Fu in heaven and hell

Doherty watched while Fu scored 147, and then moved in for the kill

Marco Fu joined one of the game's most elite clubs but still left Motherwell disappointed after Ken Doherty sent him crashing out of the £195,000 Regal Masters.

The Hong Kong number one compiled the sport's 39th professional maximum 147 break in the fourth frame of his first round clash with Doherty but was beaten 5-1 by the in-form Dubliner.

"I'm over the moon and disappointed at the same time," Fu said.

"It was a great thing to make the break but it was also a pity that I couldn't carry the form through the rest of the match.

"A 147 only gets you one frame and I'd rather have won the match but it is something I can look back on in years to come."

Superb start

Doherty, the 1997 world champion, began the match superbly, knocking in a break of 118 and winning the second frame to nil to sprint into a 2-0 lead.

The world number seven also won the third frame easily before the drama of the fourth, in which Fu became only the 25th player in snooker history to construct an officially ratified 147.

In the fifth frame, Fu suffered a kick on the pink in a break of 48 and Doherty eventually won the frame on the black to lead 4-1, before comfortably clinching victory in the next.

"Sometimes making a max can really boost you but it can also affect your concentration," said Doherty, who has had a maximum made against him on three occasions and has won the match each time.

A 147 only gets you one frame and I'd rather have won the match

  Marco Fu

"Any 147, and particularly one made on television, is a real achievement but it didn't affect me at all because I played well throughout the match.

"I barely missed a ball of the first three frames and, after I won the fifth frame, I was in control."

Doherty now faces defending champion Matthew Stevens for a place in the semi-finals.

Backseat driver

Fu receives £5,000 for the break and also wins the keys for a brand new Vauxhall Frontera, although he will not be getting behind the wheel.

He explained: "I can't drive so my dad will use the car. I hope that this break will help boost snooker back home in Hong Kong because they love the game there and this should be big news."

The break was only the 19th televised 147 but had the distinction of being the first to be screened live on the Internet.