Former world champion Doherty announces retirement

Former world champion Ken Doherty has announced his retirement from professional snooker after a 36-year career.

Doherty, 56, reached the pinnacle of the sport when he defeated Stephen Hendry 18-12, with a cue that had cost him £2, in the 1997 Crucible final.

The Irishman, who turned professional in 1990, won six ranking events and 17 other titles in total.

He also reached two more World Championship finals in 1998 and 2003 and narrowly missed out in the other Triple Crown events, advancing to the final of the UK Championship three times and finishing as runner-up in the Masters twice.

However, Doherty, who was world number two during the 2006-07 season, has split his time between playing and punditry work in recent years after slipping down the rankings and only competing on the main tour courtesy of an invitational card.

"It was sad initially when I made the decision, but I'm happy with it now. I wasn't going anywhere and even if I played for another couple of years, I'd come to the realisation I wasn't going to get any better," said Doherty.