Former world snooker champion Ken Doherty has qualified for next month’s International Championship in China.

The Dubliner, currently ranked 60th in the world, beat England’s Allan Taylor 6-2 in the qualifiers in Preston, a win that included a break of 138. 

The International Championship, which runs from 23-30 October, is a ranking event with a total prize fund of £657,000.

The 1997 world champion said on Twitter: “Happy to win today and qualify for China next month.”

Doherty's last ranking event win was at the 2006 Malta Cup. 

Ahead of the qualifiers, held in Lancashire, the 47-year-old also joked about how his travel arrangements have changed since his Sheffield victory 19 years ago.