to full health as soon as possible.

“I will probably try and relax and not play for a few days, try and get myself back fit and ready and hopefully I can start getting some results,” he added. 

“I know I’m playing really well in my matches but I just don’t feel I have that confidence at the moment.”

British Eurosport is the Home of Snooker, showing 19 tournaments this season including the World Championship, UK Championship, the Masters and all ranking events, available on Sky, Virgin Media & BT or online/on mobile via eurosportplayer.co.uk