Joe Johnson is delighted that seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry is competing in the 888casino.com World Seniors Championship.

The only problem is that the 1986 world champion has been drawn to play the Scot.

“I don’t get much luck in the draw,” laughed 61-year-old Johnson, who will face Hendry in the evening session of the Sky-televised event at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth on Saturday, October 19.

Johnson, who hopes to get the world seniors back in Bradford some day, lost 2-0 to six-times world champion Steve Davis in the quarter-finals at the Cedar Court Hotel in November 2010, and 2-1 to John Parrott in the last 16 the following year in Peterborough.

Defending champion Nigel Bond will play the first match of the afternoon session in Portsmouth against Dene O’Kane (1pm) but the highlight could well be the re-match of the 1985 World Championship black-ball final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis.

Also on in the evening session is Jimmy White, who won the world seniors title in Bradford. The Whirlwind faces Doug Mountjoy.

The four quarter-finals will be played on Sunday, October 20 (1pm), followed by the semi-finals and final from 7pm.