Return of Steve Davis to centre stage was moment to swell the heart

AT THE start of the world snooker championship the chances of Steve Davis winning a seventh world title were put at 400-1.

Those are the sort of odds offered on a B52 bomber being found on the moon or the Monster Raving Loony Party winning the General Election.

In other words, impossible. Admittedly the chances of 52-year-old Davis beating Australian Neil Robertson in the quarter-finals and going on to contest the final in Sheffield next Monday remain remote.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But his feat in beating current champion and world No 1 John Higgins at the weekend was one of the true wonders of sport.

"I was wobbling like anything," said Davis, describing his nerves as he lined up the final pot. "It was awful."

No, it wasn't. It was wonderful. It was one of the most inspirational sights in the whole of sport.

It was up there with 59-year-old Tom Watson coming down the final stretch at Turnberry last summer leading The Open. Up there with 50-year-old Fred Couples on the US Masters leaderboard earlier this month.

It does not matter if you do not like snooker or regard it as little more than a parlour game when compared to more universal sports such as football and rugby. You could still appreciate Davis's achievement, especially with it coming 25 years after the most famous snooker match of them all.

No-one who witnessed it will ever forget that May night when 18 million viewers tuned in way past midnight to see Davis beaten by Dennis Taylor on the final black in the world final of 1985. That was when Davis was the sport's undisputed king. A player admired for his dedication and determination and his ability to grind down opponents. Yet a champion who was never universally loved.

That was also part of the beauty of Davis's win over Higgins. The roar which greeted his winning pot was laced with real affection. Not just sentimentality towards the underdog.

The roar of appreciation said more than that. It said sport is not about how old you are, but about how hungry you are. How determined you are to maintain or regain the enthusiasm which comes so easily in youth when the quest is to forge a place in history.

Davis's legend is secure. Six world titles sees to that. But now, against all the odds, he is back. Seemingly as brilliant as ever.

Truly, it is one of sport's most heart-warming stories.

Related topics: