No baize of glory but Dott looks to positive future
GRAEME DOTT’S campaign may have ended in the second round of the Betfred World Championships, but the Scot believes there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The Larkhall potter failed to make the last eight of a ranking event in a single season for the first time since 2003 after falling in the second round to Barry Hawkins at the Crucible Theatre.
Trailing 10-6 in the bestof-25 match, Dott was blown away by Hawkins on the final morning – losing the final three frames in under an hour.
But the 2006 champion, leaves Sheffield in good spirits and is determined to put things right with new coach Chris Henry after initial signs of progress.
“I am glad this season has finished, it has been a bit of a disaster apart from the World Cham- pionships,” he said. “It has not exactly ended well, I have lost in the last-16, but it is better than the rest of the season.
“I am looking forward to working with Chris and trying to be better prepared.
“I have not been working with Chris for long, so my game was in bits at the start of the year. I had a terrible season but I have started to play better at the end of the year.”
Dott was always the underdog against world No.7 Hawkins, who reached the final in 2013.
He trailed 5-3 after the first session and, such was the form of Hawkins, it looked like the match would finish a session early as the left-hander raced into a 9-3 lead yesterday.
But Dott hit back, winning three on the spin, before Hawkins stole a final frame to halt the Pocket Rocket’s momentum.
And yesterday after- noon, Hawkins regained control – winning in under an hour to set up a last-eight tie against Stephen Maguire.
Dott added: “I was outplayed. The thing about the World Championships is that when you are beaten there are no excuses.”