SNOOKER/Irish Masters/Preview: While the Irish attractions of Ken Doherty, Joe Swail and Fergal O'Brien will draw local support at Dublin's Citywest Hotel, and 2001 champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is guaranteed to pull the crowds, there is little doubt that Mark Williams will enter this year's Irish Masters - which starts today - as strong favourite.

The current world number one and World Champion in 2000 had a rough time on the tour until recently. Having lost five successive finals - including the UK and Benson and Hedges Masters - following his win in the 2000 Grand Prix, Williams underwent something of a crisis in trying to finish off tournaments.

That problem was rectified recently with wins in the China Open in February, where he beat Anthony Hamilton 9-8, and the Thailand Masters earlier this month, where he defeated Stephen Lee 9-4.

Williams will enter the competition on Thursday at the quarter-final stage, where he will meet either Joe Swail or Peter Ebdon, but he will probably be thankful to have avoided Paul Hunter in the draw.

Hunter (23), who will take on Stephen Lee today for the right to face Ken Doherty, played himself into distinguished company when he won this year's Benson and Hedges Masters for the second consecutive year.

Only Stephen Hendry, who won it five times, and Cliff Thorburn, with three successes in four years, have managed such continuity.

If Hunter can overcome Thailand Masters finalist Lee, he could be a player to watch in the run-up to Sunday's final.

For the first couple of days at least, most eyes will focus on Swail, O'Brien, Jimmy White and Stephen Hendry. White, another crowd-puller who faces a difficult first match against Matthew Stevens tomorrow, won the Irish Masters at Goffs in 1985 and 1986 while Hendry, despite his domination of the game for so long, has only won the tournament twice, in 1992 and 1999.

Hendry lost 9-8 to O'Sullivan in last year's final, an indication that despite arriving for the first time as an unseeded player, he is anything but a spent force.

The 2001 win for O'Sullivan (26), marked the beginning of a run of form which led to him winning the World Championships for the first time at the Cruicible a month later.

"The Irish Masters started a terrific run for me. I really played well in the final and I produced the same kind of form which won me the World Championships," he said.

"I think I'm a little slower in the way I play my game now, whereas before if the balls weren't on the table I'd lose the frame. The World Championships were a milestone."

For the Irish contingent, success has been affected by high crowd expectations and the quality of the field.

Doherty won the event in 1998 and his form is probably the best of the three Irish players. He was narrowly beaten at the quarter-final stages of the China Open and the Thailand Masters, losing 5-4 to Andrew Hamilton and Stephen Lee respectively.

O'Brien, who lives close to the Saggart venue, also made the quarter-finals in Thailand before going down 5-1 to the eventual champion Williams.

But there is no easing in for O'Brien, who plays Hendry on Wednesday evening. "To play just up the road against a seven-time World Champion is just great," said O'Brien.

"If, as an Irish player, you had a choice of what tournaments you wanted to win, it would be the World Championship and this one."

Today's matches (11 frames) - 2 p.m.: S Lee v P Hunter. 7.00pm: P Ebdon v J Swail.