Ken Doherty got his PowerHouse UK Championship off to a stuttering start when he was matched frame for frame by Paul Hunter before edging the first session 5-3 at York this afternoon. With a place in the quarter-finals at stake, Dubliner Doherty began well by taking the first frame 57-21, but from then on it was nip-and-tuck as local favourite Hunter matched his opponent frame for frame.
An evenly matched affair, which reflected their proximity in the world rankings (Doherty 7th, Hunter 8th), made its way to 3-3 before the top break of the afternoon (61) saw Doherty take the lead once again. With the close of the session looming, Doherty broke the pattern by taking the 8th frame to hold a narrow advantage going into the second session tomorrow (best of 17).
K Doherty (Irl) 5-3 P Hunter (Eng)Frame scores: 57-21, 50-58, 65-30, 34-61, 71-39, 18-67, 74-1 (61) 64-0
Filed by Shane Murray
