It means that Doherty needs only four of the remaining nine frames to join Hendry, Steve Davis, Jimmy White, John Parrott, Doug Mountjoy, Mark Williams and John Higgins as only the eighth player to win consecutive ranking events.

Doherty, who eased past John Parrott 5-1 in the semi-finals last night, failed to spark in the early stages.

He wasted a number of opportunities, including a missed pink off its spot to snatch the third frame.

Hendry sank it to lead 2-1 before Doherty embarked on a sustained purple patch during which he claimed four straight frames in 40 minutes and amassed 322 points without his opponent potting a single ball.

Doherty accounted for the fourth frame with a run of 105, the fifth, again in a single scoring visit, with 85 and moved 4-2 ahead by putting together a 132 total clearance.

That is the highest break of the tournament so far and puts him in line to collect the £2,500 bonus.

By now firmly in the groove, Doherty quickly added frame seven with a smooth contribution of 72, launched by a long red.

But Hendry, a master of recovery, kept himself in the hunt by completing a high quality session with a run of 71 in the eighth.

Even so, it still left the seven-times world champion needing six more frames to pull off a notable fightback, pocket the £44,000 first prize and win a ranking event for the first time since the British Open of September 1999.