STEPHEN Lee is struggling to put a finger on his Crucible struggles after bowing out of the Betfred.com World Championship at the first hurdle for a sixth year in succession.

World number eight Lee, the in-form player in the world after four semi-final and two final appearances in his previous five events, crashed out to qualifier Andrew Higginson in the opening round in Sheffield on Tuesday.

The Trowbridge cueman was tipped as a dark horse for the title after his superb 2012 form but joined the likes of 2005 champion Shaun Murphy and world number one Mark Selby out the exit door as several seeds tumbled at the opening stage.

The 37-year-old said: “To be fair, he (Higginson) has played some of his best snooker ever so I can’t take anything away from him.

“I’ve had some good battles with him in the past and when I beat him in the semi-finals in Ireland last month (Lee went on to win the PTC Grand Finals), his dad said to me ‘you’re the best player in the world at the moment.’ “Maybe that was in the back of his mind for this match.’’

Lee added: “I’ve just not settled there (The Crucible) for six years now.

“I’ve felt good at every venue I’ve played this year and I felt good before this one.

“It’s the best place in the world to play and the atmosphere, but when I walked out there, it didn’t feel the same.’’

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