BASILDON snooker professional Stuart Bingham's involvement in the latest ranking tournament, the Northern Ireland Trophy, proved to be short-lived.

For the new towner bowed out at the opening stages at Belfast's Water-front Hall yesterday when he was beaten 5-2 by David Gray in their best of nine frames first round match.

With Bingham ranked 23rd in both the official and provisional rankings - the latter covering last year and so far this term - while his opponent, who is rated 35th officially, had dropped to 49 in the provisional list, Bingham was expected to win.

But, for the second ranking event running, the Basildon man was unable to get over the first hurdle, having been beaten in the round robin stages of the Royal London Watches Grand Prix in Aberdeen last month.

Bingham, who started the 2007/08 campaign in style by making the quarter-finals of the Shanghai Masters, now needs a good showing in next month's UK Championship if he is to keep on track his ambition of becoming a top 16 player next term.

Gray earned a meeting with top 10 star Stephen Maguire with his victory.