Doherty slow off mark but advances

Snooker:  Ken Doherty came close to being shown the exit door at the Northern Ireland Trophy by Thailand's James Wattana.

Snooker:  Ken Doherty came close to being shown the exit door at the Northern Ireland Trophy by Thailand's James Wattana.

But the popular Dubliner, last season's Malta Cup winner, battled back from 4-2 behind to triumph 5-4, earning himself a last-16 meeting with Scot Stephen Maguire.

Wattana knocked in breaks of 54 and 51, but Doherty had runs of 130 and 74, and cool runs of 55 and 54 under pressure in the deciding ninth frame to win the match.

Last season's Welsh Open winner Stephen Lee is also through, a 5-2 victor over Derbyshire's David Roe, and now meets seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry.

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He had breaks of 46, 59, 61 and 62, while Roe's best effort was a 66-break which saw him win the opening frame of the evening.

Former world champion Shaun Murphy showed nerves of steel to secure his place in the last 16.

The 2005 Crucible winner faced an upset to Chinese qualifier Tian Pengfei, but fought back from 3-0 behind to snatch a dramatic 5-4 victory at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast.  PA