Doherty remaining confident

In-form Irishman Ken Doherty is in bullish mood despite losing his first match at the Royal London Watches Grand Prix in Aberdeen.

Ex-world champion upbeat despite Judge loss

In-form Irishman Ken Doherty is in bullish mood despite losing his first match at the Royal London Watches Grand Prix in Aberdeen. The former world champion went down 4-3 to fellow Dubliner Michael Judge at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, but has four more group matches in which to hit back. Doherty came into the tournament in fine form having won the Irish Professional Championship and the Pot Black Cup in the last two weeks, and will be looking to continue that form against fellow Group F members Ricky Walden, Ian McCulloch, Mark Allen and Mark Williams. "It was great to defend my Irish Championship and also to become the first Irish player to win the Pot Black Cup," said Doherty. "Winning both those titles has given me a lot of confidence coming to Aberdeen. "I'm over the moon with the way I've played in the last couple of weeks. I feel as though I've hit form just at the right time. "I feel in great shape at the moment and I've been keeping myself sharp practising at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield. "We could do with a few more tournaments this year and I think the format of the Grand Prix is good for snooker." The top two players from each group of five go through to the last 16.