Fairytale win leaves Davis to thank mystery snooker fan

It's 25 years ago this month since Steve Davis was involved in a match heralded as the greatest ever game of snooker.

His final black-ball defeat to Dennis Taylor in 1985 is the game most people bring up when they meet Davis, not his six World Championship titles as he dominated the Eighties.

But after Saturday's shock 13-11 second-round defeat of defending World Champion John Higgins, all that could be about to change.

For 52-year-old Davis defied his years, the trademark ginger is giving way to grey, to produce three sessions of magical snooker which left Higgins stunned and the sporting world in awe.

Whatever happens for the rest of the tournament, Saturday's match will go down in history as the greatest shock in snooker history.

Yet, Davis – who received standing ovations every time he entered the famous old arena after reaching the Crucible finals via the qualifiers – acknowledges it was only a freak bit of advice which helped turn round his fortunes prior to the World Championship.

"A gentleman emailed me on a website where I offer advice and said I was moving my head since I played pool," said Davis, whose last major title was back in 1997, and has slipped down the rankings to 23rd in the world.

"I thought he doesn't know what he's talking about, then I thought perhaps I was.

"In the build up to the World's that's all I thought about and the practise got better and better. I thought all I've got to do is come to the Crucible and keep my head still. It's a simple thought," he said.

"I had had a tear in my eye through shock and belief, maybe a little bit of emotion but not booing."

Davis came into the tournament as an embassador for snooker, his 30th Crucible appearance, and snooker chiefs had even organised a one-frame special on Thursday between Taylor and Davis to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 1985 final.

Now that match may have to be postponed, as Davis – who last won the world title 21 years ago, back in 1989 – will be pre-occupied with his quarter-final meeting with Australian Neil Robertson, which starts tomorrow.

Against Higgins, Davis was never behind, but onlookers kept expecting his bubble to burst as he went into Saturday's final session leading 9-7.

The 34-year-old three-times champion was bamboozled by the wily old fox, Davis's ability to control the cue ball a lesson in mastery.

As a veteran journalist in the media room at the Crucible muttered, how Higgins must be glad he wasn't a player in the Eighties when all fell before the Nugget.

Twice Higgins bridged a two-frame gap to battle back first to 9-9, then 11-11, but when Davis won the next frame, he stood just one frame from history.

Nerves had riddled the latter stages for both players, but Davis finished with style, even though he admitted he was "shaking like a leaf" at the climax.

"Until I potted the pink and held myself together whilst shaking like a leaf, perhaps I didn't believe it was going to happen," he said.

"Just amazing to beat the John Higgins, one of the greatest players to have held a cue at the Crucible, as the champion just amazing.

"I had a chance of potting the green and then playing a very good safety off the brown but didn't resolve the frame. I had one chance to win it and I thought screw back for the green and leave yourself a double on the brown, you never know. One chance, maybe the best chance of the match against John Higgins because he can mop the balls up at anytime.

"But I thought screw it back and I got the perfect angle on the brown and I thought this is your moment just go for it. The blue went lovely over the pocket and I was perfect on the pink but I still didn't fancy potting it I was wobbling like anything. How it went in I don't know.

"Relief does come first and then the dawning realisation that I've knocked John out. Then he came over and wished me the best, he's such a great champion and sportsman. You couldn't beat a nicer bloke."

Davis was Higgins's boyhood hero growing up in Scotland, but he accepted he had been given a lesson on cue ball control by the old master.

"For me he is the greatest, to be playing at 52 years old and to perform to that standard, it's just incredible," said Higgins, who will be World No 1 next season after a successful year.

"He was definitely the better player, for long periods of the match I was just trying scrap it out with him. There were times out there when his cue ball control was a lesson to me."

Looking to join veteran Davis in the quarter-finals, is another Crucible icon, seven-time winner Stephen Hendry.

A mere youngster at just 41 years of age, he was locked at 4-4 with Masters champion Mark Selby after their first session yesterday.

Sheffield-based Ding Junhui leads former World Champion Shaun Murphy 5-3 when they resume their second-round match this morning.

Crucible shocks

1982, Tony Knowles 10 Steve Davis 1: Defending champion Davis was destroyed by Knowles.

2000, Stuart Bingham 10 Stephen Hendry 7: A year after his seventh title, Hendry was ousted by Bingham.

1997, Stefan Mazrocis 10 Peter Ebdon 3: Runner-up in 1996, Ebdon suffered the worst defeat of his career when, as a qualifier with no history for such results, Holland-born Mazrocis played the match of his life.

1986, Joe Johnson 18 Steve Davis 12: Bradford journeyman Johnson had never won a match at the World Championship by the age of 33, but the pre-tournament 150-1 shot powered to victory and also reached the 1987 final, where Davis had his revenge.