Dennis Taylor's hopes of making a competitive return to the scene of his greatest triumph hit the rocks in Blackpool last night. The 48-year-old, who has not played at the Crucible Theatre since 1994, was beaten 10-6 by Bristol's Gary Ponting in the 13th round of the £1.32 million Embassy World Championship.But even in defeat Taylor showed he retains a fierce fighting spirit by averting a potentially embarrassing drubbing after being 8-1 down at the interval. "Coming back strongly towards the end gave me a bit of satisfaction but I must say how difficult it is to try and play in the World Championship in January," declared Taylor.