World Seniors Snooker 900: Ken Doherty wins blue-ball shoot-out to topple Tony Drago in final
Published 30/12/2024 at 18:25 GMT
Ken Doherty secured glory in the World Seniors Snooker 900 with a victory over Tony Drago in the final which went all the way to a blue-ball shoot-out. Jimmy White's bid for a first win in the event was derailed at the semi-final stage, as Drago had his measure. Watch and stream top snooker action, including The Masters, live and on demand on Eurosport and discovery+
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Ken Doherty kept his cool to win a blue-ball shoot-out against Tony Drago to secure World Seniors Snooker 900 glory.
Doherty and Drago battled their way through to the final in Epsom, and the contest went to the wire after the first two frames were shared.
Drago produced a stunning clearance in the dying embers of the final frame to level the scores and force a blue-ball shoot-out.
The first two blues were sunk, but Drago missed his second and Doherty was ice-cool in finding the heart of the bottom left.
"It is fantastic," Doherty said on Channel 5. "What a final.
"When I potted the black I am 35 ahead and he made an amazing clearance.
"He gets first poke at the blue and pots it and I was just 'stay steady whatever you do. Don't twitch it'.
"Thankfully it went in and the second one went in.
"It is great to get my hands on the trophy."
Fortune was on Drago’s side in the semis, and he had luck on his shoulder in the opening frame of the final.
He got nowhere near a pot to the bottom left, but it careered into other reds and sent one into the bottom right.Â
From there, it was vintage Drago of old as he kept the cue ball on a tight leash and picked off a brilliant break of 93.
Drago got an even bigger slice of luck in the second when a missed red went across the table and into the left middle.
The match was in his hands, but he flicked a red when attempting to pot the pink, and with ball in hand Doherty took advantage to take the second and force a decider.
Drago had his chance in the decider after a surprise safety error from Doherty, but missed a blue that resembled Willie Thorne’s infamous miss of the same ball in the 1985 UK Championship final which he went on to lose to Steve Davis from 13-8 ahead.
It did not prove fatal on this occasion, as despite making 56 Doherty did not put it to bed.Â
With time ticking down, Drago made a stunning clearance to level the scores and force a blue-ball shoo-tout.
Drago sank the first, as did Doherty, but he twitched badly on the second go and it missed by a distance.
Doherty took a couple of breaths before stepping up and sinking it into the bottom left for his second win in the event.
Route to the final
Doherty scrambled into the semis with an edgy win over Nigel Bond, but took the last-four encounter against Alfie Burden with a deal of authority with a superb break.
Despite winning with ease, the semi did not start well for Doherty who took on a pot he did not seem keen on and it failed to drop.
Burden responded with a run of 32 and then laid a good snooker. Doherty did superbly to make the escape and not leave a chance, and later in the frame he got in and effectively put the contest to bed with an excellent break of 62.
Drago benefited from a huge fluke to take care of Jimmy White in the last four.
Maltese star Drago secured a lead but White knocked in a superb long red and worked his way in front.
He did not drop ideally on a black, but produced a superb cut-back pot into the bottom left, but he was rocked on his heels as the white travelled round the table and dropped in the right middle.
Drago took advantage of the slice of fortune to make 43 to book his spot in the final, but he came up short in the title match.
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Watch and stream top snooker action, including The Masters, live and on demand on Eurosport and discovery+
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