RICKY Walden has avoided the big guns in the draw for the first round of the World Championship.

The Chester-born world number 15 will take on qualifier and world number 35 Rory McLeod in the last-32.

Walden – for whom it will be only his second ever appearance on the biggest stage in snooker – is currently recovering from a nasty bout of food poisoning he contracted when he was playing in China.

The 28-year-old climbed off his sickbed to compete in last week’s Players Tour Championship Grand Final in Dublin, where he went down fighting 4-2 to world number six Shaun Murphy in the last 16.

United Services A could not stop Groves from storming five points clear at the top of Chester & District League Olympic Trophies Division One as they lost 6-0 at home to the leaders.

Big breaks from Gareth Allen (62) and Lea Stephens (43, 45, 32) helped Wings (Jack Bradford, Darroch Machie) to a 4-2 home win over St Werburgh’s (Mark Jones, Shane Futcher).

Conservative C (Rob Walmsley, Anthony Rogers, John Wells, Ian Rochester, Kevin Harris) boosted their Division Two promotion prospects with a 5-1 home victory over Upton RBL C.

Clubmates and fellow high-flyers Conservative C won 6-0 at home to United Services B as table-topping Upton RBL A (Andy S Thompson, John O’Boyle, Gary Morley, John Over Jnr) beat Upton RBL 4-2.