World ranking: 32
Last five seasons: 27-22-15-12-12
Date of birth: 17-01-70
Lives: Bangkok
Turned professional: 1989
Ranking tournament victories: 3 - Strachan Professional 1992; Thailand Open 1994, 1995
Last season's prize money: £40,150
Career prize money (up to start of 2001-2002 season): £1,531,883
Highest tournament break: 147 - Mita World Masters 1991, British Open 1992, Catch China International 1997

James Wattana has done much to popularise snooker around the world, particularly in the Far East. When he was crowned World Matchplay champion in 1992, defeating Steve Davis 9-4 in the final, he returned to a hero's welcome in his native Bangkok.

He was made a Commander third class of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand, a rare honour for a Thai sportsman. At the time, only the legendary Thai boxer Khaosai Galaxy had received such an accolade.

The eighth player in snooker history to earn more than £1million at the match table, Wattana has three times been voted Thailand's Sportsman of the Year.

The first of four Thai players to win the world amateur championship, Wattana who won the title in 1988, has also won three ranking event titles - the 1992 Strachan Professional and Thailand Open in both 1994 and 1995. He was runner-up in the British Open for three successive years from 1992 and also the Asian Open in 1989.

Wattana has twice reached the semi-finals of the Embassy World Championship, losing 16-9 to Jimmy White in 1993 after leading 5-0, and 17-13 to Stephen Hendry in 1997.

Ranked as high as No 3 in the world during the 1994-95 season, he had to win his first round match at the 1996 world championship to stay in the top 16 and did just that by beating Jimmy Michie 10-7.

But a run of poor form - and problems with his eyes - over the past three seasons has led to Wattana surrendering his place among the game's elite. He just managed to cling on to his place in the top 32 by beating Jonathan Birch 10-5 to qualify for the televised stage of the World Championship at Sheffield, where he was beaten 10-8 by Peter Ebdon.