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Former champion Doherty falls at first hurdle at Crucible

23/04/2008

Former champion Ken Doherty has been dumped out of the first round of the world championships after losing 10-5 to Liang Wenbo at the Crucible.

China's Liang raced into a 7-2 in the first session after racking up six half-centuries.

Both players shared the first four frames of the evening session, giving Liang, 21, a 9-4 lead.

Irishman Doherty, 38, blew chances to win frame 15 before Liang sealed victory.

The defeat for the 1997 world champion means he will drop out of the top 16 in the world rankings for the first time in 15 years.

Elsewhere, Graeme Dott is another former champion who has fallen at the first hurdle after losing 10-7 to qualifier Joe Perry.

The 2006 champion, who has been battling depression, came back to level from 6-4 down which included a break of 126.

But Londoner-Perry, a former semi-finalist at the Crucible, won the next three frames with breaks of 132, 82 and 88.

Dott won a tense frame 16, but Perry sealed victory in the next frame to set-up a second round tie against Steve Davis' conqueror Stuart Bingham.

Earlier, 2005 champion Shaun Murphy booked his place in the last 16 with a 10-3 win over Dave Harold.

With the 25-year-old leading 7-2 going into the second session, both players shared the opening two frames with Murphy making 103.

Murphy compiled a break of 72 to take the next frame before sealing victory with a half-century, to set-up a clash with Ali Carter in the next round.

Elsewhere, Scotland's Stephen Maguire is through to the second round after a 8-1 drubbing of Anthony Hamilton.

Ronnie O'Sullivan will resume tomorrow afternoon with a 5-4 lead over China's Liu Chang in their first-round match.