Former World Champion Ken Doherty, winner of last weekend's Grand Prix in Malta and finalist in Wembley two weeks ago, renews his rivalry with England's Matthew Stevens in the first round of the Benson and Hedges Irish Masters which begins at Goffs on March 21st. Doherty's match is scheduled for the second day.

Stevens denied Doherty the Wembley final, winning 10-8 in a match made memorable by Doherty missing a simple black for a maximum 147 break. The winner will face the often brilliant Ronnie O'Sullivan two days later in the quarter-finals.

In the first round draw, which was completed yesterday, Jimmy White, one of four wild cards, faces Stephen Lee, who was last year's runner-up to Scotland's Stephen Hendry. A first round battle of the "oldies" is scheduled for the evening session on the first day when Steve Davis faces John Parrott. Davis, who won the event eight times between 1983 and 1994, is the most successful player.

Ireland's Fergal O'Brien, along with White, Stevens and Davis, has one of four wild cards. He faces Scotland's Alan McManus in the opening session of the tournament. It is O'Brien's third time playing, but the Dubliner comes into the event with a current provisional world ranking of 10, his highest ever.

"It shows how far I've come," said O'Brien. "I'm not saying it will be easy because all of the top players are here. I haven't got to this stage as quickly as the others but, as they say, it's not how quickly you get there but how long you stay."

Stephen Hendry was at yesterday's launch along with Davis. The current title holder could well come up against O'Brien in his first trip to the table as he meets the winner of the match between O'Brien and McManus.

Hendry, although still extremely confident, is no longer an unbeatable player. "It is certainly harder to win these days. I feel I'm playing very well in practice. But to convert that into tournament wins is not easy anymore," he said.

First Round (11 frames): March 21st: A McManus v F O'Brien 2.0; J Parrott v S Davis 7.15. March 22nd: S Lee v J White 2.0; K Doherty v M Stevens 7.15.

Quarter-Finals (11 frames): March 23rd: M Wiliams v Davis/Parrott 2.0; S Hendry v McManus/O'Brien 7.15. March 24th: R O'Sullivan v Doherty/Stevens 2.0; J Higgins v Lee/White 7.15. SEMI-FINALS (11 frames): March 25th.

Final (17 frames): March 26th.