Now here is a blast from the past, former world number three and Thai national hero James Wattana (or Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm as he is properly known), yesterday won the Thailand National Championship for the first time in his career. In what is his first appearance in the competition in over 20 years he beat Issara Kachaiwong, himself a former player on the main tour, 5-1 in the final to secure his first tournament victory since the 1995 Thailand Open.
His reward (other than a nice shiny trophy and some prize money), is that he will be representing Thailand at the 2008 IBSF World Snooker Championship in Austria next month which is sure to mean a lot to him. It’s nice to see that although he is rapidly approaching 40, James can still play the game to a high standard and that he is having some success on the table despite losing his place on the main tour.
For a full match report including a nice photo of James with the trophy, please click here