Gallant Mike denied by Ken

SNOOKER: MICHAEL Wild’s dream of playing in the finals of snooker’s Australian Open was wrecked by Ken Doherty.

Moorside star Wild, who registered a sensational 5-0 victory over six-times world champion Steve Davis in the qualifiers at the World Snooker Academy in Sheffield on Thursday, was himself whitewashed by Dubliner Doherty 24 hous later.

Wild never reached the heights of his three wins in the qualifiers in which he won 15 frames and conceded just two.

But for an amateur to reach the very brink of a professional tournament finals was a mighty achievement and should act as a springboard to further success.

Doherty, the 1997 world champion and current world number 35, had too many guns for Wild, making a

succession of frame-winning breaks and also displaying his trademark safety excellence.




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