DING JUNHUI may have won the last three snooker ranking tournaments but the Chinese sensation is still having to play second fiddle to the Rocket with the oddsmakers.

UK Championship tournament sponsors williamhill.com rate Ronnie O’Sullivan the 9-2 favourite to lift the trophy when the competition climaxes at the York Barbican on December 8.

Ding is joint second favourite for the £700,000 event, only behind the World Championship in terms of importance, with world number one Neil Robertson at 7-1.

The reigning champion, Mark Selby, and Judd Trump, the 2011 winner in the Minster city, are a point behind at 8-1.

Mark Allen, who lost to Trump in the final two years ago but has won two Euro Tour events this season, might be a value price at 14-1 while two-time world champion Mark Williams is an outsider for this year’s event at 33-1.

Pickering’s Paul Davison, who plays Gerard Greene in his first round match next Thursday afternoon, is priced at 500-1 to win the tournament.

Backers who really think their luck might be in could look at Rhys Clark and Shane Castle, teenage amateurs who play O’Sullivan and Selby respectively, at 1,000-1.

It is 8-11 that an English player wins the tournament, with 5-1 that a player from China, including Hong Kong, lifts the title.

The Rest of the World weighs in at 33-1, apart from Australia (13-2), Scotland (8-1), Northern Ireland (12-1), Wales (12-1) and Thailand 40-1.

williamhill.com UK Championship winner odds: 9-2 Ronnie O’Sullivan, 7-1 Ding Junhui, 7-1 Neil Robertson, 8-1 Judd Trump, 8-1 Mark Selby, 12-1 John Higgins, 14-1 Mark Allen, 20-1 Shaun Murphy, 22-1 Marco Fu, 22-1 Stephen Maguire, 28-1 Barry Hawkins, 33-1 Allister Carter, 33-1 Graeme Dott, 33-1 Mark Williams, 33-1 Stuart Bingham, 50-1 bar.