Snooker:Ken Doherty pushed the volatile Ronnie O'Sullivan all the way in their quarter-final encounter of the British Masters at Wembley this afternoon but in the end the Dubliner was denied 6-5 by the two-times champion.
The match had been nip and tuck most of the way before Doherty took a 5-4 lead at a crucial time. However, a mistake allowed O'Sullivan to level before going on to take the final frame and the match with a 115 break.
This is O'Sullivan's first tournament since the extraordinary scenes which saw him walk out of last month's UK Championship in the middle of his match against Stephen Hendry while live on television.
O'Sullivan has now been wrapped in cotton wool by the sport's governing body and does not have to face the press for the rest of the tournament at Wembley because it's "not in the interests of the player, the tournament and the sport".
As a result the 31-year-old Essex star will escape censure for failing to fulfil his media commitments.
In an extraordinary statement issued by World Snooker, it was revealed O'Sullivan met with chairman Rodney Walker last week.
The statement read: "As a result of information conveyed to him by Ronnie at the meeting in connection with ongoing difficulties in his personal life, Sir Rodney agreed, in the exceptional circumstances in which Ronnie finds himself at this time, that for the Saga Masters, he would be excused from fulfilling the normal contractual requirements with the media and sponsors which all players are required to undertake.
"Sir Rodney informed the chair of the sport's disciplinary committee (director Jim McMahon) of his decision at the start of the tournament.
"Sir Rodney understands and accepts that his decision will be a disappointment to the media and the tournament sponsor. He is, however, convinced that to expose Ronnie to the added pressures of exposure to the media, at the moment, would not be in the interests of the player, the tournament and the sport.
"He hopes everyone would accept his decision has not been taken lightly."
O'Sullivan is still waiting to hear whether there will be any punishment for walking out of his Maplin UK Championship quarter-final against Stephen Hendry at York last month.