Snooker: Wattana takes heart from early Crucible exit
James Wattana was pleased with his tenacious fightback against Peter Ebdon at The Crucible, even though it did not prove enough to claim victory.
Wattana trailed 6-3 overnight, and quickly slipped to an 8-3 defecit when play resumed. But he fought back to 9-8 down before a break of 67 from Ebdon sealed his fate.
The 'Thaiphoon' has suffered a slump in form since reaching a hiatus of number three in the world a couple of years ago.
He has slipped to world number 27 and was forced to fight his way through qualifying in Sheffield this year.
But he said his display against Ebdon will give him the confidence to mount another assault on the upper echelons of the world rankings table.
He said: "I haven't played like that for a long time.
"I hope that I can remember my performance in that last session, and that will help me do well for next season.
"I'm pleased with the way I fought back, but it came just a bit too late. If only I'd have got that last frame I would have fancied my chances. My confidence would have been up. "
The 1997 semi-finalist will now pack his bags ready to return to Thailand on Tuesday.
He wished Ebdon all the best for the remainder of the tournament, and was philosphical about ending the season with an early exit from the sport's blue riband event.
He added: "He (Ebdon) is a very strong contender for the title. I'm sure he will play better in the next round. The first round is harder for players like me, because you tend to think a lot about the ranking points on offer.
"I'm quite pleased but then I'm also disappointed to be going home, but then it's just a game, you know?"
