Jamie Cope bemoans luck despite first-round victory

World Snooker Championship
Date: 16 April-2 May 2011 Venue: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Coverage: Live coverage each day on BBC Two, BBC Red Button and BBC Sport website (UK only), updates on BBC Radio 5 live. Full TV schedule

Jamie Cope has never been beyond the second round at the Crucible

Stoke's Jamie Cope said both players were short of luck in his first-round win over Andrew Pagett at the World Championship in Sheffield.

The world number 15 triumphed 10-7 over the Welsh debutant to book a meeting with Mark Williams in round two.

"Both us started the match quite well and it looked as though it would be high-scoring," Cope told BBC Sport.

"Things just didn't fall for us. We were both close to playing well but the game just wouldn't let us."

Cope, 25, now meets two-time champion Williams looking to reach the last eight at the Crucibkle for the first time in his career.

The first session of the best-of-25 frame match takes place on Thursday.

Cope's fellow Stoke-on-Trent player Dave Harold was beaten 10-3 in the first round by 2008 runner-up Ali Carter.

Harold lost eight of the first nine frames and told BBC Sport: "I really played awful in the first session.

"Ali played alright but he gave me chances in most frames and I never settled.

"My inexperience at the Crucible in the last 10 years showed. I think I've only won 10 or 11 frames in the last 10 years here and it's very hard to play out to your best out there when you're not here every year."