Doherty crashes out of Scottish Open

Ireland's Ken Doherty crashed out of the Regal Scottish Open this afternoon.

Ireland's Ken Doherty crashed out of the Regal Scottish Open this afternoon.

The Dubliner was beaten 6-5 by 19-year-old Mark Selby - who came from 4-1 down - in a thrilling semi-final encounter.

Selby eliminated Matthew Stevens and Paul Hunter earlier in the competition, after starting the tournament as a 200-1 outsider.

Trailing 44-0 in the opening frame, Doherty completed a 58 clearance to the black and won two scrappy frames to lead 3-0.

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Selby hit back with a run of 63 to secure the fourth but Doherty claimed his 4-1 advantage with a 131 total clearance to close in on a place in the final.

Selby, though, upped his game. He put together a run of 134, the highest break of his short career, to make it 4-2 and reduced his arrears to a single frame by clinching the seventh.

And Selby took advantage when Doherty went in-off the green in the eighth by clearing to the pink to make it 4-4.

Doherty's 61 helped him regain the lead only for Selby to hit back with a run of 89 to force the decider.

He began it by fluking a red and went on to make 69 to reach his first major final.

Last year, Selby beat Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan on his way to reaching the China Open semi-finals in Shanghai.

Whatever happens in the final, where he faces John Higgins or David Gray, he is guaranteed the biggest cheque of his career, either £42,500 as runner-up or the £82,500 first prize.

PA