Snooker: Doherty beats Lee 9-7 to clinch final place

Ken Doherty reached his fourth ranking final of the year last night when he beat England’s Stephen Lee 9-7 in the semi-final of the UK Championship in York. The last frame of the match was tight, taking 34 minutes, with both players giving nothing away.

However, the Dubliner clinched his place in the final with a fluked pink that bounced off three cushions before dropping in the bottom corner pocket. Doherty said he felt sorry for Lee losing in that way, but added that luck plays a big part in sport, “just say the luck of the Irish was certainly shining on me out there”.