Steve Davis is 50 today. He turned professional in 1978 and 29 years on is still ranked 15th in the world.
What a remarkable sportsman he is. Although most of his achievements have been surpassed by Stephen Hendry, Davis remains a legend.
Davis, as much as anyone and more than most, has played a vital role in popularising Snooker as a major television attraction.
He was the Tiger Woods, the Roger Federer, the Michael Schumacher of our sport in the 1980s and, two decades on, is still able to compete, albeit on a less regular basis, with the best the game has to offer today.
In the August issue of Snooker Scene, we listed his ten greatest moments.
They were:
1980 – WINNING HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL TITLE
Davis beat Alex Higgins 16-6 to win the UK Championship and launch himself into the game's winners' circle, where he remained for well over a decade.
1981 – WINNING HIS FIRST WORLD TITLE
The first of six Crucible crowns in the 1980s.
1982 – MAKING THE FIRST TELEVISED MAXIMUM
147s are relatively common today, but Davis made the first.
1985 – THE BLACK BALL FINAL
Although he lost 18-17 to Dennis Taylor at the Crucible, Davis himself rates his involvement in the final as a highlight all these years later.
1987 – 18 IN A ROW
At the 1987 Mercantile Classic Davis reached his 18th consecutive ranking event quarter-final - which remains a record. It emphasised his consistency in the decade when he was king.
1988 – WINNING THE BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Winning this coveted prize proved his popularity with the British public as the snooker honeymoon continued.
1989 – WINNING A SIXTH WORLD TITLE
Davis equalled Ray Reardon's modern day record in awesome style by hammering John Parrott 18-3 in the final - still the biggest margin of defeat at the Crucible.
1993 – BACK-TO-BACK RANKING TITLES
Stephen Hendry was by now top dog but Davis's capture of the European and British Open titles proved he was still a contender.
1997 – WINNING THE MASTERS
Widely written off as a player in decline, Davis came from 8-4 down to beat Ronnie O'Sullivan 10-8 at Wembley.
2005 – REACHING HIS 100TH FINAL
Davis reached the UK Championship final at York with superb displays to beat Stephen Maguire, Ken Doherty and Stephen Hendry before losing 10-6 to Ding Junhui.
4 comments:
Dave,
A couple of points:
As fantastic a list as that is, is the article in the future issue saying goodbye, in a way, to Davis ever making another big final or, even winning one?
And, how long do you think he can stay in the top division (16) for?
I heard some of Clive's interview yesterday which was as ever very candid and interesting about the game. Somebody mentioned his daughter (Didn't hear all of the question.) Does she work in the snooker media like her father?
I heard from somebody that their was a play about snooker up at the Edinburgh fringe. Do you know anything about this?
Finally, another reason why Jimmy White isn't doing so well may be attributed to this:
www.sisterhoodchallenge.com
Click on Art of Sport calendar. It may interest you guys as its all for a good cause.
Thanks, Joe
Steve's best days are behind him, clearly, but I don't think he's done yet - he was in the semis of the Welsh Open last season after all. He has perhaps one or two more seasons in the top 16 I'd say.
None of Clive's daughters (he has four) work in the snooker media. The caller on 5 Live went to university with one of them.
I wasn't aware of any snooker plays in Edinburgh, but Richard Downer did an excellent one man show on Alex Higgins a few years ago.
Dave,
I think if Davis did stay in the top 16 for another 2 seasons, it would be a record that wouldn't be broken in modern-day snooker. Can you see Hendry going beyond fifty?
Thanks for pointing the Radio question out. His daughters probably don't even take much interest in the game, anyway.
Indeed, I saw that play - it was good. I was told it was something to do with the game and not a character of the sport. Maybe it was a 5 minute piece that was seen. There are so many 'acts' there.
Finally, how much media attention is being to the 2 Paul Hunter tournaments? Even though, the German Open isn't on the world ranking list - and in my opinion, should be! - is the WSA endorsing the tournament money/promotion wise. Regardless, I still don't think this is good enough for a truly great young player. More effort should've been made.
Also, are German TV covering it, with a possibility of selling the rights to Eurosport - like the old days?
Thanks, Joe
I think World Snooker's argument about the German event - and one I must admit to having some sympathy for - is that if the top players will go to Germany and play for a top prize of around £4,000, why would the organisers make it a ranking event worth £250,000?
That said, snooker in Germany is a market that should be tapped into. It;s virtually an open goal. Also, it's good to see Paul's memory being kept alive.
Not sure what TV coverage it has but last year's winner, Michael Holt, told me the reaction to the players over there is incredible.
As for Hendry, no I can't see him playing professionally past 50.
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