World Champion Robertson begins 2010 PLS campaign with a defeat - 30/09/2010

REIGNING World Champion Neil Robertson began his 2010 PartyCasino.com Premier League Snooker campaign with a 4-2 defeat against Mark Selby.

Robertson, who won the world title at the Crucible earlier this year, has struggled in the past in the Premier League and has not advanced to the play-off phase on either of the two occasions he has entered.

Australian Robertson finds himself bottom of the league and is the only player to have zero points, although he has played at least one match less than all the other competitors.

Mark Selby. Picture Lawrence Lustig

The third match at the Preston Guild Hall in the third round of matches was between Robertson and England's Mark Selby, the two-time Masters Champion.

The opening frame was a scrappy one but Selby finally stamped some class on to the match with a break of 53.

The second did not start in the best fashion as a re-rack was needed but then Robertson, who won the World Open earlier in the week, compiled an excellent break of 69, using only low-scoring balls with pink and black unavailable.

But Selby regained the lead in the third when he made the highest score of the night so far with an effort of 104. That also gave him a £1,000 bonus for a century break, his second of this year's tournament and ninth overall in the 2010 competition.

Both men won one of the next two before Selby completed the evening in style with a 119 break, his second century of the match.

Best of six frames
Neil Robertson 2-4 Mark Selby
Robertson's scores first
25-67 (Selby 53), 79-8 (Robertson 69), 0-108 (Selby 104), 55-74 (Robertson 36), 78-0 (Robertson 78), 0-123 (Selby 119)