Dechawat Poomjaeng ‘not full shilling’
Maguire, the world No 5, suffered a shock 10-9 defeat by Poomjaeng. The Thai player, ranked No 70 in the world, applauded his own shots, willed Maguire’s to go awry and even spilled a bottle of water mid-frame.
“I was afraid to look. Crazy things were happening. I don’t think he’s the full shilling,” the Scot said. “I just had to switch off. I’ve never seen him before but there’s definitely something missing.”
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Hide AdBut Maguire added: “He seems like a really nice boy and very genuine. The crowd seemed to take to him and got behind him at the end. He seemed to be enjoying it. I’ll have a pint, forget about it and move on to next season.”
Poomjaeng, who twice took a wrong turn when entering the Crucible arena, is in his second season as a professional.
He said: “I tried to relax and enjoy it rather than be serious, because that wouldn’t be good for my game. It was exciting.”