Thai rookie claims famous scalp at worlds

Sheffield, United Kingdom: Thailand’s rank outsider Dechawat Poomjaeng held his nerve to edge sixth seed Stephen Maguire 10-9 in the first round of the snooker World Championship late on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old — ranked 70th in the world — endured a nervous wait after their match was so slow they had to be taken off so the evening session matches could take place and only returned after they finished.

Maguire, a semi-finalist last year but who already had three first round exits to his name at the championships, levelled to 9-9 once they resumed play to take the match into a deciding frame.

Maguire had a chance to win it in the final frame but an error allowed his Thai opponent to the table and he made no mistake, rattling off a 63 break to set up a second-round meeting with Welshman Michael White.

Maguire gave his opponent credit for his win but could not hide his frustration at some of the Thai player’s behaviour.

Poomjaeng was seen laughing and smiling at spectators and apologising for his lucky breaks — and his slow play.

“I don’t think he’s the full shilling. I’ve never seen him before but there’s definitely something missing. He seems like a really nice boy and very genuine,” said Maguire.

“The crowd seemed to take to him and got behind him at the end and he seemed to be enjoying it.

“At the end it was a good break that he made. He plays very slow and he reminds me of Peter Ebdon. He’s very similar. I was asking the referees, and that’s his game. It works for him.

“I’ll have a pint and forget about it and move on to next season.”