Doherty shows inspired form

Mark Williams lost his 14-match unbeaten record in ranking tournaments to an inspired Ken Doherty in the Scottish Open snooker tournament in Aberdeen last night. Doherty took just 58 minutes to whitewash the Irish Open and Welsh Open champion 5-0.

Williams was annoyed at being kept waiting for over two hours after the start of the penultimate quarter-final, scheduled for 3 p.m. "It was a disgrace," said the provisional world number four, a 5-1 winner when he met Doherty in the Irish Open last December. "There was a spare table so why couldn't we use that one? Whoever did the scheduling got it all wrong."

He also blasted sub-standard playing conditions saying: "I've played on better club tables than the three tables outside the main arena."

Doherty had no complaints after a brilliant victory. "That's the best I've played in a long time. My form is coming back slowly but surely," he said. He made breaks of 104, 70, 137 and 61 while Williams totalled just 78 points in a rare career whitewash.

"But I can't just rest on my laurels," added Doherty, who meets Graeme Dott in the semifinals. "I will treat Graeme with the utmost respect."

John Higgins came from 3-4 down to beat Stephen Lee 5-4.