Former world champion Ken Doherty is on the brink of exiting the Betfred World Snooker Championships in the final qualifying round . Doherty , who lifted the title in 1997 , trails Mark Davis 8-1 after the first session of their third-round qualifier at Ponds Forge in Sheffield . The 45-year-old faces an uphill battle to avoid becoming the third Crucible winner to crash out this week , with Peter Ebdon and Steve Davis having lost in the second round . Ken Doherty is just two frames away from going out of World Championships qualifying in Sheffield . Doherty enjoys a pint of Guinness after winning the World Championships in 1997 . Graeme Dott , another former champion , must come from behind on Wednesday to book his place in the main draw as he trails world number 52 Yu Delu 5-4 . Elsewhere , former world championship runner-up Matthew Stevens leads Joe Swail 5-4 as he bids for a first Crucible appearance since 2013 . Graeme Dott is a former world champion , winning the showpiece event at the Crucible in 2006 .
Ken Doherty is struggling in his final World Championships qualifier . The 1997 world champion trails Mark Davis 8-1 after the first session . Graeme Dott must also spark a comeback at 5-4 down to Yu Delu .