Disappointment has not visited Ken Doherty over the last few weeks, but last night at the Benson and Hedges Irish Masters at Goffs the former world champion failed to maintain the form that had been at his fingertips over the last three tournaments.

In a ragged match, about which both players expressed disappointment, Matthew Stevens of Wales toughed it out for a 6-4 win and a place in tomorrow's quarter-finals against Ronnie O'Sullivan. Both the local hopes, Fergal O'Brien and Doherty, have now departed.

Doherty had little explanation about what was an agonisingly disjointed game in which both players were equally guilty of struggling to find consistency over a three-and-a-half hour marathon.

"It was scrappy. I suppose there was a lot of tension. It meant so much to me and I'm very disappointed," said Doherty.

"Nothing really went for me. When it was 4-4, I should have won to go 5-4 ahead, but went in off. Little things like that . . . it could have easily been 6-4 to me.

"My confidence is still there. I'm cueing well. Now I'll just lick my wounds and get on with the job for the next one."

Doherty, who was beaten by Stevens 10-8 in the final of the Masters at Wembley last month, led once in the match at 3-2. In that game he appeared to have finally found a groove after four uneven opening games.

But a break of 115 from the world number seven, the highest in the contest by some distance, was short-lived as the match inched to 4-4.

It was then the breaks began to go with Stevens. With Doherty leading 46-19, the cue ball went in off the second-last red to allow Stevens to clear for 5-4.

Needing to level, Doherty then fouled again as he attempted a pot by screwing around the black. The free ball allowed Stevens to clear for the match, winning the 10th frame 70-53.

"It was a poor match," admitted Stevens, making his Irish Masters debut.

"Neither of us could get going at all and I couldn't even make a 50 break, which is disappointing.

"Ken obviously had most of the crowd support but it didn't bother me because it would have been the other way around in Wales.

"I've only been here a few days and I can already say that it's one of the best tournaments I've ever seen. The venue and the people are first class."

Earlier in the evening, Jimmy White's prowess seemed hardly diminished in an up-tempo first round match where he defied ranking and form.

White came from 3-0 down to win 6-4 against Stephen Lee to set up a quarter-final pairing with Scotland's John Higgins.

White mixed fortitude with flair to claim a match that many had thought was beyond his reach after only three games. When Lee flashed up a 10 minute, 132 break, the highest of the tournament so far, meeting Higgins at the next stage looked anything but certain for the 37-year-old.

He had never beaten Lee in three outings, and had snatched only one point after 20 minutes as his 23-year-old opponent imperiously swept ahead.

In the fourth frame, an agitated White , officially complained about the photographers in the auditorium. Once they had been moved out of sight and sound, the 1985 and '86 winner strutted the sales ring like a yearling in a yard full of oil sheikhs.

At 3-1 down, breaks of 79 and 99 brought the match level before White completed his five-frame rout, moving from 0-3 to 5-3.

His grip on the match was temporarily loosened for 5-4 before an outrageous fluke on a red into the middle pocket gave him the opportunity to build from a break of 43 and take the final frame and match 6-4.

Anything but conventional, White now intends to prepare for his match against the world number one with a flying visit to Doncaster race course today to make the draw for the first big flat race of the season, the Lincoln Handicap, on Saturday.

Unfazed about knocking out the tired-looking world number six, White, who is now ranked 16, was nonetheless satisfied about securing at least £8,000 for winning one match.

"I'm pleased with the win. He's a quality player and if you give him an inch, he'll slaughter you," said White. "I tightened up after the first few games and felt I then played well."