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“He’s helped me to believe and to keep a positive frame of mind and keep dreaming that you can do it,” Doherty said “You have to keep believing you have a chance. I believed that I could come back and I visualised winning.mmmmmm”Doherty, a die-hard Manchester United fan, said he also draws inspiration from his football heroes’ never-say-die attitude. “If I could win the title and United take the Premiership it would be a great double and cap off a great year,” he said United have done their part. Over to the shrink.WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (Sheffield) Final: M Williams (Wal) leads K Doherty (Irl) 11-5.

Frame scores (Williams’ scores first): 24-85 118-4 (118) 76-1 101-0 (101) 0-79 69-70 75-0 51-60.. I absolutely hate solo sailing. Which may seem like a strange admission from someone who has spent the last eight months sailing around the world alone. But the fact is that this hasn’t just dawned on me recently: I’ve never been keen. Spending weeks on end by yourself, not talking to anyone face-to-face, can be soul-destroying.

Not being able to share experiences – whether it’s a pod of dolphins, a glorious sunset, or a wandering albatross – is a constant frustration. And when something bad happens, being by yourself can be terrifying

I absolutely hate solo sailing. I’ve been sailing since I was a child, and have been a professional since 1998, when, at 23, I joined Tracy Edwards’ crew for an attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy. And I can’t, at the moment, imagine doing anything else for a living.

(I once had a three-month temping job in an office, and I knew that a life behind a desk, listening to office gossip, counting the minutes until you can go home, wasn’t for me.) So, entering the Around Alone race seemed a natural progression for my racing career, as most of my previous races had been as part of a crew or half of a double-handed team.But above all, it was a challenge. I wanted to know whether I could sail around the world by myself, with all that it entails. Could I cope solo, physically and mentally? Could I last the distance, sleeping in 20-minute bursts for weeks on end? I knew that I could handle sails, navigate, judge weather, plan strategy; but if I had to make major repairs while at sea to any of the systems on the boat – the computers, electronics, autopilots – would I be able to manage? Would I be able to compete, genuinely compete, despite being the only woman and the youngest entrant?It’s been a hard slog, getting my answer. The Around Alone is the longest race in any sport in the world, at some 29,000 miles.