Doherty has work cut out to reach last 16

KEN DOHERTY, the 1997 champion, has his work cut out tonight to reach the last 16 in the £1.682m. Embassy World Snooker Championship. The Irish star resumes with a 5-4 lead over confident qualifier Shaun Murphy but could easily have found himself in arrears.

Doherty felt the force of another young gun last weekend when losing 6-5 to Mark Selby in the Scottish Open after being 4-1 and 5-4 up.

On this occasion he allowed the 20-year-old from Irthlingborough just one point in the first two frames, replying with breaks of 51 and 57.

But Murphy, the youngest player in the final stages, responded with a three-frame burst courtesy of breaks of 49, 48 and 71.

Dubliner Doherty came back with 131 the third highest break of the event - but Murphy regained his advantage with an 80 before Doherty knocked in runs of 66 and 51 to ease into a slender lead.

Murphy, beaten 10-4 by Stephen Hendry on his debut last season, requires six of the final 10 frames to cause the first major shock of the championship.

Mark King's final appearance of the season in Sheffield last night could prove to be his last-ever game as a professional snooker player.

The world number 11 went down 10-5 to Glaswegian Drew Henry and then announced he was quitting the sport.

"That's enough for me and I'm deadly serious," said the 29-year-old former Welsh Open runner-up.

"That match just sums up my season. The run against me was relentless. I would rather do something else. I've had 19 years of it and I don't care where I am in the rankings. I've got a lovely wife and two lovely kids but all this just stresses me out."

Ironically, in his programme biography King admitted if he hadn't become a snooker pro he would be a carpet fitter or a plasterer. He was understandably upset by a defeat that cost him his place in the top 16. But by his own admission Henry enjoyed all the moments of good fortune.

He fluked an outrageous pink to go 5-2 ahead during the opening session on Saturday night. And on three other occasions Hendry stole frames in black ball finishes. King stayed in contention with breaks of 85 and 87 to trail 7-5.

But 'Dame Fortune' smiled on the Scot prompting King's decision to hang up his cue.