How Steve Davis won his sixth and final World Snooker Championship in 1989 | Sport | The Guardian That 1980s sports blog How Steve Davis won his sixth and final World Snooker Championship in 1989 The reigning champion had not enjoyed a great season in 1988-89 but he showed his true class at the Crucible, where he beat Stephen Hendry and John Parrott on his way to winning snooker’s greatest prize for the sixth time Friday 17 April 2015 05.00 EDT Last modified on Monday 4 April 2016 09.19 EDT Close The state of the game in the late 1980s As the last World Snooker Championships of the 1980s neared, a debate was raging as to whether the sport had lost its appeal with the viewing public. There were arguments to be heard from both sides. On the one hand, the BBC had just paid £11m to secure television coverage until May 1996, but on the other the number of hours devoted to the sport on our screens was steadily declining.

In the 1985-86 season, 400 hours of snooker had been shown, dropping to 350 in 1987 and 300 in 1988, giving the impression that over saturation in the peak days of the mid-1980s had led to apathy among TV executives. News that a couple of tournaments were losing their sponsors added fuel to the fire that snooker was struggling, with Anglian Windows no longer backing the British Open and Tennents withdrawing from the UK Championship. Yet, when it came to the World Championship, the impression remained that the enthusiasm would still exist within both the snooker fanatics and casual observers alike; after all, the fortnight at the Crucible in Sheffield was always special. Snooker needed an exciting 1989 World Championship, but come the end of the tournament, the ruthless displays of one of the greatest players to have held a cue left many wondering if things were becoming too predictable. Perhaps the sport needed normality on the green baize after controversy upon controversy during the season.

From the cocaine-related stories involving Kirk Stevens and Cliff Thorburn to the beta-blocker tales of Bill Werbeniuk, via match fixing allegations involving Peter Francisco, the sport was rarely off the front and back pages. Naturally Alex Higgins was often in the tabloids, suffering a broken foot when trying to escape out of a flat window after a row with his girlfriend Siobhan Kidd, but he also highlighted his undoubted talent when he defeated Stephen Hendry in the final of the Irish Masters just two weeks before Sheffield. Higgins would not make it to Yorkshire, however, after his 10-8 defeat to Welshman Darren Morgan in the qualifiers. The Hurricane was not the only notable absentee. Werbeniuk had been stripped of professional status after failing to pay a £2,000 fine for his use of beta-blockers; six-time champion Ray Reardon was again not present; Kirk Stevens’ troubles meant he also failed to qualify; former champion John Spencer exited at the last qualifying stage, as did Rex Williams.

In all there were seven debutants at the Crucible – Steve Newbury, Joe O’Boye, Steve Duggan, David Roe, Darren Morgan, Gary Wilkinson and Paddy Browne – indicating that times were changing as the end of the decade approached. Davis begins an open championship as the favourite The journalists previewing the tournament may have been casting doubts over the chances of Steve Davis winning a record-equalling sixth title but this was definitely not reflected with the bookmakers. Davis was installed as the 5-4 favourite, with Hendry at 5-1, John Parrott 7-1 and Jimmy White 8-1. The reason for the question marks hanging over Davis was his unusually mediocre showing in the 1988-89 season. After winning the International Open and Grand Prix at the start of the campaign, Davis had uncharacteristically failed to build on this, being beaten three times out of four by Hendry, losing the Canadian Masters final to White, being defeated by Parrott in the European Open, and suffering the humiliation of losing to world No51 Tony Chappel in the first round of the Mercantile Credit Classic.

Even so, Davis’ earnings were still approaching the £500,000 mark for the year, and the mere sight of the Crucible was always an inspiration to the world No1. “The World Championship is different, a mini-season within a season,” said Davis on arriving in Sheffield. “I’ve not gone soft. This is an exciting time for me. You know what’s coming, what to expect, how hard it is and how you’ve got to prove yourself.” Davis’ main threat was undoubtedly the 20-year-old starlet Hendry. The Masters champion had not enjoyed as successful a season as he had 12 months before, but the victories over Davis were an indication that he could cut it at the very top level of the sport. Many observers were already talking up the prospect of the Scot becoming the youngest ever world champion. With the pair due to meet in the semi-finals, all eyes were set on the possible Davis-Hendry clash, although Hendry would be involved in a tense opening-round match that nearly scuppered this straight away. John Parrott was seen as another possible contender.

The Mirror’s Tony Stenson offered the opinion that “The Nearly Man is about to come of age”, with commentator Jack Karnehm also saying that Parrot had “come of age” and that “this could be his year”. The European Open champion was set to shoot up the world rankings after a fine season and was sounding understandably confident on the eve of the tournament: “I wasn’t ready before. Now I feel I’ve served my apprenticeship.” Of the rest of the field, White had endured a slump in form since his Canadian Masters win and was not expected to end his World Championship pain. Conversely, Doug Mountjoy had won the Welsh Championship, Mercantile Credit Classic, and UK Championship in a stirring season that saw the 46-year-old move from 24th to 10th in the world, with the Welshman tipped to do well at Sheffield. Former world champions Dennis Taylor and Joe Johnson were not considered realistic prospects for another title, although 1979 winner and 1988 finalist Terry Griffiths was a consistent performer who could not be completely ruled out. Steve Davis competing at the 1989 World Snooker Championship.

Photograph: Bob Thomas/Getty Images The early rounds prove simple enough for the champion As the tournament progressed, it appeared that rumours of Davis’ demise had been greatly exaggerated. A comfortable 10-5 win over Steve Newbury in the first round was a mere warm-up for his next victim. Steve Duggan may have thumped Cliff Wilson 10-1 in the opening round, a defeat that meant the Welshman exited the top 16 in the world, yet Davis was a different prospect completely. Davis won the match with a session to spare, his 13-3 win spelling out a warning to the rest that he was on top form. Another 13-3 win over Mike Hallett in the quarter-final gave Davis more time to practice, not that his performances suggested he needed it. “I was expecting a harder game, but Mike gave me bundles of opportunities,” said Davis, the loser at least improving on his 13-1 loss to the same man in the second round of the 1988 tournament.

Hallett would move up to world No6 after his Crucible showing, his first-round win over a rejuvenated Mountjoy a personal highlight, especially after the Welshman had dismissed Hallett’s chances before their match. “It spurred me on,” said Hallett after his 10-8 win. “I had the hump because he dismissed me.” In defeat, Mountjoy stood by his original views, saying: “I didn’t rate him before the game, and I still don’t now. I lost rather than he won.” Not the most dignified way for Mountjoy to end a season to remember. Stephen Hendry is nearly knocked out in the first round Davis may have moved serenely through to the semi-finals, but it was not so simple for Hendry. Playing Gary Wilkinson in the first round, Hendry looked to have started his campaign in emphatic style, moving into an early 4-0 lead, and although Wilkinson pulled back to 6-3 down, the bookies odds of 14-1 on the English debutant gave a fair indication of his perceived chances.

The odds were soon slashed to 5-1 though when Wilkinson narrowed the gap to 7-6, and when Hendry missed a couple of chances in the 16th frame and the match went to 8-8, it appeared as if the Scot was struggling. Hendry won the next with an 88 break but back came Wilkinson to set up a deciding frame. In a lively atmosphere, Hendry was booed both before the break and at the conclusion, yet he composed himself enough to put in a break of 67 to seal the narrowest of victories. “It was strange, hearing the boos,” Hendry admitted. “It hasn’t happened to me before. It didn’t affect me, in fact quite the opposite. It geed me on.” Hendry had survived his scare, openly declaring that he was unnerved when Wilkinson began his comeback. The fourth seed would go from strength to strength as he cranked through the gears in his next couple of matches, but his 1989 World Championship adventure could very well have been over before it had even started.

The seeds drift out to clear the way for a Hendry v Davis semi-final Hendry may have sneaked through but for four other seeds there would be no such luck. Joe Johnson never recovered from an 8-0 deficit in his match with Tony Meo, eventually losing 10-5 to put the victor into the second round for the first time since 1985. Peter Francisco suffered in a different way to Johnson, leading Dean Reynolds 7-4 before losing six frames in a row and also dropping out of the top 16 to complete his misery. Tony Knowles did not exit the tournament quietly, his 10-6 loss to David Roe overshadowed by a row between Knowles and referee John Williams. The contentious incident occurred in the 15th frame, as Williams twice called Knowles for a miss, the Bolton man furious that his escape, involving four cushions, was punished. “It wasn’t a miss. If it had been I would have called it myself,” said an irate Knowles at his press conference.

“The crowd knew it was a bad decision.” Trailing 8-6, Knowles lost the crucial frame and was soon on his way out, completing a poor season for the eighth seed. “It’s nothing to do with my ability,” said Knowles. “It’s my confidence as a person that is the reason.” His time at the top end of the world rankings was becoming a distant memory. Seven of sport's biggest thrashings: from Stirling Albion to Steve Davis Read more A war of attrition between Cliff Thorburn and Eddie Charlton The fourth seed to fall at the first hurdle did so in a match of such length that it deserves a section on its own. Cliff Thorburn’s 10-9 defeat to Australian Eddie Charlton was not a major surprise, giving the Canadian’s year and the determination of his opponent. But the reaction of Charlton afterwards left a lot to be desired. There could be many adjectives used to describe Charlton’s 10-9 win: wearing is one, maybe methodical, tactical or technical.

But many of those present during the match may have plumped for plain old boring, the marathon between the pair not finishing until 2.39 on the morning of Thursday April 20 (it was scheduled to finish on the Tuesday) with roughly 50 spectators present and many reports suggesting that at least a dozen of those were asleep. The match lasted 10 hours and 24 minutes, Thorburn calling it the “survival of the fittest” and “a bit of a grind”. Those were kind words. John David described the encounter as “the most tedious first round match in Crucible history” in the Express, while Frank Malley declared in the same paper that Charlton “couldn’t pot a tomato plant without lining it up a dozen times.” You might have thought that Charlton would have shown some sympathy with the people who had endured the drudgery, but not a bit of it. “I’m a professional snooker player and I play to win. If the fans don’t like it, they can lump it.” In some ways you had to admire his honesty, but it wasn’t very pretty and Charlton perhaps should have shown a little more respect to those paying spectators and fans of the sport.

“In 1956, Eddie Charlton carried the torch at the Olympic Games in Melbourne,” wrote The Times’ Steve Acteson. “In the early hours of yesterday morning he conspicuously failed to do the same for snooker.” Charlton’s reaction was strongly lambasted throughout the British press and when he lost 13-8 to Tony Meo in the second round, not a lot of tears were shed. How Nick Faldo made the most of Scott Hoch's miss to win the Masters in 1989 Read more A sporting gesture from John Virgo One man who did his very best to show snooker in a better light was John Virgo, the chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. Virgo had defeated Higgins’ conqueror Darren Morgan in his opening match, ending his Crucible jinx that had seen him knocked out in the first round every year since 1983, which set up a second round date with Jimmy White. The match was nip and tuck throughout and inevitably entered a final frame decider.

A break of 26 saw Virgo move 33-31 up as White watched on helplessly, the balls sitting in an ideal position for a match-winning visit to the table. And then Virgo made a sporting gesture that still lives long in my fading memory. Brushing a red with his cue, Virgo could have easily got away with his crime, his contact so thin that nobody noticed apart from him. But the honesty of both the sport and Virgo meant that this was not a viable option. Virgo immediately stood up from the shot to admit to his foul, an action that brought praise from one and all, even more so when you consider that White cleared up to book his place in the last eight. Sometimes an individual reaffirms your faith in top level sport and Saturday was one such example. Tony Meo’s Indian Summer Snooker had not been kind to Tony Meo in the past couple of years. Steadily dropping down the rankings since 1986, the extremely talented Meo had departed the 1987 championship in tears, his loss meaning that he had slipped outside the top 16 and would need to qualify in 1988.

When he failed to do so, Meo openly admitted that he considered quitting the game, but with the support of Matchroom manager Barry Hearn, gradually the Englishman started to get his act together. Ranked 31 at the start of 1988-89, Meo finally broke his tournament duck, defeating Dean Reynolds in the final of the British Open to bury the ghosts of his 1984 Lada Classic nightmare, when a well-intentioned shout of support disrupted Meo in his deciding-frame shootout with Davis. Despite his good year Meo still needed a good showing at the Crucible to get back into the top 16 for the next season. He got that and some more. After his wins over Johnson and Charlton, Meo then defeated Reynolds 13-9 in the quarter-final in a match that contained plenty of talking points both before and after. In the lead-up to the quarter-final, the press happily dug up Reynolds’ comments made after the British Open final in which he had criticised Meo for being “slow and negative”, even though Reynolds had subsequently apologised for being “totally out of order”.

Ironically though it would be Reynolds who would be punished for slow play during the World Championships, with referee John Williams issuing a warning to him to “buck his ideas up” during a pivotal 18th frame. Reynolds broke down in tears during his press conference, labelling Williams as “incompetent” and arguing that the referee had cost him dearly. “I was in the middle of a break. I was really gutted and after that every time I was down on a shot I was conscious of the time I was taking instead of giving thought to the shot.” Reynolds’ opinion was backed up by Virgo, who had been commentating on the match at the time, but that was probably very little consolation. Davis the king holds off Hendry’s charge in the semi-final After his first-round scare, Hendry soon got back on track. Willie Thorne did not provide much opposition in the second round, his numerous mistakes leading to a crushing 13-4 defeat (although television viewers missed quite a lot of the match due to a 24-hour BBC strike), but it would be Hendry’s quarter-final display against Griffiths that truly got tongues wagging.

Winning nine frames in a row, including one with the highest break of the tournament, a 141, Hendry’s 13-5 win set up the match every snooker fan wanted to see: Davis v Hendry. Initially Davis tangled up Hendry in his carefully planned safety game, taking a 5-2 lead overnight and increasing this to 10-4 after the morning session on the second day. However, we were then provided with a sign (if we needed one) that Hendry was truly made of the right stuff, as he began to chip away at Davis’ advantage. At one point Hendry narrowed the gap to 12-9, and although Davis then rattled off four frames in a row for a place in the final, Hendry had announced himself at the Crucible. The King would reign for a little longer, but it was becoming apparent that he would find it difficult to keep the heir off his throne. The baton of world dominance was about to be passed on.

The best and worst things about watching sport on TV in the 1980s Read more John Parrott on a mission for the people of Liverpool Saturday April 15: the opening day of the World Snooker championships was not the only big sporting event to be taking place in Sheffield. The FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was being played at Hillsborough, just a few miles away from the Crucible, yet on a day of indescribable tragedy as football supporters lost their lives in a stadium disaster that is still difficult to comprehend. Snooker paid its respects. On the following Saturday play began at 3.07pm after a minute’s silence, and one man made it his goal to try and win the World Championship for his grieving city. John Parrott had worn a black armband throughout his first round match over Steve James, and after a nail biting 10-9 win, he openly spoke of the pain he was feeling. “I stood on the terraces at both Anfield and Goodison.

The people who died were my people, special people, a different class.” As momentum built, Parrott continued on his quest, knocking out Dennis Taylor and an out of sorts Jimmy White to seal a semi-final berth with Meo. Pledging “to do my damnedest to take the trophy back home for the people of Liverpool,” Parrott was riding on an emotional rollercoaster, but still managed to put in high quality displays that had been prominent throughout his season. Meo was simply no match in their semi-final, with Parrott surging from 8-5 to a comfortable 16-7 win. Disappointment for Meo, even if he did jump up 17 places in the world rankings, yet Parrott was now only one step from his first world title. The only problem was that the obstacle in the way of what would be a poignant victory was a certain Steve Davis. Davis is presented with the trophy and a cheque. Photograph: Gray Mortimore/Getty Images Awesome Davis crushes Parrott 18-3 in the final The final would prove to be one step too far for Parrott, although it is debatable as to whether anyone could have lived with Davis in that form.

“I’ve played the best snooker of my career,” said Davis after he had secured his sixth world title. No one disagreed. “The best I’ve seen him play in the 13 years I’ve been with him,” said Hearn. “One of the most remorseless sessions ever witnessed in a World Championship match,” wrote Acteson after Sunday’s evening session, with Stenson adding to the praise, calling Davis’ display “a performance of sheer perfection”. The 18-3 thrashing was a chilling inevitability from the very first frame, Davis simply relentless and capitalising on any Parrott error to open up a 13-3 lead overnight. Parrott, who later stated that he played “like a slow puncture”, was helpless to prevent the biggest final defeat in Crucible history, as Davis once again wrapped up a victory with a session to spare (Parrott was then put through the torture of an exhibition match with Davis in the evening, which was less than welcome). As the dust settled on the tournament, many considered the ease with which Davis won the title and the possible consequences for the sport if he continued to dominate.

On paper his three successive world titles and the fact that he only lost 23 frames during the 1989 championship hinted that his time at the top was not yet up. But amazingly 1989 would be his last ever World Championship final. As the decade of Davis ended, so the Hendry years commenced. 1989 proved to be one final demonstration of Steve Davis at his very best. Steve Davis – Pro Snooker Blog Highest Ranking: #1 (1983-90) Highest Break: 147 (1982 Lada Classic) Career Highlights: Six times World Champion, Six times UK champion, Three times Masters champion, Three times Grand Prix champion, Eight times Irish Masters champion, Four times British Open champion, Six times Scottish Open champion, Six times Classic champion Twitter: @SteveSnooker In short One of the all-time greats, Steve Davis was undoubtedly the man of the 1980’s, winning six world titles and several other tournaments as he became the first dominant force in the modern era of the game.

Although his glory days have now long gone, he seems to be enjoying the game as much as ever and continues to be a hard man to beat on the ranking event circuit. As well as his playing career, Steve has also gone on to forge a successful television career with the BBC, as well as pursuing other interests such as professional poker and pool. When Steve does eventually hang up his cue, one thing that is for sure is that we won’t have seen the last of him on our TV screens. Early career As a youngster it was clear to see where Steve’s interest in the game came from as his father was himself a strong amateur player. Keen to develop his technical abilities, Steve used a copy of Joe Davis’s book, How I Play Snooker, to hone his skills as a teenager and before long was recording high breaks including his first century break by the age of 17. It was not just the playing side of his game that Steve had under control though as in Barry Hearn he had the perfect manager for him. Having spotted him at the Lucania club in Romford, Barry realised Steve’s potential and soon had him signed up under a five year deal.

As far as his amateur career was concerned, his first success was actually to come in the sport of billiards as he captured the British Junior Billiards Championship in 1976. A number of snooker pro-ams followed, culminating in victory over Tony Meo in the final of the 1978 Pontin’s Open. Going pro Despite failing to win the English amateur title, the time had come for Steve to turn professional, which he did in 1978. Without having a spectacular début season, he did at least do well enough to qualify for the 1979 World Championship at his first attempt, though he was to lose 13-11 in the first round to Dennis Taylor. Improvement was to come during his second season however with a run to the quarter-finals of the UK Championship, before he really made a mark at the Crucible in defeating Terry Griffiths, the reigning world champion 13-10. Title success Steve has since said that this win was absolutely crucial, one that really gave him the confidence to compete at the top level and his results during the following 1980/81 season certainly back this up.

His first major title came at the UK Championship with a 16-6 victory over Alex Higgins in the final, having already beaten Griffiths 9-0 in the semi-final. He then went on to win the Wilson’s Classic, Yamaha International Masters and the English Professional Championship in the same season as he began to look very much like the number one player. Embassy elation The ultimate test of this notion was to come at the season-ending World Championship however and it was to be one he passed with flying colours. Defeating Jimmy White, Alex Higgins and Terry Griffiths to reach his first semi-final, he then ground out a terrific victory over the reigning champion Cliff Thorburn to progress to his first final. There he would meet Doug Mountjoy who although coming back from 6-0 down to be just two frames behind at 14-12, could not handle Davis who took the next four to secure a 18-12 win. With Barry Hearn famously running down and launching himself at Steve, it was the culmination of several years work as he cemented his status as without doubt the best player in the world.

Sustained success This victory was to prove just the beginning for Steve as he took a further seven titles during the following season, most notably including the defence of his UK crown and the first of three victories in the B&H Masters at Wembley. He also recorded the first ever televised 147 maximum break at the 1982 Lada Classic against John Spencer as he looked like taking every record set in the game. One thing that Steve could not do however is defeat the ‘Crucible Curse’ and become the only first-time winner of the event to successfully defend his title. Indeed he did not just lose, but on the back of a long season he was absolutely destroyed, losing 10-1 to the unheralded Tony Knowles in the first round. More world titles This defeat only served to inspire him for the 1982/3 season however as he added another seven trophies to his collection. Most importantly these included a second world title, clinched with a dominant 18-6 victory over an exhausted Cliff Thorburn who had played 14 more hours of snooker than Davis en route to the final.

This victory also moved him up to the top of the world rankings for the first time, though in truth he had been dominant ever since his UK Championship win in 1981. Despite a surprising defeat to Alex Higgins in the UK final later that year having at one stage led 7-0, it was business as usual at the Crucible as he stormed to his third world title. Defeating Jimmy White in the final, he also became the first man to retain his title at the famous theatre and his dominance showed no signs of ending. THAT final Back at the Crucible in 1985 with another five titles already behind him, Steve was a huge favourite to take his fourth World Championship crown. Facing Dennis Taylor in the final, who he had beaten in eight of their nine previous meetings, this looked to be exactly what would happen as he won every frame of the first session to move into a seemingly unassailable 8-0 lead. Amazingly though, Dennis hit back and perhaps feeling that he now had nothing to lose, began to play some of his very best snooker to close the gap to just two frames at 9-7 overnight.

The next day Taylor continued his fightback, levelling the match at 11-11 before Davis appeared to have regained his composure, moving into a 15-12 lead. Taylor again responded though and won the next three frames to make it 15-15 in a match that just did not seem to want to end. Davis again showed his class to move just one away from the match but typically Taylor came back once again to force a thrilling deciding frame. It went on and on but finally at 12:23am, Taylor who had never led previously in the match, sunk the final black to win his first world championship and inflict a devastating defeat on Steve. He of course retained his position at the top of the rankings but this was a defeat that nobody saw coming. Still, this did not seem to affect him during the following 1985/6 season as he again won both the UK and Grand Prix titles and once again entered the World Championship as the outstanding favourite. For a second successive year though, he was to be denied by an outsider, this time Bradford’s Joe Johnson who was a total unknown to the public at large.

Back on the winning trail Despite these defeats, Davis remained the clear number one player in the game and continued to win several tournaments a season. It was only a matter of time before he made it four world titles and this he managed to do in 1987 as he gained his revenge over Johnson with an 18-14 win. He managed to make it five in 1988 before taking his sixth and final world championship with a crushing 18-3 win over John Parrott. This was not only a superb achievement in its own right, but at the time elevated him up alongside Ray Reardon in terms of the total amount of world titles won. Changing of the guard Times were changing though and it was to be the man who would eventually take this record (and many others), away from Steve in the 1990’s who was the primary cause of it. Young Scot Stephen Hendry had been impressing for a number of years but it was his victories over Steve in the 1989/1990 UK Championships that really signified a changing of the guard.

Steve’s status as the world’s best player was now seriously under threat and his defeat to Jimmy White in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Championship, combined with Hendry’s victory in the final saw him slip down to number two in the official rankings. Since then, try as he might Steve could never regain the aura of invincibility that had served him so well during the 1980’s. He continued to win ranking event titles with his last coming at the 1995 Welsh Open, while his last major event of any sort was a superb victory at the 1997 B&H Masters against Ronnie O’Sullivan. Hendry though was dominating the game just as Davis had done before him and nobody, not even Steve could do a thing about it. Recent years Since then though Steve’s results have declined, he still seems to be enjoying the game as much as ever. Despite slipping out of the top 16 after the 1999/2000 season, Davis seemed to relax and results picked up in 2002/3, moving him back into the elite group for the next season.

Now fully embracing his position as an underdog in many of his matches, Steve began to make an impression on a few tournaments, most notably the 2004 Welsh Open and 2005 UK Championship events where he reached both finals. Despite losing out to Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ding Junhui respectively, his performances were good enough to see him achieve one of his biggest ambitions, remaining inside the top 16 on his 50th birthday. 2008/9 Although he was to slip back out at the end of the 2007/8 season, Steve made a strong start to 2008/9 as he reached successive quarter-finals in the Shanghai Masters and Grand Prix, and while he was hammered 10-2 by Neil Robertson at the World Championship, managed to move up six places to 23rd in the rankings. Of even greater significance perhaps is the fact that he ended the year ranked 13th on the one-year list and headed into 2009/10 with a genuine chance of moving back up into the top 16 once again.

2009/10 Steve’s start to the 2009/10 season was not to be the best however as defeats to Matt Selt and his namesake Mark Davis in the opening two tournaments saw him slip down the provisional list. He was able to win his UK Championship qualifier against Michael Judge to set up yet another clash with fellow legend Stephen Hendry in the last 32 at least, but despite being well in the match at 6-6, his inability to win frames in one visit was to cost him as the Scot took the next three frames for victory. Following defeats at the Welsh and China Open tournaments it looked like his season may peter out in an uneventful fashion but as things transpired, the World Championship proved to be as dramatic as any event in the past five years for Steve. Having qualified for his 30th Crucible appearance with an excellent 10-4 victory over Lee Spick at the EISS, Steve was drawn against Mark King at the last 32 stage.

Their match in Sheffield proved to be predictably tense and full of drama but eventually it was Steve who prevailed following a deciding frame and his celebration in the arena following the pot of the winning ball showed just how much it meant to him. With defending champion and provisional world number one John Higgins looming in the next round however, the story surely had to end there? Incredibly not as in the first session of their match, Steve played brilliantly, not just by his current standards, but by anyone’s standards and was able to stretch out a 6-2 lead. Although he was not quite as strong during the subsequent two sessions, John was not quite at his best and Steve eventually got over the line to complete a momentous 13-11 victory to make it through to the quarter-finals. Although his run was to end in the next round, again to Australian Neil Robertson, Steve’s victory over Higgins had really captured the imagination and showed that even at the age of 52, Steve could not be underestimated.

2010/11 Coming into the 2010/11 season ranked in 22nd place, Steve knew that a strong start would be required with the points from two quarter-finals early in 2008/9 set to be removed him his total. There was however to be little to show from his appearances in the new Players Tour Championship while he won just one match during the first six major tournaments to leave himself outside of the top 32 in the rankings for the first time in several years and in danger of falling outside of the top 48 heading into the World Championship qualifiers. He was however to produce some of the old magic during his opening qualifying match against talented youngster Jack Lisowski, hitting two successive century breaks from 7-3 down en route to a 10-9 victory. There was to be no fairytale return to the Crucible however as a 10-2 defeat to Stephen Lee in the next round saw him miss out for the first time since 2002, though he did cling on to a place inside the top 48.

2011/12 Having struggled during the previous season, Steve initially found the going tough in 2011/12 as he lost his opening match at the Shanghai Masters qualifiers to Passakorn Suwannawat. Improved performances were to come during the PTC events however, last 32 runs at PTC2, PTC4 and PTC5 preceding a memorable run to the semi-finals of PTC6 in Warsaw where he defeat the likes of Barry Hawkins, Alan McManus and Mark King before losing out in a decider to Ricky Walden. Davis faces the press at the 2011 UK Championship Following that match he continued to be consistent during the PTC events, a further four last 32 runs putting him into contention for a place in the top 24 who would qualify for the Grand Finals in Galway. Though Steve was eventually to miss out, his results combined with his successful qualification for the UK Championship with wins against Ian McCulloch and Andrew Higginson, were enough to see him retain his place in the top 48 at the second mid-season seedings revision.

Click here to read my interview with Steve following his qualification for the UK Championship The highlight of Steve’s season after Christmas was to come at the Welsh Open, as the six-time world champion not only qualified with victories against Lucky Vatnani and Ricky Walden, but then defeated Ali Carter 4-3 at the venue in Newport before losing to Shaun Murphy at the last 16 stage. His campaign was however to end on a low note, as he lost out 10-7 to Leicester’s Ben Woollaston in his opening match at the World Championship qualifiers. As a result, Steve was to lose his place in the world’s top 48 at the end of the season. 2012/13 The first half of the 2012/13 was to prove solid for Steve Davis as he battled to regain a top 48 seeding, with a couple of last 16 runs proving to be his strongest results in the remaining PTC events played during 2012.

Davis experiments with a new white ferrule during the 2012/13 season His first venue appearance was to come at the UK Championship in York, though at one stage it looked unlikely as he trailed India’s Pankaj Advani 4-0 in qualifying, before mounting a superb comeback to edge through in a decider. He was however to go no further at the venue however as he was outclassed on the day by a resurgent Ali Carter. The second half of the season was to be relatively unremarkable for Steve, as he played in just five matches in ranking event competition, losing out twice to Kurt Maflin, most notably at the season-ending World Championship qualifiers. 2013/14 The 2013/14 season was to be one of few highlights for Steve, as he found victories increasingly difficult to come by in ranking events. With just six victories in full-ranking events, none coming following the turn of the year, Steve entered the season-ending World Championship knowing that he would have to win at least one match if he was to maintain his 36-year unbroken spell on the main tour.

Though he battled hard however, he was to go down 10-8 to Craig Steadman in his opener, confirming his relegation from the circuit as he finished 69th on the new prize money based ranking list. Shortly after the tournament however, changes to the tour were announced which meant that from 2014/15, Steve would receive a two-year invitation onto the circuit, in the event that there were extra spaces available in tournament draws. Away from the ranking circuit, Steve was to appear on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! in November 2013, while he was also to enjoy success at the World Seniors Championship in Portsmouth, defeating Nigel Bond 2-1 to win the title for the first time in his career. 2014/15 Steve used his invitational tour card sparingly during the course of the 2014/15 season, but was to enjoy one magical moment at the World Championship qualifiers as he defeated Jamie Cope 10-9 on the black to progress to the second qualifying round.

Although he could not compete against eventual qualifier Kurt Maflin, his victory against Cope was a memorable win for the 57-year-old and his supporters. In April 2015 Steve also released his autobiography ‘Interesting’ and you can read my review here . Tournament Victories: BBC Sport - Snooker - Wales' kings of the baize: Best Welsh snooker players Wales' kings of the baize: Best Welsh snooker players By Sean Davies Wales has a glorious tradition for producing stars of the ultimate 12 x 6 indoor challenge. But which of the country's cueing kings is the greatest? Take a look at the top five. 5: MATTHEW STEVENS Matthew Stevens has twice been the runner-up at the World Championship The Carmarthen cue-er has all the talent in the world and could still have the potential to advance further up this list. He excels in longer matches, making the final of the World Championship in 2000 and 2005.

He lost the first time, 18-16 to compatriot Mark Williams having led 14-10, then 18-16 to Shaun Murphy in 2005 when he had been 10-6 ahead overnight. Each defeat was felt keenly by the Welshman and his form suffered badly in the aftermath. Stevens has dropped out of the top 16 in the world and many fear that his latest dip could be terminal for his career. But should the 2000 Masters and 2003 UK Championship winner get back to his best, he is capable of mixing it with the elite of the modern game. Stevens is young enough to rise again, and his polished, heavy-scoring style gives him the potential to mix it with the elite of the modern game.

Replay: Stevens comes close to 147 4: DOUG MOUNTJOY Ex-miner Mountjoy was the hard man of the circuit in the 1970s and '80s The hard-man ex-miner from Ebbw Vale fought his way into the professional ranks and stunned the snooker world by winning his first professional tournament - the Benson & Hedges Masters in 1976 - having entered as a late stand-in. Mountjoy was always a battler, a regular fixture at the business end of tournaments in snooker's first golden television age. Perhaps his finest moment came in the 1981 World Championships at the Crucible. He fought through an all-Welsh semi-final 16-10 against Ray Reardon, recording a then-record 145 break on the way. In the final he met Steve Davis at the peak of his powers. Mountjoy made the Romford legend sweat until the last ball went in, but it was not enough and he fell to an 18-12 defeat. The Gwent man went on to become coach to the United Arab Emirates, basing himself in Dubai.

Replay: Davis beats Mountjoy to win 1981 Crucible crown 3: TERRY GRIFFITHS 1979 world champion Griffiths vied with Steve Davis for '80s domination The Llanelli "Grinder" exploded onto the scene by winning the 1979 World Championship, just his second tournament as a professional. It is hard to imagine the methodical Griffiths as a young tyro, but the coiffured cue-master was one of the hottest talents on the snooker circuit and looked poised to dominate the game for years to come. Just one thing stopped him - Steve Davis. Griffiths peaked at the same time as the Nugget, and throughout the '80s it was a familiar tale of both men advancing to the final of major tournaments, only for Davis to walk away with the trophies. It was Davis who denied Griffiths a second world crown in the 1988 final, but since retiring from playing the Llanelli man has proved one of the most successful coaches on the circuit.

2: MARK WILLIAMS Mark Williams lifts the 2000 world title after beating Matthew Stevens Williams, born just a short hop across the Sirhowy valley from Ray Reardon in Cwm, will never terrorise the game in the way that Dracula did in the '70s - there are just too many top-quality professionals around these days. The young pretender lacks consistency, but the sheer quality of the play he is able to produce sees him as a serious contender for the title of Wales' greatest snooker player. When Williams gets into his groove, he has proved himself capable of dominating the game at a time when snooker has perhaps its highest quality operators around. He has been ranked number one for three seasons in his career, despite competing against the likes of Stephen Hendry, Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins. Yet, after claiming his first world title in 2000, the Gwent man won just one tournament the following year. His 2002/3 season was perhaps the finest ever produced by a Welshman, Williams' stunning potting and devastating attacking play seeing him win the UK Championship, Masters and World title.

He has since struggled to attain anything near that peak and - remarkably for a player of his ability - dropped out of the top 16 in 2008/9. He went four years without a ranking tournament win, but you write Williams off at your peril and he bounced back to form to claim the 2010 China Open, the 17th ranking win of his career. Should he find some sustained form, he could yet challenge Reardon for the title of Wales' all-time greatest. Archive - Williams joins Crucible 147 club 1: RAY REARDON Known as "Dracula", six-time world champion Reardon terrified foes Reardon is a legend of the game, a six-time world champion who dominated the '70s as comprehensively as Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry ruled the following two decades. Nick-named Dracula, the Tredegar man terrified opponents with his control of the tactical situation, strangling the life from their game as he kept them cueing into blind alleys. Reardon played on as a new form of snooker began to emerge, with faster cloths and larger pockets favouring attacking play and the long-pot sharpshooters.

Failing eyesight also hampered him, despite his adoption of Dennis Taylor-style droopy glasses. It was never an easy night against the Welshman, though, and he narrowly missed out on a seventh world title in the final against Alex Higgins in 1982. Archive - Alex Higgins v Ray Reardon, 1982 Bookmark with: How Steve Davis won his second World Snooker Championship in 1983 | Sport | The Guardian Guardian Sport Network How Steve Davis won his second World Snooker Championship in 1983 Nearly 10m viewers tuned in to watch Davis beat finalist Cliff Thorburn, who had entertained the public with his 147 break Steve Davis and Cliff Thorburn pose for the cameras before the 1983 World Snooker championship, which Davis won 18-6.

Photograph: Bob Thomas/Bob Thomas/Getty Images Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog, part of the Guardian Sport Network Wednesday 30 April 2014 09.29 EDT First published on Wednesday 30 April 2014 09.29 EDT Share on Messenger Close Snooker was still very much on the ascendancy as the 1983 World Championships approached. TV viewing figures were healthy and Riley Leisure, who had 51 clubs open in the UK at the time, posted a profit of £1.4m for the 17 months up to December 1982. According to newspaper reports, Steve Davis had recently become the first man to earn £1m from playing the sport, which was all well and good, but Davis really wanted to add a second world title to his CV. After winning the 1981 championship, Davis had experienced an inconsistent season in 1982.

He won the UK Championship and the Masters, but the dreaded Crucible Curse saw him humiliated 10-1 by Tony Knowles in the first round and, as the 1983 season progressed, Davis was starting to show signs that he was in fact human. Defeat in the quarter-finals at both the UK Championship and the Masters left many of the press to wonder whether the world No4 had lost his mojo, although the bookies – who, let's face it, normally know a thing or two – had installed him as pre-tournament favourite at a best price of 11/8. After sitting down and sorting out his mind and his game with his dad, Bill, manager Barry Hearn, and coach Frank Callan, Davis sent out a warning to the rest of the field by winning the Irish Masters the week before the World Championships. His main threat in the top half of the draw was undoubtedly defending champion Alex Higgins, the two scheduled for a mouthwatering clash in the semi-finals.

Naturally Higgins was filling column inches before the start of the tournament, and would fill more throughout the course of the 17 days of competition, his form a concern to him as he looked to defend the title he had won so thrillingly in 1982 . Higgins' wife Lyn had been in hospital for three weeks before the championship due to complications during the birth of their second child, Jordan, and although mother and child were now fine, Higgins' preparations had been disturbed. That his trusted cue had been broken in the build-up to the tournament did not help either. A lack of practice time, coupled with the early Crucible starts that Higgins disliked, led him to dismiss his own chances. Many observers pointed out that his form had stuttered during the run-up to the 1982 tournament and a player with his natural gifts was always a threat on the biggest stage. The bottom half of the draw looked a lot more open. Ray Reardon had his backers, the world No2 tipped to win by the Mirror's Terry Smith and labelled as "an outstanding challenger in the bottom half of the draw" by Sydney Friskin of the Times.

Reardon's compatriot Terry Griffiths had won the UK Championship in November, beating Davis and Higgins in the process, and was one of the many contenders for a final berth in a half of the draw that also included 1982 semi-finalist Jimmy White , Canada's Kirk Stevens, 1981 finalist Doug Mountjoy, Tony Knowles and 1980 winner Cliff Thorburn. For Thorburn the 1983 World Championship would be a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences, ranging from elation to utter despair, taking in huge quantities of fatigue along the way. In all, he would play over 50 hours of snooker, face three final-frame deciders – all of which ended at an ungodly hour – and would compete in 120 of the 589 frames that were played at the Crucible, just over 20% of the total. And, of course, along the way he would become the first man to score a maximum 147 break at the Crucible , before he eventually hit a wall in the final, and was hit by personal tragedy that put everything else into perspective.

The first round was a mere appetiser for what was to follow. Of the 16 seeds, only Jimmy White went out, losing 10-8 to qualifier and old south London schoolmate Tony Meo, before both players promptly burst into tears over the emotion of the occasion. Terry Griffiths was pushed close by Mark Wildman, coming back from 8-7 down to win 10-8, in a painstaking finale (the crucial 16th frame lasting 49 minutes and including a period of play where the pair took 17 minutes to pot the brown). John Spencer admitted he was lucky to beat Mike Hallett 10-7, with Ray Reardon also unhappy regarding his form, labelling himself "a beginner" during his 10-7 win over Eugene Hughes. Davis and Higgins had fewer concerns. After taking an early 6-0 lead, Davis thrashed Rex Williams 10-4, sending out an ominous sign to the rest of the field. Higgins managed to brush off the dangerous Dean Reynolds, a player that he had only just scraped past at the UK Championships earlier on in the season.

The Canadians enjoyed a comfortable cruise into the second round, a flu-ridden Thorburn defeating Australia's John Campbell 10-5, with pin-up boy Kirk Stevens, who had recently produced his first pop record, hammering Mick Fisher 10-2. If the tournament was warming up in the early matches, then it truly came to life in a dramatic second round. Higgins was at the centre of attention, but not necessarily for the right reasons. In the second frame of his match with Willie Thorne – who had beaten John Virgo 10-3 in the previous round – Higgins accused his opponent of deliberately missing a red, although referee John Williams disagreed. Thorne alleged that Higgins called him a cheat, an accusation Higgins refuted: "I didn't call him a cheat, but I told him I don't like people who would sell their own grandmother for two bob." The uneasy tension was not helped when Thorne levelled the same accusation at Higgins in the seventh frame. There was not much love lost between the pair. Ultimately Higgins won 13-8 and both players kissed and made up, but the controversy that seemed to dog the reigning champion showed no signs of disappearing.

"Willie and I are the best of pals again. It's just because I'm Alex Higgins that it is blown up into a nuclear explosion," said Higgins. But this would not be the last time he would have to plead his innocence during the tournament. His behaviour was becoming so irritating to some that Tony Knowles would later say that Higgins needed "a good thump between the eyes", although the young Englishman later apologised for his rather frank comments. In what would be his biggest test of the tournament, Davis sneaked through 13-11 against a rejuvenated Dennis Taylor. Taylor's improved form had seen him gain revenge for his first-round defeat to Silvino Francisco the year before, when he beat the same player 10-9. Taylor attributed his change in fortunes to a new pair of £67 glasses that made him look like "a cross between Elton John and Joe 90" and "the front end of a Ford Cortina" according to onlookers. Davis felt the full force of Taylor's new confidence, admitting that he was relieved to stay in the match at certain points.

Although Taylor led 4-3, 8-7 and 9-8, Davis looked to have shrugged off his opponent when he won four frames on the bounce to take a 12-9 lead, and despite a fightback from Taylor, Davis finished the job. Taylor must have been sick of the sight of Davis when he lost to the Englishman in the 1984 semi-final too, yet as we all know, he would certainly have his share of glory in their 1985 epic. Two other matches went to the penultimate frame; Eddie Charlton beating John Spencer, with Tony Meo winning four of the last five frames to end Mountjoy's hopes. After winning the world doubles championship with Davis , Meo was beginning to find some success on his own, still using the trusty cue he had bought from a friend for £3 six years previously. Meo met Knowles in the quarter-finals, the latter having come through a final-frame decider against Ray Reardon.

"I threw it away and did not do myself justice," bemoaned a gutted Reardon, who had high hopes on arriving in Sheffield after his wins in the Professional Players' Tournament, Welsh Professional Championship and the Yamaha Organs International in the 1982-83 season. David Taylor's path to the quarter-finals was blocked by the large figure of Canada's Bill Werbeniuk. A feature in the Mirror detailed Big Bill's drinking regime, a necessity for Werbeniuk in order to combat an hereditary nervous tremor. Breakfast would be washed down with a pint of lager, followed by another six or seven before the match. "I don't usually start that early but I've got to with the match kicking off at 11am," Werbeniuk said. Despite the fuss surrounding his preparations, Werbeniuk was enjoying a fine season, reaching two finals and helping Canada win the State Express World Team Classic. Taylor's comfortable first-round win over Jim Meadowcroft had been overshadowed slightly when Taylor moved to the opposite end of the arena due to excessive cigarette smoke (created by Meadowcroft) getting in the eyes of his opponent.

"By the end of the second frame I couldn't see the end of the table," complained Taylor, who would have to endure Werbeniuk's chain-smoking during their second-round match. Werbeniuk won 13-10 after trailing 10-6, but along the way both players would take a unscheduled break to witness a slice of sporting history. Cliff Thorburn's 147 is probably worthy of a blog on its own. And to think it all started with a fluke . Leading 2-1 against Terry Griffiths, Thorburn luckily got his break underway when a red rattled in one pocket and rolled along the top cushion to knock another in. It was a lucky break that started an historic break, as the balls sat perfectly on the table for what was to follow. As the break progressed, there were a few squeaky bum moments, and some fine shots were required with the rest, as Thorburn managed to keep the chances of a 147 alive.

It was after the eighth black had disappeared that Rex Williams began to mention the chance of a big break for Thorburn, with fellow commentator Jack Karnehm declaring that he did not even want to bring up the subject of a maximum for superstitious reasons. But it soon became apparent just what was happening, as all eyes began to focus on Thorburn, including those of Werbeniuk and Taylor playing on the other table. The tension was filling the arena as Thorburn opted to take a small rest after 14 reds and 13 blacks had been potted. "I had this terrible vision of making history with a runny nose," Thorburn admitted later, his ability to think logically under such pressure so admirable. After sinking a very missable yellow, everything was in place for his moment of glory. "Good luck mate," uttered Karnehm famously – one of my favourite commentary moments of the 1980s – as Thorburn finished the break that would earn him £13,000. "I'm still in shock.

It's simply mindboggling," said Thorburn, although after a couple of glasses of champagne he was back at the table, trying somehow to come down from that enormous high, and continue with the remaining frames of the match. And what a match it turned out to be. Griffiths fought back from 12-9 down to take the match into a final frame, as a seven hour final session spilled into Monday morning. Approximately 200 hardy souls remained in the Crucible at 3.51am, as Thorburn finally edged out his opponent after 13 hours and three minutes of mentally draining snooker. "I have certainly been through the mill and if I have to go through this all over again I shall end up insane," said Thorburn. Oh dear. Thorburn's opponent in the quarter-finals would be fellow countryman Stevens, who had experienced his own health concerns during his 13-3 destruction of South Africa's Perrie Mans. Suffering from glandular fever, Stevens was given a separate dressing room and allowed to play his second-round match without a tie. Both Canadians would be tested physically and mentally as Thorburn was again involved in a gruelling match that went the distance.

Initially all seemed to be going well for Thorburn, as he took an early 4-0 lead, but at the 1983 championship, he rarely did things the easy way. Stevens hit back to lead 12-10, with Thorburn looking beaten. But the next frame was Thorburn's and, when he levelled the match after a 53-minute 24th frame, Thorburn was back in familiar territory. The final frame was just as nervewracking, stretching on for 61 minutes as Thorburn took it to win a match that has lasted 12 hours and 32 minutes and did not finish until 2.12am. "It's nice to finish so early," joked Thorburn, who must have wanted to sleep for a week. Thorburn may well have been centre of attention for a few days, but soon Higgins was making headlines once more. After being called for a foul in the third frame of his quarter-final with Werbeniuk, Higgins appeared to flick a V-sign towards referee John Williams, something Higgins vehemently denied.

What was clear, however, was that Higgins was adamant that Williams should be removed from refereeing duties, storming out of the arena muttering: "I want the referee changed – he's not doing a good job." Play was held up for five minutes as Higgins argued his case with tournament promoter Mike Watterson – two days later Watterson discovered that his services were no longer needed as the WPBSA were taking over from 1984 onwards – before Higgins' request was turned down and play resumed. Trailing 9-7, Higgins looked in trouble, but he recovered to move into a 10-9 lead. Frame 20 was peculiar to say the least: Werbeniuk established a huge lead, leaving Higgins requiring 10 snookers but the Hurricane refused to concede, prompting the Canadian to play three shots one-handed. At 11-11 the match was up for grabs, but Higgins won the next two frames to keep his title defence rolling on. Afterwards a tearful Higgins broke down as wife Lyn and daughter Lauren arrived in Sheffield, although the ongoing drama surrounding all of his matches seemed to be getting on top of him too. The other two quarter-finals were less eventful.

Meo never recovered from a poor start against Knowles, falling 5-0 behind and eventually losing 13-9. And the Steve Davis bandwagon continued, a 13-5 thrashing of Eddie Charlton notable only for an excellent serving of sour grapes from the Australian, who declared: "Nobody ever appreciates the luck Steve gets until you play him. He's a great player and beat me fair and square but, by God, nothing ever goes bad for him." "No disrespect to the other semi-finalists, but this is like the final," said Higgins regarding his eagerly awaited clash with Davis. Unfortunately for Higgins, he would suffer the same fate as eventual finalist Thorburn, Davis reeling off seven frames in a row to lead 9-2. Not even a telephoned death threat could slow the Davis charge, with the Crucible sealed off by the police and play delayed for 35 minutes as spectators were body-searched and the venue checked – someone had called to say that Davis would be shot if he won 10 frames. Luckily Davis was not made aware of this threat until after the match but it probably would not have blocked his progress anyhow, such were the new heights his game was reaching.

Higgins may have had a stomach upset – throughout the match he survived on a diet of lager and honey – but he would have had to be at his very best to even compete against Davis in this form. Five frames in a row put Davis into the final, his 16-5 victory meaning that he could put his feet up for a bit – or more likely practice for a few hours - while Thorburn would once again slug it out to the bitter end in his semi-final with Knowles. At least Thorburn's matches were gradually finishing earlier, his deciding frame win over Knowles concluding at a far more reasonable 1.06am. For a while it looked as if Thorburn's marathon run was over, Knowles leading 15-13 and just needing the pink for a place in his first world final. But a nervy miss let Thorburn in, leaving a tearful Knowles distraught: "I'll keep seeing that pink over and over again. I was so tensed up. If only I'd stepped back for a second". Sadly Thorburn would leave the Crucible in tears too, but for vastly more tragic reasons.

During the semi-final, he discovered that his wife Barbara had suffered a miscarriage on the day of his 147, news that had been kept from him by his family, but told to him accidentally by a visiting friend from Canada. It was a heartbreaking episode for a man already exhausted by his experiences during the championships. Unsurprisingly Thorburn had nothing left in the tank for the final, his body and mind simply not able to respond anymore, especially against the relentless pressure exerted by Davis. At 2-2 the match was a contest for the last time, as Davis won seven frames in a row, before taking a 12-5 lead into the Monday. Any hope of a staggering comeback was put to bed the next day after another Davis surge, this time five frames on the bounce including a break of 131 in the last of the sequence, putting him one frame away from his second world title. Thorburn would win one more frame before Davis became the first man to win two world championships at the Crucible, celebrating with a back-breaking leap as he potted the re-spotted black at the end of the 24th frame.

"This is more important than the first title," remarked Davis, who admitted to shedding a tear or two in his dressing room afterwards. Not only did Davis have £30,000 to go with his world title, but he also returned to the number one spot in the world rankings. Davis' period of world domination had truly begun. "I'm bitterly disappointed. Now I know what it's like to go through purgatory," said Thorburn about his last few days. "I tried like hell but when I woke up after my semi-final win over Tony Knowles the final was anti-climatic. I just felt numb". Certainly the Canadian could be excused for his lacklustre performance in the final, the energy-sapping slog he had been through, coupled with his devastating news, finally catching up with him. The final had been watched by 9.9 million viewers on BBC2, proof that the sport was still popular in the UK, and showing no signs of reaching saturation point as yet ( compilations like this highlight the great names involved in snooker at the time ).

Through these peak years, Davis would remain at the top of the tree, his 1983 win a microcosm of his legendary career of greatness, which saw him claim six world championships, and set the standards upon which future players were measured against.

Question: Which Welshman did Steve Davis defeat in the final to win his first Snooker World Championship?
Answer: DOUG MOUNTJOY