Doherty left to rue missed opportunities

Digest:  A round-up of sports news  from around the globe

SNOOKER: Missed opportunities in the final two frames cost Ken Doherty the chance of progressing to the semi-finals of the Masters at Wembley yesterday.

Despite not being at his best, Ronnie O'Sullivan beat Doherty 6-3. However, the Dubliner, who had as many supporters at the 1,536-capacity Conference Centre as his opponent from Essex, will regret not making more of a match of it.

He had chances to win the last two frames, but O'Sullivan stole one on the pink and the other on the black to earn a match against Jimmy White, who beat Peter Ebdon 6-4 last night.

O'Sullivan shrugged off the loss of the opening frame to gain a 3-1 interval lead. At one stage he scored 260 points without reply. The first two frames after the interval were shared to allow O'Sullivan to retain his two-frame cushion. Doherty, though, clinched the seventh after O'Sullivan snookered himself on the final red.

And the former world champion should have made it 4-4, but lost position after potting the blue and O'Sullivan sank the pink for 5-3.

Doherty opened with 61 in the ninth, but could not sustain his attack and eventually O'Sullivan clinched it on the black.

BOXING: On the day he announced his retirement from boxing world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was told by a top judge that he faces one more bout, against promoter Don King in London's High Court.

Mr Justice Eady backed a decision by a senior High Court official to allow King to launch a libel claim against Lewis, his promotion company Lion Promotions LLC and his New York attorney Judd Burstein over comments made by Burstein and published on two boxing websites.

Lewis, Lion Promotions and Burstein had appealed against the decision, and are now expected to take their case to the Court of Appeal.

As expected, Lewis announced his retirement yesterday at the age of 38, becoming only the third heavyweight boxer to quit when still world champion.

CYCLING: Irish riders Eugene Moriarty and David McCann went unrewarded despite promising form when yesterday's opening stage of the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia was cancelled amid chaotic scenes, writes Shane Stokes.

Moriarty and McCann looked set for high placings before police erroneously opened up traffic blocks, flooding the finishing circuit with cars, which led to the cancellation.

GOLF: Matt Kuchar and JJ Henry carded seven-under-par 65s to share the first-round lead at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California yesterday.

Kuchar played his round at the Poppy Hills course while Henry competed at Pebble Beach.

The four-day tournament is played over three courses - the other being Spyglass Hill - for the first three rounds with the final 18 holes contested at Pebble Beach.

Ireland's Paul McGinley had four bogeys on the way to a one-over-par 73 at Pebble Beach.

LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES: (USA unless stated, all par 72) Poppy Hills GC: 65 - M Kuchar 67 - P Price (Wal), T Pernice Jnr, V Singh (Fij), Kj Choi (Kor) 68 - P Mickelson, J Kribel, C Stadler. Spyglass Hills GC: 67 - K Duke (Eng), C Barlow 68 - H Kuehne, S Allan (Aus). 69 - M Grob, L Donald (Eng), C Pettersson (Swe) Pebble Beach GC: 65 - J J Henry 66 - T Tolles 67 - R Gamez, K Jones 68 Others: 73 - P McGinley (Irl).