PICKERING'S Paul Davison has been drawn against China's Yu Delu in the first qualifying round of the Betfred World Championships.

The 42-year-old, who won his place back on the tour by emerging through Qualifying School last year, starts his best-of-19 frame match against Delu on Friday morning at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre and finishes it that evening.

Davison, who is world ranked 116, has won only three of his 17 matches this season, reaching the last 96 of the Australian Open and the Shanghai Masters and the last 64 of Asian Tour Event One.

Delu, a 28-year-old from Shanxi Province, is world ranked 62, was the highest placed debutant at the end of the 2012-13 season and was a quarter-finalist in the Players' Tour Championship Finals in 2013-14.

This season he has won ten of his 22 matches, reaching the last 16 of the Welsh Open, the last 32 of the International Championship and the last 64 of the UK Championship.

The qualifying starts today (Wednesday) and ends next Wednesday, after which the 16 players will be known who will be meeting the top 16 seeds at The Crucible in the event proper, which runs from April 16-May 2.

Other matches of note at Ponds Forge are former world champion Peter Ebdon against twice semi-finalist James Wattana, Peter Lines against ladies' world champion Ng On Yee, six-times champion Steve Davis against Fergal O'Brien, six times runner-up Jimmy White against Gerard Greene and former winner Ken Doherty verses former semi-finalist Andy Hicks.

Tickets for Ponds Forge are £10 per day and are available from the box office (01142-233777).