Doherty was overcome with emotion following the victory in front of his home crowd, which sees him become the second winner of the Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 event following Stephen Hendry’s success in Epsom last December.

The 1997 world champion did not got off to the best of starts in this fast-paced event, losing his opening group stage encounter to fellow eventual finalist White, courtesy of a break of 47 from The Whirlwind.

White had already overcome Tony Knowles in his opening group game with a magnificent break of 96, meaning his place in the semi-finals was secured while Doherty and Knowles faced off in a ‘winner-takes-all’ final group contest.

Unfortunately for Knowles, who had been drafted in as a late replacement for Tony Drago, his trip to Ireland saw him fail to pot a single ball as Doherty fired in a break of 77 to book his place in the last four.

In the other group, Hendry and Fergal O’Brien had kicked off proceedings at Goffs with a hard-fought match that saw the Irishman run out the eventual winner on his debut in this format.

Both players would go on to defeat the 1985 world champion Dennis Taylor, with Hendry compiling an impressive 88 break in the final group game, to ensure both Hendry and O’Brien reached the knockout stage.

The semi-final line-up was a mouthwatering prospect for the excitable Irish crowd.

First up, an all-Ireland meeting pitted O’Brien and Doherty against each other on home soil – with ‘The Darling of Dublin’ hitting top form at just the right time as he fired in a break of 101, the highest of the day, to secure a place in the the title match.

Old foes White and Hendry met in the second semi-final for another dramatic chapter in their epic rivalry.

The two both had chances to secure the frame, but as the contest approached the final few balls, the tension was clear everyone in the packed-out venue to see. Ultimately, it was White who held his nerve to clear from blue to the final black and set up a final meeting with Doherty.

The final, a repeat of the 2020 World Seniors Championship final at the Crucible Theatre, saw the two legends of the game face off in a best-of-3 frame contest under the unique Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 format.

White moved into the ascendancy with a break of 77, but Doherty hit back with a 71 of his own to ensure that the final would, suitably, be decided by a one-frame shootout.

In front of his home crowd and at a venue where he used to work as a boy, it was Doherty who got over the line to complete the victory and lift the title at the iconic Goffs venue.

World Seniors Snooker returns in May with the World Seniors Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for ticket details.

The post Glory at Goffs for Ken Doherty appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

The event is the second instalment of this new and exciting format where anything can happen. Each match will last 15 minutes (900 seconds) and has a 20-second shot clock in play at all times, allowing for unmissable action that has proven a hit with fans and players alike.

How It Works

All matches throughout the tournament are just a single frame and each of these frames has a time limit of just 15 minutes. Should the frame not be complete at the end of the allocated 15 minutes, whoever is leading the frame claims the win. 

Played with a spotted cueball, cueists have just 20 seconds per shot and there are no extensions or time-outs (unless at the discretion of the referee). 

For every shot played, either a ball must be potted, or a cushion must be struck with the cueball or an object ball. 

All fouls result in cueball in hand for the opponent. 

At the end of the 15 minutes, should the players be tied on points, a blue-ball shoot-out will be used to determine the winner. 

The six players will compete in two round-robin groups of three players, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals. The winner of Group A will face the runner-up in Group B, and the winner of Group B will face the runner-up in Group A in the last four.

Group A

Stephen Hendry, champion of the inaugural Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 in Epsom in December, headlines Group A alongside local favourites Dennis Taylor and Fergal O’Brien.

Hendry, who won the Irish Masters at the iconic Goffs venue on three occasions, kicks off the event on Saturday against veteran Irish professional and former ranking event winner O’Brien.

1985 world champion Taylor completes the group line-up with the top two players in the final standings qualifying for the semi-finals.

Group B

Jimmy White, a back-to-back Irish Masters champion at Goffs in 1985 and 1986, is joined in Group B by 1997 world champion Ken Doherty and former world number two Tony Knowles – who replaces the initially announced Tony Drago in the draw.

Four-time World Seniors champion White will kick off the Group B action in Saturday’s second match, taking on Knowles, before Doherty faces the two legends of the game on home soil as they compete for two semi-final places.

Schedule

The action gets underway at 12 o’clock on Saturday, broadcast live on Channel 5, with the champion expected to be crowned at around 5pm.

• Group Stages (Single-Frame Shootout)
  • Stephen Hendry v Fergal O’Brien
  • Jimmy White v Tony Knowles
  • Dennis Taylor v Winner of Match 1
  • Ken Doherty v Winner of Match 2
  • Dennis Taylor v Loser of Match 1
  • Ken Doherty v Loser of Match 2
• Semi Finals (Single-Frame Shootout)
  • Winner of Group A v Runner-Up of Group B
  • Winner of Group B v Runner-Up of Group A
• Final (Best of 3 Frames)
  • Winner of Semi-Final 1 v Winner of Semi-Final 2

The post Seniors Stars Head To Goffs For Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.

The event will be broadcast live on Channel 5 on Saturday 2 March and is the second instalment of this new and exciting format where anything can happen. Each match will last 15 minutes (900 seconds) and has a 20-second shot clock in play at all times, allowing for unmissable action that has proven a hit with fans and players alike.

Stephen Hendry, the champion of the first event in Epsom, will face two Irishmen in the group stages on his return to Goffs – Dennis Taylor and Fergal O’Brien. Taylor is, of course, best remembered for his famous 1985 World Championship final victory over Steve Davis on the final black, while local hero O’Brien will bring to a close an incredible 30-year professional career this year.

In group B Jimmy White, a four-time World Seniors champion, will meet 1997 world champion ‘The Darling of Dublin’ Ken Doherty and ‘The Tornado’ Tony Drago of Malta.

The round-robin stage sees two players from each group advance to the semi-finals. The action begins at 12 o’clock on Saturday 2 March with Hendry facing O’Brien, before White takes on Drago in the second game of the day. The full schedule can be found below.

To buy your ticket please click here. One ticket gets you in for all the matches at Goffs and the champion is due to be crowned at around 5pm.

• Schedule
• Group Stages (Single-Frame Shootout)
  • Stephen Hendry v Fergal O’Brien
  • Jimmy White v Tony Drago
  • Dennis Taylor v Winner of Match 1
  • Ken Doherty v Winner of Match 2
  • Dennis Taylor v Loser of Match 1
  • Ken Doherty v Loser of Match 2
• Semi Finals (Single-Frame Shootout)
  • Winner of Group A v Runner-Up of Group B
  • Winner of Group B v Runner-Up of Group A
• Final (Best of 3 Frames)
  • Winner of Semi-Final 1 v Winner of Semi-Final 2

The post Mr Vegas World Seniors Snooker 900 Heads to Goffs in March appeared first on WSS | World Seniors Snooker.