Ken Doherty became the first Irishman to win Pot Black when he beat Shaun Murphy at the City Hall, Sheffield, a new venue for the event. 'I grew up with Pot Black, Shaun wasn’t even born,' joked Doherty afterwards as he received a cheque for £10,000.
Doherty from Dublin has not won a ranking event since the 2006 Malta Cup when he beat John Higgins.
A week ago he had won the Irish National title. 'Its nice to play in this event, the players are relaxed and hopefully put on a good show for the fans.' he said
The Irishman won victories over the Scots John Higgins and Graeme Dott on his way to the final, with a break of 58 clinching his victory over Dott in the semi-final.
The defending champion Mark Williams fell in the first round losing to Graeme Dott.
The final produced nothing to remember. Murphy had his chances on the colours but after potting the yellow, he missed the green and left Doherty to clear up to the blue to take the title winning by 76-31.