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Teenager Ben Mertens stuns James Wattana at Snooker Shoot Out in Watford

Thailand player James Wattana hits the ball during the first round of China Snooker Open against England player Ronnie O'Sullivan on March 22, 2006 in Beijing, China.
Image: James Wattana was shocked by teenage Belgian star Ben Mertens

Fourteen-year-old Belgian Ben Mertens defeated former world No 3 James Wattana in the first round of the Shoot Out in Watford on Thursday.

The young amateur, who had been 60-31 up, triumphed 60-59 when Thailand's Wattana, 49, ran out of time while needing only to pot the pink to win.

Eleven-time women's world champion Reanne Evans was beaten 54-26 by Jimmy White as she became the first female to compete in a televised match in the final stages of a world ranking event in the UK, and there were victories for defending champion Michael Georgiou and world top-10 players Kyren Wilson and Barry Hawkins.

All matches at the tournament are decided over a single frame and last a maximum of 10 minutes, with a shot clock giving players a maximum of 15 seconds to take shots in the first five minutes and 10 seconds in the final five minutes.

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