At the start of the 1988-9 season, Doug beat Dave Martin 5-1, then lost 5-4 to Joe Johnson in the fourth round of the Fidelity International at Stoke. That performance told me only too well he had to overcome a mental problem. For two years he had been sliding down the ranking list by losing to all and sundry. Now his game was coming together again, but it still was not easy for him to think in terms of winning against a leading player. In sight of the winning post it was hard for him to accept that he was back with the big boys - and with every chance of beating them.

There was some encouragement, though, in the Rothmans Grand Prix. Stephen Hendry was the defending champion, but he hadn't really prepared himself properly for the new season and wasn't firing on all cylinders. Doug was feeling more confident and playing much better, and he won 5-1. He should really have got to at least the quarter-finals, because he was 4-0 up on Alain Robidoux before losing 5-4.

Alain did very well, but he had a crucial fluke in the seventh which would otherwise have given Doug an easy chance for frame and match. Doug acknowledged afterwards, though, that some of it was his own fault: 'I got a bit tentative and uptight. I was trying to protect what had.' What Doug had to do was to believe in himself again and realize he could be a winner.

Doug's 5-4 victory over Willie Thorne in the Canadian Masters in Toronto was important, because this was the first close one he had won against a leading player for quite a time. He lost 5-4 to Terry Griffiths in the last sixteen but with any 5-4, it's usually only a shot or two here or there, or even a bit of luck, which makes the difference between winning and losing. It comes down to confidence and attitude in the end.

Then came the Tennents UK, and of course no one could foresee Doug winning it. The only realistic way to approach it was a match at a time, but it was a good start to beat Neal Foulds 9-4. Doug said that it wasn't the same Neal he'd played at Sheffield, but it wasn't the same Doug either! Doug then beat Joe Johnson 9-5, which was a good performance except for some nervousness near the end - 'Clincher's Disease', as Clive Everton calls it. It's really loss of concentration. The thought of winning and what it means to you destroys your concentration on the task in hand. More>>>>

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