Snooker: Whirlwind blows Doherty out of British Open
Wednesday, 4 October 2000 22:31Ken Doherty was surprisingly beaten 5-2 by Jimmy White in the first round of the British Open in Plymouth. The Dubliner lost the last four frames after he had a 2-1 lead over the Whirlwind. The Londoner, world ranked number 18, squared the match at 2-2 in the fourth frame and then took the lead with a break of 115 in the 5th frame, followed by breaks of 81 and 96 in the next two to take the match against the 1997 World Champion.
There was more bad news in this evening's session when Fergal O'Brien, who won the competition last year, lost to 5-2 Steve Davis. O'Brien was 3-1 down at the interval and lost the first frame upon his return to the table. He hung on by winning the next frame, 68-53, but the evergreen Davis demolished the plucky Dubliner with a 74 break to clinch the match.
Results:
Jimmy White Eng 5-2 Ken Doherty Irl
Steve Davis Eng 5-2 Fergal O'Brien Irl
Matthew Stevens Wal 5-2 David Gray Eng
Alan McManus Sco 5-4 Tony Drago Mal
John Higgins Sco 5-1 A Davies Wal
Peter Ebdon Eng 5-1 G Dott Sco
Ronnie O'Sullivan Eng 5-3 Q Hann Aus
