Gould feeling good as he prepares to face Ding

Martin Gould says playing in the World Championship as a ranking-event winner will give him a mental boost ahead of his first-round meeting with Ding Junhui.

The Pinner Potter is seeded 12th for the Sheffield showpiece, after a fine season which included winning the German Masters in February.

It was the first title of the 34-year-old’s career, which was a weight off Gould’s shoulders.

He told West London Sport: “It was great to finally win a ranking event.

“I was getting fed up of hearing who are the good players to not win one and mine always being top of the list.

“I kept hearing it and thought ‘I need to end this. Time to get the monkey off my back’.

Gould has been handed one of the tougher draws a top-16 player could face, against two-time UK Championship winner Ding.

But the west Londoner feels a different player having finally won his maiden title.

“The last few events have been different. There have still been nerves but I’ve not felt as edgy,” he said.

“Everyone needs the adrenalin running through to get you going.”