JIMMY WHITE is relishing the chance to “have a crack” at number three seed Ding Junhui in the Coral UK Championship second round.

The Whirlwind bagged a date with the Chinese superstar after beating Dave Harold 6-2 in a busy York Barbican arena.

White was pegged back at 2-2 at the mid-session interval but found a new gear on the resumption, breaks of 63 and 110 helping to propel him over the line.

Now he will face two-time UK Champion Ding on Saturday afternoon and White said: “I am up for that. This is what I play the game for - to play the top players.

“Ding is one of the top four players in the world, with O’Sullivan, Robertson and Selby, so it is good to have a crack at him.

“I am playing okay. It is just getting it together on the day. I have always carried on playing, I have always enjoyed practising.

“I have had the odd spell where I didn’t want to play anymore but it didn’t last for more than a couple of weeks at a time.

“If I play my top game I can beat anybody. Obviously, O’Sullivan has taken it to another level again, which is great for snooker. I will have to play very well to beat Ding but that’s what I am playing for.”

White praised the Barbican set-up, adding: “It is always nice to play in a proper arena. This is our second biggest tournament and you can’t see the crowd when you are among the black spot which is what players like to see.

“It’s a nice venue.”

Ding wasted little time in beating amateur John Sutton 6-0 - not having to get out of first gear in a match where his highest break was 59 - and he said of his clash with White: “I have played him just a few times.

“I had a lot of fans here today and I am looking forward to the next game with Jimmy. I watched a lot of his games when I was a little boy.

“He has a lot of fans. He has got more fans (than me).”