It’s amazing what a difference a few weeks can make.
For Ken Doherty, he’s gone from a career low of dropping off the main circuit for the first time since turning professional in 1990 to earning an invitational tour return and winning his first two matches of the new season.
In itself, two wins from two matches hardly seems a huge feat for a former world champion but, when you compare this to a run of just three victories in 14 ranking events at the backend of the previous campaign, it’s quite the turnaround.
He’s gone from a dismal record to being one of the form men in the Preston qualifiers. In his first match, he recovered from 2-1 down to beat Peter Lines 4-2 to qualify for the Riga Masters and then in defeating Gary Wilson, who recently ran Ronnie O’Sullivan close on his Crucible debut, has set up a tie with Shaun Murphy at the main venue for the China Championship.
Why the dramatic change?
In a quest to get to the bottom of this dramatic swing in fortunes, The Sportsman spoke to Irish snooker blogger David Caulfield, from Snooker HQ, to find some answers.
He believes that many factors off the table may have hindered his results last season.
“Last season was a disaster for Doherty, but it’s been coming really,” said David.
“Ken’s got several other interests away from the table these days. He plays in lots of exhibitions, is part of the BBC commentary team in the major tournaments and has his own successful radio show to manage in Dublin.
“With all this going on, he probably lost some of his dedication,” added David. “He also had the sad passing of his mother to deal with, who was a very important figure in his life.”
But with the new campaign now under way and a fresh start ahead of him, David believes Ken is determined to justify Barry Hearn’s decision to award him a wildcard place.
“Receiving an invitational tour card has probably provided him some extra motivation, which he perhaps lacked for the past couple of years,” said David.
“Not that he really has anything to prove but, being the proud champion that he is, I’m sure he wants to show people that he can still compete at the highest level.
“It’s been a good start for Ken, but it’s only two wins and the jury is still out on whether he can sustain the level of form.”
Hearn’s decision to award Doherty a route back to the professional ranks has barely been questioned by anyone – and it certainly shouldn’t. Fondly nicknamed the Darling of Dublin, Doherty is one of the sport’s most-loved players.
The game’s spectators love to watch him play and there will be plenty of fans rooting for him to do go far in at least one ranking event this season. While it seems unlikely Doherty can replicate the kind of form Anthony Hamilton produced in the twilight of his career to win a ranking another ranking event, this should at least be proof that you can never fully write off the veterans and, who knows, perhaps Doherty will be capable is ruffling a few feathers in the season ahead.
