THERE have been few more exciting occasions in Irish sport than the moment the last ball was potted at The Crucible theatre in Sheffield last night as a young man from Ranelagh in Dublin won the World Championship snooker title.

In winning 18-12, Ken Doherty has without question become one of the great Irish sportsmen of all time. In the process Doherty finally brought the curtain down on Stephen Hendry's five year unbeaten run at The Crucible.

Doherty - becomes the first player from the Republic of Ireland to win the title.

Remarkably, the 27 year old Doherty also becomes the first world amateur champion to go on and take the professional crown, a feat so nearly achieved by six times runner up Jimmy White.

Doherty pinpointed the 28th frame as one of the most crucial: "It was a big turning point when Stephen missed the red to pull back to 15-13 down," he said Doherty. "My heart had dropped when I lost the previous frame, but I held myself together pretty well.

"I know how good a player Stephen is and that it was possible for him to come back. He's the player most capable of anyone to do that and I'm just a novice at this level.

"I can't believe I've won. It hasn't sunk in yet. I've never doubted my ability to win the world title but I wasn't one of the favourites coming into the tournament because of my poor form beforehand.

"I was very low before coming here after having a couple of bad events and needed to put in a lot of hard work, which I did and it has paid off."

Doherty added he wanted to get the earliest possible flight" back to Dublin and his family, revealing his mother Rose never watched him play.

"Maybe after this she will watch a recording," he said. "Hopefully it will shut her up and stop her from telling me to get a proper job.

"It's 12 years since there's been a winner from Ireland (Ulsterman Dennis Taylor was the last in 1985) and it will be a great feeling to take the cup back there."

Doherty also spoke of the tension, saying: "I'm delighted it's all over to be honest. All of the family back home were nervous wrecks. I think they were all having nervous breakdowns.

"As for me, the butterflies were turning into pigeons. They were getting so big.

"I think my mum set about five or six churches back home ablaze she was lighting so many candles."

Hendry remained upbeat despite his first defeat in a world final and conceded the better player had won. Ken was a deserved winner," he said. "I'm disappointed, but I just didn't play to the standard needed to win."

You can't take anything away from Ken - he did the job over the two days. He put me under a lot of pressure and I didn't play well enough, which was a recipe for disaster.

"I lost last night's session 6-2 and you can't afford to do that. But it's not a disaster for me and I'm sure it's a popular result."

Hendry was able to pinpoint the moment when he saw his hopes of a sixth successive crown disappear. "I missed a red along the cushion for a chance to win the fourth frame of the evening. That was my chance gone after that."

Asked then about going on to win a record seventh title, Hendry replied: "One day."

Hendry, down 15-7 at one point, won five frames in a row to pull within three (15-12), hut Doherty stopped the rot to take the next three frames and the title.

At 15-11, Doherty, who earlier looked 50 relaxed, had worry etched on his face for the first time. Fate looked to be turning against him when he let Hendry back in to take the 27th frame, from being 20 points ahead with just 18 on the table.

The Irishman needlessly tried to pot the blue and the shot backfired when an unlucky miss sank the pink leaving his opponent to comfortably clear up.

Hendry had another chance in the next to pinch the frame from 65 points down, but missed a tricky red along the cushion which proved his undoing and he again found himself trailing by four.

Doherty then put himself within sight of victory with a break of 50, before sending his legion of enthusiastic supporters into raptures when he gleefully potted the colours up to the pink in the final frame to end Hendry's hopes of an outright record seventh title.

Doherty consolidated his position in the afternoon sessions. He ended 15-9 ahead, thus maintaining his six frame overnight lead (11-5) and ensuring that he needed just three of the evening frames to win.

Efforts of 58 and 92 twice reduced Hendry's arrears to five but Doherty, relaxed and well focused, both times responded and from 13-7 went eight clear, completing his progress to 15-7 by potting a difficult pink from under the side cushion.

It seemed as if the end might be near but, out of the blue, and perhaps acknowledging that he had nothing much left to lose, Hendry compiled a 137 total clearance and maintained his momentum by clinching the remaining frame of the afternoon with a run of 43.