Ken Doherty
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| Ken Doherty | |
|---|---|
| Image:Ken doherty.jpeg | |
| Personal Information | |
| Nicknames | the Darlin' of Dublin, Crafty Ken, Ken-do |
| Date of birth | September 17, 1969 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Career | |
| Professional | 1990–current |
| 2005/6 World Ranking | 11 |
| Best World Ranking | 3 (1997/98) |
| World Championship Best | Winner (1997) |
| Highest Break | 145 (2004) |
| Ranking Tournament Wins | |
| World Championship | 1997 |
| Regal Welsh Open | 1993, 2001 |
| Malta Grand Prix | 2000 |
| Thailand Masters | 2001 |
| Malta Cup | 2006 |
| Other Tournament Wins | |
| Malta Grand Prix | 1997 |
| Irish Masters | 1998 |
Ken Doherty (born September 17, 1969) is an Irish professional snooker player.
His game is more tactically based than that of most other players (though he is also capable of making big breaks): this has led to commentators calling him Crafty Ken. In 2000, he narrowly missed out on the maximum 147 break when he missed the final black off its spot in the 15th frame of the Benson & Hedges Masters final against Matthew Stevens.
Doherty became only the second player from outside the United Kingdom to win the World Championship when he beat Stephen Hendry 18-12 in the 1997 final. He reached number three in the world rankings the following season.
Ken also reached the World Championship final in 1998, losing to John Higgins and in 2003, losing to Mark Williams. The latter run was noted for some impressive comebacks, including a final frame win over over Shaun Murphy and a fightback from 15-9 down against Paul Hunter in the semi-final. His first-round matches in 2005 and 2006 provided a sense of deja vu - in the former he was trailing Barry Pinches 5-2 before winning 8 frames in a row, while a year later he lost the first frame to Barry Hawkins before winning 10-1.
Following a distinctively average start to the 2005/06 season, Doherty won the Malta Cup in February 2006, beating John Higgins in the final. Doherty had trailed 8-5 at one stage but managed a stirring comeback, winning four frames in a row. Doherty called the victory, which bridged a five-year gap in which he hadn't won a ranking event, his "most important tournament win since the World Championship".
Ken, who is married to an Australian woman called Sarah, was nearly blinded in 2002 in a bathroom accident; after slipping, he struck an ornament, which narrowly missed his left eye. However, his distinctive scar on his right cheek dates back to his seventh birthday, when he fell off a shed roof on to a metal dustbin.
Recently, he started commentating on snooker matches with the BBC snooker coverage team, along with Steve Davis and John Parrott. He resides in Ranelagh, Dublin and practices in Jason's in Ranelagh. Doherty is a huge Manchester United fan and he paraded his trophy at Old Trafford in front of 55,000 spectators following his World Championship triumph.bg:Кен Дохърти de:Ken Doherty nl:Ken Doherty pl:Ken Doherty (snookerzysta) zh:肯·达赫蒂