Snooker: Doherty still on-course for hat-trick

Ken Doherty isn't taking anything for granted when he meets Mark Davis for a place in the Regal Scottish Open semi-finals later today.

Doherty is just three wins away from collecting a third successive ranking title, a feat only achieved by Stephen Hendry and Steve Davis in the modern era.

Unbeaten in 12 ranking tournament matches this year, the former world champion hopes to avoid it being 13th time unlucky on April 13 against world number 77 Davis.

The in-form Dubliner was 11-1 fifth favourite for the title before start of play at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre last Sunday.

Since then, the four players ahead of him in the betting Mark Williams, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Ronnie O’Sullivan have all bombed out.

World champion Williams and Higgins, the world number two, were the latest to go yesterday.

Williams went down 5-2 against Peter Ebdon while Higgins blasted his display as ‘‘pathetic’’ following a 5-4 defeat by fellow Scot Drew Henry.

So, Doherty is in pole position to add a first ever Scottish Open title to his recent successes in the Welsh Open and Thailand Masters.

Indeed, whoever lifts the trophy on Sunday night will ensure a new name is engraved on the silverware.

Davis, from St Leonard’s on Sea, will be no pushover.

Last night’s 5-1 victory over Mark King was his sixth of the competition and puts him into the quarter-finals of a ranking tournament for the first time since the 1996 German Open.

‘‘Ken is the form player but I’m also playing well,’’ says Davis, responsible for the defeat of defending champion O’Sullivan.

‘‘We’ve played a couple of times before in the world championship. Ken’s beaten me but I’ve also beaten him.

‘‘When you get on a run, winning becomes a habit and hopefully I can keep it going.’’

Henry’s reward for an excellent win over Higgins is a match against Welshman Matthew Stevens, starting to show the form that made him last season’s world finalist.

Henry has failed to qualify for the Crucible but has a good chance to break into the world’s top 16 for the first time next season.

‘‘I’ll probably need to win the tournament to do that,’’ he said last night. ‘‘It’s been a funny season.

‘‘Everything was going well before Christmas but I lost 5-4 in the Thailand Masters qualifiers after being 4-1 up and then lost in the world championship.

‘‘It never seems to be a great game when John and I play but if I keep playing like that and end up winning the title I will be happy.’’

Ebdon is looking to win his second ranking title of the season after last September’s triumph in the British Open at Plymouth.

He looks to be in the zone again on the evidence of his victory over Williams.

‘‘Being in the right frame of mind is vital,’’ says the Wellingborough star.

‘‘Against Mark I was very strong, I was very centred and I was up for it.’’

Ebdon plays Alan McManus for a place in the semi-finals after the Glaswegian’s 5-1 win over John Parrott. Defeat for Parrott leaves him needing a miracle to retain his top 16 status for next year.

The last quarter-final features Benson and Hedges Masters champion Paul Hunter against last season’s world championship semi-finalist Joe Swail.

Hunter defeated Londoner David McDonnell 5-2 while Swail put out Stephen Hendry’s conqueror Ali Carter 5-1.