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Dott suffers 'nightmare' World Championship exit

Graeme Dott of Scotland prepares to play a shot during a first round match of the World Championship Snooker tournament against Joe Perry of England at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. Dott was left contemplating a "nightmare" exit from the World Championships following a 10-1 first round defeat by Joe Perry at the Crucible Theatre

Graeme Dott was left contemplating a "nightmare" exit from the World Championships following a 10-1 first round defeat by Joe Perry at the Crucible Theatre here on Wednesday. Dott was a shadow of the player who has featured in three world finals and won the title in 2006 but the 34-year-old Scot insisted he would bounce back. "If there was ever a nightmare in snooker, that was it," Dott said. "I don't feel I can turn it around just now. I feel as if I need to chuck it if I'm playing as bad as that. "I'm sure I'll come back and play okay again, but I've no idea why I played as bad as that. "I just wanted out. I couldn't pot a ball, I couldn't hit the white. If you told me to hit the white in the last frame I'd have probably missed it. I just couldn't do anything. "And it was actually more demoralising that Joe was playing so bad. You can usually take it if someone plays well, but Joe was missing, and even at 5-0 I thought, 'Joe's not really settled'." Wednesday's match resumed with Perry 8-1 in front and Dott said he just wanted the contest to end as quickly as possible. "I got in during the first frame, but once I missed the black, if there wasn't a fine I'd have given up," Dott said. "There's £250 fines for giving up so I played on, but I just wanted Joe to keep potting. I didn't want a shot. It's not a nice feeling." The loss was Dott's heaviest at the Crucible, and Perry, 37, goes on to play Scotland's Stephen Maguire in the last 16. Dott said: "I don't think I've played worse, not only at the Crucible but as a professional. I just couldn't pot a ball. "I couldn't have cared less if it was a whitewash, what difference would it make? Ten-nil or 10-1, it's still a drubbing. I lost 10-7 to Joe Perry here once and he played fantastic, I couldn't give him any more high praise. "But he's beaten me 10-1 there and he's played rubbish. Joe's not played well at all there. "I'm sure he'll say he needs to play a lot better to win his next match." Perry, whose highest break was just 59, said: "It is the worst I have ever seen Graeme play, we all know what a good player he is and one who won't throw the towel in. "I wasn't happy with my own game, and was just trying not to feel sorry for my opponent. As a professional sportsman you can't do that but it was tough."