RICKY Walden came within a whisker of regaining the SangSom 6-Red World Championship.
The Chester-born world number 20 won the event – which is played with six colour balls and six reds – two years ago, but his hopes of winning it again were dashed in Bangkok on Saturday as he lost the final 8-6 to Mark Selby.
Walden fought back from 7-3 down to move within one frame of the world number seven and reigning Masters champion.
Selby regained his composure, however, to take frame 14 and add to the Players Tour Championship title he landed earlier this month.
Walden, one of the co-owners of Chester city centre snooker hall The Q Bar, qualified in second from his group before progressing to the last 16, where he knocked-out home-crowd hero James Wattana.
Victories over Michael Holt and Jamie Cope followed before Selby edged a closely-fought decider.
Former under 21 world champion Walden now turns his attention to qualifying for the Shanghai Masters, the event he won in 2008.
