SNOOKER star Ross Muir has vowed to regain his World Snooker Tour card after a gutting final defeat.

Muir led the way in the Q Tour rankings from the start of the six-event series but was pipped at the line by Martin O’Donnell, who defeated him in the final of the last event in Leeds on Sunday.

It means Muir will now turn his attention to a play-off event in Darlington at the beginning of March, when the next 16 highest ranked players will battle it out for a spot at the top table of the sport.

Muir told Courier Sport: “To get to a final is a good achievement but it is just a wee bit gutting to know I was one match short of taking the top spot in the rankings.

“Even though I led for five of the six events, it is how you end the race and not how you start it.

“It was a good campaign, it is a bit gutting, but I just need to take the positives.

“It was an extremely tough field and to be where I am, it is a great achievement at the end of the day.

“I’ve still got the play-off to look forward to and whatever other opportunities might present themselves.

“I am certainly good enough to get on the tour with one of the four or five remaining routes.

“That is something I am very confident of achieving.

“As much as I would have loved to achieve it on Sunday, it was not meant to be.”

The Musselburgh potter won the first event of the Q Tour series in North Shields last September.

He also reached the semi-finals of another event in Belgium before dropping just two frames on his way to the last four at the weekend to face Billy Castle.

His English rival led in the final frame but Muir produced an impressive clearance to take his place in the final against O’Donnell.

The 36-year-old opened up a 4-0 lead over Muir, who managed to pull one frame back before O’Donnell wrapped up the win.

But former Musselburgh Grammar School pupil Muir is still hoping to join his rival on the World Snooker Tour, where he played from 2013 to 2019.

The county man said: “I’m twice the player I was when I was on the full tour. The level of snooker I have been playing in the last six months is a different level compared to the player I was on the World Snooker Tour. It is more proof that actually qualifying for the tour is almost like a needle in a haystack.

“In the haystack are all these great players and someone has got to do it.

“That is why I feel getting onto the tour is a lot more difficult than achieving things while on the tour – as bizarre as that may sound!”

Before the play-off event at the beginning of March, 27-year-old Muir has a number of other competitions to look forward to.

Tomorrow (Friday), he is due to face world number 120 Anton Kazakov in the Welsh Open qualifiers and later this month he is involved in the Shoot Out competition, when he will face Wu Yize.

He said: “A very good run in one of these tournaments could happen before the end of the season.”