Doherty recovers winning ways

Ken Doherty, the 1997 world champion who has won only two other world-ranking titles, last night secured his second Regal Welsh Open, eight years after his first, when he beat Paul Hunter 9-2 in the final at the International Arena.

The Dubliner won the last seven frames of the evening to take the first prize of £62,000 sterling.

Doherty, who beat Mark Williams to win the Malta grand prix last March, had disappointed host-nation hopes by beating him again, 6-3, on Saturday.

Hunter's 6-3 semi-final win over Stephen Lee, last year's runner-up, was set up by a similar opening burst to 3-0.

After sharing the first two frames of the final, Hunter was first on with 23 but then admitted nudging a ball with his bridge hand as he was placing it for an easy red.

Without waiting for the referee's call, he returned to his chair to watch Doherty, from the position left, make a frame-winning 71.

At 2-2, 0-44, the balls were unpromisingly set for a winning clearance by Hunter but, just as he appeared to have surmounted all obvious difficulties, he lost position for the brown on 52.

Later he fluked it but Doherty, with blue, a doubled pink and black along the cushion, led for the third time by the odd frame at 3-2.

One convincing and one tight frame made it 5-2 before Doherty secured his commanding four-frame interval advantage with a break of 125.