OnlineSnooker

BORN 17th September 1969
BIRTHPLACE Dublin, Ireland
TURNED PRO 1990
EARNINGS 00/01 Ł268,486
RANKING 4
HIGHEST RANKING 3
PERSONAL SPONSORS 110sport
Highland Spring
Riley Leisure

Achievements

2001 - Thailand Masters
1993, 2001 - Regal Welsh Open
1993, 1994 - Regal Scottish Masters
1997, 2000 - Rothmans Malta Grand Prix
1997 - Embassy World Championship
1995, 1998 - Matchroom Premier League

Biography
Ken Doherty's string of successes as an amateur proved his ability and tenacity and he has continued to display those qualities throughout his professional career.

Although he turned professional in 1990, it took until the 1993 Welsh Open for him to win his first ranking title. Renowned as a tough opponent, Doherty seemed not to be fulfilling his potential until he became the surprise winner of the 1997 world championship. At The Crucible, he proved to himself and his critics that he could produce the goods at the very highest level and beat Stephen Hendry 18-12 in the final to claim the trophy. Doherty thus became the first player ever to win both the world amateur and world professional championships.

Hailed as a hero in Dublin and throughout Ireland, Doherty was given a rapturous reception on his return to Dublin with the world trophy.

As well as that welcome, a further 55,000 cheered him on at Old Trafford, when he paraded the trophy on the ground of his favourite football team - Manchester United.

Doherty's win proved particularly popular with local law enforcement in Dublin. Between 7pm and 10pm on the night of the world final, the main police station did not receive a single call to report a crime. It appeared that everybody in Ireland had stopped what they were doing to watch their hero. The 1997/98 season was a bit of an anti-climax as Doherty struggled to find the form that had won him the world title. He defeated John Higgins 7-5 in the final of the Malta Grand Prix and reached the semi-finals of the Thailand Masters, losing 5-4 to Hendry. In March 1998 he was runner-up to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the B&H Irish Masters, but was later awarded the title when O'Sullivan failed a drugs test and was stripped of his title and prize money. On his return to The Crucible, he defended his title with pride, but could not resist the surge of John Higgins to take the title and oust Hendry as the world No.1.

The only real highlight of a quiet 1998/99 season was reaching the final of the B&H Masters, where John Higgins again proved the stumbling block. Although Doherty led 8-6, the Scot took the next four frames in a row to deny the Dubliner.

In the 1999/2000 season, Ken once again burst into life at Wembley. He lost a pulsating final 10-8 to Matthew Stevens but will go down in history as the man who missed the black for a maximum. But true to form, Doherty put the miss behind him and went straight on to lift the Rothmans Malta Grand Prix title, beating Mark Williams 9-3 in the final.

Last season, Doherty became only the eighth player to win back-to-back ranking events when he took the Thailand Masters title in March in addition to his win at the Regal Welsh in January. He came very close to winning a third ranking title in succession - losing out to Peter Ebdon in the final of the Regal Scottish. However, by the end of the season he had done enough to make his way back into the top four on the world ranking list.

Once away from the snooker table, Ken's interest turns to football. As an ardent fan of Manchester United, he follows his team at every available opportunity.

But a more important match is on the way for Doherty. Ken claims to be happier than ever, having got engaged to Australian girlfriend Sarah. The pair plan to marry in Australia later this year, and Ken has recently suggested that he'll have to charter an aeroplane to bring all his family and friends to the party.