Whatever happens, there will be a new name on the Regal Scottish Open trophy this year after defending champion Stephen Lee’s reign came to an end in Edinburgh last night.

The semi-final line-up suggests it will be a Ken Doherty/John Higgins final at the Royal Highland Centre tomorrow.

However, their respective opponents, Mark Selby and David Gray, still believe it could be their tournament, especially Londoner Gray.

“I watched Mark beat Paul Hunter and he produced the goods when the pressure was on,” said Doherty.

“He has the experience of playing in a semi-final before so he won’t be worried about the occasion.

“I’ve never played Mark before but I’m sure it’s going to be a great match.

“The good thing is I’m scoring really well and that’s what you’ve got to do to win things these days.

“If you don’t score heavily enough then you won’t just win playing safe.

“My best break against Dave Harold in the Irish Masters was just 45. That was pathetic because I was making bigger breaks in league matches in Dublin when I was an amateur.

“Now, I’m killing off frames in one visit and that’s what you have got to do these days.”

After Higgins knocked out holder Lee 5-1, Gray recovered from 4-1 down to push out Joe Swail 5-4 in the last quarter-final.

And having defeated seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry 5-4 in the last 16 from 4-2 behind, Gray is not to be underestimated.

An 8-1 shot for the £82,500 first prize, Gray is also being driven on by the thought of his first major professional title plus a first-ever place in the game’s top 16.

He hasn’t qualified for the final stages of the Embassy World Championship so needs to go as far as possible in Edinburgh to stand a chance.

Provisionally ranked 14th, Gray says: “I promised myself I would try not to think of the rankings.

“At the moment I am relying on other results to get me in there.

“Every time I win I think that’s it. And then I go out and I feel I need to win another match to be absolutely sure.”

Gray won’t fear Higgins, who is 6-4 ON to lift the trophy. He beat him in the last 32 last year and adds: “Hopefully I can do it again.”

His back-to-back wins over Hendry and Swail may have lacked big breaks, but there’s been nothing wrong with his will to win.

“I didn’t feel in the game at all early on but from 4-1 down I just seemed to relax and get back in the match,” said Gray, a good friend and practice partner of fellow Londoner Jimmy White. “And from 4-1 down to 4-4 I didn’t do too much wrong.”

Swail, looking good for the 10th semi-final of his career, scored only 34 points as Gray set up the decider with breaks of 89, 44 and 54.

He then moved 70-0 in front to leave the Northern Ireland professional requiring snookers.

Despite last season’s defeat, Higgins has won their other two meetings and is running into form just when he needed to.

“Players like Paul Hunter and Ronnie O’Sullivan have got a few tournaments in the bag before the world championship. So they know they are in good form,” he said.

“But myself, Peter Ebdon and Stephen Lee need some wins to get our confidence up.”

The opening semi-final features 2001 Scottish Open finalist Doherty and 19-year-old outsider Selby.

Doherty, runner-up in the UK Championship last December, prevented the prospect of an all-Scottish final by defeating Glaswegian Alan McManus 5-3.

Leicester-based Selby accounted for Essex rival Ali Carter by the same score.

Like Gray, Selby hasn’t qualified for the Crucible and can put all his efforts into lifting the trophy.

Selby can also pot balls as he compiled a third-frame century against Carter plus further runs of 52 and 58.

“You don’t become world champion like Ken has without being a great player,” said Selby, a semi-finalist in last season’s China Open.

“But I’ve beaten some good players so far and hopefully I can go all the way this time.”