Ken Doherty is out of the 2015 World Championship after losing 10-3 to Mark Davis in the final qualifying round at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.
The 1997 champion never really stood a chance after ending the first session on Tuesday 8-1 down as the world no.18 coasted to victory today.
The Irishman made it through the qualifying rounds this time last year and went on to reach the last 16 at the Crucible but was left to rue several missed opportunities in the close frames across both sessions.
Davis’ win means the 42 year-old will grace the famous stage for a tenth time in his long career and he was among a list of high-quality names to prevail in Wednesday’s first batch of final qualifiers.
2006 Crucible champ Graeme Dott returns to the scene of his greatest triumph after a 10-7 defeat of China’s Yu Delu while Welsh duo Matthew Stevens and Ryan Day also progressed.
Dott suffered the misery of missing last year’s edition and was in no humour to do likewise on this occasion, claiming the last four frames to see off the stern challenge from the Chinese 27 year-old.
Stevens, meanwhile, got the better of Joe Swail 10-5, benefiting from an in-off from his opponent on the final black in a protracted and tense 11th frame that swung the match in the twice runner-up’s favour.
His countryman Day looked to be in a spot of bother when he surrendered his 6-3 overnight advantage to Jak Jones, with the young 21 year-old fighting back superbly to level at six apiece.
But Day, a three-time quarter-finalist, steeled himself with runs of 64, 68, 78 and 54 to pull away once again and complete a 10-6 triumph.
A third competitor from Wales and another who formerly appeared in the last eight, Jamie Jones managed to scrape past local boy Adam Duffy, who himself was hoping to become the first amateur player to qualify for the tournament outright.
Duffy’s mission in Sheffield isn’t actually over as his attention now turns to the EBSA Play-Offs, where two Main Tour places are at stake, and he could yet face Ireland’s TJ Dowling in one of the semi-finals if he manages to overcome his first hurdle later today.
Jones, though, will be delighted having suffered a precarious stretch of form since his excellent run at the 2012 championship.
Elsewhere, Craig Steadman has become the lowest ranked qualifier – so far – after a 10-6 success over Jamie Burnett.
The world no.81 ensured that his win over Indian Open champion Michael White in the previous round was no fluke and he could prove to be a pretty dangerous prospect despite his low seeding.
Scotland’s Alan McManus is back after his strong displays in the event last year that saw him roll back the years in reaching the quarter-finals, ousting young prospect Mitchell Mann 10-6.
Finally, Anthony McGill withheld a spirited comeback from Mark King where the Englishman won three tight frames in a row to force a decider from 9-6 down, only for McGill to duly knock in a brilliant match-winning century break in the last.
In the evening session, Dublin’s Fergal O’Brien takes a 6-3 lead into the remainder of his contest with Kurt Maflin.
