Well he has decided to retire after thirty eight years as a professional and im wondering what memories do you have of one the greatest snooker players of all time Mine is probably when he lost to Dennis Taylor in the black ball final
Losing to Alex Higgins in the 1983 UK championships.
In many ways it was the last truly great 'Triple Crown' performance by the Hurricane and as a young child Alex was always my favourite player and I hated Steve (on the table).
Of course my opinion is very different now as Steve has been a wonderful ambassador for the sport and is a great bloke.
I was too young to see him play title winning stuff so only saw him as a presenter and a washed up trier. He reminded me of someone's embarrassing dad - but also a genuinely nice guy I think.
The 1985 World Final will always be his most talked about match, ironic given all his success that it would be a defeat that will live on the most... and which still holds a place in the records books....
That final remains the highest ever UK Tv audience for snooker - 18.5m watched the final black at 00.20 - which still to this day (i believe) remains the largest ever post midnight TV audience in UK Tv history!
Favourite memories of Davis? Whenever he was beaten. 85 World final obviously, but the already mentioned 83 UK final was even better when Alex came back from I think 7-0 down to beat him. Unlike the other poster though I can't agree that Davis is either a great bloke or a great ambassador for the sport. Really enjoyed the 86 World final too when Joe Johnson beat him.
The Lada Classic, Oldham. Steve Davis v John Spencer. And as the break gradually built, you could sense that a maximum was on. It was also notable in commentary that David Taylor was almost cheering Steve on for the latter shots. The final pink to get to the black was a superb shot. When he made it, Taylor said it all: "There it is, beautiful, 147!" and it was. The Lada car that was won eventually was compacted into scrap metal, apparently...
Ronnie would come into his prime even more later in the year with the fastest 147 ever, and it was his third Masters final on the bounce, but at 8-4 up you'd have expected Ronnie to close out the win. Steve didn't though. In the days before Paul Hunter and his infamous Plan B, Steve forged a comeback of his own, winning six frames on the bounce to win 10-8 including a superb 130 break in frame 15 (the highest of the tournament in fact). And some of the best snooker he played during the 1990s as well to boot.
No one knew what was going to happen to Higgins after the defeat here, but Steve Davis, having overcome Mark King 10-9 in the first round, would have been an outsider to win. However he played properly, held the lead at 6-2 and then 9-7, and eventually at 11-11 dug deep to close the match out. The final frame was epic, especially the double on the brown and developing the blue at the same time to win the match which was one of the best shots Steve ever played. The standing ovation inside and the mass cheering outside as he made his way to the Winter Gardens was nothing more than the legend deserved.
I remember that 2010 match against Higgins, not for the match itself, even though I was cheering on Davis like mad throughout, but because, it was a Saturday and Gateshead FC had to win that day. Anything else and we were relegated.
Anyway, Davis won, Gateshead won, it was a good afternoon
Comments
In many ways it was the last truly great 'Triple Crown' performance by the Hurricane and as a young child Alex was always my favourite player and I hated Steve (on the table).
Of course my opinion is very different now as Steve has been a wonderful ambassador for the sport and is a great bloke.
I think they brought out a book about Interesting Davis which I had at the time
I remember the Spitting Image sketch.
I got it out of my local library, it was quite funny.
That final remains the highest ever UK Tv audience for snooker - 18.5m watched the final black at 00.20 - which still to this day (i believe) remains the largest ever post midnight TV audience in UK Tv history!
1982 - First maximum 147 on television
The Lada Classic, Oldham. Steve Davis v John Spencer. And as the break gradually built, you could sense that a maximum was on. It was also notable in commentary that David Taylor was almost cheering Steve on for the latter shots. The final pink to get to the black was a superb shot. When he made it, Taylor said it all: "There it is, beautiful, 147!" and it was. The Lada car that was won eventually was compacted into scrap metal, apparently...
1997 - Masters final comeback against Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie would come into his prime even more later in the year with the fastest 147 ever, and it was his third Masters final on the bounce, but at 8-4 up you'd have expected Ronnie to close out the win. Steve didn't though. In the days before Paul Hunter and his infamous Plan B, Steve forged a comeback of his own, winning six frames on the bounce to win 10-8 including a superb 130 break in frame 15 (the highest of the tournament in fact). And some of the best snooker he played during the 1990s as well to boot.
2010 - World Snooker Championship second round v John Higgins
No one knew what was going to happen to Higgins after the defeat here, but Steve Davis, having overcome Mark King 10-9 in the first round, would have been an outsider to win. However he played properly, held the lead at 6-2 and then 9-7, and eventually at 11-11 dug deep to close the match out. The final frame was epic, especially the double on the brown and developing the blue at the same time to win the match which was one of the best shots Steve ever played. The standing ovation inside and the mass cheering outside as he made his way to the Winter Gardens was nothing more than the legend deserved.
Anyway, Davis won, Gateshead won, it was a good afternoon