“Experience was the trump card for me without question,” said the 40-year-old.

“Some people were tipping him to win but he’s only 17 and if I hadn’t known more about the game out there I’d have eaten my hat.

“He’s very good and he’ll have a great future but his shot selection at the moment isn’t anywhere near that of a top 16 player.”

Parrott carefully built a 2-1 lead and added the fourth by potting blue and pink before securing the fifth for a 4-1 advantage.

Ding, a wild card choice for next month’s Wembley Masters, pulled it back to 4-2 but Parrott comfortably ground out the seventh frame to set up a second round meeting with Edinburgh’s Chris Small.

Parrott was particularly pleased to win after suffering two successive defeats at Pontin’s in Prestatyn where he failed to qualify for the final stages of the Malta Cup and Irish Masters.

He explained that the death 13 months ago of his father Alan, who accompanied him to the North Wales holiday camp during his formative years, had been a major factor in his poor showing.

“As soon as I walk in the place I see my dad,” he said.

“I try to blank it out but it’s not possible. Prestatyn is the place that made me a professional. It’s where I grew up and holds too many memories so it’s difficult to focus properly.”

In the second round, Hong Kong’s Marco Fu defeated Accrington-based Pakistani number one Shokat Ali 5-2.

Fu, beaten in the semi-finals of last year’s Welsh event by Steve Davis, compiled a highest break of 120.