In the qualifying rounds of the 1988 World Snooker Championship Davis beat Jack Fitzmaurice 10–8 and Jim Bear 10–4 before losing to Australian John Campbell 10–3 in the final qualifying round. This gave Davis a cheque for £3,117, which despite winning the event eight times, was his highest ever in a professional snooker competition. The following year he beat Bernard Bennett 10–4 in the second round of qualifying for the World Championship, it would be his last victory in a championship he had first graced 52 years earlier.