Joe Perry admitted the better man won after he exited the Betway UK Championships last night (29).
The Chatteris cueman crashed out by six frames to two to lower-ranked Matthew Stevens in York – despite leading 2-1 early on.
The Gentleman kicked off the third round tie in stunning style, chalking up a break of 136, but the 2003 UK Champion responded well and took the next five frames without reply.
Perry said: “He played better than me to be honest.”
“That was probably as good as I’ve felt in the entire tournament and I played a bit better today than I have been.
“But from 2-1 up, I don’t think I potted a ball until I was 4-2 down and that was down to Matthew’s good play.
Next up for Perry is a trip to Barnsley for next week’s German Masters qualifying before he competes in the Scottish Open in December.
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