Ken Doherty bids to make it third time lucky tomorrow in the PowerHouse UK Snooker Championship final.

He held off a spirited fightback by Drew Henry at York's Barbican Centre last night to win his semi-final 9-5 and earn a place in the final for the third time in his career and for the second consecutive year.

Who last year's beaten finalist Doherty will play in tomorrow's best-of-19 frames climax to the two-week championship will be decided tonight when the second semi-final between world champion Peter Ebdon and Mark Williams, the 2000 world champion, is played to a finish following on from this afternoon's session.

Doherty has never won the UK title. He was beaten 10-5 by Stephen Hendry in the 1994 final and last year in York was trounced 10-1 by Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Leading 6-2 at the end of yesterday afternoon's play, Doherty was suddenly put under pressure as world No 22 Henry hit back.

The Glaswegian, who had done little wrong in the afternoon but had been severely punished, fired in breaks of 62 and 93 in winning the first two evening frames in 19 minutes and took the next 91-7 with breaks of 35 and 43.

Dubliner Doherty, the 1997 world champion, won a scrappy 12th frame and after the interval won a crucial 13th frame as Henry's game faltered.

The Scot looked set to win it but missed yellow into the yellow corner pocket, only for Doherty to then go in-off. Henry then sank the yellow but missed an easy green which Doherty potted. But then he missed the brown.

Henry's safety attempt ended up with the brown pottable near a baulk corner pocket and Doherty hit a crisp long shot to put it down.

He followed with a powerful blue into a centre bag and gained excellent position to pot pink along the left side to clinch the frame for an 8-5 lead.

A 40 break gave Doherty control in what proved to be the final frame. Henry missed chances to stay in the match and eventually conceded defeat when the Irishman went 63-20 ahead with only the colours remaining.

"He came at me with all guns blazing tonight," Doherty said later. "The 13th frame was a crucial one to win on the pink.

"If I get two frames in the final I'll have done twice as well as I did last year," he joked about tomorrow's final. "I will be trying 100 per cent."

Updated: 12:37 Saturday, December 14, 2002