Norfolk tennis star Richard Bloomfield's first-round victory at Wimbledon has been overshadowed by claims of irregular betting patterns after large sums of money were placed on his opponent to lose.

Norfolk tennis star Richard Bloomfield's first-round victory at Wimbledon has been overshadowed by claims of irregular betting patterns after large sums of money were placed on his opponent to lose.

World number 89 Carlos Berlocq, ranked 170 places above Bloomfield, was beaten 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in just one hour and 19 minutes.

Betfair alerted the International Tennis Federation and Lawn Tennis Association after more than £300,000 was matched on its exchange before the game - around 30 times more than had been placed on similar British players and unfancied foreign opposition. Bloomfield's odds were slashed from 1-2 to 1-10 on Betfair.

Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin told the Daily Mail: "We contacted the ITF Grand Slam Committee and the LTA to make them aware of betting patterns before the match.

"We have information-sharing agreements with both these bodies."

"Although the amounts involved were not unusual, the betting patterns were."

"Bloomfield was backed from an opening 1-2 on Betfair to a low of 1-10 pre-match, and this led us to contact the ITF.''

Berlocq told reporters after the match that he had suffered a foot injury and had been struggling for fitness.