Ken Doherty has insisted that he will "savour every moment" of his time at the Snooker World Championship.

The 44-year-old progressed through to the second round of the showpiece event for the first time in eight years yesterday, courtesy of a 10-5 victory over Stuart Bingham.

"It was magnificent. It's a fantastic feeling to get through," Doherty is quoted as saying by The Irish Post. "I was starting to get really emotional. When I went 9-5 up, I started to feel the nerves a little bit but I was loving every minute.

"I don't know how many more times I'm going to be here again. I have to savour every moment. I've had a lot of special memories out there and they came flooding back."

The Irishman will face either John Higgins or Alan McManus in the next round.