ASHLEY HUGILL will not feature at the York Barbican-held 2022 Cazoo UK Championship after a 6-1 qualifying defeat to Liam Highfield.

The Melbourne potter made a 55 break to take the opening frame 67-31, before Highfield won the next half-a-dozen.

Three successive 50-plus breaks - 61, 60 and 59 - saw the world number 42 take frames two to four 82-0, 73-1 and 101-27 respectively.

The Swindon talent took the scrappy fifth frame 78-17 before closing out with breaks of 56 and 66 in the final two, which he won 94-37 and 96-28.

World number 106 Hugill had progressed to the third and penultimate round of qualifying at Sheffield's Ponds Forge International Sports Centre after victories over amateur Ryan Davies (6-1) and world number 55 Scott Donaldson (6-5).

The main draw of the UK Championship begins at the York Barbican on Saturday afternoon (1pm), with reigning champion Zhao Xintong and twice runner-up Mark Allen in action against qualifiers.