Doherty powers through to final

KEN DOHERTY marched into his second successive PowerHouse UK Snooker Championship final in York last night.

But battling Scot Drew Henry made the former world champion work hard for his 9-5 win in the opening semi-final of the 960,000 event.

Doherty, who will play world champion Peter Ebdon or 1999 UK title holder Mark Williams in tomorow's best of 19 frames final, resumed the session with a 6-2 lead.

However, world number 22 Henry, playing in only his third ranking event semi-final, took the first three frames in just 36 minutes.

Doherty, who arrived in York last week without a win to his name this season, scored only 29 points.

Glaswegian Henry made breaks of 62, 93 and 43 to reduce his arrears to 6-5. But his bid for his first major final stalled at that point. Doherty used his vast big match experience to full use and reeled off the next three frames.

The 33-year-old Dubliner will now hope to atone for his appearance in last year's final when he lost 10-1 to Ronnie O'Sullivan.

For the first four frames, 34-year-old Henry looked capable of matching the 1997 world champion shot for shot.

He knocked out Jimmy White, Stephen Lee on the black of a deciding 17th frame and holder O'Sullivan without producing his best snooker.

However, for the first four frames Henry stepped up the gears as Dubliner Doherty clung on.

Henry opened the match with a break of 89 and then added 79 in the fourth after Doherty had jumped 2-1 clear. Henry made 43 in the fifth frame only to misjudge a swerve trying to pot a red. That let Doherty back in and his run of 72 proved vital.

Henry will look back on that frame as a turning point.

Doherty doubled his advantage with 85 in frame six and then won two further scrappy frames to finish 6-2 up.

Henry might have reduced his arrears in the eighth but a missed black off the spot also proved pivotal and Doherty eventually made the most of his good fortune.

Doherty then inflicted a third ranking tournament semi-final defeat on his Scottish rival.