Stephen Hendry saw his hopes of a competitive return to the Crucible crushed on Friday when he lost in the semi-finals of the World Seniors Championship.
Seven-time world champion Hendry was beaten 3-0 in the semi-finals by Leeds cueman Peter Lines.
Now aged 48, Hendry retired after being knocked out of the 2012 World Championship by Stephen Maguire.
This week's event at Scunthorpe's Baths Hall offers the winner a place in the World Championship qualifying event, which takes place next month in the days leading up to the main event.
And although Hendry won his opening match on Thursday, the Scot was well beaten by Lines, a 47-year-old amateur who remains active on the main tour and beat the defending champion Neil Robertson at the UK Championship in November.
Hendry showed flashes of his class but said: "I didn't play well. It feels like somebody else's arm out there.
"Peter played very solid and he deserves to be in the final. You need to be a bit sharper to compete."
Another former world champion in 52-year-old John Parrott awaited Lines in Friday evening's final.
But Parrott was also beaten by Lines, who duly booked his own place in the World Championship qualifiers with a comfortable 4-0 victory on Friday evening.
Lines will be looking to seal his place in the World Championship proper for the first time since 1998, when, coincidentally, he was beaten 10-4 by Parrott in the first round.
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